Dear Brethren and Friends, Greetings from Charlotte, North Carolina! Most of us experienced anexcellent Feast according to the reports I have received from all over the earth! My wife and I had the privilege of attending the Feast at Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri and at Clearwater, Florida. We had 709 people in services one day at the Ozarks, and I hear that the high attendance at Clearwater was 909. The weather was beautiful in each place—though cooler weather was forecast for the latter part of the Feast in the Ozarks. Spirits were high there, and it was a beautiful Feast site.
However, one unusual event that could have been very discouraging was that Mr. and Mrs. Charles Ogwyn's baby—who was "supposed" to arrive in early November—was born just as the Feast began! Mr. Ogwyn had to leave the Feast site after a day or so to be with his wife, as the baby was experiencing serious complications. Many of us were praying and were deeply concerned. But the baby did rally during the Feast, and just yesterday (November 2), I was able to talk by telephone with Mr. Ogwyn, who was delighted to tell me that little Amy is now totally well—"out of the woods," as we say!
In Florida, the Feast went extremely well and the brethren were very upbeat and exuberant about both the activities and the sermons. Our only "hitch" there was that the remnant of Hurricane Wilma was projected to come through and possibly do some damage. It could have been a terrible storm causing significant destruction, as it did later on the Atlantic coast. However, God had other plans and diverted it to the south, away from our Feast site. All we had was a little high wind and an overnight rain, which did not really disrupt the Feast enjoyment at all! In fact, there was a dinner dance cruise arranged which most of us went ahead and attended even though some rain and heavy swells had been predicted. Later, the captain of the boat—an experienced seaman—told our cruise director, Mr. Fritz Winnail, that we were "very fortunate" in that the sea was not nearly as rough as he had anticipated, and the rain came during our cruise and stopped just before we were all ready to get off. So we did not have to get wet!
I am sure many similar circumstances "worked out" at your Feast as well, as our Father takes care of His people. This year's Feast of Tabernacles was a tremendous boost and inspiration to all with whom I have talked!
Meanwhile, our God is truly blessing the Work by opening more doors to preach the Gospel than ever before during this revived Work! Brethren, God has given us five major "breakthroughs" over the last few months in the Work:
A major breakthrough was made back in April when the Inspiration Network International began airing the Tomorrow's World telecast across the United Kingdom, Europe and the Middle East, reaching 43 million households.
During the same month, the Work in Australia was blessed with an incredible television breakthrough when the telecast began airing on the NINE Network, which has the potential of reaching approximately seven million Australian households—virtually all TV households in Australia! Most amazingly, the NINE Network allows the Church to air the Tomorrow's World telecast for free—saving the Church hundreds of thousands of dollars each year!
In August, another significant door opened in the United States. We were able to begin airing on the Inspiration Network (INSP) across the nation, reaching more than 20 million TV households.
In September, another major "door" opened in the Republic of South Africa when, for the first time ever, the true Gospel began to be televised to approximately six million households. The Tomorrow's World program had aired previously on radio in South Africa, but the Gospel on television was a first.
And last but not least for the year so far, Tomorrow's World telecast began airing, last October, on a totally brand new cable network in Canada, called The Christian Channel, with a potential audience of 1.5 million households.
So the potential audience for the Tomorrow's World telecast is in the scores of millions! Please pray that "much fruit" will result from the telecast over the coming year or two as people become acquainted with Tomorrow's World, begin to watch it more regularly, and God begins to work with and "open" many of their minds to His Truth!
From January through September this year, the telecast in the U.S. and Canada brought in more than 93,000 responses by phone calls, letters, website replies and e-mails (and 122,000 since the Feast last year)! This is a solid 30 percent increase over the same period last year.
So we are very grateful that the great God has opened these doors, and that much fruit is beginning to be seen—with much more "fruit" in the offing!
On the Tomorrow's World telecast, I often point out to our audience that many do not take seriously what they read in their Bibles, and that many do not even read the Bible at all. So I am saddened to report that, in talking with some of our ministers, I am finding out that even some of you brethren in the Living Church of God do not truly study the Bible on a regular basis! I certainly do not want to "scold" you about this, but the lack of Bible study is a far more serious matter than some teenage "prank!" This matter of not studying the word of God will affect your life now—and the type of reward and blessing you will receive for all eternity in the resurrection! Not studying the Bible has a much greater effect than some of you may have thought!
From my own experience as a minister of Jesus Christ for 53 years, I can tell you that those who "slack off" in actually studying their Bibles are affected profoundly! Please ask God to help you, motivate you and guide you as you study His inspired word. Remember, you are reading what is, in effect, the "mind of God"—the revelation from your Creator that tells you why you are here, what life is all about and what is the way to eternal life. Remember the terminology Jesus used in John 6:57 about "feeding" on Christ: "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me."
Later, Jesus said, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (v. 63).
Brethren, we do not need another "falling away" from the Truth, as so many of our friends and loved ones experienced in our former association! Genuinely studying the Bible is the best possible antidote against this type of tragedy. As so many religious polls have clearly shown, lack of Bible understanding is the key factor that allows so many Protestants and others to be confused and to believe almost "anything!"
So, what about you?
Part of the magnificent legacy left by God's servant and our dear brother, Mr. John Ogwyn, is the extremely helpful Bible Study Course. This course is not complicated or difficult to understand. But it does lead you through key issues in the Bible in an organized way, with specific information given that you might have great difficulty figuring out on your own. I strongly encourage all of you who have not done so to sign up for this course!
And, in any case, I urge you in Jesus' name to begin truly studying the Bible on your own in a way you may never have done before! Discipline yourself to set aside the time to genuinely drink in of the Bible and "feed" on Jesus Christ and on the mind of God! This is far more important than chatting with your friends about trivial matters, watching television or pursuing many other activities that often take up our time. If you are filled with the words and thoughts of the Bible, you will probably never fall away— especially as long as you keep praying to God on your knees for understanding, for humility and for His love and guidance.
As the end of this age approaches, I hope all of us can draw closer to God than ever before. Let us use the sermons and the inspiration we have received through this recent Feast to drive us to our knees, cause us to "cry out" in really urgent prayer to God, and teach us to "feed" on Christ in a way we have not done in the past! Then, we will truly become a "people of God"—a Church He can use and empower beyond anything any of us have experienced in modern times.
This is not idealistic. This needs to happen if we are to complete the Work as we should, if we are to be faithful during the terrible trials and tests that all of us will be facing in the years ahead, and if we are to powerfully complete the Work that Christ wants His Church to accomplish just before His Second Coming!
With Christian love,
