THE NEWSVINE “Every page an altar to His works!”
SPRING 2020 REVIVAL CENTER UNITED PENTECOSTAL CHURCH 825 7th Street, Modesto, CA 95354 Business Phone: 209-522-5365 https://www.revivalcenterca.com/home
email us at thenewsvine@gmail.com google us at: the newsvine or follow us on: issuu.com/thenewsvine EDITORS Ast Editor Multimedia Business LiaisonS GRAPHIC DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHERS CREATIVE TEAM
ColumnistS YOUTH REPORTER MAILINGS DISTRIBUTION
LEO AGUILERA VIRGINIA AGUILERA
Tim Warren Charlene Wilson Leo & Virginia Aguilera Leo Aguilera, Grover Hunt Gabriel Chavoya Autumn Amador, Tim Warren, Alexis Diaz, Jocelyn Powell Jim Campbell Alexis Diaz Virginia Aguilera Norbert Feliciano
Church staff PASTOR H. TODD JOHNSON BISHOP RANDY G. KEYES
ADMINISTRATIVE PASTOR - JONATHAN QUINONES STUDENT PASTOR - JOSHUA AGUILERA
PULPIT STAFF MINISTERS Dana Le Blanc Ravind Narayan Uday Narayan
church secretary resident missionaries SUNDAY SCHOOL DIRECTOR K.R.E.W. Kids director prayer ministries Choir world missionS OUTREACH director Life groups public relations apostolic man ministry B.U.F.F.(Men’s 50+) HYPHEN (Young Adults) THRIVE (Young Marrieds) spanish services Nursing Home Ministry BIBLE QUIZZING GROWTH TRACK SUNDAY - 9:30 A.M. 9:45 A.M. 10:30 A.M. 12:15 P>M> 2:00 A.M. 5.30 P.M. 6:00 P.M. MONDAY - 7:00 P.M. WEDNESDAY - 7:00 P.M. Thursday - 7:30 p.m. FRIDAY - 7:00 P.M. SATURDAY - 10:00 A.M.
Jerry Powell Jonathan Quinones Jeremiah Williams Charlene Wilson Uday Narayan, Ravind Narayan, Xenn Seah Mary Aguirre Kim Johnson Charles Bispo Kellee Hopper, Matt Aguirre Jerry & Andrea Powell Leonard Alvarez Jonathan Quinones Jeremiah Williams Alex Diaz Herb Jenkins Jeriann Powell Chris & Lindsay Castro Antonio Gutierrez Joyce Jones Sujay Diaz Dana Le Blanc
Sunday School-Children - Tuolumne Sunday School - Adults - Sanctuary Morning Service - Sanctuary Growth Track Spanish Service Prayer in Youth Chapel REVIVAL SERVICE All-Church Prayer Mid-Week Service, K.R.E.W Spanish Service Pulse (Youth Service) Saturday Morning Outreach
THE NEWSVINE is published quarterly by the United Pentecostal Church of Modesto, Inc., 825 7th St., Modesto, CA 95354-3414. Postage paid at 825 7th St., Modesto, CA 95354-3414. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Newsvine, 825 7th St., Modesto, CA 95354-3414. Any submitted articles to The Newsvine are subject to Pastor’s approval and editing by The Newsvine staff.
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ho would have thought that when we celebrated New Year’s Eve during our Watch Night Service, 2020 would begin with strange and sudden events that would affect the entire world. In order to eradicate a virus with a deadly virulent strain, almost all the nations on the earth would have to close schools, businesses, government buildings, parks, tourist sites - leaving streets empty with families quarantined in their homes. This is straight out of a science fiction novel, but it has happened. It has only proven to Christians worldwide how quick and vulnerable we are to apocalyptic developments. But let us not forget God has the final word. Where Satan thought he could shut us out of our church buildings, we can now have church in all our homes. Satan only wins if he can make us think we are alone. That is why we need to keep our faith strong in God’s word and obedient to the leadership of our pastor and ministerial staff. Instead of praying for God to get us out of this dire situation, we need to invite God INTO our situation and be with us at our side. Remember the verse in the 23rd Psalm, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for THOU ART WITH ME!” What a blessed assurance that our Savior will stay with us through these trying times. If these events are the beginning of the end, and we truly are the last generation before His coming, then we can rest assured with His promise from Revelation 3:10: “Because you have kept My word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.” We cannot have a testimony without a test. If God is testing us, then we should pass through the fire like the three Hebrew friends of Daniel who were thrown into the fiery furnace. God walked with them IN the furnace and they were delivered! God will make us fireproof as well. His church will triumph! MARANATHA, the Lord cometh!
LEO AGUILERA, Editor
WHY DO THE RIGHTEOUS SUFFER?
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THE CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
he Coronavirus disease of 2019, abbreviated COVID-19, has placed most of us on lock down at the time of this issue going to press. We Christians cannot assemble ourselves as was customary, fear may make some of us reluctant to leave the safety of our homes, paranoia can set in so that we will not embrace our loved ones, and any sneeze or cough will worry us of possible infection. At the same time, being forced to be shut-in with our immediate family members deprives many of us from our jobs, our finances are in jeopardy, and medical coverage is a worry. We also wonder how long will it be before normalcy returns, and we are secure from the virus? It is easy for us to question why God is allowing this to happen. Haven’t we been living right? Haven’t we been witnessing, paying our tithes and offerings, attending church regularly, and haven’t we been reading our Bibles everyday, and devoting time to prayer? Why must we suffer with the masses? Why must Christians suffer at all?
WHAT DOES JESUS SAY?
The answer can be found in the words of Christ. “For the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many," so Jesus said in Mark 10:45 (NIV). He suffered death to save all us humans from our sins. In Matthew 26:28 He says He poured out His blood “for many for the forgiveness of sins.” His sacrifice became the divine plan for all to be reconciled to the Creator as He declared in John 3:16 (KJV): “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son...!" God showed His divine justice and His love by suffering the punishment of death Himself. Once saved this did not release believers from pain and suffering. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us why. He speaks in Matthew 5:43-48 that it is not enough to just love those who love us, but to love our enemies and pray for them who treat us with hateful actions and curses. To do this is to emulate our Heavenly Father who treats all the children of the earth, whether good or bad, the same, as Jesus says in verse 45 (KJV): “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." This verse shows God loves saints and sinners alike, for He blesses all mankind the same with rain and sunshine. Yet easily one can read the strong implication in this verse that He will also allow disease and death for every believer and non-believer. That is what makes us human, and we must all accept the reality that we are fated to grow old and sick and die.
WHAT ABOUT DEATH? Let us look at the most crucial ordeal anyone has to experience: death of a loved one or facing our own demise. David acknowledges this fact when he says to his son Solomon in I Kings 2:1,2 (NKJV): “Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, ‘I GO THE WAY OF ALL THE EARTH: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man.'" He says to his son to accept the death of his father as the inevitable and be strong and move on with the responsibilities of life. If God has ordained that all mankind must individually experience death to pass into eternity, then we must all accept death as a sovereign act of the Almighty. The suffering for us Christians is when we experience the ordeal of losing someone we love. But it is an act of God, therefore love touched by death is HOLY! All the dreams and hopes we shared with that loved one, the beautiful memories, the words spoken that become gifts of remembrance - all remain painful joys to comfort us until our time “to go the way of all the earth.” This can be a fearful human experience for all of us, but again let it be said it is a HOLY thing to love what death has touched, a precious and solemn moment in our lives. For Christians we have that blessed hope that death does not have the final word, for Christ conquered death, hell, and the grave with the promise of everlasting life for all believers. There WILL BE a grand reunion with our loved ones when God shows His mercy on Resurrection Day as declared in Psalm 49:15 (KJV): “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for He shall receive me. Selah!”
WHAT ABOUT TRIALS AND ORDEALS?
Aside from death, Christians face problems and tests almost everyday. Some ordeals can easily be solved by the wisdom and knowledge we can receive by putting our faith and trust in Christ. He shows us the way to make problems go away, and many of these answers come to us when we pray for guidance and deliverance: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7, KJV). Some trials and ordeals can test us for years, like they’re never going to go away, but this is what makes us Christians stronger in the faith, and builds character to be a blessing to others in the church: “We can rejoice, too, when we run into (CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE)
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(CONTINUED) problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love” (Romans 5:35, NLT). The Holy Spirit becomes a vital factor in giving us comfort that all is in God’s will for our lives, whether a good experience or a tragic event. We cannot lose our faith in Him for He loves us. Let us remember that God has given us the promise that we will endure through every trial and ordeal, and we should never be tempted to throw our hands up and leave the church: “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted,
he will show you a way out so that you can endure” (I Corinthians 10:13, NLT). We can endure this present dilemma and all test and trials that may come our way because Christians can say: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose!” (Romans 8:28, KJV). Suffering, pain, and death are what make us humans, but when we attain salvation and endure with patience our trials and ordeals in the flesh, we are promised everlasting life with our saved loved ones, forever in the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4, KJV) AMEN!
A Word From Our Student Pastor,
Joshua Aguilera
Joshua & Jeannette Aguilera
How has your ministering to the youth changed since we have been quarantined? It is very different. It is not a traditional way of doing church at all. Services, bible studies, and events are all conducted online. Being able to interact with the students has changed dramatically. How do you conduct services? Services are conducted through two sources as of right now when writing this. We started out with Zoom services a week after we went on a “shelter in place” order. I actually enjoyed the interactive nature of using the Zoom app because I can see our students’ faces and have conversations with them. When I preach, they can write points in the chat for me to interact with them as I preach or teach. We recently transitioned to have student services through live-stream on YouTube and it increased the number of people watching and worshiping. We have been able to reach students that have left the church as well as reaching brand new ones. For our weekly classes, we meet on the Zoom app. Every Monday night is Junior High class and every Tuesday night is High School class. How do you keep in touch with students? Interacting with students is a challenge in that nothing can replace physically being there with them. Contact is through 4 SPRING NEWSVINE 2020 •
phone (text and the Remind app), social media, and our Zoom meetings. What, if any plans, do you have to engage with students? Any other technology you want to try? Any other engaging activities to help better connect? I would love to have weekly devotionals that students hike or walk around with me and my wife so we can talk about God while exercising and they’re not cooped up in their houses. Also, I am wanting to do online revival services with other student pastors and evangelists speaking to our students and to all those that are tuning in. There is no easier time than now with putting together a conference as it’s only a few clicks on a keyboard or phone. What advice do you have for students to deal with stress and to help to spiritually connect during quarantine? Take breaks from social media. Don’t be so set on what is happening with others. Find a hobby in this time, something you’ve been wanting to do. But most importantly, take advantage of this time in setting a routine with God. Start your day in His word and pray like you never have before. An hour of prayer a day is a lot easier now than it ever has been to do. Lastly, be aware of your diet, what you consume on a daily basis in terms of entertainment. If you fill yourself with garbage from worldly music and movies and shows, this time will become a waste and you will become more carnal as a result. Listen to godly music, preaching, and podcasts that have to do with walking closer to God. This is your time to become the person God has called you to be!
Any tips for parents? Monitor your students on social media. Keep on them about when youth events are online. Stay up with it. Hold your students accountable. But most of all, be godly parents for your kids. Pray with them and do devotions as a family. Revival will start in the home, and this is our chance to put what we have been preaching for generations to the test. This is your time to speak life into your home and kids. They need to feel that they are loved by their parents or guardians. Hug them, because they need it right now. Tell them positive things because they’re struggling with all of this. Love them because Christ loves them and you may be the only Christ they see all day. How can students connect with any streamed services or zoom meetings? Subscribe to our YouTube channel at “N’Motion Student Ministries.” Follow us on Instagram, “nmotion.sm”. How are you meeting the needs of both junior and senior high students? What were you doing prior to the quarantine, and what are you doing now? For our junior high students, we’ve started classes this year with them through curriculum from Link247, a UPCI-based website for youth workers. The curriculum is chosen based off of what I feel they need. For our high schoolers, we also started a class for them where they are assigned to read a chapter and then answer questions based on that chapter. The philosophy is that our students need to dig deeper into the Word and let their faith be challenged. It has been rewarding seeing them increase in their understanding of the Word. We have moved both classes into Zoom meetings.
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his is a time like no other. That means we have to start living for God like no other time. Our prayer and devotion must be different. Our convictions must be deeper. Our love for the church must be greater. Not the church building but the body of believers. We have been forced to be a body of believers beyond the four walls of buildings to the unlimited space of the digital world. God has stopped us from being the church of a physical building and taken us into the world like Babylon. We are exiled from our place of rest, but now we are forced to have our faith stronger than ever. The students have always been online, and we are meeting them here on their turf. It is important that we change with this time. I have heard of churches and youth groups that have not done anything for the last month or so since the “shelter in place” order came. That is disheartening and gut wrenching to think about. Those students have no one right now. For some students, they were hanging by a thread before all of this happened. Now, it is harder for them when they don’t have any physical connection to the church. The church and youth groups CANNOT go a moment longer without classes, services, youth events, etc. Call up all of your students and do a conference call. Send a text to them. Download a video mes-
saging app. Start an Instagram/Snap Chat/Facebook/Tik Tok, WHATEVER to engage with your students. This isn’t about what you’re comfortable with, it’s about saving this generation. They need us. They need student pastors, youth workers, pastors, and the church more than ever. Get out of wanting to go back to having church like “normal.” And what WAS that? - going to church because we felt obligated to, not because we had a relationship with God.; praying at church but hardly ever at home; reading a verse or two from the Bible but only at church. Do we REALLY want to go back to THAT “normal?” God is preparing us for a new “normal”; where church, our faith, and evangelism are all going to be drastically different. Don’t be so set on wanting to go back to the way it used to be. That was only “normal” because that was what you knew. God has done all of this for a purpose, to get the church ready for the next season, the next place of power. In Exodus 16:2-3, it says, “In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” The Israelites let their minds wander back to Egypt. They wanted to go back to the “normal” of Egypt. “We had food.” “We had plenty.” They didn’t remember all the bad things of Egypt, like, you know, SLAVERY. So many of us want to go back to the “normal” we used to know; that we are refusing to move right now and change with what God is trying to push us to become! Our new normal is about to be more anointed, powerful, and direct - anointed because we’ll have prayer and devotion; powerful because we will respect and honor God more and His church; direct because we will be focused on what really matters when Jesus has been our center this whole time. Our new normal will be greater. Change and move with where God is taking us. The journey is just beginning!
Our Youth N’Motion!
Even though our families are sheltering-in-place, our youth are still very active as you can see from these pictures. Through lifestreaming, Zoom, and Instagram devotions, our young people are involved and on the move! SPRING NEWSVINE 2020 • 5
T H E W A Y I T W A S ...
Our Children's Ministries
s l l a W e the
Insid
Above, our children's ministry practices and then sings for the congregation under the direction of Sister Sujey Diaz.
(Above from left): Joshua displays his artwork that he made in KREW. The children created original art which was auctioned off as a fundraiser for our music department. This editor is delighted to have purchased Josh's cross picture. Nice job, Josh! (Middle): Our Bible quizzers at Centro Vida in Stockton, California. (Right) Hailey Torres entrances the KREW kids with great Bible teaching. She has a natural talent. Teacher one day, maybe, Sister Hailey?
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T H E W A Y I T I S N O W ...
Our Children's Ministries s l l a W e th d n o y e B
ith the shelter-in-place order enacted by the W governor of California, our children's ministry staff members had to go outside the box. From using live
streaming, YouTube, and Facebook, teachers have had to be creative using what tech skills and resources they have in their homes. Pictured above are just a couple of examples of Grace Delgadillo's lessons and also Sujey Diaz's retelling the Easter story. Below are pictures from Sunday School Director Mary Aguirre. To the left she reaches students with a cute video using puppets. She said that teachers have been connecting with their students through video and texting. She also did a drive by for Easter and gave Sunday School students goodie bags donated by our Sister Johnson and Revival Center. Thanks, all, for sharing your talents to keep our children connected.
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T H E W A Y I T W A S ...
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t seems like our lives have turned on a dime this year when the unimaginable happened: a deadly virus closed down our world, including our in-person church services. The month of MAY stumbled out with well over one million infections and nearly 90,000 deaths in the United States due to the covid-19 virus. The unthinkable happened - the doors to our church closed as we switched over to solely online streamed services on both Facebook and YouTube, obeying the directives of President Trump and California Governor Newsom. It has been a learning curve for all, especially our tech team. Singing and preaching to an empty building or to a camera is not an easy task. We are grateful to all who make this possible for us. Your efforts have helped to keep our church connect-
ed. Our prayers are with all the health care workers, first responders, and essential workers, as well as with those who are battling this vicious virus and with the families of those who have lost loved ones. May we all use this time as an opportunity to reach out to the world as never before, and that we all develop a closer connection to God and to each other. We will get through this, together, with God's help. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1 KJV). Below are photos of the way our church members were able to worship and pray together. How we miss being in the sanctuary with our pastor as he preached the word of God! We miss these times, but we are ever stronger, anticipating the day when all of us will be together again in Jesus' name.
From left: Jeannette Aguilera lifts her hands in prayer during an altar call service; During a sermon, Pastor Todd Johnson exhorts the church to raise their hands and worship God.
From left: The ensemble leads the church in worship led by worship leader Joshua Aguilera; Pastor Johnson prays for church members and visitors during an altar service. 8
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T H E W A Y I T I S N O W ... RC Ensemble
Pastor Johnson and Sister Johnson touches base with members using Zoom.
Pictured above clockwise from left: our ensemble practices spacing and leads the church in worship; a social media invitation to our online services; Pastor Johnson preaches the word by streaming into every home of our members; our pastor and Sister Johnson touch base with members during a Tuesday Tag-In Zoom meeting; Evangelist Victor Jackson streamed teaching from Florida into our Wednesday night service.
Pastor Johnson
Evangelist Victor Jackson
Zoom Keeps Groups Connected
aZoom GradLueBa Growth Tradck n a ector D tion led by ithir teachers Barb lanc and w arol Castillo. Seah and Ctions! Congratula
Far left: Our Growth Track courses are taught by Brother Dana Le Blanc and his team after our streamed Sunday morning service using ZOOM. Every week there is a ladies devotional group which meets on Zoom to pray, take prayer requests, testify and discuss scripture. One Bible study focused on I Thessalonians 5. The group would love to add to their members, so please feel free to contact Sister Sujey Diaz if you are interested in joining.
Ladies Zoom Devotional Group connects our ladies.
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"ABOVE AND BEYOND!" The above powerful theme for 2020 was announced by Pastor Johnson on Watch Night Service. It was truly prophetic, for little did we know how timely this theme would best describe the profound events that were about to transpire for our church and the entire planet! As if he discerned an urgent expediency, he scheduled in quick succession a line-up of impactful revival services at the beginning of 2020 with some of the most anointed speakers in our fellowship. Thank the Lord for this sovereign unction of the Spirit on our pastor.
“Yesterday’s experience must become the testimony of our future!” - Evangelist Mark Drost
Evangelist Mark Drost with his son, David, who is attending Christian Life College in Stockton. Pictures to the right and below are of the incredible altar service we had. Glory to God!
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Evangelist Mark Drost
“Revival is meant to redefine business as usual.” - Pastor Raymond Woodward Capital Community Church
Pastor Raymond Woodward
Heartfelt prayer rises up to heaven as members and visitors pray together in the altar.
Raymond Woodward preaches, "Ask for the Rain!"
"Believe for more! Pray for more! Ask for more!" - Pastor Raymond Woodward
We are blessed to be in a church where members feel free to minister to one another in our altar services.
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More Anointed Preachers! "Stop living in fear. Stop being intimidated!" - Pastor Jeff Morgan
Pastor Jeff Morgan
Hope Center Church Mountain Home
Brother Jeff Morgan tears it up!
Sister Sandra Morgan Sister Kim Johnson
Pastor Johnson speaks the word of faith to those at the altar.
Our elders back up the word!
Pastor Johnson worships with the ensemble.
Putting the enemy under your feet...
Brother Morgan preaches, "Out of My Mind Under My Feet." 12
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Brother Morgan with Pastor Johnson's enthusiastic support preaches, "When the Light Goes Out."
Missionary Charles Robinette
Brother Robinette calls up the ministry to prepare to pray for those gathered in our altars.
"God is real, and I know His power is real!" - Missionary Charles Robinette
Brother Robinette gives instructions to those at the altar.
Brother Robinette preaches, "It Will Happen Now!"
With great faith, Brother Robinette works the altar service.
MaKayla and Sister Johnson
MaKayla Johnson, ever faithful, sings with the ensemble. SPRING NEWSVINE 2020 • 13
More Anointed Preachers! “Peace is not an emotion. It’s a state of being.” - Evangelist Tes Stewart
Evangelist Tes Stewart
With great anointing, Brother Stewart preaches, "The War on Peace."
Matthew Aguirre leads worship with the choir.
Our young people are on fire for God! How wonderful to see our youth praying together.
Sister Jennifer ponders the preached word.
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Elder Rick Keyes, always busy in the altars .
Evangelist Victor Jackson
"God is setting up the world for a revival like never before!" - Victor Evangelist Jackson
Sister Kim Johnson and Sister Luisa Jackson Brother Jackson makes his altar call.
Brother Jackson prays with our youth during an altar call service. Below, he works around to the adults, praying and providing words of encouragement. We have been blessed with his powerful preaching.
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GOD PREPARES US FOR COVID-19 by Editor Virginia Aguilera
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s we listened intently to the preaching of the Word of God, we had no idea how dramatically and quickly our world was about to change. We took for granted that we could gather together with our brothers and sisters in the Lord to freely worship, and suddenly we were told by our government that gatherings over ten people would temporarily be banned. Suddenly, shopping for groceries felt life threatening with many shoppers wearing masks, announcements to keep at least six feet away from other shoppers and spacing lines at check out. The sound of a random cough now turns heads and causes hearts to beat faster. Whoever would have thought here in the United States of America, we would meet a foe that would so absolutely drop us to our knees. And drop us to ours knees it has, as we pray to God for an end to this endless nightmare. But in all of this chaos, we know as Christians, God is still in control and still has a plan. Instead of focusing on what we have lost, instead we look for the opportunities God has placed before us to reach the world with the gospel like never before! God has prepared us through the visitation of great men of God who preached faith into us. NOW, let us use the tool of the Internet to spread the gospel.
Reflections on the Word God Sent
At the beginning of the year, Pastor Johnson lined up a team of powerful preachers as you can see from the previous pages. God sent exceptional men to fortify our church for the struggle before us with such messages as Victor Jackson's "Divine Development" to Jeff Morgan's "Out of My Mind to Under My Feet." The church was excited to kick off the new year with Evangelist Victor Jackson. His message "The Pain of Deliverance" was an admonition to stop focusing on our past and to start reaching for the future. "It's time for you to get a vision of what's coming," he said. That evening he preached on "Divine Development." He said that to become a disciple we must have discipline. "When you go through something awhile," he said, it gives you the fortitude to do what it takes..."He pointed out that everything is a process. "I'm going to stay in the thick, in the thin, in the problems, in the suffering because He is using it to develop me." What timely words. Later in the month, we were blessed with the preaching of Brother Jeff Morgan, who many years ago was our youth pastor. In his sermon, "Out of My Mind to Under My Feet," he declared, "We have power! We are not weak. We are not in trouble. We have power!" He went on to say, "God still has all power. God is still in control of the church. The church is not in trouble." He told us that it is time to stand up and say, "I'm tired of living in fear. I'm tired of worrying about what might happen." He then proclaimed a divine loosening of the miraculous. His words speak to us today as we shelter in place. In February, we were blessed by the ministry of Evangelist Mark Drost. His message, “Combatting an Anti-Revival Culture,” was inspired by Nehemiah 1:3-5 and 2 Peter 1:12:15. He spoke about Nehemiah who led the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days; walls that had been torn down for over 150 years. He also mentioned the Apostle Peter who, knowing he was close to death, was passionate about reminding the church about the things they knew to be true and to remember them. Brother Drost stressed
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that Peter wanted to be assured their foundation was strong before he died. “Yesterday’s experience must become the testimony of our future,” he said. “You’ve got to preach it to your kids!” So as Nehemiah understood the importance of Jerusalem’s walls to protect the city, and Peter warned there would be attacks against the church, so believers must protect the gospel that was preached to the church by remembering it and passing that knowledge on to future generations. Talk about faith-builder, Brother Charles Robinette, rocked the house reciting his experiences at the crusade in Bangladesh. Before the team arrived, people in that country prayed that their god would cause it to rain so hard the crusade would have to be canceled. When the team walked onto the crusade grounds, they began to pray for God to stop the rain. "The moment we called on the name of Jesus, every cloud in the sky shut up tight," said Brother Robinette. The Muslims were so impressed by a God who could control the powers of nature, 10,000 of them came the next day to see what else Jesus could do. Over 6,000 notable miracles happened: blind eyes, deaf ears, lameness all healed in Jesus' name! And...5,000 Muslims were filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost! God is still performing miracles of healing and salvation! Late in February, Raymond Woodward, pastor of Capital Community Church in Canada and Executive Presbyter for the United Pentecostal Church of Canada, preached for us. The title of his message was “Ask for the Rain,” and after a season of drought here in California, it was definitely timely. “Revival is meant to redefine business as usual. Revival compels us to be hungrier than our history.” He went on to say that we should not grumble or complain but rejoice in the Lord because we know His promise is coming. He urged us to rejoice our way into revival, into harvest, and into our miracle! The final man of God who graced our pulpit was Evangelist Tes Stewart. Wow! What a powerful message he preached: “The War on Peace”. He said that people are searching for peace and the minds of Christians are under attack. “The battle is in the mind and is for the mind," He cautioned us to guard our minds. “Peace is not an emotion. It’s a state of being.” He said it is the peace of the Holy Ghost that is not influenced by what is happening around us. It is a fruit of the spirit. “Because I have the Holy Ghost, I have the peace of God.” He told us we need to disarm the enemy. “All he can do is affect the things happening around us.” The best thing to renew our peace, he said, is to review our testimony. We need to remember that our soul is anchored in Jesus Christ. We are equipped to have peace. It is possible. What a timely message!
God-sent Technology
God has given us amazing tools to reach the world as never before through the use of the Internet. Through our streamed services, we can preach the gospel around the world. Through social media, we can share services and posts of Bible verses and encouraging messages. We can stay connected through Zoom devotionals and classes. As the early church was scattered through persecution, it spread the gospel far and wide. So we can use this opportunity to reach out globally as never before. No limits. No walls. Maranatha, Jesus IS coming!
M O R E E V E N T S F R O M T H E W A Y I T W A S ...
SPECIAL Events Sit Down with Missionaries Corbin and Warmer
W
e were blessed having a Missionary Sit-Down with James and Elizabeth Corbin and Michael and Ivonne Warmer at this editor's home. These men are powerful and passionate. They truly are great men of God. Pictured from left: the entire group in attendance poses on the staircase; Brother Jerry Powell introduces our guest missionaries to the group. Below from left: attendees listen intently when Sister Jeannette takes notes on her phone; Brother Warmer testifies of God's miracles; Brother Corbin speaks faith to those in attendance. What a blessed night! Thank you, Brother Jerry Powell, for arranging these exciting and edifying missionary sit-downs.
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E V E N T S F R O M T H E W A Y I T W A S ...
More SPECIAL Events
ACTS Graduation
Military Send Off
Congratulations to James Hackett (second from right) for being our first ACTS graduate. He poses with Pastor Johnson, ACTS coordinator Oscar Hernandez and his wife, Anna.
Surrounded by veterans, Brother Vincenzo Elardo is prayed for by Administrative Pastor Jon Quinones before entering training for the U.S. Marine Corp in San Diego. "I am so proud of him!" says his mom, Sister Sherri Suriano. May God protect and keep Brother Vinny in Jesus' name!
BUFF Men Meet
BUFF men's group meet at Donnie Wilson's home to fellowship and discuss future projects.
Life Group Semester Kick Off
Happy Anniversary!
The Johnsons are honored on their 27th wedding anniversary. Congratulations!
Becerras AIM for Belize
We are excited for Danny and Esther Becerra as they serve as AIMers in the country of Belize for a year. Here he is baptizing a new convert. May God bless and use their family greatly for His kingdom!
Love at First Sight!
Betty Hemingway delights in her new grandaughter, Scotland, held by proud mom, Lindsay Castro.
A new semester of Life Group signups took place in February. Pictured from left: Grace Delgadillo and Mary Aguirre pose for Kidz Zone; Jon Quinones explains Readers are Leaders; Virginia Aguilera welcomes new Scripture & Scholar member Mariah Amador.
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Ravind Narayan Visits Mizoram, India
B
rother Ravind Narayan traveled this past winter again to India. He visited the Bible college in Mizoram, India and participated in several church services. Pictured left: one of the three Bible school classes in Mizoram. Pictured right is an Apostolic worship service in the UPC church of Mizoram. This is a new area visited by Brother Ravind. Praise God for what He is doing in India and around the world!
Pictured from left: A class at the Bible school at the United Pentecostal Church of Mizoram in Eastern India. Apostolics from all over India attend this class. In the middle photo is the General Superintendent Rem Sanga and Secretary C. Chhangte of the UPC in Mizoram together with Evangelist Shuei Simon and Pastor Roy Bacon, Bacon, along with Brother Ravind. Ravind. On the right is a Sunday morning service at Fisherman's church. All the men sit or stand outside because there is no room inside the house.
Pictured from left: Brother Ravind sits outside one of the UPC Mizoram church buildings; Pastors with their wives and children gather for fellowship and a meal after a Sunday evening service in Kerala, India; Apostolic ministers from the Kerala churches, along with Pastor Roy Bacon and Brother Ravind Narayan, Narayan, meet in a hotel room for a pastor's meeting.
Pictured from left: Executive members of the UPC of Mizoram at their head office; Pastor Roy Bacon from Clovis, California, and Brother Ravind Narayan in the Mizoram headquarters; Salom convention in Badlapur.
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Elder Thomas Lockdown Report from the Churches in India
Greetings in the name of Jesus! I hope this finds you safe in the Lord. It is a joy to write to you in this lockdown period, for all of us. Just as Paul and Silas praised God and worshiped Him in lockup, God has given us this time so we can worship Him and see deliverance in our lives. I imagine your situation to be more or less the same as ours. So just wanted to let you know that we are doing okay and safe. As a family we came to the orphanage facility a couple of days before the lockdown was suddenly declared and kind of got stranded here. But its better than being in Mumbai in our tiny home and office! At least we are able to move around freely and the kids can enjoy inside the campus. Our church now meets online every night so we are all connected with technology. However, our churches and pastors throughout the country are facing a difficult time with rations running low and no money as families are confined to their houses. In many places even food stores and pharmacies are running out of stock. The current lockdown in Mumbai is till April 14 if the virus cases are in control by then, if not, it may extend till Apr.30. Cases are being detected within a mile radius of our church. Please continue to pray for us and our people that they will not suffer. Pray that the lockdown opens up and that the land will be cleansed. May God will keep you and your loved ones safe in these trying times. May we like David in Psalm 57:1 say, "I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings till the disaster has passed". Blessings to you and your family, know that you are in my prayers. Be safe and protected! Yours in Christ, Chacko Thomas
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S P E C I A L E V E N T - T H E W A Y I T IS
NOW...
Happy 50th Birthday, Pastor Johnson!
U
nder the shelter-in-place order, the church had to get a little creative for Pastor' Johnson's very special 50th birthday. Members were encouraged to record a video birthday video which was compiled by our media team for him to watch. Pastor Johnson was brought down to the church, thinking he was going to view the video on the sanctuary screens; however, other plans were in motion. Church members had decorated their vehicles with birthday messages and were waiting in the back parking lot for a drive-by parade. It was an emotional time for members, as it was the first time we had been able to gather together in any fashion, and the first time we were able to see our pastor face to face--using social distancing, of course. Happy Birthday, Pastor Johnson! We all love and appreciate you and hope, Lord willing, you have more birthdays until the Rapture!
Pastor Johnson celebrates his 50th birthday seen here with his family.
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The Birthday Parade Continues . . .
Happy 50th!
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Faith
Brother Gabriel Chavoya - Part 2
From the Streets to the Altar
Editor's Note: In our last issue, we introduced Brother Gabriel Chavoya who was born in Santa Clara, California, and was raised just south in the large metropolis of San Jose. When he was a young child, he saw his brother go to prison as an accessory to a gang murder. He promised himself that he would not get involved with that life style, but coming into junior high in East San Jose he was lured by drugs into becoming a gang member. He admits that the mentality of being part of the gang is twisted, almost brainwashed to believe that your "homies" are family, and criminal activities, including injuring rival gang members or robbing the innocent, are necessary to protect the gang's turf and securing respect for his gang. Gabriel knew this was against what was taught in his mother's pentecostal church, but he grew up into adulthood never really committing his life at the altar. He was baptized with the Holy Ghost in his early twenties, but he hesitated to be baptized in water for the remission of his sins. The lure of the gang life was too strong for him to resist. We left off in Part 1 where he reaches rock bottom. He has never returned a rental car, he has been involved in a police chase from which he escaped, but now he is about to be arrested as a suspect of a string of Subway robberies at the eatery...
THE ARREST aught, shaken and told to put his hands up, Gabriel came out of the rental car - the very car he had driven a week before in a high-speed chase with the police. That chase had cost the car its back bumper. He left the engine still running when he got out, for there was no use in trying to speed off surrounded by a score of agents from the Merge Unit, San Jose's SWAT team, with guns drawn. He still was confused why there were so many arresting officers. Just seeing those guns made him frantically call out, "Jesus! Jesus,! Jesus!" Somewhere in his memory he remembered being taught in his mother's church that anyone who called on the name of the Lord Jesus would be saved. Fortunately he was not in possession of his gun, but he knew after he was searched they would find him in possession of something else. After being handcuffed he was put in the front seat of an unmarked luxury SUV. This was a first, for in previous arrests he was always thrown into the back seat of a squad car covered in plastic. This seat was leather and very comfortable. It was the only nice thing he remembered on that fateful day. While spending over eight hours in the holding cell for processing, all he could think about was wanting to go to sleep, for he was high on methamphetamine, and he had been awake for 48 hours. Since it was a Friday, he knew he was stuck to spend the entire weekend in jail until Monday or even Tuesday before he was brought before a judge. He still had no idea what crimes he was being charged with. “But honestly,” he admits, “I didn’t
C
even care that they found the stolen rental car or the drugs that were on me. It didn't bother me that I was under the influence, or even that they found the baseball card folder full of stolen credit cards. All I wanted was for them to assign me a jail cell with a bed so I could sleep.” Late that night he was issued his county jail clothes and slippers and was taken to his cell where he could finally crash. On the following Monday, he was brought before the judge with his public defender and charged with two felonies and a list of misdemeanors with bail denied. He also discovered why he was arrested by the Merge Unit but was relieved he was no longer a suspect in the Subway robberies. Nevertheless, it was bad timing that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and all his past crimes he thought he got away with had caught up with him. He spent almost a month in jail before he was sentenced. During that time he called his mom who was now faithfully attending church. She told him she was praying earnestly for him for Gabriel feared he would be given a stiff sentence because of his previous record of offenses. He agonized what the judge would do. It was a long three weeks. The prayers worked! The judge was going to sentence him for at least three years in state prison, but he made available to Gabriel a drug rehab program under Proposition 36 passed by the voters of California to curb recidivism. His sentence would be commuted to a few months with a three year probation period of keeping a clean record under the stipulation that he partici-
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pate in an intense drug rehabilitation program sponsored by the state of California. Gabriel took the offer! FINDING THE LIGHT IN JAIL A month in, he was put into the drug rehab program while being locked up. The counselor and teacher was a Christian. Every day, when the group of participants met they would sing, “Lord, Prepare Me to Be a Sanctuary.” “It didn’t matter where you came from, what religion you were, or how hardcore you were," Gabriel said. "Everyone in the circle participated in singing this song to open up our meetings." Gabriel would talk to his mom on the phone almost every day. Sister Elizabeth had now moved to Fremont, California, renting a room from a sister who was a member at Union City Apostolic Church. There, she was attending faithfully and participating in weekly Bible studies which ironically were called "cell groups". Gabriel asked her to please send him any handouts from her Bible studies. He told her about his group meetings and the counseling sessions for his rehabilitation. Sister Elizabeth was happy for him. He told her whenever a chaplain visited his cell block, he would always ask for a Bible. They indulged him for they saw how hungry he was to study God's word with them. Gabriel discovered while he was studying these lessons that he struggled to understand the King James Version. He requested and was given a Webster’s Dictionary and three additional versions of the Bible: a New Living Translation, an English Standard Version, and an NIrV Free on the Inside Bible translation used for prison ministries. He used these powerful tools for cross referencing so he could study the word of God for himself. This hunger for God's word started with just Gabriel, but other cell mates saw his intensity in his Biblical studies and began to meet with him. “I became enlightened with what I was learning, and soon other inmates took notice and started asking me if they could do a Bible study with me,” he said. In no time there were five Bible study groups meeting in his cell block. All members were from different ethnicities and races - highly unusual, for most prisoners stick to their own kind. "Here I was, leading a Bible study with no official training. We were just learning together.” It was then he noticed every night before lights out a group of inmates would gather together in a circle, hold hands and pray. “I felt that I wanted to be part of that group,” he said, “so I asked if I could join them, but I admitted to them, ‘I don’t know how to pray.’” The first two nights two of the men were moved by the Spirit to lay hands on him. He was thrilled that he felt an old anointing of the Holy Ghost come upon him and began to experience stammering lips. He just came short of breaking into tongues, a wonderful blessing that he had experienced in church a few years before. He remembers one of the group leaders was a homeboy called Kool-Aid who became a spiritual friend and confidant. SPIRITUAL WARFARE Not long after that initial touch of God, a frightening event happened to Gabriel while Kool-Aid was on night-watch. Around 3:00 in the morning, Gabriel awoke and sensed a large, dark mass
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had come over him. He actually could see it. The entity began choking him. “I tried to rebuke it,” he said, but I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, until I finally gasped, ‘JESUS!’” He sat up, looked around at the cold, darkness of his dorm and noticed everyone was asleep. Kool-Aid, while keeping watch, noticed Gabriel sitting up and how upset he was. He asked if he was okay. Gabriel shakily said, “Yeah, I’m okay,” but then dropped to his knees at the side of his bunk and began praying. He had a difficult time going back to sleep, completely uneasy from his disturbing experience. The very next day, he was remembering what had happened the night before. He suddenly felt an anger rising inside of him. He felt violated that a demonic spirit had attacked him while he was asleep, especially when he was most vulnerable. The offense he felt burning from deep within gave him the audacity to invoke the dark mass to return. He was pacing in his dorm, fists at his side, muttering, “Come back. Come on. You want to attack me when I’m asleep? Come on, come back.” He wanted to confront it. He was certain he had conjured up the powers of darkness in that jail for the Bible studies he and others were enjoying. In fact, Gabriel discovered many men in there were backsliden Pentecostals or raised in a pentecostal church. Again, he challenged that demon to manifest itself. Today Gabriel cautions that he would not recommend anyone to try this because of what happened next. He felt fatigue come over him and lay down to take a nap. AGAIN, the demonic darkness came back. The nightmare was so real he might as well have been awake. This time it did not touch him, but he could sense its presence all around him. In his vivid dream he stood up in his cell. Nobody was in the dorm. The dark mass was floating up by the ceiling, flying back and forth. Gabriel pointed to it and said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!” Immediately it flew away and dissipated. After these experiences, he spoke to his mom on the phone and related in detail what had happened. He reached an epiphany and confessed to her, “Mom, I am done! I am tired of going in and out of jail, tired of running. When I get out I want to be baptized in Jesus’ name.” Sister Elizabeth said she was thrilled to hear this. However, Gabriel was determined to prove to her that this was not just talk. He knew the last time he tried church he had caused her great heartache when he stopped attending. But this was something he had to do for the sake of his own soul. "This time,” he said, “I was scared, because truly the enemy was after me." All that next week, he felt an evil power plaguing him. He couldn't shake it. It was physically draining him. He decided to try taking a one hour nap in a mid-afternoon. He remembers fully awakening feeling a vicious anger completely possessing him. He looked around the dorm suddenly getting the urge to hit someone, just punch someone in the face! What happened next startled Gabriel. Today, Gabriel admits that taking LSD has the risk that its effects can resurface months later without taking another dose. One of the those effects is hallucinations. But he also acknowledges and warns that taking LSD, hallucinogenic mushrooms, or other mind-altering drugs opens you up to demonic powers and possible possessions. You will see things that will shatter your sense of reality. Whether one will accept that
paranormal assaults do happen or they are a case of acute hysteria conjured up by drug use, it did not matter to Gabriel, for what he saw what happened next, to him IT WAS REAL! He saw the black entity tear itself out of him and jump into another inmate about twenty feet across from him who immediately started punching another inmate. But it didn't stop there. It jumped into a third inmate who screamed out with a wild look in his eye at someone near him with a vicious taunt, "Let's take this outside! Take it to the yard!" Both of them stormed out into the yard and began to beat the living daylights out of one another. Gabriel ran back to his bunk, dropped to his knees shaking, and began to pray for all it was worth! His prayer time intensified over the next few days. He felt a closeness to God and meditated on His word. To his relief and wonder, the next supernatural experience he faced was a divine vision that he believes came from God's holy presence. While he was lying down on his bunk, he saw himself walk into a building with his mom and another woman he did not recognize. As they walked through the building, they opened two large double doors into a sanctuary. They entered and walked down a center aisle up to the front to the second bench to their right and entered the pew: the woman first, then his mother and finally Gabriel nearest the aisle. In the vision, he heard some music playing and his mom praising God. He looked around and saw his mom's hands were raised, tears streaming down her face. He sat down, taking everything in what he heard and felt. He then stood back up, and suddenly his head felt very heavy. He heard an audible, distorted male voice that he could not make out what being said. That voice confused him and then his vision ceased. This all took place during a short period between April to July of 2005. During this time he was waiting for an available bed to get into an in-house drug treatment program outside the prison walls. One finally came available, and he was released from jail and placed into the rehab program on July 5. On the day he arrived, the program directors had a field trip planned for the participants to see a movie in a theater. It was the moving “The Passion of the Christ.” On July 7, his mom picked him up to attend her “Cell Group”. They got there about an hour early and Brother Eddie, the cell group leader, presented a Bible study on water baptism in Jesus' name. It was so concise and timely to what Gabriel knew he needed to do. He then attended church that Sunday, July 10, absolutely committed to getting baptized. THE VISION REVEALED On Sunday morning his mom came with his sister in-law to pick Gabriel up for church. They walked into the foyer of the Union City Apostolic Church. Everyone was greeting them, shaking hands, and were very welcoming. As they opened the double doors into the sanctuary, Gabriel gasped! “Mom, this is it! This is the place!” he exclaimed. “The place I saw in my vision while I was locked up!” He was overwhelmed, for he was never before there in that sanctuary except in his vision. They walked down the center aisle and he recognized that he was replaying the vision now in real life. Just like he had envi-
sioned, they entered the second pew from the front on the right in the same order from the aisle: Gabriel, his mother, and his sister in-law. The choir began to sing, and he heard his mom worshiping God out-loud. “She was thanking the Lord that I was there,” he said. He saw the tears falling down her face. This time he did not sit down. It was so powerful, for he was overcome with emotion,. He was so blessed as he looked around and just took it all in. He did not know how to react with what he felt. In the vision, this was where his head had become very heavy, and the distorted, male voice confused him. But now, what actually took place was that he felt compelled to lift up his hands to worship. “As soon as my hands went up,” he said, “to me it was a sign of surrender - warm tears just started pouring down my face.” Gabriel and his mother hugged and prayed together. He remembered there was an evangelist named George Gillespie scheduled to preach. The words of his sermon spoken that day affirmed that he had but one goal: he was going to be baptized today. And he was! He was baptized in water and baptized again in the Holy Ghost! “My new mindset was on God alone,” he said, “and wherever He would lead me.” SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2005 One week later a young woman and her mother entered the sanctuary and sat themselves in the last pew on the farthest corner from the front of the sanctuary. The young woman asked, “Mom, where is that John the Baptist looking-guy with the beard that was baptized last week? Did he ever come back?” “Who do you mean? her mother responded. "Eddie was here to see him get baptized last week. He looked like John the Baptist?’’ “Oh, mija," her mother laughed, "You mean Brother Gabriel Chavoya. He’s sitting up front with his mom.” The young woman scanned the crowd up front and said, “Oh wow, that’s him? He looks totally different now that he’s clean-shaven and got a haircut!” Still looking at Gabriel, Julie picked up her three-year-old-son who began to fuss.
To Be Continued…
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The Newsvine
REVIVAL CENTER United Pentecostal Church of Modesto 825 7th Street Modesto, CA 95354
Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Stark
• Congratulations to our most recent married couple, Reverend Jimmy Stark and Sister Aubrey Amador. They are currently pastoring Calvary Apostolic Church in Columbus, Ohio. Although you are far from us, Aubrey, you will always be close to our hearts here at Revival Center!
