History & Vision of TCOGIDO

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Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson (AJ) was born September 22, 1865 in a farm cottage in a Quaker Meeting House community, 3 miles north of Westfield, Indiana, some 20 miles north of Indianapolis, Indiana.

He was the only son of Milton & Delilah Tomlinson and was so tiny at birth he had to be held on a pillow.  His mother, discouraged because of his sickness and frailty prayed earnestly that if the Lord had no special purpose for keeping him here to let him die.

On April 14, 1889, A. J. Tomlinson was united in marriage with Mary Jane Taylor, next to the oldest of 13 children.  To this union was born Halcy (1891), Homer, (1892), Iris (1895) and Milton (1906).  A. J., led to the altar in the Chester Quaker Meeting house by his wife after marriage, was converted in July 1892.  Charles H. Stalker, who also became a noted minister and evangelized around the world, was saved in the same service.

A very zealous worker for the Sunday school, we find A. J. preaching in the mountains of Western North Carolina, Eastern Tennessee and North Georgia by 1896.  He was a well educated man and attended the Westfield Academy at Westfield, Indiana.

The beginning of The Church of God movement came forth during the leadership of A. J. Tomlinson encircling the globe, widely known as The Church of God, the Assemblies of God, The Church of God in Christ, Pentecostal Holiness  and the Foursquare Gospel Church.  These 5, with independent groups variously described as Pentecostal Holiness, etc., have in the aggregate at that time some 25,000 congregations in the United States, have the same distinctive form of worship which first appeared in the practice and teachings of The Church of God at Camp Creek, North Carolina which A. J. Tomlinson founded there in 1896.

His associates in the beginning with him & laboring side by side were E. N. Bell (founder of the Assemblies of God), J. H. King (founder of the Pentecostal Holiness Church), Aimee Semple McPearson (founder of the Foursquare Gospel Church), Mattie Crawford (founder of the Apostolic Faith, Portland, Oregon), Elder Charles H. Mason (founder of The Church of God in Christ, Memphis, Tennessee), Elder Charles Seymour, B. F. Yoakum, William Hamner Piper, Leonard Cossum Cartuthers, Goss, A. G.Garr and Thomas J. McIntosh were the first of the missionaries.

Those who can not be forgotten are G.B. Cashwell, F. M. Britton, G. F. Taylor, M. M. Pinson, H. H. Rogers, John W. Buckalew, F. J. Lee (of whom the Lee College of The Church of God was named in honor), M. S. Lemons, F. W. Bryant, R. G. Spurling & many others.

During A. J. Tomlinson’s life he was accounted to be the General Overseer of The Church of God from 1903 until his death in 1943.  This 20thCentury holiness movement began with only 15 souls at the first General Assembly, June 13, 1903 in a mountain cabin that is now commemorated by the Fields of the Wood Bible Park in Murphy, North Carolina  (this now belongs to The Church of God of Prophecy after their departure from A. J.’s leadership).

A. J. Tomlinson seemed to be in the pattern of Moses who led the Hebrew people out of the bondage of Pharaoh and brought them to the promised land.  Many people complained against Moses and Aaron and many of them died in the journey.

In 1923, there were many who complained against A. J. & put him out of the Church taking over the entire faculty of his office.  Therefore many of these men died because of their actions against him.  They were called the Ten elders Church of God, the first great split in the movement.

Bishop A. J. Tomlinson served The Church of God for a complete 40 years from 1903 to 1943, the exact period of years as Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt into the promised land.

Bishop Homer A. Tomlinson, A. J.’s son was born in 1892 and died in 1968.  He received his appointment to succeed his father on April 8, 1942 following in the pattern of Joshua.  As Joshua reigned for 25 years as leader of Israel so did Homer reign as General Overseer for The Church of God for 25 years from 1943 until his death in 1968.

Under their divine leadership of 65 years, The Church of God flourished, blossomed and bloomed rising to shine the light of the Gospel to the nations, despite all the setbacks such as the 2 major splits, one in 1923 and the other in 1946.

When Bishop Homer A. Tomlinson saw his time approaching he set forth Bishop Voy M. Bullen as his successor.  At the death of Joshua, he did not set forth a successor.  The Children of Israel inquired of the Lord for a leader saying “Who shall go up for Us” Judges 1:1.  The Lord said “Judah shall go up” (Jews – Jerusalem) because I have delivered the land (Canaan, Palestine, the Promised Land) into his hand.

On two different occasions Bishop Homer Tomlinson made an appointment for his successor, first in Marion, Illinois in 1956 and then again in Cape Girardeau, Missouri in 1962.

Later after much prayer and study of the scripture, Bishop Homer appealed to the General Assembly in his Annual Address in August of 1966 and to consider and set forth the discontinuation of the office of General Overseer and all State Overseers and call all the Bishops and members of The Church of God to prayer and fasting for the work which the Holy Ghost had spoken unto him to establish the world headquarters of The Church of God in Jerusalem, Jordan, the City of David.

The Church of God was led there in October 1966 by Bishop Homer A. Tomlinson and a delegation of Bishops from the National Headquarters of the U.S.A. and once again set forth the hope of the great vision of The Church of God gathering all nations to Jerusalem which is the throne of God.  Jer 3:14-18.  The very next year, 1967, Judah (the Jews) went up and took control of the old city of Jerusalem.  The following year, 1968, Bishop Homer Tomlinson went home to be with the Lord and his great reward after the completion of 25 full years of leadership in the direct order of Joshua.

Bishop Bullen went ahead with his overseer ship even after Bishop Tomlinson’s appeal to the church for overseer ship to be discontinued.  After Bishop Bullen took over leadership, the work of the church concerning Jerusalem, the City of David, ceased after 2 years.  It has not been continued until this present time even after the Holy Ghost had spoken from time to time in the Assemblies with strong anointing and compelling the anointed of God to continue this great important work for bringing forth of a provocation of jealousy unto the entire world which is scattered among the Gentile nations.  The church has suffered much loss and have had to fight great battles of affliction which were brought upon the remnant body of Christ because of the chastisement of the Lord because the will of God was not sought according to his divine order and the anointed vision which he had set forth.

For 27 years from 1968 until 1996 Bishop Voy M. Bullen went ahead with his overseer ship bringing the Church Pattern into the hands of the Judges as is recorded in Judges 1:1-26 and 2:1-23. After the fulfillment of this time, according to the prophecy of God’s word, the daughter of Zion (the Gentile church) would go even unto Babylon and there she would be delivered.

In October 2000, The Church of God in Divine Order was set forth & inaugurated under the leadership of Apostle Ted Carr (now deceased), Apostle Leo Taylor and Apostle Jimmy Taylor (now deceased)  after much prayer and study of the Holy Scriptures.  It became evident that many had left the vision of the church at Pentecost & became entangled in the doctrines & dogmas of man made ministries & were satisfied with just having a form of godliness.

The Church of God in Divine Order was set forth by ministers of whom had received a revelation from God for these last days & committed unto Jesus Christ as head of the church & Savior of the Body, which is his church, without compromise that we may present unto him a glorious church without spot, wrinkle or blemish upon his return to receive her unto himself after the work is finished & the last enemy is put under her feet.  Hebrews 10:12-14.

The Church of God in Divine Order believes in operating in the gifts of the spirit by the Power of the Holy Ghost through a 5 fold ministry of believers being in one mind & one accord as they are directed by & through the government of God.

This corporate body has a vision of gathering together unto the coming of the Lord and a commission to preach, teach & practice the infallible message of the Kingdom of God to all nations which Jesus said would bring the church age to a close prior to his 2ndcoming Matthew 24:14.

The ministries of like faith may become members of The Church of God in Divine Order by meeting the qualifications laid down by the Holy Scriptures as they are taught by rightly dividing them & accepting the new testament as our rule of faith & practice.  Ministries desiring to come into fellowship with this corporate body need not change their established title of affiliation or anything concerning their respective church properties.  We believe and agree that the local church properties of any state or territory should be governed by the local body of believers and not dictated by a partial organized headquarters.

The Church of God In Divine Order was set forth October 14th, in the year of our Lord, 2000., when many were preaching Jesus would come that year & rapture the saints away suddenly before the work was finished.  As God began to open up the Holy Scriptures & give vision for the last days work, the Holy Ghost came among us as on the day of Pentecost & confirmed the fact that it was now time to come together & see eye to eye and speak the same thing by unction of the spirit.  Isa 52:8; 1stCor 1:10

We welcome & encourage all ministries to entreat the face of God through much prayer & study of his Holy word & come together in a unified body until we can all come into the unity of the faith of the Son of God who gave himself for all mankind, purchasing the church with his own blood at Calvary & declaring that the works that he did & greater works should we do.

The Holy Ghost was sent back from Heaven as a type of Melchisedec for the embodiment power to the church to restore all things prior to the 2ndcoming of Christ, that there may be one shepherd and one fold.  St John 10:15-16; St John16:13-16

We are living in a time when many so called ministries have completely sold out to Satan through compromise & for filthy lucre sake & have become reprobates concerning the faith of Jesus Christ joining the system of Babylonian organizations.

The Church of God in Divine Order is seeking the truth of God’s word as our vision continues to increase unto the fullness of time when all the kingdoms of this world shall become the Kingdom of our Lord.  The gathering together in one all things which were in heaven and in earth.  Rev. 11:15; Eph 1:10.

As this great ministry for the last days begins to reach out to the nations, we will see them muster their strength together & coming weeping & asking the way to Zion.  Jer 50:4-5; Isa 2:1-5; Micah 4:1-5.

The 5 fold ministry taught in Ephesians 4, must operate in their respective offices as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors & teachers for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry and edify the body before the work can prosper spiritually in the favor of God.

We are living in an era of time when God has given revelation & knowledge unto those that will receive it, that many may change their minds in a moments time & acknowledge the son of God as King of Kings & Lord of Lords.  This last generation was the generation to come forth in the fullness of time to restore all things as the latter rain brought forth a harvest of souls.  The double portion of the Elijah spirit will be poured out upon all flesh as the time of restoration comes to its fullness by a corporate body operating in the fullness of the government of God.

The Church is the body of Christ; the government was to be upon the shoulder, administered by the head of the Church, which is Christ.  The neck represents the ministry or priesthood.  When the yoke of bondage is broken off the neck of the ministry & they come together & operate in the fullness of the God-head bodily, then the veil shall be removed from all nations & they shall come with speed swiftly as an ensign of righteousness is lifted upon the high place of God’s government.  Isa 5:26; Isa 10:27.  The anointing of God will break the yoke & bring the people into one fold, having one shepherd, which is Jesus Christ, the head of the Church of God in HIS Divine Order.

We must not again turn aside from the vision which God has set before the Church and go back to wandering in the wilderness.  This is the last time given unto the Church before the second coming of Christ to put all enemies under her feet and to reconcile all the house of Israel as God’s mighty anointing falls upon those whom he has called for this last days work of the Church.  Micah 4:10-13.