Truth Magazine

By Doug Seaton

This article is being written for the purpose of waking some of us out of sleep and reminding us of God’s purpose for us in the world. The most valuable possessions in the world are souls. Jesus said, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26) Once we recognize the value of our souls and the value of the souls of others, we will want to do all we can to save souls.

Winning souls is thrilling, adds true meaning to life, and starts a fire burning Satan can’t extinguish. The reason many churches are dying is many Christians forgot how to win souls to Christ. Many have not experienced the joy found in winning souls. If you are interested in the most effective method of soul-winning in the world please read carefully and apply the things you read from God’s word.

Leading souls to Jesus Christ is simple. It takes love for God, love for the souls of others, and love for our own soul. This love will cause us to examine the Scriptures and find the secrets of soul-winning. Notice how Andrew led a soul to Christ. “Again the next day after John stood and two of his disciples,- and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. . . One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first findeth his own brother Shnon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus” (John 1:35-42). Andrew led his brother to Christ by his enthusiasm in finding Christ, his joy in discipleship, his determination to find his brother, and his urgency in bringing him to Jesus.

Enthusiastic converts to Christ are the best soul-winners in all of the world. This enthusiasm can’t be taught in “how to” seminars. This enthusiasm comes from putting on Christ, being born again, or in other words from being saved. The convert truly being born again and knowing Christ is his Savior can’t help but be excited.

This enthusiasm causes one to be a joyful disciple. It’s refreshing to see new converts joyfully give up a life of sin and ask, “What else does Christ want me to do?” A disciple is a follower or one learning. Disciples want to work and the best time to begin working for Christ is immediately upon one’s conversion. There are plenty of people to teach the contacts and friends of new converts so send them out and let them do all they can and, if needed, let others help in the teaching. If you are not a new convert just think about your own conversion to Christ as you work to tell others about salvation in Jesus Christ. Remember we are not “selling” the local church, we are “selling” Christ. People coming to Christ will of course see the need to be faithful, active members of his body, the church. They will want to work and worship with others of like precious faith. When folks are converted to Christ, churches in local communities will flourish.

Andrew didn’t wait for his brother to ask about Christ; he went out to find him. Too many are waiting in their offices for sinners to come and find them. Too many churches put an ad in the paper and look for the building to be full. We aren’t selling cars; people generally will not come to us, we must go to them. The personal touch works. You can’t see another’s joy and enthusiasm in mass media advertising. “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom. 10:15) Too many Christians expect the preacher to find the lost and too many preachers have limited their teaching to the walls of a building. The Gospel message is a message to be taken to the world (Matt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15-16). A lot of men would do well to put down the denominational commentaries and take up the sword of the spirit which is the word of God, and seek some sinners.

As Andrew found his brother, he compelled him to come to Jesus. Notice he “brought him to Jesus.” Peter saw the urgency in Andrew’s face and heard the urgency in his voice. We know this because the text shows us that Peter did come to Christ. As we seek that which is lost we need to remember the words of Paul, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16). Notice also the admonition of Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:2. “For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time,- behold now is the day of salvation. ” All need to get busy now teaching others about Jesus Christ.

Like Andrew we will rejoice and those coming to Christ will rejoice as we lead others to Jesus Christ. Are you presently doing your best in leading others to Christ? Have you joyfully told your friends, family members, and fellow workers, what Christ means to you? Have you studied God’s word with them? Remember the power is in the gospel and the daily lives of Christians is often what causes lost souls to look at the Bible which can save their souls (Rom. 1:16; Matt. 5:13-16). Start today to lead a soul to Christ!

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 1, pp. 3-4
January 7, 1988

By Johnie Edwards

Folks have all kind of ideas as to how faith is produced in their hearts. Some believe that they have to pray for faith and then God gives them faith as a result of prayer. The Bible does not teach this! One fellow was heard to say as he played golf, “God I will believe if I hit a hole-in-one.” He did and then he believed! Some base their faith on feelings or some kind of experience they have in life and the list goes on. Did you ever study the Bible to see how faith comes? Let’s take a look.

(1) Faith comes by hearing the word of God. Paul told the Romans, “So them faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). On the day of Pentecost the gospel of Jesus Christ was preached and the Scriptures say, “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37) These people were motivated by what they heard!

(2) The jailor at Philippi had to hear. The jailor asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:30-31). Now take your Bible and please read Acts 16:32. “And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.” Ever wonder why they spoke the word of God to these folks? So they could believe, that is why! After hearing the word of God they obeyed it (Acts 16:3334).

(3) The reason for miracles and signs. Do you really know why our Lord and the apostles performed signs and miracles? It was to convince the hearer that the people were speaking the message of God. “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (Jn. 20:30-31). As we read of these signs and miracles the Lord performed, it produces faith in our lives. But we must read and study the Bible in order to believe. Paul said, “Whereby, when read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ” (Eph. 3:4).

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 1, p. 4
January 7, 1988

By Garreth L. Clair

In Matthew 16:13-19 we may read of the promise of Jesus to his disciples to build his church. There is no question, after reading these passages, that it was the intention of Jesus to build a church. The greatest problem to mankind today is to determine if he really did and, if he did, which one is it? One of the reasons many religious people today do not understand the church or what it is, is actually a failure to rightly divide/apply Scripture (2 Tim. 2:15). There are many people today who sing, talk, pray, and discuss the church, but they do not really understand it. Perhaps one way to determine what the church of Christ really is is to determine what it is not. In order to do that, we will, of necessity, have to compare the teaching of some to what the Bible says about the subject. Notice the following points:

1. The church of Christ is not a material building constructed of perishable materials such as brick, wood, etc. (Acts 7:48; 17:24). Fear may come upon the church (Acts 5:11); from this fact it is clear that the people are under consideration. The church has ears to hear (Acts 11: 22). Again, people are under consideration not a building. From these facts, we are forced to the conclusion that the church of Christ is not a building of anything material but is composed of people.

2. The church revealed in the Bible is not a continuation of the Jewish tabernacle, temple, or synagogue. It is not enough to simply dismiss these institutions with a movement of the hand, we must explain their existence and their purpose as well as their demise. Indeed, the Bible points out that in entering Judaism one simply was born into it, but into the Christian era (i.e, into the church of Christ) one must be born again (John 3:3-5). These facts help us to understand the three terms.

A. The tabernacle was a place of worship first used by the Israelites after they came out of Egyptian bondage. The tabernacle was to fill the needs of the Israelites and their worship until the permanent temple was erected (see a good concordance and search under tabernacle for further information).

B. The temple finally erected in Jerusalem by Solomon, David’s son, was a permanent place of worship for the Israelites who were to worship according to the dictates received from God on Mount Sinai (I Chron. 6: 10; etc.). The temple was, finally destroyed completely by Titus as was prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24 (see also Harpers Bible Dictionary, p. 735, seventh edition). As one may observe from the comments in Harpers, the Jewish worship came to an end at its destruction; therefore there was no continuation of the temple and the items in the temple that made the Jewish worship acceptable to God.

C. The Jewish synagogue has existed since the Babylonian exile in the sixth century B.C. (The Dictionary of Religious Terms by Donald Kauffman, pp. 405 column 2, 1967 Fleming H. Revell, Publishers).

All of these institutions were specifically utilized for Jewish worship which came into existence on Mount Sinai according to the book of Exodus. Since the law of Moses has been blotted out and nailed to the cross of Christ (Col. 2:14), it follows that the institutions utilized under that law are no longer useful to the man who would please God.

3. The church is not a purely social organization to be used for the betterment of society, or for social change, not even for social activities among its members. Although many good social actions follow the deeds of dedicated Christians who may make up the local ekkiesia in a given community, their primary function is spiritual. The social benefits are simply by-products of a spirit of Christ possessed by the membership. When the building where the church meets in a given community is misused for social functions, the nature of the church in its function and ownership is misunderstood.

4. The church is not a political organization any more than it is a social organization. Those who make up the local assembly in a given locality are encouraged to be good citizens in their community and in their country, but the purpose for the church’s existence is not to change the political status of a nation or of the world as such, but to change the life of the individuals who inhabit this globe (Matt. 28:18-20). From this, we know that the church is not a political institution at all.

5. The church is not a denomination as may be observed from the following facts:

A. Protestant denominationalism came into existence as a result of dissatisfaction with the existing Roman Catholic Church. Protestant denominationalism had its beginning with the rebellion of Martin Luther in Germany about 1520.

B. All Protestant denominations have come into existence since Martin Luther’s efforts at reformation began. Please notice the following origins and originators of certain denominations;

(1) Of course the Roman Catholic Church is the first false religious organization having come into existence about 606 A.D., Boniface III becoming the first “universal bishop.”

(2) In 1520, Martin Luther founded the Lutheran Church.

(3) In about 1534 Henry VIII founded the Church of England which became in America the Episcopalian Church.

(4) In 1536 John Calvin founded the Presbyterian Church.

(5) In 1550 Robert Browne founded the Congregational Church.

(6) In 1607 John Smythe founded the Baptist Church.

(7) In 1739 John Wesley founded the Methodist Church.

(8) About 1830 Joseph Smith founded the Mormon Church.

(9) About 1830 William Miller founded the Adventists.

(10) About 1866 Mary Baker Eddy founded Christian Science.

(11) About 1872 Charles T. Russell founded the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

(12) About 1907 a merger of several smaller groups formed the Nazarene Church.

We could go on and on with this list until we would have named literally hundreds of different religious bodies, yet not one of them is the church you may read about in the Bible. Why? Because the church of Christ is not a denomination; it was not founded by man and is the only church found in the Bible.

After establishing some facts relative to what the church is not, let us examine the Bible to determine what the Church is.

1. The church is a spiritual institution composed of saved people (Acts 2:37-47; 1 Cor. 10:17; Eph. 1:10; 4:4-5; Col. 3:11).

2. The church of Christ is an assembly (from the Greek words from which our English word church comes). The original word ekklesia (English dress), translated church occurs 23 times in Acts, 62 times in Paul’s letters, 2 times in Hebrews, once in James, 3 times in the third epistle of John, and 20 times in the book of Revelation. Jesus did not invent this word (ekklesia). He found the word in common use, as John the immerser proselyted and employed what was at hand.

Among the Greeks, ekklesia was the assembly of the citizens of a free city-state gathered by a herald blowing a horn through the streets. In this sense, the word is used one time in the New Testament (Acts 19:39). The town clerk advised Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen to submit their case to the Greek ekklesia.

Among the Jews, ekkiesia was the congregation of Israel assembled before the tabernacle in the wilderness by the blowing of a silver trumpet. In this sense the word is used 2 times in the New Testament (Acts 7:38; Heb. 2:12). Stephen, rehearsing the history of Israel, says, Christ was in the ekklesia in the wilderness. The Hebrew scribe quotes a prophetic Psalm of David where the sense is “congregation” (Psa. 22:20). Israel in the land of Canaan is never called an ekklesia, not even in the Septuagint.

Both with the Greeks And the Jews the word ecclesia denoted an assembly of the people, not a committee or a council and it never refers to a structure made with hands.

The word as it refers to Christians means either, a “local assembly” or the “universal church” (i.e. the body of Christ, the catholic church, etc.). As we look to the teaching of the Bible in this regard we may see how the words are used and translated in their contexts. Notice the following:

A. In the following passages the word is used to describe a local assembly (i.e. congregation): Acts 5:11; 8:1,3; 9:31; 15:22; 20:28; Rom. 16:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; 4:17, etc.

B. In the following passages reference is generally applied to the universal church: Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:22; 3:10,21; 5:23,24,25,27,29; Col. 1: 18,24; 1 Tim. 3:15, etc.

Since this is the only way the Greek term ecclesia is used, it behooves us to avoid misusing the term to apply it to buildings, schools, homes, etc. The church of Christ is a building not made with hands, a building composed of saved people. When we fail to appreciate these features of the church we simply are failing to appreciate the relationship which we sustain to Christ who has purchased it with his own blood (Acts 20:28).

3. In the third place the church of Christ is an institution that Christ, its founder, adds the saved to (Acts 2:47). That being true, only the truly saved belong to it. In its local sense anyone may palm themselves off as a member, but in the universal sense only the saved belong to it. This difference is understood when we have properly understood the differences between the church in its local sense and the church in its universal sense.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 1, pp. 10-11
January 7, 1988

By Paul C. Keller

During the early part of 1947 it was my privilege to attend a religious discussion, in Birmingham, Alabama. My good friend and brother, W. Curtis Porter, debated Glen V. Tingley, who represented the Christian-Missionary Alliance. Both were able men, and favorably known among their respective brethren. The first three nights of the debate were conducted in the building of the Central church of Christ and the last three at the “Birmingham Gospel Tabernacle,” which had been started by Mr. Tingley and where he was the very popular preacher. The debate had been well-planned and well-advertised; twelve to fifteen hundred people attended every session at both places, crowding into every available space. The conduct of the audience and speakers was excellent; good order and a fine, congenial attitude prevailed throughout.

Both debaters were able men; nevertheless, there were marked contrasts distinguishing the two. Mr. Tingley was an outgoing, articulate man and with an evident ability to communicate ideas and influence people. In a word which has seen considerable use in recent years, he had charisma, a personal magic of leadership that aroused popular loyalty and enthusiasm. He had built a large following for himself in Birmingham; was well-known and influential in that city. He seemed not to lack for self-confidence; in fact, his air of self-assurance was such that there seemed to be more than a trace of conceit, cocksureness. Yet, he was a likeable person. While brother Porter had superior abilities and knowledge of the Scriptures, there was no showiness about him. He was a quiet, God-fearing man who loved the truth; always meek and humble. He “put on no airs.” He did not fluff. He did not bluster. But when a defense of the truth of God was called for, he was ready, willing and able. It was then that his true worth and abilities were made evident. Tingley and Porter met each other for the first time during this debate. It is my personal opinion that the humility of Porter, the complete absence of display on his part, plus the fact that he was known to come from a little country town in Arkansas (Monette), was disarming to a man of Tingley’s disposition, and hence, caused him to under estimate the task before him. If he had deceived himself about this he was soon undeceived. He soon learned that the had met more than his match, as the errors Tingley espoused were exposed and refuted through six sessions of debating.

On the third and fourth nights the subject for discussion was baptism. Porter affirmed: “The Scriptures teach that water baptism to a penitent believer of the gospel is essential to salvation from alien sins.” In his first affirmative speech, his third argument presented was based on the commission given by Jesus, as recorded in Mark 16:15,16: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” After quoting this he then proceeded to make his argument based on the simplicity, the understandableness, of Jesus’ statement, pointing out that it does not say, “He that believeth and is saved can then be baptized if he wants to.” That is not, first believe; second, baptism; and third salvation. Rather, it is first believe; second baptism; and third salvation. He argued that the Lord stated it that way, and that if the passage makes belief necessary to salvation, it also makes baptism necessary to salvation; that, according to Jesus, salvation is dependent upon those conditions.

Continuing this argument, brother Porter, in his characteristic ability to make matters plain, said: “Remember that no amount of reasoning can make that read, ‘He that believeth, and is saved can then be baptized,’ because that is not what the Lord said. People will quibble about it, and will try to reason around it, and get it out of the way; but if the thing were expressed in material value, there would be no quibble about it. Suppose, for example, that when you go home from this discussion you turn on your radio and hear the President of the Ford Motor Company broadcasting this statement: ‘He that believeth and is baptized shall receive a new Ford.’ Do you suppose there’d be any quibbling about it? Would people try to reason the thing away and claim that it is not essential – ‘you do not have to do that, just believe in Ford and that is all that’s necessary.’ No, you would not hear any quibbling about it. If you should hear that broadcast tonight from the Ford Motor Company, there’d be the biggest baptizing tonight in Birmingham before daylight you ever heard of. You would not be able to keep people knocked out of the river or the creeks with a club; and among the first to get wet would be my friend, Elder Tingley.”

At this point, there was some laughter from the audience. And, Tingley joined good-naturedly in the laughter – and then he laughingly nodded and said, loudly and clearly, “I expect that’s right.”

Then, when all was quiet, brother Porter continued his speech, very forcefully saying: “He says he expects that’s right! If a Ford were involved, Elder Tingley would not try to reason it away! But if salvation is involved, he tries to get around it. Is salvation worth as much as a new Ford, Tingley? Do you think more of a new Ford than you do salvation? You said you’d do it if it were a Ford involved. You would not try to reason it away; you’d accept it; you’d do it. You’d be one of the first men to get wet; but where the salvation of the soul is involved he tries to reason the thing out and get it entirely out of the way. He knows if, he tried to do that with a new Ford, somebody else would get the new Ford, and he’d be left out, you see. I am saying that if it were expressed in material values, there’d be little quibbling about it. Why quibbling, then, when salvation is the thing involved, and the Lord said, ‘He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved’?”

Having said this, Porter went on to his fourth argument. He did not need to say more. Tingley saw it. The audience saw it. And, although Tingley tried hard to put on a bold front, he never regained the aplomb he had shown earlier. Throughout the remaining sessions of the debate, Tingley had a difficult time, although he made determined effort. He had shown that although he could understand the teaching of Jesus, he was determined to try to get around it.

More than forty years have come and gone since this occurred. During these years I have thought about it many times – not only about Glen V. Tingley, but about countless other preachers of the various denominations, who can understand what Jesus said, and meant, but who, nevertheless, try to deny, try to get around, this plain teaching of Jesus, and who work so hard at trying to keep other people from believing and obeying what Jesus taught. If the President of the Ford Motor Company were to make the proposition in our day as was suggested by brother Porter in this debate in Birmingham, these preachers could understand it, and they would not quibble about it, nor hesitate to comply with it – they’d head for the water, and soon be seen proudly driving their new Ford cars! But when it comes to the matter of salvation, their denominational dogmas, stubbornness and/or pride causes them to try to get around this teaching of Jesus – and to prevent others from understanding, believing and obeying it. Think about it! In all candor, I say, I would not stand in the shoes of such a preacher for a million worlds like this one.

Guardian of Truth XXXII: 1, pp. 12-13
January 7, 1988