Truth Magazine

By Jimmy Tuten

Throughout the brotherhood there is an excessive, persistent enthusiasm for the positive. We are witnessing the philosophy of a popular song of a few years ago: “Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.” While this is an utter impossibility even in the area of religion, it has resulted in the kind of preaching that can be best labeled warmed over pablum. Some preachers have become time-servers and crowd pleasers who act more like public relations men and pep-rally enthusiasts than the preachers they ought to be. Bible preaching has been replaced by hirelings who are afraid and refuse to fight the error that they know exists in the congregations where they preach. The blind lead the blind and together they go tripping into hell. The church is in a crisis and she needs men who will make God’s will and way clear in an age of foggy, unclear thoughts and ideals. God’s Word is indeed clear, plain, aggressive and logical. It is not myopic or mysterious. We must speak in love, but we must speak all the truth, and only the truth in love. Failure to do this has contributed to the present rise in the pseudo unity movements, such as the Joplin, Missouri meeting of recent months. If brethren were preaching Ephesians 4:3-6 like it ought to be preached instead of the insipid indefiniteness so often heard, the unity-in-diversity business would not be gaining ground. Mergers involving the Church of Christ and. Christian Church where the instrument is used the first fifteen minutes and excluded during the rest of the service would not take place (The Flint Journal, Flint, Mich. [9/3/831).

Can one stand for what is right and at the same time not stand against what is wrong? Some think so and are taking no outward stand against error while they harbor an inward loyalty to truth. We have a generation of preachers who cannot stand the spotlight of disdain, so they take a nothing negative, nothing controversial, stance in the pulpit. This “for nothing” and “against nothing” mania is not a for-the-Lord position (Matt. 12:30). We sing, “Who is on the Lord’s side, Master, here am I,” not realizing that a “here am V is involved and requires a commitment. If Elijah were to stand in our midst today he would cry aloud: “how long halt ye between two opinions.”

Preaching of the Word of Gd requires that the heart be touched, the conscience pricked, that men be built up and that there be a “root up and destroy” evil, error and untruth thrust. Simply said, it is time we did some stepping on toes regardless of the cries of horror. If we are true to the Book, we will do it! Can one preach the whole counsel and do less? I think not (2 Tim. 4:1-6; Acts 20:27)!

When will we learn that one cannot stand for what is right and be passive for what is wrong? King David stood for what is right even in his personal imperfections. He acknowledged his sins, sought forgiveness and cried, “I hate every false way” (Psa. 119:104). He could not be for what was right while not being against what was wrong. If we are what we claim to be, we today will cease trying to stand for truth and be passive regarding error at the same time. We must deal with the negative and the controversial, whatever be the cost. The principle of warning the wicked of the error of his way is as true today as it ever has been (Ezek. 3:18-19). How can a gospel preacher hold his peace and find rest while attempting to middle-the-road it? Shades of “curse Ye Meroz” (Judg. 5:23).

According to Judges, the people Israel had forsaken God and were chastened by Him. Jabin, king of Canaan had sent forth his army under Sisera to do battle against Israel. In penitence Israel cried out unto God and He gave them victory under Barak. But the people of Meroz; took no part in the conflict. They could have helped Israel with telling effect. In assigning a reason for the curse of the inhabitants of Meroz the Bible says: “because they came not to the help of Jehovah, to the help of Jehovah against the mighty.” They had refused to help God’s people and this amounted to refusing to help God. Some of God’s people today are fighting for their spiritual lives and there are hordes of brethren who come not to their aid. James says, “To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (Jas. 4:17). Whenever we preachers are able to minister to the weakest of congregations and do it not, we fail to minister to God and His Son (Matt. 25:40). Again, I ask, how can ye do nothing? How can we be indifferent and inactive? The inhabitants of Meroz were cursed for doing nothing!

That God wants us to be watchful and to guard against all error and wrong doing is obvious to all who know and accept the Scriptures. The need for watchfulness is greater than ever (Rev. 3:2; 1 Tim. 6:20). Away with the babblings about “keepers of orthodoxy,” “guardians” and “negativism.” We are to be guardians and keepers of truth (Phil. 1:17). There are those who will criticize you for so doing, but they are oblivious to their self-contradiction as they criticize critics, judge those who pronounce righteous judgment, and guard against those who would guard truth and right.

Are you against the wrong and for the right? Or do you go along with the crowd? Most of us stand for something, but what do we oppose? Will we continue to do nothing about the ills in the church?

The story is told of a godless man who was for years the scandal of his town. People had come to think of him as an atheist and a servant of the devil. This embittered him all the more. When he died and his will was read, there was a provision in it that his fifty-five acre farm was to “go to the devil.” His lawyer did not know how to carry out that wish, and so he did nothing. Years went by before the lawyer decided that he would drive out to the farm and took it over. When he arrived, he was startled by a scene of bleak desolation. Fences were down, the house had fallen in, the equipment had rusted away and the fields were covered with weeds. He decided that his obligation to the old man had been fulfilled. By doing nothing, he had let the farm go to the devil.

There is a lesson in this for us!

Guardian of Truth XXX: 8, pp. 238-239
April 17, 1986

By Raymond E. Harris

The foregoing seems to be the attitude of many today. Such a flippant, devil may care, attitude betrays either ignorance or self-deception and hardness of heart.

In John 5:28-29, Jesus said, “. . . the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

In Matthew 25, we find Jesus setting forth over and over the great contrast between the final state of the saved and the lost. The first of these accounts is in Matthew 25:1-13. Those that were unprepared for the Lord’s return were rejected with the brief and dreadful statement, “Verily I say unto you, I know you not.”

In Matthew 25:14-30, the “wicked and slothful servant” is sentenced with this blood-chilling declaration, “and cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

And in the last part of the chapter (Matt. 25:31-46) those portrayed as selfish, insensitive or “just too busy” to be concerned with others are scalded with the pronouncement “Department from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire: prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Hence, no teaching of the Bible is any more emphatic then that which says that the sinful, the wicked and the disobedient will be separated from God and punished eternally.

Consider the statement of John found in Revelation 20:12-15: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of these things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and Hell (Hades, the spirit world, R.E.H.) delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death (separation, R.E.H.). And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Some perhaps have never considered the desperate and hopeless state of being eternally separated from God. None of us has ever existed a moment outside God’s mercy and grace. He continues to send the sunshine, the rain, and all man’s needs upon the just and the unjust. But, one day that will all cease. The redeemed will enjoy God’s presence and His blessings forever. But what of the lost! They will be eternally separated from God’s presence, love, mercy, grace and care. To reject and disobey God will bring his eternal justice – damnation!

There will be no light-hearted, sarcastic jesting about God in the everlasting confines of Hell. Just pain, weeping, despair and regret!

Repent or perish! Turn or burn!

Guardian of Truth XXX: 8, p. 243
April 17, 1985

By Morris Hafley

We have left the holidays behind us, the days of “Season’s Greetings,” and we now come to the days we could call “Season’s Meetings.” It is the time when you hear Christians say, “You could attend a meeting somewhere every night for weeks.” This is especially true for those who live near or in a large city. However, most Christians are satisfied to attend their meeting and never encourage themselves or others by taking advantage of the opportunity to worship with sister congregations.

While living in Indianapolis and attending meetings held there, we knew who we would see from other churches – always the same faces. These brethren worked six days a week, had children that “had school tomorrow” and somehow still managed to survive. Some of these brethren did not get home in time to eat supper with their families. They ate when they got home at ten o’clock. Can you imagine someone loving the Lord so much that they would miss a meal to hear His word (Mt. 5:6)?

If you don’t know where the building is located, a simple phone call will take care of that excuse.

Your children will survive if they miss an hour or two of sleep, believe me. Let one of the “precious memories” of their childhood be the many times that Mom and Dad took them to meetings. The blessings you will reap from attending these meetings will continue to come. You will gain knowledge from listening to men who are not preaching a diluted doctrine but the pure will of God. You will see men and women baptized into Christ. You “make friends of God’s children.” Your children will see other children their age being faithful to God, which will encourage them.

When the statement is made that “we just don’t have meetings like we used to” reflection is sometimes cast on the preaching in that preachers just don’t preach like they used to. Could the problem also be that we just don’t attend them like we used to? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to worship God with standing room only crowds? Of course it would but that will take the effort of all. Please don’t say, “They didn’t attend our meeting so we aren’t going to theirs. ” That is like the boy who said, “I’ll show that old teacher. I just won’t study for his test.”

Brethren, may we begin to see how blessed we are. Those of you who attend meetings can take someone with you who doesn’t usually go. Let them see what they are missing. Those of you who don’t go, start. Let us have meetings like we “used to.”

Guardian of Truth XXX: 8, p. 235
April 17, 1986

By Tom Roberts

Introduction: A common object is often taken as “commonplace” while it actually has tremendous importance in life. Such an object is salt. As a preservative, its use from ancient to modern times is constant. Jesus used its importance to illustrate a spiritual principle about righteousness (Mt. 5:13; Mk. 9:50; Lk. 14:34).

A. We are the salt of the earth (Mt. 5).

B. We are to have salt in us – Mk. 9 (equate with righteousness).

C. If not, worthless; be cast out (Lk. 14).

D. Point of lesson: Christians must have a vital use in society beyond raising moral standards. That which “preserves” us (righteousness) also serves to preserve a nation (Prov. 14:34).

E. God decides when a nation rises or falls (Acts 17:26; Obadiah).

I. Examples.

A. Gen. 6:5-8 – Flood.

1. Noah – an heir of righteousness by faith (Heb. 11:7).

2. Not enough righteous people to save world.

B. Gen. 15:16 – Amorites.

1. God promised Canaan to Abram.

2. Delayed giving it to him for 400 years.

3. “Iniquity of Amorites not yet full.”

C. Gen. 18:23-33 – Sodom and Gomorrah.

1. Note v. 25: “God of all the earth” – not a tribal deity.

2. Ten righteous people would have changed that nation’s history.

3. The power of a righteous life is obvious when viewed from God’s perspective.

D. Israel.

1. Amos 7:7-17; 8:1-7.

2. A plumb line of righteousness will be the standard as with Israel.

3. They were not fit to remain in the land.

E. Judah – 135 years later.

1. Jer. 1:9-10, 13-19.

2. The Holy City was destitute of righteous people even as “worship” continued.

F. Jerusalem – 70 A.D.

1. Mt. 23:29-36.

2. Mt. 24:15-28.

II. Application.

A. We can not know with surety where God will draw the line.

1. Eight not enough in Noah’s day; 10 would have been enough for Sodom.

2. What is the bottom line for a nation like America?

3. What about the church? When will God remove a candlestick (Rev. 2:5)?

B. God still respects the righteous man (Jas. 5:16).

C. What is your influence in the home? church? nation?

Guardian of Truth XXX: 8, pp. 10-11
April 17, 1986