Coming Out of the
‘Churches of God’
When you understand that Churches of
God are lacking essential truth to enable you to survive what is coming, you
will know that it is time to get out.
Such a suggestion, however, is met with derision from minds
cloned in the dogma of CoG superiority or élitism. But it’s what Jesus
instructs:
Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins...
(Rev 18:4, NKJV).
Jesus was not just addressing His people in the system of
Catholicism, or Protestantism. His command is to all who are held in
hierarchic bond- age where you are subservient to men instead of to Him.
This transfer of loyalties is subtle in churches.
You “share in her sins” of pride, arrogance, blasphemy,
denial of the power of God, quenching the gifts of the Holy Spirit,
rejection of prophets, and – believe it or not – rejection of God! Through
all these sins, the Spirit is shut out. Men have taken over. They blaspheme
God’s name every day!
Isaiah prophesied of it (Is 52:5). It’s an astonishing
prediction. It foretold of the spiritual captivity of God’s people,
subjugated by false ministers, deprived of spiritual rights and held down in
spiritual mediocrity. You are commanded to rise up against this repression.
Notice it:
Awake! Awake! Put on your strength, O
Zion
[Zion is a symbol for God’s people]; put on your beautiful garments
[spiritual righteousness], O
Jerusalem,
the holy city!
[God’s Church is called to be holy.] For the uncircumcised and the
unclean
[false ministers /unconverted oppressors]
shall no longer come to you.
Shake yourself from the dust
[of soiled,
contaminated teaching], arise [this is a command of God to rise up
against oppression] sit down, O
Jerusalem! Loose
yourself from the bonds of your neck
[you have got to do
this; you have got to take action], O captive daughter of
Zion!
For thus says the Lord, ‘You have sold yourselves for nothing
[this is
what WCG and CoG folks have done; they have willingly submitted to
illicit human oppression], and you shall be redeemed without money.’
For thus says the Lord God: ‘My people went down at first
into Egypt
to dwell there; then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.’ [Do you see the parallel with God’s people today?
Egypt is a metaphor for
the bondage of sin. And Assyria is a metaphor for harsh rule.]
‘Now therefore, what have I here?’ says
the Lord, ‘that My people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule
over them make them wail,’ says the Lord. ‘And My name is blasphemed
continually every day’ (Is 52:1-5, NKJV).
When a man assumes a hierarchic position of lordship over a
flock, he is established in the place which only Christ should occupy. This
is blasphemy, and is how the prophecy is fulfilled each day in churches
throughout the world, CoGs very much included!
For this reason, just as Jesus repeats it in Revelation, you
are commanded to come out:
Depart! Depart! Go out from there. Touch no unclean thing. Go
out from the midst of her. Be clean! (Is 52:11, NKJV.)
You cannot be clean inside a church that is feeding you with
contaminated teaching (1 Cor 15:33; 1 Cor 10:16-22). If you start to come
out:
The Lord will go before you, and the God of
Israel will be your rear
guard (Is 52:12).
Just as
Israel was led
supernaturally out of Egypt and in the wilderness, so God will lead you when
you take this step. I know it’s true, because after we were thrown out of
‘the church’, we have been led continually by His faithful guiding Hand. And
so can you be. You should be!
I want to tell you how you can rely upon Him for everything
you need, so that you no longer have to rely upon men – and commit idolatry
by so doing!
Jesus individually leads His sheep (Jn 10:3), and you are to
learn to listen to Him and follow Him (Jn
10:14), not men who claim
to come in His name but who are only interested in wages (Jn 10:12,13).
The command to come out of organised churches – when they
repress members, and are no longer teaching them sufficiently – is
discreetly hidden in John 10:4. One spiritual office holds the key to being
led by Him. Mentioned in Jn 10:3 as the watchman (NIV) or doorkeeper (NKJV),
he is the true prophet – the one who speaks for God, the one who opens the
door or gate for the sheep (Jn 10:3) to come in and go out.
That’s why false ministers are so against prophets, and why
true prophets are excluded and derided. False ministers rule the CoGs! These
churches are riddled with them! Revelation calls them the synagogue of Satan
(Rev 2:9; 3:9). These ‘uncircumcised and unclean’ want power and control for
themselves. They are used by Satan to steal that power away from Jesus. And
they do it mainly by excluding true prophets. All that is hidden in those
allegoric words of John 10.
1. Listen To The Spirit
Isn’t it amazing how God hides truth from the spiritually
dull? They are dull because of hard hearts – unbelieving, self-willed,
stubborn hearts. People who refuse to listen to the Spirit, who want to
admire the flesh, choose a human mentor to look up to. They want to be
impressed by man. They prefer to have a Nimrod-like figure to stand before
them, impressive and lordly. And they are quite willing to subordinate
themselves to such an abomination:
An astonishing
[appalling] and horrible thing has been committed
in the land: the prophets [those who claim to speak on behalf of God
– ministers] prophesy falsely [teach falsities], and the
priests rule by their own power and My people love to have it so. But
what will you do in the end? (Jer 5:30,31, NKJV.)
Human authority in churches denies the authority and power of
God, which, ironically, comes through humility. And where false ministers
are at the helm, the ship is totally at their mercy, guided by them, not by
God. The guidance of the Spirit of God is shut out. They have taken over.
You are to come out of this apostate
situation. You are called to hear the Shepherd (Jn 10:3), to listen to His
voice. Do you know how to do that? No, not if you are in a CoG, because the
men who lead you don’t teach you that. They do not know Jesus. They don’t hear His voice, because
they are tuned to the wavelength of darkness.
You need to move on, accept His Spirit, hear the Spirit speak
to you, and receive guidance from Him just as the prophets do.
This truth is expounded in Listening To God.
2. Shun Church Hierarchy
Ministers in CoGs, like in the WCG, have usurped the
prerogatives of Jesus. As I have said above, this is blasphemy!
I have explained in the companion article The Church of
God Debacle (£1.00) more about what is wrong. For a complete exposition
on the subject, please read God’s Church – Whose Authority?
3. Receive The Baptism
When the early Church was birthed on Pentecost, it was as a
result of receiving a baptism IN the Holy Spirit, not merely water baptism.
Study the book of Acts, and you will see that time and time
again, new believers were baptised in the Holy Spirit such that there were
manifest- ations of spiritual power. They were taught to EXPECT to receive
supernatural manifestations, and so they did. They received according to
their faith. It’s always that way. It’s a biblical principle.
But you were not taught to receive the Spirit in that way.
You were taught to receive only the portion of the Spirit that the elders
allowed. And they taught you that that tiny portion of the Spirit was all
you could have.
Well, I’ve got news for you. They’re wrong! Dead wrong! You
can have far more faith than they have. You can have far more Spirit than
them. And you can receive supernatural power the likes of which they have
never known!
I don’t have space in this overview article to cover all the
necessary teaching here, so you will have to read more to get the full
picture. Study:
Holy Fire!
Just What Is The Work?
Faith – Raising Our Level of Expectation.
4. Accept Supernatural Gifts
When you are baptised by the Spirit, and you are committed to
Jesus to the extent that you will witness for Him, He will imbue you with
power. His power follows those who believe for Him to work miracles for
their outreach. They receive.
Jesus is the same as He was in the first century (Heb 13:8).
The first Christians received His power, and the signs and wonders followed
them wherever they took Jesus to others (Mark
16:20). It’s no different
today. Signs and wonders and supernatural gifts of the Spirit accompany the
gospel – where there is faith for them to occur.
But that faith is lacking in CoGs because men have shoved the
Spirit out and taken its place in the assembly. You need to regain that
faith. It needs restoring, so that you can receive spiritual gifts.
Besides the publications mentioned above, An Introduction
To The Spiritual Gifts can help you also, to believe and receive.
5. Restore Equality
There is much that needs restoring in the Church. Truth has
been seriously undermined by Satan.
Through élitism, Satan has elevated
ministers to the level of demi-gods, while he has reduced
you to the level of a worthless stooge. You were told to merely ‘pray and
pay’, to sit quietly and listen to your overlords while they lord it
over you, telling you how you are to understand the Bible, what you should
believe, never questioning their spiritual superiority.
What presumption! What arrogance! What a travesty!
Therefore please hear this, you afflicted, and drunk
[deceived] but not with wine. Thus says your Lord, the Eternal and
your God, who pleads the cause of His people: “See, I have taken out of
your hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of My fury; you
shall no longer drink it. But I will put it into the hand of those who
afflict you, who have said to you, ‘Lie down, that we may walk over
you.’ And you have laid your body like the ground, and as the street,
for those who walk over.” (Is 51:21-23.)
But you are no longer to let yourself be a doormat. You have
equality with Jesus, who is your elder Brother, and those who claimed
superiority over you, have no such legitimate claim, for “you are all
brethren” (Matt 23:8).
You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not
be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him
be your servant (Matt
20:25,26, NKJV).
The ministers who lord it over you should be rejected for
reversing Jesus’ command! You should reject them, because they have turned
the Word of God upside down, and reverted back to the Babylonian model,
doing as the Gentile rulers do.
Whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave
(Matt 20:27,
NKJV).
CoG ministers desire to be first. They can now be your
doormats and slaves.
Furthermore, women have been put down for centuries. Now it
is time that true equality was restored. The basis of this equality is
explained in the publication The Woman Question (£2.00).
6. Reinstate Prophets
‘Churches of God’ have thrown out prophets and shut their
church doors in the prophets’ faces. They refuse to hear corrective words.
They won’t be told. They think they are masters of their own destiny. And
they mock the prophets.
God says to these fools:
Woe to him who quarrels with His Maker... (Is 45:9, NIV).
Now stop your mocking or your chains will become heavier (Is
28:22, NIV).
These misguided men are chained by Satan. They exclude the
prophets God sends, because false CoG ministers are the devil’s advocates.
It’s time for the prophets to be heard. And they will be! The
booklet Prophets and Prophesying (£2) will enlighten you if you want
to know the truth.
7. Meet With Jesus
There should be freedom in meetings, for the exercise of the
gifts of the Spirit. Paul encouraged tongues, interpreting tongues and
prophesying (1 Cor 14:1-5). He stated:
I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I
would rather have you prophesy... So that the church may be edified (1
Cor 14:5, NIV).
People are rarely edified in CoGs! Many are bored. Many have
fallen asleep. Many have apostatised! Why? Because men took control and shut
out the Spirit of God!
Jesus doesn’t show up in your meetings does He? There is no
faith nor expectation for such an event.
Jesus has appeared in vision three times in our meetings. And
He turns up invisibly in every meeting, even when He does not manifest
Himself in vision. You can have Him, too, when you believe. But don’t
believe the tripe CoG ministers feed you. It’s a sick diet!
They don’t allow tongues. They argue against tongues and
prophesying. They do not allow them to take place. But Paul urged the
opposite:
Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not
forbid speaking in tongues (1 Cor
14:39, NIV).
Besides the booklet An Introduction To The Spiritual Gifts,
can I urge you to read Meetings With Jesus also? It will open your
eyes more to what He wants in worship.
8. Cast Out Demons
CoGs don’t cast out demons, because that would get the
ministers ejected who control the churches!
But it’s a command to test the spirits (1 Jn 4:1). It’s not
optional. You can learn how to do that by studying the book Testing The
Spirits. There’s a lot in there!
Also, every believer has the responsibility to fight demonic
forces. You need to know about your enemy to be able to fight him. But CoG
deceivers don’t teach you such essentials. Demons are a taboo subject for
them, for obvious reasons.
Besides some articles on this subject in Articles of Faith,
Volume 5, we also have a booklet entitled Casting Out Demons which
can help you.
9. Reject False Ministers
CoGs are ruled by false ministers. Such men can be identified
by their evil fruits, as explained in Testing The Spirits, and
Apostasy In God’s Church!
You have a moral duty to get them thrown out of the assembly.
Paul wrote to the brethren:
I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause
divisions and put obstacles in your way... Keep away from them. For such
men are not serving our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own appetites. By
smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people (Rom
16:17, 18, NIV).
CoG ministers have deceived a lot of gullible believers!
Paul’s words above were addressed to you. They are not
addressed to rulers of churches, because there were no such rulers in the
early Church. There were overseers, who lovingly took care of
feeding the ‘sheep’, watching for their spiritual wellbeing. Their duty was
to feed as the Holy Spirit led. They did not take autocratic control. It was
false ministers who did that later, Diotrephes being a prime example (3 Jn
9,10).
It is the brethren’s duty to see that
false ministers are thrown out of the assembly and denied a platform. This
is explained in God’s Church – Whose Authority?
But such things don’t happen today, because churches have reverted to mini-
autocracies, where leaders are unchallengeable or are appointed from the top
down, by a board.
It’s time to leave such a corrupt system, for the system
cannot be repaired. Satan has taken control.
10. Correct Teaching
There needs to be a restoration of truth. Error must be
rejected, and ‘new’ truth restored.
Many errors infest CoG theology. That’s why in the last dream
which I recorded in the article Dreams From God For The Churches Of God,
the dream contained the imagery of a rickety ladder. That’s no way to
approach God. He gives us sure footing by the truth in His Word. You can
stand secure on it. But you aren’t safe on a poorly made, humanly
constructed, wobbly ladder that God says (in the dream of
13th April 2005) is that of
CoG’s.
You need the proper stairs that enable you to go up to be
with God, to enter His presence.
CoGs have massive prejudices against other Christians. These
are addressed in the series entitled Understanding The Mind of God.
UMG: A Message To Worldwiders explains the basis of your salvation,
and how you can be with God, both now and for eternity.
There are other doctrinal deceptions foisted upon CoG
members. You should take a closer look at these aspects:
The calendar. CoG churches follow the Jews in some calendrical errors, so
they are meeting for festivals on incorrect dates. Please refer to God’s
Calendar Revealed To Man for specific details.
Jesus’ death and resurrection
has been traditionally taught to have occurred between a Wednesday and a
Saturday, but close inspection of some overlooked points reveal their error.
Jesus was actually crucified on a Tuesday and arose on a Friday. The subject
is covered in MM’s booklet, The Timing of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
(£1.00).
Life After Death. You will undoubtedly have been taught that consciousness
ceases at death until a bodily resurrection. That’s not true. The mind of
man does not lose consciousness when the spirit leaves the brain. The human
spirit takes consciousness with it, because, as Paul revealed (1 Cor
2:11) it is the spirit that
imparts such ability to the brain.
In a dream one night, God instructed me to write the booklet
Life After Death to reveal the whole truth to the Church. It is
there, waiting for you to accept it and be glad.
11. Accept Revelation
Did you notice in the dream of
April 13, 2005 that I felt an urgent need to
get two torches? That is an important message from God! A torch represents
revelation from Him. It shines light onto His Word, so that the truth of the
Bible can shine forth.
CoGs are seriously lacking revelation from God. When do CoG
ministers ever get revelation from Him in dreams or visions? Never! They
won’t, because they are in rebellion against God, despite their feigned and
persuasive words that deny it. But humble, God-fearing people in touch with
us, all over the world, receive dreams after they start reading and learning
from MM literature.
Why? Because it’s anointed by the Finger of God. It’s part of
the end-time restoration that was prophesied long ago – that a prophetic
work (Elijah was a prophet) would arise bringing restoration.
That restoration is based upon revelation. In the many
hundreds of dreams (and some visions) which we have received, there is
enlightenment from God about:
The state of churches, and of people.
The judgement to befall
Britain.
What God is doing through MM.
That Jesus is coming soon.
And about the Tribulation that is very close.
I urge you to take hold of what Jesus is here offering you.
It is a chance to embrace fuller truth, to be set free from false dogmas of
the past, and to move on with Him in closer union, so that you can be ready
and be counted worthy to be part of His Bride. God bless you!
Malcolm B Heap, Aug 2005
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