Greetings from Charlotte,
Three weeks after the tragedy in Paris, two armed gunmen invaded a Christmas party in San Bernardino, California, taking the lives of 14 people and wounding 17 others. A few hours later, the attackers died in a shoot-out with police. When these events are viewed in the context of the atrocities taking place in the Middle East, North Africa and other places around the world, they certainly resemble the "perilous times" the Apostle Paul prophesied would come in "the last days" (2 Timothy 3:1-4). Here in Charlotte, Dr. Meredith is preparing for an on-line TWP that he will make this coming Sunday, December 6, entitled "A Prophetic Warning for the World." The TWP will be broadcast live on the Internet at 3 p.m. EST. We are very encouraged to report that the Spanish language El Mundo de Mañana YouTube channel has just surpassed 3 million views (see announcement below). This weekend, Mr. Rod McNair and Dr. Jeffrey Fall will make a Tomorrow's World Presentation in Concord, California, and a number of men from Charlotte will be traveling out to congregations in the region. I will be in Minneapolis for services this Sabbath and Wisconsin Dells for a Regional Conference on Sunday. Please pray that God will bless these efforts to do His work.—DSW
Church Administration
Live-Streaming from Charlotte
This Sunday, December 6, Dr. Roderick Meredith plans to give another online Tomorrow's World Presentation at 3:00 p.m. EST and indications are that the audience will be even larger than the audience for the online presentation he gave last spring. This live-streamed event can be viewed from the Tomorrow's World Web site, or if you have registered, you will receive a link by e-mail so you can just click that to view it. This will be available on the Web site for several weeks after.
On December 26, Sabbath service here in Charlotte will be live-streamed over the Internet and Dr. Meredith plans to give the sermon. The live-streamed service will be advertised to subscribers as a chance to "Meet the Living Church of God" and potentially tens of thousands of people could watch this live service. Many LCG congregations around the world will also be connected to the live service, where it is locally feasible for them to do so.
Your prayers for these events are very much appreciated.
Are You Interested in Helping Preach the Gospel?
The Church spends hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for the call center that takes calls from people requesting literature offered on the Tomorrow's World telecast. In an effort to potentially save a substantial amount of this expense, we are exploring the possibility of bringing our call center in-house. However, for this to happen we will need your help! This is an opportunity for Church members to let their lights shine and have a direct "hands on" part in preaching the Gospel. In order for this to be successful, we need many volunteers who are able to work from home and are willing to assist with our peak-volume call-in periods at different times throughout the week. We are looking for friendly individuals who are committed to God's Work, are comfortable working with a computer, have high-speed Internet access (at least 15 Mbps.) and could commit to being available on a semi-regular basis to help ensure that we are able to handle the volume of calls. At this time we are only asking for members in the continental United States to volunteer—in the future we may be able to expand this to some other countries as well. You notifying us of your interest in helping will in no way commit you to any particular day or time, it is just to let us know if we have enough people to move forward with this project. The more people who volunteer the better, since it will allow us to spread the workload around and prevent scheduling any one person too often. The success of this project depends on you! If you are interested in volunteering, please e-mail Daniel Guidry at [email protected] and give him your contact information—Jim Meredith
Charlotte Family Weekend Registration Deadline:
If you plan to attend the Charlotte Family Weekend event December 24-27, please register online as soon as possible. Registration for the activities—including sports teams—will close December 15, and the online PayPal payment will close December 20. Since we must give guaranteed numbers to the hotel for the meals, if you register for a ticket but we do not receive your payment by December 20, your meal will not be ordered. After December 20, the only meals that may be available will be from late cancellations on paid meals.
For more detailed information on the events and to register, go to your MyLCG page on the www.cogl.org Web site. (If you do not have computer access, your local Festival Advisor can register for you.) Updated information on this year's event can be found on the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/LcgCharlotteWinterWeekend?ref=bookmarks. You do not need a Facebook account to access this page. We hope many of you can join us for a weekend of spiritual rejuvenation, fun, food, and fellowship!—Jim Meredith
Kansas City Family Weekend Registration Open—Repeat Announcement
The Kansas City Family Weekend is only a month away. For those who have not yet registered, the details are on the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/lcgkcweekend) and on the event Web site at http://kcweekend.moluf.net (not official LCG sites). Rooms are available at the Hilton Garden Inn in Independence, MO (phone 816-350-3000). Mention that you are with the Living Church of God to get a discount rate of $81.00 per night + tax. Housing with brethren is also available, but register soon so you don't lose out on available space.
The weekend will include Bible studies, a catered meal, art show, fun show and dance. Sign up on the Web site if you plan to bring artwork so we can have plenty of room for your exhibit. The beef brisket Saturday evening dinner will cost $18/adult and $10/child under 12. Dress for the evening will be formal or Sabbath-wear. Activities on Sunday will include teams for family games plus basketball and volleyball tournaments. There will also be a volleyball skills clinic, teen basketball games, children's basketball clinic and Gaga ball. Deadlines are coming up in mid-December. Please register soon!—Michael Keesee
Internet Department
Spanish YouTube site passes 3,000,000 views!
We are excited to announce that the Spanish-language Tomorrow's World YouTube site, El Mundo de Mañana, just surpassed an important milestone of more than 3,000,000 views! This is very encouraging! It is also encouraging to see that many days the El Mundo de Mañana YouTube page receives 5,000-8,000 or more views in a single day, and that these views come from all around the world—from Latin America to Australia and from Israel to Europe! We thank God for blessing these efforts to reach the entire world in multiple languages, with the Truth and with the Good News of Jesus Christ's return and the coming Kingdom of God!—Wyatt Ciesielka
Living Youth Program
Online Teen Bible Study Friday Evening
The online Teen Bible Study on Friday evening, December 11, will be on "What Is 'Hell'?," presented by Mr. Sheldon Monson. If you haven't had the opportunity to join us for one of the online Bible Studies yet, we encourage you to do so. It is a wonderful way to start the Sabbath day.
The Bible Study runs from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. (Eastern time) and the chat room will be open for a half hour before and after the study. You can access this Bible Study at livingyouth.org. We hope as many of our youth as possible will join us for this wonderful opportunity for godly fellowship and learning. For those of you who are unable to make it to the study, archives of previous Living Youth Bible Studies, including last evening's on, "Just What Is Man?," can also be found on the Living Youth Web site.
Living University
Registration for Second Semester
Registration for second semester classes is now underway! The spring semester will begin on Wednesday, January 13 and students may register anytime before the start of classes. Those who have never taken a Living University course will need to enroll in the University first, and then register for your selected courses. This semester, along with many of our traditional spring semester classes, we will be offering two completely new courses, one of which is listed below. The following are brief descriptions of two more courses offered next semester. A complete listing of second semester courses can also be viewed on the Living University Web site under the link "Spring 2016 Class Schedule." To make application to Living University, to register for courses, and to find out more, please visit the www.livinguniv.com Web site. Members who are in their Third Tithe year at the start of the semester are eligible for a 50 percent tuition reduction and those age 65 and over are eligible to audit one class per semester without a tuition charge. Additionally, for those from "developing nations" who wish to take LU courses, we have created a new scholarship that reduces tuition by 50 percent for those in eligible nations. To learn if you are eligible for this scholarship, visit the following link (http://www.isi-web.org/index.php/news-from-isi/20018-dc014) or find the link on the Living University Web site under "Tuition and Fees." For additional information, please contact Mrs. Michelle Broussard at [email protected] or 704-708-2294.
THL 416—General Epistles and Revelation: The "General Epistles" are seen by many as secondary to Paul's writings. However, they actually appear in the original New Testament canon before Paul's letters—and for good reason. To find out why, take this course! This course introduces the historical setting, purpose, and central theme of the letters of James, Peter, John, and Jude and the book of Revelation. It also analyzes the important historical, archaeological, and cultural backgrounds of these writings.
THL 422—History of Christianity II: This course is the second of two and deals with the history of Christianity from the time of the Reformation to the present. Its focus is on the Protestant Reformation, Roman Catholic reform, Protestant liberalism and fundamentalism, the ecumenical movement, Christianity in developing countries, and the Christian decline of the industrialized West.
Comments
Are You Easily Entreated? The world is full of people—leaders and average individuals—who believe they are right and have no need for advice that differs from their firmly held ideas. Yet, the Apostle James describes a Christian using God's Spirit as "easy to be entreated" (James 3:17, KJV) or "willing to yield to reason" (Amplified). Such a person will not be so convinced that his or her own opinions or actions are right and that advice and counsel from others can be ignored. Solomon warned long ago that "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise" (Proverbs 12:15). Solomon repeatedly stressed the importance of being receptive to counsel (Proverbs 19:20, 27; 22:17). And he repeatedly warned that ignoring wise counsel brings serious consequences (Proverbs 8:36; 29:1). A truly humble and converted person will not overestimate the value of his or her own opinions or actions, but will have a teachable attitude (like David's attitude in Psalm 51) that is open to advice, instructions, suggestions and correction. Real Christians are easily entreated!
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—December 3, 2015
Why Talk about News and Prophecy? We are often asked why we take time each week to discuss news in the light of Bible prophecy. Some feel that Bible prophecy can be depressing or scary, especially to children. So why do it? Jesus Christ warned several times in the gospels, "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming" (Matthew 24:42; cf. 25:13; Luke 21:36). The Apostle Paul warned "let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thessalonians 5:6). Jesus foretold that at the end of the age many would be so engrossed in "the cares of this life" that His return would surprise them (Luke 21:34). Jesus also urged His followers to "pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (v. 36). God told His representatives to "warn the world" of impending events or they would be held accountable for their negligence (see Ezekiel 3 and 33). As we see Bible prophecies being fulfilled that God foretold thousands of years ago, we are reminded that we are living at the end of the age and that there is a real God who declares "the end from the beginning" (Isaiah 46:10). Fulfilled Bible prophecies are powerful proofs of God's existence that can energize those who are truly watching! News and Prophecy is a tool that God can use to remind us of the approaching end of the age and counter the spiritual lethargy of this world. The future is nothing to fear when you understand the gospel of the prophesied coming Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 24:14; Revelation 5:10). For more details about why it is important to study Bible prophecy, watch our Tomorrow's World telecast Why Bible Prophecy?
EU Will Collapse Like the Roman Empire! The financial and immigration crises gripping the EU are putting great strain on the "European Experiment." In a sobering interview, the Dutch prime minister evoked prophetic language as he talked "seriously about the EU collapsing like the Roman Empire" (Business Insider, November 29, 2015). He was making a case to close borders to international immigration. The prime minister "suggested that western European states might need to bring in a 'mini-Schengen' to deal with the bloc's migrant crisis"—referring to the Schengen Agreement that began to eliminate border controls in much of the EU. A "mini-Schengen" agreement could exclude open borders to countries in south-eastern Europe (ibid.). "Historian Niall Ferguson made a similar point about the EU and Rome in the aftermath of the Islamist attacks on Paris this month" (ibid.). Although many of the 28 member-nations of the Eurozone may retreat to their original boundaries, it appears that a smaller core of European nations will emerge from the current turmoil. Bible prophecy has long foretold that at the end of the age, a group of ten European kings (or nations) will "give their power and authority" to a Beast. This short-lived political union will cooperate with and be influenced by a great world-church (see Revelation 17). Events in Europe are fitting into ancient Bible prophecies. For more about the future of Europe, be sure to read The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor or Soon-Coming Reality?
China Plans Global Military: "China announced on Thursday that it would establish its first overseas military outpost and unveiled a sweeping plan to reorganize its military into a more agile force capable of projecting power abroad. The outpost, in… Djibouti, breaks with Beijing's longstanding policy against emulating the United States in building military facilities abroad" (New York Times, November 26, 2015). China's first deployment of an "infantry battalion to be sent on external peacekeeping operations" has occurred in South Sudan (BBC News, December 2, 2015). Russia recently sold one of its most advanced fighter jets to China—an aircraft never before sold to foreign buyers (Deutsche Welle, November 24, 2015). These new weapons bolster China's air force and increase "Beijing's ability to project power in the East"—and around the globe (ibid.). China wants "to create a nimbler army by 2020" and "transform [their army] from a Soviet-era force into a Western-style power" (Deutsche Welle, November 27, 2015). Bible prophecies suggest China will be one of the "kings from the East" who will fight with a European "beast" power and participate in end-times conflicts that will ultimately destroy "a third of mankind" (cf. Daniel 11:44; Revelation 9:13-18; 16:12). Prophecy is moving toward a climax. This is why we need to watch world events in the light of Bible prophecy (Matthew 24:42-44; 25:13). For more information, read "China's Century?"—Scott Winnail, Chris Sookdeo, Francine Prater and Justin Ridgeway