BULLETIN

THE WORD OF TRUTH MINISTRY
228 NORTH EL MOLINO AVENUE
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91101-1675

www.seedandbread.org

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

Volume 3, No. 5 Jane Sellers Hancock, Editor June 2011

THOUGHTS FROM THE EDITOR
Jane S. Hancock

We sing, “Grace, grace, wonderful grace.”
We sing, “Grace, grace, God’s grace.”
We sing, “His grace is enough for me.”
We sing, “Amazing grace.”
And Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee.”

What are we singing about? Do we know? What is Paul talking about? Do we know?

In The Dispensation of the Grace of God (1947) Otis Q. Sellers writes, “Grace is the passion of God to bless, causing Him to seize every opportunity to deliver the sinful and give grace to the graceless. Grace is the unlimited love of God in expression. . . . Grace is God’s love and favor to the undeserving. Grace is pure unrecompensed kindness and favor. It is God’s love to His creatures who do not deserve His love.”

This is a description of the administration under which we live today, The Dispensation of the Grace of God, the administration that began at Acts 28:28 and will continue until the advent of the Kingdom. This administration is now almost 2000 years in length; however, time is not the important factor here. The character of the administration is what is important. And the character of this administration, this dispensation, is that God does not judge and God does not punish. God deals only in grace; yes, amazing grace.

What does that mean? Grace is a gift. It does not come with strings attached. You can’t earn it. It cannot be denied. You can’t have it because you deserve it. You can’t lose it because you don’t deserve it. Grace just is. It’s a gift from God, one we need to take on faith and enjoy.

Sellers quotes from Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer’s book entitled Grace: “Grace is neither treating a person as he deserves nor treating a person better than he deserves. It is treating a person graciously without the slightest reference to his desserts. Grace is infinite love expressing itself in infinite goodness.”

Grace has to be sufficient for us. If the time we live in today were a time of justice, people who earned rewards would get them; people who deserved punishment would receive punishment. Many people believe this, even though bad things happen to the good and good things happen to the bad. This dispensation is not a mixture; it is true grace. We take God at His Word and believe. This is faith.

Many Christians don’t want to believe this. They want tangible proof that God blesses the good and curses the wicked. They want to know that their prayers are answered. And they want God to mete out justice. Perhaps they should think twice about this.

So what about prayer during this Dispensation of Grace?

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto
God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6-7).

Good advice. Some more good advice. Don’t ask God for anything that is not within the character of the Dispensation of Grace. Do you feel you need to be rewarded because of your faith? Don’t try it. It won’t work. Do you think someone should be punished because of his sinful life? Don’t ask for it. It won’t work. Remember, God is dealing in grace for all, not just a selected few, and all the time.

Sellers writes, “The time in which we live, the administration of God under which we live, is the administration or dispensation of the grace of God. In the sacred Scriptures we read of such things as works, law, promises, covenants and grace. The blessings that we enjoy at the present time have not come to us as a result of any work we have done, any laws we have kept, any promises God has made, or any covenants into which He has entered. Our blessings, all of them, are of grace. If traced back they will be found to be acts of unmerited favor. If they are of works, they are not of grace. If they are of law, they are not of grace. If they are the fulfillments of promises, they are not of grace. If they are keeping of covenants, they are not of grace. This being a dispensation of grace, every blessing that is ours must find its source in the grace of
God.”

Is His grace sufficient for you? It’s sufficient for me.

This is a brief summary of The Dispensation of the Grace of God by Otis Q. Sellers. The pamphlet is available digitally and if you have an e-mail address, we can send it to you. If you want a hard copy, we can send you a printout of the digital version. Just write us at the address above or e-mail us at wordoftruth@earthlink.net. You will find The Dispensation of the Grace of God a great tool for teaching.

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FROM THE DIRECTOR

David R. Hettema

This Director owes some apologies to the many friends and teachers of this wide-spread Word of Truth Ministry for my lack of response to your phone calls and written messages during the past five months. I ask for your forgiveness.

Between Christmas of last year and the fifth day of this year, I became ill with pneumonia and was sent directly by my doctor into the Pasadena Huntington Hospital for medical response and recovery. After a week of recovery, my doctor told me that I could not live alone for at least six months. My daughter, Kathy, and her husband, Gary Leder, welcomed me into their home in Claremont, California, where I now reside. The sudden change of location separated me from what was my home, and there was no person there to respond to your phone calls and other contacts. I realize now that problem could have been handled better, a fact which I now regret.

This recent experience has drawn me closer to my God and Savior, Jesus Christ. His written Word has become more precious to me each day of my life.

This complicated health experience of the past months has slowed my physical activities greatly, but I have been able to study God’s Word more often, which I enjoy.

I am publishing my new address and phone number here for those who might want it:

David R. Hettema
3999 Via Padova
Claremont, CA 91711
Phone: (909) 626-5808

The Bible Class in Pasadena

Each Sunday
, when the group meets, our goal is to learn something new from our personal studies out of God’s Word or to re-read one of Otis Sellers’ booklet studies person by person, reading a portion and then taking time for comments and questions. It is amazing how a review will turn up new Scriptural truths that we may have missed when we first read the study. All of us here enjoy this method.

Recently, as one of the Bible teachers here in our Pasadena location, I have been given the opportunity to present the results of my most recent Bible studies. These studies concern the last days of Israel’s “Seventy Weeks” (490 years, see Dan. 9:24), and specifically the final three and a half years of the seven years of Israel’s “great tribulation” as the Lord Jesus described the horror of the last three and a half years in Matthew 24:15-22. Our Lord emphasized that unless divine intervention came to Israel’s rescue there should no flesh be saved. Then He added this comment: “but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” The reference to Daniel’s prophecy that Jesus spoke of can be read in the book of Daniel, chapter nine, where the Prophet tells us about the coming “Seventy Weeks” of years, which are a total of 490 years, but our interest presently is in the final three and one half years of this prophecy in Revelation 12 and other references given below.

Keep in mind as you read the different aspects that all five of them are occurring at the same time; they are concurrent, all beginning at the three-and-one-half year mark when the invading human “man of sin” stops the morning and evening Temple sacrifices. Then he, Satan’s representative, invades the holy place, desecrating the Temple while claiming to be higher than God.

This is the triggering event that sets off the final three and a half years where God and His angels move quickly to save believing Israel and destroy out of the earth all those that “know not God” (2 Thess. 1:8).

  1. The Five Concurrent Events
  2. The Seed of the woman, Rev. 12:1-8. A parable that reveals the enmity of Satan toward mankind and, especially, the Son of Man, Jesus Christ. This is the final confrontation, when Satan’s head is fatally bruised as God predicted (Gen. 3:15).
  3. Satan cast out of Heaven, Rev. 12:7-17. And his traitorous angels with him. This judgment occurs at the same time that the man of sin is making his declaration that he was higher than God.
  4. The two witnesses that guard the polluted Temple, Rev. 11:1-13. These martyr’s deaths, rapture, and resurrection were sure signs of God’s overwhelming victory to come.
  5. The Day of the Lord, Isa. 13:6-11, Zech. 14:1-12 begins when God saves Israel by miraculously shortening the fighting days of Israel’s enemies by miraculous darkness in the camps of the invading nations. The Day of the Lord includes the 1,000 years of Jesus Christ’s personal reign in Jerusalem.
  6. The living waters flow out of Jerusalem’s Temple, Zech. 14:8, Psa. 46:4-6, and Ezek. 47:1-12 when the invading nations have been destroyed and God’s victory is complete.

There is much Truth to be found here. I challenge you to read and find the Truth.

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THE OTHER SIDE OF “MSS OQS”

By Rusty Hancock

I have titled this segment “The Other Side of ‘MSS OQS’” because these were the initials of my grandparents, Mildred S. Sellers and Otis Q. Sellers. This was also the personalized license plate on their car. Yes, a personal side. My grandfather was a brilliant student, teacher, and author of subjects taken from the Word of God. And my grandmother was his loving support and companion throughout his life’s journey. But there are other stories to be shared.

I am fortunate to have been their grandson. I have many wonderful memories growing up: outings to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, a vacation in Hawaii, ballgames at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, dinners at their favorite restaurants, weddings, anniversaries and other family occasions. We held serious discussions involving current events, college, marriage/relationships, and my career choice in Law Enforcement. And of course, the Word of God was never very far from the discussions.

During the past year, in my new role as office manager for The Word of Truth Ministry, I have gleaned extraordinary experience of corresponding with several followers of the Word of Truth. I have gleaned little tidbits of information on how folks either met my grandparents or came in contact with The Word of Truth Ministry. Some people have recently come to the Word of Truth within the last few years, while others have told me of meeting the Sellers back in the 1930s.

I would love to hear more of these stories and share them with others in future Bulletins. I encourage you to write me and share your “story.” It can be on any subject. We all cherish the Ministry, but it is individuals who hold the key to small slices of information into the lives of Mildred and Otis. Some examples of stories may be a day trip to Lake Michigan, a drive through the country, a small anecdote or even a slightly embarrassing moment. Otis may have married you to your spouse; he married me to my wonderful wife!

Please share. You can reach me at The Word of Truth Ministry, 228 N. El Molino Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101-1675. Or by e-mail at rustywoft@aol.com.

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“. . . ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘

[love] your neighbor as yourself.’ And He said to him, ‘You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.’” Luke 10:27-28, NKJV

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JUST ONE WORD

By Bob Hammond

The prophecy of the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Daniel contained in Daniel 9:24-31 is the single most important one in the Bible, according to Otis Q. Sellers. I recall reading that passage many years ago, and even wrote in my Bible which years were meant by the prophecy. The churches were teaching that the Hebrew word mashiyach meant “Messiah,” as per the King James Version. At that time I hadn’t yet understood the not-prophesied Dispensation of Grace nor the next event, the Kingdom of God, for that matter. A predominant belief of many churches then, is that Daniel’s 70th week had been put on hold until God decided to restart the clock.

Mr. Sellers began writing on this topic back in the 1950s, not claiming then to fully understand its complex meanings. But he put his finger on one word that changed the whole meaning to this writer. As time passed, and David R. Hettema, our current director of The Word of Truth Ministry, continued to study this passage, among others dealing with the forthcoming Dispensation of God’s Kingdom (Government), along came this prophecy again. But this time we were re-reviewing it from both Sellers’ and Hettema’s viewpoints.

I have become convinced that understanding this one word makes all the difference
between our continuing to interpret this prophecy from a fuzzy viewpoint (as with a thick veil over our heads) versus having layers of the veil lifted, experiencing light shining in and the fuzz turning to focus.

Let’s look into Daniel 9 for a moment to seek it out. The portions of that prophecy are as follows: So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince . . . (Dan. 9:25), and Then after the sixty two weeks, the Messiah will be cut off . . . (Dan. 9:26). As Mr. Sellers points out, “This word (mashiyach) occurs 40 times in the Old Testament, and is translated 38 times by the word ‘anointed’ (a common noun) and twice by the word ‘Messiah’ (a proper noun).” Sellers believed and taught that the translators had already held that this word meant Jesus Christ, “so they gave an interpretation to support that belief rather than keep to a translation.”

When we viewed the word mashiyach as meaning “anointed,” other passages began to leap out at us; for example those verses dealing with King David, the anointed ruler: Psalm 18:50, Ezek. 34:23-24, Ezek. 37:24-25. The veil began to lift!

Many other elements to this prophecy still provide challenges of understanding to the student of His Word. However, if the interpretation “Messiah” were allowed to stick as is, we as students of His Word would be inhibited to progress much further in understanding this prophecy—having then to resort to additional interpretations and speculation—a dangerous and seldom fulfilling role for a student.

I believe the veil to further understanding the many other truths of this prophecy began to be peeled away when this one word mashiyach was translated correctly.

Imagine. JUST ONE WORD!

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The Dutch Lachai-Roi Web Site

Read Seed & Bread and One-A-Day in Dutch on the European Web site: www.lachairoi.org. Johan Hensen and his son, Arnoud, translated these particular Otis Q. Sellers’ publications because they appreciated his independent studies, finding answers to unsolved problems.

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Seed & Bread Volumes 1 & 2

Would you like to read along with the Seed & Bread references given in Joanne Johnson’s or Jane Hancock’s articles? Here’s a chance to purchase the whole lot of the Seed & Bread articles in both volumes in hard cover or soft cover editions, called Seed & Bread Volumes 1 and/or 2. These two volumes are printed in large type and are easy on the eyes! The price for the soft-cover volumes is $19. The cost of the hard-cover volumes is $25 each volume. For shipping and handling, please add $3 for orders up to $30 and 10% for orders over $30. Kindly make out checks or money orders in U.S. dollars to The Word of Truth Ministry and mail to 228 N. El Molino Ave., Pasadena CA 91101-1675. Please allow 3-6 weeks delivery time for small orders (or more time for large orders).

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New Book On CD:

Christianity’s Lost Dispensations

By Rusty Hancock

This mailing contains a compact disk (CD) with the manuscript of Dr. Harold Booher’s new book, Christianity’s Lost Dispensations. It was a joy, and a learning experience, for me to mass-produce this CD and get it into the hands of the followers of The Word of Truth Ministry. (Editor’s Note: It was too labor intensive and expensive to put into book form.)

I am far from being an expert in computers and different operating systems that each computer uses. I hope you all access the CD and enjoy reading Dr. Booher’s book. (Editor’s Note: This CD can be accessed on any IBM-clone Windows 2000 XP system or later with MS Word 2000 or later. This CD is not formatted for Mac computers.)

When you open the CD, click on the label titled “Christianity’s Lost Dispensations” and you will arrive at a title page with hyperlinks. The hyperlinks will guide you throughout the various chapters with ease. With some operating systems, you may need to also use the “CTRL” button to access the hyperlinks.

Of the test CDs that I handed out, one individual told me he could not get the hyperlinks to work at all. There is another folder on the CD titled “Sections.” He could read the manuscript by double-clicking through the contents of this folder. It was not as user friendly, but he was able to read the book.

I hope you all enjoy the work of Dr. Booher.

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The Lord’s Prayer

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:9-13, NKJV

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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 his daughter’s home (909) 626-5808. 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 Chelsea Studios, 151 West 26th Street (Room No. 609), 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) 748-4870 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 or by e-mail at andthewordwasgod@hotmail.com. 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. Don 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.”

In Oregon:

Portland, No regular schedules. Contact Mr. Bob English at (503) 357-8449 for information.

In South Carolina:

3800 Cottage Path, Sumter, the second Sunday and the last Sunday of each month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mr. Allen Tolbert presides and is assisted by Mr. James Johnson. You can contact Tolbert at (803) 469-7190 in South Carolina or Johnson at (704) 864-4212 in North Carolina. “Bring your Bible and come believing God’s Word.”

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WE GET LETTERS

“We love The Word of Truth Ministry. We only wish that others would find these wonderful teachings (the Truth).”

“. . . Always happy to receive the Bulletin and any updates regarding the Ministry. . . . I listen to a local Christian radio station and when I hear some of the teachings, I lift my voice and say, ‘Oh! Thank you Lord for The Word of Truth Ministry and for the truth I have been blessed with.’”

“Keep proclaiming the very eminent manifest Kingdom of God and remember me in your approach to the Throne of Grace.”

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Bible Study Audio Disks

By Otis Q. Sellers, Bible Teacher

The entire Tape Library (TL) series, consisting of numbers TL-001 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, CA, or writing/e-mailing:

The Word of Truth Ministry
Mrs. Gwen Staiger
121 Wood Oak Dr., Joshua, TX 76058
E-mail: gsrecorder@sbcglobal.net

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FAITH GOES A LONG WAY IN THESE EVIL DAYS

By Joanne L.H. Johnson

What does faith do for us in these evil days? What do you think of all the bad news that comes out everyday on the television or the radio or the Internet? If only God would come in with His Kingdom and put an end to the troubled governments of this earth! Like it says in the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as in Heaven.”

This reminds me of Psalm 64, which is for the time of the Kingdom. The enemy gets brave and thinks that they can say or do anything to make Satan happy rather than God. Sure enough, they rebel against Him and think that there are no consequences. However, God will terminate their governments: “God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly they shall be wounded. So He will make them stumble over their own tongue; all who see them shall flee away” (Psa. 64:7-8, NKJV). This Psalm is a description of the destruction of the rebels of this earth: “All men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider His doing” (Psa. 64:9, NKJV). What a wonderful provision from God—He will remove all of the evil and rebels of the world. We will all get to rejoice in it in that day: “The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory” (Psa. 64: 10, NKJV).

Go forward and keep your faith in God and praise Him, even though it is not easy. God may not do anything today or tomorrow, but those verses above say that He will take care of this sick earth someday in the future! Our faith is not something we possess by accident, but rather it comes by the grace of God and by our continued learning about the Lord Jesus Christ. But we are instructed in 2 Peter 3:18 to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Faith goes a long way in these evil days.

Sometimes God just does a lot of little things that make big impacts on our lives. Our faith in Him is a very important part of us. He will someday very generously reward us for keeping our faith, even when all around us, in this day of the Dispensation of Grace, is great adversity. Like the Apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:6-8: “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.”

Hebrews 11:1-3 (NKJV) contains the basic description of faith: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

The doubting apostle Thomas did not believe that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead. He demanded to see Christ’s scars. We cannot, like Thomas, see the marks in His side, hands and feet. Remember what Christ said to Thomas when Christ had been raised from the dead and reappeared to the apostles: “Thomas because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:24-29, NKJV). That’s where our faith has taken us.

Otis Q. Sellers defines faith in this way: “Faith is taking God at His Word and responding accordingly.” Our faith for today is simply believing in the Lord Jesus Christ—not anything else. We can have faith that He will fight our battles when they are sometimes too much for us. We can have faith that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will someday cleanse the earth of all Satan’s evil ways in the future Kingdom of God.

Like the Psalmist David said, “Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; fighting all day he oppresses me. My enemies would hound me all day, for there are many who fight against me, O Most High. Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His Word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?” (Psa. 56:1-4, NKJV). What marvelous faith he had in God!

Let’s hope and pray that He will take care of things soon. He does nothing openly because this is the Dispensation of Grace and the time is not right yet. However, let us continue to have faith that His Kingdom will come and His will be done, like it says in the Lord’s Prayer. Sellers used to say in our Bible Class, “The Kingdom of God is our hope and expectation for the future.” May God speed the day! Maintain your faith with patience, awaiting God’s move.

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