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

 Date: January 24, 2021

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 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 all indoor and outdoor public spaces.

      As of January 21, 2021, the City of Atlanta, Georgia remains in Phase I of the Reopening Plan due to the increasing spread of the coronavirus.   Throughout the State of Georgia businesses must continue to operate with social distancing and sanitation rules to keep customers and employees safe.  Covid-19 vaccinations are available and distributed under phase 1A+ plan in Georgia. The vaccine is in limited supply and currently offered to health care workers, first responders, individuals ages 65 and older and their caregivers, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, law enforcement officers and firefighters.

      We are continuing online service through Zoom, Facebook, and YouTube.   Baptism and prayer service are available using social distancing and personal protective equipment.

       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: 

Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (part 2)
 By Apostle Dennis G. Smith

 Romans 10:3 -11 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.  For Moses describeth the righteousness, which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.  But the righteousness, which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)   Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)   But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.   For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

     It is very appealing for deceivers to present salvation as just saying Lord I believe in you just before they die, and this would indicate that you are now saved.  Because this is what appears to happen with the thief on the cross, many false prophets and false teachers promote the experience of the thief on the cross as the method of salvation.  They then only see baptism as a public profession that you are saved rather than a necessary action to obtain remission of sin as Apostle Peter taught it in the 2^nd chapter of Acts the birthday of the Church.  The failure of people to understand that in teaching people to believe in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are actually teaching them to obey his commandments if you believe in him.  

     We are teaching them to follow the Lord as his disciples and his dear children.  Not to go about trying to establish your own righteousness.  It should be clear from Romans 10 chapter that Apostle Paul is dealing with Israel's rejection of Jesus Christ and informing them that if you confess with your mouth that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in your heart, it would lead to salvation.  

     It was Apostle Paul's heart desire and prayer for all the Israelites to be saved.  He is preaching to them to stop rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in him in your heart and make it known by your mouth that you are saved through the blood of Jesus Christ.  He is not promoting mental faith alone, but is speaking of open acknowledgement by the action of your mouth.  Many of the Israelites or Jews did not believe in Jesus Christ but had a zeal for God but not according to the knowledge of Jesus Christ and went about trying to establish their own method of righteousness which would not save any of them.  From the intentions of the Jews, we have a picture of unbelievers attempting to establish their own way teaching manmade doctrines that will never save anyone.

     What makes the gospel message of salvation difficult for some, is the understanding of the word belief.  In simplicity, to believe is to acknowledge a thing as truth.  To have faith is to trust in a thing with complete confidence. To obey is to carry out the commanded action.  From this we can see that we must first hold a thing to be true before we put any confidence and assurance in it and obey the requested action to obtain the expected or promised result.  We can see clearly that it is the belief in a thing that causes us to produce actions and receive the promised results.  By the same token we can also see that if we do not believe in a thing then we will not produce the desired action and will not receive the promised result.  After Apostle Paul believed in Jesus Christ, he changed from persecuting the Church to baptism for washing away his sins calling on the name of the Lord Jesus as requested by Ananias.

 Acts 22:12 - 16 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.  And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.  For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.   And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

      The question that should now come to mind is, “What is baptism for?”  Is it to join a Church?  Is it an outward sign or public profession?  Or is it for washing away your sins by your belief or faith in Jesus Christ as clearly indicated by the actions of Apostle Paul and the teaching of Apostle Peter?  Some groups understand baptism to be an outward sign that a believer has been forgiven of his sins.   Most Apostolic Saints believe that baptism is an act of faith and obedience to God that remits or cleanses one from past sins and is a part of the new birth experience that makes a person a part of the Kingdom of God the invisible and visible Church.  Thus, they see baptism as an act of faith. We can now also clearly see that we are saved by grace through our belief and faith in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  This is to say that even though the Lord has provided all men the opportunity to be saved by his unconditional love or grace it is not activated unless each person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and obeys his commandments.

      One of the Apostolic tractural writings expresses an editorial by a minister who declared, "There is nothing that can be added to bring salvation to a soul. "Grace," he wrote, "wrought salvation with no strings attached." Another minister stated. "Grace plus nothing equal salvation. “Is this biblical?  Have these ministers gone farther than the Scriptures go?  From these statements you can see the errors that have misled many people to believe something that is untrue.  It is this misleading of people by erroneous teachings that causes so many to have no action behind their empty profession of belief.  Real sincere belief should produce genuine efforts to obey the word of God.  If a person believes that they can stop a moving train by hand, the belief is not real until they attempt to stop the train as they have stated.  And if their statement is not true the result will be loss of life even though they believed in the false statement and acted upon something that was not the truth.  This is what will happen to many people who believe in false teachings that do not produce real and genuine results.

 Matthew 7:21 - 27 Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?   And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.  Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:   And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

 Is one saved by faith alone, or by faith and obedience?

     Someone who makes a thorough study of God's plan of salvation from sin will be convinced that salvation comes through faith. Paul made this plain by saying, "For by grace are ye saved, through faith: and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).  

But what is saving faith? Does mentally believing in Jesus Christ, and doing nothing else, bring salvation?

Faith Makes Salvation Possible…. Real Faith causes one to take the actions necessary to produce or receive the promised result.

 John 1:12: "But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."  

      According to this verse believing on Christ makes it possible for a person to become a son of God. Such faith alone does not save him; rather it places salvation within his reach. Clearly, if he does not believe on the name of Jesus Christ or in the plan of salvation He has provided, he will not take the steps necessary to be saved.

 Confession Must Accompany Faith…We openly proclaim with our mouth that we believe in Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:9-10 says, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."  

In other words, the heart is changed for righteousness and the confession of the mouth is made for salvation.  Confession is an act, over and above simple faith in the mind or mental faith only.  This is what Apostle Paul is preaching to the Jews who rejected Christ that belief in him was the way to salvation.

 Prayer Must Accompany Faith…We openly continue in prayer until we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  We then continue praying daily.

Continuing his teaching concerning salvation, Apostle Paul said, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).

Of course, a person can call upon the Lord from his heart, and in his mind without physical outward effort. But he is still producing some action even if it is not readily visible, unseen, and unheard.   The phrase "call upon," also implies the use of the voice, or vocal prayer.  And any use of the voice in prayer is an act, in addition to faith.  Whichever way we examine it real faith is producing sincere actions.  And genuine actions produces results.  We receive the Holy Spirit by faith.

 GAL3:02 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

GAL3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

  We call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer and ask for the Holy Spirit because we believe that he will give us what he promised.

 "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:13).

 Faith produces Obedience…. We openly express our sorrowful heart in repenting of our sins, turning from a sinful lifestyle and turning to God in living a holy lifestyle.

What part does faith play in receiving salvation? A person must believe in the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross as a sacrifice for sin and in the availability of the free gift of salvation.  A person must believe that if they will repent of sin and ask in prayer for the Holy Spirit, that they will receive the Holy Spirit.  True faith leads to obedience and to receiving the Spirit and the fulness of salvation.  A person’s faith must motivate them to obey the scriptural command to repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost with the sign following speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gives them utterances as was done in Acts 2^nd Chapter.  They must come to understand that they did not earn the right to salvation by their own merits and good conduct because all have sinned and fallen short, but God offered salvation because of his love for all mankind if they believe that the sin debt is paid by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the cross and acknowledge or confess their sin, turn from a sinful life to a Holy life.

 Ephesians 2:8 - 10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

So, God offers us salvation because of his love, grace, or favor but we receive it by our belief and faith which causes us to do or walk-in good works which he has ordained.  In other words, we obey what he has ordained or commanded because we believe in his grace.

James 2:18 - 24 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?   Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?   Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?   And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.  Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

 We can see then that "works" means acts of obedience to the commands of God which are the terms of the gospel. Only those who have "the obedient faith,” those who obey the doctrine, obey the gospel, obey Christ will be saved.

James 1:22 - 27 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.  If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

 Saving faith leads a person to obey the gospel, and such obedient faith brings salvation that whosever believes in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ should not perish but have everlasting life.

     We apply faith, obedience, and action in every aspect of our life, and it causes us to prosper in our homes, on our jobs, in our businesses, in our schools and educations institutions, for our healing and in our medical institutions.  We prove that all things are possible to those who believe in God.  Whatever situation that you are facing today, ask God in prayer according to his will and believing you shall receive it because real faith will produce actions.

Matthew 21:18 - 22 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.  And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever.  And presently the fig tree withered away.  And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!   Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

 We continue with a Message from Apostle S. McDowell Shelton …. Unbelief ………

UNBELIEF part 2

By Bishop S. McDowell Shelton

    John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

      If I had not believed God, how could I have continued until this day.  Think back on all the crises that have come against the Church.  It was enough to make anyone with a lot of faith give up.  It seemed that it would have deteriorated in our very faces: embarrassment, opposition, dissension, drawback; folks ceased to cooperate, did not operate, did not do anything.  You see, I have faith that this is the Church and that sustains me.  I have faith in what God hath said? . . .

 Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

      Most people do not understand the meaning of "prevail."  Anything that prevails will eventually triumph.  It does not mean that the gates of hell are not going to come up against it.  Nevertheless, in the storm, in the rain, in opposition, I shall have faith.  If I lose friends, I shall believe until I gain the friends back again.  If I did not have belief, I would have the worse inferiority complex because I would worry about people disliking me, or believing and trusting in me.

      I prayed for some folks one time and they did not get well.  It was as the scripture says:  Matthew13:58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

  Jesus went back to his country and the Bible says this: Matthew 13:53 - 55 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.  And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?  Is not this the carpenter’s carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

 They did not think on Him as being of God or as being God.  They looked on the natural side and said, ' 'Is not he that carpenter's boy?"  This scripture also proves that Mary had other children. 

 … is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?  Matthew 13:56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?  Matthew 13:57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

 Jesus had been proclaimed elsewhere.  He came back to His own house and to His own country.  All they could see was that he was a carpenter’s son. They said, "Don't pay any attention to him.  I know his sisters and his brothers.  They are right here with me.  Now, what can he tell me?

 Matthew13:58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

    The only thing, when you become deceitful, you cannot justify any kind of unbelief that you have.  When an old woman gets unbelief, she does not really believe that she is her age.  She wants to put on a fancy hat to try to make her look cute.  Let me tell you one thing, don't you worry about what is on the outside of that head you had better worry about some salvation under that hat.

     You know, people (because of their unbelief) feel when they give me some kind of celebration that they have to dress up and look sharp.  You do not impress me when you look worldly.  If anything, I look at you and feel sorry for you.  The only time I feel close to any one is when one looks like a saint. I actually admire you when you look sanctified.  You never can look too sanctified for me.  You do not have to buy anything new to come to see me.  Come just as you are as long as you look saintly and in order.  I am not looking for your clothes, nor am I impressed by them unless they are becoming holiness. You have been a long time with me, and you do not know me.  You think I am just a carpenter's son.  You think that my mother's name is Mary.  You do not understand.  If you do not believe that I am he, you are going to die in your sins.  Let me make it clear: I am not saying that I am Jesus—but the man of God.

 The scripture says, Romans 3:3 – 4   For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?  God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

 Do you know that you have to believe?  If you have a habit of alcohol or a habit of anything, you have to believe God that you can overcome.  There is no doubt in my mind of God's ability and His willingness to perform miracles in our time.  He shall do great things in the midst of his people but in the meantime, you had better work on your unbelief in those small of life.

      You know, folks figure that if they trust God and do not take a pill when they are sick, they have faith.  I wonder if you have enough faith to walk up to someone who really has done you wrong and say, "I forgive you” --- and really mean it!  Don't wait for them to come and apologize. The small area of belief that people have as faith is much too small and too shallow for me.  You must believe for everything: from the top of the roof down to the basement, from the front door to the back door, from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet, for your job, for your schooling, etc..     I tell the young who are going to school now: whenever I took an examination, I never went in unless I prayed.  I would find someone who I thought could pray and ask him to pray, also.  Then there were times when I could not really get in touch with anyone.  My instructors pulled a surprised examination on me; then I had to pray through myself.  I did not forsake the assembling of myself.  I might have been late sometimes, but I made it. Having help from God I continued until this day. 

      We believed God when they tried to saw us asunder, to divide us and take over.  When there were strangers over our affairs, we believed God that the shackles were going to fall off—and they did!

 The scripture says this: Romans 11:20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high minded, but fear:

 This is the danger of really having a little measure of faith.  If you have this kind of capacity for faith you are a blessed person.  Don't be high minded!  You are so high-minded until you cannot tolerate that individual that hath not faith.  When you are able to believe God a little and to really have that joy of trusting in God, it is beautiful.  It is a joy beyond what you can see and touch because it is a joy of knowing that things are going to be better: that there is going to be a change in your life.  There is going to be a change in your situation.  God is going to perform mighty acts.  You know, it comes line upon line; precept upon precept.  I did not always know these things before I became The Bishop; but after I became The Bishop, I began to consider because I saw the scripture that says, Romans 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.  Then I believed.  So, what does this make me?  Am I any greater? Am I then to feel like some kind of aristocracy or some kind of publican?  What the scripture say, "Let the strong do what "Bear the infirmities of the weak." Romans 15:1

  Romans 15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  

 Encourage one another. Have patient one with another.  Paul told them that he pressed  .. . Philippians 3:13 - 16 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

      If you were pulling a wagon and all the strong ones took their hands off, there is not much chance of it getting up the hill, is it?  The strong ones have an obligation.   If the weak ones cannot make it, then you should not say, "l am not going to withdraw myself from this project.  I am going to put my hand in the battle and turn this battle to the gate." 

     You believed enough to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ—and everyone must believe this!  You believed enough that you spoke in tongues. Those who are tarrying will say, "l believe."  Well, if you do believe, keep on tarrying. You will receive it.  You have to have belief to receive the Holy Ghost. You have to believe that the Holy Ghost will come into you.  You have to believe that you will speak in another tongue.  You have to believe that you will have power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you; otherwise, you will go back into the same kind of life you were in before you were saved.   If you do not keep the same belief after you have been saved for years (it is no use talking), you will go back to everything that you have doing previously.  It is only your belief that keeps you free from sin. 

     Someone may say, 'Well, Bishop, I just cannot seem to believe."  Do the father of the child did.  Say …Mark 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

 This will be your job until you can believe: to pray and ask God to help you to believe.   Remember, if you believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

 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

 Present Guidelines for Individuals and Businesses in Phase 1:

·        Stay home except for essential trips.

·        Wear face coverings in public.

·        Frequent hand washing.

·        Social distancing followed and enforced where practical.

·        To-go and delivery orders from restaurants.

·        Continue practicing teleworking.

·        Frequent cleaning of public and high touch areas

 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 by avoiding public transportation 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.