Newsletter Vol.2, #8—February 19, 2006
Matthew 8: 1When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." 3And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Set for the Defense of the Gospel
by Harry Osborne
Continued from Last Weekà It is past time that we realize there is no violation of congregational autonomy, Bible love or any other principle of Christ in preaching the truth! Conversely, we must see that the Bible recognizes no legitimate autonomy for a church to act wherein it has no authority. No aspect of Bible love compels one to turn a blind eye to sin practiced by a believer. No principle of Christ authorizes the on-going and continuous tolerance of sinful practice or false doctrine. God's people are protected against the devil's assaults and forces only to the degree that each individual Christian hears and heeds the whole counsel of God.
Philippians 1: A Study of the Context
The same gospel message that brought people to salvation and protected them was the focus of Paul's interest. Even the persecution brought upon him was deemed a blessing because it ended in "the progress of the gospel" (Phil.1:12). That focus on the gospel is seen in the words used by Paul in speaking of his work and the brethren's part in it. All of them had "fellowship in the furtherance of the gospel" (Phil.1:5; 2:22). Since Paul was faithfully declaring the truth of the gospel, the saints had fellowship with him by supporting him financially in continuing his work (Phil.1:3-7; 4:14-17). To take a stand for the truth, Timothy needed to stand with Paul who faithfully declared the gospel (2 Tim.1:8). If one faithfully declares the gospel today, the same fellowship is possible as we unite in upholding and declaring the truth.
If one fails to faithfully uphold, declare and defend the truth of the gospel, how can a congregation of God's people or individual saints justifiably receive and support such an one? Yet, some well-known brethren today are attempting to justify congregations and individuals that financially support preachers of error. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that such action is contrary to the will of God (2 John 9-11). Those participating in such praise and support of the wicked ought to repent of this evil and to summon the courage necessary to contend with the wicked as commanded in God's word. When Paul defended the gospel in the presence of the saints at Philippi and they supported his work, they were all partakers with Paul of grace (Phil.1:7). What "grace" is found in supporting and working with preachers of error? Are precious souls brought closer to our Lord by setting aside the sword of the Spirit and refusing to defend the blood-bought gospel in order to accept "doctrinal diversity" and adapt to the plea for "tolerance" of wickedness?
After Paul proclaimed that he was "set for the defense of the gospel," he made it plain that defending the gospel was a responsibility shared by every saint. He called upon the bishops, deacons and all saints addressed to "stand fast in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the gospel; and in nothing affrighted by the adversaries" (Phil.1:27-28). Peter confirmed that all Christians have the same responsibility to "give answer to every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, yet with meekness and fear" (1 Pet.3:15). Thus, when we meekly submit to God's will and have a reverence for Him causing us to submit, we will answer for our hope to every man - including popular preachers of error, college professors, elders leading people to apostasy and old soldiers of the cross who have switched allegiance. The word "answer" from 1 Peter 3:15 and the word "defense" from Philippians 1:17 are both translated from the same Greek word, apologia, which refers to "a speech of defense" or a "reply" upholding something in the face of conflict. The gospel was the object of both Peter and Paul's repeated defense though opposition to that truth arose through persecution, error and other adversaries. It was not merely the responsibility of apostles to meet this charge, but it is one given to faithful Christians today as the situation arises necessitating such.
Conclusion
Despite such plain teaching, some today argue that faithful brethren cannot emulate the examples of the apostles defending the truth against the assaults of error because we are not apostles. This argument is not only false, but it strikes at the very heart of how we establish authority. Those making the argument will be forced to a "new hermeneutic" since they have denied the fundamentals regarding the scriptural concept of establishing authority. If we cannot imitate the example of apostles in all approved action which is not unique to their place as apostles (i.e. inspired revelation of truth and the miraculous confirmation thereof), how can we claim that we believe in the binding nature of "approved apostolic examples"? If these brethren are correct in their argument, we must believe the opposite! That is, if an apostle is involved in it, we cannot do it! In their quest for a positive gospel which tolerates doctrinal diversity and negates the need for the controversy inherent in defending the gospel, the new thinkers among us are, indeed, headed where no faithful brethren remain. They have a new mind-set, headed to a new hermeneutic, ending in the same old destination of apostasy found by others who turned away from a dependence on Bible authority for all things believed and practiced.
Two Young Men Baptized
Mike Willis
I recently conducted a meeting in which two young men were baptized on Thursday night prior to the services beginning. It was the highlight of a good meeting. On Friday night when the meeting came to a close, as the father of the two young men came out I said, "This will be a meeting that you will never forget." He agreed and then began to thank me for my part in their baptism. I have long thought that most of those who are baptized in a meeting are baptized because of the work done beforehand by those who influence one's life. Therefore, I minimized the part that I had played and expressed my appreciation for the influence of the mother and dad in the conversion of their sons. He protested saying, "You don't understand what part you played." He then proceeded to relate the following story, which I have supplemented to make it more understandable.
He stated that he came to worship services on the Sunday morning the meeting started with the van loaded with camping gear to take his sons to a Boy Scout camp that afternoon. The father and sons were expecting to be away through Tuesday night. It just so happened that I preached a sermon on Sunday morning entitled "What It Takes To Survive." The gist of the lesson was to make some points about what it takes for a person to survive spiritually. The first point in the lesson is "Commitment." In this point, I develop the idea that one must love the Lord above everything else in the world. Jesus said that this is the greatest commandment: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment" (Matt.22:37-38). To emphasize this point even further, I quoted and commented on Luke 9:57-62 which reads as follows:
And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
In emphasizing this text, I point out that Jesus would not accept as a disciple one who put burying his father above his service to Christ, or one who placed telling his friends goodbye above his service to Christ. I emphasized that serving Christ demands a commitment that places loyalty to him above every other thing in the world. Then I made application of this: Commitment to Christ is going to take precedence over watching a TV show, attending school functions, participating in family events, etc. I was totally unaware of this brother's circumstances when I preached the sermon.
Without me or anyone else knowing it, this brother went into the preacher's office between Bible study and worship and called the Boy Scout leader to tell him that he and his sons would not be going on the outing that was scheduled to begin that Sunday afternoon. He related to me that he felt sorry for what his sons were missing all week.
On Sunday afternoon, the congregation conducted a men's training class to develop its younger boys. The two sons participated by leading a song and offering a short invitation — reading the Scriptures related to the plan of salvation. As I watched them speak and knew that these two boys had not yet obeyed the gospel, I thought, "You ought to obey what you just read." On Thursday night they did!
What do you think would have been the result if the father had chosen to take them to Boy Scout camp instead of making the choice to put the gospel meeting and service to Christ above the Boy Scout outing? Do you think we would have baptized them that week? What lesson do you think that this father taught his children about priorities that week?
And, by the way, the young boys related to their father later that week that they were glad that he made the decision to cancel their Boy Scout trip. The attitude these young men displayed tells me something about them. They did not resent their father, pout about his choice all week, or otherwise act rebelliously or disappointed. When I was visiting in their home they were involved in the conversations that were conducted. We expect to hear great things out of these two young men in the future.