February 5, 2010, Volume 11, Issue 6
05/02/10 06:48
PDF VERSION
The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this does not imply an endorsement. For instructions on how to unsubscribe to this list or to change mailing addresses, please consult the information paragraph at the end.
LATE POPE WHIPPED HIMSELF (Friday Church News Notes, February 5, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In a pathetic attempt to draw close to God and complete his salvation by emulating Christ’s suffering, the late Pope John Paul II whipped himself. This is one of the remnants of Rome’s “monastic spirituality.” Her “saints” invented many ascetic and contemplative practices as a means to salvation and spirituality. These are being resurrected today by the emerging church. The pope’s flagellation (also called mortification) was revealed in a new book entitled Why a Saint? by Monsignor Slawomir Oder, the cardinal in charge of the pope’s canonization process. The pope whipped himself from the time he lived in Poland before moving to the Vatican, but there is no basis for self-flagellation in the Bible. It is part of Rome’s desperate search for spirituality apart from know-so personal salvation and the indwelling Holy Spirit. The late Mother Teresa pursued a path of asceticism similar to that of John Paul II, and she called herself the “saint of darkness” because her spiritual life was so desperately empty. Thank God, the only whipping that the believer needs to be concerned about is the one that took place in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.
EVANGELICAL DIALOGUE (Friday Church News Notes, February 5, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Dialogue with cults and other religions is a growing phenomenon among “evangelicals.” There was a report on this recently in Christianity Today. In 2004 we had the unsightly spectacle of evangelicals joining hands with Mormons in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. Last weekend Northwood Church in Keller, Texas, participated in a “round robin” interfaith worship forum with local Jews and Muslims. They met at the Jewish synagogue on Friday, January 22, at the Islamic Center on Saturday, and at the church on Sunday. Senior Pastor Bob Roberts said that the goal was to get to know one another and understand one another’s teachings without “minimizing differences” or compromising. We wonder what it is about Judaism or Islam and their bold rejection of Jesus Christ that Pastor Roberts doesn’t understand. In his sermon to the interfaith congregation, Roberts said, “I want to know you. Why? Because you’re seeking after God.” The Bible, on the other hand, says that “there is none that seeketh after God” (Romans 3:11). While expressing great sympathy and understanding toward Christ rejecters, Roberts slammed fundamentalist Christians, lumping them in with the “fundamentalist Muslims” as the great enemies of mankind. He said, “The greatest conflict in the world today is between fundamentalist Christians and fundamentalist Muslims. There has to be a new platform. If we have to all convert to one religion we are never going to get along in this world” (“Christians, Muslims, Jews Worship at Evangelical Megachurch,” Christian Post, Jan. 25, 2010). The average “evangelical” today thinks he can associate with heresy and paganism without injury to his faith, but the Bible says, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33). I don’t know what text Roberts chose for his Sunday sermon to the interfaith congregation, but I am certain it was NOT 2 Corinthians 5:14-18. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” The apostle Paul preached Christ in the synagogues, but he preached Christ so dogmatically and so boldly that he was kicked out and persecuted. He didn’t seem to be able to master the path of multi-faith harmony. Until the apostle Paul, Bob Roberts and his ilk have learned how to “preach the gospel” inoffensively so they can be friends with the same world that crucified Christ.
BEWARE OF CURT LANDRY (Friday Church News Notes, February 5, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - On a recent trip to the Philippines I learned that some Independent Baptist pastors there are reading books by “Rabbi” Curt Landry. He is a converted Jew who has chosen the heretical path of radical charismaticism. His believes in “prophetic signs and wonders,” which refers to the nonsense that goes by the name of the miraculous in the charismatic movement (such as “spirit slaying,” “private prayer language,” and “personal prophesying”). Landry is closely associated with the deceiver T.L. Osborn, who claims that it is God’s will that every Christian “enjoy physical health” and “material abundance” (Receive Miracle Healing, p. 77). Osborn says that if you exercise faith “you will manage millions of dollars ... you will live like royalty and have everything you ever desire” (The Power of Positive Desire, pp. 15-17). When Daisy Osborn was diagnosed with cancer, she claimed healing and even professed that she was healed, but she died of cancer (The Quarterly Journal, Personal Freedom Outreach, July-Sept. 2000, p. 15). Curt Laundry and his fellow charismatic “prophets” are described in 2 Timothy 3:13 -- “deceiving and being deceived.” The Bible says to avoid such false teachers, and it is dangerous to disobey God’s Word in this matter.
ANOTHER INDEPENDENT BAPTIST CHURCH SUCCUMBS TO THE CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY (Friday Church News Notes, February 5, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Contemporary Christian Worship music is spreading across all denominational lines, and when it enters a church it brings more than a change in music. It brings a worldly philosophy of Christianity and a gradual lowering of all standards of morality and doctrine. The late Gordon Sears, who had an evangelistic music ministry for many years and ministered with Rudy Atwood, was saddened before his death by the dramatic change that was occurring in many fundamental Baptist churches. He warned, “When the standard of music is lowered, then the standard of dress is also lowered. When the standard of dress is lowered, then the standard of conduct is also lowered. When the standard of conduct is lowered, then the sense of value in God’s truth is lowered.” We can see the fulfillment of this warning on every hand. Consider New Testament Baptist Church in Miami, Florida. It used to be a fundamental Baptist church. Pastor Dino Pedrone was a regular speaker at Tennessee Temple Baptist College in Chattanooga when I was a student there in the 1970s. He was a separatist then, used only the King James Bible and sacred music, had dress standards, and preached against rock & roll. But that’s all gone. The church was renamed The Gathering Place. Today it promotes the viewing of R-rated movies, recommends books by emerging church leaders who reject the infallibility of the Bible, such as Chris Seay, and feeds its youth a steady diet of rock & roll entertainment. The church’s youth program, called YouthForce Dade, describes itself on the church web site as follows: “Rock the Universe, All-Niters, Ski Trips, Summer Camps, Chubby Bunny, Water Balloons, Break dancing, WWE Wrestling, The Book Of Ross, Worship, Bible Study, Community, Little Debbie Snack Cakes, Madden, X-Box 360, LEE ADMIRAL MAJORS!, Eating Dog Food, Samurai Swords, Paintball, Skillet, Shipwrecked, Videos, Ultimate Frisbee, Man Hunt, And Much More!” Notice that they even have a dab of Bible teaching in the midst of the carnal fun. Jeff Royal, who lives in south Florida, says, “NTBC was once a fundamental church, but obviously it has changed. In my view the change began about ten years ago by allowing CCM to be integrated into the services. I’ve watched it over the years. It’s sad because that’s two churches I’ve personally known to have taken this dangerous path” (e-mail, January 19, 2010).
RECENTLY SETTLED “HATE CRIMES” CASE WILL POSITIVELY IMPACT RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN CANADA (Friday Church News Notes, February 5, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from LifeSiteNews, Dec. 7, 2009: “Gerald Chipeur, the lawyer who represented Pastor Stephen Boissoin, has said that the recent ruling in favor of Mr. Boissoin ‘will have a significant long term positive impact on religious freedom in Canada.’ Pastor Boissoin was exonerated by a Court of Queen’s Bench judge last week after being subjected to the proceedings of the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal for over seven years. The Tribunal had found Boissoin guilty of ‘hate speech’ for having written a letter to the editor of a local newspaper about the homosexualist agenda. But Justice Earl C. Wilson last week ruled the letter Mr. Boissoin wrote to the editor of the Red Deer Advocate on June 17, 2002 on the subject of homosexual-rights curricula in the province’s educational system was not a hate crime but legitimate expression allowed under freedom of speech. ... Chipeur states that the bar has been raised substantially on what may in the future be construed as a violation of the ‘hate’ provisions of human rights laws. ‘The decision established a very high threshold for the conclusion that a publication is in violation of the 'hate' provisions of Alberta’s human rights laws,’ he said. ... ‘While the decision did not strike down Alberta’s ‘hate speech’ laws, it significantly limited the application of such laws. Justice Wilson properly pointed out that a province may not duplicate the federal Criminal Code rules outlawing hate crime.’”
TWO NEW HUMAN SPECIES DISCOVERED (Friday Church News Notes, February 5, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Two new human species have been discovered, which I have the pleasure of tentatively naming Homo sapiens shortisis and Homo sapiens tallisis. I can do this because I have been carefully studying the methods of paleoanthropologists, who have often named new species on the basis of minor differences in cranial shape, teeth, and stature. Usually we have to be satisfied with an artist’s fanciful conception of how the various human species looked, but in this case we have the advantage of possessing a photograph of the two standing side by side on a recent photo shoot organized by the Guinness World Records in Istanbul. This living evidence should be a great benefit for science, which heretofore has had to rely on the questionable fossil record. In fact, we even know the names of the individual representatives of these species. Homo sapiens tallisis is represented by Sultan Kosen of Turkey, and Homo sapiens shortisis, by He Pingping of China. Kosen and Pingping are far more dramatically different from one another than we are to our poor slow-witted cousin Homo sapiens neanderthalensis. Homo sapiens tallisis is over eight feet tall, whereas shortisis is only a few inches over two feet. (Actually, there is another representative of shortisis in Nepal who is exactly two feet tall, which is shorter than my children were at birth.)
SHOULD THE SOUL WINNER ALWAYS “STAY ON SUBJECT”? (Friday Church News Notes, February 5, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted and adapted from The Technique Catastrophe: An Explanation of the Multitudes of False Professions in the Independent Baptist Movement by Bob Creel (865-712-4537): Most soul winning courses advise the soul winner not to let the recipient move him off subject. If he or she asks a question, the soul winner is taught to reply, ‘That’s a good question and I’ll be happy to answer it for you as soon as you allow me to finish the subject we are on.’ This technique is good if you are planning on a one-sided conversation and the other individual is not allowed to participate. I’ve even heard a lecturer go so far as to say, ‘After you’ve led them to Christ they probably won’t remember that question anyway, so don’t bring it up again.’ Then why did you tell them that you would answer it? Another form of deception? There are often times when obstacles stand in the way of people getting saved, and you would do well to deal with those obstacles in order to move them closer to the cross. Have you ever studied Paul’s approach with Felix in Acts 24:24-25? He reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come. How many Bible subjects could you fit into those categories? Enough to understand that Paul didn’t ‘stay on subject.’ We have no indication that Felix ever got saved, but we do know that the Apostle Paul spoke to him about a variety of subjects. I have more confidence in Paul’s soul winning course than I do in most of the brethren today! When they ask sincere questions it is usually part of the process of ‘counting the cost.’”
CONCLUSION: The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat. 16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14). This material is sent only to those who personally subscribe to the Fundamental Baptist Information Service mailing list. To SUBSCRIBE, go to http://www.wayoflife.org/wayoflife/subscribe.html. TO UNSUBSCRIBE OR CHANGE ADDRESSES, go to the very bottom of any email received from us and click "Manage My Subscription." Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org.
The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this does not imply an endorsement. For instructions on how to unsubscribe to this list or to change mailing addresses, please consult the information paragraph at the end.
LATE POPE WHIPPED HIMSELF (Friday Church News Notes, February 5, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In a pathetic attempt to draw close to God and complete his salvation by emulating Christ’s suffering, the late Pope John Paul II whipped himself. This is one of the remnants of Rome’s “monastic spirituality.” Her “saints” invented many ascetic and contemplative practices as a means to salvation and spirituality. These are being resurrected today by the emerging church. The pope’s flagellation (also called mortification) was revealed in a new book entitled Why a Saint? by Monsignor Slawomir Oder, the cardinal in charge of the pope’s canonization process. The pope whipped himself from the time he lived in Poland before moving to the Vatican, but there is no basis for self-flagellation in the Bible. It is part of Rome’s desperate search for spirituality apart from know-so personal salvation and the indwelling Holy Spirit. The late Mother Teresa pursued a path of asceticism similar to that of John Paul II, and she called herself the “saint of darkness” because her spiritual life was so desperately empty. Thank God, the only whipping that the believer needs to be concerned about is the one that took place in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.
EVANGELICAL DIALOGUE (Friday Church News Notes, February 5, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Dialogue with cults and other religions is a growing phenomenon among “evangelicals.” There was a report on this recently in Christianity Today. In 2004 we had the unsightly spectacle of evangelicals joining hands with Mormons in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. Last weekend Northwood Church in Keller, Texas, participated in a “round robin” interfaith worship forum with local Jews and Muslims. They met at the Jewish synagogue on Friday, January 22, at the Islamic Center on Saturday, and at the church on Sunday. Senior Pastor Bob Roberts said that the goal was to get to know one another and understand one another’s teachings without “minimizing differences” or compromising. We wonder what it is about Judaism or Islam and their bold rejection of Jesus Christ that Pastor Roberts doesn’t understand. In his sermon to the interfaith congregation, Roberts said, “I want to know you. Why? Because you’re seeking after God.” The Bible, on the other hand, says that “there is none that seeketh after God” (Romans 3:11). While expressing great sympathy and understanding toward Christ rejecters, Roberts slammed fundamentalist Christians, lumping them in with the “fundamentalist Muslims” as the great enemies of mankind. He said, “The greatest conflict in the world today is between fundamentalist Christians and fundamentalist Muslims. There has to be a new platform. If we have to all convert to one religion we are never going to get along in this world” (“Christians, Muslims, Jews Worship at Evangelical Megachurch,” Christian Post, Jan. 25, 2010). The average “evangelical” today thinks he can associate with heresy and paganism without injury to his faith, but the Bible says, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33). I don’t know what text Roberts chose for his Sunday sermon to the interfaith congregation, but I am certain it was NOT 2 Corinthians 5:14-18. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” The apostle Paul preached Christ in the synagogues, but he preached Christ so dogmatically and so boldly that he was kicked out and persecuted. He didn’t seem to be able to master the path of multi-faith harmony. Until the apostle Paul, Bob Roberts and his ilk have learned how to “preach the gospel” inoffensively so they can be friends with the same world that crucified Christ.
BEWARE OF CURT LANDRY (Friday Church News Notes, February 5, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - On a recent trip to the Philippines I learned that some Independent Baptist pastors there are reading books by “Rabbi” Curt Landry. He is a converted Jew who has chosen the heretical path of radical charismaticism. His believes in “prophetic signs and wonders,” which refers to the nonsense that goes by the name of the miraculous in the charismatic movement (such as “spirit slaying,” “private prayer language,” and “personal prophesying”). Landry is closely associated with the deceiver T.L. Osborn, who claims that it is God’s will that every Christian “enjoy physical health” and “material abundance” (Receive Miracle Healing, p. 77). Osborn says that if you exercise faith “you will manage millions of dollars ... you will live like royalty and have everything you ever desire” (The Power of Positive Desire, pp. 15-17). When Daisy Osborn was diagnosed with cancer, she claimed healing and even professed that she was healed, but she died of cancer (The Quarterly Journal, Personal Freedom Outreach, July-Sept. 2000, p. 15). Curt Laundry and his fellow charismatic “prophets” are described in 2 Timothy 3:13 -- “deceiving and being deceived.” The Bible says to avoid such false teachers, and it is dangerous to disobey God’s Word in this matter.
ANOTHER INDEPENDENT BAPTIST CHURCH SUCCUMBS TO THE CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY (Friday Church News Notes, February 5, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Contemporary Christian Worship music is spreading across all denominational lines, and when it enters a church it brings more than a change in music. It brings a worldly philosophy of Christianity and a gradual lowering of all standards of morality and doctrine. The late Gordon Sears, who had an evangelistic music ministry for many years and ministered with Rudy Atwood, was saddened before his death by the dramatic change that was occurring in many fundamental Baptist churches. He warned, “When the standard of music is lowered, then the standard of dress is also lowered. When the standard of dress is lowered, then the standard of conduct is also lowered. When the standard of conduct is lowered, then the sense of value in God’s truth is lowered.” We can see the fulfillment of this warning on every hand. Consider New Testament Baptist Church in Miami, Florida. It used to be a fundamental Baptist church. Pastor Dino Pedrone was a regular speaker at Tennessee Temple Baptist College in Chattanooga when I was a student there in the 1970s. He was a separatist then, used only the King James Bible and sacred music, had dress standards, and preached against rock & roll. But that’s all gone. The church was renamed The Gathering Place. Today it promotes the viewing of R-rated movies, recommends books by emerging church leaders who reject the infallibility of the Bible, such as Chris Seay, and feeds its youth a steady diet of rock & roll entertainment. The church’s youth program, called YouthForce Dade, describes itself on the church web site as follows: “Rock the Universe, All-Niters, Ski Trips, Summer Camps, Chubby Bunny, Water Balloons, Break dancing, WWE Wrestling, The Book Of Ross, Worship, Bible Study, Community, Little Debbie Snack Cakes, Madden, X-Box 360, LEE ADMIRAL MAJORS!, Eating Dog Food, Samurai Swords, Paintball, Skillet, Shipwrecked, Videos, Ultimate Frisbee, Man Hunt, And Much More!” Notice that they even have a dab of Bible teaching in the midst of the carnal fun. Jeff Royal, who lives in south Florida, says, “NTBC was once a fundamental church, but obviously it has changed. In my view the change began about ten years ago by allowing CCM to be integrated into the services. I’ve watched it over the years. It’s sad because that’s two churches I’ve personally known to have taken this dangerous path” (e-mail, January 19, 2010).
RECENTLY SETTLED “HATE CRIMES” CASE WILL POSITIVELY IMPACT RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN CANADA (Friday Church News Notes, February 5, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from LifeSiteNews, Dec. 7, 2009: “Gerald Chipeur, the lawyer who represented Pastor Stephen Boissoin, has said that the recent ruling in favor of Mr. Boissoin ‘will have a significant long term positive impact on religious freedom in Canada.’ Pastor Boissoin was exonerated by a Court of Queen’s Bench judge last week after being subjected to the proceedings of the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal for over seven years. The Tribunal had found Boissoin guilty of ‘hate speech’ for having written a letter to the editor of a local newspaper about the homosexualist agenda. But Justice Earl C. Wilson last week ruled the letter Mr. Boissoin wrote to the editor of the Red Deer Advocate on June 17, 2002 on the subject of homosexual-rights curricula in the province’s educational system was not a hate crime but legitimate expression allowed under freedom of speech. ... Chipeur states that the bar has been raised substantially on what may in the future be construed as a violation of the ‘hate’ provisions of human rights laws. ‘The decision established a very high threshold for the conclusion that a publication is in violation of the 'hate' provisions of Alberta’s human rights laws,’ he said. ... ‘While the decision did not strike down Alberta’s ‘hate speech’ laws, it significantly limited the application of such laws. Justice Wilson properly pointed out that a province may not duplicate the federal Criminal Code rules outlawing hate crime.’”
TWO NEW HUMAN SPECIES DISCOVERED (Friday Church News Notes, February 5, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Two new human species have been discovered, which I have the pleasure of tentatively naming Homo sapiens shortisis and Homo sapiens tallisis. I can do this because I have been carefully studying the methods of paleoanthropologists, who have often named new species on the basis of minor differences in cranial shape, teeth, and stature. Usually we have to be satisfied with an artist’s fanciful conception of how the various human species looked, but in this case we have the advantage of possessing a photograph of the two standing side by side on a recent photo shoot organized by the Guinness World Records in Istanbul. This living evidence should be a great benefit for science, which heretofore has had to rely on the questionable fossil record. In fact, we even know the names of the individual representatives of these species. Homo sapiens tallisis is represented by Sultan Kosen of Turkey, and Homo sapiens shortisis, by He Pingping of China. Kosen and Pingping are far more dramatically different from one another than we are to our poor slow-witted cousin Homo sapiens neanderthalensis. Homo sapiens tallisis is over eight feet tall, whereas shortisis is only a few inches over two feet. (Actually, there is another representative of shortisis in Nepal who is exactly two feet tall, which is shorter than my children were at birth.)
SHOULD THE SOUL WINNER ALWAYS “STAY ON SUBJECT”? (Friday Church News Notes, February 5, 2010, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted and adapted from The Technique Catastrophe: An Explanation of the Multitudes of False Professions in the Independent Baptist Movement by Bob Creel (865-712-4537): Most soul winning courses advise the soul winner not to let the recipient move him off subject. If he or she asks a question, the soul winner is taught to reply, ‘That’s a good question and I’ll be happy to answer it for you as soon as you allow me to finish the subject we are on.’ This technique is good if you are planning on a one-sided conversation and the other individual is not allowed to participate. I’ve even heard a lecturer go so far as to say, ‘After you’ve led them to Christ they probably won’t remember that question anyway, so don’t bring it up again.’ Then why did you tell them that you would answer it? Another form of deception? There are often times when obstacles stand in the way of people getting saved, and you would do well to deal with those obstacles in order to move them closer to the cross. Have you ever studied Paul’s approach with Felix in Acts 24:24-25? He reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come. How many Bible subjects could you fit into those categories? Enough to understand that Paul didn’t ‘stay on subject.’ We have no indication that Felix ever got saved, but we do know that the Apostle Paul spoke to him about a variety of subjects. I have more confidence in Paul’s soul winning course than I do in most of the brethren today! When they ask sincere questions it is usually part of the process of ‘counting the cost.’”
CONCLUSION: The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat. 16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14). This material is sent only to those who personally subscribe to the Fundamental Baptist Information Service mailing list. To SUBSCRIBE, go to http://www.wayoflife.org/wayoflife/subscribe.html. TO UNSUBSCRIBE OR CHANGE ADDRESSES, go to the very bottom of any email received from us and click "Manage My Subscription." Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org.