Reading Bible stories is one way of enhancing our understanding of the true meaning of the Scriptures, and this is a point that the United Church of God has not missed. In fact, the Church has developed a series of stories on “Profiles of Faith” that highlight deep insights into the men and women of the Bible whose lessons can be applied to life today. The stories are told from a biblical point of view, followed by a discussion of how the principles of the story can be applied in today’s modern world. This helps to make the story from the Bible more meaningful and easier to understand, plus it leaves a much stronger impression on the reader.

In spreading the gospel, the United Church of God teaches about the good news of the Kingdom of God and even offers a free booklet specifically designed to cover the subject. The Bible tells us that the next phase of this glorious Kingdom will be an indestructible empire ruled by Christ forever. This is a time to anticipate with joy; for at that time, Jesus Christ will rule the nations of the earth – replacing governments that have failed at solving human problems because the problems are rooted in humanity’s inability to choose the right way to live.

There has long been confusion about the term Kingdom of Heaven and what it means. In the Bible, Matthew’s account of Christ’s life used this term because he wrote primarily to the Jews of his day. Jews customarily did not speak God’s name, so to avoid the word, “heaven” was substituted for the word “God.” Consequently, Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are interchangeable.

The United Church of God is committed to observing a seventh-day Sabbath on Saturday as well as celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles. The festival represents a coming time of exceptional tranquility and peace in the world. It is an eight-day event that has a strong family focus with a wide range of positive, family-based daily activities throughout the festival. The event represents the prophesied coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth. Church members and families travel to more than 50 sites located throughout the world to take part in this biblical festival. The Church rents large conference centers or other facilities to accommodate the daily worship and festival activities. Proper observance requires that members reside in temporary “tabernacles” (usually a nearby hotel) during the festival. Observance and rejoicing at this festival is taken very seriously by Church members, who consider it a high point of the year.