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

Thy Word is Truth

There are many false teachings that circulate around and through Christendom and it concerns me deeply. Many churches and preachers are teaching and preaching false doctrine. As a result, people are not hearing the TRUTH and are dying and going to Hell. It's sad to hear this but it is so true.

I am just amazed at the boldness of the enemy. Satan has taken Christianity and has added somethings and deleted somethings to make it look like it is Truth but it is not Truth. Everything that is written in God's Word is Truth. We don't have to add to it or take away from it to make it true, It is TRUTH all by itself. (John 17:17) "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." Satan is destined for Hell. He cannot go to Heaven, so his goal is to get as many people possible to go to Hell with him. Some people just decide to sell their souls to the Devil and others are decieved in church my preachers that don't preach Truth. Some people just fail to make a decision so serve God, but really being indecisive is a decision in itself.

So in his mission to gather as many people possible to live eternity in the lake that burns with fire, Satan has created a replicar of everything God has. God built a Church (The CHURCH), then Satan built a replicar. God sent Preachers that will preach Repentance, Water Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost and living a Holy and Seperate life unto the Lord, then Satan sent preachers that will preach the opposite. Satan even has a replicar of the Holy Ghost. This is why it is so important that people get into the Word and diligently search the Scriptures, so that we can be aware of the false.

• (II Peter 3:17) "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness." 
• (Hebrews 11:6) "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." 
• (Jeremiah 29:13) "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."

If you are wondering some of these false doctrines, I will share a few with you. We were teaching a home bible study to few people and some of these false teachings came up that they were being taught. As a preacher of the Truth, I had to address and come against these doctrines. So here they are, in brief.

1. (Getting saved and getting the Holy Ghost is two different steps.) - This is FALSE!!! There is no such thing as getting saved before you get the Holy Ghost. (Romans 8:9) "......Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Realisticly, no one is saved until we make it to Heaven, but if you want to use that word, You are not saved until you receive the Holy Ghost like in the second chapter of The Book of Acts.

2. (Being baptized in three titles Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) - This is FALSE!!! Matthew 28:19 tells us to "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." NOTICE that name here is singular. That name that is above every name is JESUS. This is why the apostle Peter preached in Acts 2:38 "....Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 4:12) "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
3. (Once saved always saved) - This is FALSE!!! In that study, these people informed me that their pastor teaches them that after you are saved, you can go out and commit sin and still be saved. (Romans 6:1-2) "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Matthew 1:21) "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their SINS. We don't continue in sin. Acts 2:38. We repent of our sins, this means to completely turn away from. We are baptized in water by immersion in the NAME of JESUS Christ for the remission or washing away of those sins. (Romans 12:1) "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, HOLY, and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable servie."
4. (The Trinity - Three persons in Godhead) - This is FALSE!!! There are not three persons that make up God, but there are threes manifestations of God. No such thing as a trinity. (Deuteronomy 6:4) "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one Lord:" The phrase "God the Father" refers to God Himself and His relationship with Humanity. The phrase "Son of God" refers to God as manifested in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ for our salvation. God is Holy and He alone is Holy, and God is also a Spirit. Therefore God is the "Holy Spirit" that infills and regenerates us.

Press On

Sometimes situations come into our lives that we just can't handle on our own. Sometimes we need somebody to lean on that will help us through the tough times. The road may seem so long and dark, and did I mention lonely? We are all on a road somewhere. If we do not travel that road, we won't ever reach our destination. The road is important, so you must press on. Sometimes you may feel like just stopping because you are so tired and weary but you must press on. You won't accomplish anything if you turn around, so just press on.

Galatians 6:9 says, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Do you understand that at any minute you could faint? You shall reap,  you shall accomplish whatever you set out to do, if you faint not. Press on, my friend, press on! Everyone comes to this place in life called, "Press On". It doesn't matter who you are; Student, Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, Manager, Teacher, Saint, or Preacher. Paul said, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

When you are on this road there is Someone you can lean on that will help you through the tough times. There is Someone, when you just feel like throwing in the towel, that will whisper "Press On" in your ear. There is Someone that is there with you when it seems the road is so long and dark, and did I mention lonely? Can you hear His voice? Block out all the static and noise that the world makes and listen. Jesus is speaking to you and He is saying you can make it.

Go ye, yes YOU!

God has not saved us just for us to be quiet. If that were so, as soon as we had received the Holy Ghost, He would have raptured us at that very moment. Odviously, the Lord wants us to do something. We have a mission.

In Mark 16:15-16, Jesus tells his apostles "....Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

In Matthew 28:19, Jesus tells his apostles "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"

In Luke 24:47, "And that repentence and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

In John 20:21, "....as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." John 20:23, "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained."

This is "The Great Commission" according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

There was a name given that would be able to wash away our sins. That's why Jesus told them to baptize in the name. Many churches today during baptism, say in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. They are repeating what Matthew 28:19 saids and are not doing what it saids. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not names but titles. The name is Jesus! Remission of sin only comes by the name of Jesus Christ. Acts 2:38, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

Tell it where ever you go. You must be born again of water (Jesus name Baptism) and of the Spirit (Receive ye the Holy Ghost). John 3:5

The Fathers Love

Can you imagine a father and his children spending quality time with each other? He takes the kids to the park and just has a blast with them. They walk the trails, enjoy nature, play all day, eat, and ends the day with ice cream. There is nothing else in this world that is more precious to that father than his two beautiful kids. He just wants to spend every minute with them. The kids are so pure and innocent.

This is how it is with You and God. The Almighty God, creator of the World and everything that dwells therein, is so in love with you. You are his creation and you were fearfully and wonderfully made by Him. There is nothing in this world that is more precious to Him than you. He wants to spend every minute with you. He is your father.