"And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Mt. 4:19). With this challenge Jesus began to gather the men who would turn the world upside down. They "fished" for men as they went into all the world to preach the gospel to every creature. Like their master, they went out to "seek and save that which was lost." But how are modern-day disciples doing as fishers of men? Do we have enough nets or lines in the water? Fishing takes patience. My grandmother would sit on a creek bank all day long if she could just get a "bite" once in awhile. When they bit just now and then, she knew there were fish down there. Successful fishermen also know that there are times when fish bite more eagerly than others. That is the time to gather in the catch. There are times when men are more receptive to the gospel than others and we need to be alert to that. I hear much lamentation about the deteriorating morals in our nation and I have equal concerns as to where this will all lead. But the gospel was born in bad times. Immorality was rampant in the first century world. Philosophy had proven to be a failure in satisfying the needs of the soul. Dissipation had disappointed the licentious and many were ready to listen to the gospel. Remember it was the publicans and sinners who came to the Lord more readily than the aristocrats and religious leaders. Who knows but what we have come to the kingdom for such a time as this. What kind of fisher of men are you?

Coming Back to the Lord

My friend, Hugh Davis, told me recently of a brother of a homespun wit who was a little frustrated with a small church in a rural community. They were notorious for being tardy with services and for bickering and fussing among themselves. This brother had drifted away from the Lord and had absented himself from services for a long time. He decided it was time to go before the brethren and straighten it all out. On a Wednesday night he slipped in and sat on the back row. They were about to disperse when this penitent brother spoke out and said, "Will one of you say what you're supposed to say so I can come back to the Lord?"

Good News From Afar

"As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country" (Prov. 25:25).

A recent report from Rody Gumpad of Tuguegarao, Cagayan in the northern part of Luzon tells of the recent preaching there of Ken Marrs, Sr. and Jim McDonald which resulted in 52 baptisms in that area. A later report from Jim McDonald in The Precepter says there were 90 baptisms in all on this trip. We have yet to hear of the results where Wallace H. Little and P.J. Casebolt have preached. Word has come from Allan Turner that the efforts in Kenya have gone well. Encouraging news is still coming out of eastern Europe and several countries there where souls are being added to the Lord.

The Gays Rights Agenda

A Cox News Service Report states the following six points in the gay rights agenda:

1. Federal Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Act banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the areas of housing, employment, public accommodations, credit and federally assisted programs. It would extend to homosexuals the same protections now provided on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin and disability.

2. Lifting of the ban against gays and lesbians serving in the military.

3. Increased government funding for AIDS research and for breast cancer, which strikes lesbians at a much higher rate than it does heterosexual women.

4. Legal recognition of homosexual domestic partnerships so that couples could share in health insurance benefits, emergency leaves of absence from work and other such family programs.
5. Abolishment of adoption and child custody laws that homosexual activists see as biased against gays and lesbians.

6. Local and federal law making violence against gays and lesbians a hate crime, as racial violence is sometimes designated now.

So there you have it. This agenda calls for legitimizing homosexuality in all areas of life. It is to be put on a par with race and disability, eligible for insurance benefits for those living in this sinful state, and even the right to adopt children into this immoral mess. While every faithful Christian would deplore and oppose violence against these sinners, it is not "hate" for them which prompts our opposition but the clear teaching of the word of God.

Any leader from the president on down who seeks to pro-mote this wicked agenda contributes to the downward spiral of the nation's morals and will answer one day to the true governor of the universe. Why anyone should be surprised at the presidential priority given to this agenda is beyond me. He told us he was going to do this! May the Lord have mercy on us all.

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 11, p. 3-4
June 3, 1993