A partial set of notes and Scriptures:

 

Some say that believing one is a member of the True Church that Christ founded is pompous, egotistical.
Is God's Church alive today, does it exist?
There are a number of groups that teach the doctrines from the Bible. Have you proven to be in the RIGHT Place, a group of believers in the TRUTH that Christ taught in support of the entire Scriptures?

Some even say you can "prove anything" in the Bible. ..  ... "proof-texting" is alive and well.
Heard anyone inviting you into their church because theirs is the "false church"??

The majority is not always right... in fact, majorities are OFTEN Wrong...

Mat 7:13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mat 7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Mat 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

We have distinctly different perspectives and understanding that we reach from what is said above.

"NARROW ... and FEW find it"..  FEW indeed. . .

Mat 16:18  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.
Mat 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
After 3.5 years of powerful preaching with MANY MIRACLES and thousands fed and taught... the Church started with only 120 people !!!!!

Mat 24:4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Where is God's Church today and can we KNOW it?

This small flock ... is one of the proofs...

1 - the Church recognizes GOD as SUPREME RULER over ALL THINGS!
God rules the entire, vast Universe, and HE rules His Church, you and me. HE rules US!!! A hard lesson to learn at times...

Dan 5:20  But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
Dan 5:21  And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.

Nebuchadnezzar had to come to LEARN that in a very hard way...

THE FACT is, GOD RULES all things. This is the reality and the Church of GOD sees this reality.

Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Eph 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Eph 4:10  He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH. We are ruled individually by HIM via His Law and Principles.  The Ministry has oversight and teaching responsibilities as well as administrative.

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Luk 4:4  And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

1Jn 2:4  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Mat 19:17  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Mat 5:19  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The Commandments are very important because that is HOW GOD rules and develops character in our lives.

 
Rev 22:14  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Rev 22:15  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

3 MAJOR IDENTIFYING SIGNS:

1 - Keeping the Sabbath

Mar 2:27  And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
Mar 2:28  Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.

Gen 2:1  Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
Gen 2:2  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Gen 2:3  And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Exo 31:12  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Exo 31:13  Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
Exo 31:14  Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Exo 31:15  Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
Exo 31:16  Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
Exo 31:17  It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.

Luk 4:16  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
WHAT is Your Custom??? Are you truly following HIM? Doing things as HE DID??

2 - HOLY DAYS, another sign of God's Church...

LEV 23
Lev 23:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Lev 23:2  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
Lev 23:3  Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
Lev 23:4  These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

Lev 23:14  And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
After each HOLY DAY essentially... FOREVER...
HOW many times does GOD have to say something before we bet it...

John 7 ... Christ risked His Life to go KEEP THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES...

The Churches were observing the days of Unleavened Bread... and other Holy Days: as can be seen in the following link:

http://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/holidays-or-holy-days-does-it-matter-which-days-we-observe/gods-festivals

3 - The name of The Church
The Church of GOD

Act 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
1Co 1:1  Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
1Co 1:2  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:

So, ARE you in the RIGHT PLACE?
Do we keep the Sabbath, Holy days and have the correct name?
United is a legal name, advertising name etc.... and qualifier to CHURCH OF GOD.

OTHER Qualifiers,

4-  TRUTH About Pagan Doctrines.

 a -   Immortality of the soul... Gen 1-3 ... man IS A SOUL which returns to the earth at death.
Ez 18:4,20  SOULS [ nephesh ] can die, dies in fact.

1Ti 6:14  That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
1Ti 6:15  Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
1Ti 6:16  Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

Man needs to put ON IMMORTALITY...  we do NOT have it. MUST be given to us...

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

5 -  TRUTH about Heaven and Hell.

3 "hells"...  One can't be avoided.... hades in gk. the grave... the Church won't die out.
gehenna in gk.  NOT a place in the center of the Earth with perpetual fire.  Tartaroo in gk. place of restraint.  Satan and his demons are bound upon the earth... they are in Tartaroo.  We are here too ...

Hell is not the inferno of Dante's IMAGINATION...

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Man's reward is NOT HEAVEN...

Meek inherit the earth...  Rev...  kings, and priests ON THE earth.

 
Joh 3:13  And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
Visions of Heaven not the same as going there to live perpetually....

Act 2:29  Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day.
Act 2:34  For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

HEB 11... died in the faith having NOT received the promises.

6 - Pagan HOLIDAYS
We have many "Christianized" holidays... HIGHLY Commercialized.

Jer 10:2  Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

Deu 12:29  When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
Deu 12:30  Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
Deu 12:31  Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
Deu 12:32  What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

GOD's HOLY DAYS picture God's plan of salvation, unlike the plethora of pagan days ...

GOD's Power in the Church via HIS Spirit...
Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Mar 16:17  And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Mar 16:18  They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

7 -  Health laws on the Bible.

Leviticus 11

The True Church of GOD desires the TRUTH inwardly, not just from the "teeth out"

The TRUE CHURCH is going about the business of preaching the TRUE GOSPEL to the world.

Mat 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

THEN... shall the end come...  that is why we are so busy MAKING this effort...

.... many of the disciples stopped and left...  it became "far out, weird, strange" to them... ?
But the core remained.. .so it is today...

 

Joh 6:68  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

I hope brethren you have found this place where the words of eternal life are spoken in God's Church, where you are sitting and where you can continue to grow in the Grace and Knowledge of Jesus Christ.