Jesus tried to explain the fact to Nicodemus that one must be born again to enter the Kingdom of God.  We read about this in John 3:1-7:

“There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’  Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.”’”

Nicodemus missed the whole point and was only thinking in physical terms, while Christ was speaking in spiritual terms. Since Nicodemus did not have God’s Spirit at that time which would have helped him to understand spiritual concepts, he just did not get it, which is made obvious by his response in verse 4 (“How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”).

When it comes to human reproduction, the human egg is incomplete. It must be fertilized by the sperm of a man. Then, an embryo will grow in the mother’s womb. In time, the embryo becomes a foetus which is fed and protected in the womb. It grows to full term until it is born into this world.

While in the womb, the baby exists in darkness, but it is protected and nourished. Once in the world, the baby has entered a realm of light, but it still needs to be fed and taken care of.

God gives each baby a spirit at the time of conception. But even with the human spirit within him, a man is still incomplete.  In order to be able to ultimately enter the spirit realm and become a Spirit being, he must first receive God’s Holy Spirit upon repentance, belief and baptism. At that time, he becomes a begotten child of God; he is not born yet. But even with the receipt of the Holy Spirit as a “down payment,” the spiritual mother–the Church of God–has still the responsibility to feed God’s begotten children spiritually and to protect them from the negative influences of the god of this world, Satan the devil. But it is also important that God’s begotten child is willing to be nourished by his or her mother.

Once  a person has achieved the necessary level of spiritual maturity, as determined by God, he can enter into the Kingdom and Family of God as a born-again child of God at the time of Christ’s return, not prior to that. He will be changed into a Spirit being and enter the spirit realm. For those who are called in this day and age and have received God’s Holy Spirit, their transformation and change will occur when Christ returns. Others will be called after Christ’s return to obtain the same opportunity.

That is our human potential.

The transition into the spirit world will be much more dramatic than at the time when a baby is born into the physical world. We will enter a world of light with opportunities that we can hardly imagine. What a glorious future lies ahead for those who remain faithful to the end! As Paul stated, the trials of this world are nothing in comparison to the glory that awaits us in the Kingdom of God.

Let’s ensure we keep our eye on the goal and remain faithful to our calling. 

Having just gone through the Passover and Days of Unleavened  Bread,  what lies ahead for us? The next holy day is Pentecost, which is some fifty days away and pictures the church receiving the Holy Spirit for the first time. We understand that some few received it in Old Testament times in order to fulfill God’s purpose, but it was generally not available until given to the Church on Pentecost in 31 AD.

Unleavened bread helped us to focus on the necessity of getting leaven, that is sin, out of our lives. Failing to do so can and would be detrimental to our future positions in the kingdom of God and even being in God’s Family. Sin, like leaven, if not dealt with will grow and eventually completely overcome a person. If not removed with the help of God’s Spirit in us, this can lead to the unpardonable sin and our destruction. Satan as the god of this world is very subtle and usually doesn’t attempt a major overhaul in our thinking but rather puts seeds of doubt, resentment or jealously in our hearts. If we are not careful to put them out in the early stages of their growth, it could be our undoing.

The society we live in is held captive by Satan:

“…whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Satan is seeking prey—and that includes us:

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

We can overcome Satan:

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Notice, we must submit to God, which implies effort on our part in order for the devil to leave us alone. We must put our trust in God to help us.

Remember, also, that we must be diligent in our effort to get the good news of the Kingdom of God out to this world!  The return of Jesus Christ is the only true hope for mankind. At the same time, we must continue to be vigilant in keeping sin out of our lives and in drawing close to God so that He can and will draw near to us:

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8).

We can be assured that if we follow this admonition we will be successful in fulfilling our calling, and we will thus be guaranteed a position in the glorious kingdom of God. That is our hope; that is our destiny—-let’s ensure that we do not let down, but rather go on to glory in the future God has promised!

Converted baptized members of the true Church of God are admonished by God to examine themselves prior to partaking of the annual New Testament Passover, so that they do not take the symbols in an unworthy manner. We read in 1 Corinthians 11:27-28: “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”

Why are Christians admonished to do that?  They have to approach the Passover in as sinless a state as possible, even though they cannot be totally cleansed of sin in the flesh, since that will only occur when they are God beings in the Kingdom. It is then that they cannot sin anymore.

If we say we have no sin now, we deceive ourselves. Notice what John says about this, in 1 John 1:9-10:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

The key to being in a less sinful state is to confess our sins and to obtain forgiveness.  That includes to admit to God we have a problem in certain areas of our lives, which we can discover with proper examination.

We know that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness, as 1 John 1:5-7 tells us:

“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

It is amazing what light does. When I used to do drywall jobs for people and came to sand the wall, I used to put a light on the floor at the base of the wall. The light would reveal the flaws in the wall. Looking straight at the wall, it would look good, but once I sanded it, with a light on the floor, I was able to make the flaws disappear. Otherwise, when it came to painting, the flaws would show up.

When we are using, as it were, the light of God to examine ourselves, we will see certain flaws which we would otherwise ignore or neglect. Once we see those flaws (sins), we can confess them to God, ask for forgiveness, and we are then cleansed with the blood of Christ.

It is important for baptized members of the true Church of God to partake of the Passover. It is equally important for them to use the light of God to reveal their sins, so that they can repent and partake of the Passover in a worthy manner, thus pleasing their Creator God and their Saviour Jesus Christ.

It’s hard to believe that another year has gone by—-the way the Western world counts years–and we are now in 2014. 2013 has been an interesting year for the Church and for us individually.  We have moved forward in growth in attendance, mainly in the German-speaking areas, but growth in numbers is only of relevance and importance if we also grow spiritually. 

Some may look at us as insignificant because we are relatively small.  But bear in mind how many followers Jesus Christ had at the time of His death and resurrection. After three and a half years of miracles, signs and wonders, healing and raising the dead, walking on water and feeding thousands with a few fish and bread on more than one occasion, only one hundred and twenty disciples had remained.

Acts 1:12-15 tells us:  “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty)…”

Delia and I had the privilege of attending the first Feast in Germany in 2013, and we noticed a great spirit. We experienced enthusiasm just like in the 60’s, when the Church was growing at a good rate. And we are growing too. We continue to produce our weekly Updates and our English and German sermons and Internet programs, write and print more booklets, enlarge our radio presence in the US, and while we have begun to broadcast our Sabbath services live via video in the US, Brian Gale and I are recording short programs on YouTube for the audience in the UK and Canada. These programs are called StandingWatch Talking Points and direct viewers to the StandingWatch program and promote some of our booklets.

There can be no doubt that a lot of seed is being planted through our broadcasts, sermons and literature, and when God is ready and it is His Will, then new members will be added who have been predestined to be called for salvation in this day and age.

We will face more challenges in 2014, and we should prepare ourselves individually by remaining close to God and ready to be useful instruments in His Work, according to His divine Will. Now is not the time to slack off; but rather, to push forward with zeal to accomplish as much as we can in witnessing to the world prior to the Tribulation which lies ahead of us.

We will face trials. Some will face health issues, persecution and problems with their work in regard to the Sabbath. What we go through is not anything new for true Christians, so let’s remember to pray for one another and also for the ministry and the commission of the Church, so we can move forward to finish this great Work of God in which we are privileged to be involved.

My wife and I were watching a documentary on Netflix about two Americans who went to India to do a film on orphans. They were trying to use the perspective of what their world looked like through their eyes. Needless to say, it was a real eye opener for my wife and me.

We get so wrapped up in our own lives that we sometimes  become oblivious to how bad conditions really are in other parts of the world.  These two men had contact and were involved with a group of about twenty-five young people–both males and females, ranging in age from three to twenty-five.

The twenty-five year old was the leader, and he looked after the “welfare” of the group. They were sleeping on the sidewalk or in the streets near a train station. They got money by mostly begging at the train station, and several had limbs missing from jumping off the train or accidently falling in front of it. One young girl had fingers missing on her hand because her boyfriend forced her to place her hand on the tracks, so the train could run over it, in order for her to draw more sympathy from those she was begging from.

A lot of them had HIV and/or AIDS from unprotected sex; some were injecting substances into their veins without knowing what they were; others sniffed the fumes of a product to “give them a high”; and then there were those who used tobacco to “get a buzz”–all so that it could help them to forget the miserable condition and life they had. Some had lost their parents who had died or were missing, while others had left their home due to mistreatment, or they had been abandoned by their parents.

I was somewhat shocked to hear that there are thirty-one million orphans in India alone. That figure does not include nations like China, Europe or America. Watching them sleep on cement with just a blanket covering them made me comment to my wife that I will not complain anymore about hotel beds.

They have an existence without future in this day and age. Their life is pretty bleak, to say the least. At the end of the movie, they were soliciting funds to help out these orphans. However, the problems they face are overwhelming, and no help will make it a better world or a better life for them.

In fact, all efforts now to create a better world are doomed to failure because Satan, the god of this world and ruler over this society and civilisation, doesn’t want to make this a better world, but he wants to keep it deceived and in a state of godlessness. In time, he will seek to destroy all of mankind.

We who are living in the Western world are so fortunate to have the things we do, and at times we need to look at how parts of the rest of the world are living to really appreciate what we have.

No effort on anyone’s part will make this world a better place.  The only viable solution is the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God, when Satan will be banished and when we will assist Jesus Christ in creating tomorrow’s world–a better world for all of humanity.

Watching this documentary was really sobering, and it helped me to realize how badly we need the Kingdom of God to really change the fate of these orphans who are just the tip of the iceberg of the countless problems facing all of mankind.  Thankfully, the true solution is not too far away.

At this time of the year, just prior to attending the Feast of Tabernacles, our minds tend to be focused on all the physical preparations which need to be done. If we are traveling by car, we want to ensure the tires and brakes are in good condition; that the oil is changed, and also taking care of any minor repairs that need to be done, so that we can make it safely to the Feast site.

We want to be certain that our clothes are clean, and we try to think of all the things we will need while being at the Feast.

We can get a bit bogged down with all the physical  preparations and in one sense develop a Martha syndrome.

When Christ was visiting Mary and Martha, Mary was sitting at Christ’s feet, listening to what He had to say, absorbing and drinking in the spiritual food, while Martha was busy with physical preparations. She was pre-occupied with all the physical things which she felt had to be done, and her sister was not helping her.

Now let us look at Luke 10:38-42 to see how Christ evaluated the situation:

“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’

“And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.’”

Physical preparations are important,  but Mary had her priorities straight .

I recall about twenty-five years ago when we were expecting to have company and I was busy cleaning and dusting prior to the guests’ arrival, that my wife Delia said to me: “Don’t worry about a little bit of dust, what will they remember after leaving here? That they saw a little dust on the furniture or that they had a good time?”

There is an important lesson to be learned in what Christ said in regard to the spiritual things Mary was focused on. 

We need to prepare physically to attend the Feast,  but more importantly, we need to be prepared mentally and in good health to take in the  spiritual food that will be presented at the Feast. There will be more than eleven main messages plus sermonettes, as well as a Bible study–a banquet of spiritual food which is supposed to last and sustain us for close to six months until the spring Holy Days. And when we choose that good part, it will not be taken away from us.

Something might be happening in Kenya, possibly reflecting a genuine interest of several groups in some form of association with us.

The decision was made at our recent ministerial conference to conduct a ministerial visit and meetings in Kenya. One reason is that there has not been a ministerial visit of our local members for several years. The other reason is the recognition of a growing interest of those who want to join us or have fellowship with us.

Some of those who have expressed interest are former members or affiliates of the Worldwide Church of God, while others have a certain knowledge of the teachings of the Church under Mr.  Armstrong. Then there are those who have read our Statement of Beliefs and agree with them. Some were baptized by offshoots of the Stanberry Church of God (Church of God Seventh Day). It was the Stanberry Church of God with which Mr. Armstrong had contact in the1930’s.

I am scheduled to leave for Nairobi on July 17 and will return on July 22. So far, there are seven leading people, representing five groups, who are willing to come to Nairobi to visit with me.  We are planning Sabbath services on July 20 at the hotel in Nairobi, where I will be staying, and it looks like there will be at least 12 people in attendance. I am also planning to conduct a leadership meeting on Sunday, July 21.

In addition, we were contacted by five or six groups in the Western part of the country who are interested in working with us, but they will not be able to meet with me in Nairobi and will not be represented at the planned meetings at this time. Hopefully and God willing, things may work out for a second trip to the Western region in the near future to meet with those who are interested in associating with us.

Please pray about this entire situation and for God’s protection, direction and wisdom, since we do not know exactly at this juncture what God has in mind for our work in Kenya, but we might look at God’s tremendous work in the German-speaking areas as a source of vision, motivation and encouragement. And when God opens doors for us, we must go through them.