Truth Magazine

By Don R. Hastings

The Bible is a remarkable Book in many ways, not the least of which is the way it always presents the unvarnished truth. If it were merely a human production, the sordid details of how Peter, one of the Lord’s closest disciples who actually wrote part of the Bible, denied the Lord, would never have been recorded. We read about Peter’s denial in Mark 14:53, 54, 66-72; Luke 22:54-62; Matthew 26:69-75. To deny the Lord is a grievous sin (1 Tim. 2:12; Mt. 10:33; 2 Pet. 2:1). If Peter, an apostle who loved the Lord could deny Him, certainly, we are in danger, also. Hence, we need to be on guard and profit by taking notice of the mistakes he made that led to his denial.

He Contradicted Jesus – He Did It After Boasting That He Would Not (Mark 14:26-31)

We have no trouble seeing the faults and failings of others, do we? But, somehow, we think it can never happen to us! We see others leave the true church to go into digression and denominationalism, or indifference, but say, “Not us.” We see others as they turn back to the ways of the world, but say, “Not us.” We see others completely lose their faith, but say, “It’ll never happen to us.”

Resolution is a good thing, but overconfidence in our own strength is dangerous (1 Cor. 10:12; Gal. 6:1-3). Recognition of our own weaknesses will lead us: (1) To be more vigilant (1 Pet. 5:8); (2) To be more constant in prayer (Mt. 6:13; Mk. 14:38); (3) To rely more heavily on the Lord (2 Cor. 12:10; Eph. 6:10-18).

He Overestimated His Own Strength

When The Devil’s Forces Approached, Peter Relied On The Wrong Defense (Jn. 18:10; Mt. 26:52)

Carnal defenses cannot sustain us against the devil’s attack (Eph. 6:12). No sword, or gun, or missile, can drive him off. No material building, or any place, is so “sacred” he will not invade it. No amount of carnal wealth can buy hm off. The only weapon to put the devil to flight is the word of God (Eph. 6:17). David described it in Psalm 119:11, and Jesus in Matthew 4.

Many times we falter and fail because we don’t know what is written (Hos. 4:6). We can’t get by with reason and logic with the devil. Hence, we need to study the Bible. In recent years, I have watched brethren who used to thrill to gather for a study of the Bible with a men’s training class, a ladies Bible class, or a gospel meeting, etc., but now have pushed it to the side as they give in to demanding, hectic schedules. A lack of spiritual study is starving their souls. Denial is right around the corner for some more of my beloved brethren. Be on guard. Is this possibly happening to you, or your family?

Walked Too Far Away In The Time Of Crisis,

Peter Followed The Lord “Afar Off”

Peter had followed closely at first (Mt. 4:18-20; 19:27; etc.). This is generally true with new converts today. Do you remember how it was with you?

But, then the time of crisis came (as it always does) for those who follow the Lord (Jn. 15:20; 2 Tim. 3:12; Jas. 1:2-4; 1 Pet. 4:12-16). The crisis may come in different forms (Jas. 1:2). It may come from different sources – within and without.

Peter did not completely desert at this point, but followed “afar off.” So do many today. Some plan not to get too close to the Lord and His cause. Others follow so far off that they lose sight of the Lord and the distinctiveness of His doctrine (Jas. 4:8). Ever heard Rodney Miller preach? He describes it as something like this, “Christianity has about the same effect on many brethren as a bad case of the ‘flu.’ We come in the door of the building and sit as far toward the back as possible, sing as slowly as possible, go to sleep as soon as possible, and leave as fast as possible. Who do we think we can infect with this kind of ‘Christianity’?” Why don’t you want to be as close to the Lord as possible?

He Associated With The Wrong People

Peter Tried To Be Neutral (Jn. 18:15-18)

Notice how this comes about. He did not flee to be with those who had forsaken the Lord. Neither did he stand with the Lord. But, he did stand at the devil’s fireside – which is where every “neutral” religionist stands today (Mt. 12:30)!

He Relied ON The Wrong Defense

He Though He Couldn’t Slip, But He Did

Like Peter, we need to forsake all and follow the Lord. We need to obey His gospel, and become His disciples (Mt. 28:19, 20). But, let us not make the mistakes of Peter that led to his denying the Lord. Cleave to the word – our only defense.

He Denied His Own Lord

When Peter denied his Lord, his moral character rapidly deteriorated. At first, Peter simply denied knowing Jesus and then denied with an oath. Finally, he began to curse and swear. His conduct was typical of what happens to a person’s moral character when he turns away from Jesus. Always keep your eyes on Jesus and walk as closely to Him as you possibly can. Don’t be a coward and lack courage to follow the Lord in word and deed. If we do stray, let us feel the same remorse as Peter and repent as he evidently did. Let us “weep bitterly”! God will forgive us!

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 8, pp. 230-245
April 18, 1985

By Irven Lee

Anything that troubles or harms the church in any community is serious because the Lord has a special work for His people to fulfill. The church cannot do its work properly if it uses its strength in fightings within its own ranks, while it defiles its image in the community. It is a grievous sin to crucify the Lord afresh and put Him to an open shame. Many churches are in trouble in this decade.

It is not a new thing for the church to be disturbed by sin within the camp. Corinth was bothered by factions, fornication, conflicts before the pagan courts, an unholy way of partaking of the Lord’s supper, jealousy over spiritual gifts, etc. Where is there a church with more problems today? They came behind in no gift and had great teaching, but there were many things to trouble them.

The church at Rome faced the task of maintaining unity among brethren who were from differing backgrounds. Some were from Jewish families while others were from pagan ancestors from many parts of the world. Notice the fourteenth chapter of Romans carefully. Often little things can cause big problems. Even economic, social, and racial differences have been known to disturb American churches. The Lord’s plan is for all of us to be one in Christ Jesus by working out the little conflicts and realizing that we are all one under God. With Him there is no respect of persons.

When members or the church in a given community lose their zeal in reaching others they then concentrate in searching for the weaknesses in their brethren. They become professional critics of those who do try to save some. None is better at criticizing those who bear responsibility than those who do not take the lead in service.

The Gender Of Church Problems

We all know something about masculine, feminine, and neuter gender – men, women, and things. Things do not cause church problems. Men or women may mention things as they disturb the peace, but things of themselves do not cause trouble. Brethren can cause trouble over the color of the ceiling, but the paint is not the trouble maker. There may be sharp contention over the time of the night services or the time for a gospel meeting, but the clock and the calendar are not the guilty parties in such cases. Church problems are always either masculine or feminine in gender. They are never neuter.

Move The Preacher

Sinners who are embarrassed by the passages the preacher reads from the Bible think that asking the preacher to leave would take care of the problem. They seem to know that the Scripture passages cannot be removed. Removing the preacher might help because they may be able to get one in his place who would not read those passages.

A man who wants to make all decisions for the church will surely ask for a change of preachers if the preacher crosses him in any way. A man who must have his way does not want elders. He tells the group that if they get elders they will not be able to make the decisions. He may mean that he will not be able to make the decisions. It is amazing how one man can sometimes make the decisions while the whole group is sitting there in a “business meeting.”

It may be best to move the preacher. He may be the problem. Apostasy or digression may be promoted by the preacher. I suppose this is usually the way apostasy is promoted, with the help of a worldly faction. Worldliness and digressive doctrine usually come in the same package. Have you considered this fact?

Preachers may be very jealous and inclined to develop parties or factions that they can count on to say “yes” to what they preach. A preacher may be so spineless that he will not say 44yes” or “no” when there is a battle between truth and error. False doctrine can be brought in privily if preachers and elders will cover their eyes, ears, and mouths – like the three little monkeys that see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil. An unscriptural practice that is being promoted in an area conquers every church except where faithful men oppose it. Promoting it or ignoring it allows it to enter and take charge. Many problems have entered and destroyed churches (i.e., liberalism) while the members sat in ignorance and said, “Peace!, Peace!” Churches may employ weaklings to preach for a while and then employ false teachers while they still say, “We are not liberal.” It might be good to give the digressives all the preachers and elders who will not put on the whole armor and fight a good fight as good servants of the Lord ought to do. (Read Eph. 6:10-20; 1 Tim. 1:18, 19; 2 Tim. 4:1-5; Titus 1:9-14; Acts 20:29-3 1.) We owe a great debt to all disciples who will do all to stand, and then stand.

Arm Chair Preachers

There are peace loving brethren who suppose that teaching the whole counsel and rebuking sin will not strike fire. Their word to the preachers is that “it might be better for you to move on” if some are heard to complain. The Master Teacher was a man of sorrows and acquainted -with grief, but it was not because He preached the wrong doctrine, neither was it because He taught in a wrong manner. He was meek and lowly and spoke only the truth in love. He spoke the truth to sinners of various kinds including some robed hypocrites. He was not crucified because they misunderstood Him. They crucified Him because they did understand that He was talking to them about their sins.

The apostles were warned that they would not win a popularity contest (John 15:17-21; 16:1-4). They also learned by experience what it meant to be hated by the world (2 Cor. 11:20-23). Our Lord and the apostles gave warnings to us, “Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you for so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26). “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). Our Lord did not say, “Go into all the world and please every creature” (read Matt. 5:10-12; Acts 7:52).

Arm chair quarterbacks are referred to by coaches and players during football season, but not with respect. People watching a game on television often talk as if they could do much better than those very skilled athletes on the playing field. Some people sitting way back in the auditorium on padded pews are skilled in joining the professional critics in detecting all the preacher’s weak points. If somebody objects to the sermon, those whom I call “arm chair preachers” declare that the preacher must be at fault or there would have been no critics. All need to be skilled in discerning good and evil. Let each encourage the good influence and restrain the evil influence whether it is in the pew or in the pulpit. Do not encourage the preacher to move on if the special error or trouble maker sits in the pew. Arm chair preachers seldom suggest that the critic, who objects to the good, move on for the sake of peace. Moves are not necessary. Correction and repentance are much better at solving problems. Give your right hand of fellowship to the one who is standing for right. Call for repentance for one who objects to the right or presents evil.

“Good” Trouble Makers

There are a few men who attend regularly, maintain high moral standards, and do many deeds of kindness who have a feeling that none knows how to be preachers, elders, or any other special servant in the Lord’s church. Such men can see the faults of others, but they cannot see their own, egotism or over confidence in their own judgment. Some seem to feel that their own judgments are the only ones that are always right.

There are a few devout people who make laws for the Lord and seek to enforce these laws. Some have described men like this as men who stand so straight they lean backwards. These devout people convince themselves that their judgments are actually the will of God. They may overlook generic authority and suppose that a thing is wrong unless there is an example of it in Scripture. The Lord may teach u His will without using certain examples. These devout men are causing many churches to be seriously troubled. The Christ loves the church, and He does not want these misled men to disturb and hinder His people. Many who think they see problems may be the problems themselves.

Be Careful

The Master was a great teacher, and His doctrine furnishes us completely to every good work. All of us need to be careful lest we become problems. We need to contend earnestly for the faith, but we must not just be contentious for some hobby of our own. Let us first examine ourselves to see that we are in the faith and walking by faith. We may then press toward the goal with firmness of purpose and reasonableness of mind.

The Lord’s disciples are to be separate from the world, so they are not the greatest at celebrating “brotherhood week” when all denominations may say, “We are all one.” But the true men of God are not to sow discord among brethren. Being a worthy peace maker is not the same as saying, “Peace! peace!” when there is no peace.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 7, pp. 205-206
April 4, 1985

By Hoyt H. Houchen

Question: Can you please explain Matthew 12:43-45?

Reply: Jesus was speaking to the scribes and Pharisees in the verses under consideration. These verses will be easier understood when we consider the context; but first, let us read them. “But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and findeth it not. Then he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this evil generation.”

While Jesus was upon earth, there were evil spirits which took possession of men’s hearts. There were occasions when Jesus cast them out (see Matt. 4:24; Mk. 1:34; etc.). The Pharisees accepted the fact that Jesus did this; but they claimed that He did it, not by the power of God but by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of the demons. Jesus refuted their claim by reasoning that if he were casting out demons by the prince of demons, then Satan’s kingdom would be divided against itself and brought to desolation. It could not stand. This was an obvious fact.

Jesus described the unclean spirit going out of the man and not finding rest, returning to the house to find it empty. He then took with himself seven other spirits, more evil than himself, to enter the empty house and dwell in it. When evil spirits were cast out, they inhabited dry places. The Jews, Arabs, Egyptians and others believed that deserts were the haunts of evil spirits.

Our Lord clearly applied the empty house occupied by evil spirits to that present generation. He had denounced that generation by declaring that the men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with it and condemn it, because they had repented at the preaching of Jonah (v. 41). Also, the queen of the south would rise up in the judgment and condemn it (v. 42). Then He related the incident of the restless unclean spirit and his return with seven other spirits more evil, who dwelt in the empty house (w. 43-45). He concluded the narrative with the words: Even so shall it be also unto this evil generation.

The meaning of verses 43-45 is clear. Israel had rejected the message of both John the Baptist and Jesus. Their hearts were represented by the empty house. They had not replaced their hearts with good – they were empty. Because of their failure to acknowledge and accept Christ, their hearts were represented as being occupied with evil spirits worse than the first. Having learned the truth, they were in worse condition.

Emptiness is an evil, and as it was the problem of Israel during the time that Jesus was on earth, so it is today. Many have hearts which are empty because they have not accepted the gospel of their salvation, and having not filled their hearts with good are now worse off than when they first heard the truth. Many allow their lives to remain empty.

Brethren are often guilty of the evil of emptiness. They suppose they are growing wings because there are so many things that they do not do. They dote on the fact that they are doing no harm; but when those things are added up that they are not doing, their service to God and others is a total blank. A string of zeros total up to zero. We are not only to be good but we must also do good.

The evil of emptiness is emphasized over and over in the Bible. Jesus cursed the fig tree because it was barren, nothing being found on it but leaves (Matt. 21:19). It represented Israel which had produced no fruit. John the Baptist declared that every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire (Matt. 3: 10). The man who received the one talent (Matt. 25) was given a scathing rebuke upon the return of his master (vv. 26-30), not because he wasted the talent in riotous living, not because he used it to pervert justice, not because he had used it for gambling, not because he lost it, but because he buried it; he simply did not use it.

The only cure for the empty head is fullness. Error must be replaced by the truth. Lives must be filled and made complete by faithful obedience and service to God. The story Jesus related does have an application to us today.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 7: p. 197
April 4, 1985

By Peter McPherson

The “Western Reserve” is rich in early “Restoration” history. Walter Scott preached throughout this area in the early 1800’s. Churches were established in New Lisbon (now Lisbon), Warren, Youngstown, Sharon, (PA ), Salem and in many other places. Nearly all of these churches fell into digression ranging from the extreme modernism of the Disciples of Christ denomination to the somewhat less liberalism of the Christian Church. In some of these localities, sound churches of Christ were established over the years and, as history so often repeats itself, they too accepted centralized cooperative machinery and human institutions to do the work of the local church: thus “liberal” churches of Christ resulted. But once again in some of these areas doctrinally sound congregations have been planted and Salem is just one such place.

In 1962 Bill Wallace helped to start a congregation here in Salem. Bill only stayed two months. For three years the church here struggled to grow by the help of “appointment speakers” from other places (mostly Akron). Preachers that followed to date are Billy Farris, Jim Loved, Marvin Noble, Larry Chaffin, Morris Hafley and myself.

From meeting in an old budding on 2nd St. (which they literally outgrew), they moved into a lovely new meeting house in 1982 (Made largely possibly from an estate inheritance). Having extra finances because of this inheritance the church has not only been able to support their own preacher but have helped others also, as well as done local benevolent work.

The attendance is running around 80 on Lord’s day morning. With the inheritance money nearly gone, the membership has been informed that they will have to dig deeper if we will continue as a self-supporting church (the area has been financially hit hard and some of our people have had it difficult in this regard). Hopefully within a few years elders can be appointed as we have many good families developing.

Cooperation, peace and unity as well as zeal characterize this church presently. The future of this congregation looks bright as regards spiritual and numerical growth. One of our senior members, H.W. Eddy (81 years and still teaches the senior high class) has been heavy on education . . . reading material, special meetings and topics, etc., and this has contributed greatly to the work. His zeal, life and dedication have been outstanding. And because of a number of other very fine class room teachers and dedicated families, this church is what it is today . . . sound spiritually and growing.

Personal evangelism has been one of my main targets. We have been converting our young people as well as bringing in “new blood” (new families from the community). Such has not been easy . . . rather slow and discouraging at times, but progress has been made. When one contact turns sour or falls by the wayside we just look for others. I have been having about a half-dozen outside classes a week. And thus we have been baptizing one here and one there, sowing the seed and letting the Lord give the increase. The church here has mailed out about 20,000 Bible courses and from this we have converted a few.

In 1984 we had meetings with Bob Waldron (special on singing), Jim Needham (special on humanism) and Lewis Willis (special on first principles). In 1985 we will have Bob Waldron (special on Bible-Geography) and Gene Frost (special topic not yet arranged). A host of other gospel preachers have held meetings here and to them we are grateful.

One more final thing. The teenagers asked for a special class! So, on Monday nights at my home we conduct a special young people’s class. It is made up of quizzes, variety, etc. So far they have loved it. If anyone has any good, ideas along this line, let’s share, okay? We must not forget the young people . . . help them and work with them. Families must provide outside “get together” times for them also.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 7, p. 204
April 4, 1985