The Main Thing Is to Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

I have heard someone in the Church of God say, "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing".

But what is the main thing?

Some will say, "The main thing is to make it into the kingdom of God".

I disagree.

Others may add to that, "and to help others in the Church of God, our brethren, also make it into the kingdom".

Again, I disagree.

If that is what you think, you and I are not on the same page.

"What can be more important than making it into the kingdom and helping the brethren make it into the kingdom?", you ask.

I will tell you.

This is what I think is, "the main thing".

The eternal salvation of millions of people is potentially at stake.  And God's glory and name and reputation for love and fairness for all eternity is at stake, and thus the quality of life in the kingdom forever is at stake.  That is what is more important.  

Here is the situation.

Millions of Americans, Canadians, Britons, and others are headed for the great tribulation without a warning.  They are going to be punished for things like Christmas, Easter, Sunday, etc. they don't know are wrong.  They don't know because no one has told them.  

Without that warning God will seem unfair, and it will be hard for the people to ever trust God and repent.  Many may not be able to do it and will go into the lake of fire and lose salvation forever, and the rest of us can struggle for eternity to understand how God could be fair in not giving a warning while there was time for the people to repent and escape.

That warning has not gone out, and there is not a single Church of God organization that is faithful to qualify to do it, as far as I know.  NOT ONE!  All are disqualified.  

That is why some ordained minister must raise up a new group and be faithful to qualify to get that message out to the millions.  That is, unless a leader of an existing Church of God fellowship repents and follows Christ in the basic principles needed to get the message out powerfully, but that does not appear likely.

This is a lot more important than unity.

If the Church of God won't do it (to our shame), I trust God that He will get that message out even if He has to use a Protestant minister or a Catholic priest to do it.

We have to get the true gospel message and the Ezekiel warning out to all in the nations of Israel.  And if necessary, some full-time minister or local elder, someone ordained as a minister who can baptize, lay on hands for the receiving of the Holy Spirit, and receive tithes, must raise up a new group to do it.

To me, this is the main thing.

If a COG minister who is best qualified and has the opportunity to do it does not want to do it because he thinks some so-called "unity" with Laodiceans is more important, then the job must fall to someone else.

The responsibility is on the shoulders of every minister including local elders in the whole Church of God, whether they realize it or not.

Doing God's essential work for the sake of His name and reputation and glory and for the sake of the salvation of millions is more important than peace and unity in the Church of God in this Laodicean era.

To me, that is the "main thing".

Jason Fritts Sermons Removed from CGA Website

Someone mentioned in comments, and I have confirmed, that Mr. Jason Fritts's sermons have been removed from the CGA website.

This raises questions in my mind, and may in the minds of CGA members and former members.

Why?

What valid reason according to God's perfect law of love can there be for removing those sermons?

Is there something wrong with those sermons?  If so, why were they posted to the CGA website for so long?

Were those sermons beneficial and spiritually profitable?  Producing spiritually profitable sermons was one of the things CGA, out of members' tithes and offerings, was paying Mr. Fritts to do.  He was paid to feed the flock.  In a sense, the members paid him to feed them through their tithes and offerings.  In a sense, one could say that those sermons belong to the members and former members of CGA who paid Mr. Fritts to give them.

Did Mr. Fritts fail to do a good job with his sermons?  Apparently not according to CGA which posted his sermons for years.  If there was something wrong with them, why were they on the website for so long?  And why would CGA for years pay Mr. Fritts a salary if he was making bad sermons?

Have those sermons been helpful to members to go back and review past lessons?  I think so.

So why were they removed?

Were they removed because Mr. Fritts was causing division by raising up a new COG fellowship and trying to draw members out of CGA and into his own organization?  I don't think so.  I have heard no indication he has started a new group or is in the process of forming a new group.

Apparently he was fired for sticking to both the Bible and the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong, and then he quietly began to attend someplace else, not causing division, not starting a new group.  I have listened to his sermons for years and I cannot recall him ever saying anything that contradicted CGA, Mr. Monson, or Mr. Armstrong.  He left as quietly as one could.  He has done his best not to cause division, as far as I can see.

So why take down his sermons that can be helpful to both CGA members and non-members alike?  Why take down those sermons that can help Church of God members draw closer to God?  Is that love?

CGA has repeatedly emphasized the point that they will not change Mr. Armstrong's doctrines.  They will not add to or change the doctrines he taught.  They think that they are holding fast to the truths he taught, thinking they are Philadelphians to whom Christ says, "hold fast", yet not holding fast to the way of life he and Loma practiced, the way of learning new things from the Bible and believing the Bible more than any man or church.

How ironic that the one issue that has seriously divided CGA was not some new doctrine or change someone proposed but one of the very points of doctrine that Mr. Armstrong was right about.  Mr. Armstrong taught that Jesus Christ is part of the true gospel.  That is also what the Bible teaches.

This was not "new truth".  This was what Mr. Armstrong taught.

And yet, here we seem to have a case where a leading minister was put out for sticking to what Mr. Armstrong correctly taught.

How unnecessary all this has been.  Anyone can make a mistake, and CGA could simply have admitted the mistake in not following Mr. Armstrong and the Bible correctly, and fixed it.  The members could have accepted that.  It would even be refreshing to hear the leader of a group say, I made a mistake.

So apparently CGA picks and chooses what teachings of Mr. Armstrong to keep and which ones to throw out.  Makeup also comes to mind.  Mr. Armstrong telling the Church before he died to follow the next pastor general (Mr. Tkach) also comes to mind.

And CGA is willing to divide the entire fellowship over the choices of what to retain and what to throw out from Mr. Armstrong's doctrines, but not according to God's word.

So what is the motive for removing Mr. Fritts's sermons?  Love?  Love for God and love for the brethren?  Agape love?  Philadelphia love?

Christ told Peter, "Feed My sheep".  For years, Mr. Fritts has done that.  Then, CGA removes that good spiritual food from the website.

So again, what is the motive?  Love?  Spite?  Fear?

Fear of what?  Mr. Fritts drawing members after himself?  But he has gone out of his way not to do that.  He has not started a new group nor apparently does he want to.  You couldn't leave more quietly and peacefully than he did.

It gets worse than that.  Every service has an opening prayer in which the man giving the prayer asks God's blessing on the service and asks God to bless the speaking.  Presumably God does that.  God the Father and Jesus Christ help to inspire the sermon.  That does not mean that the sermon speaker cannot make a mistake or always follows exactly where Christ leads.  They are human and can make mistakes.  Nevertheless, to the degree God answers the opening prayer for inspiration and blessing on the service, God is involved.

So those sermons that CGA has removed are not just the work of Mr. Jason Fritts but also the work of Christ.

So what Christ has built, CGA has torn down.

Removing Mr. Fritts's sermons from the CGA website has been a serious mistake in judgment.

I hope CGA will reconsider and restore Mr. Fritts's past sermons to their website.

"Therefore by their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:20).

If you have not done so yet, check out my last post for some details about what has happened and been happening.  This was published shortly before this one, so if you only check my blog every few days and look at the most recent post, you might miss noticing it.  Check it out.

Recent Comments about Jason Fritts and the Issue of Christ Being Part of the Gospel

For those who are following the situation with Mr. Fritts, and also the issue of Christ being part of the gospel, there have appeared a number of informative comments under the posts regarding Mr. Fritts I have published since the first one I published on 5/25/26. I have published 6 posts so far including this one.  I suggest, for those interested, that you look at the comments under each one.  There are a number of new comments, some of them mine, but not together - they are under a number of different posts.

In one of my comments I referred to one or more past posts of mine on the subject of Acts 5, Ananias lying to Peter.

I have searched for that post, and found it.  Perhaps there is more than one if you search earlier than this one.  Look at the post titled, "Is It Ever Right for a Christian to Lie?", dated October 18, 2020.

I make the point that Peter did not accuse Ananias of lying to an apostle or to a minister.  Ananias lied to God.  How?  By lying to an apostle or minister?  No, it doesn't say that.  He lied to God by lying to the Holy Spirit.  How did he do that? By lying to a member who had the Holy Spirit in him.

In other words, the Bible doesn't say that this was serious in God's sight because Peter was an apostle.  It was serious because Peter had the Holy Spirit.

But by the same principle, it can also be serious when if a minister lies to a Church of God member who has the Holy Spirit.  As I understand this lesson, a minister who lies to his members who have the Holy Spirit is lying to God!

And members who support and follow that minister have to bear some responsibility, if they stay with him after knowing that he lies, because God says, "Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked" (Exodus 23:7).  Also, "You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness" (Exodus 23:1).

I am not trying to be overly harsh, but that is what God says.

Also, God does not have kind words for ordained ministers who abandon the flock.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep" (John 10:11-13).

"And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: 'Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.' " '  Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock' - therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them' " (Ezekiel 34:1-10).

"So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Feed My lambs.' He said to him again a second time, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Tend My sheep.' He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?' Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, 'Do you love Me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed My sheep' " (John 21:15-17).

Sometimes it takes time for a minister, or any member, to sort things out and come to know God's will for them.  I understand that.  Nevertheless, it is good to be reminded of the overall truth, regardless of how details fall, that an ordained minister has a calling to serve God's people, and in some cases, to preach the gospel and the Ezekiel warning to Israel to prepare our nations for the great tribulation that is coming.  This should be motivated by love for our neighbors and for our brethren in the Church of God.

 
 

Did Herbert W. Armstrong Teach that Salvation through Christ Is Part of the Gospel?

The question, what is the true gospel, has been controversial in the Church, even today, to the extent it was a contributing cause for a split.  

As I see it so far, and I am yet to hear both sides fully, one side says that the true gospel is only the good news of the coming kingdom of God and that salvation through Christ is not part of that gospel, even though it also should be taught.  The other side says that salvation through Christ is definitely part of the true gospel.

What did Mr. Armstrong teach?  Did he teach that salvation through Jesus Christ is part of the true gospel when that gospel includes the kingdom of God?

This question may be important to some because some people and groups think that Mr. Armstrong's teachings should never be changed.  So if such a person or group follows Mr. Armstrong more than the Bible, the question for them can be important.

In examining Mr. Armstrong's teaching on this subject I will examine his teachings in two books, Mystery of the Ages and The Incredible Human Potential.  

Mystery of the Ages does not have a lot on what is included in the term, the true gospel.  It teaches all the major truths of the gospel, but does not say a lot about that term, "gospel".

On page 200 of Mystery of the Ages, top half of page, Mr. Armstrong writes that Jesus Christ taught His disciples the true gospel of the kingdom of God, and that this included the whole purpose of God in creating the human race.

On page 257, top half, he writes that the churches of this world omit the teaching that Christ is coming as king and ruler, and thus reject Christ's gospel message.  This agrees with what I have said that a message about Christ but without the teaching of the coming government of God is a false gospel.

From the bottom of page 278 through page 279, Mr. Armstrong says that false teachers taught a false gospel, teaching Christ as savior but omitting the teaching that sin is the transgression of the law of God, omitting the coming kingdom of God, the removal of Satan, the government of God ruling the earth, and the opening of salvation to all of humanity, snd that men can become literal sons of God and members of God's family as actual God beings.  By the way this is worded, Mr. Armstrong is implying that all these things that a false gospel message omits are part of the true gospel.

In The Incredible Human Potential, page 1 bottom half through page 2 top half, Mr. Armstrong says that the true gospel, when fully understood, reveals the incredible human potential, the way to peace and happiness, the most necessary information about the human race, the true values, and how man's awesome human potential may be achieved (in other words, how we can be saved).

In the last part of page 10 through all of page 11 he says that the gospel explains the origin of Satan the devil and how he became the great deceiver of mankind.  He says that the true gospel, had it been heeded, could have prevented all the human misery that has occurred, thus indicating that the true gospel includes knowledge of the law and ways of God.  He says that the true gospel includes all these truths: the earth's first prehistoric inhabitants, the reason man was created, the cause of evil and suffering, the nature of the human mind, and what spiritual salvation is and why we need it.

Can we see from this how all-encompassing is the truth included in the true gospel according to Mr. Armstrong?  Since it includes information about salvation, it must include everything about Christ and His sacrifice so we can be saved.

On page 12, middle, he says that the true gospel reveals a wide range of knowledge from God.

On page 15, bottom half, he says that a complete understanding of the message Christ brought from the Father, the gospel, involves an overall understanding of everything.  

On page 16, top half of page, Mr. Armstrong writes that if those in the world who preach what may be called a gospel of salvation really understood and taught what salvation is and how we can be saved, it could be part of the true gospel.  

On page 32, Mr. Armstrong says that the subject of the kingdom of God is an all-encompassing subject.  It includes the pre-history of the universe.

On page 160, top half of page, Mr. Armstrong states that the kingdom of God is both the government of God and the family of God.

It is clear that Mr. Armstrong taught that the true gospel, the good news of the coming kingdom of God, is a broad subject that includes much Bible truth including matters of salvation through Christ made possible by His sacrifice.

If someone today teaches that salvation through Christ is not part of the true gospel of the kingdom of God, they are contradicting Mr. Armstrong.

I recently heard a sermon published by Living Church of God by Mr. Wallace Smith entitled, "The Centrality of Jesus Christ".  In it he shows by quoting from Mr. Armstrong that Mr. Armstrong taught that salvation through Jesus Christ was part of the gospel.  He quotes from letters or other publications of Mr. Armstrong besides the parts of Mr. Armstrong's books I referred to.  I thought the sermon was good and I reccmmend it.

As I explained in a previous post, the word "and" in a passage such as Acts 8:12 where it says, "But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized", does not necessarily mean that the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ are separate things, but that word "and" can be used for emphasis.  This is saying that both were preached, not that one or the other is not part of the gospel.

For someone who teaches that Mr. Armstrong's teachings should not be changed or added to to say that the name of Jesus Christ and salvation through Jesus Christ are not part of the gospel seems inconsistent to me.  If you are going to change Mr. Armstrong's teaching on this point, at least admit you are changing his doctrine.  To just say that the name of Christ and the gospel should both be preached but are distinct but related things is not sufficient.  The name of Jesus Christ is definitely part of the gospel.  And if you want to say that this is only a matter of terminology - what's the difference as long as we preach both? - then why should it be so important as to split the Church of God over it?

If terminology is important - do we call salvation through Christ a part of the gospel or say it is something separate though related that must also be taught? - then those who say that it is not part of the gospel are wrong according to Mr. Armstrong, they are wrong according to the Bible, and they are wrong - period.

They should admit error, publicly correct their mistake, and teach the truth.

But they will accept correction only if they are wise.  "He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself. Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning" (Proverbs 9:7-9).