Truth Magazine

By Luther Blackmon

On my desk is a picture of the church house at Bald Prairie, Texas where I suppose I “went to church” the first time. In my mother’s arms of course. I have heard her say that she had to take each one of us children outside just once. If you had known my mother you could understand the significance of that statement much better. Slip had not read Dr. Spock’s book and had the old-fashioned idea that children should obey their parents, especially when they were where they would disturb other people. But even if she had not felt that way about it, there was another fellow who had to be taken into consideration, Uncle Josh Raines, one of the elders. There was rarely ever any giggling or passing notes at Bald Prairie, during the life of Uncle Josh. He had a keen eye and he kept it on the audience a good part of the time. If he saw some of the youngsters talking or passing notes during the worship, he went back and took his seat with them. The silence then would be almost deafening. Uncle Josh, as he was commonly known by his friends, has passed on to his eternal reward, but the memory of him, for many years to come, will be with the people who knew him.

The cemetery where most of our folk are buried is just across the dirt road from the church building. When I am back there on a visit, (or to preach the funeral of a friend who has passed on, I usually go over into the cemetery where my loved ones lie. One day I was looking at the headstones and came to the one at the head of the grave of “Uncle Josh.” The lady who was with me, also an old friend, remarked, … They didn’t put on his headstone what he always said lie wanted there.” “What was that, I asked’!” “Always On Time. ” We both smiled at that because we both remembered that if there were only Uncle Josh and his wife, Aunt Lizzie, there when the time came to start, he started the singing. He was rough on what he considered to be wrong or less spiritual than it should be, but the world and especially the churches, could use a lot more like Uncle Josh.

TRUTH MAGAZINE XVII: 43, p. 2
September 6, 1973

By George Welsh Tyler

Jehovah through the prophet Isaiah wrote: “For as the rain cometh and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it to bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereunto I sent it” (Isa. 55:10, 11).

Evangelism is the God-given task of the church. The gospel is to be proclaimed by men. Every instance in the book of Acts where sinners were brought into the kingdom, a man had something to do with getting the gospel to him. Angels, the Holy Spirit, and possibly other agencies had a part in bringing the preacher and the sinner together. The way of life was made known to him by the one who proclaimed the gospel, either in sermon or private conversation.

Of necessity churches must give some time and attention to many things that are only indirectly associated with evangelism. Places of worship must be obtained and paid for. Money must be secured to defray the expenses of the work. Forces must be organized and trained to do the work decently and in order. Worship services must be conducted to hold and keep the members in tune. But the church must never lose sight of the overshadowing task of the church and its, members to evangelize the world. Its work is both local and worldwide. See Matthew 28:19,20 and Mark 16:15.

All are endowed with certain talents and are expected by our Saviour to use them to the very best of our ability in “The Father’s business.” The significance of the parable of the talents in Matthew 25: 14-31 is not well understood by many. The man “going into another country” in verse fourteen of the above mentioned chapter is Jesus Christ, the Son of Man. The servants are His disciples-followers, whom He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28). The word “talent” is used here as meaning gift or ability. If we do not use the special gifts God has given us in His service, we are just as guilty of sin as wits the unfaithful servant who buried the one talent entrusted to him in the ground and will be consigned to eternal punishment on the Day of Judgment. Those who have good voices and refuse to sing sin, those who are good admonishers and refuse to do it sin, those who are capable of doing personal evangelistic work and do not do it sin. We could add many other items but those, mentioned illustrate the principle involved.

From the way some Christians talk and act, they seem to think leading a Christian life consists of a forty-five minute Bible study Lord’s Day morning, being present at the worship service, listening to a twenty-five minute sermon, if they can sit still that long, eat the Lord’s Supper and put a few pieces of money in the collection basket. They then feel that 6iey have served the Lord to the best of their ability. They are badly mistaken. Leading the Christian life is a full-time job. Remember ‘ the “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords” has no place in His kingdom where He can use those who give Him lip service only. Jesus said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him” (Jno. 14:21).

Down on the farm we had some good steady plodding horses, we had some balky ones, some shirkers and some jerkers. We have the same types in the church today, as well as some lazy indifferent ones. The Lord loves the good steady plodders and has no place in His church for any other types.

The New Testament teaches that Christian living is a life of great activity. Jesus said, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19: 10). Christians are servants in one sense. Jesus said, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord” (Matthew 10:24). Christ set the example of working industriously before us. At the age of twelve when Joseph and Mary found Jesus teaching in the temple at Jerusalem and rebuked Him, he said, “Know ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49 A.V.). He had work to do. Later He said, “We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4).

The apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth as follows: “For if I preach the Gospel, I have nothing to glory of; for necessity is laid upon me; for woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16). Paul felt like the household slave who is under obligation to care for his master’s affairs. Christ was his Master. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul urged the brethren as follows: “Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.” To be imitators means to be followers; walking continually in his footsteps as lie walked in those of the Saviour of men. The apostle Peter writing to the “sojourners of the Dispersion” said, “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

Jesus said, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and accomplish his work” (John 4: 34). What was this work? Let Jesus give the answer. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19: 10). The work Christ was sent to do was to seek and to save that which was lost. The apostles, Paul and Peter, commanded all Christians to imitate them as they also imitated Christ. Fellow Christians, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that are white already unto the harvest” (John 4:35). Work, watch and pray, as did Christ, His apostles and members of church of the first century.

TRUTH MAGAZINE XVII: 42, pp. 12-13
August 30, 1973

By Keith Sharp

Have you ever stood alone on a star-filled evening and marvelled at the silent majesty of the infinity into which you gaze? Have you ever paused to meditate upon the unmeasured enormity of that expanse, its known portion being measured in billions of light years? Have you considered the astounding precision of each movement of this awesomely complex universe? Then did you wonder from whence it all came? Did unthinking forces in matter cause all this unimaginable precision and beauty? If so, from whence came the forces and matter? Is it not obvious that an all-knowing, all-powerful God is the only reasonable answer? “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made” (Romans 1:20; New American Standard Bible). In the presence of such undeniable evidence that surrounds us all, only the fool can save, “There is no God.” (Psalm 14: 1) Indeed, “The heavens declare the glory of God!” (Psalm 14: 1)

TRUTH MAGAZINE XVII: 42, pp. 12-13
August 30, 1973

By Fred C. Melton

While in conversation with a local English merchant, I received the pointed comment, “You Christians are a dying race” to which sadly replied, “Only in England, Sir, only in England.” I then assured him that although the world community did not reflect it, the number of fundamental Bible believing people were on the increase while the traditional or “orthodox” groups were indeed waning badly. This brought him rather skeptically to the subject of why “fundamentalism” was so much stronger in southern America than in southern England (the English know much more about America than Americans know about England).

Irreligious Atmosphere

Comparatively speaking, the whole religious atmosphere throughout Europe is non-religious, even anti-religious, except where Catholicism is predominate. Children being raised in such a community learn quickly to either be apathetic or cynical toward all religions. In any country where a -state religion” prevails, zeal, individualism and leadership are stifled. State religions are simply an effort to emulate such closed communities as Old Testament Israel or Catholicism, but fail completely because precious few of their citizens are the slightest bit inclined to be obedient believers, nor do they ever intend to become so. Men should have learned by now that God does not wish anyone to be a Christian against his will.

Compulsory Religious Education

A pathetic effort to force “orthodox” religious views upon English school children through the state educational systems has been disastrous from the very start. Conventional attitudes might be seen in a simulated teacher’s meeting to select a “religious instruction” teacher. Headmaster: “Well, who is going to teach the R.I. class this year?” -(silence)- Headmaster to English Teacher: “What about you taking it this time, Mr._______? English Teacher: “Sir, I’m just too busy this year, I’m terribly sorry but could you get someone else?” Headmaster to the Science Teacher: “How about you, Mr._________? Science Teacher:

Wel-l-l, Oh, very well, I suppose we must be fair about this matter.” Many such teachers neither understand nor believe the Bible.

My own son’s teacher at the moment believes and teaches both modern miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit and the millennial reign of Christ on earth. Consequently, students are presented with Bible truths intermingled with error in such a way that they neither believe nor respect the Word of God. The common complaint about religion in England is that it is boring and hypocritical. The former arrogance and the modern apathy of the clergy have taken a terrible toll upon the potentially religious. The average Englishman sincerely believes that he knows just about all there is to know about religion and often ridicules the “gullibility of the naive Americans.”

Attitude of Brethren Toward Children

I’m afraid that our own brethren in England have adopted much of the traditional sectarian attitude toward the teaching of children. It is widely held by religious groups in England today that Sunday Bible classes are only for children while the assemblies are only for adults. The “closed communion” concept among the churches of Christ here has tended to further isolate the children from the morning assemblies. I recall that one visiting child at a morning worship service was seen putting a “tupence” into the collection plate. Some of the brethren were quite alarmed at this because as they reasoned, “these children are not vet Christians and only Christians are permitted to contribute to the Lord’s church.”

When Bible classes are held for children, it is usually in the afternoon, while the mother often stays home Sunday evening “because of the children.” Consequently, our own brethren are losing their children to the world at an alarming rate. If such attitudes and influences continue in the Lord’s church, we shall indeed become a “dead race.” The age of the average member of the Lord’s church in England is now well over 50 years old with a few voting people hanging on for dear life.

What is the Answer?

The answer is, of course, to thoroughly Indoctrinate our children in the teachings of Christ, both in the church and at home. Parents must set an example of belief and faithfulness for their children to follow. The Lord’s church in America should heed the warning of their English brethren’s plight and-watch out for your children! Even as God has said to Israel, who were His people at that time, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou has forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” (Hosea 4:6) Dear God, don’t forget our children.

TRUTH MAGAZINE XVII: 42, pp. 6-7
August 30, 1973