in the
Jesus Christ said,
"I will build my Church" (Matt.16:18).
Was that Church foretold
to always be UNITED, and of “one
accord"? Did God establish GOVERNMENT and powerful
AUTHORITY within His
Church? Is God’s church government
from the Top Down or
from the Bottom Up? How can Jesus
Jesus Christ keep His
Church UNITED if there is no structure
of government? What are “apostles,” “prophets,” “evange-
lists,” and so
forth? Let’s face it! Some of us are being “had”
by a very clever Devil
who hates God’s government! There is
more argument over
CHURCH GOVERNMENT today than
almost any other
issue! What is God’s pure and plain
TRUTH?
William
F. Dankenbring
Jesus Christ told Peter and the
apostles, "I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it" (Matt.16:18). That
church was to never die, or disappear, or peter out and vanish from sight. It would always exist, and continue to be, in
one form or another, till the end of the age, when Christ would return!
But would the Church always be
united -- singular -- in perfect oneness?
Jesus, in His final prayer for the church before His death, prayed that
the Father would "keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given
me, that they may be ONE, as we are" (John 17:11). He added, "Neither pray I for these
alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that
they ALL MAY BE ONE . . . that they may be one, even as we are one"
(verses 20-22).
But how would Christ preserve and
protect His Church unless there was government and administrative AUTHORITY in
His Church?
Did Jesus mean for His Church to
become a “democracy,” where the people rule, through voting in ministers and
deacons? Or did GOD choose His
ministers, and then verify His choice by their “fruits”?
Why did Jesus say to His twelve
apostles, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen YOU, and ordained you,
that ye should go and bring forth fruit” (John
Why did Paul the apostle write and
say: “And God hath set some in the
church, first apostles, secondarily prophets; thirdly teachers, after that
miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? . . . But
covet earnestly the best gifts” (I Cor.12:28-31).
If ministers are not accountable for
governing God’s Church, then why did Paul write the Ephesian Church: “And he gave some, apostles; and some,
prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting
of the saints, for the WORK of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body
of Christ” (Eph.4:11-12)?
How can a Church endure, and exist,
unless there is LEADERSHIP – some who RULE – and some with MORE authority
than others?
Paul
made it even more plain that in God’s true Church, the ministry is a DIVINE
CALLING. We know how Jesus called His
disciples, who were to become the leaders of the Church – the twelve apostles
(Matt.4; John 1). Likewise, we know how
the apostle Paul was divinely “called” and “chosen” to be a minister of Jesus
Christ (Acts 9:1-18; I Cor.4:1-9; Gal.1:12-18).
God Himself chooses and selects His true ministers!
What is important then, is that we
PROVE who are the true ministers and servangs of GOD!
Government
and Organization
Many have pointed out in the past
that the Bible is a book about “Government.”
And that is true. It reveals God
as the Almighty Creator who governs and
rules the entire Universe!
God also gave mankind authority to
rule and govern the world itself. God
told Adam and Eve, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue
it: and have DOMINION over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the
air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth” (Gen.1:28).
As the human race grew, by families,
God appointed His government in the home, making the father to be the loving
ruler and supreme authority. Parents
were to rule their children, and final decisions in the home were the province
of the father. As Paul explained: “But I would have you know, that the head of
every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of
Christ is God” (I Cor.11:3).
As familes grew, and became nations,
God’s government was the patriarchal and elder system. In ancient
Moses later was led to appoint or
“choose” men to help him lead the nation of
During the early occupation of the
Promised Land, the “elder” system served the people of Israel, combined with
the system of the priesthood, which was hereditary. At this time God raised up and appointed
“judges” to rule the people, to decide cases of law between the people, and to
“govern” the nation.
Even this system had its faults,
however, because human beings are prone to be human beings, make mistakes, and
sometimes veer off from the right path.
The book of Judges shows Israel continually resisted God’s government,
His laws, and forsook the right paths, plunging into the idolatry of
neighboring nations. Says the last
portion of the book of Judges: “In those
days there was no king in Israel: every
man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
During this time, God raised up a servant to Him named Samuel – a prophet called from childhood. Samuel grew in his office, wisdom, and leadership, and taught the people the ways of God. But as he grew old, he lost control of his grown children, who began making mischief at the Sanctuary of God, seducing the young women who came, taking bribes, perverting judgment, and debauching themselves. The people of Israel grew frustrated. Rather tham blame themselves for the sad state of affairs, they blamed Samuel for poor oversight of his office and complained to him. They requested that he appoint them a KING to rule over them, like the other nations, thinking this would solve their problems!
We read in I Samuel , chapter 8,
“Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to
Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk
not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they
said, Give us a king to judge us. And
Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the
LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they
say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me,
that I should not reign over them” (I Samuel 8:4-8).
What can we learn from this short
HISTORY lesson government in the Bible?
Simply this: God appointed
government over people, and rulers, but people don’t like it! Human government sooner or later succumbs to
the flesh, becomes perverted, and corrupt!
An
old saying goes: Authority corrupts; but
absolute authority corrupts absolutely!
As long as human nature and the
lusts of the flesh enter the picture, all human forms of government tend to
degenerate and become abusive and corrupt!
This problem is true even in the Church of God!
Church
Government Today
Initially,
when Herbert Armstrong began serving God, he did not found a Church but rather
an evangelical work. As it grew, and
members were baptized, he called it the "Radio Church of God." In those days he acknowledged that the Church
of God, Seventh Day, and others, were also parts of the body of Christ.
But
after the Church grew big, and powerful, individuals began referring to the
"work" as "the Church."
By the late '50s and early '60s Herbert Armstrong himself began denying
the fact that others could also be part of the body of Christ, and began
calling virtually all other groups "counterfeits." This trend continued and grew more flagrant,
as the Church increased in power, income, and membership.
There
is a mortal danger in any organizational structure, whether ecclesiastical or
secular. As growth continues, management
systems are brought in, and faith and inspiration become overlooked and
neglected. Systems replace faith;
numbers crunching replaces inspiration.
Human logic and reason and planning take the place of looking to Christ
and expecting miracles to do the Work!
Specially designed "co-worker letters" are sent to people to
maximize the monetary returns -- taking advantage of widows, older people, and
those who are ignorant of the methods of modern evangelism!
"The Organizational
Trap"
The
organizational trap swallowed the Worldwide Church of God, and a hierarchical
structure developed, with the ministerial elite on one level and the plebeian
masses of Church members down at the bottom.
Soon ministers were expected to always be called "Mr." and
never addressed by their first name! The
examples and instruction of Christ and the early Church were completely ignored
and bypassed.
Jesus
Christ said, "The kings of the Gentiles LORD IT OVER THEM; and those who
exercise AUTHORITY over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be
like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the
table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves"
(Luke 22:25-27).
In
the world’s system of government, such as kingships, monarchies, dictatorships,
the people serve the leaders or rulers – not vice versa. But in God’s system, the greatest servant is
the one who rules – whether he be king, president, or simply “chief.”
As
human hierarchies develop, however, people have a tendency to begin looking to
the ministers not only as their spiritual guides and rulers, but even as their
masters, and virtual dictators -- and not to Christ! In warning against this tendency, Jesus
Christ declared: “But be not ye called
Rabbi: for one is your Master, even
Christ; and all ye are brethren. And
call no man your father [in a spiritual sense, such as “Pope”] upon the
earth: for one is your Father, which is
in heaven. Neither be ye called masters
[the term “Mr.” is short for the term ‘master”; usage of this term for the “ministry”
can lead to wrong attitudes of superiority and inferiority among God’s
people]: for one is your Master, even
Christ. But he that is greatest among
you shall be your servant. And whoever
shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be
exalted” (Matt.23:8-12).
When
churches disobey this simple set of instructions by Christ, the ministry
becomes an inflated, self-serving, ego trip!
Humility is swallowed up in pride and pride leads to arrogance! And arrogance leads to abusive, intrusive,
wrong-headed, dictatorial forms of “Church government”!
History of Government in the
Church
Herbert
Armstrong incorporated the Radio Church of God in 1948. One 19 year time cycle, later, Loma D. Armstrong died -- in 1967. One 19 time cycle later, Herbert W. Armstrong
died -- in January, 1986! These numbers
illustrate the fact that God was working with the Church of God, during this
time, even though mistakes were made by the human leaders. As the Church grew, he felt the need to
establish lines of authority, and began ordaining various "levels" of
ministers thinking he was following God's way, not realizing that ministerial
"gifts" are NOT appointed "ranks," but divinely distributed
GIFTS of the Spirit of God (I Cor.12:1-11).
GOD is the one who appoints spiritual offices -- not men! (I Cor.12:27-31;
Eph.4:9-13). These offices are REAL
enough, and they have AUTHORITY – but they are not based on human
appointments!
In other words, in the book of Acts we read that the
apostles ordained Philip and Steven as “deacons.” This was a special ministerial office of
serving the widows and taking care of phsical needs in the Church (Acts
6:1-6). But because these men were close
to God, and leaders, HE chose them to become evangelists – a much higher
office in the Church (Acts 6:8; 8:5; 21:8).
These men were not “raised in rank” by additional “ordination,” as
practiced in the Worldwide Church of God and others. These additional “offices” were given by God
and were revealed by the men’s WORKS!
Thus
God’s true Church was never like the army, navy, or military, where men are
increased in rank by their superior officers or the “brass.” Rather, tbese higher offices are given by GOD
and are revealed in the persons life by his spiritual works and gifts!
By
establishing a human-appointed ministerial hierarchy, Herbert Armstrong
was falling into the trap of Satan the devil, and setting up a GENTILE form of
Church Government, the very thing Jesus Christ warned against and condemned
(Matt.20:24-28; 23:8-12). He thereby
created and injected the seeds of the Church's eventual destruction and
take-over by Satan the devil! What
seemed to work for him to keep the Church united and under one management and
control, preserving church doctrines from apostate tendencies, worked for his
successor to CHANGE doctrines subtly, and cleverly – to use the same form of
Church “government” to lead the church off into apostasy and heresy!
The plain truth is, after the death of Herbert Armstrong in 1986,
the Worldwide Church of God which he founded, forsook its moorings, his
teachings, and veered off the tracks -- and the rest is history. Church government, taught so strongly by
Herbert Armstrong, turned out to be the DOWNFALL of his Church. When he died his appointed successor seized
control of the Church, using the same arguments of “Church authority” to assist
him in his takeover!
Throughout
history, beginning in the first century of the Church, Satan influenced evil
men to infiltrate God's Church, and rise up to positions of leadership. The early apostles had to wrestle with them
constantly and wrote of their nefarious workings (Acts 20:28-31; II Pet.2:1-3;
Jude 3-4). Such men, no doubt, looked
"good" on the outside, and dressed snappily, and acted like loyal,
obedient servants -- yet sooner or later, began to teach error, and began to go
astray and apostatize.
Even
so, Paul, Peter and Jude foretold the same sort of apostasy would occur in the
last generation, before the coming of Christ! (II Tim.3:1-11, 4:1-5; II Peter,
and Jude). Paul wrote, "Let no man
deceive you by any means: for that day
[the return of Christ] shall not come, except there come a FALLING AWAY FIRST,
and that man of sin be revealed . . ." (II Thess.2:3). The "mystery of iniquity" was
already at work in Paul's day, he said (v.7), but it would rise to a
consummation of deceitfulness and pinnacle of powerful delusion, in the last
days (v.8-12), so that those who do not have a "love of the truth"
will be deceived, led astray, and ultimately destroyed -- judged and punished
with the wicked.
A Church
Divided Up into Remnants?
Jesus Christ foretold that His
Church would always exist – the gates of hell would never conquer it
(Matt.16:18).
Does this mean, however, that the
church would never be "divided"?
That it would never be "split" into various branches, or
divisions, or various groups independent of each other, each answering solely
to Christ?
Some have thought so -- and have
therefore made the boastful claim that they are the ONE AND ONLY "TRUTH
CHURCH OF GOD"! Herbert Armstrong
used to make this seemingly proud boast continually -- and as
"proof," he would point out that nobody taught the same thing as he
did, and that all one had to do to prove that he was God's true messenger was
just to compare the messages of everyone else, including himself, with the
Scriptures. If he was right, then all
the rest had to be wrong!
But is it really as simple as
that? What if he himself was wrong on
certain points? Would that
"prove" that his church wasn't the true church, either?
Of course it would! The truth is, there is NO PERFECT CHURCH
group on the face of the earth, today!
How then can we recognize God’s TRUE church, and His TRUE form of Church
government? Where can we look? How can we identify the TRUTH?
“Wolves
in Sheep’s Clothing”
In
the last few years, I have seen and experienced "wolves in sheep's
clothing," trying to "join" with me in this Work of God, who
since proved to be virulent predators who led a few people off into the
netherworld of religious apostasy.
Unfortunately, those few who followed such were ripe for the picking or
plucking -- their own attitudes were wrong, in some crucial way, and so God
allowed them to be led off into the religious "boondocks" and
"wilderness."
God allows such things to
happen. We know that these things must
happen -- why? "For there must be also heresies among
you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you"
(I Cor.11:19). These "tests"
which come upon God's people separate the "sheep from the goats," as
it were. They prove to be a sort of
"litmus test" of the reality of the faith and obedience of those who
profess to follow Christ!
When we look at church history, it
becomes very apparent that fractures, divisions, and schisms, often occurred to
the Church of God. Most of the resultant
groups went into varying forms of religious apostasy, and departed from the
truth, and could no longer be called correctly, "the church of God." They had been infiltrated, conned, and taken
over by Satan the seductive devil and his devious minions.
However, history and Biblical
prophecy also prove that there have been and can be "divisions" of
various degrees WITHIN the spiritual "body of Christ," as well! As I see it, there is no doubt that
"divisions" and "differences" have occurred in the true
church of God, throughout its history, due to human nature, human imperfection,
and weakness -- as well as human sins, and "goats" among the
sheep! Jesus Himself said that the
"wheat and tares" would dwell IN the church, side by side, TILL THE
HARVEST (second coming), which itself leads to a certain amount of division and
contention within the visible "church" (see Matt.13:36-43). Jesus warned FIRST for us to beware of false
prophets and teachers because they would be the church's MAJOR DANGER --
further evidence of strife, division, and "splits" occurring within
the true church (Matt.24:11).
"Divisions" in Paul's Day
Paul warned expressly of this
danger, saying to the Ephesus church leaders, "TAKE HEED therefore unto
YOURSELVES, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit hath made you
overseers, to feed the church of God . . . For I know this, that after my
departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. ALSO, of your own selves shall men arise,
speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them" (Acts
20:28-30).
Paul beseeched the Corinthians not
to allow "divisions" to crop up among them (I Cor.1:10). It was reported to Paul that there were
"contentions among you," as he wrote to them, admonishing them to
watch out for such things (v.11). These
were serious contentions, so Paul asked them, "Is Christ divided?"
(v.13). No -- of course not! Christ is ONE. But apostasy set in within the first century church,
and communication was not easy from church to church, so local congregations
began to become more and more independent.
DIVISION set in! Those with the
Spirit of God guiding them, remained loyal to the truth, but more and more
"differences of opinion" crept in, after the departure of the
original apostles. Paul called the
Corinthians "CARNAL" (I Cor.3:1-3).
He warned them, "For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and
STRIFE, and DIVISIONS, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" (v.3).
Some of these churches were still
God's Church, even though various "differences" had crept in. They had not yet made a major change in
doctrine which militated against their being considered "Christian"
in God's sight! They had various
"problems" -- but they were not yet sick "unto death" --
spiritual death!
This was the CHURCH OF GOD, with all
of its "spots and wrinkles."
Clearly, it had carnal-minded ministers and leaders, in some cases, and
there were arguments, debates, and strife.
One of the major issues of that day was whether a Gentile needed to be
"circumcised" and become a Jew in order to be saved. This controversy led to a major doctrinal
meeting in Jerusalem over the issue (Acts 15).
So even the New Testament Church, as
we see, was NOT "united."
There were "DIVISIONS" in the church. Yet Christ is NOT divided. But experience proves that human beings, even
those who STRIVE to follow Him, can be divided, and have differences of
opinions about many things -- policies, judgments, prophecies, even some
doctrines. Of course, the BASIC truths
they should all adhere to. Paul and
Barnabas had a major disagreement at one point, which caused them to go their
separate ways, and to conduct separate ministries, in effect -- although they
still regarded each other as "brothers" (Acts 15:36-39).
The Seven Churches of Revelation
In describing the Church of God
during the last days, the time of the end, in the book of Revelation, Jesus
Christ describes it in letters to SEVEN churches -- not just ONE. Each church is independent, locally governed,
with its own administration, having originally been planted by true servants of
God. But each one has DIFFERENT
PROBLEMS, differences in many ways, and each is given particularly pointed
correction (Rev.2-3).
Notice that to the first church,
Ephesus, Christ says, "Remember therefore from whence thou art FALLEN, and
do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy
candlestick out of his place, except thou REPENT" (Rev.2:5). Here is a church, in the end time, just
before the "Day of the Lord" (Rev.1:10), which needs to REPENT!
The third church, in Pergamos, also
is told, "REPENT; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight
against them with the sword of my mouth" (Rev.2:16). This also seems to be a clear indication of
the existence of this church just before the second coming of Christ -- it will
be in existence "when he comes" and He will fight against it, when He
returns, if it doesn't REPENT of its sins!
Yet it also has faithful saints, typified by the martyr Antipas, whom
Christ refers to as "my faithful martyr" (v.13).
The fourth church, Thyatira, is
told, "But that which ye have already hold fast TILL I COME" (Rev.2:25). It also is obviously in existence when Christ
returns, as it is commanded to "hold fast" TILL He returns!
The fifth church, Sardis, is also
warned: "Remember therefore how
thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will
come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon
thee" (Rev.3:3).
Similarly, the sixth church,
Philadelphia is told: "Behold, I
come quickly: hold that fast which thou
hast, that no man take thy crown" (Rev.3:11).
Finally, the seventh church, the
church of Laodicea, is told: "I
counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich: and
white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness
do not appear" (Rev.3:18). Here is
reference to the end-time Great Tribulation just ahead of us, which this
"division" or "segment" or "remnant" of the
Church of God must go through, in order to be made white and worthy!
These seven "churches" of
Revelation stand for and represent SEVEN MAJOR DIVISIONS OR INDEPENDENT GROUPS
which worship God and "keep His commandments," and believe in Christ
as the Messiah, to the extent that God still considers them HIS Church! But they obviously have many, many major
problems, which earn most of them the wrath and anger of God, if they don't
"repent"!
This indicates that during these
last days, the "true church of God" has over the centuries divided up
into SEVEN major or minor "branches" -- each different, yet each
enough alike to be part of the SAME TREE.
Each has the SAME Spirit, but each has unique differences. Pergamos has a problem with paganism creeping
in (Rev.2:14). Smyrna doesn't have much
knowledge, apparently, but is rich in love -- and gives its life in persecution
and martyrdom (Rev.2:9-10). Thyatira has
a problem with the teachings of "Jezebel" -- a type of the great
false church (Rev.2:18-21).
The most degenerate of all the
churches, of course, is the LAODICEAN church (Rev.3:13-22). Its seems to describe not the Worldwide
Church of God, which is very rapidly becoming "Protestant," but now
its major offshoot Churches!
Why is God’s Church so divided up,
today? Why seven different major
divisions?
The answer involves the problem of
church government! Division occurs where
leadership that would be truly obedient to God is lacking! It occurs when people cease to look to the
Word of God and begin to look to human leaders instead!
To preserve and protect the Church
is why God placed GOVERNMENTAL OFFICES in His Church!
WHY
Church Government?
Paul
wrote to the Ephesians, "And he gave some, apostles, and some, prophets;
and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers [WHY?]: For the perfecting of the saints [i.e., they
are not yet perfect!], for the work of the ministry, for the edifying
[BUILDING, strengthening] of the body of Christ [the church]: TILL WE ALL COME IN THE UNITY OF THE
FAITH" -- ah hah! Did you catch
that? "TILL we all come in [or,
INTO] the UNITY of the faith." In
other words, WE DO NOT YET HAVE TRUE OR PERFECT UNITY in faith, beliefs,
doctrines, etc.!
The Greek word translated
"church," ekklesia, merely means "called out ones." In the Old Testament, the "church in the
wilderness" (Acts 7:38) was generally called the "congregation of
Israel." The proper name of God's
Church, therefore, could be interpreted in English as "Assembly of
God," "Congregation of God," "Church of God," or the
"Group of God," or anything similar.
There is nothing particularly "holy" about the word
"church" itself. It is,
properly speaking, merely a term used to describe a religious
"group."
Just what is the "church of
God," or "God's Church," which Jesus Christ founded? Is it a human organization of men, with a
corporate charter approved by a state or government of this world? Many people seem to think so. However, that is NOT what the Scriptures
teach us!
Rather, the church of God is the
"body of Christ" -- that is, all those who truly belong to Christ
Jesus, who have His Holy Spirit -- whether or not they belong to any other
"organization" or "group."
As Paul wrote, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into ONE BODY,
whether we are Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bone or free; and have been all
made to drink into one Spirit. For the
body is not one member but many” (I Cor.12:13-14). This is a SPIRITUAL BODY! It consists of all TRUE believers – those
whom God has called and chosen! It is
defined as all those people who have the Holy Spirit of God within them. As Paul also explained, “Now if any man have
not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Rom.8:9).
Paul also wrote the Ephesians,
“There is ONE BODY, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your
calling” (Eph.4:3).
These true believers could even be
scattered throughout many different Christ-professing groups, each with varying
degrees of error in their teaching. Some
of these true members of the spiritual "body of Christ" may not have
contact with any organization of group.
They could be all alone, serving God in their area! They may not even know of another true
Christian, who believes like they do, for hundreds of miles!
This may seem incredible to some,
but even Elijah at one point in his life thought that he was the only remaining
true believer in God in all Israel! He
said to God, when the wicked queen Jezebel was seeking to slay him, "I
have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. l The Israelites have
rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death
with the sword. I am the only one
left, and now they are trying to kill me too" (I Kings 19:10). When
God once again asked him what he was doing in the desert, Elijah gave the same
answer again (verse 14). He thought he
was ALL ALONE serving God! He was
depressed, discouraged, and fearful of his life!
But Elijah was not alone. God told him, "Yet I reserve seven
thousand in Israel -- all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose
mouths have not kissed him" (verse 18).
The point I am making, here, is that
you do not need to have a "local congregation," or a "church of
God" in your area, in order to be a true servant of God -- even a powerful
servant, as Elijah was! Not at all! Let's grasp once and for all the plain TRUTH
about just what GOD'S "church" or "ekklesia" really IS!
The Ekklesia of God
The apostle Paul wrote, ". . .
Christ is the head of the Church, his body,
of which he is the Saviour" (Eph.5:23). As Christians, "we are members of his
body" (verse 30). Jesus is
"the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation . . . And
he is the head of the body, the church" (Col.1:15-18). God appoints "some to be apostles, some
to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to
prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up UNTIL we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son
of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of
Christ" (Eph.4:11-13).
This Scripture shows, among other
things, that God has put spiritual "offices" in His Church, or the
body of Christ, according to the various talents and gifts that He gives to
men. Not all have the same abilities. As Paul wrote to the Romans, "Just as
each of us has one body with many members [hands, feet, toes, fingers, ears,
eyes, nose, mouth, lips, tongue, heart, legs, arms, etc., etc.], and these
members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form
one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts according to the
grace given us. If a man's gift is
prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is
teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is
contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is
leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it
cheerfully" (Rom.12:4-8).
The apostle Peter explains, along
the same lines, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to
serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one
speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength
God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus
Christ" (I Pet.4:10-11).
All of us then, who serve God
honestly and humbling, sincerely and to the best of our knowledge according to
the truth of His Word, who have received the Spirit of Christ and of God as a
begettal, BELONG TO CHRIST! We are
members of His spiritual BODY! That body
is not in any way a "human" church or "human" corporation,
although there are many who may claim that they are the "only true Church
of God." Such claims border on
blasphemy against the Spirit of God!
According
to God’s Word, the purpose of the ministry is to ENCOURAGE growth, not to stop
it in its tracks. It is to encourage
spiritual development study, research, questioning, investigation of knowledge. God wants us to grow in grace, and in the
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (II Pet.3:18).
The
original, intended purpose of the ministry, in the eyes of God, is revealed in
the book of Ephesians. God inspired Paul
to write, "And he gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the PERFECTING of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the EDIFYING of the body of Christ: Till we
all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
UNTO A PERFECT (MATURE) MAN, unto the measure of the stature of the FULNESS OF
CHRIST: That we henceforth be NO MORE CHILDREN (mere babes, infants), tossed to
and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men,
and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the
truth in love, may GROW UP INTO HIM IN ALL THINGS, which is the head, even
Christ" (Eph.4:11-15).
The
purpose of the ministers is to be helpers, to help us grow in faith and
knowledge of Christ -- not barbarian overlords.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "Not for that we have dominion over
your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand" (II
Cor.1:24).
Faith
is between you and God -- not you and the local minister. There is only one Intermediary between you
and God -- Jesus Christ (I Tim.2:5). You have only one Saviour -- Jesus Christ
(Acts 4:12).
There
are probably a good many sincere ministers in the Church of God, men who are
doing a good work of helping the brethren to grow, as best they can. We should love them and highly respect them
for their work and sacrifice. As Paul
wrote, "And we beseech you, brethren, to KNOW them which labour among you,
and are OVER you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to ESTEEM them very highly
IN LOVE for their work's sake" (I Thessalonians 5:12-13).
“Binding and Loosing”
Many
have read the Scripture in Matthew 16:19 where Jesus Christ said to Peter,
"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and
whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever
thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.' Some have thought that
this Scripture gives Church ministers virtually carte blanche authority to make
decisions on earth, and whatever they decide will be automatically bound in
heaven!
For
example, if a minister made a wrong decision, totally contrary to the law of
God, do you believe that God would bind it anyway?
If
a minister decided a couple were living in adultery, when the law of God said
they were not, would God the minister's decision and force the couple to break
up in order to enter the Kingdom of God?
Is
God such a cruel, unjust, harsh monster?
Nonsense!
If
a minister or apostle or evangelist told a person who was already married in
the sight of God that it would be all right for him or her to marry another,
while their mate still lived, would God Almighty that decision, contrary to His
own law?
God
cannot contradict Himself, or bind any decision that is made contrary to His
own inexorable, eternal, immutable, spiritual LAW! THE LAW OF GOD IS ALWAYS BINDING and cannot
be nullified by the whim or error of any minister on the earth! The Law of God reveals the very picture of
the eternal CHARACTER of God! It shows
what He IS! Jesus Himself said,
"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one
tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled"
(MatL5:18).
The
apostle Paul pointed out, "Wherefore the law is HOLY, and the commandment
HOLY, and just, and good" (Rom.7: 12).
He added: "For we know that the LAW IS SPIRITUAL" (verse 14)
-- and that which is spiritual is of necessity ETERNAL! As Paul also wrote, "but the things
which are NOT SEEN are eternal" (II Cor.4:18). David wrote in the Psalms,
"All his commandments are sure.
They stand fast FOR EVER AND EVER, and are done in truth and
uprightness" (Psalm 111:7-8).
Isn't
that clear? Then no decision by any
minister at any time can nullify or do away with or abrogate or rescind or
erase the eternal, spiritual law of GOD!
If a minister makes a decision contrary to the law of God, his DECISION
itself in God's sight is null and void, cancelled out by the Law of God, and is
nullified and abrogated and rescinded by the higher law of GOD!
In
Matthew 16:19 Jesus Christ was not giving His ministry, or His apostles, any
authority to bind or loose or make decisions contrary to the eternal, immutable
law of God. This verse was never
intended to be used as carte blanche authority to support the abuse or misuse
of authority in the Church of God.
Rather, when those in authority read this verse, they should FEAR AND
TREMBLE -- for they will be held accountable before God for how they use their
ministerial authority!
Rulership
in God’s Church!
We read in Hebrews 13:17 a very important
Bible principle. Paul wrote, "Obey
them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for
your souls, as they that must give ACCOUNT.”
We also read in verse 7, “Remember them that have the RULE
over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of
their conversation [conduct].”
The word for “rule” in these verses in the
Greek language is hegeomai and means “TO LEAD” or “GUIDE.” It derives from the word hegemon which
means “a leader, a governor of a province, ruler.” Our English word “hegemony” comes from this
word.
Thus those in God’s Church who are in the
ministry are indeed “leaders,” “GUIDES,” rulers, and must GOVERN the Church –
they are spiritual “governors”!
Those
in the ministry will have to give ACCOUNT -- they will have to answer to Jesus
Christ -- for how they have conducted their ministry! They will be held RESPONSIBLE! Any who foolishly abuse their authority, or use
it like a club, or pervert it to contradict the laws of God, will be held
supremely accountable, and will suffer CONDEMNATION!
God never intended His ministry to rule the
flock or the Church with cruelty, harshness, or totalitarian despotism. His ministers were never intended to become
despots or tyrants over the flock. God
never intended His ministers to be suspicious “overlords," who would shoot
first, and ask questions of the body.
He never intended for His people to live
their lives in fear of the authorities, fearful of questioning, fearful of
harassment. He never intended His Church
to become an authoritarian-driven cult, with ministers prying into every nook
and comer of people's private lives. He
never intended the ministry to be a kind of Secret Police, KGB, or Nazi
Gestapo, encouraging members to spy on one another and to become
"informers."
According to the way of God, if any brother
in the Church sees another commit a sin, he is NOT to go straight to the
ministry, as a tattle-tale. Rather, he
is to go direct to his brother who sinned, and confront him IN LOVE with what
he saw.
As Paul wrote, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one IN THE SPIRIT OF MEEKNESS, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Gal.6:1).
The apostle Peter said of God’s true ministry, “The ELDERS which are among you, I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: FEED the flock of God which is among you, taking the OVERSIGHT thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock” (I Peter 5:1-3).
Thus God’s true ministers will not be harsh, overbearing “over-lords.” They will be like loving shepherds, who feed the flock willingly, out of love. They indeed have “oversight” and responsibility for the flock entrusted by God to their care. They therefore have RULERSHIP over them, spiritually. But as true ministers, they will not abuse this authority, knowing that they must one day give a complete account of their actions and activities and rulership!
Authority
and Disfellowshipping
God’s people must realize and
recognize that Almighty God and Jesus Christ DID place “government” in His true
Church body! Let’s be sure we really
understand this matter! Don’t allow ANY
BODY – no matter how seemingly sincere – deceive you on this vital point of
Biblical truth!
God DOES give His true,
Spirit-begotten and Spirit-led MINISTERS authority to govern and RULE in the
Church of God!
The apostle Paul explains that
sometimes God’s ministers DO have to “DISFELLOWSHIP” certain brethren, or even
ministers, for the sake of protecting the flock, God’s people! It is God's principle and His way, ordained
in Scripture, that at times true ministers of God must disfellowship certain
people When brethren go astray, and
begin attacking God's servants, we must take action to defend the
flock. Paul says, in inspired Scripture:
"For though
absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present
I
have already pronounced judgment in the name of the Lord Jesus
on
the man who has done such a thing. When
you are assembled, and
my
spirit is present with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to hand
this
man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit
may
be saved in the day of the Lord" (I Cor.5:3-5, NRSV).
Paul continues:
"But now I
am writing you not to associate with ANYONE who bears
the
name of a brother or sister who is . . . an IDOLATER, REVILER,
drunkard,
or robber. DO NOT EVEN EAT WITH SUCH A
ONE.
For what have I
have to do with judging those outside?
Is it not those
who
are INSIDE that you are to judge? God
will judge those outside.
DRIVE
OUT the wicked person from among you" (verses 11-13).
The Amplified Bible explains this in greater detail,
saying:
"But now I
write to you not to associate with anyone who bears the
name
of [Christian] brother, if he is known to be guilty of immorality
or
greed, or is an idolater -- that is, whose soul is devoted to an object
that
usurps the place of God -- or [is] a person with a foul tongue (rail-
ing,
abusing, reviling, slandering), or is a drunkard, or a swindler or a
robber. [No], you must not so much as eat with such a
person . . . .
Drive
out that wicked one from among you -- expel him from your
church"
(vs.11-13).
I write these things because I want
to save God’s people from the jaws of the devil, and his bloody, dripping
fangs. He has devoured many who have
strayed, or wandered away from the straight and narrow path. He has gorged himself on their blood and
flesh. He is a frightful monster, a
fiend, a howling banshee of the night.
God commands His ministers to clean
up His Church, so the bride can be spotless and pristine for the coming of the
Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, our Messiah and Saviour (Eph.5:22-27).
Paul also wrote, telling when and
why some people simply must be disfellowshipped! He declared:
"Now I
beseech you, brethren, MARK THEM which cause
DIVISIONS
AND OFFENSES contrary to the doctrine which
you
have learned; AND AVOID THEM. For they that
are such
serve
not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good
words
and fair speeches DECEIVE the hearts of the simple"
(Rom.16:17-18).
"But
avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions,
and
strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
A
man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition
reject;
knowing that he that is such is SUBVERTED, and sinneth,
being
condemned of himself" (Titus 3:9-11).
Why do some people think
disfellowshipment is wrong and beyond ministerial authority? Is it because they themselves have an
attitude of REBELLION against God, and refuse to take disciplinary action when
it is administered to them?
Paul said the duty of God's true
ministers is to --
"Herald and
preach the Word! Keep your sense of
urgency (stand
by,
be at hand and ready, whether the opportunity seems to be
favorable
or unfavorable, whether it is convenient or inconvenient,
whether
it be welcome or unwelcome, you as preacher of the Word
are
to show people in what way their lives are wrong) and
convince
them, rebuking and correcting, warning and urging and
encouraging
them, being unflagging and inexhaustible in patience and
teaching.
"For
the time is coming [and has NOW come!] when [people] will
not
tolerate [endure] sound and wholesome instruction, but having
ears
itching [for something pleasing and gratifying], they will
gather
to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable number,
chosen
to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they hold,
and
will TURN ASIDE FROM HEARING THE TRUTH AND
WANDER
OFF INTO MYTHS AND MAN-MADE FICTIONS"
(II Tim.4:2-4).
To protect ane preserve the flock of
God, His true ministers MUST at times use AUTHORITY! At times they must “rebuke, exhort, correct,
warn,” and discipline unruly or rebellious members, who have gotten into a
wrong frame of mind!
It is the duty of God’s true
ministers to PROTECT and GUARD the flock -- God's sheep -- from all the
prowling wolves, scavengers, hyenas, coyotes, mountain lions, and other enemies
who seek to DEVOUR them! To do this,
sometimes we have to use very blunt and incisive language, name names, and
"denounce" the evil and dangers we see! It may not make us very popular. But serving God is no popularity contest -- it
is a titanic contest of wills, a fierce struggle against those who promote
error and heresy. It is a matter of
truth versus error, God versus Satan and his wiles, a struggle for supremacy in
the battle of light versus darkness. No
quarter may be given in such a fight, unless we are willing to lose out on our
salvation!
Sometimes the attacks of Satan come
through false brethren, those who pretend to be our friends while it
suits their purpose – or even false ministers -- but when the time
comes, they strike at us like a snake, waiting in ambush -- they strike like a
pit viper, to destroy God's people with their venom!
God warns us in His Word to beware
of all those who would put His Work or His people in peril and danger, who
would strike at His servants, and try to sabotage the Work by their criticisms,
attacks, slander, reproach, and caustic, belittling remarks. It is the solemn
duty of true ministers to EXPOSE such people, and to “MARK” them carefully!
There are those among us, who were
formerly with us, but who turned aside to error – both laymen and ministers
alike -- and they MUST be "MARKED," and cast out of the fellowship of
God's Church! As Paul says:
"Some
having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling
desiring
to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what
they
say, nor whereof they affirm" (I Tim.1:6-7).
"Whereas
the object and purpose of our instruction and charge
is
love which springs from a pure heart and a good (clear) conscience
and
sincere (unfeigned) faith. But certain
individuals have MISSED
THE
MARK on this very matter [and] have wandered away into
vain
arguments and discussions and purposeless talk" (verses
5-6,
Amplified
Bible).
When a root of bitterness begins to
grow in a person, it is a poisonous weed, and like most weeds, it grows
rapidly, taking over the whole mind and thoughts. It changes the heart, and corrupts the
soul. The apostle Paul warned us to be
very wary of allowing even a small "root of bitterness" to dwell in
our hearts and minds. He said:
"Strive to
live at peace with everybody, and pursue that consecration
and
holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.
"Exercise
foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another],
to
see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God's grace (His
unmerited
favor and spiritual blessing], in order that NO ROOT OF
RESENTMENT
(RANCOR, BITTERNESS OR HATRED) shoot
forth
and CAUSE TROUBLE and bitter torment, and the MANY
become
contaminated and defiled by it" (Heb.12:14-15, Amplified
Bible).
Remember, certain men like Korah and
his followers even slandered Moses, others tried to kill Enoch. Simon Magus led many astray in New Testament
times (Acts 8). Jeremiah was thrown in
prison; Isaiah was sawn asunder; Daniel was thrown into a den of lions! Why?
Because men did not respect their message from God, and refused to
submit to DIVINE, GODLY AUTHORITY! They
did not want to submit themselves to GOD’s authority, God’s government, as it
was expressed through these men.
When Israel refused God’s
government, when Samuel was the “judge” of Israel, and wanted a “king” instead,
God said to Samuel, “They have not rejected you, they have rejected ME, that I
should not reign over them” (I Sam.8:7).
Samuel was the “minister” of God in
his days. But the people wanted other
authority over them – they foolishly thought that a “king” would be much
better! O how hard it is for people to
learn!
What many seemingly have a difficult
time learning is that GOD WORKS THROUGH MEN!
It is GOD who placed authority and government IN His true Church! It is the DUTY of ministers to shepherd the
flock, to teach the truths of God, and to protect the flock from wolves,
predators, and false shepherds! What
could be clearer than that?
What we all must DO, therefore, is
prove carefully, using the BIBLE as our yardstick, WHO REALLY ARE the TRUE
ministers and servants of God!
That is, WHO ARE THE ONES REALLY
TEACHING GOD’S TRUTH!
How Final UNITY Will Be Achieved
How is true "unity" really
created? With human nature being what it
is, and human beings being prone to independence, and a universal dislike of
"human authority," how can the various "churches of God"
ever become truly "ONE"? How
can they be truly "UNITED"?
Is it not through the fires of
trials and tests and tribulation? Some
are more hard-headed than others, and need stronger testing and trials in order
to mature spiritually.
Notice! Many, in this final age, will have to go
through, and then come out of, "great tribulation," in which they
"have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the
lamb" (Rev.7:14). Their robes are
obviously dirty -- but the waters and bloodshed of Great Tribulation will give
them the means to "wash" their robes, that they may become white --
righteous, in God's sight.
Daniel speaks of this same
purification process, which will BRING US TOGETHER, and get rid of the dross,
flimflam, dishonesty, and foolishness, which we see in the church and many members,
today. Daniel was told, "And some
of them of understanding shall FALL, to TRY them, and to PURGE, and to MAKE
THEM WHITE, even to the time of the end" (Dan.11:35).
Although the church is
"divided" into segments, and has many problems, today, these problems
will in most cases be eliminated by the FIRES OF TRIBULATION and final
testing. Christ is going to present the
church to himself "a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any
such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Eph.5:27). In the coming months and years, Christ is
going to CLEAN THE CHURCH UP! He is
going to purge and purify every "element," every group, every true
segment, rub-a-dub dub, and get rid of all the dirt, grime, grease and filth --
scrub, scrub, scrub -- until it is squeaky clean and spotless and shining!
Therefore, WHEN Christ returns, we
read, "The marriage of the Lamb is come, and his WIFE hath made herself
ready" (Rev.19:7). She is not
ready, today. She is not yet purified,
purged, and made white. But she will be
in time for the wedding! "And to
her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of
saints" (Rev.19:8).
What
Is the BODY of Christ?
The body of Christ, His Church, is
composed of EVERY TRUE BELIEVER around the world, whether or not they belong to
a humanly incorporated "church."
The body of Christ, His true Church, is not man-made -- it is SPIRITUAL!
Paul explains further: "The body is a unit, though it is made
up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into
ONE [spiritual] BODY -- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free -- and we were
all given the one Spirit to drink.
"Now the body is not made up of
one part but of many. If the foot should
say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for
that reason cease to be part of the body.
And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to
the body,' it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would
the sense of hearing be? If the whole
body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact GOD HAS ARRANGED the parts of the
body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the
body be? As it is, there are many parts,
but one body.
"The eye cannot say to the
hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head
cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you!'
On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are
INDISPENSABLE, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with
special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are
treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special
treatment. But GOD has combined the
members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so
that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have
equal concern for each other. If one
part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part
rejoices with it.
"NOW YOU ARE THE BODY OF
CHRIST, and each one of you is a part of it.
And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets,
third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing,
those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those
speaking in different kinds of tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all
prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues [foreign
languages]? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts" (I
Cor.12:12-31).
If we truly belong to the body of
Christ, then we are among those "parts" mentioned in the preceding
verses. God has given each of us various
abilities to use in His Work, His service, His "body," to encourage,
uplift, strengthen and edify the other parts.
What is the purpose of this?
Paul goes on, in his letter to the
Ephesians, "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and
forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by
the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will
in all things GROW UP into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held
together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as
each part does its work" (Eph.4:14-16).
I know of NO human "church
organization" which fulfills this description of the "body of
Christ." All have failings, faults,
hypocrites and liars in their midst -- even in their ministry and
hierarchies. All fall far short of the
mark to be considered "THE body of Christ." However, every true Christian, who has been
baptized, received God's Spirit, REGARDLESS of which "church" they
may belong to -- whether Seventh Day Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist, Seventh
Day Church of God, Worldwide Church of God, Church of God International, or some
other Church or group -- is a living MEMBER of the SPIRITUAL "body of
Christ" described here!
The true members of the body of
Christ may not be united in perfect doctrine or understanding of every vague
Scripture or prophetic interpretation.
But they are united by the bond of love for each other, regardless of
their outward differences. Jesus
explained to His disciples, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that he
lay down his life for his friends. . . . This is my command: Love each other" (John 15:12-17).
Jesus declared, "A new command
I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one
another. BY THIS all men will know that
you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35).
How many churches I know which
profess to be the "only true church" of God, and yet are dysmally and
abysmally LACKING in true love for others in their church, as well as lacking
in true love for those outside their "group." How many I have known which have been filled
with in-fighting, jealousy, bickering, bitterness, anger, rivalry, competition,
strife, sins, hatreds, envies, deceits, and every wicked aspect of Satan's
character!
To be perfectly honest with you, churches I have known seem to be best described by the apostle Paul when he wrote, "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft [astrology, plumb bobbing, water witching, etc., in the church itself!], hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you as I did before, that those who live like this will NOT inherit the kingdom of God" (Gal.5:19-21).
“By Their FRUITS”
But what are the TRUE
characteristics of God's TRUE people?
Jesus said we would recognize them "by their fruits." He declared, "Likewise every good
tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and
a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every
three that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognized
them" (Matt.7:17-20).
What does this tell us? We will know God’s true Church – if we know
how to recognize GOOD FRUITS!
What are the "fruits" of
the true people of God? They may not be
perfect in doctrinal understanding; they may not grasp all prophetic mysteries;
they may not be very successful in the eyes of the world, or have many of this
world's goods and treasures. They may be
poor, and lacking in "manners."
They may seem like "low class" people in the eyes of the
"suits." They may not look
like much in appearance. But they are
described very accurately by these "fruits" mentioned by the apostle
Paul.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control" (Gal.5:22-23).
Jesus said that the
"wheat" of God's true people would dwell side by side with
"tares" -- weeds which impersonate wheat. The "tares" are planted by Satan
the devil (Matt.13:36-43). The weeds may
look like wheat, but they are evil; their goodness is only superficial; their inner
heart is evil and rotten, selfish and destructive. Over a period of time, however, a tare can be
spotted, just as a wheat can be verified -- by the "fruits."
James discussed the difference
between the two when he wrote: "Who
is wise and understanding among you? Let
him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from
wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy
and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the
truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down
from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition,
there you find disorder and every evil practice.
"But the wisdom that comes from
heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full
of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness"
(James 3:13-18). The body of Christ is
composed of THIS kind of people -- and every "church" I know of
actually has BOTH kinds! No human
"church," therefore, can possibly be the "one and only TRUE
church of God!"
“When the Son of Man Comes, Will He
Find
Faith on the Earth?”
A true Christian today is a rare
commodity, indeed! Did not Jesus the
Messiah Himself say, "However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find
faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8).
It would be nice if, during this
final generation before the return of Christ, that the entire "body of
Christ" were perfectly united in truth, belief, and practice, all
experiencing the true “government of God” in our Church.. But today we see thousands of different churches,
sects, denominations, and cults, each professing to be
"Christian." The vast majority
of them are nothing but hollow shells; they have departed from the faith and
truth of God long ago, and are nothing but imposters, led by wolves in sheep's
clothing, false prophets and wicked teachers who deny the Word of God in their
life and practice (see II Cor.11:13-15).
Others are more recent creations, but still far from the truth of God in
many respects.
Where are the true people of God
today? What kind of government exists in
God’s TRUE Churches?
The apostle Paul prophesied that the
Church of God of this end-time would be in deplorable spiritual condition! He wrote that in our time there would be a
whole-sale departure from the faith and truth of God (II Thess.2:3) -- a great
spiritual REBELLION!
He warned, "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last
days. People will be lovers of
themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their
parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without
self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited,
lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God -- having a FORM OF GODLINESS,
but denying its power. Have nothing to
do with them" (II Tim.3:1-5).
This warning involves those having
an outward form or show of spirituality; they "seem" good on the
outside, just like the Pharisees of old, during the time of Christ. But it is mere pretense. They are spiritual hypocrites!
Paul went on, warning us, that in
the end time, "evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving
and being deceived" (verse 13). He
wrote that in the last days many churches and men "will not put up with
sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their
own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say
what their itching ears want to hear.
They will turn their ears away from the TRUTH and turn aside to
myths" (II Tim.4:3-4).
Therefore, just because you and your
church "seem" to observe holy days and Sabbaths does not prove that
YOU know Christ or God, or truly belong to Him -- any more than the unconverted
Pharisees! The real question is, do you personally
really know Jesus Christ? Do you
have a personal relationship with Him? Do
you in deep humility and abject sincerity, address Him as your own personal
Lord, Master and Saviour? Have you truly
repented of your sins? Believe it or
not, if you truly have this personal relationship, have repented, and are
striving to follow Christ and keep God’s commandments, then you are a true
Christian!
Frankly -- let me be candid -- there
is more hope of such a person entering the kingdom of God, than of many Sabbath
keepers and holy day worshipers who don't study their Bibles daily, who only
pray five minutes a day or less on their knees!
I personally know evangelical people who sincerely pray together, asking
God's blessing on the food, when they eat out in restaurants, out of sincere
love of Christ. On the other hand, I
know many "Sabbath keepers" who would be ASHAMED of any such
demonstration of the love of God, and who think of themselves as
"superior," to any such outward display of love for Christ and
God! If that attitude of smugness and
cavalier self-superiority describes you, then shame on you!
On the other hand, I personally know
of evangelist ministers who visited “NUDIE BARS,” drank to the point of
alcoholism, smoked cigarettes, who were high-ranking ministers in
Sabbath-observing, holy-day keeping Churches of God!
Talk about hypocrisy! And they stressed the concept of “Church
Authority” and “Church Government”! – that is, their OWN authority and
government! Why? Was it because they lusted after the tithes
and offerings of their members, to support and sustain their wild and wicked
“lifestyle” behind closed doors?
Finding
the True Church
The real key to being a Christian,
and finding a TRUE Church of God, is to have God's Spirit as a begettal (Acts
2:38; 5:32), and to fellowship with others who also have His Spirit, as you are
able to find them. If you do have the
Spirit of God, and nurture it, and study God's Word daily so you can grow
spiritually, then it will "guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). In so doing, however, the time may come when
it may require you to SEPARATE FROM any group which refuses the truth, and
denies the truth, and which becomes or is guilty of apostasy!
Remember, Jesus said many would fall
away from the truth during the last days (Matt.24:4-5). This warning includes WHOLE CHURCHES! Paul wrote, "That day will not come [the
day of Christ's return] before there arises a DEFINITE REJECTION OF GOD and the
appearance of the lawless man. He is the
product of all that leads to death, and he sets himself up in opposition to
every religion. He himself takes his
seat in the temple of God, to show that he really claims to be God" (II
Thess.2:3-4, Phillips Translation).
Because of human nature, politics,
and desire for position and power among men, the Church of God has always had
problems due to competition, strife, envy, false brethren, and false leaders,
leading to splits, separations, divisions, and sects.
For example, during the split
between the "Church of God, Seventh Day," and the "Seventh-Day
Adventists," toward the end of the last century, the Church of God,
Seventh Day people believed that the Adventists erred by leaving the name of
God out of the Church name. In other
words, the name of the Adventists no longer identified them as belonging to
God. This was an error, no doubt, and
the Adventists went from bad to worse as they followed the errors of the false
prophetess Ellen G. White.
However, this error by itself did
not mean they were no longer part of the "Church of God." It was merely an error, which someday might
be repented of. God is very
patient. This one error itself would not
disqualify them as a remnant of God's true Church!
The
True "Philadelphia Church of God"
I believe and hope that those who
are with me in this Work of God are, for the most part, members of the
"Philadelphia" Church mentioned in Revelation -- that is, we are the
"remnants" of the Philadelphia Church. Of course, God will decide who really has the
spirit of “brotherly love” which characterizes the true Biblical “Philadelphia”
remnant of His Church.
It is perhaps possible that
the Worldwide Church of God at one time was doing the work of the Philadelphia
Church of God (Rev.3:8), because it seemingly was doing a great witness with
very little membership. It seemed to
have more truth than any other Church during the 1950s and ‘60s. However, as it grew larger, sheer apostasy
and error set in, and leaders began going astray, as early as 1967 and
1972. The Church began compromising with
the world, and errors began multiplying.
It was torn with division iln 1974, and again in 1978, and was
temporarily taken over by the state of California in 1979. After the death of its founder, Herbert W.
Armstrong, in January, 1986, it plunged – nose-dived – into rank apostasy under
Joseph W. Tkach and its candle was puut out, as it returned to mainstream
Christianity.
Whether it was really ever a true
representative of the Philadelphia Church, however, is, therefore, open to
question and serious doubt, since the Church leadership was guilty of many
flagrant and incredible sins and spiritual transgressions. Even Herbert Armstrong himself made many
mistakes, and taught egregious doctrinal errors which did great harm to many
married couples who had to split up because of terrible errors in divorce and
remarriage doctrine. The Church also
taught for many years that doctors and medicines were evil, Satanic, and
thereby condemned many innocent and guiltless people – even young chilcren and
elderly men and women – to blindness, permanent injury, and unnecessary death!
As the Worldwide Church plunged into
error, it began casting out the more zealous and diligent members who would not
go along with the charade, who refused to compromise. They, these "outcast ones," became
in a sense the remnant, the "core" of the true
"Philadelphia" Church of God.
They as a whole do not belong to ANY "visible" church
organization. They may be attending NO
services each Sabbath, not knowing where they might go. But they obey God's commandments; they
observe the Sabbath and holy days AT HOME, or with a few others in their area
of like understanding.
God is bringing many of them into
contact with Triumph Prophetic Ministries, and they recognize that we are truly
serving God. Their spirit witnesses with
our spirit that we are of God. We speak
the truth, and they recognize it. They
are still "proving all things."
Therefore, although they are scattered, they are still "hanging
tough," "hanging in there," and "holding fast." The Philadelphia Church of God, therefore, today
is probably a widely scattered bunch; they are not organized under the title
"Philadephia" Church of God, but they fit that description because of
their personal "fruits."
There is a Church in Edmond,
Oklahoma, which calls itself the "Philadelphia Church of God," but
they were only organized in early 1990.
They came into existence AFTER the Laodicean Church arose, yet the
Philadelphia Church of the Bible is in existence BEFORE the Laodicean Church! They, therefore, are not the true
Philadelphia Church of God. Besides,
their doctrinal errors and totalitarian government prove they are
impostors! Apart from the fact that they
came into existence too late,
they also retain many of the errors of Herbert W. Armstrong, consider
him to be "Elijah," despite his many propheti errors. Write for our articles, “The Prophetic Errors
of Herbert W. Armstrong,” and “The Philadelphia Chuurch of God – Exposed
The Counterfeit Dollar Bill Analogy
God's true Church, today, is not a
visible "corporation" or "sect." You cannot just pick out a church group, and
say, "This is it!" It is not
that simple. You cannot say the true
Church is like a dollar bill, and all the other churches are counterfeit dollar bills. That is a very misleading analogy, and confuses
people. The problem with this analogy,
so often used by Herbert Armstrong in the past, is that NO CHURCH ON EARTH
IS PERFECT! But any "dollar
bill" which is not "perfect" would have to be considered counterfeit!
If perfection were the
"key" to identifying the true Church of God, THEN ALL CHURCHES WOULD
BE "COUNTERFEIT," because none are perfect! If that analogy were true, then the true
Church SIMPLY WOULD NOT EXIST!
God did not call me to raise up a
new Church, to follow the Laodicean Church, but rather to bear witness to the
end-time Churches of God, and to bring together the scattered people of God, as
He makes it possible. We, the scattered,
the disenfranchised, the disinherited, the "cast out ones," the
"rejects" -- we ARE the spiritual
"Philadelphia Church of God"! We have our
"lumps" to prove it (Rev.3:9-10). We are not "incorporated"
by that name -- human incorporation means nothing to God. Yet we are the spiritual REMNANT of those who
are truly DOING the Work of God, who are
growing in grace and spiritual knowledge, who are repenting of sin and
changing as they see error! Jesus said,
"You will know them by their fruits" (Matt.7:20). It is up to each individual to PROVE where
and what the truth of God really is, and to stand by it, rooted and grounded in
the truth and established in the faith (Col.2:7).
"But Isn't There only One
Vine?"
In Herbert W. Armstrong's book The
Incredible Human Potential, he wrote,
"What about a
single member, 'a joint or part,' going off by itself –
or following a MAN
instead of the CHURCH OF GOD that is in
direct continuous
succession from the apostolic Church founded by
Christ in A.D. 3l? He is like a joint or piece of wood or stone,
entirely outside of, and
therefore NO PART OF the BODY OF
CHRIST that shalll MARRY
Christ."
Does
this statement by Herbert Armstrong prove that there is only one physical
remnant of the true Church of God on earth -- the Worldwide Church of God --
and that if anybody leaves that church, they are like the piece of wood or
severed joint, and will be entirely outside the true Church and have no part of
the body of Christ?
Those are very powerful claims! But where is the PROOF?
The
quotation from Herbert Armstrong is wrong on several counts. First of all, the fact is, there is no proof
in history that the Worldwide Church of God can trace its’ direct continuous
succession from the apostolic Church founded by Christ, any more than the
Seventh-Day Adventists, the Church of God Seventh Day, the Seven Day Baptists,
or any number of groups! The truth is,
you cannot look into history, and find ANY proof of ANY "apostolic
succession." Even the Roman
Catholic Church fails on this score, although it can trace its popes back much
further than any other church can trace its history. There is no evidence that Peter, the apostle
of Christ, ever served as the bishop of the Church of Rome! Rather, he was the apostle to the Jews! (Gal.2:8-9).
The
nearest thing to "apostolic succession" would be the succession of
POPES in Rome, but the Roman church departed from the faith very early in
Church history. Although they may be
able to trace their popes back to the second and third centuries, without
problem, their teachings totally contradict the teachings of Christ and the
apostles! Their "succession"
is a false succession of wicked apostates and anti-Christs -- not a succession
of true followers of the Word of God!
The true origins of the papacy go back to ancient Babylon, and the gaudy
and colorful Babylonian priests of Baal and his consort Semiramis!
The
history o the Church of God cannot be documented from person to person,
generation to generation, in any formal "succession." There is very little data for entire
centuries
Secondly,
Herbert Armstrong, in his old age, sometimes twisted and distorted the
Scriptures to suit himself. Ted
Armstrong who was disfellowshipped and left the Church the very year that The
Incredible Human Potential was written and published. The idea Herbert
Armstrong was writing about is actually found in John, chapter 15. Read it for yourself. The apostle John wrote, quoting Jesus as
saying, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will
bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not REMAIN IN ME [that is, in
Christ's spiritual body, the spiritual Church, not an organization of MEN with
the title "Church of God"], he is like a branch that is thrown away
and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned"
(John 15:5-6).
We
"abide in Christ" by abiding in His Word, and by keeping His
commandments. This has nothing to do
with "abiding" in a particular "Church" organization of
men! Otherwise, what would you do if the
entire Church went astray because of its new leaders? If a “church” goes astray, errs and begins
breaking the commandments of God, then it ceases to function as a part of the
body of Christ; it ceases to be used by God as His instrument; its ministers
cease to be His ministers; the church plunges into apostasy, and the ministers
become servants of Satan the devil instead of the true God – that is, unless
they repent of their sins and apostasy, and return to God's truth!
Make no mistake!
Whole churches of God have gone astray!
Today’s Church Ministers
Prophesied
Isaiah
the prophet thunders, "Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD,
that my people is taken away for nought?
they that rule over them
[their shepherds or "ministers"] MAKE THEM TO HOWL, saith the Lord;
and my name continually every day is blasphemed" (verse 5).
Ministers
of various end-time churches blaspheme God's name by their practices, their
filthy deeds, their disfellowshipment procedures, their false doctrines, their
calling God's TRUE servants and prophets "false prophets,"
"Satan-inspired," and other epithets.
They blaspheme God by their every action and word, every day, as they
abuse, beat, and browbeat the sheep under their control.
The
prophet Ezekiel wrote, "The word of the LORD came to me: 'Son of man, prophesy against the SHEPHERDS
of Israel; prophesy and say to them:
"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: WOE to the shepherds of Israel who only take
care of themselves! Should not shepherds
take care of the flock? You eat the
curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but
you do not take care of the flock. You
have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or
searched for the lost. You have RULED
THEM HARSHLY AND BRUTALLY. So they were
scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they
became food for all the wild animals. My
sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and
no one searched or looked for them" (Ezek.34:1-6).
God
thunders, "I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for
my flock. I will REMOVE them from
tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves; I will
RESCUE my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them"
(verse 10).
God
Himself says, "As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign LORD
says: I will judge between one sheep and
another, and between rams and goats. . . . See, I myself will judge between the
fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because
you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns
until you have driven them away, I will save my flock, and they will no longer
be PLUNDERED" (Ezek.34:17-22).
Almighty
God, and Jesus Christ, both have a severe "bone to pick" with the End
Time Church of God generation -- the people of God today. God says to His flock, His people, who have
strayed into the paths of sin and Laodicean compromise and error: "Surely the arm of the LORD is not too
short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
But your INIQUITIES have separated you from your God; your sins have
hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. For your hands are stained with blood, your
fingers with guilt. Your lips have
spoken LIES, and your tongue uttered wicked things. No one calls for justice; no one pleads his
case with integrity.
Jeremiah
also thundered against many end-time ministers of the remnant churches of
God. He wrote, “WOE be unto the PASTORS
that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against
the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them
away, and have not visited them: behold,
I will visit upon you the evil of your doings” (Jer.23:1-2). Plain words!
These pastors ABUSE the flock under their care by their harsh manner and
means of “church government”! They “lord
it over” God’s people, and the end result is destruction and devastation of the
flock!
God
declares: "They rely on empty
arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil. They hatch the eggs of vipers and spin a
spider's web Whoever eats their eggs will die, and when one is broken, an adder
is hatched. Their COBWEBS are useless
for clothing [rendering people "naked" spiritually!]; they cannot
cover themselves with what they make.
Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their
hands. Their feet rush into sin; they
are swift to shed innocent blood [to disfellowship so-called
"dissidents"!]. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and
destruction mark their ways. The way of
peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths [they "cover
up" the sins of the ministry, and refuse to judge individual cases with
righteousness, but always support the "minister," right or
wrong!]. They have turned them into
CROOKED ROADS; no one who walks in them will know peace" (Isa.59:1-8).
The Spirit of Apostasy
In
the days of the apostle Paul the apostasy was already so strong that Paul wrote
to Timothy, saying, "You know that everyone in the province of Asia has
deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes" (II Tim.1:15). The conspiracy was so strong in the days of
the apostle John that he wrote, "Dear friends, do not believe every
spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because MANY
false prophets have gone out into the world" (I John 4:1).
There
were so many false teachers going from door to door, in John's day, that he
admonished the brethren, "Watch out that you do not lose what you have
worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.
Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ
does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and
the Son. If anyone comes to you and does
not bring this teaching, DO NOT TAKE HIM INTO YOUR HOUSE or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked
work" (II John 8-11).
Things
were so out of control by 90 A.D., that John was compelled to remind his dear
friend Gaius, saying, "I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes who loves to
be first, will have nothing to do with us.
So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping
maliciously about us. Not satisfied with
that, he refuses to welcome the brothers.
He also stops those who want to do so and PUTS THEM OUT OF THE
CHURCH" (II John 9-10).
When
entire Churches go astray, a true Christian should cling to the true Vine,
which is not the Church -- the church is merely a branch itself! The true Vine is Christ! As He so plainly said, "I AM THE TRUE
VINE . . . I am the vine; YOU are the branches.
If a man remains in ME [not in some "Church" or other!] and I
in him, he will bear much fruit . . . If anyone [or ANY CHURCH
"BRANCH"!] does not remain in me [in the TRUTH of God!], he [or the
church] is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches
[including entire Churches] are picked up, thrown into the fire and
burned" (John 15:1-6).
Let's get this straight -- once and for all!
A
true Christian must follow Christ, not "men" who at one time
may have been His ministers, but who reject truth and fall away. The Pharisees were such a class. They were ministers of God's Church of that
time, with a "direct succession" from Moses. BUT THEY WENT ASTRAY, rejected Christ and His
"new truth," and became ENEMIES of the truth! Those who followed Christ had to come OUT of
the churches or synagogues of the Pharisees, and establish their own assemblies
(see Acts 5:29, 2:38-47).
Jesus
was teaching that we must ABIDE IN HIM -- not in some physical organization of
men which claims to represent Him! We
must abide, or remain, in HIS WORD! As
He said in the first part of John 15, "You are already clean because of
the WORD I have spoken to you. Remain in
ME, and I will remain in YOU [through the Holy Spirit]. No branch can bear fruit by itself [cut off
from Christ]; it must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me" (verses 3-4).
The
sooner we understand that God's Church is not a single organization on this
earth, the better off we will be, spiritually.
God's "Church" is a spiritual organism, a spiritual body,
comprised of all those people who have God's Holy Spirit (Rom.8:9-10) abiding
within them, regardless of whether they are members of any of a number of
Sabbath-keeping churches.
As
the apostle Paul said, spiritual circumcision is of the heart, and not the
flesh. True Christianity is an inward
matter of the Spirit, and not an outward, physical matter of which
"organization" you belong to!
Herbert Armstrong went astray when he began CLAIMING that the
"Worldwide Church of God" was God's one and only Church. He knew about the Church of God, Seventh Day,
from which his church organization sprang.
He even referred to it as “God’s Church” for years – and labele it as
the “Sardis branch” of God’s Church (see Rev.3:1-2). Perhaps he was ignorant of many other small
churches which also keep the Sabbath and the holy days of God.
Sadly,
the Church he left behind, the Worldwide Church of God, fell into the sinister
hands of a wicked spiritual leader who begun destroying many of the remaining
vestiges of truth still in the Church, perverting what remained, and began
leading thousands of naive and foolish sheep to spiritual destruction and doom.
The True Circumcision of God
The
apostle Paul wrote, "If those who are not circumcised keep the law's
requirements, shall they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? . . .
A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely
outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew
if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from
God" (Rom.3:25-29).
Paul
also wrote to the Corinthians, "Was a man already circumcised when he was
called? He should not become
uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised
when he was called? He should not be
circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and
uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's
commandments is what counts" (I Cor.7:18-19). Paul had a fierce dispute with certain false
brethren who wanted to bring all people under the ritualistic law of Moses, and
the law of circumcision (Acts 15, Galatians 1-2). They wanted everybody to belong to the Church
of the Pharisees! They were seeking
outward "unity," according to the flesh.
But
Paul declared, "Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are
trying to compel you to be circumcised.
The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross
of Christ. . . . Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what
counts is a new creation" (Gal.6:12-15).
Paul
was so angry at those who were preaching circumcision was necessary for
salvation -- that is, that everybody had to belong to "their Church"
organization, which compelled physical circumcision of all males -- that he
exclaimed, "As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and
emasculate themselves!" (Gal.5:12).
The Moffatt translation is even plainer. Paul actually said, "O
that those who are upsetting you would get themselves castrated!"
That
is the way I feel about some groups today who try to impose their legalistic
baggage on true believers, forcing them into spiritual slavery and bondage to
their particular Church! Let them go and
"castrate themselves"!
Those
who bind heavy burdens on the backs of men and women, and rob them of their
livelihood by imposing onerous tithing burdens of one, two and three tithes,
deserve no better!
Many End-Time Remnants
Many
people and groups have left the Worldwide Church of God, or the Church of God
International, and other groups, over the years, and no doubt many more small
groups will be formed among them, as they depart the errors of Worldwide. Which of these numerous, and no doubt
sincere, groups is doing the "work" of God, or are all of them?
The
answer to that question is basically this:
No one person has any "monopoly" on the truth. Any man or group which insists it has a
"monopoly" on the truth, and that no other can be serving God, but
must be false, has to be in error on this point. Such a group would constitute a serious
danger to any Christian who comes into contact with them, because they will
tend to exercise and claim "rulership" and "authority" over
the believer, bringing him or her into bondage to their system of teaching and
beliefs, threatening them with excommunication and disfellowshipment, and
"the lake of fire," if they ever leave or are put out of their
group.
Did
Paul not write, "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment
on disputable matters" (Rom.14:1)?
Did he not say, "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his [or her] own master he [or she] stands
or falls. And he will stand, for the
Lord is able to make him stand" (Rom.14:4). Paul admonishes, "Therefore let us stop
passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put ANY
stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's [or sister's] way"
(v.13).
Any
church which claims that it constitutes the one-and-only, sole, end-time Church
of God is vain, egotistical, arrogant, and self-righteous. They may have some truth. They may see the errors of Worldwide, in many
areas. But they themselves may be
"following a man" to destruction!
Are We Still "Babes" in
Christ?
It
is time we get rid of "personalities," and stop following men. We need to get our priorities straight. The really important question we need to
answer, first and foremost, is WHAT IS THE TRUTH of God, and then WHERE is it
being preached?
The
apostle Paul commands us all, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is
good" (I Thess.5:21). He said it is
our own individual responsibility -- not something we can pass off on somebody
else. Therefore, we should compare and
study, and pray, and ask God to lead us into His truth.
You
CAN prove the truth of God! It is within
your grasp and ability. But you must
approach it prayerfully, cautiously, carefully, in faith and with
diligence.
Which
group or church should you join, today?
The United Church of God? The
Living Church of God? Church of God
International? Church of God
Intercontinental? Biblical Church of
God?
You
name it, it’s probably out there somewhere!
If
you decide to support a group teaching fundamental error, then your support
could be in vain, in the sight of God.
If you support a new hierarchical church tyranny, they will enslave you
and bring you into bondage.
Paul
wrote of a similar situation in his day.
He had to confront false ministers rising up within the ranks of God's
Church. Paul wrote of them, "For
such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of
Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself
masquerades as an angel of light. It is
not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of
righteousness. Their end will be what
their actions deserve" (II Cor.11:13-15).
These
"false apostles," as he called some of them, wanted to get hold of
people's money! Paul said, "Was it
a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of
God to you free of charge? I robbed
other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. And when I was with you and needed something,
I was not a burden to anyone . . . I have kept myself from being a burden to
you in any way, and will continue to do so" (II Cor.11:7-9).
Paul
said to the Corinthians, "Since many are boasting in the way the world
does, I too will boast. You gladly put
up with fools since you are so wise! In
fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or pushes himself
forward or slaps you in the face. To my
shame I admit that we were too weak for that!" (II Cor.11:18-21).
The
apostle Paul was very concerned about the church in Corinth. To his dismay, he saw that the people of God
were very immature, naive, and still "carnal." The church of God was dividing into
factions, divisions, warring groups and segments, even in his day! He wrote to the Corinthians spiritual
instruction which we should all take to heart.
Paul
declared, "Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly
-- mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were
not yet ready for it. You are still
worldly. For since there is jealousy and
quarreling among you, are you not worldly?
Are you not acting like mere men?
For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow
Apollos,' are you not mere men?" (I
Cor.3:1-4).
Too
many people, today, look to personalities, outward appearance, and then to
superficial truths, and make a quick judgment as to whom they should
follow. Superficially, the Pharisees had
the truth of God -- the Law -- and many were confused by them, and followed
them. Others entered the Church with a
smooth gift of gab, and a silky personality, and charming mannerisms, and many
followed them -- right out of the Church, away from the truth.
The
bottom line is, WHERE is and WHAT is the TRUTH?
Where is the TRUTH of God really being preached? We should look to the TRUTH of God -- not
mere human personalities. Jesus did not
attract people to Him by His personality, but by His words of truth, the whole
and entire message He preached, the good news of the Kingdom of God. Jesus said we are to live by "every word
that comes from the mouth of God" (Matt.4:4). He also said, ". . . the Scripture
cannot be broken" (John 10:35).
How
are true Christians "sanctified," or set apart, from others, by
God? Jesus Christ said, "Sanctify
them by the TRUTH; your word is truth" (John 17:17). The prophet Isaiah boldly said, ". . . should
not a people enquire of their God? . . . To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to THIS WORD,
they have no light of dawn" (Isa.8:19-20).
Unless
a minister or church or group speaks according to the WORD OF GOD, they are
false ministers, leading people astray, or they are erring ministers, and will
be punished for their serious errors!
How Can You Recognize God’s
Government
and God’s True Church?
With so many groups around, professing to serve God and to
be doing the "Work" of God, it behoove us to do exactly what the
apostle John said: "Dear friends,
do not believe every spirit, but TEST THE SPIRITS to see whether they are from
God, because MANY false prophets have gone out into the world" (I John
4:1).
Seeing
many groups proclaiming the "gospel," and doing a "work,"
it is a perplexing predicament to determine just where the TRUTH is being
preached and inspired by the Spirit of Almighty God! No doubt many are confused, perplexed,
baffled.
However,
God will not forsake His people who worship Him. His Spirit will "guide" them into
all truth (John 16:13).
There
are many prophecies showing that many of God's people or "sheep" will
be scattered, without a shepherd, in the Great Tribulation (Ezek.34;
Jer.23). That time has not come yet, but
it may be very near!
Many
are "scattered" today, but there is still true teaching of God
available for those who seek it. The
"famine of the word" of God has not yet come (Amos 8:11-12). The prophecy of Acts 2:17-21, where God
promises that in the "last days" He will pour out His Spirit upon all
flesh, sons and daughters, young and old men, and upon His servants and
handmaidens, so that they will "prophesy," has not yet come to pass
-- but it is surely not far off. This
final "witness" will occur at the time of the heavenly signs (Acts
2:19), which introduce the "Day of the Lord," the final
"year" or “time” before the actual return of the Messiah.
A
prophetic witness will go out during the "Day of the Lord" such as
this world has never seen (compare Rev.7:1-10).
Over 144,000 of Israel, and a great multitude of Gentiles, will be
included in this group.
Be
very careful of those who would bring you into "church hierarchies,"
and under their "church government." Many false prophets seek to find
a following. Many seek to increase their personal wealth, as Balaam did,
preaching for the "wages of unrighteousness." As Peter wrote, "With eyes of adultery,
they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are EXPERTS IN GREED
[watch how they manipulate an audience during the "holy day" offering
sermonettes!] -- an accursed brood! They
have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of
Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey -- a beast without
speech -- who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's
madness" (II Pet.2:14-16).
WHY the Church Is DIVIDED, Today!
Thus, the Church of God, today, is
"divided" -- as a result of Satan's wiles, human nature, human greed
and slackness and lethargy, and human error.
The fault is not Christ's or God's.
The blame rests with erring and sinning human leaders, who in far too
many cases are simply not close enough to God and His Word, and don't tremble
before His Word (Isaiah 66:2).
The Church today is divided -- SIN
has wormed its way in. Much purging and
purifying must be done. ERROR has
contaminated the Church, and even grown and spread. That is why certain ones MUST go into the
Great Tribulation to be purged and cleansed, as their final
"testing." They will pay the
ultimate price -- their lives. They will
suffer martyrdom, imprisonment, even torture in some cases, and death. It will not be pretty. But thank God He gives us a chance to repent
now, and to respond to His Truth, and to come out of sin and error. The hard-headed ones and "blinded"
ones who refuse to admit the truth now will simply have to suffer the
consequences, but they are not "lost." They can still redeem their lives by
repenting and turning to God, in heart and spirit, during the time of great
tribulation.
When we look at the
"Christian" world today, we see many false, counterfeit churches
which masquerade as churches of God (II Cor.11:13-15). But we also see some few very sincere
evangelical churches (at least some of the ministers, and members are sincere
and devout), Messianic Jewish churches, Seventh Day Churches of God, Seventh
Day Baptists, and similar groups which seem to have enough understanding to be
considered "God's church," even though they are weak and ignorant in
many respects. Many of them have
evidence of true love and devotion in their lives, which in God's sight is far
more important than much "head knowledge" and factual
understanding.
As Paul said, "And though I
have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge;
and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not
charity [love], I am nothing" (I Cor.13:2).
Today, the professing
"Christian world" is a shambles of confusion and chaos. Most of the sects, cults, denominations are
now merely "store-front religion" -- empty spiritual facades created
and controlled by Satan the devil. But
there are a few -- perhaps literally "seven" main divisions --
who do represent the true Church of God, in all its faults, foibles, and
blemishes, as they exist, today! Some of
these remnant groups of the true Church of God could include segments of the
Seventh Day Adventist Church; others could include various evangelical
groups. Others would be churches that
came out of Worldwide, each with much truth, but each with serious error.
Many of these people are
SINCERE. I would not hesitate to call
them "Christian." But they are
in serious jeopardy -- error -- and some will pay a very high price for their
mistakes. Some of the shepherds may be "wolves" -- but the flock is
still the flock! Some we can with God's
help reach out to and save NOW, but others will not respond until God deals
directly with them in great tribulation.
Ultimately, however, all those who become part of the BRIDE of Christ
will have to "pass the test" -- God's test. Or they simply won't be
there.
Of
course, God knows and sees all, and He knows the hearts and minds of men, and
He is testing each one of us. He knows
those who are His. As Paul wrote,
""Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this
seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his.
And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from
iniquity. But in a great house there are
not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some
to honour, and some to dishonour. If a
man therefore PURGE HIMSELF from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour,
sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good
work" (II Tim.2:19-21).
"Underground Christians"
There are "underground"
Christians today, suffering persecution in North Korea, Vietnam, China -- many
have been imprisoned, others have been tortured, and some have been
martyred. They are our brethren, even if
they don't see all the truth we have been privileged to know and
understand! Jesus will judge them on a
different standard, as we read so plainly in the Scriptures:
"And that servant, which knew
his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will,
shall be beaten with many stripes. But
he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be
beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever
much is given, of him shall be much required:
and to whom men have committed much, of them they will ask the
more" (Luke 12:48).
Each will be judged fairly,
according to what they have done with what God gave to them, including the
amount of knowledge and understanding they received (see Matt.25:14-30; Luke
19:12-27).
Jesus plainly told His disciples,
"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear
my voice; and there SHALL [ultimately] be one fold, and one shepherd"
(John 10:16).
Therefore, it really is not our need
or concern to try to sort out who belongs to Christ, and who doesn't. Many will be there, and you might be
surprised to see them. On the other
hand, some of the self-righteous, who think they will be there, may well not
make it at all. Jesus said the poor
publican, who would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but smote his breast,
saying, "God be merciful to me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13) will be
justified -- that is, be in God's kingdom -- rather than the smug,
self-righteous Pharisee who had confidence in his own righteousness (Luke
18:11-14).
Jesus put it plainly on another
occasion. He declared: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint,
and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law,
judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought
ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone" (Matt.23:23).
The "bottom line" is that
God knows who belongs to Him. He will
judge each individual. That includes
those men of old who died in flames for having translated the Bible into the
common tongue, such as Wycliff, and Tyndale.
That includes such men of faith and humility as George Mueller, of the
Plymouth Brethren, of the nineteenth century, who served God in an amazing way,
building up many orphanages merely by faith and trust in God, through fervent,
intercessory prayer. It was his great
work of faith that Herbert W. Armstrong originally patterned the Worldwide Church
of God after, when it was known as the "Radio Church of God."
Personally, I believe no one can
read George Mueller's Autobiography, or biographical accounts about this man's
dealings with the Lord, and his life of faith and obedience, and come away
without being mightily impressed with the depth of his conversion, love of God,
and faithfulness under extreme trial and duress! He was, in my opinion, a very faithful and
humble ma of God of his century -- a man who looked upon himself as a
"poor, unworthy servant of the Lord."
Persecution Growing Around World
In our day, in Bulgaria a fear
campaign has been launched against all "new and unconventional religious
movements," including evangelical Christians, some with a history longer
than 100 years. The Bulgarian press
accuses evangelicals of giving drugs to teenagers, bribing people to attend
church and encouraging young people to commit suicide. The media promotes hatred of Christians, and
publishes inflammatory accusations, such as one woman's fear that evangelicals
will kill her, and who accuses pastors of practicing cannibalism.
In February 1994, the Bulgarian
state announced that religious organizations must "re-register"
within three months or the government would seize all their assets and
possessions. May 10, 1994, a new law was
passed in Bulgaria's second largest city forbidding religious organizations
from inviting people under 18 years of age to religious activities. June, 1994, it was announced that 24 groups
had been denied permission to seek government registration, including Gideons
International, well known distributor of
free Bibles. In August, opposition from
the Orthodox Church and Communist Party forced the cancellation of an
evangelistic mission to the port city of Varna, accusing the mission of
disseminating religious propaganda.
In Cuba, a Christian from the
Dominican Republic was caught by police, who burned his legs with cigarettes
and put electrical shocks to his teeth.
A group of forty Christians who brought Bibles to Cuba from Jamaica were
all arrested at their hotel, many were robbed by the police, and escorted back
to the plane. A Vietnamese pastor,
previously imprisoned for ten years in North Vietnam, is now in prison in South
Vietnam for evangelizing the Stieng tribe.
In the Philippines, a man who gave up a good job to preach the gospel of
Christ, was warned three times by the New People's Army, a militant wing of the
Communists, to desist. Two men who
belonged to his church were killed by the Communists only two weeks after
becoming Christians.
A Pakistani believer in Christ was
shot and killed by his Muslim accusers, after having been released from prison
in Lahore, Pakistan. This man read his
Bible every day.
In China a Christian was sentenced
to five years for preaching the gospel, when he would not abandon his faith,
which authorities called "the poison of imperialism." He was beaten, but while they beat him a
supernatural joy filled him. He felt the
Holy Spirit surround him, and the Reds could obtain no
retraction. While in prison, he was given another ten
years for preaching in the slave labor camp!
One winter a severe disease epidemic broke out, and of 1300 prisoners,
1035 died. He himself was considered
dead, and taken to the morgue. When he
prayed, he saw an angel dressed in white whose face shone with God's glory and
who blew upon him. Immediately he felt
better and the sickness left him, he knelt, gave thanks to God, and left the
morgue! The prison doctor, seeing
him, thought he was a ghost! He told the
physician, "Don't be afraid. . . God restored me to health. He sent me to show you the way of God."
The doctor knelt, and said, "Your God is a reality."
After he left the prison, after
serving 15 years, he told the authorities, "Suffering did not diminish my
faith but only intensified my relationship with Jesus." This man, Mizhong Miao, worked another 18
years in the underground church, secretly, until he finished his course.
Are such men truly men of God? I shout from the top of my lungs, YES! YES, INDEED!
They are my brothers in Christ!
GOD BLESS THEM, and their Witness for the Truth they have been given to
understand!
"Judge Not, That You Be Not
Judged"
Too many of God's people tend to be
judgmental, and look down their noses at others who do not belong to the same
"group" as they do. Too many
are proud, lifted up, and act like the Pharisee who thanked God that he was
"not like other men." Too many
are prone to "judge their brother" because of doctrinal errors on
minor points (or what might be considered "major points"), when they
themselves have major problems with attitude, hidden sins, and a wrong spirit.
Jesus Christ said, in this regard,
to those who are prone to sit in judgment of others: "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be
judged: and with what measure ye mete,
it shall be measured to you again. And
why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not
the BEAM that is in thine own eye? Or
how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye;
and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite! First case
out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out
the mote out of thy brother's eye" (Matt.7:1-5).
Paul also warned us about the SIN of
judging one another, over issues that shouldn't really matter. He wrote:
Him that is weak [i.e., such as weak in knowledge, lacking in understanding]
in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things
[i.e., animal flesh of "clean" animals]: another, who is weak, eateth herbs [is a
"vegetarian" and won't eat meat -- he believes it is wrong]. . . .
Let not him that eateth despise him that eatest not; and let
not
him which eateth not judge him that eateth:
for God hath received him. Who
art thou that judgest another man's servant?
to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holpen up: for God is able to make him stand"
(Rom.14:1-4).
Does this mean that I would
knowingly endorse, or accept error? Of
course not! But I will accept as a
"brother" in Christ one who does not have the same understanding as I
do, even on points of God's Law, or understanding the nature of the
"Godhead," although I will not compromise with him in either
obedience to God, myself, or in understanding!
I will simply accept such as they are -- weaker brothers in Christ who
have not been gifted with the knowledge and understanding God has given
us. Of course, any "brother"
who is dishonest, immoral, breaks the commandments, steals sheep, lies and
bears false witness, and falsely accuses others, I would not consider a true
"brother" at all, but an imposter -- a Satan implant, a
"tare" amongst the wheat!
Jesus said of such, plainly, "You shall know them by their
fruits" (Matt.7:16, 20).
I will, however, continue to preach
and publish the TRUTH of God without compromise -- I will not
"accept" error, or false doctrine, knowingly, or quietly allow it to
exist without attempting to expose it and eradicate it, wherever found.
Paul summarized this principle,
saying, "For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to
himself. For whether we live, we live
unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the
Lord's. . . But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why doest thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall ALL stand before the judgment
seat of Christ. For it is written, As I
live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue
shall
confess to God. So then every one of us
shall give account of himself to God.
Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a
stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way" (Rom.14:7-13).
The Real "Bottom Line"
In the months and years ahead,
severe persecution such as we have never seen, is going to break out against
all minority groups and tiny religious churches, which will be termed
"cults" and "bizarre sects" by the mass media, under the
control of government propagandists.
True Christians will be persecuted with a vengeance -- before the
"Great Tribulation" even arrives!
Notice! Jesus gave a sequence of prophetic events
which must occur before He returns. In
verse 21, He mentions the coming of Great Tribulation. However, long before this event occurs, Jesus
mentioned in verse, "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes,
in various places. All these
are
the beginning of sorrows" (vs.7-8).
Here He is talking about the
BEGINNING of the End Time -- years before the final "Great
Tribulation"! And notice! Right after this "beginning," He
declares: "THEN shall they
deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall
KILL you; and ye shall be hated of ALL NATIONS for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and
shall betray one another, and shall HATE one another. And many false prophets shall arise, and
shall DECEIVE MANY [those who are sleeping through the Apocalyptic Times, not
close to God, not busily overcoming, praying, and "watching"]. And because iniquity shall abound, the move
of many shall wax cold. But he that shall
endure to the end, the same shall be saved" (Matt.24:9-13).
This persecution occurs BEFORE the
Great Tribulation. It is the very
NEXT thing prophesied -- on the prophetic calendar!
Knowing
this, isn't it high time we draw close to one another, begin to LOVE one
another, and show by our attitudes and actions that we really are the children
of God and servants of Christ?
Isn't it high time we quit
"judging" one another, or others who are proving their loyalty and
devotion to Christ by their intense suffering, by accusing them of being
"blinded," or not really "Christian" because they don't
understand certain things we do? Isn’t
it high time we concentrate on getting “back to the faith once delivered to the
saints”? (Jude 3).
Isn’t it high time we work seriously
as we study God’s Word, to obey Paul’s admonition: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (II
Tim.2:15)?
Shame on many of us!
Jesus plainly said to His disciples
-- and I hope that includes you:
"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have
love one to another" (John 13:35).
He also said: “Ye shall know the truth”
– DO YOU? – “and the truth shall make you FREE” (John 8:32).
In the coming years, those who truly
belong to Jesus Christ/Yeshuah the Messiah, are going to be "tried"
and "tested" to prepare them for entrance into God's Kingdom
(Matt.5:48). One of those supreme
“tests” may be whether they will submit themselves to God’s TRUE CHURCH
GOVERNMENT – true Church AUTHORITY!
Those who are wicked, who are tares,
and goats, and who do not really belong to Him, will be discovered and found
out – their "fruits" will eventually
betray them.
David wrote in the Psalms: "The Lord is in his holy temple, the
Lord's throne is in heaven: his eyes
behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
The Lord TRIETH the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence
his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he
shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous LORD loveth
righteousness; his countenance doth behold [with favor] the upright"
(Psalm 11:4-7).