Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:
Greetings from Grover Beach, California.
Yes, we received another 20 translations of our English booklet titled The Gospel of the Kingdom of God this week as we strive to support the commission Jesus gave in Matthew 24:14.
Baptismal Counseling
Since we have many potential members who are scattered in the USA and Canada, and the two men we have has assist with baptismal counseling have certain health concerns, the CCOG has now appointed Steve Dupuie to assist with baptismal counseling. If you are in the USA or Canada and need baptismal and sometimes other counseling, etc,, normally you should contact Steve Dupuie, who lives in Michigan, but he often travels.
We are pleased that Steve Dupuie accepted that appointment.
His email address is: steve.dupuie@yahoo.com
More on baptism, itself, can be found in our free online booklet: About Baptism.
Spring Holy Days
As mentioned last week, the Spring Holy Day season is getting closer.
Passover in 2024 will be after sunset on April 21st. The period from sunset April 22nd through sunset April 23rd is the Holy Day called the First Day of Unleavened Bread. The period from sunset April 28th through sunset April 29th is also a Holy Day and is called the Seventh (or Last) Day of Unleavened Bread.
Speaking of unleavened items, I recently learned that although Calcium Carbonate is not a leavening agent, when it is added into items that are baked it is one. Therefore, while you normally do not need to eliminate Calcium Carbonate, if it is listed as an ingredient in a baked item, that item should be consumed or disposed of prior to the start of the First Day of Unleavened Bread. Another substance I recently learned was a leavening agent is Disodium Phosphate–it is often used in packaged goods and is a leavening agent, hence packaged goods with it should be consumed or disposed of prior to the start of the First Day of Unleavened Bread (see also Should Christians Keep the Days of Unleavened Bread?).
Feast of Tabernacles for 2024
Last week, I reported that we had a contract with the Moody Gardens Hotel & Spa, 7 Hope Blvd, Galveston, TX 77554, 409-744-4673. While the per room rate is a bit higher than other sites ($169 per night, plus taxes), remember that no one needs to stay there in order to attend the Feast of Tabernacles’ services there. The hotel provided us a link in which you can book rooms should you choose to stay here: https://www.reseze.net/servlet/SendPage?hotelid=1722&skipfirstpage=true&page=227651
Anyway, what I neglected to do was to ask all who plan on attending in Galveston (whether or not they plan to stay at Moody Gardens) to send me an email to let us know. My email address is COGwriter@aol.com
Remember, you do NOT have to stay at the Moody Gardens Hotel & Spa to attend the Feast of Tabernacles with us. But that is the building we are intending to hold services in during that festival. Services are to begin the evening of October 16th and continue until sunset ending the Last Great Day which is October 24th in 2024.
Information on our intended locations around the world to hold the Feast of Tabernacles are in the article: Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2024, which is regularly updated as we receive information from our leaders and coordinators around the world.
Mozambique Trip
Pastor Radson Mulozowa sent the following report:
Let me report that I have started my visitation in Mozambique and today in the morning I visited a newly congregation called Khwalivobam the trip was good
In the afternoon I visited Domasi congregation and the congregation is growing amazinglyTomorrow I will visit other brethren in other parts of MozambiqueOn Friday I will travel to mwanza to meet brethrenPray for meBest regardsRadson
Suggested Sabbath Day Services
- 2-3 hymns (our songbook, The Bible Hymnal, contains the materials from the 1974 Bible Hymnal from the old WCG with new covers, plus ten additional hymns; there is also some Choral Accompaniment online).
- Opening prayer.
- The suggested sermonette is titled: Gender Confusion, Science, and Scripture. Other sermonettes are available at our Prophecy channel on BitChute https://www.bitchute.com/channel/prophecy/
- Announcements (if any; though for many it will be this letter) and one hymn.
- The suggested sermon, which for most who receive this letter via email will be: Melito and the Passover. Other sermons are also available at the COGTube channel on BitChute https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogtube/
- Final hymn.
- Closing prayer.
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.
World News Items
This week, Russia and China again met to see how to better cooperate with each other as well as to work towards having others in Eurasia work with them to be an alternative to the West (see Russia and China pledge more cooperation as they look to prepare a Eurasian military opposition to the West). The Bible tells of a coming Eurasian military confederation that will one day defeat the coming European Beast power–this week’s meeting was another small step towards the formation of that confederation. More on Europe, Asia, and others in prophecy can be found in our 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?
The Israel Defense Force (IDF) announced that it had ceased its active ground invasion of Gaza (see JP: IDF ends active ground invasion, completely withdraws from southern Gaza; RT: Israel ready for ‘any scenario’ with Iran – defense minister). Israel seems to be concerned about international opinion about efforts Gaza campaign as well as being concerned about a possible direct attack from Iran–but it needs to be noted that Israel has not ceased all its military operation. There are reports that an attack from Iran is imminent (see Attack by Iran imminent? The other shoe to drop?). Scripture points to a damaging attack to Israel to come from an alliance of Iran and Syria in Isaiah 22:6-9.
Over in the USA, inflation is becoming more of a concern again as gasoline and housing costs have been rising more than some other items recently (see ZH: “Obviously, This Is Very Bad News For Biden”: Wall Street Reacts To Today’s Red Hot Inflation Print). Around here, gasoline has increased by about $0.80 per gallon in the past month. Yet, more inflation ultimately will come and, because of its debt accumulation something worse than hyperinflation will one day hit the USA per Habakkuk 2:6-8.
Concluding Comments
The prophet Nahum wrote the following:
2 God is jealous, and the Lord avenges;
The Lord avenges and is furious.
The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies;
3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
And will not at all acquit the wicked. (Nahum 1:2-3)
Brethren, remember that we do not need to be vengeful nor take revenge. We need to trust God.
Furthermore, remember Jesus taught:
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)
19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 19:19)
Brethren, strive to do as Jesus taught.
Sincerely,
Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer