WEEKLY CHURCH NEWS NOTES
Pastor Dale Morgan
May 17, 2008.
The Weekly Church News Notes is designed for use in churches.
*
ISRAEL TURNS SIXTY *
This week the modern state of Israel celebrated its 60th anniversary. At
12am on
May 14, 1948, the fledgling nation announced its statehood with the
following declaration: "Our call goes out to the Jewish people all
over the world to rally to our side ... and to stand by us in the
great struggle for the fulfillment of the dream of generations for
the redemption of Israel." Eleven minutes later U.S. President Harry
Truman announced his recognition. Jews celebrated throughout the
world. In Rome they paraded under the ancient Arch of Titus, which
was built almost 2,000 years ago to celebrate the conquest of
Jerusalem by the Roman armies in 70 A.D. and which features
depictions of Jewish captives and articles from the Jewish temple.
After two millennia of persecution, the Jews were back and they still
spoke their ancient language! This is one of the most amazing events
in history and proves the divine inspiration of the Bible, which
predicted it 4,000 years ago. Israel's entire history was prophesied
by Moses and recorded in the book of Deuteronomy. God warned that if
Israel broke His law she would be "plucked from off the land" and
scattered "among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto
the other" (Deut. 28:63-64). There the Jews would "find no ease,
neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give
thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of
mind: And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt
fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life" (Deut.
28:65-66). This is an accurate description of the last two millennia
of Israel's history. Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Roman
armies under Titus and in 135 A.D. Jerusalem was plowed under by
order of Emperor Hadrian in response to the Jewish rebellion led by
Bar Kochbar. The Jewish people were scattered to the ends of the
earth and found no rest. They were hated by the Muslims and hounded
and persecuted by the Greek Orthodox Byzantines and the Roman
Catholic Church for a thousand years. Hitler tried to destroy them.
Giving preference to the Arabs, England tried to keep them from
returning to their land after World War II. Most of the world is
still opposed to Israel and the reporting in secular publications
about the Middle East crisis is generally slanted against her. But
Bible prophecy foretold that Israel would be brought back into her
land and that she would remain a nation even after all of this, and
that is exactly what happened in 1948. Never before in the history of
the world has a race of people been scattered throughout the world
and persecuted for 2,000 years and then come back together as a
nation. Bible prophecy describes the restoration of Israel in two
parts. First, she would return to the land in a state of unbelief.
Then she would be converted. The amazing prophecy in Ezekiel 37:1-14
describes these two stages. Israel is depicted as a valley of bones
that are resurrected. First the bones are given sinews and flesh and
they stand up but with no breath in them, and next God breathes upon
these dead bones and they live. The first part of the prophecy has
been fulfilled. Israel is back in her land as a nation, but she is
there in unbelief. She continues to reject her Messiah, Jesus Christ.
She has no temple or priesthood and no true worship. During the Great
Tribulation God will grant repentance unto Israel and will breathe
spiritual life into her and she will live. The continued existence of
Israel is a very great miracle and an irrefutable evidence of the
divine inspiration of the Bible, and it reminds us that we need to be
ready for Christ's return.
*
HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVISTS TARGET CHURCHES *
Soulforce, a homosexual activist group, continues to try to push its
agenda on churches, schools, and Christian organizations. Its current
program, The American Family Outing, targets six megachurches,
including The Potter's House (T. D. Jakes), Willow Creek Community
Church (Bill Hybels), and Lakewood Church (Joel Osteen). One high
profile member of Soulforce is Jay Bakker, son of Jim and Tammy Faye
Bakker of PTL infamy. Before her death in 2007 Tammy Faye became an
activist for homosexual rights. Soulforce is pressuring churches to
welcome homosexuals in a non-judgmental way. Jay Bakker says, "Let's
put our differences aside and share the love and hope of Christ"
("Gay Group Reaches out to Lakewood," Houston Chronicle, May 8,
2008). Sharing the love of Christ is one thing, but being
non-judgmental toward sin is something entirely different. Churches
should welcome any sinner to hear the gospel, but church membership
is only for those who have been born again through repentance toward
God and faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21), and the new birth changes
one's attitude toward sin. Among the members of the church at Corinth
were some who had been involved in homosexuality, but they had been
converted and changed (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Tammy Faye Bakker
appeared at "gay-pride" events nationwide, including a Tammy Faye
look-alike contest in Washington, D.C., where she was "surrounded by
men in falsies and pancake makeup" (Charisma News, November 2002).
She told them that "there's a God who loves them and cares for them,"
but she did not tell them that homosexuality is a sin or that God
demands repentance. After Tammy Faye's first husband, Jim Bakker,
went to prison for defrauding his followers out of $158 million, she
divorced him and married Roe Messner, a family friend whose company
helped build PTL's Heritage USA complex. Referring to critics who
said she should speak plainly against homosexuality, Tammy Faye said,
"I thought the church was supposed to be a hospital and not a
courtroom." In fact, it is both. The New Testament church invites
"whosoever will" to receive Christ's free salvation and be born
again, but the church also judges professing believers who walk in
darkness (1 Corinthians 5).
*
APOSTASY AND CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORES *
The Bible warns of a great turning away from the faith among professing
Christians. "For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves
teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears
from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
This prophecy describes the rejection of sound Bible teaching and the
desire to create a new type of Christianity that allows people to
live after their own lusts. That is a strange type of Christianity,
but we are seeing its fulfillment before our very eyes. The prophecy
says there will be heaps of teachers who will give the people this
new type of Christianity, and that is exactly what we see. Christian
bookstores are filled with books and the Internet is filled with
Christian articles and blogs, but the majority of this material does
not contain the straightforward preaching and teaching of God's Word
that reproves, rebukes, and exhorts (2 Timothy 4:2). Rather, we find
doctrine that scratches the itching ears of those who have rejected
the Bible. We find pop novelties, psychology, self-esteemism,
charismaticism, pampering of the ego, friendship with the world,
heresies, questionings, boastings, doubtings, illicit fellowship with
error (e.g., evangelicals and contemplative spirituality,
evangelicals and Rome, evangelicals and modern textual criticism),
railings against "legalism" falsely so called, fairy tales, fictional
romance, reconstructed history, fascination with ancient heretics
called "church fathers," and many other such things.
*
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY ASSISTS ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH *
The American Bible Society continues to assist the
Roman Catholic Church in preaching its false gospel. Its current
Spanish campaign, La Biblia Es Mi Guia (The Bible Is My Guide),
features Catholic priest Alberto Cutie, a member of the ABS's board
of trustees. "Padre Alberto" will participate in a series of radio
and internet advertisements (Assist News, May 7, 2008). Last year the
ABS honored Cardinal Jaime Alamino, Archbishop of Havana, Cuba,
during its Bible in Hispanic America Gala. The ABS is also sponsoring
Roman Catholic Lectio Divina programs. Lectio divina is not simple
Bible reading; it is a mystical practice that was developed within
Rome's dark monastic system. Richard Foster, who has had a
far-reaching influence in popularizing Catholic contemplative
practices among evangelicals, quotes Catholic mystic Madame Guyon as
follows: "Once you sense the Lord's presence, THE CONTENT OF WHAT YOU
READ IS NO LONGER IMPORTANT. The scripture has served its purpose; it
has quieted your mind; it has brought you to him. ... You should
always remember that YOU ARE NOT THERE TO GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF
WHAT YOU HAVE READ; rather you are reading to turn your mind from the
outward things to the deep parts of your being. YOU ARE NOT THERE TO
LEARN OR TO READ, BUT YOU ARE THERE TO EXPERIENCE THE PRESENCE OF
YOUR LORD!" (Devotional Classics). The Bible warns that those who
assist heretics become partakers of their evil deeds (2 John 8-11).
*
PARENTS, TRAIN YOUR CHILDREN TO READ THE BIBLE *
The following is excerpted from Training Your
Children to Turn out Right, an excellent book by David Sorenson
(Northstar Ministries, 1820 W. Morgan St., Duluth, MN 55811,
218-726-0209, www.northstarministries.com, dhs.no...@charter.net)
-- "Dear parents, the most important habit you will ever teach your
children is the habit of going to the Word of God day and night. You
will notice that I used the word 'habit.' That is on purpose. This
matter of going to the Word of God is something that must be
developed as a habit. Habits are developed through repetitive
actions, but for children to develop the habit of going to the Bible
each day, you, the parents, must take steps to insert this practice
into their lives. You cannot just tell them to do it and expect them
to follow through. You must set up a program, a schedule, and
incentives to help motivate them to be in the Book. ... Over the
years, I have had people say, 'Well, I think we should read the Bible
because we want to, not because we have to.' Between the world, the
flesh, and the devil, there will be many more days that we do not
feel like getting into the Word than days in which we want to.
Anytime we do what we do simply because we feel like it or want to,
we are living a very shallow life spiritually. However, we should
read God's Word because we ought to, because it is right, and because
it is God's will. How we feel about it on a given day is irrelevant.
... We also need to instill that attitude and philosophy into our
children. ... When we started our girls into their daily Bible
reading plan we placed a book mark at 1 John. When they first began,
we set a goal for them to read one verse in the morning and then one
verse in the evening. Initially, we did the reading with them and
helped them with it. ... As they progressed in their reading, we
increased the goal to three verses a day in their first grade year.
... In about third or fourth grade, they began to read a chapter a
day. When they became sixth-graders they were to read two chapters a
day, one in the morning and one in the evening. When they reached
junior high school, they went to reading four chapters a day. This
basically will take anyone through the Bible in a year. That regimen
continued throughout their high school years. ... The burden of
seeing this habit developed in our children falls directly upon us,
the parents. As parents, we must check on the matter regularly"
(Training Your Children to Turn out Right, 1995, pp. 15-19).
CONCLUSION: Friends in Christ, do not be discouraged by any of this.
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. These things
remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the
coming of the Lord. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you
living for Christ day by day? "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).