Greetings everyone,
By now most of you have probably received Mr. Meredith's member letter dated April 29, addressed solely to the brethren. Whether those in your district have received it or not, please remind them once again of the Church fast proclaimed for the Sabbath of May 15, 2004. This means that all of us in the Living Church of God are to abstain from food and drink beginning at sunset on Friday, May 14, and ending at sunset on Saturday, May 15.
Mr. Charles Bryce is presently in the Philippines conducting ministerial meetings, and he will spend the Sabbath with our Philippine brethren. Mr. Richard Ames and his wife will be in Tampa, Florida, while Mr. Meredith will be preaching here in Charlotte.
MEDIA
Web Site Update
Last week, the official Living Church of God Web sites recorded their first visit from the former Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan. This brings to 186 the number of countries known to have visited www.lcg.org or www.tomorrowsworld.org.
Semi-Annual Letter
The Mail Processing Department has begun printing Mr. Meredith's "semi-annual letter" to Tomorrow's World subscribers. In that letter, he offers his newest booklet, Does God Heal Today? This booklet will be sent automatically to all Church households. If you receive the Living Church News you will receive a copy of the new booklet. Mr. Meredith's letter mentions a reply card that subscribers must return to request the booklet. Copies of his letter sent to members will not include a reply card, as the booklet will be mailed to members as soon as Mail Processing receives it from the printer.
CHURCH ADMINISTRATION
E-mail "Virus" Messages
Headquarters staff and field ministers have been receiving numerous e-mail "virus" messages in the past week. So far, we have not been able to track the origin of the viruses, but we are continuing to investigate, and we would like to request your help. We know that the "virus" messages are coming from a recipient of The World Ahead (Weekly Update), so we need to ask you to please make sure that your anti-virus software is working properly, and that it has been updated with the latest virus definitions. A free online virus scan for Windows users is available at http://housecall.trendmicro.com. TrendMicro's online virus detection utility may be helpful for initially checking for viruses, but should not be used in place of stand-alone virus software because it only checks for viruses when you initiate a check. Your help and cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated. – Josh Beattie
LEGAL AFFAIRS
Conscientious Objector Status for Young Adults
United States law currently requires all males to register with the Selective Service Administration within 30 days of their 18th birthday. Keeping in mind the biblical guidelines of Romans 13:1-2, the Church advises its young men to comply with this requirement, and to do so retroactively if they failed to do it on time.
At present, there is no draft. However, if a draft is reinstated, current regulations will give conscientious objectors as little as nine days to document their status if they have not already done so. As a result, it would be wise to begin documenting your conscientious objection now, so that if the military reviews your claim it will already be established, and not be seen as the hasty action of someone simply afraid to fight.
Current Selective Service regulations apply only to men; however, it may also be wise for young women to document their conscientious objector status as soon as possible, so that they will be ready in the event that the draft is extended to women.
Our Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs teaches that a true Christian will be a conscientious objector to military service. If you are a young adult in the Living Church of God, and would like more information about establishing conscientious objector status, please write to the following address for an information packet:
Living Church of God
Attn: Legal Affairs
2301 Crown Centre Drive
Charlotte, NC 28227
Please do not put the words "Conscientious Objection" nor "Conscientious Objector" on the outside of the envelope as doing so could increase the likelihood of it being "lost" in the mail.
If you prefer, you may send your request via e-mail to [email protected], or phone (704) 844-1960, ext. 228.
COMMENTS
In his letter proclaiming the May 15 Church fast, Mr. Meredith clearly explained the purpose of a spiritual fast. He showed a few examples in the Bible where God heard His people's fervent prayers after their fasting and their crying out to Him—with all their heart. When God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt, he told them, "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deut. 4:29). Time and again, God's prophets repeated a similar exhortation when speaking to the people. We need to examine ourselves to know whether this is the way we pray and seek God—always! Do we really pray, individually, with all our heart and with all our soul? Regrettably, not! And that's precisely where we fail. Although prayer is the most powerful tool we have to establish contact with God, it seems as though it has become a routine task for some of us. Throughout the Bible, God exhorts us to be fervent and zealous. He tells us to seek Him with all our heart and with all our soul. Notice also David's warning when he gave instructions to Solomon, his son, about building the Temple. "If you seek Him [the LORD], He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever" (I Chronicles 28:9).
Take time to read Elijah's encounter with Ahab and Baal's prophets. It's both amusing and instructive. When Elijah stood face to face with the people, he said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him" (I Kings 18: 21). Elijah courageously challenged Baal's false prophets. He invited them to put their god, their false god, to test. He mocked them as "they leaped about the altar which they had made," and when they "cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them." The god they worshipped had no life, no power. Consequently, their prayers were in vain. In his challenge with Baal's prophets and their false god, Elijah himself prayed to the only true God—with all his heart and with all his soul. "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel," he said forcefully, "Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again" (verses 36-37). The miracle took place.
When we pray fervently with all our heart and with all our soul, God always answers us—and miracles do take place—but not necessarily the way we expect Him to answer. Let's remember this truth, not only on May 15 during our Church fast, but also every time we turn to God, humbly, for help, for wisdom, for guidance, for His Spirit to pour upon us.
Y'all have wonderful Sabbath,
Dibar Apartian