Where Do I Find the
"One True
Church"?
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No one wants to harbor the
thought that they may have been deceived and betrayed by a false prophet
or religious fraud who claimed to be "God's Apostle" or "God's
Prophet"1
and who said his church was "God's one and only true Church"
with "absolute truth." No one wants to become a member of what
they believe is the Philadelphia Church of God, only to find out later
that they were
lied to. To experience such spiritual abuse destroys our view of the world, of
ourselves (as being competent to make right decisions), and
our view of a God whom we felt
we knew and trusted. Neither does anyone want to end up realizing the scriptures were twisted
for the purpose of controlling and financially exploiting them. It's much easier to
deny part (or all) of what may have happened and go on searching for "the truth," or "God's
true church." Before anyone decides to join one of these churches, they should stop and look at the similarity in how they all proclaim to have "the truth" that no other church has.2 Look at the psychological methods they use. Does the leader use fear, guilt, and shame in order to get members to comply? Do they teach that you can only find eternal life through what they are teaching and by being in their group? Do they place a lot of emphasis on end time prophecies, proclaiming that only their church is getting out the true gospel or the restored gospel to the world? Do they say you must obey "the government of God" (even being willing to die for it) or else you will be cast out of their group? Are they secretive with where their finances are going? (not having any financial accountability) Has the leader given false prophecies? (Remember, it only takes one false prophecy to make someone a false prophet.) Do they offer you "the truth," "the true way," "inner secrets," "the purpose of life," "the mystery of the ages," "advanced knowledge," "revelation," or similar alluring things such as "prosperity" or "success" if you do certain works? Do they assert that they are God's "end time church," the "remnant of the one true church," the "continuation of the true church," or similar words? Do they teach God is working through them alone and only they possess certain "truths" that others don't have? If so, beware, because if you aren't in their church, they believe you are "lost" and "deceived by Satan." Don't be afraid to read what have others written or testified about a certain group or its leader. Don't just assume it is "Satan's lies." Take time to examine the life and history of the founder and the organization (the true fruits). Jesus said you will know them by their fruits. This goes far beyond believing that "none of us is perfect" and "God can use anyone." Read our article, "None of God's Servants Were Perfect" (for those who like to use this reasoning). Find out if the group's "doctrines" really line up with Scripture (this doesn't mean relying on the group's Bible correspondence course to "prove" what they say is true). In almost all cases, these "answers" are based on scriptures which are taken out of context, and are doctrines which were borrowed, or plagiarized, from other false prophets/teachers, who in turn copied from others before them. Believing there must be a "one true church of God" which alone has the "true gospel," or "all the truth," or "all the answers," is known as "black and white thinking"--and there are many such groups in society that are teaching these things, who have never even heard of Herbert Armstrong, yet upon close examination, their belief system and methods of control are very similar. When we get caught up in "where is God's one true church?" we end up down a blind alley that will lead us further and further away from the true God of the Bible and His gospel of redeeming grace and most likely into a spiritually abusive, totalistic cult or cultic group. Those who have placed their faith in Christ alone as their personal Savior are already in the "true church." An individual does not have to become a part of, or join, a specific church or denomination in order to receive eternal life. Pray for discernment, wisdom and guidance as you read the Word of God (without the group's literature). Seek to know more about the Person of Christ Jesus, His all sufficient atonement revealed in His death, burial and resurrection, not about certain "truths" or "new revelations" that some man or church tells you that they have. By D. W. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:" ~ John 14:6 "...the
truth is in Jesus." ~ Ephesians 4:21 Footnote: 1 Philadelphia Church of God (a major offshoot of Worldwide Church of God) believes that Herbert W. Armstrong fulfilled the prophesied role of "God's end-time Elijah." (HWA implied he was the "Elijah to come" in Mystery of the Ages, p. 9-18. Several statements by HWA claiming to be "God's Apostle" or "Christ's Apostle" are quoted here.) Gerald Flurry of PCG claims to be That Prophet. 2 Refer to ALL OR NOTHING STATEMENTS (from those that have "the truth")
Questions to Ask Any Church or Religious Group You Are Planning on Becoming Involved With How Do I Know if It's a Sick Cult or Healthy Spirituality? Comparing the One True Churches (helps to see the similarities between HWA's "one true church" and other groups which claim the same thing) [offsite link] My Position in Christ (accepted and secure forever) Articles For Those Who Were Spiritually and Emotionally Abused An Open Letter to Our Acquaintances in The Church of God (This courageous letter helped many to question deception and exit the WCG, PCG, and its authoritarian offshoots. Mentions those who fled to the splinter groups.)
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