Greetings from Charlotte,
We held an online ministers’ meeting on Wednesday to share what was discussed in the Council of Elders meetings the week before. In this meeting, we related trends, both positive and negative, that our Council members have noticed, and we answered questions from the ministers. One report that was given in the Council meetings is a list of ways that the Living Church of God is serving members and non-members through what we might term “good works” here in the United States and around the world. Be sure to read the article on this subject by Mr. Dexter Wakefield, which will appear in an upcoming Living Church News issue. One noticeable trend we are seeing is a lot of interest in the Sabbath and Holy Days. Hopefully, the telecast that Mr. Rod McNair recorded today—entitled “Three Questions About the Christian Passover” and offering our booklet on the Holy Days—will have a powerful impact. Thank you for your moral support and prayers for Christ’s guidance. – Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Tomorrow’s World Presentations
This week, Mr. Simon Roberts will give an initial presentation in Bristol, England. As was mentioned in this week’s Ministerial Conference, this year about 111 people in the United States have begun attending services as a direct result of the Tomorrow’s World Presentations—and there are certainly many more with whom God is working. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support for the Tomorrow’s World Presentations.
Dr. Meredith’s Sermon on the Book of Philippians
Almost eleven years ago—in 2013—Dr. Meredith gave a sermon on the book of Philippians. The former Presiding Evangelist had an unusually keen insight into the epistles of Paul after teaching the Ambassador College class on that subject for many years. This week, we are redistributing this sermon because of its enduring value, and we will be reposting it on the web in a few weeks. If you are a new attendee, a young adult in the Church, or a “seasoned” member with a desire to review this important book, you may want to pay special attention to this sermon.
Northeast Spring Holy Day Weekend
We will once again be holding a Spring Holy Day weekend in the Northeast Region. The arrival date will be Thursday, April 17, and the departure date will be Sunday, April 20. The event will be held at Jiminy Peak Resort in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains region of Massachusetts. More details are forthcoming—but, in the meantime, if anyone would like more details, they can contact Mr. Michael Aviles at [email protected].
Living Education
The Living Education–Charlotte application portal is open for students who wish to apply for the 2025–26 academic year. For more information and to apply, just go to our Living Education website and click on the “Charlotte” button at the top of the page. A number of students have begun their application this week, and we’re looking forward to a great year!
Comments
God Is in Charge: Today, many assume that there is no God and that human beings and human governments must therefore determine their own future. However, the Bible reveals that God does exist and that He alone determines the future of people and nations. The book of Job records that God “makes nations great, and destroys them” (Job 12:23). The prophet Daniel wrote that God “removes kings and raises up kings” (Daniel 2:21) and that “the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses” (Daniel 4:25, 32). The Scriptures reveal that nations and individuals will reap what they sow—those who obey God will be blessed, and those who reject God, ignoring His commandments, will be cursed (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28; Jeremiah 2). We need to remember these valuable instructions as we watch world events in the days ahead.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy – November 21, 2024
The Satanic Temple Seeks Recognition in Chile: Several years ago, the Satanic Temple made headlines in the United States, but now it is making headlines in Chile as it seeks official recognition there as a religious association (AP, November 7, 2024). In that traditionally Catholic nation, this is a bold step. But, as sexual abuse scandals have rocked the Roman Catholic Church, the Satanic Temple feels that now is a good time to put its request forward.
People wishing to join the Satanic Temple in Chile are requested by the organization to undergo background checks and a psychological evaluation, after which they choose a new name for use within the group—usually a name associated with a demon or fallen angel. As one spokesman for the group noted, “In Satanism there are no solutions or absolute truths. You are your own god and you create your own reality” (emphasis ours). The group is quick to note that they are not involved in sacrificing or killing. “While they embrace the term Satanist, they don’t revere or believe in Satan. Instead, they worship rationality, individualism, pleasure and the mundane.”
While these individuals may not overtly worship Satan, few realize that the desire to be one’s own god originated with the very real Devil. The Apostle Paul reveals that Satan is the “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:3–4) and that misguided people at the end of the age would be proud, self-centered, unholy, blasphemers, despisers of good, and “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:1–5). It is not surprising that some of these very qualities led Satan to mount a rebellion against the very throne of God (Isaiah 14:12–14). To learn more about how our world has been deceived, you can read or listen to Satan’s Counterfeit Christianity.
Is America Drying Up? The Guardian reports, “Every US state except Alaska and Kentucky is facing drought, an unprecedented number, according to the US Drought Monitor” (November 5, 2024). “As of November 19, 2024, 38.03% of the U.S. and Puerto Rico and 45.48% of the lower 48 states are in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor,” and this drought is impacting more than 140 million people (Drought.gov, November 19, 2024). Recently an environmental commission has suggested that the world’s water cycle is out of balance, possibly playing a role in such widespread drought conditions.
As The Guardian notes, “Dry conditions can also result in low water levels on rivers and other waterways. Ports and other water-borne transportation may become limited due to a reduction in available routes and cargo-carrying capacity, which increases transportation costs.” On the world scene, extreme droughts in Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as in Ecuador, are demonstrating that lowered water levels of rivers reduce a nation’s capacity to generate hydroelectric power. In addition, nuclear power plants are frequently located on lakes and rivers easily affected by drought.
Drought affects nearly every sector of society and can diminish a nation’s ability to grow food—and to share that food with other nations that need it. As greater and more prolonged droughts ravage nations like the U.S. and Canada—nations that provide much of the world with food and other resources—how will the world fare? Extreme and widespread drought is not just a unique ecological occurrence partially influenced by human practices. The Bible reveals that God influences and uses the weather to punish and get the attention of mankind (Deuteronomy 28:23–24). As we watch droughts continue and increase, it is important to also realize that there is hope for the future. To learn more about the real significance of events making the news today, you can read or listen to Acts of God: Why Natural Disasters? – Scott Winnail and Francine Prater