Yesterday, Bev and I left the United States to visit our churches in South Central Africa for the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. The countries we will visit are South Africa, Malawi and Zambia. In Zambia, some of our brethren from the Democratic Republic of the Congo will come over to the the Solwezi congregation, which is on the border of the Congo. On our many visits, we have developed a special fondness for our brethren in this part of the world, and look with eagerness to this visit.

Some others who are traveling are Scott and Gayle Hoefker to Colombia and Jorge de Campos to Brazil and Angola. Also, Paul Moody to West Africa (Nigeria and Ghana). Follow their travel blogs, along with mine, at one of these online locations:

Travel Blog - Victor Kubik
Travel Blog - Jorge de Campos
Travel Blog - Scott and Gayle Hoefker
Travel Blog - Paul Moody

From the home office, Darris and Debbie McNeely are traveling to New England, and Peter and Terri Eddington to South Dakota and Minnesota.

Paul Kieffer was at the home office on Monday from Germany to make two Beyond Today programs in the German language. The first was Seven Prophetic Signs Before Jesus' Return and the second was Heaven on Earth.

Reflecting on our Upcoming Church Fast

A few people have asked for more information about the church-wide fast that was announced in a joint letter from the Council of Elders and the administration for the Sabbath of April 22. Some have wondered if there is some special, unmentioned reason for this fast.

Prayer and fasting are often spoken of as spiritual tools to draw close to God. We beseech God to help us be wise in understanding His will. We ask God for guidance for His Church as well as for ourselves, personally.

For several years in the early days of the United Church of God, we fasted as a church before the annual meeting of the General Conference of Elders. We asked God to guide the messages delivered, as well as decisions made. However, we have not practiced this in recent years and in our Council meetings earlier this month, it was decided to fast as a Church before holding the annual meeting--which will be held a few weeks after the fast. It is not intended for any other reason except to ask God to humble us. The purpose of fasting is clearly stated in Isaiah and that was our scripture quoted.

I have appreciated many positive comments about all of us fasting together in a show of unity and solidarity. As one elder wrote to the ministry on our forum:

"Not just the United States of America, but the entire world is immersed in a culture and society that strongly supports and promotes relativism and opinion and that these and all ideas have validity. We are living in the age that all opinions matter. We of the true house of God must be more committed, convicted and courageous in supporting and speaking and teaching that the word of God is absolute truth.

"May God bless each and every one of you during your preparation for this most precious opportunity to seek that unity in a humility that glorifies God the Father and His Son, Jesus the Christ."

This was well-put and explains clearly again why we will be fasting. Even when times are quite good, like they are for us now in UCG, we can still humble ourselves and seek a closer relationship with God.

What Actually Happens When You Are Drawn to Christ?

Christ said that no one could come to Him unless they were drawn by the Father: "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44). Becoming a Christian is by invitation only and there appears to be no shortcut or alternative way to eternal life.

For those of us who are active in the proclamation of God's word, we acknowledge that we can't convert anyone. So true! Conversion is a mystery and a miracle. And, one of the greatest miracles of all is for a human mind, that is naturally at enmity with God, to turn towards Him.

God's calling is not an aura or a feeling. It is not a feeling of spiritual superiority. On the contrary, it is a humble realization that you need to change. You need the Spirit of God, and you now have the way to do it.

For those of us who have come through this event of conversion, let's take a look back and see what actually happened. There was a point in our lives where we did not know the true God. Our minds were darkened and we didn't understand what God required of us, even if we professed to know Him.

Then the day came when that changed.

My experience of coming to conversion came when I was challenged to keep the Sabbath Day when listening to the "World Tomorrow" on the radio 57 years ago. I did not know why it became so important to me at that point, but it did. I began to understand that the Sabbath was a cardinal commandment of God and it was not on Sunday--the day that I had been observing until then. It became so clear and obvious, by looking at the Scripture, what day the Sabbath was. My own minister acknowledged that fact when I asked him about it. It seemed like a force outside of me motivated me to stand up to people around me and keep the Sabbath and other commandments that followed. A new way of life became important and all-consuming to me. In retrospect, it wasn't my own perception; it was an opening to this Truth and many others that came from God the Father.

But, what was actually happening? It was God granting repentance to me. Yes, that's right! I was being given understanding and the will to be obedient. I was not rationalizing my own thinking process. No, God was giving me the ability to turn to Him while turning away from a life that was contrary to Him. In short, the calling of God was equated to being granted repentance.

The early Church understood this. The story of the conversion of the first Gentiles in Acts 10 and 11 is so moving because it encapsulates the calling of God with Him granting repentance. Cornelius, a military officer in the occupying Roman army, was divinely instructed by an angel to summon Peter to his house and hear the words of truth. Peter walked the 40 miles from Joppa, where he resided, up to Caesarea where Cornelius lived. Peter preached to Cornelius and his household. The Holy Spirit then came as it did on the day of Pentecost and Cornelius and his family were baptized forthwith.

Peter continued on to Jerusalem and reported this to the apostles and the brethren. He recounted the entire story, how in a vision he was given to understand that God was not a respecter of persons and that God was now drawing people who were Gentiles.

What was the reaction of the Jerusalem brethren? "When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life" (Acts 11:18 emphasis added throughout) They equated the calling and drawing to Jesus Christ and eternal life to the gift of repentance.

Being called of God is a very definitive moment when you are given the knowledge and ability to turn your life around, which is repentance and conversion. I often pray that God the Father will call more people to Jesus Christ. What I'm actually asking is that God grant our readers and listeners the repentance that only He can give.

In giving instructions to a young minister, Timothy, Paul understood the dynamic of repentance as a gift that comes from God and not of oneself. Here's what Paul wrote to Timothy: "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will" (2 Timothy 2:24-26).

So, God's calling is not an aura or a feeling. It is not a feeling of spiritual superiority. On the contrary, it is a humble realization that you need to change. You need the Spirit of God, and you now have the way to do it.

Also, the calling of God is not a singular event, even as repentance is not a one-time experience. It is a way of life in which we continue to walk in God's ways and not our own. God will continue to grant repentance in our spiritual journey. Understanding that repentance is a gift from God may change how we see repentance as not something driven by us, but by God--with help that comes from His Holy Spirit.

These are things to think about as we examine ourselves spiritually before the Passover.