Letter to our Friends - June 8, 2025

Leonard V. Johnson

Pastor and Co-Founder

Greetings Brethren, Friends, and Co-Workers in Christ:

I pray that you’ve had a wonderful and Spirit-filled two months.

Pentecost weekend went great here, and hopefully also in your area. 

Holding to the Faith Once Delivered

Sadly, many anti-Church of God people want to accuse us of not holding to the beliefs of the original Church of God of the first century. I’m sure they do not want to hear God’s living Word, Truth, and Plan. They don’t want to “prove all things” like the Bereans of Acts 17.

True Christians of the first century ──

• Kept the God ordained biblical Holy Days. 
• Did not celebrate the date of our Lord Jesus’ supposed birth. (See: ChristMas… Its Origin). 
• Did not teach the “immortality of the soul” (See: What Happens After Death?). 
• Did not consume biblically unclean meats (See: Is God’s Biblical Food Laws Still In Effect?). 
• Did not have icons or crosses in their “church” buildings. 
• Kept the Lord’s ordained rest day ── known in the first century as “diēs Sāturnī”, known as “Saturn’s Day.” Today it’s Saturday.
• Kept the Lord’s Passover on the 14th of Nisan (See: Easter or Passover?). 
• Did not teach the concept of the Trinity as defined by the 381 Council of Constantinople (See: The Nature of the Holy Spirit: Being or Force?). 
• Taught that the kingdom of God would begin with the return of our Lord Jesus. (See: What Is the Kingdom of God?). 

We in the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries hold “earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” – Jude 3. 

Truly, this world is filled with churches! When my wife and I traveled to Bryson City, N.C., to visit our friends back in 2020, there was literally a church building on every corner! Yet, our Lord Jesus says He would build HIS CHURCH. 

WHICH CHURCH DID HE BUILD?

Have you proved to yourself that we are a part of God’s TRUE CHURCH? Because there is proof. Let’s begin in this Letter to our Friends some major proofs which will prove to you, beyond a doubt, that this ministry is part of God’s true Church. 

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:21, KJV. 

Have you taken this admonition from the Apostle Paul to heart?

Thousands of Counterfeits! 

Our Lord Jesus warned us of deep deceptions. He knew that a great conspiracy would soon rise, which would come to be known as “MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”! Truly this great conspiracy has its roots from Semiramis and her son/husband Nimrod (or, rather Ninus)! We speak of her in articles such as “St. Valentine’s Day – Where did it come from?” and “ChristMas… Its Origin.”  

Our Lord and Savior said, “’ … on this rock I will build My church, …’” and promised that He would always be with the church, “’ even to the end of the age.’” – Matthew 16:18; 28:20.

Well, our Lord Jesus did indeed begin His Church. And, think upon this ── how can you rightly and positively know, and absolutely realize that somewhere out there on this beautiful Earth ── that is halfway to the edge of the Milky Way galaxy at a distance of about 26,000 light years from the center ── at this very moment in time, our Lord Jesus Christ’s Church is actively alive and is proclaiming faithfully the living Word of God, the Truth of God, and the Plan of God? 

You need to know rightly whether we are a part of the glorious Body of Christ. Because there is great confusion, conflict, division, counterfeit world “Churchianity” ── what Minister Guy LaMar often calls “Religiousity” and a gauntlet of so many “brands” of Christianity throughout the world! And, each and every “brand” claims that they are the true church! If each and every one of them is the true Church, then our Lord Jesus Christ is not telling us the truth. Because He says to us, “’ … Take heed that no one deceives you. For MANY will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and WILL DECEIVE MANY.’” – Matthew 24:4, 5. 

Surely you know that not all proclaimed true churches are really true ── don’t you?

Yet, each and every one of them pursues their own blatant and noisy cry to the public, “We are the TRUE CHURCH!” And to most people it seems to never enter their mind that we are told by the LORD God not to believe “every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” – 1 John 4:1. And, neither does it appear to enter into the mind of most people of this world that they gullibly pursue the religion of their youth. I can recall a member of a small Sunday going church back in 2014 proudly proclaiming to his minister, “I love it here ── it reminds me of my youth!” They just assume, without question, that the church they are attending is “right in the eyes of God.”

O’, but there is one distinct difference, however, between these syrupy false churches and their false Christianity, and the True Church that will actually help cleanse you. Not one of those thousands of false churches will help “cleanse your life, and help you gain eternal life” ── not one.

Proof ONE: GOD IS RULER! 

Believe it or not ── and I’m going to say something that I have personally seen and witnessed throughout my 44 years after initially being called by Father God ── nearly every religious organization on this Earth really doesn’t believe that the LORD God is Ruler! That’s hard to believe, isn’t it? Because, they all “preach” God ── don’t they? In reality, they are constantly trying to straddle a fence between a Creator and a belief in the theory of evolution. Then, others claim to believe in God as the Creator, but they believe in God more as a “first cause,” or a vague “force” that is located in the outer reaches of the universe, far away from Earth. One who has simply placed the universe on a type of “autopilot.”

But, our Lord Jesus’ true Church knows Him personally as THE CREATOR! “He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” – John 1:2-3.

“ …’ I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.’” – Genesis 17:1. 

The LORD God revealed Himself as CREATOR, and the RULER of His creation to Adam ── One of the most direct interactions between Elohim and Adam occurs in Genesis 2:15-17, where Elohim places Adam in the Garden of Eden and gives him instructions about tending it and avoiding the forbidden fruit. Later, in Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve sin, the LORD God walks in the garden and calls out to Adam, asking, “Where are you?” ── a moment that signifies His personal and direct engagement with Adam. 

“ …’ I AM WHO I AM.’” – Exodus 3:14. 

The great Divine One who interacts in the course of human nations and of their kings, presidents, and prime ministers! The ancient nations of Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Syria, and Phoenicia all knew of the “God of the Hebrews” as a great Ruler who directly intervened in the affairs of human kingdoms on behalf of His people.

King Nebuchadnezzar II Learned About The Most High God! 

Notice ── 

“ … So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. … ‘Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; he removes kings and raises up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him.’” – Daniel 2:19, 20-23.

The Prophet Daniel tells King Nebuchadnezzar II that “there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.” – verse 28.

King Nebuchadnezzar II ── the king of the most powerful nation of that time ── had to come to understand that “the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory.” – verse 37.

Later, the king would come to be lifted up in pompous human vanity, REFUSING to acknowledge the Most High God. And the Prophet Daniel revealed to him a decision by “the watchers, a sentence by the word of the holy ones” so that the “living may know That the Most High God RULES” that he would be driven from among men, and will be given “the heart of a beast.” – Daniel 4:16, 17.

Again, the Prophet Daniel repeats this tremendous revelation to the king, saying, “They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.” – verse 25.

The God of the Old Testament ── who is in fact our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (cf. Hebrews 1; John 1:1-4, 14; Colossians 1:16-17)-- has revealed Himself as the RULER of all mankind.

AWESOME, isn’t it!? King Nebuchadnezzar II ── the man who was king of the mighty Neo-Babylonian Empire, who knew far more about our Creator’s true nature than most biblical theologians of today-- the LORD God allowed to lose his mind and live like an animal for seven years. He knew that the God of the Hebrews was the true RULER! 

If there is anyone who has not yet read and studied our PDF booklet “Does God Exist?” and our article, “Personal From… Most Horrendous Lie Perpetrated Upon Mankind,” then please do so. Because the very Creator of the whole of the known universe is also RULER of His Church and this ministry!

The Majority of “Christians” DO NOT KNOW GOD! 

The overall majority of this world’s churches ── even though they are proclaiming to believe in a God who is in some way “authoritative,” believe that God (many of whom claim is a Trinity; Three-in-One) is “far away in the distant universe” ── maybe close to the known heliopause? ── and basically has His universe on “autopilot,” not actually intervening in personal lives, and is unconcerned with this tiny blue dot and the people on it. I have witnessed that the average churchgoing minister of this world of modern “Churchianity” believes that God is a type of “Divine Father figure” into whose arms they may, upon going to heaven, have “perfect communion with the Holy Trinity.” 

The LORD our God Is Known to the Begotten Children of God 

According to the Apostle Paul ── inspired by God’s Spirit ── ONLY those that “are led by the Spirit of God, these are [children] of God.” – Romans 8:14. The Prophet Isaiah was inspired to describe those people who make iconolatry ── “ … the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, ‘Deliver me, for you are my god!’” – Isaiah 44:13-17. 

He goes on to say, “They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand.” – verse 18. 

The LORD our God says that Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel), who would have twelve sons, is but a worm. As in ‘worms’ in the pride of their thinking of themselves; the parallelism certainly would mean “men” associated with the idea of fewness and feebleness, such as ‘You mortals of Israel.’ 1

“’ All nations before Him are as nothing, And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless. To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him?’” – Isaiah 40:17-18. 

We have come to understand, brethren! 

It is only a few of us, upon whom our great Creator has mercy  ── who truly know the LORD God. Unless a person has truly been called (1st Corinthians 1:26) of God, has truly repented, been properly baptized with hands laid upon them, been gifted the glorious Spirit of God ── been begotten of the LORD God ── he/she does not know God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ! We, brethren, know the LORD God to be DESIGNER, CREATOR, AUTHOR, ARCHITECT ── “…’ the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.’” – Revelation 22:13. 

Suggested Sabbath Day Service 

Here is our suggested Sabbath day service for our scattered brethren and friends around the world:

• TWO songs of praise. (Our songbook, The Bible Hymnal, is suggested; there are some Instrumental Accompaniments to the Bible Hymnal available on our website.) 

• Opening prayer. 

• Announcements – from the deacon or pastor. 

• Sermon – from the pastor or guest speaker. The one suggested for this week is “You Were Born to Rule!” delivered by Minister Leonard V Johnson. 

• Closing song. 

• Closing prayer.   

Please note that if one or more of our video channels are unavailable, down, restricted, or for some other reason ── we have multiple video platforms.

We have our BitChute channel: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/U3xLiHjo9y45. 

We have our UGETube channel: https://ugetube.com/@cojcom 

We also have audio sermons available on our Soundcloud Radio channel: https://soundcloud.com/cojcom  

Some World News In Relation To Biblical Prophecy

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has prophesied that all throughout this present evil age there would be ‘wars and rumors of wars’ before the coming dreadful and terrible Day of the Lord – the ‘great tribulation’ ── 

“’ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.’

Verse 7 – ‘For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8) ALL THESE are the beginning of sorrows.’” – Matthew 24:6-8. 

And while there are grave troubles worldwide ── one nation against another nation, one kingdom against another kingdom, and there have been famines  (some of great proportions, i.e., Irish Potato Famine (1845-1849), Great Chinese Famine (1959 1961), Bengal Famine (1943), and there have been great pestilences, i.e., Black Death: 75-200M (1334-1353), 1918 flu: 50-100 million (1918-1920), COVID-19: 5-17 million (2020 – current), as well as earthquakes in various places, i.e., 1957 Aleutian Earthquake, 1960 Chilean Earthquake, and the 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami ── our Lord Jesus has told us ‘See that you are not troubled’ the end of the age is not yet. All these are but a foreshadowing of things to come!

Since our Lord Jesus was recorded as saying, “‘ The time is fulfilled, …’” (Mark 1:15), this world has had wars and rumors of wars. And, if President Donald Trump holds to his ‘red line,’ Iran is about to face the fury of the Israeli/American military strength. And, if President Vladimir Putin holds to his retaliatory threat, Ukraine is about to face his ultimate wrath. Plus, concerning China, our Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is warning that China is posing an “imminent” threat to Taiwan. Australia is increasingly concerned about China's military capabilities and intentions in the region. 

(See: “Wars and Rumors of Wars”).   

Concluding Comments

The apostle Peter gives us a plain and clear guideline about facing tribulations – 

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13) but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 

14) If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 

15) But let none of you suffer as a murderer [spiritually or physically], a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. 16) Yet if ANYONE suffers as a Christian, let him NOT be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter” – 1 Peter 4:12-16.

True Christians are ambassadors for Christ!

In the Book of Luke, chapter 6 – in what is called “the Beatitudes,” our Lord Jesus Christ told us the Way we should conduct our life – Luke 6:20-23. I suggest, however, reading verses 24-49 as well. 

The apostle Paul, in 1st Timothy 4:12, tells us to “be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”  

For ministers of God as well as the flock, it is IMPORTANT always to keep this in mind – for those who do not believe, you might be the closest they will ever be to the glorious soon-coming Kingdom of God.

While so many Christians feel compelled to make sure the “gloom and doom” messages outweigh any solutions offered – and maybe they do this because of control – if we, as true Christians, focus on the positives of God’s truth and hope in this darkened world – then God’s Way of light will shine forth upon the negatives.

Brethren, we have been blessed with the Redeemer (Isaiah 41:14; 47:4; 48:17; Psalm 19:14; Luke 1:68; Romans 3:23-24; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:7, 13,  14; Colossians 1:13-14; Hebrews 9:11-12) – the Holy One of Israel! And He will also bless us with the tools to combat this world’s negativity and to model the abundant life which He came to give us! – cf. John 10:10.

The ANSWER is found through JESUS CHRIST!

In deep gratitude and love, in Jesus' name,