The Name of God's Church

[Sam]

I have an 8 page booklet titled “The Name of God's Church.”
On the cover it says that was written by W.E. Smith of Dyersburg, TN and that the price is 75 cents.
I don’t remember where or when I got it.
It does not have a copyright date.
Inside the front cover is printed:
The Church of Jesus Christ
977 Chase Street
Gary, Indiana
Elder Ernest Arthur, Pastor.
I guess there is no zip code because they were not yet in use when this booklet was printed.

I don’t completely agree with everything the man says but thought you might find it interesting or might even know him or know of him or the pastor whose name is inside the cover.

Here is the text of the book.


The Name of God’s Church.

The question is frequently asked, “Why do we call ourselves the Church of Jesus Christ?”

Well the Word of God is the final authority on any subject, so let’s take God’s Word for the answer.

There are three questions to begin with. I want to ask, does God have a Church/? Where is it? What is its name? When I speak of the Church, I’m referring to the wife of Jesus Christ.

Yes, God has a (wife) Church. Matthew 16:18, “and I say also unto thee that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church.”

Acts 2:47 --The Lord added to the Church-- so somewhere between the sixteenth chapter of Matthew and the second chapter and forty-seventh verse of the Acts of the Apostles, God built a Church.

Now we know God has a (wife) Church and we know it’s on earth. We must now find the name of the (wife) Church. Revelation 21:9, “and there came one of the seven angels which ha the seven vials full of the seen last plagues and talked with me saying, ‘Come hither and I will show thee the Bride, the Lamb’s wife.’”

I’m sure, dear reader, you can see from the above scriptures mentioned, the Church and the Bride of Christ mean the same. People call God’s (wife) Church all kinds of titles but she has only one name. One group of people call themselves Pentecost. There is nothing wrong with the word Pentecost. It’s mentioned about three times in the Bible, but never referred to as the name for God’s (wife) Church.

The word “Pentecost” means fiftieth day. You just as well be called Christmas people or fourth of July people as be called Pentecost, because all three refer to days and not the name of God’s (wife) Church.

Others call themselves Baptists. This name was given to John, the cousin of Jesus Christ, because he baptized people. Baptist never built a church, why name it after him?

Why not wear the name we’re supposed to wear, our husband’s name? Eery wife wears her husband’s (God’s) name. Pentecost, Baptist, Methodist, or any other title people are using on God’s Church, are not His name.

You may say it doesn’t matter. It may not with you, but it does with God. Acts 15:14-17 --”Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name” (his name is not Pentecost, Baptist, Methodist, or any other title you may be wearing).

And to this agree the words of the Prophets, “as it is written, after this I will return and build again the Tabernacle of David which is fallen down and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up that the residue of men might seek after the Lord and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called.” If God took a people from all the Gentiles for His name, then why don’t people wear God’s name, instead of these titles they wear? There are two things I attribute this to. First, not knowing, second, just stubborn. If the (wife) Church is named Pentecost, the the (Husband’s) God’s name is Pentecost and we’ll have to be baptized in the name of Pentecost because the name we’re baptized in is the name we’ll have to wear.

If you are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, then wear His name (Jesus Christ).

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgressions who is the figure of him that was to come. (Romans 5:14)

to be continued in part 2

[Sam]

continued from part 1

Now Jesus Christ is the one that was to come and Adam was a figure of Jesus Christ. Genesis 2:20-24, “ And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

After God made Adam a wife, what did He name her?

If you’ll notice He did not name her, He just called her by her husband’s name.

Genesis 5:1-2 - “This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.”

The first Adam’s wife came from his side and God called her by her husband’s name.

When the second Adam hanged on the cross, something came from His side. John 19:33-34 “But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.”

And, dear reader, that blood and water that came from Jesus Christ, the second Adam, was for the purpose to make Him a wife and what do you think the name of that wife is? Just follow me in the Word of God. Ephesians 5:22-32, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of (His wife) the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the (wife) church is subject unto (her husband) Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved (His wife) the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious (wife) church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord (His wife) the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one (name) flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and (His wife) the church.” The first Adam’s wife was of his flesh and of his bones and his name.

Now the first Adam was a figure of him that was to come, so Jesus Christ is the second Adam, and Paul says we are members of His body, of His flesh, of His bones. Paul spoke this concerning Christ and the Church.

If we can find Him that was to come and learn His name, we will know His (wife’s ) Church name.

Luke 2:11 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:21 “And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”

So we have Jesus Christ. So Him that was to come was Jesus Christ.

Jesus said in John 5:43, “I am come in my Father’s name.”

Nobody named Him Christ. He was born Christ, they named Him Jesus, and He already had the name Christ, and that made Him Jesus Christ.

It’s hard for some to see the word Christ is a name.

Read Matthew 24:5. Jesus said, “many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ.” Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:19, “let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” Hope you can see we are the (wife) Church and Jesus Christ is our Husband and every wife will wear her husband’s name and we must wear the name Jesus Christ.

You may ask where we take on the name of Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:27 says, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on (His name) Christ.” Now as individuals we are the sons of Jesus Christ, collectively speaking, we are (a church) His wife. So let’s not be ashamed to wear our husband’s name.

to be continued in part 3

[Sam]

continued from part 2

Take all those titles off your church building and put the name of your husband on the building. You say it is not necessary to put it on the building. Well, I got news for you. I’ll show you later on if you are a married man is it necessary for a wife to wear your name? If it is, then it is necessary to put God’s name on your church building. But don’t put the Church of God on it, that’s not His name.

The Church of God is mentioned about seven times in the Bible, that’s what it is, but its name is The Church of Jesus Christ.

2 Chronicles 2:1 “And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the Lord, and an house for his kingdom.” I hope you see Solomon building this building for the purpose of putting God’s name on it. If you were as close to God as Solomon was at that time, you’d take all those man made titles off your Church door and put His name on it.

Let’s see more about the house Solomon built. 2 Chronicles 6:6, “But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there.” 2 Chronicles 6:32, “Moreover concerning the stranger, which is not of thy people Israel, but is come from a far country for thy great name's sake, and thy mighty hand, and thy stretched out arm; if they come and pray in this house.” Let’s take for example a stranger from a foreign country, saying God sent him over here to worship God and to find a house where His name is. This man gets off the ship in New York City and starts looking for a church where God’s name is. He meets another man on the street and asks him where to find the church. Perhaps the man will say, “You’ll find one just around the corner.” The stranger goes to the corner and sees a beautiful building with this inscription, “The First Baptist Church.” Then the stranger will say, “Baptist is not God’s name.” Pathetic, is it not? Do you know the cousin of Jesus Christ (John the Baptist) gets more recognition in the world among religious professors than Jesus Christ Himself.

Then we’ll find these words on a building, “First Pentecostal Church,” and that’s not God’s name either.

The word Pentecost means fiftieth day. Using these words on God’s Church building or His name is idolatry in God’s sight.

Why is it because you get married to Jesus Christ, take on His name as our husband then leave Him and begin to wear some other name? You’d better wake up, God will not hold you guiltless.

You don’t have to name God’s Church. Just take it on when we’re married to Him.

We’ll presume you are married to your wife and she won’t war your name. Would you live with her?

Remember, Jesus Christ is our husband. Let’s wear His name. 2 Chronicles 6:33, “Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for; that all people of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name.”

I want you to see this house Solomon built was called by God’s name. Let’s see what God said about His people as well as the house. 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray.” The 16th verse says, “For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever.”

The preachers will preach to you to pay your tithes and so do I, but God has told you where to pay your tithes. Deuteronomy 12:5-13, “But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee. Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes. For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the Lord your God giveth you. But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety; Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord: And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you. Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest.”

Now, next time your preacher tells you to pay tithes, you tell him God said to pay tithes where His name is and if he doesn’t have Gods name, Jesus Christ, on the building, then you refuse to pay tithes at his place, but do what God tells you to do with our tithes.

Deuteronomy 14:22-25, “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose.”

God will bless you for paying your tithes but you will have to pay them where God’s name is and His name is Jesus Christ.

I don’t pay tithes nor take the Lord’s supper where His name is not on the building. Read Deuteronomy 16:5-6 - “Thou mayest not sacrifice the (Lord’s supper) passover within any of thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee: But at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the (Lord’s supper) passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.” The Lord’s supper took the place of the passover and the people had to sacrifice the passover where God’s name was. So when we take the Lord’s supper let’s take it where His name is. And if God’s name, Jesus Christ, is not on the building, please don’t take it. Let’s quit using all these titles and use God’s name.

Oneness people criticize the Trinity people for using the titles in Matthew 28:19 for a baptismal ceremony. They say there is no name there. I’ll agree you will have to baptize in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, Acts 2:38.

But after you have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, you cannot put some other title on your church door such as Baptist, Methodist, Pentecost, Apostolic, Church of God, Assemblies of God. You just as well be baptized in these titles as wear them.

Maybe you did not know any better but now you know, and you will have to do better.

To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Well, we have other people take from His name, call themselves The Church of Christ. They take the word Jesus from His name, leaving half of it. Read Revelation 22:19, “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

The “Churches of Christ” is mentioned in the Bible in Romans 16:16 but that is only half of His name.

It is the Church of Christ. In Matthew 16:18, Christ said, “I will build my church” but His name is Jesus Christ.

Well, believe it or not, we have a preacher who named his building the Church of Jesus. Now there are three Jesus’ in the Bible. You don’t know which Jesus he is referring to. There are: Bar-Jesus (Acts 13:6); Jesus, which is called Justus (Colossians 4:11); the Old Testament leader Joshua is called Jesus in Hebrews 4:11; and Jesus Christ. If he will read Revelation 22:19 he will put the word Christ on the building, then he will have Jesus Christ which is God’s name.

to be continued in part 4

[Sam]

conclusion

Just Jesus is not God’s full name. Matthew 2:4 - “And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.”

Luke 2:11- “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” He is a Savior, He is the Lord, but His name is Christ. Matthew 24:5 - Jesus said, “Many will come in my name saying, I am Christ.” Luke 2:21 says, “And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”

Matthew 1:18 says, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise.” The angel said in Matthew 1:21, “thou shalt call his name Jesus.” Luke 2:21 says that eight days after He was born He was called Jesus,” but He was born Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:4 says they “did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”

Now you see why He did not have to be named Christ --He was already Christ when He was born.

This writer’s name is W.E. Smith. May parents parents named me W.E. but nobody named me Smith. I was born with the name Smith, same as Jesus was born with the name Christ.

My parents added W.E. to my name. That made my full name W.E. Smith. I was born with my father’s name. Jesus said in John 5:43, “I am come in my Father’s name.” Luke 2:11 - He came in the name Christ.

Then we have another group of people who have added the word Lord. If they read Revelation 22:18 they will see that Jesus said, “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.” They call themselves the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now Lord Jesus Christ is mentioned many times in the Bible but never is referred to as a name for God’s Church.

The word Lord is not His name. He is the Lord but Jesus Christ is the Lord’s name. The word Lord is used in the Bible to the children of Israel for a memorial to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 3:15). You had just as well use the word Father, Son, or Holy Ghost before Jesus Christ as use Lord. The word Lord means master. Jesus Christ is master.

We honor God many times by saying He is my Father, my God, Healer, Keeper, Savior, and my Lord, but when we do something in God’s name we must use Jesus Christ.

Read Acts 3:6. Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” You notice the word Lord was not used because they were doing something in His name. Acts 4:10 says, “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.” In verse 12 he says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” When Paul cast the devil out of the woman in Acts 16:18 he said, “I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.”

The word Lord was not used, neither did he leave the word Christ off but he used His full name.

You will never find anywhere in the Bible anybody doing anything saying, “Lord Jesus Christ” or just the word “Jesus.” You will find it used here among men but there is no foundation for it. Read 1 Corinthians 3;11, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 2:20 says that we “are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.”

Some may say Jesus Christ are two names and the Bible ays one name. The people refer to Zechariah 14:9 which says, “in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.” So they use this scripture to prove that just Jesus only and not Jesus Christ. But Ephesians 2:20 will prove Jesus Christ is one name because it says Jesus Christ Himself is the chief corner stone and himself means one. Jesus Chris is the only name God has and He wants His name on the church building. But for some reason, God can’t get His preachers to cooperate with Him.

I’ll tell you people what to do. Stop paying your tithes to the preacher if he does not have Jesus Christ on his building. For (He) God says pay your tithes where His name is. If you pay your tithes to some place with some other name on the building, other than Jesus Christ, you are just as guilty as the preacher. If i were you I would not pay my tithes to any place unless the name Jesus Christ is on it. Not just Jesus’ name. God wants us to honor Him enough to wear His name. Baptist, Pentecost, Methodist or Church of Christ are not His name. Malachi 1:6 says, “A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name.”

Preachers, can’t you honor your Father enough to put His name on your church building so God’ people will have a place to pay their tithes and keep God’s blessings?

I hear people say, “I know we’re being blessed and we don’t have Jesus Christ on our building and we pay tithes there and are blessed.” I don’t doubt that, but God’s got a curse for your blessing. Malachi 2:1-2 says, “If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings.”

You can see from the above scripture that that God can turn your blessing into cursing. All of us preachers preach tithes from the book of Malachi, but most preachers fail to tell you what God says in the book of Malachi about His name. Malachi 3:16 says , “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.”

In conclusion I want to quote one more scripture. Acts 15:14 says, “God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name (and His name is Jesus Christ).”

[Ev. Duane Williams]

This is sort of a tract by "The Church of Jesus Christ". I was invited to one of their tent revivals a few years ago. Good, God fearing people, but hardliners for sure. They also have some peculiar little quirks. If you describe yourself as anything but "The Church of Jesus Christ", like Apostolic, Pentecostal, or anything else, you will strike fire. Also, you don't dare say the Name "Jesus" without following it with "Christ", otherwise you'll be speaking of a different Jesus. I failed in all the above when I was asked to speak(didn't know about these rules until afterward). You could have heard a pin drop onto a feather pillow. Not one of my better experiences behind a pulpit, but I still love them and think they are sincere Jesus'(oops..Jesus Christ's) Name believers.

[Sam]

Like I said in the opening post, I don't agree with everything in that book.

Over the years I have been licensed/ordained with three groups using the Church of Jesus Christ name. First was in 1959 when I was licensed in the Bishop Lawson organization. Then in 1963 or 1964 I was licensed by a group called The Church of Jesus Christ, Pentecostal Faith. Bishop G.R. Brock in Indianapolis, IN was the Presiding Bishop and our headquarters was in Niles, MI. I am currently ordained in the Churches of Jesus Christ International. Bishop Boyd Lawson is the Chairman or Presiding Bishop.

[snicker1986]

The Church of Christ follows the exact same logic (with a slightly different conclusion). They are a perfect example of (another?) group that bases inclusion in God's kingdom on legalism. A purist in either of these organizations would literally beleive that God reads the name on the sign in front of the building to determine if you are obeying his word (by naming your church properly) or not.

No obedience = no salvation ...... (hmmm.... sounds kind of like some Apostolics).

Other odd beliefs (whcih they will argue just as strongly as we argue Jesus name baptism)...

- No instrumental music (not mentioned in the NT) - vocal only
- No organization - local church only - they claim no NT authority for anyone over the local pastor
- No "sunday school" - the term is not mentioned in the bible
- Communion every Sunday - the NT says "as often as you do this..."

It's interesting how crazy some legalisms sound when they are someone else's legalisms! I'm sure some of our discussions sound just as crazy to them....

[Sam]

no comments or thoughts on this?

There is a group of Oneness Apostolic Pentecostal folks who take very seriously the thought of being a people called by His name.....

[DAII]

no comments or thoughts on this?

There is a group of Oneness Apostolic Pentecostal folks who take very seriously the thought of being a people called by His name.....
The "taking on the Name" or "wearing the Name" doctrine is unique and deeply embedded in OP culture. Filled with analogies and anecdotes it has no exegetical merit and focuses on an incantation of an Anglicized and Helenized proper name rather than the biblical sense of Name.

[jfrog]

The "taking on the Name" or "wearing the Name" doctrine is unique and deeply embedded in OP culture. Filled with analogies and anecdotes it has no exegetical merit and focuses on an incantation of an Anglicized and Helenized proper name rather than the biblical sense of Name.

So what are you going to do to counter this Holy Magic name movement?

[DAII]

So what are you going to do to counter this Holy Magic name movement?

How does one counter Legalism on steroids or the selfish, or megalomaniac, desire to monopolize truth that no one else can have unless it is through us? ... Be a city on a hill.