Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:
Greetings from the Five Cities region of California.
We had an international Zoom meeting related to issues and challenges of keeping our numerous websites operating safely. We have made progress with these issues which should help us as we strive to fulfill the commissions that Jesus gave the Philadelphian portion of His church (cf. Revelation 3:7-13; Matthew 24:14, 28:19-20).
Substack Report
Last year, one of our volunteers set us up on Substack. This week she reported that “there has been 25.4k views in the last year and there are 77 subscribers. It is doing extremely well for a free platform!”
Substack is an American online platform that provides infrastructure to support free as well as subscription-based content, including newsletters, podcasts, and videos.
Substack is one of many ‘doors’ that have been opened to us (cf. Revelation 3:7-9) that we use as part of our multimedia to help fulfill the commissions Jesus gave in Matthew 24:14 and 28:19-20.
For more on our use of media and other methods being utilized, check out the Continuing Church of God Multimedia page.
Visit to Kisii, Kenya
Evangelist Evans Ochieng sent the following about his recent travels:
Pastor Dr Bob,
Greetings from Kenya.
My trip in kisii was very successful and fruitful.
I met over three hundred people in Eberege church hall. The meeting was very fine.
The 4 congregations in kisii came together. I was accompanied by two brothers. Wyclef and Charles.
The work in kisii has expanded and it needs more laborers. We sat down with Ezekiel and discuss more about the work. We also had a meeting with hosts from the congregations and talked about the work.
I’m going to ordain two Deacons and 4 elders to support the work in kisii.
Here are the people to be ordained Deacons.
1-Johnson Maore musa who has stayed in CCOG for 5 years
2- Samson Oditi masabe who also has been in the church for long.
The elders who will be ordained are :-
Zablon Ogembo manyage
Cosmas Nyaguto Nyakagwa
David keraro omogo
Also I will ordain Wyclef obote and Frederick ochieng.
So I need certificate that bears their names from you.
The church is expanding so much in Kenya and the workload is high.
But I’m happy that church is growing highly.
Important programs scheduled.
1- ordination of church elders and Deacons.
2- visitation to the elderly in kisii.
3- Lego congregation needs 25 iron sheets.
Evans.
We are working to fulfill the following words of Jesus:
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
Traveling to various areas and teaching is in accordance with those commissions of Jesus.
Evans Ochieng and I briefly discussed his planned ordination of his son Frederick. Now, I met Frederick both times I was in Kenya.
But the second time Frederick mentioned two dreams that he had back in 2013. After we discussed them, I asked him to send me a written summary of that and he did as follows:
Dear pastor
Greetings pastor. I believe you are doing good though you are having great thrust of fulfilling Matthew 28:19 of which we must do before the return of Christ. …
I had two dreams
1. Before our family joined CCOG my father was then working with voice in the Wilderness Church of God. When I was sleeping I had a dream and in my dream I saw a light and the light was not normal, the one who was standing by the was You pastor Bob according to my dream. Then I had voice shouting, “Arise you who are sleeping, for the Lord is near.” I again I heard another voice shouting, “Come up Evans and let us do the work we are called to do.” I then saw a man dressed in white clothes join hands with my father walking together towards a very big lake then I woke up.
2: In my second dream some weeks after my first dream and in my second dream I saw almost the same dream and now this was in New Zealand. I did not know about the CCOG group in New Zealand before I had the dream.
Fred
Related to the first dream, he had that in October 2013. The next month, his father telephoned me. He also knew my name from articles I wrote that were published in the Global Church News and the Living Church News. Eventually, I arranged to meet with him and leaders of various Church of God groups in Kenya in April 2014.
In early 2014, Frederick’s father Evans Ochieng came with the Continuing Church of God. When he came, he came with about 260 people from Kenya and Tanzania. His son Frederick’s dream showed that we would have much growth in Africa. He and his father listened to God.
In time, leaders from other African countries, who did not know Evans Ochieng (nor about the dream), contacted me. We held a conference that many COG leaders from six African countries attended in 2017 (I had not heard of Frederick’s dreams until that time).
As of now, we have over thirty times as many in Africa than when Frederick Ochieng had his dream. So, the dream of working the lake was confirmed–you can say that Evans Ochieng and I became productive “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).
As far as New Zealand goes, the first congregation that came with the CCOG was the group in New Zealand.
When I asked Frederick Ochieng about New Zealand in 2017, he said he knew nothing about New Zealand and any connection with the CCOG prior to his dream. Those in New Zealand have been heavily involved in supporting the work to reach people around the world.
The New Zealanders were the original editors of our church publications, developed a NZ website, put up and managed our Bible News Prophecy Flipboard page, greatly assist with the Study the Bible Course, support various aspects of message production, and produce our Bible News Prophecy online radio channel.
Frederick’s dream may have been telling him that I (Bob Thiel) was working with those in New Zealand to fulfill Matthew 24:14 and Matthew 28:19-20 to reach the world.
Of course, many in the 21st century scoff about dreams, but they were prophesied to happen in the last days per Acts 2:17-18 (see also Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God and Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?).
Suggested Sabbath Services
Here is a suggested Sabbath day service for our scattered brethren and other interested people for the Last Great Day Sabbath service:
- 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: CBS: Doomsday clock keeps ticking. Other sermonettes are available at our Prophecy channel on BitChute https://www.bitchute.com/channel/prophecy/
- Announcements (if any; though for many it will be this letter) and one hymn.
- The suggested sermon is: What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up? Other sermons are also available at the COGTube channel on BitChute https://www.bitchute.com/channel/cogtube/
- 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. There are also messages in the Spanish language at the CDLIDDSermones channel.
World News Items
While much of the media and commentators in the USA have focused a lot on the ICE-related protests (e.g. More protests, No Kings, a prelude to a civil war? and Joe Rogan objects to protests in Minnesota as ‘organic,’ points to a ‘color revolution’), a lot of relatively little reported statements and moves have been happening in Europe.
There are public calls for reorganization of the European Union (see Calls for the European Union to reorganize and talk with Russia) which will one day happen per Revelation 17:12-13. More in Europe are also calling for more European nuclear weapons (see More calls for Germany to develop nuclear weapons). The world will marvel when the European Beast rises from the sea and becomes militarily successful (Revelation 13:1-14; cf. Daniel 11:39-43).
The Europeans are also taking steps to try to become world leaders in digital technology (see European Union chooses ‘Supreme’ consortium to develop superconducting technology: Q-day approaching?). Digital technologies look to be something Europe will use to fulfill the ‘666’ prophecies in Revelation 13:16-18.
Concluding Comments
King David wrote the following:
23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
24 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.25 For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised;
He is also to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
27 Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and gladness are in His place.28 Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
29 Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him.
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
30 Tremble before Him, all the earth.
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved.31 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
32 Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
Let the field rejoice, and all that is in it.
33 Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the Lord,
For He is coming to judge the earth.34 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
35 And say, “Save us, O God of our salvation;
Gather us together, and deliver us from the Gentiles,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
To triumph in Your praise.” (1 Chronicles 16:23-35)
Brethren, there is a real God.
Idols are not God.
Do not be tempted by the false faiths.
The real God is the God of salvation.
Praise God.
Sincerely,
Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer