Truth Magazine

By Lewis Willis

Just before the holidays last December, I got into “a reading mode.” I was about to do some flying, and I don’t “just sit” very well on an airplane. So, I read. I finished one book on the trip and started another. By then I was back home, but nothing on television interested me, so I kept buying books and reading them. Even sports did not attract my attention. (I guess I have tired of seeing the latest episode where a famous, wealthy athlete decides he can commit a crime and everyone will accept it because of who he is.) So, I have continued to read in my spare time. 

I have frequently been amused by the comments and commentary of a CBS 60 Minutes contributor named Andy Rooney. Much of what he says has been enjoyable. Therefore, I was anxious to read his new book, Sincerely, Andy Rooney, which Joyce recently purchased for me. The book is a collection of letters he has written to friends and to people who have written to him, about newspaper and television pieces he has authored through the years. I enjoyed the book until I came to the next to last letter he wrote; a letter he had written in 1989 to his four children on the subject of God and religion.

Now, I want to be careful what I say here, so I shall not quote his copyrighted statements in the slim possibility he might accidentally see what I am about to write. Several of his letters in the book concerned things like this article written in response to his writings, in which he threatened lawsuits. I certainly don’t want to get sued!

Let me just list some of the things Rooney thinks about God and religion:

• He wonders who created God.
• He believes religion is so popular because people are afraid of things they don’t know.
• He attributes war and its violence to religion, more than to anything else.
• He thinks God is a cousin of Santa Claus.
• He thinks religion is a hoax, resting on myths aimed at proving something which is not true. (Unfortunately, he failed to tell his readers how he knew it was not true, but being as smart as he is, he just has to be right!)
• He ridicules the idea that the Ten Commandments were given to Moses at a location unknown to Rooney called Sinai. After this profound announcement, he proclaims himself as Romania’s Queen!
• He wrote of things that existed before religion came along.
• He is of the view that religion is a trick people play on themselves, which they should realize to be nothing but a trick.
• Rooney does not believe that rational people could possibly believe in religion. Needless to say, Rooney regards himself as rational, but you couldn’t prove it by me!
• He believes man evolved by adapting himself to the earth. Not surprisingly, he forgot to tell us how that happened.
• Rooney thinks the Bible account of Adam and Eve is a myth which died with the arrival of Charles Darwin’s book, The Origin of Species. This sounded like rather wishful thinking to me, as in the fellow who whistles his way through the graveyard at night.
• He thinks he sees a retreat by theologians in the face of scientific proof that the earth is round instead of flat. I wonder where this fellow has been. I haven’t seen a need for retreat on this question, have you?
• Rooney told his children he thought the Bible, while a myth, has much good in it, though there are unexplained events and contradictions in it. Oh, thank you Mr. Rooney for telling us some of it is good! (By the way, who decreed that Rooney has to understand everything anyway?)
• He thinks Christ was a good man but that he had no relation to God. I suppose Rooney thinks he is the first to believe this. There were multitudes of unbelievers like him in the days of Jesus, just as there are today,  who also will be in hell (John 8:24).
• He thinks people who believe the Bible to be God’s Word are not thinking. Of course, Rooney is a thinker. If you don’t believe so, just ask him.
• He thinks worship must be offered to God in the belief that God lacks security and responds to such flattery.
• Rooney believes God and the Loch Ness monster have a lot in common.

Then, if all this were not bad enough, Rooney had the audacity to sign his letter to his children with “love.” There is no evidence of love for his children that I can see in what he wrote. He has done all he can with his ridicule of the Bible to prevent their obedience to the Lord’s commands. Only by obedience will his beloved children be saved (Heb. 5:9). Please, Lord, deliver this man’s children from his perverted “love!”

Rooney doesn’t understand religion, so he doesn’t believe in it. Interestingly, in his last letter in the book, he writes about a voyage he took to celebrate the 50th anniversary of D-Day. He crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Elizabeth II. He could not understand how something so big as that ship could float! Since Rooney does not believe in things he does not understand, I have to conclude he does not believe in ships! 

If you think you might want to read this infidel’s diatribe, please don’t buy the book! Just rent it from me. I’m trying to recoup the loss of Joyce’s money! 

491 E. Woodsdale, Akron, Ohio 44301

By Greg Groves

Jesus said in John 4:23, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” What does worshiping in spirit and truth entail?

First of all, to worship “in spirit” involves two things. First, it involves “spiritual worship.” In John 4:24, Jesus went on to say, “God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”  The word “spirit” stands in contrast to the external worship of the Old Testament.  In the Old Testament, the worship had to do with the external man, the physical. It consisted of a physical structure (the tabernacle), special clothing for the priests, lamp stands, burning of incense, instruments of music, and animal sacrifices. All of this had to do with the physical.

The New Testament worship has to do with the inward part of man, his spiritual makeup. All Christians are priests who offer up spiritual sacrifices (1 Pet. 2:5). Our prayers are as sweet incense rising up to God (Rev. 5:8). Our music is making melody in our hearts (Eph. 5:19).

Secondly, worshiping God “in spirit” involves worshiping with the right disposition. “In spirit” has to do with the condition of one’s mind when he worships. The worship of God must come from the heart, with genuine love for God. We need to make sure that our worship does not come from a desire to be noticed and praised by men. Jesus said that is what the scribes and Pharisees were doing in Matthew 23. They continued to comply with all the outward ordinances, but not for the right purpose. We need to make sure we have the right frame of mind in worship.

To worship God “in truth” means to worship God in accord with truth, as the truth directs. The truth (God’s word, John 17:17) is the only authority by which we can acceptably worship God. Many people stumble in their service to God because they are disobedient to the Word. Again, we use the Jews as a classic example of vain worship. In Matthew 15:7-9 Jesus said of them, “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, Saying: These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” They failed in both parts of true worship. When one worships with the traditions and doctrines of men, it is a hypocritical worship. If we truly loved God, we would not use the traditions and doctrines of men. We are only hypocrites when we claim otherwise.

The truth authorizes five items of worship assemblies.

• The Lord’s supper is to be observed every first day of the week in memory of the Lord’s death (1 Cor. 11:23-26, Acts 20:7).
• We are to give of our means as we have materially prospered (2 Cor. 9:7-14).
• Prayers are to be offered in praise and thanksgiving to God (1 Cor. 14:15).
• We are to glorify God in singing (Col. 3:16).
• The teaching of God’s Word is to be done (Acts 20:7).

All the sincerity in the world will not justify one act in religion unless truth is present. Why are there so many varying forms of worship today? Because people have taken liberty with God’s word. They have added their own wishes and desires rather than what God himself wants.

The Bible instructs us repeatedly to beware of men. In  Matthew 7:15, Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”

One of the saddest stories in the Bible is found in 1 Kings 13:15-24. God sent a young prophet to King Jeroboam with a message and God told the prophet not to eat bread or drink water in that land and not to return the same way he came. The prophet followed these commands until an older prophet told him a lie that God had told him it was all right for the young prophet to eat with him. The young prophet died, not because of wickedness or lack of sincerity, but by believing a lie.

Believing a lie has terrible consequences. We must realize that we can be deceived too and that we should always test what is said like the Bereans in Acts 17:11. Paul tells us to “test all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 5: 21). We need to read and study for ourselves instead of relying on someone else to spoon-feed us our beliefs.

We cannot judge a thing to be true just because a fellow man said it. The young prophet took the word of another man; a fellow prophet and it cost him his life. We need to realize that preachers can be wrong. Apollos stands as a good example of that. In Acts 18:24-26, we are told of Apollos that he was “an eloquent man and mighty in the scriptures.” He was “fervent in spirit” but “he knew only the baptism of John.” And Aquila and Priscilla heard him and took him aside and taught him “the way of God more accurately.” Despite the fact that Apollos was a good, if not great speaker, he had not been taught the whole truth of God’s word and had to be taught. Elders can be wrong also. Paul told the elders from the church in Ephesus, “Among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:30). That can still happen today just as it did then. Men have many differing ideas on what constitutes true worship. However, Jesus summed up true worship in one simple statement. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” Are you striving to be a true worshiper of God?

By Bobby Graham

In case you’re wondering, this article has nothing to do with Washington Irving’s fictional character Ichabod Crane, but it concerns the Ichabod in 1 Samuel 4:21. When Eli was judging Israel, the Philistines defeated God’s people and seized the ark of the covenant. In the same conflict the wicked sons of Eli who had besmirched his name were slain. Upon hearing of the defeat and the death of the sons, the ninety-eight year old Eli was undoubtedly shaken; but the Scriptures say that when he heard of the ark’s dislocation by the Philistines, he fell backward, broke his neck, and died. Eli’s daughter-in-law soon heard of the compounding bad news; in her condition of grief she gave birth to a son whom she named Ichabod.

She explained the name’s significance: “The glory is departed from Israel.” A nation once glorious in her relationship with God had now been brought low through the unfaithfulness of the people, priests, and priestly servants who despised the offerings of Jehovah, and a generally profane attitude toward the holy things of God. There was no glory in Israel for God’s people had left him, and God’s approval of his people had been withdrawn.

One needed observation relates to the wife of Phinehas, who named the child. Apparently she had some understanding of the will of God in some important matters that were of current concern. At a time when her own husband, his brother, Hophni, and her father-in-law, Eli, had recently manifested a lack of regard for the things of God, she knew where the glory resided. Both of the sons had sinned in fornication with the women who came to the Tabernacle and in the offerings mishandled. And Eli had failed to restrain them. It was evidently left for this wife of Phinehas to uphold the divine glory if it was to be done in this family. Based on her knowledge of what God had desired and her understanding that God had not been served, she declared in this child that “there is no glory.” May she be remembered and her faith in God and reverence for him recalled as a proper model for all time to come (Rom. 15:4). 
Similar conditions at different times can produce similar results. The glory characteristic of the Lord’s church (his family, his people) can also depart through failings of our own, not through any insufficiency on God’s part. God’s design for the church was that it be glorious, “not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27). Whenever the people of God turn their backs on God and resort to the idols of their hearts, their disaffection with God becomes the means of the glory departing. Such disaffection is shown by our elevating anything of man to the level of God and his will. Our love for him must be with the whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. Entanglements with the sinful element of the world in any form can be our undoing with God, causing the glory to depart. The cares, riches, and pleasures of this life can rise up like thorns to choke out the Word (Luke 8:14). We must remember that the divine glory departs from our lives as we glory in anything defiling.

Christ’s law of entrance into the body, acceptable worship and service by his holy priests, the organizational structure of local churches, and the functional operation of local churches under local oversight in the areas identified by the head of the church are all matters included in the will of Christ set forth in the New Testament. Only when we observe his will in these and other matters do we function to his glory in the church.

When those in a local church depart from the will of Christ, they are glorifying themselves; but glorifying God they are not. Christ removes the candlestick of a local church when its glory has departed (Rev. 2:5). It no longer exists as a true church (Rev.1:20).

Any who have established an agenda of changing the Lord’s church in any way that would alter those divine features of the church must understand the inevitable result of their changes. It will be Ichabod: the glory associated with God and resulting from God will depart. This is the birth of another human religious system — denominationalism all over again. The glory has departed.

24978 Bubba Tr., Athens, Alabama 35613 bobbylgraham@juno.com

By Mason Harris

Jesus showed his intention to unite men of every nation when he said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32). To this end he said to his apostles, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19, 20). John explained the purpose of their preaching by saying it was that “you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). There is a fellowship of men who walk in darkness. But John here speaks of a fellowship with God and fellowship with one another by virtue of the relationship with him. It is a fellowship we have by being drawn to Jesus. When people learn of Christ and are drawn to him, they would be become one with him and with one another. This is illustrated in Acts 2:41-47 where the baptized were added to the church and served the Lord together in this relationship.

Paul spoke of Christ being our peace in that he has reconciled both Jews and Gentiles to God in one body by the cross, thus making peace (Eph. 2:14-16). Peace is the end result of the gospel. Paul could then say to those who accepted Christ, “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19).

But there is somewhat of a paradox in this. Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matt. 10:34-36). Jesus did not mean to say that the purpose of his coming was to produce discord, but that such would be one of the effects of his coming. Jesus here described the result of his coming as though he had deliberately come to bring that about.
Loyalty to the law of Moses made it difficult for many to see members of their family accept Jesus as the Christ. And no doubt it was much the same way among the pagans when members of their family accepted Christ. It is the same way now with many who are deeply involved in the denominational world. They do not want to see members of their family becoming members of the church of Christ. Jesus knew that sharp differences would arise between those who accept and those who reject him. It was so in the first century. It is so now.

I was asked to write an article under the above title as part of a review of LaGard Smith’s book, Who Is My Brother? My assignment comes from Chapter 2 where Smith quotes from a speaker who used Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell to support the view of a fellowship that extends to all believers in Jesus, even though they have not been baptized. As I understand Smith on this point, he was critical of the speaker for his reference to these men and used the latter portion of the chapter to show these men were quoted out of context. Regarding this point, we are in agreement.

For a long time I have been concerned about the danger of some trying to restore the restoration movement with all its imperfections, rather than seeking to restore New Testament Christianity. This reference rekindles my fear. It reminds me of my school days when I was learning to write. Across the top of the chalkboard, and sometimes on my sheet of paper, there was a perfect example of the alphabet as the letters should be written. As line after line was written below the perfect example, the writing looked less like the original as I progressed down the page. Why? Because as I wrote each new line, I was looking at the imperfect example just above, and not at the perfect example at the top of the page. The restoration leaders of the 19th century did a wonderful work as they worked their way out of the denominational world that grew out of the reformation in Europe. But the perfect pattern for us to follow is the New Testament. While we might like to speak in defense of Stone or Campbell, it is not important to our work to know what they said or meant. Our concern must always be: What does the Bible say? We do not have to live with any mistakes that may have been made by any person in restoration history.

When some of the restoration leaders advocated a return to the New Testament and that alone as their rule of faith and practice, they showed their willingness to stand apart from the mainstream of religious thinking. It appears to have been with great agony that they went against family beliefs and long standing practices in the churches where they were members. They did not want the discord that resulted from preaching the gospel, but their preaching called for a separation of those who would follow the Bible only from those who were wedded to the creeds of men. Being often alienated from family and friends because of their choice, they longed for unity among those who were of the same mind. That the lines of fellowship were sometimes breached only shows the weakness of man and should not serve as examples worthy of imitation.

Does the restoration plea create division? This might lead us to ask another question, “Does the restoration plea result in the preaching of the gospel?” If so, then the restoration plea creates division in the same way the preaching of the gospel created division in the first century. It divides the believers from the unbelievers, the obedient from the disobedient. Yes, it often severs the fellowship of families. But know this: It is the ignorance and/or the rebellion of man that causes the hostility and division, and not the gospel of Christ. But in the same way that unity came out of the preaching of the gospel in the first century, the plea to speak where the Bible speaks and to remain silent where the Bible is silent will produce unity now among those who follow it. This will not be because it is a part of restoration history, but because it will be doing all things “in the name of the Lord” (Col. 3:17).

I am indebted to the leaders in the restoration movement, as well as to the courageous reformers before them, who sacrificed so much in providing me with such a background of religious instruction as I have. I read their material with gratitude and profit. But I recognize them as uninspired men, subject to mistakes as all men are. I see them as men pointing me to Jesus and to his word — the perfect way.

1006 Brookridge Ln. SE, Cullman, Alabama