Truth Magazine

By Dennis C. Abernathy

Rescue the Perishing was written by Fanny J. Crosby. She was the famous blind American poetess. She was known as the queen of gospel song writers, although she did not begin to write gospel songs until she was forty-four years old. By the time she died at age ninety-five, she had written thousands of hymns.

Fanny Crosby was only six weeks old when an incorrect poultice was placed on her eyes and she became permanently blind. When she was eight years old, she made a decision that would affect her entire life. Of this decision she wrote:

Oh, what a happy soul am I

I am resolved that in this world

Contented I will be.

How many blessings I enjoy

That other people don’t.

To weep and sigh because I’m blind

I cannot, and I won’t.

Fanny J. Crosby said that she did not ask God to make her smart, or make a wonderful man fall in love with her, or help her become rich or popular or famous, or for all the clothes she could want, as if it could repay her for being blind. She did not even ask for a special task, but she did ask God for “a way to serve him the best way she could.” She did not consider this too much to ask. Doors were opened to her as she was able to attend a fine college for the blind. She met and married a fine man, and was loved so much as a song writer that, on one occasion, she was invited to Washington D.C. and addressed the Congress of the United States. They gave her a standing ovation. Fanny Crosby wrote many songs and at the age of forty-four someone suggested that she write sacred songs and hymns.

“Rescue the Perishing “

This seemed to be the turning point in her life as she wrote many of the now famous hymns of praise. She wrote over 8,000 hymns and songs in her life span of ninety-five years. Some of her songs and hymns are:

“All the Way My Savior Leads Me” – “Blessed Assurance” – “I Am Thine, O Lord” – “Jesus Is Tenderly Calling” – “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross” – “Praise Him, Praise Him” – “Tis the Blessed Hour of Prayer” – “Near the Cross” – “He Hideth My Soul” – “Redeemed” – “Tell Me the Story of Jesus” – “Jesus Will Give You Rest” – “Though Your Sins Be As Scarlet” – “Will Jesus Find Us Watching?”

These are great accomplishments for one who asked only to serve! Rescue the Perishing was written in 1869 after an experience in a New York Mission. In a speech one night to New York’s derelicts, Mrs. Cosby said, “There may be someone present that must be rescued this very night or not at all.” An 18 year old boy spoke up and said, “Do you mean me?” They worked with that young boy and helped him to turn his life around.

Fanny J. Crosby, in telling the story of the writing of this song said that a few days before this incident, W.H. Doane had sent her a theme for a song entitled “Rescue the Perishing.” The theme was based on Luke 14:23. She said, “While sitting in that Mission house that evening, the line, ‘rescue the perishing and care for the dying,’ came to me. After that, I could think of nothing else that night. After I arrived home, I went to work on the song and finished the lyrics before retiring for the evening.” The song was published in 1870.

We Must Rescue the Perishing

Paul said, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:3-4).

The word “rescue” means “to free or save from danger, imprisonment, evil, etc.” Some synonyms of this word are “deliver, redeem, ransom, and save.”

Rescue the perishing, Care for the dying,

Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave.

Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,

Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.

We must reach out and rescue those who are perishing and dying in sin! Many are drowning in the sea of iniquity. They are in desperate need of the gospel lifeline. Will you throw it to them? Jesus said: “I tell you nay, but, except ye repent, ye shall all like wise perish” (Lk 13:3). The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek. 18:20).

We must rescue the perishing because it is not the Lord’s desire that a single soul perish in sin (Ezek. 33:11). Peter said, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

We show how much we care for those dying in sin by snatching them in pity from sin and the grave. Jude 23 says: “And others save with fear, snatching them out of the fire.’.’ So, we must rescue the perishing because we fear they will be eternally lost (2 Thess. 1:7-10f). It is imperative that we try to snatch them out of the fires of hell! We should want to do this because we pity them or have compassion on them.

If we were cooking a steak and it fell in the fire we would pull it out. We would even pull a hamburger out of the fire wouldn’t we? We would not pass by a burning house and fail to heed the pleas of those who were trapped inside. How then, can be be so calloused and fail to snatch men in pity from sin and its terrible consequences?

Involved in rescuing the perishing is “weeping o’re the erring one. ” When men sin they err. They miss the mark. They step over God’s line or limit. That is the literal meaning of the word “sin” as found in 1 John 3:4. Read this verse in the various translations and it will be enlightening to you.

How often do we weep over a lost and dying world? What about some individual, friend or loved one? Does it really bother you? I am afraid that we shed few tears because we are not totally convinced that the world is really lost. We just do not see clearly the lostness of this world. Perhaps we do not understand the exceeding sinfulness of sin!

Paul wept for the lost (Phil. 3:18-19). Jesus had compassion and showed it with tears (Matt. 9:36-37; Lk. 19:41-44). We’ll not be successful in rescuing the perishing without compassion and tears. The Psalmist said, “They that sow in tears will reap with joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with joy, bringing in his sheaves with him” (Psa. 126:5-6).

Also involved in rescuing the perishing is “lifting up the fallen. Many have fallen under life’s crushing loads. We ought to help bear these burdens (Gal. 6:2,10). Many have fallen prey to temptation and have been overcome. These erring brethren need to be restored (Gal. 6:1). Many have become discouraged and have fallen. We must be ready to lift up the hands that hang down and give strength to the feeble knees (Heb. 12:12). Many brethren have, through the deceit of sin, wandered from the truth, but we ought to do our best to turn them around and bring them back (Jas. 5:19-20).

We can rescue the perishing and lift up the fallen, by telling them of Jesus’ the mighty to save. Our Lord is all-powerful. He can reach down and pull us out of the muck and mire of sin. He can help us overcome temptation. He can lighten the crushing loads of life. He can give us sweet rest and peace. Therefore, the Christian can say: “I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13).

Yes, the Lord is mighty to save, and “therefore he is able to save completely (to the uttermost), those who come to God, through him” (Heb. 7:25).

From the second verse of this song we learn, that though men slight Christ, he still patiently pleads and waits.

Tho’ they are slighting Him, still He is waiting,

Waiting the wandering child gone astray.

Plead with them earnestly; Plead with them gently:

He will forgive if they trust and obey.

John says, “He came to his own and his own received him not” (Jn. 1:11). In John 5:40, Jesus said, “Ye will not come unto me, that ye might have life.” The marvel of marvels and wonder of wonders is the fact that Christ still reaches out his nail-scarred hands to those who have knowingly and willingly rejected him! Can you explain it?

The parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15, teaches us that the Lord stands waiting and willing to receive us, if we will but come to him. That son came back with a penitent heart and his father threw his arms around him and eagerly received him home. Though the son only wanted to be received as a servant, his father received him as full-fledged son! What about you my friend? Are you rejecting the Lord?

In rescuing the perishing, we must plead earnestly and gently. To plead earnestly is to compel by use of persuasion and entreaty. In Luke 14:23, the Lord told his servants to “compel them to come into his house.” Paul said, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade (compel, or entreat) men” (2 Cor. 5:11).

But, our pleading and persuading must be done gently. We must “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). Yes, our preaching is to be with firmness and conviction, yet we must be longsuffering (2 Tim. 4:2). Christians who have gone astray in error, or have been overtaken in a fault, need to be restored, but, it must be in the spirit of meekness and gentleness (Gal. 6:1).

Dear friend, please remember one thing though. Whether you are saint or sinner, you must trust and obey the Lord. Christ cannot and he will not forgive those who will not trust and obey him. But at the same time, he is “the author of eternal salvation to all that obey him” (Heb. 5:9).

From the third verse of this song we learn that we must come to grips with the fact that Satan wants to crush and destroy our hearts.

Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter,

Feelings lie buried that grace can restore.

Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,

Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.

Satan would blot out the truth of heaven’s interest in a lost world, from the pages of inspiration. He would wrest from humanity the last vestige of hope. He would do away with the marvelous plan of salvation, so that the vultures of despair would build their nests in our hearts. “Despiseth thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Rom. 2:4) Satan wanted to crush Peter’s heart. Jesus told Peter that Satan wished to have him that he may sift him as wheat (Lk. 22:31). Remember Job? Satan tried the same thing with him.

Satan seeks to bury feelings like love, joy, happiness, peace and zeal. Sin will indeed bury such feelings. But thank God, grace can restore them! God’s favor, his great love, goodness and kindness, can take those dying embers in the heart and stir them into a flame again. God can do that because he offers to us what we truly need instead of what we really deserve.

The grace of God can work through Christians when we show love and kindness towards those who are perishing. The noble poet, James Whitcomb Riley, aptly said:

When over the fair frame of friend or foe,

The shadow of disgrace shall fall, instead

Of words of blame, or proof of so and so,

Let something good be said.

Forget not that no fellow human being yet,

May fall so low but that love may lift its head;

Even when the cheek of shame with tears is wet,

If something good be said.

No generous heart may vainly turn aside

In ways of sympathy; no soul so dead

But may awaken strong and glorified,

If something good be said.

And so I charge ye, by the thorny crown,

And by the cross on which the Savior bled,

And by your own soul’s hope of fair renown,

Let something good be said.

If we will treat those who are perishing in sin, be they alien sinners or erring brethren, in this fashion, chords once broken may vibrate again. What a wonderful thing it is to behold one, once steeped in sin and iniquity, as he rises to new heights and begins to live again, yes, truly live again!

From the last verse of this song, it is suggested what the Bible so clearly teaches, and that is, that it is our duty to rescue the perishing.

Rescue the perishing, Duty demands it;

Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide.

Back to the narrow way, patiently win them

Tell the poor wanderer, a Savior has died.

Isn’t that what Christ told us to do (Matt. 28:19; Mk. 16:15)? Yes, the Great Commission tells us to rescue the perishing. We are to labor and God will take care of the rest, and we ought to let him (1 Cor. 3:5-8).

In rescuing the perishing, we must lead them to the narrow way (Matt. 7:13-14). It will do little good to try to effect the rescue of the perishing, if we do not lead them to the right place.

We must patiently win them. Winning souls is not something you can do in a hurry. It takes time. We live in the age of “instant” this and “instant” that, but soul winning is not one of them. Very few things that are worth while are done in a brief span of time. We must be a people who will continue patiently in well doing (Gal. 6:9). As a result we will receive glory, honor, immortality, and eternal life (Rom. 2:7). Teaching and turning people from sin to the Lord, requires much patience. Don’t become discouraged and give up.

Finally, in rescuing the perishing, we must tell them that a Savior has died. That involves preaching the gospel to them (1 Cor. 15:1-4). This is what Philip did for the Ethiopian. “Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture, and told him the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:35). Without the dying Savior, there is no rescue and we all would perish. We must tell about the Christ and his shed blood in our behalf.

Are you perishing? Are you drowning in your own sins and iniquities? I plead with you right now, to reach out and grab hold of Christ and his gospel. Obey him today by faith, repentance, confessing him as God’s Son, and being baptized in water, for the remission of your sins (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 8:37; Acts 2:38). Are you a Christian? Are you perishing again, after you were once rescued? You need to repent and confess your sins (1 Jn. 1:7-9).

Brethren, do you feel any obligation to rescue the perishing? When you see those who are not Christians, do you see them as perishing in sin? Do you pray for them? How many who perish in sin now, would be led to the Lord, if all were like you? Have you been praying to God that he will find a way to use you to rescue the perishing, and have you, yourself, sought such opportunities?

Lead me to some soul today,

Oh, teach me, Lord, just what to say;

Friends of mine are lost in sin,

And cannot find their way.

Few there are who seem to care,

And few there are who pray;

Melt my heart and fill my life,

Give me one soul today.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV; 9, pp. 274-276
May 3, 1990

By Ron Halbrook

The following question came in the mail, “Why are there so many denominations?” Diverse religions, churches, and doctrines did not come from Jesus Christ. He promised, “I will build my church,” referring to God’s plan to save sinners. This salvation comes through Jesus of Nazareth, “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16-18), When Jesus died in order that men might have “the remission of sins,” he “purchased with his own blood” the church (Matt. 26:28; Acts 20:28). Those who are saved in the church are like a body with Jesus the Savior as the head. “There is one body,” and Christ is “head over all things to the church, which is his body” (Eph. 1:22-23; 4:4).

The Apostles of Christ preached the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus as the only hope of mankind for salvation. Sinners were told, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,” and, “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 2:38; 22:16). “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved,” and the body of the saved “continued steadfastly” in the teaching of the Apostles and in the pattern God gave for the true church of Christ (Acts 2:42,47).

Christ prayed that his people would continue to be united upon the basis of the teaching he gave through the Apostles. He severely rebuked some who were drifting toward division and commanded them to “all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you” (Jn. 17:17-21; 1 Cor. 1:10-13). Paul warned that the problem of division would grow. False teachers would bring new doctrines and start different churches. Some elders, preachers, and other Christians would want to revise the original teaching of the Lord and would change the church to suit themselves (Acts 20:29-30; 1 Tim. 3:1-5; 2 Tim. 4:1-5).

A series of revisions and changes resulted in Boniface III assuming the title “universal bishop” in 606 A.D. in the gradual formation of the Roman Catholic Church with its many new doctrines and practices. In 1054 a formal division occurred between the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches. Dissatisfaction with the monolithic power, political corruption, and superstitious doctrines of medieval Catholicism led to the creation of several new churches with different creeds and separate organizations. These bodies included the Lutheran Church, which began in Germany (1520); the Anglican Church in Great Britain (1534); and the Reformed and Presbyterian movements in Switzerland (1536). The Congregational Church began in England (1550), the Baptist in Holland (1607), and the Methodist also in England (1739).

All the above churches were to be planted in America and many new groups have appeared here throughout American history, including the Mormons (1830), the Adventists (1830), Christian Scientists (1866), and Jehovah’s Witnesses (1872). In addition a wide range of holiness, pentecostal, and charismatic sects and denominations have appeared.

In short, there are so many denominations because people have left the original teaching of Jesus Christ and formed so many new, different, and diverse doctrines. In the early 1800s many people who were identified with various denominations began to realize that they needed to get back to the Bible pattern of teaching on the plan of salvation, on the church, and on all things. In one community after another, such people met together with a willingness to give up denominational names and doctrines in order to wear only the name of Christ and to follow only the original teaching of Christ. The result has been the restoration of true churches of Christ (Rom. 16:16).

Jesus established his church for the salvation of the world, but he did not build the many diverse denominations which exist today. Are you a member of the church that Jesus built and about which you can read in the Bible, or are you a member of a church which some man built and about which you cannot read in the Bible? Some people have never thought about such a question as that, but multitudes have thought about it. If you are disappointed and disgusted with modern denominational bodies, you might be interested in knowing that you are not alone. If you are thinking about “dropping out,” you are not alone.

Why So Many Leave Denominationalism

Many people continue to leave man-made churches, doctrines, and religions. Some of those people have despaired of ever finding the truth of God and have become agnostics or atheists. Others have floated from one denomination to another in a vain search for truth, or else have given up on all churches and stayed at home reading the Bible in search of God’s will. Some who have left denominationalism have left because they have found the truth of the Son of God, of his gospel, and of his church. Most of these souls never look back to the darkness, confusion, uncertainty, and error they left behind. The precepts and practices of various denominations which have driven people out in search of the truth include the following:

1. Physical and emotional displays not found in the Bible. Gospel preaching and worship assemblies in the New Testament never involved jumping, running, shouting, jibber-jabber, spinning around, and fainting. In the days of Christ and the Apostles, intelligent words of truth were spoken in love (Rom. 10:17; Eph. 4:15). Christians assembled to sing, pray, and study God’s Word. All things were “done unto edifying,” “decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:26,40). Honest souls are seeking orderly and scriptural worship today.

2. Constant appeals for money. Early Christians were taught to give as they prospered each “first day of the week” for the work of the church (1 Cor. 16:1-2). They met on other days to study and pray at times but did not take up a collection on such occasions. The tithing of the Old Testament was not required in the New, but the rule was this, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give” (2 Cor. 9:7). A tithe means ten percent. Some gave more, some less, according to their ability, but all gave on the Lord’s day. There were no special “clubs” for big givers, no “purpose cards,” and no extra appeals by mail. These carnal devices along with sales and raffles drive many an humble soul out of false religions in search of the truth.

3. Lack of Bible preaching. The content of New Testament preaching was the inspired Word of God. Paul stayed at Corinth “a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them,” and then Apollos preached there with great power, “showing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ” (Acts 18:11,28). Faithful preachers urged people to search “the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). Most modern preaching is theatrical and entertaining, with little food for the soul. A brief text of Scripture may be used as a pretext to ramble in all directions, to offer social and political commentary, and to offer all sorts of human philosophies and human doctrines. Men and women starved for Bible preaching have left denominationalism.

4. Sprinkling and pouring. Many people who had water sprinkled or poured on them have learned that Bible baptism was immersion. Bible baptism required “much water” because the baptizer and the one to be baptized walked “down both into the water” for the purpose of immersion (Jn. 3:23; Acts 8:38). Baptism was a burial in water and a rising from water (Rom. 6:34; Col. 2:12). Many people have renounced denominationalism in order to be scripturally baptized.

5. Lord’s supper not served every Sunday. The Apostles of Christ taught his people to gather “upon the first day of the week” to commemorate his death by sharing the Lord’s Supper, and also to give financially for the work of his church (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2). Most denominations take the collection every Sunday without fail but omit the Lord’s Supper except on a few special occasions. Anyone who sees blatant inconsistencies in churches started by men may begin searching for the church started by Christ.

6. Faith only. Denominationalism generally teaches that our sins are washed away the moment we believe in Jesus. Many people are surprised to read, “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only . . . so faith without works is dead” (Jas. 2:24,26). We are not saved by faith only or by obedience only, but Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mk. 16:16). “Baptism doth also now save us” (1 Pet. 3:21). Hundreds and thousands leave man-made religions in order to obey God’s plan of salvation in its fulness.

7. Human creeds, doctrines, catechisms, manuals, disciplines, and pretended new revelations. Denominationalism is plagued, cursed, and confused by numerous and conflicting standards of authority for their preaching and practice. The Bible, and the Bible only, is “the faith which was once delivered to the saints.” The Bible alone contains “all things that pertain unto life and godliness,” and thoroughly equips “the man of God . . . unto all good works” (Jude 3; 2 Pet. 1:3; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). The words of our Lord are truly spiritual and lead to eternal life, but the doctrines and commandments of men are carnal, divisive, empty, and destructive to the soul (Jn. 6:63; Matt. 15:8-9). No wonder so many honest hearts despair of finding salvation in human systems and begin to seek for the true teaching of Christ.

8. Denominational names. People who once were proud to wear denominational names – Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Holiness, Pentecostal, Mormon, Adventist, Jehovah’s Witness, etc. – are learning that Christ never taught his followers to wear such names. Rather, he taught them to wear his own name as their only mark of identity. “And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26). They were not ashamed of this name and were strictly forbidden to wear names created by men (1 Pet. 4:14,16; 1 Cor. 1:10-13). Multitudes have repudiated man-made names in order to be Christians only, nothing more and nothing less.

9. Church social and recreational activities. Christ gave his church the work of spreading the gospel to the lost, edifying saints as they assemble to worship God, and meeting the needs of destitute saints (1 Thess. 1:8; Acts 2:42; 1 Tim. 5:16). From ancient times, false religions appealed to man’s carnal appetites by enticing people with meals, parties, sports, dancing, and all sorts of festivities (Exod. 32:6,18; 1 Cor. 10:7). The denominations of our day try to outdo each other in offering suppers, banquets, parties, celebrations, carnivals, contests, awards, prizes, sports activities, gymnasiums, and social services. After all the food, fun, and frolic, souls are still starving for the truth of the gospel of Christ. God blesses people who “hunger and thirst after righteousness” by delivering them from the spiritual famine which plagues denominationalism (Matt. 5:6; Col. 1:13).

10. Human organizations tied to the church. Denominationalism is staggering and sinking into a quagmire under the weight of human headquarters, societies, bureaus, conventions, boards, colleges, summer camps, publishing houses, child care agencies, retirement centers, convalescence homes, hospitals, and other human institutions tied to the church. God made the local church with its elders and deacons allsufficient to do its own work without building and maintaining man-made organizations (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3; Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1-5). Many precious souls have learned to serve Christ in his church without entangling alliances with sectarian institutions

The decay of denominationalism is helping more and more people to see that the church of Christ is not just another denomination. It is no denomination at all but is an alternative to denominationalism. It is the original church revealed in the Bible.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV 9, pp. 272-273, 280
May 3, 1990

By Hal Snyder

Over the years people have identified three kinds of teachers, each of which are remembered (or forgotten) for different reasons.

– There are teachers who are never remembered because they influence their students so very little.

– There are teachers who are never forgiven (unless it’s after they’ve passed away) due to their harshness and failure to communicate concern.

– There are teachers who are never forgotten because of their care and effectiveness in helping their students grow.

The story is told of James Michner, the author, who once declined an invitation from President Eisenhower for dinner at the White House because it was scheduled for the same evening that Michner’s high school teacher was being honored. It seems that the author would not be missed at the White House, but he would be dearly missed by his teacher, to whom he owed such a debt.

There are several qualities we must possess if we are to be effective teachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

1. Effective teachers must know God and his Son, Jesus. “This is eternal life, that they might know the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (Jn. 17:3). Many of us have not had a new thought about God since we were children. An effective teacher evaluates his concepts of and about God constantly (to be sure they are both complete and accurate).

2. Effective teachers must know the message they desire to communicate. A farmer once remarked, “You can’t no more teach whatcha don’t know than you can come back from where yah ain’t been! ” Unfortunately some people have developed the concept that one must be suspicious of an “educated” preacher, as if he is not “called by God” and cannot be trusted. This presumes the claim of continued guidance and revelation, neither of which arrangement is Bible taught (Gal. 1:8; 2 Jn. 9-10). It is imperative that the teacher of the gospel be properly prepared (Eph. 6:15), which preparation is gained through diligent study (2 Tim. 2:15).

3. Effective teachers must know the mission and the true nature of the church. The church is the “body of Christ” (Col. 1:18). Its mission is the same as was Christ’s when he walked this earth. Notice that Christ evangelized saint and sinner alike (Lk. 19:10); and stressed edification (strengthening the saved, Luke 22:32), individual responsibility in benevolence matters (Matt. 25:34-46), and worship and devotion to God (Lk. 4:16-21; Jn. 4:23-24). Our mission is to do the same and to give the world the opportunity to be Christians only. We do not need to restore the Restoration, so much as we need to restore the church of the New Testament. Understand that most religious groups teach and practice some truth. The primary difference between the denominations and the churches of Christ is that we seek to practice all of the truth at the same time. Knowing this difference and communicating this difference well is what makes a teacher effective.

4. Effective teachers must know human nature. The parable of the sower describes four different kinds of soil: wayside, rocky, thorny, and good (Matt. 13:3-8). Even the good soil was varied, some bringing forth 100, 60, and 30 fold (Matt. 13:23). People have varying temperaments and God recognizes this (Rom. 12:18). We are asked to give some thought as to how to answer everyone (Col. 4:6) and to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). The content of our message will be more readily received if it is accompanied by love, tact, respect, and sincerity, especially if we arc recognized as having integrity. The Roman poet Cicero once remarked that an orator was “a good man speaking well.”

Conscientious Christians often excuse themselves from teaching because they feel unworthy and inadequate to attempt such a serious task (presumably because the consequences of eternity, are so far reaching). It should be stressed, however, that ones who have the talent and opportunity (Matt. 25:15-30) will be held responsible for the failure to teach (Jas. 4:17; 2 Cor. 5: 10), even as one must answer for a defective effort at teaching (Rom. 14:12).

Our Lord depends upon the preaching and teaching of his word for the furtherance his kingdom (Matt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15-16; Acts 20:20). If we fail, he has made no other provisions.

Guardian of Truth XXXIV; 9, p. 271
May 3, 1990

By Steve Wolfgang

Footnote” Stephen D. Eckstein, History of the Churches of Christ in Texas (Austin: Firm Foundation Publishing House, 1963), pp. 92-93.

In History of Churches of Christ in Texas, S.D. Eckstein, Jr. gives a brief account of affairs in Longview. We regard this as a tribute to brother John T. Poe, pioneer preacher.

“On June 7, 1875, twenty members dedicated the new edifice. During the next decade, the church grew rapidly until the organ question arose.

“Although the congregation did not use instrumental music in its services in 1884, some members indicated their sentiment for an organ by circulating the following advertisement: ‘A magic lantern entertainment for the benefit of the Episcopal Church will be given in the Christian Church – Admission 250, children half price – proceeds to be applied toward purchasing a new organ for the Episcopal Church.’

“Immediately, minister Poe denounced the advertisement as an endeavor to ‘court favor with all the Babylonish sects,’ and cried for an Elijah who might give ‘thus saith the Lord.’ In spite of the resulting controversy, the church increased to about seventy by 1899. However, when L.A. Dale introduced the organ into the church in January, 1895, the inevitable division occurred. The twenty-five anti-organ members, who withdrew under Poe’s leadership, termed the majority ‘heretics and schismatics.’

“Even though the minority group reorganized within a week, the discouraged Poe soon moved away. When he returned in February, 1900, he found only a few still opposed to the organ. Evidencing great tenacity, he gathered seven anti-organ disciples who worshiped together for a year without receiving any additions.

“When the first convert was added in March 1901, Poe exclaimed, ‘Praise the Lord!’ Within six months, the church numbered nineteen staunch members” (pp. 92-93).

It is not difficult to “read between the lines” here, for a human-interest story, oft-repeated today.

(1) A church divided (though they still meet together) with liberal fun-and-popularity-loving members, and staunch conservatives.

(2) The preacher’s denunciation of the “magic lantern” trick; with his appeal for scriptural authority.

(3) Appeal ignored, organ introduced with majority backing.

(4) Minority thus forced out of the building, for conscience’s sake.

(5) Charges and counter-charges, and – no doubt many hard feelings.

(6) The “anti’s” reorganizing, but experiencing early discouragement and losing members. (Personal feelings do not make for loyal Christians.)

(7) After long, hard struggle, the “faithful few” begin to move forward once more.”

It may be interesting to ask yourself: “If I had been there would I have stayed with that small group of so-called ‘anti’s’ and contended for a ‘thus saith he Lord’?”

Don’t kid yourself. Take a look at how you stand today.

– Robert F. Turner (from Plain Talk, September 1965)

Guardian of Truth XXXIV: 8, p. 245
April 19, 1990