Weekly Update

August 1st, 2019

Greetings from Charlotte!

Mr. Gerald Weston gave the sermon in Minneapolis last Sabbath. He is canoeing in the beautiful Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, with the adventurous campers and staff. We wish them all an inspiring Sabbath in the park wilderness. The West Virginia Preteen Camp is active this week as well. The LYP Europe Teen Camp begins tomorrow, August 2. Dr. Scott Winnail, Mr. John Meakin (via Skype), and Dr. Douglas Winnail recorded a TWNow program about America and Britain in Bible Prophecy. Mr. Peter Nathan has returned safely to London from visits to Kenya and South Africa, where he conducted services, conferences for Church leaders, and Tomorrow’s World Presentations in Cape Town and Durban. Last weekend, Tomorrow’s World follow-up presentations were held in Columbia, Missouri; Invercargill, New Zealand; and Manchester, North West England. This coming weekend, follow-up presentations will be given in Hook, Hampshire, England and Birmingham, Alabama. Mr. Rick Stafford will give a first-time presentation in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Please pray for the success of all these initiatives in preaching the Gospel! While millions of people vacation in the summer, God’s Work continues to produce spiritual fruit. Remember Proverbs 10:5: “He who gathers in summer is a wise son; he who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.” Pray that you can fulfill Christ’s admonition, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:8).—Richard Ames

 

Church Administration

Requests for Feast Sermon CDs—Repeat Announcement

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 for Spanish and English international recipients is August 19. (Requests for French international recipients should already have been sent in.) For recipients in the U.S. (any language), the deadline is September 18. Note: Feast sermons in English will also be uploaded (one per day) during the Feast at www.lcg.org for those who have Internet access. French sermons will be uploaded to www.eglisedieuvivant.org and Spanish sermons to youtube.com/IDVsermones.

 

Living Education

As the summer winds down, it’s a great time to begin looking forward to the fall Festival season. This year, we’re working on a “Feast of Trumpets Focus Unit” to focus our attention on the first Feast day in the season. Meanwhile, if you haven’t listened to Dr. Meredith’s lectures on the book of Acts, it’s not too late. Just go to lcgeducation.org, click “Online,” and then click on the “Access Course” button and you’re in!

For men who still would like to attend the “Men’s Training Camp” in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, there is good news and good news! We’ve filled the space we reserved for the event… but the venue has opened up more room and meeting space for us! Registration will close on Monday, August 5, but until then, we’ll still accept last-minute attendees. To register, just go to http://bit.ly/MensTrainingCamp.—Jonathan McNair

 

Feast of Tabernacles

Volunteer for the Feast!—Repeat Announcement

Experience teaches us that the BEST Feasts are usually those when we are serving our fellow brethren. If you have not yet signed up to serve at the 2019 Feast of Tabernacles, why not do so now? The Festival Site Coordinators are formulating their teams to take care of needs such as parking, sound, stage, ushering, security, first aid, etc. There are also usually needs for people to serve in the various activities held during the Feast. If you have not gotten involved in serving before, why not take the plunge? Sign up for something you’ve never done before—and watch how God blesses you as you make new friends, learn new skills, and have fun serving your brethren! Sign up today. If you have any technical problems trying to sign up to volunteer, contact [email protected].

 

Feast Speaking Schedules

Speaking schedules for the Feast are being sent out as they are completed and approved. Some schedules are in the final stages and will be forthcoming. Thank you to all our speakers who will be serving at the Feast! Please begin planning now to put extra planning and preparation into your messages, so they can be inspiring and encouraging to everyone!

 

Living Youth Program

Texas Preteen Camp

The 2019 LYP Texas Preteen Camp is behind us. God assembled an amazing team to serve our preteens. The weather was absolutely perfect throughout camp, with campers enjoying time together, learning new skills, and building bonds that we pray will last a lifetime. Our theme of Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,” helped to fulfill our goal of strengthening the campers’ understanding of God’s creating power. We used the animal kingdom to highlight some of God’s attributes—His creative ability, His appreciation of variety, and even His love revealed with so much beauty and wisdom around us. Thank you to all those who volunteered their time, their energy, and their resources to serve at camp. We’re already planning for next year. We hope to see you there!—Phil West

 

Comments

God’s Perspective on Trials: Sometimes, when we encounter trials and difficulties, we wonder what is happening and whether God has forsaken us. However, in challenging times, we need to remember several fundamental scriptures. Jesus told His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). God has also promised never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). The Apostle Paul reminds us that “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28) and that even in trials, God will make a “way of escape” if we look to Him (1 Corinthians 10:13). James records that trials are opportunities to exercise faith in God and His promises and to build patience—while we do our part to work through the challenges we face (James 1:2–8). Let’s strive to remember and maintain this godly perspective when we encounter trials and as we pray earnestly for one another.

Have a profitable Sabbath,

Douglas S. Winnail

 

News and Prophecy—August 1, 2019

Is the U.S. Strengthening China? The U.S.-China trade war continues. As China’s largest trading partner, the United States hopes to pressure China into coming to the negotiating table by powerfully impacting its export market, and subsequently its entire economy. Chinese experts and even Chinese president Xi Jinping are clear that this trade war will begin to hurt China’s economy and make things difficult for the Chinese people—at least in the near term (Foreign Affairs, June 19, 2019). The U.S. recently “blacklisted” Chinese telecom giant Huawei and is considering doing the same to several large China-based artificial intelligence companies.

The sobering reality is that U.S. efforts to bring China to the negotiating table could backfire and work against American interests in the long term. U.S. trade policies “have created a powerful new consensus in support of ‘self-reliance’ and ‘indigenous innovation’” among the Chinese. In fact, some experts warn that “Washington has underestimated China’s ability to ‘tighten its belt’… and to develop replacements for foreign technology. The Trump administration may well be paving the way toward a more technologically independent, and possibly more powerful, China.”

Bible prophecy warns of a powerful eastern 200-million-man army that will play a key role in end-time events prior to Christ’s return—an army that China is very likely to be part of (Revelation 9:16)! This military force will cause tremendous devastation and loss of life. The sobering reality is that actions by the U.S. may contribute to China’s seeking a more powerful role on the world stage—and taking actions directly related to these end-time prophecies. To gain a better understanding of China’s future role in history, read “Is This China’s Century?

Regular Church-Goers Seek More Counsel: A new study published by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research highlighted an interesting finding: Among those who possess a religious affiliation, people who attend church services more regularly are also more likely to seek counsel and advice from their clergy concerning important decisions (APNORC.org, May 2019). These findings were true even among religious groups considering themselves more “liberal.” Regular church attendance appears to have a powerful impact not only on the way attendees view their ministers, but also on the degree to which their values are socially conservative in nature.

It is interesting how these recent findings confirm what the Bible has stated in its pages for millennia. Nearly 3,000 years ago, Solomon wrote, “a man of understanding will attain wise counsel” (Proverbs 1:5) and, “he who heeds counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15). The Scriptures also state that both “safety” (Proverbs 11:14) and wisdom (Proverbs 12:15) can be gained from a multitude of counsel. Being willing to seek counsel and advice is a hallmark of wisdom. Modern research shows that those who attend church regularly are more likely to include their clergy in such counsel—seeking feedback, advice, and direction. The Bible reveals that a willingness to seek counsel is something God desires of us—a key ingredient to growing in wisdom. To begin your journey of growing in wisdom, be sure to read “The Way to Wisdom.”—Scott Winnail