Thoughts from the Editor
Jane S. Hancock
I was browsing through Volume 15 of The Word of
Truth, stopping to read articles here and there, when I came upon
a very short piece entitled “The Earth Is the Lord’s”
(p.105).
I guess what made me stop at this page was that Otis
Q. Sellers was reflecting on how much he loved the beauty of the
United States. (He never had the opportunity to travel out of the
country, something I know he regretted.) Instead of a word study or
a resultant translation or a message on a dispensational truth, he
was waxing poetic about the sights he and my mother saw as they
traveled 10,000 miles across the States on his Fall Conference Tour.
He even quoted a verse to the hymn, “This Is My Father’s
World,” the hymn which became his “theme song” for
his radio broadcasts.
Then he shared a paragraph from The Apocalypse:
Lectures on the Book of Revelation by Joseph A. Seiss
(1823-1904), which painted a picture of a tarnished earth, followed
by a picture of what the earth will be.
The earth now is full of ailments and disorders,
and in deep captivity to corruption, yet it has much attractiveness.
Most men would prefer to stay in it forever, if they could. Ah, this
homestead of our fathers for so many generations, carpeted with green
and flowers, waving with pleasant harvests and shady trees, girded
with glorious mountains, gushing with water-springs, gladdened with
laughing brooks, ribboned with rivers that wind in beauty about the
rocky promontories, varied with endless hills and valleys, and
girthed about with the crystal girdle of the ruffled seas,—these
blazing summer glories,—these gorgeous mellow autumns, these
winters, with their snowy vestments, and glazed streams, and glowing
firesides,—and living nature in its ten thousand forms,
singing, and dancing and shouting and frisking and rejoicing all
around us,—what pictures, and memories, and histories, and
legends, and experiences have we here, to warm our hearts, and stir
our souls, and wake our tongues, and put fire and enthusiasm into our
thoughts, and words, and deeds! But this is only the old earth in
its soiled and work-day garb, where the miseries of a deep, dark, and
universal apostasy from God holds sway. Think, then, what its
regeneration must bring!—an earth which no longer smarts and
smokes under the curse of sin,—an earth which needs no more to
be torn with hooks and irons to make it yield its fruits,—an
earth where thorns and thistles no longer infest the ground, nor
savage beasts lay in ambush to devour,—an earth whose sod is
never cut with graves, whose soil is never moistened with tears or
saturated with human blood, whose fields are never blasted with
unpropitious seasons, whose atmosphere never gives wings to the seeds
of plague and death, whose ways are never lined with funeral
processions, or blocked up with armed men on their way to war,—an
earth whose hills ever flow with salvation, and whose valleys know
only the sweetness of Jehovah’s smiles,—an earth from end
to end, and from center to utmost verge, clothed with the eternal
blessedness of Paradise Restored.
So there you have it, the Kingdom. Right there in
those words. I’m not sure Mr. Seiss knew that, but we do.
“Thy Kingdom Come.”
This is my Father’s world,
And to my list’ning ears,
All nature sings and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world,
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas
His hand the wonders wrought.
—Maltbie B. Babcock
From the Director
David R. Hettema
It was February 10,
2008, another very pleasant Sunday morning, pleasant
because Sunday is the day when all the friends of our Bible Class
gather together to study and enjoy God’s Word. Just as I was
about to leave for the Bible Class, Jane Hancock phoned my home to
tearfully inform us that her husband, Fred had just passed away. Fred
had been moved to a new medical facility just a few days prior. The
Word of Truth has lost a faithful friend, and we all mourn his loss.
To me, Fred was a special person. In addition to his long-time
association with our ministry, he and I also shared some WWII
military experiences, which were in some ways parallel. All of us
will miss his faithful presence at Bible Class.
The Bible clearly states, “It is appointed
unto men, once to die, but after this the judgment.” The
judgment is the setting in order at resurrection for every child of
Adam. Our expectation is that we will see Fred Hancock again in the
Kingdom of God.
In these times the subjects of death and
resurrection are not taught in most religious organizations. Each
generation born and raised under their teaching assumes that what
they set forth is the truth of God concerning death and resurrection.
The powers of the evil One have developed traditions and ancient
philosophies that are not found in God’s Word. These teach that
man has a never-dying soul, and man’s immortality has little
need for resurrection. They deny the reality of death, echoing
Satan’s lie to Eve in the garden found in Genesis 2:4: “And
the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die!”
Every student of the Bible who wants the truth
should really consider all the facts of Scripture which teach us
about death and resurrection, starting with God’s reply to
Adam’s tragic failure as recorded in Genesis 3:17-19:
“Cursed is the ground because of you; through
painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will
produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of
the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you
return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”
The reality of death is that when a man dies he goes
to the soil (dust) and awaits resurrection. Thank God for His only
begotten Son. He died that we may live. Jesus said: “I am
the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may
die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never
die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.
And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
1 John 5:4, NKJV
The Internet Corner
Our 2nd Anniversary
The Word of Truth Web site, www.seedandbread.org,
just celebrated its second year on the ethernet. We’ve had many
wonderful new friends in Christ added to our listings, and only a few
minor disappointments (such as observing the growth of our readership
being slower than we’d originally hoped for). No statistics,
however, can ever measure whether we’re achieving our goal of
reaching believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who are hungry for the
truth. We also continue to remind ourselves that we’re not here
to win any popularity contest, but are here only for His glory.
For your general information, here are some of the
gross statistics of our Site for the last two years:
| |
2006 |
2007 |
| No. of Visitors |
7,540 |
8500 |
| No. of Visits |
13,728 |
20,109 |
| No. Pages Visited |
58,508 |
66,126 |
| No. of Hits |
154,850 |
162,900 |
Spanish Translations
We now have placed four Seed & Bread
studies in the Spanish language onto our Web site. Be sure to tell
your Spanish-speaking friends who might also be interested in the
Truth. Thanks to Ruben Garcia for his continuing dedication to this
project.
Book Challenges Many Church Beliefs
Louis Tonetti, a fellow student in this Ministry, has
recently published a paperback book titled The Seven Pillars of
Death. It challenges the oft-held positions of orthodox
Christianity regarding “heaven,” “hell,” and
what’s beyond the grave for each of us. We commend his book to
you. Tonetti also has committed to share proceeds with The Word of
Truth Ministry. If you are interested, you can order it from the
following Web sites: www.authorhouse.com, and www.amazon.com,
and www.barnesandnoble.com.
Prices are about $12 and $14.
We Get Letters
“Once again another year is coming to an end
and we are one year closer to the approaching of God’s kingdom.
I do not pretend to know how many years are left before the wonderful
event takes place, but I do not think it will be many as this world
continues to get worse as time goes on. I know of no other ministry
quite like The Word of Truth and that’s why I continue to
support your work and always look forward to More
Seed & Bread as these tracts really bring out the truth of
God’s Word.”
“Well, that sent me on another quest for
truth. First I found C.H. Welch’s teaching that I thought to be
interesting so I read a lot of his material and Bullinger’s as
well as others. To sum it up a woman I met online from Washington
State began to forward me studies from a man named Tom Ballenger
called ‘Plainer Words.’ I noticed his position seemed to
change from his earlier writings, he would allude to a premillennial
Kingdom of God and immediately I could see how this could answer a
host of problems. So I just kept reading other people’s
writings and when I did stumble across your web site and began
reading the free Seed & Bread articles by Otis I knew
that’s where Tom got his information not that the Lord couldn’t
show him on his own, but when I began to understand I knew it was
TRUTH. Just so you know your labor is not in vain. . . . So I figure
you are probably doing all that you can as far as a world outreach
goes with your web site and the least I can do to be a part of it is
to support it and I hope to do more in the future. Also I enjoy the
‘Sunday Morning Bible Studies’ by your brother (Milt
Hammond) and Dave (Hettema) and I appreciate all the efforts.”
“Thank you for your letter, with the receipt
to me. I enjoyed reading all of it, and the portion from Isaiah
65:23-25. Yes, the coming time of the Kingdom of God is wondrous to
think of. My hope and prayers are also that this may be soon.”
“I so appreciate being on your mailing list
and receiving your Bulletin and enclosures. You are my ‘lifeline
to sanity’ with regard to rightly dividing the Word of Truth in
these days. Your steadfastness in sharing The Word of Truth study
results is much appreciated.”
“Keep up the best work going on this side of
the coming Kingdom of God.”
“Thank you for your faithfulness and
commitment to the Word of Truth. We all benefit! Wishing you a
blessed and prosperous--in the Word--2008.”
Bible
Study Satellite Group Locations
In Southern California (Los Angeles Area):
The Word of Truth Ministry, 228 N. El Molino
Ave., Pasadena; Sundays from 10:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. Mr. David
Hettema presides; Dr. Milton Hammond alternates. Hettema may be
reached at (626) 794-0819. Hymn “sing-a-long” before
service. “We continue studies based upon the Biblical records
of our Bible, and written/spoken words of the late Otis Q. Sellers.”
In New York (New York City Area):
The YMCA, 125 W. 14th
St. (between 6th
& 7th
Avenues), New York City, the last Sunday of each month from 2 to
4 p.m. Mr. Luis Casillas, moderator. Contact Mr. Mike Steele by
e-mail: quickby@juno.com. “We use O.Q. Sellers’ Seed &
Bread leaflets (found on www.seedandbread.org) as a guide for our
discussions.”
In New York:
Endicott, No regular schedules. Contact Mr.
Robert Briggs at (607) 746-4870 for information.
In New Jersey:
430 Boulevard Ave., Pitman, Mondays from
7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Mr. Sam Marrone presides as host and may be
reached at (856) 589-6256. Marrone notes, “Bring your Bible and
a hunger for the Word.”
In Texas (Houston Area):
5847 Chinaberry Drive, Houston, Sundays from
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 or 1 p.m. Mr. and Mrs. Donald Black are hosts
and may be contacted at (713) 462-2250. “We usually listen and
study one of Otis Sellers’ tapes.”
In Minnesota (St. Paul Area):
622 Selby Ave. (Room above Mississippi Market
Food Co-op), St. Paul, Every other Friday, 6 p.m. Mr. Nathan C.
Johnson presides and may be reached at (651) 737-0144 (work). Johnson
encourages: “Please contact me, and come enjoy your time around
God’s Word with our group.”
The Subject of Grace
By Joanne L.H. Johnson (page 4)
What is meant by finding favor and grace with God?
By fully believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace is a love and
favor that is not deserved. Have you ever wondered why God was so
gracious that He loved the world so much that he gave His only
Begotten Son or sole Expression of Himself that whosoever believes in
Him might not be destroyed in the second death but have eonian life
(John 3:16)?
Grace is God’s work in all of us, which causes
us to maintain our belief in Jesus Christ. God’s gift of grace
is manifested in each and every one of us for accepting and believing
in Jesus Christ. Our present record is through following His
precepts, ordinances and other Scriptural guidelines, which will be
used by God in determining our resurrection from the dead. God’s
most gracious act was giving mankind salvation from all of our sins.
As Milton B. Hammond puts it in his resultant translation of
Colossians 3:12-14: “As, therefore, God’s chosen ones,
holy and beloved of God Himself, put on a heart of compassion, be
merciful in action, kindly in heart, humble in mind, with gentleness
and patience, being tolerant with one another, always ready to
forgive if you have a difference with anyone (dealing graciously with
others as God deals graciously with you). And, above everything else
be truly loving, for love is the golden chain of all the virtues.”
Below are several examples of Scripture using the
word “grace”:
Ephesians 2:8 says it beautifully: “For by (in
the) grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God.” (See OQS resultant translation in Seed &
Bread No. 59, Ephesians—Chapter Two, The Resultant Version.)
Ephesians 4:32 says: . . . Be kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving (dealing graciously with) one another, even
as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven (deals graciously with)
you.” (See OQS resultant translation in Seed & Bread No.
61, Ephesians—Chapter Four, The Resultant Version.)
Luke 2:40 describes Jesus and says: “And the
child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the
grace (Gk.-charis) of God was upon Him.
John 1:14 describes Christ again and says: “And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His
glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace
and truth.”
And John the Baptist describes Christ: “And of
His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.” (John
1:16).
Titus 3:7 says: “That being justified by His
grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal
life.”
Romans 5:19-21 says: “For as by one man’s
disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall
many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, the offence might
abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: that as
sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Hebrews 4:14-16 says: “Seeing then that we
have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the
Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high
priest which cannot by touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us
therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
James 4:5-6 says: “Do ye think that the
Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to
envy? But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the
proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
This is used as a salutation in Paul’s letter
to the Romans: “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under
your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Amen” (Rom. 16:20).
This is used to describe what Paul went through in
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians: “And He said unto me,
My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in
weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2
Corinthians 12:9).
The Psalmist David wrote in Psalm 45:1-2: “My
heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have
made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou
art fairer than the children of men: grace (Heb.-chen) is
poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee forever.”
May we be gracious to one another with God’s
favor and grace.
BIBLE STUDY AUDIO MINISTRY
By Otis Q. Sellers, Bible Teacher
The entire Tape Library (TL) series, consisting of
numbers TL-1 to TL-570, is available on MP3 compact disks. A complete
subjects list may be obtained from our Web site,
www.seedandbread.org,
or the home office in Pasadena, California, or writing/e-mailing:
The Word of Truth
Ministry
Mrs. Gwen Staiger, Recorder
121 Wood Oak Dr., Joshua, TX 76058
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