Vol.103-4 Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. — Jude 3

2 Higher Way

In tHe mIddle of march 1974, I decided to read a widely-known book, though it was completely unfamiliar to me. that Book was the Bible. Why I began my reading with Paul’s epistle to the Romans is a mystery even to me. that portion of the Scriptures is not the starting point one would recommend for a first-time Bible reader! the declaration that God’s Word is alive and pow-erful (page 16) is validated by what happened to me before the week was out.

though ignorant of the most simple of Bible terms such as sin, grace, and jus-tification, the deep theology of Romans spoke to my heart in a straightforward manner. Chapter 2 left me with the understanding that those who do right in the sight of God are accepted by Him, and those who do wrong in the sight of God are judged despite any claims made of being religious.

the Book of Romans made sense then, and it still does today. However, the Word of God does more than stir a curious mind. In contrast to any other book ever compiled, it has the power to change the heart.

On Saturday evening, march 16, 1974, unlike the previous three evenings, I didn’t read from Romans. Instead, I spent my time playing cards, drinking beer with friends, and listening to pop music. there was one problem, though. It just was not that good of a time any longer. It actually never had been, although for a couple of years it had seemed to hold promise. Sin had proven to be a sham, and God’s Word was proving to be the Sword of the Spirit, with power to reveal truth and grant spiritual vitality to an otherwise dead soul.

the next evening, I did read the Bible again before closing my eyes to go to sleep. However, sleep left and the Spirit of God came. His Presence filled my bedroom and He helped me to pray, asking forgiveness for my sins. I added, “I don’t know how I can ever do it, but if You help me, I will try to serve You.” In an instant, I knew my prayer was answered.

It quickly became evident that I was a different person than I had been before. In the days that followed, I found myself doing instinctively what God’s Word taught a Christian should do, though it had never been taught to me. And God has kept me saved for over thirty-six years now.

the power of God’s Word can change your heart too! As you read this issue of Higher Way magazine, pray for God to impart the power and strength you read about to your heart.

Power in the Word

Higher Way (ISSN #1084-9807) is published quarterly by the Apostolic Faith Church, 6615 SE 52nd Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97206, U.S.A. and is mailed out subscription free. Periodicals postage is paid at Portland, Oregon. Postmaster: Please send address changes to Higher Way, Apostolic Faith Church, 6615 SE 52nd Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97206, U.S.A.

October—December 2010

Table of Contents

Darrel D. LeeSuperintendent

General

VIEWPOINT

Day to Day .......... 11Evidence .............. 13Today’s Youth ...... 19Highlighting our Heritage .............. 21

Give Me This Mountain ............................. 3Headed in a New Direction ........................ 6 Sermon Excerpts ..................................... 8Alive and Powerful ..................................16

Higher Way 3

Any obstacle can appear to be insurmountable if we focus on it. However, if we look to

the God of Heaven, whom we serve, there is nothing insurmountable! For that reason, we come to this camp meeting with high expectations, not intimidated by any hindrances as we approach God. We know that we serve a God who has promised good things to those who seek Him, and He will fulfill those promises.

In the fourteenth chapter of Joshua, we read of a man who claimed the promise of God in spite of obstacles. Caleb was eighty-five years old, and the land of Canaan still had not been possessed. Forty-five years earlier, the Children of Israel had made a rela-tively short trip from mount Sinai to

Caleb did not see the challenge before him as an obstacle,

but rather as an opportunity.

the border of Canaan. there, it had come into the mind of the people to send out spies to see if the land was what God had promised it would be. this had not been God’s plan, but moses approved it at the people’s urging. God told moses to choose a man from each tribe to go and spy out the land, so twelve men traveled through the land for nearly six weeks.

As they viewed their promised inheritance, they thought, this is a good land! there are vineyards planted and wells dug. there are grapes and figs and pomegranates; it is indeed a fertile country, a land flowing with milk and honey. that was the description God had given, and Canaan was all that God had said it would be.

4 Higher Way

nevertheless, when the spies came back after forty days, ten of them gave an evil report. they described the attributes of the land, but added, “We saw the children of Anak there.” the children of Anak were giants, both in size and in fierceness. When that dis-couraging report filtered through the congregation, the people feared to go up and take the land as God had instructed. In fact, they began to com-plain and accuse moses and Aaron. they stayed up all night and cried in their tents, lamenting the fact that they had been brought to this point where they would certainly be defeated.

Two spies were differenttwo of the twelve spies, though,

did not share that sentiment. Rather than looking at the problem, Caleb and Joshua recognized the possibil-ity! they knew that God was able to give the victory. they did their best to calm the people and encourage them to believe they were well able to take the land with God’s help. they said, “let us go up at once and possess it.” they had no intention of faltering or turning back. the people refused their encouragement, and God was angry.

He condemned the nation to forty years in the wilderness.

Forty-five years later, as the land was being divided among the tribes, Caleb said to Joshua, “now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said.” In response to Caleb’s petition, we read that Joshua blessed him “and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance” (Joshua 14:12-13).

Claiming a promisetypically as people get older, they

tend to forget. However, Caleb had no memory problems even though he was eighty-five-years old at this point. He reflected back to those events that had transpired so many years earlier, and they were clear in his mind. He remembered how they had searched out the land. He remembered the fierce Anakims in particular. He recalled that when they had come back, a conversa-tion had taken place between him and moses. Caleb had let it be known that when they went in and conquered that land, the area where the Anakims lived was the region that he would like to inherit for the children of Judah.

In the intervening years, moses had died. However, Joshua apparently had been aware of that conversation, because at this point Caleb reminded him of it. In essence, he said, “Remem-ber, Joshua, when we went up and spied out the land? the others gave an evil report, but our hearts beat together. We saw the possibilities of that land and you remember hearing moses tell me that I could have that land for my people. So now I want you to give me this mountain.”

the land of the Anakims was not the easiest land to inhabit. In fact, it may have been the most difficult! It was not a region that one walked into, but rather a region that one climbed up to. lots had been cast to determine where each tribe would have its inheritance, but it appears that Caleb’s request trumped the casting of those lots. He wanted the mountain-ous land that was inhabited by giants! He was not fearful of what existed there because he had a promise from God that it was his.

We get the feeling that Caleb was not really interested in the real estate as much as he was interested in the fact that God had promised it to him. He wanted the promise fulfilled. He had not wanted to wander through the wilderness for decades, almost within sight of the land of Canaan, and not be able to go in. But in his heart, as he followed that pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day, he purposed to see the day when he would conquer the land of the Anakims and destroy those giants. He was determined to take possession of what God had promised him.

Focus on GodWe too will face challenges and

obstacles on our spiritual journey. Between us and our ultimate goal will stand some giants and high-walled cities. However, we do not want to focus on those things, but on God who looks down upon those things.

God gives us promises too. For example, the lord states that He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. the idea that one person can be saved but someone else cannot be saved simply is not factual, for God’s Word says that “whosoever will” may come (Revelation 22:17). that is a promise!

We get the feeling that Caleb was not really interested in the real estate as

much as he was interested in the fact that God had promised it to him.

Higher Way 5

the Spirit of God moves in the hearts of individuals in different ways and at different times, but He enlightens every man who comes into the world.

God can make a way each of us has a special invitation to

salvation. We have a place reserved in Heaven for us. It is God’s promise, and it is obtainable. And while it may seem difficult for us, it is easy for God. that is why we must come to a place of sur-render to Him—to a point of realiz-ing we cannot take the land unless He helps us. But no matter what obstacle or challenge we face, and no matter how high our mountain may appear to be, God can provide a way over it. God can put into our hearts a determi-nation to say like Caleb, “Give me this mountain. Give me my share of what God has promised to me. Help me to move forward to higher ground.”

Sometimes we magnify our prob-lems. that is what the Children of Israel did: they magnified the prob-lems and minimized the possibilities. We want to focus on the possibilities of this camp meeting! We could wander through the two weeks of camp meet-ing like the Children of Israel wan-dered through the wilderness for forty years, but let us purpose not to do so. Instead, we must look forward to taking a mountain. God is well able to lead us into territory we have never explored before, let alone possessed.

the land of Canaan was called the Promised land for a reason. It was promised to Abraham and to his descendents, but it was also a land that held promise compared to the land of egypt where the Israelites had lived in bondage. In many ways that parallels the Gospel. We wander in sin in a dry and barren land where we have no hope and no victory, and we come to the threshold of the promised

land of the Gospel. We see possibilities there that the world cannot offer.

the Gospel offers forgiveness and justification when we come to Jesus repenting of our sins and surrender-ing to Him. We can have a life of peace and fulfillment, and the ability to live from that day forward without sin-ning. We cannot get that in the world! We may achieve momentary happi-ness, but the joy that Jesus offers is something that is lasting. there is an underlying peace that will withstand whatever the world sends against us. So we must not be deterred from seek-ing the experience of salvation. We certainly want to benefit by the bless-ings the Gospel affords as we travel through this life, but even more than that, eternal life is at stake! We must make Heaven our home.

A land of promisethe Gospel is a land of promise.

I found that out in 1974 at my first camp meeting. I was a new convert and I did not realize the possibilities before me in the Gospel. I came to those services saved but not sanctified. In fact, I had hardly heard of sancti-fication, but early on in the camp meeting, I began to understand that I needed to be sanctified if I wanted to stay saved.

I learned that sanctification eradi-cates the carnal nature with which all of us are born—that nature which caused us to sin in the first place. I heard that the experience is called entire sanctification because the Bible speaks of being sanctified wholly, and teaches that we can be entirely sanc-tified in heart, mind, and body. every aspect of our newly saved life is to be consecrated to the lord. that is how one gets sanctified: by presenting his or her entire life as a living sacrifice to God. I did just that and experienced

There is no mountain too high, no challenge too great, and no obstacle

so insurmountable that God cannot carry you through it or over it.

entire sanctification the final thurs-day of that camp meeting.

I learned that the baptism of the Holy Ghost is the experience of the third Person of the trinity, the Holy Spirit, coming into a sanctified believ-er’s life to give that individual power for God’s service. When the heart is sanctified and made holy before God, the believer should seek God in prayer for that promised gift. Speaking with other tongues in a definite, under-standable language is the evidence that signifies the Spirit has descended. the following January, I experienced the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

Possibilities for youWhat possibilities in the Gospel lie

before you today? Salvation can be yours. Sanctification can be yours, if you are saved and have fully con-secrated your life to God. If you are sanctified, you can be filled with the Holy Spirit. Is that the desire of your heart? If so, you can have the bold-ness to bow at the altar of prayer and declare to God, “Give me this mountain.” there is no mountain too high, no challenge too great, and no obstacle so insurmountable that God cannot carry you through it or over it. When we approach God we can have confidence that He will take every obstacle and make each one a step-ping stone to higher ground. We can take the land!

Whatever your need is, you can drop to your knees and declare it to the lord. dig in! Seek God and He will sanctify you. He will fill you with the Holy Ghost. these are promises of God and they are obtainable today.

Darrel Lee is Superintendent General of the Apostolic Faith organization, and pastor of the headquarters church in Portland, Oregon.

6 Higher Way

was in high school, but my father was still alive. I thought maybe I needed to go home because he was in poor health. money was no problem, so before long I boarded an airplane headed back to nigeria.

When I arrived at home, my dad was in good health. He looked at me and embraced me, but he was crying. I asked him why, and though he did not give an answer, I knew from his look that he was not happy with how I appeared. the words that came out of his mouth were, “You are not going back to the United States! You have finished your studies; stay home and work.” His instructions hurt me, but I thank God now that I stayed and did not disappoint my dad; I did not disobey him. Port Harcourt was the nearest big city, and I moved there. my life of seeking for pleasure, which had been my pas-time in the United States, continued. In my mind, the weekends were for partying. I wanted happiness, but I could not find it.

Yet God knew where to find me—not in a church, but in a dance hall where there was drinking and other ungodly

Dealyn testifies:

thank God that He can look down from

Heaven and see a person like me and talk to the heart. I was born in nigeria, but I attended col-lege in the United States. After receiving an education, I was employed as a registered med-ical laboratory technologist

by Central Indiana Regional Blood Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, and worked as a night shift supervisor. Because I loved the life in America, my mind was made up that I was going to live, work, and die there.

However, God knew how I was living in the United States and He changed my plans. One spring day in 1975, He spoke to my soul, saying, “dealyn, go home and see your dad!” Although I tried to resist that Voice, I could not resist for long. I loved my parents. my mother had died while I

This Nigerian couple learned that following where God leads always brings blessing.

By Dealyn and Nne George

Higher Way 7

behavior. there God showed me my life. the activity about me faded, and it seemed that the whole of the city, includ-ing myself, was going down a steep slope. As I was going downhill, a man stood by my side and tapped me on the shoulder. He asked, “Where are you going? the end of this road is Hell and destruction. do you want to turn back?” I said, “Please! With all of my heart I want to go back. I don’t want to follow this way!” then I realized that I was still at a table at the party, and I said, “I don’t want to be here!”

When I was back in my room, God showed me the sin-fulness of my life. I just cried out to Him, “Save me!” In His mercy, the lord came down that very night and saved my soul, transforming my life completely, and everything changed. my life took a turn and I headed in a new direc-tion altogether.

Step by step God led me. my heart was so hungry for more of Him that I went to crusades and revivals in many places. In those I learned about and received the deeper Christian experiences of sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and also learned about divine healing. When it was time for me to get connected to a church with sound doctrine, God led me to the Apostolic Faith Church in Port Harcourt. A brother who worshipped there asked me a simple question, “do you know the Apostolic Faith Church? I see you love sound doctrine.” the following Sunday we attended the service, and the mode of worship appealed to my hungry soul. I made up my mind that this organization was going to be my place of worship and their God would be my God! Soon after that, the lord brought my wife as well, and together we have continued in His ser-vice until this day.

At the time God saved me, I was employed at a Col-lege of Science and technology in the Biological Sciences department. Wanting to obtain a higher degree, I had been accepted at the mcGill University in Canada. While seeking God to know whether or not to go there for further stud-ies, God directed me to ecclesiastes 12. the writer says to “remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,” and then he explains that much study is weariness to the flesh, and that of the making of books there is no end. then he states, “let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” that was the answer to my prayer. I wanted the will of God, whether or not it included a higher degree, and I felt that He wanted me to stay in nigeria. God had a plan for my life, and I was willing to follow as He directed.

Over the years since then, God has been with me and sustained me. He gave me a wife and blessed us with two beautiful girls who now have families of their own. today I am a grandfather to my daughters’ children—two boys and one girl. Step by step God has directed our lives. For fourteen good years, I was schooled in the Gospel in lagos. then, soon after the civil war in liberia, we were sent to help build up the believers and church work there. In time, we were brought back to nigeria and asked to oversee the Gospel work in other districts.

I am so thankful for the privilege of being at the Portland 2010 camp meeting. It was wonderful meeting with the

veterans of the Gospel whose testimonies, sermons, and teachings I have read over and over. to meet this blessed people of God and talk with them was very encouraging.

thank God for all He has done for me! He has been so good; He has taken care of me and my family. I have no regrets that I turned myself over to Him. I owe the rest of my life to the lord who has loved me so much.

Nne tells her her story:

the best thing that ever happened in my life was when Jesus came into

my heart! As a young girl, I was hungry for the truth, for reality, for peace; but I did not know how to go about getting them. thank God for the day I met the people who preached the Gospel to me! they told me that if I would come to Jesus,

my nights would turn to day, and I believed what they said. At home in my room, the lord showed me all of my sins. It was the first time that I understood I was a sinner, and I felt so ashamed that I wished the floor of the room would open to hide me. even though there was no one there with me, I knelt down and cried out to God. I confessed all my sins to Him and promised that if He would save me that day, I would not go back to sin. God came down and saved my soul. He changed my life and lifted the burden off my shoulders.

later, God brought my husband and me to the Apostolic Faith. In those services I heard about sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. When I prayed and promised to go all the way with God, He gave me those experiences.

God has helped my husband and me and cared for our family. When I have been sick, God has raised me up. Once I was so ill that I felt my time was up. However, the Spirit of God came in a wonderful way and reminded me of what Hezekiah did when he was dying. that is exactly what I did also; I turned my face to the wall and prayed. Instantly, the power of God came down and healed me!

the joy of my heart is to serve God. We became fulltime Gospel workers in 1983, and He has helped us to never lack what we have need of. God was with us during the four years we spent in the country of liberia, and has kept us during the eight years we have been based in Aba and my husband has served as district Overseer for Abia State.

God has been our teacher and Instructor, and He has never allowed us to be put to shame. We have offered our lives to the lord, and we know that one of these days we are going to see Him. It is the desire of my heart to live a life pleasing to Him.

Dealyn George is District Overseer for the Apostolic Faith work in Ikot Enwang, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria. He and his wife, Nne, have recently been transferred there from Aba.

8 Higher Way

Sermon ExcerptsFrom Camp Meeting 2010

GOd COmmUnICAteS WItH US in a simple, plain manner. In a few straightforward and authoritative words, He lets us know what He wants us to do. An example is when Jesus called Peter and Andrew. He said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (matthew 4:19). Keep it simple; that’s what God does. We have a tendency to make simple things complicated, but the lord wants us just to follow His directions.

On our way to camp meeting, we stopped in new York City and visited the empire State Building. no matter how you look at it—from far away or close up, from above or down below, from inside or out—it is an impressive structure. Built almost eighty years ago, there are pictures during the construction of workers sitting on a steel beam a couple hundred feet above the ground. they had a job to do, although their main task no doubt was to keep their balance!

those construction workers knew what they were doing. Red-hot rivets were thrown up to them to anchor the beams to the columns. the man on the beam caught the rivet with a bag of material that could take the heat. When the holes were lined up, he used tongs to put the rivet in the hole. then he hit it with a hammer so there was a head on both sides. He didn’t do this just once; it was done perhaps thousands of times in order to build this skyscraper. It was quite a job! But the worker was a craftsman, and he really didn’t need to know much more than the job he was doing.

think what might have happened if, where there were supposed to be ten rivets, that worker had said, “I’ve put five rivets here, and it seems to be very strong. I think it’s strong enough.” maybe it would have been, but who was he to evaluate that? What kind of assessment could he do? Shortcuts could have been disastrous. Of course, such action is not acceptable in the construction industry; when a worker is told to put in ten rivets, he puts in ten rivets.

that’s the way it should be in the Gospel as well. If God wants us to do something, we should do it. When He says,

“Follow me,” we should follow Him no matter where He leads us. there is no cutting corners if we really want bless-ings from God. And He will give us the grace to follow Him all the way if we purpose to do so. — leRoy tonning

GOd mAKeS PeOPle SIGnIFICAnt, while Satan is in the business of making them think they are insignificant. God considered people significant enough to give His only begotten Son to secure their redemption. If we take advantage of His salvation, we become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. We are significant because we are included in God’s plan.

At times, some may be tempted to think their role in this plan is insignificant, but consider what the Apostle Paul said, “For the body is not one member, but many. . . . But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him” (1 Corinthians 12:14,18). God wants all of us to work together, each doing our part.

the other day, I was observing the orchestra and thought about the process involved in making an orchestration. Someone wrote the music, someone else conducts the orchestra; there are many players, and it all works together. there are strings and brass and woodwinds. each instru-ment has a unique spot so that the whole sound can come across as it was intended. For example, the musicians in the percussion section were busy. they were using the bar chime, and then one player picked up a little triangle, play-ing it at the proper time, and I heard it. It may have only been used once in the piece, but it was important.

For a performance, there is much preparation in addi-tion to all the rehearsals. there are the sound and light people. there needs to be an audience. Someone organized the event. Before that, architects and engineers designed the building and craftsmen constructed it. each phase is important and necessary.

So it is in the Body of Christ; each person is signifi-cant. We are dependent upon the lord and also upon one

Keep It Simple Each

MemberMatters

Higher Way 9

another. We need the encouragement of fellow believers. We are not separate entities; we are united together in the lord. We are significant people joining our collective tal-ents so God can use us. By His grace, together we can give glory to Him. — tom Pricskett

tHe GOSPel OF JeSUS CHRISt is a Gospel of power—power that changes broken and ruined lives into beautiful ones. Isaiah prophesied of Jesus, “the Spirit of the lord God is upon me; because the lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; . . . to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (Isaiah 61:1,3). luke 4 describes the fulfillment of this prophecy. Jesus went into the synagogue and was given the book of the prophet to read. He opened to this particular passage and read it. When He finished, He closed it and sat down. the people were expecting something, and they fastened their eyes on Jesus. He said, “this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Jesus was on the scene to transform lives.

that power to take shattered lives and make them beauti-ful is still present in the world today. this transformation comes through the experience of salvation. the devil wants people to believe that their lives are ruined beyond repair, that there is no hope for them. Yet, with the right Person doing the repairing and reconstruction, there is hope!

Recently we obtained a church building in manchester, United Kingdom. Certain parts of the building were in such disrepair that a person could not even enter. We hired a contractor who did a terrific job. the building looks gor-geous and is being readied for dedication. meanwhile, our church building in Peckham had some maintenance prob-lems, and we engaged a contractor there. When he finished, the situation was worse than it was before he started. this shows how important it is to get the right contractor!

Jesus Christ has the right skills for repairing ruined lives. He has the qualifications and the authority from Heaven to make something beautiful out of them. He is the only One who can do it; any other attempt will ultimately fail. He is with us now, ready to repair. All it takes is an honest prayer: “Here are my broken pieces. I know You can put my life together and make something beautiful out of it.” Jesus wants to make something beautiful out of every life, if we will just let Him. — Isaac Adigun

On OUR WAY to Portland for camp meeting, my wife and I stayed overnight en route and then had to take an early morning flight. Our hotel room had an electric clock, but I said to my wife, “What if the clock doesn’t work?” We had a battery-operated traveling clock with us that we knew would work, so I set that one also. two clocks, but I knew the trip was important; we needed to make our connecting flight. that thought was so much a part of me that I was awake long before it was time for the alarms to ring. ten minutes ahead I finally turned them both off. Spiritually speaking, that is how we should be about our future. We need to prepare for eternity even before an “alarm” goes off, warning us that we could be snatched into eternity at any moment.

Some people are fond of pushing the snooze button, perhaps again and again. they think they can wait a little longer and still be in time. King Belshazzar was like that. His grandfather nebuchadnezzar had been taught some lessons by God, and Belshazzar should have learned from him. But he did not, and then one night during a party, a hand began to write on the wall. daniel interpreted the words, “God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it” (daniel 5:26). Belshazzar had ignored God’s warnings and waited too long.

We want to heed the warnings about eternity. We cannot dream our way through life or take a chance on tomorrow. How many people promise to serve God when they are in a

The Right Contractor Wake

Up!

10 Higher Way

desperate situation? Yet when the crisis is past, it is easy to push the snooze button and not make good on the promise. now is the time to make matters right with God.

Christians, too, need to stay alert. Very soon, Jesus Christ is going to return for His Bride. the warning has been given; we need to be ready for that day. We want to be lis-tening for the sound of the trumpet, and waiting to answer that call. — Rene Cassell

It IS ImPORtAnt for us to understand that God is with and around us. In the summertime when I was a child, our family spent time camping along the north Umpqua River. We slept on mats in a tent, and we had a good time. Our camp was about forty miles from town, and my dad would commute back and forth to work.

Once, when it was time to go home, mom did not have enough gas in the car to get back. there was a service sta-tion about halfway home, but she did not have money for more gas. She gathered my siblings and me in the tent, and we prayed. then we began to pick up the bedding. my dad used to carry a Chapstick and a pocketknife, and he had unintentionally left those behind. With them we also found some coins. Back then, a little change was enough to buy a significant amount of gasoline, and how my mother rejoiced! there was adequate money to get us home.

As I saw this transpire, the impression was made on my heart that God was among us, and He cared for us in the simple matters of life. He knew where we were and what was happening in our lives. Indeed, God does know and care about every detail of our lives. the Psalmist said, “thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off” (Psalm 139:2). God comes down to our level and knows our needs. He wants to prove Himself strong to each one of us.

At times we may look at our circumstances and wonder if the lord is with us. Rest assured, He sees us! He knows our hearts’ desires. He is not limited and can help when it seems

there is no help. We can trust Him to keep His hand over us and be with us every moment. — Jack Chasteen

In tHe dAYS BeFORe RAdAR, sonar, and GPS, the cap-tains of ships set a course and kept on it by watching land-marks. they would go by a depth or the location of the sun, moon, and stars. If the weather was foggy or cloudy and they couldn’t see the landmarks, they had to wait until they could. When they were traveling, they had to be dili-gent. A small deviation from the proper course might not be noticeable at first. However, if it was not corrected, they could end miles from their destination and perhaps be lost.

Spiritually there is a course, and it will end in a safe haven for those who follow it diligently. It is a perfect course designed by God. It is the course that draws people to the point of salvation. then, little by little, comes more under-standing and maturity. God gives callings, and there are duties to be done. We never want to run from those; we want to stay the course.

As Christians, we need to be diligent, like the ships’ cap-tains. We could veer off just a little bit and think we are still in good shape, but a little slippage, a little digression to the left or right can put us into dangerous territory. We must make sure that we are on the course for Heaven.

Paul knew about that when he told the ephesians, “Be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (ephesians 4:14). He wanted these people to mature spiritually and to keep going in the direction God wanted them to.

this course was set from the foundation of the world, from the onset of time. Abel found the course; he made an offering unto God that was pleasing and accepted. We can do that today also. If we are careful to follow the directions given in the Bible, the lord will be with us and guide us. He will help us stay on course until we reach our destination of Heaven. — Gary Bertram

StayOn Course

In GodWe Trust

Higher Way 11

DAY TO DAY

A nu m b e r of months ago, when I was visit-ing my elderly father, I mentioned that our upcoming Sunday school lesson was on wisdom and asked if he had any “words of wisdom” to share with me. Over the years, I had come to really value my father’s sound judgment and rea-soning, but naturally I did not expect a deep philosophical response to such an unexpected and casual inquiry. my dad smiled a little and simply said, “Keep your powder dry.” We laughed at the old expression, and then our conversation turned to other topics.

later, as I was contemplating the lesson on wisdom again, I reflected on dad’s comment. Obviously, the warn-ing he quoted had a specific applica-tion many years ago, when a person’s food supply or personal safety may have depended on a usable supply of gunpowder and a serviceable musket.

the origin of the phrase is not known with certainty. A Google search

revealed it is gener-ally thought that early in the english civil war of 1642, Oliver Cromwell admonished his troops, “Put your trust in God, my boys, but mind to keep your powder dry.” Whoever first voiced the phrase, it is certain that the importance of the concept would have been well understood for centuries. Gunpowder allowed to get damp would be worse than a useless burden; it could obvi-ously imperil those who discovered its unusable condition at a moment

when it was most urgently needed for their own welfare or protection.

dad was always one to consider the spiritual application of sound basic principles, and given the chance for some contemplation, I cannot help but wonder what he may have shared

if we had continued that conversa-tion in earnest. Just as a military officer reminded his men of the necessity for caution in a basic matter, there certainly are spiri-tual concepts that have been

well known for centuries, but we must be reminded to observe

them for our spiritual welfare or protection.

One such reminder is found in Psalm 119:11, where we read, “thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” In essence, the Psalmist was declaring that he had secured a usable supply of what was necessary to defend him-self against enticement to sin. Hiding God’s Word in our hearts is just as important today these many centuries later, for in a time of spiritual attack, we too will need to draw from that supply of God’s Word. We have Jesus’

By Dave Green

An adage from the past teaches a timeless spiritual truth.

eep Your Powder Dry!K

12 Higher Way

own example as an illustration of how important a knowledge of the Scrip-ture is when it comes to defeating the attempts of Satan!

thinking about how difficult it must be to dry out gunpowder that has become wet, I reflected that it is generally easier to maintain a right state of affairs than to remedy a bad situation. Several passages in the Bible speak to the spiritual truth of this concept, telling us to carefully guard and maintain our faith so we do not need to try to repair it later.

For example, in Proverbs 4:23 we read of the importance of guarding our hearts with diligence: “Keep [pro-tect and maintain] thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” How much better our testimony is if, with God’s help, we maintain our integrity rather than finding our-selves in need of retrieving it!

What are some ways we can “keep” our hearts? One way would be to avoid contamination by the world. A soldier trying to main- tain a supply of dry gun-powder would not try to see how close to a source of moisture it could be successfully stored. And as Christians we should not try to see how close we can live to the world. We are challenged in James 1:27 to keep ourselves “unspot-ted from the world.” Just as we would find it very difficult to keep our attire clean while spending time in a dirty environment, we will find it very dif-ficult to keep our lives “unspotted” spiritually if we choose to associate closely with ungodly people, allow ourselves to be entertained by unrigh-teous activities, or fill our minds with unholy thoughts. Of course, all of us are “in the world” but we are reminded in John 15:19 that, as Christians, we are not “of the world.”

there is a difference, and God expects us to recognize, value, and maintain that difference.

there is another insidious danger involving carelessness or inattention on our part. In deuteronomy 4:9, moses warned the people, “Keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all

the days of thy life.” We find a simi-lar warning in Hebrews 2:1, where we are admonished, “Give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” A supply of gunpowder could begin to slowly absorb moisture if careful attention to maintaining a dry environment is not observed. Just so, the careless Christian surrounded by an increasingly wicked environ-ment may be in danger of having godly values and principles he once held dear slowly erode away.

In 1 thessalonians 5:19, we are instructed to “quench not the Spirit.” We need to value and guard the min-istry of the Holy Spirit in our lives in order to be sensitive to His gentle nudges to our minds and consciences. making it a priority to fellowship

regularly with like-minded believers and taking advantage of sound Bib-lical instruction are also important in guarding

our spiritual values from slowly slipping. Finally, we can “keep our

powder dry” spiritually by keep-ing the soon return of Jesus at the

forefront of our minds. Jesus him-self often stressed the importance of maintaining watchfulness for His return to earth. In the parable of the ten virgins we see the eternal conse-quences of not being diligent, illus-trated by the five who were unable to retrieve the state of readiness that the other five had maintained. likewise, if we are not diligent to maintain a right relationship with God, we will miss His Second Coming.

It may be an old expression, but not outdated: keep your powder dry!

Dave Green is a member of the Apos-tolic Faith Church in Portland, Oregon.

It is generally easier to

maintain a right state of affairs

than to remedy a bad situation.

Several passages in the Bible speak

to the spiritual truth of this

concept.

Higher Way 13

EVIDENCEI Am SO tHAnKFUl for August 10, 1990. the lord came down and called after my heart and saved me during youth camp at mayfield lake, Wash-ington. I am so thankful that He has been faithful to me throughout the years.

this morning’s sermon talked about sanctification and how you can have big mountains in front of you, but the lord can go before you. I had pushed off the issue of sanctification, because I did not want to deal with it like I knew I should. But I am so thankful that, toward the end of last year, the lord started talking to me. He started showing me the need for sanctifica-tion. I was a little bit nervous to seek after it, because I did not know what was going to happen. I just tried to prepare my heart and I asked the lord to show me the way. then, on Febru-ary 20, while driving down the free-way, the lord filled the car with His glory and sanctified my soul wholly. Wholly! I want to thank the lord. He has been so good to me and I want to give Him all the praise. — Rob moen (Portland, Oregon)

I WAS A BACKSlIdeR, but I thank God that when I was fifteen, the lord got hold of my heart. I was at home and it was in the middle of the night. I went and woke up my parents and told them that I needed to get saved. they prayed with me and the lord saved me. He has kept me since then.

that same year, He gave me the experience of sanctification during a young people’s service at camp meet-ing. that was ten years ago. For ten years I sought for the baptism. the whole time, I felt I was seeking the lord and I could not understand why I did not receive my baptism.

then, earlier this year, I was at home praying, trying to get ready for our upcoming combined meetings. I was

struggling with something in my heart that I had tried to give to the lord so many times. On that day I realized that through all those years, I wasn’t wait-ing for the lord; He was waiting for me. I told God, “lord, if I have to wait for You, that is okay, but I really do not want You to have to wait for me.” He baptized me right then, at home. It has been such a wonderful blessing in my life since. — Andrew Jensen (Wood-lake, California)

We SeRVe A mIGHtY GOd. I am so thankful that at a young age, He saved me. I grew up knowing that God was always there—that He was looking out for me.

last year, right after camp meet-ing, I got sick. I knew I was not well, but I made a doctor’s appointment for the following monday, because I didn’t have a babysitter. that week, I ended up having unexpected com-pany and I told my husband, “I am not up to having company.” I prayed about it and the lord told me, “I will give you strength; you just need to do this.” the lord knows what we need. the company came and I didn’t sleep that night, because I was in horrible pain. the next morning, the lord laid it on my heart, “You have some-body here to watch your kids.” So that day, I went to the doctor and within a couple of hours I was in surgery. I had an infection in my heart that had spread through my whole body. the doctor told me that I would not have lived until monday. I probably would not even have lived until the next day. I thought, “Isn’t that the way God works? He knew what I needed and He knew that I kept putting off going in, so He just brought a babysitter to me and He worked it all out.

Over the next four months, I had three surgeries and I was in and out of the hospital. I am so blessed to belong

to the family of God. I had people all around the world praying for me and sending me notes that they were pray-ing for me. It lifted my spirits and gave me peace. It is very scary thinking that you are on the brink, that you might not make it. You start worrying and making plans for your kids and your husband. I remember thinking, “How is he going to make it with four kids?” However, in every single situation that came up, before I could even take a step to try and work something out, somebody from the church would come to me and say, “We are going to take care of this.” All along the way, the lord just worked out every step. I serve a mighty, wonderful, awesome God. I love the lord with all my heart and I am going to go all the way with Him. — Jillian luka (Seattle, Wash-ington)

I tHAnK GOd for the privilege to stand and testify for the lord. I praise Him that I am saved, sanctified, and filled with Holy Ghost. I joined the Army in 1971, and served seven years on active duty. After I finished active duty, I went into the Reserves. I served a total of twenty-four years, nine months, and eleven days. not only that, but I also served in the Civil Ser-vice. I worked in an Army hospital for twenty-eight years.

When I joined the Army, I was not saved. I thank God for the Christian soldiers that live for God in the Army. three of them were in my unit, and as I watched their lives God spoke to me. One day, He asked, “Whose side are you on?” At that moment, God let me see myself as He saw me. I realized that I was a sinner and I was not on God’s side, even though I was a moral person.

that night I went to my room and prayed, but it seemed that God was not going to answer my prayer. One of

14 Higher Way

PERSONAL TESTIMONIES OF THE POWER OF GOD

those brothers told me that he talked to God while walking in a field. I decided to go looking for God and see if He would talk to me in the field. As I was leaving the barracks that night, another of those young men, Steve, invited himself along. I told him where I was going; I said, “I am looking for God.” tears began to flow down my face. that young man had a Bible in his pocket. He took it out and read the Word of God to me and I believed it. It had an impact.

Steve said, “Invite the lord in.” I prayed, “lord I invite You into my heart.” that night, I got on the lord’s side. When I got on the lord’s side, I got on to stay. I was eighteen years old and I was in the midst of sin. those in the military know what I mean. I thank the lord that afterwards I could give my testimony. I could live the life. I thank God that He used the military to be a blessing in my life. — edward dixon (Columbus, Georgia)

I CeRtAInlY HAVe PRAISe in my heart today for what the lord has done for me. I was born and raised in a Christian home and taught the right way, but I was up-and-down in my Christian walk. As I was growing up, I always wanted to serve the lord, but I found that I was serving the lord more for the people around me than for myself.

I grew up, got on my own, mar-ried, and found out that I did not have something real in my heart. I left the lord out of my heart, and in 1985, I got to the place where I was so mis-erable that I tried to take my own life three different times.

God didn’t leave me in that condi-tion. When I tried to take my life the last time, I was just done with this world, but God spared my life that day and gave me another chance. I told Him that if He would give me another chance, I would give Him the rest of my life. He saved me, He sanctified

me, and He gave me the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire. It has been twenty-four and a half years since then. God has been good to me. I have a testimony of victory today. God loves me in spite of myself and I love Him with all my heart. I am determined to give Him the rest of my life. — dean Compton (Yakima, Washington)

I tHAnK tHe lORd for what He has done for me. I thank the lord for saving me when I was just a little girl, and for keeping me. I am thankful that I sought the lord when I was young. I sought Him for my sanctification and I sought the baptism. I was at a very young age when the lord gave me those things, and He has kept me.

Seven years ago, when my daughter was born, the doctors said she had an incurable disease and would die. the people of God prayed and ministers anointed her with oil. the lord com-pletely healed her and she is well today. God still heals, but the greatest tes-timony I have is that I am redeemed. — Rosie lambert (Woodlake, California)

GOd SAVed me at a midwest youth camp several years ago. then, on the middle Sunday of camp meeting 2003, the lord came down and sancti-fied me. It was a very real experience. during the sermon, the Spirit of God was dealing with my heart. I knew that I had been holding some things back from God. I was only thirteen years old, but I needed to make a decision then, and I knew it. I am thankful that the Spirit of God checked me. later, I received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I was praying in my room, and somewhere between 11:30 and mid-night, in April of 2005, the lord came down and baptized me. I spoke in tongues. It was victory.

On July 1, 2010, I was praying at the altar and God came down and touched

me. It was something that I had never felt before. It was a re-anointing and I was renewed in my heart. I am a new person on the inside. You can’t tell on the outside, because He didn’t break chains of sin, but He broke chains of pride, chains of selfishness. I had an attitude problem, but the lord was faithful to check me.

I am so grateful for His goodness and His grace to me. He has lifted me up. I am so thankful that I have a vic-torious testimony. I just want to serve Him for the rest of my life. — david mixer (Sacramento, California)

tHAnK GOd FOR the old time reli-gion. I thank God for the Gospel. I appreciate its standards and the purity and holiness of it. I just thank God for every part of it.

I was not raised in a Christian home, and knew nothing about God. But the lord in His great mercy let some folks move in next door to us who were godly people. their plans were to build a nursing home there for the saints of God. those plans never materialized but a family was reached—our family. I’m thankful I went into that little Apostolic Faith Sunday school. I was just ten years of age, but as I entered those doors, I recognized something different there.

the lord was so faithful to me; He called after my heart. I kept going to the Sunday school and to the church meetings. It didn’t take very long before I realized that I had a sin prob-lem. At a camp meeting here in Port-land in 1956, way over there in about the third row of chairs, I remember praying by myself after one of the ser-vices. A brother seemed to see my con-dition and he came and prayed there beside me. I just began praying the sinner’s prayer, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Oh, what a change took place in my heart when the lord came in! Just a day or two later, I prayed and the lord sanctified me. I had never

Higher Way 15

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

Acknowledge “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “God be merciful to me a sinner” (luke 18:13).

Confess “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Repent “I tell you, nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all like-wise perish” (luke 13:3). “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19).

Forsake “let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the lord, and he will have mercy upon him . . . for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7).

Believe “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begot-ten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

If you are a new Christian, write us and request the tract entitled, “Start-ing Out.”

www.apostolicfaith.org

seen anyone receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost; I didn’t really know anything about it. I was just seventeen years of age. But, you know the lord was so faithful to me. I just got down at the altar of prayer and began pray-ing for that experience. It got pretty late that night, and I remember the old enemy of my soul said, “You might have to stay here all night.” I thought to myself, “Yes, but if I do, tomorrow I’ll have it.” As I prayed there, around 2:00 o’clock in the morning, flat on my back, with my arms in the air, the lord filled me with the Holy Ghost and fire. I thank God for His healing power, for His keeping power. He has been so good to me. — Bill Jordan (Grants Pass, Oregon)

I OWe tHe lORd praise today for all He has done for me. I want to testify to victory and another wonderful year. the lord takes such good care of me and I do not know what I have done to deserve it.

I am a school teacher, and at the school where I taught this last year, the enrollment went down. I was the last one hired, so I was one of the first ones let go. I had just moved back to Wash-ington from missouri. I didn’t feel like applying for a new job and going through all of that again. Instead, I was thinking I would rather just substitute. there were some opportunities and I ignored them, because I really wasn’t interested.

God has a way of getting your atten-tion when He wants you where He wants you. my dad did some work for a lady who said there was job opening at her school. I already knew about it. my dad said this was like God saying, “Hey, I want you to apply for that job.” I didn’t really want to mess with it, but every single person that I talked to said, “Apply for that job, Jamie. You really need to apply for that job.” Finally, I said, “Okay, lord, if You really want me to apply for this job, I’ll just throw

it out there as a fleece and see what You want to do with it.” So I applied last tuesday, interviewed on Wednesday, and they gave me the job on thursday. I am so thankful that God is there. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He wants me there because I was not planning on that at all.

I’m so thankful God has a way of taking our plans and our desires and making them His; changing our minds when we do not want what He wants. this was just a job situation, but He has done that many times in my life before. I am so thankful for all He has done for me. — Jamie Burton (Port Angeles, Washington)

AS A YOUnG mAn, my heart desired God. I did not know how to pray or what to pray for, but I was shown that I could be saved by praying and confessing my sins. that is what I did. While I was in high school, God saved my soul and brought me to this church where He sanctified me and filled me with the Holy Spirit. I thank God for all His blessings that have fol-lowed me since then by His mercy. I prayed to God for some of these, but

some of them God just put into my life. For example, I never expected to marry my wife. I did not go around hunting for her, but when the time came, Jesus brought us together. We have been married since 1982, and it gets sweeter. We have four children. God takes care of us in every way.

I am standing here as a witness to the power of prayer. last year I came to the Portland camp meeting and put in a prayer request for the will of God to be worked out regarding our church in the city of Philadelphia. Before we had left for camp, a man had offered to buy our church building which we could not repair. He paid for it, though he told me he did not know what he would do with the building. He just wanted us to have something to start with.

After I asked prayer for God’s con-tinued guidance in the matter, the people of God prayed. Following the camp meeting, we kept praying that God would open up some place for the Philadelphia congregation to meet. not many weeks later, that same man came around and offered to give us a rent-free building. We thank God for His answers to prayer! — ene ekpin (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

16 Higher Way

When we take hold of something that has power in it, we know it! during my early childhood, my family lived near Kenne-wick, Washington, in an area which was arid farm land at that

time. As a four or five-year-old, I would go out near the house into the fields and play in the irrigation ditches, catching frogs and other critters. One day, as I was climbing out of the irrigation ditch, I reached out and grabbed hold of a fence. However, it was not just an ordinary fence—that fence had power running through it! It was quite a shocking experience.

there is power running through the Word of God, and when we really take hold of it, we will know it! Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, pierc-ing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” the word quick in this verse means “alive.” Powerful means it is “active, effec-tual, operative.” the living Word of God is mighty in convincing man of sin. It searches the heart, enlightens the mind, and discloses truth.

Alive and

Powerful!

Take hold of God’s Word and allow it to work in your life!

From a sermon by John Musgrave

Higher Way 17

Consider the sourceConsider the Author of the Word of God.

We find a description in Isaiah 57:15: “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhab-iteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place.” God is the most high. God is the most exalted above all beings. His dwelling place is eternity. His name is Holy, for He is holy above all.

Isaiah 55:8-9 states, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” How much higher are the heav-ens than the earth? thirty-three years ago nASA launched a couple of space probes, both named Voyager. For thirty-three years, Voyager 1 has been traveling at 38,000 miles per hour into the universe, and it still has not left our solar system. We cannot comprehend such vastness!

God inhabits eternity. He is way out beyond the solar system, beyond the milky Way, beyond the galaxies, and we read that His thoughts are that much beyond our thoughts. When we begin to ponder that, it staggers the imagination to realize how awesome God is, how wonderful His Word is! We need to make sure that we give the Word of God the rever-ence and respect it deserves.

God’s Word is aliveGod’s Word is alive. In 1 Peter 1:24-25, we

read, “the grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the lord endureth for ever.”

When I think of something living, my mind goes to the time some years ago when my mother gave me the start of a Wandering Jew plant. I had it in a jar, and it was begin-ning to take root. then my wife and I started a major remodel project on our house. A couple of months went by, and one day I was in a room putting up sheet-rock. In the process of moving something, I came across that plant. It was bone dry and the jar was filled with some of that sheet-rock dust, but the plant was still clinging to life!

Sometimes the seed of the Word of God in a life seems to lie dormant for many years. the testimony of Ray Roll is an example. For the first thirty years of Brother Ray’s life, he was in this Gospel. However, during World War II he let the love of God slip out of his heart, and he was away from God for forty-five years. One day Brother Ray said that he

was walking across his living room floor and he fell flat on his face. He suddenly became unable to walk. Seven doctors examined him, but they could not find anything wrong with him, except that he couldn’t walk.

then the Word that had been sown so many years before in his life became alive again. God told him, “I made you this way. You wouldn’t stop and listen to me. now what are you going to do?” Brother Ray knew what he had to do. He had not walked for a year, but he hobbled with the help of a cane out to his car and drove to church on a tuesday night. When he arrived in the parking lot, he got out of his car and walked into the church. God had healed him right on the spot! When the altar call was given, he said, “I didn’t walk down the aisle. I ran down the aisle!” He said it took him all of about thirty seconds to get saved. that is the power of the living Word!

Our mortal bodies, which were once vigor-ous, may grow old and lose all vitality, but the Word of God is always fresh and new and full of force. Brother Ray Roll proved that. He was an old man when he came back to the lord, but once the Word came alive in his heart again, he had a shout for the battle that lasted until the lord took him Home.

God’s Word has a purposethe words recorded in Scripture have a

purpose. In Isaiah 55:11, we read, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” God’s Word is going to do the very thing that He sent it to do.

In Acts 8, we read of a time when the early Church was under great persecution. As a result, the believers were scattered abroad and went everywhere preaching the Word of God. Philip the evangelist went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ to the people there. We read, “And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were pos-sessed with them: and many taken with pal-sies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:6-8).

Philip was not presenting some new philos-ophy to the people of Samaria. no, he simply came and preached the Gospel message. the Word of God went forward, the people heard it, and they began to apply it to their lives.

Alive and

Powerful!

18 Higher Way

Scripture says that “with one accord” they took heed to it.

When God’s Word goes forth out of Heaven, God said it will not return to Him void. He had a purpose there in Samaria. He had something that He wanted His Word to accomplish, and it accomplished that purpose. It prospered. You can imagine the people there in Samaria going to those services, hearing the message, and then going home and telling their fami-lies and neighbors about the mighty power of God. the Word began to spread because it is operative, it is active. And there was great joy in that city!

God’s Word has an effectPaul told the Romans that “faith cometh

by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” When we come under the sound of that living Word, it begins to have an effect.

In Acts 24 we read of Felix and his wife, drusilla, listening to Paul concerning faith in Christ. It says that as Paul reasoned with them of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled. that Word was oper-ative, and the words that Paul spoke to Felix were divinely inspired. Felix trembled under them and it was not because of Paul’s natu-ral speaking ability. It was the Spirit of God through His Word reasoning with Felix. When God begins to reason with you, you will know!

As a young man living in Harden, montana, I gave no consideration to God or the things of God, but I knew when God started reasoning with me. I tried to put it off. I tried to drown it out, but that operative power was working in my life. my friends could see it. they could tell something was troubling me, though they did not realize that God was speaking to my heart. But I knew. And thank God, the day came when I responded and gave my heart to Him.

God’s Word continues to workthe power of God’s Word does not stop

working in our lives at salvation. God contin-ues to deal with us through His Word. I was reminded of an account that I heard years ago about a man in our church. A former tobacco farmer, Brother marshall had been saved. there was a preacher in town, he said, and one day this preacher gave a message on restitution. Brother marshall heard that sermon and afterward, the preacher found him and asked him about his lack of spiritual growth. He said to Brother marshall, “When you get down to pray, what are you looking at?” Brother marshall responded that what he saw was a five-dollar gold piece, and that

gold piece was getting bigger all the time. You see, before he was saved, he had been giving the lady he worked for a carriage ride. When she got out of the carriage, a five-dollar gold coin had fallen on the road. Brother marshall had put his foot on top of it, and when she was gone, he took it. now he had a restitution to make.

He left that service and helped his wife and child into the buggy. As they traveled toward their home, every time that mule’s hoof would hit the road, it sounded to Brother marshall like it was saying, “make restitution. make res-titution.” He said that mule preached to him for five miles! He was glad when he got home and could put the animal away. then he went to bed, but there he tossed and turned. the bedsprings started saying “Restitution, resti-tution.” Finally he made that restitution and God gave him victory.

God’s Word encourages us to make conse-crations. His Word will help us see our need for sanctification, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. that Word is active and working all the time. We hear it through the reading of the Bible, testimonies, preaching, our Sunday school lessons, and the still small Voice that deals with our soul. that Word is active.

A solemn warningIn the Book of Hebrews we find a solemn

warning: “let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief” (Hebrews 4:11). the Children of Israel had not mixed the Word of God with faith, so it did not profit them. We do not want to follow Israel’s example of unbelief as we hear the Word of God go forth. As we have sat here in this tabernacle, the thought came to me that for ninety years the Word of God has been proclaimed from this building. We have been blessed to hear it, some of us for many years, but we have to take what we hear and mix it with faith. We need to move beyond being hearers only and become doers of the Word.

that Word of God is alive and it is powerful, but if we want to have great joy like they expe-rienced in Samaria, we need to respond to the Word of God. We want to heed the Word of God as it speaks to our hearts. We want to respond to it, mix it with faith, and obey it. let us purpose in our hearts to take hold of the power in that living Word of God!

John Musgrave is Treasurer of the Apostolic Faith organization and a minister of the head-quarters church in Portland, Oregon.

Higher Way 19

Today’s Youth

Students from elementary school age through college have used the argument, “How will I ever need

this in the real world?” when working on a subject that they do not like. I’ve done it too. When that is our mindset, we tend to learn information for the moment, but soon forget it.

Recently, I pulled some old college books off a shelf at home. Opening a Calculus textbook, I came across a couple of subjects: “Finding the Area enclosed by Parametric Curves” and “Calculating Orthogonal trajectories.” I realized that if I were to take a Cal-culus test today, I would fail! I haven’t been using calculus, and as a result I have forgotten much of it. I have let those things slip.

While forgetting how to find the area enclosed by parametric curves is

not vital, forgetting spiritual truths is. Hebrews 2:1-3 warns us, “therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was sted-fast, and every transgression and dis-obedience received a just recompence of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?”

When the Scripture says to “give the more earnest heed,” it means we are to always remind ourselves of Bibli-cal teachings, so that we do not forget them. When we are at a youth service, we should not expect to hear anything new. the Gospel does not change. Rather, we have church services to rehearse the truths that we have already heard, to keep them fresh in our hearts. We don’t want to let them slip.

What are these “things” that we have heard? In nearly every church service, we hear that we need to be be justified, born again, regenerated, redeemed. We need to have a “know-so” salvation in our hearts. And there is only one way to know our sins are forgiven: we must repent. that message is the basis for every Gospel meeting.

After the Apostle Peter received the Holy Spirit, he stood up and preached a sermon about salvation. Peter explained that they had killed Christ, but that He rose from the dead and is now set on the right hand of God in Heaven. Scripture says that those who heard him were pricked in their hearts. the lord was convicting them, drawing them to Himself—something that must happen before a person can come to the lord. they asked, “What

If we forget how to calculate orthogonal trajectories, it may not matter. But we must take care not to forget Biblical truths!

Remember!

From a sermon byErik Calhoun

20 Higher Way

shall we do?” and Peter didn’t just pat them on the back and send them on their way. He told them to repent! When God convicts us, it is a good thing. We need to take advantage of that by responding with repentance.

my wife and I have two sons. When our oldest was two years old, we started to teach him to say, “I’m sorry.” At that time, he couldn’t quite pro-nounce the words correctly, so he’d say “Hossy.” And, being only two, he did not really understand what it meant. If he did something wrong, he might say “Hossy” and then go and do exactly what he’d just done all over again. He was clearly too young to grasp the con-cept. But once we are older and under-stand when we are doing wrong, this cannot be our excuse. God knows our hearts. He knows if we are just saying we are sorry, or if we really mean it. the Bible says, “For godly sorrow wor-keth repentance to salvation not to be repented of” (2 Corinthians 7:10). this is a heartfelt sorrow that causes us to turn away from sin. We are done with it. true repentance, when mixed with faith, results in salvation.

these are all truths that we have heard—conviction, repentance, and salvation. We’ve also heard about res-titution. many of us who were raised in Christian homes were mighty care-ful about what we did before we were saved, because we knew we would have to make it right some day. that is Bib-lical: we are to have “a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men” (Acts 24:16). God lays it on our hearts to make right the wrong things we have done in the past. these are things that we have heard; things that we do not want to let slip.

entire sanctification is another teaching that we have heard and expe-rienced. there was a Saturday night when I prayed because I needed sanc-tification. As I prayed, the lord blessed me, but that was not sanctification. I kept praying, and then in a miraculous way, God’s fire fell and sanctified my heart. I will never forget that, and no one can talk me out of it. When the lord sanctifies, the fire falls, and while

individuals might describe it a little bit differently, God will make it real for each person.

there is an onslaught of the enemy against the doctrine of an instanta-neous work of entire sanctification. there are some who attempt to refute this teaching by referring to Romans chapter 7, where Paul talks about a warring in his members. they ques-tion, “Why does Paul say he cannot

help but do the things that he does not want to do?” Keep reading to the first verse of chapter 8. there Paul says, “there is therefore now no condem-nation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” He was obviously writing about condemnation in his past, but clearly states that there is now “no condem-nation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” You see, he had been saved and subsequently sanctified, and God had taken away that internal war-ring—that carnal nature. And it wasn’t just tied down or suppressed, it was eradicated! that’s not to say sancti-fied individuals won’t ever be tempted; Jesus was tempted, and He was with-out sin. Adam and eve were made in purity and holiness and they were tempted and fell. We will be tempted also, but we can stand because we are not going to let these things slip.

We have been taught about the bap-tism of the Holy Ghost—power for

service. We reminisce about times when we could not hold a scheduled service because of powerful prayer meetings taking place, in which hearts were being filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. the Bible says it is for everyone; once you are sanctified, you can be baptized with the Holy Spirit. He is a Comforter and teacher. He gives us power to be a better witness for Jesus. Yes, we can invite someone to church and be a witness before we have been baptized with the Holy Ghost, but God’s plan is for us to receive that experience. However, we also know that the enemy goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. We must be careful. We must remind our-selves, lest these things slip.

the writer of the Book of Hebrews asks, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3). maybe you have neglected just a little bit over the last year. You didn’t turn your back on the lord, but per-haps you neglected to read your Bible, or to spend time on your knees in prayer, or to be in church like you know you should. We must search our hearts and say, “lord, I don’t want to neglect this great salvation.” this “great salva-tion” is not just justification, but it is God’s entire plan for us—salvation, sanctification, and the mighty bap-tism of the Holy Ghost. We must not neglect any of it. We must remind our-selves, reminisce, look back, but then expect a blessing today.

God is faithful to check our hearts, to tell us when it is time that we step up, make up the hedge, and fill in a gap in the Gospel ranks. We have heard many messages about that, and it is time for us young people to do so. We are not a generation that is going to let these teachings be forgotten. We are not going to take these things for granted. We are going to seek the lord and expect Him to answer! When we realize how precious this Gospel is, we will cherish it and determine not to let these things slip.

Erik Calhoun is youth leader at the Apos-tolic Faith Church in Portland, Oregon.

Many of us who were raised in

Christian homes were mighty

careful about what we did before we

were saved, because we knew we would have to make it right

some day.

Higher Way 21

Highlighting Our Heritage

She began to search for God in the troublng years of World War I, and step by step God led her to a place of repentance.

By Helen Hawes

I was born and reared on a farm in western minnesota. I never heard my mother pray, nor do I remem-

ber seeing a Bible in our home. We did have a book of Bible stories, how-ever, and I believed them. mother was a good woman and warned me about the many sins that might befall me, but I was a disobedient child and seemingly without natural affection. my friends were mostly church mem-bers, but they mixed religion and sin together. though I knew right from wrong, I had no conviction for sin.

When I was twenty-three years old I married, and my husband and I both loved the pleasures and amuse-ments of the world. However, he had a praying mother who was a real Chris-tian, and in his trunk was a new Bible that his parents had given him on his twenty-first birthday. I read and reread that Bible from cover to cover, and was never the same again after that.

In 1918, tragedy struck. my father died, my husband’s mother died, and my brother was killed in France during World War I. those were serious days. I began to pray and wanted to go to church, though my husband and I had not been inside a church for years. I forsook the things of the world, yet there was no conviction or repentance

for past sins. Finally, we did join a church and were baptized in water, but there was no change in my life. Some-how, though, God put the love of the truth in my heart and I had a certain standard that could not be shaken. As I walked in the light I had, the lord gave me more light, and I began to weigh everything by the Word of God. I would question anything contrary to His Word.

In spite of that, it seemed that for about ten years, I was just a wanderer and a misfit. I turned over a new leaf each year, but each time my resolve to do better proved fruitless. One night in 1934, I prayed, and the cry of my heart was that God would show me the true way. A short time after that, we received an Apostolic Faith paper in our mailbox, and the lord showed me that I had at last found the truth. the paper seemed to glisten with the Word of God and with what God was doing in hearts and lives. the testi-monies in that paper were convinc-ing. through reading them, the lord showed me that I had never been born again. One day I read about a woman who, after she prayed in her kitchen, sprang up and said, “I am as clean as the day I was born!” I knew that was not true of me.

A Wanderer Finds Her Way

22 Higher Way

I turned over a new leaf each year, but each time my resolve to do better proved fruitless.

Conviction settled upon me, although I did not understand what was the matter with me. I had passed as a Christian for years; I would have been very offended if anyone had told me that was not the case. However, God

r e m i n d e d me of the first sin I had ever commit-ted, the first lie I told my m o t h e r. my sins began to roll up before me like a m o u n t a i n , day after day, night after night. God began to show me how deceit-ful I was, and the pride that had ruled my life. I had never asked anyone to forgive me,

and I had never admitted I was wrong.God continued to deal so faithfully

with me! He showed me the friends I had lied to and the ones I had lied about. He showed me the bitterness and hatred I had toward others, the grudge I had in my heart against my own mother, the slander, the backbit-ing, and the friends I had separated. In God’s mercy and goodness, He led me step by step from acknowledgement to true repentance. I saw my heart as God had seen it all those years.

At last, after I had confessed my sins to my family, my friends, and the preachers, one night I confessed them to God. In a moment of time, it was as if the living streams of salvation came into my soul. I could never tell you of the joy, the peace, and the rest that filled my heart when I repented of the last sin. I felt as though I had come out of a howling wilderness. I hardly recognized myself. I was a different woman, and I have been a different woman ever since.

I wrote to the Apostolic Faith Church in Portland, Oregon, and told them our needs, which were many. the answer came back, “We will pray.”

the depression was on at that time, and we listed our farm for sale with no results. In January of 1935, we were snowed in, and a man and his son walked in over the snowdrifts and said they understood we wanted to sell our farm. From that time on, all we had to do was to stand still and see God work.

the man wanted possession by march 1. We could not drive to Port-land right away, but the lord worked out all the details about that, too. there was a house across the field that was rented and they were moving on march 1. every move was timed. We did not even go to look things over. But when we arrived, we found it was clean, and had a fire in the range and hot water in the reservoir. there was a nice big chicken house; we took over 150 laying hens and feed, and a man came thirty miles to buy them when we left. my husband built a two-wheeled trailer outfit, and we started for Portland on June 11, 1935.

As we left that day, my mother stood on one side of the car and our married daughter on the other side, weeping. It was hard, and I shed many tears, but they are both in Heaven today. Yes, it paid! It seemed as though a curtain dropped behind me, and I have never looked back.

It was camp meeting time when we arrived in Portland, and it seemed that every Bible teaching given was for me. the founder of this work said, “If you don’t know of another consecration to make, just let the Word of God wash your heart,” and again, “Just eat the whole lamb of God; He can’t help but give you your experiences.” It wasn’t hard for me to take what I heard, for I was so hungry for God.

the lord answered my prayers as I sought Him for deeper experiences. there, on that blessed campground, He sanctified me and baptized me with the Holy Ghost. When I came to God, I was just a weak, sickly woman, not able to do my own housework; but as I walked in the light of the Gospel and received the deeper experiences, my health and strength came back.

my husband and I did not know where we were going to live or how he could make a living in Portland, but God led us step by step. I stood on the

Helen Hawes and her husband on their 65th wedding anniversary.

Higher Way 23

You may obtain additional information about these doctrines, and learn about our publications in foreign languages by writing to the Apostolic Faith Church at 6615 SE 52nd Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97206, U.S.A. or visiting our website at www.apostolicfaith.org.

Before these magazines are sent out, they are always prayed over for the healing of the sick and the salvation of souls.

A Statement of Bible Doctrine

The Divine Trinity consists of three Persons: God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Ghost, perfectly united as one. matthew 3:16-17; 1 John 5:7.

Repentance is a godly sorrow for and a renouncing of all sin. Isaiah 55:7; matthew 4:17.

Justification (salvation) is the act of God’s grace through which we receive forgiveness for sins and stand before God as though we had never sinned. Romans 5:1; 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Entire Sanctification, the act of God’s grace whereby we are made holy, is the second definite work and is subsequent to justi-fication. John 17:15-21; Hebrews 13:12.

The Baptism of the Holy Ghost is the enduement of power upon the sanctified life, and is evidenced by speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. John 14:16-17,26; Acts 1:5-8; 2:1-4.

Divine Healing of sickness is provided through the atonement. James 5:14-16; 1 Peter 2:24.

The Second Coming of Jesus will consist of two appearances. First, He will come to catch away His waiting Bride. matthew 24:40-44; 1 thessalonians 4:15-17. Second, He will come to execute judgment upon the ungodly. 2 thes salonians 1:7-10; Jude 14-15.

The Tribulation will occur between Christ’s coming for His Bride and His return in judg-ment. Isaiah 26:20-21; Revelation 9 and 16.

Christ’s Millennial Reign will be the 1000 years of peaceful reign by Jesus on earth. Isaiah 11 and 35; Revelation 20:1-6.

The Great White Throne Judgment will be the final judg-ment when all the wicked dead will stand before God. Revelation 20:11-15.

The New Heaven and The New Earth will replace the pres-ent heaven and earth, which will be destroyed after the Great White throne Judgment. 2 Peter 3:12-13; Revelation 21:1-3.

Eternal Heaven and Eternal Hell are literal places of final and eternal destiny. matthew 25:41-46; luke 16:22-28.

Marriage is a covenant between one man and one woman that is binding before God for life. neither person has a right to marry again while the first companion lives. mark 10:6-12; Romans 7:1-3.

Restitution is necessary, where- in wrongs against others are righted. ezekiel 33:15; matthew 5:23-24.

Water Baptism is by one immersion “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” matthew 3:16; 28:19.

The Lord’s Supper is an insti-tution ordained by Jesus so that we might remember His death until He returns. matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

Foot Washing is practiced according to the example and commandment Jesus gave. John 13:14-15.

We believe in the divine inspiration of the Bible, and endorse all the teachings contained in it. Following is a summary of our basic doctrines.

promise, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (matthew 6:33). my husband had no trade, as all he had been used to doing was working a farm for himself. So the last Friday of camp meeting, I said to the lord in our tent, “lord, show me today what we should do!” It seemed He took my hand and led me down the path to where the campers washed clothes, and there was a bulletin board. I looked right at one of the business cards there, and as I read the card the lord showed me that was the place we should go.

We went and inquired at that address, and found that just the night before this man and his wife had said, “We will sell our house for so much if we can get the cash.” So we bought their home, and he asked my husband to work for him. He worked there for a year-and-a-half, got some experience, and finally went into business for him-self. He was self-employed for many years until he retired.

I thank God there is no hypocrisy in my life today. there is no pride. there is no trying to cover up sin in my life. I have love in my heart for my fellow man. I love the high standard of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; I love the narrow way of the Cross.

I feel so blessed that God counted me worthy to have a part in sending out the Gospel literature. For many years I had the privilege of work-ing in the mailing department at the Apostolic Faith headquarters, and thoroughly enjoyed that work. When I see our altars piled high with mail to be prayed over before it is sent to the post office, it puts a praise and thanks-giving in my heart that one of these Apostolic Faith papers ever reached me, two thousand miles from here.

Jesus never has failed us, and we have never wanted for any good thing, according to His promise. How I praise Him for the blessings in my life.

Hazel Hawes was saved in 1934. She was a faithful worker in the Apostolic Faith Church, and helped out for many years in the Mailing Department of the International Headquarters in Portland. She passed away in August of 1983.

24 Higher Way

Please send me the Higher Way free of charge.

Pe

RIO

dIC

AlS

PO

StA

Ge

PA

Id A

t P

OR

tlA

nd

, OR

eG

On

www.apostolicfaith.org

ARE YOU ON THE LIST?

First name middle Initial last name

Address

City State/Country Postal Code

this is a new subscription.

this is a change of address. (Please enclose old address label.)

I am a current subscriber and wish to remain on your mailing list.

mail this completed coupon to:

Apostolic Faith Church6615 Se 52nd Avenue

Portland, Oregon 97206 U.S.A.

to keep our records up to date, we must hear from you at least once a year. to submit names of people you wish to receive a sample copy, use a separate sheet of paper.

You can’t stop the wind.But you can hold your ground.

When winds of change whip through our lives, we need to have deeply rooted faith. Higher Way magazine is

designed to help you put down spiritual roots, develop your faith, and give you the strength you need to stand firm when the storms of life come your way. Subscribe to this free magazine today by filling out the coupon below.

103-4

Fonts:Voluta ScriptTrajan Pro