Truth Magazine

By Connie W. Adams

One in authority has the right to command, direct, and enforce obedience. He also has the right to administer punishment to the disobedient. When the one having ultimate authority empowers others to act upon his will, then in that manner he authorizes action. One who assumes authority not granted by the one who has the right to empower acts with presumption and flaunts all authority.

In divine matters, as they relate to man, authority springs from the creation. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Gen. 1:27). If there is no divine creator, then there is no creation, the universe is the product of chance, man himself is an accident of nature and there is no basis for moral or spiritual authority. This is the very premise from which the secular humanist works. He boldly proclaims “There is no God” and “Man is the measure of himself.”

Order in the Universe

But if God created the universe, then order flows from his power to make whatever exists. In God’s speech to Job he asked, Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth? Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder; to cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man; to satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth? Hath the rain a father or who hath begotten the drops of dew? Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? (Job 38:4, 22-31).

Start with the premise that “God is” and the existence and order in the universe makes sense. If God made it all and it functions according to his power, then we are spared all the hand wringing about global cooling, global warming, depleting the ozone, running out of water, running out of wood, running out of food, and all the anxieties concocted in the humanist mind. That is not to say that man should not be a good steward of the world God made for us. But he did make it for us! The God who made it is still in charge. The unbeliever with all his vaunted wisdom and arrogant self-assurance cannot form one drop of dew on the ground, cannot make it rain, nor stay the terrifying rumble of an earthquake, nor stop the force of a hurricane. The authority of the Almighty rules in the universe.

Order in the Moral Realm

Because God made man, man is subject to divine law. If there is no God, then there is no basis for moral order. Much of the chaos which is evidenced by all forms of crime and immorality grows out of a disrespect for divine authority. If man has evolved by chance then he has no standard for moral behavior except whatever he imposes upon him-self. This is the spring from which situation ethics flows. But if God made us, he has the right to determine what is moral conduct and to call us to account for disregarding his authority over us.

This point was forcefully driven home by Paul on Mars Hill in his speech to the Athenian philosophers. Read Acts 17:24-31. Go on, and read it. Notice verse 24: “God that made the world and all things therein.” Then look at verse 26: “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.” Look at verse 28: “For in him we live, and move, and have our being.” Verse 30 informs us that “God commands all men everywhere to repent.” Why is that? Now look at verse 31: “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”

Do you see the progression? God made the world and all things therein. In him we live and move and have our being. Therefore, God calls upon us to repent. Why is that?

He has appointed a day of judgment. God made us, expects something of us, and will call us to account for that responsibility. The Creator has authority over the creature. Paul’s question to the Romans is pertinent. “Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonor” (Rom. 9:20-21)?

With notable exceptions, the morals of this nation are a shambles. How did we come to such a sad state of affairs? The creature has scorned his Creator. We have fallen into the same pit into which the Gentile nations plunged as described by Paul in Romans 1:18-32. When they knew God, they did not glorify him as God (v. 21). Did they have abundant evidence of his power and majesty? Oh yes! They had the whole universe as testimony to the existence and power of the Al-mighty (v. 20). But they became ungrateful, filled with vanity and arrogance. While they boasted of their great wisdom they in reality became fools. As their hearts became darker and darker they made idols to satisfy man’s innate desire to worship something. The end result of all that was moral chaos. Everything from homosexuality to murder followed. How and why did this happen? The creature lost respect for the Creator. As in the world at large, even so among those who claim to follow Christ, moral looseness grows out of waning respect for the authority of God to rule in our hearts and direct the affairs of life. Happy is the one who seeks the Lord, gropes after him and finds him, though he is not far from every one of us (Acts 17:27). (More to Come)

Guardian of Truth XXXIX: No. 24, p. 3-4
December 21, 1995

By Jim McDonald

There is power in the word. The gospel is God’s power to save and is quick and powerful (Rom. 1:16; Heb. 4:12). Thousands of Filipinos have been saved by having heard the Word. Many thousands more would obey but they wait because they have not yet heard. There are perhaps 600 Filipino preachers but most earn their living by various occupations and are very limited in the amount of time they can give to preaching. It is true that there are some who are supported by American brethren, but these are a minority. These preachers simply cannot get to all those who would obey by just a “seek and find” operation. They need something to help arouse in the Filipinos a desire to seek out the preacher, just as Cornelius. What can we do to help our brethren in this field “white unto harvest”?

One of the most effective tools in reaching such is radio. The radio is the Filipino’s ears to the outside world. The woman working in the rice paddy or the man plowing with the caribou is not far away from a radio. The woman may be listening to one that is perched on a knoll in her field; the man may have a transistor in his pocket. The gospel flourishes in many regions today because the preacher’s message has been extended to many regions through the wonder of radio. The Cagayan Valley region has perhaps 50 congregations. This was not true even 13 or 14 years ago when Rody Gumpad came into this region with his young family. Securing radio time in Tuguegarao, his voice was carried into the remote places of this valley and soon his was a familiar voice to the radio audience. Many were led to obedience through his teaching. One sad, yet true story tells of a terminally ill father who heard Rody and who told his two sons to search out that man “for he is teaching the truth.” He died without being baptized, but today both those sons are active preachers of the word.

The fact that there are so many congregations in this region tells both of the power of the gospel and of the role that radio has in spreading it. Domie Jacob in Cordon, Isabela has a effective radio program as also has the Torreliza brothers (Leonito and Romeo) in north-west Luzon. These two brothers live in Condon and Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur and report several baptisms as the direct result of their broadcast. Jun Apatan in Pagadian City (Mindanao) has had a radio broadcast for many years now. The programs do not always meet with the same success as those of Tuguegarao and Cordon. Lordy Salunga, preacher in Angeles City had a program for a short while but not with the reported suc-cess as some of these others. But whether the programs produce great or more limited results, they help to fulfill the preacher’s responsibility of planting and watering. There are no radio programs (to my knowledge) in all of Metro Manila but there badly needs to be. This is a teeming metroplex of 8-10,000,000 people and a program would surely produce many conversions in this area. And, there are able, effective preachers in the area who could do a splendid job of handling such a program. Another area which has no program but which badly needs one is Laoag City. The newly opened work of northern Samar would be greatly aided were brethren able to air the gospel in that region. Radio reaches into nooks and crannies where the feet of no preacher has yet gone and helps to pave the way for con-versions once he comes to the area.

Radio programs bring questions which can be answered over the radio or by correspondence but there is inevitably the request for tracts. These brethren have very few. Filipinos devour reading material; tracts on first principles and denominational errors are greatly needed. There is a need for English tracts, an even greater need for tracts in the various dialects.

Stateside brethren with computers can render real service to preachers on foreign soil be it in the Philippines or elsewhere. Capable brethren in the Philippines have tracts they have written but cannot reproduce because of the prohibitive cost. The computer can reduce that material to tract size if there are those who are willing to copy out the words, letter by letter. Once the material is on the computer, it can be reproduced on a copier with excellent results. The tract may lack “the professional look” but is nothing at all of which to be ashamed. Such tracts are very inexpensive. One that takes about 1 and 1/2 letter size pages (two tracts I have written to carry are of such length) costs about a penny for the paper and a total of 3 cents by the time it is mailed by MBag to brethren there. For about $100 one could print 3,500 tracts capable of producing tremendous good in the fertile mind of Filipinos. A lot of manual labor is necessary to copy and assemble such tracts, but nearly every congregation has those who are willing to help fold and staple such material together: earnest souls, who though they can-not go, want to help and what help they render! Good is done for the brother at home as well as the brother abroad!

Doors are open in the Philippines, but preachers there need tools to work with. The preacher who has tracts to send to interested listeners or to hand out in the market place is greatly expanding his work. A tract will be there long after his voice is silent.

May God help us to have a heart eager to share with others the gospel that brought salvation to our own souls! May we never weary of telling the story or forget that “Of one the Lord hath made the race, through one has come the fall. Where sin has gone must go his grace, the gospel is for all!”

Guardian of Truth XXXIX: No. 24, p. 5
December 21, 1995

By Mike Willis

The holiday season is an occasion that some use to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Many who pause to remember Christ’s birth are those who make no time in the rest of the year to pay homage to our risen Lord. Christmas is a time when TV provides live coverage of the Catholic mass on Christmas eve and features those who have made a pilgrimage to Bethlehem. We hear such phrases as “Remember the reason for the sea-son” and “Let’s keep Christ in Christmas.” There are commentaries on the dangers of consumerism and the abuse of credit. We would expect such things from those who have never been taught the difference between revealed and unrevealed religion, but what can we expect from those in God’s house?

There has been a significant change to occur among brethren in recent years. When I began preaching in 1966, the Christmas season was an occasion that brethren generally used to distinguish revealed and unrevealed religion. The Sunday before Christmas was frequently used to distinguish what the Bible teaches about the birth of Christ from the religious trap-pings that have grown up around it. Church bulletins featured articles on Christmas that taught why it was wrong to celebrate Christmas in a religious way. One of the most popular articles was the one reproduced on the front page, “Christmas,” by Ferrell Jenkins. My copy of this article is from the 1968 bulletin of the Plainfield, Indiana church, but it has been reproduced in many other bulletins through the years.

Brethren understood that they should not participate in the religious celebration of Christmas. Some discussed whether or not a Christian could exchange gifts on December 25th or have a Christmas tree. There were no special Christmas services or church-sponsored Christmas parties.

But things are changing in God’s house with reference to the celebration of Christmas. Here are some of them:

1. Some of our liberal brethren participate in the religious celebration of Christmas in their public worship. The Bering Drive church in Houston, Texas, a church on the vanguard of liberalism, announced in their bulletin (December 15, 1991) that the following Sunday would feature a Christmas celebration. The announcement said that they would have a choral presentation of special music, the sanctuary would be adorned with poinsettias, and the worship planned to celebrate the birth of Christ. Their 1994 bulletin (December 18, 1994) said,

Each year, on the second Sunday before Christmas and the last Sun-day before Christmas we celebrate together the birth of Jesus. This Sunday we will enjoy the special gift of the Bering Chorus. For months they have prepared this music to lift our hearts in praise to God for the gift of Bethlehem. Bill will tell a Christmas story or two. We will sing Christmas carols together. After morning service we will fine the Fellowship Hall decked out in beautiful Christmas decor and a feast will be enjoyed by all. There will be violin music with the dinner, and ______________’s singing group will share their wonderful songs with us again this year.

The December 1994 issue of Love Lines, the bulletin of the Woodmont Church where Rubel Shelly preaches lamented that Santa was getting top billing over Jesus at the Christmas season and urged their members to “tell the real Christmas story at your house this year.

I have no way to judge how widespread this is.

2. Many congregations seem to have gotten too sophisticated to preach against the religious celebration of Christmas. They justify not preaching on the subject on the basis that it offends visitors who might attend at that time of the year. They castigate those who preach against the religious celebration of Christmas for being abrasive and confrontational. In the meantime, the rearing of a generation who has never heard these sermons has created a group who is asking, “What is wrong with setting aside a special day to commemorate the birth of Christ?”

3. A larger number of brethren are allowing their children to participate in the choral presentations at school that feature songs teaching that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ.

What Is Wrong With the Religious Celebration of Christmas?

There is only one thing wrong with it. No Bible authority exists for the religious celebration of Christmas. Scripture teaches that one must have Bible authority for whatever he practices, in such texts as the following:

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him (Col. 3:17).

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds (2 John 9-11).

And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another (1 Cor. 4:6).

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book (Rev. 22:18-19).

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen (1 Pet. 4:11).

The same thing is wrong with the religious observance of Christmas as is wrong with sprinkling for baptism, infant baptism, using mechanical instruments of music in worship, observing the Lord’s supper on Thursday, etc.  there is no Bible authority for the practice. In the absence of divine authority for the practice, one cannot walk by faith in observing Christmas religiously.

No man has a right to dictate to brethren what to preach on the Sunday before Christmas or any other time. No man has the right to demand that brethren publish an article in their local church bulletin on the subject. However, to have a generation to grow up among us who does not know what is wrong with the religious observance of Christmas, Easter, and other unauthorized “holy days” would be tragic. How long has it been since you heard any teaching on the subject?

Guardian of Truth XXXIX: No. 24, p. 2
December 21, 1995

By L.A. Stauffer

(All quotations are from “The Family Circle” and from interviews with Leslie’s children. LAS) Leslie Diestelkamp was a captivating preacher, but not the most eloquent among his fellow evangelists; an interesting writer, but not the best trained and most professional among his fellow editors; a meticulous and accurate student of the scriptures, but not the best educated and most scholarly among his fellow disciples. But as a man of God who looked to the ways of his household he had no superiors and few equals. Surely no man questioned the purity and spirituality of his heart so clearly reflected in his godly demeanor and mirrored in the lives of his children unto “the third and … fourth generation of them” who came from his loins.

This devoted father may be among the last of the “grand old patriarchs” who, like his spiritual forefather Abraham, “commanded his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Jehovah, to do righteousness and justice” (Gen. 18:19). Few men in modern times leave behind such a long trail of righteous descendants  children and their spouses, grandchildren and their spouses, and great-grandchildren. Like Lois and Eunice (2 Tim. 1:5), this respected father saw the image of his “unfeigned faith” in the lives of 50 or more family members, including in-laws.

His experience and success as a husband, father, and grand-father, along with a careful study of the Scriptures, prepared him well for writing and preaching on what he called “The Family Circle.” It also opened him to frequent solicitations for advice about the “secret” of family life. Be assured that his response was  there is no “secret” or “magic” formula. To him there were “obvious” principles that must be united with hard work. Those fundamentals he articulated well in his writing and preaching and exemplified forcefully in the laboratory of daily family life.

Seed Beds Of The Kingdom

This esteemed father’s view of family life began with the premise that the “home is the cradle of civilization and the bulwark of the church.” He was fond of describing the home as “the vestibule of heaven.” Fathers and mothers, he believed, are to prepare the hearts of their children for the seed of the kingdom. A child, to him, is “like a tender plant” that you are cultivating, grooming, and directing every day. The preparation of children to receive the seed of the kingdom demands three important principles: (1) a child’s heart must be conditioned to “respect authority” and, (2) and (3) every offspring must learn “honesty” and “morality.” If these qualities were indelibly inscribed into a child’s thinking, the child would be adequately pre-pared and open to the message of Christ.

Leslie stressed, number one, in his preaching on family life the importance of parental example, noting that nothing would more quickly undermine the role and work of parents than inconsistency or hyprocrisy. “There is no power you can have over your children that is equal to the influence of your example.” In Leslie’s favorite illustration of this truth he writes:

How well do I remember a cold day in 1945 or 1946 when I lived in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. My second son, Al, who was then just under school age, had gone with me to the Post Office. We crossed the wet street and stepped up on the dry sidewalk Soon Al dropped behind me and then said, “Daddy, do you know what I am doing?” I said, “No, what are you doing?” He replied, “I am walking in your steps.” You see, the soles of my shoes were wet and they left a dark imprint on the sidewalk. He was stretching his little legs as much as possible to try to step in each track I left. The incident left a deep impression on me. I thought, as I go down the street today, and down the pathway of life in days and years to come, here is a little boy following me. He will go where I go, do what I do and be what I am! Ever since then I have been pleading with parents to recognize the power of their example.

Brethren have disagreed with what Leslie taught or, in some instances, with the way he stated his views. But, to my knowledge, no one ever questioned his sincere faith in Christ, his heartfelt devotion to God, his pure life of morality, and his unwavering spiritual focus in life. His family imitated him the way he imitated his Savior  stretching, as it must often have been necessary, to walk in his foot-steps.

Husband/Wife Relationship

Leslie knew so well that the key to success in any relationship was its leadership. He preached that most difficulties in family life can ultimately be traced to the husband, who is the head. “If husbands,” he wrote, “would love their wives as whole-heartedlv and as totally as Christ loved the church, this attitude alone would probably solve most of the difficulties in family circles. Out of his love for her, and as a consequence of his devotion to her, would probably come a reciprocal affection from her.” His children hold no doubt about the love of their father for their mother. While he was always discreet and never improper, he did not hesitate to be “very affectionate toward my mother in our presence.” Leslie taught that a husband should be “the head of the house” taking full responsibility for leadership of the family, financially and spiritually. He considered the wife to be “the heart of the house” giving motherly affection and heartfelt attention to the children. He would quote the old adage: “The hand that rocks the cradle, is the hand that rules the world.” In his words: “Perhaps no one rises to such a high place of moral goodness, compassionate sympathy and dynamic influence as does the godly mother.”

Fathers . . . “Nurture Your Children”

Leslie observed that children needed more than parents who provided food and shelter  “a guiding hand to lead them” and motivation to direct them. He taught that “success is assured when parents begin to train and guide the tender plant even the very first day you take it home from the hospital.” He would say to mothers: “If your baby is old enough to be taken to the doctor’s office, it is old enough to be taken to church services.” He stressed three practices as important:

1. Teaching. In his own home, he insisted on what his sons refer to as “The Lesson,” when the “family circle” gathered together for a Bible reading followed by discussion of the reading, its applications, and any questions. Occasionally it was varied by the reading of a Bible story from Hurlbuts’ Story of the Bible or by “calling out Bible passages and we would see who could turn to it the fastest and read it to everyone.” Leslie would close every study with family prayer.

2. Discipline. This devoted father, as God’s word so eloquently teaches, knew that teaching must on occasion be enforced by discipline. He believed that “an ounce of punishment is worth a pound of threats.” “Punishment, to him, must `hurt’ enough to get attention and make an impression …and must be immediate, certain, fair and reasonable.” “He believed in spanking . . .was firm and consistent .. . and most discipline was delivered with calm, quiet verbal reproof.” When remorse is shown by a child, the parent, Leslie believed, must carefully and lovingly seek reconciliation.

3. Attention. “He recognized ‘attention’ required time shared as a family in wholesome recreation and play and he encouraged such.” Although Leslie believed children need affection and friendship, he was “not enthused about the idea of fathers becoming buddies to their sons or mothers being pals to their daughters.” He was never the “huggy” type father . . . but he was not aloof and while “he was not an outwardly affectionate man . . . there was never any doubt about his affection.”

Conclusion

My own relationship with Leslie Diestelkamp, on the golf course, in many personal conversations, and in the intimacy of his home during a week’s stay confirm the quality of life described in this article. I have, more than once, been the butt of his rebukes, the recipient of his commendation, and the beneficiary of his daily “Lesson.” I never knew him to be openly affectionate to either men or women, but neither did I ever doubt his genuine love and concern for me and all members of God’s family. Many mentors have influenced my life  as scholars, as preachers, as teachers, as debaters, as intimate friends, etc., but no man touched my soul with the unblemished purity and genuine spirituality that Leslie Diestelkamp did. I mean that sincerely, brethren. And, to me, it was the key to the pervasive, patriarchal influence that flowed so endlessly from generation to generation  down to the youngest of his great-grandchildren.

Guardian of Truth XXXIX: No. 23, p. 18-19
December 7, 1995