Do we see "the
signs of the times"? Is the handwriting on the wall? Mr. Tkach asks in this month's
Personal.
Do we see "the
signs of the times"? Is the handwriting on the wall? Mr. Tkach asks in this month's
Personal.
"Mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days" (2 Tim. 3:1). And what do we see now? America at war. Shootings in our schools. Disasters in the weather.
We are living in the last days!--and we have been for almost 2,000 years. The last days, said Peter, were already here (Acts 2:16-17).
Our responsibility before God does not change with the times: Our job is to preach the gospel, to preach repentance and forgiveness, to teach those who believe, and to worship God. Pages 6 and 7.
The Bible teaches
that the Ten Commandments have been superseded by something far more glorious--something
that God had planned from the very beginning would one day outshine completely the Law he
gave to Israel, writes Mike Feazell, director of denominational publications.
"Whoa! Just a minute! So what are you saying, then? We can just go out and commit adultery, or kill, or steal?" No, of course not.
What the Bible teaches is that the Law (the Torah), the whole Law, including the Ten Commandments, was given to Israel for a specific period of time--the time from their encounter with God on Sinai until the coming of Jesus the Messiah.
Once Jesus came, a new law came in--the law of Christ. It was a new covenant relationship, or arrangement, between God and humans, and it was not restricted to the Israelites. It was a covenant with all people.
When this "new deal" came in, the "old deal" expired. Pages 8 to 11.
More than half the
world's population lives in Asia and the South Pacific, a region where WCG activities are
largely administered from the Australian Office.
Scattered across this vast area are about two dozen congregations. They are pastored by six full- time pastors, as well as being served by lay and ordained local leaders--often in difficult circumstances, according to regional director Rod Matthews.
"Christianity is a persecuted faith in a number of Asian nations and a minority one in nearly all," Mr. Matthews said.
"And yet there is a growing interest in Christianity. We feel a great responsibility to find ways to share Christian teaching with the peoples of Asia. We have been blessed to have built up a number of congregations made up of deeply committed men and women God has called to live and share the gospel in this part of the world."
Mr. Matthews said that the regional office has agreed to focus more resources in Asia. "We want to to enable our churches in Asia to reach out into their communities with the hope of the gospel," he explained. Pages 14 and 15.
Regular daily
mail donations are down almost 11 percent below our budgeted expenses for the first four
months of the year--that is $1.2 million less than planned-for income, writes controller
Ronald Kelly.
That's a major concern for the present, but also an even greater concern for the remainder of the year. At this rate of declining income, we could receive $3 million less in donations than our departments need to meet budget.
As I have explained in previous Worldwide News articles, the only way we now have to match our donation income with budgeted expenses is to terminate employees, including salaried church pastors. Page 18.
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