Digital SLR photography is both a hobby and a ministry tool for me, and I enjoy the challenge of photographing butterflies and dragonflies. The monarch butterfly lives up to its name in that it is the king of these amazing creatures and a wonderful icon of divine creation. I own many books on butterflies and have visited prominent butterfly conservatories in several countries, and in my experience evolutionists don’t even try to explain how such a creature could have evolved. They merely presume that it did. They even talk about the “co-evolution” of the butterfly and the flower, as if natural selection and mutation or any other naturalistic concept could possibly explain the origin of such wonderful symbiotic relationships! How could blind evolution create such a thing? If the flower and the pollinating insect did evolve, they had to have evolved at exactly the same time--like in the same day or week--because they are dependent on one another for their very existence.

Metamorphosis

The monarch butterfly’s Latin name, Danaus plexippus, means “sleepy transformation,” referring to its amazing life cycle.

The butterfly goes through a four-stage process called metamorphosis: from egg, to larva, to pupa, to adult.

It begins life as a tiny, brilliantly-designed EGG that the female butterfly attaches to the exact type of vegetation needed by the caterpillar when it hatches. It is attached with a special glue that hardens rapidly and holds the egg securely in all types of weather. The egg stage usually lasts a few days, but eggs laid before winter can enter a resting stage and hatch the following spring.

It is very common for soul-winning programs to emphasize “going to Heaven when you die.” The course entitled In the Highways and Hedges, published by First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana, takes this approach.

This soul-winning plan instructs the evangelist to begin by asking the individual, “If you were to die today, are you 100 percent sure you would go to Heaven?”

When the individual replies, “No,” the soul-winner is instructed to give a simple little Romans Road presentation (you can know that you have eternal life, you are a sinner and under God’s condemnation, Jesus died for your sin, salvation is a gift that you can receive today).

After the very brief presentation, the soul-winner is instructed to say the following:

“Now, John, if you will trust Jesus to take you to Heaven when you die, just bow your head and close your eyes with me right now. If you mean this with all your heart, pray this prayer after me: ‘Dear Jesus, forgive me of my sins. I trust You today. Jesus, and only You, to take me to Heaven when I die. Thank You for saving me. Amen.’”

It’s all about “going to Heaven when you die.”

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.

IMMORAL COUNTRY POP MUSIC (Friday Church News Notes, August 26, 2011, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Shania Twain is not only popular on the country scene, she’s crossed over into pop, giving her a much broader audience. Her music is typical of country-pop, with its moral raunchiness covered with a thin veneer of powerless religion. Consider an excerpt from her song, “God Ain’t Gonna Getcha For That.” “Hey you, sittin’ in the corner/ Can’t ya hear the jukebox playin’/ Everybody’s up doing the two-step/ And you’re not even tappin’ your toe/ Won’t you let a lady buy you a cold brew/ Loosen you up a little more than you dare to/ Maybe take a ride in my Cadillac/ God ain’t gonna getcha for that. ... He’s much to busy with the guys in the black hats/ There’s nothin’ wrong with a man and a woman flirtin’ with a honky-tonk moon/ God ain’t gonna pay no attention/ If we’re just makin’ use of his invention/ Come on, baby don’t hold back/ God ain’t gonna getcha for that.” God did invent male and female, but He has also instructed the male and female how to use His “invention.” The Bible says sexual relations outside of marriage are immoral and God will definitely “getcha for that.” The country music world has a gloss of religiosity, but at its heart we find open rebellion against the God of the Bible and His holy laws. Country music religion pretends that a person can love God and this wicked world, too. The Scriptures warn that this is impossible: “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).

_____________________

“Regarding your complaint piece today about personality issues.

“Maybe you should step back and try and perceive how your articles come across. You can wrap yourself in piety and self-righteousness, claiming you are dealing with doctrine, but "a vast number of men" perceive your articles to be hit pieces, and in fact they are.

“Your arrogance is abrasive. Who appointed you to sit in judgment over other brethren?

“It is my understanding that you have never taken the time or effort to visit Lancaster and that you have never met Paul Chappell. Yet you sit in judgment of the man.

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.

“EXPERTS” DECLARE THAT ADDICTION IS A BRAIN DISEASE (Friday Church News Notes, August 19, 2011, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, addiction is “a chronic disease of the brain.” Michael Miller, pastor president of ASAM, says, “The disease is about brains, not drugs. It’s about underlying neurology, not outward actions” (“Addiction Is a Brain Disease,” Los Angeles Times, August 16, 2011). This reminds us that few influences have been more negative to modern society than humanistic psychology. It has deeply undermined personal responsibility and driven the victim mentality. If addiction is a disease, the addict is not responsible either for his addiction or his actions under that addiction, but the Bible calls substance abuse sin. According to the Bible, “alcoholics” are drunkards who are sinning against God’s Law and will be held accountable. They don’t need psychological treatment; they need supernatural salvation and spiritual sanctification in Jesus Christ. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

Was Paul the last one to see the resurrected Christ? In “Heaven Is For Real: A Dangerous Book for an Apostate Age” (August 18, 2011) I stated the following:

“The book is contrary to the testimony of the Apostle Paul, who said that he was the last to see the resurrected Christ (1 Cor. 15:8). This experience is described in the book of Acts and there is no further mention of Christ appearing to anyone.”

This statement is not accurate, and I appreciate those who wrote to challenge me on this.

In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul was not saying that he was the last one ever to see the resurrected Christ, he was saying, rather that he had seen Christ after the other apostles had seen Him. Seeing the resurrected Christ was a sign of apostleship (Acts 1:22; 1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:7). The last apostle to see Christ was John on the island of Patmos as described in Revelation 1.

We are publishing a corrected edition of the “Heaven Is For Real” critique today.

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!”

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.

OSTEEN PREACHES THE SHACK GOD TO AMERICA (Friday Church News Notes, August 12, 2011, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Even while America is experiencing divine retribution for her rejection of the holy God in the form of bankruptcy and self-serving leaders and heaps of multi-billion dollar natural disasters and a thousand other curses, a slew of apostate preachers continue to tickle the ears of the nation with a false god. Joel Osteen, pastor of America’s largest church, is a prime example. His recent “Night of Hope” in Chicago drew 37,000 souls. Did they hear that they are sinners and need to repent? Did they hear that America is a morally vile nation before Almighty God? Did they hear a warning about impending judgment and eternal hellfire? No! They heard a syrupy sweet, cotton candy proclamation of unconditional love and positive thinking. The Chicago Sun-Times quoted a participant who summarized Osteen’s message as so “warm and positive” that “you can’t help smiling when he starts talking.” James would have had a different message. He would have said that there is indeed hope, but that hope is only through true repentance and biblical faith. “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. ... Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (James 4:4, 8-10).

The emerging church is simply the twenty-first century face of New Evangelicalism.

Andy Crouch calls the emerging church “post-evangelicalism.” He says:

“The emerging movement is a protest against much of evangelicalism as currently practiced. It is post-evangelical in the way that neo-evangelicalism (in the 1950s) was post-fundamentalist. It would not be unfair to call it postmodern evangelicalism” (“The Emergent Mystique,” Christianity Today, Nov. 2004).

High Schools, colleges, and universities typically teach only one theory of origins, that being evolution, and the students are not presented with a creationist or even an Intelligent Design viewpoint. In fact, they are often given the idea that no true scientist today is a creationist.

When the National Academy of Sciences in America published an educational tool in 1998 entitled Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science, they posed this question, “Don’t many scientists reject evolution?” The answer was, “No; the scientific consensus around evolution is overwhelming.”

Richard Dawkins, a brash atheist and anti-creationist, says in his book The Greatest Show in Earth:

“Evolution is a fact. Beyond reasonable doubt, beyond serious doubt, beyond sane, informed, intelligent doubt, beyond doubt evolution is a fact. ... Evolution is a fact, and [my] book will demonstrate it. No reputable scientist disputes it, and no unbiased reader will close the book doubting it.”

According to Dawkins, if you reject evolution, you are unintelligent and your sanity should be questioned, and he proclaims that no reputable scientist disputes it.

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.

HEAVEN IS FOR REAL: A DANGEROUS BOOK FOR AN APOSTATE AGE (Friday Church News Notes, August 5, 2011, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Heaven Is For Real, a book about a four-year-old boy’s supposed visit to heaven, has sold over 1.5 million copies and is currently the # 6 best seller on Amazon. It has broken Thomas Nelson’s sales records and is popular with Independent Baptists. One pastor told me that it is “circulating around many of our IBaptist camps; many are recommending it.” The book is the true story of Colton Burpo, a Methodist pastor’s son who allegedly visits heaven during emergency surgery. There he meets a dead sister and great grandfather, sees Jesus and God the Father and the Holy Spirit and Satan, and learns things not revealed in Scripture. We don’t doubt that the little boy is convinced that he visited heaven, but we don’t believe for a minute that it actually happened. First, the book is contrary to the testimony of the Apostle Paul, who said that he was the last to see the resurrected Christ (1 Cor. 15:8). This experience is described in the book of Acts and there is no further mention of Christ appearing to anyone. Paul gave this testimony in the context of giving the eyewitness evidence for Christ’s resurrection. All of the evidence we need is found in the testimony of Scripture and in these particular eyewitnesses. Further, Paul said that when he had visited heaven, he heard things that he was not allowed to repeat (2 Cor. 12:4). Obviously, then, a person cannot visit heaven and then describe whatever he sees and hears there. Second, the book Heaven Is for Real is contrary God’s emphasis on the priority and sufficiency of faith and Scripture. The book contains testimonies of how people have believed in God and heaven because of Colton’s alleged visitation, but the Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6), and faith comes by hearing God’s Word, not by signs and wonders (Romans 10:17). In his account of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus taught that if someone does not hear the Scriptures, he will not “be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31). All of the signs and revelation we need are found in the completed canon of Scripture (John 20:30-31). The Bible is able to make the man of God “perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works “(2 Timothy 3:16-17). God has told us everything He wants us to know about heaven at this time. Third, the book Heaven Is for Real is contrary to the Bible’s plain teachings. For example, Colton says Jesus’ horse is rainbow-colored (p. 63), whereas the Bible says it is white (Rev. 19:11). Colton says the Holy Spirit shoots down power from heaven (p. 125), whereas the Bible says the Holy Spirit came from heaven at Pentecost and He is the power (Acts 1:8). Colton says everyone has wings in heaven except Jesus (p. 72), that the angel Gabriel sits on the left hand of God’s throne (p. 101), that the Holy Spirit is blue and sits in a chair near the throne of God (p. 102), and “for our Catholic friends” the book is happy to report that Mary stands in heaven beside Jesus (p. 152). Some might ask, how Colton could learn secrets about his dead sister who died in the womb and facts about his great grandfather that he had not been told. The answer is demons. Paul warned that Satan transforms himself into an angel of light and his ministers as ministers of righteousness (2 Cor. 11:14-15). The book Heaven Is for Real also promotes the visions of child progeny Akiane Kramarik, who began “seeing heaven” at age four (pp. 141-144). Colton claims that the “Jesus” that he saw in heaven is the same “Jesus” that Akiane drew from her visions at age nine. But Akiane’s religious faith is a New Age type faith in a vaguely defined “God.” It is religious mysticism rather than faith in an infallible Revelation from God and the blood atonement of Christ. Even if we knew what Jesus looked like, we are forbidden by God’s law to make His likeness (Exodus 20:4).

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Further, those who are not saved are still under the power of the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:1-2). It is only the truly regenerate individual who can claim the precious promise of 1 John 4:4, “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Republished August 2, 2011 (first published December 1, 2009) (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)

I am deeply concerned about the rapidly-growing compromise among independent Baptists. After I was saved in 1973 I didn’t know where to go to church. I was led to Christ by a Pentecostal man who went on his way the next day, and I have never seen him again. I began to study the Bible diligently, visit churches, listen to Christian radio, and read books, seeking God’s will about church membership. I knew that I wasn’t going back to the Southern Baptist Convention that I had grown up in, because they simply didn’t take the Bible seriously. There was no separation, no discipline, no call for sold-out discipleship.

After a short time I found a little independent Baptist church in Bartow, Florida (now defunct) and was convinced that God led me there. Excited that they seemed to take the Bible seriously and were even a bit “fanatical” about it, I joined the church. Several months later I attended Tennessee Temple Bible School and was introduced to the wide world of independent Baptists. In those days Temple stood pretty much at the center of the movement, and Lee Roberson was highly regarded in most of the independent Baptist circles. We had dozens of big name IB speakers each year. I loved the preaching and grew in the Lord, though I was concerned even then with the biblical shallowness, the unscriptural exaltation of man, and the “quick prayerism” evangelism methodology.