Greetings from Charlotte,
Mr. Jonathan McNair reported that 1,089 students have taken the Living Education unit on the subject of Pentecost, demonstrating a good level of interest from our members in the free online Living Education program. The number is no doubt higher, as sometimes more than one in a household go through the course. I mentioned in this week’s video update, which you can find on the Living Church of God website, that four of our Charlotte on-site Living Education students will be traveling to Thailand for several months this summer to serve in our Foundation in Mae Sot. I also mentioned how God spared a number of our brethren in northern Alberta, Canada, during a recent outbreak of forest fires. When a fire comes within a couple inches of your home, scorches the siding, but doesn’t burn it down, I think we can classify it as a miracle from God, for which all who prayed for these members are thankful. Mr. Robert Tyler, along with Mr. and Mrs. Rajan Moses, are having a productive and encouraging trip to visit members and prospective members in India. See the video for further details. Thank you brethren for your dedication and zeal in doing the Work set before us, and for your financial support through your tithes and Holy Day offerings.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
More Than 1,400 Guests Attend Tomorrow’s World Presentations So Far This Year
As we complete the first five months of this year, we want to sincerely thank everyone involved in the Tomorrow’s World Presentations. Pastors work diligently, hand in hand with the Mailing, Editorial, Church Administration, IT, and other Departments to prepare all the details. And we know many of you are praying fervently for these events—God’s blessing on them makes it obvious. We also appreciate the many hundreds of volunteers who set up the room, prepare and serve refreshments, organize the information table, and greet and welcome the visitors. Many hands make light work!
So far this year, we’ve had 1,458 guests attend our presentations. Brethren, that’s 1,458 Tomorrow’s World subscribers who, without your help, would have never had the opportunity to walk through the door. Thank you!
Living Education
Last Friday, we conducted our fifth Living Education–Charlotte graduation ceremony. Mr. Richard Ames gave the keynote address and nine students received certificates for the completion of the course. Three additional students who served as student leaders this year received a certificate for their effort. They served as Resident Assistants and took additional classes, as well as taking responsibility for leadership in a variety of ways. Eighty-five people, including parents, family members, faculty, and staff celebrated the completion of nine months of hard work. Special recognition was given to Mr. Ken Frank and Miss Rebekah Ross, who have both served as faculty since Living Education–Charlotte’s inception five years ago. A highlight of the ceremony was a video review of the year, which will be posted on our Living Education website, or you can view it directly at https://youtu.be/grqDa5FO3w4.
Living Youth Program
Texas Teen Camp Registration Closing Soon
Registration for LYC Texas will close on June 12. If you want to attend but have not yet applied, or not yet completed your application, please visit https://camp.livingyouth.org right away to register. We are open for campers between the ages of 13 and 17 and hope to see you there!
Comments
Are You Easily Entreated? The Apostle James describes a Christian using God’s Spirit as “easy to be entreated” (James 3:17, King James Version) or “willing to yield to reason” (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition) or “reasonable” (New American Standard Bible). Such a person will not be so convinced that his or her opinions or actions are right that advice from others is ignored. The Bible reveals that Solomon made a similar observation: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15). Solomon also stressed the importance of being receptive to advice (Proverbs 19:20, 27; 22:17), and he repeatedly warned that serious consequences come when we ignore advice (Proverbs 8:36; 29:1). A humble and converted Christian will not overestimate the value of his or her opinions or actions but will be teachable (like David’s attitude in Psalm 25:4) and open to instructions, suggestions, and correction. Real Christians are easily entreated!
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—June 1, 2023
Laziness: The Latest Plague in England. In a sobering commentary for The Telegraph, journalist Philip Johnston lamented on the trend he sees in Britain—working-age adults choosing to live on welfare rather than working. The number of British citizens who choose not to work is at an all-time high. Ninety percent of farm laborers are immigrants, and still there are not enough workers to keep fruit from rotting in British fields. Net migration in 2022 was about 1 million, many of whom were brought in to fill vacant UK jobs—jobs that many unemployed people could take but chose not to. Efforts to recruit UK citizens to work on farms or in the service industry, or even in certain trades, have more or less failed. Yet, foreign workers are pouring in and willing to work.
Bible prophecy warns that at the end of the age, the citizens of many of the Israelite-descended nations will descend “lower and lower,” while foreigners will rise “higher and higher” (Deuteronomy 28:43). God also warned, “You shall plant vineyards and tend them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them” (v. 39). Britain is not alone, and the peoples of many prosperous modern nations will feel the impact of this prophecy, as more and more otherwise capable men and women grow content to live on the public dole instead of doing their part.
Many who live in the most blessed nations of the earth find that a society filled with ease and plenty is too often also an environment where laziness can abound. In contrast, the Apostle Paul admonished first-century Christians tempted to laziness and unwilling to work, “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). In the future, the biblical principle will be a powerful motivator against laziness—a trait God condemns throughout the Bible. To learn more, read our commentary “Fools, Sluggards, and Liars.”—Scott Winnail and Francine Prater