One of the key statements in the Bible is the need for man to bring glory and honor to God.

In fact, God says that He created us for His glory. We read in Isaiah 43:5-7 that God’s people are called and created for the purpose of glorifying God. Continuing in Isaiah 66:18-19, we see that ALL nations will be learning about God’s glory, and that the nations of Israel will in fact declare God’s glory.

Many will be asking at that time why they should worship and glorify God. When Moses asked Pharaoh to let Israel go, Pharaoh’s answer was “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?” (Exodus 5:2). And so, an answer must be given in this regard. A prime answer can be found in 1 Chronicles 16:23-36, which helps to show that God’s great might and power are to be talked about and sung about, and that we should worship Him on the Sabbath and the annual Holy Days in holy array. There is no end to the greatness of God. Revelation 15:4 shows that when God’s righteousness is revealed to all nations, they will give glory to God.

Christ noted many times His affinity and love for God in His obedience to God. In this way, He showed glory to God (John 17:4). And by extension, He has shown us that we too, as Christians, must be bringing glory to God. Our good actions and deeds, being founded on God and His Word, can actually influence others to acknowledge and even give glory to God. But the opposite can also be true: We can actually cause God’s name to be blasphemed and dishonored if we are not mindful of our ways (Romans 2:22-24).

We should be constantly aware that we can have a positive or a negative effect on others. Romans 11:33-36 shows that God’s all-powerful presence should be a corner stone for our faith.

We should have confidence in our ways and let people see this (Matthew 5:16). This is how we are to show God that we really glorify Him, in growing abundantly in the fruit of the Spirit. John 15:8 states that this is how we prove that we actually are Christ’s true disciples. We must do everything to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31), so that we ourselves know that we are being approved (Romans 14:18; Philippians 1:9-11; 2 Timothy 2:15).

As we are preparing for the Feast of Tabernacles, let us take this thought to heart and really strive to understand just how we can glorify God during this appointed time, and how we can let our lights shine to this darkening world. It is a must if we want to make it into the Kingdom of God, which we will be picturing in the upcoming days.

The recent disclosure of Donald Trump’s tax records have rattled a hornet’s nest of opinions in the media, demonstrating, once again, just how far man has separated himself from God.

While our nation grumbles over how much Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have paid in taxes, one glaring point is lost: to our knowledge, most of the citizens have failed to acknowledge God through tithing!

Paul warned, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:7-8).

God warned ancient Israel of the consequences of rejecting His leadership and instead desiring a King to rule over them. He warned the people that the King would demand payment of high taxes, but this would not abolish the duty of the people to pay God’s tithe. Today, we are still living under those consequences which God articulated to Samuel, “but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7).

The requirement of tithing has never changed. Man is still obliged to give to God His portion. Malachi makes a comparison when we reject this command, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation” (Malachi 3:8-9).

In addition, God requires more than just the mere act of tithing. As the Pharisees were sorting out their tithe, making sure to give no more or no less than required, He chastised them for their lack of understanding, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” (Matthew 23:23-24).

For those that do joyfully and properly tithe with the right attitude, Malachi continues, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10).

God desires the very best for us. All we have to give up is our greed—a task insurmountable for many in this world today. Rejoice that we are so blessed to understand and take part in tithing to God.

A campaign called, “National Back To Church Sunday,” was recently promoted in the U.S. with the goal of inviting people back to church again. Another appeal regularly seen in the media is, “attend the church of your choice.”

While some might respond to these slogans, their actions would not improve their relationship with God, for their whole premise is founded on falsehood (compare Matthew 7:21-23). For the people who have truly been called by God and then have engaged themselves in compromise, there is a much more definitive and somber rallying cry given to members of the Church of God.

Jude puts it this way:

“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (verse 3).

Jude’s letter was written in the later decades of the first generation of the Church of God—a time of wholesale apostasy.

Jesus addressed those who had left their first love; who suffered great persecution; who embraced vile doctrines; who were letting the truth of God die; who had only a little strength; and who, filled with self-righteousness, had lost their zeal for obeying God. These warnings are found in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, and all members of the Church of God are responsible to heed His admonitions.

Paul was inspired to address the way the truth of God would be rejected in our time—the “last days”:

“For the time will come when they will not endure SOUND DOCTRINE, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Do you embrace sound doctrines which can be clearly proven from the Word of God? When you listen to sermonettes or sermons, read booklets and articles, fellowship with brethren—is it all based on the doctrines of truth, those only found in the Bible? Or do you harbor a private interpretation—a pet theory which the Church of God does not teach?

With this Update, we are presenting the fifth and final installment of a series, “How Are We to Keep the Sabbath?” Just as Jude did, so are we “exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

Knowledge of the weekly Sabbath and annual Holy Days must not be taken for granted—they ARE part of the faith. Keeping them as God has commanded IS sound doctrine, and if you aren’t, if you have become lax and permissive, don’t close your eyes and ears to God’s counsel:

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you are disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

When someone has suffered trauma, is unconscious, has stopped breathing and his heart has stopped, then the person is administered CPR.

“Cardiopulmonary resuscitation,” commonly known as CPR, is described as an emergency procedure that combines chest compression, often with artificial ventilation, in an effort to manually preserve brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person.

The reason this has to be administered quickly is to avoid brain damage from a lack of oxygen to the brain. Failure to act immediately can cause permanent and irreparable brain damage. CPR in first aid was developed to prolong a person’s life until professional medical attention could be given to the patient involved.

When you look at the conditions in the world with all its current ills and evil, you have to conclude that the patient (mankind) is in dire straits, and something needs to be done or the patient will surely die. What is needed for mankind is another form of CPR—“Christ’s pressing return”—to avoid certain death. The professional treatment for mankind is the imminent return of Christ in order to save mankind from himself, as man is currently on a self-destructive course from which there would be no return.

This ushering in of a new age will solve, in time, all the ills and problems of mankind. A patient or victim, bleeding severely and in shock, has to have the bleeding controlled in order to get well. Likewise, conditions on the earth cannot get better until the bleeding, as it were, is controlled and the patient can and will recover.

This new age is one of peace and harmony, something mankind has not experienced to any degree or at any length of time since Adam and Eve were cast out of Paradise and Cain killed his brother Abel.

God’s Church has the opportunity and responsibility to be engaged in the process of proclaiming the good news (the gospel) of God’s Kingdom to the world, just prior to the new age being ushered in. This is a great privilege which should not be taken lightly. Rather, we should be zealously doing the Work, which our loving Father has given us, not looking back but moving forward to finish the job for the ultimate benefit of mankind.

While a dying patient may need CPR in the form of “cardiopulmonary resuscitation,” this world needs another form of CPR—“Christ’s pressing return.”

In the British parliamentary system, there is the ruling party and the opposition.   On the website www.parliament.co.uk the following is written:

“The Opposition are the political parties other than the largest or government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons and House of Lords Chambers. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty’s Official Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of government. In the House of Commons the Leader of the Opposition is the title given to the leader of the second largest party.”

The dictionary definition of “opposition” is: “resistance or dissent, expressed in action or argument.”

Synonyms are: “resistance, hostility, antagonism, antipathy, enmity, objection, dissent, criticism, defiance, non-compliance, obstruction, obstructiveness, counteraction.”

Those definitions don’t give a positive view of “the opposition”.   In fact, that is usually how it turns out to be.   Not very often do “the opposition” agree with the government; in fact quite the contrary as they have different political agendas and feel that they can’t be seen as being cooperative as that would boost the prestige and support of the government itself.

(We are not saying, of course, that the government is always right and that the opposition is always wrong or that there is never a time to disagree with the concepts or the way in which the government handles things. In this world which is cut off from God, disagreement with the government’s position on just about any given topic is more likely than not, but the opposition’s proposals are, in all likelihood, unacceptable as well. What we are saying is that God’s standards and methods are quite different from the way in which the government and the opposition are conducting themselves.)

The term “the opposition” can have a very negative connotation and can be divisive.  How about using a term that will be a constant in the world tomorrow when Jesus Christ rules on earth in the Kingdom of God?   That word is cooperation.   If the term was changed at this time to “the cooperation”, hands would be thrown in the air and would be deemed to be inappropriate or impossible.

Of course, in the age when Satan is in control of society, there is no way that he would want cooperation and would see to it that it would not happen.   He is the opposition particularly to God and the people of God and also to the rest of humanity.   He doesn’t want to see people happy and cooperating with each other.

Rather than unity and cooperation, Satan has promoted, very successfully, enmity and division.  We read in Matthew 24:12 when talking about the end times: “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.   And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

This is a result of the activity of the one who wants to undermine everything positive and see the demise of humanity.  It may seem a small thing about calling Members of Parliament who are not part of the ruling group as the opposition, but this strikes at the heart of UK governance.   Opposition can have a negative feel about it and that is one of many things that Satan wants to promote.

In the coming Kingdom of God there will be total cooperation and the government will be absolutely unified as they do everything possible to promote God’s way of life to those living at that time.

Cooperation is the way of God and the way that we must adopt, promote and clearly reflect in our Christian lives now and is the way that we will live forever as members of the God Family.   And it will promote happiness as never before!

Last week there was a credible threat of a violent attack targeting some of the federal agencies close to the one that I work with. Nearby in Fort Collins an entire campus of federal offices was shut down, forcing hundreds of employees to be turned away from work. As the news broke in my office, very little information was known, and what was known was delivered through a wide variety of different sources. The rumors made quite a swirl throughout the morning – some made it sound like the threat was imminent, and others made it sound fictional.

My own work place was in a different, but related federal facility than the one directly threatened, but everyone that we work with still had to make a decision about what to do for themselves. On the one hand, the threat seemed remote and unrealistic, but on the other hand, our office seemed like it could be a legitimate target. In the interest of playing it safe, dozens of people working in a different branch in the building were sent home. It was a surreal moment as I contemplated how to handle the situation for myself and the team that I manage. It was truly difficult to judge from the information that we had if this was a threat that was credible enough for us to take drastic actions.

Fortunately, nothing significant came from this event, and normal life resumed the following day. But to me, this event was a reminder of how quickly and unexpectedly something serious can occur in the world we live in and trigger panic. As the anniversary of the tragic September 11^th attacks approaches this year, I recall what that day was like. It was just like any other day. I went to work for the day, just as I normally did, and by the time I had arrived two jets had crashed into the twin towers in New York City. In that ten minute commute, the world had changed. But it was going to be “just another day.”

The event last week also reminded me of even more important things, which are recorded in God’s Word. As comfortable as we may be in this modern age, a simple catastrophic event, or even a rumor of an event, can strike as quickly and unexpectedly as a bolt of lightning. And so we have been warned, “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-4). Even though the day of the Lord will come as a thief, when we may be having an otherwise regular day, it is also something that we have been made aware of far ahead of time. We may be surprised at how unpredictably the events might unfold, but we will not be caught completely off-guard if we pay attention to warnings and watch for the signs of the times, as the Bible instructs.

Even if the events of fulfilled prophecy happen on a day when we have not planned for a catastrophic event to occur, we can rest assured that the instructions that we have in the Bible will successfully guide us. The only thing that we can do is rely on God’s protection. We cannot, and must not, rely on our own wit or strength to protect us. “But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield” (Psalm 5:11-12). When catastrophe strikes and threatens our safety and well-being, we can and must have faith in God to lead us to safety.

Last week as I contemplated how to respond to a threat of a violent attack, the thought that I need to rely on God—and only God—tempered every fear that I had. I wasn’t sure what judgment was right, but I was unwavering in my confidence that God would offer protection in the time of need.

With this Update, we will begin to publish several Q&As, discussing the important question pertaining to the manner in which we ought to keep the weekly Sabbath. It is not enough to know about God’s sanctified day; it is also necessary to observe it in the right way. God’s Sabbath was made for MAN (Mark 2:27), and God expects MAN to keep it. The Ten Commandments are still in force and effect, and the Fourth Commandment still reads, “REMEMBER the Sabbath day, to KEEP it holy” (Exodus 20:8).

God’s people know that the Sabbath is the time span from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, even though some misguided religious teachers claim erroneously that the biblical Sabbath is “Sunday.” However, “Sunday” has always been described in the Bible as the “first day of the week,” while the Sabbath has always been identified as the “seventh” or “last day of the week,” when God completed the days of recreation (Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 20:11).

But does God really care whether His Sabbath is kept today? And if He demands that one day is observed in His honor, isn’t it enough to just keep one day (any day) out of seven?

In my recent sermon, “Why Will God Punish America?”, it was explained why God punished Israel and Judah in Old Testament times; and since God does not change and is not a respecter of persons, He will punish the modern descendants of the ancient houses of Israel and Judah for the same reasons. God’s people know that these descendants can be found today in the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and other English-speaking nations. In addition, God will also punish the ENTIRE world for their disobedience of His Law.

The cause for God’s wrath toward mankind has not changed. Idolatry and the breaking of His Sabbath were and are two of the foremost reasons why God did punish and will punish the ancient and modern houses of Israel and Judah. Of course, other reasons existed and exist as well, showing the perversion and appalling ungodliness of Israel, Judah and the entire world, which are, for example, evidenced by the murder of innocent people (including through abortions of unborn children or the killing of innocent civilians in war); wrong political alliances; elections or appointments of leaders contrary to God’s standards; removing ancient landmarks (by illegally occupying territories); national pride, dishonesty and the spreading of lies; the rejection of God’s Law and His warning of impending disaster; adultery and fornication (including homosexuality and other sexual practices which are not condoned by God); false religions, sorceries and hypocritical religious conduct; and even the consumption of unclean meat.

All these reasons, and many more, were discussed in the above-mentioned sermon, and biblical proof was presented for each of these reasons.

But as mentioned, the violation of the Sabbath was and is a very important cause for God’s punishment. Sadly, most people do not ascribe any relevance to God’s command to keep the Sabbath day holy. Even though God’s people know about this command, some may disobey it in practical application. They might not know HOW to observe it—which activities are permitted on the Sabbath, and which are to be avoided. Some might be too strict, prohibiting activities which God allows; and others may have become too liberal, engaging in activities which they should not participate in.

We hope that you will carefully read our Q&A’s on this very important, but sometimes grossly misunderstood subject, in order to escape God’s punishment for the violation of His Sabbath day.

How do we come to a PERFECT understanding? How do we receive PERFECT knowledge? We read in 2 Timothy 3:14-15, “But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

We need to make sure that the knowledge we receive is in fact true knowledge by researching and proving our belief from the pages of the Bible. How do we know that the Bible is true? 2 Timothy continues on in verse 16, saying, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” This means the Old and New Testament! The law of the Ten Commandments has NOT been done away with, but it is still in force today. When we put into action what we are commanded to do, we will gain understanding, and with the knowledge that we receive, we will see results.

Preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world as a witness is a challenge. Those in the ministry are to share information that is true and to educate people, through God’s Word, regarding the things they do not know, have not heard before, and have not understood before. We know the Bible is Truth and we share this Truth with others. We simply plant the seed and we allow God to do the rest as people respond to HIS calling, through our actions, which is why it is so important to continue in doing the Work of God because we never know who will respond (compare the parable of the sower in Luke 8:11-15). We plant the seed and have the faith that God will turn that seed into a productive and prosperous fruit. And that goes with everything in our lives that we are involved with, allowing God to guide us and direct our paths.

What separates us from everyone else, from all the other religions out there that claim to be Christian? We are not in the same classification or category, for we are TRUE Christians, set apart from the rest of the world and from all the other Christian religions out there because we proclaim the Truth and those who have an ear will hear (Matthew 11:15). We face rejection many times because we believe in and proclaim the Truth. We want to lead them to true knowledge of God’s Way, thereby giving them a chance to live a better life. We are also offering them protection from the terrible disasters of the end time through, for example, our StandingWatch programs. It’s not easy when we are faced with rejection, which is why we need to remain focused and positive, continuing on just like Paul, David and even Christ did, because the outcome of our actions is very rewarding. The end result is what matters, but we have to get through all the challenges first.   We must remain humble, even when we are faced with harsh criticism, because the time will come when all those to whom we have been proclaiming God’s message will understand and remember what we have told them.

Think back to your calling and when you were introduced to this knowledge. We were once ignorant and in some cases we still may be; but we continue to learn. We won’t stop learning! This is where belief comes in. Do we believe that what we know is the Truth? Do we believe that ALL things are possible through God, IF we believe? Or do we need to have “physical proof” in order to believe? Remember what Christ said in John 20:29, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” (compare also Hebrews 11:1, 6).

The knowledge we have received has given us hope, and we offer that same knowledge to others through the preaching of the gospel, because many people out there also need help, and the Bible offers those solutions which we ALL need. Through God’s calling, we have been given this incredible gift to understand now, and we have access to His perfect knowledge. Don’t take it for granted!

As I live my life, I am aware of things going on around me. One of the most useful things that I have learned so far is that we ALL go through various trials. As I get older and experience life more, I can see the differences between challenges which God’s people cope with and the issues that people face in the world.

But there is one fact that holds true for both – it is that we are all human beings. We all have to deal with our own human nature and with sin. Church members know that God allows trials for their growth and edification. In fact, this is one of the ways that we can KNOW that God is dealing with us and working out His plan for each of us. We read many times in the Bible that God allows us to go through different trials. Each trial is an individual challenge, which no one else can go through. We can pray for each other and we most certainly should lean on each other for help, comfort and support. 1 Peter 4:16 states that there is no shame in suffering. In fact, we need to learn to cope with it humbly, while relying on God (Proverbs 3:5-6).

When we are trained by God’s discipline (Hebrews 12:6-8), we will be able to have good works (Ephesians 2:10). In a world that is increasingly rotten, we have to be willing to do what is right in the eyes of God. As we each go through our trials, we should not be judging each other; but rather, praying for each other. Look at what Paul warns Timothy about in 2 Timothy 3:1-5: “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

We CANNOT allow any of these attitudes to permeate our lives. In fact, the warning is so strong that it says to remove ourselves from people with these character traits. If we search ourselves and find any of these attitudes present in our lives, it is important to pray and fast about them and remove them immediately.

One of the most interesting things that Paul states here is that people will be “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” When we seek only after pleasure,  money,  and other things that don’t really matter,  we will lose our way! This has been proven time and again by people who have left God’s Church. But when our ways please the Lord, He will bless us in so many ways. God WANTS to bless us. He wants us to become God beings. This truth is so powerful. It is what we must keep in mind every day and in everything that we do.

Are we willing to guard our hearts against the many things that can ensnare us? Proverbs 5:21-23 states that because of a lack of instruction (including a lack of Bible study), a person will fail. Our ways are constantly before God, but this is not a negative thing. Yes, we ALL fail at times. We all fall down and make wrong choices, but this must not stop us from repenting and moving forward. I personally know how hard it is to not to become discouraged; but rather, I choose to fight on!

In Philippians 4:6-7 we are given great instruction as to how we should conduct ourselves: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

If we allow God’s Holy Spirit to work through us, we will be guarded by God. As we move closer to the return of Christ and the coming of God’s Kingdom, we will encounter trials that will be a lot harder than anything we have seen so far. Now is our time to be drawing close to God; asking Him for understanding; for peace of heart and mind; and for the LOVE of His truth and Way of Life. Matthew 24:12 states that because sin abounds in people’s lives, the love of many will grow colder and colder. This is talking about God’s love in us and the obedience to His Way of Life. We must guard our hearts and not fail, since we are now so close to receiving our just reward.

Tony Robbins, an author and motivational speaker, has been involved in business and life training programs for over 30 years. Labeling himself as a “world authority on leadership psychology” he has, as his biography states, “created the #1 personal and professional development program of all time and more than 4 million people have attended his live seminars” (tonyrobbins.com).

Having recently viewed a documentary on one of his seminars, I was left with one impression: seeking happiness without God is a fleeting pursuit without enduring value. While Tony has the ability to inspire and reach people on a very emotional level, these feelings do not lead to God—at least not using the techniques employed in his seminars. Tony isn’t alone in his misguided attempt to effect change in people, regardless of how sincere it might be. Anyone pointing to themselves or their audience as the instruments for true change and happiness are without godly understanding.   Creating happiness in one’s life begins by setting our sights and aspirations on God. David was inspired to write, “Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

It is imperative that we fortify ourselves against any influences that God would find un-delightful. If we desire happiness, we will only find lasting joy in godliness. Any pursuit that doesn’t point to God leads us in the only other direction possible—towards the god of this world and utter destruction.

As Tony finished off his 6 day seminar in the documentary, he ended the last session with the audience meditating in an eastern-religion type posture. While he made slight reference to God during his presentations, it became very apparent he was not focused on pleasing God but instead prostrating before the god of this world.

Paul warned the church in Rome that this kind of worship would eventually lead us away from our inheritance, “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man… who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator…” (Romans 1:22-25).

Godlessness extinguishes the flame that should be continually growing within each of us. There is no “gray area” or “middle ground” in the absence of light, only eternal darkness. Our diligence in testing what is godly and focusing on what is godly will lead us to satisfaction and eternal joy.