Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:
Greetings from another full week from the Five Cities region of California.
Move to Grover Beach, California
We have been busily taking steps to prepare us for the move our office to Grover Beach, California. We have received new rubber stamps and letterhead.
Our new address is to be:
Continuing Church of God
1036 W. Grand Avenue
Grover Beach, CA 93433
While we plan to move into that location in mid-late August, we will have access to it starting August 1. We will be accepting mail in both the current Arroyo Grande office and the new Grover Beach office for the next several weeks.
Here is a photograph that my wife Joyce took of the building:
In some ways, it resembles the building that we currently are in. This building will have room to better store our literature and files. And in the future, if we decide to do more of our own printing, there is space for that.
In the more immediate term, we hope to start to format our magazines and booklets in-house. Currently, the delays from when we get some materials translated to when they are available are taking longer than we would like. So, now we should have room to have more direct control over that.
Michigan Trip in August
As a reminder, I am planning to be in Michigan around the middle of August. My plan is to get a hotel room so we can have services in either Brighton or Ann Arbor Or South Lyon or ? The expected date for services is August 15, 2015.
If you live in or near Michigan and possibly would like to attend, please email me cogwriter@aol.com. Once we have a better idea of the number who plan to attend, we will try to nail down the precise location.
I plan to set something up by the end of next week.
German Matters
We have finally got two more booklets translated, printed, and uploaded into the German language.
The above booklet is available at: Glaube für die von Gott Berufenen und Auserwählten. In English, it is available at: Faith for Those God has Called and Chosen.
It is fantastic to have also have the booklet Continuing History of the Church of God available in German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes.
Needs in Africa
This morning, I received a long email (which I slightly edited) from Ondigo N.O. in Kenya that included the following:
Dear Pastor,
We are grateful to Pastor Evans who hosted us [Grantone and I] in Ndhiwa town on Tuesday this week.
Despite the fact that he had a beehive of activities, he took his precious time to warmly welcome us so that we may share some of the challenges affecting us in our congregations.
Our meeting went well in a hotel near the bus stage. We were grateful to receive some song books and the July-September magazines plus a computer. This is a great love for sure!
We heard the challenges that we felt should be discussed with him so that he may advise us or pray for us.
In Kehancha congregation, for example, we bought a land somehow in a landlocked area. The land surveyor measured a 9 meters road that accessed the hall easily. Surprisingly enough,some two weeks ago,we found that the 9 meter road had been fenced. One merchant at Kehancha bought part of the road and we had nowhere to pass to the hall of meeting.I reported the case to the district land register and physical planner having printed out the documents including the title deed but they could not solve my problem because it seemed they had been {influenced}.
Luckily enough, one of my friends who has a plot of land just next to the 9 meter road advised me not to face the case head on when I know that I do not have enough money to alleviate or curb the problem.
He promised to give us a road out of his plot that may be registered on the map of Kenya after the legal surveying has been done at a cost of ksh 50000. The amount we have not dreamed to posses at this moment.
In Kehancha, the Kuria people do not respect the hall of meeting or church, we again found that some thieves wanted to get in the hall and still some of our books and few items in the hall. We had planned to buy two steel doors at a cost of ks.35000 each-a total of 70000 together with a fence that could cost 75000.
Lastly we used to be helped by chairs from a certain community organization because they used to keep chairs in our hall but now they have rented their own office and they have taken all of their chairs. We now remain without any chairs. We are only able to buy five but as the number is increasing-we are about 10 adults and 8 children, we need around 25 chairs.
This is only one area of concern. We still need to get the building in Ndhiwa fixed for the Feast of Tabernacles, and some steps have been taken. I also received emails related to poverty and needs in the Kisii region of Kenya this week.
The situation in Kenya, in many areas, is overwhelming our finances. I realize that several of you have gone above and beyond to try to assist with that. So, please pray that God will bless our income so that we can properly support the needs of those in places like Kenya.
Speaking of Africa, Pastor Evans hopes to visit Ghana and/or Malawi next month as we have interest from some in those places. We would also like him to be able to visit those in Nigeria and Ethiopia who consider themselves part of the CCOG.
World News Items
Over in Europe, the French Supreme Court agreed to massive data surveillance (see French Supreme Court approves mass surveillance; Pakistani surveillance to rival NSA’s). This will help set the legal stage for some of the monitoring of buying and selling of 666 that the Bible tells of in Revelation 13:6-8.
While the top leadership in the USA and European Union are promoting the nuclear deal with Iran, its top leader again made threats against the USA (see Iranian leader’s tweet shows gun at Barack Obama’s head). Iran is NOT a friend of the USA or Israel. A regional war may well happen in the region.
Some politicians in India are calling for the UK to provide USD$3 trillion for two centuries of British rule (see India wants US$3 trillion in reparations for 2 centuries of British rule; Will lands of the UK, USA, etc. be divided?). While the UK will not agree to provide that, it does help set the stage for various nations to request lands and other assets from the USA, UK, and their Anglo-Saxon descended allies in the future (cf. Daniel 11:39).
In the USA, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) took a sadly expected step to allow practicing homosexuals as leaders (see BSA decides to allow homosexual leaders to work with boys). This is not a surprise as the BSA decided a couple of years ago to allow boy scouts to be practicing homosexuals, despite the fact that boy scouts are supposed to be ‘morally straight.’ As a parent of two former boy scouts, I now would not want any sons in a BSA group that allows homosexual leaders. This is a terrible development and may well lead to teenage boys being pressured into homosexual relations with adult boy scout leaders.
US President Barack Obama went to Kenya. He referred to himself as a ‘Kenyan-American’ while he was there. Prior to his arrival, certain church groups asked that he not bring up his homosexual agenda. However, Barack Obama ignored their pleas and did it anyway (see Ignoring church pleas, Barack Obama promotes homosexual agenda in Kenya. Is he fulfilling prophecy?). He improperly equated racial discrimination with the sin of practicing homosexuality–that was not good (cf. Romans 1:18-32).
Last week, I reported hear that the pro-abortion-group, Planned Parenthood, faced embarrassment when undercover videos were released showing that the organization has been involved in selling baby parts. Now, Planned Parenthood has hired a public-relations firm to try to discourage the media from reporting more about this (see Planned Parenthood pushes for media blackout regarding its sale of human baby tissues). News outlets should resist this type of censorship pressure, but since many in the media are pro-abortion, some are going along with this. The reality is that Planned Parenthood encourages abortions and the exploitation of aborted children. While they claim all that they do is ‘legal,’ the Bible has a different view.
Speaking of different views, the leader of a group that claims to be part of the Church of God, once again made a false prediction about all of ‘God’s people’ uniting with him and his group (see RCG and unity in the Churches of God). The biblical reality is that full unity will not happen until after Jesus returns per Zechariah Zechariah 2:6-12. Jesus taught that there would be various church groups around at the end times in Revelation 2 & 3.
What we in the Continuing Church of God pray for is that the remnant of the Philadelphians will ‘gather together’ before it is too late as Zephaniah 2:1-3 calls for (cf. Revelation 3:10), we do not teach that God will unify all of His people now because of the prophecies related to the churches of Revelation 2 & 3 show that will not be the case.
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 most who receive this letter via email will be a recorded one titled: Go, Set a Watchman. A written article of related interest is titled: ‘Go Set a Watchman’ sells over a million copies–but it is NOT doing the real ‘watchman’ duty. 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: John 10-12: Sheep, Hirelings, Lazarus/Soul Sleep, and ‘Palm Day.’ There is no directly related written article, but some may find the articles Jesus: The Son of God and Saviour and The Apostle John of related assistance. 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
As has been mentioned in some CCOG sermons, God’s plan takes into account what has happened to you.
Notice something that the Old Testament taught related to that:
13 The Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men.
14 From the place of His dwelling He looks
On all the inhabitants of the earth;
15 He fashions their hearts individually;
He considers all their works. (Psalms 33:13-15)
God has a plan for YOU INDIVIDUALLY whether you are called in this age or not. And He considers ALL OF YOUR WORKS. All that you have been through is preparing YOU.
What is something YOU SHOULD DO?
11 Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Who is the man who desires life,
And loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it. (Psalms 34:11-14)3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart. (Psalms 37:3-4)
Brethren, do good!! TRUST GOD. DELIGHT IN THE LORD and He will give you the proper desires of your heart.
Sincerely,
Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer
Continuing Church of God