If there is one thing that every believer will learn, it is that life with the Lord is a constant process – where the Father molds us through His Spirit! One way to become better engaged in this process is through prayer and fasting. With this in mind, Holiness Tabernacle Church of God in Christ, Inc. will begin a 21-Day corporate fast beginning Monday May 7, 2012 and ending on May 27, 2012.

Under the direction of our pastor Elder Eddie B. Pruitte, Jr., the church will not only fast as one, but we will also study the same scriptures daily. It is our hope that God will pour out His spirit on us as a body and continue to work through the church as a whole.

We invite you to join us in this time of consecration!

* Please see the calendar below for daily scriptures readings and fasting times.

…upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18b

From the pastor’s home to a school, from a storefront to the corner of Old Bridge Road and Occoquan Road, the Lord has blessed Holiness Tabernacle Church Of God In Christ to be the light on the hill so that we might, “preach the gospel and spread the message of holiness such that men’s lives might be changed and become living tabernacles that God may have a place to dwell!”

Join us as we celebrate the birth of this great church beginning May 4 through June 3, 2012. The Church Anniversary services are as follows:

• Friday, May 4th – 7:30 p.m.
  Bishop Floyd Brown, Pastor, The Church of the Blessed Trinity

• Friday, May 11th – 7:30 p.m.
  Elder Ray Satterfield, Pastor, Save A Life Ministries Church Of God In Christ

• Sunday, June 3rd – 5:00 p.m.
  Supt. William T. Coles, Pastor, Loving Church Of God In Christ

You do not want to miss a great time in the place where the Lord chooses to dwell. Come, join in the celebration as we "Prepare For The Overflow!"

A thought came to me during a trip to Bob Evans with my brother-in-law. We were waiting for our dinner when I started to read the newspaper. I looked through it for an interesting topic when I saw a picture of an elderly woman being knocked down a very long and hard marble staircase by people trying to get to where they needed to be.

The article talked about how many people are not as nice as they used to be these days in many different places: New York came in first place, Miami came in second place and Washington, D.C. came in third place as cities with the meanest people. This really got my attention because as Christians we should show kindness even to people we don’t like. When I think of kindness and love, Jesus is the first to come to mind, not just because he died on the cross, but because of His way salvation and how His actions towards others changed people’s souls and lives. God and Jesus are not into favoritism or factions.

Other people that also came to mind are Zachheas, the Samaritan Woman, and the Good Samaritan. The story of Zacchaeus is found in Luke 19:1-10. Zacchaeus was a tax collector and many people didn’t like him because of that – because he charged more than what he was supposed to. When Jesus came into town everyone crowded around Him, but Jesus went to Zacchaeus and showed kindness to him when no one else did.

The story of the Samaritan Woman that can be found in John 4:1-30. No one liked the Samaritan Woman because of her past and present relationships. It was so bad she had to get water in the middle of the day because none of the women liked her. Jesus talked to her and He showed kindness to her.

Finally, the story of the Good Samaritan is in Luke 10:25-37. When a Jewish man got jumped and robbed, none of the church officials paid attention to him. Only a Samaritan showed kindness and wasn’t prejudiced about it. He did the best he could to help a man he wasn’t supposed to like.

When I was asked to write a segment on ‘Words to live by’, my mind went ‘wow’. I have never been asked to write on very much and while I felt honored that I was asked, but I was also a little scared. I’ve never written anything where I knew it would be given any attention. I wrote a poem once and it was actually published, but at this particular time, I’ve been asked, which seems to have a different light on it.

Anyway, ‘words to live by’ in itself is a beautiful topic and the best words I can offer are Live Every Day Like It’s Your Last…

Too often, we take our lives for granted. We figure we have make-ups for tomorrow. Today didn’t go well so we can try again tomorrow. It’s okay, I’ll get it right tomorrow so today is a ‘given’, so to speak.

We never stop to consider ‘suppose we don’t make it to tomorrow’!

Well, what did we do today?

1) Did I remember to say my prayers this morning?

2) Did I kiss my children, spouse, mom, dad?

3) Did I bother to clean my room like I should?

4) Did I act as nicely as I should have toward that person that shoved me out of their way to catch their train?

5) Did I speak a word of kindness to the griping co-worker who always say that she is having a ‘bad day’?

6) Did I do a good job of being the good Christian woman today?

If we lived every day as if it were our last, there are so many MORE things we wouldn’t have to ask ourselves, “did I do this or that right,” but instead we will remember that “I WANT to do this or that righteously before I leave this World.” It’s easy to live everyday BELIEVING we’re going to see tomorrow-so we think-but knowing that we’re NOT going to see tomorrow is a bigger challenge. If uou want to make it into heaven you’re going to try to put forth that extra effort to do and live better. You’re going to take an extra second to listen, to ask, to talk, to do whatever it takes to make every moment or this day to be a success in some way. If it’s just to make someone smile, you’ll take the extra effort, especially if you don’t think you’re going to have another chance. I used to think that it was impossible to act as if today was my last day and it seemed better believing that you’re promised tomorrow.

So to keep this from getting too long, I’m going to end this. When you get a chance sit down and really think about ‘what do I want to do to give someone a better day before I stop living?’. The BEST answer you can give is ‘I want to be more like Jesus’. But the realest answer you can give is __________.

Go ahead, LIVE TODAY AS IF IT WAS YOUR LAST, and then if you get it right, you’ll love yourself tomorrow and you can fill in the blank.

I grew up in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan. We lived on the fifth floor of an apartment building that had no elevators and my grandmother lived on the second floor of the same building. This was the first home my brothers and I lived in when we arrived in the United States (my mother and sister were already living there).

I have fond memories of this place. I saw my first snow while living there. Part of the reason I still speak Spanish is because of this community – most of my neighbors were Dominicans. Our grocer was Dominican and so were many of the other business and stores we frequented. We attended a church that had mass in Spanish and the school I attended taught us in both English and Spanish. There was even a park my mother used to take us to when we were children that had the neighborhood pool.

Despite having so many happy memories, I can remember one particular day that wasn’t so fond. When I was about seven years old, my mother and grandmother took my sister and me to that very same park. I remember we played on the swings, monkey bars and teeter totter that day. While playing in the sandbox we met a little girl who happened to be at the park by herself. My mother and grandmother were sitting on a bench not too far with their back turned from us. After a while, the little girl got up from the sandbox and told us she was going home. My sister announced she was going with her. As her big sister, I told her not to, but didn’t try to stop her. Instead, I continued to play in the sandbox.

After some time, my mother came to retrieve my sister and me from the sandbox. She noticed my sister was missing and asked me where she was. I told her that she left with the little girl, but my mother did not believe me. We searched the entire park and could not find her. We had to call the police and give them a picture of her. We rounded up the rest of the family and began looking all around the neighborhood for her. My mother was frantic, and I felt it was my fault. My sister was lost and I did not do enough to help her.

Hours passed… but thankfully, we finally received a call from the police! A young man had found my sister roaming the streets, lost and alone, and took her to the nearest police station. We all breathed a sigh of relief.  An officer drove my mom to the station to find my sister eating an ice cream cone.

I only had one sister growing up, but today I have many friends that I consider my sisters. But just like the empty feeling that I had the day my sister was lost, there is nothing as heart wrenching as when I realize one of my sisters is lost and the world has gotten its grips on her. I feel helpless – just as I did when my sister was lost as a child. Christ is the only one who can find us and keep us safe. He has placed us in our “sisters’” lives to direct them down the right path, just as the young man directed my sister to safety that day. If your sister is lost today, why not direct to Christ?

Mark 4:35-41

A few weeks ago I was favored to address the Great Northern District during our 45^th Annual District Meeting. The Lord truly favored us and many of the saints told me that they were blessed with the Word that was spoken that night:  I thought I would share it with you.

In this particular text, Jesus and the disciples were probably ministering in Capernaum or Bethesda when He suggested that they crossover to the other side of the lake. He did not specify to them why they should. He did not say anything was wrong. He did not speak to a specific need. He just told the disciples that they should crossover.

Now the Lake of Galilee (i.e. Sea of Galilee, Lake Tiberius or Lake Gennesaret), was a very integral part of the everyday lives of Jesus and the disciples. Jesus often ministered in or around this body of water. In fact, He met and called four of His disciples who made their living (in the fishing industry) from this body of water.

A mountainous or hilly terrain existed on one side of this lake and a low lying valley terrain was on the other. As a result of these geographical conditions, sudden and violent storms often occurred.

As the group made their way across the water (in what should have taken 2 to 3 hours), Jesus decided to take a nap. While resting, however, a violent storm arose, frightening the disciples.  We can assume this storm had to have been quite violent because several of the disciples were former fishermen and they should have been used to storms on the lake. This storm, however, must have been more volatile than others because they thought they were going to drown (the Bible records that as water was coming into the boat, the disciples complained to Jesus that they were going to perish).

As I read this account, the Spirit spoke to me out of these scriptures. The lake is symbolic of that obstacle that keeps us in a stagnant or complacent state. How many of us are guilty of sitting or staying in a position when we know God had called us to move or do something? How many of us sit in our seats during worship service and we see a need we can address, but we don’t. How many of us have heard the call of God, had a dream or received prophecy from the Lord, and we have not acted on it? I say to you, it’s time to crossover to the other side.

It is so easy to become comfortable or become “drunk in our success.” The work of the Lord, however, requires decisive, prayerful and Spirit-led decisions. His work is so important that sedimentary minds are often left behind. Note, as I said earlier, it was not that where they were was so terrible; as far as we know, they were enjoying a reasonable amount of success where they were (as if Jesus failed at anything). The point is, Jesus said it was time to move!

Child of God, when we decide to move out for the Lord, we are going to face opposition – expect a storm. Expect challenges and confrontation. That is because the enemy does not want us to obey the Lord. He knows there is growth and anointing forthcoming when we obey the Lord. The enemy knows his plans and devices are going to be defeated every time we obey God. Regarding the opposition – don’t worry about it. If God told us to move, He is on board with us. He never sends us anywhere alone. He promised us that He would never leave us nor forsake. He said that He is with us always, even until the end of the world.

Child of God – rebuke the fear, doubt and sense of inadequacy now! Why? Because as soon as we crossover we will likely face another challenge, just as the disciples did when they faced Legion. But because they had obeyed God, they were in position to bless this man and all those on that side of the lake.

My brother, there is a soul that needs your ministry, but where you are – you will never reach them. My sister, there is a situation God has anointed you to conquer, but from where you, are you will never get the job done.

Now, I beseech you in the name of the Lord Jesus, let’s crossover to the other side. For on the other side, the praise is greater. On the other side, the victory awaits us. On the other side, our healing is waiting. On the other side, there is a soul that needs our attention. I cannot speak for you – but I am crossing over!!

I bless you in the name of the Lord.

What did Cain fear living without (Gensis 4:13-16)?

13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.  15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.  16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

What did Moses imply was the reason for Israel's success (Exodus 33:12-16)?

12 And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.  13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.  14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.  15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.  16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

What did Jonah believe he could run from (Jonah 1:3)?

3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

 And then, David went on to say that it’s impossible to run from this;

7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?  8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

What was it? Brother, sister, I'm talking about the PRESENCE OF THE LORD!

It’s good to sing when entering into the presence of the Lord Ps. 100:2 says, “Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.” After we have entered, its sometimes best to keep silent while in the presence of the Lord according to Zeph. 1:7 which states, “Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

At times, it can be a little frightening to see the presence of the Lord.

Jeremiah 5:22 says, ²² Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

Revelation 1:17 states, ¹⁷And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

At the end of days, some won't be too happy to see the Lord's presence.
 

2 Thess. 1:7-10 – And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,  8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:  9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;  10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

What are you getting at Brother Michael? Brother and sisters in Christ, the presence of the Lord is what should be with us; not only at church, but everywhere we go. God bless!

Passion Week. Holy Week. Easter. Resurrection Sunday. Regardless of how you address it, you know when it has arrived. It comes like a temporal mist every year. The grocery stores align their aisles in bright green and yellow grass, chocolate bunnies, colorful dyed eggs that will inevitably stink up your refrigerator and those awful PEEP marshmallow candies. Yep, it’s a gaudy mess of commercialism that will easily irritate your eyes. And yet we indulge it. Why? Not because we love Easter egg hunts and not because we need an excuse to spend questionable amounts of money on a new suit.

We indulge the commercialism because for one week the world, in all its depravity and lawlessness, remembers His name. For one week the world remembers that He did more than just turn water into wine and die. He also rose! And in doing so, Jesus did what we could never do for ourselves.

He filled the divide.

Passion Week services at Holiness Tabernacle Church Of God In Christ begin just as they end, with praise and exaltation for a savior that gave His life for us.  This year Pastor Pruitte emphasized the significance of Passion Week through a timeline chronicling Jesus’ final moments. The timeline showed all the teachings He gave and activities He did before being crucified. In many ways it allowed each member to gain insight into what Jesus felt was important to say and do before death, like His personal farewell address.

It all began with Palm Sunday. Just as Jerusalem was filled with praise when Jesus entered, so was this service filled with praise. The Spirit of God descended mightily as the Praise & Worship Team ministered in song. Their rendition of “No One Else” by Smokie Norful was met with cries of praise from every corner of the room. God’s power was made all the more evident by the stark contrast in worship because as some praised, others stood broken before Him with humble words flowing from their lips. The Holy Spirit began to work outwardly and inwardly. And we could see the results. Saints were being delivered and set free. Breakthrough was on the horizon and revival was in the air! Pastor spoke on “The Ultimate Praise,” coming from Acts 16:19-40. He talked about how some people are able to praise even when life hurts and circumstances aren’t ideal. These people have tapped into their ultimate praise. The house was truly blessed.

On Tuesday night three speakers, Deacon Moses, Sis Dei Nikoi and Deacon Howard, came and shared different perspectives on Jesus’ parables. They focused on “The 10 Virgins,” “The Pearl of Great Price,” and Judas. One by one each speaker revealed practical insight into thinking about our Savior’s famous teachings. We were encouraged to be ready for our Bridegroom (Jesus) like the 5 wise virgins, take on the merchant mentality upon finding God’s grace like the merchant man, and to avoid betraying God for any earthly pleasure. 

On Maundy (Holy) Thursday Sis. Danielle Benjamin spoke on the importance of service and explained how Jesus’ final moments with his disciples personified how true service ought to look. She said that through His actions Jesus showed us that true service requires that we be intentional, indiscriminate and inconvenienced. Since Jesus prepared himself to die for our sins (intentional), died for all of humanity (indiscriminate), and suffered greatly on the cross (inconvenience), it should be our endeavor to serve others in a like manner. In keeping with the message and church tradition, we observed two of the three ordinances of the Church Of God In Christ: communion and feet washing. We took communion in remembrance of Christ, just as He asked that we do. The sacraments symbolized His broken body and shed blood. Following communion, the church officials began to wash our feet. Humbly they kneeled before each of us, singing “Not Only My Feet” and praying that Christ wash us in His blood because our washed feet are just a symbol of an even greater cleansing.

We observed our final ordinance on Good Friday: full immersion water baptism. As we all sat anticipating this glorious moment, we were met with the “Seven Last Words of Jesus.”  Seven speakers – from lay members to licensed officials – brought a special word. Each speaker touched on our Lord’s final moments and dug deeply into the last line’s of his farewell address. Hearing Christ both entreat the Father for our forgiveness and commend His spirit into the Father’s hand reminded us of a seemingly forgotten truth – everything begins and ends with God. Our Savior’s final words were not instructions or teachings directed toward us, but rather a seven line prayer toward the Father. Wow! Following this, it was baptism time. Four saints were baptized in water, symbolizing the death of the old man and the birth of the new man. For two of the saints, this marked a public testimony of their salvation. For the other two, this marked a public rededication and recommitment to their salvation.

The conclusion of the whole matter came on Resurrection Sunday! Holiness Tabernacle began Resurrection Sunday with Sunrise service at 7:00am. This year our First Lady, Mother Vivian Pruitte, took center stage at the sunrise service. Mother Pruitte spoke on the “Types of Christ” and the importance of being a type of Christ ourselves. The term “type of Christ” refers to those people in the Bible who emulated Christ’s character and mission before He was born (ie: Isaac and Boaz). It can also refer to objects that symbolize Him throughout the scriptures (ie: the Paschal lamb). She stressed the importance of adopting Christ’s humble character and letting our lives be evidence of our salvation! This was only the beginning of Resurrection Sunday.

Following our fellowship breakfast and Sunday school was the Youth Department play. Each age division came before the church and the kids explained the importance of Resurrection Sunday. From the babies to the High School students, there was no denying that they knew the importance of this day. What is the importance of this day you ask? As the Nursery class screamed with smiling faces, “It’s JESUS!”

As morning service began, the house was filled with both members and visitors from all over the country. Pastor preached a timely message, “Evidence of the Resurrection.” He pulled his text from Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20-21. After Jesus rose from the dead many people came to the tomb and found the stone removed. His body was no longer inside. However, the tomb was not empty!

“⁶ Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, ⁷ and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. ⁸ Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.” (John 20:6-8)

According to the scriptures they did find some things inside and around the tomb – His garments. What did the disciple do upon seeing these garments? Scripture records that he believed! He believed because these items were evidence of Christ’s resurrection. Later, Christ revealed Himself to His disciples before ascending back into Heaven. Throughout the Resurrection scriptures, Jesus showed evidence of His resurrection before He ascended back to the Father. And despite what others may say, we joy in knowing that someday He will return! We don’t have Jesus’ physical body to remind us that He is our Savior. We do, however, have the confidence that He died for our sins and our individual testimonies. As saints of the Most High, we should endeavor to be His evidence on Earth until He comes back. Christ said that we should:

“¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

This means to live and behave in a way that all men, both the believers and unbelievers, are able to see the Father’s work within us and then glorify His name in response. That means we become His evidence and men will believe on His great name. We become evidence through our living witness of the gospel!

Passion Week 2012 at Holiness Tabernacle was truly a glorious time in God. God’s Spirit moved throughout every service! The messages were encouraging and the fellowship bonding. While we at Holiness Tabernacle look forward to Passion Week each year, we were reminded throughout this year’s services that the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on that cross cannot be restricted to seven days on a calendar. Though the world is watching and remembering for one week, we are to remember and praise His name for a lifetime. Yes our Savior’s death was gruesome and yes, His ministry on Earth was short. However, His resurrection was magnificent! His blood’s saving power will last until the end of time! We thank God for His perfect will and His precious Son.

We hope that you and your family had as wonderful of a Passion Week as we have had. And if not, then come join us for Passion Week 2013. We’re guaranteed to have a high time then as well!