Truth Magazine

By Bob J. Walton

It’s that season of the year again; the “good ole summer time.” It’s that time of the year when many of us take that long awaited vacation. It’s the time for recreation, travel, and truly the time of the year to “have a good time. . “

And certainly if there was ever a time in human history when people can have a good time, it is now. While our grandparents worked from 60 to 80 hours per week, we plan our schedules around a 40 hour work week. Thus we all have more time on our hands for pleasure and recreation. And furthermore, with our technological age, there are so many things to help us have a good time; in fact, helping us have a good time has become one of the world’s leading industries. It is because of these factors that America has become a land of “enjoy the good life” as one catchy television commercial has put it.

From my study of the Scriptures, I am convinced that God wants us to have a good time; to enjoy the beauty of his creation. Our Heavenly Father has put so many things on this earth for us to enjoy, and to enjoy them is his desire. And to enjoy the things of God’s creation is recreation. With the everyday toils of life, we often become tired both mentally and physically; thus the word recreation conveys the thought of “re-creating” our minds, bodies, and energies.

One of the truly great books of the Old Testament is the book of Ecclesiastes. This ancient book teaches us how to have a good time. The theme of the book is “life under the sun,” or how to live on this earth. Six times in the book the writer admonishes man to enjoy life. “Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely (fitting) for one to eat and drink and to enjoy the good of all his labor that he taketh under the sun, all the days of his life which God giveth him: for this is his portion” (Eccl. 5: 18). “There is nothing better for a man than that the should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God” (Eccl. 2:24). From these verses it is concluded that God desires that man work diligently and from the fruit of these labors he is to enjoy life. And we should always consider this as a gift from God. Thus a great lesson about life we need to learn is how to have a good time; how truly to enjoy life on this earth. And the individual who learns this great lesson can live a happy, productive, and successful life.

But with the expression “have a good time” there is also a grave danger. The danger lies in the abuses. We do not have to be reminded that there is another side of the coin; that side being dissipation. This word means “excessive indulgence in luxury and vicious pleasures.” So many today abuse the principle of having a good time and embrace the old Epicurean philosophy of “eat, drink, and be merry” in which this ancient Greek philosopher advocated, “the chief purpose of man is to achieve happiness, and true happiness is found in pleasure.” And so many today, under the guise of “having a good time” have turned the God-given privilege of enjoying life under the sun into an excessive indulgence of the sordid pleasures of life. And when this philosophy is embraced, it always leads to that which is injurious and debilitating to our physical, mental, moral, and worst of all, our spiritual happiness and well being.

So a real test is presented to the Christian. The challenge is for us to learn how to have a good time; how to enjoy the good life and the rich provisions God has provided for us. And while learning how to enjoy life we must, at the same time, learn to avoid that which is crippling to our physical, mental, moral, and spiritual health and happiness. And in order to meet this challenge we need to seek the proper guidelines for that which is proper. And certainly the guidelines are found in the word of God. We must, therefore, seek divine approval for all our recreational activities; the Bible does contain the answers. But while God’s word is specific on certain things that are wrong and prohibited, not all the “do’s and don’t” are specifically spelled out for us. But we hasten to declare that God has given us certain principles to direct us and help us in our search for what is right and what is wrong. And by applying these principles we can learn what constitutes recreation as well as what constitutes dissipation. Certain questions need to be asked and God’s counsel must be sought for answers pertaining to having a good time.

These questions and answers include:

(1) What about my companionships? “Evil companionships corrupt good morals” (1 Cor. 15:33). So I certainly must choose good company in my recreational activites. When the Christian associates with evil people in recreational activities there is always the danger of moral erosion; thus we need to be reminded that we cannot “run with them into the same excess of riot” (1 Pet. 4:4).

(2) What about my service to God? If having a good time interferes with my worship to God, my Bible study, prayer life, or any other phase of my growth and well being as a Christian, it becomes wrong. It is wrong because I am devoting my service and allegiance to something other than God and thus recreation become an idol.

(3) What about my influence.? One of the most precious things the Christian can possess is a good influence. “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches” (Prov. 22:1). 1 should never do that which brings reproach on my family name and posterity, and more so I must never do that which brings shame to the name of my Lord and Savior.

(4) What about the indecent? A lot of recreation is indecent. And if that recreation or entertainment puts me in a situation where speech, action, or conduct are vulgar and coarse, and where evil passions and desires are stirred, it should be avoided. As a Christian, I should desire to keep my heart. pure and strive to keep my passions and evil desires in check.

(5) What about my financial means? I have a financial responsibility to material things (government, family, etc.) as well as a responsibility to God. And if I overload myself with “things” in order to have a good time and in so doing, strap myself financially God is so often the one who is robbed (Mal. 3:8) because financial responsibilities hinder me from giving as I should.

My friend, God never expected nor intended that we give up all the fun and enjoyment of living because we are Christians. It is completely foreign to the life of the child of God to just endure a life of morbid gloom. Likewise, it is a mistaken notion that Christianity is just a lot of “don’t do this and don’t do that. ” These are distorted ideas and untrue concepts of true religion. Contrary to this, we should live radiant, happy, cheerful, and truly enjoyable lives. We should learn to have a good time; to “re-create” our bodies and minds. But let us always regulate our lives in this respect so as to “prove all things; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thess. 5:21-22).

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 15, pp. 462-463
August 4, 1988

By Louis J. Sharp

Two letters received from the Sylvan Hills church of Christ, Sherwood, Arkansas, have some revealing and disturbing statements. They are disturbing because they indicate a complete lack of understanding in regard to the work and organization of the church. They reveal a departure on the part of these brethren undreamed of thirty-five to forty years ago. We certainly did not think any of us would live to see churches of Christ publicizing and promoting a state or national convention of any kind, but we were wrong!

From the letter dated November 23, 1987, we quote:

The Sylvan Hills church of Christ is pleased to announce that we will host the 4th Annual Arkansas State Lads to Leaders and Leaderettes Convention on Saturday, March 5, 1988. We encourage you to begin now to make plans for sharing with us this special event.

The theme for this year’s convention is once again based on that of the National Convention. The theme for 1988 is “One Another Relationships. ” There are many scriptures that deal with how we are to treat one another.

The Bible Bowl book for study is The Old Testament Book of Exodus.

Please keep these in mind as you prepare for both the State and National Conventions.

From another quote, we learn of the origin of these Conventions:

We wish to express appreciation to the Downtown Church of Christ in Searcy, Arkansas for the excellent job they have done in hosting the State Convention from 1985-1987, with the first one originating there in November of 1985.

In the second letter, dated January 20, 1988, we learn something about Convention rules and pre-registration:

Award certification will be given to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in each category. National Convention rules apply to all competition. . . Bible Bowl questions will be taken from the Old Testament Book of Exodus, and will be worded from the New American Standard Version.

Pre-registration fee is $6.00 per person. This includes the cost of the banquet and awards fee. This will be non-refundable. Please make your checks payable to Sylvan Hills Church of Christ.

Please bring at least one adult per five Lads/Leaderettes to act as judges and chaperones. Remember, ladies can judge Lads, but gentlemen cannot judge Leaderettes. (They may have trouble here. What about equal rights? L.J.S.)

In reading the above, I could not help but wonder, “Where do the elders come in?” If they are going by National Convention Rules, did the elders have a part in formulating those rules? Do they even know what the rules are? Remember, this is conducted by the church that is supposed to be under their rule and over-sight!

And where do we read of the church charging for any of its services? The pre-registrants were instructed to make their “non-refundable” checks to the Sylvan Hills Church of Christ. One reason this is so sad to me, personally, is I preached for this church in its very beginning, when two or three families desired to establish the church in their area. It is another example of a work I helped with thirty-five to forty years ago who consider me narrow and uninformed today.

How far must the departure be before there is an awakening among our brethren of years past? *e read of their sectarian and denominational concepts. I am reminded of the plight of the Jews who returned from Babylonian captivity. They began to inter-marry with the people of the land. “And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews language, but according to the language of each people” (Neh. 13:24).

We have a generation that knows not the language of Scripture. How different the admonition given by Paul to young Timothy:

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. . . . Take heed to thyself and unto thy doctrine, continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee (1 Tim. 4:12,16).

I agree our young people need training and guidance under the oversight of our elders, but not under the rules of a state or national convention. We are hearing the language of Ashdod today!

Brethren, we have drifted!

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 15, p. 453
August 4, 1988

By Jerry Fite

The gospel is the message that Christ died for our sins and was raised for our justification (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Rom. 4:25). This fact is the unique foundation for our salvation (Rom. 1:16). When received, the good news fosters a hope for heaven that is certain, which in turn spurs on a life of love (Col. 1:5). The gospel is the message that links the saving God with dying men.

Prayer is the means that links the heart of man with the attentive God. Through prayer, we can manifest our heart’s desires and anxieties to the God who is able to abundantly deliver and bless (Phil. 4:6-7; Eph. 3:20).

The gospel and prayer are two unique and powerful media. Paul presented the various characteristics and effects of the gospel truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, sword of the Spirit and the word of God under the imagery of a Roman soldier’s armor (Eph. 6:10-17). Yet this armor was to be coupled “with prayer” for all the saints (Eph. 6:18). It too is protective in that through steadfast prayer we are continually “watching thereunto” on behalf of our brethren. To be strong in the Lord we must be committed to the gospel of Christ and prayer.

While the gospel and prayer help the Christian, prayer also helps the gospel. Paul writes, “. . . that utterance may be given unto me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel . . . that I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Eph. 6:19,20). In other words, prayer was solicited so that “God may open unto us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ,” and that “I (Paul) may make it manifest as I ought to speak” (Col. 4:3,4). Paul also requested that his brethren pray that the word might be allowed to “run” and “be glorified” in the new regions he was entering, as it had among the Thessalonians (2 Thess. 3:1).

Notice how prayer was connected with the spreading of the Gospel. Brethren prayed that the message of Christ might “run” or easily spread in new areas without being deterred by strong opposing influences (cf. 2 Thess. 3:2, Acts 17:8,13; 18:6). Brethren prayed that the message of Christ might be “glorified” or exalted in the lives of people in other areas. They prayed that God would “open the door to speak” or give his messengers of the good news an opportunity to speak. As Christians we are asked to pray that the evangelists might speak “boldly” or have the courage to speak and make plain what was needful in the face of opposition.

In the New Testament, prayer was offered on behalf of the gospel to make it more accessible, not more powerful. The opening of hearts came through what was spoken, not through speech mixed with a special prayer (Acts 16:5). After receiving the opportunity and the courage to present the gospel, evangelists just preached the gospel of Christ. No prayer was offered immediately preceding or following a gospel sermon to make it more affecting. Prayer was not some evangelistic device to unlease the enlightening power of God.

Paul prayed that his Jewish brethren may be saved even though he knew that some of them would be lost (Rom. 10:1; 2:3,5). We should pray that the gospel of Christ spread without opposition and be glorified in people’s lives, even though we know that some will oppose the truth and deter its progress (2 Thess. 3:1,2). We should pray for opportunities to preach the gospel. As the proclaimers of the gospel, when facing opposition, prayed for boldness to speak (Acts 4:29-3 1), we too should pray for the courage to point out what they boldly taught. However, we should be careful not to leave an impression that the gospel, when presented, will carry a more affecting punch if coupled with a prayer than the gospel that is just truly presented. For such a distinction is not revealed.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 15, p. 459
August 4, 1988

By R.J. Evans

Optimism is defined as “an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and happenings or to anticipate the best possible outcome” (Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary). To be successful in most any endeavor, we must look at the bright side with a spirit of optimism. The physician, the engineer, the accountant, and the lawyer are all successful because they made up their minds as to what they wanted to be, and then pursued that field with an optimistic attitude. Many are failures because they never make up their mind as to what they are going to do. Paul said, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth ” (Col. 3:2). We need to optimistically set our minds on the spiritual course that God has outlined for us. Some never do this. They remain in a constant state of indecision and never commit themselves to a responsible position in service to Christ.

The apostle Paul suffered so much for the cause of Christ. He was imprisoned frequently, beaten, shipwrecked three times, often hungry, thirsty, cold and naked (2 Cor. 11:23-28). Yet, Paul was able to put the most favorable light on all these happenings, and “anticipated the best possible outcome.” He stated, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17). It is indeed a remarkable thing, after all he suffered, that Paul called these afflictions light. I’m afraid that if we were suffering only a fraction of what he suffered, we would be inclined to call it a “dreadful load.” But the most severe tribulation and affliction are nothing compared with the glory awaiting us. Hence, Paul could be optimistic (and so can we, if we are faithful to God).

The Christian has so much for which to be thankful – redemption, forgiveness, joy, hope, contentment, peace Oust to mention a few). He also has something wonderful toward which to look forward – Heaven! Surely, this engenders optimism. We can have the attitude of Paul: “I can do all” things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13). With the strength derived from the Lord, we can face everything in life with an optimistic spirit.

There is no adverse power greater or mightier than God. Therefore, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31) When we contemplate all that is meant in this passage, a warm, secure feeling is produced in our hearts. How wonderfully bright things become! We may lose our relatives, our earthly friends, our health, but the Lord remains, “for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5).

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every work” (2 Cor. 9:8). If our faith is in God, knowing he is indeed able, we can and should have an optimistic outlook toward the various aspects of life. He has provided salvation (Acts 4:12). In time of temptation, he provides a way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13). In teaching and attempting to convert the lost, he gives the increase (I Cor. 3:7). When we die in the Lord, there is rest provided from out labors, and our works will follow us (Rev. 14:13). We could go on and on!

Let’s be optimistic! We have reason to be. Make the best of every situation, set your spiritual goals, and then, reach forward and achieve them! “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended.- but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14).

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 14, p. 429
July 21, 1988