Update from the President

As I write, the McNeelys and Mr. and Mrs. de Campos are in Africa. Jorge and Kathy de Campos are returning today from Angola and South Africa, while Darris and Debbie McNeely are just arriving in Malawi and will continue on to South Africa.

I have asked Darris to conduct leadership seminars in both of the countries he will be visiting. Darris serves as coordinator of the Ministerial Education Program, and we are diligently working on integrating all the various ways we educate the Church's future leaders. I am very grateful for his being able to travel these distances, spend time presenting these seminars, and meet personally with all those attending. In Malawi we will also have some attendees from neighboring Zambia and Zimbabwe.

You can easily follow regular reports from these men as they travel on TravelPod:

Jorge de Campos: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/jorgedecampos/4/tpod.html

Darris McNeely: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/darrismcneely/2/tpod.html

Visiting

After returning from our visit to Australia, Singapore and Malaysia last week, I was impressed by how important it is for us in the ministry to personally visit those whom God has called. One of the most important functions of the ministry is to visit the brethren. The people we visited expressed appreciation for our taking the time and making the effort to visit our ministry and brethren in remote areas.

When I began serving as a ministerial trainee 47 years ago in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, our entire week revolved around visiting. We made three to five visits every day. We had regular schedules with shut-ins and those in nursing homes. We were available for counseling. Certainly, we instantly responded to visiting those in hospitals. Then there were prospective member visits, those asking for baptism, and others who simply wrote to headquarters asking for a minister to come by with information about the Church. We were given guidelines about how many people to visit each week and we planned all other church activities--such as Bible studies, Spokesman's Club and sports activities--around our mainstay of visiting.

A few biblical passages supporting visiting are:

1. "Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, 'Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing'" (Acts 15:36). It was important to follow up!

2. When Jesus talked to his disciples on the Mount of Olives, He made this statement about those who will come into the Kingdom of God in the Resurrection: "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me'" (Matthew 25:34-36).

Chris Rowland and I held a regular video conference on Monday with our regional pastors and discussed the importance of not neglecting visiting. We may think that a person does not "need" to be visited, but you will find that if you take the time to spend one-on-one time with them that it's greatly appreciated and brings you both closer together.

A Time for Light

The past two weeks have showcased the deep divisions that plague the United States of America. As the major political parties have come together to supposedly unite for the upcoming presidential election, instead we have seen acrimony, protests, division and controversy reign in the place of peace and harmony. Certainly, we hear a lot of noise.

The United Church of God does not involve itself in politics. The Church takes no official position of support for any candidate or any party, whether in America or elsewhere. We have the clear biblical understanding that God remains directly engaged in how world events will lead to the coming Kingdom of God. And as Scripture clearly points out: "Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20).

Horrible terrorist murders, bloody civil wars, the bottomless pit of human greed, and many more painful atrocities all collectively confirm that this is not God's world. We in the Church are indeed blessed to know that the "god" of this world--Satan the devil (2 Corinthians 4:4)--is bent on the destruction of humanity. Satan's influence is everywhere. It leaves almost nothing untouched.

At the same time, one of our major callings is to be "the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). Jesus magnified it powerfully: "Let your light so shine before men"--both in and out of the Church--"that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

Have you ever thought about the fact that light has no sound? Brilliant light emits no audio that a human ear can hear. What does that mean for us?

Certainly we may have an opinion about who might be the best leader for whatever country or region they may want to represent and where we might be from. We may even have an opinion about how that person may or may not fit into the sequence of biblical prophecy.

But what's truly important? We are literally ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). As God gives us strength, we are supposed to be demonstrating to the best of our ability what happens when someone follows the truth of God.

What does it mean to fulfill this calling to be "the light of the world"? The Bible is plain about what comes from a Christian filled with the Holy Spirit. As Paul wrote: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22).

Further, spiritual lights are not judgmental (Matthew 7:1-5). Spiritual lights are "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (James 1:19). Spiritual lights "do everything in love" (1 Corinthians 16:14, New Living Translation, emphasis added throughout).

These spiritual qualities stand out in stark contrast to the world around us. Are they evident in our personal lives?

Jesus Himself gave us our identifying mark: "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).

Is this quality obvious in our lives? Or are we judgmental, unforgiving, controlling or resentful?

Certainly we are not perfect. We all stumble. As Paul told the Roman church, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). When we find ourselves falling short despite our best efforts, that is where we receive the magnificent grace of God. We continue to surrender ourselves to God. We pick ourselves up and continue on in the race.

So in this political season, here in the United States, we may be following what political candidates say and the current events associated with them. Indeed, we are commanded to watch (Matthew 24:42). Based on the perceived qualities of the candidate, we may even have a personal preference.

But what truly matters is our high calling. We are to "seek first the Kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33). In doing so, we serve as an example. We attract attention at the grass roots level. We support the work of the Church by showing God's way of life.

If we know anything, we know that this political season will grow worse. Campaign ads will be dark and negative. We in the Church have to be different. James expressed it best when he said: "If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (James 1:26-27). Part of our media philosophy is that our message transcends this world's ideologies and factions. We must guard our minds and therefore our words--and that includes comments on social media. Let's make sure we stay out of the "fray" on platforms like Facebook.

Let us put first things first. Ancient Corinth was a city probably much like our society today. It was permissive and sinful; it was a difficult place in which to live and still lead a Christian life. In light of that, Paul gave the Corinthians some remarkable advice that is relevant for us in the Church today: "Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace." And what will happen if we do? "The God of love and peace will be with you" (2 Corinthians 13:11, English Standard Version).

What better personal outcome in this world is there? Let us truly love one another and be a brilliant "light of the world."

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.