The outer and the inner church Characteristic of belonging to the church of Christ Admonition and comfort

BD 5131                received  14.05.1951

Pillars of the church ....
Vineyard work ....
Labourers - instruments ....

I have drawn you close to Me due to sheer love .... I have known for eternity who has surrendered his opposition to Me and whom I can therefore use to serve Me as an instrument in the last days before the end. As yet you don’t know the hour of the end, I still spread a veil across the final things happening on this earth. Yet you, My loyal followers, shall be informed of My plan of Salvation; I will also let you know the time if necessary, so that you use the knowledge for the benefit of your fellow human beings without informing them of it, because the knowledge of the day and the hour would cause them harm, and thus I can only notify My most privy and loyal labourers and only in a way which will not restrict their faith and will. This is why I test My servants’ hearts in advance, but I also give them the strength to pass every test, and thus the few will emerge who, in the end, will have to render a great service for Me and shall also be capable of doing so. I know your hearts, I know your will and I Myself come to bring you what you desire .... light and strength. And thus you will become strong pillars of My church on earth which no earthly and spiritual power will be able to pull down because you will firmly resist those who want to attack its foundations. I will need strong-minded and staunchly faithful people at the end of this earth ....

And I know such people everywhere and prepare them for the final battle that will be waged against Me and everything of a spiritual nature. However, the preparation will take place by introducing them to My eternal plan of Salvation, in order to explain My reign and activity as well as all events to them for the first time and in order to thereby strengthen their faith in Me, which will afterwards enable them to work diligently and successfully in My vineyard. In addition I will convey light and strength to them, i.e., extensive knowledge which will qualify their work as teachers and also give them strength and inner conviction to prevail against all hostilities from the side of darkness. I will educate an army of strong fighters for Myself, but whom I will also sustain and support until it has completely fulfilled its task .... until it has gained victory over the enemy in the last battle on this earth. I know you and your will and bless you that you have submitted yourselves to Me, I take possession of you and will never ever let you go again .... I need you during these last days because I want to influence your fellow human beings through you, whom I will send to you so that you can carry out your vineyard work on them .... And because I need you I will also take care of you until you have fulfilled your mission, until the end has come, which is imminent for all of you. I want to pour out My spirit over all of you so that you realise which time you are living in and My spirit will let you know when the day will come which is proclaimed in Word and Scripture ....

Amen

BD 6301                received  02.07.1955

The congregation of Jesus Christ ....

It is My will that My small congregation should firmly remain united, so that one supports the other spiritually and earthly .... All shall gather around the font of life and refresh themselves, they shall draw the strength from it which they will need more than ever the closer it gets to the end .... And the fact that the end is coming will be known and believed by everyone who allows himself to be permeated by My living water, for then he will have deeper insight and know why the end is approaching .... And it is My will that many people shall receive this knowledge, I want the elixir of life offered to all who cross your path .... And then it will be left to every person as to whether he wants to stay with you or turn away again from the source that My love has opened up for you .... Share the living water that flowed forth from My font with everyone .... Spread My Word which comes from above and is imparted to you .... and help to constantly increase the circle of those to whom I can impart strength through My Word because I know how urgently everyone will need this strength in the forthcoming time. Whatever can be done in order to spread My Gospel throughout the world shall be done by you, and I will bless everyone, for I alone know that ailing souls can still be saved by taking refuge in the healing font and recover through the delectable living water ....

All of you, who receive My Word directly or through My servants on earth, belong to My small flock which is protected by its shepherd .... You all belong to My church which I founded when I lived on earth .... You are all My apostles of the last days whom I send into the world with the instruction to proclaim My Gospel to people .... Know, that I Am with everyone of you who wants to work for Me and My kingdom .... know, that I will lead you to those whom you shall refresh in turn with nourishment and drink; know, that every person can render vineyard work who offers himself to Me for service .... But also believe that I need every one of you because a lot more work needs to be done until the end and because this work can only be undertaken by people who are willing to do My will, who thus accept instructions from Me Myself .... Believe, that I certainly know what will help erring souls in order to become enlightened and that I will always hand you the means which will beneficially affect them .... that I will always speak to them the right Words through you, on account of which My Words are imparted to you, so that I can address every person directly, and My Words can truly not fail to make an impression as long as their will is good and I still see an opportunity to save the human being .... Work together with combined strength and rest assured that I will stay within your midst, that I Myself invite people to come to the font of love and to allow themselves to become refreshed and invigorated .... Rest assured that I will bless every person’s services for Me and My kingdom, spiritually and earthly, and therefore be diligently active in My vineyard, for the time of harvest has come and I need many reapers, because there is not much time left until the end ....

Amen

BD 5049                received  25.01.1951

Many paths - One goal ....
True members of the church ....

Complement each other but do not separate; walk together but do not take different paths if you all have the one goal to reach Me, to behold My countenance and to be blissfully happy in eternity. You should know that I assess every single person according to his inner nature and that I do not reject anyone even though he may not turn to Me, for he is an erring child which only requires My grace and mercy and not My wrath. Hence I will also help all misguided people and gently push them onto the right path which leads to Me. Every person is considered differently, yet this should not lead you to believe that he would therefore be unable to reach the goal. Anyone who merely asks for Me will also be pulled up by Me. Therefore do not fight against each other but fight together in the last battle on this earth. Then there will only be one troop for Me whose commander-in-chief I Am .... who believe in Jesus Christ and therefore have His name imprinted on their forehead .... I only take notice of one thing, and that is of importance, namely to what extent their faith is alive .... the fact that they profess Jesus Christ with their mouth does not yet include them in the group of My Own, but the fact that they are true Christians who live a life of following Jesus and have thereby attained a living faith is decisive in order to be included in My small flock whose shepherd I Am.

And as long as the congregations fight each other they lack this living faith, because then they will also lack the understanding of that which I regard as the church founded by Me. True members of this church of Mine understand each other even if they belong to different denominations and schools of thought, true members try to find each other and are happy to have found themselves, and true members are in innermost contact with Me Myself because they desire My Word and also recognise it as the right food and drink. True members of My church are not offended by outward appearances and attach no importance to them either, but they are permeated by love for Me as well as for their neighbour, consequently their spirit is awakened and instructs them correctly, so that they recognise each other and have nothing against each other anymore. Then they will strive to ascend together, and if the way up is difficult one will help the other, for then they will approach an elevated goal: they will return to the Father’s house and I will come to meet them and show Myself to them, for I will draw near to anyone who genuinely desires Me, I will approach them as a friend and brother and draw all My children to My Fatherly heart, never ever letting go of them again ....

Amen

BD 5772                received  18.09.1953

The church of Christ ....

Anyone who professes to belong to the church of Christ shall also live like a Christian, otherwise he is no credit to it. When, in time, belief in Jesus Christ is professed then the true followers of His church will become obvious, for the strength of faith, which is necessary for the avowal of His name, can only be gained through living a way of life by His example, a life of discipleship to Jesus, and he, therefore, is a member of the church founded by Jesus Christ. However, many people will pay lip service, they, too, will belong to churches which claim to have been founded by Jesus .... If they live according to divine will by fulfilling His divine commandments of love then their strength of faith will be strong as well and they will stand firm during the final battle of faith and profess His name before the world ..... But there will only be a few of them, only people who live a life of love will be able to muster this strength of resistance against worldly powers who plan to eliminate everything that is associated with a belief in Jesus Christ, the divine Redeemer. And only then will the human being prove that he is a Christian, only then will he be able to consider himself a member of the church founded by Jesus Christ, which subsequently will also profess Jesus Christ before God, the Father, as He predicted ....

The church of Christ no longer numbers many followers, and the more love grows cold amongst people the smaller the flock of true Christians will become, because love must definitely be practiced in order for people to be regarded as true Christians and to provide a fellow human being with a shining example of the true church on earth, which does not require any official affiliation with a denomination but only a life according to the divine commandments, which first of all call for love, but which then will also exhibit the certain characteristic that demonstrates the founder of the church .... the working of the spirit in all members .... The church of Christ is not an externally recognisable building, it is only the union of profoundly believing people who are in most intimate contact with the founder of the church, with Jesus Christ, and thus are also enlightened, guided and permeated by His spirit and are also truly able to work remarkably with the spiritual strength. Strong faith and profound love prove the affiliation with the church of Christ and only its followers will survive the final battle of faith, because they will fight with Jesus Christ Himself and will, therefore, also be victorious over the one who opposes Christ, over God’s adversary and his vassals .... For Jesus Christ will appear in power and glory on the last day and fetch His small congregation to Himself into the kingdom of peace, but He will place his adversary into chains and with him all those who are enslaved by him ....

Amen

BD 5788                received  13.10.1953

The church of Christ ....

A person who seriously strives for Me will also reach his goal .... I Am the way, the truth and the life .... Anyone who seeks Me has already entered the path, and he will be guided by Me into the truth which will give him life .... However, anyone who seriously looks for Me will not try to find Me in a specific school of thought for he will know that I can only be found in his heart, that his heart alone is the crucial factor as to whether I Am present where I Am proclaimed .... My doctrine of love can be preached everywhere .... but whether the human being will find Me everywhere is entirely determined by the desire of his heart and .... whether it is genuinely searching for Me .... The Words can ignite everywhere and awaken the yearning of love for Me, but only after they have ignited will the right path have been entered. And then the person will also be capable of discerning the pure truth .... he will accept and strive for that which alone leads to the life which lasts forever. Once the heart has been captured by My Word the connection to Me will have been established and My presence will be assured to him .... Then he will no longer belong to any school of thought but to My church, which I Myself founded on earth and to which any church organisation can lead which proclaims My divine teaching of love, which demands faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Redeemer of the world.

Therefore, do not fight each other if you all strive for Me, for then I will guide you on the right path, on the path of truth, which leads to eternal life. Then everyone belonging to My church will recognise which teachings differ from the pure truth and he will also be able to guide the blind who, unaware of the danger, walk along byways which do not lead to the goal. And if these blind people are also genuinely searching for Me, then they will also allow themselves to be led and be grateful for the help because they recognise My guidance, because .... anyone who seriously tries to find Me .... will also be seized by My love and feel this love of Mine .... I Am the way, the truth and the life .... anyone who endeavours to reach Me, whose heart is turned towards Me, cannot go astray .... And even if he is still caught up in the greatest error, thus still far away from the truth .... he will nevertheless end up in My church which I Myself founded on earth, because his desire for Me, his faith in Me, is the foundation on which My church is built .... For only a profound and living faith will strive for Me, only a profoundly faithful human being has his heart’s desire directed towards Me, and I will truly let Myself be found by him ....

Amen

BD 6010                received  28.07.1954

The church of Christ ....

The congregation of Jesus Christ is made up by all believers who see in Jesus Christ their Redeemer, who believe in Him as the Son of God, Who descended to earth in order to offer the sacrifice of atonement as a human being for the whole of the human race .... and therefore want to follow Him .... The ‘church of Christ’, which He Himself founded on earth, has to be understood to be all profound believers; all, who seriously strive to be active Christians; all, who are not just Christians observing formalities; all, who have a living faith and consciously place themselves under the cross of Christ .... Jesus Christ must be acknowledged by the members of His church, and from this acknowledgment arises their duty to live in accordance with His teaching .... thus to consciously live a life of love, as He Himself exemplified to people and requested with His call ‘Come and follow Me ....’ Anyone who complies with this call and acknowledges Him also belongs to the congregation which is described as the ‘church of Christ’ .... This is the invisible church which nevertheless can be and indeed is represented in every denomination because there are people everywhere who believe with heartfelt love in Jesus Christ, who are also absorbed by love for their fellow human beings .... who can be called true Christians, because they demonstrate by their way of life their affiliation to Him, Who crowned His activity of love with His death on the cross.

Hence this congregation exists wherever true Christians reside .... for they all belong in the church of Christ, and wherever two or three such Christians come together in His name He will be in the midst of them, the founder of the church of Christ, and will permeate them with His spirit .... Consequently their thoughts and words will also be right and even more relevant than the word of a preacher who is as yet not a living representative of the divine doctrine of love, whose words are not yet revealing his inner life, the spirit, which is the characteristic of the members of the church of Christ .... And this spirit will always express itself by plainly and clearly preaching and interpreting the Word of God .... which can also quite naturally take place in the smallest circle as a simple conversation wherever members of the church of Christ are together. For nothing of an external nature will confirm this membership except the individual person’s spirit of love who strives towards Jesus Christ with a living faith in Him as the Son of God and Redeemer of the world, in Whose human shell God embodied Himself in order to redeem humanity from sin and death ....

Amen

BD 5923                received  06.04.1954

The church of Christ ....
Living faith ....

Only a living faith makes you members of My church, which I Myself established on earth. Regardless of which denomination you belong to .... you have to demonstrate a faith like Peter’s, for the church is only based on such faith .... on faith which has come alive through love .... And you can gain this living faith in every denomination if the instructions you receive stimulate you into kind-hearted activity and your subsequently eager work is always based on love. Then you will have a living faith, then you will consciously establish the connection with Me .... Then I will, in a manner of speaking, live in and next to you, and you will also consciously live your earthly life, you will strive towards a goal and everything you start will be aimed towards this goal .... you will strive for Me. And surely you can understand that every human being is able to strive for Me, irrespective of which denomination he belongs to. His mere belief in Me, Who lived on earth as the man Jesus in order to redeem people, is also the cornerstone for My church, and this will be as indestructible as a rock once this belief has become unwavering through love .... Then he can be shaken by the most violent storms, he will prevail, and only faith like that can be the foundation of ‘My church’, which lasts for all eternity.

Anyone with a right and living faith, which is the result of a life of love, will also know the truth, because the fire of love emanates the light of truth .... And he will also discern between divine and human teachings .... he will more and more let the divine teachings become the principle of his life and ignore the human teachings .... he will feel what My will consists of even if he is humanly obliged to perform actions which are never ever based on My will .... He stands on the rock which carries My church and will no longer step onto ground which threatens to submerge him. He will only endorse the pure truth, because life is in him and therefore he also strives for life and flees from death .... he will avoid everything which belongs to death, which is unsuitable for the awakening of true life .... He rejects error and falsehood because the truth clearly brings them to light. A living faith is the rock on which My church is built .... This, however, presupposes a life of unselfish neighbourly love .... Wherever this is practised is where the gates are open which lead into My church, and all are able to enter it, I accept all who only sincerely strive to belong to Me and My church, which I Myself founded on earth ....

Amen

BD 3729                received  29.03.1946

The church of Christ ....
Faith - Rock ....

The true church of Christ does not include followers of this or that school of thought, of this or that organization, but only the flock of those who have a living faith. Faith alone is God’s condition for the human being to be able to deem himself to belong to the church of Christ. Thus, His church can exist everywhere, it extends to wherever there are people who believe in Jesus Christ and because of Him live a life which can be described as a succession of Christ, which corresponds to the will of God, Who walked on earth in Jesus Christ to make His will known to people through His Word and Who lived His life on earth as a living example of His Word. Anyone who is profoundly faithful also keeps God’s commandments, he lives with love and shapes himself into a child of God, he is a follower of the church of Christ and therefore an applicant to His kingdom. Profound faith and therefore a life of love results in the working of God’s spirit within the human being, and thus the church of Christ constantly and forever will be permeated by His spirit, it will only be able to speak truthfully and right, it will be able to teach wisdom and live in the full strength of faith, i.e. it will also be able to convince other people, providing they are willing, of its value, of its task to proclaim God’s kingdom to the world in accordance to His instructions. But only those of good will are able to understand this, its value remains concealed to others because they don’t know the attributes of the Church of Christ .... nor can they distinguish right from wrong.

However, secular organisations who claim to be the church of Christ on earth, as mentioned by Jesus Christ, generally just represent the outward appearance and not its essence .... They indeed teach the Word of Christ, nevertheless only living faith gives God’s Word the right meaning and the right value to the human soul. And this living faith can exist in every clerical organisation but it can also be absent from it, however, only the human being who calls this living faith his own is a follower of His church. And living faith initially establishes the right relationship with God through deeds of love .... This awakens the spirit within the human being who will teach him, and then the human being can clearly and fully understand the essence of the church of Christ .... he can in fact distinguish between God’s will and human will under the guise of Christian faith .... Then he will belong to the church of Christ which requires no other name, which has no external attribute but the effectiveness of the strength of spirit, which can also be outwardly recognised by a way of life in love and wisdom. But when the human being is a follower of that church he is also faithful until the end because anyone who has living faith also has the light which shines eternally .... he lives in truth and will now also be able to help others to understand because he is moved by the spirit within himself to do so. His faith is unwavering and therefore like a rock which defies all storms .... and the gates of hell will not be able to do anything against such faith and will never shake the church of Christ .... as Christ has promised .... His church is invincible and will remain so eternally ....

Amen

BD 4768                received  28.10.1949

Collapse of ecclesiastical organisations ....
True church ....

The last days will be preceded by a time when My Word and everything referring to Me as Creator and Provider will come under attack. People will intend to destroy the faith in a Deity, which thus will signify an open battle against everything of a spiritual nature. Ecclesiastical organisations and their supporters will be affected most, because measures will be taken against every externally identifiable representative of My kingdom and My teaching. As a result, I will awaken messengers of My Word outside of these organisations, who are called by Me to spread My teaching, for they are in possession of the full truth and therefore also suitable teachers for their fellow human beings in the last days. For it will be necessary during the last days before the end to strengthen people’s faith or to awaken it, because only then will they start to think about the reliability of teachings which were passed down to them through tradition. And they will realise that I Am not with those who only associate with Me through the church, who believe themselves privileged due to their affiliation to a particular church ....

Indeed, I love each one of My children, but if a child does not fulfil the Father’s will by not using its bestowed gift of intellect and thereby activates its intellect and heart in order to know when it is doing My will, to recognise when false prophets pretend to be My messengers, the child will distance itself from Me and only find its way back to Me with difficulty. They, too, constantly receive My Word from Me, I constantly approach them by trying to give them the information directly, that is, by sending them My messengers to enlighten them, yet they do not accept instructions and can therefore no longer be excused if they stray onto a wrong path. However, once people lose their church due to My adversary’s actions, only people who are truly devout and so intimately connected to Me that I can always be close to them, will not falter. They will not be affected by the harsh measures and brutal laws, for they know where to find the true church of Christ and will merely defend My Word with ever increasing eagerness, even though they will not be safe from the pursuits of those who fight against everything that is related to faith.

All of you, however, will still have to make your decision, and only your inner conviction that you know the truth, which is proven to you by the Word I conveyed to you Myself, will then give you the strength to offer resistance. Then you, and all those who listen to you and want to serve Me, will use all their power of persuasion, and nothing will disturb them, for then they will know that they only need to wait a short time until they will be happy. They will know that everything external can certainly waver but not the church which Jesus Christ founded on earth .... the true church, which cannot be overcome by the gates of hell. Nevertheless, untold people will lose their faith, they will find it incomprehensible that I will not protect the church they regard as ‘founded by God’, and they do not call themselves to account as to whether or not they are members of the church founded by Me, because they are not allowed to think about it.

And thus, something that people regard as invincible will fall apart. It will collapse like a house of cards because it is a human structure that cannot last. Yet My Own will not be overcome, they will have the strength of faith that offers resistance because it finds My support. They will receive the strength from Me because they firmly believe in Me and therefore belong to My church which cannot be overpowered by the gates of hell. However, it will be a difficult time to which I will refer again and again in order to remind you, who belong to Me, to prepare yourselves, to constantly accept strength by receiving My Word and through deeds of love ..... The time of battle is close at hand and then you must be forearmed .... you have to stand firm when those who hold on to an external belief fail, who deem themselves living in truth without ever contemplating what they are expected to believe. They will waver and fall away, but you should stand firm and provide the evidence that an inner, living relationship also results in a living faith which will provide you with the strength to endure to the end ....

Amen

BD 4525                received  27.12.1948

‘Thou art Peter, the rock ....’
Living faith - the church of Christ ....

Anyone who wants to belong to My church must have a living faith, for I do not acknowledge a dead faith because it does not merit the description of ‘faith’. And thus you humans already have the right characteristic of My church as well as the explanation for My Words ‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church ....’ My church is only based on the right faith .... But what is the right faith? .... Deeming something to be true which cannot be proven is your explanation. Nevertheless, this is not meant to be blind faith, not a thoughtless acceptance of religious doctrines, because this cannot give rise to a convinced faith. Even so, the human being must possess the inner conviction without proof .... This is the right faith or it would only be a play of words when faith is being talked about. Only a convinced faith is a living faith, and not blindly accepted dogma which is merely not rejected .... Peter possessed a convinced faith and this is why I referred to him as the rock which should be the foundation of My church. And time and again I will make this faith the condition for belonging to My church, for I Am not satisfied with those who only pay lip-service to a teaching but lack the inner conviction.

A living faith is a prerequisite, because the strength of faith will only become evident where the inner conviction exists. The fact that I expect more of people than a mere avowal with their lips should be obvious to every thinking person, after all, people could be presented with and expected to believe the most absurd teachings. But I made this impossible with My Words which specify a guideline to people .... Peter, the rock .... who shall be the foundation of My church. From this follows that you humans must therefore clarify your point of view regarding every doctrine, that you, in order that you can believe with conviction, will have to mentally form an opinion about it and thus, understandably, cannot accept every doctrine, that an erroneous teaching must be recognised by you, because you cannot gain the conviction that what you are expected to believe is the absolute truth. On serious reflection you will certainly be able to distinguish which doctrines correspond to the truth and which have to be rejected .... And thus you will also be and remain true followers of My church if you have a living faith, and I will bless you ....

Amen

BD 4028                received  22.04.1947

The church of Christ ....
Peter, the rock ....
Worldly organisations ....

Those who belong to My church will find each other and form a close bond, and they will always want to know the truth, to live with love and to be of service to Me for time and eternity. For they carry My spirit within themselves, they have awakened the spiritual spark, which is My share, into life and thereby became a member of My church which I founded Myself. And I will bless them evermore. Anyone who knows the truth, that is, who is educated by My spirit within him, also knows that love and faith are the foundation of My church; he also knows how I want My Word to be understood ‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church ....’ He further knows that it is not to be understood as an organisation formed by people but that My church comprises all people who have established the right kind of relationship with Me as a result of their will and their love for Me and their neighbour. I only require people’s fulfilment of My commandment of love and strong faith and have promised eternal bliss, eternal life, to those who believe in Me .... but to believe in Me means to accept My teaching as being divine and to live accordingly .... And to them I promised eternal life. Consequently they must also belong to My church, to the community of believers whom I call My church. But does that mean that they require a worldly union which is established by joining an organisation which has a worldly origin? This question is of such great significance that it needs to be considered in-depth. No organisation exists which could boast to have been founded by Me, however, each one can fully and completely affiliate itself to the church founded by Me. Hence, their members would be able to consider themselves as belonging to My church if they shaped themselves into a rock of faith .... The character of My church first must prevail in an organisation, their followers must be imbued by profound faith in Me, then the worldly founded church will include My believers and they, in turn, can regard themselves in every organisation as aspirants of My kingdom, for they belong to My church which I Myself founded on earth. My Words have to be understood purely spiritually, i.e., they only contain the request for unshakeable faith, and on this alone depends the working of the spirit, which is the most certain characteristic of My church, for anyone who has true faith also has love, because true faith is only alive through activity of love. And the sign of life is the expression of My spirit in the human being. Anyone who thus is taught by My spirit, who is permeated by its truth, can rightfully claim to belong to My church, he belongs to My Own, and he will also stand up for My teaching with conviction, for he has absorbed it himself with heart and mind, it has fortified his belief and made him free and happy, and he is driven by love to want to give the same to his fellow human beings ....

However, a worldly-religious organisation is by no means necessary to first shape people into aspirants of the spiritual kingdom, for again, I only look at the person’s heart, his will and his thoughts. If they strive towards Me then he will already have found Me .... if they digress from pure spirituality then an ecclesiastical organisation will not achieve a change, for whatever takes place under compulsion is of no value before My eyes. But desire for Me can only be aroused in every person through the announcement of My Word. This is why I don’t condemn the worldly-religious organisations but support them insofar as that I support the teachers working in them where feasible, providing their life corresponds to My commandments at the same time. And if one of them belongs to the church founded by Me, so that he therefore firmly and steadfastly believes in My love, might and wisdom, then I will also permeate him with My spirit, enabling him to successfully influence the flock of his small congregation so that they, too, will desire the Word which alone makes it possible for them to mature fully. Nevertheless it is of far greater merit if the person struggles and searches of his own accord, if he pays attention to his inner voice which will always advise him of what is right and encourage him to be lovingly active. If he complies with this voice he will come closer to Me considerably earlier, he will have a living understanding of My Word, he accepts it in his heart and will also live accordingly .... he will belong in truth to the church of Christ, which is insurmountable and will stand firm against even the staunchest onslaughts still waged by infernal forces before the end. For I also gave people the promise that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, because My church is unchangeable and will continue to exist until the end .... It will also become the basis of all spiritual striving on the new earth. Everyone will belong to My church because only profoundly faithful people who love Me above all else will inhabit this new earth, whereas all others will fall away if they are mere members of worldly-religious organisations who are without inner life ....

Amen

BD 4061                received  11.06.1947

The work of God’s servants concerning formal believers ....
The church of Christ ....

Your particular task is to influence the many believers who feel affiliated to the church and yet cannot be regarded as belonging to My church, for they no longer stand on the foundation of faith. They have built their church on sand, which will give way under their feet if their faith is to be tested. They deem themselves devout and also profess with their lips what the church tells them to believe. Nevertheless, they are not deeply convinced of any religious doctrine, they would be unable to completely agree with any one if they seriously had to form an opinion of it. And this conventional faith, which was merely accepted and will not be abandoned for the sake of the outside world is almost worse than unbelief, for an unbelieving person can be provided with explanations in form of discussions, even disputes, whereas the former offers little opportunity of informing him because he will only profess everything again with his lips and yet is far removed from becoming a convinced representative of that which he acknowledges with his mouth. And he will belong to those who fall away when the decision of faith is demanded of him. For only then will he give his opinion about controversial issues and, not having any knowledge and consequently no realisation of the significance and value of a true faith, he will totally ignorantly relinquish that which is most valuable, the faith in Me as Creator of heaven and earth, the faith in Jesus Christ as Redeemer of the world and the faith in the continuation of life after death, which would motivate him to live an appropriately responsible life on earth, which he owes to Me as Father and Judge of eternity. But they will find no mercy before My eyes, for many times they are offered the opportunity to penetrate religious truths and to acquire a living faith, yet they accept no instructions and neither do they openly declare their opposing points of view but only ever leave their fellow human beings under the impression that they belong to the church which I founded on earth as a human being.

I summed up the faithful congregation with the Word ‘My church’ and will only ever consider those people as belonging to My church who call a living faith their own, for My church is not a worldly organisation, it cannot be externally recognised but is merely the union of believing people on earth, it is My congregation which, although it is small, is extremely dear to Me. The formal believers, however, stand outside the circuit of My flow of love, nevertheless, they can join My congregation at any time when that which they believe themselves to be has become reality, when they own a living faith and are very happy with possessing it. And a sign of a living faith is the fact that they gladly speak about divine matters, that they look for and enthusiastically hold spiritual conversations and that they provide clarifications where their fellow human beings are still in the dark. For once someone belongs to My church he will also appreciate My treasures, he will know about the significance of the time and the approaching end. He will remain loyal to My church for there is nothing left on earth that would be desirable for him. The living faith has opened this knowledge up for him, and he knows the alarming ramifications of a conventional faith, of the soul’s fate in the beyond, subsequently he will do whatever it takes to draw people’s attention to the danger they are in; he will try to make them understand it so that they will still be able to gain a living faith in the last hour. But whether it is successful entirely depends on the human being’s will, the freedom of which shall not be curtailed if the soul is to ascend. And yet it is your task to influence the formal believers as much as possible since they are, after all, in greatest danger and are therefore in need of help because they lack realisation, and wherever help is necessary it shall be given, so that no-one can say that the blessings of divine mercy had bypassed him .... I want to help all people, but whether My help is accepted is determined by people themselves, and I let them keep their freedom ....

Amen

BD 8651                received  21.10.1963

The true church of Christ ....

Anyone who belongs to My church also has to have a living faith, a faith which came alive through love and thus enables the working of the spirit in the human being, which again is only the result of love. The members of My church will only ever consist of people who are so sincerely united with Me that they feel My presence, whose faith is consequently unwavering and cannot be shaken .... which stands firm like a rock against every onslaught from outside, on account of which I said to Peter ‘Upon you I will build My church ....’ For Peter’s faith was strong and unwavering, even though during one hour he did not pass the test of faith, since events precipitated and shook his confidence .... It was, however, more due to his intellect, which saw no way out from greatest danger, whereas his soul was pushed back and felt abandoned .... Yet after this test of faith his love for Me grew ever deeper and his faith strengthened, and such faith I also expect of those who want to belong to My church. Then they will no longer fall victim to My adversary and their enemy ....

A member of My church will always recognise the truth and renounce all error, because My spirit works in him as an indication that he is part of the church founded by Me .... And where My spirit works there can be no lack of clarity, no doubt and no confused concepts .... A member of My church will be enlightened and his thoughts will be correct .....

This church needs no external characteristics, it needs no organisations, because there are people in all ecclesiastical organisations with a living faith who thereby arouse the spirit within them, and they all affiliate themselves to the ‘Church of Christ’ which, in truth, is a purely spiritual connection of those who unite with Me through love, who do everything consciously and not as a meaningless external activity which is purely mechanically implemented.

You are meant to be living Christians, always conscious of the fact that you should fulfil the purpose of your earthly life, always eagerly striving to reach your goal, and always submitting yourselves to Me so that I Myself can assume your guidance, and then you will truly reach your goal. For I Am not satisfied that you only fulfil humanly decreed commandments which you were taught during your upbringing, which are pointless and do not result in psychological maturity .... As members of the church founded by Me Myself you will also always be My true successors, you will always humbly accept all suffering and hardship affecting you, because you recognise them as a test of faith which you should pass, and as a means of help to increase the maturity of your soul .... For this is what the spirit within tells you, and you will also understand the reasons of what I allow to happen to you.

You will live a second life next to your earthly one, a life in unity with Me, your God and Father of eternity, and this life will guarantee your perfection. Hence every person is able to attain this perfection, irrespective of the school of thought he belongs to, providing he always stays in a living relationship with Me and can thereby also be guided into truth .... which, however, always necessitates a life of love and a firm, living faith .... As long as you humans are lacking both you are just dead forms on this earth which eternally cannot come alive, for your external actions will not result in inner changes which, however, are the meaning and purpose of a human being’s earthly life.

Join the church which I Myself founded on earth, wake up from your sleep of death, bring the spirit in you to life by doing selfless deeds of love, and you will thereby also achieve a faith so unwavering that hell will fail to shake it .... And when you possess such faith you will be truly close to Me already, then you will feel My presence, then you will also regain the abilities that were yours before your apostasy from Me. You will become perfect again as you were in the beginning, and your life will be a happy one for all eternity ....

Amen

BD 6445                received  06.01.1956

Characteristic of the church of Christ ....

The working of My spirit is the characteristic of My church which I Myself founded on earth .... Time and again I must tell you that you can only recognise My church by that, that you are only members of the church of Christ when the spirit is able to work in you .... when your thinking is enlightened, even if you are not called on to accomplish extraordinary things .... Enlightened thinking demonstrates the strength of My spirit which, however, can only express itself when the preconditions are fulfilled .... when selfless activity of love has established the bond between the spiritual spark within you and its Father-Spirit .... Then you will also be able to have a living faith, for love will have brought the faith in you alive and the spirit within you will brightly and clearly realise which teachings correspond to the truth, thus you will also uphold them with conviction towards your fellow human beings. As long as you still live in error, as long as your faith is merely a conventional faith without life, the spirit will not be active in you yet and neither will you be able to say that you belong to the church of Christ .... the church which I Myself founded on earth. Alone the fact that you humans are unaware of this or, if you are told, do not want to believe it, proves that you don’t belong to My church as yet; it proves that you are spiritually unenlightened, and it proves that you don’t live a loving way of life, otherwise your thinking would change by itself and enable you to recognise the truth of these Words of Mine ....

Let Me earnestly remind you to live a life of unselfish love .... For this is the first condition in order to awaken the spiritual spark in you, so that it will become active .... so that it will grant you realisation of the truth .... But don’t adhere to external formalities, don’t accept what you are told by unenlightened people, by what they, in turn, accepted from other unenlightened people and subsequently firmly endorse as truth. Acquire the truth for yourselves by asking Me for it .... Don’t just be content with the teaching material that is given to you but dwell on it first before you accept it, and appeal to Me for help in order to recognise the truth .... And providing this is your sincere will I shall truly guide your thoughts correctly, because it is My will that you shall attain the truth and I will do everything in order to convey it to you, only your free will to seriously desire the truth is necessary. I cannot approve your lethargy of thinking; I cannot praise you humans for unreservedly believing what you are being told without first forming your own opinion about it. I won’t condemn you if you, despite your best intentions, don’t think that you can accept something .... even if it is the truth .... But I will condemn you if you accept spiritual knowledge without thinking about it, because spiritual knowledge must become a certainty in you and this is only possible if you mentally look at it from every angle and, in order to then think correctly, ask Me Myself for help .... Such a request is so pleasing to Me that I will truly grant it, but how seldom does an appeal like that rise up to Me .... And therefore it will also be impossible for you to attain a living faith, it will be impossible for My spirit to work in you because you don’t grant it the right to express itself. And for this reason you will never be able to claim that you belong to My church which I established on earth, whose characteristic is ‘the working of the spirit’ in the human being which ‘will guide you into truth ....’, which will also make you realise that your life is a waste of time as long as you don’t live a life of love and unite yourselves with Me through love ....

Amen

BD 5174                received  19.07.1951

Characteristic of the church of Christ: The working of the spirit ....

The church of Christ is not an organisation, it is the unification of all spiritually striving people from all denominations who believe in Jesus Christ and live a life of love, for not the creed provides the evidence of their belonging to the said church but the spirit which speaks through the people who are its members. Surely you will understand that it can never ever be enough for God that a person joins this or that school of thought, either because of its name or also due to being impressed by the customs and traditions which every organisation and denomination exhibit, but that God only evaluates a person’s attitude which can vary in every denomination, i.e., more or less corresponding to God’s will, more or less heeding the divine commandments. And yet, the only decisive factor as to who may count himself a member of the church of Christ is whether a life of love has awakened God’s spirit within the human being .... The church of Christ is a purely spiritual organisation which makes no concessions to the world whatsoever; it is only based on a human being’s spiritual life, on the conscious will to attain the spiritual goal which is the human being’s task on earth. The church of Christ unites all believing, that is, inwardly convinced followers of Jesus who accept the divine teaching of love as their law of life, who acknowledge Christ’s act of Salvation and through conscious unity with Him know no other endeavour but to develop the strength of the spirit .... who thus are enlightened by the divine spirit, which will always be the evidence of belonging to His church.

The church of Christ needs no other external characteristic in order to be recognised as His true church, which He Himself founded on earth, apart from the spiritual rebirth, which is verified by the expression of the divine spirit in the human being. And this, in turn, is recognisable through enlightened thinking, through the realisation of truth, through realising the purpose of the human being’s life, through strong faith and its resulting extraordinary working, be it by healing the sick, by averting great earthly adversity, by the influx of the divine Word or the commanding of the elements for the benefit of other people. A power, which is of divine origin, will always emerge once the human being has achieved spiritual rebirth, and he will belong to the church of Christ, which is outside of every ecclesiastical organisation but which can number people from every denomination as its members. It is a spiritual community of profoundly devout people whose leader is Jesus Christ Himself, with whom every member must enter into heartfelt contact in order to be admitted to His church. For His church is something that is alive, it is not a dead structure which exists in the world by name yet lacks all spirit. His church is based on living faith which was brought alive through love .... This is why love and faith are the first condition in order to belong to His church, why people from all denominations belong to His church, whose living faith arose from their love for God and their neighbour. All these people are being united by Jesus Christ in the church He established on earth, and He also bestows them with the gifts of the spirit depending on their maturity, ability and purpose of activity on earth for His kingdom. Wherever God’s spirit is working there stands a pillar of His church which is and will remain insurmountable for all eternity ....

Amen

BD 6551                received  20.05.1956

Striving for spiritual gifts ....
Characteristic of the church of Christ ....

You should diligently endeavour to attain the gifts of the spirit, for they cannot be given to you; you will have to acquire them by preparing yourselves such that My spirit will be able to work in you. Don’t think that you can receive them if you failed to do the work of improving your soul, if your nature has not sufficiently changed that it has become love .... Your soul must have reached a specific degree of maturity before My spirit can work in you, and this degree of maturity requires your firm will to live entirely in keeping with My commandments on earth, it requires self-denial, selflessly helping your neighbour, a complete turning towards Me .... Only then will I be able to pour out My spirit over you, and then will the human being be able to receive the gifts of the spirit for which he is particularly qualified and which will determine his future work for Me and My kingdom. All of you can partake in the gifts of the spirit, for all of you are called to diligently co-operate in the work for the kingdom of God .... But only a few are chosen .... Only a few fulfil the conditions which is followed by the working of My spirit, only a few take the work of improving their souls so seriously that they shape themselves into a receiving vessel for My spirit, and therefore I can endow only a few with the gifts of the spirit .... But anyone who is in possession of it is already blissfully happy on earth, for he knows himself to be in heartfelt contact with Me, he knows I Myself Am working in him and he will successfully work for My kingdom.

However, you humans cannot prove your affiliation to the church of Christ .... to the church I Myself established on earth .... in any other way but through the possession of a spiritual gift, for this is the characteristic of My church. Various gifts testify to the working of My spirit; but a seemingly extraordinary strength will always become evident, an ability will surface in the human being which he has not acquired through application or study or physical exertion but which was clearly ‘given’ to him .... be it, that he performs miracles, heals the sick, teaches with wisdom or has the gift of prophesy ....

They all prove their membership to the church of Christ by their living faith which had arisen from love and thus they are in heartfelt contact with Me Myself, so that I can work through My spirit as I consider beneficial for their and their fellow human being’s salvation of soul. Hence you humans need only seriously strive to attain a living faith .... and therefore live a life of love .... Then you will do whatever it takes to gain your soul’s degree of maturity and also become aware of My presence in you and, as a result of this awareness, also have remarkable strength at your disposal which I allocate to you such that it will be conducive to you and your vicinity .... And anyone who thus has acquired an unusual gift of the spirit will also be a loyal labourer in My vineyard, for he will work with this gift in order to lead his fellow human beings into a living faith in Me in Jesus Christ .... For every person enlightened by My spirit will always testify to the divine Redeemer, because redemption through Him must have preceded before My spirit will be able to work, before the gifts of the spirit can be distributed .... and because only a person redeemed by Jesus’ blood also has the strength to so work at improving his soul that it will attain the required degree of maturity to receive gifts of the spirit .... With the help of Jesus Christ all people can and will succeed .... And for that reason every spiritually-awakened person will proclaim the One Who promised His spirit .... And every person who can exhibit a spiritual gift bears witness to the fact that he found salvation through Jesus Christ from the night of death, for My strength is working in him, My light shines within him, I Myself Am in him and work through My spirit ....

Amen

BD 5186                received  09.08.1951

The gates of hell shall not prevail against it ....’

The gates of hell shall not prevail against My church .... which I Myself founded on earth. The gates of hell will open and spew out its inhabitants in order to increase My adversary’s power and activity. All devils will fight against the small flock of believers who, in truth, constitute My church .... Hell itself will violently attack its walls yet My church will stand firm, for the believers will persevere with great strength .... The end is near, and that is why I still try to affiliate those of little faith to My church so that their faith shall grow and become unshakable before the end arrives. Hell will have no control over those who believe, for they belong to My church and I, as the founder of this church, will truly protect them from the onslaught of hell. You humans are facing the end and you don’t realise what this means, you don’t know about the spiritual battle between light and darkness, between truth and falsehood, and you are unaware of the fact that the earth is completely engulfed by darkness, because the power of darkness predominates and you humans grant it this power yourselves ....

The battle of the spiritual world is not obvious to you as yet but very soon it will take on a shape which will reveal to you how close it is to the end .... The battle of faith will commence very soon, a battle which will be announced by the authorities against all who still have faith, against all those who belong to a school of thought, who acknowledge Me as their Creator and Father and who strive spiritually due to their inner realisation that life does not come to an end with physical death. All these people will be treated with hostility, severely put under pressure and brutally requested to renounce their faith. All of you are facing this battle, which not only concerns your body but far more your soul yet also requires your body’s decision because you will be seriously threatened and it will be made almost impossible for you to stand firm .... And then those who belong to My true church, who acknowledge Me as supreme Lord and Ruler and who fear Me more than the earthly power will reveal themselves .... Blessed is he who believes that he counts as a member of the church founded by Me .... Blessed is he who does not fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul .... blessed, who draws his strength for battle from the right commander-in-chief .... He will gain victory over the enemies, he will realise that hell achieves nothing where the Lord of heaven and earth stands, where His hosts fight, who will also gain control over the devils when hell is opened and its scum let loose on people .... My church will stand firm and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it .... The end is near and My Word will fulfil itself. Therefore prepare yourselves for the forthcoming time but don’t be afraid of it, for Mine is the strength and the power and the glory ....

Amen

BD 3589                received  29.10.1945

‘The gates of hell ....’
Church of Christ ....

The quintessence of Christ’s teaching is the commandment of love for God and one’s neighbour. Hence, wherever this is taught and practiced, there is true Christianity, there is the church of Christ, which has its foundation in its firm faith in Him and which therefore will continue when all else comes to an end. His church comprises believers who live according to His commandment of love and who are therefore permeated by His spirit which manifests itself openly or in secret, depending on what is best for the individual soul. And Jesus Christ guaranteed that this church will last forever with the Words ‘The gates of hell shall not prevail against it ....’ At the same time His Words indicated that it will be attacked by the forces of hell .... And His Word is truth and will come to pass at the end of the time granted by God for the souls’ redemption. Then the church of Christ will be assailed by forces which are hostile to God, yet it will remain victorious and be recognised as everlasting by its followers, by the community of believers who practise true Christianity, abide by the teachings of Christ and live a life of love.

However, this church of Christ will be small, only a small group will belong to it and yet, it will be represented all over the world .... truly lovingly active people and therefore true Christians will live all over the world. Their love will gain them wisdom, and thus they will also be profoundly devout and acknowledge the God of love Who embodied Himself on earth in Jesus Christ and consciously strive towards Him. They were all promised by God that He would remain with them until the end, He promised them His spirit because they belong in truth to His church which He Himself founded. And thus He will protect them until the end from spiritual and earthly ruin, because they live according to Christ’s teaching .... with love for God and their neighbour .... and belong to those who will be shielded from death, who will be taken by God into the kingdom of peace before the immense destruction takes place .... The small group constituting His church will be the foundation again on the new earth, Christ’s teaching will be proclaimed once more, love will be cultivated and the people of the new earth will live in deep faith, for God’s love had revealed itself to them, He Himself will stay in their midst because they fulfil His commandment of love for God and their neighbour .... And thus God’s church will continue, it will survive all times because it will always be followed by people whose faith in the Redeemer of the world fills them with love and whose activity consists of a constant service in love .... because nothing can cease to exist which originates in God, which accepts love as its basic principle and therefore is divine ....

Amen

BD 4304                received  18.05.1948

Triumphant church ....
One flock and one shepherd ....

Those of you who follow Me, who desire Me, shall be of like mind in your thinking, speaking and actions. Then you will form a strong congregation although it is small in numbers. Then My spirit will take effect in you and, being permeated by My spirit, you will be able to speak for Me and My kingdom. And your words will ignite, for you give evidence of them yourselves with your actions which express your thoughts and your will. Unity shall reign in My congregation because all are living in the same truth and all must be united with Me by love and therefore form a great soul which I call My church. I will always be present in this congregation, and when My Word is preached it is I Who speaks through the speaker. And this is the church against which even the gates of hell shall not prevail, for if I Am present in it Myself the adversary’s activity will remain unsuccessful. This is the church which will triumph at the end of the days, for it embraces the flock whose shepherd I Am .... It will only be one flock and one shepherd. It will comprise people of all denominations who have liberated themselves from all external appearances and who, due to their eagerness of living to please Me, are in intimate contact with Me. And I will graze My sheep .... in evergreen pastures, where no cliffs, no thorns and no pits exist anymore, I will be in the midst of My Own in the paradise of the new earth, for then there will be no separation between us anymore, My sheep will not flee from Me any longer, they will not leave their shepherd, for they love Me and don’t want to be without Me again.

You only have a little time left and should strive to enlarge your congregation, My true church, and therefore you should exemplify the right way of life to them, you shall give love and through love try to gain the children of the world who are oblivious of the strength of love .... give them much love, so that it will kindle the flame in their hearts, so that they will get to know the pleasure of giving and of happiness, so that they will join you and thus also seek to make contact with Me. Be a good example to them and try to motivate them into doing the same in order to test the strength of love and of faith. Show them the path to Me, draw their attention to the right relationship with Me, explain to them that they must see their Father in Me to Whom they must submit like children in order to be elevated to true children who shall come into the Father’s inheritance. And even if you can only gain a few it will nevertheless be a great merit to you, since the good shepherd delights in every sheep that once was lost and comes back to him, and thus I will also bless everyone who helps Me to increase My congregation before the final end has come ....

Amen

Bertha Dudde short biography

Who was Bertha Dudde?

Bertha Dudde was born on 1. April 1891, as the second oldest daughter of a painter, in Liegnitz, Silesia. She became a dressmaker and began to receive pronouncements from God through the ‘Inner Word’ on 15. June 1937.

“In a clear dream I was moved to write down my thoughts after devout prayer. Understandably this often gave way to doubt and inner conflicts until I was convinced that I was, myself, by no means the initiator of these exquisitely gracious words; but instead it was the spirit within me, in other words, the love of the Heavenly Father was obviously responsible for them and introduced me to the truth”.

“I was given knowledge of the spiritual world which far exceeded my elementary school education. I received and receive this knowledge as a dictation in a state of complete consciousness; I write down everything I am told in shorthand, in order to then transfer it word for word to clean copy. The procedure does not take place in a state of compulsion, for example in a state of trance or ecstasy, but in an absolutely level-headed frame of mind. However, I have to want it to happen and then I can receive these dictations voluntarily; they are neither bound by time nor place.

“Now I only have one wish, which is to be able to make these gifts of grace accessible to many more people and in accordance with the will of God Himself to be allowed to do much more work in His vineyard.”

(Quotations from an autobiography from 1959).

Bertha Dudde died on 18. September 1965 in Leverkusen, Germany.