WHERE ARE THE TRUE PEOPLE OF GOD TODAY???

Hi Keith, 

questions for you 

Is there any remnant of "The church of God" left? I am looking online I see "United CoG, international CoG 

Where is the CoG that broke away from the SDA church?

I have been reading your history pages on this topic but I work two jobs and have not had the time to trace this history to its final conclusion as of yet, so I'm cheating here Keith and asking you to guide me if by the Grace of God you will assist me.

I want to personally thank you for helping me come to an informed decision about the SDA church. I spent many hours reading the history of the SDA and Ellen White. I spent an entire weekend reading transcripts and testimonials of her detractors and defenders. I came away with thought process she was legitimate and God was working through this woman however improbable. But I never thought about or heard about disgruntled former SDA church members (thanks to you Keith) who broke away from SDA and formed the own church.

One other point if I may, When studying the bible it kept jumping out at me of the baptismal aspects and the laying on of hands,  which I noticed was completely absent from SDA teachings and literature.  They were not healing the sick or casting out Devils, how could they be the " remnant church" without that portion of Jesus promise to all believers? And of course there it was, hints of that successful practice being sparsely practiced by the early fathers of the CoG. In the history book of Mr. Nickels on your web page. 

So I left my online remnant CoG, SDA based still using E. White and utilized SoP. 

So my search is on for the real CoG and I am hoping you can assist me Keith!

I feel like a lost soul.


MY  ANSWER

First remember what Jesus said, "I will build my church and the gates of hell [hades, the grave, death] will not prevail against it."

You may feel all alone, but you are not. Jesus also said about his people, "Fear not LITTLE flock....."  In the Greek "little" is a double diminutive meaning "little little" or as we could say it "very little flock."  Jesus  also  said  his  true  disciples  were  the  salt  of  the  earth....salt is sprinkled here and there.

Now to answer you specifically and in a nut-shall.  Sabbath keepers came across from Europe to the new world. Again scattered here and there. In the early 1800s  William Miller a protestant, preached the return of Christ, what he figured right down to the year and day.  Many people followed Miller including Sabbath observers. Ellen White and others followed Miller. White became convicted on the true Sabbath from 7th day Sabbath observers. When Miller was proved wrong a second date was preached; when that also proved to be wrong, Ellen White said she had visions about that date.... hence was born the strange doctrine of the SDA church...."Investigative Judgment." Sabbath keepers were basically one group back then. But when Ellen White was chosen by SOME, as God's end time prophet or inspired servant, there was a division.....say about half were with Ellen White and her inner party; half said "no, we do not accept Ellen White."  A division was made.  Then those with Ellen White decided the name "Church of God" was to them kind of useless, it did not state the two main doctrines of their faith  -  7th Day Sabbath keeping and the return of Jesus.  They adopted the name Seventh Day  Adventists. The other half said they would keep the name "Church of God."  The adventist group did evangelize greatly, still do, and grew much much larger than the Church of God, at least in North America. Interesting with Sabbath observers, the African continent has about 20 million 7th day observers, and ONLY 2 million of them are SDA members.

The 7th day observers under the name "Church of God" grew much slower that the SDA in North America. They had their "splits" over the last 150 years. Two or three main groups evolved using names like "Church of God, 7th Day" They did believe in the gifts of the spirit, praying over the sick, and the laying on of hands included in water baptism [as you said the SDA church does not lay hands on people being baptized]. The split between the SDA church and the rest widened as the SDA church took Ellen White and her "visions" as from God.

In the 1930s Herbert Armstrong's wife Loma was brought to observing the 7th day Sabbath by one of the ladies of the Church of God 7th Day. Armstrong found it fanatical, and set out to prove to his wife such teaching was wrong. After about 6 months deep study Armstrong was convicted it was correct. He and his wife became members of the Church of God, 7th day Sabbath observers. Within a short time, Armstrong and other ministers came to see the Festivals of the Lord as found together in Lev. 23 should be observed. At the same time, Armstrong and some other ministers became convicted on what is known as "British Israelism." The British Commonwealth and the United States being the tribe of Joseph - a nation and company of nations coming from Joseph. It was "The Lost ten Tribes are found, they are no longer lost" idea.

This put those like Armstrong at odds with the two or three groups of the Church of God 7th Day. They were finally told to resign from being minsters, or they had their ministerial credentials withdrawn. Armstrong went his own way; at least one other guy formed the "Sacred Name" group, they also over the decades split, so there are a number of Sacred Name groups today. Armstrong did not accept a "sacred name" as the Sacred Name groups preached it and still do.

Armstrong was on radio across North America and finally around the world. His church was called "The Radio Church of God." I became a member in the winter of 1961/62. From night and day study of the Bible, I could find NO OTHER group with as much truth, and basically back then it was indeed the plain truth; the teaching from them was study your Bible, find all Scriptures on any topic of the Bible and you will find the truth. In the 1960s up to the death of Loma Armstrong in 1967, that church was willing to be corrected if you could prove it from the Bible. A number of small points were corrected in 2 ministerial meetings a year. After Loma died, Armstrong [HWA] moved into more and more dogmatic "top dog" cultic teaching. I left in 1972. A large split, the first, came about 1978 when Garner Ted Armstrong [GTA] was disfellowshipped. A number of groups emerged, the largest being the GTA Church of God, International.  But there were others as other ministers left the now Worldwide Church of God [the Radio Church of God being dropped] as it was now worldwide in churches and membership. GTA had his problems and splits happened from The Church of God International. I went with Fred Coulter and the Biblical Church of God, who ordained me to the ministry of Jesus Christ, in 1982 at age 40. I left them within 2 years over the issue of Church Government, and have been an independent minister ever since. 

After HWA died 1986, within a few years the leadership of the WCG were into doing away with the weekly Sabbath and feasts of God, and going back to the Protestant world. 1990 saw a split with Meredith leading, within a few years it also split-up. Then you had the formation of the United Church of God, led by a number of ministers from the WCG. It also has split up. 

So just from the one Radio Church of God, there are many many splits and groups, all basically following the lead of HWA. So stagnant in growing in grace and knowledge.

The history of the Church of God 7th Day observers over the last 150 years is a history of SPLITS!!  Sad to say.

You still have the original Church of God Sabbath observers in groups like, The Church of God, Seventh Day..... a number of them under that kind of name. But they do not accept the observing of the Feasts of the Lord. And they reject British Israel teaching.

There was an organization that used to put out a book on all the 7th day observing  churches around the world......literally  dozens upon dozens upon dozens of them, under various names.

Most of them have much truth.....some more than others. But none of them have what I consider the full truths of God. I've studied most of the larger ones over the last 3 and more decades, after being ordained to Jesus' ministry.

Where are the "SMALL"  -  "LITTLE  FLOCK  -  THE VERY LITTLE FLOCK?  THE SALT OF THE EARTH!

THEY ARE MAINLY INDIVIDUALS, A FEW FAMILIES TOGETHER, A GROUP HERE AND THERE. GROWTH IN INDIA IS GOOD. THE TRUE DISCIPLES OF JESUS ARE INDEED SCATTERED TODAY, ESPECIALLY IN THE WESTERN WORLD. AS SAID, INDIA HAS GOOD GROWTH, AND AFRICA  AT LEAST 18 MILLION  WHO ARE NOT SDA MEMBERS. BUT AS SAID, AS JESUS SAID, THE SALT OF THE EARTH, NOT MUCH SALT IS PUT ON A MEAL COMPARED TO THE MEAL ITSELF. GOD'S TRUE TO THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED TO THE SAINTS, PEOPLE, ARE THE VERY LITTLE FLOCK!!!

MANY  TRUE  SAINTS  DO  FELLOWSHIP  WITHIN  OTHER  GROUPS  OF  SABBATH/FEASTS OF GOD  GROUPS, WHILE  NOT AGREEING  WITH  ALL  THEY  TEACH  OR  LACK  OF  TEACHING...... SO  WITHIN  THE  VARIOUS  7TH  DAY  SABBATH OBSERVING  GROUPS ARE  THE  TRUE  SAINTS  OF  GOD.

IT  IS  INDEED  SOME  WILL  HAVE  TO  BE  ON  THEIR  OWN,  WITH  NO  GROUP  WITHIN  EASY  DRIVING  DISTANCE  TO  FELLOWSHIP  WITH  ON  A  REGULAR  BASIS.

BUT  WE  CAN  BE  A  FAMILY  THROUGH  THE  INTERNET.  THE  RELATIVELY  SMALL  DISCIPLES  OF  JESUS,  HAVE  BEEN  GIVEN  THE  POWERFUL,  THE  MOST  POWERFUL  OF  ALL  EVANGELISTIC  TOOLS  TODAY..... THE  FREE  INTERNET  ACCESS,  AND  WEBSITES  LIKE  MINE.

THERE  ARE  MANY,  THOUGH  SCATTERED,  COMING  TO  SEE  THE  FULL  TRUTHS  OF  GOD  TODAY,  MY  WEBSITE  IS  DEDICATED  TO  LEADING  GOD'S  CHILDREN  AROUND  THE  WORLD,  TO  GROW  IN  GRACE  AND  KNOWLEDGE,  AND  FIND  THE  FULL  TRUTHS  OF  THE  LORD.