7 NOVEMBER 2017 BODY OF CHRIST NEWS In my years of being a member here I have had the opportunity to grow in various ways. One thing I value is the emphasis that Rev. Ade keeps on the Word. Messages focus on success in all areas of life but there are always scriptures to support each point made in each message. I have gained a deeper understanding of the Bible to the point that I can experience the power made available to me through Jesus Christ. Your Faith In The Son Must Not be Eclipsed What if anything could God almighty be saying through or about the recent eclipses, hurricanes and floods of 2017? We have all of the advantages of 21st century academia and technology. We have smart phones at our fingertips and computer models that give us unprecedented data and information as well as satellite com- munications and gps to tell us where we are and how to get where we want to go. Can any of these events, technol- ogies or secular knowledge help us to get a word from the Lord in these last and evil days, for we are surely living in perilous times. We have advanced our knowledge exponentially in the fields of astron- omy, oceanography, meteorology and every field under the sun that has an ology behind it. In centuries past eclipeses , tornadoes and wild fires were interpreted simply as acts of God and apocoliptic events that sparked rumors and lies that opened many up to be manipulated and deceived . We now can calculate exactly when an eclipse will occur using the laws of astrophysics and mathematics, elimi- natinting ignorant speculations and occultic deception. Science can indeed always tell us what, but we must turn to Theology to answer the the question of why. I don’t know much about much about numerology, but I do know that on the 21st of August tens of millions of Americans observed a total solar eclipse. On the 25th Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas gulf coast, and on the 26th Houston began to experience flooding in proportions that had never been seen. Is God trying to tell us something? I do know that if you take note of the numbers 21, 25 and 26 and go to Luke 21:25-26, this is what Jesus is found saying. “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with per- plexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth. : for the powers of heaven shall be shaken”. Are these dates and events to be looked at with a Cronos ( a chroninlogical calendar event) mindset, or a Kairos( a set time) paradigm? I don’t know. Such knowl- edge is too wonderful for me. What I can tell you is that on August 21st, I was an eyewitness to the total solar eclipse that left it’s shadow across the entirety of these United States of America. People of all ages, ethnici- ties, socioeconomic status and politi- cal affiliations all stopped to observe a once in a generation celestial event. Atheist, agnostics and believers all looked up in awe and wonder to behold the sun, moon and the earth in perfect alignment. As I watched in amazement from my back porch in Colorado Springs the words of David in Psalm 19 came alive in my spirit. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard”. Unstaged , unmanipu- lated and unedited the heavens spoke to all mankind. We all became acutely aware of our smallness in relation to the greatness of God’s universe. At that moment, all of humanity stood and watched with eyes wide open and powerless to do anything before the all wise and omnipotent creator of the universe. The Lord Jesus is found talking to the Apostle Peter in the 22nd chap- ter of gospel that Luke wrote, and in the 31rst and 32nd verses He says. (“Simon, Simon , behold satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren”). He is warning Peter of a satanic plot to tempt the Apostle into denying the Lord before His crucifix- ion. Peter will ultimately and utterly fail this test. But the good news is that Jesus has already prayed for His disciple. Note that He does not pray for the temptation to be removed. But instead prays that his faith will not fail him. The greek word that is translated in english as fail not, is ekleipo(G1587 in strong’s concordance), the root word for eclipse. Jesus, the true and living light of the world is saying, do not let the wiles and schemes of the adver- sary eclipse or block out the light that comes from knowing the son. For a surety trials and tribulations will come to try our faith, but after it has been tried we shall come forth as pure gold. Hold on to every prom- ise, prophecy and prize that you are believing God for. For all the promises of God, are yea and amen in Him, and He can do anything but fail you , even in your darkest hour. Victory is yours if you will put on the whole armor of God and stand your ground. Many are the afflictions of the righ- teous, but the Lord delivers us out of them all. Weeping may endure for a night, but don’t let satan block your blessings. Weapons may form, but remember in the midst of the trial, they will not prosper. Finally, whatever you are going through, do the same thing you did during the eclipse. Just stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. Just like the eclipse was but for a moment, so too are the tests you have come through already, are in now or will face in the future. Remember this too shall pass, and joy is coming in the morning. The Son will shine again. The Lord has brought us too far to let our faith get eclipsed, and most impor- tantly Jesus has already prayed for us. And when thou art converted, go and strengthen thy brethren. By Pastor Terry Thomas TESTIMONY Terry Thomas