CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST ONLINE MINISTRIES
The Word of God, The Truth of God, and the Plan of God
P.O. BOX 6458
SPRING HILL, FLORIDA 34606
Leonard V Johnson
Pastor/Founder
Dear Brethren and Friends in Christ Jesus:
Greetings from Spring Hill, Florida.
We pray that you had a most spiritually uplifting Feast of Trumpets and Day of Atonement. For this Feast of Trumpets, I traveled with our brethren to High Point, North Carolina, and heard a wonderful message ─ our spiritual growth and how to prepare for the kingdom of God.
Here are some notes I took from that message –
What do God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ see in us when They look down upon us!? We went over why we had gathered together – from the Book of Numbers 29 –
“’ And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work. For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets.’” – vs. 1.
Kingdom Parables
Our spiritual growth process – Matthew 25 – “’ Then the kingdom [from] heaven shall be likened to …’” We all hope and pray that we hear the glorious words from the LORD God, “’ Well done, good and faithful servant.’” Reminding us to always be ready!
Reading from 2 Peter 3 – “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.” – vs. 14. Without spot and blameless - meaning repentance.
We covered multiple Scriptures reminding us to hold fast and repent –
The words of our Lord Jesus – “’ Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.’” – Revelation 3:3.
Reading from the New Jerusalem Translation he covered Luke 12 –
“’ See that you have your belts done up and your lamps lit. Be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. In truth I tell you, he will do up his belt, sit them down at table and wait on them. It may be in the second watch that he comes, or in the third, but blessed are those servants if he finds them ready. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’” – vs. 35-40.
And, in conjunction – Matthew 24:42-51.
Turning to Matthew 8 – “ … ‘Assuredly, I say to you [speaking to the crowd that was following], I have not found such great faith [the faith of this Roman centurion], not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom [from] heaven. But the sons of the kingdom [speaking of the kingdom of Satan the devil] will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” – vs. 10 - 12.
Matthew 8:11 is proof – from the living words of Jesus Christ – that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be – someday – in the kingdom of God! The kingdom of God! But right now, they aren’t.
He covered with us that fact that the kingdom of God can be compared to a mustard seed, “’ which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, …’” – Luke 13:18-21.
He again stressed the point to be ready, to hold fast and repent – covering 1 Thessalonians 5 –
“For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ …” – and certainly as Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proclaimed, “Peace for our time!” – “ … then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day [the Day of the Lord] should overtake you as a thief. You are all [children] of the light and [children] of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
Therefore LET US NOT SLEEP, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk [surely speaking of spiritual drunkenness, as in Revelation 17:5-6; 18:3] are drunk at night.
But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the BREASTPLATE OF FAITH AND LOVE, and as A HELMET THE HOPE OF SALVATION. For God did not appoint us to wrath [and certainly not to protest with signs in the streets of our cities], but to obtain salvation THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, who died for us, that whether we wake [wake from this spiritual darkness] or sleep [continue to sleep in spiritual darkness], we should live together [someday] with Him.
Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” – vs. 3-11.
Asking the question – “Are you offering support – even if you’re not receiving support?”
And finally, he covered one of the great meanings behind why we celebrate the holy Feast of Trumpets – the resurrection trumpet!
“For this we say to you by the word [and authority] of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep [in other words, dead in Christ]. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven [the atmosphere] with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and WITH THE TRUMPET OF GOD [speaking of the SEVENTH TRUMPET]. And the dead in Christ will rise first. … Therefore comfort one another with these words.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18.
Also, Romans 8:16-25.
“Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven [the atmosphere], saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord [God the Father] and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’” – Revelation 11:15.
Let us, dear brethren, go to Him “as to a living Stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, and being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” – 1 Peter 2:4-5.
The Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day
The Feast of Tabernacles will begin at sunset on the 29th of September and continue until sunset ending the Last Great Day which is October 7th in 2023.
Everyone, if you are able, is welcome to attend and observe with us the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day in Owensboro, Kentucky.
Depending on the number of people - Services are planned to be held at the Logsdon Community Center. Its address is 2400 Friendship Dr. Owensboro, Kentucky 42303. Of course, this location could change. Be sure to inquire.
If you have yet to let Minister Michael C. Garrett know you are attending, please do not delay. Please send Minister Michael C. Garrett an email letting him know at garrett158@roadrunner.com.
Suggested Sabbath Day Service
Here is our suggested Sabbath day service for our scattered brethren and friends around the world:
• TWO songs of praise. (our songbook, The Bible Hymnal, is suggested, there are some Instrumental Accompaniment to the Bible Hymnal available on our website).
• Opening prayer.
• Announcements – from the deacon or pastor.
• Sermon – from the pastor or guest speaker. The one suggested for this week is “The Feasts of the LORD” which Minister Leonard Johnson gave on the 4th day of the Feast of Tabernacles ’20. (which was one of my first public sermons).
• Closing song.
• Closing prayer.
Here is a suggested 1st day of the Feast of Tabernacles service for our scattered brethren and other interested people:
• TWO songs of praise. (our songbook, The Bible Hymnal, is suggested, there are some Instrumental Accompaniment to the Bible Hymnal available on our website).
• Opening prayer.
• Announcements – from the deacon or pastor.
• Sermon – from the pastor or guest speaker. The one suggested “The Love of God” which Minister Leonard Johnson gave as guest speaker at The Independent Christian Church of God on 1.16.21.
• Closing song.
• Closing prayer.
Brethren and Friends, in order to receive a Letter to our Friends via email, please be sure to log onto our website www.owensborocojc.com. At the bottom of the home page click on “comments or suggestions.” Be sure to leave us a comment or suggestion. We NEVER collect or transfer emails or data for nefarious use. And, as stated at the bottom of our home page, “We only collect data in compliance with legal obligation, contractual requirements, for vital interests, and public interests, legitimate interests of the church and data supplier, consistent with the consent of the person supplying and consenting to the providing of such data.”
Also, IN CASE YOU DO NOT RECEIVE A ‘LETTER TO OUR FRIENDS.’ REMEMBER WE POST THEM ON OUR WEBSITE UNDER “CHURCH LETTERS” AT THE TOP OF THE HOME PAGE. We also have many audio sermons, AI audio articles, books, and booklets available on our Soundcloud Radio channel. Along with several translated into Swahili, Dutch, and Khmer. Also, remember that our website can be translated (using Google Translate) into roughly 129 different languages! It is conveniently located for you at the top right of the home page.
Some World News In Relation To Biblical Prophecy
The United Nations – just held a two-day summit that ran through September 26th – encourages world leaders to accelerate their implementation of the UN Agenda 2030! (See: Activist Post - United Nations Marks Halfway Point to Agenda 2030 with Sustainable Development Goals Summit).
Many so-called Christians continue to teach and proclaim that there will be a ONE-WORLD GOVERNMENT before the glorious and powerful return of our Lord Jesus Christ! To be frank – they get this from “a series of books which were written about a couple of decades ago called the Left Behind series. They were a series of 16 books – bestselling religious fiction novels from 1995 to 2007. The authors were Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. … And the theory behind these books – and I got this from Wikipedia – ‘is dealing with Christian dispensationalism in the end-times.” And it “is a Christian eschatological [a study of end-time prophecy] interpretation of the Biblical apocalypse.’ And these books appear to reflect the actual worldwide view of millions of Americans, including many prominent conservatives.” 1
There is no prophecy within God’s living word of a prophesied “one-world government” coming together before the return of our Lord Jesus! The only ONE-WORLD GOVERNMENT that is coming is the kingdom of God! Be sure to read Minister LaMar’s Commentary – A One Ruling Government Is Coming!
As true Christians, we are to pray always for the kingdom of God to come –
“’ Your kingdom come. Your will be done On EARTH as it is in heaven.’” – Matthew 6:10.
However, it is true that the United Nations unknowingly is working towards a world domination agenda. Notice this report from the American Thinker writer E. Jeffrey Ludwig back in 2018 – The UN Wants to be Our World Government By 2030.
“In the 1960s, an informed but naïve undergraduate, I was walking across the campus of the University of Pennsylvania with the Chairman of the Chemistry Department, Prof. Charles C. Price. He told me that he was president of the United World Federalists, and asked if I knew what that organization was. When I said that I did not, he replied that they believed in a one-world government that would grow out of the United Nations. …How would Prof. Price’s vision of a new world government emerge? Although there was a socialistic thread in its founding document, the United Nations was formed based on a vision of human rights presented in the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” (UDHR) which placed the concept of rights at the forefront for the progress of the world body. …In 2015, seventy years after their original rights-based document, the UN took a giant step towards the global government that was only hinted at in their first organizing document. They issued a document entitled “Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” This document has 91 numbered sections of the UN’s program for world government. …The entire “Transforming Our World” document is cast in a stream of consciousness of pious platitudes for a utopian future. It is an outsize utopian dream. Five of the 17 items pertain to the environment. There are goals for the cities, for women, for the poor, and even for life under the water. Absolutely no sphere of human activity is exempt from control by the UN. …The one-worlders of the 1950s and early 1960s are now in the UN driver’s seat, and they have made their move.”
Now when I typed “The UN Wants to be Our World Government By 2030” into my Microsoft Bing search engine owned by Microsoft – founded by Bill Gates (need we say more?) the Fact Checker gods and goddesses have posted – “Fact check: U.N. Agenda 21/2030 'New World Order' is not a real document. … The claim that the UNs Agenda 21 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will establish “one world government” is false.” And they tout two sources to back up their claim –the Left-leaning middle-market newspaper USA Today, and their goddess Aswathi in their Fact Check Library!
Multiple hundreds of millions of people worldwide support the United Nations’ goals. The World Economic Forum, whose founder, Klaus Schwab, literally wrote the book “The Great Reset.”
The Roman Catholic Pope - Jorge Mario Bergoglio, has endorsed the United Nations’ 2030 goals! Notice this from the Vatican News –
“In 2015 Pope Francis addressed the UN General Assembly in New York shortly before member states unanimously adopted Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. … The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, the Pope said, “were a great step forward for global dialogue, marking a vitally “new and universal solidarity.” 2
Also, to help accomplish their plans, the UN and the WEF want to suppress and censor any information that they deem false or don’t like. Notice this from The Exposé – UN Secretary-General is unfit to be lecturing the world about hate speech and disinformation –
“The United Nations (“UN”) is developing a Code of Conduct for information integrity on digital platforms in preparation for the Summit of the Future in 2024.And, since February, Secretary-General António Guterres has been pushing this particular agenda at every given opportunity. … propaganda …To get more of a feel for the UN’s appalling use of propaganda, using headings such as “deceitful, dangerous and deadly,” you can read an article published by the UN in June to promote its “information integrity” agenda HERE.”
Concluding Comments: Day of Atonement - ‘You shall afflict your souls’?
In the article “Day of Atonement = End-Time Trauma” Minister Michael C. Garrett –
“Instead of saying, “You shall afflict your souls,” and I don’t know how many times in the old days I heard ministers … almost threaten the congregation with a very serious and almost maniacal intonation - “You shall afflict your souls!”
And they would get so dramatic – and I’ll bet it’s happening today – right now! And I’ve tried to point out – don’t believe me – get out your concordance, get out your word studies, and get out different translations, and you’ll find out that that phrase is supposed to say – “You shall HUMBLE yourself before the LORD.” Now, different people can have different interpretations of what that does or does not entail, but I think just focusing on that one thought – “You shall HUMBLE yourself before the ETERNAL.” It’s the same thing that Jesus taught if you go back to Matthew 5. The “Sermon on the Mount” doesn’t get any more direct about a basic truth than what Jesus said in Matthew 5:3 – “’ Blessed are the poor in spirit, …’” – that means humility. To be humble before God. “ … ‘For theirs is the kingdom [from] Heaven.’” Verse 5 – “’ Blessed are the meek, …’” – the same idea. Humility before God – before Jesus.
And one understanding of that idea – that concept – is being willing to feel and to know in your mind that you are more impressed with what God says than what any human being says – including yourself. And, I’ve met dozens and dozens, and hundreds of people over the decades which I actually believe they thought they knew more than God. They had become so puffed up with a sense of self-righteousness that they were willing to tell people, “Don’t believe what the Bible says, believe what I say.” Well, that’s a mistake!
And continuing with verse 5 – “ … ‘ For they shall …’” – what!? ‘they shall go off to Heaven’!? It’s not what He said. These are the Words of Jesus Christ! ‘Blessed are the meek, For they shall INHERIT THE EARTH.’ The reward of the saints is to have immortal and eternal life in the kingdom of God in New Jerusalem on the earth. Not in some galaxy far away. Which is what almost every church teaches. And it’s just sort of sad.
“you shall humble yourself before God.”
And, if you would turn to 1st Peter 5. … “ … and be clothed with humility, …”
That’s the meaning of the Day of Atonement - internally speaking! To “be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, …” …
End-Time Trauma
Well, I’ve often said – and I alluded to it a few moments ago – that the Day of Atonement is highly linked with prophecy. And never was that concept taught … And I don’t know what everybody teaches in the modern-day remnants of that organization, but I’d be willing to say that probably almost no one understands that the Day of Atonement is – on a personal level getting close to God, repenting, and being humble before God and on a prophetic level is directly linked to the end-time trauma! And you often hear …, “Well, the Day of Atonement is a very somber day. A day filled with heaviness.” And I will admit – you don’t have to know too much about the Bible to sort of get that feel. And I’ve often said that the Day of Atonement is – as far as a feast day – like the old 7 Up commercials from a decade or more ago, “7 Up The Uncola.” Well, the Day of Atonement is the unfeast Day. And it does have a somberness to it. But it’s not because you’re going around “afflicting your soul” as they would intone so dramatically – so over-the-top.
The Day of Atonement is a somber time because it looks forward to a time when on this earth hundreds of millions of human beings will die by the hand of the returning Jesus Christ. … That’s a pretty somber thing.”
In deep gratitude and love, in Jesus' name,
1 Garrett, M.C., The MARK of the BEAST, 2019, pgs. 6, 11.
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