LCG World Ahead Weekly Update

Prophetically significant events appear to be building in Europe and the Middle East. At the end of June, EU leaders will hold a summit meeting that could launch a core of European countries on the path to financial and political union—setting the stage for the king of the North to emerge. In Egypt, after a show of strength in the recent contested election, the Muslim Brotherhood is pushing to gain control of the most populous country with the biggest army in the Middle East. The emergence of a fundamentalist Islamic government in Egypt could bring together other Islamic nations across North Africa and the Middle East and facilitate the emergence of the king of the South spoken of by Daniel (Daniel 11:40). This could be an interesting summer! Here in Charlotte, we mailed out more than 12,000 co-worker letters this week. Mr. Meredith has been writing and holding meetings. Mr. Wayne Pyle reports that last weekend’s Tomorrow’s World television program by Mr. Ames, entitled “Vital Keys to Bible Study,” is expected to draw more than 5,200 responses. Also last weekend, more than 150 visitors attended the 10 Tomorrow’s World Special Presentations that were held in the USA, Canada and the UK. This weekend there will be 11 more TWSPs in the same countries. So far this year, we have had nearly 80 TWSPs that have been attended by more than 2,200 visitors. Your prayers for all these vital activities for preaching the gospel are needed and much appreciated.—DSW

Thomasville, Georgia: There were 32 members present and 15 guests, five of whom were new guests who had not come to the initial presentation. They were all excited to be there and had lots of questions. One lady and her son attended Sabbath Services and even asked for anointing afterwards. Other guests commented that they would like to come back. It seemed that they had all the right questions and I do believe that some will be attending God’s Church in the near future.—Joe Brown

Edgeware and Croydon, UK: The results of our TWSP in Edgeware (North London) were pleasing. We had an attendance of 71, with 39 of these being “new” people. Once again, as with Croydon, the response from those who attended was very positive with a good knowledge of the Bible and a readiness to learn. The title was, “Our Royal Future.” Mr. Rick Stafford had 11 guests who had previously attended the initial presentation return for his follow-up in Croydon. He spoke on “The Gathering Storm.”—Rod King

Shortly before Passover, I had the privilege of ordaining Mr. Martin Montgomery as an elder who will serve in the Adelaide congregation. The other two elders who serve here are Mr. Robert Tyler, Adelaide church Pastor, General Office Manager, Regional Festival Site Coordinator and Living University Liaison officer; and Mr. Michael Gill, Melbourne church Pastor and Media and Finance Manager. Mr. Montgomery is also the Festival Site and Functions Coordinator for the Victor Harbour Feast site this year.

Mr. Dayrell Tanner and I spent a very profitable couple of weeks in the Philippines during the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. The churches there continue to be quite stable and spiritually sound and recently we have had several who have begun meeting with us from our former association. They are quite excited to be back with their brethren again. We also conducted an important business meeting for the Philippines Church on behalf of Dr. Meredith.—Bruce Tyler

On Thursday afternoon, March 15, 2012, a group of saints arrived at the international airport of Juanda, Surabaya, Indonesia. The group was led by our Malaysian elder, Mr. Rajan Moses, and included four of our beloved brethren, Paul Palanny, Jason Babu, Michael Larry, and Ronald Moses. Mr. Arius Nusantara took the group on a tour around the city of Malang. After visiting museums, a nearby waterfall and the 2012 Feast site, the group was invited to have a special dinner with all of the Indonesian brethren. There were 20 people in total. It was a joyful time of fellowshipping, as this was the first time the Indonesian brethren met with gentlemen from the Malaysian congregation.

Tomorrow’s World Magazine: We have mailed the May-June 2012 issue of our Spanish magazine, El Mundo de Mañana. The number of subscribers has risen considerably, because of responses to our radio program, especially in Colombia and Mexico. The radio station broadcasting our program in Medellin has good coverage, reaching nearby municipalities. We also have good coverage and responses in Cali. In Mexico City, the program also reaches surrounding regions and is producing good results.—George Schaubeck

Set aside time now to join the Omaha congregation on a visit to the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo on July 29. The Omaha brethren also invite you to join them for services and a covered-dish meal on the Sabbath of July 28. Sunday morning, groups will visit Omaha’s renowned Henry Doorly Zoo and have an opportunity to tour all of the spectacular exhibits. The zoo boasts the largest indoor rainforest in America and the largest indoor desert in the world. The Lied Jungle and Desert Dome were cited as two of the reasons that this zoo was recently ranked as the #1 zoo in the U.S. by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website.

The Living Youth Program would like to begin featuring artwork and illustrations by you on the Living Youth website. You do not need to be a youth to participate; this is a request for artists of all ages. If you are interested in producing artwork of a nature relevant to the Youth Program and our camps, please send a sample of your work to youth@lcg.org. We hope to have a number of artists and feature them on a rotating basis. If we choose to feature your artwork on the website, you will need to sign a document giving us the right to use it.

We are still accepting camper registrations for LYC Ohio and we have room for both boy and girl campers. If you are between the ages of 13 and 18, please visit https://lyc.lcg.org as soon as possible and sign up. This year we are going to feature a large number of athletic activities—flag football, softball, volleyball, canoeing and swimming—as well as orienteering, dance, speech, media, crafts, and of course, daily Christian Living classes. It’s a wonderful opportunity to spend two exciting weeks with fellow Church youth and you don’t want to miss it!—Sheldon Monson and Joshua Penman

There will be a West Virginia Pre-Teen Camp this year at the 4-H Camp in Princeton, WV. The dates are Sunday, July 29 to Friday, August 3. This camp is designed for children between the ages of 8 and 12 and the activities are planned for this age group. Activities include canoeing, archery, guitar, orienteering, kickball, life lessons and of course, Christian Living. We had a very successful camp last year and many will be returning. There are still some openings. Check www.livingyouth.org for more details. Applications need to be submitted by July 6.—Paul Shumway, Camp Director

There was an overwhelmingly positive response to last week’s Texas Pre-Teen Camp by the 38 campers and 50 staff who attended. This was a year of firsts: the first time for a new facility in Bellville, a first-time camp director, and the first time swimming and basketball were offered in Texas! Along with these new activities, the campers participated in soccer, riflery, archery, canoeing, wilderness skills (including making their own rope-and-compass bracelet) and daily Christian Living classes. Life Skills class had the girls making personalized journals and rain sticks, and the boys crafted a working clock of their own to take home. Staff and camper group activities included a line-dancing class, field games and an Amazing Race competition. Other activities included story time, a sing-along and musical chairs. The final night featured the annual end-of-camp talent show with many staff and campers showcasing their various entertainment skills. Overall, this year’s Texas Pre-Teen Camp appeared to be blessed with the idea that God’s way of life is fun!—Phil Sena, Camp Director

Attention U.S. Pastors: The deadline to submit Festival Assistance Request forms to the Church Administration Department is Monday, July 16. 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. Festival Assistance Request forms are available to ministers on the MyLCG website (www.cogl.org).

Starting this Sunday, June 24, all Living Church of God brethren are invited to sign up for activities at their respective Feast sites. (If you have not yet registered to attend a site, please do so at your convenience.) Check with your Festival Advisor if you have any questions. Sign up for activities (or register for the Feast site) by going to the LCG website (www.lcg.org) this Sunday, clicking on the “Feast of Tabernacles” link, then following the links to register for Feast activities.—Festival Office

Everyone who has been accepted for the 2013 Israel Feast tour must register with the travel company that is organizing the trip by July 2, 2012. If you have not filled out the required registration forms by then, your place on the tour may be given to someone else. Information on how to register was given in your acceptance e-mail. If you have any questions regarding this, you may call or e-mail Jim Meredith at 704-844-1970, or jmeredith@lcg.org . We appreciate your cooperation in getting this done promptly.—Jim Meredith

Registration for the Fall Semester/Semester I Living University courses will begin again on July 1. Classes begin August 15. This semester we plan to offer 17 different courses, two of which are brand new! For those who have never taken LU courses before, be sure to visit our website at www.livinguniv.com and complete an Application for Admission to the university—this will allow you to then register for a class. The website also provides detailed information on our programs, fees, courses, and much more. We encourage you to consider taking a class for credit if you want to work toward a degree or certificate. Or just “audit” a course if you desire the content without the stress of exams and papers. Those age 65 and over are eligible to audit one course per semester, tuition-free. If you have questions, please e-mail or call Ms. Michelle Bottella at michelle.bottella@livinguniv.com, or 704-708-2294. Below we highlight three different courses being offered this semester.

THL 110 A – Bible Study Course I. This version of the Bible Study Course (BSC) —lessons 1-12—is online and includes lectures on related topics and additional readings. It will be more “in depth” than the paper-pencil or online version of the Bible Study Course, but it will use the original course as its backbone. The course has no tuition fee. This two-semester course serves as an introduction to th e Bible, its message, and its implications for successful Christian life in today’s world.

THL 135 – Life, Ministry and Teachings of Jesus. This course is one of LU’s foundational courses in theology, and covers the life, ministry, and teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in the four Gospels. It takes a “harmony of the gospels” approach to the subject. The course covers the Gospels in far more detail than is possible in our traditional Sabbath services. The Gospels are analyzed from the context of the social, political, and religious conditions of the first century. Students will spend time reviewing the background, purpose, message, and themes of the Gospels and the signiﬁcance of Jesus Christ in the ﬁrst century and beyond. The lecture core of this course is a series of recorded lectures presented by Dr. Roderick Meredi th. This course is tuition-free for those having completed the BSC online or paper-pencil version, or THL 110A&B.

THL 136 – Acts and the Writings of Paul. This important class focuses on the book of Acts and deals with Paul’s life, times, and writings. It includes the background, purpose, message, and themes of Paul’s letters; his personal life and character; his companions; and the chronology of the apostle’s life. Emphasis is placed on the spiritual importance of Paul’s writings and the issues that Paul dealt with in the early New Testament Church. This exciting course is also needed to take the Epistles of Paul courses.

The Importance of Doctrine: The Apostle Paul commended Christians in Rome because they “obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine [teaching] which was delivered you” (Romans 6:17, KJV). He also urged Timothy, “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.... for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:16). However, Paul also warned repeatedly that “in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy” (1 Timothy 4:1-3). Paul also warned that as the end of the age approaches, one-time believers would “not endure sound doctrine” but would “have itching ears” and fo llow various misguided teachers—turning their ears away from the truth to follow fables (2 Timothy 4:1-4). In order to avoid being deceived and misled, we need to study the Scriptures carefully so that we know what the Bible teaches about doctrine (see the example of the Bereans in Acts 17:10-11) and exercise the spiritual discernment that comes from nourishing and using the gifts of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 1:6-7).

God Mocked by Australian Parliamentarian: The contentious issue of whether to legalize same-sex marriage continues to hover around the discussion table in the Australian Parliament. Just this week, federal MP (Member of Parliament) Adam Bandt, of the Australian Greens Party, looked to boost support amongst MPs for his private “marriage equality” bill that he plans to submit to Parliament. Although several MPs urged that the definition of marriage should not be changed, other Parliamentarians disagreed. Labor backbencher, Graham Perrett, who himself has two homosexual brothers, called for the removal of “this final vestige of discrimination” against same-sex couples (Ninemsn News, June 18, 2012). He also added, “It is timely for me to remind everyone that God did not write the Marriage Act… It was written by lawyers and legislators in ink not stone” (ibid). This statement clearly alluded to God’s engraving of the Ten Commandments on stone in Exodus 20—in a blatant disrespectful slur on Australia’s former Christian heritage. However, Mr. Perrett is mistaken. God DID in fact write the “Marriage Act” around 6,000 years ago, well before lawyers and legislators even existed! We find in Genesis 2 that God made a woman, Eve, for Adam, united them in marriage (vv. 21-23), and then declared that future unions could be made when a man left his father and mother and was joined to his wife (v. 24). From the beginning, God’s intention was for marriage to be solely between one male and one female (cf. Mark 10:6-9). Although Australia began as a God-f earing nation, this is no longer the case. It appears that it is just a matter of time before legislation that is contrary to God’s laws is passed in Australian Parliament—and this will bring serious consequences that will punish this Israelite country. Read or review our booklet The United States and Great Britain in Prophecyfor the explanation of what lies just ahead for modern Israelite countries.

White House “Kill List” and Presidential Ethics: In a recent exposé, investigative journalists shed light on a secret weekly meeting in which the U.S. President personally decides which terrorists to target for elimination. According to the article, “In interviews with The New York Times, three dozen of his current and former advisers described Mr. Obama’s evolution since taking on the role, without precedent in presidential history, of personally overseeing the shadow war with Al Qaeda. They describe a paradoxical leader who shunned the legislative deal-making required to close the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, but a pproves lethal action without hand-wringing” (New York Times, May 29, 2012). Ironically and sadly, the President’s Counterterrorism Chief and lead advisor in issuing these lethal strikes has been described as a man of “genuine moral rectitude… It’s as though you had a priest with extremely strong moral values who was suddenly charged with leading a war” (ibid.). Former and current administration leaders note that the lethal policies are designed to avoid problems associated with capturing and then detaining high-profile targets. The president’s initial view of “…the Bush administration’s ‘false choice between our safety and our ideals’” has obviously changed du ring his administration (ibid.). Long ago, God clearly stated that murder for any reason is wrong (Exodus 20:13) and He warned of grievous consequences for those breaking this and other commandments (see Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28). God also warned of a time when the Israelite-descended nations would no longer be ashamed when they commit abominations (Jeremiah 8:12). When “civilized” leaders view killing as a “necessary ethical option,” this does suggest that society is reaching “the latter time… when the transgressors have reached their fullness” spoken of by the prophet Daniel (Daniel 8:23). Thankfully, God’s plan will bring this kind of ungodly activity to an end. For more information, see our encouraging booklet, Armageddon and Beyond.—Scott Winnail, John Meakin and Paul Kearns

COGwriter 2012

Back to home page