March 4, 2011

". . . I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the Seven Churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea" (Revelation 1:11).

The History of God's One and Only True Church

By

Alton (Don) B. Billingsley

Continued from 4-13-2010, 4-23-2010; 4-30-2010; 5-7-2010; 5-17-2010; 5-21-2010; 5-28-2010; 6-11-2010; 6-18-2010- 6-25-2010; 7-2-2010; 7-16-2010; 7-23-2010; 7-30-2010; 8-6-2010; 10-15-2010; 11-12-2010; 11-26-2010; 12-3-2010-12-17-2010;1-21-2011;1-28-2011; 2-4-2011;2-10-2011; 2-18-2011

Regarding the establishment of His Church, Jesus Christ said to the apostle Peter and the rest of His disciples:

". . . On this ROCK (Greek: Masculine, Petros, Feminine, Petra, meaning Jesus Christ Himself, Deuteronomy 32:3-4; I Corinthians 10:4) I will BUILD My Church, and the gates of Hades (graves, I Corinthians 15:54-55) shall NOT prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18).

The Church in Philadelphia - The Church of Brotherly Love - began in October 1933 (with 19 members) and is ongoing -

 “And to the angel of the Church in Philadelphia write, "These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens, and no one can shut, and shuts and no one opens: I know your works.  See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 

Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews, and are not, but lie- indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 

Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trail which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 

Behold, I am coming quickly!  Hold fast which you have, that no one may take your crown.  He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God and he shall go out no more. 

I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God.  And I will write on him My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches (Revelation 3:7-13).

Continued History of the Philadelphia Era of God's True Church-

This writing will continue to focus on the history of the Philadelphia Church Era from the death of God's apostle January 16, 1986, to the present date of January 1, 2011, focusing on the evolving transition from that time to what came to be the Church of God, Faithful Flock in 2002.

An Overview

The evolving transition of the faithful few members began after our departure from the parent Church that had now become totally corrupted by the apostate leadership (Daniel 12:7).

It took about 14 years before circumstances directed by Jesus Christ brought about the Church of God Faithful Flock into a place whereby He could use this small handful of members to once again open the door to His Gospel and the Ezekiel warning message going forth to this world that Christ had closed at the time of the death of Mr. Armstrong.

The simple fact is Jesus Christ was not going to use an apostate pastor general to continue with His Work so He closed the door (Revelation 3:7).

It should be understood that Jesus Christ would only use a leader of a corporate Church of God who would prove to be faithful to Him in fullness of truth and in name.

This required time to see if any evangelist would stand up for the fullness of the doctrinal teachings and rulings Jesus Christ used His late apostle to restore within His Church regardless of the deceptive pressure brought about by Satan the devil through his human instruments.

Not one did.

My Personal History-

Up to almost that time in 1994, I had remained as pastor of the local Churches in Stockton/Modesto, California without being dealt with by the leadership at headquarters of the Worldwide Church of God; though I had not preached any of the changes.

FIRST STEP

The First Step of the Transition

The second Sabbath, April 8, 1995: We made the decision to begin our own Church service, with the name Church of God, Modesto, in Modesto, California. The only hall we could find for services was located in Escalon, California.

There were 125 members in attendance for that Sabbath service. My sermon: “Faithfulness to God’s Covenant”.

The name Escalon is a Spanish name and means: a stairway, rung, or beginning step. This is both interesting and also very meaningful for this would be the first or beginning of steps that would lead to others before we would come to where we are now, and where we hope to be later.

Modesto is another interesting name and is also very meaningful for its meaning fits us real well. It means: little or small.

SECOND STEP

After departing from the Worldwide Church of God we chose to go with the United Church of God thinking they would pick up where we left off in 1986 after the death of Mr. Armstrong.

It did not happen.

We left them but in so doing we lost some members and elders who chose to remain with them.

THIRD STEP

We chose to go with Mr. David Hulme, believing, from what he had said to us in a meeting with the remaining elders that he was in accord with the teachings of Mr. Armstrong. Again, we were misled into believing what he had told us in our private meeting with him before we came to accept him as our leader. Once again, we lost some members who chose him over the true teachings of God.

Though I resigned September 9, 2000, Stephen Leblanc told me he was going to stay for awhile with him. He was talked into resigning by a member September 19, 2000.

Learning the Hard Way

Some things we often learn later that had we known at the time would have spared us and others from needless problems. It seems we often have to learn the hard way – often with sorrow and tears for all of us.

Continued History

Fourth Step – September 9, 2000

Upon our departure from Mr. Hulme the elders (Stephen LeBlanc, Wayne Carlson and David O’Malley) and I chose not to connect with any other corporate church due to not knowing of any with whom we could connect who were like-minded and believed the same teachings that we were taught by Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong.

We then legally incorporated under the name of the Church of God, EIM (meaning: established in Modesto).

In addition to the Modesto Church there was also a small Congregation in Fresno California of about 20, and another one in Waggoner, Oklahoma of about 28 members.

Continuing with the 4^th Step

A Meeting between Jon Bowles and Mr. Robert Divine

Just before Mr. Divine died from cancer, Jon Bowles learning of his imminent death made a trip to see Mr. Divine. Though no visitors were welcomed to visit with Mr. Divine due to his severe illness, he did receive Jon Bowles, as he wrote in a letter, he did not know what God might possibly be working out.

As I recall it was shortly before this that Mr. and Mrs. Bowles had visited with us. He was in-route to Pasadena to present a visual display of his visits with people in parts of Africa in Mr. Hulme’s church. He told me that he was trying to decide whether to go with us or Mr. Hulme.

Afterwards he said that he wanted to be with us and would look to me for counsel and accept me as his pastor. He did for a little while.

His first sermon in Modesto was given April 13, 2002 with 97 in attendance. There will be more about him later in this writing.

Further Problems with EIM

July 12, 2002, I began counseling with a member (whose name I do not want to reveal even though he and his family left us in late 2003) who had committed a serious sin nine years before but had not been repeated since.

This counseling continued over the next week along with the family members.

At the same time David O’Malley (a local elder, and also a practicing attorney at law) got involved and angrily told me that he was planning on turning the man over to the law. With I Corinthians 6:1-7 in mind, I told him that if he did I would suspend him and repeated it. He should have known this Scripture.

Hidden from Me: I was unaware of this problem with this man until I began counseling with him on July 12, 20020. However both Stephen LeBlanc and Wayne Carlson had known about it all along but kept it secret from me. Yet I was the one who took the heat from it instead of them.

I did put the man out of the Church but due to his repentance and not having repeated the problem over a 9-year period of time I reinstated him.

This took place about the time of the following Feast of Tabernacles and I permitted him to attend the Feast after counseling with three of the man’s sons, Stephen LeBlanc, and Wayne Carlson. They approved of my permitting him to attend the Feast of Tabernacles.

Wayne had said that I should check with David O’Malley as well. I tried calling him but he was away from his home and unable to talk to him until at the Feast.

I strongly suspect the elders were able to contact Mr. and Mrs. O’Malley before they arrived at the Feast site for anger toward me had reached the boiling point with the elders and their wives. Why I say this is because no anger was shown toward me when I talked to them about the member attending the Feast.

They even had some of the members upset as well because of this very thing.

The Feast of Tabernacles, 2002

Needless to say it was not the greatest Feast I ever attended. David O’Malley, His son Nathan, and Wayne Carlson’s corrective sermons were directed at me. They had nothing to do with the meaning of the Feast. I learned later that Stephen LeBlanc’s sermon was designed to also be directed at me but he toned his down before giving it.

At the close of the Feast I had a family from the Oklahoma Congregation to come and tell me that Nathan O’Malley had said there was going to be a split in the Church along with one or two other things that I do not remember off hand.

Attitudes continued to be lacking due to a lack of evidence of God’s Holy Spirit among them after returning home (I Corinthians 13:4-8; Galatians 5:22; Romans 8:6-8,16; etc.). Anger and vindictiveness was apparent with the elders and their wives.

October 11, 2002 -- Making an effort to try and resolve the cancerous problem, I wrote a letter to the Fresno Church, after calling David O’Malley, and stated I was canceling services in Fresno and requested the members began attending Modesto for a month or so to help resolve the problems.

Mrs. O’Malley told me her husband was not at home but would have him return my call. He never did.

October 12, 2002: Mr. O’Malley held services anyway that Sabbath in Fresno. Because of his refusal to obey my directive, and conducting services in Fresno that Sabbath, they left me no choice but to disfellowship both he and his wife; which I did the following Sunday..

I also disfellowshipped all the members for they also disobeyed my directive by attending services with him with one lone exception.

Mr. O’Malley had told me at the Feast that I had Modesto, but he had Fresno; he repeated it. And he was right except for one member. As to the reason, they all went out to dinner together after Services most Sabbaths. They also pretty much stayed together at another place during the Feast instead of with the rest of us at the Windmill Suites. They were locked in together.

The members followed the man rather than following an ordained pastor for many years who had remained faithful to the true teachings.

In retrospect, the members in Fresno together with some in the Modesto Church and outlying areas chose to blame me for not dealing more severely with the man and his problem of nine years ago before instead of Stephen LeBlanc and Wayne Carlson who had known about it all that time and would not tell me about it.

Strange indeed how deception sometimes works and people who did not belong in the first place in God’s true Church find excuses for leaving and establishing their own groups.

October 15, 2002: I called Stephen LeBlanc twice that day and told him that unless he could support me I did not want him to make any more visits.

October 19, 2002: The following Sabbath Mr. and Mrs. O’Malley were not in Fresno. Wayne Carlson, knowing about this went to Fresno that Sabbath and preached to them. A little later, I had no recourse but to disfellowship both Wayne and his wife Jill after having tried to seek a peaceful solution to the problems.

October 22, 2002: I called Steve LeBlanc and asked for a meeting with both he and Wayne Carlson to see if we could to try and reach a peaceful solution. He said he would get back with me.

October 23, 2002: The Church of God, Faithful Flock

I made a trip to Sacramento, California and filed paperwork for a new corporate name that would set us apart from others: The Church of God, Faithful Flock.

The following Sabbath I announced in Church services the new corporate name and said we would use it for the membership and use the name EIM for the work.

October 28, 2002: Steve LeBlanc returned my call for the requested meeting and said that Wayne Carlson did not want to meet with me without David O’Malley being present.

On this same date the deacon who had the key to the Church Post Office Box called me and said that Wayne Carlson had come to his home and asked for the key to it. The deacon gave it to him. By so doing they were now full control of the tithes and offerings mailed to EIM

October 30, 2002: I called Wayne Carlson and found he had gone to the Bank and had also removed my name from the authorized signature card for writing of checks on our bank account. They were now fully in control.

Almost right away I received a certified legal letter calling for a meeting of the Corporate Church Board of EIM on a specific date. I did not respond nor did I attend their meeting. I knew it was called to vote me off of the Board as president. Since they had the required votes to outnumber me there was no point in my meeting with them. They voted me out of EIM.

All things work Together for Good for God’s True People

Looking back over all that had taken place with us regarding the various corporate churches, I have come to see that this worked together for God’s use of me. Had I remained with any of them they would have tried to muzzle me from writing and speaking as boldly as I feel Christ wanted of me.

While in UCG and COGAIC I was under their government and therefore subject to them. They were the leaders and the responsibility was on their shoulders regarding the preaching of the true Gospel and sounding the Ezekiel Warning Message. They would not do either.

In EIM, I had already been cautioned by the lawyers about something I had chosen to write, an article of Mr. Armstrong’s that was deemed to be controversial and could lead to legal trouble.

The Makeup Ruling by Mr. Armstrong

A short time later, I got up through the night feeling very strongly the need of praying about the Makeup Ruling. I had listened to the taped sermons by Mr. Armstrong about it sometime before but had done nothing about it.

The reason being that in one of Mr. Armstrong’s sermons on the subject he said he had a problem on his mind for two years but because of other priorities so he had done nothing about it. Now he did it.

Knowing we needed to be strengthened after having come out of the previous corporate churches, and the wives in EIM against it, I said I would wait as did Mr. Armstrong for the two years.

That full two years was up when we were separated from EIM

In that long prayer that night I became convicted by Jesus Christ to do it. At the same time, I knew we would lose more members by reinstating it, but I knew I had to do it regardless; and I did.

The Oklahoma Congregation

The leaders of the Oklahoma Church had said they were one hundred percent behind me up to that point, but after having reinstated that ruling, I was told they could not impose that on their children anymore and believed Mr. Armstrong was wrong in making that ruling, all of them chose to leave us and go with EIM.

COGWales, I was then left with Mr. and Mrs. Jon Bowles. They remained with us until shortly after the Feast of Tabernacles in 2003.

To be continued

Your friend and brother in Christ,

Don Billingsley

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