The Glory of the Latter House by Anthony Dyer, OK

The Glory of the Latter House

Anthony Dyer, OK

“And when the day of Pen­tecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1). An understanding should be conveyed here as to the upper room experience. The fellowship of oneness and unity in Christ did not happen overnight nor did it come auto­matically. The Church had been with Jesus during His earthly ministry. The disciples, later called apostles, did not seek Him out but rather He sought them out. None of them had a deep spiritual relationship with God. After the miracle of the over­whelming catch of fishes, Luke records this, “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken” (Luke 5:8, 9). Peter’s confession to Jesus was one that all of the twelve could mutually agree on. However, Jesus did not reply with “Ok Peter, I will look for someone else to help me” but His response was the opposite. “And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men” (Luke 5:10). Jesus was not looking for the religious nor wise, He was looking for those men who would simply listen to His voice and follow Him. While the disciples were far from spiri­tual perfection, they obeyed His call and followed Him.

 

JESUS PERSONALLY TAUGHT THEM

“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them...” (Matt. 5:1, 2). “For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matt. 7:29). “For he taught his disciples…” (Mark 9:31).

 

He would take personal responsibility in the calling of His disciples to teach them of the spiritual applications of the law and prophets. In addition, God’s will for the disciples (the Church) was to be prepared for a great work ahead of them that only God, at the time, could see. His teaching over time would bring them to divine understanding of this.

 

AT TIMES IT SEEMED THERE WAS GREATER FAITH OUTSIDE THE CHURCH THAN WITHIN

“And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Where­fore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (Luke 7:2-9).

We see an important lesson of faith demon­strated by the centu­rion. It was through his position of authority that his faith was expressed. He did not feel worthy of Jesus coming into his house for the healing of his servant but rather stated if you will only “say in a word, and my ser­vant shall be healed.” He then continued by explaining that he understood the role of authority. For he, too, had soldiers under him, which must obey his orders. His soldiers were trained to obey his command without question. Therefore, knowing Jesus’ power, he believed that whatsoever Jesus would speak that would come to pass by the authority of His Word. Jesus “marveled at him” and said to those that followed “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” This act of faith came from without the Church, not within. It was an important les­son for the disciples to experience for the centurion’s servant was healed!

 

WHILE THEY OBSERVED HIM THEY DID NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND HIM

The Church witnessed a multitude of miracles at the hand of Jesus. It was undeniable that God was in Him for they saw the power of the Kingdom of God work through Him. Yet, they lacked understanding and their faith was still weak.

The woman with the issue of blood believed within herself that if she could only touch His garment she would be made whole. Her faith was rewarded for she was healed. Jesus’ ques­tion sparked confusion with the Church. “And Jesus, immedi­ately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?” (Mark 5:30, 31).

 

The fact that the disciples did not understand the question reveals their lack of spiritual insight of their Master. Perhaps Jesus asked this question as a way of provoking the disciples to question and interact with Him as to the miraculous happening that they may learn. One thing is for sure, while many touched Him that day, it was genuine faith that truly touched Him and a divine healing occurred as the result.

 

“And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, inso­much that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” (Matt. 8:24-27).

 

Once again we see the disciples’ lack of faith and under­standing as to who they were training under. As the tempest was coming against their ship, the men began to fret about their lives. They quickly went to wake Jesus and did not understand why He was so calm during an emergency situation. However, Jesus brought their faith into question and then rebuked the winds and sea. Their reaction to this shows us that they did not truly understand who He was. They failed to understand that He was God in the flesh, Emmanuel. He who was part of the

seas into existence in the beginning, was the same One stand­ing before them.

 

JESUS GAVE THE CHURCH

PRACTICAL HANDS-ON TRAINING

“Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick... And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where” (Luke 9:1, 2, 6). What Jesus had taught and demonstrated in front of His Church He now commissioned them to go forth and do. They would exercise the faith and authority given them by Jesus. It would be through this training that their faith and confidence would be established.

 

THE CHURCH DID NOT ALWAYS LISTEN TO HIM

“Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha... Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby... These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:1, 3, 4, 11-16).

 

While Jesus stated to the Church that Lazarus’s sickness was not unto death but for the glory of God, it would appear that Thomas just wanted to mourn and be dead with him and cause the rest of the disciples to feel the same. Thomas’ state­ment leads us to this understanding. Did they not catch what Jesus said? Or were they simply not focused on Jesus’ words as they mourned for Lazarus? There should have been a joy in their hearts that Jesus was about to perform another miracle but they simply were not listening to Him.

 

THEY RECEIVED DIVINE REVELATION OF CHRIST BUT DID NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND HIS PURPOSE

“He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it... From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (Matt. 16:15-18, 21-23).

 

Through divine revelation Peter answered Jesus’ question about who they (the disciples) believed He was, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Howbeit, they did not fully recognize His true purpose. While Jesus began to teach them the future He must face, Peter rebuked the Lord saying, “Be it far from thee, Lord.” Jesus’ future was to go to Calvary where He was to shed His blood and suffer for mankind and then be resurrected three days later being victorious over death, hell, and the grave. Peter was ignorantly rebuking the Lord from doing this, which seemed to be inspired by Satan according to Jesus’ statement in return.

 

THEY ALLOWED CONTENTION TO COME BETWEEN THEM

“Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren” (Matt. 20:20-24).

 

In the following verses Jesus expounded upon the under­standing that His Kingdom did not function the same as the world’s system of rulers. The greatest of His Kingdom would be as a servant among the rest not as a lord. Therefore, the idea of seeking the highest place in God’s Kingdom requires humility and servant hood rather than lordship and rank. How­ever, it would seem that this strife among them would con­tinue. The Scripture bears out that immediately after the Lord’s Supper there was still strife amongst them after Jesus stated that one would betray Him. “And they began to inquire among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing. And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest” (Luke 22:23, 24).

 

Jesus was probably grieved in His spirit over this continual strife. “For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth” (Luke 22:27).

 

It is interesting that in John’s account of the gospel we see how and why Jesus instituted the practice of washing the saints feet right after the strife was generated again. Jesus was show­ing the Church the true model of being a servant. It was most timely that Jesus should do this to help cease the strife among them of who would be the greatest.

 

THE CRUCIFIXION AND RESURRECTION LEFT THE CHURCH SCATTERED AND CONFUSED

“Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shep­herd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad” (Matt. 26:31). Rather than unite, the Church scattered at the death of Jesus. Even though Jesus tried to prepare them for this event, He knew they would not stay together as prophecy foretold. At the last Passover meal with the Church He encouraged Peter. “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:31, 32).

 

It was on the road to Emmaus that Jesus appeared and challenged their doubts. He stated they were “…slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken” (Luke 24:25).

 

The apostles worried and doubted, with Him stand­ing right before them (See Luke 24:41). Truly, the dots of prophecy had not connected in their hearts. They truly wanted to believe but it just wasn’t coming together until Jesus revealed it unto them.

 

“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might under­stand the scriptures... And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high... And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy” (Luke 24:44, 45, 49, 51, 52). The Church returned unto Jerusalem with sanctified hearts! They had great joy!

 

THE CHURCH CAME TOGETHER IN UNITY OF MIND, SPIRIT, AND WILLINGNESS

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).

 

A key word of interest in this passage is “suddenly.” You cannot plan for suddenly! When the Holy Ghost came it was because they were ready for Him. There was no struggle in their faith or spirit because that part of them was gone. The Church was in prayer and worship mode, which opened the windows of heaven and caused God’s glory to come down. While this event was the fulfilling of prophecy, it should be noted that they were spiritually ready for the blessing. They had accepted His teaching, they were now confident in their faith, they understood His purpose now, they were clear on the objective ahead, and strife had left them. No longer was there a desire for supremacy among them!

 

The Church of God of the last days should look to the Bible pattern left us by the early Church forefathers. They proved to us that the only way we can accomplish God’s will is by total Bible unity! This will require us to be empty of our own ambitions before God and have a willingness to seek a deeper understanding of the purpose and mission for the Church in completing the Great Commission.

 

Divided we fail, praying together we prevail!

Our Help ComethFrom the Lord by David R. Risch

Our Help ComethFrom the Lord

David R. Risch, Cleveland, TN

 

A few weeks ago one of the first things I thought of when I heard of Brother Smith’s death was “What a fearful day for The Church of God,” and quickly it seemed the Spirit kind of rebuked me and this thought filled my mind: “Not a fearful day, but an awe­some day!...a day for the Church to show herself strong with a deep faith that God doesn’t forsake His children when dif­ficulties arise; and so it is not a ‘fear­ful day,’ but an awesome day.” Faithful Church of God members can expect God to come to their rescue! If the Church fails in anything, don’t blame God, for He has given us a divine promise in Phi­lippians 4:19: “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Hebrews 6:18 tells us it’s impossible for God to lie. You can’t make God lie. I can’t make God lie. If we meet His conditions, our needs will be met!

 

Paul said, “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” (2 Cor. 1:20). In Christ, all the promises of God are true; and in Him we have the power to claim these promises for ourselves!

 

What an awesome time for The Church of God to do as David said in Psalms 121:1, 2: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” David didn’t expect help to come from the physical hills or mountains around Jerusalem. He saw their great­ness, they represent strength. I’ve per­sonally seen mountains so high, so great, they were breathtaking. No, David was looking for something else. Note verse 2 (where our thought for this message comes from): “My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.” A God so great He formed those moun­tains. He not only formed those moun­tains according to His will, He is also able to move them!

 

I thought of the day Christ’s feet will land on the Mount of Olives, one on each side. Half will move to the north, half to the south, leaving a great valley for the Battle of Armageddon. When I need help, this is the kind of God I want to go to! The first part of verse 2 literally stuck out to me: “my help [David’s help] cometh from the Lord.” Yes the Overseer’s office is vacant, but there’s help available to fill it when you go to the Lord and God will help fill it. Amen. Amen! Can we say, “There’s help on the way!”? How many came to this Assembly believing there’s help on the way?

 

Who is David reaching out to? The Creator of the heavens and earth! The only mountains Satan made were moun­tains of trouble and sorrow, filling our world with darkness, or sin that opposes God’s divine plan for man. But our help comes from God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost. And Paul said it like this in Ephesians 1:19-23 (Think of God’s greatness, His ability and His glory in these verses): “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”

 

Paul expresses God’s gifts to Christ here so wonderfully—raised Him from the dead, set Him at His right hand far above anything and everything, gave Him a name above all names, put all things under His feet, and placed Him as Head of The Church of God. And all of this is just part of our inheritance. Christ will share what we need to fulfill His will in The Church of God!

 

“Brother Risch, do you really mean that?” Yes, yes, yes, for Revelation 19:7 tells us “his wife [The Church of God] hath made herself ready.” It’s as good as done folks, as far as God is concerned. Nothing can stop her! And I wonder if it could not come within this genera­tion! Listen folks, this is an awesome time for The Church of God! And no one has the answers but the Lord. Please don’t go to the denominational system for the answers. Their answers won’t fit The Church of God. I’m not saying there aren’t good people, even “other sheep” there. Please don’t go to the world for answers. They don’t have any, period. The world will only take you away from God’s Divine Plan. Don’t go to the Internet for answers. Don’t go to famous theologians for answers. Why go to those outside the Church when we have Christ, Head of the Church, avail­able? We must believe as David, “my help cometh from the Lord.”

 

I know the situation at the Solemn Assembly was different, in a sense, but its success was when people went to the Lord for help. The people relied on the Lord to lead them through that difficult time. And He did! That’s why we are here today. Church, I believe He already has present and future plans made for The Church of God. He is an Omni­scient God—knowing all things, the end from the beginning! There are no surprises before God. He is never late. He is always on time! He’s never out of control. Think of how He keeps this uni­verse running!

I think you know where I’m going this morning. We need God’s help in giving us a General Overseer. And where will we go for help? Will we say, “My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth”?

 

A few weeks back the Overseers met to find God’s will for an Interim General Overseer until the General Assembly. I feel we were doing our part to pray for them to become of one mind. Yes, just like we were at the Solemn Assembly! We became a partner with them even if we were not present. But this week, this “multitude of counselors” must become as one if we are to leave this Assembly feeling good in our soul!

 

I lay no claims on being an authority on this subject. I was 14 years old when M. A. Tomlinson was installed as Gen­eral Overseer, and also, as many of you, I was there when Billy Murray, Robert Pruitt and Stephen Smith were selected. This has only made me more sensitive to the importance of this office and future of The Church of God.

How important is this selection of the General Overseer? It’s important enough that none of us can make the appoint­ment! (I’m not trying to be arrogant, and not trying to belittle anyone). I thought of how the Holy Ghost came to the aid of the Early Church, as recorded in the book of Acts, over circumcision. The devil was trying to divide The Church of God but some in The Church of God touched the throne of God and James proclaimed, “For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things” (Acts 15:28). But notice: the Holy Ghost had to be pleased first. Their decision had to first please the third Per­son of the Godhead. How can one please the Holy Ghost? By and through open­ing our heart to God for His will. The government of The Church of God is theocracy—or God ruled. We’re under the immediate direction of God. Folks, Holy Ghost filled people should be able to discern the Spirit! I believe that’s what happened at the Solemn Assembly.

 

You may say, “But Brother Risch, I think ‘so an so’ is the perfect one” and no doubt you are honest in your thinking. But listen to what Isaiah said in Chap­ter 55: 8, 9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heav­ens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

 

If there is any Scripture that will help keep our ego in check it’s this Scripture: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts.” One could say, “But Lord, I know this man; he is honest, has a good personal­ity, good preacher,” and on and on. But God is saying “My thoughts are so much higher than yours. You see him as he is today, and rightly so, but I already see him in the tomorrows. I know if he is the one who can complete the work required in this office.” It’s one thing to be a good Pastor, or Overseer, or General worker, and another to actually fill the General Overseer’s office. Not belittling anyone, we need God’s man. We need God to give us direction. And I believe He will!

 

Who of us could compare with God’s knowledge for “as the heavens [not heaven] are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

 

I thought of how high the heavens seem to be from the earth on a clear day or when looking down from that airplane from thousands of feet. Then think of Paul who said he knew a man caught up to the third heaven. I’ve got a big imagination, but when I compare my thoughts with One whose thoughts are three heavens higher, it seems sensible to take advice from the Lord when He said “heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool” (Isa. 66:1). This is why we must trust in the Lord and follow theoc­racy—for He already knows the person we need to fill this Office, and I believe He will reveal him to the Church!

 

We use this Scripture so much in evangelistic services: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matt. 7:7). But it is also the way to get other answers from the Lord. Verse 8 promises this: “For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh fin­deth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” If The Church of God will follow these instructions of Jesus the answer will come!

 

Let me say something about the power of prayer. Not since the Solemn Assembly have I heard so many encour­aging others to pray—setting times of prayer, times to fast. And God heard our prayers and blessed the Overseers with a great meeting. I feel in my heart God heard prayers like James wrote about in Chapter 5, verse 16: “The effectual fer­vent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” The dictionary tells this about these two words: Effectual is “to produce a designed effect.” Fervent means “to produce heat and heat produces energy.”

 

What does this kind of praying pro­duce? It can bring powerful results. Why? Because they get the attention of heaven. I believe some righteous people have been praying this kind of prayer these past several weeks. How many of you believe God will answer your prayer?

 

Going back to James 5:17, 18: “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”

 

If historians are correct, it is said when James died they found his knees calloused like a camel’s knees from hours of prayer. But James preferred to write about Elijah, calling him a man with like passions as other men. Yet when it came to prayer he was not ordi­nary, for he actually believed God would answer his prayers.

 

Paraphrasing from the 17th and 18th chapters of 1 Kings, Elijah prayed that there would be no dew or rain for 3 ½ years. And it didn’t rain. He prayed that the widow woman’s meal and oil would not fail, and it didn’t. The widow wom­an’s son died and Elijah prayed and life returned to his body. Elijah prayed and fire came down from heaven, burnt the sacrifice and wood, even the 12 stones around the altar, and the dust, and licked up 12 barrels of water around the altar! Elijah’s faith was so great that God would answer his prayer for it to rain that he sent his servant immediately to look from the mountain top for signs of rain. When the servant returned saying “There is nothing,” Elijah said “Go again” seven times, and on the seventh time the ser­vant returned saying “There’s a little cloud the size of a man’s hand.” One hand-sized cloud (in a clear sky) and Elijah knew his prayer was answered. “Servant, go tell Ahab to get off this mountain while he can!” Folks, that’s believing God will answer your prayers!

 

Remember what was said of Elijah? He was a man with like passions as we are. After all the miracles he did through Almighty God, he became discour­aged and wanted to die. But God wasn’t through with him. He and God had a meeting. (Read chapters 19 thru 22 of 1 Kings; also chapters 1 and 2 of 2 Kings).

Elijah anointed Elisha and they came to the Jordan River. Elijah smote the water with his cloak and they crossed on dry ground. Soon he was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire and a whirlwind.

Listen Church of God, the Church has faced many trying times since A. D 28 but this is not the time to be discour­aged. Now is the time to believe God will answer our prayers just as He did for Elijah! I trust we have many Elijah's here today tho believe God will answer their prayer! Let us rise to the task of believ­ing there’s victory in Jesus!

Arise, go over this Jordan by Bishop Oscar Pimentel

Since I’ve been attending General As­semblies I have often heard people say, “This may be the last time we see each other on this earth”, or “Some of us may not be here next year.” We may even say, “If I don’t see you again, I’ll see you in heaven.”

Heaven certainly has gained a lot of good men and women this year—I believe I can say, “of whom the world was not worthy” (Heb. 11:38).

The last 9 years of my life I have had the honor and privilege to travel, work and be received as a friend by some of these great men. One in particular was Bishop Stephen E. Smith.

I want to take this moment to give honor to whom honor is due. As with many other individuals that God has brought into my life, I noticed special things in Bishop Smith’s life that un­doubtedly served as an example and have helped to mold me in some way. Of course, time won’t permit to tell of the various things that I saw in him day after day at the office that encouraged me, and also challenged me in my walk with the Lord, but I will say that those things provoked me to desire a closer walk with God.

Often times I noticed by the sound of his voice and the words he shared with me as he drove me to the airport on different occasions to head out to the mission field, that Bishop Smith worried about me and my family, about me being away from them so often and for weeks at a time. Bishop Smith had a big heart! Bishop Smith loved God, and he loved The Church of God!

To Sister Vicki Smith and her entire family, I just want to say: “Thank you so much for sharing Brother Stephen Smith with us.” I want to encourage Sister Vicki Smith and her children and grandchildren by reminding them that your husband, your father, your grand­father—died in the faith.

To this great Assembly of The Church of God, I believe we understand that our final destination really is heaven—that is our Promised Land, but if the Lord tarries we will have to cross the frigid waters of Jordan. But not alone! The Bible says, “it is appoint­ed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). Whether men plan to meet death or not—and all too often the men of this world don’t—if the Lord tarries this is a meeting we will not miss. It is an appointment we cannot reschedule or cancel.

This is true of good men and evil men, of just men and the sinner, of the rich men and the poor men, of the “av­erage Joe” and the man of exceptional capabilities, of the men that speak Swahili and those who speak Arabic— we can be sure that when death comes it is no respecter of persons!

Even so, it is not all “doom and gloom.” The fact that we are aware that death WILL come affords us the oppor­tunity to prepare for its arrival. We are not aware of the manner in which we shall die, and we are not aware of the date and time. But though death may catch an individual unaware; that is, it may arrive at a time least expected and shatter dreams, steal away tranquil­ity, and not allow men time to achieve goals they have set—even though it may come in a way not expected, death can be met with EXPECTATION!

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 14:32, “The wicked is driven away in his wicked­ness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.” Upon his death the wicked man’s hopes, desires and expectations are no more—they cease and exist no longer. He is cast down in the grave never to rise in the congregation of the saints. He is an outcast and will not stand in the presence of God any longer than it takes him to be judged and sentenced; then he will be thrust violently into the lake of fire and everlasting torment. What a horrific and fearful thought!

But the righteous hath hope! He can expect with confidence! Hope is to desire with expectation of obtainment, it is to expect with confidence. And so in death the righteous can expect to obtain the fullness of all of God’s prom­ises. You see, for the righteous man, death is not “the end of the road,” but the start of a walk down the streets of gold and an eternity with God. To him death signifies the beginning of an eternity in the presence of the One who rescued him from his hopeless circum­stances and pitiful sinful life that he was once in. That One is Jesus Christ who enabled him and counted him worthy and called him to a life and work of faith and righteousness (cf. 1 Tim. 1:12-15.)

When death stands before the righteous, the Bible indicates that this shall be a short and abbreviated meeting with he who is called “the last enemy” (1 Cor. 15:26)—because death must give way to life!

At that Jordan’s crossing the righ­teous will be able to glance over to the other side with glorious expectations of entering into the joy of the Lord. The frigid waters of Jordan will only be felt momentarily and will promptly be forgotten when that first step is taken on heaven’s shore. Death IS the consequence of sin that came into the world, but our glorious Savior Jesus Christ defeated death and the grave— that mortality might be swallowed up of life! (2 Cor. 5:4).

Righteous men and women of the Bible, and thousands upon thousands of saints, have died throughout the centuries, and millions besides them have died through the ages—but the righteous, “These all died in the faith,” and they lived by faith, “…not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and con­fessed that they were strangers and pil­grims on earth” (Heb. 11:13.)

Jesus spoke of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke chapter 16. We know the story. I have often wondered what was said about him by the people who were at the rich man’s grave side. Then I wonder if anyone even cared or knew of the poor beggar’s death. One thing is certain though—God was aware of both men! The rich man was buried, and Lazarus was carried by angels. I like the thought of the latter.

Saints, if we continue to fight the good fight and finish our course, and keep the faith (2 Tim. 4:7), it will not be said of us that we were merely buried, but rather “These all died in faith”! How about it brothers and sisters, don’t you think that this is a wonderful tes­timony to leave behind to the coming generations?

GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL

“Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel” (Josh. 1:2). His ser­vant Moses was gone, yet God was not dead. He was alive and well! God was still in control of His holy nation. It was He who called this man Joshua and commanded him to arise with all the people and go over the Jordan. The promises of God did not hinge on any one mortal man, “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” (2 Cor. 1:20).

God’s promises to His people are contingent upon His people being obedient to His Word and submissive to His will. We must be strong and cou­rageous to stand up to the world and the devil. The Lord has promised to be with us—never failing us, nor forsaking us! Church of God we are not alone, the Lord shall fight for us. There are chal­lenges before us. There is the unknown. Whatever we may face in this pilgrim­age—every foe, every battle, every weapon forged against us—we must not compare ourselves to those things. Instead we should compare those things to our great big God.

God says, “Be strong, believe on Me, observe to do according to My Word that I have commanded and you will prosper and have good success.” We are not after the prosperity that this world offers. We have our sights set on spiritual prosperity of the Spirit and power of God and the good suc­cess of winning souls for Christ and His Church. Now, more than ever, we should press toward crossing this spiri­tual Jordan into the full blessings of God’s Spirit and power because the Church has the task of conquering the world for Christ.

“Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan...” (Josh. 1:1, 2).

I would like to say something here—our God is not harsh and un-compassionate. Not way back then and not now. He doesn’t treat His children like the world and the devil treat their captives—the world uses you, the dev­il gets the best years of your life out of you, chews you up and then spits you out and doesn’t care what becomes of your life or soul.

Young people listen to me; the devil and the world are not your friends! They are ruthless and brutal and they don’t care one bit about you. They may look right and entice you and lure you until you have fallen into their grasp, and once they have come upon you like a lion upon its prey they will drag you off into a world of lament, anguish, sin and sorrows!

If you listen to the devil and follow after the spirit of this world and forget about God you will regret it when you come to the end of your life, you’ll look back upon your life and it will be full of regrets and you will have nothing to show for it—and nothing to look for­ward to. The devil’s ultimate goal is to drag you to the eternal flames of hell’s fire! He doesn’t care what becomes of you in this life or in eternity after this life—you will descend into the pit and be forgotten.

But not so with God! God’s work does go on uninterrupted. But that in no way means that God chews you up and spits you out. God cares for us, saints, in this life and in the one to come! We belong to Him in life and in death. Paul said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).

Now, can you imagine the conso­lation and comfort that Joshua must have felt upon hearing God say, “Mo­ses, my servant”? God, by these words, recognized his faithful labor—He had not forgotten about Moses—and Joshua could be sure that God had rewarded Moses. We can be sure that God has rewarded those who have come before us!

It must have been so encourag­ing to Joshua to know that God was still with him and the people of Israel. This portion of the Scripture reveals that God was still guiding the affairs of His holy nation for He was still in con­trol even after the death of His servant. God lets us know that when it comes to His people—His Church—God’s work does not depend on any one worker; this is a “work together” program! This is a “pull together” program!

God commanded Joshua, “arise. go over this Jordan.” God did not leave it up to the people to choose Moses’s successor. God did not leave it up to the elders to choose a new leader. God did not leave it up to Joshua, who may have been considered the obvious choice or person to signal someone out to replace Moses. God chose the man! I’m encouraged knowing that God is with us and that He is still direct­ing the affairs of His Church today.

THE CHURCH OF GOD IS STILL INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED BY GOD.

He works through holy men and wom­en of God; we are only instruments in God’s hands! She doesn’t do her own thing or whatever she pleases for “the church is subject unto Christ” (Eph. 5:24); “he [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church” (Col. 1:18); and “For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones” (Eph. 5:30). Jesus said “with­out me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

We are subject to God’s will, Spirit and Word. At all times we are bound to consider what our Lord and Savior would have us to do.

History reveals that nations, king­doms and their rulers have come and gone. Many of those kingdoms and nations have remained only as long as their founders and rulers were alive. But the Church of the Bible is alive and well today because her King lives for­ever! You and I may come and go, but our sovereign God has chosen Zion as His habitation and dwelling place for­ever. He is not going anywhere. He’s here to stay! He is still alive and com­manding His nation to advance. Our work is not yet done!

Today, we are only a few years re­moved from a time when big car es­tablishments have gone under water, enterprises crashed, cities and states of the greatest nation on the planet had to file for bankruptcy, banks and financial institutions once thought to be strong, powerful, and worldwide in scope, crumbled. But isn’t it wonderful that God has placed the Church on a higher plane? She isn’t built upon con­sumer confidence. She isn’t built upon the stock market. She isn’t built upon tax payer’s money. But the Church is built “upon this rock” (Matt.16:18) of divine revelation—that mutual under­standing that God knows us and we know God! It is “built upon the founda­tion of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Eph. 2:20).

She’s not plunging into a recession or depression, NO! Today she is striving to advance to greater spiritual heights! There is no question in our minds and hearts about the Church and where she is going. We have seen in the Scrip­ture that she will one day soon be rap­tured out of this world “arrayed in fine linen, clean and white” (Rev. 19:8). “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27). There is no better time to serve God than the present.

To be independent means: to be free from the influence, control, or de­termination of another or others;

a). Free from the rule of another

b). Free from the influence, per­suasion

c). Not adhering to any political party or organization

d). Not connected or related to another, to each other, or to a group, separate

He who is the Head of the Body said in John chapter 14, “for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” So too must the Body of Christ be in that place in Christ where it can proclaim, “He hath nothing in us! The prince of this world, Satan, and his en­tire hosts have no influence in us, no rule in us.” We cannot allow the devil or this old world to influence The Church of God!

Jesus said, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them [separate them, keep them apart, cleanse them] through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:16, 17). We are not of this world even as He is not of this world! The lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (cf. 1 John 2:16) should have no rule whatsoever over the Body of Christ. She answers to no one except Christ the Head of the Church!

Jesus is the sole Proprietor of this Divine Institution. He alone has legal and exclusive rights to that Church which He Himself purchased with His own precious blood on Calvary.

Jesus Christ referred to her as “my church” (Matt. 16:18). The apostle Paul said, “Take heed therefore unto your­selves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, WHICH HE HATH PURCHASED WITH HIS OWN BLOOD” (Acts 20:28). Paul writes in Ephesians 5:25, “even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.”

NO! This is NOT a partnership with Jesus! No other blood was shed but His own to purchase The Church of God! The Psalmist David declares, “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Psa. 100:3).

The Church of God continues to be governed by the immediate direc­tion of God through the General As­sembly, under God, by the Holy Ghost and the Word of God. She is operated by Theocratic Government. Under theocracy the Church recognizes God as the Supreme Lawgiver. In Him and His Word reside all the spiritual laws by which we are governed. “It is not a gov­ernment of the people, by the people for the people.” Rather, it’s where God rules, where God reigns! It is not a leg­islative or representative government, but judicial only and seeks to interpret the laws of God found in the Holy Book and passes them on to the Church.

God is still in control!

ARISE AND GO OVER

(Our Efforts Are Demanded)

“…now therefore arise, go over this Jordan…” (Joshua 1:2).

Israel had not yet reached the land that God had promised to give His people, but it was within sight now! They were on the brink of entering into the land that flows with milk and hon­ey. Would they press forward, or turn back? Would they let fear grip their hearts, or trust and have confidence in God’s command? Would they face the challenge that was before them and move forward regardless of what their natural eyes could visibly see?

There is a Jordan that we, The Church of God, must cross! Amen? God’s command is for His people to ARISE AND GO OVER! This is a Divine command! God help us to press for­ward and not permit fear to grip our heart in these last days.

God help us to come together in PERFECT UNITY that we may pull to­gether, work together and face what­ever opposition that is before us to­gether. We are going to need one an­other saints! I need you, and you need the person sitting next to you—we will need each other!

But arise and go over what, you ask? I realize that I don’t know what Jordan represents to each one of us, but perhaps to the Church today this Jordan represents disappointments, discouragements, sorrows, despairs, adversities, unbelief, misunderstand­ings, worldliness, strife, division, un­godliness, contentions, distrust, and a variety of other things that we may face, and if we will only cross over be­yond these things and leave them be­hind us we will enter into the greatest blessing we have ever known.

God demanded an effort on the part of Joshua and the people of Israel. God was calling them to GET UP and move. I feel as though He is telling US, “You’ve mourned long enough, you’ve traveled through the wilderness long enough, now the time has come to “Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck” (Isa. 52:2).

Shake thyself from discour­agement! Let not any of us ever give over or yield to discouragement or despondency. That’s what our Ad­vice says! Don’t get discouraged and throw your hands up just because somebody did you wrong—pray for them! Don’t get dispirited when some of our people do wrong—pray for them! Instead of disappoint­ments for the Church, instead of withdrawals for the Church, instead of setbacks for the Church—there is victory! God will always cause us to triumph in Christ! (2 Cor. 2:14). He will cause us to have forward movement and conquest for the entire Church. When the battle is hard, dear saints, let’s not give over to defeat. Accord­ing to the Scripture the battle is ours, we are more than conquerors in Him. Let’s press right into the fight against the enemy of our souls!

Shake thyself from divisions! I know there is love in The Church of God. I have felt it in a greater measure these last few weeks. I don’t believe that you can find this same love—the love of The Church of God—in any or­ganization outside the Church. Yet we are not perfect in that love. From time to time we have disagreements. But it doesn’t mean we don’t love each other. Many times as a child living at home I and my siblings had our dis­agreements and we seemed to get upset with one another, but we still loved one another! We worked things out—we stayed brothers and sisters. At times we find a few differences in the WAY (I didn’t say WHAT) ministers teach. There is a wrong way to teach what is right. Sometimes folks preach rough and harsh, but we want to pres­ent the truth in a way that edifies. I say tell the truth and preach the gospel, but let us not beat and demean folks.

Saints, I believe that as long as we stick to the Bible teachings as God has revealed them to us, and which we have agreed on, there will be no room for disagreements. When people be­gin to preach some doctrine outside of the bounds of the Assembly, that is what brings disagreement and di­vision. But if we stay within those bounds we will speak the same thing and find no divisions among us.

Shake thyself from worldliness! Isaiah, the prophet of God, declared: “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips...” (Isa. 6:5). He came to the realization that the things he saw and heard— the environment he was in—did af­fect him. He was still the prophet of God—he had not forsaken God—He was not backslidden, but the things around him had a way of attaching themselves to him like barnacles on the hull of a ship in the water. The way you prevent barnacles from clinging to ships is by treating the hull with a toxic paint; and the only way to keep this world from clinging to us is by keeping our hearts coated with the crimson blood of God’s Son Jesus! When our heart is kept under that crimson flow of His precious blood it will repel sin, it will repel worldliness, and it will make us whiter than snow!

Saints, we are in the world, but not of the world! We must be careful with what we see and with what we hear, where we go and what we allow into our lives because they will not only get on US—THEY WILL GET IN US! We must stay close to God! If we see ourselves drifting off and away from God we need to cry out to the Lord for help. I’m not saying that we are back­slidden, I’m simply saying that from time to time I have to take my suits to the dry cleaners to be washed and get the spots and stains off—I don’t get rid of them, I get them cleaned. And maybe the possibility exists that we need to take our life and heart to the Champion Cleaner and allow Him to clean us up!

Shake thyself from distrust! We must pray the minor breaches of confidence repaired and we must be welded together again. To dis­trust means that I, as a person, have a confident expectancy that another individual’s motives—in this case my fellow brother’s—intentions and be­havior are threatening and harmful to my own. You know what that does; it will induce a competitive positioning that kindles and intensifies conflict. Distrust has and will impede coopera­tion in the Church! If I know my broth­er is living right for God, if I know that my brother is faithful to the Church, if I know his profession among many witnesses I should have a healthy amount of confidence in him. I had rather trust you, and if you’re go­ing to prove me wrong, let you do it than to believe that you have ulterior motives. We must shake ourselves of distrust and pursue unity and a com­mon interest to reach the lost and to encourage and edify the Church.

“Bind us together Lord, bind us together with cords that cannot be broken. Bind us together Lord, bind us together Lord, bind us together with love”—is to be our song. O, that we would be lost in God’s “River of Love”— that we would not think evil of one another, nor allow the enemy to put thoughts in our minds that are not so. (to be continue)