December, 2009

Fred R. Coulter

Minister

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December 16, 2009

Dear Brethren,

The 2nd-Edition Bibles have arrived! The first container shipment of 12,000 Bibles was delivered to Hollister and copies have been mailed out to everyone who requested them. A second shipment arrived on December 6. Seamodal, our importer representative, processed them through Customs and delivered them to us on the 14th. If you have ordered Bibles but have not received them, please call the office and we will take of it for you.

In addition, by the time you receive this letter, you will have received the new book for children, God’s Bible Pathway for Children. It is being mailed directly to you from Unit Packaging in Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1.5 miles from Thomson-Shore, the printer. For those outside the USA, we are sending copies to all the offices and they will mail them to you.

In concert with our Restoring the Original Bible campaign to promote the Bible—coupled with the soon-coming Church at Home Web site—we have upgraded the cbcg.org Home Page to emphasize the theme, Restoring Original Christianity—for Today. As you will see, with this new theme we are defining the mission and goals of the Christian Biblical Church of God—clearly and concisely stating who we are and what we are doing. Here is the new cbcg.org Home Page introduction:

Christian Biblical Church of God

Restoring Original Christianity—For Today!

Welcome to the Home Page of the Christian Biblical Church of God. As a church, we are dedicated to Restoring Original Christianity—For Today. This means restoring the true, original Gospel as revealed and taught by Jesus Christ and His personally chosen apostles, and as preserved in the God-breathed New Testament. We believe and practice the Word of God, as inspired and preserved in both the Old and New Testaments. Therefore, we are Scripturalists. We strictly follow the Bible, endeavoring to recapture the true meaning of the Word of God by comparing scripture with scripture—in order to prove all things. The Word of God is the truth of God, from the God of truth. As Jesus said, we are to “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

We do not accept, teach, or practice traditions of men—regardless of their claims, whether from Judaism, Catholicism or Protestantism. The founding battle cry of Protestantism, solo scriptura (“the Scriptures and Scriptures only”), has been long forgotten—ignored by Protestants and rejected by Catholics. As a result, all of Orthodox Christendom has gone astray, and is now merely practicing “Christianized” pagan traditions, teachings and philosophies of men.

In the period leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple in 70 AD, the subversion of the true churches of God by false ministers with false teachings was gaining momentum. In his urgent epistle, the apostle Jude, the brother of Jesus, sounded the alarm that an insidious apostasy was gaining power: “Beloved, when personally exerting all my diligence to write to you concerning the common salvation, I was compelled to write to you, exhorting you to fervently fight for the faith, which once for all time has been delivered to the saints. For certain men have stealthily crept in, those who long ago have been written about, condemning them to thisjudgment. They are ungodly men, who are perverting the grace of our God, turning it into licentiousness, and are personally denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 3-4).

The mission of the Christian Biblical Church of God is to faithfully undertake the task of RESTORING ORIGINAL CHRISTIANITY—FOR TODAY, with a return to the authentic worship of God in spirit and in truth—in a deep personal relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. Our site offers both visual and audio studies on a wide range of biblical subjects created to help you come to a full understanding of the fundamental teachings of the Holy Bible and the original apostolic Christianity founded by Jesus.

This site is designed to help you progress from basic biblical teachings to more advanced detailed studies. We have in-depth, verse-by-verse studies of nearly all the books of the New Testament. In addition, we have a host of messages analyzing Bible prophecy for the end time. All topics are networked so that you may enter at any level of study and move with ease from one topic to another.

Our site is rapidly expanding, with new audio and textual selections being added each week. We would appreciate your suggestions on specific interests and needs. Please direct any comments or questions concerning this Web site to our Webmaster at the address below.

This new theme, Restoring Original Christianity—For Today, informs people exactly what we are doing. By emphasizing the true Word of God—and nothing but the Word of God—more people will be drawn to a restoration of true Christianity in these end times. Just as in politics, people are sick and tired of the same old teachings and hypocrisies of Orthodox Christendom. While some are turning to atheism, others are turning to God—searching for the true God and the true Jesus Christ.

This is why we are not to only feed the Flock of God—to teach and prepare the brethren for the return of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God—but we are also to preach the Gospel as Jesus commanded: “Now the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them to meet Him. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples in all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even until the completion of the age’ ” (Matt. 28:16-20).

After Jesus ascended to the throne of God the Father to present Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world, He appeared later that day to the disciples. At that time He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures and expanded the message of how to preach the Gospel to the world: “And He said to them, ‘These are the words that I spoke to you when I was yet with you, that all the things which were written concerning Me in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘According as it is written, it was necessary for the Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day. And in His name, repentance and remission of sins should be preached to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. For you are witnesses of these things’ ” (Luke 24:44-48).

On the fortieth day after Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to the apostles for the last time. On this momentous day, He further expanded the mission of preaching the Gospel to the world: “So then, when they were assembled together, they asked Him, saying, ‘Lord, will You restore the kingdom to Israel at this time?’ And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has placed in His own authority; but you yourselves shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:6-8).

The last phrase—“unto the ends of the earth”—is clearly a prophecy that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, through the Word of God, would indeed reach “unto the ends of the earth.” Obviously, by the time the apostles died they had not gone to the ends of the earth with the Gospel. Please read “Why Are There So Many Bibles in the World?” on page x in The Holy Bible In Its Original Order. This essay shows that Jesus prophesied that the Gospel, the Word of God, would be published in all the world before the end would come: “But the end is not yet…. And the gospel must first be published among all nations” (Mark 13:7, 10).

When we tie these scriptures together, we can see that what Jesus commanded was, in fact, an age-lasting mission for the churches of God—to continue until His return! My ongoing prayer is that all the brethren and ministers in all the various churches of God would collectively yield to God the Father and Jesus Christ and faithfully carry out these commands.

Jesus began His ministry in Galilee by “proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time has been fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is near at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel’ ” (Mark 1:14-15). The message in the four Gospels defines for the churches of God what we should be preaching and teaching.

Each one of us has a part in preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, through our lives as a light to the world, as well as in various areas of service to the Church. Jesus promised, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world for a witness to all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matt. 24:14). In recent years, not understanding what was taking place in the churches of God, many ministers and brethren have thought that this witness and warning would be left for the Two Witnesses. While it is true that they will have a tremendous work, we should never assume that we can sit back and relax and not preach the Gospel—leaving it to the Two Witnesses. To do so would be a great dereliction of our duty before God.

The apostle Paul understood that he had a God-given responsibility to preach the Gospel, as he explained to the Corinthians: “For though I preach the gospel, there is no reason for me to boast because an obligation has been laid upon me. And woe to me, if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if I do this against my will, I have been entrusted with a ministry” (I Cor. 9:16-17). He also understood that his ministry was a stewardship from God—a sacred trust committed to him by God: “[Let] every man regard us as ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Beyond that, it is required of stewards that one be found faithful” (I Cor. 4:1-2).

All of us need to view our calling in the same way—a stewardship, a calling of faithfulness—because God the Father and Jesus Christ have personally chosen to dwell in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, while we live in the world, we are not of the world. This fact is especially evident during the worldly holiday season called “Christmas.”

We are not to be partakers of the world’s ways and religions. Paul warned of this when he wrote, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and lawlessness have in common? And what fellowship does light have with darkness? And what union does Christ have with Belial? Or what part does a believer have with an unbeliever? And what agreement is there between a temple of God and idols?

“For you are a temple of the living God, exactly as God said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out from the midst of them and be separate,’ says the Lord, ‘and touch not the unclean, and I will receive you; and I shall be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty…. Now then, beloved, since we have these promises, we should purge ourselves from every defilement of the flesh and the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (II Cor. 6:14-18; 7:1).

We need to be faithful because we have been called to eternal life, to be a part of the Family of God—to become immortal spirit beings at the return of Jesus Christ and the first resurrection. Always remember, Jesus Christ loves us—He died for us. The Father Himself loves us—and answers our prayers! This is why we are to pray directly to God the Father, as Jesus said, “[You] shall ask in My name; and I do not tell you that I will beseech the Father for you, for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God” (John 16:26-27).

Notice again how the apostle John emphasized the fantastic love that God the Father has towards us: “Behold! What glorious love the Father has given to us, that we should be called the children of God! For this very reason, the world does not know us because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be; but we know that when He is manifested, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him exactly as He is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, even as He is pure” (I John 3:1-3).

All of this is because of the love of God—His love for us FIRST—as John also wrote: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish, but may have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

In order to receive eternal life, we must come to God on His terms. We do not come to God on our terms. The longer we live with the Spirit of God within us, coupled with continuous daily prayer and the study of the Word of God, the more we will grow in the love of God and in our understanding of the depth of His love for us. The apostle John understood this more than the other apostles because he was the one whom Jesus specially loved. This is why his gospel and epistles teach us more about the love of God than any other book in the Bible. Further explaining the love of God for us, John wrote: “In this way the love of God was manifested toward us: that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this act is the love—not that we loved God; rather, that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also are duty-bound to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. Yet, if we love one another, God dwells in us, and His own love is perfected in us. By this standard we know that we are dwelling in Him, and He is dwelling in us: because of His own Spirit, which He has given to us…. And we have known and have believed the love that God has toward us. God is love, and the one who dwells in love is dwelling in God, and God in him.

“By this spiritual indwelling, the love of God is perfected within us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment because even as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in the love of God; rather, perfect love casts out fear because fear has torment. And the one who fears has not been made perfect in the love of God. We love Him because He loved us first” (I John 4:9-13, 16-19).

The love of God is more than an emotion, though emotion is involved. Through the Holy Spirit, our love of God is dynamic, active and produces fruit. The love of God is perfected in us because we are living God’s way of life. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep the commandments—namely, My commandments” (John 14:15). The apostle John confirmed this when he wrote, “By this standard we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God: that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome” (I John 5:2-3). Indeed, we are to be deeply rooted in the Word of God and in the love of God.

In John’s time, deceivers infiltrated the churches of God with false doctrines and antichrist teachings. Thus, his writings are key to Restoring Original Christianity—For Today. In the short epistle of II John, we find verification that the love of God, commandment-keeping and truth go hand-in-hand as vital spiritual keys for us today. “I rejoiced exceedingly that I have found among your children those who are walking in truth, exactly as we received commandment from the Father. And now I beseech you, lady, not as though I am writing a new commandment to you, but that which we have observed from the beginning, that we love one another [original Christianity].

“And this is the love of God: that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, exactly as you heard from the beginning, that you might walk in it [original Christianity], because many deceivers have entered into the world—those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is the spirit of the deceiver and the antichrist.

“Watch out for yourselves in order that we may not lose the things we have accomplished, but that we may receive a full reward. Anyone who transgresses and does not continue in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. But the one who continues in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son [original Christianity]” (II John 4-9).

John’s messages encompass everything that God wants us to believe and do. Once we understand the simplicity of it—the love of God, keeping the commandments, Sabbath and holy days—we can begin to understand the truth of God. In our lives, we can begin restoring original Christianity—for today. As John wrote, “The one who continues in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.”

On the other hand, the Orthodox Christianity of this world—under the deception of Satan the devil and the spirit of antichrist—does not have the Father and the Son. Their mixture of truth and error, rejection of God’s Sabbath and holy days, and counterfeit love are all an exact duplicate of what John and the early Church experienced.

Just as the early Church was being engulfed with false teachings and a “universe of deception” (I John 4:6), we are experiencing a similar phenomenon today—but on a far greater scale! Today, the worldwide system called the “Mystery of Lawlessness” is almost fully developed. In the Book of Revelation, God names this entire system of false religion and government “BABYLON THE GREAT!”

For us living in the end time, “Babylon the Great” is even more intensive, oppressive and invasive because of our modern media, the Internet and modern technology—affecting all nations and peoples. By the time of God’s final end-time judgment, “Babylon the Great” will have encompassed the entire world. John describes it this way: “And after these things I saw an angel descending from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried out mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a habitation of demons, and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hated bird; because ALL NATIONS have drunk of the wine of the fury of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the power of her luxury.’

“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, My people, so that you do not take part in her sins, and that you do not receive of her plagues, for her sins have reached as far as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her as she has rendered to you; and give to her double, even according to her works. In the cup that she mixed, give her back double. To the degree that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, give to her as much torment and sorrow. For she says in her heart, ‘I sit a queen enthroned, and am not a widow; and in no way shall I experience sorrow.’ For this very reason, her plagues shall come in one day—death and sorrow and famine; and she shall be burned with fire; for the Lord God, Who executes judgment upon her, is powerful. Then the kings of the earth who have committed fornication with her and have lived luxuriously, will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning” (Rev. 18:1-9).

This is how we need to preach Restoring Original Christianity—For Today! Come out of “Babylon the Great”—this world’s satanic ways! Repent! Return to God! Jesus Christ is returning to this earth! The Kingdom of God is near!

Brethren, in our own lives, we need to draw close to God in heartfelt prayer and in the daily study of God’s Word, so that we can grow in grace and knowledge and always be overcoming. We thank God the Father and Jesus Christ daily for their goodness and mercy. We thank you personally for your continued love and faithfulness to God and one another. We thank you for your prayers for us and all the brethren, and for your faithfulness in your tithes and offerings. We pray that God will continue to bless you and keep watch over you in everything. We continue to pray for you—for your health, your healing and for God’s love and grace to be upon you in all circumstances.

With love, in Christ Jesus,

Fred R. Coulter

FRC