Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:
Greetings from Grover Beach, California.
Radio Reports
From Ghana, CCOG/CG7 Pastor Samuel Ofosu contacted me and stated the following:
Anyway I am not fully recovered yet but I have started my previous radio evangelical campaign.
We had been on radio in Ghana, then off, but now are back on again.
Deacons Grantone Otieno and
Ondigo Ochieng on the radio
Deacon Ondigo Ochieng sent the following report about radio in the Kenya and Tanzania region:
4th February,2022
DISCOURSE:THE RESURRECTIONS PART 1
This discourse attracted 17 phone calls.A good number of the callers were requesting for articles to read.
KBC MAYIENGA 93.7 FM (Full sermon)
Saturday 5th February,2022
DISCOURSE:THE STATE OF THE DEAD
This was a recorded sermon that was sent to KBC Nairobi headquarters last year to be presented but there was no slot during the December festive season.
It was therefore displayed last Sabbath on radio Mayienga.This attracted 45 phone calls on Saturday and some other 16 phone calls on Sunday accompanied with several questions.Some of the questions asked were:
1.Where is Enoch and Elijah?
2.Where is Lazarus
3.Where is Elijah …
KBC RADIO TAIFA 92.9 FM
Sunday 6th February,2022
DISCOURSE:THE WONDERFUL WORLD TOMORROW-HOW IT WILL BE LIKE
When I went to Nairobi last month,I happened to visit KBC Headquarters to enquire more about the gospel program and costs.I was allowed to record one Kiswahili message which was to take 15 minutes.
We also have our Bible News Prophecy online radio, which is handled for us by Shirley Gestro in New Zealand.
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.
Prayer Requests
Deacon Koang Deng Gatluak
CCOG deacon Koang Deng sent the following prayer request from Ethiopia:
Dear Pastor Bob:A news for south Sudan civil war still disturbing a gospel mission on to that land.We are now still looking a safety month to go there.Many defector generals from the main(SPLM_ IO Party) to Government blocking the road of area we plan to go for Baptisms.Please, pray for us to get in there.Koang Deng.
We have members in South Sudan, some of whom have been able to come to Ethiopia for the Feast of Tabernacles.
Please keep South Sudan and Ethiopia in your prayers.
As far as deacon Deng goes, he not only oversees Ethiopia and South Sudan, he has been completing his masters’ degree.
CCOG deacon Radson Mulozowa sent me many pictures related to the flooding in Malawi and Mozambique and the emergency food the CCOG helped provide. Here are three of the dozens of photos he sent:
Please keep those affected by the flooding in your prayers.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: Metaverse: Metasurveillence 666? 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: Fifth Commandment: Honor Your Parents and Rule Honorably. 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
The European Union (EU) and African Union (AU) are supposed to be meeting today and tomorrow (see ‘Will the Europe-Africa summit help heal the rifts?’). While all issues between the African Union and European Union are not about to be resolved, this meeting is another step for the EU to push its standards and attempt to increase its influence around the world. The EU is expected to tout some of its Global Gateway (watch EU’s Global Gateway, Trade, and War?) project to the AU.
While the situation between Russia and Ukraine remain intense, Russia did not launch a massive invasion into Ukraine yesterday as US President Biden warned might happen. Statements by high level USA officials will have ‘unintended consequences’ (see Biden Administration comments on Ukraine are sending an unintended message to Europe) as Europe is getting a message that USA interests will basically always top European ones. Though that has long been the case, this is getting clear enough to many in Europe to persuade them to push for a stronger military of their own–the Bible says Europe will end up being marveled by the world for its war-making powers (Revelation 13:1-4).
Over in Canada, the situation with the truckers’ protests has resulted in disruptions and arrests (see ‘Police Arrest Protesters That Remained at US-Canada Bridge’). Although some have suggested the ‘Freedom Convoy’ is reminiscent of the biblical Exodus (see Truckers’ Freedom Convoy 2022 reminiscent of the Exodus or division?), that is not so. The invoking of emergency powers by Canada’s Prime Minister Trudeau, combined with comments from one or more of his ministers on cutting off finances, shows more of a prelude to 666 and division than real deliverance (see Truckers’ Freedom Convoy 2022 reminiscent of the Exodus or division?).
Having seen Canadian officials pressure GoFundMe and other financial entities that have had ties with the ‘Freedom Convoy,’ it occurred to me that the time may come when USA government officials pressure banks and other financial entities to not deal with organizations that do not support things such as the LGBTQ movement. The Bible foretells a time of controlling buying and selling in Revelation 13:16-18 and we continue to see steps that look to be preludes to it.
By the way, after I wrote the above paragraph yesterday, I saw the following tweet related to the plan under the Canadian emergency powers against the truck protesters:https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2hvcml6b25fdHdlZXRfZW1iZWRfOTU1NSI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJodGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3NwYWNlX2NhcmQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib2ZmIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH19&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1493970861149368320&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ccog.org%2Fletter-to-the-brethren-february-17-2022%2F&sessionId=b007e8d1658002caaaf95e6e5bcb15d2026a2b38&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2582c61%3A1645036219416&width=550px
More and more, financial leverage is being used–more will be used in the future (Revelation 13:16-17).
Concluding Comments
The Apostle Paul wrote:
8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.
9 But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. 10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned. (Titus 3:8-11)
Brethren, many people are more focused on less important matters than they are in being careful to maintain good works.
We need to do the “things are good and profitable to men.”
Sincerely,
Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer