Category Archives: The Church of God
Our Submission to God’s Church
The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord; she is his new creation by water and the Word. From heav’n He came and sought her to be His holy bride; with His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.
As we were singing this hymn, we saw a wonderful important connection in reference to Gods church that it is upon the foundation of Jesus Christ her Lord that there is one Lord, one faith, one birth and partaking of one holy food.
We often sing these words, but the practise of those words is often missing by many professed Christians. The theme of this divine service is our submission to Gods church. From one sabbath to another, we have been researching into Gods word in reference to righteousness by faith which we have seen is righteousness by love. That obedience, righteousness is to be motivated by nothing else but love that works, a faith that works by love. A love that is kindled by God giving His own Son to save us wretched sinners.
The Selfless Entity of God’s Church
John Thiel, Beholding Christ Series, Part 13, mp3
Scripture Reading: John 7:16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. 17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or [whether] I speak of myself. 18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
Do you know where Gods church is? Are we not in the fold of the flock? Are we not being fed? Why do we need to ask this question? The question we are asking is to deal with the idea of whether we believe and say we are the church to others. What is the true entity of Gods church? How can Gods church be identified as such a terrible time as this where every generation that has passed there is a church that has been left out of that generation where it’s not Gods church anymore whereas it was once upon a time? How do we identify the true condition of Gods true church? The church on earth is identified. The church is identified as the body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
As the true people of God are members of the body of Christ they are admonished;
Colossians 2:18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Read the rest of this entry
Church Organisation and Discipline
By James White
The various forms of organization and church government existing in the several religious bodies of our time, is evidence that church organization and discipline are subjects upon which great and good men have differed. The testimony of the Bible, therefore, especially of the New Testament, must be allowed to decide then subjects of vast importance to the prosperity of the church. In no one chapter or book of the New Testament, has Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, James, or Jude, written out a complete system of Christian discipline, giving the positions and duties of the several officers of the church. Read the rest of this entry
“We are not saved as a sect; no denominational name has any virtue”
By John Thiel
Isaiah 65:15 And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:
Not by its name, but by its fruit, is the value of a tree determined. If the fruit is worthless, the name cannot save the tree from destruction. DA p.107
We are not saved as a sect; no denominational name has any virtue to bring us into favor with God. We are saved individually as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. And “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” We may have our names recorded on the books of the most spiritual of the churches, and yet we may not belong to Christ, and our names may not be written on the Lamb’s book of life. RH, February 10, 1891 par. 5} Read the rest of this entry
Lo, I Am With You Alway
By John Thiel, mp3
While Jesus was physically with the little flock of His disciples, 2,000 years ago, He made a promise.
John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. 20 At that day ye shall know that I [am] in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. … 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, 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.
“I will not leave you comfortless; I will come and make my abode with you.” This includes the Holy Spirit and the Father. Was Jesus desiring that His disciples would be comforted? He made those words very clear in Matthew 28. As He gave them their commission, He concluded in verse 20: Read the rest of this entry
The Principle of Identifying God’s Church
By John Thiel
John 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Christ says neither in this mountain nor in the other mountain but in spirit and in truth will we worship Him. He identifies so clearly the change of position of place of worship and manner of worship. He comes down to our time through Old Testament prophecy and identifies our position the same way.
God has a church, it is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment, neither is it the various denominations. It is the people who love God and keep his commandment, where two or three are gathered in my name there am I in the midst of them. When Christ is even among the humble few this is Christ’s church for the presence of the High and Holy One who inhabiteth eternity can alone constitute a church. Upward Look p. 315.4
I would like to contemplate the very important ingredient in understanding the principle of identity of God’s Church. Not identifying God’s church, but the principle of the identity of God’s Church. If we believe that our church is the right church and we haven’t got the identity right then we can believe all we like that it is the right church when it isn’t at all. What is the principle that identifies God’s Church on earth? Let us observe the encounter that Jesus Christ had with the woman of Samaria;
John 4:19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth. Read the rest of this entry
Our Credentials
By John Thiel
The church was launched by Jesus Christ himself.
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort [you] that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
This is our mandate from that time on through to our time. The spirit of prophecy makes a meaningful proposition;
Christ gave this commission to His disciples as His chief ministers, the architects who were to lay the foundation of His church. He laid upon them, and upon all who should succeed them as His ministers, the charge of handing His gospel down from generation to generation, from age to age. {8T 14.3} Read the rest of this entry
The Church of God
By John Thiel
Throughout the ages God’s church has always remained the same. Unconquerable and one day it will stand as strong as a mountain. Although the Church of God is pressing steadily towards the mark of becoming the church triumphant, the Bible warns us that the church faces great perils at this time because we are now living in the most perilous time of the earth’s history. The reason why the perils of our time are so great is because they have an unconscious effect upon mind that unless revealed to us through God’s appointed agents in His church, the perils will deceive even the very elect. It is for this reason that the Laodicean message is given as you say you are rich and increased with goods because you have it all and yet you do not know how wretched, blind, miserable poor and naked you really are.
Christ looks mournfully upon His professed people who feel rich and increased in the knowledge of the truth, and who are yet destitute of the truth in life and character, and unconscious of their destitute condition. {TDG 228.2}
What a perfect display of this meaning, increased with a knowledge of the truth and yet destitute of the truth in life and character. Let me explain this further with an illustration; many children learn their times tables at school perfectly, but when they have to actually apply their times tables to a practical problem, they can’t do it. They may tell their teacher that they know it all off by heart, but in reality the situation is quite different. This is a condition that we’re in danger of falling into; a condition where the mind has become so deteriorated, simple Godliness is not discerned. It is this condition that we will deal with in relation to the topic of the Church of God. Read the rest of this entry
The Church of God and its Role in Our Lives
By John Thiel
Why you are attending church today? What is your reason for being here and for being a member of this church? In Christianity in general there are many reasons why people want to become part of a church but the main reason is for social interaction. The human race is a web of human interaction and this is the predominant reason for church fellowship. In this respect, the reason for church is for a sense of well being. We like to have a lovely sense that we are Christians. But there is also another reason why people attend church. It is so that they can teach someone else something – they can teach others and this activity in itself becomes a missionary motivation. People also attend church because they want to provide a certain environment for their children or because they want to stand different to other people. Very few people are conscious of the real purpose for being part of God’s church. In Ephesians we find the real reason for attending church and being part of it. I place it before you carefully to see if this is the reason why you want to attend:
Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Church leadership is identified.
Ephesians 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, (this is the purpose) for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all 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 fulness of Christ:
Did you pick up the reason for being part of this church?
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
The real purpose for being part of God’s church is that you would change. You can’t remain the same person that you are at this present time. To be part of God’s church requires you to become changed from the person you are now into a perfect person. This process requires cleansing and experiences that will change your personality. Are you happy being the kind of person you are right now? Some people are. They think to themselves I am very well just the way I am thank you very much. Read the rest of this entry
The Requisites to Join the Church Triumphant
By John Thiel, mp3
Philippians 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
To become a member of God’s church there is a preparation and an attainment of standards and an agreement with the faith. Then upon profession of faith and baptism there is an acceptance by the church and then we join. But joining that church we are told:
He has a church, but it is the church militant, not the church triumphant. TM 45.
Our studies of the past have shown that the church triumphant is that of the remnant. Read the rest of this entry
Recognising God’s Church
By John Thiel, mp3
Scripture reading: Jeremiah 6:2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate [woman]. 3 The shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch [their] tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his place. Read the rest of this entry
The Theatre of His Grace
By John Thiel
We are to remind ourselves why we are in the church and why we should be part of a church. Why we are going through the experiences we are going through in all our various circumstances? What is happening to me? What is happening to us? Before we became connected with the church many of us had a carefree life of enjoyment. We didn’t pay so much attention to the things we did wrong because we didn’t even know how wrong we were.
The church is the theater of his grace, in which he delights in making experiments of mercy on human hearts. The Holy Spirit is his representative, and it works to effect transformations so wonderful that angels look upon them with astonishment and joy. Heaven is full of rejoicing when the members of the human family are seen to be full of compassion for one another, loving one another as Christ has loved them. The church is God’s fortress, his city of refuge, which he holds in a revolted world. Any betrayal of her sacred trust is treachery to him who has bought her with the precious blood of his only begotten Son. {PH154 18.2}
We are reminded that the church is the theatre of his grace or the operating theatre, his hospital in which he delights in making experiments on human hearts. Read the rest of this entry
Out of the Common Order of Things
By John Thiel
Scripture Reading: Romans 9:27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 28 For he will finish the work, and cut [it] short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. Read the rest of this entry
Obey Them That Have the Rule Over You
By John Thiel, mp3
Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Inspiration shows us that this scripture has a very wide scope of meaning.
Parents are entitled to a degree of love and respect which is due to no other person. God Himself, who has placed upon them a responsibility for the souls committed to their charge, has ordained that during the earlier years of life, parents shall stand in the place of God to their children. And he who rejects the rightful authority of his parents is rejecting the authority of God. It also enjoins respect for ministers and rulers and for all others to whom God has delegated authority. {PP 308.2}
This, says the apostle, “is the first commandment with promise.” Ephesians 6:2. To Israel, expecting soon to enter Canaan, it was a pledge to the obedient, of long life in that good land; but it has a wider meaning, including all the Israel of God, and promising eternal life upon the earth when it shall be freed from the curse of sin. {PP 308.3} Read the rest of this entry
God’s Help for the Remnant
By John Thiel, mp3
We will meditate on Gods wonderful help to the remnant. It’s fascinating to observe the words of Jesus when he was with his little church on earth as he spoke these words to this little company. Read the rest of this entry
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