Zion’s Advocate - Church of Christ 10 Sep Oct.pdfZion’s Advocate...

Zion’s Advocate“And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day,

for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost….”1 Nephi 3:187

VOLUME 91 INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI—September-October 2014 NUMBER 5

“But great are the promises of the Lord unto those who are upon theisles of the sea; Wherefore, as it says isles, there must needs be morethan this; and they are inhabited also by our brethren. For behold, theLord God has led away from time to time from the house of Israel,according to his will and pleasure” —2 Nephi 7:36-38.

~In This Issue~

SERMON—Ambassadors for Christ -Elder Dan Lawrence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

ARTICLE—History and the Church of Christ inthe Last Days - Elder Gordon McCann . . . . 90

REPORT—Central Mexico -Apostle Placido K. Matu . . . . . . . . . . . 101

GSSA—Giving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

ARCHIVES—

1950 Church of Christ Group Photo . . . . . 104

REPORT—The Ordination of Damaiel Ku Cetz -Apostle Alvin J. Moser . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

REPORT—Yucatan Marriage Retreat -Apostle Placido K. Matu . . . . . . . . . . . 107

REPORT—2014 Missouri Reunion Report -Deb Haines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

NOTICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Smith N. Brickhouse, 5713 Logan Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64136; 816-356-9214; e-mail: [email protected] Ely, 18814 N. 30th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85050; 602-569-1516; e-mail [email protected] Koyoc Matu, 99h Calle 24 x 17y 19, Yobain, Yucatan, Mexico; #011-52-991-911-3125; e-mail: [email protected] McGhee, 18907 E. 6th Street N., Independence, Missouri 64056; 816-796-6255; e-mail: [email protected] McIndoo, 18824 N. 30th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85050; 602-569-1900; e-mail: [email protected] E. McIndoo, 18830 N. 30th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85050Alvin J. Moser, 18829 N. 29th Place, Phoenix, Arizona 85050; 602-569-2414; e-mail: [email protected] Oldham, 2609 SW Wintervalley Circle, Lee’s Summit, MO 64081; 660-631-3963; [email protected] L. Sarratt, 15910 E. 36th Terrace, Independence, Missouri 64055; 816-373-6605; e-mail: [email protected] A. Sheldon, 1011 S. Cottage, Independence, Missouri 64050; 816-833-3995; e-mail: [email protected] Yates, 2924 E. Rockwood Drive, Phoenix, Arizona 85050; 602-569-9296; e-mail: [email protected]

GENERAL CHURCH OFFICERS

SECRETARY, COUNCIL OF APOSTLESApostle Duane Ely18814 N. 30th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85050

SECRETARY, GENERAL BISHOPRICElder Leslie P. Case8312 Lee’s Summit Road; Kansas City, Missouri 64139

GENERAL CHURCH SECRETARYHarvey E. Seibel9800 E. 32nd Street S.; Independence, Missouri 64052

GENERAL CHURCH RECORDERElder Gordon McCann18808 N. 30th Street; Phoenix, AZ 85050

BUSINESS MANAGERElder Alvin L. HarrisChurch of ChristP.O. Box 472; Independence, Missouri 64051-0472

STATUS of PUBLISHED ARTICLES

Articles published in this paper do not neces-

sarily reflect the teachings of the Church, nor the

opinions of the editorial staff. Declarations and no-

tices authorized by the General Conference reflect

the practices and beliefs of the General Church.

ZION’S ADVOCATE IS…

To promote Jesus Christ as our only Saviour;

To promote His Teachings and His Church, the

Church of Christ;

To be a voice of warning to His people; to be

Zion’s advocate.

Visit us at: http://churchofchrist-tl.org/

ZION’S ADVOCATE STAFF

EDITORElder Gordon McCann18808 N. 30th StreetPhoenix, Arizona 85050E-mail:[email protected]

ASSOCIATE EDITORSApostle Placido K. MatuCalle 24 #99H x 17 y 19Yobain, Yucatan, Mexico

Priest Bruce Haines3904 Christopher CircleIndependence, MO 64055

PRODUCTION STAFFHarvey L. Seibel

THE APOSTLES of the CHURCH OF CHRIST

COVER PHOTO: Noli-Bayugan, Mindanao, Philippines, courtesy of Gordon McCann

Zion’s Advocate

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER-87-

Ambassadors for ChristElder Dan Lawrence

The “first and great com-mandment” is found inDeuteronomy 6:4-7.

Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God isone Lord:

And thou shalt love the Lord thyGod with all thine heart, and with allthy soul, and with all thy might.

And these words, which I com-mand thee this day, shall be in thineheart:

And thou shalt teach them dili-gently unto thy children, and shalttalk of them when thou sittest inthine house, and when thou walkestby the way, and when thou liestdown, and when thou risest up.

Within this commandmentis the admonition that it be keptand taught at all times and in allplaces. We must love the Lord,trust in His Word and be an ex-ample of the believer in JesusChrist in all that we do, wher-ever we are: at home, at work, atschool, in public…at all timesand in all places.

I had the privilege of speak-ing at a thanksgiving service forSheila Koyoc after she receivedher teaching certificate. Sheila,Plácido’s daughter, has receivedfrom our Lord the gift of teach-ing and a love for children. Shehas used this gift serving as aSunday School teacher, ateacher in their Children’s Day

and in helping Plácido visitingthe missions in Yucatán. I cansay without a doubt that she haskept the commandment ourLord gave in Psalms 100:2:

Serve the Lord with gladness.

I’m pleased that she haschosen a profession that allowsher to continue to use the giftsthat God has given her. We readof this in Moroni 10:8-9:

And again I exhort you, my breth-ren, that ye deny not the gifts of God,for they are many; and they comefrom the same God.

And there are different ways thatthese gifts are administered; but it isthe same God who worketh all in all;and they are given by the manifesta-tions of the Spirit of God unto men, toprofit them.

We have the responsibilityto identify the gifts that we havereceived from God and use themto His glory, always giving Himthanks and praise.

Our young sister is not onlyteaching reading, writing andarithmetic, she is teaching away of life, the way of Jesus.She will teach the academicsubjects with her words, butwith her love toward the chil-dren she will teach the attitudesof compassion, honesty, respect,kindness and obedience.

With her whole being she isa teacher – her attitudes, her ac-tivities, her words, her appear-ance – all these things showwhat kind of person she is. Sheis teaching with the most pow-erful tool we possess: OUR EX-AMPLE. We read this in 1 Tim-othy 4:12:

Let no man despise thy youth; butbe thou an example of the believers,in word, in conversation, in charity,in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Just as Sheila is fulfillingher obligation to present her lifeas an example of the believer inChrist, we also have the respon-sibility to examine ourselvesand the example that we showto those around us. Let us turnto God’s word for instructionand encouragement.

Probably the most oftenquoted verses regarding our ex-ample are found in Matthew5:14-16:

SERMON

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Ye are the light of the world. A citythat is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle,and put it under a bushel, but on acandlestick; and it giveth light untoall that are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men,that they may see your good works,and glorify your Father which is inheaven.

We are the light of Christ ina dark world. The world isplunging more deeply into sineach day; things that in the pastwere considered abominationswere first tolerated and nowembraced. The old evil is nowthe new good. It’s more im-portant than ever that we arecareful to always shine the lightof Christ’s love through our ac-tions, words and attitudes be-cause as 2 Corinthians 5:20says:

We are ambassadors for Christ.

If we are to be Christ’s rep-resentatives to the world, ourlives must be above reproach.

We receive this wise coun-sel in 1 Peter 1:13-15:

Wherefore gird up the loins ofyour mind, be sober, and hope to theend for the grace that is to be broughtunto you at the revelation of JesusChrist;

As obedient children, not fashion-ing yourselves according to the for-mer lusts in your ignorance:

But as he which hath called you isholy, so be ye holy in all manner ofconversation;

Because it is written, Be ye holy;for I am holy.

We are called to be holy “inall manner of conversation,”putting aside those things thatdon’t bring honor to our God.How can our lives be holy?

First, we must understandthat the things of the world, theways of the world, the attitudesof the world, are not acceptableto God. This is so importantthat I’d like to offer three pas-sages regarding this:

James 4:4: Ye adulterers andadulteresses, know ye not that thefriendship of the world is enmitywith God? whosoever therefore willbe a friend of the world is the enemyof God.

1 John 2:15-17: Love not theworld, neither the things that are inthe world. If any man love the world,the love of the Father is not in him.For all that is in the world, the lust ofthe flesh, and the lust of the eyes, andthe pride of life, is not of the Father,but is of the world. And the worldpasseth away, and the lust thereof:but he that doeth the will of Godabideth for ever.

Luke 16:13: No servant can servetwo masters: for either he will hatethe one, and love the other; or else hewill hold to the one, and despise theother. Ye cannot serve God andmammon.

Let me ask this question:do you want to be an enemy ofGod? If your life is defined bythe things of the world then youare a friend of the world, youserve the gods of this world andin the end you will be destroyedwith them. We make the deci-sion daily what path we’re goingto walk – in the straight andnarrow path of the Gospel of

Christ or the filthy streets of theworld. As it says in Matthew7:13-14:

Enter ye in at the strait gate: forwide is the gate, and broad is theway, that leadeth to destruction, andmany there be which go in thereat:

Because strait is the gate, andnarrow is the way, which leadethunto life, and few there be that findit.

The way of the Lord leadsto joy, peace and life eternal.Conversely, the way of the worlddelivers one to sadness, despairand ultimately death. Romans6:23:

For the wages of sin is death; butthe gift of God is eternal life throughJesus Christ our Lord.

Let us consider some waysin which we can be that good ex-ample. In just a few versesTitus 2:1-8 offers advice to eachof us.

But speak thou the things whichbecome sound doctrine:

That the aged men be sober,grave, temperate, sound in faith, in

charity, in patience.

The aged women likewise, thatthey be in behaviour as becometh ho-liness, not false accusers, not givento much wine, teachers of goodthings;

That they may teach the youngwomen to be sober, to love their hus-bands, to love their children,

To be discreet, chaste, keepers athome, good, obedient to their ownhusbands, that the word of God benot blasphemed.

Young men likewise exhort to be

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sober minded.

In all things shewing thyself a pat-tern of good works: in doctrineshewing uncorruptness, gravity, sin-cerity,

Sound speech, that cannot becondemned; that he that is of thecontrary part may be ashamed, hav-ing no evil thing to say of you.

Fathers, be a good exampleto your family – a spiritualleader, directing your familywith love and patience, alwaysshowing the example of goodworks and pure thoughts. Pat-tern your lives on the “sounddoctrine” of God’s word.

Mothers, reverently teachyour daughters to be chaste andpure, preparing them to be spir-itually minded young ladieswho will one day be ready to bemothers of their own families.Help them to make wise deci-sions about their activities,their attitudes and their ap-pearance.

Young men, considerprayerfully your service to theLord. Prepare yourselves totake on the spiritual responsi-bilities of your own family andthe Church. Study the scrip-tures to know how to be a goodexample to your friends. De-velop the discernment of theSpirit that would lead you to re-ject worldly activities. Be sin-cere in all you say and careful ofthe words you choose.

Continuing in verses 12-13:

Teaching us that, denying ungod-liness and worldly lusts, we shouldlive soberly, righteously, and godly,in this present world;

Looking for that blessed hope,

and the glorious appearing of thegreat God and our Saviour JesusChrist;

We are commanded to be“peculiar people,” people whoare noticed because of our rejec-tion of “worldly lusts.” It’s onlythrough continual study ofGod’s word and heeding the di-rection and encouragement ofHis Holy Spirit that we can ac-complish this.

We have a great hope inChrist and His promise of lifeeternal if we keep His com-mandments, and in so doingshow a righteous example to adark world.

Are we prepared to be “am-bassadors for Christ?” Let usread the words of Alma, thirdchapter, verses 46-50:

And now behold, I say unto youmy brethren, If ye have experienceda change of heart, and if ye have feltto sing the song of redeeming love, Iwould ask, Can ye feel so now?

Have ye walked, keeping your-selves blameless before God?

Could ye say, if ye were called todie at this time, within yourselves,that ye have been sufficiently hum-ble?

That your garments have beencleansed and made white, throughthe blood of Christ, who will come toredeem his people from their sins?

Behold, are ye stripped of pride? Isay unto you, If ye are not, ye are notprepared to meet God.

When we humble ourselvesbefore God and put away ourcarnal desires, and dedicate ourlives to Christ through repen-tance and baptism, we are mak-

ing the necessary preparationto be the example that He de-sires. If we remain steadfast inkeeping that example, walking“blameless before God,” we willbe blessed both in this life andthe life eternal.

James 3:13 is a powerfuland concise summary:

Who is a wise man and enduedwith knowledge among you? let himshew out of a good conversation hisworks with meekness of wisdom.

Zion’s Advocate


By Elder Gordon McCann

This past July I had the op-portunity of traveling withApostle Michael McGhee in

his field, the Philippines. I en-joyed very much meeting withthe ministry and our fellowbrothers and sisters located inthe various missions on theisland of Mindanao. Since mycalling into the ministry I havebeen afforded the opportunityof traveling with several otherapostles whose fields were in

other parts of the world as well.In each case I found a “kindredspirit” or common bond whichwas familiar and comforting. Itwas evident as I had opportu-nity to greet and fellowshipwith the various groups of peo-ple that the Spirit of God borewitness to me and to those whowere present that we were partof something that was not con-trived by man but divine. Thebest way to describe the rela-tionship that was shared wouldbe to say that we knew we hadbeen adopted into a singlebrotherhood in Jesus Christ.

“For as many as are led by theSpirit of God, they are the sons ofGod. For ye have not received thespirit of bondage again to fear; butye have received the Spirit of adop-tion, whereby we cry, Abba Father.The Spirit itself beareth witness withour spirit, that we are the children ofGod:…” (Romans 8:14-16).

Before I continue, I want tofirst preface my following com-ments with the fact that theSpirit of God is the means bywhich we can have a full under-standing of the Word of God andthe work that God has requiredof us, and without it we areblind (John 14:17, 26; 2 Corin-thians 2:9-12). To comprehendmore fully what this work en-tails, we must first understandthe basics where we need to“worship the Father in spiritand in truth; for the Fatherseeketh such to worship him”(John 4:23). We do this by exer-cising our faith by keeping Hiscommandments (John 14:15,21). We are reminded of the factthat “without faith it is impossi-ble to please him,” that if wewant to draw close to God wemust “believe that he is, andthat he is a rewarder of themthat diligently seek him” (He-

EDITORIAL

HISTORY AND THE

IN THE LAST DAYS

CHURCH of CHRISTHISTORY AND THE

IN THE LAST DAYS

CHURCH of CHRIST

…We knew we had been adopted into asingle brotherhood in Jesus Christ.

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brews 11:6). As we draw closerto God through prayer and fast-ing we, like our own childrenwanting to have a better under-stand of things, are prompted toseek the answers from thesource by simply asking. Jesusencourages us to “ask the Fa-ther in my name,” applying ourfaith for the things “which isright” before Him (3 Nephi8:51), with the promise that “itshall be given you” (Matthew7:7-11) for the sole purpose“that the Father may be glori-fied in the Son” (John14:13-14). We can then build onthis basic foundation of faith bybecoming familiar with thewords of the prophets. JesusChrist used the words of theprophets and the written wordof God when He was challengedby Satan (Matthew 4:4-10),when He taught His disciples(Matthew 26:31), and speakingpublicly (Matthew 11:8, 21:13)He would often say “it is writ-ten.” It is also important to notethat Jesus gave us a command-ment to “search these thingsdiligently,” speaking of prophe-sies by Isaiah that spoke “also tothe Gentiles” and to “all things”that “hath been, and shall be” (3Nephi 10:27-29).

This Church of Christ hascome a long way, through manystruggles since its restorationin 1830 with all the power, au-thority, and heavenly gifts man-ifested by the Holy Spirit givenof Christ. The restoration ofChrist’s church on earth “in thelatter days” (Daniel 2:28) wasprophesied by the prophets ofold found in the books of Isaiah,Ezekiel, Daniel, Amos, and Rev-

elation, to name a few. Theprophet Daniel had indicatedthat during a specific period intime known as “the latter days”that “in the days of these kingsthe God of heaven shall set up akingdom which shall never bedestroyed” and would “standforever” (Daniel 2:44). This lastkingdom would have the au-thority from our Lord God andSavior “to seal both on earth andin heaven, the unbelieving andrebellious,” to establish His“everlasting covenant,” and toproclaim “the fullness of my gos-pel…unto the ends of theworld.” This work would be ac-complished “by the weak andthe simple,” fulfilling the wordsof the prophets: “The weakthings of the world should comeforth and break down themighty and strong ones” (Bookof Commandments 1:2, 4; 1 Co-rinthians 1:27). This is the au-thority and doctrine that isfound and proclaimed in thisChurch of Christ on earth today.We are certainly not known tothe world as being large in num-ber and powerful as pertainingto the wealth of the world andthe influence thereof. We do,however, have the assurancethat this Church of Christ is fa-vored of God collectively wherewe have not rejected the word ofGod, and we have His Spiritthat manifests these truthswithin us which has made us“free” (John 8:32), as well “indemonstration of the Spirit inpower” (1 Corinthians 2:4)through revelations, visions,dreams, admonitions, andphysical healings of the bodyand spirit.

We have been entrustedwith a mighty work to accom-plish which has been prophe-sied will take place in these“last days” that can be found inthe writings contained in theBible and Book of Mormon priorto the return of our Lord andSavior Jesus Christ, more spe-cifically, in this day that we livein. World events are changingquickly and for those who areinformed will be comforted(Luke 21:28) in the knowledgeof those things that have cometo pass, that which is unfoldingtoday, and with those prophe-cies yet to occur.

How can we know prophet-ically where we are in relation-ship to the period of time thatwe live in today? The only wayto do that is to have a good foun-dation of understanding ofthose prophecies that have al-ready come to pass. We thenneed to correlate that founda-tion with prophesies whichhave not come to pass by dili-gently searching the Word ofGod. For example the “wisemen” (Matthew 2:1-2) hadsearched the writings of theprophets concerning the birthof the Messiah which providedspecific details as to Who, Whenand Where His birth would takeplace. Those wise men had de-termined that based on proph-ecy and the events that had al-ready transpired that the nextevent would be the birth of theMessiah. Their desires, faith,and diligence to the promisewas rewarded, where “they sawthe young child with Mary hismother, and fell down, and wor-shiped him” (Matthew 2:11).

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The Church understandsthe basic commandment topreach or proclaim “the full-ness” of the gospel of JesusChrist “unto the ends of theworld.” This same gospel andcommandment was given to Hisdisciples of the early Church ofChrist before His death: “Andthis gospel of the kingdom shallbe preached in all the world for awitness unto all nations” (Mat-thew 24:14), and then after Hisresurrection “Go ye into all theworld, and preach the gospel toevery creature” (Mark 16:15-16). The plainness of thedoctrine and the gospel thatwas taught by Jesus Christ canalso be found in the Book ofMormon after His resurrection(3 Nephi 5:32-43, 12:25-35).

We also understand thatthis commandment could nothave been fulfilled since theApostle Paul warned theChurch of Christ inThessalonica that the Lord’s re-turn would not happen “exceptthere come a falling away first,and that man of sin be revealed,the son of perdition” (2Thessalonians 2:3). Our Biblesinterpreted the Greek word“apostasia” into English as“fall ing away.” The earlyChurch of Christ did fall awayfrom the truth of the gospel thatwas established by Jesus Christand was “prevailed against”(Daniel 7:21-22). Or as prophe-sied in the Book of Revelation“to make war with the saints,and to overcome them” speakingof the beast (that man of sin; sonof perdition; sic. gm) that theApostle John saw would “riseup out of the sea” (Revelation

13:1-7). The prophet Amosspoke of a day when the LordGod would “send a famine in theland, not a famine of bread, nora thirst for water, but of hearingthe words of the Lord: And theyshall wander from sea to sea,and from the north even to theeast, they shall run to and fro toseek the word of the Lord, andshall not find it” (Amos8:11-12); this is the period oftime that the world identifieswith as the “Dark Ages” of man-kind. There was truly no lighton earth spiritually as well asadvancements socially and eco-nomically. The world was en-gulfed in warfare and blood-shed; from despotic rulers ofcountries and religions to largetribal conflicts set to destroyeach other; all this for domi-nance and power. With a carefulstudy of world history the for-mer statements can becompletely supported withfactual historical evidence.

For those of you that acceptthat God in these “latter days”has restored His kingdom onearth (as explained above) thatwould mean you have also ac-cepted the coming forth of theBook of Mormon which was spo-ken of by the prophet Isaiah(Isaiah 29:11-12). These ful-filled prophetic events in 1830would bring about a dramaticchange in the religious as wellas social and economic realm.This restored kingdom on earthsparked religious debate amongthe leading religious faiths.The Church of Christ was es-tablished during a period oftime in American religious his-tory known as the “Second

Great Awakening” that had itsbeginnings in the 1790s to the1830s (www.ushistory.org/us/22c.asp). It was a time ofgreat revivals occurring amongthe people and churches of theday, each religious sect repre-senting their doctrinal beliefsand practices, promoting them-selves as the only true represen-tative of God’s truth and doc-trine on earth. The newly es-tablished Church of Christ,armed with the gift of the HolyGhost, the Bible and Book ofMormon, the religious record ofthe remnant of Joseph’s seed,Manasseh, (Alma 8:3) beganteaching the pure gospel anddoctrine of Jesus Christ whichstruck to the heart the doctrinalteachings of the leading faithsand religious leaders of the day.It was due to that revival spiritthat inspired a young teenageboy, Joseph Smith Jr., beingswayed from one doctrinal be-lief to another, to take to heartthe words of James the halfbrother of Christ, “If any of youlack widom, let him ask of God”(James 1:5), and to approach hisGod in earnest prayer to know“which of all the religious sectswere right?”. Joseph was told “Imust join none of them, for theywere all wrong… that all theircreeds were an abomination inhis sight.” He was also told whythose creeds were not accept-able where the words of Isaiahwere given, “they draw near tome with their lips, but theirhearts are far from me; theyteach for the doctrine the com-mandments of men, having aform of godliness, but they denythe power thereof ” (Isaiah

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29:13). You can read his entiretestimony, which is readilyavailable to all from varioussources (An Outline History ofthe Church of Christ, page 16).

As I mentioned earlier, thisChurch of Christ has come along way, through many strug-gles since its restoration in1830. It, too, struggled with theacceptance of false teachingsthat were proven to be of men,not supported by the Word ofGod, that caused divisionswhich lead to apostate sectswithin the restoration. Many ofthose apostate restoration sectshold to their faith contained inthe Bible and Book of Mormon.However they refuse to laydown those false doctrines be-cause of their trust in the arm offlesh. They choose to ignore thetruth by setting aside the Wordof God contained in both bookswhich teach against those falsedoctrines, fulfilling the words ofthe prophet Jeremiah: “For heshall be like the heath in thedesert, and shall not see whengood cometh; but shall inhabitthe parched places in the wilder-ness, in a salt land and not in-habited” (Jeremiah 17:5-6).

So where are we propheti-cally concerning God’s plan forthe children of men today?Let’s review with an abbrevi-ated picture of the significanthighlights that have takenplace to date.

30 AD - The Early Church ofChrist

It began with the gospel of Je-sus Christ being rejected bythe house of Jacob (Israel) and

the acceptance of it by the Gen-tiles: “And in that day thereshall be a root of Jesse, whichshall stand for an ensign of thepeople; to it shall the Gentilesseek: and his rest shall be glori-ous” (Isaiah 11:10). JesusChrist is that “root of Jesse” orlineage, that can be understoodin the first five verses of theeleventh chapter of Isaiah. TheBible is the “ensign” or banner,which contains His teachings asthe Apostle Paul wrote to theChurch at Rome when hequoted this verse of scripturefrom Isaiah (Romans 15:7-13).

570 AD - The Apostasy & Birthof the Prophet Muhammad

The early Church of Christwent into apostasy for a spe-cific period of time, 1,260

years (Daniel 7:25), which be-gan in 570 AD when theLombards destroyed the lastremnants of the Roman Em-pire, allowing the rise of the“man of sin… the son of perdi-tion” (2 Thessalonians 2:3)which was revealed in thepower of the Bishop of Rome,the Papacy. The power of Romewhich was solidified largelythrough the efforts of PopeGregory when selected as Popein 590 AD, “Gregory set theChurch of Rome firmly on thepath to temporal power; he wasthe real founder of the medievalpapacy. Given how the worldwas falling apart, he was a trulyinspiring leader, no least be-cause he did not despair”(http://the-orb.net/textbooks/westciv/papacy.html).

To understand some of

those things that were foundedor instituted within the Churchof Rome during this period oftime I will quote from the Rev-erend Joseph Benson’s com-mentaries, volume 2 of the 5volumes written from 1811-18,p 409: “The man of sin may sig-nify either a single man, or asuccession of men; the latter be-ing meant in Daniel, it is proba-ble that the same is intendedhere also. He shall oppose andexalt himself, not only above in-ferior magistrates, who aresometimes called gods in holywrit, but even above the greatemperors, and shall arrogate tohimself divine honors; so thathe as God, assuming the au-thority of Christ, sitteth in thetemple of God – exercises su-preme and sovereign power overthe visible church, as headthereof, even over all that pro-fess Christianity”(http://www.biblesupport.com/e-sword-downloads/file/9315-benson-joseph-commentary-on-the-old-and-new-testaments-8-vols/).

The result of these eventswas the removal by God of theauthority of the priesthood onearth starting the prophetictime clock beginning in 570 ADof 1,260 years (Revelation 12:6).

During this same year (570AD) was the birth of Muham-mad, who was the first and onlyson of Abd Allah binAl-Muttalib and Amina bintWahb. His father died beforehis birth and his mother diedwhen he was young, around fiveto six years old. In 610 AD hewas “visited by an overpower-ing presence and instructed to

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recite words of such beauty andforce that he and others gradu-ally attributed them to God”(www.pbs.org/muhammad/timeline_html.shtml). He latermade them public and eventu-ally they became known as theQur’an under the third caliph,Othman, in about 650 AD(www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa56). By 622 AD Muham-mad and his followers migratedfrom Mecca and traveled toYathrib, which soon becameknown as Medina, the City ofthe Prophet. What is signifi-cant with these events was theestablishment of “the falseprophet,” one of the “three un-clean spirits” identified in Rev-elation 16:13. It is throughtheir professed beliefs thatpoint to this conclusion wherethey do have a belief in JesusChrist who was born of a virginwho was a Prophet whose mes-sage has been corrupted, leav-ing Muhammad and his mes-sages as the only true prophetand word of God(www.religionfacts.com/islam/comparison_charts/islam_judaism_christianity.htm).

1830 - The Restoration

At the end of the 1,260years in 1830 theChurch of Christ was re-

stored. Thus the propheticwords of Isaiah “he shall set upan ensign for the nations” (Isa-iah 11:12) were fulfilled wherethe “ensign” or banner wascomplete with the advent of theBook of Mormon, bringing topass the prophetic words of Isa-

iah, “And in that day shall thedeaf hear the words of the bookand the eyes of the blind shallsee out of obscurity, and out ofdarkness… They also that erredin spirit shall come to under-standing, and they that mur-mured shall learn doctrine”(Isaiah 29:18, 24).

1917 thru 1948 – The Establishmentof the State of Israel

Progressing through pro-phetic time we find anotherportion of the prophecy of

Isaiah beginning to be fulfilled.In chapter 11 verse 12 of Isaiahthe prophet gives us under-standing as to why this last “en-sign” is set up. First weunderstand it is “for the na-tions” but there is more, “andshall assemble the outcasts of Is-rael and gather together the dis-persed of Judah from the fourcorners of the earth.” The pro-phetic time table moves up toWorld War I where the Turkswere driven out of Levant,which consisted of the island ofCyprus, Israel, Jordan, Leba-non, Syria, Palestine, and partof southern Turkey. Subse-quent to that occupation, in No-vember 2, 1917, the BalfourDeclaration was establishedthat provided for a nationalhomeland for the Jewish peoplewithin Palestine.

Continuing with the strug-gle of securing a permanentJewish Homeland or State,meetings were held in 1922 bythe Supreme Court of theLeague of Nations betweenGreat Britain and the UnitedStates. The outcome was that

the League of Nations recog-nized the “historical connectionof the Jewish people with Pales-tine” and the “grounds for re-constituting their nationalhome in that country” ulti-mately supporting the BalfourDeclaration.

After many conflicts be-tween the Jewish and Arab na-tions the United Nations be-came involved and in 1947 putforth resolution 181 (partitionplan) that set the stage whichafforded the right of the Jewishpeople to establish their ownstate.

The fighting continued be-tween Israel and the Arabs na-tions and in May of 1948 Israeldeclared its independence “ofthe British mandate overEretz-Israel and, by virtue ofour natural and historic rightand on the strength of the reso-lution of the United NationsGeneral Assembly, hereby de-clare the establishment of aJewish State in Eretz-Israel, tobe known as the State of Israel.”Within days Israel was attackedby Egypt, Lebanon, Syria andIraq, which is known as the Warof Independence for Israelwhere she defeated her enemieswho sued for peace in 1949.However the city of Jerusalemwas left divided by armisticelines between Israel and Jordan(www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/jerutime.html)fulfilling the words of JesusChrist, “And I will rememberthe covenant which I have madewith my people, and I have cove-nanted with them, that I wouldgather them together in mineown due time; That I would give

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unto them again the land oftheir fathers, for their inheri-tance, which is the land of Jeru-salem, which is the promisedland unto them for ever, saiththe Father” (3 Nephi 9:66-67).

1952 thru 1953 – The Book ofMormon returns to the remnantof the house of Jacob

In 1952 Apostle ClarenceWheaton was invited to thehome of the Mayan cacique,

Nemensio Xiu, in Ticul, locatedon the Mayan peninsula ofYucatan, along with the leadingMayan elders from the sur-rounding villages. After read-ing in the fifth chapter of thethird book of Nephi, NemensioXiu and the Mayan elders com-pared what they had heard withthe traditions that they heldconcerning the Fair God of theirancestors. Nemensio Xiu said itwas the same account written inthe ancient records of their peo-ple which had been destroyedby “the black robed priests” atancient Mani. He then held thebook in his hand before the peo-ple gathered at his home andsaid in Maya: “This is our Book.It is ours!” (Wheaton, C.L). Fol-lowing this event in 1953 thirtypeople from the small town ofDzan were baptized into theChurch of Christ and fromamong them the Lord called anIndian ministry; a new royalpriesthood had been estab-lished in the same generationwhich saw the 900 year reign ofthe Xiu caciques come to an endwith the death of Nemensio(note: this historic account wastaken from The Last Maya King

and the Liberation of Jerusalemby Apostle Donald McIndoo).

This event was a signifi-cant turning point where God’sfocus was evident toward the re-covery or restoration of His peo-ple, the house of Israel, that hadbeen broken off and scatteredinto every nation, fulfilling theprophecy given to Isaiah, “Andit shall come to pass in that day,that the Lord shall set his handagain the second time to recoverthe remnant of his people, whichshall be left” (Isaiah 11:11). Itwas also the fulfillment ofprophecy found in the Book ofMormon, “…that in the latterdays, when our seed shall havedwindled in unbelief, yea, for thespace of many years and manygenerations, after the Messiahshall be manifested in body untothe children of men, then shallthe fullness of the gospel of theMessiah come unto the Gentiles,and from the Gentiles unto theremnant of our seed; And at thatday shall the remnant of ourseed know that they are of thehouse of Israel, and that they arethe covenant people of theLord… Wherefore, they shallcome to the knowledge of theirRedeemer, and the very points ofhis doctrine, that they may knowhow to come unto him and besaved” (1 Nephi 4:16-17, 19).

1967 – The Six Day War & TheFulfillment of the Times of theGentiles

Prior to the war that tookplace between the State ofIsrael and the Arab coun-

tries on June 6, 1967, there wasa common belief among the res-

toration sects that the prophecygiven by Jesus Christ as re-corded in Luke 21:24 had beenfulfilled in 1948 with the estab-lishment of the State of Israel.

A closer evaluation of theprophecy “And they shall fall bythe edge of the sword, and shallbe led away captive into all na-tions and Jerusalem shall betrodden down of the Gentiles,until the time of the Gentiles befulfilled” (Luke 21:24) wouldreveal that the events that tookplace in 1967 matches perfectlywith the prophecy given byJesus Christ.

The war in June of 1967was a decisive victory for theJewish nation by regainingmuch of the land given them ofGod from the days of Moses. Is-rael had established itself as aNation, a homeland for Jewishimmigrants who have floodedinto her, bolstering their mili-tary and society as a whole.More importantly, they re-gained possession of the city ofJerusalem, solidifying theirclaim that Jerusalem is the cap-ital of the State of Israel. WhereJerusalem had been divided byway of an armistice line be-tween Israel and Jordan, Jeru-salem is now in Israel’s controlas their proclaimed capital, nomore “trodden down” by theGentile nations. Israel ob-tained the Temple Mount andthe Western Wall after the quickvictory over her enemies whichbrought “Jerusalem’s holiestsite under Jewish control forthe first time in 2,000 years,”according to CommanderMotta Gur when speaking tohis brigade after the recapture

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of Jerusalem and the Holy sites(www.sixdaywar.org/content/ReunificationJerusalem.asp).

We know that throughprophecy found in the Book ofMormon that it would be“through the fullness of the Gen-tiles” (1 Nephi 4:16-24) that thegospel would be restored to theremnant of Joseph’s seed,which occurred in 1953 amongthe Maya in Yucatan. Thisthought is also supported in theBible, “For I would not, breth-ren, that ye should be ignorantof this mystery, lest ye should bewise in your own conceits; thatblindness in part is happened toIsrael until the fullness of theGentiles be come in” (Romans11:25). The gospel went to ourMaya brethren in 1953, whichhad to take place during “thefullness of the Gentiles” for theprophecy found in 1 Nephi4:16-24 to be true. That wouldmean that the events in 1948could not have been the fulfill-ment of “the time of the Gen-tiles….” The last remaining as-pect of the prophecy by JesusChrist that was left to be ful-filled was the regaining of thecity of Jerusalem by Israel,“and Jerusalem shall be trod-den down of the Gentiles, untilthe time of the Gentiles be ful-filled,” this event ended or ful-filled “the times of the Gen-tiles….”

It must be understood thatGod has returned Jerusalemback to Israel but the fight isnot over and another prophecywill unfold prior to “the day ofthe Lord” where God “willgather all nations against Jeru-salem to battle; and the city shall

be taken, and the houses rifled,and the women ravished; andhalf of the city shall go forth intocaptivity, and the residue of thepeople shall not be cut off fromthe city” (Zechariah 14:1-2).When this prophecy was givenby the prophet Zechariaharound 520 to 508 BC, Jerusa-lem had been an occupied cityfrom the days of the Babylo-nians who destroyed it in 586BC, then by the Persians whotook it away from the Babylo-nians in 539 BC. Jerusalemwould continue to be “troddendown” until its liberation in1967. God has set the stage,with Israel’s occupation of thecity of Jerusalem, for the proph-ecy of Zechariah to come to passwhere “half of the city shall goforth into captivity.” God willultimately settle the disputeover Jerusalem, honoring Hiscovenant with Israel, “Thenshall the Lord go forth, andfight against those nations, aswhen he fought in the day ofbattle” (Zechariah 14:3).

1998 to 2014 – The work of theChurch of Christ in the Last Days

Now let us consider the daythat we live in and lookupon the events that have

taken place within the last 16years since the calling thatfilled the vacancies within theQuorum of Apostles. You cansee the hand of God opening op-portunities to spread the re-stored gospel across the globe.Our missionaries report thatwith each contact or smallgroup of people that we have op-portunity to labor with more op-

portunities quickly open inareas close by. The missionariesfind the Church in the positionwhere we do not have enoughministry and laborers to keepup with the growth. Havingbeen given the opportunity totravel to the island of Mindanaoin the Philippines I find the sce-nario is no different for ourministry there as well, wherethe opportunity is great but thelaborers are few. I am remindedof the words of Jesus, “Butwhen he saw the multitudes, hewas moved with compassion onthem, because they fainted, andwere scattered abroad, as sheephaving no shepherd. Then saithhe to his disciples, the harvesttruly is plenteous, but the labor-ers are few; Pray ye therefore theLord of the harvest, that he willsend forth laborers into his har-vest” (Matthew 9:36-39).

As a Church, we find our-selves in the period of timewhere the prophecy concerningIsrael is being fulfilled where,“The Lord hath made bare hisholy arm in the eyes of all the na-tions; and all the ends of theearth shall see the salvation ofour God” (Isaiah 52:10), “… inbringing about his covenantsand his gospel, unto those whoare of the house of Israel” (1Nephi 7:22).

As for our brethren on theisland of Mindanao, the follow-ing prophecy speaks of themwho have been found by thosewho have been called of God andsent to teach the everlastinggospel of Jesus Christ:

“Behold, I will send for many fish-ers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish

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them; and after will I send for manyhunters, and they shall hunt themfrom every hill, and out of the holesof the rocks” (Jeremiah16:16).

Some have received thepromises and the priesthood au-thority established where Godhas called so far nine men to de-

liver the true points of the gos-pel of Jesus Christ with thepower to seal both on earth andin heaven in the language of thepeople living on Mindanao, “Formy soul delighteth in plainness:for after this manner doth theLord God work among the chil-

dren of men. For the Lord Godgiveth light unto the under-standing: for he speaketh untomen according to their lan-guage, unto their understand-ing” (2 Nephi 13:4-5).

Elder Roger Manali Baptizing at the Saguing Mission

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Top Left: Elder Roger Manali, Elder “Raffy” Serafin Vivas, Priest Arturo Superio, Elder Jonathan Alameda,Evangelist Camilo Samson; Bottom: Elder Wilson Manali, Elder Demetrio Indangan, Elder Tobias Operio

Priest Arturo Operio Teaching the Restored Gospel

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The Bible and the…

Book of Mormon

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“But great are the promises of theLord unto those who are upon theisles of the sea; Wherefore, as it saysisles, there must needs be more than

this; and they are inhabited also byour brethren. For behold, the LordGod has led away from time to timefrom the house of Israel, according to

his will and pleasure” (2 Nephi7:36-38).

Elder Demetrio Indangan Contributing to the Conversation

Tagbaros Mission, one of the many missions on the island of Mindanao

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Central MexicoDear brothers and sisters,

Thank you so much for your prayers. We had avery successful trip to Atulan Jalisco. My wife anddaughter had the opportunity to accompany me inthis trip. All the brothers were very happy to meet myfamily. We spent 15 days with them having servicesevery night. The brothers there like to sing verymuch. When the service begins we usually havearound half an hour singing. After that we have thesermon. When the sermon is finished we have an-other 20 minutes for singing. After each service wehave a snack and refreshments with all the brothers.We really had a good time with them! We really ap-preciate their love; we feel like we’re at home! I hadthe opportunity to talk with a baptized member, hisname is Luis Pelayo. He is a very dedicated person toserve God. He attended all the services. I rememberhis testimony. He had a good job in the past, but hisjob involved selling beers. At that time he neededjust two years more that he can be retired. (In Mex-ico not many companies you can retire.) When hewas baptized, he told me that he understood that hisjob was not good for him as a believer in Christ. Sohe quit that job. He lost the opportunity to be paidwithout working! But he said that he made thebetter decision for his soul! Now he is a happy man;he sells ice cream in his tricycle in front of a school.He likes his job now. He told that his dream is to geta motorcycle so he can go to the villages around tosell his ice cream. Luis is a very content person withhis new life in Christ. Only God can make you to seewhat is really important in your life!

I ask your prayers for that mission that God cancontinue working with His people in central Mexico.I also ask your prayers for Elder Nathan Denham andhis wife, Ana Gloria, who are traveling in otherplaces in central Mexico.

May God bless in this wonderful day!Apostle Placido K. MatuYucatan, Mexico

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

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GENERAL SUNDAY SCHOOL ASSOCIATION

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

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GENERAL SUNDAY SCHOOL ASSOCIATION

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FROM the ARCHIVES

1950 Church of Christ Group Photo

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1950 Church of Christ Photo Identified

FROM the ARCHIVES

1. Everett Martin2. Anna Robertson3. Beverly Martin4. Ray Hunholtz5. Minnie Yates (Arthur’s

Wife)6. Ruth Willard7. Freda Flint8. Estella Hedrick9. Arra Gentry10. Jon Sprague11. Doris Winegar (Jensen)12. Ora Derry13. Lorraine Smith

(Welton)14. Mag Namor15. Archie Bell16. John Sweem17. Martha Bell18. Albert Rudd19. Maynard Case20. Bertha Case21. D. Ray Bryant22. Joseph Yates23. Ella (Bell) Engle24. Don Housknecht25. Bob Willard26. James E. Yates

27. Doris Hutchison28. Rolland Sprague29. Arthur M. Smith30. Warren Sarratt31. B. C. Flint32. William Anderson33. Joyce (Sprague)

Harris34. Meta Anderson35. Betty Martin (holding

Mike)36. Irene Case37. Gladys Nast38. Jack Martin (holding

Andy)39. Carolyn (Nast) Fann40. William Postma41. Berl Smith42. Estella Smith43. Marsha Bryant44. Janice Sprague45. Guffie Martin46. Gracie (Bryant) Rudd47. Leroy Wheaton48. William Sheldon49. Leon Gould50. George Brantner51. Sarah Brantner

52. Anna Keeney53. Irene (Frishkorn)

Yates54. Hester (Reed)

Wentworth55. Doris Sheldon56. Charles Reed57. Randy Sheldon58. Robert R. Robertson59. Margaret (Long)

Mann60. Jewel (Welton) Beem61. Beatrice Babcock62. Clyde Babcock

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The Ordination of Damaiel Ku Cetz

Dear brothers and sisters,We are very happy to inform you of the ordina-

tion of our dear brother Damaiel Ku to an elder in theChurch of Christ. It was a beautiful and very spiritualservice last night in Uayalceh local. More than 150people were in attendance on this beautiful occa-sion. Now we have two elders in this local. FelipeUluac and now Damaiel Ku. I was very happy to seethe ministry in Yucatan and Quinta Roo attend thisbeautiful service.Apostle Placido K. MatuYucatan, Mexico

The service held in Uayalceh was different fromany other service I have attended in Mexico.

Many of the men came dressed in ties, the childrenwere quiet and many were weeping openly for thejoy they felt.

There were specials sung by the local congre-gation where the stage platform was filled with thevarious groups: men, women and young people. Afew minutes prior to speaking, Brother Placido K.Matu was asked to preach a sermon about the ordi-nation to explain the callings of God. He read fromthe book of Exodus concerning the calling of Aaron.During his sermon several people saw a light behindhim as he spoke.

Felipe called for a vote of acceptance to receiveDamaiel as a minister and pastor of the Group. Thena prayer was said for the ordination. Brother DarinCrull and I went forward to perform the ordination. Ican clearly remember the words which fell upon mymind as I spoke to him: Brother Damaiel, this callingis not about you but is about God’s purposes and Hiswork.

It is easy to forget what the work is reallyabout. We look at men and wonder why they arecalled and others are not. We look at the men inscripture and wonder about their weaknesses andwhy did God use them. God has said on several occa-sions, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,and the God of Jacob. When we hear this we think ofAbraham, Isaac and Jacob. In reality God is tellingus who He is, not who they are. I am the God whobrought that family into being, by My power and Mywill. I called them to assist Me in saving those whowill believe My words and follow My command-ments. It was not because of the greatness of themen, but because of God’s greatness and plan.

During and after the ordination some said theysaw light again, a light that turned the clothing ofthose mortal men white. One person afterwardmade the statement, while pointing to a white shirtworn by another, sto no es blanco (that is not white,

indicating the great whiteness that he saw.)At the close of the service the ministry were

asked to come forward. Some of us were asked tosay a few words. I remembered a young person’sdream that was told to me just that week. His dreamwas simple and to the point. He said he saw brotherDon McIndoo standing in a large green field withonly grass around him. The other thing was a treebranch that he was looking at in front of him. It hadtwo new leaves on one end. I told the congregationabout this dream and felt moved to remind them of ascripture in the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 6:105)that prophesies about a righteous branch in futuregenerations. I told them that I believed I was nowlooking at that branch tonight.

I feel honored to have participated in the ser-vice and felt the Spirit of God work in the midst of thisremnant of Jacob. I pray that I may yet see manyblessings fulfilled in my lifetime.

Alvin J. MoserAugust 2014

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Yucatan Marriage RetreatMy dear brothers and friends, as al-

ways it is a privilege and a blessing toreport one more activity in the

Yucatan peninsula. We had our first mar-riage retreat for three days, Friday, Satur-day and Sunday. It was held in haciendaUayalceh de Peon in the state of Yucatan.About 35 couples were present, includingfour elders who attended this importantevent. We heard three important subjects.The first one was “the perfect marriage.”The second one was “the marriage thatGod wants,” and the last one was “the for-giveness.” All of these subjects were givenby Apostle Jay Moser and Elder Dan Law-rence (they didn’t bring their wives thistime; we hope that they can do so nexttime). We had special classes for the youngpeople and also for the children. We arethankful for these unforgettable threedays. We learned much and we had theopportunity to visit with all the brothersand sisters. We also had the opportunity tovisit the missions around the Uayalchelocal.

Apostle Placido K. MatuYucatan, Mexico

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2014 Missouri Reunion ReportOn Friday, August 1st, 2014, the Missouri Re-

union began with a prayer service. EldersMarvin and Benny Case were in charge. Br. Bennygreeted us and told us not to be complacent, as weall have a house to clean; Christ wants to come inand help us. We need to let Him be our dearestfriend. A season of prayer, several administrationsand many testimonies followed. These are just afew:

� A brother told us of his grandson’s faith in the healingof his friend; many years ago babies with polio werehealed through Br. Anderson; his younger brotherwas lifeless and brought back. He told of a KoreanWar P.O.W. beaten in an attempt to get him to denyChrist…he wouldn’t. He told the enemy God couldknock them both down in their attempt. He prayed asthey were about to shoot him in the head; they bothfell and died within four hours. Another occurrence hetold of happened many years ago; he was driving ajeep on an airport taxi strip…all of a sudden he ‘felt’to stomp on the brakes; just then he felt a gush of airand an airplane landed right in front of him. He ad-monished us to be faithful followers and miracles willfollow.

� A sister couldn’t get motivated for Scripture Adven-ture this year. Neither could another sister. They bothasked for prayers at their locals. Then they becamefilled with strength and ideas…it went from being aburden to being a joy!

A preaching service followed, with the sermongiven by Elder Beem, assisted by Elder Bob Oldham.Brother Larry Beem greeted us, and then there wereseveral administrations. Br. Larry spoke of Matthew18:1-7 where we are told to become as little chil-dren. He asked if we have a broken heart and a con-trite spirit? Can we turn from sin? We want to be Hischildren, aware of our own unworthiness, but havewe fully repented? Can we stand before Him in thatlast day? Br. Larry spoke of King Lamoni in the Bookof Mormon who became as a little child in order toget closer to God. He read from Alma 13:44. Ourbrother told us he was taught from “quarterlies” anddidn’t hold a Book of Mormon in his hands until he

was seventeen years old...then when he read Alma13:44-54 he had his own testimony of its truthful-ness. He had a vision of the king kneeling and heardhim say he’d given away all his sins to know God.Are we willing to know God? He read from Mosiah1:115-122 and Galatians 5:22-26.

After lunch and a song service we enjoyed a ser-mon given by Elder Randy Sheldon, assisted byPriest Bruce Haines. Br. Randy began by telling ushe would talk about the great gathering of the familyof God. He read from 2 Nephi 12:90 and told us thiswill be decided upon by the decisions each of usmake, for the righteous children of God will bespared. Br. Randy cited some examples of the manyways Satan has us distracted. He used Ezekiel 38and told us the kings of the East are coming; Israel issurrounded, the time is near. Br. Randy used 3Nephi 4:55-57 and told us Lehi and his family werespared from Jerusalem’s destruction; later the Pil-grims came to this land; then came the return of thesaints to Zion (MO); the righteous WILL BE SPARED.God wants to gather His children. Br. Randy readJer. 6:16–They would not hearken. Joshua 7:1,12—He urged us to get rid of the accursed thing.He read from II Chron. 20:2-4 and asked, What dowe put before God? He read Psalms 27:3-5 and toldus that times will be hard ahead; we need to look toGod, and if we do He will protect us.

Following the evening meal and another songservice we enjoyed a sermon given by Elder MarkHill, assisted by Priest Shaughn Sprague. Br. Markgreeted us and began by asking, “What is your pur-pose?” Our lives are forever changing, but our mainpurpose is to glorify God. He read 1 John 3:8 wherewe are told that Jesus was sent to destroy the worksof the devil, doing the will of the Father. Br. Markread Alma 19:90 and explained that this life is atime to prepare to meet God. He read from Eph.4:11-13, John 9:1-11, Acts 26:9-20, 2 Corinthians11:24-28, Phil. 4:11-13, and told us God can useyou any time in your life as long as you’re willing tolet Him. He used Romans 8:28, Col. 3:17-25, and

gave us some examples of people who have turnedbad things that happened in their lives to good, serv-ing and glorifying God, and letting Him use them forHis purpose. Br. Mark used Alma 15:52-59 in clos-ing.

Saturday morning we gathered in for anotherprayer service. Elders Don Case and Randy Shel-

don were in charge. Br. Don greeted us and told ushe would like to pick up right where we left off theday before…doing God’s will, which will bring Himhonor and glory. Br. Randy told us we are gatheredin as a family to glorify God, to build and to work inHis vineyard. He read from Col. 1:7-18. Several ad-ministrations took place. Br. Don read Alma16:218-222. Names were taken for the prayer list,then we knelt in a silent prayer, during which timewe could each petition our Lord. Br. Don read fromJohn 2:3-4, 1 John 5:20, John 7:28-29, John14:6-7, 15-21 and 1 John 3:1-3. Our purpose is tolove, honor and glorify God so we’ll know Him. KeepHis commandments to bring honor to Him, andbring Him to the whole world. We knelt in a seasonof prayer and there were many testimonies of God’sblessings; these are just a few:

� A brother rejoices…he is here with us because ofGod’s mercy. Just a month ago he nearly died. Histrial began with a charley horse in his leg, which ledto a CAT scan; he got sicker; he had a 103 degree fe-ver. He prayed, asking the Lord to heal him, and toknow what was wrong with him. In the hospital helearned he had a blood clot that had gone through hislung…not in his leg. A nurse actually diagnosedhim with having Tick Fever, and he was treated for it.The illness was taken from him and he went home onJuly 14th. He thanks and praises God and hopes tofind his purpose in his life. He knows there were sev-eral times working at the power company that hewould have been killed if God hadn’t stepped in.

� A brother told us while he was in Yucatan andQuintana Roo he preached about a dream he had justbefore he left home. The dream was about his lawn;but the yard was his life. Some of it was beautiful and

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lush, and in some areas there were weeds. Someweeds had even blossomed…in those areas he’ddone what he had wanted to do. The weeds werethere to destroy the fruit which comes to a neat yard.A new minister in Yucatan then told him he’d had adream where there was a lion in his house. Ourbrother told us just three days prior he heard a dreamfrom a sister here (given years ago) which was muchthe same dream: a lion going in and out of homes.People were actually letting it in, as no one reallycared. A lion represents those things we’ve let in butthe devil sent to destroy.

� A sister told us the story of the milkweed and howonce it was planted in her garden she couldn’t get ridof it. Just like our sins, sometimes it takes somethingharsh to destroy it. She had to get rid of it as it wastaking over the best soil in her garden. Temptationsare there to try to take over your life.

� A brother testified he was given to know that we as apeople do not understand Christ’s atonement. “Lovethe Lord your God…the second is like unto thefirst…on those two commandments hang all these.If you love me, keep my commandments.” Every oneof us has a milkweed…we bring them into our gar-den. Christ came to teach: “Love God with all ourhearts, and our neighbor as thyself.” We must learnto fall on our knees and be led by God. Matt 5:48…we must surrender our own will and follow Christ.

� A brother remembered that many years ago he gotdown on his knees and asked the Lord, “Where is thechurch?” Years later, he asked again and was toldthe same thing. He was baptized right after that. Do-ing church history he went through an experience andgained understanding—God has preserved thechurch, NOT MAN. We know we have the absolutetruth, we understand it, but maybe we don’t show itenough. Christ’s own people wouldn’t accept Him.He has chosen this remnant for His purpose, one per-son at a time. He wants us to be humble before Him.He is working with us, giving us opportunity to get the“weeds” out. Our visiting ministry has been a mar-velous experience; it just happens. The Visitor’s Cen-ter, the same; it’s a work, but when we show love likeChrist did, it works. The doctrine of Christ is neces-sary, but when He sends His Spirit marvelous thingshappen. We have to stand strong for what we be-lieve.

� A brother spoke of taking extra efforts to reach out tohis neighbors recently. They invited them to sup withthem, and they came. Things take time. Pray forthose opportunities. He told of an experience he had

years ago teaching…he couldn’t get a choir goingbecause of scheduling. His contract wasn’t renewed.He prayed and was told by the still small voice of theSpirit to be cheerful. He’d had a defeated attitude.He changed it and learned he’d been his own worstenemy. A student offered him 30 students if theypracticed after school. They came and it did well; theyalso did well at a concert and an operetta. He offeredhimself in this area and he and his family moved hereto Independence…that was what the Lord wantedall along.

� A brother told us that last Monday he was walkingwhere he shouldn’t have been. He moved over fromthe center of the road when he saw a car coming, buteven though he was on the edge of the road he washit and thrown. He laid in the ditch. He gave an ad-monishment that if we want God to protect us, we’dbetter be doing His will. His leg was badly bruisedand he spent the night in the hospital. Seek ye firstthe kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Following lunch we gathered in for a baptism.Van McClure, son of Sr. Jennifer (Cobb) McClure andKyle McClure, was baptized Saturday, August 2, byhis Uncle Elder Randy Sheldon. Br. Randy was as-sisted by Van’s cousin, Pastor and Elder Matt Case.Our new little brother attends the Springfield, Mis-souri, local church, is 13 years old, and currently aneighth grader. Van said he was very happy many ofhis friends from Church of Christ Teen Camp wereable to attend his baptism at the Reunion.

Following the baptism we gathered into thesanctuary for a song service and then a sermon.Elder Trevor Wratt was assisted by Apostle Joel Yates.Br. Trevor greeted us and began by telling us if wewant absolute truth we must trust in God. He readfrom Matt. 26:36-46, Acts 7:51-60, 21:13, Luke9:59-67, Psalm 37:3-4, Helaman 3:117-128. Br.Trevor told us that what happens to us changes whowe are. It’s not our strengths God is interested in, butit’s our weaknesses. He continued with readingAlma 12:4-10. Br. Trevor admonished us that thethings that change us aren’t in the good times, andalso that we can always find an excuse not to dowhat God wants us to do. He read Job 1:4-12, 22,and reminded us that working for God is not thesame as working WITH God. We are His tools. Hetold us you can’t stay where you are; God wants youto be a better tool. He read from 1 John 1:6-10 and2 Peter 2:4-9, 1 Peter 1:22. Br. Trevor reminded us

that we’ve all been in situations that weren’t goodfor us. Without God we are nothing. He sustains,changes us and makes us consider things. Trust Godno matter what happens.

After dinner there was another song service,which was followed by a sermon by Elder DennisTrudgen, assisted by Elder Adam Porter. Br. Dennisgreeted us and began by titling his sermon, “ALL IN,ALL THE TIME.” Br. Dennis asked, “Are we ready?”He showed some photos from camps and reunionsintermittently throughout his sermon. He beganwith reading from Jacob 3:138-145. We have away to go before we are closely in tune with God.This church has been given the great commission.Why do we have youth camps? He read 2 Nephi3:10-11—Lehi brought up his children in the waythey should go. We send our children so they will bestrengthened in the Lord. They still have their free-dom of choice. He read Deut. 6:4-7—We need toteach our children diligently. We teach our childrenby our example. He showed photos taken in Yucatanin 1997—people are very active in church there. In2005—He showed a video of Brother Santiago andhis family singing in Yobain; those teens today arenow teachers at the children’s reunion. They arebusy every single week in their own congregations.We have a new Elder and Pastor in Uayalceh, DamielKu. Much is happening there; it’s our fastest grow-ing local. Br. Dennis read Numbers 11:13-17,25-29, 1 Cor. 12:28; and Rom. 12:1-15. He’sknown Leydi since 1997 when she and his daughter,Amanda, were eight years old. Our sister, Leydi, hasa special gift: she had a dream as well as visitationsfrom an angel of the Lord (there were five visitationsin all). She was told they need to get more activeand more united; we are the true church and Christ isreturning soon. Br. Dennis read Mark 16:15-16,Mormon 4:86, James 5:19-20, Alma 2:3-4, Acts2:41-47, 4 Nephi 4-7, 13-14, 17-21, and Eccl.4:8-12. We need to have a perfect harmony in thelove of God. Br. Dennis told us we need to be ‘All in,all pulling in the same direction, all the time.’

Several Saturday evening events were scheduledfor our young people; an Ice Cream Social also tookplace in the dining hall where we celebrated the25th Anniversary of the Church of Christ Teen Camp,with photos and videos of the campers during theearly years. The evening was greatly enjoyed, with

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much loving fellowship among our brothers and sis-ters.

On Sunday morning we gathered in to the houseof the Lord for our sacrament service. Apostle

Jeff Oldham and Elder Dan Lawrence were in chargeof the service. Brother Lawrence greeted us. BrotherOldham read from Gal. 6 where we are told that Godis not mocked. We are under attack; Satan is work-ing overtime. Step back and look at our lives andobserve what’s around us. Our children need us andwe need them to step up. An exercise they partici-pated in at camp was holding on to the “Rod of Iron”(a rope) while being led through many different ob-stacles, even being tempted to go a different way, an“easier” way. Our desire is for the still small voice ofthe Spirit to guide them through so that at the endthey will hear the words we all long for…”Welldone, thy good and faithful servant.”

The emblems were blessed and served. We en-tered into a season of prayer in which many namesand needs were raised to our Heavenly Father. Manyvoices were then lifted in testimony; here are just afew:

� A brother told us the Lord blesses those who keep Hiscommandments; faith is strengthened, love is in-creased. It’s a process. His faith circle began 38years ago when he and his wife were married. He ex-perienced love in the church; he was exposed to theword of God being preached with power and author-ity. Years ago in Yucatan he was very ill. He spentthree days in a hammock; too weak to turn off thefan—but there wasn’t one! Still terribly weak, hewent to church and was introduced as the service’spreacher. He stood and his strength returned, and hewas even able to preach in Spanish. As soon as hehad finished his sickness returned. It was a miraclethat he can share with all, even his workplace clients.

� Eleven Administrations followed….

� A brother told us the principles of the gospel areclearly spelled out in the scriptures. “It mattereth notif it so be that you do it with an eye single to the gloryof God”… given to Joseph when he desired to servesacrament and thought he didn’t have any. Anyquestion you have—go to God. We have the puregospel of Christ…we must accept it, not make an is-sue of it.

� A sister told us of being preserved with a low tire onher vehicle. They learned that back in June when

they’d had a flat the wrong tire was disposed of. Theyhad been driving all over on a very bad tire. They hadeven been to Michigan and she was led to ask forprayers that they have safe travels. They were pro-tected.

� A sister told us that her son tries to put God in a box sohe can understand Him. She watched “The da VinciCode” because he had so she could understand whathe had been talking about. She told us it was gar-bage. She later had a dream where she was in a busysupermarket. She saw her father and a woman; it gotdark. Not good. She ordered Satan out…she hadwatched something evil on TV and now two entitieswere fighting for her. She will cancel cable TV. Pleasewear out your knees for your children.

� A sister told us she had an abnormal childhood. Justa year ago she finally had to deal with it. Satan has away of laying negativity on you…she is determinedto change that cycle. She loves this time of year:Scripture Adventure, and seeing all these children.Then she had a flashback; she prayed for it to betaken. Just last night it turned into a joy and a bless-ing. She desires to be used; and actually she realizedthe Lord had been using her for years…prepping herto help these children. She is so thankful.

� A sister told us of how sick she was a few weeks ago.She went to bed, prayed and read in her Book of Mor-mon. She recounted another blessing: Many yearsago when her husband was diagnosed with cancershe was given a hymn that comforted her. All throughhis illness she felt the Spirit with her and not once didshe feel alone. She was comforted all through his ill-ness, his passing and the memorial service. She felt ajoy and peace, even though it was a great loss for her.God will help you get through whatever trials life hasfor you.

� A brother spoke about the ordination of Damiel Ku asan elder from Yucatan. He was there. People wereoverflowing the sanctuary. People were lookingthrough the windows from outside to witness thisevent. Even though drunks were out laying on thestreets…to see the captivity of those souls as beingan opposite of those at church. Apostle Placido wasasked to preach at the last minute, but gave the bestsermon ever. It was a wonderful sermon for theyoung minister to hear. As our Br. Jay hugged ournew minister, one of our sisters saw a bright light. Itwas so bright that Br. Jay’s red shirt changed towhite. Ten or more had also witnessed this. They es-timate that there were 150 people there at that ser-vice. In 2008, Br. Felipe had been told to extend the

church (then the group was small) to make it bigger.He did, and now it’s overflowing.

Following lunch and a special music service wegathered in for the final sermon of the reunion. Thesermon was given by Apostle Joel Yates, with ElderJim Case assisting. Br. Joel greeted us and told uswe are in a day when we have to cut through theniceties…this is “The Day of Our Preparation.” Hewonders what the future is for our children and ourgrandchildren; they are not ready, and neither areyou. Br. Joel spoke of the “Rod of Iron” challenge atcamp. Many slipped off the line. Sometimes friendsor family pull us off. He read Alma 26:56-57,94-96, and 101-104. A call to prepare: Eph.6:10-11. Know your enemy. What are wiles?Methods. What kind of beast lies in wait for prey? ALion. He read 1 Peter 5:8 and Helaman 5:49. Knowyour enemy—Eph. 6:12, Alma 15:50, Rev. 12:10.Satan is the accuser; he wants to leave us hopeless.Know what you’re fighting against: Eph. 6:13-14.THIS is the evil day; what is truth, and how is it de-termined? Matt. 5, Eph. 1:4, 2 Tim. 3:1-5, Mi.6:2-3, Matt. 11:28-30—Will we allow correction?John 16:8-12, Eph. 5:1-3, 1 Cor. 6:18-20—Keepthe high standard of the Church of Christ. Eph.5:4-7—what are we guarding our hearts from, thestandards of the world and lesser world churches?Eph. 5:8-11, 4:26-27, 6:15-16, Mi. 7:18-20, 1Tim. 6:12, Eph. 6:17-18, 1 Nephi 7:60. Because ofrighteousness, Satan hath no power: 4 Nephi 1, Vic-tory in Christ. When Christ found the ‘one in theninety-and-nine,’ He didn’t kick it; He embraced it.Today’s interpretation: Ephesians 6:13=today andEphesians 6:14=truth. God’s truth—His word.

We were strengthened in the Lord, and in loveand for our church family. We thank and praise ourLord for these blessings.

Your reporter,Sr. Deb Haines

Zion’s Advocate


NOTICES

CHURCH OF CHRIST CAMPS & REUNIONS

WOMEN’S RETREAT

OCTOBER 3-4Pettit Lodge at Lake MauerCampground in ExcelsiorSprings, MissouriWe meet for lunch in ExcelsiorSprings on Friday, followed byunstructured activities until ourfirst meeting at 7:30 p.m. Threemeals are served, and specialdiets are accommodated. Thecost is $40 before August 31and $45 after. (Please note thatthe actual cost is $59 per personovernight, not including any costfor supplies. Our fundraisersthroughout the year help to cur-tail the costs for everyone.)Carrie Geier: (816) [email protected]

ONTARIO REUNION

OCTOBER 4-5Brant/Norfolk Church ofChr is t , 163 Teeter St . ,Teeterville, Ontario, Canada.Bill and Marn Vieveen: (519)[email protected] and Deb Bevaart: (519)[email protected]

A passport , enhanceddriver’s licence, fast card ornexus card are required tore-enter the United States.

PHOENIX REUNION

NOVEMBER 28-302929E. Siesta Lane,85050-3415Jim Yates, Jr.:(602) 374-3688 (home)(602) 692-4205 (cell)Gary Jacobsen:(602) 421-4606Aadam Yates:(602) 300-9013

THE HOPE of ZION

The Board of Publications hasmade available a copy of the re-port from the Committee toStudy Zion entitled, The Hope ofZion. Contact Elder RobertO ldham [email protected], orany member of the Board.

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MARLENE COBB (Chairman)725 S. PickwickSpringfield, MO 65802

JUNE HAINES11589 Genuine RdClare, MI 48617

PAT MCCANN18808 N. 30th St.Phoenix, AZ 85050

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ing Some Issues of TodayPriesthood—Divine AuthorityPrinciples of the Gospel—BaptismPrinciples of the Gospel—Faith & RepentancePrinciples of the Gospel—Laying on of HandsResurrection and Eternal JudgementSermonettes on the Teachings of JesusSome Misconceptions about the Book of MormonA Synopsis (Compares beliefs of three Restoration

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