A CASE REVIEWED
A friend in Central Kentucky sent me last week a copy of the paper published by an orphan home in her part of thestate. In this publication the superintendent states the casefor not only his institution but as he puts it "the case for allthe homes supported by the brotherhood."
He writes a most embarrassing article in which he contends for the superiority of the institution created by manover the home established by God. I have no reason to doubtour brother's sincerity. I really feel that he believes he hasimproved upon God's plan. He states the case for the institution over the home in three fields that cover every thing but love. Let us notice them one by one.
1. "We contend that the homes perform a servicemore effective than the average private home indeveloping habits of work and behavior."
Now this covers a broad field and simply says we canteach the children to work and behave better than their parents could have taught them and better than the rest ofus are teaching our children. The writer tells of the workdone by the children. They look after the farm, feed the hogs,look after the live stock, gather the eggs, clean the floors,etc. The larger girls help prepare the meals, serve themeals, wash the dishes, clean their rooms and the halls, iron the boys clothes, etc. Here is a quotation from the paper."The children go to bed early and get up early. When the
5:45 a.m. bell rings they 'hit the floor'. Not many times areany of them called to get up. Do you call your children morethan one time to get them up?"
Brethren stop and think! There is not an institution onearth where regimentation has its day that could not say thesame thing. The identical statements could be made by aconcentration camp or the army where there is a time to eatand a time to sleep and a time to "hit the floor". Some rules are fine but regimentation without flexibility is tyranny. It seems a little ironical also that the home that does not do as good a job in teaching its children to work is the home thatmakes the money to keep up the home that does the better job. Evidently the private home has done a pretty good jobfor it has (and often through the church much to our sorrow)furnished the institutional home with land, houses, live stock, hogs, trucks and tractors all listed in this one copy of thepaper. It seems that the "thing formed is saying to the onethat formed it, I am greater than thou"
Suppose for a moment that the private home is notteaching its children to work as it should and suppose that the church is not preaching the gospel as it should. Would this mean that there is a better place to raise children and abetter organization to preach the Gospel. The advocates ofthe Missionary Society thought so and evidently our institutional brethren think the same thing.
2. "We contend that the homes do a more effective work teaching good, moral behavior than the home."
Just think of this contention for a minute. The institution does a better job teaching morals. Why would this be true?Is it conceivable that a father and mother with the same Bible in their hands and the responsibility to raise their children in "the nurture and admonition of the Lord" are not as able to teach morals as the house mothers and the superintendent of so called homes? If this were true then the institutional home would be duty bound to hire only those who hadbeen raised in such environment for they would have thebetter training and thus be better able to teach. Could itbe that they take more time with the children than a Christian mother and father? Suppose this were true, we would need better taught parents so they could each their children.Not fewer parents so the children could have the advantageof a superior moral education in an institution. No! Thishome nor any other institution on earth has no access to one moral truth that is hidden from a private home and fromthe father and mother in that home who will answer to God for their children.
3. "We contend that the homes are more successful than the average private home in making Christians of the young people."
Here we have the real idea of the institutional brethren. These man-made organizations are to make Christians and thus save the world. This is what is said about "youth camps","young peoples conferences", "colleges and orphan homes."They need to stop and consider for a moment. If our children have a better chance of becoming a Christian in an institution than at home the greatest favor parents could dowould be to put their children there just as soon as possible.Most of us want our children to have the best possible chance in life and above all to be a Christian. If the best chance for this to come true, as is thus affirmed, is in such environment and out of the natural home it is time for the natural home to cease to exist. It is hard to keep our superintendent consistent on this point however for under this contention he makes the following statement. "This statement is no indictment of the private home. It is the best organization in theworld— " Best for what? If these three contentions are true it is not the best place to teach "habits of work and behavior." The institution is supreme in this field. It is not the best place to teach "good moral behavior," for here also theinstitution has it defeated. It is not the best place to "makeChristians." Just how then is it the best organization onearth? Is it possible that it is the best organization on earthto just make the money and give to the man-made home so it can do a better job in all of these fields? Once again the Lord's Way is robbed of its effectiveness and the institutiongiven credit for making Christians. Every reader can see theconclusion of this reasoning. The institution is not as goodas the church of our Lord. To this all agree. The home is the best organization on earth. By admission, therefore, the conclusion is that the institution is the poorest way to raise achild. To this agrees the writer in the paper in his logic andevery student of sociology who has thought on the subjecttoday. As the mayor of Nashville said recently, "We want noorphan homes in our city".
Our brother in presenting his case has written an articlethat will embarrass his institutional brethren and that reflects the lack of true Bible knowledge so characteristic of those who stand with him. May this review lead him to see thatthese exaggerated claims for institutional care of children hasnot, is not and will not be true. Our brother's entire case rests in the wisdom of men without one verse of scripture toshow that such institutions should be supported from thetreasury of the church. How much better it would be to admitthe human function of such organizations and let every mansupport them individually if he desires. In this way whatgood they could do would be realized and the church for which our Savior died saved from division and shame.
THE MILLER-VAUGHN DEBATE
Earl Fly, Orlando, Florida
Brother James P. Miller of Tampa, Florida, met Mr. RayVaughn of Orlando, Florida, in debate here for four nights, February 27 through March 2, 1961. Mr. Vaughn, who is ofthe Pentecostal Holiness faith, affirmed his "Jesus only"theory, and that baptism of the Holy Spirit, miracles andspeaking in tongues all extend to this present age. BrotherMiller denied these propositions and affirmed the opposite.
In spite of the disappointing lack of support from Mr.Vaughn's people, there was very good attendance each night.The audience was attentive, quiet and very orderly throughout the entire debate.
Mr. Vaughn almost completely ignored the many scriptural arguments presented by brother Miller and the refutation of his erroneous arguments. Most of the time he simply preached his "Jesus only" theory, even when he was supposed to affirm his other proposition. He desperately neededsome help, but it never came. Mr. Welch, who is reportedto be their best debater, was scheduled to moderate for him but he never showed up.
Mr. Vaughn claimed that we should have all things inthe church today which were in the early churches, but heignored the fact that they do not have elders or apostles,which was pointed out by brother Miller. In discussing the"Jesus only" theory, brother Miller presented many Biblepassages which used such words as both, another, we, us, these three, etc., which referred to the different persons in the Godhead. Mr. Vaughn ignored them and repeated hispet phrases and already answered arguments. It was obviousthat many times he was desperately grasping for somethingto use up the time. Brother Miller was clearly the master of the situation at all times.
The Christians in this area who love the truth appreciatethe good work done by brother Miller in the debate. Wetrust that much good will result.
An under-cover agent is one who does his work in secret. He does not appear for what he really is and his motives are entirely different from what they appear to be. In some casesin civil affairs under-cover work may be necessary, but in spiritual matters we cannot think of a single case where itis necessary. The Lord said to preach the gospel to everycreature. This is not secret work. He also said to let our lightshine that men may SEE what we do and glorify God inheaven. Whenever under-cover work is done it certainly is not upon orders from Christ the King and is not to the glory of God.
The church of the Lord is described as the kingdom oflight. The light makes manifest. "And have no fellowshipwith the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprovethem. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reprovedare made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth makemanifest is light" (Eph. 5:11-13). The Ephesians were onetime children of darkness, but as Paul writes they were children of light and were told to walk as such— not to hide their lives (Eph. 5:8). The gospel of Christ is light becauseit is the word of Christ (II Cor. 4:4). As children of light and day Christians should walk in the light or by the wordof the Lord (I Thess. 5:5; I John 1:7).
AH under-cover work in religious matters is of the devil and in his kingdom. "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should bereproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, thathis deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought inGod" (John 3:20, 21). The devil himself is a master atdeception— "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if hisministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works" (II Cor.11:14, 15). Here is the change in appearance for the purposeof deception. As the Devil makes himself appear as an angelof light, so will those in his service appear. It follows that
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when we see one flying under false colors— appearing to be what he is not— he is of the Devil and not of God
Under-cover work also requires secret mingling andmixing with those who are to be deceived Paul spoke of"false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that theymight bring us into bondage" (Gal 2 4) These secret agents were False Brethren, and their purpose in coming in secretlywas to bring true brethren into bondage The devil has hissecret agents and they are still working to this same endPeter spoke of "false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord thatbought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction" (II Peter 2 1) Besides secretly spying out the liberty ofChristians, they teach false doctrines secretly
When we see secret agents working among the churchwe need to cast the gospel searchlight upon them and theirwork to expose them before all The Bible calls such undercover work hypocrisy, and hypocrisy will be dealt with inthe judgment
Brethren, the time has come to expose all forms ofhypocrisy in the church It is difficult to get false brethren to debate their cause because of their under-cover work in leading to apostasy Nevertheless we must wage a constantwar against all forms of under-cover work and compel the false teachers to show what they really are We shall not bestill and let evil workers destroy the church in our generation With drawn swords we shall fight to the last everyfalse teacher and every false brother that the light of theglorious gospel may shine in all the world
Some of the evolutionists have turned to the science of genetics (a branch of biology which deals with heredity andvariations) for aid and comfort They have contended that thelower forms of animal life, in some way, changed and wereable to produce individuals unlike themselves This is anessential posit on if the theory of evolution is to stand Theevolutionist must have some sort of an answer to the question as to how all of the plants and animals come into being In an effort to answer this and related questions they turned tolean upon Lamarckianism or also called the doctrine ofacquired characteristics An acquired character as the nameimplies, is a change produced due to environment use ordisuse Acquired characteristics are very evident If an individual goes without shoes the feet will become tough andcalloused This is an acquired character This character will not be passed on to the offsprings of the individual since itis not due to a change in the germ cell which carry the inhentance factors but merely brought about by the individualgoing without shoes A number of years ago Herbert Spencerwrote, "Close contemplation of the facts impress me more strongly than ever with the two alternatives— either there has been inheritance of acquired characters or there has been noevolution " Time and again the geneticists have proven to thenown satisfaction that acquired characters certainly will develop but just as certain that they cannot be passed from parents to the offsprings. Try as they will the evolutionists findno comfort here'
Again, the evolutionists have attempted to use anothertype of change known to the geneticists as the recombination of characters When Gregor Mendel crossed two varieties ofplants the characters from these two were expressed in theoffsprings These characters were not exactly like eithersingle parent but were re-combined, some characters like one parent and some like the other If we should cross a white disc and a yellow sphere summer squash some of the offsprings would look like one parent and some like the otherWe could keep this up and have produced white disc, whitesphere, yellow disc and yellow sphere individuals Thus we see that the characters for shape and color are passed independently of each other We say that the characters are recombined The parents can only pass on the characters thatthey themselves possess After all is said and done there is no comfort here for the advocates of organic evolution Newcharacters must be developed before evolution could occurand in order for this to take place the parents must pass on to the offsprings things which they do not themselves possess Now this is just as easy, simple and logical as it would befor me to give you a gold mine, since I do not possess one
Question: Would not the two qualifications for an apostle in Acts 1 21, 22 rule out Paul?-A P
Answer: From the viewpoint of natural experiences, yes Paul, however, was made an apostle in another way
From the viewpoint of natural experiences there was no way under heaven for any man on earth to be made an apostle without the qualifications of Acts 1 21, 22 "Where fore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection " Intimate association with Jesus both before and after his death would enable one to determine beyond all doubt whether or not the one seen after his death was the same as the one known so well before his death Such experience would enable one to testify "first hand" and as an 'eye witness" to the fact of his resurrection While all the apostles were miraculously endowed and guided in then teaching they, nevertheless, testified "first hand" under di vine guidance to the fact of His resurrection
Paul's miraculous experience (Acts 9 3-6, 22 6 8, 26 12 18) did for him what natural experiences had donefor others, so that he, too, could testify first hand" and as an eye witness" to the fact of the resurrection of Jesus
Paul referred to this miraculous experience by which he was made an apostle as an unnatural birth in I Cor 15 8And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one bom out of due time " Scholars and the original text sustain the viewthat the expression born out of due time" means an abortive birth In other words, he was made an apostle in an unnatural way and time. His qualifications did not come fromnatural experiences as was so of the other apostles, but byway of a miracle. Nevertheless, he was an apostle (Rom. 1:1; 11:13; I Cor. 1:1; 4:9; 9:1, 2; 15:8, 9; II Cor. 1:1; 11:5; 12:11, 12; Gal. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:1; I Thess. 2:6;I Tim. 1:1; 2:7; II Tim. 1:1, 11; Titus 1:1).
HAMARTANO, "I SIN"-NO. 5
It has been noted that hamartano is used in the LXX both in non-religious and in strictly literal senses. In severalpassages the verb refers to breaches of civil law. The verbdenotes breaches of the civil law on the part of Joseph's fellow-prisoners: "And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt [hemarten ho archioinochoos tonBasileos]," (Gen. 40:1). In Isa. 29:21 the verb signifiesforced perjury, and in Judges 11:27 it denotes wrongs in international relations.
Most of the usages of hamartano in the LXX denote sin against God, either in the sense of the committing of sin, orin the sense of the deed of sin itself. Though the passage employs the noun hamartiai ["sins"], Isa. 59:1, 2 is a classicexample also of the use of hamartano in the sense, "sin against God."
THE WORD OF GOD:
POWERFUL AND SUFFICIENT - NO. II
(Read Isaiah 55:6-11) George
Lemasters, Barberton, Ohio
I move now to that division of this lesson which shall be of more importance to us as attention is now directed to the power and sufficiency of the word of God in conversion.One has but to read the following passages (Psalm 19:7;Rom. 1:16-17; James 1:21) to understand that the word of God is perfect unto the converting of the soul; that it is God's power unto salvation, and that receiving it in meekness willresult in securing the safety of the soul. But we are not required to accept this at face value for we are abundantlysupplied with examples in the New Testament. For instance, consider Paul's labors in the city of Corinth. Here, in a city that was so evil that it had become a synonym for the term"wickedness" itself, Paul came to labor in the cause of the master. He came not with excellency of speech or of wisdombut had determined to know nothing save Christ and Himcrucified (cf. I Cor. 2:1-5). He contented himself withpreaching the fundamental principles of the gospel and theglad story of redemption in Christ (cf. I Cor. 15:1-4). Theresult of this was that many of the Corinthians heard and were baptized (cf. Acts 18:1-8). That their conversion wasgenuine and from the heart is sustained by his description ofthem in I Cor. 6:9-11, where he contrasts their former life in sin with their present state in Christ. The word of Godwas powerful and sufficient to effect their conversion, and to cause them to turn from idolatry and wickedness and toserve the living God through the will of His Son.
There are now some questions to be answered. First,some are moved to inquire as to why the word is so powerful in this respect. In answer, I suggest that it is because Godhas designed it to be adapted to the nature of man in sucha way that it appeals unto all the factors involved in conversion. Man is possessed of intellect, emotions, and will. Theintellect evaluates the testimony and evidence presented in the gospel and either accepts or rejects. Once that testimony is accepted, the emotions are touched by those elements of thegospel designed to arouse them (the promises of God; thestory of the cross), and these two factors will induce us toconform our will unto His, the result of which is conversion of the individual.
The second question is that which asks why all are notconverted. In answer to this, appeal is made to the oldadage which says, "The same sun which softens wax willharden clay". The working of the gospel is much the sameway. There are those who are so hardened by the deceitfulness of sin that the gospel has no effect upon them. On theother hand there are others which can be moved by the principles of God's righteousness as revealed in the gospel.Hence, some are converted and others go on their way toperdition. Certainly we understand that the condition of theheart determines the receptiveness to the gospel message.The parable of the sower definitely teaches this (Mat. 13:1-9; 18-23). When, by the preaching of the gospel we can causemen to see their need for the Savior, and instill within them a desire to serve Him, then we can lead them to the Lord. This can be accomplished only by teaching them the word of God. Hence, Paul teaches that not many wise men afterthe flesh will be called; and that others having no love forthe truth will believe lies unto their own damnation (I Cor. 1:26; II Thes. 2:1-12). It is not that God does not want them to obey; neither is it that God will not receive them. Rather,it is simply that the only drawing power that God has willnot touch them by reason of the condition of their heart. We,therefore, would do well to consider the example of Ezra,for he had prepared his heart to seek, to do, and to teachthe law of God. We would also do well to imitate the example of Samuel as he said, "Speak Lord, thy servant heareth".
With these things in mind then, is it any wonder that wedespair at times when some even amongst the brethren wantpreachers to "water down" the preaching of the gospel inorder to make it appealing unto those with whom it possesses no appeal in its purity? We manifest a supreme lack of wisdom when we will withhold from preaching the whole counsel of God in order to make the gospel popular with thoseto whom it is not popular in the form in which it fell from thelips of inspired men. That word is designed to call those whowant to serve the Lord and to exclude those who do not, To labor under any other principle will thwart the purpose of God. A failure on our part to realize this and to thus"sugar coat" the gospel will not result in genuine confessions but rather in half converted members. It will bringwithin the membership of the church a soil which will become fertile ground in which the seeds of digression will germinate into the fruits of departure. Let us, therefore,cease to rely upon the elements of the social gospel and ourdisplay of material wealth in order to draw people to theLord and return once again to the preaching of that wordwhich is both powerful and sufficient to accomplish God'spurposes in the affairs of men.
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BENEVOLENCE AND THE CHURCH
By Harris J. Dark
PART II
HOW FUNDS SHOULD BE COLLECTED
Next we turn to how congregations did their chanty work for saints outside of then own number I Corinthians 16:1-3 says
"Now concerning the collection for the saints, [andI want you to notice it was for the saints It was notfor sinners, but for the saints], as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye Upon thefirst day of the week let every one of you lay by himin store, as God hath prospered him, that there beno gatherings when I come And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will Isend to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem "
This is in a letter to the church at Corinth, but it concerns a contribution to the poor saints who were in JerusalemHere we are told specifically how the money was to be collected It was to be collected by each laying by in store upon the first day of the week as God had prospered him Note also that the congregation at Corinth was to select its ownmessenger to take its contribution to Jerusalem In those daysit could not be sent by bank draft or by a check drawn on the account of the church, or by postal delivery becausethere were no such things The money had to be earned,literally, from one place to another. So Paul, directed by theHoly Spirit, says
whomsoever you shall approve, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem "
So we are told how they were to get the money together for this purpose
PROVOKING TO LIBERALITY
This same incident is referred to at several places inthe Bible This is Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth This matter was still in process of being earned out when hewrote them the second letter So he devoted chapters 8 and9 of the second letter to a discussion of this same subjectinstructing and exhorting them to give liberally. I want to read you several verses now from these two chapters
' Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit [that is, we wantyou to know] of the grace of God bestowed on thechurches of Macedonia, how that in a great trial ofaffliction the abundance of then joy and then deeppoverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality Forto then power, I bear record, yea, and beyond thenpower they were willing of themselves, praying uswith much entreaty that we would receive the gift, andtake upon us the fellowship of the ministering to thesaints "
What are you doing, Paul? He's using the example of liberality on the part of the Macedonians to stir up the Connthians to cause them to give more So he said
'And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave thenown selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of GodInsomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun,so he would also finish in you the same grace alsoTherefore, as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and inyour love to us, see that ye abound in this grace alsoI speak not by commandment, but by occasion of theforwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity ofyour love "
So here he tells us what he's doing— using the Macedonians to inspire the Corinthians And he wasn't compellingthem to give He said, "I speak not by way of commandment " He didn't want them to give grudgingly, he was leaving it up to them, but giving them some mighty goodreasons for being liberal in their contribution, he continued
"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that,though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,that ye through his poverty might be rich "
Not only did he use the example of the Macedonians toinspire the Corinthians to liberality, but above all he used the example of Jesus Christ himself who gave all, even hislife And he said
'And herein I give my advice, for this is expedient foryou, who have begun before, not only to do, but alsoto be forward a year ago Now therefore perform thedoing of it, that as there was a readiness to will, sothere may be a performance also out of that which ye have For if there be first a willing mind, it is acceptedaccording to that a man hath, and not according to thathe hath not For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened, but by an equality that now at thistime your abundance may be a supply for their want,that their abundance also may be a supply for yourwant, that there may be equality "
I always understood that to mean, until somebody tried to help me understand it otherwise, that Paul was simplysaying, "You help the folk at Jerusalem now in their time ofneed It may be the tables will be turned, and there willcome a time when you will need help from them "
"As it is written, he that had gathered much had nothing over, and he that had gathered little had no lack Butthanks be to God, which put the same earnest care intothe heart of Titus for you And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches, and not that only, but who wasalso chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace [and we learn from I Corinthians 16 how thatwas done— each church choosing its own messengers]which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind avoiding this,that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us, providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of menWherefore show ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love [for the proof of love is goodwork, you know] and of our boasting on your behalf For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you, for I know theforwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia "
Not only was he commending the Macedonians to in
spire the Corinthians, but he had already commended the
Corinthians to the Macedonians to inspire them So he said
I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago, and your zeal hath provoked very many "
So it's not a sin to let others know what you give, ifyou do it for the purpose of inspiring them
"Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf,
Paul seems to be a little bit afraid that after he had commended the Corinthians so much, that when the time came, they would let him down and prove that his boastinghad been in vain, so he's exhorting them not to let thathappen
"Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, andfind you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) shouldbe ashamed in this same confident boasting "
You kinda stick your neck out, you know, when you bragon people, because they may not come through and do likeyou thought they were going to
"Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before,that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty,and not as of covetousness "
Remember that all of this is concerning that same contnbution mentioned in I Corinthians 16 1-2
"But this I say, he which soweth sparingly shall reapalso sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully shallreap also bountifully Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver."
And then he goes on throughout the remainder of this chapter further exhorting them to give liberally
Paul makes two other references to this particular matter As far as I know, they don't really throw any additionallight on what we ought to do or how we ought to do it,but for the sake of completeness I'll call attention to themOne of them is in his speech before Felix You'll find it inActs, chapter 24 and verse 17, where he merely says that,"Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nationand offerings " That was after these churches in Macedoniahad gotten the money together and Paul, along with othershad taken it unto Jerusalem
He also mentions the same thing in the 15th chapter of the book of Romans was spoken before he went to Jerusalem That one in Acts was spoken after he had already taken the money But anyhow 111 read this one
"But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto thesaints For it hath pleased them of Macedonia andAchaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saintswhich are at Jerusalem When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain. Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in yourprayers to God for me, that I may be delivered fromthem that do not believe in Judaea, and that my servicewhich I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of thesaints " (vv 25-32)
SENDING TO THE ELDERS
There's one more case, and then we'll be through Thisone is found in the 11th chapter of the book of Acts Thegospel had just recently begun to be preached unto the Gentiles Some of those who had fled from Jerusalem be cause of persecution had gone as far as Antioch And whenthe church at Jerusalem (the ones that remained there)
learned about what was going on, they sent Barnabas Barnabas went on up to Tarsus and found Saul and brought him back to Antioch, and they met with the church there for awhole year And the latter part of that chapter says
"And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem untoAntioch And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should begreat dearth [or drouth, we would call it, or famine] throughout all the world, which came to pass in thedays of Claudius Caesar Then the disciples, every manaccording to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea, which also theydid, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabasand Saul "
Note that they did not send it to the Board of DirectorsThey did not send it unto the Superintendent, but they sentit unto the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul Nowfriends, from I Corinthians 16 1 2, we find out how the church got the money together to help poor people in another area From this we learn to whom the money was delivered It was delivered unto the elders In Acts chapter 6, we saw how, in that case, it was distributed by the deaconsunto those that were in need
Beloved, this is what the Bible says about the charitywork of a local congregation You see we have a pattern,both for work at home and for work abroad Now, of course, this pattern consists of examples in large measure. I ransee only one way to deny that this constitutes a precedentfor us to follow, and that is to say that these examples arenot authoritative And yet we believe a binding pattern may be in the form of an example You know we do We've beendeclaring, and I think properly, all through these years, thatthe day for the observance of the Lord's supper is firmlyestablished by apostolic example If the example of Acts 20:7is a pattern for us to follow, why are not these examples,which I have lead to you tonight, a pattern for us to follow?
CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
Now notice some of the important features of this pattern I want you to note that the congregation, through itsdeacons, decided who would receive benefit and how much benefit and for how long That's an important point, for theBible teaches that there are some who ought not be helpedThe widow who is not a widow indeed should not be helped as the one who is a widow indeed Paul says in II Thessalonians 3 10 that one who will not work should not be fed So, who should be helped and how much and how long is aquestion that must be decided
The responsibility of deciding that question depends orrests upon the congregation To shift to some outside agency the responsibility of making decisions as to what shall bedone with the congregation's funds is to shift a responsibility which these examples place upon the local congregation itself. Now you ponder that thought. It has many ramifications, I'll let you make the application yourself. But I'mcalling your attention to the fact that, through its own deacons the Jerusalem church decided who would be helped.They didn't send the money to somebody else and say youjust do with it whatever you think best. They decided themselves who would be helped, and for how long, and forhow much
SAFETY FIRST
Let's think now about the effect of following thisBible plan. Did you know that, if we follow these Bible examples, we are perfectly safe? Even if it were true thatwe're not expected to follow the examples of the New Testament churches and are free to do as we please, we couldplease to follow the pattern they set before us. In doing sowe know we're safe. We preach "safety first" on other things; why not on this? Especially when it has already been demonstrated that this plan is sufficient to get the job done.
Furthermore, my beloved friends, following this patternwill never divide God's church. Conforming to the Bibleexamples will promote unity, and if everybody will do so,there won't be any division over this matter. Departure fromsuch patterns caused division 100 years ago, and that division is represented in this block by the building down onthe corner and by this one here. It was departure from suchpatterns as this that brought about that division. If brethrenpersist in another departure from such patterns, there willbe another division. The Bible teaches that division is sinful. Unity— the Lord prayed for it, and we're commanded to attain unto it, to achieve it, and to keep it if we possibly can.Departure from Bible patterns has always caused or resultedin division, and it will always do so.
If you and I follow this pattern and do so diligently, fervently, humbly, meekly, patiently, in kindness instructingothers who oppose themselves, then we will not be to blamefor any division that may result.
Somebody may say, "Well, Brother Dark, what are yougoing to do when folks accuse you of not believing in helping the poor?" I'm just going to keep on doing what they sayI don't believe in. "Well, what are you going to do when they call you some ugly names?" I'm going to pray that theymay see the error of their way and turn away from it anddo my best not to retaliate. I know we're standing on solidground when we stay within the bounds of this Bible pattern.That's what I'm contending for, and I think I speak thesentiments of the elders of this congregation when I say thatthat's what we want to do.
I recommend to you tonight these things which I haveread to you from God's word. I don't have any uneasinessor misgivings about them or their effect. I know they areright because I have read them to you as they are in yourBible. If you find fault with them, you won't be finding any fault with me. You'll be finding fault with the Bible, and Iknow that you don't want to do that.
There's one note of warning that I give to myself and to us— having the right pattern will not save us unless wework at the job. Just refraining from going out after an unscriptuial pattern will not save us. If we don't do somethingaccording to the pattern that we propose to follow, we cannot be saved. "Faith without works is dead." Having theright plan to do nothing won't help any, will it? So, while we are contending for the faith once delivered to the saints, letus be sure that we are busy in the work required of thesaints. After all, the best argument against any departure is an effective, active, and successful program of work inharmony with the scriptures.
With some religionists of today custom and traditionhave greater weight than the plain word of God. Assailbaptism, a thing positively commanded, and they applaud,assail their unscriptural teachings and practices, and theybecome greatly offended. Some churches of Christ have hadtroubles over customs and traditions.
ROOKS FOR EVERY
CHRISTIAN PHILLIPS PUBLICATIONS
P O. Box 9095 Tampa 4, Florida
BOOKS FOR SALE
Scriptural Elders & Deacons (Phillips) _______$ 4.00 Book-Miller Debate (Instrumental Music).... .. . 2.50 Identity Of The Church (Cook-Miller Debate) .... 2.00 More Than Conquerors (Hendriksen on Revelation) 3.50 Peloubet's Bible Dictionary ________________ 4.00 What Is Wrong With Modern Marriage? (Phillips) .75 What Is The Church Of Christ? (Phillips) ____ .25 Sermons By Pickup (Harry Pickup, Sr.) _____ 3.00 Johnson's New Testament Notes (2 vols.) _____ 6.00 Attitudes & Consequences (Homer Hailey) 2.75 Let's Go Fishing For Men (Homer Hailey) . . 2.50 Restoration Readings (O. J. Swinney) 2.00
FRANKLIN ROAD LECTURE SERIES
Delivered in Nashville, Tenn., October, 1959 Vol. I Give Us A King (Harris J. Dark) ____$ .20 Vol. II Contending For The Faith and TheOrganization of The Church(Charles M. Campbell) ___ ___ .20 Vol. Ill Speaking As The OraclesOf God (Irven Lee) ___ . .... .20 Vol. IV The All-Sufficiency Of The Bible
(E. L. Flannery) __________ ____ .20 Vol. V Divisions, Who Is Responsible? (James P. Miller) ... . .20 Vol. VI According To The Pattern(Stanley J. Lovett) _______________ .20 Vol. VII Church Cooperation (Cecil B.Douthitt) . . . _______ .20 Vol. VIII The Glorious Church And Its Purpose(Curtis Porter) ___________ . . .20 Vol. IX The Care Of The Needy (HerschelPatton) ________________________ .20 Vol. X The Individual Christian's Responsibility (Bennie Lee Fudge) .... .20 Vol. XI When Should One Change? (James A. Allen)__________________ .20
Only a few copies of the bound volume of Southeastern News Letter are left. This volume contains every issue of Southeastern News Letter— March, 1958 to December, 1959— which is a news record of churches, elders and preachers generally in the Southeast. Theprice is $1.00. We will send one copy free to all whosend us three (3) subscriptions to SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES. If you just want a copy of the News Letter send us your name and $1.00 now. There are not manyleft.
There is very little satisfaction in beating an enemy byevil means, but there is great and lasting satisfaction in overcoming your enemy with good.
". . . THEY REHEARSED ALL THAT GOD HAD DONE WITH THEM . . ."— Acts 14:27
BROOKS WEBB is the new preacher for the HickoryHeights congregation in Lewisburg, Tenn. He publishes abulletin called Hi-Lites that contains much valuable information. WEBB formerly preached in Indianapolis, Ind. . . .LINDY McDANIEL, star of the St. Louis Cardinals, is not only a faithful Christian but a contributor to some of thepapers published by the brethren. McDANIEL has beencalled the best relief pitcher in baseball today. . . . FRANKJAMERSON preaches for the church in Richmond, Virginia.JAMERSON is a former student of Florida Christian Collegeand is doing a good work in this historic southern city. . . .Plans are in the making for another debate between Roy Cogdill and Guy Wood at Newbern, Tenn. Watch SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES for future announcement. . . . HUGH CLARK of Lubbock, Texas will return to the Holden HeightsHeights congregation in Orlando, Florida for a second meeting soon. CLARK conducted a very successful effort with this congregation a few years ago . . . IRVIN HIMMEL continues to publish the paper APOSTOLIC DOCTRINE withoffices at 900 Smithshire, St. Louis, Mo. This is a 16 pagemonthly well written and well edited. The price is $2.00 ayear or $1.50 in clubs. . . . NAT COOPER now working inColeraine, North Ireland will be coming to the states soon.Nat is a native of Ireland and went back several years ago to work in his own country. While at Florida Christian College he married a Florida girl. . . . JIMMY TUTEN, JR.preaches for the Northwest congregation in Ft. Lauderdale.When in that city worship with them. . . . JOSEPH COXwill preach for a new congregation in Louisville. This is inthe Fairdale section. . . . ROY COGDILL closed the lecture program at Florida Christian College March 10 with a greatsermon on Victorious Faith. . . . BILL REEVES who works with the Spanish congregation in Miami, Florida baptizedthree in February. REEVES is thought by many to be theablest preacher of the Spanish language in the brotherhood. . . . B. G. HOPE fell on the ice and suffered a broken arm. HOPE has his share of misfortune but seems to have the ability to bounce back and still do a great work. Hewill hold a scheduled meeting in Bradenton, Florida whenhe recovers completely. . . . HARRY PICKUP, SR., working in a meeting with the Pine Hills congregation where JERRYBELCHICK is the local preacher. This is a new congregation and is making fine progress. . . . RICHARD DEWHIRST,evangelist for the Bedford, Ohio group reports steady progress in a hard field. Morning audiences reach 150 and the collection is sometimes in access of $300.00. JAMES P. MILLER preached in a meeting with the downtown congregation inLawrenceburg, Tenn., March 19-26. E. L. FLANNERY works with this old and respected church.
JAMES P. MILLER, Tampa, Florida-Brother BYRONCONLEY of Bartow, Florida will do the preaching in ameeting with the Seminole congregation in Tampa, April16-23. Brother Conley is one of the best loved preachers in the state of Florida and has baptized more people as theresult of his preaching than any of his contemporaries. Thetime for all the evening services including Sundays will beat 7:45. Different song leaders in the Tampa area willconduct the singing each night. All are invited to attend thismeeting. The Seminole meeting house is located at RomeAvenue and Wishart Boulevard in Tampa's north side.
GOSPEL MEETING-A. HUGH CLARK of Lubbock, Texas will preach in a gospel meeting at HoldenHeights congregation in Orlando, Florida, April 2-9. Earl Fly has recently moved to labor with the HoldenHeights church from Belmont Heights, Tampa, Florida.Marshall Patton, now with Par Avenue church in Orlando, was formerly with the Holden Heights congregation. A 77 year old lady was recently baptized at Holden Heights. This church is growing spiritually and in numbers; peace and harmony prevail among the members.
Gene E. Watson of Lynn Grove, Kentucky has some good used books to sell at a reasonable price. If interested, write to him in Lynn Grove.
MILLER-VAUGHN DEBATE
The discussion between James P. Miller and Ray Vaughnof The United Pentecostal Church was held in the Howard Junior High School auditorium in Orlando, Fla., February27, 28 and March 1, 2.
The crowds ran from 400 to 600 people for the fournights of the debate. This was the second debate in this samebuilding for Miller who met Morris Butler Book on themusic question in 1954. The question is often asked: do thesediscussions do a great deal of good? The answer has to be yes if they are conducted in the right manner. Debating isnot only an opportunity to refute error, but it is a wonderfulopportunity to preach the truth. The United PentecostalChurch teaches that Jesus is the only person in the Godheadand that baptism can only be administered in the "name ofJesus". They also contend that. Baptism in the Holy Spiritand miracles continue until this present time. A full report of the debate will appear in the columns of SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES. Watch for it.
DENNIS REED of Birmingham, Alabama will be inRockingham, North Carolina in a gospel meeting April 3-12, and in a meeting at New Bern, North Carolina April 24-30. Brother Reed recently moved to the Birmingham area fromPalatka, Florida.
THE SELF WRITTEN EPITAPH
by Benjamin Franklin's Biographer (Submitted by Joe Farley, Tampa, Fla.)
Benjamin Franklin Printer Like the cover of an old book, its contents town out and strippedof its lettering and gilding
Lies here food for worms for it will (as he believes) appear once more
In a new and more beautiful
Edition, corrected and amended