Truth Magazine

By Steve Wolfgang

For the last few summers it has been my privilege to work in a number of gospel meeting in, the Upper Midwestern states (Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas, Nebraska, etc.). In these labors I have: been supported largely by the Expressway Church here in ‘Louisville, where I have preached for several years (although in some instances, churches in the Upper Midwest and elsewhere have supplied some support in the form of men, money and materials for these efforts). The purpose of this article is to share some information on the work which has been done and give a personal estimate of the situation in these areas.

Let me begin by saying that it is with some trepidation that I undertake this article. I am obviously not “the authority” on the Lord’s work in the Upper Midwestern States, and no one is more keenly aware of that fact than I. I can fully understand and appreciate the irritation which brethren in areas like the Upper Midwest may have toward some who “blow into” such an area for a week or less and then return home to issue an immediate “write-up” on the conditions there, in which they present themselves and their opinions as “authoritative.” I have no desire to engage in such, and in this interest have asked several of the brethren who live in these areas with whom I have worked to read this article and offer comments and criticisms prior to publication. Some of them have asked me beforehand (some several times) to write such an article. Additionally, I am frequently asked to supply information about the churches in these areas by brethren in other parts of the country who are curious about and interested in the work being done in the Upper Midwest. No doubt there are others more experienced and capable than I as far as providing information and assessing conditions in these Midwestern states, but for various reasons they have chosen not to do so. I fully realize (having already been subjected to criticism by one brother who did not share my estimate of the condition of things in one place) that there may be some who will perhaps object to some aspects of my observations. Recognizing that my judgment is not perfect and that I may well be mistaken in some respects, I ask simply that I be allowed to hold and express my own judgments in these and other matters, even as other brethren have the same right. The brethren seem not to have much timidity in criticizing my preaching (though they have generally been very kind), and I ask only the freedom to express my own assessment of the situation. With these considerations in mind, I submit this article with the desire and intention that only good will result.

An Able Co-Worker

in several of the meetings in which I have been involved in the Upper Midwest (as well as in other areas such as the Northeast), 1 have worked with an able fellow gospel preacher, Steve Ballou. 1 first met Steve several years ago when I was preaching in Atlanta, Georgia, and he was working not far away, just across the state line in Jacksonville, Alabama. Steve moved to the Louisville area in 1974, and I moved to the Expressway church there not long afterward.

Immediately after my coming to Expressway, the elders proposed to support me in a ten-day effort in Davenport, Iowa, assuming much of the financial burden for most aspects of that meeting. Several Expressway members (including two of the elders) are chiropractors by profession, graduates of Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, and thus have ties with that area stretching back over the years to as long ago as the 1930’s. For the last six or eight years, various children of these Expressway members have been attending school in Davenport, and Expressway had previously supported several men to work there locally in years gone by. Thus there has been a continued personal interest in the condition of the church in Davenport.

During the course of planning for this first meeting, Steve and I had been working together for several weeks on a call-in radio program here in Louisville. When he informed me that he had been born in Davenport and raised just across the Mississippi River in Moline, Illinois, another of the contiguous “Quad Cities” (which also include Rock Island, Illinois and Bettendorf, Iowa), Steve was invited to come and participate in the meeting, thus beginning a “partnership in the gospel” which continues to this present time. Raised a Lutheran by parents who are yet members of that denomination, Steve attended the University of Illinois and then transferred to the University of Alabama, intending to play football there. While a student there, he met a faithful Christian from Birmingham, Margaret McKenzie, whom he later married after becoming a Christian and beginning to preach. Steve has been an able co-worker whose diligence and ability would likely shame some twice his age, even though he has been a Christian only about eight years. Together he and I have experienced many things, including a hurricane (Belle, which struck across Long Island Sound while we were staying just off the Connecticut coastline during a meeting) and an automobile accident (in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, when a speeding car ran a red light and totally demolished my car, though neither of us was very seriously injured, suffering only assorted cuts, bruises and abrasions). Together Steve and I have known the drudgery and disappointment of working hot afternoons knocking on doors in spiritually desolate and apathetic places; and together we have shared the ecstasy and elation of watching souls respond to the power of the gospel through such efforts. Both of us having been born and raised in the Midwest, we have had numerous occasions to reflect on the religious “peculiarities” of the region. Growing out of our experience together in doing call-in radio broadcasts, we have made a feature of the meetings we have conducted together a period for questions from the audience – many of whom are not members of the church – following the lesson, which we feel has proved to be a valuable aspect of these meetings. I am happy to be able to continue our association together this coming summer.

Davenport, Iowa

Featured on the cover of this week’s issue is a picture of the meeting place for the faithful church in Davenport, a city of over 100,000 people within the city limits. It, along with the neighboring city of Bettendorf, Iowa, is located across the Mississippi River from two sister cities, Moline and Rock Island, Illinois. According to the 1970 census, these “Quad Cities” comprise a population of roughly a quarter of a million people. While there are churches in the area which claim to be New Testament churches, they have perverted the work of the church by tying human institutions to the Lord’s body.

The Midwest (and I speak as one born and raised there) partakes of a peculiar religious apathy, and even churches which profess to be the Lord’s church (but are adulterously wed to human institutions) are often shallow, insipid, and difficult to distinguish from a human denomination. The faithful brethren in Davenport have been meeting in a typically Midwestern one-room schoolhouse, constructed in the 1870’s. It is owned by the “Christian Reformed Church” which operates a nursery school in it during the day. This necessitates the brethren coming over each afternoon .before meeting, removing the pre-school equipment, erecting exterior signs, carrying folding chairs out of the basement, distributing song books, Bibles and tracts, setting up any charts, overhead projectors, screens, etc., necessary for the service. We are caused to reflect often on the many things we have and take for granted in other places.

Steve Ballou and I have made it a practice to attempt to contact and study with preachers and brethren in some of these churches in various places in the Midwest where we have conducted meetings. We have done this in the (often misplaced) hope that in these areas where the lines of division are sometimes not as clearly drawn there may be some who attend these liberal churches still interested in providing a “thus-saith-the-Lord” for their practice. Occasionally, we have made promising contacts with some in such churches, which have resulted in good being done. However, two incidents in Davenport more nearly reflect the true nature of the case across the Upper Midwest. During our first meeting there several years ago, we were told by one preacher at a liberal church that he was “not interested in wasting his time with us” since we were “just a little bunch of antis meeting in a hole-in-a-wall” even though, by his own admission we were having attendance as large or larger than at the congregation he worked with = as if “numbers” had anything to do with the truth, anyway! We were able to study briefly with the preacher and “assistant minister” of the largest liberal church in the Quad-Cities area – a congregation of about 100 members (not including the “joy bused”!). However, during my last meeting (in 1977) in Davenport, this same preacher indicated he was not interested in pursuing our study, insisting that a church without elders was an “infant church” and, therefore, not subject to the New Testament teaching regarding the work of a congregation! The “assistant preacher,” who had since moved across the river to another church, summarily and unceremoniously evicted me from the premises after `five minutes of discussion!

However, even though our own “brethren” (who preach to denominationalists about being open-minded and always willing to study and defend the truth) were not so willing to study, we found many promising contacts among people in the community. As with all of our meetings in the Midwest, we were kept busy in Davenport with personal calls, home studies, door-to-door contacts, and visits with institutional and even denominational preachers. There are plenty of contacts to keep anyone busy for a week or longer in any of the places we visited. In fact, as Steve said to me one night after midnight, returning from a home study following the evening service, “You know, I’m really glad preachers don’t have to work, because if this isn’t `working’ and I had to go to work, it would kill me!”

Since our first meeting in Davenport several years ago, both Steve and I have held at least one meeting each for the church there, and have had occasion to visit with the brethren at other times. The church in Davenport has recently received a significant boost when A1 Diestelkamp and his brother-in-law, Karl Hennecke, and their families moved into the area to begin full-time work together. AI not only grew up largely in the Midwest (he is the son of Leslie Diestelkamp who is responsible for much of the growth among faithful churches in Wisconsin and Minnesota since World War 1l), but he has had experience in working with small groups just beginning to “get on their feet.” He comes from the Paris Avenue Church in Peoria, Illinois, only 80 miles south of the Quad Cities, and prior to that worked and built up the small group meeting in Avondale, Pennsylvania. We have every reason to feel confident that, with the skilled labor in the gospel which these two men can provide, the church in Davenport will grow in strength as well as numerically. My father-inlaw, W.C. Ashworth, is to be with the brethren for a meeting in 1979. The building pictured on the front of this issue has been the meeting place of the church for the last several years, but plans are under way to move to a better location. Al’s address is 2601 Cypress Dr., Bettendorf, Iowa 52722 and his phone number is (319) 355-1077.

Central Iowa

Throughout central Iowa there are several groups of Christians who meet, sometimes in private homes, attempting to be faithful to the New Testament order. We have no way of knowing how many such groups there may be, and are not attempting to compile an exhaustive list of “faithful churches,” but we do know of several. Brother Dana Emery has recently moved from working with Brother Fred England in Connecticut to work with the group at Grinnell, Iowa. Since he has been in Grinnell, he reports many home studies and good prospects for growth. The church in Grinnell meets at 1042 Third Avenue, Grinnell, Iowa 50112. Brother Emery can be contacted at 101 Fourth Avenue, Apt. No. 4 (phone 515-236-5523). Another person who could be contacted about the work is Doug See. His number in Grinnell is 498-2247. Brother Emery lost $400 per month support as of January 1, 1979. Churches interested in supporting him should contact him directly to discuss the work there.

In past years there has been a church which met in Marion, Iowa, adjacent to Cedar Rapids. There is no group meeting there as of this writing, but there is a nucleus for a congregation and there are hopes of reviving the work in Marion. Brother Emery has been exploring the possibility of getting a group meeting again in Marion. One of the members at Grinnell lives in Marion and drives to Grinnell each Lord’s day. This brother, John Clark, may be contacted at (319) 337-6924.

There is also a group which has been meeting for thirty years, perhaps longer, in Madrid, Iowa, northwest of Des Moines. Brother Nolan Anderson has preached at Madrid since at least the early 1950’s, moving there from southern Minnesota. Brother Guthrie Dean, of the Franklin Road church in Nashville, has done meeting work in Madrid, and Brother Julian Snell of the Manslick Road congregation in Louisville has conducted several meetings for the group in Grinnell. Nolan Anderson can be reached at 515-795-2546.

There may be other groups meeting elsewhere in the state,’but these groups we know about. There are also instances of faithful Christians who are forced by their circumstances to meet with churches which, while perhaps not now supporting human institutions or engaging in other such unscriptural practices, either have done so in the past or have definite sympathies with such practices. We know of one sister who, though opposing such practices lived with her husband (who does not share her convictions) in a small town where the only “Church of Christ” has definite tendencies, toward institutionalism and centralization, being under the influence of several liberal churches in Texas and Tennessee. Though she and her family have recently moved to another state and she is now in better spiritual circumstances, while living in this small Iowa town she was faced with the unenviable choice of attending this particular church (the nearest group opposing such practices being 100 miles away) and exposing her children to such concepts, or creating greater tension within her family and absenting the church’s assemblies while attempting to worship alone at home. There are likely other such instances not only in Iowa but elsewhere in the upper Midwestern states. How many of these saints cry out to the Lord for relief is known only to Him.

Des Moines, Iowa

Brother Nolan Anderson’s son, Ron, moved from Baytown, Texas to Des Moines last year to begin working with a group of brethren in that place. they began meeting with 22 members in August, 1977. This new work began with five families, 11 adults and the remainder children, numbering a little over twenty. The church presently has about 25 and the attendance runs from about 25-40 depending upon the number of visitors. Two were baptized this past year thus far, and they are hopeful for others. Brother J.T. Smith from Long Beach, California, concluded a gospel meeting at this congregation in May of ’78. The address of the meeting place is 1490 N.W. 86th St., Des moines, IA 50311. Brother Ron Anderson’s address is 409 N.W. chapel Dr., Ankeny, IA 50021, phone (515) 9645440. Other members include Gene Embry (home phone 989-4237 and office phone 262-3307) and Harold Ritchie (phone 225-9258). The meeting place in Des Moines is easily accessible, and is located on a main thoroughfare. The brethren are meeting temporarily at this location, which is a suite in an office building, while looking for a more permanent location.

Sioux City, Iowa

The church in Sioux City, on the far western border of Iowa, at the junction of Nebraska and South Dakota, has experienced good growth in the last several years. For a good while, it consisted of only the Meyer family (Glenn and Shirley and their children, Carol, Randy and Cathy) who live on a farm near Bancroft, Nebraska, 40 miles from Sioux City. After Brother Howard Miller moved away to preach in Duncan, Oklahoma, in 1974, the Meyers were the only ones in attendance, and it would have been far easier for them to have simply given up meeting in Sioux City and meet simply in their home. But they had taken over a good meeting place in Sioux city and decided to persevere. (See reports in Truth Magazine, 19:39 [August 14, 1975], pp. 609, 613; and 21:45 [November 17, 1977], p. 706). Several congregations provided men and the assistance to allow numerous gospel preachers to come several times for extended periods of preaching and visiting contacts in the community. In addition to Steve Ballou and myself, men such as John Brewer and Art Adams from the Hammond, Indiana area, Denny Meyer from Denver, Vic McCormick from Indianapolis, and others (this list is not exhaustive) came for various periods of work in Sioux City over the past several years. Frank Driver, who formerly preached at Sioux City and whose articles on the work there frequently appeared in the papers during the 1950’s and 1960’s, has returned to Sioux City several times for periods of work accompanied by Johnnie Horton who preaches where Bro. Driver now works in Ft. Collings, Colorado. Among those who worked diligently were also Carl (Mac) McMurry and his wife, Lorna. In April of 1977 Mac and Lorna moved to Sioux City to live and work full-time in that area. With Mac’s leadership, the church in Sioux City has grown considerably, and now often has in excess of forty people for worship services at the building at 1218 South Glass Street. The Meyers continue to attend there and, as always, are diligently continuing to work to build up the church in that place. Mac’s address is Rt. 2, 70-F, S. Sioux City, Nebraska 68776, phone 402-494-2327. Meyer’s address is Rt. 2, Box 71, Bancroft, Nebraska, 68004, phone 402-648-7692.

There are other places in the state (and elsewhere in the upper Midwest) where doors are opening for the truth. Some of the members of a church about 75 miles from Sioux City have invited this writer to come and spend several days of personal study, in lieu of a “gospel meeting” with public preaching, to knock on doors and to study some of the issues which have divided the Lord’s church in the state of Iowa and other places. In the midst of the sort of attitude expressed by one individual in Sioux City that he could no longer help us advertise a meeting because he had “called the center of the Church of Christ in Iowa (it is in Des Moines, in case you’re wondering SW) and we were not on the list,” this kind of invitation is heartening. (In fairness to this particular brother, it should be said that he later “retracted” his statement, informing us that Des Moines, rather than being the center of the church, was merely the headquarters of the “Iowa Campaigns for Christ”).

Truth Magazine XXIII: 15, pp. 247-250
April 12, 1979

By Evan Blackmore

There has always been a sharp distinction between the word of God and messages which have been developed by human reasoning. Certainly God may make use of the mind of an inspired writer in presenting His word: Luke, for example, “investigated everything carefully from the beginning” before writing his inspired gospel (Lk. 1:3). But, “no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will” (2 Pet. 1:21).

(1) The word of God was not necessarily connected in any way with the human thoughts of the prophet who spoke it. When Isaiah had finished delivering the word of the Lord to Hezekiah, he left the palace and started to return home. We are not told what Isaiah’s own thoughts were; but certainly he was not expecting another message from the Lord, or he would not have left the palace. Yet, “before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court . . . the word of the Lord came to him” again, and he had to turn around and go right back to Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:1-5).

(2) The word of God was sometimes actually opposed to the human thoughts of the prophet who spoke it. The soothsayer Balaam was imported from Mesopotamia specifically for the purpose of cursing the Israelites; but “the Spirit of God came upon him” (Num. 24:2), and he blessed the Israelites instead. “I could not,” said Balaam, “do anything contrary to the command of the Lord, either good or bad, of my own accord. What the Lord speaks, that I will speak” (Num. 24:13).

(3) The word of God sometimes was not even understood by the prophet who spoke it (1 Pet. 1:10-12). After the prophecies recorded in the final chapters of the book of Daniel had been revealed, Daniel writes, “As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, `My Lord, what will be the outcome of these events?’ And he said, `Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end of time”‘ (Dan. 12:8-9).

The word of God was utterly distinct from human reasonings. The two had nothing in common. “The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has my word speak my word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain? declares the Lord” (Jer. 23:28).

How To Tell The Difference

Nevertheless, it was not always easy, on the surface, for uninspired men to recognize what was the word of God. A man might claim to be speaking the word of the Lord when in fact he was not (Jer. 23:25). A man might speak a message, claiming that it came from God, and soon afterwards speak an exactly opposite message, again claiming that it came from God (1 Kings 13:18, 21-22; 22:15, 17). How were ordinary people supposed to tell the difference? The Bible gives a number of guidelines by which the word of God could be recognized.

(1) The word of God always came true. “You may say in your heart, `How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him” (Deut. 18:21-22). Not everything which came true was the word of God, but anything which did not come true could not be the word of God.

It was especially important to apply this test when the message of the prophet was unusual or surprising in some way. “The prophets who were before me and before you from ancient times prophesied against many lands and against great kingdoms of war and of calamity and of pestilence. The prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of that prophet shall come to pass, then the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent” (Jer. 28:8-9).

(2) The word of God always presented the same message; it never contradicted itself. Even if a message came true, if it flatly contradicted the word of God, it could not be from God. “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, `Let us go, after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Dent. 13:1-3). The same kind of test is, imposed within the New Testament: “Even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel. contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8). “Beloved do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist” (1 Jn. 4:1-3). No message which is contrary to the word of God can be from God.

Keep Alert

Today, we are still confronted by all sorts of people who claim to be declaring the word of God. And the same tests still apply. A “man of God” who declared that the world was going to end in 1975 could not possibly be proclaiming the word of God, because his message did not come true. A “man of God” who declared that the Bible contained mistakes could not possibly be proclaiming the word of God, because his message was directly contrary to the word of God.

It is our responsibility to recognize what is the word of God and what is not. It is the responsibility of elders: “From among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:30-32). It is the responsibility of teachers of the word (1 Tim. 4:1-6). It is the responsibility of every Christian (Acts 17:11).

“Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them” (Rom. 16:17).

Truth Magazine XXIII: 15, pp. 245-246
April 12, 1979

By Mike Willis

There are literally thousands of saints who have preceded us in death whose lives, if we knew about them, would be worthy examples for us to follow. Unfortunately, however, we do not know about them and must wait until we meet them in heaven to learn of their noble deeds. However, there are a number of Christians concerning whom short statements are made in the Scriptures which show that their lives are also worthy of imitation. Such is the case with a couple of noble Christians, a man and his wife, named Aquila and Priscilla.

The Scriptures do not have a lot to say about these Christians. As a matter of fact, reproduced below is the sum total of the Scriptural comments about them:

After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; and found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers . . . . And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow. And he came to Ephesus, and left them there . . . . And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly (Acts 18:1-3, 18-19, 24-26).

Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, ,but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church that is in their house (Rom. 16:3-5).

The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house (1 Cor. 16:19).

Salute Priscilla and Acquila, and the household of Onesiphorus (2 Tim. 4:19). Let us notice the lessons which we can learn from their lives.

Lessons From Their Lives

1. These people loved the Lord and the brethren more than they loved life itself. The passage in Rom. 16:3-5 demonstrates that they were willing to lay down their life, not only for the service of Christ, but also in the service of His servant Paul. They had, indeed, learned the lessons regarding putting. Christ first in their lives. Jesus said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Lk. 14:26): Apparently, they had learned this lesson.

In addition to this, they had also learned love of the brethren. John wrote, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 Jn. 4:19). In the service of the Lord, this is exactly what this godly couple had done; they had “laid down their own necks” for Paul’s life. We need to learn to put Christ first in our lives and to live to serve, as this couple did.

2. These Christians gave of themselves to promote the gospel of Christ. The first evidence which we see of this is that they opened their homes for the travelling servant of the Lord, Paul (Acts 18:1-3). During the time that Paul worked in Corinth, he stayed with this man and his wife. Hence, they were “given to hospitality,” willing to entertain strangers (see Heb. 13:1-2; 1 Pet. 4:9).

In addition to that, they opened their home in order to provide a place for the church to assemble (Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19). Having worshiped with brethren who met in the home of one of the members on some occasions, I know a little of the inconvenience which this places on the people opening their homes. Yet, this couple opened their home on more than one occasion for the church to assemble and meet. This shows to me the extent of their dedication in the service of Jesus Christ.

3. They shared the gospel with their friends (Acts 18:24-28). The account of Luke relates their work in showing Apollos the way of the Lord more perfectly. It demonstrates their zeal in teaching others the right ways of the Lord.

Apollos is a good person to study in himself. He was an Alexandrian Jew who was eloquent and mighty in the Scriptures. I know quite a few eloquent men, through the television and radio networks, but none of them are “mighty in the Scriptures” as was Apollos. He was “fervent in the spirit,” a man of zeal. He had the courage to speak boldly and the desire to spread the truth of God’s word which he knew. Hence, he came to Ephesus to tell what he knew about the Christ. Despite these attributes, he knew very little about the Christ.

His sole source for knowledge about the Christ came through John the Baptist. It was limited to what John knew. Remembering that John died early in the ministry of Jesus Christ; we can rather safely assume that Apollos knew nothing of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the atonement, the sending of the Holy Spirit, the ascent into heaven, and many other important truths revealed to us by Jesus. Hence, Apollos had only partial knowledge of Jesus.

Priscilla and Aquila took Apollos aside and taught him the word of the Lord more perfectly. This couple knew Jesus and wanted to share Him with their friends. They had imbibed the zeal of the Christians to take the gospel to every creature under heaven (Acts 8:4-5; Matt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15-16; 2 Tim. 2:2). We need to remember several important facts about their teaching the gospel to their friend, Apollos.

These humble tentmakers took the educated, eloquent, “mighty in the scriptures” Apollos aside and taught him. Sometimes, men learn the truth from the lowly and simpleminded. The most important professors which Apollos ever sat under were Aquila and Priscilla. (His willingness to be taught by such a couple as this manifests admirable traits in his character.) Furthermore, Aquila and Priscilla taught Apollos despite the fact that they were not full-time preachers supported by the church to spread the gospel. Sometimes we have the tendency to expect all of the preaching to be done by those who are supported from the congregational budget. Aquila and Priscilla did not have that attitude.

In order for the gospel to be taken to as many people as possible, we are going to have to cultivate the attitude that every man is a gospel preacher. Our older men need to teach the gospel on the job, our older women need to teach the gospel to the people with whom they work or meet as their neighbors in the community; our younger boys and girls need to spread the gospel to their friends in the schools across this nation. When Christians learn this aspect of spreading the gospel in contrast to expecting the supported gospel preachers to do all of the preaching, the church will grow faster.

Let us notice that Priscilla participated in the teaching of Apollos. The Scriptures plainly so state. There is no hint in the Scriptures that Priscilla usurped the authority over Apollos (1 Tim. 2:12). Yet, she participated in the teaching. Women need to realize that they, too, have a responsibility to help spread the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. In many of the passages where the word “man” is used, it is used without respect to gender and, therefore, obligates both man and woman to work to spread the gospel. Such is the case in 2 Tim. 2:2 which states, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” Women are commanded to be “teachers of good things” (Tit. 2:3). Let us be careful not to impose greater limits on the woman in her teaching than the Scriptures impose. Furthermore, let us get the gospel in the hands of every Christian and engage all of us in spreading it!

4. They were wise in the manner in which they did their teaching. Jesus sent forth His disciples to preach the gospel telling them, “Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matt. 10:16). Paul instructed the Colossians, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (4:6). Knowing how to answer the different kinds of men is not easy. Hence, Paul wrote, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men” (1 Thess. 5:14). Similarly, Jude said, “And on some have compassion, making a different: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (23).

Aquila and Priscilla knew how to handle Apollos’s instruction. They did it at the right time (when they heard), in the right place (they took him unto them) and used the right message (the way of God). They did not seek to embarrass Apollos by publicly correcting him. They did not treat him so harshly in their rebukes that they drove him away from the truth. Rather, they carefully taught him more about the ways of the Lord.

Another thing that we need to notice about this couple, they did not simply ignore the differences in doctrine which existed between them and Apollos. The modern ecumenicals, both inside and outside the body of Christ, tend to salve over the doctrinal differences which exist and pretend that unity can exist in spite of the major doctrinal differences. That was not the method of Aquila and Priscilla.

Conclusion

We need more couples dedicated to the service of the Lord as this couple was. Too often, a family is divided religiously; one member chooses to serve the Lord and another member chooses to go the way of the world. Even among Christians, one member is sometimes on fire with zeal for the Lord and the other somewhat lackadaisical. The amount of good which can be accomplished in such situations is decidedly less than when both members of the family labor in the same harness to bear the load of spreading God’s word.

Remembering the example of Aquila and Priscilla, let us examine our families to see if we are laboring together as partners in the Lord. Our wives are “heirs together of the grace of life” (1 Pet. 3:7); hence, let us work together in our service to God as did Aquila and Priscilla.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 15, pp. 243-245
April 12, 1979

By Larry Ray Hafley

We look at the heroic deeds and epic accomplishments of God’s great and grand men of the past. We are thrilled and enthralled when we recall the mighty and majestic efforts of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Samuel, David, Jonah – you finish your- own list of the names of the men of faith and courage who inspire you. Now, your mind is racing and picturing Paul and others in moments that grace the pages of sacred history. Are you not made to feel that you, too, could be one of those who could and would succeed in the work of the Lord during a fateful and historic time? Surely, you are!

Accordingly, we watch the sports heroes of the day as the news brings us word of their latest achievements. We bask in the glimmer of memories of men who were dead before many of us were born. We love to hear the stories of their finest hours. We can hear the crack of Babe Ruth’s bat. We can see Ty Cobb and Lou Gehrig, or Willie Mays, Stan Musial, and Hank Aaron! And what do we see? Why, we see their supreme efforts, their brilliance which will always illuminate the world of sports. Again, make your own list in your own favorite areas. Exciting, is it not?

But, now, come down to earth, to reality, to the often baneful, painful grind of day-to-day living. Yes, Noah built his ark and David met his Goliath, but these were moments out of a lifetime. So often we sit and dream of the “big event.” We will go to Nineveh! We will hit the big time by toppling the Goliath of our day and time, but we will not be bothered with the simple, mundane affairs of life. That is where we miss it. You see, David would never have approached Goliath had he not met the lion and the bear out there alone in the wilderness. Noah would never have built the ark had he not taken time to raise a devout family and live a godly life from day to day. While you rave about one of your sports heroes, he is presently sweating, forcing his mind and body to practice one more hour, to run one more mile. This fall and winter you will see him blaze into glory and the hall of fame, but his blaze would be a mere flicker if he were not suffering somewhere right now.

And that, my friend, is probably why many of us will never be sent to Nineveh. We are not teaching our friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers. So, who are we to invade the citadels of error? We are not bravely challenging the lion and the bear in local situations; so, who are we to rise up against the incredible hulk, Goliath? We are not taking the time to raise our own children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; so, who are we to think that we should take charge of the construction of an ark? All these ancient worthies had to pay their dues in sacrifice. They paid the price. Remember, too, that when the big moment came, it was not seen as “my big chance” to “make good.” It was simply another confrontation. It became the “great event” after the fact. Surely, David had no idea, when as a ruddy, young lad he determined to defeat the “uncircumcised Philistine,” that his story would be told countless millions of times to thrill the hearts of all who hear it. That never entered his mind. He simply did what he felt he had to do at the time.

We will do as well; we will accomplish as much; we will be as great if we simply take up our cross daily and follow, Him. It is a; simple business of day-to-day living. Those who do it daily are the famous ones of tomorrow and the residents of heaven.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 15, p. 242
April 12, 1979