We are part of an organism. An organism is something with life in itself. And that is what God (Elohim) our Father is and His Son, Jesus Christ (Jashuah Messiah), as well (Joh 5 : 26). We are part of Jashuah’s body (Ephes 5 : 30; 1 Corinth 12 : 12-27; Rom 12 : 4-6) and His life flows through us. His body is the Church. The true Church comprises all believers in Messiah irrispective their church or denominational affiliation. Membership is not resricted or determined by borders such as religious doctrines and creeds or church-names. Nobody can join it, but everybody walking in the right personal relationship with the Father and His Son, becomes part of it automatically, because the same Spirit that raised Messiah from the death, dwells in us (Rom 8 : 11; 1 Corinth 12 : 12-13). If you can identify yourself with “Who we are” in this article, then you are part of the “We” and the “Us” I am refering to.
In my personal walk with God since my youth, I was not at all aware of the fact that I was part of a great group of people who existed throughout the ages – believers in Christ who were non-denominational and without church borders or affiliation. Moreover, they were what my soul always longed for, a people of Jahweh, filled with love, peace, devotion, forgiveness, righteousness, and, on top of that, a people walking in a deep and intimate love relationship with Jashuah, obeying Him and believing Him. Although I was a member of an established church, serving God to the best of my knowledge and abilities, I was all the time craving for a deeper and closer walk with my Father and His Son. I was also deeply aware of the lack of unity in my church. Many days I beseeched God to deliver Christianity of its factions, dissentions and divisions for the sake of Jashuah who gave His life to unite us (John 11 : 52). That was one of His final prayers before being crucified (Joh 17 : 20-26). But I did not know that this unity already existed throughout many years and that every true believer in Jashuah Messiah, were baptized into it by the Holy Spirit without them being aware of it (1 Cor 12 : 12-27). In many cases I was hostile against this group of believers because I was striving for the benefits of my own denomination rather than that of the Body of Christ (Phil 2 :19-22; Ephes 1 : 22-23; Ephes 4 : 11-16), until my eyes were opened for this hidden treasure and I started seeking more of it (Math 13 : 44-52).
These believers who were part of “The quiet in the land” (Ps 35 : 20) were not always part of the so called Established Churches or Mainstream Churches. On the contrary, they were most of the time outside of it. In his book titled:“The Pilgrim Church”, E.H Broadbent describes these believers who were the salt of the earth (Matt 5 : 13) for many ages. ( Note:This book is available and would be a great asset to your collection. You can also visit their website).
These believers were also known as “The Quiet in the Land” who, like leaven (Luke 13 : 20, 21), worked in the Christendom after the death of the Apostles until today. I inherited a very old book translated by D. Rossouw in 1907 titled “De Stillen in het Land” (Dutch text). The original was titled: “Sketches of the Quiet in the Land” by Frances Bevan – in the 17th age. They were the light that shone in the darkness (Math 5 : 13-16) without letting their voice be heard on the great platforms and pulpits of the elite churches. They were never popular, except in the circles of those believers who craved for a deeper and closer walk with God. Although they were highly esteemed and appreciated by saints, they were looked down on, slandered, falsely accused and even killed by established churches. The French Huguenots, Puritans, Anabaptists and many other groups counted amongst them. Many books were written about this persecution that embarrassed Christianity in the past and also today.
In many cases they had to flee for their lives to other countries. My own forefathers were among the French Huguenots: On my father’s side they fled from France to Ireland and married there and later they immigrated to South Africa. On my mother’s side they fled directly to South Africa to settle in Franschoek, Cape Province.
Like in the times of the Apostles, those who were persecuted by the Established or Mainstream Churches, spread the Gospel of the grace of God wherever they landed (Acts 8 : 1-8). However, this was not always the case, for not everybody who was persecuted was always persecuted for the Name of Yashuah Messiah. Some suffered because of their denomination, doctrine or believes.
Today many people are unhappy with their churches. In some instances it is because they want their own way in everything causing their Pastors to have a hard time in pleasing everybody in order to stop them from leaving their church. When they eventually do leave, they become “non-denominationalists”. But they are not necessarily part of The quiet in the land or The Pilgrim Church. They are part of an embittered, love-less group of people who will not benefit the Body of Christ at all, because they do not seek the interests of Christ but rather their own (Phil 2 : 19-22 ).
If everybody who committed their lives to Jesus Christ (Yashuah Messiah), will earnestly join Him in His prayer in Joh 17 : 20-26, when He prayed for the unity of His disciples, God will certainly hear our prayers and unite us as He and His Son are one. Then God will reveal in our spirits the great truth of this invisible Church, a Church that you cannot join or become a member of, but only by being baptized, by the Holy Spirit, into it (Please read 1Cor 12 : 12-27 again). They will be filled with great joy when they discover that they are already part of it! They will also sense the unity between them and fellow believers in other churches and denominations, and they will love each other (Joh 13 : 34, 35).
Our assembly is thus not limited to a specific town or city, neither do we have a church name or “brand name” like with soda, clothing or cars etc. We belong to the same Church as the Apostles did – the same Church (IN CAPITAL LETTERS) – that all believers, disciples, saints, and whatever name was given to the children of God in the time of the First Church, that was established on the day of Pentecost, were members of. They were called the “saints” (Ephes 1: 2), “the church” (Acts12: 5), “the disciples” (Acts18 : 27; Acts 9 : 1), “believers” (Acts 5: 14; 15:5), “brethren” (Acts 28 : 14). They were only together in the Name of Jesus (Jashuah) (Acts 4 : 12; Matt 18 : 20) because “brandnames” would have caused divisions among them just as between different products in the trade. We are not just another denomination, sect or cult. We are not a “No Name brand church” because that is also “just another church without a name”. If you don’t pray God for a revelation regarding the Body of Christ, so that His Spirit will reveal to you the depths of the things that God prepared for us (1 Cor 2 : 9-16), you will never be able to grasp it. With your mental understanding it is impossible because it needs to be revealed in your spirit. Every born-again, Spirit-filled, believer in Christ, regardless his/her church- or denominational affiliation, is automatically part of the Body of Christ, being baptised by the Holy Spirit into it (1 Cor 12 : 12-27). You cannot join it because it has no earthly register. The same Spirit that baptised you into it, also fills you with the love of God (Rom 5 : 5; 1 Joh 3 : 10- 23) for all believers, no matter in which church they worship, forgiving them (Mark 11 : 25,26), not judging them (Rom 2 : 1-5; Luke 6 : 27-38), praying for them, even if they sinned against you or your church (1 Joh 5 : 16).
Therefore, if you want to know more about these “Quiet in the Land”, those who were the Body of Messiah throughout the ages, or if you realize that you are actually part of it already, let us hear from you. However, we don’t have the time for paper warefare and polemics and controversy. If you disagree, take it to your heavenly Father in prayer. Let us as Christians rather love and forgive one another, not judging our fellow believers but rather praying that He will bind us together in Him and also reveal the “True grace of God” (1 Pet 5 : 12) to all believers in Christ.
Throughout the ages the “Quiet in the lands” went through many persecutions and troubles. But still Jashuah revealed Himself to them in all their sufferings and torturements. “In all their affliction He was afflicted , and the Angel of His presence saved them; in His love and His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them and carried them all the days of old” (Isa 63 : 9). But now the day dawns and the Morningstar is rising in our hearts (2 Pet 1 :19; Rev 22 : 16) , and a change of fortune is now the part of Gods people, “The quiet in the lands” Read Joel 2 : 18- 32; Isa 40 : 1-11. “ You will arise and have mercy on Zion; for the time to favour her , yes, the set time, has come” (Ps 102 : 13) . We are now going to return from spiritual excile. We are going to triumph over our enemies. In Dan 7 : 21-28 we read the prophecy about the “Fourth Beast” that will persecute the saints of the Most High untill a judgement was made in favour of the saints of the Most High and their fate will be changed from the “victims of persecution” into the “conquerors and rulers”. This “until” (Verse 22) has now dawned over us. Is that not good news for all who were persecuted and surpressed?
We live in the time when Jashuah is going to reveal Himself through His body, the body that the Father prepared for Him (Heb 10 : 5; 1 Cor 12 : 12-27). This is the mystery that has been hidden from ages and from generations namely that the Gentiles is also part of the body of Christ (Col 1 : 24-29). Through this body Christ is going to appear, He is going to reveal Himself. This is already happening throughout the world and is going to reach its climax with the coming of Jashuah on the clouds!
Eugenius and Ansie
