Truth Magazine

By Mike West

There could be no greater job for a parent than to teach the child about Christ and what a person must do to follow the Lord as the proverb says: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6).

As we strive daily to teach our children (an all-consuming task), there are so many things in our world that we as parents must look out for such as TV, school, friends. I’m afraid that in our effort to teach sometimes we forget to learn from them. We must remember that in order to go to heaven we must be child-like.

And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 18:3).

What could we possibly with all our knowledge learn from such a small child? Have you ever topped to watch a group of small children play? They don’t care if you are white, black, Hispanic, or Asian. They do not have the prejudice we do sometimes as adults. It does not matter if you are rich, poor, popular, cool or not. Can we say as Christians that daily in our effort to serve the Lord that we are child-like in these areas? Are we learning from our children (Jas. 2:8-9)?

Have you ever been around a child when the child starts to learn to read? Kaylee sometimes drives me crazy. She wants to read all the time! It never stops. Twenty-four hours a day she is bugging me to read more and more. She always wants me to write down math problems — always wanting to learn, like it is a game. Her hunger to learn is like yearning for a type of food she can’t do without. As I strive to serve the Lord, do I have this type of an appetite for the knowledge it requires to follow God’s word? “As newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation” (1 Pet. 2:2; Tit. 3:14).

And let our people also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful (Tit. 3:14). As adults we often have problems with others, and we might have a brother sin against us. How do we then treat that brother? Do we hold that grudge for a long time or is it forgotten immediately? How long will you be mad at someone before things are back to normal? Kaylee and Stewart will have a knock-down, drag-out fight; I will settle them down, and when I’m finished correcting them five minutes later they are best friends again. Do we forgive and love again as fast as a child? Do we forgive at all?  “Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him” (Luke 17:3-4).

Children love to please their parents. They are so proud when I tell them that they have done a good job. Kaylee and Stewart always love to stand before us proud of the way they have cleaned their room or done something that they know we wanted. Do we each day want the Lord to see the way we live our lives, or do we need to act as a misbehaving child and hide in shame? “Whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance: ye serve the Lord Christ. For he that doeth wrong shall receive again for the wrong that he hath done: and there is no respect of persons” (Col. 3:23-25).

It is not a small task to raise a child that will follow  God’s word, and the parents who have done so should be commended and respected. They should be good examples for us all to follow, but let us all try to remember that to serve God we must learn from our children. 

25 Morning Dove Ct., Newnan, Georgia 30265 Mastiff@bellsouth.net 

By Ron Halbrook

A new gospel paper named The Sword & Shield was launched in the Republic of the Philippines during 1999. It is being published quarterly under the able editorship of Lordy G. Salunga. The masthead quotes Ephesians 6:16-17, “taking the shield of faith . . . and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” which well expresses the spirit of this new journal. Each issue carries the following clear statement of the purpose of the paper: “The Sword & Shield is committed to the open study of the Scriptures and to the preaching & teaching of the truth. It is set for the defense of the Gospel. It is not the voice of the church but each author speaks only for himself.” 

With the special encouragement of Jim McDonald and Bill Cavender, brother Salunga agreed to publish and edit this new paper. Those of us who know Lordy have complete confidence in his soundness in the faith, his ability as a writer, and his sense of fairness, the very qualities most needed to effectively edit a gospel paper.

Brother Salunga’s first editorial, entitled “The Sword & Shield Begins,” includes the following statement of principles which will guide this new journal:

Any journal has underlying principles and guidelines to steer its existence. This paper will be an open paper. This means first that both sides of an issue will be given an equal opportunity in its pages. Truth does not fear investigation. Christ told the Jews to “search the Scriptures” for these “are they which testify” of him. Christ did not fear investigation. Truth is with him. The editor does not have respect for papers which fashion themselves to be “gospel” papers but shy away from controversies and would only allow articles which are positive in nature and discussion of issues affecting the brethren are never allowed. They “accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.” Such a philosophy is alien to the Scriptures. . . . The New Testament is replete with examples of brethren discussing an issue to resolve it (e.g. Acts 15). This journal will encourage such honorable discussion of issues affecting the brethren in the light of what the Scriptures say. It is set for the defense of the Gospel! The Scriptures are our standard. The paper will expose error and name the names of the exponents if need be. Paul wrote the Ephesians, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them . . . all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light” (Eph. 5:11, 13) (The Sword & Shield I, 1 [Feb.-Mar.-Apr. 1999] 2, 18, 11).

A paper published on such principles is the friend of truth and the enemy of sin and error.

Most articles to be published in The Sword & Shield are to be written by Filipino brethren. So far, a number of experienced and seasoned preachers have written excellent articles, including R.G. Carino, Sr., Domie A. Jacob, Juanito Balbin, Emilio S. Lumapay, and Cipriano S. Carpentero. Also, a number of younger men are producing fine material, including Egdon Sabio, Richley Lumapay, Ric Darasin, and Rolando P. Azurin. Good articles by W.G. “Bert” Enostacion and the Torreliza brothers, Leonito and Romeo, have appeared. The front page series by brother Carino entitled “The Scriptures Came from God” is superb, as is Cecilio S. Galosmo’s recent article, “Preaching the Whole Counsel of God” (I, 3 [Aug.-Sept.-Oct. 1999]:6-7, 13). These materials would be suitable to appear in any gospel journal published in the U.S.

Virtually all articles will be written by Filipino brethren because there are many strong, sound, solid Filipino preachers. There are so many dialects in the Philippines (about 80) that English is widely used as a common avenue of communication. Therefore, most articles in The Sword & Shield are in English, though some are in the national language (Tagalog) as well as in other widely spoken dialects (Cebuano and Ilocano). A wide range of subjects will be covered so that the paper will serve as an evangelistic tool, cover topics of interest among saints, provide some news of the work around the Philippines, and provide a question-and-answer column.

Filipino readers may receive The Sword & Shield free upon request to the editor by writing Lordy Salunga, P.O. Box 6, Tarlac City, 2300 Tarlac, Republic of the Philippines (e-mail address: lordy 1 @flashemail.com or Isalunga@hotmail.com). American brethren who may wish to read this new journal should send brother Salunga $10.00 each year. The gospel is spreading far and wide in the Philippines and multitudes of souls are being saved, just as occurred in the early days of the church in the book of Acts. The Sword & Shield will be a valuable asset to the Filipino brethren to strengthen the saved and help the lost to be saved!

3505 Horse Run Ct., Shepherdsville, Kentucky 40165-6954

By Daniel H. King

No doubt you recognize the title of this article as the beautiful closing line of Robert Lowry’s century-old hymn Christ Arose. It appears in most song books used by brethren because it represents the victorious theme of authentic Christian preaching from the day of the apostle Peter’s Pentecost sermon to the present time. Those triumphant words, “This Jesus did God raise up . . .” (Acts 2:32), must have ripped through the hearts of those Jewish leaders and their dupes who had only a month before sent Christ to his death. Imagine their frustration at the thought that they were not rid of him after all! 

But imagine the joy in the hearts of the disciples in knowing he was risen to sit at the right hand of the throne of majesty on high, “Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted . . .” (Acts 2:33). How central this theme of the Risen Christ is to the church of the first century and the church today is not well enough recognized by many who claim to put their faith in Jesus. Some who assert that they are Christians do not wish to affirm the resurrection of Christ as a fact of history, or they are not willing to argue the point. “Maybe it happened, maybe it didn’t,” they tell us, “who knows for sure?” 

I shall not forget a lectureship which I attended years ago, wherein a Roman Catholic biblical scholar addressed the audience on the topic of the resurrection. After he had spoken for some 45 minutes or so, a student (who apparently was not particularly bright), inquired of the professor: “Well, did it really happen or not?” To which the distinguished savant replied, “I’m not sure.” My friends, one thing I can tell you without any hesitation: the early church was sure that Christ rose from the dead on the third day. Early Christians lived and died for this faith. Paul said that Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God with power . . . by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 1:4). His Lordship, in their thinking, was attached inextricably to his having triumphed over death and the grave.

Some have striven mightily to explain the disciple’s faith. They cannot accept it at face value, because “people just don’t walk out of tombs,” in their own experience, at least. So, they have invented shallow explanations which, to their minds at least, satisfy some of the criteria surrounding the case and explain a few aspects of the gospel records. 

One theory suggests that Jesus did not actually die, but only swooned. According to this view he later succumbed to his wounds, but the disciples were fooled by his temporary “resurrection.” But, how could Jesus have moved the stone from before the tomb and escaped the guards in this weakened condition? And, what about the fact that John says that one of the soldiers on the death squad forced a spear up into his chest cavity to assure himself that Jesus was finished? 

Another view says Jesus’ followers had a grandiose hallucination and saw what they hoped for rather than reality. But, if this is true why could not the enemies of Christ produce the body? That would have ended the preaching of the resurrection! And, as F.E. Hamilton wrote: “Now it is perfectly possible for one man to have an hallucination, and two men might have the same hallucination by a singular coincidence, but that eleven men of intelligence, whose characters and writings indicate their sanity in other respects, or that five hundred men in a body should have seen the same hallucination and at the same time, stretches the law of probability to the breaking point!” 

A third hypothesis supposes that the Lord’s body was stolen. But this does not explain why the disciples of Jesus would preach what they knew to be a lie at the risk of their lives. Many of them endured horrible persecution and ultimately died as martyrs. Do men suffer or die to perpetuate what they know to be a lie?

None of these views renders a satisfying explanation for the disciples’ preaching of the resurrection. They preached a Risen Lord because they believed with all their hearts that the Lord was risen. It is that simple, and nothing else can ever explain away what they believed and why they believed it. 

The evidence found in the four Gospels, and related by all the witnesses in the first century, is characterized by great unanimity and synchrony, while obviously being told from different perspectives and in different words (proving that the witnesses did not conspire among themselves to lie, and were not coached). The summary result of what their corporate testimony announced to the world was that Jesus came forth from the grave on the third day after his crucifixion, and that he is alive forevermore as Savior and Lord, King and High Priest.

Moreover, they were willing to risk it all for their conviction. They realized that everything was on the line, and if they had believed a lie, then all was lost. They did not philosophize as do moderns as to whether it was worth it to follow Jesus anyway, regardless of whether he was only an extraordinary man or not, whether or not he really rose from the grave. The times and circumstances in which they lived did not permit them this modern luxury. Christianity was an illegal religion. And proponents of illegal religions were punished with death. As Paul declared, “. . . if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable” (1 Cor. 15:16-19).

In that noble declaration Paul spoke for all Christians of every age, not just of his own. Truly, if we have only believed in empty promises, if we have only followed a deceiver and a charlatan, if we have only believed a lie — then we have only trusted in Jesus Christ in this life, and there is nothing for us beyond death and the grave, and we are “of all men most pitiable.” No doubt about it! If the world is right and we are wrong, then we have wasted our lives in the service of Jesus. We have lost everything. But, if we are right and the world is wrong, then the world has lost everything!

Howbeit, the Christian now is as the Christian then, convinced that we have not followed “cunningly devised fables” (2 Pet. 1:16), but persuasive and authentic testimony from eyewitnesses who were willing to risk life and limb to proclaim to the world that “The Lord is risen indeed . . .” (Luke 24:34). And if the Lord is risen, then our future is wrapped up with him, in glory! As the song-writer so fittingly said it, “Hallelujah, Christ arose!”   

P.O. Box 148335, Nashville, Tennessee 37214

By Mike Willis

A few days ago, I received an e-mail from Leonard Ford of Beaver Dam, Kentucky that related some good things happening among our Christian teenagers. I want to pass it on to you that you might be encouraged as well.

The main reason that I am writing, is that there is something going on in this area with our teenage children that I think is very exciting and I would like to share it with you and hope that there is some way that you or someone else can write about this in hopes that it might spread to others. 

About nine years ago, Kathy and I felt that we needed to take the plunge and purchase a computer, not only for our needs, but as with many other parents, felt that our three young boys needed to be prepared for the twenty-first century. We bought one when we really couldn’t afford it because we felt we were doing the best for our children.  When the internet came along, we were torn whether we should “get on the net” so our children would have this wealth of knowledge or as many Christians were saying, and rightfully so, keep this from them due to all the filth that can be accessed from it. Well, after much thought, we took the plunge again because we thought that we could monitor what they were viewing, which we did, and still do. We realized that our children have been exposed to so many things in this world today that are pulling them away from the Lord such as television, movies, school activities, and we were concerned that we were just adding to these temptations. However, we have found something that has been a very pleasant surprise from our internet plunge.

When our youngest son, Steven, began surfing on the net, we were cautiously monitoring where he was going.  After a very short time, we were pleasantly surprised to see that he was “chatting online” with many other Christian friends from all over Kentucky and Tennessee whom he had met at FC camp or at meetings in the area.  During the past year we have seen the group grow swiftly and have been encouraged by their hunger to chat with one another each evening after they get home from school.  I suddenly realized that they have been starving for this “spiritual food” that they need so much, just as we adults do, and are “feeding themselves daily” with these conversations with one another. I have found a much better benefit from this “internet” than I thought was possible, and am so glad that my child has this avenue to get close to so many other wonderful young teenagers. I have seen his spiritual growth over the last year and I can’t help but sit back with pride to see how he is developing and that I had a small part in it. I know that there are still so many things on the web that are not good for Christians and that we as parents should still be watchful and protect our children as we do with all other things, but I think that many other Christian teenagers should know that there are other young people out there who are experiencing the same difficulties and peer pressures that they are suffering from, and that they have someone out there to talk to who is their own age, who can relate in a way that we as parents can’t. Each day, these young people send out a “Scripture for the day” to each other and it is very encouraging to see them “feeding” each other this way and to see their hunger pains disappear after a session with another Christian.

I would like to send you one these Scriptures that Steven sent out to about 100 teenagers just yesterday. The school homecoming dance was last Friday night and he was home on his computer, talking to his friends and sending them this message that I am about send to you.

Mike, I am so proud of Steven and all of his Christian friends and am also humbled to know these blessings and all others are from God and I give him all the thanks and glory for all his blessings. I can’t help but to be a little jealous of Steven and what he has received from this unexpected medium, but I guess we as Christians can benefit from this as have many others in other ways. 

Given below is the Scripture and commentary that brother Ford’s son Steven wrote:

Hey,

Just a few days left and it’s back to Shan . . . it was fun while it lasted. 
It snowed here a lot this weekend, I hope that we FINALLY miss SOME school for it.  It has snowed off and on lately but we haven’t missed a single day (sigh).  Better make this short, the Super Bowl starts in about 20 minutes).  Today’s verse is:

And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ (Acts 5:40-42).

Okay, my commentary is very long today but please read it all because I assure you it’s the last long one I will do, and it took a lot of time to do. These three verses give an account of the first punishment given to the apostles as a result of their spreading the gospel. In the years to follow, all Christians were severely tormented for their beliefs, and had pain inflicted on them in many ways. Despite all this, very few of them ever quit doing what Jesus had commanded them and knew was right.  

Some were only scolded and were forced to flee, others were beaten and/or imprisoned, some were executed by the traditional beheading, and others were martyred in more “creative” ways. There are accounts of Christians who were taken to public events, tied to posts, and set on fire to serve as the light for that event. To the Romans who persecuted them, those such Christians were nothing more than candles. Yet the Christians never relinquished their faith or discontinued to practice their good works.
If you do a little bit of historical study outside the Bible (and in some cases in the Bible), you will find that of all the known apostles, only one of them died a death of natural causes, and that was John, the brother of James, who had been exiled to Patmos. Every single one of the others were executed in many different ways. James was the first, he was beheaded under the orders of Herod as we are told in Acts 12:1-2. Paul was beheaded after years in Roman captivity (and he kept on preaching until the very end!).  Peter was supposedly crucified upside down. Bartholomew suffered, in my opinion, the most terrible death ever recorded. He was fileted (skinned) alive. The list goes on.  Yet all these men were incredibly brave and strong in the faith, and never once faltered in teaching the gospel. 

I must say that we should thank God that persecution of that sort does not go on today. Sometimes we complain about how hard it is to be a good Christian. Stop. I myself am guilty of it, I think many of us are. Each time a dance comes around and some girl comes along and asks who I am taking, obviously hinting, and I have to tell her that I’m not going, it bothers me. Of course, then they always have to ask “why not?”, and I briefly explain to them why; all the while I have to sit there and watch the weird look that comes over their faces which expresses their thoughts (“What kind of religion is that?”). I remember just the other day (homecoming) telling someone about how awful that is, but when I think about it, I am lucky that getting a weird look occasionally is the worst thing that is brought on me by my Christianity. Getting 1,000,000 weird looks is way better than being beheaded or having my skin cut off of my body by a knife while I’m fully conscious and aware of what is going on.  

Also, notice how the apostles in this passage not only took their punishment and went on their way as if nothing had happened, they were rejoicing that they were “worthy to suffer shame for His name.” Using that as an example, I think that from now on whenever I have to explain why I can’t do something that is “normal” for all the other people at school, and I get a weird look, I’ll try to be proud and rejoice instead of sulking and getting upset.  I hope the rest of you feel the same way.

Good  day,
Steven

I can assure Steven that this did make a “good day” for me, and I am sure you for others who will read this as well.

Brother Ford also asked that I  mention that if anyone who reads the article wishes to have his e-mail address added to the list of Christians that receive the “verse of the day,” he can e-mail Shannon O’Neal at shanshine5@aol.com, and she (the teenager who created and regularly sends the verse of the day) will gladly add his name immediately.

While we wring our hands about the moral deterioration in this country, let us not be blinded to the fact that there are still many good, righteous people serving the Lord. May their tribe increase!

6567 Kings Ct., Avon, Indiana 46123 mikewillis1@compuserve.com