[Rick Shabi] There are over 2 billion people in the world who call themselves Christian, and over 200 independent denominations in the United States alone. Are all of these churches part of the same church that Jesus started? Is your church the true church? You should know. I'm going to ask you some distinct, easy-to-answer questions. You will know by your answers whether or not your church is teaching the same thing Jesus Christ taught and commanded His church to teach and observe.

Number one, does your church teach you that God is honored when we observe Christmas and Easter? It's no secret that those holidays are the result of mixing pagan celebrations with the worship of God. They are a direct violation of what God says in Deuteronomy 12:30-32. There He says, "Take heed to yourself...that you do not inquire after their god, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.' You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abomination to the Lord, which He hates, they have done to their gods. 'Whatever I command you,'" God says, "'be careful to observe it, you shall not add to it nor take away from it.'"

Note that, God says, "Don't mix truth with error," when you do, it's no longer truth. And don't add to or take away what is written in the Bible. "Live by every word," as Christ said. Don't mix truth with pagan rituals like Christmas and Easter. Those celebrations are an abomination to God. He is not honored by it, no matter how you try to spin it. So if your church teaches and you observe these holidays, you are not in the true church of God the one that Jesus Christ started. You have been deceived.

Next question. At creation time, God through Jesus Christ created the seventh-day Sabbath and set that day apart for all mankind. He didn't create it just for the Jews. Let's read it in Genesis 2:2-3. There it says, "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it," that means He set it apart, "because in it He rested."

The fourth commandment. The fourth commandment reads, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." It is the seventh day. Christ kept it. The apostles kept it. Paul in his ministry to the Gentiles taught and kept the Sabbath and the holy days of God. So the question is, do you observe and go to church on Saturday? If your answer is no, and if your church isn't teaching the seventh-day Sabbath, then you are not in the church Jesus Christ started.

Just as an aside to this, to show it was man and not God who abandoned the seventh day for the first day, look at this admission from the Catholic Church found on their website Catholic.com. There it says, "The early church did not move the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. Instead, the Sabbath, which represented the completion of the first creation, has been replaced by Sunday. Sunday is the day Catholics are bound to keep, not Saturday." Shouldn't you be keeping the Sabbath day as God created? Jesus never authored a change. He never even hinted at it, nor did any of His apostles. Remember, He changes not, and His apostles kept the seventh day the rest of their lives.

Another question, and this one is a really important question about your personal future and that of all mankind, do you know the reason, as revealed in the Bible, that mankind was created? Do you think when you die you go to heaven or hell, or that you will become an angel or some other reincarnated being? God created the physical earth and physical mortal man for a specific reason and purpose as part of His overall plan. In the Old and New Testaments, He inspired these words.

Note them in Hebrews 2:6-8, which quotes a verse you find in the Psalms, "'What is man that you are mindful of him or the son of man that you take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels. You have crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet.' For in that He," God, "put all in subjection under man, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him."

"We don't yet see all things put under him," what does that mean? It speaks to why mankind was created and what God is working here below. Many people, like Elon Musk, are wondering why are we here. Why were we even born? The church Jesus Christ started knows the answer. The apostles knew the answer. God gives the answer in the Bible. The answer isn't that we will go to heaven or hell, or that we will become angels after we die.

Jesus' sacrifice brought the opportunity for salvation to every man, woman, and child who ever lived, whether or not they ever heard the name Jesus Christ. The true story of salvation and what the incredible human potential is, the reason God created physical man is the most amazing truth you will ever hear and has been hidden from mankind for centuries.

The true church of God still teaches that truth today, and you can know the answer. His church is the only church that teaches this tremendous truth of the Bible. Do you want to know that truth? It will make a difference in your life. Does your church teach that you go to heaven or hell after death? Then they are not the true church, and we can prove it from the Bible.

So those are just a few easy questions. You can answer them yourself, and by your answers, you now know if your church is teaching you the truth or not. If it isn't, what are you going to do? Where can you find the church Jesus started today? Does it still exist? Yes. His true church still exists today, and you can find it. His church preaches the truth of the Bible and strives to live by the Bible. His church preaches the same gospel Jesus preached about His return and the coming kingdom of God on earth.

It's a small flock, just like Jesus Christ said it would be, and it has been persecuted down through the ages, just as He was and just as He said it would be. If you say you believe in Jesus and want to follow Him, don't you want to know the truth? I could go on for hours about all this, and you need to know more than just answer the few questions I've asked. Don't believe what your church is telling you. Open your Bible. See what God says. His true church is still here and will help you find meaning and the real purpose for your life.

You have questions? We have answers. Go to ucg.org and you will find a lot of info ab018-are-you-in-the-true-churchout the way, the truth, and the life that Jesus Christ and His true disciples teach still today. The United Church of God has videos, study aids, frequently asked Bible questions, and you may even find that members of the true church of God are meeting near you. You can visit in person or by weekly Sabbath webcast. Get to know God. Get to know the real Jesus Christ in your Bible. Turn to Him and find purpose, meaning, and joy to your life, and answers to all the questions you should now be asking. Visit us at ucg.org.