Greetings from Charlotte,
Mr. Peter Nathan is visiting congregations in Africa and is scheduled to travel from Kenya to Johannesburg today (Thursday). He will then fly to Cape Town where he will attend the Sabbath service and give a follow-up Tomorrow’s World Presentation Sabbath afternoon. He will continue his trip on Sunday to Durban for another follow-up TWP, and then spend the following week in the South African office. A midweek Bible Study is planned for the brethren in Lesotho on Wednesday, July 24. Next Sabbath, Mr. Nathan will speak at a combined Pretoria and Johannesburg Sabbath service which will be followed by a ministerial conference on Sunday, July 28. In addition to South Africa, Tomorrow’s World presentations will be given this weekend in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. El Mundo de Mañana, our Spanish language telecast, aired successfully last Sunday on UniMás network, and we received calls from Florida, Illinois, and California. The number of responses was low for this inaugural airing, but those who called were enthusiastic and I understand that there were two GOTOs among those who responded. Because Latins tend to share more, we expect word will get around regarding the telecast and our audience will grow.—Gerald Weston
Church Administration
Festival (Second Tithe) Assistance Requests in U.S. Should Now Have Been Sent to CAD
The deadline to submit requests for Festival Assistance has now passed and all such requests should already have been sent to the Church Administration Department. If you know of any further needs for this help, please let us know right away.
International Requests for French Feast Sermons: Deadline Approaching
Attention Pastors: Please send the Church Administration Department at [email protected] the names of those in your congregation(s) who will be unable to attend the Feast, who do not have access to Feast sermons online, and who wish to receive a set of the Feast of Tabernacles sermons on CD. (Sermons are available in English, French or Spanish.) The deadline to submit these requests is this Monday, July 22, for French international recipients and August 19 for all other international recipients. For recipients in the U.S. (any language), the deadline is September 18. Note: Feast sermons will also be uploaded (one per day) during the Feast at www.lcg.org for those who have Internet access. The French sermons will be uploaded to www.eglisedieuvivant.org and the Spanish to youtube.com/IDVsermones.
Living Education
Summer Online Study Course— “Acts of the Apostles”
If you haven’t taken the opportunity to delve into the book of Acts as taught by Dr. Meredith, now is the time! Our current Living Education–Online class in progress is “Acts of the Apostles.” It’s not too late to log in and listen to the lectures. There is also interesting support material in our “Learn More” sections, and quizzes to review what you’ve learned. Just go to online.lcgeducation.org and log in! As always, our library of previous classes is open and available as well.
Men’s Training Camp
Calling all men! If you’d like to spend a weekend learning more about God’s way of life and building bonds of brotherhood with your fellow men from around the country, then register now for the Men’s Training Camp in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The Men’s Training Camp will begin on the evening of Friday, August 23, and conclude at noon on Sunday, August 25. Men from the age of 16 through 100 are welcome (in fact, we’d even welcome you if you are over 100)!
The location is the Blowing Rock Conference Center in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The price is only $81.00 and includes bunk accommodations, meals, and, of course, challenging education. Just go online to http://bit.ly/MensTrainingCamp for more about the schedule and to register. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Jonathan McNair at [email protected].
Living Education–Charlotte
Our 2019–20 school year is approaching quickly. We still have a few open spots available for students, particularly young ladies. If you are a young person wanting to learn more about how to live God’s way, our nine-month program is for you. Give us nine months and we’ll help you build a foundation for life!
Feast of Tabernacles
STAY TUNED for Announcements About Registering for Activities!
The Festival Office is currently working with Festival Site Coordinators to put together activity and payment information, and we’ll have more information in the next few weeks.
Feast Speakers
The Festival Office is also busy formulating Feast speaking schedules, but these are not yet completed. We hope to have these finished in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!
Living Youth Program
Important Adventure Camp Reminder
The 2019 Adventure Camp starts in just a few more days! We’re very excited about this trip of a lifetime! As a very important reminder to everyone attending, please remember to bring your Canadian RABC (Remote Area Border Crossing) Permit and your passport. You won’t be able to cross into Canada without these two documents. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone there!—Mike Kreyer
Comments
Prove Your Beliefs: Many today assume that simply “believing in Jesus” and “accepting Him into your heart” are all that is required to be a Christian. However, the Bible teaches differently! The Scriptures warn us that false teachers will also talk about believing in Jesus and will deceive many people (Matthew 24:3–5; 2 Corinthians 11:1–4). The Apostle Paul advised Christians to “Test [examine carefully] all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Luke writes that the early Christians’ belief in the resurrection of Jesus was based on “many infallible proofs” of many witnesses who saw Jesus alive after His crucifixion (Acts 1:1–3). Josephus, the famous Jewish historian in the first century AD writes, “Jesus…[was] condemned to the cross…[yet] he appeared alive to them on the third day” (Antiquities of the Jews, 18:3:3). Peter emphasized that the apostles were eyewitnesses to the things they were teaching (2 Peter 1:16) and that Christians should be able to give sound reasons for their beliefs (1 Peter 3:15). Paul confidently provided a defense for his beliefs (Acts 26). If we take time to carefully prove what we believe and understand the evidence upon which our beliefs rest, we, too, should be able to confidently defend and explain what we believe to anyone who asks.
Have a profitable Sabbath,
Douglas S. Winnail
News and Prophecy—July 18, 2019
World Trade Without the U.S.: Can global trade occur without the blessing of the United States? A newly signed trade deal seems to support this idea (Deutsche Welle, June 29, 2019). At the recent G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, the European Union signed a “milestone trade agreement” with four South American nations—Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The EU continues to work on trade deals and has already completed more than 70. Currently, the EU is working on deals with several African nations, Canada, and Vietnam—without the participation of the U.S. While the EU seems to be reaching out to expand trade, some experts suggest that not only is America taking an increasingly protectionist stance with regard to trade, China and Russia are also becoming more protectionist, potentially opening the door for greater global influence by the EU.
The Bible sheds light on the topic of world trade in the end times. Prophecies reveal that at the end of the age, a German-led European “beast power” will emerge and develop a powerful trade bloc that will impact and enrich merchants around the globe. Many nations of the earth will prosper and live in luxury due to the power and influence of this “beast.” However, this European superpower will come to a sudden end at the return of Jesus Christ, and those who have been enriched by her “will weep and lament for her” (Revelation 18:8–19). For greater insights into the “beast” behind this coming trade superpower, read or listen to The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor or Soon-Coming Reality?.
Chemicals Contaminate South African Fish: According to a study by the chemistry department at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, fish caught by commercial fishermen off the Cape “are contaminated by antibiotics, pain killers, antiretrovirals, disinfectants, and industrial chemicals” (Times Live, June 26, 2019). According to the article, “The presence of pharmaceutical compounds in fish is due to untreated or poorly treated sewage flowing into our ocean. This is because drugs are not wholly metabolised in the body.” Storm-water runoff is a likely source of pesticide and industrial chemicals. Some of these chemicals were detected in high amounts in fish fillets—the muscular portion generally eaten by humans. Recent testing in storm-water systems in one area also revealed that E. coli levels were as high as would be expected in raw sewage.
The contamination of South Africa’s fish is sobering, but it is not unique. More and more man-made chemicals are appearing in drinking water and also in fish and other animals that are exposed to human waste and industrial and agricultural runoff. As the Apostle Paul noted to the Romans, the whole creation is groaning in agony as it awaits the return of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:19–22). To learn more about how the world’s environmental problems will be resolved, listen to or read “The Solution to Man’s Problems.”—Scott Winnail and Francine Prater