Editorial
The Rise of Church of God Sects
Is this Bible Unity?
1880 marks a great epoch in time when God would fulfill his prophecy by gathering His sheep from the sects of man, come to one fold under one shepherd. But shortly after this great move of God we also see the spiritual decline and eventual apostasy of a great movement that spun off many church of God sects. They are the no sect, sects groups and little kingdom movements. The call is now for the "come outers to come out".
These man rule pre-eminence spirits began to break off from the Main body and you and I have inherited this mess to day. The Main Body is The Church of God according to the New Testament which the Apostles and Jesus Christ our Lord built and shed his own blood for. See Acts20:28-32
Now I will state right from the outset, that I'm not for union, uniformity, ecumenicalism, and any other unity that is not biblical and I do understand that some have gone beyond the hope of recovery. Here in this teaching I have attempted to bring to the front, the need of restoration and the issues that divide God's people.
In connection with his prayer for oneness, the Savior prayed the Father to sanctify the disciples and all that would believe on him through their word, "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one". (John 17: 22, 23) Sanctification, perfection, or the glory of Christ, each relates to the same experience, and this makes God's children one. "For both he that sanctified and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren"(Heb.2:11).
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 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 fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4: 11-13).
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (I Peter 1: 18, 19).
The bible says he gave the ministry for the edifying (building up) of the body of Christ. We are baptized into one body, not two bodies, or three bodies. There is only one body. All of these faction is not, and cannot be the body of Christ. There is only one body. This is the first realization that one must come to in order to begin to see restoration. Restoration is not union. The chart below will illustrate the point.
Read: 1Corinthian 1:9-13 Now this I say, that everyone of you saith, I am of (church of God, Reformation Movement; church of God Pastor's Fellowship; church of God Evening Light; church of God West Middlesex; German Church of God; church of God Universal; church of God Incorporated; church of God One Work; church of God two works; church of God 7th Seal; and etc. This is pretty much the summation of the spiritual mess of today.
The ultimate question: Is Christ divided? Were these movement or groups or sects; crucified for you? 1Corinthian 3:1-14, verse 3 of the above scripture says we are yet carnal if we practice division, and walk as men. Read also the rest of these verses to our own condemnation. Where is the message against carnality? How can we preach a message against carnality if we are practicing division? The very seat of carnality is division. In most cases people can't preach or teach the fruits of the Spirit because they are sitting in the same seat of carnality and division, along side of the other catalog works of the flesh. Just in case you forgot, let me remind you of what the works of the flesh is.
In Galatians 5:12-21 the bible says, now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Just a few things to point out and take note of; fornication: because you have joined yourself to these movement, groups and sects. idolatry: because they were set up by man and not God, strife; because they assassinate the character of each other, seditions; because you urge people to rebel against the leadership of Christ and the Holy Ghost to join your man made movements heresies; because in many cases they are teaching lies and not the word of God, and murder; because the lack of love towards your brother.
If you are dividing God's People you have a sectarian spirit, and that is carnality. Is not that what we tell Babylonian ministers and lay peoples? Are you doing the same thing? It is one thing in how we see Jesus, but another thing in how He sees us. Ask yourself am I really the Church of God of the New Testament, or am I just a Church of God sect. The quotes above from D.S. Warner own writings are a message within itself. Some of you may feel that according to today's thinking that he is a Apostate. Is not this the man that God used mightily to launch the Evening Light Reformation, which we all say that we are a product of? That quote worked then, what is wrong with it now. I'm sure if it were possible He would be spinning in his grave at these conditions that exist among us.
The circles above denote a terrible condition of division among church of God people so called. I had to think about it for a while before I put that divisional chart on the web site and printed page. You may say, why? I'm embarrassed before the sectarian people who are mocking the glorious name “Church of God”. But the conditions us are so bad that it merit this kind of response.
But I must say it also shows us the one body (church) bride of Christ, and the church of God sects. After plainly seeing this, my friend, there is only one message for you, “Come out of her my People”.
Jesus Warning to the Ministry
Matthew 24:42-51
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the Goodman (The Ministry) of the house (Church of God) had known in what watch the thief (The Devil) would come, he (the Ministry) would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up (divided) Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh, Who then is a faithful and wise servant, (Minister) whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, (The Church of God) to give them meat (the word of God) in due season?
Blessed is that servant, (Minister) whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. But and if that evil servant (Minister)shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellow servant, and to eat and drink with the drunken; (Act the same way the sectarian do) The Lord of that servant (Minister) shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, (divide you, or cut you off) and appoint him (that minister) his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
I write these things in love and to provoke you to love and good works. "I had to come out of my confusion too"
Does your test of fellowship match the bible test of fellowship? See 1john 1:1-9
See 1John 2:1-11
The Challenge of the Hour is to Come out of your groups and movements, Come out your comfort zone, Come out of your clicks, Come out of your sect, Come out of religious confusion. God is not the author of it. 1 Corinthian 14:33. Seek the real Church of God experience. If you add up all the people in those boxes and compare them with the percentage of the 6 billion in the world, your common sense would tell you that if these only make up the church of God then we are in great trouble. But in Revelation 7th chapter it is said in the 9th verse there was a number that no man could number clothed in white robes with palms in their hands, these are they that came out of great tribulation (apostate conditions)
The Evening Light Apostasy Chart
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