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By Cox, Stan, on February 1st, 2004
Any discussion of the Lord’s Supper as an act of worship necessitates decisions regarding what aspect of the subject is to be explored. In addition to the institution and observance of the supper, there are questions regarding the emblems, frequency of observance, and to whom it is to be offered. In following our format in this series, the material offered for consideration constitutes a general, cursory view of the topic.
The Purpose
Concisely stated, the Lord’s Supper is a commemorative meal. It is designed to help us remember our Lord and Savior. While the emblems bring to mind the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross, His divine instructions at the institution of the supper are to be understood more broadly, stating that the eating of the emblems is to be done “in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). In addition to the death of our Lord, his perfect life, authoritative teaching, confirming miracles, and resurrection should be considered as well. Each of these combined show him to be our Savior and Lord.
Continue reading » The Lord’s Supper
By Cox, Stan, on February 1st, 2004
Our Lord serves as a wonderful example of sacrificial giving. Though divine, he gave up his position in heaven to dwell on earth as a man, “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). Of this action, Paul told the Corinthians, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
God’s command to give “as he may prosper” (cf. 1 Corinthians 16:2), allows His children to follow their Lord’s example of sacrifice. Such sacrifice enriches us spiritually even as we contribute to the Lord’s cause. We have received so much, it is only proper that we give back a portion of that with which we have been blessed. Continue reading » Giving
By Cox, Stan, on February 1st, 2004
In Hebrews 10:24-25, the Hebrew writer expounds upon one of the primary purposes for the worship assemblies, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” When we come together, it is for edification.
Edification is accomplished by several means. As we speak to one another in song (cf. Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16); pray (cf. Colossians 3;16); declare the Lord’s Death in his supper; (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:26), etc.; we are built up in Christ.
Continue reading » Preaching/Teaching
By Cox, Stan, on February 1st, 2004
C.R. Nichol and R.L Whiteside, in their Sound Doctrine workbooks, said of prayer, “Perhaps no one can be entirely free from his environments; but to keep this prayerless spirit of the present age from overwhelming us, let us diligently read the Bible, and thus associate with God and Christ and the praying men of God — and pray. Prayer is the very breath of the Christian” (Vol. 2, pg. 68).
“Prayer is the very breath of the Christian.” This is a sentiment, which if embraced by Christians, will lead to the type of spiritual maturity and mindset needed to combat the evil of our day.
Continue reading » Praying
By Cox, Stan, on February 1st, 2004
One of the most edifying acts of worship authorized by the Lord for Christians is “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).
There is something about poetry set to a pleasant melody which uplifts men. This fact was recognized by James when he wrote, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms” (James 5:13). We are indeed blessed that God instructs us to edify and uplift one another as we praise Him in song.
It may be noted that the text mentioned above, (Ephesians 5:19), establishes some parameters which must be followed as we sing in worship. For example, we see that the songs we are to sing are to be “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” In Christian worship, our singing must be limited to songs which fit into these categories. Fortunately, there are many songs that conform to God’s standards.
Continue reading » Singing
By Cox, Stan, on February 1st, 2004
Quantifying the collective worship of the local church is a rather simple thing to do. One need only read the New Testament and find out exactly what acts of worship the Christians of that time engaged in. If we are able to establish what God commanded the disciples to do, or to establish examples of them engaging in worship that was endorsed by God, we can then know what is constituted in God’s divine directives for congregational worship.
When this is done, five acts of worship are revealed:
- Singing
- Prayer
- Preaching/Teaching
- Giving
- Partaking of the Lord’s Supper
Such quantification leads to criticism in our time. If you speak of the five steps in God’s plan of salvation, or the five acts of collective worship, you are in danger of being called a legalist. “Too much emphasis on form!” it is said, “You are only interested in ritual, and have a dogmatic view of things!”
Continue reading » The Five Acts of Collective Worship
By Cox, Stan, on February 1st, 2004
There are several things necessary for worship to be “true worship.” First, God must be the object. By this we mean the one true God; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The God referred to by Paul when he told the Athenians, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands…” (Acts 17: 22-24). The God to which Paul refers here is the one true God. He is the Creator of the universe. He is the omnipotent, omniscient, self-existent One. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). All other gods are figments of man’s imagination.
Continue reading » Surely You Have Things Turned Around!
By Cox, Stan, on February 1st, 2004
Man is a worshipful being. Through the history of mankind, in every culture, whether in ignorance or knowledge, man has appealed to someone or something outside of himself for guidance and protection. Pagan idolatry is an example of that “ignorant” worship. Paul declared to the idolatrous Athenians, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:22-23).
It is not the purpose of this article to argue for the existence of God. Granting his existence, it remains that worship must be directed to him rather than the false gods devised by man. Worship offered to dumb idols goes unrewarded and unappreciated. The prophets of Baal figured that out in their contest with Elijah on Mt. Carmel. Notice the derision expressed by Elijah with regard to their pleas to Baal, “And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, ‘Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened’” (1 Kings 18:27). Their petitions went unheeded because Baal was not, in fact, a God.
Continue reading » The Concept of Worship to God
By Cox, Stan, on February 1st, 2004
With this issue of Watchman we begin our seventh year of publishing. From the Prospectus issue, published to the web on November of 1997, until today, the effort has been a labor of love for yours truly. The reader will have to determine for himself the value of the material online, but we are gratified to have been able to share with you the wisdom and knowledge of the men who have written for the magazine.
We are likewise gratified that we have been able to archive the material, and that every article written in the previous six years remains available to this day, free of charge, to our readers. We have never sought to limit the reproduction of this material, and again repeat our desire that the articles get a wide reading. We ask only that the articles are reproduced completely and faithfully, and appropriate recognition is given to the author and the Magazine.
Continue reading » Editorial: A Short Note to Our Readers
By Fain, Larry, on February 1st, 2004
Recently I was asked about some remarks I had made characterizing false teaching on divorce as promoting adultery. The querist had known some of the men who had done the false teaching and reported that they had never heard someone actually promote adultery. I am sure that such is true. It is not wise, nor is it sound to come out blatantly and promote sin. Preachers usually cannot hold a job if they go about promoting adultery. Alas, however, it is being done all the time.
“The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?’” (Matthew 19:3). The question, we all realize, is a simple one. It is the answer over which we have such a debate. “Is it lawful?” Even those Pharisees who asked the question with impure motives recognized that the law had to do with reason. What is the reason behind taking such radical action as the putting away or divorcing a mate? “‘For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one’s garment with violence,’ Says the LORD of hosts. ‘Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously’” (Malachi 2:16). God hates divorce. Enough said. Men are still asking the question, “Can we not do it anyway?” If we are going to do what God hates, we had better have a pretty good reason before we do it.
Continue reading » Associate Editorial: Is It Adultery? Or Isn’t It?
By Roberts, Tom, on February 1st, 2004
Which Way: Academic Freedom or Biblical Accuracy?
There is a sure and certain conflict of interest between academic freedom and Biblical accuracy. Those who endorse academic freedom insist on the right of every position on any issue to have equal weight. Those who believe the Bible to be the inspired and inerrant word of God endorse only “the faith” (Jude 3) which is inspired by the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). When conflicts arise between so-called “science” and Biblical accuracy, Christians cannot endorse total academic freedom.
Continue reading » Associate Editorial: Florida College at the Crossroads
By Osborne, Harry, on February 1st, 2004
Have you noticed the increasingly common practice of publicly criticizing people who publicly criticize others. Politicians do it repeatedly. Does something about that strike you as a little inconsistent? It reminded me of listening to the terrorists who repeatedly try to justify the killing of innocent people in another country to protest the killing of innocent people in their country. I never could figure out the basis of that reasoning. Simply stated, the problem is that some people live by one rule, but judge others by a more stringent rule than that imposed upon themselves. The Bible speaks of such a practice and clearly condemns it. Notice this warning given by the apostle Paul in Romans 2:1-3:
Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?
In this context, the hypocrisy of the Jews is being examined by Paul. The Jews would have shouted, "Amen" to the charges of sin Paul laid at the Gentiles’ feet in the first chapter. However, while they looked down their noses in disgust at the sinfulness of the Gentile world, the Jews were guilty of many of the same sins.
Continue reading » "What Is Written … How Readest Thou?": Is Our Judgment Righteous or Unrighteous?
By Smith, Jeff, on February 1st, 2004
The Hebrew writer was commenting on the frailty and ultimate doom of the village of Jerusalem when he encouraged his Hebrew Christian brethren to remain outside the camp of obsolete Judaism. "For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come" (Hebrews 13:14).
Surely they could identify through their history with the lifestyle of a pilgrim. With one Promised Land in the past, they were challenged to press on toward another and better one with the same diligent zeal that carried their forefathers to victory. The spiritual pilgrimage that began in the first century continues today and every Christian is called to join.
Continue reading » Walking Worthy: Can You See the Promised Land?
By Hafley, Larry Ray, on February 1st, 2004
Dear Larry, I have a question. Is salvation based on being faithful? If so, how faithful?
— William
Dear William,
"How faithful" does your wife expect you to be to her? That is what the Lord expects, too — "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:2). Your wife would not like it, if, after telling you that she has been faithful to you, you were to ask her, "How faithful?"
Continue reading » Contending for the Faith: How Faithful?
By Cox, Stan, on February 1st, 2004
In the past 2,000 years, since the church was established on the first Pentecost following our Lord’s resurrection, there have been many apostasies. In every case, widespread apostasy has occurred because of either a lack of respect for, or misunderstanding of Bible authority. This we will demonstrate momentarily. Therefore, the principles of authority we have been establishing in this series of articles need to be instilled in each generation to avoid similar departures both presently and in the future.
The Apostate Church
Soon after the church was established men began to seek innovations in congregational government, work and worship. There was a gradual change in thinking regarding the concept of authority. The attitude of the apostles and first century Christians was, "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God…" (cf. 1 Peter 4:11). But, as the years progressed, the concept that tradition should be viewed as equally authoritative as scripture gradually developed.
Continue reading » The Simple Gospel: Historical Abuses of Authority
By Wallace, Steve, on February 1st, 2004
Edwin Broadus
(Truth Magazine, November 1957, Vol. II, No. 2, page 3)
In 1915 the Gospel Advocate published several special articles on missionary work, as well as other subjects. These articles were reprinted the following year in two volumes entitled Christian Treasures. Excerpts from these books should be of interest to us today because they remind us of the wonderful progress that the gospel has made since that time in many sections of our nation. They should also serve to encourage all who are laboring in places where the cause of Christ is weak and where growth seems extremely slow.
At that time John E. Dunn reported that to his knowledge "there are but two sections of country in the world that are fairly well evangelized. They are Middle Tennessee and Central North Texas." He then added, "There is one sad – very sad – condition in both of these districts. Nearly all the churches and preachers are at ease in Zion. They are very much like the church at Laodicea. (Rev. 3:14-22). O, for more zeal, sacrifice, and consecration after the type of Paul and Timothy."
Continue reading » White Unto Harvest: Forty Years Ago and Now
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