How to Evangelize the Jehovah’s Witness

How to Evangelize the Jehovah’s Witness

There is a great need to evangelize all creatures that also includes to evangelize the cults such as the members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.  My intention is not to denigrate the people who have faithfully devoted themselves to the Watchtower but rather to have the tools to evangelize them.  I am not going to focus on false prophecies that they have thought and published through the years, because it will not make any difference to them as it is only a theological interpretation.

Charles Taze Russell was the founder of what is now known as the Jehovah’s Witnesses cult. The name Jehovah’s Witnesses, incidentally, was taken at Columbus, Ohio, in 1931, to differentiate between the Watchtower organization run by Judge Rutherford, Russell’s successor.

The Watchtower published more literature in six months than all Christian groups combine in one year, they have more full and part time missionaries on the field than any other Christian group.  They can combust city after city and door by door with an enormous power to turn in literature. 

The early church preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and He is the foundation of The Church of God. Our main concern is the doctrine of God, therefore I am going to focus on the doctrine that the Watchtower most successfully attack and most constantly attack on the doctrine of the Trinity.  If a person misses the understanding of who is Jesus Christ, their souls will be lost for all eternity.

The watchtower teaches about the doctrine of the Trinity, “The doctrine in brief, is that there are three Gods in one, God the father, god the Son and god the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit is not a person therefore not one of the gods of the trinity, the trinity doctrine was not conceive by Jesus or the early Christians, the obvious conclusion is the Satan is originated to the trinity doctrine.” The message is clear the Watchtower does not believe in the trinity.

I will be very clear; you cannot prove the doctrine of the trinity to a Jehovah’s Witness by rallying a bunch of verses that are generally found on doctrinal books. You cannot prove them by citing the great commission verse or citing the verse that there are three in heaven giving testimony. You will have no effect on them using this type of reasoning, but there is a reasoning that they will recognize even above their Watchtower literature, that is the Bible the Word of God.

What is the doctrine of the Trinity to us the Church, what do we mean? What the Watchtower it means we believe in three gods.  But to us the Church, the Trinity is three distinct persons in One God, they all share the same attributes. Just a reminder of the basic rule of interpretation is that you always interpret the Old Testament in the Light of the New Testament never in reverse, the New Testament completes the Old Testament.

Therefore there is a question that I have found to be almost irresistible to the Jehovah’s Witness (JW).  “If we can demonstrate in the New Testament that there are really three persons, and that their all are called God or Jehovah and that there is only one God, we must come to the conclusion that the three persons are the One God”.  They are so sure that you cannot prove that Jehovah is the Father, Jehovah is the Son and that Jehovah is the Holy Spirit.  So most of the times we have that opportunity to evangelized them on this doctrinal point.

Let me just advise you that the Jehovah’s Witness Bible is different than our King James Bible.  There are words added, modified and excluded, don’t panic or get stress about it. They will argue that our King James Bible is incorrectly translated, therefore their bible had to be translated correctly.  You can ask them “Are you an expert on Greek and Hebrew?” They will respond NO.  You can tell them neither you are an expert, therefore the point translation argument is pointless.  At that point we can then say “Let us use a common bible that everybody uses”.  We then can use the King James Bible.

The verses we are going to use in this article are verses that exist in the Jehovah’s Witness Bible, they have no way out.  They can read it in their own bible and they have no answers for these verses. In 1950 the JW published the New Testament Interlinear Translation, at the right column they have their translation and at the left column they have the greek with English below each word.

I would like to start by asking, What is the name of God according to the scriptures? You will get responses that the true name is Yahweh, or Jehovah. Remember that in the original Hebrew Text, the name of God was always in four consonants YHWH, they have no vowels, and therefore no one knows how to pronounce them. The name of God is so sacred for any common men pronounce, the writers only wrote the Tetragrammatons’ of the four letters with no vowels. When the seventy scholars translated the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek, known as the Septuagint 132-125 B.C., they added the vowels to get closer to a pronunciation, and the word Jehovah came to us. The Septuagint was the translation of our Jesus Christ use in the synagogues.

The bible in Exodus 3:14-15 Authorized (King James) Version gives us the closes name to God. "14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.  15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”  The name ehyeh asher ehyeh is a repetition verb of To Be. I Am that I Am (אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה,) ehyeh ašer ehyeh. The Jews always referred to God as the One who was, the One who is, and the One who always will be.  The bible does not dispute the existence of God, it is taken as a fact.

Having this in mind, let us read John 8:51-59 “51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.  53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?  54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:  55 yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.  56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.  57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?  58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”

Let us note that in this scripture, Jesus use the Devine title and apply it to himself.   Look at the instant reaction in verse 59 cause so much furor among the Jews. They understood the language, they understood the culture, they understood what he meant.

Let us see John 10:30-33 “30 I and my Father are one. 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.  32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?  33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” Notice in verse 33 they knew exactly what Jesus meant, and that is why they took stones to stone Jesus. With these two verses we have proven that Jesus called himself God.

We are now going to prove even more thoroughly that God is the Father, God is the Son and God is the Holy Ghost.  Remember, before you use all the verses you know about the trinity the JW have answers for. I want to use verses that the JW does not have answer and they exist in their Bible.

2 Peter 1:17 “For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” In this verse we prove that God is called the Father, and Jesus is the Son, the JW will agree with you.

JW love the book of Revelations, so let us see the book of Revelation to show us in Revelations 1:8 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” The Alpha and the Omega is the Almighty.  The JW will tell you that the Almighty is Jehovah God. Mark this verse as the JW will declare Jehovah is the Alpha and the Omega. The Alpha and the Omega means the First and the Last.

Revelation 22:7, 12, 13 “7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.  13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” The JW will say Jehovah God is coming. 

Let us keep reading to see who is the Alpha and the Omega and who is coming more clearly, Revelation 22:16, 20 “16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. 20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.  Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Now Jesus himself is declaring that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last and He is the one who is coming.

Revelations 1:12-18 “12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;  13 and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.  14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;  15 and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.  16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.  17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:  18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” At this point remember the JW declare that Jehovah was the Alpha and the Omega, but the scripture is telling us Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega. Now the questions is, are there two Alpha and Omegas? Are there two First and Last? Or the same person is God the Father and the Son. 

If the JW is honest, it will admit that God is the Father and God is the Son therefore is the same Alpha and Omega. If the JW is dishonest it will argue there are two First and Last. At this point we can turn to Isaiah 44:6 “Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”

We have proven that the Son is Jehovah.

Now let us see if there is a third person called God or Jehovah.

The JW state that the Holy Spirit is an active force. What is an active force? The dictionary defines “in a state of action; moving, working, or doing something” such as energy, electricity, etc. Let us read the scripture Acts 5:3-4 “3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?  4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” You cannot lie to electricity, you cannot lie to energy, only to a common personality. Peter the one who recognized the Father as God, is now recognizing the Holy Spirit as God.

Acts 13:2 “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” You do not quote impersonal beings, you only quote personality.  The Holy Ghost called Barnabas and Saul, Energy or Electricity cannot called anyone.

With this scripture we have proven there are three persons called God.  There are not three Gods, the Church is not polytheism (believe in multiple gods), the Church is monotheism (believe in One God). When the Jehovah’s Witness are trapped and have no answer, they will change the subject and go to something else.  They will try to state that Jesus is a god, but not the Almighty God, meaning that there are two Gods.  At this point we can remind them that Isiah 43:10 “Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.” And Isiah 45:22 “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”

John 20:28 “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.” The Apostles recognized Jesus as God.

At this point let us use verses that speaks about the trinity, as we have proven that there are three persons called God and they are the Same Deity.

The Trinity at the Incarnation Luke 1:35 “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

The Trinity at the baptism Mathew 3:16-17 “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:  17 and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” and 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

The Trinity at the Resurrection

Acts 3:26 “And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.”  and 1 Thessalonians 1:10 “and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” states the Father resurrected Jesus.

John 2:19-21 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.  20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?  21 But he spake of the temple of his body.” states Jesus resurrected himself.

Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” The Holy Spirit Resurrected Jesus.

2 Corinthians 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” Paul dismiss his letter using the Trinity.

Luke 4:8 “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Jesus declared that we cannot worship anyone or anything but God. But in Hebrews 1:6 “And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.” God told all the angels to worship the first Begotten Son.    And if we continue reading in Hebrew 1:8 “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.” God calls the Son God. 

I hope this will help those who are brave enough to speak to the JW, remember that the only way to penetrate to their hearts is with Prayer and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

 

By Pastor and Minister Noé A. Solís from Oxnard, CA

This World Needs the Church (Are We Doing What We Were Sent to Do?)

This World Needs the Church
(Are We Doing What We Were Sent to Do?) 

It is considered good business to take inventory regularly. This is done to get an honest evaluation of the busi¬ness—more especially of how effective the business practices have been to date. It has been said that the Church of God is the biggest business in the world—and the most important. This being the case, we would be terribly delinquent should we not “take stock” quite frequently.

If an inventory is taken conscien¬tiously, it reveals the truth about the ex¬isting status of things. If all is well, it’s a wonderful feeling. But even if the truth is that the business is only “holding its own,” or is on its way to bankruptcy, it still has to be faced. A business which refuses to face up to reality no longer has reason to be a business.

If a business is prospering in one sense but failing in another, it is the fail¬ing area which needs attention—draw¬ing whatever help we can from the pros¬pering phases. Since the Head of the Church has declared that “the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light,” we un¬derstand Him to mean that we can take a lesson from the world’s business prac¬tices wherever they have proven sound. We put a lot of faith in the fact that the Church can’t fail. Since “faith without works is dead,” we must never forget that, to keep the Church from failing in any generation, we have to “mind our business.”

It is possible to become so jubilant and carefree “living out of the till” that we may forget what the business is all about. The Church is not in business for selfish purposes. With our glib tongues, we may have recited our commission to one another so often that it has become largely a cliché—an expression that has lost its freshness of meaning. Like John 3:16—nearly everybody can quote it, but the widespread ignorance of its meaning makes one weep. God gave His Son for an eternal purpose, and the Church is here for an eternal purpose. In the inter¬est of “good business,” let us consider anew this purpose, and make an honest analysis of our current inventory.

THE CHURCH IS HERE to meet this world’s spiritual need. (This is just one way of expressing it, of course.) The world needed a Saviour, and in due time God sent forth His Son to meet that need. When He had finished the work God had given Him to do (John 17:4), He left His house and went on that “far journey” to the right hand of the Father (Mark 13:34), but not without giving authority to His servants, and to every man his work—and a command to the porter to watch. Then, between His res¬urrection and ascension, He said, “…as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21).

The Church has been sent into the world to meet this world’s need. We are here to carry on the work of the house Je¬sus set in order and purchased with His own blood. The world needs the Church. Would a conscientious inventory show that we are meeting those needs?

MAY WE UNDERSTAND from the events surrounding the Church’s return from the Dark Ages that the existing re¬ligious system at that time was not meet¬ing the world’s need? And may we un¬derstand that God restored the revelation of His divine institution for the purpose of meeting a need which others had not met, and evidently could not or would not meet? Yes, we would say that this is the reasonable understanding.

Now, when we consider those godly en who were so mightily used of God during the Reformation Period in the 16th century, and the great revivals and spiritual awakenings which literally changed whole nations in the 18th and 19th centuries, we would be remiss in our duty should we not look ourselves squarely in the face and ask ourselves some pertinent questions.

WE NEED NOT DISCOUNT the Church’s accomplishments. We need all to our credit that we can get. But there are times when we have to show more concern for our “liabilities” than for our “assets.” A company can “go broke” cheering one another over their assets and ignoring their liabilities. As the Church, we would be something less than honest should we contend that there is little reason for concern about our “balance sheet.”
We must not discredit our thousands of loyal and honorable
 members. We know they are there and can be counted on. But the whole “business” (Church) tends to lose its testimony before the world when we allow our liabilities to threaten our solvency. The question be¬fore us is: Are we meeting this world’s needs as the Church is supposed to do?

THE WORLD IS STEEPED IN SIN. Iniquity abounds. Fear and distrust leave almost everyone feeling unsafe and inse¬cure. We may say that the world doesn’t care—that they are going the way they want to go. That is beside the point. It is our commission to preach the gospel to them and to persuade them to care. Thousands of them do care, but they do not know what to do. Many have made an honest effort to come out of their un¬godly system, but they have been disap-pointed and deceived. They want real help; not empty promises. They are sick of “ballooned advertisement” and “bit talk” by the religious world. Their hearts are hardened against the sensational ap¬peal, which all too often has no lasting substance. People in trouble want “the real goods” or nothing. and in this they are to be commended. Now, do we have “the goods”?

If we do, the world doesn’t seem to detect it. Our increased mingling among them seems not to have impressed them. As far as witness is concerned, they don’t know we’re there, as a rule. Oh, we don’t curse, or smoke, or drink. But don’t we all know good moral people of the world who do none of those things? We don’t participate in immoral con¬duct. But neither do some of theirs.

Some times our “differences” from the world are less noticeable to the world than our “likenesses.”
WE HAVE BECOME SO TAINTED with love for “the world, and the things that are in the world” that the world can’t single us out from the crowd. They “lump us in” with all others who are stamped so boldly with the marks of “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” Under those circumstances, if they see us at all, and¬know us by name (Church), they have no confidence in us because of our ap¬parent relaxed conformity to their world.

To our shame, we can’t help them; but the inventory must be reckoned with. We can tuck it away in the back drawer of the file and contend that it doesn’t matter, for all will be done “by my Spirit, saith the Lord.” But consider this—everything from the “Jesus Move¬ment” to the “neo-Pentecostals” in the “old-line denominations” are now say¬ing the same thing—and going right on in their worldly ways. 

If there’s really a difference—what’s wrong?

WHEN A MAN’S MIND AND HEART are full of one particular thing or type of thing, he has no capacity for other concerns. This is just as true in the Church as elsewhere.

While any condition seldom applies to every member, still the Church is one Body. In the natural body, one diseased member can cause suffering throughout the body; one afflicted part can impede the movement of the entire body. But it does not follow that only one or two sound members can give health to all the body.

The Body of Christ suffers throughout when even a small minority of its members are “diseased” by sin and the world which is at enmity with God. Also, the self-will of the minority can impede the progress of the whole Body.

Society has always been able to survive the occasional sickness of its people, but when certain diseases have reached “epidemic” proportions, all-out efforts have often had to be expanded —smallpox and polio, by way of examples. Nations ranking as world leaders have survived limited corruption for many years, only to fall and become a reproach when that corruption became the prevailing thing.

LET US NOT FORGET that Christianity is a “kingdom” or “society,” and the Church is a “nation” under government. No society has ever been so stable that it could not be debauched when it lowered its morals. No nation has been so strong that it could not fall when its subjects lost their patriotism or its government became corrupt. And the Church of God is no exception to the rule, as was clearly shown in the 4th Century! “Oh, it can’t happen again!” some may protest. And the protest often comes from those who are “glorifying in the flesh” but camouflaging their glory by a prolific use of the name of the Lord. They may wallow in the world and defy the Church’s authority while they shout the name of Jesus and laud the Church of God. This is no help to the Church, much less to the world we were sent to help!

THESE PEOPLE REMIND ME of an article written by A. J. Tomlinson entitled, “SOME PEOPLE CAN’T HELP.” His subtitle was, “What’s the Use to Try to Get People To Help When They Have Proved Unworthy?” We keep trying to help our erring people by warning them that they are inviting the judgments of God, even though they know that the Church must reach perfection. But they refuse to be admonished. Eventually they will get beyond our help, and beyond being helped. Their hearts are full of the world and their minds are full of themselves. They have no capacity left to be of any help to anybody.

It is the opinion of many that worldliness has already reached “epidemic” proportions among us. If the Church is full of the world, how can it be full of the Spirit and power of God? Without the Spirit and power, we cannot help the world. Like Samson, we have said a lot about our power, but if we continue laying our head in the lap of sin, “shaking ourselves” will suddenly fail to produce results, and the Philistines (the world) will see our helplessness!

THE WORLD KEEPS DYING and going to hell. They need help—but so do we! They admit that they have no solutions to their problems. We can tell them that Jesus is the answer—that Jesus is the way, for He is. We can tell it in “shouting volume” that Jesus is a Healer and Miracle Worker, for He is. But when we have come to the place where the world must say to us, “Physician, heal thyself,” what do we say then? When we tell them about the One Fold, and read them the Church teachings, what do we answer when they can say, “I hear you, but I see nothing in you that I cannot see in a hundred other places”? We can preach about the world-shaking power of the Holy Ghost until the rafters ring, but the dialogue will end if our hearers can say, “We see you quake, but we feel no conviction—we hear your whistle, but your train seems stalled on the up-grade.”

IF THIS WORLD WANTS HELP, it is the help of deliverance from its own sin. Oh yes, there is an element in the world that will settle for happiness without holiness, but the soberminded ones want holiness, so far as “religion” goes, it is nothing more than another episode in a long line of experiments; it too will soon be cast aside. But true holiness is the result of the death-pangs of sanctifying crucifixion. It is a sobering, settling experience, and the joy and happiness comes only after the suffering.

In religion, happiness without holiness is the devil’s counterfeit for the real manifestation of the Holy Ghost. The devil never objects to halfway change. In fact, he encourages it, because it is even more damning than outright iniquity. As “the prince of this world,” he loves for professing Christians to cling to the things of the world. He is glad to see us “shouting happy” as long as our behavior and appearance compliments his evil kingdom!

A CHURCH CAN BECOME so full of the world that it doesn’t know its own condition, for there is so little remaining in contrast to show up the difference. Its members can hardly do anything at all unless the world first sets a pattern. In this condition, most of its “gains” will be of the same worldly sort. This kind of church cannot help the world. But, O that the world might help that church to see its own lost estate!

We speak quite freely of the uniqueness of God’s Church; but we stand in danger of losing that distinguishing mark unless we stick to God’s pattern. We may not “ask for a king,” as did “the church in the wilderness,” but we seem to be “looking around!” Every “religious fad” that springs up finds some of our people sitting on its doorstep for a “briefing” on its philosophy. “Old Mother World” seems able to “sell” every new pattern in large quantities to the Church of God—whether it be a style, fashion, or some religious gimmick (often falsely spoken of as “a new method”).

IF WE WILL LEND THE LORD AN EAR, He will help us so that we can help this world. And probably His first word of admonition will be, as it so often has been—“HUMBLE YOURSELVES!” Think about it!

R. O. Covey
White Wing Messenger, January 18, 1975

SPIRIT OF THE CHURCH vs. SPIRIT OF THE WORLD

SPIRIT OF THE CHURCH vs. SPIRIT OF THE WORLD

We live in a world full of spirits, some are good and some are bad. The spirits come in many forms and with different purposes. Some are for our protection while others try to cause us harm. We will look into the two main spirits that are in the world today and see which spirit we should be following.
John said in John 4:24, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” When we read what John said based on who God is and how we must worship Him, we are able to see how God operates in this world. He only will receive true worship when it is done in the true Spirit (His Spirit). Any other form of worship is carnal and fleshly, and God will not receive it.
When I look at the Church and what her position is in the world, I am reminded of her stand for truth. It is the only possible means for being acceptable to God. Praise God! “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29). That is the cry of the Church as it was also the cry of Jesus. Standing for His truth, preaching His Word, teaching the truth, making known to others so they will know the truth of God’s Word will bring glory to God and He will in turn pour out His Spirit on the Church. Because she only does those things that please Christ, He in return blesses her.

If we want to see the Spirit of the Church manifested in the Church then we are to stand for the truth! God will always bless the Church when she pleases him in her standing against sin. The preaching about, and against, sin will ultimately cause the spirit of God to shine on the Church.
“And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). This was God’s way of showing how pleased He was in His Son. I have heard of multiple occasions where the Church has been in session during an Annual General Assembly and reports of a white dove would be seen flying in the tabernacle. What an awesome view to behold as God sends down His Spirit in the form of a dove to show how pleased He is with His bride. No doubt it would be a sight to witness this again and I pray that God will visit the Church with a heavenly visitation and let the dove fly into the midst of the congregation. But it will only come about when we as the Church have one purpose in our hearts, and that is to please Him by standing for the truth.
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:13). Our ministry must stand, our laity must stand, and our lives must stand. Stand for the truth with our families, stand for the truth in our homes, stand on our jobs and stand in our churches. Everywhere we are we must stand for the truth. Above everything we are to stand for Christ because He hung on a cross for us! “...and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore…” (Eph. 6:13, 14).

To make welcome the Spirit of God in the Church is simple. JUST STAND! Just stand for God with our hands clean, our hearts pure, our message clear and our minds fixed on pleasing God in everything we do. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (2 Cor. 6:17).

The spirit of the world is, by far, a different spirit and has no resemblance to the Spirit of God. It is controlled by Satan and comes across as totally sweet and innocent in form but has no ability to cleanse one from sin. It rather desires that one continue in sin that it may entrap a person into not truly serving God. Paul said to the Corinthian church concerning the spirit of Satan, “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light “ (2 Cor. 11:14).

One would think we need not worry about this spirit, but it can, and has, become very detrimental to millions upon millions of lives. The most prominent deception of this spirit is to think that one is saved when he is truly lost. The spirit of the world has no bounds and no ability to stop one from committing sin. It actually loves to commit sin in any way it can. Its acceptance of sin is so powerful that one will find himself changing what was once believed and understood to be sin and allow such conduct in himself. This spirit is cunning and crafty in every form and can even make a mockery of the Church and her stand against sin.

I have known people who once believed in the truth of God’s Word be entangled with the spirit of the world and even call it holy when the very sin is totally against God’s Holy Word! If we are not careful we too can become entangled with this spirit of acceptance that we will cuddle this spirit right into our homes. It is dangerous to allow this spirit of the world in our lives and oh so dangerous to allow it in the Church.

The Church is predestinated. “... upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). But you and I are not. We must guard against the spirit of this world and not let it filter in to our lives, our homes, our families and especially our churches. Guilty by association can become the verdict even when we had nothing to do with the sinful party and their actions. Remember, the trap is not the sin but rather thinking that sin is not sin.

God spoke light and darkness into existence but separated them and called the light day and the darkness night. “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night...” (Gen. 1:5). These two could not be together or they would not be called light and dark. This too has a significant meaning with the Spirit of the Church vs. the spirit of the world. They must be separate or you would not know the one from the other. Dusk and dawn are where light and darkness are intermingled together. If you didn’t know the time of day, then you would think it was either morning or evening but you would not know the difference. The spirit of the world can also damage the Church’s message when our light becomes intermingled with darkness.

The Church’s message is clear and comes with power because the Holy Ghost backs it. The Church is not to look like the world, she is not to dress like the world, she is not to talk like the world and especially the belief of God’s Word should never be intermingled with the belief of the world. Our philosophy and intellectual capacity can destroy our message. No need to Google “How to win the lost” when God has already given the Church His Word! Let’s not be guilty of knowing the Church’s message then mingling it with darkness.

Let the Spirit of God be alive in The Church of God! He indeed will push back the darkness (the spirit of the world).
Craig Barber
Wilmington, NC

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

The early Church began with twelve men chosen from among the disciples of the Lord. For approximately three and one half years they enjoyed the intimate fellowship and communion with the Lord, the Organizer and the Head of His Church. They began with no earthly goods—no property and no money. Their power and success was the result of a day-to-day walk with the Lord. He taught them by both precept and action. They heard Him preach to the multitudes and perform miracles of salvation and healing. They were there when He was crucified and they were there when He arose from the dead. Soon after the Holy Ghost fell upon them at Pentecost they began to reach out further and further from Jerusalem. After the initial appeal to the Jews their attention and ministry turned to include the Gentiles also. As the Church became more and more successful and grew in numbers as they reached out to the distant areas, it also became more and more vulnerable to those who attempted to introduce false doctrines designed to soften the message of God’s holiness and righteousness in order to appeal to even more deluded souls who would not otherwise qualify as members in the Church. In short, this attack on the high spiritual standards of The Church of God was finally successful in bringing God’s disfavor upon it to the extent that He turned His back upon it and it ceased to function. That was some 300 years after it had been set in order by Christ on Mt. Hittin.
Over one an a half millenniums later, in the year 1903 A.D. God called the Church again to resume its course to prepare itself for the marriage to the Bridegroom. God put His hand upon a man by the name of A. J. Tomlinson to lead the Church back into the mainstream of God’s divine will and purpose. It arose amid a mighty Holy Ghost revival and thrived not only on the power and miraculous working of the Spirit, but also upon the sound doctrinal preaching that taught people to live in a right relationship with God in holiness and righteousness. But again the devil would not let it be. It didn’t take a millennium and a half for him to do his diabolical work this time. In just twenty years he had marshalled enough forces together to bring the last day’s Church into a state of error, false doctrine, and apostasy. In 1923 A. J. Tomlinson made his declaration that he would not submit to the forces of error and deviate from the avowed purpose of the Church to be faithful to Christ, its Head in everything…

He, too, started over with nothing but an unfailing determination to do the will of God at any cost…within twenty more years the Church had experienced phenomenal growth. God called A. J. Tomlinson home and by the theocratic process placed his younger son Milton A. Tomlinson as General Overseer and leader of the last days Church. In the 46 years of his tenure the Church experienced its greatest growth this side of the Dark Ages. In the years from 1923 until 1990 the Church had grown from an open-air meeting on Central Avenue in Cleveland, Tennessee, to a thriving organization with modern facilities and an abundance of finance to keep it moving on a worldwide scale.

But all was not well. The devil again saw his chance. With the failing health of the General Overseer, Satan took his opportunity to strike openly with a blow that had been building with little notice for years in the Church. He brought about a breach in the theocracy and opened a flood tide of deviation and abandonment of the precious government and doctrine that had until then incurred the favor and blessings of God. The attack was swift and effective. With an unrelenting pursuit of “new light” by those who fell into error and apostasy, the great Church of God was left to those who would not accept the forces of error. We would not bow to the intimidating powers that are bent upon rule or ruin.

So here we stand. We have taken up the torch and we are determined to stay the course. We have a worldwide mission with no resources but God. Our stand was not motivated by a promise of material security and well being, but by an irreversible determination to follow God wherever He leads.
We have started from base zero in both finances and organization. We are seeking God in both these areas to find His perfect will. We do not want to repeat previous errors. We must be good stewards of the resources God makes available to us. We do not want to repeat the past error of persons becoming independently wealthy on the hard-earned and sacrificial giving of our people; neither do we want to amass great sums of money to keep in reserve for opportunities that may never come. We want every penny to be wisely used for the immediate and on-going work of the Lord and His Church throughout the world. The time is too short to think in any other terms. It is imperative that we find and put into practice the biblical financial system that best serves the plan and needs of the Church for this age…
The organizational aspect of the Church is also in a state of redevelopment. It is necessary to have trained and qualified persons to be responsible for the various areas of Church functions necessary for us to carry out the Great Commission that Christ the Head of the Church gave to us. Just who these persons will be and the areas of their responsibilities are in the process of being determined.
In years past God gave helps to the Church to do its work efficiently and effectively. I do not believe the Holy Ghost was wrong in giving us these helps which came to be known as auxiliaries. These entities working within the Church performed a vital and necessary ministry. When they are all operating as they should in every respect they not only provide a ministry to a particular aspect of the Church, but all of them together provide a channel through which every member from the youngest to the oldest can fulfill a service to both God and humanity through the Church.

In the past several years in the Church the auxiliaries fell into disfavor and in some cases even ridicule. That attitude about these God-given helps offended me, because I saw both their practical and their spiritual validity.

Each one of them is a definite ministry and there is more than abundant Scriptural support for them. They are spiritual ministries as well as in some cases fund-raising agencies to further promote and provide for the total ministry of the Church. They are a spiritual blessing both to those who are involved in them and to those who benefit from them…

It will be necessary to operate the auxiliary program on the local and state and national levels at least for the time being. We are asking the pastors of the local churches to appoint leaders and get all auxiliaries operating as soon as possible. These ministries will not only add to the spiritual quality of the local church, but they will also help to fulfill the total world outreach of the Church in general. It would be good for us to remember the slogan so often used by the former General Overseer A. J. Tomlinson, “Every member a worker, and a special work for every one.” Participation in the work of the auxiliaries should be considered working for the Lord, because they are God’s own choices, given by Him to the Church as “helps” to get the total task accomplished which was given by our Lord to us in the Great Commission. It should be a joy and a blessing as we work these “helps” as unto the Lord. Their usefulness will be fulfilled when we get the work all done.

In these last days, the closing days of this age, we are going into uncharted waters; that is, as far as we are concerned. God knows exactly where we are in time and location. We need not fear to walk by faith and not by sight. God may have planned it this way so that we will walk closer to Him and seek our directions from Him.

We are, no doubt, that generation “upon whom the ends of the world are come,” as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:11. Our course will be different from that of any previous generation on earth. The event of the rapture is reserved for that Church which has made herself ready and will be more glorious than at any other stage of her existence on earth. She will be glorious beyond description.
ARE WE STILL COMMITTED?
Former General Overseer Robert J. Pruitt

“A Giant Step Forward”

“A Giant Step Forward”

Recently an evaluation report was given concerning the facilities in one of our church projects. It was described as “a giant step forward.” The first reaction to this report was somewhat shocking, in the light of what was involved—bigger, more modern buildings, more comfortable and convenient facilities, more attractive décor and surroundings, more up to date correspondence and record keeping equipment.

Of course, almost everyone enjoys comfortable and convenient furnishings and facilities, but should these things be the focus of determining our progress? Which is more important, a padded pew with carpet underneath with nobody on it, or a plain hard-back bench filled with new converts? If you had to make an evaluation between the two, which would you call progress in the light of our mission? It would be nice to have both, but where a distinction has to be made, one is progress and the other isn’t. If we keep the same mind-set that many of us have, we will soon have excellent, comfortable, convenient, up-to-date facilities with nobody to enjoy them. The Church will still be around—it cannot fail its eternal rendezvous; it will be everything it is destined to be, and even greater than many of our imaginations—but unless some of us change our mind-sets to conform to the Great Commission we will not be around to see its glory.

There is the danger of becoming overly critical and abjectly negative about some of the conditions existing among us and we should guard against acquiring and harboring these attitudes, but at the same time it would be equally wrong to ignore and be silent on subtle conditions and issues which are a departure from our avowed purpose. Paul wrote to Titus (and us), “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority...” (Titus 2:15).

To ignore and fail to correct false and misleading ideas, trends, and actions is precisely what the devil wants us to do.  We have done so much of that he dances with glee every time we “stick our heads in the sand.” What a tragedy to be more influenced by diabolical schemes than by divine direction!
We must correct our course; we must let our thinking be redirected by Holy Spirit’s influence.  Otherwise, Jesus will say to us what He said to Peter in one of the most severe reprimands recorded in Scripture, “…Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (Matt. 16:23).

To elevate and rejoice over things unrelated to the Great Commission indicates misdirected purpose. The facilities and trappings of our mission are so inconsequential to the importance of the mission itself that they should be relegated to a place of minimal importance. Are we still trying to impress the world at large with materially impressive things? This is not a consideration with most of our brothers and sisters in the universal Church at large, but in countries where the economy lends itself to plenty and affluence there is a tendency to drift toward an emphasis on the material and with it there is a spirit which is not of God.

A loving warning is appropriate here. We must remember that the only things that will go in the rapture of the Church will be the souls we have won for the Master. Everything else will be left behind. If our “giant steps forward” have been buildings and equipment rather than souls, the harvest is going to be extremely displeasing to God. In these days of scant harvest we must be careful not to allow our lack of rejoicing over souls and gathered harvest to be made up in rejoicing over a new building or a new organ in the sanctuary. Remember, we are laboring in the same harvest as Christ, Paul, John the Baptist, Peter and all the progenitors of this wonderfully divine endeavor. Would they join in rejoicing over some of the things we do? Think on these things. This message was written at a time the Church was drifting. Soon afterward the Holy Ghost called for a re-organization of the Church. Something to think about!
Former General Overseer Robert J. Pruitt

How to Recognize The Church of God

How to Recognize The Church of God

LOVE
There are many characteristics that make up The Church of God. The first characteristic that I would like to speak about is her love. There is a special bond that is in the Church because of the covenant we all share as members. Also we have the love for each other because we have experienced the new birth as believers in Christ.

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34). I believe that Christ’s Church will have the love that the Bible speaks of. I know that it was the love of the people in The Church of God that made me want a relationship with Christ. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1). In my heart I would say, “I want to be like those people.” So, I feel that the love of God should be the first characteristic of The Church of God.

THEOCRATIC GOVERNMENT
The second characteristic that makes up The Church of God is her theocratic government. In order to be The Church of God of the Bible we must meet all the criteria. We must recognize who is in charge of The Church of God. “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body” (Eph. 5:23). In order to be Christ’s Church we must have theocratic government.

“Theocratic” means relating to, or being a theocracy. “Theocracy” means government of a state by immediate divine guidance. “Theo” refers to God. “Crat” indicates an advocate or partisan of a specified theory of government; or a member of a specified dominant class.

“Government” is defined as the act or process of government; authoritative direction or control; or moral conduct and/or behavior; discretion. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isa. 9:6, 7). Through the Scriptures we see that Christ is the Head of the Church and that He is the Saviour of the Body.

“Head” means the director, leader—as in a headmaster; one in charge of a division or department in an office or institution. A “Saviour” is one who saves from danger or destruction; one who brings salvation—specifically Jesus. We can clearly see through the definitions of Head and Saviour that the Head (Christ) is in charge of His Church. Also we can see that He is our Saviour and the only One who can save us from destruction. Also Christ came to establish the Church with judgment and justice. “Establish” means to make firm or stable; to institute (as a law) permanently by enactment or agreement; to make a national institution. We can clearly see that without theocratic government, no group of people could be The Church of God of the Bible. Christ’s Church will have government and He will be the Head of it.

TRUTH
The third characteristic of The Church of God is truth. “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). Many people question what truth really is. Let us look and see what Webster has to say about truth: “fidelity, constancy; sincerity in action, character, and utterance; the state of being the case, fact; the body of real things, events, and facts, actuality; the body of true statements and propositions; the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality; fidelity to an original or to a standard; in accordance with fact.”

That is the definition from the Webster’s Dictionary about truth. Now let us go to the Bible and see what truth is. “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). We know through the Scriptures that God’s Word is truth. Men may say that what they believe is truth, but if it does not line up with the Bible it is a lie. “For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged” (Rom. 3:3, 4). Even if the majority of people on earth chose not to believe God’s Word, the Word of God will still convict the heart of a sinner and have an effect upon this world when preached by a true Christian. “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you” (John 16:13, 14). Christ’s Church will have all the truth of God’s Word. As long as we allow theocratic government to work, God will lead the Church into all truth through the Holy Ghost. Truth is an important characteristic of The Church of God.

BANNER
The fourth characteristic of The Church of God is its banner. “Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah” (Psa. 60:4).

God’s Church will have a banner in these last days. The banner is only effective when the people of God are following the truth of God’s Word. The banner says that this is our symbol and this is what we believe. If those who carry the banner turn from the truth of God’s Word the banner loses the meaning it was intended for. That is why God gave The Church of God a new banner in 2001. This banner should reflect Christ and His truth. We see in the Scripture that Christ’s Church will have a banner in these last days and that it will be displayed because of the truth.

THE CHURCH OF GOD
The fifth characteristic of The Church of God is its name. Throughout the Bible in the New Testament we see the name The Church of God. Here are some verses that speak about Christ and His Church. “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” (1 Cor. 1:2). “Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God” (1 Cor. 10:32). “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (1 Cor. 15:9). “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia” (2 Cor. 1:1). “For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it” (Gal. 1:13). “For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?” (1 Tim. 3:5).

We see that there were many churches in different locations, but they had the same name and the same government. In looking at the Word of God that there was just one Church with one name and it was Church of God. Just as Christ had one Church in that time we will also have one Church in these last days and its name will be The Church of God.

DIVINE REVELATION
Without divine revelation it is hard to see The Church of God. “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:17, 18). Jesus was saying that it was that divine revelation Peter had that helped him to see who was the Christ. The “rock” was that understanding of who Christ was and it is that same understanding that will help us to see The Church of God. My prayer is that this article will help others to see The glorious Church of God through the Spirit.
By Thomas Brandy
Crab Orchard, TN