Richard Ames' Co-Worker Letter

Richard Ames has just released his first Co-Worker Letter. Here are some excerpts with some of my own thoughts added in commenting on what he says.

Jesus Christ actively continues to lead His Church.

That does not apply to LCG in reality.

We need to humble ourselves and look to Him for the resources and spiritual power to fulfill the mission He gave His Church: to preach the gospel of the Kingdom in all the world; to warn our Western nations (the lost ten tribes of Israel)

They are not descended from Israelites. It is a historically inaccurate doctrine originating in England from the likes of Richard Brothers, John Wilson and Edward Hine.

to repent before the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21-22);

HWA spread many false prophecies that caused fear in many people. 1975, 2005, etc. Ames is simply continuing that shameful tradition.

and to feed the flock spiritually (John 21:15-19).

A lot of their food is the errors of Armstrongism.

That is one reason Dr. Meredith, with the advice and support of the Council of Elders, proclaimed a Church-wide fast for the Sabbath of March 6.

That was reported here earlier.

Since that time just over six weeks ago, the living Christ has opened exciting media doors for preaching the gospel (see Colossians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).

To further spread HWA's heretical errors.

Dr. Meredith will announce those new developments later on. Frankly, one challenge is the high cost of broadcasting on the larger television networks; we sometimes must make the painful decision to wait until more resources become available.

From the tithes (plural) of the eternally deceived flock. And their 'offerings.'

We thank our brethren and co-workers for their faithful support in making possible the effective broadcasting and publishing of the true Gospel.

They are faithful because they are told that if they are not zealous, if they don't do more than the bare minimum they are going to undergo the Great Tribulation. Furthermore they are repeatedly told by Meredith to give more money to LCG.

Please continue to pray that God will add more co-workers, donors and laborers to accomplish His Work (Matthew 9:37-38)...

God has called His ministry and people to be “watchmen.” We must warn our peoples of their sins and of the consequences that will follow unless they repent. God told the prophet Ezekiel, “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me” (Ezekiel 33:7). God commissioned the prophet Isaiah, “Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins” (Isaiah 58:1). Tomorrow’s World and the Living Church of God are striving to powerfully warn millions that they may be spared from the Great Tribulation soon to come (Matthew 24:21-22)...

This is an idea which HWA stole for his own purposes. This Watchman ideal may have come from the Rutherford era Jehovah's Witnesses who taught similar things around the time of HWA's early religious days. The Ezekiel Watchman could also be descended from the Third Angel's Message, a doctrine which was the focus of a lot of attention within the COG Seventh Day, what HWA called Sardis. (See 'The Third Angel’s Message' section in last link above.)

Although God promised Noah that He would not again destroy the earth with a flood (Genesis 9:11), He will use “natural disasters” to wake our peoples and nations to the signs of the times in which we are living. The United States Geological Survey includes in its list of “significant earthquakes” the 7.2 magnitude April 4 temblor in Baja California, Mexico, and the 4.4 magnitude March 16 earthquake in Los Angeles, California...

At least 17 earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater have struck our globe in the first four months of 2010! Scientists are calling the 8.8 magnitude quake that struck Chile on February 27 one of the seven or eight most powerful temblors ever recorded! The January 12 quake in Haiti, though “merely” a 7.0, was one of the five or six deadliest in recorded history, causing more than 230,000 deaths and several hundred thousand serious injuries.

There are reasons why a 7.0 earthquake did so much damage in Haiti. There was a lot of substandard buildings, Haiti had not experienced such an earthquake in about 200 years, etc. The false prophets of Armstrongism have no right to judge these disasters to be a sign of the end.

From Chile to China, from Haiti to Japan, earthquakes have reminded us of our fragile existence on planet Earth. Even the central U.S.—far from the Pacific “Ring of Fire”—has been startled by unusual earthquake activity in the first months of 2010, with a 4.0 in Oklahoma on January 15 and a 3.8 in Illinois on February 10. It has been nearly 200 years since the New Madrid Fault buckled in December 1811 and January 1812. Is the American Midwest ready for the next big temblor?

Brethren, God’s way is the way of give. As Jesus told His disciples, “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8).

LCG does not do this. They instead lure recruits because of their 'free' writings thereby creating a sense of bond with the receiver. Eventually the potential recruit is persuaded to tithe to the organization and that is how LCG's operations are kept running.

In the version of this letter being sent to co-workers, we are offering them a free subscription to The Living Church News, so they may more deeply come to understand the Way of life Jesus Christ taught.

Personally I find that publication boring. This was true even when I was still a believer in LCG. I would read LCN but find it boring. It mainly focuses on giving mainly spiritual advice, but, as is often the case with COG publications after awhile you will notice that it will start to repeat itself. Also it generally restricts itself to only telling happy news about LCG. Consequently it is very boring and stale. It only tells us what the LCG leadership wants us to know.

Please join with me in praying that many will accept our offer, and that God may call them into a closer relationship with Him and His Church. I pray that all of you members are regularly reading the LCN, so you can stay abreast of Dr. Meredith’s latest guidance and insights, and can learn from the many helpful and inspiring articles. No, the LCN is not a substitute for your Bible study—which you should maintain faithfully, along with your prayer, meditation and occasional fasting.

High demand groups such as LCG often require members to spend a lot of time meditating on the group's teachings in order for the member to be more entrenched in the group.

But it should be a valuable tool to complement and enrich your study of God’s word and His Way.

Thank you all for your continuing support in preaching the true gospel of the soon-coming Kingdom of God! May God bless you as you follow the Way of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The false gospel of Armstrongism is not true.