I maintain Philadelphia Church of God currently lives under the old covenant. They live without Jesus, even though they mention His name in sermons. As one formerly involved with the Philadelphia Church of God and Worldwide Church of God, but now saved by Jesus Christ and confident to my death that I can stand strong, I would like to relate the facts which I now see:

Romans 7 and Galatians 5 state that Jesus is freedom! Are slaves to the manipulators considered free? No, they are not free, but have succumbed to the leaders' and ministers' demands. I once was also deceived by their tactics, but have since been delivered by my Savior, Jesus Christ.  (Read my testimony) The same Savior who led me through my lesson, while involved in these false religious, cultist groups, brought me to His arms afterwards. He allowed this PCG suffering to show me who He really is. Please try to understand my point. Before Jesus, there was the old covenant and that contained shadows which pointed to Christ, but since His first coming, the shadows are gone; the reality is here and now He offers us a whole new freedom under grace with the promise of eternal life, by turning to Him, receiving the Holy Spirit and maintaining faith in His words until the end. (See Hebrews 8.)  

  "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).

I lived for awhile under the old covenant and it was very strenuous and difficult. Is this our way to salvation--honoring ministers and living under the Law of Moses? No! Jesus is our NEW and only way, but this is not preached in their sermons because they don’t really want you to follow Jesus but their MEN! That way you are under their rule and ownership. After all, wouldn’t we all be afraid of being cast out of what the PCG considers "God’s Only Church" if we were deceived to believe it was true?

My point is this: Jesus rescued us from the old covenant rules. He died for our salvation and if we deny His New Covenant, we deny Him. The PCG ministers, by preaching the days of Moses, are indicating that Jesus never came to give us a New Covenant. In these days, especially, it is very difficult to obey all the old covenant laws. We wonder why the suicide rate is so high in PCG and even in other ex-WCG groups. Did these dead ex-members feel they were failing God? PCG teachings are contradictory to what Jesus taught; therefore, they deny Him as our Savior and convince the members that they are their own saviors, or that Gerald Flurry is their savior. By strict adherence to not only the old covenant that Moses brought, but also the un-written "Gerald Flurry Covenant," they are claiming this is the ONLY way to salvation.

"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Galatians 5:14).

God is Love. (I John 4:8) He desires us to love also, as we are created in His image.

If you are disfellowshipped by Gerald Flurry, he says you are cast out of "the only true church" and sent to the "outer court" or "Lake of Fire." How sad! Jesus is Love, our Savior, and He will judge. Gerald Flurry claims to be "that prophet"¹ and is playing judge. Would Jesus cast you into the lake of fire, or disfellowship you from His church for questioning a man--Gerald Flurry?  I think not, but Gerald Flurry would do so instantly. Is Gerald Flurry's name in the Bible and are we commanded to obey him and his teachings? 

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).

Hebrews 1:12-14 states that God is immutable (unchangeable); therefore, we cannot become Him. The PCG believes they are to "become God."²  Isn’t this a contradiction? Wouldn’t God change if PCG members become God as a family, as they claim?  

If you have any doubts about the PCG and their doctrine, release the burden! Jesus will come to you and pick up your pieces. Why did you have to go through the PCG experience? Because now you know what it was like to live before Jesus died for us. Think about this important fact and apply it to all the pain you've experienced in the group. You learned how to live under the old covenant, but you can now see the LIGHT of Jesus' Love by His bringing us a New Covenant and the way to salvation. Now we have Jesus as the way to salvation, by His grace, and it is not measured by how much money we give to Gerald Flurry, not by attending feast days, not by washing feet, not by obeying ministers as "close to God," not by avoiding pepperoni, not by fasting, not being human, etc., etc., etc.

"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the LAW; ye are fallen from grace" (Galatians 5:4). 

I hope you will come out of the dark and into the LIGHT of Jesus. He is the way and there is no other way. God knows that we are fleshly sinners and that’s why His Son was sacrificed for us.  He took action for us out of LOVE and GRACE (taking our sins upon Himself). What else can we ask for? He made it so easy for us. He did all the work; we just need to have faith and believe on Him! Obedience to His commandments and way of Love follows naturally because He will live with us in our hearts. Upon faith in Him follows a change of mind because His Spirit causes it. He knows what God wants from us and guides us into that. We are saved only because of His Grace and not by obeying a false prophet's wishes. Love Him back!  

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2: 8-9).

Life before Jesus equals PCG. If you are currently in the PCG, please consider the eye opening freedom that Jesus Christ offers and free yourself from the fears of men of the PCG.  

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11: 28-30).

By Mike
Exit & Support Network™

Footnotes:

1 Flurry has referred to himself by many other titles. Read: Biblical Titles Gerald Flurry Appropriates For Himself.

2 Flurry teaches the doctrines of Herbert W. Armstrong, and it is evident when reading HWA's literature that he taught converted members would become God at the resurrection. Notice: "The PURPOSE of life is that in us God is really re-creating His own kind—reproducing Himself after His own kind— ...we shall be instantaneously CHANGED from mortal to immortal—we shall then be BORN of God—WE SHALL THEN BE GOD! ...The PURPOSE of your being alive is that finally you will be BORN into the Kingdom of God, when you will actually BE GOD!..." (Why Were You Born? by Herbert W. Armstrong, pp. 21-22.) "And the second thing to be restored is the PURPOSE of God. And the gospel has to do with that. That God IS reproducing us and that MAN CAN BECOME God!" (Mission of the Philadelphia Church Era, sermon given by Herbert W. Armstrong on December 17, 1983.) [For more quotes on this subject, see: Footnote #9 in ESN's critical review of Mystery of the Ages, chapter six.]

How Do I Receive Eternal Life?

Names and Titles of Jesus (The more we study this list, the more we will understand who He really is. How can we not help but love Him?)

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