As reported last week, LaVerne is in serious condition. Here is an update from district pastor Glen Weber.
LaVerne was doing a bit better and was more conscious late last week. Saturday she enjoyed a visit with some friends who visited from Southern California. However, after a period of time she suffered a seizure and had to be taken from hospice to the hospital. She is now stabilized and if all goes well with some tests, she will have a feeding tube inserted into her stomach.
If she is gaining strength by next weekend, she and Mike will fly to Cleveland so that LaVerne can be cared for by family members who are nurses.
Please pray for the family and also for our Phoenix congregation where LaVerne’s husband Michael is the senior pastor.
Cards may be sent to:
Michael Wyatt-Paige 1928 E Highland Ave #104 PMB 200 Phoenix, AZ 85016-4626
We were saddened to learn that former GCI pastor Robert Bragg died early today (April 17). He was 80 years old and had been suffering from age-related ailments for the past few years.
Bob was preceded in death by his wife Shelby, who died in 2010 (after 53 years of marriage) and his youngest son Reginald, who died in 2012. Bob is survived by his sons Scott and Stuart. Please remember the family in your prayers.
Cards may be sent to Bob’s sons at:
Scott Bragg 1119 Moser Drive Danielsville, PA 18038 Stuart Bragg 410 West 51st Street Apartment 104 New York, NY 10019
This Monday, three people died and nearly 200 were injured by bombs detonated near the finish line of the famed Boston Marathon. Dishon Mills, who is planting a GCI church in nearby Randolph, Massachusetts and works near the location of the bomb blasts, wrote this on his Facebook page:
It was a tragic day for our city. I work six doors from the site of the first explosion. My family and I were going to go down to my job to watch the race, but I was tired from traveling so we stayed home. Not only that, for the first time in at least five years, no one from my staff was in the building watching the Marathon. Otherwise, we would have been right in the center of the devastation. Some will ask, “Where was God when bombs ripped through the Boston Marathon?” My reply is that he was working through the first responders who worked to minimize the casualties. He was working through the police who found additional explosive devices before they detonated. He was working to keep me, my family and my colleagues safe on a terrible day. I am confident that this same God will comfort the families of the victims and help my city heal from this tragedy.
Dishon’s heartfelt words remind me that we are called to join with Jesus in his concern for suffering people near and far. I was also reminded of this when I visited our Stratford and Cromwell, Connecticut churches pastored by Larry Wooldridge. One of the opening prayers included intercession for the people of North Korea and the surrounding region, asking God that peace and cooler heads prevail. This prayer reflected the apostle Paul’s admonition to intercede for all people everywhere by praying for the leaders of their governments (1 Timothy 2:1-4). I hope we’ll all take this admonition to heart. Though we no longer examine current events searching for “where we are in prophecy” clues, world events should still be a concern of ours and a focus for our prayers.
When disasters, like the recent floods in Mozambique, directly affect our members, we naturally respond with prayer. But what about the people in the Korean peninsula? Though we don’t have many members there and though most commentators expect things to return to normal (if “normal” is a word that can be used to describe anything about North Korea!), I still feel that we should join in prayer for the people of both South and North Korea and for their leaders. The same can be said for people in many parts of our world, who suffer through troubles like those shown in the cartoon below.
North Korea has become one of the strangest countries on earth. If it was not for the fact that they are developing nuclear weapons, we could dismiss them as a comic sideshow on the world scene. They live in isolation, obsessed with an incredible personality cult around their leaders. Their first President, Kim Il-sung, who died in 1994, is still considered the Head of State. Nebuchadnezzar, who liked to be addressed as “O King, live forever,” could have learned from the North Korean propaganda machine. Kim Jong-il, his son, and now his grandson Kim Jong-un, are worshiped almost as gods in North Korea’s peculiar blend of communism and state idolatry.
One of the strategies of war is to dehumanize your enemy. My father, who fought in the Pacific during World War II, was told that there was no word for “love” in the Japanese language. That is nonsense, of course, but if you can demonize your enemies in this way, it makes it easier to destroy them. The seventeen million people of North Korea are fed a steady diet of hate propaganda, designed to prepare every man, woman and child to be ready to fight to the death to defend their homeland against “the American aggressors and their South Korean puppets.” We must not allow ourselves to return the hate. Let’s remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:
You’re familiar with the old written law, “Love your friend,” and its unwritten companion, “Hate your enemy.” I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty (Matthew 5:43-45 The Message).
When I see the news reports of North Koreans rallying in massive displays of adoration for their leader, I identify with Paul’s feelings on his visit to Athens. “The longer Paul waited in Athens for Silas and Timothy, the angrier he got—all those idols! The city was a junkyard of idols” (Acts 17:16). As I see them marching in lockstep in endless military parades, I have to remind myself that each one of those sadly deluded people are nevertheless children of God. I try to see them as he sees them—not as depersonalized automatons, but as individuals whom he loves, sending his own eternal Son to save them from sin, death and the power of evil deceit.
Christianity is thriving in South Korea, but North Korea is officially atheist, and ruthlessly suppresses all religion except their state idolatry. A small and incredibly courageous underground church exists there, but it is safe to say that outside of that there is hardly any “knowledge of God.” It has not always been that way. Did you know that about a hundred years ago, North Korea was once one of the world’s most fruitful fields for Christian missions? There was a massive revival, and for a time, Pyongyang was known as “The Jerusalem of the East.”
God has not written off North Korea and neither should we. I was glad to hear our congregation’s prayer last weekend. Let’s not just pray about North Korea. Let’s remember to pray for them—a sadly confused and deceived people who nevertheless are included in God’s great purpose for humankind.
This update is from Lorenzo Arroyo, GCI mission director for Mexico and a US regional pastor.
On March 29-31, GCI Mexico held its annual national conference and Easter celebration. Guest speakers were Joseph and Tammy Tkach, Gary and Cathy Deddo, Lorenzo and Rita Arroyo and Heber Ticas. Alfredo Mercado, national leader for GCI Mexico, hosted the event.
Lorenzo Arroyo, Gary Deddo, Joe Tkach and Heber Ticas
During the first two days of the conference about 100 people participated in presentations related to pastoral ministry, women’s ministry, young adults in ministry and teen ministry. Gary Deddo gave plenary presentations on universalism and the Atonement, noting that in doing theology we must begin with who God is revealed to be in Jesus Christ—the triune God of love. Heber gave a plenary session entitled “Fishers of Humanity” that addressed reaching out to the unchurched with Christ’s love. Heber and Samuel Mercado, along with Venegas Parra, did a wonderful job translating for those speakers not fluent in Spanish.
Cathy Deddo, Rita Arroyo and Tammy Tkach
In presentations ministering to the women, Tammy Tkach, Cathy Deddo and Rita Arroyo addressed the freedom of God’s grace, sharing our faith with others, and the priority of love. The response included tears of joy. Cathy also gave a plenary session entitled, “Meeting God in His Word,” which addressed basic Bible study principles.
Samuel Mercado and Heber Ticas addressed about 30 youth and helped make plans for Mexico’s third national camp to be held in November. The youth were upbeat and engaged throughout the conference. In the plenary sessions, three of them movingly shared their journey of faith in Jesus.
Nathanael Cruz leads worship
The conference high point was the Easter service with 150 in attendance. Nathanael Cruz, pastor of the GCI Mexico City church and a talented musician and songwriter, led worship. He played his own arrangements of contemporary praise songs on keyboard, “rocking the building” with adoration and worship toward Jesus Christ. Joseph Tkach then gave the sermon entitled, “The Risen Lord and the Empty Tomb.” Appreciation and affection for Dr. Tkach was shown through enthusiastic applause.
A joyful additional benefit of the conference was the involvement of Jose Vasquez and his family from central Mexico who attended at the invitation of Jose’s brother, a GCI member in the US. Jose recently began a small group of about 25 people in his hometown. He was so overwhelmed by his exposure to GCI at the conference that he agreed to be commissioned as GCI’s representative in leading his small group. Joseph Tkach welcomed Jose to GCI.
In addition to the meetings, the conference provided ample time for meals and informal fellowship. In the evenings several dined at area restaurants and enjoyed cultural events in Guadalajara. Many commented that these Mexican conferences are getting better every year. Planning is underway for the next one to be held on Easter weekend 2014.
“If at first you don’t succeed; fail, fail and fail again” seems to be the mantra of those who make it their business to predict the end of the world. You’d think they would learn.
Sadly, they never do. They have convinced themselves and their followers that the Bible is a kind of crystal ball, through which they can predict the course of world events and the date of the Second Coming. Although they never get it right, they keep going. Incredibly, some people keep believing them.
Do you remember Harold Camping, the Christian radio broadcaster who predicted that Christ would return on May 21, 2011? His prophecy made national news. Many of his followers paid for billboards, took out full-page ads in newspapers. When May 21 came and went as normal, Harold Camping revised his prediction to October 21, 2011. Of course, that prediction failed too.
Another wannabe prophet, currently serving a jail term for tax fraud and hiding money in a Swiss bank account, is still predicting when Christ will return. His latest speculation is for Pentecost of this year. Don’t hold your breath.
How many times will these folks get it wrong before they realize there is something more than just faulty calculations that they are missing? As you know, our own founder also made the mistake of setting dates for the end. In 1939, in the August Plain Truth magazine, Herbert W. Armstrong wrote, “But this you MAY KNOW! This war will be ended by CHRIST’S RETURN! And MAY start within six weeks! We are just THAT NEAR Christ’s coming!”
Thankfully, GCI learned the lesson. We no longer indulge in speculative prophecy. Our focus is to preach the good news of the gospel. I wish I could say the same for our many splinters and off-shoot groups, but most of them still seem to think that predicting the end of the world is the gospel. One of our former pastors, who now leads his own group, said in a sermon eight years ago: “Take a good look—study it carefully—scrutinize all that is going on, because this Pope [Benedict XVI] is the last one you’ll ever see on this earth ever! You can go to the bank with that statement.” I hope no one did!
He also predicted that something of dramatic significance would happen on January 16, 2010, the day which, according to him, ended “one more 19-year time cycle in the Elijah work.” Out of interest, I checked the news archives. January 16, 2010 seems to have been a rather quiet day. Wrong again.
Predicting the end of the world is a sure way to get attention. If all it did was provide some religious comic relief, I suppose no harm would be done. Unfortunately, it does influence impressionable people and divert their attention away from the real message of hope that is in the scriptures. The Bible does not tell us the date of the end of the world, but it is clear about how we should regard those who think it does: “If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed” (Deuteronomy 18:22).
Our modern false prophets have not failed because they haven’t figured out how to break the code they think is hidden in the scriptures. They have failed because that information is just not there. It is not for me to judge the sincerity (or sanity) of these purveyors of gloom. After all, certain prophecies are a part of the Bible, and they must mean something. And of course, they do.
As Jesus told the Pharisees, another group who tried to use the scriptures to shore up a false premise, the prophecies pointed to him. Studying prophecy should lead to an understanding of who Jesus is and what God has done through him. Knowing Christ now is the focus of the Christian life, not knowing exactly when he is coming back.
“Eschatology” is a term that refers to the study of the teaching of Scripture concerning “last things” and the “age to come.” Though it is a legitimate area of study, we must scrupulously avoid using it for any purpose other than that intended by the biblical authors, which is hope, not prediction. In the Greek New Testament, Jesus is called the Eschatos (Revelation 1:17; 2:8; 22:13), meaning the “Last One.” It is from this title for Jesus that we get the term eschatology. Jesus himself is the fulfillment of all history—he is our ultimate hope. That is what we need to know; that is the focus of Bible prophecy. How sad that many of our former colleagues still are obsessed with predicting the end times: “Always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7).
It’s vital that we orient our study around the Bible’s real message. I believe you will find Gary Deddo’s series on interpreting scripture to be of great help for this. The first installment is posted at https://update.gci.org/2013/04/scripture-gods-gift/. I hope you will read it and share it with others. The second installment will be posted next week.
With love in Christ’s service,
Joseph Tkach
PS: After seven years as editor of Christian Odyssey, John Halford has asked if he can step aside. John will continue to write and be involved with media projects, but he feels that since Christian Odyssey is now an online publication, it needs an editor who is more familiar with electronic publishing. I have appointed Rick Shallenberger to take his place. Rick worked in our editorial department and was editor of Youth magazine for several years before being hired into the field ministry. Rick will now join our media team on a part-time basis, while continuing to pastor one of our congregations in Cincinnati and serving as a district pastor.
GCI Philippines recently held a three-day-long seminar for a group of young emerging church leaders in Mindanao. Pastor Jerome Villamor Manriquez, Area Superintendent for Mindanao, opened the seminar with a presentation on trying hard vs. trusting God. Pastor Levi Yuson, Assistant Area Superintendent for Mindanao, gave a devotional on the true meaning of success. Pastor Rex Dela Peña gave a series of lectures concerning Incarnational Trinitarian theology and counseling members. GCI Philippines National Director Eugene Guzon encouraged the young leaders to continue serving the church, while resting in the love and grace of Jesus Christ. He noted that the Philippine National Office is committed to supporting and equipping the young emerging leaders.
The event was a great bonding experience. One participant noted that it was amazing to see leaders gathered with so much enthusiasm for knowing Jesus Christ and serving his people. This event was the second in a series for preparing young emerging leaders in Mindanao to serve as GCI pastors.
Below is a video produced by NewLife Fellowship showing a sermon that Dan Rogers gave on Easter in Southern California. It serves as a source of sermon ideas and an example of expository preaching.
Last week, we asked for prayers for Lexie, who had come through an operation to remove a brain tumor. The surgeon had expressed concern that after the operation she might have to learn to walk again. However she is able to walk, and currently is resting and recovering slowly. The diagnosis is stage four metastatic melanoma, which will require constant monitoring and corresponding treatment. Lexie is remaining positive and realistic, knowing her life is in God’s hands. Thank you for your continuing prayers for Lexie, Mark and the family—they are much appreciated.
Cards may be sent to:
Mark and Lexie Ellis 27 Oppermann Drive Ormeau, Qld, Australia 4208
We are greatly saddened to learn that Michael Ted Persky, son of GCI Dallas pastor Bob Persky and his wife Kay, died on April 7. Ted, who graduated from Ambassador University, Big Sandy, in 1994, was living with his parents in Dallas. They were in the process of purchasing a larger home together, so that Ted’s children would have more room when they came for visits.
Bob reported that Ted had not been feeling well, and everyone had encouraged him to get things checked out. Plans had been made to go to the hospital the morning of April 7. Early that morning when Bob went to see if Ted was getting ready, he found his son lying on the floor. Emergency workers indicated that Ted had passed away at least four hours earlier.
Please pray for Bob and Kay and for their whole family, including Ted’s daughter Hannah (age 6), his son Blake (age 4), and his brothers.
Ted’s funeral is scheduled for April 10 in Justin, Texas.
Cards may be sent to:
Bob & Kay Persky 118 Hummingbird Lane Justin, TX 76247-5806
As reported in an earlier prayer update, LaVerne Wyatt-Paige, wife of GCI Phoenix pastor Michael Wyatt-Paige, has been battling cancer. Though she had shown remarkable improvement, she has recently taken a turn for the worse and was moved into hospice care a few days ago. She is no longer strong enough to take liquid orally. Michael reports that she may not survive more than a few days. Their two children are with their mother in Phoenix now. Please pray for LaVerne and the entire family.
Cards may be sent to:
Michael Wyatt-Paige 1928 E Highland Ave #104 PMB 200 Phoenix, AZ 85016-4626
