My Effort At the Gospel
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TOPIC: THE TRUE CHURCH OF GOD
If we believe in Christ, we should also believe what He says. Clearly what He says is always True (John 17:17) because God, His Father, Spoke through Him.
So what Church does God in Christ speak through today? Christ gave clear directions to His true Church in various places in the Bible. First of all, let's look at a couple of His warnings.
Knowing all things, He knew that there would be many who would come in His name claiming to represent Him (see Matt 24:4-5, Mark 13:5-6. note: Despite it being spoken in the context of the the end time, it is clear that throughout history, many have fit the description He gave. And notice, The King said that the false prophets would deceive MANY, i.e., not a FEW. Ask God in Jesus' name not to allow you to be deceived, and to endure the persecution that results when you are not deceived---the persecution that happens when you follow the Truth rather than the many).
How did He say you could tell what group is Right? In Matt. 7:15-18 He makes it very plain what the characteristics of His true Church are simply by pointing out what the characteristics of His Church are not. Why? Because he knew it would be the pretenders that would be the most common because "wide is the gate that leadeth to destruction"; it would be they whose organizations will be headed by false prophets and will produce evil works.
Clearly, He spoke of those who would be doing bad things in His name because in Matt. 7:21-23 He talks about the fact that they would sound and act like Christians, but are not because they work iniquity; despite what those false prophets and their followers APPEARED to be doing, ultimately the results of what they did told (and will tell) on them. Then the King will Reject them, as it is written.
If the results are bad, they are not of Him. If anyone comes claiming to be of Christ, and does bad things, they have profaned the Name of Christ, and have caused those who don't believe to both dread and hate His Name. Many so called churches have shed blood, destroyed families, ruined the lives of children, ignored oppression and racism, all while claiming to be followers of Christ.
Christ said in no uncertain terms, "I never knew you: depart from me ye that work iniquity." Who is He speaking of?
Those who work iniquity: those who claim to represent Christ yet they are child molesters, rapists, stealers of other people's spouses and liars, those who mistranslate or purposely add to His Word, those who lynch people or burn them at the stake or go to war in His Name, those who torture others in order to force their beliefs on them, those who observe rituals and holidays in Christ's Name that have been historically proven to be pagan and not found anywhere in the Bible.
Those same antichrists have historically persecuted His True Church (which was founded on the Pentecost and keeps the Passover which is the anniversary of His Death) and will in the future persecute those who observe the Holy Days He Himself Ordained; it is they who do every thing from taking bribes to stirring up their followers to do evil in His Name, etc; in other words, those who associate His Good and Holy Name with evil works, calling themselves Christian, yet their actions witness against them, as it is written.
It is they that Christ warned of in Matt. 7:15-18. If these words anger you, know that Christ is more angry and will soon reclaim His Holy Name from the people afore mentioned whom have slandered and profaned His Name before the eyes of the world!
The true Church that Christ founded obeys Him and as an organization, does no evil. The true Church that Christ founded has its anniversary on the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 2). This is when Saint Peter began to preach the Gospel.
This day continued to be kept as is indicated in Acts 20:16. Saint Paul endeavored to be in Jerusalem on that day because it was a Holy Day. Paul, as you should know, didn't come into God's Church until much later, thus, much later, God's true Church was still (and still is today) keeping the Pentecost, and when they keep it, it is done on the ONE day in the year that God designated back in Leviticus 23:5-16.
Notice Leviticus 23:5-11. God sets up the time period so as to leave no doubt: "In the fourteenth day of the first month (the Jewish first month, not January) at even is the LORD'S passover..."
The Passover is kept a day before the First Day of Unleavened Bread, and the the day after the Last Day of Unleavened Bread is when the count down to the Pentecost begins (vs. 11 tells when we are supposed to start to count the 7 sabbaths, i.e., 50 days---and one other note: God's Passover is on the 14th of that first Jewish month, as is written---see Leviticus 23:5 ---and not the 15th as kept by the Jews today). Jesus also was crucified on the Passover and of course several weeks later on the day of the Pentecost was the founding of His Church.
The Pentecost is one of the signs of God's Church, and those who have kept it faithfully and whole heartedly, and also believe that Christ is the Son of God, have never hurt anyone or persecuted anyone. These are the fruits of those who truly obey Christ and believe what He says. The Pentecost cannot be known unless one also knows the Days of Unleavened Bread, because the Pentecost (also known as The Feast of Weeks or The Feast of The First Fruits) is kept exactly 50 days after the Last Day of Unleavened Bread (hence the name PENTEcost).
Again, the only way one could keep the Pentecost is to acknowledge the Days of Unleavened Bread and also the Passover which precedes the First Day of Unleavened Bread. Of course in doing all of this, one must acknowledge the Old Testament because instructions about the Pentecost are in the Old Testament (Leviticus 23:4-22---Notice God says with his own mouth in vs. 4, "these are the Feasts of the Lord...," and He did not say the Feasts of the Jews or Israelis).
It is no coincidence that Christ founded His Church on the Pentecost, just like it is no coincidence that He was betrayed and taken (like the Passover lamb of Exodus 12:5-6---see also John 1:29 and 36) and subsequently killed on the Passover (Luke 22:13-16 describes what happened Passover eve; that following morning He was taken by the persecutors and that afternoon crucified, a little later he was hastily buried before sunset because that sunset was the start of the First Day of Unleavened Bread which was a Rest Day).
And referring back to the Old Testament, you will see that after the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread come the Pentecost. In Acts 2, the events that happened did happen on the Pentecost after Christ's death. Symbolism is important to man, but it is even more important to God.
Thus His Church was not only founded on the Pentecost, but persecutes no one, imposes its will on no one and destroys nothing, putting its faith in Christ.
