Truth Magazine

By Bill Crews

“To steal or purloin and pass off as one’s own (the ideas, words, writings, etc. of another).” Thus does a dictionary define the word “plagiarism,” and the practice is alive and well among men. It is a form of both theft and lying, and it is found among authors and writers, students and teachers, reporters and editors, politicians and preachers. It is not practiced to a large extent, and it is nearly always found out. When it is deliberate, it is reprehensible and inexcusable.

Many of the things that every individual has learned have come from others in the form of spoken words heard or written words read. Our mind are thus influenced and molded, and they retain those things that we believe to be true and accept as good and worthwhile. These, in turn, find expression in our own words, both spoken and writ-ten. Very little of what anyone writes is completely original in the truest sense of that word (cf. Eccl. 1:9; 2:12; 3:15; 6:10).

Hardly anyone who writes anything is going to do so without using some of the words and phrases, ideas and themes, points and conclusions of others. But this is a far cry from copying the material of others and giving our-selves credit for it by affixing our own names to it. Sometimes material is copied, and the name of the author inadvertently left off. Sometimes such “anonymous” material is used, and a name mistakenly affixed to it as the author. Sometimes initials at the end of an article are misconstrued (some writers have the same initials). I have seen articles written by attributed to others  knowing how such things can happen and considering it an honest mistake (and flattered that anyone would think my material worth repeating), I usually do nothing about it. But when I see somebody else’s material attributed to me, I always want to write and correct it. But, again, all of this is a far cry from deliberate plagiarism.

This article is simply an appeal to every one who writes, prints, and circulates articles to be more careful and more conscientious. Put your name on initials at either the beginning or the end of your articlesor otherwise identify yourself as the author (“all articles written by the editor unless otherwise specified”). When using material that you do not write, identify the author; if unknown, say so. But please resist the temptation to claim credit for words written by someone else. If you have ever knowingly and deliberately done so in the past, repent of it and resolve never to repeat it.

When I was a student in college, I lost respect for one of my teachers when I learned that many statements in his own textbook were taken directly from other authors (whose books were in the school library) without putting them in quotation marks and with no credit given to those authors in any fashion. I have a Bible handbook supposedly written by a brother in the Lord (who has published several books), but much of it is taken directly, word for word, from an older and larger Bible handbook, without any credit given to the original author. An outlined article by Frank L. Cox was used by a brother in his local church bulletin, copied word for word, with his own name affixed at the end. Recently I received a bulletin with an old Erma Bombeck article (one of her few very serious ones, written more than ten years ago) in it. Credited as the author was a preacher who obviously didn’t write it.

Honest mistakes we all understand, but deliberate plagiarism is inexcusable. Anyone who resorts to it knows exactly what he is doing, and “my brethren, these things ought not so to be” (Jas. 4:10).

(Editor’s Note: Some churches are guilty of unlawfully using another’s work when they buy one copy of a workbook and photocopy the lessons from it to pass them out to the class. Besides being illegal, it is also not cost effective. A 70-page book at 5-10 cents a page costs more when photo-copied then when purchased.)

“Honest mistakes we all understand, but deliberate plagiarism is inexcusable. Anyone who resorts to it knows exactly what he is doing, and `my brethren, these things ought not so to be.’ “

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 18, p. 9
September 16, 1993

By Ruben Amador and Warren E. Berkley

Preaching in the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean in the middle of July doesn’t sound like bad work, if you can get it. But Ruben Amador and Warren Berkley took the assignment, and didn’t get a tan, party on a yacht, or rent scuba equipment. We certainly admired the beauty of the island, but our main task was to preach and teach.

The churches at West Bay and Georgetown are under the influence of institutional, sponsoring churches, but the local brethren invited us to visit and speak. In a week-end meeting, a series was presented under the theme Fellow-ship with God: Where to Start. The primary point of the sermons was, whatever we undertake (as individuals or local churches) we must always begin with what the Word of God says and resolve to stay within the boundaries of divine instruction. This was presented at both West Bay and Georgetown the week-end of July 12 & 13.

The members of the church, for the most part, had no strenuous objection to the teaching, and even when applications were made to the work of the local church, there was agreement. Some were indifferent to our efforts, others acknowledged that we aroused their interests, and some of the brethren in the church were especially interested. On Monday night we studied privately with the local preacher, and when he brought up some of the typical objections to our use of Philippians 4:15, we answered by emphasizing that only one church “shared” with Paul “concerning giving and receiving,” thus ruling out the Philippian church as a sponsoring church. As the discussion continued, the brother brought up numerous questions and we concluded there is a genuine desire on his part to study further. Correspondence will be initiated with this man, and future trips may occur to stay in touch with those who want to study further.

Those who may be contemplating work in the Caribbean might be interested in some of the observations we made in our trip. While some of these points may only apply to the Caymans, it is likely some of these things will apply in other parts of the Caribbean too.

1. There is a slow-paced, “laid back” lifestyle there. Many of the natives seem to have the “don’t worry, be happy” approach to life. While we do not encourage worry, there are some things people need to be urgent and serious about, especially as concerns God and eternity. When you preach in the Caribbean, you may encounter an attitude that seems to be irritated with your urgency and fervor. In the British West Indies (Cayman Islands), we found some Christians so relaxed they were indifferent about our insistent appeals to make all things according to the pattern.

2. If you have opportunities in churches under institutional control, be prepared to find a very dependent congregation. The sponsoring church arrangement is not only an unscriptural human innovation, it is a system encumbered with all sorts of other negatives. Churches in the States may send young people to these resort places to conduct campaigns and camps (and swim, play soccer, scuba dive, etc.). After years of accepting this, the native members soon expect it, depend upon it and refrain from any personal evangelism themselves. You may also find congregations in the Caribbean unable to breathe, being under the tight thumb of their sponsoring church. (We know of a case where the sponsoring church in America holds the title papers for a church building!) Consequently, there is little appreciation of autonomy. All the information we have is, this is the rule and not the exception.

3. On Grand Cayman (and this may not apply on other islands), congregations are multi-racial. In the churches we visited, for example, there were native Caymanians, British, Jamaicans, Americans and Hispanics. In some cases there are tensions and symptoms of prejudice you may observe. This is one of those cases where the tensions and problems in society have impact in churches.

4. When dealing with opportunities within institutional controlled churches, some of your best work may occur with individual private conversations and Bible studies. We preached the truth publicly as clearly as we could, and made some very plain statements about following New Testament instruction. But we are persuaded the most good we did was in private conversations and studies. We would suggest, if you have these kind of opportunities  start with the local preacher. Then, invite him to go with you into homes when you have a family with interest in further study.

There may be some real opportunities in instititutional churches in foreign fields. We cannot, of course, generalize from this trip to Grand Cayman. But it is likely that what we found in Cayman is typical of other Caribbean congregations, and maybe in other places too. If you know a member of one of these churches, and they can get a invitation for you to speak, or some capable preacher you know, follow through and work that opportunity fully.

(For further information about our trip to Grand Cayman, call Ruben Amador, 713/956-0879 or Warren Berkley, 210/687-6176. A good man located in the Caribbean is Tol Burke, 809/773-7163.)

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 18, p. 12
September 16, 1993

By Randy Harshbarger

Why do you serve the Lord? What motivates you in your service to the Master? Do you serve out of fear? Do you feel compelled to “do all the right things” because you feel guilty if you refuse? Do you wonder how can you move beyond a “having to mentality” and acquire the right attitude and motivation in your service to God? John said: “There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath punishment; and he that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1 Jn. 4:18). Fear is used in at least two ways. One, all Christians are to fear God (i.e., we are to reverence, honor, and praise him). As children of God, we seek to please our heavenly Father. But, we do not serve God out of terror or dread. Yes, we need to take seriously the potential of sin as we contemplate the judgment. Yet, our confidence in the Lord eliminates the spirit of slavish dread. Mature love casts that kind of fear away. Now the question is, how can we have that kind of love?

Again John said: “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God” (1 Jn. 4:7). Love finds its origin in God and we, his people, must love in return. Love is tied to being born again. Love so vividly describes what a Christian is all about, that it constitutes proof of one’s obedience and devotion to the Lord. Paul said: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love” (Gal. 5:22). Love is that leading principle of the heart that springs from knowing that God loves us; we then, love others (1 Jn. 4:18). Paul exemplified this in his desire to preach. He told the Romans (1:14-16) that he was ready to preach the gospel to them. He was in debt to God and therefore felt keenly his debt to others. To preach was his privilege, but it also was his passion!

Jesus spoke about the importance of love. “But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, gathered themselves together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, trying him: Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments the whole law hangeth, and the prophets” (Matt. 22:34-40). It is interesting that this episode took place during the last week of Jesus’ life on earth. He was under constant attack from the Pharisees and Sadducees, yet, he still spoke about love, the basis for all we do and say. The Jews tried to set aside some of the laws of Moses. They also believed that if a man kept one law perfectly that his obedience would be accepted as obedience to all the laws. But, which law was the most important one to keep?

Jesus said that man should love God with all his heart, soul, and mind. That is, the entirety of one’s being must be wrapped up in loving God. Man’s affections and desires must be fixed on God. The intellectual powers one possesses must be utilized in loving God. The best man has to offer must be used to honor and promote the glory and honor of God. Love sums it all up!

There seems to be an allusion to the Ten Commandments in this section of Matthew, but, how does love sum up one’s duty to God and relate to the Old Law? When a man loves God with all his heart, soul, and mind, he does not have to choose as to whether he will or will not take God’s name in vain. The choice has already been made about having no other gods or graven images. Our conduct toward God is regulated by our love.

But, our love for man is also regulated by love. The man who loves his neighbor as he should will not kill, or steal his neighbor’s wife, or bear false witness, or covet. In these two summary statements, Jesus covers the entire law. On these two great commandments the entire law and all the prophets hang. No part of God’s law can be set aside, but love is the fulfillment of God’s law.

Love is a good test for all Christians. Do we love God? Yes, we say, but do we love to study God’s word? Do we love to pray to God? Do we love to assemble with saints to worship God? Are we willing to help our brothers who are in need? What about our neighbors and even our enemies? God demonstrated his love for us by sending his Son to die. We can talk about loving God all we want, but when will we act in service to God and man?

A life of love for God and man reduces the selfishness that is often prevalent in our lives. True love for God and man begins to demonstrate our faithfulness and concern for the things of God. To love God and man glorifies our heavenly Father and calls men to the Christ. Let us do so with all our heart, soul, and mind.

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 17, p. 14
September 2, 1993

By Don Wright

Jesus had an humble beginning. He was not born in a palace fit for a king, but in a stable built for the lodging of animals. When our Lord was born he was not placed in a fancy crib suitable for the King of kings, but in a manger, i.e., a trough in the stable designed to hold the feed for the livestock (Lk. 2:1-7). Why did Mary and Joseph have to be content with such a situation? Were they relegated to the stable as a type of persecution? Was it because of the ill-feelings that others had for them? No! It was simply due to the fact that the small town of Bethlehem was over crowded because of the census demanded by Caesar Augustus. They were forced to the stable simply because there was no room for them in the inn. Was that the last time no room was found for Jesus? Again the answer is no. There are still countless numbers of people (both in and out of the church) who have no room for Jesus. Do you have room in your life for Jesus. Are you willing to make room in your life for Jesus? Consider the following thoughts with me.

Those Who Have No Room for Jesus

1.Those who love the world. There was a man by the name of Demas who was once a companion of Paul and a friend of the cause of Christ for which Paul stood. But he forsook Paul and the cause because he loved the world. Paul said, “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world” (2 Tim. 4:10). Demas had no room in his life for Jesus, and the same is true of all who love this present world (1 Jn. 2:15). The world that we are forbidden to love is the realm of evil and ungodliness that includes everything that runs opposite to the will of God. It is the world over which Satan is god. Listen to Paul again: “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not” (2 Cor. 4:3, 4). This is the world which we have no part of if we have room in our lives for Jesus. It involves the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 Jn. 2:16). To be involved in these things is to close the door of your life in the face of Jesus.

 2.Those who wish to serve two masters. Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24). In the context of this statement, Jesus is referring to priorities and earthly riches. When someone covets material things, those things become his master. Now, it is impossible to serve both God and these material things referred to by Jesus as mammon. Why? Because God and Mammon are two masters that demand opposite things from their subjects. God demands that we walk by faith, while Mammon demands that we walk by sight. God demands that we set our affections on things above while Mammon demands that we set our affection on earthly things. God demands that we seek happiness in the Creator, while Mammon demands that we seek happiness in that which has been created by man. Is it not clear that we cannot serve two such masters simultaneously? Now the point is, if we even have a desire to do so, we have no room in our lives for Jesus. God is a jealous God! He will not tolerate idols in the secret chambers of our hearts. Nothing short of loving and serving God with all of our hearts will do (Matt. 22:37). Caleb once said, “I wholly follow the Lord my God.” Can you say that? David declared, “I will keep Thy precepts with my whole heart.” Is that the kind of resolution that you have? If not, you have no room in your life for Jesus.

 3.Those who do not love the brethren. Our relation-ship with each other in Christ is very important. How we get along will play a part in determining the destiny of our souls. If there is any group of people who should receive, accept, and love one another, it should be Christians. Do you care for brethren? Do you hold grudges against those in Christ who may have offended you? Do you have a problem with a brother or sister in Christ that you are unwilling to resolve? Do you have feelings of bitterness toward any brother or sister in Christ? If so, there is no room in your life for Jesus, for Jesus demands that we love one another (1 Jn. 4:7-21). Remember, love causes us to act in the best interest of others. While love is willing to forgive, it does not ignore sin, tolerate error, or fellowship darkness. If we love brethren, we will rebuke them when they go astray from God’s Word!

Places Where There Is No Room For Jesus

1. In the minds of some. A multitude of thoughts invade our minds every day. From the time we wake to the time we return to sleep, and even in our sleep, our minds are full. There are innumerable thoughts rushing through our minds, coming and going; some abiding and some fleeing as fast as they arrive on the scene. And yet in the minds of many, there is no room for Jesus. How sad it is for a Christian to have no room in his thought-life for the Son of God. We above all others should be thinking about Jesus all of the time. We think about our children, our spouses, ourselves, our jobs, our goals, our enemies, etc., but we do not think enough about Jesus. Brethren, if this is true of you, it must change!

 2. In the homes of some. Surely we see that in our society our homes are collapsing. I am persuaded that the collapse of our society in general and the weakening of some local churches, is related to the fall of home life in this country. And why are our homes collapsing? Because in many homes today there is no room for Jesus. “What homes have room for Jesus?” someone may ask. Homes that are built on and governed by the will of God. Homes where the husband and wife share a strong mutual love for each other (Eph. 5:25; Tit. 2:4). Homes where the husband is the head of the house, and the wife willingly submits herself to her own husband (Eph. 5:22-24). Homes where the parents bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). Homes where you find the proper kind of literature and language. Homes where you find hospitality. These are the kinds of homes that have room for Jesus. I am afraid, however, that we are finding fewer and fewer homes of this nature, and until we make more room in our homes for Jesus, our homes will continue in a declining direction.

 3.In some churches. This might sound strange to some, but it is true. We know that there is no room for Jesus in man-made churches, but I am talking about local churches of Christ. Here are the local churches that have no room for Jesus:

 a. Churches that act without authority (Col. 3:17). We must have Bible authority for all that we preach and practice in local churches. We must do all that God has authorized the church to do (evangelism, edification, and benevolence [Eph. 4:12]), but we must not do any more. If we do, we have no room for Jesus. Some churches have room for worldly recreation and entertainment, but no room for Jesus.

b.Churches that teach or tolerate false teaching (2 Jn. 9-11). Jesus hates false doctrine! He never taught it during his personal ministry, and he will never tolerate it now. Any local church that tolerates it, regardless of who is doing the teaching, has shut Jesus out. They have no room for Jesus.

c.Churches that tolerate immorality (1 Cor. 5). Some churches are shy about enforcing disciplinary action. As a result they tolerate open sin in the camp. Paul said that those living in sin should be delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. We must be willing to do it. Sin in local churches gives Jesus a bad name and hinders his cause. Faithful churches with-draw fellowship from those living contrary to the truth. Churches that do not punish evil doers have no room for Jesus.

d.Churches that grow cold and indifferent (Rev. 2:1-5). Zeal in local churches is needed and expected by Jesus. We must serve God with all of our hearts if we are to serve him at all (Col. 3:23). When a church has a membership in which the majority has simply lost interest in doing right, they have ostracized the Son of God from their midst. When error is no longer offensive and evil is no longer abhorred, there is no longer room for Jesus!

Conclusion

We understand why there was no room for Jesus in the inn at Bethlehem. It was not anyone’s fault. There was not anyone to blame. Such is not the case today. There is someone to blame if there is no room in our lives, in our minds, in our homes, and in our churches for Jesus. We are to blame! The question is, “Do you have room in your life for Jesus?” cr

When. a church has a

membership in which the majority, has

simply lost interest in doing right, they have

ostracized the Son of God from their midst. When error

is no longer offensive and evil is no’ longer abhorred,

there is no longer room far Jesus!

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 17, p. 16-17
September 2, 1993