Editor-in-Chief: J.C. Choate Managing Editor: Byron Nichols George Akpabli Parker Henderson Layout Editors: Betty Burton Choate Felix 0. Aniarnalu Gordon Hogan Barbara A. Oliver Rex Banks Wayne Jackson Wayne Barrier Ancil Jenkins Michal Swain Roy Beasley Jerry Jenkins Typesetting: Gay Nichols M~keBenson Jimmy Jividen Eulene Ramsey Maxie B. Boren Dayton Keesee T. Pierce Brown Dalton Key Art Consultant: J. Robert Swain Ron Bryant Michael L. King Computer Consultant: Bradley S. Choate Charles Burch Mack Lyon Jack W. Carter Joe Magee THE VOICE OF TRUTHINTER - Ron Carter J. Randal Matheny Frank Chesser Cecil May, Jr. NATIONAL is sent to individuals Betty Burton Choate Colin McKee and churches throughout the Jer~lCline Jane McWhorter world. If you are in a mission field Glenn Colley Hollis M~ller and need this magazine for your Owen Cosgrove Loy Mitchell evangelistic efforts, please send Sunny David Stan Mitchell Jerry L. Davidson Kev~nL. Moore your request to J.C. Choate, P.O. Hans Dederscheck Bill Nicks Box 72, Winona, MS 38967, USA. David Deffenbaugh Don L. Norwood Articles by faithful brethren, both Clarence DeLoach. Jr. Owen D. Olbricht American and foreign, are welcomed Bill Dillon Basil Overton Bobby G. Dockery Max Patterson for consideration for printing. JCC Hershel Dyer David Pharr Earl Edwards Neal Pollard SPANISH EDITION: Demar Elam G.F. Raines Managing Editor: J. Robert Swain Reuben Ernperado David Riley TELUGUEDITION: James Farris Stanley Sayers Managing Editor, Translator: Joshua Gootarn Allan E. Flaxrnan J. Robert Swain Royce Frederick David Tarbet TAMILEDITION: Albert Gardner J.A. Thornton Managing Editor, Translator: P.R. Swarny E. Claude Gardner Betty Tucker R. Gnanasundaram J.J. Turner Cost: $4.00 for single issues; $12.00 for Joe D. Gray Ken Tyler four issues: $20.00 for eight issues. Gary C. Harnpton Don W. Walker Please make checks payable to World Jack Harr~man R.H. Tex Williams Evangelism Foundation, and mail to Byron Nichols, (Managing Editor) P.O. THE VOICE OF TRUTHINTER - Box 11218, Springfield, MO 65808; NATIONAL is published by church- Telephone: 417-823-4918. es of Christ as a non-profit effort. Please send articles for publication J.C. Choate (editor) p.0, 72, and changes of address to Byron Nichols winon,, MS 38967, Phone: 662- in Springfield, including both old and new 283-1 92; Fax: .41 9-791-0505; E-mail addresses, so that our records can be corrected. address: [email protected].

J. C. Choate Editor-in-Chief The Bible clearly teaches that God cre- ated the universe, the earth, and all that exists. It tells us of the creation of all liv- ing things, crowned with the creation of man and woman (Genesis 1,2). If the written account of creation is not convincing enough that there is a God, we need only look at our marvelously designed bodies, consider our minds, raise our eyes to see the details of any particular thing that exists, and if we are honest we will be forced to admit that only a Supreme Intelligence could bring these intricate things into exis- tence. How can an intelligent, thinking being come to any other conclusion? With all the information available to us today, for anyone to reject divine creation there must be a deep-seated desire to deny the existence of God. The sad thing is that those who deny God also want to force their beliefs - or lack of belief, in this case - on everyone else. Often, this is done through the instruments of withholding information and ridiculing those who would disagree: those who believe in God are portrayed as being ignorant and blind to modern science. In the mid-thirties, "Humanists" formed themselves into a religious society with a manifesto. Here are some of the major points from that first document: "FIRST: Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created. [The promotion of atheism.] "SECOND: Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and that he has emerged as a result of a continuous process. [Promotion of the belief of Evolution.] "THIRD: Holding an organic view of life, humanists find that the tra- ditional dualism of mind and body must be rejected [Denial of the soul] . "NINTH: In the place of the old attitudes involved in worship and prayer the humanist finds his religious emotions expressed in a height- ened sense of personal life and in a cooperative effort to promote social well-being. [But when there is tragedy or disaster, do you ever hear of atheistic and humanistic organizations rushing in to help the devastated? Watch for them - they're never there. All of their effort and money are spent promoting humanism and atheism.] "TENTH: It follows that there will be no uniquely religious emotions and attitudes of the kind hitherto associated with belief in the supernat- ural. "ELEVENTH: Man will learn to.face the crises oflife in terms ofhis knowledge of their naturalness and probability. Reasonable and manly attitudes will be fostered by education and supported by custom. .... Certainly religious institutions, their ritualistic forms, ecclesiastical methods, and communal activities must be reconstituted as rapidlv as experience allows, in order to function effectively in the modern world [Every-thing pertaining to God and religion is being removed from the public eye, except when held up for ridicule.] . "FOURTEENTH: The humanists are firmly convinced that existing acquisitive and profit-motivated societ)' has shown itself to be inade- quate and that a radical change in methods, controls, and motives must be instituted. A socialized and cooperative economic order must be established to the end that the equitable distribution of the means of life be possible. The goal of humanism is a free and universal society in which people volzmtarily and intelligently cooperate for the common good. Humanists demand a shared life in a shared world."[The replacement of individual effort and its rewards with an enforced system of socialism.] (Quoted from The Humanist Manifesto I, 1933; Italics and added statements in brackets, mine. JCC) In the seven decades since its beginning, Humanism has worked cun- ningly and deceitfully, gradually taking over our educational system, most of the media, and much of the entertainment world with its world-wide influence; and its effects can be seen in every walk of life. In our schools, only Evolution can be taught today. There can be no prayer, no mention of God. Nothing of a religious nature is allowed - except the tenets of the religion of Humanism. As a result, our children grow up hearing only the fabrication of the creative abilities of mindless evolution. Their faith is further attacked in colleges and universities, with professors deriding any who would defend the Bible and the idea of God. But the classroom is not the end of the battlefield. Children and young people are daily exposed to materials on the Discovery Channel, The History Channel, National Geographic, etc., that promote the teachings of Evolution. Statements are made as truth and fact, not to be questioned. Programs are shown that are often total fabrications of pre-historic animals and people, living - as they say - millions of years ago, and they describe details of their lives and behavior that are absolute fairy stories, but present- ed as fact. So of course, nothing in the presentation is to be questioned. These and other channels often advertise some program with an intrigu- ing name or religious question, suggesting that information will be presented that will be supportive of the Bible as God's word. "Mysteries of the Bible", "The Gospel of Judas", "The Da Vinci Code" and many other such programs have been aired. But, almost without fail, the end goal is to under- mine the faith of the viewers. And, almost without fail also, when anyone representing "Christianity" is shown in a TV series, he/she is portrayed as a bumbling idiot, or a hyp- ocrite, or an immoral and evil person. Anti-Christian lawsuits are continually coming up in court and, 99% of the time, the liberal judge sides in favor of the atheist who brought the suit. Everyone today seems to have the "right" to voice and practice whatever he pleases, except those who believe in God and His word. The religion of Islam can be taught in our schools, but even the name of God is forbidden for Christians. Humanism is at work turning our country into a secular state with the end goal of making every American an agnostic or an atheist. Under the guise of "separation of church and state" - which to the writers of the Constitution simply meant that there would be no state-sponsored religion - any public expression of Christian faith and spirituality has become illegal. Because our country is being taken over by Humanism, its rules are becoming the thinking and behavior of our people. According to Humanism, there is no God; therefore, there is no such thing as "sin", no "right" and "wrong", no "spiritual law" that must be obeyed, and no judg- ment to come. The hated "Judeo-Christian" moral ethic is being replaced with "Whatever is right for you is right." As a result, human behavior is running absolutely wild. Look at the portrayals on some of the TV ads, showing young people in every state of unrestrained abandonment. Many live together without marriage; and the expectation is that all teenagers will have illicit relationships in their dating. More than half the marriages end in divorce, with all the pain, immorality, and evil that results. In excess of 50,000,000 babies have been killed by abortion in this country alone, since legalized abortion became the law of 5 the land. TV, books, - even school textbooks, in some states - newspa- pers, and businesses are promoting homosexuality as a normal alternative lifestyle. Homosexual and polygamous marriages are on the horizon. Let me ask you: As a nation and a people, are we better off today than we were fifty years ago, when we had strong homes and two-parent families, when divorce was a tragedy, immorality and pregnancy outside of marriage were shameful, when abortion was illegal; when children were dis- ciplined at home and at school and they learned how to behave with man- ners and respect toward their elders, teachers, and authorities of the land, when decency was required in dress in all ages, when binge-drinking and drugs parties were the rare exception among young people, rather than the "norm"; when neither vulgar language nor sexual activities were verbalized in public? Has Humanism made us better? Has the crime rate dropped? Are we more law-abiding? Whether the world acknowledges Him or not, God does exist, He is the Creator, and He is aware of all that we are doing. In His Word He warns, "Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people"

(Proverbs 14:34). Concerning the evil that people choose to do, He said, "... then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin willfindyou out ". (Numbers 32:2 1) "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter,for sweet, and sweet for bitter! "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, Andprudent in their own sight! Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink, Whojustij) the wicked for a bribe, And take away justice ?om the righteous man! "Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, And the Jlame consumes the chug So their root will be as rottenness, And their blossom will ascend like dust; Because they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah 5:20-24). The time will come when the Lord Jesus will be "... revealed from heav- en with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the pres- ence of the Lord and from the glory of His power" (2 Thessalonians 1 :7-9). My friends, we must return to belief in God, acceptance of divine cre- ation and of Christian principles as taught in the Bible. Of course, as a nation, we have gotten so far away from God it is going to be difficult to turn things around. But if we don't, what future do we have? Are we bring- ing destruction on ourselves? Q 6 ACHIEVING' GREATNESS Byron Nichols Managing Editor If asked to name a few of the great heroes of the Bible, men andlor women who exhibited extraordinary faith and commit- ment, most all of us would have little or no difficulty immediately thinking of such famous Bible characters as Moses, Abraham, Noah, Ruth, David, Esther, Peter, Paul, John the Baptist, Dorcas, and so on. However, we can quickly get ourselves into trouble when we start trying to classify people or things in terms of their relative importance. I'm a big- time fan of baseball, especially of the St. Louis Cardinals. As an ardent baseball fan, I might be asked who I think should rank as the five best base- ball players of all time. There is no way that I could answer that without there being tremendous disagreement from other baseball fans. There are nearly 250 players from years gone by who have been named to the Baseball Hall of Fame, dating clear back to 1936, with several of those players having played many years even prior to that. So, who would have the audacity to say that he knows the identity of the five best of all time? Add to that the fact that there are some really outstanding players who are still playing, some of whom will undoubtedly be added to the Hall of Fame later. In addition to that, there are many other very talented players who very arguably should have been voted into the Hall of Fame, but have not been. No, I couldn't even begin to decide just who I think should be classified as the five best players. Let me mention, too, that I could name many players who were great, who are even in the Hall of Fame, whose names would not even be recognized by many people who are avid fans of baseball today. The point is that there have been and are many great players, and it is impossible to deter- mine without any dispute just which ones qualify as the very best. We can experience the same kind of difficulty if we start trying to iden- tify the greatest of the followers of God from the beginning until this present ASSOCIATE EDITORIAL time. We could approach the subject by trying to evaluate the greatness of all the characters of whom we read in the Bible, but using such an approach could not even likely result in a correct answer because of the fact that thou- sands and even millions of other disciples of the Lord have lived whose names are now known to no one. Some of the great ones remain nameless as far as we are concerned today, but that lack of knowledge on our part should not in any way detract from their greatness. Let's make this quest for determining the greatest among God's people more current. If we were to ask ourselves about who we deem to be the greatest Christians that we either know personally or know about, who would they be? Perhaps I am mistaken, but I suspect that in a great many cases most of us would primarily think in terms of well-known preachers and other church leaders of various categories whose reputations have become more widespread than most. Let us hasten to acknowledge that many of these might very well be deserving of such recognition, but let's also realize that reputation and character are not the same thing. Let's hr- ther understand that one can still render marvelous service in the kingdom while humbly preferring to avoid being in a leadership role. Greatness is not achieved in all realms by the same methods. Most great athletes or scholars or artists became great in their field because they had outstanding ability, true, but they possessed more than ability - they also possessed a drive and a determination to excel. However, greatness in Christianity doesn't come from a deep inner motivation to be the best. Rather, all who have attained greatness in Christ have done so by emulating Jesus in emptying themselves of themselves (Philippians 25-8), by becom- ing 'poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3), by doing and teaching the command- ments of the Lord (Matthew 5:19), and by serving others and giving of themselves for the benefit of others (Matthew 20:26-28). Jesus clearly affirms these as identifying marks of greatness. All these words are intended to impress upon us the fact that greatness is possible for every child of God. Hopefully, each and every one of us will have our spirits boosted by the realization that we all can be great in the eyes of that One who truly knows greatness when He sees it. May the beloved Paul's admonition be our constant guide and source of enduring encouragement. May these words ever ring in our ears and throb in our hearts: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadJ;zst, immovable, always abounding in the u'ork of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58). B GOD Witnesses to the Birth ...... Stephen K. Guy ...... 11 Christ's Examples ...... E . Claude Gardner ...... 12 Jesus Christ as a Servant ...... Tom Kelton ...... 13 Evidences of the Resurrection ...... Tom Dockery ...... 14 EVIDENCES Creation or Evolution? ...... Jason Fox ...... 15 The Civilization Explosion ...... Rex Banks ...... 17 THEWORD OF GOD Is the Bible Still Viable? .... Hollis Miller ...... 21 Want to Be Saved ...? ...... Aubrey Smith ...... 22 DOCTRINE TO LIVE BY Jesus Christ, the Eternal Sacrifice ... Betty Burton Choate ...... 26 Resurrection ...... Hans J. Dederscheck ...... 30 Are You Walking in the Truth? ... Rod Kyle ...... 32 If ...... Anonymous ...... 33 SALVATION What Did Paul Determine? ...... T. Pierce Brown ...... 34 The Great Commission ...... Charles E . Burch ...... 36 If I Knew the Future ...... Glenn Colley ...... 37 THECHURCH Identifying Characteristics ..... Kevin L. Moore ...... 40 God's People, Loved and Loving ... Ron Bryant ...... 41 Pictures of a Preacher ...... Cecil May Jr ...... 43 CHURCHGROWTH The Secret to Waking ...... John-Mark Wilson ...... 46 Growing the Church ...... Dan R. Owen ...... 50 CHURCHHISTORY The American Restoration ...... Dr. Joe D. Gray ...... 52 CHRIST~ANIYTIN ACTION Lord, Change Our Hearts ...... Randall Caselman ...... 55 Bring Our Wayward Brethren ...... Dale Grissom ...... 58 WORSHIP Glorifying God in Our Worship ... Lewis G . Hale ...... 60 9 A More Excellent Sacrifice .... J. Robert Swain ...... 61 Fixing Worship ...... David Deffenbaugh ...... 63 DAILY CHRISTIANLIVING Fixing a Situation ...... J. Randal Matheny ...... 65 Do You Love Jesus? ...... Wayne Barrier ...... 67 Attitude ...... Demar Elam ...... 69 Seasoned with Salt ...... Michael E . Brooks ...... 71 What If ... ? ...... Debra Griffin Mitchell ...... 73 THECHRISTIAN HOME "Let Not Man Put Asunder" .... Dalton Key ...... 76 Fathers Are Honored ...... Bobby Dockery ...... 77 PROVERBS 1 7:22 Humor ...... 79 COMFORTANDREASSURANCE God's Refining Shop ...... Allen Webster ...... 81 Release from Your Prison ...... Mike Sinapiades ...... 84 BmLE QUESTIONS Whose 1000-Year Reign? ...... Royce Frederick ...... 89 How Are the Dead Raised Up? ... Charles Box ...... 90 ETHICS Be Spiritual ...... Malcolm Parsley ...... 92 What Are We ... ? ...... Betty Burton Choate ...... 95 FEATURES,POEMS AND FILLERS The Man in the Glass ...... Inside Front Editorial: Humanism at Work ... J.C. Choate ...... 3 Editorial: Achieving Greatness ... Byron Nichols ...... 7 5-Minute Bible Study ...... 20 Verse Search ...... 24 How Do You Measure Up? ...... 39 Quick Commentary ...... 45 Do ITalk Differently? ...... 70 Bible Find ...... 75 Poem: The Great Commission ...... F. 0 . Aniamalu ...... 87 FROMTHE HEART OF ... The Sojourner Mission ...... Perry Hall ...... 104 My Experience with the Sojourners ... Carroll Sites ...... 108 Witnesses to the Birth of the Son of God Stephen K. Guy

Mankind has devised a system of justice based on witness testimony to validate a matter. The more credible the witnesses, the more certain the conclusion. The Bible gives no less than 18 witnesses to the birth of the Son of God. 1. - God, the Father (Genesis 3: 15; 12:1-3) 2. - The Patriarch, Jacob, called Israel (Genesis 49: 10) 3. - The Prophets, such as Isaiah and Micah (Isaiah 7: 14; 9:6; Micah 5:2) 4. - Jesus' birth records (Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-28) 5. - The angels (Luke 1:26-37; Matthew 1: 18-21; Luke 2:9-15) 6. - The unborn John the Baptist (Luke 1:41) 7. - Elizabeth (Luke 1:42-45) 8. - Jesus' mother, Mary (Luke 1:46-55) 9. - The word of God (Matthew 1:23,26) 10, -Joseph (Matthew 1: 1 8-25) 11. - Human history (Luke 2: 1-7) - B.C. 12. - Divine history (Luke 2:8-14) 13. - The Shepherds (Luke 2:9-20) 14. - The Wise men (Matthew 2: 1-12) 15. - Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) 16. -Anna (Luke 2:36-38) 17. - King Herod (Matthew 2: 16-19) 18. - Jesus as a child (Luke 2:39-40, 52) The testimony of witnesses is overwhelming. The Son of God was born on the earth. Why did He come? That mankind could be "born again" of water and spirit (New Testament baptism, John 3: 1-7) and be saved (1 Peter 3:21). Is Jesus your savior and Lord? (Acts 22:16) He wants to be your Savior now. One day He will be your judge (Romans 14:10). P Steven K. Guy works with the church of Christ in Booneville, Mississippi, USA. Christ's Examples E. Claude Gardner

About eight decades ago, E. Stanley Jones showed in one of his books that Christ taught effectively by example and not always by precept. He included the following as a tribute to the Great Teacher. 1. He did not discourse on the dignity of labor, but He worked at the car- penter's bench with His hands. 2. He did not argue the immortality of the soul - He raised the dead. 3. He did not speculate on the Trinity, but He said, "lfI by the Spirit of God cast out devils, the kingdom of God is come nigh to you." All three in the Godhead are mentioned in this statement. 4. He did not teach on the worth of children, but put His hand on them to bless them. 5. He did not argue that God answers prayer; He sometimes prayed all night. 6. He did not talk about the glories of friendship and the need for human sympathy, but He wept at the grave of a friend. 7. He did not discuss the equal worth of all persons, but He went to the poor and the outcast. 8. He felt the pressing necessity of physical needs - He fed the 5,000. 9. Pilate and others speculated, "What is truth?" and He said, "I am the Truth. " 10. He did not teach about the necessity of humility, but girded a towel to wash the disciples' feet. Luke records that in his "former treatise" he wrote "of all that Jesus began both to do and teach " (Acts 1: 1). P

E. Claude Gardner is President-Emeritus of Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee, USA. Jesus Christ as a Servant Tom Kelton Jesus was a self-confessed ser- highest conceivable declaration of vant. In Mark 10:45 He said, "The exaltation in Judaism; the servant of Son of Man has come, not to be the Lord is the expression of the served, but to serve and to give his deepest humiliation. His uniting life a ransom for many." these two apparently contradictory These words are so familiar to tasks was unheard of. Yet, He us that we often miss the punch line. expressed that union in His life and In Jesus' day, the phrase "Son of teaching. Man" was frequently discussed. It Jesus had no time for status was a Messianic title. The Jews seekers. He publicly condemned were expecting the Son of Man to those who "love the place of honor come at any moment. There was al feasts, and the best seats in the considerable speculation about the synagogues, and salutations in the details, but on one thing everyone market places, and being called agreed - the Son of Man was com- Rabbi by men " (Matthew 23:6,7). ing to receive homage from the He forbade the pursuit of titles and nations, particularly, of course, the honors. "You are not to be called Romans, whom the Jews loathed. Rabbi, " He said, 'tfor you have one Had not Daniel, in 7: 14, prophesied teacher, and you are all brethren. that to the Son of Man was to be And call no man your Father on given "dominion and glory and a earth, for you have one Father, who kingdom, that all peoples, nations is in heaven. Neither be called and languages should serve him"? Masters for you have one Master, But Jesus changed the whole the Christ. He who is greatest thing around and caused consterna- among you shall be your servant" tion! "No," Jesus said, in effect, (verses 8-1 1). "You're looking in the wrong direc- Had Jesus wished to rely on sta- tion. The Son of Man has come to tus and titles, He had the greatest. serve, not to be served." But to Him, service was more impor- On another occasion, Jesus did tant than honors and rewards. Would something just as bold. He linked to God that every Christian would the phrase "Son of Man" with suf- follow His example today! Q fering and (Mark 'I3 I). Before his death, Tom Kelton was a The "Son of Man " represents the writer and preacher. Evidences of the Resurrection of Christ Tom Dockery Many today deny that Jesus hundred brethren at once, in Galilee rose from the dead. But, if we (Matthew 28: 16-20; 1 Corinthians reject the resurrection of Jesus, we 15:7). Lastly, He was seen by Paul may as well reject the whole of (1 Corinthians 15:8). These wit- Christianity (1 Corinthians 15: 17). nesses were sober men who had no If Christ rose from the dead, He is reason to perpetrate a hoax. certainly the Messiah; if not, He is The changes wrought in the an imposter. disciples. Before the resurrection, The witness of the Bible. The the apostles were weak and fearful, I Bible clearly states that Jesus was slow to understand and believe. But raised. His resurrection was pre- afterward, they were strong in faith dicted by Old Testament prophecy and able to stand before crowds and (Psalm 16:8-11; Acts 2:29-31; kings. Psalm 2:7-12). In the New The change the resurrection Testament, all four Gospel writers has caused in the lives of others. describe the resurrection (Matthew Thousands have been convinced of 12:40; 27:63; 16:21.) If we accept the resurrection and lived changed the Bible as God's Word, then we lives. Two prominent skeptics of a must also accept the resurrection. past generation, Lord Lyttleton and The testimony of eyewitnesses Gilbert West, agreed to investigate (1 Corinthians 15:5-9). These eye- the resurrection in an attempt to dis- witnesses were many. Certain prove Christianity. When they met women saw Him as they returned again after several months to com- from the sepulcher (Matthew 28: 1- pare notes, each rejoiced to find that lo), and He was seen by the apostle the other had been converted as a Peter later the same day (Luke result of his study. 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5). He The resurrection proves conclu- walked and talked with Cleophas sively that Jesus is the Son of God. and another disciple on the way to Without it, Christianity would be Emmaus (Mark 16: 12,13; Luke vain! Q 24: 13-35). Jesus appeared to the Tom Dockery (1937-1979) was a for- eleven apostles, and to over five eign missionary, preacher and teacher. There are two major hypotheses on the origins of everything around us: Evolution and Creation. Most of those with a belief in Creation believe in a literal six-day creation found in Genesis 1 and 2. Four major evidences bear out a literal Genesis account. What are they and how do they fit in with Genesis?

Genesis states in the very first verse, "In the Beginning God created 1 the heavens and the earth. The Law of Cause and Effect states, "every effect must have an adequate cause". Genesis is remarkable as it states that God is the cause, and creation is the effect. Throughout the Bible the message is the same. Only God has the power to create everything that we see around us. He is the un-caused first cause. The very first verse of the Bible is in total harmony with the major scientific Law of Cause and Effect. Genesis 1: 1 1 states, "And God said, Zet the earth sprout vegetation, 2 plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearingfiit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth '. " From the beginning of cre- ation, God established boundaries by which nature operates. The Law of Biogenesis states that "life comes only from pre-existing life, and each kind produces after its own kind". The Bible declares that God is the originator of all Life, a statement that is certainly consistent with this major scientific law. Even today the creation of new life and the origins of new kinds has not been observed. On the sixth day God, completed the creation, "Thus the heavens and 3 the earth werefinished and ail the host @them". Once God had fin- ished His creation, that was it! There is nothing new being created, even today with man's creative intelligence. The First Law of Thermodynam- ics tells us that energy is neither created nor destroyed. Ecclesiastes 1:9, "What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. " Again science bears witness to the accuracy of God's word, the Bible. Genesis, chapter 3, is the account of the fall of man and the entrance of 4. sin and death into the world. From this point onwards in history, God's creation has known death. Isaiah 51:6, "Lift up your eyes to the heav- ens, and look at the earth beneath; ,for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never. be dismayed. " The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that "everything is winding down". The physical universe around us is going from a state of order to disorder, from complex to simple. Everything is dying, everything is wearing out. It is man that brought this curse upon himself and upon all cre- ation through disobedience. Science has again proven the Bible to be correct.

"In the beginning there was nothing, and it exploded." From its very inception, the "Theory of Evolution" violates every one of these estab- lished scientific laws: 1. In the theory of evolution, there is no adequate cause for the effect. 2. In the theory of evolution, there was no life to beget life. 3. In the theory of evolution, there was no initial energy or matter, so none should exist today since no new energy is being formed. 4. In the theory of evolution, the billions of years required for the develop- ment of life and the universe would have, instead, seen its demise aeons ago, since everything is "winding down" and coming to an end. Where does the evidence lead? To the conclusion that there was a six- day creation, or to a multi-billion year evolution? V

Jason Fox is a Christian, worshipping with the New Plymouth Church of Christ in New Zealand. t is clear from scripture that the construct an art "three hundred Ipeople of the pre-Flood period cubits (in length) ... fifty cubits had attained a very high degree of (wide) and ... thirty cubits (in development. For example, in height)" (Genesis 6: 15). The huge, Genesis 4:22, Tubal-cain is seaworthy, box-like structure was described as "the forger of all about 224 metres long, 46 metres implements of bronze and iron", wide, and 27 metres high, and was indicating that the pre-Flood civi- capable of carrying about 125,000 lization had mastered the technolo- sheep. Its construction was a prodi- gy and chemistry required by the gious achievement and proof of smelting process. Moreover, Noah advanced engineering skills in the had been instructed by the Lord to pre-Flood civilization. The exis- tence of such expertise in that era Erich Von Daniken, (of Was God may help explain an interesting his- an Astronaut fame) points out that torical fact. "ancient Egypt appears suddenly In his illuminating little book and without transition with a fantas- entitled The Puzzle of Ancient tic ready-made civilization." f-Ie Man, Donald E. Chittick states: explains: "With the possible exception of "Great cities and enormous temples, the amazing developments of colossal statues with tremendous the past 100 years, the further expressive power, splendid streets we go in the past, the higher flanked by magnificent sculptures, the level of science and tech- perfect drainage systems, luxurious nology as reflected by human tombs carved out of the rock, pyra- artifacts." mids of overwhelming size - these Chittick points out that a recur- and many other wonderful things ring theme emerges as ancient cul- shot out of the ground, so to speak. tures around the world are exam- Genuine miracles of a country that ined. "Cultures appear to emerge in is suddenly capable of such achieve- a high state of development and ments without recognisable prehis- then decline after a period of time," tory" (Chariots of the Gods). says Chittick, and what's more, A similar observation by evolu-

I "cultures around the world appear to tionist researcher Graham Hancock have originated at about the same (Fingerprints of the Gods) is period of time of roughly 5,000 recorded by Steve Carno in an arti- years ago (3000 B.C.)". They cle entitled "The Mystery of appear with an already developed Ancient" which appeared in high level of technical development Creation ex nihilo magazine, and the puzzle is that "there is little March-May 1998: if any evidence to support the idea "The archaeological evidence that these ancient cultures experi- suggested that rather than mented with engineering designs." developing slowly and painful- Instead, "each culture appears full ly, as is normal with human blown right from its beginning. societies, the civilization of Ancient Egypt, like that of the them thoroughly. ' The-y had brick Olmecs, emerged all at once for stone, and the had asphalt for and fully formed. Indeed, the mortar. And they said, 'Come, let period of transition from primi- us build ourselt~esa city, and a tive to advanced society tower whose top is in the heavens; appears to have been so short let us make a name for ourselves, that it makes no kind of histori- cal sense. Technological skills lest we be scattered abroad over the that should have taken hun- face of the whole earth. ' dreds or even thousands of But the LORD came down to years to evolve were brought see the city and the tower which the into use almost overnight and sons of man had built. And the with no apparent antecedents LORD said, 'Indeed the people are whatever." one and they all have one language, The preservation of this knowl- and this is what they begin to do; edge by certain descendants of now nothing that they propose to do Noah in the post-Flood period will be withheldfiom them. Come, would explain the early pyramids of let Us go down and there confuse Egypt, the "stone calendars" of the their language, that they may not Mayans, the ability of the builders understand one another's speech. ' of the ancient city of Sacsahuaman So the LORD scattered them to maneuver rocks that weighed an abroad from there over the face of estimated 20,000 tonnes and many all the earth, and they ceased build- other "anomalies". Clearly such ing the city. Therefore its name is handiwork requires an advanced called Babel ... " (Genesis 1 1:2-9). technology, the fruit of many gener- Obviously, people who would ations of trial and error, and the undertake to build such a city and abrupt appearance of such expertise such a tower were not "cave men" at the dawn of recorded history is with no knowledge of construction. consistent with the development of Some of the most ancient remains an advanced civilization that van- of cities show well-planned streets, ished abruptly from the face of the indoor water, under-ground sewer- earth. age, and "advanced" construction The early descendants of Noah, methods that we cannot repeat even leaving the ark, migrated to the area today! P that came to be know as the plain of Rex Banks preaches and works in Shinar . . . "and they dwelt there. Hamilton, New Zealand. His web site is http:llwww.angelfire.coml80slrjdbl Then they said to one another, coc.htrnl. This excerpt is from Banks' 'Come, let us make bricks and bake book, Archaology and the Bible. BIBLE STUDY

2 Timothy 2:15 "Be to present yourself --, a __-___ who does not need to be ashamed, rightly the of ." 1 Peter 3:15 "But the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready to give a to everyone who __ you a reason for the -- that is - you, with Acts 17:11 "These were more - than those in , in that they received the -with all the Scriptures to find out whether these

And for help; I through the night , That I may on Your word." Romans 10:17 "So then comes by the -- __." James 1:22 "Rut be of the , and not

Bu!a!a3ap 'sla.teay *p.to~'slaop :ZZ: 1 saurar pol330 ~JOM'Bu!.~eay 'yl!ej :L[:OI suawoa 1s the Bible Still Viable? Hollis Miller Religious newspapers, maga- Corinthians: 1 1; cf. Isaiah 40: 13f: zines, seminars, lectureships, and Romans 1 l:34f)? Is it no longer other such efforts are so common true that the Scriptures are all we today that one has to run fast to need for doctrine, reproof, correc- keep up with them. All of them tion, and instruction in righteous- have their spiritual message to ness? Do they no longer equip us deliver. What is the church? What for every good work? kind of leadership is needed? What Facts of history cannot be is the preacher's pulpit responsibili- retnoved, however much men may ty? Is modem worship beneficial or desire to do so. Jesus lived, taught, detrimental? On and on the ques- died, and arose. He can never be tions go, and editors, authors, and turned into some mythological fig- writers have their opinions. One is ure. The books of the New made to wonder if Joe Doe, who Testament were written to guide never went beyond the eighth grade churches and individuals into right and worships with a rural congrega- thinking about Christianity. To tion with fifty members, can possi- view them as good for their times bly know how his and the church's but not ours is to rob them of their life should be conducted in the divine mission for all men and all modem world. times. The church is a living body Is John's statement that his of believers in Jesus Christ, and it Gospel was written that men may will remain that throughout the know what to believe about Christ ages. The rule of faith for the no longer valid? Paul told Timothy church of every age is the Word of to preach the Word: should we add, God, and that Word is found in the "Also preach the greater insights of Scriptures - not in the dictates of modern religious thinkers?" And men. Q what about Paul's affirmation that no man knows the things of God Hollis Miller is a gospel preacher liv- except the Spirit of God (I ing in Murray, Kentucky, USA. Aubrey Smith

The only way we can be certain ple have rewritten the Bible in such that we are saved is to be sure that a way as to give false meaning to we are doing what God wants us to God's word. Some versions are do. And, the only way we can perverted to the point that by study- know what God wants us to do is to ing them you will be led astray. My study the Bible. Let me assure you advice is to stick with the tried and that I'm not selling Bibles or reli- true. The Old and New King James gion. I do not endorse any religious versions, the American Standard, denomination. I believe that anyone and the New American Standard are can pick up a Bible, study it, and all good study Bibles. Most of the know exactly what is required to newer versions are paraphrased please God. With daily Bible study, writings that are commentaries and you can know how to be saved, how do not make good study Bibles. to worship God with the proper Can we know for sure that spirit, and how to live your life in a we're saved? Does God really have way that is pleasing to Him. a plan of salvation? Does He expect At this point, let me say that us to follow a certain pattern of some versions of the Bible have worship? And, if I don't know or been tainted. By that, I mean peo- don't do what He wants me to do, will I really go to hell? The Bible. Read Acts 2:38 and Luke answers to all four of these ques- 13:3. What did your Bible say? tions is yes. The Bible says we must also con- Can we know for sure that we fess Jesus as Lord. What does your are saved? Study your Bible. I'll Bible say in Romans 10:9,10 and use the New King James, you use Romans 6:3-5? You see, God does whatever Bible you have and read 1 have a plan for our salvation. Look John 5: 13. "These things I have at Mark 16: 1 5,16, then read Romans written to you who believe in the 6:3-5 and 1 Peter 3:21. Is baptism name of the Son of God, that you necessary for salvation? The Bible may know that you have eternal life, says it is. In fact, the Bible says you and that you may continue to are not saved until you are baptized. believe in the name of the Son of Study your Bible. Don't be misled. God. " Your salvation is too important to Does God really have a plan of leave to chance. Study your Bible. salvation? Again, study your Bible. If you haven't followed God's plan The Bible tells us that the only way of salvation step by step, then do it to God is through Jesus. Read John now. Is it important? Jesus thought 12:48-50 and John 14:6. The Bible so. He thought it was so important tells us that you must know God's He died for you. word. Read John 8:3 1,32: "Then After you're a Christian, is that Jesus said to those Jews who all? Not really. Study your Bible. believed Him, 'Ifyou abide in My God wants faithful, obedient follow- word, you are My disciples indeed. ers. Read John 14:23, Matthew And you shall know the truth, and 28:20 and 1 John 5:3. Also read the truth shall make you free. "' Hebrews 10:23-26 and Galatians Now, read Romans 10: 17 and 5:16-26. You see; God really has John 6:45. The Bible also tells us revealed what He wants us to do that we must believe. Please read and how He expects us to live. Hebrews 11 :6. "But withoutfaith it Whether or not you follow His plan is impossible to please Him, for he and the pattern He has given you is who comes to God must believe that strictly up to you. For me and my He is, and that He is a rewarder of family, we've decided to follow those who diligently seek Him." Jesus. How about you? My prayer Also read John 8:24. for you can be found by reading 1 God wants us to repent. In Peter 1:2-5. Q other words, turn away from our Aubrey Smith works with the Lord's sins and follow Him. Study your church in Utopia, Texas, USA. 1. Is it right to be guilty of the same offense as someone else and think yourself better than that person? (vs. 1,3) 2. What is God's judgment based upon? (11s. 2) 3. If both the one judging and the one who is being judged are both guilty of offenses against God, who will escape God's judg- ment? (vs. 3) 4. What are the characteristics of God that should lead us to repentance? (vs. 4) 5. What will cause a person not to repent? (vs. 5) 6. Whose deeds will we be judged by? (vs. 6) 7. The Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome were not getting along. If God did not divide them by heritage, how does God divide people? (vs. 8,9,10) 8. Who are the sinners without the law? Who are the sinners with the law? (vs. 12) 9. What is the difference in hearers of the law and doers of the law? (vs. 13) 10. Was it possible for a Gentile with no written law to be more righteous in God's eyes than a Jew who had the written law? (vs. 13,14,15) 11. Did God put into place a moral law of conscience that all men should know and follow? (vs. 14,15) 12. On Judgment Day what standard will God use to judge the secrets of men? (vs. 16) (See inside of back cover for answers.) herefore you are inexcusable, 0 man, whoever you are who judges, for in whatever you judge another youT condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think this, 0 man, you who judge those prac- ticing such things and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who "will render to each one according to his deeds ". 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality. 8 but to those who are selfseeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unright- eousness - indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God. 12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law 13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justi- fied; 14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the same things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them). 16 In the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. New King James Version i L When we consider the purpose of baptism and the memorial Supper - two important observances and acts of obedience in Christianity that are often described as merely "rituals" - we see that they go far beyond such syinbolic meaning. They are beautihl and important testimonies of Christ's love for us and of our response of love toward Him. (1) Baptism is our picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus; our re-statement to the world that, even as He committed Himself to mankind in taking our sins and dying in our stead, we are committing our lives to Him. Baptism goes beyond death, though, and becomes the new birth (John 3:3,5) In the physical birth, water, blood, and the spirit of life are involved; 1 John 5:8 brings out this striking parallel: "There are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and these three agree as one. " Baptism in water is the enactment of spiritual birth, the unseen ele- ments being God's Spirit renewing the spiritual life within us, and the blood of Jesus cleansing us of past sins and coursing through our souls to nourish, defend, and continually cleanse the newly-formed life within us. (2) The Supper is a weekly memorial of His death and life, and of our own life in Him, with the expectancy of His return and our transforma- tion to immortal substance. Obviously, God wants us to be constantly reminded of these all-important high-points in salvation. Otherwise, He would not have placed such emphasis on the two acts that superficial-think- ing people would be inclined to label as rituals. Christians, themselves, need to be carefil not to fall into the same error. Baptisms, too often seen, may become empty ceremonies. Let us not forget how privileged we are to witness the wonder of the ages: the overcoming of sin and the birth of a new being into God's Family. Let us not minimize, either, the greatness and the power of the Lord's Supper. It is not a time-consuming, boring ritual. It is our weekly sharing in the death that has given us life, and a deep involvement in its observance is vital to our spiritual well-being. Perhaps one reason it seems easy for Christians to slip into absent- minded participation in the Supper is a lack of proper preparation. (a) We need to realize hlly the meaning of the memorial, its significance being far beyond ritualistic form. (b) We need to review its foreshadowing, in the feasts of the Old Testament. Were those observances done casually? No. Minute laws were given by God, and they were followed in exact detail. The Shewbread, for instance, (Leviticus 24:5-8) was made fresh each week, by specific measurements. The bread of the Passover Feast was just as carefblly prepared. Can you imagine the Jews in Egypt going out and buying from Egyptians some bread to use for that important meal? No, I admit that there is no law, as such, on this question; it is more a matter of attitudes. But don't our attitudes legislate much about our actual faithfulness in doctrinal questions? Maybe we would be more spiritual and more like the Biblical pattern of Christianity if our attitudes on these seem- ingly small but important details were not so lenient. I cannot imagine Mary and Martha buying the bread from a common bakery; nor can I imagine them voicing such comments as, "Making the bread is too much trouble," or "I don't know how to make the bread. If I have to do that, I just won't prepare the trays for communion. Somebody else can do it," or "I get so tired of this." Rather, I feel sure that the women who had known Jesus vied lovingly with each other for the privilege of using their hands in preparing those emblems so vital to the congregation's worship. I would think that it was not grudging and resentful thinking that filled their minds as they measured the flour and oil but, rather, that they indulged in a time of private worship as they worked. Surely they must have felt a special sweet nearness to the Lord they had talked with, and cooked for, and washed for, and loved while He walked in the world. How much we are missing by using our 'conve- nient' method for preparing the Supper! Since both bread and the fruit of the vine are used in the memorial, the question might be raised, "Why suggest that the bread be personally prepared but then allow the fruit of the vine to be purchased?Of course it would be good if we could do both, but it would not always be possible (because of cli- mate or lack of land) for each Christian to tend his own grapevine. If one can do so, wonderful! If not, God has nowhere required it. In reference to the bread, if we can make it at home, the benefits will be our own. If that is not possible, God surely would not require what we cannot do. (c) We need, congregationally, to spend more time preparing our minds for participation in the feast. We are taught to examine ourselves (1 Corin- th~ans11:28). Would this command not be obeyed more carefully if, prior to the Supper, prayer was engaged in, and followed by a time of silent intro- spection? Opportunity should be given to make confession of faults, to ask forgiveness of those we have wronged, to actually prepare our hearts for engaging in the Supper. (d) Then, it would be helpful if Scriptures and relevant thoughts con- cerning the background, meaning, and purpose of the memorial could be given. We have become so ritual-conscious and time-conscious in our wor- ship of God that, often, we have rendered void the very thing we pretend to be doing. Our purpose in coming together, remember, is to break bread; it is not to hlfill a conscience-duty between eleven and twelve o'clock so that we can go on our way, absolved, for another week. We, personally, as Christians have sometimes found ourselves in isolat- ed places on the Lord's day, away from other Christians with whom we could commune. Once we sat in the shade of the ruins of the ancient Forum of Rome. As we prepared for partaking of the bread and the wine, we were struck with the paradoxes around us and in our hands. Two thousand years ago, Rome seemed the might of the world. The Forum itself was architec- tural splendor laid out for men to marvel at. Rome's power stretched over much of the known world and, at that time, one of her primary goals seemed to be the death of Christianity. Christians, on the other hand, had no armies, no central earthly organi- zation, no 'permanent' memorials in stone to remind the world of the great- ness of their Lord. Instead, they had been given the very simple - and per- ishable - memorial, made up of bread and hitof the vine. How enduring and influential in history's story could anyone have expected the memorial to be, especially with the passing of the centuries? Yet, all around us was the testimony that 'permanent' memorials are seldom enduring, and man's might rises and falls. In contrast, the beliefs and practices of those first-century Christians continued in exactly the same way in us; and there we sat, in the middle of the rubble of Rome, with the bread that is His body and the cup that is His blood, the memorial that lives on after two thousand years, in spite of its seeming impermanence. P

Betty Burton Choate is the author of the study, Jesus Christ the Eternal Sacrifice. This lesson, and the following lessons by sister Choate, are taken from that book. DOCTRINE TO LIVE BY

Forgiveness, grace, eternal life-withl~fewith ~odGod would turn into a mere here-and-now idea. Christ brought light into this world through the hope He gives to all men, to come forth from the grave to a life which is never-ending. This fundamental topic of Jesus' promises constitutes a power that brings human beings from sin into light, from hopelessness into the unique and wonderful ex- pectancy of existence with the Savior. The mere idea of living now but having no life after death makes people sad, and, therefore, they look for consolation and a substitute for belief m an after-life. Sadly, they think they find it in enjoying this world, "living today because tomorrow we are dead". But whatever man can develop In this life on earth is like a meaningless ghost that passes away. "What profit lzns a nzan fiorn all h~slabor Ln wh~ch he toils under the sun'" (Ecclesiastes 1:3). Indeed, the hope of a person without the hope Jesus Christ Why? We can be certain that, oth- brought into this world is empty and erwise, all the dead would have baseless. Riches, fame, influence, come out into life (John 1 1: 1-44)! enjoyment. an easy life and whatev- Jesus resurrected perople by er else fills our heart - all these just saying the word. This did not things are temporary and will vanish occur in the shade of unseen when death puts an end to our days. actions; it happened publicly with But in Christ we have hope: many witnesses. Over 500 testified "I tell you a ni~:rtery:We shall about the resurrected Lord. After not all sleep, but we shall all be Christ's resurrection, many saints changed, in a moment, in the twin- came out of their graves and kling of an eye, at the last trumpet. appeared to many. Paul said that For the frumpet will sound, and the because of the resurrection he suf- dead will be raised incorruptible, fered whatever was necessary, and and we shall be changed. For this he followed Jesus even unto death, corruptible must put on incorrzrp- in order to obtain life eternal. The tion, and this mortal must put on Scriptures tell us that God is not a immortalig. God of the dead, but a God of the "So when this corruptible has living, another testimony to the fact put on incorruption, and this mortal that there is life after death. has put on immortality, then shall Jesus Christ spoke always with be brought to pass the saying that is a strict authoritative language when written: 'Death is swallo~~edup in it came to the point of His divinity, victory. 0 Death, where is your His coming as man's savior, and the sting? 0 Hades, where is your vic- resurrection of all: those for life eter- tory? ' nal with God, and the others for an "The sting of death is sin, and everlasting condemnation. Belief in the strength of sin is the law. But Jesus Christ would be in vain for thanks be to God, who gives us the mankind without the resurrection, victory through our Lord Jesus but, because Jesus came forth from Christ .... " (1 Corinthians 15:51- the grave, He serves as a guarantee 58). that all souls after Him will be resur- We expect to have that victory rected. What a glorious hope - not in Christ, because He demonstrated an imagination - to be with the His power over death while He Lord for all time to come. V walked the roads of Israel. When Jesus called Lazarus out of his tomb Hans J. Dederscheck is a preacher of He even called him by his name. the Gospel in Vienna, Austria. Are You Walkins in the Truth? Rod Kyle Some have said, "The only thing we take from life is truth." With this the Bible

agrees. .. "Btry the truth and sell it nof " (Proverbs 23:28). So, are the inherited reli- gious beliefs you hold found in the Word of God? Are you walking in the truth (3 John 3,4)? The Bible clearly tells of the standard of judgment by which all will be judged (John 12:48). For this reason, Jesus commanded His audiences to search the Scriptures (John 5:39). According to 2 Timothy 3: 15- 17. they are the only source of knowledge that leads to salvation. I believe it. We can be deceived (Matthew 24:4) and be eternally lost by believing a lie (2 Thessalonians 2: 11,12). Are your beliefs sourced from God's Word alone, or are you constantly having to apologize or rational- ize the practices of your "group", because you know they have no Biblical founda- tion? It is plain in God's Word. You must do everything by its authority (Hebrews 8:5; Colossians 3:17; Matthew 28:20). To offend in one point is to break all of God's laws (James 2: 10). Bathing ones religious convictions in the light of God's Word (Psalm 119: 105) is not a terror to those who genuinely love the truth. After all, it's not a matter of who is right, but what is right. Are you believing and practicing what is right? 9

Rod Kyle preaches the Gospel in New Zealand. DOCTRINE TO LIVEBY IF Christ stood before you right now and said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," WHAT WOULD YOU DO? IF the Lord will save us with- out baptism, why did Peter com- mand it? (Acts 10:47,48). e e e*&- e IF the Lord promises salva- tion without baptism, why did Peter say it saves? (1 Peter 3:21). IF sprinkling and pouring are scriptural baptism, why did Paul say there is ONE baptism? (Romans 6:l-6; Colossians 2:11,12). tF we can receive remission of sins without bap- tism, why did Peter say baptism is for the remission of sins? (Acts 2:38). IF we get into Christ without baptism, why did Paul say we are baptized info Christ? (Galatians 3:27; Romans 6:3). tF we get into the body of Christ without baptism, why did Paul say we are baptized into the body? (1 Corinthians 12:13). The body and the church are the same (Colossians 1:18). IF Jesus Christ grasped your hand and said, "If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments," WOULD YOU LOVE AND OBEY? (John 14:15; 15:14). What Did Paul Determine? T. Pierce Brown Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:2, the last time you saw him?" he "For I determined not to know any would make no reply. He would thing among you, save Jesus Christ, indeed have been an unbalanced and him crucified. " What did he fanatic, and of course this is not mean by that? He is not saying, "I what he was. His meaning is, "I will be ignorant of every subject may speak of many things, or I may except that which deals with Jesus." not. I make no determination about He is not saying, "I will neither that, for it does not matter. But one learn nor speak of anything that thing matters, and I do make a does not deal with the crucifixion." determination about that. I will He does not mean that if someone speak of Jesus and His crucifixion." says, "Show me how to make a tent For the world and for the like that", or "How is the weather in church, there is one great, central, Corinth?" or. "How was Timothy extensive and far-reaching truth that is simpler, yet broader, deeper, life in that fashion, and it would not wider, more profound and more sig- only clarify his direction and pur- nificant than all other truths in the pose, it would solve many prob- world. That is the truth that Jesus, lems, save much time, and make the Christ, the Son of the living many decisions almost automatic. God, died for our sins. All other It would involve everything one subjects may be optional. This one does, from "Of what church should is required. There is one dominant I be a member?" to "What must I do purpose in our lives, and that is to to be saved?" and everything in keep central in our thinking and between. teaching the fact that Jesus died for The simplest way to answer us and all that is involved in it. those questions is to ask, "What There is a principle in this that does Christ want of me?" Of reaches far beyond the usual lessons course, you do not know the answer we get when we talk about the cross to that question in all things in life of Christ. And that is: once we set- without a diligent study of the tle on the central matters, many Bible, but this is to be the focal times the little details will automati- point, or reference point, to which cally be taken care of. Let me give all your activities point. Remember some specific illustrations in practi- that we may do many things, but cal everyday matters. We never one thing we should determine, and bring up in our house the problem that is to let Christ and His sacri- of whether to serve our guests Pabst fice for us be the thing that causes Blue Ribbon, or Scotch on the us to act as we do. P rocks. That problem was solved a long time ago. When we go to the T. Pierce Brown lives and preaches in Cookevile, Tennessee, USA. grocery store, the problem of whether to get Pall Malls, Luckies, King size or regular, with or without filters was determined long ago. I have never had to waste one minute on the question, "If I divorce Tomijo, will I let her have the car and the dog, the house, or the bank account?" That question was settled almost 60 years ago when we mar- ried. Every person should build his The Great Commission Charles E. Burch

After our Lord's resurrection, the course until a large number were He gave the great commission. involved. "And Jesus came and spake unto "What the students were learn- then?, sa>.ing, All power is given ing began to be discussed in their unto Me in heaven and in earth. Bible classes. Some of the teaching Go j3e therefore, and teach all nuns asked for the WBS course and nations, baptizing them in the name passed on copies to the local parish ofthe Father, and qf the Son, and oJ priest who also became a student. the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to He wrote WBS and asked for observe all things whatsoever I have enough copies of the lessons to use cotnmanded you: and lo, 1 atn with in their high school Bible teaching you alway, even unto the end of the program. world" (Matthew 28:18-20). It is "A local Nigerian evangelist called the great commission, due to visited the school. After a lot of the enormous task involved in tak- teaching, he baptized the priest, the ing the gospel to all nations. nuns and most of the high school It is easy to become discour- students. A New Testament church aged today because it seems that no was begun. Fifteen months later one is interested in serving the Lord. they wrote that they had baptized Many of us can think back a few over 500 new converts and started years and remember when it was five new congregations in the area." much easier to baptize people into Thank God for the power of the Christ. But it has always been that gospel of Christ! When it lodges in when it is so hard to reach people in honest and sincere hearts, it does one area, another area opens up. produce fruit. So let us never The following is part of a letter become discouraged, but sow the from Tex Williams, from World seed at every opportunity. God will Bible School, Austin, Texas: give the increase. Think of some- "In the West African Country one you would like to lead to Christ of Nigeria, a student in a Catholic this year. P high school began taking a World Bible School Correspondence Charles E. Burch is a retired preacher Course. Other students asked for living in Mobile, Alabama, USA. Glenn Colley As I study the Bible through the But that kind of thinking is years, I am more and more amazed quickly replaced by the fact that we at the power and majesty of God. In would also know the actual length fact, there are times when I re-read a of our lives, the length of loved passage and see it in a new light, ones' lives, when terrible catastro- and thereby find another "peak" of phes would occur, etc.. and then we God's awesome greatness. sober up and decide that we do not At one time or another we have want to know these things. We are all imagined what it would be like clearly happier taking a day at a to know the future. When entertain- time. As Jesus said, "Take there- ing the thought for a moment, we fore no thought,for the morrow: for think of benefits such as picking the the morrow shall take thought for stocks that will do well, knowing the things of itselj Sufficient unto who will win political offices, and the day is the evil thereof" which cars of today will be classics (Matthew 6:34). tomorrow. Now, consider that God does know the future. among us? And I will surely hide In the opening scenes of Joshua, my firce In that rka).$~rall the evils we see exhortations to Israel's which they shall have wrought, in leader, Joshua, to lay before the peo- that they are turned unto other ple of God blessing and cursing. If gods "(Deuteronomy 3 1: 16- 1 8). they obey God, He will bless them God clearly knew what the peo- richly. If they do not obey Him, He ple would do, and yet He still kept will abandon them and they will be urging their faithfulness. destroyed by their enemies. Here's Bear in mind that God does not a sample: "Only be thou strong and make people sin and be lost eternal- very courageou.s, that thou ma.yest ly, He allows us that decision (2 observe to do according to all the Peter 3:9) and He desires that all la^: which Moses my servant com- will repent of sins. Yet He knows manded thee: turn not from it to the how this is going to turn out. We right hand or to the left, that thou must assume that He has always mayest prosper whithersoever thou known.

goest " (Joshua 1 :7) This is an example of God's This becomes really interesting magnitude that boggles our minds if when one considers that God, only a we think on it too long, and the few weeks before, told Moses what object of this article is not to do the Israelites were going to do in the that. It is rather to observe some- future. thing hidden back in Isaiah 55:9 that "And the Lord said unto Moses, we would do well to remember Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy always: fathers; and this people will rise up, "For my thoughts are not your and go a whoring after the gods of thoughts, neither are your ways my the strangers of the land, whither ways, saith the Lord. For as the they go to be among them, and will heavens are higher than the earth, forsake me, and break my covenant so are my ways higher than your which I have made with them. Then ways, and my thoughts than your my anger shall be kindled against thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8,9). them in that day, and I will.forsake What is too much for me is a them, and I will hide my face from natural course with God. Always them, and they shall be devoured, live to serve Him better and more. and many evils and troubles shall There is none other like Him. 9 befall them; so that they will say in Glenn Colley preaches for the West that day, Are not these evils come Huntsville church in Huntsville, upon us, because our God is not Alabama, USA. Now this i say. brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold. I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trump& will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 50 when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, fh then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "0Death, where is your sting? 0 Hades, where is your victory?' mntr The sting of death is sin, k and the strength d sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Thereiore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast. immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, n no wing that your labor is not in vain mi in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 1550-58 Identifving Characteristics of the Lord's Church Kevin L. Moore 1. Christ's name is exalted (Colossians 3: 17; Philippians 2:9-11) 2. Christ is supreme authority (Colossians 1: 18; 2:6,7) 3. Headquarters are heaven (Philippians 3:20, Hebrews 12:23) 4. God's Word is the standard (2 Timothy 2: 15; 3: 15- 17) 5. Autonomous congregations (Acts 14:23; 20: 17) 6. Funded by free-will giving (1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:7) 7. Male leadership (1 Corinthians 14:34-35; 1 Timothy 2:8-15) 8. Plan of salvation (Mark 16:15,16; Acts 2:37,38) 9. Day of worship (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16: 1,2) 10. Form of worship (John 4:23,24; Matthew 15:8,9) 11. Vocalheart music (Ephesians 5: 19; Colossians 3 : 16) 12. Evangelistic (Matthew 28: 18-20; Ephesians 3: 10; Acts 8:4) 13. Believes the truth (John 8:3 1,32; Ephesians 1: 13; 2 Thessalonians 2: 13) 14. Practices the truth (1 John 2:3,4; 1 Peter 1:22; 3 John 4) 15. Teaches the truth (Ephesians 4: 15; 2 Timothy 2: 15) 16. Defends the truth (1 Timothy 3: 15; Jude 3; 1 Peter 3: 15) 17. Priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:5,9; Revelation 1.6) 18. Likeminded (1 Corinthians 1: 10; Philippians 1:27; Romans 15:5,6) 19. Love (John 13:35; 1 Corinthians 13:l-7; 1 John 4:7-21) 20. Good works (Ephesians 2: 10; James 2: 14-26; Titus 2: 14) 21. Benevolence (Galatians 6: 10; James 1:27; Matthew 25:34-40) 22. Mutual edification (Romans 14: 19; 1 Corinthians 14:12) 23. Practices discipline (Matthew 18: 15-17; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15) 24. Promotes family values (Matthew 19: 4-9; Ephesians 5:22-6:4) 25. Upholds moral principles (Matthew 5: 13- 16; 1 Peter 4: 15) Q

Kevin L. Moore teaches Bible at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee, USA. 40 Ron Bryant Most of us understand that our a family. It is His family on earth. individual interests and our individ- In it we are privileged to be brothers ually-perceived needs vary greatly, and sisters. We are privileged to not only from age group to age belong to God and to one another. group, but from person to person. We are privileged to know God as Yet, we also recognize that there are our Father, and by Him we are a number of areas where we are directed to "let brotherly love con- essentially the same. We have tinue," to "love one another" (see come to the understanding that we Hebrews 13: 1; 1 Peter 1:22). These each share in common the desires directives translate into the practical for acceptance, for respect, for day-to-day character of our relation- understanding, and the need to both ship in Christ. These directives are give and receive love. We under- pointed, personal, and practical in stand that we are happiest in an their application, and in their bene- environment where these prevail. fits. I confess that the happiest Yet, they are not just for our moments of my life have been spent benefit. Jesus gave a new com- with my loved ones; my family and mandment, that "we love one anoth- my friends. These times have been er, " even as He loved us, so that filled and ruled by a spirit of good- "by this all men will know that you will, of acceptance, of appreciation, are my disciples" (John 13:34,35). and of affection. I cherish each of The healthiest congregations are those moments. And, I believe that made up of people who love the we all share in common the desire to Lord and one another. In these rela- know the embrace of relationships tionships they are cheerful, accept- where love and acceptance are the ing of and open to one another. response. In fact, I believe that we They communicate acceptance, each need to readily admit that each appreciation, and affection. They of us needs such an environment. respect and have good will toward The church, by God's design, is one another, and they seek ways to 4 1 edify one another. In brief, they are live in an atmosphere of love - a people. a family of believers, who God's love working in them and love the Lord, love one another, and through them. This is the character love those about them. not only of their fellowship, but also Great congregations are loyal to of their ministry, and especially of the Lord and to His will, and in all their efforts to reach others with the things they seek to hold fast to Gospel of Christ. They are a people "sound doctrine." Yet, great con- that have heard the call of God, gregations are more than doctrinally have come to know His love, and correct! They are a people that are they are seeking to live it. V to the language of gen- Ron Bryant preaches for the church of uine acceptance and affection. They Christ in Hollister, Missouri, USA.

The Sin of Ornission

It isn't the things you db, dear. It's the things you Ceave undone, That give you a 6it of heartache at the setting of the sun. The tender wordforgotten, the Cetter you didnot write, The_flowers you didnot send dear, are your haunting ghosts tonight. ?'lie stone you might have fiytedout of your bother's way; The 6it of heartsome counseiyou were hurriedtoo much to say; The loving touch of the hand; dear, the genth andwinsome tone, Which you hadno time nor thought for, with trou6Ces enough of your own, Those little acts of kindness, so easily out of mind; Those chances to 6e an angeiwhich everyone may find; fiey come in night andsihnce, each chill reproa.chfuiwraith, Whenhcye is faith undfiagging anda 6Cight has droppedonfaith. Tor bye is aiitoo short, dear, andsorrow is aO'too great 9% suffer our sfow compassion that tarries untiltoo late. Andit's not the thing you do, dear, it's the thing you have undone, Which give you the bit of heartache, at the setting of the sun. - 3Margare t 2. Sangste v Cecil May Jr. God's plan for the continuation shells in full body armor is uncom- of the faith is 2 Timothy 2:2: "The fortable anywhere. things that you have heardJi-om me We, too, are in a war, not among many witnesses, commit against flesh and blood, but against these to faithful men who will be "rulers of this darkness, against able to teach others also." Four spiritual hosts of wickedness in pictures are given of the faithful, heavenly places " (Ephesians 6:12). able men who are needed. We fight against false ideologies, A good soldier: "Endure delusion and philosophies, and hardship as a good soldier of Jesus against "beautiful people" who Christ" (2 Timothy 2:3). Hardship powerfully model the lie that happi- is an integral part of a soldier's life. ness is found in sexual promiscuity There are no air conditioners in fox- and decadent affluence. holes. Ducking bullets and mortar Preachers who spend the entire week in their study and preach only selves with brotherhood opinion to those who assemble to hear them leaders, working to get invited to may never know those hardships, whatever lectureships, "our camp" and never truly engage the enemy. favors, attending luncheons, and A disciplined athlete: "lfany- promoting programs, until the study one competes in athletics, he is not of the Word is forgotten. Sunday crowned, unless he competes ac- morning brings a poem, a sentimen- cording to the rules" (2 Timothy tal story, a text that is read, but oth- 2:5). He must minister within the erwise passed over. The most bla- bounds set by Christ, and he must tant sinner is not convicted, and no run as though only one could win, one is challenged to serve, sacrifice, while at the same time giving heart or deny self. People who come for and talent and time to help others be spiritual nourishment receive winners. He must avoid being dis- instead spiritual cotton candy. qualified for manipulation, self-pro- Many preachers, progressives motion, dishonesty, or sexual mis- and traditionalists alike, "btrt-angle conduct. about words to no profit" (2 A hard-working farmer: Timothy 2:14). Whether they spout "The putient hard-working ,farmer the latest politically correct aban- mrist be the first to partake of the donment of something else the ci.ops" (2 Timothy 2:6). It takes brotherhood has held dear, or cross diligent labor to produce a good their sound "t's" and dot their fun- crop. Plowing, cultivating, fertiliz- damental "i's", they do not face the ing, weeding, all take work and real issues of life and eternity that time. Each has its parallel in sow- their starving congregation wrestle ing and working the seed of the with day by day. kingdom. Harvest does not imme- When members' souls are diately follow sowing. "See howl shriveling, their homes hurting, the farmer wuits for the precious their children rebelling, and their Jiuif of the earth, +caitingpatiently society pushing on them at work jor it until it receives the early and and in recreation to abandon faith latter ruin " (James 5:7). and morality, we can help them only A studious worker: "A work- by bringing them an authentic and mon who does not have to be relevant word from God. ashamed, cot-rectly handling the "Preach the Word!" 2 word of truth " (2 Timothy 2: 15). In Cecil May, Jr. is director of the School too many cases, preachers become of Preaching at Faulkner University in enamored with ingratiating them- Montgomery, Alabama, USA. heavens and the earth 2. The earth was Many - even those who claim to believe the Bible -- would say of the deep. And the &irJt that these words in Genesis 1 are not to be taken literally; that God waters. did not make the earth in six liter- 3. Then God said, "Let there be al days. But to make the "days" Ijghl"; and there was light.... mean "aeons" of time would not work well, even according to sci- 7. Thus God made the firmament, entific knowledge of nature today. and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firma- merit: and it was so....

Earth, and the of the Godhead involved saw that it was good.... lave been found in abundance in he Arctic and Antarctic regions, ndicating that at one time the :ntire earth's climate was more nild and uniform than it is today. earth"; and it was so.... Svidently, the waters above the So the evening and the morning were the third m.... 16. Then God made two great liqhts: lood of Genesis 7. the greater light to rule the day, and Chird: Plants were made on th the lesser light to rule the night. He hird day, the sun and moon o made the stars also. he fourth day. flying things 17. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, ... So the evening and the morning were the fourth 24. Then God said, "Lett bring forth the livina creature according to its kind: cattle and ince everything is so inter creeping thing and beast of the ent, how could any of earth, each according to its kind"; hings have lived without t and it was so. others for "aeons" of time? Section Three of Your Personal Work Notebook You may copy and enlarge the following pages to compile in a fold- er for ready use! Some of the charts are taken from Mid McKnight's booklet of Personal Work Charts. Some are from booklets by Dillard Thurrnan. When you use this notebook, you are obeying Acts 20:20.

- - How Does God's Family Grow?

Never forget that God's family is a living thing, and there is a process by which living things grow and multiply: there must be planting, nourishing, fruit-bearing, and harvesting! All Christians are taught by their Lord: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itselJI except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. Ifa man abide not in me, he is cast forth us a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. Ifye abide in me, and mjj words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples" (John 15:1-8). From The Secret to Wakina UD the Pew Potatoes by John Mark Wilson. 46 "Search the Scriptures" (John 5:39 & Acts 17:ll) Instructions: First, draw a line from "YOU" to what you did to be saved. Then daw a line from the case of conversion to what the Bible says they did. Heard Jews (Acts 2:36-41) Believed Samaritans (Acts 8:5, 12) Repented Confessed Christ Simon (Acts 8:13)you :- Were Baptized Eunuch (Acts 8:26-39) Saul (Acts 9:3-18; 22:16) Saved by Faith Only Cornelius (Acts 10:l-48) "Got Religion" Lydia (Acts 16:13-16) Prayed through Jailer (Acts 16:25-34) Joined denomination Crispus (Acts 18:8) Accepted Christ Does the account of your conversion compare completely with what the Bible demanded of these people? (Read Romans 8:16; also Jeremiah 10:23 and Proverbs 14:12)

Acts 2:38 After Conversion 1 Timothy 4:16 Acts 22: 16 Revelation 2:10 Saved: Past Sins I Saved Eternally Things to Remember God Wants You to 2 Corinthians 5:17 Matthew 22:37 New Creature -Romans 6:4 Love Him First Matthew10:37 1 Peter 2:2 2 Timothy 2115 Babes in Christ -1 Corinthians 3:i.z ( Study Acts 17; 11 Matthew 4:l ,I1 Philippians 4:6,7 Critical Period Corinthians IO:I I.12 Pray I 1 Timothy 2:8 John 8:31 Hebrews 10:25-27 Possibility of Falling -I John 2:1,2 Assemble Matthew 18:20 Acts 8: 11,24 1 Corinthians 16: 1,2 Representative -2 CorinthiansI Timothy 412 3:2 Give 2 Corinthians 9:6,7 Hebrews 12:1,2 Matthew 28:19,20 Christ, your Example -I peter 221 Help Save Othen - ohn 15:1,6,16 SALVATION FROM SIN WHAT IS SIN? I JOHN 3:4 JAS. 4:17 AU HAVE SINNED ROM. 3:23 I JOHN 1:8 NOT ALL SPIRITUAL ENOUGH "HEAR YE HIM" BLESSINGS MATT. 1x5 TO BE IN CHRIST EPH. i:3 ('nAr)Rev. 14 :13 PROY.16:E .JfR.10:23 MIRX 16:s 1 N A WAY BAR. 7:l3+14 BELIEVE lOHllI:2l I ETERNAL LIFE 1 C:L.I:13-14 ACTS 23 Ilohn 5:1 1 RELlGlOliS ACTS S: 26 -39 REPENT LUXE $3

ACTS 23:1 Mhn 11:329 P Tim. 230 HONEST ACTS 2216 CONFESS Pcn a:n 1 sALYAT'oN I NO CONDEMNATION MARK l6:;6 Rom. 8:l MORALLY GOOD :E.~LOIIBAPTlZED ACTSCd

US. 2: BELIEVER 19.26 WHO ?'Ei?iil': IlOW 6~4

ACTS 1: Confess Unta Rom.10:10 ALMOST PERSUADED "t4Ts2'zZsb' THUS ADDED- - 41.4

ACTS W3 REDEEMED COL t13.14 Believe UntaRom.l@lO GOD'S:PATTERN As Applies To MUSIC IN THE WORSHIP * The pottent is specfd: 1. vocal - Eph. 5:19;Cul. 3:16; 1 Cor. 14:15; Jas. 5:13 2. lnstruinental - (Not in the pattern) The law of exciuswn must be observedl * OM Testornent E*amo(es: Rontans 15:4

Odc Pin be Cow Pis Gad6:14-W Ex& 1221 Generic: Wood Gmaic: Bkod Specifi: Goptm Specific: Lamb's Blobd Wlweo God -ifid tIw kitd W~IQIIGod rpecifi tfw kud d d,all ottwr kit& were of Wood. nO oltwr ~~ were exduded. end& -

Pi ad Bread srd

8 la Cnan Fruit d Vmrr MUSIC LORD'S SUPPER Codcltr tbnl ard 0 and Wata Ern Piaw Harp Epkk5:19 1 Cor. 1123-26 Ge~mic:Make Music Gawric: Eat and Drink Specific: Sing SpeciSi: Bread and Fruit of Vine When God specifid the kind d music (vocal), $I other When God sdithe &I of vim), kinds were enduded (Bread and Fruit all

God is displeased and division among His people results when Hk rpecific cetilare not obeyed. Adding to qsub atitutuw wnstituteq a viobtwn of the bw ofe~clusion,and dis- respects the sOence ol the Scriptures What can we do to aid the the people" because they were growth of God's kingdom and to always serving others in kindness allow God to work most effectively and love. They also enjoyed the in the lives of people? Scripture favor of the people because their actually tells us several things about conduct among the people inspired the role we play in the advancement respect and admiration. When the of the church. Consider the follow- community at large respects us, ing ideas. many doors are open for the Gospel. First, growing the church Secondly, growing the church means gaining the favor and respect means meeting people where they of the people around us. The are. Paul talked about how he tried ancient church "hud ,favor among to adapt to the culture of whatever people he was trying to influence It is based on a common sense of with the Gospel. He said, "I mission. It is based on each mem- became all things to all men that by ber seeking the good of every other all possible means I might save member. These values and this some " (1 Corinthians 9:22). We do environment are ultimately fostered this when we try to be in the activi- by good leaders among the people. ties of the people, adapt to the styles Doing all these things creates an and customs of the people, and be environment in which the kingdom sensitive to the culture of the people of God will certainly grow. P we are trying to win. Dan R. Owen works with the Broad- Thirdly, growing the church way congregation in Paducah, means spreading the Word to peo- Kentucky, USA. ple. when they respect us and accept us as friends, we must then actually teach them the truth of God's Word. This is the means by which God enters their hearts and begins to work on changing them from the inside out. Next, growing the church means growing spiritual leaders. Once there is an initial group of obedient believers, they need to be encouraged, nurtured, and taught the ways of God. Those who deep- en their relationship with God and become examples in the way they live and the way they serve become the leaders of God's people. These leaders encourage others to do right and grow spiritually and equip oth- ers to become active servants in the kingdom. Finally, growing the church means creating an environment of cooperation and unity. This envi- ronment is based on a common alle- giance to the truth of God's Word. Editor's Note: A "restoration movement" is simply that: restor- ing in the given locality what was already in existence. The church or body of people for whom Christ died was begun on the Day of Pentecost in AD 33. These articles are an over-view of the American movement

20th CENTURY - LAST THIRD Slowly an uneasiness began to pervade the minds of certain church leaders. A number of men expressed dissatisfaction with the church in Voices of Concern (1960's). Periodicals generally held to truth. The faculties of most Christian schools were still composed of teachers faithful and active in the Lord's church, although the pressure for advanced degrees was increasing. Negative assessments of the church arose more and more from within. Attacks, rather subtle at first, rose to crescendo level in the late 70's and 80's. The certainty of faith was labeled narrow-minded dogmatism. As in the 19th century, the uniform nature of message, worship, and work was viewed as an absence of the Spirit. As more preachers and faculty members were trained in denomi- national seminaries, the restoration concept was questioned - then rejected by many. The new hermeneutic challenged the concepts of restoration. The massive network of a national television program and its perceived pressure for support set the stage for change. Later, its messages altered and it was regarded by some as the 20th century 'society', although many continued its support, reluctant to abandon this symbol of hope born in the 1950's. Doctrines were subjectively challenged. The concept of divine, absolute, unchanging, understandable truth became suspect to many pro- fessed Christians. Situation ethics was openly espoused by some in our schools and pul- pits. A woman led a large outdoor devotional at a mission forum at a Christian college. Teachings concerning divorce and re-marriage were revised, often to suit a personal circumstance. The leaders of the old and respected church at Belmont in Nashville, Tennessee, slowly drifted away from the past, until its leader laid claim to direct inspiration. The Crossroads church in Gainesville, Florida, and the Boston church leaders genuinely sought to reach out to the lost in the post big meetinglfilm strip era with a method which ultimately included an authoritarian approach far beyond anything in the scriptures. The old arguments about the danger or error of a 'pastor' system were renewed as multi-membered, highly educat- ed staffs took over the work of many in the church - sometimes even its leaders. Many Christians, busy attaining prosperity, laid down the Bible and left the conversion of neighbors to the fine hired staff. Youth sometimes worshipped separately from those who were older. Entertainment often became central to youth work, sometimes even central to worship. Many teaching organizations have arisen that have no silpervision from a congre- gation or elders. Also, materialism has become the focus of many. Fewer Christian mothers are at home to bless their children daily. Young men are not encouraged to preach. If one insists, he is often encouraged to have a back- up profession. The promised care of God is often forgotten. Our buildings sometimes are virtual cathedrals; our homes mansions; our cars luxurious; our portfolios impressive. Contributions have increased dramatically. Many, no longer interested in personal outreach, are willing to pay others generously to teach the lost for them. There were struggles all along the way. Multiple thousands of faithful Christians still pursued the Lord's Way enthusiastically. The change was subtle and slow. The deceleration of, and then the cessation of, growth was difficult to discern. Flavil Yeakley predicted it in the 1970's, but few believed him. True, fewer were being converted, and many more of our children were losing their conviction andlor allying themselves with denom- inations. Yet, somehow the dream still seemed real. Soine periodicals continued to inform and inspire. Others filled needed niches well. Yet, overall the papers appeared unable to solidify the ranks of Christians as the 'Gospel Advocate' and others had done in years past. Perhaps that was an impossible expectation. Some editors chose to ignore the difficulties, while others so concentrated on problems that they neglected to teach the truth. The reading choice was often blandness or jalapeno. Thus many chose to ignore the avenue of periodicals entirely. The internal fight was both difficult to recognize and to face objectively. Many seemed not to have ever known the beautifid church that I remember as a youth. The change was gradual at first, and then large numbers denied the her- itage of the Bible and the church. The restoration plea became anathema to many. The uniqueness of the church of the Lord was denied by many, including leaders. Some argued that undenominational restoration was impossible. Interaction with denominations in fellowship and worship became fairly normal; and many could see little difference between the church and its neighbors. There was talk of a vast departure from the church; pessimism was the norm; division was expected. The mood of the late 20th century was much like that of the same period in the 19th century. A SUMMARY - TWO CENTURIES We have seen that in each of the past two centuries, the flaw of unity and growth of the church has followed a visible, recognizable pattern. There have been two cycles of three steps, each lasting about 35 years. Q

19th Century 20th Century A period of study, deter- A period of introspec- First Third mination of course, tion, disillusionment; of the Century establishment of basic search for what had details of faith; limited gone wrong. Basic growth. faith; limited growth. A time of expansion, excitement; senseof Surprising new interest Second Third destiny - harbingersof by neighbors; unprece- of the Century longperiod of growth; dented growth; excite- seeds of difficulty; mis- ment; seeds of difficul- sion controversy. ty; mission vision. Dissension; introduc- Challenge from within; Last Third tion of new ideas; chal- introduction of new of the Century lenge to basic authority ideas; internal division; of Bible; inner division; Biblical compromise; slowing growth. growth slowed. From: "The Church: Today's Opportunity" by Dr. Joe D. Gray, P.O. Box 156, Altamont, Tennessee, 37301. CHRISTIANITYIN ACTION LORD, CHAWOe OUR HEARTS AWDuse OUR

Randall Caselman The question to Jesus was, Who dents in quick succession that must is my neighbor? He proceeded to have startled both Jesus' disciples tell of the Good Samaritan. No and His accusers. Jesus rid the doubt His choice of heroes startled demoniac of his demons in the His Jewish audience. cemetery and then commissioned Not only did Jesus' teaching him as a witness of what He had startle His hearers, so did His done for him. Next, Jesus was behavior. Mark records three inci- touched by, and healed, an unclean woman. Then, He took the hand of ing others. Seemingly, the Jeru- a dead girl and restored her life. salem church had to be jolted by These people were all considered severe persecution before it would unclean, and Jesus' touching them take the Good News to Samaria. would have made Him unclean also, Phillip had to be approached by an but Jesus knew He was God's hands angel to go preach to an Ethiopian to serve others. in Gaza. Peter needed a rooftop John records Jesus' outlandish vision before he would enter the behavior with two women. At house of Gentile Cornelius with the Jacob's well in Sychar, Jesus strikes Gospel. It took a supernatural inter- up a conversation with an immoral vention of the Holy Spirit for the Samaritan outcast. His behavior church at Antioch to separate resulted in many believing in Him. Bamabas and Saul for the first mis- Everyone is familiar with the story sion journey. of the woman taken in adultery. Perhaps the question is this: Instead of condemning her, Jesus What must God do to get the mes- forgave, commanding that she give sage across to us? When will we up her life of sin. become His hands, His feet? When You see, Jesus ministered to will we become His instruments of those possessed by the devil and sin, righteousness, mercy, and grace? to the unclean, to the dead and Only, only when we allow Him to dying, to those imprisoned by big- change our hearts. Paul tells us in otry and sin. Jesus was God's Philippians to let the heart, the hands, God's source of help and mind, the attitude that was in Christ holiness. Jesus saw the suffering of be in us. What kind of heart did others as potential reservoirs of Jesus have? One of humility and God's mercy, so He extended mercy submission. Jesus had an attitude of and grace. He became God's instru- servanthood. Jesus was willing to ment of righteousness. Paul, speak- place our interests before His own ing in Romans 6 to those who had interests. He was moldable clay in experienced New Testament baptism the hands of the potter, God. We and had been raised to walk a new must become like Him. The ques- life, says we, too, are to be such tion is: Are we willing? instruments of God, instruments of God's challenge to this writer righteousness. and to you, the reader, is to become It took the early church some His instruments of righteousness, time to adjust to this new concept of living sacrifices; to become His becoming God's instrument in serv- hands by having our minds trans-

56 CHRISTIANITYIN ACTION formed into the image of His Son. restore him gently. But watch your- When this happens, we, too, will be: self, you also may be tempted. Casting out Satan and evil Carry each other's burden and in by teaching and exemplifying the this way you will fulfill the law of Word in our daily walk. Christ" (Galatians 6:1,2). We will be touching the "As oflen as you did it unto unclean, the AIDS patient, and the least of these my brothers, you those in our society no one else is did it to Me" (Matthew 25:40). willing to serve and save. "For if God so loved us We will have a forgiving then we ought to love one another" heart rather than just pointing our (1 John 4: 11). finger at the sins of others. Why not startle your world by Who can read their Bibles with- conforming to the image of Jesus, out being aware that God placed us by loving and serving others.. . all here to serve and glorify Him by others! D serving and saving others? Let us Randall Caselman preaches for the begin today to be more Godlike in church of Christ in Bella Vista, all we do, by having a heart filled Arkansas, USA. with an unconditional Bring Our Wayward Brethren Back Dale Grissom "Brethren, ifa man be overtak- Every person who obeys from en in a fault, ye which are spiritual, the heart the Gospel plan of salva- restore such an one in the spirit of tion becomes a child of God, and meekness; considering thyseCf; lest God adds him to the church (Acts thou also be tempted" (Galatians 2:47). He will always be a child of 6:1). Restoring the erring is one area God. Though he may become in which the church is badly failing. unfaithful, he does not cease to be a It is reported that only fifty per- part of God's family; he is, instead, cent of new converts remain faithful a wayward child. Consider the chil- for over five years. Brethren, this dren of Israel, how time and time just ought not to be! We must do a again they were unfaithful. God better job of nurturing our babes in grieved over their sins, yet forgave Christ - encouraging, teaching, them each time they repented and loving, and bonding, making them turned back to Him. feel a welcome and important part Each of us must truly become of the family of God. our brother's keeper. We must The apostle Paul admonishes us work to set the proper example for to restore the erring in the spirit of others, and we must encourage and meekness. How can we accomplish build each other up. We must not this if we don't care about our be timid about talking to one anoth- brethren? And how can we truly er concerning matters of the soul care for someone we barely even and where we will spend eternity. know? The church is the family of May each of us determine to God and, as such, we must work to become more spiritually minded develop a genuine love for each and more sensitive about the needs other. Only by spending time in of our brothers and sisters. prayer for each other, and by spend- Brethren, we are preparing for ing time getting to know each other, eternity. Christianity is a serious can we have the bond that God business. Let's be sure we don't would have us to develop. If we take it too lightly - our souls are have the love we should have for dependent upon it. P our spiritual family, we will be grieved when a brother or sister Dale Grissom works with the church goes back into the world. of Christ in Dexter, Missouri, USA. WORSHIP

~&J~~LJso3 311 (3m Wot66@p Lewis G. Hale Some people seem to think that sing (Ephesians 5:19), to make God is glorified in all their worship. melody in our heart (not on a After all, they are doing it to please mechanical instmme~lt). God. What makes anyone think that We are to pray (1 Corinthians God is so "picky" as to demand that 14: 15). everything be done a certain way? We are to give on the first day A study of the Scriptures will of every week, as God has pros- reveal that not all worship pleases pered us (1 Corinthians 16: 1,2). God or glorifies Him. We are to commune with Him Nadab and Abihu offered in taking the Lord's Supper on the strange fire to God in their worship, first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 which He had not commanded Corinthians 1 1:23, 24). (Leviticus 10: 1). Fire came out We are to teach the Word of from God and consumed both men. God (Acts 2:42; 11:26). Drastic and sudden punishment! We have no right to change the What they were doing was "wor- worship of God. Only God knows ship", but it did not please God, and what will please Him. He has He was not honored by it. Jesus revealed this in the Bible. The said the people of His day wor- apostles were to teach all things shipped in vain because they taught whatsoever Jesus commanded them. for doctrines the commandments of If He taught it, it will also be found men (Matthew 15:9). in their teachings. Citizens of Athens worshipped "Whatever you do in word or idols in ignorance (Acts 17:23). deed, do all in the name of the Jesus taught that "God is a Lord" (Colossians 3: 17).

Spirit: and they that worship him " Whatever you do, do all to the must orsh ship him in spirit and in glory of God" (1 Corinthians truth " (John 4:24). If what we do in 10:31). Let's make sure we glorify worship is not directed by the God in our worship. 8 revealed truth of Almighty God, it will not be acceptable. Lewis G. Hale works with the The Bible is clear about our Southwest Church of Christ in worship. We are commanded to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. J. Robert Swain

Hebrews 11:4 and Genesis 4:3-4 The story of Cain and Abel Genesis does not mention that God found in Genesis 4:3,4 is intriguing desired a blood sacrifice, through for many reasons. It is the account His acceptance of Abel's gift and of the first murder - the killing of His rejection of Cain's we can one quarter of the population by assume that they knew what sacri- another quarter of the population, no fice to offer. The sacrifices record- less. It is a story of brother killing ed during the Patriarchal Age were brother. It is also the first written animal sacrifices, but under the account of man worshipping God. Mosaical Age both blood and grain We are not given insight into sacrifices were commanded by God. the instruction that God gave His I believe that these two brothers had first worshippers. Both brothers direction from God to offer an ani- evidently knew what would be mal sacrifice. Otherwise, it would acceptable to God. Although be hard to condemn Cain for some- thing that he did not know to do. repentance, learned from his mis- Abel chose to follow those direc- take and corrected the problem. tions and Cain did not. Instead, he resented God's rejection God has always viewed wor- of his efforts and then lashed out in ship of Himself as important and to jealousy at his brother who had be taken seriously. In Leviticus obeyed God. 10:I-7, priests used a "strange fire" When we worship God today, that God had not authorized for sac- we must make sure that it is done in rifice on His altar. This resulted in the way that God directs . . . in spirit dire consequences for the priests and in truth. If our worship con- who assumed that God would not tains practices that were not a part mind. We are commanded to wor- of the first-century church's wor- ship God "in spirit and in truth ". ship, as recorded in the scriptures, We should not assume that God will then we must correct our practices. accept our sacrifice of worship if it "In vain they do worship me, teach- is done properly but in the wrong ing as doctrine the commandments spirit, or if it is done in the right of men" (Matthew 15:9). If we sit spirit but not done according to in the assembly and bow our heads direction through His holy word. to worship in submission, but our Many times I have wondered hearts and minds are not in submis- why Cain made the sacrifice that he sion, we must make a change. did. It has been suggested to me When we search the scriptures that perhaps Cain did not give his and discover that we do need to best. Scripture does not tell us that. make a change, let's make sure that Hebrews 11:4 states that "Abel we take God's correction and offered a more excellent sacrijice" instruction with humility. Let's not (NKJV). It does not say that one compound the problem with a pride- was good and the other was not. It ful or resentful attitude. implies that both were good but When we worship, we must only one was acceptable. make the effort to give God our I do know that Cain's response very best and not hold anything of anger and revenge was not back. Only then will our sacrifice acceptable to God. Perhaps this be acceptable to God and be consid- selfish attitude was the root of the ered a more excellent sacrifice! V entire problem. He could have responded differently to God's dis- J. Robert Swain is a missionary work- ing in Asia and India. He lives and appointment with his sacrifice. He works with the World Evangelism might have shown sorrow and team in Winona, Mississippi, USA. David Deffenbaugh The saying goes, "If it's not So often efforts made to fix worship broke, don't fix it." A variation on are inappropriate in that they are that theme (and sometimes more superficial, cosmetic, and misdirect- applicable) is, "If it's not broke, ed - a new paint job instead of a you're not trying hard enough." In tune-up or even engine overhaul, if the church today there is a multitude you will. of efforts to fix worship. Obvious- As important as worship is, ly, many people think it's broke - consider that God sees some things others disagree. Some would say as even more fundamental than wor- that if it wasn't broke before, it cer- ship. In other words, if there are not tainly is now. some things already in place, the Ought worship to be a concern? worship debate is a moot point. Yes, and a thousand times yes! Remember these words? "To obey Simply knowing that God desires is better than sacrifice" (1 Samuel true worshipers should be more than 15:22). "For Z delight in loyalty adequate motivation to make it be rather than sacrifice, and in the among our chiefest concerns (John knowledge of God rather than burnt 4:23). Does worship need fixing? offerings " (Hosea 6:6). "I desire Possibly. Paul certainly thought it compassion and not sacrifice" needed fixing at Corinth and (Matthew 9:13). "To do righteous- Colossae (1 Corinthians 11: 17; ness and jzistice is desired by the Colossians 2:23). Lord rather than sacrifice" Where do we begin in fixing (Proverbs 2 1 :3). worship'? That, of course, depends Enhanced worship services on the nature of the worship prob- won't repair broken worship or lem. But, if a car is not running gloss over broken worshipers. right and in need of fixing, it is Another saying goes, "The best hardly appropriate to get a new place to start is in the beginning." paint job, shiny wheels, and new The beginning point in our great upholstery. The car may look bet- concern for our worship to God is ter, be more attractive and appeal- with those fundamental matters God ing. Its enhanced appearance may looks for in those who would wor- give a certain degree of satisfaction ship Him. and pleasure. But it still isn't fixed. If our attitudes, our hearts are wrong, by all means we must fix speak to us through a study of His them. But in fixing ourselves, let us word (Hebrews 6: 1-3), giving sacri- not make the mistake of thinking ficially to support His work (2 that we have the authority to change Corinthians 9:5-7) - these ele- what God wants us to do in our ments of worship are not ours to worship, or to turn it into a self- "fix". Our part is to participate with gratifying entertainment experience. all our heart and soul, worshiping at Worshiping God humbly, rev- the feet of our God. erently in song (Colossians 3:16), If it is broke, by all means fix pouring out our hearts to Him in it. Q prayer (Philippians 4:6), remember- David Deffenbaugh preaches for the ing our Lord's death for us (1 South College congregation in Corinthians 11:23-30), hearing Him Tahlequah, Oklahoma, USA.

10 Reasons Why You Should Attend Every Sedce 1. To be with Jesus (Matthew 18:20). 2. For the personal peace and satisfaction that can be found with Jesus (Philippians 4:7). 3. In order to have Scriptures opened to us (Luke 24:45). 4. In order not to quench the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5: 19). 5. In order to receive comfort and fellowship (Hebrews 10:24). 6. In order to feed and exercise our faith (Romans 10:17). 7. So as not to miss a potentially life-changing expe- rience (John 20:19,24,26-28). 8. To maintain our spiritual fervor (Matthew 24:12). 9. In order to feed our spiritual appetites (Matthew 5:6). 10. Because this is where 1 would want to be when the Lord returns (Mark 13:32,33). Fixing a Situation J. Randal Matheny A baggage handler removing supervisor. the luggage from the Sao Paulo-Rio He thought for a moment and flight picked up a passenger's pet told his subordinate, "There's a pet carrier - and saw the dog was shop near the airport. Go and get a dead1 He quickly called his superi- dog like this one." or, who, recognizing the situation "But when she gets home she'll was ripe for a legal suit, paged his know it's not her pet!" he objected. "Once she gets out of the air- openly with it. "The integriy of the port, it will be her problem. And upright guides them, but the she'll not look closely in the bustle crookedness of the treacherous of claiming her luggage and getting destroys them " ( Proverbs 1 1 :3, away," replied the chief. ESV). So while the subordinate found "But we have renounced dis- a similar animal at the pet shop, the graceful, underhanded ways. We chief stalled the dog's owner. refuse to practice cunning or to Finally, the pet carrier appeared tamper with God's word, but by the with a live animal. The owner took open statement of the truth we one look at the dog and exclaimed, would commend ourselves to evep "This is not my dog!" one's conscience in the sight of The supervisor went to bat. God" ( 2 Corinthians 4:2). "Ma'am, with the difference in When we come clean with mis- pressure and temperature during takes and are open about bad situa- flight, and considering the stress the tions, we might even discover the pet feels, the animals often act dog was dead to start with. strangely until they get in familiar surroundings." 'As told to me by the relative of an "Well, this flight certainly airport official in Sao Paulo. Q changed my dog," she declared, "because when I put him on the J. Randal Matheny is a missionary working in San Jose dos Campos, plane, he was dead. I decided to Brazil. He is founder and editor of the bring him back to Rio and bury him online e-zine at www.forthright.net. close to me, since I loved him so much." "1 have not sent these How often do we try to fix a prophets, yet they ran. I have situation or improve a bad moment, not spoken to them, yet they only to make things worse? prophesied. But if they ha4 Somehow, we think our dishonest stood in my counsel, and ha4 schemes can put things right. caused my people to hear my When things go wrong, howev- words, then they should have er, there is no substitute for honesty, turned them from their evil confession, and transparency. way, and from the evil of Problems and situations are to their doingu Oeremiah be not managed, but faced squarely. 23:21,22). Character determines whether we will work around a problem or deal Hundreds of millions of people Jesus is the son of God. These peo- from across the world believe that ple also will answer quickly that they love Jesus, if asked the ques- should live, worship, and serve in tion as Jesus asked Peter in John His kingdom. Do we obey his 21:15-17. It would seem to be the teaching in all these areas? only reasonable feeling toward We love Jesus if we love one Jesus. He loves us and died on the another. Notice what Jesus says in cross to provide a way for us to be John 15:12-1 4, "This is Mjv com- forgiven of our sins, making us mandment, that you love one anoth- acceptable for entrance into His er as I have loved you. Greater love heavenly kingdom. Notice how the has no one than this than to In)) question is asked in John 2 1 :15- 17, down one's lye for his friends. You

" ... 'Jesus said to Simon Peter, are my jiiends ij'you do whatever I Simon, son ofJonah, do you love me command you. " more that these?' He said to Him, We love Jesus if we walk as he 'yes, Lord, you know that I love walked, and walk with Him. Con- you. ' He said to him, 'Feed my sider Ephesians 5: 1-2; "Therefore lambs ' He said to him again a sec- be imitators of God as dear chil- ond time, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do dren, and walk in love, as Christ yotr love me?' He said to Him, 'Yes also has loved us and given Lord; you know that I love you. ' He Himself'jbr us, an offering and a said to him, 'Tend my sheep. ' He sacrzjice to Godfor a sweet smel- said to him the third time, 'Simon, ling aroma. " son of Jonah, do you love me?' Love for Jesus is expressed as Peter was grieved because he said we love our wife or husband, chil- to him a third time, 'Do you love dren or parents. Those who love Me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, Jesus love His word, His kingdom, j>ouknow all things; you know that I and the souls of all men. Following love you. ' Jesus said to him, 'Feed Jesus in love involves work, wor- my sheep. "' ship, helping to teach and save oth- Today, Christians should be ers, and even love for our enemies. asking themselves the same ques- Jesus says one cannot divide his tion. Jesus loves us and we should loyalty and love (Matthew 6:24), love Him. Do you love Jesus? between God and the treasure and Jesus says in John 14:15, "If you physical things of this world. love me, keep my commandments." Do you love Jesus? b We love Jesus if we know His will Wayne Barrier lives in Florence, and His commandments and obey Alabama, USA, and is involved in tak- them. Jesus specifies the way we ing the Gospel throughout the world. Demar Elam

Attitude is a vital factor that controls how we serve the Master. Many peo- 1 pIe need attitude adjust- ments. If attitudes were fine-tuned, the work of the Lord would be increased, , and the joy of Christian living would come to the forefront. Attitudes deter- mine levels of ser- vice for Christ. What is your atti- what happens to us, but the attitude tude toward Him, toward the we take toward what happens. The church, toward fellow Christians, surest revelation of one's character toward the lost, and toward life in is the way one bears suffering. general? Circumstances and situations All too often, the attitudes of may color life, but by the grace of individuals rock back and forth God, we have been given the power between positive, negative, and rot- to choose what color that shall be. ten. When people view life from The effect that misfortune, handi- such perspectives, precious little cap, sickness, and sorrow have upon brings happiness, people rob them- life is determined by the way in selves of the abundant life in Christ which we meet them." (John 10: 10). Life can, and often does, throw Concerning attitudes, Charles us a curve. The way we handle R. Woods has said, "The important these surprises molds and shapes us and decisive factor in life is not into the people we are. I like what Willa Cather said about trees: "I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do." Paul thought similarly when he said, "Not that I speak in respect ofwant: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 1 knon, how to be abased, and I know how to abound: eveq where and in all things 1 am instructed both to be $411 and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need" (Philippians 4: 11,12). Surely Christians ought to pos- sess upbeat, victorious attitudes! Again, Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me " (Philippians 4: 13). When attitudes are being tested and tried under the stresses and strains of the many pressures of life, when it seems we've lost the battle and defeat loolns before us, remem- ber the words of Michel de Mon- tainge, "There are some defeats more triumphant than victories."

The Lord said to Paul, " ...Mv grace is sufJicient.for thee; for tny strength is made perfect in weak- ness. Most gladlv therefore will 1 rather glory in my infirmities, that the pouw of Christ may rest upon me " (2 Corinthians 12:9). Q

Demar Elam is the Director of Mission Studies at Regions University in Montgomery, Alabama, USA. grace, sea-

skill of "walk(ing) in wis- answer each dom toward those who are outside" (Colossians 4:5), learning one " (Colossians to speak with grace, is specifically 4:6). Languages are difficult and enjoined to Christians that we might frustrating to me. I don't learn properly represent Christ and His other languages easily, and since I Gospel to an unbelieving world. It travel and work in a number of dif- is not so much knowing what.to say ferent countries, I find that I am as it is having the ability to say it so often where I don't speak the lan- that it will be received well. guage. I am dependant upon trans- Grace is often defined as lators, "non-verbal communica- "unmerited favor", meaning God's tion", the other person's limited treatment of sinful mankind, not knowledge of English, or the few giving us what we deserve, but words or phrases I may have picked what we need. up. Communication is difficult at There is another way the word best. I have often wished for the is used, however. That is as a quali- Apostles' gift of speaking in ty or characteristic of loveliness and tongues (Acts 2: 1-13), but that was charm. We describe a good hostess for another age, and I must struggle as "gracious" or we say of someone, as best I can. "She has a graceful walk." It is in More important, however, than this latter sense that Paul calls for knowing how to speak the language graceful speech. Our words, and our manner while speaking them, jesting" as "not fitting7' for should have a loveliness about Christians. We are to take life seri- them. They should attract others ously and to be concerned with positively, and lead to a welcome those things that are of eternal sig- reception. nificance. As we speak with non- So often we do just the opposite believers, our spirituality should be when we speak. We say things manifest. God should be glorified harshly, angrily, and thoughtlessly. and his Kingdom exalted. Salt is a We threaten, warn, and antagonize. preserver and a seasoning. Its pres- Others are repelled, not attracted, by ence in food makes the food taste what they hear from our lips. When better, provides certain necessary we speak unkindly, it scarcely mat- nutrition, and helps preserve the ters whether what we say is true. food against contamination. Our Even if it is, it will still cause others speech should have within it that to turn away from us rather than provides protection from corruption, draw them nearer. How much bet- gives flavor to life, and meets the ter to speak kindly, considerately, needs of the spirit. with beauty in both tone and content Foreign language is a chal- of our message. lenge. However if I can speak of Along with grace, our speech is God's love in Christ Jesus, and if 1 to be "seasoned with salt." This is can encourage faithful obedience to an interesting phrase in this connec- His will, I can communicate the tion. Though there are a number of eternal message of salvation. Noth- ways it might be understood, I ing is more important than that. Q believe one implication is that there Michael E. Brooks works with the should be substance to our speech. Highland Park church of Christ in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He works In Ephesians 5:4 Paul forbids the full time in missions and is Director of use of "foolish talking" and "coarse Khulna, Bangladesh, Bible College. my sins (Acts 20:7; Matthew 26:26-28). I will pray, expecting an answer (Matthew 21 :22). I will sing from the heart, unimpaired by man-made instru- ments (Ephesians 5:19). I will heed the Scripture and the preacher's lesson (Acts 20:7; 2 Peter 1: 19). I will greet other saints as people who are forgiven, as I am forgiven" (Philippians 4:2 1; Ephesians 4:32). What if on Monday morning, we all woke up renewed by Sunday's wor- ship and filled with praise and gratitude for a new day? What if everyone said, "Today I will listen to God by reading the Bible and talk to Him in prayer? I will walk in the light, imitating Jesus (1 John 1:7). I will love my family and teach my children to love God (Matthew 22:37,38). I will count my blessings instead of complaining" (Philippians 2: 14; 4:11). What if on Tuesday morning, delighted with our efforts on Monday, we all decided to try even harder to be like Jesus? What if everyone said, "I will treat other people as I would like to be treated (Matthew 7:12)? I will smile and speak kindly to everyone (Colossians 3: 12). 1 will be honest and truthful in everything I do (Philippians 4:8). I will view every person I meet as a soul precious to God, looking beyond the sinful surface to the bro- ken heart, the scarred mind, the soul in desperate need of the Savior. I will seek ways to share the Gospel of worship and study and grow and Christ (Matthew 28: 18-20)." teach and love, imitating Christ- What if on Wednesday morning, deliberately, consciously, persis- just a bit discouraged because we tently imitating Christ? didn't succeed completely on Tues- What if, just for this moment day, we surrendered again to Christ - now - today, I concentrate on and admitted our dependence on His these commitments, knowing that strength (Philippians 4: 13)? With God will help me to have the that in mind, what if everyone said, strength for now! After all, "I can "I will pray for all those who do do all things through Christ who not seem responsive to the Gospel? strengthens me " (Philippians 4:13)! (2 Peter 3:9). I will pray that my I don't have to be strong enough for enemies will renounce hatred and every day, all at once. Jesus violence and become children of warned - and promised: "Be not God (Matthew 5:44). I will sow the therefore anxious for the morrow: seed and wait for God to give the for the morrow will be anxious for increase (1 Corinthians 3:7). I will itself: SuSficient unto the day is the continue to be compassionate and evil thereof" (Matthew 6:34). kind, even in the face of rejection. I What if we obey today? will be humble, remembering that it Then we would indeed be rep- is not I who live, but Christ who resentative of Christ in the world: lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). "Now then, we are ambassadors for And what if we recommitted Christ, as though God were plead- daily to God, reading the Bible, ing through us: we implore you on praying, praising, demonstrating Christ's behalf; be reconciled to compassion, taking opportunities God" (2 Corinthians 5:20). to teach, trusting God in every And though some would not success or failure, sharing joys obey the Gospel, we would be and sorrows with other Chris- astonished at thousands who would tians, bearing one another's bur- come, weeping with remorse and dens, and seeing heaven beyond then with joy, eager to walk with us the troubles of this world? as we walk with Jesus. What if each Christian focus- Then we might wonder, each of sed on the goal of bringing just us, "Why didn't I try harder, one soul to the Lord? sooner?" 9 And what if each convert Debra Griffin Mitchell is a Christian woke up on Sunday and Monday wife, mother, and writer, living in and every day, determined to Dyersburg, Tennessee, USA. The 12 Sons of Jacob (Genesis 29:32-30:24; 35:18) MIVRIXJQNRSA HRLVEOGIAAIR MAEASUMTAHMO GLDETABLCCER MAPUJHXEPAOE OHDNJRPRNSNH LWEDANPAZSFS OBZEBULUNIAA

Reuben (Leah) - "He has seen my misery." Simeon (Leah) - "one who hears"

Levi (Leah) - "attached Judah (Leah) - "praise" Dan (Bilhah) - "He has vindicated."

Naphtali (Bilhah) - "my struggle" Gad (Zilpah) - "good fortune" Asher (Zilpah) - "happy" Issachar (Leah) - "reward" Zebulun (Leah) - "honor"

Joseph (Rachel) - "may he add" Benjamin (Rachel) - "son of my right hand"

-i - Dalton Key Today's flippant attitude But neither has divine truth toward marriage is nothing new. changed: "And he answered and According to Edward Gibbons, the said unto them, Have you not read, renowned historian, the divorce that he which made them at the problem was one of five underlying beginning made them male and causes contributing to the fall of the female, and said, For this cause Roman Empire. Seneca spoke of shall a man leave father and nioth- Roman women as married to be er, and shall cleave to his wife; and divorced and divorced to be mar- the): shall be one flesh. Wherefore ried. Many citizens of Rome were they are no more twain, but one said to have marked the passing of flesh. What therefore God has time more by the names and number joined together, let not man put of their spouses than by months or asunder" (Matthew 19:4-6). years. Regardless of what society may No wonder the Apostle Peter say, regardless of what today's wrote of those of his day "having media may attempt to mandate, we eyes full of adultery" (2 Peter 2:14). are not beasts, grunting and snorting Sadly, some things never seem our way through life at the mercy of to change. nature's baser instincts; we are God's handiwork. created in God's image, after God's like- ness (Genesis 1:26). Mating partners come and go within the animal kingdom as desire and opportunity per- mit, but God has designed something more sublime - and more permanent - for people. Marriage is meant to last a lifetime. 8

Dalton Key is the editor of Old Paths and preaches for the North Amarillo congregation in Amaril- lo, Texas, USA. Fathers Are Honored by Obedient Children Bobby Dockery

"A son honors his father, and a senlant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And ij I am a Master, where is My reverence? suys the

Lord of hosts ... " (Malachi 1:6). Our fathers deserve to be honored, but there is always a danger that the honor we give them will be more a thing of bare formality than a genuine outpouring of respect. We may simply go through the motions without real- ly honoring. There is a spiritual dimension to this problem as well. All of us have two fathers - one on earth and One in heaven! It may be that we are guilty of a lack of genuine honor and respect where each of them is concerned! 1) Fathers are honored by obedience. Genuine respect is always linked to obedience in the Bible: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is thejirst command- ment with promise " (Ephesians 6: 1,2). Note the linkage between obedience and honor! A son or daughter who defies his or her father to his face.. . who deliberately disobeys a father's instructions.. . who refuses to be submissive to a father's wishes.. . is proclaiming loudly to the world, "I do not respect my father!" All the presents in the world on Father's Day will not make up for a disrespectful attitude, which exhibits itself in disobedience. A present means nothing if there is no respect behind it - and respect obeys! 2) This is also true when it comes to our Father in heaven. God accused His people in the days of Malachi of refusing to honor Him because they rehsed to honor His instructions (Malachi 1:6; 2:9). Jesus said in John 14: 15, "lfyou love me keep my commandments. " And then, in 1 John 2:3,4 we read, "Now by this we know that we know Him, ifwe keep His command- ments. He who says, 'I know Him, ' and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the ruth is not in him." 3) We must obey God in every area of life! The Bible insists that "though Jesus was a son, yet He learned obedience ... " (Hebrews 5:8,9). We must cultivate the same spirit of obedience as well! This is true when it comes to our standards of personal conduct, to the way we worship and serve God in the church, and to what we do in order to become His child! In the final analysis, the degree of your respect and honor for God is measured precisely by the extent of your obedience! It is important to have the right kind of relationship with our earthly fathers - it is far more important to have the right kind of relationship with our Father who is in heaven. Are you honoring God with your obedience to Him? 0

Bobby Dockery is a writer and preacher living in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. Not everyone is really suited for the kind of work they do. That's certainly been true with me. I stud- ied a long time to become a doctor, but I didn't have any patience. My best job was being a musician, but eventually I found I wasn't note- worthy. Then I became a profes- sional fisherman, but discovered that I couldn't live on my net in- come. My last job was working at Starbucks, but I had to quit because it was always the same old grind. So I retired and found I'm There is an abundance of evi- perfect for the job! dence to prove the value of physical exercise. For example: Walking can add to the length of your life. This enables you, at A tough old cowboy once coun- age 85, to spend an additional 5 seled his grandson that the secret to months in a nursing home at $5,000 living a long life was to sprinkle a per month. pinch of gunpowder on his oatmeal My grandmother started walk- every morning. ing 5 miles a day when she was 70. The grandson did this religious- She's now 76 and we don't know ly and lived to the age of 110. He where in the world she is. left 4 children, 15 grandchildren, 25 Some folks have flabby thighs, great-grandchildren, 14 great-great- but fortunately their stomach covers grandchildren, and a 50-foot hole them. where the crematorium used to be. Long walks are very helpful, especially when they are taken by people who annoy you. If you are going to try cross- A little girl had just finished her country skiing, start with a small first week of school. "I'm just country. wasting my time," she said to her The advantage of exercising mother. "I can't read, I can't write, every day is that you die healthier. and they won't let me talk!" PROVERBS 17:22

Advanced word studies have course I had to make the obligatory revealed that rearranging the letters donation to the church, pay the in some words and phrases can be preacher, and all of that. That was very meaningful. For example: $500, and 1 spent another $500 for Dormitory: When you rearrange the wake, the food and drinks. The the letters it reads: Dirty Room. rest went for the memorial stone." The Morse Code: When you re- The friend asked, "You mean arrange the letters it reads: Here you paid $12,500 for the me~norial come dots. stone? How big was it?" Eleven Plus Two: When you re- The widow replied, "Three arrange the letters it reads: Twelve carats." Plus One.

Bill's barn burned down, and A woman was trying hard to his wife Polly called the insurance get the ketchup to come out of the company. She told the agent, "We jar. During her struggle the phone had that barn insured for $50,000, rang, so she asked her 4-year-old and I want my money." daughter to answer the phone. The agent replied, "Hold on The little girl answered the just a minute, Polly. Insurance phone and then said, "It's the doesn't work quite like that. We preacher. Mommy." She then spoke will ascertain the value of what was again to the preacher and said, insured and provide you with a new "Mommy can't come to the phone barn of comparable worth." to talk to you right now. She's hit- There was a long pause before ting the bottle." Polly replied, "Then I'd like to can- cel the policy on my husband."

A recent widow told her close friend that she was broke. The On the first day of school, friend asked, "How can that be? about midmorning, the kindergarten You told me your husband had teacher said, "If anyone has to go to $20,000 just a few days before he the bathroom, hold up two fingers." died. How could you be broke?" A little voice from the back of The widow replied, "Well, the the rootn asked, "How will that funeral cost me $6,500. And of help?" 80 - COMFORTAND REASSURANCE

"Why me, Lord?" We have all A woman read this verse in asked it. Why does it always have Bible class and was curious enough to rain on my parade? Why did this to seek out a silversmith to see what have to happen to me? Why my it meant. She found him sitting child? Why my marriage? Why my before a crucible, gazing intently job'? Why? Why? Why? into a boiling pot. She asked, "Do The answer may be found in an you have to sit here all the time or obscure Old Testament passage just come back when it's finished?" where God is pictured as

11e doing mission Wh'work in Greece, I worked with the largest prison complex of the coun- try, located near Athens. Once I presented a lesson on the different kinds of prisons and prisoners existing in the world. Little did I know of the warm reception I would receive an hour later. The inmates who were incarcerated behind iron bars, were there because of serious violations of the law. But during the discourse of my sermon, I pointed out that there were thousands of peo- ple walking free in the mega- lopolis of Athens who, though free so far as iron bars were

Mike Sinapiades

concerned, nevertheless were prison- death? " (Romans 7:14b, 24). Who ers. Those sitting at the very front among us cannot relate to this fact? rows of the auditorium captured my For before we were delivered from attention, as a great question mark the bonds of sin through Jesus was painted all over their faces. How Christ, all of us were enslaved and could a person be free, outside the kept prisoners to some carnal sin. prison cell, and yet be a prisoner? Who among us, while wallowing in Do you remember what the the contaminated waters of trans- apostle Paul stated? "...but I am gression, were not descending deep- carnal, sold under sin ... 0 er to the point that we were unable wretched man that I am! Who shall to be released? Sin has power, and deliver me from the body of this a power which slips upon us so cun- ningly and deceitfully that finally their victims. Though these tools of we are so entangled that there is no Satan have not brought their prison- way to go but down. ers behind iron bars, nevertheless, Throughout the ages, the devil their incarceration is real. has continued to use all kinds of Sin, which enslaves the inner enticing methods to capture and man first and then takes over our enslave mankind. The love of entire lives, can be stamped out only money, one of his most often used by the King of kings who has the baits, has imprisoned people through power to grant us pardon and free- the lotteries, casinos and "work- dom. Even Paul, realizing that he holism". was subject to sinfulness, confessed, Drunkenness, which has split "0 wretched man that I am! Who families and filled our highways shall deliver me from the body of this with innocent blood, is an addictive death! Thanks be to God, who gives vice and is difficult to quit. us the victory through our Lord Look what is happening with Jesus Christ" (Romans 7:24,25). the various narcotics. Young and The apostle of love wrote, "For old alike become enslaved, resorting whosoever is born of God over- to crime to find money to support comes the world, and this is the vic- their uncontrollable habits. tory that overcomes the world, even

Sexual promiscuity is the order our faith " (1 John 5:4). of the day, to the extent that we are Our faith is the connecting link murdering innocent unborn lives by with Jesus and His blood. We are the millions because irresponsible not saved by the accumulation of adults want the thrill of illicit rela- our good deeds, even though good tionships but not the resulting con- deeds in the Name of the Father are sequences. expected from every Christian. We On the "respectable" side, we are saved and are released from have such prison bars as uncontrol- the enchaining power of sin by the lable anger, vicious gossip, lying, Lord Jesus. Freedom from the cheating, and stealing. Many more prison of sin comes only by the sins can be mentioned whose blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. In enslaving powers tenaciously hold his Hebrews letter, Paul wrote this COMFORTAND REASSURANCE sublime promise of God: "For I will faithful and just to forgive us our be merciful to their unrighteous- sins, and to keep on cleansing us ness, and their sins and their iniqui- from all unrighteousness " (1 John ties I will remember no more" 1 :7,9). Though these awe-inspiring (Hebrews 8:12). How is this possi- words were directed toward Chris- ble? The apostle John spells it out tians, any person who will accept for us in a way that none can misun- Jesus and surrender his life to Him derstand: "But if we walk in the can receive remission of sins and, light as He is in the light, we have by His power and guidance, he can fellowship one with another, and the be released from his prison. P blood of Jesus Christ His Son, keeps Mike Sinapiades works with the on cleansing us@om all sin .... If we Lord's church in Jacksonville, Ar- keep on confessing our sins, He is kansas, USA. The Great Commission

In deep silence I sat down to think and meditate, I thought of the great command of our Lord, "If you love me," said He, "keep my commandments." I reasoned within my mind if I have kept His commands; Suddenly flashed in my mind the great commission. On Sunday morning I stood on the pulpit and taught, I delivered a powerful sermon that impressed people, The saints of God were moved by my eloquence; I got down from the pulpit and back to my seat, Suddenly flashed in my mind the great commission. I ate and communed with brethren at the Lord's table, I gave the winds a melodious and mighty song, I dropped some money into the Lord's treasury, I felt elated, believing I have kept the Lord's commands; Suddenly flashed in my mind the great commission The Lord said I should REACH OUT for lost souls; I saw myself reaching IN to saved souls only; Reach out and reach in are two distinct commands; I saw myself rendering just partial obedience and Suddenly flashed in my mind the great commission. I went out in search of my daily bread; I discharged my duties and mingled with lost people; I was hurt by their use of vulgar and sarcastic words; I did nothing to stop them but, sitting down to rest, Suddenly flashed in my mind the great commission In spite of the meritorious deeds I often do, In spite of all the religious duties I perform, In spite of my wealth of knowledge of the scriptures, Wrapped in thought as to the command I disobey, Suddenly flashed in my mind the great commission "Go into all the world and preach the gospel; As you go I will be with you always." In thought I became disquieted for my disobedience I resolve to go with the Lord's might Glory and indescribable blessedness filled my soul. "He that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad" "To obey is better than sacrifice" - "If you hear his voice, harden not your hearts" - "Woe is me if I preach not the gospel" - These are words from the Holy Writ. The great commission is the greatest commission, That the saved will, in turn, save the unsaved; The found seek and find the lost; The old creature reborn as a new creature: Destiny changed from hell to heaven. You Christian, child of God, obey this conlmission To share in the bliss accompanying obedience to it; Think, I implore you, beloved brothers and sisters, Do not just sing and qziote the great commission Until you are ready to sing the Gospel into the ears of the lost.

- F.O. Aniamalu, preacher of the Gospel in Anambra State, Nigeria. BIBLEQUESTIONS

Royce Frederick We often hear people speak faithful Christian: "To him who about "the 1000-year reign of Christ." overcotires I will grant to sit with The Bible does mention a 1000-year Me on My throne, as I also over- reign. But whose reign is it? came and sat down 143ith kly Father A 1000-year reign is mentioned on His throne" (Revelation 3:21); in Revelation 20:4-6: "And I saw "...His servurzt.~ shall serve thrones, and they sat on tliem, and Him ... the Lord Cod gives then? jzidgment was comnzitted to them. light. And the)! shall reign .forever Then I saw the soul.s of those who and ever" (Revelation 22:3,5). had heen beheadedjor their witness How long is the reign of to Jesris and,jbr the worri of' God, Christ? In Acts 2, Peter announced, who had not ~iorshipedthe beast or "...Cod has mode this Jesus, whon? his image, and had not received his you crucified, both Lord and

mark on their foreheads or on their Christ " (Acts 2:36). He is now hands. And tl1e.v lived and reigned reigning over His kingdom, the with Christjor a thousand year-.s. church, and He will reign over it But the rest of the dead did not live forever. His kingdom "...shall again zintil the thoz~sandyears were stand ji~rever" (Daniel 2:44); "...of' finished This is theJirst resurrec- His kingdom there will be no end" tion. Blessed and holy is he who (Luke 1:33). has part in the first resurrection. At the end of the world, Christ Over such the second death has no will deliver His kingdom to God (I power, but they shall be priests of Corinthians 15:24). But that does God and of Clirist, and shall reign not mean Christ will stop reigning. with Him a thousand years. " His kingdom is "...the everlasting This does not say Christ will kingdom of otir Lord and Savior reign 1000 years. Instead, it speaks Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1: 1 1). He about the reign of some people who and God the Father will reign forev- were beheaded for Christ. Because er on "the throne of God and of the of their faithfulness, they would be Lamb" (Revelation 22: 1,3). D

"given a ugreat honor: for 1000 vears Royce Frederick is the editor of ~j~ would join christ in reign. International Gospel Teacher and A similar reward awaits every lives in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. How Are the Dead Raised Up? Charles Box Some who doubt the resurrec- another. There i.r one glory of the tion ask, "How are the dead raised szm, another glo~ofthe moon, and up?" This question may include: another glory of the stars; for one (1) a question as to what power is star djffers .from another st~~rin great enough to raise the dead, (2) glory. So also is the resurrection of and a question of what the dead the dead. The bodv is sown would be like if they are raised. in corruption, it One is a question of the opposing is raised in doubter; the other of the curious incorrup- doubter. "But someone will say, 'How are the dead raised up? And with what bodv do they come?' Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain - perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. .,,: All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind offlesh of men, anothe flesh of animals, anotke of fish, and another birds. There are a celestial bodies and terres- triul bodies; but the gl the celestial is one, glory of' the terrestrial is

90 BIBLE QUESTIONS It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in power" (1 Corinthians 15:43). glory. It is sown in ~veakness,it is When physical death comes, the raised in power. It is sown a natur- poor, helpless body is laid in the al body, it is raised a spiritual body earth. At the resurrection, a power- ... Now this I say, brethren, that ful heavenly body will come forth flesh and blood cannot inherit the (1 John 3: 1-2). kingdom of God; nor does corrup- The heavenly inheritance is tion inherit incorrziption" (1 incorruptible and cannot be entered Corinthians 15:13-50). by flesh and blood, our natural How are the dead raised up? body. So at the resurrection God By the power of God. The same will give us that glorious body fitted power which allows a grain to die for our eternal inheritance. Are you and come to life to produce a har- preparing for heaven? Q vest can raise up the dead body. Charles Box preaches for the Walnut The power of God brings forth the Street Church of Christ in Greenville, grain to new life. The grain has to Alabama, USA. die to live; just so, after death follows real life for a Christian. It is foolish to question God's power to A Grain of Wheat make dead things live. He does it every day! Except a grain of wheat should die, How are the dead It remains alone, a single grain, raised up? They are Except we put our Self to death, raised with a glorious We cannot our Lord's harvest gain. body. Just as God gives the grain a body according He lived, He loved, Gave All for us, to His will, at our resurrec- So planted He His "Grain of Corn," tion God will give us a For Him, for us the harvest comes, glorified body which will For death has died and Life is born. please Him. Burying the dead is like sowing a seed Jesus urges us to follow, which God will cause to To bear much fruit, which shall remain, spring forth. The resurrec- We need not suffer Calvary; tion will be to glory. "It is We only need to plant one grain, sown in dishonor, it is - Carlton Elkins wised in glog,. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in After a lengthy and well re- life to the service of others. ceived discussion on mission work Spirituality is the art of train- by a mission professor who had ing oneself to empty oneself of all spent many years in the field, a stu- that attracts and distracts from dent came forward and said, "Par- having a heart devoted to the don me, Professor, but after hearing spiritual. Spirituality is the state of all you had to say, I have but one having grown in one's understand- question. What is the most impor- ing of life to the point of realizing tant thing I can do to prepare to be that there is no value in the material, the missionary you have so emo- physical, and temporal things tionally described?" The professor around man; that the only thing of answered simply, "Be Spiritual!" real value is that which relates to I believe above all that could truth, Godly righteousness, and all have been said, this is the most that is eternal. important point of emphasis if one Once one realizes this spiritual- is contemplating giving his or her ity in his very soul, he sets out to ETHICS evaluate all he thinks, plans, and vation. As he has daily given him- hopes, desiring to have eternal self more and more to the welfare of results that will lead to the pleasure others, his focus has ceased to be on of God. He becomes soul con- himself. He cares little about scious, no longer people conscious. receiving the respect of others, per- He is concerned about the welfare sonally, but he longs for them to of the man inside and is less respect the truths he proclaims. He focussed on the number in Sunday wants no titles but sees himself as morning attendance. He is not anx- "the slave of Christ", for in this role ious concerning what people think he has found the joy of being the about him except that they see the humble servant. Christ that dwells within him. He is No one can intrude on the time not concerned about the amount of of the person who is spiritually his salary but rather about sharing mature, for his time has already what he has with those in need. He been dedicated to whomever God cares little about what he cannot may send his way as an opportunity remedy but looks for that which can to serve. He has nothing that he has be soothed, loved, corrected, or already not given to any person who made better. might need it.

If we belong to Cod, our values and ethics are not OUT own. They are set by His standards, and they govern everything about our lives.

------To such a man, the Word of The spiritual man, living by God is the source of his ethics and God's standard of ethics and values, morals. He does as little as possi- is ready to lend to the needy, and ble without first checking for direc- because he had already given all tion in the Master's word. What he that he has and is to God, he does does is anchored in his determina- not expect it back. One cannot tion to dedicate his entire life solely offend him personally for he has to that which will bring eternal pre-determined that regardless of results. what man may do to him, he asks The spiritual man is not as con- God to forgive them before they cerned about matching the colors of even complete the act. Not even a his clothes as he is about matching dirty look in the way of revenge is the souls around him with the kind in his possession, for he has turned of life God requires for eternal sal- all revenge over to God, under- standing that that is God's role, not of each and all who will be there. his. He has been freed from the The mere meditation of his mind desire to retaliate and to hate, and lifts him above the mundane world he thanks God for that freedom. around him and he, for but a For the spiritual man, the pains moment, lives in a glimpse of of life are not from hunger or his immortality. This becomes his pur- own hurts but from seeing in his pose, his strength, and the blessed mind the future of those who reject goad that prods him on to more and God and who treat Him, His way, greater spirituality. His realm is far His children, and His creation with above that which surrounds his disdain and disrespect. body. He lives in the knowledge The man whose focus is on that he is God's. His faith is spiritual things has few joys greater unquenchable and his dedication is than a bit of wisdom, wit, or wishes unalterable. Like his Father, he is he finds in God's Word. Every new spiritual. P understanding of truth with which Malcolm Parsley has served as a mis- he is enlightened brightens his life sionary in Seoul, South Korea for until the next one comes along. His many years. daydreams are long past, tor now he meditates on a throne so bright he can't even look upon it with his mind's eye. He envisions the streets of gold and the river of life. He thinks of his friends who have gone on and of the joy of those he has known, confident that he will meet them again in that new world. His soul fathoms as best it can the ecstasy of the eternality of his life amidst the peace and exhilaration of being in the presence of all truths as they harmoniously flow in attunement in the hearts he very casually asked the ques- Earlier I had read that Muslim Stions and typed my answers on men attending universities in west- the medical form, seemingly oblivi- ern cultures had been so sickened ous to the contradiction between her by what they had seen among work and her appearance. On this women, and in the decadent popu- winter day, her blouse was a lace as a whole, that they often went

sweater, unbuttoned to the point of back to their own countries with a indecency and pulled aside to new attitude of support for sharia expose the greater part of her shoul- (Muslim) law. ders. In an effort not to see, I turned Looking around at the provoca- my eyes toward the door and the tive dress parade of people in the busy hall- of the av- way. Repeatedly, the women who erage wo- passed were wearing the same low- man, I al- cut style of clothes. so felt sick- I remembered reading an article ened and ... by Dinesh D'Souza in which he said, betrayed. "... why [are] the Islamic radicals How can fighting against America? From the women so perspective of Bin Laden and his cheapen allies, the war is between the themselves by their indecent dress Muslim-led forces of monotheism that on-lookers automatically con- and morality against the America- clude that they have no values or led forces of atheism and immorali- morals, that they are saying, by their & Secularism, not Christianity is dress, that they are there for the tak- responsible for producing a blow- ing'? What has woman-kind come back of Muslim rage." to, that WOMEN would malign the entire female gender by their cheap, beaten so badly with a stick that he tawdry, pron~iscuousbehavior and had to be hospitalized? dress? I am of the generation in Are you keeping-. up with the reports of child pornography, of women were internet sites of sickening pedophil- ia, and of every other kind of per- verted behavior? Did you see where millions of tax dollars were spent in support of the "Sundance Film Festival" in which there was a tleness - film depicting the rape of a 12-year- old girl, and another depicting bes-

third-graders that was subjected to a

feminist movement! And as wornen have gone, so has gone the entire west- ern culture. "Wild- ness" would best describe much be- havior today. Have you seen the pictures of teenage girls kick- ing. hitting, tearing out hair, attack- schools in this country there are sex ing each other over some boy? "classes". It's not enough that the Did you see the film of teen- adult population is being destroyed agers running wildly into fences, by the atheisticihumanistic agenda; tearing them down, and enjoying the they are robbing even our babies of thrill of being destructive while liv- their innocence, twisting and per- ing dangerously, physically? Did verting their minds before they are you hear about the "hazing" at a old enough to think for themselves. college where a young man was Go down the list. What is ETHICS counted as "off-limits" today? fear of their Children grow up using curse words lives because as a normal part of their language of the crimi- because those are the expressions nal and unpre- they hear on every side. And even dictable be- on cable "news" programs, where havior of the one would expect a degree of digni- drug pushers ty and careful selection of words, and users. men and women freely discuss Every together- any- -part of the body and year we hear a any act, with no restraints. There report of how much money the casi- are also no restraints about the kind nos have taken in here in Missis- of lewd jokes in stand-up comedy, sippi, an indication of how much tax and no restraints about the immoral revenue the state will get from this stories shown on TV. profitable business. But how many

Alcohol is destroying homes women behaved in such a way as to and lives every day. What is the be respected) were to unwed moth- prescribed remedy? A designated ers, and there was great family driver to get the drunk friends home shame? That percentage has jumped safely! Every city is cursed with the to 4 out of 10 births now, with little scourge of drugs, and the resulting shame felt by anyone! Among crime: robbery, murder, drug-deal- Blacks, 7 out of 10 births are to ing, suicide, rape. Those involved unwed mothers; among Hispanics, 5 in selling or taking drugs live on the out of 10. As the divorce rate has edge of death every day; non-partic- soared, live-in situations, out-of- ipants in the neighborhood live in wedlock births, and a plethora of resulting problems have also grown. ing hunger for spiritual things, What is the projected future for especially among the younger gener- these babies? One report says, ation. According to recent statistics, "Children born to unmarried "sixty-two percent identify a mothers are more likely to grow up decline in moral values as one of in a single-parent household, expe- the major causes of our problems rience instability in living arrange- today." High on the list of concerns ments, live in poverty, and have is the desire of young Ameri-cans socioemotional problems. As these to give their mates and children children reach adolescence, they are more stable family lives than their more likely to have low educational baby-boomer parents gave them. attainment, engage in sex at Since the accelerated take-over younger ages, and have a premari- of America's educational and judi- tal birth. As young adults, children cial institutions in the latter half of born outside of marriage are more the 20th century by the atheistic1 likely to be idle (neither in school humanistic powers-that-be, we have nor employed), have lower occupa- seen an increasing war aimed at eras- tional status and income, and have ing the Christian heritage of our more troubled marriages and country. "Freedoms" and "rights" divorces than those born to married are being used to destroy us. parents." Not a pretty picture, is it? ow will we, as a nation, What we see in much of the H respond? Will the desire of western "culture" is unrestrairied half the people to uphold God over- wildness. Built into such sinful come the other half that is sold out behavior are consequences. Alco-hol to Satan? and drugs destroy health and lives; promiscuity results in venereal dis- I urge you to ease; homosexuality breeds AIDS; order this DVD immorality and infidelity cause bro- (5 lessons that ken homes and scarred children. need to be used as in curses whatever it touches, a wake-up mes- Sand a great portion of our popu- sage for the lation is in a downward spiral of church). By Dave self-induced destruction. They are Miller of Apologetics Press. sick - sick - and many are too Website for orders: blind to know it. www.ApologeticsPress.org On the other side of this great or call 1-800-234-8558. cultural divide is a seeming grow- ETHICS

Pad Two me Church - ?Ire War Wfhin ing the Gospel to the entire world through satellite television. Many, many web sites sponsored by the church on the internet carry articles and broadcasts to the masses. Telecasts and radio programs such as "In Search of the Lord's Way", piritually, I have believed that "Restoration Radio Network", SAmerica has been preserved for "Bible Talk", "The Treasure of special use in God's plan: It is here Truth" bring the Gospel to millions that the largest body of Christians every day. The bi-monthly evange- lives. All of the tools needed to lism paper, "House to House" reach- evangelize the world are available es more than two million homes. from the American base, for those "World Video Bible School" Christians to obey the Great Com- "World English School", and mission; Americans have the free- "World Bible School" are avenues dom to come and go at will; the for teaching masses throughout the dollar is desired currency every- world, and "The Voice of Truth where; the English language is the International" goes to many mission international language. fields. Certainly, not since the first Since World War I1 much has century have churches of Christ been done by American Christians worked with such vision and commit- to evangelize the world - not ment to obey the command to evan- enough - the job is far from com- gelize the world through mass media. plete, but the seed has been planted Today there would be more and nulred in many nations. Christians outside the US than in But what is happening to the this country. In most cases, these church now? We are engaged in a are the products of American mis- tragic war - a divide that will have sionaries and American dollars. long-lasting effects on our impact in Countless Christians here have sac- the world. On the one hand, great rificed greatly to make that work vision is enabling tremendous pro- possible. Radio, TV, literature pro- grams of work: Gospel Broadcast- grams, colleges. training schools, ing Network has set its sights on tak- orphanages, benevolent works in the wake of disaster have reaped great We must consider the facts: the harvests. Always, more work must older folks are going to die; the be done, but there are strong, well- majority of the younger folks don't grounded churches in many coun- know the Bible very well and can tries of the world. easily be led astray when the older ut here at home a tragic war is generation is gone; and with aposta- Bdividing the Lord's church. We sy taking the larger churches, are in advanced stages of an apos- death decimating many of the tasy, much like the one that swept rural churches, and unconcern for away 85% of the Body at the turn of souls rendering most Christians the Twentieth Century. Leaders sterile, the future looks bleak. among us are compromising the Tragically, it would seem that truth, fellowshipping denomina- the purpose for preserving America tions, and re-writing what the New may be vanishing. Tragically, it Testament says about the church, would seem that the Lord's church salvation, worship, the Christian herself is betraying her God, just as life, heaven, hell .... And the larger Israel did in turning from truth to churches throughout America are worship according to the religions following these apostate men, leav- of those around her. "An astonish- ing the truth, and making the body of ing and horrible thing Has been Christ no more than a "community committed in the land: The prophets fellowship". prophesy falsely, Aed the priests And even among the faithful rule by their own power [Apos- congregations, too many Christians tasy]; And My people love to have it are too busy living a secular life to so .... " (Jeremiah 5:30,31) have time to study God's Word, or to "Were they ashamed when they have the desire to teach their neigh- had committed abomination? No! bors or fellow-workers. Most con- They were not at all ashamed; Nor gregations are not growing numeri- did they know how to blush. cally, because most Christians in Therefire they shall fall among an entire life time are not teaching those who fall; At the time Ipunish a single person, not winning a sin- thern, the)^ shall be cast down, " gle soul. And statistics say that we says the LORD. are even losing 70% of our own "Thus saJqsthe LORD: 'Stand children! Have we forgotten that in the ways and see, And ask for the Jesus said in John 15:8: "Every old paths, where the good way is, branch in Me that does not bear And wlalk in it; Then you will find fruit He takes a~~ay"? rest for your souls.' But they said, 'We will not walk in it. ' Also, I set watchmen over you. saying, Zisten to the sound offhetrumnpet! ' Bzrt they said 'We will not listen. ' [Apostasy]

"... Hear; 0 earth! Behold, I will certainly bring CALAMITY on this people - The fiz/it of their thoughts, Because they have not heeded MJJ words, [Disobedience, neglect] Nor My law, but rejected it" (Jeremiah 6: 15-20). "Behold, a people comes from the north country; ... They are cruel and have no mercy; ... As men of ~larset in array against you, 0 daughter ofZion. "'We have heard the report of it; Our hands grow feeble. Anguish has taken hold of us, Pain as of a woman in labor. Do not go out into the field, Nor walk by the way. Because of the sword of the enemy, Fear is on every side' (Jeremiah 6:22-25). "But go now to My place w>hichMm in Sliiloh, ,there I set My name at the jirst, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. And now, because you have done all these works," .says the LORD, "and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, hut yoti did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer, "therefore I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to this place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of My sight ....

Much of our nation has not only forgotten God; it has defied Him and all of His values and judgments. The church has not fulfilled its commission to bring the message of salvation to the world; instead, much of it is turning from the purity of the Word, to accept denominational error and to turn the very body of Christ into a "community denomination", teaching whatever will tickle the ears of those in attendance. Those who are doing this are as much the betrayers of Christ as was Judas that night in Gethsemane. The "Roaring Twenties" had a reputation of wildness. That scenario became the "innocent" and "religious" era of the 40's and 50's, when our Lord's church grew at a faster rate than at any other time in modem history. What lay between those two pictures? The horrors of the Great Depression. and World Wars I and 11. Are we in such a downward spiral of evil that the only way to reverse it is through an Assyrian purging or a Babylonian captivity? "Woe to Assyria, the rod of MJJanger .4nd the stafS in an anything be done about it? whose hand is MJJindignation I CWe can allow and enable it to will send him against an ungodly happen, as Americans, if we allow nation, And ~zgninstthe people of our country to continue in its down- Mv wruth I will give hin? charge, To ward spiral into evil. Or the "silent ~eizethe spoil, to take the pre)? And majority" can recognize the im- to tread then? down like zhe mire of pending crisis and can work as the streets " (Isaiah 10:s-7). hard to turn things around as the Politically, as a nation, we are humanists are working to destroy in a great debate about the war us. between the radical Muslim world In the church, as individuals, and the West. Many are deluded we can get serious about our com- into thinking that if we leave Iraq, mitment to God, turning away the conflict will fade away. from the secular lives we've been Radical Muslims have said over living six days a week. We can and over that they Intend to bury us. study HIS word diligently, and we They have boasted that Christians can see ourselves as souls left in this will have to convert or die. In our world for the express purpose of western "superiority complex" we bringing the truth to those within our are not even listening. range of influence. We can have a Whether or not they will be greater vision for the world, realiz- allowed to carry out their threat, the ing that we are the tools, physically threat is real. Are we noticing that and spiritually, that God would use Islam is taking over Africa, killing to stop the advancement of the believers in Christ if they don't scourge of Islam over the earth. "convert"? Have we read the statis- uppose the worst happens. tics that in most nations in Europe, SSuppose that through sheer num- the Muslim population is the only bers, barbaric cruelty, and our own one that is growing? The birth rate unworthiness of being spared, Islam among Caucasians is too low to is able to sweep across our country, even be reproducing itself, while the wreaking havoc and death on our most popular name for new babies people as it is doing in Africa. In is "Mohammed". In the US, too, Ethiopia, just last month, people who the Muslim population is the fastest were gathered for worship behind growing, both through birth and locked doors in church buildings, for through converts in prisons. A great fear of the Muslim insurgents, were and tragic change lies before the burned alive. Those who tried to entire world. escape were hacked to death. One young man in Somalia re- need to prepare our children. ported for work at his factory. n our world we are so schooled to Muslims thronged the door, dragging I"mind our own business" and we him out into the street and demand- are so concerned about not being ing to know if he was a "Christian offensive that the "silent majority" sinner". He replied that he was a usually avoids confrontations. I Christian, and he was beaten to looked at the young lady at the hos- death. pital desk and concluded that it is If this kind of world becomes high time for those of us who care ours, we will learn what it means to to say something. So I asked her "count the cost". Am I ready? how she would feel if she was Would 1 have the conviction to die forced to wear the black burqua for Christ, rather than recant? Do clothing of a Muslim woman or be you have that kind of conviction? stoned to death. Her face showed n documentaries showing the blank surprise. Itraining of children in Muslim I explained, "Muslims say that madrassas, extremist teachers are the immorality among American training four-and five-year-olds to women is one reason they fight. glory in jihad and death for the reli- We, as Americans, need to realize gion. Do we doubt that this kind of that there are repercussions for our commitment and brain-washing will behavior. The way you are dressed breed a new, larger, and more radi- leaves an appearance of being cal generation of Muslims? immoral. But it's not only you - y contrast, are we, as Christian most of the women walking up and Bparents, realizing the critical down the hall are indecently need to teach our children deeply dressed. We are responsible to God and thoroughly so that they will be for the way we dress and the way equipped to withstand the horrors we live. If we don't listen to Him, that may come upon them? To us, we may be facing some terrible con- today, living in our secular, comfort- sequences." I gave her a tract about able world, such fears may seem salvation and thanked her, inviting absurd - fear-mongering - but for her to visit the church in the area the millions in Africa who have been and to study with them about these killed, and the millions more who things. As I turned to go, she was live displaced lives, the scenario is buttoning her sweater. 9 real. What a tragedy if we wait until Betty Burton Choate is the wife of J.C. it comes before we realize that we Choate, editor of The Voice of Truth need to be prepared, and that we International. FROMTHE HEART OF ... we Sojourner Kission

Perry Hall

"Don'tjudge each day 9 the harvest you reap, but 9 the seeds you plant." - qbert %uis Stevenson

Have you ever had a longing to National Evangelism With Sojourn- do mission work, but were prohibit- ers (NEWS) was begun by two peo- ed from fulfilling that desire ple, Paul and Peggy Scott. They because of your life's work and had a dream to help small struggling family responsibilities? If you are churches throughout the United approaching your retirement years, States. As a career naval man, Paul there is a wonderful opportunity had had the opportunity to assist available to you to make that dream and encourage many congregations a reality. throughout his military service. Perhaps you have never heard Later they were assisted by Marvin of a group of retired people in the and Linda Hall. In 1978, these two Lord's church called "Sojourners". couples held the first evangelistic workshop in Weslaco, Texas. This growing effort is presently comprised of approximately 800 New Testament Christians from all parts of the U. S. and from all walks of life. They are bound together by their love for the Lord and their dedication in teaching the truth and reaching the lost with the Gospel of Christ, along with helping the weak, the homeless, and all who need encouragement. As a volunteer group, Sojoum- Paul Scott, founder of Sojourners, is ers do not receive any monetary now living in a rest home in Searcy, Arkansas. compensation for the work they do. FROMTHE HEART OF ... They are self-supporting, traveling work classes, along with scheduling in their own RV's, and working in and teaching home Bible studies groups of four to eight couples. that are set up as a result of door- Sojourners go only where there is a knocking efforts. It is the aim of request from small churches, chil- evangelistic sojourners to personally dren's homes, youth camps, and contact every home in every city some Christian colleges. Their where it is possible. When people work, in addition to the main thrust are not at home, teaching materials of evangelism, consists of all kinds are left at the door. We plant, we of physical labor, i.e., work and water, and know it is God who repair on church buildings and gives the increase. preachers' homes, cleaning and Along with the realization one repairing camp grounds for summer can remain active and productive in youth camps, various jobs that cre- the Lord's work, even into old age ate a better home environment for (our oldest sojourner is 90), there is children deprived of normal the blessing of Christian fellowship, parental care, vacation Bible making new friends from Alaska to schools, gospel meetings, ladies' Florida, from California to Maine, days, listening lab workshops, mar- from Hawaii to Ohio, traveling all riage and grief seminars, personal over this beautiful country, and

There are four workshops held in the US each year. FROMTHE HEART OF ...

Camp Bee, Sojourner Headquarters in Marshall, Texas. even working in some foreign coun- The Sojourner office, which is tries, such as Scotland, England, housed at Camp Bee in Marshall, Germany, and Austria. Texas, is staffed throughout the When one looks for ways to year with voluntary women office spend the retirement years, many workers, along with six co-directors people think only of fishing, golf- who are available each month on a ing, leisure, entertainment, or recre- rotating basis for consultations and ation. These things can be good questions. The office hours are but, as Christians, we should all be Monday through Thursday from 9 more concerned with how we can a.m. until 4 p.m. The telephone continue to bring glory to God and numbers are (903) 935-5742 or salvation to the lost in our twilight (903) 935-7352. The address is: years. Jesus said, "Let us work the Church of Christ Sojourner works of Him Who sent Me while it Mission, Camp Bee, 5554 Cooks is day, for the night is con~irrgwlwn Road, Marshall, TX 75670-9130. no nzan can ~vork" (John 9:4). While each individual remains FROM THE HEART OF ...

Digging a water line for preacher's home in Hawaii. under the oversight of hislher own order to remain on the active list. local elders, the Sojourner work Workshops are available in four itself is under the oversight of the states to help you grow in your ser- elders of the Eastern Hills congrega- vice to God as a sojourner, one who tion in Marshall, Texas. To become is first and foremost a faithful a sojourner, you must be a faithful Christian! member of the church of Christ, Many sojourners are single, and desiring to spread New Testament some have even found new mates Christianity; present a letter of rec- after having lost their previous ommendation from the elders of mate. If you, as an individual or as your home congregation telling of a couple, want to know more about your work and service in your home this joyful and fulfilling work, congregation; and answer a brief please call or contact the Sojourner questionnaire from the Sojourner office. If you wish to request an office. You must own an RV and effort in your city, please call the be able to support yourself in this office for a request form. P work of the kingdom by participat- Perry Hall lives in Tyler, Texas, and is ing in at least one sojourn a year, in a Co-director of Sojourners. FROMTHE HEART OF ... My Experience with the Sojourners Carroll Sites Even though I am not an "offi- gregation where 1 serve as local cial member" of the group called evangelist and one of five elders. Sojourners, it has been a privilege Six of these congregations had and blessing for my wife Sarah attendance figures from 35 to 50 at Loreta and me to work with them in their Lord's Day service. One had seven campaigns. Five were evan- average attendance of about 85. In gelistic campaigns in which I did the campaigns, there was a total of the preaching. One was a teaching 15 baptisms and 4 Christians campaign for four days and nights restored to their first love. in which an attempt was made to The Sojourners worked for the prepare the congregation to select first week knocking doors and set- and appoint elders. One was an ting up and conducting Bible studies evangelistic campaign at the con- with people. The preaching part of

Sojourners are self-supporting, traveling in their own RV's. FROMTHE HEARTOF ...

Sojourners helped to distribute food in Floresville, Texas. the campaign began on the second converted, and the expenditure of Sunday and was conducted for a set their own finances and personal time - usually four or five nights. energy in seeking the lost. They are During the second week of the cam- a deeply committed group of people paign, the Sojourner team continued who are sincerely interested in the to do follow-up work with the con- church and lost souls. tacts made the first week. We also From the daily devotionals to continued to knock doors. the nightly preaching services, it has Many things have impressed been a genuine joy to be associated me in working with these "retired" with these good people in the great- Christians living in their home- est work on the face of this earth - away-from-home (their recreational the seeking and saving of the lost. vehicles), namely, their deep per- May God bless them and give us sonal conviction in the power of the more of their kind. cl gospel of Christ to convict and con- vert the lost, their love for lost souls Carroll Sites preaches for the church with a longing desire to see them in Higden, Arkansas, USA. Two opportunities through World Bible School! Are you looking for an opportunity to be a branch, bearing fruit to God? World Bible School teachers have that opportunity. Why not call the WBS office (512-345-8190) or write to wbsinfo@,wb school.org for full information. Make your time count for souls! Are you looking for a Bible correspondence course that will teach you the word of God in an honest and easy-to-understand way? Many have learned how to be saved and to live with the expectation of an eternal home with God through World Bible School courses. Write for yours today. It is free for any who want to learn. I I We Are Calling for Your Help Now! I It is Urgent!!! am a Christian, preaching and teaching the word of God to oth- I "I 1 ers. I have one of your books here, entitled BIBLE THEMES, I which I have read for almost 6 times. I have no other book to read apart from the Bible. Please, I kindly request for more books that I you may have at the moment - even second-hand books I will I appreciate very much. Martin Mazzai (from Zambia)" I Brethren, are you listening? We are getting many calls from : our brethren in Africa and Asia, begging for THE VOICE OF I TRUTH INTERNATIONAL and other books. Those people are I starved for Christian literature. Will we hear them or will we deny : them the spiritual food they crave? It is up to you. I With our editions in English, Spanish, (Telugu and Tamil in I India), we are printing around 70,000 copies of this quarterly mag- I I azine, but our goal is to reach 100,000 copies of each issue (we 1 wish it could be a million or more!). With that volume they will I cost only 50 cents a copy. Our printer will package and address I I them for $3.00 per bag, and then the postage for 35 copies in an M- I Bag is $11.00. This means that we can print and ship one box of 35 I copies to a foreign address for approximately $35.00, providing lit- : erature for 35 people. If you send $35.00 a month, covering the I cost of 12 boxes a year or 3 per quarter - 420 magazines - you 1 will be enabling 420 X 10 people to read 112 pages of Gospel mes- : sage in a year. That's 4200 people you can be instrumental in 1 teaching with this small contribution and small effort on your part! 1 Think of the good that would do! Surely, most individuals and con- gregations can spare that much for the spreading of the Gospel. I' To help with this particular need, please send vour checks to THE VOICE OF TRUTH INTERNATIONAL Box 72, Winona, MS 38967 To speed up your announcement that you want to help, call us at 662-283- 1192 or send your E-Mail to I I Choate@,WorldEvantrelism.org I Web site: WorldEvan~elism.org I I Dear Brethren: I 0 I want to subscribe to the quarterly magazine, THEVOICE OF I TRUTHINTERNATIONAL. Enclosed is my check for $1 2.00 for four I issues, or $20.00 for eight issues, starting with Volume.My 1 address is given below. I I 0 I want to order the complete set of volumes in print (52 issues) I for the reduced price of $2.00 per copy. My address is given below. I I 0 Please send special prices for WBS teachers and their stu- dents. I O I want to MAKE A GIFT SUBSCRIPTION of THE VOICE OF I TRUTHINTERNATIONAL. Enclosed is my check for $12.00 for four I issues, or $20.00 for eight issues, starting with Volume. The I address is given below. I I 0 I want to send $25.00 per month (or a multiple), for a box of I 35 copies (or multiples) of each issue of the magazine as they are I printed. Churches are also urged to use boxes in this way. Or I you may send one payment of $300.00 per year for four issues. I This will help us to send more cpoies to the mission fields. I I 0 We want to give $ each month to help send this maga- I zine to mission fields of the world, including the USA. I I 0 As a congregation we want to help print and circulate I 100,000 copies of each issue of this magazine by making a spe- I cia1 contribution to this effort. We can specify where the copies we I pay for will be used, whether in our personal work, in jail ministry, I I overseas, or. . . I

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STREET CITY STATF 7 A (from page 24 ) 1. No. 2. It is based upon truth. 3. No one will escape judgement. 4. God's goodness, forbearance and longsuffering. 5. A person's hard and impenitent heart. 6. All will be judged according to his or her own deeds. 7. Evil doers are separated from those who do good. 8. Sinners without the law are Gentiles. Those who have the law are Jews. 9. Doers of the law are the ones justified in God's Bible Find sight. (from page 75) 10. Yes. 11. Yes. 12. All men will be judged through Jesus Christ according to His gospel. THE SOJOURNERS MINISTRY IS UNDER THE OVERSIGHT OF THE ELDERSHIPOF THE EASTERN HILLSCHURCH OF CHRIST, MARSHALL, TEXAS. FOR MORE INFORMATlOK PLEASE CONTACT THE SOJOURNERS OFFICES AT...

CHURCH OF CHRISTSOJOURNER MISSION CAMPBEE, S554 COOKSROAD MARSHALL, TEXAS7S67019130

MANYQUESTIONS ABOUT THE SOJOURNERS HISTORY, ORGANIZATION, SCOPE OF WORK, LEADERSHIP, HOW TO REQUEST THEIR HELP AND HOW-TOJOIN CAN BE ANSWERED AT THEIR WEBSCCE:

WWW.SOJOURNINC5.ORG

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