The Church of Jesus Christ
The Message of Hope
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. Volume 124
Winter 2010
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: A.S.A.P.
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 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 Phone 269-655-9093 Brother Dale Basham 35 Radio Rd. Dyersburg, TN 38024 Phone: (731) 264-9304 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
Praise the Lord! I thank God for another day of life and breath, another chance to write something for His glory, but one thing I am especially thankful for is having a fear of God that causes me to live the best that I can for Him! Even when I didn't serve Him, there was always some fear of God. Even when I didn't know who He was, and thought just being a good person was enough, I knew the things that I was doing were wrong! And that would always scare me when I would think about eternity. In this day and age, it is hard to find anyone who is afraid of God, or afraid of living against God's word! There's a preacher on every corner telling people it's okay what you're doing, God understands. While He does understand the things we go through, and that we will make a mistake from time to time, He does NOT understand living in sin! My Bible tells me in Proverbs 1:7; "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..." The best start to getting to know Jesus Christ, is to fear His word, and have a desire to please Him. Then when you begin to hear a true preacher, that fear will cause you to do what's right. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." When there is a fear and love of God, you will be sorry enough to stop doing those things that are displeasing to Him! But just coming in every Sunday and saying you're sorry, like the world teaches, the Bible says that causes death! And that death is a spiritual death, not the natural one! In Leviticus 19:14 it says, "Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord." When giving out the laws on how His people should live, God commanded that they should fear Him. Not in a bad way either, but in a way that they would be afraid of doing wrong and the punishment that would follow. In Jeremiah 5:22, the Lord tells His people, "Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence..." There are still times when God shows up in a service that fear comes over me. A fear that the Creator is there and I want to be pleasing to Him! This is almost impossible to find in the world today. Nobody is afraid of God or His word anymore! Hebrews 10:31 says, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." And again in Psalm 85:9, "Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him..." There are a lot of scriptures stating how we must fear God, and I ask, where is this fear? This is one of those old landmarks that has gotten moved by so many false prophets, that no one even knows it exists anymore! If the Church of Jesus Christ won't tell them, who will? Submitted by: Bro. Jay Rogers Portage, IN
Song of the soul The soul has no limitsit flies and it sings, to God it's Creator, on gold glinted wings. A song with the innocence born in a child, or one of a heart that's been falsely beguiled. A soul is the thing that lives beyond life, to carry it's story of sweetness and strife back to it's maker all patched and in tatters Who draws out the threads of what really matters. In these threads of our lives the stories unfold of hours of darkness and moments of gold, And Jesus will tell that we walked in His way When the cost was so high we barely could pay. The soul flies to God in myriad ways, In deeds and in prayers to the end of our days. And then will He hold us and welcome us in, For that is when living will truly begin. Submitted by: Sis. Lane Portage, IN
the faith in Jesus Christ faithfully follow his commands so that the Spirit of God dwelling in us will transform us to live Holy, Godly, and Righteously in His sight doing His will so that we hear on that judgment day well done enter in the place he has prepared for us. Submitted by: Missionary D. Benjamin Hamilton Ont. Canada
Living by Faith Praise the Lord, and greetings to all in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. Living by Faith in Jesus above Trusting confiding in his great love From all harm safe in His sheltering arm I am living by faith and fear no alarm. Heb. 11:1 (Paraphrased) Faith in what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than his brother Cane which caused him to be jealous, hateful, selfish, and angry. His anger caused him to kill his brother Abel. Faith is what we trust in. Some people put their faith in money, some in fame, or even the government, which is shaky ground or sinking sand. The Psalm says some in chariots and some in horses. Real faith is in the love and power of God. In the book of Hebrews there is a list of names of people who are commended for something they would not have been able to do without faith. Gen. 5:24 Enoch walked with God, he lived and loved God fully that he did not die the natural death for God took him. Noah when warned about the thing he had not seen in faith built an ark and his family and himself were saved when God condemned the world destroying it with the flood. Abraham obeyed God by faith although he did no know where he was going. Abraham had so much faith in God that he was willing to offer up his son Isaac as a living sacrifice when he was tested. Let us not forget the story of Rahab in Joshua who hid the spies on the roof of the house, moved by faith covering them with the stalks of flax which she had laid in order. Rahab who was not a role model for her past life style was offensive to God for she was a harlot, but was blessed by God through her faith and was given a home among the Israelites and she became a family line that gave birth to Jesus Christ. Matt.1:5 As light drives out darkness so faith replaces fear. There are many more whom the Bible tells about. In Judges the story of Deborah the Prophetess and Barak a judge. Also about Sampson, Gideon, and Joshua who went around the walls of Jericho. Let us as children of God have that strong faith and confidence in Him knowing that all things are possible with God if we only believe. Let us not be conformed to the things of the world for we are in the world but not of the world. Let us through God's grace and
Praise the Lord and greetings in the precious name of Jesus Christ. First, I want to apologize for not submitting an article for the last magazine. I am so glad that God doesn't get too busy and is not forgetful! We want to thank everyone for taking time out of their busy schedules to support our Tent Revival in September and all the visitors that we had. I know that our home church was truly fed from the word of God that came forth every night. God has been so good to us! We were so thankful for Bro. Calan Cochran going down in water baptism in the precious name of Jesus Christ. God will work if we will only let him. We are really praying hard for our youth because they are the church of tomorrow. We want them to stand firm on this truth and standards that were taught so long ago. We want them to uphold the banner of Jesus Christ. Around the holidays we want to thank God for what he has done for us so that we could have life and have it more abundantly. We really enjoyed our church having a "live nativity" for Christmas. We pray that whatever we do, we do it for the glory of God. We are so thankful for God putting a shepherd over us to feed us of his word. We are so blessed that he has allowed us to know his great truth and be a part of his body. I was raised in this truth and am so thankful for parents and grandparents that not only brought me to the house of God, but loved this way so much that the light in them was a beacon for me. I truly love living for the Lord and pray that my children see this in me and also have that desire. As the New Year is here, we reflect on last year and all the things that God has done for us and brought us through. We want to thank him by daily living for him and doing his will. We look forward to what God has in store for us all this New Year. We can't wait to see our Brothers and Sisters in the Lord again. God bless you all! Submitted by: Sis. Amanda Rose Pastor: Bro. Dale Basham Dyersburg, TN
1 Peter 1:13-25‌23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. God's Word is alive. Just like a seed -- the Bible is full of unseen life. John 6:59-63‌63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. Jesus said His words are alive. They contain life. The words in your Bible may look lifeless and powerless. Seeds do, too. But they are not without life or power.
God's Word Is A Seed Most people expect God's Word to work overnight -- but God's Word Tells us that its like a seed. Romans 10:8-21 8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. 19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. 20 But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. 21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. Luke 8:9-11 9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? 10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Mark 4:26-32 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; 27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. 28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. 29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. 30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: 32 But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. Seeds * A seed is alive: it contains life. Your physical senses are incapable of judging whether a seed is alive or not. You cannot see, feel, hear, smell, or taste the life in a seed. There is only one way to prove a seed is alive -plant it. * A seed does nothing until planted. Seeds do not grow sitting in a sack on your shelf. They must be planted in the proper place. If you desire the Word of God to produce in your life, you must decide to plant the Word in your heart and mind. The best way to plant the seed of God's Word in your life is by speaking the Word. Hearing others speak the Word is good -- but will not produce as bountiful a harvest as speaking the Word yourself. Speaking God's Word with your mouth is essential. As we speak God's Word we are planting the seed in our heart for the harvest. Whatever you need to be saved or delivered from, confession (what you say) is essential.
Peter, also said God's Word is a seed. * A seed is much smaller than the plant it produces.
The problem you face may seem huge. In comparison, a scripture may seem very small. But when planted, that Word will grow in you and overcome the problem. * A seed always produces after its kind. Galatians 6:6-10‌7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Whatever you need, or desire, find scriptures relating to that. Then plant those scriptures inside you in abundance. Those seeds will grow up and produce a harvest of what you need or desire.
The War Against Jesus Christ!!
* A seed is powerful. As a seed begins to grow, it will push up dirt, rocks, etc. Whatever the obstacles are, God's Word planted in your heart will push them out of the way. * A seed begins its growth in secret (underground). The only way to tell if a seed is growing is to dig it up, or wait for a plant to appear. If you dig up a seed, you may kill it. * A seed takes time to produce. No one expects a seed to produce a harvest the same day that seed is planted. Sometimes the Word of God seems to spring up and bear fruit immediately. Yet, if we knew the details, we would understand that the fruit of the Word grew in that person's life over time. * A seed is persistent. A seed never gives up, but works day and night. Even when you are sleeping, the seed you have planted is working to grow and bring forth a harvest. * A seed is not affected by other seeds. Whatever happens to other seeds does not make any difference to a specific seed. Each seed sticks to its own task. One wheat seed planted in a corn field will still produce wheat. Seed does not become discouraged, or quit, even if other seeds die. * A seed will stop growing without nourishment.
There is at this time a great war raging against Jesus Christ and the gospel. Our enemy Satan knows perfectly well, that his time is soon to be over. This war is aggressive, active, and hard fought for the souls of mankind. This war is not for the weak but for the strong in the Lord. We know that this war is and will be won by Jesus Christ. As in I Timothy 6:12 we read- Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life. So therefore be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Key Text: Luke 19:14 But his citizens hated him, and sent message after him, saying, we will not have this man to reign over us. John 7:7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it that the works thereof are evil. John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. John 15:25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. Example Text: Matthew 27:62-66 The sealing of the tomb. Acts 9:1-9 Saul fought against the Lord. Exodus 5:1-9 Pharaoh, fights against God. II Kings 18:28-32 A nation fight against God. II Chronicles 13:5-10 Jeroboam, rebelled against Lord. Matthew 26:47-50 He that betrayed Christ. Study Material (1) There are divisions because of Christ: Luke 12:51 But rather division John 7:43 There was a division John 9:16 A division among them John 10:19 A division therefore again
Planting a seed is not enough to assure a harvest. Seed must be protected and taken care of until harvest time. A seed which is dug up, or not watered, will not produce. If you are planted in the church, stay in there and your harvest will come.
(2) The world will always slander Christ: Matthew 11:19 Behold a man gluttonous Luke 23:2 He perverting the nation Acts 2:13 Others mocking Acts 24:5 A pestilent fellow
Submitted by: Bishop Randell Spence The Church of Jesus Christ Portage, IN
(3) Jesus Christ is rejected by this world: Matthew 6:34 Besought him to depart Mark 6:3 They were offended at him
Luke 4:29 Thrust him out of the city John 1:11 His own received him not John 12:48 Rejected him (4) There are many enemies against Christ: Luke 11:14-23 Evil minded people Luke 11:53-54 The hypocrites Matthew 7:15 False teachers Matthew 27:36 Unbelievers John 18:38 Governments Pastor: Bis. Cade Burns,Jr. The Church of Jesus Christ Lenoir,N.C. 28645
and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results. When it rains, most birds head for shelter; the eagle is the only bird that, in order to avoid the rain, starts flying above the cloud. Isaiah 40: 31 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
The Story of the Eagle... The eagle has the longest life-span among birds. It can live up to 70 years. But to reach this age, the eagle must make a hard decision. In its 40's Its long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food. Its long and sharp beak becomes bent. Its old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become stuck to its chest and make it difficult to fly. Then, the eagle is left with only two options: die or go through a painful process of change which lasts 150 days. The process required that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest. There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it plucks it out. After plucking it out, the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back and then it will pluck out its talons. When its new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its old-aged feathers. And after five months, the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for 30 more years. Why is change needed? Many times, in order to survive we have to start a change process. We sometimes need to get rid of old memories, habits and other past traditions. Only freed from past burdens, can we take advantage of the present. Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens. Not by what life brings us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events,
Note from the editors: Praise the Lord everybody! We would like to apologize for the delay in the last magazine issue, we ran into some technical difficulties. Everything should be up and running smooth from now on. We would also like to clarify that the magazine runs 4 times a year now. Spring-April, Summer-July, Autumn-October, and Winter-January. Therefore, we would like to have open article submitting periods. Meaning... keep em' coming! We want your articles, testimonies, pictures, poems, jokes, and anything else. Send them in as soon as you can. If they don't make it into the next issue, they will be used in the following. We would like to have enough on hand that we never have a problem with trying to fill the magazine. You! make the magazine, we just glue everything together. So without you there will be nothing to read. Remember that your testimonies can provide strength, knowledge, and comfort to others. So share! Love & Prayers, ~the editors
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