12 Signs That Identify God's Church

There are thousands of different Christian denominations that all teach different doctrines.

Is it possible that all of these churches are God’s churches?

Consider this. Some churches deny that Jesus is the Son of God. Some have their own “prophets” and “sacred writings” in addition to the Bible. Others reject any part of the Bible they don’t agree with.

Are all these churches really “Christian”? Or is there such as thing as a false church?

And if some churches are false, how can you tell the difference?

“By their fruits you will know them”

— Matthew 7:20

Did you know that the Bible gives signs that you can use to identify God’s Church?

You can use these signs to determine whether your church—or any other church—is really a church of God or not.

Here are 12 signs you can use to find God’s Church.

1. God’s Church Hasn’t Disappeared

Jesus said, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this Rock I will build My Church, and the gates of the grave will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

When Jesus said “the gates of the grave will not prevail against” His Church, it means that His Church will never die. So you don’t need to worry that God’s Church has disappeared. It is still here somewhere—you just need to find it.

Note that in Matthew 16:18, Jesus made a difference between Peter (which means stone) and the Rock (meaning a very large rock) that Jesus would build His Church on. Jesus is the Rock who is the foundation of the Church, not Peter. Check these scriptures to prove it for yourself: 1 Corinthians 3:11; 10:4; Ephesians 2:20. If your church teaches that Peter is “the Rock,” beware!

2. God’s Church Is a Group of People

These days the word “church” usually refers to a building or an organization. That’s not what the word church means at all in the Bible.

The Greek word ekklesia means an assembly or gathering. For example, the group of people who assembled in Ephesus to protest against Paul is called an ekklesia (Acts 19).

So always keep in mind that God’s ekklesia—God’s Church—is not a building or an organization. It is simply a group of people.

If you’re looking for God’s Church, you need to look for a group of people who have all of the signs of God’s true Church.

Notice that the Church is called “the body of Christ” which is made up of many members [people] (1 Corinthians 12:27; Colossians 1:18).

The Church is also called “the house of God” (Eph 2:19; 1 Tim 3:15), which is made out of “living stones” (1 Pet 2:5). These “living stones” are people, not bricks.

3. The People in God’s Church Keep God’s Commandments

Any church that teaches that you don’t need to keep the commandments of God is a false church.

The Bible says that the people in God’s Church “keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17). It’s not Jesus or the law. It’s both.

Consider Christ’s clear teaching about God’s laws:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Lawlessness is law-breaking or acting as if there is no law. And frankly, most churches call Jesus “Lord,” but teach and practice lawlessness. If you have been misled by teachers who say God’s law have been done away, read How Did Jesus Fulfill the Law?

Jesus said He didn’t get rid of any of God’s commandments (Matthew 5:17-20). Jesus taught that anyone who wants to enter into life should keep God’s commandments (Matthew 19:17).

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

If your church teaches that God’s commandments are a burden, it’s time to leave.

4. God’s Church Has the Sign of God’s People

When Jesus spoke of the Great Tribulation, He left this instruction for us:

“And pray that your escape may not be in the winter or on the Sabbath” (Matthew 24:20)

Why do Christians living in the end-times need to pray that they don’t have to escape on the Sabbath?

Because God’s people keep the Sabbath. It is one of the Ten Commandments, you know.

Search the scriptures from cover to cover and you will not find a single verse that ever authorizes a change from the Sabbath to any other day. Check it out. Prove it to yourself. The Sunday-tradition is based on a misinterpretation of scripture.

The Bible says that God has given the Sabbath to be a sign of His people (Exodus 31:13). Does your church have this sign of God, or does it have the mark of the Beast?

As Paul said in Hebrews 4:9, “There remains, therefore, a Sabbath-keeping for the people of God.”

The Sabbath is a “holy convocation” (Leviticus 23:2-3)—a sacred assembly—so God’s assembly assembles together every Sabbath.

5. God’s Church Is Small and Persecuted

Jesus called His followers a “little flock” (Luke 12:32)
The total number of “firstfruits” down through time is very small (Jude 14; Revelation 14:1-4)
Jesus said His followers would be persecuted by the world (John 15:18-16:4; Matthew 10:16-26; Revelation 12:13)
The Bible says that Satan “deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9).

If you’re looking for a big, powerful, or popular church, you’re looking in the wrong place.

6. God’s Church Does God’s Work

When Jesus came to earth, He preached “the Good News of the Kingdom of God” (Mark 1:14-15).

Jesus told His disciples to “Go into all the the world and preach the good news to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

God’s Church is busy doing the work that God gave them to do until the end of the age (Matthew 24:13-14).

Related reading: What is the Kingdom of God?

7. Members of God’s Church Have God’s Spirit

Someone becomes part of God’s Church when God gives that person the holy spirit.

“For by one spirit we were all baptized into one body [the Church]—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13, 27; compare Colossians 1:24)

“Now if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not His.” (Romans 8:9)

Since God’s Church is the group of people who have God’s spirit, to recognize God’s Church you need to recognize the difference between people who have God’s spirit and people who don’t. How can you tell the difference?

8. Only God Can Add Someone To His Church

“And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47, NKJV)

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44)

You can’t just “join” God’s Church. You must be invited by God Himself. The promise of the holy spirit is “to as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39), and the Bible says that God isn’t calling everyone yet (Matthew 13:10-11).

If you have never learned about God’s calling, read these scriptures: 1 Corinthians 1:26; 2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Peter 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14.

If God is calling you into His Church, He will open your understanding so you can understand the scriptures in a way that you didn’t understand before (Luke 24:45).

9. God Gives His Spirit To Those Who Meet His Requirements

God can give His spirit to anyone He wants—but He doesn’t just give it to everyone. God expects people to meet certain requirements before He gives them His spirit. And what are those requirements?

Belief

Belief is the first essential step, and is required before baptism (Mark 16:16).
Repentance

Repentance is also required before baptism (Acts 2:38). Real repentance is a change of mind which involves sorrow for disobeying God (breaking His laws), and a complete surrender to follow God’s will. Real repentance produces “fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8). God only gives His spirit to those who repent and begin to obey Him (Acts 5:32).
Baptism in Water

God instructs people to be baptized in order to receive the holy spirit (Acts 2:38). The Greek word translated “baptize” means to immerse something in water, so anything that doesn’t involve immersing isn’t really baptism.

To be baptized with fire means to be immersed in a fire and burned up (Luke 3:16-17), so that’s not a baptism you should seek.
The Laying on of Hands

After one is baptized, it is necessary for hands to be laid on the person, requesting God to give the holy spirit (Acts 8:17; 19:2-6).

Millions of people are baptized every year, but most of them haven’t repented of breaking God’s laws. Since they were taught that Jesus did everything for them, they never began to obey God. Repentance is required to receive the gift of the holy spirit. God only gives His spirit to those who repent and obey Him (Acts 5:32).

10. God’s Church Understands the Bible

Jesus said that the holy spirit “will teach you all things” (John 14:26) “and will guide you into all truth” including “things to come” (John 16:13).

Paul describes God’s Church as “the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). A church that doesn’t teach and understand the truth isn’t God’s Church.

Likewise, a church that doesn’t have any real understanding of the “things to come” (Bible prophecy) isn’t God’s Church either.

Since the people in God’s Church have God’s spirit, they have the ability to understand “the things of God,” while the same things appear to be “foolishness” to those without spiritual understanding (1 Corinthians 2:10-16).

11. God’s Church Bears Fruit

Since the people in God’s Church have God’s spirit, they also show the fruit of God’s spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) as they let Christ live in them (Galatians 2:20).

Notice this important sign that Jesus gave:

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)

12. God’s Church Has God’s Name

The Bible calls the Church that Jesus built “the Church of God” (Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 10:32; 15:9; 1 Timothy 3:5, 15, etc.).

God’s Church is not named after a person (like Luther) or after a teaching (like the Baptist Church, Adventist Church, etc). God didn’t name His Church “Bob’s 5th Street Sugar-Free Church,” did He? If a church isn’t called the “Church of God,” then is it “of God”? Or is someone else’s church? Think about it.

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God’s Church is not a human organization, but a group of people who have God’s spirit. However, those people do gather together and form organizations to fellowship and do God’s work.

If you don’t know of any group of people that has all of the signs of God’s Church, I suppose you could ask someone who might know. Or ask God to show you.

But don’t just sit around and do nothing. If you’re not in God’s Church, why don’t you go find the real Church of God?

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