Watchman Magazine

My parents gave us a great old Electrolux vacuum cleaner as one of our wedding gifts long ago. Even though it does not see much use these days we still have it and I marvel at its design. The chrome and stainless steel Electrolux nearly screams Buck Rogers in its science fiction spaceship design which hails back to the middle of the last century.

One of the most peculiar things I have noticed about the old Electrolux is if one holds the nozzle close to ones mouth when speaking, it seems to suck a great deal of the sound of the words right down that long hose! It is a strange observation and I have amused a lot of kids with that little trick over the years. Sound waves are dependant on air to be carried and like shouting into the wind voices are carried away with the air.

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When I was just beginning preaching, I know I benefited greatly by a number of older preachers, including my own father. Though some of these were not aware of it they served as mentors to me by their reputations and examples. One I have admired in so many ways was Robert L. McDonald, Jr. At one time he told a story that bears repeating at this time and I want to use it here as the premise for this article.

The account goes like this. During the process of preaching a gospel meeting in a certain place brother McDonald had just concluded one of his sermons, which no doubt was thorough on insisting on the adherence to Bible authority. As the listeners were filing by, an elderly man approached him and referring to the sermon said, “That was a real cow bell!” This man went on to explain what he meant by this and that his comment was intended to be the highest compliment, which for our purposes now, was along the lines of understanding why milk cows used to wear loud bells around their necks. The owner of the cow could hear where his cow was when the bell sounded as it walked. This told him if his cow was close or far. So, his remark meant that the sermon brother MacDonald had preached had the sound of telling him what he needed to know, the truth.

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I attended the preacher training program up in Ellettsville, IN in the summer of 2008. Upon hearing of my recent educational experience someone asked me if it would be appropriate to start calling me “Reverend”.  I responded saying to not call me “Reverend” because that was a title reserved for God.

In Matthew 23:2, Jesus spoke to his disciples about how the scribes and the Pharisees had positioned themselves greater among the Jews; “…The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses”. Exodus 18:13 says that Moses “sat to judge the people”. He judged the people according to the law that God had revealed to him. During the time of Christ, the scribes and Pharisees had become the keepers and teachers of the Law, but there was a problem with them because they wanted “their deeds to be noticed by men” (Matthew 23:5). They did this by enhancing the appearance of their garments (Matt. 23:5), taking the best seats at banquets and in the synagogues (Matthew 23:6), and being greeted and called special names such as “Rabbi” by men (Matt 23:7).   Jesus said “But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ” (Matthew 23:8-10).

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In the past, many have requested hard copies of Watchman Magazine.  Obviously, we were not able to supply such copies, and have long been adamant in our desire to keep Watchman Magazine completely free.  This policy remains in place, and will continue for as long as the magazine is published, and archived on the internet.

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However, we have published the Prospectus issue of the magazine, together with the first year (1998) in book form.  The book is a handsomely bound hardback, 7 X 10 inches in size, with 648 pages.  It is published via a “vanity press”, and as such we have little control over cost.  It is offered to those interested at only a small amount over the cost of printing.  The cost of the book is $45, plus shipping.

Remember, all of  the material is available for free here at the site.  However, if you want a hardbound copy of the book, you can order it by clicking here.  As other volumes are completed, they will be made available for sale as well.

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The following video is the third of a series uploaded to YouTube.    To view the YouTube page containing all videos I have produced, click here .  Enjoy the video!

If you were to go to any major university to study the Bible, you would probably be told that historical events in the Bible are to be treated as myths, legends, and folklore. We need to have confidence in the Bible. Archaeology can help with that confidence.

The word archaeology is composed of two Greek words: Archaios, meaning “old” or “ancient”; and Logos, signifying “word, treatise or study.” A literal definition is “the study of antiquity.” It is the science which deduces a knowledge of past times from the study of existing remains. The earliest known archaeologist was Nabonidus, king of Babylon, who, in the sixth century B.C., excavated a temple floor down to a foundation stone laid 3,200 years before. Modern archaeology began with Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt (1798), when one of his officers discovered the Rosetta Stone, whose identical inscription in three languages unlocked the mystery of Egyptian hieroglyphs and opened the history of Egypt. Later a British officer named Henry Rawlinson found a trilingual inscription at Behistun, Persia, that unlocked the mysteries of cuneiform. Since 1948, archaeology has been concerned with the scientific study of the actual culture of people in the Bible.

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The following video is the second of a series uploaded to YouTube.    To view the YouTube page containing all videos I have produced, click here .  Enjoy the video!

How many members were there in the church at Corinth? The churches of Rome or Galatia? Any one of the seven churches of the Revelation? We don’t know.

Why don’t we know? The Bible doesn’t tell us.

Now, the Bible does tell us “…all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). So, the more important question is: Why would we ask?

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Matthew 3:13-17

Immediately following Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River, recorded in Matthew 3, Mark 1 and Luke 3, Luke states, “Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age…” (vs. 23).

The baptism of Jesus signified the end of His time in anonymity. He left Nazareth (the city of His youth) behind (cf. Mark 1:9), and traveled by foot 60-70 miles to be “baptized by John in the Jordan.” With this act of obedience, Jesus began His public ministry and His inevitable trek toward the cross at Calvary.

Of the three baptism accounts recorded in the gospels, only Matthew records the conversation between John and Jesus. When Jesus presented Himself to John to be baptized by him, the text says that “John tried to prevent Him, saying ‘I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?’” (vs. 14). Before noting Jesus’ response, it is important to note a few things about John’s reaction to Jesus’ presence at the Jordan.

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The following video is the first of a series uploaded to Youtube.  My intent is to post the embedded video both to Watchman, and eventually the Sound Teaching site that belongs to the church where I preach.  To view the Youtube page containing all videos I have produced, click here .  Enjoy the video!

Luke 2:40-52

The historian Luke, in his gospel, records the only words spoken by Jesus as a child that we are privy to in God’s inspired word. The conversation, between Jesus and his parents, is found in the latter part of the second chapter of the book.

Luke records the devotion of Joseph and Mary, indicating that they went to Jerusalem every year to observe the Passover. When Jesus was twelve years old he was included in the traveling party. When the feast was finished, and Mary and Joseph together with other family members began the trip home, we are told that Jesus, “lingered behind in Jerusalem.”

You can imagine their state of mind as they sought Jesus. It was three days (vs. 46) before they found him. He was in the temple, listening to the teachers there and asking them questions. We are not privy to what Jesus said to these important men, but we are told they “were astonished at His understanding and answers.”

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One great concern that Paul shared with all of us who undertake some difficult and personally emotional objective is that the work might turn out to be in vain.

An account executive might work for months in an attempt to woo a client only to have another firm swoop in and steal him away. A doctor can labor in an operating room for hours only to have his patient die on the way to recovery. A Christian can study with an unbeliever for months, see him converted and then watch as he shrinks back into perdition. All are filled with a sense that their work was in vain as Solomon put it first (Ecclesiastes 2:11).

For example, Paul writes the Thessalonians: “For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain” (1 Thessalonians 3:5). Learning from Christ’s parable, Paul understood that tribulation and persecution had the power to uproot faith in the sapling stage and destroy it (Matthew 13:21). Yet the Thessalonians were standing firm and Paul’s work was not in vain (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12). They continued to be examples of perseverance to others (1 Thessalonians 1:6-2:1).

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Introduction

The Bible reveals the Lord’s concern of the world’s view of His church and saints. When the church and individual saint walks contrary to God’s revealed standards they pave the way for the world’s blasphemy against the Lord and His doctrine. The Christian ought to be concerned about what people of the world think. God’s people can do one of three things in the public’s eye. First, they may make manifest the true church and individual Christian’s identity in all areas of life as they are guided by nothing but the truth. Secondly, they may make manifest a hypocritical approach to Christianity through unauthorized works. Thirdly, the saint of God may show the world a spirit of indifference due to their fear of appearing different. The church and individual saint will have much to do with where those of the world spend their eternity.

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The concept is so simple… man is a free moral agent.  He can and does make choices, every day of his life.  Some men choose to do good.  They support their families, pay their taxes and are productive citizens.  Others choose to do evil.  They are unfaithful to their spouse, they cheat their neighbor, they commit crimes.  Those who choose to do good could choose to do otherwise.  Conversely, the evildoer is one by choice as well.  They are responsible for the evil they do.

This can be demonstrated anecdotally.  We see it every day, even recognize it in our own lives.  If our consciences are tender, we strive always to do good.  However, from time to time we choose wrongly, and our conscience is pierced with guilt.  Those who choose to do evil again and again have their consciences hardened (seared), and feel guilt no longer.  Regardless, we always maintain the ability to choose.

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