Truth Magazine

By Tom M. Roberts

Over fifty years ago, on a darkened road in northeast Texas, an automobile accident occurred which would severely cripple and forever change the life of a young baby, now a grown man, who, without intending to do so, has been an encouragement to many who know him. I have never told him until now, but he is also my hero.

Heroes come in different sizes and from different places. Some people look for heroes in far away, exotic places, failing to realize that heroes may live next door. Some look for heroes among the rich and famous, not realizing that heroes may be unknown, obscure and unsung. Many admirable people are overlooked because they are so close that they are taken for granted.

I am lucky enough to have a hero in my family, and to realize it. Billy Joe is my brother and, at the same time, the per-son I admire most in all the world. The fact that he is my brother is unimportant to his value as a person. Billy is not well known, has never accomplished feats of valor, amassed a fortune, or in-vented anything. He is important to me because, in his own unassuming way, he exemplifies what faith can do under adversity. Surely, there are many like the Christians of Hebrews 11 who “time failed to tell,” unknown to any but to God. Yet their faith under fire becomes the example and pattern for all of us and their personal triumph over tremendous odds sets the standard for others when difficulties arise in our own lives.

It is a wonder that Billy Joe is even alive. He was but eighteen months of age when injured in that dreadful wreck near Tyler, Texas that damaged him and other family members so severely. Perfectly normal before the accident, he would never be the same again. Suffering spinal damage and massive brain concussion, his small body was packed entirely in ice for hours to reduce the swelling, prevent brain damage, and reduce the dangerously high body temperature that followed the immediate wreck. Given up for dead by one of the ambulance attendants, he nevertheless survived, being tenderly cared for by our mother during the long months of recuperation. Mother never left the house during that first year of grave convalescence. Billy had to be carried on pillows and carefully watched during every moment lest complications put his life in imminent danger. After many months of care, Billy Joe gained strength, became healthy and was out of danger. But his life was forever changed.

Because of his injuries, Billy suffered permanent and irreparable damage to his nervous system and muscular control. He was fortunate to escape brain damage, retaining full use of his mental faculties, but his body was severely handicapped. Lacking proper muscle coordination, his speech was blurred and indistinct, his feet unsteady and stumbling and his hands unable to hold objects without dropping them. It is in this strange dichotomy of full mental acuity but limited physical abilities that Billy has been tested, tried and triumphant through faith. Having all the desires and aspirations of anyone else with full mental capacity, he was unable to achieve many of the normal act ivies that we take for granted. It has been my sorrow to have witnessed the years of frustration that ensued to this man, now 57 years of age, as he came to realize his limitations while fighting to attain a normal and reasonable measure of life.

While in grade school, he suffered the taunts and teasing of cruel and unthinking children because of his clumsiness and thickness of speech. Unable to participate in sports, to be a part of the crowd, to mix and mingle with others of his age, he nevertheless persevered, graduated from high school and made it his determination not to be a burden on his family or society. Through sheer persistence, he first got a job in a nursing home where his understanding of physical limitations made him a friend to every patient. Later, he worked in the janitorial department of a university, earning accolades for the attention to detail with which he performed his duties. Finally, forced to retire because his age intensified his disabilities, Billy lives with his mother (now 86 years of age) and assists in keeping the home.

Had Billy Joe been able to talk clearly, he would have preached the gospel. In fact, while worshipping at the East Side church in Denton during the time that Jesse Jenkins labored there, he “filled in” while Jesse was away in meetings. Those in the audience had to listen carefully to understand Billy, but brother Jenkins relates that the sermons were well crafted, faithful to the truth and spoken from the heart. Billy prays a beautiful prayer. His speech is difficult to comprehend to the human ear, but it is evident that Billy speaks to God who is able to read his heart. Singing tunefully escapes him since his hearing is nearly gone, but he “makes melody in the heart” (Eph. 5:19) and sings with grace to the Lord (Col. 3:16). No longer able to serve the communion because of his unsteady hands, Billy can have no part in the public worship service. Locked into near silence due to his advanced deafness (a legacy from the accident), unable to write legibly, and no longer able to work outside the home, Billy yet visits the sick, reads the Scriptures and worships with the saints regularly.

Becoming a Christian early in life, Billy Joe has shown the true meaning of faith under fire. Not a day of his life has been free from adversity and hardship. No achievement has come easily, being reached only through sheer will power and stubborn determination not to give in or give up. He has borne the barbs and darts of insensitive people with grace and dignity, though in his earlier years, in tears. His great love has been the Lord and his church. Constant through all his years of affliction has been that shining faith that has given him the courage to bear up under his burden. Job had great afflictions but his latter years were better than at first. Billy has had hardship more years than Job and will never find release from his burden in this life. His name is not found in Hebrews 11, but it deserves to be. I am sure that God recognizes, even more than me, the triumph that Billy has brought to a life of difficulty. I have learned much about patience, forbearance and tolerance during the decades of his life. I am proud to be his brother. He is my hero. May God grant to me the ability to face the problems of life with the faith and dignity that Billy Joe has brought to his. Few deserve more than him the promise of Christ of that glorious body of the resurrection: “It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power” (1 Cor. 15:42-43). Freed from physical restraints and limitations at last, Billy will be able to fully participate in all the “joy of the Lord” (Matt. 25:21). May God grant to him a full measure of this reward.

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 20, p. 12-13
October 20, 1994

By Connie W. Adams

Water has always played an important role in the world which God made. “The spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters …” (Gen. 1:2). God divided the water from the dry land and left the water in seas with rivers and streams to feed them (Gen. 1:9-10). He left 3/4 of the earth covered in water. Water is essential to the sustaining of life. God has also used water to accomplish spiritual purposes.

The Flood

When the earth was “filled with violence” God purposed to destroy life on the earth. “And yet seven days and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. . . . And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth” (Gen. 7:4-6). God made provision for the saving of Noah and his family in the ark. Peter said, “when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (1 Pet. 3:21). If the water caused the world of violence to be destroyed, then how did it “save” Noah and his family? The water which destroyed the rest of the world, lifted the ark above it and transported Noah and his family to a cleansed and purified earth. God used water to deliver Noah and his family.

The Red Sea

When the Israelites were fleeing Egypt, they came to the Red Sea. Pharaoh and his host decided to pursue them and there they were, with a hostile army on one side and the sea on the other. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; then the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left” (Exod. 14:21-22). Through a corridor of water God delivered his people. Pharaoh and his army perished as the walls of water collapsed upon them. Paul reminded the Corinthians “how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Cor. 10:1-2). God used water to deliver them.

Gideon and His Three Hundred

Gideon had too many men in his conflict with the Midianites. The Lord said they would boast that they had prevailed by their might, rather than because God was with them. All who were fearful were sent home. Still there were too many. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are yet too many, bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there” (Judg. 7:4). God gave a test as to which ones should be allowed to fight. The rest were to be sent home. The result? Only three hundred men to oppose the Midianites. And the Lord said, “By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites’ into thine hand” (Judg. 7:7). And so it was. God used water as a test to decide who would fight for him.

Naaman the Leper

2 Kings 5 relates the cleansing of the Syrian captain, Naaman. He was a leper. He arrived at the house of the prophet, Elisha, with gifts and expectations of great enchantments and rituals. Elisha simply sent a servant out to him with instructions that he should go and dip seven times in the Jordan River. At first, he was enraged. Only after listening to the good advice of his servants did he resolve to do as the prophet said. “Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean” (2 Kgs. 5: 14). Were there magical powers in the waters of the Jordan? No. God used the water as a test of the willingness of this man of authority to obey the instructions of the Lord’s prophet. Did the water cleanse him? No, the Lord cleansed him. But he used water in the plan.

The Man Born Blind

In John 9, Jesus met a man who was blind from birth. He spat on the ground, made clay from the spittle, and instructed him to “go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing” (Jn. 9:1-7). What healed him? Was it some special property in saliva? Or in clay? Perhaps some special quality in the water of the pool of Siloam? No, none of that. The water simply tested the man’s faith in the Lord to do what he said. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (Jn. 14:15). “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord and do not the things which I say?” (Lk. 6:46) The water itself did not heal, but the Lord used water in his plan.

The Baptism of John

John came baptizing “in Enon near to Salem, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized” (Jn. 3:23). John preached the “baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mk. 1:4). He used water. Was there repentance in the water? Did the water itself remit sins? No, the answer is given in Luke 7:30. “But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.” The baptism of John, in water, for the remission of sins, was “the counsel of God.” To refuse it was to refuse that counsel. God used water to determine whether they would follow his counsel or reject it. The Pharisees and lawyers rejected it.

The New Birth

Jesus told Nicodemus, “Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:5). This birth of “water and the Spirit” stands between us and the kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit gave instruction through the word of God so that all men might be saved. Peter said we have “obeyed the truth through the Spirit. . . Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. . . but the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (1 Pet. 1:22-25). The Spirit’s word leads to obedience to the truth. This is equated with being “born again . . . by the word of God,” the same word which “by the gospel” is preached. James said, “Of his own will begat he was with the word of truth” (Jas. 1:18).

Then what does water have to do with it? The Spirit’s word taught that there is water in the plan. In God’s plan to save us, there is a “washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Tit. 3:5). This is a parallel verse to John 3:5. The church is made up of those whom he did “sanctify and cleanse . . . with the washing of water by the word” (Eph. 5:26). The “washing of water” is baptism which is taught by the word of God, which was revealed by the Holy Spirit. Saul of Tarsus was told to “arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). Baptism is into the death of Christ (Rom. 6:3-4) where he shed his blood (Jn. 19:34). That is why John wrote, “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Rev. 1:5). Look at what we have here. We are washed from our sins in his blood when we are baptized into his death. This baptism is in water appointed by God and preached by the apostles of the Lord.

Take away water baptism and you remove God’s plan for bringing us into contact with the saving power of the blood, you prevent the washing away of sins, cleansing, and abort the new birth. You prevent people from entering into the kingdom of God. Does the water save? No, God does that, but don’t you forget that God used water in his plan. By that he knows who is obedient to his word and who rejects his counsel.

Does water stand between you and deliverance, cleansing, healing from sin, and the new birth into the kingdom? If so, then you ought to submit to what the Lord required.

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 21, p. 3-4
November 3, 1994

By Tim Mize

In his cross Christ “put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb. 9:26). It is good for us to consider how this death was our offering for sin. The cross, however, is to us even more than a sin offering. We see in it too the sacrifice of our covenant with God.

“This cup is the new covenant in my blood,” he said (1 Cor. 11:25 ASV). This connection of blood and covenant brings to mind the old sin offerings, but most of all it recalls the offerings made but once at the mountain, the blood that ratified the covenant (Exod. 24:4-8; Heb. 9:18-21).When God created the nation of Israel, he carried them out of slavery “on eagles’ wings,” brought them to Mt. Sinai, and there made a covenant with them (Exod. 19:4-6). Israel became God’s special possession in the earth. Their entering the covenant involved three steps (see Exod. 24:4-8). First, they heard the terms of the covenant. The Lord spoke to them his commandments, and Moses wrote them down in a book (Exod. 24:4). Next, they agreed as one that “all that the Lord hath spoken we will do” (Exod. 19:8; 24:3,7). Finally, they participated in a ratification ceremony. Sacrifices were offered and the book was read. Moses took some of the blood of these offerings, sprinkled it on the people and said, “Behold, the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you.” The leaders of the people then ascended the mountain, and sitting down in the presence of God ate a meal (Exod. 24:9-11). Through these ceremonies Israel was purified and the covenant was ratified, and they formally entered their covenant with God.

As the years went by, new generations arose in Israel. It was necessary for them too to do as did their ancestors, to learn of this covenant and agree to keep it. Several scriptures tell how the covenant was renewed for the new generations (Deut. 5:1 ff; 27:1-26; 31:9-13; Josh. 8:30-35; 24:1-28; Neh. 8:1-18).

But the rise of new generations offered not the only cause for renewal. There was also the danger of their forgetting the covenant, even after knowing it and agreeing to it. Every so often, therefore, Israel would gather and have it read to them again (Deut. 31:9-13).

If it happened that they forgot the covenant and broke it, God would renew it then as well. The story of the golden calf, when Israel broke God’s covenant the very first time, offers a good example. After Moses interceded on their behalf, God forgave the people and entered afresh his covenant with them, even giving them his law anew (Exod. 32-34).

The sad story of the Old Testament, however, is that of a people who continued to break the covenant of the Lord. The prophets, full of hope, anticipated a new day when God’s people would be known not by their breaking of his covenant, but their keeping it. God was going to start all over with his people. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah . . .” (Jer. 31:31-34).

When Jesus spoke of “my blood of the new covenant,” he proclaimed the fulfillment of these things. The new covenant has come. Its terms have been proclaimed not by Moses but by Christ, and its blood of ratification is that of Jesus Christ himself.

We who are gathered around this table have entered that very covenant with God. In our eating, in fact, we acknowledge this covenant as our own. We declare that we have gladly agreed to its terms. Just as Israel looked back to the mountain, so we look back to the cross, and remember that there a covenant was ratified with blood.

Furthermore, just as Israel found need to renew their covenant, so do we. This supper is our time to remember and renew our covenant with God. We remember the blood that brought us into it. We remember the commitments that we made in our entering. We seek God’s forgiveness for how we have broken it, knowing that Christ intercedes for us. In short, we renew the covenant, and refresh our dedication to him. Let us each, then, examine ourselves, and so let us eat of the bread and drink of the cup (1 Cor. 11:28).

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 20, p. 11
October 20, 1994

By Mike Willis

The ability to give of our means is a “grace” that God has provided us (2 Cor. 8:7). Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). That is true for several reasons. The person who receives is obviously in need. He has suffered want and need. In contrast, the person who gives has been prospered. Furthermore, the person who receives may feel humiliated by his circumstances, in spite of every effort on the part of those who help him not to make him feel that way. We can easily see the truth in what Jesus spoke. Consequently, to be able to give is a grace to us from God. Let us notice some principles that should govern our giving:

1. We should first give ourselves. The Apostle Paul commended the Macedonians for their generous giving in spite of their deep poverty. He explained why they were so sacrificial in giving by saying, “And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God” (2 Cor. 8:5). Good givers are so generous and charitable because they first commit themselves to the Lord. Men like the Rich Young Ruler in Matthew 19:16-22 can never be generous givers because they love their wealth more than they love the Lord.

2. We should give as we are prospered. Paul wrote, “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come” (1 Cor. 16:1-2). As my prosperity increases, so should my giving. Some men who receive regular increases in salary never increase their giving. Some couples learned to give $10 a week many years ago, but even though their salary has been increased significantly since then, they still give their $10 a week. As our prosperity increases, so should our giving.

3. Our giving should be planned and purposed giving. Paul wrote, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). A person cannot give like the Bible directs if he does not plan his giving. He who waits until the collection basket is being passed to decide how much to give has not “purposed in his heart.”

3. We should give freely, willingly, and cheerfully. Paul continued, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). Bible giving should be done without compulsion and cheerfully, not begrudging the money that one gives.

I once heard a brother say, “If you can’t give but $1 cheerfully, it would be better to give that cheerfully than to give more and begrudge giving it.” His statement surely emphasizes the need for cheerful giving, but there was more that needed to be said. I responded, “That may be so, but someone who is prospered abundantly and can only give $1 cheerfully, needs to work on the attitude of his heart.” Years have passed and I may not have remembered every word perfectly, but this was the gist of our Bible class discussion. We need to be careful not to excuse ourselves from sacrificial giving by an emphasis on cheerful giving. The two are not contradictory to each other. Both are principles about giving that a Christian needs to learn.

4. We should give sacrificially. The poor widow who gave two mites displays the spirit of sacrificial giving. The text records:

And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had (Luke 21:1-4).

Most all of us more nearly resemble the rich who gave from their abundance than the poor widow who gave of her necessity.

5. We should give bountifully. Paul wrote, “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:6). As Christians we should be trying to give just as much as we can afford. The reason for this is revealed: our giving is compared to planting seed (sowing). The more seed that is planted, the more grain will be harvested. The Indiana farmers do not begrudge planting seed. They plant the seed close together and pour on the fertilize; they know that the more seed that is planted means more bushels of corn that will be reaped.

A tight-fisted giver has lost his perspective of the true values of life. While clinging to his material possessions, he is not generous with the Lord and his work. Therefore, he gives sparingly, using what he has been prospered by the grace of God for his selfish pleasures. By so doing, he values the things that money can provide in this world over the things that our giving provides for us spiritually (here and hereafter).

6. We should give regularly. Paul said, “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come” (1 Cor. 16:2). As regularly as a man is prospered he should give. The collection is to be taken on the first day of the week. The beauty of the Lord’s plan can be seen in the following examples. Look at the chart below and see the beauty of God’s plan.

Amount Given Amount Given @ 52 weeks

Per Week per year for 50 years

$ 10 $26,000

$ 20 $52,000

$ 30 $78,000

$ 40 $104,000

$ 50 $130,000

$100 $260,000

Few of us would ever be able and willing to write a check for $26,000 to the Lord’s work. By doing the Lord’s will, many of us will give significantly more than that over a lifetime. The next time you read of some benevolent philanthropist who donates $100,000 to higher education, remember that you very well may do that and more by your regular contributions to the Lord’s work. The Lord’s plan will work. Men who turn to bingo, casino nights, church owned businesses, and other forms of generating income to raise funds for the church have lost faith in God’s plan.

Conclusion

Perhaps this is a good time for you to examine how well you are doing in giving to support the Lord’s work. Don’t wait until the collection basket is passed on Lord’s day. If you need to make some changes in how you spend your money in order to support the Lord’s work, begin to make those changes. You will never regret what you contribute to the Lord’s work.

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 21, p. 2
November 3, 1994