METHODIST BAPTISM vs BIBLE BAPTISM

H. E. Phillips

In the Discipline of The Methodist Church, 1948 edition, page 470, 471, we have the followinginstruction : "Let every adult person, and the parents of every child to be baptized, have thchoice of sprinkling, pouring, or immersion."

The Methodist Discipline gives a choice of three

actions: sprinkling, pouring, or immersion. The

word of God gives no such choice. T he action is

stated in the very word "baptize." This word

always carr ies the idea of immer sion, and should

have been so translated. Besides this, the

description of this action is given in the word

"buried" — "Therefore we are buried with him

by baptism into death ... " (Rom. 6:4). Buried

with him in baptism ... " (Col. 2:12). The

Methodist Discipline is opposed to the word of

God on this point

Furthermore, the parents made the choice for

the child. No such idea is anywhere taught in th

Book of God. Individuals who are to obey Go

always exercise their own will, and if they do no

have such power, they are not addressed by th

Spir it of God.

On page 471 the minister is to address the parents or sponsors as follows: "Dearly beloved, forasmuch as this child is now presented by you for Christian Baptism, and is thus consecrated toGod and to his Church, it is your part and duty to see that he be taught, as soon as he shall be ableto learn, the meaning and purpose of this holSacrament; that he be instructed in the principles of our holy faith and the nature of the Christian life ... "

The Methodist Discipline opposes the word of

God in bringing infants to God before they hav

lear ned of the Father. Jesus said: "E ver y man

therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the

Father, cometh unto me" (John 6:45). He does

not teach that they come unto him and later learn

of him. The Methodist Discipline does teach this.

In addition to this the Discipline r ever ses the

order of faith and baptism as taught in the word

of God. It is the fundamental teaching of the

Methodist Church that one is saved by faith only.

In Article IX, paragraph 69, page 27 we read

"We are accounted righteous before God only for

the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,

by faith, and not for our own works or deservings.

Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only is

a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of

comfort." But they baptize infants without faith on

their part. The Bible teaches that one cannot please God without faith (Heb. 11:6). If there ever was a work of mer it (without faith) it is infant baptism. Jesus stated in the commi ion as recorded bMatthew: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matt. 28:19). Jesus said "Teach, Baptize, Teach." The Methodist Discipline says "Baptize and Teach." Jesus said: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). The Methodist Discipline teaches to "sprinkle" the infant and then teach him to believe the word of God. T his is one of many things that makes the Methodist Church a work of man and not of God. It teaches the doctrines of menwhich make void the commandments of God. (Matt. 15:1-9). It teaches salvation by faith only and pr actices salvation by works only (infant baptism without faith on the part of the one baptized).One who follows the Methodist Discipline cannotfollow the word of God, and, by the same token, one who follows the word of God cannot

follow the Methodist Discipline.

TAKING A BOAT RIDE

P. J. Casebolt, Akron, Ohio

T her e is something inspir ing about ships andseas, boats and rivers. Because of them poets havelaunched into lyrics, and writers into metaphorical phr ases and palpitant per sonification. Some ofthe great le ons of the Bible center around nautical events, and some of the greatest historical happenings and geographical discoveries transpired on the waterways of the world. Ocean voyages and tranquillity sail hand in hand — until a storm arises and one gets seasick.

I'm beginning to get seasick every time I hear

brethren say: "Launch out into the deep!" Some

brethren have twisted and tossed these words of

Jesus until the next step appears to be the

launching of a new church building with a bottl

of champagne. T his passage (L k. 5:4), has

become the harbor for a lot of brethren who want

to do something for which they have n

authority. If you want a kitchen or a recreation

room in the church building; an organization about

which the Bible knows nothing; or anything else

that you can't get by building on the rock, just

launch out into the deep and get it.

Brethren don't seem to understand that they are

just cruising around among sectarian relics that

have been placed in mothballs long ago by those

who launched them; that they are just getting a

few dead herring in their nets that have been

thrown overboard fro m denominational dread-

naughts. Let us look at the text, before we get

caught in the Charlbdis of eternal judgment, o

land on the Scylla of eter nal hell.One thing that brethren seem to overlook in this

text is the fact that Jesus was with these fishermen; they were guided by his divine pr esence. Jesus promised his disciples that he would be with them in the carrying out of his commands (Mt. 28:19,20). Whatever we do must be done by Christ's authority (Col. 3:17). Paul toldthe Philippians that when they did the things which they had learned, received, and heard,that "the God of peace shall be with you." (Phil. 4:9). The parents of Jesus thought he waswith them when they returned from Jerusalem, butthey were mistaken. Brethren should learn this le on from the second chapter of Luke before they start launching out in the fifth chapter. Let us make certain we have Jesus with us before

leaving the shor e.It is not possible to have the physical presence of Jesus with us now. But, before we start off on

a voyage into the deep, we can make certain that

the course has been charted, and that Jesus has

gone before us. If he has not directed us, and w

have no a urance that he will be with us in what

we do and where we go, then let us stay close to

shore. When we go on uncharted voyages, and

venture out into the tempestuous deep, the master

of ocean, and earth, and skies will not be there to

say, "Peace, be still."

SMITH'S BIBLE DICTIONARY

William Smith

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PREACHING CHRIST

It is amazing to note the various topics discussed

and manner of preaching that is being done in th

name of Chr ist. We hear on ever y hand the claim

of preachers to be "Preaching Christ," but by Ne

Testament standard much of it falls far short of

true gospel preaching. Much of the preaching of

today is designed to elevate and honor the preacher

instead of Christ. Appeals are made for money an

"big business." Special honor is paid to fathers

and mothers, special days, special events, great

projects, personal programs, etc., and just enough

attention is given to Christ and his word to try

to make it appear as "gospel preaching." In some

cases more time is given to self-praise in what has

been done than in telling what men and women

ought to do to honor Chr ist."Therefore they that were scattered abroad went

every where preaching the word. Then Philip wen

down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ

unto them. And the people with one accord gave

heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing

and seeing the miracles which he did." (Acts 8:4-6).

"And when they believed Philip pr eaching the

things concerning the kingdom of God, and th

name of Jesus Chr ist, they wer e baptized, bot

men and women." (Acts 8:12).

Gospel preaching must include the life, death,

resurrection and authority of Jesus Christ. The

only foundation upon which one can succe fully

build is the preaching that Jesus is the Chr ist, the

Son of God. No other foundation can be laid but

the preaching of Christ. (I Cor. 3:11). This

foundation is the preaching as done by the apostles

and prophets (Eph. 2:20). When Philip preached

to the eunuch he "began at the same scr ipture,

and preached unto him Jesus." (Acts 8:35). When he preached to those in the city of Samaria hepreached Christ unto them. In preaching Christ Philip not only told them that Christ was the promised Messiah and the Saviour of the World, buthe also preached about his kingdom — the kingdomof God. Gospel preaching, therefore, involves preaching a-bout the kingdom promised by the OlTestament prophets and fulfilled in the days whenthe Holy Spirit came down from heaven andempowered the apostles to speak the wisdom ofChrist to the world. This kingdom is the church of the firstborn — Christ. Preaching Christ must

include the church over which he is the head.

T her e have been many theor ies and plans that have been preached concerning the nature, worship, work and organization of the church, alof which have contributed to the terrible state of denominationalism of the present day. The greed,sensual desires, material hopes of men have beenexpressed in the creeds written and unwritten that are the common topics of much preaching todayPremillennialism has been preached as "gospel preaching" concerning the kingdom of God, but tthe Bible student this doctrine is unscriptural andanti-scriptural. Much of the preaching of thkingdom of God today is characterized by false concept of the nature of the church. It has become more a social order and commercial business than the spiritual body of Christ. To preach Christ we must preach the "things concerning the kingdom of God" — the church of Christ; this involves its true mission, nature,organization, worship and discipline

Furthermore, preaching Christ means to preach

the "name of Jesus Christ." This name is all

important because it is the only name given b

which men must be saved. (Acts 4:12). The

name of Christ is involved with the authority o

Christ. All authority has been given to him, an

when one does not respect his authority in al

matters regarding the church, he is a worker of

iniquity. T his authority demands that the gospel

in its purity be preached to all men. It requires the

believer to repent and be baptized for the

remission of his sins. (Mark 16:15,16; Acts

2:38). The authority of Christ demands faithful

obedience throughout life. When any preacher

presumes to announce conditions and terms of

service to God that are not taught by the authority

of Chr ist, that preacher is not preaching Chr ist as it is revealed in the New Testament.

Paul instructs Timothy in his work of preaching-Christ. "Preach the word; be instant in season,

out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-

suffering and doctrine." (II Tim. 4:2). Preaching

Christ requires straight and plain preaching that

sometimes carries rebuke of error. Only the gospel

of Christ will save the lost.

SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES

1960-1961Bound in beautiful blue cloth binding

Only a few copies left$5.00 per copy

"NEUTRAL"

I marvel that anyone thinks he can be neutral on the issues that face the church today. In thefirst place, it is almost impo ible to be truly neutral on any matter of importance. Webster defines the term "neutral" in this way, "Notengaged on either side; specif., of a state or power, lending no active assistance to either orany belligerent." For his third definition he defines it in these words. "Neither one thing or the other;indifferent." I think that perhaps the third definition suits our case today better than thefirst. A lot of brethren who claim to be neutral just do not care. They have never been impressed withthe seriousness of the principles involved.

First, to be indifferent on the present day i ues of "institutionalism" and "cooperation" is to saythat i ues important enough to divide the chur ch of the Lord are not important enough for us to study. How would it be possible for a man whoclaims to be interested in the welfare of the church and who claims to believe the church important totake the position that the things that divide it are not important? Sadly enough this was the course followed by some of the preachers of a century ago. They sought to "carry water on both shoulder s", preach for both sides and say theywere neutral. If the i ue of mechanical music were not important then the worship was not a serious matter. Evidently they could never see this, odid not want to see it, and would preach onworshipping God in "Spirit and in truth", and thenclose their eyes at perversions of God's commandments. When the missionary society waformed, some tried to be neutral and found thatif this were a matter of indifference it had to follow that the mission of the church itself was not as important as the word of God set it forth to be.

Secondly, if these i ues are matters of

indifference and ar e not important and vital, then

it has to follow that the completeness of Biblical

authority is not a serious matter. Surely the Bibl

deals with matters so great that they are splitting

the church of the Lord all over the world. The

great apostle Paul thought this was a matter of the

greatest importance when he wrote to young

Timothy in these words, (2 Tim. 3:16,17). "All

scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is

profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,

for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God

may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good

works." In this passage we are told if any work is a

good work the scripture will furnish us for it.

That which God considers good he provides for in

his revelation. To put it another way, no revelation

— no good works. Colo ians 2:10 states, "and ye

are complete in him, which is the head of allprincipality and power." A few months ago an elder said to the writer, "The Bible does not say a word about these human institutions and you ought notto say anything about them either." He may nounderstand what he said, but it is this: Anythinthat the Bible does not say anything about wecannot condemn. I asked about sprinkling fobaptism, the counting of beads, the instrument inthe worship of the New Testament church, and themissionar y society. T he Bible does not say anything about these either. Of course the poinis the necessity of Biblical authority in the light othe completeness of revelation. This is the meaning of 2 John 9, "Whosoever transgresseth,and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hathnot God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ,

he hath both the Father and the Son." In the third place, if these issues are matters

of indifference it has to follow that the all-

sufficiency of the church is not vital. We have

taught, and r ightly so, through the year s that the

church cost heaven the blood of Christ (Acts

20:28) ; and that this blood was the all-sufficient

price to buy that all-sufficient church. Someone

called the attention of the writer to the thought

that if the church bought by the blood is not all-

sufficient perhaps we had better take another

hard look at the blood for it would have to follow

that the blood was not all-sufficient. This is the

ver y grounds of modernism and has been for two

decades. No right thinking child of God wants to

give place to it for a second, but the point is

there just the same. If the church has to have help

in doing what God gave her to do, then there has to

be more involved than the church and more involved

than the blood used to purchase it. Who can saythat these are matters of indifference?

Fourth, if the issue of cooperation as practiced in the Herald of Truth is not important, it has to follow that the commandments and examples of congr egational activity ar e not vital. I n other words, that churches of the New Testament didnot know that that was the best way to do the work.Paul gave specific instructions to the elders of thechurch of Ephesus at Miletus in Acts 20:28. "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made youoverseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." The le on was clear. They were to watch on two fronts; first themselves, and then the flock. This was the great church of Asia. It was here that all of Asia heard the word of God. (Acts 19:10) If there was achurch on earth in the days of the apostles that was strong enough to engage in such brotherhood projects as those in use today it would have beethe Ephesian Church. Just think what Paul wouldhave to say to the elders of one of the large promotional congregations today. It would havecovered several chapters in the book of Acts but not so, Paul simply says "take heed unto yourselves and to the flock." I marvel that anychild of God could say "I am neutral". Too many times what he means is, "I do not want tostand for the truth and I do not want you to stand against it either."

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REVIEW OF EVERY GOOD WORK

H. E. Phillips

A 24 page tr act r eviewing a tract by D. E llis Walker entitled "E ver y Good Wor k"

$ 25 per copy 2 50 per dozen 15.00 per 100

SPIRITUAL GIFTS No. 2

D. W. H.. Shelton, Tampa, Fla.

The laying on of apostles hands always imparted miracle working power; it could be seen. With this distinction in mind we ar e able to mor e fullyexamine this second gift. This gift was never imparted except by the laying on of apostolic hands,

the hands of an apostle were absolutely essential

to impart this gift, for this gift always imparted

miracle working power, could be seen, and sinc

the apostles alone possessed the highest gift of th

Spirit — the baptismal gift — they alone could

impart miracle working power to any one else

This gift could never be imparted to an

unbaptized person.

It had to be added to the common gift r eceived at baptism or it could not be, and never wasreceived by anyone. Some of the miracles listed under the laying of hands are recorded in 1 Cor. 12:8-10. These were all Miraculous and were all imparted by the hands of an apostle, and could beseen; in fact an apostle could lay his hands on aChristian and enable him to perform any, ormaybe all, of those nine different miracles. Wehave ample, substantial Scriptural proof for these statements.

In (Acts C:l-7,) we learn that the Apostles laid

their hands on the seven men selected by the church

in Jerusalem; we know these men were Christians;

they had received the common gift, for the

apostles told them to seek out seven men of good

report, full of the Holy Spir it, from amon

themselves. We know, too, that miracle working

power was thus imparted to those men; the next

verse tells us that Stephen did great wonders and

miracles. Stephen could not do that till an apostle

had laid his hands on him. He began at once to

perform miracles.

In (Acts 8:1-13,) we are told that Philip, onof the men upon whom the apostles had laid their hands, went down to Samaria preaching Christ, performing miracles and baptizing great numbers of the Samaritans both men and women, who whethey wer e baptized r eceived the common gift othe Spirit. Philip could perform miracles, but hcould not lay his hands on any one and enable him to perform miracles; this required the hands of an apostle. Verses 14-17 tell us that when theapostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the gospel they sent Peter and John toSamar ia, and when they laid their hands on some of those Christians Philip had baptized, theyreceived the Holy Spirit. Verse 18 shows that there was a demonstration of miracle working power that could be seen, for Simon saw it demonstrated and offered money for it. This proves that miracle working power came only from thehands of an apostle, a power that could be seen, apower never received by any one at baptism.

We learn from ( Acts 19:1-5.) that Paul went toEphesus and found certain disciples, twelve men — v.7, and he asked them a question. He said,"Have ye received the Holy Spirit since ybelieved?" and they said, "We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Spir it." Paul knew those men were not Christians; he knew theyhad not been baptized into the name of Christ, else they would have received the gift of the Spiritand would have known about the Spirit. He asked

them another question. He said, "Unto what then

were ye baptized?" And they said, "Unto John's

baptism." John's baptism was valid up to

Pentecost, but, on the day of Pentecost the command

was given for the first time to be baptized in the

name of Christ for the remission of sins. From

that day on John's baptism was null and void.

T hose men had been baptized in John's baptism since the dayof Pentecost, therefore, Paul knew they had neither been legally nor spiritually baptizedWhen we turn to Acts 18 and read the connection leading up to this we learn that Apollos came to E phesus since the day of Pentecost, knowinnothing but John's baptism and he must havebaptized those men in John's baptism. T his wasbefore Aquilla Priscilla took him to themselves and taught him the way of God more perfectly.Paul explained this to them and that John didbaptize in water unto repentance, but now one must be baptized in the name of Christ. When that wasdone they received the Spirit, but before they could perform a miracle an apostle had to lay his handson them. T he next ver se tells us that when Paul laid his hands on them they received the HolySpirit and spake with tongues and prophesied. Again proving that miracle working power came only from the hands of an apostle, a power that

could be seen.

This power never came by prayer as claimed bysome of our religious friends. It never came direct from God in heaven as did the baptismal gift, icame only from the hands of an apostle. Miracles were for the establishing, or confirming of thegospel. Paul wrote the church at Rome saying, "I long to see you that I may impart unto you some spir itual gift to the end that ye may be established." (Rom. 1:11.) Paul knew no apostle had been to Rome to lay his hands on thoseChristians. He knew they could not perform miracles; he wanted to do that, but to do so Paul would have to be at Rome, for an apostle could not impart miracle working power by remotecontrol. He had to be present and lay his hands onthem personally. This being true, when the last apostle died and the last Chr istian on whom anapostle had laid his hands died all miracles ceased,for there are no apostles today to lay their hands on any one. (1 Cor. 13:8-10.) Any one claiminto perform miracles today is counterfeit, and is the power, signs and lying wonders of Satan's emissar ies as descr ibed by Paul, (2 The . 2:714.)

The baptismal gift of the Holy Spirit was never

imparted by any means whatsoever. Even an

apostle could not lay his hands on any one an

impart that. It came directly from God i

heaven in a most astonishing demonstration of

power. There are but two cases of Holy Spiri

baptism recorded in the New Testament: that of

the apostles on Pentecost, (Acts 2:1-5.) and that

of Cornelius (Acts 10:44-48.). The apostles were

recipients of that supreme gift to inspire and

qualify them to act as Christ's ambassadors (2

Cor. 5:20.) in revealing the plan of salvation to the

world and perpetuating that revelation throug

their writing and recording of the New

Testament Scriptures, a perfect, complete guideCor nelius r eceived the like gift (Acts 11:15)not as a permanent blessing to himself to go wit

him through life as it did with the apostles. It

was not that he could lay his hands on any on

and enable them to perform miracles, not at all.

It was a tempor ar y service to convince the six

Jewish Christians Peter had brought with him as

witnesses, that Cornelius and all other Gentiles

were henceforth and forever to have equal gospel

pr ivileges with the Jews. T his gift probably departed from him just as soon as its purpose was

accomplished. We have no record that he used it

even once, and his name is never mentioned again

in the New T estament.

This gift remained with the apostles to the end of their lives, enabling them to confer miracle working power upon others for the purpose of establishing or confirming the gospel in its purityand completene . Claiming to receive the baptism of the Holy Spir it today as did the apostles on Pentecost is near blasphemy, claiming equal rights with the inspired apostolic ambassadors of Christ. The apostles are the only people who have ever received the baptism of the Holy Spirit permanently, to go with them throughout life. They are the only people who from Pentecost tillnow have had the power to lay their hands on anyone and enable them to perform miracles. Andthe apostles are the only ambassadors Christ has ever chosen and sent out. Let me illustrate: we are all citizens of the United States, but when this government sends ambassadors to foreign countries it does not make ambassadors of all of us, we are still just citizens. When Christ chose his apostles and sent them out as His ambassadors between him and the world it did not make you and me aambassador. We are still just citizens in the Lord's kingdom or church; just Christians asall were then except the apostles.

Those last two gifts have passed away, but the

common gift remains today. T he common gift

remains because the necessity to repent and be

baptized remains.

Just as long as people are born and come to the age of accountability, they will need to hear thegospel, believe it, repent of their sins, confess Chr ist as the Son of God and be baptized into his name for remi ion of their sins, at which time theywill r eceive the common gift of the Holy Spir it,the only spir itual gift received today by any oneany where, at any time

The Holy Spirit was the last agent God sent into this world, and Jesus while yet with his

apostles said to them: When he the Spirit of

tr uth is come he will teach you all things and

bring to your minds all things whatsoever I have

taught you. He will dare not speak of himself, but

speak only what he hears. (John 14:26 &

16:13,14.)

We may safely say that the entire New

Testament is the gift of the Holy Spirit, for th

Holy Spirit directed the writing of every word in

it. If we will study the New Testament, and obe

its teachings, the gift of the Holy Spirit will

not only guide and direct us throughout this life,

but will prepare us for that beautiful home in

heaven after awhile.

If we will keep these things in mind, we will

never become confused over Spiritual gifts, no

the operation of the Holy Spirit.

coffers of the colleges, Wicked hearts have

designingly handled the word of God deceitfully,

preaching things which they ought not for filth

lucres sake." Following is the article as it

appeared:

BUSY DAY IN COURTCHILDREN BEGIN NEW, HAPPY LIFE

by Don Stringer

The couple, a child at their side, stood before

Circuit Judge Benson Trimble.

Judge Tremble examined the couple from the

height of his bench in Circuit Court. He looked

at the papers before him. Satisfied, he turned to the

couple's attorney, standing with them. "Draw your

decree," he instructed. The scene was repeated 40

times today in Circuit Court, and 40 Davidson

County children had found permanent homes.

T he number adopted was the highest in any

recent month, according to Circuit Clerk Alf

Rutherford.

They ranged from orphans to those left adrift

by sinking marr iages.

Their age: several months to about 12 years.

Youths up to the age of 21 may be adopted

The final adoption decree issued today wil

become effective after the child has lived with

his new parents for one year.

The children were obtained through local agencies. T he couples seeking adoption ochildren are investigated to determine their abilityto provide a suitable home, according toRutherford.

"Helping qualified couples become the legal

parents of these children is the most pleasant part

of my work," said Rutherford. "We have man

factors at work which tend to separate people—

Adoption of a child draws them together."

Rutherford said applications for the adoption

of children far exceeds the number of children

available. "I just don't think there is any need for

orphanages today . . . there are too many demands

for children."

Final decree hearings are held once each month

in Judge Tremble's court. An initial hearing is

held several months before the final decree is

applied, giving the judge opportunity to studyeach case in detail.

In most of the cases today, the hearings climaxed a long but hopeful per iod of waiting by

the parents. Hope became realization.

NASHVILLE JUDGE PLACES ORPHANS KOINONIA, "FELLOWSHIP"

Brother H. E. Winkler sends us the following from T HE ET YMOLOGY OF KOINONIA the Nashville Banner in Nashville, Tenn. with theKoinonia and its cognates (the adjective koinos, "common," observation, "Yet these brethren are willing tothe verb koinoneo, "I participate in," "I share in") are divide the churches to get their covetous hands into derived, apparently, from the Greek preposition sun the treasuries of the churches to finally fatten the (sometimes spelled xun), which basically means "with."

In fact, the adjective koinos, "common," is a later synonym of xunos. Aeschylus uses xunos in the sense of "common": "Methinks it is our common (xuna) cause I urge. For a State thatprospers pays honours to its gods." (Th. 75) It is observed, therefore, that koinonia and its cognates stem from the idea"with" (others) in contradistinction to "that which belongs to oneself." This latter idea is denoted by the Greek adjectiveidios, "one's own." Hence, koinonia and its cognates ar e opposite in meaning to idios.

KOINONIA IN CLASSICAL GREEK

In classical Greek literature koinonia has at least the following denotations: "communion," "association," "partnership"; "co-education"; "human society"; "the marriage relation"; "sexual intercourse." The author has not discover ed in cla ical writings any instance of koinonia in the sense, "charitable contribution." This denotation is actually an outgrowth of an advance in meaning, which was "charitable disposition." The idea, "charitable disposition," occurs in cla ical literature as the opposite of pleonexia,which denotes a grasping spirit that seeks to satisfy self.

When koinonia is first encountered in classical Greek it denotes "communion," "association," "partnership." See, for example, this quotation from Plato: "To begin with, in theibusiness dealings in any joint undertaking of the two yowill never find that the just man has the advantage over the unjust at the dissolution of the partnership (koinonias) but that he always has the wor st of it." (Republic 343D)

Plato uses koinonia to denote "co-education" in the following passage: "You accept, then, as we have described it, this partnership (koinonian) of the women with our men in the matter of education." (Republic 466C)

A somewhat more restricted denotation of koinonia in the sense of "human society" occurs in Aristotle: "It is therefore evident that, while all partnerships aim at some good, thepartner ship that is the most supr eme of all and includes all the others does so most of all, and aims at the most supreme of all goods; and this is the partnership (koinonia) entitled the state, the political association." (Politics 1252a7)

Aristotle uses koinonia to denote the marriage relation. In speaking of how the lawgiver should give attention to thunion of the sexes he says this: "In legislating for this partnership (koinonian) he must pay regard partly to the persons themselves and to their span of life." (Politics1334b33)

Koinonia is even used in classical liter atur e to denote "sexual inter cour se." In the writings of E uripides, Cadmussays to Agave, "Thou barest — in thine halls, to thy lord — whom?" To him Agave replies, Pentheus — born of my union(koinonia) with his sire." (Bacchanals 1276)

DEBATE IN JACKSONVILLE

Paul Brock will engage D. Ellis Walker of

Gainesville, Florida in a religious discu ion August

20, 1962 through August 25, 1962, 7:30 P.M. each

evening.

The proposition is: "The Lake Shore

congregation meeting at 2121 Blanding Boulevard

is scriptural in its practice and teaching (or

doctrine) and is loyal to Christ."

Brother Walker will be in the negative. T he

discussions will be conducted in the Lake Shore

building in Jacksonville. For any who desir e to

attend from out of town, there will be some rooms

available for sleeping quarters in homes of

members there. Write in advance to Paul Brock,2121 Blanding Blvd,. Jacksonville 10, Fla.

A study in the development of Be-nevolence societies and

their support.

VOICES IN THE WILDERNESS

by James R. Cope

Have churches of Christ always sup ported or phan homes? When did the opposition begin?

Is it really true that persons now living remember the origin of the first orphan home supported by churches of Christ.

You should read this booklet. It is completely documented and draws from sources dating to the beginning of the r estoration period.

Price $ .75 per copy

BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES

W. Curtis Porter

A thirty-six page booklet containing one of the last sermons preached by Bro. Porter. He clearly shows that Benevolent Societies do exist in fact. Practically every argument made in favor of church support ofthe Benevolent Societies is exposed in the inimitablPorter style. 13 charts included.

E ach $.30 Dozen $3.00 Hundr ed $20.00

BENEVOLENCE AND THE CHURCH

Harris J. Dark

In this sermon Brother Dark takes up each scripturethat relates to the local church and its benevolent wor k, and discusses it thoroughly.

E ach $.15 Dozen $1.50 Hundr ed $10.00

WHAT IS THE HERALD OF TRUTH?

A. C. Grider

Brother Grider demonstrates in this sermon beyondsuccessful denial that the Herald of Truth is not simply"the local chur ch at wor k," but is in fact a human organization within the eldership of the 5th & Highlandchur ch in Abilene, T exas.

E ach $.15 Dozen $1.25 Hundr ed $7.50

ORDERFROMPHILLIPS PUBLICATIONS

P. O. Box 17244 Tampa 12, Florida

"Having therefore these promises, dearly

beloved, let us cleanse ourselves, from all

filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting

holiness in the fear of God."

H. F. SHARP, Conway, Arkansas ---------------

JUDGES

The book of Judges is an interesting book anprobably can harmonize with the scr iptur es and the Keynote, Christ, as the book of Anarchy. The word Anarchy means without proper attitudtoward rulers or against proper rulers. In this book such attitude is evidenced. There were those who finally decided they did not want a judge as Godhad appointed and demanded a King, which Godallowed, even though he did not approve. Our Father will allow us to do things, which are contrary to Him, and then punish us for ourmistakes and desires other than he wishes. We can briefly state that after the last Judge the peoplentered into a state of apostasy and rebellion. Some,the Premillennialist, still believe Christ will cometo this earth and rebuild the old — Kingdom ofIsrael, which was born in rebellion, and rule in a kingdom in rebellion to His Father. Surely this is an absurd doctrine.

During this time of Israel's history they were without a chief ruler. God was ruling in the Judgebut they did not like this. They prospered for a while under the king, but later went into servitude and then into captivity, some lost their identity and never again ser ved God as he desir ed, and those who came from the captivity were few in number. We should know from Rom. 15:4 that, today, as the church of our Lord is swept into digression and apostasy, many will lose their identity and never come back to the truth. Many will bplunged headlong into final apostasy and their names will be taken from the Book of Life and even churches will have the candlestick removed.

Note some of the Judges were good and some

were bad. Some should never have had the rule,

namely, Abimelech, who was a bastard and a

tyr ant. He had vain and light men to follow him.

The fable of the trees seeking a ruler is a true

attitude of the people of that day seeking a ruler.

When men seek to leave God out of their work

they get the most evil and self seeking men to rule

over them. In the beginning of the possession of Canaan the Israelites were told to drive out the people of tha

land but they did not. What follows, and how later

their enemies perverted the lives of the Jews and

worship of God's people, only reminds us of how

dangerous it is not to follow Him who knows

by His Wisdom what we need more than we know

to ask.

In conclusion a list of the Judges and a noteabout them will suffice. Othniel married the daughter of Caleb and very little is known of him.Ehud was a murderer. Shamgar slew 600 Philistines with an oxgoad. Deborah was a goojudge, prophetess and a general. Gideon was a goodjudge

and gave deliverance to Israel with 300 men

chosen out of 32,000. Abimelech was a bad judge,

a bastard and a tyrant. Tola, Jair are two judges of

whom little is known. Jephthah is known as the

rash vow judge. Little is known of Ibzan and Elon.

Samson was well known and his great trouble was

his confidence in Delilah. He was strong

physically, but weak in controlling his fleshly

desires. Samuel, who has no record in the judges

as well as Eli, will be discussed in later articles.

SALVATION — CONFESSION No. 6

Thomas G. O'Neal, Jasper, Ala.

After the alien sinner has heard the gospel,believed it, turned from or repented of his sins,the next thing required of him by God is that heconfess his faith in Christ as the Son of God. He has believed the gospel — believed that Jesus is the Son of God — and is now called upon to confess that conviction of heart.

This confe ion is the one Peter made in Matthew,

chapter 16. Peter said, "Thou art the Christ, th

Son of the living God." T he sinner must confess

that he believes that Jesus to be God's Son.

The confession is to be made before men. "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men,

him will I confess also before my Father which is

in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before

men, him will I also deny befor e my Father

which is in heaven." (Mt. 10:32-33)

This confession is made verbally. Of course,

God does not require the impossible with man.

An individual who is dumb could express his faith

in Christ as God's Son by placing his finger on

the passage of Scripture where the eunuch said

he believed Christ to be the Son of God. "For

with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;

and with the mouth confe ion is made unto

salvation." (Rom. 10:10).

Many have made a confession, but not the onerequired of God. Some have confessed, "I believe that God for Christ's sake hath pardoned my sins." However, no Scripture gives this as the confe ion to be made or records where it was made. Upocoming to a certain water the Ethiopian eunuchrequested baptism at the hands of Philip, andinquired what would hinder him from beingbaptized. Philip responded by saying, "If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest." To which the eunuch promptly said, "I believe that

Jesus Christ is the Son of God." If you, dear

reader, have confessed something else, you havemade the wrong confe ion!

This confession is reaffirmed daily when thchild of God conducts himself as becometh the

gospel of Chr ist. (I Tim. 6:12; Phil. 1:27).

Some have thought that since the only confe ion

that is specifically stated in the "Book of

Conversions." — Acts — is a confession that was

made at the edge of the water, therefore, in order

for confe ion to be Scriptural one must take his

confe ion "at the water." However, the example of

confessing Christ as God's Son at the water is

not an example r equir ing the same action of us

today. Let this writer stop long enough to state

that one's confession is scr iptural if made at the

rater, but it does not have to be made at the

water in order to be Scriptural! Where a man

may be geographically does not determine the

Scripturalness of his confession. The reason that

the eunuch made his -confession at the water is

plain from a close reading of Acts 8. Philip

preached to him as they traveled along the road.

As Christ was preached, the nece ity of baptism

was also preached, and baptism was requested.

Where were they at this time? The divine record

shows they were at the water, thus there the

confession was made. Not only wer e they at the

water, but they also were still in the chariot, v. 38.

The place where the confession was made is

incidental and irrelevant, thus where the

confession is made is not material! It is always

necessary to separate incidental circumstances from divine law in doing the will of God!

CURSED CHILDREN

In answer to the question, "I s it possible for a

child of God to fall from grace?" the second

chapter of second Peter traces the process. By

this I mean it follows step by step the course of

such apostasy. Let us look at the chapter and callattention to the following verses.

1. THESE CHRISTIANS WERE BOUGHT BY

THE LORD. Vs. 1 "But there were false prophets also among

the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who shall privily bring in damnablheresies, even denying the Lord that bought them

and bring upon themselves swift destruction."

There can be no mistake in the teaching of this

great verse. False teachers would arise among th

brethren who had been purchased by the blood o

Christ. They would go so far in the teaching o

their heresies that they would even deny the very

Lord that bought them. What a lesson we have

here for the modernist who denies that Jesus is

the Son of God. If Christ was not born of a virgin

and was the ver y embodiment of God the Father

then he was an impostor. Submitting to Jewish

pressure some of these Christians denied that he

was the Savior.

2. THEY HAD ESCAPED THE POLLUTION OF

THE WORLD Vs 20 "For after they have escaped the

pollutions of the wor ld 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."

Here Peter is saying they had been sanctified

or set apart in the service of the Lord. Paul would

say, they have been translated out of the kingdom

of darkness into the kingdom of Christ. To escape

the pollutions of the world means they had bee

baptized for the remission of sins or to wash their

sins away. T hey had been washed in the blood of

the L amb. Now he points out that if they ar e

entangled again, the latter end is worse than the

beginning. If a child of God can-not fall from

grace how would it be possible for the inspired

apostle to say that the latter end is wor se?

3. THEY WENT ASTRAY Vs. 15 "Which have forsaken the r igh t way

and are gone astray, following the way o

Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of

unrighteousness."

The motive for this apostasy is here given i

plain words. They denied the Lord for money

Just as old Balaam loved the rewards promised b

Balak and sold his soul for the love of such wages

these br ethren loving what Peter calls the wage

of unrighteousness followed in his steps. To

contend that a Christian can-not let greed fill

his heart and cause him to turn his back on the

Lord is to deny the plain teaching of this passage.

4. THEY BECAME CURSED CHILDREN Vs. 14 "Having eyes full of adultery, and tha

cannot cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls:

an heart they have exercised with covetous

practices; cursed children."

Not only did they fall from the grace of God

but they were completely overcome with sin. They

lived to engage in its practice. They took

advantage of their position to live to the very

full a life of the flesh and the lust thereof. To

argue that these were saved would be to deny

every page of the New Testament.

5. WERE LOST

Vs. 13 "And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time."

Just think of the final destiny of these children

who have turned their back upon God and his Son.

They shall receive the reward of unrighteousness.

Since the unr ighteous cannot enter into the

kingdom of heaven ther e will be no other plac

for them but in hell. They will share the same

fate as those who have no desire to do right a

all. Those who parade their sins in the day tim

and glory in them. The same reward as those who

by their utter disregard for God and his law

actually defy every moral commandment and take

pleasure in showing how wicked they can be.

6. BRING UPON THEMSELVES SWIFT

DESTRUCTION

Vs. 1 "But there were false prophets among thpeople, even as there shall be false teachers amongyou who privily shall bring in damnable heresies,even denying the Lord that bought them, and bringupon themselves swift destruction."

The swift destruction here spoken of needs nocomment from this writer. God will not and cannot tolerate sin. He drove man from the garden oEden when he sinned. Ananias and Sapphira paithe full price for their sins in the church in Jerusalem and thus it must always be with God.For men to teach that these Christians could bring upon themselves swift destruction and still be

saved would make mockery of the word of God.

THE TRUE PROVERB

At the close of the chapter of 22 verses devoted

entirely to the fall of these Christians, Peter

calls attention to the true proverb. It is an ugl

picture for it deals with an ugly subject, that of

sin. Many today do not like to think about it o

hear it preached. The writer remembers as a lad

dr iving a group of ladies to hear a well known

preacher preach. He took this for his text and on

the way home he remembers the expressions of

distaste for the subject and the proverb. Sin is

never pretty and God makes no attempt to make

it appear so. It is the Devil who puts sin in a

becoming dress. Peter states in verse 22, "But it

happened to them according to the true proverb, the

dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow

that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."

In the next issue "Counting the Blood Unholy".

INDEX TO

envelope.

"UNWARRANTED OPINIONS, THINGS LAWFUL, THINGS COMMANDED" — A REVIEW (No. 2)

On page five of brother D. Ellis Walker's tract

in the first paragraph in the section entitled

"Obeying Specific Commands" he teaches that

there is less room for using human judgment i

obeying specific commands than in obeying generic

commands. From the context and his

illustrations it is evident that he means there is

room for some human judgment in obeying specific

commands. In other words, the difference betwee

obeying specific and generic commands, as far as

human judgment is concerned, is only a matter of

degree. The former is more limited than the latter,

neverthele , according to brother Walker, human

judgment is used in both. This is false! Such reveals a very grievous error on his part. In fact, it accounts for much of his confusion and error. When God Almightycommands a thing specifically, it eliminates all human judgment in that matter. Warranted humanjudgment is found only in the realm of the generic,A careful examination of brother Walker's own illustrations confirms this. I now consider them in

the order in which they appear in his tract.

In giving Noah the command to build an ark

(Gen. 6:14) God specified some things and thereby

eliminated all human judgment in the things

specified, e.g., the kind of wood, the window, th

door and where to put it, the pitch within and

without, the length, breadth, and height of the ark.

Concer ning the number of pieces of wood, their

size and shape, and how far apart from each other

they were to be placed, God made no specifications

but rather left such in the generic. For that reason

Noah's human judgment was warranted in those

matter s. Noah's judgment in those matters was

used in the r ealm of the generic and not in the

realm of the specific— brother Walker to the

contrary notwithstanding

In giving Moses a pattern for building thetabernacle (Ex. 25, 26, 27), God specified some things, and other matters he left in the generic. All of the human judgment exercised by Moses in building the tabernacle was in the realm of the generic. Even then, all of his human judgmenwas within the scope of that author ized; it was lawful (1 Cor. 6:12), hence, according to thpattern. All of brother Walker's implications thahuman judgment (even in a small degree) is warranted in obeying specific commands are false implications. Human judgment is warranted onlin the realm of the generic.

Next, brother Walker warns against the use of unwarranted human judgment in dealing with specific commands. He gives as examples of sucjudgment Moses and Aaron (Num. 20), Uzzah (2Sam. 6:6-9; 1 Chron. 15:1-15), and Nadab andAbihu (Lev. 10:1-2). What brother Walker shouldlear n is that all human judgment in obeying aspecific command is unwarranted! All of the characters mentioned above suffered because theyused human judgment in dealing with a specific command. Brother Walker would have us believe that there is both warranted and unwarranted human judgment in dealing with a specific command, anthat we should be careful to use only the former. However, brother Walker does not tell us how to distinguish between the two. In other words, hdoes not tell us how to determine which is warranted and which is unwarranted. He does not because he cannot. There is no such distinction in dealing with specific commands! He assumes a point of distinction that does not exist, and woulhave us settle the i ue of difference between the two on any matter that arises by his ipse dixit. My,what a teacher! He needs to go to school on these matters himself.

In the observance of the Lord's supper brother

Walker rightly affirms that some things have been

specified. However, all of the human judgment

which he seeks to justify in relation to observingthe Lord's supper has to do with matters generically

(Please Turn to Page 12)

". . . THEY REHEARSED ALL THAT GOD HAD DONE WITH THEM . . ."— Acts 14:27

C. G. CALDWELL, SR. PASSES

On last May 25 brother Charles G. Caldwell, Sr. suffered a "sinus arrest" of his heart and died instantly. His sudden passing was a shock to his many fr iends throughout the countr y. Funer al services were conducted in Manchester and Chattanooga, Tennessee by brother Bob Crawleyand brother Harry Pickup, Sr. Our heartfeltsympathy goes to sister Caldwell and ever ymember of the family. Brother Caldwell was a great

source of encour agement to the wr iter while in a

meeting near Manchester last fall. I enjoyed a

long visit in the home of brother and sister

Caldwell at that time. Brother Caldwell was a

sound gospel preacher who served the Lord

faithfully throughout his life. His son, Charles G.

Jr. is the faithful preacher in Columbus, Georgia.

Sister Caldwell and daughter, Ruth, will continue to

reside at 1310 MacArthur Drive, Manchester,

Tennessee — H.E.P.

Yater T ant of Ft. Smith, Ar k. was in a meeting at Snap-

finger Road church in Decatur, Ga., July 1-8 . . . Brooks

C. Webb was in a meeting at West Main Str eet in Wood-

bury, Tenn., June 24-July 1 .. . Delton Porter was in a

meeting at South Hall church in Franklin, Tenn., June 17-24

. . . Eugene Crawley was in an open-air meeting at Poplins

Cr oss Roads near Unionville, T enn. Sever al pr eacher s in the T ampa ar ea spoke in a meeting

at 32nd Ave. church (colored) July 16-29 . . . T. T. Carney

will move from Jackson Heights in Columbia, Tenn. to work

with the Elm St. church in St. Charles, Mo. about August

1 .. . Ferrell Jenkins of Spring & Blaine church in St.

Louis, Mo. will be in a meeting at Dunmor, Ky. July 25-30

and Truman, Ark. August 6-12. Leslie E. Sloan of Palmetto, Fla. has accepted the work

at Jasper, Ga. He will begin work there in August. He

is being supported by the North Miami Avenue church in

Miami, Fla. Brother Sloan is a faithful and sound preacher

of the gospel and will do good wherever he goes . . . Bobb

Thompson of the North Miami Avenue church closed a

good meeting at the Belmont Heights church in Tampa,

Fla., Baxter Evans is the faithful preacher with this

chur ch . . . Bobby Thompson was in a meeting at Jesup, Ga.,

July 22-29; at Asheville, N. C. (Haywood Road) in August

1-8; and will be at Morehead City, N. C. in August 12-19. Curtis E. Flatt of Florence, Ala. was with C. L. Overturf,

Sr. in a gospel meeting at Nebraska Avenue church in

Tampa, Fla., July 8-15 . . . Hugh Davis of Lake Wales

Fla. was in a meeting at Temple Crest, June 24-July 1.

Rhymer Knight is the preacher at Temple Crest . . .

Walter N. Hender son of Meridian, Mi , was in a meeting

at York, Ala. beginning July 8. Herschel Davis is the

preacher at York. Connie W. Adams, Orlando, Florida — I have been in

meetings, this year at Pine Hills in Orlando, Owen Sound

Ontario, Canada and New Haven, near L exington,

Tennessee. August 1-17 I will hold an open air meeting

near Nauvoo in Walker County, Alabama, and will be a

Mc-Arthur Heights in Jasper, Alabama August 19-26.

October 7-14 I will be at San Matee in Palatka, Florida.

We are off to a good start in a pleasant work with the

Pine Hills congregation. Visit with us when in the city

beautiful. Bill Echols, East Orange, New Jersey — The church in

New Brunswick, New Jersey is now meeting in the

elementar y school in River Road in Piscataway T ownship.

If you know of members or interested persons in the

New Brunswick area, please send their names and addresses to

Bill Echols, 169 Main Street, East Orange, N. J. Walter N. Henderson will move to Clermont, Florida about

September 1 to begin wor k with the chur ch ther e. He is

leaving the 7th Avenue church in Meridian, Miss, where

he has done a fine wor k . . . Bill Shelton was in a meeting

at Lyle, Tenn. July 23-30 . . . Eugene Britnell of Little

Rock, Ark. will be the speaker in a gospel meeting a

Palmetto, Fla. August 20-29 . . . Grover Stevens of

Louisville, Ky. preached in a series of meetings at the

Armory at Bardstown, Ky., July 23-29 . . . Roy E.

Cogdill closed a meeting at Danville, Ky., July 29 .. .

Ronald Mosby closed a meeting in Hodgensville, Ky

August 3. Ser vices wer e held in the Women's Club Building

with a view to establishing a congr egation ther e. Robert J. LaCoste of the Temple Terrace church in

T ampa, Fla. was in a gospel meeting at Big Clifty,

Kentucky, June 24 -July 1. Four were baptized into

Christ.

NEW CONGREGATION

July 11, 1962

TO BRETHREN IN THE LORD WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

For some time the undersigned and others have

felt that a congregation of the Lord's people i

the Cross Bayou area of Pinellas County will serve

the cause of Christ effectively. Brethren who have

been meeting with at least four different churches,

and all of them in good standing with these

congregations, will begin meeting as Cross Bayou

Church this next Lord's day, July 15. Temporarily

all meetings will be held in the Skyview Elementary

School Building, 8601 60th Street, North. Notice

please, the ear ly morning Lord's day meetings. Schedule of services is as follows: Sunday: 8:45 a.m. — Preaching and Worship

10:00 a.m. — Bible study 7:30 p.m. —

Preaching Thursday: 7:30 a.m. — Bible study On the evening of this same day, July 15, andin this same location, this congregation will

support a series of gospel meetings with

preaching nightly at 7:30. Lessons will be

presented each evening for at least one week. We

have invited brother James R. Cope to do the

preaching.We are not asking any congregation for financial

support. We will appreciate the prayers and goo

will of all Christians, however, and hope that al

who can attend will be present for this series of

meetings next week. Yours in the Lord, /s/ W.

R. (Bill) Adams Harry

W. Marlow Ray V.

Gillette Ray Bumbalough

Harry C. Downing Jack R.

Siegle John Mclntosh

Return Postage GuaranteedPhillips PublicationsP. O. Box 17244 TAMPA 12, FLORIDA

Giving the Answers for Our Hope

(Continued fr om Page 10)

authorized and not with things specified. I challenge him to show an exception! Hence, we see again that warranted human judgment is found only in the r ealm of the gener ic.

The crowning effort of brother Walker, frothe viewpoint of tr ying to establish warr anted human judgment in obeying specific commands, is found in the last paragraph of the section entitled"Obeying Specific Commands". T he only things crowned, however, in his own ignorance andabortive effort in the matter. He begins with a consider ation of the kind of music used in worship. He rightly shows that Christ has specifically authorized vocal music and cites the following passages: Matt. 26:30; Acts 16:25; Rom. 15:9; I Cor. 14:15; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; Heb2:12; 13:15; James 5:13. With this point we are in agreement. We are still in agreement with his emphasis by way of a question as to whether anycommand can be more specific. However, when heaffirms that there is warrant here for human judgment otherwise we should throw away our songbooks, we disagree vehemently! Whether we sinfrom memor y or from song books has nothing on earth to do with the kind of music used. The kind of music has been specified. From what we sing(memory or song books) has not been specified. It has been generic-ally authorized by necessaryinference. If one sings at all, he will sing frommemory or from a song book. Human judgmentthat determines from what we sing is warranted because it is in the realm of the generic— not the specific. It has nothing at all to do with obeying aspecific command. "Sing" is a specific command only as it relates to the kind of music. It is genericas it relates to from what we sing. It is generic as it r elates to the parts which we sing, e.g., soprano,alto, tenor, or ba . Whether or not the command to sing is specific or generic depends upon that twhich it relates. Furthermore, where or by whom,the song books are printed has nothing on earth todo with the kind of music that has been specifically commanded. So again, we see that human judgment is warranted only in the realm of thegeneric.

The denominational world has long since relied too heavily upon human judgment in their efforts

to carry out the will of God. Now, brother Walker and those with him are doing the same thing.T he author ity for their innovations is human judgment. So, brother Walker writes a tract trying to justify it — even in obeying specific commands. This, as we have shown, is a perversion of truth. Yet, desperate men will do desperate things. He desperately needs divine authority for his brotherhood projects. Indeed, he is desperate!

Our next article will deal with his use of Gal2:10, other perversions, and his courageous (?)

fight with a straw man.

GRANDYIEW CHURCH OF CHRISTTompkinsville, Kentucky

Rodney Miller

"Now I beseech you, brethren, through the nameof our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among youbut that ye be perfected together in the same mindand in the same judgment." (I Cor. 1:10).

But there comes a time when the truth MUST be preached. And when the church is not of the same mind this cannot be done; either the pure word ofChrist must be compromised or a fine line of rightand wrong must be drawn. So here in Tomkinsville, Kentucky, the line of truth was dr awn and a new work was started. It is surprising what ahand full of people who love the Lord can dowithstanding ridicule, hardships and no treasury on March 25, 1962, 77 members met together in abasement to form what is now called the GRANDVIEW CHURCH OF CHRIST. From the bottom of their pockets they gave $345.00 to start the newwork. From basement to school house the brethren worshipped with cold feet, but with warm and

sincere hearts. With an average collection of $185.00 to $200.00

a week a building program began, and the first copy of the GRANDVIEW MESSENGER began to spread its small light like a candle throughout thnight with its ever burning rays of truth. With able men in the leadership, the church grew and so did plans for the building. T he ground work was layed for this church as it was in the time of theApostles. The soundness of the word preached here is equaled only by the foundation on which thchurch was built. It is a shame that the church everywhere doesn't have able men who are notafraid to stand up for the Gospel and let the truth be preached. With the help of the minister, Ross Spears, one of the soundest preachers that this part of Kentucky has to offer, the church has been

established on the straight and narrow road.

Yes, division in the church is bad, but when it comes to the question of right or wrong, thequestions must be asked and the right answers found and if they are not found, souls will suffer. T he Lord died and gave his blood and started hischurch with his commands and if these are not followed the ones who stand for the right have duty to do.

— New Tract —

THE NEW TESTAMENT PLAN OF SALVATION

By H. E. PHILLIPS10 cents each or $1.00 per dozen$7.50 per hundred