Church Of God Of Prophecy

Foundation Of Christs Church

Christ began laying the foundation for His church when He called His first disciples. Follow me, He said to the fishermen Simon and Andrew, and I will make you fishers of men . In other words, Simon and Andrew, along with the other apostles and disciples Jesus would call, would be the instruments whereby Christ would build His church . Just as the fishermen cast their nets into the sea and drew in hundreds of fish, the disciples of Jesus would proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom throughout the world, and through the Kingdom message would draw thousands of human beings into Christs assembly of believers.

Christ first called twelve apostles, and then added many other disciples to form a foundational core group for a much larger influx of believers in the days to follow. After His resurrection, but before drawing thousands into His assembly of believers, Christ appeared to several of those He had chosen as foundational leaders and breathed on them, and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit .

Thus the ground breaking for the New Testament church was complete. The first disciples had been selected and prepared for a life of ministry. Soon God would add thousands to Christs newly formed assembly.

Phase 2: Downpour of the Spirit

The first wave of massive growth took place on the Day of Pentecost, just seven weeks after the death and resurrection of Christ.

Soon, the miraculous work of the Spirit attracted the attention of others who were at Jerusalem for the festival.

Relation And Reaction To Pentecostalism

The traditional Holiness movement is distinct from the , which believes that the baptism in the Holy Spirit involves supernatural manifestations such as . Many of the early Pentecostals originated from the Holiness movement, and to this day many “classical Pentecostals” maintain much of Holiness doctrine and many of its devotional practices. Several of its denominations include the word “Holiness” in their names, including the .

The terms pentecostal and apostolic, now used by adherents to Pentecostal and charismatic doctrine, were once widely used by Holiness churches in connection with the consecrated lifestyle they see described in the .

During the , the practice of speaking in tongues was strongly rejected by leaders of the traditional Holiness movement. , the leader of the , a Holiness denomination, wrote a book against the Pentecostal movement that was published in 1936 the work, entitled Demons and Tongues, represented early rejection of the tongues-speaking Pentecostal movement. White called speaking in tongues “satanic gibberish” and Pentecostal services “the climax of demon worship”. However, many contemporary Holiness churches now believe in the legitimacy of speaking in unknown tongues, but not as a sign of entire sanctification as classical Pentecostals still teach.

Church To Accomplish Mission

The resurrected Christ commissioned His disciples to go everywhere proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age .

Notice the facts that are stated here: First, Jesus assures His disciples that He has all authority in heaven and earth. Second, He commissions His disciples to go everywhere preaching the gospel and making disciples. Third, He promises to be with His disciples to the close of the age.

These three facts, when looked at as a whole, mean that Jesus, who has all authority in heaven and earth, will inspire and empower His true followers as they obey His command to go and make disciples of all nations. This means that the work of the true Church of God is not merely the work of men, but is the work of the living Christ!

Think about it. If Gods people today fail to obey Christs command to preach the gospel and make disciplesif they treat the Great Commission as if it applied only to the first-century disciples, or excuse themselves by saying that the two witnesses of Revelation 11 will fulfill itthen Christ will call upon someone else to do the job!

No Secret Rapture

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Church Of God Of Prophecy

The Church of God of Prophecy is a Holiness Pentecostal Christian church. It is one of five Church of God bodies headquartered in Cleveland, Tennessee, that arose from a small meeting of believers who gathered at the Holiness Church at Camp Creek near the Tennessee/North Carolina border on Saturday, June 13, 1903.

The Church of God of Prophecy has congregations and missions in over 130 countries, with a membership of over 1,500,000 In 2006, membership in the United States was 84,762 in 1,871 Churches. Ministries of the Church include homes for children, bible training institutes, youth camps, ministerial aid, and Spirit and Life Seminary. The Church operates Fields of the Wood, a Bible theme park and popular tourist attraction, near Murphy, North Carolina.

The Church Of God In Prophecy

Jesus Christ said that the Church of God would endure to the very end of this present age. I am with you always, Christ says to His true followers, even to the end of the age . What does the future hold for Christs church?

Jesus Christ promised that He would build His church, and that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it . And indeed, Jesus did build His church. He began building it in the first century, A.D., when He called and trained His first disciples, and sent them to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God to all nations.

But what is the church Jesus said He would build? What does church mean?

Most people think of buildings with steeples and stained-glass windows when they hear the word church. Or, they think of some religious activity, such as Sunday school or Sunday morning worship services consisting of prayers, liturgy, and a sermon or homily.

The Greek term translated church in the New Testament was not restricted to religious gatherings, but could refer to any kind of assembly. It could refer to a town meeting, a violent mob, a gathering of worshipers at a local synagogue, or any kind of gathering. The word is ecclesia , and literally means assembly.

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Church Of God Of Prophecy In Pennsylvania

Local churches engaged in prayer, harvest, leadership development, stewardship and service.

Hyatt Place – State College: 219 West Beaver Ave, State College, PA 16801

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