by Bishop Samuel Kramer- Originally published in Volume 51, Issue 1 - Spring 2007 Special 50th Anniversary Edition
Deliverance. We’ve all wanted it at some point in our lives. Maybe it’s deliverance from a physical ailment, spiritual bondage, or even a financial quagmire that we’ve got ourselves in. Mankind has sought deliverance of some sort since the beginning of time when Adam attempted to blame Eve for his disobedience: “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:12). As always, God has a plan for the dilemmas that mankind faces. God’s special plan of deliverance is called the Year of Jubilee. What is Jubilee? and how does it affect me? Let’s see what God says about this special time of deliverance and restoration.
LET’S REFRESH OUR MEMORY
Since its inception in 1903, The Church of God has recognized that it has a distinct calling from God. What is that calling? To be a special people who are ‘called out’ by God to become His Bride. Now that may seem arrogant or presumptuous to you but it’s important to understand that it is God who does the calling–not man. Just like we choose a special person to become our spouse, God has the right to choose a special people to become His Bride. Have we already attained our calling?–No, but we aspire to be all that God has called us to be.
The concept of being ‘called out’ began with Abram when God called him out from among his native people. Why? Because his family had a history of idolatry and paganism. In 1903, Bishop A. J. Tomlinson, founder and first General Overseer of The Church of God, was called out and used by God to bring about a great move of God by the inspiration of prophecy and by God’s Holy Spirit. What did he do? He covenanted together with a handful of believers to “search the Bible to see if we could find the Church of God just like David said we would find it.” (A quote from A. J. Tomlinson, Upon This Rock, C. T. Davidson, p. 294-297,230)
The Church of God recognizes that Bishop Tomlinson led the Arise, Shine of God’s church this side of the Dark Ages. This signaled the end of the confusion that was perpetuated by the Roman Catholic Church, together with the work of Satan, to destroy God’s church.
To this day there is an ongoing deception, orchestrated by Satan, to keep God’s people from seeing the importance of becoming a people set apart just for God, a people that will follow Him–and only Him, and His word. Today, churches want so much to be part of the Christian mainstream that they often denounce any group who is different or who claims a particular identity in God. Thus became the fate of the original Church of God founded by Bishop Tomlinson at the turn of the 20th Century.
As always, God continues to have a master plan. After the Church of God, and subsequently the Church of God of Prophecy, strayed from their initial calling, God rose up another prophet by the name of Bishop Grady R. Kent, to fulfill His Word. Bishop Kent made a stand on February 13, 1957, to again focus on the need for a group of people to be ‘called out’ to be the Bride of Christ. Bishop Kent started a reformation within the Church of God of Prophecy to bring about a restoration of all things that have been spoken by the mouth of the prophets since the world began (Acts 3:21). Subsequently, The Church of God, Jerusalem Acres, was born in the throes of that reformation with Bishop Grady R. Kent as the first General Overseer.
50TH ANNIVERSARY
On February 13, 2007, we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Bishop Kent’s reformation stand and the beginning of The Church of God, Jerusalem Acres. As the Presiding Bishop of the church, I am proclaiming this 50th year to be a year of jubilee to those who will believe and accept it.
The word jubilee is a transliteration of the Hebrew word yobel usually taken to mean, by translation, a ‘blast’ of the trumpet. It’s either derived from another Hebrew word meaning ‘to flow’ (which speaks of the trumpet’s continuing or flowing sound) of from a Phoenician word meaning ‘ram’ (because the trumpet would have been made from the ram’s horn). What does that mean for us? The year of jubilee begins with a blowing or sounding of a trumpet.
In Old Testament times a trumpet was used as a means of sending a message or making an announcement to the people. As The Church of God enters it’s 50th year, I have an announcement to make: “I, Samuel Kramer, Presiding Bishop of The Church of God, Jerusalem Acres, am making a trumpet call and declaration that The Church of God, Jerusalem Acres, has entered this special year of Jubilee with great anticipation and expectation. I further declare to those of you who will follow our leading and faith, that this will be a great year for you, your family, and God’s church.”
How do we as individuals and corporately as a church receive this jubilee blessing? First of all, we must believe. If you do not believe, you will not receive. If you say, “I am not sure that I believe all of this”–and refuse to accept this–you will get nothing. God will honor what you confess from your mouth.
...AND LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL
The information found in the word of God about the year of jubilee is found in Leviticus 25:8-55. Let’s examine verse 10, “And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land...” The word hallow means to consecrate, sanctify, or to dedicate. So, the first step to receiving our jubilee blessings is to declare and set aside this year as a special time before God. This is a special year to be set aside from other years or times, it is dedicated to God, and it is a year to receive special blessings and promises from Him. Some may ask, “Like what?”
Like liberty. God says to proclaim liberty throughout all the land and to all its inhabitants. The word liberty means to move rapidly, spontaneity of outflow, clear or freedom. What does that mean to us here and now? Many of us have been dealing with spiritual, moral, and even financial bondage in our lives that have slowed down–or even stopped at times–our Christian walk. Proclaiming liberty is proclaiming freedom from these obstructions that have been placed in our path.
If you study this passage you will find that God gives no particular indication of why and/or how these people ended up in bondage. What’s my point? Too many times we try to decipher the how/what/why of why people are in bondage, and then once we have determined those reasons, we say that they are now getting what they deserve. Let me be very clear with us all: if we all would get what we deserve, we would all be eternally lost!
The year of jubilee is a special time before God. It is a time of proclaiming liberty. I make the declaration that we will accept the liberty that is in Christ Jesus, and that we are set free from bondage!
RETURN EVERY MAN TO HIS POSSESSION
Verse 10 continues, “...and ye shall return every man unto his possession...” Within The Church of God, there are a lot of people that have been robbed of their possessions–or should I say–their inheritance. In times past we have been told that we are not special and that our calling is no different from any other church. We have been told that we cannot be God’s Bride because as an organization, we are too small. We have been told that we cannot be God’s special people because we are largely uneducated, unrefined, and uncouth. We’ve even been told that The Church of God, Jerusalem Acres, would cease to exist because our message was elitist and pompous, and that our congregations would eventually succumb due to attrition of our aging membership. Satan has worked to rob us of our identity and subsequently our inheritance; however, he has failed.
The Church of God, Jerusalem Acres, continues to exist because it has a clear calling from God. The church is consistently growing adding some 40 new churches in the Philippines in the last year alone. As an organization we are more than ever determined to “...press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
The Holy Spirit has worked steadily in our minister’s councils at restoring our church identity for the past 10 years. As we enter this year of jubilee I am looking forward to complete restoration in this area. God has called us out as an organization–it is His plan, not ours. Let me assure you that to be ‘called out’ to be the Bride of Christ is a special calling–not everyone, or every church, will be His Bride. Consider Deuteronomy 7:6-9, “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. [7] The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: [8] But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. [9] Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.”
These verses make it very clear that God wants a special people just for Himself–they have no allegiance to any other god, person, or thing. They are called out of idolatry and away from anything of pagan origin. They have no other gods before them. They recognize that there is only one way to Yahweh God, and that is through is His Son, Jesus Christ. They also recognize that the only way that they can become His Bride is to “...follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth” (Revelation 14:4 partial quote). They follow the truth of God’s Word no matter what the cost.
FELLOW HEIRS THROUGH CHRIST
I say to you that this year is a special year for you to reclaim your special possession and your inheritance. As believers, we have access to the same covenants and promises that God made to Abraham. How can I say that? Through the authority of the Word of God. Let’s read Ephesians 3:6-9, “That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: [7] Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. [8] Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ: [9] And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.”
The Apostle Paul tells us that we–as Gentile believers–are fellowheirs with the children of Israel. This is a mystery that most people–including Christians–do not understand to this day. It’s important to note that we are NOT talking about replacement theology–the teaching that we as Gentile believers take the place of Jews when it comes to covenants, blessings, and inheritance. We are, however, joint heirs with the Jews, or as Paul says, fellowheirs. How does that differ from replacement theology? We do not replace the Jews, we simply stand along side with them as fellowheirs. What ever blessings they are entitled to, so are we. What ever promises have been made to them, we are entitled to as well. How is this possible? Through Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3:27-29, “For as many of you as have been baptized unto Christ have put on Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. [29] And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” This scripture makes it very clear that if we are in Christ, then we are Abraham’s seed. As part of this seed, we are subsequently part of the inheritance as well.
I implore you, members of The Church of God, Jerusalem Acres, please do not let anyone talk you out of your identity, inheritance, and blessings. It is yours because that is what God has called you to. I Corinthians 12:18 tells us, “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.”
RESTORATION OF FAMILIES
The last part of Leviticus 25:10 says, “...and ye shall return every man unto his family.” There is a trend in the world, and in the church, of our families being separated from God and His church and sometimes ultimately destroyed. According to God’s principle of jubilee, this is the year we can expect to see our families restored to us. Notice that this scripture does not deal with the reason of how they became separated from the fold, it just states the fact that they will be restored in the year of jubilee.
I declare that this year of jubilee will be a great time of restoration in our families. We will see our families restored back as they should be, and they will again enjoy the inheritance that is theirs including the promises of God.
FREE FROM SLAVERY
Finally, I want to deal with the another principle of jubilee: slavery. Leviticus 25:42,54, 55, “For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen...[54] And if he be not redeemed in these years, then he shall do out in the year of jubilee, both he, and his children with him. [55] For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”
These scriptures make the point that we are not to be sold as servants to anybody or anything. Let’s examine this is on a personal level: I believe that too many of us in times past–and possibly even now–are dealing with the repercussions of having sold ourselves into slavery. Some of us may be slaves to our careers. Some of us may have habits in our lives that we are slaves to. Some of us may be tied up in financial slavery. Whatever the source of the bondage is, God wants us released from it. It can be as simple as letting the cares of this life ensnare you. Jesus warned us about this trap in Luke 21:34. Let me make one thing very clear: anything that takes priority over the will of God in our lives is a form of slavery or bondage.
God said, “I brought you out to Myself,” meaning that we cannot be slaves to anybody or anything other than God. Verse 55 says, “For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” We have been ‘called out’ to serve Yahweh God and to follow Him wherever His Word leads us. We declare are allegiance to Him, and to Him alone. May this year of jubilee be a special time for all of us to reclaim everything that Satan has tried to take from us. May it be a time of deliverance, liberty, restoration and freedom from bondage for The Church of God and it’s constituents.