The SWORD OF THE LORD Newspaper December 13, 2019 | Page 2

2 SWORD OF THE LORD Last-Minute Christmas Shopping—Bibles, Books, Christmas Music—Gifts of Influence Christ Jesus Still Creates a Stir 1. I love Christmas because it proves God’s promises are true. The messianic prophecies of the Old Testament created a stir in prophecy discussions for hundreds of years. Then it happened. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The shepherds, the angelic choir, King Herod and a host of others were in a stir for months. Twelve years later when Jesus went to the temple, His interactions with the intellectuals of His day created a stir. His preaching and teaching created a stir in towns and villages everywhere He went. His miracles certified His ministry and set the crowds in a stir. The days surrounding the cruci - fixion had the whole Jerusalem area in an uproar, indeed, a great stir. Then came the resurrection. With that astounding turn of events, a fresh new wind blew away the carping critics and set the disciples on fire. What a stir! Next on the agenda was the ascension. No jets and no rocket boosters, just up, up and away He went—shocking, yes, and yet another stirring event. Read now the Book of Acts, the Epistles and the Revelation. The stir is there again and again. Now fast forward to December 2019. It is the Christmas season. The Lord Jesus Christ is still creating a stir. The critics and the cranks are still here in the modern world. Some of them have been so bothered the past few years that they have engaged in a war on Christmas. But in spite of all the political pushback, people all around the globe will give attention to Christ - mas. Not everybody will handle it right, but still folks are astir about it. As for me personally, I believe Dr. John R. Rice said it well in one of his classic pieces entitled I Love Christmas. As I ponder his theme, I am motivated to express my love with these thoughts. “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”—Matt. 1:22, 23. 2. I love it because it marks the birth of the Savior. I know time is short. Christmas is December 25, but there is still time for you to order from the Sword of the Lord and get prompt, on-time delivery to your door. Call (800-247-9673) or order online (swordbooks.com). We are here to serve you, so call today. Gifts from the Sword of the Lord can extend your witness and your influence with family and friends. In addition to Bibles, books, music, etc., our Sword-published booklets and pamphlets make good “stocking stuffers” or hand - outs during the Christmas season. We want your business and we will do our best to earn it. Call now. “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: Tremendous Weekend, Granite for he shall save his people from their Baptist Church, Baltimore sins.”—Vs. 21. (Glen Burnie), Maryland 3. I love it because it is “good The weekend before Thanks - news” to me. giving I was with Dr. Lou Rossi “And the angel said unto them, and the Granite Baptist Church in Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good Baltimore’s suburb of Glen Burnie. On Saturday morning we had a tidings of great joy, which shall be to soul-winning clinic which started all people. with a mid-morning breakfast. I “For unto you is born this day in instructed and encouraged them the city of David a Saviour, which is on soul winning for an hour or so; Christ the Lord.”—Luke 2:10, 11. then we hit the streets. 4. I love it because it celebrates Brother Rossi and I had several God’s gift to me. fruitful contacts and others of the “The gift of God is eternal life folks did as well. He and I continued through Jesus Christ our Lord.”— with the soul-winning teaching in his Sunday school class. Rom. 6:23. I enjoyed preaching morning and 5. I love it because it is a gift I evening. The people were gracious can give to others. to me and enthusiastically received “The Lord is not slack concerning the messages I gave them. Granite Baptist Church is stra - his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us- tegically located just 200 yards off ward, not willing that any should of Maryland Route 10 at Exit 15. perish, but that all should come to They are within sight of the large University of Maryland Baltimore- repentance.”—II Pet. 3:9. Washington Medical Center. This 6. I love it because it is literally is just ten minutes from Baltimore- the hope for our sin-sick, Hell - Washington airport. It is a suburban bound world. area with people everywhere. 7. I love it because it still stirs. The church has a Christian school, We never tire of the message. an addiction ministry, several bus We are still excited about Him. routes and a number of other We are not bored. We are eager, ministries that reach people and happy and driven to keep telling meet needs. His story. Brother Rossi is a soul winner Yes, the Lord Jesus still stirs and he is leading the church with things up. When He has the place a soul-winning ministry. He an - He deserves with me and with nounced that January 9 they will you, we will be stirred. Amen. restart the Soul Winners’ Club in Merry Christmas, dear friends, which they will use the Sword soul- and God bless you, your family winning training videos. and your church family. On the way to the airport in the predawn hours of Monday morning, (USPS 531-160) (ISSN 0039-7547) he and I rejoiced together because we had a Heaven-blessed weekend in the Lord’s service. If you live nearby, or if you are AMERICA’S FOREMOST REVIVAL PUBLICATION visiting the Baltimore-Washington DR. JOHN R. RICE, Founder-Editor 1934-1980 area, be sure you go visit Granite DR. CURTIS HUTSON, President-Editor 1980-1995 Baptist Church. DR. SHELTON SMITH, President, Editor MARLON SMITH, Executive Vice President BART WALKER, Treasurer JIMMY BARRETT, Customer Service Manager C ONTACT U S Customer Service Book sales, Subscriptions, Address changes, Gifts 800-247-9673 fax [phone] [email protected] Advertising 615-893-6700 fax [phone] [email protected] Conferences 615-893-6700 fax [phone] [email protected] Editorial 615-893-6700 fax [phone] [email protected] Correspondence to columnists should be sent in care of the Sword of the Lord, PO Box 1099, Murfreesboro, TN 37133-1099. 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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Sword of the Lord PO Box 1099 Murfreesboro, TN 37133-1099 Publication Mail Agreement #41347012 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: PO Box 503 RPO West Beaver Creek Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6 December 13, 2019 Noteworthy News ■ Continued from p 1■ …The Fix’s Jennifer Kabbany noted, “The University of Oklahoma student government also voted in September to scrap the Pledge from its meetings.”… Thompson lamented that the politically correct multiculturalism touted and promoted on university campuses across America works to incite racial tension and division—instead of unity. —gopusa.com EDITOR’S COMMENTS: Sadly, the educational arena across the USA is indoctrinating students with anti-American ideology, thus creating the snowflake (highly sensitive, easily offended) mindset. Apparently these students who are pressing so hard for “inclusion” did not take note of the last two words of the Pledge. If you think about it (that’s an idea), “for all” actually sounds quite inclusive. Judge Denies Conscience Protection for Medical Professionals A federal…judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York struck down a proposed rule [mid-November] that protects healthcare individuals and entities from providing and participating in services such as abortion, sterilization or assisted suicide procedures that violate their religious and moral beliefs. Judge Paul Engelmayer said the rule was “unconstitutional,” “too coercive” and would have impaired patient access, adding that the agency “has promulgated a rule that did not respond to any documented problem.” The court sided with 19 states and three local governments, Planned Parenthood and the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, all that argued the rule is a threat to abortion providers and LGBT activists. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services…released the final conscience rule in May that protects healthcare individuals and entities from providing and participating in services that violate their religious and moral beliefs. —LIBERTY COUNSEL Face and Fingerprint Scanning Installed in Churches As China Increases Surveillance Hi-tech surveillance devices including face and fingerprint scanning equipment are now being installed in churches throughout China. According to a report from Bitter Winter, a publication that explores human rights and religious freedom in China, a facial recognition system that was placed in a government-controlled church…is now being introduced elsewhere in China.… A Christian told the magazine several weeks ago that local authorities required every meeting venue established by…churches in Huangshi city to take the fingerprints of fellow believers and put on file their personal and family information. The churchgoer was disturbed by the order since it requires not only that church members be under constant tracking and surveillance but that their families and relatives are implicated by association.… According to the South China Morning Post, the name of the surveillance program seems to stem from a Mao-era slogan aimed at urging people to denounce those who failed to follow Communist Party creed: “The people have sharp eyes.” The surveillance program intends to cover all rural areas with the goal of achieving “blindspot-free monitoring” by the year 2020, “covering all regions, sharing across all networks, available at all times, and controlled at all points.” —Brandon Showalter, christianpost.com Judge Unjustly Rules Against Pro-Life Journalist David Daleiden On the first Sunday of December I was with Pastor C. K. White and the Bayview Baptist Church of Laurel, Delaware. I first met Brother White while he and his wife were in college (1995–1996) at Northeast Baptist College in Downingtown, Pennsyl - vania. In 2002 he came to Laurel and started this church. Now 17 years later there is an exciting, growing, fundamental, soul-winning church here. Their present property is limited on space and on parking. Recently they purchased fifteen acres where they will eventually build and relocate. In the meantime they are filling up what they have. When undercover journalist David Daleiden set out to document the gruesome and illegal practice by Planned Parenthood of dismembering babies in order to profit from the sale of their body parts, he thought the First Amendment would protect him. Yes, of course it should, except…the liberal judge presiding over Mr. Daleiden’s trial ordered the jury to declare him guilty of fraud, RICO violations and trespassing, and, in so doing, destroyed any hope for investigative journalism in the future. Fearless veteran journalist Phelim McAleer covered the trial and summarized the consequences of the verdict: “This is a chilling attack on journalism. Judge Orrick decided on his own that undercover journalism comes with a price tag. When he declared that the journalist has no defense and should be liable, he effectively declared that undercover journalism is illegal.” He’s right, of course. Investigative and undercover journalism has been essential in bringing many crimes out of the darkness and criminals to justice. But why would we expect that liberals in Congress or in the judiciary actually care about due process or freedom of the press, when they think it’s okay for babies to be butchered and sold for profit? The fact is, if you disregard the value of human life, then everything else is pretty much up for grabs. Blinded by evil, totally unable to see the inhumanity of ripping babies to shreds for convenience and profit, why would we expect there to be common ground on any other issue? Since they don’t agree that there’s a fundamental right to life, then we should not expect them to believe in the fundamental rights of the press either. U.S. District Judge William Orrick III, who presided over the case against David Daleiden and the Center for Medical Process (CMP), should have recused himself long ago. He is a known supporter of Continued on p 3▶ Continued on p 5▶ Sunday in Delaware, Bayview Baptist Church of Laurel