Letter to the Brethren: August 2, 2018

Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:

Greetings from the Five Cities region of California.

We have been busy on literature and other matters, including getting materials (and sermons) more ready for the Feast of Tabernacles.

Feast of Tabernacles in Alexandria

The Feast of Tabernacles (including the Last Great Day) will be here next month: starting the evening of September 23rd and running through until sunset October 1st in 2018.

Perhaps this is a good time to provide a reminder related to the site that is at Marriott Courtyard Alexandria Old Town/Southwest, located at 2700 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA  22314-4553, (703) 329-2323.

Here is an email their representative sent me today:

Good Morning, Bob!

I hope all is well with you. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that the cutoff date for your group’s room block is August 30^th, which is at the end of this month. Please have your guests book their rooms prior to this date as the rooms will be release back into general sale. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Warm Regards,

Carla Mayberry |  Event Planning Manager

The Marriott Courtyard Alexandria Old Town/Southwest gave us a special rate that is only give for a short period of time. If you do not book soon, it will cost about 60% MORE if you wish to stay there!

Now, the CCOG does NOT get any money for you booking through the following link: Book your group rate for CCOG Feast of Tabernacles. But if you do that, you will save money.

So, this is just a reminder to help you save money.

Speaking of the Feast of Tabernacles, my family just bought our tickets to go to Serbia, and then, Alexandria for the Feast. We also made hotel reservations for both of the sites we will be attending some time ago.

On other festival matters, if you are planning on attending one of the USA sites, and you have not already done so, please try to let me know as soon as you can which you will attend (the other USA location is in Wichita, Kansas). My email remains cogwriter@aol.com

For Canada, the site is at the Ramada Plaza, 6445 Boul. Décarie, Montréal, Québec, Canada 1 (514) 739-3800 for booking, hotel website:  http://www.ramadaplazamontreal.com/ Please let Herb Haddon know if you plan to attend there. His cell phone number is 506 442-8889 and his email address is  hwhaddon@gmail.com

Information on our Fall festival sites around the world is in the article: Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2018.

Problem in Mau Region of Kenya

Evangelist Evans Ochieng sent in the following report:

Pastor Dr Bob,

Greetings from Kenya.

I sent the books for printing and magazines. But I didn’t pay all of them and the demand is high of the books. So I need to pay the rest of balance by tomorrow. If possible can you help me today so that I can take the funds there tomorrow for printing.

Also there is a big problem in Mao. The government burnt the houses of many members who are in Mao forest and those people are really in a very bad situation. Please let us see how we can assist them. Their condition is not good. Most of them are just staying in church hall. It is too cold in Kenya in this month so the condition is not good especially with the children.

Also I want to go and book my ticket to Malawi in Nairobi.

Evans

To try to help the situation a little with the Mau, I sent slightly more than normal funds I had planned to send (and sent them a day earlier than usual per the above request).

Please pray for our brethren affected in the Mau region of Kenya.

World News Items

Europe’s latest technique to deal with US President Donald Trump was reportedly to treat him like someone with limited knowledge and a limited attention span (see Juncker’s Trade Pitch to Trump: ‘I Can Be Stupid, as Well’ (But GDP growth exceeds mainstream predictions)). Meanwhile, some are of the opinion that Europe will not remain united (see End of the Euro or is Brexit aiding European unity?). Bible prophecy shows that, despite unity problems (Daniel 2:41-43), Europe will one day reorganize and be united for a time (cf. Revelation 17:12-13).

Europe’s Large Hadron Collider had new success this week, which may have have military ramifications (see ‘Large Hadron Collider Accelerates Whole Atoms for the First Time’). I have long felt that technology from projects like the Large Hadron Collider would assist the Europeans in fulfilling biblical prophesies of military conquest such as Revelation 13:1-4 and Daniel 11:39-43.

Also in Europe, there is yet another report that Jews there feel that there has been an increase in Anti-Semitism (see New report shows Jews in Europe fear rise in Anti-Semitism: But more than Jews will be affected later). Expect more persecution in the future for people who attempt to keep God’s commandments–and I am referring to Christians (cf. Revelation 12:17, 14:12).

The persecuting (Daniel 11:28-36), European King of the North (Daniel 11:40) will rise up.

Getting back to US President Trump, his Administration seems to be set on encouraging the rise of the King of the South (see Trump Administration pushing for the ‘King of the South’?). The Trump Administration wants a military confederation of nations in the Middle East and North Africa similar to the one described as being ruled by the King of the South (Daniel 11:40-43).

The Vatican has announced that it now considers that the death penalty is “inadmissible” (see Pope claims death penalty is ‘inadmissible,’ yet death is part of God’s plan). So, one pope changed the position of another pope. Obviously neither of them were infallible, despite Rome’s papal infallibility doctrine.

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: Jim Rickards: Disaster is coming. What should you do?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 most who receive this letter via email will be a recorded one. The one suggested for this week is: Acts 13-16: Prophets, Poisoning, and Proclamation. 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. 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 ContinuingCOGchannel AND MANY SERMONETTE MESSAGES ON THE Bible News Prophecy channel. There are also some messages at the CCOGAfrica channel.

Concluding Comments

The Apostle James was inspired to write the following:

12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (James 1:12-22)

Brethren, it is not often easy to endure temptation, but as Christians we need to do so. We also need to be able to take charge of our feelings and act as God wants us to.

James must have ran into people who were hearers of the word, and not doers, who deceived themselves.

Be a doer of the word, even when it is not easy.

Sincerely,

Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer