Ministers of Jesus Christ
Assemblies of The Apostolic Faith
Atlanta, Georgia - USA
Apostle Dennis G. Smith, Pastor and Spiritual Overseer
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Ministers of Jesus Christ Assemblies of The Apostolic Faith Atlanta, Georgia - USA Apostle Dennis G. Smith, Pastor and Spiritual Overseer |
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To all the Saints of God,
Grace and peace be unto all the Saints of God around the World. As this
Coronavirus Pandemic continues, we are continually reminding the Saints of God
that we are obeying the magistrates and following the guideline of the health
and governmental authorities for the safety of all people.
Health
authorities are indicating that the covid-19 infection data for the City of
Atlanta, Georgia is not
favorable at
this present time, therefore the in-person services will
remained on hold until
further notice. Our city is requesting people
to stay -at-home or shelter-in-place at their homes and only leave for essential
tasks. The State of Georgia is
allowing some gathering when social distancing can be maintained therefore, we
will be producing online services with a few Saints present to assist us.
You will be able to tune into this live service shortly.
TITUS 3:1-2 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey
magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no
brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
This week’s encouraging words of growth focuses on:
The renewing of your mind part II
By Apostle Dennis G. Smith
Ephesians 4:22 - 23 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old
man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in
the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God
is created in righteousness and true holiness.
When we truly
believe in Jesus Christ and repent of our sins and is baptized in the Name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins, we declare that we have left the
world on practicing sin, continuing in sin behind us.
If we return to a sinful lifestyle or sinful conduct, then our
declaration is false. From this you
should begin to understand the connotations of false Church, false brethren and
or false prophets. In other words,
their declaration of turning from sin is not true.
Even though they carry out praise and worship which is our reasonable
service to God, they continue to live a sinful lifestyle.
They have a form of Godliness and appear Godly in form only to be seen of
men or to for money, making merchandise of real people seeking to worship God,
overcome sin, and love all mankind.
True repentance is a change of mind that involves a conscious turning away from
sinful ways, bad attitudes, sinful thoughts, wrong actions, that conflict with a
Godly righteous lifestyle and biblical moral commands, and an intentional
turning toward doing those things that are holy, and not sinful that pleases
God. Repentance requires an
admission of guilt for committing a wrong or for omitting to do the right thing;
a promise not to repeat the offense; an attempt to make restitution for the
wrong, or in some way to reverse the harmful effects of the wrong or the
omission where possible. Without
true repentance, all of our worship is in vain because God is commanding all men
to repent. He is a merciful God and
will forgive us as often as we ask.
He will pick us up again and again if we keep our mind on him.
Acts 17:30 - 31 And the times of this
ignorance God winked at;
but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because he hath
appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that
man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that
he hath raised him from the dead.
Luke 13:1 - 5 There were present at that season some that told him of the
Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
And Jesus answering said unto them,
Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because
they suffered such things? I tell
you, Nay: but, except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or
those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that
they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay:
but, except ye repent,
ye shall all likewise perish.
Matthew 24:3 - 14 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came
unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall
be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered
and said unto them, Take
heed that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive
many. And ye shall hear of wars and
rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to
pass, but the end is not yet. For
nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall
be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and
ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall
hate one another.
And many false prophets shall rise, and
shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many
shall wax cold. But he that shall endure
unto the end, the same shall be saved.
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Many times,
people are struggling with their pride not their lack of understanding.
They do not want to humble down, ask for forgiveness, and make
restitution for the wrongful things that they have done to other people or
confess their past and present sins.
Their love has waxed cold because of the continual practice of sinful
conduct in their life for which they have pleasure.
They enjoy the drama of gossip about other people problems, they enjoy
material possessions that give them a feeling of status and exalted high looks
which gives them a sense of accomplishment.
Sometimes colored cosmetic makeup is worn not because of skin
imperfections or injury but to give a false look of prideful beauty and sensual
attraction. The very notion of
using cosmetic makeup in moderation or using modest hair styles would make them
look no different than the average pretty girl which would be a blow to their
egotistical, high minded thoughts of themselves. The very conversation about a
society without high-class and low-class people but a society where all men are
equal is a boring prospect. The
idea that each person should serve each other in love is too far reaching for
those who have no intention of doing anything but satisfying their selfish
desires. You should now clearly see
the need for the renewing of each person’s mind.
Proverbs
16:18 - 19 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Better it is to be of an humble spirit
with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Pride
is an emotional state which refers to a corrupt sense of personal value,
personal status, or personal accomplishments. A
personal view of oneself as better, more important, wealthier, more intelligent,
more beautiful, etc.… than others. Pride
often refers to independent self-reflection, a feeling of belonging to a special
group achieving a high social status or the love of one's own excellence.
Pride is the specific feeling through which egoism, the thought that you
are the best, the greatest, the most beautiful or most handsome and other people
need to acknowledge and recognize your greatness manifests as vanity and
vainglory.
Some people
cannot not listen to other speakers or other testimonies because they think of
themselves as too intelligent to hear the lesser educated people even if they
come with the word of God and true visions from God Almighty as evidence.
The inability to conversate and listen to others, I believe is the
quickest way to become a doctor of dumbness spreading teachings that were never
taught by Jesus Christ, his Apostles or Prophets but focusing on books written
by the so-called Roman Catholic Fathers and the councils of a Roman Emperor
which history records as having departed from much of the Apostle’s doctrine.
Acts 4:13 - 14 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived
that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took
knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
And beholding the man which was healed
standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
Vanity
refers to an excessive or irrational belief in one's own abilities or
attractiveness in the eyes of others.
When people have a prideful, arrogant high opinion of themselves, you can
easily understand that they are also concerned with how well they appear in the
eyes of other people. Their pride
has led them on a worthless road of people recognition which has absolutely no
benefit to eternal salvation. This Vanity
means emptiness, untruthfulness, foolishness, empty pride, pretense, and fake
appeal to be lifted up in the eyes of men. When
you think of the depression and unhappiness that results from pride and vanity
failures, when the people you are trying to please reject you, it should make
you wonder why it is so hard for some to be content with the one who love you
the most…Lord Jesus Christ.
Vanity
can lead to self-worship or self-idolatry, in which a person rejects God
for the sake of their own image in the eyes of various colleagues or co-workers
causing them to refuse baptism, tarrying service and even ordinances of God
leading to a loss of salvation. We
witness this in many people who will not participate in the Communion and Foot
Washing Service even though Jesus Christ who is God Almighty told the Church to
do so. They in essence reject the
word of God in favor of their own ego and the social status that they perceive
themselves to receive from the people they seek to please. They will speak a lot
of eloquent words about how they have humility but are too good to wash the feet
of Saints of God. I have seen men and
women who supposed to be leaders in the Church who have rejected the
participation in the Foot Washing Service every time I have attended the
Service. And we are still loving
them and hoping for the renewing of their mind. We baptized people because Jesus
Christ commanded that we do so to all nations regardless of what the doctors
teach or write about, God is not a respecter of the personal status of men.
Matthew 28:19 - 20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you
alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Mark 16:15 – 16 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the
gospel to every creature. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned.
Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his
name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Acts 2:37 - 40 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and
said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we
do? 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.
And with many other words did he testify
and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
We continue with the message from Apostle Shelton
'THE CHRIST MIND" (part 2)
By Bishop S. McDowell Shelton
We do not have
to worry about people when they have the Christ mind—whether they will pay their
tithes, their offerings, and their sacrifices.
You do not have to pull them out of people when they have the Christ
mind, because that Christ mind works in them; it tells them to bring all of
their tithes and offerings. Yes, it does.
You are easily entreated; you do not become a scoffer or a vain talker
when you have the Christ mind. You
cease to a criticizer of things which are good.
Not only that,
but in the time of your sickness, in the time of your sorrow, you learn how to
take it without murmuring and without complaining.
You learn how to say "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him,"
because you know about Him. You know your redeemer liveth; you know that you
have made your calling and your election sure. You do not charge God foolishly;
you do not charge that He has done you wrong: that He has mistreated you because
you are ill or afflicted and you do not seem to be improving.
But you thank God for your affliction when you have the Christ mind.
You thank Him for the patience to wait on Him, and you say with our
brother Job—in all my appointed time, I shall wait till my change comes.
(See Job 14:14)
JOB14:14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time
will I wait, till my change come.
Or, you might say as Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-neg) said—our God is able to
deliver. Be it known to you, O king, we know His ability; there is no limit to
His power, we know of His deliverance, we know of His infinite mercy, but let us
tell you this—we are not coming to you for any type of bargaining; we will not
come for any short term consideration, we go all the way.
If He will not deliver, then we will go completely into the furnace.
Whichever way it goes—not as we will, but let His will be done.
We will not make any kind of reservation on or try to muscle Him or force
Him into the corner, but Lord—have your way, for we have set our seal. We have
set ourselves to go through this ordeal knowing that you are able to deliver,
and we are not going to bow down to the pressure of this earthly power. We are
not going to give in to our carnal concepts, we are not going to give in to
worldliness, we are not going to give in to the encroachment of the of the
society in which we live. We shall
forever remain with our Christ mind--stranger in the very country wherein we
were born.
(See Daniel 3rd Chapter) Daniel 3:14 - 18 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto
them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods,
nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that
at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery,
and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which
I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into
the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you
out of my hands? Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are
not careful to answer thee in this matter. If
it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery
furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
But if not, be it known unto thee, O
king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou
hast set up.
Yes—and we in
this present day have the testimony that if the very household in which we live
is not Apostolic, then we will be strangers and sojourners even to the woman who
brought us forth into the world. To our mother, to our father, to our sister and
our brother we shall be strangers, unless they come, also, into the fold, and be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins and receive
the gift of the Holy speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. We
know that if our sister or brother forsakes us, the Lord will take us up. The
Lord will be our help, the Lord will be our sustainer, the Lord will be our
keeper, the Lord will our redeemer, the Lord will be our present help in the
time of trouble.
This God, who is
for us—is more than they who be against us.
We have come to this beautiful conception, we have come to this marvelous
realization that we can do all things through Christ, which strengthen us. We
have come to this fulfillment of knowledge since we have received the Christ
mind. Of a certainty, we know that Christ is not far from us, that He is nigh
us, even in our mouth. He is there
just for the asking. He is there
for belief in the name of Jesus Christ. In sickness and in sorrow, in pain and
in need—He is nigh us, even in-our mouth. Just call on Jesus. You do not even
have to say it audibly, for it is not necessary for your lips to move at all.
Was it not our
sister Hannah in the Old Testament Church, who prayed in the temple and they
could not understand what she was saying? Old Eli thought Hannah was drunk: that
she had gotten a hold to some of that wine, but Hannah explained herself. Please
take note, she did not get up and rebuke the prophet, but she explained herself
in her own polite way. She said—I am a woman who is sorrowful of heart.
I am not drunk; I am praying to the Lord.
She explained her condition—that she was barren.
And if you feel barren from the blessings of God, if you have not brought
forth the Holy Ghost speaking in other tongues, if you feel barren in your life
because you have not received the kind of job that you want, if you have not
received the kind of grades you desire, if you have not achieved the kind of
happiness and fulfillment that you seek—believe us when we tell you it is nigh
you, it is even in your mouth.
1 Samuel 1:13 - 18 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but
her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.
And Eli said unto her, How long wilt
thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. And
Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I
have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the
LORD. Count not thine handmaid for a
daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I
spoken hitherto. Then Eli answered and
said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast
asked of him. And she said, Let thine
handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and
her countenance was no more sad.
Oh, yes, it is!
Just get the Christ mind. Ask and
believe! Hold on to God for what you want. Do not be distracted by the petty
annoyances of life. Oh my, we know about those weights which would so easily
beset you. We know because we have lived through them. We know because we have
fought with them as men fight brute beasts.
We know because we have wrestled with principalities and powers.
We know because we have battled with wickedness in high places; we know
because we have vied with evil spirits which would have offset us and destroyed
us, but we cried the victory cry! We cry that "All is well!"
We cry that God is triumphant!
We cry that we have been redeemed! We cry that we have overcome!
We cry that God has set us on a high place!
We cry that we have the sword of truth in our hands, and that the battle
has been turned to the gates!
He has not withheld
any good thing from us, because we have walked uprightly before Him.
Because our soul has delighted in Him, He has given us our heart's
desire. As the heart panteth after
the water brooks, so panteth our heart after Jesus Christ.
He draws us and we run after Him.
He calls us and we say "Yes, Lord!"
We surrender all that we have to you, Lord.
We surrender our very body it is yours for safekeeping. We surrender our
mind that you can fill it with YOUR wisdom and YOUR knowledge.
We surrender the things which we have read in books ; we surrender the
things that we have seen because He has given us a greater vision: We know
this—that these eyes have not seen, neither have these ears heard what the Lord
has in Store for us and for you, also.
What is it that
you want? What is it that you need?
What is it that you would like for God to do?
When you have the Christ mind, when you get that mind in you that is in
Christ Jesus, or: that was in that body—then you become of the same mind with
Him. You begin to speak the same language. You began to think the same thoughts
and, therefore, you begin to utilize within yourself that same. Power which He
has, which He used when He healed the sick, when He raise the dead; that power
with which He performed all the miracles in His time. You can have that same
rind! It will tell you what to do.
It will tell you what to say. It will tell you how to act. It will tell you
where to go. Oh, yes it will! It
will tell you where your blessing is. It will tell you what you must do to get
it. It will tell you what sacrifices you must make. When you must stand back.
When you must stand up. Where you must sit down.
All the
directions come with the Christ mind.
He communicates with you through that mind. He knows that mind. He
refuses that ordinary mind of yours—that carnal mind, but when He sees that you
have the- Christ mind He willingly communicates.
It can be directed by Him, just like a circuit.: and when you have the
same current, then the electricity, the power, can flow through from God to you.
You are connected into God, when you have the Christ mind you hear what the
Spirit is saying to the Church. You
know what the Lord has concerning you and you give thanks. You give thanks
because you know this is God's will concerning you.
The renewing of the mind enables us to overcome the love of the world ( the
disobedient character of mankind), the lust of the flesh( food cravings, hunger,
sensual promiscuous appetites, lust of the eyes ( materialism, possession and
vanity or status in the eyes of other people), and the pride of life (egoism or
high opinion of self and also status in the eyes of other people).
We will continue with this message next week.
May the Lord Bless you and Keep you and eternally hold you in the center of his
will, may he open your understanding that you will come to know that you must
repent of your sins and be baptized by immersion in water in the Name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of your sins, then continue in prayer, tarrying until
you receive the gift of the Holy Ghost with the sign following speaking with
other tongues as the spirit gives you utterances. Then you must leave the
principles of the doctrine and go on to perfection overcoming the love of the
world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life and
continue steadfastly in the Apostle’s Doctrine remembering always that he that
endures until the End, the same shall be saved. In the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ who is God Almighty. Amen
With perfect love,
Apostle Dennis G. Smith
Guidelines for Individuals in Phase 1:
Guidelines for Businesses in Phase 1:
Guidelines for City Government in Phase 1:
Social Distancing guidelines:
When to Wear a Mask:
Those who are staying home and have no close contact with people who are
infected with COIVID-19 do not need a mask most of the time. However, wearing a
nonmedical or homemade mask may be helpful in certain situations or for certain
populations. Wear a Mask when:
Because homemade masks protect everyone else from the droplets created by the
wearer, it is important that as many people as possible wear these masks when
leaving their homes. This helps prevent those who may be infectious but are only
mildly symptomatic or not symptomatic from spreading the virus to others in the
community.
Everyone should remember the phrase: “My mask protects you; your mask protects
me.” By increasing the overall number of people who are containing their coughs,
sneezes, and other droplets, it will help us control the overall spread of the
virus.
Atlanta entered Phase 2 at the end of May:
· which
allowed for small, private gatherings of no more than 10 people with social
distancing and allowed for to-go and curbside pickups from restaurants
(previously allowed in Phase 1) and retail establishments. The gathering size
was increased to 50 people with social distancing.
· Phase
1 is implemented when the percent of hospital and critical care capacity remains
above 50%.