volume 117 may/june 2009 issue

What Does The Church of Jesus Christ Believe?

We believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of

God and is the SOLE authority on every subject. We

believe that Jesus Christ is the Almighty God. Rev. 1:8,

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,

saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to

come, the Almighty.” God put on a robe of flesh and

walked here on earth for 33 years to fulfill prophecy for

the New Testament Church, which is The Church of

Jesus Christ. According to the Word, John 1:1, “In the

beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.” John 1:14, “And the Word was

made flesh, and dwelt among us….” The Church of

Jesus Christ believes that everyone must take His word

seriously, 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.”

We follow God’s plan of salvation. Acts 2:38,

“…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.” Baptism is by

immersion in water only. The evidence of the infilling

of the Holy Ghost is according to Acts 2:4, “And they

were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to

speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them

utterance.” John 3:5 states, “Jesus answered, 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.” We must then live a clean, holy, and dedicated

life to Jesus Christ thereafter taking diligent heed to the

Word.

The Church of Jesus Christ must be found faithful

to His Word. We must be partakers of Communion

service. This service consists of the Lord’s Supper and

Foot Washing. 1 Cor. 11:24, 25, “And when he had

given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my

body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance

of me. (25) After the same manner also he took the cup,

when he had supped, saying, “This cup is the New

Testament in my blood: this do ye oft as ye drink it, in

remembrance of me.” John 13:14, 15, “If I then, your

Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought

to wash one another’s feet. (15) For I have given you an

example that ye should do as I have done to you.”

Watch, pray, forsake not the assembling of

yourselves together, give your tithes and offerings, so

that YOU can be counted among the faithful when our

one and only Savior, Jesus Christ, comes back in a

“cloud with power and great glory”!

Executive Board of Bishops

Bishop Jarret R. Spence, Presiding Bishop 2298 Fern Street

Portage, Indiana 46368

Phone 219-762-7492

Bishop Tommy Johnson, Asst. Presiding Bishop

P.O. Box 505

Dyersburg, Tennessee 38024

Phone 731-285-9200

Bishop Paul Rose, Secretary/Treasurer

P.O. Box 344

Cabin Creek, West Virginia 25035

Phone 304-595-5640

National Youth Leaders

Bro. Jarret & Sis. Caryn Spence

804 Pennsylvania Avenue

LaPorte, IN 46350

Phone 219-325-3904

Bro. Travis & Sis. Nora Hensley, Assistants

437 Tecumseh Street

Warsaw, IN 46582

Phone 574-551-4487

Bishop of Jamaica

Bishop Orville Rodney

199 Catherene Mount

Albion P. A.

Montego Bay, St. James, Jamaica, W. I.

Phone 876-952-6676

Bishop of Canada

Bishop Mathias Gooden

75 Dunlop St., Apt. 406

Richmond Hills, ON L4C 2M7

CANADA

Phone 905-883-8543

State Bishops

Bishop Charles Hays, Sr.

409 Fitch Street

Albion, Michigan 49224

Phone 517-629-7053

Bishop Danny Walls P.O. Box 216

Ingalls, Indiana 46048

Phone 317-485-4105

United We StandUnited We StandUnited We StandUnited We Stand

Divided We FallDivided We FallDivided We FallDivided We Fall

www.jesuschristisgod.org

www.thechurchofjesuschrist.net

The Church Of Jesus Christ

Headquarters: 2797 Bryant St. Portage, IN 46368

Phone: 219-763-1049

www.JESUSCHRISTISGOD.ORG

Message of Hope

Official Organ, owned by: The Church of Jesus Christ

Editor of the Message of Hope:

Sis. Wendy Leslie

Please send all articles to:

MESSAGE OF HOPE

236 Southwind Dr. Valparaiso, IN 46385

[email protected]

Articles and Pictures due: July 1st, 09

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST 2797 BRYANT STREET, PORTAGE, INDIANA 46368

(219) 763-1049

“Everyone Welcome” Three Services Daily 10AM, 1PM, 7PM

Come and Enjoy Good Holy Ghost Filled Services

With the day of the Lord fast approaching why would you want to be anywhere else?

For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so

shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matthew 24:27 _______________________________________________________________________________________________

Country Inn & Suites

1630 Olmested Drive

Portage, IN 46368

Ph. (219) 764-0021

Days Inn

6161 Melton Road

Portage, IN. 46368

Ph. (219) 762-2136

1-800-DAYS-INN

Comfort Inn

2300 Willow Creek Road

Portage, IN 46368

Ph. (219) 763-7177

CHOICEHOTELS.COM

Call Today Rooms Are Filling Up!!Call Today Rooms Are Filling Up!!Call Today Rooms Are Filling Up!!Call Today Rooms Are Filling Up!!

Holiday Inn Express

2323 Willowcreek Road

Portage, IN. 46368

Ph. (219) 762-7777

Hampton Inn

6353 Melton Road

Portage, IN. 46368

Ph. (219) 764-1919

HAMPTONINN.COM

A Called-Out People

Matt. 7:21, 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.

After we say Lord, Lord, he has told us that not all

will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

2 John vs. 4, I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy

children walking in truth, as we have received a

commandment from the Father. Verse 9, Whosoever

transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ,

hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ,

he hath both the Father and the Son.

Col. 1:19, For it pleased the Father that in him should

all fullness dwell. Col. 2:9, 10, For in him dwelleth all

the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete

in him, which is the head of all principality and power.

Eph. 4:6, One God and Father of all, who is above all,

and through all, and in you all.

John 10:30, I and my Father are one. 1 John 5:20, And

we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us

an understanding, that we may know him that is true,

and we are in him that is true, even in His Son Jesus

Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. John 8:24,

If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Eph. 3:21, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ

Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

2 Chron. 7:14, If my people which are called by my

name…

(The Church of Jesus Christ). He does have a called-

out people. Are you called by His name?

Bishop Tommy Johnson

Pastor, Elder Mickey Dodd

The Church of Jesus Christ

Dyersburg, TN

The Unexpected Nest

As spring arrives in Northwest Indiana I look

forward to its signs. One of the main signs is the robins

return. God pre-programmed this bird to build a nest,

lay eggs, and watch over a new generation to maturity.

This year a super sized nest arrived to the delight

of all the neighborhood kids and yes, even a seasoned

adult that has seen a lot of springs new arrivals. A

robin’s nest appeared on an electric meter.

Now what you may think is so unexpected ... it's

watching God’s plan unfold in our daily lives.

"It is good" since the first recording in Genesis ...

even after our life is over God’s plan continues.

The Holy Bible records every nation and people

had to follow God’s plan for it to work.

II Chronicle's chapters 28 & 29, is an example of

how God’s plan was to be done and the end results of

not following God’s plan to the letter. The people, who

shut the doors of the temple, took away the vessels and

replaced them with other gods. This action brought a

harsh warning, of God’s disapproval. Then God had to

cleanse The House of The Lord, to set things back in

order.

We can be grateful for those that God has set to

restore His plan and see the worship that is in The

Church of Jesus Christ.

Sis. JoAnn Leslie

Pastor, Bishop Randell Spence


Portage, IN

The Storm

A little girl walked daily to and from school.

Though the weather that morning was questionable and

clouds were forming, she made her daily trip to school.

As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up,

along with thunder and lightning. The mother of the

little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be

frightened as she walked home from school and she

herself feared that the electrical storm might harm her

child. Following the roar of thunder, lightning, like a

flaming sword would cut through the sky. Full of

concern, the mother quickly got in her car and drove

along the route to her child’s school. As she did so, she

saw her little girl walking along, but as each flash of

lightning, the child would stop, look up and smile.

Another and another were to follow quickly, each with

the little girl stopping, looking up and smiling. Finally,

the mother called over to her child and asked, “What are

you doing?” The child answered smiling, “God just

keeps taking pictures of me.”

Submitted By: Sis. Florence Buchanon



Dyersburg, TN

Help Me Lord

Instead of pointing my finger at he or she,

Lord just help me to work on me.

When I see others making a mistake,

Help me to zip my lips and give them a break.

Help me to remember we all belong to you,

And it does matter what each of us say and do.

Submitted By: Sis. Lora Lovell



Dyersburg, TN

A Jealous God

Praise the Lord! I thank God daily for all the

blessings in my life from my job and home, to a

wonderful wife and daughter. But, one of the greatest

blessings of all, are the revelations of the scriptures that

I have received. One of those being that there is a side

of God that demands fear! Very seldom in the world

today do we hear a preacher say that, “God is a jealous

God.” All you hear is, “God is love”, and He is, but, the

world has taken these scriptures and created a false

doctrine out of them. The Bible tells me in Matthew

chapter 15, that when we do this, you make the word of

God of “none effect.” My Pastor always teaches us, if

you want a good understanding of the New Testament

you must first have a good understanding of the Old

Testament. In Exodus 20: 1-5 it says, “1) And God

spake all these words, saying, 2) I am the LORD thy

God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt,

out of the house of bondage. 3) Thou shalt have no other

gods before me. 4) Thou shalt not make unto thee any

graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in

heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in

the water under the earth: 5) Thou shalt not bow down

thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God

am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers

upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of

them that hate me;”

The first two commandments that God gave us is

that there is but only one God and that we shouldn’t

make any graven images and worship them for He was a

jealous God. It didn’t take the children of Israel long to

break those commandments and if Moses had not

interceded for them, God would have destroyed them

all. (Exodus 32: 7-10) When you read the rest of the

chapter you find that only 3,000 people were killed and

plagued the rest for making the golden calf. It is never a

good thing to make God angry. The Bible also says in

Hebrews 10:31 “It is a fearful thing to fall into the

hands of a living God.”

Many times in God’s anger, thousands would die

before someone could intercede and pray for them. God

is constantly warning us throughout the scriptures of His

jealousy and anger at disobedience. One such warning is

found in Deuteronomy 4: 23-24 which says, “23) Take

heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the

LORD your God, which he made with you, and make

you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which

the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee. 24) For the

LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous

God.” Scriptures like Nahum 1:2 and Isaiah 31: 1-3

gives additional warnings of just how jealous our God

can be.

You do not have to set up a statue of a golden calf

or any such thing to be worshipping an idol. Things like

a job, money, or even that special someone that you rely

on can be a false god when you trust in them more than

Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 21: 12-13 it tells of just how angry

Jesus Christ can be when His temple is misused. “12)

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all

them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew

the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them

that sold doves, 13) And said unto them, It is written,

My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye

have made it a den of thieves.”

An unwillingness to accept and walk in more truth

will also get God angry and make Him jealous. Trusting

in traditions and false religions will make Him just as

angry as worshipping a statue! In John 8: 37-45 it tells

us that the Pharisees were so caught up in their religious

traditions that they would rather kill Jesus Christ then to

break one. John 8:44 reads, “Ye are of your father the

devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a

murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth,

because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie,

he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of

it.”

God told His own people that they were the

children of the devil! God is love, and He loves us all.

But, we must put Him first, trusting in nothing or

anyone else but Him, and walk as closely to the

scriptures as we can!

Bro. Jay Rogers

Pastor, Bishop Randell Spence


Portage, IN

Clean up the Inside

We want to say Praise the Lord from Montpelier,

OH. We are small in number but mighty in the Lord.

Testimonies have been brought out by Bro. Dan with

good food for the soul. "You can cover up the outside,

but you can't cover up the inside." In Matthew 23:27 it

reads, “Woe, unto you, scribes and Pharisees,

hypocrites! for you are like unto whited schulchres,

which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within

full of dead man's bones, and of all uncleanness.”

Just because you may fool others, your true person

comes through. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “But the Lord said

unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the

height of his stature; because I have refused him: for

the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the

outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”

Bro. Dan also testified that "You can tell what's on the

people's heart by what they talk about the most." In

Philippians 1:27 it tells us to, “Only let your

conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that

whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may

hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with

one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

So we need to strive everyday to make sure that

we have His word written in our hearts and have it shine

through our daily lives.

We are looking forward to all the upcoming events

and seeing everybody again.

Church Reporter: Sis. Michelle Jones

Pastor, Calvin Blaine Pennington


Montpelier, OH

Joy

Is there anyone who has not heard the acronym

J.O.Y. for the word joy? If so, it goes like this:

J - Put Jesus Christ (God) first

O - Put others next

Y - Put yourself last

On the surface it's easy to see the concept and

recognize it as an interesting idea, but did you know the

scriptures actually back it up? Mark 12:29-31 says,

"And Jesus answered him, The first of all the

commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is

one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all

thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,

and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy

neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment

greater than these." God calls on us to put Him first,

above all else, in our lives. We do that by consciously

making ourselves subject to Him (doing what He says

do, and not doing what He says not to do, no matter how

we feel).

Secondly He calls on us to love our neighbor as

our self. Consistently in the scriptures we find where He

calls on us to sacrifice our wants to the needs of others.

Romans 15:2-3 says "Let every one of us please his

neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ

pleased not himself; ...” If we faithfully execute the two

greatest commandments in the bible, we cannot help but

put ourselves at the end of the line. But in so doing, we

can rest assured that the joy of the Lord will be ours,

because the Lord will shower down blessings on those

who do those things pleasing in His eyes. John 15:10-11

says, "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in

my love; even as I have kept my Father's

commandments, and abide in his love. These things

have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in

you, and that your joy might be full."

Want to be full of joy? Commit J-O-Y to heart, and live them out in your everyday life.

Pastor Mickey Dodd


Dyersburg, TN

Pierceton Report

Praise the Lord everyone! God is truly great and

greatly to be praised. He is worth of all praise. Let

everything that hath breath praise ye the Lord.

He’s a great king and He is doing great things.

We thank Jesus Christ for moving in our services lately

in mighty ways. Bonds are being broken and the

captives are being set free. You can see and feel that

there is such a liberty that is returning within our

church. The Spirit of God has been strong from the

beginning of the services all the way through to the

great preaching and altar calls. It has been awesome,

and only God can do such things as these. It is so

refreshing and encouraging to feel the power of God

sweeping through our midst and renewing each one of

us. We all have been blessed and we know we can

make it if we stay on the strait and narrow way. Thank

God for all He has done and is doing!

We also have been blessed to find out that we are

going to be having two new additions to our church by

the end of this year. Bro. Andy and Sis. Stephanie

Baldridge have been expecting and we just found out

that Bro. Jason and Sis. Misty Traxler are also

expecting. We are just ecstatic to be able to have more

to add to our congregation. One way or another we will

grow our church! Just kidding, but we are really

thankful for such great blessings.

Mother’s Day is coming and we want to say that

we are so thankful for the “Mother” of our church, our

Pastor’s wife, Sis. Vanessa O’Dell. She stands for what

is right and true and is not swayed by this world. It is

“What thus saith the Word of God” for her, and nothing

else. We are so thankful for her great leadership,

guidance and the example she sets for each and every

one of the younger ones to follow. May God bless her

always for her faithfulness to Jesus Christ and His ways.

We love her very much and could not ask for a better

“Mother” than her. HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

FROM ALL OF US! We are also thankful for our Pastor, Bishop Robert

O’Dell, and all he has been teaching lately. He has been

encouraging us to have a deeper and closer walk with

God. Especially for the days that are coming, we need

to be built up in Him. If we are weak, we will fall and

will not make it to heaven, and hell is waiting for all

who do not make it. So don’t be weary in well-doing;

For in due season, we shall reap if we faint not (Gal.

6:9). So run that ye may obtain (1 Cor. 9:24-25). God

has made a way for all of us to make heaven our home

eternally if we follow His redemption plan. Jesus Christ

came that the world through Him might be saved (John

3:16-17). He does not want anyone to perish, but that

all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). In Acts 2,

they asked Peter what they MUST do to be saved, and

he told them that they had to “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 2:37-39). This is what we must

do if we want to have life eternally. It is our choice, but

there will be no excuse if we don’t make it.

We thank God for all He has done and are looking

forward to all the Tent Revivals, Youth Camp and

General Convocation. We pray God truly blesses in all

these events, and hope to see many souls added to the

Kingdom!

Church Reporter: Sis. Nora Hensley

Pastor, Bishop Robert O’Dell


Pierceton, IN

In His Footsteps

When someone does a kindness it always seems to

me, that’s the way GOD would like us “all” to be…

For when we bring a pleasure to another “human

heart” then we have followed in His footsteps; when

we’ve had a little part in serving HIM who truly loves

us “ALL.”

For I am sure it’s true in serving those around us,

we are serving and pleasing Jesus Christ too.

God bless The Church of Jesus Christ!

(1 Cor. 15:57, 58)

Because of Calvary,

Sis. Pittman

Batavia, IL

Be Not Ashamed

Don’t sit back holding on to the seat. If you feel

like God is telling you to go to the altar then let go of

the seat and go and get what you need. Don’t be

ashamed to lift your hands or lift your voice. Don’t

worry about what someone may say.

In Mark 8:38 it says “Whosoever therefore shall

be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous

and sinful generation; of him also shall the son of man

be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father

with the holy angels.” Don’t let God be ashamed of you.

Hebrews 2:11 says “For both he that sanctifieth

and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which

cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.”

If God is not ashamed to call us brethren then why

are we ashamed to praise Him and witness for Him.

Time is drawing near. We need to get as many as we

can in THE TRUTH before time is up. So don’t be

ashamed of God get out and do what you can for Him!

Bro. Eric Gilbert



Dyersburg, TN

Dyersburg Report

Praise the Lord! God is so great and greatly to be

praised! We are getting very excited about the

upcoming events. It seems like the winter months are

very long and we miss the fellowship of our brothers

and sisters in the Lord that are afar off. We are looking

forward to seeing everyone soon.

Sis. Melanie Westmoreland has started leading the

“Junior Choir”. She is doing a wonderful job involving

the younger ones of the church. Sis. Jessi McCaig has

been working so hard teaching our youth the signing

songs. Bro. John Dodd has started leading a Sunday

School Class for the older youth. It really takes a Real

Man or Woman to stand up for the gospel.

Please remember the Reed family with the passing

of Sis. Lucille Reed. We really are going to miss her.

Bro. Alvin and she were such a blessing to the church. I

can’t forget his favorite scripture, “Jesus Christ the

same yesterday, today, and forever.” Until we all meet

soon, may we all continue to fight the good fight of

faith, uplifting one another. Remember us as we pray

for you.

Church Reporter: Sis. Amanda Rose



Dyersburg, TN

God’s Name

To God be the glory for the great things He has

done. We send greetings to all the Bishops and

Members in the body of Jesus Christ. Let us pray one

for the other, as we are seeing the signs of the times. Let

us be prepared for the coming of the Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 28:18-19 it gives us a commandment.

In verse 19 it says, “Go ye therefore, and teach all

nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of

the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” Notice that it doesn’t

say names. In Matthew 1:20-21 it tells us the name of

the son shall be called Jesus. But in Matthew 16:16

Peter announces that He was the Christ the son of the

living God. In the flesh He was a man but in the Spirit

He is God. We must have the revelation of who He

really is.

When a fetus is conceived it carries the name of

the father. Jesus says in John 5:43 that He came in His

Fathers name. Also, in John 14:15-26 Jesus says that the

comforter will come in His name and shall teach us all

things. Do you know the name of the Father, the name

of the Son and the name of the Holy Ghost? Do you

know that all three are one? In Deuteronomy 6:4 it says,

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:”

Ephesians 4:5-6 states that there is, “5) One Lord, one

faith, one baptism, 6) One God and Father of all, who is

above all, and through all, and in you all.”

Now that His name is clearly seen in the word,

there should be no more doubt or confusion in the minds

of those that believe that there are three separate Gods.

Jesus Christ as the light of the world has promised to

open our understanding and to lead us into all truth. Let

us lift up and honor His name, singing praises and

giving Him all the glory for shedding His precious

blood for us on Calvary. May the good Lord bless and

keep us all.

Sis. Doreen Benjamin

Hamilton, Canada

Whom Does He think He is Kidding?

When a man says he can’t keep a-wake through a 30

minute sermon, but can sit and watch a 2 1/2 hour

movie, whom is he kidding?

When a man says Sunday is his only day to rest and gets

up at 4:30 a.m. to go fishing or spends the day golfing,

whom is he kidding?

When a man says the church seats are too hard and

uncomfortable, but can go and sit on a bleacher for

hours in the rain watching 22 men push one another

back and forth across a muddy lot, whom is he kidding?

When a man says he can’t afford to tithe, but lives in a

comfortable home, drives a new car, eats well, clothes

his family comfortably and stylishly, whom is he

kidding?

When a man says he doesn’t have time for Christ and

His church, then is gone from sun up to sun down

running the roads, whom is he kidding?....

NOT GOD!!

Dear Lord, it's such a hectic day

With little time to stop and pray

For life's been anything but calm

Since You called on me to be a mom

Running errands, matching socks

Building dreams with building blocks

Cooking, cleaning, and finding shoes

And other stuff that children lose

Fitting lids on bottled bugs

Wiping tears and giving hugs

A stack of last weeks mail to read

So where's the quiet time I need?

Yet when I steal a minute, Lord

Just at the sink or ironing board

To ask the blessings of Your grace

I see then, in my small one's face

That you have blessed me

All the while

And I stop to kiss

That precious smile!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

volume 117 may/june 2009 issue

Documents