Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:
Greetings again from the ‘Five Cities’ region of California.
Another full week of trying to reach more of the world with the Good News of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 24:14) and trying to teach all things in accordance with what Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:19-20).
We are looking into reaching the people in more languages, and if any of you know a language other than English, Spanish, French, Kiswahili, and German, and are willing to either translate or review a translation in another language, please contact me. My email remains COGwriter@aol.com.
Ethiopia
Later this month, we are planning on having CCOG Pastor Evans Ochieng, and possibly also Pastor John Owak, visit the group that has contacted us from Ethiopia earlier this year.
Please pray for their safety, wisdom, and discernment and that they will be able to give the type of witness of the Gospel of the Kingdom and the Continuing Church of God that will draw any ‘Philadelphian Christians’ in Ethiopia to decide to support this work.
We have sent literature, had telephone discussions, and many emails between us and one or more leaders in Ethiopia. Pray that God will open this door (Revelation 3:7-8; ) and that it will bear fruit:
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ (Colossians 4:2-3)
Ethiopia is located just north of Kenya.
Photos from Ghana
We received some photographs from the Feast of Tabernacles in Ghana this week.
Here are links to them:
Ghana is on the west African coast.
YouTube Television Channels
One way we reach people is over YouTube. We have reached over multiple thousands over our YouTube television broadcasts.
As of last month, we have now had over 500,000 total views on our two channels. People in at least 213 nations/territories around the world have viewed our videos.
YouTube is the most cost-effective form of television to reach people all around the world (YouTube itself does not charge anything–it basically takes us time, plus hiring an editor for the BNP videos).
You may be interested to learn that we have 1768 subscribers to our Bible News Prophecy channel (we got 10 new subscribers within the last week) and 719 subscribers to our ContinuingCOG channel (we got 16 new subscribers within the last week). Considering that we have never advertised nor tried to sign-up subscribers, these numbers are encouraging and keep rising.
Perhaps it should also be mentioned, that we have often reached millions over the radio (though not on the internet program I did this week and the last one).For a small COG we have tremendous reach. It is likely that in the history of the Church of God that no other group has ever reached so many people on as small of a budget as we in the Continuing Church of God have. But of course, in the end, it is:
6 ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)
The work is getting done. People around the world are being reached.
Radio
As announced last week, I was interviewed on the radio (internet radio) for 1 1/2 hours last evening. It was again on the Revolution Radio show. This is the second time I have been on this program (first time was last week). We mainly covered prophetic matters as well as some of the sins that the USA has been embracing (aspects of the LGBT agenda and debt accumulation). The host had been unaware of the teachings of the USA and its British-descended allies in prophecy, and I was able to also provide an overview of that.
Anyway, yesterday’s interview went well and the host invited me to come on again.
Radio is one of several no-cost/low-costs means that we are using to proclaim the Good News of the coming Kingdom of God.
World News Items
A new report came out showing the the USA spends about 2.5 times as much on prescription medications than other ‘developed’ countries, yet its death rate is higher than many (see USA spends twice as much on ‘medications’ yet its death rate is higher than others). When I read that, the following scripture came to mind, “11 In vain you will use many medicines; You shall not be cured” (Jeremiah 46:11). The government of the USA is spending a lot of money that it does not have (it borrows) to pay for medications that are not particularly effective.
Speaking of borrowing money, instead of paying down its debt, the Congress of the USA passed a budget to continue to increase its debt (see US Senate passes debt increase budget intended to last until after Obama’s term ends). The USA usually pretends to have a ‘debt ceiling,’ but when it does, it normally decides to raise it. The Bible warns about an indebted nation being taken over (Habakkuk 2:2-8) in the end times (Habakkuk 2:1-2) and the USA is the most indebted nation in the history of humanity. The head of the Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen, has a plan to gradually increase interest rates which she believes will help the economy (see Fed’s Yellen wants gradual rise in interest rates, but that will not stave off the coming disaster). And while there could be certain economic benefits from that, the reality is the time will come when the USA will face total financial disaster (Habakkuk 2:6-8).
As far as a different type of disaster goes, the LGBT (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender) movement in the USA keeps gaining influence. So much so that the US Department of Education has now ordered a school district to allow a boy full access to the girl’s locker room, including showering with them since the boy wants to think of himself as a girl (see US DOE orders Illinois school district to allow boy to shower with girls). It is outrageous that actual girls are being disallowed proper privacy and that government officials act like a claimed belief about gender is more relevant than actual gender. Voyeurism and other perversions are being encouraged. The idea of allowing teenage males to have unlimited access to girls’ locker rooms and showers is absurd.
Over in Canada, officials there have decided that the nation needs genetically-modified pigs to produce more pork (see GMO pork coming to Canada). This is not good for Canada.
A new book was officially released today that attempts to document some of the financial corruption of the Church of Rome (see ‘Merchants in the Temple’ exposes some financial corruption in the Vatican). The Vatican arrested two employees for being suspected as sources for leaking some of the negative information in that book. The Vatican has various forms of corruption, and financial corruption is just a part of it.
Some are starting to realize that war will come between the Arabs and the Europeans. While the migrant situation is cited by some who believe this (see War is Coming Between Europeans and Arabs)–and that could lead to civil unrest and possibly civil war–the Bible shows that there will be war between the coming European King of the North and the coming Arabic King of the South. And the Bible shows that the Arab side will lose (Daniel 11:40-43). A terrorist cell was broken up this week which had plans to attack areas in Spain (see Islamic State plot to terrorize Spain uncovered; US cities plead for Islamic migrants).
Expect to see not only civil unrest in Europe, but a time of temporal peace between the Europeans and the Arabs (cf. Daniel 9:27). Because of temporal agreements between the Arabs and Europeans (cf. Daniel 11:27; Psalm 83:3-8), many will think that they will get along, when in reality, they will not (Daniel 11:27). This will not end well for many of the Arabs (cf. Ezekiel 30:2-8; Daniel 11:40-43).
There have been complaints from China regarding a US military vessel in the South China Sea, and complaints from the Philippines that China has exceeded its territorial rights in the seas (see China considers USA incursion in South China Sea potentially war provoking, as the Hague looking into suit brought by the Philippines). Also in Asia, it was announced this week that South Korea and Japan are trying to improve economic and security arrangements with China (see Japan and South Korea ‘completely restored’ trade and security ties with China; how might Australia and New Zealand be affected?). Despite mistrust that many Asian nations have about China, the Bible tells of a time when a confederation of ‘kings of the east’ (Revelation 16:12) will get together in the future, and that will include China, and possibly the Philippines.
Suggested Sabbath Service
Here is our suggested format for Sabbath services 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 many who receive this letter via email will be a recorded one titled: Top Ten Fears. Other sermonettes are available at the Bible News Prophecy channel.
- Announcements (if any; though for many it will be this letter) and one hymn.
- Sermon, which for many who receive this letter via email will be a recorded one. The one suggested for this week is: Ingratitude and Giving Thanks. Other sermons are also available at the ContinuingCOG channel.
- 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 that we list each week. 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 new 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.
Concluding Comments
Notice the following from the Apostle Peter:
1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
12 For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. (2 Peter 1:1-13)
Brethren, be faithful and allow God to build His perfect righteous character within you. Do not be distracted by the calls or false promises in the world, but look to the truth of the Kingdom of God.
Sincerely,
Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer
Continuing Church of God