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We are the New Covenant Israelites, of the faith of Abraham; reconciled through a Spiritual adoption to eternal life through our Messiah Yah'shua, by the grace of Yahweh. |
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The Natural Congregation of Yahweh is what the secular world, modern traditional 'Christians', and the modern 'Jews', would phrase as, "The Natural Church of God" |
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Thoughts and ideas come freely into the open mind. From where, no-one can honestly answer. Thus that open mind which has freely received, shall freely offer to share with his brethren, lest he be overcome with vanity. Doing Right! (This file is a Media Player download and is 4.75MB in size.) An amazing video exposé presented by an equally amazing young girl, demonstrates how the temporal wisdom of 'civilization' has clearly failed to do unto others as we would have them do unto us .... because on this planet, the "others", and the "them", are indeed, us! Purpose: This website is maintained as a free service in the public interest. We offer this interactive forum as a means for sharing; of mutual encouragement for the building of the faith. We seek no monetary recompense, rather we seek to find fellowship with like minded followers of the True Creator. Yahweh's Natural Congregation consists of loosely associated, autonomous groups of one or more Spirit led individuals, bound by our common faith. We are not an organized, licensed or state ordained church like typical traditional Christian-pagan churches or Jewish synagogues. Every individual accepts the responsibility for his or her own ministry. We encourage those who have elected to let their light shine, to be both followers and ministers of the true Word of the One True Creator, Yahweh. We hope and pray that our humble efforts will be found helpful by many and that all who visit our site may find the joy and peace in this most wonderful day that our Father has blessed us with! Early History of the NCOY Web-Site Content: The information contained on this site now comprises nearly 700 normal (8.5"X11") pages. Our Site Index provides a comprehensive listing of 40 primary categories which are further subdivided into more than 225 individual topics of interest, plus a Glossary containing definitions of over 80 common Biblical terms of reference. This material was written over many years, commencing in the Roman year of 1986, making it a reflection of where our spiritual thinking was at those various times. Since the original writings, we have been exposed to a barrage of new secular and scientific information, various new “religious” concepts, and an host of political views that have had some minor affect on several revisions and additions to that original work. The current version of this web-site content is also available in an easy to read, free downloadable book format, entitled “A New Mind”. In either format, the information has been found to reveal things in a manner acceptable to both believers and unbelievers. To the unbelievers, it is often the impetus for their recognizing a more serious beginning to their own spiritual journey. And to the believers, it has proven to be a helpful tool, opening the mind to Yahweh’s simple realities while removing the stumbling blocks of the false Jewish or traditional Christian religions of today. When you read any of the information throughout this site or from the book “A New Mind!”, you may notice that you will not be able to find any claim of “credit” being taken by an author. In fact you will notice that the author has proclaimed that any such acts of a “personal” or private claim to information such as “copyrights”, “patents” or “legal” ownership are contrary to Yahweh’s word. Simply put, the author and contributors not only believe in Yahweh as Father and Creator of all that is, they actually “believe” Yahweh. Yahweh’s Word clearly says that all good things come from above, and that as we have freely received so we shall freely give. In another place it says that when we have done all that we are commanded to do, then we should not glory in that, because all we have done is what our minimum obligation was to do.
Hence if there is any good
value in truth, or any good value in concept or idea, or what we generally
interpret as “progress”, technologically or otherwise, then that good value has
come freely to us as a gift from our Father, not from the intellectual abilities
of any one of us, in spite of what our vain imaginations might wish. The
information on this site is of no exception. The credit therefore, belongs
always to Yahweh.
For the believer, the unbeliever, the novice, the theologian, the skeptic, the faithful and particularly for the babes in truth, we pray you will find reading this site, or “A New Mind” helpful on your journey! Recent History of the NCOY Web-Site Content: The majority of the content for the Natural Congregation of Yahweh web-site was written in the Roman year of 2000 with significant additions and revisions right through to the present. There remains a continuous effort to add new articles of topical interest to the original material. The original purpose for the web-site was to create a forum where readers of earlier editions of “A New Mind” could make inquiry on any Biblical topic in order to further their understanding of Yahweh’s word. A great many of the responses to these inquiries have since become articles found to be of general interest to most everyone that visits the site, hence they have gradually been edited, revised and added to the base web-site material and to the original book. Over time, many readers of A New Mind have expressed interest in receiving hard copies of the NCOY web-site material and a great many visitors to the NCOY web-site have requested copies of A New Mind. Since the material from A New Mind and the material from the NCOY web-site is mutually complementary and supportive, we chose to combine the two formats, making all of the material available in the form of a free downloadable book for everyone. This concept worked well for the first few years, until the Natural Commerce section of the web-site material grew to the point where it now justifies a book format of its own. So now we offer A New Mind as one book of roughly 500 pages that includes all of the NCOY web-site content, except the Natural Commerce material, which is also available in a free downloadable companion book format of roughly 160 pages. The following article entitled “Serving in Faith – ‘Works of Faith’”, was originally written in the Roman year 2005 in response to general inquiry from a new visitor to our site, and we believe it serves well to place it here as part of our “Author’s Preface” to this information. TOP ^
Serving in Faith - "Works of Faith" When we look at what are typically referred to as the "works" of the law, purely from the standpoint of the works being evidence of our obedience, perhaps we might take a little different perspective than what is traditionally held by those that hold their faith purely on "grace". Given that the Messiah has "redeemed" us, are we to assume that merely by believing, we have been saved, or are we yet bound to evidence our obedience to our faith, through our works? We suspect that as our Father states in His Word, "faith without works is dead", and that therefore, works, being evidence, or proof of our faith, brings life. Insofar as the "law" itself was/is concerned, we would not currently have a definition of sin without the existence of Yahweh's law. The ceremonial or ritualistic additions; commonly the "works of the law" were added to the Book of the Covenant (to the law) by Moses as reminders of the sin which was defined by the law. These additional "works of the law" were found to be ineffectual during the Old Covenant period, hence Yahweh found fault in that Covenant and instituted the New Covenant, wherein the works of the law were eliminated and replaced with the "works of our faith". In short, the law of Yahweh has never changed, and it never will! The only change under the New Covenant, is rather than the law being written or carved in stone, it is now written in our hearts and minds. Formerly, obedience to the law written in stone was evidenced through and witnessed by the ceremonial "works of the law"; whereas now, our obedience to that same law which is now written in our hearts and minds, is evidenced through the "works of our faith" and witnessed by our own conscience, which either accuses us, or excuses us before Yahweh. Works of faith therefore, includes all things that we do as a result of our faith. It is altogether more all-encompassing than merely the "works" of keeping Yahweh's Laws, which of course it includes, but it also includes keeping all of the "works of our faith". Our faith includes believing that the Messiah is our Redeemer; our Intercessor, and therefore our redemption is subject to our being obedient to our faith, inasmuch as we must ask Yahweh through Yah’shua the Messiah for forgiveness of our transgressions. In other words, simply "having faith", or 'believing" that Yahweh will forgive us, is only the first step. We must then DO something in obedience to what we believe in, which is the "work" of asking for His forgiveness. This "asking"; this "active doing", or this "work of faith", is the only true manner by which we may evidence our faith.
Further works of our faith are evident
whenever we pray to the Father about any matter. Indeed our Savior, our
Messiah, prayed earnestly to Yahweh on many occasions, which of course,
was also His "work", or His "actions" that evidenced His faith. We are
admonished to pray for spiritual understanding, which is another work
that evidences our faith. Would anyone pray to Yahweh that did not first
believe Yahweh? Would anyone do any other Godly act such as keep His
commandments to love Him, or to love others as themselves, if they did
not first believe Yahweh? It is very well summed up in
So we see that the "grace" that many traditional Christians cling to, did not bring about an abolishment of the law as they presume, rather it caused the "works of the law" to be replaced with the "works of our faith". Being "justified" or "reconciled to Yahweh" through our faith in Yah’shua the Messiah, does not mean the "justification" or "reconciliation" takes place because we simply "have faith" that Yah’shua died for us. Rather it means that we now have faith in the fact that Yahweh resurrected Him first - the firstborn of many sons, and thereby, Yah’shua did prove that we too, may be resurrected, if we also "keep the faith" and follow Yah’shua’s example of "keeping the works of our faith". This means keeping the commandments of Yahweh - which are still the laws that define sin, which may be evidenced and witnessed by our actions to love Yahweh with every aspect of our being and to love our neighbor as ourself. These "works" of the law were never abolished by Yah’shua the Messiah, nor did He give permission to any man or group of men to attempt to imply such an illogical form of "grace" to His faithful. It may be expressed much the same way as if a track and field competitor was disqualified from a race for infractions. As humans, we have been disqualified from the race to salvation by sin. The track and field competitor may pay a fine, or penalty and be re-entered into the race, but he does not necessarily win the race, until he "runs" the race. In like manner, Yah’shua did pay the "penalty" for our "infractions"; our sin, and reconciled, or justified our right to re-enter the race to salvation. This reconciliation is not the sole means to the end, rather it merely provides the opportunity for us to run the race, and to thereby "win" our inheritance as saints; our salvation through OBEDIENCE to our faith. This obedience may only be evidenced and witnessed by our "works", otherwise we have made Yahweh's Commandments - those Commandments that Yah’shua the Messiah re-affirmed - to love Yahweh and love your neighbor, of no effect! Further, if we as Israelites, are to be as a "light to the world", we are obviously meant to "demonstrate our faith by our works" for the benefit of others in the world around us. Others may "see" our faith through our works, but they will never see our faith without its works. Without the works of our faith, we are like a lamp lit, and placed under a bushel basket where no one can see it! Such faith without its works of obedience cannot produce any fruit. In terms of examining our responsibilities associated with these "works", let us start with the first basic premise - we were told in Yahweh's Word to "imitate us [the Apostles] even as we imitate Yah’shua the Messiah", which taken to its logical conclusion means we are imitating Yah’shua the Messiah when following these examples of behavior, but there is one other important issue. Over the course of our individual lifetimes, we each have been blessed with our own spiritual growth and awareness according to Yahweh’s good and perfect will; as in the words of our beloved Messiah: “no man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him”. How we respond to that inward call is indeed the essence of our spiritual growth. How we share this potential with others for the benefit of the others is the essence of our potential to do the good work for which we have been called – for we have not been called for our own benefit, rather we have been called for the benefit of our family; being all of Yahweh’s children. The inward call is only profitable if we put that call to "work", else Yahweh’s faithful would be of all people, the most selfish. In all things there is a time; whether things of the material or things of the spiritual. Inasmuch as all true Israelites, in a manner after our Father’s example, would that all men should come to the knowledge of His Spiritual truths, it behooves us to pursue the works of our faith premised upon those lessons that may be learned from our own humble experiences – as also this experience has been blessed upon us for this very reason. When we were babes in search of truth, we were capable only of milk, and not the solid foods of even basic Biblical revelations, let alone the more advanced revelations coming forth from the indwelling Spirit. Like most on a spiritual journey, we were once aware that we were seeking truth, yet unaware that all truth resides within each of us! Thus there is a timing for the awareness of Yahweh’s goodness to work within each of us, such as we know to be the case for all of Yahweh’s children. Some sooner, some later, some faster, some slower, but all in accordance to His good and perfect will. Therefore the admonition to imitate - to work the examples of Yah’shua the Messiah and His Apostles are for our sakes that have a modest understanding, but also to be worked by us for the sakes of those that are yet to understand. What we may witness from the perfect examples of Yah’shua the Messiah and His Apostles, is that these did not work beyond the capacity of their audience to appreciate their efforts. They worked rather through faith that Yahweh’s implanted word was universally implanted in every man, and that by building on that universal foundation, they could cause spiritual growth from that foundation, thus progress could be achieved for each and every of Yahweh's children. Indeed, in many instances, Yah’shua the Messiah and the Apostles reasoned concerning spiritual truths to audiences that had less than any acknowledged faith in the one true God, yet they worked with enthusiasm because they knew they were building on Yahweh's (implanted) foundation. Forasmuch as these Apostles understood spiritual things, they also understood and followed Yah’shua the Messiah’s own example; “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance”. Thus it must be deduced that sinners are not evil in and of themselves, but rather they simply lack knowledge. For even being subject to weakness and sin is due to a lack of knowledge; that perfect knowledge called love, which casts out all fears; which fears are the root of all temptations leading to sin. How then do we help these people to find their way; to recognize the implanted word and begin their own spiritual journey? Are we simply meant to "have faith" and to leave them to their own devices? Certainly not! Else how is one meant to follow Yah’shua the Messiah and to "call sinners to repentance" as Yah’shua the Messiah stated He did? We were clearly admonished to understand the difference between the "thin milk" of helping others find their own starting place; that place where they begin to appreciate the need for their own repentance, leading them to the more "solid food" of in-depth Bible study, and ultimately of course to the most solid of foods, being the spiritual revelations discerned from within. This is where Yah’shua the Messiah's Congregation is being built by His true followers, where membership is "registered in Heaven"! So it is that we grow to appreciate the profitable application of the lessons learned from our own humble experiences in the form of our offering of this thin milk. We do our best to share these revealed truths in a manner acceptable to both believers and to unbelievers. These actions are in obedience to the works of our faith.
As set out in
To have been blessed with the smallest morsel of the wonderful knowledge of Yahweh includes the inherent obligation to share that knowledge with others. Yah’shua the Messiah obviously had a certain knowledge of Yahweh, and Yah’shua the Messiah shared that knowledge at every opportunity, and Yah’shua the Messiah told us to imitate Him, not to be selfish with the knowledge, or puffed up and self-righteous merely because we had some small knowledge of our God. Yah’shua the Messiah certainly told us to do much more than to simply believe, or have faith that all would be well! He told us to have faith in the fact that He has paid the penalty for our sins, and through the Grace of Yahweh, we have been reconciled; re-entered into the race to salvation –that race which we must still run! "Therefore...rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Yah’shua the Messiah; as obedient children... but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct" (1 Peter 1:12-16). These then..... are the works of our faith! May you enjoy a truly wonderful day! TOP ^
Living as a Natural Man - In the Messiah’s Image! Are you sure you want to be Messiah-like? If you think you are called as an Israelite to be part of a 'normal' ministry, think again! Our Leader's behaviour shocked the religious establishment. The Messiah partied with crooks, drunks and prostitutes. A prostitute kissed his feet. He did things on the Sabbath he wasn't supposed to. He insulted dignitaries, calling them vipers, blind fools, whitewashed tombs and other names. Those closest to him usually had no idea what he was talking about - he's warning them about the Pharisees and they think he's complaining about leaving the bread behind - but to those outside his inner circle, the Messiah wasn't nearly so intelligible. He was acknowledged by demons and rejected by theologians. He spoke to a fever, a tree, even a storm. Before long, Yah'shua's sanity was called into question and at one stage his family came to take charge of him. He was forever messing up funerals, wrecking beggars' only source of income - their infirmities - and outraging religious leaders. He made goo with spit and smeared it on a beggar's eyes. He stuck his fingers in a man's ears, spat, and grabbed the man's tongue. How many churches would tolerate such ludicrous behavior? He took a short-cut across the lake - without a boat. He sent two thousand swine hurtling to their death. He physically assaulted temple workers. No one - whether friends, family, admirers; devout, legalistic or lax - could agree with him for long. Being the embodiment of divine perfection made our Saviour such an oddity that no one knew what to do with him. Yet our fallibility will not pave an easier road. The Messiah pledged us His Father's Spirit, and if we dare follow his orders we can expect to be regularly jarring people's sense of propriety and intelligence, just as he did. That's the way it has always been. The works and lives of Scripture's heroes are reverently read in pulpits across the land. But if the Bible's characters revisited this planet, would they be honoured in our Congregation? Even the Pharisees revered dead prophets. It's the live ones that make us squirm. There's Yah'shua, who drank, and the Nazarites who abstained even from grapes. Solomon wore extravagant finery. Equally holy men wore rags. Paul's dress would get even an apostle black-listed in most Congregations. Some lived in palaces and some in caves. Some were free-thinkers in the realm of personal hygiene. Many were in public disgrace, some were even outlaws, yet they refused to conform. The apostle Peter fished naked. Saul stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel. Isaiah walked naked and barefoot for three years. Whether they had ice in their veins or permafrost in their brains, you can decide, but they established new frontiers in outlandish behaviour. You'd think Ezekiel was vying for the weirdest entry in the Guinness Book of Records, lying on just one side for more than a year, fuelling his fire with dung to cook needlessly-rationed food (Yahweh wanted him to use human feces, but Ezekiel was too straight for that). He dug through a wall, built make-believe siege works against a brick he called 'Jerusalem', and attacked shavings of his hair. Hosea got involved with a woman. Pious eyebrows must have shot through the roof! Yet these were not the hare-brained schemes of religious nuts. Men of Yahweh were obeying the holy leadings of the Almighty. See Samson, flat on his face - tripped over his hair again. Nearby is a Nazarite, desperately trying to suppress his laughter (laugh at Samson and you laugh all the way to hospital). Under divine direction, the Nazarite has shaved his entire head. Here we have two men led of His Holy Spirit. One we'd reject because his hair has never seen a razor, the other because his hair has seen a razor. Everyone knows saints must conform to our standards. I could prattle on forever about the mad-cap antics of clowns like Samson, the long-haired lout who brought the house down - on top of himself; Jacob, who had an angel in a headlock; Daniel, who ended up on the lion's menu, not because he prayed but because he insisted on praying on his knees with the windows wide open. I could lampoon whole armies - like the one that snuck off to battle insisting that the choir go first, or Joshua's troops who waddled around in circles to the (short-lived) amusement of Jericho's inhabitants. (How embarrassing to be in that dizzy army. The locals must have died laughing). I'm telling you, you and I are the first sane Israelites that have ever lived! But honestly, has Yahweh stopped prompting people to break with convention, or have we stopped heeding his prompting? Has Yahweh exhausted his creativity, or are we exhausting his patience? I am being neither radical nor dogmatic. I'm simply pleading for an army of Messiah-centered saints, dedicated to allowing the Spirit of Yahweh to express Himself through us in the way He chooses, rather than the way our tomato brains think He should move. If your life and ministry seems bland, that's fine, provided it's a calling, not a cop-out. Virtually no one in our modern world seeks the Yahweh of all knowledge for truly innovative ways of portraying the nature and message of Yahweh. I am not talking about gimmicks, but of being channels of Yahweh's splendour; free, like the prophets of old, from the straight-jacket of human tradition; willing to carry obedience to the extreme of appearing the greatest oddball since John penned Revelation. (John, by the way, was locked up before he wrote his bizarre book. In our era, he'd be put away after he wrote it. It was non-Israelites who had him put away, but who would it be today?) Part of us recoils from a God so superior that His acts take us by surprise. It's unsettling to have a God so vibrant, so bursting with life and creativity and personality, that in comparison the most dynamic of us seem listless and boring. We'd much prefer Yahweh to be a machine; as coldly predictable as a lump of metal trapped by a simple law of physics. There's something reassuring about an idol. Within us lurks a desire to fashion a god in the image of a cuddly teddy bear that says 'I love you' when we press the right button and never disturbs us by doing or asking the unexpected. From cover to cover, the Bible demonstrates that Yahweh's character is wonderfully predictable and his methods wondrously unpredictable. When Yah'shua healed, for instance, you could never be sure whether he would visit, heal from a distance, or initially ignore the person. You would never know whether he would address demons or the illness, speak of sin or faith, bless, ask questions, spit, lay hands, or tell the person to wash or stretch or pick up a bed or see a priest. Lest we try limiting Yahweh to the vast array of Yah'shua's earthly methods, the rest of Scripture shows the Most High healing by the use of shadows, handkerchiefs, oil, fig paste, a dead prophet's bones, an image of a snake, lying on the afflicted, dipping in the Jordan - and if you want a full list, you have still missed the point. For every impossibility, the Almighty has unlimited possibilities. So let's not think that service must conform to our petty notions before it can sparkle with divine greatness. Let's cut the ropes and let Yahweh express his boundless creativity through us. We are so tradition-bound as to confuse ministry with mimicry. Unless we are called to a musty, second-hand vocation, we conclude we're not called at all. Don't be a buzzard circling the corpse of a worn-out ministry when you could be an eagle soaring with His Holy Spirit to fresh expressions of the grandeur of Yahweh. Every human mind is chained to established practice and custom. All that distinguishes any of us is the length of our leash. The implications haunt me. Like the Pharisees of old, we can be horrified at the actions of our spiritual forebears - adamant that we could not possibly be so blinded by religious prejudice as to oppose a work of Yahweh - and yet make grave misjudgements of the same magnitude that Yahweh-fearing people have been making for millennia. I make no plea for blind tolerance. That's one of the fad heresies of our age, and even the bigoted Pharisees wrongly tolerated temple money-changers. But whether they erred on the side of acceptance or rejection, the Pharisees' error was always the same: they let the accepted norms of their group ring so loud in their ears that they couldn't hear the heartbeat of Yahweh. Like us, they were sure they would never make such a mistake. So though I don't preach mindless acceptance, I urge caution - especially since Yahweh's primary concern is to enlighten me concerning His leading for my life, not His personal leading for everyone else. Yahweh is most elevated, not by a hundred imitations of ‘Billy Graham’, but by a hundred common folk, each being true to their unique calling. The result will much more accurately reflect the multi-faceted character of Yahweh. Our great Yahweh is a Humorist as well as a Judge; a Musician as well as an Orator; a Servant and a King. Just look at creation: Yahweh is an Artist, an Engineer, an Inventor, a Gardener. He's a Bio-chemist, a Mid-wife, a Philosopher, a Labourer, an Architect - does the list ever end? In the vastness of Yahweh's nature there must be a tiny element that you can portray better than anyone else ever has - if you accept the challenge of a truly Spirit-led life, instead of a pale imitation of someone else. Just as the life-styles of Yah'shua and John the Baptist differed enormously, there should be a rich diversity within the body of the Messiah’s Congregation. Unfortunately, a warped view of holiness and/or submission often leads to drab conformity. In reality, this is carnality - the inability to love or appreciate anyone different from ourselves. To reach the many different people groups he encountered, Paul became 'all things to all men'. If Paul, as an individual, could contemplate this, imagine the breadth that should be evident within the Congregation as a whole. This is possible only if we allow His Holy Spirit to nurture our individuality. Don't despise the unique blend of abilities bestowed on you by the keenest Mind in the universe. Stop envying the life of others and start clarifying your own call. If, to your thinking, that call seems insignificant, the thing to be ashamed of, is not your calling, but your thinking! TOP ^
Welcome to The Natural Congregation of Yahweh We are the New Covenant Israelites, of the faith of Abraham; reconciled through a Spiritual adoption to eternal life through our Messiah Yah'shua, by the grace of Yahweh. The Natural Congregation of Yahweh maintains a true, Natural Israelite faith, as evidenced by the Words written in our Bibles, and by the Words "written in our hearts and minds"; the genetic (DNA) coding within us, and of course as evidenced by the awesome harmony of the world and universe around us. The ecclesiastical organization of our membership exclusively embodies the one and only Israelite Congregation that Yahweh founded and that Yah'shua the Messiah became High Priest of. Our membership traces back to the original called out ones, which we exclusively maintain in a natural state as called by Yahweh and founded in our Messiah. As in the natural world around us, life exists only as Yahweh gives it, hence the life of the Spirit within Yahweh's Congregation is as natural as the life within His trees. The natural and true Congregation of Yahweh is a Spiritual organism; a collection of those called and chosen by Yahweh, the One True-God-Almighty, where His "membership is registered in heaven". We are NOT "Christians", although we believe in Yah'shua the Messiah, which they erroneously refer to as Jesus Christ. Natural Faith is an elementary aspect of the human condition. Natural Theology is defined as the knowledge of Yahweh, the Almighty-God (and immortality) which is logically and naturally independent of revelation. This science of Natural Theology has in its being the most profound and abstruse of any, requiring the most mature judgment in its students. A mind enriched with all of the other sciences, can safely trust it. There is nothing more natural or self-evident than Yahweh's plain truth that He has so graciously and clearly written in the hearts and minds of His beloved children (in our DNA, whether we believe it or not), which justly compels the Natural Congregation of Yahweh to acknowledge its pre-eminence over all un-natural evangelical church Congregations which unwittingly proclaim, by incorporating their membership organization and or by copyrighting their material, that the un-natural, or artificial man-made laws of the "state" supersede the laws of Almighty Yahweh! Unlike all other worldly church organizations, we function in obedience to Yahweh without reliance upon or support from artificial incorporation, copyrights or other man-made rules, regulations, or un-natural worldly devices. To learn more about your awesome, eternal potential, please visit other areas of this web-site and if it prompts any questions or concerns please feel free to ASK. For "freely it has been received, and freely it shall be given". The Natural Congregation of Yahweh is honored to share information and resources to help you understand the natural role of our God in every aspect of your life. TOP ^
Why “Congregation”? Throughout our writings, and indeed within the phraseology of the manner in which we refer to our very “name”, we use the word “congregation”. This is done first, to correct the common misconception that the true followers of Yahweh are related to any man-made religious organizations, commonly referred to as some form of “church”. Second, and more important, the word “congregation” is a direct and proper transliteration and translation of the Greek word “ekklesia”, used throughout most New Covenant Greek texts, and erroneously translated into English as “church”. This erroneous translation into the word “church” is not seen by us as just another language translation error, rather it is seen for what we truly believe it is – a deliberate and definitive attempt to corrupt Yahweh’s word and to confuse the identity of His followers. By popular but equally improper usage, both the words, “ekklesia”, and “church” have taken on the artificial meaning and inference of referring to a “religious organization” in our modern cultures. Yahweh’s children, His true Israelites, were never categorized as, nor did they ever behave as a religious organization. The children of Yahweh, His true Israelites were always referenced in Biblical wording as a “political assembly of citizens” and they always behaved themselves in precisely the same manner – as a “political assembly of citizens”. Let’s take a closer look at the meanings of the actual words. For example, the established definitions of the word “ekklesia”: 1. a gathering of citizens… 1b) the assembly of the Israelites (Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament); 1. the political assembly of citizens… (The 2000 American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition); 1. a political assembly of the citizens… (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, copyright 1916-1960); and, 1. a political assembly of citizens… (Webster’s 1988 New World Dictionary of American English, Third College Edition, page 428). Later however, through the influence of early “church” fathers as Joseph Thayer points out, the word took on a “Christian sense”, which was that of a “religious meeting”, which is what the word “congregation” commonly conjures up in the minds of modern men, rather than “a political assembly of citizens”. The key words in all the above definitions of course, are “political” and “citizens” as opposed to “religious”. To further their deliberate attempts at confusion, they erroneously translated the word into “church”, which in English can also mean a building or place of religious worship, again adding to the false “religious” connotations they wanted associated to the original “ekklesia”, or properly translated, congregation. Why would these early “church” fathers mislead us? Simple! They were a co-conspiratorial part of our history – they helped the power hungry religious leaders convince the politicians to enter into this era of separation of the church from the state. What the "CON", as in any subsequent CONstitution did, was to effectively take away the people’s “political freedom” and replace it with “religious freedom”. In all honesty, “they” don’t give a hoot which “religious-god(s)” anyone “professes” to worship, as long as he or she continues to bow down himself or herself to the “STATE-god” and serve IT. Thus we find ourselves free to worship any deity we may choose, so long as we concurrently obey the state’s alleged laws. Since the “state’s” alleged laws are uniformly at odds with Yahweh’s [God's] laws, this means our alleged religious freedom does not serve us in any manner but to place us into direct conflict with the state, if indeed we are inclined to be obedient to our Creator. Aside from whatever else the alleged Declaration of Independence may have done for example, good or bad, it did bring forth two very important principles, (1) that we can “dissolve the political bands” that connect us to a government and “assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle [us]”, since (2) de jure governments derive their just powers, i.e. Lawful authority, from the consent of the governed – these two principles are at the very heart of “political freedom”! This is why we currently enjoy NO actual political freedom, but all of the alleged, yet delusional “religious freedom” we wish. This brings us back to our use of the word “congregation”, and specifically “Yahweh’s Congregation”, or "Congregation of Yahweh". We are a political assembly of citizens – Yahweh is our King and our citizenship, although temporally on this planet, is indeed registered in Heaven! We are NOT a watered down, worldly religious “church” organization, residing in man-made IMAGI-nations, with no ability to have or pose a true leader. Let us be perfectly clear in our communications that we are the “peculiar people”, i.e. the “political citizens”, of the commonwealth of “Israel”.
Yi-sar-el
means, literally “a prince of God”. (See
H8269 in
BDB),
which means that Israelites, transliteral “Yisra’elites” are “the
princes/princesses of God”, i.e. “the sovereigns of the Supreme Sovereign”,
which explains why we read this, when translated properly, at
Yahweh’s Kingdom
is a kingdom made up of His adopted sons and daughters; sovereigns of the
Sovereign, which is more commonly known in the reverse order as “King of
kings”. (See
Endnote: The Scriptural “commonwealth of Israel”, which translates literally, in the vernacular of the day, “self-governing sovereigns of Yahweh [God]”, has no relationship whatsoever to the artificial mirror-image, man-made STATE OF ISRAEL.
Let's start with "what" a church is. The word "church" is a poor English translation for the Greek "ekklesia". A proper transliteration would be "Congregation", or loosely, "a group or an assembly of people". In New Covenant Biblical usage, the general intent was to use the word to define those people that were the "called out ones"; the ones with a willingness to be obedient to Yahweh and with faith in Yah'shua's resurrection. All of those "called out" are called out of this world, meaning out from among the entire human race - out from the "worldly", by Yahweh and by Yahweh alone, hence they are literally "His Congregation".
Now let's go to "who" makes up those
called into Yahweh's Congregation. First, He has called His people of
the physical birthright of Jacob, whose name was changed by Yahweh, to
"Israel". These people originally called by Yahweh under the Old
Covenant were and are comprised of thirteen tribes
emanating from Israel's twelve sons, [original twelve tribes plus the
resulting thirteenth when Joseph's tribe split into Ephraim and
Manasseh]. These thirteen tribes represent a lot more people than simply
the "Jews", or the single tribe of Judah – which are not Jews, as many
people (including modern Jews) erroneously believe. Thus all of Yahweh's children have been called by Yahweh and have been freely offered Yahweh's gift of eternal salvation through His grace, with the inherent right to accept or reject that gift, which is literally our option to choose to believe Yahweh and repent, or to choose not to. Everyone on this planet is a child of Yahweh, therefore by His Covenants and through His Spirit, Yahweh has "called" everyone into His Israelite Congregation according to His good and perfect will. And He has even had this written down as a testimony to us, so that we are without excuse. Therefore the big question is not whether Yahweh's Congregation is the true "church" or not, that is elementary. Rather the big question is, who will answer Yahweh's call - who will recognize and respond to His most gracious invitation and enjoy being a part of His Natural Israelite Congregation in this lifetime? Those that accept Yahweh's gift in this lifetime will receive eternal salvation and those that do not accept it in this lifetime, will not - yet. Yahweh's plan allows for only a few - the "remnant" of the Messiah's original followers to "answer His call"; to avoid the deceptive lure of Satan's myriad of false churches and accept His gift in this lifetime, while most will have to wait until during, or after the "millennium" for the time of the "Great White Throne Judgment" period, before they too will enjoy the opportunity to accept His gift without any associated deception. But in the end, Yahweh declares that it is His desire that almost "the whole world" be saved. When you fully understand His many prophecies on this matter, it becomes clear that literally "almost" the entire world will be saved, it simply comes down to a matter of when, and how much tribulation some may have to endure in this lifetime as a result of the associated deceptions. So - have you recognized His offer and received His salvation in this lifetime, or must you wait until the Judgment period coming after the millennium (or during the millennium if you are alive at its arrival)? More properly, this might be expressed, as "are you truly a member of Yahweh's Congregation in this lifetime", or, "are you an atheist or a member of any one of Satan's competing Christian churches or Jewish Synagogues?" If you belong to any "church" or Jewish Synagogue, then you are outside of Yahweh's Congregation and His salvation has thus far eluded you! But you may, and most probably will, still receive Yahweh's eternal salvation! The truth is, only Yahweh knows who has succeeded in this lifetime! In Yahweh's Congregation, "membership is registered in heaven". We can only know if Yahweh has accepted us into His Congregation by our own spiritual discernment, because the "things of Yahweh are spiritually discerned". But we can also know of many worldly deceptions and take steps to avoid them. One such masterfully crafted deception, is man's advent of the many artificial "churches" and "synagogues", virtually all of which are Satan's tools. We cannot belong to Yahweh and to mammon at the same time! All churches and synagogues, whether or not they are incorporated under man's law, or if they are organized by man in any fashion pursuant to, or under some aspect of international rule or convention, are subject to man's law, and deviously or deceptively, and maliciously or unwittingly, they place man's law as superior to Yahweh's law, and do thereby declare man's law as their sovereign authority! Merely operating or assembling under the artificial name of a "church" or "synagogue" is the first sign of this deception and is contrary to everything truly Biblical! All such incorporated or man-organized churches are indeed artificial - and maintain artificial, or man-made baptismal and membership records "on earth", and often maintain reliance upon man-made copyrights and other artificial protections in direct competition to Yahweh our God, in spite of His clear and multiple warnings on these topics, and in spite of their most noble efforts to dissuade otherwise. For the most part, their leaders are so deceived that they either cannot even recognize, or they refuse to recognize these warning signs, even when they are brought to their attention! The bottom line is that only Yahweh can create things that are natural, and all things created by Yahweh are indeed natural, whereas everything man creates is by definition, artificial, and man has no capacity to create anything that is natural. All of man's churches are artificial, man-made constructs - they comprise Satan's greatest deception! Does this mean that membership in one of these artificial churches or synagogues eliminates the possibility of receiving Yahweh's gift of eternal salvation'? Of course not! Yahweh knows that almost the "whole world" will be deceived by this very issue of false churches administered by false church leaders: "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of the Messiah. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing that his [false] ministers transform themselves into ministers of righteousness..." (2 Corinthians 11:7 thru 15). This is why, in Yahweh's all knowing and all compassionate plan, He has allowed for those that are deceived in this lifetime by such things as memberships in man's many false churches or synagogues, the opportunity to repent and receive their eternal salvation either during, or after the millennium. Now we recognize that there is nothing more natural or self-evident than Yahweh's plain truth that He has so graciously and clearly written in the hearts and minds of His beloved children (in our DNA, whether we believe it or not), which justly compels the Natural Congregation of Yahweh to acknowledge its pre-eminence over all un-natural Jewish Synagogues or evangelical churches, which unwittingly proclaim by incorporating and or by copyrighting their material, that the un-natural, or artificial man-made laws of the "state" supersede the laws of Yahweh, our true God!! The following excerpt is taken from a Provincial (Canadian) government's Not-for-Profit Incorporator's Handbook on special organizations including churches, synagogues, religious organizations, non-profit and charitable organizations. Similar, if not identical man-made [artificial] "statute" law exists in virtually every province, state or country in the world: "Special situations of religious organizations...Religious organizations should consider certain issues carefully before INCORPORATING. GOVERNING LAW: If a religious organization becomes incorporated, its ecclesiastical, canon or church laws, rules or regulations may be subject to the CORPORATIONS ACT. This means that if any ecclesiastical, [Biblical] canon or church law, rule or regulation conflicts with the CORPORATIONS ACT, the organization once incorporated, MUST comply with the CORPORATIONS ACT and will no longer be able to use that [Biblical] law, rule or regulation in administering its affairs." [We added the underlining for our emphasis.] There goes Bible law right out the proverbial window for any incorporated church or synagogue, regardless of their most noble efforts to dissuade otherwise!! The leaders of ALL traditional "Christian" churches, whether Catholic, Protestant, denominational, non-denominational or otherwise, as well as Jewish Synagogues, have no idea they have unwittingly put man's artificial GOVERNMENTS and artificial laws as sovereign and superior before Yahweh's true government and law on earth; His Natural Congregation and His Natural Bible. They have done so by incorporating under and binding themselves to man's artificial, un-natural and inferior laws! Yahweh's law as set forth in His Bible makes that perfectly clear to anyone that can actually read AND understand it, but here we have an example written in the simple language of man's law for everyone to see. Even regular assemblies of well-intentioned people, held under the un-incorporated name of a "church" or "synagogue", for a period longer than six months, constitute a "legally" recognized "church" or "synagogue" in the eyes of the state, pursuant to the same Common Law traditions that formally recognize the "legality" of marriage between a man and woman that have lived together for more than six months.
Nicolatians & The True Congregation
The root of the word through historical evaluation shows us that the word Nicolaitans comes from Greek "nikao", to conquer or overcome, and "laos", which means people, and which the word laity comes from. The two words together in this context means the "conquering, or destruction of the people" and refers to the earliest form of what we call a priestly order or clergy, which later on in the history of the Congregation divided people by condoning leadership other than that ordained of Yahweh. A good translation of Nicolaitan would be "those who prevail over the people." This clerical system later developed into the papal hierarchy of priests and clergy over the laity. In fact, the Council of Trent admittedly stated, and continues to hold that, "If anyone shall say that there is not in the Catholic Church a hierarchy established by the divine ordination, consisting of bishops, presbyters and ministers, let him be anathema." Yahweh clearly renounces the Roman Catholic Church, calling it the great "Harlot", and as many Bible students are aware, Yahweh also refers to the Roman Catholic organization as "Babylon the Great". The word "Babylon" in Bible usage is synonymous with "Sin" and only once when making this one reference to the Roman Catholic Church, does Yahweh use the Phrase "Babylon the Great"! This very idea was taken over by all of the Protestants and subsequently by all non-denominational professing Christian churches, with the deceptive corruption of the congregation by the institution of their own artificial leadership, even if it includes just one "Pastor". This same manner of man-made hierarchy prevails in all man-made "churches" including Jewish synagogues, and indeed is a revealing "sign" of this very thing. The Congregation that the Messiah founded, is the one and only true Congregation that remains unadulterated by man; or otherwise, it remains in its "Natural" state as designed and built by its Founder! The Congregation of Ephesus was commended for hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans. The separation of clergy from the laity is a great evil in Yahweh's sight and by His words, He hates such lust for religious power. There is an ungodly spiritual authority in the organised man-made Churches and synagogues today, which is nothing more than the prideful spirit of control, manipulation, domination, intimidation and a rebellion of the rightful authority of Yahweh. Many, and indeed most professing Christian churches and Jewish synagogues today, have instituted authoritarian bodies to govern their membership, having at their core, all manner of rules and regulations for the proper conduct and potential "eviction" of their members from their church or synagogue! If, as the Messiah clearly states, that membership in His Congregation is "registered in heaven", then one must wonder how and by what authority they access heaven to change the records! Indeed "almost the whole world" has been deceived as prophesied; blinded by man's own arrogance regarding this very issue. How obvious it should be to those led by the Spirit of Yahweh, that no man or group of men can by any means take leadership precedence over our One and only High Priest, ordained by Yahweh as our "High Priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek" (Heb. 5:6). Any formal organization of an hierarchy of men within a church has at its core and by definition, the essential premise that it is man-made, or un-natural. Why else were we commanded: "But you, do not be called 'Rabbi' [Father, Reverend, Teacher, Priest, Minister, Pastor]; for One is your Teacher, the Messiah, AND YOU ARE ALL BRETHREN. Do not call anyone on earth your father [with spiritual reverence]; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Messiah" (Matt. 23:8-10). Clearly, in the true Congregation of Yahweh, there must be no man-made hierarchy. Within the book of Revelation chapters 2 and 3, "the deeds of the Nicolations" are revealed solely for the purpose of pointing out this very thing. These verses clearly set forth that we are to look for this artificial or man-made hierarchy of men within the churches and synagogues, as a "sign", and that we are to compare these un-natural "deeds of the Nicolations" to the Natural ordinances of Yahweh, to ensure that we are indeed following our true Leader, and thereby avoiding this deceptive trap with all of its many false teachings and beliefs. Our Bibles hold Yahweh's revelation of the "deeds of the Nicolations" for good reason. The Godly purpose for revealing this sign, cannot be made to serve any other purpose, than to allow us to distinguish between the Natural or Yahweh-made, and the un-natural or man-made, no matter how noble the effort to try may be. TOP ^
The Whole Truth About Church Incorporation Notes: 1. In this article, the word "Church" does not refer to any physical building, but refers to the whole body of believers in the Messiah. The word "church" is translated from the Greek word ekklesia, which literally means "assembly" or "congregation" of people; it does not refer to any physical building. Keep that in mind when reading this article. Thus in this article, it may mean the true Israelite believers, or it may mean the believers in false traditional Christian or Jewish religions. 2. Throughout this article many US laws, regulations and references have been cited. In Canada, Western Europe, the British Common Wealth, and almost all of the countries in the world, the same things apply, just different terminology is used. Joshua challenged the people: "choose you this day whom ye will serve." (Joshua 24:15). Today, government is demanding a similar choice. Today the world assumes that the Congregation is the church because it is registered with, and defined by, the State. The following is intended merely to provide an overview, an introduction to the whole issue of the Church and incorporation. In addition, its purpose is not meant to be a criticism of the many well meaning Christian (or Jewish) men and women who have labored for Yahweh in these matters, but simply as a supplemental guide for the avoidance of "rendering unto Caesar" that which is not and should not be his. We shall endeavor to explore the relationship between, churches or synagogues and corporations. So what exactly is incorporation? What really happens to a Congregation that becomes incorporated? Are there biblical principles against incorporation? First of all, let us define the word "corporation." In the strict everyday definition of the word, a corporation is "a group of people combined into or acting as one body." This word is derived from the Latin word "corpus," which means "body." In this sense, the Christian Church is indeed a corporation. It is the "corpus Christi," the "Body of the Messiah." It derives its existence and authority from its Head, the risen and victorious Son of Yahweh. It is comprised of individual members who have covenanted together to further the Messiah's Kingdom by the preaching of the Gospel and the discipling of the nations (Matthew 28:19-20). State Claims to Supersede Yahweh!! The following underlined excerpt is taken from section 6.5 of the Ontario government's Not-for-Profit Incorporator's Handbook on special organizations including churches, synagogues, religious organizations, non-profit and charitable organizations. Similar, if not identical "statute" law exists in virtually every province, state or country in the world: "Special situations of religious organizations...Religious organizations should consider certain issues carefully before INCORPORATING. GOVERNING LAW: If a religious organization becomes incorporated, its ecclesiastical, canon or church laws, rules or regulations may be subject to the CORPORATIONS ACT. This means that if any ecclesiastical, canon or church law, rule or regulation conflicts with the CORPORATIONS ACT, the organization once incorporated, MUST comply with the CORPORATIONS ACT and will no longer be able to use that law, rule or regulation in administering its affairs." [We added the underlining for our emphasis.] There goes Bible law right out the proverbial window for any incorporated church!! The leaders of ALL traditional Christian Churches and Jewish Synagogues have no idea they have unwittingly put man's claimed GOVERNMENTS before Yahweh by incorporating! Yahweh's law makes that perfectly clear to anyone that can actually read AND understand it, but here we have it written in simple language in man's law for everyone to see. The Messiah is Sovereign over his Congregation
The Congregation's "corporate status" is
well-established in Scripture:
The Congregation is the visible manifestation of the Messiah's Kingdom on earth. However, as Yah'shua Himself stated, "My Kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). Many have misunderstood this verse to mean that neither the Congregation nor individuals should involve themselves with the affairs of the world. In what is known as "pietism," a false dichotomy is erected between the "spiritual" Kingdom and the "carnal" world. Of course, this is not what Yah'shua had in mind at all. He very explicitly stated elsewhere that Israelites are to act as the "salt" of the earth and as a "light" in the world by permeating society and working to change it from within (Mat.5:13-16). This task of dominion is accomplished through the work of evangelism and discipleship, as Yah'shua commanded in the Great Commission. The Israelite's purpose is indeed "worldly," insofar as it is involved in bringing the world into subjection to the Word of Yahweh (2 Cor.10:5). Thus, the true meaning of Yah'shua' declaration that His Kingdom is "not of this world," is that it does not derive its authority and power from the world or its institutions. The Congregation is indeed a spiritual organization, but this simply means that it is "of His Spirit"-- it relies upon His Holy Spirit and the inspired Word for its existence, not upon the efforts or laws of men. This important detail should be kept in mind as we further study the subject of church incorporation. The State is Sovereign over its Corporations Having briefly examined the biblical definition of a corporation, let us now look at the legal definition of a corporation 1. "A corporation is a creature of the state. It is presumed to be incorporated for the benefit of the public. It receives certain special privileges and franchises and holds them subject to the laws of the state and the limitation of its charter. Its powers are limited by law. It can make no contract not authorized by its charter. Its rights to act as a corporation are only preserved to it so long as it obeys the laws of its creation. There is a reserved right in the legislature to investigate its contracts and ascertain if it has exceeded its powers" (Hale v. Henkel, 201 U.S. 43). 2. "[A corporation is] an artificial person or legal entity created by or under the authority of the laws of a state. An association of persons created by statute as a legal entity.... The corporation is distinct from the individuals who comprise it (shareholders).... Such an entity subsists as a body politic under a special denomination, which is regarded in law as having a personality and existence distinct from that of its several members." Black's Law Dictionary West Publishing Company, 1991; 6th Edition, page 340. 3. "A corporation derives its existence and all of its powers from the State and, therefore, has only such powers as the State has conferred upon it. Power is used here to mean the legal capacity to execute and fulfill the objects and purposes for which the corporation was created, and the source of this power is the charter and the statute under which the corporation was organized." Len Young Smith and G. Gale Roberson, Smith and Roberson's Business Law, West Publishing Company, 1966, page 796. Note: A corporation is created by, and derives its existence from, the State. In contrast, the Congregation is created by, a creature of, derives its existence from, subject to, and obeys the Law of, Yahweh. 4. "Corporate existence is a privilege granted by the sovereign upon compliance with specified conditions" Len Young Smith and G. Gale Roberson, Smith and Roberson's Business Law, West Publishing Company, 1966, page 931. . 5. "Corporations are not citizens.... The term citizen... applies only to natural persons... not to artificial persons created by the legislature" Paul v. Virginia, 8 Wall. 168, 177; see also the Opinion of Field, J., in the Slaughterhouse Cases, 16 Wall.36,99. Note: Yahweh teaches that Israelites, his Congregation, are citizens of the household of Yahweh (Eph.2:19, Phil.3:10). 6. Every corporation has obtained a charter from the State of Incorporation. This charter is simply permission to exist given to the corporation, without which, its operations would be considered illegal. In addition to the charter are the articles of incorporation: "The objects or purposes for which a corporation is formed are expressly stated in its articles of incorporation, which delineate in general language the type of business activities in which the corporation proposes to engage" Smith and Roberson's Business Law, West Publishing Company, 1966, page 798.
Note: Is the Congregation of Yahweh involved in
any type of business activities? (Matthew 21:12,
7. "Instances of non-profit corporations are educational institutions, athletic clubs, library clubs, fraternities, sororities, hospitals, and organizations which have exclusively a charitable purpose" Smith and Roberson's Business Law, West Publishing Company, 1966, page 789. The reader will notice that "churches" are conspicuously absent from this list of non-profit corporations. That is because our law-makers are fully aware that incorporation involves creation, and the Congregation simply cannot be created by the State. Furthermore, the Congregation's ordained purpose of preaching the Gospel can never be illegal, so no special license is required from the State to do so. Though not all of our founding fathers were genuine Israelites, they nevertheless understood that the Congregation of the Messiah is under the sole jurisdiction of its Lord, and that the civil magistrate therefore should not dare to encroach upon that authority. Because of this healthy respect for the Congregation, the very first sentence of the American Bill of Rights for example, reads as follows: "Congress shall make no law regarding an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" (U.S. Constitution, First Amendment). According to Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black: "The establishment clause of the First Amendment means at least this: Neither a state nor the federal government can set up a church" Everson v. Board of Education, 1947). It was one of the principles of the sixteenth-century Reformation that the Congregation and the State are separate governments, and that, although they are to work together for the furtherance of Yahweh's Kingdom, they are not to either merge with one another or usurp the sphere of authority of one another (Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XXIII:3) The Congregation is forbidden by Scripture to take up the State's "sword" (Romans 13:4), and the State is likewise forbidden to assume the Congregation's "keys" (Matthew 16:19). However, as we will see, the latter is precisely what occurs whenever a Congregation seeks incorporation at the hands of the State. Is a Congregation required to Incorporate under the Government? According to the Internal Revenue Code, "a church, its integrated auxiliaries, and conventions and associations of the church are excluded from taxation." United States Code, Title 26, § 508(c)(1)(A). Section 508(c) of the Internal Revenue Code provides that churches are not required to apply for recognition of Section 501(c)(3) status in order to be exempt from federal taxation or to receive tax deductible contributions. Churches are automatically exempt from Federal income tax, and contributions to churches are deductible by donors under section 170. Elsewhere, the IRS states: "Although a church, its integrated auxiliaries, or a convention of churches is not required to file Form 1023 to be exempt from federal income tax or to receive tax deductible contributions, such an organization may find it advantageous to obtain recognition of exemption (Tax Exempt Status for Your Organization, IRS Publication 557). Just what "advantage" is there for a church in obtaining 501(c)(3) recognition and thereby exchanging its sovereignty for a subordinate status in relation to the federal government? Most people would answer that such grants the church exemption from taxation. However, we have already seen that the federal government has never been able to tax the Congregation of the Messiah; the Congregation is not exempt from taxation, it is immune. The "advantage" is something else entirely: "By establishing its exemption, potential contributors are assured by the [Internal Revenue] Service that contributions will be deductible" Tax Exempt Status for Your Organization, IRS Publication 557. The tragic irony of all this is that, according to the Internal Revenue Code, financial donations to an unregistered, unincorporated church are automatically tax-deductible (26 USC 170-B)! But is this biblical? "Yahweh loveth a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7). But the government promises, "Incorporate, and I will return to you up to thirty-five percent of your tithes and offerings!" And the Bridegroom wept. Now Yah'shua knows that His bride "purposeth in [her] heart . . . grudgingly, or of necessity." (2 Corinthians 9:7). Yahweh had no respect towards Cain's offering because he did not give from the heart (Gen.4:3-6). The IRS, of course, knows very well that it has no constitutional authority over the Congregation, and that it may not violate the First Amendment protection against government interference with the Congregation. In fact, the IRS may not violate the constitutionally secured rights of any American Citizen or group of Citizens, and is able to gain jurisdiction only when such is given to it voluntarily. Thus, the IRS holds out the unbiblical "advantage" of 501(c)(3) corporate status as bait to clergy ignorant of the law in hopes that these men will "bite," thereby placing themselves and their congregations firmly on its jurisdictional hook. Once the bait has been taken, and the catch is reeled in, another Congregation has been transformed into a "legal fiction" subject to the tyrannical control of the federal government. The truth is that "incorporated churches" are not, by definition, churches at all! They are merely "non-profit organizations" (or should I say "non-prophet organizations"). The truth is, any "church" that is incorporated has deposed Yah'shua the Messiah from His rightful position as Head over His own Body and has surrendered that Body to the dominion of the State. The truth is, "incorporated churches" are subject to total governmental control -- whom they may hire, what they may and may not teach and preach, they cannot conflict with "public policy" nor assault the hearer's sense of mental well-being, self esteem, sexual orientation, etc. The IRS prohibits such organizations from "carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation" (26 USC 501-C-3). This prohibition extends, not only to the endorsement of a political candidate, but also any other attempts to "influence legislation," including taking a public stand against such government-protected abominations as abortion or homosexuality. Now, the church is discovering that favors from Washington, DC have strings attached. In this case, the string is a rope that is being used to throttle her once-powerful voice, to squeeze out her very life and, eventually, to hang her by the neck until dead! Should the Bible itself one day be ruled by the government to be "politically incorrect," incorporated churches will find themselves on the horns of a very serious dilemma. After all, in a civil suit, a corporation's defense is limited to the terms specifically enumerated in its charter and articles of incorporation. All other "extrinsic evidence," including the Bible or any historical Israelite creeds or standards, will be disallowed in a State court case, because they are "not contained in the body of [the] contract." (Black's Law Dictionary, p. 588). Outside of its own walls, the incorporated church may not stand on the authority of the Scriptures regarding any political or civil issue, because it is bound by the "higher laws" of the State. Consequently, the Christian Church in America, little by little, ceases to be the "salt" and "light" to society that it was commanded to be (Mat.5:13-16). And all this for a simple tax deduction! Because of money! This directly contradicts Yah'shua's teaching, "make not my Father's house an house of merchandise" (John 2:16). Operating as a Government Business There are profit-making businesses and there are non-profit businesses, but a business is a business in the eyes of government. An incorporated church simply cannot deny the fact that it has requested permission of the State to operate as a business. Not only does it have its charter and articles of incorporation on file with the Secretary of State, but it is also required to list a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. None of these offices were instituted by the Messiah in His Congregation (Eph.4:11-12), because they exist to control the business dealings of a corporation, not the sacramental duties of the Body of the Messiah. Many churches, since 1984, have begun to list the minister and other ecclesiastical leaders as "employees" for Social Security purposes. The IRS exists to regulate revenue which is internal to the federal government. Consequently, in the Internal Revenue Code, an "employee" is specifically defined as follows: "an officer, employee, or elected official of the United States, a State, or any political subdivision thereof" (26 USC 3401-C). By listing the minister as an "employee" who earns "income," the incorporated church is unknowingly identifying him as one who works for the federal government. A free, unincorporated Congregation cannot be held to the standards of a corporation doing "business" as a church. A congregation is a private assembly of individuals, coming together as a family, to worship their Lord. Biblical worship is not a "public" activity. Yah'shua the Messiah, not the State, ordained the assembling together of believers. Subject to Taxation Via Social Security Yet another indication that an incorporated church is a government agency is its participation in Social Security. Seen in this light, payment into Social Security by incorporated churches brings us to an astonishing conclusion: Incorporated 501(c)(3) churches are not exempt from taxation after all! It is an established legal principle that "the power to tax is the power to destroy." The government only has the power to destroy that which it has created. Another related issue here is that of the "corporate franchise." According to law, "a corporation must have a franchise" (Len Young Smith and G. Gale Roberson, Smith and Roberson's Business Law, p. 786.) In the case of an incorporated church, who are its franchises? If you guessed the members of the congregation, you are correct. In fact, they are legally "shareholders" in the business. This is proven by the fact that the so-called "congregational meetings" of the incorporated church must follow the legal guidelines of any other corporate meeting. For example, motions must be made and minutes must be kept of the proceedings. By-laws must be maintained and any additions (amendments) must be voted on by the members of the church. Furthermore, at the end of the year, members and contributors will receive an itemized report of their financial contributions to the church for tax purposes, and distributes contribution records that shows a beginning and ending "balance" for each member. This practice directly contradicts the Bible's command about giving alms before men (Matthew 6:1-4). The pastor of an incorporated church may therefore inform the congregation of the tax-deductibility of their gifts only if he warns them that a tax write-off may be the only reward they will receive (Matthew 6:4). The Incorporated Church Surrenders its Yahweh Given Laws Man, created by Yahweh in the image of Yahweh, was granted by Yahweh certain "unalienable rights" which are constitutionally protected. Corporations, created by the State, are not "real" or "natural" persons and, therefore, have no constitutionally secured rights! It is a common belief that an incorporated church may refuse to disclose its financial records, particularly its tithing records, to the State should such be demanded. However, such a naive belief will not protect the church or its members from harassment from the Internal Revenue Service or any other federal agency: "[A] corporation is not considered as a person within that clause of the fifth amendment to the constitution which protects a "person" against self-incrimination" Len Young Smith and G. Gale Roberson, Smith and Roberson's Business Law, p. 787. According to the ruling of the Supreme Court: "There is a clear distinction in this particular between an individual and a corporation and that the latter has no right to refuse to submit its books and papers for an examination at the suit of the State. While an individual may lawfully refuse to answer incriminating questions unless protected by an immunity statute, it does not follow that a corporation vested with certain privileges and franchises, may refuse to show its hand when charged with an abuse of such privileges. Hale v. Henkel, 201 U.S. 74-75. "Whenever a corporation makes a contract it is the contract of the legal entity ...The only rights it can claim are the rights which are given to it in that charter, and not the rights which belong to its members as citizens of a state" Bank of Augusta v. Earle, 13 Pet. 586). In other words, a corporation has no rights, only privileges which may be revoked any time its creator sees fit. Individual members ("share-holders" or "corporate franchises") also surrender their rights on account of their legal union with the corporation. Thus, the IRS may audit the corporation's financial records at any time, because, as one former IRS commissioner stated, "The churches... hold in trust that which belongs to the government." This is the law, and it cannot be changed by amendments to church by-laws, or even by the good intentions of church leaders. Can an incorporated church refuse to disclose its financial records to the IRS on the grounds that it did not know that such consequences would arise from incorporation? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Incorporation is a form of "non-positive," or "contract law." According to Black's Law Dictionary, p.322, a contract is "an agreement between two or more persons which creates an obligation to do or not to do a particular thing." The laws comprising the contract do not apply to either party until the contract is agreed upon, at which time it is legally binding upon both. Claiming ignorance of the specifics of the contract will not excuse either party from their obligation once the contract is signed: "As a general proposition, a party is held to what he signs.... One cannot obtain a release from contract liability upon the ground that he did not understand the legal effect of the contract" Len Young Smith and G. Gale Roberson, Smith and Roberson's Business Law, p. 70 By incorporating, the pastor and elders of a church need to realize that they have, in effect, signed a contract with the federal government which they have become legally and morally liable to obey (Romans 13:1). They cease to exist as a "real" First Amendment association with "unalienable" rights, and are transformed into a federal institution under the complete jurisdiction & control of "Acts of Congress." A church can no more change the nature of a contract after the fact than a private individual. The Unbiblical Status of Limited Liability Finally, let us take a brief look at the biblical problems of church incorporation. As we have seen, the Bible teaches that the Israelite Congregation is a spiritual corporation that derives its existence from its Head, who is the Messiah. Each individual member is in covenant with the others and exercises their gifts for the benefit of the collective group. This is the concept of unity in diversity. The whole derives its substance from its individual parts. Therefore, the actions of the individual indirectly affect the whole.
We see this concept of covenantalism numerous
times throughout Scripture. For example, in the Old Covenant economy, the sin of
Achan brought judgment upon the entire nation of Israel (Joshua 7), and the
righteous act of Phineas brought Yahweh's blessings (Numbers 25). This principle
did not pass away with the Old Covenant economy, however. In
The corrupting influence of sin should never be underestimated, and Yahweh's judgment on an entire congregation is risked if one of its members is allowed to continue in open rebellion against His Word. This is why it is so important for the elders to protect the Congregation from moral and spiritual disintegration by removing the ungodly member via excommunication. Likewise, it is equally the responsibility of individual members of a Congregation to disassociate themselves from an apostate Congregation as defined a "church", so that they might not "partake of her sins" (Revelation 18:4). Church incorporation flies in the very face of biblical covenantalism. This is seen primarily in the privilege of "limited liability," which means that the corporation cannot be held legally responsible for the actions of the individual members: "A corporation... should be distinguished from the individuals who compose it and those who control it as well as from the property which it owns" Len Young Smith and G. Gale Roberson, Smith and Roberson's Business Law, p. 785. Yahweh certainly did not deal with the nation of Israel on the basis of limited liability, so why should modern churches seek this unbiblical status for themselves? In giving the Congregation her orders, Yah'shua promised: "All power is given unto me . . . I am with you always." (Matthew 28:18,20). Apparently, this was not enough for the church. The State promised to protect the church from lawsuits and other attacks from without if only she would incorporate. Turning her back on the promised care of her Bridegroom, Yah'shua the Messiah, the Congregation accepted her lover's "protection." Supposedly, limited liability protects the individual members from personal lawsuit. However, this is simply not the case. Franchises of a corporation are just as susceptible, if not more so, to a lawsuit than any other organization. Furthermore, the incorporated church itself greatly increases its own susceptibility to a lawsuit due to the fact that a business is far more likely to be sued than is a strictly religious organization. Unincorporated churches are immune, they cannot sue, nor be sued by, anyone. Corporations have no Life "Man has been created by, in, and for, the Word of Yahweh, and this makes him the being who is responsible. Masses, collectives, and species have no responsibility; they are not capable of assuming responsibility. They [corporations] cannot commit trespass nor be outlawed nor excommunicated, for they have no souls [life]." 10 Rep.32 b. "Human beings are called 'natural persons' to distinguish them from 'artificial' personas or corporations. To acquire the status of artificial or legal personality, the group seeking it must be incorporated, i.e., must obtain a formal state license. In modern civil law, while incorporation is necessary for some purposes, chiefly in commercial law, and group of persons, acting as a unit, may be treated as an artificial or legal person." Warren Co. v. Heister, 219 La. 763, 54 S.2d 12." Radin Law Dictionary (1955), page 249. Can you imagine the early Congregation of the Apostles passing the hat to help Caesar out? To ask Yahweh's Congregation to collect a tax to finance every wicked thing on this earth, including the murder of millions of babies each year, is tyranny at its worst. Because a 'person' has no access to any law outside the law creating it, then no constitutional arguments can ever be raised by the person, or corporation, successfully. Government is the person created by constitutions and no officer can make any arguments against the power establishing his office by using law which is not given him by the superior power. In the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The
doctrine of the Nicolaitans was mentioned in the Revelation of John to the
Congregations of Pergamos and Ephesus of the seven Congregations of Asia
(Revelation 2). It was a symbolic name of a party that represented those who
established a ruling class over the rest of the people in the "Congregation" (ekklesia),
by exalting fleshly leadership and developing a "pecking order." Yah'shua stated
clearly that He hated this and warns the people to repent or else He
"will come upon you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my
mouth." The same stern warning illustration is applied to those which were led
to licentiousness from the example of Balaam, which was by seducing His faithful
beleivers
to fornication and tampering with idolatry.