Truth Magazine

By Connie W. Adams

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth” (Eph. 6:1-3). Those addressed here are children. The condition of obedience is “in the Lord.” That is obedience within the realm of all that would please the Lord. The simple reason given is “for this is right.” There is such a thing as right and wrong. To be disobedient to parents in the Lord is wrong. The promise given is “that it may be well with thee” and “thou mayest live long upon the earth.” This does not mean that none who is obedient to parents will ever die young. But the general rule is that those who grow up respecting and obeying parents in the Lord will be shielded from many dangers and that life will proceed in a more orderly and fulfilling manner than it will for those who are disrespectful and disobedient.

“Honor” means more than politeness, though that is included. It involves a manner of life that reflects favorably upon your parents. That principle holds true through life and even after your parents are dead. Jesus taught that honor for parents included requiting them  that is supplying their needs when they could not do so themselves (Matt. 15:4-6). The scribes and Pharisees argued that if they made a gift at the temple they were excused from providing for their parents. Jesus said “they honor not” the father and mother.

Obedience shows honor. While children are at home and directly under the supervision and control of parents, this obedience must be taught and enforced. When you leave home for college, marriage, work, or military service, and even when parents are old, or dead, your manner of life still reflects either honor or dishonor on the parents who brought you into the world and provided for you. “A good name is better than precious ointment” (Eccl. 7:1).

On the other hand, rebellion and disobedience will have far reaching effects. You will be affected. The more stubborn and rebellious you become, the harder you will make it for yourself. Others in society will be affected. You will be a pain in the neck for teachers, neighbors, schoolmates. If your rebellion takes you into unlawful action, many others will have to pay. Shop-lifting, for example, adds much cost to business for extra surveillance. Prices are raised to offset the cost. That affects you, your parents, and all other consumers. In the church disobedient children can destroy the work of elders, preachers, and other Christians. An elder is “one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity” (1 Tim. 3:4). Deacons are also to be found “ruling their children and their own houses well” (1 Tim. 3:12). The ungodly behavior of children has often undermined the effectiveness of gospel preachers. Rebellious young people sometimes become the means of tension and even division in churches. Such fruit does not come from those who obey their parents in the Lord.

Obedience brings contentment. When children are brought up to understand the limits of what is allowed, the boundaries of acceptable conduct, they are much happier than those who push as hard as they can to find out just how much they can do and still get may with it. A failure to set limits results in confusion. Many parents do not understand this. No child or teenager is truly happy being the center of a storm. That may get attention, but it does not reflect contentment. Obedient children contribute much to the orderly management of a home.

Obedience to parents shows trust. Parents must never betray that trust. Worthy examples fortify wise sounding speeches. Godly parents usually know what is best. The Lord did not put children in charge of families. Sometimes children resent having chores to do. That is one of the best remedies for the popular lament, “I’m bored.” Responsibility is good for children and children must learn to trust the judgment of parents about that. Young people often show immaturity in choices for dating, for pursuing education, for taking jobs that will hinder worship. Spiritually minded parents can see some things about these matters that young people cannot. Young people, when you don’t always see why, learn to trust the judgment of your parents. Parents need to be there to listen and take the time to offer sound, constructive help. An impatient “no” or “I don’t have time for this” will not be adequate to instill trust. The classic example of trust in the Old Testament was the case of Isaac who was not just a small boy when this incident occurred about the sacrifice. While Abraham fully trusted God, Isaac fully trusted Abraham.

Obedience to parents is the basis for learning obedience to God. Jesus was “subject” to his parents (Luke 2:51) though he pursued his “Father’s business.” He said, “for I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). He said also, “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak” (John 12:49-50).

The time comes in the life of every rational child when his conscience toward obedience to parents is expanded to an awareness of responsibility toward what God re-quires in obedience. A child who has not learned obedience for parents will be ill equipped to come to terms with obedience to the gospel. Children learn in the domestic circle the blessedness of obedience and the peaceful results. The time will come when that concept will grow to an understanding that God must be obeyed in order for all life to make sense and for it to proceed in an orderly and rewarding fashion.

An Appeal To Young People

If you have parents who work hard to provide what you need, who care who you are, what you become, where you are when away from home, what you are doing and with whom you are doing it, and when you will be home, then would you hug them, say “thanks” and “I love you” and then go into your bedroom, close the door and get down on your knees beside your bed and thank God for your parents.

Guardian of Truth XLI: 7 p. 3-4
April 3, 1997

By Robby Davis

The Bible gives some good examples of great people of faith. One of which is the story of Job. The story of Job is the story of faith, endurance, and patience winning out against amazing odds.

Job’s life proves that godliness is no defense against adversity. Although Job lived in a way that was pleasing to God, the Lord allowed Satan to test him. The most important aspect in Job’s life was his faith in God. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Job had this faith and feared God (Job 1:1). The Bible tells us that he was “blameless” (“perfect,” KJV), “upright,” “fearing God,” and “turning away from evil.” In addition, Job had great prosperity. His sheep provided clothing and food; camels and donkeys provided transportation; and oxen provided food, milk, and the power for plowing. He even owned slaves (1:15-17; 31:13). It is interesting and very rare to see wealth and godliness in the same man. These two characteristics of Job’s life demonstrate how great a man he was.

Job was also concerned with the spiritual condition of the next generation (1:4-5). His godly character manifested itself in his concern for the spiritual welfare of his children. He offered burnt sacrifices to the Lord to atone for the sins, whether ignorantly or presumptuously committed, by his children.

All of the wonderful things that Job did adds to the irony of the things that the Lord allowed to happen to him. De-spite all the good things Job did, he had calamities as well.

Job was subjected to three tests. The first was to accept, without sinning, the loss of his possessions and offspring (1:6-22). The second was to endure the destruction of his health without blaming anything on God (2:1-10). The third was to endure false accusation. This is an example of God allowing one of his servants to be persecuted to prove the individual’s fidelity. In each test, the author displays two scenes, one in heaven and one on earth. In heaven, Satan is making a false accusation against Job; on earth, Satan is making a terrible assault against Job.

Job’s first test came when God allowed Satan to destroy all of his possessions. Satan reasoned that the only reason why Job worshiped God was to receive God’s material blessings. He thought that if he took every material blessing away Job would renounce God. God allowed Satan to do this, but Job remained faithful (1:22). Four messengers reported to Job what had happened. The first messenger said that a tribe called the Sabeans had executed his servants and carried away his animals (1:13-15). The second said that the fire of God fell from the sky and had consumed the sheep and more servants (v. 16). The third said that three raiding parties of the Chaldeans carried away his camels and executed more servants (v. 17). The fourth said his family had been killed because a strong wind caused his house to collapse on them (v. 19).

Most men would respond to this situation by blaming these evils on God’s inaction. But, Job showed humility in the sight of God. He tore his robe, shaved his head, fell down, and worshiped God (v. 20). After all of the tragedies that had befallen Job, he never sinned before God.

Job’s second test came when his flesh was tormented by Satan. Satan now figured that Job’s faithfulness remained because he had not afflicted his physical body. God allowed Satan to touch his flesh, but not to kill his body (2:6). Satan struck Job with boils from the “sole of his feet to the top of his head” (2:7). No one believed that he would ever recover so Job’s wife lost all hope for Job and insisted that he curse God and die (2:9). But, Job refused to speak against the Lord and declared his wife a foolish woman.

The third test Job endured was the torment of his three “friends” (Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite) who accused Job of being a willful sinner. At first they went to Job and comforted him, but when they saw him, they could hardly recognize him.

They began to weep aloud, tore their robes, and sat with Job for seven days in complete silence (2:13). Then Job cursed the day of his birth and wished he had never been born. His three friends, although well-meaning, tormented Job instead of helping him by demanding that he confess the sins that brought these terrible curses upon him.

Job has now reached the depth of human suffering. He has been robbed of his possessions, his family, and his health. His wife wishes him dead. He is charged of heinous evil by his closest friends. His dignity is gone. His strength is poured out like water, his heart melted like wax. His feeble body sits in ashes wondering why. He has no explanation for the fate that has befallen him. God has spoken nothing.

As Job three friends debated Job’s proper course of action, Jehovah manifested himself. In chapter 38 the Lord speaks from a whirlwind. The Lord asked various questions that demonstrated his knowledge and great power. Job replied in chapter 42 that he recognized God as the true God. He despised himself and repented (42:6). The Lord spoke to Eliphaz in anger for him and his two friends because they spoke falsehood about God. He commanded a sacrifice be made of seven bulls and seven rams for them-selves (42:7, 8). Job prayed for these three friends and the Lord accepted his prayer. After this, Job’s possessions were given back to him twofold. He had 14,000 sheep, 6, 000 camels, 1000 oxen, 1000 donkeys, seven sons, and three daughters (42:12, 13).

Job’s life is an example for Christians everywhere. There are many lessons that Christians can learn from the story of Job. Here are a few:

1. Serving God is a lifelong job (1:1-5). Christians need to sacrifice and pray every single day of their lives in order to go on to perfection. We can also help others by praying for them like Job did. “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (Jas. 5:16).

2. The righteous are not exempt from suffering. Just because someone is poor or ill does not mean that he is a sinner. We must not confuse wealth with approval from God or illness with sin. See Matthew 9:21-22 and John 9:2-3.

3. Suffering can come “overnight” (1:13-19). No one knows what will be on the morrow. Christians need to be ready for trials. James 4:14 says, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”

4. Suffering can be devastating (2:1-8). Be humble in the sight of the Lord and in regard to your ability to endure.

5. Friends and family cannot be relied upon in the end (2:9-13). The importance of individual faith needs to be emphasized in the lives of Christians everywhere. Each individual is accountable for his own life. Well-meaning friends and family may give bad advice, but obedience to the Lord’s commandments will ultimately always be right.

Guardian of Truth XLI: 7 p. 10-11
April 3, 1997

By Richie Thetford

Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Syria was said to be a “great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper” (2 Kings 5:1). Naaman wished that he could be rid of this awful leprosy and it came about that Elisha, the man of God sent a messenger to Naaman and said, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean” (2 Kings 5:10). What would you have done if you would have heard this news from the man of God instructing you to wash in the Jordan seven times and you would be healed? Would you quickly run toward the Jordan to obey the word of God?

When Naaman heard this command, he became furious because he had already preconceived in his mind what he thought Elisha should do, to come and stand and call on the name of the Lord and wave his hand over the place to heal his leprosy! He even became upset that he should go to the “dirty” Jordan river to do such a thing claiming that the Abanah and Pharpar rivers of Damascus are better than all the waters of Israel. He even asks why couldn’t he wash in them and be clean  then turns and goes away in a rage! You may be saying “what a response to God’s command!” In verse 13 his own servants came to Naaman and said “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, `Wash, and be clean’?” Then Naaman went and dipped seven times in the Jordan river and his leprosy was cured. We can learn many lessons from this story.

Blessings Only Obtained By Obedience

It is only when we decide to obey the commandments of God that we will be blessed. We may have some pre-conceived idea of how we “think” God wants us to do something, but it is not until we actually do what he has instructed for us to do that we will receive the blessing that he promised us. He promised Naaman that he would be cleansed of his leprosy if he would wash seven times in the Jordan river. This rules out every other river and it rules out any number of times except seven! It was only when he did “exactly” as God instructed that he was cleansed! The inspired apostle Paul wrote in Romans 15:4, “For what-ever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” We need to have the faith that is required to fully understand and know that this is true. God has given us an example of Naaman to show us how we must respond to his commandments to us today. Are we ready to obey God or do we think that we have a better plan?

God’s Instructions to Cleanse Us Today

Man is filled with sin just like Naaman was filled with leprosy. Naaman longed to be cleansed from his leprosy and God provided a way for him to purify himself. Man needs to be cleansed from his sin and God has provided a way for man to wash away all his sins. But we must do what God instructs for us to do, in order to have all of our sins washed away. We may not always under-stand why God has told us what to do, but the fact remains that God has told us plainly and simply what we must do.

The question is, Are we ready to obey God? To be cleansed of sin we must first be willing to hear God’s plan for us and be willing to do as he instructs us (Rom 10:17). After hearing of God’s plan we must believe it and believe in his Son Jesus Christ (Heb 11:6; John 8:24). God then asks us to repent of our sins, being ready to let go of the ways of the world and be determined to serve him for the rest of our life (Acts 2:38; 17:30-31). We then are asked to confess Jesus Christ as being the Son of God (Rom 10:9-10; Acts 8:37; Matt 10:32). After making this commitment we then need to be baptized into Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of our sins (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Rom 6:3-5; Gal 3:27; 1 Pet 3:21). We are cleansed from all of our sins only when we are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ as God has commanded! Are we ready to obey God to be cleansed from our sins?

Guardian of Truth XLI: 6 p. 22
March 20, 1997

By Billy Moore

The phone was ringing. When I heard the voice on the other end I knew immediately it was a Nigerian for I have had a few calls from friends there. But this was a Nigerian friend, Sam Essiet, who lives in Patterson, NJ, who has talked with me several times in the past year or two regarding our mutual friends in Nigeria. He is from Uyo, Nigeria and his father, S.J. Essiet is a gospel preacher in that area. After greeting me, he said, “Brother Moore, I have sad news for you today: E.J. Ebong died earlier today!” For a while I could hardly talk. The thought  E.J. Ebong is dead  was overwhelming. It was Saturday, January 4, 1997. Just the day before I had received my last letter from “Ebong,” as friends called him, a letter dated December 9, containing the remaining seven names of men who shall be attending the Preacher Training Classes in 1997. About a month ago he had sent the names of the other 15 men who will be in those classes.

January 7, my dear friend Etim Abidiak, wrote:

E.J. Ebong is dead. His body is lying in his bedroom under embalmment in Number 9 Ebong Street, Uyo. He breathed last 4:00 a.m. Thursday the second day of this month of January 1997. His family members sent special message of his death to me. I have come down, I have seen his dead body and so I am reporting that brother E.J. Ebong, the man of God, the gentlemen, the teacher of the truth, the defender of the gospel, my teacher, my brother, my friend, is dead.

January 27 Sam Essiet had talked with the Ebong family and learned that the funeral has been set for February 8th. More on this later.

Since that phone call so many thoughts and memories of “Ebong” have come to mind, going back for nearly 24 years. Physically, “Ebong” was a tall, slender, strikingly hand-some, impressive man; son of Chief John and Madam Jannie Ebong. Spiritually, “Ebong” was a giant of a man! In my judgment he does not have an equal among the brethren in Nigeria. Nobody can ever take his place! Few men have ever had the tremendous wide-spread influence of “Ebong,” and most could not stand up under the great pressure of such a schedule, and so many brethren coming to him, de-pending upon him, looking to him for leadership and advice. Not that he sought such, but that his knowledge and abilities led him to this roll.

In 1985, by a special request of faithful brethren everywhere he went, Ebong wrote the History of The Church of Christ in Nigeria During The Second Generation. The church was established in Nigeria in 1948, when C.A.O. Essien learned the truth via Bible Correspondence Course and was baptized into Christ. Ebong wrote “Brother Essien was only an instrument in God’s hand to start that very church which was in existence many hundreds of years ago. I knew C.A.O. Essien as far back as 1950. A friend, and a fellow teacher with me in the Oua Iboe Mission School told me about him then I was moved to see him. I found him through the direction of the friend and enjoyed discussing many Bible lessons with him” (Ibid., 13). I do not know the date of Ebong’s baptism, but it was not long after that meeting with Essien.

For the past 24 years Ebong has been a part of the 15 Paul Bassey Street church in Uyo, Nigeria. Back in 1985, N.J. Ekanem wrote of Ebong: “He has a fervent zeal for the Gospel work than anything else. Bro. Ebong was converted from Qua Iboe Church. He attended Ukpom Bible Training College 1954-55 and thereafter worked with all Christian Schools in the then Eastern Region of Nigeria 1956-57 be-fore proceeding to Abakaliki township 1958-59” (Ibid., 11)

Churches Planted In Western Nigeria

“In 1959, June 30, bother Leslie Diestelkamp arrived in Nigeria to join in the work. He spent a few months in preaching both in local congregations and in villages in the then South Eastern State of Nigeria. As he could not be tied down teaching in Ukpom Bible College, he decided to move westwards. He desired that some capable men be chosen for him for the work, of which brethren D.D. Isong-Uyo, E.J. Ebong and Raphael Williams were recommended by brother Wendell Broom” (Ibid., 24). Brother Diestelkamp and these three men established the first churches in Lagos, the Capitol City of Nigeria. Later, two preachers, E. Ekanem and Solomon Etuk, from the east came to help in establishing churches in other western cities. These were five outstanding men of great courage and unwavering faith, who under the teaching and influence of Leslie Diestelkamp established many churches in the great cities of Western Nigeria.

Ebong and his family lived in the city of Lagos from late 1959 to 1973, when after the death of E. Ekanem, who had returned to Uyo, he moved his family to # 9 Ebong Street, Uyo, Nigeria, where he lived the rest of his life.

My First Meeting With E.J. Ebong

It was 3:35 a.m. when the plane set down at the Lagos airport. My good friend and brother Bob West (Robert H.) and I were so excited. We had left Kansas City on the 23rd en route for Nigeria and a “six-week” preaching trip, the first of its kind, for E.J. Ebong and Ezekiel Akenyemi, with the help of many brethren had arranged a schedule for us that would take us to many different places where we would be teaching classes daily 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (many times much longer) with the preachers of those areas, studying with a total of 185 preachers during those six weeks.

We were met at the airport by E.J. Ebong, James Majek, two of Ebong’s sons, and Ezekiel, another preacher of that area. These men had been there since the preceding day, as our flight had been delayed and our telegrams to them had not reached them, but they had stayed through the long hours to greet us and welcome us to Nigeria. Later, after a shower and a couple of hours rest, James Majek and Ezekiel Akinyemi took us to the home of E.J. Ebong. Brethren in the U.S. would have to see the crowded streets, the conditions surrounding the place where Ebong and his family lived, and to know of the beautiful country surrounding Uyo, where they had come from, to appreciate the sacrifice being made by this man and his family in order to preach the gospel to those of that huge city.

Ezekiel and his wife, Eunice, drove Bob and me across the country from Lagos to Uyo, an all day trip. Ebong had gone back there to be with us in our first week with the first classes at Ntan Ikere, home of E. Ekanem. The second series was in Uyo, and Ebong sat through many of those sessions too. After the last day of classes with the preachers, I was invited to preach in the street and had an unforgettable experience: two preachers of God’s Church Denomination stopped to listen, afterward one of them began asking questions and later both these men went with us for private studies back in our room.

Looking at log book I kept of that trip: “We took the two men to our room and kept Ezekiel’s car with us. At 8:00 we sat down to study, using James Cope’s tract “The One True Church.” We went through the points. About midnight the men said they were ready to be baptized into the body of Christ. Bob went for E.J. Ebong and E.A. Ufot. Upon their return we went to the stream and at 1:00 that morning we baptized them into Christ.” Those two were: Etim Abidiak and Johnson Obot. Abidiak was the District Overseer in God’s Church in that section of Nigeria. He was the “head man” in charge of a district convention in progress in Uyo that week. He and his friend were going into town to get something, when they passed by our little meeting and saw a “white man” preaching. He told his friend, “Let’s stop and put this white man to shame.”

At 7:00 that morning we went by Abibiak’s house, for he wanted to accompany us to AbA where we began our next series of classes. E.J. Ebong and E. Ekanem were there to encourage us and all the preachers from the Aba area who had gathered. We talked with Ebong about studying with Abidiak and Johnson, which he, E.A. Ufot and brother A.E. Ituen did. Actually, that was the first year of the Preacher Training classes that Ebong had arranged and helped to teach in the Uyo area. This became an annual thing  classes several hours a day, five days a week, for six months. He had already arranged the Preacher Training Classes for 1997 and my last two letters from him were about the 22 men who have been accepted to study in these classes. For all of these years we have helped raise support for the men in these classes, a thing for which brother Ebong was most grateful. The book, A Study Of Authority, which we had written in 1971, and which by request we had taught in all those classes with the preachers, brother Ebong asked to print in the Efik language. Such was granted and he translated that book into his native tongue, along with two other Bible study books, Unity In The Local Church and True Worship.

We returned to Nigeria in 1976, at the invitation of Ebong, Akinyemi, and Majek. This time Bob West was unable to go, and my good friend of many years, Lowell Blasingame, accompanied me. I knew he would love that work and the Nigerian people. And I was right. (Lowell made four more trips to Nigeria, and was a dear friend of E.J. Ebong.)

We arrived in Uyo January 19, and were taken to Ebong’s house. There we were welcomed by Ebong, Etim Abidiak, S.H. Equere, and E.A. Ufot, and where we enjoyed a delicious meal. From January 20 to 31 we stayed at Ebong’s house. He and his family were up at 4:30 each morning and at the 5:00 prayer meeting Lowell and I accompanied them several times.

My Last Time To See Ebong

My last time to see Ebong was at the close of the meetings in Uyo. It was January 31,1976. Up at 4:30, prayer meeting at Uyo Town building, Ebong went with us to “chop” that morning and when we returned to his house many preachers had gathered to bid us goodbye. I told them “we may never see you again in this life,” and saying goodbye was sad. From my “log book” of the trip: “The preachers presented us with gifts: a carving of a dove (symbol of peace and love), a leather book cover, and a walking stick with native carving, saying `when you get old and have to walk with a stick, remember us.’ Saying farewell was a heart touching moment. These men really appreciate what we do among them and for them. Then I shook hands and said goodbye to each of them, going around the room. I will long remember the day.” In the intervening 21 years Ebong and I have corresponded on a monthly basis. He has headed up the annual “Preachers Training Program.” He was a most humble man, so grateful to be a part of the church of our Lord and to be able to preach the gospel to others and to train men, who continue to preach the word.

Heaven only knows how many hundreds and thousands of souls he has taught. How we thrilled when we heard him tell of the scene when over a thousand souls were baptized in one day! He was there! We shall never forget him! When we “get old and have to walk with a stick” we shall indeed remember E.J. Ebong and the other grand soldiers of the cross with whom we worked in Nigeria, West Africa. May his soul rest in peace, comforted in Abraham’s bosom, until that great and glorious day of the coming of our Lord! And may we be together in that heavenly kingdom!

Ebong Family In Distress

Today, January 27, I had a call from Sam Essiet, of New Jersey, who talked with the Ebong family this morning and learned that the funeral has been set for February 8. Brother Essiet explained that because of the “tradition” in Nigeria, Ebong’s family will be in a very great financial need. Ebong was a very well known and very much liked man. Hundreds and thousands will visit the family for the funeral and their custom is this: the family is expected to entertain visitors. The cost of the funeral is so great, because of inflation in Nigeria. Brother Essiet estimated the total cost to be $3,000 to $4,000, which the family does not have. Emmanuel, a son who preaches in Lagos, Nigeria, was going to sell his car in order to pay for all this, but Essiet and others dissuaded him, for this would greatly hinder his work in Lagos.

Ebong was known to many brethren in the U.S. This is the time when all of us who knew and loved him and his work can come to the aid of his family. If you want to help with this, you may send a check to E.J. Ebong, c/o Billy Moore, Rt. 1, Box 237, Adrian, MO 64720 and it will be deposited into his account in a Butler, MO bank.

Guardian of Truth XLI: 7 p. 7-9
April 3, 1997