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because strait is the gate, and nar–
row is the way, which leadeth unto
life, and few there be that find it"
(Matt. 7:13-14).
Remember, then, only a
FEW
go
in the strait or narrow gate-only a
FEW
truly understand
now and are
part of God's Church today.
And again, ..Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that
doeth the wi/1 of my
Father
which is in heaven" (Matt.
7:21). So Jesus plainly stated that
his people are to be
obedient
to the
Father's will. They oo what God
the Father commands.
l. Often Small and Persecuted
All through the New Testament,
the term
woman
is used as a sym–
bol of a church. In 11 Corinthians
11:
1-~.
the Church is pictured as
the affianced bride of Cbrist. Near–
ly all scholars acknowledge that in
Revelation 12, the true Church is
pictured. She is being persecuted
by the " dragon"- described in
verse 9 as Satan the devil. In verse
17 the devil goes to make war with
the ..remnant"-the last genera–
tion-of the true Church-..wbicb
keep the commandments of God,
and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ."
In Revelation 14:12, God de–
scribes these same faithful people:
..Here is the patience of the saints:
here are tbey that keep the com–
mandments of God, and the faith of
Jesus."
Jesus said
he
would build
his
Church. We have found that tbe
Bible describes it as a
sma/1,
often
persecuted Church-one that is
certainly not part of this world's
politics. It is a Church that does the
WILL
of God the Father-one that
obeys him. And it
KEEPS
the Ten
Commandments given as a basic
way of life by Almighty God.
Obviously, many differing de–
nominations are small; sorne are
persecuted. Sorne are persecuted
because they seem to deliberately
provoke others
and so bring
undue persecution upon them–
selves- NOT because of a biblical
message,
but because of thought–
lessly, arrogantly trying to ..cram
their religion" down the throats of
other people.
A few small groups sincerely feel
8
they are not "part of this world."
Perhaps they wear distinctive
clothing from another age to prove
this to themselves and others.
So what other evidences are
there?
11. The Church Has God's Name
It sounds almost too simple. You'd
think people would know. But
God
names things what they are!
Before Satan rebelled, he was
called by a name that means ..light–
bringer"
(Lucifer
in Latín). After
he tried to dethrone the living God,
his name was changed to Satan.
This means "enemy" or "adver–
sary"- exactly what this great fall–
en cherub bad become.
The name Jacob means ..usurp–
er" or "one who supplants anoth–
er." After the patriarch wrestled
with God's Messenger and began to
ask God for help, tben God
cbanged his name to Israel. This
means "overcomer" or ..prevailer"
with God.
All through the Bible you see
this principie. Names are important
to God. And God names things
what tbey are!
Many years ago, in 1517, a
young priest in the Holy Roman
Empire of the German nation
became upset at the selling of
indulgences. He nailed to a church
door 95 theses expressing why he
viewed as wrong the practice of
selling of indulgences.
Thus, Martín Luther unwitting–
ly started what became the Protes–
tant Reformation. Later, after an
ecclesiastical break, his followers
were called "Lutheran" after this
reformer. Their formal name now
is the Lutheran Church.
Years later in England, John
Wesley, receiving a feeling of "in–
ner warmth" and peace after a cer–
tain religious meeting, set out
preaching about a different ap–
proach to God and religion. Even- ·
tually, his followers carne to view
their church as Wesleyan. But,
although the term
Wes/eyan
is still
widely used, they formally named
their church after Wesley's habit of
being organized and methodical in
everything he did. So they named
their denomination the Methodist
Church.
Presbyterians are named after
their forro of church government
by. the elders, or presbyte.rs. Bap–
tists are named after a distinctive
doctrine, baptism.
And so on.
But, does Goo give any indica–
tion in the
Bible
what his Church
should be called? Surprisingly, per-·
haps to sorne, he does.
Direct Proof
When the apostle Paul was
instructing the elders of the church
in Ephesus, he stated, "Take heed
therefore unto yourselves, and to all
the flock, over the which the Holy
[Spirit] hath made you overseers,
to feed the
church of God
... "
(Acts 20:28).
Feed what? "Feed the
church
of
God."
Does it seem too obvious that
God's Church would be called just
that, the Church of God?
Notice I Corinthians 1:1-2. In
the official address to the Church,
Paul wrote, "Unto the church of
God which is at Corinth.... "
Later in the letter, he tells
them, "Give none offence, neither
to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles,
nor to the church of God" (I Cor.
10 :32).
In I Corinthians 11:16, Paul
speaks of the churches collectively
as "the churches of God." In
verse 22 of this chapter, Paul
again refers to them as "the
church of God." And in 1 Corin–
thians 15:9, he states, "For
1
aro
the least of the apostles, that aro
not meet to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church
of God."
11 Corinthians begins with the
same official address: " ... unto
the church of God which is at
Corinth." And in 1 Thessalonians
2: 14, Paul refers to the original
Christians as "the churches of God
which in Judrea are in Christ
Jesus."
The introductions to both of
Paul's letters to the Thessalonians
refer to ..the church of the Thes–
salonians in God the Father," for
they were his churches and must
be in union with him. And in I
Timothy 3:5, the evangelist is
instructed that if an eJder does not
know how to rule his house, "how
shall he take care of the church of
God?"
Finally,
in
1 Timothy 3:15, Paul
The
PLAIN TRUTH