The Voice of Truth International, Volume 24

8/8/2019 The Voice of Truth International, Volume 24

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Come, limb with me themountain high,The one that transcends both earth and sky,Where with clarity of vision you might seeWhere we were, where we are, and where we will be.

Loose your feet from eart~lly oundsAnd climb this mountain before the trumpet soundsWhere with wisdom, and knowledge, and truth, you can seeWhere we were, where we are, and where we will be.With troubled heads bowed, we travel life's valley roadNever to know the end of life's seed sowed,Butwithout answers we need not be, we can seeWhere we were, where we are, and where we will be.Bur we must climb, climbwhere He leads,

Above clouds of darkness, ever upward is His plea,To lofty places in Truth's rarefied air, then we can seeWherewe were, where we are, and where we will be.Up there with vision so clear

We can know our value to Him. souls so dearThat He paid the price that we might seeWherewe were, where we are, and where we will be.All must travel life's valley road, rhat is trueAnd suffer trials and troubles, not a few,But how sweet it is to reach the mountain top, and see

Where we were, where we are, and where we will be."1 go to prepare a place for you," we were told,

And trust in this has made us boldFor of the three, one means mostyou seeNotwhere we were, not where we are,

but wherewe will bel- Charles Ocnnis Salmon


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STAFF:Editor-in-Chief: J.C. ChoateManaging Editor: Byron NicholsLayout Editors: Betty Burton Choate

Barbara A. OliverTypesetting: Gay NicholsEulene RamseyArt Consultant: Steven B. ChoateComputer Consultant: Bradley S. ChoatePromotion: Dale Grissom, Oran Rhodes,Mark Posey, Buck Davenport, James War-ren, Ken Willis, Don Hinds, Roy D. Baker,

Chuck Forsythe, Alan R. Henderson,C.O. Patterson.Distributors for Foreign Editions:Sunny David, IndiaRoger Dickson, South AfricaReuben Emperado, PhilippinesReggie Gnanasundaram, Sri LankaHenry Kong, SingaporeOng Chong Fatt, MalaysiaLoy Mitchell, All-AfricaBill Nicks. Trinidad and Tobago

Stephen Randall, AustraliaKeith Sisman, United KingdomJohn Thiesen, MalawiRod Kyle, New ZealandDan McVey, GhanaMike NIX, CaribbeanRobert Martin, Pacific IslandsJ.C.Choate, All-AsiaBob Dixon, Nigeria- ~p -- ~pTHE VOICEOF TRUTHNTERNATIONALspublished by churches of Christ as a non-profit effort. J.C. Choate (editor) P.O. Box 72,Winona, MS 38967, U.S.A.; Phone: 662-283-1192; Fax: 662-283-1191 E-mail address:choateadixie-net.com.In lieu of a subscription rate, a gift of $4.00is suggested for single issues, $12.00 for fourissues. Make checks oavable to World Evan-

George AkpabliW.T. AllisonRobert BallRex BanksLeon BamesWayne BarrierRoy BeasleyMaxie B. BorenT. Pierce BrownRon BryantSalvador B. CariagaJack W. CarterRon CarterFrank ChesserBetty Burton ChoateJeril ClineCharlesE. CobbGlenn ColleyWillard CollinsOwen CosgroveSunny DavidJerry L. DavidsonHans DederscheckDavid DeffenbaughClarence DeLoach, Jr.G. DevadanamRoger DicksonBill DillonBobby G. DockeryHershel DyerEarl EdwardsDemar ElamReuben EmperadoAllan E. FlaxmanAl FranksRoyce FrederickAlbert GardnerE.Claude GardnerR. GnanasundaramGary C. HamptonJack HarrimanJohn Harris

W. Douglass HarrisRay HawkParker HendersonGordon HoganAl HorneWayneJacksonAncil JenkinsJerry JenkinsJimmy JividenJames JuddDayton KeeseeDalton KeyMichael L. KingMack LyonJoe MageeCecil May, Jr.Bill McFarlandColin McKeeJane McWhorterHollis MillerLoy MitchellKevin MoorePeter MostertBill NicksFenter NorthemDonL. NorwoodOwen D. OlbrichtBasil OvertonFrances ParrMax PattersonClayton PepperDavid PharrG.F. RainesKeith SismanJohn ThiesenBetty TuckerKen TylerDon W. WalkerBobby WheatJon Gary WilliamsTex WilliamsWilliam Woodson

' Please se'nd a;ticles for publication andchanges of address to Byron Nichols in Spring-field, including both old and new addressesso that our records canbecorrected."GO therefore and make disciples of allthe nations, baptizing them in the nameof the Father and of the Son and of theHoly Spirit" (Matthew 28:19).


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J. C. ChoateEditor-in-Chief

As we come to the end of the20th Century, we naturally begin tolook ahead to th e 2 1s t Century ,wondering just what it may have instore for us. Such a time may beone of anxiety, fear, anticipation,and hope.But this is also a good time tolook back over the past century tosee our successes and our mistakes, to see our accomplishments and our fail-

ures. We are told that history repeats itself. Have we done well enough inthe 20th Century that we would want all of it to happen again?It has been almost 2,000 years since Christ lived and died upon thecross that we might be saved and have the hope of eternal life. He promisedto build His church , and through the A postles it had its beginning in the cityof Jerusalem in A.D. 33. It was given a great comm ission which involvedthe whole world, even every person in all the world (Matthew 28:19,20;Mark 16:15,16). The plan was to preach the good news of salvation in thecity of Jerusalem, then in Judaea, Samaria, and finally to the uttermost partof the earth (Acts 1:8). With the Lord's promise to be with them (Matthew28:20), and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles and convertsfollowed that plan and within less than 30 years they had preached thegospel to every creature under heaven (Colossians 123). Again, we readthe words of the Apostle Paul, when he said, "But I say, Have they not

heard? Yes verily, THEIR SOU ND WENT INTO ALL THE EARTH, ANDTHEIR W ORD S UNT O THE ENDS OF THE WOR LD" (Romans 10:18).The world has never been the same since. The enemy spoke of Pauland Silas as having turned the world upside down with the things theywere preaching (Acts 17:6). Indeed, they preached Christ as a resurrectedLord, and through faith in Him and obedience to Him, their lives were

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changed, and a different world was set in motion. Although as far as weknow, the gospel has never again been taken into all the world from that dayto this, still it has made such an impact on the human race that it is being felteven to this day. Morals, law, woman's position, family, man's relation-ships, work ethics, politics, the judicial system, education, art, music, andattitudes toward slavery, war, and sin have been changed. As bad as theworld may be, it is still as good as it is because of Christ and the gospel.

On the other hand, regardless of the world's achievements, the heightswe may reach as humans in our economics, mechanics, technology, cornrnu-nication, and production, still we are nothing without the Lord. If we can doall of these things on our own, think of what we could do in obedience toGod! Denying our Creator is not going to change the fact that He exists.Rejecting Jesus and Christianity will not take mankind to greater heights,but rather will bring him to the lower levels of existence- o becoming the"animals" evolutionists have proclaimed him to be.But think what a different scenario there would be if every generationof Christians had continued to take the Gospel to every creature righton up to this present time! Many wars would have been averted.Numerous sins would have never gained the prominence and acceptancethey now have. The entire face of humanity would have been more tem-pered and godly. But succeeding generations did not obey their commis-sion, and when we fail to do God's will, we suffer. The entire world ispresently paying heavy consequences, and this is just the beginning unlesswe awaken and turn back to the Lord in obedience.

What a shame to think that we have had all of the tools at our disposalto evangelize the world and to secure our own salvation in the process, andyet we have not done so. As a result, many Christians sit idle, in spiritualignorance, denying the truths of the Bible, fellowshipping those in religiouserror, and living like the world. This is failure to ourselves, our families,and mankind. The church does not grow; the Lord's people deny them-selves all of the blessings we would have had if we had done the job Heasked us to do. We have also denied the countries of the world the gospeland its healing and saving power.Oh yes, as we can think on these things; we can grieve over what mighthave been- ut the fact is that we are where we are! We could dwell onour failures to the point of discouragement and total dispair. But instead,let's acknowledge our mistakes and rise up with the determination that we- t last- re going to obey the Lord and evangelize the world. We cando it yet. That is our hope and the hope of humanity for today and tomor-row and forever. a

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THINGSMAN CANDOTHAT

GODCANNOTDO

Byron NicholsIn reflecting upon God and Hisgreat power, we think of the words ofJehovah about Himself as He askedthe rhetorical question in Genesis18:14, ''Is anything too hard for theLord?" Just a very brief review of the Scriptures causes us to conclude withconviction, "No, nothing is too hard for the Lord!"Th e angel Gabriel stated to Mary , "F or with God nothing will be impos-sible" (Luke 1:37). Jesus Himself later declared in Matthew 19:26, "WithGod all things are possible."With all of this in mind, it hardly seems mentionable that we couldactually affirm that there could possibly be anything that m an is capable ofdoing that God, man's creator, is incapable of doing- et it is so.Jesus taught that we ought to pray that we not be led into temptation(Matthew 6:9). As human beings, we are very susceptible to temptation.However, God is not even able to be tempted. Satan is exceedingly powerful,but he cannot tempt God. In James 1 13, James says, "God cannot be temptedby evil...." In His human experience, even Jesus was tempted. The writer ofHebrews says that Jesus "w as in all points tempted as we are , yet without sin. "But not so with the Father. Tem ptation is not even a possibility with Him.Lying is common to a great many men, but the Bible records Paul'sdeclaration that "God cannot lie" (Titus 1:2). Because He created us as freemoral agents, God has made it possible for us to do what He in His completepurity cannot do. He has not, will not, and cannot ever tell a lie!Unfortunately, it is quite clear that man is capable of committing everysin in the book. Sin became so rampant that God was very sad that He even

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brought man into existence (Genesis 65-7). But God cannot sin. Sin resultsfrom giving in to the devil's temptations (James 1 12- 15). We have alreadyseen that God cannot be tempted, so it is utterly impossible for God to sin.Man is definitely adept at showing partiality. While many engage inshowing partiality to certain ones over others, most everyone deplores suchactions. We cry out for fairness and impartiality, but it is hard to find. It isa different story with God, though. He accepts whoever fears Him andworks righteousness (Acts 10:34,35). In Romans 2:11 Paul stronglyaffirmed that "there is no partiality with God." Peter declared that Godshows absolutely no favoritism as He judges each person strictly on thebasis of his or her own work (1 Peter 1:17).We are all painfully familiar with the fact that mankind is capable ofdying. God planned it this way. Hebrews 9:27 tells us that each one of ushas an inescapable appointment with death (unless Jesus returns before-hand). God, however, is not subject to death- e had no beginning andwill have no ending. He is eternal. He was already in existence when "thebeginning" took place (Genesis 1:l). In Psalm 90:2 David expressed thefact that God is "from everlasting to everlasting. " Paul declared that God iseternal and immortal (1 Timothy 1 17). This means that God is not subjectto dying. He cannot die. Oh yes, several years ago it was proclaimed that"God is dead!" The fact is that God had not even had a sick spell, let aloneexperienced death. Not only can God not die, He can't even get older.Let me mention here another of God's self-imposed limitations that Ibelieve needs our attention. God cannot make something that has alreadyhappened not to have happened. An understanding of this fact will changesome of our prayers. God has chosen to be unable to erase history. Forexample, He cannot give an affirmative answer to a congregational prayerthat says, "Lord, we pray that we have all assembled today for the right pur-pose." Friends, God cannot do anything about that prayer. The purpose forassembling is past history, it cannot be undone. The purpose for futureassemblies can be changed, but not any in the past. Likewise, a prayer at theclose of a worship service praying that we have worshipped in spirit and intruth cannot be granted by God. The worship has already occurred, and iteither was or was not acceptable at that time. It cannot be erased or deleted.God can erase the guilt of our sins of the past, but He cannot erase theactions themselves. They will continue to stand as a part of history.

We need to recognize and acknowledge God's limitations. They existbecause He has imposed them upon Himself through His complete holinessand righteousness. In contrast, man is limited in what he can do and bebecause of his lack of holiness and righteousness. P

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-- ~ .GODIn Awe of Him ................................8"It Is Finishedn..............................10Not Needed ..................................1 1The Gentle and Humble King!......I2Understanding the Sin................13

EVIDENCESEvolutionists Have Switched . . . . 6"Ancient Man?" ..............................18Buddha's Bones ...........................21THEWORD OF GODYou Can Rely Upon the Bible ......25Do Not Mess with the Bible ..........28The Vital Ingredient......................30

DOCTRINE TO LIVEBYReal Answers ...............................32What About "Reverend" ............33Children and Baptism ...................34

SALVATIONWaiting for Something ...............37Y2K and His Coming....................38From Ancestor Worship ............40

THECHURCHRestoring the . . .Church .........44The Church of Christ....................46But When IDie. Where Will IGo? ..47CHURCH ROWTH10Marks of a Growing Church ....48Some Things I Learned ............50Tips for an Effective ..................53

CHURCHISTORY ....istorical Traces of the Kingdom 55WORSHIPIn Remembrance of M e ...............58The Worship Experience..............60There IAm in the Midst................61

...................essons from History 63Sometimes You Just Don't Know! ..65Soul Winning: A Way of Life .......67

DAILY CHRISTIANIVING0 for a Faith that Will not Fail ......70The Sin of a Bad Attitude .............71My Cup Runneth Over .................72Living Together Before Marriage ....76..................................iming High 77Look at the Wreckage................79Mother and Home ........................81

PROVERBS7:22..........................................umor 83

CHARTS ND OUTLINESThe Power of God's Word ............85Do Not Quench the Spirit .............86

TEXTUALTUDIES.....................................ohn 3:16 90...he Lord. Help for the Troubled 92

....... .o Any Today Have Holy ? 94. . . ....................s It Appropriate ? 96BIBLE CHARACTERS.............ountains in Moses' L ife 98.....................................aaman 100

POEMS ND WRITINGS........aniel's Awesome Encounter 9..................................ard Times 31To My Child ...............................35

.................he Great Christ Story 42..........................hrist Is the Way 47..................eirs of Life Together 49Empty Tomb .................................59.......................he Forgotten War 64


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Rescue........................................ 66Be Strong! ....................................9To Shannon ................................. 8Parenting...................................... 2Reconciliation............................... 8The Power of God's Word............91Facts Regarding ...Jesus Christ..97FEATURES

Who Am I? ................................... 5Bible Word Power ........................ 3Puzzle Page................................36Verse Search ..............................43..........ow Do You Measure Up? 75Quick Comm entary ......................9Puzz le Answers ..............Back Page

FROM HE HEART O F . . .20th Century .............................. 02THEVOICEOF TRUTH

INTERNATIONALVolume 24 of THEVOICEOF TRUTHNTERNATIONALvery special. In this issue wehave chosen to look back overthis century (and a little earlierthan that), to see the develop-m e n t o f w ha t i s c a l l e d t he"restoration" movement of theL or d ' s c hu r c h i n t he U n i t e dStates- nd to look at its mis-sion outreach into the w orld.During this period of time,many believers in Christ , inEurope as well as in NorthAmerica, made the commitmentto leave denominational groupsand to follow nothing but the

Scriptures. Their plea became,"Let us speak where the Biblespeaks. Let us do Bible things inBible ways." Amen to that! JCC

T h e Pre-dawnLike a tol l in g bellin m y headTragedy wakes meTo the pre-dawn,to the hour o f tor tures,to awareness- eturned -o f anguish;t o the creeping ch i l l

o f horror and o f fear,to the gray dawning of hurt.I ie in this stillness.Let me m ove!Let the day come!Let me seethe one stepI must take toward healing,the one stepI must take toward strength.Let me walk!Let me move!Let me wo rk!Let me cry out all the pain

a t lastAnd, tonight,let me rest,let me sleep,In the peaceo f Cod's en folding heart.- etty Burton Choate

COVER:Faces of Christians,workers converts - orldwide -,and a tew of the tools used inpreaching the Gospel by mass media.7


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the cross feel awe when our Lordbowed His head and gave up Hisspirit (Matthew 27:54)?

* Did not the church feel awe atthe execution of Ananias andSapphira (Acts 5)?Can we today know this trueawe in reality? Certainly. We canknow it in worship when we singwords like, "I stand amazed in thepresence of Jesus the Nazarene,"and "Oh Lord my God, when I inawesome wonder, consider all theworlds Thy hands have made.. . "We can feel awe when we bowour heads and hearts in prayer, andknow that we are talking to a livingGod who has power over the universe.We can feel awe when we par-take of the Lord's Supper and thinkof a loving Savior who was willingto give His life for those still in sin.Faith comes by hearing, andthis great awe comes from our faith.Spend time this week meditating onand studying the Word of God. Ifyou are not faithful in your atten-dance of the worship services,decide now to never forsake themagain. The awe that you will devel-op of Him will draw you to agreater devotion and faithfulness.

"O h Lord our Lord, how excel-lent is thy name in all the earth"(Psalm 8:9)! QGlenn Colley is the preacher for theCollierville Church of Christ inColliewille, Tennessee,USA.


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"St S Fiki~kedBetty Schumack

John 20:6 "Then Simon P eter,who was behind him, arrived andwent in to the tomb. He saw thestrips of linen lying there, as well a st h e b u r ia l c l o t h th a t h a d b e e naround Jesus' hea d. The cloth wa sfolded up by i tse lf , separate fromthe linen." NIVIn Jesus' day when people fin-ished a meal, it was the custom that

dead He left His headcloth napkinlying in another place, signifying tothe women, the disciples, and them or e t ha n 500 pe op l e w ho s a wJesus after the resurrection, that Hewas never com ing back to that placeagain. God gave a physical exam -ple to demonstrate to the world thatJesus had died for all. It was fin-ished ... he final sacrifice. Qif you enjoyed yourself, and were BettySchumack is a Christian livinghonored and blessed, you w ould roll in Hopkins, MN, USA.up the napk in, and lay it on the

plate before leaving.W h e n t h e h o s t c a m e toclean up the table, the napkinon the plate s ignif ied to thepeople there tha t you had agreat time and that you wouldcome back if you were asked.However, if you were mistreat-ed somehow, d idn ' t l ike thefellowship or the food, then,when you finished eating, youwould fold your napkin, leaveit in another place, and leave.When the people came to cleanup and saw the napkin placede l s e w he r e , i t w a s a s i gn t othem tha t you would not beback again.When Jesus rose from the


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B cause of their fear of Jesus, been made secure, "it was not pos-the enemies of our Lord sible that he should be holden of it"tried several security mea- (Acts 2:24). The fact that soldierssures to ensure His capture and were vigilantly guarding the burialdemise. But were they really neces- place of the Christ simply gavesary, and were they effective, added proof that He arose fromfor accomplishing what theyN the dead, rather than that Hiswanted to do to Him? body was stolen by the disci-The arresting mob came ples to fake a resurrection.to the garden armed with0 But one of the security pro-swords and other weapons. cedures was entirely useless:Although Jesus Himself would binding Him. First of all, nohave surrendered peacefully, leather strap or iron chainPeter was not as could have heldcompliant, and he DanWheeler Him, for "He couldpromptly cut off a h a v e c a l l e d t e n.servant's ear (no thousand angels ."doubt aiming for his neck). Secondly, He had no intentionThis attack only served to give of running away from the cupJesus the opportunity to (1) healN from which He was to drink,the injury, and (2) rebuke Peter because He was determined tofor violence (Matthew 26:52). do His Father's will. His tor-As the Lord later told Pilate, E mentors could have left off the"M y kingdom is not of this thongs, and still Jesus wouldworld: if my kingdom were have calmly cooperated in allof this world, then would my that was inflicted on Him. Hisservants fight, that I should love for the Father and for us

n o t b e d e l i v e r e d t o t h e D nabled Him to endure theJews" (John 18:36). cross (and all that led up to it).What about the guards at E But all these things happened,the tomb? Did this security proving that He was who Hemeasure, granted by Pilate toD claimed to be, and . . .the Jews (Matthew 27:63-66), "that the scriptures of thefulfill a purpose? Did it keep prophets might be fulfilled"Him in the grave? No, but it (Matthew 26:56). 9provided another obstacle for Christto overcome and to show ~i~ Dan Wheeler preaches for the SouthSeminole congregation in Winterpower. Even though the tomb had Park, FL, USA.


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- Thomas R. Dohling"...I am gentle and humble inheart, and you will find rest for yoursouls.. ." (Matthew 11 29).How blessed we are asChristians, to have One who isapproachable, who sympathizeswith our weaknesses, who hasrevealed Himself to us in the fleshand bridged the gap that separatedus from Him. When the debtbecame too great for us to repay,Jesus paid it all. When the burdenbecame unbearable, Jesus lifted it.He said something that comes tomind. "Come to me, all you whoare weary and burdened and I willgive you rest. Take my yoke uponyou and lea rn from m e, for I a mgentle and humble in heart, and youwill find rest for your souls. For myyoke is easy and m y burden is light"(Matthew 11 28-30).Did you catch it? First, He says,"Come to me." The invitation.Then He says something startling,but very soothing. Something thattouches the truly weary and bur-dened soul, and causes such an oneto put histher trust in the Personuttering these words. It is not aboutthe yoke or the burden. You willcatch another glimpse of Jesus.Notice what He says aboutHimself in verse 29, "...for I am

gentle and humble in heart, andyou will find rest for your souls... "My King, Lord, Master, and Savior(in fact. He is my All in all) has agentle and humble heart, because ofwhich my soul finds rest and is atpeace in the assurance that He hearsme when I cry to Him. He makeshaste to help me. He eases my bur-den and lightens my load alonglife's highway as I submit to Hisyoke, which is easy, and to His bur-den, which is light. Indeed, Histeachings and instructions are nevercumbersome when we abide in Him.Jesus. He is gentle and humblein heart. Remember those wordsthe next time you feel rejected,scorned, humiliated, lost, in despair,and when everything seems bleak.His love will lift you up. He willcomfort you. Leaving His glorybehind, He came to seek and savethe lost. May you be blessed in theknowledge that you do have a "highpriest" who is able "to sympathizewith our weaknesses" (Hebrews4:15), a Judge who is not only "gen-tle and humble", but who is alsoyour Savior and Lord. Praise be toGod for His wisdom which isbeyond our understanding! BThomas Dohling is a Christian Bibleteacher inNew Delhi, India.


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tanding the Sin ofes & AaronKevin L. Moore

In response to Israel's complaints at theWilderness of Zin, God determined to give them water.He instructed Moses and Aaron to gather the assemblytogether, and Moses was to speak to the rock before theireyes. Instead Moses struck the rock. Although watercame forth, he and Aaron were told they would not beallowed to enter the promised land (Numbers 20:1 13).Some may think that the penalty imposed onMoses and Aaron was harsher than they deserved. Butbefore anyone accuses God of over-reacting and beingunfair, the situation needs to be examined more closely:"Now there was no w ater for the congregation;so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron."A nd the people contended w i th Moses andspoke, saying: 'If only we had died when our brethrendied before the LORD! Why have you brought up theassembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we andour animals should die here? And why have you madeus come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place?It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegran-ates; nor is there any water to drink.'"S o Moses and Aaron went from the presence ofthe assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting,and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORDappeared to them. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, say-ing, 'Ta ke the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregationtogether. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus

you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congre-gation and their animals. '"S o Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He comm anded him.And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and13


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he said to them , 'He ar now, you viding the water. In so doing Mosesrebels! M ust we bring water for and Aaron were guilty of rebellion,you out of this rock?' in that they did not hallow God in"Th en Mose s l if ted h is hand the eyes of the children of Israeland struck the rock twice with his (Numbers 20: 12,24; 27: 14; Deu-rod; and water came out abundant- teronomy 3251).ly, and the congregation and their God was perfectly just in theanimals drank. punishment He executed. Pride,"T he n the LORD spoke to arrogance, and rebellion are atti-Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did tudes with devastating spiritual con-not believe Me, to hallow Me in the sequences (cf Proverbs 16:5,18). Ifeyes of the children of Israel, there- forfeiting the physical promised landfore you shall not bring this assembly was necessary to gain the eternalinto the land which I have given one, no doubt the behavior of Mosesthem. '" and Aaron in this particular incidentStriking the rock instead of had contributed to the delinquencyspeaking to it was certainly a pre- of a people, and would have ulti-sumptuous act, which went beyond mately jeopardized the coming ofwhat God had commanded, but the Messiah through them.there was even more involved. As Jeopardizing God's overall plan forGod observed Moses and Aaron, He the ages was an extremely seriouscould see the condition of their matter. Therefore it had to be strin-hearts and the at ti tude which gently corrected and punished.prompted thei r actions (cf. 1 There are at least two lessonsChronicles 28:9). God's accusation which we need to learn from thiswas, "...Because you did not believe incident; (1)God must be glorifiedMe" (Numbers 20: 12) before all people (Leviticus 10:3);

We learn from Psalm 106:32,33 and (2) He is perfectly just in all Histhat this sin also involved something ways (Deuteronomy 32:4). MayMoses said: "h e spoke rashly with our acknowledgment of God onhis lips." What did he say that was earth be comparable to thatso bad? Before striking the rock, expressed in heaven: " Y O U r eMoses proclaimed: "Must we bring worthy, 0 Lord, to receive g lorywa ter fo r yo u o ut of th is roc k? " and honor and power; for you cre-(Numbers 20: 10). ated al l th ings, and by your wil lDid you notice the wording? t h e y e x i s t a n d were c r e a t e d "Moses failed to acknowledge God, (Revelation 4:ll). 0

and he gave the that he Kevin L. Moore works with the churchand Aaron were responsible for proof Christ in Wanganui, New Zealand.1 4


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Who Am I?

1. 100 1 appeared as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus14:19; 13:21).2. 90 1 appeared in a burning bush (Exodus 3:2-4).3. 80 1 appeared to Abraham as an ordinary man (Genesis 18:l).4. 70 1 was the captain of the army of God (Joshua 513-6:2; Exodus14:19).

5. 60 Zechariah the urouhet

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saw &tan and me standing' inopposition to each other (Zech-ariah 3:l-5).6. 50 1 led the Israelites,designated by God as "theof His(Exodus 33:14; Isaiah 63:9).

Can you identify me? Read each clue and think carefully. I f youguess my name after the first clue, give yourself a score of 100 points.I f you know who I am only after the fi fth clue, your score is 60, etc.When you are sure of my identity, look up the passages of scripturefollowing each clue to verify the facts from God's word.

7 . 4 0 1 w a s 6 'who struggled with Jacob(Genesis32:24-28;48:25,16;Hosea 12:3-5).8. 30 1 stopped Abrahamfrom killing Isaac (Genesis

22:ll).9, 20 1 was at the top ofJacob's ladder (Genesis 31 :I 113; 283 3).10. 10 IwasOneoftheGodhead- is -who led Israel (1 Corinthians10:4-9;Acts 7:30-36).

My ScoreSee answer on inside back

cover.


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Evolution ts HaveXsulitcbeon Gary WilliamsBoatsFor many years promoters of evolution claimed that during multipliedmillions of years, life on earth evolved through small, intermediate stages.

This is the way evolution has been presented in the textbooks.Of course, if such an evolutionary process occurred, evidence of itshould be found in the fossil record. There should be millions of examplesof transitional forms showing how life gradually evolved. This is whatevolutionists expected to find, and this is why for over 120 years theysearched the fossil record for instances of gradual evolution. However, nonehave been found, not a single one!

As time passed the lack of such transitional fossils became more andmore obvious and embarrassing to the followers of Charles Darwin. Sinceintermediate forms could not be found, many correctly assumed that evolu-tion could not have happened gradually. In the 1940s the renowned paleon-tologist, G.G. Simpson, stated: "...continuous transitional sequences are notmerely rare, but are virtually absent ..heir absence is so nearly universal thatit cannot offhand be imputed to chance, and does require some attempt atspecial explanation, as has been felt by most paleontologists" (Tempo AndMode In Evolution, New York: Columbia University Press, 1944, p.105).So, what did evolutionists do? Did they give up? No! They continued topaddle upstream! But they switched boats! They began to invent another,even more absurd, theory. As the old, slow Darwinian concept was beingabandoned, they turned to the idea of a rapid type evolution. Here is howSimpson explained it: "It is thus possible to claim that such transitionsare not recorded because they did not exist, that the changes were notby transition but by sudden leaps in evolution" ( T h e M e a n in g OfEvolution, New York: Mentor, 1956, pp.102,103). In the 1950s the wellknown geneticist, Richard Goldschmidt, made the same claim. His viewwas labeled the "Hopeful Monster" theory.


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lem of the lack of fossils, it cre-ates an even greater problem.We are asked to believe thatchanges from one form toa n o t h e r c a m e a b o u tab r up t l y by d r a s t i c ,

r a d i ca l c h a n g e s !W ha t does t h i smean? It meansa bird flew out!! - e are beingasked to believe

t ha t an i ma l sgave b i r t h t oentirely differentk inds o f animals!W hat ? E vo l u t i on by " l eaps "?"Hopeful monsters"? W hat non-sense is this? As silly as it sounds,t h i s v i ew has now become t heaccepted theory.By the 1970s and 1980s leadersin evolution were calling it "explo-sive" evolution; that is, new formsof life just "exploded" on the scene!Derek Ager of the British Geologi-cal Association, wrote: "The pointemerges that if we examine the fos-sil record in detail, we find, overand over again, not gradual evolu-tion, but the sudden explosion ofone group at the expense of anoth-er" (" T he Nature Of The Foss ilR e c o r d , " B r i t i s h G eo l og i ca lAssociation, Presidential Address,

WO W! Can you imag-ine? Why, this is harder to believethan the old, slow theory! No won-der Goldschmidt's idea was labeledt he "H ope f u l M ons t e r " t heo r y !Yes, evolutionists have switchedboats, but this one has more holes init than the first!All this ought to tell us some-thing! It tells us that evo lution isnothing but guesswork. As HenryMorris expressed it: "Its nature iscoming more plainly into focus andcan be discerned as that of a vastframework of deductions built uponthe foundation of a false premise"(The Twilight Of Evolution, GrandRapids, Michigan, Baker Publish-ing, p.35). Q

Vo1.87, N0.2, p. 133).while this new theory conve- Jon Gary Williams works with theLord's church in La Vergne, Tennes-niently "explains away" the prob- see, USA.


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In three places the story is told of the history of man, from his earliestdays: in the archaeological record that is buried in the earth, and in the Bible;and in a third account, an interpretation of archaeological findings accordingto what evolutionists want to believe and teach. This version is printed in allhistory and science books. Though there is no actual geological column andno fossil record of the Darwinian Evolutionary Process, mankind's story isstretched by millions of years to accommodate these hoaxes.

In contrast, the biblical account begins, not with ape-like humanoidsliving in caves, but with the fully developed- ature- uman family:"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, andbreathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a livingbeing [soul]. ."Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, andsaid, 'I have gotten a man from the Lord.' Then she bore again, thistime his brother Abel."Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of theground.

"And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought anoffering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. ."And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. Andhe built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son- noch. . .1 8


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"And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell intents and have livestock."His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those whoplay the harp and flute."And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor ofevery craftsman in bronze and iron" (Genesis 2:7; 4:l-3; 17; 20-22).

From this account we learn several important things about early man:+ He did not evolve into humanity but was created by God as a maturehuman being.+ Humans begot, and gave birth to, humans.+ From the beginning humans were farmers and keepers of domesticat-ed animals.+Men had a personal knowledge of the one God, and they worshippedHim according to His directions, praying and personally offering ani-mal sacrifices in penance for their sins.+These early people learned how to build not only houses but evencities.+ Some lived nomadic lives and herded livestock.+ Instruments of music- he harp and the flute- ere developed andplayed.+These early men learned how to make bronze and iron, and werecraftsmen in the use of these metals, even teaching the art to others.

Evolutionists would have us to believe that civilization gradually devel-oped, following the slow evolution of ape into man. They teach that those"ape-men" all over the world lived in caves for eons of time and knew onlythe use of stone instruments. They would say that primitive religions devel-oped as the newly evolved men began to realize the power of the elementsand, thus, began to worship the sun, moon, stars, the earth, and water.Such a contrast between these two pictures!Consider this: a closer look shows that the Bible tells of "primitive",nomadic-type life-styles co-existing with well developed urban life- ustas we know to be true now. In today's world are there not "stone-age" peo-

ple in isolated places who exist under the most primitive of conditions? Arethere not people who hole up in caves, or even live continually in availablecaves, or have become "street people"? This has always been the case,because the circumstances of people scattered throughout the world varygreatly. Yet who would deny that in the same world with very primitive19


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societies today there also exists thes pa c e - a ge , d r i ve n by t e c hn i c a lknowledge far beyond the compre-hension of any but the experts intheir fields?And, actually, the archaeologi-cal record says that the same thinghas always been true. Yes, thereha ve been "uncivi l ized", "s toneage" peoples living in various partsof the world since the initial spread-ing of hum anity. Bu t archaeologyalso shows fully developed civiliza-tions at the earliest levels of dig-ging. They were people of tremen-

to one and all that they lived, eventhough in many cases no writ tenrecord remains of their history.Isn't it strange that those sameintelligent scientists and archaeolo-gists can look at the stupendous cre-ations from God's hands- re-at ions so great and majest ic thatman can scratch only the surface incomprehending the 'how' of theirworkings- nd they can even readthe detailed written record of Hisglorious history in the pages of theBible, and yet they go on denyingHis very existence?

dous intelligence w ho constructedthings, moved things, and did thingsfar beyond our comprehension oftheir capabilities. How did they dothose things? Even the experts arepuzzled, wondering how and fromwhere such fully developed culturescame into existence.Oddly enough, though, scien-tists, archaeologists, and even evo-lutionists never question the realityof the existence and the intelligenceof the creators of those ancient civ-ilizations. The pyram ids they built,the stones they carved, the mono-liths they raised, the legends theyleft are sufficient evidence to prove

Did man come from a pri-mordial soup, by way of amoebaeand apes?The biblical explanation is thatman cam e from the creating hand ofGod as man, with a supremely intel-ligent mind, capable of thinking anddreaming and doing "the wonders ofthe ancient world"- apable, even,of crossing boundaries no other liv-ing thing can cross and of having aspiritual relationship with the greatZ A M ! 6Betty Burton Choate is the wife of J.C.Choate, editor of The Voice of TruthInternational.


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Accord ing to a r ecen t newsreport, the claim is being made bysome Chinese archaeologists thatmore bones of Buddha (the famousphi losopher of the f i f th cen turyB . C .) h a v e b e e n i d e n t i f i e d .Buddha's body was cremated andu n t i l t h i s f i n d , t h e o n ly k n o w nremains to the present t ime weretwo teeth. Ho wever, according tothe report, two tiny ash pelletsthe size of a grain of rice have @@b e e n " d e f in i t e ly i d e n t i f i e d " a s"Buddh a's bones." Records showthat the cremated remains of Bud-dha arrived in China in 616 A.D.and w ere sealed in a jade casket andhidden in a cave . Th e casket wasdiscovered in 1981. The archaeolo-gists stated that they waited until

now to announce the find in order tomake certain that these were indeedthe bones of Buddha. Let us makethree observations.

All men are mortal. It doesn'tmatter if you are a great philosopherthat revolutionized world historyand influenced cultures for centurieso r w h e th e r y ou a r e j u s t a p o o rfarmer, you are going to die some-day . The great and the unknown,the attractive and the repulsive, thewealthy and the poor, the famousand the infamous, the young and theo ld , the hea l thy and the i l l , thestrong and the weak, the good andthe bad - veryone is going to diesomeday.Do you live your life in view ofyour death or have you ever serious-


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ly contemplated the inevitability ofthe grave? Why live as though youthink you'll never die, when every-one does? " .. it is ap pointed formen to die once and then the judg-ment" (Hebrews 9:27)."Dem bones is gonna rise agin."

Cremated or not. Intact or not.Certainly identified or not. Therewill come a time when the beingwho wore those bones for a timewill be resurrected from death. "Donot marvel at this ; for the hour iscoming, in which all who are in thetombs shall hear his voice, and shallcome forth; those w ho did gooddeeds to a resurrection of life, thosewho committed the evil deeds to aresurrect ion of judgment" (John5:28,29).Isn't it interesting that Buddha'sbones are supposedly found, but noone has ever c la imed to havelocated the bones of Jesus? Andthey will never be found!If Jesus' bones were stil l onearth, they would have long sincebeen found. If the Jewish or Romanauthorities had been able to produceJesus' body, they would have doneso, even on the day of Pentecostwhen Christianity began to turn theworld upside down by means of thedeclaration that Jesus had truly risenfrom the grave. If someone hadrobbed the grave of the body, theywould not have taken the time to

unwrap the heavily anointed bodyand leave the grave clothes in thetomb. Besides, if grave robbers hadtaken the body, they would havesoon sold it to the highest bidder forpersonal gain. But the body neverturned up. It has never been found.No one (not even the disciples)could have taken the body of Jesusfrom the tomb. Why? Because itwas sealed by Rome's authority, the

entrance blocked by a one- or two-ton stone and carefully guarded byRoman soldiers. The disciples didnot understand what Jesus had spo-ken concerning His "resurrection"and even after it took place, they didnot believe it at first. They had tobe persuaded by the undeniable,sheer weight of the evidence, whenJesus Himself came into their closedroom and upbraided them for theirunbelief! The disciples couldn'thave stolen the body of Jesus.So what happened to the bonesof Jesus? "Jesus Christ . . . was

declared the Son of G o d . . . withpower by the resurrection from thedead..." (Romans 1 4). Why seekthe living among the dead? Jesus'bones "done did" rise again! ButBuddha's bones will have to waituntil the resurrection of all men,when Jesus comes in the cloudswith all His holy angels, heraldingthe end of time on this earth(Revelation 19:11-16). 0


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It Helps to Enrich Your

Are you su re you are understanding the richest mean-ing of the Bible? Test your comprehension of thefollowing words as they a re used in the contextfound in Romans 7 (KJV). After making yourchoices, turn the page for the correct answers.

1. dominion n. - Gk. koo ree yoo ' 0 ) A: lack of will power B: strong C: tobe lord of, exercise lordship over D: a kind of game.2. bou ndpre . adj. - Gk. deh'o) A: to be in bonds, tied or knitted together, asby law B: determined to move forward C: running w ith speed D: a surety.

3. adulteress n. - Gk. moy khal is') A: a weak person B: one who has relations with the spouse of another C: a divorcee D: culturally approved.4. freepred. adj. - Gk. el yoo'ther 0s) A: not a slave to culture B: a slavewho has been emancipated C: amoral D: no longer bound, as by law.5 . flesh n. - Gk. sarx) A: skin B: earthy, a sinner from A dam C: the body,in contrast to the soul; human nature D: filled with care and pain.6. motions n. - Gk. path'ay mah) A: movement of the body B: suggestionsmade at a meeting C: flickering light D: affliction; sinful passions.7 . held v. - Gk. kat ekh ' 0 ) A: to possess; retain; seize on B: to make one aprisoner C: unlawfully seize D: to bind with heavy cords.8. covet v. - Gk. ep ee thoo meh'o) A: wickedness B: to set the heart upon,to lust after, to desire C: to look on a man or woman with lust D: misery .9. deceived v. - Gk. ap at ah 'o) A: lying B: deluded; to be convinced of alie C: overwhe lmed with anger D: uninformed.

10. spiritual pred. adj. - Gk. pnyoo mat ik os ') A: a 'charismatic' form ofreligion B: ethereal; of the spirit; regenerate C: unrealistic D: dead.1 1. carnal pred. adj. - Gk. sar kee kos 3 A: pertaining to the fle sh; unregener-

ate B: dead C: a corrupt form D: a place of entertainment.12. dwelleth v. - Gk. oy kat'ace) A: to linger B: another form of the word'dwelling' C: to reside in, as to occupy a house D: to impose one's presence.13. good adj - Gk. ag ath os ') A: that which is beneficial B: happy C: ser-vice rendered for service D: proficiency in social work.14. evil n. - Gk. kak os ') A: an influence B: wicked; intrinsically worthless

C: 'black' sins; the most serious offenses against God D: an old wives' tale.15. law n.- Gk. mom'os) A: conduct B: local traditions C: the Constitution

D: a code of rules and consequences; especially, the Law of Moses.16. deliver v. - Gk. rhoo 'o m ahee) A: to run an errand B: to rescue from; tofree one who cannot save himself..C: to walk around D: a blow.17. mind n. - Gk. nooce) A: nervous system B: an idea C: the intellect; theunderstanding D: to resent the impostion of the will of another.


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dominion n. - Gk. koo ree yoo 'o )C: to be lord of, exercise lordshipover; citizens in Christ 's Kingdomrecognize His dominion over them.bound pre. adj. - (Gk. deh' o ) A:to be in bonds, tied o r knitted togeth-er, as by law. Th e word itself show sthe enduring quality of the together-n e s s , r e in f o r c i n g t h e s t a t e m e n t ,"What God has joined together, letnot man put asunder."adulteress n. - (Gk. moy khal is3B: one who has unlawful relationsw i t h th e s p o u s e o f a n o t h e r , adivorced person who is married asecond time without having a scrip-tural reason for the divorce.free pred. adj . - (Gk. el yoo' ther0s) D: no longer bound, as by law.This does not mean that the law hasbeen broken or temporarily set asideto fit a particular situation, but rather,that the situation itself has compliedwith God's law.flesh n. - Gk. sarx) C: the body, incontrast to the soul; human nature.motions n. - Gk. path'ay mah) D:affliction; some thing one has under-gone; sinful passions.held v. - Gk. kat ekh'o) A: to pos-sess; retain; se ize on.covet v. - (Gk. ep ee thoo meh' o )B: to set the heart upon, t o lust after,to desire. Cov etousness lies at thebase of most other sins; hence itslisting repeatedly as a deadly evildeceived v. - (Gk. up at ah' o) B:deluded; to be convinced of a l iebecause of deliberate false words oractions that leave the appearance of

being truth. Self-deception is a gravedanger for humans, because of thedifficulty in identifying and riddingoneself of it.

10. spiritual pred. adj . - (Gk. pnyoomat ik 0s' ) B: ethereal; of the spirit;regenerate; because of sin we havecommitted, humans are dead spiritual-ly until they are "born again" in thebaptism of obedience to Christ.

1 1 . carnal p red . a d j . - (Gk. sa r k eekos? A: perta ining to the f lesh;unregenerate; dead in sin.

12. dwelleth v. - (Gk. oy kat 'ace) C:to reside in, as to occupy a house.13. good adj - (Gk. ag ath os 3 A: that

which i s benef ic ia l in i t s e f fec t ;good in character or consti tut ion.We become good to God when wehave obeyed Him.

14. evil n. - (Gk. kak os 3 B: wicked;intrinsically worthless; in oppositionto God and His law of righteousness.

15. law n. - (Gk. m o m ' o s ) D: a codeof ru l e s , w i th cons equences andr e w a r d s ; e s p e c i a l l y , t h e L a w o fM o s e s ; g o v e r n a n c e o f c o n d u c tamon g a people.

16. deliver v. - Gk. rhoo ' o m ahee) B:to rescue from ; to free one who c an-not save himself.

17. mind n. - (Gk. nooce) C: the intel-lect; the understanding; the part ofman that can think w ith God.

Vocabulary Scale7- 10 correct ..........................Good11-13 correct............Bible Student14-17 correct ............Bible Scholar


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Flavil H. Nichols

You can rely upon the Bible! It is indeed reliable! Just as the writingsof Shakespeare can be reproduced by comparing the many and varied copiesof that author, so, by comparing the manuscripts and translations of the HolyScriptures, we can be sure that we have the Word of God! In fact, there arefar more serious discrepancies among the copies of Shakespeare than thereare among the manuscripts of the Bible.Compare the span of time and the number of manuscripts of the sacredtext with some of the other ancient writings:The ancient classical history of Caesar's Gallic War was com-

posed about 58-50 B.C. with the oldest known manuscripts of itdating back to about 850 A.D. A gap of about 900 years existsbetween its writing and the oldest known copies. Only ten manu-

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scripts of the history are known. Yet, all scolars accept these asreliable history.The Roman History of Livy was written about 59 B.C. to A.D.17, but the oldest known manuscripts of it were made in aboutA.D. 300. Only 35 copies are known to exist.The History of Thycydides, written 460-400 B.C., is repro-duced from only eight manuscripts which were produced thirteenhundred years later (A.D. 900).The History of Herodotus (450-425 B.C.) is translated fromonly eight known copies which were made from the "original" (?)1300 years later, aboutA.D. 900.

Now, how does all of this "stackup" in comparison with the NewTestament?Revelation, the last book of theNew Testament, was written aboutA.D. 89-96. A span of only 250years brings us to A.D. 350, the dateof the CODICES (the oldest com-plete manuscripts of the NewTestament). Some 4,000 PAPY-RUS FRAGMENTS, however, werewritten as early as A.D. 130 to A.D.250. This puts them back within 30to 150 years after John wroteRevelation. Furthermore, fromalmost the time John penned theoriginal autograph, early "churchfathers" began to quote from theNew Testament writings (A.D. 90 toA.D. 160, a span of 0 to 60 years).

read, "Clement of Rome, Paul's fel-low-laborer, referred to FirstCorinthians as 'Paul's epistle'.Papias, a disciple of Polycarp (who,in turn, was a disciple of John,writer of Revelation), assigned toMatthew and Mark the Gospelaccounts that bear their names.Tertullian (about A.D. 130-200)regarded the four accounts of theGospel and most of the books of theNew Testament as genuine.Eusebius of Caesarea (aboutA.D. 260-340), declared in hisEcclesiastical History (A.D. 3 15),that it was universally admitted thatthe following are genuine: the fourGospel books, the Acts of theApostles, the 14 Epistles of Paul(assuming that Paul wrote theE~ is t l eo the Hebrews). the FirstFlavil H. Nichols is a preacher of the of ~~h~ and peter, and ~l~Gospel in Jasper, Alabama, USA.Revelation of John. The catalog ofFurther Note: Origen (about A.D. 185-254) is pre-cisely the same as that of Eusebius."From "The Canon of Scripture"in the Dickson Analytical ~ i b l e e Though the general dating for

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the writing of the Gospel accounts has Students of the Bible can neverbeen rather late in the First Century, forget that the Scriptures claim cer-evidence presented in The Je sus tain things for themselves: (1) thatPapyrus, by Carsten Peter Thiede and "All Scripture is given by inspira-Matthew D'Ancona offers evidence tion of God..." (2 Timothy 3:16).of a much earlier date: (2) that "He who rejects Me, anddoes not receive My words, has thatwhich judges him - he word that I

have spoken will judge him in thelast day" (John 12:48). "And I sawthe dead, small and great, standingbefore God, and books were open-ed. And another book was opened,which is the Book of Life. And thedead were judged according to theirworks, by the things which werewritten in the books" (Revelation20:12).

If these claims in the Bible aretrue, its very words were given bythe direction of the Holy Spirit-not as men remembered or decidedto write the words - ut as theHoly Spirit spoke; and its preserva-tion until the judgment is assured byGod Himself.As long as we believe God, wewill accept- ide by side with ourfaith in the Almighty- he fact thatwe have in the canon of theScriptures exactly what was writtenin its entirety by His direction, andthat through His power He has pre-

served it whole to this time and willcontinue to preserve it until allhumans meet those books as theirjudge on that last great day! 3


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Do Not MessWith The BibleSunny DavidG o i n g t h r o u g h t h e b i g Jo sh u a , a n d sa id , " O n l y b estate of Texas in the U.S.A. strong and very courageous,o n e c a n ' t m i s s r e a d i n g t h e that you ma y observe to dosign at various points which according to all the law w hichs a y s , " D o n ' t M e s s W i t h Moses my servant commanded

Texas". The idea behind it is you; do not turn ji-om it to th eto keep Texas c lean; do not lit- right hand or to the left, thatter or throw trash, as one trav- you may prosper wherever youels through the state of Texas. go " (Joshua 1 :7) .In the Bible , in Deuter- This warning is again writ-onomy 4:2, in giving the com- ten on the last page of them a n d m e n ts of th e L o rd , Bible , in the book of Rev-M o se s sa id to H is p e o p le , e la tion of Jesus Christ, in"You shall not add to the these words, "For Iword which I command tes t ify to everyo neyou, nor take anything who hears the words offrom it , tha t you m ay the prophecy of thiskeep the commandments book: if anyone adds toof the Lord your God which I these things, God will add tocommand you." Again, he said, him the plagues that are written"Whatever I command you, be in this book; and if anyone takescareful to observe it; you shall away from the words of the booknot add to it nor take away from of this prophecy, God shall takeit" (Deuteronomy 12:32). away his part from the Book ofAfte r the dea th o f Moses , Life, from the holy city, andji-omG o d s p o k e t o h i s a s s i s t a n t , the things which are written in

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t h i s b o o k " ( R e v e l a t i o n 2 2 :18,19).

Ye s , d o n ' t m e s s w i t h t h eBible! And those who stubborn-l y d o m e s s w i t h i t n e e d t oremember wha t Chr i s t sa id inJohn 12:48: "H e who rejec tsme , and does no t rece ive mywords, has that that judges him,the word that I have spoken willjudge him in the last day."People mess with the wordof the Lord, or with the Bible,when they teach and believe thatbaptism is not necessary for sal-vation; even though the Bible soplainly teaches in the words ofC h r i s t H i m s e l f t h a t " H e w h obelieves and is baptized will besaved" (Mark 16: 16).Others mess with the Biblewhen they substitute sprinklingof water for a burial in water, inb a p t is m . T h e B i b l e s a y s ,"Therefore we were buried withHim through baptism.. . " (Ro-m a n s 6 : 4 ) . W h e n P h i l i p h a db a p t i z e d t h e e u n u c h , b o t h o ft h e m h a d g o n e d o wn i n t o th ewater, and then Philip baptized,or buried, the eunuch in water(Acts 8:38,39).

Baptism - urial in waterand coming out of it- ymbol-izes the death, burial, and resur-rection of Jesus Christ, which ist h e g o s p e l , by w h i c h o n e issaved (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).A n o t h e r w a y o f m e s s i n gwith the Bible would be to saythat there are saved people in allkinds of churches; whereas theBible teaches that the Lord addsto His church dai ly those whoa r e b e i n g s a v e d ( A c t s 2 :4 7 ).C h r i s t b u i lt o n l y o n e c h u rc h ,which is His (Matthew 16:18).His church is His spiritual body(Eph esians 1:22,23). He is thehead of His body, the church(Coloss ians 1 :18) . H e knowsHis church. All cong regationsof His church are called by Hisnam e (Rom ans 16: 16). Inferen-tially, all the saved are in Hischurch only.

Le t ' s s t ay wi th the B ib le .Le t ' s no t t ake away any th ingfrom it and let's not add any doc-trine to it. Let's not turn fromit to the right hand or to theleft! f?Sunny David i s a preacher of theGospel in New Delhi, India.

The Bible is bread for daily use, not cake forspecial occasions.


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Ancil Jenkins"Therefore, brethren, be even

more diligent to make your call andelect ion sure, for if you d o thesethings you will never stumble" (2Peter 1:lO).Have you ever pondered theimportance of one ingredient? Haveyou ever had bread without salt?Have you ever had a car but nothave the key? I remember in myyouth several of us boys who hadour gloves and bats but could notfind a ball to play with.How often there seems to be a

missing ingredient in our lives andin the life of the church. Oftenevery other vital element is present,but diligence is missing. This is be-cause it often comes disguised ashard, perhaps unrewarding work.

I was recently impressed withthis need for diligent effort from aquotation from Everett Donaldson'sbiography of "Racoon" John Smith,a pioneer preacher of the nineteenthcentury. Donaldson quotes from anearlier biography which describedSmith's efforts to study the Bible


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and prepare himself to preach."He spent every moment thathe cou ld spa re in the c lose andearnest study of his Bible .... Thepine-knots blazed on h is hearth till alate hour every nigh t; for he pouredover the sacred text with a diligencethat never tired. He saved the hourof noon, by reading while his tiredyoke browsed in the shade or stoodat the rick. He laid the Bible by hisside on the dinner table, and com-mitted to memory, over his plate,some verse on which he could pon-der while at work. For he studiedeven in the fields, improving ser-mons as he piled up his log heapsand exhorting imaginary congrega-tions as he plowed" (Racoon JohnSmith: Frontiersman and Refor-mer, by Everett Donaldson, p. 86) .Often we hea r t he des i r eexpressed , "I wish I knew moreabout the Bible ..." In almost thesame breath come the next words,"But I just don't have the time tostudy." Yet the apparent problem isprobably not a lack of time, but alack of diligence. Few of us haveseveral hours of unbroken, uninter-rupted time to study. However, weoften have ten m inutes or so. Carrya pocket New Testament and spendyour waiting time reading it. We donot need more t ime - e needmore diligence.What would happen i f weapproached the enhancement of our

spiritual life with the sam e diligencewith which we approach our workor hobby? Few mind arising early,even at dawn, to fish or play golf.Would you do the sam e fo r t heLo rd? Most are faithful to get towork on time and not miss a dayunless il l . Cou ld we not d o thesame with our appointments forGod? If we are comm anded to bediligent in His service, how can wedare disobey?If there is som ething lacking inyour spiritual life, why not examineyour diligence? This may be themissing ingredient. PAncil Jenkins is the preacher for theSunset congregation in Miami, FL,USA.


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David DeffenbaughI believe in the promotion of good and the opposition of evil. I believein laws and regulations and programs that seek to curtail and deter immoraland unethical behavior. Forget the old argument about not legislatingmorality. It's been done all along. How else does one explain laws pro-hibiting murder, stealing, and lying? They are morality legislated.Such laws and regulations need to be recognized for what they can andcannot do, though. They do represent a community's or state's or nation'sattitude towards immorality. That's important because, remember,"Righ teousn ess exal ts a nat ion, But s in is a disgrace to any people"(Proverbs 14:34). And besides, God intends for governments to promotegood and oppose evil (Romans 13: 1-4).But laws, regulations, and programs don't eliminate the problems.They never will and should never be expected to do that. They shouldn't beviewed as answers to the problems they address. Christians cheer when wesee victories for righteousness, public efforts at opposing immorality in our

land, as well we should. But let's not be led to think of these as answers.Laws and regulations don't keep people from being thieves, homosexuals,drunkards, and swindlers. Paul said that in Corinth there were many peoplewho were turned away from these and other immoral behaviors. How? Bylaws passed and programs implemented? Hardly. "You were washed, butyou were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord JesusChrist and in the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians6 :11).It's good to promote laws, regulations, and programs aimed at promotingmorality and restraining immorality. It's all useless and worthless, though, ifwe're not strongly promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is able totransform lives and save men's souls (1 Corinthians 6:9-11;James 1:21). BDavid Deffenbaugh is a preacher of the Gospel inTahlequah, Oklahoma,USA.

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What About "Reverend""7and "Father .Dale GrissomThe scriptures are very clear asto who is "Reverend and who is tobe addressed as Father. The word"reverend" is found only once in theBible: "H e sent redemption untohis people: he hath commanded hiscovenant forever: holy and reverendis his name" (Psalm 111 9). W eclearly see from this passage thatGod is holy and reverend; God is tobe worshiped and adored. Jesusalone is equal with God, as we readin Philippians 2:6 - W ho, beingin the form of God , thought it notrobbery to be equal with God." It isvery dangerous for a man to attemptto make himself equivalent to God.Man i s no t ho ly , no r does hedeserve to be worshiped. Only Godis to be honored in this way.No man on ea r th shou ld becalled Father in a spiritual sense."B ut be not ye called Rabbi; for oneis your Master, even Christ; and allye are brethren. And call no manyour father upon the earth; for oneis your Father, which is in heaven"(Matthew 23:s-9) . The scriptures

could not be plainer: it is sinful fora man to wear the title Father.Man has always had a tendencyto elevate those for whom he hasrespect . Th e apostle Peter dealtwi th such a s i tua t ion in Acts10:25,26: "And as Peter was corn-ing in, Cornelius met him, and felldow n at his feet, and w orshipedhim. But Peter took him up, saying,Stand up; I myself also am a man."Pau l a l so cau t ioned tha t a manshould not think too highly of him-self: "For I say, through the gracegiven unto me, to every man that isamong you, not to think of himselfmore highly than he ought to think;but to think soberly, according asGod hath dealt to every man themeasure of faith " (Romans 12:3).May we always strive to con-fo rm our wi l l t o t ha t o f ou rHe a v e n l y F a t h e r , a n d m a y wealways guard against the temptationto follow the ways of the world. QDale Grissom works with the Lord'schurch in Dexter, MO,USA.

Character is what you are in the dark.


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Frank Chesser

Sin stains and defiles the soul, ren- to qualify for baptism. One must bedering it unfit for the divine pres- able to count the cost of discipleshipence. Sin drove God from Jeru- (Luke 14:25-33). Does a simplesalem to the mountain to oversee knowledge of the steps of salvationthe destruction of the city (Ezekiel make one eligible for baptism? If11 :23). Sin severs the Creator from so, then there are many four andhis offspring and marks him as five year old children who are prop-being "without God, without Christ er subjects of baptism.and w i t hou t hope i n t he wor l d" Is an unbaptized ten-year-old(Ephesians2:12). child a pawn of Satan? Is he pollut-Calvary is God's answer to sin. ed by sin and separated from God?The o b e d i e n c e o f f a it h is man's Relative to repentance, are mostmeans of appropriating the provi- ten-year-old children qualified bysions of grace to his soul. Baptism unrighteous behavior and sufficientis the culminating act of gospel obe- maturity to have a genuine changedience that activates g r a c e and of mind with regard to the sinfulbrings cleansing by blood. Thus, course of their lives? Will the Lordthe sole purpose of baptism is "jor declare to such unbaptized childrenthe remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). on the last day, "Depart rom me, yeTo the degree consistent with cursed, into everlasting fire, pre-human ability, one must understand pared for the devil and his angels"

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(Matthew 25:41)?Paul quest ioned some twelveadults concerning their understand-ing' of baptism (Acts 19:3). A fewquestions regarding the nature ofsin, penitence and the gospel woulddeter most preachers from baptizingchildren. One child offered bicker-ing with his brother as the reason

for his desire to be baptized. W ashe thus separated from God and inneed of cleans ing by blood? It is

not unusual to observe parents hav-ing to awaken their baptized chil-dren from sleep in order to partakeof the Lord's Su pper. W hat is thedifference in infant bapt ism andchildren 's baptism? God did notdesign the scheme of redemptionwith children in m ind. D

Frank Chesser preaches for thePanama Street congregat ion inMontgomery, Alabama, USA.


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The Bookof 2 John for adultsDadChurch teaching -Offspring ---Opposite of hatePlanet Earth -Prize --HomeTricker ----Female sibling --Behappy -----Unending -Kind, compassionate treatmentOpposite of to ---Undeserved favor --Opposite ot oldLeader in the church --Not a fewOpposite of war -Opposite of ending ----Opposite of falseGod's son --A-

-2

----------------------ohn

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itingforSomething to Happen

Owen CosgroveSome time ago I spoke to a man aboutobeying the Gospel. He said, "I know what

V / is right, and I know what I ought to do. Ijust do not feel it is the right time. Something will happen, and then Iwill know that the time is right."I wonder how many people who knew the truth have died in a lost statewhile waiting for "something to happen"?

Something has happened!d We have sinned.d God has seen our predicament and allowed His Son to sufferunspeakable torture to save us from our iniquity.d Christ's church has been established, and His plan for our salva-tion has been made known.J His Bible has come to us on streams and rivers of martyrs' tearsand blood.d Untold sacrifices have been made so that we can know our needsand have access to God.Now is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation. God has madeeverything happen that can happen, short of forcing salvation on us. Hecan't do that.Now is the time for us to make something happen! It is time to hearthe Gospel, believe it, repent of our sins, confess our faith in Christ, and tobe baptized into Him for the remission of our sins. If we have done thesethings, it is time to continue to put Him and His kingdom first in our lives.Dare we ask the Lord to do any more than He has already done?

"Hear the voice that entreats you. Oh, return ye unto God." QOwen Cosgrove is involved in printed evangelism in many countries and preach-es for the Northside congregation in Waxahachie, Texas, USA.

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Y Z K AND H ISRandall Caselman

We hear a lot today about the problem. What should be our con-Y2K problem. What will happen in cern? Our Y2K problem is, "Willthe computer world at the turn of Jesus return in the coming millenni-the century? Will the computer that um?"runs our electric and natural gas We must be alert to His com-grids shut off our supplies? Will ing. The Greek word translatedour bank accounts all go to zero, or "coming" is parousia. Parousiawill we get somebody else's speaks to us of the eminent, for-suremoney? Will our bills, insurance coming of Jesus. Parousia says Hispolicies, stock options and Social coming is a guaranteed event. AfterSecurity benefits be lost in cyber all, His return was an angelicspace? promise found in Acts chapter one.

Personally, I think the media Both Peter and Paul tell us that Hishas sensationalized the problem coming will be as a thief in thebeyond reality. Perhaps we are all night. They admonish us to be alert.concerned with the wrong Y2K Jesus gave the parable of the ten vir-


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g i ns a s a w a r n i ng f o r u s t o bewatching.We must be ready for His com-ing. In Jesus' parable about a wed-ding banquet, all the preparationshad been made by the king at greatexpense. Th e invitation was sentout and the banquet hall filled withguests. How ever, when the kingarrived he noticed that some wereimproperly dressed. Scripture tellsus what is proper dress for His com-ing. We are all sons of God throughfaith in Christ Jesus, for all whowere baptized into Christ have puton Christ, have been clothed withChrist.We must be found serving atHis coming. "When the Son of Manc o m e s i n h i s g l o r y , a n d a l l t h eangels with him, he will sit on hist h r o n e i n h e a v e n l y g l o ry . A l lnations will be gathered before him,and he will separate the people onefrom another a s a shepherd sepa-rates the sheep from the goats. Hewill put the sheep on his right andthe goats on his left.

Then the King will say to thoseon his r ight , Com e, you wh o areblessed by my Father; take yourinheritance, the kingdom preparedfor you since the creat ion of theworld. For I was hungry and yougave me something t o eat , I w asthirsty and you gave me somethingto drink, I was a stranger and youinvited me in, I needed clothes and

you clothed me, I was sick and youlooked afrer me, I was in prison andyou came to visit me... tell you thetruth, whatever you did for one of theleast of these brothers of mine, youdid for me" (Matthew 25:31-40).W e must be found encouragingothers. Paul writes to the church atThessalonica concerning the secondcoming. Twice he says, encourageor comfort one another. The Greekword translated encourage or com-fort means to call, to invite, to pray,to beseech to entreat. W e are to beevangelistic! W e are to point othersto Jesus as we wait for His return.No, I don't know if Jesus willreturn in the Y2K, but He could! IfI understand the Bible correctly,there is nothing that needs to hap-pen before Jesus can come. Hecould come this year, this month,today, before you fin ish reading thisarticle.You see, what we believe aboutHis return determines what kind ofpeople and person we will be. Whatwe believe about His coming willchange our thinking, what we talkabout, our agenda and priorities.Genera l Douglas MacArthurtold the Philippine people, "I willreturn", and he did! Jesus tells us,"I will return", and He will! Are weready? 0Randall Caselman reaches for th eel la vista congregation in Benton-ville, AR , USA.


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graduates of Harding University.They are faithful members of theMoulmein Road congregat ion inSing apore . I asked Shellon to tellme why she decided to become aC h r i s t ia n . F o l l o w i n g i s h e rresponse which shows the power ofthe Gospel of Christ."The truth about man is that heneeds to be loved the most when hedeserves it the least. Putting it theBible way, 'For while we were stillhe lp less , a t the r ighr t im e Chris tdied for the ungodly' (Romans 5:6) .

"I used to shed a tear or twowhen reading about the torture andsufferings of our Lord Jesus. I said' I used to ' no t because I havebecome indifferent to His death butbecause as I grow I see the death asa necessity for the reconciliationbetween God and man. Now as Iremember the cross, it brings to mea certain p eace ful joy and i t justoverwhelms me to reciprocate thislove! I realized that Gratitude is ane l e m e n t i n m y re la t ionsh ip wi thCod. If I live every day with a con-sciousness (not feeling only) of howGod has loved and cared for meunceasingly, it would be hard forme to ever want to leave or forsakeHim. I always ask myself 'Whatwould I have become if I did notknow God?' I know the answer."Many t imes we have heardpeople saying, 'If only I could doth i s a l l ove r aga in ...' B e i n g i n

Chris t , I have the opportuni ty tostart all over again, even to re-livemy life! All of us are tired of livingour old life at one time or another.B u t i n C h r i s t , o u r l i f e i s n e wbecause ' if any man is in Christ, heis a new creature; the old thingspassed awa y: beho ld new th ingshave come' ( 2 Corinthians 5:17). Iam no longer a s lave to my ownpassions and lusts; they are cruci-fied at the cross. Of cours e theystill resurface now and then, but Iam no longer under their bondage.Victory is mine as I learn obedienceto our Almighty God . What a com-fort!"Security is a need that every-body seeks to fulfill. In hard times,l ike an economic recess ion , wew a n t t o b e a s s u r e d o f a s t a b l eincome, a roof over our heads, etc.But beyond tha t , the man-shal l -not- l ive-by-bread-alone pr inciplestill holds. All of us need the stabil-ity in our lives that only God canprovide. All of us have a vacuumwhich only the Crea tor can f i l l .Man's standards are ever-changingbut God's principles are everlasting.It saddens me especially to read inthe newspapers of the devastatingstate that man is in now because hedoes not have God in his heart.

"The world today is overcomeby the hunger for power and thelove of mon ey. Bu t it is actuallylove, mercy and righteousness that


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will bring contentment, peace, andjoy in life and make life worth liv-ing. Is there anything in this earththat is worth selling your soul for?Just as Matthew 16:26 says: 'Forwhat will a man be profited if hegains the whole world and forfeitshis soul? Or what will a man givein exchange for his soul?'"But alas! Not many have cho-sen the good part. Just as one writerputs it, 'The only thing a man is notafraid of losing is the one thing thatis really worth anything to him -his soul!'"God's word hashelped me to see theworld as it is . TheBible is like a pair ofspectacles that correcthuman shortsighted-ness. It certainlyhelps me to avoidwarped vision ofmyself and others. Italso points out to mewhat I should reallytreasure in this tran-sient life. Not money,or for that matter, any-thing physical. 'Forwe have brought noth-ing into the world sowe cannot take any-thing out of it either'(1 Timothy 6:7)."Friends andbrethren, can you sug-

gest a better way of living thanbeing in God? If you can, I wouldcertainly like to hear it. I am look-ing forward to a home not madewith hands and to treasures beyondmy human comprehension."'BE FAITHFUL UNTILDEATH AND I WILL GIVE YOUTHE CROWN OF LIFE'. This isthe promise from God." Q

Gordon Hogan, missionary in Asia for39 years; Missionary-in-Residence atHarding University, Searcy, AR.USA.


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three, NKJV.1. Who went up to the temple? (V. 1)

answer him? (V. 2-6)3. How did the healing of the crippled man affect

4. Peter used the miracle to teach them about,whom He identified as theand the . (V. 13,14)5. What had the listeners done? (V. 15)

7. How did Peter and John know Jesus was resurrected? (Chapter 1,

8. How had the lame man been healed? (V. 16)9. Does this refer to the faith of Peter and John or the lame man?

10. In what manner was the lame man healed? (V. 16) (A) He got "better" at that time. (B) He improved gradually over a period of time.(C) He was healed completely and instantly.

11. Peter said that the people and the rulers crucified Christ because of. (V. 17)12. How had God foretold all that happened to Christ? (V. 18)13. What did Peter tell the people to do? (V. 19)14. What would be the result of their conversion? (V. 19)15. Through Moses God had promised what? (V. 22)16. Through the physical nation of Israel, what promise would be ful-17. To whom was the Savior sent first? (V. 26)18. What is the only means of blessing anyone? (V. 26)

[See inside of back cover for answers,]


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most of the seven churches of Asia(Revelation 2-3). In fact, there may not be a single congregation that wewould want to restore just as they were! We want to restore the churchwhich was in the mind of God- he church as He intended it to be.But is such a thing possible? Yes, and here's why. The New Testamentis a com plete revelation from God. When we read it and obey it, it makes uswise unto salvation ( 2 Timothy 3:14-17). And i t is the pattern for thechurch, the ideal that was in the mind of God. From it we learn what Godintended the church to be and do.But is the restoration of the church that was in the mind of God actuallynecessary? W as not the Corinthian church, with all its deviations, still


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addressed as the "church of God" (1Corinthians 1 2)? Yes, but the devi-ations did not please God, and spe-cific corrective instruction wasgiven. Would God still have consid-ered it His church if the membershad ignored His instructions?

Was not the church at Ephesus,even though it had left its first love,still considered to be the Lord'schurch? Yes, but it was told torepent and do the first works, or else

to God without being asked to do asingle thing except that which Godclearly requires of him.And such a restoration is theonly practical basis for the unity ofbelievers. This would remove thewalls of denominationalism and becommon ground of unity for all whoprofess faith that Jesus Christ is theSon of God and the Savior ofmankind. P

iti candlestick (spiritualbe removed. A restorachurches was absolute1But is such a rescal? Not all restored things arepractical in today's so

attempt to restorethe human customsattached to the churchof the first century or anyother century. The goalthe restoration is to i r i tua l cond i t ion of indi -understand and followintended that they be understood, tobelieve what Jesus intended men tobelieve, and to carry out the com-mands of Jesus as He intended thatthey be carried out. This is thatwhich must be restored.

And such a restoration is practi-cal for any place and any time. Onecan obey the Gospel, worship Godacceptably, and live a life pleasing

cycle of b irth, falling an d restorationis possible, even probable. ~ a u ltern-ly w arn ed christian s in his day, 'For Iknow this, tha t ak er my departingshall grevious wolves enter in amongyou, not sparing the flock. ALso o fyo u r o w n selves shall me n arise,speaking perverse things, t o drawaway disciples after them" ( ~ c t s20:29,30).


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7 iabuild my church... "-)w

here are so many differ-

makes no difference which on e Ichoose , the church doesn ' tm a t te r a n y w a y . T h e n , Iw o n d e r w h y t h e r e a r e s omany? If it isn't important,w hy c a n ' t t he y un i t e ?United, they could be a muchmore powerful influence againstthe evi l in the wo r ld . W el l , Iguess it's too much to expect of them,because they teach so many d ifferent things.Jesus said, "I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18). I'd like to bejust a Christian and a member of His church. Do you think I could be and

not be a member of any denomination at all? They tell me I can't do that. Idon't understand. People in New Testament times did it.How would I become a member of the church Jesus said He wouldbuild? The Bible says, "The Lord added t o the church daily such as shouldbe saved" (Acts 2:47). If I just did what those people did to be saved,would I be saved? And would Jesus add me to His church, as He did them?I'd like that! I could be a brother to every other saved person in all theworld and not have to be alienated from anyone by loyalty to som e denom i-nation. Oh say! That's what I want to do! And that's just what I did! Thevery thought of it is exciting!But now something else is confusing me. A man who says he is amember of the church of Christ just told me that the church Jesus built is


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only a denomination, too. I can'tbelieve that! He said that peoplewho think as I do are legal is t ic ,d iv i s ive , and sec tar ian . I don ' tbelieve him. Do you?Would you come along withme, and let's be Christians like weread about in the Bible, and mem-ber s o f t he church Jesus bu i l t ?Please do. $Mack Lyon lives in Edmond,Oklahoma, USA., and he is the speak-er on the international television pro-gram "InSearch of the Lord's Way':

Thou ART T ~ E AY: TO T ~ E E~ONEFROM iN AN^ EAT^ WE REE;AN^ h~who would T ~ E A T ~ E RSEE^MUSTSEE^ H ~ M ,LOR^, T ~ R O U ~ ~~EE.Thou ART T ~ E R U ~ :hy w o ~ dLONETRUEw i s d o ~ AN IMPART;Thou o ~ l yANST ~NSTRUCTT ~ E I N ~AN^ pu~ i h ~ EE A R T .Thou ART T ~ Eife T ~ EMPTY TOM^P R O c h i M S Thy CONQUERiNG ARM;AN^ T ~ O S E ho PUT T ~ E ~ RRUST IN ~ E ENOREAT^ NOR h ~ l lh ~ l lARM.Thou ART T ~ E AY,T ~ ERUT~ , ~ E ik,NONELSE CAN h ~ ~ lY soul,NONE~SEAN WAS^ T ~ E TAINSf SIN,NONELSE CAN M A ~ E E whol~.


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CHURCH GRO WT H

MikeVestal1 . Growing churches have elders who are spiritual men of wisdom,knowledge and vision, and who are deeply interested in the souls they areshepherding (1 Thessalonians 5: 12,13; 1 Timothy 3:1-7).2. Growing churches have deacons who believe in servanthood, and asdeacons they rejoice for the privilege that is theirs to work in special ways toGod's glory (1 Timothy 3:8-13).3. Growing churches have preaching that exalts Jesus Christ and Hisword, that proclaims the "whole counsel of God," and that encourages andchallenges, in a bold but loving way, everyone to draw nearer to God (2Timothy 4:2-4; Acts 20:27; Ephesians 4:15).4. Growing churches have an educational program that stimulates allto know more of God's word and to better apply its truth (2 Peter 3:18,Ephesians4:12).S. Growing churches regard worship as a privilege rather than a chore.The singing is enthusiastic, the Lord's Supper is thoughtfully observed,prayers are humbly and lovingly offered, and brethren give generously asthey have been prospered. People bring their Bibles, in order to followalong during the sermon because they desire to better know God and Hiswill for their life (John 4:24; Psalm 116:12; Ephesians 5: 19; James 5:16; 1Corinthians 16:1,2).6. Growing churches make guests feel at home. Others can see theunity, warmth and love that exists within the congregation (Romans 12:lO;John 13:34,35).7. Growing churches make a diligent effort to teach the lost and torestore the fallen. Visitation, Bible studies and outreach are constant (Acts542; Galatians 6:1,2).

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8. Growing churches keep upwith their missionaries by writingthem letters, sending them good lit-erature and encouraging them intheir work (Philippians 4: 14-20; 1Corinthians 3:9).9. Growing churches respond togoals and challengesbecause everymember is focused on glorifyingChrist (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colos-sians 3:17).

to. Growing churches exhibit themind of Christ- hey are hum ble,serving, loving and obedient to theFather (Philippians 2:5-11).Does this sound like the con-gregation of which you are a part?Let's all work together to help thiscongregation grow even more! QMike Vestal is the preacher for theUniversity Church of Christ in Tyler,Texas, USA.


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Some ~ h i n g sffrom an ArgioMike Hinton

Recently as I explored a grave-yard of old tractors, near Lindsay,Oklahoma I had an opportunity towatch one of the graceful hunterscalled argiope at work. The greatsize of this shiny black and yellowspider indicated that it was probablya female. She had spun a largeintricate web between the rustinghulks of two old Farmalls, and satplacidly in the middle of her cre-ation waiting for some luckless bugto join the silk encased grasshopperthat already adorned her web.

It was a short wait as a yellowgrasshopper fleeing my approachflew directly into the web that wasmaybe 18 inches across. At theinstant of impact the long-leggedargiope threw herself across the weband began trying to subdue thewildly thrashing grasshopper. Withvery dexterous movements of hermany legs, she began dismantlingthat gorgeous web, totally intent onpreventing the escape of her nextmeal. The hopper's powerful legstore the web, but each time he


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seemed sure to kick free, she wouldloop another strand of silk aroundthose legs . Fin al ly he could nolonger break the strands. Within thespace o f abou t a minu te , t hegrasshopper was hanging motion-less near its equally unlucky cousin.The web was in sham bles, but it hadaccomplished its purpose, and theargiope turned

Documents

The Voice of Truth International, Volume 24