From Bro. Clouds Mailbox - Sept. 2013
September 2013
David Cloud, Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061
866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
From time to time, I publish some of the goodies from my mailbox, since many people have told me that they enjoy reading these things.
THEY LIKE THE PREACHING
“God bless you Brother Cloud and your family and your ministry. I praise the Lord Jesus for your commitment to detail, your very thorough historical research, and your love for the truth. Your work has been such a tremendous blessing to me personally. Having grown up Roman Catholic, I never knew the truth about the Lord Jesus or the Bible. When I began to seek the Lord, I went to Willowcreek Community Church and asked them about the Roman Catholic Church but was directed to Bill Hybels discussion with a RC priest from 20 years before. When he said that we can learn from them and they can learn from us as Protestants, I thought perhaps I was misreading the book of Hebrews. I left that church for a smaller SBC turned Emergent Church and that pastor told me that the RCC is preaching a false gospel but the congregation was not studying the Bible per se as much as they had begun to study other books chosen by the Pastor that were leading people away from the Scriptures. I cried out to the Lord for help and praise His holy and precious Name, I discovered your online ministry. Through much of your hard work, I have personally grown in my knowledge of church history, the history of Israel, Bible prophecy, how to study the Bible, etc. Keep on keeping on, the hour is very late indeed! God bless you and may He continue to prosper you and protect you as you continue to be a bold witness for the Lord Jesus Christ in these very dark days!”
“I am currently a student at ------ Baptist College. About six months ago a comment was made by myself on Facebook that was unkind to you, Sir. Over the past year I was blinded by my personal view of yourself and the Way of Life ministry. Time was never taken to fully read and comprehend the motives behind your writings. The Friday Church News Notes are now extremely beneficial to me because of the helpful warnings it delivers, whereas I used to see them as judgmental opinions. There is nothing judgmental whatsoever about the matters in which you right on, but rather, they are very Biblical. It was me who was being judgmental against you, Sir, and that was clearly wrong of me. As I now read your material I feel more appropriately equipped in my stand for Biblical truth. Dr. Cloud, please forgive me for my pharisaical attitude towards you, Sir, and for making judgmental false accusations about yourself. Immediately following this e-mail, by the grace of God, I am making a post of apology in reference to the comments I made about yourself of Facebook. The comment was about ‘writing too much and not carrying out the Great Commission.’ Dr. Cloud, I am now fully aware of the fruit of your labor and your passion for souls to come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. I was a hypocrite and God has convicted me of my sin. I am terribly sorry for my errors; my desire is to be right before God and man. How can God use me if I am not willing to deal with my sin?”
“Great article and insightful research (referring to the article ‘Contemporary Christian Music and Homosexuality’). Every honest Baptist church Pastor should include this article in the church bulletin this Sunday. Further, this article should be printed and posted prominently at the entrances of our churches. I appreciate your hard work exposing the dangers of CCM. Keep up the great work for the Lord!”
“Amen! Thank you Brother Cloud. The Lord has used your ministry mightily, especially in my life. Thank you and God bless you.”
“Our church is preparing, when we finish the one year discipleship course, to do your study on evolution to help prepare our kids to face it. After that, we’ll move on to the Bible version issue and use your materials for that. All of these are done during what we call our discipleship class, which we have at 5pm on Sundays before the evening service. It’s an additional hour of teaching beyond Sunday School, morning service, evening service and prayer meeting. We’ve been doing it about two years. Our church is really enjoying, and being blessed by, the materials you have produced. They are critical to our work of preparing our members, especially children, to deal with the lies of the present world-view. Thank you for your faithfulness and praise the Lord for His!”
“I ordered the book your organization published, ‘Sowing and Reaping,’ covering evangelism, and want you to know that it's the BEST book I have ever read on this topic. I've been through a number of classes on evangelism, and when all was said and done there was no real fruit. I plan to recommend your book to leadership in my congregation.”
“I am re-reading The Hyles Effect - A Spreading Blight and wanted to praise the Lord God for opening my eyes to some of the errors. A missionary I met on my travels gave me a copy of the Way of Life Encyclopedia and introduced me to the Way of Life web site. I couldn't believe that anyone who claimed to be an Independent Fundamental Baptist would ever dare to question the ‘great’ Jack Hyles. (I privately did not think much of him; I was at a conference at which the moderator called him (Jack Hyles) ‘God’ as follows: ‘How do you tell God he only has 30 minutes [to preach]?’ There was no rebuke from Dr Hyles, and everyone else seemed to think it was funny. I thought it was blasphemous.) But I was in a church that was ‘busy’ and did a lot of the same things as Jack Hyles, who was lifted up frequently as a great man. Many of the things you write about in ‘The Hyles Effect - A Spreading Blight’ I saw in the church we attended. We are grateful to God to be in a church where the pastor is humble -- as far as I know -- and preaches the Scriptures and exalts Jesus Christ. It's not a perfect church (I belong to it, after all); I have concerns about their associations. But it is a blessing after the Hyles-clone type of church I was in.”
“I just wanted to drop you a quick note and let you know how much I appreciate your recent warnings against the NFL and professional sports in general. I appreciate your stand and continue to pray for your ministry.”
“Thank you for all the e-books you have posted. These have helped me and my family so much.”
“I say a hearty ‘Thank you’ for what you've done and continue to do for the Lord. I know I'd be a far less biblical Christian today if I'd not been influenced by your writings. ... So keep up the good work with FBIS. It is a blessing. Many are reading and learning.”
“Thanks for all you do, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your ministry.”
“I thank God for your ministry I have never been disappointed in any of your books or products. It is so hard to find a writer that sticks to God's Word!”
“I don't know how you do what you do. I buy your books, Bible studies, and read with interest your many articles. I've read extensively other writers, but I have never found the material that you provide for nominal cost.
“Thank you for the VERY great resource called Way of Life Encyclopedia. I have used it extensively in my teaching.”
“Thank you so much for this! [‘The Bible’s Proof’] My son came home from school today having been taunted by his friends that there was no proof the Bible is true. He is only 11 years old and we do not come from Christian background. Have only been converted 4 years. This report been an enormous help and has been sent to his e-mail account so he can defend himself and explain why he believes as he does.”
“I want to thank you very much for your article ‘What about Love.’ It has helped me very much. I was saved a few years ago and joined a Bible-based Baptist church, but was since almost fooled by the ecumenical / charasmatics.”
“I have been getting O Timothy for at least 4-5 years and as of yet have not told how much I appreciate your ministry. ... Of eternal importance is the light shed on the ecumenical/ new evangelical movement that seems to infect even the most discerning congregations. I praise the Lord for your biblical stand, and anyone with an iota of heart for the Lord sees it importance. May the Lord continue blessing your ministry, for it is truly His.”
“I just finished reading your article on plain clothing. Well said. I appreciate it very much. I printed out your article on carbon-dating and archeology and had my older kids read it. Very useful.”
“I have only recently come across ‘Way of Life’ and David Cloud. So very thankful that there is someone who will patiently stand for truth. We were in Mission work for over 40 years and have been quite surprised at the change in churches in recent years. I was prayerfully asking the Lord what we should do in our church attendance situation this afternoon. I brought up the website and the article ‘I Am Not Your Pastor.’ It has been a blessing to read, with some firm godly instruction. Could I say that as I have crossed the 4 score years I do uphold those who firmly stand for Bible truth in prayer.”
“Your ministry is greatly needed in these last hours of this church age. May GOD'S blessings be upon you as you continue to stand for the truths within GOD'S Holy Word.”
“I reading you book ‘The Future According to the Bible.’ I’m really learning a lot from it. I am giving it to my family members to read also. Also ordered some extra ‘Things Hard to be Understood.’”
“I wholeheartedly agree about the separation issue; the older I get the more I see the need (in just my little world). It troubles me that I have been instructed and somewhat grounded in these 'softer ways of separation.’ It can't help but make me wonder where could I be possibly compromising even now without knowing it, 'thinking' I am doing right? The Lord knows and thus is using people like you and your material for which I am most grateful. Where are the strong supporters of Righteousness, Holiness, Separation, etc. these days? NOT MANY!”
“I really appreciate your ministry and thought I would just write to let you know. It is strange that when I started receiving your Friday notes, I probably only agreed with half of them but nevertheless I read them all and they provoked me to prayerfully consider those items where we were not in agreement. Now some 3 years later I am in agreement with over 90%. You have not changed your position, I have. I would like to credit the Holy Spirit for leading me through this process of sanctification but also I would like to thank you for how He has used you in this regard.”
“I am very thankful to God that there is someone like you to have a ministry to stand on ‘the old paths, where is the good way’ (Jer. 6:16) and preach aggressively against the compromise and error coming into churches more and more in this time, especially on CCM which is close to my heart as I was deceived in this area earlier in my life. Your books, DVDs, writings, etc. have been a great help and eyeopener to me. We pray for you and your ministry in our church and may God bless you very much for your faithful stand and warnings you give despite people who mock and malign you.”
“Right on in regard to your article ‘Brother Cloud, I Have a Question.’ There is so much information available (much of it free) from the WOL website, WOL eBooks, and WOL resources that answer any question that has an answer! While one might not agree with and answer, the answers to the questions are there. Also, study tools like Swordsearcher are also available. Unfortunately, we have become lazy and want quick gratification instead of studying and digging as the Bible instructs.”
“Thanks so much brother for your great and painstaking work in this ministry. We are truly grateful for your work and inspiration. We know you don't have time for everything. And that is OK, we praise God for you.”
“I have been very blessed by and have learned so much from your many well-researched articles. Much of what I've found on your website I've not found anywhere else. It's one of my top resources. I could go on and on about all the helpful articles I've read on your site but I especially want to mention the work you've done on new evangelicalism and on the infiltration of CCM into fundamental churches. Also, I've sent links to some of your articles to friends and family so that they could be helped as well.”
“Your clear Biblical stand on issues clears much fog and confusion away and is a tremendous help to understanding what is truth and what is error. Only the piercing of the Two-edged Sword can cut through thought processes tangled by emotion, and you wield it skillfully. God has used your writing again and again to keep me from falling into one pit after another! The clarity you bring to the discussion of the shame of First Baptist of Hammond is a case in point. I can only imagine the amount of criticism you are under for that, but your simple and appropriate presentation of Scripture settles the matter for anyone truly seeking God’s direction. I can’t thank you enough, dear Brother. Please continue in your faithfulness to our Lord. We desperately need your clarifying Biblical analyses on these matters in our apostate times.”
“I want you to know how much I value the O Timothy magazine. I need the information and the Godly wisdom you give each month and I really appreciate the way in which you give it…forth right, to the point, but with a balanced scriptural kindness also. After 50+ years in the ministry I still need the O Timothy each month. Thank you for your work.”
“THANK YOU for your faithfulness and for rightly dividing the Word of Truth in your articles. It is so refreshing and encouraging to know that there are others that are standing true and faithful to the Lord Jesus and His Word today.”
“Thank you so much for your ministry of informing Christians about compromise. I changed Mission Boards years ago, as a result of thr warnings that you were giving concerning the GARBC. Thank you for the warnings concerning CCM. My eyes have been opened on this subject and we are doing everything we can to inform Christians where we minister. We now have a blog and are using it to inform people against the Gettys and all the others whose music is not biblical. ... May the Lord bless you. We need more people who are willing to take a stand!”
“THANK YOU for posting your sermons on sermon audio, I have watched most of them MULTIPLE times, you have made a difference in this hillbillys life. ... Thank you for all you do, please don’t let up any, the world needs to hear your sermons and me especially, and point us to His infallible Word.”
“I just finished your most excellent book, The Modern Bible Version Hall of Shame. It was OUTSTANDING. I cannot form enough words of praise. God is using you mightily. I only wish I'd known about it and read it sooner. Thank you sooooo much for researching and writing it. I thank God He gave you the passion to write it.”
“I want to take this opportunity to encourage you. I know you face a lot of resistance but I believe what you do is necessary, especially in these last days, the Devil's work continues apace. I would be thoroughly discouraged if I did not know the Lord has all things in control. I find many helpful articles and books on your website and have been blessed by your ministry.”
“Thank you, again for your valuable emails. Soon and very soon, we are going to see the KING.”
“This particular article [‘Keys to Fruitful Church Membership’] provided the clarity of a couple issues that I have been praying about and seeking wisdom of how best to present to the church. ... Other articles have kept me informed of current issues and help me to have better footing as a pastor. Thank you for this article and your ministry.”
“I appreciate the most recent video on CCM [‘The Transformation Power of Contemporary Praise Music’]. I especially appreciate the focus on the beginnings of CCM and the result of what it has become. You are right in saying that CCM is of the same spirit that has led to end time apostasy. No walls of separation, unity and oneness is its cry. I've noticed even in our church that when a young person starts listening to CCM, separation and standards sound silly to them. They begin to mold to the whole CCM mentality and I have found them to be bored with Bible preaching. Thankfully, there are young people here who desire to do right and know the dangers of CCM mainly because of your work on this. Thank you. It has been a great encouragement and help to me as a Pastor.”
“I have been reading after you for years, and have been blessed, disturbed, convicted, informed, and even educated. But this article on ‘God's Watchcare’ has topped them all. God was brought near to me when I needed Him. I just wanted to drop you a note of appreciation! May God continue to watch over you and bless you mightily.”
“I wanted to thank you for the amazing article [‘God’s Watchcare]. I greatly needed the things said in it. As a missionary I have learned that God is the greatest One I can count on, and this article just helped reinforce that thought. I cannot thank you enough. I encourage you to keep up the great work. You are helping people like me.”
“Dr. Cloud I am almost 89 years old; how I wish your emails had been available to me 20 yrs ago. I was a choir director for years, but I did not know all the pitfalls of CCM. The last years of my service, I used some music I now know was wrong. How I thank God for your emails, especially,on separation. I pray for you. May GOD bless and keep you.”
“You have been a blessing. Keep on Keeping on, as the old saying goes. Many, many times over the years, your teachings and pouring over the scriptures have not only ministered to me, but also shed some new insight into scripture that this feeble mind has missed. It has also been a great benefit to the hearers when I have been able to preach on particular subject matters. Way of Life is a invaluable resource. This is not to heap praise on you, but to encourage, that our LORD has found any of us worthy to used in a mighty way for HIS kingdom.”
“Thank you for the effort that you are putting for to factually expose compromise and error!”
“One of my passions is training others to be effective soul winners. I am currently teaching a small group of adults to do just that with your evangelism course of Sowing and Reaping.”
“Just a word to say that your ministry has been nothing but a blessing to me. Sometimes the Lord uses your insite and particular stand to help me examine where I am standing spiritually and what I really believe. Sometimes the truth hurts ‘real good.’ Don’t let the modern day gainsayers, discourage you. Here is one preacher better for your faitfulness to the Lord. May the Lord grant you everything you need to finish the race He has ordained for you, in pleasing Him.”
“Thanks so much for the warning about quick prayerism. I sadly was brought up in this years ago and I know for sure a lot of others were. Thankfully my Mother led me to Christ before I became involved in IFB churches where the quick prayerism soul winning was being pushed. I quit Facebook more than 18 months ago as I was finding a lot of the folks whom I reckon ‘prayed the sinner's prayer’ for salvation in the seventies and eighties were no longer evidencing any kind of salvation, as a matter of fact most were living in the world and of the world. Thanks for your book ‘The Collapse of Separatism Among Fundamental Baptists.’ I have seen a lot of that going on even in our own church maybe in smaller ways than some of the bigger places.”
“Certainly your defense of your evangelistic practices is entirely appropriate. I fear that, if the Rapture does not occur first, many of the brethren who argue that one is to do no criticism, but only evangelize, are going to be in churches that will lose their candlestick, apostatize, and then give the true gospel to nobody at all for however many years or decades are left until the coming of the Lord. As I'm sure you recognize, failing to stand for all the truth once delivered to the saints will destroy evangelism also in the long term.”
“Keep on computing! There is a huge need in the church for watchmen like yourself.”
“Thank you soooo much for all the work and study . these things down through the years have helped lead me to scripture on all topic's when needed I use your books on the translations from years back when BJU was defending Westcot and Hort. I use the Way of life Encyclopedia almost daily in my study keep up the good work and MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU, SIR”
“I have grave concerns over the change I see in Independent Baptist Churches in the way of music. My wife and I are involved in the ministry of -----. Recently we attended a summer camp, and they had a summer tour group from West Coast and several of the songs they sung I had never heard, but knew by the chord progressions coupled with the words - they were not sound and after returning home, we dug up who wrote them and found more of what is going on at schools like West Coast. ... I just wanted to write you a note and thank you for your ministry and the help it has been to us.”
“Just continue to be faithful and let the chips fall where they may. God's judgment is upon us because of the compromise taking place in so many of our once sound fundamental churches. Keep up the good fight of the faith. Apostasy is always very gradual. Hopefully, your admonitions will eventually be heard and heeded by some before it is too late. Someone has said that taking on this contemporary music is like taking on Goliath. However, we all know how that turned out. Let us pray for the same victory to be had as you sound the trumpet.”
“That was an excellent article [‘Eugenics and Darwin’]; thank you for your work. I thank you for all your articles and books, DVDs and courses. In 2007 I went to a revival meeting at a Southern Baptist Church. I was convicted by the Holy Spirit and went forward and rededicated my life to Jesus because I had been out of church and living a sinful life. I became a Gideon but was still looking for answers. I don't remember how but I came across your web site and started reading your material and ordering some of your material ... all of which I have enjoyed and learned much from. ... As being a Gideon I feel the organization is doing some good but see a lot of false professions of quick prayerisms being made. Also they have gone from a KJV only to the NKJV and now call the ESV the version of choice for the new modern English version. ... Thank you so much for what you are teaching and your newsletters and O Timothy articles.”
UNLESS I AM MISTAKEN, THESE DON’T AGREE WITH THE PREACHING
“The Lord Jesus Christ said he that is not against us is for us. We have to reach out to the Lost. And it sounds like that's what Bill and Gloria Gaither have done with their music.”
“Your arguments in ‘The Bible’s Proof’ are not proofs for those who use logic objectively. You want to believe so much that you cannot see reason.”
“You are only christian in name, not in deed. Jesus spoke about the poor and the disenfranchised. You and your republican brethren only care about the rich. You are a member of the church of abomination.”
“You’re well known for your arrogance and dismissive manner. You’re no stranger, Davy.”
“I just finished reading the first few paragraphs of an online piece titled ‘Bill Gaither's Disobedience to God's Word.’ I found it narrow-minded and judgmental. Communicating such religious beliefs is what is encouraging an increasing number of people away from religious beliefs in general and Christianity in particular. Religious denominations -- whether protestant or Catholic -- need to quit considering themselves as ‘the truly good.’ And quoting specific verses from the Bible is no way to win arguments. I've read verses in the Bible that is accepting of slavery, human sacrifice, subservience of females, etc. etc. Jesus Christ is an historic figure who is credited with speaking many philosophical truths and preaching kindness and understanding. Quit scaring people away from learning about Jesus simply because they may be humming a musical style you personally don't appreciate and you don't consider it traditionally Biblical.”
“Neither your slander nor your attitude are fit for a minister of the Gospel. I hope and pray that you will repent and amend your writings. You must have some serious axes to grind.”
“You are misleading people who are already misinformed.”
“I request that you send me nothing written by cloud. He spends too much time slandering and gossiping to trust anything that he writes.”
“I do not believe that engaging critics like Mr. Cloud on your own behalf is particularly helpful. Some one said, ‘Wrestling with an angry blogger is like wresting with a pig– you both get dirty, but the pig likes it.’ ... I call on all our Baptist brothers to stand up to the blog bullies and internet hit jobs. Tell men like Mr. Cloud in no uncertain terms: ‘Leave Chappell, Messer, Sexton, Schaap and whoever else alone. We don’t always agree, but we know a self-serving bully like you when we see one.’”
“Does your self promoting help anyone; the words ‘me’ and ‘I’ are liberally sprinkled in your writings. Your picture on everything is another example of how you are helping to win others to Christ -- but only in YOUR mind.”
“I have a question: Why would you possibly want to go to Heaven?? Don't you realize how miserable you are going to be around all of those nasty, filthy compromisers that will be there also?? Then again,if Jesus is smart,He will get off of His Throne & let you sit on it & He will sit at your feet & learn from you.”
“I just read the harsh and false comments regarding my old friend and mentor Fr. Henri Nouwen. First let me say that I was a sad graduate of the racist and non Christ Loving Bob Jones Univ. in 1972. Became a Franciscan Priest following my service in the Balkan War. A friend arranged me to spend two weeks with Henri on retreat while he himself was on retreat too. ... This was a lover of Jesus who cared for people without judging them unlike all Fundamentalists I've known over the years. I left the fundamentalist movement due to it's stress on following their own man made rules while ignoring what Christ said over and over not to judge.. to love all.. and to simply love Him and others. I know not one happy fundamentalist who isn't a lifeless, bitter excuse of a half hearted Christian.”
FARTHER OUT
“I saw Jesus standing in this condo that I was living in. It was daylight, 3:30pm in the afternoon. He just stood there and I got a good 30 seconds look before I turn thinking I am going crazy. He had this white robe on with a tan shawl or whatever they wore over them in his days. ... One time I was going to sleep and felt this presence standing next to my bed. I looked up and smiled, closed my eyes and smelled wild sweet orange. We don’t have plants or trees in the middle of winter here. I’m not a crack pot.”
THEY LIKE THE PREACHING
“God bless you Brother Cloud and your family and your ministry. I praise the Lord Jesus for your commitment to detail, your very thorough historical research, and your love for the truth. Your work has been such a tremendous blessing to me personally. Having grown up Roman Catholic, I never knew the truth about the Lord Jesus or the Bible. When I began to seek the Lord, I went to Willowcreek Community Church and asked them about the Roman Catholic Church but was directed to Bill Hybels discussion with a RC priest from 20 years before. When he said that we can learn from them and they can learn from us as Protestants, I thought perhaps I was misreading the book of Hebrews. I left that church for a smaller SBC turned Emergent Church and that pastor told me that the RCC is preaching a false gospel but the congregation was not studying the Bible per se as much as they had begun to study other books chosen by the Pastor that were leading people away from the Scriptures. I cried out to the Lord for help and praise His holy and precious Name, I discovered your online ministry. Through much of your hard work, I have personally grown in my knowledge of church history, the history of Israel, Bible prophecy, how to study the Bible, etc. Keep on keeping on, the hour is very late indeed! God bless you and may He continue to prosper you and protect you as you continue to be a bold witness for the Lord Jesus Christ in these very dark days!”
“I am currently a student at ------ Baptist College. About six months ago a comment was made by myself on Facebook that was unkind to you, Sir. Over the past year I was blinded by my personal view of yourself and the Way of Life ministry. Time was never taken to fully read and comprehend the motives behind your writings. The Friday Church News Notes are now extremely beneficial to me because of the helpful warnings it delivers, whereas I used to see them as judgmental opinions. There is nothing judgmental whatsoever about the matters in which you right on, but rather, they are very Biblical. It was me who was being judgmental against you, Sir, and that was clearly wrong of me. As I now read your material I feel more appropriately equipped in my stand for Biblical truth. Dr. Cloud, please forgive me for my pharisaical attitude towards you, Sir, and for making judgmental false accusations about yourself. Immediately following this e-mail, by the grace of God, I am making a post of apology in reference to the comments I made about yourself of Facebook. The comment was about ‘writing too much and not carrying out the Great Commission.’ Dr. Cloud, I am now fully aware of the fruit of your labor and your passion for souls to come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. I was a hypocrite and God has convicted me of my sin. I am terribly sorry for my errors; my desire is to be right before God and man. How can God use me if I am not willing to deal with my sin?”
“Great article and insightful research (referring to the article ‘Contemporary Christian Music and Homosexuality’). Every honest Baptist church Pastor should include this article in the church bulletin this Sunday. Further, this article should be printed and posted prominently at the entrances of our churches. I appreciate your hard work exposing the dangers of CCM. Keep up the great work for the Lord!”
“Amen! Thank you Brother Cloud. The Lord has used your ministry mightily, especially in my life. Thank you and God bless you.”
“Our church is preparing, when we finish the one year discipleship course, to do your study on evolution to help prepare our kids to face it. After that, we’ll move on to the Bible version issue and use your materials for that. All of these are done during what we call our discipleship class, which we have at 5pm on Sundays before the evening service. It’s an additional hour of teaching beyond Sunday School, morning service, evening service and prayer meeting. We’ve been doing it about two years. Our church is really enjoying, and being blessed by, the materials you have produced. They are critical to our work of preparing our members, especially children, to deal with the lies of the present world-view. Thank you for your faithfulness and praise the Lord for His!”
“I ordered the book your organization published, ‘Sowing and Reaping,’ covering evangelism, and want you to know that it's the BEST book I have ever read on this topic. I've been through a number of classes on evangelism, and when all was said and done there was no real fruit. I plan to recommend your book to leadership in my congregation.”
“I am re-reading The Hyles Effect - A Spreading Blight and wanted to praise the Lord God for opening my eyes to some of the errors. A missionary I met on my travels gave me a copy of the Way of Life Encyclopedia and introduced me to the Way of Life web site. I couldn't believe that anyone who claimed to be an Independent Fundamental Baptist would ever dare to question the ‘great’ Jack Hyles. (I privately did not think much of him; I was at a conference at which the moderator called him (Jack Hyles) ‘God’ as follows: ‘How do you tell God he only has 30 minutes [to preach]?’ There was no rebuke from Dr Hyles, and everyone else seemed to think it was funny. I thought it was blasphemous.) But I was in a church that was ‘busy’ and did a lot of the same things as Jack Hyles, who was lifted up frequently as a great man. Many of the things you write about in ‘The Hyles Effect - A Spreading Blight’ I saw in the church we attended. We are grateful to God to be in a church where the pastor is humble -- as far as I know -- and preaches the Scriptures and exalts Jesus Christ. It's not a perfect church (I belong to it, after all); I have concerns about their associations. But it is a blessing after the Hyles-clone type of church I was in.”
“I just wanted to drop you a quick note and let you know how much I appreciate your recent warnings against the NFL and professional sports in general. I appreciate your stand and continue to pray for your ministry.”
“Thank you for all the e-books you have posted. These have helped me and my family so much.”
“I say a hearty ‘Thank you’ for what you've done and continue to do for the Lord. I know I'd be a far less biblical Christian today if I'd not been influenced by your writings. ... So keep up the good work with FBIS. It is a blessing. Many are reading and learning.”
“Thanks for all you do, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your ministry.”
“I thank God for your ministry I have never been disappointed in any of your books or products. It is so hard to find a writer that sticks to God's Word!”
“I don't know how you do what you do. I buy your books, Bible studies, and read with interest your many articles. I've read extensively other writers, but I have never found the material that you provide for nominal cost.
“Thank you for the VERY great resource called Way of Life Encyclopedia. I have used it extensively in my teaching.”
“Thank you so much for this! [‘The Bible’s Proof’] My son came home from school today having been taunted by his friends that there was no proof the Bible is true. He is only 11 years old and we do not come from Christian background. Have only been converted 4 years. This report been an enormous help and has been sent to his e-mail account so he can defend himself and explain why he believes as he does.”
“I want to thank you very much for your article ‘What about Love.’ It has helped me very much. I was saved a few years ago and joined a Bible-based Baptist church, but was since almost fooled by the ecumenical / charasmatics.”
“I have been getting O Timothy for at least 4-5 years and as of yet have not told how much I appreciate your ministry. ... Of eternal importance is the light shed on the ecumenical/ new evangelical movement that seems to infect even the most discerning congregations. I praise the Lord for your biblical stand, and anyone with an iota of heart for the Lord sees it importance. May the Lord continue blessing your ministry, for it is truly His.”
“I just finished reading your article on plain clothing. Well said. I appreciate it very much. I printed out your article on carbon-dating and archeology and had my older kids read it. Very useful.”
“I have only recently come across ‘Way of Life’ and David Cloud. So very thankful that there is someone who will patiently stand for truth. We were in Mission work for over 40 years and have been quite surprised at the change in churches in recent years. I was prayerfully asking the Lord what we should do in our church attendance situation this afternoon. I brought up the website and the article ‘I Am Not Your Pastor.’ It has been a blessing to read, with some firm godly instruction. Could I say that as I have crossed the 4 score years I do uphold those who firmly stand for Bible truth in prayer.”
“Your ministry is greatly needed in these last hours of this church age. May GOD'S blessings be upon you as you continue to stand for the truths within GOD'S Holy Word.”
“I reading you book ‘The Future According to the Bible.’ I’m really learning a lot from it. I am giving it to my family members to read also. Also ordered some extra ‘Things Hard to be Understood.’”
“I wholeheartedly agree about the separation issue; the older I get the more I see the need (in just my little world). It troubles me that I have been instructed and somewhat grounded in these 'softer ways of separation.’ It can't help but make me wonder where could I be possibly compromising even now without knowing it, 'thinking' I am doing right? The Lord knows and thus is using people like you and your material for which I am most grateful. Where are the strong supporters of Righteousness, Holiness, Separation, etc. these days? NOT MANY!”
“I really appreciate your ministry and thought I would just write to let you know. It is strange that when I started receiving your Friday notes, I probably only agreed with half of them but nevertheless I read them all and they provoked me to prayerfully consider those items where we were not in agreement. Now some 3 years later I am in agreement with over 90%. You have not changed your position, I have. I would like to credit the Holy Spirit for leading me through this process of sanctification but also I would like to thank you for how He has used you in this regard.”
“I am very thankful to God that there is someone like you to have a ministry to stand on ‘the old paths, where is the good way’ (Jer. 6:16) and preach aggressively against the compromise and error coming into churches more and more in this time, especially on CCM which is close to my heart as I was deceived in this area earlier in my life. Your books, DVDs, writings, etc. have been a great help and eyeopener to me. We pray for you and your ministry in our church and may God bless you very much for your faithful stand and warnings you give despite people who mock and malign you.”
“Right on in regard to your article ‘Brother Cloud, I Have a Question.’ There is so much information available (much of it free) from the WOL website, WOL eBooks, and WOL resources that answer any question that has an answer! While one might not agree with and answer, the answers to the questions are there. Also, study tools like Swordsearcher are also available. Unfortunately, we have become lazy and want quick gratification instead of studying and digging as the Bible instructs.”
“Thanks so much brother for your great and painstaking work in this ministry. We are truly grateful for your work and inspiration. We know you don't have time for everything. And that is OK, we praise God for you.”
“I have been very blessed by and have learned so much from your many well-researched articles. Much of what I've found on your website I've not found anywhere else. It's one of my top resources. I could go on and on about all the helpful articles I've read on your site but I especially want to mention the work you've done on new evangelicalism and on the infiltration of CCM into fundamental churches. Also, I've sent links to some of your articles to friends and family so that they could be helped as well.”
“Your clear Biblical stand on issues clears much fog and confusion away and is a tremendous help to understanding what is truth and what is error. Only the piercing of the Two-edged Sword can cut through thought processes tangled by emotion, and you wield it skillfully. God has used your writing again and again to keep me from falling into one pit after another! The clarity you bring to the discussion of the shame of First Baptist of Hammond is a case in point. I can only imagine the amount of criticism you are under for that, but your simple and appropriate presentation of Scripture settles the matter for anyone truly seeking God’s direction. I can’t thank you enough, dear Brother. Please continue in your faithfulness to our Lord. We desperately need your clarifying Biblical analyses on these matters in our apostate times.”
“I want you to know how much I value the O Timothy magazine. I need the information and the Godly wisdom you give each month and I really appreciate the way in which you give it…forth right, to the point, but with a balanced scriptural kindness also. After 50+ years in the ministry I still need the O Timothy each month. Thank you for your work.”
“THANK YOU for your faithfulness and for rightly dividing the Word of Truth in your articles. It is so refreshing and encouraging to know that there are others that are standing true and faithful to the Lord Jesus and His Word today.”
“Thank you so much for your ministry of informing Christians about compromise. I changed Mission Boards years ago, as a result of thr warnings that you were giving concerning the GARBC. Thank you for the warnings concerning CCM. My eyes have been opened on this subject and we are doing everything we can to inform Christians where we minister. We now have a blog and are using it to inform people against the Gettys and all the others whose music is not biblical. ... May the Lord bless you. We need more people who are willing to take a stand!”
“THANK YOU for posting your sermons on sermon audio, I have watched most of them MULTIPLE times, you have made a difference in this hillbillys life. ... Thank you for all you do, please don’t let up any, the world needs to hear your sermons and me especially
“I just finished your most excellent book, The Modern Bible Version Hall of Shame. It was OUTSTANDING. I cannot form enough words of praise. God is using you mightily. I only wish I'd known about it and read it sooner. Thank you sooooo much for researching and writing it. I thank God He gave you the passion to write it.”
“I want to take this opportunity to encourage you. I know you face a lot of resistance but I believe what you do is necessary, especially in these last days, the Devil's work continues apace. I would be thoroughly discouraged if I did not know the Lord has all things in control. I find many helpful articles and books on your website and have been blessed by your ministry.”
“Thank you, again for your valuable emails. Soon and very soon, we are going to see the KING.”
“This particular article [‘Keys to Fruitful Church Membership’] provided the clarity of a couple issues that I have been praying about and seeking wisdom of how best to present to the church. ... Other articles have kept me informed of current issues and help me to have better footing as a pastor. Thank you for this article and your ministry.”
“I appreciate the most recent video on CCM [‘The Transformation Power of Contemporary Praise Music’]. I especially appreciate the focus on the beginnings of CCM and the result of what it has become. You are right in saying that CCM is of the same spirit that has led to end time apostasy. No walls of separation, unity and oneness is its cry. I've noticed even in our church that when a young person starts listening to CCM, separation and standards sound silly to them. They begin to mold to the whole CCM mentality and I have found them to be bored with Bible preaching. Thankfully, there are young people here who desire to do right and know the dangers of CCM mainly because of your work on this. Thank you. It has been a great encouragement and help to me as a Pastor.”
“I have been reading after you for years, and have been blessed, disturbed, convicted, informed, and even educated. But this article on ‘God's Watchcare’ has topped them all. God was brought near to me when I needed Him. I just wanted to drop you a note of appreciation! May God continue to watch over you and bless you mightily.”
“I wanted to thank you for the amazing article [‘God’s Watchcare]. I greatly needed the things said in it. As a missionary I have learned that God is the greatest One I can count on, and this article just helped reinforce that thought. I cannot thank you enough. I encourage you to keep up the great work. You are helping people like me.”
“Dr. Cloud I am almost 89 years old; how I wish your emails had been available to me 20 yrs ago. I was a choir director for years, but I did not know all the pitfalls of CCM. The last years of my service, I used some music I now know was wrong. How I thank God for your emails, especially,on separation. I pray for you. May GOD bless and keep you.”
“You have been a blessing. Keep on Keeping on, as the old saying goes. Many, many times over the years, your teachings and pouring over the scriptures have not only ministered to me, but also shed some new insight into scripture that this feeble mind has missed. It has also been a great benefit to the hearers when I have been able to preach on particular subject matters. Way of Life is a invaluable resource. This is not to heap praise on you, but to encourage, that our LORD has found any of us worthy to used in a mighty way for HIS kingdom.”
“Thank you for the effort that you are putting for to factually expose compromise and error!”
“One of my passions is training others to be effective soul winners. I am currently teaching a small group of adults to do just that with your evangelism course of
“Just a word to say that your ministry has been nothing but a blessing to me. Sometimes the Lord uses your insite and particular stand to help me examine where I am standing spiritually and what I really believe. Sometimes the truth hurts ‘real good.’ Don’t let the modern day gainsayers, discourage you. Here is one preacher better for your faitfulness to the Lord. May the Lord grant you everything you need to finish the race He has ordained for you, in pleasing Him.”
“Thanks so much for the warning about quick prayerism. I sadly was brought up in this years ago and I know for sure a lot of others were. Thankfully my Mother led me to Christ before I became involved in IFB churches where the quick prayerism soul winning was being pushed. I quit Facebook more than 18 months ago as I was finding a lot of the folks whom I reckon ‘prayed the sinner's prayer’ for salvation in the seventies and eighties were no longer evidencing any kind of salvation, as a matter of fact most were living in the world and of the world. Thanks for your book ‘The Collapse of Separatism Among Fundamental Baptists.’ I have seen a lot of that going on even in our own church maybe in smaller ways than some of the bigger places.”
“Certainly your defense of your evangelistic practices is entirely appropriate. I fear that, if the Rapture does not occur first, many of the brethren who argue that one is to do no criticism, but only evangelize, are going to be in churches that will lose their candlestick, apostatize, and then give the true gospel to nobody at all for however many years or decades are left until the coming of the Lord. As I'm sure you recognize, failing to stand for all the truth once delivered to the saints will destroy evangelism also in the long term.”
“Keep on computing! There is a huge need in the church for watchmen like yourself.”
“Thank you soooo much for all the work and study . these things down through the years have helped lead me to scripture on all topic's when needed I use your books on the translations from years back when BJU was defending Westcot and Hort. I use the Way of life Encyclopedia almost daily in my study keep up the good work and MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU, SIR”
“I have grave concerns over the change I see in Independent Baptist Churches in the way of music. My wife and I are involved in the ministry of -----. Recently we attended a summer camp, and they had a summer tour group from West Coast and several of the songs they sung I had never heard, but knew by the chord progressions coupled with the words - they were not sound and after returning home, we dug up who wrote them and found more of what is going on at schools like West Coast. ... I just wanted to write you a note and thank you for your ministry and the help it has been to us.”
“Just continue to be faithful and let the chips fall where they may. God's judgment is upon us because of the compromise taking place in so many of our once sound fundamental churches. Keep up the good fight of the faith. Apostasy is always very gradual. Hopefully, your admonitions will eventually be heard and heeded by some before it is too late. Someone has said that taking on this contemporary music is like taking on Goliath. However, we all know how that turned out. Let us pray for the same victory to be had as you sound the trumpet.”
“That was an excellent article [‘Eugenics and Darwin’]; thank you for your work. I thank you for all your articles and books, DVDs and courses. In 2007 I went to a revival meeting at a Southern Baptist Church. I was convicted by the Holy Spirit and went forward and rededicated my life to Jesus because I had been out of church and living a sinful life. I became a Gideon but was still looking for answers. I don't remember how but I came across your web site and started reading your material and ordering some of your material ... all of which I have enjoyed and learned much from. ... As being a Gideon I feel the organization is doing some good but see a lot of false professions of quick prayerisms being made. Also they have gone from a KJV only to the NKJV and now call the ESV the version of choice for the new modern English version. ... Thank you so much for what you are teaching and your newsletters and O Timothy articles.”
UNLESS I AM MISTAKEN, THESE DON’T AGREE WITH THE PREACHING
“The Lord Jesus Christ said he that is not against us is for us. We have to reach out to the Lost. And it sounds like that's what Bill and Gloria Gaither have done with their music.”
“Your arguments in ‘The Bible’s Proof’ are not proofs for those who use logic objectively. You want to believe so much that you cannot see reason.”
“You are only christian in name, not in deed. Jesus spoke about the poor and the disenfranchised. You and your republican brethren only care about the rich. You are a member of the church of abomination.”
“You’re well known for your arrogance and dismissive manner. You’re no stranger, Davy.”
“I just finished reading the first few paragraphs of an online piece titled ‘Bill Gaither's Disobedience to God's Word.’ I found it narrow-minded and judgmental. Communicating such religious beliefs is what is encouraging an increasing number of people away from religious beliefs in general and Christianity in particular. Religious denominations -- whether protestant or Catholic -- need to quit considering themselves as ‘the truly good.’ And quoting specific verses from the Bible is no way to win arguments. I've read verses in the Bible that is accepting of slavery, human sacrifice, subservience of females, etc. etc. Jesus Christ is an historic figure who is credited with speaking many philosophical truths and preaching kindness and understanding. Quit scaring people away from learning about Jesus simply because they may be humming a musical style you personally don't appreciate and you don't consider it traditionally Biblical.”
“Neither your slander nor your attitude are fit for a minister of the Gospel. I hope and pray that you will repent and amend your writings. You must have some serious axes to grind.”
“You are misleading people who are already misinformed.”
“I request that you send me nothing written by cloud. He spends too much time slandering and gossiping to trust anything that he writes.”
“I do not believe that engaging critics like Mr. Cloud on your own behalf is particularly helpful. Some one said, ‘Wrestling with an angry blogger is like wresting with a pig– you both get dirty, but the pig likes it.’ ... I call on all our Baptist brothers to stand up to the blog bullies and internet hit jobs. Tell men like Mr. Cloud in no uncertain terms: ‘Leave Chappell, Messer, Sexton, Schaap and whoever else alone. We don’t always agree, but we know a self-serving bully like you when we see one.’”
“Does your self promoting help anyone; the words ‘me’ and ‘I’ are liberally sprinkled in your writings. Your picture on everything is another example of how you are helping to win others to Christ -- but only in YOUR mind.”
“I have a question: Why would you possibly want to go to Heaven?? Don't you realize how miserable you are going to be around all of those nasty, filthy compromisers that will be there also?? Then again,if Jesus is smart,He will get off of His Throne & let you sit on it & He will sit at your feet & learn from you.”
“I just read the harsh and false comments regarding my old friend and mentor Fr. Henri Nouwen. First let me say that I was a sad graduate of the racist and non Christ Loving Bob Jones Univ. in 1972. Became a Franciscan Priest following my service in the Balkan War. A friend arranged me to spend two weeks with Henri on retreat while he himself was on retreat too. ... This was a lover of Jesus who cared for people without judging them unlike all Fundamentalists I've known over the years. I left the fundamentalist movement due to it's stress on following their own man made rules while ignoring what Christ said over and over not to judge.. to love all.. and to simply love Him and others. I know not one happy fundamentalist who isn't a lifeless, bitter excuse of a half hearted Christian.”
FARTHER OUT
“I saw Jesus standing in this condo that I was living in. It was daylight, 3:30pm in the afternoon. He just stood there and I got a good 30 seconds look before I turn thinking I am going crazy. He had this white robe on with a tan shawl or whatever they wore over them in his days. ... One time I was going to sleep and felt this presence standing next to my bed. I looked up and smiled, closed my eyes and smelled wild sweet orange. We don’t have plants or trees in the middle of winter here. I’m not a crack pot.”