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 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
November 25, 2020, the City of Atlanta, Georgia remains in Phase II of the
Reopening Plan.
Georgia’s “shelter in place” orders have expired for the majority of Georgia
businesses. However, statewide orders state
that businesses
must continue to operate with social distancing and sanitation rules to keep
customers and employees safe. The Public Health State of Emergency remains in
effect through December 9, 2020.
We are
continuing limited in-person gatherings to maintain the requested social
distancing and online service through Zoom, Facebook, and YouTube. The “shelter
in place” order has expired for Georgians over the age of 65 unless they are
“medically fragile. Baptism and prayer service is continuing using 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:
The Celebration of Holidays (part 2)
By Apostle Dennis Smith
Luke 19:1 – 10 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the
publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and
could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran
before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that
way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said
unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy
house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest
with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord;
Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken
anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And
Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he
also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of
man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Zacchaeus of Jericho was a wealthy, chief tax collector who
was also despised as a sinner and traitor for working for the Roman Empire, and
not the benefit of the Jewish community. In the eyes of the
people, he was a sinner, so he confessed to the Lord Jesus Christ that he gave
half of his goods to the poor and restored to anyone that he had done wrong by
false accusation four times that which was taken and yet he was still despised
because of his occupation as a tax collector for the Roman Empire. Yet
the Lord Jesus Christ chose his house to lodge in. This should be
a clear example of how to bless them that curse you and the real guidance of the
Holy Spirit to save all that have been lost which may not be popular in the eyes
of man.
In understanding this scripture, you should also clearly see
that any celebration or commemoration should emphasize the purpose of what is
being memorialized. When the celebration events deviate from the
purpose, the celebration or spirit of the celebration is then false. You
cannot incorporate lies and fantasy into a celebration that brings to the memory
for all mankind the need to turn from sin and be saved if you are seeking to
deliver the truth.
Zacchaeus, who was also a descendant of Abraham a family
member of the community was pressing to see Jesus even though he is considered a
sinner and does not have the height in statue to be seen over the crowd or
perhaps to even see over the crowd but in his determination, he climbs into a
sycamore tree and is seen and called down by the Lord Jesus Christ. He
has to break through the obstacles of his height, the crowd, and his status as a
tax collector in his effort to see the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and as a
result becomes an example of the earthly mission of Jesus Christ to bring
salvation to the lost and those despised by men. This is the
example that we sing about when we say, “I am not going to let nobody turn me
around.”
If the Catholic Holiday called Christmas is about the
salvation of all men, then the world should have a Christmas Celebration every
day of the year. If the celebration is about uniting Christians
elements of love and giving to those in need with pagan elements of false gods,
sun worship, and the colors of witchcraft to create a world empire then it is
not promoting the whole truth about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This
is the reason why you should plan you family gatherings with only the elements
of Jesus Christ.
Usually, this period begins near the start of November and
ends with New Year's Day. Holiday season in the US corresponds to the period
that begins with Thanksgiving and ends with New Year's Eve. Some Christian
countries consider the end of the festive season to be after the feast of
Epiphany.
Notice that Religious holidays are usually linked to the purpose of a belief
system and faith. Christian holidays are defined as part of the liturgical year,
the chief ones being Christmas and Easter in memory of the birth and death of
Jesus Christ in the flesh for the salvation of all mankind.
Some Christians annually commemorate death of Christ on the cross
as payment for the sins of all believers, but do not celebrate other holidays
with any religious significance such as Easter, Christmas, or New Year's by name
of a day especially true for those holidays that have combined and absorbed
pagan rituals, false and lying overtones, and practices from non-Christian
beliefs into the celebration.
Christmas traditions like decorating trees and decorating
colors (green, red, and white) have very similar ideas to Wicca, which is
witchcraft (a modern Pagan belief) or Yuletide celebrated by the pagans about
December 21- 22, the winter solstice considered by pagans to be the birthday or
rebirth of the sun.
The Jewish holiday or the Spring Feasts of Pesach or Passover in
the Bible, commemorates the Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egyptian
slavery, when God "passed over" the houses of the Israelites during the last of
the ten plagues. From these examples you can clearly see how some
have tried to unite paganism with biblical truth. You must always
put away and not observe any actions that is not following truth. Notice that we
are not speaking of a day but the actions or conduct of each person happening on
the particular day and whether or not the celebration event is true or false.
Ephesians 4:25 - 29 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his
neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin
not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the
devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him
labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give
to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of
your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister
grace unto the hearers.
"IS THIS WHAT THE BIRTH OF CHRIST IS ALL ABOUT?"
By Bishop S. McDowell Shelton
"He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites,
as it is written, This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is
far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men." (Mark 7:6 - 7)
To the officials of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the
Apostolic Faith, saints and friends—this is Bishop S. McDowell Shelton coming to
you from Apostolic Square at 22nd and Bainbridge Streets in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. We are coming to tell and forewarn those who are
engaging in so much activity—with the purchasing of gifts, and shopping for the
various decorative ornaments—that they are preparing for something that does not
please God, and forcing upon Him something He did not ask for. The
Scripture lets us know that — “…in
vain do they worship me …” (Mark 7: 7); indeed, they worship Him in
vain.
Most people, from the very beginning, are just not that naive
to believe that God is really in this winter holiday called "Christmas", with
all its riotous festivity and ungodly celebration. And thus, when
making out their Christmas list or gift list, they have no intentions,
whatsoever of doing anything for God. This is the hypocrisy of it all! They call
it Christ's birthday and, yet Christ does not benefit from it at all—in word or
deed. If you were to look over most people's lists, you would see
that God is not once mentioned. And even if they did write Him on
their lists, he still would not be on It.
“ . . this people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of
men." (Mark 7:6-7)
Now, if God had declared and decreed that mankind could only
be saved by commemorating His birthday: by spreading it abroad that He was born
on the 25th day of December, and keeping that day holy—no one would be
interested in it. They would not be concerned at all. But fact is
there is no record or place in the Holy Scriptures which states the birthdate of
Jesus Christ in the flesh. And of course, if you had the
revelation that He is God Almighty you would readily understand why there is no
emphasis on His natural conception. Because He is the first and
the last, the beginning and the ending—He that was and He that is and He that
shall be (see Rev. 1:8, 11), you could not localize or confine Him to a
birthdate anyhow.
"Birthday" implies day of birth or bringing forth. It
is not possible to confine the Lord God of heaven and earth, whose existence is
more timeless than all the ages, to a specific point or day of origin. When
confronted by the Jews who sought to waylay Him and catch something from His
mouth, He told them—"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it,
and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty
years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am?' (John 8:56 - 58) And
when one of His disciples asked Him about the Father, He replied— “...
he that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” (John 14:9) So,
how are you going to affix a birthdate to someone like that, who transcends time
itself? The flesh part of God—that human body which was born of a
virgin by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost—was not the important constituent
or part of God which we were to commemorate and revere. This flesh
was only temporary, and was destined to die on the cross for the redemption of
humanity. It was going to be offered as a sacrifice and was not going to last
forever. But it was the spiritual part—that eternal Spirit—which
was going to live for evermore. Therefore, when He came to tabernacle with men
in the flesh, He did not magnify or glorify the birth of His natural body.
If you really knew why He came, you would see that Christmas,
with all its festivities and carefree joy and happiness, is nothing but vanity
and vexation of the spirit. Christ came here to die. To this end was He born and
to this end came He into the world: "To
this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should
bear witness unto the truth."(John 18:37)
The Lord of glory came here to die, and you mean to
tell us you are going to party and indulge in other vain frivolities? The world
is so out of tune and out of touch with the true profundity and reality of the
birth of Christ. They get drunk and carouse at the coming of one whose sole
purpose, sole objective was to die and be offered as a blameless sacrifice. If
anything at all, it should be a time of sorrow and great remorse.
"Surely he hath born our
griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God,
and afflicted. But he was wounded. for our transgressions, he was bruised for
our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes
we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5)
When He came into the world, evidently there was no
room for Him in the inn. And in most places, in most hearts—there
still is no room for Him. Because there was no room for Him in the inn, He ended
up being laid in a manger. So please tell us, what is all the
festivity about? Though Christ profiteth not (and yet, you label
it His birthday), one thing that does profit and flourish is the economy. It
is the businessmen who love Christmas. It is those who receive the gifts who
love Christmas. But God has never said He loved it. God
has never said it was of Him.
"He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites,
as it is written. This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is
far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men." (Mark 7:6-7)
When God dwelt here on the earth in His flesh, the
people were so full' of traditions. They
asked Him: "Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for
they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and
said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your
tradition?" (Matthew 15:2-3)
And people are still like that today; they put all the emphasis on trivia. Here
God Almighty came and was put to death in the flesh. (We
perceive the love of God because He laid down His life for us.) He
came here to offer up His life as a perfect sacrifice and to suffer much
persecution for our sakes.
1John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for
us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
And then, someone puts the emphasis on a big-bellied man dressed in a red suit
and adorned with a red nose. To make matters worse, they say this
fatso comes down people's chimneys while they are asleep (one of those creepers,
you know, who is supposed to slide down there during the night.) They put
emphasis on this lie and fable, rather than on the grave meaning and profound
implications of God's supreme sacrifice—His birth and death in the flesh.
This mythical lie is adapted to which every society. In
the warmer countries, particularly the islands, you will see little statutes of
him on water skis with water dolphins pulling him. Of course, most
of the children in the tropical area have never seen snow or even heard of the
North Pole, so it would be quite unrealistic to talk about him coming on a sled
and snow. But in the cold northern countries, he comes from the
North Pole with sled and reindeer.
As was afore stated, this fable is accommodated to whatever society that will receive it and, thus, perpetuate it. Emphasis is placed on mistletoe, holly. Christmas trees, candy canes if you please, and stockings. But we ask you, is this what the birth of Christ is all about? Is this what He was born for and died for? Stockings and candy canes and lollypops'? We asked you a question, and we would like to have an answer.
When you hear people talking about Christmas, they mention
all the trivia and concern themselves with all the exterior. They
reminisce about their fond childhood Christmas memories and all those other
things which have no lasting value. Rarely—indeed, rarely will
they even mention Christ, and when they do try to make it or declare it to be
His birthday, they just mention it briefly and go on to the next topic. Now
you know, people are really taking a lot for granted and being self-willed when
they just give you a birthday, whether you want one or not. God
did not ask them for this birthdate, yet they imposed December the 25th on Him
anyhow.
You would think that, since this so-called birthday of Christ has been changed so many times throughout the history of mankind, the zeal and enthusiasm of the people would have subsided by now. But no! They are as persistent as ever in assigning "He who is infinite" (without limit), a birthdate of finite character. The birthdate of our Lord is nowhere sanctioned in the Holy Scriptures, neither does the Scriptures state it. But, regardless of this fact, regardless of the inerrancy of the Word of God, they (the people) still insist that Jesus Christ was born on the 25th day of December.
God is not asking for a birthday or a birthday celebration,
neither is He concerned about lollipops and candy canes or all the Christmas
stencils and bright lights. But He is requesting, yea, pleading
that you "Come unto me, all ye
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11 :28) The
voice of the Lord is saying, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be
born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John
3:5)
You are so concerned about His natural conception, but will you do that which
He is actually requesting? Will you consent to be born again of
the water and Spirit according to Acts 2:38?
"This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Howbeit in vain do they worship me ... " (Mark 7:7)
During the Christmas season, you will find drunks with bottles
in their hands coming down the streets singing, "Silent Night. Holy Night' '—now
what is that? When people give gifts to relatives, friends, or
just people on the job, they generally select those who can give them one in
return. And if they do not receive a gift in return, you do not
have to worry about receiving another one from them for many years to come. After
the excitement and fanfare has died down and the holidays have past, if you were
hungry and asked these same individuals for some money to buy a sandwich, you
probably could not get a dime out of them. But oh my, how their
hearts are so open during Christmas. They will say, "Yes, this is
the time for giving." We wonder, however, how many would obey the Scripture and
actually feed their enemy if their enemy hungered, even during this season,
which is supposed to be the season for giving?
".... in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of
men." (Mark 7:6-7)
That is exactly what they teach—the commandments of men for doctrine. They
teach all these strange doctrines and vain philosophies of men, and when it came
to Christmas, they made no exceptions. They fabricated all manner
of lies and fables to embellish it, and added new fables to the so-called
"Christmas Story" as the centuries rolled on: "For
the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own
lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they
shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (II
Timothy 4:3-4)
This winter festival, which got its popularity mainly
under the Roman Empire, has no actual affinity with the birth of the Lord Jesus,
The sun worshippers at Rome, whose ultimate aim was sensual pleasure and joy,
often conducted ceremonies or rituals venerating the sun called "Brumaia" during
this time of the year (December 17 to the 24th). It was a
celebration of the shortest day in the year and the new sun or the beginning of
the lengthening days.
Another sect that popularized the 25th day of December
were the followers of Mithras—a Persian denomination within the Roman Empire who
gave each other gifts on this day. In comparison to the more
intemperate sun worshippers, the followers of Mithras were of a quiet and somber
disposition. The sun worshippers, however, seemed to have
triumphed over the influence of the Mithraists (with the exception of their gift
giving, which prevailed nonetheless) and dominated this winter festival with
their carnal merriment, because this festivity spread throughout the Roman
Empire.
Gradually, this winter celebration was even absorbed or
assimilated in most of the practices of the various countries that branched from
or became separate Empires from the old Roman Empire. But Jesus
had nothing to do with this at all. Neither did Peter, Paul,
Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. The ultimate elevation of December
25th as Christ's birthday came about when the Bishop at Rome of the Roman Church
(because God's Church started at Jerusalem—see book of Acts) attained ascendency
(power) over the entire Roman Empire, due to the seat of political power being
at Rome. It was during this time it was finally decreed throughout the Empire
that on this day a special high mass would be said in honor of Christ's
birthday. Thus, we get “Christmas"; or a mass for Christ (Christ-mass).
It should be remembered that Constantine, the pagan Emperor of Rome, also played a significant role in combining this pagan influence of December 25th with the birth of Christ. Before he was converted to the so-called Church, he was a member of this same sun worshippers' cult in Rome. Thus, when he declared himself ruler of the Roman Empire and the Roman (Catholic) Church, he did everything in his power to unite his pagan and so-called Christian subjects. In effect, the birth of Jesus was united with the celebration of the sun.
How can anything be right that inspires thieves to rob and
mug other people in celebration of it? During this time of the
year, you have a drastic increase in stealing, shoplifting, and pickpocketing. To
avert this crime wave, most stores find it necessary to hire extra guards. You
ask someone, "Say, what are you going to do. Shoplift for Christ's birthday?" Oh,
my! How pathetic. They are going to steal a pair of
hot-pants or whatever to celebrate the birthday of Christ.
No wonder the Scripture says, “you
hypocrites . . ." Jesus Christ, who is God Almighty, said, “Except
a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God." (John 3:5) But they lay that aside and "…hold
the traditions of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like
things . ..” (Mark 7:8) Gladly do they indulge in kissing
under the mistletoe and drinking spiked egg-nog, for they love these customs,
these traditions. And while they may not wash pots as in the days
of old, they will certainly smoke some pot.
We had previously asked you, is this what the birth of Christ is all about? Is this the way to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ? "And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." (Mark 7:9) You claim that December 25th is the birthdate of Christ—the Lord's day, but us examine a certain "day of the Lord" in the Holy Scriptures:
"Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the
day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee
from a lion and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on
the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and
not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?" (Amos 5:18-20)
It said the day of the Lord was darkness, even very dark—a day with no
brightness in it. But you have tried to make it bright; you have
added light therein. You hung out your various Christmas lights and decked your
Christmas tree with the shiniest tinsel and most brilliant multi-colored
Christmas bulbs you could find. Your objective was “the brighter
the better, the more lights the merrier.” But "darkness and not
light," warns the Word of God concerning this day; the day of the Lord is surely
darkness.
"I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn
assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat
offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of
your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not
hear the melody of thy viols." (Amos 5:21-23)
This is what God thinks about these feast days which He has not ordained. You
are singing some kind of "Joy to the World", but God is saying, "I
hate . . ."; "Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs . . .". To
your so-called religious midnight services or masses He is declaring, I
despise…I will not smell in your solemn assemblies:"
If you want to do that which can be found in the Bible and is pleasing in the sight of God, come and be baptized in water according to Acts 2:38 — "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." Now this is a commandment of God which can be found in the Scriptures. Christmas, or that Christ was born on the 25th day of December, is not confirmed in the Scriptures.
So remember, when you indulge in such pagan festivities and
vain celebration, God is saying, "In
vain do you worship
me." "I hate, I despise your feast days." And
when you try to proclaim this day to be His birthday, He is condemning it as a
commandment of men.
We invite you to come and worship Him in Spirit and in truth. (See John 4:23) Come
to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and be born again of the water and Spirit
by being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
With perfect love,
Apostle Dennis G. Smith
Present
Guidelines for Individuals and Businesses in Phase 2:
· Stay
home except for essential trips
· Wear
face coverings in public
· Frequent
hand washing
· Social
distancing followed and enforced where practical
· Small
private gatherings of no more than 10 people, with social distancing
· To-go
and delivery orders from restaurants
· Continue
practicing teleworking
· Frequent
cleaning of public and high touch areas
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.