We Are the Church

The following is a little story I made up to illustrate a point: A man came for a meeting with the pastor of his church and told him about three occurrences that he was involved with. First, he told about a family in the church that was struggling financially due to unemployment and they had run out of food for the week. Therefore he had given them some money. Next, he told about a neighbor who was in a car accident. He visited him in the hospital. Then he told about a relative of his who was depressed because his wife had died so he had spent some time with the man and helped him work through his grief. In anger, he asked the pastor “Where was the church for all of those people? They needed help and the church was not there for them.” The pastor replied, “I think the Church handled each situation very well, because you are the Church”.

In the Israel Truth movement we complain because the Church is not preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, only the Gospel of personal salvation. Also, we say that the Church is not preaching God’s laws from the Old Testament. However, we in the Israel Truth movement have been preaching about those subjects and interpretation of prophecy to the best of our ability for 150 years. We are part of the Church, so the Church has been fulfilling its mission.

The Gospel of the Kingdom was important in the early Church. The book of Acts tells of how the Samaritans received the Gospel: “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women”. Acts 8:12. Also, the apostle Paul spoke in Rome about the Kingdom. “And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening”. Acts 28: 23. The reason most pastors do not teach about the Kingdom of God is because it is all about Israel. The angel Gabriel made this clear in his declaration: “Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Luke 1: 30-33. Most preachers have a hard time applying this Kingdom prophecy to the Jews, so they just ignore it.

It is up to people in the Israel Truth movement to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom as hope to a troubled world. The Kingdom will not be patterned after the United Nations, but will be made up of converted Israelites (Anglo-Saxon and kindred peoples), who will probably number in the billions before the end of the millennium. According to the Law of Moses and the New Testament any who worship our God will be welcome in the Kingdom. However, Jesus said to worship God we must believe the Truth and have the Holy Spirit in us. “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” John 4: 24.

We, in the Israel Truth movement, believe that we have eternal life in fellowship with God because Jesus Christ took our sins upon himself when He died on the cross. We also believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, and with the Holy Spirit forms a Trinity with God the Father. We also believe that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, and will return to establish his Kingdom upon Earth. These beliefs, inspired by the Holy Spirit, make us part of the Church, and nobody can say no to our membership. Our judge is God, not man. “But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.” I Corinthians 12: 20-21.

They need us, even if they do not know it.