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.
At
this present time, the City of Atlanta, Georgia remains in Phase II of the
Reopening Plan.
Large gatherings of more than 50 people are banned in Georgia unless there is
at least six feet between each person. We are
continuing limited in-person gatherings to maintain the requested social
distancing and increasing our online service through Zoom, Facebook, and
YouTube. The medically fragile are advised to continue to shelter in
place. 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 Events in the Day
of the Lord (Part 1)
2Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are
kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of
ungodly men.
For those who may be unfamiliar with the terminology or expression “Day of the
Lord” let us speak about it in the simplest way possible so that all will
understand. The term is used in most cases in the Bible to express
that God will have a time that he will judge and punish all the evil and sinful
ways of those who have not repented of their sins or turned away from their
sinful ways. He will judge and punish sinful people, sinful
nations, sinful governments, who continue in their ungodly ways with destruction
and eternal damnation, but he will save those who repent of their sins and live
a holy, righteous life with eternal rewards. The Day of the Lord may also refer
to his physical appearances as in his first coming in natural birth through Mary
and in his second coming as a glorified Body beginning with the
descent to the midair meeting for the Rapture of the Church ushering in the
great tribulation on earth then after the Bridal Feast descending from heaven
with his Saints to destroy the antichrist and set up his earthly Millennial
Reign in physical glorified form.
Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto
wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Those who love the Lord Jesus Christ and all the Church need to set themselves to endure hardness in this present life. We must not become entangled in the sinful pleasures of this world seeing that those who do so will not inherit the Kingdom of God. The Bible clearly tells us that he will gather his Saints in the First Resurrection and translation of the Saints and we will be with him for eternity. This should give all God’s Children the encouragement to continue on in life in the good times, bad times, happy times, and sad times.
No matter who betrays you, you must continue on in the word of God knowing that their time will come if they do not turn from their evil ways. We will never lose this battle whether we die or remain alive until the coming of the Lord we have a blessed hope of eternal joy. We can declare in the mist of satanic attacks that we are victorious because Jesus Christ has the victory over death.
We also know that he will provide for us even in times of famine because he is a rewarder to those that diligently seek him. The word of God declares that I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread. So, in the mist of this covid-19 pandemic God will make away for all those who call upon him with a sincere repentant heart and follow the ways of righteousness.
You must continuously speak comforting words to yourself and all the Saints
wherever they are on this planet as this distress upon the earth becomes more
intense. Some have been told that the Church would not see this
trouble, but they can now see that the date setting false prophets are wrong. We
will have the victory in life or in death and we will live and reign with the
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming back
again in person with his glorified physical body. The Lord will come to the mid
air first and gather all his Church the dead and living ones for the mid air
meeting in the clouds.
1Thessalonians 4:13 - 18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have
no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so
them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this
we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are
asleep. For the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead
in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore
comfort one another with these words.
The Main Events that mark the second coming of the Lord in person or the day of the Lord by premillennial believers is the Rapture of the Church( also called the Resurrection and Translation of the Saints which is a part of the First Resurrection), the antichrist and the tribulation period which is a seven year period of intense sorrows, war, famine, and destruction and the Second Coming of Christ to the earth to destroy the antichrist and set up his early millennial reign.
"The Day of the Lord" is a biblical term warning of a time when "The sun shall
be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the
terrible day of the LORD come" referring to the first and second
comings of Jesus Christ spoken of in Joel 2:31 and cited in Acts 2:20
sometime described as the first and second advent. There is no need for
debate about these prophecies as no one knowns the exact date or time of various
events only that they will happen and and some are already occurring.
Acts 2:19 - 21 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth
beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned
into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the
Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the
name of the Lord shall be saved.
The concept of the Day of the Lord throughout the Scripture indicates a day of
divine and in some cases apocalyptic judgment as the present world comes to an
end.
Because most of mankind has continued in sin, God would come in judgement on them. Thus, the day of the Lord is about God punishing those who continue sinful ways and saving those who repent of their sinful ways. There is a promise also that in the Day of the Lord, "everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." Therefore we are living in the Day of the Lord, the Day of the I am in which those of us who obey the Apostle's Doctrine calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved even as the sorrows become more intense until there is tribulation like never before was and will never be again. The Church will be raptured before the most intense part of the tribulation usually called the great tribulation period generally referred to by the midtribulational view as the last half of the seven year period. We are aware that many of the brethren believed that the Church would not be here for any of the sorrows which is the reason why so many of you are shocked and depressed as you see the distress getting worst and worst. But be encouraged, the Lord Jesus Christ will save us from the wrath.
Joel 2:28 - 32 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and
the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of
the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be
deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
The Day of the Lord for those living today mostly refers to the events of the
rapture and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
1Thessalonians 5:1 - 11 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no
need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the
day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they
shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as
travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But
ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye
are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the
night, nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as do others;
but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the
night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let
us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love,
and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not
appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live
together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and
edify one another, even as also ye do.
We continue with a Message from Apostle Shelton…… Prince Michael and the Time of Trouble………
PRINCE MICHAEL AND THE TIME OF TROUBLE (part 1)
By Bishop S. McDowell Shelton
We are coming to you wherever you may be to let you know that
there is "one Lord, one faith, one baptism," Eph. 4:5. I say to
you as did Peter on the day of Pentecost, .. 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." Acts 2:38. We are praying for all of
the saints on Apostolic Square, for the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and the
saints everywhere, and for all those who take heed to what the Bible says. We
pray for all of you, wherever you may be that God will grant your petitions and
answer your prayers.
Today, we are talking to you about Prince Michael and the Time
of Trouble. Keep in your mind that if you think you have had
trouble, those of us who remain here on earth until the end of this dispensation
of grace (which is the 6th dispensation) shall be faced with a world heavily
ladened with trouble. As the end of the dispensation of grace comes, trouble
will increase and from out of this trouble will come a period called
tribulation.
The trouble will start where people will bring offenses,
sorrows, and afflictions upon you. It will go on and increase
until the church is caught up and taken away. Indeed, it will happen and if you
are not rooted and grounded in the Apostolic Faith, you will faint by the
wayside. Now some might say: "Well I won't be here at that time."
Chances are, you will be here. If you are not here in that time, you have got to
set yourself and be ready when your time of death comes.
Every saint must learn in their salvation how to endure
hardship. They must learn to do that. It is one of the most important lessons
that you must learn. Your next lesson is how to endure blessings, because either
one of them can offset you. Because both are coming, you must set yourself. I
would warn you that hardship, in all probability, will exceed the times of joy
and blessings and you will be the recipients of some kind of worry or trouble
almost all of the time. After the trouble comes, you will have some times of
peace. You will bring some of these troublesome times upon yourself and others
will just come upon you.
People will change. Situations will become different. Your feelings about people
and things will change. Surely it will. Happiness
will almost become non-existent. Things that once made you happy will begin
cease making you happy and you will have to cope with that. Joy
will be one of the rarest items that you will have in your life. You must come
to it, because whatever it is that gives you the most joy in your life is the
thing which is going to be affected and attacked in some kind of way.
In Daniel 12:1 it reads “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great
prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time
of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time:
and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found
written in the book”.
This speaks about this time of trouble which will increase and
be intensified then develop fully into a period of tribulation. At such time of
tribulation, the church will caught away and there will be a restriction on the
people as to their power to purchase and their power to perform their
activities. During this time of tribulation, there will be a
power whose name is disguised in a code known by the number 666.
This number, his coding, is showing you the mystery of whom it
will be. Whether they will use this specific number or not, is
conjecture and speculation however, so that you will have something to remember
it, the number itself is the code of this power. Those who refuse
to have this number in their hands or forehead will not have permission to move,
to occupy, to be, to drink, nor to do all the other things that they once got
pleasure from doing. In other words, as they go through the earth
not having this number, all of their freedom can and will be taken from them.
Those who elect to have themselves imprisoned or beheaded or
whatever, will be the only ones delivered at this time. The church will be gone,
and they will no longer be baptizing in the name of Jesus Christ. Because the
Church will be gone, no longer will there be a necessary requirement to speak in
other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. Yet the same Spirit
and power must prevail in the people who obey and do the will of God. Even
though people will be encouraged and warned by witnesses, most shall turn
aside.
You must set your seal and sanctify yourself so that you can
be counted worthy to escape. Whether you are asleep or awake, the price which
you must pay in obedience in your life is that you must offer yourself and all
that is important to you as a living sacrifice to the living God. You must offer
your life to God, from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof. You
see, you must speak to your own mind and tell it that your life is turned
backwards. You make all those other things the most important things in your
life and you need to be turned all the way around again. Tell
yourself that everything else that you do, or have, or think is secondary, and
your first responsibility is perfecting yourself, perfecting your salvation that
you may have part in the First Resurrection.
“Bless and holy is he…. " (Revelations 20:6).
Revelations 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests
of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
It would disturb me more than perhaps I could verbalize and explain in words to
think about your being here, hearing the word and having obeyed the truth of
God, then let yourselves be destroyed. The Church is not some
social organization to keep you amused or with some friendships or
what-have-you.
This church was established by God Himself. For what? For
your salvation, your deliverance and eternal life. It has within
it, the factors; everything you need is in this Church, in this Faith. We
will continue with these messages in part 2…….
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
Coronavirus outbreak in Churches from health reports: October 11,
2020
· Most
are continuing to following the COVID-19 outbreak among President Donald Trump
and the Whitehouse.
Present
Guidelines for Individuals and Businesses in Phase 2:
· Small private gatherings
of no more than 10 people, with social distancing.
· Large
Gatherings of
more than 50 people are banned in Georgia unless there is at least six feet
between each person.
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.