Friday Church News Notes
April 5, 2024 - Volume 25, Issue 14
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.
Dallas Jenkins, The Chosen’s director, co-writer, and chief publicist.
THE CHOSEN WATCHED BY 200 MILLION (Friday Church News Notes, April 5, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The Chosen, a multi-season historical drama television series about Jesus, has been watched by more than 200 million people worldwide. It is being translated into many languages. Season 4 launched in Brazil this month with a nighttime video projection onto the Christ the Redeemer monument. The following is excerpted from “The Chosen: 10 Critical Concerns” by Lighthousetrails.com. This booklet is available for purchase. “The Chosen series was initiated and inspired from a partnership between Dallas Jenkins, an evangelical filmmaker, and three Mormon businessmen, Jeffrey and Neal Harmon and Derral Eves after the three men viewed a film written and directed by Jenkins called The Shepherd. The Mormon influence on The Chosen is considerable: the executive producer is Mormon, the distributor is Mormon, certain episodes were shot on a special Mormon set in Utah, and the crowdfunding and media expertise is provided by Mormons. ... The Chosen’s director, co-writer, and chief publicist, Dallas Jenkins, has gone on record stating that the Mormon Jesus is the same as the Bible’s Jesus. ... But following is a list of some of the ‘attributes’ of the Mormon Jesus: (1) Jesus is Lucifer’s brother. (2) Jesus is a spirit child conceived through physical means between an exalted man (Heavenly Father) and the virgin Mary. (3) Jesus is not eternal and had a beginning (i.e., not part of an eternal Trinity). (4) Jesus was not always God but earned his way to godhood just as we will become gods someday. ... Dallas Jenkins told one interviewer that ‘95% of the content [of The Chosen] isn’t from the Bible.’ This means that The Chosen is almost completely man’s word—not God’s Word. ... For example, Mary Magdalene backsliding is not in the Bible; Matthew portrayed as autistic--not in the Bible; Jesus rehearsing His sermon on the mount—not in the Bible (John 12:49-50; John 17:8). ... the apostle Peter had a gambling debt that pressured him to fish overtime on the Sabbath to pay back what he owed [not in the Bible]... Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus in The Chosen, is a fervent Catholic with a strong affinity toward the New Age. ... he claims to have had ‘personal interactions’ with a deceased Catholic ‘saint.’ ... Roumie’s recommended reading list on Amazon includes The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything by Jesuit priest and New Age sympathizer, James Martin. The book openly teaches the panentheistic New Age doctrine of God ‘in’ everyone and everything as the following quotes from that book illustrate: ‘God can be found in everything. And everyone too’; ‘We’ll look at how to find God in everything and everything in God.’”
PARENTS REFUSED TO GIVE UP ON BABY WITH NO NOSE (Friday Church News Notes, April 5, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Doctors Thought He’d Never Survive,” Christian Headlines, Mar. 15, 2024: “Harrison ‘Gray’ Canales has been defying medical odds for 22 years, and with a brand new nose, he’s planning a bright future. One, no doubt, filled with major accomplishments! Gray Canales is one of two sons of John and Mary Jo Canales of Flower Mound, Texas. John and Mary Jo learned they were expecting their first child in 2001, and everything seemed to be going fine until the day of the sonogram at 20 weeks. ... Doctors told the couple that the images did not show a nose. They did not expect the baby to breathe on his own, and they feared he would not survive. Additional tests confirmed that Baby Canales did indeed not have a nose, had problems with his legs and feet, and likely would be born with some degree of brain damage. For John and Mary Jo, a minister and church secretary, respectively, terminating the pregnancy was not an option. Mary Jo told People, ‘We thought, This baby is still our gift and our joy, and you don’t turn down a gift. But I cried constantly. I had no idea if I’d get to meet my son.’ Born five weeks early via an emergency C-section, Gray faced a myriad of medical challenges. As expected, Gray had no nose and was born without eyelids. Gray’s little legs were turned in more than 90 degrees, his feet were missing toes, and he’d been born without a right frontal lobe. ... Once home, Gray’s care required tremendous time and energy. The couple exercised their son’s legs, cleaned and dressed his nasal area, and constantly lubricated his eyes until he was given eyelids through surgery at six months ... Gray Canales is now 22 years old, and he has had nearly 30 surgeries. Eleven were connected with his nose reconstruction alone. Despite all of this, Gray is a healthy and happy young man. He enjoys baseball, listening to music, and helping at his church. ... Gray’s parents have instilled determination and resilience in their son. Reverend Canales says, ‘We taught him not to feel sorry for himself,’ because many other people deal with disabilities too. We told him, ‘This is the way God made you. That’s all.’”
CALGARY JUDGE RULES THAT AUTISTIC WOMAN CAN KILL HERSELF (Friday Church News Notes, April 5, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from The Canadian Independent, Mar. 25, 2024: “Calgary judge rules 27-year-old woman with autism can kill herself through medical assistance in dying (MAID). Due to a publication ban, the individuals involved can only be referred to as MV, a 27-year-old woman approved by two doctors for medical assistance in dying (‘MAID’), and WV, identified as MV’s father. The father, WV, expressed concerns about his daughter’s vulnerability and her competence in deciding to end her own life. He argued that MV, who lives with him and has autism and ADHD but no other health issues, may not be capable of making such a decision. ... Today, a Calgary judge, Justice Colin C.J. Feasby, ruled in favor of MV, saying, ‘I do not know you and I do not know why you seek MAID. Your reasons remain your own because I have respected your autonomy and your privacy. My decision recognizes your right to choose a medically assisted death.’ Justice Feasby did issue a 30-day stay of his decision to allow WV to appeal to the Alberta Court of Appeal, maintaining the interim injunction for the next month.”
SMITHSONIAN TO PAY $50,000 TO OUSTED TOURISTS WEARING PRO-LIFE ATTIRE (Friday Church News Notes, April 5, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Smithsonian to Pay,” CBN News, Mar. 25, 2024: “A national museum in Washington, D.C. has agreed to pay tourists visiting their facility $50,000 after they were kicked out for wearing pro-life apparel. The National Air and Space Museum agreed to pay the settlement to cover attorney’s fees, expenses, costs, and interest for the students of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School in Greenville, South Carolina, and their parents. The group of 12 plaintiffs filed a lawsuit after visiting the museum on the day of the March for Life rally on Jan. 20, 2023. They were all wearing beanies featuring the words ‘Rosary PRO-LIFE’ as they toured the museum. According to the American Center for Law and Justice, which represented the plaintiffs, ‘Museum staff mocked the students, called them expletives, and made comments that the museum was a neutral zone where they could not express such statements.’ An employee ‘ultimately forced the students to leave the museum...rubbing his hands together in glee as they exited the building.’’’
A SENIOR’S VERSION OF FACEBOOK (Friday Church News Notes, April 5, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “For those of my generation who do not, and cannot, comprehend why Facebook exists, I am trying to make friends outside of Facebook while applying the same principles. Therefore, every day I walk down the street and tell passersby what I have eaten, how I feel at the moment, what I have done the night before, what I will do later and with whom. I give them pictures of my family, my dog and of me gardening, taking things apart in the garage, watering the lawn, standing in front of landmarks, driving around town, having lunch, and doing what anybody and everybody does every day. I also listen to their conversations, give them ‘thumbs up’ and tell them I ‘like’ them. And it works just like Facebook. I already have four people following me: two police officers, a private investigator, and a psychiatrist” (Source unknown).
THE WORLD PASSETH AWAY (Friday Church News Notes, April 5, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:17). God’s born again people need to think biblically. They need to have a Biblical mindset. They need to think more like citizens of heaven than citizens of America or some other nation on this present fallen earth. The verb “passeth” is present indicative. The present tense is a continuous tense, and the indicative mood “asserts something which is occurring while the speaker is making the statement.” So the world is passing away at this time. This present world system seems to be permanent, but it is even now in the process of passing away. That’s what God says. But he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. God holds the reins. He is using this present world system for His eternal purpose, and it will be finished exactly when God decides, to be replaced by Christ’s kingdom. The prophet Daniel described the end of this present world system. In the dream given to Nebuchadnezzar, it was depicted as a great image of a man representing the ruling empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome (Daniel 2:31-35). Daniel’s interpretation explains that Rome continues in various forms until the return of Christ, at which time the world system will be crushed and replaced with Christ’s righteous kingdom. The ruler of the end-time Rome will be the Antichrist. “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:34-35). Bible commentator Robert Lenski said, “The world is now in the act of passing away. It is its very nature not to last. Its doom is overtaking it. Its glory is fading, its flowers are withering, its promises are failing, its hopes are crumbling. Isaiah 14:11. ... Does the siren voice of the world tickle your ears? Hear the word of truth: ‘The world is passing away!’ The bank is breaking, it was never solvent--will you deposit in it? The foundation is tottering, it was never solid but only sham--will you build on it? The mountain is rumbling, quaking, it was never anything but volcanic, ready to blow off its head at any time--will you build your city there?”
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).
PARENTS REFUSED TO GIVE UP ON BABY WITH NO NOSE (Friday Church News Notes, April 5, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Doctors Thought He’d Never Survive,” Christian Headlines, Mar. 15, 2024: “Harrison ‘Gray’ Canales has been defying medical odds for 22 years, and with a brand new nose, he’s planning a bright future. One, no doubt, filled with major accomplishments! Gray Canales is one of two sons of John and Mary Jo Canales of Flower Mound, Texas. John and Mary Jo learned they were expecting their first child in 2001, and everything seemed to be going fine until the day of the sonogram at 20 weeks. ... Doctors told the couple that the images did not show a nose. They did not expect the baby to breathe on his own, and they feared he would not survive. Additional tests confirmed that Baby Canales did indeed not have a nose, had problems with his legs and feet, and likely would be born with some degree of brain damage. For John and Mary Jo, a minister and church secretary, respectively, terminating the pregnancy was not an option. Mary Jo told People, ‘We thought, This baby is still our gift and our joy, and you don’t turn down a gift. But I cried constantly. I had no idea if I’d get to meet my son.’ Born five weeks early via an emergency C-section, Gray faced a myriad of medical challenges. As expected, Gray had no nose and was born without eyelids. Gray’s little legs were turned in more than 90 degrees, his feet were missing toes, and he’d been born without a right frontal lobe. ... Once home, Gray’s care required tremendous time and energy. The couple exercised their son’s legs, cleaned and dressed his nasal area, and constantly lubricated his eyes until he was given eyelids through surgery at six months ... Gray Canales is now 22 years old, and he has had nearly 30 surgeries. Eleven were connected with his nose reconstruction alone. Despite all of this, Gray is a healthy and happy young man. He enjoys baseball, listening to music, and helping at his church. ... Gray’s parents have instilled determination and resilience in their son. Reverend Canales says, ‘We taught him not to feel sorry for himself,’ because many other people deal with disabilities too. We told him, ‘This is the way God made you. That’s all.’”
CALGARY JUDGE RULES THAT AUTISTIC WOMAN CAN KILL HERSELF (Friday Church News Notes, April 5, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from The Canadian Independent, Mar. 25, 2024: “Calgary judge rules 27-year-old woman with autism can kill herself through medical assistance in dying (MAID). Due to a publication ban, the individuals involved can only be referred to as MV, a 27-year-old woman approved by two doctors for medical assistance in dying (‘MAID’), and WV, identified as MV’s father. The father, WV, expressed concerns about his daughter’s vulnerability and her competence in deciding to end her own life. He argued that MV, who lives with him and has autism and ADHD but no other health issues, may not be capable of making such a decision. ... Today, a Calgary judge, Justice Colin C.J. Feasby, ruled in favor of MV, saying, ‘I do not know you and I do not know why you seek MAID. Your reasons remain your own because I have respected your autonomy and your privacy. My decision recognizes your right to choose a medically assisted death.’ Justice Feasby did issue a 30-day stay of his decision to allow WV to appeal to the Alberta Court of Appeal, maintaining the interim injunction for the next month.”
SMITHSONIAN TO PAY $50,000 TO OUSTED TOURISTS WEARING PRO-LIFE ATTIRE (Friday Church News Notes, April 5, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Smithsonian to Pay,” CBN News, Mar. 25, 2024: “A national museum in Washington, D.C. has agreed to pay tourists visiting their facility $50,000 after they were kicked out for wearing pro-life apparel. The National Air and Space Museum agreed to pay the settlement to cover attorney’s fees, expenses, costs, and interest for the students of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School in Greenville, South Carolina, and their parents. The group of 12 plaintiffs filed a lawsuit after visiting the museum on the day of the March for Life rally on Jan. 20, 2023. They were all wearing beanies featuring the words ‘Rosary PRO-LIFE’ as they toured the museum. According to the American Center for Law and Justice, which represented the plaintiffs, ‘Museum staff mocked the students, called them expletives, and made comments that the museum was a neutral zone where they could not express such statements.’ An employee ‘ultimately forced the students to leave the museum...rubbing his hands together in glee as they exited the building.’’’
A SENIOR’S VERSION OF FACEBOOK (Friday Church News Notes, April 5, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “For those of my generation who do not, and cannot, comprehend why Facebook exists, I am trying to make friends outside of Facebook while applying the same principles. Therefore, every day I walk down the street and tell passersby what I have eaten, how I feel at the moment, what I have done the night before, what I will do later and with whom. I give them pictures of my family, my dog and of me gardening, taking things apart in the garage, watering the lawn, standing in front of landmarks, driving around town, having lunch, and doing what anybody and everybody does every day. I also listen to their conversations, give them ‘thumbs up’ and tell them I ‘like’ them. And it works just like Facebook. I already have four people following me: two police officers, a private investigator, and a psychiatrist” (Source unknown).
THE WORLD PASSETH AWAY (Friday Church News Notes, April 5, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:17). God’s born again people need to think biblically. They need to have a Biblical mindset. They need to think more like citizens of heaven than citizens of America or some other nation on this present fallen earth. The verb “passeth” is present indicative. The present tense is a continuous tense, and the indicative mood “asserts something which is occurring while the speaker is making the statement.” So the world is passing away at this time. This present world system seems to be permanent, but it is even now in the process of passing away. That’s what God says. But he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. God holds the reins. He is using this present world system for His eternal purpose, and it will be finished exactly when God decides, to be replaced by Christ’s kingdom. The prophet Daniel described the end of this present world system. In the dream given to Nebuchadnezzar, it was depicted as a great image of a man representing the ruling empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome (Daniel 2:31-35). Daniel’s interpretation explains that Rome continues in various forms until the return of Christ, at which time the world system will be crushed and replaced with Christ’s righteous kingdom. The ruler of the end-time Rome will be the Antichrist. “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:34-35). Bible commentator Robert Lenski said, “The world is now in the act of passing away. It is its very nature not to last. Its doom is overtaking it. Its glory is fading, its flowers are withering, its promises are failing, its hopes are crumbling. Isaiah 14:11. ... Does the siren voice of the world tickle your ears? Hear the word of truth: ‘The world is passing away!’ The bank is breaking, it was never solvent--will you deposit in it? The foundation is tottering, it was never solid but only sham--will you build on it? The mountain is rumbling, quaking, it was never anything but volcanic, ready to blow off its head at any time--will you build your city there?”
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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