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)