White wing messenger TruePDF february 2019

We believe that healing of mind, body, soul, and spirit is available to the believer through the blood of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.. We believe in one holy, unive

JANUARY 6-26 JANUARY 20 NIGHT OF PRAYER LIVE SIMULCAST 7 pm EST

JOIN GENERAL OVERSEER SAM CLEMENTS AND

HIS WIFE, LINDA, FOR A 10-DAY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

OF A LIFETIME THROUGH THE HOLY LAND!

NOVEMBER 12-21, 2019

TOUR INCLUDES:

• Round-trip transportation from JFK Airport, New York

• Licensed Tour Guide, Air Conditioned Motor Coach, and site entrance fees

• Hotels

• Breakfast and dinner each day, with select lunches also included

SUGGESTED SITES INCLUDE:

• City of David • Magdala

• Western Wall Tunnel • Nazareth – Mount Precipice

• Sea of Galilee • Dead Sea

• Nazareth – Mount Precipice • Mount of Olives

• Hosanna Road • Garden of Gethsemane

• Western Wall (Kotel) • The Upper Room

• Temple Steps • Pool of Bethesda

• Via Dolorosa • Church of the Holy Sepulchre

• Garden Tomb and Gordon’s Calvary • …and more!

TOUR FEATURES INCLUDE:

• Tour Israel, the Land of the Bible, with Israel Government licensed, certified English-speaking guide, as well as General Overseer Sam N Clements and his wife Linda

• Airfare, taxes, and fuel surcharges from John F Kennedy Airport to Ben Gurion Airport

• Full days sightseeing, experiencing the Holy Land with sites and activities to cherish for a lifetime

• Hotels based on double occupancy, Half Board (Breakfast and Dinner); Single Room Supplement available with limited quantity; pricing is subject to the availability upon final booking

• Highlighted inclusions: Exemplary personal attention, assistance during recruitment phases, Israel Advantage Tours Signature Touch Service

• Gratuities to Israel guide, Israel driver, hotel staff (reception, porterage, housekeeping, dining room), and scheduled out-of-hotel dining experiences at restaurants (IAT will manage distribution of gratuities)

COST:

• $3,900.00/person

• Single Room Supplement per person (limited availability): $750

Hurry! This tour is limited to the first 100 guests!

WE BELIEVE in the Holy Trinity—one God,

eternally existing in Three Persons: Father,

Son, and Holy Spirit

We believe in one God, the Father, creator of

heaven and earth, of all things seen and unseen

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only

Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father

All things were made through Him and for

Him He is true God and true man He was

conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and

was born of the virgin, Mary He suffered, died,

was buried, and on the third day He rose from

the dead He ascended to the right hand of

the Father, and He will return to judge the living

and the dead His kingdom will have no end

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and

giver of life, who eternally proceeds from the

Father He is Teacher, Comforter, Helper, and

Giver of spiritual gifts Through Him the saving

and sanctifying works of Jesus Christ are applied

to the life of believers He is the empowering

presence of God in the life of the Christian

and the church The Father has sent His Son

to baptize with the Holy Spirit Speaking in

tongues and bearing the fruit of the Spirit are

New Testament signs of being filled with the

Holy Spirit

We believe that salvation is by grace through

faith in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on

the cross and that He died in our place The

believer’s sins are forgiven by the shedding

of His blood We believe that healing of mind,

body, soul, and spirit is available to the believer

through the blood of Jesus Christ and the

power of the Holy Spirit We believe in one

baptism in the name of the Father and of the

Son and of the Holy Spirit.

We believe that the grace of God brings

forgiveness and reconciliation to those who

repent, as well as transformation in holiness,

enabling them to live a Christ-like life

Sanctification is both a definite work of grace

and a lifelong process of change in the believer

brought by the blood of Jesus, the Word of

God, and the enabling power of the Holy

Spirit

We believe in one holy, universal church,

composed of all true believers in Jesus Christ,

offering fellowship and calling for service to

men and women of all races, nations, cultures,

and languages We believe in the spiritual and

ultimate visible unity of the church

We believe that the Bible—both Old and New

Testaments—is the inspired Word of God The

Bible is God’s revelation of Himself and His

will to humankind, sufficient for instruction in

salvation and daily Christian living The Bible is

the Christian’s rule of faith and practice

We believe that God will ultimately reconcile

all things in heaven and earth in Christ Therefore,

we look forward to new heavens and a new

Executive Editor: Sam N ClementsPublisher: Kathryn Creasy

Editor: DeWayne HambyAssistant Editor: Marsha RobinsonEditorial Assistant: Roxanne CorbettGraphic Artist: Jonathan Lovvorn

About the Church of God of Prophecy

The Church of God of Prophecy is a vibrant, worldwide body of believers, united in worship, working hand-in-hand to share God’s love and a message of hope to the brokenhearted The organization has more than a million members and more than 10,000 ministers, worshiping in more than 10,000 churches or missions in 135 nations

of the world

Church of God of Prophecy Core Values

Prayer • The Harvest Leadership Development • Stewardship

OUR VISION

The Church of God of Prophecy will be a Christ-exalting, holiness, Spirit-filled, all-nations, disciple-making, church-planting Movement with a passion for Christian union

OUR MISSION

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, through prayer, we will plant churches and equip leaders to carry out the biblical mandate to make genuine disciples of all the peoples

of the world, to the glory of Christ our Lord, Head of the church

General Presbytery:

Sam N Clements: General OverseerTim Coalter: North AmericaClayton Endecott: Europe/CIS/Middle EastBenjamin Feliz: Mexico/Central America, and Spanish-speaking Caribbean

Clayton Martin: Caribbean/Atlantic Ocean Islands

Stephen Masilela: AfricaTim McCaleb: Asia/Australia/OceaniaGabriel E Vidal: South America

Visit us online—www.whitewingmessenger.net

FEBRUARY 2019 • Volume 95, Number 7

WRITERS If you are interested in contributing articles or news to the magazine, email editorial@cogop.org or visit

www.whitewingmessenger.net for guidelines

FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS, GROUP SUBSCRIPTIONS OR ADDRESS CHANGES

wwm@cogop.org • (423) 559-5540 • PO Box

2910, Cleveland, TN 37320-2910 WHITE WING MESSENGER ONLINE Visit www.facebook.com/whitewingmessenger or MEMBER The White Wing Messenger is a member of the Evangelical Press

4 Facing Forward by Clayton Martin

The Love of God

5 Connections

Church/White Wing/Culture

7 SEVEN: For Younger Readers

31 Messages by DeWayne Hamby Voices of Compassion

aspects of our lives be based on love, that is action expressed in ways that gives credit to our God Scripture repeatedly instructs us to also love our neighbors Loving our neighbor means the same as loving everyone since we are all made in the image of God It is impossible for us to love the invisible God and hate people who we see It

is as we love ourselves that we will be able to love others sincerely

Jesus stated, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you; and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven;

for He makes His sun rise on the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:43) In many cases it is easier to love those neighbors who are believers, those

in the household of faith But, let us seek to maintain a lifestyle of love by growing in love of God and active love for all neighbors We should not just love our friends but even those who may be considered enemies May God help us all as we “… bow our knees to the Father that we may be rooted and grounded in love ” (Ephesians 3:14)

In Ephesians 5:1, 2, the admonition

to those of us who are believers is,

“Therefore be followers of God as dear children And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself

for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” We are children of God and should seek

to listen to and imitate our God and to walk in love

Love is not just about words and feelings, it is crucial that we express our love by our actions Marvin Wilson

in his book, Exploring Our Hebraic Heritage, said, “God’s love for us elicits

a response of love In love, God is searching for us We, in return, seek to express our love by communing with God As in any lasting relationship of love or close friendship, every day one chooses anew to cling, to stay close, and not to stray.” Instead of taking God’s love for granted or going astray, let us rejoice in singing:

“I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and I wonder how

he could love me a sinner condemned unclean O how marvelous! O how wonderful! And my song shall ever be:

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!

Is my savior’s love for me! (Charles H Gabriel 1856-1932)

THE LOVE OF GOD

Let us ensure that we do not take the

love of God for granted In the rat-race

of modern existence, we must be alert

and intentional; make the effort to keep

in mind the incarnated love of God Let

us take some time to think about the

love of God, praise Him for his great

love and then assess ourselves to see

if we are walking in the love of God by

obeying the great commandment

God is love and there is no doubt that

He loves His creation In the Scripture

it is clearly stated that, “God so loved

the world that he gave his one and

only Son, that whoever believes in him

shall not perish but have eternal life”

(John 3:16) Jesus’ death on the cross is

demonstration of the love of God, done

for us while we were sinners Although

we do not deserve God’s love, yet he

continues to love us God is faithful, his

love is steadfast and unchanging, and

we would do well to give thanks to him

for his love that endures forever

When asked, which is the greatest

commandment, Jesus replied: “Love

the Lord your God with all your heart

and with all your soul and with all your

mind.’ This is the first and greatest

commandment And the second is

like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

All the Law and the Prophets hang on

these two commandments” (Matthew

22:37-40) We have been commanded

to love God completely, totally; let all

Clayton Martin

General Presbyter Caribbean and

Atlantic Ocean Islands

TEENS CREDIT SOCIAL MEDIA, CONFESS

DOWNSIDES

Teens credit social media with helping them build stronger friendships and exposing them to a more diverse world, but they also express concern that these online platforms lead to drama and social pressure, according to a November

2018 survey from Pew Research Center

The nationally representative survey of U.S teens ages 13 to 17 finds that 81 percent say social media makes them feel more connected to what’s going on in their friends’ lives, but 43 percent say they feel pressure

to only post content that makes them look good to others Overall, 97 percent of teens use at least one of the seven major online platforms that were queried in the survey

—Source: Pew Research Center,

November 2018

BAHAMA

LEADERSHIP

CONFERENCE

The Third International Biennial

Leadership Conference, “Shape

the Future Now by Connecting the

Generations,” will be held June

27-28, 2019, in Nassau, Bahamas

Hosted by Bishop Shelton Beneby,

executive director Connecting the

Generations International and senior

pastor of Toronto New Covenant

Cathedral in Canada, the conference

will feature a variety of workshops

on children, youth, parenting,

community engagement, mentoring,

and networking Registration fee is

$100 for adults and $75 for youth

(16-25 years) For more information

or to register, email madgewright@

We enjoy receiving reports from our subscribers and this one sent to us by

Dr Alecia Bryant about a very special subscriber and supporter, Sister Agnes Thomas of Port St Lucie, Florida:

“Sister Agnes Thomas turned 100 years young in November After speaking to her on many occasions, she stated that she enjoys reading the

White Wing Messenger So I started

sending her my copies I decided to

subscribe to the Messenger for her to

get her own issues in the mail

“Sister Thomas sung with the Excelsior Gospelettes in Miami, Florida, for many years She was an active member for decades Her pastors were Bishop J.R Smith, Bishop Arnold Demeritte, Bishop Charles I

Macky, and Bishop H.E Dean of Miami

No 1 The Excelsior Gospelettes have performed at the Assembly five or six times

“Sister Thomas is a true champion for mankind She has emboldened many people through the years She and her husband fed hundreds of the children in the Miami area for many decades She is a great, great grandmother and a prayer warrior for many Sister Thomas has been an asset

to her family, church, and community

She is dearly loved by many What an honor to know this queen!”

Thank you, Sister Thomas, for your support and prayers!

CONNECTIONS

PRAYING FOR RELATIONSHIPS

Prayer Points February 2019

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge

and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure

and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes

through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11 NIV).

Relationships fill our lives with love, support, and friendship Sometimes they

challenge us to grow and mature, while at other times they bring struggle, difficulty,

and heartache

Although relationships vary for each of us, we are called to love as Christ does

This may not come naturally in all situations, but through prayer we can build lasting

and meaningful connections with fellow believers, our family, our coworkers, and

friends Prayer can strengthen our bonds, heal relationships, give us direction, and

enlighten the most challenging situation

One of the most powerful ways to pray for our relationships is by using Scripture as

a foundation By praying consistent, targeted prayers, we can develop relationships

that grow in love, enable us to make wise choices, live with integrity, and reflect

Christ

PRAYER DIRECTIVES:

• Give thanks to the Father for the relationships in your life, including your loved

ones, friends, and church family Pray that He will help you grow in love, enable

you to make wise choices, live with integrity, and reflect Christ (Philippians 1:9–11

NIV)

• Ask God to help you deepen in your relationships with others (1 Peter 4:8)

• Tell the Father about difficult relationships you are experiencing and ask that He

help you be patient and to love genuinely (Ephesians 4:23)

• Pray for God to give you wisdom and discernment concerning your relationships

Ask that He reveal wrong perceptions or thoughts that need to change or be

brought into alignment with His Word (Colossians 3:12–14)

• Ask God for compassion and wise words to address difficult circumstances in your

relationships (Proverbs 15:1)

• Tell the Father about broken relationships that need heeling and restoration

Express heartfelt willingness to do what is necessary to bring reconciliation and

be willing to forgive (Ephesians 4:32)

• Ask the Father to help you display the fruits of the Spirit in your daily interactions

with everyone (Galatians 5:22, 23)

SHAUN MCKINLEY Prayer Ministries Coordinator

For more information, visit www.cogop.org unless

otherwise noted

February 19, 2019

CM LIVE! WebinarOnline

April 30, 2019

CM LIVE! WebinarOnline

July 8-12, 2020

101st International AssemblyOrlando, Florida

CALENDAR

OF EVENTS

doesn’t love God like you do This will set you up for lots of heartache in the future “Don’t become partners with those who reject God How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That’s not partnership; that’s war Is light best friends with dark?” (2 Corinthians 6:14 MSG).

The Bible gives us the best picture of what true love

is If you want to really understand what true love

is, you will find it by reading your Bible A good place to start is by reading 1 Corinthians 13, which talks a lot about what love looks like “If I speak every language, but I don’t love, I’m just making noise If I can tell the future and understand every mysterious thing, and know everything; if I have unshakeable faith, so I can say to mountains, “Fall down!” and they do, but I don’t love, I am nothing

at all If I give away everything I have and sacrifice

my body, but don’t love, it doesn’t even matter Here’s what love is: patient, kind, not envious or boastful, not arrogant or rude It doesn’t insist on its own way; it’s not grouchy or bitter; it doesn’t laugh when people do wrong but is so glad when it hears the truth Love puts up with everything, believes everything, hopes everything, endures everything Love never ends So, now there is faith, hope, and love, all three will last forever; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 1:1–8, 13)

Pray: God, I thank You for giving me a picture of what true love is in Your Word I purpose in my heart to always put You first in my life Help me be

an example of true love to others and to let Your love shine through me Amen

What in the world are people talking about when

they say true love? TV, movies, books, YouTube all

portray love in so many ways With all those stories

and songs about love, it can be confusing There

are all kinds of love: love for your parents, love for

your friends, love for a boyfriend or girlfriend, and

some day, love for the person you marry In all those

cases, there is a love that is real and true

True love looks out for the best interests of

the other person This applies to any kind of

relationship This means thinking about what is

best for the other person Many times, relationships

are centered around selfish motives For example,

someone might be interested in another person as

a friend or more than a friend because it helps their

popularity, or it makes them look good This isn’t

true love True love puts its own best interests on

the back shelf and is looking out for the needs and

interests of the other person

If we’re talking about boyfriends or girlfriends,

true love is based on friendship A relationship

based on whether they are good looking or whether

they make your heart do flip-flops, won’t last Any

relationship should focus on getting to know the

other person It’s one of the best ways to make

sure your relationship will last, because it is based

on something deeper than just physical attraction

That’s not a good judge of love Attraction can

fade, but a relationship built on a solid foundation

of friendship will be much more likely to succeed

The most important thing in a relationship is the

other person’s feelings toward Jesus If the person

you’re interested in doesn’t love Jesus like you do,

run away from that relationship It is never a good

TRUE LOVE

TO THE SAMARITAN WOMAN

AT THE WELL, HE CALLED HER

in his book Everybody Always, describes this perfectly

when he says, “People don’t grow where they are informed; they grow where they’re loved and accepted Talk about who people are becoming and who you see them turning into.”

It’s easy to add to the negative stigma of those around you, it’s learning to speak life and tell people who Jesus says they are that is the challenge We have the opportunity every day to be Jesus to those around us

by simply telling people who He says they are It could

be something as simple as giving a compliment, helping

on a project, or even lending a listening ear to someone who is struggling Seek out your opportunities to develop meaningful relationships with those around you The words we speak matter, and they make a difference

As a Communication major, words play a very large

role in my career and in my personal life Sometimes,

old conversations play over and over in my head I

remember the incredibly life-giving words people have

spoken to me, as well as the hurtful ones As much as

I wish it didn’t, what people say sticks with me—no

matter how positive or negative

Throughout His ministry on earth, Jesus met,

interacted, and spent time with people who were

outcasts, sinners, tax collectors, Samaritans, unbelievers,

and more The religious leaders were often angry and

confused at Jesus’ actions; they could be found calling

Him out on his choices and decisions to surround

Himself with these people, feeding into the negative

perceptions of them

I remember memorizing John 3:16 as a child and have

quoted it thousands upon thousands of times since

then The weight and importance of this verse is not

lost on me—it’s the entire basis of what we believe—

but sometimes, I feel as though we get so caught up

in this verse we miss the powerful words that follow in

verse 17: “For God did not send his son into the world

to condemn the world, but to save the world through

Him.”

Jesus had every right to point out the flaws, mistakes,

and sins of those He encountered, and yet, His

actions and responses were the opposite Rather than

condemning and adding to the things people already

knew about the tax collectors, Samaritans, and sinners,

Jesus took the time to tell them who they really were—

as He saw them

ANA WEATHERS | WESTMORELAND, TENNESSEE

Ana Weathers serves as the TNHarmony Teen Coordinator for the Tennessee State Women’s Ministry She also serves as the media director at Lakeside Church in Westmoreland as well as works with the youth and worship ministries Ana is currently a senior

at Western Kentucky University and is working toward her Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising and Graphic Design with a focus on Communication and Interactive Design

IT’S EASY TO ADD TO THE NEGATIVE STIGMA

OF THOSE AROUND YOU, IT’S LEARNING TO

SPEAK LIFE AND TELL PEOPLE WHO JESUS

SAYS THEY ARE THAT IS THE CHALLENGE

WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY EVERY DAY TO

BE JESUS TO THOSE AROUND US BY SIMPLY

TELLING PEOPLE WHO HE SAYS THEY ARE

Let us analyze the covenant, step by step “Do you sincerely promise in the presence of God and these witnesses?” You are involving God and all your family and witnesses who are present “To take this woman whose hand you hold, whose heart you have won, to be your lawfully wedded wife?” You are saying that you love her from your heart Your heart is joined to her heart at this time We will share what we both have: your wealth, my wealth For some, this is a lot of wealth For others, not so much, but the sharing principle remains.

I remember being involved in a wedding where both parties had personal things He had several records that he would take a cotton ball with alcohol and clean them He would wipe the needle She had expensive, monogrammed towels When they married, the records would be left out

of their covers, and pushed in between papers and books, and were soon scratched and marred beyond repair Her monogrammed towels soon had grease or paint on them No thought was given to her feelings about them The principle

of the “wealth” part of the covenant is to bring into this agreement a degree of respect for each other and the things and wealth they bring to the marriage

Covenant: a binding and solemn agreement to do or keep

from doing; a specified thing; a contract There are different

forms of the marriage covenant Some couples make their

own vows or covenant While others use the standard

version However, the Scripture comes into play, regardless

of the form we use It is still binding before God, when it is

properly carried out As we gather before God, our family, our

friends and witnesses to join a man and woman in marriage

(or in holy matrimony), it is coming before God

Before this takes place, official records have been sought,

filled out, and recorded, making it an official document of

the state It will always be there on record that these two

people were officially married by proper authority It will

bear the signatures of the bride and groom, the minister and

witnesses In years past, it was much harder to break the

covenant than it is now, but in the eyes of God, it is more

binding than the eyes of the law It is still a very serious and

important decision to make

by heat, to keep warm It presents a sense with a female bird covering her young under her wings to keep them warm, secure, and safe, as a nurse would care for children.

Honor means to place great value on or esteem to be priceless In early church history, women had very few rights Responsibilities were many, but rights were few To bring balance to this world, Christianity places responsibility on both the man and the woman The wife and husband are to both give respect to each other Special care is to be given equally, and attention paid—husband to wife and wife to husband

A Christian husband must be understanding and thoughtful

of his wife’s needs Giving her necessary attention and appreciation, letting her know she is valued more than anyone else, is his responsibility Compliments are to be paid generously, attention given freely When she does something special, give thanks She shouldn’t have to ask!

Women enjoy having spiritual and moral rights A woman wants to be valued regarding her intelligence, her qualities Show her that you recognize she has the same access to God

in salvation and worship as a man She is a specially-made vessel, like expensive crystal The man is different He is like a clay pot Not inferior, but especially different When a husband recognizes this, his marriage will enrich itself much more

“Till death do us part.” The greatest loss a man or woman can have is to lose a longtime companion

There was a time once when three men from our church passed away within a short span of time We were present during two of those couple’s last moments together As one of those men was being taken from his home by the undertaker, the wife of 52 years broke with deep emotion The look on her face showed her great loss The other man’s passing was

no easier While Betty and I waited together waiting on his passing, his wife sat beside his bed He was 90 years old, she was 89 They had been married 63 years She whispered to him as he stared into space, “It’s all right You can go to sleep now.” Tears streamed down her face as she lovingly cooed to him: “You can go to heaven now, Weldon, it’s all right I love you, Weldon, I’ve always loved you.”

The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians that love never dies Keep your marriage covenant, Church Live your life in such a way that you build up and not tear down Choose to nourish, cherish, honor, respect, and love your spouse God heard you make those promises and He will help you

“For poorer” is in effect when there is very little to share,

no money for McDonald’s, no Cokes or Pepsis, no pizza We’ll

make a pitcher of tea or just share in a glass of water, let

baloney replace the steak Wear the same clothes and shoes

for several months or years We share in both the good times

and the tough times

“For better or worse.” In times when there is a respectable

job and good money coming in, the better times when there

is no sickness or disasters You may lose your job and then

have to make sacrifices There will be better times and worse

times than right now “In sickness and in health.” We always

think sickness will come later We are young and healthy But

in our covenant, we promise to love and care for one another

in both the sick times as well as when we are both in good

health

We are to give up all emotional ties to any former

relationship that we may have had School and college

courtships are no longer appealing to us Live for the

moment and enjoy the love you have for your new bride or

groom To be able to truly bond with one another, we must

be able to forsake all others and cleave to our spouse Even

as important as our relationship with our parents or siblings,

the one relationship between husband and wife is to be

different and more special than family ties Nothing is to

take the place of this one person whose heart we have won

and have become one with Cleave is a bonding term and

is the same as being glued together Both surfaces must be

clean for proper bonding to happen It is dangerous to put

anything between a husband and wife that will keep them

from bonding When the bonding takes place and they are

torn apart, damage is done to both parties Scratches and

scars will show up

It is not possible to ascertain when the marriage covenant

we use now was first used In early times during Isaac and

Jacob’s marriages, it seems to be somewhat prearranged

and large sums of money or possessions were exchanged In

the example of Jacob, he worked for seven years for the love

of his life and did not get her and had to work seven more

years In other societies, women were captured and taken by

force with the help of a few friends However, in the eyes of

God, from the beginning, it was His design that one man and

one woman be united by a covenant with certain rights and

responsibilities and agreeing on what was to be required

Cherish in early covenants meant “obey” in the agreement

It was later replaced with the term “cherish.” Of course, this

must work both ways Cherish each other The New Testament

puts this responsibility on the husband, instructing him to

cherish his wife as himself Cherish means to heat, to soften

FRED S FISHER | FORMER CHURCH OF GOD OF PROPHECY GENERAL OVERSEER

Fred S Fisher Sr., served as the fourth general overseer of the Church of God of Prophecy as well as evangelist, state overseer, general presbyter, and pastor He has a B.A in History and Religion and a Masters Degree in Public Counseling He lives in South Carolina with his wife, Betty.

As I shared that memory with him, we both began to weep It wasn’t a sad memory at all, but one of the most life-changing things anyone had ever shared with me The memory my friend Jimmy shared all those years ago had impacted my life in a enormous way My humble friend had

no idea how much his words had changed me, until today I still cry when I think of it

We may think sometimes that what we do or say doesn’t make a difference at all, but you are so wrong to assume that People are listening and many times they just don’t know how to respond to what you’ve said In my case, I usually don’t say anything, as I am trying to “digest” what has been shared with me

Because Jimmy was so willing to be transparent and share his daily routine with me, I also learned to find an old tree stump Living in town, there are no tree stumps for me to kneel at and get closer to God, so my old tree stump is a cedar chest tucked away in my closet I love to go into that closet, close the door, and have a good conversation with Jesus

Let me encourage you to daily find the time to get alone

in the presence of God Oh, I know, we’re all busy, and sometimes we just don’t feel like we have the time or the fortitude to do it, but do it anyway It will change your day, and eventually will become something that you feel compelled to do

We all have a bucket list, whether written down or just

in our heads There are many things we plan to do but just never seem to get around to doing On my bucket list, before

I leave this old world, I plan to have a place where I can have

a real tree stump for an altar I plan to pour out my heart there, and to lift up my praises to the God who has been so good to me!

Making friends is and has always been one of the most

pleasurable things in life to me Whether the friend is

someone I see on a regular basis, or someone that I only see

every few years, they are all special to me As someone who

continues to be in a learning curve, I pride myself on learning

new things and contemplating new ideas and new directions,

many times coming from the imagination of a friend As I get

older, I don’t want to get so set in my ways, that I fail to glean

even something seemingly small or insignificant I’ve found

over the years that sometimes the small things can be

life-changing!

This week, I was privileged to attend a convention in my

home state of Alabama There not only was I blessed to

make new friends, but so excited to see many old friends As

numerous old friends just kept coming up to me and shaking

my hand or hugging my neck, I realized just how rich I was to

be surrounded by such a wonderful group of people Many of

these wonderful friends have given their lives to the service

of others Some of them have spent over 70 years being the

hands and feet of Jesus

My best visit happened after the convention was over

Standing in the back of the room was a man that I hadn’t

seen in years His hair had grayed, but it did little to change

his appearance To me this man represents what a true man

of God is supposed to be As I hugged him tightly, I was so

privileged to share something with him he had said to me

close to 40 years ago This wonderful man had shared that

every morning, before he went faithfully to work to support

his family, he would go out into the woods behind his home

and kneel at an old tree stump That old tree stump had

become his altar It is where he could get real with God, and

where God could speak to him

GARRY LOVETTE | MUSCLE SHOALS, ALABAMA

Garry Lovette is a featured columnist in several newspapers in the United States He holds a BA in Christian Counseling and serves

as an evangelist, church planter, and teacher with the Church of God of Prophecy.

GET ALONE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD OH, I

KNOW, WE’RE ALL BUSY, AND SOMETIMES

WE JUST DON’T FEEL LIKE WE HAVE THE

TIME OR THE FORTITUDE TO DO IT, BUT

DO IT ANYWAY.

Many churches will want to be on the front lines when

Breakthrough happens, so they can add their voices to those

who testify of God’s miracle power In this special report, I’ll share some of the stories from the Smiths, Pastor Noble, and Rev Franklin as well as some of the cast and crew who bring

it to the big screen

THEPEOPLE

Joyce, you had some pretty amazing faith that God was going to raise John up That doesn’t happen very often or there wouldn’t be a movie What gave you the absolute assurance that he hadn’t passed?

JOYCE: I’ll preface this with I’ve prayed for more people

who have died than have lived We had prayed to God for 17 years that we could have a baby I had three older children, and we lost two children This boy was our gift from God On

my way to the hospital, I just started praying to God, “You gave him to me You can’t be taking him away from me Please What’s going on?” And the Lord just started talking with me and said, “Don’t worry about this I’ve got this I’ll take care

of this.” Now, I didn’t know what “I’ve got this” meant, other was I just knew that He wasn’t going to take John Something

we didn’t find out until after we had written the book was

Breakthrough is coming! In April, the unbelievable,

miraculous story of John Smith, a boy who was prayed back

to life, will be shared with millions throughout the world in a

new film spearheaded by Hollywood producer and preacher

DeVon Franklin

Smith, a 14-year-old boy, walked out on a lake in his

hometown of St Charles, Minnesota, fell through the

ice, stayed under for fifteen minutes before his body was

recovered by first responders After doctors attempted

to revive him for 45 minutes, Joyce Smith, his Spirit-filled

mother, was brought into the Emergency Room to say

goodbye But instead of saying goodbye, the Holy Spirit rose

up in her giving her the boldness to ask God to bring him

back The machines started pinging and signs of life suddenly

appeared

This testimony is a faith-builder I have been privileged

to get to know John, Joyce, and their pastor, Jason Noble,

who visited the 100th Assembly of the Church of God of

Prophecy last year I also met the filmmakers and cast telling

this incredible faith-stirring message Last spring, I was part

of a group brought in to meet the cast and crew, to get an

early look at what was happening I’ve been to film sets

before but this time, DeVon spoke powerfully over us all and

I think his words apply to everyone who hears this story: “If

you come here and you only see a movie being filmed, you’re

missing what God is really trying to tell you, that He has a

JOYCE: One of the Scriptures that we held onto is “The

power of life and death is in the tongue.” I don’t mean someone should say, “I won a million dollars” and it’s going

to show up, I’m not talking about that I’m talking about reading God’s Scriptures and knowing His promises and His truth through them And that’s just one of the things, it wasn’t an accident that we were studying about believing God at that point in time I mean, it was undeniably ordained Because the confessions that went on with that study in the mornings when you would do your homework or whenever you would do it, you would say, “I believe God is who He says

He is I believe God can do what He says He can do And I’m believing God.” I mean, you’re reinforcing this Also, in one

of her studies, I learned we are created in God’s image, He’s omnipotent, so our words are potent They have power to them And later on, in that teaching she talks about speaking God’s words Satan knows God’s Word because he was in heaven with God So, when you start speaking the Scriptures, Satan stops hearing evil and starts hearing God’s voice He’s under God’s authority And so, when you start praying that stuff, it’s just amazing I just had no doubt that God was going to bring him back I was getting irritated at the doctors because they weren’t on the same page as me

How long was it until he left the hospital?

JOYCE: Sixteen days until he walked out of the hospital,

from the time he fell through the water And there’s a timeline that goes with that He woke up on the third day, seven days later they took him off the vent, seven days after that he walked out of the hospital And forty days from the day that he woke up, he was released from all doctors We didn’t know that until later A friend of mine called me “Okay, let’s look at these dates.” She goes, “I have to know because

I know if this is God’s miracle, there’s God’s numbers on it.”

JASON: And God had it just set up I mean, it was perfect

We were saying over here, everything was within a moment

If it would’ve been a minute longer in the water, they would have put the rescue team in John was right on the edge of the ice shelf Even just a little wave could have moved him under it It was literally within minutes every time And one

of the things we tell in the story is, the heartbeat was just the beginning, because when we got to the hospital in St Louis, he was brain-dead They said that he’s not going to live overnight They were preparing to give another kid his heart We went in and prayed like crazy He just woke up, eyes open He had probably 10 things going on that should’ve killed him His organs were in catastrophic failure, his muscles were exploding It wasn’t just the heartbeat, that was only the beginning That’s where we talked about praying Okay, the heartbeat’s just the beginning and we’re not giving up until this boy walks out And that evening we did walk out of the room saying, “He’s walking out of here He is walking out

that the charge nurse there, said, “When you walked into the room there was something else that walked into the room with you There was a presence there with you.” And she said the whole atmosphere

of the room changed, even the temperature of the room changed And she said, “When you prayed for your son “ and

as I say, I knew God was going

to bring him back, I didn’t know how He was going to do it, but He was going to She said,

“When you prayed for him, there was something that moved

up the table so hard and so forceful that it pushed me and

the other two people there back away from John, almost to

the point where I couldn’t keep my finger on his pulse.” And

she said, “We all felt it.” She went on to say, “We wouldn’t

even talk about it to each other that day It wasn’t until the

next day when we got together and one of the nurses said,

‘Okay, I have to ask this question What did you guys feel

when that mother prayed for her son?’ And the other nurse

said, ‘Well, what did you feel?’” You know, nobody wanted to

come out and say it first, and so finally they all agreed that

they’d never had anything like that happen And it’s been a

bonding time for everyone who witnessed this miracle

JASON: What I’d say, too, for

probably eight months before

this happened, God had been

preparing Joyce She’d been

studying “Believing God” by Beth

Moore So, God was preparing

her, and she had allowed God

to prepare her So, when it

happened, God had put her right

there, in those studies from the

Bible, and all of that stuff And so,

maybe more than in her whole

life, she believed that When you look at this, I think there is

a difference between faith and belief And I think her belief

is what God had grown and what she’d been working on

Because the Bible says you either have faith or you don’t

It’s not something you can grow But belief, and that’s by

studying God’s promises, being in His Word, and I think these

miracles are available to anyone who will really get in and

run after it

DEWAYNE HAMBY | EDITOR

DeWayne Hamby is the editor of the White Wing Messenger, Chief Clerk, director of Communications (comprised of editorial, social media, and graphic art) and a member of the International Assembly Task Force for the Church of God of Prophecy International Offices

He is also the chairman of PCCNA Proclaim, the media and communications commission for the Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches

of North America In 2016, he published his first book, Gratitude Adjustment: Finding Joy through Thankfulness (White Wing Books).

in unprecedented territory and God is doing the impossible with this trailer so far And here’s the other kicker, we haven’t spent any media This has all come organically which is a major, major departure from how these digital roll-outs usually happen This thing is rolling, God is on the move, and we’re just trying to keep up.

I know beyond having a hit movie, what else

do you want for this? What do you think this movie could do for people who watch it and really, for the world, once the story gets on this platform?

DEVON: Success at the box office is just an indicator of

reach So, my goal is to reach as many people as possible with this film which is a powerful reminder of the power of prayer and what prayer can do It also shows that God is still in the miracle-working business It also shows what happens when

we come together, even in spite of our differences, when we come together with one united goal, what we can do

What would you say to churches? How could churches really rally around and help this movie?

DEVON: This movie is

a fantastic outreach tool during Easter season It’s

a resurrection story for Resurrection time It also

is a great outreach tool because it gets peopleremember that there power in prayer And

so many ministries thatare trying to find ways

to reach the community, Breakthrough is a fantastic way

to do it Also, I’ve been able to broker an unprecedented opportunity with 20th Century Fox I have been able to get them to allow churches to do exclusive buyouts The movie comes out April 17, 2019, two days before Good Friday, five days before Easter However, we have a program where churches can buy out theaters as early as April 5 so that their ministry can program going to see Breakthrough into their overall Easter programming That’s never been done before I wanted to make it so that we could accommodate all the different needs of the varying ministries and church Easter services It’s exclusive, it’s only for churches So, for any church or ministry that gets this message, they can go

to breakthroughmovie.com to the church buyout tab, click

it, fill out the information, and we can immediately begin processing their theater buyout

of this place.” And that’s exactly what he did He didn’t even

take the wheelchair He walked out of the hospital

John, what an amazing story.

JOHN: Yeah, we were out on the

ice there (celebrating a win), and I

got a phone call from my mom, and

of course she asked me if I wanted

to go play basketball, so of course

I said, “Yes, let’s hit the gym,” and

what we figured out was I was

walking and talking, so as I was on

the phone, I wasn’t thinking about

where I was going, so the farther I

went, the thinner the ice got She

said, “I love you,” and I said, “I love you too, Mom,” and I hung

up They said within about three to four seconds, crack, the

ice fell, and the three of us were fighting for our lives

That’s extraordinary faith that your mother

had It’s inspiring There are a lot of prayers

that people don’t pray, because they talk

themselves out of praying, they don’t think

it can happen They don’t believe The book

is called The Impossible, right? How has it

changed the whole family, even the people who

have heard this story, to pray for bigger things?

JOHN: Regarding my family, it’s brought everybody closer

My brothers aren’t serving the Lord One is, but the other

two aren’t So, this story really got their eyebrows raised and

brought us all closer, and it’s giving us a chance to witness

to them The story is impossible Even so, there are certain

doubts that still come up My parents are older, so I think,

“When I leave for college, are they going to be well enough

that they don’t need me?” But mom has always came back

with, “We are going to be okay, I’m not worried God’s got us

under control I continue to pray I know He’s had us for 33

years before we even had you, I’m going to be okay.” That

sense of confidence, really, really inspires me to continue to

grow in my faith

THEPRODUCER

DeVon, the preview of the film broke records

for a faith-based film, right?

DEVON: Yes, the trailer is breaking records It’s the biggest

trailer launch of any faith-based movie in history Currently,

on Facebook, we’re at just about 23 million views We have

30 million views overall in 48 hours of the trailer We are just

.

.