This Issue...
“The Larger Community of Believers”
Gary McDade
The belief that the church of which one is a member is a part
of “the larger community of believers” would be expected
among people who think of the church as sectarian or
denominational. But, when it appears in a college catalogue from a
graduate school preparing men for pulpits in churches of Christ, it
should signal the need to take corrective action. Beneath the
heading on “Identity,” the context in which this phrase
appears, states, “...We encourage the open and honest pursuit
of truth through past and present resources in the context of
historic Christian faith.
“Within the context of these commitments that are
shared with the larger community of believers, the Graduate School
is particularly committed to providing integrated training for
ministry among churches of Christ. These churches embrace the
concept of restoration as a theological principle.”[1]
“Harding University Graduate School of Religion is a
branch school of Harding University in Searcy, Ark.”[2] Dr.
Evertt W. Huffard is Dean/Executive Director.[3] The campus is
located at 1000 Cherry Road, Memphis, TN 38117.
The President of Harding University is Dr. David B. Burks.
The position taken in the 2001-2002 General Catalogue of the
graduate school over which he serves as President stands contrasted
against what he wrote in January of 2000. He wrote,
“Christ’s church is distinctive. The new century
may bring more questions than answers concerning
the identity of the church. But we are the bride
of Christ, and as such we have an obligation to
know who we are and whose we are: We are the one
church Paul speaks of in Ephesians 4:4. This
strong sense of identity spurs us to truthfully
proclaim all aspects of Christ’s church, including
a cappella music in worship, the autonomy of the
local congregation, the weekly observance of the
Lord’s supper, and the role of men and women in
and out of the worship assembly.”[4]
Lamentably, the “branch school” in Memphis does not share
the view of its president.
Dean Huffard has played a leadership role in the formation
and furtherance of the five Community Church Movement-type churches
in the Memphis area.[5] Chameleon-like, the organization and
administration of these churches variously is referenced as MCPM
(Memphis Church Planting Ministry, cf. Mission Memphis,
Spring 1998, vol. 2, pp.1-2), MUM (Memphis Urban Ministry, The
Acts of Highland Street, 20:49 (Dec. 21, 2000), pp.185,188)
and City Missions (Server, 48:13, March 28, 2001, p.2).
The graduate school website says Dean Huffard served as the
“Chairman of Steering Committee (1991-1997)” for MUM
. The Harding magazine
reported Dean Huffard was “the impetus behind the forming”
of the Downtown Church, and stated, “He has spent the last two
years directly involved with the church’s planting....”[6]
The so called contemporary worship consisting of the use of a
praise team, hand clapping, testimonials, and the use of religious
art in worship (a 25-foot mural of Jesus Christ on the cross) are
all presented in the Harding magazine article. The
source from which such contemptible practices originated is now
well known, the Willow Creek Community Church. In his installment
address September 30, 1999, the new Dean said, “Over the past
six years, we have been blessed to see the growth of an urban
ministry apprenticeship in Memphis that has helped start five
churches in the city, mostly in poorer neighborhoods. I would like
to see this apprenticeship expand to involve our older established
churches and the suburban churches....”[7] Frayser Mission
Church reported, “Two ministry apprenticeships are created and
filled by students at Harding Graduate School.”[8] Dean
Huffard’s continuing involvement is confirmed from the White
Station church bulletin where he is an elder. Leon Sanderson wrote
that once each quarter Dean Huffard serves City Missions, which
supports MUM and the Downtown Church, as one of the “Executive
Consultants.”[9] All of these sources linking Dean Huffard to
these five Community Church Movement-type churches are unprejudiced
and share a common interest in their advancement.
Dean Huffard is well aware that Dr. John Mark Hicks, a
faculty member at HUGSR and minister of education at Woodmont Hills
Family of God in Nashville with Rubel Shelly, planted “The
Cordova Community Church, a church of Christ,” April 12, 1998.
He co-authored “A Theological and Strategic Statement for a New
Church Planting” dated October 5, 1997, which was drafted right
from Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Church. On pages
5-6 he wrote that God may act through miracles today and
instrumental music in worship is not a salvation issue.
Further, February 7, 2002, in concert with the Student
Association, Dean Huffard brought Dr. Jeff W. Childers to Memphis
to lecture on The Crux of the Matter. He, too, supports
the view of a “larger community of believers” than is
represented by the churches of Christ. The Crux, page
151 reads, “By getting rid of the notion that we have to be the
best or the only Christians to be legitimate Christians,
we will be free to reexamine ourselves and our teachings seriously
without the nagging fear that we might end up losing our identity.
Without the burden of believing ourselves to be the only true
Christians, we will be able to participate in and contribute
substantially to the larger conversation among all followers of
Christ and learn some things from it without feelings of
betrayal.”[10]
The “community of believers” cannot be larger than
the churches of Christ, and here is why. Believers are “added
to the Lord” (Acts 5:14). Only the ones obeying the Gospel as
Peter preached on Pentecost, “...Repent, and be baptized
everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” were
added to the church (Acts 2:38,47). Those added to the church were
believers. Therefore, while some outside the church may believe
certain aspects of Gospel truth, by biblical demonstration they are
not considered believers until they have been added to the church
by the Lord. There is no “larger community of believers.”
ENDNOTES
1 Harding Universtiy Graduate School of Religion
General Catalogue 2001-2002, p.8.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid., p.1.
4 Dr. David B. Burks,
“From the President,” Harding magazine, 8:1
(winter 2000), p.2.
5 Since he recently has
denied involvement in some places he has visited as guest speaker
and to the author at the W.B. West, Jr. Lectures on the campus of
the graduate school February 7, 2002, a review of some of the
primary sources exposing him is in order (Rom. 16:17-18).
6 Scott Morris, “The
Church in the þHood,” Harding magazine, 3:3 (summer
1995), p.19. Some of those mentioned in this article have written
a book titled Embracing the Poor, and in the
“acknowledgements” they recognize Dean Huffard as their
“mentor” in urban missions.
7 Dr. Evertt W. Huffard,
“Meeting the Challenge of Ministry in the 21st Century,”
The Bridge , 40:6 (November 1999), p.1.
8 Ron Cook, “Frayser
Mission Church Turns Two,” The Acts of Highland Street,
20:20 (May 18, 2001), p.79.
9 Server,
48:13 (March 28, 2001), p.2.
10 Jeff W. Childers,
Douglas A. Foster, and Jack R. Reese, The Crux of the Matter
(Abilene, TX: ACU Press, 2001), p.151. The Quince Road Church
of Christ where Dean Huffard served as an associate minister
(1988-1995) currently is using this book as a class book on Sunday
morning (Family Matters, January 2002, p.3).
Table of Contents
Editorial...
A YOUNG MAN’S LETTER
I am a student at Lipscomb University. I grew up in a
very difficult church (and having escaped it without too many
psychological and emotional scars), I feel that it is my duty to
describe to you the state of the Church in regard to those my age.
We are as men caught in a severe rainstorm, who find that they will
get soaked to the bone no matter what they do. We do not
necessarily agree with the older generations in all things, yet we
are willing to work toward the greater good when we can actually
see it before us. Most people my age are very turned off by rules
and dogma that seem to do nothing more than restrict. The root of
all our problems, the reason for the swelling number of abortions,
rapes, murders, instances of drug use, and all other manner of evil
is the attitudes of the church members. While our generation
appears to you to be lost, it is not the result of actions taken by
those with whom you disagree, but rather the actions of yourselves,
and those whom you have programmed to hate, loath, and despise
anyone who disagrees with you. This is evidenced time and time
again by the hateful way that you “write up” anyone who
does something you don’t like. I urge you brothers to walk the
path instead of talking about it and pushing others off of it. You
are walking down a road of pride and arrogance, believing that you
and your denomination (yes it is a denomination, whatever semantics
you use to describe it) are the only ones going to Heaven. I urge
you to stop lashing out at your brothers and sisters in Christ
before you stand before God in judgement. Had you, in your younger
days, simply ceased to damn all those who disagreed with you, there
are millions of infants who would be alive today. It is in
following my heart that I have ceased to attend a Church at all.
All I ever see in the church is bickering, hatred, and bitterness.
Seeking to insulate myself from these, I simply study my Bible at
home and pray on my own. I deal with all manner of bickering and
politics, all done in the name of religion, 5 days a week. I find
that I can no longer worship God with any sincerity in my heart
when I find myself elbow to elbow with those who are theological
brutes throughout the rest of the week. I write this to you,
because I hope and pray that some sanity will return to your souls.
REPLY...
Let me make a few brief comments regarding different
things you have stated. It appears you are fighting a “straw
man.” From what you have said, you have met some folks with
very poor attitudes and practices. I certainly do not encourage,
endorse, promote or condone any wrong doing as you have suggested.
My job, and what I do, is simply call people to the one Gospel for
which Jesus our blessed Lord died. I found long ago that you cannot
make people do anything and it wouldn’t do any good if you
could. Faithfulness -- obedience -- has to be from the heart.
We must remember that “youth” have always had
their problems and often reject the counsel of the wise, older,
generation. Rehoboam did this in I Kings 12. He rejected the wise
counsel of the old men, accepted the counsel of the young men his
age, and ended up dividing the kingdom.
It is nothing new that people are turned off by rules
and regulations. Eve didn’t like them either. People love to be
“foot loose and fancy free.” No child, or adult for that
matter, likes to be told “no.” However, God made this world
and all that is in it. He made man after his own likeness. God,
therefore, has every right to tell us what is right and what is
wrong -- what he accepts and what he rejects. While most people
reject God’s “rules and regulations,” His commandments
are really “admonitions of love.” God didn’t have to
provide a means of escape from the penalty of our sins. Jesus
didn’t have to come to this sinful world and live among men.
But, in God’s great love and mercy, he gives us his “rules
and regulations” because they are good for us. He knows
what’s best for us and what will make us truly happy. Parents
do not love their children when they let them run wild with no
restraints. Eli was condemned for not restraining his sons (1
Samuel 3:13). God loves us enough to provide us his “rules and
regulations.” He didn’t have to do that. But these
“rules and regulations” (commandments) are his LOVE, not
his hatefulness, harshness, pride or arrogance. God is not trying
to see how difficult he can make it for us. His commandments are
his LOVE (1 John 2:3,4,7,8; 3:22-24).
God has His own way and He will have it His way or
people will be lost. I don’t have a way. Nobody has to do
things “my way.” I don’t look for people to follow me
or us. I look for people to follow the Lord and the only way they
can do that is by following His “rules and dogma” (John
14:15; 15:14). God doesn’t allow people to “have it their
own way.” But, I’m afraid most people feel as though God is
a little dog that patiently waits at the foot of the dinner table
for any crumb that those who feast is willing to toss him. People
somehow feel like God will accept anything they offer and be glad
to get it. But, God didn’t accept Cain’s sacrifice (Gen.
4:5), nor did He accept the offering of Nadab and Abihu (Lev.
10:1-2). Their sacrifices and offerings were not what God had
ordered (commanded, rules, regulations, dogmas, etc.) and
therefore, rejected them. God was not happy with just anything,
even if it was offered in sincerity.
You are intent on thinking that someone, somewhere, is
standing around with a whip attempting to make people do what they
want them to do. I have never run across that. ALL we can do, as
the Lord’s servants, is tell people what is right and what is
wrong and exhort them to do it. The people have the choice to do it
or not. However, if the wayward are Christians, local congregations
have the obligation (responsibility, duty) to rebuke them and if
they do not repent, they are to withdraw fellowship from them (1
Thess. 3:6; 1 Cor. 5). Though unpleasant, this action is an act of
love. It is love for both the soul of the wayward and the other
members of the church. A little leaven, leavens the whole lump (1
Cor. 5:6). Faithful brethren also have the obligation to expose
(Eph. 5:11), warn (1 Thess. 5:14), mark and avoid -- call attention
to (Rom. 16:17) -- those who walk not uprightly (Gal. 2:14).
The root of all the problems in the world is sin, not
church members. Wickedness, evil, falsehood, is sin. Sin separates
from God (Isa. 59:2). Sin brings death and destruction, not church
members. The rules and regulations of God bring people out of sin,
not plunge them into it.
Anyone who would teach to hate, loathe, or despise
anyone, is not of God. Those who hate, loathe or despise the
commandments of God, his rules and dogma, is not of God. We are
told to hate, loathe and despise sin, but certainly not the person
who commits it. We hate the sin, but love the sinner. We love them
enough to tell them God’s will for them. We, therefore, tell
them what God hates and what God loves. We tell them God loves
those who obey His commandments (1 John 5:2-3; John 15:14).
People who loathe, detest and despise the commandments
of God are those who abort, drink, drugs, etc. etc. I haven’t
forced them into it, I’m simply the messenger of God -- which
message they hate. People today, many church members, are telling
elders and preachers, “preach not unto us right things,
preach smooth things, preach deceit” (Isa. 30:10). That
is what you are advocating, not me. If we love God, we would love
His word. If we would be a friend to Jesus, we would love His word
(John 14:15; 15:14), not despise it.
Since when did it become pride to know the truth,
believe the truth, love the truth and obey the truth? Jesus said we
can know the truth (John 8:32). You make it appear that nobody can
really know the truth or know that they know the truth. Did God
leave us His saving word and yet reveal it in such fashion that
nobody can know it? We can know the truth and know that we know the
truth (John 8:32; Eph. 3:4). That is not pride or arrogance. They
only way we know about sin and its remedy is by God’s inspired
word. Can we trust it? If no one can really know it or understand
it, then how are we going to know if someone has done what God
required them to do to be saved?
I wish, desire and pray for you to sincerely obey the
Gospel and return to your first love. Love the Truth and obey the
Truth that you might be saved. Yes, there are hypocrites in the
church. There were in the first century (Acts 5). But, we do not
condone them nor support them. When they are discovered, they are
to be dealt with (2 Thess. 3:6). But in the mean time, you must
make your own calling and election sure. You can’t do that by
sitting at home. It is a sin to forsake the assembling of the
church (Heb. 10:25). I didn’t make that rule, God did. Am I an
evil doer by calling your attention to it? Am I lifted up with
pride and arrogance by telling people about that verse? All the
prophets through the ages had the problem of their hearers hating
them and dismissing their words. This generation is no different.
I pray you will change your heart and turn to the Lord
in humble obedience before it’s too late.
Table of Contents
IN THE NEWS...
The Weatherford, Oklahoma “Church of Christ” collected
a special contribution (Feb. 17) for the Western Oklahoma Pregnancy
Care Center. This is a social service organization that is
supported by denominations and individuals in Weatherford.
Here’s what their current bulletin says about the effort:
“The Pregnancy Care Center (PCC) is a local effort to
save preborn babies from the abortion mill by giving their mothers
the information and encouragement they need to allow their babies
to be born.
“In addition, the PCC hosts classes on prenatal care
and parenting. It helps provide young mothers with maternity
clothes, baby clothes, formula, diapers, cribs, strollers et al.
“Last year, about 150 girls and young women from our
community came to the PCC for help. The PCC is still in its
beginning stages and as its reputation grows, we expect that number
to grow.
“For the last two years, the Agape Clinic has allowed
the PCC to share its facility; but -- PRAISE GOD! -- the PCC has
grown to the point that it needs its own facility; so, it has begun
to raise the money needed to meet that need.
“The new facility will cost about &61,000. So far,
local churches and individuals have given about &16,000 toward that
end; more has been given during the Sanctity of Human Life
initiative of the last few weeks and more is expected.
“Our elders have chosen ‘this! Sunday’ as an
opportunity for ’us’ to have a part in our community’s
effort to build the new facility.” (Weatherford Church of
Christ Newsletter, Issue 02-6, Feb. 17, 2002, p.1).
Now, lest any think that I object to saving unborn
children, I do not. Abortion is the shedding of innocent blood, as
much so as Herod’s ghastly murder of the innocents of
Bethlehem. My point is that neither support nor operation of social
service agencies is the work of the church. I applaud the fact that
this agency saves innocent lives, but Paul taught that the end
never justifies the means (Romans 6).
Particularly incongruous is the statement that says,
“praise God! -- the PCC has grown to the point that it needs
its own facility....” By what stretch of the imagination can
God be credited and praised for growth of a facility that exists in
large part because of fornication? The church ought to be preaching
the truth in an effort to ‘reduce’ the need for such a
thing, rather than praising God for its growth. This clinic treats
the symptoms of moral degradation. Preaching the gospel to change
hearts treats the cause. That’s what the church must do.
Also, for those who follow the continuing saga of western
Oklahoma’s premiere liberal church at Weatherford, one of their
elders recently responded to the invitation “asking us to pray
for him to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit in his life.”
(ibid)
Jerry Brewer
www.gospelpreceptor.com
Table of Contents
THE SIN OF DENOMINATIONALISM
H. Leo Boles
Nothing is taught more clearly and emphatically in the New
Testament than that Christians, disciples of Christ, should be
united. Jesus, before he established his church, prayed that his
disciples should be one. “And the glory which thou hast
given me I have given unto them; that they may be one, even as we
are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfected into
one” (John 17:22-23). The Holy Spirit through Paul
exhorted Christians to “be perfected together in the same
mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10). Again Paul
wrote by the Holy Spirit to the church at Philippi “that
ye be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord,
of one mind” (Phil. 2:2); and again the Holy Spirit
taught through Peter that God’s people should be “all
likeminded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tenderhearted,
humble-minded” (1 Peter 3:8). Scriptural quotations could
be multiplied which emphasize the fact that God’s people should
be united. Not only do the Scriptures clearly teach that the
disciples of Christ should be united, but division among the people
of God is condemned. The church at Corinth was instructed to speak
the same thing, “And that there be no divisions among
you.” The New Testament is as clear in condemning
division as it is in emphasizing that God’s people should be
united.
One of the vital questions of our day is that of bringing
together all of the professed followers of Jesus. The question is
frequently asked: “How shall the followers of Christ, now
ranged under different banners, be rallied and united under one
standard, when party names shall be known no more?” The desire
of many is that the distinctions which are represented by party
names pass away and the reproach of division be removed. Many
earnest and honest hearts are pondering the difficult solution of
uniting the believers in the Lord. They feel keenly that such
divisions as now exist are condemned by the New Testament. At the
same time they see no satisfactory conclusion of the present
divided conditions; they know that no power can force people to
unite; they know that the union must be wholehearted on the part of
everyone. The heads of the denominational bodies know that they
cannot compel the members of the different denominations to disband
and merge into one large body of believers. No one denomination
today will claim to have all the truth, and each denomination will
admit that the other denominations have some truth. It is an
impossible task to unite the present denominations. A uniting
of all the denominations into one large denomination is not the
unity for which Christ prayed and which the New Testament teaches.
The union of believers in Christ cannot be had by the
different denominations “agreeing to disagree;” there is no
such thing as uniting these different religious bodies by getting
them to ignore the differences that separate them into different
bodies; neither will they be brought together into one body by
agreeing to differ with each other, and yet maintain their distinct
organizations. It is impossible to form a confederation of the
denominations and have so many “wheels within a wheel.” Any
theory of unity that assumes and makes provision for the
perpetuation of denominationalism is doomed to failure. Many fatal
objections can be urged against it, and no wise leader among them
is bold enough to urge such a thing. The efforts that have been
made toward union on such grounds have resulted in still more
confusion, and as a result we have “confusion more
confounded.” As a result of such efforts, denominations have
multiplied and subdivisions have been the result of the different
methods and theories urged for the union of religious people. Some
have concluded that it is impossible for believers in Christ to be
united. God requires all of his children to be of the same mind. If
all cannot be of the same mind and be united, then God requires an
impossibility of believers, or believers are condemned for not
being of the same mind, united in Christ.
The Bible nowhere intimates that the perpetuity of
denominations shall continue. They did not exist in the early days
of Christianity; neither were they provided for in the New
Testament; their origin, organization and perpetuation are
condemned in the New Testament. There is not a single intimation
that God endorses them or that the Holy Spirit guides their
different activities. If Paul censured the dissensions and party
feelings in the church at Corinth, how much more reprehensible
must be the ripened fruit of such schisms in religion today? They
are antagonistic to and destructive of the spirit of unity. There
is nothing in the New Testament that can be fairly construed to
give any justification of denominationalism. Such divisions among
the followers of Christ were not only unknown in apostolic times,
but are by explicit apostolic teachings condemned for all time.
And since denominations had their origin since the days of the
apostles, they must certainly pass away before “we all
attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
Son of God” (Eph. 4:13).
Some who have advocated denominationalism have ceased to
do so and are now excusing it by saying that there was a time for
denominations, but now the time has come for them to cease and
all come together in one great body and form one new gigantic
denomination. Such a claim betrays ignorance of Bible teachings.
There is as much authority for two hundred denominations as
there is for one; there is absolutely no authority for the
existence of any of them. If denominations are to remain,
union is impossible. There is no reason that can justify such
organizations from New Testament teaching. Those who may be set
for the defense of denominationalism must understand that they
are opposed to New Testament teaching. No one can be right with
God and in harmony with his truth and at the same time justify
division among the believers in Christ. A denomination has not
the authority of Jesus Christ for its existence; hence, it has no
mission divinely guided, neither has it any work that is ordained
of God. Moreover, he has not promised to bless anyone for loyalty
to or service in any denomination. If they are perpetuated, it
must be by the will of man and in opposition to the will of God.
Table of Contents
WHO IS AMENABLE TO THE LAW OF CHRIST?
Dan Sikes
The answer to the question: “Who is amenable to the
law of Christ?” may be found in one verse of Scripture.
“And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now
commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30).
These words were spoken by the apostle Paul to the inhabitants of
the city of Athens who were idolatrous and pagan in their worship
of false gods. They did not know about the true and living God who
made the heavens and the earth nor did they know how to worship Him
acceptably. Though the Grecians were considered to be
“civilized” and educated for their time, they were
uniformed and unlearned when it came to their soul’s salvation.
Paul said there was a time when God “winked” at (endured)
such ignorance, but now he required repentance from “all
men everywhere.” That means that no one, regardless of who
or where they are, how educated or uneducated they may be, whether
they live in a civilized country or a third world nation, NO
ONE is exempt, excused or released from his obligation to
Christ and his Word. Jesus himself said, “he that
rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words; hath one that judgeth
him: the words that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the
last day” (John 12:48).
Were all men everywhere not amenable to the law of
Christ, it would make little or no sense to take the Great
Commission seriously. Jesus instructed the disciples to,
“Go...and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am
with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen”
(Matt. 28:18-20).
Reason tells us that if those who have never heard the
Gospel are “safe” in their unlearned state, it would be
detrimental to their souls to take the chance of preaching the
Gospel to them and then having them reject it. Under such
circumstances they would undoubtedly be lost, making it better to
leave them alone in their unknowing condition rather than preach
the saving Gospel to them. Those who taught them the truth would
become responsible for their being lost.
Jesus died on the cross and gave the Great Commission
because all men are sinners (Rom. 3:23), and in a lost condition
(Rom. 6:23). The only hope of man is redemption through the blood
of Christ which is contacted in obedience to the Gospel in baptism
(Rom. 6:3-4). Those who have become Christians have an urgent
obligation to reach as many lost souls as possible before they die
in sin.
It should be pointed out in view of this discussion,
that young children who are incapable of hearing (Rom. 10:17),
believing (John 8:24; Acts 8:37), and obeying (Heb. 5:8,9) are not
counted as “men” by God. These are not chargeable for their
actions and therefore not responsible before God until they reach
an age (state) of accountability. Infants are not born with
original sin, nor do they inherit sin from their parents in
conception (Ezek. 18:20). In addition, those who are mentally
impaired from birth to the extent they, for all intents and
purposes, are “babes” would not be judged as men. Those who
lose their mental faculties at some time after adulthood would
obviously be amenable for their actions before they became
incognizant.
If you are capable of understanding this article
you are amenable to the law of Christ! If you are not a
Christian you need to become one (Rom. 10:17; John 8:24; Luke 13:3;
Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 2:38). If you are one, you must teach others
using whatever talents and abilities God has given you (1 Tim.
2:2). May He say to you and me, “well done, thou good and
faithful servant...enter ye into the joy of the Lord”
(Matt. 25:21).
PO Box 11
Symsonia, KY 42082
Table of Contents
There is No “I” in Church!
Earl Gieseke
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet
not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in
the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and
gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). And Jesus said:
“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there
am I in the midst of them” (Mat. 18:20).
One stone does not make a building. One lively (living)
stone does not make the church. But, Jesus said that it takes two
or three, or more, to make an assembly of the church. One person
does not qualify as a church of Christ. We live in a society which
promotes “individualism” as being the ultimate, when in
reality, that is one of the many problems in society, the church of
our Lord, and religion in general.
What is “individualism” except selfishness, for the
most part? That is part of the message of Paul when he penned:
“Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace” (Eph. 4:3). Saints is the emphasis in many of the
writings of Paul. He rebuked the church of God at Corinth due to
the promotion of individuals, to the detriment of the unity
required in the body of Christ. He emphasized that neither the arm
nor the leg can make up the body, so the individual does not make
up the church. It is only when there is the correct number of
hands, feet, eyes, etc., all doing their individual
responsibilities, that you have the Lord’s church in the true
sense.
In Ephesians 4:12, Paul shows that the church has a work
of “the ministry.” It follows, then, that the work of
“the ministry” of the church is accomplished only when the
total ministries of the individuals are carried out according to
the Pattern given only in the doctrine of our Lord. All saints are
ministers (no big M ministers( according to our several abilities.
We each have a number of things we COULD be doing for the ministry
of the church.
From whence have most false teachers come? From the
idealizing and the promotion of the individual. We are also
promoting this to some degree in some of our own announcements of
lectureships, meetings, mastheads, and other things. I read of a
group of speakers some time ago where some were listed as
“doctors,” while others were given no titles. Of course, no
one should be given any special titles in our announcements. One
place listed their several elders, with one of them being listed as
“doctor.” I expect he is (was) a medical doctor; but, what
is the purpose of promoting him above the other elders by listing
him in the masthead of the stationary and the bulletin as,
“doctor.” The local members would know it, and probably no
one else would care.
Where have men like Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, and others
arisen in modern religion? By promotion of men to the level of
deity! Although contrary to what is taught in the Bible, men have
given men the title which belongs only to God: “He sent
redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for
ever: holy and reverend is his name” (Psa. 111:9). What
is the difference in calling a man “doctor,” in a religious
sense, and in calling a man (or woman) “reverend?” Billy
Graham is an icon among the Protestants, and, in my opinion, has
probably taught more error to more people than any other false
teacher in history. However, some of our own brethren in the
Nashville area embraced him and all of his false doctrines, because
you cannot accept just one or two errors taught, while not
accepting the others.
The Woodmont “elders” personally invited the
“Protestant pope” to come to Nashville to preach in a
campaign. Many members of the churches of Christ actually
participated in the Billy Graham campaign! Can you believe it? Yet,
how many congregations in the Nashville area who purport to be
sound have marked those at Woodmont and other congregations and
their false doctrines and practices?
Some time ago, the Gospel Advocate invited area
congregations in and around Nashville to dismiss their Sunday
evening services in order to come to come to their worship service
where they served the Lord’s supper in a public building. Where
does a retail religious book store get its authority to hold a
worship service mimicking the church of Christ? Of course, some
“ministers” and “elders” went along with this
effort. The president of the Gospel Advocate surely must
have a big ego to take this upon himself. It makes one wonder if
there is anything that some would refuse to support in the
Nashville area. When I came into the church the Nashville area was
generally considered to be a stronghold of the truth. There ought
to be a lesson there for us.
Further, for several years, brother Shelly, one of the
ministers at Woodmont, was held by all who knew him to be a sound
and effective Gospel preacher. He preached the Gospel, debated
false teachers and wrote good articles for a number of papers. This
just goes to show that it does not take a long time for churches or
an individual to embrace error. Woodmont, Madison and other
congregations promoted the so-called, Jubilee, in Nashvillefor
several years. It has been reported that the Jubilee is dead, but
not before bringing many false teaches to that area, and duping
many spiritually weak disciples into that quagmire of sin. People
with “I” trouble have always been the root of religious
problems.
Many congregations have been rent asunder by men who put
their egos above the welfare of the body of Christ. “Loose
cannons” in business meetings have done irreparable damage in
many places. The reason they are able to do this is that no one is
willing to stand against them, allowing sound preachers to be run
off who refuse to “knuckle under” to these men who are like
John’s enemy, Diotrephes, still love to have preeminence among
brethren.
Where did popery come from? The promoting of one bishop
(elder, pastor) over the others, until one was finally given the
title of Lord God the pope. The Catholic Church, like digressive
churches of Christ today, came about gradually as they quit
following the Pattern given in the New Testament. Men would never
elevate themselves, or allow others to elevate them, if they
realized that there is no “I” in church.
Table of Contents
17th Annual Lectureship
Seek The Old Paths
July 28 - Aug. 1, 2002
God's Divine Authority
(Leadership in the church, home, government)
“I read your Dec. 2001 issue of Seek the Old Paths.
It was great. I had already bought a copy of bro. Chesser’s
book on Liberalism. Thank you very much. We need the truth of
God’s word more than ever in today’s life. Liberalism is
creeping in the Lord’s church like a plague and more and more
are falling away. Your paper should be sent to every Christian home
in the brotherhood. In Christian love” ...Mary Winstead,
Crestview, FL. “Thanks to each of you for defending the
true word of God. May God bless each and everyone of you, for
proclaiming the true word of God. Thank you for you good work you
are doing. May the Lord’s blessings be in abundance over all
your endeavors. I am a church of Christ member in Ghana and I
enjoyed reading Seek the Old Paths articles. I was
introduced by one of my church elders called Francis Bukroh. In
fact, it has motivated me especially in the growth in faith. The
whole church enjoying from your materials. Keep on preach and
teaching the true work of God which a lot of people have missed the
track of the truth. It is my prayer that these works will bear much
good fruits for Christ. Please, kindly add my name to your mailing
list. Seek the Old Paths has done a lot for me
especially it has helped out some misrepresentation of some verses
in the bible for me. Keep the good work you are doing. I end here
with my regards and asking God’s blessing over your good work
you have been doing” ...Francis Aboagye Nkrumah, Ghana,
West Africa. “I have received S.T.O.P. since
1996 and enjoy the articles that help keep us informed of the
ravenous wolves who are entering into our flock. Please continue to
send me your newsletter. Thank you” ...Mark Herren,
Cookeville, TN. “Please place me on your mailing list to
receive Seek the Old Paths. Thanks so much!”
...Bill Fergerson, Cincinnati, OH. “Thanks so much for all
you do. The paper is excellent and the lectureship tapes,
outstanding. I’ve made several copies for others. It distresses
me to read in the paper when people want their names removed from
the mailing list. Killing the messenger has never changed the
message. Please never remove my name!” ...Lucille Krantz,
Ashland City, TN. “It is my pleasure once again, to
contribute to the spread of S.T.O.P. With each passing
month, I feel you are making progress in the current battle with
those who are maliciously attacking from within, our Lord’s
church. I urge you to keep your courage, faith, and determination,
against the continuous onslaught of apostate brothers. We, my wife
and I, stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you ‘in the gap.’ We
say to you, once again..straight ahead. We WILL persevere!”
...Martin Bedford, Tucson, AZ. “Just a line to let you
know how much I enjoyed the article on liberalism by brother Frank
Chesser. It is good to know that there are those in the brotherhood
that can still tell it like it is. Thanks to brother Frank and keep
up the good work because we really need to know what the Bible has
to say on this subject. I happened to be in Huntsville, AL, when I
read brother Frank’s article in Seek the Old Paths
and was lucky enough to buy a copy of brother Frank’s book on
The Spirit of Liberalism. I also had the honor to meet brother
James Andrews who published brother Frank’s book at Publishing
Designs, Inc., P.O. Box 3241, Huntsville, AL 35810. I have enjoyed
your articles in Seek the Old Paths for about a year and
would like for you to add two of my friends to your mailing list.
Keep up the good work” ...E.F. Glenn, Jr., Hixson, TN.
“The Post Office has changed my address. I would appreciate
your making this change since I do not want to miss a single issue
of Seek the Old Paths” ...Mary Beth Nixon,
Ledbetter, TX. “I have really appreciated receiving
S.T.O.P. over the years. My son asked if you could have a
copy sent to his address. Keep up the good work” ...Alex
Dickson, Boulder City, NV. “Please start sending me a
subscription to Seek the Old Paths. This is a great
publication that I feel will help increase my Bible understanding.
Thank you!” ...Rhonda Powell, Adrian, MI. “I read
your monthly publication Seek the Old Paths at my
sister-in-law’s and enjoyed it. I would like to receive it for
myself” ...Faye Ross, Joelton, TN. “I enjoy your
publication greatly and would like to be added to your mailing
list. Thanks in advance” ...Joel Harris, Pecos, TX.
“Please be advised that we are no longer interested in
receiving your bulletin, Seek the Old Paths. Please
remove us from your mailing list. Thanks for attending to this
immediately” ...Danny & Judy Dendy, Pearl, MS. “I
enjoy reading the Seek the Old Paths. Thank you for your
good work. Please add the following people to your mailing list.
Thanks so much. May God continue to bless your work in His
kingdom” ...Beverly Williams, Killeen, TX. “Please
add us to your mailing list to receive Seek the Old Paths.
Thank you” ...Dave Hills, Kinston, NC.
“Please remove my name from your mailing list” ...John
W. Pitman, Winston Salem, NC. “I enjoy reading your
publication” ...Sandra Sturdivant, Natchez, MS. “I
have been a reader of S.T.O.P. for some time and
consider it one of the strongest publications of the brotherhood.
Your (and the East Corinth elders) stand for the truth is to be
commended for it’s commitment to II Timothy 4:1-4. May you
continue to “stand in the ways and ask for the old paths”
for many years to come” ...Alan Caudle, Maumelle, AR.
“I enjoy and appreciate the good work you are doing!”
...Eugene Britnell, Athens, AL. “Please take me off your
mailing list. Please -- Please” ...Henry McRuiz, Tyler, TX.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Seek the Old
Paths. Could you add the following to your mailing list?”
...Weldon Blake, Huntsville, TX. “Preaching and
teaching of God’s holy Word which He gave to His only begotten
Son anywhere and anytime are what we need today in and out of every
assembly of Christians. Your publication helped me very much to do
these works in the past many years until now, and I would like to
renew my free subscription to it this year 2002, for it contains
the Word of our heavenly Father which was given to His Son,
preached by the apostles, and now read it in the New Testament. I
would like to receive again one copy per month of S.T.O.P.
magazine for my personal use and distribution. Thank you very
much and may our Almighty God bless and keep you”
...Serafin M. Calixto, Philippines. “I have just been
reading the Jan. 2002 S.T.O.P. and continue to be
blessed by your love for the Lord and his church. Please continue
in all your good efforts” ...Dorcas McLeod, Lucedale, MS.
“A friend just gave us a copy of Seek the Old Paths.
Would you please put us on your mailing list. We would
appreciate it very much. Keep up the good work” ...Robert
and Susanna Austin, Carlsbad, NM.
The
2001 Bound Volume can be ordered from:
Old Paths Publishing
304 Ripley St.
Corinth, MS 38834
$5 postage paid
Home |
Table of Contents |
Bible Page |
Seek The Old Paths |
East End Church of Christ |
Lectureship Books
|
