volume 116 march/april 2009 issue
DESCRIPTION
Volume 116 March/April 2009 IssueTRANSCRIPT
What Does The Church of Jesus Christ Believe?
We believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of
God and is the SOLE authority on every subject. We
believe that Jesus Christ is the Almighty God. Rev. 1:8,
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,
saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to
come, the Almighty.” God put on a robe of flesh and
walked here on earth for 33 years to fulfill prophecy for
the New Testament Church, which is The Church of
Jesus Christ. According to the Word, John 1:1, “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.” John 1:14, “And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us….” The Church of
Jesus Christ believes that everyone must take His word
seriously, John 8:24, “I said therefore unto you, that ye
shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I Am He,
ye shall die in your sins.”
We follow God’s plan of salvation. Acts 2:38,
“…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Baptism is by
immersion in water only. The evidence of the infilling
of the Holy Ghost is according to Acts 2:4, “And they
were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to
speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.” John 3:5 states, “Jesus answered, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God.” We must then live a clean, holy, and dedicated
life to Jesus Christ thereafter taking diligent heed to the
Word.
The Church of Jesus Christ must be found faithful
to His Word. We must be partakers of Communion
service. This service consists of the Lord’s Supper and
Foot Washing. 1 Cor. 11:24, 25, “And when he had
given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my
body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance
of me. (25) After the same manner also he took the cup,
when he had supped, saying, “This cup is the New
Testament in my blood: this do ye oft as ye drink it, in
remembrance of me.” John 13:14, 15, “If I then, your
Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought
to wash one another’s feet. (15) For I have given you an
example that ye should do as I have done to you.”
Watch, pray, forsake not the assembling of
yourselves together, give your tithes and offerings, so
that YOU can be counted among the faithful when our
one and only Savior, Jesus Christ, comes back in a
“cloud with power and great glory”!
Executive Board of Bishops
Bishop Jarret R. Spence, Presiding Bishop 2298 Fern Street
Portage, Indiana 46368
Phone 219-762-7492
Bishop Tommy Johnson, Asst. Presiding Bishop
P.O. Box 505
Dyersburg, Tennessee 38024
Phone 731-285-9200
Bishop Paul Rose, Secretary/Treasurer
P.O. Box 344
Cabin Creek, West Virginia 25035
Phone 304-595-5640
National Youth Leaders
Bro. Jarret & Sis. Caryn Spence
804 Pennsylvania Avenue
LaPorte, IN 46350
Phone 219-325-3904
Bro. Travis & Sis. Nora Hensley, Assistants
437 Tecumseh Street
Warsaw, IN 46582
Phone 574-551-4487
Bishop of Jamaica
Bishop Orville Rodney
199 Catherene Mount
Albion P. A.
Montego Bay, St. James, Jamaica, W. I.
Phone 876-952-6676
Bishop of Canada
Bishop Mathias Gooden
75 Dunlop St., Apt. 406
Richmond Hills, ON L4C 2M7
CANADA
Phone 905-883-8543
State Bishops
Bishop Charles Hays, Sr.
409 Fitch Street
Albion, Michigan 49224
Phone 517-629-7053
Bishop Danny Walls P.O. Box 216
Ingalls, Indiana 46048
Phone 317-485-4105
United We StandUnited We StandUnited We StandUnited We Stand
Divided We FallDivided We FallDivided We FallDivided We Fall
www.jesuschristisgod.org
www.thechurchofjesuschrist.net
The Church Of Jesus Christ
Headquarters: 2797 Bryant St. Portage, IN 46368
Phone: 219-763-1049
www.JESUSCHRISTISGOD.ORG
Message of Hope
Official Organ, owned by: The Church of Jesus Christ
Editor of the Message of Hope:
Sis. Wendy Leslie
Please send all articles to:
MESSAGE OF HOPE
236 Southwind Dr. Valparaiso, IN 46385
Articles and Pictures due: May 1st, 09
THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST P.O. Box 344, Cabin Creek, West Virginia 25035
(304) 595-5640
Host Pastor: Bishop Paul Rose
Is Announcing:
Held in Sharon, W.V.
On Cabin Creek Road, Exit # 75 I - 77 South of Charleston, W.V.
Tent Revival Service Times:
Thursday and Friday at 7:00 P.M.
Saturday at 6:00 P.M.
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh:
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams: Acts 2:17
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Days Inn 6400 Maccorkle Ave S.E.
Charleston, WV 25304
1-800-304-3809 or (304) 925-1010
Red Roof Inn 6305 Maccorkle Ave Se
Charleston, WV 25304
1-800-733-7663 or (304) 925-6953
Comfort Suites 107 Alex Lane
Charleston, WV 25304
(304) 925-1171
Country Inn & Suites 105 Alex Lane
Charleston, W.V. 25304
1-800-456-4000 or (304) 925-4300
Motel 6 6311 Maccorkle Southeast
Charleston, WV 25304
1-800-466-8356 or (304) 925-0471
Knights Inn 6401 Maccorkle Ave SE
Charleston, WV 25304
1-800-843-5644 or (304) 925-0451
The Church
The church is a spiritual body that God is bringing into
perfection. I Cor. 15:49, And as we have borne the
image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly. I can see a growth in the body of Christ, as it
is shedding the old and is adorning herself in
preparation of the return of the lamb. Rev. 21:9, Come
hither, I will shew thee the bride, the lamb's wife;
(that’s--The Church of Jesus Christ.)
Eph. 1:22-23, 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 fullness of him that filleth all in
all. If the head is holy, then the body must be holy.
Through carnality, people discern the signs of the times,
but they cannot discern Christ and His body. I can see a
new determination in the church, but as always, there
are some who have turned aside. The road of retreat is
well-traveled, but it is all downhill. Apostle Paul was
well acquainted with those who retreated.
II Tim. 4:10, For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved
this present world and is departed. Some departed
Apostle Paul, and some departed Jesus Christ when He
was on earth. John 6:66, from that time many of his
disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Jesus said to the twelve, "Will you also go away?"
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we
go? thou hast the words of eternal life." Heb. 12:16
...Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
He was rejected, for he found no place of repentance,
though he sought for it carefully with tears.
Some try to bring persecution upon the church to justify
their love for the world, but as in Job...Why persecute
we him (the church) seeing the root of the matter is
found in me? Gideon started with 32,000 men, but as
he would obey God and do as God instructed him, he
had only 300 men who stood the test. God will have a
church; a people who will not be moved; who will stand
for holiness, righteousness, and godliness; who are
separated from the world, whose lights are shining in
this last day.
Bis. Tommy Johnson
Pastor, Elder Mickey Dodd
The Church of Jesus Christ
Dyersburg, TN
News from Dyersburg, TN
Praise the Lord! God has been so good to all of us
in Dyersburg! We certainly want to give Him the praise
that He is truly due. He has been doing great things this
year and our cup is overflowing! At the beginning of
this year, Bro. Matt McGehee came back to the Lord
and what a blessing he has been to our youth and
church. Many of the youth have taken on different roles
in the church and have inspired us all. Sis. Crystal
Williams wanted to work with a choir and she has
become the Adult Choir Leader. She is doing an
awesome job! Sis. Jessi McCaig has started a Petite
Praise Team and a Teen Praise Team. She works really
hard with them using sign language to music. It is
amazing just to watch their white gloves (against the
black light) speak to us. Bro. Eric Gilbert put on a skit
to music about “our chains are gone”. It was a very
moving skit. We want to thank all of the youth for their
desire to do a great work in the church.
The weekend of February 20th, Bro. Travis and his
family came and blessed us with a revival. He did a
wonderful job ministering “It is time to draw water from
the well”. All of the saints were very uplifted and
blessed. We finally was able to see their precious new
addition to their family, little “Elijah”. The weekend
after Bro. Travis, Bro. Randy Westmoreland and his
family came to hold us a “youth” revival. The youth
were ready for revival and the theme for it was “Ignite
2009, Dyersburg”! The fire certainly fell and the youth were caught up in it! We heard many great songs
and saw some very moving skits and performances from
the youth. The first night of revival, Bro. John Dodd
received the Holy Ghost. What a testimony he left us!
Bro. Timothy Brewer received it the last night. We are
so happy for these two brothers in the Lord. It was so
wonderful to see all the youth in one mind and one
accord, worshipping the Lord and helping all of those
that were seeking. We were so blessed to have so many
churches to join us in praise. We are expecting many
more great things from the Lord! Continue to pray for
us as we pray for you.
Church Reporter: Sis. Amanda Rose
Pastor, Elder Mickey Dodd
The Church of Jesus Christ
Dyersburg, TN
God loves everyone, but probably prefers 'fruits of the spirit' over 'religious nuts!'
Praise the Lord!
I praise the Lord for all He has done for me, I
can’t ever say enough about the Lord. When I am
happy, sad, or whatever the situation maybe, I pray and
ask Jesus Christ to help me. I can’t make it without His
help. I don’t know what I would do without the Lord. I
am blessed and thankful for The Church of Jesus Christ
and our Pastor, Bishop Paul Rose and his wife Sis.
Brenda.
We have had good services, and the Lord has
blessed us this year. I am thankful for a new year, and
for all the Lord has done for me.
If you are someone who has not turned to Jesus
Christ you are missing so much joy and happiness! If
things aren’t going okay, just ask Him, pray and obey
His word and it will be better for you in your life.
Remember us in prayer and may God bless you.
Sis. Janet Weddington
Pastor, Bishop Paul Rose
The Church of Jesus Christ
Ohley, WV
Controlled by God
Greetings to all in the body of Jesus Christ. May
God richly bless you. Judges 6 tells us the story of
Gideon. When Gideon was first called by God he had
to deal with self doubt and unbelief. He didn’t have the
courage and he needed assurance that God will be with
him. Gideon in himself was hopeless and helpless.
When we lack faith it causes our hands to be tied, our
eyes to get dark and we become fearful. We are often
times frustrated in a way that God cannot work in and
through us. Gideon who was chosen by God to lead the
people; the children of Israel out of the hands of the
Midianites, as a man of valor. God promised to be with
him. After asking for a sign and through an encounter
with God, Gideon’s life is transformed as the spirit of
God took control and he built an altar unto the Lord and
called in Jehovah-Shalom. Judges 6:24. His life was
shaped through faith for services. Gideon was
successful when he carefully followed the instructions
of God. He had a few failures and yet despite these
failures Gideon was commended as a hero of faith in
Hebrews 11:32. God has given to us the same
assurance He gave to Gideon. He will be with you, for
He has promised never to leave or to forsake us. All we
have to do is to constantly act on our faith in God.
Believing and trusting in His word.
Sis. Benjamin
Hamelton, Ontario Canada
IGNITE 2009 The services were awesome. It felt like camp to
some of us. We thank the Lord for Bro. Randy
Westmoreland and his family coming down and
preaching for us. He did an outstanding job
encouraging the youth to stay strong. Sunday night he
preached a great message. His topic was “What’s all
the noise about?” But he wasn’t talking about shouting
and praising the Lord. He was talking about hell. The
young people that didn’t have the Holy Ghost, he had
them sit on one side and the ones that did he had them
sit on the other side. The ones that have the Holy Ghost
was the cheering section and we had to show the Holy
Ghost seekers that we were behind them all the way and
encourage them. It touched a lot of people’s hearts.
The youth have been very busy with getting
ready for this. Bro. Michael McGehee put together a
skit set to a song. The beginning was God creating her
and then on into it a guy comes along and steals her
away from God. From there more people start coming
into her life and pushing her further and further away
from him. At the end she is about to kill herself and she
see’s God and tries getting back to Him but all the
people try holding her back. She finally just falls down
and prays and God’s holding back all the people as they
try to get to her. It touched many people as we acted it
out.
Over the past few months we have seen our
young people become closer and more united. We care
so much about each other. We strongly believe that
God is getting His people ready and we all just want to
be doing what we should to make it to Heaven. We
thank the Lord for Bro. John Dodd and Bro. Timothy
Brewer receiving the Holy Ghost. We also thank the
Lord that Bro. Michael Quillen from Portage was
baptized in The Name of Jesus Christ.
We enjoyed having everyone from out of town
there. The youth in Dyersburg have never been better
and we are all excited to see what God has planned for
us in the future. Just continue to pray for us.
Youth Reporter: Sis. Laura Beth Dodd
Pastor, Elder Mickey Dodd
The Church of Jesus Christ
Dyersburg, TN
Be ye fishers of men.
You catch them -
He'll clean them.
Devoted To God & United Together
This year started much like it ended. We have
been hearing instruction from God through His Word.
Our first message of the year told us to be devoted to
God. Being devoted means to be consistent in serving
Him and not to use God and His church like a band-aid.
Some people only turn to God when things are going
wrong or a tragedy happens. Then when things clear up,
they rip off the band-aid and go back to how they were
before the bad time. Or as our Bro. Steven White put it,
“they go on a long vacation.” When you are devoted to
God you are devoted to His church and His people. God
can truly work when we all come together in unity.
Psalms 133:1 holds true because our services have
become very good and pleasant when we dwell together
in unity. In Bishop Spence’s message we were reminded
how the church, even though many members, is one
body (Rom. 12:5) and how if one member hurts, the
whole body should mourn for it. We as the body of
Christ can be victorious when we work together. If we
can’t strengthen our brothers and sisters we will not get
the victory. Just like when Moses’ arms grew heavy and
his brethren made sure his arms were held up during the
battle. This thought was brought out in a message from
Bro. Larry Pogue during a recent youth service. He used
the lesson of Jonathan and his armor bearer that were
victorious over the Philistines only because they worked
together with faith in God (1 Sam. 14:6-7.) Nehemiah
and all the men couldn’t have rebuilt the walls of
Jerusalem without a mind to work together (Neh. 4:6).
Being a musician, I can relate to working together. If the
whole band practices together they sound great. But if
one member is not playing with the rest the whole band
sounds bad. In all these cases, the devil does all he can
to divide us (1 Cor. 1:10) so we become unjoined from
each other. That is when we all need to use the Holy
Ghost and stand strong until we are victorious. In
Bishop Spence’s message on unity, he brought forth that
if we help our neighbors; we have done the same to God
(Mt. 25:40). But the point that struck home was the
opposite of that. If we shun someone, we have shunned
God. Even though God’s word cuts us deep, I still
appreciate how it is leading us onto perfection (Eph.
4:12-13) by coming into the unity of faith.
I have to say I sure saw a lot of unity among the
youth at the services in Dyersburg Tennessee. I praise
the Lord for those services and His blessings He poured
out. It also had a happy ending when Bro. Michael
Quillen was baptized.
Sis. Deanna Johnson
Pastor, Bishop Randell Spence
The Church of Jesus Christ
Portage, IN
Praise the Lord!
It was so good to see
everyone in Dyersburg at the
Youth Revival. The services
were amazing, and it was so
good to feel the unity among
the young people. I am so
thankful to have been filled
with the Holy Ghost Friday
night also! It was and still is an
amazing feeling. It is a great
thing to be back in here serving Jesus Christ. This is by
far the best life to live, and I am so thankful for the
mercy of God. There have been so many great things
happening lately and it is great to be a part of it all. It is
amazing and uplifting to see how on fire for God
everybody is, and how the youth have been really
pulling together and building each other up. I can't wait
to see everyone soon!
Bro. John Dodd
Pastor, Elder Mickey Dodd
The Church of Jesus Christ
Dyersburg, TN
Praise the Lord Everyone!
If you haven't heard by now, John Michael Dodd
received the Holy Ghost. He was baptized in Oct. 1999
and has been seeking for a long time - but on Feb. 27,
2009 he was filled. The Lord really poured His spirit
upon him and we thank the Lord for that. Some time
ago John did grow cold toward God, and several months
ago he quit seeking the Lord altogether. But up in
Kingsport at the Dedication Service the Lord touched
his heart. He had always told us if he ever felt the Lord
again that he would let the Lord move on him. Well, he
did and he received a good blessing up there. Since
then he has really been on fire for the Lord and we were
praying that it would not be long until he received the
Holy Ghost. We had an awesome Youth Revival here
in Dyersburg. We are so proud of all the youth from all
the churches and we would like to thank all of those that
were able to come and be in the revival with us. The
Lord moved in every service and the youth were
encouraged to stay strong in the Lord. I just want to
thank the Lord for filling John Michael and for the Lord
filling Laura Beth last November. Now I can say my
whole family has the Holy Ghost. Thanks for everyone
that ever said a pray or helped pray with them in the
altar.
Sis. Terri Dodd
Pastor, Elder Mickey Dodd
The Church of Jesus Christ
Dyersburg, TN
The best mathematical equation I have ever seen:
1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given!!
Let Your Light So Shine
Thanks to the Lord, Jesus Christ, who is doing great
things in the church. In the last few months we have
seen young people baptized and filled with the Holy
Ghost, we have seen backsliders return to the Lord, and
we have seen the body of Jesus Christ coming together
in unity. In the month of February alone, the Dyersburg
church has had three revivals, and we were privileged to
attend the dedication of The Church of Jesus Christ in
Kingsport, TN where Bro. Bo Westmoreland is pastor.
The youth revival in Dyersburg just concluded with two
people claiming the Holy Ghost, and one person getting
baptized. The theme of the youth revival was "Ignite
2009" and I believe the Lord has ignited a fire within the church and the young people in particular. I sense in
all our churches a renewal of hunger, a strong desire for
the Spirit of the Lord at work in our lives and it is
wonderful. The Lord said in Isaiah 4:2-6 that he would
"create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and
upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the
shining of a flaming fire by night". Surely the Lord is
moving among His people and His presence is clear.
Psalms 18:28 says, "For thou will light my candle ..."
Truly His peoples' candles are burning brightly. I pray
we can hold them high and carry them outside the four
walls of the church into the world in which we live and
give light to those who still sit in darkness. I pray we
can reach out to those bound by sin and help them see
there is a wonderful life in Jesus Christ with His Spirit
living inside you. He tells us in Matt. 5:14-16, "Ye are
the light of the world. Neither do men light a candle
and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it
giveth light to all them that are in the house. Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Let
every one of us purpose in our hearts that we will carry
the joy of the Lord we feel in the midst of the
congregation out the doors with us when we go on our
jobs, and into our schools, and all around town as we
go about our daily lives. Lord help us to reach out to
people in need and shine forth the same love God has
shone in our hearts to those who feel unloved,
unforgiven, unwanted, and helpless to change their
lives. God is still in the business of changing lives, and
we are His ambassadors for that change. He said in
John 7:37-29 in speaking of the Holy Ghost that out of
our belly would flow rivers of living water. When He
fills us with the Holy Ghost He intends for His living
water to flow out of us to others. How? Through
loving others with the love of God ... unconditionally,
just as they are. The Lord will use that love to draw
them to Himself through us. Lord help us to lighten
someone's load just a little, give them a smile if they
don't have one, offer them a hand up in addition to a
hand out. The Lord tells us in Isaiah 58:6-12 that His
desire and the thing He finds more acceptable than just a
fasting where we deny ourselves food for a time, is a
fast where we deny ourselves to help others, especially
those who are lost. He says that if we help them break
free of sin, if we ease their burdens, if we feed the
hungry, if we give lodging to the poor, if we give
clothing to the destitute ... basically, if we love others as
we love ourselves ...; then our light will break forth as
the morning and the glory of the Lord will be our
rereward (that's not a misspelling, it is actually rereward
... blessing on top of blessing), our light will rise in
obscurity, and our darkness will be as the noon day.
Let's pray for one another that each of us can see and
seize every opportunity to help someone else know the
salvation of Jesus Christ. I believe the apostle Paul put
it very well in I Corinthians 9:22 when he said, "To the
weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I
am made all things to all men, that I might by all means
save some." God Bless! I just want to give a special
thanks to the Lord for bringing Bro. John Michael, Sis.
Terri's and my son back and for filling him with His
unspeakable gift, the Holy Ghost. Also, thank you so
much to everyone who said a prayer or an encouraging
word to him or us. Glory to God!
Pastor Mickey Dodd
The Church of Jesus Christ
Dyersburg, TN
Praise the Lord
I want to thank the Lord for being baptized in the name
of Jesus Christ and being filled with the Holy Ghost. I
thank the Lord for Bro. Matt and Bro. John coming back
to church and Bro. John receiving the Holy Ghost. I also
want to thank the Lord for the way God has been
moving in my life. The Lord has done so much for me.
God has always been right there with me even when I
turned away from Him. For awhile the devil had me
chained to some things that I knew was wrong but one
night at church the Lord poured out a blessing on me
and broke those chains. I thank the Lord for this past
weekend the youth revival was AMAZING seeing all
the young people coming together praising God. I thank
the Lord for filling two with the Holy Ghost and one
getting baptized. I am also thankful for the others that
were in the altar, just hang in there you WILL get it. As
it says in the Bible, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent,
and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins, and ye SHALL receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the PROMISE is unto
YOU and to your children, and to all that are afar off,
even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts
2:38-39) I have so much to be thankful for but I guess
the most thing that I am thankful for is the desire God
has placed in my heart to live for Him. Just pray for me
that I will always do God's will.
Sis. Jessi McCaig
Pastor, Elder Mickey Dodd
The Church of Jesus Christ
Dyersburg, TN
Pierceton Report
Praise the Lord everyone! God is GREAT and
greatly to be praised! He is worthy of all praise so let us
lift our voices and raise our hands to give Jesus Christ
the King of all Kings all the glory and honor that is due
unto His name.
We thank the Lord for all He has done and for
bringing us through these winter months safely. God
has really been blessing in our services and the
preaching has been great. Bro. Jason Traxler and Bro.
Andy Baldridge our young and upcoming ministers,
have been bringing forth some great encouraging, and
uplifting messages of hope. In their ministries there has
been definitely been great growth and God has blessed.
We are so thankful they are willing to allow God to use
them for His work.
We are also thankful for our Pastor, Bishop Robert
O’Dell and all the teaching he has been bringing forth
about taking heed of the signs of the times. This is
definitely the end times. All the signs Jesus Christ
speaks about in Matthew 24 are coming to pass and the
prophecies are being fulfilled everyday. We need to be
prepared not only physically and mentally, but most
importantly spiritually. If there has ever been a time to
get closer to God it is now. There is no time to waste.
We need to read His word more, fast more, and pray
more than we ever have before.
God is coming back for His people. The ones who
have repented of their sins, been baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ (there is no other name! Acts 4:12), and
have received the Holy Ghost with the evidence in
speaking in other tongues (Acts 2) and who are living a
pure and holy life according to the word of God. These
are the only ones going with Jesus Christ when He
returns. Prepare yourselves and you can call heaven
home.
I pray we all strive to make heaven our home.
Church Reporter: Sis. Nora Hensley
Pastor, Bishop Robert O’Dell
The Church of Jesus Christ
Pierceton, IN
_______________________________________________________________________________________________