Letter to the Brethren: June 20, 2024

Note: If you have a slow internet connection, you can watch these by starting the video, then below it (and towards the right) look for an outline of a gear–if you click on that, it will allow the YouTube video to be played with lower video quality, but at least it will not stop often–you can select a quality as low as 144p. If your internet connection is still too slow (as my home one is) and/or you prefer audio messages to audio-visuals ones, go to the YouTube link for the message, click on SHOW MORE related to the description. You will then see something that says, “Download MP3.” Below that is a link to an MP3 file. Most computers (and even some mobile telephones) will allow MP3 files to be downloaded and played. This is an option we have made available (but we are also looking into ways to improve that as well)–and, of course, we have written article options. Some people have found that if their internet connections are not fast enough, that they can simply listen to the messages that are found at the Bible News Prophecy online radio channel.

IN CASE YOU DO NOT RECEIVE A ‘LETTER TO THE BRETHREN’ FOR ANY WEEK, REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE MANY SERMON MESSAGES ON THE ContinuingCOG channel AND MANY SERMONETTE MESSAGES ON THE Bible News Prophecy channel. There are also some messages at the CCOGAfrica channel. There are also messages in the Spanish language at the CDLIDDSermones  channel.

In case one or more of our video channels are unavailable, down, restricted, or ?, understand that we are on multiple platforms.

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Also available at BitChute COGTube https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogtube/

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Sermons and sermonettes in Spanish:

CDLIDDSermones channel.

African videos:

CCOGAfricaYouTube channel.

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Audio messages:

Bible News Prophecy radio. This is an audio version of the Bible News Prophecy videos on one of our internet stations as well as our radio broadcasts in English. The BibleNewsProphecy.net website also has information about our international radio presence for Europe, Asia, and North America. That page is also available as a mobile app.

Bible News Prophecy International radio. This has links to our non-English language online radio station as well as materials in multiple languages.

There is also additional information at the Continuing Church of God Multimedia page.

World News Items

The G7 conference was held last week in Italy. The ‘Group of Seven’ seven leaders are Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian President Giorgia Meloni, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In addition, they were also somewhat officially joined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Commission President Charles Michel. That basically makes nine, and most of those nine are part of the European Union.

Also, for the first time ever, a pope was invited to speak at a G7 conference (see G7 leaders meet and Pope Francis is to speak to them).  Pope Francis mainly spoke about Artificial Intelligence (see Pope Francis and WND warn about dangers of Artificial Intelligence, but 666 will still come). An alliance of the European Beast and a leader from the Vatican will come, and this was only a minor prelude to it.

That said, G7 leaders reportedly communicated that they see the US as unstable and unreliable (see USA Today: G7 leaders seeing USA unstable and unreliable). This view is a factor in European leaders (who officially make up most of the G7) taking steps to increase Europe’s military capabilities.

China condemned certain comments from the G7 about itself, but also tried to make nice to Australia which is not part of the G7 (see China angry about G7 pronouncements, but making nice to Australia). Those in Australia, however, should not have confidence that its nation will survive after the US is conquered (Daniel 11:39)–because it will not (see also the free online book: Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?).

Russian President Vladmir Putin met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Yesterday, they signed an agreement, which is intended to strengthen military ties (see Russia and North Korea strengthen military ties–a prelude to Armageddon?). Korea is a “king of the east” “from the ends of the earth” and will work with Russia in the end time to eliminate the coming European Beast power (cf. Jeremiah 50:41-43).

On other matters, more and more are seeing the coming further decline of the US dollar. After joining the BRICS alliance on January 1 of this year, Saudi Arabia has signaled other steps to move away from what has been called the ‘petrodollar’ (see The End Of The Petrodollar Is The End Of America’s Global Dominance? Saudi Arabia Ends Petrodollar Deal With US? US Dollar is ‘Toxic’?).

For decades, Saudi Arabia (and many of the other oil exporters) only sold oil priced in US dollars. That gave an asset backing for the US dollar. But that has been eroding and, like Bitcoin, the US dollar is really backed by nothing. While the amount of Bitcoin reportedly has been programmed to be a limited number, the US continues to print more and more unbacked dollars and issue pledges known as Treasury bills or notes. That comment was NOT an endorsement of Bitcoin–but I want to make it clear that the future of the US dollar is bleak and in may only have several years left (for other reasons, I have doubts about how long Bitcoin will last–as the coming 666 Beast is unlikely to tolerate it unless it becomes under his control). Bible prophecy warns that creditors will rise up against a power that issues many pledges (Habakkuk 2:6-8), and the US has done that more than any other country in the history of the world through its issuance of debt notes.

Concluding Comments

The Holy Spirit was given to the Apostles on Pentecost, a day all the faithful observed last Sunday.

The old Worldwide Church of God taught:

Notice the words of Jesus Himself shortly after His resurrection, when the disciples were gathered in Jerusalem prior to the day of Pentecost: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8)

The gift of the Holy Spirit would provide them with dynamic power by which to carry out the great commission of preaching the gospel. The word “power” is from the Greek dunamis which means “power, might, strength or force” (Arndt-Gingrich lexicon). In this case it involved the power to work miracles — to heal the sick, to cast out (exorcise) demons, and even raise the dead! As a result of the influence of the Holy Spirit, they would learn to think more and more like Christ Himself.

Paul later told the church at Philippi: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). But how does the mind of Christ develop in a Christian? “And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us” (I John 3:24). Christ actually lives His life over again in a converted Christian by means of the Holy Spirit! The Apostle Paul wrote: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…” (Gal. 2:20). It is Christ in us by means of the Holy Spirit which provides the Christian with the hope of eternal salvation and glory.

As Paul said to the Colossians: “… Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). Developing the mind and attitude of Christ is sometimes a painful process. It is not accomplished in an instant. Rather, it requires a constant exercising of the Holy Spirit until that mind is formed within you. Paul said to the Galatians: “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you” (Gal. 4:19). (You Need God’s Holy Spirit. Good News, September 1974)

Notice the following from the Book of Galatians:

20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Through God’s Holy Spirit, Jesus begins to live His life in us.

Notice something else from Galatians:

6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Galatians 4:6-7)

Yes, Jesus is to live His life through us and we, with His Spirit, become an heir of God. The Apostle Paul showed that the ministry helps one get to the point that they will be born again at the resurrections, which is when Jesus will be fully formed in us:

20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. (1 Corinthians 15:20-25)

19 My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, (Galatians 4:19)

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:50-53)

In a Bible Study on Galatians 3 & 4, the late Herbert W, Armstrong taught:

Galatians 4:16-20 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth? (17) They zealously affect you, but not well [Now, the “they” are someone that are misleading them into wrong errors that are not the truth. “They zealously affect you. “You” are the Gentiles, “we” are the Israelites, “they” are the false preachers.] but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. (18) But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you. (19) My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, (20) I desire… You see, Christ has to be formed in us. When we’re first converted, when we accept Christ, when we first receive the Holy Spirit, Christ hasn’t been {fully} formed in us yet. It’s just the start. It takes time to grow to development. He said, “until Christ be formed in you.”

Paul also wrote:

27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)

So, we see that the formation has begun in us now, but will be fully formed in us once we are resurrected in Christ.

Yet, even now, remember that the Apostle John wrote:

4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

Brethren, because we have the Spirit of Jesus, which is in us, we can overcome.

And Jesus is greater than the entire world.

Let Him live His life in you.

Sincerely,

Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer