WHY CROSSROADS IS CALLED A CULT

(Author's Note: It is not possible to analyze everytrait of a cult and note them one by one as they mightapply to the Crossroads church in Gainesville, Florida.Suffice it here to give the main reasons for the Cross-roads system being labeled a "cult" by the world, reli-gious and non-religious, and by most churches of Christwe would call "liberal.")

It is my judgment that Crossroads church of Christ,Gainesville, Florida, has been and is now receiving farmore recognition and attention than she deserves, bothin the secular press and in publications by Christians.Perhaps the foremost reason for all this attention is the "cultism" most think they see at Crossroads. I am cer-tain some who have made the charge do not actuallyknow what a cult is; others have developed very strongfeelings against Crossroads because of reports of treat-ment to many youth there. Truth lies somewhat underthe rumors and wild charges. Truth is what we want.The truth will make men free.! (John 8:32).

What is a cult? The question is difficult to answerbecause of the emotional barbs it creates in the mind. The dictionary says: "Cult: 1. a system of religiousworship or ritual. 2. devoted attachment to, or extrava-gant admiration for, a person, principle, etc., especiallywhen regarded as a fad...." That definition might getseveral religious groups not considered cults.

Why Do Cults Appeal to Youth?

Young people of college age are ripe for the type oper-ation conducted at Crossroads. Chuck Lucas and the

Crossroads elders are well aware of that fact. A collegecampus is a very fertile field in which any cult embryocan develop and multiply rapidly. While I do not con-sider myself an expert by any standard, I do believe Ihave learned something about the susceptibility of youth to the kind of emotionally charged religion, ener-gized by the bubbling, ignorant zeal of those who reallywant to do something to evangelize the world, justanything! (Romans 10:1-3).

Following are some of the reasons why young men and women are attracted to cult movements:

1. Youth of high school and college age have an insa- tiable curiosity for the unknown and the unknowable.Most are not satisfied with the sterile ritualism of reli-gion today, and are seeking something with a personalmeaning and application.
2. The gross ignorance of God's word by denomina-tionalism and by many churches of Christ has drivenyouth to seek someone who "knows" the answers.
3. Youth has a drive for the new, different, even thebizarre, and they tend to discard the traditional and orthodox. This presents some problem of rebellionagainst the established authority of home, elders andcivil law. It even reacts against the authority of Christ.
4. The failure of the home, school, government lead- ers and the church to provide a basic moral foundationfor the youth of the nation has driven them to search fora way that will work without the hypocrisy that hascharacterized two generations of Americans. Generallyspeaking the home has been a total failure, and some ofthese are looking for a "father" and "mother" figure. Man has an underlying need for the security of familyand social bonds.
5. Youth is looking for escape from all the financial,social and moral tensions found in the world today. Theperennial threat of war, nuclear destruction, and politi-cal corruption is very discouraging. The increase inmurder, rape, robbery, assault, drug addiction andevery form of evil has inundated society.
6. Many do not find meaning and purpose to theirlives anywhere in the framework of our civilization.Hope for the future is very dim. These all seek happi-ness by seeking a way to fulfillment for their lives.

Cult leaders recognize this and appeal to these people with their special promises for this life and the one to come.

Why Cults Grow Rapidly

Anytime a church is growing abnormally fast, thequestion is always raised about cultism because that issaid to be a mark of the cults. We are talking about whathappens in the twentieth century, not in the first cen-tury. From several sources the following was found toexplain the rapid growth of cults:

1. Human need. They meet the human need at a timewhen others do not notice the need. They give the down-trodden a reason for living and they promise a hope tothese hopeless souls.
2. Aggressive. The cults are very aggressive inpreaching their doctrine and ideology. They will teachany who will listen.
3. Thorough indoctrination. They are convincedof their doctrine and operation. They believe theyare right. They are thoroughly indoctrinated withevery part of it that concerns them. They have beentrained to use the Bible, and they use it effectivelyto the un-learned. They cite history, quote scripture,speak some Greek and Hebrew words, and even defineBible terms in their favor.
4. Sacrifice for his cause. Every cult member knowswhat he believes and is ready to sacrifice whatever isnecessary for it. That is one reason he will abandon all else and hold to it.
5. Zeal for evangelism. They have a zeal forevangelism—go from door to door—use any method toreach people with their message. The technique for"witnessing" their doctrine is learned as an actor learnshis lines.
6. Urgent. The cult member has a strong sense ofurgency. He speaks as if tomorrow will be too late. Heeagerly presses his message upon the hearer to accept itTODAY!
7. All work. Cults involve every member in some wayin the operation of the group. This is a part of thetraining. It cements each member to the group in re-sponsibility and work.
8. Willing to suffer. Each one is willing and expectsto suffer ridicule and hardship from the public and otherreligions. They interpret this as a sign of their holinessand acceptability with God.

The fact that you may have these qualities in your lifedoes not indicate that you are in any sense cultish.These are the qualities that make a group grow, andmost cults have all of them. That is why they grow sorapidly.

Some Reasons Why Crossroads is Called a Cult

No less than a dozen congregations have written let-ters and published extensive articles branding Cross-roads a cult with all the destructive characteristics of any cult.

If I cited even half the quotes in the religious papersthat brand Crossroads a cult, and gave their reasons fordoing so, I would have enough material to fill this papera dozen times.

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Page 3

THE COLLINSVILLE AFFAIR

A simple case of congregational discipline in Collins-ville, Oklahoma has been propelled into national promi-nence when a member of that local church sued the elders for invasion of privacy after they publicly with-drew from her. They charged her with forsaking theassembling, the sin of fornication and refusing to sub-mit to the oversight of the elders of the church. The wireservices picked up the story and CBS did a segment onit on "60 MINUTES." It is remarkable that the woman in question complained about invasion of privacy whenby her action she has become nationally known and hersin of fornication is known from one side of the nation to the other. Additionally, she has been approached by tendifferent groups, each wanting to make a movie of herstory.

The jury awarded her a total of $390,000 in the case. The decision has brought jubilation to the liberal press(TV Guide applauded the decision) and consternation toelders, preachers and other members of churches ofChrist across the nation. The case has been appealedand we shall all be anxious to see how a higher court will rule in the matter.

Newspapers in Oklahoma and Texas have carried ex-tensive information on the case. If all that has been reported is true, there may be some room for question asto how the elders handled this case. The legal battlecentered around two basic things: (1) The fact that the woman delivered a letter to one of the elders in which she stated that she was withdrawing her membershipfrom that congregation; and (2) the fact that while thechurch claimed to be autonomous, the elders sent let-ters to adjoining congregations notifying them of theiraction. The court interpreted this as a violation of their own stated belief in autonomy. They argued on the firstpoint that she had a right to change her belief.

In carefully listening to the "60 Minutes" segment, itis evident to me that the woman did not have a clear understanding of the truth about the unique nature of the Lord's church nor of the role and relationship ofelders to a local church.

Already, we have learned of a number of Christianswho have been approached by fellow workers, relativesor neighbors about this matter. Some Christians havebeen ridiculed for believing the Bible teaches that thechurch can exercise corrective discipline against way-ward members. People who do not know where the pas-sages are found nor the context in which they appearhave been quoting "Judge not, that ye be not judged"and "Let him that is without sin among you cast thefirst stone." Indeed, the Oklahoma woman referred tothese when interviewed for "60 Minutes." Her attorneysaid in the trial "He was a single man, she was a singlewoman, and this is America." He further argued that ifshe wanted to fornicate up and down the street, thechurch had no business to stick its nose into her busi-ness. That all may sound very democratic and enlight-ened to a jury of modern-day men and women, but it is afar cry from what the New Testament teaches.

What Saith the Scriptures?

Jesus said the time comes when a sin must be told "to the church" and that if repentance is not forthcoming,"let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican"(Matt. 18:15-17). Concerning the unrepentant fornica-tor at Corinth, Paul instructed the church when "gath-ered together" to "deliver such an one unto Satan forthe destruction of the flesh." He warned that "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" and said "Purge out the old leaven." He closed by saying "Therefore putaway from among yourselves that wicked person" (1 Cor. 5:1-13). Paul also commanded the Thessalonianchurch to "withdraw" from "every brother that walketh disorderly" (2 Thes. 3:6). Further, the New Testamentclearly teaches that elders have the oversight of localchurches. Christians are to "know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonishyou" (1 Thes. 5:12). Elders are to "feed the flock of God"among them, "taking the oversight" (1 Pet. 5:2). "Obeythem that have the rule over you, and submit your-selves: for they watch for your souls, as they that mustgive account, that they may do it with joy, and not withgrief: for that is unprofitable for you" (Heb. 13:17).

These passages set out the parameters within whichcongregations function and in which the discipline oflocal church memberships must be managed. These principles are divine and no earthly tribunal has a rightto set them aside. The social mores of the times which wink at sin, call evil good and good evil, do not alter thewill of Him with whom we have to do.

Far Reaching Consequences

The Collinsville affair is a watershed decision. If this ruling is not overturned in a higher court, then churchesof Christ will be in for trouble from disgruntled world-ings who want the respectability of the congregationwithout accepting the incumbent responsibilities forgodly behaviour. The legal implications of the case donot end with local churches of Christ. The Roman Cath-olic Church has for centuries excommunicated mem-bers. The Mormon Church has a form of censure. Manyother religious bodies exclude members for their con-duct. Some lawyers have commented that if eachchurch of Christ had a set of bylaws which spelled outsuch matters, then the danger of such litigation wouldbe minimal. But we do have a guideline. It is the NewTestament. The court objects that the New Testamentis capable of diverse interpretations. So are state and federal laws. The underlying assumption of such a posi-tion is that the Almighty cannot state a law so that itmay be understood while uninspired men can do what God Himself cannot do. Such is presumptuous, if notblasphemous.

The application of New Testament instruction to thepractice of local churches is not a proper subject for thecivil courts in a nation which guarantees religious free-dom. In such a society, an individual enters covenantwith a local church by his/her own volition. Such action presupposes a willingness to live consistently with the principles of the New Testament which bind those peo-ple together. Should one decide to violate those princi-ples, he certainly has the civil right to do so (providedcivil law is not violated), but moral right is anotherquestion. Elders and other Christians have the right toindicate their disapproval of sinful conduct and to takescriptural steps to restore the fallen brother or sister. Toargue otherwise is to limit the field of rights to thetransgressor while stripping the godly of all suchrights.

We have always advocated that elders and all otherbrethren involved in corrective discipline should pro-ceed with caution, take steps which are well thoughtout, keep adequate records, maintain pure motiveswhich always seek the salvation of the wayward andtake public action only where it is necessary and afterall reasonable efforts have been exhausted. Times like these test the resolve and fidelity of those who shepherdGod's people. Hirelings will flee before the wrath of themalicious. The timid will falter. Untaught members will exercise pressure to keep from being embarrassed be-fore their unbelieving friends. Discipline has neverstarted in some places, and this ruling may provide apretext to avoid it in the future. Others will stop exer-cising such discipline for fear of reprisals. The Devil will have a field day. It is a time for elders to resolve toperform their God-given duties to each flock withoutfear or favor and with a willingness to go to jail, if itcomes down to that, to lead the Lord's people in doing what He said.

It Is Getting Late

It is my judgment that it is much later in Americathan some seem to think. If this ruling is allowed tostand, then we are now at the cutting edge of the end of religious liberty in America as we have known it. Whencivil courts require that New Testament congregationswrite human creeds and by-laws to protect themselves,and when spiteful and malicious malcontents can suechurch elders for doing what the word of God teachesthat they must do to please God, and win huge cashsettlements, and when movie producers can take suchaffairs and package them as entertainment to the fur-ther embarrassment and ridicule of Christians, then myfriends, it is indeed late. It is a time to watch and pray.Pray for those in authority that just judgments may berendered. Pray that the gospel may continue to run andhave free course. The effectual, fervent prayers of right-eous men avail much. The early Christians prayed theRoman Empire off its foundation and cell doors off theirhinges. It is a time for prayer.

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The following practices at Crossroads are some of thereasons that church is labeled a cult.

1. Cell-type indoctrination. Crossroads uses the "soul talk" plan to indoctrinate and begin the"control" of new converts. Deny this as much as theywish, but the fact remains that reliable testimonyfrom unimpeachable witnesses establish the fact. Many cults have the same type plan for the same purpose.
2. The Family Bulletin of White's Ferry Road church ofChrist, West Monroe, Louisiana, January 5, 1980 ad-vertised a seminar on Bible Talks and Prayer Partnersby Chuck Lucas. It said Lucas "developed in the mainthe Soul Talk concept." It further said that his work wasso successful at Crossroads that "the seminar planswere born." If this statement is true, Chuck Lucas de-veloped the Soul Talk concept as it was used at Cross-roads.
1. Total commitment. There is a "total commitment" required of every member at Crossroads. Lucas said, "Jesus said, 'If any manwould come after me, let him deny himself and take uphis cross and follow me.' That is total commitment!" There is no issue at all about what Christ taught, norabout the fact that it is a total commitment, but the issue is that Christ did not require a total commitmentto a system such as Crossroads, nor to men like ChuckLucas, his assistants and the elders at Crossroads. Cults want a "total commitment" but they want thecommitment to the cult group, its leader and chiefmen, and to the doctrinal system.
2. A coerced commitment by guilt and fear methods toinduce total submission and conformity is far from "to-tal commitment" to Christ. The "total commitment" of Crossroads means to abandon parents, friends and allothers if they disapprove of "soul talks" and specialmeetings of the system throughout the week. Theyequate devotion to the Crossroads system with devo-tion of Christ.
1. Prayer partner. The prayer partner concept is a trait of cultism. It is a religious gimmick foremptying the mind of the convert and holding him tothe group through guilt, confession, intimidation and constant obligation to his superiors.

A system of spying and mind control of converts isthe value of the prayer partner system. It is a manipula-tion of people by way of peer pressure, fear and guilt. Ofcourse, Crossroads denies that anyone there makes anyeffort to control anyone, but the testimony of many from different parts of the country affirm the fact. Thisis one reason many brethren and the denominationalworld call Crossroads a cult.

The new convert may be compelled to sever ties withfamily members and friends and establish new relation-ships with group members, particularly the "soul talk"leader or senior "prayer partner." A new set of valuesand goals replace the original ones and a separate envi-ronment is created for the new convert which shields him from his former "sinful" life. He begins to adopt anew thought, new will and a new mind.

The prayer partner system is arranged so that the young convert must confess sins to the prayer partner, and this means they must confess ALL their sins, eventhose of thought. Their most secret thoughts and weak-nesses are known through the confessions to the prayerpartner. A guilt, shame and fear complex is createdthrough the prayer partner concept to compel obedi-ence and thought control to a degree.

Chuck Lucas adopted "The Master Plan of Evange-lism" by Robert E. Coleman and developed the Cross-roads style "Soul Talk."

Charles Goodall said in his booklet, The Crossroads Heresy: "The sources interviewed from Sunrise com-plained that their senior prayer-partnershad shared confidential information with their soul talk leaders and the preacher. Specific identifying detailswere mentioned during public lessons by both the soultalk leader and the preacher, which revealed publicknowledge of what they considered to have been private matters. Such an arrangement is totally unscriptural. It utilizes psychological behavior modification techniques used by professional psychologists." (page 13)

1. Money schemes. Money raising gimmicks is a traitof cultism. Crossroads has invited the criticism of both brethren and the religious world by pooling into theoperation at Crossroads just about everything that reli-gion could get into for the purpose of collecting money.They have a day school, family counseling services ofvarious types, preacher schools, vacation camp-grounds, a professional entertaining choir with record-ing tapes and records to sell, a publishing and printingdepartment, a recording tape department, financing various projects from student loans at going interestrates, and other enterprises by which the coffers atCrossroads are regularly fed.
2. In addition, Crossroads has followed the cultish im-age of separating as much money from as many mem-bers as possible. Reports are many that Crossroads hashad students borrow on their savings, jewelry, fromtheir parents or friends, and even made arrangementsto help them make loans in order that they could "give"to the church.
1. Superior leaders. The "leader" or "teacher" be- comes the "spiritual father" and "spiritual mother" to new converts. The cult form of gettingand holding control over the minds and lives of themembers is accomplished through a system such asCrossroads.

Members are taught not to question the wisdom orjudgment of a "leader" of a program or a "soul talk." Astrong word against a senior prayer partner is a veryserious offense. The whole group must be obedient totheir "leaders" and "prayer partners."

Crossroads may not be a "cult" in the strict sense ofthe word, but enough traits of cultism have become apart of her doctrine and practice to understand why somany charges have been made and are being made. Godis not with all these opposing sects and cults who thinkopposition to them is His approval. Crossroads is nodifferent.

The Crossroads system is a dangerous religious oper-ation for all, especially for the young.

But our being forgiven and our being cleansed is con-ditioned upon our confession of that sin of which we areguilty. We have got to cease from it, confess it. Some-body may say we may not even know about them. Oh, we can confess unto the Lord our imperfections, evenconcerning those things of which we may not be aware.

Under the law there was a sacrifice offered for igno-rant sins. But they had to offer that sacrifice. Theycould not disregard compliance with that condition onwhich God extended mercy, even for ignorant sins. AndDavid prayed unto the Father, "Lord, keep me fromsecret sin." He was not talking about sins that he knewabout and that nobody else knew about that he waskeeping hidden from the views of others. He was talking about sins in his own life of which he was not aware. "Now, Lord, keep me back from that."

We can every day not only confess the sins of which we are aware, but recognizing imperfections, go to Godin humbleness of heart and of mind and praying untoHim earnestly, "Lord, forgive me of any sin that mayhave invaded my life, even though I am unaware of itand keep me from secret sins, or sins of which I am notaware." Day by day we can come unto Him unceasinglythis way, confessing our sins that we may be forgiven. We cannot just go ahead and justify continued practiceof sins, that is, what some of these fellows are doing.They need to get their eyes open to what they are doing.

VII

Let me point out something else. When one is a bap-tized believer, one is baptized but once. That is pointaction. The action is begun, carried out and completed—point action. So, it's point action. It is not continuativeaction. You don't continue in the action of being bap-tized. It is point action. But walking in the light iscontinuative action, two different kinds of action. And Iasked Carl Ketcherside one time, before an audiencelarger than this, to tell me whether these in the digres-sive Christian Church who have brought in the instru-mental music and are continuing in it, and have for one-hundred years or more, are they walking in the light orin darkness?

I am not talking about somebody who in a moment ofweakness may stumble, and who could come to the Lordfor forgiveness of sin and obtain divine pardon, butwhat about these folks who begin that which is without divine authority and continue in it on and on in continu-ative action? Are they walking in the light or darkness?Tell me? What about those who create their missionarysocieties and continue in them? Are they walking in thelight or in darkness? What about people who develop allthe things that have come to trouble the churches of our Lord in the past twenty years? And they have beencontinuing in them for at least two decades. What aboutthem? Well, they are continuing to walk somewhere.

A walk is a mode of conduct. It is not just one step,but is progression. Now then, where are they walking—in the light or in darkness? If they are walking without divine authority, contrary to the will of God, myfriends, they are walking in darkness! That is wherethey are. And only if they are walking in the counsel ofGod, according to His will, are they walking in the light.

I'm not talking about one isolated mistake. We're talking about a mode of conduct, and so, are they walk-ing in the light or in darkness? Ketcherside never didanswer. His only reply was, "Well, Frank you don'tunderstand that passage you are talking about," and wouldn't give me a chance to say any more. Now isn'tthat what the passage is talking about? If we walk indarkness and say we have fellowship with God, we lieand do not the truth. If we walk in light, as He is in thelight, we have fellowship one with another and the bloodof Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

Lest somebody think that means we are sinlesslyperfect it says "If we say we have no sin, we deceiveourselves and the truth is not in us." But it does not stop there. "If we confess our sins he is faithful and justto forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from allunrighteousness." If we say, "We have not sinned, wemake him a liar." Does that mean, is that showing, thatwe can go out here and God is so gracious that he will just take the perfection of Christ and put it over here onus, even though we are continuing to walk in sin? Godforbid that any of us should reach that conclusion.

VIII

God called upon us to turn from our errors, quit ourwrong doings, to cease our wrong practices, and comeunto Him for the forgiveness of our sins, and startliving day by day and all the way in the counsel andlight of God's eternal truth. That is what He is talking about. I know that sometimes people want to pictureGod as being something like an ogre sitting there. But you say, "One has got to be obedient to the conditions;that you make God sitting there ready to pounce onyou." No, God is longsuffering to usward, not willingthat any should perish but that all should come to re-pentance. God calls for repentance. God doesn't want anyone to be lost. And He will be patient and longsuf-fering with us. But the call is for repentance!

Paul tells us in his great letter to the Romans that weare to count the longsuffering of God as calling upon usto come to repentance. God's longsuffering, His pa-tience with us, is leading us unto repentance and if wedo not repent we are treasuring up wrath against theday of wrath.

Take the letters that the Lord dictated unto the seven churches of Asia in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3. Andeven the church at Ephesus, which measured by thepresent day standards would be a pretty good congre-gation, but He said, "You have left your first love.Repent, therefore, and do the first works." He called forrepentance! And even unto the church at Smyrna,whose character is far above that of many congrega-tions today, He said, "Be thou faithful unto death."Faithfulness, He commanded and "I will give thee the crown of life." And then concerning that woman over inThyatira, that Jezebel who seduced the servants of Godand taught them to commit fornication, He said I gaveher space to repent, but she repented not, therefore, Ishall cast her into a bed of affliction".

Now then, don't get the idea that God doesn't call forhis children, who err, to repent. The fact that He islongsuffering to usward does not mean that He is con-doning our wrong practices. But it is a call for repent-ance. Repentance is a condition of forgiveness. So weare to come in genuine faith, and humble repentanceand honest confession unto God for forgiveness, andwhen our sins are forgiven, then we are counted right-eous because we do not have sin anymore. It has beenblotted out, covered over. Not that He is borrowing something over here.

That always reminds me of the Catholic doctrine ofthe works of supererogation whereby they teach thatsome people have been so saintly, that lived so per-fectly, that they did a lot more than the Lord evenwanted them to do. They had some works that wereunnecessary, and so God just took their extra good works and put them under the depositor over here, andwhen Catholics today fall short of what God requires ofthem, they can pray unto the saints, and God will reachin here and take it out of the saint's account and put it totheirs. This smacks at the same kind of concept.

My friend, the Bible teaches that you and I are indi-vidually and personally responsible for our own individ-ual lives. I may stumble and fall but God calls me torepent of my sins and to confess my sins and pray Godfor forgiveness. Even if it be a sin of which I am notaware, I'm to be conscious of the fact that I'm notperfect before Him and come pleading for tender mercy.But God is the one who determines the extent of His grace and it is conditional, both to the alien sinner andto the erring child of God, despite the claims of some.And, so, we must comply with whatever conditions theLord has laid down.

Romans, chapter 9, the apostle Paul said, as hequotes a statement that the Lord made unto Moses, "Iwill have mercy upon whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion upon whom I will have compassion."God determines those upon whom He will have mercyand those to whom He will show compassion and He hasdetermined on the basis of the conditions laid down in the book of God.

Somebody says, "Will there be no exceptions?" I can't tell you there will be. If God wants to make someexceptions, that is His business. But clemency is theright of the judge, not of the person who is proclaiming the law. And so preachers today cannot hold out clemency beyond what God's law declares. They must staywithin the scope of that. Now, if God wants to savesomebody without their obedience, that's His business and I'll not complain about it. But I can't hold it out, and if I do, I would be holding out to you a hope that theword of God does not declare.

But they say, "Oh, you're judging." No, I am leavingall judgment in the hand of Him who is to be the Judge.I am simply telling you the principles upon which judg-ment will be rendered according to the revelation ofGod's word.

A former treatise have I written on this topic. And now another like unto it, with the encouragement of theeditor and others.

Is it possible that those of us who believe in letting the church be the church, who have not gone wild overthe promotional schemes of institutionalism and suchlike,—is it possible that we can evangelize the world without becoming enamoured with the Crossroadsmovement, Jimmie Lovell, and such like? If I did notbelieve my brethren could succeed I probably would notbother to write about it. But if we were fully convincedthat such is an impossibility, would that lessen our dutyto try? Would it alter the Great Commission in anyway? What of the possibility? If we could be convincedthat it is possible, it might encourage us to make a bonified, serious effort.

Mathematically Possible

We recently gave some statistics which showed thatif there was only one Christian on the earth and it tookhim a whole year to convert another, and then each ofthem a whole year to do likewise—that if this processcontinued, over 4 billion (world population) could bereached in 33 years—the same amount of time our Lordspent on the earth. (We are indebted to brother HarrisDark for the statistics and for his foresight and con-cern).

Now think of it this way. There is not just oneChristian on the earth and it doesn't usually take awhole year to teach another. Consider that there are approximately 750,000 conservative brethren. Accord-ing to brother Dark's statistics (which are mathemati-cally correct), we are at year 12 on the scale. Conceiv-ably, with a faith in God that works through love (Gal.5:6) the world could be evangelized in 21 years or less!

A Prerequisite

We must be truly converted to Christ ourselves. It isHe who gives the increase, we only plant and water. Theone who plants and waters is nothing (I Cor. 3:7). If aman thinks himself to be something when he is nothing,he deceives himself (Gal. 6:3). We are unprofitable ser-vants (Lk. 17:10).

When we come to appreciate the love of one who cameto seek and save the lost (Lk. 19:10) we will also come torespect His authority when He says "Go." It is not the imperative of an external command that sends us afterthe lost. . . We may be commanded forever to take thegospel. . . and it will never move us. But when we arefully possessed by him whose life it was to seek and savethe lost, we shall go, command or no command. Back ofall successful work for the lost is an inward spiritualimpulse; and back of the impulse is Christ in the heart ofthe individual, and the brand mark of it all is thecross,... (J.E. Conant, EVERY MEMBER EVANGE-LISM, preface). Yes, there must be the transformed life.

All Out for P.E.!

Many of us are gung-ho for P.E.—Physical Education.Can we be as enthusiastic about Personal Evangelism?How do we evangelize? Contrary to our suspicions thereare no Top Secret, "yet-to-be-discovered" methods toreach folks with the gospel. There are no gimmicks,shortcuts, or tricks. Things are pretty much as theywere in the first century—an abundant harvest with fewlaborers (Mt. 9:37f). Some tools may be helpful but youneed not invest in numerous books, records, or otherparaphernalia. A knowledge of the power of God for salvation, an awareness that life is brief and the need isurgent, and a compassion for lost humanity are thethings most needed. We need not wait for the perfectsituation or until we have mastered and memorized the whole Bible forward and backward. Most of the NT conversions were characterized by circumstances thatseemed less than ideal.

Getting The Home Bible Study

Getting someone to agree to a HBS is the biggestpart of the battle with Satan. This is why he steals theword away, "lest they should believe and be saved" (Lk.8:12). Since we are dealing with the will of man and theinfluence of the devil, there is no guaranteed formula forgetting a study. There are some things that may help.

1) Become All Things To All Men. Why did Paul dothis? "That I may by all means save some" (I Cor. 9:22).He said he "pleased all men in all things" Why? "Thatthey man be saved" (10:33). This doesn't mean become a hypocrite but to be as peaceable as possible (Rom.12:18). It means not alarming your prospect's preju-dices or needlessly exciting his opposition. "Let yourspeech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that yemay know how ye ought to answer every man" (Col. 4:6). Make your words palatable. "Behold, I send youforth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye wise asserpents and harmless as doves" (Mt. 10:16). Some-times we get that backwards. Don't bring out the wolfin a man by tactless remarks. Tact depends on under-standing the feeling and situation of others. Great

causes have suffered at the hands of tactless bunglers,

but none so great as the cause of Christ. Love is not

rude. Sarcasm and harsh denunciation is often the first

and easiest course to follow. In the life of the Master

Teacher these were the exception rather than the rule

and were used as a last resort to shake people who knew

they were wrong but were dishonest and hypocritical

(Mt. 23). While we should be ready to answer every man

let us not forget the manner—"in meekness and fear," (I

Pet. 3:15). Brethren, it does make a difference how you

say it! We cannot be like a bull in a china shop when

trying to save souls.

2) Keep It Simple. When trying to get a lost person toconsider the simple gospel, a complicated or high pres-sure approach is not needed. It has been helpful to me tosay, "Many people would like to know more about theBible. I believe you are one of those people, Bill, and Iwould really like to study the Bible with you." Lest hethink you are suggesting a never-ending arrangementtell him how many times, how often, and how long eachstudy will take (be reasonable). It is also a good idea tolet him know that you believe religion is the last thingone should get mad about and you try to make it yourpractice not to get mad even if there is an area of dis-agreement. If there is a difference that may prevent aHBS, you might say "If there is anything importantenough to keep us divided, surely it is important enoughto talk about without hurting each other's feelings. Don't you think so?"

A forthright approach is best and each Christianshould find a way of asking for a study with which he iscomfortable. If one resists your sincere approach itwould be best not to try to "argue" him into it. You might say, "Bill, I hope after you have had time to thinkabout it that you will reconsider the study. If youchange your mind, please don't be embarrassed or hesi-tate to let me know. I will be glad to come." You neverknow when one may have a change of heart and this will leave the door open.

"The Gospel Is For All"

We sing. Do we believe and practice? Most congrega-tions are composed of white, middle and upper classAmericans. And they certainly need the gospel. But it isalso for the downtrodden, the poor, the alcoholic, theperson burdened with problems, other races, etc. Manyof these will need a lot of attention. Are we ready to putour Christianity to the test? Let us be sure that we havenot turned the church into an organization that primar-ily meets our social needs, with some religious flavoringthrown in. "My brethren, hold not the faith of our LordJesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons(Jas. 2:1).

Will We Evangelize The World?

We can be like the ten spies who said "We be not ableto go up against the people; for they are stronger thanwe." Or we can be like Caleb who said "Let us go up atonce, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it,"(Num. 13:30,31). God blessed Caleb by allowing him toenter the promised land! With all of my heart, I believe mybrethren canevangelize the world.We won't haveto

compete with the promotional techniques or popularmoney-raising schemes. The Great Commission appliesto all of us (Mt. 28:19, 20; 2 Tim. 2:2). When each onedoes what he can where he is, the gospel will spread. Wecan do all things through Him who strengthens us (Phil.4:13).

"CONFESSION?—ASK THE MAN WHO GOES THERE!"

The Knights of Columbus of the Catholic Church pub-lishes material in newspapers and magazines over the country. One of their popular articles is on confessionunder the above heading.

The Catholic Article

"Catholics go to Confession to a priest for one reason

only: to obtain divine forgiveness for their sins.

"But why, you ask, go to a priest? Why not confess

our sins directly to God?

"Ask the man who goes to confession and here's what he will tell you: Sin is an offense against God; it must beforgiven by God. It is God, not man, who determines

how forgiveness must be obtained. Christ plainlypointed this out when He empowered His apostles andtheir successors to forgive sins or to refuse forgiveness.

" 'Whose sins you shall forgive,' Christ said, "they areforgiven them; whose sins you shall retain, they areretained.' (John 20:21-23) Thus Christ authorized theapostles, and their successors, to pardon or to denypardon as they judged the sinner worthy or unworthy.To do this they had to know what they were forgiving.. . the secret dispositions of the sinner... his sorrow andwillingness to repair the wrong done to his neighbor byhis sins. Who could make this known but the sinner himself—and what is this but Confession?

"But Confession—the Sacrament of Penance—is onlyone of the seven Sacraments Christ left in His church. Yes, seven—no more and no less! Christ's religion is notmerely a message to be accepted, but a life to be lived—from the cradle to the grave. Christ's seven Sacraments are the answer to man's seven basic needs ___

"Would you like to know more about each of the sevenSacraments? How they can help you to meet the sevenbasic needs of your life? Then write today for a freepamphlet which gives important information concern-ing them. Ask for Pamphlet No. 5-N."

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Our Review

One of the first problems which we detect in thisteaching is the failure to understand who and what apriest really is. The apostle Peter said that every Chris-tian is a priest and member of the "royal priesthood"—the church of Christ (1 Peter 2:5,9). Jesus Christ is theChristian's High Priest to "make propitiation for thesins of the people" (Heb. 2:17). The Bible does not teachthat any man can act as a priest between the Christianand the Lord today. The apostle Paul wrote, "For thereis one God and one Mediator between God and men, theMan Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5).

We realize that under the Old Testament law priestsoffered up sacrifices for their sins and the sins of thepeople, but Christ made one sacrifice, HIMSELF, forour sins. "And there were many priests, because theywere prevented by death from continuing. But He, be-cause He continues forever, has an unchangeable priest-hood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He everlives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:23-25).Since Christ lives to make intercession for us, and therecan be only one mediator between God and the Chris-tian, there is no place for the work of a priest to whomconfession is made or through whom one may pray toGod.

I John 1, verse 9, says, "If we confess our sins, Heis faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Christians confess their sins to God (not a priest) and God forgives. Under theOld Testament the people of Israel confessed to God (1Kings 8:33, 34) and priests made atonement (Leviticus5:5-13). Priests today do not make atonement by offer-ing sacrifices. Christ is our atonement and means ofreconciliation (Romans 5:9-11), and no other sacrificesare necessary. Since priests today cannot make atone-ment or offer sacrifices, they are not necessary to ourforgiveness.

Another fallacy in the Catholic article is the referenceto "the apostles and their successors." Where does theBible say or teach that the apostles were to have succes-sors? There is no more authority for such in the scrip-tures than there is for a successor of Christ on the earth today. Peter himself said that in order to qualify as anapostle of Christ one must have the knowledge "begin-ning from the baptism of John to that day when He wastaken up from us, one of these must become a witnesswith us of His resurrection" (Acts 1:22). Can any manon earth today meet that qualification? The apostle Paul affirmed the same thing that Peter said. While onthe road to Damascus to persecute Christians the Lordtold him, "I have appeared to you for this purpose, tomake you a minister and a witness both of the thingswhich you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you" (Acts 26:16). So Paul had to have seen theLord in order to be an apostle, just as his fellow apostleshad experienced before him. We repeat: No man onearth today can be an apostle of Christ!

And another thing is worthy of note. If the prieststoday are the successors of the apostles, as the article said, then they should have the same power as theapostles of Christ had in the first century. If any man onearth today is a successor of Peter and the apostles, wewould not have to confess our sins for him to be con-scious of them. Read Acts 5:1-11. Here we read of a man and his wife who conspired to lie (not confess, but lie).Peter, guided by the Holy Spirit, knew of their sin with-out them admitting it. If men were in Peter's office andhad his power today, they would know the sins of theflock without their confession. Therefore, we would liketo "ask the man who goes there," WHY DO YOU GO?

Their use of John 20:21-23 is a perversion of what theLord meant. In the first place, the apostles had powerwhich no man has on earth today. But even then, theyforgave sins by teaching people "how forgiveness mustbe obtained." For example, when people asked Peterand the other apostles what to do, or how to obtainremission of their sins, they were told to "Repent, andlet everyone of you be baptized in the name of JesusChrist for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). Were theythen and there exercising the power which Christ gavethem and doing the work which he authorized and com-manded them to do? Yes. Where do we read of anyonecoming to the apostles, confessing sins, and being for-given by them without obedience to the commands ofthe gospel? We don't. Or where do we read of Christians confessing sins to a priest? We don't. Christians confesstheir sins to God, and pray for forgiveness through (inthe name of) Jesus Christ, their High Priest and Media-tor.

Yes, truly, "It is God, not man, who determines howforgiveness must be obtained."

SOCIAL DRINKING

One does not attempt to change the things withwhich he is satisfied. This statement is a truism findingapplication to our personal life and surroundings as wellas to our culture generally. We often hear, perhaps with-out understanding, "the Christian is in the world butnot of the world." This statement generally intendscomplement to a life set on a heavenly plane rather thanon the earthly. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seekthose things which are above, not on things of the earth.For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God"(Col. 3:1-3).

The lofty code of ethics and morals, the way of lifewith the Christian, originates not on earth with man butin heaven with God. The true child of God can be satis-fied with and comfortable in surroundings and cultureresulting from submission to the way of the God. Whencircumstances, not of the Christians' making or choos-ing, those that are worldly and sinful, or at best ques-tionable, surround and confine the faithful child of God,such will invariably make for discomfort and uneasi-ness. Certainly one who has pitched his life upon theheavenly plane would be uneasy and fearful of creatingcircumstances that are of the world rather than of heaven, of Christ. Surely the Christian would have nopart or lot in the popular "happy-hour" wherein one isexpected to unwind after the day of work is done, eitheras a drop-in observer or as a participant, regularly oroccasionally. I trust most of our readers are conversantwith the reference "happy hour" as it relates to thepractice of stopping for an occasional cocktail or alco-holic drink in the local lounge or bar after work. Reasonbeing, the Christian is sufficiently uncomfortable inthis kind of setting and circumstance to avoid it, to say the least of it. Valuing his image and influence the faith-ful would surely flee every possibility that might tar-nish or mar, or in even the remotest way reflect upon thename of the Christ he wears. While we recognize manythings of a similar nature we wish more particularly toaddress the use of beverage alcohol in this writing. Not,mind you, in the habitual way which produces drunken-ness but the occasional way commonly referred to associal drinking.

The question of social drinking, whether at home, inother private or public circumstances, has taken ongreater prominence and proportions in later years. Thehistory of God's people has generally reflected an intol-erance of beverage alcohol demanding abstinence in any circumstance other than medical. Not so today as oursociety turns more to social drinking as acceptable.Whatever restraint and opposition characterized of thepast has disappeared. Social drinking is endorsed to thepoint that members of the church engage in it and moreand more are asking "What is wrong with it?" as theyattempt justification in some form or another. Maybe the attempt at justification is at first hypothetical asthe situation is posed like this: "Can a man drink onebeer at home and not sin?" "What about wine for specialoccasions? On and on it goes in the same vein in aneffort to justify a questionable or sinful practice byplacing the burden of judgment and indictment uponone unwilling to accept its use due to scriptural under-standing and respect. The accuser, rather than the user,is charged with the burden of proof, just like the sectar-ian charges when his error is called into account. The demand is, "Where does the Bible condemn it?"

Admittedly, pressures of business and society havecontributed to the problem even with many disciples.Some choose to stay on the fringe of social drinking, or as I prefer the reference, occasional drinking, reserv-edly arguing and practicing private use in home whileattempting to distinguish this from social drinking.Others publicly admit and endorse all such. Still otherstake a lenient attitude which is intolerant of any openrebuke via teaching and certainly is intolerant of anycorrective discipline in the matter among brethren.

We need to appreciate the need for being aloof fromour culture and surroundings because of righteousnessrather than being overwhelmed by it. Change attitudesand practices rather than conform to the questionableand sinful. Dare to be different! Is the use of beveragealcohol right or wrong in any circumstance or situation?I unhesitatingly answer that it is wrong. Medication alone when prescribed, administered and taken prop-erly is precluded. Maybe we could see this issue clearlyif we put it in the form of this question. Is social drink-ing, occasional drinking, right or wrong? We are seeing cultural influence affect a noticeable change inthe lives of brethren causing in many areas an attitudeand prac-tice of worldliness which is destroying thepurity and distinctiveness of God's people.

There is no case to be made for the intoxicating wineof today from the Bible. To the contrary, in the nineHebrew and four Greek words referring to intoxicating beverage in the Bible not a single instance of use in anyone of the thirteen is with God's approval. What kind ofinfluence toward Christ can one have upon a neighborwhen he learns you take an occasional drink? Try invit-ing him to dinner, serve him a choice wine and talk tohim about becoming a Christian while you sip it. Wherehas even a single drink ever produced good of a lasting nature?

An aged "mountaineer" preacher friend of mine in the discussion of this issue offered this homespunassess-ment. "There is about as much difference in a dram drinker and a drunkard as there is between a big hog and a pig." I can relate to that, can't you?Obviously, the illustration sets forth the difference asbeing only in matter of size and not in fact. Maybe weneed to change

our terminology as previously suggested, to more accu-rately denote this and begin to talk about the occasionaldrink, and or drinker, and the habitual drinker and ordrunk. That after all is the fact of the matter. Now, isn't it? Paul warned, "Abstain from all appearance of evil"(1 Thess. 5:21). Within the same context he adds thatthe sanctity which preserves blameless unto the coming of our Lord demands it.

We need to quit kidding ourselves about drinking and some other things and recognize that such worldlinessis a major deterrent to growth and purity of the churchand unity of believers even within the church. If wecannot discern good and evil we need to be more fullytaught so that we can readily do so. Apply Paul's state-ment, "But strong meat belongeth to them that are offull age, even those who by reason of use have theirsenses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Heb.

5:14. Once we take care of any teaching deficiencywhich obviously exists, we will need to muster a little courage and conviction so that we can all be what weought to be, Christians, in the world but not of theworld. God help us!

"PROVOKE NOT..."

As reflected in my earlier article there are relativelyfew New Testament admonitions directed specificallyto Christians as parents. The Holy Spirit, however,need not say something a dozen times for it to be true."Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath" (Eph.6:4) occurs only one time in the entire New Testament.Likewise, "Fathers, provoke not your children, thatthey be not discouraged," (Col. 3:21) is found only once.Truly these admonitions may be considered God's "no,no's" for fathers (and mothers) and both deal with suchchild sensitivities that to disregard either of them is toproduce emotional wreckage in the child and heartbreakfor the parent.

Obviously a child may become enangered without aparental provocation and just as readily discourage-ment may stem from persons other than parents oreven from conditions of the child's own making. The fact remains, however, that both wrath and discourage-ment of a child may find their course in thespeech or silence and/or actions or inaction of a parent. That a parent may be responsible for eitherprovocation should put every father and mother onconstant guard lest either or both may be a major causefor the development of those traits in their own fleshand blood offspring.

Since being a Christian is an around-the-clock respon-sibility, parents cannot have time for any unguardedmoments of thoughtless attention involving their chil-dren. A misplaced word or deed may be the spark thatprovides a temper tantrum or a needed word unspokenor a deed undone may be the raindrop direly needed tobuild confidence in a child tending to bashfulness orwithdrawal from society.

The ultimate effect of repeated provocation to wrathis rebellion against the provoker. The fact that Godwarns fathers against provoking their children is thebest reason imaginable for parents to study carefullythe disposition of their children and learn from whatthey observe in them not to "provoke them to wrath."

In Ephesians 6:4, the Greek work for "provoke"means "to irritate beyond measure" (Young's Analyti-cal Concordance of the Bible, p. 783); Thayer says itmeans "to rouse to wrath," "exasperate." In Col. 3:21, "to stir up; excite; stimulate."—Thayer.

In his Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, pp. 115, 116more than fifty years ago Charles Eerdman wrote thefollowing regarding "provoking" a child:

"The word denotes not only the coming of irritationand exasperation by parental exactions and demands, but, farther, the awaken-ing of anger bytreatment that is harsh and oppressive and unfair.This is not to say that a father is never to allow achild to have his own way, or must permit a child todo wrong for fear of arousing its anger. Nothingcould be more unkind than to let a child believe that by an exhibition of temper it can secure anything it may desire. This is the abdication of parental authority. This is to make a child the constant victim of self-indulgence and caprice. What the exhortation does forbid is such unfair treatment,such cruel demands, such a selfish insistence uponauthority, as to awaken in the heart of a child arankling sense of injustice." William Barclaydeclares that "there are three ways

in which we can do injustice to our children." He then

observes: "(1) We can forget that things do change,that the customs of one generation are notthe customs of another. Elinor Mordaunt tells how once she stopped her little daughterfrom doing something by saying, "I was never allowed to do that when I was yourage." And the child answered, "But you mustremember, mother, that you were then, andI'm now." Parents can do infinite damage byforgetting that times change and customsalter.

"(2) We can exercise such a control thatthat very control is an insult to our own up-bringing of our children. To keep a child toolong in leading-strings is simply to say thatwe do not trust him, and to say that we donot trust him, is simply to say that we haveno confidence in the way in which we our-selves have trained him. It is better to make the mistake of too much trust than of too much control.

"(3) We can forget the duty of encourage-ment. Luther's father was very strict, toostrict, strict to the point of cruelty. Lutherused to say: "Spare the rod and spoil thechild—that is true; but beside the rod keep anapple to give him when he has done well."Benjamin West tells how he became a painter. One day his mother went out leavinghim in charge of his little sister Sally. In hismother's absence he discovered some bottles of coloured ink and began to paint Sally's portrait. In the doing so he made a very con-siderable mess of things with ink blots allover. His mother came back. She saw the mess, but she said nothing. She picked up thepiece of paper and saw the drawing. "Why,"she said, "it's Sally!" and she stopped and kissed him. Ever after Benjamin West used to say: "My mother's kiss made me a painter." Encouragement did more than re-buke could ever do. Anna Buchan tells how her grandmother had a favorite phrase evenwhen she was very old: "Never daunton youth."

As Paul sees it, children must honour their

parents; but parents must never discourage

their children. 'Barclay, Letters to the

Galatians and Ephesians, pp. 211, 212.

BABYLON, NOT YET FALLEN

The fall of "Babylon, the mother of harlots and abomi-nations of the earth" is predicted and described in Reve-lation 17 and 18. The saints of God are assured of her destruction and told to rejoice over her "for God hathavenged you on her" (18:20). She is pictured as a greatharlot and the ancient wicked city of Babylon, involving the rulers of nations along with their subjects, all vent-ing their anger against the Christians who refused andopposed their worldly and sensuous ways. "And in herwas found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of allthat were slain upon the earth" (18:24).

The assured doom of Babylon, the Beast, and GreatDragon in the latter chapters of Revelation, along withthe ultimate victory of the saints and their reward, wasto give Christians comfort, assurance, and strength toendure unto the end. They would, in the end, be victori-ous and rewarded with eternal life in heaven. But until Christ comes and these enemies are destroyed and castinto the lake of fire, Christians must continue to endureharassment, physical, economic, and emotional perse-cution, even unto death... martyrdom.

In America Today

Some seemingly think that in America, with our Con-stitution guaranteeing religious freedom and wherepride is taken in calling ourselves a Christian Nation,Babylon the great has already fallen. Such, however, isnot the case. Such thinking reveals deception or wishfulthinking.

For the past few decades America has been becomingmore and more worldly, sensual, indecent, unmoral, vul-gar, and ungodly. This is the result of Atheistic, Com-munistic, and Humanistic philosophy pervading theminds of Americans through our schools, the media,and even churches. All of these philosophies dethroneGod, spiritual influences, and moral concepts, putting

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in their place the belief that whatever pleases man-gives him satisfaction—is right.

Already, this philosophy has invaded the judges,courts, and law-makers of America to the extent thatany reference in text books to a creator or creation as atheory of origin (though there is more scientific evi-dence for creation than there is for evolution) is illegal; a preacher being invited to a school chapel assembly toconduct a devotional or speak on spiritual matters isout; even some one uttering a spontaneous prayer atsome school function is declared illegal; An officer who shoots a criminal in the act of committing a crime orfleeing from a crime is a greater criminal than the oneshot; capital punishment is as great a crime as themurders committed. In all these things, the philosophysays the human rights of the infidel, criminal, and mur-derer are violated. Actually, it is evidence of Babylon's presence in our day.

A Recent Example

Just recently the press carried a story that illustratedthis very vividly, and should strike terror to the heart of every Bible believing and spiritually minded person. Awoman who was a member of the Collinsville church of Christ, near Tulsa, Oklahoma was guilty of fornicationand after repeated exhortations and warnings on thepart of the elders that failed to bring repentance, waspub-licly withdrawn from in accordance with Matt.18:15-17; 1 Cor. 5:1-11; 2 Thess. 3:6,14-15. The paperreported that the woman resigned from the congregation in anticipation of the sanctions, but thatthe letter of withdrawal was ready anyhow. The woman sued the elders of the church for invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Her lawyer, Thomas Frasier is quoted as saying "It doesn't matter if she was fornicating up and down the street, it doesn't give the church the right tostick their noses in." In his closing arguments to thejury, Frasier said "I demand the right, on behalf ofMarion Guinn, to lead her life the way she chooses tolead her life... He was a single man. She was a singlelady, and this is America."

The jury of seven men and five women "quicklyagreed that the church had violated Ms Guinn's rights"and awarded her $390,000. Some jurors wanted toaward her much more. The case, of course, will be ap-pealed.

Here is a clear example of Humanism vs God and theBible (The Babylon of Rev. 17-18), "drunken with theblood of saints", manifested in our day. Believing andfollowing the Bible is a crime, punishable by a heavyfine; at another time, maybe imprisonment or evendeath.

While the Humanistic minds are trained to reject every controlling force in their life (Parents, Schools,Law, Church, God) except Self, the spiritually mindedactually desire and seek Christianity as a directing force in their private lives. It is in this area that Christianity(religion) operates. The gospel of Christ has to do withthe "inner man" and teaches, influences, warns, anddirects the one embracing it in every area of his private and public life. Citizens of this spiritual kingdom have accepted the Lord and His Word as the directing forcein forming or dissolving a marriage, in rearing children,in conducting business, in State matters, in worship, inmanner of life-involving speech, dress, and actions. Dis-cipline through a local congregation is part of the sys-tem. No one is forced to enter against his will. Everycitizen is such voluntarily. . . "from the heart. . . will-ingly". Upon entering, one asks for the discipline asmuch as the prayers, fellowship, teaching and worshipthat is involved. Discipline is no more invasion of pri-vacy than other teaching and actions that may be abra-sive to a carnally minded one.

The fact that Ms Guinn resigned from the Collinsvillecongregation in view of the pending action did not loosethe elders from their responsibility to "mark"—that others may fear, and urge other members to "withdraw—have no company with", that she might be"shamed" to repentance. To escape the discipline for herfornication, she should have withdrawn (quit thechurch) before she decided to engage in fornication.

That trial jury that convicted the elders of the Collins-ville church of "Invasion of privacy" and purposely"inflicting emotional and mental stress" actually de-clared that practicing what the Bible enjoins is a crime.

Such a concept could bring on a rash of legal suitsfrom many others who have been "withdrawn from", orin the denominational world, "banished"— "excommunicated", "turned out of the church"!

Is It A Crime?

Is it really a crime (illegal) for people to carry out Scripturally required actions (their faith) in America?Infidels say it is a crime for one to lead a voluntary,spontaneous, prayer, or conduct a devotional, at aschool function, for it violates their right, and their children's, to not hear or observe it. Their sentiment, even this day, sits in our Federal Courts. I wonder howlong it will be before a church building in a prominent place, with a bulletin board in front, will be offensive toinfidel's children who have to pass by and see such athing, and the Courts are petitioned to have it removed?

Have I really committed a crime in preaching from the pulpit, or from house to house, Matt. 19:1-9 andother passages on fornication, if such causes one toleave an adulterous union, so that the other one in-volved could sue me for "alienation of affections and invasion of privacy, or inflicting great emotional dis-tress? Indeed, Babylon, the great harlot, is not yetfallen. She is still set on destroying the concept of Godand His Word in America, persecuting and penalizingits exponents, and soon may once again be "drunk on the blood of saints".

In studying the word of God, or any other book forthat matter, we should be careful to know the meaningof the words we read and use. We understand that words may have different meanings when used, depend-ing on the context. For instance, The word "all" may beused (and often is used) to denote absolutely every thing or every body. If we don't know that we will be hope-lessly confused as to the meaning of several expres-sions. For instance:

In Gal. 6:10 the Bible says do good unto "all men."That means we should do good unto everybody withoutexception. I challenge anybody to deny that everybodyis embraced in the word ALL. But in 1 Cor. 9:13 we have the expression "all men" used. But the word here doesNOT mean everybody without exception. I challengeanybody to say it does. The context shows that SAINTS is the subject being discussed. (See verse 1.)

If 1 Cor. 9:13 doesn't mean everybody without excep-tion (neither Woods nor Totty, nor McCaghren, norHighers would say it did) then it means that churchbenevolence is limited. But if church benevolence is limited, how are we going to find out just who thechurch can help? We must consider the context of thesubject at hand.

The context involves a collection (distribution) whichwas expressly raised for saints (1 Cor. 16:1-3; Rom. 15:26). It was sent to saints (1 Cor. 16:3; Rom. 15:26). It was received by saints (Rom. 15:31). And it supplied the want of saints (2 Cor. 9:12). There is not a hint inthe New Testament of money being raised for anyoneother than saints, being sent to anyone other thansaints, being received by anyone other than saints, orsupply-ing the want of anyone other than saints. If so, where is it?

I say church benevolence is limited to saints. I further say it is limited to faithful saints. I further say it islimited to poor faithful saints. If it isn't limited tosaints, then it is for saints and non-saints. Who wantsto say it is for non-saints and cite a passage that saysso? If it isn't for faithful saints, then it is for faithful andun-faithful saints as well as for non-saints. Who says so? Cite me a verse. If it isn't limited to poorfaithful saints, then it is for poor faithful saints and alsofor rich un-faithful saints." Who can believe that?

Is church benevolence limited? I say it is! To whom isit limited? I say to faithful saints. I believe we shouldalways be able to cite chapter and verse for what webelieve. I can cite chapter and verse for church benevolence to saints. For twenty-five years I have called uponmy liberal brethren to cite a single verse of scripture forchurch support of those who are not saints. They havenot come up with a verse yet. Thus they are somewhatlike the little girl who was called upon to define the wordfaith. Said she: "It is trying to believe something you know isn't so." If God hasn't sent these brethren strongdelusion that they might believe a lie that they all mightbe damned (2 Thes. 2:11-12), why don't they produce atleast a single verse that says the church should helpnon-saints?

Since the great commission our primary objective, asdisciples of Christ, has been to preach the gospel. Suchquestions as, "How can I be more effective in teachingthe gospel?" should be of special interest to all of us. The purpose of this article is to call attention to somethings that will prove helpful in teaching the lost.

Be Converted Yourself

An individual who is not truly converted himself isgoing to have difficulty in being motivated to teachothers. As he attempts to do so he will not be veryeffective. A teacher of the gospel must live a life thatexemplifies Christianity morally and spiritually.

Paul condemned the Gentiles for their sins in Romans

1. In chapter 2 he condemned the Jews, who claimed tobe teachers of the law, for practicing things they con-demned in the Gentiles. Paul said the name of God was blasphemed because of them. The "Christian" who teaches one thing and practices another causes thename of God to be blasphemed.

The teacher of the gospel must be spiritually minded.True spirituality is not characteristic of the "Oozing Christian." An "Oozing Christian" is one who wears hisreligion on his sleeve. True spirituality is not a sort ofsyrupy attitude which goes around saying "Praise theLord" all the time.

The faith of the spiritually minded man is more thanan "Environmental Faith." It is deeper than what canbe produced by one's surroundings. Second generationChristians are specially vulnerable to this kind of faith.Their environment has produced within them a sem-blance of Christianity. But it consists in outward for-mality only and is not genuine.

The spiritually minded man has a genuine desire toplease God from the heart. He is totally committed toChrist. He is willing to sacrifice, to spend and be spent in God's service. He is not like the young doctor whovolunteered to go overseas to serve God, but prayed notto go to Africa. His spirituality is meaningful to him. Ifyour spirituality is not meaningful to you how do you

ever expect to make it meaningful to someone else? Perhaps you need to sit down and write out the reasonswhy you are a Christian. Are you a Christian because you appreciate the compassion that God has had on you? Ifso, develop this same appreciation in others and see themobey the gospel.

The man who is truly converted will have a genuineinterest in those who are lost. He will not be motivated bya desire for the congregation to grow so that he can say "Look what I have done." Whatever we may do is onlywith God's help and he is the one who should receive theglory. We must be motivated by a love for the lost. If ourmotives are not right the man who is lost will sense it andclose us and the gospel out. Young people convert thosethey want to marry because they love them and take a personal interest in their spiritual lives.

Seven Principles for Action (John 4)

1) Contact others socially (4:l-7a). I am afraid that many of us limit our circle of friends to those who arealready Christians or limit our association to our imme-diate family and do not have any friends. If we do notknow any non-Christians how can we introduce them to Christ? It is good to be careful not to be influenced by others to do evil, but Jesus associated with tax-gatherers and sinners and explained his actions by say-ing,"It is not those who are well who need a physician, butthose who are sick."

2)Establish a common interest (4:7-8). Most likely thiscommon interest will be something physical, flower gar-dening, children, etc. Jesus' common interest with the Samaritan woman was water. More often than not we would like to skip over this preliminary step and get onwith the proclamation of the gospel, but our success will begreater if we establish a mutual interest first and then make a transition from the common interest to spiritual matters.

3) Stimulate interest (4:9-15). Merely saying some-thing, anything, may stimulate interest. The fact that Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman was unusual. The joyof our lives should spark interest in others. A discus- sion ofworld events might lead you to ask, "What do you think iswrong with the world?" After listening to what our friendthinks we might ask, "How do you think religion entersinto this situation?"

4) Don't go too far too fast (4:13-19). Jesus did not immediately introduce himself to the Samaritan woman asthe Christ. I once watched my Dad walk up behind a birdsitting on a clothes line post and take hold of its tail feathers.The lesson I learned was that the accomplish- ment of some goals takes patience. Be careful about being too eager.

5) Don't be harsh in your condemnation (4:16-18). Do not encourage sin, but be careful with your condemna-tions. In conversations with non-Christians they may talkof "the signs of the times" and explain that the end is nearfor the earthly reign of Christ. But this is probably not agood time for an hour sermon entitled "The Evils of Premillennialism."

6) Stick with the main issue (4:20-26). The Samaritan

woman, upon learning that Jesus was a prophet, imme-diately brought up a controversial issue—where ought men to worship, Jerusalem or Mt. Gerizim? Jesus an-swered her question and brought her back to the main issue, namely the Messiahship. I have had many people tryto divert attention away from their need to obey the gospelby bringing up questions on mechanical instruments in worship, the role of women in the church, etc. Having theright answers on these questions will not help me if I refuse to accept Christ and be baptized.

7) Direct confrontation (4:26). We must finally bring the non-Christian to the point that he realizes he must make a decision. Jesus confronted the Samaritan woman with the fact that he was the Messiah. She must either accept him or reject him. We should be equally clearin our teaching. Those that we teach must realize that a decision must be made either to accept Christ or reject him.

Targeting Our Efforts

In order to be most effective in teaching the gospel weneed to know where to spend the majority of our time and efforts. We are to teach the gospel to all the world. Greatwisdom should be used in the accomplishment of this task. Statistics indicate that 70-90% of all conversions come from friends and relatives of Christians. The use of the media accounts for only .001%. The preacher for only 3-5%. All other means fall into the 1-4% bracket.

This does not mean that we should abandon our work with newspapers, radio and television. What it does meanis that members must be impressed with having theirfriends and relatives read our newspaper articles, listen toour radio programs and watch our television programs.

Note the many references to household conversions in the

N.T. Let us place our emphasis upon teaching our friendsand relatives the gospel. Let preachers, elders and Bibleclass teachers impress the congregation with the fact thatthe individual Christian working among his family andfriends is the key to the growth of God's kingdom.

Conclusion

"How can you be more effective in teaching the lost?" Beconverted yourself. Put into use the seven principles Jesusused. Center your efforts on your friends and relatives.

Send all News Items to: Connie W. Adams, P.O. Box 69, Brooks, KY 40109

IN NEW BUILDING DAVID BEATTY, P.O. Box 293, Swansboro, NC 28584—This is to inform readers of STS that the church in Swansboro, NC is now meeting in a new building built primarily by members of the congrega-tion. We are located at the intersection of Sebaston St. and W. Shore Dr. with highway 24. We invite all traveling in eastern North Carolinato stop and worship with us.

ROYAL HEIGHTS LECTURESHIP CHARLES G. CALDWELL, JR., Franklin, Tennessee—The Royal Heights church located Highway 96 exit of I-65 at Franklin,Tennessee will conduct a lectureship July 22-26 on the theme: "Christ In You, The Hope of Glory." Three speakers will be featured: WardHogland, Colly Caldwell and Ed Harrell. Other gospel preachers will teach day classes. Rooms (not meals) will be furnished for out-of-town visitors in private homes. If you prefer a motel room, we will beglad to make reservations for you. There are two nationally knownmotels within walking distance of the building. We suggest youmake reservations early. Franklin is just 20 miles south of Nashvillewhere the summer months invite many tourists to the area. Why not spend some of your vacation with us. It will be a rewarding experience.

BEN PUTERBAUGH, 2269 34th Ave., Longview, WA 98632—After four good years in Casey, Illinois we have moved to Longview,Washington. Gale Towles will begin work in Casey June 1st of this year.The congregation is sound and zealous and should continue to grow.

Now we are set for the task of preaching the gospel in Longview.This is virgin territory. We are working with a small group of Chris-tians, and as far as I know, this is the first sound work in the Longview-Kelso area where there is a population of about 75,000. Wemeet presently in the Lone Oak Grange Hall which is adequate for now for auditorium and classroom space. We number 25 and can presentlyprovide $700 a month in support. We are therefore short on supportand lack some on our moving expenses. If you can help we would begrateful and will provide a detailed accounting of needs and funds. Wealso need contacts you may have in the area. Lloyd Barker, L. A.Stauffer, Harold Trimble, Bill Fain and Keith Burnett all know mewell enough to give you an evaluation of my character and work. Our phone number is (206) 523-5360.

BOND ISSUE FOR BUILDING IN KILLEN, ALABAMA JAMES B. THIGPEN, Brookhill Church of Christ, P.O. Box 208, Killen, AL 35645—In June 1983, six families established a new con-gregation in the Killen area 10 miles east of Florence. We currentlymeet in an apartment building with an average attendance of 30, withpulpit preaching by our members and other faithful preachers in ourcounty and in Florence. We have acquired an excellent location andhave the property ready for building. Due to high interest rates, wehave chosen to use a Bond Issue to finance the cost of the building and furnishings. Our building will seat 180 with 8 classrooms, nursery andstudy. The bond issue is for $126,000. Our own members purchased $40,000 of that amount and other bonds have been sold to date.

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Contact us for information about remaining bonds. Also, for infor-mation about us you may contact: Harold Comer of Florence (phones: 205-766-0403 or 766-9252); Johnny Richardson of Florence (phone 205-764-7611); or Olin Kern of Sheffield (phones: 205-381-2870 or 391-1497).

ALL DAY MEETING JOHN W. PITMAN, 2730 Inca Lane, Winston-Salem, NC 27103— There will be an all day meeting on Saturday, July 21,1984. There will befour speakers during the day. The time will be from 10-12 A.M. and 2-4

P.M. Brethren from out of town are welcome. We meet at the corner of S. Main and W. Wright Sts. Phone: (919) 768-9069 or 998-4002. ThenJuly 22-25, Charlie Graham of Dayton, Ohio will be in a meeting here. TheWinston-Salem area offers many opportunities for those wanting torelocate or retire. The small church would be glad to have the added help.My total support now is $725 a month which is far from adequate thesedays.

PREACHER WANTS TO RELOCATE STANTON SEE, 101 E. Pinecrest, McMinnville, TN 37110—After three and a half years with the West End church in McMinnville, I havedecided to make a change. I would be interested in talking with churcheswho are looking for a preacher to work with them. References can be given.Contact me at the above address or phone (615) 473-8159.

PREACHERS NEEDED UHRICHSVILLE, OHIO—The small church here is seeking a faith-ful preacher to work in this area. We can provide partial support. For moreinformation call (614) 254-4066 or (216) 364-3090, or write to: Church ofChrist, 638 Parrish St., Uhrichsville, OH 44683.

VERNON, ALABAMA—The Lamar church in Vernon need a full time gospel preacher to begin work immediately. The church is small with lotsof potential and can furnish partial support. Please call or write Thomas

H. Bobo, Rt. 2, Vernon, AL (205) 695-9646; or O. Y. Smith, Vernon, AL

(205) 695-9547.

CROSSVILLE, TENNESSEE—The church at 127 South, Crossville, TN is looking for a preacher. Contact Riley Norris (615) 484-2089, orwriteRoute 8 Box 559, Crossville, TN 38555.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI—The church which meets at 5825 Sterline Ave., Raytown, MO 64133, is in need of a preacher to work fulltime with a congregation of about 30. We can supply partial support. If interested please send a resume with personal references to the church at the above address.

SHOALS, INDIANA—A full time man is needed to work with the Main St. church in Shoals, Indiana. A younger man (20-40) is prefer-red,but any inquiry will be seriously considered. We regret that we cannotoffer much support at this time, but we can offer a challenging work with a group of Christians that have a good attitude. Can you helpus? Write to us at P.O. Box 576, Shoals, IN 47581.

LARRY HOUCHEN, 3433 Studebaker Road, Long Beach, CA90808—After 8 years and 8 months with the fine church in Tustin,California, I began laboring with the Studebaker Road church in Long Beachon February 1. Mike Wilson will begin work at Tustin in June. The Studebaker Road congregation has stood for the truth for a number ofyears. Jady Copeland, Brent Lewis, J. T. Smith and Mike Hardin have labored with the congregation in past years. The congre-gation is served bythree elders: Dick Fulbright, Rex Fuller, and Del Scott. We anticipate afine work together. When in the area, please visit us.

EDITORIAL LEFTOVERS

In April it was my pleasure to work again with the Hebron Lanechurch south of Louisville, Kentucky in Bullitt County. We had a part instarting that work in 1973 and live only three miles from the building.Donald Townsley began work there in January, 1984. The church isoverseen by four good elders and they are blessed by one of the mostimpressive looking crop of young people you will find any-where. Theyfill about 1/2 of one side of the auditorium (down at front), come with Biblesand note pads and act like they came to learn. None of them are on theback seats. One young man was baptized.

Also in April, I worked with Harry Pickup, Jr., in a lectureship atRiverdale, Maryland (Washington D.C. area) where our older son,Wilson, preaches. The meeting was well attended, the enthusiasm highand the singing very good with the direction of leaders from Annandale,Virginia, Glen Bumie, Maryland and Riverdale. Harry was at his best, and I tried the best I could. The church at Riverdale is overseen by four veryable elders. It was an added treat to be with our grandchildren and our younger son and his wife who also worship at Riverdale.

The following week, I was at Beaver Dam, Kentucky where MarkMoseley is doing such good work. The church is alive and growing. We hadvery good attendance and interest. Mark was well prepared for his firstdebate right after the meeting with a Baptist.

The last week of April Bobbie and I had the delight of hearing our son,Wilson, in a meeting at Expressway in Louisville. If there is any joy greater than seeing your children serving the Lord faithfully, then I havenot discovered it in this world. I thank the Lord for elders who realize that young men can preach and who are willing to give them suchopportunities. We certainly did not mind "keeping the preacher" and couldbarely stand to have our grandchildren with us for this week also! What a fringe benefit they are!

IN THE NEWS THIS MONTH

BAPTISMS 351 RESTORATIONS 121 (Taken from bulletins and papers received by the editor)