Truth Magazine

By Rick Christian

After a long, gray winter comes the onset of summer and the warmth of the sun and the blossoming of colors we all love to behold. I must admit, I enjoy that time of year and anticipate it greatly as it draws closer. Sometimes though, we have a tendency to forget our convictions in the summer months. This ought not be, for the Lord is not pleased with the “seasonal” Christian. It is at all times we must let our light shine to exemplify the fact that we are a peculiar people! (Matt. 5:16; 1 Pet. 2:9)

The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:2 “ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.” The term “memory” here is from the original which means to “hold fast” and involves a strict, constant, steadfast adherence to the faith of God. This is not a flippant recall but a determination to stand continually on the precepts of God by continuing to mold one’s intellect, emotions and will around Jesus Christ! The problems which occurred at Corinth were their failures to remember the things which they had been taught by the apostle Paul. Remember, they had received the things he preached (I Cor. 15:1), but failed to remember to hold fast to them. Paul stated in v. 2 that their salvation rested upon the remembrance of the things which he had taught them!

In an effort to remind us of things we ought never to forget (especially in the summer), let us note the following:

Let’s Not Forget to Be Modest

“Modesty”  simply “decent, restrained” (Webster). “unassuming; restrained; decent; retiring in manner and not excessive” . . . Greek (kosmios)  “orderly, well arranged, decent, modest.”

In the warm climate one often finds on the part of some, a casting off their attire. Men and boys parade in public with no shirt on or pants so short or tight that it leaves nothing for the imagination. Women and girls wear halter tops or short shorts and dresses so short they find themselves tugging at material which will not stretch any further in an effort to cover themselves. This seemingly is an admission that this apparel is immodest!

Men, boys, women and girls may be enticed to attend a mixed swimming pool and parade in attire which is less covering than what they wore to bed the night before! Remember, God sees you whether you are in your local town at the swimming pool or away at the crowded beach. Hebrews 4:13 “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Don’t forget, immodest dress causes men to sin (Matt. 5:27,28; Prov. 7:6-23; Rom. 14:21). Immodest dress causes women to sin (Rom. 14:21; 1 Tim. 2:9  “In like manner … “). Let’s not lose our ability to blush this summer. Let’s not forget that immodesty is sinful and can cause one to lose his soul!

By searching God’s word we can see that the terrible con-sequences of the sins of immodesty are many. Many mothers will be lost who did not set the proper example in dress. Many men will be condemned who fell prey to immodesty of women and who failed to restrain those in his household in this respect. Now is the time to “live soberly, righteously and godly!” (Tit. 2:11,12)

Let’s Not Forget to Assemble

“Let’s play ball,” may be on the lips of some as soon as summer arrives. Sports mania! Now, before everybody has a heart attack let me say that I enjoy sports just like the next person. Basketball, baseball, you name it, I like it, but, I will not allow it to become an obsession!

Sometimes folks becomes so obsessed with it that that’s a lot more important to them than mid-week Bible study, attending a gospel meeting or any other service for that matter.

If you are a Christian, you understand the Bible commands that we assemble (I-kb. 10:25). Jesus says in John 14:15  “If ye love me keep my commandments.” Failure to assemble is the sin of omission. James 4:17  “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” Assembly is essential for the proper function of the church (Eph. 4:12-16). How then can this function and mission be successfully accomplished if 1 do not meet and serve and worship with the saints?

Don’t let the Lord become second in your life this summer. If your child’s sport function, or any other function is put first in his life, what message are you sending? Talk to that coach, leader, teacher, whoever and explain to them that assembling is important to you. Most people will understand when you say, “I think ball is important but I think the service of the Lord is more important!” Matthew 6:33a  “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness. . . ” Colossians 3:2 “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Let’s Not Forget the Lord While We’re on Vacation

What a privilege it is to live in a country that affords us the freedom of travel, to see places we have longed to see. It’s refreshing. But, when you go on vacation, do you think ahead about where to assemble with saints? (Remember what you just read above about the command to assemble.) The congregation here where I am a member has a directory of churches which is very helpful. I know when we leave to go on vacation my wife fixes the family food to eat as we travel. We certainly must not forget that food! I doubt when you leave on vacation you forget the physical food thus, lets not forget to attend feeding time on spiritual things as well! I should have a compelling “desire” for such food (Matt. 5:6; 4:4; 1 Pet. 2:2-3).

Do you plan on being just as morally sound away from home as you do while at home? Let’s not feel that geographical location can allow me to engage in things I wouldn’t otherwise do at home. Because I am away from those who know me should not permit me to behave in ways which I wouldn’t if I were home! This is not the will of God!

Jonah tried to run away from the Lord but the Lord knew where he was all along! David states in Psalm 139:7-10 “Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If 1 ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” Think seriously of the message we send our children, if they see us behave in an immoral way while away from home. It’s going to be rather difficult to expect them to act godly at school, a friend’s house, college etc. when they witness their parents behaving unseemly while away from home!

Before I conclude let me also state that we must not forget the Lord while we’re on vacation with respect to our giving on the first day of the week (I Cor. 16:1,2). Do you make sure your contribution to the Lord is prepared for the first day of the week even while on vacation? Sometimes individuals may feel a vacation looses them from the responsibility to give locally on the first day of the week.

Remember friend, when you leave your own residence and travel afar, you may leave behind bills to be paid but those bills still must be paid; thus, money is prepared ahead of time to take care of those bills. In the work of the church there are bills that must be paid even if I go on vacation! Prepare ahead that the week you are gone the work doesn’t suffer because you didn’t plan ahead in recognition that you would be gone (I Cor. 16:1-4; 2 Cor. 8-9).

I hope everyone has a safe and joyous summer and most of all I hope that we who profess to be Christians will not fail in our profession this summer or any other season of the year!

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 10, p. 21-22
May 20, 1993

By Mike Willis

There are many portraits which have been drawn of Bible characters and events, but I don’t ever recall seeing one in which Judas was portrayed. In Bible Epitaphs, C.E. McCartney quoted William Hazlitt to say, “I would fain see the face of him who, having dipped his hand in the same dish with the Son of Man, could afterward betray Him. I have no conception of such a thing, nor have I ever seen any picture that gave me the least idea of it” (18). Judas remains an enigma to us.

What Judas Did

Judas was one of Jesus’ disciples. When Jesus chose his apostles from among his disciples, Judas was one of the twelve selected. He probably was one of the more outstanding disciples to have been selected by Christ. As an apostle, he walked with Jesus every day during his earthly ministry. He heard Jesus’ teaching about God, witnessed the miracles he performed, and saw the character of the only perfect man ever to have lived. He saw the glory of God incarnate (Jn. 1:14; 14:9).

But Judas was a thief (Jn. 12:6). When he witnessed the “wastefulness” of the woman who anointed Jesus with precious ointment, he rebuked Jesus for allowing this to happen (Jn. 12:4-6). Matthew ties this event to his decision to betray Jesus to the Jews for thirty pieces of silver. He probably perceived that Jesus had no intentions of establishing an earthly kingdom and that there would be no exalted position to bring him wealth, power and fame.

At Jesus’ last supper with the apostles, “Satan entered his (Judas’) heart” (Lk. 22:3). He left the Apostles and led the Jews to the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest Jesus. Later, when Judas saw the outcome of his dastardly deed, he regretted what he had done and returned the money to the Jews. Then he went out and hung himself.

His eternal destiny is not left in doubt. Jesus said, “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if he had not been born” (Matt. 26:24). He was the son of perdition who was lost (Jn. 17:12).

Nevertheless, when Luke records the selection of Matthias to take Judas’ place, he wrote, “That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place” (Acts 1:25). The eternal destiny which Judas received was his own place. In the same sense, heaven is one’s own place for him who lays up his treasure there (Matt. 6:19-20). Someone wrote,

The tissue of the life to be,

We weave with colors all our own; And on the fields of destiny

We reap as we have sown.

Each of us going to his own place.

 

We Choose Our Own Place In This World

There are some aspects of life beyond our control. I did not choose the place of my birth, parents, physical appearance or genetic make-up. Nevertheless, there remains much of life which we create for ourselves.

 

1. We choose our marriage companion. There are different kinds of women for a man to choose. A person can go after the one who dresses in the attire of a harlot, is loud and boisterous, and is forward (Prov. 7:10-13). Or, he can look for a companion who is modest in dress (1 Tim. 2:9-10), has a meek and quiet spirit (1 Pet. 3:4), and has the “law of kindness” on her tongue (Prov. 31:26). Every man who goes home from work to meet his mate goes to his own place. He chose for himself the kind of mate to whom he wished to go at the end of every day.

 

2. We choose what kind of home relationship we will have. A person can create his own place by how he con-ducts himself in his home. If he chooses to be selfish toward his wife, neglect her needs, and be abusive in his speech, he should not be surprised to receive in return anger, resentment, and ill will. Each of us goes to his own place  a home he has made for himself by his manner of life.

 

3. We choose what kind of relationship we have with our children. Our children can be the source of much sorrow and grief (Prov. 10:1). Sometimes parents create for themselves this sorrow and grief by how they treat their children. When they do not provide the proper kind of discipline (Prov. 22:15), provoke their children to anger (Eph. 6:4), ignore and neglect their children, and spoil them by giving them everything they ever want, parents create monsters out of their children  monsters with whom they have to live!

 

 

4. Children choose their own place with reference to their parents. Teenagers may be slow to realize that they create their own place by how they act toward their parents. If children sass their parents or otherwise show disrespect, bring home poor grades from school, and are negligent about the chores assigned to them, they should not be surprised when their parents are angry. They have created their own place by their conduct.

 

We Choose Our Own Place in the Church

When we get up to go to church on Sunday morning, we go to our own place. The church with which we worship is what we make of it. We can make the church with which we worship a bad experience if we choose to bite and devour one another (Gal. 5:15). We can go to a church which is dead or dying if we bring half-hearted worship, never mention Christ to our neighbors and friends, and sit back and do nothing to convert our young people and keep them active. If you never open the doors of your home to show hospitality toward other Christians and your neighbors and friends, you will go to your own place when you go to a dead or dying church!

On the other hand, you can go to a church which is alive and zealous, characterized by members who weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. Your worship can be directed by a song leader who has prepared himself to lead singing, a preacher who proclaims God’s word from sincerity and dedication, prayers which pour out our hearts’ desires, and a warm remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary. What it is depends upon each of us, but it is true that each of us will go to his own place when he leaves for worship this Sunday morning.

We Choose Our Own Place in Eternity

As was especially true for Judas, so also it is true for each of us. Each of us chooses for himself his eternal destiny. I can lay up treasure for myself in heaven (Matt. 6:2W; by patient continuance in well-doing I will reap eternal life (Rom. 2:7). Or like Judas, I can so live that it would be better that I not be born, become a son of perdition, and receive the wrath and indignation of God (Rom. 2:9). But if this is what I receive, it will be my own place. I will have prepared it for myself; this will be the just wages of my unrighteousness.

What kind of place are you making for yourself on earth? Do you go home to a place that is more like a heaven on earth or like a hell hole? Remember, it is generally true that you make it for yourself. What kind of place will you have for yourself in eternity? Heaven or hell? Remember that when you die, like Judas, you too will go to your own place, one which you have prepared for yourself. Which will it be?

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 11, p. 2
June 3, 1993

By Irvin Himmel

The text for this homily is John 8:31,32: “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, if ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

A disciple is a learner. The Jews who were taught by John the Baptist were called John’s disciples (Jn. 3:25). The people who believed in Jesus and followed him were called disciples of Jesus (Jn. 18:1; 19:38). The Jews who were clinging to the law of Moses but refused to believe in Jesus considered themselves to be Moses’ disciples On. 9:28).

There is a pronounced difference between a disciple and a disciple indeed. The people who learned enough to believe in Jesus were considered his disciples, but the Lord said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples in-deed” The word “indeed” means “truly,’ “in reality,” or “most certainly.” One may be called a disciple without being that in reality.

1. To be a disciple indeed one must continue in the word of Christ. Some take the word of Christ lightly. They are not willing to be bound by the Lord’s teaching. They are determined to believe what seems good in their own eyes. They rely more on human wisdom than on the divine word. They follow Christ’s word only when it happens to coincide with their own preconceptions, notions, and thoughts. Paul taught that every thought is to be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). He urged, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom” (Col. 3:16). Whether we respect and continue in the word of Christ or not, it will judge us in the last day (Jn. 12:48).

2. To be a disciple indeed one must love the Lord more than all else. Jesus said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever cloth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Lk. 14:26,27). Immediately after these statements, our Master illustrated how we must be willing to count the cost. Many people are unwilling to pay the price required in true discipleship. They want to be disciples on their own terms, not the Lord’s terms. They are unwilling to take a stand for Christ and the truth if it means being criticized and ridiculed by friends, business associates, or relatives. No one is a true disciple unless he stands ready to part with anything or anyone that may come between him and the Savior. “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Lk. 14:33).
3. To be a disciple indeed one must bear fruit. Jesus spoke of himself as the true vine, the Father as the husbandman (vinedresser), and the disciples as branches growing in the vine. “1 am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” He also said, “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (Jn. 15:1-8). To abide in Christ requires that his words abide in us. If we ignore his words and practice what he has not authorized in religion, we make ourselves unfruitful. We must keep his commandments to abide in his love On. 15:10).
4. To be a disciple indeed one must love others who are true disciples. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” On. 13:34,35). John wrote, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also” (I Jn. 4:20,21) Love prompts true disciples to help each other. We do not help each other by condoning error, by sanctioning sin, and by defending unscriptural concepts. Paul strongly rebuked the brethren in Corinth for their sins because he loved them.
5. To be a disciple indeed one must persevere. The word of truth is misunderstood sometimes. People think we are being too hard when we preach the word just as it is writ-ten. In John 6:60, some thought what Jesus said was too hard to accept. “Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can bear it?” In verse 66 we read, “From that time many of this disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” They were finished with Jesus! This happens often today. Some cannot endure sound doctrine (2 Tim. 4:3). They are unwilling to do as did the disciples in Jerusalem who “continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). In some cases they feel so uncomfortable among true disciples that they take their leave and never return. Concerning such, John said, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” (1 Jn. 2:19).

It is not enough for us to be called disciples of Jesus Christ. Let us demonstrate before others that we are his disciples indeed.

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 10, p. 23
May 20, 1993

By Canadian Prince

With deep sadness I received the news that Art Corbett of Jordan, Ontario, Canada departed this life on April 27, 1993 after an extended illness. The Corbetts, Art and Lillian, have been a bulwark of strength in the Lord’s work in Ontario, Canada for over 50 years. They were baptized by Roy E. Cogdill after the first gospel sermon they heard (though there had been some private studies before that). They grew rapidly in Christ and became active not only in the work at Jordan, but throughout the province of Ontario. They have given liberally of their time, talent and resources to promote the cause of Christ.

I first met them in my first meeting in Ontario which was at Owen Sound in 1961. Since then it has been my privilege to preach in 25 gospel meetings in Ontario, most of which were attended by the Corbetts and some of which were largely financed by them. Their home was always a haven of hospitality for gospel preachers. After a series of strokes weakened him, he had to be hospitalized. Lillian lovingly and faithfully took care of him.

The Corbett children and grandchildren have been active in the Lord’s work also. Funeral services were con-ducted on April 30 from the Tallman Funeral Home in Vineland with the service conducted by family members. Jim Nicholson, a son-in-law, spoke at the services, as did John Hains, who is married to a granddaughter. Grand-sons were pallbearers.

With the death of Art Corbett a noble era passes in the work in Ontario. He loved the truth and those who preached it. He could ably fill the pulpit and served for many years as one of the elders at Jordan. His convictions were never for sale. His influence, together with other good men, kept the church at Jordan steady when many were being lured into institutationalism. We will miss our dear friend and brother. Our loving sympathy is extended to his wife Lillian and to all the children and grandchildren.

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 11, p. 7
June 3, 1993