Truth Magazine

By David Dann

Toward the end of his epistle, Jude writes, “But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 17). There is certainly a great deal written in the New Testament concerning these men known as “the apostles of Christ.” The word “apostle” simply refers to one who is sent by another for some purpose. Therefore, the apostles of Christ were sent by Christ in order to accomplish a specific purpose. 

The apostle Paul describes the work of Christ’s apostles in the following manner: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-13). 

The apostles of Christ were sent to carry out the work of edification among the churches of our Lord in order to bring about unity among God’s people through proclaiming God’s word. However, it is important to note that this work was only conferred upon a few select individuals. The Scriptures teach that there were certain qualifications that one had to meet in order to be able to serve as an apostle of Christ. In order to qualify, a man must have been:

1. A witness of Jesus Christ. Shortly before his death, Jesus told his twelve apostles, “And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:27). The apostles were a special group of messengers sent by Christ to spread the gospel message throughout the world. These men must have been with Christ during his ministry in order to qualify as his witnesses. This point is made clear in Acts 1 where we are told that the remaining eleven apostles sought a man to replace Judas Iscariot as an apostle in order to fulfill the prophecies concerning Judas. The apostle Peter pointed out on that occasion that for a man to qualify to serve he must “have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us” (Acts 1:21-22). Even the apostle Paul was a personal witness of the resurrected Christ (1 Cor. 15:1-9).

2. Chosen by Christ. All of Christ’s apostles were personally called and chosen by Christ himself. Luke writes that Jesus “called unto him his disciples; and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles” (Luke 6:13). Christ carefully selected twelve men from all of his disciples to serve as apostles. Paul refers to himself as, “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead)” (Gal. 1:1). No man had the right or authority to take it upon himself to become an apostle of Christ. According to the Scriptures, only those who were personally chosen by Christ could qualify to serve as apostles. 

3. A personal student of Christ. The apostles were also personal disciples of Jesus (Luke 6:13). Therefore, they were constantly learning the truth of the gospel from their teacher during their time with him. They were able to teach others the same truth that they had learned directly from the Lord. Not only did they learn from Christ, but they were guided into a further and more complete disclosure of the truth through the Holy Spirit after the resurrection and ascension of Christ (John 14:26; 16:7-15). Even the apostle Paul learned the truth directly from Christ, for he says, “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:11-12). 

4. Able to perform miracles. In Acts 2 we are told that “many wonders and signs were done by the apostles” (Acts 2:43). While these miracles confirmed the truth of the apostles’ message, they also proved that a man was qualified to serve as an apostle. Paul made this clear to those who questioned his own right to apostleship when he said, “For in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds” (2 Cor. 12:11-12). Not only were the miracles themselves proof of apostleship, but the ability to confer miraculous gifts on others through the laying on of hands was also exclusive of the apostles. While Philip the evangelist enjoyed much success in preaching the gospel and performing miracles (Acts 8:5-13), he had to wait for Peter and John to come and lay hands on the converts so that they could receive the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17). Simon the Sorcerer rightly observed, “that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given” (Acts 8:18).

Conclusion

The apostles were a special group of carefully selected messengers. Only those who meet the qualifications given in the New Testament can rightly serve as apostles of Christ. No one today meets those qualifications. Therefore, let us guard against those whom Paul warns are “false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ” (2 Cor. 11:13). We would do well to follow after the example of the Ephesians whom the Lord commended because they “tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars” (Rev. 2:2). 

41 Foch Ave., Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada M8W 3X3

By W.R. Jones

After 59 years of preaching I am still a great believer in the power of gospel preaching. I am convinced that absolutely nothing will put God’s true message across as well as a forceful lesson from a godly preacher or teacher. I say this because I firmly believe that we not only draw from the words of those who teach us, but from their lives and character. While I was quite a young preacher I worked with an elder of the church, who I am sure, did more to shape my future than any man. This godly man taught me a great deal, and yet, strange as it may seem, I cannot remember precisely as much of what he taught me as I can remember about him, his life, his character, and his attitude. By his life and his teachings he was molding me for service to Christ.

In Acts 4:13 please notice what is said about Peter and John. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” They took note that these men “had been with Jesus.” I am sure there were a number of things that led the observers to make the statement. This was in the infancy of the church and Jesus had been gone for sometime, but these people could tell that the men “had been with Jesus.” Everything about them pointed toward their devotion to Christ and it was very obvious to those who stood by and observed.

So, what we need today is not more gimmicks, not more novel plans, not more ingenious approaches, but more godly men who will set forth the unsearchable riches without fear or favor, and do it free of fanaticism. Today, we need men, and women as well (within their scope of teaching) who will demonstrate in word and deed that they have “been with Jesus.”

The “Social Gospel” influence upon us today has caused many to look with disdain upon “old fashioned gospel preaching.” The new idea is to get the message across with “puppet shows” and “Bible drama” and a host of other things which are designed to entertain and do some teaching at the same time. I must confess, I just don’t believe a  puppet or an actor could have much of a spiritual impact on me. But, that godly elder did! He didn’t entertain me, but he taught me, and let me freely observe that teaching in his life. I had the wonderful opportunity to see what it is really all about.

Question — How do you think the gospel was spread over this great East Texas area? Do you think it was done with “watered down” sermons designed to entertain? Do you think pioneer preachers established schools or camps that the Word might be spread? Do you think they presented messages that never offended anyone? The answer to all these questions is no! I will tell you what they did for the most part. With but few exceptions, they told listeners only those things in the Bible. They tore down the strongholds of error through preaching and debate. They preached anywhere they could get an audience and from home to home. By modern standards their presentations would be judged “crude,” but nevertheless, they were telling people what they needed to hear and not what they wanted to bear. They got the job done. Thousands left error and embraced the gospel of Christ.

So, while the denominational world and the liberal minded members of the church give the world “puppet shows” and “Bible dramas” and all kind of presentations that obscure and water down the truth, let’s get on with the real work. Let’s give the lost and dying world the forceful, but simple gospel of Christ. Let it fall from the lips of truly spiritual men who have “been with Jesus.” We may not have the most listeners and we may not have the biggest crowds, but we will prepare more people for eternity, and make them “meet for the Master’s use” (2 Tim. 2:21).

From The Messenger, Decker Prairie Church of Christ

By Larry Ray Hafley

Read the brief account of the work of Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:1-15:35). The text does not tell us of Paul and Barnabas’ personal feelings toward one another, but they must have been deep, loving, respectful, appreciative, tender, firm, and strong. Two men could not stand, fight, and work so intimately and closely without developing a powerful, personal bond of brotherhood. It is touching to think about.

Suddenly, however, we read of their disagreement and division. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark, but Paul “thought (it) not good to take him with them . . . and the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed one from the other” (Acts 15:36-40). Paul chose Silas, and Barnabas took Mark, and their work prospered. Later evidence shows they were reconciled to one another. They did not allow bitterness and silent separation to follow them to their graves.

But in the interval, immediately after the split, I have wondered if Paul and Barnabas did not regret their estrangement. Did they lie awake at night and quietly weep and pray for one another? Did each hope that the other felt the same twinges of concern and affection that he felt? Did they often long for one another’s presence, support, advice, and counsel? While believing their judgment was correct concerning Mark, did they ever regret their strong feelings and pointed words toward one another? Did they ever wish the whole episode had not occurred, or that they had muzzled and squelched their opinion of Mark and gone along in order to avoid the rupture of their work together? Did they promise themselves that they would be extra careful to confirm their love to one another when next they met? Did they hope that it was all somehow for the best? Did each promise himself to be the first to seek the restoration of their cooperation? Oh, consider the depths of hope, fear, love, anguish, and prayer that must have flooded their broken hearts! Surely, they felt and shared similar sorrows and emotions.

If you are Paul, who is your Barnabas? If you are Barnabas, who is your Paul? If you have been in the kingdom for a num­ber of years and have earnestly contended for the faith, you prob­ably have “a Barnabas,” someone you are at odds with, but you wish you were not. You remember with gentle fondness the sweet times and sad trials you bore together. You recall the family activities, the picnics, the singings, the hugging, the tears, the closeness, the bonds of fellowship, and ties of love that were once dearer than those among some of your own family. Then came “the split,” the hard looks, the harsh words, the misunder­standings, the unexplained changes in behavior, the cold stares, the sullen avoidance, the hurt, the pain, the tears, the sorrow and regret. Yes, you have felt it all and more, and you wish to recall those former days. “It could never be the same again.” Perhaps not, but, it need not remain the way it is.

Maybe your “Barnabas” feels the very same way and would react positively to a friendly gesture of kindness. There is only one way to find out.

By Billy Moore

NIGERIA. Just hearing the word will immediately get the attention of any U.S. preacher who has ever preached there. The eagerness of the people to hear the Word, the willingness of many to study the Scripture — it was like stepping back in time in the U.S. when people of this nation were searching for truth. From the day in 1949, when two men who learned the truth via a correspondence course and baptized each other, unto the present, Nigeria has been one of the most fertile fields of work and the harvest has been great.  

I did not know either of those first two converts, but it was my privilege to meet one of their first converts, E.A. Ekanem who was baptized in 1949 and started the church in his home village of Ntan Ekere, just a few miles from the place where those first two were baptized, and for the next twenty-five years was one of the strong men in the church in eastern Nigeria. 

Leslie Diestelkamp introduced me to this work back in 1960 and encouraged me to go there in 1972 when he was preaching in a meeting in Butler, Missouri. My first trip to Nigeria was January-March 1973. A preacher friend, Robert H. (Bob) West accompanied me. It was the most fruitful six weeks of my preaching years. Our second trip was January-March 1976 when Lowell Blasingame went with me. I had known him since I was a teenager and knew he was a man suited for that work, and I was right. He has returned four times since, and I have asked him to write a few paragraphs about the work there.

Open air “street preaching” was common and gave opportunity to preach to many. On the evening of February 7, 1973 one of the churches in Uyo arranged for me to preach in “street preaching.” The crowd gathered and two men, Etim Abidiak and Johnson Obot, who were passing by, saw a “white man” preaching beside the street and turned in to listen. They were both preachers for the God’s Church denomination. Etim was the District Superintendent of that area and the featured speaker for a district meeting that very week in Uyo. He had started many churches and trained preachers for them. We studied with them till after midnight, when Etim said, “I am ready to be baptized into the church of Christ.” Then we went for E.J. Ebong and E.A. Ufot who accompanied us to the stream where these two men were baptized into Christ. We encouraged brethren Ebong and Ufot to provide the teaching and training for these men. Soon Etim had converted two other preachers from the God’s Church group, and training classes for these four men were set up in Uyo, with E.Ekanen, E.A. Ufot, E.B. Udofia, and A.I. Ituen providing daily teaching for the next five or six months in what became the Preachers’ Training Program. This program is conducted each year in the Uyo area, with twenty men as students and five or six preachers of the area teaching the classes, Monday through Friday, for six months. The classes are currently in progress for the 29th consecutive year. This work is supported by brethren who voluntarily provide support for the men. In 1974 E.J. Ebong had moved back to Uyo and was in charge of this work until his death. Since then George U. Ekong, who had worked with Ebong a number of years, has served as director of the program. Hundreds of men have been taught the Word and trained to preach the gospel to their people. Each year we call upon brethren to volunteer to help in this work. A similar program has recently been set up in western Nigeria in Ibadan, the largest black city in the world, by Sunday Ayandare and Ezekiel Akinyemi.  

Leslie Diestelkamp took four preachers from Eastern Nigeria to the Western cities of Lagos and Ibadan and began the work there in the late fifties. Ten or twelve years later the brethren of more liberal persuasion came into those areas, which has resulted in division among brethren there, as we have seen in the U.S. The preachers’ training classes will be a great boost to the work in Western Nigeria. Brethren Akinyemi and Ayandare are both strong capable men.

I asked Lowell Blasingame, who has been involved in the work there since 1976, and is a great friend to Nigerian preachers and continually works to provide help for the cause of Christ in that country, to write about the work in Nigeria.  

P.O. Box 204, Butler, Missouri 64730 bmoore2828@aol.com

The Nigerian Work
Lowell Blasingame

My interest in the Nigerian work was created by brethren Billy Moore and Leslie Diestelkamp. Through the encouragement of brother Diestelkamp, Bill and Bob West went to Nigeria in 1973 and in 1976 when brother Moore planned a second trip, he asked me to go with him as a working companion. I had heard brother Diestelkamp say, “If a person ever goes to Nigeria life is never the same.” I was to learn what this meant.

Based upon his experience in working with Nigerian preachers on his earlier trip, brother Moore suggested that we pursue a different plan and arrange classes in different areas for the benefit of these men and limit our evangelistic efforts to preaching on Sunday and at nights in the area where classes were being taught. Classes, running from Monday through Friday, were held in Lagos, Uyo, Enugu, Aba, and Owerri with short week-end stop in Ife. 

This type of program was so well received that Bob West and I followed the same plan when we returned in 1979. In the 1980s I returned with brother Albert Dabbs as a co-worker and in 1992, he and I returned with Keith Sharp and Tom Kinzel. Each time our major goal was working with native preachers to improve their knowledge of the Scriptures. Some of the earlier preachers who had pioneered evangelistic work in Nigeria were Leslie Diestelkamp, Jim Sassar, Bill and Sewell Hall, James Gay, Aude McKee, Paul Earnhart, Robert Speer, and Wayne Payne. These men were conservative in their application of biblical principles and the older native preachers with whom I worked reflected the thinking of these men. Unfortunately, many of these men who were regarded by other brethren as leaders have fallen asleep. Among these are S.J. Ebong and Sammy Awak in the Calabar area, E.J. Ebong, E.A.Ufot, and Etim Ituen in Uyo, Alozie Nwachuckwu and S.S. Barrah of Aba, Ben Chimeziri of Owerri, and D.D. Isong of Lagos. 

A new generation of preachers has arisen and it was largely with these that my last trips were spent in work. While we have taught plainly in classes against present digressive trends in the church, particularly in America, and that these will be imported into Nigerian churches it seems to me that a very large segment of these brethren have not grasped or comprehended the dangers of those problems for Nigerian churches. Liberal brethren in the eastern part of Nigeria have used a school for training preachers and now have plans for the erection of a similar one in the west near Lagos. Nigerian churches are so preacher dependent for teaching and leadership that most of them readily accept preachers trained in these schools and as a result much of the work done by American preachers who lived there in the 50s and 60s has fallen under the control of the liberal persuasion. 

To my knowledge no conservative preachers from America have gone to Nigeria since the last group which I led there in 1992. I have received many appeals from preacher brethren in different parts of the country who attended our classes for someone to return to help and encourage them. Brother E.J. Ebong, while living, began a preacher training program in Uyo and brother Moore has been instrumental in encouraging brethren here to support men who wish to prepare themselves for preaching by going through this. Since his death George Ekong has kept this program going. Recently Sunday Ayandare and Ezekiel Akinyemi have begun a similar program in Ibadan. Corruption in government has kept the Nigerian economy in shambles and theft in the mail system has caused many American churches to lose interest in supporting men, hence, Nigerian preachers have a very hard way of life. Most lack finances to educate their children, many eat but one meal a day, and most preachers are lacking in good study books to help advance their knowledge of God’s word and become better teachers of it. Nigeria remains a good field for making evangelistic investments. As brother Leslie used to say one can almost see immediate results from his work there.
 
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