Before I start this, let me say that I love you. I love you, and it is this love that causes me to point out error. If you knew someone with terminal lung cancer, and you had a pill that would get rid of that cancer, you wouldn't keep it for yourself would you? You would tell your friend to stop smoking and take the pill. That's my goal here: To tell others to stop sinning and follow God. Some of these things are hard to say and harder to hear, but this is what must be said.
So you think you are a Christian, right? Probably. You've accepted Jesus into your heart and you're heaven bound, right? Actually, if all you've done is accept Jesus, then you're not a Christian, and if you're a Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, or Presbyterian, or if you are a member of the Lutheran Church, the Assembly of God, the United Church of Christ, the United Church of God, or one of many other denominations, I must tell you this sad fact: You are not a Christian, and you are not going to Heaven. Don't stop reading just now, though, please. For your soul's sake, read on.
One church
Jesus said He would found His church on this rock, Peter, in Matthew 16:18. He said "church." Just one church. And how many churches did I list above? Ten. Not one, but ten. That means all ten cannot possibly be right. One has to be right. But is this one church founded by Jesus one of the churches I listed above? No, I'm sorry, but this one church isn't even one of those. You don't know how much it hurts me to say this, but if you are a member of one of the churches above, you are not a member of Christ's church.
Jesus' church was founded on the Day of Pentecost around 33 A.D., as recorded in Acts 2, starting with the Holy Spirit filling the apostles, and then 3,000 people being baptized into the church. That was how the church was formed. But the ten denominations I listed were not founded then. They were founded much later.
Many denominations
Let's start with the Catholic Church. Contrary to what they want you to believe, the Catholics' first pope was Boniface III, who was elected in 606 A.D. The Catholic Church is not Christ's church because it was founded nearly 600 years after His church was, and the teachings of the Catholics aren't remotely close to what Jesus taught. The Catholic Church is a combination of paganism and distorted practices of Christ's church. Catholics are not member of the church and are not on their way to Heaven.
Most denominations we have today were once a part of the Catholic Church, but split off a while ago. If you are a Baptist, your church was founded in 1609 in England by John Smyth—not in 33 A.D. in Israel by Jesus. Your church cannot possibly be Christ's church, for your church was founded much later.
The following is a list of the dates when the other eight aforementioned denominations were founded.
- Methodism - 1791
- Jehova's Witnesses - late 19th century
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) - 1820s
- Presbyterian Church - 1557
- Lutheran Church - 1517
- Assembly of God - 1901
- United Church of Christ - 1957
- United Church of God - 1900s
Okay, let's review the evidence: There is one church, not many. This one church was founded by Jesus, not man. This one church was established around 33 A.D., not in the 600s, the 1600s, or even today. Thus, the church is not any one of these listed. It is likely that if you are reading this, you are a member of one of the denominations I mentioned, or maybe one I didn't, for there are a great many of them. By now you must be wondering, "What is the real church?" Please read on.
Christ's church identified
Okay, so by now we've discovered that Christ has one church—but who is this church? Who is God's people, the only ones going to Heaven?
God's church is made up of the people that do His will. When we obey God, we are part of His family (Matthew 12:50), and thus part of His church. If you don't obey God, you cannot be in the church, because the wages of sin is death, according to Romans 6:23. This is not to say that those in the church cannot and do not sin, but rather Christians (church members) try their best to avoid sin, not to revel in it like the denominational world.
Christians also wear one name—Christian. Not Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, or whatever else. Those words aren't even found in the Bible (save "Baptist," which used in the Bible, but in a completely different sense). Man-made names like these are unscriptural. Christians are just
And finally, Christians believe and try to do exactly what the Bible says. For example, most Baptists believe that baptism is unnecessary for salvation, but Jesus and His apostles say something that is completely different—they say that it is necessary (see Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, and 1 Peter 3:21). So if you are a Baptist, you believe the wrong thing—in fact, you believe something that is entirely contrary to what the Bible says.
So what now?
First of all, locate a congregation of the church of Christ in your area. They can help greatly; they can show you what to do. Second, follow what God has said about becoming a Christian, and then become one. Lastly, live your life the way God would have you live it. Live your life as if Jesus were walking next to you at every moment.
If you are in the church, you have a marvelous future ahead of you. No matter how bad things get here on Earth, when it's all over, that's when you get to spend eternity in Heaven with your Creator. If you are not in the church, become a Christian today. Christ died so you could be cleansed over your sins. Your soul depends on it.
For questions or help, please e-mail me at colmillowolf@hotmail.com.
