Gods Church Today

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Where Is GodsTrue Church Today?Where Is GodsTrue Church Today?


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Where Is GodsTrue Church Today?

byRoderick C. Meredith

Thousands of different church denominations

claim to be following Jesus Christ. Yet theyteach thousands of different gospels and

disagree on countless points of doctrine.

Is Jesus Christ the Head of all these

denominations? Is Christ divided? Or is

there a true Church of God that stands apart

from this religious Babylon? How can yourecognize Gods true Church? This booklet

will help you understand!


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CHTEdition 1.0, May 2005

2005 LIVING CHURCH OF GODTM*

All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

Scriptures in this booklet are quoted from the New King James Version

(Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers) unless otherwise noted.

Cover: Tomorrows World/Digital Stock Image

This booklet is not to be sold!It has been provided as a free public educational

service by the Living Church of God

*Application pending. The symbol TM appearing herein does not indicate trademark registration.


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ave you ever wondered why you were born? What yourreal future will be like in the afterlife? What you will actu-ally be doing for eternity? Will you sit around all day, play-

ing a harp, or staring passively into the face of God? Or does Godhave something far more awesome and wonderful planned for you?

Have you ever wished you could find a church that truly under-stands the end-time prophecies of the Biblehow they apply totodays headlines and the near future events affectingyour life? Haveyou searched for a church that could help you understand the gen-uine meaning of life itselfand could explain where you and yournation will be headed in the next few years? Have you ever wishedthat you could find a church where the ministers actually preach

right out of the Bible and help you make sense of its wordsincluding its many specific prophecies? Do you long for a churchwhere virtually all the members bring their Bibles to services, andwhere everyone actually believes what the Bible says and is trying tolive by the true first-century Christianity that Jesus Christ and Hisapostles lived and preached?

Have you hoped to find a church where people of all races andbackgrounds are accepted with warmth and love, and where Christs

command to love one another is reflected in the family atmos-phere when church members gather for worship and fellowship?

My friends, there is such a church that genuinely believes in thedivine inspiration of the Holy Bible and is actually trying to do whatthe Bible says in every phase and facet of life. It is a church that hasno otherholy books or church traditions that take the place of

H


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the Bible on anything. This church is not a building or a corporationor an invention of human beings. It is a spiritual organism with a

history going right back to Jesus Christ and the apostles. It is a verysmall churchthe little flock described by Jesus Christ (Luke12:32)but it has always existed since the time of Christ and willexist at the end of the age when its faithful members are taken to aplace of safety (see Revelation 12) before the Great Tribulationactually begins. Do you want to be part of such a church, whosemembers will soon become the kings and priests helping rule thisearth under Jesus Christ? (Revelation 5:10).

Where Are Gods People?

The man sitting across from me was sharing his thoughtsearnestly.

I used to think that Gods people were just scattered allthrough the various denominations, he exclaimed. However, the

more I read the Bible, the more I feel there must be a true Churchsomewhere on earth composed of people who really do what theBible says. But how can I know? How can I be sure where God isworking today?

Now, the big question is: How can you know? How can you besure?

Today, many churches call themselves Christian. Some practice

baptism by immersion in water. Others just sprinkle or pourwater on the head of baptismal candidates. Many churches keepwhat they call the Lords Supper every Sunday morning. Othersobserve this custom once a month or quarterly, or only once a year.

Most churches observe Sunday as their day of worship, while afew observe the Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset.Others say that the day of worship does not matter at all.

Churches are called by all kinds of names: Episcopal, Baptist,Holiness, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Catholic, Methodist, Pentecostaland others. More importantly, the various churches of this worldhave different concepts of God. Some feel that God is a fierce autocratwho roasts sinners in an ever-burning hellfire. Others think of Godas simply the divine spark that somehow started all life but thathas very little to do with everyday events and does not care about


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mankinds lifestyle. Yet these differing churches all call themselvesChristianthey use the name of Christ.

Does it make any difference? Has God left it up to human beingsto search out and call their churches by various names, and come upwith various days upon which to worship, various modes of baptismand different doctrinal teachings?

Where Is God?

Does God have anything to say about all of this?Yes, He does!Somewhere on this earth, God has true servants who faithfully

and fully proclaim the end-time warnings to which we should all bepaying attention. God inspired His prophet Amos to tell us: Surelythe Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His ser-vants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The LordGOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy? (Amos 3:78).

Today, staggering events are on the immediate horizon. They areprophesied in your Bible. One-fourth of the entire Bible is devoted toprophecy. And the Apostle Paul wrote: Preach the word! Be readyin season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with alllongsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they willnot endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires,because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves

teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and beturned aside to fables (2 Timothy 4:24). Does yourministerpreach thefull message of the Bible? Does he regularly explain, andmake clear to you and your loved ones, the powerful end-timeprophecies of the Bible? The Bible lists many specific events forwhich true Christians should be watching. These events will soonclearly demonstrate that humanity is at the very end of this presentagethe age of mans rule over the earth under the influence ofSatan the Devil (Revelation 12:9).

Many religious leaders talk about the end times. But, in allhonesty, who is telling you the specific events for which you shouldwatch? And who is helping you, today, to understand the real mean-ing behind the traumatic upheavals in the weather, the increasingearthquakes, terrorist attacks and the awful wars in Africa, the

Where Is Gods True Church Today?


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Middle East and elsewhere that are increasingly threatening thisplanet?

Who is truly making sense out of all of this? Jesus said: If you abide in My word, you are My disciples

indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make youfree (John 8:3132). Again, if you are to abide in Christs word,who is really making that word come alive? Who is continuallyquotingnot from the secular writings of this worldbut from theinspired word of God? Who is constantly challenging you: Prove allthings; and hold fast that which is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21,KJV)?

Another vital issue to consider: where is the full Truth beingpreached today?

Oh, all churches have the same basic beliefs! many will say.Or: No one has a monopoly on the Truth. We cant really knowabout these things anyway, so all religions are essentially valid aslong as people are sincere!

I am sure many of you have heard this type of reasoning before.If there is not a real God, or if the Holy Bible is not truly inspired,then such reasoning might stand up. But such is not the case!Perhaps the most basic instructions of Jesus Christ are these words:Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God (Luke4:4). Gods true Church must necessarily acknowledge this most fun-damental of all Christian teaching! Church leadership, and individ-

ual Church members, may not yet be perfect, but they must at leastacknowledge that Gods word is the basis for knowing the ultimateTruth their Creator intended. For without the Biblewithout theinspired instruction from God Himself in His inspired wordallthat remains are the billions ofhuman opinions: This is the way Ifeel! or: This is how it seems to me!

Do you get the picture?So if God does have a true Church on this earth, it must

acknowledge the inspired authority of the Bible, and must base itsteaching solidly on that foundation! As the Apostle Paul wasinspired to write: But if I am delayed, I write so that you may knowhow you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which isthe church of the living God, the pillarand ground of the truth (1Timothy 3:15).


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Again, what is the Truth? Jesus said in your Bible: Sanctifythem by Your truth. Yourword is truth (John 17:17).

Wherever the true Church is, it is the pillar and bulwark (asthe word ground ought to be translated in 1 Timothy 3:15) of theTruth. It is the protector of the Truth. Paul also tells us that trueChristiansthose who compose the true Churchare fellow citi-zens with the saints and members of the household of God, havingbeen built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, JesusChrist Himself being the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:1920). If,as Paul wrote, the true Church is built on the foundation of theapostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-stone, then the writings of the apostles and the prophetsnothuman opinions or feelingsmust be the basis of doctrine andpractice.

Pauls inspired statement about the true Church being thepillarand bulwark of the Truth is enormously important! For throughGods Church, people should come to understand the supreme pur-

pose for mankinds existence. They should learn in detail aboutGods great plan for humanity and how He is working out that plan.They should come to understand the vital one-fourth of the Biblethat is prophetic. They should then grasp the real meaning of cur-rent events as they relate to Bible prophecy. This will make theirnewspaper reading and world news viewing on television trulycome alive.

Then, members of the true Church of God will know how tofollow Jesus command: Watch therefore, andpray always that youmay be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come topass, and to stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:36). These trulyconverted people will then have the divine protection of GodHimself during the horrifying Great Tribulation that Jesus Christspecifically prophesied would occur just before His return (Matthew24:2122). These true Christiansmembers of the true Church,learning the full Truthwill be spared from the horrifying hour oftrial that will soon descend on this earth! For Jesus promises topeople in this Church: Because you have kept My command to per-severe, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall comeupon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth(Revelation 3:10).



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Do you, personally, want to be protected during the traumaticyears just ahead? Or would you rather be comfortable attending

whatever church you grew up inor that you now attendwhetheror not it understands the real Truth?

A Comfortable Church?

Should you look for a church where you can easily fit in andwhere you can be comfortable? A Charlotte Observercolumnistrecently wrote: Comfortable in church. The phrase has always dri-ven me crazy. The idea that we would go to church to get comfort-able, to be comfortable, to be with people around whom we arecomfortable, is offensive, maddening and just plain loony.Comfortable is what I want when I put my feet up to watch TV.Comfort for the churchgoers I know is about class, education level,country club and race. And yes, too often about politics to boot. Welike to worship with people who think like us, look like us, and

drive the same kinds of cars we drive. I am sure you are familiarwith these attitudes. But is this the approach to true religion thatJesus Christ taught His true followers?

Please listen to Christ Himself: If anyone comes to Me and doesnot hate [love less] his father and mother, wife and children,brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My dis-ciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me can-

not be My disciple. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsakeall that he has cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:2627, 33).

No, Jesus Christ does not intend that we strive for a comfort-able existence in following Him! This may sound strange to someof you who have only heard about the peace and prosperity gospelthat so many preach today. But the true Christ of your Bible talkedconstantly about the need to come out of this worlds society, aboutthe need to prepare for persecution and about the need to give upones life in order to truly serve the only One who can actually giveus eternal life!

The true Church is composed of people who have genuinelysurrendered their lives to God through Jesus Christ. They will haveproved to themselves the existence of the true God, the Creator ofheaven and earth. They will have proved to themselves the literal


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inspiration of the Holy Bible and will have dedicated themselves tofollowing Jesus Christs instruction: Man shall not live by bread

alone, but by every word of God (Luke 4:4). And they will certainlyhave proved for themselves that Jesus of Nazareth was God in theflesh: that He died to pay the penalty of sin for all humanity, rose from the dead after three days and three nights in the grave(Matthew 12:40) and now sits at the right hand of God the Fatheras our active High Priest, living Head and soon-coming King.

Such truly converted people will surrender to Christ asLordthe One whom they will obey. Therefore, through Christliving within them through the Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:20), they willstrive to live by the teachings of the Bible. These are the people whomake up the true Church of God!

So if you are willing to get real, then please be willing to listento what the Bible actually says. For God does have a true Churchhere on earth. That Church is genuinely preparing its members foreternal life. That Church is genuinely doing the Work of God today.

And that Church has several notable signskey identifiers thatare clearly mentioned in the Biblewhich will show any sincere,discerning person where Gods true Church is ifthey are willing tolisten with an open mind!

Do You Need to Attend Church?

In the current religious confusion, many people become turnedoff by what they call organized religion, and decide to stay athome and worship God alone, with their family or with a few otherpeople. Is there anything wrong with that?

Even though many sincere people try to justify the practice offorming a stay at home church, this is very definitely wrong formany reasons. And it is totally un-biblical, except in a very fewextreme circumstances!

Those who truly believe the Bible understand that Jesus Christwas the light whom God sent into the world. He was ourexample, and His apostles were also used as examples, once theywere fully converted.

What was the inspired example of Jesus Christ? So He came toNazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was,



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He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up toread (Luke 4:16). Jesus own practice was to attend worship ser-

vices regularly with others in an organized synagogue or Churchsetting! For God had already called the Sabbath a holy convoca-tionwhich means commanded assembly. So Jesus Christobeyed this command, setting us an example.

We find thateven after Jesus resurrectionPeter and theearly apostles met regularly in the temple on both the weekly andannual Sabbaths. In fact, the New Testament Church actually startednot on Christmas or Easter, but on one ofGods commanded HolyDays, the Day of Pentecost! (Acts 2:1). Then the early disciples metregularly with others in the temple at Jerusalem (Acts 2:4647).

When it was Gods time for Paul to become active in the min-istry: Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And whenhe had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for awhole year they assembled with the church and taught a great manypeople. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch

(Acts 11:2526). Note that Paul and Barnabas assembled with theChurch. So there was an organized Church which did meettogether regularly! Still later, we read: Then Paul, as his customwas, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with themfrom the Scriptures (Acts 17:2).

The inspired writer of Hebrews tells us: And let us considerone another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking

the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, butexhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Dayapproaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received theknowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins(Hebrews 10:2426). This vital scripture in Gods word tells us notto forsake assembling with others. It also tells us to stir oneanother to love and good works.

A few misguided souls might assume that if they just met athome with family and friends, they could stir up each other to goodworks. This approach clearly goes against the overwhelming num-ber of biblical examples that Gods true servants did and shouldmeet as an organized church, led not by some layman who decidesto appoint himself to the ministry, but by a properly trained andordained true minister of Jesus Christ! The Bible is emphatic that


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no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God(Hebrews 5:4).

In my more than 50 years in Christs ministry, I have dealt witha number of men and women who decided to withdraw from orga-nized religion. In doing so, they adopted a just Jesus and meapproach to the church, not recognizing that God has established aclear pattern of leadership in His Church. Many of the men, depriv-ing themselves of sound counsel, ended up assuming the duties ofthe ministry, or virtually appointing themselves as ministers of Jesus Christ. In nearly every case, these men were obviously self-willed, usually hardheaded and genuinely unwilling to be taughtand led by others. They desired to be important in their own eyesand in the eyes of their family or immediate friends by taking it uponthemselves to establish a home church and act as minister orleader.

These men seemingly forgot the powerful example of Korah andhis followers who rejected the leadership of Gods appointed servant

Moses and argued that every man had the right to act as spiritualleader! These self-willed individuals challenged Moses and Aaronwith these words: You take too much upon yourselves, for all thecongregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is amongthem (Numbers 16:3). God showed His attitude toward this everyman is a minister approach by having the earth open up and swal-low alive these hardheaded rebels (vv. 2834)!

In our day, by separating themselves from Gods true ministersand also separating themselves from being part of the Work thatChrist is accomplishing, through His true Church, of preaching theGospel to all the nations (Matthew 28:1920), these people areshirking their responsibility to be part of the active body of JesusChrist. They are not learning the lessons of working together as partof that body, are not learning the full Truth in a balanced way, arenot learning to humbly receive and act upon the needed exhortationand correction that all Christians receive in the true Church of God.

Rather, such individuals end up on the fringe of Gods people,not interacting and learning as part of a real church fellowship.Such self-appointed religious leaders, and their followers, usuallybecome sidetracked by odd ideas and doctrinal novelties. Also, veryimportantly, they show the living Christ that they lack faith in His



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ability to lead the Church, which God tells us is His responsibility(Ephesians 1:2223; Colossians 1:18)!

The Church Jesus Built

Jesus asked His disciples: Who do men say that I, the Son ofMan, am? So they said, Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, andothers Jeremiah or one of the prophets (Matthew 16:1314).

But Peter answered: You are the Christ, the Son of the livingGod.

Then Jesus continued: You are Peter, and on this rock I willbuild My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it(v. 18).

Jesus here said very plainly that He would build a churchwhich simply meant in the inspired Greek language a group orcrowd of people. Jesus called it My churchnot just any groupor crowd or church.

Throughout the New Testament, God clearly indicates, again andagain, that His peopleHis Churchwould be small in number dur-ing this age, and would often be persecuted. He said: You did notchoose Me, but I chose you. If you were of the world, the worldwould love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I choseyou out of the world, therefore the world hates you (John 15:1619).

Wherever they are, it is obvious that Gods true people do not

truly fit into this world and its society. For Jesus continued: Ifthey persecuted Me, they will also persecute you (v. 20). And Jesuscalled His people the little flock (Luke 12:32).

Jesus said: Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate andbroad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many whogo in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way whichleads to life, and there are few who find it (Matthew 7:1314).Remember, then, only a few go in through the straight gate. Only afew truly understand and are part of Gods true Church today!

Notice: Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enterthe kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father inheaven (Matthew 7:21). Jesus plainly stated that His true peoplemust be obedient to the Fathers will. They must do what God theFather commands.


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Now, see how this directly applies to the true Church. Allthrough the New Testament, the term woman is used as a symbol

of a church. In 2 Corinthians 11:12, the true Church is pictured asthe affianced bride of Christ. In Revelation 17, the great falsechurch is called a harlot (v. 1) and the woman (v. 3) sitting on ascarlet colored beast.

Nearly all scholars acknowledge that in Revelation 12, the trueChurch is pictured as the bride. She is being persecuted by thedragondescribed in verse 9 as Satan the Devil. Although thezealous members are taken to a place of safety, in verse 17 Goddescribes the devil as going to make war with the remnant of thetrue Churchthose left behind.

In Revelation 14:12, God goes on to describe His faithful people:Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the command-ments of God, and the faith of Jesus. These are the people, God indi-cates, who will be protected from the soon-coming Great Tribulationand the horrifying plagues of God that immediately follow!

Does it make any difference how you worship God? Of courseyou can worship in the church of yourchoiceas the Sunday reli-gious-page ads often say. Of course you can follow the ideas of yourrelatives, friends and associates! But will they be there to protectyou during the coming world upheaval? More importantly, will theybe there to save you in Gods judgment?

Why not prove to yourself that the Bible is the inspired revela-

tion, from the Creator, of basic spiritual knowledge otherwise inac-cessible to mankind? Why not see what the word of GodtheBiblesays about where Gods true Church is today?

Identifying Signs

We have already seen that Jesus said He would build HisChurch. We have found that the Bible describes that Church as asmall, persecuted Churchone that is certainly not part of thisworlds society. It is a Church that does the will of God the Father.And it keeps the Ten Commandments given as a basic way of life byAlmighty God.

Obviously, many differing churches are small. Many are perse-cuted. Some are persecuted because they seem to deliberately pro-



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voke others and so bring unneeded persecution upon themselvesnot because of a biblical message, but because of thoughtlessly and

arrogantly trying to cram their religion down the throats of otherpeople.

Many small, unorthodox religious groups sincerely feel they arenot part of this world. Perhaps they wear distinctive attireblackhats and black bonnets, simple and plain clothing or special under-garmentsto prove this to themselves and others. But beingsmall, sometimes persecuted and not of this worlds society are prin-ciples that may be applied in strange ways. A biblical key to prop-erly understanding and applying the above principles is revealed inthe Apostle Pauls statement that God has given Christians the spiritof a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

But apart from the above general description of the true Church,are there any specific identifying signs that point unmistakably towhere Gods Church is today?

Thankfully, there are.

For the sake of brevity, I will list and explain just five of thesesigns so thatifyour mind is openyou may know how to recog-nize Gods true Church on earth today.

1. The FEAR of God

Before creating mankind, God created Luciferone of the three

cherubs, or super archangels, who originally surrounded His throne.In Hebrew, Lucifer means light bringer or shining star of thedawn. Lucifer was originally created as a powerful, beautiful superarchangel with tremendous wisdom and capacity (Ezekiel28:1115). In Isaiah 14:1215, Lucifer is described: How you arefallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cutdown to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you havesaid in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throneabove the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congrega-tion on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above theheights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High. Yet you shall bebrought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.

As nearly all theologians recognize, it is obvious from this andother scriptures that Lucifers ability and beauty led to a great deal of


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true knowledge and true wisdom. Without it, God does not want usin His eternal Kingdom!

It should be obvious that those in Gods true Church must learnto have this profound reverence and willingness to obey their Makerthat was portrayed so well by Abraham, the father of the faithful.Also, members of the true Church will have proved to themselveswhat God tells us in Hebrews 11:6: But without faith it is impossi-ble to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is,and that He is a rewarderof those who diligently seek Him.

If you and I are to be genuine Christians, we must totally believein a real Godthe God described in the Bible. And we must believethat, as the Bible says, He is a rewarder of those who diligently seekHimnot of those who half-heartedly attend the church of theirchoice or the local neighborhood church whenever it is conve-nient, and who believe whatever religious fad is currently in vogue!

Real Christians will also have proved to themselves the inspira-tion of the Holy Bible! Jesus said: Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word of God (Luke 4:4). They will have surrenderedthemselves to follow what Jesus said, and to do what God says in Hisinspired word. They will understand that God reveals Himselfthrough His word, not through our human imagination. They willunderstand and respond to 2 Timothy 3:1617: All Scripture isgiven by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, forreproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man

of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.As God makes clear in the above verse, scripture is given not

just for our encouragement but for reproof and for correction aswell as instruction in righteousness. Gods true Church must baseits beliefs totally upon Gods inspired word! It must accept the trueChrist revealed in the Bible as both Savior and Lordthe One wemust obey. Those who fail to do so have come up with hundreds ofdifferent, competing denominationseach with different doctrines,practices and concepts of what God is like.

The Foundation of TRUTH

In his very helpful and insightful book, The Battle For the Bible,Dr. Harold Lindsell lays out this fundamental proposition: Of all


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the doctrines connected with the Christian faith, none is moreimportant than the one that has to do with the basis of our religious

knowledge. For anyone who professes the Christian faith the rootquestion is: From where do I get my knowledge on which my faithis based? The answers to this question are varied, of course, but forthe Christian at least it always comes full circle to the Bible. Whenall has been said and done, the only true and dependable source forChristianity lies in the book we call the Bible (p. 17, emphasis ours).

I hope all of you will carefully read the above quote and say ahearty Amen. For this is absolutelyvital to true Christianity. Andit is a vital key that must be taught and practiced by any churchthat calls itself the true Church of God! Again, the true people ofGod will only be those who surrender to actually do what the Biblereally says. They will obey Gods word even ifit brings them prob-lems or severe persecution! As you know, the early Christians tooktheir very lives in their hands when they followed Jesus and the orig-inal apostles. They were continually persecuted, sometimes mar-

tyredand often hounded out of their jobs, their cities or even theirfamilies. As we have already seen, the Jesus Christ of the Bible toldall who would follow Him: If anyone comes to Me and does nothate [love less] his father and mother, wife and children, brothersand sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. Andwhoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be Mydisciple (Luke 14:2627).

When challenged about which power healed a crippled man,the Apostle Peter courageously answered: Let it be known to youall, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name ofJesus Christof Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead,by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the stonewhich was rejected by you builders, which has become the chiefcornerstone. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is noother name under heaven given among men by which we must besaved (Acts 4:1012).

To be in Gods true Church, one must sincerely follow Petersinspired instruction on the day of Pentecost: Repent, and let every oneof you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins;and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is toyou and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the



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Lord our God will call (Acts 2:3839). When one comes to the pointof being willing to heartfeltly repent of breaking Gods holy lawfor

sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4, KJV)one must be bap-tized in the name of Jesus Christ, and receive the Holy Spirit throughthe laying on of hands. At that moment, the new Christian will be total-ly forgiven of past sins, and will become a member of Gods Church.

For you cannot join Gods true Church! You must be put intothe Churchbaptized into the Churchby God Himself, throughHis filling you with the Holy Spirit. As Paul explained: Now if any-one does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His (Romans 8:9).Also: For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one bodywhether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or freeand have all beenmade to drink into one Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). Through thetotal surrender of your heart, mind and body to God through JesusChrist as Savior, you will be plunged intoput intothe Church ofGod, which is Christs body. Thenwith Christ as your ultimateBoss and Lordyou will not belong to yourself anymore. Or do

you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who isin you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? Foryou were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and inyour spirit, which are Gods (1 Corinthians 6:1920).

Areyou, personally, willing to make that kind of commitment?

Complete Surrender to Jesus Christ

Gods true Church is composed of people willing to surrenderfully to Christ. They must also be willing to follow Jesus instruc-tion: If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, andtake up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save hislife will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it(Matthew 16:2425). Most professing Christians today are so inter-ested in saving their liveshaving a good time and fitting intothis present societythat they would find it very difficult to evenconsider actually obeying this powerful teaching of the Son of God.

I will always remember conducting a series of small evangelisticmeetings in February, 1957 in London, England. Among the atten-dees was a very kindly Scottish couple who came virtually everynight for four weeks and seemed very interested and enthusiastic.


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prevailer with God. All through the Bible you see this principle.Names are very important to God. And God names things what they are!

Many years ago, in 1517, a young Catholic priest in Germanybecame upset at the selling of indulgencesthe Roman Catholic prac-tice of promising forgiveness of sins upon payment of money. He nailedto the church door 95 theses expressing why the practice of sellingindulgences was wrong, and explaining his other disagreements with theRoman Catholic Church. Thus, Martin Luther unwittingly started whatbecame the Protestant Reformation. Later, after a break with the RomanChurch, his followers called themselves Lutheran after this reformer.They decided to name their church the Lutheran Church.

Years later, receiving a feeling of inner warmth and peace aftera certain religious meeting, John Wesley set out preaching about adifferent approach to God and religion. Eventually, his followersdecided to name their church after him. But, although the termWesleyan was widely used, Wesley and his followers becamenoted for their methodical and organized manner of conduct, and

what began as a nickname eventually became the name of theirwhole denomination, The Methodist Church.

Presbyterians are named after their form of church governmentby the elders, or presbyters. Baptists are named after one doctrine:baptism. Seventh Day Adventists are named after two of their doc-trinesbelief in the seventh-day Sabbath and the advent or returnof Jesus Christ. Many other churches take their names from their

town, their form of government, or some point of doctrine.What, then, should Gods true Church be named? Should it be

named after some man? Should it be named after some country or geo-graphic location? Should it be named after some doctrine or practice ofthe Church? Does God give us any indication in the Bible what HisChurch should be called? Some may be surprised to learn that He does!

The Correct Name Is Listed Twelve Times

When the Apostle Paul was instructing the elders of the Churchin Ephesus, he wrote: Therefore take heed to yourselves and to allthe flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, toshepherd the church of God which He purchased with His ownblood (Acts 20:28).



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Who Really UNDERSTANDS?

Is there, today, a church that is truly growing into such knowl-edge and understanding of Bible prophecies? Do you know of anychurch that has been willing to change and grow, not to becomemore like the world, but rather to more deeply understand theMaster Plan that God is working out here below? Is there a churchthat truly understands where we are headedwhy the United Statesand Great Britain are slowly but inexorably sliding from their pinna-cle of national greatness, and how and why a powerful union ofnations in Europe will soon become the force to reckon with?

There is a Church that grasps why you were born and put on thisearth, and that understands the incredible human potentialinclud-ing the amazing truth that God is literally reproducing Himself. ThisChurch knows why most people in this present age never join anytype of Christian church or organization, and why God is not eventrying to save the world during this 6,000-year period when, as the

Almighty God, He clearly has the power to do so if He wants to.Gods true Church understands these matters, and can give clear

biblical answers to these most basic questions. It is a Church thatkeeps on learning and growing in vital knowledge and understanding.

Remember, most mainline churches seldom if everchange orgrow in true knowledge. When they do change, it is nearly alwaysin the direction of secularismwatering down what little bits of

biblical truth they may once have had.But the true Church of God grows continually into a deeper andfuller understanding of the Bible, of the great purpose being workedout here below and of the exciting fulfillments ofbiblical prophecynow starting to occur.

4. The SIGN of Gods People

Speaking of true Christians having to flee the coming GreatTribulation, Jesus said: And pray that your flight may not be inwinter or on the Sabbath (Matthew 24:20). Why would Jesus beconcerned about His followers keeping the Sabbath day?

Because it is and always has been the test commandmentatest to see whether each of us will just obey God because He says to


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Passover, the Days of Unleavened Bread were observed. Inputting out leaven, Christians are to picture putting out sin and

growing in grace and knowledgethe next step after acceptingChrists sacrifice!

Paul taught the Gentile church at Corinth how to keep theFeast of Unleavened Bread: Therefore let us keep the feast, notwith old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, butwith the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Corinthians5:8). Notice! This is a New Testament commandnot to Jewsbut to a primarily Gentile church to observe the Feast ofUnleavened Bread. Gods true Church should be observing thisGod-given festival just as Christ, the apostles and all the earlyChristians did!

For a full explanation of these days and their meaning, writealso for our free booklet, The Holy Days: Gods Master Plan.

The point is that these annual Sabbaths and Holy Days are alsopart of Gods sign by which His people would be identified. Notice

Gods clear statement regarding the days of Unleavened Bread: Itshall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial betweenyour eyes, that the LORDS law may be in your mouth (Exodus13:9).

Wherever Gods true people arewherever His Church isHisservants will have the identifying sign of Gods true Sabbaths,weekly and annual. For the weekly Sabbath points to the true

Godthe Creatorand the annual Sabbaths set forth His mar-velous plan.

Frankly, if you or your present church are not willing to gen-uinely obey the fourth commandment, which tells us to keep theseventh day of the week as holy time, then you will still be sittingthere arguing or reasoning away Gods commands when His trueChurch flees to safety just as Christ indicated in Matthew 24:20! Andyou will become very thirsty as the millennial rule of Christ beginsand He is forced to bring total drought on all nations and peopleswho refuse to keep His commanded Holy Daysespecially the Feastof Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:1619)! For your own sakeand thesake of your loved onesplease do not underestimate this hugeissue! Are you willing to surrender and obey your Creator on thisvital point?

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5. Gods Church Does the Real WORK of God

One of the signs Jesus gave of His coming, and of the end ofthis age, was this: And this gospel of the kingdom will be preachedin all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end willcome (Matthew 24:14).

Somewhere on earth, just before Jesus Second Coming, His trueservants will be preaching with increasing power the message of thecoming world-ruling Kingdom of God! They will preach the mes-sage of heartfelt repentance and total surrender to God and to His

laws, which Jesus Himself preached. They will explain how trueChristianity involves not just accepting Jesus Christ as personalSavior, but genuinely accepting Him as our Lord, our High Priest andour soon-coming King. For Jesus coming Kingdom is a realKingdom. A kingdom is a governmentand from one end of yourBible to the other, Gods message is about His coming government,which will utterly crush all the governments of this world and will

rule forever (Daniel 2:44; Revelation 11:15).The living Jesus Christ will soon return in mighty power to gov-

ern this earth and save man from blowing himself off this planet(Matthew 24:22)! As Jesus tells one era or branch of His trueChurch: He who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, tohim I will give power over the nationsHe shall rule them with arod of iron (Revelation 2:2627).

Notice: And have made us kings and priests to our God; andwe shall reign on the earth (Revelation 5:10). Notice that Christand His saints will rule on the earthnot up in heaven!

Through Gods true Church, this vibrant message of His soon-coming world-ruling government is to be proclaimed. This messageis not given to convert everyone, but is proclaimed as a witness sothat when these end-time events actually occur, humanity willunderstand more quickly.

Also, through His Church, God is training men and women inlessons of character and obedience so they may be ready to serveunder the living Christ when He returns as King of kings. TheApostle Paul was inspired to alert true Christians to this absolutelyvital aspect of Christian life and of the type ofpreparation and train-ing members of the true Church should be receiving. Paul wrote:

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Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if theworld will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest

matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How muchmore, things that pertain to this life? (1 Corinthians 6:23).

In order to rule others, one must first learn to rule oneself.Gods government is based upon His spiritual lawthe TenCommandments. So that is why God says of the true saints: Here isthe patience of the saints; here are those who keep the command-ments of God and the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12).

Another absolutelyvital part of the Work of the true Church isto understand and proclaim the prophetic messages of the Bible.About one-fourth of the entire Bible is devoted to prophecy! Godsword itself tells us: For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit ofprophecy (Revelation 19:10).

Gods Church understands and proclaims to you the real mean-ing of current events, the Big Picture ofwhy the U.S. and otherBritish-descended peoples are increasingly losing their power and

prestige, and exactly where this is leading. It can explain why themainly Catholic nations of continental Europe are increasingly unit-ing, where this is destined to lead and why the British willwithin afew years or lessget out or be pushed out of the EuropeanUnion. If you wish to genuinely understand these vital issues, call orwrite and request afree copy of our eye-opening booklet, The UnitedStates and Great Britain in Prophecy.

Another vital part of the prophetic commission of Gods Churchin these end-times is what we call the Ezekiel commission. This isthe warning message that God clearly indicated His true servantsshould give especially to the twelve tribes of Israel. As the aforemen-tioned booklet clearly explains, the Anglo-Celtic peoples of the U.S.and the British Commonwealth nations are the descendants of theso-called Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. Along with the Jewish people,they will bear the brunt of the soon-coming Great Tribulation. Theseare the people who must be warnedahead of timeabout thiscoming holocaust!

So we in the Living Church of God do feel the responsibility toact on Gods instruction to the end-time watchman: When he seesthe sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warnsthe people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does

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not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his bloodshall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but

did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he whotakes warning will save his life. But if the watchman sees the swordcoming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are notwarned, and the sword comes and takes any person from amongthem, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require atthe watchmans hand. So you, son of man: I have made you a watch-man for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from Mymouth and warn them for Me (Ezekiel 33:37). This is a vital partof the responsibility of Gods true servants in these last days.

Only Gods Church truly understands and gives you the gen-uine understanding of these and other world-changing trends thatwill soon dramatically affect your life! Gods true Church will also beconsistently teaching, training and genuinelypreparing its membersfor their future as kings and priests in Christs soon-coming worldgovernment (Daniel 7:27; Luke 19:1519, Revelation 1:57; 5:10;

20:6). You need to open your mind, zealously study your Bible, askGod for understanding and see where the living Christ is workingin these end times! Gods true Church will be preaching the entireBiblenotjust a few sentimental passages about theperson of JesusChrist while at the same time neglecting the powerful message thatHe Himself preached. You can find that Church and become part ofitifyou are willing!

Gods Church Has All FIVE Identifying SIGNS

Around the world, Gods true Church is proclaimingwithincreasing powerthe coming government of God on earth throughJesus Christ and the resurrected saints, based on Gods law and Hiscommandments. Gods true Church teaches the way of life thatChrist and His apostles preached and practiced. It practices Godsform of government and is preparing its members to assist Christ inruling this world (1 Corinthians 6:23).

It is important to note that while Gods true Church is one spiri-tual organism, the Bible shows that it is normal for the Church toexist in several different corporate fellowships or branches atthe same time. In chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, Christ reveals the



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Remember, as indicated above, Gods true Church is the body ofChrist. As the Apostle Paul wrote: For as the body is one and has

many members, but all the members of that one body, being many,are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all bap-tized into one bodywhether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves orfreeand have all been made to drink into one Spirit (1Corinthians 12:1213).

Different Branches of Gods Church

To be in the body of Christ, you must be fully surrendered to Godand be led by Gods Spirit: Now if anyone does not have the Spiritof Christ, he is not His (Romans 8:9). So each member of the trueChurch must be genuinely converted and led by Gods Spirit. Again,God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). Yetdown through the ages, there have been many different Church ofGod fellowshipsbranches of the true Churchthat sometimes

coexisted. In the first century after Christ, the Apostle John wrote ofseven churches in Asia Minor, which displayed attitudes that wouldbe found throughout Church history to come, each of which wouldalso represent the dominant attitude of the Church in successiveeras. These different branches of Gods true Church were oftenin different parts of the worldperhaps, at times, unknown even toeach other. For example, during the 12th and 13th centuries, Gods

true Church existed among the Bogomils in Hungary even whilethose believers were unaware that a similar group of Sabbath-keep-ers existed simultaneously in Great Britain.

Many in the U.S. are familiar with the Seventh Day Church ofGod. Over the years it underwent various splitsas many denom-inations doand before World War II had ended up with one groupheadquartered in Stanberry, Missouri, and another headquartered inCaldwell, Idaho. From this environment, God raised up Herbert W.Armstrong, who for many years led what became known as theWorldwide Church of God. The Worldwide Church of God became,by far, the largest group of true believers who surrendered their livesto keep the whole law of God, observe the true Sabbath, preach theGospel of the coming Kingdom of God and use the correct name,the Church of God. Even during this time, however, there existed



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genuine love of God is squarely based on the Ten Commandments.As the Apostle John was inspired to tell us: For this is the love of

God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandmentsare not burdensome (1 John 5:3).

And so, through the Spirit of Christ within them, the true peo-ple of God will follow this path. They will have the understandingand courage to obey all ten of the Ten Commandmentsexemplify-ing Revelation 14:12: Here is the patience of the saints; here arethose who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.And they will exercise the faith to keep the identifying sign thatGod gave His people (Exodus 31:1618).

Rather than argue and make excuses to disobey, Gods Churchkeeps holy what God has made holy. It follows the inspired exampleof Jesus and the apostles in keeping Gods Sabbath and His annualHoly Days, which reveal His awesome plan. Finally, Gods Churchdoes the Work of proclaiming as a witness the message of salva-tion through Jesus Christ and the good news of the soon-coming

Kingdom of God based on His law.The organization that publishes this booklet strives to do all of

these things. As you know, we in the Living Church of God try tofollow all of the above truths with all our hearts and powerfully pro-claim the end-time prophecies of the Bible and do all we can tospecifically warn our Israelitish people of the coming GreatTribulation. With our Headquarters in Charlotte, NC, offices all

around the globe, scores of local congregations with resident minis-ters, worldwide radio and television and a growing publishing workincluding this very booklet and Tomorrows World magazine, thatmessage is going out with increasing power.

Now, you must decide what to do about this booklet. Perhaps itwill merely be helpful to you to consider these obvious, biblicalidentifying signs of where God is workingwhere His trueChurch is today.

But if your interest goes beyond thatifGod is calling you andif we can serve you personallydo not hesitate to write us at theaddress of our office nearest you. We can merely answer your ques-tions by mail. If you request it, a fully-trained representative of thisWork will call on you in person at a time and place agreeable toyou.

You must decide.



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As world events move inexorably toward the end of this presentage, you owe it to yourself to be sure of whereyou are headed. Take

the bull by the horns. Prove these things to yourself from the pagesof your Bible. If God is opening your mind now, then act on thisprecious knowledge and begin to really prepare for your job inTomorrows World. Only the true Church of God has been given thegenuine understanding, the courage and the motivation to fearlesslyproclaim the full Truth and really prepare you and your loved onesto fulfill the magnificent purpose for your lives and to becomekings and priests (Revelation 1:6) in the soon-coming Kingdom ofGod on this earth!

You Need to ACT!

If you would like to visit with a minister or representative ofthis Work, then call our office nearest you as listed on the RegionalOffices page at the back of this booklet. Or write to the nearest

office, if you prefer. Just state your desire for a visit and give youraddress and/or phone number so our representative may contactyou. Be assured that no one will show up without previously schedul-ing a visit at a time and place agreeable to you. Our minister or rep-resentative will be there simply to answer your questions about theBible or about this Work and the Living Church of God.

There will be no pressure for you to join anything and no solic-

itation of money for any purpose. Butyou will have the opportunityto talk with a true minister or representative and more thoroughlycheck us out in a personal way and ask about attending worshipservices or a Bible study if you wish. Often, our minister may sug-gest that you read more literature, prove the truths of the Bible toyourself more thoroughly and be more sure of your commitmentbefore attending any meetings. For we want you to be sure. We aretrying to serve you in your quest for eternal life in the Kingdom ofGod.

However, if God is truly opening your mind and calling you,we are sure that you will be delighted to meet with others who havebeen willing to genuinely give their lives to God and in service totheir fellow man. You will find a group of happy peopleoften withlittle childrenwho bring their Bibles to services, and are like the


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Bereans, who received the word with all readiness, and searchedthe Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so (Acts

17:1011). There will usuallydepending on the size of the groupand the local situationbe singing of hymns, announcements ofany activities, news of the Work, helpful sermons and a great deal ofenthusiastic visiting and fellowshipping after the meetings.

May God help you to prove all things: hold fast that which isgood (1 Thessalonians 5:21, KJV). As the end of this age swiftlyapproaches, we should not forever sit around speculating and doingnothing! God rewards those who zealously act on the Truth and doall they can to get involved in serving Him and in serving their fel-low human beings in Gods service. As James was inspired to tell us:But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your-selves (James 1:22). Again, be sure to request a free copy of ourextremely helpful and thoroughly documented booklet, GodsChurch Through the Ages. It will help you really understand the his-tory of Gods true Churchthe little flock that almost disappeared

during the Dark Ages.God helpyou to understand and to get involved while you still

have the opportunity! You may now be in your comfort zone insome other church fellowship. Butif God is calling you at thistimeyour Creator wants you to be an active part of His Church ingenuinely preparing for His kingdom and powerfully warning ourpeoples of the coming Great Tribulation. Notice the clear responsi-

bility of Gods faithful servants: Deliver those who are drawntoward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. Ifyou say, Surely we did not know this, does not He who weighs thehearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?(Proverbs 24:1112).

The living Jesus Christ tells all of us to bear fruit: By this MyFather is glorified, that you bearmuch fruit; so you will be My disci-ples (John 15:8). Again, may God inspire you to be an active part ofthe Work that Christ is now accomplishing through His body, thetrue Church of God on earth today.



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Regional Offices

UNITED STATES:

P.O. Box 3810

Charlotte, NC 28227-8010

http://www.tomorrowsworld.org

Phone: (704) 844-1970

AUSTRALIA:

GPO Box 772

Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia

Phone: (07) 5546 0472

Fax: (07) 5546 0768

CANADA:

P.O. Box 409

Mississauga, ON L5M 2B9

Phone: (905) 814-1094

Fax: (905) 814-7659NEW ZEALAND:

P.O. Box 2767

Auckland, New Zealand

Phone/Fax: (09) 268 8985

PHILIPPINES:

MCPO Box 1774

Makati City 1257, Philippines

Phone: 63-2-813-6538

Fax: 63-2-867-1569

SOUTH AFRICA:

P.O. Box 4271, Luipaardsvlei, 1743

Republic of South Africa

Phone: (27) 11-664-6036

UNITED KINGDOM:

P.O. Box 9092

Motherwell, ML1 2YD Scotland

Phone/Fax: 44-1698-263-977


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