Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 2410 BOCNEWS.com JANUARY 2017 The Power Of Commitment – PART II So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should entrust their souls to their faithful Creator and continue to do what is good. — 1 Peter 4:19 I have been lead by the Spirit of the Lord to share with my congregation and also with you, through this article, a very important word. I’ve used as a subject the word, COMMITMENT. We are in a threshold of many new changes in our world, as well as our lives. We go through every day struggles, turmoil’s and crisis. We’ve seen the hand of change, for good and for the bad. In all in all, we need to be a people of commitment. Not only in our Christian lives, but also in our churches and in our communities. It's something to ponder about. People are worried about today’s situations and problems, and what is the first thing they do, well let me tell you. This was happening to the Hebrews when they wrote the book of Hebrews. They were being persecuted, they were losing their homes only because they were Christians, they were killing them, they were los- ing their jobs, only to say that they were followers of Christ, and Paul, the writer of the Hebrew epistle says ... Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching... The first thing we do when a cri- sis comes is to react, and our reaction to a crisis or situation is to make wrongs decisions, and most of the time we compromise our principles. When a crisis comes we as Christians do two things: one, retain our giving and two, we compro- mise our principles core values. They are priorities that we have as Christians, as a result of everything, many Christians are doing crazy things and they have left their commitment to God, compromised their godly principles going after a bet- ter job, a business venture or something that gives them the sense of trying to survive. When the Lord spoke to me about commitment, He took me to the book of Hebrews. The Hebrews said: We are losing our homes, we must do something. My question is, what kind of a God do you serve? Should I consider Him natural or a supernatural God? Are you a person who has no faith, serving God without hope? But ...then why are we doing it differently? We have a covenant with God and our lives, our homes, families are under the blood covenant. If you see yourself as another person in the world, without God, without faith and without hope, then you are going to compromise your principles, but I come to tell you that your house, the posts of your home are covered under the blood, they immaculate blood of Jesus Christ the Lamb of God. Pastor, what does that mean in my daily life? It’s that we have a covenant with God, that in the midst of this crisis or trial, God is going to provide, in the midst problems we are His children and He will provide, again and again. FOR GOD IS FAITHFUL, AND IF HE IS NOT FAITHFUL, HE WOULD NOT BE GOD. But we can not compromise our commitment to God, because that is what the enemy would want. Many people have taught you that knowledge is power, I say, knowledge is not power, knowledge is power only when you practice it. Question: If I give you the steps of how to lose weight in 3 easy ways. I’ve shared the knowledge of how to do it, but if you do not practice it, there is no power. The bridge between knowledge and practicing and obeying, is called commitment. Why are there pastors lacking in workers in the church or ministry? If I asked my mentors today, what is problem of today’s disciples? They’d say, “lack of commitment.” Why do you believe marriages end up in divorce? Lack of commitment. Why do you believe that the vision that God gives many men of God, does not take place? Surely, its the lack of commitment. When we talk about commitment, the number one problem of the church is a lack of com- mitment, Jesus said it Himself, “The harvest is plen- tiful but the committed workers are few.” One day Jesus started to teach, he had a crowd in front of him. He began to speak about commit- ment, he asked them to commit themselves; and one by one they started to leave and only the twelve were left. Why? When you ask someone to make a commitment to God, they easily get offended, it only shows their true nature. In all actuality, Jesus reveals what is in the heart. One day Paul was casting out devils and, “Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the LORD Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.” The word vagabond is a word that means, “tramp” an idle wanderer without a permanent home or vis- ible means of support; tramp; vagrant; and means basically, one that does not commit. A vagrant spirit is in the church today, it never commits because they want everything for nothing. That vagabond spirit is inside the church because they do not want to com- mit. You can not build something with a vagabond spirit, who jump from church to church looking for something for nothing, and have no commitments. What is commitment? The term commitment refers to a type of obligation or agreement. It is about the capacity that a per- son has to take record of the importance that exists in complying with something agreed upon. When someone commits himself, he means that he is taking a certain degree of responsibility for something specific. A commitment is an obli- gation that must be ful- filled. The number 1 prob- lem within the church is the lack of commitment. Oh please do not ask them to financially sup- port the ministry, but yes they want you pray for their needs, to pray for them, to anoint them, to speak a prophetic word over them….they want every- thing for nothing. People of God, when your in the midst of crisis, in the midst of everything that is happening around you, the best place to be most secure is to be com- mitted to God. That is the best place. He who is not committed, has a vagabond spirit. God is not with the vagabonds, God is with the committed ones. Most people have made a decision for Jesus but they have not made a commitment to Him. What is the difference? Commitment is the primary basis for developing a strong, covenant relationship. A deci- sion, anyone can make it, but a true commitment is more than a decision. This is the definition of commitment. (1 Peter 4:19) So that those who suffer according to the will of God, entrust their souls to the faithful Creator, and do good. In the Amplified Bible it says thus: Therefore those who are mistreated and suffering according to the will of God must do well and commit their souls to Him who will deliver them as a deposit to the one who created them and who will never fail them. Commitment is the ability to stand firm, resist temptation, do not desert, not betray in difficult times, problems and crises. (Matthew 24:13) But he who endures to the end will be saved. In the midst of problems, in the midst of difficulties, commitment means standing strong. The world has nothing to offer us, there is nothing, prestige, fame, fortune, all that is futile. With that we will be tempted to stop serving God, to stop seeking God. Commitment is the ability to resist and stand firm. Commitment is the ability to stand faithful and loyal with strict obedience to the promises and vows that have been made to God and to men. How many of you have made promises to God? The commitment is to stick to that. Stick to the vows we have made. Keep our word. Be sincere and honest with what we have said. Finally, commitment is to be obedient to God and to serve Him until the end. (Revelation 12:11) They have overcome the enemy by two things: scriptures tells us, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” People of God, in this time and moment, let us be a committed people, to God, who is faithful; and unto His work, for faithful He is he who has saved us, and who has provided for us. By Senior Pastor Edward & First Lady Enriqueta Jaramillo SERMON Pastor Edward & First Lady Enriqueta Jaramillo are Pastor's of Templo Emmanuel Centro Cristiano de Alabanza in Denver, Colorado Food Baskets For Those in Need The staff of the Caldwell-Kirk Mortuary continued a longtime tradition of the Mortuary by providing Christmas food baskets along with a turkey to the elderly and that in need in the community. Pictured in the photos are the food baskets and members of the mortuary staff including: Elvin Caldwell, Jehn-ai Jackson, Betty Owens and new staff member Shane Stringfellow. More than 50 baskets were provided a week before Christmas. Edward & Enriqueta Jaramillo for you to let Him guide you through your tunnel of despair and out into His marvelous light. He is your sure hope. His name is Jesus. Nothing you have ever done is too bad for Jesus to forgive. Some of His choicest ser- vants committed gross sins like mur- der (Moses), murder and adultery (King David), and physical and emotional abuse (the apostle Paul). Yet they found forgiveness and a new abundant life in the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:17). Why should you not commit suicide? God stands ready to repair what is “broken,” namely, the life you have now, the life you want to end by sui- cide (Isaiah 61:1-3). Let Jesus restore your joy and usefulness as you trust Him to begin a new work in your life. SUICIDE ... from page 7 Continued on Page 16