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Ministers of Jesus Christ
Church of The Lord 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 and
governmental officials continue to strongly encourage people to wear face
coverings in public gatherings and use social distancing, wash your hands,
and get tested to help stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus. In
some places wearing face mask is mandatory in indoor public spaces.
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As of November 24,
2021, the City of Atlanta, Georgia remains in the Green Zone due
to community transmission of Covid-19 at/or below 5%.
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Social distancing
and face mask are recommended for gatherings to control the spread of
Covid-19 or for individual safety.
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Gatherings indoors
to avoid crowding is allowed with recommended face mask and social
distancing.
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Vaccinations remains
the recommended most effective way to control the spread of Covid-19 by
health authorities.
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Covid-19
vaccinations in Georgia are offered to everyone 5 years of age and older.
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Note: Pfizer is the
only COVID vaccine currently approved for children aged 5 years and older.
We are
continuing limited indoor, in-person services with face mask, social
distancing, temperature checks and Covid-19 testing. We are also continuing
online services through Zoom, Facebook, and YouTube. In-person Baptism and
prayer service are available by attending our local service on site,
attending our services on Zoom or emailing your request to:
As
we obey the Magistrates, we have complete faith that God will continue to
hear our prayers and provide a way for us through these uncertain times.
Romans
13:2-4 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no
power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
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
Mountain of the Lord’s House (part 1)
By Apostle
Dennis G. Smith
When we speak of entering the Kingdom of God, we are referring to the
government of God which establishes the ways for righteous and holy living.
It defeats the ways of evil, the
need for violent war,
lustful sensual conduct, and give honor to marriage, family relations, and
civil government. Without the commandments and guidance of the Lord the
entire world would exist in a state of chaos, selfishness, and confusion.
When the standard of the Lord Jesus Christ is lifted up, it
will draw all men unto the Lord. It will draw all men because He is the
light of the entire world for all nations.
John 12:32 - 35 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all
men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he
should die. The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that
Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted
up? who is this Son of man? Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while
is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon
you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
The
mountain of the
house of God, the Kingdom of God, the one universal Church of God,
is for
all nations and all men. It seem to be generally agreed by some that Isaiah
used the Mountain of the Lord’s House in reference to the Messianic age which
some begin
with the death of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross continuing
in fulfilment in the Second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in physical,
glorified form. The
Messianic Age generally refers to the coming of a time of peace and
brotherhood on the earth, without crime, war and poverty referred to it as
the " Kingdom of God" with
the eventual physical presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in his physical glorified
form".
With the crucifixion of Lord Jesus Christ on the cross or the death of
the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross for the sins of all believers in the
world, the lifting up of Christ is
seen by some as beginning
of the
Messianic Era, which will completed and brought to perfection by the Rapture
and Translation of the Saints leading up to the premillennial Second Coming
of Jesus Christ in his glorified bodily presence as Lord of Lords and King
of Kings during his Millennial
Reign in
which their will be 1000 years of peace on Earth and good will towards all
men.
The mountain of the Lord’s house when understood from a sense of
morality, speaks of the divine kingdom. The symbolism in prophecy of the
exalted place of Jerusalem is to reveal the status of moral righteousness
that will be achieved in the world by following the precepts of the one and
only God which is accomplished by committing to the Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ who is the one and only Almighty God. Some may see The Mountain
of the Lord's House
(Isiah 2:1–4) as the basic theme of the
glorious future of Jerusalem.
Isaiah 2:1 - 5
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the
mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the
mountains,
and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us
of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth
the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and
they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall
they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Micah 4:1–5
1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the
mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the
mountains,
and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will
teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go
forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall
they learn war any more.
4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and
none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken
it.
5 For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will
walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.
Some may interpret "the mountain of the LORD'S house Shall be
established on the top of the mountains" as a reference to the prominence
upon which the temple was built in Jerusalem, perhaps referring to temple
worship and sacrifices. But as one writer indicates, the mountain as a
prophetic symbol indicates either a kingdom or a government because a
kingdom is a form of government and not the temple. As a result of mountain
referring to Kingdom or government, we may understand the meaning of Isaiah
2:2 to reveal that the government of the house of the LORD shall have
preeminence over all levels of human governments. This we see in the Lord
Jesus Christ being lifted up and drawing all men of every nation.
Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left
to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Isiah 9:6 - 7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to
establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Revelation 19:15 - 16 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with
it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron:
and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING
OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
THE LORD'S
HOUSE ESTABLISHED IN THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN(part 1)
By Bishop S. McDowell Shelton
We want to say that this message is coming to you from Denver,
Colorado—"The Mile-High City.” But we also want to tell you in our message
about something that is higher than "The Mile-High City.” something that is
higher than Mount Everest. There is a mountain that is above anything that
man can achieve, that man can build. It is the top of the mountain, wherein
the Holy Scriptures refer to the establishment of the Lord's House. It is
there that God establishes His truth.
He is not talking about an ordinary mountain, because God made all of
the earth, but when He speaks of The Church being in the top of the
mountain, He symbolically uses the mountain as a high level of elevation.
When God speaks of the mountain through His prophet, He is showing mankind
that the House of the Lord is something that has been placed on the top. It
has been placed on a pinnacle and mankind must reach up and continue to
climb; mankind must continue to grow and develop, and to lift himself up
from the debased ways of sin.
Mankind has to lift himself up from the cares of this life, to lift
himself up from the low aspects of sin, to lift himself up from carnality,
and be born again of the water and of the Spirit and begin this route toward
perfection. The direction you receive is constantly an upward one.
When one goes toward sin, they are going backwards. They are going
toward the earth, but God is using the mountains because the mountain points
toward the heavens. It is going upward and man's aspirations, man's
devotions, man's hopes should ever be looking toward the hill from whence
cometh his help, his help cometh from the Lord.
The Scripture says in Isaiah the
2nd Chapter: "The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and
Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of
the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountain and shall
be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it." Isaiah
2:1-2)
The time is coming when we shall be caught up with the Lord—those who
are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and who have the Holy Ghost,
speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. We are going to be
caught up to meet God in the mid-air. And somewhere along the way, we are
going to be above your "mile-high city". Your mile-high city is going to be
below us, as tall as it is.
Some questions have been sent in for us to answer, and we shall be
answering them somewhere along the way. But we would like to say this
concerning the scripture that talks about God's son from heaven.
The Scripture often times speaks of things which are not as though they
were. When John looked into heaven, He did not see two there on the throne.
He saw one! And when it speaks of the son coming from heaven, it is giving
reference to this visualization of what He had been referred to when He was
manifested in the flesh, being born of a woman.
They knew Him in this form. This was one of the references in which
they referred to Him (even though they realized He was God), because God
dwelt here on this earth in this body which they referred to as the son of
God.
John made if perfectly clear as to who is the son of God now, for he
said—beloved, now ye (The Church) are the sons of God.
1John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear
what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like
him; for we shall see him as he is.
God is not divided into a separate person known as the Son, or a
separate person known as the Father, or a separate person known as the Holy
Ghost! That same Jesus who was crucified was Father in creation when He made
everything, was Son in redemption when He (the Spirit) got Himself a body
and bled on the cross and is now Holy Ghost in The Church.
Yes, we all have one Father, and He
(Jesus Christ) is that father.
In answer to the question of the Bible saying call no man "father", it
was using the term father as was referring to God.
In Malachi, it brings this out when it says, "Have
we not all one father? hath not one God created us?" (Malachi—2:10)
Thus, it was saying call
no man father in the sense of referring to God. You must
look through the Scriptures, because they do not contradict one another. The
Bible also talks an earthly father, for
it said honor thy father and thy mother.
So, the Holy Scriptures would not tell you not to call anybody something,
and it did not exist or was contrary to the Word of God.
Then, also, you have spiritual fathers, for the Bible says—"For
though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many
fathers…" (1st Corinthians 4:15)
But, of all these things, we believe the
sonship is one of the most complicated things for
mankind to understand, particularly for those who call themselves
"Christians", because they see Jesus Christ only, as a son of some big daddy
God. They see Him separate from His father. They see Him as some lower
individual. If He is only that, what good is He? If that is all He is, He
should have never come. Any man could have done what He did! If that is all
He is as the son of God, then we are that!
What makes Him greater than us is that He was the very God! What makes
Him greater than us is that He was born without sin! What makes Him greater
than us is that He was "God with us.”
But as for His sonship (being the son of God), He was no more than we
are. For sure His sonship was of significance, but it is nothing as far as
the total spectrum of God is concerned. No wonder the Scripture says that
God so loved the world until He gave His only begotten son. We do not blame
Him for not keeping that sonship! (That
body begotten of the Virgin Mary), He would have become old and
perhaps bald. He might have become senile, with the members of His body
becoming weak. He would have been subject to all of the fragilities which we
are subject: the many temptations, all the illnesses, all of the weaknesses,
all the mental and physical deteriorations. How could you have had God dying
of old age?
So therefore, He took on this form of a servant for only around thirty
some years. After that, He was crucified, He shed His blood, and was buried.
But when He arose, He arose glorified. He came up with a glorified body, and
it is this body which confuses folks. The glorified body
which went up into the heavens is now
there as a mediator between the Spirit and mankind. It
is that sacrifice, it is that glorified body, it is that" mediator. It is
that thing that is going to come back so that every eye can behold Him.
It
is no longer that body that was referred to as son. It
is no longer that body, because the Scriptures have declared that flesh and
blood cannot inherit that kingdom of God.
Some people get confused with inheritance and when different ones were
caught up into the heavens, like Elijah, Paul, and the deacon, Phillip. Yes,
they were caught up, but nothing in the Bible says they stayed up there!
People ought to get their Scriptures straight. Many of us have been "caught
up” in the sense of dreams, or in visions or when we were anointed. During
these times, we have felt ourselves to be in the heavens—projected up with
God.
In the Scriptures they saw a certain beggar in the bosom of Abraham,
who was symbolizing God. But this was all in the form of a parable. Jesus
was showing them what was going to be, because no man has yet ascended into
the heavens—not even David, and David has been gone a long time!
When the Holy Scriptures mention the son of man, which has come down
from heaven, people become very confused. God
came down from heaven and overshadowed the virgin. And that holy
thing born of her was of the Holy Ghost. In other words, God put Himself
into that body. That was God's (the eternal Spirit) body. God, Himself,
created this body in the womb of a virgin, so that it would be a holy thing;
so that it would not be the seed of man. He, Himself, created the body and
caused it to be, and it was this body which was the son of the Spirit. It
was not a different entity from God, but the spirit of God (which is God)
got into that body.
We will continue with these messages in part 2…….
With perfect
love,
Apostle
Dennis G. Smith
The online
service Zoom link is sent out each Sunday at or before 2:00 pm to the Saints
registered email addresses. If you wish to worship with us, please send you
email address to: info@mininstersof Jesuschrist.com and
we will email you a link to join the service. We start the zoom service
after 2:00 pm.
You are
invited to attend and be a part of the Ministers of Jesus Christ Church
Services on Zoom at/or about 2:00pm. Which are also published on Facebook
through Holy Tabernacle, Ministers of Jesus Christ Apostolic Church, and
Ministers of Jesus Christ Church or Dennis Smith Facebook timeline. You
will need to download the zoom app to your cell phone, laptop computer, or
tablet to activate your connection. Go to Google Play Store to get your
free zoom app and install it on your cell phone, laptop computer or tablet.
When you see the zoom link sent to your email address, click, or tap on the
link to open the connection. Then click or tap on the camera and microphone
icon to join the service and select internet. We look forward to seeing you
and worshipping with you in the Lord! You may also give freewill offerings
through Givelify, Cash App, Visa, Master Card, American Express Credit and
Bank cards or PayPal. Use cash app link name ($MinistersofJesus935).
Currently the
following groups are eligible for COVID vaccine in Georgia:
Everyone
age 5 and older. Note: Pfizer is the only COVID vaccine currently approved
for children aged 5 and older. People younger than 18 years of age are not
authorized to receive either the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19
vaccines.
ONGOING
GUIDANCE for Red Zone
• Vaccination
remains the most effective protection against COVID-19
• Practice
social distancing
• Frequently
wash hands
• Frequent
cleaning of public and high touch areas
• Practice
telework and staggered office schedules where feasible, with safety measures
•
Non-essential City facilities may open to the public. Masking will be
mandated for now and the number of persons indoors may be limited to avoid
crowding
Social
Distancing guidelines:
• Social
distancing means staying away from close contact in public spaces. It
includes actions like staying out of places where lots of people gather and
maintaining distance — approximately 6 feet — from others.
• Social
distancing also includes minimizing contact with people when possible,
limiting nonessential travel, working from home, and skipping social
gatherings.
• All people
should practice social distancing — not just those who are seriously ill or
at high risk.
• Social
distancing is a proven way to slow the spread of pandemics.
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:
• Shopping at
essential businesses, like grocery stores or pharmacies.
• While
visiting your health care provider.
• Traveling
on public transportation.
• Interacting
with customers/clients at essential businesses.
• When
feeling sick, coughing, or sneezing.
• In all
public spaces indoors and outdoors.
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.