Truth Magazine

There was a series of lessons given in Fort Worth, Texas in 1948 entitled “Why I Left.” A number of different people told why they left their former religious bodies.

Saul of Tarsus left his former religious ties. Why? When we look at Saul we find he grew up in an important city (Acts 21:39). Saul must have been of a prominent family since they were Roman citizens (Acts 22:27). They were strong religious believers being Pharisees (Acts 26:5). Saul went to Jerusalem to study under the best teachers. He sat at the feet of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). He was at the head of his class (Gal. 1:14). Not only that, but he was well liked by the High Priest (Acts 9:2). His zeal had no bounds (Acts 22:3). It seems Saul had everything any young man could want. So why did he leave it all?

As Saul was letting his zeal and conscience guide him, he went to Damascus to destroy all who followed Christ. However before he reached the city he had a change of heart. A great light shown about him and he heard a voice calling his name. This we read in Acts 9:5. He asked, “Who are you Lord?” The answer came, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.” He saw and talked to Jesus (1 Cor. 15:8). Paul always kept a good conscience (Acts 24:16). He was honest in all he did.

Being honest he looked beyond this life (1 Tim. 4:8). He could not be happy if he was untrue to himself. Paul said, “It is not I that live but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

He had given himself to God. Looking beyond this life he saw the prize set before him (Phil. 3:14). He recognized he was a sinner. Seeing himself as God saw him caused him to want to change. He wanted God to forgive him. He asked what Jesus would have him to do (Acts 9:6). Jesus told him to go into the city and it would be told him what to do. Ananias was sent to him. He told him to arise and be baptized and wash away his sins (Acts 22:16; 9:17-18). Paul was determined to do what was right in the sight of God (2 Tim. 3:10-11). Paul understood his duty before God and lived as God would have him to do (1 Cor. 9:16). It was his duty to preach to and save as many people as he could (Rom. 10:1).

Do we love God as Paul did? Will we give ourselves wholly to him? Do we have that desire to be forgiven and go to live with the redeemed of all ages?

By Connie W. Adams

The Lord’s church has been given the greatest task in the world. It has been charged with the awesome duty of preaching the gospel to all mankind. The design of that message is to turn people from darkness to light, to “rescue the perishing.”

Jesus said the gospel was to be preached to the whole creation (Mark 16:15-16). Paul said the church is the “pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). As such, it is expected to stand under and support the truth in the world. The church at Thessalonica was commended because from it had “sounded out the word of the Lord” (1 Thess. 1:8-10). The seven churches of Asia were described as candlesticks (lampstands) (Rev. 1:20).

They were to be bearers of the light of the gospel.

The greatest task in the world has been ordered by the greatest Being in existence, God himself. This task can only be accomplished by following the wisdom of the God who ordered it. “The foolishness of God is wiser than men” (1 Cor. 1:25). God said, “My thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways” (Isa. 55:8-9). The human mind would have required the massing of troops and the concentration of power to carry out this task. The mind of God ordained that there be no more complex arrangement than that of a local church doing what it can to the limit of its power, and the consecrated efforts of individual disciples whose hearts burn with a love for the souls of the lost.

The great worldwide spread of the gospel did not take place in the New Testament era until the concentration of thousands of members was scattered abroad (Acts 8:1-4). The scattering of the troops was contrary to anything the wisdom of men would have fashioned, but the wisdom and providence of God were behind it and it resulted in permeating the Roman Empire with the gospel.

The trend toward huge projects, mass meetings, great demonstrations of “our” numbers and “our” great men, and the concentration of power and resources in the hands of a few elderships in large congregations is but a symptom of a loss of respect for the wisdom of God and an over- estimation of the wisdom of men.

With each congregation sounding out the word of the Lord under its own elders, using its own resources and answerable to no board or conclave known to man, and with each disciple personally doing all he can to teach the truth wherever his influence extends, then the task can and will be accomplished in harmony with the wisdom of the Being who ordered it. Let us be content to work according to his will. But let us not be content until we have done exactly that. Let’s get on with God’s work in God’s way.

By Mike Willis

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds (2 John 9-11).

This text of Scripture warns a church against receiving into its fellowship those who are transgressing the doctrine of Christ, not being content to abide in the doctrine of Christ. In our age of loose fellowship, it is a concept that is not readily accepted.

The unity-in-diversity plea has rejected the concept expressed in this verse. The Christian Church calls for a unity-in-diversity with members of the Lord’s church. The kind of unity they accept is one in which the Christian Church continues its unauthorized practices (which initially were the church support of missionary societies and instrumental music in worship, but now has expanded to church operated schools, women speaking in the assembly, receiving the pious unimmersed, etc.) and gospel preachers ceasing to preach that these practices are sinful. It is immaterial to the Christian Church whether or not we choose to use instrumental music in worship. The same unity-in-diversity plea has been espoused by our institutional brethren. The kind of unity they accept is one in which they continue to support their human institutions (colleges, orphan homes, hospitals, old folks homes, etc.), participating in the sponsoring church arrangement, and building “fellowship halls” (another name for recreational facilities ranging from a kitchen to a gymnasium). These brethren do not care whether or not we decide to support these activities so long as we do not condemn their participation in them. Some among us clamor for the same kind of unity on divorce and remarriage. They want to preach their doctrines that allow those who have divorced their mates for causes other than fornication to hold membership in the church while staying in these unscriptural marriages and want us to quit preaching that is unscriptural doctrine and conduct. They do not care that we do not accept into our fellowship those involved in unscriptural marriages and do not invite preachers who preach their false doctrines on divorce and remarriage, so long as we don’t condemn them for doing those things!

The unity-in-diversity plea is a different platform of unity than is the plea for unity grounded on the revealed word of God. Just as we have unity with one another based on our common acceptance of what the Scriptures teach about the person of Christ and the conditions for salvation, we can have unity with one another so long as we have common acceptance of what the Scriptures teach about the worship and work of the church, and divorce and remarriage.

There can be no on-going fellowship with those who continue in the practice of their sin, defend it as an act of righteousness and invite others to participate with them in the practice of their sin. John did not think he could invite those Gnostic teachers of the first century who denied the humanity of Jesus to a special series of lectures on the evidences or the home, so long as they did not teach their loose views on the humanity of Christ. Those who taught these false doctrines could not be received, plainly and simply.

There are many other Scriptures that emphasis this same truth about fellowship. Consider the following:

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1).

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them (Eph. 5: 11).

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple (Rom 16:17-18).

The unity-in-diversity is plea is not the Bible plan of unity. Years ago, our brethren used to illustrate the difference in doctrinal unity and union. They said, “You can tie two cats tails together and throw them over a clothes line and you have union, but you don’t have unity.” The difference between union and unity should be obvious. God calls us to the same kind of unity that exists between him and his Son, Jesus Christ: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:20-21).

Bible unity is grounded in adherence to the revealed Word of God and to that unity God’s people are commit- ted. (Reprinted from The Exhorter, bulletin of the Danville, IN church of Christ, June 4, 1999.)

By J. Wiley Adams

Sometimes small children set some mighty fine examples for the adults in the congregation. Such an example was set recently by a six-year old who did not even realize that he was doing anything out of the ordinary.

We’ll call this young boy, Jacob, since that is really his name. His father was away on a business trip. His mother stays home and tends to her children and the ways of her household. How wonderful to see this happen in this day and time!

It was the time of year for colds, allergies, and sinus problems in Central Georgia. These ailments had run through the whole family as this kind of thing will do. Jacob had been running a fever but it had subsided. Still the little guy felt pretty bad.

But Wednesday night came. Time to go to services. Noting, as an attentive mother would do, that her son felt bad, she asked him if he felt like going. Without hesitation Jacob said, “I think we’d better go.” He knew that if he stayed home that his mother and two sisters would have to stay too to care for him. So the van pulled up to the building with all four of them. You can’t keep a good kid down!

I hope many adults in the church will read this and bow their heads in shame. Surely there are legitimate reasons for not being present but many hide under the ambiguous umbrella of “I feel bad.” My brother’s first gospel meeting in Newport, North Carolina (arranged for him by Harry Pickup, Sr.) would have been a non-meeting because of an awful throat condition that developed almost as soon as he arrived had it not been that the nice couple with whom he stayed “mopped” his throat every night and every morning throughout the meeting. But, preach he did. I mean he did. Sore throat be hanged!

But I cannot let my brother outdo me in this. I have preached a lot of times when I “felt bad.” Once I traveled straight through from middle Georgia leaving on Sun- day after morning services, stopping over for evening services, traveled through Kentucky and West Virginia nonstop, changed clothes at a gas station near Charles- ton, West Virginia, hit the ground a-running at 7 P.M., was greeted by the brethren at the Three-Wells Church of Christ (for further reference on this designation contact Paul Casebolt) and was in my seat ready to start at 7:30

P.M. Drunk as a fish mind you from those crooked West Virginia roads but I propped myself up in the pulpit holding on to the sides of the stand for dear life. Brethren, I mean to tell you I “felt bad.” But, as Weldon Warnock would say, by George I preached and it turned out pretty good the brethren told me.

We teach, and rightly so, that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. This is taught in Hebrews 10:23-26. In this passage we not only have the command to assemble but it also states why and what it amounts to if we do not. We are to stir one another up to love and good works so our faith will not waver. We assemble in order to do this and it amounts to wilful sin if we fail to comply.

Yes, brethren, we all “feel bad” a lot of the time but not so bad that we cannot tighten up our belts and go to services in spite of it.

I agree with my little friend, Jacob. I think we’d better go.