Truth Magazine

By Lewis Willis

Memorial Day and June 1 mark the beginning of vacation time in America. It is a special time when families lay aside normal responsibilities for a brief time spent in relaxation and enjoyment. Depending on the approach we make to our vacations, they can be either a blessing or a curse. It seems appropriate, since this time is near, to remind us all of the pitfalls before us.

There Is No Such Thing as a Vacation From God

It is not uncommon for some members of the church to abandon God in the summertime. These are the folks who are too busy with other things to even assemble for worship. The church must get along without them until vacation time is over. I read a bulletin from a Christian Church in our city which dismissed Bible classes for the summer. A large liberal Church of Christ (?) in our city has made other plans and will discontinue evening worship for the summer. These are examples of accommodations denominations make because their members are busy with other things and have taken a vacation from God. The season is a curse to people who conduct themselves in this way.

Some Take a Vacation From Worship

With a Faithful Church

Christians would never think of missing worship on Sunday. However, they frequently take a vacation from worship with a faithful church. This is a strange thing about vacation planning for many church members. They are very careful to select a vacation destination that has beautiful sightseeing, good fishing/golfing, etc., good restaurants, and good motel/camping facilities. These are essentials to a good vacation. However, many of these families never ask, “Is there a faithful church nearby where we can worship?” Brethren, it says something about us when we are more interested in good food and a bed to sleep in than we are in a place to worship. Did we just forget, or was that the last thing on our minds? In either case, it manifests a serious spiritual problem.

Many think it’s alright to attend liberal churches, if there is not a faithful church nearby. Where did we get the idea that this is acceptable with God? Brethren, if it is accept-able on vacation, it is acceptable the rest of the time as well! I have heard members say, “If you didn’t know it was liberal, you would not notice any difference.” There really isn’t much difference. They just participated with the Devil in the division of the Body of Christ. These liberal churches support human institutions and participate in unscriptural cooperation or have sympathy for such. Most of them have fellowship halls in which the members play and eat. Do those who visit these liberal churches never hear the announcements promoting these sins? All of these things are still violations of the Scriptures. So, there isn’t much difference, is there? I have often wondered how brethren can overlook such obvious violations of God’s Word, simply because they are on vacation.

I do not see why the same reasoning would not work with the Christian Church. If it were not for instrumental music, most would see no difference. They still observe the Lord’s supper, give, pray, and teach that baptism is necessary to salvation. I suppose there is some similarity between the Lord’s church and the average Catholic church. They both have front doors and pews. I guess it would be alright to worship with the Catholics also, provided, of course, you are on vacation. Right?

Many members overlook a Bible truth. It goes like this: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Eph. 5:11). When we attend a denomination (even one which has “Church of Christ” written over the door), we are violating this passage! We are committing a sin in the sight of God. We are having fellowship with them, and because we are on vacation does not change that fact. We are told in God’s Word to “abhor” evil (Rom. 12:9) and “eschew” or avoid it (1 Pet. 3:11). I would like someone to explain to me how one can abhor and avoid the evil in liberal churches, and still worship with them while on vacation. I would like to see the evidence of the Scripture they would use to justify the practice. What passages teach that the practice is acceptable with God? Keep in mind that Paul said we are to prove that the Lord accepts the practice (Eph. 5:10; 1 Thess. 5:21). Brethren, if you are going to attend liberal churches while you are on vacation, you had better get ready with an answer that God will accept at the Judgment!

Others wonder what to do, then, if there is no faithful church nearby. May I suggest that a good thing to do would be to select another vacation destination? Would it not be better to miss seeing some wonder of the world than to miss heaven? Is it worth seeing if it means you will spend eternity in hell, because you had worship fellowship with evil?

Some Take a Vacation from Modesty

All the rest of the year they are careful to adorn themselves in modest apparel (1 Tim. 2:9). Why is it acceptable to wear immodest clothing like bathing suits and shorts, simply because you are on vacation? (Some parents permit their children to go swimming in public while on vacation.) And, if you regard such apparel to be modest, would it be alright if everyone wore such to worship? Are we to dress modestly only for worship? Brethren, stop and think! Support of the work and worship of the church. Also, the financial obligations of the church continue, even if we are out-of-town for a couple of weeks. Make sure you are carrying your part of the responsibility.

Because so many are out-of-town during this time of year, it is important that we all put forth our best effort in

It’s Vacation Time!

It is my prayer that all will enjoy and be strengthened by the few days of relaxation. But, let’s not forget the truths discussed here. No one wants to lose his soul for a few moments of pleasure (Heb. 11:24-25).

Guardian of Truth XL: 9 p. 12-13
May 2, 1996

By Frank Chesser

Brief sermons are in great demand. If one could package and sell twenty minute sermons with “preheat and serve” instructions, he would become an instant Forbes celebrity. the “hurry up and get it over with” philosophy has found a home in the church.

“If a man cannot strike oil in twenty minutes, he is drilling with a dull bit” may provide a chuckle, but not from the spiritual mind intent on drinking deep from the well of living water. Sunday’s high noon sounds the gun for the Indianapolis 500 to the local restaurants; beating the Baptists to the drumstick has become a sporting event.

One brother said, “When the sermon goes over-time, I cut it off.” Rest assured he never said that about his favorite television program. One can easily discern Sunday’s time of day by taking note of the activity in the pew. Proceeding pas the “allotted time” is like scraping the top off an ant bed. Over-time is no man’s land where preachers void of stout hearts fear to tread.

Some attempt to justify this disturbing lack of interest in God, worship and the gospel by pointing to man’s diminutive attention span. This is insane. The application of this point is always limited to small children or adults in a worship assembly. The truth is, the capacity of one’s concentration depends upon his sense of priority and interest. One lacking in spirituality can devote rapt attention for several hours to some entertainment medium, while experiencing a severe shortage of mental vigilance under the sound of gospel preaching.

Missionaries tell of people who walk for miles to sit for hours on backless boards in thatched huts and scorching heat to feast on the treasure of the gospel. It is indeed tragic when one’s interest in spiritual things can be exhausted during the course of a thirty minute sermon.

(From Truth, Dallas Avenue Church of Christ, Lancaster Texas, December 3, 1995)

Guardian of Truth XL: 9 p. 11
May 2, 1996

By Steve Klein

The American public’s perception of Christ and Christians is, to say the least, flawed. This fact is of great concern to those of us who believe that men and women must come to truly know Christ if they are to have a hope of eternal salvation.

America’s misapprehension of Christ can, in part, be attributed to the news media. The reason is that the news media fails to cover or miscovers many religious events as well as the effect that religion has on the lives of Americans.

Religion is a major part of life in America, but you could not tell it by the amount of news coverage it gets. Statistical evidence reported in the June 1994 AFA Journal and the August 6-12, 1994 TV Guide attests to this fact. It was reported that 90% of Americans say they believe in God or a higher power, and eight out of ten pray regularly. Money contributed to religion in 1992 equaled $56.7 billion compared to $4 billion spent to attend major league baseball, football, and basketball combined. According to a Gallup Poll, attendance at religious services in 1993 totaled 5.6 billion, about 55 times greater than the total 103-million reported by the three major professional sports leagues. One ABC media executive said, “on any given weekend there are more people in houses of worship than attend major baseball games all year long.” Yet, in 1993, evening TV news shows on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and PBS offered only 212 stories on religion out of a total of more than 18,000 stories aired.

To add insult to injury, besides the lack of coverage, the stories which are carried by the news media often leave wrong impressions. From the news, one might get the idea that every person with a pro-life conviction based on Scripture is prepared to murder abortion doctors. Or that, anyone who wants the evidence for creationism taught in our public schools is an ignorant, uneducated bumpkin who has never examined the evidence for evolution.

This kind of problem is not really new. The published reports (and thus the public perception) concerning Christ and his followers were off the mark in New Testament times as well. In Matthew 28:13-15, we find that the story told by the guards (that Jesus’ disciples had removed his body “while they slept”) was “commonly reported among the Jews” for years. In Acts 17:5-8, the Jews in Thessalonica claimed that Paul and his companions were “acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king; Jesus.” No doubt, these false reports and others like them skewed the opinions of those who heard them.

There is evidence from outside the Scriptures that this was a pervasive problem in the first and second centuries A.D. Tacitus, a Roman historian who was born about A.D. 52, reported the following: “(Nero) punished with the most exquisite tortures the persons commonly called Christians, who were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius, but the pernicious superstition, repressed for a time, broke out again, not only through Judea, where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also . . . a vast multitude were convicted, not so much of the crime of incendiarism, as of hatred of the human race.”

In his History Of The Christian Church Philip Schaff explains that the common people of the Roman Empire “readily gave credit to the slanderous rumors of all sorts of abominations, even incest and cannibalism, practiced by the Christians at their religious assemblies . . .” The charge of cannibalism resulted from false reports concerning the nature of the Lord’s supper observance.

Public opinion regarding the true nature of Christianity was at least as flawed in New Testament times as it is to-day. What was done about it? The apostles and other New Testament Christians recognized that it was not the job of unbelievers to accurately report the message of Christ. It was theirs. Today, it is not the news media’s job to present an accurate picture of the religion of Jesus Christ to the public. It is ours.

The gospel, the good news, is to be proclaimed to all, so all men might know Christ (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:16). In the days of the apostles, this charge was vigorously carried out. The gospel “was preached to every creature under heaven” (Col. 1:23). Edward Gibbon, in Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, wrote, “When the promise of eternal happiness was proposed to mankind, on condition of adopting the faith and of observing the precepts of the gospel, it is no wonder that so advantageous an offer should have been accepted by great numbers of every province in the Roman empire.”

Our quest, in the words of the Psalmist, is to “Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples” (Psalm 96:2b-3). We can sit back and complain about the slanted misrepresentations of Christianity in the news media, or we can become “lights in the world, holding forth the word of life” (Phil. 2:15b-16a). What are you doing to spread the news?

Guardian of Truth XL: 9 p. 10-11
May 2, 1996

By Mike Willis

Our common experience has shown that brethren do disagree, despite a desire to come to the unity of the Spirit. We are no more likely to eliminate all areas of disagreement than we can eliminate all sins from our lives, de-spite our desire to live godly. Therefore, we are forced to grapple with what our conduct should be toward those with whom we disagree. I would like to make some suggestions for more cordial treatment of one another.

Not All Disagreement Is Bad

One must begin by acknowledging that disagreements are healthy. Christians are not a bunch of mindless drones who yield to the ipse dixit of whoever speaks. The fact that there are disagreements is indicative of the healthy existence of such admiral traits as independent thinking, personal Bible study, and a refusal to submit to any authority except that of Jesus Christ.

Because no one is infallible, we need brethren who challenge what is said to see whether or not it is so. The wise said, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend” (Prov. 27:17). Unless one is so arrogant as to think that he is infallible, he should give thanks that thinking brethren examine what he teaches to test it in light of the Scriptures. This is a safeguard, not only to others, but also to one’s own salvation. One’s own salvation depends upon his abiding in the truth. Remember the words of Paul: “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Tim. 4:16).

Although disagreements may be unpleasant on some occasions, they are healthier than the alternatives available to us  mindless submissive to some human authority, such as a pope, council, or creed. Brethren need to adjust their thinking about disagreements among brethren to see them as signs of life and health, rather than seeing them as works of the flesh (although disagreements can degenerate into works of the flesh).

How To Treat One Another When We Disagree

1. We should be willing to discuss our differences. Isaiah invited Israel to a study saying, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa. 1:18). The Bereans were noble because of their willingness to “search the Scriptures” to see if what was taught was so (Acts 17:11).

When any group reaches the point that its members are unwilling to study  to meet and discuss their differences  division is inevitable. For that reason, Christian people must always remain open to discuss their differences with each other. Historically we have done this. We have invited our Baptist and Methodist friends to sit down and study the Bible together. We have opened our pulpits to debate because we wanted to see discuss our differences, in the belief that the common study of the Bible will bring us together as one. Controversy causes the truth to shine. False doctrine cannot grow where open examination of the things that are taught occurs.

I have been unwilling to provide an audience to close-minded people who are unwilling to listen to what another has to say. Our Jehovah’s Witnesses friends who refuse to take a tract that I offer to them give up any grounds for asking me to listen to anything that they have to say. If they are so close-minded that they will not listen, why should one listen to them?

2. We should listen to what our brother is teaching so that we can accurately reproduce what he believes. One should be able to state his brother’s position in words that he could endorse. If he cannot or does not reproduce what his brother believes, he has misrepresented him and may be replying to a “straw man.” I have read reviews of what I am supposed to believe. If I believed what was attributed to me, I would be opposing me as well.

3. We should accept one’s basic integrity until and unless compelling evidence forces us to believe other-wise. Paul taught that love “beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things” (1 Cor. 13:7). Basically, this is teaching that brotherly love believes the best about one’s fellowman until evidence points to the contrary, then it hopes for the best in spite of the evidence pointing to the contrary. When brethren disagree, sometimes brethren are quick to “evil surmise” and attribute bad motives to the other. This contributes to further alienation. So long as is possible, we should treat the brother with whom we disagree with honor and respect, believing that our brother for whom Christ died is a man of integrity.

4. We should avoid inflammatory language. There are times that differences are exacerbated by such inflammatory speech as accusing the one with whom we disagree with being a “liar” simply because he sees a point of disagreement differently. We should be hesitant to brand another as a “false teacher,” “heretic,” “sectarian,” and similar epithets. There comes a time to label what another believes as “false doctrine,” but let’s be careful to make rash charges.

5. We should follow the “golden rule.” Jesus said, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matt. 7:12). Ask yourself how you wish to be treated when a brother disagrees with you, and use that rule to govern how you treat those with whom you disagree. Many years ago, I decided upon the policy of sending manuscripts that express disagreement with what another teaches to those whose doctrines are being reviewed. I began this when I was reviewing the teaching of another. I asked the brother to read the manuscript and let me know whether or not I had misrepresented him in any way. Then I offered him space in the same issue of the magazine to reply to what was being charged. This took extra time and effort, but I was convinced that I had treated him fairly. I have generally tried to follow that rule in subsequent disagreements, whether written by me or others. My thinking is this: if I were being reviewed, I would prefer to know it was coming and have an opportunity to reply to it in the same issue than to be blind sided and only become aware of it when some friend told me about reading it.

Perhaps you can think of other things that could be added to this list, but this should get us started thinking about how to handle our disagreements without further alienating us.

When A Brother Asks to Discuss Our Differences

What else can a Christian say when someone asks him to study about their differences than to say, “I am ready to study”? I have never learned another or better answer than to express my willingness to sit down with my brother, to listen to what he has to say, and to weigh what he says in the light of the Scriptures. We should always remain open to such exchanges. It appears to me that a person who is unwilling to sit down and reason with his brother gives up his right to be heard.

Conclusion

What fate can lie ahead of brethren who refuse to discuss their differences? When the bonds of communication are broken the gap between their thinking will quickly be-come larger. If we do not wish that to happen, men who love Christ and their brethren will work to keep the lines of communication between them open as together they search for unity based on the revealed word of God.

Guardian of Truth XL: 9 p. 2
May 2, 1996