May, 2009

Fred R. Coulter

Minister

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May 14, 2009

Dear Brethren,

From all the reports and comments we have received, God has certainly blessed us with a spiritually meaningful Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. Everywhere I traveled during the Feast, the love and enthusiasm--as motivated by God's Spirit--was tangibly evident. We had the Night to be Much Observed in Fairfield, CA; the next morning, we had services for the first holy day in Vacaville, CA. Then, early Friday morning, I flew to Atlanta for the weekly Sabbath during the Feast, where we had 55 in attendance. That night, it was on to Manchester, NH. The following morning we met at the Highlander Inn--on the Wave Sheaf Offering Day--where we had 52 brethren gathered.

That Sunday was also Easter--Satan's counterfeit spring holiday! Many times "Easter Sunday" falls during Unleavened Bread. Fortunately, as we held our inspiring Bible studies, we were unaffected by the Easter activities of the churches and groups around us. In fact, it was so cold and windy that it was hardly possible for any of the worldly "Christian" churches to hold their traditional pagan "Easter sunrise services" outside on top of high hills.

From Manchester, I flew to Scottsdale, Arizona, for the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We had morning and afternoon services at the Chaparral Inn and Suites, with 72 brethren coming from all parts of the state. Again, God blessed us with His Spirit, love and inspiration. While the trip was quite demanding, it is very inspiring to meet and visit with all the brethren. It is also inspiring for the brethren to have "live services." It is always a tremendous blessing to have such fellowship--as we are all brethren in Christ Jesus.

How We Are Taught of God: As you have repeatedly heard me say, once we become "true Christians" with God's Holy Spirit within us, the three most important things are the weekly Sabbath, the Passover and the holy days. Why? Because God is uniquely present in those days--in order to fellowship with us. Therefore, on every Sabbath, at each Passover, and on each holy day, when we study and read the Holy Scriptures, God is actually teaching us personally. How is that possible?

First of all, there is a spiritual process at work in each of us--through the Holy Spirit of God. This process involves the written Word of God, as all Scripture is "God breathed"--directly inspired by God. On these special days, it is as if God is speaking directly to us through His Word. If fact, if God were actually present, these are the same words He would speak. As Jesus told the disciples, "It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life" (John 6:63).

As a result, when you read and study the Bible, or you hear the Word of God spoken, a spiritual process takes place in your mind--God Himself is teaching you through His Word of Truth by His "Spirit of the Truth." It is exactly as Jesus said, "It is written in the prophets, `And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore, everyone who has heard from the Father [God's spiritual calling], and has learned, comes to Me" (verse 45).

This is why Jesus told His disciples, "For this reason, I have said to you, no one can come to Me unless it has been given to him from My Father" (verse 65). And again, He said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).

The Importance of the Passover: Since the Passover day of April 5, 30 AD--with the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ as the focalpoint of all the Bible, let us see what Jesus Christ had to do in order to become the perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind: "For even when we were without strength, at the appointed time Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, although perhaps someone might have the courage even to die for a good man. But God commends His own love to us because, when we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more, therefore, having been justified now by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His own Son, much more then, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Rom. 5:6-10).

Again, what did Jesus have to do in order to die for the ungodly and fulfill God's great love for all the world? (John 3:16). Jesus had to divest Himself of His glory as God in order to become a man--thus, He was "God manifested in the flesh" (I Tim. 3:16). Here is what Paul writes: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied Himself [of His power and glory], and was made in the likeness of men, and took the form of a servant; and being found in the manner of man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:5-8).

Although He was the Son of God, Jesus took upon Himself the same human nature that all human beings have: "For what was impossible for the law to do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, having sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8: 3). Paul further explains: "For He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus Christ] Who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (II Cor. 5:21).

The apostle Peter confirms that because Jesus had the very human nature that is common to all men, He, as the sin offering for the world, in effect carried our sins within Himself to the cross of crucifixion. Yet, He Himself did not sin: "[Jesus] Who committed no sin; neither was guile found in His mouth; Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when suffering, He threatened not, but committed Himself to Him Who judges righteously; Who Himself bore our sins within His own body on the tree, so that we, being dead to sins, may live unto righteousness." (I Pet. 2:22-24).

Though He was God manifested in the flesh, He had human nature as a man. Thus, He was tempted with the same temptations common to all--but never sinned: "[Jesus] was tempted in all things according to the likeness of our own temptations; yet He was without sin" (Heb. 4:15).

This is how Jesus was able to become the perfect sin offering for the sins of mankind. He had the same nature that all humans have and faced every temptation common to man--but did not sin. Jesus could have sinned, but He did not!

Right now, Jesus Christ is our High Priest sitting at the right hand of God the Father in heaven--where He actively intercedes for us for the forgiveness of our sins when we repent and confess them to God through Jesus' perfect sacrifice and shed blood: "However, if we walk in the light [keeping the commandments of God], as He is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His own Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we do not have sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our own sins, He is faithful and righteous, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.

"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And yet, if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father; Jesus Christ the Righteous; and He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (I John 1:7-10; 2:1-2).

I hope this gives you a deeper insight into the meaning of the Passover and what God the Father and Jesus Christ have done: to call us, forgive our sins, and grant us the begettal of the Holy Spirit through the grace and love of God--thus, opening the way to eternal life.

God's Fellowship with Us: Once we have received the Holy Spirit of God, we are to continue to grow in grace and knowledge. We are to overcome sin, Satan, society and self through daily prayer, Bible study and godly living. This is how we establish a personal relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. We have been personally called and chosen; we have personally received the Holy Spirit from God the Father and Jesus Christ in order to have a personal relationship with Them.

The apostle John writes: "That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our own eyes, that which we observed for ourselves and our own hands handled, concerning the Word of life; (And the life was manifested, and we have seen, and are bearing witness, and are reporting to you the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us;) That which we have seen and have heard we are reporting to you in order that you also may have fellowship with us; for the fellowship--indeed, our fellowship--is with the Father and with His own Son, Jesus Christ. These things we are also writing to you, so that your joy may be completely full. And this is the message that we have heard from Him and are declaring to you: that God is light, and there is no darkness at all in Him. If we proclaim that we have fellowship with Him, but we are walking in the darkness, we are lying to ourselves, and we are not practicing the Truth. However, if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another [that is, with God the Father and Jesus Christ and They with us], and the blood of Jesus Christ, His own Son, cleanses us from all sin" (I John 1:1-7).

It is through our fellowship with God and Christ that They manifest Themselves to us. However, the world does not know this, because they cannot receive the Holy Spirit. On the night of Jesus' last Passover, He explained this to the apostles: " `If you love Me, keep the commandments--namely, My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that it may be with you throughout the age: Even the Spirit of the truth, which the world cannot receive because it perceives it not, nor knows it; but you know it because it dwells with you, and shall be within you.

" `I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world shall see Me no longer; but you shall see Me [after His resurrection]. Because I live, you shall live also. In that day, you shall know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.

" `The one who has My commandments and is keeping them, that is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him.' Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, `Lord, what has happened that You are about to manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?'

"Jesus answered and said to him, `If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. The one who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father's, Who sent Me' " (John 14:15-24).

It is through receiving the Holy Spirit that God the Father and Jesus Christ dwell in us so we can have fellowship with Them. That is the foundation of our personal relationship with Them. We now belong to Them because we have been purchased with the precious blood of Jesus Christ and have received the Holy Spirit of God. Paul makes this very clear: "WHAT! Don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, which you have within you from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (I Cor. 6:19-20).

This is the true meaning of the New Covenant Christian Passover--our renewal of the Covenant of Eternal Life and our fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ.

Christian Passover Book: The Passover is the central focus of the Bible and the most important day for true Christians because it is our annual renewal of the Covenant for Eternal Life. Since this is so, it is indeed no mystery that Satan the devil has caused more confusion concerning this special feast of God than any other. Satan does not want people to know the truth about Jesus Christ as "the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world." Instead, he wants to keep the majority deceived with his so-called "Christian" counterfeit practices of the Eucharist (the Sacrifice of the Mass), the Lord's Supper, or communion. Likewise, the majority of religious Jews have also been deceived by rejecting Jesus Christ as the true Messiah--and by rejecting the New Testament. Because of this they keep the Passover on the 15th day of the first month--instead of the true Passover, on the 14th.

Likewise, down through history, Satan and his false ministers have repeatedly tried to persuade true Christians to abandon the 14th Passover for one or more of these false doctrines. Satan knows full well that if people do not keep the Passover in the true manner that Jesus taught, they "have no part with Jesus Christ"--no eternal life. When brethren embrace these false ideas about Passover, they have taken the first step away from the truth, and have begun to sow the seeds of apostasy. As Scripture says, "a little leaven leavens the whole lump." As more false doctrines are introduced, the more apostasy develops. We have seen this happen over and over down through history--and especially in our lifetimes. Entire churches of God apostatize and go right back into the world, embracing the false doctrines and practices of worldly Christianity--Sunday-keeping, Easter and other occult holidays.

This is why The Christian Passover--What Does it Mean And When Should it Be Kept--the 14th or 15th? was written. If you do not have this 500-page book, you may request it and we will send it to you at no cost. It is absolutely essential that you have this book to read and study. After you have studied it, you will know and understand the scriptural truth about the Christian Passover.

Unleavened Bread: Just as God led ancient Israel out of bondage and slavery during the Feast of Unleavened Bread with mighty signs and wonders by the strength of His hand, God is leading us today out of the sins of this satanic society--spiritual Egypt. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, according to His Holy Word, He is granting us the spiritual strength to overcome personal sins and our own carnal natures. Our overcoming is pictured by the seven weeks leading up to the harvest of the firstfruits on the fiftieth day--Pentecost--which points to the resurrection of the saints to eternal life.

Pentecost: With this mailing we are sending the CD for Pentecost. Since we had many requests for a repeat of the seven-part series "The Seven Church Harvest," we are including those on this CD as well--along with another study on the "The Church of the Firstborn." This will give you a total of ten sermons on this CD, with plenty of information about Pentecost and the events leading up to it.

New Video Studio: The new studio we are putting together is nearly ready for Stan Snyder to install all the video equipment so we can be up and running for Church at Home. The main delay has been in getting the right kind of air conditioning unit installed so that we can keep the studio cool and not have noise coming from the cooling unit. We now have that solved. We anticipate having the equipment installed after Pentecost--then we will go full blast with Church at Home.

Letters from the Brethren

Dear Fred,

We hope all is well with you and Dolores and your helpers in Hollister. This nation is certainly in terrible shape, but it appears that it is going to get worse. I have just finished reading the 2nd edition of Occult Holidays or God's Holy Days--Which? I got more out of the 2nd edition than the 1st. You took [the subject] further and [the material] was written in an excellent and truthful way.

We had a good Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. Though we were alone, we did the best we could with the material you sent to us. I am always thankful for the holy days of God. Like you say, "It is the Sabbath, Passover and holy days" that set us apart from this wicked world. I try to repeat this in my mind every day.

With love in Christ, JS, West Virginia

Dear Fred and Dolores,

On the last day of Unleavened Bread, we invited the fellowship group to our house, since they couldn't find a place to meet. We played the sermon you had prepared. At the end, three ladies said, "That was good!" One lady took notes home and reread them and she was uplifted and encouraged. She and I are part of the Senior Center's choir, so we get to see each other more frequently than the others. However, the men did not say anything.

When we were in Atlanta, your prayer on the Sabbath really helped me to understand how to pray for others. It has taken us a while to understand the attitude we should have for others and for our country's leaders. For some reason your words were settling to my spirit, if I can say it that way.

We are still having Bible studies on Friday evenings with another couple from the fellowship group. We have just finished the booklet "Judge Righteous Judgment." That booklet has really opened my eyes a lot, so much so that I went through it to ask questions in case the group wanted us to help them. As the Scriptures say, the truth is like a two-edged sword and cuts to the marrow of the bones.

Thanks for leading us to God through the Scriptures. Praying for both of you.

In Christian love, A & KB, South Carolina

Dear Fred,

I just wanted to say a great big thank you for sending me The Christian Passover book. Wow! What a book. You certainly crossed every "T" and dotted every "I"--leaving no wiggle room. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It knocks into a cocked hat any booklet or pamphlet that I have ever gotten from other churches of God. Phenomenal!

Thank you for all your hard work; it is greatly appreciated.

Yours truly, ES in the UK

Dear Mr. Coulter,

I must begin by extending a heartfelt "thank you" for the concern you demonstrated in forwarding all of the material I have received. Rest assured your act of kindness will not have been in vain. I have listened to tape #1 five times thus far, as I will not move ahead to the others until I am convinced that I've retained the entire gist of this specific message. I will let the Holy Spirit lead me in such things.

Mr. Coulter, [here in jail] I make 40 cents an hour. I get paid for thirty hours a week. 60% goes for child support and restitution. I used to supplement my income by gambling and selling drugs. A little over a year ago I was chastised severely (Proverbs 3:11-12)--to the point of complete surrender. I had always known there is a God, but the lies of "Christianity"--as popularly preached and taught--were an insult to my intelligence. As a result I chose the things of the world. Fortunately, God revealed the truth to me, and I am eternally grateful.

I've yet to begin tithing. Until then, I know that five dollars doesn't buy much, but it's all I have. Thank you.

MA, Arizona

Dear Fred,

I would like to thank you very much for the copy of the book Occult Holidays or God's Holy Days--Which? You really put a lot of time and effort into this book. I have sat in church for many years and always wondered about a lot of the topics that you have [covered] in your book; but if I made mention of it, I was looked upon as a heretic. All praise to the Most High for the spirit of truth in this book, teaching the true Word of God.

CT, North Carolina

Dear Fred,

Thank you for the great job you are doing of keeping us spiritually awake during the most deceptive time in modern history. You can't trust the President of the United States, the Supreme Court, Congress and definitely not the media--and worse yet, not even the money in your pocket. But you can trust God. The Bible is all we have against the total deception coming on the world by Satan the devil. God's Word stands alone. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the Word of God stands forever. If we didn't have the Bible, how great that deception would be. God promises us eternal life if we love and obey Him. What a bargain!

God bless you, CO, Mississippi

Needs to Be Baptized

I am writing to thank Fred R. Coulter for his teachings and for all the books that he has written. My husband and I have all his books, and that includes The Holy Bible In Its Original Order. We study every day through the Web site and with the books. We are so grateful to God because we feel that He led us to the Web site and to the studies and books. And we certainly love Fred Coulter and keep him in our hearts and prayers.

We treasure every moment that God gives us in His Word; and we feel that Fred is certainly a man of God--we consider him our pastor now. The reason we adopted him is because we know he is teaching the truth; also, where we live, there is not much of a choice in churches that we can attend. Our area has only Baptist, Pentecostal, Church of Christ, and the [other] usual pagan-keeping temples that believe in Sunday worship and so forth. There are no Sabbath-keeping churches near us. So instead of being fed false doctrine, my husband and I study at home and keep to the Word of God, in keeping the commandments and all that we learn of. We feel we can be closer to God at home, rather than being led astray.

I just want to ask that the church keep my husband and me in their prayers.

We desire so much to be part of a true Bible-teaching Church. We would give anything to be able to sit in a congregation with true believers of God under true teachings. Unfortunately, this is not possible at this time--and because we live so far away.

So we just want you to know that we are listening, learning, and applying all we learn and we want to say thank you and God bless you all.

Is there a way that we can get on a mailing list? [Yes, done.] And can we pay tithes to the church, even if we are not "official" members of the congregation? [Yes, you can by mail.] Also, one more question. Me and my husband were baptized in 1997, but we have learned so much since our baptism. Is there someone near us that you know of who can baptize us into the truth of God? We live in Tennessee. [Yes, I will be in Cincinnati on May 16, 2009, and see you and baptize you there.]

Once again, thank you, L & MD, Tennessee

Dear Fred,

Thank, thank, thank you!!! My parents have guided me to your tapes and Web site, and they have been a blessing. I felt I was in a "wilderness" for years, gaining a little here and a little there, but now I truly understand what the Kingdom of God is all about. Since having my eyes opened, the Word of the Lord has flooded me and I feel that I cannot contain it all! I wish I could stay awake 24/7 to continue reading the Word and listening to the messages. It is 1:53 AM. My eyes are stinging, but I want to learn more! I feel so blessed and humbled that He has chosen to reveal Himself to me.

Glory be to our Lord--He is wonderful! And thank you for your ministry.

JD, Australia

Dear Mr. Coulter,

It is with deep gratitude that I wish to thank you for the prompt reply to my letter. I received it today (April 27) and, after studying the contents carefully, I applied the anointed cloth and prayed earnestly for healing. As I was reading your letter, I could sense your Christian love permeating the message contained therein. What a joy for someone who was abandoned over 20 years ago [by a church of God] to have received such a caring letter.

There has been a huge void of spiritual knowledge in my life over the past years. I did all the correspondence courses in Mr. Armstrong's time. Then I was on Dr. Martin's mailing list for a number of years, doing his correspondence courses and reading some of his books--I won't comment. This year the WCG has reached an all-time low. We will be keeping the Passover on the correct night and that will be all for another year.

I received the two CDs from you for this [festival] season and I plan to keep the Holy Days, etc. at home. I have already listened to all the sermons and look forward to hearing them again at the appropriate time. What a blessing these sermons are to me. I followed all the Scripture references in my lovely new Bible, also making meaningful notes.

I have had two miraculous healings in the past, and especially since 1986 I have been keeping to a very healthy diet. I keep in contact with the people I mentioned, praying for direction. I enjoy the hymns in your book, playing them frequently on the piano. I have been playing the piano for our fellowship since 1981.

I wish you God's richest blessings in your faithful service for Him and I am glad that you did not mind me making contact.

With love in Jesus Christ's name, EW, N. Ireland

Letters Concerning the Washington Times Ad,

"It's Not the Economy, Stupid--It's God!"

Dear Pastor Coulter,

Thank you so very much for the excellent writing in the Washington Times, "It's Not the Economy, Stupid--It's God!" If only more would read it, repent and turn to God.

My husband and I are in our 80s. He served in the Navy in WWII. He has said for 60 years that our young people would destroy America. We are seeing it happen. Unless they repent and turn from their wicked ways, there is no hope for our beloved country.

We have been married for 63 years and we thank our Father for them. We thank you for your faithfulness to Him. We pray for God to richly bless you.

Sincerely in Christ, F and D, Idaho

Dear Sir,

You did not have a phone number in your ad in the Washington Times. And I do not have a computer. So I am writing to [request] information about your denomination, or church, or whatever. I read your article. Very excellent!

Thank you very much, B and L, New York

Dear Sir,

Just finished reading your "It's Not the Economy, Stupid--It's God!" in the WashingtonTimes. I have got to tell you how much I admire your courage and your investment to have that published. I am aware that much of the church has been hamstrung with fear [when it comes to] speaking out against the evils of government. I have been praying for years for the church to break the shackles imposed on her--to speak out, tell the truth, actively oppose and stand up to unrighteousness and injustice.

John the Baptist lost his head for doing so. "They" crucified our Lord Jesus for doing the same. If trying to retain tax-exempt status for fear of what the government would do to us if we stood up and declared to the government, "This shall not be, because it is wrong," then we are cowards in favor of filthy lucre and tax exemption. I commend you. "They" may come after you. I will pray for you. Thank you and keep up the fight!

RC, Arizona

Bible Sales Through Bob Ellsworth

Bob is doing a terrific job of selling the Bible. He is advertising in many leading publications and is getting a good responses. He is selling 80-90 Bibles a week and our supply of lambskin Bibles is down to 720. We are, also, in the final stages of preparing for a second edition and we should have some time before the Feast of Tabernacles.

Bob sent me a letter from a couple, who ordered the Bible through his Century One Books. For years, they had been supporters of Dr. Ernest Martin's project of Restoring the Original Bible. However, Dr. Martin died before much progress toward producing a Bible in its original order. Below is the letter that came with their order:

Dear Sir:

Enclosed is my check for The Holy Bible In Its Original Order that was advertised in the National Review Magazine. My husband and I have waited decades for this Bible with the New Testament in its original canonical order. We were wondering, however, if you availed yourself of so much of the scholarly materials relating to the Bible restoration by Dr. Ernest Martin? [Yes, much of it is contained in the Commentaries and Appendices.]

We look forward to receiving this Bible, so we may add another level of instruction in our private studies.

D & J C, Texas

As we have for the past three months, we are sending you another booklet that we have downsized from the lager format. This one is "God is Not a Trinity." We will continue to send you a different booklet each month until we have downsized all the existing booklets.

By the time you receive this letter, I will be in Cincinnati for the Elders' Conference. We are all looking forward to it. Pray for God's blessing and inspiration on all the sessions, as well as on the Sabbath services of May 16.

Brethren, with the difficult times we are facing, we all need to stay close to God the Father and Jesus Christ. The whole world, it seems, is moving into uncharted waters fraught with many dangers and unknown troubles. Prayer and Bible study are now more important than ever for us to keep our spiritual equilibrium, relying on God's strength and blessing in all things. May God's love and grace be with you in your hearts, minds and lives.

With love in Christ Jesus,

Fred R. Coulter

FRC