LCG World Ahead Weekly Update

The big news locally is that North Carolina became the 31st state to define in its constitution that marriage must be between a man and a woman, in spite of heavy lobbying by politicians, the media and even some ministers to defeat this constitutional amendment. The current U.S. President found this decision by more than 60% of voters “disappointing” in light of the fact that the Democratic National Convention will be held in Charlotte, NC this fall. Elections in France and Greece appear to indicate that European unity is headed for rocky times. Here in Charlotte, Mr. Meredith has finished a semi-annual letter that will be mailed next week. Mr. Ames’ Tomorrow’s World Special Presentations last weekend in New York City drew nearly 300 visitors, and his Tomorrow’s World program entitled, “Beyo nd World War III” drew more than 4,800 responses.—DSW

Manhattan, New York: The New York City and Long Island congregations welcomed Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ames for “double-header” Tomorrow’s World Presentations on May 5 and 6. On Sabbath, May 5, Mr. Ames presented “The Gathering Storm.” Seventy-nine members welcomed 205 guests for this presentation. One guest commented on Facebook, “We attended this presentation yesterday in [New York City]. I was feeling down due to a disappointment on Friday, and going to this event was like attending a Balm in Gilead. The people were wonderful, positive and upbeat, and the information given was food for a starving soul.” On Sunday, May 6, 35 members welcomed 79 guests, including 12 people who had not attended the Sabbath meeting. The topic was “Where Is the C hurch Christ Built?” The enthusiastic group warmly responded to the message, with a number of people asking to attend our weekly service.—Jonathan McNair

We have had a healing in the Indianapolis congregation. In the fall of 2010, as Mr. and Mrs. Tom Campbell were coming into God’s Church, Mrs. Campbell was diagnosed with breast cancer. After studying anointing, she asked to be anointed and chose to rely on God for healing. She had no chemotherapy or radiation. Her latest tests showed she is now 100% cancer-free. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell are most thankful to God and to all the brethren who have been praying for her. The healing has certainly encouraged the faith of the congregation here. Tom and Linda Campbell were baptized in early 2011.—George Dellinger

We are now beginning another round of orders for personal hymnals! To access the order form, please go to the website: http://hymnals.lcg.org. Personal hymnals are in English, purple in color (to differentiate from the current hymnals) and have the option of standard or spiral binding, and option of standard size (same as current hymnal) or large print edition (9” x 11”). The cost per hymnal is $11, including shipping.

The Feast of Tabernacles is still five months away—but will be here before we know it! In preparation for the Feast, our Festival Coordinators are now busy planning the schedules and activities for this year’s Feast. Please note: Activity Registration for all Living Church of God Feast sites will begin Sunday, June 24, 2012. At that time, brethren will be able to sign up for activities that are hosted at their Feast site. (If you have not yet registered to attend a site, please do so at your convenience.) If you have any questions about the upcoming activities that will be available, contact your Festival Coordinator, or check out the Feast website by going to the LCG website (www.lcg.org) and then clicking on the “Feast of Tabernacles” link. More information abou t signing up for activities will be forthcoming in the coming weeks! —Festival Office

To all Area Pastors: God is opening up exciting new doors for His Church to proclaim the Gospel, and as a result the Internet Operations Department needs a Web Application Developer to assist with the increased workload. Please review the job description below. If you know of an experienced web developer, or application programmer with web design skills who is a Church member, who is creative and who can work well under deadline pressure, please e-mail me (wciesielka@lcg.org). A successful candidate will be expected to relocate to Charlotte, and the Church will pay for reasonable moving expenses. Also, the candidate should submit a resume to Mrs. Suzanne Pyle, (hr@lcg.org), fax 704-844-1973, at the Human Resources Department here at Headquarters. We request that only those applicants who live and can legally work in the United States apply for this position. Thanks for your help.—Wyatt Ciesielka, Internet Operations Manager

Are you a Web App Developer? Do you have experience with Drupal, PHP, JavaScript, CSS, Java, Android application development, and/or iPhone/iPad application development, and Linux, Apache and MySQL environments? Are you enthusiastic about web development, new technology, social-media, multi-media, and developing next-generation apps? Are you even more enthusiastic about participating in the greatest Work on the earth at this time by directly helping the Internet Operations Department support the Church’s efforts to proclaim the Gospel of the coming Kingdom of God to the entire world!? If you are motivated, passionate about the Truth and about the Work of God; if you are a team-player and an innovator who is goal-oriented and who thrives under pressure, then we invite you to submit your resume and apply for our Web App Developer opening.

The ideal candidate will either: a) have a Bachelor of Science degree and at least one year of professional experience, or will b) have at least five years of related professional experience. The ideal candidate will be a team-player who will be able to cooperate effectively with staff in all Headquarters departments. The ideal candidate will also have a positive, “can-do” attitude and will be creative, but able to stay focused and deliver projects without a lot of supervision. Applicants should be truly dedicated to the Church and to the Truth. A successful candidate will be expected to relocate to Charlotte, and the Church will pay for reasonable moving expenses. We request that only those applicants who live and can legally work in the United States apply for this position. If you are interested in the Web App Developer position, please send your resume to: Human Resources Department, Living Church of God, PO Box 3810, Charlotte, NC 28227-8010. Fax: 704-844-1973; e-mail: hr@lcg.org.

Pride vs. Humility: Bible prophecies reveal that in the last days people will be proud, boastful, haughty and headstrong (2 Timothy 3:1-5) and that scoffers will ridicule the idea that a real God inspired the Scriptures (2 Peter 3:3-5). Many today are largely unaware of what God reveals about pride and humility. The Bible states that “pride goes before… a fall” (Proverbs 16:18) and that humility is a prerequisite for honor in God’s sight (Proverbs 15:33; 29:23). God says that He looks on the humble (Isaiah 66:2), that He dwells with the humble (Isaiah 57:15), that He raises up the humble (Psalm 147:6) and that He gives grace (unmerited pardon) to the humble (Proverbs 3:34). Jesus said “blessed” are the humble (Matthew 5:3-5). Peter urged Christians to “be clothed with humility” (1 Peter 5:5). The Scriptures reveal that God used Moses because he was humble (Numbers 12:3), and that Jesus was exalted because He humbled himself by dying “the death of the cross” for our sins (Philippians 2:8-9). While many today doubt that God exists, or wonder what His will is, the Bible clearly explains what God is looking for in each of us—“to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Will France (Reuben) Divide Europe? On May 6, 2012 France elected François Hollande as the new president, ousting Nicolas Sarkozy. Mr. Hollande, a socialist, has pledged to reverse the course set by Mr. Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (BBC News, May 7, 2012). The outcome of this election is “the victory that both Angela Merkel and the markets had feared: French voters on Sunday night elected François Hollande, who has pledged to halt Europe’s austerity measures and renegotiate the European Union’s fiscal pact.” The Germans have warned that “the president-elect should clarify that he will not follow through with his campaign promise to change the European Union fiscal pact, a deal reached earlier this year that forces signatories to anchor balanced-budget measures in their constitutions and halt deficit spending in order to stabilize the common currency” (Der Spiegel, May 5, 2012). This abrupt change is in keeping with Bible prophecies about Reuben (the ancestor of the French). Jacob told his son Reuben that in the latter days he would have dignity and power, but he would be unstable as water (Genesis 49:3-4). France is a leading nation in Europe, but its fluctuating governmental policies may force Germany to assume a more dominant role in Europe. Daniel prophesied that the ten toes (kingdoms or nations) of the last revival of the Roman Empire would be an unstable mixture of iron and clay—partly strong and partly fragile (Daniel 2:41-42). The recent French election will aggravate the already strained relations between nations in the EU and may further divide France and Germany. For more information on this important topic, read our free Tomorrow’s World article “The End of Liberté?”

“EU Plot to Scrap Britain”: This sobering headline appeared recently in a British paper, The Daily Express, as more details emerged from a covert meeting of the Berlin Group. This elite group of nations aims to create a super-president that opponents believe will be “a modern-day equivalent of the European emperor envisaged by Napoleon Bonaparte or a return to the Holy Roman Empire of Charlemagne that [once] dominated Europe.” UK MEP Paul Nuttall observed, “It sounds as if they are trying to go back to the days of the Holy Roman Emperor…” “The holder of this new office would be both Europe’s political and administrative leader, giving them far more powers than those given to the US president.” Some suggest “This [new post] is a plot by people who want to abolish nation states and create a United States of Europe.” “

The only hope for Britain is to leave the EU and become an independent nation” (Daily Express, May 4, 2012). The covert meetings of the Berlin Group have received broad press coverage in Europe. Bible prophecy indicates that Europe will produce a strong, singular leader known as the Beast, who will direct and lead ten final kingdoms or nations for a short time (Revelation 17:12-13). During this same period, many Israelite-descended nations—including Britain and the United States—are prophesied to be taken into a national captivity (Deuteronomy 28:47-48, 64-68; Ezekiel 22:15; Amos 6:3-8). For more information on this sobering topic, review our booklet The Beast of Revelation.

Germany & Iranian Nuclear Power: At a recent Jewish Global Forum meeting in Washington, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle stated, “the international community will block Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon… The current Iranian nuclear program represents an enormous danger, not only to Israel but to the region as a whole.” Germany, as a northern European nation, has recently become more outspoken in regard to Iran. Although Mr. Westerwelle advocates more negotiations with Iran, he has clearly stated there is a “limit” to Germany’s patience if Iran continues to threaten Israel. He noted, “I want you to know that we will continue to stand by Israel’s side” (Israel National News, May 4, 2012). The prophet Daniel foretold a p ower struggle between kings of the North and South—a European Beast power and an Arab-led southern power (Daniel 11:29-43). While these kings of the North and South are not yet clearly identified on the world stage, Iran’s actions could help galvanize the remaining Arab states. Germany’s actions in support of Israel could lead to its deeper involvement in Jerusalem to counter actions by aggressive Arab nations (Daniel 11:41; Luke 21:20-24; Revelation 11:2).—Scott Winnail, Justin Ridgeway and John Wheeler

COGwriter, 2012

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