Truth Magazine

By W.R. Jones

Meditating on the preaching of the Master is a most humbling experience. All who preach the gospel or aspire to preach should give careful consideration to his divine pattern. I hope the thoughts that follow will bring a blessing your way.

Our exalted view of Christ the Savior may tend to obscure the fact that he was a preacher while he sojourned below. In Mark 1:14 we read, “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.” Someone remarked, “God had but one Son, and he was a preacher.” Unfortunately, preaching is not held in honor by many people, and some of those are in the Lord’s church. Their mentality toward preaching says, “A man becomes a preacher if he can’t make a living any other way.” A city garbage worker once said to me, “I’m not too good to preach and I’ve sure been thinking about it.” Of course, much of this derision has been brought about by “so-called” preachers who are charlatans in their message and hypocritical in their conduct.

However, if you have a sincere desire to preach the gospel and a reasonable degree of talent, don’t allow these despicable attitudes to discourage you. As a preacher you will be in good company. Jesus our Savior was a preacher. Noah, who built the ark, was a preacher of righteousness. Fearless John, the forerunner of Christ, was a preacher. Peter, the first to confess Christ as the Son of God, was a preacher. The logical, learned and courageous Paul was a preacher. Stephen, who became a martyr for Truth, was a dedicated young preacher. To say nothing of such men as Philip, Timothy and Titus who preached the Word of God. Jesus certainly considered preaching of supreme importance. When Jesus gave the marching orders to carry salvation to the lost, he said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16:15).

True gospel preaching is the Lord’s chosen method and that of his apostles. Anyone who would dare diminish the importance of preaching should hang his head in tearful shame. Saints of God should pray, “Lord, give us faithful, dedicated, courageous men whose only aim is to preach like Jesus.”

His Preaching Was to Seek and Save the Lost

There is no way to properly understand the preaching of Jesus without a comprehension of his mission. He lived under the Old Testament Law and he came to fulfill it. This he did upon the cross by, “blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” (Col. 2:14). But, a far greater mission overshadows everything else. These words tell it all, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:10). Again, “Even as 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). His burning desire was, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (Jn. 10:10). Jesus came to send a fire on earth. “I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will 1, if it be already kindled?” (Lk. 12:49) I am impressed with these words from the Fourfold Gospel. “He came to rouse men to spiritual conflict, to kindle a fire in the public mind. The burning of this fire would excite men and stir up their passions and cause division. The opposition of the Pharisees showed that this fire was already kindled.”

Do you want to preach like Jesus? If so, you must be motivated by a burning desire to “seek and save the lost.” Preaching the gospel is not just a job to maintain, it is a mission to fulfill.

The dedicated preacher will not say, “Let me use the Lord and his church to get what I want, ” but “Let the Lord use me to accomplish his mission. ” The first is “self-centered”; the second is not. Our preaching should be motivated by a burning desire to proclaim a message directed to the hearts of men that they may have peace with God and with themselves. With Jeremiah it was a “burning fire,” and so should it be with us (Jer. 20:9)

His Preaching Was Pointed and Certain

Not Muddled and Nebulous

The preaching of Jesus was “relevant” preaching. He dealt with the great enemy of God and man, sin. When Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life,” and “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free,” it rang with certainty; certainty as to the attainability of truth, the absoluteness of truth and the power of truth (Jn. 14:6; 8:32). Human philosophy seeks to cast us into a sea of indecision, but not so with the preaching of the Master. His preaching was profound in truth, but simple in presentation that all might understand. This is well demonstrated by the many parables he used. His pointed messages could be strong and sharp, yet tender and compassionate. In Matthew 23, he boldly exposed the Pharisces and scribes in no uncertain terms. Words like, hypocrites, child of hell, blind guides, fools, serpents and vipers are not words of ambiguity. On another occasion we hear his tender appeal, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, (thou) that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under (her) wings, and ye would not!” (Matt. 23:37)

Do you want to preach like Jesus? If so, you must make the denouncing of sin your major theme. Preaching that spouts forth many words, but doesn’t nail anything down, is not like the Master’s. Our preaching must be kind and compassionate, but it must also be pointed. There is an old East Texas saying which sums it up very well. “You must put the salve where the sore is.” If the sore is on one’s neck and he puts the salve on his elbow, it will not help. I recently read this excerpt, “The tragedy in the church today is that the preacher has stopped meddling and started muddling.” This muddling comes, of course, from a failure to condemn sin and iniquity. Someone has said, “He who trims himself to suit everyone soon whittles himself away.” Jesus,did not preach like this you may be sure. Early into his preaching Jesus met strong opposition from the Jewish leaders. This opposition did not come because the Lord quietly quoted the Old Testament Scriptures, but because he denounced the “traditions of the fathers” which were a perversion of Divine teaching. When preachers “beat around the bush” they will draw very little opposition, but when preaching is pointed, sooner or later, the “sparks will fly.” This is no excuse to use unmerciful crudeness, but we must “put the salve where the sore is.” If we are to emulate Jesus in our preaching, we must show a sharp contrast between truth and error. In morals, we must show a marked contrast between holiness and worldliness. Let our messages be clear, not murky, our sound certain, not muffled. Let us be determined to read nothing into the Will of Christ and read nothing out of his will. I don’t believe anyone ever disturbed men and divided men with their preaching like Jesus did, yet his ultimate aim was to bring men into peace with God. Our preaching should be the same.

I believe gospel preachers should be supported well. Brethren who neglect this responsibility will be judged accordingly. In all the efforts of Jesus, he never put a price tag on his preaching. One preacher is reported to have said, “I never move unless I get a raise in salary.” Another reportedly said, when offered $750.00 per week, “I wouldn’t touch it for less than $850.00.” Does this sound like the preaching of Jesus to you? Preachers should be careful lest they become professional and mercenary.

Jesus never tolerated human doctrines and neither should preachers of our day. His answer to false ways was, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men and . . . Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up” (Matt. 15:9,13).

Jesus, the Lamb and the Lion

Jesus is presented in the Scriptures as the “Lamb of God.” “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29). “The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth” (Acts 8:32-33). All such passages present him in the light of a sacrifice for ours sins. When personal attacks were made upon him, he did not seek vengeance nor did he retaliate. “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Pet. 2:22-23). Jesus is also pictured as the “Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Rev. 5:4-5). I can especially see the Lion in his preaching. The Lion sprang into action when there was an attack or an abuse of God’s Word. Ample examples of this may be observed in Matthew 23.

Do you want to preach like Jesus? If so, pay little attention to what men say about you, but spring forth with a healthy recoil when they pervert the Word of God. I know some preachers who will fight you to the death if you dare challenge their ideas or criticize their conduct, but false teachers can feed the Word of God to the shredder, so to speak, and they hardly raise a finger in defense. If we are to be faithful gospel preachers, we must keep our priorities straight and our perspectives clear.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 3, pp. 75-77
February 6

By Weldon E. Warnock

Over many pulpits in Kentucky several years ago were the words, “Preach the word.” It might serve as a good reminder to put these words over our pulpits today as such preachers are fastly becoming an endangered species.

N.B. Hardeman said, “The most solemn charge ever delivered to mortal man or clothed in human words was announced by Paul to Timothy when he said: ‘I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and kingdom; preach the word.’ I have attended some courts in the country where I chance to live, and have heard the charges of the judge delivered to the jury and to the gentlemen of the audience at large. Many of them were impressive and attractive; but when I think of this one, delivered by the peerless apostle, in which he called to witness both God, the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, the Judge of the living and the dead, I can but be impressed with its weight and importance. ‘I bid you preach the word.'”(1)

Preachers among us in an effort to be “cultured,” and “modern,” and “broad,” have substituted speculation, philosophy, psychology, current events, book reviews and razzle-dazzle for the word of the living God. Daniel Webster said when a preacher took his text from the Bible and preached from the newspaper, he preferred to stay at home.

Many preach a watered-down version of truth which is not truth at all. It is less than truth. Not a few preach in generalities that could be preached in most denominational churches. To the credit of a few sectarian churches they would not tolerate such indecisive and vacillating preaching we are hearing among us on such things as social drinking, gambling, risque movies, immodest dress and divorce and remarriage for every cause.

How often have some of you preachers heard brethren say after you preached a plain, simple, firm, fundamental, biblical sermon, “We are starving for that kind of preaching”? “That’s the kind of preaching I grew up on, but we don’t hear it anymore.” “All we hear is love and grace.” “There is no distinctive ring to the preaching we hear.” “There hasn’t been a sermon preached on the conversion of the eunuch, the one church, instrumental music, denominationalism, etc., since I can remember.”

Let us preach the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Quit trying to be a Billy Graham, a Charles Swindoll or a Max Lucado. Be a gospel preacher! Reprove, rebuke and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. Do the work of an evangelist. Discharge all the duties of your ministry (2 Tim. 4:2-5). We have been called through the gospel to preach the word. What a noble calling it is. The imitable apostle Paul considered preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ a favor bestowed upon him by God (Eph. 3:8). Is it any less for us?

What Is Wrong?

A question was asked, “What is wrong with today’s preaching?” “Plenty!” was the answer given. The following indictments were given against preaching in our day:

(1) Trivial, trite. (2) Humdrum sermons, vague and rambling with no clear-cut point. (3) Pretentious delivery with no feeling or an exaggeration of it. (4) Sermon length cut more and more to make it easy on the congregation. (5) Tendency to tone down the message to please the people. (6) Timidity about stressing the harder demands of religion in action.

Following the aforementioned question and answers was another question, “What is the solution?” The following answers were given: (1) A return to the brave preaching of the early church and the apostles. (2) A renewed emphasis upon biblical and expository preaching. (3) More time spent in sermon preparation. (4) Plain speech that will nourish souls of the laymen.(2)

The above comments came from a world-wide conference on Methodism about 25 years ago as to what they thought of their preachers. Except for the word “laymen,” you might think that some writer was reporting on a recent survey of churches of Christ. Indeed, in far too many cases our preaching has become: trivial, feeble, humdrum, no feeling, short talks, toned-down, no content and timid about demands. We need to return to brave preaching of the early church and apostles, more Bible in our preaching, better preparation and plain, bold speech that lets hearers know what God says about the matter. I believe the Lord is in a better position to know our needs then Barth, Bonhoffer, Freud, Fosdick, Calvin, college Bible professors, preachers, or any other uninspired men. Why not try, for example, such men as Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, or Peter, John and Paul?

Perhaps the inspired men who wrote the Bible have become too obsolete for some of us. We can’t appear intellectual or fashionable by quoting the Bible so we resort to the wisdom of men. “I bid you preach the word.” Remember, for “after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Cor. 1:21). Brother, if the Bible is too antiquated for you, then get out of the pulpit, find a secular job and earn an honest living.

George Klingman once prayed, “God forbid that the day may ever come when our boys may feel that theology, or man’s philosophy, or anything else, will make a person stronger than the word of God.” Some of our young preachers, and a few of the older ones, seem to be constantly striving to be different, to be novel, in order to attract attention to self or something else and are gradually leading people away from the love and devotion to truth. Susannah Wesley, mother of John and Charles Wesley, rightly said, “The true end of preaching is to mend men’s lives and not to fill their heads with unprofitable speculation.” Paul wrote to Timothy, “But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness” (2 Tim. 2:16).

The Message

The need of the hour is to preach the word. We have no other choice and meet God’s approbation. The Lord told Jeremiah, “whatsoever I command thee thou shall speak” (Jer. 1:7; cf. v. 17). Again, “all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word” (Jer. 26:2). Jonah was told, “Preach unto it (Nineveh) the preaching I bid thee” (Jonah 3:2). Ezekiel spoke the word of the Lord. “The word of the Lord came unto me” appears 49 times in Ezekiel. This statement and “thus saith the Lord unto me” or “thus saith the Lord” or a similar statement appears 309 times in the book of Ezekiel. He preached, as well as all of God’s prophets, revelation and not speculation.

May all who preach resolve to be like Micaiah when he said, “As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak” (1 Kgs. 22:14). The “what” must always coincide with the “that.” Let us be able to say with Paul, “I have fully preached the gospel of Christ” (Rom. 15:19). Little sermonic talks and “after dinner” speeches that consist of mental health suggestions and interpersonal relationships do’s and don’t’s, are not preaching the word. Only the gospel will save us and take us to heaven. “There is not a single step that man is called upon to take, from the time he leaves the world of sin and wickedness and woe until at last he sweeps through the gates that stand ajar to receive the golden crown, but that sad step is affected either directly or indirectly by the word of God.”(3)

The first-century Christians believed in the saving and transforming power of the word of God. Hence, they went everywhere preaching it. “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word” (Acts 8:4; cf. 11:19-20). At Salamis on Cyprus Paul and Barnabas “preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews” (Acts 13:5). At Perga they preached the word (Acts 14:25). Everywhere they preached, the word of God (also called the gospel, the faith, the truth, Christ) was proclaimed (Acts 15:36-37; 17:13; cf. 5:42; 8:5,12,35; 9:20; 16:10; 19:13; 20:25; 28:30-31).

Needless to say we cannot preach the word unless we know what it is. Knowledge of the word of God demands much study. Our main textbook as preachers is the Bible – not these Calvinistic books that are so widely acclaimed. Many study about the Bible and preach about the Bible, but don’t preach much from the Bible. Let us fill our hearts with what God says and be like Jeremiah when he wrote, “But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay (remain quiet)” (Jer. 20:9). I am not suggesting we throw our books away (although for some of them might be a good idea), but let us never forget they are only a tool and nothing more.

What Preaching Accomplishes

Preaching the word of God accomplishes several things. Let us observe that the word:

1. Gives direction. “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jet. 10:23). Man cannot know by his own intuition. David wrote, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psa. 119:105).

2. Prevents sin. “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psa. 119:11).

3. Cleanses from sin. “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” (Jn. 15:3).

4. Saves. Paul wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16; cf. 1 Cor. 15:1-3).

5. Brings us to spiritual maturity. Peter wrote that we are to “desire the sincere milk of the word that we may grow thereby” (1 Pet. 2:2). The author of Hebrews states that God’s word will produce spiritual growth, discernment and maturity (Heb. 5:12-14).

6. Enables us to fight the enemies of truth. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:17), helps arm us to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12). You can’t be very effective in casting down strongholds of false doctrines (2 Cor. 10:3-5) by being suave and sweet-talking. You must take up the sword of the Spirit and become adept in using it.

May we fully realize that God’s word has the energy, power, capability and the effectiveness to accomplish all of these things that he has designed it to do. However, it cannot do its work if it is not allowed to. Hence, preach the word!

Preachers who try to make everyone feel good about themselves, don’t arouse guilt, don’t preach anything controversial, emphasize only positive elements, use puerile and fiddle-faddle topics, such as, “How to Kiss a Frog,” “How to Get a Turtle on a Fence Post,” “Snake Bites That Snafu Your Life,” and never preach longer than 15 to 20 minutes, are not gospel preachers. They are a new breed of preachers among us who don’t know what the gospel is. They don’t have enough power in their message to lift a feather in a vacuum, much less to change men and women and fit them for heaven.

May the Lord help us to get back to preaching the old Jerusalem gospel in its ancient simplicity and purity with conviction and certainty. Human hearts still cry out for the bread of life. Let’s not give them a stone or a serpent.

Endnotes

1. N.B. Hardeman, Hardeman’s Tabernacle Sermons, Vol. 1, p. 65.

2. Johnny Jackson, Firm Foundation, Aug. 1991. This article was written Sept. 25, 1966.

3. N.B. Hardeman, op. cit., p. 69.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 3, pp. 67-69
February 6, 1992

By Andy Alexander

“Some say John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets” (Matt. 16:14). This was the answer given by Jesus’ disciples when he asked them, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

As the Jews in the first century watched and listened to Jesus proclaim God’s message, they were reminded of the great prophets of old and of John the Baptist who had just recently been in their midst. In this article we want to focus on the preaching of Elijah and notice some of the similarities between his preaching and our Lord’s preaching that would cause people to think that Elijah had returned.

The Jews would be particularly interested in studying Elijah because in Malachi 4:5 it was prophesied that he would return before the “great and terrible day of the Lord.” His life was filled with many events that would leave an impression upon one’s mind.

While Jesus was not Elijah, Elijah did return as prophesied, but the people did not recognize him (Matt. 17:12). John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ who fulfilled the prophesy in Malachi, but John was not what many of the Jews were looking for and they rejected him just as they rejected Christ (Matt. 17:12-13).

Concern for Lost Souls

Elijah was sent by God to rebuke Israel for their sins. In doing so, he used various methods of teaching to try to convict them. He issued a public challenge to the prophets of Baal, then ridiculed them as they failed to produce any evidence that Baal existed (1 Kgs. 18:23-24,27).

Why did Elijah call all Israel together to witness the confrontation between himself and the prophets of Baal (1 Kgs. 18:19)? Was he trying to make a name for himself, was he in it for the money, or was he concerned for their souls? There were probably accusations similar to the first two previously mentioned, but Elijah’s real motive was to restore Israel to the Lord God whom they had left (1 Kgs. 18:21).

The people were steeped in sin and error and had become indifferent toward the truth, and Elijah was trying to wake them up. He wanted them to sober up and see their true condition before God and repent before it was too late.

People are like cars in that we need something to drive us or make us go. Cars need gas and our physical bodies need food, but what drives us to teach God’s word to the lost or to try to restore one who has fallen away? If it is not a sincere desire to save the lost, then we will never preach like Elijah.

Willingness to Confront Error

Another trait which Jesus and Elijah had in common was their willingness to confront error. They did not sit back and wait for those in error to come to them. They were aggressive; they went into the strongholds of error and exposed the false religions of their day.

Elijah had some formidable opponents. He was up against a well established religious system that was sanctioned and supported by the government (1 Kgs. 18:19). The wealthy and affluent were aligned with this false system, as well as the majority of the population of Israel.

Baal worship was also an emotional type religion and this would be an appealing factor to many (1 Kgs. 18:26-28). Elijah was a fiery, emotional preacher, but his zeal for the Lord was based on knowledge and not in the unreliable feelings of the heart. Elijah brought no new doctrine to the people. He, like Jeremiah, was trying to get Israel to return to the “old paths” where they could find rest for their souls (Jer. 6:16).

In the confrontation on Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal, Elijah pressed his case by teaching that there was a right and a wrong religion (1 Kgs. 18:21). One could not be saved in error, even if he sincerely believed it. Public proclaimers of the gospel, as well as private teachers, can preach like Elijah by emphasizing the contradictions in false religions and by appealing to the Scriptures as the final authority for determining the truth on any given practice.

Take baptism, for example. It is essential for salvation or it is not essential for salvation. The Bible teaches that baptism is one of the conditions that man must obey in order to be saved (Acts 2:38). The vast majority of religious denominations today teach that baptism is not essential. Both cannot possibly be right. These two positions are exactly opposite to each other and someone is wrong. Who is right? Press the case and use the Scriptures to prove the point. The honest of heart will accept God’s word and be thankful (Lk. 8:15).

Jesus was an aggressive teacher in his day. In Luke 13:10-17, he challenged the leaders of one of the synagogues on the Sabbath by performing a miracle. He knew that this would generate controversy because of the false teaching that was being promoted by the religious leaders of his day, but his goal was to teach the truth so the people could repent and return to the Lord.

On that day Jesus did not convert the hypocritical leaders of the synagogue, but he did reach the audience that witnessed the event. Listen to the conclusion from Luke 13:17, “And as he said this, all his opponents were being humiliated; and the entire multitude was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by him.” Neither Christ nor Elijah enjoyed humiliating the false teachers of their day, but they were teaching truth and exposing error in the most effect way possible. People need the truth, even if it hurts (Jn. 8:32).

Dealt Severely With False Teachers

In dealing with the prophets of Baal, Elijah was very careful to destroy every single one of them. “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape,” was his cry when the contrast was over (1 Kgs. 18:40). Then he led the people down to the brook Kishon and proceeded to kill every single one of them (18:40).

Emphasis should be placed on the fact that Elijah did not want any to escape. He knew the harm that just one false teacher could do and wanted to prevent that if at all possible. Since the kingdom of Christ is purely spiritual, we do not use a physical sword to oppose false teachers today. Still, “the weapons of our warfare are . . . mighty through God” and our attitude toward error ought to be just as fervent as Elijah’s (2 Cor. 10:4; Eph. 5:11). The sword of the Spirit must be drawn against every false doctrine and every teacher of false doctrine.

Christ severely rebuked false teachers and issued a grave warning to those who would lead his children astray (Matt. 23; 18:7-11). We cannot improve on the methods of the Master Teacher. We must strive to follow his example in dealing with those who teach error.

Some Christians in our time see no need in rebuking and reproving those who promote error. “Attack error, but leave the teacher alone” is their cry. “Do not call names, someone might be offended.” By teaching the truth and exposing error Jesus offended the hypocritical Jews, but he did not change his methods to fit the “soft-sell” approach that some of his disciples thought would be better (Matt. 15:12-14).

All people who are in denominationalism are in error, and they need to be awakened to that fact. No matter how pious their leaders profess to be, they are leading them into a pit from which there is no return. We must expose the false teacher and save the flock, if at all possible.

The most dangerous rock that one encounters while mowing grass is the rock that is hidden in the grass. The rocks that are exposed to view pose no great threat to the man mowing the grass. So it is with false teachers. When they are exposed for what they are, the man who carelessly follows has no one to blame but himself.

Christ exposed false teachers, Paul identified men who were leading the saints astray, and John called Diotrephes by name in order to warn the saints in the first century (Matt. 23; 1 Tim. 1:20; 2 Tim. 2:17; 3 Jn. 9). Can we be in any better company than this?

Falsely Accused

When Elijah met King Ahab just prior to the contest on Carmel, Ahab accused Elijah of being a troublemaker (1 Kgs. 18:17). Christ was falsely accused of misleading the nation of Israel and teaching that they should not pay taxes to Caesar (Lk. 23:2). Had they just taught that nominal obedience was all that was necessary, refrained from calling names, and made only general application in their teaching, they likely would never have been persecuted. Their teaching cut to the heart of their hearers, and those who were unwilling to repent struck back with viciousness.

Danger of Despair

Sometimes when reading about men like Elijah, we tend to think of them as super-human, but James states that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours (Jas. 5:17). He had feelings and emotions just like we do. After the great contest on Mount Carmel, he ran away scared and asked God to take his life, because he thought that he alone was left to follow God and the authorities were going to execute him anyway (1 Kgs. 19:10).

The case of Elijah reminds us that we must guard our hearts against discouragement. Like Elijah, we may suffer false accusations when we are trying our best to do good. Seemingly unsuccessful attempts to win the people over to righteousness can be frustrating. Even the strongest of Christians can be tempted to throw up their hands and quit at times. This is just another one of the devil’s traps to try to stop the preaching of the gospel. The Pharisees tried to scare Jesus into running for his life, but Jesus saw through evil plans and would not run (Lk. 13:31-32). Even though Jesus seemed to convert only a few, he kept on teaching the truth of the gospel (Matt. 11:20-30).

We must never despair when standing for the truth, because God is on our side (Rom. 8:31). Peter taught the first century disciples to resist the devil and be firm in the faith, “knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Pet. 5:9-10).

Beware of Satan’s Traps

Every teacher of the gospel wants to be effective. We know that every person who responds to the call of the gospel is translated out of the power of darkness and into the kingdom of Christ (Col. 1:13). This is a wonderful change and causes even the angels in heaven to rejoice (Lk. 15:7).

However, in striving to be effective we can be lured into adopting carnal means to attract people to Christ. The denominations and liberal churches of Christ succeed in attracting large numbers through carnal methods and this can cause us to lean in that direction. We certainly must guard against the wicked devices of Satan.

Another equally dangerous trap is preaching to soothe the ears of those who need to repent. We are living in the time that Paul described to Timothy when people would heap to themselves teachers after their own lust (2 Tim. 4:34). Paul pointed Timothy to the inspired Scriptures because they equip the man of God for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

The Scriptures contain the record of preachers like Elijah, Jeremiah, and John the Baptist. Around us today we have examples of men like Robert Schuller, Oral Roberts, and Billy Graham. These modern orators are careful not to reprove or rebuke anyone, except in the most general way.

These men will not engage in a religious debate, would not call names of people or denominations which they regard to be in error, and will not teach by any stretch of the imagination what true repentance is. These things would offend their followers and dent their hefty bank accounts.

These men preach to please the world and the world hears them (1 Jn. 4:5). Some Christians including preachers, elders, and members – have adopted the same strategies that these men use with the result that congregations now exist which are worldly to the core. We must fight with every fiber of our being the attempts of Satan to silence the gospel.

Preaching in today’s world must be like preaching found in God’s word if it is to accomplish what God would have it to accomplish. People of the world and worldly members of the church will not accept plain gospel preaching, but “we must speak, not as pleasing men but God, who examines our hearts” (1 Thess. 2:4).

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 3, pp. 72-74
February 6, 1992

By Daniel R. Vess

During the past two years we have witnessed more doors opening around the world giving us the opportunity to share the gospel with those in other nations. A wonderful opportunity has also presented itself in South Korea.

Several years ago, while preaching in Florida, I had an opportunity to teach the gospel to Paul Lee, an electronics engineer from Seoul, Korea. Only two months after his baptism he moved to Maryland where he fell away from the Lord. For a couple of years he wandered from one denomination to another. Two years ago he returned to his country and wrote me a letter asking for help. He was fed up with denominationalism and wanted to return to the Lord’s church. We began to correspond on a regular basis. Unable to find a sound church, he began to establish one near Seoul. After several months of reading his letters asking for more help, I was no longer content with sending him sermon tapes, tracts, etc. I felt compelled to make a trip in answer to this “Macedonian call” from Korea.

On May 28th I began a two-week visit with Paul Lee to assist him in establishing a church in the Hwagok district of Seoul. Like Paul and Barnabas we wish to report on what God has wrought and “how he has opened a door of faith” to the Korean people.

Establishing the Hwagok Church of Christ

Paul Lee’s efforts to establish a church centered in Anyong City, thirty miles south of Seoul where he works. He used his office building as a place of worship. Since this was a business district, we realized the church could not be very effective at this location.

In search of an alternative, we set out one afternoon to visit local real estate brokers about renting a store front. However, renting in Korea is based on a totally different concept than in the U.S. Koreans must put up a large deposit of about $40,000 to rent a simple apartment. The owner invests the money and his interest is the rent. Your deposit is returned when you leave the apartment. The best deal we could find was a 20′ by 20′ basement room for a $20,000 deposit. This would of course be unrealistic at this time.

With this in mind we decided to concentrate our efforts out of Paul Lee’s home in the Hwagok district of Seoul. Unfortunately this didn’t solve all of our problems. The Hwagok district is densely populated, the streets are teeming with people. As a result of such close public existence, Koreans are very private when it comes to their homes. Koreans feel that their walled homes are their only refuge.

Therefore, it is considered taboo to have any public gathering in a home.

Keeping these things in mind, but not letting them deter us further, we set out to teach the gospel to Koreans. Before our first Sunday worship service, we sent out 500 flyers advertizing our location, times of services, and times of Bible classes throughout the week. In addition, we posted signs about the church and classes. Even while we were posting signs people would stop to read them. We posted signs in the gate and wall in front of Paul Lee’s home. Hundreds of people walked past daily and almost everyone would either stop or slow down to read the signs.

Each night we stood at the open gate in front of Paul Lee’s home to encourage people to come in and study. Hundreds of people would walk by. Although only one man came into the house to study with us, several people studied with us briefly on the street.

Our first Sunday worship service included Paul Lee, his father, and myself. Paul Lee’s father, who is in his late seventies, was very interested in the points against sprinkling as a form of baptism. On further study we found out that Mr. Lee had been baptized 25 years ago by a gospel preacher from America named Rice. Paul Lee’s father seem to be a very religious man. He has been an elder for over 30 years in the Presbyterian Church. Between 1971 and 1976 he preached weekly on a radio station for Christian Broadcasting. His radio sermons were published in a book titled Echoes of Gratitude. His father currently worships with him, but continues to maintain close ties with the Presbyterian church.

Throughout the next week we continued our “on the street” evangelism. We also composed another flyer. This flyer included Scriptures of early Christians meeting in their homes to help overcome our location stigma. We also tried to make it clear that we were not connected with the Mormons, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, or the Unification Church which the Christ-believing Koreans had been warned against. We were able to send out 3,000 of these flyers in a local newspaper.

On my second Sunday in Korea the three of us met again for worship. My lesson included four points: frequency of the Lord’s Supper, sin of religious division, original sin, and baptism. The lesson was designed for the denominational Koreans such as Paul Lee’s father who make up a large percentage of the Hwagok district.

In addition to our outward evangelistic efforts, I spent much of my time edifying Paul Lee. Since he is young in the faith, he had several areas of questions and misconceptions. After our evening public Bible studies, we would study privately till the late hours of the night. The area where Paul Lee grew the most was his ability and confidence to carry the gospel to others. At first Paul Lee acted only as a translator for me. Later he could get a discussion started and refer to me only for more difficult questions, Before I left Korea, Paul Lee could discuss the Lord’s church for twenty minutes with individuals without any assistance.

Religions in Korea

Korea has a rich and varied religious history. One of the most ancient religions is Shammanism. This consists of ancestor worship, superstitions, and witch doctors or prophetesses. It is usually practiced only in some rural districts of Korea today.

Confucianism influences every Korean to some degree. About 17 percent of the population adhere to the tenants of Confucianism. Most regard it as merely a social philosophy instead of a religion. They have shrines, but unlike Buddhism, these contain no images. All the same, South Korea is probably the most Confucian nation on earth even today.

Buddhists have the highest number of adherents with 37 percent of the population. Here and there you can see Buddhist monks. They are easily distinguished by their clothing and shaved heads. There are temples and monasteries throughout the country.

Coming in at a close second is Christianity. One third of Koreans have embraced Christianity. This is the largest figure for any East Asian country except the Philippines. In Japan only two percent claim to be Christians. Unlike the Catholic dominated Philippines, 75 percent of Koreans who claim to be Christians are Protestant.

From a moral stand point, the Koreans are more upright than many nations. They dress neatly, appropriately, and modestly. Shorts are confined to the beach. The divorce rate is low. They eat healthy and stay in shape. They are, however, heavy beer drinkers and smokers.

Taking Advantage of an Open Door

Korea offers a golden opportunity for planting the New Testament church. While it is true that there are many churches of Christ to be found in the major cities, most of these are very liberal. All the churches Paul Lee contacted in Seoul use instrumental music. As far as we know, there isn’t a sound Korean speaking congregation in all of Korea. We have been encouraged by the recent establishment of an English speaking sound church 50 miles south of Seoul, on the Camp Humphrey Army base.

Today, South Korea is a nation with over 45 million people. This gives it a population density higher than Japan or even India. There are nearly 11 million people in Seoul alone. Korea has a lot of good things going for it today. God has blessed this industrious people with a modern standard of prosperity. Their nation has advanced in a single generation from one of the world’s poorest countries to the threshold of full industrialization. This is a remarkable transition from the 60’s and 70’s when it was a major recipient of U.S. foreign aid which ended in 1980.

Paul Lee believes that any American could make pretty good money teaching conversational English to Koreans. Most educated Koreans can read English which is taught in all secondary schools. All the signs and most of the menus in restaurants are in English and Korean. Added to this is the fact that Korea’s literacy rate is one of the highest at over 95 percent. With the help of Paul Lee, learning Korean would not be absolutely essential, but any serious effort to teach the lost would require it.

Paul Lee is going to need extra help if he is going to succeed in reaching the people of Seoul. To support an evangelist and his family on a long term basis in Seoul would be very costly. But to support a couple, single man, or a couple of college age men for ninety days might be a feasible alternative. A ninety day touring visa can be prearranged through a Korean Embassy. Paul Lee said his home is available for anyone who wishes to come work with him. He has one good size bedroom and a small one to offer.

Living in Seoul wouldn’t be too difficult for an American. Their lifestyle and standard of living has been westernized. There are an abundance of modern medical facilities. In certain sections of the city, there are riot police on the side walks with their helmets and shields stacked nearby. This was only to deal with the annual student demonstrations that come in May.

Update

Allow me to give you an update on what is happening. The company he works for came down pretty hard on him for working only eight hours a day during my two week visit. A month later they asked him to resign. This was quite a shock since he was making good money as the Director of the Research and Development Department of an electronics manufacturing company. Instead of being deterred from his efforts, he was waxed stronger in his commitment. He wrote in a recent letter, “We know that the trouble we experienced to set-up Hwagok church of Christ and to deliver the true gospel is nothing compared to the trouble which the apostle John or Paul had.” Paul Lee has been in contact with the newly established church at Camp Humphreys. This should provided both groups with some mutual encouragement.

Anyone who is going to be visiting Seoul is encouraged to worship with Paul Lee. His home is only ten minutes from the Kimpo International Airport. (His address is: Paul Lee, Kangsegoo, Hwagok 5-dong, 1027-87, Seoul, Korea). Please feel free to call or write me if you have any information that may prove helpful in this effort. We are especially interested in locating someone who can assist in translating Bible study materials into Korean. Most of all we hope to encourage someone to go help spread the gospel among Korea’s millions.

Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 2, pp. 46-47
January 16, 1992