THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave isone of the strongest proofs of the deity and power ofChrist, the accuracy and certainty of the promises ofGod, and the assurance of our resurrection and eternal life. God has appointed a day "in the whichhe will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised himfrom the dead" (Acts 17:31).

"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be anapostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (which hehad promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David accordingto the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by theresurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:1-4).

The expression "by the resurrection from the dead"has been variously explained. Some say that "by" means "after," making it read" "After the resurrection from the dead." This is not the natural meaning of the word "by" and certainly it is not inharmony with the context here. It was not the objectof the apostle to give the TIME when Christ was theSon of God. The word in context is giving theAGENCY by which he was declared to be the Son ofGod with power.

Christ was confessed to be the Son of God BEFORE his resurrection; therefore, the resurrectionfrom the dead did not MAKE him the Son of God. The devils said he was the Son of God (Matt. 8:29);

Peter confessed Christ to be the Son of God (Matt.

16:16); Christ himself said he was the Son of God

(John 10:36); and God confessed Christ to be His Son

(Matt. 3:16, 17).

The expression "from the dead" would signify that

the proof is in Christ's own resurrection, rather than

the general resurrection of the dead. To apply this to

the general resurrection of the dead at the last day

would not prove anything about Christ as the Son of

God because the resurrection of the dead is yet

future. But Paul says Christ is DECLARED to be

the Son of God with power by the resurrection from

the dead.

But how would the resurrection of Christ from the

dead declare him to be the Son of God with power?

1. Christ's own claim to deity made his resurrection proof of his Son-ship. He came as the Messiah. He taught that he was the Son of God(John 10:36). He claimed to be equal with God (Phil.2:6; John 5:18). He claimed power over the law ofMoses (Mark 2:28). When God raised him from thedead it was eternal proof that his claims were true.God would never have raised an impostor, thus whenGod raised him from the dead (Acts 17:31), He declared him to be the Son of God with power.
2. The nature of his resurrection was different from all others who had been raised before him. The prophets had foretold it (Psa. 16:10, 11). Christ himself foretold it (Matt. 16:21). It was a complete victory over death (Rom. 6:9; Rev. 1:18). It is a guarantee of the general resurrection of all the dead(1 Cor. 15:22).
3. Christ used his resurrection as the final and onlysign that he was from the Father and was the Son ofGod. The only sign was Jonah and the great fish prepared by God (Matt. 12:38-40). This referred to his own resurrection after being in the heart of theearth three days and three nights.
4. Christ was put to death as a blasphemer; he said he was the Son of God and the Jews accused him of blasphemy for it. God raised him from the dead (Acts 2:23, 24; 17:31). But God would not haveraised him had his claim to be the Son of God been false. It must follow, therefore, that the resurrectionof Christ from the dead declares him to be the Son of God with power.

What is there in the resurrection to prove the

relationship of Christ to God? Nothing in and of the

resurrection itself. The resurrection of Lazarus did

not prove the nature of the person, nor does it prove

the nature of anyone raised. At the last day both the

good and the evil will be raised (John 5:28, 29). The

resurrection of Christ simply proved that his claims

to be the Son of God were true, and God gave us

that assurance (Acts 17:31).

The resurrection of Christ is also associated with his ascension and exaltation at the right hand ofGod. Peter proved that Christ was raised from thedead (Acts 2:22, 23) by reference to prophecy, and then concluded that he was made both Lord and Christ at the right hand of God (Acts 2:36).

The resurrection of Christ is the very foundation ofour hope. "But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen; and if Christ be notrisen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith isalso vain" (1 Cor. 15:13,14). "For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ risen: and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins . . . If in this life only we have hope in Christ, weare of all men most miserable" (1 Cor. 15:16, 17, 19).We have the assurance of God that Christ is His Son and by the gospel we have hope in the resurrection and everlasting life.

A GIANT STEP FORWARD INTO WHAT?

The Madison, Tennessee church, where Ira North preaches, announced in its November 15, 1978 bulletin the grand opening of a facility called a"Family Life and Education Center." Since other large liberal churches have plans for such facilities, itmight be of interest to our readers to find out someof the activities which are to take place. As we havecome to expect from Madison, the grand opening wasspectacular. The president of Abilene Christian University, John Stevens, was there along with M.Norvel Young of Pepperdine, Claude Gardner ofFreed-Hardeman and Tom Holland of David Lipscomb. Everyone present was given a prize to remember the occasion. The ladies were given an "Alpha-Omega necklace" and the men received an "Alpha and Omega lapel pin."

The Madison bulletin published the following list ofrules for the use of the new facilities and from them we learn something of the activities expected. If youstill believe that the church is a spiritual body with aspiritual work, you might want to sit down beforereading this list. Here it is.

Family Life Center

"Many questions have been asked about securing reservations for your Sunday School class. Zone Dinner or Sunday School Departments. Please read the following policies carefully.

We are now taking reservations from January 1st on. Please call the proper department in thechurch office to secure reservations. Reservations for the month of November or December in 1978, will not be taken until thebuilding is totally complete.

Reservation of Family Life Center

1. Reservations for areas of the Family Life Center such as gymnasium, exercise room, classrooms, or sunset room, must be made through the office of the Youth Minister.
2. All of the reservations for the reception room and any part of the fellowship room should bemade with Shirley Ward in the Records Office.
3. Reservations can only be made by classes or groups of the Madison Church of Christ.
4. The Family Life Center will not be available onSunday afternoon for activities: however, it maybe reserved by groups for after church

fellowship.

1. Scheduling of events shall be made at least two months in advance to the date. A sheet will be sent along with a reservation confirmation on whatneeds to be secured.
2. A member of the church staff or an approvedvolunteer must be present at all activities conducted in the Family Life Center.
3. All groups must provide adequate super vision at all activities conducted in the Family Life Center.
4. Groups using the facility are responsible forkeeping the reserved areas as clean as possible.
5. The gymnasium will be used for eating onlyby very large groups that have approval from the Elders. The fellowship room of the Family Life C enter has been designed for class or organization suppers and banquets.
6. Team practice for approved church athletic teams will be scheduled with the Youth Minister."

Now, there you have it. This surely is a giant step.But in which direction? Jesus said "My kingdom isnot of this world" (Jno. 18:36). Paul said "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost"(Rom. 14:17). I wonder if Ira North, now editor ofthe GOSPEL ADVOCATE, would favor his readers with a scriptural defence of recreational facilities builtwith church funds. Maybe he could get his associate editor, Guy N. Woods, to help him. Where are you,brother Woods? Some of us find it hard to believe that deep down inside you truly endorse all of this.

In case you think this is an isolated thing, thefront page of the FIRM FOUNDATION of December19, 1978 carried a picture of a group of members ofthe Richland Hills church of Fort Worth, Texas. In front of the group are two men holding a banner which reads "PRAISE THE LORD, WE DID IT!"What they did was to contribute $755,000 on one Sunday in order to go into a new 35,000 square footbuilding free of debt. And what is this 35,000 squarefoot building to be used for? "The new building willprovide needed space for a growing Bible school nowaveraging over 1,000 per Sunday and will also provide facilities for Christian fellowship and indoorrecreational activities."

The Broadway church of Lubbock, Texas is now ina 3.8 million dollar expansion program. Among otherthings, their bulletin says they will have four timesas much space for "fellowship" in the new quarters asthey now have. They will have room for a sit-down dinner with 2,000 at once, among other things. And,oh yes, a gymnasium.

These churches are on the march all right, straightinto the mainstream of denominationalism. These activities are going on under the direction and withthe blessing of powerful and influential forces amongthe liberal brethren. Two college presidents, one chancellor and one teacher, representing four differentschools were present to speak at Madison at theirgrand opening. Ira North, editor of the GOSPEL ADVOCATE, preaches there where that took place. Reuel Lemmons and the FIRM FOUNDATION are powerful forces. When such men give their blessingsto such activities, purportedly in the name of Christ,then it is high time for all those caught up among these activities to demand a "thus saith the Lord" to support such practices, or else "come out from amongthem" and take their stand with people who stillwant to "speak as the oracles of God" (1 Pet. 4:11).We are hearing of more and more who are doing just that.

ZEPHANIAH: PERFECTION THROUGH SUFFERINGS

These Old Testament prophets are placed in the revelation for good reason; they deal with the humanpredicament of sin, suffering, and judgment. Often in this life the darkness of night becomes so black thatwe give up and abandon Christ as the answer. Suchis a terrible tragedy not only in what we lose eternally, but also because there are answers provided that will help one to live in the turmoil of the here and now. At least two of "the twelve," the Hebrew term for the minor prophets, deal with painof the human experience and the Divine solutionto it. These are Zephaniah and Habakkuk, and in this article we will explore Zephaniah's response to our need.

The message of the Book of Zephaniah is perfection through suffering. The questions regarding humansuffering have poured from many hearts and we haveoften times failed to respond in the Divine manner.One answer given to the question is simply that if you are righteous, you will not suffer. It is interesting that in support of this fact Job 5:20 is given in a written out line on Providence in support of this view. Yet, upon investigation, the words in Job

5:20 are spoken by Eliphaz, of whom God says in Job 42:7, that Eliphaz did not speak the truth in regard to his servant, Job. A natural outgrowth of this view of Providence then applied, was that if a woman were righteous she would never be rapedbecause God would protect her from evil. Needlessto say, such does not represent Bible teaching andneither does the extreme that God's Providence has ceased to work today and we are completely onour own. Both of these two extremes are unfounded. What then does Zephaniah teach?

Observing the short Book of Zephaniah, the key isfound in the second verse of the book, as contrasted to the last verse of the book: 1:2 - "I will completely remove all things" compared with 3:20 — "I will give you renown and praise ... I will restore yourfortune." First, the book opens with the fire of judgment that is going to purge Judah clean of her idolatrous ways. . . "I will completely consume." Thisfirst division of the three divisions of the book Baxter calls LOOK WITHIN! A day of wrath is coming on Judah. The period of time is that which is precedingBabylonian Captivity. Zephaniah lists six deadly sins for which Judah was to be purged: (1) 1:4 "Cut off a remnant of BAAL." THE SIN OF IDOLATRY. Josiah had enacted many reforms and the temples of idols were removed, but the remnant remained in the heart. (2) 1:4 "the idolatrous Priest" NASV, or "the Chemarim" KJV. THE SIN OF A PERVERTED WORSHIP. This was the worship of the true God,Jehovah, as opposed to the first sin which was worship of Baal, but it was the use of Jeroboam's Golden Calf Worship. (3) 1:5 "Bow down and swearto the Lord and yet swear by Milcom." THE SIN OFMIXED RELIGION. This is religious syncretism, a mixing of true religion, "swear to the Lord", with Milcom, a Babylonian idol. (4) 1:6 "turned back from following the Lord." THE SIN OF BACKSLIDING.

(5) v.6 "not sought the Lord." THE SIN OF INDIFFERENCE. (6) 1:8 "clothe themselves withforeign garments." THE SIN OF LOSS OF DISTINCTION. Here, by their clothing they identified with the world of idolatry. Now because of these six sins, Judah was going to be punished, andif there were a problem today, we could expect only the same. Thus, Zephaniah says "LOOK WITHIN" Judgment Is Coming.

Secondly, Zephaniah says (2:4-3:8) LOOK AROUND. Not only Judah will be destroyed but so will all the nations: North-Assyria, East-Moab & Ammon, West-Philistia, and South-Ethiopia. These are discussed in Chapter 2, which brings him toChapter 3. Now he returns to the sins of Judah, and by doing so in this context, places the Jews in the same classification as the evil pagan nations whichthey hated so badly. There are three basic failures here charged against Judah. (1) 3:1-Failure of ATTITUDE, "rebellious, defiled, and tyrannical." Thesethree factors violate exactly what God said He would require from man in Micah 6:8, do justice in man's relationship to Himself, which is voided by their "defilement"; love, mercy or kindness is man's relationship with God, which is violated by"rebellion." Thus, Judah had the wrong attitude in every relationship. (2) 3:2—Failure of ACTION. OBEYED Not, RECEIVED Not Instruction, TRUSTED Not, and DREW Not Near. (3) 3:3-4 FAILURE OF LEADERS. Princes, judges and priests.

Now we come to the third section of Zephaniah, LOOK BEYOND—"IN THAT DAY", a Messianic term for the day to come. Now, out of the fire of purging in which the remnant would be caught would emerge a new day, a day of Glory, Joy and Hope. They would have to suffer, but through that suffering they would be perfected; through that trial would come blessings too great to name.

(1) 3:9 — ONE LANGUAGE "give a purified Up." In that new day people will not have a defiled language because it will be pure. No longer willthe heart, which is the reservoir from which the lipspeaks, talk of idols, fornication and evil, but thepeople of the New Day will have a pure heart. (2) 3:9 — ONE SERVICE "shoulder to shoulder." Now they will be of one heart and one action, working together in God's cause and in His Kingdom. No longer would some of God's people be working for Baal, some for Milcom, others for the Golden Calf, but now all who are God's people will serve shoulder to shoulder. (3) 3:12 — ONE ATTITUDE, — HUMILITY. "A humble and lowly people will take refuge in His Name." The Lord called them the "Poor in Spirit" (Matt. 5:3). There will be no egos, no arrogance, no snobbery, no self-centeredness in thisNew Day. Of course, if we are to be the people of theNew Day this will not characterize us, and if it doesthen we are not the people of the New Day. (4) 3:13- ONE ACTIVITY, -RIGHTEOUSNESS. "No lies, no deceit, do no wrong." What a Day!What a Place! What a Kingdom! Yet, remember itcould not come about without the pain of judgment.

So it is with our lives today. While we live in thisglorious Messianic Day, we still see the need for thechastisements, trials, tribulations and heartbreaks tobring us through to the blessing that God has in store for us. Let us praise Him from whom all blessings flow. Let us praise Him for His matchless revelation which is geared to meet the needs of thehuman predicament.

KILPATRICK'S DEPRAVITY OF CALVINISM (No. 1)

In his work, the Institutes of the Christian

Religion, John Calvin set forth his system which is

known today as Calvinism. One of the five points of

Calvinian theology is hereditary total depravity. Note

his theology from volume one, pages 209-220 (second

book, chapter one).

"Through the fall and revolt of Adam, the wholehuman race made accursed and degenerate. . . . Thisdepravation communicated to the whole posterity ofAdam . . . hereditary depravity extends to all thefaculties of the soul . . . the whole human race beingcorrupted by an inherent viciousness. . . . We fell from our original in the person of our first parent . . .the sin which produced Adam's fall, and provokedGod to inflict such fearful vengeance on the wholehuman race . . . it was clearly proved from Scripture that the sin of the first man passed to all his posterity . . . impurity from his birth . . . All of us,therefore, descending from an impure seed, come intothe world tainted with the contagion of sin. Nay,before we behold the light of the sun we are in God's sight defiled and polluted . . . We thus see that theimpurity of parents is transmitted to their children,so that all, without exception, are originally depraved . . . by his corruption, the whole human race wasdeservedly vitiated. . . . Paul never could have said that all are "by nature the child of wrath" (Eph. 2:3),if they had not been cursed from the womb. . . .Adam, therefore, when he corrupted himself transmitted the contagion to all his posterity . . . he lost not only for himself but for us all ... he havingbeen defiled by sin, the pollution extends to all hisseed. Thus, from a corrupt root corruptbranches proceeding, transmit their corruption to thesaplings which spring from them. The children being vitiated in their parent, conveyed the taint to the grandchildren; in other words, corruption commencing in Adam, is by perpetual descent,conveyed from those preceding to those coming afterthem. Original sin, then, may be defined as hereditary corruption and depravity of our nature,extending to all parts of the soul, which first makes us obnoxious to the wrath of God, and then produces in us works which in Scripture are termed works of the flesh. "All have sinned" (Rom. 5:12); that is, are involved in original sin, and polluted by its stain. Hence, even infants bring their condemnation with them from their mother's womb, suffer not for another's, but for their own defect, for although they have not yet produced the fruits oftheir own unrighteousness, they have the seed implanted in them. Nay, their whole nature is, asit were, a seed-bed of sin; and therefore cannot but be odious and abominable to God . . . For our nature is not only utterly devoid of goodness, but so prolific isall kinds of evil, that it can never be idle . . . everything which is in man, from the intellect to thewill, from the soul even to the flesh, is defiled ... all parts of the soul were possessed by sin . . . corruption does not dwell in one part only, but thatno part is free from its deadly taint . . . the third chapter of the Epistle to the Romans is nothing but adescription of original sin . . . the whole man, from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, is so deluged, as it were, that no part remains exemptfrom sin, and, therefore, everything which proceedsfrom him is imputed as sin . . . Man is corrupted by a natural viciousness . . . we are "by nature the children of wrath" (Eph. 2:3)." Those are Calvin's own words.

Further, in this chapter on depravity, Calvin usedPsalms 51:5; Job 14:4, Eph. 2:3; Rom. 5:12 and Romans 3 to prove his doctrine. However, upon anexamination of these passages one learns that they donot teach inherent total depravity.

Gospel preachers through the years have debated Baptist preachers on the subject of depravity. Out ofthe false doctrine of depravity comes Calvin's false doctrine of the direct operation of the Holy Spirit.According to Calvinism, one depraved could not evendesire salvation, thus the Holy Spirit is said to benecessary to operate upon the heart of the sinner inaddition to the word of God in order to convert the sinner.

Error is error regardless of who teaches it. When Iwas preparing to debate a Baptist preacher a fewyears ago on the subject of total depravity and thedirect operation of the Holy Spirit, little did I realizethat soon some within the church would be teachingthe same false doctrine. However, such is the case.

In a paper published at Huntsville, Alabama, called The Ensign Fair edited by R. L. Kilpatrick, is found two articles in the December, 1977 and January, 1978, issues entitled "The Propagation of Adam's 'Kind' or How We Got Our Nature." These articles teach plain Calvinism. Notice some statements from these two articles.

R. L. Kilpatrick said, "The same defiled nature of Adam is passed to his offspring, and will continue tillthe end of time. We may 'prefer' not to sin, but weneither have the power nor the option of choosing it.Every being born into this world is born with thefallen nature of Adam . . . Adam contaminated the stream of humanity and his offspring are likewise polluted. Adam's sinful nature is transmitted to all posterity. We stand condemned as a 'race' because of the sin of our inherited nature. God has stamped S-IN across the face of creation . . . man does indeed inherit the sinful nature in that he descended from Adam in both body and spirit through natural generation. The Scriptures represent every human being as having inherited sinful nature (Rom. 5:12;Ps. 51:5; Eph. 2:3; Job 14:4; 15:14). Man sinned in Adam and therefore was guilty before committing personal acts of sin. God's imposition of the deathpenalty upon mankind — even upon those who havenot committed positive acts of sin. Is it different tosay that we inherit the 'sinful nature' of Adam than to say we inherit the 'sin' of Adam?"

John Calvin taught error when he taught depravity; R. L. Kilpatrick teaches error when he teaches such. Calvin used Psm. 51:5; Job 14:4, Eph.

2:3 and Romans 5 to try to prove the Bible teachesthis false doctrine and Kilpatrick used "Rom. 5:12,Ps. 51:5; Eph. 2:3; Job 14:4" to try to prove theBible teaches this. Both use the same proof texts and both pervert the word of God.

Having identified the error and its authors in thisarticle, in our next article we will look at the passages used as proof texts for this false doctrine.

GODS PATTERN IN CONVERSIONORGANIZATION, WORSHIP ANDWORK 2

Paul affirms that all men are sinners. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans3:23). He also affirms that Christ died for all men. "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned withglory and honor; that he by the grace of God shouldtaste death for every man" (Hebrews 2:9). That God devised a plan (pattern) whereby all mankind can besaved, few will deny. However, there is much disagreement as to what this plan is. So, in order forus to know God's plan for salvation, we need to makea few observations.

1. God's plan for salvation could not be enforced onmankind until after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For, these are the factsof the gospel that must be believed before one can besaved. "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you thegospel which I preached unto you, which also ye havereceived, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye aresaved, if ye keep in memory what I preached untoyou, unless ye have believed in vain. For I deliveredunto you first of all that which I also received, howthat Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he roseagain the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

2. One could not become a New Testament Christian before the New Testament was probated. Paul says atestament is of force after men are dead. It is of no benefit at all while the testator liveth. "For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at allwhile the testator liveth" (Hebrews 9:16-17). Since Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant, neither the facts, commands, nor promises could be realizedwhile He lived. There are instructions given by theLord that are to be obeyed in order that we mightreceive the remission of sins, (be saved), "And Jesuscame and spake unto them saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, andteach all nations, baptizing them in the name of theFather, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway,even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:18-20)."And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world,and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he thatbelieveth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15-16)."And that repentance and remission of sins should bepreached in his name among all nations, beginning atJerusalem" (Luke 24:47). After giving these instructions, Christ ascended to heaven to be with theFather. Christ now has all authority in heaven and onearth.

He told His apostles that the Holy Spirit would come and guide them into all truth as we have already observed on our first chart, John 16:13. Thistook place in Acts 2, and they went every wherepreaching the gospel. Every person obeyed the sameinstructions as those given to the apostles by Christin Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as can be observed from the following chart. This is God's pattern in conversion.

person to the number of the saved ones. "Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lordadded to the church daily such as should be saved"(Acts 2:47). Thus all those who are saved constitutethe Lord's church. The building in which saints meet isnot the church. The church is made up of those who arepurchased with the blood of Christ. "Take heed thereforeunto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which theHoly Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the churchof God, which he hath purchased with his own blood" (Acts 20:28). Christ did not purchase buildings withHis blood. He purchased people. These people who are saved constitute the Lord's church. They are instructed to worship and work according to the Scriptures, and are commanded not to go beyond that which is written. And no one person is the church.

Paul makes a distinction between the church and the individual "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to himthat needeth" (Ephesians 4:28), Individuals are commanded to work that they might provide for theirneeds. But the church cannot go into the plumbingbusiness, have yard sales, or engage in any kind ofenterprise in order to make money. The church is instructed, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when Icome" (1 Corinthians 16:2). The work is to be supported only by the freewill offerings of the saints,and that upon the first day of the week.

ORGANIZATION

The Lord's church is not an organization in thesame sense that the Roman Catholic Church is an organization (with an earthly headquarters, etc). However, it has organization.

God's pattern for organization is set forth in just avery few passages of Scripture. In Philippians 1:1 we read, "Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons." Hence, the congregation at Philippi consisted of bishops (elders,pastors, presbyters, which words all refer to the samework and office) deacons, and saints. According toActs 14:23, they ordained a plurality of elders inevery church, "And when they had ordained themelders in every church, and had prayed with fasting,they commended them to the Lord, on whom theybelieved." In Titus 1:5-11 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7 God's pattern is found for qualifications that men are tomeet in order to serve as overseers of a local church. (Please read the above passages). Also, in 1 Timothy3:8-13 we learn God's pattern for qualifications of deacons, and the wives of elders and deacons. (Please read these passages also).

I want you to observe from the Scriptures that thewords Elder, Pastor, Bishop, Presbyter are all usedto refer to the same person. In Acts 20:17 we readwhere Paul called for the elders of the church at Ephesus. When they came to him in Miletus, he referred to them as bishops or overseers in verse 28.In Ephesians 4:11 they are called pastors; and in 1Timothy 4:14 they are called presbyters.

Elders are to oversee the flock of God which is among them, taking the oversight thereof. "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also anelder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, andalso a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking theoversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind" (1 Peter 5:1-2). There is no authority in God's pattern for elders overseeing any congregation or work other than the one which is among them. For, how can they oversee what they cannot see? We cannot have a binding together of congregations in any way withoutgoing beyond God's pattern for organization. If there could be a binding together of congregations, whereis the passage in God's pattern that authorizes it? More Next Month

THE GREAT EXPENDITURE

The second epistle of Paul to the Corinthians is a

very personal one. It contains some very interesting

insights into the character of this great apostle. He

begins with his thankfulness for the great comfort

received from association with Christ (l:4-ff). He

speaks of a forgiving spirit (2:9); his concern over the

possibility of the formation of various illicit

relationships (6:14-18); his joy over their repentance

(7:8-11). He bares his heart to them as he discusses

such intimate things as his manifold afflictions

(11:23-27), his thorn in the flesh (12:17), and his

devotion to the cause of the Lord, which he describes

as "that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all

the churches" (11:28). He even brags somewhat of

the things he has been allowed to do and see in his

service to God (12:l-ff).

One of the outstanding characteristics of Paul washis immense zeal for the work to which he was called. The energy with which he served is noteworthy, if not cause for envy. The statement which, in myestimation, best illustrates this attitude is found in 2 Cor. 12:15. "And I will gladly spend and be spent foryou," he says. Here, in a sentence, is the fuel for his success; here is the force which produced his enthusiastic support of the gospel; here is the underlying factor which sustained him in the face ofextreme adversity. He was willing to spend, to offer histalent, time, energy, as well as any other thing overwhich he was steward, in order to advance the cause of Christ. He was willing to be spent, to exhaust himself to whatever extent necessary for the furtherance of the kingdom of God.

To spend and be spent as did Paul is necessary if one is to please God. It is tantamount to the presenting of ones self as a living sacrifice to God,acting and reacting at his bidding and in accordancewith his laws, including the adoption of the attitudesand dispositions he assigns as proper motives for conduct (Cf. Rom. 12:1-2), To spend time, influence,zeal, or money on a cause which cannot be irrefutablyshown as deriving from God is foolish beyond expression, And to allow oneself to be spent in servitude to a system of religion which falls short ofScriptural approval makes no good sense at all. Approved spending is necessary; lawful expenditureis demanded.

To spend and be spent as did Paul is to insure foroneself a quality life, one distinguishably better thanwhat this world has to offer. While it is certainly true

that most persons would not call Paul's life one of

ease and quietude, anyone familiar with Scripture

knows that he considered his life to be of the very

highest quality. Such a feeling was not based on ease

and convenience as the measurement for success, for

he certainly had little of that. But Paul could say his

life was successful because of what it secured for him.

"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in

reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in

distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak,

then am I strong" (2 Cor. 12:10). It was he who

described his own life as one in which he had "fought

a good fight" and "kept the faith" and he boldly

claimed that as a result, "there is laid up for me a

crown of righteousness" (2 Tim. 4:7-8). Because he

was willing to spend and be spent his was a high and

good life.

To spend and be spent demonstrates an abiding hope of heaven. I am convinced that most peopleplace entirely too much confidence in this life and asa result, they have no real concept of the joys andbliss of heaven. They just frankly are not interested.That person who entertains such a prospect uses thislife as a means by which to promote the satisfactionof his own selfish lusts and his own personal whimsand fancies. But he who is willing to spend and bespent in service to God has a much higher purposefor living life. He uses this life to secure for himselfan eternal abode in heaven. This life becomes a means toward a very high end, not an end in itself.And anyone acquainted with that person or who observes his life is aware that such is the case. To these same Corinthians Paul charged, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuchas ye know that your labor is not in vain in theLord" (1 Cor. 15:58). And to the Galatians, said he, "And let us not be weary in well doing; for in dueseason we shall reap, if we faint not" (Gal. 6:9). Our hopes and aspirations are not attached to the frivolous, the mundane, the material; we look for a city "which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Heb. 11:10). Let us therefore press on to that joy which is set before us by the assurances of the great gospel of Christ.

It should be the fervent desire of every Christian tospend and be spent in service to God. The life spentin service to God is actually the only one worth living. That person who is disposed to live such a lifeheaps to himself a bounty of present blessings whichrender that life not just desirable, but one to be earnestly sought after. And he assures for himself future blessings so numerous as to cause a comparison between them and some momentary carnalexistence an exercise of fools. That person benefits allwith whom he has contact. His life is pure, his motives high, his actions benign. He becomes a lightby which the goodness of God is manifested to a darkworld of sin. His participation in holy things is enthusiastic, confident, and lovingly offered. And henever entertains any thought of failure because of hisconnection to the Lord, "who worketh all things afterthe counsel of his will" (Eph. 1:11).

Brethren, let us be willing to spend for the cause of Christ. Let us be willing to be spent in service tohim. Only as we are so willing does life really take onany significance and hold any Teal meaning. Let us press on, knowing that while we may tire and becomeweary, "there remaineth a rest for the people of God"(Heb. 4:9). But there will be no rest for those who spend no time on earth serving God (Rev. 14:10-11).

KILPATRICK — BRINSMEAD — WHITE

A few months back, a series of three articles was published in STS by this writer in review of "Present Truth" magazine. (The publication has changed itsname to "Verdict." The format remains the same.) Inthose articles we called attention to the Adventist background of the editor, Robert D. Brinsmead. We were in error when we reported that he is currently amember of the Seventh-Day Adventist denomination.The mistake was pointed out by R. L. Kilpatrick in "Ensign Fair" with his customary contemptuous sarcasm. We acknowledged the correction and observed that it is of but little consequence whetherBrinsmead is an Adventist or merely an ex-Adventistso far as this question is concerned. The point is, aswe demonstrated, Adventist influence is evident in the journal he edits.

There is apparently a battle being waged in the present ranks of Seventh-Day Adventism over the matter of imputed righteousness. So far as the traditional teaching of Adventists, the followingquotation should shed some light. Donald P. Ames isto be credited with the research:

"If you give yourself to Him, and accept Him asyour Savior, then, sinful as your life may have been,for His sake you are accounted righteous. Christ's character stands in the place of your character, andyou are accepted before God just as if you had notsinned" (Steps To Christ, p. 42, by Ellen G. White).

Brother Kilpatrick, and several other brethren, havein their corner Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the founder of the Adventist movement. Now, when theyfind a scripture that teaches the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the believer's account, we will accept the doctrine.

"And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall intothe ditch" (Matt. 15:14b).

RAPTURE, DECEMBER 3, 1978

Maybe it's the crowd I hang around with, but I haven't noticed anyone missing. Oh, there have beena few absent from the assemblies of the church, but

some of them are sick with colds, and others, I wouldhardly expect to be counted among the faithful.

But, there it is in bold letters: December 3, 1978, Christ's Coming. I received the mimeographed flyerin the mail on December 1. It was sent out by the Fundamental Bible Church, Evansville, Indiana.

The article goes on to equate Christ's coming withthe premillennial notion of a "Rapture of the church,"and the beginning of a "Great Tribulation."

But didn't Jesus say, "Of that day and hourknoweth no man, no, not the angels which are inheaven, neither the Son, but the Father" (Mark 13:32). They have an answer for that!:

"However, we must believe all that Jesus said. Healso said that the Father would reveal all truth when the Holy Spirit came (John 14:12-15; 16:13). TheHoly Spirit did come on the day of Pentecost (seeActs 2). Now since that time, we who are born of theSpirit can now know the day when Jesus will come!Thus saith the Lord!"

Now, according to this statement, all who havebeen born of the Spirit have known the day ofChrist's coming since the day of Pentecost. Yet, thefolks who sent this information out obviously didn'tknow the day of Christ's coming. Therefore, by their own admission, they are not born of the Spirit.

Another matter that I find very puzzling is thenotation: "You have received this message from usbut you are not on our mailing list. If you would liketo be put on our mailing list, send your name andaddress to:" (Remember, this was received two daysprior to "the day of Christ's coming.")

And I thought T. S. Eliot was hard to understand!

"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour youLord doth come" (Matt. 24:42).

THE WORK IN AUSTRALIA

This is a brief summary of material by Bob

Harkrider of Nacogdoches, Texas. It appeared in full

in VANGUARD. Believing SEARCHING THE

SCRIPTURES readers include many who have not

had opportunity to read it, with Bob's permission I

am offering this abridged version, that they might

also learn of the work in Australia.

Australia and the US are often compared. This includes a rough similarity in land area, economic opportunity, a mixture of early-American frontiers andpresent US cities and technologies, as well as the factboth are misnamed "Christian" nations. There as here,materialism has made both alike spiritually, creating a feeling of self-reliance preventing a sense of dependence on God. New converts are few and usually result from personal studies.

Yet there are sharp differences. For example, picture only 20 churches between New York andMiami, with an average attendance of 25, with onlyone preacher among them fully supported. Also, theinstitutional division has been less distinct in Australia. Earlier, most of the churches were neitherlarge nor wealthy enough to become involved. However, liberal Americans wouldn't leave that situation alone. They sponsored the "Macuarie Schoolof Preaching" in Sydney. It taught the usual linethat whatever is not forbidden is permitted (but never in these words). The head of that school published a book deliberately slanting the history ofthe church there, and particularly those events concerning institutionalism to show the conservativebrethren as having a wrong attitude. These have defined and widened the division. As a result, whilethe "issues" were being sorted out by brethren there,growth was slowed, especially during the 60's. In the70's, with these "issues" more clearly identified, growth has picked up.

Several things indicate the real hope and foundation for the work there. For example, on the1977 trip there by Bob Harkrider and Robert Turner,they had a 40 minute layover between planes at oneplace. Even though there were only a few minutesavailable, several brethren in this area drove 2 hours(round trip) in heavy city traffic just to be with Harkrider and Turner, for these few minutes. One brother and his wife consistently knock on doors intheir city, offering correspondence Bible courses and home Bible studies to any who are interested. Themany refusals do not keep them from a regular schedule of such

activity including at least one day each week. Another brother in a different city systematicallyworks sections of that place, distributing tracts andalso offering home Bible studies. There are a numberof other individual examples of faithfulness and zealin God's service there. These indicate the Australian brethren are strong on personal work, even when thisrequires personal effort on their part. . .it is morethan just a "program of the church".

There is only one Australian preacher fullysupported. Two or three others have been supportedon earlier occasions, or are ready to be supportednow, or both. Additionally, half a dozen young menare studying to prepare themselves to preach full-time.Congregations there are willing to support them to the extent of their ability, but their ability is verylimited. Outside help will be necessary.

The hunger of Australian brethren for the Word ofGod and their willingness to try to interest others isindicated in one incident. Bob Harkrider reached one city where no meeting had been planned. A local member, learning he was available, arranged for himto speak that night before the brethren, getting themto come together for this on a "no-notice" basis. Thatevening, another member suggested he remain for several more days of preaching, which he did. Thesebrethren not only had all their members in attendance, but invited and brought a number ofvisitors, aliens, to hear the gospel. This "spur-of-themoment" effort indicated the attitude of God's faithful there.

Harkrider and his family lived and labored there from 1967 through 1969. Returning in 1977 with Robert Turner, who himself had been there on other occasions, was a labor of love. On their trip, Turnerand Harkrider seldom listened to each other. For a majority of the time, they were in different places,both preaching, encouraging the brethren and teaching aliens as they had opportunity. The Australian Christians, being few in number, perhapswould be more tempted than we to be weary inwelldoing Gal. 6:9). One of the purposes of their trip was to encourage them to be strong and faithful. Another was to provide spiritual food, to strengthen their faith. They did considerable teaching on various cults. On this three month trip,they preached for 15 churches and had contact with

22. While there, each man preached almost daily.Attendance ran from a low of 8 to a high of 65.

Australian brethren want more faithful, capable,and experienced US preachers to come there, at leastfor the next few years, to share the load with thosepresently doing the preaching. This would help easethe situation until the young men presently studyingare in the field and working with congregations. Mostof the churches there do not own a building, but meetin rented halls. Whatever hindrance this offers, it ismore than offset by the zeal and commitment of the Australian brethren themselves. My own conclusion:the church in Australia has a bright, if somewhatslow period of growth before it, and we in the USought to encourage it in every way possible, especially in support of the preachers there.

SUPPORTING A PREACHER OVERSEAS

Both from reading and conversation with others

interested in overseas work, I am getting the distinct

feeling that we in the US might be getting weary in

well-doing in so far as supporting overseas work is

concerned. From more than one, I have heard the

argument: "If a church has ten wage-earning

members, and each one gives 10%, that congregation

could support its own preacher, and we wouldn't have to

send money from the US for this." That may not be a

precise quote, but it is close enough. Sometimes the

comment is enhanced with: "We have supported brother

so-and-so there for a number of years now; we think

it is about time those brethren picked up their own

responsibilities and became self-supporting".

There are other remarks, all indicating some US

brethren would prefer to be relieved of the financial load

of assisting in overseas work.

Brethren, there is some basic faulty reasoning involved here. First, these statements usually, but not always, are made on the basis of a mental equating of the situation overseas with what it ishere. This is so grossly wrong, I am amazed each time it comes up. We in the US have such a superabundance of material blessings that no placeon earth I KNOW OF (I have been in quite a fewdifferent nations in my years of military service andsince) ever approximates what we have. Indeed, at notime in history within my knowledge has any suchabundance ever existed, any place. In my own time, Ican remember when some of the basics that we todayconsider necessities were available only to the rich,and a great deal of what we have now didn't even exist. Yet for the most part, we hold these as "necessities" and those who do not have them are considered deprived. What nonsense! When we use the present in the US as the basis of such statementas above, we are guilty of considerable ignorance ofreality.

Second, (1 Cor. 16:1,2) requires us to lay by in store ". . .as we have been prospered. . . ." Several years ago, TRUTH MAGAZINE ran a brief article on giving, citing IRS figures on various religiousgroups. As I recall, the church of Christ, overall, wassome 36th of 37th down the list, with the average member giving less than 4%. Now then, if with all the material blessings we have, we can only manageto give at that level, what do we become when wejudge brethren overseas, with far, far fewer materialblessings, whose experience as Christians is muchless than ours and whose preachers in many caseshave scarcely a few months more time as saints thanthe ones in the pew, do not give 10%?

I am shook up when I consider our expressed attitudes (see Mt. 7:20). Is it that we would rather build fancy buildings, purchase expensive equipment,do things to impress the world than we would use ourfinancial ability to preach the gospel? Or could it possibly be, as one has already written, a mark of covetousness, when we want to spend all this on ourselves rather than using it to spread God's Word? (1 Thess. 1:8) reads: "For from you sounded out theWord of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, But also in every place your faith to God-ward isspread abroad; . . . ." Would Paul say that of us now? Has our understanding of our purpose and stewardship so changed that we complain rather thanrejoice over opportunities to assist others in preaching God's gospel? And if so, how shall weescape the damnation of hell? Brethren, I beg you,think on these things!

The senseless slaughter of over 900 men, women,and children at Jonestown is a graphic illustration ofthe folly and destructiveness of following men in religious matters. However, I fear, the masses will continue to gullibly accept the teachings of men andblindly submit to their leadership.

Mr. Jim Jones was said to have possessedcharisma — the special quality that gives an individualinfluence or authority over large numbers of people.The case of Jonestown, Guyana, is a drastic instanceof people exalting a mere man as their leader andrendering homage to him.

The mass suicides of the members of the People's Temple is shocking but there is something which isjust as alarming: basically, denominationalism is made up of different people following different men.The following of different men in religion is what divides people religiously. For example, the followersof Jim Jones (People's Temple) are different from the followers of the Pope (Catholics); the followers of Joseph Smith (Mormons) are different from the followers of Charles Russell (Jehovah's Witnesses); the followers of William Miller (Adventist) are different from the followers of Henry VIII (Episcopalian); ad infinitum. The followers of JosephSmith cannot be united with the followers of Charles Russell because Smith (book of Mormon) and Russell(The Watchtower) teach different doctrines. One would not be a faithful Mormon if he believed the teachings of Russell; conversely, one could not be afaithful Jehovah's Witness if he believed the doctrines of Smith. This, concerned reader, is what denominationalism is all about.

The apostle Paul condemned the principle of denominationalism when he wrote: "For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of yousaith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I ofCephas, and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paulcrucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name ofPaul?" (1 Cor. 1:11-13).

Correctly, Martin Luther pleaded, "I ask that men make no reference to my name, and call themselves not Lutherans, but Christians. What is Luther? MY doctrine, I am sure, is not mine, nor have I been crucified for any one. St. Paul, in 1 Corinthians one, would not allow Christians to call themselves Pauline or Petrine, but Christian. How then should I, poor,foul carcass that I am, come to have men give to thechildren of Christ a name derived from my worthlessname? No, no, my dear friends; let us abolish all party names, and call ourselves Christians after Him whose doctrine we have." Notwithstanding, we have Lutherans today! Mr. Charles Spurgeon wrote, "I look forward with pleasure to the day when there willnot be a Baptist living! I hope that the Baptist namewill soon perish, but let Christ's name last forever," Spurgeon Memorial Library, vol. 1, p. 168. "Would to God that all party names, and unscriptural phrases and forms which have divided the Christian world, were forgot," wrote John Wesley, ". . .that the very name (Methodist, dm.) might never be mentioned more, but be buried in eternal oblivion," (Universal Knowledge, vol. 9, p. 540).

Men can understand the Bible and understand it alike. "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is," commanded Paul (Eph. 5:17, cf. Eph. 3:4). The Bible teaches that we must perform the will of God tobe saved, receive not those who do not bring theteaching of the New Testament, and be of one mind(Matt. 7:21-23; 2 John 9-11; 1 Cor. 1:10). We can understand the plan of salvation for the alien: (1)belief (John 8:24); (2) repentance (Acts 17:30, 31); (3)confession of Christ's deity (Rom. 10:9, 10); (4) and water baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38, 22:16). Moreover, the New Testament does not teach nor sanction diversity or many different ways to heaven but rather oneness and singularity (Matt. 7:13-24; John 10:9; 14:6; Eph. 4:3-6; 1 Cor. 4:17). Hence, denominationalism-following men-is unjustifiable.

Perhaps you are thinking it is wrong to comparedenominationalism with such cults as the People'sTemple. Admittedly, the average denomination is not as radical and drastic as the People's Temple. However, in one way this makes denominationalism worse — more people can be misled (cf. 2 Thess.

2:10 12).

May we learn from Guyana to not rally aroundmen and their doctrines. Let us not be followers of John Smythe, John Calvin, Jim Jones, Mary BakerEddy, Sun Moon, nor Alexander Campbell but ratherof Jesus Christ and his uplifting teaching, the NewTestament (cf. John 6:63; 1 Cor. 14:37; John 12:48).

The Psalmist wrote "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strengththey be fourscore years, yet is their strength labourand sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away"(90:10).Jesse A. Matlock was born during the year 1893 inthe Duck River country of Tennessee. There he grewto manhood, married his dear Lu-Vene and broughttheir children into the world. In the afternoon of his life Jesse took Lu-Vene and Clyde to Evansville, Indiana located in the beautiful Ohio River valley.From there, while asleep, on December 7, 1978 Jessetook his flight and has gone away.

It would not be right to call Jesse Matlock "A River Man." He was a farmer. When he moved to Evansville, he obtained employment on a farm. Afterthat, he never changed his place of employment, butduring the years had three different employers. Jessewas a loyal and considerate employee. He put in longhours and worked hard. His employer gladly wouldhave paid him higher wages, but Jesse did not wantthat. He lived a simple life having few needs and desired only enough to maintain his family, himselfand a contribution to the cause of our Lord. Even then, through thrift, Jesse was able to save a considerable amount.

Jesse was devoted to Lu-Vene. He loved their children. Their youngest son, Clyde, now in his mid50s, due to a childhood illness remains a child. Until his death, Jesse kept and cared for Clyde at home.Jesse Matlock was not given to displaying hisemotions, but there was a time, when Lu-Vene wasseriously ill, when he expressed to me sentimentsthat arise only from the deepest emotions. There werealso numerous occasions, when he expressed great concern for his children.

Jesse, Lu-Vene and Clyde lived in a little old houseon the farm where Jesse was employed. Few, if any, of us would be satisfied to live in that house, but Jesse, Lu-Vene and Clyde were. Jesse sought no realestate, he was seeking the title to a mansion in a farbetter land. He held no place among the powerful andprestigious of this world, but he carefully guarded hisplace in the family of God. There are children of Godwho have acquired more education and knowledge thanJesse was able to acquire, but to my knowledge, Ihave never met a more conscientious child of God.

Jesse loved our Lord and His cause, not in word only, but also in deeds. When faithful brethren at Evansville banded together to form a local churchthat would stand for truth, Jesse was one of the few, who left the older established churches, to take astand for truth. To help make possible a gospelmeeting Jesse paid the cost of a motel room in whichto keep the preacher. When the church was seeking

money to build a meeting house, Jesse offered to loan

his savings; he was then about 80 years of age.

Jesse A. Matlock was not a pulpit preacher. He

was a distributor of gospel tracts. He was the author

of two tracts that he published at his own expense.

Those two tracts, along with several tracts by other

authors, he bought and distributed by the thousands.

He often walked the streets of Evansville passing out

tracts.

Certain gospel preachers have been assisted by

Jesse to go preach the gospel. On at least one

occasion he paid for a number of subscriptions to a

paper published by a brother in Christ for brethren

who could not afford the cost.

Brother Matlock read all the bulletins he received. In a letter to me he wrote, "If in doubt, I do check tosee who is right." He understood the need to be rightand the seeming unconcern of so many grieved hisheart. His desire to be right was often expressed tome in the following manner: As we would be sittingin his front room, he would say, "I have been studying and now I want you to tell me if I am right. If I am wrong, I want to know it. You tell me." Nevertheless, he was not just about to accept anything I might say, just because I said it. Sometimes we would not agree about something.When each had said what he had to say in an effortto convince the other, we would still be on the best of terms.

There were some things that Jesse could never understand. This was true mostly of the actions ofcertain brethren. Yet, he held no resentment nor illwill toward any brother.

Jesse A. Matlock was an encourager of gospelpreachers. Especially was he an encourager of me,when I preached at Evansville, and I am persuadedthat he encouraged brother Gene Taylor, who followed me in the work there. Often he was extremelycomplimentary of a sermon I had just finished preaching. Several times his praise was literally anembarrassment to me. I really did not feel that it wasjustified, but I also knew that he had no use forflattery. If I had not known that, there would havebeen times when I would have relegated his remarksto that classification.

Jesse A. Matlock was my brother in Christ and agood friend. Until I shall "fly away," I will miss him.Then, it is my hope that we will meet again in thatland where "We'll Never Say, Good-bye."

______------------------

IN THE NEWS THIS MONTH BAPTISMS 171 RESTORATIONS 98 (Taken from bulletins and papers received by the editor)

A CROWN FOR MARY

It was a common practice among the pioneergospel preachers of America to be away from homefor weeks, and sometimes months at a time, preaching the gospel to people in remote and scattered settlements. Much has been told about the sufferings and privations these men of God enduredto carry the message of salvation to a lost and dyingworld. However, not much has been said about the wives of these men, but they often endured as muchaffliction as their evangelist husbands, if not more in many cases.

John T. Johnson, one of the most successful preachers of the past century, was one of those whowere frequently and for long periods of time awayfrom home. In fact, he was gone nearly all the time,away from his wife and family whom he loved dearly.His favorite theme was the gospel. He loved to preach it. He loved to tell what it did for men and what it had done for him. He gave up an influentialseat in Congress, a large fortune and the friendship ofthe world for Christ. He also gave up, for long periods, the companionship of his wife and family topreach Christ to others, but he was not unmindful ofthem and that they too were sacrificing for him tocarry the truth to others.

V. M. Metcalfe, a preacher of a younger generationwho heard Johnson in his prime, described the old pioneer's preaching as he told about what he had given up for the gospel, telling of his giving uppolitics, money and friends to serve the Lord. He spoke of his beautiful home he had left behind. "He would stop suddenly with emotion," Metcalfe recalled, "great tears streaming down his face, and exclaim: 'Mary, Mary, my precious wife, is at homepreaching the gospel by taking care of our children.Oh, when I get to heaven, if I should find only onecrown left, I would ask the Savior to give that one tomy beloved Mary.'" (Uncle Minor's Stories, page 232.)

Gospel preachers today rarely have to endure thedegree of hardship that attended many of the pioneers, but their lot in life still is not an easy one,if they are doing the kind of work they should bedoing. They need words of encouragement and goodpeople are mindful to give them. But the preacher's wife needs encouragement, too. She often has to beara greater burden than her husband does so he can preach the gospel. If Johnson's view is correct, the preacher's wife may be more deserving of a "crown" than the preacher is. So if you can find it in yourheart to do so, when you speak a kind word to onewho preaches the gospel, remember Mary Johnsonand speak a kind word to the preacher's wife, too. Hemight not be much without her.

"For whosoever shall call upon the name ofthe Lord shall be saved. How then shall theycall on him in whom they have not believed?and how shall they believe in him of whomthey have not heard? and how shall they hearwithout a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? . . . ." (Rom. 10:13-17)

The song writer surely captured the sentiments ofthis thought in the song "Into Our Hands" (No. 90in the song book Sacred Selection For The Church).Listen to the words:

Swiftly we're turning life's daily pages, Swiftly the hours are changing to years; How are weusing God's golden moments? Shall we reap glory? Shall we reap tears?

Millions are groping without the gospel, Quickly they'll reach eternity's night; Shall wesit idly as they rush onward? Haste, let us holdup Christ the true light.

Souls that are precious, souls that are dying,While we rejoice our sins are forgiven; Did Henot also die for these lost ones? Then let us point the way unto heaven.

Chorus: Into our hands the gospel is given, Intoour hands is given the light, Haste let us carryGod's precious message, Guiding the erring back to the right.

The message is clear. The gospel needs to be preached! Surely this is what God meant when hesaid, "How can they hear without a preacher . . . .".If that doesn't mean that the gospel needs preaching,Then what does it mean? In the great commission hesaid, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel . . . .(Mk. 16:15). And in Mt. 28:19," go and teach all nations . . . .". If he didn't mean "GO TEACH", then what does it mean?

I have no false illusions of what to expect from thework of preaching the gospel in Norway. I am awareof the past efforts and the kind of success that theworkers experienced and the problems they faced. I know of the indifference that exists there as it does in many parts of the world today. But I CANNOT LET

THE YEARS CONTINUE TO PASS BY WITHOUT

SOMEONE TEACHING THE GOSPEL OF

CHRIST TO THE PEOPLE OF NORWAY. As the

song writer declared, "Swiftly the hours are changing

to years . .shall we sit idly as they rush onward

.... did he not also die for these lost ones?"

We have worked there before (1967-69). Shirley andI both know the language. The Lord willing we shallreturn to Norway in 1980 to again preach the gospelof Christ. All we ask is for your financial support andyour fervent prayers. Why make this appeal now? Because the 20 months will pass rapidly and thesefew months will give those churches that are interested in this work time to plan it into their budget for 1980.

It has been a long time since the Lord said that itis not good that man should be alone. This remarkwas made when God promised to give Adam a helperthat was worthy of him. He took the rib from Adam's side and made Eye to be his wife. The wiseplan of God is laid down in the law that man shouldleave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the two should be one flesh. His rule then is the same that is in force in this New Testament age. The planas stated is that one man should take one woman and the two should make one happy and permanenthome. Any changing of this plan does great harm tosociety, brings great sorrow to those who violate God's law, and shows disrespect for the wisdom ofGod. God knows best, and His counsel is for thegood of mankind.

Heaven's approval of marriage is often repeated inthe great revelation of His will to man. He guidedone writer to state that whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing and obtains favor of the Lord. Man is reminded that the price of the virtuous woman is farabove rubies. God wills that only the best men serveas elders in His church, and each elder is to have a good wife and faithful children. They can help him much and be an honor to him. It was men in greaterror who insisted that leaders in the church should be celibates. Marriage is honorable in all. God willsthat younger women marry and bear children. Thereis no more blessed work for the ideal woman than for her to be a good wife and mother. Many have wellsaid that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.

If both the husband and the wife have a deepabiding faith in God they have a good foundation foran excellent home. Faith in God and reverence for His holy name will cause them to pay close attention to His wise counsel, and He has ample teaching toguide them in making a happy and successful home.The immoral and vulgar forfeit the right to a happyhome. The sins that destroy the home destroy thehappiness of every member of the family. A nation isvery sick when there are many of its citizens who discredit marriage. It is far better if all are taught to think of HOLY matrimony. The well taught and obedient children of God are the best home makers. Love, trust, and virtue have much more to do with successful marriages than material wealth or physicalbeauty. Proper regard for the eternal verities will cause home makers to be more aware of their responsibilities.

Since marriage is a binding and a lasting contractit is not for strangers, nor is it for those who are tooyoung to be capable of meeting the responsibilities. Those entering into this holy contract should not rush into it in haste for they should know that mutual love and respect have come to stay. So manyof the failures are failures in preparation and judgmentthat are evident to the experienced observer beforethe day of the sacred vows.

A whole community of worthy friends can be veryhappy in the plans and events of a happy weddingday when God's laws are observed and wisdom is obvious in every detail. True happiness cannot abidewhen wisdom does not prevail and God's laws are not respected. The doctrine of God concerning marriage isadorned when it is put into practice. Parents and others who love the young marriage partners feel honored as they see the righteous plan of God held inhigh esteem by the two Christians who have agreedto love, honor, and cherish each other until death.Two such people have been those who have upheld these principles in the presence of the young partnersrejoice in the fruition of their noble efforts. What more precious wedding gift could be given by human beings than wise and scriptural instruction and examples that prepare two Christians to be successfulmarriage companions?

Let nothing mar the beauty of the day of marriagefor it is one of the great and beautiful days in thelives of the worthy. If the wisdom and counsel of God are respected in the years that follow this day theanniversaries will bring happy and refreshing renewalwith growing significance as the years pass. Time only ripens and enriches the meaning and beauty of ahappy marriage of two faithful Christians. Let the flowers bloom, the birds sing, and all the beauties ofnature combine to make a wonderful world for such people. The nation is protected and blessed by thestable homes that Christians build. Such home makers are the salt and the light of the world ofwhich our Savior spoke. Respect for law and order isproduced in the nourishing influence of such units ofsociety.

God is one of the witnesses to every marriage vow,and He knows when there is a breaking of themarriage tie. It can be truly said that God has joinedtogether. Any one who would help wreck a home would stand accursed before God. One should flee fornication and any other sin that would destroy ahome. It is not the part of a coward to flee, but it isan act of wisdom. It is the act of a fool to take fire into the bosom that can destroy the marriage con

tract. One should not tolerate conduct that would

endanger the home. All should shun the very

appearance of such evil.

Ruth made a speech a long time ago to her mother-in-law that has often been quoted as if it were a bridespeaking to her groom. It was a loving heart thatused the words in speaking to Naomi. Many worthybrides have found that these words express their sentiments to their marriage companions. Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return fromfollowing after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go;and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shallbe my people, and thy God my God; Where thoudiest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lorddo so to me, and more also, if aught but death partthee and me." (Ruth 1:16, 17.) Such love is neverlacking in beauty, nor is it ever out of date. Stylesand customs change, but love and fidelity need never change because nothing could be better and nothing could be good substitutes. Ruth was expressing whole hearted love and affection. There was no hesitation or restriction in her love. May such love befound more often in the hearts of the brides of America. Such feelings could only be felt toward andexpressed to people who are worthy of full confidence

and respect. Let more people be capable of expressingand receiving such sentiment.The bride, the groom, and the home typify the

church, the Christ, and heaven, Evidently these words are thus used because they carry a holysignificance that can effectively suggest the heavenly.Each should endeavor to leave these words as significant and as beautiful as they are in the sacredwritings. A man is rich who has great love in hisheart for his lively wife, and a home which is as God would have it. This home can be his pride and joy,his wife's great delight, and a shining light to the

whole community. The brethren in Christ will find great joy in observing the happy home makers asthey exemplify the worthy traits that are so important in marriage companions.

It becomes more apparent almost every day that

the U.S. Congress will shortly legalise yet another

mind-bender, the herbal substance known as

marijuana, a plant which grows very well in most of

the United States, and grows prolific in most of

Latin America. The Senate has completed a new code

which defines all acts that are regarded as federal

crimes, and in the new law, possession of an ounce of

marijuana is treated as a misdemeanor no more

serious than a minor traffic offense.

A committee in congress has recently decided to

investigate the ever increasing menace of small craft

and yacht hijackings off the east and Gulf coasts.

which are then used to transport marijuana. probably

from ships out on the high seas, to shore along the

coasts. The crews of the hijacked vessels are usually

murdered and cast into the seas. Some of these

people are wealthy and influential, and congress,

being very pragmatic, and knowing how they got

where they are and wishing more than anything else

to stay there, can't escape the conclusion that if

marijuana were made legal and controlled by the

government, as many other "products" are, such as

tobacco and alcohol, the hijackings in these cases

would immediately stop.

Pragmatism And Its Consequences

Many philosophic theories have threaded their way

down through the corridors of history, each in turn to

end up on the dump-heap. Roget's International

Thesaurus (pp 223-224) names some 140 different

philosophies, but most of them generally fall under

idealism, humanism, existentialism, communism,

materialism, transcendentalism, or pragmatism. The

dominant philosophy in North American political and

economic circles is pragmatism.

What is pragmatism? Many people in this societyreduce the definition to a very simple slogan, "You can't argue with success," meaning that whatever succeeds is right. But to frame a more complete definition of pragmatism, we'll go to John Dewey (1859-1952), the chief exponent of pragmatism in thiscountry, and who wrote most of the rules for most ofour schools, as well as for business and government,and let him do so: "Logical thinking must be subordinate to pragmatism, and in arriving at

practical ends that life demands, pragmatism isabove truth. Pragmatists believe that truth and valuesystems are relative, and they are devoid of metaphysical (spiritual) concerns. (Quoted from A Handbook to Literature, W. F. Thrall and A. Hibbard, The Odessey Press, New York, 1962, pp 374

375.)

In other words, what ever succeeds here and now,in a material way, constitutes the action to follow,modified only by a vague system of situation ethics.That brings us right back to the idea of not arguingwith success, which cries for examination. Is thissound reasoning? Is it valid? It is most surely used on a very wide scale in our culture today. Thedenominations have practiced a form of pragmatismfor years, and recently the liberal churches of Christhave taken it as their own and have beat the other

denominations at their own game. That's how they get crowds! But is it right?

Such a philosophy is not always right. An individual, a church, a governmental body, or anyother entity may carry pragmatism to extremes where it would definitely be wrong, not only from aspiritual, but also from a humanistic, point of view.For example, from a purely pragmatic point of view,the nation would be better off if we took all the nonfunctional (cripples, aged, mental incompetents)out and shot them, or better yet, drown them andsave the price of a bullet. Then we wouldn't have tofeed and clothe and shelter them, thus bringing abouta certain kind of success, a tremendous savings on anational level. But may we argue with such success?On what grounds? We most certainly may! From anumber of points of view. It is wrong from a spiritualpoint of view; it is wrong from a humanistic point ofview; and the make up of the person would not,indeed could not accept it, from an emotional point ofview.

From a purely pragmatic point of view, the doctorshould eliminate the terminally ill, thus saving himself much time, the patient's family a lot of money and worry, and the patient himself a lot ofpain and suffering. But would that be right thing todo? Most certainly not! Why not? For the same reason stated above.

We could up-grade our society by sterilizing agreat number of non-contributing people. But would itbe right? Most certainly it would not! The pragmaticthing to do in most areas would eliminate compassionand feelings of all sorts, including love; it would alsoeliminate morality and all other spiritual values. It would reduce human beings to mere machines if carried to its extreme states in almost every field ofhuman activity.

A certain pragmatic approach to most problems,up to a point, is usually quite useful. But the degreeto which we become pragmatic is not only a matter ofacute judgment in terms of human values, but also inmatters of what is scripturally right. We should never become pragmatic to the exclusion of either human values of scriptural truths, a statement, Ifear, that is very late, inasmuch as, it seems, wehave already let pragmatism ride rough-shot overmany human values as well as many scripturaltruths, so that these are almost lost on our nation.And each time we thus lose a worthy value, we are apoorer nation in terms of the quality of our life aswell as our chances of going to heaven when this lifeis over. The quality of our national life has been declining for some years now, and unless it is reversed on a national political, moral, and spiritual level, we are probably already starting down the tube. God will not allow such disregard for his word. There are many questions which may not be settled in a purely pragmatic way, and the legalization of marijuana is one of them. Maybe the possession of asmall amount should not be a crime (I do not knowenough about it to argue that point) but certainly thegovernment has no business legalizing this substanceand thus impose upon us another mind-alteringmaterial to tempt our people to try to escape their responsibilities in life, a violation of God's word. God made us free, but demands that we be responsible asa price for that freedom (Gal. 5:19-23).

In a recent issue of Searching the Scriptures, brother Adams was kind enough to publish my article, "He's Only a Man" which addressed itself to aproblem that is all too common among non-preachingbrethren. In an editor's note following the article brother Adams correctly pointed out that Gal. 2:13 identifies Peter's sin as hypocrisy where I had stated that Peter was not guilty of hypocrisy but only demonstrated human weakness.

I was not ignorant that "dissimulation" (AV) in Gal. 2:13 is hypocrisy. However, the intent of theparagraph was to show that the one-time act of Peterdid not make him a perpetual hypocrite. Paul usesthe incident for demonstration, not to hold it over Peter's head as a sword of Damocles. Neither is there evidence that brethren lost confidence in Peter as a result of that incident.

In contrast I know a man who will not listen to a certain preacher, has even walked out of the assemblywhen this preacher was called on to pray, because"that man lied to me once and I'll never believe him again." In my experience, there are altogether toomany brethren like this who, in quickly branding others hypocrites, become hypocrites themselves.

4661 Cooper Rd.Cincinnati, OH 45242

CONGREGATION TAKES STAND IN UTAH STEVE GOFF, 1744 1375 N., Layton, Utah 84041 — We are happy toreport that we recently learned of a second sound church in thisstate. Within the last six months, the Bill Bohannon familymoved to Moab, Utah, where they began meeting and studyingwith the small congregation there. Because of his teaching andinfluence, the church at Moab ceased their support of the Heraldof Truth, and brother Bohannon is now doing the

preaching for them. Elton Haley, of Cooper, Texas recentlypreached a meeting at Moab, with the subject matter centering oninstitutionalism. I understand that Moab has invited him to return in 1979, and has scheduled Ernest Finley, of Greggton,Texas, for a future meeting. We rejoice in this development, andencourage our readers to pray for their continued stand for truth.Kaysville has meetings scheduled for the next few years with J.

D. Tant, Harry Pickup, Jr., and Connie W. Adams. We look forward to having them preach for us.

RAY DIVELY, 425 Dippold Ave., Baden, PA 15005 — The year1978 was another busy year for me. Besides the local work, I wasprivileged to preach for fourteen congregations in eight states.Also, I preached in Canada and made my fifth preaching trip toIndia. The Baden church supports a native preacher in India and has helped support four other native preachers, one each in Nigeria, Mexico, Argentina and the Philippines. We helped aneedy saint in Japan. We continue to send Bibles, tracts andother gospel literature to different countries. The church here isdoing the Lord's work, teaching the gospel at home and in othercountries. We continue to press on.

DEBATE IN HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS

CECIL WILLIS, 914 S. 1 - 45, Apt. 202, Conroe, Texas 77301

As a result of some question-and-answer type of articles which

we have been carrying weekly in the local newspaper, THE HUN

TSVILLE ITEM, the church here has been challenged to defend

our practice in reference to worshipping on the Lord's Day rather

than on the Sabbath. Mr. G. M. Bowers who issued that

challenge is one of three editors of The Herald of Truth, a

periodical published by the Seventh Day Church of God, which

has its headquarters in Caldwell, Idaho. Mr. Bowers also is the

author of a 1978 book on the Sabbath question, entitled Faith and

Doctrines of the Early Church,

Mr. Bowers would not negate any affirmative proposition which

we could write. So we had to accept his wordage, cumbersome

though it is. Resolved, "The Scriptures teach that the Ten

Commandments are not part of the Old Covenant, that all Ten

Commandments are repeated in the New Testament, including the

Sabbath command, and that Sunday worship is of pagan origin,

and comes to us through the Catholic Church."

This debate will be held in the meeting house of the Southside

church of Christ, 62 Graham Road, Huntsville, Texas 77340. Two

hour sessions will be heard nightly on Monday, Tuesday,

Thursday and Friday, beginning March 5, 1979. Sessions will

begin promptly at 7:30 P.M.

It is not often that a sectarian challenges a gospel preacher to

debate these days. But when such a challenge is issued, no

faithful church could ignore such a public challenge as was

issued to us. My brother Donald, and my two sons who also are

full-time gospel preachers will assist me in this discussion. (For

further information you may call brother Willis at (713) 756

1989 — Editor).

PUBLIC DISCUSSION IN CINCINNATI, OHIO

On March 26, 27, 29 and 30 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Arthur M.Ogden will meet J.W. Holcomb on the subject of women teachers.The debate will take place in the UAW Local 863 Union Hall (inEvendale), 10708 Reading Rd. (U.S. Route 42). This is about onemile from 1-75 near the GE plant in Evendale. On March 26 and27, Arthur M. Ogden will affirm: "The Scriptures teach that whenthe church comes together for the purpose of studying the Bible,and uses the class arrangement, it may appoint women to be teachers of classes of other women and classes of children, "J.W. Holcomb will deny this.

On March 29 and 30, J. W. Holcomb will affirm: "When the church comes together for the purpose of studying the Bible, anduses the class arrangement, it is a violation of the Scriptures forwomen to be appointed teachers of any of those classes." Arthur

M. Ogden will deny this. The two speakers have signed thefollowing statement of intent:

"We, the disputants in the discussion to be conducted in the Cincinnati area the last week in March of 1979, with knowledge ofthat fact that some debaters in times past have not conducted themselves as Christians and gentlemen should, do solemnlypledge to you, our brethren in Christ, that in the presentation anddefence of that which we sincerely believe to be the truth, that weshall conduct ourselves as Christians should. While we shall pressour points to the fullest degree, we shall not seek to demean oneanother or stir up strife or ill-will among our brethren. We shalldirect our attention to the scriptural study of the issue before usin as friendly and brotherly atmosphere as it is spiritually and humanly possible to do.

"This is our second meeting, having met in a similar discussionjust over three years ago in Somerset, Kentucky. That discussionwas well attended with over 300 present for each session. In ourjudgment, the discussion conducted at Somerset was the best all-around discussion ever witnessed by us, and that is in comparison toscores of other debates. Perfect order prevailed throughout, and theissues involved were specifically dealt with. We believe that the debate in Cincinnati will conform to the same pattern, and we pledge ourselves to do all that we can, to make this one even better, if possible. We believe it will be to your spiritual benefit tohear both sides of this issue presented, and then tested by its opposition. We solicit your presence." (signed by Ogden and Holcomb).RICHARD B. BREWER, 800 Madison Ave., Toronto, Ohio 43964 — In October we moved back to the Ohio Valley, where wehad previously labored many years. The past 8 years have beenspend in southern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. We arenow working with the church meeting on Dennis Way in Toronto,Ohio. Please make a note of our new address.

NEW CONGREGATION IN DOVER, OHIO LARRY E. CHAFFIN, P.O. Box 686, Dover, Ohio 44622 — A new congregation has formed at Dover, Ohio. Dover is located

approximately 40 miles north of Cambridge, Ohio, and 40 milessouth of Canton. I-77 runs near the corporation limits. The congregation met for the first time on November 19, 1978. Three families were in attendance with a total of eight people. So far there have been five visitors from the community and contact hasbeen made with each of them about a home study. These have been received very favorably. With a population of about 27,000(Dover-New Philadelphia combined) there are good prospectsthroughout. We also have names of about 40 people who have leftthe two liberal congregations in the area because of the innovations they have introduced without any semblance ofscriptural authority. Contact is being made with these to try andbring them back to the fold of God.

The congregation is meeting for a time in the basement of the Clyde Heavilin home at 115 Canal Road, Dover, Ohio 44622. Ourmailing address is P.O. Box 686, Dover, Ohio 44622. The writer has moved here to work with this new group and is still in need ofabout $600 a month in support. Those interested in helping withsupport may contact me at the address already given. I am willing to meet and talk with brethren who are interested inhaving fellowship with me in this work. If you know of any in thisarea who need to be contacted, please let us know. We solicit yourprayers for the growth of this work.

SUPPORT NEEDED WAYNE PARTAIN, 5628 MacGregor Dr., Ft. Worth, Texas 76148 — JOSE CASTANEDA, who preaches in Vicente Guerrero,Durango, Mexico, recently broke ties with liberal brethren, givingup his $225 monthly support. He is about 38, has a good wife andthree children. Actually, I doubt if he has ever been liberal; he hasgiven proof (in writing) for years that he contends for the truthand condemns liberalism. But as he became more aware of what is going on among liberal U.S. churches, he renounced his salary.But he needs to replace this so he can give full time to the work inVte. Guerrero and in nearby Zacatecas towns where he has workedin the past. He works closely with Jose Luis Arroyo whom wehave known for many years. Glenn Rogers and I were with thesebrethren for meetings in September and plan to return for a moreextended period in 1979. Address him: Jose Castaneda A., Apdo.#34, Vicnete Guerrero, Durango, Mexico. I would be happy to supply additional information.

PREACHERS NEEDED ENGLEWOOD, OHIO — The church in Englewood seeks to locate a man to begin full time work with us. Englewood is anorthern suburb of Dayton, Ohio. We need someone to begin inlate spring or summer. The church here is four years old and self-supporting. This area holds exciting possibilities for someone interested in personal work. All interested men should contact John Smith, 4969 Bloomfield Dr., Dayton, OH 45426 (513) 837-0275or: Lundy Neely, 601 Ridgedale Rd., Dayton, Ohio 45406 (513) 2743862. FRANKLIN, NORTH CAROLINA — Here in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina a faithful few are in need of a full time gospel preacher. We have recently purchased a dwelling inwhich we will worship until other facilities are made available.This dwelling can also serve as a preacher's home. Support can bearranged. If interested contact Charles Nicks, Route 3, Box 228, Hayesville, N.C. 28904 (704) 389-8735 or; Edward C. White, Route 2 Payne Hill Rd., Clayton, GA 30525 (404) 782-2104.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 19

DULUTH, MINNESOTA — The church in Duluth will be attempting to locate a man to work full time with them in proclaiming the gospel as of the spring or summer of 1979. Thischurch is composed of a small number of brethren and can providea portion of the needed support Anyone who may be available and interested in the work may contact the church c/o MelvinKrumrei, 612 West Tischer Rd , Duluth, Minnesota 55803, orphone (218) 728-3233JAMESPORT, MISSOURI — The Jamesport church is an oldercongregation in need of a full time preacher to locate and workwith us in this rural area. Jamesport is a small town 95 miles northeast of Kansas City. Attendance is about 40-50 We have a house that will accommodate a small to average size family. Wewant a man who is sound in the faith and willing to do personalwork. Please write or call Ralph Harrington, Jamesport, Missouri 64648. Phone (816) 684-6296.BOX ELDER, SOUTH DAKOTA — A gospel preacher isneeded by May, 1979 for this congregation near Rapid City, S.D.We are able to provide partial support If interested, pleasecontact Albert Bouvette, Star Route A, 41 Trail West, Piedmont, South Dakota 57769, phone 787-5616 or; Jeff Wallace, Box 534,Custer, S.D. 57730, phone 673-2466. (Editor's note: This congregation meets in an attractive building not far from the SAC base east ofRapid City. There is good potential here. We were privileged to meet with these brethren last year and impressed with the progress they have made).GEORGETOWN, KENTUCKY — The Caesarea church is seeking a full time experienced gospel preacher. The building is located inrural Scott County, approximately 20 minutes from Georgetownand about 40 minutes from Lexington. We are able to providefairly good support, but other support will probably be needed. If interested contact Ronald Coyle, 5527 Riviera Court, Lexington,KY 40511, phone (606) 299-2529.

PREACHER MOVING

William C. Sexton, 2219 South Glenn, Wichita, Kansas 67213 — I have worked in Wichita since June, 1973: two years with thebrethren at Southside and 3 and 1/2 years with the churchmeeting at 3500 S. Meridian, known as Westside. I have toldthem that I wish to move in June, 1979. In the meanwhile Iwould be interested in talking with any congregation which would consider my working with them. You may call me at (316) 9433332. Also, the congregation here will be looking for a man towork with them beginning in June, 1979. Contact them at the address above.