Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:
Greetings from Grover Beach, California.
We received another 48 translations to our English booklet The Gospel of the Kingdom of God. We truly are working to help fulfill Matthew 24:14 as we prepare for the final phase of the work as numerous languages look to be required for that, which Revelation 7:9 also supports.
Yes, we have added hundreds of additional languages this year. Currently we have had the The Gospel of the Kingdom of God booklet translated into over 500 languages/dialects. This is an important aspect to support the preaching the good news of the kingdom of God to the world as a witness (Matthew 24:14) as well as reaching Gentiles (see also What About Romans 11:25 and the Full Number of the Gentiles?).
Evangelist in Malawi, Mozambique, and Kenya
Evangelist Evans Ochieng has been in Malawi and Mozambique. He sent the following:
Pastor Dr Bob,
Greetings from Malawi.As I told you that I arrived Malawi when I was sick. … and I’m Improving little by little. On Thursday I traveled to Mwanza to meet our brethren in Mwanza. I was accompanied by Likuva, Molozwa and Akuhleme from Chiringa. We were received by our beloved brother Sabandere who is doing a wonderful work in Mwanza and Cheleka. He is our host in Cheleka. The … statement which was made by {XXX} that Cheleka went with hope of Israel worldwide church of God was totally false. This is a steady congregation which never moved even a step to join hope of Israel worldwide church of God. Sabandere who is our host in Cheleka was wondering why {XXX} was making that statement and where he got the information. So the congregation of Liwonde, Neno and Cheleka have never been shaken to move to hope of Israel as it was stated by … Sabandere is very steady and working very hard to make the Three congregations to grow.MACHEMBAAfter visiting Sabandere and discussed with him, we all move to meet Machemba and his people. Since it was late because we took much time with Sabandere. We visited Machemba late when it was growing dark. We couldn’t manage to meet all people who are Keeping sabbath with him. …MozambiqueToday Friday I went to meet all leaders and all congregations in Mozambique. Let me tell you pastor that I’ve never have such a wonderful meeting in Mozambique like the one we had today. I was very happy and pleased with the work which is going on in Mozambique right now. I couldn’t expect to see such a wonderful meeting in Mozambique. It was an enjoyable meeting and all the brethren were very happy. God also gave power to deliver a wonderful massage which touches almost everybody. I met 4 chiefs from Mozambique. These are the chiefs who guarded that part of Malawi. … The chiefs were very happy and two of them who were living near both Senior Chief and his assistant said they must go and put on uniform and take a photograph with me in uniform. It was a wonderful day. They told me that Evans, you are Free to preach this truth in Mozambique without anybody disturbing you. We are the chiefs of the area and we have confirmed. So pastor I was very much happy. So pastor what I saw in Mozambique was quite different. I noticed that the first people whom we chose in Mozambique … were very bad people and they were destroying very innocent people. Even the Congregations in Mozambique have increased so much. So I wondered what {XXX} was saying that there is no more CCOG in Mozambique. All our Congregations in Mozambique are very steady and none left. Instead some were added. So I really appreciated the work of our deacon James Rabson who is our representative in Mozambique. We also talked about the feast of Tabernacles in Mozambique. They are preparing to have a feast together at one place in Mozambique which I also recommended. …So I have a decision that after the feast we can start a small project for them because have seen that they are serious people. Please let’s put this into prayer so that GOD can open ways for us to start a small {chicken} project for these people in Mozambique to help them pastor.Again a Hall where we met one part of it was fallen down during the cyclonic wind was in Malawi and Mozambique. Not only that but some fallen down.This is all about Mozambique. Tomorrow I’m going to meet all people in Malawi apart from Mwanza. Because Mwanza is very far from northern part of Malawi.EvansPs another photo is for me and all leaders of Mozambique
Let me add that there are still issues in Malawi and elsewhere in Africa we are working on.
On another Malawi-related note, I received our new registration certificate for the Continuing Church of God in Malawi this week. We had been officially registered before, but there was some confusion as to how often this needed to be done, and the prior registration had lapsed. While certain critics have made a big deal of this, it was basically a bureaucratic matter which is once again resolved.
That said, Evans Ochieng is back in Kenya now. Also, in two other emails, he has mentioned that there is a lot of protests and unrest in Kenya because of high inflation. Pastor Tiongik Sawek also conveyed information to me about that.
Please pray for your brothers and sisters in Africa.
Radio Update
We are now on WEMM as our first broadcast on that 50,000 watt station aired last Sabbath.
We have now began to pay to be on the four stations of the Legacy Broadcasting network, which also calls itself Today’s Christian Country.
Please pray that proper fruits will be born from these efforts.
Also, please “pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:38).
Suggested Sabbath Day Service
Here is a suggested Sabbath day service for our scattered brethren and other interested people:
- 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: New Transgender Study. 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: 2 Corinthians 6: Salvation and Persecutions. 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 cellular 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
Although some have been touting a reduction in the inflation rate, inflation will return (see Inflation will return). As far as local inflation goes, the cheapest gasoline in Grover Beach was $4.69 per gallon a couple of weeks ago–the cheapest is now $5.09 per gallon. We will see if it continues to rise here or if the price will settle down again.
The Fitch rating service dropped its view of the credit worthiness and risk of the government of the USA because of its debt and handling of economic matters over the past 20 years (see Wall Street drops and investors step back after Fitch deservedly downgrades USA credit rating). Although various ones are indicating that this credit downgrade should not have happened, the situation will end up being dire. The debt situation will, probably in several years, be a factor in the coming destruction of the USA per Habakkuk 2:6-8.
That said, the ‘666’ world order that will destroy and replace the USA will be totalitarian and will try to control all buying and selling (cf. Revelation 13:16-18). We continue to see steps in the West that are setting the stage for that (e.g. see ‘Banks Take the Lead in Establishing Personal Social Credit System’).
China, despite some who feel otherwise, will not be the world leader, but Europe will (see also Politico: Why China is not as powerful as the West might think).
Concluding Comments
The Apostle Paul taught:
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. (2 Timothy 1:8-12)
Brethren, the Apostle Paul is saying that despite lies and his imprisonment, he was not ashamed, but instead would continue to teach the Gentiles as he looked forward to the return of Jesus.
We all should support doing the same.
Sincerely,
Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer