THE CONCERNED FOR BIBLE DOCTRINE

Chapter Five

THE CONCERNED FOR BIBLE DOCTRINE

The Assembly of 1992 had come and gone. A multitude of frustrated souls were left in its wake. Many who had hoped for a more clear-cut pronouncement of change were frustrated, but even more frustrated were the faithful remnant who had resisted all doctrinal change and had stood up for “the faith which was once delivered to the saints.” By now, it was plain to see that doctrinal change was inevitable. The faithful Church of God saints were driven to seek God for divine intervention. The spirit of prophecy was at work in the faithful remnant as they began to formulate plans to meet together for fellowship, strength and direction from God.

As is true in all human interactions, a few leaders will emerge from among the mass of people to lead them in some systematic manner. This was the case with the Concerned. Some prominent pastors and ministers began to lay the groundwork for a series of meetings of the Concerned. There were four prominent meetings held by the Concerned. The first of these meetings was conducted at Jonesboro, Arkansas on October 14-16, 1992. This meeting was attended by approximately 250 people from 17 states. The meeting was power-packed with the Holy Ghost anointing in each session. This was the initial limited organizational meeting for the Concerned. No membership role was ever made. The key points of this meeting included the selection of representatives for the Concerned, a secretary and treasurer, starting a monthly newsletter and formulating a statement of identity and purpose.

The name of the group was changed from The Concerned to The Concerned for Bible Doctrine. The duty of the representatives was to take the grievances of the Concerned before the General Overseer and leadership of the Church. It was felt that a unified voice would be more effective in dealing with the concerns of the group as a whole rather than individuals airing their complaints in a hit and miss fashion. Six representatives were chosen. These were: Jerry Wilda, Chairman; E. Roger Ammons; Douglas Hogsten; Paul Lawrence; George Sadler; and John Wilkins, Jr. Walter Lofton was chosen as the Secretary and Treasurer. The name chosen for the newsletter was “The Evening Light.”

A statement of identity and purpose was adopted which is presented below:

IDENTITY

The Concerned is a group of ministers, members, and friends of the Church of God of Prophecy who are committed to the defense and preservation of the Church.

Until now this group has remained relatively anonymous to protect the individuals involved from reprisals by those who are against them and their purpose. It would have been easy for those in authority to deal with the small group in its infancy one at a time before the group was strong enough to prevent it from being destroyed.

It is time now to come out into the open and make its presence known. Time is short, the hour is late, and the Church must be about its business to finish the work and preparing for the coming of the Lord.

This group of concerned individuals is committed to preserve, in these changing times, those biblical doctrinal teachings which were revealed to A. J. Tomlinson and progressively through the years to the Church. They are the same today as they were yesterday because they are the unchanging and eternal Word of God. There is no intent to change the doctrine, but rather to strengthen it in preaching and teaching, and to earnestly contend for “the faith that was once delivered to the saints:” (Jude 3). That includes its doctrine, teachings and advice.

Inasmuch as theocracy has not been followed in the last two assemblies, we, The Concerned, are lifting up a large and unified voice rather than resort to a fragmented, scattered, isolated, and unheeded attempt to get the attention of those in authority. We feel that we cannot yield to a man or group of men who will not listen to a“multitude of counselors.”

(Prov. 11:14; 15:22) With one voice we can say; “I pledge allegiance to our church flag and to the doctrine for which it stands…”

The Concerned will be directed by a board, the members of which will be given certain specific responsibilities to see that it fulfills its purposes within the standards of the Bible as revealed to and committed to the Church of God of Prophecy.

The Concerned was not pre-planned but emerged as those who had common concerns about the Church began to see that it was necessary to take some kind of definite action to stop it from departing from its divine revelation and earthly commitment to God and His Word. This group does not direct its decisions and actions against any individual or individuals per se, nor against the administration of the Church in a personal way, but it speaks out against any and all departures and infractions which tend to thwart, contradict, deny, omit, or fail to embrace the avowed calling, revelation, purpose, and commitment of the Church of God of Prophecy.

PURPOSES

The purposes of the group known as The Concerned may be summed up in two words; information and appeal. The Concerned will endeavor to keep its constituency informed of matters going on within the Church of God of Prophecy which threaten or are harmful to it in any way. An effort will be made to define and explain those things which may be vague or subtle and otherwise unnoticed or misunderstood and which could result in damage to the cause of Christ and the Church.

The Concerned will make an appeal to the General Administration of the Church and/or to any and all other administrators or persons of responsibility to correct errors of infractions which it considers worthy of consideration.’’

PLAN OF ACTION

1. The Concerned will form a board of directors and assign responsibilities. On this board will be both active and honorary members.

2. A newsletter and/or an instrument of information periodical will be sent out to constituents to keep them informed about the activities of both The Concerned and the Church.

3. A telephone brigade will be formed in which designated ones will be given three or four numbers which they will call, and those called will in turn call three or four other numbers, thus covering a wide area in a short time with vital information concerning The Concerned and the Church.

4. Constituents will be informed of the necessity of supporting The Concerned with prayers and finances to keep the group operating.

5. Those who receive this communication are encouraged to contact other fellow ministers, members, and friends of the Church whom they feel would be interested in helping with this endeavor to write to: (the mailing address was given here).

The General Overseer attended a session of this organizational meeting with some of his staff. Their purpose was not to help find a solution to the problems but rather to discourage the group in their cause.

This meeting will long be remembered by most of those attending. A fresh spirit of love and appreciation was readily apparent to all. The old-time Church of God “feeling” was in the air. The very atmosphere seemed to be charged by a divine presence. This meeting seemed more like the old-time Church of God services we used to experience before winds of change began to blow within the Church.

Following this meeting, many encouraging letters and phone calls were made all around the country to loved ones in an effort to stimulate their spirits and encourage them to fight the good fight of faith. The first edition of the newsletter, The Evening Light, was published and mailed in November, 1992, with an initial circulation of 125 copies. This newsletter was well received. It was copied and re-copied with many others receiving the good news. God was at work among His people as they were endeavoring to obey Him and remain faithful in the midst of heavy persecutions from those who misunderstood their cause to remain loyal to God’s Holy Word.

The aftermath of this meeting resulted in the revocation of several more ministers licenses. Some were removed from their pastorates or other positions in an effort to force submission. These actions seemed only to fuel the fire with more devoted determination to stand for the truth.

The second major meeting was scheduled for January 20-22, 1993 at Bessemer, Alabama. As this meeting was advertised, several State Overseers sent letters to their Pastors asking them not to attend. Some were threatened with disciplinary action if they attended. The meeting was well attended with at least 800 in attendance from 24 states. Some estimated the crowd to be around 1,000. This meeting was primarily for fellowship and worship with no noteworthy actions forthcoming. Some hinted at re-organization into another church entity, but not enough interest was shown toward such a move at that time. Although this was God’s plan eventually, the time was not yet ripe for God to re-establish His Church in theocracy. This would take place in July at the Solemn Assembly in direct fulfillment of prophecy. The convening of the Solemn Assembly was not yet known to us at the time. God was to reveal this to us a little later on.

The third major meeting was held at Lexington, Kentucky, May 6-8, 1993. The attendance at this meeting was estimated at 250, with at least 16 states represented. This was another meeting of great encouragement to our souls as we were under heavy fire by this time. The highlight of this meeting was a powerful move of God as He spoke to us from Heaven. This meeting was awesome in that God spoke to us that we were His jury and the verdict was that the present administration was guilty of departing from theocracy. We were led to pronounce them “GUILTY” before the great court of heaven which was in session on that memorable day. The sad fact was that Almighty God was performing a surgery on His Body, the Church of God, and cutting off some who had become dead in trespasses against Him. A heavy spirit of weeping and travailing settled upon the congregation as they prayed and agonized before God in a long session before the throne as they struggled for the souls of their beloved brothers and sisters with whom they had labored for many years.

The last of these meetings was conducted May 14-16, 1993 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Approximately 200 attended, with about 12 states represented. Powerful preaching and anointed worship was prevalent throughout this meeting. One brother was Spirit-pressed to mention the verse of Scripture where Christ told the Jews to“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Afterwards there was great rejoicing by the congregation as the Spirit manifested Himself to them. Some who have looked back upon that scene feel that God was using this to point to the restoration of the Church in the three days of the Solemn Assembly.

The resolve of the “Concerned’’ could appropriately be expressed in the following excerpts from a letter of one of the concerned ministers to the General Overseer: “There are those of us who will NOT be lured away from the Truth, we still have the visions, and thus we will do whatever is asked of us by God to preserve the ‘Divine Revelation.’ Please understand there are those of us whose face is set. Our pace is fast. Our goal is Heaven. The road is narrow. Our way is rough. Our companions may be few. However, our guide is reliable, our mission is clear.”

“We cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. We will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity. Please understand, we’ve stepped over the line, the decision has been made. We’re members of His Church and we know it. We won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away nor will we be still. Whatever means it takes to preserve and protect the Church of God will be pursued.”

They felt that God had raised them up for such a time as this. Their determination to keep the Church on track was firm. The Concerned for Bible Doctrine was truly a group raised up by God to do a specific work in preserving the Church through one of Her most difficult times. In the Holy Ghost message which called for the Solemn Assembly, the Holy Ghost specifically stated that God had raised them up, and He warned us not to point a finger at them (evidently to accuse or belittle them). Although they made mistakes as most groups do, overall they obeyed God and their mission was accomplished. Their last official statement came during the Solemn Assembly in the form of their report to that body. It is quoted here for historical purposes: “The basis upon which The Concerned came into existence was to preserve the doctrine. After exhaustive efforts to secure explanations, or answers to the obvious departures of doctrine and theocracy, these were refused and ignored. The exhaustive efforts being agony and travail before God, the only avenue to bring into focus the departures to the general membership was the legal action. To keep the investigation and information and to preserve the doctrine, “The Concerned” came into existence. Based upon the happenings July 24, 1993 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, “The Concerned’s” mission has been accomplished, thus the representatives of The Concerned is dissolved. All funds in The Concerned’s account will be submitted to the church treasury. Full authorization to the use of The Evening Light is promoted and authorized by what has been The Concerned.” The names of the representatives were included at the end of this statement. The amount of funds turned over to the Church treasury was $3,618.39.

The eleven-month period from August 20, 1992 to July 25, 1993 was a unique time period in the Church. This was a time of standing in the gap for the Church of God and upholding the precious doctrine which we so much love. During this time there were intense communications through a series of meetings, saturated mailings, telephoning and visiting one another. The overall theme was standing in the “old paths” in accordance to Jeremiah 6:16. This brief time span was a fulfillment of prophecy recorded in Malachi 3:16: “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.”

The 17th and 18th verses go on to reveal some future events the Church will experience as she continues on in the “old paths.” These prophetical fulfillments include the ingathering of the sheep into one fold, the escape from the awful tribulation period, and the return of the Church with Christ to rule and reign during the millennium. “And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.’’ This will indeed be a glorious time for all who are faithful to the Lord and His Church during the remainder of these trying times which we must endure in this present world.

THE REMNANT EMERGES

Chapter Four

THE REMNANT EMERGES

On June 19, 1992, a news article appeared in The Cleveland Daily Banner about an investment by the Church of God of Prophecy into a commodities trading firm known as Custom Trading International Corp. The story had surfaced earlier in the Fort Worth Star Telegram who listed the investment of the Church at over $336,000.00 into the alleged pyramid scheme. When more facts were in, the investment by General Headquarters was well over $380,000.00. The state of Georgia and several individuals had invested as well. Almost one million dollars, $974,550.12 to be exact, was lost in this ill-advised investment scheme. According to the Texas newspaper, the company was doing close to twenty million dollars a month in “sales.” The company went into receivership by the Security and Exchange Commission in late April. However, by this time, their assets had been moved to banks in Mexico and the only assets recovered were valued somewhere around $110,000.00 which included some cash, an old home and a used Cadillac. The recovered assets were less than the fees and expenses of the receiver and their attorneys and accountants. With more than 300 investors in the company, there was no chance whatsoever that anyone would receive any of their investments back from this unscrupulous company. In spite of this information, the Church’s Officials kept informing the general Church that there was no verifiable loss!

When the full impact of the news of this lost investment (which had been kept under wraps from the beginning) finally sank into the consciousness of the people, it became the proverbial “straw which broke the camel’s back.” This loss seemed to be the catalyst needed to bring those into action whose hearts had already become inflamed over the doctrinal issues and the surprise closing of Tomlinson College and Bible Training Institute. Many brethren began to bombard General Headquarters with requests to see an audit of church books and for explanations of what was happening. The presbytery in several states along with several General Officials and the General Overseer were contacted and asked for meetings with anxious brethren for information on these current events. No pertinent information was forthcoming from any official source. This lack of communication further compounded the frustrations already upon the hearts of loyal church members and ministers.

With the Assembly just a few short weeks, away and no one being willing to communicate, the frustrated brethren began to make plans to come together in a meeting to seek God for direction and to see what avenue we could take to come to a resolution of the matter. This meeting was scheduled on August 20, 1992 at the Cherokee Restaurant in Cleveland, Tennessee. There were 21 brethren present from 8 states. The roster of names, according to our records of those present were: Jerry Wilda, Idaho; Ralph Lester, Wisconsin; Walter Griffitts, Ohio; Robert Pruitt, Henry Callis, Michael Bridges, Billy Talley, Walter Lofton, Daniel Carlton, and Aaron Waggett from Tennessee; Don Flippo, George Flippo, Bill Ricker, J. C. Robinson, Gerald Trammell, Corbie Isbel and (?) Fraley from Alabama; Paul Lawrence, Arkansas; Max Scoggins and Joe Muse, Jr. from Georgia; and George Sadler from West Virginia. The group referred to themselves simply as the concerned ministers and laity of the Church of God of Prophecy. The future references to this group would be generally referred to simply as the “Concerned,” for convenience sake. The Holy Ghost had spoken in a mid-week service at the South Cleveland Church, a few days prior to this meeting, and said that He (God) was putting together a team that would do a special work for Him. Being a part of this special team was a rare and honorable privilege.

The notes of this meeting reveal that the group met “to express their concerns about the loss of funds at General Headquarters, the restructuring of departments and the departure from the doctrine of the Church as it has been taught for many years.” Hearts were poured out in weeping and prayer and through personal testimonies and discussions. The final consensus of the meeting was that we should seek legal advice due to the time factor and the gravity of the situation. It was decided that a few of the brethren would meet at the law firm of Jahn, Jahn, Cavett and Maddux in Chattanooga, Tennessee and report back in an afternoon meeting at the South Cleveland local church at 4:30 P.M. Those meeting with the attorneys were: Jerry Wilda, Ralph Lester, George Sadler, Don Flippo, George Flippo, and J. C. Robinson.

The brethren met with the attorneys at 2:10 P.M. The following things were agreed upon in this meeting: (1) Present a formal request for the deposition that Sister [Jerlena] Riley gave in Knoxville to the SEC. (2) A formal request for an audit of the books by an outside firm, and (3) If they failed to comply with these requests, we would go into Federal Court in Chattanooga to get a court order for compliance.

The group returned to the South Cleveland Church for the afternoon meeting as scheduled. Several others, including some sisters, were present for this meeting. Prayer and praise echoed as many testified while the Spirit moved to confirm His approval. A report of the progress of the meeting with the attorneys was given and all agreed to back the action of the committee. Several said they would return to their churches to ask for their spiritual and financial support—not against the Church—but rather against the corruption in the Church. There was an unanimous agreement that we must return to the doctrine of the Church that had been taught for all these many years. In accordance with the actions of these meetings, a bank account was opened and a Post Office box was rented. Two brethren were appointed to sign the checks, with one of them taking care of the correspondence.

As a result of these meetings, plans began to emerge to contact as many members as possible and ask them to be present at the Assembly to stand up and be counted for the Church of God. Two brothers formulated a questionnaire which was mailed out to approximately 4,000 church members in several states. The questionnaire was concise and direct. It is given here in its entirety.

August 24, 1992

FROM: Concerned Ministers, Members, and Friends of the Church of God of Prophecy

TO: All Who Are Concerned

S UBJECT: Defending and preserving the Church of God of Prophecy

I ARE YOU WILLING for the Worldwide General Assembly Tabernacle to be sold and not have the General Assembly in Cleveland anymore? This is being rumored.

II. ARE YOU WILLING for the Church of God of Prophecy to be merged with the Elders Church of God and abandon our doctrine, government, and organization? This is being rumored.

III. DO YOU WANT TO ABANDON theocratic unanimous agreement in Church business in the Assembly and determine business matters by Majority vote? It’s in the works.

IV. CAN WE AFFORD TO DISSOLVE Bible Training Institute, the most effective Church orientation and training arm of the Church, and go to some other less effective means of teaching the Church to our ministers and workers?

V. ARE WE GOING TO CONTINUE TO ALLOW the basic doctrines of the Church to be attacked and fragmented by so-called “STUDIES ‘ when they have already been established in the Scriptures?

VI. WILL WE CONTINUE TO ALLOW obvious heretics to retain licenses in the Church to continue to promote their doctrinal corruption?

VII. ARE WE GOING TO STICK with the Old Paths of tried and true Bible teachings, or will we drift with the tide and abandon the commandments of Christ in His Word?

VIII. ARE YOU CONCERNED about the misuse and mismanagement of Church funds at General Headquarters, and would you like to see our independent audit of all Church and departmental funds?

If you are concerned about these matters, we need you to attend this critical General Assembly in Louisville, and stand up and be counted. Otherwise, the darker and objectionable side of these concerns could be pushed through the Assembly to the detriment of the Church.

“THE CONCERNED”

P.S. We desire your prayers and if you can help financially mail check or money order to the Concerned (address was given).

A similar questionnaire was printed as a half-page advertisement in the Cleveland Daily Banner. Response from these questionnaires was almost immediate. The response was both favorable and negative, being divided about equal. Letters were received addressed to “The Pharisees Committee” and “To God’s Elect.” Donations and prayer requests began to pour in. Many were seeking answers as well as information about the group in general. Some just wanted to vent their frustrations, while others took pleasure in brow-beating. All in all, God was working as the remnant began to come together and receive strength and encouragement from each other.

Harsh criticism was leveled against the Concerned because of the contents of the questionnaire. In looking back at the items mentioned in this questionnaire, we can see that the Concerned was right on target, for nearly all of the things mentioned have come to pass. (1) The General Assembly tabernacle went up for sale in April, 1996 and was sold in 1999 and torn down in July and August of that same year. A grocery store now occupies the very spot on which once stood our vital tabernacle. Other businesses are also being built on the same property. Some of these business establishments sell alcoholic beverages and other ungodly products. (2) Despite denials of the claim of the Church of God (Elders) and the Church of God of Prophecy merging, there is a consistent flow of events which points in that direction. Some examples include a so-called solemn assembly in which both churches participated, in January, 1995. This event was held at various local Cleveland locations with both sides apologizing to each other for past troubles. The most recent event was the announcement on April 30, 2003 of a joint three year evangelistic venture between both churches to begin on August 1. These and other events relative to this subject can be verified by researching the Cleveland Daily Banner. (3) The theocratic process of doing business was changed in the 1994 General Assembly of the Church of God of Prophecy in Louisville. Read their Minutes for verification. This was necessary since only the true Bible Church can truly operate in pure Bible theocracy. (4) The Center for Bible Leadership was instituted in lieu of Bible Training Institute which was suspended without Assembly action. (5) Studies of church doctrine and procedures have continued and are continuing to take place. (6) The heretics mentioned are still working for, and are in good standing with, the apostate church. (7) Basic Bible doctrines such as divorce and remarriage, sanctification and others are being taught differently than the old-time Bible tried and true way. Many of these changes are either not in black and white on paper or if so, they are worded to be interpreted as one may desire them to mean. (8) The audit was never performed inasmuch as the legal action was dropped at the Solemn Assembly. As far as finances go, it has been reported by creditable people that many cut-backs in offices and personnel were due to financial difficulty. In a letter dated May 26, 1992 from the Tennessee State Overseer to his pastors, he stated that there had been expenditures beyond receipts of two million dollars a year. This was cited as one reason for closing Tomlinson College and suspending Bible Training Institute.

The 87th General Assembly convened in Louisville, Kentucky on September 7, 1992. Also the third meeting of the Concerned took place in the afternoon on this same date in a small country church in Indiana, which was only a few miles from the site of the General Assembly. A church building nearly filled to capacity with heavy hearted saints were meeting to find more direction from the Almighty God and to draw strength and encouragement from each other as they were soon to walk into an uncertain atmosphere back in Louisville when the Assembly would convene later on that evening. News of this meeting reached Church Officials, who had several key brethren of the Concerned followed by ushers during the entire Assembly.

The Questions and Subjects Committee report to the Assembly was an oddity, to say the least, in that it was dubbed, “an information only report.” Many felt that the report was designed to lock out any discussion on the issues which had been debated on the field throughout the year. With an administrative directive being issued following the last Assembly on the gold for ornament issue, which declared it being approved when in reality the Assembly never unanimously approved its change, many were concerned that the new administration would do the same on the contents of the informational report which was before this Assembly. After much discussion, the General Overseer agreed to allow all brethren who desired, to meet with the Questions and Subjects Committee on Wednesday afternoon. The Committee’s report was scheduled to come back on the Assembly floor on Saturday morning.

Approximately 300 brethren met for over three hours with the committee as scheduled. No one was able to break through the barrier which the Committee had built up around them. During the meeting, one brother was used by the Holy Ghost through a message in tongues as he laid hands on one of the committeemen. The Holy Ghost spoke to the Committee through him and said if they did not heed His Spirit, their candlelight would go out. The Committee seemed unmoved by this demonstration of the Spirit. Since time spent on Wednesday was not sufficient to resolve matters, they agreed to meet again on Thursday afternoon. Again, hundreds of brethren came before them, but to no avail. When the Committee returned to the Assembly floor with their report on Saturday morning, the Chairman boldly stated that the report would be accepted without any discussion. He accused the brethren who had met with them of having a bad spirit. Many brethren were still standing as the General Overseer declared the report accepted. He reversed his declaration in a later session after his attention had been called to those still standing.

These disturbing events let us know that the administration was determined to lock out the influence of sincere brethren who stood solidly for the Church and its undefiled doctrine. The action of the Committee and the General Overseer was another step away from Biblical theocracy. Those who loved the Church of God felt constrained to lift a united voice in their stand for the true doctrine, regardless of the consequences.

Thus, another meeting of the faithful Concerned was called to meet on Saturday night back at the Indiana church. Approximately 52 people gathered for that meeting. Again testimonies and encouragement were given along with information about the condition of current events. A song was sung by a Sister entitled “Going Back,” which reflected exactly the feelings of those present. The Church of God had left the old paths in 1990 and ‘91. We felt God was leading us back in that direction.

After returning home from the Assembly, several brethren were threatened for taking part with the Concerned. Ministers licenses began to be revoked and suspended. Three brethren who lived in Cleveland and had been instrumental in the organizational realm of the Concerned, were asked to meet with the Tennessee State Overseer and afterwards on that afternoon with the General Overseer. This meeting with the General Overseer lasted for five and a half hours. One of the brothers was suffering the last stages of cancer and was hard pressed to endure this meeting. Nevertheless, he was constrained to stay anyway. This Bishop and a Deacon had their licenses suspended while the third Bishop was further interrogated in several other meetings with the Presbytery and also with a review panel of fellow ministers. His license was eventually revoked in April of the following year. Since he was a retired minister, his retirement benefit was canceled.

These taxing times would bring out the best in some while manifesting defects in the character of others. We were traveling a road less traveled by most. The seriousness of the times demanded that we stay on our knees before God for His direction. This gave us a resolve in our beings to stay the course. In retrospect, one can usually look back and see where some things should have been done differently. While facing difficult circumstances, it is not always easy to know what one must do. We were following God in blind faith believing He would lead us in the right path. Time has proven us right for God did not let the remnant down but carried us forth on eagle’s wings to a blest land, one which flowed with milk and honey.

Some have been critical of the legal action of the Concerned. The Concerned’s only intent with the legal action was to blow the trumpet and sound the alarm in the Church against doctrinal heresy. Many cite the Scripture in 1 Corinthains 6:6 about brother going to law with brother before unbelievers. In our defense, we maintain that just as Paul had a right to appeal to Caesar against his brethren in the flesh (the Jews), for their unjust persecution against him (Acts 28:19), we, under these relentless and unusual circumstances, could find no other option if we were to be heard concerning our heartfelt convictions about “keep[ing] it the Church of God.” In a Holy Ghost message which came forth several months after these events, we were told that the Concerned had made three mistakes and had looked to the world three times. Some contend that the legal action was one of these times. Whether this was the case or not, God knows. But one thing we do know, the legal action seemed to be the ONE PROMINENT THING which kept the apostate leadership at bay until we could grow in strength and number sufficient enough to withstand the onslaught of their attacks.

We were relying on God to lead us through these stormy waters, and He was leading us one step at a time. God has always had a people who would obey Him in all things, and we, the remnant, believed that we represented that special people. Like our counterparts of old times, we would not bend nor bow. We had always visualized persecution coming from the outside. When it came upon us from within, many could not withstand it because we had been taught and had it ingrained in us through the years to stand by our appointed leaders and assist them. Many seemed to be reluctant to obey the scriptural injunction to “obey those over you in the Lord.” We learned that we must not always obey those over us if they were not “in the Lord.” The authority of the higher power (Romans 13:1) always takes precedence over man’s power when a conflict exists between the two. We learned also to take comfort in such verses of Scripture as 1 Peter 4:12, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.” Our strength came from the consolation of knowing that the God of all grace who had sustained those who had gone before us would sustain us also. The remnant had emerged and was well on its way to fulfilling its God-given mandate in restoring the Church of God which man in his self-centered and egotistical manner had so desecrated and all but destroyed

A CHANGE OF COURSE

Chapter Three

A CHANGE OF COURSE

The time period between the installation of the new General Overseer and the Assembly of 1992 saw some unique historical happenings and prophetical fulfillments. This was a time of fast moving events. Though important at the time, these events are even more meaningful to us as time goes on. A backward look at them gives us more understanding and insight. This deeper understanding helps us to appreciate them even more.

Immediately after the inception of the new leadership, as previously mentioned, a local church in the state of Tennessee split because of doctrinal heresies. During the brief time span of about three months until the Assembly, brethren from across the United States began seeking God for His direction for the Church’s future. There was an understanding of the presbyters who had not accepted the nomination of the Interim Overseer that a time would be allowed during the Assembly for other nominations and for the Assembly’s selection of an Overseer. Instead, the Questions and Subjects Committee simply recommended the blanket acceptance of the Interim Overseer who had been installed through a democratic process. This session of the Assembly was a time of intense manifestations of rejoicing which culminated in the acceptance of the Interim Overseer. It seemed by most all present that the Holy Ghost had put His approval upon the selection. Even so, the outcome was somewhat like that of King Saul of Israel. God’s ultimate will for Israel was that He rule over them. Instead, they refused His leadership and demanded a king in order to be like the nations around them.

God gave them their desires even though their desires were rebellious. He also warned them that a king would oppress and trouble them. Although God’s perfect will was that He rule over them, His permissive will, allowed them to have their king. God did not relinquish His authority over them completely; instead, He opted to choose their king for them. He chose Saul and anointed him for the job. Saul, later of his own accord, turned rebellious against the commands of God which came through the prophet Samuel. God removed His anointing from Saul and placed it upon David. David did not immediately take the throne, but waited in the wings, as it were, until God’s time would come. In this waiting period, he was persecuted by the apostate king whom God had rejected. King Saul had led the people down a path of deception into idolatry. When David came to power, he ruled only a small portion of the kingdom at first because the hearts of the people had been deceived by Saul. Eventually the entire kingdom was ruled by King David. At another time in Israel’s history when they were rebellious against God, the Scripture says, “…he [God] gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul” (Psalms 106:15). This situation was parallel to what was happening to the Church during this troublesome time period.

The next major blunder was in the infamous 1991 Assembly. Anyone remotely connected with the Church can remember this crucial Assembly. The 1991 Assembly is synonymous with the 26th teaching-against the wearing of gold for ornament, with, in essence, the word “against” being removed. The floodgate of carnality was opened and before long the majority of the membership had converted to this “new light” theory of toleration. The irony of the fact is that the Assembly had not unanimously accepted this change. A lengthy business session on Friday was followed by another almost day-long session again on Sunday in the discussion of this matter. The Holy Ghost pleaded on Friday with the delegates of that Assembly to stay in the “old paths.” This pleading was ignored in favor of a discussion which resulted in a chaos which plagued the Church for four long years. An administrative directive was issued after the Assembly declaring the change. In spite of the fact that the Scripture admonishes the Church to see eye to eye and speak the same thing, some were being told to accept members into the Church who were wearing gold while others were told that they had the liberty of not accepting such ones as members. This double standard resulted in mass confusion. Since God in His Holy Word declares that He is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33), it is plain to see who was the author of the change in the 26th teaching of the Church!

The new administration proceeded to do and allow things contrary to the former position and practices of the Church. Many brethren called, visited, or sent correspondence to the General Overseer hoping to see a change from the new trend. Many were sadly disappointed at the lack of response and went away greatly troubled over the trend that had been developing.

Within this time period, a financial crisis began to develop in the Church. Some churches were withholding legitimate funds from General Headquarters perhaps through disillusionment of the circumstances or through an assumed liberty they took upon themselves.

In the spring of 1992, Tomlinson College and Bible Training Institute were closed. The issue of the White Wing Messenger which was dedicated to the promotion of Tomlinson College for the upcoming semester was ready to go to press when the surprise announcement was made in the local news media. A half page of promotional material had to be removed from the White Wing Messenger in order to make room for the announcement of the closing of Tomlinson College!

The Ministerial Aid Fund had to be reduced also because of this crisis. The retirement benefits of many faithful ministers were reduced in their allotment and some were dropped altogether.

The change of course which the Church had taken affected not only the spiritual aspect but the physical and financial aspects of the Church as well.

TROUBLED WATERS

Chapter Two

TROUBLED WATERS

For many years the church was on a downward trend drifting into a state of lukewarmness, complacency and a worldly attitude. The former spiritual fervor and zeal for the Church vision and mission of winning the lost and gathering the other sheep into one fold seemed to be dwindling away. This unique quality of the Church began to be replaced by a materialistic mind-set, dominated by an educational emphasis. More and more, empty programs were replacing the spiritual essence of our local services as well as our conventions and assemblies. Many were hoping that each Assembly would see a turning-point, back toward a deeper spirituality among us. Instead we seemed to drift farther and farther away from our spiritual moorings.

God had blessed the Church in recent years with an abundance of finances and we were able to build a modem printing facility, headquarters office building, Assembly tabernacle and college. These material blessings drew us into a false security and we begin to trust in the arm of flesh and lean less and less upon God who gave us these blessings. The condition just described which we had slowly drifted into, is the perfect breeding ground for deception, rebellion and idolatry.

It was in this setting that the presbytery meeting was called by the General Overseer in April 1990. The purpose of this meeting was to find help for the aging General Overseer. The meeting was to convene April 30 - May 2, 1990. This meeting would be the most important meeting in the last 46 years history of The Church of God. Such a meeting should have been approached by a deep and sincere personal commitment of those involved through a personal dedication in prayer and fasting. Instead, we later learned to our sorrow that it was for the most part politically motivated by many of the ones involved. Reports surfaced later that high ranking Headquarters Officials had previously instructed some of the National Overseers on how they wanted them to vote. One State Overseer referred to the meeting as a little group of “hillbillies” whom God was not very concerned with! Instead of getting down to the seriousness of the business-at-hand much time was spent during the forepart of the meeting on a sideline issue of whether or not to have the meeting videotaped!

Some arose in the first session and demanded that the General Overseer resign his office before they could get on with their task. He reluctantly submitted to them with the intent to return at the close of the meeting to pass the gavel to the new leader whom they would choose. After three days of discussion, the presbyters became weary and were anxious to return to their fields of labor. A hurried decision was reached but not in harmony and without one-accord. Forty-eight were for, thirty-three against, with five refraining from voting for the man who was declared to be the one to replace our beloved aged General Overseer. The meeting adjourned with several of those thirty three voting against this selection not submitting to the majority.

The idea of change had been around for a long time. A subtle attitude of change had been working undercover for more than two decades. The advocates for change saw their golden opportunity to gain control and force their agenda upon the Church. Their cause was served in nominating a candidate whom they knew would serve their purpose. The candidate, though reluctant at first to be questioned by his peers, eventually acknowledged that he had trouble with the doctrine of the exclusivity of the Church and also with the 26th teaching, against the wearing of gold for ornament. In light of this admission by the candidate, the majority of presbyters voted in his favor. Their vote seemed to imply that they too, denied the exclusivity of the Church, along with supporting other heretical beliefs.

The gavel was passed to the one who was selected in this democratic manner in a ceremony on May 3, 1990. In his acceptance speech, the new Overseer stated that there were two groups of members in the church. One group was described as liberal while the other group was described as conservative. He stated that he wanted to be Overseer of both groups. Thus, an official public recognition of a church divided was pronounced by the Churches’ highest administrative official.

The Holy Ghost had stated it in different terms in 1986 when He spoke to us in the General Assembly and told us that there was a church inside a church. The “church inside,” or the true remnant of the “Church,” wanted to follow God and remain in the “old paths” (Jeremiah 6:16), while the “church” wanted to change the doctrine to follow after the world. Common sense, the Word of God, experience and the spirit within us tells us that these two opposite elements cannot co-exist together. The fleshly ways and true spirituality cannot remain together in the same camp, for they are enemies. It was inevitable that the two would have to separate and go their separate ways, because they are incompatible, and incompatibility is the opposite of unity, a hallmark which The Church of God must reach before the rapture.

As we reflect back upon recent church history, we can see that the new General Overseer was of the liberal persuasion inasmuch as he catered to the liberal faction in allowing them to get the upper hand in contemporary issues facing the Church. The liberal faction began to come forward and openly express and promote their heretical doctrines and viewpoints. Many letters and papers were written and widely circulated purporting doctrinal change. One advocate wrote a manuscript attacking the character of our former General Overseer, A. J. Tomlinson. In doing so he was not only

attacking the character of a deceased warrior, but was indirectly attacking The Church of God. This person was never disciplined in spite of the fact that hundreds of brethren faced the Church’s Counseling Committee with this grievance and wrote letters and made telephone calls to the General Overseer requesting disciplinary action against this one for writing and circulating a manuscript of this nature among the Church’s constituency. Although it has been reported by many trustworthy people that this minister has recently contemplated pulling away with a following to form another organization, to this day, he still holds high rank in his church denomination and is revered by many of the members and leaders who are left in this apostate organization.

A pastor of a local church within a thirty-minute drive of General Headquarters had become emboldened a few months before the called presbytery meeting and began to preach against theocracy. His congregation had grown quite large by this time through personal witnessing and soul-winning endeavors. The new administration was forced to deal with this minister, though reluctantly. His membership, many who were new and quite worldly, was easy prey for this deceptive doctrine. The majority followed him in forming an independent church, taking many thousands of local church dollars with them. The number of members from this church who are members of The Church of God today comprise less than five percent of the original membership roll before this local church split. What happened in this local church seems to portray to us a portrait of what was soon to take place in the general church. Many similarities are present in the two entities: (1) they both grew to a respectable size, (2) they both adapted practices and policies from the worldly denominational system, (3) an apostate leader arose in both, (4) they both forsook theocracy, (5) a split or dividing occurred in both, (6) the true remnant of both eventually had to struggle to find a new place to worship and (7) the percentage in both which embraced the truth was approximately the same. God teaches us divine truth through natural things. Many parables in the New Testament are used in this manner. Is God trying to teach us something today? If so, are we listening???

THE BREWING STORM

Chapter One

THE BREWING STORM

The nineties saw the Church entering into a turbulent era. The winds of doctrinal changes had caused the once serene waters to become troublesome and dangerous. With the inception in 1966 of a higher educational institution, there came also a gradual weakening of the uniqueness of the divine essence of what the Church was all about. The once precious doctrine so closely guarded by Holy Ghost zeal began to be questioned by many who were being influenced by philosophies that seem inevitably to come with higher learning. It does not have to be this way, and should not be this way, but in spite of our insistence that “it couldn’t happen to us,” it did eventually take its toll. Forgetting that the Holy Ghost is ultimately the teacher, many opened themselves up to worldly wisdom and became ready targets of Satan’s deceptiveness. Some true-blue students came through intact and proved to be a real blessing to the Church. On the other hand, many more turned away from the Church and went to other organizations while some stayed and propagated their new “winds of doctrine” which they had learned. This steady influx of “new light” philosophy, although weak and very subtle, began to eat away at the moral fiber of the Church of God. After approximately two decades of this undermining influence, the inner resolve of the Church in general was affected to the point that its reason for existence was no longer important, except to the faithful few.

This worldly wisdom syndrome coupled with the material blessings which we were enjoying at the time seemed to be the predominant emphasis of our Church leaders and administrators. The ministry began to feel the pressure of being subjected to constant demands to upgrade themselves. More and more, academic requirements were being placed upon them. Along with this emphasis to refine the ministry academically, there began to be a noticeable worldly tone and powerless atmosphere creeping in among us. The stage was subtly being set for a major decay of the Church.

The Church as a whole had disregarded a plea made in the 1984 Assembly by the Questions and Subjects Committee who had been inspired by the Holy Ghost for a call to a church-wide repentance. The committee stated that we had drifted from a vital relationship with the Holy Ghost and that we could not continue the pursuit of our mission without convincing evidence of His presence and approval. The committee cited a scripture in Joel 2:15-17. “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly… and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach.” This fast and solemn assembly was never called, although some truly repented while others questioned what they should repent of. Still some daringly rejected the idea of repentance altogether.

God, who is infinite in wisdom and knowledge, knew who had truly repented. He warned us in 1986 about the Church inside a church (the repentant), the nation. inside a nation and the people inside a people. Ultimately the Church as a whole failed to meet God’s mandate of repentance. As a result, God was constrained to give His “heritage to reproach.” His divine favor was no longer with the Church in full measure. A steady decline could be witnessed right up until the time of the separation of the TRUE CHURCH from the apostate church. It isn’t any wonder that we began to see strange ideas and doctrines being hinted at and even introduced among us.

In January 1989, Tomlinson College made a presentation of strategic planning to the Questions and Subjects Committee and the General Headquarters staff. In this presentation the Church was depicted as being a product of culture instead of a divine unique organism. In this presentation much of the core doctrine of the Church, which has firm Biblical foundations, was portrayed as being cultural artifacts. For example, the “cultural artifacts” of the Church included such things as the flag, Fields of the Wood, the King James Version of the Bible, the covenant, feet washing, the right hand of fellowship, speaking in tongues, the General Assembly, unanimous agreement and the list goes on.

In the 1989-90 Assembly year a survey was made throughout the general church to determine how the Church as a whole was feeling about certain practices and policies. The results of this survey was tabulated and used as a basis for influencing Assembly decisions. The usual method of seeking God and studying the Word was relegated to second place in favor of popular opinion. By examining these events in retrospect one can easily see that the Church had indeed drifted from a vital relationship with God and began to rely on a worldly mind-set for its guidance. The Biblical pattern of “it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us” was replaced with a “we want to be like those around us” attitude. They seemed to forget that God would not tolerate a deviation from His plan. In their attempt to have it their way, they laid themselves open to the wrath of God. His sword of judgment was lifted over His Church and the punishment was ready to be meted out, but not before God would maneuver His remnant into their place to 

A Book of Remembrance

“Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him”

(Malachi 3:16, 17).

The Church of God is an unique organization. This means that by its very nature it is exclusive to all others. As covenanted members of the Church, we were made to see the uniqueness or nature of the Church by virtue of a divinely given revelation. Being convinced of this vision by the Holy Ghost, we united as one in the purpose of working toward one goal.

Satan, being the arch enemy of the Church, was determined to destroy this vision and disrupt our unity which resulted from our espousal of the divinely given vision or revelation. He knew an open attack would fail because it would have been too obvious. He therefore had to use subtility to achieve his goal. He did this by a gradual allurement of the Church into a worldly and complacent attitude. This deceptive process took years of chipping away at the Church’s doctrinal foundation. Little by little, Satan began to make inroads into the Church by planting doubts and questions into the minds and hearts of unstable members. By maneuvering some of these doctrinally unstable members into key leadership positions, his boldness increased and his attacks became more vicious.

In James 1:15, he said “…when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin…” We can see by this verse of Scripture that the seed of sin which was planted in the Church by Satan (see parable of the sower in Matthew chapter 13) had to come to maturity. The permissiveness which followed was the Ishmael spirit which was reaped from Satan’s seed of sin. Allegorically speaking, sin and righteousness cannot co-exist together. The Scripture speaks in Galatians 4:30 to, “… Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”

Therefore, a divinely appointed separation was in the making and no power on earth could stop this divine principle of God’s Word once it was set into motion.

In the Assembly of 1986 the Holy Ghost spoke to us and said there was a nation inside a nation; a people inside a people; and a church inside a church. The Spirit went on to say that He would take His Church out of the hands of flesh and put it back into the hands of the Spirit. A plea came from Heaven for the Church to repent. God gave the Church a space to repent, but overall this call from God went unheeded. The Holy Ghost had also spoken that God’s sword of judgment was in His hand and His hand was raised over His Church.

During these times, discontent and unrest continued to grow. As the leadership of the Church began to become lax due to failing health problems, an undercurrent of carnal leadership began to align themselves for power because of personal ambitions and aspirations. The General Overseer called for a meeting in April 1990 to convene April 30 - May 2 for the Presbytery of the Church to come together to select help for the General Overseer by possibly finding a replacement for his office. With a change of leadership on venue, Satan took his cue to move in and do his diabolical work of seeking to destroy the Church of God.

Theocracy is a Biblical principle, found only in The Church of God. The Church cannot be the Church without theocracy any more than a body can be alive without the blood. The principle of theocracy works in unanimity in all seeing eye to eye and speaking the same thing. Submission and obedience makes this possible. The safe ground is when it, “seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us…” (Acts 15:28). In the presbytery meeting, theocracy was replaced with democracy when the new General Overseer was selected with a split vote of 33 to 48. This is where the Church left the principles of the Word of God and begin to go on her own.

In this battle for the truth, the doctrine of theocracy as mentioned above, was the first to fall. With this fundamental foundational stone being removed, it would not be too difficult to dislodge other doctrines which conflicted with carnality. The Assembly of 1991 saw another Bible truth fall to the ground. Despite efforts made by loyal Bible believing members and pleadings of the Holy Ghost to continue in the “old paths,” the teaching against the wearing of gold for ornament was swept aside in a democratic fashion. Hearts were broken and spirits were crushed in the process. The new leadership seemed determined to dismantle the Church’s scriptural heritage and doctrine and make it one with the denominational system of the religious world.

God’s eternal Word cannot fail. We knew somehow in our hearts that God would bring us through this battle if we would seek Him and remain true to His Word. He had made a promise to the Church in Isaiah 54:17 that, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” In spite of the spiritual darkness which had engulfed