THE CHURCH OF GOD OF PROPHECY 47 Pine Hill Centreville, AL 35042 MINISTER: Leonard Chance (205) 926-7706 www.thegreatspeckledbird.org [email protected]

THE 29 TEACHINGS-PART 2

FULL RESTORATION OF THE GIFTS TO THE CHURCH---The Gifts of the Spirit were set in the Church to be operated by the Spirit according to the Will of God. Full restoration, restoring is what it is, full Restoring of the Gift of the Church. What Gifts? Along with the Spirit of the Holy Ghost and His Power He has Gifts. He gives you the ability to do what you could not normally do. He gives you the gift of Interpretation! He gives you the gift of being Born Again! The Holy Ghost is a never failing Spirit! If you lose the Holy Ghost, He did not fail, You did! He will never fail!

When the time comes that you don’t have Him and you’re out doing this or that and you say; well, the Holy Ghost didn’t keep me. You didn’t keep Him! Your problem was you didn’t keep Him. You didn’t keep the Gifts He gave you. You need to realize it isn’t the Holy Ghost that failed; it was you! The Holy Ghost is not a loser! He’s not one who walks away but He will take His flight all right when you start dumping filth, lust and everything else in on top of Him. He is not going to stay there.

I think it is very important to go through the 29 Teachings so that every individual who hears or reads them will see how important it is to recite them; they are designed to be Taught and Obeyed! You may think you don’t have time to worry with them. They are not Taught as they once were; neither are they Obeyed! But you still think you’ll make it? You won’t make it! When you come down to your deathbed and destruction, as many have you will find that God is not there. Then you’ll find out who failed whom!

The Gifts of the Spirit are manifested through individual members, but individuals do not personally possess the Gifts. You don’t possess God! You don’t possess Jesus! You don’t possess the Holy Ghost! You don’t possess the Seven Spirits of God! They are supposed to possess you!

1 Therefore, since the Gifts are given to the Church and not to individuals, a Spiritual Gift cannot be taken away by one who leaves the Church. When one leaves the Church he has backslid, that Spirit leaves him. He may not know it but the Holy Ghost will take His flight without you knowing it! You can keep the Holy Ghost as long as you don’t sin. The Holy Ghost is a Gift: He is a Gift to you.

If you died with your Soul saved and the Spirit in you; yes, the Holy Ghost is still in you. You don’t leave the Gift behind but let me explain to you why they’re saying that the Gift, the Holy Ghost was given to the Church. The Church is the Bride or the Wife of Christ. Now am I going to take all my Gifts and give them to somebody else over there or am I going to keep them?

You have to understand that The Church of God of Prophecy is the Bride or Wife of Jesus Christ! So if you have the Gift of Interpretation, when you die you carry that Gift with you! You don’t leave it back here: it was your Gift. God didn’t give it to me; He gave it to you. If you die in the Church that Gift lives on: the Holy Ghost didn’t die. The Gifts were restored to the Church because the Early Church went down and it stayed down for 1578 years.

These Gifts were all operated in the Church before it went into the Dark Ages. They were all restored to the Church when it arose out of darkness. When A. J. Tomlinson found the Church, it was the Holy Ghost that brought it up out of darkness and gave the Light. It was a Gift restored to the Church. All who die with the Holy Ghost that gift lives on. When you die in the Lord you’re always in the Lord.

SIGNS FOLLOWING BELIEVERS---Miraculous signs and wonders will accompany the Works and Ministry of True Believers. These signs are recorded in Mark 16:17-20---“And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.”

What are Signs following Believers? How do you get that? How do you get the Signs? Let me tell you what the Signs are. “Go ye therefore in all the world and preach the gospel,” this is a Sign given to the Church. What Church is doing that? You say, well Cleveland sure isn’t. God didn’t say Cleveland had to but somebody is still preaching to the whole world I AM; it’s the same Doctrine.

2 It hasn’t died, you’re helping me, and you’re working in it. Miraculous Signs and Wonders will accompany the Works and Ministry of True Believers. The Signs of Salvation is always with the Church! If you don’t have the Signs you don’t have what you think you have.

I’ve seen people laughed the last fifty some odd years about the Church and the Church Doctrine and how the other denominations reviled the Flag and how they scorned this part of the Doctrine and how they reviled the other and guess what, those churches doesn’t exist but The Church of God of Prophecy still exists! It’s still alive! You can’t kill the Spirit of God! Where one fails He’ll bring four more. “And these signs shall follow them that believe;” if you don’t have these Signs following, you are not a believer, can’t you understand that?

“In my name shall they cast out devils.” You have to do it in His name though, shall they cast out Devils. If you don’t the Devil will rise up and ask who are you? He said in my name! If they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them. Sometimes when you sit down at the table you don’t know what you’re drinking or eating. You think you know but you don’t. And if you don’t have the Holy Ghost, if you don’t have Salvation, and if you don’t know the 29 Teachings and what each one means… Seems everyone has a different meaning. Every one of them is different and if you don’t have all 29 Teachings, you’re like a man that has half of an umbrella. You’re trying to hide from the rain but you’re not fully covered.

You shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. After the Lord had spoken unto them, after the Lord; not somebody else, after the Lord did He was received up into Heaven and He sat down and His Work was done. And they went forth and they started to work. They started: He sat down. He descended up into the Heaven and sat down at the Right Hand of the Father. But the Church began to Work. His Work down here to teach the Church was over.

We now have the Great Commission! He is waiting in Heaven but He sent the Holy Ghost to take up the Power you need, the Deliverance you need and the Shield you will need to walk and work with. He sent the Holy Ghost to do this. He is sitting at the Right Hand of the Father. His Work is done. I hope you have ears to hear and don’t commit the things that the Elders did and say, hey, we can do it without him, or we can do it this away, or we’re not going to do it: don’t get yourself in trouble, don’t over run your mouth. If you don’t know what’s going on wait until you learn.

3 Learning will come but it may not come today, it may not come tomorrow or it may not come next week, guess how long we had to wait for this Learning to come? Fifteen hundred and seventy eight years, I’m so glad I wasn’t born in the Dark Ages. There was no Gospel: nobody had any Light!

And you have wonder, where did all of those people go? Well, if they didn’t have Salvation I already know where they went. You can’t go without Salvation! You can’t go without any Understanding. Don’t look for them in Heaven. And they went forth and they preached everywhere. The Lord was Working with them through the Holy Ghost confirming the Word with Signs following; and if you don’t have any Signs you don’t have any Word! If you don’t do it according to the Word, you don’t do it!

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT---The Spirit-filled Life will manifest the Fruit of the Spirit. GALATIANS 5:22-23---“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy. Peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” The Fruit of the Spirit cannot be manifest by the flesh or by human nature. It is Divine in origin and must spring from a Spirit-filled heart.

What is the Fruit of the Spirit? I have recited these 29 Teachings. I know them by heart but if I just rattle them off to you that’s all you’ll know. Pick the Fruit off of the Tree of Life and start eating the Fruit then you’ll begin to realize what these 29 Teachings are for. But what about the man that started taking a hatchet and chopping out all the Teachings he didn’t like? Well you helped him chopped them up because you agreed with him.

The Spirit filled Life will manifest the Truth! What is the Holy Ghost? He is the Spirit of Truth and His Fruit is from Him. It’s the Gift of Life! I believe one thing Cleveland went wrong with was the wrong people started doing things that weren’t right. How many Souls went to Hell in the last eighteen years starving for the True Gospel? They went over to brand X and learned worst because brand X doesn’t know these Teachings! The Fruit of the Spirit cannot be manifested by the flesh or by human nature.

What about all these people shouting? They better eat more beans to have more strength because that’s what they’re shouting on, man power. Do you have the Fruits of the Spirit? Do you have that? If you have the Fruits of the Spirit they will keep you corrected. The Gifts of the Holy Ghost will remain! You cannot serve God without the Spirit!

4 DIVINE HEALING---Provided for all in the Atonement…Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the Cross provided not only for the Salvation of the Souls of men but also for the healing of man’s physical ailments. PSALMS 103:2-3, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.” Divine Healing is accomplished by the Power of God without the aid of medicine or surgical skills! This healing virtue is available to all who believe, the same as Salvation!

‘Divine Healing; now I don’t believe in that, I have a good doctor.” Who preaches Divine Healing anymore? Get her up and get her to the hospital!’ I see people in the hospital dying. If I must to die I want to die in the Lord. Very few people have the Faith for Divine Healing! It is not a sin if you go to a doctor or take medicine. God does not cast you into Hell because you don’t have the Faith for it. If you don’t have the Faith maybe it takes more strength and understanding before you come to it or you may never come to it but the people that have come to it has an iron clad mind on God! Maybe you don’t have that.

Divine Healing is provided for all in the Atonement: anybody can have it. If you want it you can have it. Christ’s Atoning Sacrifice on the Cross-provided not only for Salvation of the Souls of men but also for the healing of the body. He took thirty-nine stripes, people! His wounds were still open and bleeding! Christ’s blood paid for your healing! The nails weren’t there for your healing. They were there for your sins. The blood on His back was for the healing of a Nation.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Do you remember all His Benefits, how many times He pulled you out of a bad spot? ‘Well God didn’t give this to me. I worked for this. God didn’t give this to me. Why should I ask for blessings? God didn’t bless me with this my hands won this. God didn’t do this for me.’ Have you ever stopped to think how little God ask out of you? He has provided so much more for you. How little have you offered back to Him? Not even ten cent? No, not even ten cent, God doesn’t need your ten-cent.

“Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.” Many times I was standing so close to Hell all I had to do was drop. I was already there to drop but I didn’t because of the Big Hand of God! All the years you ran and ran and thought you were doing the Will of God, He let you run. He let you go but then came a day the Lord said that’s enough. If you don’t do this you are going to burn.

Divine Healing is accomplished by the Divine Body and Spirit of the Saviour without the aid of medicine or surgical skills!

5 If Jesus had come looking like a great Prince: He was a Prince but He didn’t look like one, he didn’t talk like one, He didn’t live like one and He didn’t go where Princes go. He held the Pearl of great price and many never found it. I wonder if people today realize what they’re missing? Divine Healing, one day you’ll wish you had it, one day you’ll pray for the Faith to have it! This Healing Virtue is Power given for All if they would receive it the same as Salvation! You say you don’t trust that? Well, you don’t trust your Soul to Him, either. If you can’t trust your body you won’t trust your Soul.

THE LORD’S SUPPER---The Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ and is a Scared Ordinance, which we are commanded to observe. The Supper consists of unleavened bread, which represents His Body broken on the Cross-for our sins, and the Wine (unfermented grape juice), which represents the Blood of Christ, shed for our Sanctification. This Ordinance is observed in commemoration of Christ and His death. Only sinless and consecrated Christians are eligible to partake of this Supper.

“The Lord’s Supper, now I know how to do this, don’t try to tell me. I know how to do it. You just call them all up and do it all at one time. There’s no certain way to do it. Just give them all a little bit of bread and then everybody goes and sits down and says they had the Lord’s Supper, right?” No! Only sinless people are eligible to partake of this Supper because you eat and drink damnation to your Soul otherwise. “Now I love Communion but I don’t believe in Feet Washing, especially when it’s icy outside.” Without Feet Washing you don’t need to eat Communion because immediately after they broke the Body of the Lord and drank His blood, Christ poured water in a basin.

WASHING THE SAINT’S FEET---Feet Washing was instituted by Jesus on the night of the Last Supper and is a New Testament Ordinance we are enjoined to observe as much as Communion. Its observance was taught by the Apostles and practiced by the Early Church. Charity and good works do not fulfill this obligation. Read John 13:4-17. Peter said unto Jesus, Thou shalt never wash my feet and Jesus told him quickly you have no part of me. I’ve seen people who wouldn’t take Communion but wanted to wash feet! If I can’t serve you Communion I’m not washing your feet. If you’re not living good enough to take Communion you’re not good enough for Feet Washing! We are Commanded to observe ALL the Ordinances, every single one of them, whether it is Feet Washing, Tithing, casting out Devils or whatever it is: if it’s an Ordinance we have to do it!

6 TITHING AND GIVING---Tithing is the paying of one tenth of our increase into the Treasury of the Church. It began with Abraham, continued under the law, and received Christ’s approval. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone,” MATTHEW 23:23. Tithing and Giving; now we get down to the problem. The obligation for Tithing is not fulfilled by giving ten percent to the poor or to some good cause but only by paying it into the Church Treasury. Giving differs from and is in addition to tithing. Both are part of God’s plan to finance His Work on earth.

How would you like to be charged from God when you come down and you know you’re dying and He says; you didn’t do this! And you have omitted the weightier Laws of the matter, Judgment, Mercy, and Faith, these you ought to have done and not leave the other undone! We are living in a day and we’re living in a time that we cannot change courses, we cannot!

RESTITUTION WHERE POSSIBLE---Restitution is the act of restoring something wrongfully taken or the satisfying of one who has been wronged. God requires those who become converted to perform such tasks if at all possible. “And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.” And Jesus said unto him, “This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham,” LUKE 19:8-9.

Each one of the 29 Teachings was designed from the Scripture to help each individual member of The Church of God of Prophecy to live according to the promises that were given to us by the Blessed Saviour! All 29 Teachings were given from the Holy Ghost for Inspiration, Helping and Understanding what the 29 Teachings really meant! It means more than people take it to be. We must have the understanding of the word FEAR.

PROVERBS 1:7—The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

When it comes to the 29 Teachings you have to learn Wisdom and Instruction! The 29 Teachings were given in the beginning to help us be Wise enough to understand the 29 Teachings. If we don’t know how to get Saved, how are we going to get Saved?

7 If we don’t understand we first have to speak in Tongues to be Baptized by the Holy Ghost; if that’s not explained to us then we wouldn’t know how to serve God because we have no knowledge of how or what He wants us to do. Each of these 29 Teachings was, and it may not be felt in Cleveland right now but they’re still felt throughout the Church. The 29 Teachings is a guide to understanding the instructions of the Body of Christ found in the Word!

Restitution is the understanding fully about restoring something you might have taken. Your conscious is still dealing with you to go back and make things right so the Spirit inside you will be settled. It’s teaching you more and deeper in things you must learn. Restitution where possible: there will be times restitution is not possible. Perhaps the individual you wronged has passed on. Many people worry that this will be a hindrance when their life is over and they come down to die.

If it is not possible to go back and make a correction, God will not lay that on your heart. Maybe you’re feeling some stutters from the Devil to torment you. The Devil will torment you even though he knows it is not possible for you to correct it. We need to understand God does not whip His Children. He gives them Help and Aid! He gives us Understanding and Wisdom! The Fear of the Lord will keep you right. Keep the Fear of the Lord!

If you don’t keep the Fear of the Lord you are open game for the Devil to come in and torment. He’ll try to deliver you back into the chains you were first delivered out of! Make your restitution if it is possible. If it’s not possible then pray and ask God, ‘I don’t want this load. It’s not possible for me to correct it. Please relieve me of this thing the Devil is tormenting me with.’ He knows it’s not possible. He will deliver you out of the Devil’s trials and temptations.

We need to go into each one of the 29 Teachings and make the membership of The Church of God of Prophecy to understand fully the meaning of each one. Restitution sometimes is not possible but the Devil will make you think you should even when it is not possible. Ask God to relieve you and He will do so. Zacchaeus was a little short fellow but something touched his heart one day and he wanted to see the Master. He had in his heart and mind that as a tax collector he might have defrauded someone along the way. Tax collectors were a hated people in the House of Israel back in that time. They were often accused of taking more than they should have. When the Saviour looked up in the tree and said, Zacchaeus, come down from there, I’m going to eat dinner with you today. What a thrill it was in the little man’s heart to know the Master. Of all the great throng that followed Him had not yet touched the Lord like this little man did.

8 Zecchaeus made hast and came down and the Lord was there! When the Lord is there you know everything is going to be all right. He’s going to tell you how to do, what to do, and the way to do!

The conscience of Zecchaeus warned him. Lord, if I have taken anything from any man I am willing: there is your key, if you are willing to make any wrong Right. To go back and correct what might be wrong or if in your heart you felt it might be wrong, go back and correct it. And he said if I have taken anything from any man I will restore it: this is what touched the Master! He saw that the little man’s heart wanted to be right. Of all the people that were walking with Him, His whole mind and His whole time was spent on this one little fellow who had a True heart willing to make it right. Zecchaeus was willing to cover any problem that he might have been accused of.

Restitution is a wonderful Work. It is a wonderful Teaching in The Church of God of Prophecy. We do sometimes hurt feelings or take something we shouldn’t have taken. Sometimes the Lord deals with us about a situation or a problem but we are afraid to go back and make it right. Zacchaeus was not. Though there was a throng of people there he said I will restore it and sometimes God means for us to restore it.

PRE-MILLENNIAL SECOND COMING OF JESUS—Christ is coming back to earth again. First, to Resurrect the dead Saints and to catch away the living Saints to meet Him in the air, where they will attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord,” 1 THESSALONIANS 4:16-17.

Second, to return with the Saints to Reign on earth a Thousand Years! “And I saw thrones, and they set upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first Resurrection,” REVELATION 20:4-5. Contrary to many people’s beliefs that Jesus can come anytime: if He could come anytime He would have all ready come and taken out the House of the Lord!

9 He cannot come anytime because all Scripture concerning His Second Coming must be fulfilled! Don’t be foolish; the Savior is not coming right now. He doesn’t know when He’s coming! Don’t put all your emphases on Christ and His coming when even He doesn’t know when He is coming. No one knows when but the Father! This makes me know there’s not only a Father; there’s a Son too!

It makes me know there are not only a Father and a Son but also the Holy Ghost! These are three of the Godhead! This makes me know the Seven Gods, which are the Seven Spirits of God will in their own time come to earth and work! The Holy Ghost has the Job to bring to pass the fullness of the Church’s work and it’s expectations to meet the Savior in the clouds. When the Father sees all is prepared and all is ready, He will say to His Son, go and gather the Harvest. I want to be in that Harvest.

God alone knows when the Savior is coming. He has not told the Son and He hasn’t told the Holy Ghost. He hasn’t told anyone. Only my Father knows, so said the Words of Jesus. The Holy Ghost will have the Church prepared when it is time for the coming of the Savior. Then He will come if we are prepared. Now all of these people may want to go over and unite with all of the other birds flocking around the Body of Christ. They’re free to do so. But I don’t want to go over and join up with a people who are against the Bride of Christ! That’s what Jeremiah said; my heritage is unto me as a Speckled Bird.

JEREMIAH 12:9—Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.

Mine Heritage, did you not know you are a Heritage of God? If you are Saved, Sanctified, filled with the Holy Ghost and a member of The Church of God of Prophecy, you are God’s Heritage! We should be thankful we are God’s Heritage and that one-day He will come in the cloud. We have lost two wonderful people out of this Church just over two years and they are walking in the Streets of Gold. They don’t want to come back now because they have fought and won a good fight. You have to fight to win your way to Heaven! You’re not going there without the Gift of the Holy Ghost and the Gift of God. He gave you His Son and His Son gave you His Covenant! This Covenant shall last you forever! Everybody else may go and make another one or make whatever they want to with whomever but the Covenant that will hold you in the Bride of Christ is as it always was given!

10 “WILL YOU SINCERELY PROMISE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD AND THESE WITNESSES THAT YOU WILL ACCEPT THIS BIBLE AS THE WORD OF GOD-BELIEVE AND PRACTICE ITS TEACHINGS RIGHTLY DIVIDED-THE NEW TESTAMENT AS YOUR RULE OF FAITH AND PRACTICE, GOVERNMENT AND DISCIPLINE, AND WALK IN THE LIGHT TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITY?” This is a “perpetual Covenant that shall not be forgotten.”

Will you sincerely promise in the presence of God and these witnesses that you will accept this Bible: not every kind of book that flows around or comes by your door. Accept THIS Bible, will you accept this Authorized King James Bible!

Where is the Light? If you listen to every John Doe bark, they all have a different light. The people that stay with the Old Church Doctrine that came up with these 29 Teachings over a hundred years ago will win a Home in Glory! If you want to win one you must stay with the old Path to catch away the Living Saints to meet Him in the air, where they will attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

We who are alive and remain shall hear the trumpet, see the King in His Beauty and all of a sudden we have Silver Wings and Golden Feathers: to fly away to meet the King in the air. Oh what a time it will be when the Real Church of God of Prophecy has flown and left this world behind. There will be on lookers wondering what is happening, what is going on here? They will not have time to prepare.

ACTS 19:12 – So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

This Sermon has been anointed and prayed over by the saints of God. We trust that you will use this for the healing of your body.

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