Truth Magazine

By Ron Halbrook

Can we, or can we not, get on with the work of spreading the gospel? The first disciples, the apostles, faced this question. Thank God, they did not say, “We can’t do it.” They could have said, “The world is too big.” “We’re too inexperienced.” “People will think we’re odd, at best, and crazy, at worst.” After Jesus commissioned the apostles to go into all the world preaching the gospel, and after he ascended to the Father’s right hand, “they went forth, and preached everywhere” (Mk. 16:14-20).

The apostles of Christ were moved to spread the gospel by faith, courage, love, gratitude, and hope. Not everyone listened. Not everyone believed. Not everyone obeyed. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mk. 16:16). “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?” (Rom. 10:16). Of those who did believe and obey, not all remained faithful (Gal. 1:6ff; 1 Jn. 2:19). But, still, the apostles did what they could. So can we. God worked in and through those who were willing to do His will. He still does. We can, and must, get on with the work of spreading the gospel.What We Can and Cannot Do

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world, looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Tit. 2:11-14).

Titus 2:11-14 tells us what we can and cannot do and be pleasing to God. What we can and must do is to spread the gospel. Rather than being “for every good unfit” and “worthless,” Christians are “zealous of good works” and “careful to maintain good works” (Hendriksen, I-II Timothy and Titus, p. 358 and NAS on Tit. 1:16; KJ of 2:14 and 3:8). No work is greater than seeing, seeking, and saving the lost (Jn. 4:34-38). Doing God’s will is our very food–our “enjoyment,” “satisfaction,” “refreshment and strength. God’s work had these characteristics to Jesus, whose life fulfilled the principle that man shall not live by bread alone” (McGarvey and Pendleton, The Fourfold Gospel, p. 151, on Jn. 4:24). We can render this obedience, thus work out our “salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13, NAS). As we are “strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man,” Christ dwelling in our hearts “by faith,” God “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Eph. 3 :16-20).

But the Holy Spirit told Titus that we must also put away “ungodliness and worldly lusts” or “all iniquity.” Even if we make up our minds that we are going to seek the lost and spread the gospel, we may not be pleasing to God. For, we cannot do this work so as to please God if we begin to think it is necessary to violate His Word in order to get the work done. The desire to succeed at any cost is evidence of a worldly frame of mind and will produce lawless deeds, even in the name of religious work. The mind set of the world has led brethren to engage in many activities outside the realm of divine law in an effort to save the lost: the church engaging in general benevolence (providing the lost with material things to attract them), centralizing the work of many churches through one church (Herald of Truth Radio and Television Programs), sponsoring-church support of preachers, area-wide “campaigns” under the oversight of one church), social gospel practices (churches providing camps, contests, prizes, other recreational and social services), and institutionalism (churches claiming to save the lost by making donations to colleges, clinics, old-age homes, orphanages, missionary societies, publishing houses, book stores, etc.).

If we are captivated by the mind of the world in other ways, we cannot do the work of saving the lost so as to please God. Where God’s law is concerned, we cannot blend in with the world and then expect to provide the light which is “the word of life” (Phil. 2:15-16; Matt. 5:14-16). It is true that “we can’t do it”-cannot get on with the work of saving the lost–if we drink intoxicants, wear immodest dress, gamble, dance, attend night clubs, use filthy language, read pornographic literature or attend such movies, and violate God’s law on marriage, divorce, and remarriage. If we would demonstrate to others the “good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God,” we must “be not conformed to this world” but rather be “transformed by the renewing” power of the gospel (Rom. 12:2).

Nor can we get the job done by compromising any part of the divine message. The cry for compromise says, in essence, that the closer we move toward the world and the less the world is asked to give up, the more people we will “convert” (?). The slogans and rationales for compromise are many: “Preach the man, not the plan.” “Debates do more harm than good.” “Doctrine divides, love (or service) unites.” “Unity in diversity.” “Truth is personal, not propositional.” “If it’s right for you, it’s right.” “The letter (meaning God’s revealed Word) kills, the Spirit (doing whatever comes natural to you) gives life.” “We must ‘catch up with the times’ to keep from being viewed as a narrow-minded, legalistic sect.” Some of these notions contain warped truths, some set up false dichotomies, others are complete falsehoods, and all have the common goal of a broader appeal through a compromised message. We cannot “reach” people and please God by moving the boundaries He set (Tit. 2:14; 1 Jn. 3:4; 2 Jn. 9; Gal. 1:69).

Do We Have the Means?

“For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God bath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God bath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, bath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, fie that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Cor. 1:26-31).

What is meant when someone says of spreading the gospel, “We can’t do it”? Is the point that we do not have the means to accomplish the work of saving souls? We must be reminded over and over of a fundamental fact. “The gospel of Christ . . . is the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16). The gospel proclaimed will do the job God wants done. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else will. The gospel proclaimed has its own inherent power to draw men to God by the cords of love. Jesus said of his death and its meaning to a lost world, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (Jn. 12:32-33). Paul knew that, and so “determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).

God has appointed His own means to save. He does not need many things which we may decide are necessary “before the work can be- done.” Some brethren think, and even say, that “we can’t do it” until we “reach the influential of the community.” That means the bankers (influence of money), the judges (influence of power), the civic leaders (influence of prominence), the professors (influence of worldly wisdom), and the celebrities in sports or politics or social circles (influence of popularity). Anyone who is lost needs to be saved, but the gospel is not waiting on anyone’s response to make its power “effective.” God is not dependent upon the people and “influence” upon which some brethren dote. If we are waiting for the wise, mighty, and noble of the world to obey Christ, or for some other such means to be supplied before the job can be done, we might as well be waiting for hell to freeze over (if you will pardon the expression, it does aptly describe the situation). God has made Christ to be all the power and influence we need, all the “wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” We have the necessary means, if we will just use it. The gospel of Christ will get the job done. Let us get on with it.

Is This Really Why We Can’t?

“And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we . . . And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”

Israel wept all night and called for a return to Egypt the next morning, after hearing the report that there were giants in the promised land. Joshua and Caleb “rent their clothes,” pleading for the people to see that giants were not keeping them out of Canaan. Rebellion, fear, and lack of faith in God were the real problems (see Num. 13:30-14:10). When brethren today think they cannot get on with the work of spreading the gospel, what is the real problem? Let us look at some of the giants reported to be in the land, which cause brethren to cry all night, “We can’t do it.”

Giant No. l: “This is a hard place” (followed by much explanation of how hard, why hard, how long hard, etc.). Long established vices, religious traditionalism, or brethren’s past mistakes can increase the difficulty of our work and limit its apparent success in a given region. But none of this excuses us from the job of continuing to preach the gospel. We may need to increase our efforts, vary our methods, or concentrate on new areas of work. Isaiah was told to preach in a hard place until the Lord destroyed it, and reminded that a remnant would be saved by such efforts (Isa. 6:913). Noah preached the righteousness of God for 120 years in a place so hard that the people could imagine, purpose, and desire nothing but evil–“the wickedness of man was great in the earth” (Gen. 6:3-5; 2 Pet. 2:5).

Giant No. 2: “We need to save our treasury for a rainy day.” The implication is that if we spend too much on preaching, we will not have enough when some real tragedy occurs or other need arises. Because some physical tragedy might occur, thousands of dollars are laid up while a present, actual, spiritual tragedy is occurring every day! It is raining, brethren! Souls are passing into eternity unprepared to meet God, destined for torment in hades until their final condemnation on Judgment Day, when they will be banished into everlasting punishment with the Devil and his angels (Heb. 9:27; Lk. 16:19-31; Matt. 25:31-46).

Giant No. 3: “Digression has taken such a toll in our area.” This is true in many areas, but it is only more reason to labor for the salvation of the Lord’s remnant. When Elijah complained, “I am left alone, and they seek my life,” God answered, “I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.” God added, of Paul’s day, “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace” (Rom. 11:2-5). Even so at this present time also there is work to be done and souls to be saved.

Giant No. 4: “The members won’t support the effort.” If this is an admission that the church is lukewarm, more teaching–not less–is needed. Admonition, encouragement, rebuke is needed, or Christ will come quickly “and remove thy candlestick out of his place” (Rev. 2:5). The Lord is sickened by an inactive church, would as soon see it oppose truth as do nothing, and will finally vomit it out (3:14-22). If “we can’t–won’t–labor to save the lost, then “we can’t” receive wages and gather fruit unto life eternal (Jn. 4:3138).

Giant No. 5: “We get tired of hearing the same thing over and over.” While it is true we need a balanced diet, the Lord provided His Word that we might “have these things always in remembrance” (2 Pet. 1:13-15). The Spirit said through Peter, “I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance” (3:1). Rather than tiring of the gospel, “we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip” (Heb. 2:1).

There are other giants–“I don’t know anyone to teach”–“I don’t know how”–“I don’t know enough”–“I don’t have time.” The giants are not the real problem.

We Can’t Do It Without-

“Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel . . . There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee . . . Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right -hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest . . . Have not I commanded thee: Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee wfthersoever thou goest.”

The real reason “we can’t do it” is that we lack the character of a Christian. The fact is that our obedience to God springs from certain inner qualities. We can’t do it . . . (1) Without faith in God. In Joshua 1:1-9, God appeals to Joshua to exercise the same faith in Him that Moses did. Faith moved Abram to leave Ur, to beget Isaac in his old age, and to bring his son for an offering. Faith compelled the apostles to go everywhere preaching the Word, it compelled persecuted saints to continue spreading the truth, and it will move us to do the same thing today (Mk. 16:20; Acts 8:3-4).

(2) Without a determined courage. Joshua was admonished repeatedly to show strength of courage. Even when threatened, Peter and John had the courage to obey God, “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20; cf. 5:27-33). Though Stephen knew those who had killed could do so again, he openly accused sinners of betrayal and murder (Acts 7:51ff). And, they did kill again. We need courage to speak divine truth without shame, fear, or favor. Courage removes compromise and is not afraid to be different.

(3) Without loving the Lord. If Joshua was to accept the Lord’s commission, to give his all for the Lord’s will, he had to love the Lord above all else. David said, “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day” (Ps. 119-97). If it pleased God to save the lost through the gospel proclaimed, it will please all who love Him (1 Cor. 1:21). If we love the God who loved the world so as to give His only begotten Son, we too will love the lost, pray for them, and do all in our power to reach them with the gospel (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 10:1-3).

(4) Without gratitude and humility. Had Joshua not been thankful for God bringing him to Jordan’s banks, and humble before Him, he could not have done the Father’s will. Gratitude and humility characterize those today who know what it is to be forgiven of sin. Remembering our past condition in sin and God’s saving grace, we should show kindness to those now trapped in sin (Tit. 3:lff). “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” “Freely ye have received, freely give” (Ps. 107:8; Matt. 10:8).

(5) Without a lively hope. Joshua had to believe God’s promises if he was to “go over this Jordan.” All who have pleased God have “confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth… wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city” (Heb. 11:13-16). Those who are “careful to maintain good works” are “heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Tit. 3:7-8). Our labor is “not in vain” because God “hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Cor. 15:58; 1 Pet. 1:3-5). We will reap the harvest of “life everlasting” only if we are faithful in “well doing” (Gal. 6:8-9).

Oh Yes We Can!

“We can’t do it”? Oh yes we can! With God’s help, and the means He has put at our disposal, we can. This does not require a big campaign, gimmic advertisements, national coordinators, or international headquarters. It simply requires the constant working of the leaven–each one of us doing what we can (Matt. 13:33), day by day, individual by individual, and church by church. We can and must get on with the work of spreading the gospel.

Truth Magazine XXI: 29, pp. 451-454
July 28, 1977

By Morris D. Norman

More and more churches are learning the worth of the lecture type program as a part of local effectiveness. The Lord’s church that meets at 640 Thayer Street in Akron, Ohio has been using this as a part of its work since 1970 and it has proven to be profitable for many reasons. Prior to 1970, the traditional gospel meeting was not serving local needs as it had in the past and the elders decided to try the lecture program as an alternate. This article will set forth the program and its advantages to us.

Although those attending “college lectureships” have enjoyed, and obtained great good from them, there is some difference in a lecture series put on by a local church and a school. The situation on a school campus is not always conducive to the atmosphere of worship and edification as is possible in a local church at work. If a church is contemplating such a program, the final decision should not be made on what is sometimes observed at a “college lectureship.”

Since this program is a local church at work, it is prepared with the needs of Thayer Street in mind. The elders design the program for the local situation and then invite others to share in it much like the gospel meeting. But the very nature of it can extend its effectiveness beyond the local level like the gospel meeting.

There can be several variations to this type program. There can be week-long sessions with either evening services, morning and evening services, or morning, afternoon and evening services. Some have had weekend programs with the sessions beginning on Friday nights and continuing all day Saturday and Sunday. Thayer Street Lectures begin on Monday night with morning, afternoon and evening sessions through Thursday night. There is a total of 19 lessons with two speakers at each session with the exception of Wednesday evening. We leave that night for one speaker, a guest to the lecture series from out of town. This permits those from other churches in Akron to attend their own services without missing any of the scheduled speakers, and also to let out-of-town visitors visit other churches locally.

The selection of subjects can vary. Some carry a theme throughout. We prefer to deal with a variety of subjects. The elders prepare the program, covering areas of doctrine, faith building, character studies and devotion. One of the features of the past few years has been the study of the lives of Biblical persons, ranging from women, patriarchs, prophets, apostles to general people of faith who have merited a place in the divine record. We have also used the first part of the afternoon session to emphasize worshiping in song with audience participation. In 1976, attention was given to a study of the psalms that had been set to music. We have highlighted the other areas of worship as well. All subjects are chosen according to local need and interest.

After selecting the subjects for a given program, the elders then seek the men whom they feel will best be able to deal with the subject. They strive to have a balanced program each year in both subjects and speakers. We use young men to encourage them, local men who are new to the area to acquaint them with local brethren, and then more seasoned men for the more mature subjects. We urge the speakers to prepare their presentations with the “man in the pew” in mind. Most of those attending are average members (housewives, working :people, young couples, etc.) and we ask that the material be directed to such, rather than “scholarly” material that may be apparent at school lectureships.

Outlines are printed of each speech, put in book form and available to all attending. We also mail out a number each year to some who are unable to attend but desire the material, thus extending the good accomplished. We have printed up to 700 outline books for any one program. This will likely be our limit. Since the outlines are in demand from year to year, there would hardly be a limit otherwise. Some speakers make brief outlines, others as many as 15 pages. We are considering limiting each speaker to about five typewritten pages because of the expense involved. We request the outlines be in our hands 4 to 6 weeks prior to the program to give our volunteer help time to prepare the books.

The over-all response in attendance and enthusiasm has grown over the years. We broke previous records this year with the day services about double the first years. Those attending from other local churches have grown appreciably as have those from out of town. We have had visitors from over a dozen states and Canada. More young preachers attended this year than ever before. Their over-all response and attitude show that the cause of the Lord is in good hands in the years to come. The assistance that these lectures give them is alone worth the cost and effort. But let it be emphasized that the program is designed for Thayer Street, not those attending from elsewhere. The good done beyond Thayer Street is secondary; this is not a “brotherhood” work. We maintain a mailing list of churches and individuals who have shown an interest in the program and we begin notifying them of that year’s program in early Spring, with two more mailings by late August. The periodicals published by our brethren have been kind in printing notices for us.

An advantage on the local level, in addition to the edification, is the involvement of our members in the program. In a gospel meeting, the usual involvement is an occasional invitation to a friend or neighbor, the attending of all the services and having the visiting preacher in for a meal. In our program there is much more involvement. The printing of the outlines alone involves a number of people. The stencils must be cut (as many as 50 or 60), then printed (700 copies of each), then collated (imagine 20 or 30 people marching around a couple of tables gathering 700 fifty-page outlines) and finally stapled into book form. So far no out of town guests have had to depend on commercial housing; Christians have opened their homes with good old fashioned hospitality. Our people are learning the joy of sharing. More and more are scheduling their vacations so as to attend all sessions and get the full benefits of the program, and this is spreading to other churches in the area. This type of involvement is invaluable in the continued development of the saints.

This type program can be recommended for any of the above reasons. It can be effective most anywhere, but particularly where there are a number of congregations. The cost may vary. We pay travel expenses to each speaker plus a small amount for his effort. The cost has been approximately $1,000 per year. That is about the cost of two gospel meetings, but we feel that the benefit is more than that which would be obtained from two annual meetings. If you are interested in such a program and would like to have more information than obtained here, we would be glad to give it.

Truth Magazine XXI: 29, pp. 450-451
July 28, 1977

By Luther Blackmon

Methodist and Lutheran preachers can find enough water in Mt. 19:14 to sprinkle all the babies in the world, and there is not a word in the whole chapter about water. But John 3:5, where water is said to be an essential element in the new birth, is bone dry.

Christian Church preachers can find an organ in Eph.5:19 and a Missionary Society in Mt. 28:18, while in neither passage is either mentioned.

Some of my brethren can put money from hundreds of churches into the hands of one eldership to spend in preaching. They can, and will, and have put so much pressure on a church just for announcing a gospel meeting in another church that is not in harmony with their ecclesiastical practice, that the elders where the meeting was announced got up and publicly apologized for making the “mistake” of announcing the gospel meeting. And all of this can be done without interfering with the autonomy of another church. But just mail a few bulletins to members of a church which supports these brotherhood projects suggesting that we need to examine our authority for some of the things we are doing, and you are “violating the Bible teaching of congregational autonomy.” Hmm. It “do” make a difference, “don’t” it?

Truth Magazine XXI: 28, pp. 446
July 21, 1977

By Royce Chandler

All four of the young men who worked with us through the past four summers are now preaching “full-time” in Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky; and we already have secured another young man to work with us during the summer of 1977.

The responsibility to commit the gospel to faithful men, enabling them “to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:1) is clearly required of gospel preachers. Early in 1973, the elders of the local church in Danville, Kentucky, began making plans to accomplish that work by inviting Bruce Edwards, Jr., to spend May through August working with us, developing his skills and knowledge in order to do the work of an evangelist.

The results were so gratifying that the elders have continued the work in successive summers with Barry Hudson, Rick Lanning, and Scott Vifquain. Helping to develop and to train five preachers in five summers has been one of the most productive and edifying works in which this church has engaged. Rich dividends have been paid to those young men, to practically every family in this church, and especially to our large number of teens and pre-teens.

The basic idea behind the work is to take a young man who knows he wants to preach and to give him practical experience in teaching and preaching while under the guidance and instruction of the elders and the local preacher. So many “beginning preachers,” still wet behind the ears, so to speak, begin local work with no idea of what to expect or what to do. When problems arise within the church, these inexperienced young men often have no elders to turn to and no experience upon which to draw. Consequently, devastating mistakes are sometimes made when, with some previous teaching and guidance, they could have been avoided.

By preaching, teaching, exhorting, and edifying in a learning situation where he receives correction and advice from both the elders and an experienced evangelist, the preacher-to-be has a great advantage when he begins “full-time” work. Especially does this training and teaching show its value in situations involving possible disciplinary action within a local church. But this principle is universally seen to be true in every area of life: a prepared worker is a better, more productive worker.

When possible, the young man lives with my family; seeing exactly what transpires daily in an evangelist’s life removes any hazy, romantic notions in that regard. By watching how every situation affects a preacher and his family, and seeing the great demands made upon a faithful preacher and his wife, the young evangelist’s work and expectations will be realistic and, hopefully, maturely aimed.

The specific works engaged in by these young men were greatly varied. For the most part, they were held responsible for a great amount of the work normally done by a located preacher: regular sermon deadlines, at least two classes to teach, a weekly bulletin, and a weekly radio program. In addition, we involved them in writing articles for a local newspaper column, leading one of the four work groups into which the church is divided, teaching home studies, visiting sick and needy brethren, and observing how the elders handle the spiritually ailing brethren. When needed, special studies were held with these men to strengthen their Bible knowledge.

Other local churches have started similar efforts only to watch them quickly die. The success with which we have been blessed is due, to single out the greatest factor, to the strong enthusiasm of the local saints themselves. If the elders and the saints in general are not zealous for such a work, I doubt that it would continue productively. But because the local elders were careful to involve the fellow-members in the work, we have reaped greatly from it.

For example, it was thought essential to get every saint to feel a share of responsibility in this work. To that end, the elders arranged for the young man to be in the homes of different families on at least two nights of every week (often it was more). The teenagers met, on their own, prior to the arrival of these men, to draw up a list of projects for the summer, most of which involved the help of the “trainee.” With the elders, the regular evangelist, most of the families, and an active teen group all planning ahead and feeling a shared responsibility, the four men received much and gave much.

Naturally, we have learned more about what we are doing every year we are involved, and we try to upgrade our efforts accordingly. Consequently, Bruce did not get nearly the help Scott received; and with God’s blessings, we shall do a better job this summer.

Over and above what benefit these summers have been to these aspiring evangelists, by far the greatest fruit has been ours! Seeing the local church’s work actually resulting in four “full-time” evangelists, feeling a common share in the development of these men, and seeing the inestimable good effects these men have had on our own young people’s concern with spiritual things have helped to generate more and more enthusiasm for the continuation of the work.

It was this feeling of thankfulness for our blessings that led us to enlarge the work somewhat. Beginning this past August, we began a series of intensive Bible studies for any who wish to study, and especially for any young man desiring to become an evangelist. Brother Kelly Ellis, one or our elders, and I teach three trimesters of Bible classes each year, from August through May. During each twelve week session, six different Bible classes are taught each week, Monday through Friday mornings. This way, by the time one has studied six courses per session, over the two-year arrangement, he will have studied every book in the Bible.

This enlarged teaching work is in addition to the summer work; their aims are distinctly different at this point, and we plan to continue them both, the Lord willing. We began the first trimester’s work with six students; three of those have had to drop out for various reasons, but the future of this work looks promising. Several have inquired about it and are considering taking advantage of it.

It might be appropriate to mention that we have at no time arranged this work as being in competition with any school or college. Our only motive is to do all we can in our local situation, under the direction of our own elders, and using only the local church’s resources, to teach the Bible and develop the abilities of any Christian desiring to study with us. The work is totally scriptural, it is completely local in nature, and it in no way involves taking money or anything else from anyone but local members.

It also is appropriate to add that this teaching program is in no way a reaction to the college Bible department dispute. In fact, believing that issue to be a matter of one’s personal judgment, it has not even been considered in our planning to do all we can do, in keeping with the Word, to produce fruit for the Lord. We are simply a local church doing a local work with local resources; anyone wishing to study with us is welcome. These classes will be of distinct benefit to any who wish to study in them.

While the church in Danville is not, in anyone’s mind, an ideal church, we have been richly blessed in this work. By local saints cooperating in a scriptural work, we have fellowship with four “new” evangelists; a fifth has pledged to be with us this summer, and we anticipate, with the Lord’s blessings, more.

Every year I hear of more and more local churches having a part in similar works and it greatly encourages me to see such zealous interest and activity. Any suggestions you brethren might provide on arrangements you have found helpful, I would appreciate. Likewise, we will be happy to share anything we might have found useful, if anyone cares to inquire. May the Lord’s work increase, and may we all zealously and enthusiastically go to work to help each other in the common work of righteousness.

Truth Magazine XXI: 28, pp. 444-445
July 21, 1977