Friday, June 7, 2019

Letter to our Friends - June 7, 2019


Dear Friends:

Greetings again from Owensboro, Kentucky.

Pentecost is coming up this Sunday – sunset June 8th through sunset June 9th. So, there will be – basically – double-Sabbaths.

Owensboro Trip

As I had stated previously, Deacon Trevor, his family, and many other members and friends will be in Owensboro, Kentucky June 15th, 2019 for Sabbath services at the Logsdon Community Center – 2400 Friendship Dr. We would love to see you there, be sure to contact Minister Michael C. Garrett at garrett158@roadrunner.com for additional information.

Pentecost

Most who profess Christ know something about Pentecost. Many properly consider it the beginning of the New Testament Church of God.

The apostles were told to wait in Jerusalem to receive the power of the Holy Spirit:

“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me; 5) for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’” – Acts 1:4-5; NKJV and hereafter unless otherwise noted.
So, they waited. And:
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” – Acts 2:1.
Notice it was when the Day of Pentecost had fully come. The Bible is clear that the events that follow were directly related to the fact that the Day of Pentecost had fully come. And the apostles were all observing it together.

Here is what happened:
“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven [the sky], as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3) Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues [languages], as the Spirit gave them utterance.” 
38) Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39) For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off [in the generations to come], as many as the Lord our God will call.’ 40) And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.’ 41) Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42) And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 47) [P]raising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the Church daily those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:2-4, 38-42, 47.
They received some of the power of God’s Spirit. The Roman Catholics, the Eastern Orthodox, the greater majority of Protestants, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Church of God all believe that this was the beginning of the New Testament Church of God. And rightly so. The Holy Spirit (be sure to watch “The Truth Concerning the Trinity Explained” in which Minister Garrett explains from God’s Word the Holy Spirit) was gifted at a certain time (the same time that many Jews observed Pentecost).

That was not a coincidence.

Many may not realize that Pentecost represented more than just the gifting of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the New Testament Church of God.

The Feast of Pentecost or the Feast of Firstfruits as it is also called (Exodus 34:22) reminds us that God the Father and Jesus Christ is now only calling a small “firstfruits” spiritual harvest – with the Last Great Day picturing a greater harvest later. The Spring harvest, in many areas around the world, is much smaller in quantity than the Fall harvest – and this is consistent with God’s ultimate Plan of salvation for humanity as a whole.

But isn’t Jesus a type of firstfruits? Yes, He certainly is.

The Apostle Paul wrote:
“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [in Christ]. 21) For since by man came death, By Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23) But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.” – 1 Corinthians 15:20-23.
Our Savior – Jesus Christ – is the fulfillment of the wave sheaf offering in Leviticus 23:10-11. He is the sheaf of firstfruits. He also fulfilled that role when He ascended into Heaven on the Sunday (the wave sheaf offering of the Old Covenant was on a Sunday) after He was resurrected (John 20:1, 17). However, neither He nor His true followers observed what is now called Ishtar (Easter). (Be sure to read “Prophecy Series: End-Time Babylon” in which Michael C Garrett explains the true origin of Easter).

Also, the Apostle James notes that Jesus brought us forth to also be a type of firstfruits:
“Of His own will He brought us forth by the Word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” – James 1:18.
So then, while Jesus Christ is the original firstfruits to represent the Old Covenant wave sheaf offering, true Christians are a kind of firstfruits – represented by the Day of Pentecost. “Firstfruits” mean that only a small “remnant” will be part of the harvest in this age – cf. Luke 12:32; Romans 9:27; 11:5. But the Bible also teaches that there will be a greater harvest – a time when all who have ever lived or will live will have an opportunity for eternal life – cf. Revelation 20:11-15.

Notice what Peter (possibly Peter), under the inspiration of the newly arrived “Comforter” – God’s Spirit - stated on Pentecost circa. A.D. 31:
“Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30) Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He [God the Father] would raise up the Christ [Jesus the Christos] to sit on his throne, 31) He [King David], foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades [the grave], nor did His flesh see corruption. 32) This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33) Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” – Acts 2:29-33.
Now, the Jews were very confused by this - this was their biggest confusion. They just couldn’t understand how these followers of Jesus, who spoke about their LORD, and had quoted David, “I foresaw the LORD always before my face, For He sat at my right hand, …” Now, how could Jesus – in the mind of the Jews – be on the right hand of God? Yet, the Jews can’t believe but there is but One God. They don’t ever believe there is to be a Son of God – and that a Son of God would come down. They believed that God would come down. And if Christ was God, there wouldn’t be a God up in Heaven to pray to – He would be God – and that was more than they could take. So, they just couldn’t believe that He would be a Son of God. And here, in Acts 2:29-33, Peter (possibly Peter) was saying that the prophet David had been speaking of Jesus (cf. Psalm 16:8-11)! He referred to Jesus as fruit and that He was raised – meaning prophet David understood about the resurrection of the Christ– cf. Acts 2:28. David knew that the Messiah was to come out of his loins – ‘that the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would be raised up the Christ to sit on his throne.’ So, David wasn’t speaking concerning himself, he was speaking this concerning the Messiah to come – the Son of God!

Now Jesus was not only first of the firstfruits, He was also the firstborn among many brethren:
“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” – Romans 8:29. 
“[A]nd from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the firstborn from [among; some early Greek manuscripts translate it, ‘from among the dead’], …” – Revelation 1:5.
World News Items

In the United States of America, President Trump has been in the news a lot. He told Mexico would be hit with tariffs beginning next week if Mexico didn’t begin controlling migrants from reaching US borders (See: Businesses warn Trump of consequences of new Mexican tariffs and Mexico president tells Donald Trump: 'America First is a fallacy' in response to tariff threat). He also spent a few days in the UK and his Administration indeed wants the UK to leave the European Union (See: Officials Hope for Strife-Free Trump Visit to London along with Trump creates diplomatic headache for U.K. even before state visit). The Trump Administration made various statements and took various actions against the EU, Mexico, and India (See: Trump: Prepare for no deal and send in Farage and Trump says Mexico is an 'abuser' of the US, amid tariff negotiations including US President Donald Trump terminates preferential trade status for India) – including others.

The UK leaders, including Donald Trump, hope for a major trade deal between the USA and the UK (See: Deal or no deal, we leave EU on October 31 - PM candidate Johnson).

Also in the US – many are hoping that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates to support growth in the United States’ economy (See: The Fed is ‘indicating that a rate cut is coming,’ says former central banker).

Speaking of financial, Russia and China announced that they intend to bypass the US dollar in their cross-border trade (See: Russia, China Prepare To Dump Dollar, Agree To Bilateral Trade In National Currencies). Indeed the United States greatly benefits from the use of her dollar for international trade and the more countries that bypass it, the more that others may decide to stop using the US dollar as their reserve currency. This will have a major impact on the future of the United States of America.

Also concerning China – there are some grave concerns that the Chinese may be producing genetically-edited human babies along with the USA and Canada’s efforts in producing genetically-modified salmon (See: New Study Shows Those First-Ever CRISPR Babies Could Be at Risk of Early Death along with Artificial salmon gut developed to ease cost, time in feed trials, including Salmon hatchery to raise nation’s first genetically modified animal cleared for human consumption). Human beings are messing around with things that they truly do not understand – and surely the sin of greed is factored in.

Suggested Sabbath Service

Here is a suggested Sabbath service for this week:

● 2-3 hymns. (hymscript.com has many song sheets for printing and sharing).
● Opening prayer.
● Sermonette (if you choose). The one suggested for this week is – His Mercy Endures Forever!
● Announcements (if any). One hymn.
● Sermon. The one suggested for this week is – False Prophets Preach False Truth. Additional
    sermons are available on our website: owensborochurchofjesuschrist.com.
● Final Hymn.
● Closing prayer.

IN CASE YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED A ‘LETTER TO OUR FRIENDS’ FOR ANY WEEK, REMEMBER WE HAVE MANY SERMON MESSAGES ON THE Owensboro Church of Jesus Christ website. Also, there are audio sermons on our Soundcloud Radio channel. And we also now have a Flipboard page.

Suggested Pentecost Service

Here is a suggested Pentecost service for our scattered friends:

● 2-3 hymns. (hymscript.com has many song sheets for printing and sharing).
● Opening prayer.
● Sermonette (if you choose). The one suggested for this week is – Christ In You (Unleavened Bread
    – Day 6) – 2017.
● Announcements (if any). One hymn.
● Special Music. The one suggested for this week is – It Is Well With My Soul performed by Michael
   C. Garrett.
● Sermon. The one suggested for this week is – Day of Pentecost And Healing Part I. (We also have
   an accompanying article with the same title which will be published on the Day of Pentecost at
   https://www.owensborocojc.com). Other sermons are also available on our website –

Concluding Comments

Minister Michael C. Garrett wrote:

I deal with people quite often who have a past background in the Worldwide Church of God, and they get mad at me because I say, the Worldwide Church of God didn’t do everything correctly. Well, I’m not trying to be snooty, or upset people. I’m just telling you – the Worldwide Church of God missed a lot of points. They missed a lot of things. And they misinterpreted a lot of things. And that’s a long story, but I’m not here to try to defend Worldwide. I have no desire to try and defend Worldwide. All I have a desire to do is to talk about the Word of God, the Truth of God, and the Plan of God – and the Plan of God in a quick outline is given to us in the holy days. And the Spring holy days are all about individual personal salvation. For you or me on an individual basis for us to have the promise of eternal life. We must have the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We must have the ideas in the words and the presence of Jesus Christ come into us. That’s what the Days of Unleavened Bread are talking about - Christ In You! And then we must have God’s Spirit which is represented by the Feast of Pentecost. And so, individual salvation – that Plan is given to us in the Spring holy days. The Fall holy days shows us how all people of the world will someday be brought to salvation – or at least a very large percentage of them. There will be a few knuckleheads that don’t make it. Sadly.
Friends, this weekend, observe both the seventh-day Sabbath and Pentecost. Let us continue to follow our Savior and soon-coming King of kings and Lord of lords, and be that ‘light unto the world’ – cf. Matthew 5:14.

In deep gratitude and love, in Jesus' name,

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