"Being a Christian Young Person" Part 1

As a youth leader, it is my God given burden to do all I can do to reach and to keep our youth in this precious fold. This means praying for them at home and in church, being that Godly example that they can look to, spending time edifying and building them up, and teaching them how to fight the good fight of faith. I'm thankful to God for an awesome group of young people who honestly desire to live a life that is pleasing in the sight of God. They not only have that Godly desire, but they are living for God and are striving to be successful saint, and with the help of God they will be. The Word of God diligently teaches us that our adversary the devil, is as a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour. Apostolic, Holy Ghost filled youth is definitely the devil's focus.

As Christians, we must not be ignorant of Satan's devices. We are in a serious war and the fight is very grievious. Satan so desires to sift our youth as wheat. I understand this plan of the enemy and I cannot afford to sit back and take a casual approach in this fight. The enemy will use anything against us to get us to fall. Most of all, he desires to dull our conscience. He wants our youth to be comfortable living in a luke warm state. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12.

One of the main devices that Satan uses is ourselves. We call it our flesh. As a youth leader, I teach our youth a very important statement that we all should pay careful attention to. Here it is; "Next to Jesus, you are your own best friend...Next to Satan, you are your own worst enemy." I tell them that we should never trust our flesh to walk therein. Galatians 5:16-17 says, "...Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." The problem with our flesh is that it's rarely in tune with God. Satan and the world is teaching our youth that it's ok to let our flesh make our choices for us. Most young people today are letting their bodies run the show. If it feels good, looks good, sounds good, then I'll try it. This is where Satan is sifting us. That's why when your body/flesh starts telling you to do something you shouldn't, you've got to crucify it. You've got to bring it under subjection.

We are going to win the war. To be a successful Christian, we're going to have to deny the flesh and feed the Spirit. How do I feed my spirit? Good question. Read your Bible, pray, listen to GODLY music, listen to good apostolic preaching, and going to church, etc. Consider these words of wisdom, "Two natures beat within my chest, The one is foul; the one is blest, The one I love; the one I hate, The one I feed will dominate."

One last thought: Don't let your mortal body make choices. Since the body is mortal and can die, it will lead you to make choices that will lead to death.

Troyce Mack

ARC - United Pentecostal Church

7 Berkeley Street

Manning, SC 29102

David W. Gleason; Pastor

"The Influence of the Unconditional Praise"

Acts 16:25-26; "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed."

Praising God is not a difficult task when things are going on well. When the bank account is fat and there are no outstanding bills to settle. When the body is healthy and there are no traces of pain or strain and when examinations are passed. When you’re passing every class in school and you're not having problems with drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. When disappointments are far away and when all family members live in harmony and relationships are warm, it is a natural thing to rejoice and be glad.

But what happens at the dark moments of our lives? When all dreams are shattered and broken into pieces. When failure meets you at every corner. When relationship fails and our world is fallen apart. When friends forsake us and loneliness takes over. When disappointments rain from every side and all hope is lost, you agree with me that praising God in such a moment is beyond ordinary.

The situation that Paul and Silas found themselves in was not a pleasant one at all. Following their arrest for preaching the gospel of Christ, they were stripped naked in the market square. They were beaten with horse whip woven with razors and dragged on the floor for many hours which resulted in their flesh being bruised and torn in several places. That was not all. With blisters and patches of caked blood all over their bodies, they were confined to the inner prison with their feet firmly held down in stocks under the watch of a heavily armed guard! The situation was really bad and humiliating.

Paul and Silas against all odds prayed and with passion sang praises to God. They refused to give attention to the deplorable conditions they found themselves in the prisons but chose to appreciate God in that situation. Not even the excruciating pain in their body brought about by the injuries inflicted on them was enough to stop them from praising the Lord. They sang praises to God even when there were seemingly no reasons at all to rejoice or be excited. Their prayer was not one seeking vengeance or revenge on their captors but that of heartfelt gratitude to God for counting them worthy to be partakers of the sufferings of Christ! They praised God and sang tirelessly. Although it was a midnight at the point when darkness was at its peak, but for these worshippers it was the moment before their Breakthrough. The moment before their Revival. The moment before every chain that had them bond would be broken. Sorrow and self pity had no room in their hearts at all.

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

God is bigger than all our problems and challenges put together. He’s bigger than the prison. He’s bigger than the chains that have you bound. He’s bigger than the darkness of your midnight. So when we come to His presence, the most important thing is not emphasizing the problems at the expense of offering Him quality praise. We’ve got to be like the woman with the issue of blood, and press through the crowds in our minds and around us and touch Jesus. She was in desperate need of a breakthrough in her life. The power of praise has no limitations, especially when it is offered genuinely from a pure heart right in a situation that is seemingly not conducive for rejoicing or excitement. Therefore; I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.


Troyce D. Mack
















7 Berkeley Street
Manning, SC 29102

David W. Gleason; Pastor

"Rebellion Only Hurts You"

It is amazing how stubborn, hard, tough or stiff  we as humans can be. You may have heard the phrase, "to kick against the pricks." What exactly does this mean? Well, it means to resist incontestable facts or authority; or to protest uselessly. Is it true that we today kick against the prick? Maybe the incontestable fact or authority is the Written Word of God or the Will of God in your life. I'm reminded in scripture in the book of Acts chapter 26 verse 14; "And when we were fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, why prececutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks."

 

A large percentage of people in the first century were tillers of the soil. Oxen were used to work the soil. The prick or goad was a necessary devise. The prick was usually a wooden shaft with a pointed spike (prick) at one end. The man working the ox would position the goad in such a way as to exert influence and control over the ox. You see, if the ox refused the command indicated by the farmer, the goad would be used to jab or prick the ox. Sometimes the ox would refuse this incentive by kicking out at the prick. As result, the prick would be driven deeper into the flesh of the rebellious animal. The more the animal rebelled, the more the animal suffered. Hence, the statement to Saul: "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." (Saul was rebelling against God.)

Saul didn't have a prick with pointed spikes on it that he was kicking against and neither do we. Thanks be to God that you and I don't have to endure physical pain, as did these oxen at the point of rebellion. We must learn to totally submit to the Will and the way of God. There is no need for us to rebel and kick against the prick with God. His Will is to build us up and to make us a better person in Him. After He told Saul that "it is hard to kick against the pricks.", in Acts 26:16 He saids; "But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make the a (MINISTER) and a (WITNESS) both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;". Just trust God and yield. If He saids Repent then you should repent. If He saids be baptized in His name then you should be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. If He saids receive the Holy Ghost then receive ye the Holy Ghost. God has put a plan in place to redeem us and to reconcile us back to Himself and it is written in Acts 2:38. This is how we are born again, according to John 3:5.

 

Troyce D. Mack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ARC - United Pentecostal Church

7 Berkeley St.

Manning, SC 29102

 

 

David W. Gleason; Pastor

"Manning, The Revival City"

Never in my entire life have I been in a service more powerful than Sunday morning at the Apostolic Revival Center in Manning, SC. I've been in many great Apostolic services where the Lord did wonderful things. I've been to many awesome Conferences and God moved in a mighty way, but never have I felt the power of God so strong before this past Sunday morning.

This past weekend, some members of my church and I went to Greer, SC to attend "It's Our Turn Now" Young Ministers Conference. This conference lit a Fire in me like never before. The preaching was so in depth and so powerful, It was impossible for me to stay seated. There was something in me that was breaking out. I can relate to Jeremiah when he said, "..But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay." I could not hold my peace, but I had to shout with my voice, clap with my hands, dance with my feet, and glorify the name of the Lord. Every service was at a high fever pitch, from Thursday night to Saturday morning. Brother Tim Gaddy preached a message that every Apostolic Pentecostal must hear entitled "I Have an Apostolic Obligation". You can download and listen to this message at http://www.scdistrict.org/ under the "It's Our Turn Now Downloads" tab. You will begin to feel a personal revival in your heart.

I returned from IOTN on Saturday evening. There was such an expectation that gripped me about Sunday's service. The morning finally came and I actually leaped up out of my sleep to begin my preparations. Something different was just around the corner for us. Well, we started our music practice as usual at 9:00am. We got through a wonderful practice and we began Pre-Service prayer at 9:30am. It was so easy getting to the throne of God and connecting with Him. As soon as I began to pray, the Holy Ghost came upon me and I was immediately praying in the Holy Ghost. I felt such a powerful anointing as I prayed and walked in the sanctuary. At 10:00am, Sunday School started. According to my understanding, the Adult Christian Education class could not get pass the opening prayer as the Holy Ghost took over. We were in our Youth Class and we could hear what was happening among the adults. 15 minutes passed and they were still being blessed. The youth class became so interested in what was happening, they cancelled their class and joined the adult class. The youth walked into a place filled with presence of Almighty God. Everyone was praying. People were worshipping, dancing, speaking with tongues, leaping, and rejoicing in the Lord. It was so amazing. They didn't just come and watched, but they got involved, they began to pray  and lay hands on one another. They were crying, dancing, running, worshipping, and speaking with tongues. This was all taking place during Sunday School. This continued until the end of the service. Chains were broken, sicknesses were healed, yokes were destroyed, valleys were filled, mountians were brought low, the crooked was made straight, everyone was filled with the Spirit of God. Jesus worked a work in that place like never before. Never in my life have I witnessed a more powerful anointing that went so deep. Thank you Jesus! Everyone is in need of this experience. It is our job to bring lost souls to the House of God. The City of Manning is becoming a revival city. This city is so blessed to have Apostolic Pentecostals here that will pray and fast to bring revival to Manning, SC. The windows of Heaven are opened and the FIRE is falling. Open your heart and receive of the Lord.  

Troyce D. Mack

Apostolic Revival Center

7 Berkeley Street

Manning, SC 29102

Pastor David W. Gleason

"And Let The Fight Begin"

Does it ever feel as if you are under a spiritual attack, or as if Satan has picked you out to pick on you? If you have ever asked this question, you deserve an answer. Sometimes we as people of God fail to realize how much power we have. We fail to recognize the level of threat we oppose on Satan and the Kingdom of Hell. The bible saids in Mark 16:17; "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;". Verse 18 continues; "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." Do not be deceived my friend, you have more power than you think. If you have been born of water and of the Spirit, then you have been given a power. The Gates of Hell cannot prevail against you. There is no weapon that is formed against that will prosper.

The enemy of your soul has set out to destroy you. We are in a war, and you are under attack. Evidently, the eyes of the enemy has focused in on. You have become a serious threat. You may be a teenager striving to live for God, and it seems like everybody is against your decision. Friends and family may seem to be against you and turn their backs on you. You have to be strong and put on the whole armour of God. It's time to stand on Truth and fight. Ephesians 6:11; "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. It is vital that you become strong in the faith and in the doctrine and in the gospel. Satan desires to sift you as wheat. He wants to shut you up. He wants to you to forget about your testimony and silence it. You must understand, that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. You can overcome these principalities and powers. You don't have to be defeated. Colossians 1:16 teaches us; "For by him were all things created, that are in heaaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or PRINCIPALITIES, or POWERS: all things were created by him, and for him:". Colossians 2:10; "And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all PRINCIPALITY and POWER:" As you have become a threat to the enemy and he desires to sift you, Jesus said, "I have prayed that your FAITH fail not."

If you are a new convert or not so new, you must be strong and settled. I encourage you, along with the apostle Paul, to stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of thw Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perserverance and supplication for all saints.

Finally, Colossians 1:23 I will tie in with Colossians 1:22. "If ye continue in the faith GROUNDED and SETTLED, and be NOT MOVED AWAY from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; you will be presented holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

God Bless.

Troyce D. Mack

ARC - United Pentecostal Church

7 Berkeley Street

Manning, SC 29102

David W. Gleason, Pastor

"The Joy of The Lord"

Decisions, decisions, and more decisions. The process of deciding or by making a judgment. Life is so full of decisions. Everywhere you look, there is a decision to be made. When the alarm goes off in the morning, you make a decision to stay asleep or to get up. You decide what you will wear and what you will eat. These decisions are very minute and doesn't make a big deal one way or another. But there are also decisions that must be made that can cost you your very life if the decision made is error. We must ensure that we make the right decisions daily.

It is often said among us, that Jesus is a perfect Gentleman. He will not impose Himself upon us. When He took the dust of the ground and made mankind, He made us free moral agents. This means we have our own wills and are free to satisfy them. Let me tell you what kisses the Heart of God. When a human being, with all of his knowledge, wisdom, and self-will chooses to follow after the things of God and reject the things of the world. You can do anything you want to do in this wealthy and plentiful world. There is no one that can stop you from doing what you want. You have your own will and God can not and He will not rise up against your will. But when you say, "Not my will, but Thine be done", it instantly becomes the Joy of the Lord.

Some times the Will of God can be a tough pill to swallow. You may not fully understand, thus, it is His will. We become strengthened when we yield to His will. For it is written, "...for the joy of the Lord is your strength." The joy of the Lord is when a free moral agent forfeits his will for God's will, this is the joy of the Lord. Are you looking for joy, peace, happiness, and strength then you should totally submit to the will of God. Make that decision today, because your life depends on it. Do you want to go to Heaven or Hell? Choose ye this day my friend. You must be born again of the water and of the Spirit. In other words, You must repent of your sin, be baptized in water by immersion in the name of Jesus Christ, and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. You must make a decision. Will it be YES or NO. Some people just don't make a decision at all, for different reasons. Maybe they are not quite ready to submit, but what they don't know is that being indecisive is a decision in itself. God wants a yes from you, for this is the Joy of the Lord!

    Troyce Mack

        

          7 Berkeley Street

         Manning, SC 29102

   Pastor David W. Gleason; Sr.

I Know Who I Am!

Have you taken the time to look around lately? If you did, you probably have found something similar to what I've found. Everyday it appears that there are people walking this earth and living life with no care. Well, of course, everyone is living their life and this is very normal. The problem is, people don't really know who they are, they don't know why they are here, they don't know how they are here, and they definately don't have a clue on how to get out of here when that very appointed second arrives for their departure.

It was stated earlier that just simply living the clueless everyday life is indeed normal. You see, the problem with this world is, there are absolutely too many normal folk around. If this is normal, then I want to be STRANGE. I don't want to be normal.

I know who I am, I know why I am here, I know how I am here, and I know how to be saved. I am a Christian. Many people have a messed up perception of what Christianity is. We think we are born a Christian, but this is no where near the Truth. A person is never born a Christian, but he is BORN AGAIN a Christian. For it is written, "....Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." John 3:5. You must be born again.

So here it is, I am a Born again of water and of the Spirit Christian. What exactly does this mean? Well, I have been baptized in the Name of Jesus Chirst for the remission of my sin, this is the "WATER". I have been filled with the Spirit of God, by faith and by the Grace of God. When I received the Holy Ghost, I bagan to speak with tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance, just like it said in the written Scripture. This is being born of the Spirit. Now I have truelly become a Christian. I am a Pentecostal. Don't get it wrong, Pentecostal is not some denomination, it is an experience. On the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, the 120 were filled with the Holy Ghost and are known as Pentecostals. I am a Pentecostal because I received this same experience, the Holy Ghost! But wait there's more. I am not just a Pentecostal, I am an Apostolic Pentecostal. Apostolic is not some denomination, it is a doctrine. Apostolics teach and preach exactly what the Apostles of old taught and preached. The Apostles preached, "The Oneness of God - Jesus is God manifested in Flesh", Water baptism in Name of Jesus Christ", The Infilling of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with tongues", Holiness - Seperation from the world", "Modesty", "Gifts of the Spirit", "Fruit of the Spirit", and many other precious teachings of the Apostles given by Jesus Christ. One more nugget for you today; Holiness is not a denomination, it is a way of life, it is a lifestyle.

The norm is people living their lives with the false perception of Christianity. Again, I don't want to be normal, so I will search the scriptures and do all that it takes to ensure that I am saved in the end. You must be born again my friend.


Troyce Mack

7 Berkeley St.

Manning, SC 29102

Pastor David W. Gleason; Sr.

Don't just go to church, Be "The Church"!

What do you think of doctors who do not treat patients by using all of the means available to cure them? What do you think of lawyers who do not defend their clients to the best of their ability? What do you think of politicians who do not keep their campaign promises once they are in office? Honestly answer that question. Are not preachers, churches, and saints who do not do their VERY BEST to reach the lost the same as these doctors, lawyers, and politicians?

Have you been redeemed and washed in the precious blood of the Lamb? Have you been baptized in His name and filled with His Spirit? Well, you have a mission from on High and it is called the Great Commission. Your mission is to reach the lost who are around you. Just going to church is not all that is to this. The lost was never commanded to come to us, but we were commanded to go to them with the Gospel. Why are we not doing more to participate in the mission?

"The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few." 

Anyone that has the Holy Ghost should have a sense of urgency. We must act with the knowledge that time is extremely short. "Today is the day of salvation, now is the accepted time." When you go into the store, do you witness to someone? When was the last time you witness to a lost soul that you came in contact with? You are surrounded everyday with people who may die and go to hell if you do not get a sense of urgency and passion for their souls. Is it good to witness to the lost? Is it good for you to give your very best effort to reach a lost world? James 4:17, "...to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." No matter how holy we look or how faithful we are with out church attendance, if we are not reaching to win souls, we are in sin!

Does a hospital have a right to call itself a hospital if no one is getting well? Does a fire department have a right to call itself a fire department if it is not involved in putting out fires? Is a grocery store a grocery store if there is no food in it to buy? If you do not strive to reach the lost with everything in you, do you have the right to call yourself "The Church"? Do we really have the right to call ourselves "The Church"?

(Apostolic Iron Online periodical 2007)

Troyce D. Mack

Apostolic Revival Center - United Pentecostal Church

7 Berkeley Street

Manning, SC 29102

"God's Way is Adequate"

Oh how very important it is to have direction in life. You must know where you're going and the obstacles you must face while heading there. Imagine you deciding to take a trip across country. It sounds lively and enjoyable, but it can very quickly turn into a disaster. You must plan and put all the logistics in place before ever starting that task. Yes, there must be proper planning, implementation, and coordination of the details of this trip. The most important element that will cause all of the logistics to be successful is direction. You must know where you are going and how to get there. Direction is a purpose or orientation toward a goal that serves to guide or to motivate. It gets you focused on the operation at hand.

Everyone needs direction in life. Jeremiah 10:23, "O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." You should understand that you can not do this only. You should have at least one person that you trust and that you can confide in to help you and provide some direction through this journey of life. The amplified version of the verse in Jeremiah 10 puts it like this, "O LORD, I know that the determination of the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man, even in a strong man or in a man at his best to direct his own steps." Therefore, Psalm 37:23 saids, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way." So, not only is it good for you to have another person that will help you through the darkness of the travel but it is advantageous and appropriate to get direction from the Lord thy God. You won't ever have to worry about getting lost or erring following God's direction. The way of God is sufficient, dependable, flawless, perfect, safe, stable, trustworthy, adequate, complete, profitable, unblemished and worthwhiled. Follow after God, my friend, and you won't err.

Yes, in order to follow God's directions, you must deny yourself. You can't always do what flesh wants, especially when the counsel of God is telling you to do the opposite. Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Often time, we allow our flesh to overrule, even over the direction of God and we become so desensitized to the voice of God in our lives. So many other stuff has a louder sound in our ears. We watch filthy tv shows and movies full of profanity and immorality. We listen to filthy music, and go to places on the internet that no child of God should be. As a result, we allow these things to lessen our sensitvity to the voice of God and we begin to slowly drift into error. Holiness is not just what you wear on the outside, but Holiness is within, it is a lifestyle. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Lord Bless,

Troyce Mack

ARC-United Pentecostal Church

7 Berkeley Street

Manning, SC 29102