FAQs

The generally accepted Christian teaching about God, in Christian religion, is that God is a trinity; that is three persons in one. And they say it’s one God but in three persons — ‘God in three persons — Blessed Trinity.’

Where did the doctrine of the trinity come from? When was it first taught?  Do you know?

The truth is, the trinity is no where mentioned in the Bible, it is man made, and it comes from the Babylonian mystery religion, it was adopted by the Catholic church, and is accepted and taught by, almost, every professing Christian religion on earth.   

God, in His written word, the Bible, teaches us, that the Holy Spirit is not a person. It is the Spirit that emanates from God; that emanates, also, from Christ — the same identical Spirit. And both of Them are of one mind.  Both God the Father and Jesus Christ are both Spirit and composed of Spirit.

God is NOT A TRINITY.  God the Father and Jesus Christ are two personages, in total agreement, and the Holy Spirit is the mind, the essence, the power of God that emanates from God and Christ. And through the Holy Spirit God dwells in and works in His chosen people to build His mind, His character in them, and to bring them to salvation and into His everlasting Kingdom.

To learn more, read our booklet,

Does it make any difference WHICH day we observe – or whether we keep it? Does the Bible establish SUNDAY as the LORD’S DAY? Was the Sabbath given for the Jewish people only – while Christians are commanded to keep SUNDAY as the LORD’S DAY?

CERTAINLY MOST professing Christians accept SUNDAY as the New Testament Lord’s Day. Muslims observe Friday. Some religions observe no day. But there are those who insist the seventh-day Sabbath is still binding. Failure to keep it, they claim, is SIN – and the punishment is DEATH for eternity!

Now that is a pretty serious claim!

Few take it seriously – but that does not disprove or dismiss the challenge. Have YOU ever seriously looked into this question?

If someone tells me my house is on fire, I’m not going to laugh at him and refuse to take it seriously. I’m going to examine, and BE SURE! If he’s wrong, then at least I shall KNOW my house is safe. It can be very dangerous to carelessly ASSUME, or just take for granted. It’s much wiser and safer to get all the FACTS, and then decide.

And one’s LIFE for eternity is much more precious than his house.

Few realize, today, but the Sabbath vs. Sunday controversy raged during the first three centuries of the Christian era. Violence and bloodshed mounted. Millions were tortured and put to death over this question.

WHO IS RIGHT? And, after all, does it make any difference? 

To learn more, read out booklet, Sunset to Sunset — God’s Sabbath Rest.

The true Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Message which God SENT to the world, and Christ was the divine Messenger who brought and proclaimed it.  It was not primarily a Message about Himself, but about the Kingdom-the GOVERNMENT-of God.  Jesus devoted three-and-a-half years to teaching this Message to His twelve apostles.

After His resurrection, Jesus gave His apostles the final Gospel COMMISSION for this age, and in it He commanded baptism as an obligatory ordinance for this Gospel dispensation:

“15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16, RSV).

Baptism is part of the divine Commission-a required ordinance for salvation!  Water baptism is the ordinance ordained of Christ by which we express our FAITH in Christ as Savior and our ACCEPTANCE of His death, burial, and resurrection for us, and our repentance of the old life and burial of it, rising to new and higher life henceforth.  It is a beautiful ordinance, full of meaning!

Water baptism IS a required CONDITION to receiving the Holy Spirit, and you are not His, unless you have God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in you.

One MUST BE BAPTIZED.

As in all other points of doctrine, the churches today are in utmost confusion on Baptism-some practicing pouring, some sprinkling, some immersing.  Some say it makes no difference.

The word “baptize” is not an English word.  It is a Greek word.  The New Testament was written in the Greek language.  In translating it into English, the translators left this Greek word untranslated.  Literally, in the Greek, the word is baptizō.  The definition of this word is “IMMERSE.”  It means to plunge into, put into, dip.  It does not mean “to sprinkle” or “to pour.”  The Greek word for “sprinkle” is rhantizō, and “to pour” is ekcheō in Greek.  The Holy Spirit did not inspire the use of these words, but baptizō, meaning IMMERSE, PUT INTO.

Therefore sprinkling or pouring IS NOT BAPTIZING.

When one understands the meaning of the words inspired by God, it is silly to talk about “which form or mode of baptizing shall we use-sprinkling, pouring, or immersing?”  It is as ridiculous as to ask which form of IMMERSING shall we use-sprinkling, pouring, or immersing?  Or as to ask “which form or mode of skiing shall we use-swimming, ice-skating, or skiing?”  Swimming and ice-skating are not skiing.  Sprinkling and pouring are not baptizing.

Going down into the water, and being fully immersed,  pictures the DEATH of Christ, and of the old self.  Burial in the water pictures the BURIAL of Christ, and of the old self.  Coming up out of the water pictures Christ’s RESURRECTION, and a spiritually resurrected person walking henceforth “in newness of life.”

To learn more, read our booklet, What You Need to Know About Baptism

Do you have an IMMORTAL SOUL?  Do the dead know what the living are doing?  Does suicide “end it all”?  Will you meet departed loved ones again? Did departed ones “pass away” to heaven or hell?

WHY THIS MYSTERY about life after death?  WHY so many beliefs of so many different religions?  How can we KNOW?  Can we believe God?  Adam and Eve didn’t.  Few believed Christ- that is, few believed what He SAID!  Could we believe God-if He told us?

In Romans 6:23, you will read:

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (RSV)

That is what God says, in His written word, the Bible.  Do you believe what God says. 

What does the Bible say about life after death?  Did anyone ever die and then actually experience a life after death-and who could PROVE IT and explain to us what that life was like?  The answer is YES.

Jesus Christ Himself died and was DEAD.  But He rose from the dead and was seen by MANY- including His disciples, who had been with Him for three and a half years before He died, and forty days after His resurrection.  And they went about loudly proclaiming that they were eyewitnesses of His LIFE AFTER DEATH.

In I Corinthians 15:22-23, you will read:

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive [after death]. But every man in his own order….”

All religions on earth today, teach and most professing Christians believe that man has an immortal soul.  But that is not what God teaches, plainly, in His written word, the Bible.

The Bible makes plain, that man is composed of flesh, temporary existence.  But those who believe and are baptized, become begotten, not yet born, children of God.  Today God is calling just a few, but in His infinite wisdom and mercy, God has a plan to call everyone who has ever lived, to be part of His kingdom, those in it will be composed of Spirit — NOT FLESH.  They will be immortal sons of God — permanent members of God’s every lasting kingdom!

Man does NOT have an immortal soul.  Man is flesh, and all flesh will die.  Yet, man has been given by God, an incredible Human potential to become sons of the Living God — immortal son of God, if we repent and believe.

To learn more, read our booklet, What Happens After Death?

Yes!  Weekly Sabbath services are open to the public.

Please see, Contact Us for the local congregation meeting time and location.

At Sabbath services, we focus on instruction from God’s word.  The service opens with hymn singing to God, then a prayer, then formal instruction presented by God’s ministry, then we close with another hymn and a prayer.

We encourage everyone attending to bring their own Bible and to follow along, to NOT just accept what the minister is preaching, but to read it from God’s WORD for yourselves, to PROVE IT FOR YOURSELF.

We ask that you dress in your best attire.  If possible men should wear a suit and tie, and ladies should wear a dress.  If men do not have a suite and tie, that’s ok too.

The important thing to remember, when selecting what to wear is, when we assemble as God’s people on HIS Sabbath day, we are appearing before HIM!

Of course!

If you have any questions about the Bible or the United Church of God, please contact the Pastor, Mr. Terry Franke. You can connect with him on  Contact Us