Theoretic Church of God

 

     If anyone has truly located the Church of God in accordance with the standard of the Early Morning and Sixth Seal church ages, then they have located it in theory only. Although this is not to say manifestations of God have not been evident, it is to say that such production is not on the level of the apostolic standard. If the acclaimed Church of God were to actually be honest, she would see how precious little belongs to her. It is evident that there is one thing common to each “fellowship” of the Church of God, so called. While there may be variation in doctrines, standards, the intensity of preaching, the depth of prophetic understanding, there is one outstanding commonality - the lack of production. Ultimately, there is a gross lack of production when it comes to obtaining the results recorded in the Word. 

Should Apostolic Results Be Expected?

     First, many groups offer a range of possibilities as to why results are not evident. I have heard some preachers blame the conditions of the time and that God is just not working that way right now. Others will blame the tide of compromise that has infiltrated many camps and will passionately advocate for traditional standards. There is also a class of preachers who will say that God is just not working as He did in the morning-time because of the region. They say that perhaps God is manifesting miracles in some remote regions of Asia or Africa, but because America has forsaken so much truth and light such results should not be expected in this country. Another thought is that there is justification in contending for the production of the apostles and that as long as you are contending for it, then you are justified. This class admits to a lack of production but finds solace in that they claim to be contending for it. Finally, there are groups holding to a claim that the Church is more glorious than she has ever been and one should not dare to question her conditions. 

     Second, there is a gross lack of knowledge concerning what should be expected of the Church of God. Hosea informs us that God’s people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. Sadly, many have contented themselves in their respective Church of God sects and feel justified because they are meeting or easily surpassing the expectations of their sect. The massive lack of understanding is causing people to possess an idea of the Church of God that is inaccurate and unbiblical. As a result of being accepted by the norms of their sect, they feel themselves to be a part of God’s church. Yet if they were asked to compare their results to the results of the book of Acts, they would quickly try to find justifications as to why they are not producing such. Sadly, through the lens of comparative analysis, it is easy to justify oneself. Whenever a church is not producing what the apostles produced, there is a significant problem and it must be addressed. Anything less than apostolic production and glory is not the Church of God in its fullness.  

Concerning the Claims

Claim 1: Conditions of the Time

     This claim attempts to shift the responsibility away from the people and onto God, and this is problematic. First, God wants to pour out his glory. God does not at random decide He wants to raise the dead and open blinded eyes, but He responds to faith. Where faith is not being inspired and exercised God will not move. God wants to save, heal, and perform miracles, but He wants to know how much God’s people want His glory. Unfortunately, the vast majority content themselves with the little they possess. Second, in terms of the Church of God, the times do not make the church, but the church makes the time. The Church of God cannot be subjected or limited because of the conditions of our times. The Church must overcome the times regardless of what those times are like. Doubtless, overcoming such conditions is difficult. However, I am sure the apostles could have excused themselves from suffering great persecution if they were to succumb to the prevailing conditions. In each age, the Church must overcome great difficulties, but the standards for production do not change. The Church of God in this final age has the greatest light ever revealed, so if the standards for production have not changed, then ignorance, the conditions of the time, and an unwillingness on God’s part cannot be the plea for a lack in production. 

Claim 2: Compromise Has Hindered Production

     While I do not take much disagreement with the claim in a general context, there are some dangers with this one. Certainly, God will not manifest His glory through those who compromised the Word of God, but simply returning to traditional standards or avoiding compromise is not enough. There are numerous conservative Church of God sects who have compromised on standards and have little to no production of apostolic results. The problem is that they have rested in meeting sect-ish norms, the norms being that their sect has not bowed to compromising elements, but they have failed to demand and expect the results produced by Jesus Christ and the apostles. Summarily, compromise has hindered the church, but simply avoiding compromise will not produce apostolic glory. 

Claim 3: God is Working, Just Not Here

     The claim is that God may be manifesting great demonstrations of power in regions of the world unknown to us. Furthermore, because America held so much truth and has walked against it, God has moved on and is working in other regions. There are a few problems with this claim. First, this is simply a cop-out. Essentially, be careful to not let your expectations get you too carried away because despite your best efforts God has moved on. This is a method that lessens responsibility on the church and causes a lackadaisical attitude. Second, there is a false sense of security in this view because it acknowledges that God will do a work in the end-time, but it relieves many from the responsibility of rising up to the challenge of producing apostolic glory. Third, if the final earthquake is to be the greatest, then how could the effects only be felt in a few regions? The morning-time brethren shook the then-known world, the sixth seal shook the then-known world, and the seventh-seal must also shake our entire globe. 

Claim 4: No Apostolic Production, But We Are Contending For It

     I do not have a great deal of disagreement with this claim in theory, but I do believe there are a few elements of danger here as well. First, I know that the Church of God is battling a spirit of Laodicea and that none has been exempt from its effects. The Bible shows that even the wise virgins of Matthew 25 slumbered and slept. However, there must be a contending for the faith in actuality and not just in word. The first danger is in becoming comfortable with acknowledging the need for apostolic production while continually preaching that the saints must contend for it. Anyone can say they are contending for the faith, but God knows whether this is being done in reality. Many preachers are barking loudly from the pulpit, but they pose no threat to Satan’s domain in reality. There is a grave danger in saying there is contention for the faith once delivered to the saints while falling short to contend for it in practice. The second danger is in glorying in the results of yesteryear. Many believe that because they have seen marvelous manifestations of God in the past and they have not deviated from their core beliefs, they must be still contending for the faith. First, while God may have moved mightily in the 1980s in response to the faith of genuine saints of God, we must still acknowledge that the 1980s still did not compare to the results of the book of Acts. Glorying in the fact that God worked a half a century ago in a wonderful manner has its place, but it may too easily divert attention away from the real goal. Secondly, there is a generation that was not even born four decades ago and must still see evidence that God’s power is still among us. Third, preachers can make any loud proclamation they want from the pulpit, but until there is evidence of signs following the believers, they are just preachers among preachers. Preach that you are earnestly contending all you want, but may we see you produce what earnestly contending for the faith produces!

Claim 5: The Church of God is More Glorious Than Ever

     Admittedly, this has to be the most ridiculous claim. I have heard preachers actually get in the pulpit and claim that you should never question the church, and because the church is so beautiful you should never say anything that is perceived as negative about her. The honest translation would more accurately be as follows: The Church has produced nothing, but you should just not talk about it. Obviously, to any spiritually-minded soul with a vision, this is an absurd proposition. Claims like this come from a backslidden ministry that has nothing of any spiritual value. Without any reservations, that is rank Babylon and carries the awful stench of the Papal and Protestant spirit. There is no ministry, no group, no people who are exempt from questioning and being held accountable to the word of God. They do not want people to talk about “the church” because it may expose their hypocritical and evil regime. While they produce nothing, they want you to blindly follow them. To enumerate all the problems with this claim would take another whole post. There is only one message for those locked up in this bondage: come out of her!

Concerning Fellowships

     Fellowships are sects. Anyone who is a mere part of a fellowship is part of a Babylonian sect. It is the prayer of the writer that God begins to call people out of every fellowship. Fellowships play politics. Fellowships know not how to effectively deal with problems. Fellowships preserve the guilty and punish the innocent. Fellowships defend hypocrisy and denounce those who dare say anything about it. Fellowships will cover for their own and as long as one does not question the powers that be, then they are accepted in that fellowship. Fellowships do not produce apostolic glory. Fellowships are run by men and not the Holy Ghost. Fellowships call themselves Church of God. Fellowships send souls to hell. 

     As long as one is only a part of a fellowship, an arrival at Mt. Zion has not yet happened. The fellowships of this time have their own little, unwritten creeds. This is not to say that some of the content of the unwritten creeds is not biblical, but following those principles alone does not make one Church of God. There are the no-neck-tie fellowships. There the no-music-in-the-sanctuary fellowships. There are the no-exception-for-remarriage fellowships. There are exceptions-for-remarriage fellowships. There are the God-uses-doctors fellowships. There are the never-take-a-drop-of-medicine fellowships. Essentially, there is the Church of God of your choice available. In reality, while some of these fellowships may be right on many things, they do not produce what the Church of God produced in the morning-time. The Word of God is the standard and we must produce in accordance with that standard.

     While D.S. Warner was associated with the Winebrennerian Church of God, he fully believed they were right. In fact, he did not find any disagreement with them doctrinally, and he knew they had the right name. However, he came to realize that he was a part of nothing more than a sect. How did he reach this conclusion? Brother A.L. Byers writes this of Brother Warner in Birth of A Reformation, “He discovered, of course, the clash of this man-rule with the free, independent inclination of the Holy Spirit, by which he preferred to be led.” It is time to recognize that all of the fellowships are not being led solely by the Holy Ghost, but they are being led by men, and they are guided by systems of religion. The most that these fellowships have done is show the Church of God in theory, but they have not shown it in reality. 

     In answer to the question: yes, apostolic results should be expected. In fact, nothing less than apostolic results are to be expected. It is time for God’s people to descend to their knees in a uniform cry to God for the glory of the real Church of God and ascend to Mt. Zion. While the message of the sixth seal was to come out of Babylon and come to Mt. Zion, the seventh angel was told to prophesy again and that message has yet to be preached in its entirety. It is time to call people out of sectarianism (False Church of God fellowships) and up to Mt. Zion. Dear reader, do not dare settle for anything less and may our prayer be that we not only see the glory, but that God would allow us to experience the glory. It is time to turn aside the plate and rot before God until the glory comes down. Precious saints of God, pray that God sends his seventh-seal ministry out with power to herald the end-time message. Pray that God would gather the outcasts of Israel one last time to beckon to the call of that final message. Doubtless, God will have a glorious church without spot or wrinkle, but only one question remains: will you experience the real Church of God? Or will you only know of it in theory? If you remain in sectarianism (False Church of God) you will merely be Church of God in theory. The result will be eternal damnation. However, if take your stand with Mt. Zion, you will stand with the redeemed of all ages and hear “well done” at the final trumpet call.

 

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