This is part 1 to a 2 part study called "the true people of God". this will be an Apologetic study in search for the identity of the church

1. True People of God
Bro. Harvey Lincoln
If the apostle Paul were walking amongst our modern society, what group of assembled believers
would he be associated with? If Peter, one of the key holders of the kingdom of God (Mat
16:18-19), were here gazing into the crowd of denomination Christendom, where would he say
the true Jesus Messieh built church is? Would they be assembled amongst those who deny the
deity of Christ? NO! Would they be assembled amongst those who believe Christian standards of
holiness is bondage, legalism, and of the devil? NO! Would they be assembled together with
those who believe in Tella-Tubbey unity (We can all believe what we want about truth as long as
we love each other)? NO! Would they be assembled amongst those who believe they can walk,
talk and dress half naked or effeminate with no fight or desire for ridding themselves of these
filths because they confessed Jesus as their savior and he loves them? The answer is an
affirmative…
NO…NO…NO…NO!!!
One of the only ways we would see them in these gatherings is f they were preaching, teaching,
and reasoning against it with tears, love and grace in order to bring them out of this deception
before it was to late!
2Ti 4:1
I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick
and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season,
out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time
will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they
heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears
from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure
afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
The testimony of scripture strongly affirms a great falling away from THE TRUTH in the last
days. Sin desiring agents are being used to destroy the church and take as many people down to
the lake of fire as possible! Standards of holiness are being spoken against and labeled legalism
and bondage. The question is this…
What was THE TRUTH that Paul spoke of?
What did the original church look like?
Does what I believe and practice look like the first New Testament church?
In order to understand this we must first start off with what the Old Testament prophets spoke
about in regards to the future dispensation of grace we call the church age.
Gen 49:10
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until
Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
This prophecy was given from the mouth of Jacob as he spoke individual prophecies and
blessings upon their later heritage of people known as the 12 tribes of Israel. During this time
Jacob speaks of a time of “gathering” that would occur in the last days. The word “gathering”
here in the Hebrew is; Yiqqaha, which means: obedience. The implication of this passage could
red like this…
“When Shiloh comes he will gather the people who will obey him.”
Without going into much detail on the doctrine of faith and obedience it must be noted here that
any teaching that says we can have faith in Shiloh at his coming and separates faith from

2. obedience is teaching deception and smooth flattery. This scripture confirms that there would
come a time when Shiloh (Jesus Messieh) would come from between the feet of Judah (Virgin
birth of Mary) and at that time there would be a gathering of people unto himself. This would
later come to be known as “THE CHURCH”, or as the title implies, “THE TRUE PEOPLE OF
GOD.”
Lets examine another text of scripture…
Duet 18:18-19
I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my
words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it
shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall
speak in my name, I will require it of him.
This prophecy of old was given by the mouth of Moses speaking of a time when a prophet would
rise and that if the children of Israel did not listen, did not follow, and did not heed ALL THE
WORDS of this individual it would be require of him. This phrase “required of him” is further
explained from the mouth of the apostle Peter…
Act 3:22
For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto
you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall
say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet,
shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and
those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
The time was soon coming when there would be a gathering of the true people of God and this
prophet to rise would be the separation line to determine who the true saints would be.
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Isa 28:16
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried
stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make
haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the
hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
Rom 9:33
As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and
whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
1Pe 2:6
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone,
elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you
therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone
which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of
stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being
disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

3. Jesus is Shiloh to come and has come and he would be the rock, the dividing line in which would
determine who the true people of God were, and reveal who were not the real people of God. He
would determine who the real called out gathered ones were and who were not. These people
were soon to be identified as converts to the name of Jesus and his authority as their Messieh.
Those who followed him, learned of him and hearkened to all of his words were the true saints. It
was not the people that came to him just to hear his powerful teaching and flatter him with lying
exhortation and admonishments. It was not those who received a miracle and were healed, but
rather those who’s hearts were pricked with the reality that they were indeed lost in their sin and
Jesus was their only hope for salvation and to him they would cling to. It was not until the birth of
Jesus that this gathering would occur, and then so, it was not until his baptism that he literally
began to gather the people unto himself. Hearts were going to be revealed. Honesty was going to
be confronted. Hypocrisy was going to be shown. Those who hid behind religious covering and
adornment were going to be challenged and unveiled for what they truly were.
John 1:10-13
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He
came unto his own, and his own received him not. but as many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which
were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Many of the Jews of that time believed that because they were the natural children of Abraham
they were automatically the chosen and true people of God regardless of what they did.
Mat 3:9-12
And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto
you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also
the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth
good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto
repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy
to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his
hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but
he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
John 8:33
They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man:
how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
John 8:39
They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye
were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
John 8:44
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a
murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in
him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
The Jews carelessly misunderstood that the covenant made with Abraham was entirely tied in
accordance to faith in the promised seed. They did not realize that the prophecies that Moses,
Jacob and many other prophets spoke of all meant that the children of Israel would have their
blessings, inheritance and salvation wrapped up entirely in the promised seed. This seed was none
other then the rising prophet, Shiloh, Jesus the Messieh. This is explained clearly by Paul when
he says,

4. Rom 9:7
Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall
thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the
children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Gal 3:16
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of
many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
The covenant made with Abraham was given by promise IN Issac meaning his loans. This means
that the blessing and salvation and promises of eternal security would come through Christ the
seed of the Covenant!
When Jesus went out preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God after his baptism and his
revealing to Israel as the Messieh in John 1:32-33, he confronted his own (Israelite Jews) for 3 ½
yrs directly with the heart issues that they had. His PRIMARY mission was only to the Jews at
the time of his earthly ministry and we see this confirmed in Mat 15:24 and in Dan 9:24-27. In
John 1:10-13 it says the he came to His own and his own did not receive him. How could it be
that the children of Abraham would reject and kill Jesus when Jesus said this was something
Abraham would not have done in John 8:40? Easy! A Jew is not a Jew or child of Abraham who
was one outwardly, meaning birth or natural descent but rather one who had the faith and walked
in the footsteps and works of Abraham, these were the real Jews and children. The idea of
eternal security based on the fact that they were natural born covenant children and Jews
and nothing could take them from that place of security, blessedness and salvation such as
sin, hypocrisy and hatred of Jesus was a lie and Jesus utterly demolished this theory and
falsehood! Those who were the real Jews and children of Abraham did not reject Jesus! Those
whose hearts were circumcised to believe God like Abraham’s did not reject Jesus! Only those
who were of religious Hypocrisy, lies and hatred of God rejected Jesus. This is the clear teaching
of Jesus in regards to the TRUE JEWS! The apostle Paul also confirms this,
Rom 2:28-29
For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is
outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of
the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Rom 4:12
And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who
also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet
uncircumcised.
Any Natural born Jew who did not stride after the Law Covenant by faith (Rom 9:32) in hopes of
the coming Shiloh to redeem them from their sin, inadequacy of keeping the law perfectly and
their trangsression of it, WERE NOT TRUE JEWS BUT RATHER HYPROCRITES AND
THIS WAS REVEALED THROUGH THEIR REJECTING OF THE PROPHETS AND
THE KILLING OF JESUS!
The only true people of God at this point of jesus walk and ministry were those who had come to
Jesus, as John the Baptist had preached and Jesus had preached, in faith believing he was the
messieh who would save them from their sins. They did not understand it fully as they walked
with Jesus but rather were people who believed the words of their Jewish teachings in the Torah,
no doubt Jesus expounded to them. They were clinging to the words of Christ as a babe
struggling to be held and taught fighting in faith to convert the words of their Torah (Head
knowledge) to the reality of the substance which was Jesus Messieh who was now in their midst.
What an excitement that they had knowing that everything they spent their life learning from their
law could now be held and touched. Their hearts were in a transition state from law to faith.

5. …From letter to Spirit…
Rom 7:6
But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we
should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
…From words in a book, to physically holding the word of life…
John 5:39-40
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which
testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
… Rule of life no longer written upon stone but written upon their hearts…
2Co 3:3
Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us,
written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in
fleshy tables of the heart.
Words that John would later write was literally being experienced within them…
John 1:17
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ