Truth Magazine

By Anonymous

“I went by to pick him up, but I think he had snakes in his boots this morning.” After hearing that report, regarding why a brother was not present, I was still as uninformed as I would have been had I not heard any report at all. However, that report turned out to be the beginning of my education regarding the brother being discussed.

It was my impression that he enjoyed talking about the Bible and its teachings. He arranged for me to meet his landlady and have a Bible study with her. She responded to the teaching of the word of God and obeyed the gospel. Still the brother’s attendance remained irregular. He blamed his frequent absences on his poor health.

One day, while trying to prove some point to one of his friends, he began searching the Bible for the proof text he wanted to use. After a fruitless search, he decided to call and ask me to help him find the elusive passage. When I answered my telephone, his voice sounded different to me than I remembered it. As I began discussing the point about which he had called me, he interrupted and said, “Wait a minute; I’ll let you tell him.”

His friend’s voice sounded to me as though his tongue was too thick for his mouth. After talking for a few moments, I was fully convinced that both my brother and his friend were intoxicated. Having reached that conclusion, I said, “You fellows have been hitting that bottle pretty hard, haven’t you?”

That startled him, but after a short pause, he replied, “I’m not going to lie for him. Yes, we have.” As it turned out that brother was a known drunk in that city and the church found it necessary to withdraw from him.

No two local churches are alike. Each, as it were, has its own personality. Every church has a set of problems and needs peculiar unto itself. The first thing a preacher should do, when he associates himself with a local church, is to become aware of the particular problems that church is experiencing and to ascertain its special needs. (It is not necessary for a preacher to be nosey or to go snooping around in order to acquire such information; he only needs to keep his eyes and ears open.) After discovering the problems and needs of the church, to do an effective work, a preacher must adapt his preaching and teaching to try to meet the needs of that church and to try to bring about solutions to its problems. Failure to acquire such an awareness and to make such an adjustment in his preaching and teaching may cause a preacher to become more and more frustrated in his work with that church. He is apt to blame all of his troubles on the church, decide that church is just plain dead, and that the thing for him to do is move on to another church, but it is quite probable that preacher will replay the same scenario with the next church with which he becomes associated.

Not all churches are aware of their real needs nor do all recognize what their problems really are. After working for a short time with a church, where the members thought the need was rapid numerical growth, it became apparent to me that the members there were not pulling together. Some held petty grievances against others and were somewhat less than secretive about those grievances. It was not hard to imagine the effect such an environment would have on new converts. If it would be possible to baptize several persons, probably a very large percentage of those baptized would soon fall away. The older members probably would begin saying, ‘ ‘He baptized them, but they were not converted.” Never “in a month of Sundays” would the older members suspect that their petty grievances had anything to do with those babes in Christ falling away. Instead of working to produce rapid numerical growth, I made an effort to meet the real needs of that church and to bring about solutions to the problems there.

The time came when the brethren asked me to make preparations to move elsewhere. Rapid numerical growth had not occurred. I explained that I had concentrated my efforts upon trying to draw the members of the church closer together. Then I said, “I believe you now are much closer to one another and are pulling together much better than you were, when I came here.”

One of the men who had worked to bring about my dismissal spoke up, saying, “That’s right.” However, the die was cast. I would not try to persuade them to retain me longer than the date set for my termination. Some preacher at some time in some place may have accomplished some good by fighting a church’s decision to fire him, but I suspect that for every such case there are hundreds more where such a fight caused great harm.

After I preached my last sermon as the regular preacher there, the brother who led the movement to have me move on said to me, “This church is in the best shape it has ever been in.” I do not know how a preacher should feel, when he has been “fired” because he did the work it was his duty to do. Should he feel frustrated? Obviously he should not feel bitterness. I had a feeling of satisfaction. To the best of my ability I had performed the work which needed to be done in that part of my Lord’s vineyard. I had fulfilled the instruction: “. . . do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10).

Gossip plagued one church with which I became associated. Upon returning home after Sunday morning services, I could be certain that within 10 minutes my telephone would ring and a member of that church would begin telling me what had happened that morning in the services of the church across town. A short time after my arrival, a new preacher became associated with the church across town. We went to work trying to break up that gossip network. To this day, I am uncertain about how we succeeded, but succeed we did. The proof of our success came one Sunday morning, when a brother _________ asked me, “Do you know that for the last three weeks brother – has not been able to preach?”

He had just then learned about the brother’s illness. My reply was: “Yes, I know. His wife called me the morning after the night he was hospitalized and I have visited him regularly. “

A preacher should be cautious not to act nor speak, when he only assumes that he knows all the details of a situation. By basing one’s actions or statements upon assumption, a situation may be made more complicated. I have had that experience. A brother, with his family, moved into our community. He came and talked with me about certain things and then decided to enter into fellowship with us. We were willing to accept him and his wife and they became identified with us. But a short time later, he bagan to demand that certain changes be made by the church. I was aware that he had been divorced and was married to his second wife, but had been convinced that he had a scriptural right to be married again. The elders were unwilling to make the changes he was demanding, but were having meetings with him to discuss the matter. After a time, the brother decided to move and become identified with another church. I received a call from the preacher of that other church and explained to him all I knew about the situation. Shortly thereafter the elders called me on the carpet. In their meetings with that brother they had learned certain details about his divorce which had led them to question his right to be married again. I had been unaware of those details because they had not told me about them. However, my mistake was my failure to refer the preacher who called me to the elders who were handling the case.

A brother, who had not been living up to duty, suddenly passed away on a Saturday. His funeral was conducted the following week. The Sunday morning after his funeral, a sister, as she was making her way out of the building, stopped and said to me, “It is terrible the way this church mistreated him.” After I informed her that another brother and I had visited him; told her what had been said and explained that the brother had attended services only once, after our invitation for him to make things right; she exclaimed, “Oh! I didn’t know that.”

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 15, pp. 456-457
August 2, 1984

By James Bond

On March 19, 1984 Jack Evans, President of Southwestern Christian College in Terrall, Texas, met Floyd Rose in debate in Toledo, Ohio.

Floyd Rose, founder of The Family Baptist Church in Toledo, defected from the Church of Christ in 1979. Floyd served the Church of Christ as minister for more than thirty (30) years. The Church of Christ in Toledo disfellowshipped him, prior to his founding the Baptist Church, for teaching false doctrine.

Brother Jack Evans and Floyd met the first time in Texas, the second installment of the discussion was held in Toledo, Ohio with the third night to be held in California. I attended the debate in Toledo.

Reason For The Debate

Floyd Rose wrote a book entitled Beyond the Thicket apparently for the purpose of giving his reasons for leaving the Church of Christ. Brother Jack Evans wrote a book titled Before the Thicket to refute the erroneous doctrine advocated in Floyd’s book.

Floyd Rose’s Defense

Floyd Rose simply had no defense. Floyd never called attention to any Scriptures to defend his Baptist religion. Floyd’s speeches were not relevant to the subject being discussed. Brother Evans constantly called for Floyd to use the Bible to defend his position but Floyd never did. Floyd made, as Brother Evans terms, “pretty little speeches.” Floyd never did appeal to the Scriptures for his defense.

I have heard men that were able to talk for long periods of time and not say anything; Floyd Rose is one of them. I was sitting there with pencil and paper ready to take notes on Floyd’s defense, but he had none!

Here are some facts Floyd admitted:

(1) He founded the Baptist Church.

(2) It was a denomination.

(3) He believes there are Christians in all denominations.

(4) All are saved whether or not they understand and obey the correct design of baptism.

In my lifetime, I have been privileged to attend some discussions where Family Baptist ministers sought to defend the Baptist Church, and none did as poorly as Floyd Rose. Most Baptist preachers will try to give a Bible reason for believing what they believe and teach, even if it is perverted and mis-applied.

I have come to the conclusion that Floyd, being familiar with what the Bible teaches, knew that the Baptist Church couldn’t be successfully defended with the Bible. On the other hand, Baptist preachers that are not knowledgeable of the Church and Bible believe the traditional Baptist arguments.

Jack Evans

Brother Evans did an exceptionally good job pointing out that erroneous doctrine advocated by Floyd Rose. Brother Evans said, “Rose sought to substantiate his position that the Church of Christ began in 1906 by presenting some old history book where it was recorded that the Church of Christ and Christian Church were separate bodies.” Brother Evans pointed out Floyd was using the wrong history book and called his attention to the fact that the Church began in AD 33 (Acts 2:47). Brother Evans pointed out that Floyd was not a gospel minister, but a heretic – a false teacher. Brother Evans admonished the audience not to follow Rose’s false doctrine.

The school where the discussion was held was filled. Some estimated that there were about 1,500 present. I talked to some who drove great distances to attend. It appeared that Floyd Rose had only a few Baptist people in attendance.

Members of the Church of Christ applauded Brother Evans for the good job he did in answering Floyd. Practical lessons we can all learn from this discussion are:

(1) Our faith must not rely upon man, but in God’s word (Rom. 3:4).

(2) Christians need to always be on guard and examine what is taught with God’s word (1 Thess. 5:21; Eph. 5:10).

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 14, p. 454
August 2, 1984

By Kerry and Laura Gately

(The authors of this article are both Christians by confession and medical doctors by profession. They are members of the East Memphis church in Tennessee. I became acquainted with them during a meeting there. We discussed the issues of this article, and I requested that they share their insights with the readers of this paper. You may want to see that young people are exposed to this material. – Larry Ray Hafley.)

As we have advanced in our medical education, my wife and I have become impressed with the changing direction of medical practice. In earlier times, medical diagnosis and therapy were directed toward diseases caused by infectious agents, such as bacteria or more recently, viruses. As a result, scourges such as polio, smallpox, and tuberculosis, which terrified and decimated previous generations, have been brought to heel by advances in sanitation, vaccination, and antibiotics. Indeed, in 1979, the World Health Organization declared that smallpox had been eradicated from the face of the earth. With the decline of infectious agents as causes of disease, however, we have witnessed the ascendency of what must be called illnesses of lifestyle more directly, morbidity usually due to an immoral or immoderate manner of living. Of course, these new illnesses alcohol related disease, smoking related disorders, venereal diseases, and their associated problems, to name a few, aren’t really new at all. They have assumed a novel and ominous significance as diseases people actually choose to have by ingesting substances and committing acts which will ultimately have deleterious effects on their bodies.

There can be no doubt that excessive alcohol consumption results in harm to the body, physically and mentally. In a 1971 Department of HEW statistic, 9 million men and women (7% of the population) were said to manifest the behavior of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Men have a 5 to 1001o lifetime risk of becoming alcoholics; in women, the risk is 3 to 5%. Of adults admitted to medical and surgical services, some 15% use alcohol excessively. Suicide rates are 6 to 15% higher in alcoholics.

Alcohol is noxious to the brain cells; as a matter of fact, alcohol is second only to Alzheimer’s disease (a disorder of unknown cause which gradually leads to degeneration of the brain) as a cause of mental deterioration. Alcohol damages the heart and other muscles; it irritates the stomach and can lead to gastric ulcers and hemorrhage. Liver function is disrupted by alcohol, and prolonged usage leads to destruction of large portions of this vital organ (cirrhosis of the liver.)

The use of tobacco is nothing but a plague upon our society. Large studies in several countries have shown that smoking men, considered as a group, have 30 to 80% higher death rates than nonsmokers. Smoking is responsible for an estimated 325,000 premature deaths yearly. Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), characterized by partial or complete obliteration of the arteries supplying blood to the heart, is a major malady related to smoking. The risk of having fatal or nonfatal CHD is 60 to 70% greater in smokers than nonsmokers. In the 35-54 year-old male age group, sudden death to a heart attack caused by CHD is two to three times more likely than in a comparable nonsmoking group. More Americans die from lung cancer than from any other type tumor (105,000 in 1981). Of these, approximately 80% were attributable to smoking. In 1980, 50,000 deaths were caused by lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema; 70% of these deaths were attributable to smoking. These impressive figures speak for themselves. These deaths represent not a dreaded infectious virus striking indiscriminately but a deadly conscious choice on the part of the smoker to poison his body.

Cancer of the cervix (the mouth of the womb) is the fourth most common malignancy of women some 2% of all women over 40 will develop this disorder. Although the causes of cervical cancer are unknown, commencement of sexual activity at an early age and sexual relationships with multiple partners are considered strong risk factors; indeed, the distribution of cervical cancer resembles that of the venereal diseases-.- Also -considered a risk factor for developing cervical cancer is infection with Herpes Simplex 11 virus, commonly referred to as “Herpes”. This sexually transmitted virus gives rise to a painful and sometimes debilitating disease characterized by the formation of multiple small blisters on the genitalia. These blisters break down and frequently ulcerate or become infected. Even after the initial attack resolves, sufferers are subject to identical but less severe recurrent episodes, sometimes as often as every 3 to 4 weeks. There is no cure. The number of persons afflicted by this virus has increased significantly in the past several years.

Women with syphilis and other less common sexually transmitted diseases run a significantly increased risk of developing cancer of the vulva, a dreadful disease worked by a slow, painful, inexorably declining course unless radical and disfiguring surgery is timely performed.

Conclusion

Many more such diseases could be discussed with their cold, dreary statistics. As my wife and I have spent long nights in emergency rooms and intensive care units watching smokers with advanced lung disease gasping and struggling for their final breaths and standing by helplessly as chronic alcoholics lapse into coma and death, poisoned by body products the wasted liver can no longer detoxify – it has been made exceedingly clear to us that behind every statistical tally there is a person – a suffering dying person. Those who engage in excessive drinking, smoking, and immoral lifestyles do so (often by their own admission) to help them deal with the cares, stresses and loneliness of life. We are truly fortunate, brethren, to have a loving Father who tells us to cast all our cares upon Him (1 Pet. 5:7) and to have anxiety about nothing, but “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6). Even though we may feel the pangs of loneliness from time to time, we have our brethren and the promise of our Lord that He is with us always “even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20). Not only does the Lord help us with our trials more than any drug or immorality ever could, we don’t destroy our bodies in turning to Him. May we always be faithful to Him who by His love and laws preserves our spiritual and our physical health!

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 15, pp. 455-456
August 2, 1984

By Mike Willis

One of the areas in which Christianity and heathen ethics is in conflict is with reference to sexual conduct. That heathen ethic is gaining a greater percentage of the population than Christianity is seen in what conduct is displayed on television and in the movies. Sexual activity is frequently portrayed on television. Nothing is too intimate to be barred from television; television producers and actor have no sense of shame. The sexual activity which is portrayed or intimated is most frequently fornication or adultery; rarely is sexual activity intimated within the legitimate family relationship of husband and wife.

The stance of heathen ethics is reflected by the direct statement of humanism. The Humanist Manifesto II stated:

In the area of sexuality, we believe that intolerant attitudes, often cultivated by orthodox religions and puritanical cultures, unduly repress sexual conduct. The right to birth control, abortion, and divorce should be recognized. While we do not approve of exploitive, denigrating forms of sexual expression(1), neither do we wish to prohibit, by law or social sanction, sexual behavior between consenting adults. The many varieties of sexual exploration should not in themselves be considered “evil.” Without countenancing mindless permissiveness or unbridled promiscuity, a civilized society should be a tolerant one (p. 18).

As this concept toward sexual activity becomes more widely accepted, th society in which we live will look with greater approval at fornication homosexuality, adultery, pornography, and prostitution. Christians will b, looked upon as prudes, out of touch and step with these modern times. Our children will be subjected to ridicule and temptation in this area with mor intensity than most of us faced as adolescents. We need to be reminded o the teachings of God’s word regarding sexual conduct.

The Conduct Of An Immoral Woman

The book of Proverbs contains the instructions of a father to his son. Repeatedly, the writer urges his son to listen to the wisdom and instruction of his father and mother. In several of the early chapters, the father warns his son of the dangers which an evil woman presents (2:16-19; 5:1-23; 6:24-35; 9:13-18). His repeated warnings remind us of what a danger sexual sin is for young people.(2) Although the Proverbs are written from the point of view of a father warning his son of the dangers of an immoral woman, the lesson are just as applicable when understood from the point of view of a mother warning her daughter of the dangers of an immoral man.

1. An immoral woman uses flattery. “For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil” (Prov. 5:3) She “flattereth with her words” (Prov. 2:16; 6:24). “With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him” (7:21). An evil woman who is seeking to seduce a man and an evil man which is trying to seduce a maiden uses flattery and smooth, sweet talk to lure the victim.

2. She flirts with her eyes. The wise man warned the young man not to allow the evil woman to “take thee with her eyelids” (6:25). Without a word being spoken, a young woman can indicate her willingness to participate through “body language.”

3. She draws attention to her body by her dress. The wise man warned the young man not to “lust after her beauty in thine heart” (6:25) and indicated that she would wear the “attire of an harlot” (7:10).

4. She is forward and bold. The evil woman has laid aside the reserved demeanor characteristic of a godly woman who has shamefacedness and modesty. “She is loud and stubborn” (7:11). “So she caught him, and kissed him, and with impudent face said . . . . ” (7:13). Notice the bold, unreserved and forward character displayed by the immoral woman.

5. She has no commitment to her marriage bond. She is ready to “forsake the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God” (2:17). The “guide of her youth” is her husband; the “covenant of her God” is the marriage covenant.(3) The fact that an immoral woman is married means nothing to her. If she desires to have an affair with another man, she is willing to turn her back on her previous commitment in favor of another man.

Reasons To Avoid The Evil Woman

Having described the conduct of the immoral woman, the wise man listed a number of reasons why the young man should avoid her. Here are some of them:

1. It is difficult to quit practicing the sin. “None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life” (2:19). Those who have tasted the forbidden fruit will return to it again and again. To bring the adulterer and fornicator to repentance is nearly impossible. They “shall be holden with the cords of his sin” (5:22).

2. The end result of this conduct is bitter. “For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead . . . . But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell” (2:18; 5:4-5). What seemed like pleasure at the beginning ends up in anguish, bitterness and sorrow. Laying aside the eternal aspects of the sin, the temporal aspects of a relationship with an immoral woman are enough reason to avoid her. She will be no more faithful to one man than another. She will dump you just as quickly as she dumped another to be with you.

3. One gives his honor, strength, and wealth to strangers. “Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house: lest thou give thine honor unto others, and thy years unto the cruel: lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labors be in the house of a stranger” (5:8-10). “The meaning of the verse is that a life of impurity transfers the profligate’s substance, his wealth and possessions, to others, who will be satiated at his expense, and, being strangers, are indifferent to his ruin.”(4) The clothes, jewelry, and money which are given to an immoral woman are thrown away. She has no loyalty to her benefactor. She will dump you and keep your substance.

4. He contacts social diseases. “And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed” (5:11). Associating with the ungodly, immoral woman will bring social diseases which will destroy the body.

5. He will have mental anguish as he remembers his rejection of divine instruction. As the ungodly sits with his head in his hand reaping his harvest after sowing to the flesh, he will remember the warnings given to him “and say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; and have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!” (5:12-13).

6. He will suffer the problems of jealousy. When a man commits adultery with another’s wife or girl friend, he must deal with the rage of an offended person. “For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts” (6:34-35). Those who run with the immoral frequently find themselves dealing with an enraged boy friend who wants to settle the score.

Eternal Consequences

Having described the temporal results of sexual immorality, let us also be reminded that sexual immorality has eternal results. “For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings” (5:21). “Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbor’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent” (6:27-29). Fornication is one of the sins which keeps a person out of heaven (Gal. 5:19-21).

Conclusion

Whatever attitude our society might develop toward sexual activity does not change God’s law on the matter. Sexual activity outside the marriage bed is sinful, a violation of God’s eternal law. If all of the world decides that homosexuality is a legitimate alternative life style, premarital sexual activity is acceptable and prepares one for marriage, and extra-martial sexual activity might help a marriage, Christians must realize that they are not going to be judged on the basis of what the world thinks but on the basis of what God says! Let those who respect God and His word be careful to avoid becoming involved in sexual sins.

Endnotes

1. Humanists state their opposition to exploitive, denigrating forms of sexual expression but do not explain why exploitive, denigrating forms of sexual expression are wrong. Is humanism manifesting an “intolerant attitude” when opposing exploitive, denigrating sexual expression! is humanism an “orthodox religion” or pan of a “puritanical culture” which unduly limits legitimate sexual expression when it opposes “exploitive, denigrating forms of sexual expression”? What one humanist labels “exploitive, denigrating” is just another humanists’ personal preference! Humanism is most inconsistent in this area.

2. What is happening among preachers, elders, deacons, Bible class teachers and others reminds us that the sin is not limited to the young people. Husbands and wives who have been married for 15-25 years are divorcing each other in order to seek another companion. Hence, the lesson of Proverbs are as applicable to us older sons and daughters as to younger sons and daughters.

3. Compare Jesus’ statement that God joins two together in marriage (Matt. 19:6).

4. W.J. Deane, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. IX, p. 110.

Guardian of Truth XXVIII: 15, pp. 450, 471
August 2, 1984