Friday Church News Notes
May 17, 2024 - Volume 25, Issue 20
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.
Statue of Billy Graham in the U.S. Capitol
BILLY GRAHAM STATUE IN THE U.S. CAPITOL (Friday Church News Notes, May 17, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - A larger than life statue of Billy Graham (1918-2018) was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol this week. It was placed there by North Carolina, Graham’s home state, as one of two statues each state is allowed in the National Statuary Hall Collection. It replaces a statue of former governor Charles Aycock. Graham is the most influential evangelist of the 20th century. The seven-foot-tall statue depicts Graham pointing to an open Bible and includes the verses John 3:16 and John 14:6. It is wonderful to have yet another testimony to the Bible as God’s Word in the U.S. Capitol and to the gospel of Jesus Christ. At the same time, the reality is that Billy Graham did so much to tear down the biblical walls of separation between truth and error, between the sound gospel and false gospels. By his refusal to practice biblical separation, he was a preeminent builder of the end-time one-world “church.” He turned multitudes of seekers over to the Roman Catholic Church and other apostate entities. His presence in the U.S. Capitol glorifies end-time apostasy at least as much as it glorifies the Bible. (See the free eBook Billy Graham and the One-world Church, https://www.wayoflife.org/free_ebooks/billy_grahams_disobedience.php.)
THAT’S MY KING (Friday Church News Notes, May 17, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In the 1970s and 1980s, Baptist pastor S.M. Lockridge (1913-2000) preached a message entitled “That’s My King” in many congregations and forums. It is a magnificent sermon on the greatness of Jesus Christ. Following is an excerpt: “My King is a sovereign King. No means of measure can define His limitless love. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supplies. No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings. He’s enduringly strong. He’s entirely sincere. He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful. Do you know Him? He’s the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world. He’s God’s Son. He’s a sinner’s Savior. He’s the centerpiece of civilization. He stands in the solitude of Himself. He’s august and He’s unique. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He is the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest personality in philosophy. He’s the supreme problem in higher criticism. He’s the fundamental doctrine of true theology. He is the cardinal necessity for spiritual religion. He’s the miracle of the age. He is the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him. He’s the only one qualified to be an all-sufficient Saviour. ... He’s the key to knowledge. He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He’s the doorway of deliverance. He’s the pathway of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness. He’s the gateway of glory. He’s the master of the mighty. He’s the captain of the conquerors. He’s the head of the heroes. He’s the leader of the legislators. He’s the overseer of the over comers. He’s the governor of governors. He’s the prince of princes. He’s the King of kings and He’s the Lord of lords. His office is manifold. His promise is sure. His light is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteousness, His yoke is easy, and his burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you, but He’s indescribable. He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible. He’s irresistible. ... The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him. The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him. He always has been and He always will be. He had no predecessor and He’ll have no successor. There was nobody before Him and there’ll be nobody after Him. You can’t impeach Him and He’s not going to resign. Yea! that’s my King, that’s my King!” This portion of Lockridge’s sermon has been published in various documentary styles using Lockridge’s own voice, and the best edition, in our estimation, is the one by Evangelist Caleb Garraway. It is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCuRKE707MM
TWO VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES REFUTING EVOLUTION (Friday Church News Notes, May 17, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Brian Snider has produced two excellent documentaries refuting evolution. The Heavens Declare the Glory of God examines the claims of top evolutionary scientists in regard to the cosmos and compares them with the Bible’s claims. “Four significant questions arise when scientists attempt to study the universe: How did the universe originate? Why is there order in the universe? Why is the universe so vast and earth so small? And the final question is What does it all mean? As to the first question, science says this universe came from nothing. This nothing exploded in what is known at the Big Bang, and according to science, nothing made everything. As to the second question--why is there order in the universe--the scientific answer is that it is just dumb luck. Order came about for no reason, the sheerest of coincidences. As to the third question--why is the universe so vast and empty and our earth so small and alive?--science has no answer. And the final question--what is the meaning of the universe?--if all you have is science, the only answer you can reach is that the universe is meaningless. We’re just an accident. We have no purpose. ... If science is unable to answer these very important questions, perhaps the answers lie elsewhere. In fact, would you be willing to examine what the Bible has to say? You might be surprised to find out that the Bible addresses each of these questions in a cohesive, meaningful way.” More Than Dirt considers the evolutionary doctrine that matter plus time produced life and intelligence. “One of the most fundamental doctrines of science and one that is easily observed and proven is this: that inanimate materials have no creative power. Dirt, for instance, cannot make things. Dirt cannot think things. And dirt cannot design things. And yet men have created an entire science around the doctrine that dirt can be creative. They say the only thing that dirt needs is time. Given a lot of time, dirt can be the creator of all sorts of things: life in all its intricate glory, intelligence, consciousness, feeling.” For these free eVideos, see https://www.fundamentalfilms.org/
EXPERTS: NO CLIMATE CRISIS (Friday Church News Notes, May 17, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Climate Experts,” PJMedia, May 13, 2024: “Three climate experts have called out the ‘global warming apocalypse’ narrative and the totally failed record of climate alarmists’ predictions. A warming climate helps ecosystems thrive, and climate models predicting global crisis have consistently over-predicted. CO2 Coalition Executive Director Greg Wrightstone, Heartland Institute President James Taylor, and Junk Science’s Steve Milloy all spoke during a media call last week about climate alarmist lies and the truths woke media and government don’t want you to hear. These include the fact that moderate warming has actually been found beneficial for ecosystems, including for plants (and food crops) and animals. Both the last eight+ years of a cooling trend and the last century and a half of moderate warming portend no imminent catastrophe, but should be celebrated. That’s just one hard truth the experts highlighted during the call, providing data that illustrates climate alarmists aren’t concerned with science or reality; rather, they are manipulating data or making unverifiable claims for political or financial reasons. Taylor stated emphatically, ‘There is no climate crisis.’ ... No major climate prediction for 50+ years has come true; often, the predictions are wildly wrong. As Milloy noted, it’s a hallmark of science to be able to make reasonably accurate predictions, and yet climate alarmists never do--more typically, they make temporarily unverifiable predictions or claims about the past and far into the future. Greg Wrightstone agreed, ‘One of the things driving these failed predictions [is] they’re … basing a lot of these forward-looking projections on climate models, climate models that we know for a fact over-predict warming significantly.’ He continued, ‘And if you look at the 100+ models that are used, there’s only one that has accurately predicted the temperature into the future compared to actual temperatures, and that’s the Russian model. The others, we see, [on] average, over-predict warming by 2.5 to 3 times too much.’”
WHY IS JUNK SCIENCE SO SUCCESSFUL? (Friday Church News Notes, May 17, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - If the manmade global warming narrative is junk science, and it is, how can it be so successful in the face of true science? Most men and women who are trying to reason in the face of unreason don’t know the spiritual fundamentals of our times. These can only be found in the Bible, because they cannot be known by man’s natural powers of observation and reason. They require divine revelation. We will mention two of these. First, there is the fundamental of spiritual blindness. It is imperative to understand that mankind is fallen; hearts are corrupt; men are under the direct influence of dark spiritual powers. “[T]he god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4). “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). A veil of spiritual delusion operates in this world in resistance to truth. It can only be broken by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Natural truth cannot overcome it. Second, there is the fundamental of the mystery of iniquity. This is the devil’s program to put his man on the throne of the world. It has been operating for 2,000 years, but it is in high gear in these last days. It will continue to progress until the antichrist sets himself up as God in Israel’s third temple. Consider the following great prophecy: “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-10).
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).
THAT’S MY KING (Friday Church News Notes, May 17, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - In the 1970s and 1980s, Baptist pastor S.M. Lockridge (1913-2000) preached a message entitled “That’s My King” in many congregations and forums. It is a magnificent sermon on the greatness of Jesus Christ. Following is an excerpt: “My King is a sovereign King. No means of measure can define His limitless love. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supplies. No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings. He’s enduringly strong. He’s entirely sincere. He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful. Do you know Him? He’s the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world. He’s God’s Son. He’s a sinner’s Savior. He’s the centerpiece of civilization. He stands in the solitude of Himself. He’s august and He’s unique. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He is the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest personality in philosophy. He’s the supreme problem in higher criticism. He’s the fundamental doctrine of true theology. He is the cardinal necessity for spiritual religion. He’s the miracle of the age. He is the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him. He’s the only one qualified to be an all-sufficient Saviour. ... He’s the key to knowledge. He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He’s the doorway of deliverance. He’s the pathway of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness. He’s the gateway of glory. He’s the master of the mighty. He’s the captain of the conquerors. He’s the head of the heroes. He’s the leader of the legislators. He’s the overseer of the over comers. He’s the governor of governors. He’s the prince of princes. He’s the King of kings and He’s the Lord of lords. His office is manifold. His promise is sure. His light is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteousness, His yoke is easy, and his burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you, but He’s indescribable. He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible. He’s irresistible. ... The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him. The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him. He always has been and He always will be. He had no predecessor and He’ll have no successor. There was nobody before Him and there’ll be nobody after Him. You can’t impeach Him and He’s not going to resign. Yea! that’s my King, that’s my King!” This portion of Lockridge’s sermon has been published in various documentary styles using Lockridge’s own voice, and the best edition, in our estimation, is the one by Evangelist Caleb Garraway. It is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCuRKE707MM
TWO VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES REFUTING EVOLUTION (Friday Church News Notes, May 17, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - Brian Snider has produced two excellent documentaries refuting evolution. The Heavens Declare the Glory of God examines the claims of top evolutionary scientists in regard to the cosmos and compares them with the Bible’s claims. “Four significant questions arise when scientists attempt to study the universe: How did the universe originate? Why is there order in the universe? Why is the universe so vast and earth so small? And the final question is What does it all mean? As to the first question, science says this universe came from nothing. This nothing exploded in what is known at the Big Bang, and according to science, nothing made everything. As to the second question--why is there order in the universe--the scientific answer is that it is just dumb luck. Order came about for no reason, the sheerest of coincidences. As to the third question--why is the universe so vast and empty and our earth so small and alive?--science has no answer. And the final question--what is the meaning of the universe?--if all you have is science, the only answer you can reach is that the universe is meaningless. We’re just an accident. We have no purpose. ... If science is unable to answer these very important questions, perhaps the answers lie elsewhere. In fact, would you be willing to examine what the Bible has to say? You might be surprised to find out that the Bible addresses each of these questions in a cohesive, meaningful way.” More Than Dirt considers the evolutionary doctrine that matter plus time produced life and intelligence. “One of the most fundamental doctrines of science and one that is easily observed and proven is this: that inanimate materials have no creative power. Dirt, for instance, cannot make things. Dirt cannot think things. And dirt cannot design things. And yet men have created an entire science around the doctrine that dirt can be creative. They say the only thing that dirt needs is time. Given a lot of time, dirt can be the creator of all sorts of things: life in all its intricate glory, intelligence, consciousness, feeling.” For these free eVideos, see https://www.fundamentalfilms.org/
EXPERTS: NO CLIMATE CRISIS (Friday Church News Notes, May 17, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - The following is excerpted from “Climate Experts,” PJMedia, May 13, 2024: “Three climate experts have called out the ‘global warming apocalypse’ narrative and the totally failed record of climate alarmists’ predictions. A warming climate helps ecosystems thrive, and climate models predicting global crisis have consistently over-predicted. CO2 Coalition Executive Director Greg Wrightstone, Heartland Institute President James Taylor, and Junk Science’s Steve Milloy all spoke during a media call last week about climate alarmist lies and the truths woke media and government don’t want you to hear. These include the fact that moderate warming has actually been found beneficial for ecosystems, including for plants (and food crops) and animals. Both the last eight+ years of a cooling trend and the last century and a half of moderate warming portend no imminent catastrophe, but should be celebrated. That’s just one hard truth the experts highlighted during the call, providing data that illustrates climate alarmists aren’t concerned with science or reality; rather, they are manipulating data or making unverifiable claims for political or financial reasons. Taylor stated emphatically, ‘There is no climate crisis.’ ... No major climate prediction for 50+ years has come true; often, the predictions are wildly wrong. As Milloy noted, it’s a hallmark of science to be able to make reasonably accurate predictions, and yet climate alarmists never do--more typically, they make temporarily unverifiable predictions or claims about the past and far into the future. Greg Wrightstone agreed, ‘One of the things driving these failed predictions [is] they’re … basing a lot of these forward-looking projections on climate models, climate models that we know for a fact over-predict warming significantly.’ He continued, ‘And if you look at the 100+ models that are used, there’s only one that has accurately predicted the temperature into the future compared to actual temperatures, and that’s the Russian model. The others, we see, [on] average, over-predict warming by 2.5 to 3 times too much.’”
WHY IS JUNK SCIENCE SO SUCCESSFUL? (Friday Church News Notes, May 17, 2024, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) - If the manmade global warming narrative is junk science, and it is, how can it be so successful in the face of true science? Most men and women who are trying to reason in the face of unreason don’t know the spiritual fundamentals of our times. These can only be found in the Bible, because they cannot be known by man’s natural powers of observation and reason. They require divine revelation. We will mention two of these. First, there is the fundamental of spiritual blindness. It is imperative to understand that mankind is fallen; hearts are corrupt; men are under the direct influence of dark spiritual powers. “[T]he god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4). “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). A veil of spiritual delusion operates in this world in resistance to truth. It can only be broken by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Natural truth cannot overcome it. Second, there is the fundamental of the mystery of iniquity. This is the devil’s program to put his man on the throne of the world. It has been operating for 2,000 years, but it is in high gear in these last days. It will continue to progress until the antichrist sets himself up as God in Israel’s third temple. Consider the following great prophecy: “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-10).
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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