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Dear Members, Co-Workers and Friends,

It is hard to believe that the Feast of Tabernacles 2013 has ended over three weeks ago. We have returned from a marvelous occasion which portrayed a time of universal peace and happiness, and we must cope now once again with trials and persecutions in this present evil world, which is ruled by Satan the devil.

In our first weekly Update after the Feast (No. 607, dated October 4), Brian Gale wrote in his Editorial: “We have just kept the Feast of Tabernacles which pictures the coming reign of Jesus Christ on this earth. Then there will be no leadership problems at all. But until then, in this world, do we have leadership problems? There’s proof galore for those with eyes to see and ears to hear!”

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – October 18, 2013"

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Dear Brethren, Co-Workers and Friends:

In less than two weeks, my wife and I will be flying to Germany for the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day, after having observed the Feast of Trumpets with the brethren in the United States. It is hard to believe that the autumn festival season of 2013 has arrived—since the 2012 autumn season and the 2013 spring season seem to have just passed. But this shows how FAST time goes by… and how SOON Jesus Christ will return.

Recently, my wife and I discussed the fact that days come and go and that we could just become victims of a never-ending repetitious cycle—if we are not careful. That is why God—in His ultimate wisdom—has given us His weekly Sabbath and His annual Holy Days to remind us of the truth that this physical temporary existence is not all there is. In fact, it’s only a short training ground to prepare us for a much better and valuable everlasting life to come.

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – August 27, 2013"

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Dear Brethren and Co-Workers:

Having just returned from my trip to Kenya for the purpose of visiting the brethren and meeting with some who have shown interest in the Church, I have come to appreciate what we take for granted in the Western World, including the USA, Canada and Great Britain, as far as possessions and wealth are concerned. Even our ever-decreasing freedom is remarkable in comparison with the repression and dictatorship in African countries.

Let us reflect for a moment on our physical possessions. Some of us own houses, and most have one to three cars; some have boats, motorcycles and several computers. Children have (far too) many electronic toys and gadgets, and it’s a chore trying to keep up with the expanding technology because everyone wants the latest, fastest gadget on the market, and children and teens put a lot of pressure on their parents to buy them the most recent inventions and products.

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – August 14, 2013"

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

Good, true and godly leadership is what this world of ours is crying out for. But, first of all, just what is leadership? For example, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development defines it in this way: “Leadership may be defined as the capacity to influence people, by means of personal attributes and/or behaviors, to achieve a common goal. However, while leadership is currently much discussed, and academic studies on the topic have multiplied since the 1970s, there is no single definition or concept of leadership that satisfies all commentators.”

The problem with such definitions, and there are many, is that God is almost always left out of the picture, and unless leadership is God centered, it will always fail and not live up to expectations, even of those of a secular mind set and disposition.

When we look at leadership in nations all around the world, it is not an encouraging situation. One issue that has recently surfaced in both the USA and UK is that of transparency. This is something that seems to be in vogue and has been promised by the leaders of both the USA and the UK. It appears that such promises have not been kept.

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – July 5, 2013"

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

What does the Bible mean to you?

Do you accept it as the very Word of God? Do you find in its pages the godly standards by which you seek to live your life? There are certainly other books claiming divine inspiration, and there are followers of the teaching of those volumes who zealously—even fanatically—dedicate themselves in unwavering obedience.

As Christians, we should have proven beyond all doubt that God has inspired, preserved and is continuing to utilize His written Word as a means of revealing Himself to us. The Bible testifies of itself:

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13).

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – June 6, 2013"

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Dear Members, Co-Workers and Friends,

How much longer do we have until Jesus Christ returns to usher in the wonderful world tomorrow, and to establish God’s rule and government here on earth? The answer is, no man knows the times or seasons, the day or the hour—but Christ gave us signs to watch for, and He said that when we see certain events take place, we should know that the time is near. He gave us an outline in Matthew 24, and judging by His words, the next spectacular event will be the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Again, we don’t know the exact timing of that event—and those who claim that they have been given such insightful knowledge are deceiving you—but we should be able to see that it could happen very soon.

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – April 24, 2013"

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Dear Members and Friends:

As the sun lingers in the sky for longer periods of time and as the snow melts here in Fort Collins, I anxiously anticipate the springtime. I can’t say that this winter has been any colder than any other, but I won’t hesitate to admit that I have enjoyed enough of the brisk, crisp winter air to last me until next year. Even though the imminent warmer weather is something to look forward to, much more than that, God’s Spring Holy Days offer us all a much-needed regular opportunity to reflect on the plan of God unfolding before our very eyes.

As I write to you now, the annual Passover—the first event we observe in God’s Spring Holy Day season, which is followed immediately by the Feast of Unleavened Bread—is just around the corner. This solemn memorial was established thousands of years ago when Moses led Israel out of Egypt, and it remains in effect for Christians today. When the Passover was initiated, the nation of Israel was instructed to sacrifice a lamb, consume the meat, and prepare to leave their situation of bondage in the land of Egypt. Thousands of years after Israel fled from the slavery of Egypt, Jesus Christ gave Himself to be our Passover lamb, so that we might obtain freedom from the slavery of sin. It turns out that this was God’s plan from the very beginning of man’s creation.

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – March 6, 2013"

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

Recently I received an email which enclosed an article, describing the horrid state of the city of Detroit, Michigan. While it was once a thriving metropolis with a population of 1.8 million, it now stands at just over 900,000. The city reminds one of a town in a third-world country. Here are some quotes from the article, which was authored by Frosty Wooldridge, a US journalist, writer, environmentalist and traveler:

“For 15 years, from the mid 1970’s to 1990, I worked in Detroit, Michigan. I watched it descend into the abyss of crime, debauchery, gun play, drugs, school truancy, car-jacking, gangs and human depravity. I watched entire city blocks burned out. I watched graffiti explode on buildings, cars, trucks, buses and school yards. Trash everywhere!

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – February 15, 2013"

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

Since the last letter written by Mr Dave Harris on December 10, 2012, many things have happened that show how fast-paced this world has become. We may think of the terrible shootings on December 14 in an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, USA, where twenty children and six adults were shot and killed; the “fiscal cliff” that the USA flirted with; and the latest in a very long list of failures that predicted the end of the world on December 21, 2012, simply because it was the “end” of a cycle of the Mayan calendar.

As we enter 2013, what can we expect to happen this year? Unfortunately, it is certain that things won’t improve with the parlous state of the world’s economy and so many other problems, wherever we look.

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – January 11, 2013"

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Dear Brethren and Friends,

Christians of the first century didn’t know exactly WHEN, but many believed that Jesus Christ would return in their lifetimes. For a while, that anticipation created tremendous zeal!

The apostle Paul initially wrote in ways that seem to indicate he expected to be alive when Jesus returned (compare 1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; and 2 Thessalonians 1:7). However, later on, his writing reveals that he knew that he would die, and that meant he would live again to then meet Christ in the first resurrection—along with other faithful saints (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

As years turned into decades, and Jesus Christ did not appear, many lost their fervor, and some turned completely away from their incomparable calling. This is what Jesus said of that era of His Church: “‘…I have this against you, that you have left your FIRST LOVE’” (Revelation 2:4).

He and God’s Way of Life, as taught by Him, were their “first love,” and they quit seeking Him and what He represented—no longer passionately looking forward to His return!

Continue reading "Letter to the Brethren – December 10, 2012"