Weekly Update

November 1st, 2018

Greetings from Charlotte,

We signed a contract with the Cowboy channel this past week. This satellite network will begin airing our program in the next few weeks to more than 30 million North American households. We have also been reviewing Festival Surveys and looking at Feast plans for coming years. The Council of Elders will meet for three days beginning Monday. Your prayers for the safety of all who are traveling, and for God's guidance of the meetings, are appreciated. Dr. Meredith's book on the Protestant Reformation is in the final stages of editing and layout before going to the printer. It was first published serially in the Tomorrow's World magazine, and a certain amount of repetition was necessary to remind readers what was covered two months earlier. Repetition was also important to bring new subscribers up to date. Some of that repetition has been removed as unnecessary and distracting in the book format. I hope all of you will read it again, as I found it most interesting and was amazed how much I missed the first time around. Please check out the exciting news about the new Children's Bible Lessons, below.—Gerald Weston

Church Administration

Charlotte Family Weekend Plans

The Charlotte Family Weekend will be from Friday, December 21 (arrival day) through Tuesday, December 25 (departure day). We'll have a Bible Study on Friday evening, Sabbath services Sabbath afternoon, then a Dinner-Dance after the Sabbath. On Sunday, we'll have Family Games, basketball, and volleyball. On Monday, we'll have seminars for parents, teens, and singles, as well as an afternoon activity for everyone, and a dance in the evening. We'll also have several Headquarters Office tours over the weekend, and great fellowship!

Click here to access a link to book your room at the Renaissance and get the Church's special discount of $99/night, which includes breakfast for two adults. You must book by November 30 in order to obtain this price.

Activity registration for the Weekend will begin in the next couple weeks. We'll keep you posted.

Kansas City Family Weekend, December 28–30, Registration Open

The Kansas City Family Weekend is coming up in two months, starting Friday evening, December 28, and running through Sunday afternoon, December 30.

Registration is now open! Just visit kclcg.org (not an official LCG website) to get started. When you register, you can select your meal options, including the smoked brisket dinner at $24.50/person, or a children's chicken finger meal that is $10 or $13/child, depending on the child's age. You can also sign up for the Sunday events you and your family want to participate in, including the newly named "Contest of the Christians," gaga ball, volleyball, basketball, etc.

This year's Saturday night theme is "The Bible Comes Alive!" The theme will run throughout dinner, the evening entertainment, and the dance. We invite you to add a biblical element to your formalwear. What do we mean by that? Be creative! You could wear a "pearl of great price," perhaps, or a crown that you're very protective of. You could dress in fine linen (righteous deeds), or write out God's Law and wear it over your heart.

As in years past, we have an Art Show for you to share your talents with us. This is not limited to just paintings and drawings! We've had wood carvings, quilting, origami, poetry—you name it. If you have a talent in arts or crafts or in creative writing, we'd love for you to share it. Sign up on the KC Weekend website (not an official LCG website) under the menu item "Art Show Signup."

All information about the weekend is available on that website, including registration. The password to access the information about housing and venues is "security." We look forward to seeing you there!—Mike Keesee

Living Education

New! Launch of Children's Bible Lessons

Parents of children ages 6 through 11! We are excited to announce the launch of a brand-new initiative for the Living Church of God: online Children's Bible Lessons. With the writing and editorial help of dedicated LCG members, we are pleased to offer this new, online course to parents of children ages 6 through 11. It is designed to strengthen your child's knowledge of the Bible at their own developmental stage. The course consists of three levels: Level 1 (ages 6–7), Level 2 (ages 8–9), and Level 3 (ages 10–11). Each level consists of weekly lessons that go through highlights of the Bible in a two-year cycle.

The key to the Children's Bible Lessons is that they are parent-centered. The course is written to and for parents. It is designed to help you teach your children. Each lesson gives parents valuable guidance and structure consisting of the following: (1) a short summary of that week's lesson, (2) related scriptures to read together, (3) thought-provoking questions to ask and discuss with your child, and, (4) suggested memorization. The course is crafted to assist parents in their role of teaching their own children. But it also gives you help as you develop the skills and understanding of how to teach spiritual truths to your child. We believe this approach can also build and strengthen bonds of togetherness within your own family, as the Church supports you in the work you are already doing in your home.

Check it out! The first lessons have been posted this weekend:

Level 1: Lesson 1 "Before Time Began"

Level 2: Lesson 1 "Who Is God?"

Level 3: Lesson 1 "The God Kingdom"

For more information and to access the lessons, go to www.lcgeducation.org.

Unit Two of "The Life, Teachings and Ministry of Jesus Christ"

At this point, almost 700 members have moved into Unit Two of "The Life, Teachings and Ministry of Jesus Christ" course. This unit focuses on Christ's ministry in and around Galilee. In addition to Dr. Meredith's class lectures, each lesson features a variety of "Learn More" components that delve into more detail. For example, in Unit Two, the "Learn More" titled "The Pattern of Private Prayer" discusses the biblical guidelines for private and public prayer. "Types of Translations" reviews some of the different translations of the Bible and how they fit into our study. "The Roman Centurion" opens a window of understanding into the powerful instruction of Christ as He was confronted with an unusual request for help from a Roman soldier. And "The Second Sabbath after the First" reveals a little-known point about the "Last Day of Unleavened Bread."

To "Learn More," simply click on the "enroll" button by going to lcgeducation.org and looking for our online course. You can get started on Unit Two even if you have not completed Unit One. Each unit is a stand-alone class.

Happy studying!

Living Youth Program

Living Youth Friday Evening Studies Resuming

The online Teen Bible Studies on Friday evenings will resume next Friday, November 9. Join us at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, when Mr. Monson picks up the study at Matthew 13, where we left off at the beginning of the summer. The chatroom will open thirty minutes prior to the beginning of the study.

To join the study, just visit www.livingyouth.org, and follow the links to "Friday Evening Bible Study." We'll be utilizing a new streaming provider this year, so please be sure to check the links from the Living Youth website to join the study. This also means that e-mail alerts will no longer be sent when we go live. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected].—Joshua Penman

LYP South Africa Teen Camp 2018

This year's South African Living Youth Teen Camp is open for registration. We will again use the Jubaweni camp facilities in Limpopo, South Africa (www.jubaweni.co.za). The camp is situated on a large game farm and surrounded by unspoilt nature, activity courses, and authentic bushveld sports fields. Camp will officially start on Saturday evening, 22 December, and all activities will end on Tuesday morning, 1 January 2019. There will be a Sabbath service at camp on Saturday 22 and 29 December. Some of the camp activities will include daily Christian Living classes, softball, volleyball, netball, soccer, an obstacle course, a team-building course, evening ultimate-frisbee, swimming, water polo, dance, arts and crafts, a game drive, and much more!

The camp is open to youth aged 12–18 and staff from age 19 and older, and the cost is R2350 ($180) per person. If you would like to attend the camp or be part of the staff, please contact Mr. Lawdi Ferreira at [email protected] to obtain a camper or staff application form.

Comments

The Importance of Doctrine: The Apostle Paul commended Christians in Rome because they "obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine [teaching] to which you were delivered" (Romans 6:17). He also urged Timothy, "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine… for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you" (1 Timothy 4:16). However, Paul warned repeatedly that "in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy" (1 Timothy 4:1–3). Paul also warned that as the end of the age approaches, one-time believers would "not endure sound doctrine" but would have "itching ears" and follow various misguided teachers—turning their ears away from the truth to follow fables (2 Timothy 4:1–4). It is also instructive that Paul states that it is "the church of the living God" that is the "pillar and ground of the truth," and not self-proclaimed teachers (1 Timothy 3:14–15). In order to avoid being deceived and misled, we need to study the Scriptures carefully, so that we know what the Bible teaches about doctrine (see the example of the Bereans in Acts 17:10–11), and exercise spiritual discernment that comes from nourishing and using the gifts of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 1:6–7).

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail

News and Prophecy—November 1, 2018

Another Disaster Ahead? Earlier this year, Japanese scientists from the Kobe Ocean Bottom Exploration Center discovered a massive lava dome 30 miles from the southern tip of Japan's main southern island of Kyushu. The dome stands 2,000 feet high, has a diameter of six miles and currently sits just 100 feet below the ocean's surface. The dome is immense and contains nearly eight cubic miles of magma. Were it to erupt, it would cover nearly the whole island of Japan with eight inches of ash and kill up to 100 million people (New York Times, February 9, 2018; Telegraph, February 12, 2018). This lava dome is just one of many volcanic features on the "ring of fire" that encircles the Pacific Ocean.

In 2004, an undersea earthquake occurred 100 miles off the coast of Sumatra. As the fourth largest earthquake ever recorded, this 9.1 magnitude quake sparked additional quakes as far away as Alaska. It also created tsunamis as high as 100 feet, killing more than 200,000 people in many countries, including Indonesia, the hardest hit. Some of the tsunamis traveled across the Indian Ocean to South Africa, over 5,000 miles away!

Bible prophecy states that the end of the age prior to Christ's return will bring "earthquakes in various places" (Matthew 24:7). Discoveries such as this lava dome, and events such as the 2004 Sumatra earthquake and its subsequent tsunamis, shed light on how these end-time Bible prophecies could be fulfilled. Earthquake activity of the past sheds light on the destructive forces unleashed by these events. To learn more about the signs that will mark the approaching end of the age, be sure to read or listen to Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ's Return.

God's Way Works! Sociologists have known for years that the fewer number of sexual partners one has before marriage, the lower the odds of divorce after marriage. New research from the Institute for Family Studies now shows that the fewer number of sexual partners before marriage, the happier the marriage relationship (The Atlantic, October 22, 2018)! In fact, those individuals whose only sexual partner was their mate were the happiest of all! According to this research, the reasons for greater happiness among married couples whose mate is their only sexual partner may include a greater degree of commitment to the relationship and the absence of comparisons between one's current marriage with another sexual relationship.

For those familiar with the teachings of the Bible, these findings are hardly earth-shattering. In fact, these results confirm their beliefs in biblical marriage. However, in a society that encourages people to "test out" their future companions for sexual compatibility prior to marriage, these findings offer no support. As one commentator noted, "Virginity until marriage is actually frowned upon in the modern world, with its adherents castigated as simpletons or religious fundamentalists" (Newsweek, October 26, 2018). Yet, research is proving what many Bible readers already know: Marriages are stronger and happier when sexual relations are confined to a marriage between one man and one woman.

The Bible provides simple keys to successful marriage that include ensuring sexual relations take place only within marriage, between husband and wife (Exodus 20:14). For greater insights into how to have a truly happy marriage, be sure to read or listen to God's Plan for Happy Marriage.—Scott Winnail, Peter Nathan, and Francine Prater