Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Letter to our Friends - September 24, 2019



Michael C. Garrett
Pastor and Overseer


Dear Friends:

Greetings from Owensboro, Kentucky.

Well, friends, another week has passed, and God’s Work moves forward.

In this letter, I would like to talk personally to each and every one of you, something that has been mulling around in my mind for some time. I imagine the utter worldwide evil, the devastation, the chaos in this world, has so many of us with an air of melancholy. I know I do.

But do YOU see a bright future ahead!? For YOU!? For humanity as a whole!? Personally, I do – and I hope you can join me in saying that, you are one in a hundred thousand! Where is any good NEWS today!? Where is a bright future to be found!? – in nations of ‘wars and rumors of wars,’ of nations possessing and continuing to develop nuclear weapons!? Weapons of mass destruction, which can literally erase all life, human, animal and plant life from earth!? Where is there any hope to be found in what the Apostle Paul called, ‘this present evil age’!? Is it in the utterly pointless and overly complex autopilots of the Tesla 3!? A world with such abject poverty and squalor, wretchedness, and ignorance, filth in which more than half of this world truly lives!? Where is there any joy, anticipation of prosperity!? Because we live in a world in which our very drinking water – the lakes, the rivers, the oceans, are being polluted at an alarming rate. The air we breathe is being befouled, the soil for our food waning of life-giving nutrients. A world where our very homes and the traditional father role is being decimated, crime is rampant, racial tensions rising and are at the highest rate level since the early 60s, with violence erupting WORLDWIDE, and terrorism has exploded on the world scene exponentially since the year 2001!

Where is the happiness today!? Nearly forty years ago now, while riding in the back of a car heading to church, I was whistling happily. The driver of the car, my dear friend, Mrs. Olivet, said, “I haven’t heard someone whistling in fifty years!” – where is the happy whistling, the happy singing today!? Where do we find encouraging reassurance for tomorrow!? Is it on our university campuses, where the leaders of tomorrow are burning American flags!? Will it be with the US presidential candidates of 2020 – who want to take away our AR-15s and AR-47s, with socialized healthcare, and the continuation of flooding America with illegal immigrants!? Will it be with the radical, warped and dangerous ideologies which are being gulped down as an educational diet!?

Where do we find inspiration!? Is it in the world leaders, who truly has NO SOLUTIONS FOR TRUE PEACE IN THE WORLD!? Well, friends, for those of the prevailing concepts the future must assuredly appear bleak – if they would take a close look at it instead of kidding themselves into the delusion that by ignoring the growing dangers they will somehow just go away. Quoting Albert Einstein, “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it!” For there is a CAUSE for every effect. There is a CAUSE for the state of the world today. And, there has to be a CAUSE that will produce a peaceful and happy WORLD that everybody truly wants! There had to be a FIRST CAUSE for the very existence of matter, of life, of forces and energies. Yet, today it is considered “intellectual” to be IGNORANT. Well, an American video blogger, Mark Dice, gave random people a set of questions on a California street corner - which included what country the United States of America broke away from, and what year. The lack of knowledge was disconcerting – to say the least. The greater majority of Generations Y and Z had no clue! Today, it is popular to embrace agnosticism – meaning, - “WE DON’T KNOW – WE ARE IGNORANT.” In today’s generation, IGNORANCE is being embraced and labeled “KNOWLEDGE.”

Well, is it IGNORANT to recognize and understand the FACTS of the GREAT FIRST CAUSE – the very One who reveals the true CAUSE of all of today’s PROBLEMS!? It is wise, is it intellectual, knowledgeable, to be IGNORANT of the basic facts of TRUTH!?

JESUS CHRIST taught – within the pages of the Bible - there are only TWO WAYS of life – two basic PRINCIPLES – two philosophies. One is the way of GIVE: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive,’ and the other is GET. One is the way of LOVE – of outgoing concern for your fellow human being – the other insists on taking, of acquiring, of accumulating, without regard of others. The one way is Christocentric, the other is self-centered, saying, “Do it to others, before they do it to me.”

Friends, this world – with its civilizations and societies – are all based on hostility, on competition, on a SELF-centered way. And, it has produced every wail of human woe! And since the days of Nimrod (Genesis 10:8), this world has gone the way that now threatens all life on this planet.

I ask, is there any HOPE for the future!? Is it with the self-professed “great” men, of whom God says, ‘Although they claimed to be wise, they became FOOLS!’!?

Friends, THERE CERTAINLY IS a bright future ahead! The New Heaven and the New Earth – of which the Owensboro Church of Jesus Christ proclaims! The kingdom of God will bring worldwide peace, universal happiness, the right education, and true prosperity to all!

This soon-coming World Tomorrow isn’t going to rely upon the sometimes-half-hearted efforts of human beings! It will come despite men. The greatest event in universal history will come when Jesus Christ and His holy angels – along with His saints – set up the glorious kingdom of God! However, this time, Jesus Christ is not coming as a lamb – where He came teaching and proclaiming His New Covenant, which brought floggings and death at the hands of hateful men. He is NOW proclaiming clearly and loudly, ‘I AM He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I AM alive forevermore. Amen.’ He went to the very throne of the Government of the UNIVERSE, to be GLORIFIED, and CORONATED as Supreme Ruler over the entire universe. When He returns, the world will know something of the meaning, ‘GREAT POWER AND GLORY!’

His glorious eyes will flash like flames of fire, His face will be shining like the sun in its brilliance! He will come with all the POWER that created the UNIVERSE! He is coming to CRUSH every human government – coming as the KING of kings and LORD of lords – to RULE ALL NATIONS with a rod of iron! Coming to CHANGE men’s hearts! Coming to enforce the Way – the Way that the great majority refuse to accept. Of outgoing concern – of LOVE, of giving and serving, of sharing, of helping instead of taking and self-righteousness. He is coming to ABOLISH wars, strife’s, violence. Coming to teach RIGHT EDUCATION. Coming to CLEAN UP this filthy earth. Coming to establish THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD!

Yes, my friends, I see a very BRIGHT FUTURE just ahead of us! It’s the only true GOOD NEWS in the world today!

Fall Holy Days

Friends, we are less than a week away from the start of the Fall Holy Days for 2019! Sunset September 29th through sunset September 30th is the Feast of Trumpets! I have a completed article by Minister Michael C. Garrett for the Feast entitled The Feast of Trumpets – ‘Thy Kingdom Come.’ Be sure to look for that on our blog page - https://www.owensborocojc.com – on the day of the Feast. Next, will be the Day of Atonement, which runs from sunset October 8th through sunset October 9th. Then, the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day – from sunset October 13th through sunset October 21st!

Let us be ready!

Have you prepared to be off work/school on God’s commanded Holy Days!?

As far as the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day goes, we invite you to be with us during this Holy Feast at the Logsdon Community Center 2400 Friendship Dr. Owensboro, Kentucky 42303. You may contact Minister Garrett at garrett158@roadrunner.com for additional information.

Statcounter



It is most exciting to note that our visit length from the past five-months is getting much longer for our blog site - https://www.owensborocojc.com. The average monthly page views are 393, with the average monthly returning visits being 19.5 within the past eight months! Thank you so much for your support! Let us continue asking our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ for Their great blessing on this MOST IMPORTANT Work of God!

World News Items
The Vatican City State is continuing to push her ecumenical and interfaith agenda as Jorge Mario Bergoglio (better known as Pope Francis) pushes a ‘global pact’ meeting for next May (See: ‘Cardinal Burke, Bishop Schneider Announce Crusade of Prayer and Fasting’ along with ‘Pope Francis invites religious, political leaders to sign ‘Global Pact’ for ‘new humanism’ and ‘Pope says he's not afraid of a schism in the Catholic Church’).

In Saudi Arabia oil facilities were attacked that disrupted oil production (See: ‘Saudi Arabia: Fires Out After Purported Houthi Drone Strikes on Oil Facilities’). The greater majority of nations are pointing the finger at Iran, who wishes NOT to talk with the United States of America at all (See: ‘Iran ‘will never talk to America,’ supreme leader says ahead of UN General Assembly meetings’ and ‘Trump strains to balance diplomacy, military threat to Iran’). The Trump Administration is blaming Iran for the attacks and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is warning that any attack against Iran would lead to an ‘all-out-war!’ (See: ‘Pompeo: 'Important Information' for Trump After Mideast Talks on Saudi Oil Field Attacks’ and ‘Iran envoy: ‘All-out war’ to result if hit for Saudi attack’). Surely, just as Japan felt prior to December 7, 1941, Iran is feeling so much pressure that this may accelerate actions that are prophesied to strike Jerusalem (Isaiah 22:6-9), and a retaliatory strike against an Islamic centered collection of nations (cf. Matthew 24:7; Daniel 11).

Suggested Sabbath Service

Here is this weeks suggested Sabbath service:

● 2-3 hymns. (a free printable “Old Time Gospel” hymn site is The Old Time Gospel).
● Opening prayer.
● Sermonette (if you choose). The one suggested is Repent For Salvation.
● Announcements (if any) and one hymn.
● Sermon. The one suggested is And That Rock Was Christ - Part 4 by Michael C. Garrett. (Many more sermons are available at http://www.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, friends, be sure to SUBSCRIBE to our podcast sermons so that you won't miss our latest podcast distributed via RSS (Rich Site Summary) format!

Concluding Comments

Minister Michael C. Garrett wrote, under the inspiration of God’s Spirit:
Lamentations 1:3 – “Judah has gone into captivity, Under affliction and hard servitude; She dwells among the nations, She finds no rest; All her persecutors overtake her in dire straits.” – now, this did take place in 605 B.C.! THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN! So, many prophecies are dual – they have an earlier fulfillment, and they have a much larger, more significant fulfillment in the latter days! And this will be one of those latter days fulfillments. Verse 12 – “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Behold and see If there is any sorrow like my sorrow, Which has been brought on me, Which the LORD has inflicted In THE DAY OF HIS FIERCE ANGER.” – the Day of the Lord!
Chapter 2, Verse 1 – “How the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion With a cloud in His anger! He cast down from heaven to the earth The beauty of Israel, And did not remember His footstool IN THE DAY OF HIS ANGER.” – ‘In the day of His anger’ is the Day of the Lord! Verse 5 – “The Lord was like an enemy. He has swallowed up ISRAEL, … And has increased mourning and lamentation In the daughter of Judah.” Verse 21 – “’ Young and old lie On the ground in the streets; My virgins and my young men Have fallen by the sword; You have slain them in THE DAY OF YOUR ANGER, You have slaughtered and not pitied.’” – now, ‘pray not for this people’ is indeed a Message from the Bible.”
(Notes Regarding The Day of Atonement - Prophetically the Day of the Lord!).
Friends, a major change is prophesied – and it is coming – this world is about to get freight-trained! Let us all get our spiritual house in order NOW (Luke 21:34-36; Zephaniah 2:1-3).

With love and gratitude, in Jesus' Name,



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