Truth Magazine

By Bobby L. Graham

For the past year thousands of Christians have received The Examiner, a paper published by Charles A. Holt and his corporation (Truth and Freedom Ministry, Inc.). One avowed purpose of the corporate publication is to prove that when Christians join their efforts to do spiritual work, they ought not to do so as a corporate body. No local church has the right to be such, but his Truth and Freedom Ministry, Inc. has the right! If it were true, it would be inconsistent.

One of the frontal attacks made in The Examiner has been directed against elders. The gospel according to Holt says that elders are no more nor less than the older, more spiritually mature brethren (and sisters?), who should be respected and followed by other Christians as they contact them and influence them in daily life. Only as they “rub shoulders” do they have any influence over other Christians; otherwise (if they happen to gather to study the Bible or to worship God), the elders have no more right to lead than do the younger Christians. If it were true, it would result in a tragic waste of the accumulated wisdom and experience for them to be unable to lead the younger Christians.

Our brother tells us further that all passages of the New Testament dealing with elders view them as older, more mature Christians and refer not to any official standing they might have with any local church. This view will not stand up under the scrutiny of a close examination of the Scriptures. Notice the following passages:

(1) Acts 11.30. This verse indicates that the funds collected from the Antioch brethren were sent to the elders in Judea. The notion being examined requires the conclusion that all Christians in Judea except the youngest one would qualify as elders, for all were relatively more experienced and mature than someone else, with this one exception. He would have been the only one not more mature or experienced than someone else, for he was the last one who became a Christian. This must have been Paul and Barnabas’ method of determining who the elders were: just locate the most recent convert, eliminate him, and distribute the money to all others. Of course, they had to make sure that these men (and women?) did not meet as a group, for such a meeting would be the early stage of a process by which a corporate body forms. That just wouldn’t do! If it were true, it would be ludicrous. You see, this view of elders allows all saints in an area, whose square mileage has yet to be determined, to be described as elders except the one lowest on the totem pole. The brother did write about the church in Jerusalem being in Jerusalem and its environs, but he did not give us the benefit of his seniority and tell us how far its environs would extend. Possibly the explanation for this gap in his theory is his recent expose on logic (The Examiner, Jan. 1987), but I find it difficult determining the part played by logic in this system of theology. The editor will probably favor the poor people in the pew with this missing information as he receives additional enlightenment.

(2) In Acts 14.23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for the brethren in different churches. That fact strikes me as different from what our brother teaches. The conclusion from his writing is that all Christians in these churches that could be described as more mature than anyone else were the ones appointed. He really doesn’t believe that these people were appointed elders, but that elders were appointed to be bishops (overseers), if his comments on this point apply to this verse at all. If it were true, it would be false because it conflicts with what the passage says.

(3) When Paul sent for the Ephesian elders in Acts 20.17, he meant for all disciples from Ephesus and its environs to come to Miletus, with one exception – the last one baptized into Christ. To this group he spoke when he said the Holy Spirit had made them bishops (overseers) in verse 28. But mind you: their oversight extended only to their dealings with each other in daily life. If they happened to gather to study the Bible or to worship God, that youngest one among them could have his “day in the sun. ” Then his inexperience counted just as much as their experience, and his lack of knowledge meant as much as their knowledge. A view similar to Holt’s must have prevailed at Ephesus; otherwise, how would the brethren in the environs know whom to send to Paul when he sent for the elders? If it were true, it would be unreasonable.

(4) This view distinguishes between elders (older, more mature) and bishops/shepherds/ pastors. According to our brother, appointment is necessary for the latter but not the former. Observe, however, that the elders, the shepherds, and the bishops were the same ones in Acts 20:17, 28. Men called elders in v. 17 were recognized as bishops (overseers) and shepherds (pastors) in v. 28. They are seen to be shepherds as Paul instructed them to pastor, tend, feed, or shepherd. The same point is applicable to 1 Peter 5:14. Such a distinction between the elders and the shepherds is artificial. If it were true, it would be incompatible with the New Testament use of these words.

The inconsistent, wasteful, ludicrous, false, unreasonable, and incompatible character of this view is dealt with to help the reader understand the teaching and its irreconcilable position with the New Testament. No reference is made to its proponent’s motive, character, or method. Were his motive proved to be mercenary, his character Satanic, or his method unethical, nothing would have been demonstrated concerning either the truth or falsity of the position espoused. Even if these were proved true, the position could still be true. Let us then confine our motives, methods, and character to that which is acceptable to God. Before Him each shall stand at last.

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 7, p. 204
April 2, 1987

By Irvin Himmel

Wringing Of Wrath

Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood:

so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife (Prov. 30:33).

There is a story about a Bible-believer who was engaged in conversation with a skeptic. In a daring and defiant manner, the skeptic asserted, “There is not one thing in the Bible which you can demonstrate physically to be true.” As quick as a flash the believer grabbed the skeptic by the nose and began twisting, wringing, and squeezing until the blood was gushing. The skeptic stepped back and was too startled to speak. The believer stared at the skeptic’s bleeding nose and quoted this proverb. He remarked, “I have just demonstrated that the Bible is true when it says that ‘the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood.”‘

Pressure Is The Point

The words “churning,” “wringing,” and “forcing” translate the same Hebrew term (miyts) in this passage. The idea in each case is that of applying pressure or squeezing.

Fred H. Wight says, “The Bible-time method of making butter was doubtless the same as used by the Arab Bedouins of today.” He then quotes Thomson’s account in The Land and the Book which describes the butter-making process:

What are those women kneading and shaking so zealously in that large black bag suspended from that tripod? That is a bottle not a bag, made by stripping off the skin of a young buffalo. It is full of milk and that is their method of churning. When the butter has come they take it out, and boil it, and then put it in bottles made of goatskins. . . .

Thus the churning of butter involved squeezing and wringing the milk in the skin bottle (Manners And Customs of Bible Lands, p. 50).

Wrath and Strife

Just as the wringing of milk produces butter and the wringing of the nose brings forth blood, the wringing of wrath produces strife. Wrath and strife are closely related (Gal. 5:20).

The Hebrew word for “wrath” in this proverb is aph. It denotes “the member with which we breathe, the nose; anger which shows itself in hard breathing” (Wilson’s O.T. Word Studies). It is translated “anger” 171 times, “wrath” 42 times, and has other renditions, appearing more than 250 times in the Old Testament. It is a synonym for chemah which appears 120 times in the Old Testament and is translated “wrath,” “fury, 90 46 anger,” “hot displeasure,” “rage,” “heat,” and “posion.” Wrath is a strong emotional state which is dangerous, “as it inflames everybody who comes close to the person in a rage” (Nelson’s Expository Dictionary of the O. T.).

The Hebrew word for “strife” is rib, and it is used 60 times in the Old Testament. It means a quarrel, dispute, or contention. It may also denote a fight or struggle.

Forcing Wrath

The forcing or wringing of wrath may occur in several ways. Here are a few of them:

(1) Brooding over injustices and injuries. Thinking gloomily about one’s hurt is like incubating eggs that will hatch serpents. Saul evidently did a lot of brooding after he was rejected by God as Israel’s king. He was wroth when David was ascribed higher praise than he, and he eyed David from that day and forward (1 Sam. 18:8,9). Brooding over his anger toward David led to open strife. Saul made attempts to kill David. His anger was kindled against his own son Jonathan, because Jonathan befriended David (1 Sam. 20:30). Saul had been done no injustice, but his brooding forced his wrath to the point of conflict. Some never learn to suffer injury gracefully. They become angry, and their brooding condenses the anger until it erupts in strife.

(2) Tearing into a hot-tempered person. If ever there is a need for tact and diplomacy, it is when dealing with someone who has a violent temper. To speak to him with a tone of stern rebuke or sound of harshness is like making faces and growling at a bull dog. It wrings out wrath to the point of strife.

(3) Making irritating remarks. Statements calculated to annoy and nettle are like punches in the nose. Gibes often needle someone into a fight. Shimei hurled insults and curses at David, but the king kept his cool (2 Sam. 16:5-13). Many people allow insults to force wrath that boils into battle.

(4) Threatening and intimidation. To express intention of inflicting damage, or to insinuate it, often produces conflict. Sanballet and his associates tried to intimidate Nehemiah and stop the work on the wall at Jerusalem (Neh. 4:8), but Nehemiah was too good a man to allow his wrath to be forced.

(5) Agitating actions. Conduct which perturbs, shocks, or incites rage may result in unpleasant contentions. David’s anger was kindled against the rich man in Nathan’s parable. He viewed the man’s action as outrageous. But the rich man illustrated David himself (2 Sam. 12:5).

Anger is a stone cast into a wasp’s nest; it is a wind that blows out the lamp of reason. And just as surely as the churning of milk produces butter and the wringing of the nose brings forth blood, the forcing or wringing of wrath produces strife.

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 7, p. 207
April 2, 1987

By Wayne Greeson

Patterns are an important part of our lives in many ways. When a contractor builds a house, he follows a pattern known as a “blueprint.” When a mechanic repairs your car, he uses a pattern known as an auto repair manual. When a mother sews a dress for her small daughter, she follows a “dress pattern.” And when your favorite cake is made, the cook followed a pattern called a “recipe.”

In each case there is a standard pattern to be followed to achieve the desired results or the correct end product. The pattern must be followed or the end product will not be faithful to the original pattern and the results could be disastrous. The house not built to pattern may leak or worse, it may collapse; the car not repaired by the manual may run like a “lemon” or not run at all; the dress not made by the pattern may look more like a clown outfit; and the cake not made by the recipe could wind up unfit for the family dog. Many people who have the common sense to recognize the need to faithfully follow patterns in their everyday lives, fail to recognize the most important pattern of all . . . the Bible. God has always provided a pattern for His people to serve as a guide to worship and service acceptable to Him.

In the Old Testament, God led the children of Israel out of the slavery of Egypt down to the foot of Mt. Sinai. There God called Moses up the mountain and gave him a “pattern” of laws and a “pattern” for a place of worship for the Jews. As God gave Moses this divine pattern, He also gave a warning: “According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so ye shall make it” (Ex. 25:9). And He repeated this warning: “And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shown thee in the mount” (Ex. 25:40).

Following God’s pattern, the Jews constructed the tabernacle, a tent, and fashioned all the articles for worship to be placed within and without the tabernacle, the brazen altar, the laver, the golden candlestick, and table of shewbread, the altar of incense and the ark of the covenant. For over 500 years the tabernacle served as the place of worship for the Jews.

Not all the Jews heeded God’s warning through Moses to follow His pattern. Two priests determined to disregard God’s pattern of worship and follow their own worship. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron “offered strange fire before the Lord, which he command ed them not” (Lev. 10:1). The consequences of violating God’s divine order were immediate and dire, “And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord” (Lev. 10:2). God’s drastic punishment of these two men was for our benefit to teach us to treat His pattern with respect and obedience.

When David became king of the Jews, he planned to build a permanent place of worship, a temple, in the city of Jerusalem. While David was not allowed by the Lord to actually build the temple, David did make all the plans and preparations for the construction of the temple which he passed on to his son Solomon to complete. As David commissioned Solomon to build the temple, he explained the source of the blueprints, “‘All this,’ said David, ‘the Lord made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern'” (1 Chron. 28:19). David urged Solomon to follow God’s pattern in the commands of His Law as well as building His temple.

Despite God’s warnings, again the Jews failed to faithfully respect and keep God’s pattern. Towards the end of his life Solomon drifted away from God and His commandments. Following Solomon under the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, more Jewish kings were unfaithful rather than faithful to the Lord. Because of the apostasy of the Jews, God allowed them to be taken into captivity and the temple to be destroyed.

While in captivity in Babylon, God sent a special vision of the temple to the prophet Ezekiel. In the vision Ezekiel saw a man with a measuring rod measuring God’s temple and all the articles in it. Why? What was the meaning of the vision? “Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern” (Ezek. 43:10).

Just as God gave the Jews it pattern through Moses and David, He has given us a p4ttern of work and worship through Christ and His apostles. The Old Testament, the tabernacle and the temple were only “a copy and a shadow of heavenly things” that are now provided for us by Christ under the New Testament.

The pattern Christians have to follow is complete and sufficient. It is complete as it has “given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3). It is sufficient as it “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

As God warned the Jews not to violate or tamper with His pattern, He warns us also.

1. We must obey God’spattern. It is necessary to obey “that form (pattern) of doctrine which was first delivered to you” (Rom. 6:17). To fail to obey His pattern leads to sin and spiritual death (Rom. 6:18-23).

2. We must walk by God’s pattern. The inspired apostles, led by the Holy Spirit are an “ensample” or pattern for us to learn from, imitate and walk after (Phil. 3:17; 2 Thess. 3:9).

3. We must keep God’s pattern. “Hold fast the form (pattern) of sound words, which thou hast heard of me. . .” Paul instructed (2 Tim. 1: 13).

4. We must make all things by God’s pattern. As Moses was warned to follow the pattern of God in all things, so God warns us in the New Testament “. . . for ‘See,’ sayeth He, ‘that thou make all things according to the pattern . . .'” (Heb. 8:5).

Will you heed the warning?

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 6, pp. 165, 182
March 19, 1987

By Don Willis

“Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it” (Psa. 34:11-14). Peter quoted this Psalm,”. . For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile” (1 Pet. 3:10-11). The footnote on “refrain” reads “control.” Mr. Vine said the Greek word pauo means to stop!

An uncontrolled tongue is an evil, and will bring hostile results to the speaker. Gossip is defined as “a person who chatters and repeats idle talk and rumors about others” (Webster). Looking at the etymology of gossip, one finds a religious background in it (gossip). My point: gossip comes from the same root as gospel (godspel), which meant “telling the good story.” Gossip is using one’s tongue, instead of telling the good story, to chatter worthless and often hurtful rumors of no benefit.

A Christian must wisely use his time and his tongue to the glory of God! Personal evangelism involves this proper use of the tongue.

“One day a woman came to the preacher and confessed, ‘I have gossiped about my neighbor. One day I saw her stagger about the yard, so I told a few friends that she had been drunk. Now I find that her staggering was caused by a leg injury. How may I undo this gossip I started?’

“The minister excused himself for a moment, returned with a pillow, and asked the woman to follow him to the side porch. There he took out his pocket knife, cut a big hole in the pillow, and emptied the feathers over the porch rading. A small breeze soon scattered tiny feathers all about the yard, among the shrubs, flowers, even up in the trees. A few floated across the street, heading for unknown destinations.

“The minister turned to the woman. ‘Will you go out now and gather up every one of the feathers?’

“The woman looked stunned. ‘Why, that would be impossible.’

I “Exactly,’ replied the preacher sorrowfully. ‘So it is with your gossip.'”

This amply illustrates why the Lord told one to keep the tongue. Evil attracts much more attention than good! Satan delights when God’s children utilize themselves in Satan’s works.

I was just thinking, since we are going to use our tongues for some purpose, wouldn’t it be much better to gospel than to gossip? Think about it. Gospeling brings delight to God, peace to self and our fellow man.

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 6, p. 174
March 19, 1987