Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:
Greetings from the Five Cities region of California.
We continue to work to reach people around the world.
In this report we will mention a couple of ways on the internet we have been doing that.
YouTube
Despite actual and potential issues with YouTube, we continue to get new subscribers to our videos. We now have 2,220 subscribers on the ContinuingCOG channel. This is the channel that has our sermons, offertory messages, and some of our less prophetically-oriented sermonettes. We also have 5,230 subscribers to our Bible News Prophecy channel.
According to YouTube, subscribers watch more often than non-subscribers and our number of subscribers to these channels has continued to rise.
Google Campaigns
It has been a while since I reported about our Google campaigns.
As of last Sunday, Google reported that we had 176 million computer impressions since we began our Google campaigns. Of those, over 2 million clicked on our links to learn more about church history, the original Gospel of the Kingdom, and the true Christian church.
For the first time in years, I have added another campaign to the Google program and also, slightly increased our campaign budget. The newly added campaign is intended to reach people who want to know more about God’s plan of salvation and is a promotion of our free online book: Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation.
Here is a copy of the campaign listing from Google we submitted to it yesterday:
What did early Christians believe? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation. Did Jesus only die for a few? Would not a God of love have a saving plan that makes sense?
It normally takes Google about five days to start an ad. The “ad” is a direct link to the book: Universal OFFER of Salvation, Apokatastasis: Can God save the lost in an age to come? Hundreds of scriptures reveal God’s plan of salvation.
We have restored more biblical information on this topic than any other church seemingly ever has, and we want to let others know about this (cf. Matthew 5:14-16, 28:19-20).
Furthermore, we have been very cost-effective in our internet reach as we have focused on reaching people others do not seem to try to reach by our key word selection. While other churches typically spend .50 to $1.50 per click, overall, our Google campaigns have only cost .04 per click. And our cost per ‘impression’ are approximately .00045, which is unbelievably low (and a leader of a larger COG was shocked with how little we have been able to spend on clicks and impressions via Google).
We have been both frugal and cost-effective in spending tithes and offerings.
This, in turn, has allowed us to devote more funds to support the poor (Galatians 2:10; Romans 12:13; James 1:27; cf. James 2:14-16; Hebrews 13:16; Isaiah 58:7; Proverbs 28:27) and witness to many of the otherwise unreached as we work to fulfill Matthew 24:14, Matthew 28:19-20, and Romans 11:25.
World News Items
There are various calls for reorganization in Europe. Some hope France will leave the European Union (see French exit from the EU? How LCG and CCOG differ on FREXIT), whereas Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban wants Europe to embrace his type of ‘Christianity’ (see RI: Hungarian PM Says Only Solution to World’s Problems Is Return to Christianity (Orban); COGwriter: It is not original Christianity that Viktor Orban wants). A recent survey found that about half of those in Italy are looking for a strongman type of leader (see Reuters: Half of Italians want ‘strongman’ in power; COGwriter: Europe will end up following one).
The Bible, itself, is clear that Europe will reorganize and turn power over to a powerful dictator (Revelation 17:12-13), plus be connected to the church of the city seven hills (Revelation 17:1-9,18) for a time (Revelation 17:16-17). Some version of what Prime Minister Orban has proposed will happen–but Jesus will later have it destroyed (Revelation 17:14).
In the UK, they are having an election today (JP: Influential Corbyn-supporting Facebook page run by Hamas). If current Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s party wins enough seats, he is hoping for a British exit (Brexit) from the European Union early in 2020. His main opponent, Jeremy Corybyn has proposed a slower course.
In the USA, the impeachment process against Donald Trump is moving forward at the same time a trade deal involving Canada and Mexico is moving ahead (see Deep state and impeachment).
Over in New Zealand, a volcano erupted and several were killed (see BBC: New Zealand volcano: ‘No sign of life’ after White Island eruption). One lesson we can learn from such events is that life unexpectedly can be cut short and we always need to be prepared to meet God.
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: A Children’s Book of Demons? 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: Latin America in Prophecy. 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 ContinuingCOG channel AND MANY SERMONETTE MESSAGES ON THE Bible News Prophecy channel. There are also some messages at the CCOGAfrica channel.
Concluding Comments
The Apostle Paul wrote:
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:27-32)
Brethren, we in the West are more and more living in societies that do not want to retain God in their knowledge.
We, unlike the world, are not to approve of sins that God condemns.
Sincerely,
Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer