Monthly Ministry Letter

BETHEL CHURCH

204 AIRPORT ROAD VIDALIA, LA 71373

OFFICE (318)336-HOPE(4673) OR CELL (318)421-1450

www.bethelchurchla.org Email address: bethelchurch5@bellsouth.net

PASTOR TROY N. THOMAS SR.

Iron Sharpens Iron Ministers Fellowship-July 14th @ 3 pm/ Bethel Church 204 Airport Rd Vidalia, La

July 1^st 2024

Dear Fellow Soldier of the Cross,

I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ. I trust that you well and full of the Holy Spirit. Did you notice I changed me greeting from fellow leader of God to fellow soldier of the Cross? We are leaders and soldiers. 2 Timothy 2:3-4 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen

him to be a soldier. As soldiers of the cross, we should not get entangled with the things of the world. If we get entangled with the wrong thing, we will not be effective in promoting the kingdom of God. With that being said, we must be envolved in our nation.

Jeremiah 29:7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. 3. Timothy 2:1-4 I exhort therefore, that, first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. Psalms 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord: and the people whom he hath chose for his own inheritance. Psalms 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. Acts 7:7 And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.

Joshua 5:13-15 ..When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am i now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? ..the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua,… And Joshua did so.

You notice that 1 typed many scriptures. Our personal opinion does not matter. Our culture does not matter. Our skin color does not matter. Our feelings do not matter. The only thing that matters is the rightly divided word of God. If you agree, say amen! We must pray and vote for men and women who will develop policies based on principles of righteousness. There are people in our country that refused to vote or get involved in the politics. They isolate themselves. They believe that voting is being entangled with a godless world system. Here is a thought, if only wicked people vote and hold public offices. All of our officials and laws will be wicked! The people of Israel wanted a king to be like the other nations. God was their king. How can a nation be godly when they reject God as their king? How can a nation be godly when they reject the principles of God’s word? As we know by the scriptures, nations that reject God’s rule are soon destroyed. Except for Hosea, there is something wrong with a godly person marrying a wicked person!! It reveals something about the so-called godly person; if they chose to marry a wicked ungodly person. One thing it reveals; is a lack of sanctification in the so-called godly person. For me to KNOWINGLY promote an official that promotes ungodly laws reveals that I am lacking something in my spiritual life!!! How can I ingood conscience; promote any party that endorses homosexual marriages and abortion (shedding innocent blood)? By the way, I am neither democrat nor republican. 1 am a registered independent! I only desire officials to stand for righteouness. How about you? To be a godly nation, we must promote godly principles!! Amen!!

Here are the details to our next IRON SHARPENS IRON minister’s fellowship: FREE Lunch 0 1:45pm Place: Bethel Church 204 Airport Rd Vidalia, LA 71373 Date and Time: July 14^th @3:OOpm
Speaker: Prophet/Teacher Jerry Cocran

As you know, I love strengthening ministers. You will reach people that I will not. We are call to complete not to compete. Please invite other ministers and their spouses to our fellowship. They will receive an anointed word from God for ministers and a FREE lunch and DVD, CD or flashdrive of the message.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Troy N. Thomas Sr.

P.S. Mark your calendar for our annual ministers/leaders seminar on Sept. 14, 2024. Women and men are challenged to be the minister/leader God has called them to be. Early registration by Sept. 3, 2024: $25.00 for couples and $15.00 for singles. After Sept. 3, 2024 : $35.00 for couples and $25.00 for singles. Registration covers: Snacks, lunch, notes of 6 speakers and DVD, CD or flashdrive of each speaker. Free overnight accommodations are available upon request. If the registration is a problem, sponsors are available upon request. NONE should be absent from this seminar; because they feel that they can’t afford the registration fee. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THIS UPCOMING SEMINAR. THANKS

Pastor Jerry Cocran – Bio

Jerry Cocran was born again 37 years ago. He was baptized with the Holy Spirit shortly thereafter and has been preaching the Word of God for most of those 37 years_ He has been the Pastor of New Jerusalem Praise & Worship Center in Pearl River, Louisiana for the last 28 years. Pastor Cocran is on the board of the Executive Presbytery for The Network of Related Pastors. Pastor has traveled in many places throughout the U.S.A. and in many nations around the globe ministering the Word of God. He is a man of excellence and integrity being an anointed preacher and moving mightily through the Holy Spirit in the Prophetic realm and with Words of Knowledge concerning healing and deliverance. Pastor Cocran and his wife Denise have six children and ten grandchildren, whom are all serving the Lord. His two sons are ministers in their own right, one working on the Mission field in Thailand and the other working as the Worship Leader in the local Church.

BETHEL CHURCH
204 AIRPORT ROAD VIDALIA, LA 71373
OFFICE (318)336-HOPE(4673) OR CELL (318)421-1450
www.bethelchurchla.org Email address: bethelchurch5@bellsouth.net
PASTOR TROY N. THOMAS SR.

TESTIMONY OF GOD MEETING NEEDS Pt. 3

God Supplying Through Disappointment

June 9, 2024

Dear Fellow Leader of God,

I pray that you are well. Thank you for receiving my letter. I truly want to be a blessing to you. I am too blessed to be stressed. I am better than I deserved. I trust that my letters of testimony have inspired you. I told you about the orphanage in India. By the time you receive this letter, I may be back in India dedicating the orphanage and conducting gospel crusades in India. I covet your prayers always.

I spent time in my last letter telling you about our challenge with our little girl. God met our needs in every way. GLORY TO GOD!!! Matthew 11:2-6, 11 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight,….. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me…

There has not risen a greater than John the Baptist. I can relate a little to John the Baptist’s mindset. He spoke of Jesus being the Messiah. He told his disciples that they should follow Christ. He said that Jesus must increase and John must decrease. John is in prison now. From what I read, Jesus did not visit him or get him out of prison. The prison John was in was a dirty nasty filty dungeon! John began to wonder whether Jesus was truly the Messiah. I imagine that John was disappointed in Christ. Allow me to go back to my situation. I have traveled to over 9-10 different countries preaching the gospel and praying for the sick. I have seen God do many miracles of healings through me. During my little girl’s life, I prayed for many that were healed. After having healing crusades in other countries, I would come home to see my daughter (Angelle) deformed.

Satan would attack my mind with doubt about God’s healing power. He would say “God heals others through you and refuses to heal your baby.” It seems that every time I was tempted to be discouraged or disappointed, God supplied encouragement!! Angelle would develop urinary track infections. We would put her in the hospital and received antibioties. Death seemed to be so near to her at those times. At those times, God gave me dreams of her being totally well. He was supplying encouragement to me to handle my disappointment!! Finally in October 2005, I was in intensive care with Angelie. Her breathing began to get shallow. Her heart rate began to diminish. Finally she stopped breathing. The hospital staff began to mobilize to give her air through a breathing apparatus. After awhile, they informed me that she was gone. I told them to move back and let me try. After I tried to get her back for awhile, I ceased. The nursed asked me if I was alright. I said I was, Praise God. From the dreams I had, I thought that Angelle would be healed totally in this life. Listen, I went to Bethel Church the next day. I prayed for a man named Kelvin from Wisner, La. that could not raise his arms without pain. God healed him and moved his pain. How do you explain this? My daughter died in my arms while I was praying. God healed a man through me the next day. I was tempted to be angry and bitter toward God. Are you understanding me? With all of that being said, I choose to love God even more. I have continued to preach that God is a Healer!! I have seen more healing miracles since my daughter passed!! GOD HAS CONTINUED TO SUPPLY ALL THE GRACE I NEED TO FOLLOW HIM. HE SUPPLIES ALL
OF OUR NEEDS. WHEN GOD DOES NOT DO WHAT YOU THINK HE SHOULD DO, WILL YOU BECOME
BITTER OR BETTER? IT IS YOUR CHOICE!!

Here are the details to our next IRON SHARPENS_minister’s fellowship:

Place: Harrisonburg Christian Assembly, 300 Monroe St. Harrisonburg, LA 71340

Date and Time: June 15, 2024, AT 9:30AM

Speaker:
As you know, I love strengthening ministers. You will reach people that I will not. We are call to
complete not to compete. Please invite other ministers and their spouses to our fellowship. They will
receive an anointed word from God for ministers and a FREE lunch and DVD, CD or flashdrive of the
message.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Troy N. Thomas Sr.

P.S. Mark your calendar for our annual ministers/leaders seminar on Sept. 14, 2024. Women and men
are challenged to be the minister/leader God has called them to be. Early registration by Sept. 3, 2024:
$25.00 for couples and $15.00 for singles. After Sept. 3, 2024: $35.00 for couples and $25.00 for
singles. Registration covers: Snacks, lunch, notes of 6 speakers and DVD, CD or flashdrive of each
speaker. Free overnight accommodations are available upon request. If the registration is a problem,
sponsors are available upon request. NONE should be absent from this seminar; because they feel that they can’t afford the registration fee. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THIS UPCOMING SEMINAR.
THANKS
+

BETHEL CHURCH
204 AIRPORT ROAD VIDALIA, LA 71373
WEBSITE: www.troythomass.org Email address: bethelchurch5@bellsouth.net
OFFICE (318)336-HOPE(4673) OR CELL (318)421-1450
PASTOR TROY N. THOMAS SR.
GIVING TO GOD’S VISION

February 3, 2023

Greetings to my Fellow Soldier of the Cross,

Praise God for another day. | trust that you full of health in every part of your being. | am in great health spiritually, mentally and physically. | praise God for health and strength!! We are trully soldiers of the cross and light. That was a great song that came out in the 80’s. It stated that LOVE iS OUR WEAPON AND THE HOLY GHOST IS OUR MIGHT. This being a new year, PLEASE let me know if you desire to continue to receive my spiritual emails.

Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Romans 15:26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are Jerusalem. 2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work… These are powerful scriptures. Allow me to tell you how we give, how God provides and the vision of giving to the need in Kenya, Africa. As you know, for approximately 30 years | have preached in other countries. | have seen all types of miracles signs and wonders. People ask me, how is this done with a congregation of less than a 150 people? | and our church are givers. Personally, | give 20% of my salary to God’s work. Bethel Church gives approximately 25% of the tithe to missions and helping the needy. Through our giving, wise stewardship and blessing of the Lord, we have always had more than enough for our needs and to help others. We have NO debt, our buildings and vans are paid for. We runa discipleship shelter and preach on radio, television around the world. WE CAN’T BEAT GOD GIVING, NO MATTER HOW YOU TRY!! If we wait until we have millions of dollars, we will not change our world for God’s glory.

For the last 15 years, | have been traveling to Kenya regularly sharing the gospel, feeding the hungry, training pastors and establishing churches. | have sleep in many of the pastors’ homes of Kenya, Africa. Many of the pastors | am referring to have interpreted for me as | taughted their congregations. Over the past 3-4 years, Kenya and some of the surrounding countries have experience swarms of locusts that destroyed vast amounts of their crops. Kenyans have experience a drought during this time also. The death rate from hunger has increase substantially due to the locusts and the drought. Bethel Church gives bi-monthly to some of the pastors in Kenya to help them survive while they preach the gospel. Most of these Kenyan pastors never ask me for money. They ask me for prayer to be effective pastors to their community. | WILL NOT ONLY PRAY, | WILL HELP TO SUPPLY THEIR NEED!!! | John 3:3:17-18 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him: My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. These Kenyan pastors do what they can by faith and not beg. A Kenyan bishop we support received an offering from us in January. | have known him for approximately 15 years. He began to weep on the phone in gratitude for the offering we sent to him. | have never heard him weep. | began to weep with him. He wept about the on time supply our offering gave to him and his family. The Kenyans need water wells with irrigation systems to get the water to the crops. They need seeds to plant in the fields. The Kenyan pastors with help will be a hub for the communities to get spiritual and physical food. If you were to put in the internet search bar KENYA LOCUST or KENYA DROUGHT you would see and understand the devastation of this country!! | realize that no one man can meet the needs of the entire world. | also realize that you are not called to give to every need in the world. However, you are called to pray to God and yield to His promptings. We at Bethel Church sacrifice to help meet the spiritual and physical needs of the Kenyan pastors. As we help them, they WILL meet the spiritual and physical needs of their community. | plan to travel to Kenya this year to be a blessing to Kenya. | want to raise $50,000.00 to help the pastors minister to the SPIRITUAL & PHYSICAL of their community. WILL YOU GIVE TO THIS KINGDOM ENDEAVOR? NO AMOUNT IS TOO SMALL OR TOO LARGE. You may not be able to give the entire amount, do whatever God prompts you to do. | plan to provide pictures and videos of the projects these pastors do to accomplish to save their communities. Also, you are welcome to go to Kenya with me and bless this country. You may give through cashapp Sbethelchurch204 VENMO bethel-church-204 our website: www.bethelchurchla.org or check made out to Bethel Church. Make sure you designate it for KENYA VISION. PLEASE RESPOND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, LIVES WILL BE FEED, SAVED AND DELIVER THROUGH YOUR GIVING. IN JESUS NAME!!!

MINISTERS FELLOWSHIP: Place: Bethel Church Vidalia, LA Day, Date & Time: 4 Thur. Feb. 23, 2023 liam SPEAKER: Pastor Roelie Etsebeth of South Africa

Please invite other ministers and their spouse to our fellowship. Free lunch, CD, DVD or flashdrive will be provided. | know that it will be worth you sacrificing to come. It is my honor to strengthen and challenge ministers and leaders in the kingdom of God.

P.S. Mark your calendar for our annual ministers/leaders seminar Sat. Sept. 9, 2023. Women & men are challenged to be the minister/leader God has called them to be. Early registration by Aug. 27. 2023: $25.00 for couples and $15.00 for singles. After Aug. 27: $35.00 for couples and $25.00 for singles. Registration covers: Snacks, lunch, notes of 6 speakers and DVD, flashdrive or a CD of each speaker. Free overnight accommodations are available upon request. If the registration is a problem, sponsors

February 12, 2020

KNOWING WHO YOU ARE AFFECTS MINISTRY SUCCESS

To: My Fellow Laborer in Christ,

I greet you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is a privilege and an honor to send you this letter. I am doing great in the Lord. I pray that you are doing great in your spirit, soul and body. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. By the way, if you would like me to stop sending you these ministry letters, let me know. I never desire my spiritual letters to be considered junk mail to those I send them to. I love to encourage and challenge ministers that desire to obey God. I realize that if I can encourage and strengthen you, you will help others. We are all in this God work together. Do you agree?

As I began to meditate on what I would write to you on, knowing who you are in ministry came to my mind. It is very important to know our place in the body of Christ. Ecclesiastes 8:9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt. 1 Timothy 3:6 A bishop (overseer, elder, pastor) should not be a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. If a person acquires an office that they are not mature enough for, they may hurt themselves and the people they are endeavoring to help. What is a stumbling block? It is any stone that is out of place. Some ministers are out of place. Listen to this thought. In the traditional religious community, everyone who receives the call to preach should eventually pastor a church. As you know, everyone that is called to ministry is not called to pastor a local body of believers. In the religious world that I grew up in, after one accepted the call to preach, people ask, when will you get a church? People will ask the young minister, have you started pastoring a church yet? There is what we call the five-fold ministry. Ephesians 4:7-8, 11-12 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some apostles and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: We know that God can use anyone He desires to, do His will. God used a donkey to speak to a covetous prophet. God used a rooster to crow at the right time to bring conviction on Peter. God can speak through whomever He wants to, to accomplish His mission. The main thing is, yielding to the grace God has given to us to. We cannot accomplish His mission without His grace.

Before I go on with this letter, we need to define grace. First of all, grace has at least two definitions. Grace is unmerited favor. Grace is undeserved mercy. However, grace is more than unmerited favor. It is God’s strength. It is divine enablement. Ephesians 3:7-8 Where of I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:9-10 Paul stated that he was called to be an apostle. He said, by the grace of God I am what I am: and God’s grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Well, I am running out of space in this letter. I must cover more on this topic next month. Let me conclude this by asking a question. HOW CAN WE DO THE WORK OF MINISTRY, BEING A PROPHET, EVANGELIST, TEACHER, PASTOR OR AN APOSTLE, WITHOUT GOD’S GRACE (STRENGTH, ENABLEMENT) IN AND UPON OUR LIVES???? GOD ONLY GIVES GRACE TO DO WHAT HE HAS CALLED US TO DO.