Friday Church News Notes – December 31, 2021
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.
DESMOND TUTU’S HERESIES (Friday Church News Notes, December 31, 2021, www.wayoflife.orgfbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – Desmond Tutu, retired Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, was widely eulogized upon his death on December 26, but he was a false teacher who preached a false christ and a false gospel. The Bible tells us to “mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned” (Romans 16:17). This is not a popular activity today, and probably never has been, but the time is rapidly approaching when it will be crystal clear that it is better to please God, than man. Desmond Tutu questioned the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. “Some people thought there was something odd about Jesus’ birth … It may be that Jesus was an illegitimate son” (Tutu, Cape Times, October 24, 1980). Tutu was a universalist who believed all men have God. “The Holy Spirit is not limited to the Christian Church. For example, Mahatma Gandhi, who is a Hindu … The Holy Spirit shines through him” (Tutu, St. Alban’s Cathedral, Pretoria, South Africa, Nov. 23, 1978). “[E]verybody is a God-carrier, all are brothers and sisters; all are one family that can live in peace. Then evil will be overcome and God will say: ‘You are my children. Help me to realise my dream’” (Expo 2000, Hanover, Germany, Ecumenical News International, June 15, 2000). “God’s family has no outsiders. … Jesus said, ‘I, when I am lifted up, will draw all [to myself].’ … Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden … Gay, lesbian, so-called ‘straight.’ All, all are to be held in the incredible embrace of the love that won’t let us go” (Tutu, sermon at All Saints Church, Pasadena, Calif., Nov. 4, 2005). Like all false teachers, Tutu twisted Scripture out of context. The Bible emphatically teaches that all men are loved by God and can be saved, but it also emphatically warns that no man can be saved without repentance and personal faith in the Jesus Christ of Scripture and in His blood atonement. The apostle Paul warned, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8-9). Like many prominent black leaders who are exalted by the mainstream media, Tutu was a racist. He said, “Thank God I am black. White people will have a lot to answer for at the last judgment” (Argus, March 19, 1984). He ignored mankind’s wretched history, of millennia of vicious tribal warfare in Africa and in every habitable part of the earth–black against black, white against white, yellow against yellow, brown against brown, red against red. The book of Acts says God has made all men of ONE BLOOD (Acts 17:26), and, “For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 6:23). Man’s problem is not a skin problem, it is a heart problem. The hearts of ALL men are darkened with sin, and regenerating salvation through the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only answer.
OMNICRON VARIANT IN DENMARK (Friday Church News Notes, December 31, 2021, www.wayoflife.orgfbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from PowerLineBlog.com, Dec. 19, 2021: “[T]he experience of Denmark might tell us more about what to expect as this new variant comes to predominate in the U.S. Denmark is worth seriously considering because, like here and unlike South Africa, the vast majority of its population has been vaccinated. In addition, it’s my understanding that data from Denmark is considered very reliable. What’s the news from Denmark? First, new reported cases are skyrocketing. In early November, Denmark was reporting about 2,000 new cases per day. By the end of the month, the number was up 5,000. … By mid-month, new cases per day were coming in at around 8,000. A few days later, Denmark reported more than 11,000. For perspective, note that until the new variant hit, Denmark had never reported as many as 5,000 cases per day. What about deaths attributed to the virus in Denmark? They have risen, but the numbers are small. In early November, before the spike in new cases, five or fewer people were dying per day from the virus in Denmark, according to the reported data. Now the daily count ranges from 12 to 15. It reached that level at the beginning of December and has held steady ever since. Notably, this wave of covid hasn’t produced anything like the spike in deaths that occurred during Denmark’s last wave. … Thus, the numbers from Denmark are consistent with what I tentatively took away from the numbers in South Africa and the UK. The new variant spreads very quickly, but is considerably less deadly than its two worst predecessors.”
THIRD TEMPLE HARPS DESTROYED IN FIRE (Friday Church News Notes, December 31, 2021, www.wayoflife.orgfbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – In August, the King David Harps workshop near Jerusalem burned to the ground during a fire that destroyed 5,000 acres of forest. Shoshanna and Micah Harari have been making biblical harps and psalteries for 40 years based on the Bible, archaeology, and the Talmud. They have constructed harps for the Temple Institute, which is making preparations for the Third Temple. About 40 harps were destroyed in the fire. The Valley of Dry Bones prophecy in Ezekiel 37 describes the return of Israel in two stages, first in a condition of spiritual death, then in spiritual conversion (Eze. 37:8-10). The first part of the prophecy is being fulfilled today. Israel is back in the land and is setting the stage for the coming of the Antichrist which is described in the great 70-Week prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27. “… the prince … shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” The Lord Jesus explained that this refers to the Antichrist, who will desecrate the Third Temple, marking the beginning of the Great Tribulation. “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains … For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:15-16, 21). No prophecy of Scripture has ever failed. These events are imminent.
CHINA SHUTTING DOWN CHRISTIAN ONLINE MEDIA (Friday Church News Notes, December 31, 2021, www.wayoflife.orgfbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from “Chinese Christian Media Ministries Facing Bitter Winter of Censorship,” Christianity Today, Dec. 24, 2021, by Jerry An of Reframe Ministries: “Many Chinese Christians are lamenting that the winter of internet mission in China is entering its darkest and coldest hour. This week, Chinese state media reported the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) has announced its ‘Measures for the Administration of Internet Religious Information Services,’ which will come into effect on March 1 and will restrict online ministry to Chinese government-approved religious groups with special permits on government-approved websites. ‘No organization or individual shall preach on the Internet, carry out religious education and training, publish sermon content, forward or link to related content, organize and conduct religious activities on the Internet, or live broadcast or post recorded videos of religious rituals…’ without approval, stipulates the new regulation jointly formulated by five government bodies, including the Ministries of Public and National Security. … [A few months ago I] learned that our ministry’s second main WeChat channel had been permanently shut down by the Chinese government, less than a month after our first channel was removed. Hundreds of thousands of followers just evaporated overnight. … WeChat is a huge, all-powerful monster social media platform. Chinese people use WeChat to place orders, to pay for tickets, and to do almost everything. … Christian content has been almost omnipresent on WeChat for the past 10 years. … Then unfortunately, almost every major Chinese Christian channel was deleted on WeChat by June. … the Chinese government’s policy applies to all social media … websites face the same problem and are even more likely to be blocked.”
HINDU PERSECUTION IN INDIA (Friday Church News Notes, December 31, 2021, www.wayoflife.orgfbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from “You can’t surrender to lawless mobs,” Premier Christian News UK, Dec. 20, 2021: “Police in India have banned Christians from holding Christmas services as threats of violence from Hindu militants continue to increase. Authorities in the southwest state of Karnataka have clamped down on Christmas meetings in churches, halls and homes as Hindu radicals have disrupted Christian meetings according to Release International. … Archbishop Joseph D’souza says, ‘We have not seen anything like this before. They are interrupting Christian services with their Hindu chants. And these extremists are not being arrested.’ … Spokesperson Andrew Boyd says Hindu militants have been attacking and killing Christians there for ‘quite some time.’ ‘There’s a movement in India called Hindutva … which is very, very intolerant to anything other than Hinduism. It claims that if you are Indian, you need to be a Hindu and absolutely nothing else will be tolerated. That’s actually gained ground since the election of the nationalist BJP to government and President Prime Minister Modi was re-elected,’ he said. … ‘The police should be protecting the Christians not preventing them from meeting,’ Boyd said ‘India’s constitution guarantees religious freedom, if you have extremists threatening violence that violence needs to be stopped.’ … A growing number of anti-conversion laws are being passed across India, which Boyd says is very worrying as they go against the Indian Constitution and put more Christians at risk of persecution.”
SUGGESTIONS FOR READING THE BIBLE WITH GOOD ADVANTAGE (Friday Church News Notes, December 31, 2021, www.wayoflife.orgfbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – To profit well in Bible reading, you must learn to read with good comprehension. Many readers have lazy minds that have not been trained to read with good attention. Following are some suggestions: (1) Read in a quiet, non-distracting environment. Find the best place possible and do your best to remove all distractions. I know a pastor who removed all of the bright colored covers from the books in his office, because they distracted him when he was trying to study. I make sure that I don’t have my laptop open so I am not distracted by photos that rotate on my screen saver. For a mother with a small child, that perhaps means waiting until the child is sleeping. Each individual has to examine his situation and plan his Bible reading/study time so he can get the most out of it. (2) Turn off cell phone notifications. Put the phone in airplane mode. (3) Pray for the Lord to help you to keep your mind on His Word. If you find your mind frequently wandering during Bible study, lay the matter before the Lord. Tell Him that you desire to grow in knowledge of Him and His Word, explain your problem to Him, and beseech Him to help you concentrate. (4) If you are particularly worried about some matter, cast it upon the Lord (1 Pe. 5:7) and trust Him to take care of it, then turn your full attention to His Word. (5) If other projects come to mind, write them down for later. This way, you can put them out of your mind for the time being and proceed with your study. If you get in the habit of rushing off to deal with other things as they come to mind, you will be crippled in your ability to study the Bible fruitfully. (6) Put Bible reading first before you do anything else in the day. I have found that if I start reading and studying other things first, replying to emails, etc., it is more difficult to concentrate on the Bible afterwards. (7) If your mind drifts, go back and read the passage again. It is better to read one verse with clear understanding than to read an entire chapter with the mind drifting to other things. (8) Sometimes it helps to read out loud. (9) A larger print Bible can also help with concentration because it is easier to read and the pages of the Bible are not as cluttered. (10) Try not to read the Bible when you are tired. Sometimes this cannot be avoided, and it is better to read the Bible when you are tired than not at all. But the wise Bible student will try to arrange his schedule in such a way that he can study the Scriptures when his mind is as fresh as possible. (11) Test your comprehension by reading Bible passages and have a friend ask questions from the passage.
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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