Letter to the Brethren: January 13, 2022

Camps were held in several locations in Kenya, and this was the last one for this season.

Radio Report

Deacons Grantone Otieno and
Ondigo Ochieng on the radio

Deacon Ondigo Ochieng sent the following report about radio in the Kenya and Tanzania region:

Dear Evangelist Thiel:

Greetings in the Name of Our Lord and Savior.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you and the brethren who have been laboring to support this amazing program!

It is a door that God has opened for us to reach out to God’s people with an aim to witness and fulfill Matthew 28:19-20 and Matthew 24:14 so that the people predestined to be called in this age may be called and chosen shortly before Christ comes.

Here is the radio report for the month of December and part of January:

DECEMBER 17, 2021:

DISCOURSE:SEVEN SEALS OF REVELATION

Deacon Grantone and I got a very good opportunity to discuss the seven seals of Revelation.We received 17 phone calls when we were in the station and I later received 24 phone calls after the program.A total of 41 phone calls.Most of the callers were Seventh Day Adventist members (SDA).

Many listeners (who are SDA),confessed that they have been wrongly taught about the white horse.Some asked different questions concerning the four horsemen of Revelation and the seven seals.

DECEMBER 24TH,2021

DISCOURSE:PLAIN TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTMAS

I took 40 minutes on the Friday of 24th to explain the Truth about Christmas. I received 65 phone calls and 16 sms some of which were negative.Most of the negative messages came from Church pastors who claimed that Jesus’ birthday is recorded in the Bible and even if He did not celebrate it, we should celebrate it to show “love” and “concern” for others.

DECEMBER 31ST,2021

DISCOURSE:DEMONIC HOLIDAYS-CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR

This again attracted 42 phone calls especially after leaving the station.There was a pastor of the nominal church who confessed that he will never celebrate Christmas and New Year.He visited me personally on January 3rd to discuss more with me about the discourse I gave over the radio.I gave him the booklets on God’s Holy Days and the Continuing History of the Church. He said that he will discuss more with his congregation about the Plain Truth About Christmas.

JANUARY 7TH,2022

DISCOURSE:WHAT DID GOD PROMISE HIS SAINTS? WHEN WILL THEY INHERIT THE PROMISE?

Deacon Grantone gave this sermon and we answered several questions that were asked.We received 22 calls while on the radio station but I again received another 31 after leaving the station.Most of the people wanted to know more about us.It was so very encouraging and I also made a step to visit some who were eager to learn more and gave them the booklets about God’s Holy Days and The Continuing History of the Church.

May the Almighty God bless you abundantly for the good Work you are doing in God’s Vineyard.

Best regards,

Bro. Ondigo

Radio is a ‘door’ (cf. Revelation 3:7-8) we are using to reach the world with the gospel message and the teachings in the Bible.

Suggested Sabbath Service

Here is a suggested Sabbath service for this week:

• 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.
• Sermonette, which for most who receive this letter via email will be a recorded one. The one suggested for this week is: EU’s Global Gateway, Trade, and War? Other sermonettes are available at the BitChute Prophecy channel https://www.bitchute.com/channel/prophecy/ and other CCOG used platforms.
• Announcements (if any; though for many it will be this letter) and one hymn.
• Sermon, which for most who receive this letter via email will be a recorded one. The one suggested for this week is: Should Atheists Accept Jesus? Other sermons are also available at the ContinuingCOG YouTube channel and other CCOG used platforms.
• 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.

World News Items

An Iranian general made a strong threat against the USA (see Top Iranian general says, ‘When we strike at America it will be with great force’). While the USA has the military might to annihilate Iran, that does not mean that Iran cannot do great damage to the USA. Iran seemingly has the capability to launch ‘dirty bombs’ (conventional explosives with radioactive fallout), electromagnetic pulse bombs (which could take out a lot of the electrical grid), release bio-engineered weapons (and cause a deadly pandemic), as well as to support various terroristic activities. So, yes, the USA does face potential risks from Iran.

As far as bio-weapons go, the Russians reported that a USA-funded military bioweapons’ facility in Kazakhstan could have had a lab leak (see Kazakhstan Claims Coup Defeated and Denies US-Funded ‘Military Biological Lab’ Seized By Rioters After Russia Claims Potential Pathogen Leak). The USA has provided funding to bio-weapons’ labs in China as well. Bioweapons are apt to be part of the pestilences that Jesus prophesied during the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:4-8).

More and more are questioning the information and recommendations of various governments related to COVID policies (see ZH: “Doomed To Fail” – Top Immunologist Blasts Global COVID Response Driven By “False Propaganda”). Eventually, I believe more will point the finger at the USA for providing false and misleading information (see WHO and some in European media finally reporting some truth about COVID vaccine issues).

In the USA itself, inflation was officially reported to be up about 7% in 2021 (see AP: US consumer prices soared 7% in past year, most since 1982), whereas the true inflation rate is likely much higher.

Although relatively very few Americans will properly repent and turn to the God of the Bible, about 77% in a recent survey consider that the USA is in decline (see It can happen here and 77% say USA is in decline). From promoting immorality, increasing debt, and censoring biblical and other truths, the USA is in decline and will one day fall (cf. Daniel 11:39)–and this could be by 2028 (see Might the U.S.A. Be Gone by 2028?).

Concluding Comments

Jesus said:

34 … “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together …” (John 4:34-36)

Brethren, we need to focus on the work of God. Keep the kingdom a priority and we can, thus, gather the “fruit for eternal life.”

Sincerely,

Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer