Friday Church News Notes
Volume 24, Issue 46 - November 17, 2023
The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, though this does not imply an endorsement.
Ghazi Hamad, on LBC TV (Lebanon)
October 24, 2023
HAMAS VOWS TO DESTROY ISRAEL (Friday Church News Notes, November 17, 2023, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Speaking from relative safety in Qatar and Lebanon, leaders of Hamas say their goal is to destroy Israel from the land. “Khalil al-Hayya, a member of the terrorist group’s politburo in Qatar, said they planned the Oct. 7 assault to ‘change the entire equation and not just have a clash’ ... Hamas’s goal is not to run Gaza and to bring it water and electricity and such. ... This battle is to completely overthrow the situation.’ ... Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad told Lebanon’s LBC TV on Oct. 24 that the terror group would continue to carry out massacres like the one it carried out in southern Israel on Oct. 7 until the Jewish state is destroyed. ‘Israel is a country that has no place on our land. We must remove that country because it constitutes a security, military and political catastrophe to the Arab and Islamic nation, and must be finished,’ said Hamad, according to a translation of the interview provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute” (“Hamas: We want permanent war with Israel,” Israel Today, Nov. 8, 2023). Hamas is whistling in the dark. Even in her present unrighteous condition, Israel is God’s chosen nation and that land is Israel’s by divine decree. All of the armies of the world cannot change that. In about 700 BC, speaking the infallible Word of God, the prophet Hosea summarized Israel’s future as follows. “For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days” (Hosea 3:4-5). The many days without a king and sacrifice and ephod (priesthood and temple) are nearly finished, and the conversion and restoration is at hand. “David their king” is a reference to David’s Son Jesus Christ who was promised an eternal throne. “Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts ... when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:8, 12-13). “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
JIMMY BUFFET SAYS KEEP THE PARTY GOING (Friday Church News Notes, November 17, 2023, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Rocker Jimmy Buffett died in September of cancer. On his deathbed he exhorted his friends to “keep the party going” (“Jimmy Buffett guitarist recalls singer’s final hours,” Fox News, Nov. 10, 2023). Buffett was famous for the drinking song “Margaritaville,” which is about an indolent, beach party lifestyle. (A margarita is an alcoholic drink made of tequila.) The lyrics say, “But there’s booze in the blender/ and soon it will render/ That frozen concoction that helps me hang on/ Wastin’ away again in Margaritaville.” The margaritaville web site eulogizes Buffett in these words: “We celebrate his life, believe his spirit lives on like a never-ending encore, and will see his radiant smile and that twinkle in his eye when we look towards the sun and will continue to share his way of life wherever, whenever we can.” Actually, the glorification of a margaritaville lifestyle was a deception. He admitted years ago that he no longer lived the drinking/smoking lifestyle. He said, “[P]eople start dying, you know. And having nervous breakdowns. And then you go, ‘Wait a minute here’” (Jimmy Buffett’s Life Is Nothing Like It Seems,” Nikiswift.com, Feb. 3, 2023). It is obvious that you can’t party very long without facing destruction. He “cleaned up his act,” sought therapy for his “alcoholic addiction,” and gave up marijuana. Building on his mindless hit song, Buffett built a billion dollar financial empire, with Margaritaville tours, restaurants, hotels, casinos, resorts, cottages, sea cruises, and other products. “[T]he increasingly-wealthy musician compartmentalized, keeping the trappings of the beach bum in his businesses while moving on to a much more lavish life for himself. Turns out all of the people getting wasted away again in Margaritaville are financing quite the fancy lifestyle for the son of a son of a sailor” (Ibid.). The Bible says, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1).
COUNTRY MUSIC DRINKING THEME (Friday Church News Notes, November 17, 2023, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The wicked character of Country music is evident by its glorification of drinking. Only God knows how many Country music fans have perpetrated violent acts, committed fornication and adultery, destroyed their marriages, estranged their children and friends, crashed their vehicles, ruined their health, died before their time, and lost their souls--all because of “drinking.” Following are a few of the top 20 “drinking” songs chosen by The Boot magazine: “WHISKEY RIVER” by Willie Nelson (1973): “Whiskey River take my mind / Don't let her mem'ry torture me. / Whiskey River, don't run dry / You're all I've got, take care of me.” “FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES” by Garth Brooks (1990): “I've got friends in low places / Where the whiskey drowns / And the beer chases my blues away / And I'll be OK.” “ALL MY ROWDY FRIENDS” by Hank Williams, Jr. (1984): “Do you wanna drink? / Do ya wanna party? / ... I cooked a pig in the ground, we got some beer on ice / And all my rowdy friends are coming over tonight.” “I GOTTA GET DRUNK” by George Jones, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson (1970): “A lot of doctors tell me / That I'd better start slowing it down / But there’s more old drunks than there are old doctors / So I guess we'd better have another round.” “MARGARITAVILLE” by Jimmy Buffett (1977): “There's booze in the blender / And soon it will render / That frozen concoction that helps me hang on.” The Bible says: “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again” (Proverbs 23:29-35).
THE GOOSE AND THE GANDER: HOW FEMINISM PAVED THE WAY FOR TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS (Friday Church News Notes, November 17, 2023, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - For a man to pretend to be a woman and to compete in women’s sports is nutty, but it is a product of a society that has rejected the Word of God. Feminism says the woman can be a man. She can do whatever the man does and she must be allowed to do so. This is the philosophy that has put women into the front lines of the military. Deshauna Barber, 2016 Miss USA winner and a soldier in the U.S. Army, said, “We are just as tough as men. As a commander of my unit, I am powerful. I am dedicated. And it is important that we recognize that gender does not limit us in the United States Army ... It’s time to show that we as women are versatile, strong and can be anything we set our minds to.” On the other hand, transgenderism claims that a man can be a woman. Why not? If the woman can be a man, why can’t a man compete in women’s sports? But now women are complaining. “It isn’t fair; it isn’t right.” This is the dilemma caused by exalting man’s thinking over God’s Word. The Bible destroys all of this confusion at its root. It says God made man “male and female” (Genesis 1:27). It says the man and woman are created for unique roles in society. They are to compliment one another rather than compete with one another. That is the only right view of male and female. The Bible specifically says the man is stronger than the female (Proverbs 20:29; 1 Peter 3:7). This is obvious when men pretending to be women compete in women’s sports. It is obvious when women try to compete head to head with men in the military. The same reason there are no women in professional football or special forces is the reason why men should not compete in women’s sports.
A UNIVERSAL FORM OF WORSHIP (Friday Church News Notes, November 17, 2023, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “There is coming into the earth a universal form of worship. It always has music. Music is more prominent than preaching” (O. Talmadge Spence, “Music in the Last Days,” 1991, foundations.edu).
CROCODILE BIRD (Friday Church News Notes, November 17, 2023, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from CreationMoments.com, October 16, 2023: “How would you like to be a dental hygienist for a crocodile? That’s how the crocodile bird makes his living. Of course you do need to know that the crocodile bird doesn’t show up to do his work with any drills or needles. He and the crocodile are on good terms with each other. After eating, the crocodile climbs the river bank and relaxes with his mouth open. The little crocodile bird enter the crocodile’s mouth to clean up the scraps that are left. While the crocodile bird makes most of his living as sort of a crocodile dental hygienist, he also helps keep the crocodile free of pesky insects that lodge in his skin. The crocodile also receives one other service from the crocodile bird. Whenever the bird senses approaching danger, he gives his sharp warning call and flies off. The crocodile, now warned, can quickly roll over into the water where virtually no animal can get the best of him. This is but one of many unlikely cooperative arrangements that we find in the plant and animal kingdoms. Every one of these relationships speaks for a Creator and against the idea that either these creatures, or their cooperation, evolved naturally. Evolutionists have written whole books on the subject. Yet they don’t seem satisfied that they have explained how these relationships could develop through evolution. We agree that they have no explanation. Nor are they likely to find one as long as they deny a Creator who cares for His creation.”
CONCLUSION: The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat. 16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14).
JIMMY BUFFET SAYS KEEP THE PARTY GOING (Friday Church News Notes, November 17, 2023, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Rocker Jimmy Buffett died in September of cancer. On his deathbed he exhorted his friends to “keep the party going” (“Jimmy Buffett guitarist recalls singer’s final hours,” Fox News, Nov. 10, 2023). Buffett was famous for the drinking song “Margaritaville,” which is about an indolent, beach party lifestyle. (A margarita is an alcoholic drink made of tequila.) The lyrics say, “But there’s booze in the blender/ and soon it will render/ That frozen concoction that helps me hang on/ Wastin’ away again in Margaritaville.” The margaritaville web site eulogizes Buffett in these words: “We celebrate his life, believe his spirit lives on like a never-ending encore, and will see his radiant smile and that twinkle in his eye when we look towards the sun and will continue to share his way of life wherever, whenever we can.” Actually, the glorification of a margaritaville lifestyle was a deception. He admitted years ago that he no longer lived the drinking/smoking lifestyle. He said, “[P]eople start dying, you know. And having nervous breakdowns. And then you go, ‘Wait a minute here’” (Jimmy Buffett’s Life Is Nothing Like It Seems,” Nikiswift.com, Feb. 3, 2023). It is obvious that you can’t party very long without facing destruction. He “cleaned up his act,” sought therapy for his “alcoholic addiction,” and gave up marijuana. Building on his mindless hit song, Buffett built a billion dollar financial empire, with Margaritaville tours, restaurants, hotels, casinos, resorts, cottages, sea cruises, and other products. “[T]he increasingly-wealthy musician compartmentalized, keeping the trappings of the beach bum in his businesses while moving on to a much more lavish life for himself. Turns out all of the people getting wasted away again in Margaritaville are financing quite the fancy lifestyle for the son of a son of a sailor” (Ibid.). The Bible says, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1).
COUNTRY MUSIC DRINKING THEME (Friday Church News Notes, November 17, 2023, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The wicked character of Country music is evident by its glorification of drinking. Only God knows how many Country music fans have perpetrated violent acts, committed fornication and adultery, destroyed their marriages, estranged their children and friends, crashed their vehicles, ruined their health, died before their time, and lost their souls--all because of “drinking.” Following are a few of the top 20 “drinking” songs chosen by The Boot magazine: “WHISKEY RIVER” by Willie Nelson (1973): “Whiskey River take my mind / Don't let her mem'ry torture me. / Whiskey River, don't run dry / You're all I've got, take care of me.” “FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES” by Garth Brooks (1990): “I've got friends in low places / Where the whiskey drowns / And the beer chases my blues away / And I'll be OK.” “ALL MY ROWDY FRIENDS” by Hank Williams, Jr. (1984): “Do you wanna drink? / Do ya wanna party? / ... I cooked a pig in the ground, we got some beer on ice / And all my rowdy friends are coming over tonight.” “I GOTTA GET DRUNK” by George Jones, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson (1970): “A lot of doctors tell me / That I'd better start slowing it down / But there’s more old drunks than there are old doctors / So I guess we'd better have another round.” “MARGARITAVILLE” by Jimmy Buffett (1977): “There's booze in the blender / And soon it will render / That frozen concoction that helps me hang on.” The Bible says: “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again” (Proverbs 23:29-35).
THE GOOSE AND THE GANDER: HOW FEMINISM PAVED THE WAY FOR TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS (Friday Church News Notes, November 17, 2023, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - For a man to pretend to be a woman and to compete in women’s sports is nutty, but it is a product of a society that has rejected the Word of God. Feminism says the woman can be a man. She can do whatever the man does and she must be allowed to do so. This is the philosophy that has put women into the front lines of the military. Deshauna Barber, 2016 Miss USA winner and a soldier in the U.S. Army, said, “We are just as tough as men. As a commander of my unit, I am powerful. I am dedicated. And it is important that we recognize that gender does not limit us in the United States Army ... It’s time to show that we as women are versatile, strong and can be anything we set our minds to.” On the other hand, transgenderism claims that a man can be a woman. Why not? If the woman can be a man, why can’t a man compete in women’s sports? But now women are complaining. “It isn’t fair; it isn’t right.” This is the dilemma caused by exalting man’s thinking over God’s Word. The Bible destroys all of this confusion at its root. It says God made man “male and female” (Genesis 1:27). It says the man and woman are created for unique roles in society. They are to compliment one another rather than compete with one another. That is the only right view of male and female. The Bible specifically says the man is stronger than the female (Proverbs 20:29; 1 Peter 3:7). This is obvious when men pretending to be women compete in women’s sports. It is obvious when women try to compete head to head with men in the military. The same reason there are no women in professional football or special forces is the reason why men should not compete in women’s sports.
A UNIVERSAL FORM OF WORSHIP (Friday Church News Notes, November 17, 2023, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “There is coming into the earth a universal form of worship. It always has music. Music is more prominent than preaching” (O. Talmadge Spence, “Music in the Last Days,” 1991, foundations.edu).
CROCODILE BIRD (Friday Church News Notes, November 17, 2023, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is from CreationMoments.com, October 16, 2023: “How would you like to be a dental hygienist for a crocodile? That’s how the crocodile bird makes his living. Of course you do need to know that the crocodile bird doesn’t show up to do his work with any drills or needles. He and the crocodile are on good terms with each other. After eating, the crocodile climbs the river bank and relaxes with his mouth open. The little crocodile bird enter the crocodile’s mouth to clean up the scraps that are left. While the crocodile bird makes most of his living as sort of a crocodile dental hygienist, he also helps keep the crocodile free of pesky insects that lodge in his skin. The crocodile also receives one other service from the crocodile bird. Whenever the bird senses approaching danger, he gives his sharp warning call and flies off. The crocodile, now warned, can quickly roll over into the water where virtually no animal can get the best of him. This is but one of many unlikely cooperative arrangements that we find in the plant and animal kingdoms. Every one of these relationships speaks for a Creator and against the idea that either these creatures, or their cooperation, evolved naturally. Evolutionists have written whole books on the subject. Yet they don’t seem satisfied that they have explained how these relationships could develop through evolution. We agree that they have no explanation. Nor are they likely to find one as long as they deny a Creator who cares for His creation.”
CONCLUSION: The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat. 16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14).
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Distributed by Way of Life Literature., publisher of Bible Study Materials and reports for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. Established in 1974, Way of Life Literature is a fundamental Baptist preaching and publishing ministry based in Bethel Baptist Church, London, Ontario, of which Wilbert Unger is the founding Pastor. Brother Cloud lives in South Asia where he has been a church planting missionary since 1979. OUR GOAL IN THIS PARTICULAR ASPECT OF OUR MINISTRY (REPORTS AND FRIDAY NEWS) IS NOT DEVOTIONAL. IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR.
David Cloud, Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
The Way of Life Literature preaching and publishing ministry is based at Bethel Baptist Church, London, Ontario, of which Wilbert Unger is the founding Pastor. A mail stop is maintained in Port Huron, Michigan.
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