CGOM: It’s not in the Book!

A while back, a newsletter associated with Church of God Outreach Ministries had the following:

It’s not in the Book!

You turn up for an event—only to find it has been cancelled. You plan a picnic—and it pours. You look forward to a big night out—and go down with ‘flu. We are used to such disappointments—that’s life!

Then you get curious about some of your beliefs only to find they don’t fit the facts. The moon isn’t green cheese. The earth isn’t flat. Matter isn’t solid and can be in two places at once. And—you can’t find your long-held Christian beliefs in Christianity’s source Book—the Bible. Now that could present some longterm issues.

Let’s look at some misunderstandings. …

Sunday Observance
Sorry—not in the Book. The Book teaches observance of the seventh day, Saturday. It took more than three centuries for the pagan Sunday observance to supersede the day kept by Jesus, the apostles and the early church, with just a minority continuing to observe the seventh day. Millions of Christians now observe it. worldwide.

Christmas/Easter
Puzzling that neither gets a mention. Except for a brief reference in the Old Testament where God strongly condemns them, and some veiled warning references by the apostle Peter. But with clear evidence that God appointed festivals were and should still be observed.

Immortal soul
Not there. That’s the lie Satan taught to Adam and Eve: ‘…you shall surely not die’. God only is immortal. Those in whom resides God’s immortal Spirit will put on immortality at the first resurrection at the return of Christ.

Heaven
No—the saved do not go there. They remain in God’s care (as inert spirits) until Jesus returns, when they reign with him firmly on Earth. In the end, the Father comes from heaven to reside on Earth.

Law
No—it’s not ‘done away’. Jesus makes clear in the Scriptures that God’s Law undergirds all Christian behaviour. When the Father draws us to Jesus we are to set aside our law-breaking (‘repentance’) and are baptized by immersion as a symbol of our becoming a ‘new creature’ in Christ.

It is to God’s Word, the Christian Bible, all of it, that we must look for the authentic teaching of Jesus. He warned that many would pervert his message and urged us to be constantly on our guard for false teachings—and teachers!

Let me also state that not only are many doctrines that people think are Christian not in the Bible, they were not observed by Jesus’ early followers either. Furthermore, many of those teachings that many now accept were condemned by early professors of Christ.

For scriptural and historical proof, check out the following documented articles and videos:

Sunday and Christianity Was Sunday observed by the apostolic and true post-apostolic Christians? Who clearly endorsed Sunday? What relevance is the first or the “eighth” day? A related sermon is also available: Sunday: First and Eighth Day?
What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Christmas and the Holy Days? Do you know what the Catholic Church says were the original Christian holy days? Was Christmas among them? Is December 25th Jesus’ birthday or that of the sun god? Here is a link to a related sermon: What do Catholic and other scholars teach about Christmas?
Did Early Christians Celebrate Easter? If not, when did this happen? Where did Easter come from? What do scholars and the Bible reveal? Here is a link to a video titled Why Easter?
Did Early Christians Believe that Humans Possessed Immortality? What does John 3:16, and other writings, tell us? Did a doctrine kept adopted from paganism? Here is a YouTube video titled Are humans immortal?
Did Early Christians Teach They Were Going to Heaven? What do the Bible and scholars teach? What about ‘near-death experiences’? Here are links to a related sermons: Heaven and Christianity and It’s not heaven.
Were the Ten Commandments Nailed to the Cross? Some have said so. This article provides some biblical quotes to answer this important question.
Which Laws were Superceded? Which Remain? What about the Ten Commandments? What about the 613 regulations (called 613 Mitzvot) in the Old Testament? Which were ‘done away’?
The Ten Commandments and the Early Church Did Jesus and the Early Church keep the ten commandments? What order were they in? Here are quotes from the Bible and early writings. A related sermon is titled: Christians and the Ten Commandments.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.