UCG’s Roy Holladay and RCG’s David Pack

Ancient Laodicea

Yesterday, UCG’s Roy Holladay posted the following:

What did happen in the book of Jonah and how might that be relevant for us today in the United Church of God? It’s a much bigger lesson than one about a fish.As I mentioned, it’s a short book. You can quickly read it in one setting. But here’s its main theme, which our soon coming King and Elder Brother completely validated.

The book is about a message that God directly gave to one of His servants and how that servant tried to dodge his responsibility for delivering it. God didn’t destroy him for not following what God said to do, but God did go to great lengths to get Jonah’s attention. Jonah was to deliver a message of warning to the city of Nineveh, which the Bible calls “an exceedingly great city” (Jonah 3:3).

After God got Jonah’s attention, this time he obeyed. And a very surprising thing happened. After Jonah delivered the message, the people of Nineveh, whom God said numbered more than one hundred and twenty thousand, saw the profound error of their ways and repented. The King of Nineveh declared a fast.

How did God respond? “God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it” (Jonah 3:10). It was a totally unexpected outcome from Jonah’s human point of view.

Brethren, let me ask you this question: do we ever doubt the power of the message that we have today all been called to deliver? When Jonah got focused and aligned himself with God’s will, powerful things happened.

We are, as the Bible says, “a small flock.” But make no mistake. God in these last days has given us a voice.

Historically, UCG has simply not poured the resources into that “voice” (see UCG’s Roy Holladay on Priorities). Those interested in that should also check out the article Differences between the Living Church of God and United Church of God.

On a related note, RCG’s David Pack took several shots at UCG. Essentially pointing out flaws in their form of governance (some quotes from him on this are at the GCG news page). But, of course, David Pack has his own problems (see Why Not the Restored Church of God?).

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, and Roderick C. Meredith on Church Government What form of governance did the early church have? Was it hierarchical? Which form of governance would one expect to have in the Philadelphia remnant? The people decide and/or committee forms, odd dictatorships, or the same type that the Philadelphia era itself had?
Differences between the Living Church of God and United Church of God This article provides quotes information from the two largest groups which had their origins in WCG as well as commentary.
Why Not the Restored Church of God? This group, led by David Pack, claims to be the most faithful. The information in this article suggests otherwise.
There are Many COGs: Why Support the Living Church of God? This is an article for those who wish to more easily sort out the different COGs. It really should be a MUST READ for current and former WCG/GCI members or any interested in supporting the faithful church. It also explains a lot of what the COGs are all about.
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from evangelists?
The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. These are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG.