Entitlement

As one of "God's chosen elite few," we COG/TFI members shared in the collective delusion that we were somehow more special than the rest of the world. Of course, our sins were constantly held before us to keep us in submission and "humble," but overall, we knew, and were to be ever-thankful, that we were chosen to be saved and to enter into the highest levels of heaven for being those special Christians who would live through "the End-time." ("End-time" meaning the seven years preceding the prophesied second coming of Jesus Christ.)

Part of being "chosen," as I wrote before, was that we were to dedicate all our time to our "work for the Lord" and not work for "mammon" (material things). "You cannot serve God and Mammon." (Luke 16:13) So basically, no one held a job. 

The most common method of livelihood in TFI was what was euphemistically called "provisioning" but which in reality was simply begging. We would beg directly from people on the streets, approach businesses for cash or material donations, and go to stores to ask the managers for donations of food. There were certain members whose daily job it was to call businesses and ask for donations. Of course, this was ambiguously phrased as "donating to help our work for the Lord," or whatever we felt would be effective in the situation, but really, those funds and goods would go to supply our own communal household. 

We didn't look on this behavior as "begging," but rather that it allowed people to partake of God's blessings by helping "His children."

In reality, we subsisted thanks to the kindness and generosity of others who really didn't know all that much about TFI. 

It is inevitable, in my opinion, for this deluded perspective of being "chosen" to affect those who partake of it, furnishing them with a sense of entitlement where they expect other people to give them things and to be somewhat affronted when they are turned down.

What a shock it must be to people when they leave the group and realize that they have spent their years as (very possibly) an annoying beggar. Worse so for the young people who were born into the group and made to beg on the streets from a young age. As well, down comes the shocking realization that no one owes us a thing.