PRAYING AND SINGING TO JESUS (NO. 1)

In the February, 1981 issue of Searching The Scriptures, my friend and brother, Hoyt H. Houchen,penned an article bearing the same title as this one. Ido not agree with his position on the subject of prayingto Jesus and utilize this space to respond to the errorsin his article. I want it clearly understood that I am notcasting reflection upon brother Houchen; he is a good and honorable man and I love and respect him. I justdo not believe that the Bible teaches that we may prayto Jesus.

At first I thought to respond to his article paragraphby paragraph, but I decided instead to present what Ibelieve to be the truth on the subject and let the readerdetermine for himself what the Bible teaches.

To me this is not a matter of opinion; it is a matter offaith. I do not recall ever hearing anyone among uspublicly pray to Jesus, but if this is a scripturalmatter, why do we not hear some believing brotherpray to Jesus in the public assembly? I am not naive; Ihave not been everywhere and I know many things goon that I have not seen nor heard. It may be a commonpractice in a few places.

Just one thing about the article by brother Houchenbefore I proceed further. In paragraph two he tries toshow the fallacy of opposing praying to Jesus bycomparing it to the opposition to Baptist argumentson their doctrine of salvation by faith only. He says,"Well meaning brethren, who attempt to sustain theircontention that it is wrong to pray or sing to Jesus,refer to several passages in the New Testament whichteach that we are to pray to the Father through the Son. Their conclusion is that we cannot address our prayers or songs to Jesus."

That is the same argument that the ChristianChurch uses with the instrument of music in worship.They charge us with citing a number of passages in theNew Testament that teach that we are to sing inworship and then say that we conclude that we are notto use the instrument in worship to God. Friends, thearguments are exactly the same in form and fact.

Brother Houchen says that the position opposing praying to Jesus is like the Baptists "who in their attempt to prove that salvation is by faith only, listthe many passages that teach that we are saved byfaith." Their conclusion, he says, is that salvation is byfaith only. "So, while none of us deny that we aretaught to address God in prayer or song, the issue is:are we also authorized to pray and sing to Jesus?" Iagree with brother Houchen's statement of the issue: The issue is: are we also authorized to pray... toJesus?

The Nature and Relationship of Deity

I want it to be understood from the first that I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is the Sonof God; that means that I believe Christ is as DIVINEas the Father or the Holy Spirit. I believe Jesus Christis God in every sense of the word.

I further believe with all my heart that Christ is to beworshipped as God, just as we worship the Father asGod. With me the issue is not, Is Jesus Christ deity;nor is Christ to be worshipped. The issue is, Does theNew Testament authorize us to pray to Jesus in thisdispensation?

The Godhead

The Godhead or Godhood is that sum of attributes that characterize deity. There are three persons in the Godhead: God the Father (Gal. 1:1), God the Son (Heb. 1:8), and God the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3,4). The evidenceof this is so overwhelming in the word of God that tothe readers of this paper it is unnecessary for me toargue the point.

The word "Godhead" is used three times in the New Testament:

1. Theios, The Godhead, that which is Divine (Acts 17:29).

1. Theiotes, Divinity; characteristics of deity (Rom. 1:20).
3. Theotes, Deity (Col. 2:9). Relationship Of Deity

There are four facts regarding the Godhead towhich I now call attention:

1. Perfect Unity. There is perfect unity in thepersons of deity. At no time has any person of theGodhead ever been out of harmony with the otherpersons of the Godhead about any matter. They areONE in nature, purpose and work (John 17:21,22; 1 Cor. 8:6; John 10:30; 14:10,11; 16:15).
2. Distinct Function. Each person of the Godhead has a distinct function in the entire scheme of redemption. They have separate work that complements the work of each other in all that is revealedto us from creation to the last day when the resurrection and judgment take place. To assign to oneperson a work that another is said to have done or will do is to misunderstand the revealed function of the three persons of deity. For example, Christ was madeflesh that he might die for the sins of the world.Neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit died for the sinsof the world. The second person of the Godhead did what the other two persons did not do.
3. All Persons Active. In the eternal purpose ofGod, which is the entire scheme of redemption, allthree persons of the Godhead are active. There is notone thing deity has done for man, or is doing, or will dofor mankind that each person of the Godhead is notinvolved in some way, because of the UNITY ofpurpose of the three persons of deity.
4. Different Rank In Relationship. The persons ofthe Godhead do not hold the same rank in relationshipto each other. They have perfect UNITY; each personhas A DISTINCT FUNCTION in the scheme of redemption; each person is ACTIVE in all that deity has to do with mankind. But none of this means that each of these persons holds the same relationship tothe others. To understand this is to understand that we have divinely ordained responsibilities to each ofthem in ways that distinguish between them. We canunderstand how humanity is ONE, and yet there are different persons in humanity with different relationships to each other. That is the way theGodhead is. In humanity the man is the head of thewoman (1 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 5:23). As the man is the headof the woman, so Christ is the head of man, and God isthe head of Christ (1 Cor. 11:3). Christ said the Fatherwas greater than he, and greater than all (John 14:28;10:29).

It is important that we understand the relationshipof the Father and the Son. Both are Divine, but the Son is always subject to the Father in all things. Jesus saidhe received from the Father words (John 14:10; 3:34;8:26; 16:13-15), doctrine (John 7:16,17), will (John 4:34;5:30; 6:38), and commandment (John 10:18; 12:49,50;15:10). He said he always spoke these words, doctrine,will and commandments of His Father.

The Father will judge the world in righteousness(Acts 17:30,31), but He will do it by Jesus Christ (John5:22,27,30), and the Son will judge by the word he has

It is scriptural to SING praise and adoration toJesus Christ, but it is unscriptural to PRAY to Jesusinstead of the Father because the word of God does not teach it.

Colossians 3:16,17: "Let the WORD OF CHRISTdwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns andspiritual songs, SINGING WITH GRACE IN YOUR HEARTS TO THE LORD." We can scripturally sing psalms and hymns and spiritualsongs—and these are the only songs we are authorizedto sing in worship—with grace in our hearts TO THELORD JESUS CHRIST! But this is SINGING and not PRAYING. Now read the rest of the passage:"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, DO ALL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS, GIVINGTHANKS TO GOD AND THE FATHER BY HIM." I find no difficulty at all understanding thedifference between singing and praying in these scriptures.

One of the main pillars upon which this idea of praying to Jesus rests is that songs we sing—the goodold popular and well known songs—are prayers toJesus. This is not true! There is a difference between praying and singing.

It is true that there are a few songs that teach error,and we cannot scripturally sing them. The songs wesing, all of them, are written by uninspired men, andmany of them by denominational people. In years pastthe words of a number of songs had to be changedbecause they taught the premillennial doctrine whichat one time nearly destroyed many churches. I do notremember faithful brethren suggesting that we hold toPremillennialism because we had sung some songs thattaught it. We just changed the words of the songs sowe could scripturally sing them.

Because we find some songs that teach us to "have alittle talk with Jesus" or "take it to the Lord (Jesus) inprayer" or "tell it to Jesus alone" and other such songs, should we turn to praying to Jesus to conformto the songs we want to keep, or should we do as we didin the past and change the words of such songs toconform to the doctrine of Christ? We have also had to change the words of some songs because they taughtCalvinism. Why should we hesitate to change those that teach praying to Jesus?

I affirm that songs of praise, exaltation andadoration to Jesus, to the Father or to the HolySpirit are scriptural. But I affirm that praying toJesus or to the Holy Spirit is unscriptural and wrong.

All Three Persons of DeityInvolved in Prayer

Brother Houchen said, "But when they refuse tosing or pray to Jesus they only address one third of thedeity, God the Father. They can sing or pray to onepart of deity but they cannot sing or pray to another part, God the Son." (S.T.S. p. 335).

Now why is it not as wrong to leave out theremaining third person of the Godhead, the HolySpirit, and to pray to him? Does brother Houchenadvocate praying to the Holy Spirit? If not, why not?He is also God as the Father is God. All I have read or heard from those advocating praying to Jesus is that we who oppose are separating out one person of theGodhead, to whom we pray, and ignoring the othertwo. Whether two or one of the Godhead is ignored, theprinciple is the same.

But if we should pray to the Son because he is God as the Father is God, why should we not do all that wedo in worship and service to each one of the persons ofdeity alike? Why not make God the Father high priestthrough whom we can come to the Saviour JesusChrist? Or be reconciled unto Jesus Christ by the blood of the Holy Spirit? In the light of Divine truth this isridiculous, but I use it to illustrate the truth that,although all persons of the Godhead are involved in theredemption of mankind, they do not all have the same function and do not have the same relationship to eachother or to humanity.

What About The Lord's Supper?

On each Lord's day I assemble with the saints to eatthe unleavened bread and drink the fruit of the vine. When I do this I do NOT remember the "broken body"or the "shed blood" of the Father or the Holy Spirit;ONLY JESUS CHRIST! I could not do otherwise and be scripturally right. Jesus suffered and died on thecross. It was HIS body that took the stripes for mysins. It was HIS blood that was shed on the cross for the remission of my sins. Jesus said, "Do this inremembrance of me" (1 Cor. 11:24) and if I did otherwise I would not obey either the Father, the Son or theHoly Spirit. I remember only ONE PERSON in the Godhead when I eat the bread and drink the cup of theLord! Do I sin in remembering only "one third" of deity on each Lord's day when I "break bread" inremembrance of Jesus Christ? I trow not!

It is not because I do not respect all three persons ofdeity. I do so because the word of God, through HisSon Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit sent down fromheaven which gave utterance to the apostles in spiritual words (Acts 1:3; 2:3,4; 1 Cor. 2:13), told meexactly what to do and why in partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine.

The Father sent the Son into the world to "taste death for every man" and the Holy Spirit gave thewords by which the apostles revealed the will of the Father and that will is given through Jesus Christ. All three persons are involved in the redemption of man. Itwas the eternal purpose of the Father, executed byChrist, and revealed by the Holy Spirit. But the fact isthat this expression of worship is directed ONLY tothe Son. We remember HIS broken body and HIS shedblood. Think on these things!

Keep this article and read it again before you readthe second part to appear next month in Searching The Scriptures.

Please Renew Promptly!

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ORIGIN OF OPPOSITION TO INSTITUTIONALISM

Quite often today as gospel preachers opposechurches of Christ making contributions to benevolentorganizations and to "sponsoring churches" some of our brethren who have a liberal attitude toward the word of God will charge that such opposition did not begin until just recently.

I have in my possession a little booklet, Cooperation in the Field of Benevolence and Evangelism, by Guy

N. Woods, which contains a sermon he preached inIndianapolis, Indiana, at the Garfield Heights churchon May 18, 1957, in which are some quotations towhich I want to call your attention. On page 1 he says,"Up until a few years ago there was no opposition inthe brotherhood, except in a few isolated places, tocooperative evangelism and benevolence as is practiced by most of the churches of Christ today. Ican remember when there was not a preacher in theSouth known to me who opposed the orphan homes asthey today exist." On page 2 he says, "The first opposition that was registered to cooperativeevangelism in our day was that which followed theefforts of the Broadway congregation in Lubbock,Texas, to keep Brother Otis Gatewood in Germany.Until that time, nothing was said in opposition thereto;..." This was in about 1948.

From reading these quotations one would get theimpression, if he didn't know better, that everybodywas supporting these benevolent institutions from thechurch treasury for many years. This is not the case.Men living today can remember when the very first contribution was made by a church of Christ to amodern day benevolent institution called an "orphanhome."

To show you that churches of Christ have not alwayscontributed to what is commonly called orphan homes,let us look at the record and be convinced by the facts.By comparing the charters of all the benevolent organizations among us today the following facts,which are undeniable, are seen. In the year 1940 therewere only seven so-called orphan homes in operationamong those claiming to belong to the church ofChrist. Coming ten years later to the year 1950, therewere only three more established, bringing the total toten in 1950. From the year 1950 until 1960 there wereseventeen more homes established, thus bringing thetotal of so-called orphan homes to twenty-seven in1960. If you will note carefully, you will see that there were more benevolent organizations started from 1950 to1960 than there were started from 1900 to 1950.

Now, because of this fact, there was not as muchopposition to these benevolent institution several years ago as there is now. There was opposition tothem even from their beginning. Anyone who saysotherwise is either uninformed concerning the historyof the church of Jesus Christ in this century or doesnot care how the truth is handled. The opposition grew asthe benevolent societies grew. "The opposition grew inproportion to the practice" of building more and morehuman benevolent societies. Does anyone marvel as towhy there is more opposition now, than there was several years ago? The reason should be self evident asthere are more so-called orphan homes now than therewere several years ago.

But I am prepared to prove with documented evidence that there were "cries long and loud" againstthese so-called orphan homes years ago! That's right, people who would have you believe that oppositiononly began against these so-called orphan homes a fewshort years ago are in error. Opposition began years ago.

The oldest so-called orphan home among thoseclaiming to be the churches of Christ was started in thestate of Tennessee in the year 1909. In a quarterlyreport in the year 1911 there were only 3 1/4% of theTennessee churches that had made a contribution to such. Looks like somebody was opposed to the thing in1911.

In 1931 brother A. N. Trice wrote an article in the Gospel Advocate entitled, "Law and Expediency" indefense of churches of Christ contributing to thesebenevolent institutions. Throughout this article, hespoke of those that "object".

He said, "Cries long and loud have been made against.. . homes, orphanages, etc., as being institutions "unknown to the New Testament," and against "an enterprise" that is "bigger than the workof a local congregation." Somebody must havebeen doing some effective opposition to churches ofChrist contributing to those "homes" and "orphanages" for this brother to write in such strong language as this. Does this quotation soundlike opposition to churches contributing to benevolent organization just started a few years ago?Somebody even back then objected and opposedsuch a practice upon the part of New Testament churches.

In this same article, Brother Trice said, in 1931, "Another dogma held by some is that no church maygive from its treasury to the support of any school, Bible school, orphan school or other institution oflearning, nor for helping any one to obtain an education." Brethren also opposed churches of Christcontributing to schools and colleges. The oppositionwas "long and loud" in 1931 to such!

Trice says, "Sometimes the claim is made that notwo or more churches may cooperate in any givenwork, or that "the word of God does not authorize any congregation to "start an enterprise" that is bigger than the work of a local congregation." "Special objection is also urged against the planning by the churches of a city or community for holding aseries of gospel meetings and against the selection ofa preacher to do the preaching." In this quotationsomeone is charged with believing "that no two or more churches may cooperate in any givenwork ..." I doubt that anyone opposed churches cooperating; but rather opposed unscripturalchurch cooperation. But these statements by Tricein the Gospel Advocate are in many cases direct quotations. If no one were opposed, how could theybe quoted as being opposed to these things? Thevery fact that some one is quoted proves that someone was opposed to this very practice back in 1931.

Brother Trice says, "Finally, Scripture authority hasbeen demanded for... supporting schools from the treasury of the church; for activities other thanthrough the treasury of the local congregation; formaintaining an orphanage or home for the aged;... Itis not sufficient to cry, "Unscriptural," while failing topoint out the Scriptures violated." Some one has beencharged with asking for the Scriptures for churches tocontribute to human benevolent societies; and I takeit they were in opposition to such. When I and othersask for the same Scripture that was asked for back in1931, we are charged with being opposed; and I amsure that those who asked for the Scripture back in1931 were considered to be opposed to the practices ofthat day.

When we take the time to look at these quotationsfrom the pen of brother A. N. Trice in the Gospel Advocate of March 19, 1931, we can plainly see thatthese quotations are from one who opposed churchcontributions to these so-called orphan homes; itshows that opposition was "long and loud"; and thatsomeone was asking for the book, chapter, and versefor it. These quotations from the Gospel Advocate of 1931 should forever silence those who say that opposition only began to churches contributing to so-called orphan homes a few years ago.

Opposition to the "Herald of Truth" began almostthe same year the "Herald of Truth" began, 1951. Nobody opposed the "Herald of Truth" before it began; opposition has been strong to it ever since itbegan and to date no person has cited the Bibleauthority for it either.

Men sometimes find their preaching and their practice are not the same. Their preaching will be inharmony with the word of God while their practice will not be. Often their practice will be in harmony with theNew Testament and their preaching will not be.Through the years several brethren have preachedwhat the New Testament teaches on this matter, butthey have not practiced it. Some have become so involved in their own wisdom that they have changedtheir preaching to fit their practice, even when theirpractice was not in harmony with the word of God.Others have seen that their preaching was right, butthat their practice was wrong, and they have changedtheir practice to fit their preaching. When one sees hispreaching is right and his practice is wrong, he shouldchange his practice to fit his preaching, not his preaching to fit his practice.

Peter preached the truth on circumcision in Acts 10,but practiced something else in Gal. 2. When Paul rebuked him to his face, Peter changed his practice tofit his preaching, which was right. This is what everypreacher and every faithful Christian will do when it ispointed out to them that their preaching is correct buttheir practice is incorrect.

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THE BEATITUDES—No. 3

In this final article on the Beatitudes, we will consider the fifth, sixth and seventh beatitudes intheir respective order.

Blessed Are the Merciful

"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtainmercy" (Mt. 5:7). Jesus attached great importance to"mercy." Twice he quoted Hosea that God desiresmercy and not sacrifice (Mt. 9:13; 12:27). Hecondemned the Pharisees for their lack of mercy(Mt. 23:27).

Many of the Jews were bereft of mercy. Theydisapproved of Jesus eating with the publicans andsinners (Mt. 9:11) and murmured against Jesus' disciples for doing the same (Lk. 5:30). The Romanworld was merciless, especially toward slaves andchildren. Slaves were treated as chattel property orliving tools to be used. A master could, and sometimesdid, kill his slave for the slightest provocation. Unwanted children were abandoned in the streets, thrown out like refuse.

In this kind of backdrop Jesus taught mercy. To bemerciful is to have the same kind of love, feeling andpity toward all men as God manifests. "To be mercifulis to have the same attitude to men as God has, tothink of men as God thinks of men, to feel for men asGod feels for them, to act towards men as God actstowards them" (Wm. Barclay). Mercy is the opposite of self-centeredness, and antithesis of selfishness. It isconcern and self-identification for our fellowman with whom we have daily contact.

Jesus said the merciful shall obtain mercy. Here is a principle laid down by Jesus. Before we can havemercy, we must be merciful. James said: "For he shallhave judgment without mercy, that hath showed nomercy (Jas. 2:13). Let us show mercy that we mayreceive God's rich mercy (Eph. 2:4) by which we aresaved (Tit. 3:5) and through which we have hope (1 Pet.1:3).

Blessed Are the Pure in Heart

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall seeGod" (Mt. 5:8). The word, "pure," is a translation ofkatharos which means "free from the admixture or adhesion of anything that soils, adulterates, corrupts."Lenski says it has the idea of "singleness of mind, the honesty which has no hidden motive, no selfishinterest, and is true and open in all things" (St. Matthew's Gospel).

The word, "heart," is a translation of kardia. Here, it is the "inner man, the understanding, the faculty and seat of intelligence." Hence, Jesus in the text is saying: "Blessed are those whose understanding isclear, whose spiritual vision is single, whose motive ishonest, for they shall see God."

Man comes to Jesus by perception and discernmentof God's revealed Word, the Bible. Jesus said: "And they shall all be taught of God. Every man that hathheard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me" (Jn. 6:45). Those who know and love the truth, and whose minds are not distorted by the doctrines of men,are the "pure in heart."

The expression, "for they shall see God," means "aspiritual relationship with God in the kingdom." Thisis made clear in John 3:3: "Except a man be bornagain, he cannot see the kingdom of God." "Seeing thekingdom" in verse 3 is the same as "entering thekingdom" in Jn. 3:5. Therefore, a relationship is theimplication of "seeing God." May we keep our heartspure!

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall becalled the children of God" (Mt. 5:9). Jesus was nottalking about arbitration in a dispute between peopleor a settler of disagreements among men. Rather,Jesus was speaking about peace preachers who preachthe gospel of peace and show the world the way back toGod.

Man caused enmity between himself and God by sin."And you, that were sometime alienated and enemiesin your mind by wicked works ...." (Co. 1:21). Theneed was a restoration of friendship that had beenbroken. Here is the function of the peacemaker. Hepreaches the gospel of peace and thereby reconciles(makes friends again) the alien to God.

Paul wrote of Jesus: "For he is our peace... And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body bythe cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And cameand preached peace to you which were afar off, and tothem that were nigh" (Eph. 2:14-17). Those who propagate the peace that Jesus brought and preachedare peacemakers—makers of peace between God and man.

Listen further to the apostle Paul: "And how shallthey preach, except they be sent? as it is written, Howbeautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel ofpeace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" Thegospel of peace is what Peter said is the "word whichGod sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peaceby Jesus Christ" (he is Lord of all:) That word, I say, ye ,know, which was published throughout all Judea, andbegan from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached" (Acts 10:36-37). Peter's statement was anallusion to the Great Commission, and those whoproclaim it are, indeed, peacemakers. In working as

peacemakers, we are honored by being called the "children of God."

Truly, as Foy E. Wallace said, "The beatitudes arethe synopsis of the gospel of the kingdom and theepitome of the doctrine of Christ." What wonderfulblessings they proclaim!

Mormon views on the Bible and God

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints(LDS), known as the Mormons, project an image of astrict moralled, family oriented, clean cut and happypeople. However, as we showed in the previous article,this image is only a mask of hypocrisy. Behind themask, we see a society with problems in drug abuse,alcoholism, mental depression, suicide, fornication,lasciviousness, divorce and unruly children, as in othersocieties of America. While Mormons are good people,Mormonism paints a deceptive picture of its followersin an attempt to attract others to its number. In thissecond article, we will examine the Mormon views ofthe Bible and of God, again penetrating the mask and exposing their true beliefs. We do this to fulfill ourobligation to "try the spirits whether they are of God"(I Jn. 4:1) and to "earnestly contend for the faith"(Jude 3). Inasmuch as the Bible is our complete andperfect standard (2 Tim. 3:16-17) and as Jesus said offalse prophets, "Ye shall know them by their fruits"(Matt. 7:16), we will compare the fruits of Mormondoctrine with the Bible.

Mormons And The Bible

When a Mormon is asked if the Bible is God's Word, he will quickly answer in the affirmative. In a LDStract, "What the Mormons think of Christ" on page 2,we read, "Members of the Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-day Saints believe the Bible. Indeed, so literallyand completely do their beliefs and practices conformto the teachings of the Bible that it is not uncommon to hear informed persons say: 'If all men believed the Bible, all would be Mormons.' Bible doctrine is Mormon doctrine, and Mormon doctrine is Bible doctrine. They are one and the same." But behind thismask is the reality that Mormons do not follow Bibleteaching. The Book of Mormon affirms that the Biblehas been corrupted and has caused an exceeding greatmany to stumble (1 Nephi 13:26-29). Are we to believethat Mormons "literally and completely" follow the teachings of a corrupted book which leads men astray?I have never been in a religious discussion with aMormon where he did not, in the course of the conversation, begin to criticize the Bible and accuse itof containing contradictions. Mormon doctrine is NOT Bible doctrine; they are NOT one and the same.

In another LDS tract, "What of the Mormons?" on page 12, we read of their three additional books ofscripture (The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price), "The teachings found in them do not conflict with the teachings of theBible." One must then wonder why these books areneeded. If they teach a different gospel, they standcondemned (Gal. 1:9). If they just echo Bible doctrine,why are they necessary? The truth is that Mormonismrejects much of the Bible, and in fact only acceptsthose teachings which conform to their preconceivedideas. The Bible claims to be the complete and final word of God to man (Heb. 1:1-2; Jude 3; Gal. 1:6-9), theperfect law of liberty (Jas. 1:25), uncorruptible andimperishable (Mk. 13:31; 1 Pet. 1:22-25). Mormon doctrine rejects this, teaching that the Bible is inaccurate, incomplete, and was corrupted by men. If Mormonism were correct, Jesus would havelied when He said His words would never pass away.Mormons deny the verbal inspiration of the Bible. Onpage 10 of the LDS tract, "What of the Mormons?"we read, "The Bible is the word of God, written by men. It is basic in Mormon teaching. But the Latter-day Saints recognize that errors have crept into thissacred work because of the manner in which the book has come to us." The Bible claims, however, to be morethan merely God's Word written by man (or in man'swisdom). 1 Corinthians 2:13 says, "Which things also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth; combiningspiritual things with spiritual words." To deny the verbal inspiration of the Bible is to call Paul a liar.Mormons are taught to have a subjective faith, based upon their feelings rather than the written word. Moroni 10:4-5, of the Book of Mormon, teaches itsreader to ask God for a confirmation that the book is true. One young "elder" recently told me that his confirmation came in the form of a burning feeling in his heart. The Bible teaches that"faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word ofGod" (Rom. 10:17). One's faith should be based on scripture, not heartburn. Having a subjective faith, fewMormons will admit that they could possibly be mistaken.Closed minded, and like the Jews of Paul's day, they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. Seeking to establish their own righteousness, theyhave not submitted themselves unto the righteousness ofGod (Rom. 10:1-3).

God or Gods?

The first Article of Faith of the Mormon Church states, "We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and inHis Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." To theunsuspecting ear, that sounds great. But WHAT dothey believe about God? Mormons believe that God isan exalted man, with a body of flesh and bones, whowas born and lived a physical existence in a previousworld, but progressed to the position of being a God over His own world, the earth. Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, said, "God himself, who sits enthroned in yonder heavens, is a man like unto one ofyourselves" (Times and Seasons, Vol. 5, pp. 613-614).Smith also said, "the Father has a body of flesh andbones as tangible as man's" (Doctrine and Covenants130:22). Brigham Young, Smith's successor, said, "He(God) is our Father — the Father of our spirits, andwas once a man in mortal flesh as we are, and is now an exalted being" (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, p. 333). This doctrine is directly contradictory to the Bible,which teaches that God is a Spirit (Jn. 4:24), and that aspirit does not have flesh and bones (Lk. 24:39). ButMormon theology does not stop there. Mormons believe in a spiritual progression in which men canbecome Gods; or as it is often stated, "as man is, Godonce was; as God is, man may become." Young said,"The Lord created you and me for the purpose ofbecoming Gods like himself" (Journ. of Disc. Vol. 3, p.93). The "one" God is not the only God who exists,they teach, but is only the "one" God over this world.Young said, "How many Gods there are, I do notknow" (Journ. of Disc. Vol. 7, p. 333). Well, the Bibleknows! God said, "I am the first, and I am the last;and beside me there is no God" (Isa. 44:6), and"I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me" (Isa. 43:10). TheMormon doctrine of polytheism is nothing shortof idolatry. They demote the true and living God from His eternal and omnipotent nature into a mere man who pleased his God and thereforereaped a reward, becoming a God himself. Likethe Jews of old, Mormons "thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself" (Psa.50:21). And like the Gentiles described in Romans 1:2125, the Mormons have "changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man," and have "worshiped and served thecreature more than the Creator." Latter-day Saintshave created a god in the image of man.

Mormon views of the Bible and of God are foreign towhat the Bible teaches. While their image projects aBible-believing, God-fearing people, they in fact rejectthe nature and inspiration of the Bible, and worship agod of their own imagination. In the next article, wewill examine two other doctrines fundamental to Mormon theology: the Priesthood and the restoredchurch of Jesus Christ.

What To Do When A Church Problem Arises

So long as time continues there shall be problems inthe church. One has but to read casually through thebook of Acts and the epistles to ascertain that wetoday have no monopoly on problems. The early church suffered problems of outside persecution (Acts3,4) and problems of inward corruption and covetousness (Acts 5). It suffered when false doctrineschallenged the truth of the gospel and some were ledastray (Acts 15).

Many problems existed in the church at Corinth. TheGalatian churches were in danger of apostasy as werethe recipients of the letter to the Hebrews. Problems were mounting in Thessalonica because of some misunderstanding on the second coming of Christ. TheLord's letters to the seven churches of Asia (Rev. 2,3)reveal many problems within the fellowship of thosesaints.

Some years ago while I was engaged in a meeting inSouth Texas, an elder and I were discussing some church problems. There was present at this "after church" get-together a young Mexican man who hadonly recently become a Christian. The elder seeminglyrealized quite suddenly that our conversation could be a discouragement to him. So he addressed the young brother and said, "You must be aware that some churches do have problems.''

I shall not forget his answer: "Si," he smiled, "I've been reading about them in the New Testament."

How should we conduct ourselves when a problemarises? There are some things in this regard that needto be constantly emphasized.

Do the Scriptural And Right Thing

The scriptural and right thing is not often the easything. I'm confident that it was not easy for Peter toconfront Ananias and Sapphira and accuse them of lying. But his source was not just reliable, but infallible. It was a lot easier for the disciples to murmur and gossip concerning the neglect of the Grecian widows (Acts 6) than to correct the situationin a scriptural way. It was a lot of trouble for Pauland Barnabas to make a trip to Jerusalem and contendfor what was right (Acts 15).

Most members of the church are aware of what theyare supposed to do if a brother trespasses against them(Matt. 18:15-17). First, one must "go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone." That's the scriptural and right thing. The easy thing is to telleverybody but him.

If someone tells a tale on another, the easy thing isto just let it slide. Even if we do not participate in themuckraking, can't we at least choose not to get involved? But consider an apostolic example: "For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, bythem which are of the house of Chloe, that there arecontentions among you" (1 Cor. 1:11). Please note thatPaul not only informed the party of whom such wasreported, but he told them who made the report. Therewas none of this: "Well, I just can't tell you who saidit. They made me promise" sort of thing.

About the best way I know to shut the mouths ofsome people is to let them know in no uncertain termsif they tell something on someone that you will tell it.You will tell it to the one it's being told on and you'll tell who you got it from! Never promise anyone youwill keep something that should not have been told inthe first place. Tell them rather, "If you want it kept, you keep it. Tell me and I'll tell it! But I'll do it in the scriptural and right way."

"Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people..." (Lev. 19:16).

"The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they

go down into the innermost parts of the belly" (Prov.

18:8). The "tale" may not necessarily be true, but it

nevertheless gives one a sickening feeling when

slanderous things are reported.

"And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about

from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also

and busy-bodies, speaking things which they ought

not" (1 Tim. 5:13) or "In fact they become worse than

lazy, and degenerate into gossips and busy-bodies with

dangerous tongues" (Phillips). Wonder what Paul

would have said about the telephone? Isn't it amazing

how busy some bodies can be with gossip and tales.

Resolve now, if you have not already done so, to do

the scriptural and right thing when problems arise.

Judge Righteous Judgment

"Judge not according to appearance, but judgerighteous judgment (John 7:24). This is an unequivocaland absolute command.

But what is involved in judging righteousjudgment? Let us suppose you are called upon to judgein a matter in which some accusations have been made against a brother (Matt. 18:16,18; 1 Cor. 6:1-5). Whatscriptural principles should guide you? Let us notefive:

(1) Don't jump to conclusions. Get all the facts possible. Even in our human courts this is emphasizedto a large extent, but not nearly enough. No germanefact relative to a case should be refused entry on theground of a technicality. If evidence has been gleanedor introduced in an illegal manner, let those responsible for such be penalized, but let the evidence stand.Even so, in other matters we should reach our conclusions after all pertinent facts are considered. Never condemn someone if you have not heard and considered what he has to say for himself. "He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is a folly andshame unto him" (Prov. 18:13). (2) Consider the witnesses. First, consider the number of witnesses. It is always possible for oneperson to get it in for another and make accusations.In such a case we just have one person's word against another's. What is the righteous course? The Old andNew Testaments both stress that an accusation is not to be received but in the face of two or three witnesses (Deut. 19:15; Num. 35:30; Matt. 18:16; 2 Cor. 13:1; ITim. 5:19). Jesus even taught that if He were the onlywitness of His claims, He should forthwith be rejected(John 5:31).

The credibility of witnesses must also be considered. If one has a reputation for truthfulness, we would naturally place more confidence in his testimony thanin the words of one who is known to fabricate or fantasize. One of the great evidences of the resurrectionof Christ is the credibility of the witnesses. They were not without fault. But they have been found to be truthful on every matter that can be crosschecked and examined by other sources.

(3) Put personal likes and dislikes aside. When divisive doctrinal issues arise in a congregation, manywill simply stay or leave with their friends. When other problems erupt, people tend to line up with their friends. The cardinal question: What is the truth? isoft-times relegated to a secondary position, or not even thought of at all. This is not righteous judgment.

(4) Don't receive a rumor. "Oh, it must be true," people exclaim. "Otherwise, it would not have been told!" Where there is smoke, there is fire, we're told. But always keep in mind the possibility thatthe fire just may be on the end of someone's longtongue (James 3:6). I heard of one sister of whom itwas said, "Her tongue's so long she could sit in theparlor and lick the skillet in the kitchen!''

An untrue accusation was received against Josephand he was cast into prison (Gen. 39:7-20). I've often wondered why Potiphar did not have him killed. The main reason, Of course, was that God's providence was at work. But perhaps J. W. McGarvey spokeaccurately when he said in his sermon on Joseph: "I think it depended upon the fact that Potiphar knewhis wife well and knew Joseph well, and had about as much confidence in Joseph's denial as in her accusation."

David suffered from unfounded rumors and false charges (Psalms 7, 35). As in the cases of most of us,there was enough sin in his past to make it terribleenough. He didn't need the circulation of untrue slanders.

Even the Lord, who was totally without sin, was falsely accused. Let us be sure that we receive not anunproved rumor. Judge righteous judgment.

(5) Separate the material from the immaterial. Someone says, "He must be guilty. He has an ulcer!" Oh, are you going to conclude that everyone with an ulcer is guilty of some greatwickedness? Move over Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar!

An article has been widely circulated concerning KenTaylor, author of the Living Bible, a paraphrase of thescriptures. It is observed in this article that Taylorsuffered chronic laryngitis for several months after thecompletion of his work and it is alleged that the symptoms were psychosomatic, having been triggeredby his awareness that he was perverting the scriptures.

I'm no friend of the Living Bible paraphrase, but really folks! Isn't that that a little careless? Who could possible know such a thing? That is not righteous judgment.

Keep Faith In The Lord

There will always be problems. But resolve right nowthat when those problems arise, you'll keep your faithin Christ.

Jesus spoke of the problem of false prophets who would arise in the days preceding the destruction ofJerusalem. "And because iniquity shall abound," He continued, "the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Matt. 24:11-13). The original problem of false prophets would be multiplied by the additional problem of others allowing their faith, zeal,and love to grow cold because of the sad effects ofsuch lawlessness.

God has a purpose even in the rise of church problems: "For there must be also heresies amongyou, that they which are approved may be mademanifest among you" (1 Cor. 11:19). Such is just part of the culling process.

When a problem arises, be sure to do the scriptural and right thing; be sure to judge righteous judgment; and last but not least, be sureto keep faith in the Lord, not in man.

As we continue this study, we quote further fromMr. Taylor's answer to question number 20:

"The only churches that have stood from the promise in Matthew 16:18 to this good hour have beenBaptist churches. As Ypeij and Dermout, who werenot Baptists, well said: 'Baptists may be considered asthe only Christian community which has stood sincethe apostles, and, as a Christian society, has preservedpure the doctrine of the Gospel through the ages.' I am a Baptist because the New Testament is a Baptistbook written by Baptists, for Baptists and to makeBaptists; and put in the hands of an open-minded inquirer it will make a Baptist out of him. I am aBaptists because the great commission is a Baptist document. It puts the emphasis or accent where nonebut Baptists put it, namely, on making men disciplesor Christians before baptism. Then it commands all Christians to be baptized as Christ Himself was, namely, by a Baptist preacher. And finally, in contradistinction to modern Unionists and Fundamentalists, it commands all those who love theLord to obey Him in all things—the non-essentials aswell as the essentials."

His first statement is not in harmony with Baptistdoctrine. When Jesus said "I will build my church"(Matt. 16:18) of course the language indicates that itwas then future. But most Baptists teach that the church had already been built, and they usually pointto Matthew 10— the call of the apostles— as the timeand place.

His quote from Ypeij and Dermout is not convincing. When many religious historians referredto "Baptists" they had reference only to those whobaptized by immersion, and not necessarily to a sect ordenomination by that name. Many Baptist historianshave spoken on the origin of the Baptist denomination.May we quote a few:

"It was during the reign of James, that the firstregularly organized English Baptist church, of which

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we possess any detailed account, was formed in Amsterdam in 1607, by John Smyth, formerly a clergyman of the Church of England." (Story of the Baptists in All Ages, Richard B. Cook, page 88.)

"John Smyth founded a church upon the Baptistmodel, believers' baptism and a regenerate churchmembership; and, organically speaking, this was the'beginning' of the present denomination of Baptists,though begun with an unscriptural form of baptism.The principle, however, was right, and the form wascorrected in 1640-41." (English Baptist Reformation,George A. Lofton, page 254.)

"The history of the Baptist Church cannot becarried, by a scientific method, farther back than theyear 1611 when the first Anabaptist church, consistingof Englishmen, was founded in Amsterdam, by JohnSmyth, the Se-Baptist. This was not, strictly speaking, a Baptist Church, but it was the direct progenitor of churches in England that a few years later becameBaptist, and therefore, their history begins there. Ahistory of Baptist churches going farther back thanthe early years of the 17th century would, therefore, bein the highest degree unscientific. The very attempt towrite such a history now would be a confession of crassignorance, either of the facts as known, or the methodsof historical research and the principles of historicalcriticism, or both." (H. C. Vedder, Short History of the Baptists.)

"To affirm that a man is a Baptist proves nothingmore than that he rejects infant baptism and holds tobelievers baptism, by immersion." (David Benedict, History of All Denominations, p. 198.)

"The first regularly organized Baptist church of which we possess any account, is dated from 1607, andwas formed in London by a Mr. Smyth, who has been aclergyman in the church of England." (David Benedict,History of the Baptists, page 304.)

"The attempt to show that any religious body hascome down from the Apostles an unchanged people isof itself an assumption of infallibility, and contradictsthe facts of history." (Thomas Armitage, History of the Baptists, Preface, page 3.)

His statement that the New Testament is a Baptistbook, written by, for and to Baptists, is absurd! And we must conclude from his statement that the only open-minded people on earth who have held the NewTestament in their hands were or became Baptists. What a claim!

The Catholic Church makes the same claim on the origin of the Bible as Taylor makes for Baptists. I havea book published by the Knights of Columbus entitled"The Bible is a Catholic Book." On page 4 they say,"The plain truth which every sincere person musteventually face is the fact that you can accept the Bibleonly upon the word of the Catholic Church. The Bibletruly is a Catholic book, and it would not be in ourpossession today but for the Catholic Church." Onpage 11 they say, "We believe the Bible because God isits author and the Catholic Church is its publisher."

The Baptists and Catholics offer the same proof for

their claims—nothing! One claim is as true as the

other, but both are false. The Bible was written by

inspiration of the Holy Spirit through men who never

heard of or thought about the Baptist and Catholic

denominations.

Next, he tells us that the great commission is aBaptist document because it puts the emphasis whereonly Baptists put it, "making disciples or Christiansbefore baptism." I thought he had been contending that the teaching of Christ made Baptists, but now hesays Christians. He is wrong in his understanding of the Lord's commission.

He assumes that "disciple" always means Christian,but that is not true. A disciple may be a learner; onewho is being taught. In John 6:66 we read that "manyof his disciples went back, and walked no more withhim." So they became apostates, but most Baptistpeople teach that such is not possible.

Mark records Jesus as saying, "Go ye into all theworld, and preach the gospel to every creature. He thatbelieveth and is baptized shall be saved; but he thatbelieveth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15, 16). Isthat a Baptist commission or Baptist doctrine?

Where does the commission or any other statementin the New Testament command Christians to be baptized? When that commission was put into effecton Pentecost (see Luke 24:46-49), lost, sinful believerswere told to repent and be baptized for the remission ofsins (Acts 2:38). Were they Christians before baptism?If so, they were Christians before repentance.

We agree that the commission commands those wholove the Lord to obey him in all things, but we denythat there are any "non-essentials." This reflects a typical attitude of Baptists and many other people.They seem to think that God has given us a number ofcommands and then left us free to classify them asessential and non-essential and accept what we likeand reject the rest. What kind of God do they believein? Almighty God never gave to anybody, at any time, or any place, for any purpose a NON-ESSENTIALcommand—one that could be rejected with impunity ordefied with His acceptance.

Baptists engage in a lot of inconsistent double-talkon loving the Lord, baptism, and keeping his commandments. For example, consider this statement: "Baptism is not essential to salvation, for our churches utterly repudiate the dogma of 'baptismal regeneration'; but it is essential to obedience, since Christ has commanded it. It is alsoessential to a public confession of Christ before theworld, and to membership in the church which is hisbody. And no true lover of his Lord will refusethese acts of obedience and tokens of affection." (The Standard Manual for Baptist Churches, Edward T. Hiscox, pages 20, 21.)

If that statement says anything, it says thatobedience to Christ, a public confession, membershipin his body, and being a true lover of the Lord are NOTessential to salvation. They are all expressed inbaptism, but they say baptism is not essential to salvation! They want baptism, but they don't want it.They can't have it both ways.

We quote again:

"I am a Baptist because Baptist churches are theonly ones that come up to the following tests of theNew Testament churches, namely, they were foundedby the Lord Jesus Himself; have had an unbrokenperpetuity and a wilderness history; Christ the onlyLaw-giver, Head and Lord; doctrinal conformity to theNew Testament model; missionary activities; and havebeen the sect everywhere spoken against for 1,900years."

I deny every statement in that paragraph! Christ didnot build the Baptist Church; it does not have a historyback to the Lord; He is not its head, law-giver or Lord;it does not teach His truth; it has not existed for 1900years. Baptists teach many false doctrines—hereditarytotal depravity, salvation by faith only, direct operation of the Holy Spirit, impossibility of apostasy,Premillennialism, mechanical instruments of music—to name a few. They are wrong in origin,organization, plan of salvation, work and worship.

He closes with the following:

"With 'meekness and fear,' and yet with cordialgood will and sincere regard for all with whom wediffer, we have given an answer to the questionsasked as to the once delivered faith. If God should use it to bring one honest inquirer to the unity of faith and the fitly joining of such an one to a body of Christ orfor establishing in the faith of some who are already insuch a body, we shall be greatly rejoiced; for as Johnsaid: 'I have no greater joy than to see God's children walking in the truth'.''

This is quite impressive, but we do not believe thathis answers are according to "the faith once delivered," or will bring the honest inquirer to thebody of Christ. His statements will cause people toreject the plain teaching of the Lord, deny the necessity of obeying His commands, and end up in theBaptist denomination which is not the body of Christ.(To be concluded next time.)

Since so much is being made today of the "signs ofthe times" that are presented in the first section ofMatthew 24 (v. 5-34), and how they supposedly applyto our day and time, we need to look at them and noticetheir fulfillment. Let us begin with verse 5 and notice that there would be many false teachers who wouldclaim to be the Christ. If we look at Acts 8:9 & 10 we can find one such case. That passage reads, "But therewas a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime inthe same city use sorcery, and bewitched the people ofSamaria, giving out that himself was some great one.To whom they all gave heed, from the least to thegreatest, saying, This man is the great power of God."This is one example of the occurrence of just such anevent as Matthew 24:5 said would take place. TheHebrew historian, Josephus, tells us that many individuals made a claim like that near the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. (Antiquities of the Jews, Book XX, Chap. 5; Chap. 8)

Verse 6 tells us, "And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars ...". Not only does history tell us thatthere were numerous revolts in the Roman Empire inthe time prior to 70 A.D., there were wars among theJews themselves. (Wars, Book IV, Chap. 3)

In verse 7 we read of famines, pestilence, and earthquakes. Acts 11:28 tells us of one such eventwith the words, "And there stood up one of themnamed Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that thereshould be a great dearth throughout all the world:which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar,"In his book, Wars, Josephus also tells us of many famines that took place during this period of time.History tells us that during the reign of Nero, (54 - 68A.D.) numerous and great earthquakes took place.

Verses 9-13 tells us that persecution would be thelot of the church. The book of Acts is filled with accounts of such. Acts 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 16, 17,19, give us divinely inspired accounts of just the typeof things that our Lord spoke of in Matthew 24. Thestatement of verse 13, "But he that shall endure untothe end, the same shall be saved.", refers not to finaljudgment, "but to the deliverance of the faithful fromthe terrible desolation to come upon Jerusalem." (ABrief Exposition of Matthew 24, Wayne Chappell)

Still another of the signs is presented in verse 14where we read, "And this gospel of the kingdom shallbe preached in all the world for a witness unto allnations; and then shall the end come." The ApostlePaul tells of the fulfillment of this prophecy in a book

written approximately 61 or 62 A.D. In Co. 1:23 Paul

writes, "If ye continue in the faith grounded and

settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the

gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached

to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I

Paul am made a minister." This occurred before the

destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D.

Those who would deny it must deny the words of Paul.

As we move into the remainder of this section of

Matthew 24 we find what it was to be like when the

event occurred and the time immediately after it.

Verse 15 speaks of the Abomination of Desolation

which is a reference to Daniel 9. The parallel passage in

Luke 21:10-21 is a little easier to understand. That

passage says, "And when ye shall see Jerusalem

compassed with armies, then know that the desolation

thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to

the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it

depart out; and let not them that are in the countries

enter thereinto." The Abomination of Desolation refers

to the Roman Armies, with their standards and

idolatrous symbols, standing in the holy place of the

temple. As we continue on and look at verses 16 - 20 of

Matthew 24 we find that when the disciples saw the

armies of Rome surrounding the city they should flee.

If they were on the housetops they were not even to

come down to retrieve their goods. If they were in the

fields they were not to return for their possessions. For

those with nursing children it would be a difficult time

for their flight would be made that much harder. If it

occurred in the winter time the harshness of the

weather would be a hardship and if it occurred on the

Sabbath day the gates of the city would be closed

making flight from the city most difficult.

Let us stop for a moment and consider these last fewverses. If this were referring to the final judgmentwhat difference would it make if there were nursingchildren or if it were winter time? What difference would it make if it happened on the Sabbath? Whatgood would it do for people to flee to the mountains ifthis referred to the second coming and final judgment?The answer to these questions is, "none at all." Isn't it obvious that this is not referring to the return of our Lord in final judgment?

Consider now verse 21. There we read, "For thenshall be great tribulation, such as was not since thebeginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shallbe." Josephus tells us what happened in the city ofJerusalem when the siege was taking place. It wastruly a period of great tribulation. There was no food, disease ran rampant, parents killed and ate their ownchildren. The Jews were slaughtered in such numbersthat their blood ran in the streets. There was greattribulation.

As we look at verse 22 we find that the days "should be shortened", and this refers to the number of daysand not the length of the days themselves. Thesiege was a relatively short one considering the sizeof the city. It lasted for 134 days (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) and at one point it was actually suspended for a time as Vespasian was recalled to Rome, His son, Titus, eventually finished the conquest.

Verses 23 - 26 repeats and embellishes upon what Jesus said in verse 5.

Verses 27 - 28 need careful consideration. They readas follows, "For as the lightning cometh out of theeast, and shinneth even unto the west; so shall alsothe coming of the Son of Man be. For wheresoever thecarcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together."Our Lord Jesus came is judgment upon Jerusalemthrough the Roman armies. The Romans were the "eagles" and Jerusalem was the "carcass". In this way the destruction of Jerusalem is pictured by theimage of a group of hungry birds devouring a carcass.Truly a terrible picture and one that would be swift,"as the lightning cometh out of the east."

As we consider verses 29 and 30 we must keep inmind a few things. Number one is that verse 29 tells usthat these events will happen "immediately after the tribulation of those days...". Secondly, verse 34 necessarily includes verses also applied to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Verse 29 isfigurative language and is similar to language used inthe Old Testament with reference to the fall of nations and rulers. When Ezekiel described the fall of Egypt inEzekiel 32:7-8 he said, "And when I shall put thee out,I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereofdark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moonshall not give her light. All the bright lights of heavenwill I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thyland, saith the Lord God." The similarities in the language used is obvious and as it was used to describethe fall of Egypt, so is it used to describe the fall of Jerusalem and Judaism. The power of the judgment ofJesus, executed through the Romans, shows clearly His exalted position.

In verse 31 the word "angels" is used in its literal sense, meaning simply messengers. With the organized resistance of Judaism removed, the progressof the gospel would be made that much easier.

This section of Matthew 24 closes with the parable ofthe fig tree and with the exhortation to the apostles toread the signs and know that the end, the destructionof Jerusalem and the temple, was near.

These truly were signs, things that would precede anactual event and would serve as a warning to the disciples of Christ. But as we have seen, they havebeen fulfilled and do not apply to the second coming."Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not theangels of heaven, but my Father only."

Primary Sources

1. A Brief Exposition of Matthew 24, Wayne Chappell
2. God's Prophetic Word, Foy E. Wallace, Jr.
3. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
4. The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus
5. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

If there is one thing the world needs, and especiallythe church needs, it is people who have conviction.There is, however, a vast difference between havingconvictions and being close-minded. Many peopleclaim to have deep convictions about certain thingswhen in reality they are close-minded. The dictionarydefinition of conviction is, "The state of being convinced or persuaded; a fixed or strong belief" (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language). A conviction about a particular matter will lead a person to a continuous search for truth. Whenthe truth is found either the person will change hisconviction because he was wrong, or his conviction will be strengthened because it was in harmony with truth.Conversely, a person with a closed mind will not searchfor truth. His mind is set. He will not entertain the thought that he might be wrong or that there wassomething he overlooked. This is not conviction—thisis close-mindedness.

An example will help to illustrate the distinctionbetween conviction and close-mindedness. There are many people in the religious world who sincerely believe that the use of instrumental music in worship is acceptable to God. If these people haveconviction about this matter, they will "prove all things" by the word of God. Their search will leadthem to (1) reject instrumental music in worship as unauthorized, or (2) be strengthened in their conviction that this practice is acceptable to God. Aperson, on the other hand, who is close-mindedabout instrumental music in worship will not evendeal with the fact that he might be wrong. He will not study the matter or attempt to prove hispractice by a correct use of scripture. This person will continue to use instrumental music, but he does nothave true convictions about it—he has a closed mind.

Members of the Lord's church will be quick toidentify the delineation between conviction and closemindedness in the above example. What is sad is thattoo many Christians do not identify the problem intheir own thinking. These people get something intotheir minds that they believe is right and good or iswrong and sinful, then they close their minds to thetruth. They will never entertain the notion that theymight be wrong. What is even worse is that somebrethren close their minds in matters of expediency,attempt to bind their judgment on others, and deceivethemselves into thinking that they are people of deepconvictions. When Stephen made his brilliant defense of the gospel in Acts 7, Luke records that the responseof the people was that they "stopped their ears" (7:57).These people did not even want to hear the truth. Their minds were set and they wanted to hear nothing thatmight threaten their beliefs. They did not, however,have conviction. They had minds, and as a result ears,that were closed to the truth. Some brethren today have "stopped their ears" to the truth. They say theyhave conviction, but actually they are only close-minded.

Christians today need to learn the difference between conviction and close-mindedness. A person with conviction will never cease studying to prove himself by the word of God. The close-minded personwill not search for truth. Why should he? His mind isalready made up as to what he will find. May wealways be people of deep convictions. Let us never bepeople with closed minds.

Deciding to do something is profitless without

action. Resolution to do anything is without benefit

unless we do it. Someone once wrote that "the road to

hell is paved with good intentions." There is certainly

a great deal of truth to be found in that statement.

Most of us at one time or another have made a

determination to perform some act, do some deed, and

never get around to doing it. Oh, our intention was to

do it, but we did not carry it through. An intention

"signifies a course of action that one proposes to

follow." It is "a plan of action; a design; an aim that

guides action." The word "intention" comes from a

Latin word meaning "to stretch out."

We find that in more instances than many of uswould care to admit, there have been good intentions, but we just have not "stretched out" far enough tograsp them. The writer of Hebrews in chapter 4describes the quickening power and the penetrating effects that God's word can produce. "For the word ofGod is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder ofsoul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is adiscerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart"(Heb. 4:12). God knows our every action, thought andword. He knows why we do what we do. This passageacknowledges the existence of intentions and it tells uswhat we really are as God sees us.

We may have perfectly good intentions of doing some things we know to be right; things we know needto be done. The problem lies in our lack of motivationto carry out those intentions. No doubt, there areseveral factors which can and often do hinder us from fulfilling these aims, but we should not allow them to come between us and the accomplishing of those intentions.

When a man and a woman enter into the marriagerelationship, they intend to make their marriage a good marriage and one that will last. But with the passing of time, the honeymoon ends and these intentions have a way of fading out. The husbandintends to tell his wife today how much he loves her,but somehow forgets. The wife plans on getting herhusband just a little something to show her love or tofix him that favorite meal he likes, but other thingscome up and she just doesn't have the time. In both cases, the intentions were there, and were good. Theonly problem, they weren't carried out.

Many individuals aware of the truth concerning their lost condition, their need for Jesus Christ and their personal responsibility to obey the gospel, fully intendto do what they know to be right, but in most cases, just never get around to it. They are almost Christians,but not quite. How sad that they must stand beforeGod on the day of judgment, knowing they had opportunity, knowing they could have done what was right; intending one day to do it, butrunning out of time! Paul writes in 2 Cor. 6:2, "...behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is theday of salvation." If you're not a child of God and youknow what you must do, what are you waiting for?

There are those within the church, who at one timewere faithful to their Savior, but who have, with thepassing of time, allowed themselves to become entangled in the world. They know where they areand what they need to do, they intend to come back tothe Lord one day because they have said so. Question:If they know—why not come back even now? Somesimply run out of time or become so hardened to thetruth and so attached to the ways of the world, thattruth no longer has any effect upon them. Hebrews3:12,13 reads, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be inany of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing fromthe living God. But exhort one another daily, while it iscalled Today; lest any of you be hardened through thedeceitfulness of sin." There will be many souls who hadgood intentions of straightening out their lives, butwho didn't stretch themselves out enough to fulfill them.

Many Christians, if not most, could be doing a wholelot more in the Lord's work and in many cases haveintended to become more active, but they just haven't gotten around to it yet. How many times have weintended to go by and see some weak and erringbrother or sister? How many times have we intendedto call or go by and visit with one of our number that is sick, or in a rest home? How many times have weintended to just sit down and talk with a loved one ora friend about their need of Jesus? How many timeshave we intended after hearing a soul-stirring sermonto act positively and make any needed changes? Howmany times have we intended to begin studying theword of God more and to become more active in His service? ... But just haven't gotten around to it. Ithink we all get the message. The question now arises,"What are we going to do about it?"

The reaction of some will be, "I'm going to do better next week"; others will say "I'm going to do betternow." Most will actually purpose to do better. All the resolution in the world won't help us if we don't act.Our Lord said, "I must work the works of him thatsent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no mancan work" (Jno. 9:4). We need, right now, to be doingthe Lord's will in each of our lives. Let's make our good intentions realities.

Send all News Items to: Wilson Adams, 317 Trinkle Ave., N.E., Roanoke, VA 24012

NEW CONGREGATION work at Bancroft, Ontario will be relocating to work with the FORT ERIE, ONTARIO, CANADA — As early as June of thisbrethren at Fort Erie. At present, due to the continued groundwork

year, a faithful church will begin meeting in Fort Erie, Ontario. This is effort of brethren from Jordan, especially that of Bill Hall and Roy

just over the Peace Bridge from Buffalo, NY, a gateway into Diestelkamp, there are some 5 Christians there. With the arrival ofbrother Sullivan that will increase the number to seven. In addition, there

Ontario. Brian V. Sullivan, after concluding close to eight years of will be one other adult and eleven children who will

Page 17

be assembling together. Others may come as the preparatory workcontinues. If you are planning a trip to Ontario where fuel cost are lessthan the U.S. and where your dollar is at a premium, why not plan on dropping in to worship with us. Exact meeting location has not beenestablished at this writing, but if you would write to either Brian Sullivan or Barry Burns, in care of Box 566, Fort Erie, Ontario L2A9Z9, we will forward the information. A later news release will givenotification of the exact times of services and location. HARRY PERSAUD, 5 Elm Ct. South Orange, NJ 07079 — Afterfour and a half years of work at West End in Louisville, KY, I ammoving the first of August to help form a new congregation in the Voxhall, NJ area. This is located about 20 miles from East Orange.Three families will provide the nucleus of this work, two of them coming from the congregation at East Orange where I was in a gospel meeting in May. The church at East Orange is supportive of this work, I have a special interest in the work in this area since I worshipped forfour years with the church at Fairlawn, NJ just after obeying the gospel inNew York City. At the present I am in need of $1,200 a month additional support plus about $1,200 for moving expenses. Thoseinterested in this work may inquire of Paul M. Caldwell, Sr. who preaches at 18 Ridgewood Ave., East Orange, NJ 07017. Phone (201)743-1778 or 675-3585. Or you may call me at (201)761-0871.(EDITOR'S NOTE: I have known Harry Persaud for the last 6 yearsand have had occasion to observe his work closely. The Expressway church has helped in his support at West End and has much confidence in him and his work. Brother Persaud is Guyanese bynationality and was of the Hindu religion before obeying the gospel.The work in New Jersey is hard but is making much progress. It hasbeen my privilege to conduct a number of meetings in that state over thelast 30 years. I know of no man better suited to help the cause in thatarea than Harry Persaud. It is my prayer that faithful brethren will rallyto support this good man in this needy field. CWA)

CHARLES N. RIEBER, JR.. Chapel Hill, NC — A new church hasbeen formed in Chapel Hill and they have asked me to preach for them.My plans are to move to NC in early June. At the present time the church is small and will not be able to provide support. I amanticipating that I will need about $1,200 a month. The church hasabout ten members. Until recently it has met in a home at 415 Overland Dr., Chapel Hill, NC 27514. The phone number is (919) 967-5224. It ispresently meeting in the meeting room of an apartment complex. Plansare to locate between Chapel Hill and Durham. Duke University is at Durham and the University of North Carolina is at Chapel Hill. This willbe the only conservative work in either of these two towns. I am convinced that there is a definite need and that the brethren are willing to work. The fields are "white unto harvest." Can you help me in the work? The following men are acquainted with me and my work: JoeFitch (713) 846-5936, Roger Hendricks (512) 364-4609, and HarlandHuntoon (512) 654-0086.RICHARD C. SIMS, Rt. 4, Box 37-B, Ruston, LA 71270. In January I began working with the Hwy. 80 church in Ruston. At presentthe work is going well and I have all of my support. However, one ofthe churches helping me has asked that I try and find someone orcongregation to replace a portion of what they are now providing. Theyare now sending $550 monthly toward my support. If another churchcould take over $200 or $300 a month of this amount it would relieve the burden they are under and insure adequate support for me and myfamily. I would appreciate hearing from anyone in a position to help us.Phone: (318) 255-7024.ROBERT BOTTORFF, P.O. Box 87 Pirtleville, AZ 85626. In February of 19811 moved to the Douglas AZ area to work with the Westside church. The church here is small with six members and not self-supporting. With a wife and two children I will need $1,000 amonth outside support. I would like to hear from anyone who would beinterested in helping in this great work.MIKE REIDELBACH, Vanduser, MO 63784. At the present time thechurch here is not self-supporting being able only to contribute $90 perweek toward my support. If you could be of help please contact me atthe above address. References are the elders of the MacDill Ave. church in Tampa, FL as well as James Needham who preaches for thePalm River church in Tampa.BENTON R. GRAVES, Rt. 1, Box 169, Ridgeway, VA 24148. I seldom write a report to the papers but I thought it was time to let the people know that there is a faithful congregation of God's peoplein Ridgeway, VA. Ridgeway is just off Hwy. 220 the main route between Roanoke, VA and Greensboro, NC. The church here is one of the older congregations in this area that took a stand against institutionalism. I have labored with this good church for almosttwelve years. We are at peace but certainly not dead. We are self-supporting. Attendance averages about 110. We have two or three meetings a year and mail out 2,700 bulletins each month in the community. At present we help support four other men in other areas.If you should be passing through the area please stop and visit withus. Phone (703) 956-3835.JAMES A. BRUCE, 108 Birdie Hills Rd., St. Peters, MO 63376. It seems that we are getting off to a good start here at St. Peters thisyear. So far we have had eleven responses. For the first time we are now self-supporting. This year I have had meetings with the faithful brethrenat South Haven, MS, and with the fine brethren at Warrenton, MO. During these meetings there were three baptisms. When in the area,come and worship with us at 108 Birdie Hills Rd. in St. Peters. For directions call: 278-2666 or 272-8002. RAY CORNS, Gibsonburg, OH 43431. I conducted a meeting for the Corning, OH church April 26 — May 3rd. It was a good meeting with many non-Christians present. Bro. Jeffrey Shaner is the part-time preacher. Corning is located in the southeastern edge of Perry Countyand adjacent to Perry County is Morgan County. Morgan County has two churches that we know were established in 1833 -East Branch and Wolf Creek. East Branch no longer exists but Wolf Creek has some sixty-five members and two elders, Harman Thomas and DonaldSands, Bro. Sands lives in a house that James A. Garfield stayed inwhile preaching at Wolf Creek.

HARBINGERS FOR SALE

JERRY PARKS, 4437 South Sixth St., Louisville, KY 40214. I am

trying to find a buyer for a set of Millennial Harbingers. It is a new set

including the index volume. The set is complete and the price is $300. I

can be reached at the above address or phone (502) 368-9173.

PREACHERS NEEDED DUNEDIN, FL — The brethren in Dunedin, FL are presently seeking a full-time evangelist. Dunedin is a medium sized community generally considered a part of the Tampa — St. Petersburg area. Thework is small, but we have a nice building and can accommodategrowth. The climate appears to be ready for growth. The brethren arepresently providing $110.00 weekly wages, and additional supportwould have to be obtained elsewhere. Contact Jack Thomas at (813)988-1222. MINERAL SPRINGS, NC — The church here is looking for a full-time preacher. We are located about 10 miles from Monroe, NC on Hwy. 75. We have about 40 in attendance and about 30 members. Weare not completely self-supporting and are located in a rural community that has need for much personal work. Contact Michael A.Helms at P.O. Box 263, Mineral Springs, NC 28108. Or phone:(704)843-3715.

WORK IN ARGENTINA

CARLOS A. CAPELLI, Casilla #83, Jose' C. Paz, Buenos Aires,Argentina. It is autumn here and I give you my greetings! I was inMendoza in February and March helping Bro. Fernando Venegas in theLord's work there. We are happy to report that there were 2 baptizedthere making a total of 6 Christians. At Jose' C. Paz we are happy toreport that one precious soul was added to our spiritual family. We continue to do well and have peace and unity. The potential for soulwinning in Buenos Aires and the surrounding areas overwhelms me.Argentina is ripe for the gospel. No one knows that better than thepreachers working in this great country of 30 million souls. The fields are white, the workers few, but the outlook for the work in Argentina is changing for the better.

INFORMATION ABOUT LYNCHBURG, VA WILSON ADAMS, 317 Trinkle Ave. N.E., Roanoke, VA 24012.For the past two years a faithful family from Lynchburg has been traveling to Roanoke twice a week to worship with us (a distance of 50miles one way). Due to rising gasoline costs they can no longer comeon Wednesdays. It was thought wise to begin a class in Lynchburg in their home on Thursday evenings and to try and make contact with others in the area with the possibility of starting Page 18

a work there later on. Lynchburg has a population of 75,000, ispredominately Baptist (Jerry Falwell makes his home there), and is avery morally conservative city. It would seem to me that with the rightstart a good work could be done there. Do you know of anyone (friends,relatives, associates) who live in the Lynchburg area? Or do you know ofa young man who would like to preach and who would be willing to move there and help devote his time to getting a work started? If so,please contact Bro. Larry Powell at 1203 Eastridge Cir., Lynchburg, VA 24502. Or phone (804) 237-3445.

FLORIDA COLLEGE SUMMER COURSES IN KENTUCKY

The Dean's office of Florida College has announced two Biblerelated courses for which credit will be given.Danville, Kentucky — Restoration History will be taught bySteve Wolfgang July 20-24 on the campus of Centre College in Danville The course will consist of 2-3 hours of instruction each morning with afternoons spent in visiting a number of locations incentral Kentucky of significance to the Restoration Movement.Steve Wolfgang is eminently qualified in this field. He has completed his coursework for his PhD degree in history fromVanderbilt University and is currently at work on his dissertation,"A Social History of Churches of Christ, 1900-1940."Bowling Green, Kentucky — Scheme of Redemption will be taught by Homer Hailey on the campus of Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green July 27-31. Homer Hailey is well known and loved as a careful student of the Bible. He taught a course in this subject formany years at Florida College where he was Vice-President of the college, teacher and head of the Bible department. Now retired from full-time college work, Hailey resides in Tucson, Arizona, does extensive gospel meeting work and has just completed a book dealing with the subject of his class at Western. Further information aboutthese courses may be obtained by writing to: Registrar's Office,Florida College, Temple Terrace, FL 33617. Each of these coursesmay be taken for one semester hour of college credit or as an audit.

IN THE NEWS THIS MONTH

BAPTISMS		401
RESTORATIONS		143
(Taken from bulletins and papers received by the editor)