LCG World Ahead Weekly UPdate

We have had a very positive Council of Elders meeting here in Charlotte this week. I was able to lead most of the meetings. We heard encouraging reports from our Regional Pastors and Regional Directors. They reported that congregations were stable and that many areas were seeing an influx of new people who were very excited about learning or returning to the truth of God. During the meetings we discussed how to deal with the current income trends, ideas for improving the magazine and television program and more effectively using the Internet. We also discussed a number of doctrinal issues and future development of Living University. We are hoping to have about four students on campus here in Charlotte this fall to study and also to gain experience working in various departments of the Work. I also wanted to mention that Dr. Winnail was recently reunited with his wife Sherry. I conducted their wedding forty years ago when they were students at Ambassador College. We are happy about this recent development.

This week, a few members of the Council of Elders recorded sermons for this year’s Feast of Tabernacles. These sermons are very helpful, since they are sent to Feast sites that do not have a live speaker every day and to brethren who will be unable to attend the Feast. They are also uploaded to our website www.lcg.org for anyone to view online or to download. Mr. Rod King plans to record a second television program tomorrow morning, titled, “America’s Fall, Europe’s Rise,” which will offer the booklet The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor or Soon-Coming Reality?” This week, Dr. Meredith selected the cover for the July-August issue of Tomorrow’s World.His choice was “America’s Last Days?” as the cover article; the graphic is a striking image of the Statue of Liberty with a tear.

The following items were presented during the current Council of Elders meetings: In 2008, we recorded 249 baptisms; 20 less than the previous year (2007 is our record year, so far, in number of baptisms). In ten years, we had at least 2,200 baptisms in the Living Church of God. So far this year, we have recorded 123 baptisms (from January through the beginning of May). As of May 19, 2009 we have 315 congregations in 44 countries; 173 of our congregations are located in foreign countries.So far in 2009 we have started eight new congregations, all of them outside of the United States, and we have ordained (or recognized the previous ordination of) seven elders, 19 deacons and deaconesses for a total of 26 ordinations. In comparison, during the entire year of 2008, we only had seven elders added to the ministry and 24 deacons and deaconesses, for a total of 31 ordinations.

From the Adelaide local congregation bulletin: Your continuing prayers are requested for the Australian Television Community sector. These stations play a major role in providing the Good News of Tomorrow’s World. The Australian Commonwealth Budget was released on Tuesday, May 12, 2009. Sadly, the Channel 31 Community stations were not included in any funding for the transition from analog to digital transmissions. The Tomorrow’s World program presently airs on Channel 31 stations in Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane. Mr. Michael Gill is seeking an opportunity to once again air the program on one of Australia’s commercial stations. Please keep his efforts in your prayers.

Mr. and Mrs. Greeman visited Barbados from May 15 to 19. On the Sabbath of May 17, there were 85 persons in attendance. After services, Mr. Greeman presented Living Leadership Course Lesson 20, “Becoming an Effective Assistant,” to the congregation and the following day he led a Spokesman’s Club meeting with 16 men. Mr. Greeman also baptized two ladies. We are very grateful for the growth of God’s Church in Barbados.

Attention USA Pastors: The deadline to submit Festival Assistance Request forms to the Church Administration Department is Tuesday, July 15. All forms should be properly completed by the members requesting second tithe assistance to attend the Feast this year. Then the Area Pastors should write their recommendations/comments on the forms before submitting them to CAD. Brethren needing second tithe assistance should ask for a Festival Assistance Request form from their pastor. Festival Assistance Request forms are available to pastors on the MyLCG webpage (www.cogl.org).

We now have 3,433 (more than 75%) brethren successfully registered for the Feast at the U.S. and Canada Feast sites. Including International sites, that number goes up to 4,189 brethren registered. There are still more than 1,000 brethren who have not yet registered in the U.S. and Canada. If you have not yet registered, please do so to help in our Festival planning. Let us know if you have any difficulties registering (e-mail festival@lcg.org). Following are the registration totals for the United States and Canadian sites:

The Feast of Tabernacles in Martinique (a French Island in the West Indies) will be held in St. Luce (www.sainteluce.fr), a small town located in the south of the Martinique island, about 15 miles from the airport. This site will be a small site of about 50 persons. It is a French-speaking site. There will be no official translation into English. Opening Night services will start at 7:00 p.m. Snacks will be served following the service that evening.

Feast services will be held at the Karibea Hotel. You can visit their website at: www.karibea.com/martinique/hotel_sainteluce.php.Each room is equipped with a full kitchenette, so each family can prepare meals in their rooms if they so desire. There are two restaurants on site and more downtown, three miles from the hotel. On the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles and on the Last Great Day we will eat together at an onsite restaurant.

Last year there were 249 baptisms in the Living Church of God. Twenty-seven percent of those individuals first made contact with us by phone. Twenty-seven percent made their first contact through the Internet. Twenty-six percent of those baptized last year first made contact with a local minister after finding out about LCG through personal contact with a member. Never underestimate the powerful testimony that your good example provides to those you meet!

The Value of Hope: Having a hope in the future—something positive to look forward to—is a vital aspect of life. Many have long understood that life without hope is empty. The Bible states, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12). But what is the real hope in life for a Christian? King David wrote, “You are my hope, O Lord GOD” and “I hope in Your word” (Psalm 71:5; 119:147). The Apostle Paul said under cross-examination before a Roman governor, “I have hope in God” and “believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets,” including the promise of a resurrection and eternal life that he would receive at the return of Jesus Christ (Acts 24:14-15; Titus 1:2; 2:13). We are urged as Christians “to lay hold of the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18) and to purify ourselves so we can become “children of God” (1 John 3:1-3) and to be “ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). Are we all motivated by this same hope today?

Increased Borrowing. “The [U.S.] government will have to borrow nearly 50 cents for every dollar it spends this year, exploding the record federal deficit past $1.8 trillion under new White House estimates.” The current budgetary projections, based on the White House’s newly released budget, allow for a drop in the annual budget deficit of only $500 billion a year, four years from now (news.Yahoo.com [Associated Press], May 12, 2009). Where will this unprecedented borrowing lead? God clearly warned Israel thousands of years ago that it would become subject to foreign nations, because of its unchecked borrowing (Deuteronomy 28:43-44). God also reiterated this concept in Proverbs 22:7, “The borrower is servant to the lender.” Because of the covetous and lustful practices of many Israelite-descended nations, particularly the U.S., they are beginning to reap the consequences of those actions and are becoming increasingly indebted to foreign nations. The future does not bode well for nations that borrow more than they earn.

Mexico Closed! All “non-essential” business across Mexico closed for five days earlier this month. Universities and schools closed for a longer period—all in an attempt to curb the tide of the swine flu outbreak. The outbreak, including the closing of business, has cost Mexico more than $2 billion and the country is considering a sizable stimulus package to reignite the economy—especially the tourism industry (CBC.ca, May 6, 2009). Mexico’s tourism industry has been hit, in part, by cruise liners diverting to other nations. Air travel into Mexico has also suffered. Mexico is an interesting case study from a prophetic perspective. Although the Bible does not specifically mention Mexico, this current disease outbreak can give us insight into how the world can be impacted by God’s prophesied plagues. In the Olivet Prophecy, Christ noted that pestilences (or disease epidemics) would be one of the signs of the end of the age (Luke 21:11). God also prophesied different curses against Israelite-descended nations for their rebellion against His laws and ways. In the field of microbiology, bacteria and disease-causing organisms are sometimes referred to as “wee beasties” or “bugs.” One prophesied curse is that the highways of Israel “shall become desolate,” possibly as a result of wild beasts (Leviticus 26:22). As we look at Mexico, we can better understand how such prophecies may come about and the wide-reaching and devastating impact that they can have. The swine flu outbreak, which has sickened and killed relatively few (far less than the seasonal flu), has had a devastating impact on one nation in particular. How much more devastation could a very strong and easily-spread virus cause? Mexico should be a sobering reminder about the impact of God’s prophecies, and also a reminder about the tremendous need for us to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to all nations. As part of this Gospel, we need to powerfully encourage nations to repent—for their own good!

End-Time Invasion by Beasts. Giant poisonous spiders are invading a coastal town in northeast Australia. These palm-sized spiders carry enough venom to kill a dog and make a human very sick. Usually residents of the wilderness, these spiders live under logs and rocks but are being driven into town by recent torrential rains. Residents are being warned to take precautions when gardening, lest they suffer a bite (The Times, May 6, 2009). Although this is not a “plague of biblical proportions,” the spider situation in Queensland may shed light on how God will fulfill one of His end-time prophecies. Leviticus 26:22 warns of how God will “send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number…” because of disobedience. Ezekiel 14:15 reiterates this warning. How and why various animals will become a pestilence in the last days (Luke 21:11) is not clearly known. However, it is possible that God will use changes in weather patterns to bring about some of these prophesied end-time events.—Scott Winnail, James Ginn and Sue Bennett