Online Focus | The Role of the Holy Spirit
/in

A quick glimpse of what you may be missing…

In John 14:16–20, Jesus emphasized that after His departure to be with the Father, the disciples would not simply be abandoned (the Greek term used in verse 18 is orphanous, meaning “orphans”). Rather, through the power of the Holy Spirit (1 John 3:24), Jesus and the Father would dwell inside true Christians (John 14:20, 23). The Holy Spirit imparts both understanding and strength. It flows out from God (15:26), and connects our minds to His. God is Spirit (4:24); the Holy Spirit is not some separate and distinct personality of the Godhead. Rather, the Holy Spirit is the means by which Christ and the Father make their presence felt in the hearts and minds of believers.

The Holy Spirit is God’s outflowing power (Luke 1:35). It imparts God’s love as it is “poured out” in the hearts of believers (Romans 5:5). It is the means by which He created and brought into existence the very universe (Psalm 104:30). It is the power by which He works in the minds of human beings made in His image (Genesis 6:3). It is also the power by which the lame miraculously walked, the blind saw, the deaf heard and the dead were raised from their graves during Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry (Luke 5:15–17).

The Bible describes the Holy Spirit in various ways. Primarily, the Spirit is compared to wind. After all, pneuma—the Greek word for “spirit”—means “wind” or “breath.” In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word translated “spirit” is ruach,and has the same meaning as the Greek pneuma.

From Unit 4: Passover to the Resurrection – Lesson 2

Access Course

Focus on Living Education Online

/in
Read more

Is it okay to keep Thanksgiving?

/in

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Here’s an answer from our Personal Correspondence Department, courtesy Mr. Gary Ehman…

Dear Friend,

Thank you for your question concerning the relationship between the national holiday of Thanksgiving and the Bible.

To begin, there is no direct connection between the United States national holiday on the fourth Thursday in November, and God’s biblical Holy Days. Most people recognize the first Thanksgiving as taking place in December 1621, when the Pilgrims held a three-day feast to celebrate the bountiful harvest they had reaped. In addition, the day did not become an official day of observance until the presidential proclamation of Abraham Lincoln on October 3, 1863, where he declared “a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

Interestingly, through Lincoln’s words, we can see a nation that once professed God to be the true God, and denounced secular teachings. In essence, there was a link between the day of Thanksgiving and God. However, there is no direct biblical command pertaining to the fourth Thursday in November, and God continues to be removed from the picture in our nation today.

Conversely, God has detailed for us His Holy Days which are to be kept in accordance to scriptural outline. The Feast of Tabernacles in the fall designates a time of thanksgiving for blessings obtained throughout the year, and the great spiritual harvest still to come (Deuteronomy 16:13-15). Furthermore, God tells us to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

While the United States national holiday of Thanksgiving is not directly commanded in the Bible, we can certainly praise God and give Him thanks, at any time, for the blessings He has bestowed upon us.

If we can be of any further assistance, please let us know.

PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE DEPARTMENT

LEP Updates: Unit 2…coming soon!

/in

Life, Ministry, and Teachings of Jesus Christ: Unit 1 – Final Lesson Available

The pilot unit for the Life, Ministry and Teachings of Jesus Christ is now fully available to all members.  As an additional feature, once you have completed all the lessons, you can go back and watch or listen to the lectures as part of a “play list”, without having to go through all the lesson material.  Just click on “Conclusion” at the bottom of the menu, and then click “Audio Playlist”, or “Video Playlist”.  Again, you can move at your own pace through the lessons, so enjoy the learning experience!  Our next unit will begin after the Feast of Tabernacles.  The date the first lesson will go live is October 7th.  Happy studying!

– Mr. Jonathan McNair, Director

Living Education Update – Unit 1

/in
Life, Teachings and Ministry of Jesus Christ, Unit One
This is a big “thank-you” to those who have patiently navigated the enrollment process for our first online unit.  If you are still having difficulties, please start by going to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) menu on the front page of our lcgeducation.org site.  This page lists the answers to many questions you might have about how to use the system. If you can’t find the answer there, just send an email to [email protected] and we’ll try to help you out. Hopefully, you’ve found the lectures and supporting material beneficial.  Perhaps we’ve even provided some food for thought and conversation on the Sabbath with our discussion and study questions and “Learn More” components. Happy studying!
– Mr. Jonathan McNair, Director

We Have Lift-Off!

/in
This week is the kickoff for both our online and on-campus programs! A great deal of effort has been made by a team of people to get these programs off the ground – many of whom are behind the scenes and contribute one crucial component or another, then go about their normally assigned duties.  The ultimate goal is to serve you and your congregation, with the help of your elder and pastor.
To that end, there will be a webinar for all pastors and elders on this Thursday evening, August 16th, from 7pm to 8pm. EST titled “Keys to Implementing Living Education in your Congregation”.  Pastors and elders, please check your email inbox for more details. This session will help our pastors and elders to answer questions and plan to adapt the material to local needs. 
Here in Charlotte, fourteen young adults enjoyed orientation sessions and their first three days of classes, as they jumped right into the rhythm of learning a “better way of life”. With an “all-employee” welcome lunch and then a dinner hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Weston at their home on Monday, our group of seven men and seven women is set to begin the school year.
– Mr. Jonathan McNair
Director, Living Education

Who is the online program for? Are there age restrictions?

/in

The online program is for members and attending prospective members of the Living Church of God. There are no age restrictions beyond the ability to read and study the Bible.

Internet access, an individual email address and a MyLCG account are required.

Using Living Education Online for Discussion Points

/0 Comments/in

One of the challenges for a pastor is to encourage Godly, uplifting conversation before and after Sabbath services.  It’s not a sin to talk about how our week went, how our family is doing, and what’s going on in our lives.  Getting to know each other as brethren is important, and it’s a blessing to talk with others who share the same values and convictions.  But by bringing insight and inspiration from God’s Word into our conversation, we help and strengthen each other in the faith.  Sometimes those insights come from our Bible study during the course of the week.  As teachers in the pulpit, we always hope that inspiration and encouragement will come from the sermons and sermonettes that are given! One of the goals of the Living Education-Online program is to add another element to the mix.  If we are reviewing the weekly lessons in the Life, Ministry and Teachings class, for example, we have a ready-made resource for conversation on the Sabbath.  This is one of the benefits of signing up to participate in the class.  For more information and to pre-enroll, just go to www.lcgeducation.org.

“focus points”

/3 Comments/in

This week, our TWNow program focused on the dangers of social media. Part of the attraction of Facebook, Pinterest or YouTube is the natural human desire to see or read something new. As Christians, we’re no different. We’re curious and we want to learn. But with the flood of information washing over us from every direction, it’s challenging to know where to start, even with Bible study. Part of a pastor’s job is to focus our attention on one topic at a time, through weekly sermons and Bible Studies. But how about our own personal Bible study? Where do we begin? Living University helped to provide focus points for personal study through its classes. The goal of our new “Living Education” team is to continue to assist our members and ministry by providing a roadmap of “focus points” over the course of the year. Our new format, however, will be designed to be available to all members. Stay tuned for more information about how to register and participate!—Jonathan McNair