Preview of the March/April Issue Of The Christian Outlook

From the Desk of the Presiding Bishop

Bishop Theodore L. Brooks, Sr.

Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc.

To my dear brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of God, Lady L. Janice Brooks and I greet you in the precious Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! It is through Him we have all power and authority, and in Him we find all peace and guidance in every season of our lives. The Lord is truly marvelous in all His mighty work, and we find no fault in Him. We pray that as you read this issue of The Christian Outlook, you find relevant and insightful information for your life. This issue we are focusing on transitions—and I can say without a doubt and in full confidence that the Lord is with us in every transition and season of our lives. Even if we don’t feel Him or see Him, He is with us and His hand of protection never leaves us. His divine will and authority through every season and transition is even made so clear to us during this Easter season. Jesus, being God in flesh, knew of and designed the crucifixion as a way to reconcile us back to Him. However, He still needed to endure the pain, suffering and anguish of death in order to experience the power of the Resurrection. Often, there are times in our lives when we wonder what God is doing, where He is taking us, how He will make ways. We find ourselves in the place of in between. Though we know God has a plan, we are waiting for Him to make His plan known to us. My beloved brothers and sisters, don’t doubt God through your transitions in life. He is powerful and all-knowing. He has determined your end from your beginning, and He will be with you through every season.

I believe that living in the power, authority and peace of God through every season is, in part, why God laid it on my heart for us to continually say, “Now It Shall Spring Forth”.

This year in particular, as a subtheme and vision for 2020, God is reminding us that He has the power to perform every promise that He has made to each of us. “God’s Promise to Perform” will stand no matter what transition you may be going through. It is in His promise that we find hope and peace, knowing that no matter what season of life we are in, we too will experience resurrection in every area where the Lord has made us a promise.

Lady Brooks and I love you dearly and we are praying for you in every season and transition of your life.

The Master’s Servants, Bishop Theodore and Lady L. Janice Brooks

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from the

Editor Evangelist Neechy Dumas

I

’m humbled to greet you as your new Director of Marketing & Publications for the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc. I’m grateful to our Presider, Bishop Theodore L. Brooks, Sr., for the opportunity to serve our great organization in this capacity.

It has been a humbling experience to inherit the baton from such a great vessel — Dr. Ruth Tyson-Newton, who has been kind and gracious toward me during this transition. To be given the opportunity to walk in her footsteps and gleen from her wisdom is truly an honor, and for that I’m grateful. Dr. Tyson-Newton will continue to serve within the department of Publications as editor of The Apostolic Light.

It’s also been exciting to form and create with what I gleefully call “The Crew” — First Lady Jennifer Slaughter, Evang. Mona Thomas-Green, Bro. Demarcus Williams, Bro. Eric Bowens and Eld. Craig Gilchrist. These amazing people currently make up the new creative leg of The Christian Outlook team. This transition would not have been possible without them.

My prayer as you read this issue is that you’ll tap into a sense of humanity when you read about how Eld. Gary Copeland shares his journey of getting to know God, that you’ll celebrate the testimony of Evang. Freda Morrison and that you’ll be drawn to a place of fervent prayer as Bishop Carl Turner has expounded upon.

Thank you for taking this journey with us and allowing us to serve you as we seek to highlight our PAW History, stories of hope, and encounters with God in the coming issues.

Blessings, Evang. Neechy Marketing & Publications Director @Neechy

Once the shock wore off, I got back on track with my lifestyle and my diet, just as I did a few years before. The spot on my back began to disappear and the health of my skin began to improve. I also found healthy outlets to deal with my grief. My blood glucose levels steadily improved however the rest of my body was not responding as quickly as it had in the past. The side effects of the medication began to cause major issues for me. I started to experience frequent fatigue, blurry vision, low stamina, gastrointestinal issues, bloating and worst of all, weight gain. My medication was changed, but the results remained the same. I even increased my workouts and began to work with a personal trainer, but my results remained the same. After one year of multiple adjustments with little to no change, my doctor referred me to a specialist who thought I would be a great candidate for a bariatric program for diabetic patients like me. I was extremely hesitant at first but after much prayer, research and the support of my family I started the program and ended up having a Sleeve Gastrectomy three weeks before the Summer Convention in Cincinnati.

The Lord brought me through surgery without any complications. However, the most important change came immediately after surgery. I was taken off of all of my medication including insulin! When I received the news from my doctor, my heart was filled with so much joy. From that day forward, even until today I go to bed with a praise and sometimes tears of joy. For over 2 years, bedtime use to be the most difficult part of my day because that was when I had to take my injectable medication, but now, I just go to bed, trauma free! It may not seem like much to some, but it means everything to me.

“I want to honor God

not just with my service to Him, but I also want to make sure that I honor Him by living both a

holy and healthy lifestyle.”

I am thankful to God for this opportunity and I give Him all of the glory. My energy and stamina have increased! My vision has improved! I’ve lost some weight and I no longer have to deal with the side effects of my diabetic medication. Now it’s up to me to maintain and take care of my temple. I want to honor God not just with my service to Him, but I also want to make sure that I honor Him by living both a holy and healthy lifestyle. In addition to that, I’ve also learned just how important it is to take care of my mental health. In the midst of what I thought was the worst season of my life, the Lord came through and turned my mourning into dancing. The Word of God, prayer, counseling and some R&R helped to pull me through. I still shed a tear or two when I think about my loved ones that have passed away, but I don’t let it bring me down.

God has placed a great work into my hands. Now more than ever, I am focused on giving my best and serving God, my family, my church and the IPYPU in good health.

Great things are happening and I am determined live better for Him. march/april 2020

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The

Ferventand

Prayer

Persistent Prayer that Brings

W

e read in the Word of God, that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

I believe with all my heart the Lord allows us to get into certain situations that will cause us to acknowledge that where we are now, is for the purpose of reaching out to the Lord in prayer, requesting a change in our lives.

Prayer is the recipe to fulfill petitions that we have and need the Lord to respond to in a positive way. You need to know that often times, you will not be celebrated for your prayers. This is when you must remind yourself that it is the fervent (the prayer displaying a passionate intensity) prayer of a righteous child of God that will bring results. The Word tells us that Daniel got on his knees and prayed three times a day and gave the Lord thanks. We must always give God thanks in advance for what we know He is able to do.

As a child, I remember vividly my parents praying with great intensity and getting results. So when I faced the greatest challenges in my life, I realized it was time for me to have a fervent and persistent prayer life of my own.

Sometimes the Lord permits us to see death and to experience the heartbeat of death in order to raise our faith and belief in the power of prayer. Ten years ago I lost my oldest son who died without us ever knowing that he was sick to the point of death. He kept it from us that he had an enlarged heart. The day after his burial I was at the cemetery, and no one knew where I was. My phone rang and the person on the other end asked for my whereabouts to which I replied, “I was in the cemetery getting ready to dig my son up.” My reason for living was gone. Not considering the welfare of the family I had left, I felt as though I also was ready to die.

Shortly thereafter, my wife and I checked into a hotel. It was while we were there when my wife was asleep, I laid on the floor with my Bible and said to the Lord, “If you don’t help me, I’m going to die.” It was at this point in my life that I found out that prayer was the key to my deliverance and

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Results

By Bishop Carl A. Turner, Sr.

faith in God, even though I felt I had no reason to continue living. This pushed me to my knees to pray!

Once you are on your knees you will find that there is a prayer for a troubled heart. I believe the Lord allows us to get in some situations that will draw us closer to Him and see the need to open our hearts in sincere and persistent prayer. It’s called a prayer for a troubled heart.

David had a son who was very sick. He sought God for the child, fasting and praying all night. David was so troubled until he didn’t do anything but fast and pray for seven days.

When the child died, everyone around was afraid to inform David. What they didn’t realize was that his prayer was giving him the strength he needed to survive in the worst of times. The old folks would say, saints don’t stop praying.

This world is in chaos because of its willful neglect and absence of prayer. Men ought to always pray and not faint.

Many don’t understand how I maintain my sanity with such pain and agony that I have been through. Again, I know firsthand what it feels like to lose a child. I know what it feels like to have your oldest grandson murdered. Oh yes, it hurts, oh yes, it is painful, but I know firsthand what prayer can and will do.

The prayer of a troubled heart will get the attention of the God we serve. Do we cry? Yes. Do we hurt? Yes. But learn how to pray in the midst of your hurt and in the midst of your tears. Remember that the Lord is still good even on a bad day. When it looks like you have come to the end of the road, when your heart is overwhelmed always remember that the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Prayer will heal the sick; prayer will cause you to remember how good God is. That’s what keeps me giving the Lord great praise because He told me, the reason I’m still alive is because He can trust me with a prayer and a praise.

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throwback THROWBACK thursday THURSDAY

Pastor Timothy W. Carpenter

By Minister Timothy Moore

T

he term “virtuoso” describes the keyboard mastery of Timothy W. Carpenter. He’s a unique blend of musician that is adept playing “by ear,” but is also classically trained.

instruction through Carpenter’s college audition. Carpenter’s love was always piano. He never really sought to play the organ, although he did master it after several years. However, even now, he prefers the piano.

With a musical pedigree that spans nearly 50 years, Carpenter has played keyboards on Gospel recordings with Fred Hammond, Donald Lawrence, Bishop Charles Watkins, the Mt. Calvary Concert Choir, and the PAW Mass Choir.

In 1965, at the age of 12, Carpenter was baptized by Elder Norman Wagner at Mt. Calvary, under the pastorate of Bishop James Tyson. He received the Holy Ghost baptism at the Ohio District’s summer Youth Camp in Zanesville a year later.

The hit song “Jesus Promised,” made popular by the Chicago Mass Choir in 2005, was actually written by Timothy Carpenter. It was initially recorded on Bishop Charles Watkins’ final album “The Storefront Connection” in 1988, and then the PAW’s Mt. Calvary Concert Choir on the album, “The Best for Last” in 1991.

That year, he began working as a musician with the local church’s choirs and with PAW’s national choirs (during the convention in Pittsburgh). At the time, Arnold Wagner was the YPU’s Minister of Music and Bishop Charles Watkins was PAW Minister of Music.

Pastor Carpenter also scored orchestral arrangements for Fred Hammond’s, “Lift up your Heads,” for the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and for the Columbus (OH) Symphony Orchestra.

As well, he scored and conducted four original compositions with the celebrated Filmorchester Baldesberg Symphony of Potsdam (Germany). In this concert, he teamed with opera star Brenda Jackson (the product of a PAW church in St. Louis), who invited him to work with her in Germany while both attended the 2000 PAW MidWinter Convention.

Timothy W. Carpenter was born in October 1953 in Youngstown (OH) to James & Thelma Carpenter, who were charter members of Mt. Calvary Pentecostal Church from its days as Mt. Calvary Baptist Church.

Carpenter began taking piano lessons at age 5, under the tutelage of Everett McCullough, who continued that

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At the local church, Carpenter teamed with the pastor’s son, Craig Tyson, another child prodigy who would also become legendary among Gospel musicians. This duo honed their craft, spending every Saturday afternoon together in the sanctuary at Mt. Calvary, testing and practicing various songs and styles of music for hours.

Years later, this inseparable duo would serve as primary musicians on the PAW’s “Tribute to the Bishops” recording from the 1996 Indianapolis convention. They also became Co-National Ministers of Music for three years, under the administration of then-PAW Presiding Bishop Norman Wagner.

Interestingly, Carpenter was a double first cousin with Bishop Wagner. His father and mother were alternately brother and sister to Bishop Wagner’s parents.

During his high school years, Carpenter became a fixture at Bishop Charles Watkins’ Pentecostal Church of Christ (PCC) in Cleveland on Sunday evenings. His father re-

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editorial

Jesus A Soul

Winner “...He that winneth souls is wise.” - Proverbs 11:30

By Deacon Schon Bradley

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” - Luke 19:10

H

as the ministry of the church lost its focus? If you listen to or watch television ministries online, you will notice that their primary focus has been a theology of “self.” Self-will, self-determination, self-focus, taking pride in yourself, understanding yourself, loving yourself, developing yourself, etc. The members of these churches are self-indulged and consumed with themselves. They are on social media taking selfies; church flyers are built around a personality and their selfimage and accomplishments. Everybody wants to know “How can I be blessed? How can I get rich?” I, I, I, and Me, Me, Me seems to be the chief motivation. However, this was never the intention of the Apostolic church of Jesus Christ.

Our Lord wants a church that will, 1) exalt Him in word and in deed, and 2) bring men and women to repentance. In other words, to become engaged in soul winning.

We need to understand our Lord from the earth up and not from heaven down. Many Bible students, (and ministers for that manner) do not know our Lord’s earthly ministry and the true purpose of His coming.

They read about His miracle working power and believe that performing these works was His primary purpose.

People believe that He came to bless, heal and deliver without having any real long-term goal in mind. They do not understand that He used those actions and events to get people to believe that He is the One that the prophets spoke of and that eternal life only comes by Him (John 10:9). We must believe, and know, that there was a bigger purpose for choosing the twelve disciples that extends beyond blessing people. Their true purpose

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was to win souls over through the gift of repentance (Acts 2:14-39).

The Apostolic church of today cannot afford to look at Jesus from the perspective of sending blessings down from above without learning what He did on earth — and that is to die for our sins on the cross and to win souls to the Kingdom. This is the primary purpose of His ministry, and we should be winning souls to the Kingdom like He did. Jesus is the true Soul Winner, and we must follow in His footsteps. We cannot afford to let the sheep of the flock be scattered abroad due to false teaching and false emphasis of self-worth, for Jesus alone is worthy and worthy to be praised. We must be like the Apostle Paul and exalt, teach and preach the core of his theology, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified (I Corinthians 2:2).” In order “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). This is the real purpose of the holiness movement. It’s time for the Jesus message and soul winning to take center stage within the church.

“God’s Promise to Perform”

Deacon Schon Bradley is Director of Christian Education of the Northern District Council; Deacon and General Superintendent of Christian Education at Greater Grace Temple-Taylor.

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Pastor Pastor Pastor Nisan Nisan Nisan Stewart Stewart Stewart

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money

An

Action

Planfor Two of Life’s

Biggest Challenges

By Evangelist Lynne E. Shivers

T

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

hese wise words ring true for a variety of goals in life, such as losing weight, scheduling a vacation, building a home, or any major event where you want the end result to be successful.

Yet two of the biggest challenges that need planning are often overlooked: living too long without having enough money or dying too soon and not leaving enough money.

juggling the schedules of their five children and crisscrossed work hours. Sadly, in the fourth month, the wife dies in her sleep leaving her husband and children without enough money even for the funeral expenses. Three months later, her family is evicted from their home. In their wildest dreams they would not have thought she would have died at such a young age. No plan for dying too soon and not leaving enough money.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 21:20, “There is a treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up” (KJV). In other words, the wise plan for the future, but the short-sighted and foolish waste it quickly and leave nothing to spare for the future.

The ant plans for its future by storing up resources in good times for when times are bad. The woman in Proverbs 31 works hard to ensure her family will never go without no matter which season of life.

What is planning? “Planning is nothing but thinking before taking action.” It helps us to take a peek into the future and decide in advance how to deal with the situations, which we are going to encounter.1 Living too long. A recent study revealed that 64% of Americans will retire broke. When asked how much money they had in retirement savings, close to half of all respondents — 45% — claimed they had no money put aside for retirement, while 19% said they’ll retire with less than $10,000. If these trends hold, that means 64% of all Americans will essentially retire broke. 2 This is a real concern for people like Joan*, a 62-year old woman who worked for the same company for 40 years was forced to retire because she was diagnosed with Stage-3 cancer. Yet she only had $85,000 saved for retirement. My question to her: What is your plan?

Because she did not have enough retirement savings to sustain her for long. Living too long and not saving enough money.

Many people want a long life, but have they saved enough for retirement? It’s your responsibility to ensure so. Many people don’t have any life insurance, some only through their job. How important is it to ensure your family will be taken care of financially if you and your income are gone? It’s your responsibility! Plan wisely for both scenarios. It’s important, not only to your family…. but to your future as well. *Names have been changed.

1 Planning. https://businessjargons.com/planning.html 2 64% of Americans Aren’t Prepared For Retirement — and 48% Don’t Care. Are younger generations setting themselves up to fail? By Sean Dennison September 23, 2019 Retirement 101 3 Life Insurance Statistics – Industry Facts, Figures & Data, September 2019. https://www.bestliferates.org/ life-insurance-statistics/

Dying too soon. It is estimated that only 57% of Americans have life insurance.3 In my line of work I come across this a lot. I recall trying unsuccessfully for three months to meet with a married couple who couldn’t find the time due to

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Evangelist Lynne E. Shivers is a Regional Vice President with a Fortune 500 financial services company, General Secretary of the Northern District Council, and Author of “God Is in the Details: P.E.A.C.E.ful Event Planning for Churches and Religious Groups.”

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