Truth Magazine

By Frank Jamerson

When we think of attendance, we usually think about bodily presence. Though this is involved, the Bible includes much more than that in the use of this word.

The word prosecho appears twenty-four times in the New Testament and is defined by W.E. Vine as: “to take heed, give heed, is said of the priests who ‘gave attendance at the altar,’ Heb. 7:13. It suggests devotion of thought and effort to a thing.” It is translated by the English words: “attend to, be given to, beware, give attendance, give heed, have regard, and take heed.”

The queen of Sheba went to observe the wisdom and wealth of Solomon. “And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, and the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her” (2 Chron. 9:3,4). The “attendance” of Solomon’s ministers surely involved more than their physical presence. She was impressed with their actions, their devotion.

The Hebrew writer, in discussing the priesthood, said: “For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood” (Heb. 7:12-14). The priests who “gave attendance” at the altar, did not simply stand near-by. They served, or devoted themselves to offering sacrifices.

Paul admonished the young preacher Timothy to “let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (1 Tim. 4:12, 13). Again, the word “attendance” means more than bodily presence. He was to devote his attention to, to concentrate upon, the word of God.

We often wonder why those who have been exposed to so much Bible teaching can remain so ignorant of truth. It may be that they have not really been in “attendance” at all! Physical presence and lack of devotion are often found in the same person.

What do visitors see when they look at our “attendance”? Are they impressed with our devotion, as the Queen of Sheba was with the “attendance” of the ministers of Solomon? More importantly, what does God see when He observes our “attendance”? Are we simply present in body, or are we really in attendance?

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 22, p. 690
November 21, 1985

By Raymond Harris

It is truly the folly of follies to suppose that there will be no resurrection, no judgment, and no eternal life.

In John 5:28-29, Jesus said, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in 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.”

Hence, you cannot change reality either by disbelief or self-deception! “. . . it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment.” Jesus said,” When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the Holy Angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations; and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats; and He shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left” (Matt. 25:31-33). And in Rev. 20:13-15, the Apostle John wrote, “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, everyone of them according to their deeds. And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (N.A.S.V.)

My friend, life is short, death is sure, and eternity is certain. Today is the day of God’s mercy, grace, and salvation! God has done His part to make your salvation possible. Now it is up to you. What is the condition of your soul?

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 22, p. 691
November 21, 1985

By Wayne S. Walker

Permit me to tell you the true story of a lady of my acquaintance who is, or was, a member of the Lord’s body. I know she was a member of the church because I baptized her into Christ the very first Sunday I preached for a congregation with which I formerly worked. Both of her parents and her brother had obeyed the gospel before her, continue to be faithful Christians, and are still good friends of mine. When she responded to the invitation, she had already married a man who was not a child of God and had a couple of children, but this did not seem to interfere with her being regular in her attendance.

After I left the church, she decided to identify with another congregation closer to her home for convenience sake. She even asked that I write a letter to the brethren informing them that she had been baptized and was a member in good standing for the congregation where she had been worshiping. Health problems of her own and those of her children made attendance difficult on occasion. But the last time I talked with her she seemed to be very happy where she was. And the brethren there spoke well of her.

However, I recently had opportunity to speak one night for that congregation in a lecture-type meeting. When I asked the local evangelist how my friend was doing, I was quite shocked when he responded that she was now going to a Catholic church! Several brethren had been to visit her. When the preacher talked to her, he pointed out that she had not been raised to believe that way. Her reply was, “That is what I believe now.” Members of her own family have even pleaded with her but apparently it has all been to no avail. At this writing, the church is contemplating disciplinary action against her.

Why would a seemingly faithful Christian with years of background “in the church” do such a thing? I do not know enough about all the details of the situation to answer that question with any degree of assurance. But I do know that her mother-in-law was a strong Catholic and her husband was raised as a Catholic. Sometimes the pressure just becomes so strong that it seems easier to give up than to continue fighting. That may have happened in this case and her faith was not strong enough to resist. Someday she may, like the prodigal son, come to herself, repent of her error, and be restored to the Lord. But by that time, her now small children may grow up, marry Catholics themselves, remain in error for the rest of their lives, and be lost eternally. Such will be a source of great grief to her.

May I take this as an opportunity to encourage every young person who is a Christian to marry a child of God. Experience testifies to the wisdom of this course of action. Either marry someone who is already a faithful member of the Lord’s church or else make sure that your prospective mate obeys the gospel before you agree to wed. Not long ago a man wrote to Ann Landers saying that he had married a smoker whom he thought he could persuade to quit. After nineteen years of marriage, she smokes more than ever. Ann replied, “If something bothers you during courtship, it will become unbearable after marriage. ” What you cannot do before the wedding you are unlikely to accomplish afterwards.

The same is true in religion. “If you marry a child of the devil, you are bound to have trouble with your father-in-law. ” Or, as the example cited shows, you may end up losing your own faith as a result. You may retort, “Oh, that will never happen to me.” It has happened to others who undoubtedly said the same thing. “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). Please, do not take a chance with the souls of your possible children, your spouse, and yourself. Make sure that your home is united in Christ. This is the best way to avoid innumerable problems and the only way to have the hope of being together in eternity.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 22, p. 687
November 21, 1985

By Larry Ray Halfey

Our Lord never doubted or denied the Old Testament “the scripture,” said He, “cannot be broken” (Jn. 10:35). His appeal to Moses and the prophets was constant and consistent with His confidence in them. Our Savior leaned on “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” during His debate with the devil. “It is written” was His answer to “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” (Matt. 4:4 & Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:7 & Deut. 6:16; Matt. 4:10 & Deut. 6:13). For Jesus, “What is written in the law?” was the answer of God.

Anyone, therefore, who claims to be a Christian but who questions the authenticity, veracity and integrity of the Old Testament is challenging the knowledge and faith of the Lord. To do so is to cast a pall of doubt over the Lord’s Godhood. Since the Lord Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God, the anointed Savior and appointed Judge of the world, the Old Testament is the very word of God. You cannot claim Jesus as your inviolate Lord without acclaiming the Old Testament as the infallible word. “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words” (Jn. 5:46, 47).

References to Old Testament Events

Jesus specifically alluded to several Old Testament events and characters. He fully accepted their reality and historicity. A few are listed below.

(1) Solomon’s wealth – Matt. 6:28, 29; 12:42; 1 Kings 3:13; 10: 1-23.

(2) Solomon & Queen of Sheba – Matt. 12:42; 1 Kings 10.

(3) Jonah, Fish & Nineveh – Matt. 12:39-41; Jonah.

(4) David & Shewbread – Matt. 12:3, 4; 1 Sam. 21:6.

(5) Noah & Flood – Matt. 24:36-39; Gen. 6 & 7.

(6) Lot and Sodom – Lk. 17:28, 29; Gen. 19:24, 25.

(7) Lot’s Wife – Lk. 17:32; Gen. 19:26.

(8) Adam, Eve, Marriage, Creation – Matt. 19:4, 5; Gen. 1:27; 2:24.

(9) Serpent of Brass – Jn. 3:14-16; Num. 21:4f.

(10) Moses & Manna – Jn. 6:32, 49; Ex. 16:15.

(11) Elijah & Drought – Lk. 4:25; 1 Kings 17: 1.

(12) Elijah & Widow – Lk. 4:26; 1 Kings 17:9f.

(13) Elisha & Naarnan – Lk. 4:27; 2 Kings 5.

(14) Abel’s murder – Matt. 23:35; Gen. 4.

(15) Tyre & Sidon – Matt. 11:21; Ezek. 26-28.

(16) Moses & Burning Bush – Lk. 20:37; Ex. 3:1-6.

(17) Abraham, Isaac, Jacob & Prophets – Lk. 13:28; Gen.

(18) Patriarchs, Moses & circumcision – Jn. 7:22; Gen. 17; Lev. 12:3.

Were these people and events actual or imaginary? Were they fact or fantasy? Jesus thought and taught that they were real. Was He wrong? Was He mistaken? Was He deceived? God forbid! However, He was in error if the persons above never existed or if they (having existed) never did what the Lord said they did. One cannot have it both ways. To debunk these Old Testament accounts is to dethrone our Lord, deny His Sonship and destroy all hope for life and immortality. Without Jesus, we will all die in our sins and be lost forever and ever, world without end. So, the skeptic may scorn and scoff, the mocker may murmur and malign, but the word of the Lord endureth forever. The Old Testament is the word of God as Jesus is the Son of God. The empty tomb of Joseph of Arimathea establishes both facts.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 22, p. 681
November 21, 1985