Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

Living in an age when many people who profess to be religious choose not to affiliate with any church, one might be inclined to accept the view that the church is unimportant. Indeed, many religious leaders teach that one can be saved without being a member of any church. Unsurprisingly, many are choosing to do just that — to have a salvation experience without ever being identified with any church. This makes the church a relatively unimportant and unessential organization.

The Church in Ephesians

In some respects, the book of Ephesians has the most extensive comments about the church that one can find in the Bible. Let us look at some of the statements made in this book:

1. The church is the fulness of God. As the book opens, Paul gives praise to God for the salvation he wrought in Christ Jesus our Lord. He concludes the chapter by describing Jesus’ glorified position:

. . . And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all (Eph. 1:23).

This statement emphasizes that the church is not an afterthought in God’s eternal scheme. Later in the letter, Paul ties the church to God’s eternal purpose in Christ Jesus: “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:9-11).

In the phrase, “the fulness of him that filleth all in all” one sees the church  as the consummation of God’s work through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The gospels of Christ confirm this understanding of the church. Using the figure of the church as the “kingdom” of God (see Matt. 16:18-19), the gospels open with an announcement that the time has come for the establishment of the Lord’s kingdom. John the Baptist preached, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). When Jesus began his public ministry, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). When the apostles were sent out on the limited commission, they were told to “preach the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:2). 

Recognizing that the church is a part of God’s eternal purpose in Christ Jesus and that it is the kingdom of  God on earth, one sees that the church is not an afterthought of God. The church was not established because the Jews rejected Jesus as their king. Quite the contrary, the church is the consummation of God’s eternal plan through Christ Jesus. That being the case, the church is not an unimportant spiritual institution one may or may not choose to join.

2. The church is the saved of God. The second thing one notices about the church is what it is. Sometimes men understand the church to be a building, an organization of local churches in a particular denomination, or a mystical institution composedof all of the churches in the world. It is none of these. The word church is used in two senses in the Scriptures: (a) To include all of the saved people in the world and (b) To describe those saved people in a given locality who choose to work together in a local fellowship. 

Looking at the first use of the word, one sees that one cannot be saved without being a member of the Lord’s church. In Ephesians 2:16-17 Paul wrote, “And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.” This passage emphasizes several important truths: (a) Reconciliation to God occurs in the body of Christ, a synonym for the church (see Eph. 1:22-23). Therefore, one cannot be reconciled to God without being a member of the church. (b) All men are reconciled to God in one body. The context of Ephesians 2 is that both Jew and Gentile are reconciled to God in the one body, the church. Paul found no room in the first century for two churches — one fitted for Gentiles and another fitted for Jews. Rather, all men are reconciled to God in one body. (c) Men are reconciled to God in one body by the cross. One’s salvation by the cross involves his being a member of the church.

Later in Ephesians, Paul describes what God has done for the church. Writing in Ephesians 5:23-31, Paul states the following about the church:

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body (Eph. 5:23).

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish (Eph. 5:25-27).

Jesus is the “saviour of the body.” Hence, if one wishes to be saved, he must be a part of the body that Jesus saves, which is his church. Jesus “gave himself for” the church. If one is going to benefit from the shed blood of Christ, he must be a member of his church. Those who are in his church are washed clean by his blood; they are a “glorious church, not having spot of wrinkle,” not because they have never sinned, but because their sins have been washed away in the blood of the Lamb of God. Consequently, those in the church are “holy and without blemish.” The church is all of the saved people of the world. Those who are not in the church do not benefit from the blood of Christ.

Looking at the second use of the word church, to describe a fellowship of saints in a given locality who are working together to accomplish the revealed will of God, one notices that Christ expects his saints to be affiliated with a local church. Saints are taught not to forsake the assemblying of the local church (Heb. 10:25), to give money to support the work of the local church (1 Cor. 16:1-2; 2 Cor. 9:6-9), and to assemble each Sunday to remember the Lord’s death in partaking of the Lord’s supper (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:17-34). When first century saints moved from town to town, they sought to identify themselves with the local saints (Acts 9:26; Rom. 16:1-2). We do not read of saints being “members at large,” that is being a part of the “saved,” but not affiliated with a local church.

3. There is one church. A culture that accepts that there are literally thousands of different denominations is surprised to learn that, in the New Testament, there was but one church. There were many different religions in the first century. The pagans had temples that gave homage to many deities — Zeus, Hermes, Diana, and hundreds of others. The Jews worshiped in the Temple at Jerusalem but were divided into various sects, such as Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Herodians, and perhaps others. But one could not be saved in any of these religions. He had to believe in Christ Jesus for salvation, so says the Scriptures:

I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins (John 8:24).

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6).

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

If one is not a member of Christ’s church, he cannot be saved. And, Christ has only one church. He promised to build his church (Matt. 16:18), not “churches.” Jews and Gentiles are both reconciled to God “in one body” (Eph. 2:16). After identifying Jesus’ body as his church, Paul said, “There is one body” (Eph. 4:4). The numeral “one” means more than none and less than two!

What is expressly stated, that there is but one church, is confirmed by Paul’s illustration. Paul wrote of Jesus’ spiritual headship after his ascension saying, “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:21-23). Jesus is the head of the body. No head is attached to more than more one body, as would be the case were Jesus head of hundreds of churches or denominations. Nor is there a body with more than one head, as would be case if both Jesus and the pope, a president, a synod, or council were heads of any given denomination. There is but one body or church and that body has but one head, Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Inasmuch as the church is composed of those saved through the blood of Christ, one should understand that whatever are the conditions for salvation are the conditions for membership in the Lord’s church. When one is saved from his sins, he is added to the church by the Lord (Acts 2:47). When one believes in Christ, repents of his sins, confesses his faith in Christ, and is baptized in water for the remission of his sins, he is cleansed of his sins by the blood of Christ and added to the Lord’s church — those people who have been saved by Jesus Christ. A person cannot join the church in this sense, for only the Lord can add him to the church. One who has obeyed the gospel unto salvation needs to affiliate himself with others in his area who have done the same thing. In this sense, he joins himself to a local church — a group of Christians who have been saved by the blood of Christ who and have agreed to pool their resources in order to work together under common oversight (cf. Acts 9:26). 

One who lives outside the fellowship of the church is seeking to do something other than God’s determinate will. The church exists, not because some men think it is a good thing, but because the Lord willed it to be established and  providentially oversees its continued existence. Are you a member of the Lord’s church? In our next lesson, we will study the identifying marks of the Lord’s church.

6567 Kings Ct., Avon, Indiana 46123 mikewillis1@compuserve.com

By Jerry Falk

The country of Spain is located south of France and north of Morocco (Africa), its only neighbor on the Iberian Peninsula being Portugal. Spain is practically the same size as California and Indiana combined, making it Europe’s third largest country. Its Mediterranean climate, similar to that of the Bible Lands, nurtures olives, figs, oranges, lemons, and grapes. With dry summers and mild winters, Spain has become one of the world’s most popular vacation attractions, receiving over sixty million visitors annually. (That’s twenty million more than its total population!)

Most people seem to take for granted that Spaniards speak Spanish, but at least four languages are spoken on the peninsula. Castilian is the official language of the country, “with Catalan, Galician, and Basque also spoken in their respective regions” (The Cambridge Factfinder  316). Castilian Spanish is the same language spoken by many North, Central, and South Americans, not to mention Cubans, Dominicans, and other inhabitants of the West Indies. The differences between Castilian Spanish spoken in Spain and that of the regions mentioned above can be likened to the linguistic peculiarities encountered between the British and native English speakers of the United States.

Ninety-nine percent of Spaniards are Roman Catholic (ibid.); however, this figure drops significantly when taking into account only those who actually practice what they claim to believe. The religion of the majority, in my mind, is adequately represented by an unfinished church building in Barcelona known as “La Sagrada Familia” (The Sacred Family). Its majestic, ornate spires tower above the city, but they are empty on the inside. Similarly, for many Spaniards, Catholicism is a time for flamboyant religious parades, popcorn, cotton candy, balloons, drinking, and dancing . . . but when the party’s over, the emptiness remains. It kind of reminds me of Jesus’ analogy of the scribes’ and Pharisees’ “house” (i.e. their lives) which was “swept and put in order” but at the same time was left “unoccupied” (Matt. 12:43-45, NASB). Just as in Jesus’ day, superficial devotion to God leaves the “house” of many devoid of true spiritual life.

Many Spaniards have turned to a mixture of Catholicism and superstition. For example, almost every restaurant in Spain has an image of “Saint Pancracio” near the cash register. It is believed that regular offerings of fresh parsley to this idol will bring money to the business. Others rely on the powers of “white magic” (a mixture of incantations, potions, and Catholicism) for everything from bringing good fortune to one’s home to finding a new romance. Drawing people’s attention from these worldly and fanciful enticements to the true religion of Christ has proven to be a very difficult task indeed . . . difficult but not impossible!

In fact, in the past twelve years or so, a handful of souls in Spain have been able to see through the empty pageantry and place their trust solely in God’s written word. These individuals are now members of faithful churches of Christ in Badalona (Barcelona), Tarragona, Seville, Dos Hermanas, and Tenerife (Canary Islands). Aided by providence and a new Spanish Constitution ratified in 1978, Christians now enjoy the government’s assurance of “free religious expression and the right to assemble and worship.” This is a wonderful blessing, especially considering the fact that up until only twenty-five years ago “an estimated 80 percent of (non-Catholic) churches closed by force under General Francisco Franco’s 36-year regime” (Christianity Today, 10/7/96). After hundreds of years of being literally forced to acknowledge the Catholic Church as Christ’s one true body, Spaniards can finally make up their own minds with respect to religious preference.

The establishment of faithful churches of Christ in Spain can be traced back to the efforts of brothers Wayne Partain, Bill Reeves, Efrain Perez, John Pate, and others. Many of the first contacts made were originally members of “churches of Christ” that had come under an ultra-liberal influence unparalleled among institutional churches in the United States. In the late 1980s and early 90s, some of these contacts began to recognize that they had overstepped the boundaries of biblical authority and, as a result of their efforts and those of the brethren mentioned above, several faithful churches were established. Since then, others (former Catholics and Evangelicals) have been added to their number.

Perhaps a brief history of a few of the faithful congregations in Spain will help you to become more familiar with the work in this country.

Badalona (Barcelona). When Efrain Perez (from Chile) moved to Spain in 1989, he was received almost unanimously by the brethren in Badalona. (Other “churches of Christ” at this time had become wrapped up in a Protestant ecumenical movement, headed by Juan Monroy, a contact made by institutional brethren during the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. Monroy is Herald of Truth’s representative to Spain and president of the “FEREDE” (Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities of Spain). As these churches began to maintain fellowship with the non-Catholic denominations of Spain, the distinguishing marks of New Testament Christianity were grievously altered. Many members of these congregations now regard themselves as “Evangelicals” and in the worship services of some of these churches you can find instrumental music, women leading prayers, tithing, and other errors associated with mainstream Protestantism. The most destructive consequence of this movement is the adoption of the Evangelical practice of baptizing people for a “public testimony” and not for the forgiveness of sins. Unbelievable, but true! Before brother Perez’s arrival, the church in Badalona had refused to participate in this apostasy, making his job of teaching them somewhat easier. By the time he returned to his native Chile in 1998, more than twenty souls had been added to their number and several had been trained to preach. Brother Perez was also instrumental in drawing up the legal paperwork necessary for me to acquire a Spanish residency card, by means of which I would be able to preach the gospel in Barcelona from 1989-1992. The church in Badalona now numbers about thirty in attendance, with brothers Juan Gimenez and Jose Pinto doing most of the preaching and teaching.

Tenerife (Canary Islands). In 1991, brother Perez traveled to Las Palmas of Gran Canaria, one of several Spanish-owned islands off the northwest coast of Africa, with the hope of teaching a few contacts. When his efforts failed to bear fruit, he flew to the island of Tenerife to visit the mother of one of the members of the church in Badalona. As a result, eleven people were baptized! The church now numbers about eighteen in attendance.

Seville. Around this time, John Pate (from Newnan, Georgia) decided to move to Seville with his wife and daughter in order to teach his wife’s sister’s family. Since my arrival in 1992, about thirty people have obeyed the gospel, about half of which continue to fight the good fight. Perhaps one of the most encouraging and steadfast members of this congregation is Enrique Gallardo. Enrique is 65 years old and had been a “Jehovah’s Witness” for almost eight years. He and another brother by the name of Jorge Sanchez are tireless personal workers who also help me at least once a month by presenting sermons.

Dos Hermanas. In 1989, two men from this city just nine miles south of Seville asked the “pastor” of an ultra-liberal “church of Christ” if he could recommend material that would help them in their personal Bible study. Amazingly enough, he told them about brother Wayne Partain’s excellent commentaries and sermon notes. Correspondence with brother Partain and their investigation of the Scriptures led them to believe that they were in error. Several months after Bill Reeves, John Pate, and I visited and studied with these men in 1992, about eleven individuals broke ties with the liberal church and started meeting on their own. They now number about 35 in attendance, with brothers Juan Garcia, Miguel Lopez, Pablo Lorenzo, and myself doing the preaching and teaching.

jerryfalk63@hotmail.com

By John Humphries

India is a nation of one billion people and is expected to exceed China in population in about 20 years. The land area is about one-third the size of the continuous 48 states of these United States. The climate is considered tropical to sub-tropical in most of the nation. However, across the northern borders of the nation extend the towering Himalayas with their snow-covered peaks. To the east, lies the East Bay of Bengal. To the west is the Arabian Sea. To the south of India is the island nation of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. 

India is a country with 23 states and seven Union Territories. For the most part, each state is divided along linguistic lines. For example, Telugu is the main language spoken in Andhra Pradesh, a large state in southern India. Thus, India is a nation of many languages and dialects. Each state, along with its dominant language, will also have many different dialects that are spoken by the tribal people within its borders. This is why visitors must use translators when going into the many villages to preach to the people. While English is spoken widely in the cities of India, Hindi is the national language even though many Indians do not speak it (especially in Tamil Nadu State). Most educated Indians will speak several languages including English, as there are many English medium schools in the cities of India.    

The prominent religion in India is Hindu with 84% of the population professing one form or another of Hinduism. There is also a large minority of Moslems (12%) in India, giving India the largest population of Moslems in the world except for Indonesia. A number of other religions (including Christianity) make up the remaining four percent of the population. In South India, there are more than 450 churches of Christ (conservative), ranging in size from several families to more than three hundred and fifty members in the larger congregations. Nearly 400 Indian preachers are working with these congregations. The combined membership in the congregations is estimated to be at least 42,000. However, no man has the exact count of the faithful (2 Tim. 2:19). It is obvious that we have barely touched the hem of the garment in gospel work among the Indian people. 

India will only permit visitor or tourist visa status to those of us who wish to visit India and work with our brethren there in the gospel. They will not allow any “missionaries” to come for extended periods of time. In fact, some of the political parties in India would ban all non-Hindu religious activity completely if they could have their way. Thankfully, they are in the minority at this time. The attitude of these ultra-conservatives is that India is Hindu and Hinduism is India — and no one else is welcome in India. There are violent, bloody clashes with Moslems periodically with these radical Hindu factions. It is also true that these Hindu radicals have killed an alarming number of denominational people in recent months. “Anyone who kills cows and eats them deserves to die,” is what some fanatical Hindus say to justify killing believers in Christ. Again, thankfully, this fanaticism does not reflect the thinking of most Hindus who are generally very tolerant of other religions. In fact, a large percentage of Indians are very interested in hearing what we have to say about God and Christ.

I have been going to India since 1976 and have seen the church grow tremendously over the past 24 years. Our approach is to have preacher training classes for one week with 20 to 40 preachers. We select a location and invite the preachers from nearby villages/cities to come for all day classes, attending Monday through Friday. We teach books of the Bible and also many different topical studies. In the evenings we preach gospel sermons in nearby places. The week will, therefore, be quite full. Then, we will travel to another centrally located spot and repeat the procedure for the preachers in that area. In our last trip to India (mid-September to early November 2000), we taught well over 200 preachers in our classes and baptized 369 people as a result of the evening gospel meetings. Large crowds will assemble and listen to the preaching.

Several generations ago in the USA, it was not unusual for some of our pioneer preachers to preach gospel meetings and baptize several dozen people. That is the way it is at the present time in India. They are about 75-100 years behind us in their response to gospel meetings. However, India may not remain as responsive to the gospel as she is now as materialism, worldliness, and other factors continue to come into play. I have seen a lot of change (more and more materialism, immorality, and an increase in the divorce rate) in the 24 years that I have been going there. However, for now, India is very responsive to the gospel. 

We (several gospel preachers) also have written gospel tracts for India and have had them translated into some of the Indian languages. There are over a dozen of these tracts that have been printed in India over a period of years. We try to print them in 5,000 and 10,000 lots per tract. We have, therefore, printed many hundreds of thousands of gospel tracts and distributed them through the Indian brethren to the people. Just over the past ten years alone, we have printed over a million copies of gospel tracts. This is a very important part of our gospel work as the tracts continue to teach when we leave India to come home.

Another important work that we do is providing Bibles for the poor saints in India. We purchase Bibles in the language of the brethren so that they will have a copy of the word of God. Many of our brethren are daily wage people (cf. Matt. 20:1ff.) and simply cannot afford to purchase a Bible. We are able to obtain inexpensive Bibles (about 80 cents each) for them. Separate from this effort is our work of printing a Telugu language New Testament (10,000 copies). We have previously printed 10,000 copies and they have been given out to brethren and those with whom they are studying. During each trip we print songbooks for the brethren to use in their worship to God. Some of the Indian preachers publish a monthly gospel magazine that is useful in teaching the people. Other preachers publish this on a quarterly basis as they have the funds available. 

We are not attempting to get involved in a big support raising effort for Indian preachers. However, for those interested, an Indian preacher can adequately provide for his family for $35 a month in the villages. Those in the cities have far greater expenses to deal with and would need $100 or more depending upon the city and their family circumstances. It is unwise for brethren to respond to letters from India requesting financial help without checking with those of us who know something of the Indian culture and the brethren there.

There is a need for faithful, young gospel preachers who love God and people to get involved with the gospel work in India. Some of us are not getting any younger, and we would like to have some dedicated young gospel preachers who are willing to follow up year after year in these India efforts. In other words, we need some who are willing to continue to go each year (or every other year at least) for six weeks or so at a time and become acquainted with the brethren, learn the culture, and further develop the work there. By the way, churches (elders) need to see the value and importance in sending preachers (including their own) to India for gospel work. Churches see the value of gospel meetings each year. Indian brethren also need this.

It is also highly important that one not go alone, especially for the first time. The Lord sent his disciples out two by two for a number of good reasons. The culture and conditions in India are unlike anything we know in this country. Some from the western culture have experienced cultural shock when they have landed in India. We need to go with some one who will be an encouragement to us in a difficult, strange environment. One really needs to talk with those of us who have experienced India before undertaking the trip. It would be even better to go with some of us for the first time. We can help to avoid painful mistakes that first timers might make if they were on their own. There are important cultural and social matters in India that must be respected by those of us from the west (1 Cor. 9:22). For those interested in going, we can guide them through the entire process from preparation to go to their return home. 

There are many nations on this earth and all of them need the gospel. We are aware of this and know of many good brethren who are sacrificing (going and/or sending) in order to preach the gospel in those places. Please remember, however, that “into all the world” certainly includes  India! I will be happy to answer any questions concerning the gospel work in India. We can use all of the help that we can get!

I do not know who wrote the following words, but they are to the point. 

    The sob of a thousand million of poor lost souls sounds in my ear and moves my heart: 
    And I try to measure, as God helps me, something of their darkness, 
    Something of their blank misery, something of their despair.     
    Oh, think of these needs! I say again, they are ocean depths: 
    And beloved, in my Master’s Name, I want you to measure them, 
    I want you to think earnestly about them, I want you to look at them until they appall you, 
    Until you cannot sleep, until you cannot criticize. 
    Let their desperate plight so grip your heart, that you will pray, that you will give sacrificially, 
    That you will say, “Here am I; Lord, send me.”          

8705 Wooded Glen Rd., Louisville, Kentucky 40220

By Tom M. Roberts

Preface

Many Christians know the ache of David’s heart when he wept for his rebellious son, saying: “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son!” (2 Sam. 18:33). David went aside by himself and wept bitter tears.

Many Christians know the bitterness of such tears — the helplessness that David must have felt — the burden of regret and sorrow. One of the most terrible feelings known to Christians is that which is felt when a beloved son or daughter turns their back on Christ and becomes unfaithful. There are no words adequate to describe the broken hearts.

This series of “letters” will describe some of the feelings that parents have when children reject God. No one family is described; rather a composite family drawn from many experiences is projected. It is hoped that parents will use these articles to open the door of young people’s hearts to the tender love of Christ and remind them of their parents’ love. They are also an appeal to our young people who have forgotten the most important lesson they will ever learn, “Love God and keep his commandments.”

We urge you to use these letters to reach out to your wayward children as gentle reminders that the only true happiness is found in service to God. It is our prayer that even one might be restored as was the prodigal son in Luke 15: “This my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”

The First Letter 
Unto Us a Child Is Born

My dear child,
I don’t know if you will ever see this or read it, but there is such a burden on my heart that I must attempt to put it into words.

Some time has passed since you have worshiped faithfully and you no longer seem to care about God and his will. The Lord’s church does not seem to be important to you, and with the passing months your interest in spiritual matters seems to grow ever more cold. As we think on these things, your mother and I are filled with a sense of sorrow that is more than we can express. You are the most precious thing in this life to us and we know we are losing you to Satan. Will you take the time to read this letter that is written with a love that forces us to speak, even when hope is weak?

How can we tell you how we felt when you were born? It seems ridiculous now to think of you as ever being so tiny and helpless when you have grown so tall and are making your own way in the world as an adult. Yet, there you were, just born and we held you with such love and tenderness, for you seemed so fragile. At that time we could never imagine the years would pass so quickly. All those old folks’ stories about time going so fast are really true. It seems like yesterday to us that you were sent to us from heaven.

There was such a mixture of emotions when we first saw you! You were a person, yet an extension of ourselves. We were awed when we realized that you were sent into our keeping from God to shape and mold and we had such good intentions. Believe me, you were really loved and tenderly cared for. We wanted to be such good parents!

Somewhere between that blessed event and today some terrible mistakes were made. I suppose there is enough guilt to pass around to everyone: ourselves, you, society, the schools, the church. But I can only speak for myself when I say that I feel a terrible burden of failure when I see you turn your back on God. I am responsible for what I did!

And for what I failed to do? Does it help at all to say that everything I did had good intentions behind it? All along the way I assumed that you would know this and overlook my mistakes because I loved you and wanted you to be the very best that you could be. Most important of all, I assumed that you would want to be a Christian. And this is our biggest failure of all.

I remember teaching you to sing “Jesus Loves Me” at home. You really enjoyed singing when you were young. You toddled off to Bible classes and brought us the work sheets when you learned to print “Jesus loves me” by yourself. Do you remember any of this? What are your earliest recollections of life? We tried so hard to plant a love of God along with visits to the zoo and playing in the water and working in the yard. Do you remember your first prayers at the dinner table? Do you remember playing with the children of other Christians and the enjoyable visits we had with our good friends in the church? These were good times and we truly were happy as we watched you grow. These memories seem so bittersweet now that things have changed so much. It is true that we cannot go back to these times, but just the memory of them means so much to us. I wish I could know how much of these things you remember. I wish I could know if such memories mean the same to you or if you have shelved them away somewhere.

Since I cannot say all that I want to say now, I will write you again. As I close this letter, I want to ask a favor of you. Will you search your memory to see how much God was a part of your early life? Wasn’t he more than just “going to church,” or “getting your Bible study lesson”? Didn’t you truly love God when you were young? We thought you did and we were so proud of you. In those years you were all that we hoped you would be. We thanked God for you and for the pleasure you brought to us. It is our prayer that you may recall those early memories of the love you had for God and think about it until you hear again from,

Your Loving Dad

Second Letter 
Our Child Is Reborn

My dear child,
Memories and emotions are such powerful forces. When I wrote to you the last time, I mentioned a part of my memories of your childhood. I don’t know how that affected you, but it had a tremendous effect on me. Just speaking of these things intensifies my desire to see you restored to the fellowship of God. You were so happy then and I wish for you this same happiness once more.

Indulge me just a little more and see if you can remember when you were baptized. Since religion is no more an important part of your life, I am interested if you recall the sincerity with which you expressed a desire to me to obey your Lord by being baptized. I remember talking with you since you were a little young, I thought. You reminded me that people were taught to be baptized when they knew they were sinners and that you knew you had done things that were wrong and believed that you were lost. You said that you wanted to go to heaven when you died and knew baptism to be right. Your mother and I realized that this had to be your decision and were proud of you. We have the date marked down somewhere. It is printed indelibly in our minds. But can you remember your feelings then? Surely you must have loved God and had faith in him at that moment in your life. You were not pressured into being baptized; it had never been a matter of force. You came seeking to do God’s will and seemed to do it gladly. I am wondering what importance you put on this event now. It was a great event for us then, and it remains so to this day. For us, it meant that you were a part of the kingdom of Christ, a member of his church. Your sins were washed away and as much as anything, it seemed that you were taking the initiative in living right. No one pushed you into baptism; it was something you wanted to do. Do you have any regrets about it now? If you had it to do over again, would you be so eager to be right with God?

Can you imagine how your mother and I felt when you served us the Lord’s supper the first time as you “waited on the table”? You seemed so small up in front of the congregation with the grown men and you were nervous. You were afraid you would drop the plates, remember? But I knew you could do it and you did. You were dressed so neatly in your suit and were so sincere in doing everything right that I wanted to burst with happiness. Even as a young teenager, you were everything that we wanted you to be. Sure, we had discipline problems with you . . . you were a boy, weren’t you? We had some disappointments along the way, but the total of your life was good and decent and right. We never missed worship services. We never missed gospel meetings. You even led singing in some of the training classes and in the assembly a number of times. You led prayers and led the prayer at the table at home. Did we ever tell you how proud we were? Maybe this was the beginning of some major mistakes. We assumed you knew how we felt and how proud we were. If we failed in this, please accept our apology. We just knew that you understood how we felt. But maybe we took this too much for granted.

I feel also that I was too busy with work during this time and didn’t spend enough time with you in everyday things. We were together in the evenings and on weekends as we worshiped together, but maybe I should have gone fishing with you more or showed you how to use tools . . . just anything to keep a close relationship. Because it was somewhere along these early teenage years that you must have begun to develop an interest outside the home and church that has made such a change in your values. I have spent many hours looking back, trying to analyze just where I could have used more wisdom, could have spent more time with you. It bothered me when you began to have  friends outside the church more and more, but I thought this would be a passing thing. You had always done what was right before and I believed you would keep on doing what was right. But, if I can put my finger on a period in your life when you began to change, it is right here. Your interest turned away form home and the church as you began to make friends in the world.

When I write to you again, I would like to talk to you about the beginning of troubles at home with you. I do not bring these up to stir old animosities but to analyze, to search, to seek for answers. I still see in you the possibility of right living. I still hope for you a heavenly home. So please bear with me as I speak of things that are painful to both of us. Sometimes a bitter dose of medicine can bring about a wonderful healing. If opening my heart to you, however painful it may be, can help bring you closer to God, it is well worth it.

May God grant you life and health both here and hereafter.

Lovingly,
Dad

Third Letter 

Our Child Is Dead

As I closed my last letter to you, I mentioned that we would discuss some things that were painful to us. I speak especially of myself. Writing to you like this does open some memories that were better buried. Up until now I have mentioned the pride that I felt in you, the joy you brought your mother and me and the anticipation that you would continue to do the same as you grew older. I don’t know how you feel about some of the things I will mention but as I put them into words, I wonder at how life changed for us.

As you know, my father is not a Christian. As far back as I can know, none of my people on my father’s side were Christians. So when I learned the truth and determined to live right, I hoped to establish a new order of things from myself into the future with this family. Being right with God is so good! It explains so many things in this world and lifts our eyes to life everlasting. It is such a joy to be a Christian that it destroys me to know you don’t have this conviction. If I fail to pass along this faith in Christ to you and to your sons and daughters after you, I will have failed miserably in the most important thing in this life Can you imagine the intensity of this feeling in me? Can you realize how it saddens me to see you unconcerned about eternal life? Do you understand how much I feel a failure if you do not see the beauty of Christ and his truth?

When I first learned that you drank beer, I cried. Oh, you denied it but we both knew you were lying. You had been slipping around for some time and smoking. And you had friends that you would not bring home with you. I’m sure that it was because you knew they would not fit into your lifestyle and would be uncomfortable. Remember the discussions we had about how late you could stay out at night? Even now I cringe when I think of the bitter words that have been exchanged between us. I felt that you had rebelled against our values and you felt that we were being too strict. We still stand somewhere at odds on this issue.

I find a great deal of resentment in me against modern music and the role it has played in alienating the youth in this country from good morals. I feel that this one thing, immoral and rebellion-instilling music, became the encouragement you needed to overcome the values you were taught as a child. In the lyrics of the music, as well as the all-pervading beat of the unrestricted license it preaches, you found an ally that did not restrict, did not hold back. In fact, it actually encouraged you to “do your own thing,” to “let yourself go.”

It was during this time that you almost did not finish school and did so only because we forced you to go. It was during this time that I became aware of the fact that you expressed resentment against “going to church.” It was during this time that I became aware of the fact that you resented me and any restrictions placed on your actions: what you did, where you went, and who you were with. Long hair became a symbol of your frustration and identified you with the crowd. Drugs became a constant fear to parents around the country. I don’t know to this day how much they figured in your alienation from us and I don’t care to know. That all of this formed a pattern of rejection of God is evident. Of course, some children went too far and were killed. Some ruined their minds. We are thankful that such was never true with you. But these things, all added together, created a life-style so different from that in which you were raised that it still makes me dizzy to think about it. How could such have happened? What could I have done differently to help you avoid being caught in this ungodly environment? How much of it do you see in its true light even now?

The Bible teaches that there is a way that is right and cannot be wrong. This way is the way of truth and holiness. Look around you at the marriages that are ruined by divorce, lives that are destroyed by alcohol and drugs, hopes that are destroyed by sin, and souls that are turned away from God. Is this the way you have been taught? Is this the way you have been brought up? Isn’t there a better life than that which you see about you in the world and among the friends you have chosen?

You have told us that people in the church have insulted you and that some of them are hypocrites and that some of them are a little abnormal about the world we live in. I won’t argue that point. I have known some of this in my life too. I have been insulted, have known hypocrites, and have seen some abnormal people — even a little weird, maybe. But I find these at the supermarket (and I have been insulted there), and I find these everywhere I shop. But I have also learned that there are good people in the church. Honest, God-fearing, loving, hard-working people who love one another unselfishly. I know a bunch of Christians who make mistakes. I am one of them. But look at the alternative. What if everyone drank, smoked pot, had no morals, and did only what brought them physical pleasure? What kind of world would this be?

I’ve been true to my word. I’ve talked of things that are painful. But in doing so, I wanted to try to picture two lifestyles. Both of them are filled with error. The difference between the man in the world and the man in the church is that we who are trying to be Christians are trying to learn from our mistakes, to get forgiveness for them, and to do better in the future. One lifestyle has pleasure in this world as its only goal. The lifestyle of the Christian has heaven as its goal. This is not to say that Christians have no pleasure here, but that our pleasure brings no regrets and no hang-overs.

One final word before closing this letter. No hypocrite in the church is going to keep me away from Jesus. After all, he wasn’t a hypocrite and he is the one I serve. And the one I hope you will start to serve again.

With all my love,
Dad