Truth Magazine

By Dudley Ross Spears

Would it surprise you to know that the average member of the Jehovah’s Witness cult has read at least fifty books that improves his knowledge of the errors that cult propagates? About the same could be said of the Mormons. I have never seen a poll among members of the Lord’s church, but no one should be surprised to find that the percentage is far below that of the cults in this world.

How many books do you buy a year? How much money do you spend on religious literature? If your answer is an average of $7.50 per week, you are probably a gospel preacher. But I am writing to you – the man or woman the teen-age boy or girl – who think of yourself as “just an average member of the church.” How much do you spend on religious literature? If you compared the amount you spend on religious publications with, say, the TV Guide or Teen Magazine, or The Wall Street Journal, what would the comparison be?

I have much more in mind than trying to boost sales for some religious bookstore. While we should all wish every store that sells good religious print success, the important thing is to get good material into the homes and eventually into the minds and lives of members of the Lord’s church. The more reading you do on things pertaining to the kingdom of God, the more useful you will be in that kingdom.

It is necessary to be selective in buying good religious reading matter. So much that one finds on the book shelves of bookstores nowadays is wasted paper and ink. Recently some book company put on a sale in Bowling Green and offered for only eight cents a copy of The Search for Noah’s Ark. It might have been a good purchase – but that is up for question. I am sure that there are more valuable books for the Christian’s library than some of the denominational offerings that are either on some highly speculative subject or deal only with someone and their personal experience. It is important to be selective.

In order to be selective, there are a few tips that might be worthwhile. I hope that those who are not gospel preachers have continued to read. I offer these tips to those who may simply want to have some good religious reading materials around the house and also want to put them to use. Take these tips for what they are worth.

1. Buy books that are written by authors you know something about. By this is meant that, if you really want to get the most benefit from a book, know something about what the author stands for. Having studied the issue of premillennialism, I would not buy much that comes from the pen of Scofield. I know of too many errors he teaches. Probably the “average member of the church” knows some of our own brethren who have books in print. It is usually safe to buy books published by those with whom we have something in common.

2. Buy books on subjects that you are interested in. That may sound like something too puerile for you, but it is important. Only the foolishly rich will buy things they never intend to use. Do you buy clothes you never intend to wear, or food you have no idea of ever eating or automobiles you will never drive or a house you intend to remain empty and idle? A book may be one of the best ever written, but if it remains as part of the decor for the family room, what value is it? So, if you are interested in a subject, find a book on that subject written by an author in whom you have confidence and get it.

3. Buy good standard reference books. I mean by that such books as Davis Bible Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Strong’s (or Young’s) Complete Concordance, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words by W.E. Vine and a good commentary on the Old and New Testament like Adam Clarke or Matthew Henry. Albert Barnes Commentary is also a good investment.

4. Buy books that are marked down in price. Just to show you I am not trying to boost any particular book store, buy books where you can get them cheapest. Not only do you save money, you have the satisfaction of telling others how much you saved. Look for damaged editions that usually are marked down; nearly every good book store has some that are slightly marred either in shipping or from fabrication.

5. Make a budget for religious material for your home. Like the rest of your household necessities, budget a little for the purchase of good religious material. Say you budget $2.50 per week – that will amount to $10.00 per month. Most of the time you can buy one good book for that and at the end of a year you could have purchased the entire set of Barnes Notes.

I imagine some of you who have read this far know of a few tricks that would help me. If so, I would like to know them from you. It is still true that, “a smart person takes money from the pocket and puts it in the mind.” One last suggestion is to subscribe for all the religious magazines you can afford. Do that for one year and then the next year weed out the ones that do not offer you the help you want.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 49, p. 790
December 13, 1979

By Earl Robertson

Peter wrote to people who had purified their souls in obeying the truth (1 Pet. 1:22). The truth they had obeyed is also identified as seed incorruptible, which he declares to be the “word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Pet. 1:23). Though man is like the grass and his glory as the flower of the grass, the word of God is not. In contradistinction to the weaknesses and frailties of man, the word of the Lord endureth for ever (1 Pet. 1:25). Furthermore, Peter adds, “And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (1 Pet. 1:25). The word “word” translates rhema, meaning the thing said.

God says things to man in the gospel! It is not a meaningless message or a dead letter; the gospel is God’s means of conveying His word to man. It must not, therefore, be taken lightly. What God says to man is essential to one’s morals and spiritual life. One is unable to live acceptably to the Lord in the absence of what He says in the gospel. Jesus emphasized the fact that man lives by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).

Inasmuch as man cannot guide himself (Jer. 10:23), and this means any man in any age, he so definitely needs the word of the Lord. Man does not change and his needs remain constant. This being true, man needs a guide in and for life that is constant. This is why Peter says the word of the Lord endureth for ever and that it liveth and abideth for ever. Not only does the word of the Lord convict man of sin and imperfections (cf. Acts 2), but it complements and meets every need of man morally and spiritually. Furthermore, it guides man in acceptable worship to God. In fact, the manner of one’s life and his worship to God can be acceptable only in the authorization of the word preached by the gospel (Col. 3:17). There will never come a time when man has a need of his nature but what the word of the Lord will be present to guide him. The word of Faith preached by the apostles was exactly what the Lord gave them to preach to produce faith in the hearts of men (Rom. 10:8-18). These words were the means used by the Lord to save sinners (Acts 11:14). These very words` are also the means by which Christians grow in the Lord (1 Pet. 2:2), and will ultimately be the standard of judgment itself (John 12:48). Yes, the word will be here when the world is on fire and will judge us all!

Truth Magazine XXIII: 49, p. 789
December 13, 1979

By Mike Willis

The Psalmist praised Jehovah by saying, “Holy and reverend is his name” (Psa. 111:9). Indeed, the Lord is to be revered among men. His holiness of character demands our reverence and respect for Him; His almighty power awes us as it is contrasted with our weaknesses. Men ought to show reverence for the Lord as they come in His presence.

Respect For God As Shown From The Old Testament

There are numerous examples of men showing reverence for the Lord recorded in the Old Testament. We can see their attitude toward the Lord as displayed by these accounts.

1. Isaiah 6:5-8. The sixth chapter of Isaiah records the Lord’s call of Isaiah to make him a prophet. Isaiah saw the Lord sitting upon His throne surrounded by seraphim which were crying one to another, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (6:3). When Isaiah saw this, he said, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am-a man of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (6:5). His attitude of reverence at being in the presence of the Lord is apparent to us.

2. Exodus 3:5. When the Lord called Moses to be His prophet and lawgiver to the children of Israel, He appeared to him in a burning bush. As Moses approached that burning bush, the voice of God spoke to him saying, “Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground . . . . I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Upon hearing these words, “Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.” The attitude of reverence is seen in Moses even as it was seen in Isaiah.

3. Exodus 19. When the children of Israel departed from Egypt and journeyed to Mount Sinai where they were given the Law, they were instructed not to approach Mount Sinai during the time that God was giving the Law to them. The Lord commanded, “Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai. And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves; that ye go not up into the mount or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: there shall not a hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.” The passages certainly shows the reverence which is to be shown to the Lord. The people were to wash themselves in preparation for being in the presence of God; their clothes were to be washed. When the Lord came upon the mountain, no person or animal was allowed to come near it.

The Sanctified Priesthood

Another source for demonstrating the reverence which was demanded toward God under the Levitical priesthood is shown in the laws pertaining to the priests. When the priesthood was inaugurated, a special service was conducted to show that the priests were separated from the common lot of mankind and specially dedicated to the service of God (Lev. 8-9). They were washed, given special clothes to wear, and anointed.

Later, the record gives several laws for the priests. They could not drink wine when going to the tabernacle (Lev. 10:9) in order that they might learn to distinguish the holy from the common. The priests were not allowed to defile themselves with the dead (Lev. 21:1), except for those dead who were part of his immediate family. The priests were not allowed to defile themselves by shaving their heads bald, shaving the corners of their beard, or making any cuttings of their flesh (Lev. 21:6). The wife whom they married was required to be a virgin (Lev. 21:13); hence, a widow, divorced woman or immoral woman could not be his wife. Any man in the priestly family with a physical defect could not approach the Lord to serve as priest (Lev. 21:16-24).

Throughout, the Mosaical law demonstrated the reverence which is to be given to the Lord our God. The particular reverence due to God is commanded of mankind. “But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him” (Hab. 2:20). “Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation” (Zech. 2:13).

Men Should Show Reverence To God Today

Even as mankind was expected to show reverence to God in their worship during the period of Levitical worship, we are also expected to reverence the Lord in our worship today. That the Lord is to be reverenced, no one would deny. However, some of the things which I am calling to your attention in this article might be things with which you find yourself in disagreement. Indeed, some of them are judgment matters, except insomuch as they reflect a lack of reverence and respect toward Jehovah. If they show a lack of reverence toward God, they certainly are wrong for that reason.

1. The dress which we wear to worship. In recent years, I have noticed larger numbers of Christians attending worship services in casual attire. Some of the Christians among us attend worship in altogether sinful attire, wearing immodest clothing. In addition to being a direct violation of God’s word regarding modest apparel, this certainly show irreverence and disrespect toward God. I have witnessed women who attended services, purportedly to worship God, in skirts so short that they revealed far too much of their bodies, slacks so tight that one could not have put a piece of paper between the skin and the material without ripping the material, and other apparel unfit for those who claim to be Christians.

Added to this, one sees disrespect manifested in dress that is altogether too casual. I have witnessed many among the younger Christians who come to worship services dressed in blue jeans and some kind of casual shirt. I have seen older women attending worship services in pant suits. The problem which I have in dealing with these types of dress for worship is that I know that these same persons would not think of attending a wedding, funeral, or even Friday or Saturday night luncheon engagement dressed in the same attire. Why is this so? Apparently because more respect is shown for these occasions than the offering of worship of God!

I am not trying to legislate what a person must wear when he worships God. What I am calling attention to is one’s attitude toward that worship. I have been around a good many godly farmers who lacked the resources to afford a suit and tie for worship. Therefore, these men went to worship in a pair of overalls. Yet these men had a special Sunday-go-to-meeting pair of overalls set aside for that purpose. They tried to look their “Sunday best” when they assembled to worship God. Frankly, I appreciated their attitude of reverence for the occasion of worshiping God much more than I appreciate the casual disposition toward worship.

2. Conduct during the assembly. Even as I have seen disrespect for the worship of God shown in what is worn to the assembly, I have also seen disrespect for the worship of God shown in the conduct of those assembled for worship. I have witnessed good sisters clipping their nails in worship, teenagers passing notes during worship, and people of all ages sleeping during the worship. Practically any assembly of Christians will contain its share of daydreamers, if not just dreamers. In some congregations, the whispering and disrespectful conduct is so obnoxious that I have had trouble preaching.

Aside from the fact that such conduct is disrespectful to the person addressing the assembly, such conduct is thoroughly disgusting to God because of the disrespect which is shown to Him and His worship thereby.

Conclusion

Brethren, we Christians simply must manifest the respect for the worship which is offered to God which is due to Him. We should never forget that we are in the presence of the Lord and show the proper respect for that occasion. It is not something to be treated lightly or to be snuffed at.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 49, pp. 787-788
December 13, 1979

By Randy Blackaby

Life begins with minute seed planted in the union of two persons. That life develops by amazing natural processes we are tempted to call miraculous. For nine months, that life lies within a- mother’s body,. changing from a particle that could not be seen with the naked eye were it before us, to a full-fledged human being with signal characteristics of its parents.

At birth comes disengagement from the mother’s body and a continued growth process that allows more and more physical and mental independence as time passes.

The tiny body is full of innocence, pliable as clay both physically and mentally, ready to be shaped and molded by those with whom the new creature will find contact.

Babies, in the purely aesthetic sense, are not pretty at birth. But the absolute perfection of the creature, unhampered by the pressures of life, the guilt of sin or even the knowledge thereof, makes the beauty we always sigh about when a new one arrives.

Birth is something we are all acquainted with and the development of a child is a series of events watched with much attention and concern. We find great pleasure and mirth in watching the innocent play of our children, the unwitting mistakes they make and the tenacity of their progress. Through our children, we can often find relief from the pressures of adulthood and the scars life experiences have brought to us. We can, through them, relive, to a degree, our own years of innocence and freedom. It may well be that freedom is to be found in its truest form in the bodies and souls of little children.

This fact is acknowledged in the Bible, where we find innumerable references to children, their characteristics and development. Being a common part of our lives, an actual extension of ourselves, children serve in the Bible to teach us valuable spiritual lessons. Our relationship to our Creator is expressed in terms of Father and children. God has always considered “His people” in that perspective. And the analogy is easy to follow.

The only way we can fully understand the love of God for us is to understand the love a parent has for his child. God’s endurance in the face of continued rejection over thousands of years is explainable only in the parental experience. The harshness of God’s discipline is appreciated only when the task is ours as a parent.

The sinless qualities of a baby are to be emulated, the Scriptures tell us. Yet, on the other hand, we are told to avoid the childish behavior that may present itself in the form,, of selfishness or other immaturity. The entire development: of a Christian is patterned from a child’s development. A ,Christian’s beginning is termed “a new birth” or “being born again” because innocence is regained, a.. new life begun and the growing process rekindled.

Much of the, New Testament is our Father’s parental guidance, leading us to maturity as one of His children. As in the natural sense, that maturing continues until death.

Parents work hard to provide for their ‘children sustenance and an inheritance of both knowledge and material things: So it is with God. He provides through the Holy Spirit knowledge and holds out to us an inheritance which our parents cannot – eternal life with him. Whereas parent and child must part with tears at death, God offers both eternal union with Himself as a spiritual parent and reunion of faithful ;physical parents and children in that greater family called “God’s children.”

There is much to be learned in the birth of a child. More than maybe you have considered.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 49, p. 786
December 13, 1979