Millions of Americans feel they get all
the "church going" they need from watching television on Sundays. Local churches
and pastors complain, say the "electronic church" is stealing members. Many
people wonder, "Should I go to a church? Can I be saved if I am not a member of a
church? Which church should I attend?"
It's time you saw the answer to all this from
your own BIBLE.
Does it really matter whether you go to a
church or not? Do you need to "belong" to a church to be saved?
By Garner Ted Armstrong
Any number have boasted, "I am
not a churchgoing person, but I know I am as good or better than many of the so-called
Christians I see going to church."
Others are convinced it is only by
"having their letter" in a church - having their names on the church rolls,
taking their families and going regularly, dutifully every Sunday to church - that they
can be saved.
Are you one of these? When the church
bells toll on Sunday morning, or when you see other people going by dressed "in their
Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes," does it nag at you with a twinge of guilt, make you
wonder whether you should "be in church"?
We are all familiar with the great
evangelistic campaigns. Famous evangelists command audiences up into the tens of thousands
at huge outdoor football stadiums and arenas - all of this carefully prepared and
rehearsed months and months before the event.
Usually, dozens of local church
congregations take part, sparking membership drives, donating countless hours of time,
contributing members for a massive choir, and enthusiastically involve themselves in a
campaign to ensure the visiting evangelist has a tremendous turnout.
The ostensible reason behind much of
this is to reach the "unchurched."
On many such occasions, a spirit of
ecumenism prevails.
After a fervent appeal to "come
forward," the penitent who have been moved by the evangelist's sermon are then
directed to any number of "counselors," who are wearing name tags, representing
this or that local church. The people are urged to "go to a church of your
choice!" When one reads the Saturday church page or church directories, one
frequently sees the invitation, "Come worship with us."
In the thinking of many millions of
churchgoing, professing Christians, it is as if there are "many routes" to
"heaven," which they imagine is the reward of the saved. The only considerations
may be the location of the church, the size of the choir, the ability of the preacher, the
parking lot, the organist, the soloist, or perhaps where members of their own family
and/or friends attend.
Millions of churchgoing professing
Christians are utterly ignorant of the true doctrines of the church they attend. For that
matter, many a pastor may not be all that skilled in the intricate doctrines that form the
basis of his denomination.
One could go to Baptist, Methodist,
Lutheran, Congregationalist or other denominational churches and hear their sermons, and
yet be struck by the marked similarity of the fare they hear.
That's because most church messages tend
to be on "neutral subjects," do not necessarily rebuke, exhort or admonish the
congregations, and tend to stay away from strong, hard, doctrinal truths and real
"meat" of the doctrinal beliefs of that church.
Isn't it time you understood what is a
church, where God's church really is, what that church is like, what it is supposed to do,
and how you can get into it?
Gradually, over the years, the
original Greek word "ekklesia," which meant "called-out ones," has
changed in meaning to become a building in which people meet!
Actually, the Greek word means a
collective group of individuals who are called out from this present evil world by the
process of repentance, conversion, water baptism, and the laying on of hands for the
receiving of God's Holy Spirit.
Jesus promised us, "I will build My
church"! (Matthew 16:18).
Jesus said He would remain the living
HEAD of that church; governing and ruling over that church in loving kindness, mercy,
boundless forgiveness and tender care. He promised, "I will never leave you, nor
forsake you."
Jesus Christ made it very clear He would
NEVER leave the governing and headship of that church to any man!
Notice Jesus said He would build His
church! He did not promise He would build a church named after a particular form of church
government; after the day of the week the church kept; after a female prophetess, after
the practice of "speaking in tongues," or after John the Baptist, or any other
individual, method, mode of baptism or religious-sounding jargon.
If you count up the number of times the
true Church of God is mentioned in the New Testament, you will see the expression
"Church of God" far outnumbers the other descriptions of the group of called-out
ones who formed the early church.
The name of the true Church of God is
just that: "the Church of God"! Sometimes different appellatives were added
before or after, which were merely descriptions of a particular local congregation such as
"the church which is in their home," or "the Church of God which is at
Corinth." However, the main term which is used most often in Holy Scriptures, giving
us positive proof of the name God ordained, is always "the Church of God."
What really is that church?
By analogy, it is called "the body
of Christ," "the bride of Christ," "His wife," and by many other
terms.
The following analogies are used of the
church: a "little flock," "the diaspora" (those of the dispersion, or
"scattered ones"), "pilgrims," "sojourners," "the house
of God," "God's temple," "Christ's body" and various other
descriptive analogies.
An analogy is not the TRUTH. It is an
illustrative story designed to help one understand a certain truth, but quickly break
down, and so are not always applicable in every point. It is very clear that the true
Church of God is spoken of as "one body."
Notice! "There is one body, and one
spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
"One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
"One God and Father of all, who is
above all, and through all, and in you all" (Ephesians 4:4-6).
However, remember that the church is
spoken of as a scattered group of "called-out ones," individuals, in whom is the
Holy Spirit of God.
Please bear in mind the question of as
to whether Ephesians 4 is trying to tell us that only one incorporation of man, a
political entity sanctioned by a materialistic state government, can be the "one
body" of Jesus Christ, or whether this expression is to be taken spiritually, meaning
there is only one collected SPIRITUAL body, but composed of sometimes scattered,
persecuted individuals who are called, collectively, "the body of Christ."
There are those who trade on this
scripture, trying to use it to justify a closed church, or a closed system of government,
or an exclusive organization of men to which you must give your fealty and loyalty, saying
the only door to the Kingdom of God is by "belonging to" that organization!
This is blasphemous on its face, and
flies directly in the face of Jesus' statement that there is "no other name given
under heaven" whereby men may be saved and that HE, only, is the "door of the
sheepfold" and that any man trying to steal in by any other method is a robber and an
intruder.
It is just not possible to
"incorporate" the totality of the body of Jesus Christ in its true spiritual
meaning!
Believe it or not, the early apostles
would have been thunderstruck and dumbfounded if they could have entered a time machine
and been plummeted forward to this modern 20th century to be taken on a tour of a Bible
Belt city and to have seen dozens of buildings, representing dozens of different
congregations and organizations, all purporting to be "the church."
Why? Because Jesus Christ did not tell
them to build different churches, but gave to them the GREAT COMMISSION: "Go ye into
all the world and preach the gospel to every creature!" He told them, "You shall
be witnesses unto Me, both in Jerusalem, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the
earth."
Luke 24:47 gives a very succinct
summarization of the "GREAT COMMISSION." Notice they were to be witnesses unto
Him - HIS NAME was to be primary!
They were to go, preaching a message of
repentance (Matthew 4:17, Luke 13:3, 5, Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) and commanding people to
come out of sin (Revelation 18:4), and be baptized in water (Acts 2:38, Romans 6) for the
receiving of God's Holy Spirit!
They were also to give powerful warning
(Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) of the terrifying and troublous times that lay just ahead,
crying out, "Watch and pray always that you might be accounted worthy to escape all
these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke
21:36).
The purpose for which the church was
commissioned was to preach the gospel. It only began to dawn on the early apostles that
they lacked certain organizational patterns when it became noticed (Acts 6) that the
widows were being neglected in "the daily ministration." At that time, only
after this neglect had been brought to their attention, the apostles had to solve the
problem by ordaining deacons to serve the physical needs of the growing congregations.
How tragic and ironic it is that, as the
centuries have passed, this organization of seeing to the physical needs and creature
comforts of human beings has tended to supersede and completely blot out the primary
purpose for the calling and commissioning of the church in the first place!
Today, one sees great, moneyed
organizations of men, with elaborately intricate and detailed liturgical services, special
organizations within the organization, plenty of "rank consciousness" and
political structure, like a giant bureau of a huge government, bearing no resemblance
whatsoever to the scattered group of persecuted, spirit-led, preaching and witnessing
apostles who went about "always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord
Jesus," and who said, "We ought to obey God rather than men," and who
preached powerfully of the person, the death, burial and resurrection and the second
coming of Jesus Christ, even in the face of threats to their lives - and martyrdom!
The early church was a group of absolute
equals (12 of them) who were organized for the purpose of preaching the gospel.
As such, that first-century fledgling
group far more resembled an "evangelistic association," a group of people who
were associated together by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of preaching the gospel, than
it did "a church" in the modern sense of the word.
Where is the true church today? Jesus
Christ built His church - just as He promised He would. There are many proofs as to where
that church is, what it is doing, how one may enter into that church, and how it can be
recognized.
First, let's follow the simple process
of elimination.
The only recognized Bible name of the
church is "the Church of God." Presto! In looking over the handbook of
denominations, one can safely eliminate literally hundreds of denominations and
organizations which do not have that name.
Next, look at the body of beliefs,
identifying signs and important scriptural truths surrounding that church.
1. Jesus Christ, not any man or
organization of men, would continue to be its spiritual Head!
2. That church would be organized and
governed exactly as Jesus Christ said to His disciples. He explained how the kings and
potentates of the gentile nations enjoyed "lording it over them," and said,
"It shall not be so among you"! Jesus went on to explain that those who would be
"the greatest" should become the servants of all. In the true Church of God, one
will not find rule by fear; threats, coercion, hatred, strife, the wielding of frightening
power over private, individual lives.
3. The true church will be preaching the
gospel of the Kingdom of God as a warning/witness to the world! Read Luke 24:47. That
gospel, while it is the message of the soon-coming, world-ruling government of God; a
message about the governing, ruling family of God, into which governing, ruling family we
must be born, is nevertheless a message which must never OMIT THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST!
That true church will never be ashamed
of the name of Jesus Christ - not ashamed of His name before government leaders, kings,
presidents, premiers, people of any stature, great or small, rich or poor, Jew or gentile!
4. The true church will understand the
truth about the weekly Sabbath! It will also understand the truth about God's annual Holy
Days.
5. The true church will understand the
truth about the pagan holidays of this world.
6. It will understand the truth about
the false doctrines of the pagan churches, including the false doctrines of the rapture,
an ever-burning hell, the Trinity and dozens of others.
7. The true church will have, safely
intact, the body of doctrine Jesus Christ of Nazareth Himself delivered. It will be
striving to "get hack to the faith once delivered to the saints," by recapturing
the true understanding as well as the spirit of the early New Testament church!
8. It will he structured as closely to
the structure of the early apostles as possible - meaning a sense of teamwork, of absolute
equality among apostles, and an open, friendly spirit of give and take in doctrinal and
procedural discussions (see Acts 15).
9. That church will be humble, led of
the spirit of Jesus Christ which is "goodness, mercy, forgiveness and faith,"
and will be striving to emulate Jesus Christ the Lord.
There are hundreds of identifying marks
one may wish to apply to the true church. Every doctrine, small or great, could be applied
- as could the attributes of the Holy Spirit of God, of "love, joy and peace,"
and most especially the absence of hatred, rancor, avarice, cunning, greed, politics,
party spirit, strife, brute force, cruelty, and a hierarchy attempting to carry out the
punishments for sin. Such would be pharisaical, cultic and not of the true Church of God!
Now, following your process of
elimination, how many churches do you have left who fit the foregoing description?
It is not for any one organization to
boast that it, and it only, is "the true church," for history proves that there
have been scattered individuals, as well as contemporary groups, which have existed side
by side, whose members have both been converted, spirit-led, baptized members of
"that one body," which is the body of Jesus Christ!
It is impossible to
"incorporate" on a legal piece of paper filed away in a secretary's file in the
office of the secretary of state in some state capital the very body of Jesus Christ!
The true Church of God is a spiritual
organism, and is a body you cannot join.
No. God must put you into it by giving
you a calling, granting you repentance, baptism, the laying on of hands and the receiving
of the Holy Spirit. God then inducts you into that true church.
On the Day of Pentecost in 31 A.D.,
Peter preached a powerful sermon about repentance. The people answered, "Men and
brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37).
Peter, unlike many modern evangelicals,
did not say, "See a counselor, or join the church of your choice," but told
them, instead, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts
2:38).
And then what happened? They became
members of the Church of God by being baptized into that one body!
"By one spirit are we all baptized
into one body" (I Corinthians 12:13).
Remember! You cannot be in the Kingdom
of God without having received the Holy Spirit of God! God will only give that Spirit to
those who are willing to obey Him! (Acts 5:32). 'When you receive the Spirit of God you
are receiving the spirit of a sound, sane mind (II Timothy 1:6,7), which is the very mind
of Christ (Philippians 2:5) and you are then "added to the church" because God
says you are among those who "should be saved" (Acts 2:47).
Notice how it was done. Following that
early experience at Pentecost, "And believers were the more added to the Lord,
multitudes both of men and women" (Acts 5:14).
Make no mistake! No one can arbitrarily
"join" the true Church of God. Jesus Christ says expressly, "No man can
come to Me, except the Father which has sent Me draw him, and I will raise him up at the
last day" (John 6:44).
Yet, this does not mean Jesus does not
want to call you - does not mean He is being exclusivist or restrictive - for He also
said, "Come unto Me all ye that are weary, and heavy laden, and I will give you
rest," and He also said, "My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
If you are one who has been repentant of
your personal sins, meaning the transgressing of God's holy law (I John 3:4), then Jesus
Christ tells you to be baptized (Acts 2:38, Romans 6) and have an authorized
representative of God's true church lay hands on you for the receiving of God's Holy
Spirit.
From that time on, you need no
membership identification card, no "letter" sent to and kept in church files,
and no material, man-made recognition whatever. From that time on, you are automatically
inducted into the "one body of Jesus Christ," which is the true Church of God!
That true Church of God will be
zealously attempting to do the work of God!
It will be preaching the same gospel
Jesus Christ of Nazareth gave to the disciples. It will be a church in which is found the
Spirit of God; the spirit of brotherly love, harmony, forgiveness, kindness, goodness,
meekness, gentleness, faith and understanding.
It will probably be quite small, perhaps
looked upon as weak and ineffective, even persecuted, widely scattered, and will not be a
vast organization of this world!
Yet it will be "rich in
faith," crying out daily to Almighty God for every need.
If you have repented, been baptized and
received the Holy Spirit of God - if you know and understand what sin is, have repented of
all those sins, and cry out to Jesus Christ as a daily High Priest making intercession for
you if you stumble and sin as a Christian, and if you are zealously, eagerly and
enthusiastically supportive of the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom of God as a
last-minute witness and warning to a dying, sin-sick world - then you are a member of the
true Church of God!
If you are not, you should be!
-End-
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This publication is intended to be used as a personal study tool. Please know it is not wise to take any man's word for anything, including ours, so prove all things for yourself from the pages of your own Bible. Because your salvation is between you and God, it is through such personal verification that you will gain confidence and come to know for yourself what is truth.
For additional related knowledge and understanding,
may we suggest the following titles:
Where is the True Church?
What is the Work of the Church?
The Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association
P.O. Box 747
Flint, TX 75762
Phone: (903) 561-7070 Fax: (903) 561-4141