Truth Magazine

By J.T. Smith

Listening to arguments by different brethren who are close personal friends and not studying a position through for yourself, is far different from having to either affirm or defend said position for yourself. This is what I discovered in the early years of my preaching. Although I have been preaching for over 25 years, one of the hardest lessons that I had to learn was that one should not take a position simply because some friend or loved one, whom you consider to be a good Bible student, tells you it is right.

Institutionalism was probably one of the most difficult studies that I have ever had to “wade” through. There are a number of reasons why this is true. First of all, it was true because there were (and are) men of outstanding ability and Bible knowledge on both sides of the issue. Secondly, it is an issue, for the most part, where one is prone to allow his heart to rule his thinking instead of allowing his position to be based on the Bible teaching. And third, many of us worry and fret about some “label” that our friends and loved ones are going to place on us if we oppose church support to orphan homes, hospitals, a sponsoring church (Herald of Truth World Radio) type of cooperation by churches.

Before finally taking a stand against the above mentioned institutions and cooperative arrangements, I had vacillated from one position to another – according to the preacher friend with which I was talking. And like so many others, I didn’t want that terrible “anti” brand put on me. Finally, however, I had an opportunity to attend a debate on the subject in Louisville, Kentucky, between brethren Guy N. Woods and A.C. Grider. And though I had never met brother Woods, I knew of his reputation as a Bible scholar and an experienced debater. Of course I had known brother Grider most of my life, as we were reared within just a few miles of each other; and I just knew he would never be able to stand up under the powerful Guy N. Woods. But, to my amazement, not only did he stand, but how brightly the truth shone, especially on the Herald of Truth, sponsoring church arrangement. And it may have shined just as brightly on the Orphan Home question – except for the fact that as thousands of others I had “heart trouble” in being able to see the truth for those “poor little orphans” that brother Woods kept bringing up.

After the debate, I confronted brother Grider myself and told him that I wanted to meet with him later and discuss the matter especially of the orphan home. After many hours of study I thought I had some questions he could not answer. I remember well that day I made an appointment to go to his home in Louisville. With questions in hand, I confronted him and Jim Cope (who was in a meeting at Preston Highway in Louisville) with my questions and took the worst “whipping” I have probably taken on any religious issue before or since. They, in turn, gave me some questions to answer. They said, “If you can find scriptural answers to these questions, we will concede your position is right.”

Since that time until this day, I have read and listened to every discussion I could on these issues, as well as confronting preaching privately and engaging in public debates on these very issues. And, until this day, no one has given any Scriptures, that to my satisfaction, answered the questions that were asked of me that day. I repeat these questions for you here.

1. Where in the Bible did one church ever send money to another church to preach the gospel?

2. Where is the scriptural authority for a church making a donation to any kind of human institution?

3. Where is Bible authority for elders overseeing any work except that “which is among them” (1 Pet. 5:2)?

4. Where is the authority for the church engaging in providing suppers, parties, or entertainment for anyone?

Now in view of the fact that I could find no scriptural authority in answer to these questions, what was I to do? You know the answer to that as well as 1. When we find that the position we hold won’t stand the Bible test, there is only one thing to do – change your position. And that is exactly what I did.

But, for those of you who have come to the conclusion that there are no Bible answers to the above questions, but have not taken your stand for truth because of pressures brought to bear, I know your problem and can sympathize with you. For when I took my stand for truth, I immediately became “an orphan hater,” one of those dreadful “antis,” was fired from the congregation where I was preaching, and was told by one of my dearest preacher friends, “I hope you quit preaching.” But you know I realized, as you must on this and every other Bible subject, that I must take my stand for truth and right regardless of what anyone may say to me or about me. For, regardless of what men may say, God is right. And Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33). That is why I changed Jesus said I must! “And a man’s foes shall be those of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:36-38). In light of these passages of Scripture, we cannot allow anyone to stand between us and truth.

All of you who read this article, or who have read my writings in the past, know that I am still trying to obtain the answers to the questions that are stated in this article. It would be a happy day in my life if I could write or call those who are so bitterly opposed to me, and join hands and hearts with them again. Yes, with all the pleas I have made for Bible authority on these issues, few have even tried to give me scriptural authority for these things – and those who have tried gave scriptures that have nothing to do with the questions we have asked. Therefore, I will have to continue to speak out against institutionalism and those who espouse it, as much as I dislike being in opposition to my brethren. But Paul said “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Eph. 5:11). Thus, I must do this to be pleasing to God. If I preach anything that was not received from God, his curses will rest upon me (Gal. 1:6-9). And if I do not abide in the doctrine of Christ, I cannot have God (2 Jn. 9).

So, as you can well see, I can sympathize with your situation and feel sorry for you. I know it will be hard, but you too must take your stand against institutionalism and against anything for which you cannot find Bible authority. I beg of you – please stand up against these innovations or else give me scriptural authority for your practices so that I may stand with you! (Searching the Scriptures, Aug. 1978, pp. 174-175.)

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 15, pp. 465-466
August 2, 1990

By Ron Halbrook

At the conclusion of the Passover meal, Jesus took some of the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine, and ordained a special use for them “in my Father’s kingdom.”

Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins (Matt. 26:26-29).

The kingdom of God was fully established on the following Pentecost, when Peter preached that men could now receive the remission of their sins through the blood of Christ. “Repent, and be baptized for the remission of your sins, and ye shall receive the gift of Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). Those who entered the kingdom on that day enjoyed the full blessing of the promised kingdom, including the Lord’s Supper (v. 42).

The inspired Apostles taught the same thing “every where in the church,” including the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 4:17; 11: 17-34). Every Christian was privileged to eat “the Lord’s Supper” in memory of Jesus “when ye come together in the church.” “For we are all partakers of that one bread” (11:17, 34; 10:16-21). Through the inspired Apostles, God taught Christians to glorify him by songs, prayers, and lessons taught from the gospel. Christians could gather at any time for such activities, but two additional acts of worship were ordained for the Sunday meeting.

And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them (Acts 20:7).

Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him ip store, as God hath prospered him (1 Cor. 16:2).

Every Christian was obligated to give as he was prospered and to take the Lord’s Supper every Sunday.

God’s true people follow God’s pattern of worship every Sunday in the Kingdom of God, which is the church of Christ. “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:13). One way to distinguish Jehovah’s true people from false religions is by whether they follow or depart from God’s true pattern of worship in the Lord’s Supper.

Now the spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith (1 Tim. 4:1).

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son (2 Jn. 9).

Jesus said our worship is vain if we follow the doctrines and commandments of men (Matt. 15:9).

Men have changed God’s pattern for the Lord’s Supper in many ways. Mormons substitute water for the fruit of the vine. Many people in Catholic Churches eat the bread but do not drink of the cup, while their priest does both. The Protestant denominations – Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, etc. – generally offer the Lord’s Supper quarterly, annually, or during man-made holy days rather than every Sunday. Some religions use the Sabbath day (Saturday) from the Law of Moses for the memorial, or use various days of the week, rather than following God’s pattern on the first day of the week.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses and other false sects try to have the Supper on the date of the Passover meal under the Law of Moses. Therefore, they prepare this memorial only once a year and it may fall on any day of the week. If we should follow Moses’ Law in this matter, we should travel to Jerusalem and keep the law on animal sacrifices as the Jews did with the Passover. Christ took away the Law of Moses with its Passover and gave us “a new covenant” with the Lord’s Supper every Sunday (Heb. 8:13; 10:9; Acts 20:7). No one can find a passage where the Lord’s Supper was offered on the date of the old Passover in the kingdom or church of our Lord. The Witnesses teach that only 144,000 people out of all history are fit to eat the Lord’s Supper, most of whom are dead. Almost no one eats when the Witnesses prepare our Lord’s memorial. What a vain spectacle, what an empty show of formality!

Visit the church of Christ and see God’s pattern observed every Sunday in the Lord’s Supper. Are you in a religion which follows the doctrines of men?

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 15, p. 464
August 2, 1990

By Lewis Willis

In the text below, Ezekiel explains part of his responsibility as a prophet. Inasmuch as “whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning,” it behooves us to know and understand that we labor under the same obligation (Rom. 15:4). And, let us make no mistake about it, we share the same duty Ezekiel had (Gal. 6: 1; 2 Tim. 2:25; Jas. 5:1920; 1 Cor. 4:14; 1 Thess. 2:11-12).

Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require aat thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

Look at that passage again. Analyze it. It identifies the scope of our duty to others regarding truth. The first thing a person is to do is hear the Word. Then, he is to sound out the warnings contained therein to the people around him. That was true to Ezekiel and it is true for us today.

When a man commits sin – any sin – he is in danger of losing his soul. In fact, it is certain that he will lose his soul unless someone gets to him and warns him of his danger. That was Ezekiel’s job, and we have the same job today. If we do not warn the wicked man about his sin, he not only dies in his sin, condemned of God, but his blood is required at our hand. If we warn him and he does not turn from his sin, he dies in that condition but, by issuing the warning, we deliver our souls. Therefore, let us recognize our duty. We must warn our family, neighbors, and friends about the dangers of sin. They are responsible to obey God and get forgiveness. But we are either guilty or innocent concerning them, depending on whether or not we issued the warning.

A second lesson we must learn from our text is that a righteous man can turn from his righteousness and commit iniquity. Sometimes we act like that is not possible. Is it any wonder that Paul warned, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12)? A Christian could not make a greater mistake than to think it is impossible for him to sin and lose his soul.

Ezekiel recorded our responsibility to the righteous man who sins. He said that such a man is going to die in his sin unless he is warned and turns from iniquity. Our point here is, we must recognize our duty to warn those who have fallen. If we do not warn them, they die in their sin and God requires their blood at our hand. However, if we issue the warning, they may die in their sin, but we are not responsible. Thus, by issuing the warning, we deliver our soul.

A final point from our text is very important. Ezekiel said that the righteous man, who has turned aside to practice iniquity, will give account of himself unto God. However, his righteousness will not be “remembered,” that is, his righteousness in one area will not excuse him from iniquity he has practiced in another area. To illustrate, suppose a man has acted lovingly towards his wife for six days. That is a righteous practice. But, suppose on day seven that he physically abuses his wife. His righteousness for six days does not make his iniquity on the seventh day suddenly disappear. Or, six days of telling the truth will not make us guiltless if we lie on the seventh day. The message is, recognize sin when it creeps into your life and correct it. It does not just go away, nor does God just forget it. Obey his word and he will forgive it, then we can forget the sin.

We share, with the prophets of old, the duty to know truth, teach it and warn all men that transgression of God’s law will bring upon them condemnation. Isaiah said, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isa. 55:7). Our salvation, and theirs, depends upon the issuance of the warning, and its being heeded. Let us do our duty. We all need it!

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 15, p. 463
August 2, 1990

By L.A. Stauffer

Loyd Arthur Stauffer, 81, died June 14 of complications following surgery at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, Illinois. He was born in Baylis and spent most of his life as a carpenter in Griggsville, two small obscure communities in west central Illinois. He is survived by his wife Harriet; two daughters, Pat (Mrs. Charles Kurtz) and Jan (Mrs. Dean Booth); and two sons, L.A. and Jim. The funeral and burial services at the Griggsville Cemetery were conducted June 17.

Dad, whose name I bear, calls to mind another carpenter of nearly 2,000 years ago who came from an obscure village of Galilee in northern Palestine. Neither of them was able to give to their heirs as the world gives. Jesus of Nazareth who, unlike foxes and birds, had no place to lay his head, possessed only the garments that clothed his body. He announced his legacy to a small band of disciples the night before his death:

My peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful (Jn. 14:27).

“A peace of God, which passeth all understanding, ” as the apostle Paul described it, is the total substance Jesus bequeathed to his disciples – a peace that would be received in the blessings that were soon to come by the gospel. As the world gives, Jesus could not give.

So it is with Dad. After his devoted and supportive wife of 56 years, an Alzheimer’s patient, is cared for, he, as Jesus, will have nothing to will. There may be a hammer, a saw, a level, a square, or a plumb line – the tools of his trade; or other momentos here and tokens of remembrance there. But as the world gives, Dad cannot give.

And yet he left a legacy of plenty. He leaves his family richly blessed with the same legacy of peace that Jesus left his disciples. Dad began offering this inheritance from our youth up. It is a gift that keeps on giving and is ours to accept or reject. Also!

When Pat and I started to school and Jan and Jim were still waddling around in diapers, Dad made what came to be a momentous decision – a decision for life that profoundly affected him and his family. February 1943 Dad confessed Jesus as Christ, was baptized for remission of sins, and was added to the church of his Lord. And, to him, this was no ritualistic, ceremonial, “join a church” ordinance. It was serious business – a total commitment to Christ, to the life and purity of Christ; a resolution to follow the Scriptures in all things. It was a genuine conversion, a transformation, a metamorphosis. To miss this fact is to miss the essence of Loyd Stauffer.

Legacy of Faith

Out of this commitment came to his children a legacy of faith. I still recall how immediately he began assembling the entire family before the old coal stove to read the Bible, learn a Bible story or lesson, and bow, each one of us separately, the knee to God in prayer. He taught us that God is and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him. He impressed us with the truth that Jesus was no mere man – but God’s only begotten Son. He instructed us that right and wrong, whether in morals, ethics, or religious truth, are measured by the Bible.

Legacy of a Good Name

And out of that faith developed an honorable name based on a life of honesty and goodness in the community. If his name and reputation were ever sullied by an evil deed, I never knew it. And, believe me, I was often reminded of that good name. When I would tread on forbidden ground -Harry Carnes’ Pool Hall – to play a game of eight-ball or rotation for a dime a game, some of the oldtimers would invariably ask: “What if Loyd could see you now?” When I told an off-color joke or used unbecoming language, someone let me know that Loyd would never countenance such behavior in his kids. His legacy of a “good” and “honored” name is “rather to be chosen than great riches” (Prov. 22:1).

Legacy of a Husband’s Love

Dad also took seriously the Lord’s teaching to “love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church ” and to “love (your) own wives as (your) own bodies” (Eph. 5:25,28). Dad was a kind and gentle man who never in my 18 years at home laid one finger on Mom in anger. I never heard him abuse her with harsh words or ugly threats. Can you believe I remember at no time the two of them having a rancorous or heated argument? And he did not believe in “nights out with the guys.” He always came directly home from work and stayed there with the family. I still remember my anger when he refused to attend one of my basketball games because Mom was not able to go. They were inseparable, except for the few times one of them was hospitalized. He, as the Bible teaches, willingly gave up his right to independence when he married and willed to his offspring the example of a husband who gave himself totally and unselfishly to the needs of his wife.

Legacy of Faithfulness in the Church

Dad, finally, was a strong believer in the church – the need in life for a body of people who assemble for spiritual and divine purposes. We owned no automobile during my school days and lived several miles from a place of assembly. But he would always hitch a ride for the entire family. After Grandpa died in 195 1, Dad had access to his old green Ford and I dare says we never missed gathering with the saints on a Sunday or a Wednesday. I still remember Dad walking seven miles to attend a gospel meeting when no ride was available. He bequeathed to us the importance of the church for which his Savior died.

Dad, to be sure, had faults. He had his warts and blemishes and spiritual scars. I wouldn’t leave the impression that he totally measured up to the Carpenter from Galilee or that he could walk on water. But he was a man of integrity, of honor, of uprightness – who believed in and loved God with all his heart, who devoted himself to his family, and who committed himself to righteousness in all aspects of life. And as blind as I am to his faults and as biased as this tribute to him may be, I know he couldn’t walk on water- but I some how believe that had he tried he would not have sunk very deep. Thanks, Dad, for the legacy!

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 15, pp. 451-452
August 2, 1990