To Brother Oliver of the Church of the Apostles,

, daughter of the Sovereign Lord and proclaimer of the gospel of Christ, extending greetings of peace and grace to you from God our Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, and the congregation of the Holy Ghost.

Brother Oliver, by those among you, you are called “brother”, shall I call you friend instead? Yes I shall. For it is written:

(John 15:15) “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”

My dear friend, blessings unto you! I must sing you high praises, for I have heard you preaching and I am well pleased! For you have shown yourself growing in the Lord wonderfully and you are most deserving of some praise, that my boasting in you, you are further encouraged to continue preaching the Word of God and bringing the love of Christ to the congregation.

I have seen too how hard you have labored in the Lord, how long you have labored, and how, God willing, you will continue to labor in the Lord. For though you have not seen Him yet, I have found you to be holy in conduct and in righteous purity. Again, I must sing you some praise!

I have also seen how you delight in the works of the Lord, that the hope of His glorious unveiling has quickened you to the core and I find myself taking such great joy in you, that the Lord has given me delightful, holy tears to shed in the works He has displayed in you.

Now, I must be forward with you: There are a few matters I must attend to in you that I am holding against you. Understand that is my purpose is to build you up, not tear you down. This is so that the works of the Lord may be complete in us both, tempering us both, and the glory of God be revealed in us both. For we look for the day of our Lord’s arrival with great expectation that He may find us spotless when He arrives with the endearing hope that we shall ascend with Him to His glorious throne, amen!

As for the matters of the purpose of the Church Body: You are correct in saying that the purpose of the Church Body is made to uplift the downtrodden, and every neighbor in need. This is true, yet also, is not the purpose of the Church Body also for rest and comfort? Just as the natural body labors, must the body also rest. And we know that there are some parts of the body that are laboring parts, so too does the body have resting parts. So do we look to the heart of the body or the mind, those parts that labor even in sleep, saying to the legs, “Why are you not running?” Likewise, would it be better to reserve judgments about church attendance to those who are resting? For though our intentions may be to arouse interests in church activity, we risk condemning those who the Lord has rightfully called into rest. For it was written of God:

(Genesis 2:2-3) “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

I heard that you had preached:

(Luke 10:38-41) “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

I however, will never call you to stop working in the Lord, for I would not be taken aback if you were working even in your own sleep! However, I caution against speaking from our own dreams and visions. For though we labor hard, some of us are called into rest. Yes, away from culture but even from the expectations of certain parts of the Church Body. So it would be better to say about this story, “Go to God, not to man, who is limited in his thinking,” (which you did say but added to it your own thoughts) and not much else. That way, the Word of God is provoked in the heart of the congregation, and they are not tormented by Satan. Here is what is written:

(Isaiah 2:22) “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?”

also:

(Psalm 118:8-9) “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.”

also:

(Galations 1:10) “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”

Perhaps if you find it necessary to say these things, maybe it would do you well to keep to a discipline in saying, “This is how the Word lands in my heart,” or “This is just me speaking,” for ultimately, it is God that does the speaking to the Church Body.

About prayer: Your drawing upon the Lord’s prayer is a wonderful thing, but if I may offer it may be better to refrain from using repetitious words to draw excitement from the church. This is ultimately up to you of course, for I do not find this to be egregious. This is just me speaking, but may it be better to say prayers like this one drawing from the Lord’s prayer:

“Almighty God, your ways are higher than our ways. For it is you that makes the world go round and should you choose to stop it, so shall it be. May we gather together to lift and edify one another, and also cover each other’s mistakes. Let us use our hearts for your holy purposes, that we are saved from the shame of unholy conduct. For all things are made in the image of Your holy nature, forever and always. Amen.”

To clarify, as for your own personal prayers, I believe you are right in saying “Your Kingdom Come”, as many times as is pleasing to God, a thousand times over, for your Father in Heaven is also my Father in Heaven who rejoices in you.

About drawing upon the outside world and the mentioning of politics: I would like to point you to the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ:

(Matthew 20:20-21) “And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.”

I mention this, not to bar using your own discernment for it is written:

(Colossians 2:20-22) “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?”

But only to remind you also what is written:

(1 Corinthians 8:9-13) “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.”

I am reminding you of these things because the world is focused on and pressed down by the matters of the world, but we who are in the body of Christ, are we overly concerned with the world the way the world is? I should hope not! For though we be subject to the worldly powers in our flesh, is it not God who is Lord of all things, or is it man and his feeble-minded ways? So I urge you not to tempt your brothers and sisters in Christ, especially young believers to mix their faith and the debauchery of the world lest they be spoiled and encouraged into destructive patterns of behavior.

My friend Oliver, yes, my friend, I must tell you how overjoyed I am in you and how you surpassed my every expectation! Again, I shed a holy tear when I think of how well you are doing and I want you to know of the love, the hope, and the great faith I have in you. My dear Oliver, well done.

Blessings to you and those you love, also to the Apostolic Church from God our Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ Lord and Savior, and the Congregation of the Holy Ghost, forever and always, amen.