Truth Magazine

By Dan King

I often wonder why so many people turn a deaf ear to the grace of God given so freely in Christ. While I recognize that they have their own individual reasons for turning down what is undoubtedly the most gracious offer ever made to mankind, yet it never ceases to amaze me! Think of it: God has extended forgiveness to man which is absolute. He forgives all our sins, clears the record, and permits us to begin all over again. It is as if we had never done wrong. As the old prophet told the people of Israel:

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isa. 1:18).

The problem then, as now, is the conditionality of this great offer of grace. God places conditions upon this complete clearing of accounts. He explained to Israel that she must meet the conditions to receive the gift of grace: “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow” (vv. 16, 17).

Things remain so today. The Lord expects us to respond to his loving offer of forgiveness with both a change of attitude and a change of life. The willingness of God to forgive sin (regardless of its particulars) is amazingly kind and merciful. But it is not at all surprising that he expects some change of attitude on our part. Nor is it shocking that he wants us to mend our ways. What is unbelievable to me is the fact that there are people who seem to fool themselves into believing that this alteration of attitude and action is somehow unnecessary, and that God extends his grace unconditionally.

Such folk rightly marvel at the forgiveness extended to man in the Bible. As Paul himself said: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1,2). Yet they seem to be blind to every demand for a change of attitude and action.

Let it suffice for us to quote John’s statement in 3:36 of his gospel: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him ” (NASB). Empty, fruitless faith is worthless in any attempt at receiving the grace of God. So says the Scripture. See also James 2:17,24.

While, in the current religious climate it is essential that we say what we have about the conditions attached to the grace of God, we must, to be true to our text, return to the main point. And that is this: God is perfectly willing to wipe the slate clean for you. No matter what you have done in the past – how awful your deeds may have been – your Father in heaven is anxious to forget all about it. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isa. 1:18).

All God wants from you right now, is an indication that you are willing to accept his terms. Surely you would agree that he has come more than half-way!

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 24, pp. 738, 752
December 19, 1991

By Bill Bynum

In December, my wife and I will return to preach in Czechoslovakia. We returned to America the last week in May of this year after having spent just over eight months there. As the time for our return draws close I would like to share some information concerning the work there and make some observations about the work.

At the time of this writing 13 Czechs have been baptized. Studies continue with numerous others. A number of the current contacts have been made as a result of the Czech Christians’ interest in helping spread the Word. While this proper and natural manifestation of growth was anticipated, it is still quite heartwarming.

There were some aspects of the work that were quite surprising. One unpleasant surprise was the proliferation of denominational and cultic influence. Charismatic and ecumenical ideology is very wide-spread. I truly believe that I spent more time discussing the work of the Holy Spirit than evidences or Catholicism. Also, the Mormons, Adventist, and Jehovah’s Witnesses are well organized and typically evangelistic. Institutional churches are involved in some efforts there, but to this point have not been particularly effective, especially in Bohemia and Moravia.

The intelligence and study habits of the Czechs were a more pleasant surprise. They are surprisingly well read in many areas, including philosophy. In an early study with a young man who has since been converted I was asked to compare and contrast the Genesis flood account with the Epic of Gilgamesh, and Akkadian flood legend. The studies are often quite lengthy because of their enthusiasm. Many ore also willing to do a great deal of reading between studies. On one occasion, after having asked a young man to read several chapters in Matthew, he replied that he would probably read the entire book. Also, they are critical listeners, ready to challenge what is presented. In addition to manifesting the attitude of the Bereans (Acts 17:11) it makes them less susceptible to the inevitable false teachers.

Since our return I have been contacted by a number of people who are interested in the work and want my thoughts on the best way they could be involved. Now I would like to put in print some of the things I have articulated in the discussions. I do not claim to have all of the answers. Some of the conclusions that I have reached have resulted from mistakes I have made or helped make. I also hasten to acknowledge that these observations are matters of judgment. Also, I am presupposing an interest in only scriptural I commend the interest that many are expressing financially, with words of encouragement and prayer, or in actually planning to go. I hope this interest will be an enduring one. The part of the world under consideration has a population of around 400 million people, many years of work and many laborers are needed. To this end, I offer the following thoughts.

In Czechoslovakia the work is in the process of “spreading out.” Some of the people who have been baptized in Prague are actually from other cities in Bohemia and Moravia. Work needs to be done with these people in their home towns. Mike Morrow who has recently returned from several months there is planning to return in January to do this. Anyone interested in helping Mike in this work can contact him through me. Also, anyone planning to go to Czechoslovakia should at least consider locating in one of these areas.

The type and length of trip that will be profitable has also been an area of interest to many. I would like to preface my thoughts on this with a couple of comments. First, as suggested earlier, this is essentially a matter of judgment. Also, theoretically, any trip can be of some value. With this background accepted, I offer the following

In most cases, trips of a couple of months or less will be of limited value. I am led to this conclusion by a combination of considerations. The culture shock is drastic enough that is takes some time to adjust sufficiently to truly communicate with the indigenous population, even those who speak English with some proficiency. Obviously this time factor lessens the effectiveness of a very short trip. Also, while as a whole the people are open and receptive, conversion has been a protracted process. Few have been taught in less than three or four months. So the question becomes who will “follow up” with these folks and when will it occur? We went to Prague initially in part because we thought that we had a pool of contacts waiting to be worked with. These contacts were made during a short trip made earlier in the year. However, we were able to develop studies with only a couple of these people and neither was converted.

What about a broad distribution of Bibles and materials? Of course there is value in placing the Truth in the hands of people who have not had previous access to it. However, the tangible results have been very limited. Early in our work in Prague we tried this type of approach. Even with us living there and giving a local address we did not receive even one response from anyone we met during a general distribution of literature. Our success came from more personal contact with the people.

Previously, I stated that this described “most cases.” What would cause the exception? One circumstance that creates a different situation is a person having prior contact with people in a specific area. If a person goes into an area like this and stays working with these people it may well be profitable. It helps to solve both the communication problem and the problem of spending too much time traveling. Also, I believe that it may be worthwhile for a person planning to move to Eastern Europe to go first to help them make good decisions.

Questions have also arisen concerning the value of trips that involve staying only a few months. I would preface my thoughts by acknowledging that ideally, capable men would determine to go to these places for a number of years to work. Having acknowledged the axiomatic, what is the value of a shorter stay? I offer two lines of reasoning to vindicate the legitimacy of this approach. The first is that the problems I suggested previously concerning short visits can be reasonably handled in a stay of a number of months. Also, the work that has been done thus far has been accomplish ed with workers staying a year or less, with the notable exception of the Young’s who have been there just over a year. Most of the doubts about the value of a stay of a year or less come from trying to apply basically valid generalizations about work in Europe to the central and eastern countries. The difference in the situations encountered in the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands and those encountered in the formerly communist countries are too basic for the generalizations to legitimately apply. The people in Czech Romania, etc. have been denied access to the Truth. Western Europe has not. Establishing credibility is a problem for gospel preachers in many foreign works. However, in the Central and Eastern countries it is not. To this and other comments about short stays I would add that it is easier to be critical of others’ judgment from a comfortable house with no plans to go.

So what is needed in reaching these peoples? Christians who are willing to sacrifice and go, men and women who will do the work and be supportive of one another, people who are willing and capable of adapting to the culture of the country and respecting and loving the people, churches and individuals are needed that will sacrifice to send and support these people are the answer. (Surely some of the work on the building will wait.) All Christians are needed to offer the prayers and words of encouragement necessary to spread the gospel to this part of the world.

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 23, pp. 717-718
December 5, 1991

By Tol Burk

The 20th of September marks one year that we have been here and so much has happened that it seems like it must be several years, not just one. It was the 23rd of last September that 12 of us met in Alford Benjamin’s living room for worship services. Then we met in the Methodist building for the months of October and November, with the Sunny Isles church from December through March, in our living room three weeks in April, then to the Boy Scout building, where we continue to meet. During that time we have lost one family, had one man to place membership and two to be restored, of which one is very weak again. Our attendance now is running 20-25 on Sunday morning, 15-20 on Sunday night, 8-10 on Monday night for prayer and singing, and 15 on Thursday night. Our contribution now is averaging $175 a week. During September the number of Bible classes we have had each week has picked up somewhat – five a week, with 10-12 people. Of those we have studied with this year we continue to study with most of them, several have stopped studying because they are “too busy” and several have stopped because they are or were off island. I have had to make adjustments to the way I teach in home Bible classes because of “culture” as well as the fact that most people here know very little of the Bible, coupled with the fact that even when they read the Bible they don’t always understand what they read. I find myself explaining almost every Scripture and doing much more “lecturing” rather than asking questions. We are still finding there are many people who will at least begin a Bible study, which leaves us with many open doors. Please continue to pray for us as we work together.

In looking at the congregation here I believe we have all matured and are growing closer together. The turmoil and uncertainty surrounding our merging with the Sunny Isles church had a greater effect on some of us than it did on others and thus it has taken some longer to “recover” from it than others. I believe we are all “recovered” now. Our Thursday night Bible study for the last two weeks has borne this out. Last week we had a visitor who wanted to discuss the “Jesus only” doctrine, so it was decided we would discuss that. Well, our visitor wasn’t listening too much, but we all listened to him and were challenged to examine our ideas. Even the young people were involved and posing “arguments.” We were definitely all together in our “opposition” to his doctrine. This past Thursday we studied church cooperation and had a very profitable study in which all participated. And let me say just here that the brethren are not anxious about time when it comes to worship or Bible study. The only time we limit ourselves to an hour is Sunday morning Bible study. Our worship will usually last an hour and a half three prayers, a Scripture reading, Lord’s supper which usually occupies 40 minutes, then the lesson of 35-45 minutes, and a closing. They may not come just on time, but they are not in a great hurry to leave either. We start our Bible study at 7:30 and I try to start winding up at 8:20 or so, but we seldom close before 8:45 or 9 p.m. But who would complain when brethren want to study God’s word? We have laughed about what people here call “Cruzan time.” Cruzan time is like Mexico time for those of you who are familiar with it – the worship service is set for 9 a.m., but no one arrives until 9:05 with most arriving anywhere from 10-30 minutes late. This has been a problem in the church, but the last several months have seen a number of the brethren making real effort to improve. We are making progress, both in personal development and in taking part in the worship service. We began in June to have different men make a talk on Wednesday night and all the men have taken part and done well, including one or two who had never done so before. All of the men lead singing and that has improved by leaps and bounds. Is this congregation perfect? By no means, so we continue on toward perfection, forgetting those things that are behind. There is, however, a general desire to improve here that is missing in some congregations.

As for the members of the Sunny Isle church we are still studying with one of them, her husband (a non-Christian) as well as the husband of another member. Most of them are still cordial when you meet them, but they don’t really see why we left. There are even several who agree that it is wrong to eat in the building, use the building for other “good causes,” or support institutions but either don’t have enough conviction to stand up or don’t see it as important.. Unfortunately not a few of them are converted to the “church of Christ” (particularly, the Sunny Isles church), not Christ. Tradition and numbers mean more than truth. We continue to pray for them and are still seeking opportunities to study with them, but there are few takers at this time.

Well, brethren the first year is behInd us and I trust that in this next year we will begin to see the fruits of our labors. I am 36 years old today. It was one year ago that we essentially began all over as concerns physical goods. In that year we have managed to reacquire furniture, some tools, etc. but let me tell you it’s been frustrating at times. Since we have been married we have not lived in an apartment but have been in one for nine months now. That in itself has been quite an adjustment. Having your firm fiancial support has been a great encouragement and has made it so much easier. Please continue to pray for all of us, as we labor in the Lord’s vineyard here. At this point my plans are still for me to be in the States from January 11 to February 10. With the Lord’s help I’m planning to be with each church that supports me, at least for a short time. Brethren, we appreciate your continued support and concern. Write us when you can. May our heavenly Father continue to bless you with all things that you have need of.

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 23, pp. 722-723
December 5, 1991

By Gary Patton

God’s word is filled with statements of encouragement. Words that are meant to help us feel good about serving him and living as he would have us live. He promises to be with and help us. He also promises grand and marvelous rewards to those who are faithful to the end.

But just as he often encourages us, he also warns us. His warning is basically that “we sin not” (1 Jn. 2:1). For if we sin and do not seek forgiveness he will reject us in that final day. God paints a very terrible picture of those lost in sin, a picture showing both suffering and anguish here as well as throughout eternity. If the rewards and blessings are so great and the sufferings of the punishment so terrible, then the obvious question is “Why sin?” Why do we violate his law found in his word? God in his supreme wisdom has revealed to us in the Bible why we sin. It is important that we listen to him so that we will constantly try to avoid those things that would tempt us to sin.

The Holy Spirit moved the apostle Paul to write to Timothy that the love of material wealth will cause us to sin. He writes in 1 Timothy 6:6-10 of the dangers of riches and says, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” We live in a world where one’s success is measured by his material possessions, and one’s greatness by how much effort and devotion he gives to its accumulation. This pressures others to do the same and they are lured into thinking that obtaining material possessions must come first in one’s life. This means putting God and his work behind the obtaining of material possessions. God tells us that if we have food and raiment we should be content (1 Tim. 6:8). How often has the love of obtaining more material possessions caused us to love God less and thus fail to put him first (Matt. 6:33), thus falling into sin.

We sin because of a lack of love for God. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” He also said he came to do the will of his Father, so that whatever he commands or reveals to us we are to do. The revealed will of God becomes the law for us to follow and obey. If we truly love someone we will do all we possibly can to please that individual. If we love the Lord with all our soul, mind and strength we will obey whatever he says. If he tells us not to commit adultery, not to steal, or not to lie, etc., we will then strive with everything we have not to disobey God. We will try to keep ourselves out of situations that would tempt us to sin. A lack of supreme love for God in our lives can cause us to sin.

In Romans the third chapter, beginning with verse ten, several terrible things are quoted from Psalms as happening because, he says, “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (v. 18). The word “fear” as used in the Bible usually has one of two meanings. Sometimes it is used in the sense of reverence, other times it is used to mean the dread of an action one can possibly suffer. Both cases are true when it comes to why we sin. Many sin today because they have no respect for God and his word, the Bible. They lack respect in that they are not willing to let him guide their lives. The lack of respect for his word is seen in that they openly disobey what they know God commands. Others fail to fear because of the teaching of humanists, which produces atheists and their philosophy that there is no God. These have no fear of any “everlasting punishment” of God after death and a judgment day. With such fears removed the flood gate is open for people to live as they please, destroying any barriers that might prevent them from seeking to live according to the flesh and a life of sin.

A child learns early that if he is not immediately punished for an act, he can continue it or repeat it. It is not till later in life that he learns that not all punishment is immediate. When we get caught up in a life of sin, we often revert to this childish reasoning that, since God didn’t punish me immediately, there will be no punishment. In Ecclesiastes 8:11-13, we read the warning, “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: But it shall not be well with the wicked.” In the New Testament the Lord tried to correct this type of reasoning through the pen of Peter in 1 Peter 3:3-18. He says that the longsuffering of God is salvation (v. 18), not slackness (v. 9). God will punish all with unforgiven sins in the day of judgment, and that punishment is eternal punishment in hell.

Since God told us why people sin, let us strive to avoid those things and attitudes that would lead us into a life of sin. Rather let us strive to obey his commands that lead to righteousness in this life and a reward of joy in heaven in the hereafter. “Fear God And keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Eccl. 12:13,14).

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 23, p. 716
December 5, 1991