The church of God is neither a denomination nor a human founded religious entity. It is all those who have been genuinely born to God through the blood of Jesus Christ (John 1:12-13, 1 Peter 1:23, Acts 20:28). It is a heavenly family (Eph. 2:5-6,19; Eph. 3:14-15). No human being, and no group of men, has the power to make you a member or to cancel your membership in God’s church thus excommunicating you. No human being has the powers or the ability to write another man’s name in the book of life in heaven (Luke 10:20; Exod. 32:32; Psa. 69:28;Psa.87:5-6; Philip, 4:3; Heb. 12:23; Rev. 13:8). Man can only make you a member or revoke your membership from what he has organized around himself and become a boss of. But God begets His children by giving them His life, which when nourished with His word, the food for the soul (Mat.4:4), grows into an openly discernible life of God (Godliness) in man. This is the holiness that we must acquire in order to be as holy as our heavenly Father (Math. 5:48; 1 Peter 1:15-16). God is holy. Therefore His life in man can only produce holiness in man.
God’s life in man is a result of receiving Jesus in us as He said: “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). When one has believed, and gets converted, one receives “Life”, that is Jesus Himself: “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). Further, in John 5:24, Jesus has declared: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life”. It is this truth that we hear again declared: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). When God’s life is thriving in us, we are putting Christ on display. In other words, it is God working in us. When God is working in us, we can declare with Paul “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). We know that a dog is what it is by the life it lives. So must we know a Christian by the life he lives. If he does not live like Christ, then he is not a Christian. If we do not do what Christ does, we do not have God’s life. This means I am not a Christian if Christ does not live and work in and through me, and I must not deceive others that I am one. Neither should the others let me deceive them that I am one.
This brings us to the point that all those who live like Christ are the church of God. It is the life of God that makes them the church of God and not just the name. And they cannot have the life of God (Jesus Christ) without the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:9). It follows that all those who are soaked and floating in the Spirit of God, walking in the Spirit, have one binding factor, the life of God that is seen by all the world and affects all the world. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Mat.5:16). Therefore, if we ourselves have the life of God, and then we see and experience the life of God in a person, we know that the person is one of us. We know we have the same life, and are an integral part of each other as members of the same body. It is then we must give each other the right hand of fellowship and live as members of the one church of God, the temple of God. “ And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph. 2:20-22). The habitation of God is truly His church here on earth. It happens in one simple way as Jesus said:”… If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (2 Cor. 6:16).
Since the days Jesus finished His redemptive work and sent down the Holy Ghost to empower us (Acts 1:8; Luke 24:49), the church of God has existed all through the centuries. It has not began with us. We only got added to this church when we were saved (Acts 2:47). Jesus made it very clear that He Himself was to be the only builder of His church (Math. 16:18). He builds it only through deliverance from sin and empowerment by the Holy Ghost, a thing that no man can do to another. All we can do is show this church to the world as we live the Christian life.
This is the church of God we are displaying to the world as we live Godly on this earth. It is all those who have submitted themselves to Jesus Christ and are living as His faithful holy servants in this world. We have the same character all over the world–the character of Jesus (1John 2:6). It is Jesus the Word, who has transformed us, creating us a new. “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph.4:24). How are we created a new? “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”(Eph.2:10). Once we have repented and wept, pleading with God to cleanse us from all our filthiness with the blood of His Son, we are forgiven of our committed sins. We must yield ourselves completely to God to obey His Word (Jesus) and be filled and led of His Spirit. From then we must allow Him to keep building grace after grace into us as He works in our lives to transform us into His image (2Cor.3:18; Rom.8:29). All who have taken these steps have been built on the proper foundation: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph.2:19-22). It is one undivided church that has neither spot nor wrinkle. We will not discriminate any one or segregate any holy child of God. Neither shall we apply our own measuring rod to determine whether you are a member of God’s church or not. The life of God in you, and in us, it’s open clear fruits, is the greatest evidence to all His children that they have a brother or a sister come to be with them for the glory of the Father.
Amen.
We stand against division and all its characteristics and norms.
Here in Kenya the individual Western missionaries came each preaching their own brand of the church of God and therefore brought to us an already sectarian kind of religion. With Sectarianism (Babylon), goes other evil things like avarice, pride, segregation, hatred, gossip, murder, lies, strife, vying, and so many other evil spirits that all make those particular sects what each one of them is. As a result, there are many “church of God(s)”, each competing and discriminating against the other on the basis of their different ideologies and convictions. Ideologies based on personal convictions need not divide us at all because each individual is raised from glory to glory by the Spirit according to each individual’s personal level of love for God, humility, hunger and strength of effort to reach out to God. Also, circumstances and environment may limit the speed, or hinder it, of personal spiritual growth into higher levels of consecration, faith and revelations from God. As an example, I personally was not able to study the word of God effectively for many years because I never had electricity in my residence. For years, I lived in a dark hut, lit only with a kerosene lamp. It was so small that I could not have a private study room. Also, during the day a lot of time that I would have allotted to prayer and study was lost in efforts to hunt for food, clothing and water. Nevertheless, I loved the Lord insomuch that I would wake up at 3 AM, light the dim kerosene lamp, pray and study the best I could before the day ushered in its distractions. I did not, and still do not, have means of transportation. So travelling from place to place took, and still takes, a long time. It was all I could do. But the Dear Lord has so much favored and blessed us insomuch that we are still enjoying the privileges of His Dear children. Despite all of this adversity in Mt. Kenya area, church of God congregations were planted. The apostasy that has befallen them is the individual’s fault in failing to seek, love and follow God with all his heart. Yet we knew not much of the many facets of truths known and lived in other nations like America and Canada. If we are judged by the standards of the communities where truth goes out fast, freely and easily, we would not be put in the class of the true church of God saints in America or other parts of the world. For the Americans and other well favored communities to divide from us because we do not know the truths they know would be discrimination, division and in fact segregation. On the other hand, cutting off some other people because God has revealed to you a truth they do not know is equally sinful. The criterion of acceptance should be the spirit one has and is driven by. The Spirit of God will lead a person to humbly pray and seek the truth of a matter until God stamps it on his heart as the truth (Acts 17:11). When God has clearly shown a person a truth, and the person rejects it, we know that person has rejected God. If we do not leave people this free, we will be their Holy Ghost to lead and rule them instead of God leading and ruling them as His subjects. And if we do not accept the babies into the family, we will certainly throw them “out with the bath water”. This way, divisions are created in the church of God, leading to the multiplicity of sects calling themselves “church of God”. This gives room to other spirits that have widened the gap so much that the name “church of God” is now used by so many that are a mere replication of Protestantism. We abhor this and so declare loudly that division of the saints of God because of ideologies and convictions is a preposterous sin. In the same tone, we condemn the practices of excommunication now in place in many factions of the church of God(s). We vehemently abhor this evil of division that has come up simply because men want to be the lords over others.
We have completely repented and died to all such and have forsaken these divisions only to stand as the ONLY ONE BODY OF CHRIST with those already connected to God. We have been “ risen with Christ” and we “ seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God” (Col.3:1). Our affections are “on things above” and “not on things on the earth”. We are “ alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:11). “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all (Col 3:10-11).
In order to be able to live only for Christ, we have given ourselves over to the leadership of the Holy Spirit and will not succumb to any other spirit. Given that the Holy Spirit will use the written word to lead us on doctrinal standards, we want only to be led of Him and taught of Him. We do not want to be bound by that which is not spelt in the bible, neither shall we bind any one with anything. Those who feel that the Holy Spirit is not enough to lead them will be bound by other spirits. But we are satisfied with His leadership for ourselves and for those others we are in fellowship with. We trust that this will be honored by all those indwelt by God. Of course we will hasten to add that God will use those whom He indwells to teach us, otherwise He would not give the gifts of teaching, knowledge and prophesy if He never wanted to use such gifted people. But we are sure that such men of God will only lift up Jesus Christ and not themselves. We will therefore look for Jesus in these people who come to us, and we want them also to look for Jesus in us. This is our stand, Dear Ones. If we are wrong, we stand to be corrected.
Obedience and docility to the Holy Ghost will result in each one of us being compacted into the One Body of Christ: “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1Cor.12:13). As long as we live holy by the power and help of the Holy Ghost, we are in the body of Christ. When we all meet we lift up Christ who sits as the head of His body. The Spiritual fellowship is just glorious among us and leaves no room for friction. But those who do not submit to Christ submit to a lord in another kingdom. Pride, the love of money, love of preeminence and love of pleasure have led some to being cut off from the Body of Christ. Such are in another or other kingdoms. “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned (John 15:6, see also Mt. 3:10; Mt. 7:19). When chopped off, the severed part dies off. We have so many dead brands of “church of Gods” that we can no longer stand the spiritual stench of them. Such ones cannot stand our fellowship because it burns them. We love them as human beings, and we want them saved, but they separate themselves from us to wallow in their sins as permitted in their brands of church. Sins separate from God (Isa. 59:2), who dwells in His temple, which we are. We do not cast the sinner away, but he himself cuts himself away as Judas did to go to betray Jesus and later hanged himself.
Our doctrine is the Word of God as written in the Bible, no more no less. The Word and Spirit of God binds us together with God and each other. We have no other basis of unity, but the word of God that abides in us (John 14:23). Obeying the will of God precipitates the love of God from heaven and He comes to indwell us (2 Cor. 6:16-18). Many of us being indwelt by the Only God makes us all One in Him. It cannot be otherwise. There should not be many “church of Gods” each claiming to be the only true church. It is wrong and derogatory to our Lord. He does not, and will not, have many wives. We must therefore clean ourselves of everything unbiblical that cuts ourselves, as individuals, from the other brethren and only stand by the Word of God. This will put us right in the courts of heaven as others standing on His word are. It makes us One in Him.
“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:27-28). “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:13). “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all” (Col. 3:9-11).
Only sin will put you out of the church of God. And you certainly know when you have sin in your heart that you are not a part of the family of God. “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness” (Isaiah 59:2-3). “And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood” (Isaiah 1:15). “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth” (John 9:31). “The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous” (prov. 15:29).
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