THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST

It is true of the church, collectively or severally, thatChrist loved it enough to sacrifice himself on the crossthat each one might be made pure and holy, without spotor wrinkle or any such thing. He died to make people holyby redeeming them from all iniquity. We are separatedand purified unto God for a peculiar people, zealous ofgood works (Titus 2: 14).The blood that was shed on the cross was the powerthat cleansed us from sin. We have redemption throughhis blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the richesof his grace (Eph. 1: 7). The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1: 7; Heb. 1: 3; 9: 14).We are delivered from the power of darkness, and have been translated into the kingdom of Christ: "in whom we have redemption through his blood, even theforgiveness of sins" (Col. 1: 13, 14). The death of Christ is the power to obtain forgiveness of sins, thus bemade pure and clean.

Preaching The Kingdom of God

Philip preached "the things concerning the kingdomof God, and the name of Jesus Christ, " in the city ofSamaria, and those who heard "were baptized, both men and women" (Acts 8: 12). That the kingdom of Christ isthe same as the church is shown in Colossians 1: 13,

14: "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness,and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dearSon; in whom we have redemption through his blood,even the forgiveness of sins. " When Christ ascended into heaven to be seated at the right hand of his Father,he received his kingdom and began to rule. He wasseated upon HIS throne with HIS scepter of HIS kingdom (Heb. 1: 8).

Jesus said he would build HIS church upon the foundation that he was the Christ the Son of God, and hewould give unto Peter the keys of the kingdom (Matt.

16: 18). The church he would build was his kingdom. Evil and wicked people would have no inheritance "in thekingdom of Christ and of God" (Eph. 5: 5). "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us havegrace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear" (Heb. 12: 28). The "general assembly" is the kingdom which cannot be moved. The apostleJohn said: "I John, your brother and companion in thetribulation and kingdom" (Rev. 1: 9). John was in thekingdom, Christians are translated into the kingdom ofhis dear Son, and Christ is sitting on his throne reigningin his kingdom right now. This reign began on Pentecost following his resurrection and will continue until hecomes again to receive his disciples unto himself. Then he will end his reign and turn the kingdom back to theFather (1 Cor. 15: 26).

The Kingdom Is Used In Two Senses

The word "kingdom" is used to designate baptizedbelievers who have been added to the church Jesus established. It is used interchangeably with the word"church. " Philip preached in the city of Samaria thethings concerning the kingdom and the name of JesusChrist (Acts 8: 12). Baptized believers are delivered fromthe power of darkness and translated into the kingdomof Christ (Col. 1: 13).

But Luke said: "Confirming the souls of the disciples,and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdomof God" (Acts 14: 23). Here the kingdom means theeternal state of baptized believers who continue faithfulto the end; it refers to heaven. Peter also referred to theheavenly reward when he said: "For so an entrance shallbe ministered unto you abundantly into the everlastingkingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Pet.

1: 11).

The Reign of Christ

Christ began his reign in his kingdom when he arosefrom the dead and ascended to the right hand of God (Acts 2: 34, 35). He will reign until the last enemy isdestroyed, and that enemy is death which is destroyed in

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the resurrection (1 Cor. 15: 28). After the resurrection Christ will deliver the kingdom back tothe Father, and will be subject to the Father. If Christians reign with Christ, they must reign when he reigns, or between their addition to the kingdom and Christ's second coming. He will not reign on his throne after the judgment (1 Cor. 15: 28). They reign with Christ, so they must reign when he reigns.The church is described as a chosen generation, a royal or kingly priesthood, an holy nation, a chosengeneration (Rev. 1: 6; 1 Pet. 2: 9). We reign now byliving through righteousness (Rom. 5: 17). We reign with the apostles by obeying their doctrine (Acts 2: 42; 1 Cor. 4: 8). We reign by enduring (2 Tim. 2: 12). We reign by over-coming (Rev. 3: 21). Christ is on histhrone of glory now (Luke 24: 26), and his apostles are sitting upon twelve thrones ruling the twelve tribes of Israel. It is the throne of glory and the throneof authority now. In Matthew 19: 28 Jesus said thosewho followed him would be given thrones, and Luke

22: 28 those who continued with him would be appointed a kingdom in the regeneration. This is the dispensation of regeneration — born again. This reign of Christ began when he entered into his glory (Luke 24: 26) until he comes in his glory (Matt. 25: 31).As Christians reign with him as he sits upon thethrone of his glory, so shall they share his glory, and that is now. Acts 3: 19-21 says that heaven, (where Christ is seatedat the right hand of God-Acts 2: 32-33) must receive(retain) Christ UNTIL the time of restitution of allthings, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets, since the world began. Christ willstay on his throne at the right hand of God until theend of the world, the last day when all that are in the graves are raised, and the day of judgment comes(John 11: 24; Acts 17: 30, 31).The church is the fullness of him that filleth all in all (Eph. 1: 22-23). "Ye are complete in him" (Col. 2: 10). Ifwe are complete in Christ, and the church is the fullness of Christ, then to be complete in Christ is tobe in the church, his kingdom.

SMOOTHER THAN BUTTER AND SOFTER THAN OIL

It is a remarkable trait of the human family that weoften prefer a lie to the truth. The lie becomes morepalatable if it is expressed in pleasant sounding language. The current fad of making people "feel good about themselves" tempts us to be hypocritical. Our desire tohave people think positively of us must never so cloud our judgment nor distort our values as to make us prefera smoothly told lie to the truth.

The Old Testament prophets spoke plainly on the subject. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softerthan oil, yet were they drawn swords" (Psa. 55: 21).Thus the Psalmist characterized those who did not fear the Lord. What a contrast: "smooth words" but "war in the heart. " "Soft words" yet "drawn swords. " Heretics by the score have charmed the hearts of the untaught with words "smoother than butter" and "softerthan oil" while they declared war upon the kingdom ofGod and left ruin everywhere they could.

The rebellious people of Isaiah's time said to the prophets "Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits" (Isa. 30: 10). Jeremiah warned against the prophets who sought to healthe hurt of God's people by saying "Peace, peace; whenthere is no peace" (Jer. 6: 13-14). Later through the sameprophet, the Lord said "I have not sent these prophets,yet they ran; I have not spoken unto them, yet theyprophesied: (Jer. 23: 21). Jeremiah warned of impending invasion and captivity unless they repented.His words did not make them feel good about themselves. He be-came a most unpopular preacher,but he was right. And the buttery, oily words of falseprophets further lulled the people into a false sense ofsecurity.

The New Testament also warns against being deceived by smooth but deceitful words. Jesus said "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Mt.

7: 15). The appearance is innocent, but there is "warin the heart. " Paul spoke of those who teach contrarydoctrines "which cause divisions and offenses" and said they serve themselves and not the Lord and that they doit by "good words and fair speeches" (Rom. 16: 17-18).He further said that the word of Hymenaeus and Philetus would "spread like a cancer" (2 Tim. 2: 17 NKJV). R. H. Boll, who brought Premillennialism amongchurches of Christ, and some of his closest associates

were often described as "such gracious, sweet men. "Maybe so, but I know that war was in their heart for I livein a city were the ravages of that war are still evident.The words of W. Carl Ketcherside have been "smoother than butter" and "softer than oil" but they have divided and alienated brethren. Young preachers have been lured into error by these smooth words even to shipwreck of the faith. Godly parents have shed rivers oftears, elderships have been dissolved and churchesgreatly disturbed. Smooth and oily words are beingexchanged now between some in conservative Christian Churches and men among liberal churches of Christ.Among more conservative minded brethren there isevidence of intolerance for plain, pointed, Bible preaching. We have heard so much "motivation" that it is timeto ask: "motivated to do what"?

The secular world cringes at calling sin what it is.People living together without honor of marriage do notwant to be called adulterers and adulteresses. Theyspeak of "meaningful relationships. " We have heard allsorts of approaches to hinder the spread of AIDS and tocope with pregnancies out of wedlock, except the simpletruth of God which mandates "flee fornication. " Sleep-inarrangements outside marriage, homosexuality and useof illegal drugs may be called "alternate life-styles. "These are words "smooth as butter" and "soft as oil" but they mask the real truth. They are abominations in thesight of God and all the soft rhetoric in the world will notchange them. We can look the other way. We can call evilgood, and good evil, but that will not change things fromwhat they really are. While we must never forget to lovethe sinner and reach out in compassion to help lift him/her to a higher level in the Lord, we must also neverbecome comfortable with the sin. It is hideous, not onlybecause of the havoc it brings in terms of human healthand personal relationships, but because sin alienatesfrom God. And let us not forget that it was because of man's predicament that God in grace, mercy and lovesent us a Saviour to rescue us from the ravages of sin.This is the good news of the gospel. But, please understand that it is impossible for anyone to perceive theneed for salvation until he has been first made to realize that he is a sinner, lost and on his way to Hell unless heavails himself of God's plan to save him. We must notonly hate the sin of others, we must despise our own sin.

I liked John T. Lewis. This good man spent most of hislife preaching the gospel in Birmingham, Alabama. Thefruit of his faithful and numerous labors are yet to beseen there. He was an elderly man when I saw him lastin 1957. 1 was preparing to go to Norway to preach thegospel and went to Birmingham looking for support.Marshall Patton took me to see brother Lewis. We had hardly been seated in his modest home when he drovestraight to the point. He said "Young man, what put thisbee in your bonnet to go across the ocean?" After Ianswered that he said "What makes you think you cando any good over there?" That made me a little uncomfortable but it also made me think. His words were neither "smooth" nor like "oil" but I have never forgotten them. Before I left he bluntly said "Now, don't go overthere and try to make Americans out of them, just teach them the word of the Lord and make Christians. " All I could think to say was "Yes sir!" Then before I left he sentsister Lewis in the bedroom and had her write a check for $100 to help on my travel expenses. I would much prefera man who will speak plainly and tell me the truth, withgenuine love in his heart, than to hear the buttery, oilywords of false prophets.

"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" (Gal. 4: 16)

Personalized license plates are obviously "in. " For an annual fee you can spell out almost anything. Some-times they reflect a person's occupation or one'spassion for his car or even his/her own personality.Anyway, most are rather clever and fun to figure out.

I saw one the other day that said "BOOZE 1". I suppose it could have been owned by Mr. and Mrs. Booze but I doubt it. I suppose, too, that the owner was proudof his personalized claim to fame. Some mark of notability, huh?

Do you know what really upsets me? It's Christians,people who have been born again in the image of God's dear Son, who seek to justify their support of the boozebusiness. Alcohol is the biggest drug problem inAmerica! Would any sensible person deny that? Ask yourself the question: Has the saint the moral right tosupport an industry which sells an addictive drug as asocial pleasure? Liquor enslaves... impairs... and kills!

We are not talking about one beer a day — we're talking whether or not it is acceptable before God for a Christian to support the liquor industry. Let me ask you this: How would it grab you if a Christian opened a liquorstore or bar? If a Christian has a right to moderatelydrink alcoholic beverages, what's to prevent him from selling it? The more I study the question the more I amconvinced that the support of the booze business by oneof Christ's own is a shame and disgrace.

"Didn't Jesus Turn Water Into Wine?"

I get tired of people implying that Jesus gave credibility to the booze business by turning water into "intoxicating" (?) wine. Turn to John 2: 1-11 and let's look at it.

We need to understand that the word "wine" in the Bible can refer to a fermented (Prov. 20: 1 — "wine is a mocker... ") and unfermented (Isa. 65: 8) — "as the new wine is found in the cluster... ") beverage. But what dopeople do? We see the word "wine" and immediatelyjump to all kinds of conclusions. For example, in 1 Tim.

5: 23 Paul told Timothy to "take a little wine for thy stomach sake. "Now I am not opposed to the use of drugsfor medicinal purposes at all, but let me ask you this — who says "wine" in the passage has to be intoxicatingwine? Have you ever been sick and taken grape juice to settle an upset stomach? It works wonders.

Now back to John 2... The argument given is this:Verse 10 says, "when men have well drunk" (K. J. V. ), indicating that intoxicating wine was the partybeverage. ANSWER: Look again at the verse, It says,"when men have well drunk" NOT "when men have gotten drunk. "There is a difference. A BIG difference.

To our way of thinking the word "drunk" means intoxication, inebriation and insobriety. But is that theonly definition? No, the word sometimes means "full and satiated" and can have absolutely nothing to do withintoxication. For example, see Isa. 34: 5; Ezek. 39: 19and 1 Cor. 11: 20-21. In the Corinthian passage Paul says, "for in your eating each one takes his own supperfirst; and one is hungry and another drunk. " Paul, in this contextual setting, is using opposites and "intoxicating" is not the opposite of "hungry. " But "FULL" is! And the term "drunk" by definition can mean "full. " Further-more, in the Corinthian scripture,the apostle did not say a word about intoxication. He simply rebukes them for selfishness. Question: Can weseriously believe that these people were "bombed out" atthe Lord's Supper and Paul didn't say a word about it?

Some have argued that John 2: 10 suggests thatpeople would become intoxicated on the good wine and then the coarser wines would be brought out when noone could tell the difference. ANSWER: The headwaiter was not suggesting anything of the kind. It's justplain common sense (and common courtesy, too) tobring on the best of anything first, food or drink.

"To make a good impression we bring on the best wehave — if this is not sufficient then we bring onwhatever else we have. Would you bring a guest toyour home and give him the inferior first? Would younot feed him the T-bone first and then the bolognasandwich? Of course you would. You would hope thata large helping of the best would satisfy him so thatyou would not need to produce the inferior. This is what the head of the feast was saying. He was not offeringan insult but stating a kindness. He was saying thefirst was great but the latter was even better.

When men have "drunk freely" they don't feel likedrinking more — when people have eaten abundantlythey don't wish for more. This is the law of food anddrink! This would mean that when the host had fed everyone well on the best of food and drink, they'd allbe full and not inclined to eat or drink further so the inferior which is kept in reserve is not needed. (The Bible, the Saint, and the Liquor Industry— Jim McGuiggan, pp. 121. )And is there anything to make us think that this wine

was UNintoxicating? YES! For one thing I seriouslydoubt that a sinless Jesus would make 150 gallons ofintoxicating wine knowing the evil result such produces.How could He do so morally? For another thing, "wine"is used to refer to UNfermented grape juice. And for afinal thing, people in Jesus' day did drink unfermentedgrape juice as a common beverage. Therefore, all thingsconsidered, I conclude that Jesus turned water into wine (unfermented juice of the grape). And, by-the-way, it was unsurpassed in quality!

"What About 'Not Given to MUCH Wine'?" Question: In 1 Tim. 3: 8Paul said that deacons are not to be given to "much" wine. Does this imply that the consumption of alcoholic beverages in moderation is approved?Answer: Looking at the passage we raise the question: Isthe apostle saying that the deacon is not to be a drunk?We believe that he is. That being so, we raise yet anotherquestion: Can you not urge a man to avoid drunkenness without approving moderate drinking? SURE YOU CAN!

Telling a man — "Don't get bombed out on whiskey!"

— does not intend approval that drinking whiskey in moderation is acceptable. Or... "Don't be a drug addict!"(which is the same as saying — "Don't be given to much drags") is certainly not approval for the occasional use ofcocaine. "Don't be a slave to sin" certainly does not approve of sin in "moderation. "

And while we are on the subject... take a peak at Ecclesiastes 7: 17 which says, "Do not be excessively wicked. " Am I to believe that such lends approval towickedness in "moderation?" Deacons (and I believe allChristians) are not to be given to "much" wine i. e., theyare not to be drunkards. But such does not imply acceptability of moderate drinking anymore than Ecclesiastes 7: 17 implies acceptability of moderate sinning! * **

"BOOZE 1" turned off the road and headed straight for a (can you guess?) liquor store. I suppose that peopleof the world will always do things like that but aren't Christians supposed to be different? The whole thing leaves me disgusted. How does it make you feel?

GIVE ATTENTION TO THE RIGHT THINGS

DIVINE MESSAGE: "... give attention to reading, toexhortation, to doctrine" (1 Timothy 4: 13).

A recent headline over a Robin Wilson article in the Chronicle of Higher Education (February 10, 1988) declared: "Bennett Blames Lost Faith in Education on Colleges' Ouster of Classics. " Secretary of EducationWilliam Bennett told college officials that "we are witnessing a shift in how the American people view thecondition of higher education generally" because faculty members are replacing classic works from the curriculum with more contemporary "nonsense" promoted by "trendy lightweights. " Brethren, we must not let that happen in our spiritual teaching and preaching!

Paul instructed Timothy to give attention to: a) reading; b) exhortation; and c) doctrine.

Give Attention to Reading

It was important that Timothy not only read, but thathe read the right material. Shall we imagine that Paul was telling Timothy to read just anything? Paul knew that Timothy's reading would stimulate his exhortationand generate the doctrine in his preaching. Timothy had to read the right things.

Paul exhorted Timothy to continue in the things hehad learned from the Holy Scriptures which, "are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is inChrist Jesus" (2 Timothy 3: 14-15). The Scriptures arethe "Classics' and they should appear in our preaching work more than the composite of all else we read or quote(in preparation and in presentation).

Obviously, however, we are going to read some thingsin addition to the Scriptures. In this we especially need to "give attention" to what we read! Harry Pickup, Jr.,recently said, "... our guiding principle in choosing muchof our reading is a mistake. Some are not readingenough; that is, they read a little of the Bible, very little,and none of what brethren write __ At the very least, ourattention is disproportionately divided between Christian and denominational literature.... It is one thing todo research in order to gather data with discrimination from men of unsound faith; it is another thing to let themteach us their conclusions so that we believe their lies and to teach them.... A vast number of Christians are almost totally unfamiliar with the sound and scholarly writings of brethren of past generations.... To compound the problem, people who are exceptionally ignorant of the writings of these men are increasingly familiar with denominational writers.... If I don't want my

children to learn about conjugal love from a philosophical hedonist or a religious humanist, why would I wantimmature believers to learn about Christian living andthe duties of a local church from an institutionalist and a 'social gospeler. '" (Hebrews for Every Man, "Let Us Press On To Perfection, " Florida College Annual Lectures, pp. 166-67).

Two of the key words in brother Pickup's remarks are"disproportionately" and "discrimination. " When we "disproportionately" choose literature written by menknown to be doctrinally unsound we fill our minds withtheir erroneous ideas and vocabulary. "Oh, " you say,"they are not 'unsound' on the subject I read. " Now, thatappears to adequately answer the problem, but that isterribly naive. The false teacher's assumptions on thenature of man, the plan of God for man, the work ofJesus, the requirements for salvation, the character ofthe kingdom of Christ, the work of the Spirit, or anyother major doctrinal subject permeate his teaching andfind their way into his writings in the most subtlefashion. When we have not read the Bible enough andwhen we have not first studied to compare the writingsof men sound in the faith with the Word of God, wecannot expect to be able to properly "discriminate" between Truth and error in these other writings.

You older Christians might simply ask yourselves,"When my children (or other younger Christians) ask mewhat commentary to use, do I suggest that they read firstfrom such Calvinistic theologians as Lenski or Hendriksen; or do I recommend that they read commentaries written by brethren of recognized faith in true NewTestament teaching?" If the answer to that is obvious,then it ought to be equally obvious that my attitude isgoing to be similar toward other religious literature... atleast until I know for certain that the young can dealwith it in a careful, learned, questioning, balanced, anddiscriminating way making sure to read more from Godand men truly committed to Him than from those withwhom they would not even share fellowship in thechurch of the Lord.

Do not forget the admonition of Paul who said,"Preach the word,... for the time will come when theywill not endure the sound doctrine; but having itchingears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; and will turn away their ears from the truth, andturn aside unto fables. But be thou sober in all things... (2 Tim. 4: 2-3). Are we afraid that the brethren and thelost will not accept the simple preaching of truth in ourgeneration?

Give Attention to Exhortation

The faithful are discouraged by a lack of zeal amongmany brethren. Dedicated men are looking for ways toencourage the brethren to be active in the Lord's work. Paul exhorted Christians in his day! Barnabas encouraged men to serve Christ (Acts 4: 36). Paul taught Timothy to encourage others! These men and many amongthe apostles and first-century disciples of Christ weresuccessful. But never forget that they were successfulbecause they had a powerful message and they worked to get that message to the lost. It was the message whichmoved members to the right kind of activity because they loved the Lord and they loved the Truth! They didnot get their enthusiasm from the pagan or the sectarian... nor from their messages or methods. They got it fromthe Word of the Lord (Acts 8: 4; 16: 4-5; et. al).

In February, William Bennett commended collegeand university administrators for doing a good job ofbringing education to all the people, but he expressedconcern "about the watered-down curricula that... students would encounter once they arrived on the campuses. " I commend the enthusiasm of men who use theirgreat talent in the service of the King. I encourage themto keep that driving passion to convert the lost to Christ.More of us should imitate them in that lest we be condemned. The object is not, however, exhortation forexhortation's sake. One is not called upon to be a "Barnabas" in only one aspect of Barnabas' character. I believe Barnabas would say to give attention to "reading" and "doctrine" and base all exhortation on Biblicalteaching using Biblical methods. None of us can "waterdown the curricula. "

Give Attention to Doctrine

A major concern of the Lord, and the apostle Paul, ininstructing evangelists was the content of their preaching. Simply "preaching" (even preaching in an articulateconvincing manner, or preaching that which is interesting and exciting, or preaching with numerical growth asthe primary motive) is not enough to accomplish thepurposes of Christ. Paul "did not come with excellence ofspeech or of wisdom" because he "determined not toknow anything among you except Jesus Christ and Himcrucified. " His "speech and preaching were not withpersuasive words of human wisdom" but demonstratedthe power of inspiration through the Holy Spirit so thatour "faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God" (1 Cor. 2: 1-5).

In that same speech, William Bennett expressed consternation that teachers moving away from the classics contended that they were inspired by "serious thinkers such as Karl Marx. " Beside the obvious problemcreated by the teaching of an evil political system (aproblem we may compare here in some ways to thedangers of teaching doctrinal error which we have already discussed), Bennett declared that their ideas seemto "spring from Groucho Marx" rather than Karl Marx.He quoted George Orwell who referred to "nonsense sobad only an intellectual could believe it. "

We must give attention to doctrine in two respects.First, the doctrine must be pure. We must learn thetruth. My friend, study the Truth! Study until you know that you know the Truth. Do not think that you can superficially study or study quickly or study from man inerror and do it properly. Paul said, "Hold the pattern ofsound words which thou hast heard from me, in faith andlove which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 1: 13).

Secondly, we must work to know how to preach ondoctrinal subjects. Do not be content with "fluff" (nicesounding, devotional and/or motivational lessons withlittle substance). Lessons which teach little providelittle of the right kind of devotion or motivation. Theyalso leave the brethren with shallow understanding of"why" they are motivated and "to what" they are devoted

and motivated. Such motivation is short-lived. My brethren, we will sow what we reap in the pulpitjust as we sow what we reap in other aspects of life (Gal.

6: 7). Paul admonished Timothy, "If thou put the brethren in mind of these things, thou shalt be a good ministerof Christ Jesus, nourished in the words of the faith, andof the good doctrine which thou has followed until now"(1 Tim. 4: 6). Let's not forget what gospel preaching is all about. It is about the Gospel!

SPIRITUAL GIFTS AND TALENTS

QUESTION: What is the difference between spiritualgifts and talents? A friend of mine says everyone has a spiritual gift, and if a person doesn't have such a gift, hehas not God. My friend claims her spiritual gift isshowing mercy (Rom. 12fi-8).

ANSWER: The querist's friend misunderstands the difference between spiritual gifts and talents. The spiritual gifts of 1 Cor. 12: 1-10 were miraculous endowments. There are nine of them enumerated: wisdom,knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.No one was born with these abilities, nor did anybodydevelop them. They were given supernaturally by the Holy Spirit as He WILLED, dividing to every man severally (1 Cor. 12: 11).

First century Christians received these miraculousgifts through the laying on of the hands of the apostles.This is clearly seen at Samaria where Peter and Johnwere sent by the other apostles to the new converts atSamaria in order for them to receive the Holy Spirit (i. e.,the gifts of the Spirit). "Then laid they (Peter and John)their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money" (Acts 8: 17-18).

At Ephesus, after the twelve disciples were convertedby Paul, he laid his hands on them, and when the HolySpirit came upon them, they spoke with tongues and prophesied (Acts 19: 1-7). We do not have these spiritualgifts today. They were temporary and terminated whenthe perfect, complete revelation of God was given, thatis, when the New Testament was finished (cf. 1 Cor. 13: 813; James 1: 25).

The manner of receiving these spiritual gifts nolonger exists, namely, through the apostles. There areno living apostles among us to impart the gifts. Hence, no person has such gifts today. Where is the man orwoman that can prophesy, discern spirits, has miraculous knowledge, etc. ? There are those who claim itand those who try to fake it, but where is the person who can give a genuine demonstration of it?

As to talent, it is a skill or superior ability that aperson possesses or develops in art, mechanics, learning, etc. This is a natural ability, while a spiritual giftwas a miraculous ability. We all have some talent in onefield or another, to a lesser or greater degree, and we should always use it to God's honor and glory.

Actually, every native talent is a gift of God, a favorbestowed. In Rom. 12: 6-8 all of the gifts mentioned, withthe exception of prophesying, are native, natural talentsor gifts that are to be cultivated and improved throughthe proper exercise of them. The gifts specified in addition to prophecy are: ministering, teaching, exhorting,giving, ruling, and showing mercy. Prophesying is theonly gift in the passage that required supernaturalassistance.

All gifts in the Bible were not miraculous. Many arenatural, native abilities and functions. The context shows which ones are under consideration.

THE HEAVENS SHALL PASS AWAY

QUESTION: Is 2 Pet. 3: 10 literal? If literal, thenheaven will also pass away.

ANSWER: The passage says, "But the day of the Lordwill come as a thief in the night; in which the heavensshall pass away with a great noise, and the elementsshall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and theworks that are therein shall be burned up. "

There are three heavens spoken of in the Bible, the third one being the dwelling place of God (2 Cor. 12: 14). Plainly, this one, the third heaven, will never passaway. But the first two heavens will cease. The firstheaven is the atmosphere where the birds fly (Gen. 1:20), and the second heaven is where the sun, moonand stars are hanging in the vast universe (Gen. 1: 1418). These will pass away with a great noise and theelements (the components or matter of which the material universe is made) will be melted with fire, andthe earth, on which we live, shall also be burned up.

Yes, 2 Pet. 3: 10 is literal, but it does not include theheaven where God, the angels and all the redeemed willdwell eternally. The querist must realize that heaven isused in different senses in the Bible and the third heaven is not under consideration in Peter's statement.

LIVING IN THE SHADOW OF THE TEMPLE

There are many of us across the country that are preaching in the "shadow of the temple. " Here in Orlando "the temple" is Calvary Assembly. A 5000 plusseat complex that casts a giant shadow across the entirereligious community of Orlando. But Calvary Assemblyis not the only mega church in the central Florida area.A few miles west on I-4 is the First Baptist, often referredto by those of us who live close to Disney World and Sea World as "Baptist World. " Then only a few miles westof that group is the Carpenters Church in Lakelandwhich has a 10,000 seat auditorium.

In close observation of these major religious movements we come away with several conclusions. First,they are not wrong because of their size. The Jerusalemchurch was very large. Secondly, they are not wrongbecause they wield a powerful impact on the community.The Jerusalem church sent out shock waves that were felt all the way to the 20th century. Yet, there are majorproblems with this type of "megamedia" religion that isso popular. The theological base, if there be one, for thistype of religion is mostly, Pentecostalism. It is about asfar from New Testament Christianity as darkness fromlight. What are the major pitfalls of this type of religiousbusiness? 1. Bumper stickers and Politics:

As you drive past "the Temple" on your way to Par Street the highway patrolmen try to flag you into theCalvary Parking lot. You will note that every car pullinginto that parking lot has a "Robertson for President"bumper sticker on it. It has been my feeling that Pat Robertson would do much better in the primaries thanthe press and the political establishment thought hewould do. And such has been the case. Why is that?

The people on the national broadcast news don't driveby Calvary Assembly every week! There has been forming over the last few years an alliance with the New Right and the Republican party. The New Right is not doing what liberal religion has done since the 50's. It was from religious leaders that the Civil Rights movementand the anti-war movement formed its leadership inthese social causes. Now, with the conservatism of theReagan Administration it is only natural that Pentecostalism enter into the political arena. There is nothingwrong with being a Republican. On many of the moralissues of the day such as abortion, homosexuality, and ERA they have the preferred position. But there is a fineline between the Christian who is a citizen exercising hisright to vote and the church becoming the "grass roots political machine" for any one political party. It is notonly a scriptural mistake but it is also an organizationalmistake. What happens with the political pendulumswings back to the more liberal position? What happenswhen the mood of the country swings to the more liberalpolitical party as it did during the 60's and conservative parties are "out1? Then the church will also be unattractive due to the political climate and not due to thedoctrine it seeks to teach.

2. The financial fiasco:

Following the Jim and Tammy Bakker episode wehave seen a great distance between the life style taughtby our Lord in the sermon on the Mount and the life styleof the rich and famous Bakkers. What will this type ofexcess in life style do to the financial base of these large churches? This may be particularly pertinent if thegeneral economy of our nation takes a down turn in thecoming year. People will have fewer dollars to do with asthey please and the over extended churches will suffer.Isn't it amazing that more have not questioned theeffectiveness of the vast television and radio shows anyway? How many "converts" do they make? Most ofthe time people are influenced more by their closefriends through personal friendship. As the economyturns down and money dries up it will soon be obviousthat these media programs are not the cost effectivemeans for evangelism.

Most of the "temples" are built on the personality ofone man. They are lead by charismatic preachers whobecome the focal point of a personality cult. Many ofthem will not survey beyond the effectiveness of thatpersonality. Then the possibility of that huge debt andcomplex of buildings continuing to be used effectively ceases. The buildings will become a monument to awaste of many good but gullible people's money.

3. The defection to the shadows:

Because of the thinness of the doctrine of these megachurches there are those who have become aware of their needs by the glitter of their sparkle only to realize thatthere is nothing of substance in that glitter. They are thefallout as a result of the shallowness of these ministries. Here is where we need to be ready with the "Oracles ofGod. " It is here that we in the shadow can pick up thosethat are sincerely looking for a deeper response to JesusChrist than a "Christian Gymnastic team" performing on Sunday night. We need to be ready to open the wordof God without a "holier than thou" attitude and show them the real substance of the word.

4. The end of the energy:

The result of the possibility of shifting political opinions, of economic downturn and finally the lack of substance to the doctrinal convictions will be that the endless amount of energy needed to keep these large "temples" going will also dry up as well.

Consider how much time, effort and money that goesinto that which is not even spiritual in nature. The hoursof labor for everything from young groups fund raising to tubing down the spring fed river in the summertime willsomehow take its toll. The committee on the committees will have to meet to establish new by-laws for all theother committees. The softball league, the golf tournaments, and the basketball free throwing competition allwill demand so much time and effort until someone is going to ask, "Why? and What is all of this worth?" Myfather always said that a fellow won on a hamburgerwould have to be feed steak the rest of his life to keep himin line.

While these carnival-like attractions may have amagnetic appeal to the unchurched, soon the effortneeded to top the last extravaganza is just not there. On one Sunday morning that the religious world calls,"Easter Sunday" several giant hot air balloons tried toland in our parking lot. They needed to land herebecause of shifting wind directions after they had taken off at the conclusion of the "Sunrise Service" in their parking lot. With the amount of paid and volunteer laborthat went into that one service alone half of the city ofOrlando could have been contacted concerning theGospel of Jesus Christ.

What does all of this say to us who live in the shadowof the temple?

First, be careful about the Lord's church and politics.We that preach need to be careful about our privatepolitical convictions becoming a part of the gospel message while we preach. One couple said after visiting withus, "We just want to find a place to go to church where we are not told how to vote. " It is more than possible that wetoo may blur the distinctions between the individual's rights and responsibilities and that of the group ofindividuals assembled together.

Secondly we need to view objectively this type ofreligion. There are some things that they do well. Theiremphasis on love for each other and seeking to build each other up is to be commended. If we have failed in thatarea we need to look to the word of God and if we find that it is taught there we need to practice it. Jesus used theunbelieving cities of Tyre and Sidon as well as Sodom to shame Capernaum for its unbelief. Maybe the spirit ofevangelism, the spirit of joy, the spirit of love for one another ought to shame us who need some of those qualities while we live in the shadow of the Temple.

STUDIES IN FIRST AND SECOND TIMOTHY 1 Tim. 5: 17-25

"TREATMENT OF ELDERS ANDGENERAL ADMONITIONS"

The first part of this chapter involved properly dealing with age groups, and particularly widows, studied inour last article. Verses 19-21 deal with another specified group — elders in the church.

Elders

We distinguish these from the elders (older in age),mentioned in the previous verses, because these are saidto "rule" over brethren, and the only ones with thisresponsibility in the New Testament are elders in a localcongregation (Heb. 13: 7; 1 Tim. 3: 4-5; 1 Pet. 5: 2).Arbitrary ruling (as lords) is forbidden (1 Pet. 5: 3).Their ruling is as shepherds over a flock, with watchfulness, tenderness, gentleness, and a genuineconcern for the flock.

How should such men who rule well be treated? Theyare to be "counted worthy of double honor, especiallythey who labor in word and doctrine. " These are men who preach the word as well as oversee a congregation.They give full time to their work.

The word "honor, " in the Greek is TIME (Noun);TIMAO (verb) and means "primarily a valuing... esteem" (Vines). The word not only involves the idea ofrespect and esteem, but also the support of (providing for(1 Tim. 5: 3; Mark 7: 8-13).

Counting such worthy of "double honor, " removes thematter of support for preachers and elders from beingbenevolence or pittance, and their being regarded withsuspicion, jealousy, and envy. Two Old Testament scriptures (Deut. 25: 4; Lev. 19: 13) are cited as basis forthis instruction. One teaches that the ox that works the corn is entitled to eat of it, and is not to be muzzledor restrained therefrom. The other simply states thatthe "laborer is worthy of his reward" (KJ) "wages" (NKJ & NASV).

Verses 19-20 deal with the treatment of elders when charges are made against them and when they are guiltyof sin. In the first place, a charge (accusation) against an elder is not to be received unless it can be substantiated by two or three witnesses. Many elders and preachershave been seriously hurt (and the cause of Christ) by theexpression of someone's suspicion, or the spreading ofrumors. Brethren should give heed to Jas. 1: 19 "Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak" in hearing accusations.

But, what if a substantiated charge is made againstan elder, thus proving him guilty of sin? What does Paultell the young evangelist, Timothy, (and every evangelist) to do? The answer is, "rebuke before all, that othersalso may fear. "

General Admonitions

The charge given Timothy "before God and the LordJesus Christ, and the elect angels (v. 21) was that heobserve these things (Treatment of various age groups,widows, and elders) "without preferring one beforeanother, doing nothing by partiality. " First there is thecharge of "do (observe) these things. " There may bepresent a temptation to not observe (ignore) properaction in some cases, especially in the matter of rebuking an elder who sins. Regardless of what may produce hesitation or timidity on the part of God's servant, God,Christ, and the elect angels all say "do it. "

Secondly, the doing of what the Lord says is to bewithout preference or partiality. Some brethren to whom we have an obligation may be closer to us, morecompatible, congenial, have more in common, than others, and this may enter into our treatment of them. TheLord says it must not. I can think of a number of thingsthat might be a deterrent to an evangelist rebuking an elder who sins — His job may be at stake; The man is a heavy contributor; He has a large family and manyfriends who might be offended, etc. Sometimes evangelists, and brethren, instead of doing the Lord's will, desireto "sweep the matter under the rug" and keep it as quietas possible. Race, station in life, position, personality,family, or any other like thing must not stand in the wayof doing what the Lord says do.

Further admonitions are given to Timothy, the youngevangelist, in verse 22. He is told to "Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partakers of other men's sins; keepthyself pure. " I believe these admonitions are given inconnection with the previous verses, where the subject iselders. The action of verse 22, however, is not limited toelders, as a class, but involves "no man, " or any man. The action required, or forbidden, would apply to elders, but also to others.

The expression "Lay hands suddenly on no man, " hasbeen interpreted and applied variously. I do not believeit refers to bestowing spiritual gifts by the "laying on ofhands, " because only an apostle could do that (Acts 8:14-17), and Timothy was not an apostle. Obviouslythe reference is not to physical discipline, for this would imply that after due deliberation, Timothy might fight an unruly one. The most popular view isthat the refer-ence is to the common practice in NewTestament days of "laying hands on" in ordaining one tothe eldership or to some special work (Acts 6: 6; 13: 3).Timothy would be involved in this. A person shouldnot be put into any important position nastily, beforeproper investigation and a time of proving(l Tim. 3: 10)exists. There is merit to the position that this admonition refers to the disciplining of an elder who sins and is rebuked publicly (v. 20). "Lay hands on" isfigurative of affirmative action, in this case, discipline, as"put his hand to the plough" (Lk. 9: 62). This view would make the expression repetitious

of vs. 19 where examination of witnesses would rule out haste. Whether referring to ordination or discipline,Timothy was to do neither in haste, but with care,investigation, and deliberation.

The next admonition, "neither be partakers of othermen's sins" seems to be connected with the preceding one(a neither this nor that thing). If ordination is underconsideration, we can see how Timothy might appoint a man to the eldership in haste (maybe because of an outstanding personality, self commendation, recommendation of friends, show of piety, etc. ) and be apartaker, or participant in putting an unworthy, maybesinful man into a position in the church.

The admonition, "Keep thyself pure, " would be accomplished by Timothy following the apostle's instructions about dealing with elders and other men,if the command be limited to this context. The admonition, how-ever, is important and true, standingby itself. Thus, one would keep himself separate fromthe world and continually make Christ manifest in hislife.

In verse 23, Paul gives the young evangelist somepersonal advice regarding his health. "Drink no longerwater" (KJ): "no longer drink only water" (NKJ) suggeststhat Timothy practiced complete abstinence so far aswine was concerned. He is advised to drink a little wine for medicinal purposes. There is absolutely nothing inthis passage to sanction or justify drinking intoxicatingwine as a beverage. A little wine is recommended as amedicine for his sickness. Too, the wine here recommended for sickness is "a long way" from that used as abeverage today. The Greek word for wine is oinos and isused to designate both fermented and unfermented juice of the grape (Matt. 9: 17; Rev. 19: 15). The same is trueof the Hebrew word "Yayan. " (Gen. 9: 4; Isa. 16: 10;Jer. 40: 10).

In the closing verses (24-25) of this chapter, Paulinstructs Timothy, and all who deal with men, about thenature of both sin and good works in men. With some,their sin is open and manifest, requiring no inquiry orproof in order to judge and discipline, but with otherstheir sin is concealed from view, making judgment andaction difficult. Eventually their sins "will find themout, " especially at the judgment. It is the same waywith good works.

Faithfulness in observing all these things, or neglect,will affect our destiny in the judgment, therefore, has todo with "saving thyself and them that hear. "

KEL AND WINNIE

This particular column is devoted and dedicated tothe memory of two faithful saints — faithful to theirfriends and family, faithful to each other, and faithful tothe Lord.

It would take several writers and many pages to chronicle the works and influence of these two saints, soI shall not even attempt to go in that direction. Suffer afew observations which may help us all.

M. Kelly Wilson departed this life in May of 1986. Hewas followed by his wife, Winnie, Jan. 30, 1988. In the flesh, I was one of their three sons-in-laws. In Christ, ourrelationship far exceeded that of the flesh.

Funeral services were conducted ably by brotherRichard Brewer, of Macdale, West Virginia. While the flowers from Winnie's funeral are still fresh, it is fittingthat both she and her husband be remembered at this time. To all who knew them, the names of Kel andWinnie were as synonymous as are the names of Christand the church. To speak of one is to speak of the other,and this is as it should be (Eph. 5: 22-33).

For the past few years, Winnie was the victim andprisoner of Alzheimer’s Disease. But, thankfully, bothshe and Kel enjoyed the fourscore years of reasonablygood health.

Winnie's body gradually deteriorated and at the last,dehydrated, until it was only a shadow of the activetabernacle most of us remember. Likewise, it seemedincongruous that one who had cooked for and fed somany people should have to perish for lack of nourishment. But, like Solomon and Job, we must look beyondthe vanities of life to find the greater lessons.

On a rainy February day, we carried what remainedof that frail body up the steep hill to the cemetery overlooking the little town of Daybrook, West Virginia. Then,as the mingled tears of sorrow, sympathy, joy, and hopebegan to dry, the feeling of "vanity and vexation of spirit"began to flee also.

God speaks to us through his word (Heb. 1: 1), andWinnie, like Abel, "being dead yet speaketh" (Heb. 11: 4).

To see a body emaciated by illness and overtaken bydeath is to be reminded that "the sting of death is sin..., But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15: 56, 57). Tosee a body fail for lack of nourishment is to be remindedthat spiritual food is more to be desired than food forthe outward man (2 Cor. 4: 16).

Truly, God still speaks through his word, while Winnie, Kel, and others like them speak in death as well asin life.

When the doctors told us in June of 1985 that the end was near for Winnie, I penned the first five verses of thefollowing poem. As she continued to linger on, I quietlyfiled the poem away. But, while we all were preoccupiedwith Winnie's illness, her husband died of an heartattack. The last two verses of the poem were composed on the occasion of Kel's funeral.

Like others, I supposed that Kel would outlive Winnie. My only regret now is that I did not show the poemto Kel while he was living.

Dear reader, if you have a kind word to say, or deed todo, get it done while there is time. Death may come toyou, to someone else, or the judgment may come to us all,while we wait. As our Lord said, "... the night cometh,when no man can work" (Jno. 9: 4).

WINNIE

Winnie—That name alone will amply tellThe story of her life, To one andall who knew her well As mother, friend, and wife.

Winnie—The name that every tongue would knowWhose lot with her was cast. Who saw her lovely flowers growOr through her kitchen passed.

Winnie—But simply "Mama" to her girlsWho learned from her the ways of life;For them she sews, and knits, and purls,

Sorts out peace and discards strife.

Winnie— "Her own works praise her in the gates, ""She shall rejoice in time to come; "Her epitaph the wise man statesIn Proverbs, Chapter Thirty-One.

Winnie—She always took the lowest seat,The best she gave to others;May she find on that golden streetA throne reserved for mothers. * * *

Winnie—" 'Sing to me of heaven' always,Tis my fav'rite hymn you see; " With echoed strains from yesterdaysThe song means more to such as we.

Winnie—Now her "burdens will be lifted" As the evening shadows fall; When the sands of time are sifted Comes her "sweetest song of all. "

THE UNIFICATION THEOLOGY OF SUN MYUNGMOON(3)

(This is the final article which resulted from the author'strip to Japan and Korea to study Unification Theology.See first article for abbreviations used). X. DID ANYBODY ACCOMPLISH THEIR MISSION? "Elijah ascended into heaven without having fully accomplished his divine mission (2 Kgs. 2: 11)" (DP, 153)."... The gospel of Jesus should have been proclaimed byJohn the Baptist himself. But through ignorance, hecould not accomplish his mission, and at last he degraded his life, which was to have been devoted to Jesus,to a thing of practically no value" (DP, 159). "If Jesus hadnot been crucified, what would have happened? Hewould have accomplished the providence of salvationboth spiritually and physically. He would have established the Kingdom of heaven on earth which would lastforever... he should have fulfilled the salvation of both spirit and body... Jesus could not accomplish the purpose of the providence of physical salvation because hisbody was invaded by Satan... Therefore all the saintssince the resurrection of Jesus... have enjoyed thebenefit of the providence of spiritual salvation only... the original sin remains in the flesh and is transmitted continuously from generation to generation" (DP, 1478).

Unificationists begin by showing how Adam failed inhis mission, then attempt to create a whole string ofthose who did likewise till SYM comes on the scene. It is granted that Adam failed. But Elijah "went up by awhirlwind into heaven" (2 Kgs, 2: 11). Not bad, for afailure who later appeared with Moses and Jesus at theMount of Transfiguration! (Mt. 17).

Concerning John, the UC has wrongly interpreted John's question sent by his disciples ("Art thou he thatshould come, or shall we look for another?" Lk. 7: 19) asmeaning that John became a skeptic and made shipwreck of his faith. That John and his disciples had faiththat the Messiah would come is proven by their question. People who do not believe in the Messiah do not ask such questions. The question strongly implies that if thisWAS NOT he, they would look for another! Theywouldn't quit hoping and looking. Likewise, if they wereconvinced that it WAS he, they would be satisfied andwould look for no other. This is plainly implied by the question. Further proof that Jesus did not interpret it tomean John had made shipwreck of his faith is found inthe next few verses. Jesus said John was "more than a prophet" (v. 26), that he was a fulfillment of Malachi'sprophecy as being the "messenger... who shall preparethe way before thee" (v. 27), and that "among them thatare born of women there is none greater than John" (v.28). That doesn't sound at all like John had made shipwreck of his faith and betrayed Jesus!

XI. THE ROLE OF MOON. "With the fullness of time,God has sent His messenger to resolve the fundamentalquestions of life and the universe. His name is Sun Myung Moon. For many decades, he wandered in a vastspiritual world in search of the ultimate truth. On thispath, he endured suffering unimagined by anyone inhuman history. God alone will remember it. Knowingthat no one can find the ultimate truth to save mankind without going through the bitterest of trials, he foughtalone against myriads of satanic forces, both in thespiritual and physical world, and finally triumphed overthem all. In this way, he came in contact with manysaints in Paradise and with Jesus, and thus brought intolight all the heavenly secrets through his communionwith God" (DP, Introduction, p. 16). During World WarII, Moon went to the capitol of North Korea, Pyongyang,and began preaching. "He was arrested for his activities,tortured and left for dead outside the Dae Dong PoliceStation. His congregation found his bloodied, unconscious body in the snow, and began to prepare for hisfuneral" (PSP. 6). "I believe with all my heart that he wasdead, but God brought him back to life: (Levy Daugherty,Conference Director, testimony at the "Rock of Tears, "Pusan, Korea, Sept. 8, 1987). Unificationists view SYMas the "Lord of the Second Advent, who comes as thecentral figure of Christianity... will also play the role ofBuddha, whom Buddhists believe will come again, aswell as the role of the "True Man' whose appearance Confucianists anticipate, and 'Chung do Ryung" ("Herald of the Righteous Way") whom many Koreans expectto come. In addition, he will also play the role of the central figure whom all other religions await" (DP,189). "... Upon the Second Advent of the Lord as the TrueParent of mankind (whom Unificationists believe isSYM), all men will come to live harmoniously in thegarden as one family" (DP, 129).

XII. THE BIBLE. "The Bible is not the truth itself, buta textbook teaching truth.... Therefore, we must notregard the textbook as absolute in every detail (DP, 9).

If it only contains truth then it may also contain error.Jesus said of his Father, "Thy word is truth" (Jn. 17: 17).

"The New Testament was given as a textbook... to thepeople of 2000 years ago, people whose spiritual andintellectual standard was very low, compared to that oftoday... Today the truth must appear with a higherstandard and with a scientific method of expression inorder to enable intelligent modern man to understand it"(DP, 131). This leaves the gate open for continuousrevelation.

MY ASSESSMENT OF THE UNIFICATION CHURCH AND SUN MYUNG MOON

All the members of the UC which I have met have been nice, mannerly people (with one exception). Wewere treated with the utmost of hospitality. Part of theplan appears to be to "kill you with kindness" in order to

soften your attitude toward a repulsive doctrine (thatMoon is the Messiah for all the world religions). Thepeople are very sacrificial as they work selling flowers,candy, etc. to promote the cause. It is my belief that the promise of marriage is dangled like a carrot before manyof the members to keep them faithful, since they do notlive together immediately (and are sometimes kept apart from their chosen one indefinitely). The hope ofgetting to unite with their mate keeps the membershanging on. The UC has experienced phenomenalgrowth because of this dedication. Because its goal is tounite all religions on the basis of "Godism" against thecommon foe of atheistic communism (and is having somesuccess), it appeals to the longing within many to see thisunity. I predict we will be hearing more from this movement which intends to engulf all religions.

Though SYM has appealed to mankind to "abandonour egoism" (TUC, 12), he is the very epitome of egotism,believing that he is the Messiah who has returned to set up the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. He is a genius (so was Hitler) whose intelligence has been misdirected.This "genius" is seen in his ability as a master manipulator of people, ability to make money, and in his grand imagination in the plans he has for the world.One of SYM's goals is to create one universal language. It is my opinion that he intends to keep theKorean race pure. We did not observe any mixed marriages that involved Koreans. It is further my opinionthat the Korean language will be the one chosen.

HOW SHOULD SYM BE OPPOSED?

The UC uses the Bible as a foundation for their religion, but later revelation becomes the superstructure. Like the Mormons, they are usuallyunfazed when you point out contradictions between theBible and the DP, OTP, etc. They give precedent to laterrevelation. However, I try to take the Bible away from them. Here is my method of approach in studying withUnificationists: (1) Contrast what the Bible claims for itself and what the UC claims about the Bible: (2) Showthat continuous revelation is the very reason we have somuch religious division. It cannot be the solution for theproblem it has caused (Mohammed, Joseph Smith, Ellen

G. White, Mary Baker Eddy, the Pope, Oral Roberts,Pentecostalism, SYM, etc.; (3) Showing that he lacks theproper genealogy. If SYM is the Messiah, he should havethe lineage to prove it (Mt. 1: 1-17; Lk. 3: 23-38). Thelineage of Jesus exists to prove he is who he claimed tobe. God promised Abraham that one of his descendants would bless the world. Paul identified this seed as Jesus (Gen. 12: 1-3; Gal. 3: 16). There were several intervening promises that were not fulfilled for hundreds of years. It was 300 years later that Jacob predicted that his own son, Judah, would father a line through which a ruler in Israel would be born (Gen. 49: 10). Nearly 640 years later David was promised that theMessiah would descend from his loins (2 Sam. 7).There were many similar promises which necessitated God keeping the Messianic line fertile so that at least one male would be born in every generation from Abraham to Jesus and this line-age would have to come through Abraham, Jacob, Judah, David, Solomon, etc. Each male would grow to manhood and have a son until in this one line, running back for 2000 years, there would be an unbroken succession of male descendants until our Lord should be born in Judah. This is without parallel in all the annals ofhistory. Can SYM prove he is descended from all of theseOT characters? No, he cannot. But Jesus can! He is the only person living who has a Jewish ancestry that can betraced back to Abraham. Thus, SYM cannot be the Messiah. Nor can he perform miracles. He is deceivedand is a deceiver.

Much more could be said. I have had difficulty condensing this material. Some things had to be deleted. Ihope it will be helpful to those who encounter the Unification Movement.

It was 'Christmas Day, ' 1987 and it was raining andgetting colder. My family had plans to travel for the dayand spend some time with others in the family, and thento return home. It was an unusual day in that, althoughit was cold, the rain did not really freeze on the roads. Wehad a pleasant day and even a reasonably pleasant driveback, only to notice when we arrived in town that manyof the street lights and business lights were off. Wearrived at home at about 7 P. M. to find that there was no electrical power in our house, or in any of the housesaround us for several blocks. While the ice had not built up on the streets, it had been building all day on the tree limbs, and on the power lines, and as the weight reached critical points lines broke, or limbs broke and fell on thepower lines removing badly needed electrical power. Forsome people the power never went off at all that day, butdid for a short time the next day. For some the power wasoff only a few minutes or a few hours. For some of us thepower was off for 4 full days and nights, and there weresome who were without power for at least one more day.In addition to trying to keep warm, and to have light,there were such things as food stored in home freezers,etc. to be concerned with. It was not a pleasant experience, and certainly not one that we appreciated at thetime. But there are some lessons that can be learned from that ice storm. The question is, will we learn fromit, or will we just gripe about it?

THE LITTLENESS OF MAN — We sometimes begin to think that we humans are pretty big stuff, ableto do just about anything we want to do. After all, men have traveled into space, and even walked on the moon.But as wonderful as our technology is, and as much as we have learned, we still can't stop an ice storm, or atornado, or an earthquake, or a volcano, etc. While Jesuslived He calmed the sea, walked on the water, and didmany wonderful things which demonstrated who He is,the Son of the Living God. Perhaps it takes somethinglike an ice storm to make us stop and realize just who weare and how much we need God.

PREPAREDNESS—The ice storm caught many ofus not as prepared as we should have been. We neededcandles or lamps that do not require electricity; weneeded some way to heat our homes; and some way toamuse ourselves when we could no longer watch TV orgo rent a movie. There was hardly even enough light toread. But the lesson we could have learned from the ice storm is that our whole life is one of preparation. It wasAmos the prophet who told the nation of Israel, "Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel" (Amos 4: 12). And, it does me good just to be forced to stop for a time andrealize the need to be prepared for whatever lies ahead.

PATIENCE — Some probably learned not to beanxious about things that you cannot change whilewaiting out an ice storm and the return of our electricalpower. Some undoubtedly became more anxious anddistressed day by day. It was Jesus who taught in thesermon on the mount not to be so anxious about day today things but to "seek ye first the kingdom of God,and his righteousness; and all things shall beadded unto you" (Matt. 6: 33). And Paul urged the Philippians, "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Phil. 4: 6). There are some things in life that you just can't hurry; that you can't change; and one lesson you can learn from an ice storm (if you will) is to simply trustin God and let things take their course as they will.

TO APPRECIATE LITTLE THINGS — The ice storm showed us something else too. There are so manythings in life that we take for granted, like lights andheat or cool. We get so caught up in our daily lives weforget to appreciate having those things. And when all of a sudden those things which seem so ordinary and always there are taken away you begin to appreciatehaving them. What a wonderful lesson we would havelearned if we would learn to appreciate good healthwhile we have it, or having a house where there are lights, and heat and such simple things.

TO COUNT OUR BLESSINGS—Even in the midst of the ice storm some of us had blessings that others didnot have. My family still had water since the power that ran the city pumps was still on; and we still had hotwater because we had a gas water heater and that wasin operation. And we had a wood burning fireplace insert. It didn't heat a very large area because there wasno electricity to turn the fans, but it was fully able to heatthe main living area so that we could stay in our home.And how blessed we were that the temperatures werenot so cold. We had day time temperatures in the upper20's and low 30's. Had it been colder things could havebeen much worse. And we had a warm rain one night andwarm temperatures that helped speed the melting process so that power crews could get our power back onquickly. And, without television and other kinds ofentertainment it was even possible for people to actuallytalk to one another without having to compete. Even inthe midst of an ice storm there are blessings that we allhad if we would just take a moment and realize what wedid have and be thankful.

TO LIVE WITH INCONVENIENCE — Living in ahouse without electricity, and with only a little heat wasindeed inconvenient. It was inconvenient to try to batheunder such circumstances; inconvenient sometimeseven to try to sleep with so many blankets piled on yourbed; and inconvenient to try to read or sew with the littlelight that you had. Forget about such things as using your computer or electric typewriter; or just about anything else except listening to a portable radio to keep upwith the news. Since the power was off also in themeeting house, it was inconvenient to find another

congregation that had heat and power. But it was wonderful to meet with these brethren and to enjoy ourfellowship together during such a trying time. Much of theworld seems hung up on convenience. But, convenient ornot, there is a lesson to be learned from living with things thatare not so convenient. We can learn that we can still be Christians and follow Jesus every day regardless of thethings that would hinder us.

Was the ice storm fun? Was it enjoyable in any way?Not that I know of. I'm sure it was a nightmare for those men and women who worked in very uncomfortable conditions trying to get power to essential services likehospitals and nursing homes, and of course residences took much longer. But it wasn't a total disaster either. We all learned that life can, and in fact does, go on even without electricity. And hopefully we learned that we must in all things trust God, "casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you" (I Pet. 5: 7).

THE NEWS LETTER REPORTS

"... They rehearsed all that God had done with them... " —Acts 14: 27

Send all News Items to: Connie W. Adams, P. O. Box 69, Brooks, KY 40109

BILL BOONE, 705 W. Pecan, Blytheville, AR 72315—Changes in mywork schedule now make it possible for me to conduct singing schoolsto train song leaders and help congregational singing or to leadsinging in meetings. Contact me at the above address. (Editor's note: I have known Bill Boone a long time. He is well trained in music andin the work of helping men to be better song leaders and congregationsto improve singing. I hope brethren will use him).

LARRY R. DEVORE, P. O. Box 313, Medina, OH 44258—Our work in Medina continues to be encouraging. Since last report fourbreth-ren have made confession of sins, though one did not remainfaithful. Also, two placed membership with us. Because of variousproblems, our building program did not get underway in 1987. We hope to begin in the summer of 1988. Please remember us in yourprayers and when in northern Ohio, visit with us. My phone is (216)345-9030.

PAUL S. BAKER, 108 Locust St., Mt. Pleasant, TN—We read with interest the articles in past issues of STS by P. J. Casebolt and Gailen£. Evans regarding the correcting of ceilings that were acousticallydead. Several years ago we installed acoustical ceiling tile in our auditorium. Later we added carpeting and padded pews. This puttogether just about destroyed all the echo we had in the building. Oursinging was about as dead sounding as you could find anywhere.

After reading the above mentioned articles, we lowered the ceilingabout 16 inches and installed the metal faced tiles, 2' x 2', by U. S.Gypsum Co. The first time we met after this we had to turn down the

P. A. system and we could hear each other singing for the first time inseveral years. I am one of the song leaders and I never dreamed somuch improvement could be made by just the right ceiling tile. We arevery well pleased and thought you might like to know of our results.

RANDY PICKUP, 917 4th St., Cincinnati, OH 45215—On January 11-12, 1988, Greg Litmer and I publicly debated Richard Lotspeich and Don Stayton, two independent Baptist preachers, onthe design of water baptism. It was unique in that it was "two on two"but in other respects it was a normal formal debate. On January 11, inthe building of the Lockland church of Christ, the two Baptistsaffirmed; "The

scriptures teach that remission of sins comes before and without water baptism. " The next night, in the building of the Faith BaptistChurch, Greg and I affirmed: "The scriptures teach that baptism inwater is for (in order to) the remission of sins. "

Since all four speakers had little or no experience in publicdebates, humility causes me to admit that this discussion will, mostprobably, not go down in history as one of the great landmarks ofpolemic battles! But it was a good gentlemanly exchange with goodorder, interest and capacity crowds. As best we could, truth was taught and defended, error was exposed and good was done. While noimmediate fruit was seen among those of the Baptist persuasion,many encouraging comments were made regarding the good of suchdiscussions and the edification of brethren (especially young and newChristians) who attended and saw the extremes to which some will goin defending false beliefs.

This discussion came about as result of a call-in radio programwhich Greg and I conduct here in Cincinnati (as part of the teaching work of the Lockland church where I preach). Much good has been done by this program. Some have been baptized as a result and wehave made other good contacts from it.

KEITH SHARP, 2510 Lakeland Hills Blvd., Lakeland, FL 33805— A couple of brethren have sent me copies of a brief article from a paperin Mississippi put out by institutional brethren, which purports to bea report of the debate between Thomas West and me conducted inSaratoga, Arkansas, July 20-21, 23-24, 1987. The report was soinaccurate as to be ludicrous. The debate involved social meals, the work of the church and church support of orphanages. If you desire tohear how the discussion really went, why not listen to the tapes of it?I was engaged in two other debates last year, also with institutional brethren. September 28-October 1, 1 debated Johnny Polk inStamps, Arkansas on the orphanage and sponsoring church issues.November 16-17, 19-20 I debated Lewis G. Hale on the same issues. If you would like to obtain tapes of any or all of these debates, writeor call Steven Saunders, P. O. Box 221, Fordyce, AR 71742. Phone

(501) 352-8235.

PLATON MABUNGA, Seaside Church of Christ, Brook's Point, Palawan 2906, Republic of the Philippines—The church here is atpeace. I preach in three congregations every Lord's day. Transportation problems have caused me to be late to some of these appointments. A new congregation of 16 members began at Cabor recentlywith these people leaving the institutional church at Tippulan. Wenow have a Muslim mayor but pray to God for the best. On January28, 1988, eleven were baptized here. (He included a picture of 11standing in the water—Editor). I am thankful for Searching theScriptures which helps me so much for my Bible study. We are thankful to those who have helped us in many ways in our work here.

JOHNNIE P. MOCK, P. O. Box 65, Ancram, NY 12502—One was baptized here in Hudson, NY on January 9. She began attending with a young man who is a member. This resulted in a Bible studyin a member's home. She is now married to the young man who brought her to hear the gospel. In February, Jim Swann of Birmingham, Alabama was with us in a meeting with lessons centered on Paul's letter to the Colossians.

BOB BOLTON, 701 Centennial Blvd., Richardson, TX—April 3-8 wehad a gospel meeting with preaching by R. J. Stevens and Leon Goffwith congregational singing led by Dane Shepard. (Editor's note:We regret that we received this notice too late to print the schedulebefore the meeting. We urge you, if you want an event publishedbefore it happens, to give us 4 to 5 weeks lead time. We send copy foreach issue to the printer one month before the date printed on anygiven issue. )

E. PAUL PRICE, 920 N. Rockwell, Oklahoma City, OK 73127—Thechurch in Norman, Oklahoma has changed its meeting place from theHoward Johnson Motel to the Old American Exchange Bank buildingat West Main and Berry Rd. We are still known as the West I-35church. The mailing address is: P. O. Box 5624, Norman, OK 73070.We would like to contact any students you know at the University ofOklahoma. We have several who meet with us at present. We have a weekly article in the paper and a radio program in Paul's Valley. I amworking with three churches and preach five times each Sunday plusteaching three classes a week and leading singing at times. I havebeen fortunate to keep support but will lose $100 by August.

PREACHERS NEEDED SOLDOTNA, ALASKA—The small church here needs a preacher.We have our own adequate facilities and will be able to assist, considerably, in a preacher's support. Some outside support will beneeded. We are one of only three sound churches in the state. Thoseinterested may write the church at P. O. Box 2288, Soldotna, AK99669. You may call Jerry Holland (907) 262-4316; or William Lewis

(907) 262-9357. Olen Holderby of Fresno, California is familiar withthis area and with the church here. You may call him at (209) 2923351.

BRADLEY, ILLINOIS—The church meeting at 1505 E. Broadwayin Bradley needs a faithful preacher. Frank Vondracek has been herethe last four and a half years but is moving to Davenport, Iowa. We bid him Godspeed. He is leaving here under favorable conditions and withour blessings and goodwill. We are about 60 miles south of Chicago onI-57. We are self supporting and have a four bedroom brick housebeside the building. This area is not without its challenges andrequires a man devoted to the Lord and dedicated to the truth. Thoseinterested may contact J. J. Spurgeon, 378 N. Jackson, Bradley,IL 60915, or call (815) 933-5684; or Coy Lentz, 1531 Marquis Dr.,Bradley 60915, or call (815) 932-5749.

CARLISLE, PENNSYLVANIA—The Walnut Bottom Road church located in south central Pennsylvania needs a full time evangelist. There are 30 members and we are able to supply $250 support weekly.Work available immediately. Those interested should contact DonShearer (717) 532-3193 daytime, or Gerry Smith (717) 776-3653evenings. You may write to: Walnut Bottom Road Church of Christ,Rt. 5, Box 427, Carlisle, PA 17013.

PREACHER AVAILABLE

CARTHEL THOMAS is a fine young man determined to preach thegospel. He has already had some good experience. He is the son ofOwen Thomas, gospel preacher of Charlotte, N. C. Carthel was baptized several years ago during a meeting in which the editorpreached in Wellsburg, WV. Until the end of April he can be reachedat Florida College. After that at 5327 S. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC28217.

STATE LOTTERIES

A number of states now have lotteries which hold out the promise of instant riches to some lucky soul. The present governor of Kentuckywas elected on a platform which included a state lottery in order tofinance education and other worthy goals. The state legislature is nowbattling the issue. Emotionally charged arguments are being made inwhich elderly people and school children are used to arouse sympathyfor a lottery which is perceived as the panacea for the ills of both. Whocould be against improving the education of our children or relieving the needs of the elderly?

Every argument we have heard for the lottery comes down to onething: the end justifies the means. Never mind that a lottery restsupon the principle of greed, or the mistaken notion that you can getsomething for nothing. Never mind that it violates every principle ofthe word of God by which one may obtain substance (the law of labor,inheritance, barter, gift, legitimate investment). Never mind that itpanders to the weakness in people and very often addicts those who have very little to begin with. Never mind that such addiction can ruinthe careers of even the well-to-do, wreck homes and leave families devastated. We must "do evil that good may come. " The states whichhave had lotteries the longest are having to grapple with costs directlyrelated to this sanctioned gambling. It costs more than it provides. Itis nigh unto impossible to keep out the mob and vested interests.Gambling attracts the mob like honey draws flies.

It is time for gospel preachers to draw their swords and fight thisevil. We must teach people to "labor, working with their hands thething which is good, that they may have to give to him that needeth"(Eph. 4: 28). "Provide things honest in the sight of all men" (Rom.

12: 17). There are no free lunches.

PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Pat Robertson is running for president largely on a platform of a return to moral values and putting God back in homes, schools andgovernment. I am not totally out of sympathy with all of that.Whether the man can deliver what he promises is another question.But there is one thing that seriously bothers me and which has farreaching consequences in terms of peace and security in the world.Robertson is a dispensationalist. He believes that the nation of Israelhas a divine right to the land of Canaan. He holds to an elaborate agenda which involves the defeat of all enemies of Israel, the epochal"battle of Armageddon" and the regathering of the nation of Israel forthe millennium. But that whole agenda is based on a perversion ofprophesy and a misinterpretation of Matthew 24 and Revelation 20.

If you think the middle east is unstable now, then put such a manin the White House and let him join forces with the already powerfulZionist movement and then look out! You ain't seen nothin' yet! Notonly is dispensationalism a false doctrine Biblically, its ramificationsin terms of the peace and stability of the world are beyond description.I do not presume to tell anyone how to vote. That is not the purposeof this paper. But I do propose to warn those who will listen of a gravedanger which portends much evil in the world and which would threaten the peace and safety of God's people and have a hindering effect on efforts to preach the gospel.