SIN UNTO DEATH

QUESTION: Will you please write an article on 1 John 5:16 dealing with the expressions "sin unto death" and "sin not unto death"? What about the position which says "sin unto death" is a willful sin of rebellionwhich separates from God, but "sin not unto death" isan unintentional sin by a dedicated Christian which does not separate from God?—B.E.

ANSWER: I marvel, and I am appalled at the use some are making of this verse. I have observed the sameconcept in the question submitted in two or three bulletins and other missives that have crossed mydesk of late. The position affirmed in the questionsimply is not so!

It seems to me that even a cursory reading of 1 John

5:16 would show that both the one guilty of "sin unto death" and the one guilty of "sin not unto death" are in need of "life." Obviously, this is spiritual life. In other words both are spiritually dead and in need of "life" orforgiveness. Prayer in behalf of one will bring "life," and prayer in behalf of the other is to no avail, so far as forgiveness is concerned. Surely, it would take an effortof desperation and the zenith of human rationalization to conclude that one spiritually dead is not separatedfrom God.

The subject under discussion in the context isprayer—For what may a Christian pray with the assurance of being heard and answered? "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we

have the petitions that we desire of him" (1 John 5:14, 15). The conditional phrase, "if we ask any thing according to his will," is very significant and demandsa clear understanding in order to arrive at truth on this subject.

It is God's will that all of our petitions be answered to our good. In Him we may have confidence that all our prayers will be answered to our good—maybe not the way we expected, but, nevertheless, in a way which inHis wisdom is best for us (Cf. 2 Cor. 12:7-10).

If one should pray for an alien to be saved in his sins, God would not answer by giving "life" or forgiveness— such would not be "according to his will." Such is not God's plan by which aliens are saved.

When it comes to praying for "life" (forgiveness) inbehalf of a brother, God's will must be respected as in all other matters. Early in this epistle John has shown God's will concerning forgiveness for the erring brother:" If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Thus, one may be cleansed of all unrighteousness, IF he confesses hisSINS. Notice the word "sins"—that it is plural. Thisverse does not say, "If we confess sin." One mustconfess what he is guilty of. If he is guilty of wholesale abandonment—apostasy, then he should confess such.If his guilt is to a lesser degree, then he should confess accordingly.

This confession, in the light of the context and otherpassages, necessarily implies a penitent confession. Thus, in the final analysis—no matter how willing and anxious God and all others are to forgive—God hasmade the erring brother's "life" depend upon his own volition. Of his own will he must repent and confess! Until this is done we need not expect prayer for "life" in his behalf to be answered. No prayer of any person can possibly cancel the erring brother's free will. Such a brother is in rebellion to God, the ultimate end of which is the second death (Rev. 20:14,15). He is "sinning a sinunto death." Such a sin, then, is one of which a person has or will not repent and confess.

However, when the guilty brother repents of his sin and confesses the same unto God, or unto God and the brethren, as the case may demand, his prayer and thatof all others in his behalf will be answered. The sin for which forgiveness is sought is no longer "unto death" since it is one of which the guilty has repented. For such a person John says ask and "life" (forgiveness) shall begiven.

In this verse John would have us to know that prayer will not substitute for repentance on the part of the guilty. There are things we may do and for which wemay pray that might lead the erring brother to repent. To this end we should work and pray, but do not expect your prayer to take the place of repentance on his part.

I know of no verse that distinguishes between intentional or unintentional sin so as to condemn one and excuse the other. Sin—any sin—must be repented of. John says in this same epistle, "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk inthe light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:5-7). We must walk in the light, otherwise we sin. But "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." This does not leave even a shaded area in which one may walk in sins of ignorance and weaknesses of the flesh and still remain in the light.

This does not mean that God's law demands of us perfection. God's law does demand perfect obedience to all absolute conditions of faith, as illustrated many times over in both the Old and New Testaments. God's law demands "diligence" (2 Pet. 1:5) in all those mattersin which our faithfulness is determined in relation to our time, opportunity, and ability (Matt. 25:14-30). Anything short of this obedience is sin. A penitentconfession is necessary before "life" (forgiveness)can be given. There is a difference between absolute conditions of faith and those in which one becomes more proficient with time. A failure to distinguish between the two accounts for much of the confusion on this issue.

Please Renew Promptly!

"WE BEHAVED OURSELVES AMONG YOU"

When Paul wrote the young congregation at Thessa-lonica reviewing his work among them, he made a statement which I fear a number of preachers could not truthfully make these days. Said he "Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe" (1 Thes. 2:10). The context of that chaptershows that he not only spoke the truth, he also practiced what he preached.

Paul viewed preaching the gospel as a trust not to be violated. "But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak..." (v. 4). Such aconcept precluded "pleasing men" (v. 4). His approach was humble, not pompous. He was not "burdensome"or foreboding in manner, though he was an apostle of Christ (v. 6). He did not come with the attitude of "Seehere, I am one of the few men chosen as apostles and you had better respect that! After all. do you not know who I am?" On the contrary, he said "But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth herchildren ... we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children" (v. 7, 11). All who preach the truth would do well to remember that the gospel is God's message, not theproduct of our imagined eloquence or brilliance. We dare not take liberties with the property of God. Weshall be called to account for our stewardship.

It would help immeasurably if all of us had Paul'sattitude toward the brethren at Thessalonica. He said "ye were dear unto us" (v. 8). For that reason, he wasnot only willing to preach the truth to them, but ready as well to lay down his life for them (v. 8). That accountsfor the fact that he was "gentle" and regarded them as afather does his children. There is all too often an elite attitude found among preachers. It is "us" against "them." "We" are the preachers and "they" are the brethren. A preacher once told me that he kept himselfaloof from the brethren and had found it was not best to try to get close to them. His work was a failure and he isno longer preaching. Preachers need to sing with the rest "When each can feel his brothers sigh, and with him bear a part, when sorrow flows from eye to eye, and joy from heart to heart."

Abundant Misbehaviour

The cause of Christ suffers continually frompreachers who do not behave themselves as they ought.

High living on income which does not match expensive tastes only plunges people deeper into debt. It is a shame for preachers to dodge creditors and leave townowing bills they will not pay. How many souls will be blinded to the truth of the gospel because of dishonestpreachers?

The arrogant concept of some is such that they will strive for their own way even if it destroys the church.Their "rights" must be protected. They assume thatvengeance is theirs, not the Lord's, and woe be unto that brother who crosses them! Pulpit temper tantrums, petitions seeking redress, house to house calls to muster sympathy and rally supporters and othersuch ungodly actions reflect everything but the spiritwhich Paul had toward brethren who were "dear" to him. How many needless divisions have been caused in congregations because of the wounded pride of preachers?

Preachers are not above the law of God. "Thou that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?" (Rom. 2:21). It is easy to bind heavy burdens to laden others while excusing ourselves. While we are teaching others to study the word, do we continue to study and grow, orare we warming over what we learned when we firststarted trying to preach? Are we men of prayer? Are we out in front showing brethren how to teach the lost or do we just give lectures to them for their failures?

And what shall we say regarding purity toward thesisters? All over this land the cause of Christ suffers because of preachers who preach one thing and practice another regarding this very matter. Out of "counseling" sessions in the preacher's study affairs have developed, flirtations have matured into inflamed passion, marriage vows have been violated, and then a trail of lies concocted to cover such betrayals of truth and right. When these are brought to light, families are wrecked, children are bewildered, confidence is lost, the weak are made to stumble andonly the judgment day will reveal the numbers of souls lost in the wake of such spectacles.

While we are on the subject, does God have a standard of conduct for writing brethren distinct fromall the rest? Are we at liberty to misrepresent other brethren? What special insight do we have so that wemay judge the motives of those with whom we happen to disagree on some point? Truth is truth and error is error. We ought always to affirm the one and oppose the other. But are we excused from at least being sure thatwe know what the other fellow believes? Or shall we summarily decide that those of whom we are suspicious in the first place have not been fair and have not tried hard to work with those whose spreading influence isdetrimental to soundness in the faith? While we may beconvinced that a brother is mistaken in his applicationon a passage, does it necessarily follow that he acceptswithout fail all, or any, of the consequences we see downthe road? Because we think a brother is at point "A" does that mean that he has already arrived at point "Z" bag and baggage? Is a brother whose life and work have promoted righteousness and truth while opposing error with all his might to be regarded as a sinister force whose every movement is calculated to strengthen his hand in the nefarious business of dominating the brotherhood?

If we did not believe that papers provide a mediumthrough which to do good, then we would promptlyclose this one down. Nor do we believe that the abuse of a thing argues against the thing itself. But brethren, from where I sit, it appears that there are abuses inabundance these days. Through the years of attempting to edit this paper, I have been sparing in offering advice to other editors. I have had my hands full trying to attend to my own work along this line. An editor's chair is a very difficult place to sit. Anyone who thinks that he alone occupies it with infalliblejudgment needs to get down on his knees and prayawhile. What to print and what not to print is a problem month after month. When must an issue beaddressed? How far shall a controversy be allowed to go in print before shutting it off? Shall we wait until we have read the latest issues of other papers to write reactionary articles? Do barbs and slurs demand notice? Where is the line between restraint and cowardice? Who is the final judge of the hearts of allmen?

With all that said, it needs to be pointed out that these are perilous times for all of us. There are valid issues and questions which demand serious study from the best students of the word among us. But brethren, it is entirely possible for those of us who write to act so imprudently that many sincere people will turn aside indisgust without ever understanding the Bible principles involved. They thus may become vulnerable to smooth tongues and fair speeches through the indiscretions of those of us who onlymeant to teach the truth. There are serious issues afloat these days. The Bible has the answer to all of them. We are convinced that a major issue RIGHT NOW, is HOW SHALL WE TREAT ONE ANOTHER? Paul said his behaviour was holy, just and unblamable. Can we all say the same?

It is my intention to write a series of articles on the

general subject of Institutionalism. I don't want the

church to be caught short again on teaching along these

lines. Apostasy is not so easy when the brotherhood is

informed.

In this article I want to point out what I believe about the points at issue. First of all, I believe in the inspiration and all-sufficiency of the scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16-17, 2 Pet. 1:3). Then I believe that the church isdivine and sufficient and suited for all of the work it is commanded to do (Eph. 3:21). I believe the God-given mission of the church is evangelism, edification, andbenevolence (Eph. 4:12).

I recognize a difference between individual and collective action of members and churches (1 Tim. 5:16, Matt. 18:15-17). I believe helping the needy is both an individual and a collective obligation. I do not believeone can satisfy his individual obligations by meeting his collective ones (James 1:27; Rom. 15:25). Ibelieve it is the duty of the congregation to care for its own needy. (Acts 6:1-6).

There is scripture for a church helping a needy sister congregation to care for its own needy (Acts 11:27-30). And it is scriptural for a church to support a preacher (Phil. 4:15-16). More than one congregation can supportthe same preacher (2 Cor. 11:8).

I believe the work and the oversight of elders is limited (Acts 20:28,1 Pet. 5:2-3). I do not believe theelders can oversee a work, as elders, that is not churchwork. But I believe the elders must oversee all church work (1 Pet. 5:2). Whatever elders cannot oversee is not church work. I believe the elders can supply all oversight needed in evangelism. I believe the elders can supply all of the oversight needed in edification. I believe the elders can supply all of the oversight needed in benevolent work of the church.

I believe there should be cooperation among all New Testament churches. This will be one of the keys to these articles. What kind of cooperation is indicated forcongregations? I believe each congregation mustremain independent, autonomous, and equal in allmatters of cooperation. There should be unity of faith, liberty in opinion, and love to all in all things. My main line of argument here will be a certain kind of cooperation between churches.

On the subject of evangelism there is really only oneissue to be settled and that is, Can one church send money to another church to preach the gospel. I say itcannot do so. Now let's not have a lot of jumping up and down. Just send me the passage! And in the field of benevolence the issue will be, Can a church send money to an institution to care for orphans? I say it cannot do so. Again, no demonstrations. Just a simple verse ofscripture will suffice. There has been too much hot air expended in this matter. And yet it is a simple thing tosettle. If there is a verse, let's have it. The truth is, that the church is limited in the benevolent work it can do. It is limited to helping SAINTS. That does not includeorphans who are not saints. Again, no bigdemonstration. Just a verse of scripture will suffice.(More Later)

About 7:45 Sunday morning, August 28, the spirit of the beloved Paul Andrews took its flight from time to eternity. He was 62. For several years Paul had not been in the robust health characterizing his earlier life. A few months ago phlebitis gave him considerable trouble but he seemingly pulled out of that bout, went back to the pulpit, class-work, and his incessant personal work program. Near midnight of the 24th he returned to the hospital but gradually his heart signaled that it could carry its burden no longer. He fell asleep in Jesus. Some months ago the North Boulevard church asked him to serve as an elder. In many ways he had been one of the shepherds of thisflock from its beginning fourteen years ago. He never knew what it was not to try to do more if he thought it would advance the kingdom.

To know Paul Andrews was not only to love him; it was to respect and admire him. Evidence of the esteem in which he was held in the Tampa area was seen the evening before his burial when more than 600 peoplepassed his casket in a Tampa funeral home—a far-and-away record for this home, one of the oldest and mostpopular in Tampa. The large North Boulevard church building was overflowing for the service the afternoon of August 30. Following the services, not less than 250 persons drove some 15 miles to Garden of Memories, for the burial service conducted by Tommy Andrews, the son of Frank, Paul's brother.

In the meeting house assembly the arrangement was for Sewell Hall to lead the congregation in singingspiritual songs at the beginning and ending of theservice and between the remarks made in order by me, Harry Johnson and Ed Harrell. Roland H. Lewisled in prayer. Harry Johnson, very close personal friend, spoke of Paul's influence over him as representative of the great number Paul worked with and encouraged in their lives for Jesus. Ed Harrell used several verses from Hebrews 11 and 12 as reflecting thelife of our departed brother to motivate those present to"run with patience the race that is set before us." My efforts were reflective of Paul's wide influence in Hillsborough County over thousands during the 40 years he spent here.

Born in Hazel Green, Alabama, Paul was one of twelve children, divided equally among girls and boys, and each of the males became a gospel preacher. At Dasher, (Ga.) Bible School he met Doris Copeland, a Tampa girl. Tampa soon became their home and, since Paul had earlier lost his father, Lloyd Copeland becamea father to his new son-in-law. It was a Ruth — Naomi relationship between two men and continued with a growing devotion.

When Florida College opened its first session in the fall of 1946 Paul Andrews was the first to enroll. He later served in and for awhile voluntarily supervised the physical education program. He promoted and formany years directed the summer camp. Each of his children grew up in the school.

The College was not Paul's first love. He knew the difference between the role of a Christian as a parent and his role as a simple teacher of God's word in everyrelationship of life. He was foremost a preacher and teacher of that word and spent the greater portions of his life-span in advancing the kingdom of God.

For just over forty years Paul Andrews lived and labored in Hillsborough County, Florida. He worked ona regular basis with eight different churches and was instrumental in starting others including Drew Park, North Street and North Boulevard. If Tampa had a John T. Lewis within the last 25 years Paul Andrews was that man. In his four decades here, in addition tohis labors with Sulphur Springs, Antioch and Dover, he spent six years with Belmont, six with McDill, one with Florence Villa, 14 with North Street and 13 with North Boulevard.

Paul's success in personal work was remarkable.Actually, it was astounding! Shortly before he leftNorth Street he told me that he had baptized morethan 600 people while there. It is estimated that he baptized some 300 at North Boulevard. I doubt not that in his years in Hillsborough County Paul Andrews baptized more people into Christ than all of the other preachers combined. Some of these converts fell from grace but not because Paul failed to put forth a determined effort to save them if he knew of their departure. It should be remembered that many of those he baptized moved to other areas, taking with them the gospel learned at Paul's feet and have becomeforces of spiritual strength in their newly found communities.

Today there are 28 churches in Hillsborough County standing for the simple gospel and the simple organization, work and worship of God's people, free from the innovations and digressive teachingswhich have turned multitudes from the New Testament pattern in the last 30 years. There is notone of these churches which has not felt the constructive influence of Paul Andrews in the 40-yearperiod he has lived and loved and labored in this area.

This man was careful to make everything accordingto the New Testament pattern. He wanted it all straight down the line without compromise in any point. Kind to the core, he was at the same time firm from center tocircumference. He was a builder, not a wrecker of God's work; a healer of wounds, not a trouble maker. He knew how to motivate babes in Christ and succeeded unbelievably. He was not a "meddler in other men'smatters"; no "gossip". He tended to his work in thechurch employing him as an evangelist and expected every other church and preacher to do the same. The Lord's business was his business and he was a busyman. His results prove him no sluggard. Withal, the night was never too dark nor the hour too late for his time and attention to be shared with any person needing his consideration and counsel.

Truly, "There is a prince and a great man fallen thisday in Israel." The number of Paul's generation is lessening, the ranks are thinning. His example of quietbut effective labors should challenge all ages to a life of

unreserved commitment in work and his pure lifeshould motivate all to holiness of conduct. As we observe his large footprints upon the sands of time we can profitably reflect that a giant walked here!

ATTITUDE TOWARD THINGS

Previously we have taken note of the proper attitude toward circumstances, critics, crisis and people as depicted in Philippians. The third in this series of articles seeks to stress the attitude of Paul toward the things of this life. One possessed of the "mind of Christ" has an attitude toward the things of this world which is distinctive. We are given an example of thedepth of conviction which the proper attitude toward the temporal, physical, material things, will produce as we consider the apostle's words. Throughout this epistle emphasis is on the "single mind", set and unwavering, with Christ as the center and seat, the single object.

Chapter three begins with both exhortation and warning. "Finally" often introduces a practicalconclusion following the presentation of doctrine. Aspreviously noted the thread of "joy" and "rejoicing" runs throughout the book and there is no interruption at this point. Repetition, it is observed, is not "grievous" or "irksome". One immediately wonders what the apostle has reference to. Two possibilities seem worth considering. Maybe the admonition to rejoice is what he is writing about. Or, the reference could well be to the problem of circumcision as constantly aggravated by Jewish brethren among the Gentile Christians. At any rate, we conclude it is safe to repeat truth, even if in this case neither of the possibilities is fact.

The warning is introduced, "beware", mark, be on guard against, "dogs". Of whom or what does he speak? Understanding is enhanced as we remember that the Jew called the Gentile "dogs". Reasoning behind this may not be conclusive, but involved is the Gentile lack of distinction between clean and unclean things as the Jew conceived the distinction. The Jew further judged the Gentile as having confidence in flesh rather thanspiritual religion as did he, so he shared common interest with dogs. The Jew saw himself as a child of the table, eating a feast while all others, like dogs, had to depend on crumbs dropped from them. "Dog" symbolized to the Jewish mind all that was ignoble and mean, those who bark and rail as they hate (cf. Isa.59:9-11). Identifying men of canine spirit, ill tempered, snarling

and barking at all who differed with them, is applicable to the term. To say the least, a most uncomplimentary designation.

Not only is the warning of "dogs" but of those noted as "evil workers", and "of the concision"; no doubt adescription of Judaizing teachers who are actively atwork among the Gentile churches. "Concision" is a term Paul applies to literal circumcision without true spirit and purpose. The word means mutilation and derives from pagan practice as a religious rite. With this effective use of like sounding words, common with Paul, the Judaistic concept of circumcision is indicated and condemned as worthless.

Paul then places in contrast true circumcision with "concision" and identifies the true with the putting off of the body of the flesh (v. 3). Amplification is supplied in these words, "In whom also ye are circumcised withthe circumcision made without hands, in putting off thebody of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from the dead" (Col. 2:11-12). "Flesh" is the antithesis of "Christ Jesus" and the "Spirit", thus emphasis is upon true circumcision in these words, "For we are the circumcision" (v. 3).

Paul then declares he has every right for confidence in the flesh, in fact more than others: The point being that any condemnation of trust in the fleshly was notbecause he was deficient and was not a case of "sour grapes". In the course of giving his own spiritual resume (v.4-6), the apostle assumes his opponents view and proves he has a better claim than most. In the process we are treated to his real attitude toward things.

Paul's attitude toward all, except for that represented as "true circumcision" is thus expressed: "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for theexcellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And befound in him" (3: 7-9). Within the context, the term"things" deals with the spiritual resume just offered. The principle is broad enough to include not these onlybut also all things which might serve as barrier tounreserved acceptance of Christ.

Consider the principle in broader application. Jesus impressed his disciples, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Mt. 6:33). More vividly expressed in, "that in all things he might have the preeminence" (Col. 1:18), illustrated in the application set forth in, "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me __ He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it" (Mt. 10:32-39). When this attitude exists nothing will stand in the way of accepting and serving Christ: neither family, religion of parents, position, prestige or wealth. For the beloved Paul, all previous honors were but"dung", counted "loss", absolutely nothing by comparison to Christ and what he had gained in Him. Yet, no regrets burdened his heart.

When his gain is considered we can understand. Hehad won the ultimate in terms of reward, "That I may win Christ" (v.8). His was an unprecedentedrelationship, "found in him", in His character, privileged to rest in the peace and comfort of being in covenantrelationship. As a theme of life he now knows Him in the most intimate sense, "that I may know him". Thiswas not intellectual knowledge but rather a knowledge of heart. It was to know him by experience, through the "power of resurrection". Paul had gained Christ as a model, being "conformable to his death". Not conformable so as to necessarily die on a cross, ratherconformable to the mood of his death, dying for others. The self sacrificing love which is the essence of Christianity is the factor here. Perhaps so very often missed today, but found by Paul.

Serving the Lord involves a "pressing on" (cf. v. 12-16). This requires a forgetting of the things behind. Thepast can either be a millstone or a stepping stone. Only by forgiveness in Christ can the past be erased and blotted out so as to no longer burden the present andjeopardize eternity. Faith brings acceptance of the efficacy of Christ's blood and enables us to forget. Then there is the reaching out to the things before, goals and ambitions, the greatest of all being, "The high calling of God in Christ" (v. 14). Having reached thisdegree of maturity, then we are to be of a "single mind"

(v. 15-16).

Proper attitude toward "things" is essential toheaven and is vital to peace and happiness here. As with Paul, ours must be a counting all things "loss', "dung", or, trash if you will, that we may win Christ and maintain that relationship. "Things" will be considered as insignificant by comparison where the "mind of Christ", exists.

"THE CHURCH CANNOT BLUSH"— BUT SHOULD!

Note: In a previous column, we mentioned the confrontation between the church of Christ and the Catholic Church in Italy years ago. The priest whosearticle we were reviewing had denied that Catholicsever deny religious freedom to any people in any place. In view of this, we judge the following material to be timely and revealing. This was written by brother Yater Tant as an editorial in the Gospel Guardian, August 11, 1955—E.B.

Under the title, "The Church Cannot Blush," TIMEMagazine quoted some frank admissions of Catholicintolerance as they appeared in La Vicilita Cattolica, leading organ of the Jesuits, published fortnightly in Rome.

Openly acknowledging Catholicism's absolute intolerance of other religions, this publication declares,"As to other religions, the church . . . will require that by legitimate means they shall not be allowed to propagate false doctrine. Consequently, in a state where the majority of the people are Catholic, the church will require that legal existence be denied to error, and that if religious minorities actually exist, they shall have only a de facto existence without opportunity to spread their beliefs.

"In some countries, Catholics will be obliged to askfull religious freedom for all, resigned to being forced to cohabitate where they alone should rightfully beallowed to live. But in doing this the church does notrenounce her thesis... but merely adapts herself... The church cannot blush for her own want of tolerance, as she asserts it in principle and applies it in practice."

Catholicism versus Americanism

The above pronouncements of the official Catholicattitude are a viciously anti-American and as violently opposed to our national constitution as the reddestRussian Communism ever dreamed of being. The Jesuits boldly declare that once they are in the majority, and can do so by "legal" means, they willimmediately prohibit and restrict all religious teaching other than Catholicism.

Non-Catholic churches could exist, but could notpropagate their views. No new congregations could be started. The existing churches could not teach their doctrine—could only hold it themselves. Any non-Catholic father or mother, attempting to teach his child

even in the privacy of his own home, would be doing so

in defiance of the "legal" prohibition against teaching,

and would undoubtedly be dealt with as an enemy of the

state. If the verdict from history is to be an indication at

all as to the future, that would mean imprisonment or

perhaps execution.

In the light of that program what would become of

our "freedom of religion" for which so may valiant

American boys poured out their blood on far-flung

battlefields? Yes, even Catholic boys, unfamiliar with

the corrupt ambitions of their ecclesiastical leaders,

have sacrificed their lives for this American ideal of

religious liberty, never dreaming how their sacrifice

would be turned into a hollow mockery once the

priests gained control.

Catholicism versus Christianity

If this blatant declaration of purpose is openly and

defiantly antagonistic to our American philosophy of

religious freedom, it is even more violently opposed to

the principles of Christianity.

The New Testament church is intolerant of error. She

has always been so. By her very nature she is

aggressively and of necessity opposed to all falsehood.

Being the "pillar and ground of the truth," she is

uncompromising in her opposition to all the errors and

traditions and "isms" of human opinion. The church

of Jesus Christ can never, never settle down to a placid

"live and let live" companionship with error.

But once this similarity is admitted, all kinshipbetween the two bodies ceases. For Catholicism both in principle and in practice is dedicated to the violent, physical, militaristic suppression of dissentingopinions. Christianity, on the contrary, has alwaysrecognized that error must be combated with truth—not with the sword and the dungeon. The way to overcome error is to teach the truth to those who are in error, not to imprison them, torture them, and execute them. The heretic must be overcome by conversion,not by coercion.

Catholicism in principle is wedded to the same blind, tragic sophistry that brought Jesus to the cross—the belief that the way to destroy an idea is to destroy the man that holds it. The Pharisees, being unable to overcome the truth of Jesus' teachings, tried to put an end to them by crucifying the teacher. Catholicism, being unable to withstand the truth of the Bible, would end her embarrassment by "liquidating" all those who teach the Bible alone.

She Cannot Blush

In defense of her position Catholicism blandly says, "The church cannot blush for her want of tolerance." We opine she is right. She cannot blush. Her wanton crimes have long since so hardened her conscience that she is incapable of feeling shame at anything. Even a bold and boorish flaunting of the very religious freedom that makes it possible for her to live here in America is not enough to bring a blush to her cheeks.

Millions of humble Americans whose father fled from Europe to escape this tyrannical priestly oppressionwill breathe a prayer of gratitude to God that America is not Catholic. Not only will they thank God for that, but they will henceforth re-dedicate themselves anewto the formidable task of seeing that she does not become Catholic. If we submit supinely to her tyrannies, refuse to oppose her with every ounce of our strength, we will deserve the fate she intends and declares for us—our liberties destroyed, our churchesclosed, our very thoughts policed.

Let us not plead that we had no warning. Catholicismherself has warned us. So confident is she of ultimate triumph that she is almost arrogant and contemptuousin her declaration of intent. She even declares that she "cannot blush" for her policy.

NEHEMIAH: RISE UP AND BUILDThe Place of Growth in Spiritual RevivalPart 4—Accepting One AnotherLesson 2

In Nehemiah the 11th chapter, the major problemthat Nehemiah faces is the re-population of the city of Jerusalem. There are not enough Jews to live within the walls of Jerusalem. There are several disadvantages, as we have pointed out in previous articles, to living inJerusalem. The taxes are higher, the workload is greater, and then there is the problem of insecurity. When the enemy surrounds Jerusalem, those within the walls will surely die. So Nehemiah must now motivate the people of Judea to leave the rural towns and villages and farms and come to live within the walls. We find ourselves much in the same predicament as inNehemiah. The church, or the city of Jerusalem today, needs people to live within her walls. We must find the means to reach those that are outside the walls of the city of Jerusalem. In the last series of articles, we talked about how to make the church grow. We said that, in the first one of these articles, we must know God. We have said, secondly, that we must rejoice in the Lord. And thirdly, we must become a people oflove. Our last article was, "Becoming A People of Love." We said in this article that Christ gave the world the right to judge whether we are of God or not by the one factor of our love for each other as brethren. If we do not love each other as brethren, then God gives the world the right to say we are not of God. One factor of loving each other as brethren is accepting oneanother in the Lord. In Romans 15:7 Paul says, "wherefore accept one another, just as

Christ also accepted us to the glory of God." One greatdrawback to the growth of a local congregation is thefailure to accept one another.

Each particular local church has a personality. Thisis generally true because it is comprised of a homogeneous group of people. It is a group of peoplethat come together to fellowship that feel comfortablewith each other. But the only way they can really feel comfortable with each other is to be almost exactly alike: They come from the same economic level; they comefrom the same educational level; they come from one or two major families; maybe they're all kinfolks; and they come from the same cultural background, either rural or urban. And finally and most importantly, they are all about the same age. When a local churchbecomes a homogeneous group, we find that they are on their road to extinction. They lose the ability to appeal to the broad spectrum of society who, in fact, the Lord has commissioned them to convert. The only people that they really can appeal to are those that are exactly like them as far as their economic level,educational level, family background, cultural level, or age level. And so anyone else really does not fit verywell into their group. In other words, they have lostthe ability to accept one another. One of the greatestdangers that a church can face is that it can becomehomogeneous in regard to age. We find that there are models of congregations. And each model is constructed according to age. The greatly expandingmodel has the vast majority of its people under 14 yearsold. The second model is the expanding model. It hassome people under 14 years old, but more people over

14. The stable model has about equal numbers of all different ages. The declining model has almost no oneunder 14 years of age and almost everyone over 45 years of age. This, the declining model, is headed for extinction within a few years' time. Thus, we find that while it is difficult sometimes to mix ages, we find thatwe must mix ages in a local congregation if it is to grow. You take a local congregation comprised mainly ofelderly, retired people; they may find the bluejeans of younger people very disgusting. But they must learn toaccept some of the habits, some of the dress, and someof the things that young people are noted for to makethem feel comfortable and welcome in their group. The homogeneous church can appeal only to the one section of society that is exactly like itself. They can not accept people from other portions of society and make themfeel welcome within their walls. Dr. Yeakley in his book on church growth says this about homogeneouschurches and heterogeneous churches. "In the survey, the greater the similarity between congregation and community in the average socio-economic status, the higher the net rate of growth." In other words, if thechurch is just like the community in its socio-economicstatus, then it will grow. If the members are not like thecommunity, the church will not grow. That is simply the members will not have contact, daily contact, with the people of that community. Concerning a heterogeneous church, Dr. Yeakley says, "If a congregation has a very homogeneous membership in regard to age, socio-economic status or educational level, then the congrega-

tion would be similar only to a small segment of the community.. .In a heterogeneous congregation,almost everyone in the community would find somepeople with whom he already has at least partlyidentified because of similarity in such things as age, socio-economic status and educational level.... These survey results, however, indicate that the more the heterogeneous congregation is in regard to its age of its members, the higher rate of conversion and the higher net growth rate." You see, what he's saying is that if you have a heterogeneous congregation, that is people from many different levels, educationally, economically, culturally, then there will be someonethere when an outsider comes in automatically with whom he can identify and form a friendship. We are told that when an individual comes to Jesus Christ, if hetakes five friendships and make no new friendships in Jesus Christ—and by friendship, we mean a relationship—that individual will not make it as a Christian. If he gives up one old one and assumes onenew one, there is a possibility that he may make it. If hegives up two old ones and assumes two new ones, then that individual's chances of survival have greatly increased. If he gives up three old ones, makes threenew ones, there is a great possibility that thatindividual will reach his other two friends for Jesus Christ. There has to be someone within the local congregation with whom this individual can identifyfor the church to grow.

The problem is that many local congregations do not identify very well with people that are of their ownsocio-economic group. If they are rural people, they can not accept the urban way of life. If they are urban people, they do not accept the rural way of life. If they are union people, they do not accept non-union people. If they are non-union people, they do not accept union people. And we find that there is a closeness about our fellowship. If we are white, we do not accept black. If weare black, we do not accept white. There is a closenessabout our fellowship. And when we become comfortable with each other as white middle-class citizens, then thiscomfortableness is translated into less than full acceptance to any one who is not of our group. Theindividual trying to find fellowship in our group can very easily feel the coolness of the group. He feels that he is not accepted because they are different than he is. And so, as a result, the individual becomesdiscouraged and gives up and quits the group. Now the group, in righteous indignation, can fold their armsand say, "We knew that fellow would not make it. Hewas not like us." This unconsciousness now can turn to a superiority and it can actually feed upon itself. The next individual that seeks to crack the shell of the group will feel less acceptance than the first, will notlast as long as the first, and further vindicate the closeness of the group. Nobody wants to go through a beltline to become a Christian. When an individual is baptized into Christ, many of his habits, maybe hisdress, maybe his occupation, many things about hislife are going to be as a babe in Christ. The real question is, "Can we accept this individual with the love thatGod has for him and accept him under

standing that habits and factors will change in his life

as he matures in Jesus Christ."

The greatest asset to growth that any local congregation can have is a population that cuts across economic barriers, that cuts across racial barriers,that cuts across political barriers, that cuts across racial barriers, that cuts across political barriers, that cuts across cultural barriers, that cuts across ethnic barriers.But now then, we find ourselves with the problem likethe Democratic Party. The Democratic Party is a party of many diverse elements. Indeed, those that aresuccessful as Democrats are those that can unite the great coalition. This is exactly the problem of the NewTestament Church. We find that in the New Testament Church, even when there were only Jews as New Testament Christians, there were ethnic problemsimmediately. In Acts the 6th chapter, we find the problem between the Grecian Jews, or Hellenistic Jews, and those Jews that were Hebrews that lived in the city of Jerusalem. Now, if this problem had taken place in most congregations, the congregation would have split along cultural lines. The Hellenistic Jewswould have been one homogeneous group and the Hebraistic Jews would have been another homogeneous group. But this was not God's plan. Itwas God's plan for the two diverse elements to staytogether and work together appealing to every kindof Jew. We see that this is even more true as the gospel spreads to the Gentile. By the time that we reachthe 11th chapter of the book of Acts, in verse 19,because of the conversion of Cornelius, they began to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Immediately thechurch in Jerusalem sent Barnabas off to Antioch to preach the gospel. Then the church in Antioch sendsPaul and Barnabas on their first journey to reach theGentile World. We find that converts were coming frommany different areas and walks of life. And, as a result, by the time we reach 15:1, a reaction has occurred. Many people did not like these that were not likethemselves in the church of our Lord. They said we're drifting. They said the Gentiles are not beingcircumcised and they felt uncomfortable with them. They said you must become just like us if you aregoing to be saved. The problem is the failure to acceptthose that are different than we are. You consider this problem in the New Testament Church. The Jew and the Gentile did not eat the same kind of food. They did not keep the same kind of days. They did not talk thesame kind of language and many of the Jews wouldnot accept the Gentiles. The answer to church growth isfull acceptance. A babe in Christ comes to the Lordand he may have many rough edges that need to beremoved, but the question is, "Can the church accept this babe in Christ as he is with unconditional love and seek to change him by love, rather than by hammering acode of social or economic or ethnic or cultural barriers upon this individual?" We must be ready to appeal tothe entire scope of our population. In days gone by, the neighborhoods around church buildings have changed. They have changed from white neighborhoods to black neighborhoods. We have seenno need to convert any of the black people. So,

as a result, we find that many white people are drivingfrom miles around to attend a church in a black neighborhood. They cannot convert the black neighborhood now because they have no social contactwith those people at all. Thus, they must move or the church will die. When the neighborhood begins to change around a church building, we must either move the church building or convert the neighborhood. If wehave no social contact with the neighborhood, we will not be able to convert them. Church growth dependsupon having a heterogeneous mixture that can appealto every class to every group. In most cities that havemore than one congregation, you will find that eachcongregation is made up basically of a homogeneousmixture. There will be all of the blue-collar workers at one congregation, all the white-collar workers and management at another congregation, all the factory workers at one congregation, all of the union membersat one congregation, all of the white members at anothercongregation. You will find that we tend to segregateourselves socially and economically because we will not accept someone else. Our failure to accept others ismost often not in overt behavior, but it's in our private attitudes. We will not do for these people what theyneed. We will demand things of them that should not bedemanded. We will not fully take them in an unconditional love into our hearts. Thus, it producesan unspoken lack of acceptance. It is a lack of acceptance in the heart. A lack of acceptance in theheart will mean that a church will die rather than grow. Many churches have become so picky that no onecan be accepted by their hearts unless they are 100% in line with every picky little belief that they have — these churches are doomed for extinction.

The sweet singer of Israel, in that immortal treatise on truth wrote: "Through thy precepts I get understanding:therefore I hate every false way" (Psalms 119:104). AndJesus taught the people of His day: "And ye shall know thetruth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). It is no wonder then that the prophet Jeremiah exclaimed: "OLord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it isnot in man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23). This truth is revealed in it's wholeness in the word of God. Men spoke the words of God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. So, Paul declared: "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, butwhich the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual thingswith spiritual" (I Cor. 2:13). In words of God's own choosing these inspired persons gave us the will of God inthe scriptures. Jesus said to the Father: "Thy word istruth" (John 17:17). The Apostle Paul sums it all up in a single statement: "All scripture is given by inspiration ofGod, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God maybe perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (IITim. 3:16,17). It is complete, perfect, whole, and is therefore adequate for all our needs. Thanks be to God forthis unspeakable gift.

It Must Be Understood

But, the truth must be understood. And, understandingcomes from the study of the truth. Paul instructed youngTimothy: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, aworkman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightlydividing the word of truth" (II Tim. 2:15). Giving diligenceto present one's self approved before God is to be diligentin learning what God wants one to be and do. So Jesussaid: "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them"(John 13:17). Knowing the truth is without profit if one does not practice it. Likewise, doing what is not the direction of the truth is also without profit. We must know and then do to please the Lord. Therefore, let us think onthe matter of what is involved in knowing the truth.

Vital Principles Involved First, to truly know the truth, one must come to believe that it is indeed the truth. He must believe that it

is the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. In other words, one must believe that he is indeed dealing with the very word of the living God. God is all wise. He

knows all our needs and how to supply them. A recogni

tion of these things will restrain man from taking liberties with the word of God. It will cause him to treat it with reverence and awe. Then, and only then, will he come to realize that his own wisdom is not sufficient to direct him. So, the wise man wrote: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thineown understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" (Prov. 3:5,6). It is true beyond doubt that no man is qualified as a teacher of God's word, as a textual critic, or as atranslator, who does not believe implicitly that he isdealing with the very word of the living God. One will immediately become suspect whose statements reflectareas of doubt in his faith in the word of God.

Second, one must study with a view to learning just what the Lord designed to teach in the portionof scripture he is considering. He must not prepare what he wants to teach and then go in search of the passages to support his "straw man". I am persuadedthat much of what is being preached today partakes far too much of this practice. What did God design thatwe learn from this passage is a necessary question that one must ask himself. As R.L. Whiteside said to me many years ago, "if God wants us to teach it thereis a portion of scripture that teaches it, and we do not have to torture some other passage into teaching it." Preconceived notions hinder us from learning thetruth and we must seek to free ourselves from them.

Third, what is taught must be considered in thelight of all that is taught in the Bible and not some fragment or portion of a passage that seems to support what we already believe. It is a sad but true fact that a person can teach what is true without preaching the truth. The truth is distinctive. It is emphatic. It neverexpresses doubt or questions the fact that what is said is the truth. And, it is wholly in accord with everything else that is taught in the scriptures. One who would know the truth must read the bible from beginning to end. And, once is not sufficient. Hemust read it over and over and frequently so that it is fresh in his thoughts. It must be considered prayerfully and with great care. Ponder it's great truths.

Fourth, one must study the scriptures in theirGod appointed context and not as separate entities to stand each on it's own. True, many will so stand, but each must also fit into the composite whole ofwhat God wants us to know and teach. Let me give an example of this. The words righteous, righteously, andrighteousness, while having a basic meaning give a thought that must be determined by the context of thepassage in which they are used. When Paul told the Romans of the gospel, he said: "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith unto faith: asit is written, The just shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:17). Here, it is clear that the righteousness of God is His plan for making men righteous. It is indeed the gospel,the power of God unto salvation spoken of in verse 16. But, in writing to Titus the Apostle Paul says:"Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly,in this present world" (Titus 2:12). Here, used in connection with soberly, (proper

habits of self control in ones personal life) and godly,(the proper attitude of reverence for God) "righteously" obviously means proper conduct in relation to otherpeople, a meaning which we frequently use. So, it is necessary that we consider the context to determine just what God intended to teach us. A passage takenfrom it's context may even be used to teach what is not true at all. The devil so used the scriptures in thetemptation of our Lord, recorded in Matt. 4. From the pinnacle of the temple he said to Jesus: "If thou be theSon of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall given His angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any timethou dash thy foot against a stone." This is a correctquotation from Psalms 91. But, it is taken out ofcontext and used to teach that it is right to make trial of our God. This is false and our Lord repudiated it.So, one may wrest the scriptures by refusing torecognize what God would have us learn from whatHe has said. Preaching from context and in context is rare, or so it seems to me in these days. Indeed, it is not the only way to approach the truth, but it is one of the most viable and effective. May God help us to useHis word as He intended it to be used and only in this manner.

Finally, understanding the truth must have asit's very first and primary design the instruction of oneself, so that he may teach both by word and example, the truth to others. The word of God must beprecious to each one of us. David wrote, after he had exalted the law, the testimony, the statutes, the commandment, the fear, the judgments of the Lord: "More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than muchfine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb" (Psalms 19). His plea on the basis of his regard for the word of God was that he be cleansedfrom secret faults, that he be kept back from presumptuous sins, so that he might be free from great transgression. And then he prayed: "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, beacceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and myredeemer". I must approach the bible with a view to learning how to order my own life. Then my correction of error and wrongdoing will be solidly founded in whatI believe and practice. "I BESEECH you therefore,brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present yourbodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. May God help us tofollow this rule in study and in life.

INCOMPETENCE AND MEDIOCRITY

Lawrence Peters wrote the best seller of a few years back, The Peters' Principle. He set out to demonstrate therein that just as water seeks its own level, people tend to rise to their own level of incompetence.

Here's how it is said to work: Imagine a fellow in any line of work who does a good job, loves his work,impresses the boss, and just generally doesn't have tobe watched and pushed all the time. Then a position higher up opens up. He gets the job. If he has not reached his level of incompetence, he excels in this new position. People are impressed. He gets promoted again.

This continues until the man finds himself in an office or situation that he does not like or cannot handle. He fails to adapt himself to this new job and never does the work in an effective way.

This is where he stays. He receives no more promotions for he does not deserve such. It's an irregular thing for such a one to be demoted. So hehas reached his level of incompetence.

Some say Mr. Peters wrote the book with tongue in cheek. But we've all seen examples of this very thing. I can't vouch for the theory, but one thing I know. There's an awful lot of incompetence and mediocrity around. It has gotten to the point that regardless of what you try to do, it becomes an all-day, red tape affair.

Mr. Peters mentioned in a recent interview the case of a highway crew which was painting a stripe and painted over a dead dog.!

The spirit of mediocrity is one of the biggestproblems we are confronted with. It is the cause of a lot of other problems. One of the reasons it has permeated our society is that Bible principles have not been taught and/or believed.

The Bible teaches that whatever role we find ourselves in, we should be the best that we can beand do the very best that we can do. Too many people think the Bible just speaks of religion and worship. But it has little to say about worship compared to what it says about our everyday lives and varied relationships. The Bible speaks to us of the family, the store, the government, and the neighborhood. It presents this constant theme in regard to these: Don't be mediocre! Do the best you can.

The Case of Joseph

Some years ago my attention was called to Tyndale's

translation of Gen. 39:2: "The Lord was with Joseph,

and he was a lucky fellow." I find that quite curious. As I

read the life of Joseph I don't find that luck had

anything to do with the Lord being with him. The Lord

was with Joseph because Joseph stayed with the Lord.

And he prospered in spite of trials and obstacles

because he was not a mediocre fellow. It didn't matter

whether he had big things to do or small things, he was

faithful. He was faithful in every single job and

relationship.

If there was luck involved, it began when Joseph, 17

years old, was sold by his own brothers into Egyptian

slavery. He became a bondservant and a stranger

hundreds of miles from home (which would equal

thousands of miles today).

How did he fare? He soon became the manager of all

his master's business. Joseph proved himself to be

trustworthy and diligent. Promotions came quickly and

steadily.

Then we read of the incident of his master's wife

lusting after Joseph. He refused to give in to her

advances (Gen. 40:9). But she lied on him and he was

cast into prison.

Well that surely took the wind out of his sails didn'tit?

Not quite. As a matter of fact, "... the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favourin the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. Thekeeper of the prison looked not to anything that wasunder his hand; because the Lord was with him, andthat which he did, the Lord made it to prosper" (Gen.39:21-23).

Later, he interpreted the dreams of the baker and butler which dreams were fulfilled. A chain of events began which finally drew Joseph to the second most powerful office in Egypt.

Now all of this was in God's plan and was providentially brought about. But God was with Joseph because Joseph was with God. Then too, Joseph did his very best. There was nothing mediocre about him.

Somebody says, "He had pull."

Yes. He took his father's foolishness, his brother'senvy, his boyish vanity, a woman's lust and lying lips,an ungrateful butler's forgetfulness . . . and he forged with these a chain that pulled him to the throne next toPharaoh!

Our Occupations

Our Lord taught in His parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30) that each of us is obligated to do the best wecan with what we have. He was teaching a spirituallesson, but such was based on industriousness in life.

Paul emphasized to slaves the responsibility of serving their masters well. They were not to render "eyeservice" and gold-brick on the job. Rather they were to labor as servants of Christ (Eph. 6:5-8; Col. 3:22-25). Ifsuch was expected of one who was a slave, how much more would it apply to one who is paid for his service?

Even if the master mistreated his servants, such did not remove their responsibility to do right: "But he that

doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which hehath done: and there is no respect of persons" (Col. 3:25).

The story is told of two psychiatrists who both boarded an elevator at the same time each morning. Oneexited at the third floor and the other at the sixth floor. Each morning the first to get off the elevator would turn to the other and spit on him. The object of this attack would then calmly take a handkerchief out and wipe himself off.

After beholding this scene for the third or fourth time, a bystander exclaimed, "Why don't you do something?!"

"It's his problem," replied the unperturbed doctor.

Sometimes other people's problems tend to becomeour problems too. Yet such does not relinquish us of theresponsibility to do right and to do our best.

Paul also gave instructions to masters. Whatever the role, one cannot be a mediocre gold-bricker and please the Lord.

Other Areas

Space does not permit me to make all the applications that might be made. But let us briefly mention a few other areas.

Marriages are often on the rocks because of husbands and wives who are mediocre and don't care. A man may put on his best appearances all day and treat everyonesweetly. Then he comes home where he can "let go."

This often means he comes in the door screaming, "Stay off my back! I've had it!" and "Keep the kids outof my way!" He hasn't seen them all day but he wants them out of his way.

Wives who work in a public capacity are as often guilty of this kind of behavior as husbands are. And some who are supposed to be full time homekeeperslounge around and watch soap operas all day. They seldom clean the house, or plan and prepare good meals.

America is full of mediocre homes with mediocre fathers and mediocre mothers. We see the same disorder in government, in the schools, and in any organization you can name.

Most young people get an early start in mediocrity. They learn it from their parents, teachers, and othergrown-ups. They creep by the best and easiest waypossible in school, never working at full capability;never firing on all eight, six, or however many theymight be equipped with.

Mediocrity in the Church

If there is one place in the world where no mediocrityshould be found, it's in the church of the Lord. If we despise incompetence in the business world and in the home, how much more ought we to abhor it in the mostimportant relationship of all. And yet I wonder if there is any place where incompetence is more in view than inthe Lord's church.

If a man did not come home for two weeks, his wife would be looking for him. If an employee missed workover half the time without good reason, he would be without a job. But the church is full of folks who mightmiss for weeks on end and expect no questions to beasked. Their expectations should certainly not be fulfilled.

As a people, we are losing ground because we requirelittle and we expect little and we're getting it. Too many elders have risen to their level of incompetency. Too many preachers have a couple of hundred stock-in-tradesermon outlines that they peddle first here for a couple of years and then there for a couple of years. They are not students of God's word. They are not disciples in any true sense of the term. Too many members havejust enough Christianity to inoculate them from the real disease.

Bible teachers think nothing of calling an hour beforeclass and announcing that they will be unable to teach. So someone who is totally unprepared is sent into theclassroom. And he or she may well do a good job as the regular teacher anyway, for the regular teacher was unprepared too. Either one may possess a fairly good knowledge of the material, but few have allowed the material to get hold of them until they are excited about it. Few have given any thought to the best strategy to use to get the material into the heads of the studentsand to motivate them. Mediocrity is the name of the game.

Brethren, we have been raised up to sit with Christ in the heavenlies. Have we been promoted to our level ofincompetency? Such is the case only if we fail to utilize the power and the vast resources that God has available for His people. It is He that worketh in us both to willand to do His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13). God is theenergy source. His word and our fervent prayers complete the circuit.

Let us rise above the incompetence and mediocrity of our age.

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THE GOOD CONFESSION

David Holder

Dickson, TN

In 1 Timothy 6:12 Paul wrote, "Fight the good fightof faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you werecalled and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." In this exhortation Paul is calling Timothy to steadfastness in the "fight"that he is in as a soldier of the cross. In doing this Paul reminds Timothy of the "good confession" that was made at the beginning of his life as a Christian.Every Christian has made such a confession, but it is a profitable study to consider what the "goodconfession" entails and demands.

Defining Confession

The word 'confess' is translated from the Greek word HOMOLOGEO which is a compound word. HOMOS means the same or similar. LEGO means to say or speak. Hence HOMOLOGEO means to speak the samething, to agree with or to consent. (From New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, ed. Colin Brown and Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words). Also the word'confession' conveys the idea of an acknowledgementor avowal. A good example is found in John 1:20 where John the Baptist "confessed, and did not deny,and he confessed, 'I am not the Christ.' "

In the New Testament 'confession' is used in two different senses. One, it is used in the sense of an acknowledgement that Jesus is Christ, the Son of God. Two, 'confession' is used in the sense of an avowal or acknowledgement of sin. A clear distinction between these two usages needs to be observed. These twoconfessions deal in two separate areas and it is important to distinguish between them. Both usage will be examined in this article in order to observe this distinction.

The Good Confession

In the context of 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul identifies the confession under consideration. In verse 13 the apostle writes that Christ Jesus "testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate." An examination of Luke 23:2, 3 and John 18:37 shows what Jesus confessed before Pilate. Luke records that Jesus acknowledged that Hewas the King of the Jews. Similarly, John records Jesus as saying, "I am a king." Whatever was the object of Jesus' "good confession" was also the object of Timothy's "good confession"—namely, that Jesusis Christ, the King.

Additionally, Paul writes in Romans 10:9, "That ifyou confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord...." John writes, "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God ..." (1 John 4:15). Hebrews 3:1 reveals that Jesusis "the Apostle and High Priest of our confession." An examination of these passages tells us the object of the good confession. Simply stated, the object of our confession is Jesus Christ. A confession entails our "speaking the same thing" about Jesus as the New Testament speaks. There is no one thing specified thatwe are to confess about Jesus. Our confession is simply an acknowledgement that Jesus is who He claimed to be and who the New Testament reveals Him to be — He is Lord, He is Christ, He is the Son of God.

The Demands of the Good Confession

A confession is made by every person who desires to be a Christian. Combined with faith, repentance, and baptism, the confession begins one's life as a Christian.It needs to be pointed out, however, that the demands of such a confession are life-long. This, in fact, is the point of Paul bringing up the matter in 1 Timothy 6:12. Paul is exhorting Timothy to remain true to His "goodconfession." Timothy began his "fight of faith" whenhe made the confession and was baptized into Jesus Christ. Paul reminds Timothy of that initial confession so that Timothy might remain faithful to it. In 2Corinthians 9:13 of the King James Version Paul writes of their "professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ." The New American Standard Bible translates this, "obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ." The New International Version translates,"obedience that accompanies your confession." This translation comparison shows Paul's intention in the verse. The apostle is commending the Corinthians for their faithfulness to their confession. The writer of Hebrews makes his instructions clear, "Let us hold fast our confession" (4:14).

The "good confession" not only involves our initialacknowledgement of the Lordship, Kingship, and Son-ship of Jesus, but also it demands our faithfulness and obedience to Jesus Christ throughout our lives.

The Necessity of Making the Good Confession

If one wants to be saved, making the good confession is essential. Jesus said, "Everyone who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32, 33). InRomans 10:9,10 Paul wrote, "That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." John penned, "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God" (1 John 4:15). These passages need no comments. They are plain, simple, and direct. If we want to be acceptable to God, to have salvation, and to be in fellowship with God, making the good confession and living up to its demands are necessities.

Confession of Sins

In order to make a clear distinction, some thingsneed to be observed about a confession of sins. In 1 John 1:9 the apostle writes, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins." James

5:16 reads, "Confess your sins to one another." Thisconfession is simply an acknowledgement of sinfulnessand is closely associated with repentance. Repentancerequires a confession of sins and a confession of sins will naturally lead to repentance. In this way the confession of sins is a part of the plan of salvation and must be ever-present in the lives of faithful Christians.

But a distinction between this confession and the "good confession" needs to be clear in our minds. The "good confession" is a confession concerning JesusChrist. This good confession is part of the beginning step of a Christian's life. To this initial confession one must remain true throughout life. Confession of sins, on the other hand, must be an on-going part of our lives as the children of God.

Send all News Items to: Wilson Adams, 6334 Auburn Ace., Riverdale, MD20737

FROM THE FIELD LALO ENRIQUEZ, 20955 Allen Road, Bakersfield, CA 93309. The church in this Rosedale area of Bakersfield has now been in existence a little over a year and a half. We have been blessed with several baptisms, restorations, and have had some new members move into the area. Unfortunately, this growth has been offset by some who have moved away while others have had to be withdrawn from due to unrepented and continued sin in their lives. Initially we started the work with 112 members and we now stand at 125 members. We have grown numerically but most importantly we have grown spiritually.Anyone familiar with establishing a new congregation knows the "mountain" of work that needs to be done. With this comes the tendencies to become distracted from vital areas such as reaching the lostand maintaining proper discipline within the local church. Forseeingthis, we have endeavored to maintain a strong emphasis on home Bibleclasses with members as well as non-members, on visitation, and on consistent discipline. We have also entered into a Debenture or "churchbond" program in order to raise the needed funds for the constructionof our new building. We are more than halfway through with this andhope to have it behind us soon. Before our building is built we are meeting in the cafeteria of the Rosedale elementary school. Regardingthese "church bonds"—if anyone would be interested in investing in oneor more of these notes, please contact us for the information. They are in denominations of $250, $500 and $1,000. The interest earned from these notes is from 10% to 12%. The maturity dates range from 1 to 19 years. We would appreciate any help anyone could give. For moreinformation, please call collect: (805) 589-9166, 589-3670, or 393-7089. We continually thank the Lord for the prosperity He has blessed us withand for His children in all places. Please remember us in your prayers. We invite you to visit and worship with us whenever in the area.

BOBBY HOLMES, Lancaster, TX. The congregation here has beenmeeting now for one year. We have indeed come a long way by the help ofGod and dedication. We look back to where we were a year ago andremember that we only had 23 members, our property was rented, our parking was limited as was our auditorium, the lighting was poor, we only had one classroom and attendance was in the twenties and thirties.We look at where we are today and see that there are now 44 members, the property has been purchased, the parking lot has beengraveled and expanded, the lighting has been changed and has increased 100%, the auditorium seating capacity has been increased to96 and all our new furniture has been paid for, the attendance is running from the fifties to the seventies, and we have built (and paid for)two portable buildings to be used for temporary class rooms, plus we haveremodeled another room in the main building to increase our class roomspace to five. Also new carpet and drapes were added to the building. Wehave indeed many things to be thankful for. God has opened so many,many doors of opportunity for us and they have been used to His glory. Aswe look ahead we are planning a new auditorium within the next two years. We would eventually like to become of sufficient size and strength to be able to help establish another congregation on the southside of Lancaster or in Waxahachie. Let us have vision and faith but remember that without the Lord's help nothing will be possible.

RAY MAYSE, 3017 Parrott St., Waco, TX 76707. The church which formerly met in my home, has now moved into a new location. The church has found a more suitable meeting place at 1220 N. 25th Street at Bosque in Waco. We are now known as the 25th street church. The second Sunday we met in the new meeting place we experienced growth. A sister in Christ was restored and her husband was baptized. Another young couple placed membership with us along with anothersister and her two children. We are so thankful to the Lord for this growth and pray that we will continue to grow. There are now twofaithful churches in the Waco area. The other is the Estates church which meets in Hewitt, Texas where brother Ron Rhodes preaches. Ifyou know of anyone moving into the Waco area or if you will bepassing through, please worship with one of these churches. My phone number is (817) 752-0071.

J. DAVID POWLAS, 1212 Metze Road, #31-D, Columbia, SC 29210. This is to inform the readers of this magazine that there is a faithfulcongregation of saints meeting on the northeast side of this city. We have been meeting for a year now. During that year, we were able with God's help to baptize two people into Christ and to fully support anative preacher in Nigeria. We meet for worship at 2 p.m. on Sundays.When in the Columbia area, please worship with us. If you know of anyprospects in this area, please write or call (803) 772-4371.

WILBERT GARINGO ENOSTACION, Estrada Apt., Ortega St.,San Fernando, La Union, Philippines 0501. I wish to report that a new work has been started in the city of San Fernando, La Union, Philippines. The work is one year old. We are going along smoothly and have eleven members. For worship and classes we meet in my rented two-room apartment on Sunday morning at 9:00 and 11:00. In the afternoon my wife and I travel to Bagdag, Bauang, La Union to hold worship services for the people there. This is located some twentymiles east of San Fernando. Besides going on Sundays, a permanent class is held twice a week there. Here in San Fernando we are only two miles away from the gate of the Wallace Air Station, a U.S. militarybase. If any of the readers of STS know of anyone working on thisbase, please inform them that a conservative New Testament churchmeets nearby. I can be contacted at the address above. Jim Puter-baugh and Don Wilson, both from California, recently spoke here andone was baptized. Any of the preaching brethren are welcome to cometo our nation and help us preach the gospel.

A REPORT ON THE DOBBS—SMELSER DEBATE DAVID PRATTE, 7021 Omaha Ct., Ft. Wayne, IN 46804. Since "Buster" Dobbs is now co-owner of the Firm Foundation, the recent Dobbs-Smelser debate in Ft. Wayne has taken on greater significance than we originally anticipated. The propositions were uniquelyworded statements on the issues of sponsoring churches and churchsupported benevolent institutions. We are convinced that Dobbs' arguments will be a problem for many of the brethren he associates withwho seek to avoid extreme liberalism. He consistently affirmed, forexample, that all local congregations could scripturally send all their

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money to the elders of one church, and that one eldership could thenoversee all the money in evangelism (which he included as edifying the members). Likewise in benevolence, all congregations could send alltheir funds to one board of directors to oversee all the churches' benevolent work. The only thing he said would prevent this would be thejudgment of the elders—but no scriptural limits would be violated. The endresult, of course, would be that the local elders in the sending churchesoversee nothing but the collecting of funds!

Another interesting development was the way Dobbs continuallytwisted the meaning of words like "money," "contribute," and "home," in order to justify his practice. In all these matters, Dale Smelser did anexcellent job of defending the truth and exposing error. Dale used a numberof new charts, and his manner of approaching the argumentation wasunique. This, plus the uniqueness of the wording of the propositions,make this debate especially useful. Copies of all Dale's charts are available, including many valuable charts on arguments that are commonly discussed on these issues but which were not used in thisdebate because the arguments were never introduced. Also available aretape recordings of the debate. Anyone interested in charts or tapes shouldcontact me at the above address.

PREACHERS NEEDED FERNANDINO BEACH, FLORIDA—The church here is in need of a preacher. We are searching for a mature experienced worker. If interested,contact Charles Howard, Sr., at (904) 261-5008, or Larry Smith at 261-3772.

KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN—The congregation which was meeting at 721 Elm Street in Three Rivers, is now meeting at the South CountyCommunity Services building in downtown Vicksburg, Michigan. The congregation is seeking a full-time preacher to expand the work of the Lord in Southwest Michigan. Some support is available from the local congregation, but most will need to come from elsewhere. For informationone can call John Baughn at (616) 381-4136 in Kalamazoo, or HerbSmelser at 278-4655 in Three Rivers. The church's mailing address is P.O. Box 2601, Kalamazoo, MI 49003.

BRANDON, MISSISSIPPI—The church at Brandon, Mississippi is looking for a mature man, one sound to the faith who will work with a small congregation of about 30. The congregation can provide partialsupport. If interested please write to the church at 109 Trickham-bridgeRd., Brandon, MS 39042. Or call (601) 825-4115.

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE—The Trezevant Street church of Christ is in need of a full-time preacher. Our attendance is usually between 40 and 50on Sunday. We have a nice brick building that is almost paid for on a nicelot. The one that comes to work with us must be sound in the faith and desire to do personal work. Those interested should contact the church at3090 N. Trezevant St., Memphis, TN 38127.

NEW CONGREGATION FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE—We wish to inform the readers of this paper of a new congregation which began in January. Our attendance nowranges from 90 to 110. With the dedicated people we have, this growthis expected to continue. We are blessed with knowledgeable teachers and experienced song leaders. We have also had good preachingfrom men from Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida. We aresearching for an evangelist to labor full-time with us. We are known asthe Chestnut Lane church and are located just off Liberty Pike about sixblocks northeast of downtown Franklin. Visitors to the Nashville area will be welcome. We meet on Sundays at 9 A.M. and 6 P.M. and on Wednesday at 7:30 P.M. For additional information, call Charles Nash

(615) 794-5136 or Reginald Sullivan (615) 794-4858 or write to RogerMurrah, Route 5, Pleasant Hill Road, Franklin, TN 37064.

JACK H. KIRBY, 1425 Schukar Ct., Irving, TX 75061—I have accepted the work with the Caddo Street church in Cleburne, Texas.Cleburne is a city of 20,000 plus and Johnson County has 80,000 with several towns in the county of 8-10,000 people. There are four large pro-institutional churches in Cleburne and several others in the county,Caddo Street is the only conservative church in the county. The churchhas 40-50 in attendance and has been without a "full-time" preacher for 3-4years. At present they are able to pay my moving expenses and '900 permonth. I would appreciate it very much (and so would the brethren atCaddo Street) if you could help support me there. This is the first time Ihave requested outside support for my work, but feel the challenge therejustifies this request. I need to be on the ground there before winter. Foradditional information on the church in Cleburne, you may wish tocontact Choice Bryant in Grand Prairie (817) 640-8354 or Bill Dollar inArlington (817) 277-9186. Thank you for your consideration. May God bless your work.

REID BRASWELL, 111 Birchview Dr., Piscataway NJ 08854—In1984 my family and I will be returning to Columbia for our second time of work in that country of 30 million souls. There are 60 faithful Christians that we know of and 3 faithful full-time preachers in a country which is 98% Catholic. The work is hard but the fields are whiteto harvest. I need the spiritual and financial support of my brethren toprovide what we need for the work. We must have a minimum of $850 amonth to meet our living needs there. If you are interested, I will be gladto come and discuss the work. I will be glad to provide references to thoseinterested.

CHARLES F. HOUSE, Box 1031, Douglas, AZ 85607—Santos Gomez of Tecate reported six baptisms. Pedro Ramirez of Aqua Prieta reported two baptisms and one restoration. Abram Villegas reports onerestoration at Sonoyta, Sonora-Mexico. We still need a preacher to come toDouglas and help us in the work. This is an excellent area for retiredpeople. This is the climate capital of the world. Faithful Christians incold climates, why not retire to Arizona to help the WORK?

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

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