May 9, 2013 Member Letter

May 9, 2013

Dear Brethren,

As I write this letter, Pentecost is only days away! While we are eagerly anticipating this joyous and meaningful festival, the reality is that we live in a world filled with people who have no anticipation of anything positive. Recently I read a shocking report on the subject of suicide in America. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) in Atlanta, Georgia, announced that in 2010 more people died from suicide than automobile accidents. I found that staggering! The New York Times reported on the CDC findings:

“More people now die of suicide than in car accidents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which published the findings in Friday’s [May 3] issue of its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. In 2010 there were 33,687 deaths from motor vehicle crashes and 38,364 suicides. …

"The most pronounced increases were seen among men in their 50s, a group in which suicide rates jumped by nearly 50 percent, to about 30 per 100,000. For women, the largest increase was seen in those ages 60 to 64, among whom rates increased by nearly 60 percent, to 7.0 per 100,000.” 

When asked why this would be true, the spokesperson for the CDC stated that the reasons were complex. But, after reading the report, it was clear that a lack of hope, which led to depression and discouragement, played a major role.

Over the past several decades the primary groups of people committing suicide in America were the young (teens and young adults) and the old. But that is now changing. The growth rate of suicide is accelerating among middle-aged people. They are losing hope; their lives are filled with unhappiness; and they are unable to find fulfillment in their families or their work. How very sad to see people descend into a depressed state and contemplate taking their own lives. But it is happening many times a day according to these statistics, and it is affecting all ages.

The Bible describes two worlds that exist side by side—one that is controlled by Satan as the god of that world, which is compared to darkness, and the other, where God’s people walk, which is compared to light. The Bible tells us that those who have been sealed by God’s Holy Spirit live in the light and not the darkness of this present evil world.

When testifying before King Agrippa and describing his conversion, the apostle Paul explained the mission God had given him as being “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18).

Paul described the Christian life as one that has turned from darkness to light. Notice in Ephesians 5:8: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” A similar statement is found in Colossians 1:13: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”

The apostle Peter described our calling in 1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

As the darkness and depression continue to expand around the world, the people of God are preparing to observe the Day of Pentecost. This day pictures the sealing of the firstfruits with God’s Holy Spirit. It is a very positive and encouraging holy day, the very opposite to what we see going on in the world around us. The fruits of God’s Holy Spirit are very different from the depression and discouragement that fills the world. Consider the fruits of the Holy Spirit—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These fruits do not describe the world where we live today.

In Ephesians 1:13-14 we are told that we have been sealed with God’s Spirit which is the down payment on eternal life. Even though we still live in this world and must struggle every day to overcome it and the negative thoughts that can be so destructive, we have the only true hope, the promise of eternal life in God’s Kingdom. Being sealed by the Holy Spirit is the guarantee that God will fulfill His promise to each of us. Our job is to remain faithful and make sure we walk in the light and not the darkness.

God has truly blessed this organization over the past year and I am confident He has blessed each one of you personally in some manner. As we reflect on those blessings, we should take the time to consider the offerings we give on each holy day. Long ago Moses wrote about the festivals by saying that “every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you” (Deuteronomy 16:17, emphasis added). Pentecost is our next opportunity to show appreciation through our offerings for what God has done and is doing in our lives.

Please keep up the good work: pray often, study God’s Word, fast and do everything you can to promote the gospel message by your words and your deeds. A Christian can’t just be an actor putting on a show. A Christian must be someone who truly walks in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and lives according to the word of light.

Let’s also pray for those who are so depressed and discouraged they consider taking their own lives. And let’s appreciate this next step in God’s plan, the Day of Pentecost, the sealing of the firstfruits. These are those who have come out of this world of darkness and despair to live in the marvelous light of God’s Kingdom!

Sincerely, your brother in Christ,

Jim Franks