Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

Abraham is described as the “father of all them that believe” (Rom. 4:11). Paul admonished all men to “walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham” (Rom. 4:12). Let us examine the nature of the faith of Abraham.

A Faith Of Trusting Obedience

The Lord called Abraham to leave his kindred saying, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee” (Gen. 12:1). The Scriptures record, “So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him” (Gen. 12:4).

In a concise narrative, his personal sacrifice might be overlooked. Abraham left his family, friends, any business opportunities, etc. in order to obey the Lord. He did not put off into the indefinite future his obedience, as some do who say, “One of these days, I am going to start back to church.” Rather, he immediately obeyed the Lord at great personal sacrifice.

Abraham was no young man when the Lord called him. He was seventy-five years old. When in my twenties, we made a move from Florida to Indiana to preach the gospel. We loaded everything we owned in the back seat of a Volkswagen and set out to do the Lord’s will. As I grow older, I find the moves harder to make. I cannot imagine pulling up all of my roots and moving when I am seventy-five, not even to retire in Florida, much less to move to a foreign country to obey the will of God.

Furthermore, Abraham’s obedience was based on his trust in God’s promise. The Lord said to go to a “land that I will shew thee.” If Abraham had looked on a map to find that land, where would he have looked? He obeyed the Lord by going out, although he did not even know where he was going. His traveling would be different than our travels in America. As we move from state to state, we are protected by the laws of our land. One who moved from one country to another in Abraham’s day was a vulnerable stranger. His move would be comparable to one of us moving to a Muslim society. Yet, Abraham had enough trusting faith in the Lord’s promise to go.

A Faith Which Worshiped

When some people move, they leave their faith behind. As they move from one city to another, they seemingly forget to take their faith with them. Members of the body of Christ who worship the Lord regularly in one area move into another area and never begin to attend worship.

Abraham was not that way. Wherever he moved, he worshiped. He built altars at Bethel (Gen. 12:8) and Hebron (Gen. 13:18); he paid tithes to Melchizedek (Gen. 14:20). Indeed, Abraham was a man who worshiped the Lord wherever he went.

A Faith Which Put The Needs Of Others First

Abraham was not a selfish man who thought only of his own needs. When conflict developed between his herdsmen and those of Lot, he said, “Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; and if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left” (Gen. 13:8-9). When Lot chose the better land, Abraham did not become bitter and resentful.

A Faith Which Laid Down His Life For Others ,

Rather than becoming bitter toward his nephew, Abraham continued to love him. When the northern kings invaded the south, plundering the region and taking many captive as slaves, Lot was among those enslaved. Abraham could have said, “Now there is plenty of room for me to expand my operations without Lot getting in the way.” Instead, Abraham risked life and limb to save his nephew, Gathering 318 trained servants, he led a night raid against the invading kings and rescued his nephew Lot. Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13). “. . . and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 Jn. 3:16). Abraham was willing to lay down his life for his brethren.

A Faith Which Practiced Hospitality

More and more Christians are neglecting the practice of hospitality. In some congregations of more than 100 members, churches have trouble filling the meal list for a visiting preacher who is in town for a seven-day gospel meeting. Strangers visit the services and are not made welcome because the membership makes no effort to invite them into their homes. Abraham was so different from this.

Abraham “sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; and he lift up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant” (Gen. 18:1-5). The example of Abraham is cited for our emulation. “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb. 13:2).

Congregations began to have so-called “fellowship dinners” partly because brethren saw the need for members to be together. What individuals would not do on their own, congregations sought to accomplish with “fellowship halls,” but one wrong cannot be righted by another wrong. Do we have the hospitality of Abraham?

A Persistent Faith

Abraham’s faith did not wane through the years. When God called him, he was seventy-five years old (Gen. 12:4). When Isaac, the promised son, was born, Abraham was one hundred years old (Gen. 21:5). He had looked to the gift and the Giver for twenty-five years. Many who are baptized give up or give out long before twenty-five years have passed. Abraham, by contrast, persevered in his faithfulness to God.

A Faith Which Put God Above Everything Else

We have already seen how Abraham loved God enough to leave his father’s house, his kindred, his friends, and his stable home. We have noticed that his faith caused him to put Lot’s needs above his own. His faith caused him to give up his association with Ishmael. (Though Sarah was jealous of Ishmael and asked that he be cast out, Abraham did not act until God revealed His will in the matter. Then Abraham reluctantly sent Ishmael away [Gen. 21:9-12]. This must have been a heart-rending experience.)

In his later years, Abraham showed that his love for God excelled his love for the son of promise. God told Abraham to offer Isaac in sacrifice to Him on an altar. By faith Abraham went to Mount Moriah and proceeded to obey God. The Lord intervened, preventing Abraham from sacrificing Isaac. He said, “. . . for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me” (Gen. 22:12).

Abraham demonstrated obedience to what Jesus described as the greatest commandment – “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matt. 22:37).

A Faith Which Hoped

When the Lord appeared to Abraham, He promised him a land (Gen. 12:7). Later the Lord explained His promise:

Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their’s, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age (Gen. 15:13-15).

In these words, the Lord explained to Abraham that the land which had been promised to him would not be given in his lifetime. He wandered about in the land of promise as a stranger and sojourner. “And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on. . . ” (Acts 7:5). When his wife died, he had to purchase a place to bury her. Even then he manifested faith in the promise of God, for he did not take his wife to the home grave plot in Ur to bury her; instead, he buried her in the promised land.

Abraham never ceased to have faith in the promise of God, although he knew he would never see the promise fulfilled during his lifetime.

By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. . . . These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city (Heb. 11:9-10,13-16).

Conclusion

May the Lord give us strength to walk in the steps of the faithful Abraham. May he protect us from the temptations of youth, give us the wisdom to devote the strength of our manhood to His service, and walk with us to our graves with the hope of the promise of Heaven to sustain us.

Guardian of Truth XXX: 10, pp. 290, 309-310
May 15, 1986

By Dee Bowman

In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s a tremendous upheaval ripped the Lord’s church asunder. Brethren who were determined to introduce innovations into the work and organization of the church quarantined those who were wont to have a “thus saith the Lord” for all that is done by the church. Sides were drawn, labels applied, charges made. A full scale civil war ensued. Families were divided, friends estranged, and in many areas churches were left in rubble and ruin.

I have no doubt that most of these introductions were motivated of conscience and were done out of concern for the progress and growth of the Lord’s church.

Such deviations from the divine pattern came slowly. Benevolent societies, like orphan homes, homes for the aged, and later, homes for unwed mothers were introduced as a part of the work of the church. Later, the “whole person” concept was promoted and the churches began projects to provide for their members not only spiritual nourishment, but social refreshments as well. “Family Life Centers” sprang up, especially in the ’60’s and ’70’s, equipped with gymnasiums, exercise rooms, banquet halls, completely fitted kitchens designed to care for the “outer man” in the same way that the auditorium was to care for the “inner man.”

Those who opposed such arrangements were branded as “anti,” or “binding brethren” and told that they could either accept these philosophies or make arrangements to worship elsewhere. The social gospel concept became the rage. Large mergers were made, mergers where several smaller churches banded together to form huge churches, ones with the financial wherewithal to construct huge edifices and finance large and impressive programs of various sorts.

A strange vernacular followed the trend. Because of the financial strength to do so, large “staffs” began to be assembled, headed by a “board of elders,” and supervised by a “Pulpit Minister.” The “Minister of Education” was responsible for the highly efficient Sunday School Pro gram, one which included special classes for singles, cven divorced persons. “Bus Ministries” sprang up all over and they were guided by “Bus Ministers,” who concocted sometimes outlandish publicity schemes in order to induce neighborhood kids to ride the bus. Finding the children mostly unmanageable, some churches resorted to “Children’s Church,” where the youngsters themselves were taken to the basement and allowed to conduct their own services, in some cases even electing their own elders and deacons. Such things as “Youth Ministries” have gained reputation over the past several years and it is not now uncommon for churches to have their own choirs, and entertainment groups, comprised mostly of young people and some of which make annual tours as a part of their “Music Ministry.”

Lately strange cries are coming from the men who were the leading lights in the movement in the early days. “Liberals are among us!” they say. And they are! But it seems strange to me that these men cannot see that they are reaping what they have sown. Let me illustrate.

There are nine instances in the New Testament where the Lord’s church did benevolent work. In all nine of the instances, the benevolence was extended to needy saints. When I call that a pattern some of my friends in the more liberal churches say I am binding where the New Testament does not bind. But now that same argument is being made by their own “liberals.” There are also nine instances in the New Testament where music is referred to, and in all nine of these cases, the music specified is singing. The same brethren who reject the passages regarding benevolence as being a binding pattern are having trouble making their “liberals” understand that the nine cases regarding music necessarily limit the kind of music to singing. Their “liberals” don’t think they ought to bind those passages. It sounds very much like a case of reaping what has been sown.

A recent bulletin from the Burke Road Church of Christ in Pasadena is reported to have said that they did use instrumental music “but not in our regularly scheduled Sunday morning, evening and Wednesday night . . . because we do not want to offend the few who have a problem with this kind of praise” (quoted by Contending For The Faith, Ira Y. Rice, editor).

The only way to stop the on rush of liberalism, no matter whose “liberals” they are, is to return to the old paths, to ask for a “thus saith the Lord” for all that we do. Other wise, there is no end to the spread of this disease. (Reprinted from The Southside Reminder.)

Guardian of Truth XXX: 10, pp. 290, 310
May 15, 1986

By Mike Willis

On 5 April 1986, brother and sister Irven Lee celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. In an age in which marriage is held in such low esteem, their commitment to each other in marriage stands out in stark contrast. Not only have brother and sister Lee had a commitment to one another, both have made a deep and abiding commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. Brother Lee has been preaching the glorious gospel for fifty-five years, being ably assisted by his godly wife.

Their Family

Brother and sister Lee’s family commends their life of devotion to God. They have two daughters, both of whom married preachers. Judy is married to Wayne Moore who teaches school and preaches at the New Georgia congregation in Anderson, Alabama. Their daughter Sandra is married to Bob Waldron who preaches for the Westview congregation in Hanceville, Alabama. Sandra has written one of the books in the revised literature of Walking With God and she and her husband have written a book on Bible history and geography which is enjoying a good circulation and use as an adult Bible study book.

The Knollwood congregation in Dayton, Ohio invited brother Lee to speak on “Good Homes In A Wicked World” while Ron Halbrook and I were working there. He spoke to the entire congregation in the evenings and sister Lee spoke to the ladies during the mornings. In one sermon he was emphasizing the need for spankings in correcting children. What he said impressed me enough that I think I can repeat it nearly verbatim.

Mrs. Lee does not like for me to use this illustration. The Scriptures teach that a man will not harm his own flesh. (At this point, he raised his right leg and struck it about four times with the palm of his hand.) That did not. do any serious damage to my leg. Do you think that you are going to seriously harm your child physically by doing the same thing to his back side?

I am confident that this kind of common sense and biblical approach in the family has created an atmosphere in which God-fearing children and grandchildren could be produced.

Preaching God’s Word

Brother Lee could have worked with many of the large congregations across America. However, he has not generally chosen to do so. In a recent conversation, he said something to the effect that he was only asked to preach in little congregations which had recently divided, or in congregations which were just beginning. While I am confident he has been asked to preach at many large congregations, brother Lee has spent his energies in working with small, struggling congregations, many of which had a long history of problems.

His energy humbles me. I come home from Lord’s day worn out. Brother Lee preached for more than one congregation on many Lord’s days, journeying in the afternoon to preach with some small group needing his help. Even now, he drives several miles, from Athens to Arab, Alabama in order to preach each Lord’s day.

Here is a summary of his work in preaching as recounted for us by his daughter Sandra Waldron:

1934-1936 – Attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Taught part time at David Lipscomb High School. Drove to small congregations around Poole and Dixon, Kentucky, taking other young preachers with him to speak at various places.

1936-1941 – Valdosta, Georgia. Principle of Dasher Bible School. Preached at Dasher congregation two years, then began working to establish new congregations or helping little, sick congregations in the area.

1941-1942 – Trenton, Florida Preached at Trenton and at little or new places in North Florida.

1942-1947 – Athens, Alabama. President of Athens Bible School as it began. Supported by Market Street congregation to work with new or sick congregations in Limestone County.

1947-1951 – Florence, Alabama. President of Mars Hill Bible School as it began. Preached at Killen congregation and helped begin new works.

1951-1953 – Chattanooga, Tennessee. Intending to be president of the Chattanooga Bible School that was beginning, but withdrew before it began because the board members wanted to accept funds from churches. Preached at East Ridge congregation and helped start new works.

1953-1957 – Athens, Decatur, and Trinity, Alabama. Taught at Athens Bible School, served as Acting-President one year. Preached at small places around Athens; moved to work with Grant Street congregation, was soon fired over the institutional problems; supported by Somerville Road congregation to work with small congregations in Morgan County – particularly the one at Trinity just out of Decatur.

1957-1963 – Russellville, Alabama. Preached at Washington Avenue and helped start new works.

1963-1968 – Jasper, Alabama. Preached at North Jasper congregation as it was beginning, and helped start new works in Walker County.

1968-1981 – Hartselle, Alabama. Preached at the Westview congregation and helped start works in the area. He had his heart attack in May 1974, followed by heart surgery in the fall, and then pneumonia. By the spring of 1975, he was preaching again and even going to meetings. In the spring of 1977, his son-in-law Bob Waldron moved to Westview to take his place so he could retire. Instead, he began working with the little Midway congregation out of Florence, Alabama and began accepting more and more meetings every year. One year (1979), he held 44 meetings. He and sister Lee would be gone 6 to 8 weeks at a time, going from Florida to West Virginia to Ohio.

1981-1986 – Athens, Alabama. lie moved to Athens and began preaching for the Jennings Chapel congregation. Finally, he retired again. He is living in Athens, driving to Arab (about an hour’s drive) each weekend to work with the small group there. In addition, he holds about one meeting per month – and spends the rest of the time grieving that he no longer has the health to do more work!

During his lifetime, brother Lee has taught school for twenty years in various Bible schools, fourteen of which he served as president or principal of the school. In his preaching, he has helped establish thirty new congregations. He has been one to take true joy in going into tiny, sick congregations that every one else had given up on and reviving them. He preached on the radio daily for many years. He has averaged twelve or more meetings every year since he began preaching, no matter how busy he was with other jobs. Sister Waldron wrote,

He has marveled at young preachers who say they have never been asked to hold meetings, because he has held so many of his in tents, under the shade of some trees, or in some empty building in some community that he found that did not already have a congregation of the Lord’s people. Or he has gone to some sick little group that has not had a meeting in ten years and announced that he is starting a meeting next Monday night. Of course, practically all such meetings were without pay – or if he were paid, he put the entire amount back in the collection the next Sunday to help the little church’s finances. I do not believe there has ever been a more unselfish man in the Lord’s work.

How many fathers have this kind of respect from their children?

Spreading The Gospel Through The Printed Page

Brother and sister Lee have been partners in spreading the gospel via the printed page. Sister Lee has written two popular children’s Bible story books entitled Mrs. Lee’s Stories About Jesus and Mrs. Lee’s Stories About God’s First People. She wrote two books for ladies Bible classes entitled Old Testament Women and New Testament Women. In addition to that, she wrote eight books of the beginner section of Use Your Bible Workbooks.

Brother Lee has written Preaching in a Changing World, Good Homes In A Wicked World, and God Hath Spoken. Recently he published another paperback entitled Things That Make For Peace. In addition to that, he has written several good tracts, including “Preparation For Marriage” and “A Friendly Letter on Benevolence,” and booklets, including “Do All Roads Lead To Heaven?” and “Money: Earning and Spending It.” He has been a frequent contributor to various periodicals, including editing Sword of Peace in the early 1960s, and has been a staff writer for Guardian of Truth since 1979.

A Gentleman

Brother Lee is known for his calm-spoken manner. Let me hasten to add, however, that one should not confuse this with spinelessness. He is willing to directly confront an issue, doing so in such a manner that his love for the souls of men is evident. I recently heard him preach on a controversial list of subjects in one sermon. He spoke on using tobacco, social drinking, dancing, immodest dress, the need for forbearance on personal issues (such as wearing the covering), and other lively issues. Though he pressed his points, I did not sense that anyone present was angered by his pointed message. He has the unique ability to preach without making enemies through his manner of presentation.

Some people might mistaken brother Lee’s mild manner for softness. When the Grant Street congregation in Decatur, Alabama was going liberal, brother Lee was trying to prevent their apostasy. Shortly after that, brother Lee was in a meeting at Kansas City, Missouri with the O.C. Birdwell, Jr. family. Sister Frances Birdwell said, “Brother Lee, they are saying that you got sarcastic at Grant Street.” Brother Lee replied, “Brother Lee did get sarcastic at Grant Street.” Like the Savior, brother Lee recognized that there is a time for strong language.

Conclusion

As the Lee’s reach and pass the milestone of their fiftieth wedding anniversary and fifty-years in gospel preaching, I am confident that some of their friends would like to send them their warmest greetings. You may address them at P.O. Box 214, Athens, AL 35611.

May God send us more Christians such as brother and sister Irven Lee!

Guardian of Truth XXX: 9, pp. 272, 274
May 1, 1986

By Don Givens

The life of the child of God is not free of hardship, trial, and tribulation, but it is, by far, the best life one can live. Your neighbors, in this secular, fleshly-oriented world, may doubt and deny such a statement, but in view of “the end of the pathway” it is gloriously true.

Take Moses as an example. Of course Moses was not a “Christian” since he lived before Christ, but he is a splendid example of why you and I should live the life of obedience today. Hebrews 11:24-26 vividly explains how Moses chose to suffer with the people of God rather than enjoy the “pleasures of sin for a season.” Moses accounted the treasures of Egypt worthless and took instead the reproach of scoffers with the children of God. Why? Was Moses a fool for so doing?

Why would Moses leave all the vast treasure and luxury of Egypt in order to suffer with the people of the Lord God? Would you have done what Moses did? When we answer these penetrating questions we will also have answered why individuals today become Christians and suffer for Jesus. The latter part of Hebrews 11:26 is our answer: “for he looked unto the recompense of reward.”

Yes, Moses chose to suffer as a child of God because he saw the end result of this life of righteousness compared with the end result of the wicked and pleasurable life of sin. What is the end result of the pathway you are now traveling? Though we may enjoy “pleasures of sin for a season,” eternal condemnation awaits such at the end of that pathway (Rev. 21:8). But the end of the journey for the faithful Christian is a mansion in the Father’s house (Jn. 14:13; Rev. 22:14).

It is the same today as it was during the time of Moses. Obey God and be blessed; disobey God and be damned. Individuals become and remain loyal children of God because they can look to the end result of this blessed life contrasted with the final result of a life of unbelief and disobedience (Rom. 6:23).

The father in heaven wants every sinner to become His child through gospel obedience. He desires none to perish, but all to come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). Only as a Christian can one give glory to God. There is only one way to eternal life and that is Jesus (Jn. 14:6) and when I follow Jesus I will willingly submit to His Word (Lk. 6:46).

May we all with unfeigned faith look for “the city which hath the foundations, whose builder and maker is God” and yearningly “desire a better country, that is, a heavenly” (Heb. 11:10,16). What is it all about? Heaven. . . at the end of the pathway. “Make your calling and election sure” (2 Pet. 1:10) because eternity is getting closer with every breath you take.

Guardian of Truth XXX: 9, p. 275
May 1, 1986