Greetings from Charlotte,
Challenging weather patterns continue to buffet Israelite nations around the world. In the USA, the State of Kentucky declared a state of emergency this past week due to ice storms, downed power lines and the resultant loss of electricity that closed schools and businesses for nearly a week. Meanwhile, in Australia people are suffering through a record heat wave (see report below). Here in Charlotte, we had freezing temperatures and icy roads yesterday, but temperatures should moderate as we approach the weekend. Financial troubles, however, continue to roil the global economy. We have been working on budgetary planning this week as we seek God's guidance to steer a wise course through 2009—which looks like it could be a very challenging year. Please pray that God will guide and continue to bless His Work in the year just ahead.
Last weekend, 49 people attended the second public lecture in Atlanta. I addressed the subject, "Where Is God's Church Today?" in a PowerPoint presentation. About 40 of the people attending had been to the first lecture the previous week (where the attendance was 69), so it looks like about 80 people actually responded to the invitation. It was certainly a privilege to work with Mr. Jack Lowe and the brethren in the Atlanta congregation to hold these two lectures.
Mr. Dan Hall will be conducting a public Bible lecture in the Lufkin, Texas area this weekend. Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Pyle and Mr. Gary Ownby will be attending the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, next Monday and Tuesday.
Church Administration
Australia Update
Mr. Bruce Tyler reports: We are having a hot spell in the weather in this part of the world. Adelaide reached a high of 114.26 Fahrenheit on January 28. Melbourne is also very similar. Train lines have buckled, throwing things into chaos as well. The big worry right now is the potential for bush fires. Everything is so dry. Here is a bit of the news covering the subject:
"SOUTH Australia will suffer six consecutive days of 40C-plus temperatures [104F-115F] in the hottest such stretch in a century—and yesterday the mercury has topped 45C [114.26F]. Not since 1908 has Adelaide recorded such a long run of temperatures over the 40C [104F] mark. The stretch includes Tuesday's top of 43.2C [109.76F] and Wednesday's excruciating temperature of 45.7C at 3:31pm. So far, today is the third-hottest day ever recorded in Adelaide. The other two were in January, 1939—when the mercury reached the all-time of 46.1C [115F]…. This year, the worst six days come in the middle of an official heatwave (temperatures of 35C [95F] or above) of at least nine days. Forecasters are so far unable to predict when the heat will ease…" (Adelaide Advertiser, January 29, 2009).
Jamaica Update
Mr. Lascelles Fraser, Jamaica Area Pastor, reports that 2009 in Jamaica started with the visit of Dr. Scott Winnail on January 3, with combined services in Kingston, followed by a Living Leadership Course lesson with 83 in attendance. Dr. Scott Winnail also conducted a songleader/sermonette workshop for eight men during his visit. In January, two Bible studies were conducted for several prospective members in Westmoreland and in Montego Bay. Two new persons have also started attending in Ocho Rios, and three others have asked for baptismal counseling. "Because of the interest in the Bible studies, they are again scheduled for February," Mr. Fraser wrote.
Spanish Update
Mr. Raul Colón, Puerto Rico Area Pastor and Assistant to Mr. Mario Hernandez, will be visiting congregations in South America from February 7 to 15. Mr. Colón will be in Santiago, Chile from February 7 to 9 to visit our brethren there, and then he will travel to Argentina to visit brethren and congregations in Bahia Blanca and Buenos Aires. Your prayers for a successful, safe and profitable trip are appreciated.
10th Annual Wyoming Family Weekend
With all the wintry weather the country has been going through, it's time to mark your calendars for July 10-12, 2009! Don't forget to plan now to come to Saratoga, Wyoming for the 10th Annual Wyoming Family Weekend. A Friday evening Bible study at 7:30 p.m. will start the weekend. There will be a Sabbath brunch at 10:00 a.m. and services at 2:30 p.m. with a covered-dish meal and steak cookout afterwards. A Sunday morning workshop will follow breakfast, then "good-old" family recreational time is planned for the remainder of Sunday. For those who might not want to go fishing on Sunday, additional fun activities are planned.
If you would like to attend this activity, please contact Mr. Ben Whitfield at [email protected] for further information.
Comments
Be a Light and Example: According to the Scriptures, God desires His people to be lights and examples to a world that is enveloped in darkness. God called Abraham to learn to live by His commandments and to walk before Him and be blameless (Genesis 17:1; 26:5). Moses told the Israelites that God gave them His laws to set them apart from other nations so they could be examples to the world (Deuteronomy 4:1-9), and they were instructed to pass on these concepts and ideas to their children. The Old Testament makes it clear that God's people were to live moral lives, avoid profanity, avoid sexual perversions, and even to refrain from getting tattoos or dressing like the opposite sex (Exodus 20; Leviticus 18:22; 19:28; Deuteronomy 22:5). In the New Testament, Jesus told His disciples they were to be lights to the world, and live not only by the letter of God's law, but also by the spirit of the law (Matthew 5:13-30). In addition to the instructions to live moral lives, the Apostle Paul advised Christians to wear their hair in a manner that was appropriate for either a man or a woman (1 Corinthians 11:14-16) and said that men and women should dress in modest and appropriate apparel—especially for Church services (1 Timothy 2:9-10). While some want to dismiss these clear New Testament guidelines as "rules and regulations" that are irrelevant to Christians, these instructions were preserved for us in the word of God to set His people apart from Satan's societies so they can truly be lights to this world—not only spiritually, but also physically. As we see the standards of conduct and dress continue to decline, these biblical guidelines will become increasingly noticeable as Christians function as "lights" in a darkened world.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—February 5, 2009
British More Skeptical of EU? A recent poll conducted in Britain revealed that nearly two thirds of Britons favor loosening ties with the European Union. While 16% of voters favor totally pulling out of the EU, 48% are in favor of "loosening" ties with them. Specifically, this same 48% of voters would like to see "the government taking back powers from Brussels and ending the supremacy of the European Court of Justice over British law." Due to the current economic pressures, "59 percent of the population believes [government] ministers should disregard the EU's VAT [value added tax] rules if they feel a further cut in VAT is necessary in this year's Budget." Although many governmental leaders in Britain favor a close relationship with the EU and pushed the Lisbon Treaty through without a public referendum, apparently most of the British populace is against the moves its government has made (Telegraph, January 10, 2009). At a future point, God reveals that there will be a core of 10 "kingdoms" involved in the final Beast power (Revelation 13:1-7, Revelation 17). Just who will make up these final ten kingdoms remains to be seen. However an important question to ask is, "What will happen to 'kingdoms' that 'join' the Beast and commit their resources and sovereignty to it, and then withdraw?" We will have to watch! The Bible warns that Israelite-descended nations will experience captivity under this Beast (Deuteronomy 28:49-57; Lamentations 5:2; Jeremiah 5:15-19). Could breaking a commitment to be part of a larger governmental structure lead to such a captivity? Time will certainly tell.
Britain Loses More of Itself. In the last 18 months, Deutsche Ban, Germany's state-owned railway, "has quietly bought several British train companies that carry a total of 30 million passengers a year." Deutsche Ban recently purchased EWS, Britain's biggest rail freight company. Currently, Deutsche Ban is seeking to buy Britain's one-third share of Eurostar, which would put the high-speed, inter-European train service totally in foreign hands. Deutsche Ban's "self-proclaimed objective is to become the world's leading passenger and logistics company" (The Times, December 12, 2008). Britain appears to be hemorrhaging more and more of its national assets, which are often procured by other European nations. As Britain weakens, it in turn helps strengthen European nations that buy its assets. Long ago, God warned Israelite-descended nations that, because of their disobedience and idolatry, they would move lower as the gentiles/aliens among them rise higher and higher (Deuteronomy 28:43). God prophesied that a nation would come from "afar" with a different language and a "fierce countenance" and take over the very foundations of Israelite society (verses 47-52). As the British sell off their national assets, they will be increasingly subject to the rules and whims of the foreign nations who own them. Prophecy is indeed coming to pass.
Demonic Activity Increasing? Sources at Derby England's new Royal Hospital have reported dozens of sightings of a "ghost" in the last several weeks. "Several have seen a male figure cloaked from head to toe in black darting between rooms and through walls—especially in departments near the morgue," one hospital source noted. Many staff are feeling uneasy at work and public officials at the hospital are calling in an exorcist priest to help remedy the problem (The Sun, January 30, 2009). Scripture warns that at the end of the age, the devil will lash out having "great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time" left (Revelation 12:12). The final European Beast power will also be connected with a powerful spiritual leader. This individual will display great power, signs and lying wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:3-9). To do this, this spiritual leader will need to tap the spiritual powers of the devil himself and the demons who serve him. We need to remember that these spirits are around us constantly. Christ constantly confronted them during His earthly ministry. As we approach the end of the age, we will see increased demonic activity that even the religious skeptics cannot ignore.—Daniel Bennett and Scott Winnail