Truth Magazine

By C. D. Plum

Larry Ray Haffley

The commonly called “Lords Prayer,” I mean. (Matt. 6:9-13). Without wishing to be uncouth, may I say there were no Christians when the Lord told his disciples to pray this prayer. The name Christian had been promised in prophecy before Jesus gave this prayer (Isa. 62:2), but this promise was not fulfilled until after the prayer was given (Acts 11: 26). So, truly, and actually, this prayer was not given to Christians to pray.

But Christians may appropriately pray the biggest part of this prayer today. Let us take this prayer apart and look at it. Note how the “YESES” outnumber the “NO.”

(1) “Our Father,” Yes, of course the Christian can say this. It expresses relationship.

(2) “Which art in heaven,” Certainly, yes, this only gives the Fathers location, the expanse of space.

(3) “Hallowed be thy name.” Yes, the Christian can use this term, and often does. Gods name is still “hallowed” (blessed, consecrated, holy).

(4) “Thy kingdom come,” No. We may even say, “This is a No No, a double negative.” Hands off the use of this expression now. Dont pray, “Thy kingdom come,” now. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray “Thy kingdom come,” it was right to pray that way then, for at that time the kingdom had not come. But the Kingdom is Here Now. We do not have to pray for it to come. It has come. It is already here. The prayer has already been answered. Note: (a) The kingdom came before all those people to whom Jesus spoke died. (Mk. 9: 1; Matt. 16:28). (b) People were being translated into this kingdom then. (Col. 1: 13). (c) John and the other apostles were in this kingdom. (Rev. 1:9). (d) We today who have believed, repented, confessed Christ, and been baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:27) are in that kingdom or church which belongs to the Lord. We do not pray for it to come, but it would be good to pray for it to continue.

(5) “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Yes, by all means pray for this.

(6) “Give us this day our daily bread.” Yes, pray for it, then go out and “work” for it (2 Thess. 3: 10), if you are able. And do not forget to thank God for it before you eat it (Acts 27:35).

(7) “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Yes, positively pray and practice this. Lay aside “malice” and “hatred.” (I Pet. 2:1-2; 1 Jno. 3:15). Forgive to be forgiven. (Matt. 6:14-15). Lay aside “anger.” “If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.” (Lk. 17:3). “Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” (Matt. 5:22). If you tell something to someone, and that someone you told tells it to another, then you deny that you ever told it in the first place, you give the innocent party “cause” for anger. But even here the innocent one should not hate. He might hate the guilty partys ways, but must not hate the guilty party.

(8) “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Yes, positively, pray and mean this. God will not tempt us with evil. God does not tempt any Christian with evil. (Jas. 1: 13). God will tempt (prove; us) as he did Abraham, but not with evil. God also promises his children deliverance from such temptation (I Cor. 10: 13).

(9) “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” Yes, pray this. Why not ascribe this praise to God today? He is our divine protectorate.

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 50, p. 7
October 26, 1972

By Mike Willis

Larry Ray Haffley

Leaving Corinth, Paul went to Ephesus taking with him Priscilla and Aquila. He left them at Ephesus and made a quick trip back to Antioch to report to the congregation there the affairs of his work and then returned to Ephesus where he labored three years.

In Ephesus was located the Temple of Diana, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. With such a temple located there, the idolatry in that city would be competitive with that in Athens, perhaps differing only in the number of gods. Acts 19:24 refers to one named Demetrius who made silver shrines of Diana. No doubt the tourists visiting the temple bought these shrines as souvenirs and probably, also, as objects of worship. None of these silver shrines of Diana has yet been uncovered.

Pauls preaching here was quite effective. He showed that the magical arts practiced in that city were unprofitable and false. As a result, “Many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them.” 1 The books burned on this occasion can be identified through archaeological research. “These books or scrolls are the Ephesian grammata . . . these Ephesian writings were a familiar term in the Graeco-Roman world for magical texts, and involved a custom associated with the temple of Diana.”2

Thus, when Paul started opposing the worship of Diana, and hurting the silver shrine business. Demetrius stirred up a riot against Paul. The crowd began chanting “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.” The shout of the mob is now shown to have been a common formula in the Artemis worship being attested by several inscriptions. 3 The mob rushed into the theater dragging two of Pauls companions since they could not locate Paul. This theater is “the structure to be seen today by the tourist on the western slope of Mt. Pion. It was 495 feet in diameter and would hold about 24,500 people in its heyday.” 4

Finally, the town clerk came out and quieted the mob. Again, excavations at Ephesus have shown that the town-clerk (grammateus) was the principal municipal officer. Findings have revealed the “use of the same term town-clerk for the democratic citys executive officer.5

In this manner most of the events at Ephesus have been convincingly confirmed by archaeology.

Pauls Arrest in Jerusalem

When Paul arrived in Jerusalem with the funds collected to relieve the poverty among the saints, he went out of his way to appease Jewish antagonism against him. However, mob action broke out against him among the Jews on the trumped-up charge that he had brought a Gentile into the temple.

Although he was not guilty as charged, the sanctity of the temple has been confirmed. In 1871, Clermont Ganneau found a Greek inscription which was placed in the precincts of the temple which said:

“No Gentiles may enter inside the enclosing screen around the Temple. Whoever is caught is alone responsible for the death which follows.” Thus, had Paul been guilty as charged, both he and the Gentile he supposedly took into the temple could have been put to death.

Conclusion

With this section, the study of archaeology and its relation to the study of the New Testament is about wrapped up. Probably, we have but touched the hem of the garment of bow archaeology confirms the historical accuracy of the New Testament. New discoveries will be made which will make any book now in print obsolete. Archaeology is a field of study in which one must constantly read in order to stay abreast of the new findings.

However, this study should have shown that archaeology has helped in the study of the New Testament.

Footnotes

1. Acts 19:19.

2. Merrill F. Unger, Archaeology and the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1962), p. 260.

3. Camden M. Cobern, The New Archaeological Discoveries and Their Bearings Upon the New Testament (New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1917), p. 468.

4. James A. Thompson, The Bible and Archaeology (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1968), p. 400.

5. Henry J. Cadbury, The Book of Acts in History (New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1955), p. 41.

6. Op. Cit., Thompson, p. 314. End of Series

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 50, pp. 4-5
October 26, 1972

By Cecil Willis

Larry Ray Haffley

Some of our brethren are bard to convince. There are some who still think that none of the colleges is openly seeking congregational financial donations. David Lipscomb College started its preparation for brotherhood acceptance of its solicitation of congregational funds several years ago. Herald of Truth speaker, Batsell Barrett Baxter, wrote a booklet and circulated some 50,000 copies of it in which he stated that congregational support of institutional orphan homes and colleges stand or fall together.

The Lipscomb Review (Winter Quarter 19 7 2) just came to my desk a few days ago. In this bulletin, Lipscomb College states, “You can encourage congregations to include financial support for Lipscombs program of daily Bible instruction in the budget each year.” Many of our liberal brethren (like Reuel Lemmons and Clifton Inman, editors of the Firm Foundation and Bible Herald respectively) affect to be strongly opposed to church support of colleges. Now lets see how much they have to say about Lipscombs latest effort to thrust its fingers into the budgets of churches.

Since Lemmons, Inman, and the Lipscomb gang are so united in opposing “Anti-ism,” my guess is that Lemmons and Inman and their kind will judiciously keep quiet while Lipscomb works its ploy.

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 50, p. 2a
October 26, 1972

By Larry Ray Haffley

(The following words were spoken by J. W. McGarvey to J.P. Sewell in 1902. We hope that these sad words will be of sobering benefit to all our readers. They are recorded in Biographical Sketches of Restoration Preachers, from a lecture by Sewell.)

“You are on the right road, and whatever you do dont let anybody persuade you that you can successfully combat error by fellowshipping it and going along with it. I have tried. I believed at the start that was the only way to do it. Ive never held membership in a congregation that uses instrumental music. I have, however, accepted invitations to preach without distinctions between churches that used it and churches that didnt. Ive gone along with their papers and magazines and things of that sort. During all these years I have taught the truth as the New Testament teaches it, to every young preacher who has passed through the College of the Bible. Yet, I do not know of more than six of those men who are preaching the truth today. It wont work.”

A brief comment on these words is in order. Brother McGarveys advice is something that is particularly pertinent at the moment. There are efforts being made in several quarters to attempt something in the way of greater association among those who are known as the Lords people only. It is a movement in which I have personally participated, and without regret. However, real candor demands that I note little over which to be encouraged that such efforts will be fruitful. It will be a pleasure for me to have opportunity to preach among brethren who have alienated themselves from us over mechanical instruments in worship, or institutions through which some churches are working, or centralized sponsorship by a church; I will be glad to speak to denominational churches – any! However, after such an opportunity it would not likely be thought, either by them or me, that I was making no distinctions between churches, going along with them, or fellowshipping their error! This is the crucial point we must never fail to grasp. We need not – yea, we dare not become isolationists in our practices or our attitudes. But, we dare not and cannot encourage them, or anyone, in error. The words of 2 John 9-11 are fittingly appropriate now. “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.” Enough said.

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 50, p. 2
October 26, 1972

Ray Ferris