Adherents.com estimates that there are more than 5000 religious denominations, sects and faith groups worldwide. Some conservatives put it at 3000. Perhaps one of these is the true church of God; perhaps none is. Perhaps they all manifest deferent parts of the true religion. Could it be that the true church existed in the past but was driven out of existence by economic and selfish desires; or maybe, Jesus did not mean to establish a church (although He commanded His disciples to advance the gospel, Matt. 28:19-20) so the true church doesn’t exist. Is it even relevant? No, not if obedience to God’s law is not important for a heaven-bound journey. Each one of these many religious groups claim to be the true church, but it is hard to identify the true one. Maybe it’s the one with the largest membership; or the one with the largest financial standing or prestige; the one with the largest radio and television audience. Let’s settle the question by looking at the only trustworthy source of truth, the word of God.
Every church claims to have the truth; and everyone is calling men and women to join it’s flock. If Jesus was here today, I wonder which church would He join? Friends, just think for moment, there must be something wrong; they can’t all be right with their differing concepts of the truth, when there is ‘one Lord, one faith and one baptism’, says Eph. 4:5. Then why are there over 3000 groups calling themselves to be Christians – followers of Christ; and He made it clear that He has only one flock, Jn.10:16? Let me suggest that the reason lies in their desire to take what they want from God’s word – the bible and dress it up to fit their religious convenience. The result is that they are half right and half wrong; which they peddle to the unaware. An article from one group I read, stated that the ‘fear’ in Jonah 1:9 refers to Jonah’s worship of God. However, without any dispute with the biblical usage of the word fear, is incomprehensible to me how Jonah could be worshiping God when God had to command a big fish to arrest him and stopped him from running away through his disobedience.
I want to tell you that God has a church and Satan wants to destroy it; he began with Eve in the Garden of Eden. Remember what Satan said to Eve? ‘You shall not surely die. For God knows that in the day that you eat thereof your eyes will be opened and you shall be as Gods knowing good and evil’, Gen.3:4-5. Herein lies truth and error. The bible called Satan the deceiver because he doesn’t tell straight lies but mixes the truth with lies. It also reminded us that we cannot serve two masters; we will discriminate one against the other, Matt.6:24. God’s church is not a building nor a man made edifice; it is not Roman Catholicism, Seventh Day Adventism, the Baptist, Jehovah’s Witness, Pentecostal nor any other man designated religious institution. Consider that the issue between God and Satan is over worship; and the purpose of the church is primarily to worship the God who created all things, Rev.14:7, Ps.146:6 and to lead men and women to Christ; consider too, that Ps.119:151 states that all God’s commandments are truth; then it’s no wonder Satan would attack God’s church, identified by those who obey His commandments, His will, His desire.
Yes! God’s church is identified worldwide by those in obedience to His commandments; ‘If you love me, keep my commandments’, Jn.14:15; ‘He that say I know Him and obey not His commandments is a liar……….1Jn.2:4; ‘Here are they that obey the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ’, Rev.14:12; ‘Blessed are they that obey His commandments that they may have right to the tree of life and enter through the gates into the city, for without are dogs and sorcerers, whoremongers, murderers, idolaters, liars’, (note this one) Rev.22:14-15; ‘not everyone that say unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven but he that obey the will of my father which is in heaven’, Matt.7:21 and v22 describes those who performed miracles and healings in His name but have no respect for His commandments, those Jesus disowned outrightly by saying He didn’t know them (By disobeying His commandments , they were acknowledging that they didn’t know Him either since His message to them was that they could only know Him by obedience to His commandments, 1Jn.2:3). How can anyone deny that Jesus is here describing the composition of His church? What is God’s will, how does one do God’s? Abstain from fornication (unlawful sex) and as Paul explained in 1Thes.4:3, referencing the sixth commandments; as does 1Pet.4:2, 1Jn.3:23-24, Col.4:12, Eph.6:6. These show that God’s will is expressed in His commandments.
Listen to Him again addressing Peter, (Petro, the pebble stone) ‘upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it’ Matt.16:18. This rock (Petra, the unmovable) that Jesus was referring to was no other but Himself, Deu.32:4, Ps.71:3, 18:2, Rom.9:33 and 1Cor.10:4. When He comes again, He is coming for a church that have neither spot nor wrinkle, Eph.5:27; No! The assembly of people He is coming for will have no diverse beliefs or doctrine because they will have been sanctified by His word, the truth, Jn.17:17, Ps.119:151. Many people believe that they can mix the Christian life with worldly behaviour, not realizing that they are campaigning for Satan; others seem content in offering God their very best over obedience to His commandments, HIS WILL. Samuel was inspired to ask Saul, ‘Does God delight in burnt offerings and sacrifice over obedience, 1Sam.15:22. Don’t buy Satan’s argument that Jesus approves all churches as long as they worship Him and give Him a day. True, Jesus said in Jn.10:16 that He has other sheep which are not of this fold, but He continued, ‘that He must bring them into His fold so that there be one fold and one shepherd. My question! Are these symbolic sheep prepared to exchange the command of men for God’s command? Isa.29:13. Christ will bring them in only when they are willing to obey His command. Don’t believe me? Read Lk.18:18-30
Paul was inspired to write in Phil.2:2 ‘Fulfill you my joy that you may be like-minded having the same love, being of one accord, and of one mind’. Here again an exhortation to oneness. How can there be one Christian fold when there is one group that believes that homosexual behaviour is morally correct and another that disagrees; one who holds that the church will be secretly raptured leaving the unsaved to enjoy a second chance, and another who teaches that Christ’s second coming, for His church, will be visible to all. If Christians are following one Lord, they should all believe the same doctrine. An example of the oneness of the church is found in Acts 2:1, ‘And when the Day of Pentecost was fully come, they (the church) were all with one accord in one place’. A very important lesson is being taught here! They could have had faith in Jesus’ words to tarry in Jerusalem awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit; but without obedience to His words they would have missed it. Their faith was made perfect by their obedience. ‘Faith without works (obedience) is dead, says Jam.2:19-21. God’s church is a united commandment keeping church; Peter called it an obedient church, 1Pet.1:13-14.
People seem to join a church for different reasons: Because their parent go there; they were brought up in that church; their friends go there; they believe that Sunday is the Lord’s Day; it doesn’t matter on which day you worship God as long as you give Him one; they like the Pastor, and the reasons are endless. But if people who call themselves Christians would study the bible with greater interest and trustworthiness they would all be singing the same tune. The reasons for their disunity lies in their refusal to accept the bible in its entirety; they change, paraphrase and delete whatever seem to go against their physical and spiritual lifestyle. Yet, the bible is the only source of truth, the only path to a united obedient church. They are deceived. Listen to 2Jn.1:10-11, ’If anyone comes to you and bring not this doctrine. Receive him not in your house neither bid him God’s speed. For if you do, you become partaker of his evil deeds’. Strong words eh? Now Paul to the Galatians: ‘Though we or any angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you other than the one we preached to you, let him be accursed’, Gal:1:8-9. Any challenge to the unity of the early church was quickly buried because it was biblically based. It was founded by Christ, the ‘Rock of Ages’, 1Cor.10:4.
If Christ was to return to this earth to live again, would He have to go searching over 3000 religious organizations to see which one identifies with Him? No! That list would narrow down in a blink. ‘By their fruits you shall know them’, Matt.7:20; not by their prestige, size of the choir. The eloquence of the pastor, beauty of the building, financial or political strength or any such thing; but by obedience, explained v: 21. Can we then appreciate why Jesus would reject those who have worked so hard healing and working miracles in His name, v:22? If I told you that my wife was sitting in a crowd of women, how could you find her unless I gave you some identifying marks of hers, like the colour of her dress, colour of her make-up, if any, is she tall or short , colour of her shoes, is she black, white or Asian? In the same way God does not leave us to speculate with respect to His church. Don’t be deceived. He gave us specific identifying marks of His church. Consider Amos 3:7 which said that God will surely reveal His secrets to His servants, the prophets. Is it any surprise then that the prophet John tells us in Rev.12:17 that the dragon (Satan v.9) was angry with the woman (the church) and went to make war with the remnant (what ‘s left) of her seed which obeyed the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Here lies the first and most powerful identifying mark of God’s church. It is a church that respects or obeys God’s Ten Commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, which according to Rev.19:10 is the spirit of prophecy, that is, the record of the prophets concerning Jesus, Rev.1:1-2, 1Jn.5:10, Isa.8:20.
So, in your search for God,s church, be sure to find one that have respects to all of His commandments, Matt.22:37-40, (for if you break one you are guilty of all, Jam.2:10); that honour God’s Sabbath, Isa.58:13; that accepts as sin, that which God hates and designates as sin;, Lev.18:22-26, Rom.1:26-27, 1Cor.6:9; that embraces God’s health law, Lev.11, 1Cor.6:19, 3:17; that believe that the commandment preexisted the nation of Israel, Gen.4:7 and was disobey by Satan in heaven before the world was created; Ezk.28:15; that say no to the doctrine of man who change the law of God to inject Sunday worship, Dan.7:25; one that believe that all scripture (old and new testament) was given by the inspiration of God and is profitable, for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, 2Tim.2:16.;and they are as inseparable as love for Christ is inseparable from love for His father, Jn.5:23.
Speaking of health laws, listen to Paul in 1Cor.10:31 ‘whether you eat, drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God’. Is Paul here advocating that God’s people eat pigs and drink beer to the glory of God? Hardly! He is merely saying that Christians should remember God’s guidelines of Lev 11. It is inconceivable that Paul would want to oppose God again, after his Damascus ordeal. The story is told of a man who went out drinking one night, on his way home, drunk, he had to pass by a pigs’ pen; and as he stumbled, he fell beside a sleeping pig. He then put his arms around the pig and said, ‘I love you darling’, obviously thinking this was his wife. To please God we must be soberly mind.
Back to the churches. Jesus said in Matt.7:13-14 ‘Enter in at the strait gate (no shortcuts, bends, corners nor curves) for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and many there be that find it, but strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that finds it’. He could not be any clearer that there is only one church of God and only one way to be a member thereof. ‘If you love me keep my commandments’ He said. Biblical history has taught us that the majority is never right. In the days of Noah, the majority was taken by the flood; in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah the majority suffered the vengeance of God’s wrath; when Joshua sent his twelve men to spy out the land of Caanan only two returned with good report; Jesus healed ten lepers, only one returned to show gratitude, forcing Him to enquire, ‘were not ten cleanse, where are the nine’? Lk.17:17; on the Day of Pentecost it was not the majority that was converted only 3000. In Rev.11:13 it is the remnant that gives glory to the God of heaven; and in 12:17 it is the remnant that keeps (obey) God’s commandments and the faith of Jesus Christ, notice that these two are linked together; and should we not be concerned that the ungodly will be judged from two books on judgement day while the righteous will be judged from one, Dan.7:10, Rev.20:12. In fact, Jesus’ reference to Noah’s flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Matt.24 clearly suggest that hell will be overflowing contrary to heaven- reasons enough to reject the majority doctrines.
When we change residence, we tend to take with us all the paraphernalia which we acquired over the years to our new habitat. Equally, when the devil joins the churches he takes with him his cigarette, his liquor, his choice music, his same-sex behaviour, his attractive clothing, his holy days and have the churches baptized these in the name of Christianity. So we have Santa-claus, Christ-mass, Sun-rise service at Easter, and we give God the first day of the week instead of the last day even as He implore us not to forget His Sabbath. True, when we worship God on Sunday rather than Saturday we are giving God our best not what he ask us for, wasn’t that Cain’s sin, and did not Samuel assure Saul that God delights in obedience over burnt offerings and sacrifice? 1Sam.15:22. There is an interesting story recorded in Jeremiah 35:1-19. It exemplifies the way God rewards those who choose to obey His commandments. Jeremiah was told by God to take the Rechabite tribe to God’s house and offer them wine, but when Jeremiah obeyed God the Rechabites firmly declined the offer, because of a command given them by their forefather not to take wine, build houses, sow seeds nor plant vineyards, but to embrace a nomadic lifestyle. Upon this steadfast obedience to the tradition of their forefather God assured them that they would never again want as they wandered; while He commissioned Jeremiah to advise God’s people, who were in constant disobedience, to follow the example of the Rechabites, a foreign nation, in obedience to His commandments.
In conclusion, of these thousands of churches, only one, maybe none, belong to God. Let Him be the judge. I am merely evaluating the evidences as they presented themselves to me.
