Watchman Magazine

Welcome to our section on foreign evangelism! This page joins the ranks of a number of other, similar websites, magazine news sections, and bulletins dedicated to awakening and informing brethren about efforts to spread the Gospel in other countries. The work of reporting these efforts is akin to the efforts themselves. If such works are to be done, those involved in carrying them out must be known and supported. Further, more men are always needed to preach in foreign fields and one proven way of finding them is via the spreading of news of the happenings and opportunities in such places.

“White unto harvest,” our chosen title for this section, is one with modern applications about which more brethren need to learn. Jesus once said, “Lift up you eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white already unto harvest” (John. 4:35). His meaning in saying this is clear when we compare his words in Matthew 9: “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd. Then said he unto his disciples, The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest” (vs. 36-38). Jesus was speaking of the unconverted masses in his day and such masses exist in our day as well. In the New Testament, laboring in the Lord’s harvest involved the masses in the first Christians’ home country and in “the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

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Como los editores de la revista electrónica Watchman me han concedido la oportunidad de redactar una página mensual en español, lo acepté con mucho gusto. Aunque tengo mucha libertad tocante lo que se trata aquí en este foro, quedo sujeto a los editores de la revista en cuanto al contenido de esta página. A pesar de eso, sin embargo, los temas presentados aquí serán los que más tienen que ver con la comunidad hispana, y por eso esto es algo mas o menos independiente en vez de una mera traducción de la materia en inglés.

Si le surge a algún lector cualquier pregunta, comentario o sugerencia, aunque no tenga que ver exactamente con el tema bajo consideración, estaré muy dispuesto a recibirlo por correo electrónico shhouche@aud.alcatel.com. Además, felizmente aceptaré cualquier artículo por la misma dirección, y si tiene su base en la Verdad, y si está de acuerdo con los propósitos enumerados aquí, lo publicaré.

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Introduction

In this article, I will be limiting myself to teaching children the Bible in the classes arranged by the local church. The basic need for parents to teach their children at home is not in this purview. Also, my comments are mainly directed to the classes for children up to about eight years of age; that is, for that age group in which so many “activities” apart from actual Bible instruction are commonly employed.

What used to be Bible class has in recent decades deteriorated into classes for physical activities. As a result many children of the present generation are not learning the Bible in these classes. At best they are learning some things about the Bible, but not the Bible itself! That which started out as “helps” for Bible study has supplanted the Bible study, and now the “helps” are in the forefront and the Bible is in the background as far as emphasis and actual involvement is concerned. We have put the cart before the horse! Today’s children are all hyped up, overly excited, and conditioned to constant motion, physical activity and noise. They do not know what quiet, attentive, Bible learning is. Most young teachers don’t know themselves! Today’s environment in many Bible classrooms consists of circular tables (which are not conducive to a child’s concentrating on the teacher’s presentation), desk tops covered with crayons, scissors, construction paper, paste, craft items, and other such “helps.” Children move about the room freely, working in group projects, talking, chewing gum, laughing and handling different materials for the “project.” Teachers’ helpers are running back and forth to a “resources room” to get supplies, run the copier, laminate, and do other similar tasks. (These helpers ought to be in adult Bible classes, learning themselves!) When the class is over, the children gather up their crafts or hand-made projects and head out to show to their parents “what we learned in Bible class today”!

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We live in an era where honesty is no longer believed to be the best policy. Some believe that “lying is sometimes necessary” and that those little “white lies” really don’t hurt anyone. Lying has been gaining respectability. In The Day America Told the Truth it is related that 91 percent of those surveyed lie routinely about matters they consider trivial, 36 percent lie about important matters; 86 percent lie regularly to parents, 75 percent to friends, 73 percent to siblings, and 69 percent to spouses (Daily Bread, August 28, 1992). In Situation Ethics: The New Morality, Joseph Fletcher proclaims “for the situationist, what makes the lie right is its loving purpose; he is not hypnotized by some abstract law, ‘Thou shalt not lie.’ He refuses to evaluate ‘white lies’ told out of pity and espionage in wartime as ipso jure, wrong. If a lie is told unlovingly it is wrong, evil; if it is told in love it is good, right.” However, the Bible believer should keep in mind that we are commanded to “Speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). There is no such thing as “speaking a lie in love”.

Yet, does God ever approve of lying? Is there evidence from the Word of Truth which would demonstrate God’s blessings upon those who tell a lie provided that their motive is “just?” What if one lies to protect his life or that of a loved one? Wouldn’t lying at such a situation be acceptable to God? Some might find such a proof text with 1 Samuel 16:2.

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In this the first edition of Queries and Explications, I will endeavor to answer six common questions raised by “Oneness Pentecostals” who deny the Godhead in three Persons.

 

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Is it true that the name of God the Father is ‘Jesus’ according to John 5:43?

The answer is “no,” and here is why. First, the term, “name,” in John 5:43 does not refer to one’s proper name, like “John” or “Larry.” It refers to the Father’s authority. Jesus did not come in his own name; that is, he did not come by his own authority. Jesus did not speak by his own authority (Jn. 12:49). His doctrine was not his. It was not of his devising, but it was the doctrine which his Father gave to him to deliver (Jn. 5:30; 7:16; 8:28). In that way, he came in his Father’s name; that is, by his Father’s authority.

Second, see John 17. In verse six, Jesus says, “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me….” In verse eight, he says, “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me….” He made known the Father’s name, his power and authority, when he gave them “the words” which God had given him to speak. Further, he said, “I have given them thy word” (v. 14). Then, he said, “I have declared unto them thy name” (v. 26).

Third, in 1 Samuel 25:5-9, David sent some young men to Nabal and said, “Greet him in my name.” Verse 9 says they “spoke to Nabal all those words in the name of David and ceased.” What does that mean? It means they spoke only those words which David authorized them to speak. They did not speak of their own accord, but they spoke the words which David gave them to speak. That is how they spoke “in the name of David.”

The Pentecostal might be asked if “the name” of the young men was “David.” Since they came in David’s “name,” does that mean that their name was “David?” No, it simply means they spoke only that which David authorized them to speak.

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In the first century, one of the seven wonders of the world occupied prominence in Ephesus. It was the temple of the goddess Diana. One hundred seven columns, each sixty feet high, arose from a marshy bed to support the roof of the temple. What comparisons and contrasts must have crossed Timothy’s mind in Ephesus when he read, “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly; but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground for the truth” ( 1 Timothy 3:14-15). As the many columns provided support for a physical structure, the spiritual realm focuses attention upon God’s household or family (cf. 1 Timothy 3:5), the church, supporting the truth revealed by God. But what a contrast! The church upholds the “truth” of “the living God”, instead of the “lie” of “lifeless” pagan idolatry.

The church is a collectivity of people who are individually called out of the world of sin by the truth of the gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14), and purchased or redeemed from sin by the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28, Revelation 5:9-10). Therefore, each individual member of the church should be enthusiastically involved in offering helpful support to the truth of God. Is it not “the truth” of the gospel that gives each hearer eternal hope in heaven (Colossians 1:5)? Is it not “the truth” which each person can know that frees the individual from sin (John 8:32)? And , is it not “the truth” of the gospel that offers purification from one’s sins when he or she obeys it (1 Peter 1:22)?

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The apostle Paul proclaimed his steadfast resolve to stand with the truth of God by saying, “I am set for the defense of the gospel” (Phil. 1:17, v.16 in ASV). Was such a responsibility for Paul in his unique place as an apostle or did other Christians also have the same responsibility? Since that gospel was defended by apostles in the first century, are modern Christians free from the task of defending it from present day assaults? Can preachers, elders and saints of our time legitimately excuse current failures to use the Spirit’s sword to expose error by claiming that modern Christians lack the apostolic credentials to undertake this task?

The culture around us disdains those who defend Bible truth as an absolute. They teach, as fundamental, the tenets of relativism. They assure us with absolute certainty that we cannot know anything for certain. To assert that the principles and actions of another are wrong is to commit the cardinal sin of our age: intolerance. In many schools, our children have been taught that “diversity” should be celebrated. That acceptance of “diversity” was, at first, limited to accepting those of diverse races and economic backgrounds. If it had stayed at that point, all of us could give a hearty “AMEN” to the concept because such is clearly taught in Scripture (Acts 10:34-35; Rom. 2:7-11; Jas. 2:1-9). However, the proponents of accepting and celebrating “diversity” went on to include adultery, fornication, homosexuality, false religion, and a host of other sinful actions in the category of “diversity” and “alternate lifestyles” which are to be accepted and celebrated. It is at this point that the child of God must see the shift in definition and oppose any movement to accept sinful principles and action. God has always demanded His people to hate, reject and oppose every evil way (Psa. 119:128; Rom. 16:17; 1 Cor. 5:11; Eph. 5:6-12; 2 Jn. 9-11).

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There are some who say that few can be converted today. That people are just not listening to God because they are just too narrow-minded, self-centered, and hardhearted. That people are just too caught up with the “love of money,” lovers of folly and fun, living from one party to the next, “lovers of their own selves,” and “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God” who never think nor care what is right or wrong. Thus, it is said that we have an overwhelming amount of opposition today that the early church did not have. Further, they state that the early church grew so rapidly because it had so much going in its favor.

Preparation for Pressing the Gospel Into Foreign Lands

The world was specially prepared for the coming of Christ and for the spread of Christianity. Paul tells us, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law” (Galatians 4:4). God had worked through the Romans, the Greeks and the Jews to prepare the world for the coming of Christ. The Romans had provided the world with a universal political order that allowed the intermixture of all races and the free exchange of thought. They also built and maintained a universal highway system which made travel from one colony to another possible, quick and easy. The Jewish Dispersion took the Jewish religion throughout the known world. Synagogues were built everywhere which provided a ready place to be heard. Wherever ten adult Jewish males were found in a town, a synagogue was formed. In Acts 15:21, James speaks of synagogues “in every city.” At one time there were more than 400 synagogues in Jerusalem alone. The Greeks gave to early Christianity a world united in language and culture. The Old Testament had been translated into Greek more than 200 years before the coming of Christ, and became a potent ally of the gospel. All these things contributed greatly to the spread of Christianity.

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The Presence of Sin

Sin has been in the world since the day man and woman chose to disobey the word of God and eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:15-17; Romans 3:9-19, 23; 5:12-14). The father of lies, the devil, presented the woman with a lie against God’s word and God’s integrity (“you will not surely die… God knows in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil,” Genesis 3:4-5). Sin is the devil’s lie. The woman was deceived and the man followed her into sin. They believed and obeyed the lie, and died in their sin against God (Genesis 3:6; 2:16-17).The way sin enters man’s life has not changed. Sin has always been and shall continue to be a choice man makes to believe a lie and thus transgress God’s truth (by either doing what God forbids or by omitting what God commands, 1 John 3:4; 5:17; James 4:17). God, since the days of Adam, has repeatedly revealed to mankind the damaging and destructive nature and results of sin (cf. Genesis 6:1-7; Jonah 1:2; 3:1-4; Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 1:18-32; 3:20).

The Remedy for Sin

In the midst of His judgments against sin, God has always revealed mercy to those who are faithful to Him (Genesis 6:8-22; Jonah 3:5-10; Romans 3:21-26). God has chosen to redeem sinners from their sins through the precious blood of His Son Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Romans 5:6-11; Ephesians 1:4-7). Man must choose to obey truth and live “in Christ” in order to obtain God’s gracious forgiveness of his sins (Ephesians 1:3; 2 Timothy 2:10; Galatians 3:26-27; Romans 6:1-6; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

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Rather than relying upon Webster’s Dictionary to define “militancy,” we shall direct our attention to the definition, description, and demonstration of Divine revelation.

First, Jude defined the term when he said that we “should earnestly contend for the faith” (Jude 3). Second, Paul described militancy when he said, “We were bold in our God to declare unto you the gospel of God with much contention” (1 Thess. 2:2). Further, by way of description, he said, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:4, 5–NASB). Third, militancy was demonstrated by Elijah in his debate with the prophets of Baal (1 Kgs. 18), by Jesus in his discussions with the Jews (Matt. 12:22-30; 21:23-46; 22:15-46; John 8), and by the disciples in their disputes (Acts 6:10-7:60; 13:16-52; 17:2-10; 19:8, 9, 23; 28:22-29). After reading and savoring the implicit implications of the Scriptures cited, if one still does not know what it means to be militant in the defense of truth, Webster will be of little help.

(Let it be understood that a debate is not the only way to be militant in the defense of the truth. Our study concerns religious debating because that is the assigned topic.)

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Mark 16:15, “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Matthew 28:19, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

2 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”

These are all passages with which the readers of this article are intimately familiar. They all deal with the effort of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Men who faithfully give their time and energies to the work of preaching the gospel do so under the authority of Christ. We must be careful as we handle the word which reveals that authority to us. We must ask ourselves questions before we act. What avenue(s) shall we utilize to accomplish this task? For example, is personal evangelism allowed, where we reach people one neighbor at a time? Certainly that falls within the scope of our commission. Shall we preach when the church comes together? Of course we shall. We have a direct example of such an occasion in Acts 20:7. We have just as much authority from that verse to have preaching in the service as we do to limit the observance of the Lord’s Supper to the first day of the week. Both principles are significant and both are relevant.

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“For ‘whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:13-14).

The world has been blessed by faithful preachers ever since it was recorded that Noah was a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Pet. 2:5). Faithful to God’s will, Noah preached one hundred and twenty years to a world that had departed into moral degradation so deep that “it repented God that he had made man” (Gen. 6:3, 6). Unsuccessful in converting those whose heart was “only evil continually”, Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives (8 souls) were saved from the world that was destroyed in the Flood (1 Pet. 3:20). By today’s standards, Noah might have been called a failure since his long years of preaching reached no one outside his family. Likewise, his message was one of doom and destruction, demanding repentance or damnation, unpopular in our generation. Yet God, who is the final Judge in such matters, blessed Noah by calling him an “heir of righteousness” (Heb. 11:7). From Noah’s life, we learn that faithful preaching is true to God’s word, unconcerned about worldly rejection, and “unsparing” of those in sin (2 Pet. 2:5). We must be concerned in our day about attitudes that prevail toward gospel preaching. Not all of us have Noah’s attitude of faithfulness.

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(Note: This is an archived article, some of the links may not work).

Welcome to the prospectus issue of Watchman Magazine. The magazine will be published monthly, with each issue coming on-line the first day of each month. Each issue will be available for the entire month, and then will be archived in our Past Issues index. That way, all issues of the magazine will always be easily accessible. The first full and official issue will be on-line January 1, 1998. This Prospectus has a great deal of worthy material to commend it, and is the borne fruit of many hours of planning, praying and development. No doubt the magazine will continue to develop, but we pray that as is it will be a blessing to those who read it.

On the front page of this issue you will find the Editorial Policy, as well as the Statement of Purpose of the magazine. I encourage you to read both, as they supply information needed to understand the vision the editors had in developing this magazine. Both of these will always be available in every issue of the magazine.

This editorial is intended to be an introduction to the various features of Watchman Magazine. The title hearkens to Ezekiel 33, where the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the prophet instructing him, “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for me.” The editors and writers of the magazine take very seriously our obligation as Christians, elders, and evangelists to follow the example of Ezekiel, and “contend earnestly for the faith…” (cf. Jude 3). We are not making the claim to be the only voice for truth, nor the standard of truth to God’s people. However, we make no apology in using this means to preach the glorious gospel, and defend it against all enemies within and without.

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