Vol. 37, N0. 1 January, 2013

PROMISES TO LIVE BY
John 14:1-31
By Pastor George Mills
First, may I take this time to wish for each of you a very HAPPY, and PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR! Thanks for your prayers, support, and many nice things said and done for this Ministry. May this NEW YEAR find us doing more than ever for our Blessed Lord!!
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As we face this NEW YEAR, we have no idea of what it will bring. Good news? Or Bad? War? Stock Market crash? Loved ones gone on to be with The Lord? We just don’t know! We do need something in which we can trust, something we can cling to, even when times are not so good. I urge each one to take a close look at our text in John 14. I believe there are some things mentioned in this text that cannot, will not fail. The Text begins with “TROUBLE” and ends with “PEACE.” I trust that we can find some truths to fill in between the two.
The events of the last hours had left the disciples TROUBLED. Jesus had assumed a lowly position in Ch. 13:3-8 as He took a bason of water and a towel and washed their feet. A King was not supposed to do this, but our Lord did! This troubled the disciples. Then He told His disciples that He must leave them, (Jn. 13:33).
That troubled the disciples. Then He told them,

“One of you shall betray me.” (Jn. 13:21).Jesus then looked to the apostle Peter and said, “The cock shall not crow until thou hast denied me thrice.” (Jn. 13:38). Peter was their leader. They looked to him. The announcement of Peter’s denial added to their “Troubles.” The Lord Jesus knew their concern and gave these wonderful PROMISES TO LIVE BY. Today, we live in an air conditioned, push-button society. We have everything needed to make us happy, but this is not a HAPPY GENERATION, this is a TROUBLED generation. More crime, more violence, more drugs, more alcohol, more murders, more venereal diseases, more prisons, more teen-age suicides, more broken homes, broken hearts, broken lives, more immorality and vileness, abominations, idolatry, the list is endless. You know these things. THIS IS A TROUBLED GENERATION. We have more, but still we have less! The great problem is; Jesus Christ has been left out of most lives today! But in the midst of a troubled generation, we can live in peace. Let’s take a few moments to look at some of His PROMISES TO LIVE BY…

1. THE PROMISE OF HIS LEAVING TO PREPARE FOR US A HEAVENLY HOME.

“I go to prepare a place for you.” (v2). He must go. He must leave them.

FIRST, He must go to Calvary. Ahead of Him is the Garden of Gethsemane. There He will

fight the battle of the ages. There he will take of the dregs of the BITTER CUP. There He will take my sin, your sin, the sin of the whole world and become sin for us, (Mt. 26:36-46, 1Pet. 2:24). From the Garden on to Pilate’s judgment hall where He receives history’s mockery trial. Then to the beatings and cursings. The things He endured there are more than I can find words to tell. I love Him because of the things He did for me there. Then, on to the Cross where, between two thieves He died. He bore all, ALL of the judgment of God for us.

THEN, to the tomb where He was buried. Soldiers kept guard over His tomb. But just as He PROMISED, He came forth from that tomb. On this side of Calvary, on this side of the grave, He stood and cried victoriously, “I am He that liveth and was dead, behold I am alive for evermore, Amen, and have the keys of hell and death.” (Rev. 1:18) (HALLELEUJAH TO GOD!) He ascended into the heavens where He prepared that Heavenly Home for us, there, where His blood in on the Heavenly Mercy Seat for our Eternal Redemption. You can read about that prepared city in Revelation 21-22. The Apostle John did his best to describe that place but his words fell short. The best way he could say it was, “EVEN SO, COME LORD JESUS.” Is your name in that place beyond description? It is if you have received the Lord Jesus as your own personal Saviour. “How do I receive Him?” You receive Him by faith. You receive Him when you trust Him alone. You receive Him when you ask Him into your heart. The Bible says, “Ask, and ye shall receive.”

2. THE PROMISE OF THE PRIVILEGE OF PRAYER. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee.” Now, that’s a PROMISE to live by. While the Lord Jesus was with the disciples, He supplied their need. Now He must leave them behind, but He did not leave them helpless. He left them the PRIVILEGE OF PRAYER.

THE ACCESS IN PRAYER. “In My Name.”
(v13). Our access to God in prayer is in the Name of Jesus. His Name includes all that He is; Saviour, Lord. Our prayer must be in the Name of Jesus.
Jesus Christ bought our access to God by His finished work. THINK ABOUT IT…You do not have to dial some “800” number, or call some religious headquarters, or TV program..you know, the one that has that prayer “hot line” at the bottom of the TV screen. If you have been born again, no one has any more access to God than you have. You don’t have to get someone to do your praying for you.

THE ABUNDANCE IN PRAYER. “Whatsoever ye ask in my Name.”(v13). Of course, our “whatsoever” must be according to God’s will. “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, He heareth us.” (1Jn. 5:14). I cannot begin to speak about our abundance in prayer. Nothing goes beyond the reach of prayer. “ASK and ye shall receive.” Of course I do not agree with this “name it—claim it” that fills the airways today. Our prayers must line up with sound Bible doctrine, according to His will. “Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil 4:6). God has been busy answering prayer and supplying the needs of His children for all these years. Thank God He has supplied every need of mine and so much more for over 50 years.

THE ADMONITION IN PRAYER. “If ye love me.” (v15). Hear that tender plea, “Love Me?. If our love for Him is right, if our love for the world is right, if our love for one another is right, the sky is the limit. Dear child of God, sharpen your prayer life. In this New Year, with what it may bring, Thank God for the privilege of prayer.

3. THE PROMISE OF THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
He is called “The Spirit of Truth.” V16-26). As a spotlight shines on a person on the stage without calling attention to itself, so the Holy Spirit magnified, and Glorifies the Person of Christ. This small band of disciples will need something supernatural. Jesus will leave them and return to the Father. “I will not leave you comfortless,” He assures them. These men will be commissioned to take the Gospel of Grace to the uttermost part of the earth. They are to pull down satanic strongholds. They will not be able to do this in their own power.

THE WORLD CANNOT HAVE THIS POWER. The world is governed by natural senses; hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, touching. The Christian has that sixth sense. The Holy Spirit lives within every believer, He came into your life the moment you received Christ. He is in you to guide you through life until at last you are in His presence.

THE CHRISTIAN HAS POWER THE WORLD KNOWS NOTHING OF.
There is much confusion about the Holy Spirit in the world today. God is not the author of confusion. I hope to steer everyone away from so much misunderstanding about our Friend, the Holy Spirit. “And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.” (Eph. 5:8) This text is simple. As alcohol controls the drunkard, controls his speech, his walk, his talk, so the Holy Spirit seeks to control the life of the Christian. There should be a daily coming to God and seeking His Will, His guidance to control our lives. Jesus said that the believer would do greater works than He did, (v12). Not greater works in quality, for no one has ever done the things He did. No one has ever stood by the grave of a man who had been dead four days and called that same man out from the dead. No one has fed a multitude with five loaves and two fishes. No one has ever stilled a stormy sea. No one has ever walked on water. The works of the Spirit filled believer will be greater in extent. Jesus is God, man is a vessel. In the power of the Holy Spirit, man will take the Gospel further because Christ is in the presence of the Father for us. My, what a PROMISE; the Power of the Holy Spirit. He is your best friend. Get to know Him better every day.

4. THE PROMISE OF HIS PEACE. (V27-31)
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you.” The troubled disciples needed peace. Jesus gave Him His peace. They could not have done the things they did without His peace. As I have stated, this New Year may bring tragedy, or triumph, opportunities, opposition, or obituaries. We do not know, but this we do know, Christ is already there. His peace in us will bring us through. The world offers a temporary, shallow peace, but what the world offers never lasts. The Bible says, in no uncertain terms, “There is NO PEACE saith my God to the wicked.” (Isa. 57:20-21). The same Bible (KJB) says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.”(Isa. 26:3). From NO PEACE to PERFECT PEACE because of Calvary. “Therefore being justified by faith we have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ro. 5:1). What a wonderful day that was when I made that peace with God in receiving His Son. Then I made peace with myself. I began to see myself. I got a good look at myself, and made peace. Peace with God, peace with myself, and peace with my fellow man. Christ broke down that middle wall of partition between God and man and preached peace, (Eph. 2:14-18).

5. THE PROMISE OF HIS RETURN. “I will come again.” (Jn 14:1-3). To comfort His disciples, He gave that wonderful PROMISE, “I will come again.” He did not leave them comfortless, He gave them the Spirit. He did not leave them powerless, He gave them the power of prayer, He did not leave them helpless, He gave them His peace. He did not leave them Hopeless, he gave them the PROMISE of His return. He has been preparing a place for 2000 years. He has been preparing a people for 2000 years. When that PLACE and that PEOPLE are complete He will return for His Bride, the Church. Today, He is “taking out of all nations a people for His Name.” (Acts 15:14). When is He coming? I don’t know! No one else knows!. I do not set dates, I do not seek signs. I just know that He said, “I will come again.” Now that’s a PROMISE TO LIVE BY! In the fullness of time He was born, in the fullness of time, He died on the cross, In the fullness of time, He arose from the dead. In the fullness of time He ascended into Heaven, and in the fullness of time, He will return. When? I don’t know! It may be today. I pray with the apostle John, “Even so, come Lord Jesus.” I hold to the doctrinal positional of the Pre-tribulation, pre-wrath coming of Christ for His own. You may not, you have the right to be wrong! Our hope is His coming. That was the heartbeat of the early church. When He comes, He is not coming for the fake, or the phoney, He is coming for the Redeemed ones. He knows each one by name. He knows where we are. At the beginning of world war 2, General MacArthur had to leave the Philippines. The great General made his famous broadcast; “I SHALL RETURN.” That became one of the great themes of this nation, “I SHALL RETURN.” The downtown store windows were decorated with patriotic themes, portraits of Franklin Roosevelt, and General MacArthur with the words, “I SHALL RETURN.” Jesus left us with that same PROMISE, “I SHALL RETURN.”
My what great PROMISES we have to live by.

6. THE PROMISE OF THE PURITY OF THE WORD OF GOD.
“The WORDS that I speak unto you.”(v10).
“He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.” (v24). Jesus is the Living Word. The Bible (KJB) is the Written Word. Both are the same. In these last years there has been an all out assault on the Bible. Many passages in these new ‘versions’ leave out the Name, Position, and Eternality of Christ. Men have debates about the Word. “Which ‘bible’ should we use?” “Is the Word Inspired? Is the Word preserved?” YES, we have the Inspired, preserved Word of God. What God inspired, He preserved. The attacks will continue. New versions will be sold in the book stores. Millions of dollars will be made. “Every Word of God is Pure.” It is time to put all of this “new stuff.” aside and return to the Book that has brought us through the ages. I am afraid that we are living in the days of the famine that Amos wrote about, “Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.” (Amos 8:11). If you are seeking a sign that speaks clearly of the last days preceding the rapture of the Church, the apostasy, the turning from the faith to fables, the forsaking of sound doctrine is probably the most clear of all. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2Tim 4:3-4).We have arrived in that time of forsaking sound doctrine. Men change. Men seek to change things, and Men try to change the scriptures. But the Word of God is unchangeable, unmovable, unshakable. And unmistakable. I love the words at the end of Solomon’s prayer in 1Kings 8:56; “Blessed be the LORD that hath given rest unto His people Israel, according to all that He PROMISED; there hath not failed one word of all His good PROMISE which He PROMISED by the hand of Moses His servant.” May every reader, teacher, pastor, evangelist, every college, seminary, scholar, and whoever reads, teaches or preaches return to the Book of Books that has brought us this far, and will take us the rest of the way home, the King James Bible.

What PROMISES TO LIVE BY. He did not leave us friendless, powerless, helpless, and hopeless. He left us PROMISES TO LIVE BY. Today, dear Child of God, Be strong in the Lord. Be busy working, and praying for His return.
And my dear reader friend, perhaps you are not at peace and you have no real hope. Jesus Christ is there, where you are. He will never knock down the barriers in your life and come in unbidden. He will come into your life when you trust Him, when you receive Him. Tell Him in your own words that you believe, that you receive Him just now.
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AND THE WORLD IS A WILDERNESS..It is no friend to the Christian. The world offers the fake, the phoney. Religion offers empty promises. A promise is no better than the one who makes that promise. The Bible says, “Faithful is HE that PROMISED.”(Heb 10:23).

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NOT ONE WORD OF HIS GOOD PROMISE FAILED.
By Pastor George Mills

“..there hath not failed one word of all His good promise which He promised by the hand of Moses His servant.”
(1Kings 8:56).

Not one word of His Good Promise failed,
   When I cried for His Saving Grace.
What joy filled my soul,
When He redeemed and made whole,
   This one who had hid from His face.

Not one word of His Good Promise failed,
   In the trials of life I have faced.
He is always the same,
Faithful to His Great Name,
   When in each trial His Name, I embraced.

Not one word of His Good Promise failed,
   In valleys, or on mountains high.
He is ever so near,
And with voice loud and clear,
   He is faithful to answer my cry.

Not one word of His Good Promise failed,
   His Word has stood every trial.
Though the scoffers assail,
His Word did prevail,
   And is victor over every denial.

Not one word of His Good Promise failed,
   He is faithful in every prayer.
Each promise is true,
And each day they renew,
   He is faithful in my deepest care.

When at last we reach the other shore,
   When over life’s seas we have sailed,
We will say over there,
In that Bright Land so fair,
   Not one word of His Good Promise failed.

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MY PREDICTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR
By Pastor George Mills

If I make predictions without any basis for those predictions, I am no more than one of these so called ‘psychics.’ However, if I base my predictions by what is revealed in the Word of God, then I can see more clearly what the New Year will be like because the One who knows all about tomorrow has revealed to us what tomorrow will be like. So, I make my predictions for 2013 based on the Word Of God, (KJB).

MORALLY. What will the New Year be like MORALLY? Will there be a great cleansing of the land? Will man get better? I am afraid not! The Bible clearly says that the moral condition of the world will weaken with each generation. Read 2Timothy 3:1-5, Mt. 24:37-39, Lk. 17:26-30, The days of Lot, the days of Noah will be repeated. Those days were days of violence and sexual perversion. I believe the liquor and booze industry will continue to grow. Today we have over 20 million alcoholics, and the same number of problem drinkers. Tax funded abortions will continue. The pornographic industry will continue to pollute the airways. Videos and sales will soar higher and higher. Homosexual perversion will continue to grow and many Homosexual TV programs will gain popularity. AIDS and other pestilences will get worse (Lk. 21:11). Drugs will be more available and drug addiction will worsen. Now, if I sound like a prophet of doom, I am only telling you what the Bible clearly states. In my lifetime I have seen these things worsen every day. “Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” No, it’s not going to get better down here. Our hope must be in a place where none of these things can enter. That place is Heaven. See Rev. 21:25-27, 22:15.

POLITICALLY. Will the New Year usher in a great political awakening? Will the nations of the world unite in peace? Or will there be wars and rumors of wars? I am afraid that the latter is true. There is no peace on earth without the Prince of Peace. The political world is changing and will continue to change. The nations of Europe are looking for that one leader who has all the right answers. The middle East is on the very edge of erupting into chaos. Just watch the newscasts. Arab nations will continue to harass Israel, and China will become more dominant in world politics. My beloved homeland AMERICA as, we knew it, is slowly fading away due to the MORAL decay in point #1. Rejection of the Gospel here in our homeland. Courts ruling against prayer and the Bible have weakened this nation. I see no change in this downward trend. Computerized programs to keep up with the world population are all in place waiting for that man of sin, the antichrist. By the way, you are no longer a name, you are now a number. Technology the antichrist will need is now in place. The nations of the world are marching toward Armageddon. Thank God for the promise of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ for His own.

SOCIALLY. Will the New Year bring with it a change in the social conditions? I am afraid not. As morals go, so goes the political and the social. The breakdown of family life, the home, marriage vows as instituted by God continues to erode. Quoting an article by President Jimmy Carter dated 1977..”The breakdown of the family has reached dangerous proportions. There can be no more urgent priority than to see that every decision our government makes is to strengthen and honor the American family
The family was the first Church.
The family was the first school. The family was the first government. And for a child, this is still true.” This quotation is 35 years old. How much more has this worsened in these years? I can safely predict that this downward trend will continue. So much could be said here, but I must hurry along. May I say that when Jesus Christ is the Head of the home, the family is what it should be.

SPIRITUALLY. What will 2013 be like Spiritually? Will there be a great revival? Will cities turn to God in repentance and faith? The Bible predicts everything but a sweeping revival. Now, any local Church can live in a constant state of revival. Some fine Independent Baptist Churches are seeing great numbers saved. But a national, or city wide revival? I think not. Let us not mistake rattles and noise for revival. We hear all kinds of noise today but there can be no revival without the Word of God. I do not believe there has been real revival in the land since the Revised Standard Version hit our pulpits, and with each new ‘version’ the situation weakens. Never have the pulpits been filled with so many ‘Greek Scholars’ trying to find what the ‘original’ said. God gave us the English Bible. The old Bible our Grand-parents used is not out-dated. Today in the ‘religious world’ we have a new bible, a new message, a new beat, a new sound, a new song, and it is not working as far as revival is concerned. There is a never ending list of new books on every subject. Tapes by the millions, how-to sermons on every subject, on and on the list goes, but still no revival. In the New Year I see a continual subtle attack upon the Bible as the Inspired Word of God. The one world ecumenical movement will continue to grow. All kinds of new movements with new names will continue to grow. The Old Time Gospel will continue to suffer, but the Old Time Gospel will prevail.
So, as far as the New Year is concerned, the world situation will not get better. This world is moving steady toward Armageddon. Let us not put our hope down here. Let each of us make our abode here Christ centered and Christ honoring. Our real hope is in Heaven where we have an anchor that is both sure and steadfast, (Heb. 6:19).I am not a prophet of doom, I am a preacher of the Truth, and the truth is, “This world will pass away, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” World history is running out. The Christian is on the winning side. The future for the Christian is bright and getting brighter every day.. How about you? Are you ready to face this New Year no matter what it may bring?I urge you today to make sure that Jesus Christ is in your heart, that He is your Saviour. “But as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name.” Today, ask Him into your life to be your Guide. Then and then only will you be prepared for the New Year!

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FROM MY HEART
By Mildred Mills

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Another year has come and gone and we have been blessed! So many prayers answered, and all our needs met, good health, strength and so many blessings we can’t name them all. What a good God we serve! When He saved us He promised to keep us, and He has. Now a brand New Year is here and He is standing ready to see us through it. He will protect His children no matter what the future brings…

“Jesus is near, to comfort and cheer,
Just when I need Him most.”

Rest in the Lord and don’t spend all your days worrying about the “what if’s.” If this New Year brings sickness, loneliness or even death, just remember that you are His child and He is with you through it all, the good times and the bad.
The important thing is to make sure you belong to Him. Make sure you have accepted Him as your own personal Saviour. Open the door of your heart and ask Him to come in and He will. What a joy to know that He is yours and you are His forever and forever. As a child of God you will have a Heavenly Father to watch over you, to care for you, and to be with you in every situation, the good times and the bad. Don’t go through another year without the Lord. Accept Him today and rest in Him. I don’t know what the New Year will bring but I do know my Heavenly Father will be right there with me, without a doubt.
Have a New Year filled with His Blessings!

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SEASONS CHANGE, LEAVES FALL,
BUT GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU REMAINS
THE SAME THROUGH IT ALL.

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the Heaven.” (Eccl. 3:1).

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TEEN TALKS THAT MATTER
By Ashley Stevens

Happy New Year to everyone! It is hard to believe that 2012 is already in the record books. I can assume that if you are reading this that the world did not come to an end as many predicted for 12/21/2012 being the last day on the Mayan calendar. It is really sad what some people believe and actually get caught up in. This does however bring out the philosophy that we should live everyday of our lives as if it were our last. If we did this we would definitely spend more time with loved ones, correct the mistakes that we made along the way, and we would put God in His rightful place in our lives.
Since I have been writing this column I have received comments from family members, of loved ones that have given one of my articles to a relative, or from an inmate in prison that has desired to change their relationship with their children. I have often thought about how difficult it must be on both an inmate and his children on the outside. I was fortunate to be raised in a Christian home. Some of you may not have been. We cannot change the past. We can only move forward. This year can be the beginning of a fresh start. I would encourage that family members take the first step and correct that relationship with a son or daughter. If you have a loved one that is incarcerated, take the time to reach out to them and let them know that you still care. We all make mistakes and God tells us to forgive. It is not necessarily where you have been, but where you are going that is most important. You can live with hatred and resentment in your heart and never let go of the past, or you can turn it over to God and move forward with your life and your relationship with Him and those He brings into your life. If you do not know Him as your Lord and Saviour, today I trust that you will.
Wishing you the best in 2013.
Until next time, Ashley Stevens

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“I know not where this New Year may take me, but I know Christ, and He is already there!”

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MY HOPES FOR THE NEW YEAR…

“My hope for the New Year is that the WILDERNESS will go farther, reach more people, and be more of an influence in the lives of the Children of God everywhere.”

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“My hope for the New Year is that my love for Christ, my love for His Word, my love for His work will increase daily.”

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“Each passing year finds us closer to the coming of Christ for His own. May this New Year be that blessed year when He returns in the air to call His Church home! “Even so, come Lord Jesus.”

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As we say goodbye to 2012, we must not fail to say to one and all who pray for us, who support us, who say things to encourage us, for every gift and offering, THANK YOU, and GOD BLESS YOU!

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“I will say to the OLD YEAR, thank you for every lesson you taught. And I say to the NEW YEAR,
“Teach me, I have not yet learned it all yet.”
….G. Mills