TIDINGS APRIL, 2017 From the Heart of the Superintendent

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TIDINGS VOLUME APRIL, 2017 From the Heart of the Superintendent Glenn & Betty Beaver Superintendent The Resurrected Christ All four Gospel writers record the events around the resurrection of Christ.

First, consider the POSITION of the resurrected Christ. Christ is no longer hanging on the cross or laying in the borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea or forever held by death.

His position is one of exultation, who is worthy to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing as declared in Revelations 5:12.

1 TIDINGS VOLUME APRIL, 2017 From the Heart of the Superintendent Glenn & Betty Beaver Superintendent The Resurrected Christ All four Gospel writers record the events around the resurrection of Christ. Michael Horban wrote an article for the Pentecostal Evangel in the April 7, 1996 edition and I want to call your attention to three aspects of resurrection which he referenced. First, consider the POSITION of the resurrected Christ. Christ is no longer hanging on the cross or laying in the borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea or forever held by death. Hebrews 1:3 states, Christ is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. In Romans 8:34 Paul wrote, It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God. His position is one of exultation, who is worthy to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing as declared in Revelations 5:12. Secondly, consider the POWER of the resurrected Christ. Jesus stated and Matthew recorded His words in 28:18, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. The power of the resurrected Christ will save all who will believe on Him. Hebrews 7:25a states, Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come to God by Him. Christ has the power to forgive sin, cleanse from sin and keep us from sin. He also has the power to baptize in the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist said and Luke 3:16 records it, I indeed baptize you with water, but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. The power of the resurrected Christ causes the Holy Spirit to be our continual Comforter, Counselor, Helper and Standby. A third thing which the power of the resurrected Christ will provide for us is He will intercede for us. Hebrews 7:25b states, Seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Paul wrote it this way to the church in Rome chapter 8 verse 34, Who is He that condemeth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who maketh intercession for us This is why we can come boldly unto the throne of grace and obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16.) One final aspect of the power of the resurrected Christ is that He has power over sin and death. [God] disarmed the principalities and powers against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in [the cross] (Colossians 2:15 Amplified. Bible). Michael Horban wrote, Jesus had raised the dead, restored sight to the blind, made the lame to walk, cleansed the lepers and cured the sick of all manner of diseases. Despite all these signs the religious leaders of His day clamored for more. To settle the matter once and for all, Jesus told them His ultimate sign was still coming the sign of the prophet Jonah. Jonah had been inside a big fish for three days and three nights, but had emerged alive. Jesus said, So shall the son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:40). Jesus physical resurrection from the dead is not theology; it is history. The resurrection sets Jesus apart from all other earthly religious teachers. Buddha is dead; Confucius is dead; Mohammed is dead. JESUS and JESUS alone has LXXI NUMBER 4 Glenn R. Beaver returned from the grave and that means that the last miserable enemy DEATH has been vanquished. I Corinthians 15:54 states, Death is swallowed up in victory! The third aspect of the resurrected Christ, which I want us to consider, is OUR POSITION in the resurrected Christ. As we consider our position in the resurrected Christ, remember we are hid in Christ as we read in Colossians 3:3, For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. We will appear in glory with Christ. Then in Colossians 3:4, When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. We are made alive in Christ as stated in Ephesians 2:1, [Amplified Bible], And you [He made alive when you] were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of your transgressions and sins, And one final aspect of our position in the resurrected Christ is that we are made to sit with Christ in heavenly places. As recorded in The Amplified Bible, Ephesians 2:6-7 states, And He raised us up together with Him [when we believed], and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, [because we are] in Christ Jesus, [and He did this] so that in the ages to come He might [clearly] show the immeasurable and unsurpassed riches of His grace in [His] kindness toward us in Christ Jesus [by providing for our redemption]. As we celebrate this Easter season let s keep in mind, The POSITION of the resurrected Christ; The POWER of the resurrected Christ; and OUR POSI- TION in the resurrected Christ! Billy & Bettye Nickell District Secretary/Treasurer Paul s first letter to the church in Corinth deals with a number of issues that were adversely affecting the spiritual health of the congregation. The moral turpitude of the city had plummeted to such depravity that the term corinthiazesthai, to behave like a Corinthian, was used to describe the debauched state of the cosmopolitan attraction. The humanistic mind-set that characterized the city had made inroads into the church, causing Paul to address such things as ecclesiastical cliques, incest in the congregation and the church s un- willingness to address the sin, litigation between believers, eating food sacrificed to idols, the abuse of spiritual gifts, and more. In the final chapter of this first letter, Paul directs attention to the subject of Christ s resurrection, and the subsequent resurrection of those who die in the Lord, explaining the blessings and benefits of Jesus victory over death, hell and the grave. The famed British minister, W. E. Sangster, began to lose his voice and mobility in the mid 1950s. His disease caused progressive muscular atrophy. He recognized the end was near so he threw himself into writing and praying. In the midst of his suffering he pleaded, Let me stay in the struggle, Lord. I don t mind if I can no longer be a general, but give me just a regiment to lead. Sangster s voice eventually failed completely and his legs became useless. On Easter morning, just a few weeks before his death, he took a pen and shakily wrote his daughter a letter. In it he said, It is terrible to wake up on Easter morning and have no voice with which to shout, He is risen! But it would be still more terrible to have a voice and not want to shout. As believers, each of us should live with a shout in our heart, Jesus is risen! Jesus is alive! This is Paul s message in this chapter! John S. Whale stated, The gospels do not explain the resurrection; the resurrection explains the gospels. Belief in the resurrection is not an appendage to the Christian faith; it is the Christian faith. Of the many highlights that could be expounded from these verses, here are three concerning The Risen Christ. The apostle s exegesis begins with him reminding his audience of the proclamation of the resurrection. After saying that Christ died for our sins according to scriptures, and was buried according to scriptures, he then states, he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. The announcement that Jesus would come forth from the dead had been clearly and publically articulated before His arrest by the Roman soldiers, or sentenced to death by Pilate. Early in His ministry John records His proclamation in John 2:19, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. In Matthew 12:40 He declared, For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Paul s point in his opening remarks is to remind readers that Jesus resurrection had been communicated openly, long before the stone was removed from the borrowed tomb and the soldiers were bribed to lie that His body had been stolen. While others have fabricated such proclamations, only Jesus came forth as the first fruits of the resurrection! Jemima Wilkinson was born in Rhode Island during Her Quaker parents provided a religious education, but she later became a religion unto herself. She was a very capable speaker who convinced a following of 250 people that she had been raised from the dead at age 20. They thought she was the Messiah. At one point in her ministry she took her flock to a lake and begged The Risen Christ (I Corinthians 15:1-58) the question, Do you think I can walk on the water like Jesus did? They affirmed she could so the spiritual leader answered, Then there is no point in me doing it. When she died in 1820, the sect followed her strict orders, Don t bury me because God is going to raise me from the dead. As Ms. Wilkinson s body decomposed, her following died off as well. She never came back! No other message has ever been proclaimed more often and with greater passion by believers of every generation and nationality than that of The Risen Christ! As the wonderful hymn states, He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today! Paul continues his critical explanation of Jesus victory over death by next addressing the proof of the resurrection. The list of witnesses required to pass the litmus test was two or three witnesses. The evidence presented in this chapter far exceeds the stipulated minimum; Peter, the twelve, five-hundred of His followers at one time - most of whom were still alive, James and later by all the apostles, and the writer himself. The massive proof of our Lord s resurrection could not, and has not since been factually refuted! The broken seal, the large stone removed from the empty tomb s opening, the Roman guards that were incapacitated and later bribed to lie, the appearance of angels, the grave clothes that were left inside the sepulcher - probably in the shape of a body without a body inside, the rolled up head cloth in a place by itself, along with many other gospel reports, are only a few of the indisputable facts that the body was not stolen as perpetrated. Years ago a woman wrote the well-known radio preacher, J. Vernon McGee. Her letter said the following, Our preacher said that on Easter Jesus just swooned on the cross and that the disciples nursed him back to health. What do you think? J. Vernon McGee replied, Dear sister, beat your preacher with a leather whip for thirty-nine heavy strokes. Nail him to a cross. Hang him in the sun for six hours. Run a spear through his heart. Embalm him. Put him in an airless tomb for three days. Then see what happens. Borrowing from the lyrics of the hymn earlier mentioned, believers over the two millenniums have sang, You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart! Paul s next emphasis concerns the provision of the resurrection by using negative and dastardly consequences if the resurrection of Jesus is false, All our preaching is useless, your faith is useless and we apostles would all be lying, you are still guilty of your sins, all who have died believing in Christ are lost, and if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. It is Paul s back-door way of stating the obvious - the absolute opposite of those things! Because of The Risen Christ, Paul could write in Ephesians 1:3, All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. The story is told that in the early days of the automobile, a man s Model- T Ford stalled in the middle of the road. He couldn t get it started no matter how hard he cranked nor how much he tried to advance the spark or adjust things under the hood. Just then a chauffeured limousine pulled up behind him, and a wiry, energetic man stepped out from the back seat and offered his assistance. After tinkering for a few moments the stranger said, Now try it! Immediately the engine leaped to life. The welldressed individual then identified himself as Henry Ford. I designed and built these cars, he said, so I know what to do when something goes wrong. As believers, we serve The Risen Christ who created and put into place all that we have and all that we are. His resurrection has made it possible to fix any and everything that has been soiled or broken by sin. Christianity is the only religion on Earth to have an empty tomb! Thank God for The Risen Christ!

Director of Church Ministries March Madness As I write this article, March Madness is in full swing and it is the Holy Grail for college basketball fans.

Sixty-Four teams compete against each other until there are only two teams left, which will determine who will be the National Champions. It is always interesting to see who will emerge on top.

A basketball team consists of five players: the point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and the center.

1 Corinthians 12: 5-7 (NLT) states, There are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are serving.

2 Director of Church Ministries March Madness As I write this article, March Madness is in full swing and it is the Holy Grail for college basketball fans. For about four weeks it is wall-to-wall NCAA Basketball coverage. Sixty-Four teams compete against each other until there are only two teams left, which will determine who will be the National Champions. It is always interesting to see who will emerge on top. Whether you are a basketball fan or not, there are some valuable lessons that can be learned. Basketball is a team sport. A basketball team consists of five players: the point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and the center. Each of these positions have unique responsibilities that complement each other. Every believer has been equipped with talents and abilities to help build up the Body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12: 5-7 (NLT) states, There are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are serving. There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church. The rebounder is just as important as the shooter. Even the best shooters miss about 50% of their shots. The key to succeeding in life and ministry is not to never fail at anything, but to rebound after what we perceive to be a failure. Proverbs 24:16 (NIV) declares, For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity. The great Michael Jordan, in his career, missed approximately 51% of his shot attempts, but when the game was on the line you wanted him to have the ball. You will be fouled and you will foul others. Life is violent sometimes. You will get bumped and bruised. People will hurt us and let us down and let s face it, we will hurt others and let people down from time to time as well. In Matthew 18:21-22 we read, Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. We have been forgiven for so much that we should willingly offer forgiveness to others ( Read Matthew 18:23-35) It s what you do away from the crowds that matters. Many times a game will come down to the last shot. The thing that separates the average player from the exceptional player is the amount of time they are willing to put in behind the scenes. You don t want the game to rest on you making a free-throw and yet you have been skipping free-throw practice. God gives us the talents but He expects us to cultivate that talent. David would not have been ready to go against Goliath if he hadn t first gone against the lion and the bear. Only God knows what the future holds. Millions fill out a bracket for March Madness each year. My bracket has usually imploded before the first round is completed. There is always at least one team that comes out of nowhere and pulls out the upset. We need to plan for the future, but trust the Lord for the outcome. In Isaiah 46:10 (NLT) God declared, Only I can tell you what is going to happen even before it happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish. Ministers & Churches Newly Credentialed: Robert Melton, Licensed Nate Beggs, Licensed Transferred Out: William Blain (O), North Texas Joseph Snodgrass (O), New Mexico New Parent Affiliated Churches: Van Horn Community Church Van Horn, Texas Parent Church, Harvest Christian Center, El Paso New Pastor: Calvary AG, Midland, Bradley Smith Available for Ministry Gene Benningfield Larry Boyd Kelly Breckenridge Charlie Garcia Margie Gonzales Michael Gordon Jack Hargrave Byron Jones Tracy McWilliams Z.A. Myers J.C. Owen Chris Pritchard Text Joe Robinson Forest Srader Marcus Tanner Neil Unwin April 22, 2017 Certification Level Acts: Holy Spirit at Work in Believers Licensed Level Old Testament Survey Ordination Pentateuch WEST TEXAS BIBLE INSTITUTE Tracy & Cara Lynn McWilliams West Texas AG District Officiary GLENN R. BEAVER, Superintendent grbeaver@sbcglobal.net TOM LAKEY, Assistant Superintendent tlakey@lubbockag.org BILLY D. NICKELL, Sec/Treasurer fantastic1316@gmail.com SECTIONAL PRESBYTERS Kevin Anderson, Danny Williams Vance Mitchell, Nelson Gonzalez Mike Hanks, Eddie Lee Web site: wtaog.org TIDINGS EDITOR TRACY MCWILLIAMS tracy.mcwilliams@sbcglobal.net th Street, P.O. Box Lubbock, TX, 79464, Phone: Please notify editor of any change of address. Third class postage paid at Lubbock, TX. Published monthly. May 20, 2017 Certification Level Prison Epistles Licensed Level Romans Ordination Poetic Books West Texas Assemblies of God Laborers Together With God The Presbytery Board of the West Texas District Council of the Assemblies of God Cordially Invites You to attend the Dedication Ceremony and Open House for the New West Texas Assemblies of God Office Complex 2:00 pm, Monday, April 24, th Street, Lubbock, Texas (Corner of South Milwaukee Avenue & 126 th Street)

2017 June 12-15 87th District Council Greater Things!

the works I have been doing, and they will do even

April 4 Seagraves, First AG, Banquet $12.

Beaver West Texas District Superintendent East Plains

$12.25 Speaker: Vance Mitchell Rod Loy Senior Pastor

Tuesday, April 11 Muleshoe, CenterPointe Church,

3 2017 June th District Council Greater Things! Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even Greater Things than these, because I am going to the Father. John 14:12 NIV North Plains Section Monday, April 3 Amarillo, First AG, Banquet $12.00 Speaker: Kevin Anderson Pecos Section Thursday, April 6 Midland, First AG, Banquet $12.50 Speaker: Mike Hanks South Plains Section Tuesday, April 4 Seagraves, First AG, Banquet $12.00 Speaker: Danny Williams Glenn R. Beaver West Texas District Superintendent East Plains Section Monday, April 10 Floydada, Trinity AG, Banquet $12.25 Speaker: Vance Mitchell Rod Loy Senior Pastor First AG, North Little Rock, West Plains Section Tuesday, April 11 Muleshoe, CenterPointe Church, Banquet $10.00 Speaker: Nelson Gonzalez Hosted by First Assembly of God 100 West Wadley, Midland, Texas El Paso Section Tuesday, April 18 El Paso, Harvest CC, Banquet $10.00 Speaker: Eddie Lee

Registry Items to Focus On All Size Sheets, King & Queen

Thank you Sue Murdoch, Jackie Thomason, and Jonathan

ONLINE DORCAS ROOM SHOWER April is the month to restock

Please use the following registries for your purchases.

Texas KOHL S Log On: Create Your Own Bride: Dorcas

4 THE DORCAS ROOM...her new home Becky & Joe Nenstiel Women s Director Registry Items to Focus On All Size Sheets, King & Queen Mattress Pads, Queen Comforters, Three Piece Towel Sets Thank you Sue Murdoch, Jackie Thomason, and Jonathan &Audra Delgatty for helping to set up the new Dorcas Room. ONLINE DORCAS ROOM SHOWER April is the month to restock the Dorcas Room. Please use the following registries for your purchases. TARGET WEDDING REGISTRY Bride: Dorcas Missions Groom: West Texas KOHL S Log On: Create Your Own Bride: Dorcas Missions Groom: West Texas WALMART At Top: Click on Registry Select Wedding Registry First Name: Dorcas Last Name: Missions State: TX Click Find Select with 4/17/2017 Event Date Items should be shipped to: West Texas Assemblies of God th St. Lubbock, TX 79424

WEST TEXAS DISTRICT COUNCIL OF THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID LUBBOCK, TX PERMIT NO.

Box 64778 Lubbock, TX 79464-4778 Billy & Robin Snider Men s Director RETURN

Director Around West Texas We express our sympathy to the family of Flora Lee.

Center, El Paso), and is also the grandmother of Jeena Lee, (Ordained), and the

Prayer Requests: Nova Lena Reeves, (spouse of Gayle Reeves, Midland), treatment

Dumas), cancer; Perry (Red) Shuffield, (Senior Retired Ordained Minister,

Amarillo), surgery for brokefemur; David Schlewitz, (Ordained, Prison Chaplain,

failure/heart attack; and Karen Houghton, (Cliff, Lead Pastors, Fairview,

Please pray these individuals will receive a supernatural touch from God.

5 WEST TEXAS DISTRICT COUNCIL OF THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID LUBBOCK, TX PERMIT NO th Street P.O. Box Lubbock, TX Billy & Robin Snider Men s Director RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED WEST TEXAS MEN S MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT Billy & Robin Snider Men s Director Around West Texas We express our sympathy to the family of Flora Lee. Flora is the mother of Eddie Lee, (Linda, Lead Pastors, Harvest Christian Center, El Paso), and is also the grandmother of Jeena Lee, (Ordained), and the great grandmother of Robert Melton (Licensed). Prayer Requests: Nova Lena Reeves, (spouse of Gayle Reeves, Midland), treatment for leukemia; Stacy Akins, (spouse of Damon Akins, Lead Pastors at First AG, Dumas), cancer; Perry (Red) Shuffield, (Senior Retired Ordained Minister, Tahoka), kidney & bladder issues; Mary Beggs (Senior Retired Ordained Minister, Amarillo), surgery for brokefemur; David Schlewitz, (Ordained, Prison Chaplain, Plainview) surgery; Willard Teague, (Sr Ordained, World Missionary), kidney failure/heart attack; and Karen Houghton, (Cliff, Lead Pastors, Fairview, Amarillo), surgery. Please pray these individuals will receive a supernatural touch from God. New Grandbaby: Dean & Susan Williamson, (Lead Pastors, Maranatha AG, Andrews), welcomed a granddaughter into their family on March 13. Canyon Quade is the daughter of proud parents Stephen (Stepho) and Michaela Williamson. He Has Risen!

W e s t T e x a s A s s e m b l i e s o f G o d

W e s t T e x a s A s s e m b l i e s o f G o d M i n i s t r y... U p ward i n Wo r s h i p I n w a r d i n Discipleship O u t w a r d i n Evangelism Tidings Official Organ of the West Texas District