"Never Man Spake Like This Man"

C. D. Plum
Coreopolis, Pennsylvania

The chief priests and Pharisees demanded of the officers, "Why have ye not brought him?" The officers answered, "Never man spake like this man" (Jno. 7: 45-46).

Why Should We listen to Jesus?

Well, besides what the officers said, people should listen to Jesus because:

  1. God sent him into the world with a message (Jno. 3:1-2; Tno. 17:18; Jno. 6:68).
  2. God commanded the people, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (Matt. 17:5).
  3. God received Jesus back to heaven (Acts 1:11).

    4. What Did Jesus Say?

    1. "When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do" (Luke 17: 10). Jesus was right.
    2. "The truth shall make you free" (Jno. 8:32). Jesus knew.
    3. Jesus urged unity among his followers upon the terms of the words of the apostles (Jno. 17: 20), which were his own words (Jno. 17:8), which were the words of God (Deut. 18: 18-19). "First pure, then peaceable" (Jas. 3:17).
    4. Jesus said, "I will build my church" (Matt. 16: 18). "Many members, yet but one body" (1 Cor. 12: 20). Jesus "pitched the true tabernacle," church (Heb. 8:2). He said he would provide the "one fold" in which both Jew and Gentiles may find salvation (Jno 10: 16, Jno. 10:9, Isa. 46: 13, Eph. 2: 16).
    5. Jesus urged his church to "feed" both the "soul" and "body" of man. Look at the diagram below.

 

a. The great commission, of spreading the gospel in all the world, as recorded in Matthew 28:19-20 and Mark 16:15-16, was a responsibility upon the church. The church fed lost souls upon this bread of life by sending support direct to the preachers who were out feeding souls on heavenly manna (Phil. 4 :15- 17, 2 Cor. 11: 8). And without the aid of a missionary society, or any other human organization, the church preached the gospel to "every creature under heaven" in the short space of about 31 years (Col. 1:23). They didn't use human machinery then. We don't need human machinery now.
    1. The church does not have a responsibility of clothing and feeding bodies of saints where there are relatives who are able to do so (1 Tim. 5: 4, 8, 16). What the church should do if able relatives sin by shunning this their responsibility is another matter entirely. The church at Jerusalem "cared," "shared," with the poor saints that qualified, without the aid of a human organization (Acts 6:1-4). It was a "direct" help, from the church to the needy. Able churches sent direct help to the elders of congregations when there was need in the local church which they could not handle themselves (Acts 11: 29-30). Such help ceased when the emergency was over (2 Cor. 8:13-14). They did not use either a human organization or a sponsoring church. We should not use such now.

6) Jesus predicted in his word a "departure" from the faith (1 Tim. 4:1-6). This has already been fulfilled. Look at the diagram below.

REVISED BUT NOT IMPROVED

a) EXPLANATION OF THE MODERN CHURCH OF CHRIST:

(I. M.) Instrumental music in the worship, a violation of Hebrews 2:12.

(M. S.) Missionary society in the work of the church, a violation of the Scripture that says, "Might be 'made' known by the church the manifold wisdom of God" (Eph. 3:10 A. R.).

(B. S.) Benevolent society in the work of the church (old folk home, orphan home, etc.), violation of 2 John 9; 1 Tim. 5 4, 8, 16.

(B. C.) Bible colleges and their workshops for preachers and elders, a violation of the Scriptures that teach the church is all-sufficient for "self edification" (Eph. 4:11, 12, 16).

(B. E.) Brotherhood elderships (like Herald of Truth sponsorship), a violation of 1 Peter 5:1-4 which teaches a local eldership for a local work ("the flock which is among you")

NAUGHTY indeed is the Modern Church of Christ because of her forbidden additions, a violation of Revelation 22:18-19 and 2 John 9.

TACKED ON AFFAIRS is right, not a thing from the Holy Spirit's revelation to justify this modern appearance. Truly, such is not speaking or practicing the "oracles of God" (1 Pet. 4:11).

REVISED BUT NOT IMPROVED is the modern Church of Christ. It is not progression.

($$) Every one of these human inventions being employed by the church have their hands in the treasury of the church. Even it takes much of the Lord's money to get this foreign instrumental music. (Foreign to the word of God that is.)

b) METHODS DON'T MATTER SAY' THE MODERN CHURCH OF CHRIST:

Well, who said they did? It is not a matter of methods, it is either singing, one kind of music (vocal), or it is playing, another kind of music (instrumental mechanical). In worship God calls for "singing" (sol 3: 16). He rejects the other kind of music (mechanical instrumental). It is not methods. It is either obedience or disobedience.

Don't say forget methods in trying to justify these human organizations. It is not methods we oppose. Is the church going to preach the gospel or is the human organization going to preach the gospel? Is the church going to care for the needy or is a human organization going to care for the needy? God wants the church to do these things. He does not want a human organization to be paid by the church to do the work God wants the church to do. The fight is against human organizations doing the work of the church. The fight never has been over methods. Surely, even modern members ought to be able to see this. BRETHREN, WE HAVE ALREADY DRIFTED. Come back, brethren, come back to the pure water of life (the gospel) that leads to the throne of God.

Truth Magazine IX: 10, pp. 2-4
July 1965