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GOD'S CHURCH

ANTITHESIS O F THE CHURCH OF GOD AND SECTS
(G. E. Harmon, Part One) F & V Jan.1932

In A. D. 32 Christ said, “I will build my church”. In A. D. 33 “the Lord added to the Church daily such as were being saved”. (Acts 2: 47). So His Church was already built at this date and organized on Pentecost. Now since all sects (taking name of Christ) have come into existence since that date, not one of them is Christ’s Church. The Catholic church is the oldest sect of Babylon, but it did not come into existence until about three hundred years after Christ built His Church, so it could not be the Church of God. The oldest Protestant sect was the Lutheran sect, which was not organized until after(A. I. 1530). Since that date all sects have arisen. The Church of God is the true Church; they (sects) are the false. The Church of God is the genuine; they are counterfeit. We discard all human structures or sects, and abide alone in the Church of God. We are orthodox in so doing. Some say the sects are necessary 'scaffolds’ upon which we build the Church of God. Jesus said, "Upon this Rock I will build my Church” , not on sects. Shame on theologians who teach people that human structures or sect organizations are necessary “scaffolds” to the building of the Church of God. They would be as a pair of wooden crutches to a sound man; the more he leaned on them for support, the weaker he would become in his natural body. His limbs would finally become useless or paralyzed, and the sooner he threw them away the better for his limbs. Sects to our spiritual life would act the same as the crutches to the normal man. They paralyze the spiritual man; then what good are the sects? No good whatever, but are positively forbidden in the Bible. “That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.”(1 Cor. 12: 25). Then why preach for your worthless sects?

A sect is a cut-off part. The Church of God unites in one. It perfectly joins together: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment”. (1 Cor.1:10 ), while sects divide in hundreds of different factions. Christ is the Head of the body, the Church (His Church). Some sect ministers say, "He is the head of our church too” . No, He has but one body. One head with several bodies would be a monstrosity, some unnatural thing. But if that were possible, the head alone would have the Bible name, while the different bodies would be Methodist, Baptist, Menonite, Dunkard, Quakers, Pentecost, Mormon, etc. and none of them working in harmony with each other, or in harmony with the head. Don’t you think the contention between the several hundred bodies would bring pain to the head? But, thank God it is not so with the body of Christ, for it is in perfect harmony with the head; "Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church”:(Col.1:24). No sect composes this body, “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all”.(Eph.1:22,23).

"Now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular ” (1Cor.12:27). This body is composed of all the saved; all Christians belong to the Church of God. No sect contains all Christians; hence, no sect is the Church of God. You cannot be a Christian and not be a member of the Church of God, but you can be a member of some sect and not be a member of the Church of God. So whether in or out of a sect, if you have salvation, you are a member of the Church of God. We see since the Church of God includes all Christians, it is not a sect, cut-off part; it is the whole. To become a sect, we would have to organize and join another body, for the body of Christ (His church) is already organized, and to reorganize it would be to disorganize it, and thus make another sect.

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ANTITHESIS OF THE CHURCH OF GOD AND SECTS
(G. E. Harmon, Part Two) Faith & Victory Feb 1932

What is a sect? Any institution that does not include all the saints of heaven and earth in its membership. For example, does the Methodist denomination, to which I used to belong, include all the family of God? If so, then there are no Christians outside of that particular sect. To admit that there are saved people outside of it, is to admit' that that denomination is a sect. In talking with one of our circuit riders years ago, he said he thanked God for all the denominations of earth, for it took them all to complete the gospel Church. If so, then the sects taken together include all the saved in heaven and earth; but they do not, and they know better. There are thousands in paradise that never belonged to a sect, and thousands on earth who do not hold membership in any sect, and yet they are saints of the Most High God, and their names are in heaven. “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven”.(Luk 10:20) 

“The names of all who hold membership in the Church of God are written in heaven in the Book of Life; “And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life”. (Phil. 4:3)

“The Lord shall count when He writeth up the people, that this man was born there” (Psa. 87:6), but on the other hand, all sects write their members’ names in a book “in the earth” . “O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.” (Jer. 17: 13).

Again, if it takes all the sects to compose the Church of God, where was His Church before they arose? But thank God, His Church was in existence 1500 years before the first Protestant sect was organized. To teach a relationship between the sects and Church of God is to make the Word of God a lie, and become guilty of heresy. God help all honest souls to hear the voice of God, “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues”. (Rev.18:4). All the saved belong to one body “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence”.(Col. 1: 18) ; “ So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. ” (Rom.12:5). There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling”; (Eph. 4:4) “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ”. (1Cor.12:12), “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit”. (verse 13), “And that he might reconcile both unto God in one--body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby”:  (Eph. 2.:16),”And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body and be ye thankful”. (Col. 3: 15). One body proved only one church, one in Christ, then all other bodies are out of Christ. We abide only in the one body (the Church of God) and reject all others as antichrist. Christ is the head of but one body; no sect has Christ for its head. They all have human heads. Salvation makes us members of the Church of God, but not of any sect, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful”.(Acts 2: 47).

Jesus said, “ I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture”.  (Joh: 10 : 9). Church and kingdom are practically the same. Conversion puts us into the kingdom, Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven”. (Matt.18:3); by the new birth we enter the kingdom Jesus answered and said unto him, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”. 

“Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”. (Jho.3:3-5).

The moment a person is saved, he is a member of the Church of God. Does that make him a member of the Baptist, Dunkard, Methodist, or any other sect ? No, never; for one must join to become a member of any sect institution: hence, they are not orthodox, as some sects claim, to be. The only way to become a member of the Church of God is to get salvation, but that does not make him a member of any sect.

There is not a sinner in the Church of God. We stay in there as long as we stay saved, but the moment we commit sin, we are out. God holds the blotter; no man can put us in, and no man can put us out. “And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book”. (Ex.32:33). “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil”. (1Jho.3:8). “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die”.  (Ezek. 18:4) Christ takes the members into His Church. The preacher takes the members into his sect. “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him” (1Cor.12:18). No sect preacher can put a member in the Church of God, or put one out.. “Who (God) hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son” (Col.1:13). Men can preach the Word, instruct souls in the way of righteousness, but inducting us into the Church is the work of the Almighty. Their excuse is, the Lord takes them into the invisible church, but the preacher takes them into the visible church. This is heresy, for the Church of God existed several hundreds of years before there was a professed Christian sect' to join.

Is the Church of God an invisible body of believers ?*** (See Note at the end) No, Jesus likened it to a city set on a hill that cannot be hid. Has Sectisim made the church visible? ' No, they have covered it over with human rubbish and hid it for a time from the people, but God's true ministers are applying the torch of truth to their human rubbish. They say, we believe in the unity of the invisible church; well, we believe also in the unity of the visible church. For example, we hold a meeting in some locality and fifty souls are saved. They follow the Lord in baptism, assemble

themselves together and partake of the ordinances of the house of God, worship Him in the spirit of holiness: is not this visible unity? Is it not Divinely organized?

But now suppose, some sectarian (wolf) got in among the flock and inculcate in their minds a schismatic spirit, and ten of them send for a Methodist preacher to organize a Methodist sect, ten send for a Baptist, ten for a Dunkard, ten for a Nazarene and ten for a Free Methodist. They come and set up their organizations; what have they done? Have they made the Chruch more visible ? No, never, but they have disorganized it: “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life”. (Rev.21:27) ; but now they are written in the earth. “Oh! Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters” (Jer.17:13), “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect”, (Heb.12:23). But in sect Babylon each denomination has a book of their own in which they write their members' names. The Church of God unites believers while sects divide and scatter.

The New Testament is our discipline; all have the same faith and doctrine. But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. (His Church). (1Cor.12:18), “ Now ye are the body of Christ members in particular”, (12:27) “and God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers. After that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues”. (1Cor.12:28), All the above gifts are divinely ordered and placed in the body o f . Christ. The Emphatic Diaglott says, “all are not prophets, all are not teachers, all do not speak with tongues”, etc.

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ANTITHESIS O F CHURCH O F G O D AN D SECTS
(G. E. Harmon, Part Three) F & V March 1932

Heresy in scripture means sect or the doctrine of a sect, as denomination. Heresies and sects are the same. Both come from the same word, hairesis. The sect (haresis) of the Sadducees: “Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation”,  (Acts 5:17), the sect (hareses): “But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses”. (Acts 15: 5), the sect (hareses) of the Nazarenes: “For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes”:  (Acts 24:5). They call heresy hareses: “But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets”:  (Acts 24: 14); “Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee” . (Acts 26:5). “Damnable heresies”: “For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them”. (2 Pet. 2:21). This last scripture is in the German tongue translated, “destructive sects” . A heretic is a sectarian. There are a few honest souls, however, that have been ignorantly led into sects who have not imbibed the sect spirit. These are not sectarians, and when they hear the truth on the real Bible Church and see the sin of sect.ism., they will drop the sect and abide in the Church only. “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon !themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways: by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of, and through coveteousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you : whose judgment now' of a long time lingereth not and their damnation slumbereth not” (2 Pet, 2:1-3). This is the apostasy that, is called “ damnable heresies” . And some versions is rendered ‘ ‘ destructive sects ’ \

God help men and women to hear the voice of God: “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues”.(Rev. 18:4)

But, says some, don’t you think God is blessing in sect.ism? Wherever God can find an honest soul, He blesses them. Regardless of their ignorance of the sect they are in. In (Gal.5:19,21), Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God”. “Now I beseech you brethren, mark them which cause division and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them, for they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good works and fair speeches, deceive the hearts of the simple” (Rom.16:17,I8).

God in these last days is “ gathering together: “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him”: (Eph.1:10).

WARNING! Sects are yoking together sinners and believers alike: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness”? (2 Cor.6:14). What is the command of God in this case? We will look for the answer in the 17th verse, “ Wherefore, come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you”. If all preachers and Christians would preach and practice (1 Cor.1:10), there would be no sects. “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. “That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another”.(1 Cor.12:25). Sects, “schisms” or divisions are forbidden in the Word of God. Because of division among the Corinthians Paul decided that there must be heresies (sects—margin,) “For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it”. 

(1Cor.11:18). “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with darkness”? (2 Cor 6:14) And: “Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you” (2 Cor.6:17). It is considered an unclean, thing in the sight of God for saints to yoke up with sects or unbelievers. “For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I,will both search my sheep, and seek them out: “As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day”. (Ezek,34:11-12).

(The following has been added to the original script (Note: “Cloudy and dark day”) refers to the protastant era, the above verses refer to deliverance from the bondage the daughter of the Great whore. The “350 years from 1530 to 1880”, (Zec 14:7)  But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. This 350 years are starting with Martin Luther's nailing of the 95 theses on the church door In the little town of Wittenberg, Germany, on this day, October 31, 1517, This was the beginning of the mass creation Sects (Denominations) ie. Protistantism!)

Next we wish to talk about the name of the Church that Jesus purchased with His own blood. “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled”.  (Jho.17: 12). Whose name? God's name. What is His name? “For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called”. (Isa. 54: 5). “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”:  (1 Cor. 1: 2) “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia”: (2 Cor.1:1). “That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1Tim,.3:15). So now, as we find no Methodist, Baptist, Mennonites, Free Methodists, Dunkards, etc. in the Bible, we discard all else and abide alone in the “Church of God” “which He has purchased with His own blood”

“But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal.1:8). “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing but doting about questions and strifes of words whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of .corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness, from such withdraw thyself” (1Tim.6:3 -5)

The foundation of the Church of God: “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1Cor.3:11). ”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”. (Matt.16:18), “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone: (Eph.2: 20). So if it takes all the sects to compose the Church of God, then a man would have to join all of them to teach and practise all the Word of God. He would still be wrong, as he would yet be a sectarian, and sects or schisms are positively forbidden in the Word of God:”That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. (1 Cor.12:25). But what about the ‘ split’ known as the Compromise or Trumpet people. They continue to call themselves the Church of God. “They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would, no doubt, have continued with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” (1Jno.2:19). This is the antichrist spirit of the 18th verse: Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. (1Jno.2:18) Christ would not endorse the following, to-wit: Hireling ministers; church committee, to take the place of the Holy Ghost, to decide who should preach and who should not; going to picture shows; organizing Church of God ball teams; bowling alleys; calling ministers, Reverend, D.D., etc*.; the use of narcotics which are injurious to the body; the wearing of gold and costly array; mixing in the worldly parades; taking out life insurance ; wearing short dress, low necks, and short or no sleeves; taking doctor’s medicines; divorcing and re-marrying; separating colored saints from white saints; routing and shouting at ball games; and many other things they do, which makes them the antichrist spirit, and they have become, as one of their members said, just another church among other churches. So “come out of her, my people” is applicable to them also, as being the “image of the beast”in (Rev.13:14)
“Lo, these are parts of His ways; but how little a portion is heard of Him: but the thunder of his powder who can understand”? (Job26:14).

*** Note from page 4. - DOES CHRIST’S BODY, THE CHURCH, EXIST AS A VISIBLE “GROUP”? https://tinyurl.com/2m8kvnrx