Truth Magazine

By Dick Blackford

The Sycamore church in Cookeville, Tennessee decided to “meet the challenge” of raising $17 million to mail out a brochure to every home in the U.S., purchase ads in leading publications and conduct a TV program. When it became obvious they were not going to get $17 million they went back to the drawing board and decided they could do essentially the same thing for only $10 million. They were about to waste $7 million of the “brotherhood’s” money before they realized this. The thing that kept them from it is that the “brotherhood” didn’t send it. Would you consider it a good risk as an investor in a $17 million project with me if I cut the cost nearly in half when I realized I couldn’t get the full amount?

The Sycamore church is donating about 2 percent of the total. So did they meet the challenge or did they meet only 2 percent of the challenge?

From the Mail-Outs

Numerous high quality, three color mail-outs have repeatedly been sent to thousands of churches begging funds. Add to that video tapes, postage, salary and travel expense for the promoters. It would be safe to say that approximately $1 million was spent on begging. Note what these mail-outs have had to say.

1. The Plan – “Brethren offer $17 million to evangelize the nation. Elders of the Sycamore church of Christ accept oversight of the project.” That’s not quite the way it happened. It didn’t happen in that order (brethren offer, Sycamore accepts). The brethren didn’t offer $17 million. They didn’t even offer $10 million so Sycamore had to mortgage their building and continue to beg (see The Update, July 1991).

If Sycamore “accepted” the oversight, who told them they could have it? Where did those who gave it to them get that right? Who were these people? Who had the authority to make plans for “the brotherhood”? In August, 1989 (before oversight was assumed by Sycamore) there were “brainstorming meetings with brethren experienced in evangelistic outreach, seeking advice and counsel. ” The only officer in the universal church is Jesus. He did not ordain “brotherhood” elders (1 Pet. 5:2). Such authority was usurped. They didn’t “accept” oversight, they seized it! They assumed more than God assigned. And there was no authority for these “brainstorming meetings” (which originated outside any local eldership) to decide anything for the “brotherhood” (actually, a “churchhood”).

2. A message from the elders – “Never before (that we know of) has there been a realistic plan for national and world evangelism. ” They should read more of the Scriptures than the manual on denominational schemes. Paul said the gospel had been “preached to every creature under heaven” during his lifetime (Col. 1:23). Is that not realistic enough? How did they do it? Jesus gave the Great Commission to the apostles who told them to teach others “to teach others” (Matt. 28:19,20). Paul taught the same (2 Tim. 2:2). He taught that the local church is “the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). Local churches “sounded forth the word of the Lord” (1 Thess. 1:7,8). This was how they did it. No mention is made of a sponsoring church or brotherhood eldership. Even if they had never heard of a “realistic plan” it would not justify an unscriptural project.

3. What Christians deserve. Christians deserve the opportunity to participate in something bigger than a budget, larger than the local work. ” What did they do to deserve something the Lord didn’t authorize? The Lord didn’t give us anything larger than a local work so he must not have thought we deserved it. Surely his wisdom and knowledge are not so limited as not to see that we needed something larger than a local work. Why didn’t he set up some centralized mechanism for doing it? He didn’t, so some of our brethren did it for him. Some elders have stepped beyond the role of local elders. They think such limitations are old fogey and they have “improved” upon the Lord’s way. But, “My ways are not your ways, saith Jehovah” (Isa. 55:8). Yet all oversight, flock feeding, worship, discipline, and evangelism was done by each local church (1 Pet. 5:2; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:17-34; 16:1,2; 14:16; etc.).

4. The Great Privilege. “It allows the individual to feel that he is an integral part of the congregation. ” You mean he wasn’t allowed this before the campaign? That is what is implied. When each member functions in the body as he should (whether he is an “eye,” an ‘gear,” a “foot,” or a “hand,” 1 Cor. 12:15-25), he is an integral part. He was allowed to do this before the “One Nation Under God” Campaign was ever heard of. It was not a privilege that was not allowed when he was functioning in the local church before this churchhood project came along (something larger than a local work).

5. Grand Claims. “Here at the end, is your opportunity to be part of the greatest, most successful evangelistic effort in our brotherhood’s history. ” This was said even before all the brochures were mailed out and the results were known. Is it greater than what happened in Jerusalem beginning on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:5,9,41; 4:4)? Is it more successful than when Paul stated the gospel was preached to every creature under heaven (Col. 1:23)? Our “brotherhood’s history” goes back to when it began. Promoters are careless to make grand claims (before the facts are known) when they want your money.

6. Something larger and something smaller than a local work. When elders assume oversight of a multi-church project they take on a dual role. They may still be over their local congregation, but they are something more than local elders when they put themselves in charge of a churchhood (misnamed “brotherhood”) project. They are making decisions over something other than and more than their local work (1 Pet. 5:2).

Also, Bible classes are taking collections and forming their own treasuries and taking action under the oversight of someone in the class. They organize and someone acts as treasurer. “___________ and her 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade class have set a goal of $50 to contribute to the ‘One Nation Under God’ Campaign. ” (Other similar quotes appear in the mail-outs). Regardless of good intentions, there is no authority for a functioning organization larger or smaller than a local church. Both have been involved in the “O.N.U.G.” Campaign.

7. Aimed at the “unchurched.” The brochure briefly mentions personal problems such as drugs, materialism, divorce, pornography, but says nothing about the sin of denominationalism, a sin which is causing billions of people to be lost eternally. Concerning their TV talk-show we are told that it is “aimed at 45 percent of the United States population which believes in God, but is not part of any organized denominational group.” Whereas, the gospel is for all (Mk. 16:15).

8. Brotherhood Thinking. “As a brotherhood, we will give an answer as to why we have neglected the Lord’s command to take the gospel to every creature. . . ” Where does the Bible teach we will be judged “as a brotherhood”? No where! If so, a few bad apples in the brotherhood could cause the whole brotherhood to be lost. Our individual salvation would be dependent on what others had left undone. The judgment will be on a personal basis, whether your own name is written in the book of life (Heb. 9:27; 2 Cor. 5:10; Matt. 25; Rev. 20:13-15).

“Anxiously we await newsfirom the brotherhood that the funds areforthcoming. ” There are numerous references to the “brotherhood.” It seems some “local” elders can think on no other plain. They think “churchhood” when they say brotherhood. A brotherhood is made of brothers, not churches. And then they refer to churches as “sister” congregations! Boy, try making sense out of that! They have drunk too much from the polluted waters of denominationalism and are engaged in the language of Ashdod.

A churchhood is a “hood” of churches. Christ did not authorize a churchhood. Churches are not tied together but are local, independent and autonomous. The only oversight is local. A brotherhood is a “hood” of brothers. Christ is the only officer in the brotherhood and he gave it no function as a brotherhood. It is only mentioned one time in the New Testament and the extent of brotherhood responsbility is specified. “Love the brotherhood” (1 Pet. 2:17). That’s it! The way some sponsoring elders speak and think for the brotherhood you would think it was mentioned on every page of the Bible and in the margin.

9. “Why your congregation deserves a special collection opportunity” for the campaign. “They get to participate in something Biblical, like the ancient Christians. ” As if they were not able to do so long before any “Sponsoring Church” project was ever heard from or thought of! It is hard to believe some know so little about the Bible that they fell for this.

By “special collection” perhaps they had reference to the time when congregations sent relief to Jerusalem (1 Cor. 16:1,2). But consider: (a) Jerusalem was a destitute church. Sycamore is not. They contributed over $200,000 to the campaign. (b) The Jerusalem church did not launch a 10 year program of being destitute. Sycamore launched a 10 year program of begging the “brotherhood” for their churchhood projects. (c) Jerusalem did not launch a massive campaign to solicit funds. Sycamore spent huge sums to beg more money. (d) Jerusalem’s want was in benevolence. Sycamore’s was not. Sycamore wants, but they are not “in want.” (e) Jerusalem’s want was peculiarly theirs. Sycamore’s “want” is no more theirs than it is any other congregation’s. God has not assigned world obligations to one congregation alone. We all have identical and equal duty according to our ability. (f) Jerusalem’s case is in the Bible. Sycamore’s is not. So where is the parallel?

Conclusion

The Sycamore elders have allowed themselves to be influenced by “brotherhood” planners – the “brainstormers.” They seized the oversight of a churchhood project. In doing so, they took more authority than God gave them and involved the congregation in error. The contributing churches have become partakers of their sin. We must strive lawfully and follow the pattern. The Great Commission does not give us a blank check to do anything we want. We cannot “do evil (that which is not authorized, db) that good may come” (Rom. 3:8). We plead with the Sycamore elders to give up their project for the sake of the Scriptures and unity or else have the courage to defend it in public debate.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 4, pp. 112-113
February 20, 1992

By Roy Deaver

These words are sad words – some of the saddest ever uttered in all restoration history. The dictionary says that “sad” means “to be associated with sorrow. . – ” Some words are sad because of their inherent connotations. Some words are sad because of the circumstances out of which they came. Some words are sad because of the consequences which they brought.

On Monday, September 1, 1873, in the pioneer village of Thorp Spring, in Texas, Thorp Spring College came into being. This year – 1973 – is the centennial year. In celebration, the ex-students of Thorp Spring Christian College held a reunion i4on campus” July 21 and 22. At the time, I was in a gospel meeting at nearby Morgan Mill, and was privileged to attend the reunion. Brother Don Morris spoke on Saturday afternoon, and brother Foy E. Wallace, Jr. was the speaker on Saturday night. Because of my own preaching engagement I did not get to hear brother Wallace, but I did get to hear brother Morris. Brother Morris spoke on “Add-Ran and its Heirs.” His lecture was tremendous. It will become an exceedingly valuable document in Restoration literature.

Brother Morris spoke at length about unscriptural organizations in Texas, and the consequent divisions among brethren. He spoke of the steps which led to the formation of the “Texas Christian Missionary Society” in Austin, Texas 1866.

Brother Morris then discussed the introduction of mechanical instruments into Christian worship. He mentioned that the instrument was introduced “. . . first in congregations in Dallas, San Marcos, Waco, and Palestine.” He continued as follows: “But the place at which the introduction of the organ received most attention was, without doubt, Thorp Spring, in Add-Ran College. The occasion was a gospel meeting in February, 1894. The speaker was B.B. Sanders, and the song director, E.M. Douthitt. These two often worked as a team and were known to use the instrument in worship. Before the meeting began, there was much discussion – on and off the campus of Add-Ran – about whether the organ would be used. As the meeting began, a crisis at Add-Ran was developing. It proved to affect the church throughout the state.

On February 20, 1894, the climax was reached. Before the service began, Joseph Addison Clark – the father and pioneer – and his wife took seats at the front of the auditorium. Their son, Addison Clark, the president arose to begin the service. Joseph Addision Clark arose, walked toward the pulpit, took a paper from his pocket, and presented it to his son. It was a petition. The petition was signed by the elder Clark and more than a hundred others who asked that the organ not be used, on the ground that it was not authorized in the New Testament. Addison read the petition, conferred briefly with his brother Randolph, and then announced that he had promised the students the organ could be used in the meeting and that he could not go back on his word. He turned to the organist and said, “Play on, Miss Bertha.”

At this point, brother Don Morris was not able to continue for several moments. He wept audibly, and most of the audience wept with him. Brother Morris continued: “As the organ and singing started, Joseph Addison arose with his wife and led the opposition out of the auditorium. He was a graybearded man, seventy-eight years old, and with a cane. About 140 people, according to Randolph’s son, Joseph Lynn, followed the elderly Clark out of the building. Many in the remaining congregation wept. My father, who was a student that year, was present, and he told me many times about Uncle Joe Clark – how he appealed to the audience not to use the organ and how he led the group out of the auditorium.”

Brother Morris closed his great speech as follows: “. . . we of churches of Christ today are the real heirs of the first years of Add-Ran and of the gospel taught in the first Texas churches. This is true because today we continue in the slogan first used by Texas pioneers and the Campbells before them: ‘We speak where the Bible speaks and are silent where the Bible is silent.’ This principle has been followed by the Thorp Spring Church from the beginning in 1873 until now. And we believe that this is the true pattern for church organization, for purity in worship, and for all things religious. To use this pattern is more important than excelling in numbers or affluence. We look to the New Testament as the guide in restoring the Lord’s church, and we pray that he may bless us as we attempt to follow it.”

And right now, more so than every before in my lifetime – there are in the church those who saying, “Miss Bertha, play on!” May God help us to have the faith, the conviction, the courage of Joseph Addison Clark (reprinted from The Spiritual Sword [October 1978] 18-20).

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 5, pp. 129,151
March 5, 1992

By Kristiana Burke

This is the title of a familiar hymn and the question asked is one that requires thought. How shall the young secure their hearts and guard their lives from sin? This question is answered simply: “Thy word is everlasting truth, how pure is every page! That holy book shall guide our youth and well support our age.” How true! The answer for Christians today is the only answer, the Bible.

We as Christians must be grounded firmly in our beliefs. We must always search the Bible to make sure we are doing what is “right and acceptable in the sight of the Lord.” Paul states this fact clearly in Ephesian 4:14 where he says, “That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine.” Perhaps this is one of the many reasons why new Christians, and often young people fall away from the faith – they aren’t grounded firm in the word of God. They don’t really have “an anchor of the soul” which is both “steadfast and sure” (Heb. 6:19). They drift unevenly upon the billows of sin. By reading and teaching the Bible, one may know how to keep his conscience clean. They will know how to stand up and defend the faith.

Another way to guard ourselves is to have a pure soul. We must have a soul that is filled with spiritual things and is undefiled with the cares of this world. One way to fulfill this is to stay away from evil companions. I’m sure you have heard, “Evil companions corrupt good morals” (1 Cor. 15:33). Peer pressure can ruin a person, but when one has good companions, peer pressure can be good. Our soul and mind are to be clean and not defiled by things that are not acceptable in God’s eyes. Christians must stay away from filthy movies, bad language, and suggestive music along with many other things. Not just people are “evil company” television is bad company at times, magazines can be, as well as music and books. Philippians 4:8 instructs us to meditate on things that are “true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, and full of virtue or praise.” Also, 1 Timothy 6:11 instructs us to “flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.” How can Christians and young people secure their hearts and guard themselves from sin when they are continually around evil company? It’s impossible!

Once again, the Bible must be stressed. God has left his will for us to follow. Children need to be taught continually, day in and day out, at home. Some favorite verses of mine in Deuteronomy 6:5-9 illustrate this point. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all might. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart, you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your home and on your gates.” Whew, what a responsibility! Many times we fail in this responsibility. Children depend on their parents. Proverbs 22:6 tells us, “Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” How can this responsibility be fulfilled when parents spend no time with their children? How can it be fulfilled when mothers work full-time jobs, when their place is in the home? How can our young people grow strong without proper teaching? They can’t! How can we have time to study about God when everyone is glued to the TV set 3-9 hours a day? It’s impossible! God’s word is important. New Christians, children, and young people must be taught the Word. They must have a steadfast anchor. God’s word should be to us as “The sun, a heavenly light, that guides us all the day and through the dangers of the night, a lamp to lead our way.”

How shall the young secure their hearts? They can secure their hearts by being grounded firmly in the faith, by having a pure soul, and good company. While our hearts are secure, we will have the knowledge of our reward before us. We must be as soldiers and must “Take up the whole armor of God . . . having girded our waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness . . . having shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace . . . taking our shield of faith with us to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one, to have our helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Eph. 6:13-17). After fighting to the end, we’ll be accepted at the right hand of God as one of his sheep. Let us secure our hearts.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 4, p. 107
February 20, 1992

By Weldon E. Warnock

Webster defines selfish as “concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself; seeking or concentrating on one’s own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others.” This kind of disposition is a sin, although a very respectable one in the eyes of men.

One of the characteristics of love is that it “seeketh not her own” (1 Cor. 13:5). It is concerned about the welfare of others. “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” (1 Jn. 3:17) Selfish people are lacking in love.

Selfishness in the Church

Many churches make very little effort, if any at all, to help preach the gospel outside of their own meetinghouse. They don’t mind spending any amount of money on their gospel meetings, their buildings, their programs, etc., but they are most reluctant to send any money to an evangelist in a difficult field of labor. Why is this? They are selfish.

What a contrast in the attitude of congregations in the New Testament. Philippi sent unto Paul at Thessalonica once and again for his necessity (Phil. 4:16). From the Thessalonians was “sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith in God-ward is spread abroad” (1 Thess. 1:8). The church at Antioch had the missionary spirit to take the gospel into all the world (Acts 13:3). Churches supported Paul while he was at Corinth (2 Cor. 11:8). Those brethren could not wait to share with others the heavenly blessings in Christ.

Some congregations today have thousands and thousands of dollars in the bank, but they absolutely refuse to spend any of it anywhere else. Their local work doesn’t demand the use of all their weekly collections, so they hoard it. Shame!

James P. Needham wrote, “Many preachers have been discouraged and disillusioned by the sickening selfishness characteristic of many churches. They are selfish with the Lord’s money. They do not make it possible for the preacher to use his time and talents to the greatest advantage for the Cause; they hinder his doing so by tying him down with local trivialities and handcuffing him to the local pulpit. There may be dozens of places that need his talents worse than they do, but have not the funds to support him. Such matters not to some churches. They must not let the church treasury sink lower than five or six thousand dollars. And they have the attitude that ‘we pay the local preacher to work for us.’

“Then, there are brethren who are preaching in hard fields on insufficient support. They beg for help, but their pleas fall on deaf ears! The brethren must guard the local church treasury with their lives, and never let it fall below a healthy balance; after all, an emergency might arise. (Yes, the Lord may come!)” (Preachers and Preaching 167).

Selfishness in the Home

The home is also affected with selfishness. A husband will buy whatever he needs for himself, such as tools and sports equipment, but will let his wife go wanting. A wife may neglect her home responsibilities for social activities or refuse to have children as they would interfere with her freedom to go when she pleases.

Some fathers drink and gamble for their own satisfaction, and their children haven’t enough to eat or wear. Some children are selfish with their parents. They make demands of them to satisfy their desires and ambitions without any consideration of the hardships such may cause their parents.

The prodigal son was a selfish young man. He insisted that his father divide the property between himself and his brother, although he was not entitled to it until the death of his father. It might cripple his father’s financial transactions and cause his brother to receive less an inheritance, but that was no concern of his. It would be hard to find a more selfish character. Let us have love and concern for one another in our family.

Selfishness in the Community

When people live just for themselves and to themselves, they are selfish. Nabal, an Old Testament character, was like this (1 Sam. 25). He was a wealthy man with 3000 sheep and a thousand goats, but yet refused the request of David and his men for necessary provisions when they were fleeing from Saul. Nabal became incensed and with scathing insults, said to the men, “Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? Shall I take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?” (vv. 10-11) (Emphasis mine.) Though David and his men served as a wall of protection, both by night and day unto Nabal and his household (v. 16), Nabal, a churlish and evil man, cared only for himself.

Christians must be concerned about their neighbor’s good and the welfare of the community in which they live. We must be involved. Take an interest in the needs of your community and try to do something about them. “Do good unto all men” (Gal. 6:10). Be like the good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37).

Capital and Labor could lie down together like the wolf and the lamb in Isaiah’s vision (Isa. 11:6) if it were not for selfishness. Wars could be avoided and peace and tranquility could be realized among the nations of the world if only we had regard and concern for the rights and happiness of others.

May we try to cultivate within ourselves a heart that is completely void of selfishness and pattern our lives after him who unselfishly gave his life for our sakes. “Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). “Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself” (Rom. 15:2-3).

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 4, pp. 116-117
February 20, 1992