Holding Fast?

Since the great apostasy of the WCG after Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong's death, many groups have formed with varying ideas about the doctrines which had been taught and practiced in the Church before he died. Some say they all need to be kept, while others disagree about what ALL means. Some have left out one or more of the "18 Restored Truths" (healing being a 19th) and/or instilled their own teachings on certain points such as government. Other groups say they are holding fast to all the doctrines which had been taught, but when one checks more closely, that statement may be found to be inaccurate. Then there are those groups which hold fast to the "major" doctrines only and omit some of the "minor" doctrineswhich had been taught. And on and on it goes till we now have so many groups now we can't even keep track of them all. The last count is over 200 groups.

These varying groups are not all speaking the same things. Each one observes a slightly different set of doctrines than the next one. That's why we have division in the Church in the first place (I Cor 1:10). This strife and confusion in the Church is not of God (I Cor 14:33). The strife, division and confusion we see in God's Church in this era has been brought about by none other than Satan himself (James 3:14). He is systematically dividing and conquering the Church.

In some groups, leaders claim to have been given "new" revelations which, when we look closely, usually alters a past teaching or are not even Biblically based. One such leader teaches that the Synagogue of Satan became the Laodicean Church. Some teachings don't agree with what Jesus Christ Himself says.

Several leaders say their group is the only true Church. Brethren, the Laodicean Church is God's true Church. We are in the Laodicean era of the Church of God. They must be saying they are leading the Laodicean Church, right? We need to realize the difference between Church and attitude. The Laodicean attitude is dominant in God's Church today, and we need to come out of it. You can be assured the majority of those who have remained in God's Church today have this attitude and are not even aware of it (Rev 3:17).

The Laodicean attitude is an effect, so there must be a cause. Why so many today have left God's Church, or fallen into the Laodicean condition, is because the majority forgot to hold fast to what they had. Some may have forgotten what they had once learned in doctrine. Most have not kept their guard up, and the enemy has sown false doctrine while men slept (Matt 13:25-28). That enemy is Satan (verse 39). The battle to keep the doctrines pure and unpolluted has been lost for many of the leaders in God's Church (Malachi 1:7-8, 12-14, 2:1-2).

Brethren, we are in a spiritual war. The only way we will win this war is fight and hold fast to the very end (Matt. 24:13, II Tim 2:3).  Never give up!  Don't lay down your weapons and walk away as many already have. Hold fast to those true doctrines which have been delivered to us through Mr. Armstrong. Don't accept any deviation from them. You can fight to keep them all intact and pure, at least in your own personal lives, if no where else.  This is a war we must not lose, for our eternal lives are at stake.  Jesus Christ in us is the only hope we have to win this war. He cannot be deceived. He was victorious before and He can and will be again in and through us IF we yield ourselves completely to His Will and truth. He will never leave nor forsake us (Phil 4:13, Heb 13:5).  We can overcome as He overcame (Rev. 2:26, 3:21).

We may even lose a battle from time to time.  Remember a battle is not the war, but only a part of the war as long as we keep fighting. If we give up and quit fighting, the war may be over for us and we lose not only a battle, but the war. Proverbs 24:16 says a just man may fall seven times, however, he will rise up again, he won't stay down. The war is lost only when we don't get back up and fight on. That kind of determination is a major difference between success or failure. Those who succeed will continue to get back up and keep fighting to the very end of their lives. Those who become failures will not get back up again. They will finally throw in the towel and quit.

To win, we must get up one more time than we fall. Victory or failure will not be determined until the war is over upon physical death or until Jesus Christ returns, whichever comes first. He will reward those who are victorious. They will receive the crowns of rulership along with the gift of eternal life. Fight to win, brethren!

This war is spiritual, so we must fight it with spiritual warfare (II Cor 10:4, Eph 6:12).  We must fight to keep the truth and doctrines pure and unpolluted. Let us hold fast to that which we have been given so that no man will take our crown (Rev 3:11).  To what are we to hold fast? Why, the doctrines that were given to the Philadelphia era of the Church. Since many leaders and members have not done this, we now have division in the Church today with confusion and every wind of doctrine (Eph 4:14). This verse is in the same chapter where we are instructed how unity in the Church is to be accomplished.

There is only one way the Church will truly be united again. All groups must get back to and teach all the doctrines which were delivered to us through God's end-time apostle, Mr. Armstrong. These doctrines were in place when Christ used him to put the Church back on track, just before he died in 1986. Leaders must lead and teach these to the Church in God's love and be honest enough to admit when they are wrong in their own teachings. This is the only way real unity and lasting peace will ever be achieved in the Church at this point in time.

We are supposed to be learning to be a team. The Church today is certainly not a team nor is it working in unity and harmony. God's team must first be established in His true doctrines and have the same standard. That standard had already been established while Mr. Armstrong was alive. We're now in final exams to see if we will continue in that standard (Rev. 3:11).  Are you holding fast to these things? Is the leader of the group in which you now find yourself teaching all of them? Is the leader of your group really honest? Does he deal with members in Godly love? Is he just and fair?

If you are one who has been holding fast to all the doctrines which were taught at the time of Mr. Armstrong's death, and looking for others who also are doing so, this message is for you. If you are a member wanting to return to all the doctrines, "major" and "minor", this message is for you. If you are one who has been checking out groups which claim to be holding fast, only to be discouraged when you discovered they have omitted or altered certain doctrines, this message is one of encouragement for you. If you are one who is, or has been, in a group which is keeping all the doctrines as they were given, but now you see the conduct of the leadership is not as the Bible says it should be, such as; they are not always truthful, they are harsh or dishonest or both, they teach "new truth" which alters past instructions, then this message is one of hope for you.

Are you looking for, and want to be with, those who are truly keeping all the truth and not just saying they are? We are here to help and serve you. We have nothing to gain but the satisfaction to know that another member wants to hold fast and be with others of like mind.

We are members of God's Church who have been through one or more of the conditions and experiences mentioned above. We understand your situation and dilemma. We are keeping all the doctrines pure and unpolluted as they were given to the Church through Mr. Armstrong. We have not altered nor omitted one single doctrine, "major" or "minor". We could not find another group keeping the past instructions without some kind of omission or addition of wrong teachings. We have been through groups which have a cruel and harsh approach to leadership, where lying was practiced right at the top. We have come together and are reaching out to others of like mind. Jesus Christ is bringing us together for fellowship with Him and the Father in the truth and unity of the faith (I John 1:3-7). We need to be together for fellowship and encouragement.

We believe Mr. Armstrong was God's end-time apostle and fulfilled the role of the "Elijah" to come and restore all things. We believe he was given the authority to put doctrine into the Church and that those doctrines came from Jesus Christ through His Apostle. We believe that no man today has the authority to change or omit any of them.  "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." Rev 3:11.