Pr CD Brooks - How to Choose a Church

Adventist Radio London inspiration for the song beloved, how to choose a church?

Which church is the true church? I say a thing like that, and

someone bristles and says, Oh, he's just going to say his church is

it? No, I'm not got too much class for that. What I

intend to do is leads you into a simple Bible study, how to choose

a church? A question like that could be quite baffling. Some year years

ago I read there were more than three hundred legitimate Christian denominations in this country,

another two hundred independent cults, Sex and so forth. The figure has

changed gross life. I heard Pastor Lemon say he read a report of about

twelve hundred, and then I saw another statistic today over eleven hundred different churches,

all claiming to belong to one Jesus. Now you add to that thousands

of other religions. It could be confusing what to do logical questions, because

here is where people get deceived. Are they all right? Think about it?

Most of them are part right and part wrong. And don't forget what

I'm about to tell you. Deception is a commingling of truth in error.

Error by itself doesn't deceive anybody suppose I got a bottle of poison labeled clearly

poison, This stuff will kill you, and I handed it to you and

said drink this. Would you drink it? Of course not. But suppose

I took an appealing glass of orange juice and then took that same poison and

put a little bit in there, And now I say to you have some

orange juice. Isn't there the possibility that you drink it? Deception, then,

is a commingling of truth in error part right and part wrong, can

become the most dangerous concoction in religion that you could possibly approach, part right,

part wrong. The truth is that most people don't know why they belong

to the church they belong to, and if they give you reasons, they

give you invalid reasons. There are those who go to church because it's near

their house. Is that a good reason? Go ahead and answer me.

Is that a good reason? Some go because that's where my wife goes and

I just want to be with her, or vice versa. You ought to

have good reasons for belonging to a church. It ought to be more than

just my mother and my father and my grandmother. In here the Bible says,

be ready always to give a reason for the hope that is within you

with meekness and fear. And I want to tell you right now, and

I thank God for this. Everything that I teach is based on the unquestionable

authority of God's word. And if it's not there, you don't have to

pay it any attention. Dear ones, you ought to know why you go

to church where you go. And remember, deception is a commingling of right

and wrong. And Jesus said, you cannot serve two masters, Christ and

Satan as not partner us in anything, most of all in religious activities.

Okay, does Jesus have a church? I submit that he does. On

one occasion he went to the Jewish temple and he found the money changes,

and he drove them out, and he said, ye shall not make my

father's house a dinner fief. That was his church. One of his great

great great great great great grandparents built the thing. His name was Solomon.

He had every reason to be sentimentally attached. But later on, when they

refused truth and turned against them in conspired to kill it. Jesus sat on

the side of the mountain and looked back at the temple with its white marble

and its golden spires gleaming in the light of the eastern sun. And Jesus

under a soliloquy greater than hamlets, and in a voice of unspeakable sadness,

Jesus said, Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets. How

often would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, but you

would not. Therefore your house is left under you, desim no longer my

house? Or was he then without a house? Matthew sixteen and verse eighteen.

After Peter's great confession, Jesus said, Simon barjouna flesh and blood didn't

reveal this under you, I say unto you, thou Peter Petros. But

upon this petral, this solid rock of your confession, I build my church,

and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. Now I'm reviewing

something I gave you the other day, because I want you to connect.

Now Jesus has now rejected the tabernacle or the temple. He said, it's

your house, but I've got one. Mine is founded on the solid rock

of Peter's confession. Not Peter, but of what he said that I am

the Christ, the son of the Living God. He is the cornerstone.

The church is built upon Jesus. He is the head. We are the

body. Christ built the church and then guaranteed its survivability. He said,

the gates of hell in the Greek, that's not the word she all are

tuck to us. It is the word hades, which means the grave.

Jesus said, they are going to secute my church. They're gonna try to

kill it out. But I'm telling you, the grave shall not infold my

church. The church will live. I listen to the word of the Lord.

The Bible says in Ephesians four to five, one Lord, how many

one faith? How many come on? How many one faith? One baptism.

In John ten sixteen, Jesus said, other sheep I have that are

not of this fold. I got sheep everywhere. He's got sheep out there

to God, He's got sheep in jail. That's why he said to the

disciples, and they wrote it down. I was in prison, and you

visited me. Jesus has sheep that are running wild right now. Other sheep

I have that are not of this fold. But that didn't where the text

ends. It goes on to say them, also, I must bring hand.

There shall be one fall, how many one fall, and one shepherd.

That's Jesus's word. Saint Paul said in Philippians too, to fulfill ye

my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same love, being

of one accord of one mind. Everybody say man in Acts chapter two,

everybody likes to talk about the Holy Ghost coming down. The Bible says,

when Pentecost was fully come, they were all in one place of one a

court. What I'm trying to emphasize here is that on mess amongst Christians is

stressed. Jesus didn't say upon this rock, I build my eleven hundred plus

churches. He said, I build my church. My is singular, and

church is singular. I've got one fall, one shepherd, one lord.

And now I want you to think alike. And I want you to act

alike. I want you to dress alike. I want you to eat alike.

I want you to walk alike. I want you to talk alike.

Christians everywhere should be alike, and the Bible says so. As a matter

of fact, the Bible says, and second John and verse ten, there

is only one chapter if there come any and bring not this doctrine, receive

him not into your house, neither bid him God's speed. Therefore, as

God gives me light through the Holy Ghost, I've got to know that what

I believe is founded upon scripture, and the Bible says, if somebody comes

to your house and doesn't bring this truth, don't receive him, neither bid

him God's speed. Let me quote on It says, for he that bidded

him God's speed, he is a pottaker of his evil deed. You read

it second, John ten. Wait a minute, Wait a minute, how

to apply this? You don't have a lot of visiting preachers anymore. How

does he come to my house and bring not this doctor on television on family

radio. If he comes into my house and he contradicts God's word, I'm

cutting him off. I don't waste my time listening to false prophets. I

will listen to men who are good morally. I will listen to men who

are giving a good lesson. But the minute they tell me I don't have

told me God, the minute they tell me the Lord's nailed to the cross,

the minute they tell me that the first day of the week is the

Sabbath, I cut him off, couse, they are contrary not to my

denomination, but to the word of God. How the text says, don't

let him come in you how and don't bid them God speed. That means

don't pray for them, and don't send them you offerings, because if you

do that, you're supporting them, and you're supporting the era they teach,

and you are a partaker of the Now know this is strong, But Lord

in Heaven knows it's time for strong messages. Time to stop playing games.

And the Bible says in Romans sixteen seventeen, write it down. The Bible

says, mark them that caused division among you, and abort them. Now

that's clear. First Corindians one ten, Paul said, I want you to

speak the same thing, that there be no division amongst you, a Christian

church following Christ eleven hundred different guys. I've said it once, I say

it again right now, and if you have a logical, reasonable, rational,

intelligent mind, you will be bound to agree. I'm not telling anybody

to follow me. I'm seeing that if all Christians everywhere got their religion out

of this book, and this book only, we would be one church,

we would be believing the same thing. Ladies and gentlemen, God has a

church, one church, one doctrine among hundreds. Matthew seven twenty. By

their fruits, shall you know them? Not by their name. Got a

letter one time said, look, the very name of my church indicates that

it's the true church. Of course, it's called the Church of God.

My answer was, as I was coming to this meeting, I passed I'd

be a joint called Paradise. The Bible says, by their fruits, shall

you know them? What do they stand for? You can't even judge by

the members cost their hypocrites in all judges. You can't judge the master's vineyard

by a few sour grapes. So how do you judge? You must look

for its teachings, what it stands for, and always you'll find somebody living

up to that. But you don't look at people. You look at their

teachings and what they stand for, and if they are in harmony with the

Word of God, you've found it. If they are not, you've not

found it. Let us go on, Matthew fifteen. I want you to

look at this. You don't have to turn the out, turn you write

it down Matthew fifteen and verse one, the Bible says, then came to

Jesus' scribes and pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, why do thy

disciples transgress that tradition of the eldest? For they wash not their hands when

they eat bread tradition. Your disciples are offending us. We've got traditions.

They don't wash their hands when they eat. But he answered and saying,

unto them, why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition

words of Christ written in red? So what's most important? The commandments of

God or tradition? And then when you go down a little further in the

same scripture, verses eight and nine, Jesus said. Jesus said, this

people joyeth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips.

They can praise and say beautiful things. You get a lot of spiritual

sound bites, clever, little nice names, and they can call my name.

They honor me with their mouths, are not unto me Niah with their

mouth, honor me with their lips, But their heart is far from me.

They can be shouting in all wonderful Jesus. And the minute you say

are we supposed to obey, oh, the whole face changes. That's not

away with and they don't mean that. They don't want to do away with

Thou shall not steal you. No, no, no, no no.

They scared you steal from there. They don't want to do away with Thou

shalt not kill. They don't want to go away withou shall not commit adultery.

They don't want to do away with one God, don't worship idols.

They don't want to do away with Thou shalt not lie. They don't want

to do away with honor your father and your mother. They have Mother's Day

and Father's Day and now Grandmother's Day. They don't want to get rid of

the law. There's only one that bothers them, and for that one they're

willing to throw it all away. And that is the fourth one that says

keep the Sabbath holy. And all that's shouting all you gotta just tug it

to sleeve and say, are we supposed to keep God's commandments? And you

see it in the shouting stops. Let me read it this. People draweth

nigh to me with their mouth and honereth me with their lips, but their

heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me. Teaching

for doctrines the Commandments of Men and men decided with a vote and a council

of Leodicaia in the fourth century AD. The Roman Church voted the Sabbath out,

voted Sunday in the Commandments of Men, and religion is vain in spite

of the hallelujahs, I Jesus said to the Lord to the testimony, if

they speak not according to this word, because there's no light in them,

no light, not part right, part roll, no light in them Isaiah

eight twenty. Now, all right, past us, stop the conundrum.

Where is this church? If you're not going to say it's yours. Where

is Revelation twelve and verse seventeen. And this is what the Bible says,

Revelation twelve and verse seventeen. And the dragon. Now I'm not gonna confuse

you. You're going to know what every bit of this says. Verse nine

says, and the great dragon was cast out that old serpent called the devil

and Satan. So let's go back to verse seventeen. And the dragon that's

the devil was wroth angry with a woman the symbol of the church, and

went to make war with the remnant of her seed. What is a remnant?

Last part? They have remnant sales for ladies who like to soul.

And you go in there and you pay five dollars a yard for cloth.

But if there's a remnant, you might get it for two fifty a yard.

It's the last that's left. It's the same color as the first piece.

If the first piece is silk, the remnant is silk. If the

first piece is warm, the remnant is warm. Ladies, am I telling

the truth? And the dragon the devil was wroth angry with a woman the

church, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed. That

woman's mentioned up in the very first part of the same chapter twelve. And

they appeared a great wonder in heaven. A woman clothed with the sun,

the moon under her feet, clothe with the sun. The Gospel of Christ.

He has risen. That is the sun. The hope is gone.

What's the moon her feet? Ceremonial law that's passing away? Would you say,

man, by the way, the moon doesn't have any light. It

reflects the light of the sun. The ceremonial law couldn't save anybody. It

simply reflected the hope and promise of Jesus. This woman is clothed with the

sun, the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of

twelve stars. Those are the twelve Apostles. And she, being with child,

cried travailing in birth pain to be delivered. And they appeared another wonder

in heaven, and to hold a great red dragon, and his tail drew

down the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to

the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman to devour her child.

As soon as it was born. Herod sent soldiers to kill the innocence in

Beth. There it's all here. That's the woman, that's the early Church

with the twelve Apostles. But when you get down to the end of time,

the disciples are dead, and we've gone through all of this period.

And now John sees the remnant that which is left. And by the way,

just like a remnant cloth, it's the same color and the same material.

The last church will be like the first. If the first church kept

the commandments, the last church will keep me. If the first church was

obedient to God. The last church will be obedient. And now let me

read it to you. And the dragon was wroth with a woman and went

to make war with a remnant of her seed, which here is your identifying

mark, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.

And Jesus said in vain do you worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments of

men? But the remnant Church will keep the commandments of God and have the

testimony of Jesus. What in the world is that revelation? Nineteen ten says

And I fell at his feet to worship him, and he said, unto

me, see thou do it not? I am thy fellow servant, and

of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, For the

testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophet. Say so, the remnant Church

will keep God's commandments and believe in the writings of the prophets. God wrote

the law. Prophets rot everything else. They were inspired and the room the

church will be close to God's word and close to God's law because they love

Jesus. What somebody say a man how to choose the church. You gotta

find one that keeps the commandments of God and everything they teach taste on the

word of God. And until you do that, you haven't found the right

one. You better know how to choose. Satan is conducting a need you

of deception, and he'll put enough good in it. Like I have poured

the orange juice first and in the poison to sink you. You better know

how to choose. You better know how to pray, too, I said,

you better know how to pray, to pray that you will have spiritual

perception. The Bible says, I say unto THEE that thou art pede,

and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell

shall not prevail against. Christ has a church, and you gotta look for

it, and if you do, He'll help you find it. Christian unity

is Christ's desire. He said he wants us to be one, and he

prayed it. In John seventeen. He said that they all may be one,

as Thou Father ought in me and I in THEE, that they also

may be one in us, that the world may believe that Thou has sent

me. Unity is evidence to the world that Jesus is really the son of

God. Jesus wants us to be one, whether in a little church or

a big one. One Lord, one faith, one Baptist beloved. He

said, other sheep I have that are not of this fold them also I

must bring. They shall hear my voice, and that shall be what I

was out riding one day in Palestine, and that's the only section where sheep

are still led by the shepherd. I was in New Zealand, and I've

seen I was told fifty thousand sheep in one area, and they got dogs

to drive them, and the dogs literally run on their backs, and the

man comes along in a jeep. They are driven. But in the Middle

East they still lead the sheep. Jesus is not gonna drive you. He

leads you. And finally we came to a scarce watering hole, and I

was told all these sheep gather there, and they filled the troughs one after

another, and they water the sheep. But they're all different flocks. And

I said to my guide, when the shepherd gets ready to go, after

he has eaten his bread falaffeo, after he has dipped it in oil,

and he's ready to go, how does he separate his sheep from all the

others. I'll never forget it, he said, a little pastor. That's

easy. When a shepherd is ready to go, he walks out a little

piece apart, and he puts his hand up, and he gives a little

call, and every sheep knows that shepherd's bus and comes out of the crowd

with somebody, say, man out there. Jesus said, I got sheep

in all of these folds. But I'm one shepherd, and they know my

voice when I call. And how does he call? He calls through his

wine, And my sheep will come out of the crowd when they hear my

voice and follow me. There's going to be one shepherd. Now. I

beseech you, brethren, marck them that cause divisions and offends his contrary to

the doctrine which you learned, and avoid him. I beseech you, brethren,

by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the

same thing, and that there be no division among you, that ye be

perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. There it

is, ladies and gentlemen, if we got to the Bible, and the

Bible only we would all join hands together as Christians around the world. The

thing that separates us is the traditions of men and the commandments of men.

So the Word of God must be our guide. And when we find it,

will find Jesus. We'll find his death for our sins. We'll find

his resurrection, We'll find his high priestly ministry, and we'll find him saying,

if ye love me, keep Michael Mammage. If we believe the Bible

and the Bible only, there will be same ness amongst God's people. Time

Jesus said, I've got a church, and I want you to notice where

it is. I've identified it. They keep the commandments of God and have

the testimony of Jesus Christ. There it is Revelation twelve seventeen. Now I

know that's clear. I know it is. Wherefore by their fruit shall you

know them? Not by their proclamations. Then came to Jesus Chribes and Pharisees,

which were of Jerusalem, saying, why do thy disciples transgress the tradition

of the eldest? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

But he ends up said under them, why do you also transgress the commandment

of God? By your tradition. There is a conflict here, and Christ

articulates it so that there is no need to misunders. Even a child can

understand that that's what Jesus has done. But in vain do they worship me

teaching for doctrines, the commandments of men to the Lord, to the testimony,

to the law. Testimony has the word testimony again, the testimony of

the prophets, the writings of the prophets. If they violate this, if

they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no life.

Didn't say part light, there's no light in them Isaiah eight twenty.

Yes, Jesus is master, Lord and savior to them who are willing to

love him and keep his wife. John fourteen and verse fifteen. Yes,

he's got a church, and you must choose. No, I want to

close. I think I'm there. Yes, here we go. It's not

the biggest church. Matthew seven thirteen. Four in a y n at the

straight gate, for white is the gate, and broad is the way that

leads to destruction. Anybody here interested in going to destruction. Jesus said that

gate is wide and broad and easy, but the way to return life is

straightened, narrow, and f ew what's that spell? You there be that

find it? Jesus told the parable that I want to close with. He

said, a woman had ten pieces of silver, and she lost one.

She didn't lose them all, she lost one. Jesus made a great and

magnificent lesson from this. I would ask you, what if the woman represents

the church, what did she receive in the denomination of ten the ten commandments?

So all I can figure ten precious pieces of silver, and one was

lost. And Jesus said, if you keep the whole law, and you're

offend in one point, you're guilty of all. Jesus said Matthew five seventeen

to nineteen, who' server therefore shall break one how many of these least's commandments?

And teach men? So the same shall be called least in the King

of Heaven. Here is the woman the church lost one of ten. I've

had people say to me, pastor, why do you emphasize the Sabbath so

much? I tell them, the Sabbath is not more important than thou shalt

not steal. You can try to keep Sabbath of steel, You're going to

hell. Anyhow, they are of equal importance. Then why do I stress

it because she only lost one, she had nine. No point in me

stressing all the others, when all the other churches who claim the law is

knailed to the cross believe in nine. I stress the one that she lost.

And Jesus said, that woman who lost one piece doth light a candle?

What is that? Thy word is a lamp under my feet, and

a light under my path. If you want to find what was lost,

you gotta light the candle. You gotta get the word of God. It

is the lamp. And then she sweeps, and she sweeps past some magnificent

stained glass windows. She sweeps on past some terrific choirs. She sweeps on

past some professional organists. She sweeps on past the magnificent vestments worn that impressed

people's soul. She just keeps on sweeping. Why does she sweep past?

She's trying to find that one. And she's sweeping on the Sabbath, trying

to find it. In they are locked, everybody's got ninnd but I'm looking

for the one loss. And when she finds it, the Bible says,

she told her friends, come and rejoice with me, for that which is

lost is now found. I have found the truth. I have found the

light. And if you want to know what you're supposed to do, light

the candle. Get in the book and find the foundation of every doctrine that

is taught. And when you find it, choose. I want to pray

for somebody to name. I want to pray for somebody who means business.

Father, Father, in the name of Jesus, seal every decision, claim

these as dye on have mercy. Lord, Where we are weak, be

our strength, where we are Feelthy, be our purity. Where we are

blind, be our way, truth and light. Save us, Lord,

Please please save us, Save us. Lord. When that trumpet sounds in

that great getting up mourning and the saints of all ages us in the skies,

and the thundering trait of the right, you shall be heard sweeping through

the gates into the city You've written somewhere. Blessed are they that do His

commandments, that they may have a right to the Tree of life and may

enter in. When they enter in, Lord, we want to be in

that blood wash army, don't we, folks. Please save us, Lord,

Save us from tradition, from deception, from sentimentalism. Save us Lord,

in Jesus' name. There is someone who cares. Just find his remnant

fold. There is someone who cares. Without is dark and cold. There

is someone who cares. Go where only truth is told. Or that's someone

who cares is Jesus. There is someone who cares, and his word must

be supreme. There is someone who cares. Tradition is the devil's scheme.

There is someone who cares about you join his obedient team. Or that's someone

who cares. Jesus. I was Adventist Radio London inspiration for the song