Eif Magazine Winter 2008 - Faithdome.org

WINTER 2008 VOL. IV N0. 1

THE POWER OF FAITH TO TRANSFORM YOUR L IFE!

MAGAZINE

a message from dr. price

Prosperity comes in many different forms. There is social prosperity and mental prosperity, and there is professional prosperity, when God blesses the work you are doing on your job. Once you marry, you can also experience marital prosperity. There is parental prosperity in terms of raising your children, and physical prosperity in terms of your health. No Christian has a problem with any of these ways through which God can prosper us. No minister, theologian, or church denomination will tell you that any of these areas of prosperity are bad, or of the devil. When it comes to financial and material prosperity, however, that is an entirely different ballgame. When you begin to talk about those two forms of prosperity, you become a target. All the worms come out of the woodwork, and you might even have some people talk about you. But I know the true reason these attacks come. Satan knows that if he can keep Christians poor, he can hinder the proclamation of the gospel. And he has done a good job of keeping Christians poor up to the present time. It costs money to proclaim the gospel. It costs money to build or rent a church building, to provide a pastor for a congregation, to equip a church sanctuary. Christians need an environment in which they can hear the Word, fellowship with one another, and grow in the knowledge of God. It costs money to send missionaries to a place where no one has ever gone before with the gospel. Satan knows that if he can keep us poor, keep us barely making it, keep us struggling to provide for our own individual households, then we will have limited resources to give to the Church. By our poverty, he can prevent us from sending out those who need to carry the message of Jesus Christ to others. It’s a conspiracy! A person cannot give what he or she does not have, especially when the person does not know how to get it. The bottom line is, no matter what medium a person uses, spreading the gospel quickly boils down to dollars and cents. Therefore, if anyone ought to be sympathetic to the idea of material and financial prosperity, it ought to be Christians. We need to know how to operate in God’s financial plan. As we prosper financially, God prospers in terms of our relationship to Him. If we are poor, God is poor by our poverty.

“Prosperity comes in many different forms.”

invitation to salvation

If you are not a Christian and would like to become one, pray the following prayer:

Dear GOD in Heaven, Thank you for sending Your Son JESUS CHRIST to destroy the power of Satan over my life. I accept Jesus now as my personal SAVIOR and LORD, and I choose to turn away from the sins of my past to a renewed Life in Jesus. You said that if I would confess with my mouth the LORD JESUS and believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead, that I would be saved. I believe JESUS died for my sins and that You raised Him from the dead for my benefit. HEAVENLY FATHER, I thank you for the gift of salvation and for accepting me now as Your child. In JESUS’ name, Amen.

If you have prayed this prayer, please let us know by writing to us at: Crenshaw Christian Center P.O.Box 90000 Los Angeles, CA 90009 Attn: Administration Office

EVER INCREASING FAITH MAGAZINE Winter 2008

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CONTENTS

WINTER 2008

Ever Increasing Faith Magazine Winter 2008 Vol. IV, No. 1

Editor Antracia Moorings Publications Coordinator Michelle McIntosh Columnists Pastor Frederick K. Price Jr. Dr. LaVerne Tolbert Contributing Writers Bishop I.V. Hilliard Kerri Webb Brian Williford

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Art Design Lorena Iñiguez EIF Graphics Designer Ardena Brooks Photographers Harry Langdon James Byndon Proofer Charles Rideaux Make Up Adrian M. Evans

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Editorial Offices 7901 South Vermont Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90044 (323) 758-3777 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.faithdome.or g

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20 Israel to learn the role that this nation plays in God’s divine plan. Read one young man’s account of how the journey opened his eyes.

FEATURE ARTICLE

The Purpose of Prosperity By Dr. Frederick K.C. Price

There is a purpose for prosperity, and it is not for you to squander by living the big life. In this excerpt from his new book, Dr. Price explains God’s divine design for prosperity.

To order from or to subscribe to this magazine: Call 1-800-927-3436 Ever Increasing Faith Magazine is published by Crenshaw Christian Center, a recognized nonprofit corporation. 2008 Crenshaw Christian Center. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Ever Increasing Faith and the logo on the back page are registered trademarks of Crenshaw Christian Center, Inc. in the United States and other countries where Ever Increasing Faith Magazine circulates. Ever Increasing Faith Magazine has no subscription or newsstand price and is supported through contributions. All gifts to this ministry are tax-deductible. Printed in the United States of America.

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Islam, Christianity: Muhammad, Meet Jesus By Dr. Frederick K.C. Price

In this groundbreaking teaching, “Race, Religion & Racism,” Dr. Price did a “comparative analysis” of Islam after noticing that a number of Blacks were leaving Christianity for Islam. Read a few of the differences between the two in this article.

HEALTH & HEALING

How I Overcame Cancer By Dr. Betty R. Price

In this excerpt from her book, “Through the Fire & Through the Water,” Dr. Betty testifies how the Word and faith helped her beat cancer.

YOU ARE HELPING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

Experiencing Israel By Brian Williford

THE WORD OF FAITH

Last summer, a group of young people headed to DEPARTMENTS

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A Message from Dr. Price

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FICWFM Focus

On the Calendar Contributors

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From The Headlines Parenting Matters Pastor’s Corner

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The Bizness On the Air Q&A: Straight Talk with Drs. Fred & Betty Price

on the itinerary

2008

CALENDAR

February 21, 24 Dr. Frederick K.C. Price Crenshaw Christian Center East 1 West 96th Street New York, NY 10025 (212) 749-9323

March 4-7 Global Summit Crenshaw Christian Center—FaithDome 7901 S. Vermont Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90044 (323) 758-3777

March 30 Dr. Frederick K.C. Price Crenshaw Christian Center East 1 West 96th Street New York, NY 10025 (212) 749-9323

February 22 Dr. Frederick K.C. Price Faith Christian Center Rev. David M. Marquard 95 Sagamore Road Seekonk, MA 02771

March 27-28 Drs. Fred & Betty Price FICWFM Regional Crenshaw Christian Center East 1 West 96th Street New York, NY 10025 (212) 749-9323

April 17-18 Dr. Frederick K.C. Price FICWFM Regional Body of Christ Christian Church Drs. Joe & Marjanita Ripley Fayetteville, GA

April 20 Dr. Frederick K.C. Price Body of Christ International Drs. Joseph Ripley Atlanta, GA

April 24, 27 Pastor Frederick K. Price, Jr. Crenshaw Christian Center East 1 West 96th Street New York, NY 10025 (212) 749-9323

April 25 Dr. Betty R. Price Annual Women’s Retreat Pacific Palms Resort Conf. Center One Industry Hills Parkway City of Industry, CA 91744

New York Los Angeles

contributors Bishop Ira V. Hilliard was called at the age of nine to preach God’s Word. He and his wife Bridget are the co-founders of the New Light Christian Center Church (“One Church, Multiple locations”) in North and South Houston; Beaumont and Austin, Texas and the most recently acquired East Houston Campus (formerly Lakewood Church Northeast Campus). Their passion to take God’s Word to a hurting and lost generation has resulted in a current church membership of over 28,000 and counting. New Light Christian Center Church is not only recognized around the country as a Mega-Church,

but in September 2007 it was honored as one of the top 50 most influential churches in America. Kerri Webb, the former Senior Writer for Ever Increasing Faith Magazine, has been a member of Crenshaw Christian Center for 28 years. A graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, she is currently the media spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, and is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and the National Association of Black Journalists.

Brian Williford gave his life fully to Christ in January 2006 and hasn’t looked back since. At Crenshaw Christian Center, he is a faithful Helps Ministry worker, volunteering for the Teen Ministry and heading up the ministry God gave him, the Prozpect Street Team. He is currently a senior history major at Loyola Marymount University and strives daily to be more like Christ and glorify God in all that he does.

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feature article

By Dr. Frederick K.C. Price

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God is wealthy.

He wants you to prosper. By following His simple rules, you will prosper. But for what reason? To what purpose?

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here is a purpose for prosperity, and it is not for you to squander by living the big life. God’s purposes are explained in John 6:38–40, where Jesus says:

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up on the last day.

According to this, God wills that everyone come into the knowledge of His Son Jesus Christ and receive Him so they can be saved. In that way, the relationship God had with man before the fall of Adam can be re-established. We see again in Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus:

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” —LUKE 19:1–10

There is the will of God in a nutshell: “to seek and save that which was lost” (v. 10). And did you notice the different attitudes in Zacchaeus and the rich young ruler we saw earlier? They were both rich. They EVER INCREASING FAITH MAGAZINE Winter 2008

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feature article

They were wealthy because they were

sons of Abraham and had tithed and been obedient.

were wealthy because they were sons of Abraham and had tithed and been obedient. But when faced with the Son of God, their responses were 180 degrees opposite. The rich young ruler went away sad because he didn’t want to give away his possessions. Look at Zacchaeus—he didn’t even wait for Jesus to say anything, nor did he even ask about salvation! He said, “Look, Lord, I give half my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold” (v. 8). Being a tax collector, there were almost certainly some questionable situations that arose, and since Zacchaeus worked for the Romans (as did Matthew), he likely resolved most of those disputes in favor of the government. Zacchaeus got the point, without even being told. The honor of having the Son of God grace his house for dinner—you can imagine poor old Mrs. Zacchaeus was in a frenzy, cleaning and getting out the good dishes!—so humbled him that his first thought was, “I need to help other people,” and his second thought was, “If I’ve wronged someone, I need to make it right.” His heart was in the right place. He rightly understood that if things were going to get done in this world, it would be through the hands of man. When Jesus was ready to go back to heaven, He said to His disciples, and ultimately to all of us who would come into the

“If I’ve wronged somenone, I need to

make it right” [Zacchaeus thought]. His heart was in the right place.

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body of Christ and become His disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). He didn’t say, “Build a church and wait for the world to come to you.” No, He said for us to go into the world. Jesus told Peter in Matthew 16:18, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Notice that Jesus did not say that it was the church that had “gates,” but rather Hades. It was clearly a reference to a movement that was on offense, and that not even the “gates,” or strongholds, of hell would prevail against us.

“Seek first the kingdom of God.” —Matthew 6:33

Most Christians have the erroneous notion that the local church is for getting people saved. No! The local church is for the purpose of shepherding the “sheep” and the “lambs” to grow them up so they can seek the lost. Many Christians have made prosperity totally about themselves. They have better clothes, newer cars, more electronic toys, and bigger houses. But that prosperity exists for a reason: “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Prosperity exists to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). When Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 to “seek first the kingdom of God,” He didn’t say “seek only” the kingdom. But if you seek God’s kingdom first, your prosperity will always be directed toward the right end. —EIF

“PROSPERITY: GOOD NEWS FOR GOD’S PEOPLE” By Dr. Frederick K.C. Price Says Dr. Price, “In this book, I want to show you God’s plan for prosperity, and how He intends for all Believers to be financially secure. Critics want to dismiss this as ‘name it and claim it.’ It’s nothing of the sort. It is the very blueprint for how any Christian should conduct his or her life when it comes to money. Prosperity is the result of doing God’s Word.” In this new book release Dr. Price presents a comprehensive analysis of what the Bible says about wealth and money— what God says—and how we, as Believers, fit into the picture. Today, more than ever, the Body of Christ needs money to spread the gospel. Learn how you can be a channel that God can use to get His covenant established in this earth realm.

Book FPB 62 (Hardcover)

$17.95 CD The Purpose of Prosperity Series

PPD 1 (22-CD)

$132.00

(800) 391-6145

www.faithdome.org

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FICWFM focus

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hat has amazed me over the years is that while some experience the real promises of kingdom prosperity there are countless others who don’t. Could it be that there are some insights; secrets that some have about the pursuit of this quality of life that others are unaware

of? I think so! With all the teaching that has been done on kingdom prosperity you would think that more Believers would be experiencing it. Real kingdom prosperity is not exclusively about money, but about wholeness and fulfillment in life. It cannot be disputed that the Bible is filled with undeniable references to God’s desire for the Believer’s life to be one of

covenant relationship with the Lord I began to focus on learning how to release my faith for kingdom prosperity. How blessed my wife and I were to have a front row seat into the lives of Drs. Price. An old preacher told me long ago that more is caught than is taught. From our study of the word of God and the observation of these two precious people of faith we have learned many amazing lessons on this journey of faith that have caused us to have a balanced pursuit of kingdom prosperity. I must admit there are some factors (secrets) about faith for kingdom prosperity that many are not aware of that are critical for success. I say, “secrets” not to imply that God is attempting to withhold something from us, but that there are scriptural truths many don’t value that can determine the quality of your life in Christ. I am convinced that prosperity is the Believer’s responsibility; it is based on his decision to seek God’s way of doing things (his principles) and implement them in his life. Believers must understand that God wants us to prosper so that we can be a blessing to do the good work of God in the earth. Cultivating a consecrated heart motive to be a blessing is what keeps character in place By Bishop I.V. Hlliard when success begins to manifest.

ecrets of the Prosperous Life enjoyment, fulfillment, prosperity and abundance. Without a doubt it is the will of God that we experience a better quality of life in Christ than life was before we came into His covenant family.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 (KJV)

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Joshua 1:8 (KJV)

Regardless of your present state in life it is still the will of God for you to succeed. God is not a respecter of persons, what He does for one in principle He must do for another. When my wife and I first embraced living by faith, our needs had needs. Every area of our lives was in bad shape, but through following a contemporary example and through faith and patience we are experiencing real kingdom prosperity.

If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. Job 36:11(KJV)

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10 (KJV)

Today, I have everything I could ever dream of and God has promoted me to a place of influence and blessing. God has done exceeding, abundantly above all I could ever ask or think. I could not have asked for a “better life.” And the one thing that is so heartwarming about my good success is the many avenues God has given me to share with others on living the life He desires for them.

What an awesome witness of scripture which testifies that our Heavenly Father’s passionate desire is to give us a better life! The Bible teaches that God’s will regarding prosperity includes the whole man – Body, Soul and Spirit. He desires for us to prosper in all things, financially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The will of God is not automatic, but the promises of God are received by faith. When I understood this truth about our

I am excited to say that my book, Secrets for a Better Life, is my most recent opportunity to share with the Believer the success principles I learned from my years of studying the Word coupled with my commitment to pursue God’s best. It reveals those things that are rarely taught but are essential to really experiencing the better life. If you have been struggling in your pursuit of better in life I know this book will help you. It addresses my personal strategy for developing successful action plans for life’s most trying situations. And more importantly, I want those who have been written off or considered as the least likely to succeed to know from my book that they can break through these barriers for a better life. —EIF Call 800-469-0458 to order your copy today and begin the journey of discovering the “Secrets for a Better Life.”

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you are helping to make it happen

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n July of 2007, I was part of a three-week trip to Israel sponsored by Crenshaw Christian Center that totally affected the way I see our place in the Body of Christ. The trip, geared towards Christian college students all around the U.S. was formed to educate the next generation about the conflicts going on in Israel and what God’s purpose is for that nation. We traveled to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Caesarea, Philippi, Capernaum, En Gedi, Masada, Tel Aviv, Sderot, Galilee, the Negev desert, the Dead Sea, the Golan Heights, and we even overlooked the Gaza strip. We were able to sit down with Knesset members, Messianic Jews, media personnel, Arab Christians, Israeli citizens, the Hebrew University board and a host of other people. We had tours, heard lectures, hiked, and had periods of great fun. Some of the most memorable experiences were hiking up Masada at four o’clock in the morning and taking dips in the Sea of Galilee.

Experiencing ISRAEL By Brian Williford

The number one thing we have come to realize is how much the Jews are still a part of God’s plan and purpose. Many in the Western church believe that the Jews have missed their opportunity, and that God has replaced them with the Christian Church. This is known in evangelical circles as “replacement theology.” Many believe that the Old Testament prophecies are referring to the Christian Church as “Israel.” But we have come to the realization that there is still a “natural Israel” and a “spiritual Israel,” and the Old Testament prophecies are referring to “natural Israel.” The trip to Israel, which included about 20 students ages 18-29, was very timely and according to the divine purposes of God. One of the reasons that the Israel Experience was created was to educate young Christians on the reality of the conflicts going on in Israel and the part the Body of Christ is to play. Much of the suffering of the Jews has been at the hands of so-called Christians. Whether we like it or not, the fact that we claim to be Christians links us with the whole

ugly history of Christianity in the minds of the Jews. From the Crusades, to the Spanish Inquisition, to the Holocaust, much of the destruction and death of Jews has been done in the name of Christ. This has caused a fear of Christians among most Jews and has caused them to feel that they are only accepted in their own home. But even in their own home they are under constant threat. The Body of Christ is held responsible in the eyes of the Lord to be protectors of Jews and Israel. Not only are we indebted to them for all the suffering we have caused them, but we are also called to make sure that another holocaust does not occur. In Isaiah 62:6-7, God says, “I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” We are called to be the watchmen on the walls who do not hold our peace. We are those who make mention of the Lord. There are no other people on earth who this could be referring to beside the Body of Christ. A new holocaust is on the horizon and the Arab world leadership is out to destroy both Israel and the Jews. Iran is developing nuclear weapons as we speak, and, in addition to constant intercession, we are the ones who are supposed to be standing up politically and otherwise for Israel to make sure no one is able to destroy God’s chosen people. The Palestinian Authority has cleverly turned much of the world against Israel in effort to make them appear as evil. They have used ideals that the Western world holds dear against Israel. In the West we revere such notions as democracy, freedom, and anti-racism. The Palestinian leadership has constantly charged Israel with violating these ideals when it comes to the treatment of the Palestinian people. They claim that Zionist Jews “occupied” Palestine and that Palestinians are now living in an apartheid state. The campaign has been so effective that Israel now sees much of the Western media as being biased towards the Palestinian side, and Israel has now become “the bad guy.” After being in Israel and witnessing what is going on there, we have found that it is actually the other way around. Palestinians militants constantly bomb, terrorize, and misuse Israeli citizens. Their politicians actually serve in the Israeli Knesset, where they use every opportunity to denounce Israel. Many Palestinians teach their children to be suicide bombers and to hate and kill all Jews. Though the Western world, by and large, has a culture that rests on ideals, the Eastern world looks to religion. While the Palestinians leadership is playing the “democracy card” to the Western world, they are playing the “Allah wills” card to their own people. The Arab world, with its great oil wealth, could and should be helping to solve the situation of Palestinian refugees, but they find it more politically profitable to keep them as an open sore to appeal to the West, blaming Israel for their plight. We owe a dept of gratitude to the Jews, as Paul says in Romans 3:2, “…because to them were

Williford (far right) with Jeroll Rogers and Cornetta Lane who also attended the trip.

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On a camel in the Negev Desert.

committed the oracles of God.” It is easy for us to say the Jews missed out and that we would have done differently in their place, but the Bible says, “There is none righteous, no not one.” When God was searching the whole earth for one people who He could commit His oracles to, He only found Abraham. He made a covenant that cannot be broken with Abraham concerning his descendants. The Jews sinned because they knew sin. When Jesus came in the flesh, no Gentile even knew what sin was because we had no law. Had we had the law, we would have missed God too. In Romans 11:11 Paul writes, “…But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.” The point we are trying to make is that Israel became the scapegoat by which the whole world would be saved. They became sinners so that we could know the Messiah. No one else in the world took on that challenge. Now it is our turn to return that favor. It is not our job to try to convert them. In fact, that is one of the fears that they have of us. God will handle that part. Our job is to acknowledge that we serve the same God and that we have one common enemy. If Christians do not stand for Israel, then who will? One thing that the Western church has failed to acknowledge is that we have a Jewish joint-heir and the basis of our beliefs is an extension of Judaism. We say we acknowledge that Jesus was a Jew, but to fully acknowledge it we have to go back to the root. Judaism is the root! Being in Israel and studying Judaism and the early church, we have realized that the Western church has missed the mark in a big way. Why? The fact is that we are trying to interpret the Bible and its principles from our thoroughly Western perspective. The early church leaders were Jews and they recognized the roots of Christianity were Jewish. The apostles never stopped going to synagogue or practicing their Jewish traditions. The Body of Christ is not required to practice their tra-

ditions, but we do need to understand them. Since Christianity became “mainstream faith” under the Roman emperor Constantine, it has lost its way and has failed to acknowledge its roots. This is the reason why there is so much division and confusion in the Body of Christ. Imagine a bunch of branches scattered on the earth and trying to grow without their roots. This is impossible! The true quest of the Christian Church should be to find out what the early church knew from the time of Jesus to the time of Constantine. We need to understand the Old Testament and what certain traditions, symbols, and practices meant in those times. We need to learn Hebrew and Greek and be able to understand the terminology that was used at that time as opposed to our Western interpretation of what certain terms or phrases mean. The House of Prayer (the Christian Church) must join forces with the House of Israel (believing Jews) in order to make the Body complete. Thanks be to God that there are Messianic Jews all over the world! They are being added to the Church daily and have been coming to the knowledge that Yeshua is their Mashiach. We have even been in contact with some of them in the Los Angeles area. Is it not amazing how the Western church has failed to look to these Jews as a source of information and interpretation? They have an understanding of the scriptures that we don’t have, and we must find out what they know in order for us to go to the next level. We learn something new from them all the time. However, they need help. The whole Body must come together to help each part financially, spiritually, emotionally and in every other way. This is the true purpose of prosperity – that none suffer lack. This is a family and a brotherhood. What we have in faith they make up for in understanding and interpretation the ancient oracles of God. But just imagine if the two houses came together. —EIF A view of Caesarea, the town where Cornelius became the first Gentile to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

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from the headlines

REMEMBERING THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF

PASTOR ALLEN LANDRY, JR. Pastor Allen Landry was a dedicated disciple whose love for God was evident in all areas of his Christian life; both public and private. In October 2007, the CCC Assistant Pastor and former CCC East Pastor left this earth after a mighty fight with cancer. While it is still very painful to accept that such a powerful man, who exuded so much life and vitality, would be taken away from us so suddenly, we know that the Word tells us to take comfort in knowing that Pastor Landry is now present with the Father. THE MAN Born on July 10, 1949 in Orange, Texas, Allen Joseph Landry, Jr. was the only child born to Allen Joseph Landry, Sr. and Mildred V. Landry. While he received his formal education in Texas, Allen attended college in California, by enrolling in both San Francisco and Berkeley institutions. Before becoming a Christian, Allen was a self-proclaimed “wild child” of the 1960s. In an earlier interview I had with him, he proudly admitted to having beaded braids in his hair and dancing on Soul Train. “Yeah, you probably wouldn’t have recognized me as the man you know now,” Allen laughed as he recollected. “Yeah, I was way out there. I had braids with gold beads, like the old pictures you see of Rick James. [Laughing] I was a super freak, but I could dance. I mean, I could really move back then. I still can, what am I talking about ‘back then’? I still can shake it. Ask Julie.” On April 20, 1973, he met the love of his life (second only to Jesus Christ), Julie Yvonne Torres. Allen became a happily love-struck husband to the very beautiful and supportive Julie when the strikingly attractive couple married on September 10, 1977. Their marriage union produced a son, Aaron Michael Landry on November 22, 1982, whom they both proudly and lovingly raised in the love and admonition of the Father. 1977 proved to be a pivotal year for Allen Landry. Before marrying Julie, Allen received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior on April 17th, and later joined Crenshaw Christian Center that same year, becoming very active in many areas of helps ministry. Toward the end of 1977 Allen acknowledged the call to the ministry. December of 1980 Allen left Crenshaw Christian Center to be an assistant pastor to New

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By Kerri Webb

His smile was contagious. His charm was refreshing. His stylish good looks were intoxicating. And his teachings of God’s Word, most specifically, the blood covenant, were life-changing—for him and all those who heard him preach. Breed Church with pastor Harold Andrews in Pasadena, California, where he greatly assisted him in many areas of the church. Even though Allen proved to be a valuable asset to that church, the Lord led him and his family to re-join Crenshaw Christian Center in March of 1984. In 1986, Dr. Frederick K.C. Price hired him as an assistant pastor and in 1993 Allen was appointed the Dean of the School of Ministry.

When he wasn’t working at the school or other areas of CCC’s ministry, Allen was the Chaplain for the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team from 1990-2003. Allen was a workhorse, dedicated to the spread of the Gospel wherever he could. He parlayed his interest and following of the fashion industry into being the advisor for the Christian Cosmetology Association. He also dabbled in broadcast media by hosting a call-in radio talk show entitled, “What Do the Scriptures Say?” Even though Fridays were his days off from his regular pastoral commitments at CCC, Allen used that time to continue going about his Father’s business. When most of us would take that time to sleep in, Allen conducted a Friday morning business men’s Bible study at Bel Air Presbyterian Church for several years. In 2003, Allen and Julie left the sunny, warm, and glamorous Los Angeles scene to become the full-time, on-site pastor at Crenshaw Christian Center East in New York City. CCC East finds its home in a gorgeous, historical, cathedral-like church building located smack in the heart of Manhattan, directly across the street from the famous Central Park. The move to New York was quite an undertaking for the couple who were used to the mild weather and the laidback atmosphere of the West Coast, but they were determined to be faithful to the call on their lives. The growing CCC East congregation absolutely loved their new pastor, as the Landry’s were welcomed with opened arms. When CCC purchased the historical church building in 2003, Allen and Julie made the local news, once again putting CCC in the headlines. As word spread about Allen’s teachings, the CCC East congregation mushroomed from 600 to well over 1000 regular church members. Allen was making his mark on the NYC scene. On Monday mornings he taught a business men’s Bible study, as CCC East’s First Lady, Julie was also active with the women of the church and local community. New York native Yvette Gunn was a member of CCC East before venturing out to Los Angeles. Yvette credits a lot of her understanding of faith and God’s word to the teachings of Pastor Landry as well as Dr. Price. “Pastor Landry made the kind of impact on my life that will last a lifetime. I apply the principles from his teachings every day,” Yvette says. “He taught me how to generally handle everyday life

and Doubt”, Pastor Landry thoroughly and precisely explains how the knowledge of blood covenant applies to Christians today. He explains why we are healed by Jesus’ stripes, and why we plead the blood of Jesus. The two series are life-affirming and powerful, and many say that it changes the way Christians see themselves. “I attended Pastor Landry’s classes on the blood covenant,” says CCC member Patrice Daniels. “When he taught that if God

Pastor Allen Landry and wife Julie Landry

through God’s Word. We all loved him at CCC East. I know all of us are going to miss him very much. He was a wonderful man.” THE TEACHER Just as Dr. Price’s ministry focus is on faith, Allen Landry’s ministry focused on the blood covenant that Christians have with the Father God. Pastor Landry’s exhaustive research into the origin and meaning of the very misunderstood practice of blood covenants and how the Christian faith is built on this concept kept his Bible study sessions packed with people who wanted to learn more. Several pastors like CCC Senior Pastor Craig L. Hays often referred to Pastor Landry’s teaching of blood covenant in his own ministry. “If you haven’t already, then you need to get the copy of Allen Landry’s blood covenant teaching,” Pastor Hays instructed attendees of his Bible study class one day. “Every Christian needs to know about their covenant rights that they have. If we all knew and understood our rights, then we wouldn’t settle for anything less than God’s best. Pastor Landry gift is his thorough knowledge of the blood covenant and trust me, when you hear what he tells you about our covenant with the Father, then you will start changing the way you see yourself.” Pastor Landry will continue to live on through his ground-breaking series “The Blood Covenant: The Bridge to Faith.” In this series, he explores the origin of covenants and the historical, biblical, cultural and natural significance of blood covenants. Using anthropology research and the Scriptures, Pastor Landry describes why the Bible is referred to as a “bloody book.” He explains the spiritual and natural significance of Communion, and why Christians find power in the “blood” of Jesus. “Every Christian is in a blood covenant with the Father, but what does that mean,” Pastor Landry said. “If you think that a covenant is a contract promise, you are really missing out because you are only partially correct.” In the follow-up series, “The Blood Covenant: Crossing the Gulf of Indecision

Pastor Landry with Pastor Al Harvey

failed to keep his promise to mankind that He would self-destruct, wow, that convinced me.” So powerful was his faith in the blood covenant, Minister Alice Gier, who was at Pastor Landry’s bedside when he died, explained how the great man of God passed away mere seconds after taking communion. “Pastor was waiting for that communion because he was known as a man of covenant,” Minister Gier explained. “So it was a blessing. When he had received that communion he stepped and went on to glory.”—EIF Pastor Landry on the golf course.

THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE On October 15, 2007, Pastor Allen Landry’s life was remembered and celebrated in a moving memorial tribute held at CCC in Los Angeles. The FaithDome was festively decorated with colorful balloons and portraits of the smiling, handsome pastor. CCC’s Sanctuary Voices choir led the congregants in praise and worship, celebrating the fact that Pastor Landry was triumphantly dwelling in the presence of the Father and no longer in pain. Upbeat singing, dancing, laughing, all attributes that describe Allen Landry’s life on earth, were in full swing during the nearly 2-hour memorial service. A moving retrospective video was accompanied by a live solo performance from Stevie Wonder who sang a few of his famous hit songs. Loving words were said by those invited by the Landry Family to speak at the service. They included pastors, family friends and former co-workers who worked closely with Pastor Landry throughout the years who will remember Allen Landry as a man who enjoyed life to the fullest. “If you ever wanted to find someone to have a good time with, it was Allen Landry,” remarked Pastor Tom Pickens. “I think that the Lord knew that we should not have met each other until we both were save, because if we had, I think you guys can understand—we can relate to this—we would have raised some hell because we both…ha, ha,…we both just liked to have a good time.” “You need to know that Allen was quite a dancer,” remembered Pastor Alfred Harvey. “We used to have a competition between the students and the teachers when we were teaching in the School of Ministry and he came up with this idea that we were going to be a rendition of Gladys Knight and the Pips. We did the Pips moves and we practiced in my living room for I don’t know how long. Allen taught us all those moves and we were cool. I wish you could have seen how cool we were.” Pastor Craig Hays perhaps knew Allen Landry the longest. For more than 30 years, the two were best buddies. “How many of you remember him modeling? He was the greatest model I saw in my life,” Pastor Hays proclaimed. “That boy could style. I was jealous. That boy could walk on the stage and all the ladies would swoon and Julie would turn around and say to them ‘suffer’. It was beautiful.” Dr. Price also spoke fondly of his friend and colleague, Pastor Allen Landry. He read several scriptures explaining that death, for the Christian, is a time for celebration. “We’ll miss you Allen, but we know you are very much alive. In fact, you are more alive now than you have ever been since you have been on this planet,” said Dr. Price. “But we will miss him and it’s rightful that we do so. He was a friend, he was a comrade in arms, he was a father, he was a husband – and we will miss him. But for those of us who know the game plan, we know we will see him again.” Pastor Allen Landry is survived by his wife, Julie, his son Aaron Michael Landry, his mother, Mildred V. Landry, his aunt Barbara V. Landry, his uncle Dr. Clarence Avery, his first cousin Marie Annette Avery, his first cousin, Linda Thompson and a host of relatives and friends. While we don’t know for sure if he is wearing his goldbeaded braids again, but we can be confident in assuming that he’s leading the Soul Train line in heaven. We love and miss you Pastor Landry!

EVER INCREASING FAIaTH MAGAZINE Winter 2008

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health & healing

How I Overcame Cancer By Dr. Betty R. Price

When I was attacked with cancer, I was prepared for it, because I had lived my life by faith daily. I did not play with God. I lived my life the best way I knew how; I would not deliberately do anything wrong. he news was a shock to my husband and my children because they knew the kind of lifestyle I led, but I said, “God is the Healer, so I’ve got to believe Him.” The first verse that came to me was James 1:2-4: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” God tells us to count whatever we are going through as joy because it will produce patience and joy in us. God says to count it all joy – not if you fall into diverse trials, temptations and tests, but when you go through them. If we are armed with the Word of God, then the Word will come out of us when we are tempted, tried, or tested, instead of the fear of whatever it is we are facing. During all of my time at home before I was attacked, I had certain Scriptures that I memorized and used in my d a i l y

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prayer time. That was why I was strong in faith. I knew cancer could not stick to me because I remembered the promises God gives us in His Word. I could go back to a verse like Deuteronomy 30:19 that says: “… I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” I did not believe He would tell me this and then let me die. So I stood on that Scripture and many others. There were so many passages that told me that God was with me. For example, 1 John 5:4 says: “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.” You have to believe that God is with you, and don’t be discouraged by what you see and feel. This is why it is so important to understand how faith works. Many people will walk in faith a little while, then give up because they figure, “Well, I believed God for this and I didn’t get it.” But when you think like that, your mind is on the wrong thing. Faith is a way of life and we must develop our faith on the little issues of life, so that we can handle the big issues. Philippians 4:6 tells us: “Be anxious for nothing….” I love that verse. When the Bible says to be anxious for nothing that means to not worry or be anxious to the point of distraction for anything. “…but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” And if you do that, Philippians 4:7 says: “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” So if you cast your care on the Lord and trust Him to take care of the situation, you will have peace. That is when you know whether you have cast that care on the Lord – when you are not worried about anything. You have to train yourself to do this, especially if you have a tendency to worry. I came from a family of worriers, but I have trained myself not to worry. When you train yourself not to worry, and let the Lord handle your cares, the benefits are great. When I went into the hospital, I did not have any worries. I experienced the peace of God. You don’t need to fear because God is with you. Fear is an act of your will. You may feel afraid, but you have to make up in your mind that you will not be afraid. You have to think and say, “I will not be afraid, for God is with me.” When I went into the hospital, before I had any tests, that confession is what kept my eyes on the end-result of my faith. I did not look at what I was going through when I was hurting, when I was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. All I looked at was the end of the attack on my body—my healing. The Lord is so real, and He truly loves us. The first night I was in the hospital, He spoke to my spirit by the Holy Spirit, and said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby.” And that stayed in front of me throughout the sickness, treatments, and therapy. No matter how bad it got, I said, “God, You’re with me.” God is not a liar. If you believe anything, believe what God says in His Word about your situation, no matter how you are feeling. He is stronger than anything you feel. He is more real because He is in the spirit world, and the spirit world is more real than this physical world. You need to know that, because when you know it, you will not give up on what God has said He has done for you. That is the way faith works. —EIF Dr. Betty Price’s complete testimony is available in her book entitled, Through the Fire & Through the Water now offered in English and Spanish. Call us at (800) 927-3436 for a listing of her products.

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EVER INCREASING FAITH MAGAZINE Winter 2008

Jesus came that we may have life and have it more abundantly. However, most Christians are not living the more than enough lifestyle, even though they are reading the right Bible, making the right confessions and attending the right church.

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word of faith

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lot of black Muslims applauded Dr. Frederick K.C. Price Narrated2 Abu Said Al-Khudri: The Prophet said, “Isn’t the witwhen his television series on Race, Religion & Racism ness of a woman equal to half of that of a man?” The woman said, began in November 1997 and ran for 76 weeks. They “Yes.” He [the Prophet] said, “This is because of the deficiency of a agreed with his hard-hitting expose of racism in the woman’s mind.” Church. Truth be known, many people were surprised by Dr. Price’s bold act. Few would have voted him The Minister Most Likely to By contrast, Dr. Price points out that the Bible has something Hammer the Church. Dr. Price was one who had “made it.” He had quite different to say about women. He quotes Galatians 3:28: an outstandingly successful ministry and worldwide television program. He had built one of the largest sanctuaries in America – the There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, FaithDome in Los Angeles – and he had white friends in the higher there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.3 echelons of Christianity. Those same Muslims drew back in horror when Dr. Price turned If nothing else, one can see that the Bible offers a more egalitarithe spotlight on Islam. During the large portion of the series that dealt an view of the sexes than does the Koran and the Hadith. One of the with the religion, several groups picketed in front of important contrasts between Islam and Christianity is on Crenshaw Christian Center, the church that Dr. Price the status of wives. Here is a quote from the Koran, founded in 1973. It was a nonviolent demonstration Sura 4:2-3: by a diverse group of sects. The picketers felt that their faith was being unfairly targeted. Giv e orphans t he propert y whi ch In doing a “comparative analysis” of belongs to them. Do not exchange their Islam, Dr. Price admitted that he was valuables for worthless things or cheat prompted by a concern over the number th e m o f t h e i r p o s s es s i o n s ; f o r t h i s of Blacks who were leaving Christianity would surely be a grievous sin. If you for Islam. He told his television audifear that you cannot treat orphans ence: “I believe, however, that if you [orphan girls] with fairness, then you leave Christianity to become a Muslim, may marry other women who seem especially as a black person, you should good to you: two, three, or four of have all the facts that pertain to you as a them. black person.” No problem there, one would think. The Hadith discusses the many Most people would probably agree that it wives of Muhammad. In the Hadith, is better to be informed when making a deciVolume 1, Chapter 13, #268, Page 165, it sion as important as whom to worship. But says: while the revelations concerning Islam proved to be most enlightening, they also put the religion in a By Dr. Betty R. Price Narrated Qatada: Anas bin Malik said, very unenviable light in contrast to Christianity. “The Prophet used to visit all his wives in a round, durDr. Price gathered his facts over a three-year period ing the day and night and they were eleven in number.” I before the series began. A fastidious researcher, he was meticulous in asked Anas, “Had the Prophet the strength for it?” Anas replied, “We naming the books, the edition, the publication date, the exact pages used to say that the Prophet was given the strength of thirty (men).” he was quoting, and spelling each author’s name. He used two verAnd Said said on the authority of Qatada that Anas had told him sions of the Koran – The Koran, translated with notes by N.J. about nine wives only (not eleven). Dawood; and The Meaning of the Glorious Quran1, by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. He also quoted the Hadith, which contains the oral tradiNot only did Muhammad have many wives, but he started on tions of the people who lived with, slept with and befriended the them early in their lives, as we see in the Hadith, Volume 5, Chapter Prophet Muhammad, Islam’s founder. Dr. Price noted that he had 43, #234, Page 152: “read and studied all 4,705 pages” of a version of the Hadith entitled The Translation of the Meaning of Sahih Al-Bukhari (ArabicNarrated Aisha: The Prophet engaged me when I was a girl of English). He also noted that some consider the Hadith as divinely six (years). We went to Medina and stayed at the home of Bani-alinspired as the Koran itself. Harith bin Khazraj. Then I got ill and my hair fell down. Later on my The following are a number of his comparisons of the two Islamic hair grew (again) and my mother, Um Ruman, came to me while I holy books and the Bible on a variety of subjects, including women, was playing in a swing with some of my girl friends. She called me, wives and Muhammad’s skin color. A passage from Sura [row] 2:228 and I went to her, not knowing what she wanted to do to me. She of the Koran on the status of women, reads: caught me by the hand and made me stand at the door of the house. I was breathless then, and when my breathing became alright, she took Women shall with justice have rights similar to those exercised some water and rubbed my face and head with it. Then she took me against them, although men have a status above women. God is into the house. There in the house, I saw some Ansari women who mighty and wise. said, “Best wishes and Allah’s Blessing and a good luck.” Then she entrusted me to them and they prepared me (for the marriage). Here’s a view of the same subject from the Hadith, Volume 3, Unexpectedly Allah’s Messenger came to me in the forenoon and my Chapter 12, The Witness of Women and the Statement of Allah, mother handed me over to him, and at that time I was a girl of nine #826: Page 502: years of age.

Islam, Christianity: Muhammad, Meet Jesus

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Monogamy is taught throughout the Bible, especially in the New Testament, though it is clear in the Old Testament that many men had multiple wives. Let’s look at what the Bible says about multiple wives in the beginning, Genesis 2:24: Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Monogamy is taught in 1 Corinthians 7:1-2, as well as in other biblical passages: Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. One of the knocks on black Christians is that they serve a white Jesus in a religion founded by and for white people. But Dr. Price points to evidence in the Hadith that the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was white. Several passages in the Hadith make this point. Hadith, Volume 1, Chapter 7, #63, Page 54: Narrated Anas bin Malik: While we were sitting with the Prophet in the mosque, a man came riding on a camel. He made his camel kneel down in the mosque, tied its foreleg and then said: “Who amongst you is Muhammad?” At that time the Prophet was sitting amongst us (his companions) leaning on his arm. We replied, “This white man reclining on his arm.” The man then addressed him, “O Son of Abdul Muttalib.” And in the Hadith, Volume 1, Chapter 27, #385(B), Page 234:

Narrated Abdullah bin Malik Ibn Buhaina, “When the Prophet prayed prostrated, he used to separate his arms from his body so widely that the whiteness of his armpits was visible.” Finally, in the Hadith, Volume 1, Chapter 12, #367, Page 224: Narrated Abdul-Aziz: Anas said, “When Allah’s Messenger invaded Khaibar, we offered the Fajr prayer there (early in the morning) when it was still dark. The Prophet rode and Abu Talha rode too and I was riding behind Abu Talha. The Prophet passed through the land of the Khaibar quickly and my knee was touching the thigh of the Prophet. He uncovered his thigh and I saw the whiteness of the thigh of the Prophet. The question now becomes: Why would you leave one religion because the founder is white to join another one where the founder is white? In these few areas alone, one can see a vast difference between Islam and Christianity. One is founded on the freedoms that so many in America have fought and died to possess, while the other is founded on rigidity, brutality and vengeance. Portions of this article were excerpted from Dr. Price’s Jesus, Christianity & Islam, the final volume of the Race, Religion & Racism trilogy.—EIF 1 Note: The different spellings of the Koran are common. The use of the letters Ko in the word Koran are from the anglicized version, which is more popular in America. 2 Most entries in the Hadith begin with the word Narrated, referring to the one who is speaking. 3 New King James Version, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson Inc. Publishers.

By Dr. Frederick K.C. Price

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parenting matters

Prosperity: Room For More By La Verne Tolbert, Ph.D.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. (Psalm 127:3)

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oundless bundles of energy, activity, and excitement, children are a blessing to every family…and to every church. When we think of prosperity, we need only look at the smiling faces of the children in our midst to realize that we are blessed indeed. Valuing our children and appreciating the gifts God has given us by entrusting us with His little ones are tangible expressions of gratitude. We live in a prosperous nation, and by learning how to apply the Word of God to our lives, we are fortunate to be people of prosperity. Many would agree that there’s room for more! We’ve heard Dr. Price teach again and again that the purpose of prosperity is to be open channels so that the needs of the Body are met through our generosity. What better way to be that channel than to share prosperity’s blessings with those who have been orphaned. According to the latest report from the United States Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children & Families, there are 115, 407 children in the in the United States waiting to be adopted. Until permanent placements are found, these children languish in the foster care system year after year.1 A disproportionate number are African-American or mixed children.2 They landed in the system because of poverty and poverty-related circumstances—poor education, unemployment, drugs and violence—the primary reasons for the overrepresentation of black children in the system.3 Unfortunately, there aren’t enough African American parents who are willing to adopt these children. Our children are in the system, but those of us who have “made it” are not reaching back far enough to help those who are less fortunate. When Black families are interested, especially if they want newborn infants, they are matched within a few months.4 Christian families are in even higher demand. Birth mothers often ask agencies to place their babies in Christian homes. What an opportunity to share God’s abundance by providing a room—and a home—

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for a child. Abused, rejected and neglected, they are truly the “least of these.” “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ‘for I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in: “I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ‘When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ‘Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ (Matthew 25:40-45) As we prosper and examine additional ways to improve our communities, we must consider the “strangers” who need the influence of a transformational Gospel in their daily lives. This investment yields heavenly rewards and is an expression of pure religion. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27) In this passage, James makes a difference between what we say and how we live. Pure religion does something! It’s faith in action! Recognizing the suffering of others and a using the resources God provides to meet those needs is what the Bible calls “true” religion.

THE PROCESS It takes less than 14 months to complete the adoption process. Single adults as well as married couples are invited to become adoptive parents. There are open adoptions where birth-mothers have scheduled, supervised visits with their children and semi-open adoptions where birth parents only exchange letters or photos through a non-family administrator. 5 Or, there are closed adoptions with no birth-parent contact with the child.

Adoptive families are not left to manage their newly-blended families alone. There’s a wealth of assistance and an abundance of resources available, from small-group parent meetings, to annual training sessions and on-line discussion groups. States provide adoptive parents with monthly financial support until the child turns 18.

CHURCH AS PARTNER Churches partner with God to meet the needs in our community by presenting the Body of Christ with the opportunity to adopt. Following Sunday morning service in April 2007, Crenshaw Christian Center (Dr. Frederick K. C. Price, Pastor-Founder), hosted an Adoption assisted by Child SHARE, a local Christian agency that assists churches in developing adoption/foster care ministries, the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), and the Children’s Bureau, a private adoption agency. More than 100 prospective parents attended to express their interest in adoption or foster care. It was beautiful to see the fruit of prosperity in action. Social workers brought 25 children who needed permanent placements, and a few of these children were in their early teenage years. One girl sat by herself and was hesitant to talk with anyone. She later admitted that she had been waiting for years for a family. Now, she felt that no one wanted her because she was too old. Oh that our hearts would break with the things that break the heart of God! Families who were interested in adopting submitted “Interest Forms” to

DCFS and happily an interest form was submitted for each of the children in attendance, including the older teenage girl. Not everyone has followed through, however—there are mountains and mountains of paperwork and 33 hours of classes!—but we are grateful for the ones who did. The process is somewhat different, although not necessarily easier, when adoptions are completed through private agencies. What happens to those children who are not adopted? Unfortunately, statistics demonstrate that many who remain in the system often end up as victims of negative influences and find themselves on our city’s streets. Prisons are full of adults who were “orphaned” as children.

DO YOU HAVE ROOM? Prosperity is married to accountability. Are you prosperous enough to have an extra bed…an empty room? As you look around your home or apartment, is there room for more? Why not fill the space in your heart with the sound of laughter? There’s nothing like the feel of tiny, grateful arms tightly hugging your neck telling you that you’re the best mom in the world! I know. My husband and I are adoptive parents. —EIF Dr. La Verne Tolbert is Director of Christian Education Ministries at Crenshaw Christian Center, where she oversees the ministries to children, teens, and young adults. 1 www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/index.htm 2 www.africanamericanadoptionsonline.com 3 Department of Health and Human Services Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families (December, 2003). Children of Color in Child Welfare: Perspectives from the Child Welfare Community, p. ii. 4 www.africanamericanadoptionsonline.com 5 www.lifetimeadoption.com

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pastor’s corner Pastor Hays with Drs. Fred and Betty Price at the Recycling Black Dollars Dinner where he was honored recently with the Frederick K.C. Price Spirit of Excellence Award.

leadership.” Sitting under Dr. Price’s teaching for more than 30 years has helped a great deal as well. Pastor Hays says he found out about Crenshaw Christian Center after one of his sister-in-laws suggested that he and his wife Patricia visit the church. They lived (and still do) at 6th Avenue and Hardy which was right up the street from the former site of Crenshaw Christian Center. “[My wife and I] had just gotten filled with the Spirit,” he recalls. “We got filled with the Spirit in a Catholic church. The nuns were seeing angels flying. But it wasn’t enough. So when my sister-in-law told us about this church and we decided to visit since it was right up the street.’ In February of 1977 we joined. It was instantly like, ‘this is where you should be.’ Not so much for my wife but she kind of hung out. She was still going to stay in the Catholic church. When she realized I was serious she came. I joined on a Tuesday night Bible study—one of Dr. Price’s Bible studies. He said, ‘oh you finally decidASTOR RAIG AYS ed to join.’ I was a member of the church a number of years before I came to work.” What sealed the deal for Hays was seeing Dr. Price actually living what he preached. “I had a call on my life as a young man, but I’d never seen men really take the Word of God seriously,” Hays discloses. “I’m sure there were many men who took the Word of God seriously, but I didn’t see them. Most of them I came in contact with were playing with the Word. When I saw Dr. Price I saw in him something I had never seen in other men of that caliber. I had seen it in the military and my work in the government—you’d occasionally come upon someone with By Antracia Moorings integrity. That was intriguing. Here is someone who was telling me ith such a large and thriving ministry such as that he lives this everyday. I wanted to see it for myself. I said, ‘I’m Crenshaw Christian Center, Dr. Fred Price going to hang around and see if it’s true.’ If you hang around soon needs capable men who can help bear the burden enough you’ll fall in. of ministering to the people. Pastor L. Craig As a young man, this Chicago, IL native says he never discussed Hays is one such man. For almost two decades, the call on his life, because there was no one to discuss it with since he’s been working as administrative pastor at the the ministers he knew were not living upright lives. He ended up leavchurch. It’s his responsibility to make sure that all ing the South Side of Chicago for the Korean conflict in 1951 and the assistant pastors get the functions done that they have to get never went back. At 19 years old, he ended up in California, a place done. that he said was “better than sugar and sweet bread.” He was sta“They never had this role before I came,” said Hays. “Pastors are tioned at Andrews Air Force base as a jet mechanic. “We were like the like anyone else, they need someone to give them some direction. Dr. Tuskegee Airmen because we were the first blacks they let work on Price is the boss. My job is to carry out his wishes.” the airplanes.” Prior to his current post, Hays worked for the Sheriff’s departEven with all that he’s accomplished, one thing that Hays is not ment, the probation department and then in the municipal court. is arrogant. He is very well aware of his place in the Lord and says Before joining the pastoral staff, Pastor Hays served on the faculty of that alone brings him the most contentment. the CCC Ministry Training Institute (formerly called the CCC “The thing that the Lord impressed on my heart was this that I School of Ministry). He also served as the Men’s Fellowship was to assist this man the rest of my life,” he points out. “I would never President for 11 years, as ministerial advisor to the Church’s Alcohol have a church. So it wasn’t a problem with me. I didn’t have to run and Drug Abuse program, and as an usher. He presently serves on around here looking for a church because my assignment was clear. the Ministry’s Executive Board as the Vice President of the corporaSo I just followed it. I don’t have any illusions of grandeur where I tion. think I’m going to have this big church. There are two types of pas“I had bosses who trained me and prepared me for this,” he says tors—assistants and the main pastor. They need people to assist them of his current job. “My last position in the municipal court I designed because they can’t do all the work. There are two types of space for judges. I worked for women. Women are hard assistant pastors: those who are assistants forever—me to work for if you don’t know how they swing. I learned “You’ve got to and those in transition. You’ve got to have a clear vision administratively what to do. I’ve had a lot of leadership have a clear on what God wants you to do. I never had any problem. training. I worked for a court administrator who took me I knew what I was supposed to do. When I was ordained under his wing and taught me everything an administra- vision on what in 1987, I was 54 years old (I’m 75 now.) The gifts and calltor is supposed to be. I was two levels under him. I guess God wants you ing of God are without repentance. A lot of people suffer God was preparing me for this—the do’s and don’t of because they just don’t realize what they’re called to.”—EIF

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to do.”

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EVER INCREASING FAITH MAGAZINE Winter 2008

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23

the bizness

By Pastor Frederick K. Price, Jr.

I

know adults think that we, the youth of today, have no vision, desire, or drive to achieve anything. But that is not at all true. It is just that we have to see Christ in someone our own age. We know it works for the adults, and we can accept it from the adults, but it would help just a tad more if we saw God working in the lives of our peers. If we are going to see God working in our lives, we must make a decision for God. We cannot straddle the fence. Some of us are ashamed to even know the gospel because it seems being a Christian is not cool, Christ is not cool, and church is not cool. But that is just not the way to go. Paul writes in Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Paul felt an obligation to preach the gospel to every person, and he was not ashamed to speak about it because he knew it had the power to bring people to salvation. That was also why he wrote in 2 Timothy 1:8, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord….” We should not be ashamed of the gospel, or of the testimony of the Lord, but be willing to share it with everyone. You may be ashamed of the gospel and not even know it. We have sports, movies, and all kinds of stuff like that. I love to watch sports, but sports and movies a r e

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EVER INCREASING FAITH MAGAZINE Winter 2008

not the most important things in my life because I have my priorities together. When the things of God are not as important to you as the things of men, and when you put more emphasis on the things of men by showing more desire and affection on them, you tend to be ashamed of the gospel, and Paul told us not to do that. At a Creflo Dollar meeting when I was 17, I told my dad, “I accept my calling.” He told me, “Okay, you need to get into the Word and study the Word, memorize Scripture, pray in the Spirit and pray in English, and spend time praising God.” I understood that, but still did not want to do it. I figured that when the time was right, everything would fall into place. Somewhere between 19 1/2 and 20, I realized that Christianity was not about religion, or about coming to church on Sunday and Bible study once a week. Jesus came to bring life so that we might have it more abundantly, so if you are not ashamed of the gospel, you should be living a righteous lifestyle. This is not just a Sunday thing; this is all the time. I know some people may be ashamed because of what other people would say about their praying, praising the Lord or reading the Bible. But you can take your Bible out and read it without broadcasting what you are doing. People may wonder what you are doing, and may come over to you, but that is an opportunity to minister to them. All God has is us, and we have to be on point. We have to know this Word because the Word of God faces violent opposition. A lot of people do not want to hear this, but there are millions of people dying and going to hell because of a small number of people being ashamed of the gospel. There is no reason to be ashamed. Sharing the gospel and living a righteous life are actually the coolest things you can do. And God needs us, especially at a young age. Trust me; I was just where you are. I challenge you to apply the Word to everything in your life, starting now. Do not wait. The Christian lifestyle does not start when you graduate from high school or college or when you become 25 or 30 years old. It starts now. Get into the Word and high school will be a breeze. Apply the Word to your life, schoolwork, basketball, to everything, and you will only go up in life. —EIF

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straight talk

Q&A with Drs. Fred and Betty Price Dr. Price, I have been studying the duties of the husband and wife. You once made a statement about community property, such as what belongs to the husband is also the wife’s, and what belongs to her belongs to the husband. That opened up a can of worms in my household. I have been telling my husband that the law has changed to a certain degree now, that before marriage a couple can sign written contracts called prenuptial agreements. They are legal and binding in some cases, but can be overruled if not drawn up by a lawyer.

This evening, my husband said, “Did you hear what Fred said in church about community property?” What do you think about these agreements? It is things like this in people’s relationships that really cause trouble. I understand that people do have legal documents such as this drawn up nowadays, but as far as I am concerned, I think it is worldly, unspiritual, and dumb. I think such an agreement really sets the stage for the demise of the relationship. Whatever you had when you came into the relationship also became the property of your husband or wife. It all belongs to “one.” If you want to keep your country estate, your blue Mercedes Benz, and all that furniture you had before you married, what are you getting married for? Is it just so that you do not have to get a prostitute? She is good enough to marry and carry your name, but she is not good enough to have half ownership in your estate or car?

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations mentioned above are taken from the New King James Version of the Bible.

on the air

Why do you want to have “his” and “her” stuff? I had some things before I married Betty. If I wanted to keep them all to myself, I should not have married her. Everything you have belongs to your mate. Why would you want a legal document to say, “This is mine, and that is yours?” If you become one flesh, I think that principle covers everything. Why would you be one in the flesh, but separate in your personal items? Christians who do this are acting exactly like the world. That is what the world does: Come up with such contracts because they do not expect the marriage to work. So they want to have an out. Everything I have belongs to my wife. I believe I have her and everything that goes with her. We did not need any contract to divide our things. Our contract was “I do.”

Do you have a question on your mind? Write to us at: Ever Increasing Faith Magazine, P.O. Box 44185, Los Angeles, CA 90009 or e-mail [email protected].

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