Truth Magazine

By Johnie Edwards

Several churches have asked what we do in a Preacher Training Program. The Preacher Training Program of the Ellettsville, Indiana church of Christ is, first of all a very practical program with emphasis on studying and teaching the Bible effectively.

Good Reading

We try to provide the men in the Preacher Training Program with some good tools ‘with which to work. The wise man stated, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7). Our thinking, to a great extent, is prompted by what we read. Too many preachers are reading the writings of liberals and other men who have little or no respect for the Bible.

First, we insist that the young men read the Bible every day. They are provided with a “reading calendar” to help them read through the entire Bible during the year. All of us in the program read 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus every week, as these books say a lot of useful things about preaching the word.

Many of the books of Foy E. Wallace, Jr. are assigned to be read, outlined and then preached. Outside the Bible, there is no finer material for a young preacher to read than brother Wallace’s Bulwarks Of The Faith and God’s Prophetic Word.

Guardian of Truth magazine is given to each man in the program and he is encouraged to read and file a number of articles from the magazine. During the course of the year, much good reading material is assigned to be read and discussed such as Walking By Faith and The New Testament Church by Roy Cogdill. A selection of debate books are recommended to be read and outlined too.

Finding and Outlining Sermons

A lot of young men have difficulty in finding and outlining sermons that they can preach. Each man in the program puts together two sermons each week and must be ready to preach any one of them as called upon. Our motto is “Be Ready.” Sermon ideas are everywhere! Each man keeps a “Sermon Ideas” folder and is urged to jot down any sermon idea he may see, even if it is in the middle of the night! If not written down, it may never come again.

Preaching Sermons

The preacher must be at his very best when he stands in the pulpit to preach God’s Word. Johnie Paul and I place a lot of emphasis on preaching sermons effectively. Every man is usually on his feet at every session, reading, preaching or teaching class material. The men are urged to go over, out loud, every sermon at least six times in front of a mirror, before preaching them in the class. Those who know me, know that I believe effective preaching need not take all day! I believe that the “head can receive no more than the seat can endure.” Most people do not listen very long at a time. The men are taught not to repeat everything but make their points and go on. We have a little motto in preaching: “Get up, speak up, shut up and sit down.”

Types of Sermons

There are many types of sermons one can preach. We spend time with all of them. We learn how to preach funeral sermons, do weddings, and preach in gospel meetings. We spend some time learning how to read effectively, as some come to us having not learned to observe good reading skills. We may even read an entire sermon out loud.

Building a Library

A good book list is provided each man and he is encouraged to begin buying some good books. Too many preachers buy a lot of “junk” that they never read. The members of the Ellettsville church have been very gracious in that they often, as individuals, provide the young men with a “matching fund” for their library needs. Good books are “tools of the trade” for preachers. Guardian of Truth Bookstore has been helpful in giving our young men a little discount on their books, and we thank them for that. The apostle Paul thought books were important as he told Timothy, “Bring the books . . .” (1 Tim. 4:13).

Preparing Class Material

There is a great demand for good class material. Every man in the study is taught how to put class material together on all kinds of Bible subjects and then be able to teach the material. Several weeks are spent each year on getting this work done. By the time a young man leaves the program, he has a good backlog, of not only sermons he can preach, but good quality class material that he is ready to teach.

Teaching Home Bible Studies

Each person is provided a copy of our “Home Bible Study” series and is taught how to teach these four simple lessons effectively. Every preacher needs to know how to conduct, and teach others how to conduct home studies. Home Bible studies is one of the most effective ways of converting folks today! We then go through a set of thirteen lessons on Growing in the Grace and Knowledge of the Lord. This study is designed to help ground the new convert. A study of this nature helps keep those we baptize (2 Pet. 3:18). By the way, the Home Bible Study and Growing in the Grace and Knowledge of the Lord ” can be purchased from Guardian of Truth Bookstore.

Bible History and Geography

We have added a new study to the 1994 program with a 52 week study of “Bible History and Geography” designed to help us appreciate places and times in relation to the Bible story. Each man is being provided a copy of The History and Geography of the Bible Story by Bob and Sandra Waldron.

Writing

We try to teach the men how to write well. Each one is encouraged to write articles for our church bulletin, news-paper articles, and even Guardian of Truth magazine. The writing of all kinds of letters is taught. Each one writes sympathy letters, notes of encouragement, letters to the sick and the like. Few preachers learn to write well and to the point.

Filing Material

An effective preacher is one with a good filing system, where he can find his material at a moment’s notice. We begin a simple effective filing system at the very first session every year. Johnie Paul and I give each man “tons” of material on all kinds of subjects that we have collected from a combined total of sixty years of study. These young men leave the program armed with material, that most men have spent a lifetime collecting.

Grammar

Good grammar is necessary to be an effective speaker as a gospel preacher. We have young men who bring with them such expressions as “I seen” and the like. We go to work on that immediately. Bad grammar leaves the listeners wondering about the other abilities of the preacher. Beecher said, “A good speaker is a good man speaking well.”

Field Trips

A number of field trips are taken throughout the year. We visit places like the Oriental Institute in Chicago, Illinois to help them appreciate Bible archeology. We also visit many of the restoration sites, such as Cane Ridge near Paris, Kentucky. These trips do much to help prepare the young men for preaching.

Personal Care

We stress that preachers need to keep themselves in good health, pay their bills, set good examples in their living, keep themselves pure, pray often, keep shoes shined, clothes neat and clean, be friendly, work hard, don’t gossip, and tend to your own business. Personal hygiene sometimes has to be stressed. We don’t mind telling a young man, “Nobody likes a stinking preacher!”

It is our hope that these ingredients will help these young men to be the best possible preachers that they can be.

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 8, p. 3-4
April 21, 1994

By Mike Willis

Let me begin by making a disclaimer. I have never worked with a church in a preacher training program either as the student or the teacher. Nevertheless, there are a few words that I would like to say about the preacher training programs that are being conducted around the country.

The Value to the Preacher in Training

The apostle Paul trained Timothy to preach by taking the young man with him as he did the work of an evangelist (Acts 16:1-3). Working side by side with Paul was an excellent arrangement to learn how to preach and how a preacher should conduct himself. He saw the God-given qualifications for a preacher exemplified in the life of Paul. Paul spoke of his work among the Thessalonians as follows:

For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain: but even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness; God is witness: nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burden-some, as the apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: so being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: as ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, that ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory (1 Thess. 2:1-12).

Seeing Paul working with brethren in the fashion so described was a perfect training situation for a young preacher. If we can understand why doctors go through a residency and skilled laborers go through an apprenticeship, we should be able to understand the value to a young man that a preacher training program serves.

A Way To Serve, Not Merely Be Served

When a church is considering whether or not to have a preacher training program, they may be tempted to highlight the question, “What are we going to get out of it for this local church?” The answers may not be readily forthcoming, apparent and immediately tangible. However, the comment needs to be made that in such a program a congregation is serving, regardless of whether or not it receives anything in return. The spirit of serving others is the spirit of Christianity for, “the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). Is not the concept that only asks what is the local church going to get out of it based on the denominational concept of the preacher as a pastor to serve the needs of the local flock? Is the question reflecting a lack of perception of the church’s obligation to send the gospel into areas where there is no gospel preaching being done or where the local church is exceptionally weak? If that be the case, churches needs to be educated in their responsibility to take the gospel to those who are dying outside of Christ.

While some churches are asking, “What are we going to get out of it?” other churches have an ongoing training program that turns out 2-5 men a year who are qualified to preach the gospel. Another church may have one younger man work with their older, more experienced preacher and prepare one new man every couple of years. Still others invite a young man to work with them during the summer to complement another program of study (such as work toward a college degree) in preparing oneself to preach. In each situation, the local church is doing one of the things that God has given us the charge to do  to teach faithful men who in turn will teach others also (2 Tim. 2:2). It is the church’s responsibility to prepare men to preach! Preacher training programs are churches in action, doing one of the works God gave it to do  to train men to teach others.

And how some churches serve! They not only provide a salary for the men in training, they frequently purchase books for his library and, on some occasions, suits to wear when he preaches. These young men are in the prayers of the brethren as they travel from place to place preaching. These young men go out forever indebted to the local church that had the foresight to provide training for them.

Some preacher training programs have served in ways other than supplying full-time preachers. There are many congregations unable to afford full-time men working with them that depend upon men who work five days a week to support their families and use their week-ends to preach. As a young man, this was practically the only preaching I knew. There are area congregations able to have preaching every Sunday because another church served in training others to preach.

Benefits to the Local Church

Despite the fact that the church should look at its training program as an opportunity to serve, rather than to be served, still there seem to be some apparent benefits that come to the local church as a result of a preacher training program. Here are some of them:

1. A man in training will do local work. I have not known any man who was training to preach who did not teach a Bible class in the local church, preach from time to time, or write articles for the bulletin. He usually fills in for the local preacher when he is away on meetings or vacation. He will, first of all, bring an enthusiasm for the work of the local church that will add to its work. If he is a younger man, he will probably have a significant impact upon the younger members of the local church (the teenagers, young adults, and young married couples).

2.These men will be an example for others to follow. Men who have committed themselves to devote their full-time to preaching the gospel are good role models for others in the congregation. In contrast to those who have a half-hearted commitment, these men have committed their all. I believe that associating with men who have made such a commitment helps all the members of the local church.

On many occasions, the younger man in a training program will work for a summer with a local church and stay in the homes of two or three families one month at a time. His impact filters down to the fourth and fifth grade children. They have a favorable impression of preachers and preaching. Some of these younger children will make it their goal to become a preacher or marry a preacher because of these favorable associations. The teenagers in a local church are frequently the strongest benefactors of a young man’s coming to work with a congregation over a summer.

3. A spirit of brotherliness sometimes comes through the program. As area congregations are made aware of the man in training looking for opportunities to speak, they will sometimes invite him to preach to their congregation. Other congregations are inspired to have a training pro-gram of their own. A spirit of brotherly affection is nurtured by these associations.

4. Older brethren are encouraged to see a younger generation take up the banners of Christ. Witnessing the faith being passed down to another generation encourages us who are older to persevere in our service to the Lord. Not the least of those encouraged is the local preacher who delights in the opportunity to train others to do the work of preaching. Some brethren report an increase in contribution because brethren want to be part of training men to preach and are willing to provide the resources to support the man while he trains and then when he moves away to a small congregation that is unable to support him.

5. The local church will develop a greater interest in its young people because of the training program. The young men will be encouraged to develop their individual skills in the service of the Lord, whether it be in song leading, preaching, waiting on the table, or some other way.

6. His impact on area congregations. In some sections of the country, the part-time men who have been trained in stronger churches have gone into the smaller nearby congregations to preach on weekly appointments and have been God’s instrument to salvage brethren from institutionalism. West Virginia is a good example of places where this has been done. Had some churches not encouraged their men to develop, several congregations in West Virginia would not now be standing for the truth.

Conclusion

The church both serves and is served by the preacher training programs. The Ellettsville congregation where brother Johnie Edwards preaches has been supporting the work of training preachers for many years. Dale Wilson, Gary Fiscus, Mel Myers, Tony Mauch, Carl Lungstrum, and John Henry are some of the men who have worked in preacher training with brother Edwards. In addition, two of Johnie’s sons are preaching full-time  Titus Edwards (Tampa, FL) and Johnie Paul Edwards (Belleville, IN). Johnie Paul’s sixteen-year-old son John Isaac is one of the men in training at the present and is going out regularly to fill week-end appointments.

Some churches are able to look at their work and see that every man who has gone through their program is faithfully serving in preaching the gospel full-time and standing firmly for the truth. Other programs have not had such a good track record, witnessing many of those who have gone through their program either decide not to preach or go off into some departure from the faith. There are strong and weak preacher training programs just as there are strong and weak churches and preachers. A young man wishing to preach should use good judgment in choosing a program that will give him the training he needs.

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 8, p. 2
April 21, 1994

By Philip Thomas

Introduction

The greatest possession anyone can have is salvation from his past sins and the hope of eternal salvation after awhile. Salvation is available to all who desire it. The scriptures plainly tell us all we need to know about obtaining this salvation.

The Need of Salvation

An insurance man begins to sell his policy by showing the needs of the prospective policyholder. If the need is not recognized, no policy will be sold. The need of salvation must also be shown if we are to convert souls unto Christ. This need can be shown in Ephesians 2:12, “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.” Peter told the crowd on the day of Pentecost that with their wicked hands they crucified the Son of God. The need of salvation was evident. Since the sins of Adam and Eve, mankind has been in need of salvation. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom. 5:12). We can also see, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

Salvation in Christ

God recognized the need of man’s salvation and made the provisions necessary for man’s salvation. In Genesis 12:3, the Lord said to Abraham, “. . . and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” God has promised Abraham that He would bless all nations in his seed; that seed is Christ (Gal. 3:16). Therefore God has fulfilled his promise and His blessings are enjoyed in Christ (Eph. 1:3). The hope of an eternal life in heaven can only be enjoyed in Christ, “according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:11).

God sent his only begotten Son into this world so that all may have eternal life (Jn. 3:16). Jesus came into this world “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:10). The divine side of salvation has been completed. God has done his part, Jesus has done his part, now men must do their part if they are to have salvation. It is not enough just to live a good life, or try to be saved by the law of Moses (Acts 13:39). God has given us his plan of salvation.

The Plan of Salvation

Jesus said in Mark 16:16, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” The “and” in this passage shows that two conditions must be met: faith and baptism. If we transposed this verse into a mathematical formula, it would read: Believe + Baptism = Salvation and Not Believe = Damnation.

The crowd asked the apostles on the day of Pentecost, “What shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:37-38). Once we believe and repent, the next step is confession. An example is found in Acts 8:37, where the eunuch said to Philip, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

After Saul was struck down by a great light, the Lord spoke to him saying, “Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do” (Acts 22:16). This is what he was told he must do: “And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”

At this point our Christian life has just begun. “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13). Also in Revelation 2:10, “. . . be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” In summary the plan of salvation consists of hearing and believing the gospel, repenting of our sins, confessing that Jesus is the Son of God, being baptized for the remission of sins, and remaining faithful until death.

The Great Salvation

Hebrews 2:2-3 states, “For if the word spoken by angel was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.” As humans we cannot earn salvation, but we can escape the punishment that is justly due us by the great salvation which the Lord has offered. Why is it a great salvation? (1) God gave his only begotten Son (Jn. 3;16). (2) It was purchased by the blood of Jesus (Acts 20:28). (3) It is an eternal salvation (Heb. 5:8-9). (4) It saves man from an everlasting punishment (Rev. 20:12-15; Matt. 25:41).

The Common Salvation

God is no respecter of persons. His plan of salvation is therefore available to all men everywhere on the same conditions. “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). If we could be saved by the doctrines of men or by the law of Moses, Jesus died in vain (Gal. 2:21). Jesus died to offer the hope of salvation to all men equally. Jesus is the common sacrifice (Heb. 2:9). The common salvation is needed because all have sinned (Rom. 3:23). The Lord did not design multiple plans for salvation, but one common plan. Ephesians 4:4-6 lists items that God in-tended to be only one: body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, God and Father. There is only one hope of salvation, which is God’s plan.

The Conditional Salvation

The plan of salvation has been offered to all men on the same terms. If man accepts the conditions, eternal life in heaven will be the reward. If man rejects the conditions, everlasting torment will be the punishment. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). We must obey the will of God to obtain an eternal heavenly home. Revelation 2:10 says we must be faithful unto death. Hebrews 5:9 speaks of Jesus saying, “. . . being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Heb. 5:9). The alien sinner must obey the plan of salvation stated previously to become a Christian. This is God’s plan. Man says that one can be saved by “faith only,” but this phrase is used only once in the Bible. “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (Jas. 2:24). It is also possible for a Christian to turn away from God. Galatians 5:4 ends with the phrase, “. . . ye are fallen from grace.” Galatians 6:1 states, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” When the erring Christian realizes his lost state, he must repent for forgiveness of sins and pray that his sins be forgiven.

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 8, p. 12-13
April 21, 1994

By Michael McClary

(Brother McClary is one of the elders of the Ellettsville church.)

Preacher training is nothing new for the Ellettsville, Indiana church of Christ. Brother W.H. Krutsinger lived, preached, and taught a preacher training school in Ellettsville in the 1800s. He edited a religious paper called The Ancient Landmarks. We have a copy of volume one, number one, dated September 1879. This preacher training program was conducted for about twenty-five years and a good number of preachers came from this school, including such men as A.G. Freed, later of Freed-Hardeman College; W.M. Davis, long-time front page editor of the Firm Foundation; and Fred Rowe, publisher of the Christian Leader, to name just a few.

A Complete Program

The Preacher Training Program at Ellettsville is a very complete program. It is designed to teach young men how to study, memorize, deliver lessons and sermons, do funerals and weddings, do research on various religious topics and begin a library and filing system. The program is lead by Johnie Edwards and his son, Johnie Paul Edwards. Many of you already know that these two men are two of the best preachers in the country and both are in demand for meeting work all over the country. They have the knowledge, zeal and patience to handle this type of preacher training. We at the Ellettsville church love and appreciate them very much and give them our heartfelt thanks for all the work they do. The training program is the most helpful tool any young man could receive who is interested in proclaiming God’s word. It is not only essential for the men in the program, but it is also very good for the local church here in Ellettsville. Here are some reasons why:

Strengthens The Local Church

When we hear how many hours of hard work these men put into learning God’s word, it makes us work harder to learn. These young men, and we had a dozen of them in 1993 and have ten in the 1994 session, study hard and it is great to see them develop so rapidly. The program helps all of us “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord” (2 Pet. 3:18).

Encourages Other Young Men

Knowing how hard all the men in the program work encourages the local church to do the same. As Joshua was “encouraged and strengthened,” so are we (Deut. 3:28). It sure is encouraging to a local church to see a young man grow from hardly being able to stand before a group, to speaking the truth with zeal and poise.

The Need For Gospel Preachers

The program helps the local church see the need for gospel preachers. There is a great shortage of good, sound, gospel preachers today. We need to help men to be able to say, as did the apostle Paul, “so, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel ” (Rom. 1:15). Men must be ready to preach and our program does that very thing. Our young men preach about every week in the area. They were afforded a rare opportunity of preaching in a gospel meeting last year, and more are planned for 1994. Hardly a week goes by without a local congregation who needs a gospel preacher calling.

Helps In Converting The Lost

The young men preach here at Ellettsville different times when brother Edwards is away preaching in gospel meetings. They have been taught to always teach the plan of salvation at the close of every sermon. This enables folks the opportunity of learning what to do to be saved. Romans 10:13-17 teaches that preaching, hearing, believing and obeying are essential to being saved. The young men do this so very well.

Encourages The Local Church

The fact that we have so many young men interested in preaching and doing the Lord’s will sets a good example for others. It has had a good effect on a number of other young people. The church, where the young men preached in a gospel meeting recently, saw a profound influence on the young people as well as the older ones in the church. There is still power in good influence (Matt. 5:13-16). Christian living is taught by these preachers, not only in the preaching but by their lives. Many of these young men are still in high school or work full time, yet, still find the time to study and do all the work demanded by our Preacher Training Program. We are thankful to God for all of this work.

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 8, p. 5
April 21, 1994