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The Ozark Letter – November 2008
By MMCG.ORG | November 1, 2008
Feast of Tabernacles 2008 is now a memory and hopefully, a good memory for you. Here, in the Lake of the Ozarks, we
had perfect weather, inspiring Bible studies and messages, and good fellowship. Attendance ranged from 20 to 47. Now it
is time to start thinking about the Super Sabbath and tentatively the date that has been picked is January 10, 2009. More
definite information and details will be in the December newsletter and will probably include a map. Hope to have you with
us. Last year it started at 10:30am with a break for a potluck lunch at 1:00pm, special music, poems, skits, and testimonies
after lunch, and in the evening the young people and the young at heart participated in a game of volleyball at the Eldon
Community Center.
Where will you be on Thanksgiving Day, November 27th
? Perhaps to Grandma’s house or maybe the family will be gath-
ered around your own table. Wherever you go, and however you choose to celebrate the occasion, let’s all thank God for
our many blessings, and may He grant us safe driving weather and a pleasant day.
Csh*******************************************************************************
NOVEMBER GREETINGS: Train up a child in the way he should go:
and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
A Publication of the Mid-Missouri Church of God
November, 2008
Volume XII, Issue 11
The Ozark Newsletter
Lake of the Ozarks
How to Raise a Crook
By the Houston Police Department and from The Challenge
• Begin from infancy to give the child everything he wants. This way he will grow up to believe that the world owes him
a living.
• When he picks up bad words, laugh at him. This will make him think he’s cute. It will also encourage him to pick up
even cuter phrases that will shock and embarrass you later.
• Never give him any spiritual training. Wait until he is twenty-one and then let him decide for himself.
• Avoid the use of the word “wrong” so he won’t develop a guilt complex. Then later, when he is arrested for stealing a
car, he will believe that society is against him and he is being persecuted.
• Always pick up anything he leaves lying around—books, shoes, clothing. Do everything for him so he will be experi-
enced in shirking responsibility.
• Let him read any printed material he can get his hands on. Don’t monitor his computer usage. The silverware and
drinking glasses must be sterilized, but the child’s mind can feed on garbage.
• Quarrel frequently in the presence of your children. This way they won’t be too shocked when the home is broken up.
• Give him all the spending money he wants. Never let him earn his own. Why should he have things as tough as you
had them?
• Satisfy his every craving for food, drink, and comfort. See that every desire is satisfied. Denial may lead to harmful
frustrations.
• Take his part against the neighbors, teachers, and policemen. They are all prejudiced against your child.
• Then when he gets into real trouble, apologize for yourself by saying, “I never could do anything with him.”
Prepare for a life of grief – you will have it. Help Me, Dear God
Sam H Stamper
August 14, 2007
Lord, please give me strength, that I may stand,
Against those who would do me harm,
Help me dear God, to stand for you, each day,
Dear God, please take my arm.
Lord, lead me in the paths of righteousness,
For it has been, and is my goal,
To be in your kingdom,
When my life on earth is ore’
Every day we see our beloved nation,
sinking deeper and deeper in sin.
The evils of disobeying your laws,
Is destroying us from within.
Our nation was founded by your grace,
By men who loved your name,
Blood was shed by our forefathers,
So that we would not be ashamed,
To bow our heads, and pray to you,
And beg for mercy from the throne,
As we confess our sins, and ask for forgiveness,
For all the sinful wrong.
You looked down on them in pity,
As they praised Your Name long ago,
Dear God, help us to do the same,
As we press on here below.
We ask for your forgiveness,
Help us, Dear God, to stand,
Against those who would do us harm,
Dear God, please take my hand.
Copyright: August 14, 2007, Sam H Stamper
All Rights Reserved
Page 2 The Ozark Newslet ter Volume XI I , Issue 11 Is the Godhead a Trinity of Three Equal Persons?
by Roger Day
Mainstream belief holds that God is three equal persons in one – the Father, the Son, and the holy spirit. This belief is not
supported by Bible scripture. Not only is the holy spirit not a separate prescient being, but the Father and the Son are not
equal. The godhead consists of only God the Father and God the Son, and there is a loving father-son relationship (Heb 1:5,
John 1:14; 3:16; 17:24, Mark 1:9-11). The holy spirit is a helping, teaching, and comforting power (Rom 8:26, John 14:26,
Acts 1:8); and it emanates from the Father (John 14:15-17; 15:26, Matt 10:20).
The principal scripture cited by those espousing a trinity is 1 John 5:7-8. But this scripture, as commonly published, con-
tains additional language spuriously added in the 14th century. This is well known to Bible scholars, and study Bibles usu-
ally contain footnotes or references pointing out that the added language did not appear in early Greek manuscript(s) used
for translation. Omitting the added words, note that 1 John 5:7-8 simply reads, “For there are three that bear witness: the
spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.”
John Chapter 1, which describes the Godhead, makes no mention of a holy spirit being. This is not an oversight. The holy
spirit is not a separate being. If it were, then one might have to conclude after reading Luke 1:35 that the holy spirit is
Christ’s father, not the Father that Jesus always addressed in prayer (Matt. 11:25-26; 26:39-42, Mark 14:26, Luke 10:21,
22:42, 23:34, 36, 23:46, John 11:41; 12:27-28, 14:16, 17:1, 5, 11, 21, 24-25). The beginning of Jesus’ human journey as a
baby took place by the working of the power of the holy spirit – the Father’s spirit (John 1:14). Jesus’ spirit was placed in
Mary’s womb. Christ was pre-existent, and was willing to be emptied of his divinity and power to live as a human being
(Phil 2:5-7, John 6:62; 13:3; 17:5). Jesus’ relationship was and is as a Son to his Father (Matt 11:27, Heb 1:1-5).
The two members of the Godhead are not equal. Christ stated that the Father is greater than the Son (John 14:28). This is
supported by the fact that the Father grants authority to the Son (John 5:26-27); that the Father sent the Son to do the Fa-
ther’s will (John 5:30, 6:38; 20:21); and that Jesus did not speak his own words, but the words of the Father that sent him
(John 14:24).
The holy spirit is a gift of understanding and power from the Father that begets Christians as children of God (Rom 8:19).
The physical body of the Christian is the temple of the holy spirit (1 Cor 6:19-20). Those with the holy spirit are assured
salvation (Eph 1:13; 4:30). They can expect to one day be born again as a spirit being with eternal life (John 3:5-8, 16).
The holy spirit is not a separate being cut into countless pieces and placed in Christians. It is an ‘it’, not a ‘he’. While the
spirit is correctly referred to as ‘it’ in many verses, it is unfortunate that in most Bibles, the Greek reflexive pronoun ‘autos’
has also been translated ‘he’ in some verses. The word ‘autos’ can be translated ‘he’, ’she’, ‘them’, ‘they’, or ‘it’, as appropriate
to the context. Understanding that the holy spirit comes from the Father, and that it is a spiritual gift of help, allows one to
know that the holy spirit is an ‘it’, not a separate prescient being. It is true that some scriptures tend to personify the spirit,
though not to the degree that ‘wisdom’ is personified in Proverbs chapters 8 and 9. But we should not be too literal when
what is being communicated has to do with the nature of the spirit (or wisdom). We must study all scriptures concerning
the holy spirit to understand it’s nature as a force, not a person.
By understanding that the holy spirit is the Father’s spirit, we can better understand Matthew 12:31-32, in which Jesus de-
clares, “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the spirit will not
be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against
the holy spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” While Jesus was and is the Son of God,
while on earth he often humbly referred to himself, as in this scripture, as the Son of Man, reflecting his human condition.
The reason it is worse to blaspheme against the holy spirit than against Jesus is because the holy spirit is the Father’s spirit.
Jesus rightly holds his Father higher above all, including himself.
The concept of a trinity of three equal persons in the Godhead is not supported by scripture. There are two unequal persons
- the Father and the Son. The holy spirit is the spirit of the Father, sent as a gift and helper for individuals walking the path
of salvation. Identifying the personages of the Godhead and the nature of the holy spirit is only a starting point. The nature
of the character of God is a much larger subject, and is also reflected in the scriptures. Suffice it to say that the Father and
Page 3 The Ozark Newslet ter Volume XI I , Issue 11 the Son are in harmony – selfless, visionary, determined, and loving – working together for our salvation, not willing that
any should be lost (2 Pet 3:9). May we each one day achieve spiritual harmony with the God that said, “Let us create man
in our image, after our likeness…” (Gen 1:26, Eph 4:20-24). God intends to have many spirit-born children in His family
(Heb 2:10, 1 Cor 15:20-23).
Page 4 The Ozark Newslet ter Volume XI I , Issue 11
MID-MISSOURI CHURCH OF GOD
PO Box 92, Eldon, MO 65026/mailing address. Actual physical address is: 602 East North Street. Phone: 573-392-1232 or
573-498-3775; Email: info@mmcg.org Website: www.mmcg.org The Mid-Missouri Church of God (MMCG) holds
Christian Sabbath services each Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at 602 East North Street, Eldon, MO… A Bible Study and song ser-
vice is scheduled at 10:30am before Sabbath services. Potluck meals after services are planned for the fourth Sabbath of
each month. A weekly Bible study is held each Thursday at 6:30pm. It is best to call ahead and confirm times if you are
traveling any distance to visit us (see the phone numbers above). Occasionally we will cancel local services to attend en
masse elsewhere. Come and enjoy the fellowship! Also, the first Wednesday of each month the ladies meet for a “get to-
gether” and you can contact Martha Roberts at 573-496-3203 or Charleen Gitthens at 573-392-5965 for location and time if
you plan to attend. You can also check the events calendar on the website.
Mothers and Sons
Match the name of the son listed in the first column with the name of his mother found in the second column.
SONS MOTHERS
1._______Abel A. Rebekah
2._______Benjamin B. Hagar
3._______Simeon C. Leah
4._______Isaac D. Jochebed
5._______Jacob E. Rachel
6._______John the Baptist F. Rahab
7._______Samuel G. Elizabeth
8._______Obed H. Bilhah
9._______Gershom I. Ruth
10._______Moses J. Zilpah
11._______Solomon K. Asenath
12._______Boaz L. Eve
13._______Dan M. Eunice
14._______Ishmael N. Mary
15._______Asher O. Sarah
16._______Ahaziah P. Zipporah
17._______Timothy Q. Bathsheba
18._______Ephraim R. Hannah
19._______James S. Jezebel
PUZZLE ANSWER: 1-L, 2-E, 3-C, 4-O, 5-A, 6-G, 7-R, 8-I, 9-P, 10-D, 11-Q. 12-F, 13-H, 14-B, 15-J, 16-S, 17-M, 18-K, 19-N
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