Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

The material in this issue and the next one is designed to discuss the work of the Lord’s church. Although an entire issue could be devoted to this subject in which the scriptures were presented to discuss what works the Lord has given the church to do and another entire issue could be devoted to the unscriptural activities in which our brethren are involved, that is not the purpose of these issues. These issues are designed to discuss problems within the body of Christ pertaining to some of the activities in which we are involved. Secondly, I have asked a number of brethren involved in special programs of work to give us an assessment of that part of their work to relate to you what others are doing.

Far too many congregations are doing absolutely nothing except to “keep house” for the Lord. The members faithfully attend the public worship services, engage in the proper acts of worship, decry the sin of denominationalism (and any other “isms”), and go home “until we meet again.” Baptisms are not occurring; souls are not being restored. When one asks the members of such a congregation why they are not growing, they blame the world. While I am perfectly willing to admit that the “world” is more preoccupied with materialism than it was some decades before, I fear that we might be blaming the world for our own failures. We cannot excuse ourselves for our own lack of growth until we have tried every scriptural method of reaching the world around us which is available to us.

What we have done, however, is to conduct the public worship services and have said, “Here is the gospel; if the world wants it, let it come and get it.” When they do not show up at the public worship services, we somehow feel that we have discharged our duty to them. Jesus said, “Go into all the world.” He did not say, “Invite the world and if they do not come, you are excused.” We have a responsibility to take the gospel to the world around us. But, indeed, that is not all that is being done in the field of evangelism.

Twice a year, we conduct a “gospel meeting.” The gospel meetings are designed to win the lost to Christ. Yet, in large metropolitan areas, they are meticulously scheduled in order that they not conflict with other meetings in the area. Why? Because the world will not come if so many meetings are conducted in one week? Absolutely not! Rather, what has happened is that the crowds are made up of visiting brethren from other congregations in the vicinity. When several meetings are in progress in one week, the congregation will not have a crowd of visitors from other congregations. We have forgotten our primary purpose in having a “gospel meeting.” Gospel meetings are designed to bring the lost to Christ, not to bring visiting brethren to a particular congregation. We simply must wake up to the fact that something different must be done by the members of the local congregation to make gospel meetings a successful means of winning souls to Christ. Hence, I have asked that a couple of articles be written about gospel meetings: (1) one is to suggest means whereby the local churches can work to have a successful gospel meeting; (2) the other suggests to the preacher that he plan his sermons with the idea of leading someone to Christ. Both of these articles will be-very practical and useful to local churches and preachers.

Another aspect of the local work which has been given some serious examination is the publication of church bulletins. I receive a number of bulletins from congregations located all over the country. I have taken the time to write to many of the ones responsible for putting out these bulletins to help me to assess what is being done through the bulletins published by the local church. I think that you will be interested in some of the things which I want to suggest regarding your local bulletin.

Another important series in this special is on the usage of various new methods to reach the lost. Brethren across the country are using call-in radio programs, preacher training programs, fair booths, lectureships, and personal work programs as special programs of work. I think that you will be interested in reading what they think that these special programs have done to help the local church and to cause it to grow.

We have also received an article on the elders’ role in the local church to show the importance of the elders being leaders in the local church. I have known of several churches which were dying on the vine because of elderships which were unwilling to press forward with new, scriptural programs of work. Many times the deacons and members were having to push the elders into taking the initiative to get something done. Hence, one article in this special issue will consider the work of the elders in leading the church to do the works which God has given it to do.

I sincerely hope that this special of Truth Magazine will be useful to local congregations across this great land. If the articles in this and the next issue of the paper will cause some elderships to realistically assess what is being done to promote the gospel of Christ in the area of the country in which they live, it will have served its purpose. Any church which is not making some headway toward winning souls for Christ had better get concerned. A few funerals will cause any church to die. I pray that we will all use this as an opportunity to look at ourselves in order that we might do a better job of “planting and watering.”

Truth Magazine XXI: 27, p. 418
July 14, 1977

By A. C. Grider

We have been telling our liberal brethren that their defense of benevolent organizations was paving the way for the destruction of the last particle of distinction between the Lord’s Church and the denominations. We have been telling them their defense of these benevolent societies could and would be used in the field of evangelism and would reduce the Lord’s Church to a mere denomination. We have now reached that point!

Observe: The liberals have said, “God told us to care for orphans but He did not tell us how to care for them.” Then they argue that it is scriptural for churches of Christ to build and maintain benevolent societies through which to care for orphans. I want you to let that sink in for a minute. They say that since God said care for orphans and did not tell us how to do it, that means the churches can work through benevolent societies. That sounds like it might be right. But, is it? Is it true that if God says do something and does not tell how to do it that it means the churches can work through a body separate and apart from the church? If it is not true, then everything the liberals have said in defense of the benevolent societies falls flat and they have a foot in their mouth. But if it is true, then the liberals have both feet in their mouth.

In the September 1963 issue of the Herald of Truth Newsletter, Willard Collins had an editorial entitled “Go With God’s Plan.” The first sentence in paragraph three said, “God did not specify any particular method for us to use in spreading the gospel of Christ.” Now, to start with, Collins says we should go with God’s plan! But then he declares that God does not have a plan. So Collins has God saying do it how I said, but I did not say how!

But let us apply the liberal’s position in benevolence to this matter. The Lord said help orphans but did not tell how, so we can have the churches to build benevolent societies through which to do it. And the Lord said spread the gospel but he did not tell us how to do it, so we can build missionary societies through which to get the job done.

Now one of two things is true. Either the liberal brethren do not believe what they teach relative to benevolent societies, or they do believe in church support of Missionary Societies. Actually there is no doubt that the latter is true. That is why no liberal preacher among us condemns any innovation among us.

Brethren, all of these man-made societies are in this thing together. I doubt if they have entered into an agreement not to condemn each other’s apostasy. They may not even be aware that they should condemn any departure. If they can not see in their own, “brain storms” an apostasy, how can we expect them to see any departure anywhere. They are to be pitied. Satan is using these men and these machines to damn arid destroy the Church of the Lord. Satan could not check the growth of the church from without, so he came within and through these men started the church marching in the direction of a complete and total apostasy.

Pray for these men that they will repent and return to the New Testament. Pray for these societies that they should die the death that all man-started societies within the church should die. Pray for faithful brethren that they shall always remain faithful. Pray for the churches that as many as possibly can will be saved from the fall.

Truth Magazine XXI: 26, p. 413
June 30, 1977

By John McCort

Recently Jady Copeland, Don Vaughan, and I had the privilege of touring the RLDS Auditorium in Independence, Missouri. This huge complex houses the offices for the Reorganized Latter Day Saints world headquarters. Included in this magnificent structure is a 6,000 seat domed auditorium and a small museum featuring their history.

During the tour of the facility the Mormon tour guide showed us the conference room where the President of the church and the twelve apostles meet daily. Our tour guide told us (in essence), “This is the room where the President and our twelve apostles meet daily. Our prophet-president receives revelations almost daily. He tells the twelve apostles what his revelations have been and the twelve apostles vote to decide if he had received a valid revelation.” I asked the guide, “I assume the votes are all unanimous,” to which I received this reply, “Oh, no. Sometimes the vote is very close.”

This brought up some very interesting questions. In the course of the conversation our tour guide stated that they did not believe that their prophet-president was infallible and thus a vote of the twelve apostles was necessary. If their prophet-president is inspired by the Holy Spirit why would a vote ever be necessary? Does this same Holy Spirit guide the twelve apostles in their voting? If he does how could there ever be a split vote? I wonder if the Holy Spirit has a split personality or if he is also fallible like their prophet-president?

One of the big issues the Mormons raise is the religious division evident among denominations. They say that the Bible cannot be our final source of religious authority and our only basis for unity since the denominations are so badly divided and claim to be using the same Bible. The Mormons reason that latter day revelations through a prophet are the only basis for religious unity. If this is so then how could there be split votes on these unifying revelations. If the prophet and his apostles cannot agree on which revelations are valid how can the church use these revelations as a basis for religious unity?

True prophecies from the Lord were unmistakable. “And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? when a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” (Deut. 18:21-22) The prophet-president claims to be receiving revelations and speaking in the name of the Lord. If the apostles decide that he did not receive a valid revelation then the prophet spoke presumptuously and the Bible tells us to ignore that prophet. How can a vote on revelations ever be completely trustworthy. If the prophet cannot tell when he has received a valid revelation how can the twelve apostles ever be sure. Beside, I do not read of the apostles ever convening to decide if they had received valid revelations from the Lord. This borders on blasphemy because it questions the competency and consistency of the Holy Spirit and God’s ability to clearly reveal his will to mankind.

Truth Magazine XXI: 26, pp. 412-413
June 30, 1977

By Larry Ray Hafley

While I was away in a meeting, my wife, Marilyn, read an article by Ann Landers. She did not appreciate the remarks and the response of the famous columnist as you can plainly see. Read the reply she made.

“Dear Ann Landers,

“I have just read your answer to the man who is a homosexual. He prayed to God saying he was gay and could not change and wanted the Lord’s will to be done. Now he is happy since he has found a man to spend the rest of his life with. He even urged others to use prayer to be happy and contented in the same way.

“Your answer really has disturbed me. You thanked him for sharing his experience but warned others not to tell you to look in the Bible at Gen. 19; Rom. 1; Lev. 18:22; or 1 Cor. 6:9, 10. I have to do it anyway because you have said so much by not saying anything. You know what the Bible says and yet you choose to ignore it! What a lesson for others to follow!

“In Rom. 1:27, men ‘leaving the natural use of woman burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly.’ You do not want it mentioned, though, because you know what the Bible teaches about homosexuality. Instead, you approve of it by saying, ‘Help is where you find it!’

“Romans 10:2, 3 would apply here. ‘For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.’ Ignorant people want to ignore the rules God has all ready established.

“When people begin accepting what the Lord has said in this and other matters, they will truly be ‘fulfilled and contented.’

“I do not expect you to print this, but if you have read it this far, I pray you will study some more on the subject and not try to excuse the Lord for any verse in the Bible.”

I think my wife hit the nail on the head several times. Perhaps if others of us would register protests in similar areas, the medias of communication would be less eager to kick the Bible out of doors.

Truth Magazine XXI: 26, p, 412
June 30, 1977