From Bro. Cloud's Mailbox #5
THEY LIKE THE PREACHING
“Where are these people??? [‘Church Members Trying to Warn Sleeping Pastors, Jan. 9, 2013] I'd LOVE to have them in our congregation! We have been praying for such folks for 10 years. May God give us more like them! Thank you for the article!”
“I just wanted to write and thank you for all of the free resources that you have made available on this issue. That alone demonstrates that your motive is truly to have a warning ministry to the churches and pastors that will listen. You are not producing these materials for the profit they will bring to your ministry, but rather sharing them freely, even though they cost a great expense to produce. I pray that more pastors and churches will wake up and hear the alarm being sounded. I was turned off of this slippery slope after reading your book ‘Contemporary Christian Music in the Spotlight’ back in 2001. Thanks again for your excellent research. I have used so many of your materials in teaching and they are a blessing to the congregation, but especially to me.”
“I have read your work over the years with a prejudice against you as a heretic because you were not a ‘true’ baptist. I was a landmark missionary baptist pastor. Of course, independent baptist churches are seen as not true churches, not in the bride etc. Last year I resigned as pastor and cut all ties with those churches. It was a long tough battle with my pride to say I was duped. Thanks for your website.”
“This is the first time I have ever written to you, although I have purchased a couple of your books. My thanks are long overdue. Quite a few years ago, I was a member of a church that was very good in many ways, but had some weaknesses. For years, I took refuge in the fact that there is no perfect church, and tried to bury my confusion. In time, however, the Lord forced me to deal with the problem. During that time, a friend of mine showed me some of the material from your website. It was surprising to learn how many other churches had the same problems, and very reassuring to see those problems addressed with scripture. Eventually, God led me and my family to a healthier, more scriptural church.
Another way I owe you thanks is for your treatment of ‘easy prayerism.’ For a long time I pushed myself to practice so-called soul-winning, with the objective of evoking ‘the sinner’s prayer.’ ... It took many years for me to slowly admit something was very wrong, and even more years to come to the conclusion that to accomplish anything at all for God – not just leading a person to Christ – requires his grace and a surrendered life. I could go on, but what prompted me to write was that I recently purchased your book ‘Sowing and Reaping: A Course in Evangelism,’ and have just started reading it. It is helping me. I’ll leave it at that. I am very, very grateful for your ministry.”
“I am originally from Seoul, South Korea. I've been in and out the presbyterian church from a very early age (age 6) but never knew the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal savior. By the grace of our Lord, I just got saved last month. So, I am a very very young Christian. Your teachings and all the free ebooks, videos, and hundreds of articles on the website have been and will be the beyond great help for my personal bible study. I thank God for your ministry greatly.”
“Words cannot express my appreciation for the material you have provided through the Way of Life ministry. In these deceptive days, God's people need solid teaching from the Bible as never before. Thank you for being one of the few remaining preachers/teachers who unashamedly proclaim, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’”
“Thank you for the info. I just started reading The Two Jacks. May the Lord bless you for your boldness towards the truth and exposing these men for what and who they are.”
“I am indeed grateful for your recent article and message regarding what will be illegal if homosexuality is made legal in America. We certainly are living in serious days! Your Biblical stand for our Lord is an encouragement to my heart in a day when multitudes desire to silence the believer in Christ. May the Lord wonderfully bless and use you in these last days.”
“You have outdone yourself on this article [‘What Will Be Illegal When Homosexuality Is Legal’]. The extent of your case exhibits is unbelievable. My pastor thinks your are a really special Christian. He told me that he doesn't know when you sleep as evidence by the large amount of material you produce. God Bless You Richly!”
Continue reading this article……
From Bro. Cloud's Mailbox (#6)
From time to time, I publish some of the goodies from my interesting mailbox, and many people have told me that they enjoy reading these things.
THEY LIKE THE PREACHING
“Recently we have had to come up with a new policy with regards to missionary presentations using PowerPoint. Now we have to review it or have them take the music out. We have missionaries from fundamental churches come and give the presentation using contemporary music.”
“Just a note concerning your article ‘Independent Baptist Music Wars.’ It is a very well written, Scriptural, and much needed article. Thank you again for the stand you take. When your first articles came out concerning the music issue I stopped and checked my position. I have always focused on taking a scriptural stand on music; however, your material helped me to realize I was starting down that ‘slippery slope’ and did not realize it. Necessary corrections were made. Thank you again!!! Keep on keeping on. ‘The remnant’ appreciates and needs the encouragement.”
“I find it very sad that when a godly, zealous, and knowledgeable man like David Cloud issues important warnings about ungodly music creeping into churches, so many people, including some Independent Baptist pastors, get mad at him and say he is sowing discord, displaying a ‘critical spirit,’ meddling with things that are none of his business, etc. In times like these, we desperately need warnings like that as well as much more education in the area of music.”
From Bro. Cloud's Mailbox (#4)
THEY LIKE THE PREACHING
“The book ‘Biblical Separatism and Its Collapse among Fundamental Baptists’ is an excellent forthright expose of compromise within professing Fundamental Baptist circles. It is an eye-opener for anyone who desires the real--but disturbing--facts about the compromise within our own so-called circles. I hope it receives a wide circulation” (Don Jasmin, The Fundamentalist Journal).
“May God continue to strengthen your backbone and bless your ministry!”
“It seems to me that many schools have decided that Satan’s world is somewhat controllable--sort of like putting a cobra in a cage--no one will be hurt while Dr. Chappell is watching the cage to be sure that the cobra doesn’t get out. But once you show people that you have a cobra in a cage in your church and school, they will go home or start churches with their own cobras and they are not likely to keep watch over the cage--someone--in fact many someones will be bitten. How far will it go? I wrote to you before Bro. Cloud that I am a 1991 graduate of Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Fl. I was young when I was there and had never been exposed to a lot of Biblical issues. Trinity already had a problem with a ‘big church’ philosophy and they were using CCM songs toned down in various singing groups. After I graduated (once my oldest son was ready to attend Bible college) I went back to Trinity. I had heard many things and I wanted to see for myself. It was 1999 when we were there and I recognized many old friends but I did not recognize the church nor its new “spirit”. There was no conviction of the Spirit, no honor of our Lord, and certainly no invitation to repent and serve our Holy God! After that service I was polite to Bro. Messer and I saw some that I had known years earlier and all I could say is, ‘Why are you still here?’ I was so disappointed when I read your article of Trinity’s full-fledged entrance into CCM and when I heard about 15 seconds of the song you referenced on their website, I remembered (in my heart) what Trinity was and now grieved at what it had become. Anyone who wants to know in what direction they are heading just look at where you are and where you were--then draw a line and you can see where you’re going. I know you don’t need my encouragement, Bro. Cloud, but I am grateful you keep doing what you do! And if I had the opportunity to talk with the man who wrote his attack against you [‘Reply to a Pastor About West Coast’s Music,’ Nov. 16, 2011], I would ask him one question: If West Coast (or any school) eliminated every vestige of CCM from their ministry would it have a detrimental effect on the good fruit this man has seen from their ministry? The answer, of course, is no. Then why do we want to mess around with a cobra in a cage hoping it doesn’t get out and we don’t get bitten!”Continue reading this article……
From Bro. Cloud's Mailbox (#3)
August 17, 2011 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) –
From time to time, I publish some of the goodies from my interesting mailbox, and many people have told me that they enjoy reading these things.
THEY LIKE THE PREACHING
“Just a note to thank you for standing for the truth of God's unchanging word, in the middle of a rapidly changing world. Though you come under vicious attack and criticism at times for your writings, I have watched your ministry for years, and thank the Lord for your zeal for the truth, desire to speak the truth in love, and and willingness to be reviled and not return evil for evil. God keeps accurate score, and still is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. May the Lord continue to supply your every need and bless your labor for Him.”
“I'm not sure if I know how best to explain what I mean, but I have run into two pastors while on deputation that have been greatly influenced by your Internet work. Neither men should not be as strong as they are, but lacking the proper loyalties to the Independent Baptist establishments, they follow your ministry closely. There are two significant points to this: 1) The Independent Baptists are no longer loyal to the truth, but to the politics in our movement. Without those loyalties, good men are drawn to the truth. These loyalties (always involving bigness) take men down a path of heresy (especially with regards to repentance). (2) The second reason, which is the reason I am writing to you, is that what you are doing is so very important! By God's grace, you are making a great impact. The level of hostility against the truths you are teaching reveals the broad impact you are making. In addition, there are many good men who have learned how to be strong by the teaching they get from your material. Keep up the battle for truth! Many of us are praying for you! If you can think of a way I can be a help to, please let me know. You have already been a great help to me. God bless!”
From Bro. Cloud's Mailbox (#2)
September 21, 2010 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) –
From time to time, I publish some of the goodies from my interesting mailbox, and many people have told me that they enjoy reading these things. Following are some items from the last couple of months:
THEY LIKE THE PREACHING
“May our Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you and your family as you remain true to His Word found only in the Authorized Version. You are blessing to me and keep me informed on the heretics that abound in these last days.”
“I just want to say thanks for the stand you take on many biblical issues like KJV, salvation, MUSIC, biblical separation, etc. Thanks for the O Timothy magazine. Although you say you get negative emails daily I know there are many that stand by you and support you including myself. Your work is appreciated here in Northern Canada. One thing I often think of is that these people do not like your preaching because lots of people have been taught the false gospel and now when somebody preaches something totally opposite (the truth) it hurts because now they need to change there ways which is not easy. I was one of these people and I thank God for faithful bold men like yourself that stand for the truth, we need more men like this we need more truth. Keep up the good work and to God be the glory.”
“Thank you for your labour in the word and the publishing ministry. You have been a TREMENDOUS influence and help to me in my preaching/teaching ministry and even in shaping my understanding of repentance in gospel preaching, as well as other areas.”
From Bro. Cloud's Mailbox (#1)
From time to time, I publish some of the goodies from my interesting mailbox, and many people have told me that they enjoy reading these things. Following are some items from the last couple of months:
THEY LIKE THE PREACHING
“I just would like to tell you that your Ministry has really blessed me. I have bought some of your books and listened to a lot of your messages. I myself grew up in a baptist church and was never saved I eventually stopped going to church and was living in sin I got married to an unbeliever and now she wants to get a divorce. On January 30th of this year I got saved after hearing one your audio sermons and realized God’s will for my life; I found a good Bible believing church that I have been attending since Feb. I am currently in the Navy ... and I have a big burden for people getting saved on my ship. Whenever I get a chance to witness to someone I step up and tell them my testimony and I give them a gospel tract. I hope your ministry continues to save and bless many people in the world. I thank God for VICTORY!!!!”
E-Mail Etiquette
Updated and enlarged September 29, 2008 (first published March 20, 2008) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -
E-mail is a marvelous invention. I thank the Lord for it. I use it every day to communicate with people all over the world; but e-mail has created some very real problems, and I believe we need to be reminded to exercise some common-sense, godly e-mail etiquette:
“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:31).
BE FRIENDLY AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF PROPERLY
E-mail tends to be a very short and curt method of communication. The average person gets accustomed to e-mailing his friends in such a fashion, and there is nothing wrong with that, of course; but he can forget that when he writes the first time to a complete stranger the approach should be different.
Pastor Buddy Smith in Malenda, Queensland, Australia, makes the following observation: “When I think of e-mail etiquette I think of things such as rudeness that would not be tolerated in an ordinary letter and abruptness that seems discourteous. I think the medium (fast communication and replies) tends to encourage bad manners. It is treated more like a phone call, but without the usual courtesy we use toward someone we are speaking with at that moment.”
I get a very large number of e-mails each week from strangers who write about the various subjects that I address in my articles. Some of them write to thank me and to agree, while others write to disagree.
I am continually amazed at how curt and cold many of these e-mails are. It is not uncommon that the writer will not even greet me in any sort of friendly manner or give me any information whatsoever about himself.
In the “old days,” when we used letters to communicate with strangers, we were taught how to structure them and how to give a friendly and respectful introduction, but this type of etiquette seems to have disappeared in the e-mail era.
For example, here is one I received recently:
“David, you should use the sources for your stories. I get many of the same ezines you do, and often see the same stories in your letter a few days later. You should at least use attribution. The problem is you source from mostly conservative evangelical sources yet hate evangelicals.”
This was from a complete stranger. I replied to him and explained that I am very careful to document anything I use from other sources and furthermore that I don’t hate evangelicals or anyone else.
This individual then wrote:
“Okay, perhaps I am wrong. I will watch and see. Believe it or not, I generally like you.”
It would have been helpful and proper if this individual had taken just a couple of moments in his first e-mail to have given a friendly and respectful greeting and to have explained that he reads my articles and generally likes them. It would have aided the communication factor greatly, because I would then have known at least a bit about who he is and where he is coming from. As it was, I simply received a curt and seemingly unfriendly e-mail that was only (and misguidedly) critical. (By the way, I don’t believe it is respectful to address an older preacher by his first name. Maybe I am just old-fashioned, but I always address someone like that as “pastor” or “preacher” or “Mr.” or even something other than a first name.)
I am not saying that e-mails should be lengthy and draw-out; I am simply saying that when we are e-mailing a stranger we should be friendly and respectful and take the time to give a simply introduction.
When I write to a complete stranger, I follow this policy, even if it is someone that I disagree with strongly. I believe this is the wise and godly way to communicate.
My secretary’s name is Lisa and she spends a lot of time each week sending and receiving e-mails. She says: “Because it is possible to misread the tone of someone’s email, I try to add comments that clearly show my intentions--friendly & polite. Also, I try not to waste other people’s time with long rambling emails, or like with those ‘forward this to 50 friends in the next 5 minutes’ things.”
The apostle Paul was always respectful and proper when addressing people, even stubborn Jewish leaders and wicked secular officials (Acts 22:1; 23:1-5; 24:10; 26:1-3). When Daniel refused to eat of the king’s meat, he did so in a respectful and wise manner (Daniel 1:8-14).
DON’T ADD PEOPLE TO YOUR MAILING LIST WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION
Rarely a day passes that I don’t have to write to someone and request that I be removed from their mailing list. Many times they have even taken offence. How dare me not to want to read what they want to send me!
People often think, I suppose, that since they like what I publish via the Fundamental Baptist Information Service that I would surely like to read what they have to say, but the difference is that I only send the FBIS e-mails to those who personally sign up for them. The database is automated and I never add people to the list. They have to sign up for it personally.
I am not talking here about people who personally send me news items. I appreciate that type of help and I sometimes use such items in the Friday News Notes. I am talking about those who actually add me to a mailing list. I subscribe to several mailing lists, but I want the freedom to choose which ones I receive and not to be added to lists without my permission.
Even if the list has an unsubscribe feature, why should I be forced to take the time to unsubscribe from a list that I never wanted to be on in the first place?
This is true for missionary prayer letter lists, as well. In the three decades that I have been a missionary, I have never added anyone to my prayer letter list who did not personally ask me to do so or who otherwise showed a very real personal interest in my ministry (such as pastors who invite me for a meeting).
To add complete strangers to your prayer letter list, expecting them to be interested, is somewhat presumptuous. If you think someone might be interested in your ministry, I suggest that you send one copy and explain that if he or she wants to receive the prayer letter on a regular basis that they can request to do so.
It is embarrassing to have to write to someone and request to be removed from their prayer letter list, but that is what I am forced to do time and again because I want to try to keep the daily onslaught of e-mail down to some sort of manageable level. It’s not that I am not interested in what is going on in every part of the world; it’s that I am only one very busy man and I can’t keep up with everything everyone is doing. That is the Lord’s job, not mine!
DON’T COMMUNICATE IN SYMBOLS OR CODE
Text messaging is even briefer than e-mailing, and some people try to communicate by e-mail with complete strangers using text messaging codes and symbols. Recently I received an e-mail that contained nothing but a weird smiley face and a rose. What it meant, I have no idea, and certainly am not going to take the time to try to find out. You might be able to communicate perfectly with your friends that way, but it is ridiculous to think that codes and symbols are a proper way to communicate with an older preacher who does not know you.
USE PROPER CAPITALIZATION
Some people like to write their e-mails in all-caps, but this has always struck me as either bombastic or lazy. Maybe it is just me, but this practice always leaves me with the impression that the individual is yelling at me! Others avoid the use of capitalization altogether, which again is an extremely lazy way of writing.
We were taught in school how to write properly and one characteristic is to use proper capitalization. To write in all caps or to avoid the use of caps is not proper communication and gives the wrong impression, at the very least.
We are living in a crude and rude age, but a little common-sense and godly etiquette can smooth some of the rough edges.
PROTECT THE IDENTITY OF PEOPLE ON YOUR MAILING LIST BY USING BLIND COPY
If you are sending an e-mail to a number of people, it is wise to use the Blind Copy (Bcc) mode rather than the Copy To (Cc) mode. That way those who receive the e-mail aren’t able to see the other names and addresses on the mailing list. This protects their identity and keeps someone from scarping up your mailing list and using it for their own purposes.
MISCELLANEOUS
The following suggestions were offered by Pastor Bobby Mitchell of New Brunswick, Maine:
“I would say that folks shouldn’t email what they wouldn’t say face-to-face. The same goes for the pictures that people pass on. There are pictures I’ve received from folks that I don't believe they would have shown me if we were actually talking together.
“Christian ladies should not be addressing the church via email with things they would not address the church with assembled. In other words, there is a lot of preaching going on by women via email in which they are teaching and preaching to men.
“Think about what you are passing on. Is it sensible? Have you checked out the validity of it by at least looking at snopes.com or something?
“Please don't trivialize the Truth by sending these silly emails that close with ‘if you love Jesus you will pass this on and if you don't we know you are ashamed of the Gospel’ (and such like).
“If an email is addressed to you then it was meant for you, not the whole world. We shouldn't forward personal emails without asking the author for the go-ahead.”
[Distributed by Way of Life Literature's Fundamental Baptist Information Service, an e-mail listing for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. OUR GOAL IN THIS PARTICULAR ASPECT OF OUR MINISTRY IS NOT DEVOTIONAL BUT IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR. This material is sent only to those who personally subscribe to the list. If somehow you have subscribed unintentionally, following are the instructions for removal. The Fundamental Baptist Information Service mailing list is automated. To SUBSCRIBE or to UNSUBSCRIBE or to CHANGE ADDRESSES or to RE-SUBSCRIBE UNDER A NEW ADDRESS, go to http://www.wayoflife.org/fbis/subscribe.html. If you have any trouble with this, please let us know. And please be patient with us. We do not ignore any unsubscribe request, but we cannot always get to your request immediately as each person involved with maintaining the Way of Life web site does this only on a very part time basis and is busy with many other major activities, such as pastoring and missionary work. We take up a quarterly offering to fund this ministry, and those who use the materials are expected to participate (Galatians 6:6) if they can. Some of the articles are from O Timothy magazine, which is in its 25th year of publication. Way of Life publishes many helpful books. The catalog is located at the web site: http://wayoflife.org/catalog/catalog.htm Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061. 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org. We do not solicit funds from those who do not agree with our preaching and who are not helped by these publications, but from those who are. OFFERINGS can be made at http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/offering.html. PAYPAL offerings can be made to https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=dcloud%40wayoflife.org]
