____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ November 30, 1997 ____________________________________________________ Denominationalizing the Church (Part 11) by Roy E. Cogdill The Catholic Church grew out of an organizing of the churches. In the debate between Harper and Tant in Lufkin, Texas, on the Herald of Truth, J. Early Arceneaux, veteran preacher and Bible scholar, wrote a note to Yater Tant, when Harper contended that the Herald of Truth was not another organization, reminding him that the apostasy that grew into the Roman Catholic Church was brought about not by forming another organization outside of the church but rather by an organizing of the churches. The apostasy in the nineteenth century that resulted in the development of the Christian Church denomination began with an organizing of the churches but grew into a giant organization outside of the church -- The United Christian Missionary Society. The same thing is wrong with our benevolent societies today -- such as Boles Home, Ontario Children's Home, Tenn. Orphan Home, etc. -- that is wrong with the missionary society. Many brethren do not know, however, what is wrong with the missionary society. Some of them do not know or believe that it is wrong. J. D. Thomas, for example, of Abilene Christian College Bible Department and School of Religion, states in his book, ``We Be Brethren,'' that there is nothing wrong with the principle of the missionary society, but it is wrong because it usurps authority over the churches that support it. Of course, the missionary society president denies that the society controls the churches at all. The orphan homes, the Herald of Truth, and the colleges like Abilene and Pepperdine deny that they control the churches, but they control all of them that they can and would destroy the rest if they could. But it is not the control of the churches that make them wrong as church institutions. They are wrong because there is no Bible authority for their existence as church institutions. Men like Gayle Oler have tried every device they could manufacture to satisfy the minds of the brethren and keep supporting the benevolent society of which he is the head. He used to argue that such institutions are ``kingdom business,'' the work of the church, and should be supported by the church. Guy N. Woods has affirmed six or seven times that ``The scriptures authorize the churches of Christ to build and maintain such benevolent organizations as Boles Home.'' He has had the support of Gayle Oler and others in such work. But out of the other side of their mouths, these same men contend that such institutions as Boles Home are not church institutions, but ``Homes'' and are no part of the church. They are insincere one time or the other and deceitful in their contentions for both could be true. The fact is, as we have pointed out in previous articles, they are not homes in any sense of the word, so far as the organization itself is concerned, but benevolent societies maintaining asylums or institutions to care for children; and they are supported and function as church institutions. They have no scriptural right to exist in such status. There is no scriptural authority for the church to build, maintain, or do its work, through human societies. It is immaterial whether such institutions are under a board of directors or under a brotherhood eldership. They are unscriptural either way and cannot be justified. The church has an obligation in the field of benevolence; but whatever that obligation is, it cannot be fulfilled through human societies. God specified an organization through which the church is to accomplish its mission and that organization is the local church with its elders. These local churches did their own benevolence without any human organizations outside of the church or organization within the churches. Each church took care of its own destitute, out of its own resources, and under the supervision of its own elders (Acts 2,4,6). When there were more destitute in its membership than the local church could care for, other churches contributed to them to enable them to care for their own. These contributing churches made up their own contribution from their own members, they selected their own messengers -- individuals -- and sent their contribution by these messengers to the elders of the churches where the need existed (Acts 11:27-30; II Cor. 8, 9; I Cor. 16:1-4). There were no outside organizations involved in this work in any instance; and there was no federation of churches, pooling of resources, or centralizing of authority in any way. What the churches today are doing cannot be defended by the Word of God. We will be glad to give opportunity for any of the liberal preachers in this area, that want to try their hand at doing so. Of course we will expect to help any audience upon such an occasion to see that they have utterly failed. They have not done so, they cannot do so, and they have even quit trying. They have divided the churches of Christ over their unscriptural promotions and now choose to no longer try to defend them by the Word of God and think it more profitable to ignore all opposition. This is the course of sectarianism. They are becoming another distinct denominational movement in the world and will take their place among those who no longer profess to ``speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent.'' -- March 3, 1966 ___________________________________________ A Caring People by Jere E. Frost It is a high calling that we claim -- we are ``the people of God'' -- we are ``the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.'' It is a calling worthy of our best efforts. This calling has more than one dimension. (1) We must believe in and uphold Jesus as our savior and redeemer. He is Lord and lawgiver. If we do not believe in Him we will die in our sins (John 8:24). His words will judge us (John 12:48). We must therefore strive to be doctrinally pure and humbly obedient. (2) We must practice pure and undefiled religion. James' statement about pure religion specified two things: (a) Mindfulness of the widow and orphan, consideration for them in their disadvantaged circumstances in the world. The judgment scene, when all nations were gathered before him, centered on such mundane matters of mercy and kindness as giving a cup of water, feeding a hungry soul, and visiting one suffering (Matthew 25:31-46). (b) Lives unspotted from the world. We must be moral and upright. He who claims to know, love or have fellowship with God, but walks in darkness and immorality is a liar (I John 1:6-7; 5:4). Those who make fulfillment of the flesh a way of life will not enter the heavenly city (Gal. 5:19-21; Rev. 21:8). It is indeed a high calling -- to love the Lord, love the truth, deny self, do right and be kind and sensitive to the need of the hurting and suffering. We fall short. We are not perfect beings, and will never gain acceptance with God on the ground that we are perfect and deserve heavenly rewards. But we will certainly indict ourselves if we try to change the standard, or dismiss the divine requirements and shrug them off. There are two things I would like to urge. (1) We need encouragement. We need each other. Someone has said it is almost impossible to get to heaven alone. But in helping someone else, you may find the way for yourself. Let us therefore encourage one another, and be thankful and strengthened by whatever encouragement we receive. As respects widows and orphans, for example, let us apprise one another of needs and opportunities, and offer to seek to fulfill some duties together. (2) We need forgiveness. We need plain old mercy -- from one another, and mostly from God -- how we need it! We must have it, or we are without hope. Let us freely give it, and call on God for it, for he is the father of mercies. He wants to save us. Humbly seek his favor. Heaven is within our reach. Let us help one another to lay hold on the everlasting prize. -- Via The Bulletin of the North Courtenay church of Christ, November 9, 1997 ___________________________________________ Bringing up Baby by Tracy Schell Being a parent is no doubt a big responsibility, and it's even more so for Christians because they have an important role that the non-Christians do not have. Christians are not merely responsible for teaching their kids ``right from wrong,'' but for teaching them about God, and how to be not merely ``good'' but righteous. ``And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord'' (Ephesians 6:4). To those who have children, or those who are getting ready to have them, consider the awesome responsibility you have. A child's character in large part will be determined by what you teach them -- or what you don't teach them. Many parents take their children to church with them. This is well and good, but do the children understand why the family goes to church? Do they understand we go out of a genuine love for God and not merely because it's ``church day,'' something they have to do, like they have to go to school on ``school days''? When it's time to go to worship, what type of attitude will they see in you? Will they see someone who is anxious to meet with the saints, give praise to God, and learn more of his will? Or will they see someone who has that ``I don't really want to go to church, but I guess I better if I want to get to heaven,'' attitude. The attitude you need to have, and should strive to instill in your children, is seen in Joshua. ``Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord'' (Joshua 24:14-15). If you show the proper disposition, and teach your children the ways of God, it can go a long way in insuring that your child will be faithful. We can see the results of a faithful upbringing in Timothy: ``When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also'' (2 Timothy 1:5). It should be noted, though, that a parent can only do so much. You cannot believe for your children, and you cannot always make their decisions for them. Godly parents do not always result in godly children, as we read in the scriptures: ``For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, [that] his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as [was] the heart of David his father'' (1 Kings 11:4). While Solomon eventually went astray, he knew what he needed to know. What about your children? Do they know what they need to know concerning Christ? Do you know what you need to know concerning Christ? If you are not a Christian, the chances that your child will be one go down considerably. Think about your soul and the soul of your child. Think about this: it is more important that your child receive a good spiritual upbringing than that he or she gets into a fancy college and someday becomes president of the United States. ``For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?'' (Mark 8:36) Remember to put God first in your heart, and in your children's hearts! -- Via The Bulletin of the North Courtenay church of Christ, October 26, 1997 ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________