Which Church
is God's
And Where Is God’s Real
End-Time Work, Today?
There are over 21,000 churches,
cults, sects, denominations in
the world today.
There are a number of small churches, religious
organizations and groups which are operated by people who
were
formerly with the Worldwide Church of God or one of its off
shoots.
Just
what is the TRUE "
Which
of the several "works" is really doing GOD'S "Work"? Can you
be an "independent" Christian? Just what should God's Church be
named, anyway? Here
is a careful investigation and examination of
these vital issues which need to be addressed boldly and
urgently,
lest we be led astray by false teachers and cunning impostors!
William F. Dankenbring
A person wrote to me asking,
"Why did you change the name of the
This individual seems very concerned
since Triumph Prophetic Ministries, which God led me to begin in early 1987, is
not a "church" as such. He
seems to think that when I left the Worldwide Church of God, I should have
incorporated as another "
This question illustrates just how
confused many people have become, and how indoctrinated they are in believing
that they must belong to a "Church" -- a physical corporation
literally incorporated as a "
Just Wbat
IS a 'Church'?
Actually, I have never changed the
name of God's Church. Triumph Prophetic
Ministries is not a Church! It is merely
a MINISTRY -- a service OF the "church"! The actual name is "Triumph Prophetic
Ministries (
According to Scripture, then, the
"Church" which Jesus founded is simply the body of believers who have
been called out of this world to follow Christ! When there are
more than one or two in a given area, they would meet together for regular
fellowship, and would become a "congregation" or "group" of
believers. The word "church"
in the Bible does NOT refer to a religious sect, cult, denomination, or any
particular human organized "church," although many organizations of
men have given themselves the name of this or that "church." Just
because some group says, for example, that it is "the true Church of
God," or "God's Church," or "the Philadelphia Church of
God," or "Universal Church of God," or any such "name"
or "title" does NOT make it God's only true Church, or even prove
that it is a PART of the true "Church of God"!
How, then, can we tell how to
recognize a TRUE Church group or body which is really serving God, pleasing
Him, and carrying on His Work during this End-Time?
Let's examine this question!
What Is the NAME of God's Church?
Although many "churches" or
church organizations go by different names, the Scriptural "name"
used in the New Testament for the Church which Jesus founded is simply the
"
Notice!
"Keep watch over
yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made
you overseers. Be
shepherds of the
"To the
be holy. . ." (I Cor.1:2).
"Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the
(I
Cor.10:32).
"Don't you have homes to eat and
drink in? Or do you despise the church
of God?" (I
Cor.11:22).
"For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be
called an apostle,
because I
persecuted the
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy
our brother, To the
"For you have heard
of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely
I persecuted the
"For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take
care of
the
"Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these
instructions
so that, if
I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct them-
selves in God's household, which is the church
of the living God, the pillar
and foundation of the truth" (I
Tim.3:14-15).
The Greek word translated
"church," ekklesia, merely
means "called out ones." In the Old Testament, the "church in
the wilderness" (Acts
Just what is the "
This may seem incredible to some, but
even Elijah at one point in his life thought that he was the only remaining
true believer in God in all
But Elijah was not alone. God told him, "Yet I reserve seven
thousand in
The point I am making, here, is that
you do not need to have a "local congregation," or
a "
Let's grasp once and for all the
plain TRUTH about just what GOD'S "church" or "ekklesia" really IS!
"The Ekklesia
of God"
The apostle Paul wrote, Christ is the
head of the Church, his body, of which he is the Saviour"
(Eph.5:23). As Christians, "we are members of his body" (verse
30). Jesus is "the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn over all creation . . . And he is the head of the body, the church"
(Col.1:15-18). God appoints "some to be apostles, some to be
prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to
prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up UNTIL we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son
of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of
Christ" (Eph.4:11-13).
This Scripture shows, among other things, that
God has put spiritual "offices" in His Church, or the body of Christ,
according to the various talents and gifts that He gives to men. Not all have the same abilities. As Paul wrote to the Romans, "Just as
each of us has one body with many members [hands, feet, toes, fingers, ears,
eyes, nose, mouth, lips, tongue, heart, legs, arms, etc., etc.], and these
members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form
one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts according to the
grace given us. If a man's gift is
prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is
teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is
contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is
leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it
cheerfully" (Rom. 12:4-8).
The
apostle Peter explains, along the same lines, "Each one should use
whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's
grace in its various forms. If anyone
speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the
strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus
Christ" (I Pet.4: 10-1 1).
All
of us then, who serve God honestly and humbly, sincerely and to the best of our
knowledge according to the truth of His Word, who have received the Spirit of
Christ and of God as a begettal, BELONG TO
CHRIST! We are members of His spiritual
BODY! That body is not
in any way a 'human" church or "human" corporation, although
there are many which may claim that they are the "only true
The
body of Christ, His Church, is composed of EVERY TRUE BELIEVER around the
world, whether or not they belong to a humanly incorporated "church."
The body of Christ, His true Church, is not man-made -- it is SPIRITUAL!
Paul
explains: "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and
though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into
ONE [spiritual] BODY -- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free -- and we were
all given the one Spirit to drink.
"Now
the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a
hand, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason cease to be
part of the body. And if the ear should
say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for
that reason cease to be part of the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would
the sense of smell be? But in fact GOD
HAS ARRANGED the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them
to be. If they were all one part, where
would the body be? As it is, there are
many parts, but one body.
"The
eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head cannot say to the
feet, 'I don't need you!' On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to
be weaker are INDISPENSABLE, and the parts that we think are less honorable we
treat with special honor. And the parts
that are unpresentable are treated with special
modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But GOD has combined the members of the body
and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should
be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for
each other. If one part suffers, every
part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it
"NOW
YOU ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of
all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also
those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of
administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues [foreign
languages]? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts" (I
Cor.
If
we truly belong to the body of Christ, then we are among those
"parts" mentioned in the preceding verses. God has given each of us various abilities to
use in His Work, His service, His "body," to encourage, uplift,
strengthen and edify the other parts.
What is the purpose of this?
Paul
goes on, in his letter to the Ephesians, "Then we will no longer be
infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by
every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their
deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking
the truth in love, we will in all things GROW UP into him who is the Head, that
is, Christ. From him the whole body,
joined and held together by every supporting ligament grows and builds itself
up in love, as each part does its work" (Eph.4:14-16).
I
know of NO human "church organization" which fulfills this
description of the "body of Christ." All have failings, faults,
hypocrites and liars in their midst -- even in their ministry and hierarchies. All fall far short of the mark to be
considered "THE body of Christ." However, every true Christian, who
has been baptized, received God's Spirit, REGARDLESS of which
"church" they may at this particular moment belong to -- whether
Seventh Day Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist, Seventh Day Church of God,
Worldwide Church of God, Church of God International, Philadelphia Church of
God, United Church of God, Global Church of God, or even just some small
"local" churches
of God, which may not even be "incorporated," or some other Church or
group should be considered as a living MEMBER of the SPIRITUAL "body of
Christ" -- so long as that person has received the Spirit of God as a begettal (Rom.8:9)!
The true members of the body of
Christ may not be united in perfect doctrine.
They may not all "attend" or belong to the "same human
church organization." They may have
differences of opinion regarding various doctrines, or different understanding
of prophetic interpretation. But they
are united by the bond of love for each other, if they have the Spirit of
Christ! Jesus explained to His
disciples, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. . . . This
is my command: Love each other" (John
Jesus declared, "A new command I
give you: Love one another. As I have
loved you, so you must love one another.
BY THIS all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one
another" (John
How many churches I know which
profess to be the "only true church" of God, and yet are dismally and
abysmally LACKING in true love for others in their church, as well as lacking
in true love for those outside their "group." How many I have known which have been filled with in-fighting,
jealousy, bickering, bitterness, anger, rivalry, competition, strife, sins,
hatreds, envies, deceits, and every wicked aspect of Satan's character!
To be perfectly honest with you,
churches I have known seem to be best described by the apostle Paul when he
wrote, "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality,
impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft [astrology, plumb bobbing,
water witching, etc., in the church itself], hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of
rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and
the like. I warn you as I did before,
that those who live like this will NOT inherit the
But what are the TRUE characteristics
of God's TRUE people? Jesus said we
would recognize them "by their fruits." He declared, "Likewise
every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad
tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree
that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize
them" (Matt.7:17-20).
What are the "fruits" of
the true people of God? They may not be
perfect in doctrinal understanding; they may not grasp all prophetic mysteries;
they may not be very successful in the eyes of the world, or have many of this
world's goods and treasures. They may be
poor, and lacking in "manners." They may seem like "low
class" people in the eyes of the "suits." They may not look like
much in appearance. But they are
described very accurately by these "fruits" which are mentioned by
the apostle Paul.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control" (Gal.5:22-23).
Jesus said that the "wheat"
of God's true people would dwell side by side with "tares" or weeds
which impersonate wheat. The
"tares" are planted by Satan the devil (Matt.I3:36-43). The weeds may look like wheat, but they are
evil; their goodness is only superficial; their heart is evil and rotten,
selfish and destructive. Over a period
of time, however, a tare can be spotted, just as a wheat
can be verified -- by the "fruits."
James discussed the difference
between the two when he wrote: "Who is wise and understanding among
you? Let him show it by his good life,
by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish
ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven
but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.
For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder
and every evil practice.
"But the wisdom that comes from
heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full
of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness"
(James
What It Means to Be
One Body
Paul
wrote, "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy
of the calling you have received. Be
completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in
love. Make every effort to keep the
unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
There is ONE BODY and one Spirit -- just as you were called to one hope
when you were called -- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of
all, who is over all and through all and in all" (Eph.4:1-6).
The
true body of Christ is just like Paul describes it -- united in faith and love,
mercy and the good fruits of the Spirit of God.
However, no human "church organization" on this earth fits
this description! All fall far short of
the mark. The very best we can say of
any "church," therefore, is that it may contain SOME true believers
and followers of Christ! But the vast,
overwhelming majority of Churches today don't contain ANY! A true Christian today is a rare
commodity, indeed! Did not Jesus the
Messiah Himself say, "However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find
faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8).
It
would be nice if, during this final generation before the return of Christ,
that the entire "body of Christ" were perfectly united in truth,
belief, and practice. But today we see
thousands of different churches, sects, denominations, and cults, each
professing to be "Christian." The vast majority of them are nothing
but hollow shells; they have departed from the faith and truth of God, and are
nothing but self-serving, vain impostors, led by wolves in sheep's clothing,
false prophets and wicked teachers who deny the Word of God in their life and
practice (see II Cor. 11: 13-15).
Where are
the true people of God today?
First
of all, let me give you a warning. Paul
wrote, "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does
not yet know as he ought to know. But
the man who loves God is known by God" (I Cor.8:1-3). Paul warned those
who think they are God's true people, "So, if you think you are standing
firm, be careful that you don't fall!" (I Cor.10:12).
The
ancient Pharisees thought they were Gods chosen people -- and they were. They thought they were the "
For
many of them, their religion had become a matter of outward show and
pretense! So when Christ came, most of
the "
The
apostle Paul prophesied that the
Paul
went on, warning us, that in the end time, "evil men and impostors will go
from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived" (verse 13). He wrote that in the last days many churches
and men "will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will
gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears
want to hear. They will turn their ears
away from the TRUTH and turn aside to myths" (11 Tim.4:3-4).
Therefore,
just because you and your church "seem" to observe holy days and
Sabbaths does not prove that YOU know Christ or God, or truly belong to Him --
any more than the unconverted Pharisees!
The real question is, do you personally really
know Jesus Christ? Do you have a
personal relationship with Him? Do you
in deep humility and abject sincerity, address Him as
your own personal Lord, Master and Saviour? Believe it or not, if you truly have this
personal relationship, then you are a TRUE Christian, even if you lack
in parameters of knowledge -- even if you are IGNORANT of Sabbaths, tithing,
and holy days! Even if you don't have
a local "church" to fellowship with!
The
Purpose of Triumph Prophetic Ministries
God
has not called me to raise up a "new Church"
of some kind, to compete with the various branches of the end-time
Where
then is the so-called "true Church" of God today?
Those
who truly constitute remnants of the Church of God, the body of Christ, can
only be those who still have a degree of spiritual truth, who believe in
obedience to the laws of God, who understand about baptism by immersion, and
who grasp the reality of Christ as Saviour and
repentance from sin and dedication of one's life to follow Christ in every
aspect of their lives -- who "follow Him" to the very best of their
ability and to the utmost of their knowledge and understanding, however limited
that knowledge may be.
Today,
there are a host of Sabbath-keeping churches, big and small, and even a goodly
number of churches which observe the annual holy days of God, although some
differ on exactly when the holy days fall and how they should be counted. Some of these have also gone into error, and
departed from the right track.
Nevertheless, there could well be sincere, bona fide Christians and
believers in Christ in any or all of these small "remnant" groups --
"wheat" amongst the "tares" that Jesus spoke of
(Matt.13:24-30, 36-43). The point to
remember is that regardless of which of these remnant groups one may belong to,
or even if a person belongs to NONE of them, in order to be a true member of
the "BODY OF CHRIST," he must be begotten by the Holy Spirit of God!
Notice!
The
apostle Paul explained, "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind
controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is HOSTILE to
God. It does not submit to God's law,
nor can it do so. Those controlled by
the sinful nature cannot please God.
"You,
however, are not controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the
Spirit of God lives in you. And if
anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ"
(Rom.8:6-9). The key to being part of the body of Christ isn't which
"sect" or group or "denomination" you belong to -- but
whether you've ever received the SPIRIT OF GOD!
In
other words, its a matter of whether you've repented
of your sins, accepted Christ as your own Saviour and
Redeemer (Acts
This is a very deep, intense,
personal relationship. It grows in depth
and breadth and richness as we continue growing in grace and knowledge of
Christ through the study of His Word (11 Pet.3:18; Matt.4:4; Jas.1:21).
As Paul explained, "Having
believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is
a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are
God's possession -- to the praise of his glory" (Eph.1:13-14). God's
Spirit imparts spiritual strength and energy, power and might. Paul prayed that "out of his glorious
riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and
established in love, may have power, together with the saints, to grasp how
wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love
that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be FILLED TO THE MEASURE of all the
fullness of GOD" ( Eph.3:14-19).
Some people, such as I have described
here, may be missionaries in
Frankly -- let me be candid -- there
is more hope of such a person entering the
I personally know evangelical people
who sincerely pray together, asking God's blessing on the food, when they eat
out in restaurants, out of sincere love of Christ. On the other hand, I know many "Sabbath
keepers" who would be ASHAMED of any such demonstration of the love of
God, and who think of themselves as "superior," to any such outward
display of love for Christ and God! If
that attitude of smugness and cavalier self-superiority describes you, then
shame on you!
The
real key to being a Christian, and finding a TRUE Church of God, is to have
God's Spirit as a begettal (Acts 2:38; 5:32), and to
fellowship with others who also have His Spirit, as you are able to find
them. If you do have the Spirit of God,
and nurture it, and study God's Word daily so you can grow spiritually, then it
will "guide you into all truth" (John 16:13).
In
so doing, however, the time may come when it may require you to SEPARATE FROM
any group which refuses the truth, and denies the truth, and which becomes or
is guilty of apostasy!
Remember,
Jesus said many would fall away from the truth during the last days
(Matt.24:4-5). This warning includes
WHOLE CHURCHES! Paul wrote, "That
day will not come [the day of Christ's return] before there arises a DEFINITE
REJECTION OF GOD and the appearance of the lawless man. He is the product of all that leads to death,
and he sets himself up in opposition to every religion. He himself takes his seat in the
Because
of human nature, politics, and desire for position and power among men, the
For
example, during the split between the "Church of God, Seventh Day,"
and the "Seventh-Day Adventists," toward the end of the NINETEENTH
century, the Church of God, Seventh Day people believed that the Adventists
erred by leaving the name of God out of the Church name. In other words, the name of the Adventists no
longer identified them as belonging to God.
This was an error, no doubt and the Adventists went from bad to worse as
they followed the errors of the false prophetess Ellen G. White. (See our two
articles, "The Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Prophecy!" and
"Ellen G. White -- Messenger or Medium?")
However,
this error by itself did not mean they were no longer part of the "
simply lack understanding on some of these matters.
The
Seven End-Time Churches of Revelation
Actually,
according to the book of Revelation, there are prophesied to be seven
extant branches of the
History records among the branches of the "end-time Church of God" several different organizations -- among them the "Seventh-day Baptists," as well as the 'Seventh-day Adventists," the "Church of God, Seventh Day," the "Worldwide Church of God," "Church of God International," "Global Church of God," "United Church of God," as well as many smaller "independent" groups. And a new movement among the Jewish people, and some people among evangelical Churches, since the Six Day War of 1967, has arisen during these days, called "The Messianic Jewish Movement," or "Messianic Jews." Many of their congregations are called "Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations." These vary widely in beliefs and practices, most of them having a strong "evangelical Christian" tinge or flavor, whereas some are strong for Jewish traditions and customs.
In
addition to these are many small, splintered groups which keep the Sabbath, and
some of which also observe the annual holy days. However, most if not all of these
"churches" or religious organizations have various problems,
errors, sins, and shortcomings. You
can begin to understand many of their problems by reading Revelation 2-3, the
letters to the seven churches!
Why Triumph Is NOT a
"Church" As Such
Why,
then, haven't I incorporated "Triumph Prophetic Ministries" as a new
"Church"?
The
answer is simple. First of all, I
believe since the "body of Christ" is not a human corporation or
organization, to incorporate as "THE
For
example, to incorporate as "The Philadelphia Church of God," seems to
me to indicate an attitude of spiritual pride and self-righteousness. What will those people say to Christ when He
comes and confronts them on this matter?
It is one thing to believe that you are part of the spiritual "
A
true Spirit-begotten Christian does not necessarily need to belong to ANY
physical "church," or group, but could be just an individual,
studying the Word of God, and following Christ, observing God's Sabbath and
holy days in his own home, if he has nobody else that he knows of with whom to
fellowship! Such solitary, isolated
Christians have a tough time of it, for good spiritual fellowship is very
helpful and upbuilding in the faith. Nevertheless, we must remember, as the
apostle John reminds us: "Truly our
fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ" (I John 1:3).
My
job, then, is not to raise up a "new
Church." By the fruits, I believe the Worldwide Church of God, until
recently, constituted a major part of the end-time
In
general, the evidence indicates that many of the "off-shoots" that
have come out of Worldwide in the past few years, now
constitute a large portion of the end-time LAODICEAN CHURCHES OF GOD! For example, most all of these off-shoots
remain bogged down in doctrinal error, and traditions of men, notably the
errors and doctrines taught by Herbert W. Armstrong, and will not even examine
them to see if they are true or not. Many
virtually "worship" Herbert Armstrong, and put him high up on a
pedestal. This is sin and idolatry! Those churches who
do this, to one degree or another, all constitute in general the