So, what did happen to the real Church of God? I don’t mean those local assemblies that call themselves “The Church of God” or “The Church of Christ” or Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans etc. I mean the original Church of God that existed in the First Century AD.
The Bible tells us about the “Church of God” that Jesus purchased with the shedding of His Blood. The Bible tells us about the “Church of God” that was formed by the Apostles as they traveled all over the known World and preached their doctrine and the Gospel of Christ.
The Bible tells us about the one Church of God that gathered in individual assemblies in certain cities and villages throughout the know World at that time. These local assemblies were made up of converted believers from Judaism and from the Gentile Nations. This Church of God was one Church that met in many places and worshipped according to the teaching and oversight of the Lord’s Apostles as they were commissioned by Jesus to do.
What happened to this Church of God? I’ll tell you what happened to it. Just as the Bible tells us in the twelfth chapter of the book of Revelations, the Earth swallowed it up, it disappeared.
During the first Century AD as long as the Apostles were overseeing the Church and all of its assemblies it prospered and grew, but after the Apostles died off it started to break apart. As new leaders of these individual assemblies began to take over, the unity of their faith and beliefs began to introduce division in the Church. Men began to disagree over the tenets of the faith and introduce their own interpretation of beliefs into the Church services. It wasn’t long then until there wasn’t just one Church of God, but many different Churches of God as they called then, set apart from each other because of their differences.
It wasn’t long after the First Century, actually near the end of the Second Century that there were Hugh divisions between the different Churches. So much so that Constantine, the Emperor of Rome called several hundred of the Bishops of these Churches together for the purpose of reaching an agreement in their beliefs to bring about a unity of the faith for all Churches. Instead of bringing a unity of beliefs for all, the outcome of this gathering was the result of even more confusion and divisions.
As a result of this gathering of Bishops, Constantine approved Christianity to be the recognized religion of the Roman Empire, thus the beginning of the growth and assumption of power by the Roman Catholic Church as it exists today.
It wasn’t until the sixteenth Century when the people began to revolt against the Roman Catholic Church, which brought about the reformation and the onset of protestant denominations with their own set of beliefs in opposition to the beliefs of the Catholic Church.
So, where was the Original Church of God? Who knows for sure? If it continued to exist it certainly was a minority and if it exists today, which I doubt, it’s hardly recognizable. Among the hundreds of different denominations and the thousands of non denominational and independent Churches in the World today, the true and original Church of God can’t be found.
As long as we allow individual men to interpret the scriptures and introduce man made doctrines into our Churches, the TRUE Church of God will never be seen again this side of Heaven.
William Branham, a great man of God, said during his ministry in this last Century; the churches have got so much mixed up and misconstrued down through the years that the Churches don’t know what to believe because of the false teaching from so many. The message of the hour is to return to the faith of the Apostolic Fathers and prepare a people for the return of the Lord for His Church. (Paraphrased)
Where is the true Church of God? Father help us to revive it and bring back the unity of the faith that once existed.
AMEN
5 comments:
I have come to the conclusion that only a personal relationship between you and God will suffice. All of the interpretations in the World will not matter when it comes down to that one important fact. You know who will be at those pearly gates on the day of Judgment, it will be two, you and God. No one else will be around to praise or blame. Not one single solitary church or preacher on this earth will ever truly be responsible for mine or your salvation, it will be us.
What you say is true. Understanding the simplicity of the Gospel is easy and doing what Jesus expected of us will guarantee us of obtaining eternal life.
But for some of us we feel like all of God's Word should be understood. If all of the Word is not important, He would not have given it to us. God has a right for attention to be given to all of His Word so all of the Truth of His Word can be known.
Jesus came and spoke the words that are recorded in John 3:16 and our obeying those words will give us eternal life. So why do we have such a large Bible if only John 3:16 would surfice. Why not just keep that one verse and throw the rest of it away? I'll tell you why. All of God's Word is important and His people should make themselves knowledgable of all of it.
So, that is about where I stand
with my relationship with God. Eventhough I am comfortable with my salvation and the ultimate goal of receiving eternal life, I strive to learn and know all that God has set forth for us to know in the scriptures that He has provided for us. I believe that I owe God to do that since He has done so much for mankind.
They may not be responsible, but they will be held accountable for what they preached. This is why it is such a serious position, being a preacher.
The true Church of God is still on the earth. God is living in His, church. He is still alive, living through us as being the Light to this dark world. As Brother Branham said, the Bride still on this earth is the only real reason why God hasn't destroyed it yet. When that last one comes into Christ, that is when, I believe, she will be taken.
I also strive to receive from God everything that He has for me, and will continue to do so until His coming.
Jesus Christ did somthing for us that we can never repay, but because he did what he did, we own him all the thanks, glory, praise and honor that he deserves.
God has sent us a letter that extends from Genesis to Revelations to show us of His wonderful works and wisdom. Every word He spoke is valuable and important enough for us to understand and preserve in our heart.
Jesus said to us that "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
There was something I needed to say in my last comment that needs to be made clear.
Eventhough we honor and give praise to Jesus for what He gave to us, we owe even more praise to God for making it all possible.
Our God, Jehovah, created everything including each of us and provided us with the opportunity to receive eternal life with Him in Heaven. Jesus didn't just come here on his own to do what he did, Jehovah God sent him. This was all in God's plan and executed it according to His will.
Sometimes we give Jesus all the thanks and praise for his part in it and forget the only God and saviour that we have and that is Jehovah Himself.
Don't forget what Jesus said about our Heavenly Father and I'll quote his words. "my Father is greater than I am.
Jesus recognized this and we should never forget it.
There is only one God and that is "Yehovah elohiym", Jehovah God.
HE IS OVER ALL AND IN CONTROL OF ALL!
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