Truth Magazine

By Dan King

My birthday is next week. Another year of life is now almost finished. I cannot refrain from reflecting a bit upon the passing of time, for it is at these milestones that we all tend to do so, even though the time meandered on like a lazy river the whole year and I never really seemed to notice. At the mile markers we pause, however, just long enough to reflect a while upon how quickly the days of our lives are speeding by, and if our hope is set upon eternity, to examine the life we have lived to see whether we are properly preparing ourselves for the “long home” of the soul.

No matter whether I like the results of my life as lived out in this last year or not, that chapter is now closed. Whatever triumphs or defeats, smiles or tears, they are now a part of past history. It is the same for us all. Someday, if God is willing, we shall be able to say the same for this new year that we are now (by the time you read this) experiencing. So are the days and years of our lives. We are either going somewhere and getting somewhere, or else we are headed nowhere and accomplishing nothing.

With that thought in mind, let me share with you a little story I heard a few years ago. It seems there was an old wise man who lived high on a mountain in a remote area. He had great wisdom and deep insight into life’s mysteries. It was said that he knew the answer to any question or problem. Two boys decided to trick the old man by giving him an impossible task. They caught a bird, brought it to the old man and asked, “What is in my hand, old man?” The sage answered, “You hold a bird in your hands.” “Is the bird alive or dead?” If the old man answered “Alive,” the boy would squeeze the bird to death; if the old man answered “Dead,” he would turn the bird loose and it would fly away. To the chagrin of the mischievous boys, he replied: “It is as you will.”

In a sense, the wise man’s reply is an appropriate commentary on the new year that stretches before me, and ultimately, every one of us. “It is as you will.” Of course, our hopes and dreams, our plans and schemes, are all ultimately subject to the Sovereign Will of Heaven, but God grants to us great latitude as free moral agents. Our time is our own in the sense that we may utilize it wisely and profitably or we may squander it recklessly.

In one of his plays, William Shakespeare has his character to lament: “I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.” Time is among those precious talents placed in our hands for profitable use. When the Judge comes back to make his accounting, will we have made the best use of what we have been given? Truly, “It is as you will.”

As the people of God, serving him in his eternal kingdom, “Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal. 6:9).

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 9, p. 267
May 7, 1992

By Steve Wallace

History tells us that Don Carlos Janes was one of the most zealous advocates for foreign missionary work of his day. We are told that he traveled 9,000 miles to visit various mission fields in the year 1919 alone and that he conducted a world tour in 1920. Earl West writes of him, “For thirty years mission work was his sole obsession.”(1) We commend and admire this brother’s missionary zeal. However, our feelings toward him are tempered by other facts about him. Brother Janes believed in the teachings of premillennialism. As Earl West further writes of the results of brother Janes’ work, “Clearly, then, premillennialism reached out to touch the vast mission fields over the world.”(2) This brief synopsis teaches us an ever present danger with reference to the current wave of missionary enthusiasm affecting many Christians today. With these things in mind, let us note some dangers of such compromise and some things supporting churches might do to guard against it.

The Fruit of Compromise in the Mission Field

1. The work the compromiser establishes will be adversely affected. If one is off on divorce and remarriage, soft on liberalism, a neo-Calvinist, a Charles Holt disciple, etc., it will have an effect on those whom he teaches. Because of the influence such a one wields, it is unlikely in the extreme that the church which results from his efforts will stand for anything other than what he teaches on a given subject. One needs only to consider the above mentioned and other false doctrines to figure what the consequences of such a person’s work would be. Some tell us of brethren who “believe a certain doctrine but do not teach it.” Think brethren! We need to realize that no honest person holds views that he does not teach. If someone wants to know how a brother feels about a certain situation involving divorce and remarriage, the forgiveness of sins committed in ignorance, the work of the church, etc., that brother will either tell (teach) them his convictions or cease to be an honest man.

2. The effects on brethren in supporting churches. Churches supporting such a man become unwilling accomplices to him in his work of perverting the truth. It hurts such churches when they learn the truth about what the unworthy worker believes and teaches. Some will no doubt sour on the idea of supporting preachers in foreign fields. (With the money some churches are presently sitting on “for safe keeping” we do not need anymore churches that are unwilling to support preachers in other places!) Others may be tempted to unscripturally meddle in the work of the next preacher whom they support. While such reactions are not justifiable, they can be the results of the work of such a compromiser.

Because of the things mentioned above, churches must not be haphazard in deciding whom to support. How should they decide on a man to support? Let us study some things that will help in making such decisions.

Some Ways to Guard Against Such Compromise

1. Missionary zeal is not the only measure by which a prospective worker should be judged. Jesus condemned the scribes and Pharisees, saying of them, “ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves” (Matt. 23:15). The Judaizers who infiltrated the churches of Galatia were likewise zealous (Gal. 4:17). When a perpetrator of error is zealous, the effects of his work are much worse than an otherwise sound brother who has become apathetic. When a man has a zeal for the Lord’s work in another land, we should try to ascertain that it is the Lord’s work that he will be doing.

2. Some standards (which may help in selecting a) worthy man.

a. He should love the souls of men. Jesus’ example on this point is so helpful. He was willing to go through so much just because he loved the souls of men (1 Jn. 3:16). Such love can be seen by the efforts that one has put forth to reach the lost and restore the erring. It will stand him in good stead when confronted with the challenges of work in a foreign place (Jn. 4:9-10).

b. He should be one who shows himself approved of God. Paul tells us how this is done: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). If a man has put forth the effort to know the truth there will be brethren to whom he has “shown himself approved of God” who can testify to this fact.

c. He should be one who speaks his convictions in the face of adversity. Paul did this among brethren at Antioch in the face of mass hypocrisy (Gal. 2:14). This is a necessary trait of anyone who plans to do mission work. Paul shows us the truthfulness of the above point by his actions while he was all alone at Athens (Acts 17:16-17). When a man gets out on his own, far from home, in a strange environment, he will have to be able to speak his convictions to those around him.

d. He should be one who can stay in a foreign field. By “staying in a foreign field,” we do not mean that he never leaves the place again. We simply mean that he be able to stay for the time necessary to do the work there. John Mark became a point of contention between Paul and Barnabas because he “departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work” (Acts 15:39; cp. 13:13). Going is a whole lot easier than staying. One must count the cost of a given work, gird up the loins of his mind, and make sure he is prepared to give what time it takes. Wives of evangelists would do well to prepare themselves to make do in a foreign place. Among the U.S. military families the wives most often have problems with life in a foreign country. We must consider the time necessary to do successful mission work. Brethren who have spent years in mission fields testify that it sometimes takes years to establish a work in a given place. Out of consideration for all who would try or have tried to work in a foreign field it must be said that experience shows that it is easier for some in a strange environment than it is for others.

Conclusion

With the great open door to preach Christ finally open in eastern Europe and the former USSR, men need to be found who will go and spend the time necessary for churches to be planted and grounded. However, as we have tried to show herein, it is not just important that brethren go to foreign lands, but that men go who will teach “them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20).

Endnotes

1. The Search for the Ancient Order, Vol. IV:203.

2. Ibid. 204.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 9, pp. 276-277
May 7, 1992

By Luther A. Bolenbarker

Whenever I hear the word “commitment” or “total commitment” I am reminded of the old story about the pig and the chicken who were going down an old dirt road together when they saw a sign announcing a charitable banquet. Both of them wanted to help, but they couldn’t think of a way. Suddenly, the chicken said, “I know! We’ll sell tickets to an old fashioned country breakfast. I’ll donate the eggs and you can donate the ham.”

“Whoa!” said the pig. “For you that is just a contribution, but for me that is total commitment.”

Too many of us are like the chicken. We want to get involved, but we don’t want to make a real commitment and get too involved. We are willing to give a little time (with some it’s less than others) each week to the services and even give a little (again with some it is very little) of our money to keep the bills of the church paid, but too few of us are totally committed to Christ and his church.

All or none? God’s service requirement is all or none! We must be convicted to the point that we are giving our whole self. We must love him with “all our heart, soul, strength, and mind” (Lk. 10:27). When we are truly committed to him, we have a single purpose to do what is right. Jesus stated, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). “So likewise whosoever he be of you that forsakes not all that he has, he cannot be my disciple” (Lk. 14:33). “He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37-38). Commitment to Christ may cost us everything. We must determine to be true to our Lord regardless of the cost. Jesus was so determined. When his time was near to die, “he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem ” (Lk. 9:51). He knew the horrors that lay ahead for him, the railings, slappings, scourging and the inhumane tortue of a cruel cross. His path was lonely, but he never looked back nor slowed down.

Total commitment? In studying the lives of great achievers, we can find the common key to their success is “total commitment” to the task at hand. In the area of athletics, music, education, etc., in order to be the best it takes “practice, practice, practice” or to be totally committed to the given task.

Some personal observations. I have never known of a farmer who went hungry because he attended worship services on Sunday rather than plowing his fields. I have never known of a student who failed in school because he attended Bible classes on Wednesday night instead of studying for an exam. I have never known of an illness getting worse because someone attended services. I have never known of fatal accidents caused because people attended worship services. Have you?

Living sacrifices, The Christian is to give his body “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God” (Rom. 12:1). We are not called upon to give our bodies to be burned upon an altar, but we have been asked to give them as living sacrifices. We must turn over all our lives and energy to do God’s will in all areas of our lives.

These days if people hear about someone who is truly committed to Christ, someone is ready to call him a religious fanatic, a nut, or he is a member of some cult. What do you suppose the Jerusalem Christians were called? “They sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need” (Acts 2:44-45). Or, how about the Macedonians who gave “beyond their ability” to help meet the needs of others? Fanatics? Nuts? Cult members? I am inclined to think they just wanted to be simple, humble Christians, who had totally committed themselves to the Lord and his church. What do you think?

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 9, p. 274
May 7, 1992

By Irvin Himmel

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver (Prov. 25:11).

Words are vehicles which carry thoughts. The appropriate word must be chosen if the thought is to be conveyed with accuracy, and the manner in which the word is spoken helps the vehicle to transport its cargo without loss.

Fitly Spoken

Please take a moment to consider the following points relative to “fitly spoken” words.

1. Timely advice. Suggestions and recommendations are sometimes excellent, but if the timing is off the counsel misses its mark. There is an art to one’s saying the right thing at the right time. A word of advice that is timely is suitably spoken.

2. Carefully thought out. In the use of words, quality is more important than quantity. The words which fall from the lips of the superficial talker are seldom fitly spoken. He thinks too little who talks too much. The person who desires to make his remarks suitable and worthy of hearing must learn to think with care before speaking.

3. Appreciated. A word fitly spoken is esteemed or valued by the hearer. To be appreciated, a word must be comprehended. Some preachers miss the mark by using the words which their hearers do not understand. Big words baffle; simple language sheds light.

4. Adapted to the occasion. There are times when the most fitting word is in the form of praise or encouragement. Like high-octane gasoline, encouragement helps to eliminate knocking. The appropriate word on another occasion may be an expression of sympathy. The individual who is despondent or discouraged may be assisted by a remark that shows understanding and compassion. Or, on a different occasion the proper word may be in the form of rebuke. Happy is the person who gauges his statements so that they will befit the circumstances.

5. Tactfully stated. The real art of conversation is not only saying the right thing in the right place, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. Some people use precious little discretion in their remarks. How a thing is said may determine its results to as great an extent as what is said. Paul wrote about “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15), and that bears on the manner of speaking as well as what is spoken. If you wish your words to be “fitly spoken,” learn to be tactful in conversation.

Apples of Gold

The word “fitly spoken” is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. ” “Apples of gold” probably means gold-colored fruit, like an orange or apricot” (Kufeldt). It is by no means certain that the fruit which we call 66apples” grew in Palestine in Bible times. Some think the “apples” of Scriptures were the citron, or quince, or perhaps the apricot. Delitzsch interprets “gold apples” as the poetic name for oranges. Whatever the specific fruit might be, the comparison is easy enough to understand and the point of the proverb is clear.

Pictures of Silver

“Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances” (NASB).

What are “pictures of silver”? “Carved work adorning the ceilings of rooms is perhaps alluded to” (Pulpit Commentary). Others think the picturesque, ornamented silver basket, laden with golden yellow fruit, is referred to. The latter seems to fully explain the thought of the proverb.

The “contrast of the golden fruit in the exquisitely wrought silver basket, which may be all termed picture work, has a fine and pleasing effect upon the eye, as the contained fruit has upon the palate at an entertainment in a sultry climate. So the word spoken judiciously and opportunely is as much in its place, as the golden apples in the silver baskets” (A. Clarke).

Two points stand out in the comparison. A word fitly spoken is like golden fruit served in settings of silver because such is (1) beautiful, and (2) refreshing.

Appropriate, welcome words are as beautiful as golden fruit against a background of silver. Such words, “like a well executed picture,” are as lovely as an “elegant frame” made for the picture (Delitzsch).

And how refreshing is the appearance of golden fruit in a silver basket! Many times a bowl of fresh fruit is placed on a table to add a wholesome atmosphere to the dining area. Wholesome, appropriate words are likewise refreshing. Often the words that we hear are ill-suited, poorly chosen, and ugly sounding, A word that befits the circumstances and conveys an appropriate thought is invigorating. We welcome those words which are spoken in season.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 9, p. 275
May 7, 1992