Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:
Greetings again from Grover Beach, California.
We are working on a variety of literature projects and expect to begin another session of radio interviews later this month.
Where is the True Christian Church booklet
We have been working on a new edition of the booklet titled Where is the True Christian Church Today?
We have the booklet being translated into a few languages by CCOG members. The new edition in the French language is done and now available.
The new version pictures our office in Grover Beach, as opposed to the old office in Arroyo Grande. It also has more information than in the previous edition.
We have translators working on this for a total of 50 languages, and we not only want to have those 50, we hope to have others in some African languages as well.
Pentecost: June 12, 2016
As a reminder, Pentecost will be here soon. June 12th this year. Pentecost falls on a Sunday, and hence we end up with ‘back-to-back’ Sabbaths that weekend.
The following was received this morning, related to services in Ontario, Canada:
Greetings Dr. Thiel;
We will be holding services in Milton On. for Pentecost, on June 12, at 10 AM. Services will be held in our normal spot. If you are interested in attending, please contact Michael Radtke at michael.radtke@sympatico.ca.
Thank-you very much!
Warren Savage
Reports from Rift Valley, Kenya
Received the following report from Kenya:
I greet you in the name of Yashua messia. Pst. Ochieng visited rift
valley- Emurua Dikirr, Transmara last Sabbath of 28th. The meeting as
wonderfully blessed by his admonition. He also supported the
construction of the chairs for the church and supported the orphans
who were in the meeting together with the widows and also paid school
fees to an orphan child who has stayed home for a while. He also
distributed a little food stuff to the brethren. The elders and pastor
were thankful for the recognition pastor ochieng have for them, for
he cannot do anything without the consent of the leaders. We also had
another pastor from Kabolecho who had travelled for ten kilometers to
join us.
Indeed we are really seeing this ministry of continuing church of God
is really being the light of Transmara. During the feast of Pentecost,
Pst. Ochieng will be joining us, indeed harvest is truly great but
labourers are few. In the beginning of this year, we started a nurery
school within the church among these children there are those who are
orphans and the children from the neighbourhood for schools here are
very far off. our prayer is for the school to grow up. we nt only
teach them the knowledge of these world but also the word of God
(Proverbs 22:6). …Yours
Joseah Kipngetich.
Pastor Evans Ochieng sent in the following report himself:
Pastor Dr Bob,
Greetings from Kenya.
I am back from Rift Valley. The trip was very difficult due to much rain. The road was muddy that we could not reach easily. We found many big lorries when stuck and there was no where to pass. It forced us to take motorcycle to help us reach where the congregations gathered. But at long last, we reached safe.
I was very happy according to the growth that I found in many congregations in Rift Valley. At the same time I found many problems that our brethren were having. I tried to some that I could touch financially. Let us continue praying for our congregations in Rift Valley. They are doing very well.
I am planning to go to Tanzania on 2nd June 2016. I am getting many calls from Tanzania. So I promised them that I will meet them as from 3rd June 2016. …
Evans.
There are several such groups in Africa that have come with us and whom Pastor Evans needs to visit. We are always pleased when the visits go well and produce fruit.
Questions and Answers
We thought we would share a couple of questions I received as well as my answers as others may have similar questions.
Here is the first Q&A:
Question: I would be interested to know how you use contributions to CCOG. I know that you run a reasonably successful business and do not require the donations for your living; so, how are contributions used to support the preaching of the gospel?
Also, are contributions to CCOG considered to be tax-deductible; and if so, do you provide regular quarterly receipts as well as an annual statement?
Answer: Pretty much all the money goes to pay for laying out and printing the magazines and booklets, mailing expenses, paying for video editing, certain travel expenses, certain meeting expenses (like the Feast of Tabernacles), promoting CCOG beliefs over the internet, supporting the poor in Africa, and paying for ministerial expenses in Africa. There are minor administrative expenses and we also support some of the poor in Asia.
Donations are tax deductible in the USA, Canada, and New Zealand. But you have to send it to the one of those countries you want the deductibility to be from. For example, if you send it to Canada, you cannot deduct it from the USA, only in Canada.
And yes, we send out regular quarterly receipts as well as an annual statement.
Here is the another Q&A:
Question: I have a question about voting. I understand that Christians should not vote, but also understand that a Christian should obey the government unless it goes against scripture. Well in Australia the law states that all people over 18 must vote in elections or there is a monetary fine which would probably be quite a financial burden for my wife and myself to pay. Also the vote is always held on the Sabbath, though one could always do an early postal vote. What is the right thing to do as we have a Federal election in a little over a month. Would it be wrong for me to vote or not to vote?
Answer: If you are required to vote, you will need to do so, and by post.
We regularly get questions, and thought some would like to see these answers. As far as voting goes, here is a link to a related article: Should a Christian Vote?
World News Items
A poll came out indicating that the majority of voters in the UK are looking to vote to leave the European Union (see Poll indicates a pro-Brexit vote). This is not unexpected. The time comes when the UK will be taken over by a power based in Europe. It was also recently leaked that some in Europe have a ‘secret plan’ to develop a European army (see EU’s post UK secret army plan). A major power will develop in Europe and this will not bode well for the UK or USA (cf. Daniel 11:39).
The USA has gotten Europe to agree to a new type of internet censorship for ‘hate speech’ (seeUSA and EU announce new internet censorship plans). This is a concern as speaking against false religion looks to be one of many forms of ‘hate speech’ that could be censored and immediately removed from the internet. A ‘famine of the word’ is coming (Amos 8:11-12) and I have warned for years that claims of ‘hate speech’ will be used to censor the Bible’s message over the internet. The mechanisms for this are more and more getting in place.
Speaking of false religion, Pope Francis again made statements that people should turn to his version of ‘Mary’ and his false church as opposed to the God of the Bible (see ‘Pope Francis says Jesus is not our hope, Mary and the Mother Church are’). While we pointed this out on the internet late yesterday, the time may come when pointing out these errors will be censored.
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 1974Bible 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:Planet Nibiru to Destroy Earth by 2017? 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 Is the Final Antichrist Islamic or European? 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 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 ContinuingCOGchannel AND MANY SERMONETTE MESSAGES ON THE Bible News Prophecy channel.
Concluding Comments
Notice the following from the Book of Psalms:
172 My tongue shall speak of Your word,
For all Your commandments are righteousness.
173 Let Your hand become my help,
For I have chosen Your precepts.
174 I long for Your salvation, O Lord,
And Your law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise You;
And let Your judgments help me.
176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
Seek Your servant,
For I do not forget Your commandments. (Psalm 119:172-176)
Brethren, we make mistakes, but we need to pray, long for God’s salvation, and keep His commandments.
Sincerely,
Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer