Truth Magazine

By Luther Blackmon

The devil is not stupid. He is like the chameleon. He changes his color to match his surroundings. Satan knows he doesn’t have to worry about the drunkards, fornicators, murderers, etc. He has them in his clutches. But religious people present another problem. They live in a different atmosphere. So the devil “gets religion.” He “joins the church.”

I have sometimes said that denominationalism is the devil’s ablest ally. I know that a lot of people think I am wrong about that, because they simply cannot conceive of one’s being sincerely religious, and being wrong. But before you turn me off, notice some scriptures: Mt. 7:21-23: “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven. Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy’ name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” The rest of the chapter explains that these were not rejected because they did not build a good house. They didn’t build it where the Lord said build it! We don’t have to be wrong about everything to go to hell.

Again, in 2 Cor. 11: 13-15, Paul gives us a picture of Satan clothing himself in the “livery of heaven.” And Paul wants the Corinthians to beware lest they be deceived by him. Jesus said, “Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” Marshall Keeble would say, “if you don’t believe that, just sit out there (in sin) ’till rootin’ time comes.”

Paul, in his speech before Agrippa, said, “I verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which things I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death I gave my voice (his vote) against them.” Paul was the bitterest enemy of the church of Christ. But he “thought” he ought to be. God’s mercy provided for him a pardon, but his ignorance of the wrong he had done did not alter the fact that he had sinned.

Romans 5:13 says… “Sin is not imputed when there is no law.” Some think this means that if one does not know what God’s law is, he cannot violate it. But that is not what Paul said. Certainly one cannot violate a law that does not exist. But there is a difference between a situation “where there is no law,” and where there is a law which one does not know about. If God had given no laws, man could not be a transgressor. But He did give us laws, and when we violate one of these laws we become transgressors, whether we know it at the time or not. If a demented man shoots and kills his neighbor, he is a murderer, even though he may not be mentally responsible. The court may see fit to extend clemency because of his condition, but that does not alter the fact that he has broken the law.

God may be more merciful to people whose circumstances have not permitted them to know the truth, than I have any right to promise that He will be. I hope so. I am constrained to believe, from Luke 12:47-48, that there will be degrees of punishment for the transgressors. But even if this be true, it offers no solace to people who do not care to know the truth. The gospel is preached from the pulpit, the press, the radio and from door to door. He who goes to hell from here will go without a single excuse.

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 20, p. 2
March 23, 1972

By Fred Melton

If you want to see an evolutionist squirm, ask him how the termite evolved. Oh, he will have an answer all right, but you’ll have to try hard to keep a straight face when he explains it to you.

According to current evolutionary theory (it’s changed some since Darwin), “natural selection” progressing toward a higher organism is accomplished only when a chance mutation bestows upon the organism more survival ability — notwithstanding the fact that there is no such thing as a “progressive” mutation.

Now, there are to be found within God’s natural creation many partnerships that are essential to the immediate life of both plant and animal involved in this union. Typical of such interdependent systems is the lowly termite, order — Isoptera. The main problem appears to be the fact that this little creature keeps insisting on eating wood which he himself cannot digest because it contains cellulose. There is, however, a small protozoan animal which colonizes the termite’s stomach that dearly loves to digest wood.

While the Christian is ridiculed for believing in God, who is the designer and prime mover of all causes (including termites and protozoan), the evolutionists, without so much as raising an eyebrow, ask the world to believe that these little insects suffered a mutation which made them want to eat wood they cannot digest. At precisely the same time their bodies, by mutation, became adjusted to enable them to maintain numerous colonies of protozoan in their stomachs while again at that precise time, a mutation chanced to occur in the protozoan which enabled them to live in the stomach of the termite “after which both termite and protozoan lived happily ever after.”

It will not help to say that they evolved together for as typical of all such systems, they will not operate except in a perfected state.

Truly, it may be said that the evolutionist lives by faith alone.

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 19, p. 12
March 16, 1972

By Garreth L. Clair

Oftentimes I wonder if my labors are not in vain. It seems that there are times when months of work seem wasted on dull ears. Perhaps sometimes I expect more from people than they are able to produce, or perhaps I am failing to present those truths as plainly and understandably as they should be presented. I am beset oftentimes by grieves over my apparent inability to communicate those truths which I feel are essential to spiritual growth. I know that men and women vary in their ability to grasp new this, but is this the crux of the problem? If this is the truth about which I am constantly submitted to worry, I would feel relieved to accept this explanation. But on the other hand, am I seeking an excuse for my own inability to accurately communicate that truth which I have seemingly grasped.

Then there are those who are surely contentious for reasons beyond my finite comprehension. These persons are perhaps of such an attitude because of something I have said or done; God only knows. I pray that I will not be a source of rebellion either through intent or through ignorance. I pray that my brethren might also feel this need to avoid unnecessary arrogance. I full well realize that there are some who are placed in the assembly through the workings of the Devil. In spite of this fact, I pray that I might be able to identify those sons of devils by truth which has been revealed by the Holy Spirit and not by imaginary or mental reason on my part; For I am fully persuaded that sometimes men are prone to conjure up problems which in reality do not exist but in their own mind. May God deliver me from such fancy.

I therefore pray that God might grant me reasonable intellect to find solutions to these problems which so grievously beset me. I will continue to do the very best that my mentality allows me to do, keeping in mind that I am a man of very few talents and perhaps even less understanding of men and God’s ways. Yet I am duty bound to teach the truth in the most honest and upright manner. May my brethren and sisters in Christ continue to bear with me and work with me as they realize these facts and numerous questions about their preacher.

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 19, pp. 11-12
March 16, 1972

By Larry Ray Hafley

Elders-have awesome tasks. They lead and feed the flock of God which is among them (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2). They rule the church, “taking the oversight thereof” (1 Them. 5:12; 1 Tim. 5:17; 1 Pet. 5:2). Among the many important duties of shepherds is keeping the flock together, maintaining its unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Acts 20:28-32). Some pastors, due to negligence or ignorance, court division. They may unknowingly incite strife and invite rebellion. Their request for trouble is seen when the church is untaught, uninformed, unchallenged, and undisciplined.

Untaught Members

An untrained, untaught flock will soon bolt, jump the fence, and eat loco weed, sneeze weed, and Johnson gram — that is, they will turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables unless the word is preached (2 Tim. 4:24). Elders are charged, not once but twice, to feed the flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2). It must be something they ought to do I If shepherds of literal sheep fed their flocks like some elders pastor or feed theirs, wool would be a scarce commodity.

Elders may feed by filling the trough full of meetings, classes and home studies, but they should not turn the entire burden of feeding over to others. When a preacher does all the teaching, there is error and danger. First, error comes in that elders are to teach. Secondly, danger develops due to the fact that a flock looks to those who actually feed and lead it and not to those who are supposed to do so. I may own some sheep. If I turn them over to a hired hand to nurture and admonish and step completely aside, when the shepherd says, “Let’s go to the back forty,” and I attempt to step in and say, “No, follow me over here,” they will follow him and not me, even though I am the official leader. Many sad eyed elders have turned over the flock to pastor preachers. Then when they sought to step in during a period of crisis and conflict, the church followed the preacher and the elders were abandoned to the wolves.

Uninformed Saints

Elders must keep the church informed. An unenlightened church is a seething source of potential strife. Overlords do not inform the church as to their plans, purposes or programs. Elders are not the CIA, the secret service portion of the church. Their deeds are not to be performed in a mysterious cloak and closet atmosphere. The saints should not only know what is “going on” but why it is “going on,” since they are the ones who should be integrally involved in the “goings on.”

The New Testament shows that churches, not just elderships, were informed of activities of common interest. The advances and successes and the frustrations and hindrances of the work of Christ should all be reported and recorded (Acts 14:27; Col. 4:7, 16; 1 Thess. 2:2). Let there be no questions arise due to a lack of information and there will be more patience and understanding when sticky situations and difficult decisions are encountered.

Unchallenged Brethren

Churches and individuals have different capacities. Depending upon their state and stage of growth in grace, brethren can be challenged to accept weightier works. Elders should cultivate maturity and envision the resultant ability to take on accelerated activity. A man may begin by lifting fifty pound weights on a regular basis, but six months later we would not expect him to be carrying the same poundage. He needs to “abound yet more and more.” So with churches. But how many elders challenge the church to flex their added muscles of spiritual strength? Periods of study and preparation must he followed by a proportionate increase in labors of love. The brethren may be fed and fattened on the good word of God, but, lest they grow listless and lethargic, they must work out their own salvation with greater demands of duty. A congregation filled with trained servants can become stale and discontent without a challenge of work. Elders, being elders, should know this. Challenge the church in every scriptural way.

Undisciplined Disciples

Discipline is done when the church is instructed in righteousness. When a congregation is properly taught, it is disciplined, for teaching is a form of discipline. However, when this fails, disorder is the result and the guilty must be dealt with (2 Thess. 3:6-15). Withdrawing from the disorderly is for the mutual benefit of the offender and the church. The disciple who walks disorderly is to be brought to shame and repentance “that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor. 5:5). This putting away “from among yourselves that wicked person” will remove the evil leaven that may leaven (corrupt) the whole lump (church).

Discipline, when administered with a proper spirit and in accordance with scriptural order, will cause others also to fear (Acts 5: 1-11; 1 Tim. 5: 20). A church that refuses to discipline the disorderly causes a callous disregard and disrespect for authority and a light view of sin to grow in their hearts. A congregation, with no fear of God in their eyes, will certainly not be led to submit themselves to their overseers as they are commanded to do (Heb. 13:17).

Conclusion: When a local body of Christ is left battered, bruised and bleeding in the aftermath of quarrels and division, the question is asked, “What was done to cause such alienation and bitterness?” The question, however, is often not, “What was done?” but rather it is, “What was left undone?” If bishops do not teach, inform, challenge and participate in discipline, they will wake up to find a scattered flock, a divided church, and sickly souls for which they “must give account.”

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 19, pp. 10-11
March 16, 1972