Truth Magazine

By Tony Ripley

Do you remember some years back when your dad took you to town to run some errands? “Oh, yeah! You could use a haircut,” he replied. Remember walking down the sidewalk? You could see that candy stripe pole for two blocks or more. And upon your arrival, you found an old tattered sign hanging by a string on a glass door, “Gone Fishin’.” Mixed emotions I guess. I don’t have to get a haircut, but I don’t get a sucker either!

There are many erring souls today who have become disinterested and have fallen away from the fold. Too many have hung out their sign, “Gone Fishin’.” I wish they really knew how much their absence hurts their brothers and sisters in Christ and how it really affects their friends and family. I wish they would notice all the tears shed on their behalf because of negligence of their spiritual duties.

I often hear excuses of “why I can’t attend.” I suppose that the oldest phrase of all time is, “There are hypocrites in that church.” Sadly enough, this is sometimes true, but the most important fact is always overlooked. The church of our Lord is perfect. He shed his blood for it, established it, and there is no greater founder than Jesus himself. On the other hand, the body of Christ is filled with imperfect people. The one pointing his finger at the hypocrites would do well to examine “self.” There are two sides to a hypocrite. One may be in the assembly and the other is out, pointing his finger. There are so many different excuses used by those who have fallen away. But by looking into the “perfect law of liberty” (Jas. 1:25), one may examine “self” and put away all excuses.

Take time to read 1 Thessalonians 5:11-14. Gathering with the saints is for edification, instruction, building up. How can we build each other up if we are too tied up in the world’s activities to be responsible enough to care for our spiritual needs? The clue is to set our minds on heaven. Just think! Every pain will be gone, every problem relieved, every burden lifted. How wonderful to stand around the throne singing praises to God with all the saints of old. What a glorious life! It’s a wonderful gift now that we can meet with the saints on the Lord’s day, Wednesday Bible study, gospel meetings, or any other gathering of God’s people. Notice, “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way or righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them” (2 Pet. 2:20-21).

There are those who would never miss a Jaycee’s meeting, P.T.A., children’s activities, etc. Some would neglect their duty for a mere T.V. program. And of course there are those ever popular friends of the world who would just as soon miss services and do anything but attend. So many times we hear statements such as, “I’ve been busy lately” and that “Oldy but Good,” “Nowhere in the Bible does it say that I have to attend every service.” These replies I suppose are to finalize the conversation. But when honesty exposes itself and the truth is known, all statements such as these are simply glass houses to hide in. Of course it would not be fitting to proceed without mentioning something about those brethren that have withdrawn themselves from the Lord’s church all together. I guess the author of the Hebrew letter pretty well “hit the nail on the head” when he expressed his thoughts about those rejecting God. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day aproaching” (Heb. 10:25).

I realize that there are many more phrases in which we might explore such as, “I don’t fit in” or “I’m way out of my league,” just to name a few. But brethren, our task in life is not to live up to our neighbor’s expectations nor is it to stand on top the mountain tops as some do today. There’s an old Chinese proverb that says, “He who stands on a pedestal, has nowhere to step but off.” We as Christians must humble ourselves individually, meet with the saints to build each other up, and share with each other the joy of hope for a glorious eternal home. It’s much easier if we do our job and let God do his.

The simple truth is that those which are erring are loved very dearly by all. The “Gone Fishin'” sign hurts so many people. Why not set it aside and hang another in its place? “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15).

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 4, p. 106
February 16, 1989

By Tim Mize

Like it or not, we are all emotional creatures. The Bible shows us that God is an emotional God, and that he made man an emotional creature. This being the case, we ought not despise our emotional nature. Our emotions are not evil in and of themselves. However, just like every other good gift which comes from above, they can be well-used or misused.

Loving God and Hating Evil

Emotions are very hard to describe with words; truly, they are easier felt than told. Emotions are inward feelings which can stired up by various circumstances and which can motivate us into all sorts of behavior. They have often been associated with the heart, perhaps because it is around this organ that they are most strongly felt to press themselves. Our emotions, though, are better associated with the mind, the rational part of man. It is with our minds that we evaluate things as being true or false, right or wrong, beautiful or ugly, and it is in this activity that our emotions manifest themselves. For not only can we know what is true, we can love what is true, and hate what is false. Not only do we see that something is beautiful, we also find joy in what is beautiful, and disgust in what is ugly.

The Scriptures commend this function of our emotions. They encourage us to develop feelings of love toward what is good, and disgust toward what is evil. First, they show us that God has such feelings. Wickedness is an abomination to him. When he sees it, it disgusts him. On the other hand, “he loveth him that followeth after righteousness” (Prov. 15:9; see also 3:32; 6:16ff; 11:1,20; 12:22; 15:26; 16:5). Second they show us that he expects us to have the same feelings. The godly person not only recognizes what is right and true, he also loves what is right and true, and hates every false way (see Psa. 119:103-104, 127-128; Rom. 12:9b). Along with this goes an emotion that God cannot feel: shame. Once we recognize our own behavior as being wrong, feelings of disgust and shame should then arise.

These emotions are important because they motivate us. Though the lusts of the flesh may strongly move us to do evil, God has given us emotions that can strongly move us to do right. It is the painful emotion of shame, the “godly sorrow,” that moves us to repentance (2 Cor. 7:8-11), as does the terror that is generated by a knowledge of the judgment to come (2 Cor. 5: 10-11). It was the zeal for what is right that moved our Lord to cast out the moneychangers in Jerusalem (Jn. 2:13-17). And it was when Paul’s dispirit was stirred in him” that he was moved to do the work given for him to do at Athens (Acts 17:16ff). It is this moving power which makes our emotions so valuable a gift.

This gift is well-used when we love what is good, and hate what is evil, but it is misused and despised when our emotions become perverted and misdirected. The deadliest “heart disease” is the calloused heart, the heart that no longer hates the evil and loves the good. Such a person will be ruled entirely by his own lust and pride (Eph. 4:17-19). Jeremiah lamented over Judah, “Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush” (Jer. 6:10,15). How well his words describe the world in which we now live! Our world has forgotten how to blush at filthy talk, lasciviousness, extramarital sex, adultery, dishonesty and covetousness. But may Jeremiah’s words never describe a man of God. Whether we see sin in others or see it in ourselves, when we become so desensitized towards sin that our heart is not stirred, we are in great danger.

When I was in the first grade, there was a little girl in the back of the room who was pulling up her shirt and showing her belly and causing the kids around her to giggle. The teacher didn’t laugh, though. She made the girl stand at the front of the room and hold her shirt up so that everyone could see her belly. Funny, no one laughed then. We all felt the shame that should have been felt when she first did the deed. The fact is, if we forget how to blush at sin, God will eventually remind us how. At the judgment seat of Christ all who had forgotten will learn again to be ashamed of sin. As the Lord said to apathetic Judah, “Therefore will I uncover thy skirts upon thy face, and thy shame shall appear” (Jer. 13:26). But then it will be too late for shame to do any good.

Emotion Is Ruled By Reason

Another way that emotions are commonly misused is to allow the emotions to rule the reason, instead of the other way around. How many times have you heard someone say, “I feel this is true,” instead of, “I think this is true”? But our feelings are not given to supplant reason. Our feelings are designed to cooperate with what the mind already understands to be right. To let your feelings guide you to what is right is to ask emotions to do something which is simply not within them to do. The Scriptures do not say, “what you love is right.” They say “love what is right.”

And yet, some people act as if their emotions and vague impressions are a direct telephone wire from God himself. It is common to hear religious people insist that their feelings and impressions are God’s way of communicating to them personally through the Holy Spirit. A strong feeling pressing them in one direction amounts to a command of God as far as they are concerned. As Debbie Boone expressed it, “It can’t be wrong when it feels so right. ” But where is the Scripture? Where does the Bible show us that God ever manifest his will through our feelings? In every scriptural example of God revealing his will to an individual, if it shows how he did it, it shows that he did so by means of unmistakable spoken words. For example, when Paul was called to be an apostle (1 Cor. 1:1), it was through God’s will being spoken plainly and clearly through his prophet Ananias (Acts 22:14-15), not by means of the Holy Spirit pressing his feelings in that direction (cf. also Acts 5:19; 8:26,29; 9:4-6; 10:3-6; 10:916; 12:7-8; 16:6-10; 18:9-10; 21:11; 26:15-18; 27:21-25).

Emotions alone are not a reliable guide to truth. They could just as well be caused by the Devil as by the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 10:14). For this reason we must rely on the Scriptures to guide us, not our feelings. Only then can we be certain that we are being “led of the Spirit of God” (Rom. 8:14).

Conclusion

This article was not meant to be comprehensive on the subject of emotions, but was meant to remind us of the importance of using them well. We all need to understand the purpose and place of emotions, and then work to develop healthy emotions in ourselves and in our children.

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 4, pp. 105, 120
February 16, 1989

By R.J. Evans

W.E. Vine defines “patience” as “an abiding under.” Thus, patience can be thought of as “uncomplaining endurance.” We are told by the inspired apostle Peter to “add . . . to temperance patience” (2 Pet. 1:6). This grace must be added to our lives if we are going to be successful in living the Christian life. But by so doing, much effort and diligence on our part is required. The so-called patience of some can best be illustrated by the one who prayed: “Lord, give me patience and give it to me right now!”

Patience is needed in every phase and aspect of life. It is needed in youth where there is a tendency to be overly zealous and eager; it is needed in adulthood when it is so easy to lose control of the temper; and it is also essential during old age when periods of gloom can be so prevalent. The Bible has much to say about patience. But in this article we shall focus our attention primarily on situations wherein patience is needed. They are as follows:

In Well Doing

“To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life” (Rom. 2:7). This verse emphasizes the fact that we must continue on or persevere in good works if we are going to be saved in the end. The idea of being patient in well doing is also expressed in Galatians 6:9: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Much opposition will be encountered when we do good, but we must “keep on keeping on!”

In Tribulation

All faithful Christians suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). Hence, during these times of affliction, we must patiently endure it. Paul instructs us to be “patient in tribulation” (Rom. 12:12). Christ is our perfect example of one who exercised patience in tribulation (see 1 Pet. 2:21-23). The apostle Paul commended the Thessalonian brethren in this regard: “So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure” (2 Thess. 1:4).

In Dealing With All Men

“Now we exhort you brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men” (1 Thess. 5:14). We must be longsuffering or patient when dealing with perverse views, defects, and the sins of men. Being “patient toward all men” involves our not being easily offended. We must bear long with all: with the lost – in hopes of seeing them led to obedience through our teaching efforts; with the lukewarm – in meekness, considering ourselves (Gal. 6:1); and with the disorderly – admonishing him as a brother (2 Thess. 3:15).

In The Race That Is Set Before Us

In the Scripture, the Christian life has been likened to a race. It is a continuous race that must be run to the end. Running this race involves hardships and difficulties which must be met. Therefore, patience is needed! “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1).

In Waiting For Our Reward

“But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it” (Rom. 8:25). The farmer best illustrates this point. “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain ” (Jas. 5:7-8). Also, we must consider the fact that “the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

Conclusion

We must heed God’s counsel concerning patience. By so doing, we have a good influence on others, and most importantly, it prepares us for the eternal reward in the hereafter. “For we have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise” (Heb. 10:36).

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 4, p. 101
February 16, 1989

By Olen Holderby

During forty-five years of preaching I have found it helpful, in beginning my labors at any new place, to begin with a good understanding between the local brethren and me. To accomplish this, in my first sermon I normally would offer both explanations and expectations. My personal limitations are fully explained; and my own methods of getting acquainted with everyone are clearly set forth. I comment upon the values of optimism and enthusiasm; and express my contempt for pessimism. I have come to work with (not for) the local church. I will preach to both saint and sinner; though my main focus will be regarding the basic duties of the local membership. In doing this I shall be careful not to show any respect of persons (Jas. 2:9).

In Acts 2:36-42, we witness a local church of the Lord coming into existence, we see how people became members of it, and the text ends by showing that local church at work. We often speak of the beginning. Here it is! Since we are concerned with our working together, we surely are interested in the question:

What Is A Working Church?

A working church is a teaching or preaching church. A fine example of this is found in 1 Thessalonians 1:8. Paul said, “For from you sounded out the word of the Lord” and , they were so persistent in this that the news of their faith was spread abroad. We need to do, as they did, turn from our “idols to serve the living and true God.” What we normally refer to as the teaching program of the church needs to be a planned one, an organized one, observed carefully, evaluated properly, and changed when and where necessary. An inadequate teaching program makes for failure and should not be long tolerated. Apart from the salvation of souls the church would have no reason to even exist; thus, we recognize the mission of the church – preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in order that souls might be saved (Rom. 1: 14-17). This does not overlook the fact that each individual member is to be involved in the teaching of this same gospel (Matt. 28:19-20; 2 Tim. 2:2). Here is one area in which the function of the local church and the individual Christian overlaps; and neither can rule out the other. There can be no dodging of responsibility in either case!

A working church will be a church with all of her officers at work. 1 Timothy 3:1, clearly shows that such officers have a work, a good work, to do. They are overseers of a flock which they are to feed (Acts 20:28); they watch for the souls of the flock (Heb. 13:17), and must give an account for the job which they do. Their oversight is limited to the local church; and their motives are regulated (1 Pet. 5:2-3). Their examples, in work and conduct, will prove to be the most powerful tool at their command.

A working church is a church with her evangelist at work. I am told to be an example to believers in word, conversation, charity, spirit, faith, and purity (1 Tim. 4:12). I shall endeavor to do just that, to practice what I preach! I hasten, however, to add that an example is set to be followed (1 Cor. 11:1). You have the right to expect me to be just what God’s Word teaches me to be.

A working church is a church with all her members at work. In addition to the individual teaching, already noticed, members are to cooperate and to show enthusiasm. Your functions are to be governed by a knowledge of God’s Word (Rom. 10:1-3). Wherever you are, you are to function as the Savior would have you to do (Acts 8:4); you are to be laborers in his vineyard (Matt. 20:1ff). Just as you have the right to expect me to be just what the Lord would have me be; I have a right to expect you to be what the Lord would have you to be. Let neither of us disappoint the other.

A working church is a giving church. Individual members contribute to the work of the local church (1 Cor. 16:1-2); and the local church must spend those funds doing what the Lord has told the church to do. In addition to her mission of preaching the gospel, the local church may spend her funds in assisting needy saints (2 Cor. 8,9). Because her work is so important, and because an accounting must be given, great wisdom must be utilized in using such funds. However, let us not use wisdom as an excuse for not using those funds.

A working church will be a church bound together by love for one another and for the Lord. This is obvious from such passages as Matthew 22:37-39; 1 John 3:18; and John 15:12. No one argues as to whether or not we should love one another; we all know this. But, what is often overlooked is how that love functions. Love can be known only by the action which it prompts. Many passages reflect upon this, but the traits found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, will suffice for this lesson. Let us not forget what it is that proves our love for one another – Action! Action! Action!

This, in my view, is a working church; if the church is not thus functioning, she is operating at a direct loss to the Lord. In such a case, let us not forget Romans 2:16.

Now that we know what to expect of each other, let us all go to work! Let us patiently and persistently give to the Lord the best of what we are and the best of what we have. If we all do this we shall have a happy and successful work together.

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 3, p. 78
February 2, 1989