BULLETIN

THE WORD OF TRUTH MINISTRY

228 NORTH EL MOLINO AVENUE, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91101-1675

Otis Q. Sellers, Founder David R. Hettema, Director

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Volume 2, No. 43    Jane Sellers Hancock, Editor   April 2008

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 wil
l 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

E-mail: gsrecorder@sbcglobal.net