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The Church
is not a group or organization of man but a divine institution
composed of every saved individual. In Acts 2:47 the scripture says,
“And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
Salvation is the redemption of sin through the blood of Christ. When
individuals repent and depart from iniquity, they become one with
the body of Jesus Christ – of whom Christ is the head (Eph 1:22-23).
Entrance into the glorious Church of God is not obtained through
joining a congregation or having a name written in a book here on
earth. “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the
body, as it hath pleased him” (I Cor. 12:18). Jesus said, “Verily,
verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep … I am the door:
by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and
out, and find pasture” (John 10:7,9).
Scripture after scripture supports the fact that the body is
composed of the saved. We are only saved through Jesus Christ.
Hence, man cannot put us into the church, nor can man put us out of
the church. Sin is what separates us from being part of the body of
Christ – the Church.
The Church is bigger than you and me. None of us have salvation to
offer except Christ. There are people who through Christ have been
born again and become new creatures. They may have never heard of
the ‘Church of God’ but they are members due to their experience of
salvation. On the other hand, there may be people going to a
congregation with a sign over the building ‘Church of God’ who are
not actually in God’s church if there is sin in their lives. Hence,
God’s church is the only Church that is pure and without sin – as it
is divinely composed of the pure and holy. This is why the ‘Church
of God,’ Mount Zion, reigns above all religious organizations of
man.
Clearly then, to be part of the Church of God, religious history and
past affiliations are relatively unimportant. Receiving material
from a particular congregation or group does not make one part of
the Church of God. Membership is only contingent upon a born again
experience. All the redeemed, the world over, are part of the true
Church.
Ephesians 4:4-6 states “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as
ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one
baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through
all, and in you all.” God is not a polygamist and has only one
Church. This should not be confusing when we understand, as
previously explained, what the church really is.
Some members in the body of Christ will not have attained all the
light and understanding that other members possess. It is God’s will
and purpose to draw each one through the Holy Spirit that we might
“...come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). As people grow in Christ, they
will come into a fuller awareness and understanding of the pure
doctrines of the Bible. Christ can never be separated from truth.
The visible body of Christ on earth is a group or a congregation of
believers who are openly unified in the oneness of God’s faith and
Spirit. Wherever the two witnesses - the Word and Spirit - are
having full freedom and right of way, there is the visible body.
Although there will often be tares among the wheat (Matthew
13:37-42), where the Word is being uncompromisingly taught and lived
in its fullness under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, that is the
visible body.
Therefore, it is possible for someone to be in the Church of God but
not be part of the visible body due to their fellowship of a false
system of religion and/or lack of doctrinal understanding. It is
God’s will for all to leave the systems of man’s religion and be
joined with other believers in the purity of doctrine and Spirit.
“Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins…”
(Revelation 18:4). When people fail to forsake the religious
organizations of man, their spiritual life usually quickly ebbs out
due to the influence of erroneous doctrine and lack of Holy Spirit
empowerment. If an individual chooses not to leave spiritual Babylon
once they have light on the subject, it is a case of disobedience to
God. The end result will be spiritual death. God continues to call
His people to unity in the oneness of His Spirit and faith.
God has one church; however, the visible body of Christ is not
dependent upon one’s knowledge of all other geographical
representations of the one body. Being part of the visible body is
not dependent upon what time period a congregation broke free from
others who were compromising – if such be the case. A congregation
is not part of the visibility just because of an association or
history, as the true test of visibility is the Word and Spirit. But
when people who are operating in the fullness of God meet, there is
a sweet fellowship of love, and unity should be the natural outcome.
Where there is a lack of unity, either the Word or the Spirit (or
both) is not having total liberty among one or both groups.
In the early 1900’s, there was an ignorant fisherman in Nigeria who
gave his heart to Jesus Christ. That made him a member of the Church
of God although he had never heard of the church. This man began to
minister and God revealed the wonderful, pure truths of the Bible to
him. A congregation was raised up which made them part of the
visible body of Christ, as the Word and Spirit were operating in
their full capacity. Subsequently, this brother came into contact with
some of the pioneer brethren from the Church of God reformation in
the United States. They were teaching the same thing and had the
same spirit. Both groups of people then were the visible body in
different locales. Once they made contact, there was a unity that
spontaneously flowed between them.
So, as we enter into the Church of God only through a heart
relationship with Christ, we enter into visibility only through the
working of God as well. Sometimes various professed Church of God
groups get in a tug of war saying, “Come to US.” The cry from God’s
true people should be to enter through the door of Jesus Christ and
forsake all false doctrines and man’s religion. The result will be
holiness and unity with God’s visible body on earth. God’s Church
should transcend culture, tradition, and history, and be founded on
the truth of the rock Christ Jesus.
A vision of the church is imperative to keep from becoming just
another denomination amongst many. Understanding this basic teaching
will keep God’s people from falling into the quagmire of Church of
God sectism. "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one
man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel:
only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach"
(Isaiah 4:1). Let all who profess to be in God's church partake of
the whole Word of God and be adorned with the holiness and
righteousness of Christ.
May the
Lord give all His people a greater vision of the wonderful Church of
God. May we die out in a greater way to our thoughts and opinions
and be joined together in the fullness of the Word and Spirit. Thank
the Lord for the glorious Church of God.
-Bro. Michael Smith
March 6, 2006 |
