Dear Brethren and Friends,
There is a glaring difference between those who are faithful to Jesus Christ and those who merely appropriate Him. That difference is Truth! However, in this world, falsehood reigns, and it is the enemy of Truth. This has been prophesied about our time:
“Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter. So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey…” (Isaiah 59:14-15).
Have we come to the point where Truth is so powerful in our lives that we are able to completely reject unrighteousness? Are we in any way being subtly compromised to let down our guard? Tragically, some who received God’s calling, His Holy Spirit and fellowship in the Church of God have forsaken God to return to the world.
Old family ties to Christmas, Easter, Halloween or Sunday worship have proven more important to them than the Truth of God. Do we regard these practices as God does, who says, “‘I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies’” (Amos 5:21). Also, becoming political advocates and military supporters rather than ambassadors for Jesus Christ has pulled former brethren into the hopeless mire of this age and back under Satan’s deceptive power, as the apostle Paul warned, writing, “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3).
Do we understand that all of these practices provoke God, and that He, in great burning wrath, will judge those who thus rebel against Him? Yet, if we are filled with zeal and deeply involved in the Work of God, it can be said of us, “But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:39).
There is a vital reason we write monthly letters to those of you who have been led to be a part of this Work. It is to continually strengthen our unity in the job God has set before us. Never underestimate the impact your faithfulness to the Truth has in helping all of us to accomplish the goals of the Church.
With the new year upon us, as man counts years, we can report that initial plans have been made for our Ministerial Conference to be held in California during the month of April. We have signed contracts with hotels for US and German Feast sites. Also, brethren will be meeting together in Australia for the Feast (as they did last year).
Norbert Link is writing a series of Q&A’s, which will be published next year as one of our booklets (“How Can We Know that Christ’s Return is Near?”). Other booklets are also planned to be published next year.
The effectiveness of our StandingWatch and AufPostenStehen video programs has grown over the past months. One program, “Netanyahu’s Announcement of a Third Temple?” now has over 163,000 views in the English presentation. Three of our booklets are offered in this program, which we had to reprint, and we continue to receive requests for these from various countries.
Each week, Norbert Link prepares a German language sermon which, together with live or pre-recorded sermonettes by our various German-speaking ministers, deacons and others, are played in services for our brethren in Germany (as well as being posted on our website). We also post every week the sermonettes and sermons which are being given during our services in the United States, as well as short video presentations from our ministers in the UK and Canada. You might like to take the opportunity to look at the various websites we support, and these can be found at www.eternalgod.org.
Our weekly Update (now at number 856) continues to bring truly unique coverage of news as it applies to biblical fulfillment. We also feature Editorials, Q&A’s and news of the Work.
Brethren, the seriousness of the times in which we live must not be ignored. As never before, we must strengthen our commitment to God’s Truth. In so doing, we will draw closer to God. Let’s never lose sight of the life of eternal glory which God has promised to us—let’s continue to fight the good fight, finish our race and keep the faith!
In Christ’s Service,
Dave Harris
