Truth Magazine

Someone has said, “If you have trouble remembering things and you fear you are losing your mind — don’t worry about it — just forget it.” While this contains humor, losing memory is a serious matter.

Memory is the “power of the mind that retains knowledge acquired by the perception and consciousness of the past.” Marjorie Holmes, in her book, You And I And Yesterday, said, “man is the only creature whose emotions are entangled with his memory.” Memory is the record of man’s experience. It is the ability to review the events of yesterday, and bring meaning and purpose to present experiences. Without memory we would be ignorant of the past and incapable of understanding the present. We would be void of lasting impressions; no process of reasoning; no conscience nor sense of responsibility.

On a bright February morning, Beverly Slater, then 48, stepped off the curb as the traffic light turned green in her direction. She was struck by a car, flung onto its hood, car- ried 50 feet, and dropped headlong onto the pavement. The impact of the collision was so great that her outstretched hand left a palm print pressed into the car hood. She remained in a coma for four days. When she opened her eyes she was surrounded by strangers. Who was this “Hal” asking her if she was “all right”? And what did he mean by “husband”? Forty-eight years of memory — her entire past — was erased instantly on the morning of February 13, 1980, in Philadelphia. Imagine, waking up some morning with no memory of the past!

Memory forms an individual’s identity. Much of our lives are shaped by what we have learned. We can relate to the past — good or bad. We can relate to getting married, having children, but when we lose memory we cannot relate to any of these things. Memory is essential to human individuality. Tying the past to the present creates a continuing sense of identity. Memory helps to identify who we are — our roots.

Several years ago I had the opportunity to go back to the community where I was born and where I spent the early years of my life. It was a delightful journey back in time. I could visualize the men, long since gone, gathered in the shade of the old tree, whittling and making conversation, waiting for someone to signal that it was time to begin the church services.

I remember the three-room schoolhouse, which once stood a short distance away, and the happy experiences enjoyed there. As I sat in the old meeting house, I sat approximately where I sat years ago as a cotton-headed, barefoot boy in overalls. I looked across the room to a most familiar spot and recalled the features of an old grayhaired gentleman who always sat there — one whom I loved very much, and followed many a mile — my granddaddy Fite. I looked where he always hung his hat and remembered vividly the way he prayed.

Memories of childhood flooded my mind as I traversed the grounds of the old home place. As I gazed toward a corner of the pasture I could envision the small house in which I was born. It was there my brother died, and where I became deathly ill as the result of slipping a plug of Brown Mule chewing tobacco out of my granddaddy’s pocket and partaking of it. But now on that spot the green grass grows and the cows graze.

I looked at the sycamore trees alongside the house remembering the hours I played in the shade they afforded. It was there I gained my first experience and appreciation of the power of a 12 gauge double-barrelled shotgun when both triggers are pulled simultaneously.

I remembered the location of the wash pot in which we boiled clothes and made lye soap, and of the time when trying to be of help to my mother — but incapable of reaching the wash pot, I dropped various articles of clothing into the fire, and burned that which we could ill afford to lose.

Although all trace of it has been removed, I could see through my mind’s eye the barn, in which I sat and ate raw peanuts by the hour, shelled corn, fed the stock, and upon which I sat and contentedly smoked corn silks.

The tank of water where I watered old Nig and Preacher (our mules) still looked the same. The pastureland, which once grew cotton, presented a picture to me of one sitting on a cotton sack on a cool, crisp fall morning, waiting for daylight, wondering why his daddy didn’t let him sleep a little longer.

I remembered the spot where my dad shot my hound dog because he was sucking eggs, and the area around the woodpile where I spent many an hour and rode a broom stick many a mile while visualizing myself as the hero who wore the white hat and rode the magnificent white stallion.

Precious father, loving mother,
Fly across the lonely years
And old home scenes of my childhood
In fond memory appear.
Precious memories, how they linger,
How they ever flood my soul In the stillness of the midnight Precious, sacred scenes unfold.

Now these things identify me. This is who I am — my roots. Without memory I am a nobody. Memories can help us live in the present and future. God called upon his people to remember the past to secure obedience to the future (Deut. 8:1, 2).

We must remember our spiritual roots. Look back to when you were “dead through trespasses and sins,” without God and no hope of heaven. How you were saved from past sins by the grace of God coupled with faith (Eph. 2:1-8). You became a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). We must always remember our cleansing from old sins (2 Pet. 1:8). This reminds us who we are (our spiritual roots). We are children of God by faith in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:26). We have been bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:20); our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20ff).

Our memory will play a part in judgment as God calls upon us to “remember” (Luke 16:25).

How wonderful that memory lingers still.

“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). Unfortunately, many people have been blinded from the light of Jesus Christ because they live in extreme darkness. By their wicked works, they have separated themselves from God, who is the source of light (Col. 1:21; 1 John 1:5). Paul, seeing the lure of this sinful lifestyle, gives the church at Ephesus sundry exhortations and admonitions concerning walking in the darkness of the world. We read this discourse in Ephesians 5:1-12.

We Once Lived In Darkness

In our reading Paul tells the Christians, “ye were sometimes darkness” (v. 8). Here he acknowledges the universality of sin. At one time all of us walked in darkness, loved it, and attested to this by our lawless deeds. Many times today people never see the light of the gospel because they have never been shown the darkness in which they now live. We must never stray away from telling the sinner of his sin. People will never see the need for a physician if they don’t see the symptoms of their sickness. A person will never seek to be found if he is not convinced that he is lost. In the same way, one will never see the light unless he is caused to first recognize the darkness. Let us never lose sight of the deplorable darkness that once was in our lives and still may be in that of others (Isa. 53:6; Rom. 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10).

Now, Avoid The Darkness

After acknowledging the former state of the Ephesians, the apostle states that now they are to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” (v. 11). In the context of this verse, he states the reason. They are now the children and followers of God (v.1). As Christians they have been sanctified and should act accordingly (v. 3). Although they did walk in darkness, now they are the children of light, and should so walk in the light (v. 8). If after we have been cleansed we walk in darkness any longer, we are lacking the fellowship of God, consequently we are lost (1 John 1:5, 6). We must shun things that are ungodly and avoid the darkness of sin.

Expose The Darkness

Not only were the Christians at Ephesus to have no fellowship with the works of darkness, they were also to “reprove them” (v. 11). Too often I fear we get the idea that we will just keep ourselves right and leave everyone else alone. This will not work! We must see the danger a lost soul faces, and being moved by love and compassion, expose the sin so that it may be repented of before it’s too late. This is a God-given responsibility (1 Tim. 4:2; Tit. 2:15). Some people may bless us (Prov. 24:25), some will hate us (John 7:7; 1 John 3:13), but regardless of others’ approval or lack thereof, it must be done. We must develop through righteous living an intolerance for sin.

Be Ashamed of the Darkness

Speaking of those who walked in darkness, Paul said, “For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret” (v. 12). In speaking of homosexuality, the apostle calls it a “shameful” act (Rom. 1:27). However, shame is not attached to one or two sins; it is tied to all sin. When we sin, we disappoint our Father, reject his will, belittle the sacrifice of Jesus, and condemn our souls to Hell. There is nothing to be proud of, yet there is everything to be ashamed of when we sin. We should abhor sin to the point that when we commit it or see it committed, we feel a deep shame. As we see many fight for the “right” to murder unborn babies, practice and embrace perversion, and commit travesties right and left, how do we feel? Are we deeply ashamed of mankind, or are we like those of Jeremiah’s day who, “were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush” (Jer. 6:15)?

Conclusion

Realize that we have escaped the darkness of sin and have been set at liberty. Determine not to become entangled in it again. Admonish and reprove those that practice lawlessness and be ashamed of your own sins as well as their sinful deeds. Always remember, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

 

Danny McKibben have done much good. Through the years a number of good brethren have gone to help. J.T. Smith has made four trips. Any number of good men have gone at least once. Johnie P. Edwards with his son, grandson, and another brother, took their two-weeks intensive preacher training program to Manila in January with great results. They had 120 preachers enrolled in that. They took along 40 boxes of teaching materials.

While we were there for 30 days, I preached 56 times, conducted 27 hours of open forum (answering Bible questions) and Bobby taught 30 classes for women. These were well received and in several places there were more women than men in attendance. We saw 183 baptized. That does not include those converted at places where other Americans worked during that same month, nor the number from Filipino preachers at work during that time. These baptisms are the result of the labors of the Filipino brethren and they would obey the gospel whether we were there or not. It is regrettable that some American preachers have taken a variety of false teachings to the Philippines. Brethren there have to do the same as we do here. They have to sort through that and see what the Bible teaches and stand accordingly. Some of those who have taught error there do not agree among themselves, yet they go arm in arm with each other in their work. That is made possible by their misuse of Romans 14 and mistaken notions about fellowship. We had many questions about these matters. Several able and respected men made their position clear and stated their determination to stand whatever it might cost them.

We were assisted by thirteen congregations and 43 individuals in making this trip. We are grateful for this help and thankful to our God for health and strength to meet a very demanding schedule. We are also thankful to our beloved Filipino brethren who extended such loving hospitality to us everywhere we went.

By Mike Willis

Why should I become a disciple of Jesus Christ? When so many in our society are choosing to live without a commitment to Jesus, it occurs to me that there might be some need to explain why we think there is an advantage to being a disciple of Christ by explaining what Christ has done for us. Every person might have a different list of things that he would include on his list. However, here are some things that I see as distinct advantages that followers of Christ have over others.

The Follower of Christ Has A Distinct Moral Standard By Which To Live

The need for a clear moral standard has never been more clearly shown than in the recent issues brought before our nation by the impeachment trial of our president. We have been fed a constant barrage of assertions that what the president and his intern do in a consensual way is their business. Indeed, we are being told that same thing about a number of moral issues including the following: fornication, adultery, homosexuality, abortion, euthanasia, etc.

The idea that what one chooses to do is his own business may sound good until one starts making application of those principles to his own children. Is one ethical system just as good as another for your children? If you approach your son, suspecting that he might be involved in fornication or drugs, would you accept his explanation if he said, “Mom and Dad, you may choose not to commit fornication or use recreational drugs and I am not condemning you for what you choose to do. However, don’t try to bind your morals on me. I may choose to live differently than you do.” I suspect that most parents will appeal to their children to live by an absolute ethical code and even enact disciplinary punishments for the violation of those ethics.

The Christian has a distinct advantage in rearing his children in this age of moral relativity. The Christian believes that there is an absolute standard of ethics that is applicable to every person in every nation for all time. Sin is wrong because it is a violation of God’s word (1 John 3:4), not because it is a violation of societal ethics or personal conscience. Because there is a God and that God has given us a law by which to live, all men are bound by the same moral code (John 12:48). I can speak with certainty to my children to explain right and wrong to them. The Bible tells us what is right and wrong. Sin is clearly identifiable (Gal. 5:19-21). I can teach these moral principles to my children and encourage them to live ac- cording to them. I can point out the danger of violating those principles: (a) One sins against God; (b) One brings consequences to himself that are painful; (c) One influences society in a negative way.

When one’s child becomes a teenager faced with all the temptations that they will face, his training in moral ethics will largely determine how peaceful the home will be during those years. One of the advantages that the Christian has over the non-Christian is in teaching his children an ethical code.

The Disciple of Christ Has A Greater Commitment to Marriage

Who can deny that marriages are in trouble in America? There are few families that have not been affected by divorce. Acknowledging that none of us is above having problems, we nevertheless assert that the Christian has a better hope of having a stable family life than does the non-Christian. The Christian has a commitment to make the marriage work because of the commandments given in God’s word (Matt. 19:9). Unlike many who believe that marriage is some kind of “trial” arrangement, Christians have a commitment to make marriage endure for life. Jesus said, “Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matt. 19:6). Paul said that men and women are joined in marriage for a lifetime (Rom. 7:1-6). Only fornication gives the innocent spouse the right to divorce his mate and remarry (Matt. 19:9). There is no honorable way out of marriage except by death, for fornication is a dishonorable end to a marriage for the guilty person.

The Christian believes that the Lord reveals the proper role relationships between a husband and wife (Eph. 5:22- 33). Both husband and wife are encouraged to learn their individual responsibilities and behave themselves in that marriage in keeping with the teaching of God’s word. Biblical training keeps together marriages that otherwise may fail, with both individuals growing to be what God wants them to be. Many of us have gone through rocky times in our marriages, prayed for guidance and strength to work through those difficulties, and committed ourselves to treating our mates like God instructs us to treat one another. Over the years, the eternal principles revealed in God’s word are applied and the couple builds a home pleasing to God.

Wherever I go to preach, I find couples that have been married 30, 40, 50, and a few even 60 years. Have you stopped to consider how rare such marriages are in our age of easy divorce and remarriage? Early in our marriage, my wife Sandy went to a beauty shop. As the conversation occurred, the beautician asked, “Are you married?” She replied that she was. The beautician asked, “How long?” She replied, “Ten years.” The beautician asked, “To the same man?” Her surprise reflects the influence of late twentieth century culture. Why is it thought unusual for one man and one woman to be joined together for life? Because this is contrary to the message that our culture is sending about marriage. If you want a marriage that has a superior chance of surviving, you need to consider what being a Christian does to increase the likelihood of your marriage lasting!

The Christian also believes that he has a responsibility to his children. Fathers are taught to train the children (Eph.

6:1-4). Mothers are also responsible in the work of child- bearing (1 Tim. 2:15). In a day when many mothers abort their babies and fathers walk away from their responsibilities to their children, the Christian has a distinct advantage in rearing his children. No wonder that the incidence of child abuse and children deserted by their fathers is lower among Christians. Where divorce is reduced by the Christian ethic, the home is a more stable environment, giving our children a distinct advantage.

The Disciple of Christ Has A Personal Relationship With God

The children of God are known by God. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine” (John 10:14). What a beautiful thought is expressed in this. Not only do the children of God know their Father in heaven, but the God of heaven knows me by name. He knows who I am, what I am doing, what my ambitions and desires are, what is happening in my life, etc.  God cares for me. He even stores my tears in his bottle (Ps. 56:8), signifying his awareness of and concern for my needs. He sees our needs and cares for them (John 11:35). We cast our cares on him because he cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7).

What a blessed privilege we who are children of God have in that we have the right to go boldly into the throne of grace to find help in the time of need (Heb. 4:16). The child of God has a right to take his concerns to God in prayer because God is his father (Matt. 7:7-11). The privilege of prayer is a blessing that one does not want to face the troubles of life without. Whether Christian or non-Christian, a person faces the troubles common to man, but the Christian faces them with God’s help (1 Cor. 10:13; Phil. 4:13).

The Disciple of Christ Has The Forgiveness of Sins and Hope of Heaven

This is listed last in this article, but not because it is of lesser importance. The child of God has a present peace of mind knowing that he is right with God (Phil. 4:6-7). He has a clear conscience because he has been forgiven (1 Pet. 3:21). Then when death comes, he has the blessed hope of heaven (1 Thess. 4:13-18). Many have forgotten that the Bible speaks of some who have “no hope” (4:13) and who are “without God” (Eph. 2:12).

There is no hope for mankind outside of Jesus Christ. We have all sinned (Rom. 3:23) and the wages of those sins is death, eternal separation from the presence of God (Rom. 6:23; 2 Thess. 1:7-9). There is no amount of       righteous living, no amount of sorrow, and no restitution that he can make that will take away one sin. There is only one thing that can wash away sins — the blood of Christ Jesus. Unless one turns to Christ for the forgiveness of his sins, he will be eternally doomed to the punishment of hell.

The Christian has the blessed knowledge that his sins have been washed away by Christ. He has hope in his warfare against sin, not based on his perfect knowledge or perfect ability to live by the word of God, but by the grace of God that cleanses us from all unrighteous upon the condition of faith (though not “faith only”).

Conclusion

There are many other advantages to being a Christian. I am confident that any of our readers can easily expand the list that I have begun. We need to meditate on these advantages so that we can praise God, the source of all our spiritual blessings and be prepared to give answer to any who ask us why we choose to be a Christian (1 Pet. 3:15).