Truth Magazine

By Stephen French

How do you do it? This question, which refers to living and dealing daily with a tragedy and adversity in our lives, has been asked of me many times since July 1997 when my wife, Kathy, died in an auto accident. It is a question that I answer with confidence by simply saying, “I trust the Lord and he helps me through.” And for me this explanation is sufficient. But of late this statement has come to task with the question of “how” do you trust in the Lord to receive this help? “How do you do it?” This question has come by way of others who have suffered loss, have been betrayed by their mates, or suffered adversity. And it has made me stop and examine “how do you do it.” I will try to give an answer here as I can usually collect my thoughts better when they are written down.

First let me say that even though it has been over a year since Kathy went home there are still days when I have to “push back” from the job and activities that we did and let the Lord take over and “get me through the day.” There are and probably always will be times when the emptiness will creep in and try to take over. This emptiness can be triggered by a place we used to go, by a song we sing in the worship, by accidently laying my hand on the empty seat beside me in worship, or the hardship of another brother or sister who is hurting. I say these things to help you understand that “doing it,” making it through each day, can be and often is a challenge, that it takes effort, continually, to not let hurt and emptiness pull us down but rather stay the course. To keep the faith it takes effort to attain heaven alive and strong. This can only be done by believing, unwaveringly, in God and having total trust and confidence that he will see you through whatever your hurt is. Always remember that God does not abandon us, rather it is we who abandon him, and for a Christian, whether we realize it or not, when we abandon him is when we abandon hope and almost any chance of recovering from our hurt.

When you are hurting from loss or have been wronged, what do you do? Do you try to figure out what has happened and in so doing try to find someone to blame? Who do you blame? Someone else, your mate, your friend(s), yourself, GOD? To try to place blame is to try to hide, divert attention, or pass judgment. The one thing blame cannot and will not do is to help us, to heal the hurt. Instead it leaves the wound of hurt open and festering and if not healed will kill you spiritually and possibly physically. Do not try place blame, rather forgive. Forgive and ask God for guidance through the hard times. When was the last time you had been hurt and upon ending your day looked back at your day and could not remember when you had not been praying to God for help, guidance, assurance, and maybe even forgiveness? Or do you look back on your day and cannot remember praying, all you remember is anger and hurt? Brethren pray often (Eph. 6:18), pray fervently (Jas. 5:16), pray together if possible(Acts 12:5-17), let your brethren know so they may pray for you and with you (Acts 12:5-17; Jas. 5:16). Never overlook the comfort, help, assurance, moral and physical support of a righteous brother or sister. I say this again because it is so important, we often do not access the strength of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead we hide from them when they are the ones who could be a very big part in “doing it.” In many ways they are often the answer God has sent to our prayers. How do I know this? I know this to be true by experience.

As you can see there is no magic, no easy way out of a situation. It takes prayer, work, and above all patience — patience to not give up on God and forsake him. Always remember that our time on this earth is short. We all know that the Bible says our life is as a vapor that appears for a while and vanishes away. And yet as we spend our life here living it one day at a time it is all too easy to lose sight of how short life is. No matter your age, think back as far as you can. How far back is that? Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, or more years. How long does it seem like? Most likely we will remember many events with the clarity of yesterday, literally. But our age dictates that these events occurred a long time ago as the human life is measured. Now look forward, are there more days behind than ahead? We must all remember the remainder of our life will seem to pass at least as fast as our past and, as most can attest, will pass much more quickly. Always try to keep our time here in perspective. Look to the end with anticipation of going home to God and it will help you to withstand the current trials as you will now realize they really will not last very long at all. And when it is time for us to return to God, we will be able to look back at our present trouble, our hurt, our trial, our adversity, and see that it too will seem like it was only yesterday. The one big difference between now and that time is that at that time all of our hurt will be taken away and only joy will remain.

These are just a few thoughts on the questions of “how do you do it?” I know they are not all conclusive, but my hope is that they will point you in the right direction, and hopefully re-enforce the direction you are going already. May God bless and keep us all under his watchful care until our time here is finished.

Jeremiah is overcome with emotion as he writes the book of Lamentations. He is basically describing the funeral of a city that was once filled with great beauty and promise. Jerusalem was a proud city, rich in history and service to God. But now it is a city that has been reduced to rubble by the army of Babylon. Jeremiah was sent by God to prophesy to the children of Israel concerning the impending doom of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. But why? Why did this terrible thing have to happen to a beautiful city, a city that Solomon spent a fortune to build, that housed the great temple that the Jews could go to and worship the God of heaven? The answer is because the children of God turned their backs on their creator, and were carried off into the adulterous idol worship of pagan gods. They became a self-centered people that had lost their trust and faith in the almighty God! Jeremiah was a faithful servant of God and knew of the rich history of Jerusalem. He had the tough task of warning the people of God and then to actually see the city be totally devastated by a foreign army, all because the people turned their back on God, the God that loved them so dearly and wanted so much to give them nothing but blessings. But instead, God was forced to keep the second part of his promise, to punish his children for their lack of obedience!

In the book of Deuteronomy, long before Jeremiah was called upon to prophesy, God gave his word to a great leader by the name of Moses. In the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy we can read where God stipulated what would happen to his chosen people if they would obey his word and what would happen if they chose not to obey his word.

The Curses on Disobedience

In the first fourteen verses of the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, God announced all the blessings that would take place if the children of Israel would obey his words. But then in verses 15-68 the curses were announced to Moses on what would happen to these children if they did not obey. The all-knowing God truly knew what was going to take place in their history. He spent a lot of time letting Moses know exactly what was going to happen to these chosen ones. God has always kept his promises, whether good or bad, in dealing with all mankind. All of the promises that God told to Moses in this 28th chapter came true. Jeremiah was there serving as the mouth piece for God when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians because of disobedience. God’s people did not harken to the words of God and as a result paid an awful price. Many were killed by their enemies and most of the others were carried off into captivity, and would not return for 70 years.

Will Our “Jerusalem” Stand or Fall?

When I speak of our “Jerusalem” I’m talking about our soul. Have we listened to the word of God and prepared ourselves to fully obey him? We better make sure we have because Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, 21: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” The things of old were written for our learning (Rom. 15:4), so we can know how God has dealt with man. We have the written word to see that God most assuredly kept his prom- ises in dealing with his own chosen people of long ago. In the same way, we can know that God will keep his promises in dealing with his people today. The only ones that will get to heaven are going to be those that love, trust, believe, and obey God. The Hebrew writer said: “And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Heb. 5:9). We know that those that did not obey him long ago received his curses and those that do not obey God today will also receive his curses. Paul wrote: “And to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thess. 1:7-9).

Knowing then that God will bless us (Eph. 1:3) when we obey by providing us a home with him in heaven, and also knowing that we will be punished with everlasting destruction if we do not obey, what is the condition of our “Jerusalem”? Will it stand in eternity with God? Or will it fall, even though we have been warned and warned by God’s word what will happen if we do not obey? The out- come of our “Jerusalem”(our soul) is totally up to us!

At the passing of influential brethren, the words of David in mourning for Abner are often heard: “Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?” (2 Sam. 3:38). It is not a stretch of language to use these words in reference to the death of James R. Cope. He was a figure in many ways larger than life because of his stand for truth and his influence on many of our lives.

Brother Cope was born in a small community near Sparta, Tennessee on January 27, 1917. He passed from this life early on June 18, 1999. The funeral service was held the morning of June 22, 1999 in Hutchinson Auditorium on the campus of Florida College. Numerous family, brethren, and friends were present to pay their last respects. His body was laid to rest by the side of his beloved Georgia Deane at the Hillsboro Memorial Gardens in Brandon, Florida. In keeping with our hope for faithful saints, we trust that brother Cope’s soul is at home with his “loving Father” where his mind is restored and he awaits the spiritual body in the resurrection.

Brethren of his generation will no doubt write more eloquently about the work of brother Cope throughout the years. Close friends for many years can share more personal stories about his life and their associations. However, as one of the students who was deeply influenced by brother Cope, it seemed proper to write a short remembrance of his impact on my life.

While at Florida College in the fall semester of 1975, I began to attend the Antioch congregation in Thonotosassa, Florida where brother Cope was preaching. During the next year, brother Cope asked if I would work with the congregation in teaching classes and preaching in his absence. In the year that followed, I had a great opportunity to learn many lessons from brother Cope and I grew to love him.

Brother Cope arranged for me to come to his office for a visit each week he was in town so that we could discuss the work and other things. In the midst of the conversation, brother Cope would usually reminisce about the past. Before that time, I only knew brother Cope as the President of Florida College and as a renown preacher of the gospel. Since that time, I have seen him as a man of great courage, deep spirituality and tender emotion.

Brother Cope’s reputation as a man of courage was well secured by the time I first heard his name. His defense of the truth in discussion over the years was widely reported and held in great respect. As the issues regarding institutional- ism began, most brethren had heard of his firm stand for the truth in a faculty meeting at Freed-Hardeman College. Brother Cope’s convictions were never for sale or rent.

When he became President at Florida College, that same character caused him to stand against the encroachment of liberalism even in the midst of strong opposition. By the time my generation was able to attend Florida College, Jim Cope was generally conceded to be the main reason the college had not been swept into the control of institutional brethren. Though there was always a need for greater funds to maintain the school, brother Cope was known for several stands on principle despite the fact that such stands might cost contributions. Such stands were not a result of a lack of love for the school, but because of a greater love for the Lord and his truth.

Having grown up at the very end of the division over the institutional issues, I viewed preachers who endured hardship and ridicule to stand for the truth as heros. I still do. However, I never saw the depth of the price they paid within for their stand. During one of our talks, I asked brother Cope what had been most disappointing to him during the institutional division. Almost immediately, his eyes began to tear and he replied that it was when he real- ized Guy Woods and several others would never be beside him in the work again. Brother Cope spoke of several of his peers with whom he thought he would grow old as co- laborers in the kingdom and how it hurt to know that such would never be. I remember that as the first time I realized how deeply painful the effects of such courageous stands were upon such men. Though he knew friendship of long standing would be severed as a result, Jim Cope did what was right and took his stand with the Lord. May the Lord increase his tribe in our time.

During my second year at Florida College, I took an Epistles class from Melvin Curry. For some reason, brother Curry had to be out for a period and brother Cope stepped in to teach the book of Philippians. It was an excellent class. Brother Cope dealt in depth with the text. I still go back to my notes from that class and gain from the rich material he brought out.

In his last class with us, brother Cope said he would take the last part of the class time to review and prepare us for the test. When that time came, one of the first questions asked by a student was something like, “What do we really have to know for the test?” I can still see brother Cope’s jaw clinch and his eyes begin to burn and I knew we were in trouble. He responded by asking the questioner what he was wanting, all the things which he did not need to study for the test. With his index finger pointing out to the class, brother Cope told us in no uncertain terms what we needed to know to get a good grade on the test. He said that if we memorized the book and committed everything he said in the class to memory, we should have no trouble with the test. Having so stated, he walked out the door. This was the only time I have ever known of brother Cope stopping before the allotted time. Two days later at test time, we all found out he was not joking. The expectation for students to know the text and the depth of its teaching was an expectation brother Cope had of himself and of all others because it came first of the Lord (2 Tim. 2:15). He did all of us in the class a great favor by reminding us of that fact.

Two things will always remind me of brother Cope. The first is a book he gave me, Christ’s Second Coming by Da- vid Brown. He gave it as an award, but told me to use it to learn about the error of premillennialism and how to combat that error with the truth. To me, it is a constant reminder of brother Cope’s militant stand for truth and opposition to error (Psa. 119:128). The second reminder of brother Cope is a song, God Will Take Care of You. At the close of every service at Antioch, brother Cope would lead us in one verse of that song. At his funeral, it was also the final song. I could not sing it then with dry eyes, nor do I think I will do so for some time. No song could better express the confidence brother Cope had in his “loving Father” to provide for the faithful Christian, nor could any song better express the trust I have in the care now being provided to one who meant so much to my life. Indeed, beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of Jim Cope.

By Vernon Love

Do you really believe the words of Jesus? It is easy to quote Mark 16:15-16 or Acts 2:38 to one that is lost and insist every word is true. What about all the other words that Jesus spoke? For instances, Jesus said to his disciples, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). Do we believe that when two or three worship together that it is acceptable? Or, must we have a large number gathered together before we would think meeting with them?

In this day of modernization it seems that bigger is better. The smaller stores and companies sell to the larger. The larger stores seem to draw the business. But, also there seems to be among some Christians that the congregation they assemble with must be several hundred before they will go there. We know of a denominational church nearby that built a very large building and then sent buses out over the country to pick up people which took the people away from congregations that were smaller. This really caused some hard feelings. However, we know of some preachers who are “sheep stealers,” that is they will try get members to leave their congregation and go to where my preacher is preaching.

We also have some in worship services get up and say “we are just a poor small struggling group.” That really is a lot of encouragement to the listeners. Do we really believe the words of Jesus that “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them”?

There are many congregations in our nation that are small, but are faithful and worshiping their Lord. Many of these cannot pay a preacher so he can work full time but that does not matter. They assemble, and all are grateful for all who come. Does this make the members second class, or the preacher a “one horse preacher”?

If one is baptized in a small congregation does this make him a second class member? I think not. If a congregation is small, does this mean that they are lazy, or sinning because they have not built it up to a large group? I think not. In many place in the world there are small communities that never grow, so the potential for the church to grow is not as great as in a larger city.

What can we do for the small congregations where only a few may be meeting? I suggest that when you are traveling on a trip for a vacation or coming to the south for the winter look up a small congregation and stay awhile. This will be great encouragement to them. We know of a man and wife who spent their summers traveling in the north going from one church to another which was small in number. They would go out during the week and pass out literature and invite the community to services. This man and wife attended a large congregation but was willing to help small ones during the summer.

Another thing we can do more of, is to send the preacher into communities where the church is small and hold a gospel meeting . We know of some preachers who are willing to do this and it really means a lot to a small group. We could also send support to preachers in small congregations. Any amount would be deeply appreciated.

But most of all we need to believe our Lord when he said, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” If Jesus will do this, should we not also be willing to assemble with small churches also?