Five definite identifications of the true Church of the living God

I want to say something about: "Five Definite Identifications of the True Church of The Living God," five definite identifications of the true Church.

The word "church," on each one of these subjects that I have chosen this time to try to speak about, one of it is,

1. What Is The Church?

2. Who Set It Up?

3. What Is Its Message?

4. How Do We Become A Member Of It?

5. Can We Get To Heaven Without Being A Member Of It?

Now, the first place, the word "church," itself, means "the called-out.". Now, that still remains the same today. The word "church" means "the called-out ones," those that have been called out, separated, made different.

Now, in the Old Testament the known church was called the Kingdom of God, God's Kingdom. Now, I'm taking this from chronology of the Bible. The Old Testament, the church was called the Kingdom of God. In other words, God is a King, and the church is His domain: God's Kingdom, Old Testament.
In the New Testament it’s called "the Messianic empire." Oh, I like that: Messianic. In other wise, "the Messiah's empire," where the Messiah rules and reigns.

No denominational barriers or nothing, the Messiah rules in His Empire. Isn't that wonderful thinking? Messianic empire. Therefore, the church is not an organization; the church is not a gathering of people. The church is the people of God that's been called out of the world to serve in another Kingdom.

There's nothing you join in the Kingdom of God, there's not one thing you can join. It's an experience of being born into the church, not joined into it.

But now, let's go to the second thought, so we can try to get through all of it. "Who Set It Up?" that is, it’s mystical Body? Who started This? Jesus Christ.

Who set this church up? Jesus Christ, no bishop, no group of men, no pope, no manmade powers at all. But Jesus Christ spoke of It being His Kingdom that was coming in power.

What is the church? The mystic body of Christ. Who set it up? The Lord Jesus Himself.

It wasn't set up at Rome; neither was it set up in England by John Wesley; neither was it set up by Calvin, or in America, the Baptists by John Smith, neither was it set up in California by the Pentecostals. It was set up by Jesus Christ, the King of the Messianic Kingdom. That's Who it was set up by. He is The King. He wants to be King. He wants to rule us. He wants to be Lord.

Now, I want to find out, "What Is The Message Of This Church?" What should this church teach? What's its message? The first message that I can think of, that this church (mystical Body) will teach, will be repentance.
The church began at Jerusalem. Repentance towards God and the baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ for remission of sins, begin at Jerusalem.

Jesus didn't say they'd all reach it. It should begin; It should go to all the world; It should be preached, but there's very little of them. But that's what He said, His message. That's the message of the church. Show me the church that's teaching it. Tell me where it's at. You don't find them.

Now, Jesus is King (the second message), Jesus is King and is alive forevermore, Matthew 28:20. Jesus is King and alive forevermore; that's what the church should teach.

Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever." That's the message of the church: doing His work, proving His resurrection, and giving witnesses.

That's the message of the church: "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever," living in the church, King of the church, raised from the dead, same yesterday, today, and forever, performing the same works, doing the same things that Jesus did. That's the message of the church. If the church isn't teaching That, it's teaching some false theology. That's what Jesus commanded them to preach.

How many knows what the Gospel is? Not the "Word." Paul said, "The Gospel come to us not in word only, but through the power and manifestation of the Holy Ghost." The Gospel is the power of God to make the Word act what It says It'll do. Preach the Gospel to all the world.
The Gospel will take effect upon anything that you ask. You say, "That's wrong." It isn't wrong.

And you that don't believe in Divine healing, you churches , claim that you believe in God and believe in the commission, that your church is commissioned to take the Gospel, and the very first thing is Divine healing. What was the first thing Jesus told to His disciples when He sent them out? Matthew 10:1, "Heal the sick; cast out devils." What was the last thing He said to His church? "Heal the sick; cast out devils." Alpha and Omega.

This Gospel shall be preached. Who's going to preach it? God's able to take the ignorant; God's able to rise up stones to children of Abraham. God can do whatever He wants to do; He's God. And that's the way He does it. When He come, He never called Caiaphas. He never called one priest. He never called one theologian. He took fishermen, herdsmen, and the ignorant and unlearned. The Bible said that "Peter and John were both ignorant and unlearned," but He could give them and work through them the Kingdom of God, and confound the eyes and the minds of the wise and mighty.

The last commission, "Go into all the world, preach the Gospel. He that believeth and is baptized..." Let me quote it the way it should be, the way it's broke down. "Go ye into all the world and to every nation and demonstrate the power of the Holy Ghost. He that believeth on this and is baptized shall be saved; he that denies it will be damned. These signs will follow them that believe: they'll lay hands on the sick, they shall recover; they'll cast out devils; they'll speak with new tongues. This will be the signs that follow."

Now, also the church must teach baptism. It must be baptized. That was the commission. Jesus said here in Mark 16, we'll just use it. "He that believeth and is baptized." Believe first, and then be baptized for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The fourth thing, How Do We Become a Member of It? "How do we join it? We see what it is; now what--how do we join this church?" You don't join it. You can't join it. There's no way of joining it. You're born into it. I've been with my family all my life and never did join the family. I was born into it. And you're born a son of God or a daughter of God. How do you get into it? Born into it!

Jesus answered and said unto him: “verily, I say unto you, except a man be born of water... (How do we get into it?)... of water and of... Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.”
"Less he be joined into it? You can't be joined into it. You got to be born into it. Not "come and join," come and be born.

See you don't join it. It's a mysterious thing. You're born into the mystical Body of Christ. That's how you get into it.

By one Spirit we're baptized into one Body. And when in that Body, free, guarantee of the resurrection. "God placed upon Him the iniquity of us all." Not by "one handshake," not "one church letter," but by one Holy Spirit, Jew, Gentile, yellow, black, white, have all been baptized by one Spirit into that one Body, through the Blood of His Own covenant. "And when I see the Blood, I'll pass over you," and are free from death, free from pain, free from sin. "He that's born of God, does not commit sin, 'cause the seed of God remains in him and he cannot sin.

How can you be perfect? You can't do it. You were born in sin, shaped in iniquity, come to the world speaking lies. But when you accept Christ as your sin-bearer, when you accept Him by faith, you believe that He saved you, and He died in your place and took your sins, then God accepts you and baptizes you into the Body and cannot see no more sin. How can I be a sinner when there's an atonement on the altar for me?

Now, Can We Get To Heaven Without The Church? Just take a couple of comments on this. No, sir, you cannot get to heaven without being a member of this church.

Now, first thing, in John 3: and 5 Jesus said, "Except a man be born of water and of Spirit..." Repent, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall then be born of the Spirit, born of the water, born of the Spirit. Except a man gets this, he cannot even enter the Kingdom of heaven; he cannot even see the Kingdom of heaven." Then if you are born of water and Spirit, you are in the church. If you're not born of water and Spirit, you're not in the church, and cannot see the Kingdom of heaven. Does that make sense to you? It's just exactly right.
Can life come out of a corn, except that corn had life in it? If a grain of corn is put in the ground, one is germitized, and the other one's not germitized. The one that's not germitized, can it live again? Not by no means. There's nothing in it. Although, materially, it'll make just as good, just as good of corn flakes as the other one will, it'll make just as good of corn bread as the other one will, it'll look just as good on the shelf as the other one will, but if it hasn't got life into it, it cannot rise again.
A man that's a good man, can be just as good church member as a Christian. A man that's a good man, can be just as good a citizen as a Christian, a good man, moral man. But when he dies, that's it, unless he's born again of the Spirit of God. Because, everything that had a beginning has an end.

God is the only thing that's Eternal. Therefore, we are part of God by receiving His Life. Jesus said, "I give unto them Eternal Life." The Greek word there is "Zoe," means, "God's Own Life." And the only way that you can ever live again, is to have Eternal Life, which is God's Life. Because your life will perish. But His Life will be raised up again, because God is Eternal. And you've got Eternal Life, and can no more die than God can die. Aw, "He that believeth on Me has Eternal Life, and I'll raise him up at the last day, raise him up again." The Eternal Life that's in him will raise him up.

Now, can we get into heaven without be in the church? You can't be in the church until you're born again. You can't go to heaven until you're born again. If you're born again, you're in the church. So you can't go to heaven until you're a member of this church. And you can't be a member until you're born into it.

You got to be in that church, brother, if you make it, for He's coming for a church. Well, what kind of a church? A church that's without spot or without wrinkle. How can we be that? By being dead in Christ, baptized by the Holy Ghost into His mystical Body, and the Blood atonement of the Son of God laying there for us every hour of the day: found blameless, that's the church, without spot, or without wrinkle. He chose us in Him, and put our names on His Book. The Bible said that.

What is the identification of the church?

1. What is she to be? What was she? What is it? The called out group.

2. Who set it up? Jesus Christ; not a bishop, not the Catholic Church, not Methodist, not Luther, not Wesley. No, sir. Who set it up? Jesus Christ.

3. What is its message? Repentance, water baptism, baptism of the Holy Ghost, Divine healing, salvation.

4. How do we become a member of it? By being born into it.

5. Can we get to heaven without it? No, sir. For those that are dead in Christ will God bring with Him, and not anyone else but those who are dead in Christ. Jesus is coming for those that are dead in Christ.

The Power Of God

Many people find it strange that one believes in the "Book of miracles", the Bible. Even if they believe there is a God, the idea of someone receiving or doing a miracle seems to be too much for them. Too "out of this World" to believe.

As I pointed out in a previous post, if a person accepts God, it has to accept Him the way He is. There is no sense in accepting a God according to ones imagination.

God is almighty. He said it in His word and he proved it throughout history. God created the heaven and the earth. He created all living beings. God is the great lawgiver. He set the universe in order. He set the solar-system. He set the laws of nature. He created the elements.

Now with that in mind, I do not know why one finds it so strange or doubtful that the God who created all things is able to do anything with His creation.

Why would it be so unbelievable that the very one who created the human body is also able to heal it from any sickness? A car that breaks down or doesn't run right, can be restored if one replaces the bad part with good new functional parts. Noone wonders why the car works ok again after repairing. Why would someone then doubt that the great maker of the human body is able to supernautrally change the course of nature and take away the sickness?
Why would someone wonder that the one who created the laws of nature is able to master them and walk on the water? If I set some laws then I am also able to abolish them. God set the solar system, so why would He not be able to stop the earth from going around the sun if He wanted?

The wondering ends when one gets into contact with the one who created and experiences the power of God.

Why would anyone believe in God and then think He is not able to do anything? The power of God is unlimited. He proved it by creating. He proved it by showing that He is the master over the laws of nature.

Read your Bible and pray every day!

History - a part of the History of Salvation (Gods purpose)

When we look at the current events in the world, it is impossible to understand them when one does not have the historical background. Looking at Iraq today does not do any good if one doesn't know anything about 1991 and the Gulf War. Looking at Lebanon today does not do any good if one doesn't know anything about the coming into existance of Israel. Looking at the situation in each country does not do too much good if one does not know anything about the history of that country.
But most of all, it makes no sense to look at any major historical and contemporary event without having in mind that there is a God that has a plan with mankind.

We read in the Bible that in the beginning, God created. When we read on, we see what he created and how he did it. But the question that would immediatelly arise, "WHY did he begin to create things?", is not answered right away.

God never does anything without a purpose. He created the heavens and the earth for a purpose. He created all living creatures for a purpose. He created man for a purpose. And Gods purpose is what actually influences the history of mankind the most. The history of mankind is a part of the "History of Salvation", which is the purpose of God unfolding in a plan God has.

As soon as God created man, He began to reveal (make known) Himself and part of His purpose to mankind. The Bible bears witness of that. He began to fellowship with man. That was one purpose: He created man to have fellowship with Him. That is why he created man in His image.

It is one of Gods greatest purposes why He began to create, and that is to come into fellowship with man.

After man chose to not follow what God said them to do, the history of man began. Notice that the History of Salvation began even before that, because it started with the purpose God had in his mind before He started creating.

Now all the time while man began to live his own way apart from God, Gods purpose never changed. He still wanted to have fellowship with his creation. But now in the fallen state of man, God was able to also reveal many different attributes of Himself. Now He had the chance to be a Healer. Now He has the chance to be a Redeemer. Now He had the chance to be a Guide. Now He had the chance to be a Father to His creation. Now He had the Chance to be a Judge. Now He had the chance to be an Attorney. Now He had the chance to show His Love. Now He had a chance to show His grace. Now He had a chance to show His inner most feelings towards His creation.

So when we look at history, we have to bear in mind that all that happens is a part of Gods plan which unfolds on earth, and that while we may focus on some events in world politics, God on the other hand is achieving more and more which brings His plan to an end and His purpose to be fulfilled - that man will come into perfect fellowship with God once again.

Ask yourself: do you know Gods purpose for your life? Did you let God fulfill His purpose in your life? Are you back in fellowship with the one who created you?

"Read your Bible and pray every day."

God

Today many people have an idea about God. Almost everybody has an opinion about God. Some say, God exists. Some say he doesn't. Some say, "God is this", others say "God is that", some say "God is everything" and again others say "God is nothing".

I want to give some of my thoughts on this.

First of all I want to say that to me it makes no sense to say "there is no God". The immediate question is: how do you know?
Secondly I want to say that saying "there is a God and He is like this and that and the other etc." to me makes no sense as well. If you know there is a God, how do you know what He is like?

So then what about God now? Not talking about him at all? No, that would make no sense as well.

Why can people say "Alex exists"? Well, they have met me. They have seen me. They have read my Blog. They talked to me via email, telephone, etc. And why can people say "Alex is like this and that and the other"? Because they made experiences with me. Maybe they were around me for some time. Maybe they saw how I conduct myself. Maybe they heard stories told about me, etc.

There is but one way to have that question answered, "Does God exist or not", and that is to get to know God and make experiences with him. How can you know how God is like if you never met Him and never made any experiences with Him?

Today many people accept that there is a God. But then they do not want to experience God and do not want to know Him personally, but they make up a concept of God in their own mind. "God is like this etc.". What does that produce? Not more than some man-made idea. They run around with a view about how they want God to be, instead of getting in contact with Him in order to find out what he is really like.

God made a way for people to get to know Him. First, he revealed himself to mankind from the beginning on. He came into the life of certain men and women and showed them how he is, and what he is, etc. He saw to it that it was recorded in a book called the Bible.
That is one way to know something about God: reading the Bible to see how God acted towards others.

But God also gave many many promises. A promise is something God says He will do. Whoever meets the conditions of any promise of God will experience it. God made it that way so we can come in contact with Him and get to know Him and see what He is like.
Begin to read the Bible and try if what is written by God in His Word is not true, by coming to Him on the conditions shown in the Bible. God is obligated to fulfill His Word. And He will do it.

Do not say "there is no God", do not say "there is a God, but the way I want Him to be", but come to God and come into His fellowship and let God show Himself to you how He is like.

"Read your Bible and pray every day"

Me

Time to blog

Hello All!

I am starting this blog and I do not know yet what direction it will go. I am pretty sure it will follow my interests and moods. So get ready for some talk about the Bible, comments on contemporary news and much more.

Alex