Greetings from Charlotte,
The year 2007 is rapidly drawing to a close. It has been an eventful year—with droughts, floods, a looming world financial crisis and storm clouds of war rising in the Middle East. It is certainly a time when we need to be drawing closer to God and really putting our hearts in His Work. Please pray for Mr. Meredith's December co-worker letter which is being mailed out this week, that more individuals would see the need to convey the true Gospel to a confused world that has lost its way and is in need of a real hope for the future. We also need to rise above interpersonal differences that occur from time to time in our local congregations. We have been called to work together as a family and as a team to accomplish the most important mission. If we cannot do that now, we simply will not be given opportunities to rule in the kingdom.
Please note: Those planning to attend the 15th Anniversary dinner and dance here in Charlotte need to register online. Also, those planning to enroll in Living University classes for the Spring semester should register as soon as possible. Refer to this issue of The World Ahead for the list of classes to be offered. It appears that we will have more than 150 students in Living University classes this Spring.
Living University
Registration for Living University's 2008 Spring Semester is now underway. Five courses are available. They are:
PE 236 Camp Leadership
THL 136 Acts and the Writings of Paul
THL 250 Introduction to Biblical Doctrines
THL 326 Christian Leadership
THL 472 Archaeology and the Biblical World
Next August, Dr. Meredith plans to teach a two-semester course sequence on the Epistles of Paul. These courses will focus on the Apostle Paul's life and letters. The lectures will be a verse-by-verse exposition of Paul's writings and of the rich doctrinal lessons they contain. If you plan to enroll in an Epistles class next August, be sure you take THL 136 Acts and the Writings of Paul class during the Spring semester. THL 136 is the foundational and prerequisite class for the Epistles of Paul.
Living University will be offering a course entitled PE 236 Camp Leadership in the Spring of 2008 (mid-March to mid-May), to be taught by Sheldon Monson. Mr. Monson is a LCG Area Pastor and has served on the camp faculty and the faculty of Imperial Schools. This two-semester-hour course will consist of sixteen 50-minute lectures (two per week), plus assigned homework and exams. We will discuss techniques of camp counseling and leadership, camp safety, legal considerations, activities, camp goals and objectives, program planning, character building, etc. For those who are currently involved, or wish to be involved in camp leadership, this class is a must. We encourage counselors, assistant counselors, department heads, college and high school staff members, and future camp directors, to enroll now.
Fifteenth Anniversary
The response to our invitation to the 15th Anniversary celebration in Charlotte has been tremendous. To date, we have had 435 people register for Sabbath services and 396 for the dinner. These numbers are just about the maximum our venue can handle. Our other seminars and activities are also booked to capacity. For this reason, we are closing registration for the 15th Anniversary events on Sunday, December 16.
For those who have registered but have not booked housing, please identify yourselves as being part of the Living Church of God when making your reservations. While we have no financial incentive in making this request, the hotel/motels listed on the website have reserved a block of rooms for the Living Church of God and would like to know how many rooms we book as a group.
A number of attendees have made housing arrangements with individual families here in Charlotte. At this point, there is no further space available in local members' homes.—Davy Crockett
Married Couples Seminar
Please note, due to space constraints, the Friday night, December 28, Bible Study is open only to participants of the Married Couples Seminar. We apologize for any misunderstanding.—Rod McNair
Church Administration
Northeast Young Adults Ski Weekend
Last call! We still have a few spots open for the Northeast Young Adults Ski Weekend! The location is Ludlow, Vermont, located minutes away from Okemo Mountain, one of the top ski areas in the Northeast. To register, go to www.formdesk.com/mcnair/form1. For questions and more information, contact Jonathan McNair at [email protected].
Public Lecture in Joplin
On November 20, Mr. Karl Beyersdorfer presented a public Bible lecture in Joplin, Missouri, entitled "What's Behind the News Today?" He reports that out of 416 invitations sent, 34 new people attended the lecture from Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. That is an 8.2 percent response rate. So far, two new people are attending services regularly. Nine requested literature. Also, 24 brethren were in attendance at the lecture.
United Kingdom and East Africa Update
Mr. Rod King reports: The past two weeks have been most "interesting". I joined Mr. Simon Muthama (our Kenyan deacon) in Dar es Salaam… The best part to the trip was to spend six days with Mr. Muthama who was born just a few weeks after I was born. Though we are from different continents and races, we are both from the British Commonwealth, speak English, drink tea and spell "centre" the way it should be spelled! What makes us really close though, is God's Holy Spirit. He and I also made a trip to Zanzibar, which is just off the coast of East Africa near Dar es Salaam.
Upon my return to England, I learned that we have now received more than 1,500 responses to an advertising programme we have conducted since the Feast. Our income is in good order. Mr. Jim Bennett, our deacon from Wales, has been having some good visits in the Manchester area.
Here is news of our new station in the UK: It is called LoveWorld and started airing three weeks ago. As I mentioned in previous reports, we used to receive over 300 responses a week when we were on Inspiration Network. That dropped to about 50 a week or lower with only the two other channels we are on. This week, Mr. Wayne Pyle sent me the preliminary numbers, and they are:
Gospel Channel Word Network LoveWorld Total
67 15 229 311
This is the first time since September 2006 that we have received more than 300 responses. And the best part about LoveWorld? It is FREE! They approached us and asked us to air our programme.
South Africa Update
Mr. Pieter van der Byl reports: The congregations in South Africa are stable overall and going forward. We are pleased to see that we have a slight increase in average Sabbath attendance, and calls are still coming in from people requesting either information, visits or requests to attend services. I have had contact via the Church's website from a man wanting to assist the Church financially, but first wanting to be assured of how the money would be spent! After explaining to him the priorities of the commission of the Church and our careful stewardship, he asked for our banking details, and said he would like to contribute…
Mr. Louis Bouwer reports that the Johannesburg and Pretoria congregations are stable and averaging a combined attendance of about 35… As you may have seen in the news, we have a political situation in South Africa which is causing some concern… We'll have to watch and see how things are going to work out, asking God to guide the outcome according to His will for this country and the Work that is still to be done. We would appreciate your prayers concerning this. In the meantime we are pressing forward.
First Subscriber in the Pitcairn Islands
Mr. Kinnear Penman writes: We have a lady who seems to be our first subscriber on Pitcairn Island, which is in the Pacific Ocean, west of South America. According to Wikipedia.com, "The Pitcairn Islands… are a group of four islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. The islands are a British overseas territory (formerly British colony), the last remaining in the Pacific… With only 50 inhabitants (from nine families), [emphasis ours] Pitcairn is also notable for being the least populated jurisdiction in the world..."
Human Resources
Employment Opportunity. Please review and announce the following job description and opening:
Freelance/Contract Programmer: There is an opening for a freelance programmer to work on a contract basis. The work will require extensive knowledge of PHP5 and MySQL and the person should have at least three years of PHP programming experience. Anyone interested in working as a part-time programmer should contact Human Resources at [email protected] or send fax to 704-844-1973.
Comments
Where Is Your Heart? We are told in the Scriptures that God looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7) and that He examines and tests our hearts and minds (Psalm 7:9) because "a man's heart reveals the man" (Proverbs 27:19). Our priorities reveal what is truly in our heart. This is why we are urged to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33) and to do whatever we do with all our might (Ecclesiastes 9:10). We see these principles in action when we look at the life of Jesus Christ. He was a mission-oriented person. He commented to His disciples, "My food [nourishment] is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work" (John 4:34). Jesus was totally focused on His mission of preaching the Gospel, warning the world and preparing a people to reign with Him in the Kingdom of God. Regarding priorities, He said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). His time, talents and resources were totally committed to His mission. Jesus' heart was in the Work of God. We need to periodically examine our priorities and ask the question, Where is our heart?
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—December 13, 2007
The Russian Bear Is Growing Stronger. Vladimir Putin may soon be stepping down as Russia's President, but he may remain in the upper levels of Russian leadership. Two months ago, President Putin and the Iranian president watched naval war games between Russia and China. The Iranians were later asked to join the Shanghai group, Asia's equivalent of NATO. Recently, Russia resumed regular, long-range nuclear bomber patrols. Russia is planning to double its combat aircraft production over the next 18 years and is planning six new nuclear-powered aircraft carriers—they currently have only one. Russian military defense spending has increased by 22 and 27 percent in the past two years and may be as high as 30 percent this year. The possible replacement for Mr. Putin has now announced a $200 billion program of military expenditure. It appears that "Russia is determined to recover its status as a global superpower" (The Sunday Telegraph, August 19, 2007). The current Russian military build-up is significant in the light of Bible prophecy. God warns that, in the future, news from the "east and the north" of Jerusalem will trouble the beast power (Daniel 11:44). Ultimately, a conglomerate military power of 200 million soldiers from the east will arise and destroy one third of the earth's remaining population (Revelation 9:13-21). The prophet Joel refers to this army as "the like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them…" (Joel 2:2). Russia and its military may now be moving toward their prophesied position of power.
Egypt and the Demise of the Holy Land. Over the last 10 months, Egypt has unearthed 60 tunnels on the border with the Gaza Strip. These tunnels have been used to smuggle arms from Egypt to the Palestinian cause. Some of these tunnels lead from Egyptian homes to Gaza. Over 20,000 tons of explosives along with mines, grenades, and detonators have also been found. As a reaction to Israeli accusations that Egypt has been supporting terrorism against Israel, the Egyptian government has vowed to "crack down" on such terrorist efforts (International Herald Tribune, November 13, 2007). Egypt is prophesied to play a major role in end-time prophecy. God will use it as a rod of His wrath on the Israelite-descended nations (Daniel 11:8; Hosea 7:16; Zechariah 10:10), and these secret tunnels into the Palestinian territories could be a tool in this work, and in the future actions of the King of the South. God also prophesied that Egypt, along with Assyria (Germany) would be blessed in the Kingdom for their service to God (Isaiah 19:23-25).
Increasing Demon Activity. God warns that the "last days" will be unlike any other time in history. People will call good, evil, and evil, good (Isaiah 5:20). Satan-inspired acts will become more common. In a recent book, Inside Karen's Crowded Mind, Dr. Richard Baer recounts nearly two decades of work with a patient afflicted with multiple personality disorder (MPD). This woman had 17 distinct personalities—some women, some men, some children—all with distinct memories and even distinct handwriting (Newsweek, October 29, 2007). Modern psychology "writes off" MPD as either a hoax or a rare and complex psychological condition. During Christ's time, there were many examples of demons cast out of people through the power of God. We know that many demons can inhabit one person (Mark 5:2-13), and that when "cast out," they can return, if one does not stay close to God (Matthew 12:43-45). God warns that when Satan is finally cast out from heaven, he will go out with "great wrath" because he knows he has but a short time remaining (Revelation 12:12). The end times promise to be terrible and even frightening. No doubt increased demonic activity will occur. But we do not need to fear, because we are promised that with God's help we can resist the devil and he will flee from us (James 4:7-8).—Don Davis, Daniel Bennett and Scott Winnail