The Hidden
Remnant
Apostolic Church
Originally there was only One Church that our Lord
Jesus Christ established and built through the power of the Holy Spirit on the
Day of Pentecost (Mt. 16:18; Acts 2:47). The first Apostolic Church in
Jerusalem consisted of about 120 members who were all Jews (Acts 1:15;
2:5). Our Lord Jesus Christ had intimated to His disciples, “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them
also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and
one shepherd.” (Jn. 10:16) Our
Lord was talking about the Gentiles as the “other sheep” whom He would bring together with
the Jewish believers to form One Church under His headship. (Eph. 2:11-22; Gal. 3:26-29; 1 Cor.
12:12-14; Acts 15:14-17; 16:4-5).
Schism and
Divisions in the Church
When the Early Apostolic Church was first established
all the believers were in one accord. “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in
common.” (Acts 2:44) “Now the multitude
of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say
that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in
common.” (Acts 4:32) Here
you see “agape love” in
action.
Not too many years later there were divisions within the
Corinthian Church (1 Cor. 1:10-13).
Over the centuries the Church had lost much of the truths that were given by the Lord Jesus Christ and preached by the Apostles.
There was no longer any unity in the Church as it splintered into
hundreds of denominations.
Denominationalism is not spiritual but carnal (1 Cor. 3:1-4). “There
should be no schism in the Body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12:25).
For centuries the Christian Church has been chaotic and
in a state of disarray. Instead of the
One Church as in the time of the apostles there are now hundreds of
denominations all over the world. To
add to the confusion some denominations contest against one another; others
claim to be the only true church and at the same time denounce all others as
false churches or cults. This adds
greater animosity and mutual resentment amongst Christians. The Bible states: “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in
all the churches of the saints.” (1 Cor. 14:33) Is there a way we can clear through this entangled web
of false religiosity? Yes, it is found
only through the Word of God - the Holy Bible.
Israel and the
Church must keep God’s Covenants
In the Old Testament time Israel became the chosen
people that is based on God’s covenant with them. “Now therefore, if you will
indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure
to Me above all people; for the earth is Mine.
And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words you shall speak to the
children of Israel.” (Ex. 19:5-6) In
the New Testament time God also made a covenant with the Church. “Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority
has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age. Amen.” (Mt. 28:18-20).
The Hidden
Remnant in the History of Israel
In the history of Israel a remnant may be discerned, a
spiritual Israel within the national Israel. In Elijah's time 7000 had not
bowed the knee to Baal (1 Kings 19:18; Rom. 11:4). In Isaiah's time it was the "very
small remnant" for whose sake God did not destroy the
nation (Isaiah 1:9). During the captivities the remnant appeared in godly
persons like Esther, Mordecai, Ezekiel, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego. At the end of the seventy
years of Babylonian captivity it was the remnant that returned under Ezra and
Nehemiah. A
godly remnant of Jews would return to Jerusalem to rebuild: first the temple,
and later the walls and the city. This took place under the leadership of
outstanding godly individuals: Nehemiah, Ezra, Haggai, Zerubbabel, et al. This
returning group is considered "only a
remnant" (Hag. 1:12, 14; 2:2, Zech. 8:6, 11f).
The Old Testament closes with the Book of Malachi who addresses God's final
redemption of Israel. Malachi's admonition resulted in a remnant responding by
writing their names in a book of remembrance:
The Hidden Remnant in the New Testament Time
At the time of our Lord Jesus Christ, John the Baptist,
Simeon, Anna, and "those who looked for
redemption in Jerusalem" were the remnant (Lk. 2:38). During the New Testament time the remnant
is composed of believing Jews (Rom. 11:4-5). But an important aspect of the
remnant is prophetic. During the End Time a remnant out of all Israel will turn
to the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah (Rom. 11:25-27).
The historical mainline churches insist they are the
ones that compose the legitimate Christian Church, drawing support from
Christ’s statement that “on this rock I will
build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Mt.
16:18) They deny the Church had ever fallen. What they fail to realize is that the
Lord’s promise is based solely on the condition that the Church must be built “on this rock” which symbolizes the Lord Jesus
Christ (1 Cor. 10:4) and also practices His teachings (Mt. 7:24-25). There is a marked difference between their
doctrines and what the Early Apostolic Church had taught. The historical mainline churches are no
longer the same Church as the original Apostolic Church.
In His parable of the Wheat and the Tares our Lord
Jesus Christ explained, “He who sows the
good seed is the Son of Man. The field is
the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the
sons of the wicked one. The enemy who
sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are
the angels.” (Mt. 13:37-39) Jesus
also said, “Let both grow together until the
harvest.” (Mt. 13:30) From
this parable we can see that both true and false believers exist within the
Church (Gal. 2:4). “But, as he who was born according to the flesh then
persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.” (Gal.
4:29) True believers would
be persecuted by the false brethren.
The Church had Fallen at the End of the First Century
The original Apostolic Church was established in A.D.
33, ten days after the Lord’s ascension to heaven. In A.D. 70 the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem and the
temple. From that time onwards it is
doubtful whether the Church still existed in that city (Acts 8:1; Gal.
1:18-19). By the year A.D. 96 when the
apostle John was exiled in the island of Patmos God showed him visions of the
seven churches in Asia Minor. Every one of them had faults, some worse than others, but they also have good points.
The seven churches in John’s vision were actual
churches in the cities mentioned. They
are representative of all the churches of that time, as well as churches in all
subsequent generations that include the present one.
The Hidden
Remnant within the Apostate Church
In the Old Testament time there was only one Israel,
and so in the New Testament time there is also only One Church. Throughout the Holy Bible you cannot find any teaching or concept such as true and false churches.
The reason is because the Church (Greek - Ekklesia) is a mixed assembly of people who are good as well as bad and they will only to be separated by the angels at “the end of the age.” (Mt. 13:47-50) Our Lord Jesus Christ said there are “true
worshipers” (Jn. 4:23-24) and the apostle Paul wrote about “false brethren” (Gal. 2:4). In His parable of the wheat and the tares our
Lord said, “Let both grow together until the
harvest,” then they will be separated at “the end of the age.” (Mt. 13:24-30, 36-43). Every
congregation has its good and bad points.
There are good believers in the worst congregation; and bad believers in
even the best congregation.
In the Book of Revelation every one of the seven
congregations have imperfections and faults as well as virtues and good
points.
The Church in Ephesus had false
apostles and had left their “first love.” (Rev.
2:2,4) The Lord commended them, “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and you
cannot bear those who are evil. . . . and you have persevered and have
patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.” (Rev.
2:2-3)
The Church in Smyrna was
associated with “the blasphemy of those who
say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan” (Rev.
2:9) yet Jesus encouraged them to “be
faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev.
2:9-10)
The Church in Pergamos
is “where Satan’s throne is” (Rev.
2:13). They held the doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaitans,
ate things sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality (Rev.
2:14-15). The Lord promised them, “To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna
to eat. And I will give him a white
stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who
receives it. (Rev. 2:13, 17)
The Church in Thyatira
allowed “that woman Jezebel, who calls
herself a prophetess, to teach and beguile My servants to commit sexual
immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols.” (Rev. 2:20). Jesus promised, “But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works
until the end, to him I will give power over the nations.” (Rev.
2:25-26)
The Church in Sardis
had a name that showed they were alive but they were actually dead (Rev.
3:1). Jesus told them, “I have not found your works perfect before God.” (Rev.
3:2) They had this promise from the
Lord, “You have a few names even in Sardis
who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for
they are worthy. He who overcomes shall
be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of
Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” (Rev.
3:4-5)
The Church in Philadelphia
also had “those of the synagogue of Satan,
who say they are Jews and are not, but lie.” (Rev. 3:9) Jesus gave them this promise, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will
keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test
those who dwell on the earth. Behold I
come quickly! Hold fast what you have,
that no one may take your crown. He who
overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go
out no more. And I will write on him
the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which
comes down out of heaven from My God.
And I will write on him My new name.” (Rev. 3:10-12)
The Church in Laodicea
was “neither cold nor hot.” (Rev.
3:15-16) It boasted “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing –
and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.” (Rev.
3:17-18). Here is the Lord Jesus Christ’s
promise to them “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit
with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His
throne. He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Rev. 32:19-22)
In each of the seven churches there are good as well as
bad believers who are part of the One Apostate Church. They represent all the
congregations in the One Church. Today
we can see many congregations that are really evil and do not seem to repent,
and yet God allows them to exist until the end of the age when they will be
judged. We can understand our Lord
Jesus Christ’s statement, “Not everyone who
says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the
will of My Father in heaven. Many will
say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast
out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And I will declare to them, ‘I never knew
you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Mt. 7:21-23)
Restoration of
the Apostolic Truths in the End Time
The apostle Paul had warned the Christians in his time,
“For I have not shunned to declare to you
the whole counsel of God. Therefore
take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made
you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own
blood. For I know this, that after my
departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up,
speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.” (Acts
20:28-30) Much of the truths
that were given by the Lord Jesus Christ to the Apostles have been lost over
the centuries.
It is gratifying to know that before the Lord’s Second
Coming all the truths that were lost would be restored. “But
those things which God foretold by the mouths of all the prophets, that the
Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so
that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He
may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive
until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth
of all His holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:18-21)
The most significant restoration of Christian truth in
the End Time is the One True God in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Like the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost the Modern Pentecostal Movement
began in Topeka, Kansas, U.S.A. on January 1, 1901. Baptism of the
Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues began to be preached
in several countries after missionaries were sent out from the Apostolic Faith
Mission on Azusa Street in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. Another important truth Baptism into the Lord
Jesus Christ was revealed to the true ministers of God. Other important church sacraments such as Holy Communion
and Washing of Feet
were restored to the congregations that sought after the truth. Observance of the Seventh Day
Sabbath has become an international movement. There is now wide interest in the Ten
Commandments following the controversy over the monument in Montgomery,
Alabama, U.S.A. True believers need to
practice Holiness and
Sanctification before the Lord’s Second Coming therefore they must get out
of the Apostate Church.
The Hidden
Remnant must Get out of the Apostate Church
“After
these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great
authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice,
saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a habitation of
demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated
bird! For all the nations have drunk of
the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed
fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through
the abundance of her luxury.’ And I
heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her
sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her
iniquities.” (Rev. 18:1-5)
The key to understanding
this prophecy is to recognize what is “Babylon
the great.” “Babylon” is a Greek word
meaning confusion. It is derived
from the Hebrew word “Babel, because there the
LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered
them abroad over the face of all the earth.” (Gen. 11:9)
In Genesis “Babylon” represents man’s rebellious godless
religion. “And they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a
tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be
scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Gen. 11:4)
In Revelation “Babylon the great” represents false religion,
especially apostate Christianity that had been infused with paganism. The Babylonian religion is polytheism, the
belief in multiple gods. In contrast
with false religion, the true religion - Christian monotheism is the belief of the One True God in the
Lord Jesus Christ. The ancient
Babylonian worship of the sun god is an abomination to the One True God (Ezk.
8:15-18). Worship on Sunday has its
origin in Sun
Worship. Many of the so-called
Christian holydays such as Christmas, Easter,
etc also have their origins from the pagan Sun Worship.
“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a habitation of
demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated
bird!” Satan has his civil government
on earth. He gave it "his power, and his seat, and great authority"
(Rev. 13:1-2). He also has an organized religion as his instrument in deceiving
the world. The apostle Paul wrote that
Satan had transformed himself into an "angel of light." He had his ministers disguised themselves as ministers of
righteousness, but they were actually “false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves
into ministers of Christ.” (2 Cor. 11:13-15)
Just look at the confusion
in Christendom today with all the hundreds of denominations and you will see “Babylon the great” fits this chaotic situation very well. God calls all true believers to “come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you
receive of her plagues.” True
believers cannot be in the same congregation as ungodly people.
“Do
not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what has a believer with an
unbeliever? And what agreement has the
temple of God with idols? For you are
the temple of the living God. As God
has said: ‘I will dwell in them and
walk among them. I will be their God,
and they will be My people.’ Therefore,
come out from among them and be separate, says the LORD. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will
receive you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.”
(2 Cor. 6:14-18)
The Hidden Remnant
Apostolic Church consists of true believers who have come out of the Apostate
Church. God will bring them together.
The Hidden Remnant keeps the Commandments of God
Our Lord also prophesied that in the End Time “then many will be offended, will betray one another, and
will hate one another. Then many false
prophets will rise up and deceive many.
And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”
(Mt. 24:10-12) Lawlessness means without the Law of
God. Daniel prophesied the Antichrist "shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time." (Dan. 7:25) The only law that is time-sensitive which has been radically changed since the Lord's first advent is the Fourth Commandment - observance of the Seventh Day Sabbath. False Christianity teaches one needs only to keep nine of the Ten Commandments. The apostle Paul prophesied that during the End Time the Antichrist called “the
lawless one” will be revealed (2 Thes. 2:1-12). The lawless one is sent by the devil who has
come down to this earth, having a great
wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” (Rev. 12:12)
“Now
when the dragon saw that he has been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman
who gave birth to the male child. But
the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the
wilderness to her place where she is nourished for a time and times and half a
time, from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his
mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away
by the flood. But the earth helped the
woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the
dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And
the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of
her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ.” (Rev. 12:13-17)
This prophecy is not too
difficult to interpret. The “dragon” is the devil (Rev. 12:9). The “woman” symbolizes the original Apostolic Church (Eph.
5:22-33). The “male child” represents church members. “Two
wings of a great eagle” represents Gods protective care through
spiritual revival (Ex. 19:4; Isa. 40:31).
The “wilderness” is the
safe haven where God gives providential care (Deut. 2:7), guidance (Psm.
78:52), and miraculous acts (Psm. 78:15-16). “The rest of her offspring” represents
the Hidden Remnant Apostolic Church in the End Time. They are the ones “who keep
the commandments of God
and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
“The testimony of Jesus Christ” is “the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10). “Here is the patience of the saints; here
are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” (Rev.
14:12) “Blessed are those who do His
commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter
through the gates into the city.” (Rev. 22:14)
The Hidden
Remnant Apostolic Church is the Hidden Treasure
The Hidden Remnant
Apostolic Church consists of true believers who have come out of the Apostate
Church because they love God and keep His commandments (1 Jn. 3:21-24; 5:2-3). They had been under severe persecution and
great tribulation (Mt. 24:9-10; Acts 14:22).
The apostle John saw the vision of “a
great multitude which no one could number of all nations, tribes, peoples, and
tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice,
saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!
. . . Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in
white robes, and where did they come from?
And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’
So he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of a great
tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb.” (Rev. 7:9-14)
“These
are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb
wherever He goes. These were redeemed
from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile, for
they are without fault before the throne of God.” (Rev. 14:4-5)
The Hidden
Remnant Apostolic Church is the Hidden Treasure in our Lord Jesus Christ’s
parable.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a
field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all
that he has and buys that field.” (Mt. 13:44)
The One
True God said, “Now therefore, if you will
indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all the people; for all the earth is Mine. . .”
(Ex. 19:5) The Hidden
Remnant Apostolic Church is God’s “treasure
hidden in a field” because she obeys the voice of God and keeps His
commandments. The field is the world (Mt. 13:38). The man in the Lord’s parable is our Lord
Jesus Christ who found the treasure and hid it. The treasure is hidden for its own protection.
Around 925
B.C. when King Ahab misled Israel to worship the false god Baal, the One True God
hid the prophet Elijah and one hundred other true prophets and protected them against
the false religion (1 Kn. 16:30-33; 17:1-6; 18:13). God told Elijah, “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose
knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (1 Kn.
19:18) The apostle Paul wrote:
“Even so then, at this present time there is
a remnant according to the election of grace.” (Rom. 11:3-5) Paul was writing about the Hidden
Remnant Apostolic Church in his time.
In the
apostle John’s vision the woman who symbolizes the Hidden Remnant Apostolic Church
was also hidden and protected from the dragon (Rev. 12:13-17).
Let us now
go back to the Lord’s parable. “. . .and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has
and buys that field.” The man
is the Lord Jesus Christ who rejoices when He found the treasure, like the Good
Shepherd who found the lost sheep (Lk. 15:4-7). This man “sells all that he
has and buys that field” means the Lord Jesus Christ gave away
everything that He had, indeed His whole life and His precious blood to
purchase the field that has the hidden treasure. “For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting life.” (Jn. 3:16)
“For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and
in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Cor. 6:20). "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." (Acts 20:28)
To our
Lord Jesus Christ the Hidden Remnant Apostolic Church is the Hidden Treasure. In the Lord’s parable He did not say the
Hidden Treasure would be openly revealed to the world. There will not be any public announcements
in the world’s media that the Lord Jesus Christ has found this treasure. You will never find the Hidden Remnant
Apostolic Church officially registered as a non-profit organization in any
local, city, county, state or national government administration. You cannot
find It in the Yellow Pages of your phone book. Its unknown and unseen members are scattered all over the world and
there is not a single international organization that controls or monitors its
activities. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of this church and the Holy
Spirit guides its activities.
Unity, harmony
and love in the Hidden Remnant Apostolic Church
Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed to the heavenly Father, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As
You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that
they also may be sanctified by the truth.
I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me
through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I
in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You
sent Me.” (Jn. 17:17-21) Our Lord was not praying for a superficial
kind of unity where Christians just come together for fellowship, but one that
has unity of the Spirit, truth and the common faith that affects salvation.
(Jude 3) “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace. There is one body and one
Spirit, just as you were 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.” (Eph. 4:3-6) In the Kingdom of God all true Christians
form the “whole family in heaven and earth.”
(Eph. 3:15)
· In the New Testament there are many groups
that are called by different names. The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is called "the House of God, which is the
Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Tim. 3:15)
· The
first Church that was established in the New Testament is the one in Jerusalem.
It was simply called "the Church" (Acts 2:47), "the Church which was at
Jerusalem" (Acts 8:1) and "Church in Jerusalem" (Acts 11:22).
· Later on, other
local congregations were established in other areas. They were called by
various names. "And
the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." (Acts 11:26)
· Another group was known
as "the
Way" throughout Asia
Minor (Acts 9:2; 19:9; 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22).
· They
were also called "Nazarenes" in
Caesarea (Acts 24:5).
· They
were called "the
Church of God" in Corinth, Ephesus
and Galatia (Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 1:2; 11:22; 15:9; Gal. 1:13; 1 Tim. 3:5)
· In
Rome they were called "Church of Christ" (Rom. 16:16), "Church by Christ
Jesus" (Eph. 3:21), and "Churches of the Saints" (1 Cor. 14:33).
The list of different church names goes on and on. Some
Christians did a research in the New Testament and discovered more than fifty
different names and designations for the Church. Although all these churches
and congregations are called by different names, yet in the Kingdom of God they
are in the one and only Body of Christ that is the Church. The important thing
about all these New Testament congregations is that they had all believed in
the same Lord Jesus Christ, had the same faith, the same water baptism and the
same Holy Spirit, therefore they were all accepted by the One True God (Eph.
4:3-6). This same principle can also be applied in our time that also has the
same situation. Any Christian group or
congregation that has the same faith, same water baptism and same Holy Spirit
is in the Hidden Remnant Apostolic Church. A believer in the Hidden Remnant Apostolic Church must recognize and accept the
work of other Christians that do not belong to his or her congregation or group
(Mk. 9:38-41).
Our Lord Jesus Christ declared, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another;
as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love
for one another.” (Jn. 13:34-35) The distinguishing mark of a true disciple of the Lord Jesus
Christ is the Christian love that he has for one another. Our Lord also said that loving only the
brethren in one’s own group is not true Christian love (Mt. 5:43-48). In His parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus
indicated that showing kindness and love towards a person from another
religious group is the love that He expects us to have (Lk. 10:29-37). In the Kingdom of God our Christian love
must extend beyond our brethren in our own church denomination and group.
Our Lord Jesus Christ sanctifies and cleanses the Church
“with the washing of water by the word, that
He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or
any such thing, but it should be holy and without blemish.” (Eph. 5:25-27) This “glorious Church” that comprises only “true worshipers” “who follow the Lamb wherever He
goes. These were redeemed from among
men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
And in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before
the throne of God.” (Rev. 14:4-5)
This Article is the response of Paul Wong
to a discussion in the ARK Forum on November 23, 2003
For comments please write first to: ark@pdq.net
May God bless you.
Paul Wong is a Christian minister and the
President of ARK International.
His ministry also serves as an architectural service company in Houston.
The ARK Forum on the Internet is international and non-denominational.
 |
|
|
|
