Letter to the Brethren: September 22, 2016

Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:

We hope and pray you are doing well and growing in grace and knowledge.

Fall Holy Days

The Fall Holy Days are coming up soon.

The first will be the Feast of Trumpets which begins at sunset on October 2nd this year.

The next will the Day of Atonement, which begins at sunset on October 11th this year.

The Feast of Tabernacles starts the following week, and begins at sunset on October 16th this year.

Here is information on the dates:

Holy Day Calendar This is a listing of the biblical holy days through 2024, with their Roman calendar dates. They are really hard to observe if you do not know when they occur In the Spanish/Español/Castellano language: Calendario de los Días Santos. In Mandarin Chinese: 何日是神的圣日？ 这里是一份神的圣日日历从2013年至2024年。.

For information on how to keep them, check out the article How to Keep God’s Festivals. A related sermon is also available titled: How to Keep God’s Feasts.

A booklet on the Holy Days is also available: Should You Observe God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays?

For information on the locations of the Feast of Tabernacles’ site this year, check out the link:Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2016.

For information on the general locations of our congregations, check out the link:Congregations of the Continuing Church of God.

Not by Might in Canada (or elsewhere!)

Herb Haddon of New Brunswick, Canada sent in the following:

Here are the photos:

St. Andrews is the site of the Feast of Tabernacles in Canada this year. Harvey Station is where church services are held in New Brunswick (they rent a part of the post office).

The Bible teaches:

6 … ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’  Says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)

Those doing God’s work will accomplish this by obeying Him and being led by His Spirit.

Nyimbo za Baibulo

We finally have a version of our songbook, The Bible Hymnal, available in the language of Chichewa.  The title in that language is Nyimbo za Baibulo.

We ordered a few and hope that they will get to Malawi just prior to the Feast of Tabernacles this year.  The interior is not as we prefer, but we felt that by getting some there now, the interior will be able to be better worked on there so that we will be able to produce a better version in the future.

Chichewa is the third language for our songbook and we hope to have other languages in the future ( I received a report from someone on the Kenya/Tanzania border that the people were grateful there for the Kiswahili hymnals that just arrived there–so we are getting positive feedback on that songbook already).

Chichewa is spoken by many of our brethren in Malawi and Mozambique.

Speaking of Mozambique, Sosten Libungwa just visited there.

He sent in the following report to Pastor Evans Ochiend as well as photos:

The last picture is for pastor Matiya and his wife. His wife hold booklet and pastor hold magazine. Those ladies in uniform are ladies from Malawi who led by God to accompany me on this trip.

Sosten Libungwa.

 
 

We are reaching people in many lands.

Ethiopia and South Sudan Update

Koang Deng sent me an updated reported on Tuesday about the membership in Ethiopia and South Sudan:

Dear Dr.Bob:

Ethiopia.

1.Koang deng
2.Thol Yiek
3.Juoch Rik
4.Puok Reath
5.Gatluak
6.Buay
7.Both
Nos=7

Women in Church.

1. Nyalok Rut
2.Nyaluak Rut
3.Nyalok Deng
3.Nyaluak Mut
4.Nyaluak
Nos=4

Childrens in Church. Nos=34

Total=45.

South Sudan,

Family number,

1.Thayan Gatloul___5
2.Thul Khot_________1
3.Gach Dojiok_______6

Total=12

Total number both Ethiopia and South
Sudan=57,

This numbers of those who recieved( ccog) message.
Best regards,
Koang Deng.

Both Ethiopia and South Sudan are facing troubles and trials in many ways.

Reached over 3,500,000 Computers in August 2016

Google reported that our campaign with them reached 3,511,857 computers last month. When this is combined with what cogwriter.com and the CCOG websites have reached, this means nearly 4,000,000 computers received information about the truth in August of 2016. This is up a little from last month.

World News Items

Hundreds of thousands protested trade deals in Europe, mainly Germany, over the weekend (see TTIP & CETA protests show European anti-Americanism). While trade deals were the claimed reasons, it is reported that anti-Americanism is behind a lot of this. North Americans (those in the USA and Canada) do not realize how deep anti-American sentiment is running in Europe–and it will worsen.

Last Thursday, the President of the European Parliament publicly warned against USA Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, while endorsing his Democratic party rival, Hillary Clinton (see President of EU’s parliament backs Hillary Clinton and warns against Donald Trump). The attempts to so strongly denounce a USA presidential candidate (this is not the first one, and even Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg did the same last year) shows that the Europeans are deeply offended that Donald Trump is even an option. If Donald Trump wins, the Europeans will believe that they must take more steps to separate from the USA. They will also take steps in Hillary Clinton wins, but the process will be different (likely much more subtle).

There was a meeting in Europe, without the United Kingdom, this past Friday, in which the European leaders basically admitted that the European Union has flaws, but that European unity is essential for European prosperity and military security (see Bratislava: European Union best way for security and growth). This post-Brexit meeting shows that Europe does intend to move further away from the USA and the UK.

Tuesday an interfaith meeting involving over 450 religious leaders took place in Assisi, Italy. They claim to be promoting peace (see Interfaith day of prayer– ‘there is no God of war’?), but they are setting things up for the rise of final Beast power (Revelation 13:1-10). Consider that the Bible teaches:

8 The way of peace they have not known,
And there is no justice in their ways;
They have made themselves crooked paths;
Whoever takes that way shall not know peace. (Isaiah 59:8)

A Catholic cardinal claimed that a ‘blood miracle’ took place in Naples on Monday (see Cardinal claims ‘blood miracle’ just took place–any relationship to Isaiah 47?). While the Church of Rome claims many, many, such enchantments, notice what the Bible warns:

9 But these two things shall come to you In a moment, in one day: The loss of children, and widowhood. They shall come upon you in their fullness Because of the multitude of your sorceries, For the great abundance of your enchantments. (Isaiah 47:9)

Revelation 17:16-17 shows that this will happen as the European Beast power will one day turn against the Church of Rome (Revelation 17:5-9,18). Instead of believing that various Catholic-related ‘miracles’ come from God, we need to be diligent to “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Satan will have persuasive ‘miracles’ appear in the future those only those with proper ‘love of the truth’ will be able to resist (1 Thessalonians 2:9-12).

In the USA, there have been more violent protests related to police shootings (see Black officer kills black man: protests in Charlotte turn violent and State of Emergency declared in Charlotte). The Bible shows that humans do not now know ‘the way of peace’ (Isaiah 59:8), but that the time will come when there is no longer ‘violence in the land’ (Isaiah 60:18). Pray for God’s kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10).

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. The one suggested for this week is: Chaotic ‘State of the Europeam Union’. 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: Matthew 24: Temple Destruction, Sorrows, Tribulation, and the Return of Jesus. Other sermons are also available at the ContinuingCOGchannel.
• 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 something from the Jubilee Bible 2000 translation of what the Apostle Paul originally wrote:

17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross {Gr. stauros – stake} of Christ should be made void. 18 For the word of the cross {Gr. stauros – stake} is foolishness to those that perish, but unto us who are saved, it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the philosopher of this world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For in the wisdom of God, since the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those that believe. 22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, {Gr. Stauroo – hung on a stake}, unto the Jews a stumblingblock and unto the Gentiles foolishness; 24 but unto those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25 For that which is foolish of God is wiser than men, and that which is weak of God is stronger than men. 26 For look upon your vocation, brothers, that ye are not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, 27 but rather God has chosen that which is the foolishness of the world to confound the wise, and God has chosen that which is the weakness of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28and that which is vile of the world and that which is despised God has chosen, and things which are not, to bring to nought the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in his presence. 30 But of him ye are reborn in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 that, according as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:17-31)

(I chose this translation as it often properly inserted that the term ‘cross’ was not really in the Bible.)

But my point for citing these verses in 1 Corinthians is to point out as this world moves further away from the Bible, that the truths of the Bible are foolishness to them, but not to us. But this does not make us wiser than them, but hopefully more humble and willing to follow what God teaches us. When you hear of the false arguments in favor of sexual immorality and other views contrary to the Bible, remember to believe God, rather than fallible humans (cf. Romans 3:4).

Sincerely,

Bob Thiel
Pastor and Overseer