Truth Magazine

By Jeffery Kingry

The preacher had always been a very busy man. Between meetings, debates, writing, study, and time spent with preaching cronies little time was spent home with the family. The preacher’s wife made a life that cared for the more “mundane” parts of life without her husband. She had always been taught that it was her lot and duty in life to “make-do” while her husband “sacrificed” for the Lord. Actually, she could have told anyone that the sacrifice was hers to make, and not her husband’s. He was doing what he enjoyed without a feeling of guilt for his neglect of such “non-exciting” duties as nurturing and admonishing his children and demonstrating, due benevolence to his wife. His wife assumed the duties of home and household because she had to.

The preacher sacrificed for the Gospel when he bought the sophisticated tape deck, amplifiers, and speakers to record his own voice. He bought books, tapes, file cabinets, typewriters, overhead projectors, printing presses, cameras, and other various expensive “aids” to help him in his work. His children wore hand-me-downs and ate beans. His wife took a job to make ends meet. While the wife and kids often “made-do” with their clothing, the preacher needed well tailored and attractive suits “for his work.” In some cases the preacher went to the beauty parlor more often than his wife for a razor trim and styling. It was quite a scene: the preacher in the pulpit exhorting brethren “to love your wives as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.” Later, his wife struggled down the aisle with arms full of babies, Bibles, and diaper bags while the preacher “shakes ’em out” the door.

It is a tribute to the godly nature of women such as these that they endure and persevere, still reverencing their husbands, submitting as unto the Lord. But is this the marriage God engineered in the garden (Gen. 2:24)? Is this the marriage that Jesus compares all marriage to (Matt. 19:4,5)? Can we look upon such a relationship and say with the Lord, “Behold, it is very good”?

The preacher’s family is often vulnerable because of confusion surrounding his work and place in the church. His wife is expected to be “first lady” in the church and must initiate and be included in all social functions. (Some may laugh, but this writer once heard a preacher seriously teach that while speaking on “The Preacher’s Wife.”) Is there a word in all of the Bible about “Preacher’s Wife” qualifications apart form the exhortation given all women and wives? His children are often used or abused by the brethren in attempts to win the parent’s approval, or wreak their vengeance upon the parents without having to personally confront them.

Some men of great ability receive a promotion above “local work.” They become preachers at large — meeting preachers — “prominent” preachers. As one of these brethren once sought to explain it to me, “There is a place, mind you, for the local preacher — the one who deals with problems and teaches only on a local level. But there is a place as well for those men who have the opportunity to deal with the bigger picture-those errors that are brotherhood wide. There have to be brotherhood preachers as well!” Often, these men do not actively seek this larger role, but have it thrust upon. them. But, however it is obtained, is there any precedent, example or authority for anything but a “local preacher?” Like personal work, preaching that is so broadly based as to be addressed to everyone, is addressed to no one. “Brotherhood preachers” seldom if ever touch and change as many lives as the man that takes them one at a time.

Too many times the problem is complicated when the preacher’s wife reacts emotionally to such presumptuous neglect by selfishness on her own part. The wife may refuse to anything that needs to be done, except as it pleases her. She has often developed her own way of life and living apart from her husband and family. It is from this world that she seeks what she feels she needs. The children are neglected, housework is not done, meals are not prepared, the family’s solidarity dissolves as everyone goes his own way and does as he pleases. The T.V. becomes the babysitter, teacher, and companion to the young. The adolescent turns to his friends and peers for love, approval, guidance as he sees only benign neglect form his parents. Resentments from unresolved anger and hatred build up in the marriage till all mutual feeling of compassion and love is smothered. Divorce is not a way out for godly Christians, so the preacher and his wife lead a grey, passionless existence having long past shed their tears of loss over their loneliness.

It Is A Problem

Anyone who does not believe there are such family problems among God’s servants is not too observant. It would be possible, if it were necessary, to take the specific lives of many families within the church to document this composite picture. The problem is not confronted and dealt with as a problen within the church because we are so loathe to recognize it to start with.

Responsibility

We owe much of this problem to our collective fuzzy thinking on the work of the preacher. Talk with any group of brethren for very long about the work of the evangelist, and soon he will have more qualifications and duties than an elder!

In the minds of many brethren, the preacher must compete with and parallel the denominational “Reverends.” Since we cannot have a Pastpr, we have a “Minister” and “Christianize” a denominational clergy. Our clergy must be well-dressed, well educated, on constant call, always on display, and set apart. The preacher is seldom considered a part of the local congregation where he worships. He is an employee of the church to be controlled, or who exercises control.

What is this man’s responsibility? What is his responsibility before God to the church, the sinner, the unbeliever, his family, his wife, his children? The questions and problems raised in this article cannot be answered in a few words-but they do have an answer. God’s word has an answer for every relationship of man (2 Pet. 1:3).

Truth Magazine XXI: 22, pp. 345-346
June 2, 1977

By Luther Blackmon

Following World War Two a wave of prosperity, unparalled in our recent history, swept over this land. Churches of Christ were able to reach towards objectives which were once as far away as the moon. But in religion, as in other areas of society, prosperity spawns its corresponding problems.

Put a lot of money into the hands of preachers and elders, and human nature will do the rest. Some “career conscious” and persuasive preachers with big plans will go to work on some elders who are better business men than elders, and the next thing you know they will drag in a Trojan horse much too big for the New Testament harness. There will be protests. But such promoters are not easily discouraged, especially when they are promoting with somebody else’s money. Besides they will find a way to alter the harness to fit this nag. Some naive soul may suggest that the Lord designed that harness and that rather than change the harness, why not use a horse that the harness fits. If these protests get loud, and they did, the propaganda machine is set in motion and woe unto the preachers that are making the noise. Such a one is made to look like Judas Iscariot, Jr. He is a “do nothing,” and “anti” and jealous because he is not in charge of it. He must be ignored. “This great work must go on” — like Nehemiah’s statement (Neh. 6:3) — is about as apropos as the “thief on the cross” argument to prove salvation without baptism. Nehemiah was doing what God wanted done. If these fellows will show me scriptural authority for their projects, they will have one more on the wall with them. But they will have to give me more than their word that God wants the church to engage in building and/or maintaining “Youth Retreats,” “Youth Camps,” “Hospitals,” “Colleges,” “Homes for Unwed Mothers,” “Teenage Lounges,” “Preachers’ Retreats,” “Mission Conferences,” “Youth Forums,” “Mission Seminars,” “Tri-State Rallies,” “Faith Corps,” and so on and on and on. And if somebody thinks I dreamed these things I have news for him. Most of these were taken from the Christian Chronicle, a paper published in Abilene, Texas, edited by one of the founders of the Herald of Truth. If you have not heard of all these things just be patient, you will. In fact the church where you worship will be supporting these things-some of them-eventually, or it will bear the stigma of “anti.” Perish the thought!

There are many brethren who, ten years ago, refused to consider the possibility that these innovations would come. The benevolent institutions were alright, they thought. There were some things about the Herald of Truth that needed watching, but, it was doing so much good it must be alright. But you simply cannot set aside Bible authority to let in one thing without opening the door for other things. Now it boils down to this: The people will either swallow one big innovation after another and lead the Church of Christ into the fold of denominationalism, or turn back and meet the scorn and ridicule that some of us have been “enjoying” for years. Which will it be? Several preachers have already gone into the Christian Church. Others who still hold onto the name have frankly admitted that they will not recognize any wall between the Church of Christ and the denominations. I have a great deal more respect for men like Carl Ketcherside and Robert Meyers who express quite frankly their views along this line, than I have for some of the mealy-mouthed fellows who want their people to believe that they are right where they have always been, but who keep a damp finger in the air to see which way the wind blows. We are ON THE MARCH alright — but to where? I am reminded that, “it is not the speed we make, but the direction we take that gets us where we want to go.”

Truth Magazine XXI: 22, p. 345
June 2, 1977

By William J. Imrisek

Words are merely symbols that convey meaning. They may signify objects, actions, abstract or concrete ideas and concepts, emotions and feelings, etc. Good communication depends upon speaking so as to be understood. As the apostle Paul recognized, “If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken?” (1 Cor. 14:8-9).

Man’s ability to communicate effectively depends upon his ability to utilize words properly. He must use words that are familiar to his hearer. He must also attach to these words the same meaning that his hearer understands them to possess. When either one of these principles is violated a breakdown in communication occurs, with the end result of a misunderstanding or a complete failure to understand.

I recall an instance several years ago in which I and the one with whom I was speaking were guilty of violating this latter principle. We were talking about the manner and habits of “gophers.” However, as the conversation progressed it became evident that we were not speaking about the same creature. I soon learned that my friend was referring to a tortoise, common in the southern coastal states, which the local people called a “gopher.” But to a homegrown Northerner such as myself the only type of gopher of which I was knowledgeable was a rodent, similar in appearance to a squirrel, which burrows tunnels through the soil of the Midwestern prairies in search of roots and plants for its next meal. In our conversation we were using the identical word symbol, but we were each attaching to it a different meaning. This resulted in a temporary breakdown in communication.

This same problem can occur when we are studying or expounding the scriptures. We may use biblical terms and think that we are expressing biblical ideas, but unless we are attaching to these terms the same ideas that God attaches to them, we are misunderstanding Him. Thus it is possible for a person to use such terms as “faith,” “works,” “born again,” “saved by grace,” “church,” “bishop,” “priest,” “confession,” “baptism,” “repentance,” and “confirm,” all biblical terms, but attach a different meaning to them than that given to them by their use in the Bible. The result is a failure to understand God as He has spoken.

As a preacher I often encounter this problem when trying to explain to people the type of work that I do. Almost invariably they will respond, “Oh, then you are a pastor.” I must then stop and explain to them that I am not a pastor, but rather a preacher or evangelist. But this usually only confuses them. They have learned to associate the terms “pastor” and “preacher” with the same function. They fail to realize that in the Bible a preacher is not the same as a pastor. Their error lies in giving a biblical term an unbiblical meaning. In this case, it usually results in a perversion of both the work of a pastor (in its biblical sense) and the work of a preacher (in its biblical sense).

The Work of a Pastor

The word “pastor” is found only one time in the New Testament of our English Bibles, this being in Eph. 4:11. And although the function of a pastor is not here specifically identified, it is seen to be distinguished from that of the evangelist (or preacher). “He (God) gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teacher.” Thus, the Bible identifies these two function separately.

Although the word “pastor” is found only this one time in our English translations, the Greek word from which the term “pastor” is translated (poimen) is found fifteen more times in the Greek, and is elsewhere translated in the New Testament as “shepherd.” It describes one who feeds and tends a flock of sheep. It is used in its literal sense in such passages as Matt. 9:36 and Luke 2, 8, 15, 18, 20. Metaphorically, Jesus is referred to as a shepherd (John 10:11, 14; Heb. 13:20). Likewise, it is used as a descriptive term to identify the servants of God who have been given the responsibility to shepherd, feed, and tend the flock of God (Eph. 4:11), the church. We can therefore learn more about who a pastor is by examining the scriptures and recognizing to whom this identical responsibility of shepherding, feeding, and tending God’s flock has been given.

The scriptures inform us that this responsibility has been placed in the hands of men who are called “elders” and “overseers” or “bishops.” For example, in Acts 20:1728 it is said of Paul that “from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. And when they were come to him, he said unto them . . . Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock of God over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed (poimaino) the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” Here we see that elders (also called overseers) were given the responsibility of feeding or pastoring the church of God. The term “elder,” from the Greek, presbuteros, meaning “aged person” is used synonymously with the term “overseer.” Overseer comes from the Greek, episkopos, and is also translated in the Bible as “bishop” (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:7).

Peter likewise tells us that the work of elders was that of overseeing and feeding the church of God. He says, “The elders (presbuterois) which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: feed (poimaino) the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight (episkopeo) thereof, not by constraint, but willingly” (1 Pet. 5:1-2). We can conclude then that the terms “elder,” “bishop” (overseer), and “pastor” all refer to the same person: “elder” referring to his physical age as well as to his spiritual maturity; “bishop” describing his function of overseeing the church; and “pastor” designating his responsibility to feed and tend the flock of God so that their spiritual appetites will be completely satisfied.

Although the word “elder” signifies seniority in years, maturity, and experience, a man does not become a pastor or bishop by reason of years alone, but rather by right of qualification (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9) and appointment (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). It is God’s will that there be elders in every local church where there are men qualified (Acts 14:23). Thus we read about elders in the churches of Ephesus (Acts 20:17), Philippi (Phil. 1:1), and also Jerusalem (Acts 15:4). It will be noted that in each church there was a plurality (always more than one) of elders. No single elder was exalted over another, but they all shared equally in the responsibility given to them. In addition, their oversight was limited to the “flock of God which is among. you” (1 Pet. 5:2).

As Christians we have responsibilities toward these men. They are watchmen for our souls. Therefore, we are commanded to “obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief” (Heb. 13:17).

These men rule not as lords or dictators over God’s church, but as servants, leading us by their instruction (Heb. 13:7) and their example (1 Pet. 5:3), correcting us as faithful watchmen, and feeding us with the wisdom and instruction which is from God (Acts 20:28). We must respect these godly men and give them the honor which is due to them (1 Tim. 5:17). These are the men that the Bible refers to as pastors, bishops, and elders.The Work of a Preacher

But I am not a pastor. I am a preacher. And as a preacher I do not have the oversight or rule over the church of God. Rather, as a member of the local church I must also submit to the elders as those that have the rule over me, and I must not seek to usurp their authority. I must give them the honor that is due to them, and I must maintain the proper distinction between the function of a pastor or elder and the function which I must fulfill as a preacher.

Inherent in the work of the evangelist or preacher is the proclaiming of the good news of Jesus Christ. He must proclaim the word of faith whereby souls might be saved (Rom. 10:13-17). He must bring this message to the lost so that they might learn of it, believe, and be baptized (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16; Eph. 3:8-10).

He also has a reciprocal responsibility to those who have had their sins forgiven to “teach them to observe all things whatsoever I (Jesus) have commanded” (Matt. 28:20). He must “put the brethren in remembrance of these things” in order to be “a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine” (1 Tim. 4:6). He must be a defender of the gospel (Phil. 1:17), ready to “preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tim. 4:2). His life must be a reflection of the gospel which he preaches, and he must be an example to the believer as well as to the unbeliever (1 Tim. 4:12; Titus 2:7-8). He labors for the Lord among the lost and among the saved, and stands accountable to his Master (1 Cor. 4:1-5).

The distinction between a pastor (or elder) and a preacher (or evangelist) is seen not only in the function which each must perform but also in the qualifications which each must possess. Inherent in the definition of the term “elder” is that he be an older man. An evangelist, however, may be a younger man, such as Timothy (2 Tim. 4:5; 1 Tim. 4:12). Likewise, among the qualifications for an elder is that he be the husband of one wife and have children who are faithful to the Lord (1 Tim. 3:2, 4, 5; Titus 1:6). But a man who is a preacher need not be married or have a family. The apostle Paul referred to himself as a preacher (1 Tim. 2:7). Nevertheless, he was unmarried (1 Cor. 7:8). Thus, although he was a preacher, he was not qualified to be a pastor.Conclusion

Many have erred in believing that a preacher is inherently a pastor. They are guilty of an unbiblical use of the word “pastor” and, more often than not, have placed upon the preacher a function and responsibility not given to him by God. The preacher is not the shepherd or pastor of the local church. This responsibility rightly belongs to those men who are qualified and appointed, men whom the Bible calls elders and bishops.

In order to understand God we must understand Him as He has spoken. We do not have the right to redefine His. words. Such would be dishonest.

Let us be careful lest we have misunderstood God by mishandling His word (2 Tim. 2:15). Words are important. They are the means by which God has chosen to communicate His will to man. To fail to understand God as He has spoken is to fail to understand His will.

Truth Magazine XXI: 22, pp. 343-344
June 2, 1977

By Brooks Cochran

One of the key words .in the epistle of 1 John is “fellowship.” The word in Greek is “koinonia.” Many think of church socials or “dinner on the ground” when they heard the word used. But John uses the term to carry the thought of a deep and mutual sharing.

“Fellowship” is defined as: “communion, . . . sharing in common.”(1) “The intimate bond of fellowship which unites Christians.”(2) “The fellowship of Christians with God and Christ, 1 John 1:3, 5-7, which fellowship, according to John’s teaching, consists in the fact that Christians are partakers in common of the same mind as God and Christ, and of the blessings arising there from.”(3) “To have fellowship with God, . . . with the Christian brethren.”(4)

In this article it will be our purpose to show from the epistle of 1 John what is required of a Christian if he is to be in fellowship with God and Christ. We will also discuss some of the results of being in fellowship with God and Christ.

In 1 John 1:6, 7, John gives the conditions for fellowship: “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (N.A.S.B). Thus, in order to be in fellowship with God, a Christian must “walk in the light.”

“Walk in the light” is a rather simple command to obey, but there is more to it than meets the eye. In order to fully understand what is involved in such a command, a study of the words “walk” and “light” will help.

“Walk” is used in the figurative sense to “signify the wole round of the activities of the individual life.”(5) In the Greek, “If we walk,” (eau peripatomen) is a condition of third class “with ‘ean’ and present active subjunctive.”(6) Thus the “walk” under study is one that is continual, “keep on walking.”

“Light” is what the Christian must continually walk in. Further, Christians are to only walk in the light in which the Father is. But what light is it that the Father is in? The apostle in 1 John 1:5 declares that “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” “The affirmation, ‘God is light,’ is not the same as ‘God is the light’ or ‘God is a light,’ but simply God is light, such is His essence; He is of the character of light. The word ‘light’ sums up the divine character on the intellectual side, as ‘God is love,’ similarly describes the fulness of His moral nature. He is the ‘author’ of light (James 1:17); its creator (Gen. 1:3); He is bathed in perpetual light (1 Tim. 6:16); and the marvelous light in which Christians are to walk is His (1 Peter 2:9).”(7)

Another question raised by the command to “walk in the light,” is the manner of the way in which to do it. In other words, “How does a Christian walk in the light?” In order to answer this question, a study of certain verses of scripture will help.

In John 8:12 Jesus declared that He was the light of the world and that the one who followed Him would not walk in darkness, but in light. Too, it is of interest to note that Jesus and God are both pictured as being in the light. So what is true of the Father concerning light is true of the Son. Later in John 8:31 Jesus said that if a person abides in His word, then they were His disciples. There must be some relation between “walking in the light” and abiding in the word of Christ.

John, in chapter 12:44-48, pictures again the contrast of “light” and the “word.” For in verse 44, Jesus said that the one who believes in -Him also believes in the Father. He then goes on to say that He came as “light into the world.” Thus the one who accepts the Son accepts the Father. The question is then asked, “How is this done?” Jesus answers this in verses 47 and 48; to accept His word is to accept Him. To reject Him is to reject the word and it is this word that will be the standard of judgment at the last day.

So when a person “walks in the light,” he is in a sense conducting his life in accordance with the commandments laid down in the word of God. There are many admonitions in the New Testament that tell the Christian how he is to conduct himself as he “walks in the light” (Eph. 4:1; Col. 1:10; 2:6; 1 Thess. 2:12). When a person ceases to walk in the law of God he is said not only to be in darkness, but also “without God” (2 John 9, 10).

Attention now needs to be directed towards what happens to a person as he “walks in the light.” In order to do this more effectively, we will look at the results in the negative and then in the positive.

There are only two places a person can walk, either in darkness or light. If one chooses to walk in darkness then he has chosen the path that is the opposite of light. He is walking in a path that shuns fellowship with God. “Those who ‘walk in darkness’ are not only sinful in conduct; their disposition is one of hatred and envy.”(8)

By choosing such a path the individual must accept three consequences of such a walk: He must deny the reality of sin (1 John 1:6,7), He must deny his responsibility for sin (1 John 1:8,9), and He must deny the fact of sin in his own life (1 John 1:10).(9)

Finally when we or any person choose the darkness “‘we lie,’ ‘we deceive ourselves, ‘we make Him a liar;’ and we are false, that is, to our knowledge; we persuade ourselves that falsehood is truth; we dare to set ourselves above God. And again: ‘we do not the truth,’ ‘the truth is not in us,’ ‘His word is not in us;’ we do not carry into act that which we have recognized as our ruling principle; the Truth, to which conscience bears witness, it is not the spring and law of our life; we have broken off our vital connection with the Truth when it comes to us as ‘the Word of God’ with a present, personal force.”(10)

For the person that “walks in the light” there are two things that happen to him; he has fellowship with other Christians and the blood of Christ will cleanse him from all sin. Remembering, of course, that all of this depends on his continual “walking in the light.”

The phrase,. “have fellowship with Him” of 1 John 1:6 changes in verse 7 to “have fellowship with one another.” The two phrases are virtually synonymous. Just as men are at war with God, they are at war with one another, so men reconciled to God are reconciled to one another.

To be in fellowship with God forms a bond (see chart below). Such a bond helps the Christian overcome some of the problems he faces in life (Gal. 6:2; 1 Cor. 12:26,27).

God & Christ

Apostles (1 Jn.1:3)

Christian + Christian + Christian

The second blessing of being in fellowship with God is knowing that the blood of Christ will cleanse one of his sins. Not only must one “walk” continually, but he must “confess” his sins continually. If he does, the blood will constantly cleanse him of the defilement and condemnation of sin.

Thus we have seen that John uses the term “fellowship” to convey the relationship a Christian has with God and his brethren in Christ, as long as he abides in the light (the Word of God).

Truth Magazine XXI: 22, pp. 341-342
June 2, 1977