The Church of Jesus Christ The Message of Hope Volume 120
Winter 2009
Revelation 21:24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
The Church of Jesus Christ Headquarters: 2797 Bryant St. Portage, IN 46368 Phone 219-763-1049 WWW.JESUSCHRISTISGOD.ORG Message of Hope Editors: Bro. John & Sis. Sandi Garza Official Organ, owned by: The Church of Jesus Christ Please send all articles to: Message of Hope 2797 Bryant St. Portage, IN 46368 Articles and Pictures Due:
What Does The Church of Jesus Christ Believe? We believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of God and is the SOLE authority on every subject. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Almighty God. Rev. 1:8, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” God put on the robe of flesh and walked here on earth for 33 years to fulfill prophecy for the New Testament Church, which is The Church of Jesus Christ. According to the Word, John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us….” The Church of Jesus Christ believes that everyone must take His word seriously, John 8:24, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I Am He ye shall die in your sins.” We follow God’s Plan of salvation. Acts 2:38, “…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Baptism is by immersion in water only. The evidence of the infilling of the Holy Ghost is according to Acts 2:4, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” John 3:5 states, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” We must then live a clean, holy, and dedicated life to Jesus Christ thereafter taking diligent heed to the Word. The Church of Jesus Christ must be found faithful to His Word. We must be partakers of Communion service. This service consists of the Lord’s Supper and Foot Washing. 1 Cor. 11:24, 25, “And when he had given thanks, he brake it and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. (25) After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, “This cup is the New Testament in my blood: this do ye oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” John 13:14, 15, “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. (15) For I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you.” Watch, pray, forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, give your tithes and offerings, so that YOU can be counted among the faithful when our one and only Savior, Jesus Christ, comes back in a “cloud with power and great glory!”
Bishop Board and Pastors Bishop Jarret R. Spence, Presiding Bishop 2298 Fern Street Portage, IN 46368 Phone 219-762-7492 Bishop Paul Rose, Secretary/Treasurer P.O. Box 344 Cabin Creek, West Virginia 45035 Phone 304-595-5640 Bishop Danny Walls P. O. Box 216 Ingalls, IN 46048 Phone 317-485-4105 Bishop Robert O’Dell 5235 East Van Ness Road Pierceton, IN 46562 Phone 574-594-2337 Bishop Charles Hays, Sr. 1041 Maple Street Apt. C112 Albion , MI 49224 Phone 517-629-6803 Bishop Calvin Blaine Pennington P.O. Box 413 (Mailing Address) 12237 State Highway 576 Montpelier, OH 43543 Phone 419-485-4464 Bishop Harold Goodrich 36288 Valley Drive Paw Paw. MI 49079 269-655-9093 Elder Bill Pogue 13126 Devereaux Road Albion, MI 49224 517-688-2376 Elder Humberto Loera Iglesia De Jesucristo (The Church of Jesus Christ) 138 Alejandrina Col. San Isidro Matamoros, Tamps, Mexico Phone 956-564-0911 Bishop of Jamaica Bishop Orville Rodney 199 Catherene Mount Albion P.A. Montego Bay, St. James, Jamaica, W.I. Phone 879-952-6676 Bishop of Canada Bishop Mathias Gooden 75 Dunlop St., Apt. 406 Richmond Hills, ON L4C 2M7 CANADA Phone 905-883-8543
National Youth Leaders Bro. Jarret & Sis. Caryn Spence 804 Pennsylvania Avenue Laporte, IN 46350 Phone 219-325-3904 Bro. Travis & Sis. Nora Hensley, Assistants 437 Tecumseh Street Warsaw, IN 46582 Phone 574-551-4487
Pierceton Report Praise the Lord everyone! He is great and greatly to be praised. There is no greater name to be praised than the name of Jesus Christ. So let everything that hath breath, praise ye the Lord! Let us lift our voices and give him all of the honor and praise that is due to his name! We thank the Lord for all he has done and all he is going to do. He has kept us by his marvelous grace! And his mercy has been extended to us. He has brought us through these last couple of months and kept us strong in him. We don’t want to ever forget where he has brought us from. We want to be vessels of honor in our master’s hand, to be used for his good work, and not vessels of dishonor. We pray we will always stay on the Lord’s side, no matter what we have to face in this life and to always be willing and obedient to God’s will and his ways, not our own. We are thankful for Pastor Bishop Robert O’Dell’s preaching and teaching about being in God’s ways and what is required of us to make it to heaven. We need to choose whom we will serve, either one or the other. We can’t have two masters. You love one and hate the other. You can’t strattle the fence and be saved. God’s word says that if we are lukewarm in the Lord and not serving him with our whole heart that we will not make it. We have to overcome the worldly things and not dabble in them any more! We need to come out and be a separated people and make our lives a daily sacrifice for his ways. If people can’t tell us apart from the world and can’t tell that we are not the same, we need to be checking our walk in God to see if we are really walking in his ways or our ways. Are we bearing good fruit? Is all manner of our conversation holy? The way we walk, talk, and dress. God says to be holy as he is holy. Do our lives reflect Jesus Christ to others? Can you really say you’re a “Christian?” Are we Christ-like? We are not to be people pleasers, but to be doers of the word, not hearers only. If we seek to please man we will fall. We need to seek to please God and be faithful to him. God will lift us up and make us strong in him if we lift him up. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Some times we may not see the end of our situation, but God does and he knows how to supply our every need. Don’t complain about the things you had, but be thankful for what you have now. If we just stand still, not try to make a way on our own, but trust in the Lord to supply, we will see the salvation of the Lord. God knows how to take care of his people. Just put your trust in him. He will make us victorious over every situation and trial. We can overcome this world, through the strength of Jesus Christ. God is faithful, are we? When Jesus Christ comes, will he find us ready, our garments without spot or blemishes? May he find us faithful and about his work. Church Reporter, Sister Nora Hensley Pastor: Bishop Robert O’Dell Pierceton, IN
Praise the Lord saints! I want to thank God always for the Church, for my pastor, and my health. I also thank Him for my family, and on August 17, 2009 for blessing Sister Jeannette and I with two more healthy daughters! I am now hopelessly outnumbered and call on all the Brothers of the Church to pray for me! (HA! HA!) On a serious note, what a witness for Jesus Christ they will be when Sister Jeannette and our three daughters get out of the car wearing long skirts, long hair, and no makeup or jewelry. What a blessing! I am also writing to praise God for the healing I received not too long ago on one of those Sunday night services where the pastor never gets a chance to preach. When Jesus Christ shows up, anything can happen. God says in Exodus 23:25; “And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.” Also in Deuteronomy 7:12-15; 15“And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.” In other places as well, He says He will remove all manner of sickness and disease from His people. God does not want His people to be sick all of the time, but in every instance, if you read carefully, He demands that we serve Him and obey His commandments. There is also another very important part of receiving a healing from God, faith! Matthew 9:27-30; 27“And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. 28And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. 29Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. 30And their eyes were opened;…” Luke 8:49-50; 49“While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. 50But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.” If you read on, you will find that this man’s daughter was raised from the dead. Why? Because he believed the Lord could and would do it. We also must trust and believe God for His promises! And I bear witness that Jesus Christ still heals today! On that night, as we were praying with those who need the Holy Ghost, I felt the Holy Ghost telling me if I would get prayed for, I would be healed. At first I was reluctant, but then an old saying came to mind; “practice what you preach.”
How could I preach to someone to do what the Holy Ghost says if I won’t? So I went up for prayer, and God kept His promise and I was healed of a disease called sleep apnea, disease where I would stop breathing and then start gasping for air. Sister Jeannette has said she could count to 20 or 30 before I would start breathing again. This causes a lack of oxygen to the brain and major organs, and can lead to heart disease and even death. I was never able to sleep more than a couple of hours at a time without waking up and I never felt rested, even if I was in bed for 10 hours or more! The reason being, I never got into a deep sleep, and this is another effect of sleep apnea, fatigue. But thank God, after being touched by Jesus Christ, I started sleeping through the night and waking up rested! Now that the twins are here, anything over 4 hours is a luxury, but at least those 4 hours are spent sleeping! The scriptures tell us in John 21:24-25; 24“This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. 25And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.” If God has performed these things throughout the Bible, and we believe Hebrews 13:8; “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.” why do we not believe Him today? God still heals, so obey Him and have faith that He will heal you! May God bless you all! Brother Jay Rogers Pastor: Bishop Jarret R. Spence Portage, IN
THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST. I Thes. 4: 13-18 At the time of the ascension, two angels announced Jesus' return. Acts 1:10-11 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. The certainty of Jesus Christ' second coming. There are many references to Jesus Christ' parousia or return. Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. James, John, Peter, and Paul explicitly taught Jesus Christ is coming again (Jas. 5: 7, I Jn. 3: 2, 2 Pet. 1: 16, Phili. 3: 20). Jesus Christ himself said he would return (Jn. 14: 1-3). The manner of his coming. Jesus Christ shall personally return, "this same Jesus" (Acts 1: 11). His return shall be, • • •
audible (Jn. 5: 28, Visible (Rev. 1: 7 unexpectedly (Matt. 25: 13,
The Wet Paint Christians Ever see a “wet paint” sign where they just freshly painted, maybe a hallway or park bench or interior of a house? Well, let me tell you there is always someone who just out of curiosity HAS to touch it, to see if it’s really wet or not. And if it is indeed wet, they have the evidence on their hand. In the same way, Satan shows us something to entice us to see if we’ll touch it or not. If you fall for the tricks of the devil, you also will have the evidence of sin in your life. The wet paint left a visible mark on you, and sin also leaves a visible marking in your life. Let us all be careful in life, let’s not touch the paint. Let’s be aware of the devil’s tricks, let’s not get the visible markings of sin in our life. Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ and let him guide you through this life! Submitted by: Sis Lela Brewer Pastor: Bro. Ed Gilbert, Dyersburg
Jesus Christ' coming shall be with majesty and grandeur (Matt. 25: 31, 2 Thes. 1: 1: 7). The time of Jesus Christ' return. No man knows when Jesus Christ is returning (Matt. 24: 36). The same verse says the angels do not know, only the Father. Jesus Christ did not even know (Mk. 13: 32). We are given signs of the end, but we do not know "the day and hour" (see 2 Thes. 2: 1-12, Rev. 20). The state of mind of men when Jesus Christ returns. The scriptures tells us that mans mind will be on having a good time, Not out preaching to the Lost souls in the world when Jesus Christ returns. (How many preachers are preaching outside the The Church Of Jesus Christ Today?) (Matt. 24: 37-51).
The purpose of Jesus Christ' return. Jesus Christ shall raise the dead, both those who have "done good" and those "that have done evil" (Jn. 5: 28, 29). Jesus Christ shall judge all men at his return (Matt. 25: 31-46). Men shall be judged based on their deeds and God's word. (Rom. 2: 6, 2 Cor. 5: 10, Jn. 12: 48). 1 Thessalonians 5:6-13 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, ( The Church Of Jesus Christ ) be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. 12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. I say to all that reads this, You better be right in your walk with God, and in the things you teach. Bis. Jarret R. Spence Pastor: The Church Of Jesus Christ 2797 Bryant St. Portage In. 46368
Praise the Lord! I thank God for all His many blessings that He’s blessed our family with, and most of all for opening our eyes to the Truth. I thank God for my Pastor, Bis. O’Dell and his wife, Sis. Vanessa, and our entire church family at Pierceton. As we look around at the world that we’re in, we realize that the Lord is soon to come for His people. We read in 2 Timothy 3:1 that in the last days perilous times are going to come. Also, when the Lord was on the Mount of Olives,
the disciples asked Him what was going to be the sign of His coming and of the end of the world. From there, the Lord proceeded to describe that there were perilous times ahead. Even though the Lord painted a pretty bleak picture, he made the statement; “See that ye be not troubled.” He said that if these things didn’t come to pass, then the end could not come. He also said that when we see all these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for our redemption draweth nigh! Saints of God, be encouraged, and continue in the things that we have learned, and see that we receive a full reward. I’m looking forward to the day of the coming of God, when the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, Comfort one another with these words. May the Lord Bless! Elder Travis Hensley Pastor: Bishop Robert O’Dell Pierceton, IN
GOD'S AMAZING ACCURACY God's accuracy may be observed in the hatching of eggs. For example, the eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days; Those of the canary in 14 days Those of the barnyard hen in 1 day. The eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days; Those of the mallard in 35 days. The eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days. (Notice, they are all divisible by Seven). God's wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant. The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other Quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to live on two legs. For this reason He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily. The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first. A cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first. How wise the Lord is in all His works of creation! God's wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and segments as well as in the number of grains. Each watermelon has an even number of strips on the rind. Each orange has an even number of segments. Each ear of corn has an even number of rows. Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains.
Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number. The waves of the sea roll in on shore twenty-six to the minute in all kinds of weather. All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks. The Lord specified Thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold - all even numbers. God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day, so that Linneus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed. Thus the Lord in His wonderful grace can arrange the life that is entrusted to His care in such a way that it will carry out His purposes and plans, and will be fragrant with His presence. Only the God-planned life is successful. Only the life given over to the care of the Lord is safe. *Author unknown
Doing Things Your Way I wonder what Your plans are Lord. How will I live this day? I pray that I can please You In each and every way. I hope to be kind and helpful To everyone that I see. Let joy and love shine from my heart So they may see You through me. I pray that I can help others Through their periods of pain and sorrow Let me help them find hope and peace Until they have a brighter tomorrow. Our time on earth is; oh, so short, It’s just a passing through; So let me be Your instrument In the things that You would do. If I can be a source of comfort To one saddened soul today And help to spread Your wisdom, Then I’m doing things Your way. Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Submitted by Sis.Lane Pastor: Bishop Jarret R. Spence Portage, IN
Praise the Lord to all our brothers and sisters in the Lord! God is so good and greatly to be praised! God has richly blessed us in Dyersburg. We are so thankful for the church on Radio Road where we can worship God in spirit and truth and praise his Holy Name. We are thankful for our Pastor, Bro. Ed Gilbert and his wife Sis. Teresa. We have been hearing some wonderful teachings/preachings from the many ministers that we have. We have seen people come back to the Lord and new ones make a start. “God is so Good!” That phrase is usually quoted many times during every service that we have. We have seen God move in so many things that I stand in “Awe” of everyone of them. We truly serve a “Mighty God!” I sure would hate to think of one second of this life without the Lord. We want to thank everyone that came to help us dedicate our church and for the many prayers that have went up for us. We are looking forward to this New Year and the many things that God is going to do for us all. Continue to pray for us as we pray for you. Sis. Amanda Rose, Church Reporter Pastor: Bro. Ed Gilbert, Dyersburg
Jesus had no servants, yet they called him Master. He had no degree, yet they called him Teacher. He had no medicine, yet they called him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared him. He won no military battles, yet he conquered the world. He committed no crimes, yet they crucified him. He was buried in a tomb, yet he lives today. Submitted by: Sis Lora Lovell Pastor: Bro. Ed Gilbert, Dyersburg
List to Live By *The most destructive habit: Worry *The greatest Joy: Giving *The greatest loss: Loss of self-respect *The most satisfying work: Helping others *The ugliest personality trait: Selfishness *The most endangered species: Dedicated leaders *Our greatest natural resource: Our youth *The greatest “shot in the arm”: Encouragement *The greatest problem to overcome: Fear *The most effective sleeping pill: Peace of mind *The most crippling failure disease: Excuses *The most powerful force in life: Love *The most dangerous pariah: A gossiper *The world’s most incredible computer: The brain *The worst thing to be without: Hope *The deadliest weapon: The tongue *The two most power-filled words: “I Can” *The greatest asset: Faith *The most worthless emotion: Self-pity *The most beautiful attire: SMILE! *The most power channel of communication: Prayer *The most contagious spirit: Enthusiasm *The most important thing in life: GOD Submitted by Sis. Judy Spence Pastor: Bishop Jarret R. Spence Portage, IN
This is the beginning of a New Year, may we learn to grow in him and to seek his face and to take heed of the time. He is coming and we need to be on our knees more than ever before. We have no more time to waste. We need to BE ready and not just getting ready. It is getting to late to “play” church and games with God. We need to be about our father’s business and have our spiritual lamps trimmed and burning and our vessels full of oil also. We need to be ready and watching for the return of the Lord. Urgently and constantly be seeking his face and his ways. We can’t put it off for tomorrow, for tomorrow he might already be here for his bride. Tomorrow may be too late. Today is the day of salvation. NOW is the time! We are thankful for our Pastor, Bishop Robert O’Dell and his teachings, and for being attentive to the voice of God, to know when to lift us up, to warn us, or to correct us. He has been teaching about being ready for the Lord’s return. We can’t be letting down on the Gospel, sound doctrine, and standards that were taught to us. We need to be changing our lives to fit the works of God, not the works of God to fit our lives. If it was wrong when God set up his church, then it is still wrong today. Right is right and wrong is wrong, black or white, and no in between. We need to be steadfast and unmovable in the faith, and always abounding in the Lord and his work. We need to know the Lord, not just know of him. Where are the prayer warriors of the church? Where are the ones who want sound doctrine? Who is willing and obedient to sacrifice their lives, their ways? Where are the gifts of the spirit and why are they not alive and being used in The Church of Jesus Christ? That is what we need, to get back to and allow God to use and work through us for his good, so that our lives bare his fruit. Higher heights and deeper depths in the spiritual realm of God. No more babies’ milk but the true meat of Gods word. We need to get the revelation of Jesus Christ, and true wisdom, knowledge and understanding of his word. To have true holiness, everyday on the inside and outside. Our spiritual garments need to be without spot or blemish, so that we can stand before God Almighty on the day of judgement and he can say to us, “Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” TAKE HEED! NOW! READ, PRAY, FAST, SEEK THE FACE OF GOD! Church Reporter, Sis. Nora Hensley The Church of Jesus Christ Pastor, Bishop Robert O’Dell Pierceton, IN
Praise the Lord Everyone! God is great and greatly to be praised. He has brought us through another year. We were so blessed to have had another year in the Lord. All glory, honor, and praise be given to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We are thankful for all the ones who got to come and join us in our Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner at our church. We enjoyed the fellowship of the saints of like precious faith, especially in these long winter months. Thanks again to all who came!
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Praise the Lord everyone! We just wanted to let everyone know that there have been a few changes to the magazine. And we are very excited to announce that the magazine will be available online. Therefore, if you have internet access we would appreciate you viewing the magazine online. We are trying to prevent wasteful printing, and cut cost on postage. We will still mail issues to people on the mailing list that write us back at the address below and let us know that they do not have internet access. Also there will be four issues a year now; we are planning on having them at the beginning of each season. Winter (Dec, Jan, Feb), Spring (Mar, Apr, May), Summer (Jun, Jul, Aug), Fall (Sept, Oct, Nov).We are excited about the changes being made and pray everyone will benefit. The Church Of Jesus Christ 2797 Bryant St. Portage, In 46368