Truth Magazine

By Harry R. Osborne

Have you been to a funeral lately? None of us enjoys funerals, but the reflection demanded by such occasions is good for us. The Bible speaks of the need to learn the lessons that are taught by facing death’s reality. Notice the words of Solomon:

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth (Eccl. 7:2-4).

A while back, I entered the house of mourning for an especially thought provoking funeral. The body of a young man who had turned 18 just three weeks before lay in the casket. He died as the result of a car accident which also took the lives of three other teenagers enjoying a week off during

Spring break. Hundreds of teenagers from the local high school were present.

The death served as a vivid reminder that the curse of death that has invaded our world as a result of sin may bring tragedy upon all. This random occurrence of accidental death was well described by one Bible writer of old:

I returned and saw under the sun that  The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them (Eccl. 9:11-12).

The death of any person we have known makes us face death as a reality. When we attend a funeral, death is not a theoretical proposition  it is a reality! We are forced to contemplate the fact that we too will die just as the one whose memory we honor at a funeral. The admission of that reality brings with it several lessons.

First, we must see the brevity of life. The Psalmist said, “Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor” (Psa. 39:5).

In the New Testament, James refers to the same thing noting, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (Jas. 4:14). There-fore, our prayer should be that of Psalm 90:12  “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Second, we are impressed with the frailty of life. When we see the body of one so alive a few days ago now lifeless within the casket, this lesson is impossible to ignore. David speaks of life’s uncertainty by noting that “there is but a step between me and death” (1 Sam. 20:3). Solomon declared the same thing saying, “No one has power over the day of death” (Eccl. 8:8).

Third, we are brought to contemplate what lies beyond this life. The Bible answers that point emphatically by stating, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). Whether in youth or in later years, all of us must be prepared to meet God in judgment, “For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil” (Eccl. 12:14).

We have no guarantee on life. We hold no lease for so many years. If that young man could pass from this life unexpectedly in his youth, so you and I may too pass at any time. We must all learn this lesson often forgotten until driven into our hearts by the house of mourning.

Yes, it is good to go into the house of mourning. It is not enjoyable, but it is still good. The good comes from the fact that we are made better by facing the lessons learned by the occasion and changing our life for the better. Let us all seriously reflect upon our lives in view of our certain destiny to face God in judgment.

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 21, p. 10
November 3, 1994

By Randy Blackaby

School prayer has become the new battleground for the clash between religion and humanistic atheism. But there is danger in making school prayer the focus of the debate. A win eventually could turn into a loss for the supporters of Christianity.

Let me explain.

Supreme Court rulings as late as this week uphold First Amendment rights of the individual (particularly students) to pray and lead a prayer in school. Other rulings ban school-sponsored prayer, that is, the school inviting a religious spokesperson to lead prayer. These rulings actually will protect the rights of Christians in the long run.

Christians rightfully have been incensed at school and governmental regulations that allow free speech (by invitation) from abortion proponents, homosexual lobbyists and political crazies while alleging the Constitution forbids free speech by an advocate of religious faith.

But Christians, like all other people, need to be wary of attempts to legislate the teaching or advocacy of religion or any parts of its practice in the public schools.

Citizens lobbying and demanding that priests, pastors and preachers be permitted to lead students in prayer open the door to constitutional interpretations that will allow the teaching and advocacy of other religions, philosophies and quasi-faiths that will threaten the well being of our children.

We could win the battle and lose the war.

I can remember vividly and uncomfortably the days in the fourth and fifth grade when my elementary school brought in religious instructors to teach us. Some of those teachings were contrary to what my parents and my Bible were teaching me.

No one can stop an individual from praying. The case of Daniel (chapter 6) is a good illustration.

I am delighted to see students meeting in prayer groups and insisting on their right to pray, especially if they are boldly standing up for their faith and not simply jumping on the newest popular bandwagon of protest.

It is important that free speech not be defined solely as humanistic, atheistic or vulgar speech.

But we also must under-stand that constitutional limitations on government advocacy of a religion are critical protections for Christians.

As the percentage of Americans who call themselves Christians shrinks year by year, the answer is not to be found in trying to force Christian principles on children through school prayer or school-sponsored “Christian doctrine” classes.

The answer is to be found in parents teaching their children biblical principles, showing them those principles by example and involving children in the church.

If the day ever comes when more Americans are Moslems or Hindus or idolaters than Christians, we Christians may regret the day we insisted on having the schools become directly involved in religion.

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 21, p. 6
November 3, 1994

By Ray Madrigal

It was the last Sunday morning of July, hot, humid and hazy. Poland had not endured a heat-wave of this degree since 1917. And although some TV panelists, weathermen and educators speculated about the ozone problem, it’s obvious that the Poles were more concerned about political uncertainties in 1917 (Bolshevik Revolution in Russia) than about the weather. As we drove across the gently rolling hills of Southern Poland and over the Wista River, I studied Kasia’ s somber expression. She and her father had visited this museum of honor before. We turned into the gate of Oswiecim, better known by its German name: Auschwitz.

As we slowly toured the meticulously clean grounds, exhibits and buildings of Auschwitz and Birkenau (which today more resembles an ivy-league college campus than a death camp), my afternoon sermon was taking shape. How could an all-powerful and an all-loving God permit such atrocities to take place? Why does God allow suffering, and especially the suffering of the innocent? Why are similar crimes taking place today?

Does God Exist?

In many respects, this visit to two World War II concentration camps determined the course of our teaching program during a month-long preaching mission to Poland. The people here are familiar with suffering, oppression, military occupation and survival. Any philosophy, world view or religion that fails to adequately address these issues will be quickly rejected by the modem Polish people. In the course of four weeks, beginning this last week in July 1994, my brother Dan and I were privileged to visit Poland and teach the gospel to many people. We realize at the very beginning that a simplified five-point sermon outline on the plan of salvation would not meet the immediate needs of the Polish people with whom we studied. Their questions were much more basic and fundamental than that. For example, does God exist? How can we know this for sure? Is the Bible the Word of God? Is the Bible subject to many different interpretations, or is there a way to arrive at common truth? Perhaps Christianity only offers a one-way ticket to nowhere. On what rational basis do I reject naturalism and atheism and accept the God of the Bible?

We found these questions to be honest, sincere and intellectually challenging. The people that Dan and I met were very well educated and intelligent, with or without university training. They asked good questions and carefully considered our “answers” in light of the Bible, the Word of God. Without exception, people who agreed to study with us did so “with much pleasure.” And although we did not always provide adequate answers to their many difficult questions, they were impressed with the fact that we appealed to the Scriptures for all our information. On some issues, the Bible simply doesn’t provide all the answers (Deut. 29:29). All that we do discover about God and his plan for our lives assures us that we can trust him in other areas as well. As Emerson eloquently stated: “All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all that I have not seen.”

Our main contact in Poland was Kasia Bania and her family. Kasia is a bright, 19-year-old university student who was converted to Christ in Paducah, Kentucky last year (see GOT 10/23/93). While the main purpose of our visit this year was to strengthen Kasia’s faith, we also introduced the gospel to Kasia’s family and many of her friends. Each person received us and our teaching with great eagerness and treated Dan and me with wonderful hospitality. And although our teaching efforts centered around a dozen “quality” prospects, we also distributed Bibles and tracts to about twenty other acquaintances and mass-distributed 2500 tracts in the cities of Bytom and Katowice. Although only minimal response has resulted so far from these mass-distribution efforts, we are thankful that the seed has been sown.

During the last week of work, David Diestelkamp and Rick Liggin backpacked their way up from Slovakia to assist our efforts. They helped us “set up” for “Bible Studies in English” in Bytom, helped us distribute several hundred more tracts, participated in Bible studies and offered tremendous encouragement to me, my brother Dan, and to Kasia. We thank God for their dedication and devotion to sowing the seed of the Kingdom everywhere.

English or Polish?

Although Dan and I were able to do a significant amount of teaching, we were very dependent upon Kasia for her excellent translations. We met very few Poles in this region who were comfortable with the English language. Of course, much good work can be done using translators like Kasia. But it is my opinion that the doors to evangelism in Southern Poland will really open when the teaching can be done in the Polish language. As Dan and I fumbled our way through greetings, salutations and other survival situations (where is the bathroom?), the people were extremely tolerant of our language shortcomings and were quite delighted that we were attempting to learn their language. I believe that many doors will be opened and remain open to those who will learn and teach the Bible in Polish.

Will You Help?

I am making necessary preparations to learn Polish and return next year for a 3-4 month stay. Perhaps that visit will lay the groundwork for a more permanent preaching engagement. Remember, we are taking this krok po kroku, step by step. I have tremendous respect and admiration for those preachers, their wives and their families who have taken this big step in foreign evangelism. And while I find many merits to the “short-length” mission trips, it seems obvious to me that “longer” missionary journeys will have longer-lasting impact. Perhaps the greatest merit of the “shorter” trips is that they serve to introduce the gospel to foreign fields and also introduce those foreign fields to gospel preachers.

Next Spring, Lord willing, I will return to Poland to resume my studies with Kasia, her family, her friends and others that we taught this summer. One young student asked me, “What will we do if we become Christians and convert to your faith?” I replied that, although all the necessary information was available in the Scriptures, we would certainly return for further teaching and instruction. I am convinced that several Poles will take that grand step of faith upon hearing more about Jesus (Rom. 10:17). God has promised that his Word is powerful (Rom. 1:16; Heb. 4:12-13) and will accomplish its intended purpose (Isa. 55:11). Although some resistance is inevitable, perhaps the next occupation of Poland will be spiritual in nature; where God controls the hearts of men and Christ himself holds captivity captive. Will you have fellowship with me in this great opportunity? More Bibles, literature and plane tickets will need to be purchased. I am already incurring some expense with language tapes, books and necessary phone calls to Poland. Let’s take this step, krok po kroku, together!

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 21, p. 9-10
November 3, 1994

By The Elders – East 102 Church of Christ

The following “disclaimer” appeared near the beginning of Vance Trefethen’s first affirmative article (Guardian of Truth, Aug. 18, 1994). “The views expressed in my article are my own and are not intended to represent in any way the views of the elders or members of my home congregation.”

The brief disclaimer is certainly true, but we feel that it is not as emphatic and forceful as it should be. The purpose of this letter is to not only disclaim all of Vance’s views on his proposition, but to indicate our displeasure in him, as a member of this congregation for putting him-self as well as us in the public spotlight. We feel that this discredits our sound objectives in holding fast to God’s simple truth and associates us with the things that Vance has “locked” himself into.

Vance was approached on this matter shortly after we learned of his position. He has been here a couple or three months before we read “Confusion or Consensus” by Bobby Holmes (Guardian of Truth, Dec. 2, 1993) which is how we first heard of his views on the subject. We then ordered, received, and read the book, Confusion or Consensus, for ourselves. We cannot control his thoughts of course, but we requested and he assured us that he would honor our request not to spread his views among our members, nor would he cause us any problems. As far as we know, he has honored our request. A short time ago, we learned that Vance was about to engage in a debate with Tom Roberts on this issue and because Vance is one of our members, this disturbed us.

Since we disagree so strongly with Vance’s conclusions, we regret that this debate has be-come a reality. If it were within our power, we would certainly insure that no further articles were affirmed, denied, or even printed on this because of the possible negative influence that could result from them. Bobby Holmes and Tom Roberts are truly to be commended for their fine efforts in successfully refuting Vance’s arguments, but this does not remove the necessity of this congregation having to respond to questions about what we honestly believe and practice. The die is already cast and we regret it. We encourage all concerned to be assured that we disavow any proclamation of Vance’s views on this subject and hope that no one will feel uncomfortable or skeptical about their worship with us. We are a sound congregation and we sincerely pray (and request your prayers) that we can maintain that soundness, not only on Vance’s “hang-up” but all matters that deviate from the truth. This eldership is striving to function the way God intends for it to function regardless of what Vance or anyone else tries to promulgate.