March/April 2009

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=100 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000640egdysm.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000066" FACE="Arial" ><B>Church of God, In Truth</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>    |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church of God, In Truth"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> back to<B>  </B><A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Letters to the Brethren"><B>Letters to the Brethren</B></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#0000BF" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="januaryfebruary_2012.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2012">January/February 2012</A></div> <div> <A HREF="novemberdecember_2011.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2011">November/December 2011</A></div> <div> <A HREF="septemberoctober_2011.htm" TARGET="_top" 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<div> <A HREF="id238.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2003">May/June 2003</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id231.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2003">March/April 2003</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id228.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2003">January/February 2003</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id221.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2002">November/December 2002</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id215.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2002">September/October 2002</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id211.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2002">July/August 2002</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id207.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2002">May/June 2002</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id203.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2002">March/April 2002</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id199.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2002">January/February 2002</A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=380 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"God's Called"</B></div> <div> Pete Fleming, Elder</div> <bR> <div> Greetings to all our scattered brethren,</div> <bR> <div>      By the time you read this, Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread will be upon us.  As we approach God's Spring Holy Days, how many of us really understand and appreciate God's calling?  God says that those He calls are “sanctified,” or set apart for His purpose.  Out of this world of spiritual darkness, God has called a little flock to make up His Church of firstfruits.  He gives each of us whom He calls - upon our true repentance and baptism - a small portion of His “divine nature” in the form of His Holy Spirit.  Notice what the apostle Peter wrote in II Peter 1:1-4: “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained life precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace he multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”</div> <div>      The Word came to earth and lived among men as a man; Jesus the Christ, obedient in all things to the perfect will of His Father; exemplified in how He lived the way that leads to peace, to love and to eternal life in the divine Family of God.  Jesus explained: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:5-6).  As we acknowledge during the Passover season, we are reconciled to God by Jesus' atoning blood if we are willing to demonstrate our acceptance of it by believing Him and following Him.  Jesus said, “Come, learn of me!”  Jesus Christ did not just teach this way of life, He lived it!  He set the example, the standard.  He, as He stated, is “the way!”</div> <div>      As His followers we must come to truly know Him and grow spiritually to live as He lived.  His way was and is the way of peace, the way of love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness.  He taught meekness and humility.  He explained that a proud attitude will not inherit His Father's Kingdom, rather; He looks on the one who is poor in spirit, or walks in unfeigned humility - the one who relies fully on Him.</div> <div>      Jesus taught we must hunger and thirst for His righteousness - deeply committing ourselves to lifelong faithfulness to Him and becoming willing vessels for Him to live His life in us.  He taught mercy.  He instructed us to pray that God would forgive us ...as we forgive those who trespass against us.  He taught willingness to suffer for the sake of obeying Him.  Jesus warned that anyone who would be a true follower of His would indeed suffer persecution. Yet He instructed His followers to suffer it patiently - without compromise, obeying God rather than man.  But the world has not followed that way.  Greed, selfishness, vanity, hatred, injustice, warfare, oppression - these are the ways mankind has followed - the ways of the devil, the father of lies.</div> <div>      Jesus refers to us as “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).  He expects us to shine as lights in a dark world as we become solidly rooted living examples of the way of life He taught and lived.  As His servants, we must believe and obey Him!  We must be committed to living that way, according to “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).  We are the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13).</div> <div>      One day all mankind will benefit from the faith and character developed by God in His “firstfruits,” as He refers to His Church.  They will reign with Christ for a thousand years as priests (Revelation 20:6), teaching the nations the ways of God, so that all who are willing to repent and grow spiritually may ultimately receive the gift of salvation God has in store for them.</div> <div>      Can you imagine what a tragic shame it would be one day when those of this rebellious generation come to repentance in their time, according to God's merciful plan, and find that some of you God has called to be His firstfruits had cast away your calling to join in with the society around us?   They would surely ask, “You mean you preferred to follow our wicked, rebellious ways even though you knew all about God's law and His purpose for man?  Why, we didn't know where we were going or what we were doing.  We were deceived.  But you weren't!  Why did you neglect your wonderful calling and follow us in the ways of the world?”</div> <div>      The apostle Paul drew a vivid analogy to portray how much our calling means to God: “The creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.  And not only they, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:21-23).</div> <div>      Are we followers of Jesus Christ, or followers of our own habits, lusts and appetites?  Brethren, let us live the way Jesus Christ taught and lived!  Let us make the most of the time that remains before Jesus Christ returns.  We are His sheep.  He is the Good Shepherd.  He will give us all the help we need to be successful.  He will give us encouragement, support, strength and power.  He is there, at the right hand of God, our Father, making intercession for us as our Brother and High Priest - if we are willing to repent, to grow, to overcome - to follow Him!</div> <div>      As we observe Passover 2009 and the Days of Unleavened Bread, let us never fail to take this great calling seriously!  It is the most serious and important thing in our lives!  Have a meaningful and inspiring Spring Holy Day season!</div> <bR> <div> Church of God, In Truth</div> <div> P.O. BOX 1120</div> <div> Kimberling City, MO 65686</div> <div> Tel: 417-338-0033</div> <div> Fax: 417-338-0031</div> <div> Contact:   James Russell, Elder                                    Or                Pete Fleming, Elder</div> <div> Tel: 417-338-0033                                                                              Tel: 830-885-5502</div> <div> mail: cogit@flash.net                                                                     E-mail: pmf06@gvtc.com</div> <bR> <div>              Spanish:                                                            Or                      Philippines:</div> <div> Contact: Martin Martinez, Deacon                                    Contact: Sotero Sonza, Deacon</div> <div> Tel: 787-786-5856                                                                           Tel: 0639168814846</div> <div> E-mail: martin2k@onelinkpr.net                                     E-mail: soterosonza@yahoo.com.ph</div> <bR> <div> Our Sabbath Telephone Conference number is <B>toll free</B>: 1-888-206-2266.  An automated speaker will ask for your access code.  Call or e-mail for new access code.  Hook-up time is 11:30 AM Pacific time zone.  The Sabbath Internet Conference is found at: www.postponements.com  Also at 11:30 AM Pacific time zone.  Click on live sermons!</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>