Focus 98

FOCUS
MAGAZINE
BIBLICAL INSIGHTS FOR THE EDIFICATION OF THOUGHTFUL PEOPLE
Number 98
3 Under the Umbrella of Politics
16 Parenting on Purpose
5 Making Change
18 Calling on the Lord for Salvation
7 Forgetting the Past
20 The Poison of Bitterness
8 The Story of Jesus and His Love
22 Facing Religious Issues
10 Training Sessions
24 “You May Now Kiss the Bride”
12 “Where Do You Find Authority
For That?”
27 Epaphras: The Prayer Warrior
David Barnes
Tim Jennings
Edwin Crozier
David Holder
Berry Kercheville
Stuart Tullis
14 The Nature of the Church
Robert Turner
Craig Bean
W. Frank Walton
Al Diestelkamp
Steve Patton
Cindy Dunagan
George Slover
28 Life Lessons in Personal
Spiritual Growth
W. Frank Walton
April 2008
Where Is Your Local
Church Going?
T
here are two simple alternatives to this question. We can
either stay the same (which eventually results in spiritual
apathy and numeric dwindling), or we can be dissatisfied with “maintenance” and press toward growth. If we
evaluated churches (as the Lord did in Revelation 2–3), we would
find some to be mediocre, some to be good, and some to be excellent. Some Christians are satisfied with a mediocre church. A large
percentage of Christians are satisfied with a good church. But the real
question is, with what is God satisfied? Surely we know that God wants
excellence.
Churches that are happy to stay the same are easily identifiable.
Staying the same is easy because it is so typical. Most Christians experience this kind of church and therefore never desire anything more.
Characteristics of a typical stay-the-same church are:
■ They exist to hold Bible classes and worship assemblies. If these have
a measure of quality and the members are at peace with one another,
then the goal has been accomplished. Almost all their work happens at
the building.
■ They stand for the truth and will not tolerate false teaching. This is the
prime directive. However, of much less concern is whether this truth is
shared with their neighbors.
■ They are very comfortable and give each other a good feeling because
they stay within the boundaries of long established habits.
■ They may do quite a bit of work, but the work has to do with putting
out fires and keeping things running smoothly.
On the other hand, a church pressing toward excellence is quite
different:
■ They see the prime directive as “proclaiming the praises of Him who
■
■
■
■
called us” so that a lost world will “glorify God in the day of visitation”
(1 Pet. 2:9‑12). They do not leave evangelism to a few zealous members, but see it as a team effort.
Bible classes and worship assemblies are not the goal, but are used to
equip saints to do the work of building up the body of Christ (Eph.
4:11‑16). Most of their work is outside the building.
They get the attention of the community because they are “light” and
“salt.”
Their parents recognize that it takes hard work to save their children.
They do not believe “going to church” is all that it takes. They provide
numerous opportunities for the spiritual growth of the younger generation.
They do not allow the grumblers and “stay-the-same” members to stop
the work. Like Nehemiah, they pray and say, “Hand me another brick.”
Where is your church going?L
2 April 2008
—Berry Kercheville
Focus Magazine
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Writers, please see our web site for article
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T
his past January 22nd marked the
35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
Depending on where you look for
statistics, there have been 48,589,993
abortions since January 22, 1972. That statistic
comes from the National Right to Life, which
utilizes CDC and AGI figures and is current up to
2004. I realize we are three years further along
from 2004, but I use this figure as a conservative
minimum.
Advocates for pro-choice argue for statefunded abortion for at least three reasons. There
are other arguments, but I will limit my discussion to three. First, unwanted pregnancy from
rape, incestuous rape, date rape, or any type of
pregnancy from unwanted sexual activity forced
on innocent women is an epidemic in our country and poor women are most at-risk. Second,
poor women were aborting their children with
coat hangers in back alleys and as a result were
dying at the rate of about five to ten thousand every year. Third, it is a woman’s body and she has
the right to do with it what she will.
I will briefly address these three arguments.
First, there have not been 48 million-plus rapes
over the last thirty-five years—not even close!
While rape is a horrible crime and not to be
taken lightly, the rapes that have occurred have
not produced very many pregnancies. That is an
overblown argument.
Secondly, the statistic for deaths of women in
back alleys was purposely inflated to support the
cause. For good information about that statistic, go to http://www.pregnantpause.org/safe/
deaths.htm.
Finally, our bodies belong to God, not us. To
say it is my body and I can do what I want denies
God’s command over our bodies.
That is all I will say about these pro-abortion
positions. These arguments, as well as other
arguments for abortion, can be dealt with in a
straightforward manner, but that is not my purpose in this article.
Does the number 48,589,993 bother you?
Joseph Stalin said, “A single death is a tragedy;
Under the
Umbrella of
Politics
David Barnes
a million deaths is a statistic.” Stalin ought to
know; he killed more people than Adolf Hitler!
Is 48,589,993 just a statistic to you? Is your heart
pained to hear of that many children dying?
Do you feel any moral indignation at so many
deaths?
When I look at documentaries about the
holocaust I am moved to silence and near despair
that humanity could be so cruel. How could the
German people justify such godless behavior?
Did they accept the reclassification of Jewish,
Polish, and Slavic people as subhuman and then
decide it was okay to kill them? Could they say,
“It was the law. What could I do?” Many Germans used those exact excuses at Nuremburg.
More than that, I believe many of the German
people knew what was happening, but it was
“out of sight, out of mind.” They did not see it
happening, and therefore could ignore the fact
that it was happening.
I think the same is true of America. Since we
do not see it, we can ignore what is happening in
our own backyard. The topic of abortion seems
to have dropped off the radar for many people.
Since we do not actually see it, it does not seem
to actually affect us; and the fact that the numbers are beyond comprehension might make
abortion a difficult topic about which to remain
passionate. The liberal media is not interested in
reminding America that these children are dying.
It is odd that they recently talked about a man
killing his wife and her unborn child, yet said
nothing about what happens at the local abortion clinic.
Focus Magazine 3
Under the Umbrella of Politics continued from page 3
The pro-abortion proponents seek political
candidates who will support abortion and appoint pro-choice judges to make sure Roe v.
Wade remains the law of the land. There are
candidates and judges who are vociferous about
their support of Roe v. Wade, and make it a major, if not the major issue of their supposed political qualifications. While there are many issues
they might list as their qualifications, they are
not hesitant to proclaim they are “pro-choice.”
How is it possible for a Christian, a child of
God, a person who believes in the sanctity of
life, a person who has children and therefore has
Does the number
48,589,993
bother you?
personal, immediate knowledge that there is life
in the womb give any kind of political support
for anyone who believes the opposite? How
could any child of God endorse anyone for political office that they know will ensure human life is
taken from the womb and destroyed? How can a
Christian vote for a person who is pro-abortion?
I had a discussion recently with a person who
said, “Well, if you are 80% for a candidate and
only 20% against him then you really are not
against him.” Wrong. I am totally against him
because there are lines that cannot be crossed!
Any candidate who is pro-abortion has crossed
that line and will receive no support from me.
The person replied, “But what about border
security or fiscal policy or environmental issues?”
Those topics fade into obscurity and irrelevance
when compared to abortion. Can you imagine
someone asking for support for Hitler based on
his economic stimulus package (which he had)
and his strong border expansion policy (which
he also had), all the while ignoring the Final
Solution? The German people could say, “Well,
4 April 2008
I was 80% for him and only 20% against him,
so I really was not against him.” This is actually
an unfair comparison because Hitler hid the
“final solution” from the public. Abortion, on
the other hand, is out in the open. We know
what some candidates are going to do. How
can righteous people in any way support such
a godless deed? Do they practice some form of
“mental reservation”? Do they mentally say, “I
am against him on this issue but I like what he
says on these other issues”? Pray tell, how are you
against him when you just voted for him? I will
bet you would not vote for him if it were your
life in danger.
One constant justification I often hear is,
“It is just politics.” Does the umbrella of
politics make the murder of unborn children
somehow not count? Can I help place in office and give my vote to a person who believes
in abortion and is determined to continue the
process? The excuse of “It is just politics” does
not wash. Was it just politics in Germany with
Hitler? Was it just politics in Russia with Stalin? Was it just politics in China with Mao?
Was it just politics in Cambodia with Pol Pot
and the Khmer Rouge party? Is it just politics
in Darfur and Sudan right now? The banner of
politics does not wipe away moral guilt. Our
country has blood on its hands, unseen blood
that is easily dismissed under “just politics.”
Do a web search on Bernard Nathanson, M.D.
Look at what he once believed about abortion and what he now believes. Look up www.
silentscream.org and watch the video, if you can
stand it. There is plenty of visual evidence about
abortion now that ultrasound has been introduced into the medical community. Go look for
yourself. Then try voting for a candidate who is
determined to continue this practice.
Don’t tell me, “It is just politics.” It is not
politics; it is murder. Exodus 21:22‑23 ought to
settle the matter of unborn children and death
for any questioning Christian.
San Jose, CA
dbarnes717@sbcglobal.net
M
ost of us would love to change
some things about ourselves. If
you do not think you need to
change, just ask a friend; I am
sure he has a list of things you can work on.
We would love to change certain aspects of our
personality, our appearance, or our habits.
We would especially love to change spiritually. We are called to be “conformed to the image
of His Son” (Rom. 8:29). That requires some
adjustment, to say the least. We need a spiritual
makeover. All other changes are superficial and
short-lived in comparison, because at the core, sin
is the bane of our lives. It has stained our character, distorted our priorities, and ruined our peace,
so that our souls cry out for transformation.
The good news is that the gospel is the most
powerful tool of change the world has ever seen.
Its pages burst with full-color illustrations of the
anatomy of change. It is full of case studies about
people who fundamentally changed their character and lifestyle. The gospel gives us a way to
change, a power to change, and a goal for change
that the world knows nothing about.
The transformation of the early Christians
took the world by storm. They were no longer
simply products of their families or their culture.
They were a new creation in Christ. They were
so totally altered that they were like “new men”
who stood out like sparkling salt in a mundane
landscape. They were noticeably different and
gloriously changed. But how? Is such change
possible for us?
In Scripture the mechanism of change is fueled
by six important elements. Practice these six elements regularly and the gospel will change you.
Hear The Truth
Every transformed life in Scripture started
with “receiving the word of God” (1 Thess.
2:13). The wind of change was driven by the
breath of God.
One of the real problems we have with change
is listening to the right source of information.
People are changing all the time as a result of the
Making
Change
Tim Jennings
things they hear. Whether the change is good
depends upon its source (Prov. 14:12; 16:25).
There is no shortage of talk shows, glamorous
celebrities, and venerated intellectuals who want
to tell you what to change, but there is only one
word that contains the truth about who you are
and what you were made to be, and that is the
word according to Jesus.
Some of us are not changing as we would
like because we are not listening to the right
source for truth. Satan loves to get us thinking
so deeply about ourselves and this world that
we do not want to listen to what God has to say.
The truth bounces off our hearts like seed off of
hard pavement. In contrast, God’s people have an
unquenchable thirst for truth.
See Yourself As You Are
The truth causes us to see ourselves as we
are. Most of us live in a perpetual state of selfdeception. We see ourselves as we want to be
rather than how we are, so we see no reason to
change. If you doubt that, listen to yourself on a
recording or watch yourself in a video. After that
experience do you say, “I didn’t know I had such
a good voice and was so good looking”? No, we
are shocked at how we really appear. Why? We
are skilled in the art of self-deception.
We are much worse in the area of spirituality.
If we could see how sinful we are in the presence
of a holy God we would fall to the floor as dead
(Isa. 6; Rev. 1). In the same way that a skunk is
not repulsed by its own odor, we don’t understand how odious sin is in the sight of God.
In the presence of the truth of the gospel our
selfishness is laid bare, our indifference toward
Focus Magazine 5
Making Change continued from page 5
God and man is exposed, and it is not a pretty
picture. No change is possible until we take off
the mask, drop the pretense, quit making excuses, and see the truth about ourselves.
Change How You Talk
Now it is time to change the way you talk.
Without pretense you come clean. You admit
God is right. There are many times where we
know the truth about ourselves, but we dare not
tell anyone else, because then we just might have
to do something about it.
There is something about
confession that forces us to
own up to what needs to
change.
Then you start using
your tongue to profess
what you have confessed.
You tell people the great
truths of the gospel. The
reason those early believers were so evangelistic is
because they were transformed. When you have
found something that
completely changes your
life you cannot keep quiet.
Test Your Resolve
Be aware, no change will be left unchallenged.
Satan will send a battalion of burdens to test
your resolve. In many different ways he will try to
discourage you so that you give up.
Nearly every significant change is met with
persecution. If you get serious about living for
God you will face some burdens that will tempt
you to give up. You will face problems that will
make you feel justified in quitting. The reality of
your change will be seen in your perseverance in
such times.
If the frontal attack
of persecution does not
cause you to quit, Satan
will weaken your resolve by attacking your
flank with pleasures. He
will tempt you to value
something else more than
you value God. You will
be forced to ask yourself,
“Is this change worth all
the trouble?” If not, your
change will come to an
end.
The gospel is the most
powerful tool of change
the world has ever seen.
Its pages burst with fullcolor illustrations of the
anatomy of change.
Change Your Habits
Now your talk must change your walk. You
must begin to “bear fruits worthy of repentance”
(Luke 3:8). You courageously cut some things
out of your life. You throw those things away,
you turn that thing off, and you say “no” to other
commitments, because they do not fit your new
priorities in Christ.
You can only change when you start doing things differently. This is why many of
us never change. We hear the truth and we
confess our need, but the change never affects our schedules. Why? Because our schedules are too full! We don’t take anything
out, so we don’t put anything in, and despite
our good intentions we change nothing.
6 April 2008
Reaffirm Your Decision
Once your resolve is tested, whether you have
failed or not, take time to reaffirm your decision.
Remember why you decided to follow Jesus in
the first place. Return to the passion of your first
love for Him (Rev. 2:4‑5).
If you could see the Lord in all His glory,
would there be any fear that things would work
out right? Would there be any fear in giving
him your life and bearing your cross? Not at all.
When the teaching becomes challenging and
your cross becomes heavy, reaffirm your decision
by remembering whom you serve. See your Creator in all His power, your Savior in all His love,
your Judge in all His glory, and be in awe of Him
and inspired to please Him all over again.
Plano, TX
timj.theway@hotmail.com
I
f you have seen charts tracking the trends of
the stock market, you have seen a picture of
my spiritual life, filled with peaks and valleys.
Sometimes you see major victories, marked
by spiking spiritual highs. Sometimes you see dark
defeats, marked by dire dips. Mostly you see days
of slight progress and days of minor setbacks. I like
to think that when you zoom out to see the big
picture, the general trend is up.
This picture demonstrates one of the greatest
obstacles I have to spiritual progress. Philippians
3:13‑14 provides the solution I must constantly
apply to my life. “But one thing I do: forgetting
what lies behind and straining forward to what lies
ahead, I press on toward the goal . . .” (esv). Too
often I am so distracted by the peaks and valleys of
where I have been, I forget I am going somewhere.
Sometimes I struggle because I cannot get my
numerous failures out of my head. I can still remember the language I used in high school and the
day I let one slip in front of my dad. I remember
lies and lusts. I remember times I have coveted.
I remember cheating on a high school Spanish
test. I remember times when my dating did not
maintain a high standard of purity. I remember
my freshman year of college and how low it was
spiritually. What distracts me even more, however,
are the recent times of sin—outbursts of anger, lust,
periods of pride, and so much more.
Temptation and sin are constant struggles; as we
grow, we fall. However, while we must not allow
Christ’s grace to give us license to sin, we must
allow Christ’s grace to turn our eyes away from
our sins and back to the prize for which we strive.
While we must learn from our falls, that we may
not repeat them, we must not so focus on them
that the memory cripples us. We must forget what
lies behind so we may press on for what lies ahead.
At the same time, I am not always distracted by
my failings and sins. Sometimes I am too enamored with my victories and wins. I have sinned
more than I wish to recount, but I have done some
really good things too. I can think of sermons I
have preached that were home runs. I think of the
Forgetting
the Past
Edwin Crozier
people with whom I have studied and baptized.
I think of the times I have stood up in the face of
persecution for the truth. I think of times I was
tempted to lie and didn’t. I think of times Satan
played on me hard and I escaped.
It is far too easy for me to be like the star high
school quarterback who, twenty years later, is still
Sometimes I
struggle because
I cannot get my
numerous failures
out of my head.
enamored with the winning touchdown pass he
threw in the state championship, wishing to recapture that day of glory but never doing anything
else. When we are distracted by our past successes,
we find it easy to rest upon them. We find it easy to
think we have done enough. Sometimes we find it
easy to believe we are good enough. God didn’t ask
us to grow only so far. He asked us to keep growing. Like trees by the streams of water (cf. Ps. 1:3),
we either keep growing or we are dead.
We are pressing on for a prize. If we wish to
attain it, we must in many ways forget where we
have been so we may be free to focus on where we
are going.
Spring Hill, TN
ecroz@bellsouth.net
Focus Magazine 7
esus occupied the throne of glory, co-existing in heaven with His Father. He was everything
God is, sharing all divine power and prerogatives with God. The Word was with God and
was God. But He did not regard equality with God something to hold on to. He made
Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. He left
His throne room in heaven to be born in a dirty stable on the outskirts of a small middleeastern town. Though He was rich, yet for our sakes He because poor, that through His poverty
we might become rich. He partook of flesh and blood, made like His brothers in every way. He
opened Himself to be tempted as we are, yet He did it without sinning.
The
Story of
Jesus
and His
Love
Jesus’ mother Mary tenderly wrapped her baby in cloths
and laid him in a trough used by animals. In a nearby
field, shepherds’ night watch was interrupted by an
explosion of light from heaven and the voices of angels.
This was not the kind of night they were accustomed
to, and the shepherds were terrified. An angel tried to
reassure them: “Do not be afraid; for behold I bring you
good news of great joy which shall be for all people; for
today in the city of David there has been born for you a
Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” And at that announcement, the next event was the only thing that could have
happened—a multitude of heavenly host appeared praising God saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on
earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” The
shepherds did what any right-thinking men would do.
They followed divine directions to Bethlehem and found
the baby in a manger. The men told what the angel had
announced about the child, and they left glorifying and
praising God for all they had heard and seen.
In time, Jesus’ parents, Joseph and Mary, returned to Galilee to the city of Nazareth where Jesus
grew up. Knowing what other people did not know, Mary treasured these things in her good
heart as she watched her son grow up, grow strong, and gain wisdom. Jesus must have grown up
in the way that most boys in Nazareth grew up. He was a carpenter’s son, who had brothers and
sisters; He watched the world and people around Him as He grew in favor with God, family,
and friends.
When He was around thirty years old, Jesus began what proved to be His short life’s work.
He preached the good news of the kingdom of God, calling sinners to repent. He made it clear
that He was sent by God “to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free those who are oppressed.” Jesus spent long days and sometimes sleepless nights to
help people. He found people with birth defects, deformities, and other physical disabilities.
8 April 2008
He encountered people who were chronically sick, angry, bitter, and depressed. He moved
among the downtrodden and outcast. He touched lepers to heal them, gave sight to the blind,
made the deaf hear and the lame walk. He reached out to people and reached down into their
sin-sick souls.
News about Jesus spread, and people came. He touched them and let them touch Him. He held
their children and raised their dead, attended their weddings and cried at their funerals. He
sighed about their sicknesses and cried about their sin. Throngs of people followed Him, and
sometimes He worked into the night to help and heal them. But He was also in the world to
teach. He taught people to be poor in spirit and pure in heart. He exposed hypocrisy, rebuked
self-righteousness, and forgave sins. One young man came before Jesus to ask what to do to have
eternal life. He had life—he was a “rich young ruler,” but he knew he needed more. Jesus looked
at this man and “felt a love for him.” Jesus exposed the “one thing” that stood between him and
what he wanted. He wanted to inherit eternal life, but he was too attached to earthly life. Jesus
tried to help him see it, but the young man went away sad and still lost.
Jesus taught from a boat, on a mountain, in the temple, and at his special friends’ home. He
talked and laughed, rebuked and cried. He maintained this schedule for about three years, but
the crowds started to shrink. People listened, but they found it hard to hear. They saw, but they
really didn’t see. Jesus was not only healing people’s bodies, but He was talking to them about
their souls. He was not in the world merely to heal the sick, but to seek the lost and rescue
people from sin. He taught people to love their enemies, seek first the kingdom of God, deny
themselves, and love God with all their hearts, souls, and minds. People had never heard anyone speak as this man spoke, but in time it became too much for many. They left and were not
walking with Him anymore. And in time, even His closest disciples left Him and fled into the
darkness to save their skins. And Jesus was left alone to save men’s souls.
He was arrested as a common criminal and hauled away to endure senseless hearings, unsubstantiated charges, and rigged trials. Jewish leaders trumped up the charges and manipulated a
sentence of death from a cowardly Roman governor. Found innocent yet sentenced to die, Jesus
was mocked, scourged, and led away to be crucified. He was nailed to the cross and positioned
between two thieves. The executioners gambled for his clothes, Jewish rulers sneered, and soldiers mocked. At noon, an ominous darkness settled over the land and remained for about three
hours. An anguished cry cut through the darkness: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken
Me?” as He bore the sins of the world—“pierced through for our transgressions . . . crushed for
our iniquities.” He committed His spirit to His Father’s keeping, cried out “It is finished,” and
bowed His head to die—the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.
“And this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent
His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
—David Holder
Focus Magazine 9
Focus on Parenting
Training
Sessions
Berry Kercheville
H
ave you ever wondered why God
put the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil in the middle of the
Garden? Not only that, He placed
the tree next to the tree of life so that when
Adam and Eve partook freely of the tree giving
them life, they also were made aware of the forbidden tree that if eaten would cause them death.
Parents today would find this to be a peculiar
way of teaching the “knowledge of good and
evil.” Instead, most keep the things they do not
want their children to touch out of sight or out
of reach. But God’s tactic was to use something
simple, like a tree, to prepare His children for
the much more serious temptations that Satan
would inevitably place before them. If Adam
and Eve will learn to respect God’s authority
when it comes to a tree, they will be prepared to
respond appropriately to other challenging commands of God.
This principle is easily transferable to training
our children. I remember when each of my boys
reached about six months of age and found the
ability to scoot across the room in order to grab a
“no-no.” Instead of placing the object out of their
reach, I would wait until they reached for it and
then give them a light swat on the hand while
at the same time telling them “no.” I repeated
the process with a slightly firmer swat each time
until they were convinced this object was not
worth their attention. It is amazing how quickly
a six-month old can equate pain with “no.” Once
established, I had no need of following my child
around and moving everything I did not want
touched. A “no” from across the room was sufficient. On the rare occasions they decided to
10 April 2008
retest my resolve, their punishment was swift and
memorable.
What is the value of such a “training session?”
Teaching children to say “no” to themselves is
the first step in training them to maturity. Further, the day will come when they are about to
“touch” something far more serious than a plant
or breakable ornament. It will be at those times
when respecting “no” may save their life.
The tree in the Garden was not the only training session God used to teach His people. Deuteronomy 8:1‑3 tells us how He fed Israel with
manna and caused them to hunger so that they
would learn that “man does not live by bread
alone but by every word that proceeds from the
mouth of the Lord.” Dinner time is an excellent occasion to train our children. When Israel
complained about the food God gave them, He
punished them harshly. In so doing, God was
teaching them to be thankful, to be content with
what they were given, and not to be self-indulged
but look to spiritual things for their ultimate
fulfillment.
Our children need the same training. Parents create self-indulged, self-centered, whining
children when they prepare a different meal for
them than what is eaten by the adults, or when
children are allowed to pick and choose what
they will eat. “Food training” transfers to greater
discipline in other parts of life.
The pillar of cloud and pillar of fire in the
wilderness was another important training session for Israel. Numbers 9:15‑23 is a lengthy
text which repeatedly emphasizes that when
the cloud moved Israel moved and when the
cloud stopped Israel camped. In other words,
when God said, “go,” they went, and when He
said, “stop,” they stopped. A child also needs
to learn “come,” “go,” “stop,” and “quiet,” but
it is foolish for a parent to wait until there is
a dangerous situation to teach their children
to stop, come, or go. That is where a training
session is so valuable. When my firstborn was
less than two years old I foolishly lost track of
him while working in the yard. When I suddenly looked up, he had toddled to the edge of
the road and was on a collision course with an
on-coming car. I had no time to run and catch
him, so I shouted, “Brent, stop!” He never
moved another inch, but came back to me.
Many children would have heard those words
and run in the opposite direction, but because I
had done practice sessions with Brent teaching
him to stop when I said stop, his life was saved.
Do you have trouble keeping your children
quiet during worship? Every parent has faced
that challenge. A good training session is the
key to success. Do not wait until you are in the
midst of worship when repeated trips to the back
and spankings are inevitable. You can start your
training sessions at about a year old. Sit your
child on your lap and make them be still and quiet for five minutes. When they try to get down
or speak, a tap on the mouth and a soft “quiet”
spoken in their ear should be the response.
Depending on the “will” of your child, a switch
may be necessary to administer a sting to the
hand or leg. Do the session a couple of times a
day and increase the time until you have worked
up to at least 15 minutes. Doing a few sessions in
the empty church building will prepare them to
graduate to being quiet during worship. A little
work in training ahead of time will save you grief
and save your child repeated spankings.
Training should be viewed as a positive experience for both parent and child. It is not a negative, strictly disciplinary period. When Israel
obeyed the Lord, He blessed them abundantly.
When our children respond to our training, we
must remember to smother them with love, attention, and praise. In fact, winning our children’s hearts, not just training their actions, is the
most critical part of our relationship with them.
The Lord apparently had a daily “walk” in the
Garden with Adam and Eve. Such a relationship
with our children cements our hearts together.
As the prophecy of the work of John the Baptist
states, “He will turn the hearts of the fathers to
the children, and the hearts of the children to
their fathers” (Mal. 4:6).
Ephesians 6:4 tells us to raise our children in
the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.” The
Lord has given us a usable pattern in the way that
He taught and trained His people throughout
the ages. We are instructed to follow His pattern
in training our own children.
Fayetteville, AR
berrykerch@aol.com
Focus Magazine 11
Why I Changed
“Where Do You
Find Authority
for That?”
divided Bible classes. They couldn’t have been
“anti”—as I thought of “anti-ism.”
For the next few months, in addition to my
class work, I began to research what it meant
to be “anti.” The church in Florida did not
seem to be “anti.” They were a congregation of
loving, hospitable, and helpful Christians—the
type I had read about in the Bible. What I
found was that these brethren were considered
Stuart N. Tullis
“antis” because they did not believe that the
church should support manmade institutions and they did
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the
not link themselves to other
congregations through co-opername of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through
ative efforts. Though I had not
yet searched out the reasons beHim to God the Father. —Colossians 3:17
hind these conclusions, at least I had
a better definition of the differences.
y parents and the congregation of my
“The
Church of Christ is not the
youth instilled in me a desire to seek
Kingdom of God.”
God and serve Him according to His
There was a second influential statement I
word (Ps. 139:23‑24). As I became an adult and
heard shortly before my graduation. Some difsought to preach, close brethren encouraged me
ficulty had arisen in the administration of the
to pursue in-depth education in Bible. I chose a
school, and a fellow student voiced his concerns
“preacher training school” which reflected my
to a member of the faculty. As the faculty memideals by teaching every verse of Scripture and
ber defended the school, maintaining that the
seeking Biblical authority for every doctrine and
school was responsible for defending the faith
practice.
(since so many churches were falling into liberalOver the next couple of years, a few stateism), my colleague responded, “The
Church
ments stirred me to compare my assumptions
and practices with what the Bible actually
of Christ is not the Kingdom of God.” He clariteaches.
fied that God’s Kingdom would continue, even if
this certain church did not oversee all the efforts
“You should never have gone there,
of the brotherhood (Dan. 2:44).
they’re ‘anti’!”
Immediately, my mind began to churn. This
The first statement which affected my study
congregation had taken it upon itself to ensure
of authority arose in a casual conversation I had
that the “Church of Christ” (church universal)
with one of my Bible teachers. We discovered
did not fall into error. That seemed to infringe
that we had both lived in West Palm Beach duron the autonomy and all-sufficiency of local
ing the same time period and he asked where I
congregations in teaching the Bible. Should any
had worshiped. When I told him the name of
church have authority over other churches or
the congregation I had attended, he responded
over the works of other churches (1 Pet. 5:2)? I
in shock, “You should never have gone there;
kept studying Scripture concerning the indepenthey’re anti!” I was stunned! That church used
dent, autonomous nature of the local church, as
multiple cups for the Lord’s Supper and had
well as the difference between individual Chris-
M
12 April 2008
tian action and the assigned collective responsibility of a congregation.
“Where do you find
authority for that?”
Just before graduation, as I was planning to
begin my first “full-time” work with a local congregation, I visited my family for Thanksgiving.
During my visit, the preacher from the church
where my mother had recently become a member came over for supper. As we visited, he was
interested in the congregation where I would be
going and asked about the work. His demeanor
was friendly and inquisitive, never harsh or condemning as I somewhat expected (after all, I knew
that “antis” were caustic and negative). I relayed
my excitement about the work in New England,
mentioning that I was especially hopeful of evangelistic opportunities there since the congregation
operated a day-care center. Without skipping a
beat, he calmly asked in response, “Where do
you find authority for that?”
I had never even considered it. I stammered my
way through an answer, realizing I did not have
one. Yet the question cut deep into my heart! I
had been studying the Bible carefully to follow
God’s will, and yet had never given a second’s
thought to whether the church should operate a
day-care center or school. After intensive Bible
study, I had developed some strong conclusions
regarding the authority of many of the works with
which congregations involve themselves. I shared
my studies with others, seeking to come to agreement within the church regarding several matters
of authority that concerned the spiritual nature
of the church’s collective work (1 Tim. 3:15).
Authority and Consistency
What changed my mind and eventually my
practice? Authority and consistency! Clearly, the
Bible teaches that those who seek to please God
do so by following His revealed will (Ps. 119:2;
1 Pet. 4:11). Scriptural examples of God’s displeasure at not respecting authority, like Nadab and
Abihu’s unauthorized worship (Lev. 10:1‑4) and
David and Uzzah’s failure to follow God’s authority in transporting the ark (1 Chron. 13, 15), testify of the all-importance of serving God according to His revealed authority ( John 8:31‑32).
The Bible authorizes practices either specifically
or generically, as had been demonstrated to me
growing up by charts that compared the similarities between Noah and his construction of the ark
with the specific authority for a cappella singing
under the New Testament and the unauthorized
addition of mechanical instruments of music.
Expediency was always used as a defense of practices such as supporting non-Christians from the
church treasury and sponsoring church arrangements. Yet, for something to be an expedient, it
must first fall under the realm of general authority.
When we apply these principles to matters of
benevolence, for the sake of consistency, we must
not go beyond what is specifically authorized.
The church is given specific authority in the New
Testament to care for the needs of saints (Acts
4:32ff; 6:1ff; 11:27ff; 2 Cor. 8–9). Being consistent in our application of authority in the realm
of the sponsoring church arrangement, we must
not engage in activity which places an eldership
over anyone or anything beyond the flock among
them (1 Pet. 5:1‑4). Consistency demands that
we use the same manner of interpretation and
application throughout our practices. We cannot
insist on having authority for some issues while
disregarding authority for others.
To me, the choice was plain (though not
simple): either completely disregard the principle of authority, permitting the practice of anything not specifically condemned, or change my
practice—inconsistency was not an option (Mat.
23:23). Clearly, the Bible condemns walking
outside the realm of what God has authorized,
so for consistency’s sake, I chose to change my
practice. All of us should compare our practices
with God’s revelation and not simply assume
that what we are doing is right.
Dothan, AL
DreamsHome21@yahoo.com
Focus Magazine 13
Focus on the Voice of Wisdom
The Nature of the Church:
The Importance of a Proper
“Church” Concept
Robert F. Turner
P
ractically all church historians relate
the development of the Papal system
(Universal Bishop) with a much earlier
“metropolitan system” and the diocesan concept of church government. Pragmatically, it is an enlarged concept of structure that
demands an enlarged government—harnessed
to fit the team. If no effort were made to work
churches as a “team,” then there would be no
need for an oversight larger than that of the local
church. This lesson is badly needed today.
But there is something back of the enlarged
structure to which little attention has been given.
Why would early churches (beginning of second
century) enlarge structure or oversight? Was it
pride or hunger for power, as is often suggested?
Perhaps we have allowed a certain prejudice to
color our thinking. It is highly probable that
early Christians had as much or more zeal for doing the work of the Lord as brethren today, and
thought they could “do more” with an enlarged
organization. And, while we are granting good
intentions, let us ask ourselves on what basis
any one could justify that which changed the
organizational structure and government of the
church? Could they have had a concept of the
nature of the church that encouraged it?
I know that today’s organizers justify their
actions on a misconception of the nature of the
universal church. Brother Guy Woods, in his
debate with brother Roy Cogdill, argued: 1. The
Great Commission obligated “the church” to
go to the whole world; 2. Without cooperation
14 April 2008
(collective action) it is impossible for this commission to be carried out; 3. Since the apostolic
“church” did preach to every creature (Col.
1:23) it follows that there was cooperative effort
(again, he uses “cooperative” in the limited sense
of collective action, rft; see The Cogdill–Woods
Debate, pp. 195‑196, 233, 236). There is no need
to re-argue this debate, nor do I attempt it. But I
want you to note the concept of “church” here. It
treats all saints (the universal body) as some sort
of functional unit, and slides into the concept
of a universal body of churches. This “church”
must go into the world. To say it is the “church”
distributively, as each member works, or even as
each congregation carries out its independent
obligations, would destroy bro. Woods’ argument. Clearly, he conceives of “the church” as
some sort of universal teaching society—as a universal functional institution.
This is the “Catholic” concept of “church”—
though I certainly do not charge Woods with the
whole consequence. They say the church is “the
society founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ,” and
“it is to the Church that Christ has committed
those means of grace through which the gifts
he earned for men are communicated to them.
The church alone dispenses the sacraments. It
alone makes known the light of revealed truth”
(Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, pp. 744, 752).
The society must “administer” grace, sanction
the teaching, and therefore be perpetuated as a
viable institution so that it may perform these
functions.
This concept caused Augustine to say, “I
should not believe the Gospel except the
authority of the Catholic Church moved me”
(Contra Manichoei). It led Savonarola, in speaking of a pope who commanded something
contrary to the Gospel, to say, “Not the Roman
Church, but thou errest.” It kept Martin Luther,
and the English Parliament, and the majority of the Reformers, from the true concept of
restoration. They refused to reject the necessity
for linkage with the historic “visible church.”
The concept insidiously permeates the thinking of brethren today who hold that “the great
middle section” of the church just could not
be wrong. Somehow, the “church” becomes a
thing apart from the people who make it up.
The people can err, but not “the church.”
believers, separated from the world and from
the State.” “The demand of rebaptism virtually unbaptized and unchristianized the entire
Christian world, and completed the rupture with
the historic Church” (History of the Christian
Church, Vol. 8, pp. 71‑77). Schaff, a “historic”
church man, did not agree with the Anabaptists,
but he recognized the vital role these differing
concepts had in history.
What did Christ buy when he bought “the
church”? Was it not individual men and women,
lost in sin? What did he build when he built “the
church?” Is not this a figurative representation
of individuals as “lively stones, a spiritual house”
resting upon Christ, the foundation? He cleanses
the church much as a rancher dips a “flock” of
sheep—neither church nor flock are cleansed
What did Christ buy when he bought
“the church”? Was it not individual
men and women, lost in sin?
After centuries of Roman institutionalism,
John Wyclif struck at the core of Catholicism
when he redefined the nature of the church.
Schaff says, “Scarcely a writing has come down
to us from Wyclif ’s pen in which he does not
treat the subject, and in his special treatise on the
Church, written probably in 1378, it is defined
more briefly as the body of all the elect. . . . Of
this body, Christ alone is the head” (Vol. 6,
p. 331). We would differ with Wyclif ’s concept of
“the elect” but he did make the church a spiritual
body, not dependent upon ties with an historic
visible society. God’s people are “visible,” and
function in the flesh to serve Him; but an acceptable association with a certain local church is not
prima facie evidence that we please the Lord.
The Swiss Anabaptists understood this point.
Schaff says they “organized on the voluntary
principle select congregations of baptized
apart from what is done to individual people
or sheep, but in the identical process. When
humble, faithful individuals are made free from
sin “with the washing of water by the word”
(Eph. 5:25‑27), the Lord is cleansing His church.
The group of men and women who covenant
together, build a place of meeting, and worship
and serve God for a time, may leave their first
love (Rev. 2:4‑5). They may continue to occupy
the physical property, and wear the same name,
but the Lord’s church does not consist, per se, of
such things. Its nature is different! It is begun,
propagated, and continues only as the Christ is
enthroned in our hearts.
Deprecating “the church”? Not at all. We seek
to define its nature, that Christ may be thereby
glorified (Col. 1:18).
—From Plain Talk, March 1979,
Vol. 16, pp. 4-5
Focus Magazine 15
Focus on Family Life
Parenting on
Purpose
S. Craig Bean
W
e live in a “go with the flow”
culture. Just relax and let the
gentle current of culture carry
you down the river of life. Get
in your inner tube, enjoy your iced tea, and
just . . . float. But the problem with the inner tube
mentality is where the current of culture is drifting. It is leading in a direction we cannot afford
to go. We cannot allow ourselves to drift.
As God’s men and women we have to develop
a thinking pattern that moves our families and
ourselves in the proper direction. We have to live
an “on purpose” existence for ourselves and for
our children.
There is an indigenous tribe in South America
that scientists have been studying for years. No
one in the tribe lives to old age. They all die in
their late twenties or early thirties. The early
deaths are attributed to disease carrying insects
living in the walls of their mud huts.* Over the
years the affected tribe has been given three
choices. They can: 1) use insecticides to eliminate the insects, 2) destroy the mud huts and
build new homes out of insect resistant materials, or 3) move to a new location. Which choice
do you think the tribe made? None of the above!
They chose the path of least resistance.
Why are we as human beings so resistant to
change? Perhaps it is because change involves
thinking! It involves moving ourselves out of the
normal routine of day-to-day living. Instead of
resisting change, we need to resist the drift and
downward pull of our culture that is headed to
its death quicker than you can say, “this mud hut
will do just fine, thank you very much.”
16 April 2008
Godly Parents Are Goal-Oriented
When we “signed on” as Christians, we signed
on to a goal-oriented, thinking way of life. That
mentality includes our roles as parents. What
kinds of things need to go into my perspective of
parenting?
Let us begin by asking: when does my parenting role end? Our culture says at age eighteen. In
fact it says, “Eighteen and you are out of here!”
But what does God say? Consider God’s statement to soon-to-be parents Isaac and Rebekah
in Genesis 25:23, “The Lord said to her: ‘Two
nations are in your womb . . .’ ” Our culture might
refer to what is in a woman’s womb as a “fetus”
or a “P.O.C.” (product of conception). We would
call it a “baby,” or in this case, “twins.” What did
God say? He called them “nations.”
My wife Tami and I have four children. Not
once during any of those pregnancies did anyone
ever come up to us and say, “Oh, I see you are
going to have a nation!”
One of the reasons the genealogies are listed
in the book of Genesis is so we can see the birthing of nations and see the connection between
one generation and the next. When we truly
realize that we can reach into the future through
our children, there is no way we will abandon
them at age eighteen. I want to have input into
the lives of my children for the rest of my life. I
want to reach through them and touch the lives
of my grandchildren and great-grandchildren
because they are my nation!
Spiritual Vision in Parenting
At the end of Jacob’s life, as he is blessing Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, he says:
May the God before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been My Shepherd all
my life to this day, the Angel
who has delivered me from all harm—
may He bless these boys.
May they be called by my name and the
names of my fathers Abraham
and Isaac, and may they increase upon the
earth (Gen. 48:15‑16).
That is “nation talk.” Jacob is passing on his name
and family heritage. He is passing on to them the
nation of Israel, but most important he is passing
on a determined, “on purpose” commitment to
living for the Living God.
Zeal for Decisive Parenting
Regardless of where we may be in our parenting career, we need to develop a zeal for decisionmaking. We serve a God of zeal. Everything God
does, He does with passion and zeal. “For out
of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of
Mount Zion a band of survivors, the zeal of the
Lord Almighty will accomplish this” (2 Kings
19:31). God has always been zealous for His plan
and for His people. Jesus, too, was full of zeal.
When Jesus drove the money-changers from the
temple, John connected the event with the words
of the Psalmist: “Zeal for Your house has consumed Me” (Ps. 69:9; John 2:13‑17). How much
passion do we have for the work of God? How
much zeal do we have to pass on the faith of our
fathers to the next generation?
Zeal is a choice. In Revelation 3:19 the Lord
commands, “Be zealous.” A command is something we choose to obey or we choose to ignore.
We can choose to have enthusiasm for the goals
we set and the decisions we make for our family.
Choices. Instead of climbing into our inner
tube and drifting, we have to make a conscious
decision that we are going to go a different way.
Of course, every decision we make brings us to
other doors of decision. The choices we make
today will affect the decisions we will have to
make tomorrow!
In Scripture, we read of the long-term effects
of individual choices. The account of Lot and the
destruction of his family began with Lot’s fateful decision to “pitch his tent towards Sodom”
(Gen. 13:12). That choice had far-reaching
implications that impacted nations!
The decisions we make for our families are so
important. Moses in his final sermon to Israel
pleaded with the nation on God’s behalf: “This
day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against
you that I have set before you life and death,
blessing and cursing. Now choose life” (Deut.
30:19).
Focus On God’s Guidance
Why don’t we always make good, strong,
clear, godly decisions for our families? Let’s
face it—sometimes we take the easy way out.
Sometimes we are governed by fear. As men and
women of God, we need to constantly remember
that, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but
of power, love, and discipline” (2 Tim. 1:7). In
fact, God in His Word promises to help us and
guide us with the choices and decisions we must
face. “Who is the man who fears the Lord? He
will instruct him in the way he should choose” (Ps.
25:12). Isn’t that a great promise? God says He
will be your teacher!
There is a real cancer in indecision. If we do
not decisively lead our families then our families
will simply drift. We cannot afford to float. We
cannot leave the bugs in the walls. You and I are
responsible for our families. We must parent on
purpose. We must be decisive and set our sights
on the goals that God would have for us. Most of
all, we must “be zealous.”
Hand something to your children and grandchildren. Take them somewhere; do not just be
taken.
Racine, WI
BeanFamily6@aol.com
*
See Center for Disease Control article:
“Chagas Disease” at www.cdc.gov/chagas/
Focus Magazine 17
Calling on
the Lord for
Salvation
W. Frank Walton
“And it shall be that whoever calls
on the name of the Lord shall be
saved.”
—Acts 2:21
T
he Holy Spirit through the apostle
Peter states the thesis of the first gospel
sermon in Acts 2. It is a quote from Joel’s
prophecy of the availability of salvation in the
Messianic era.
So what is involved in calling upon the Lord?
Is it merely saying, as many claim, “the sinner’s
prayer” for salvation? Does it merely require
“faith only” (mental trust in Jesus) for salvation
without any overt act of obedient faith?
The Bible is its own best commentator, so we
look to the context to detail what it means to
“call on the Lord” for salvation.
First, why does man need to call upon the
Lord? He is stuck in the hole of sin from which
he cannot extract himself by his own meritorious bootstraps (Rom. 3:8). He is trapped in the
debtor’s prison of sin and is bankrupt to buy his
way out. He is enslaved to the cruel taskmaster
of sin’s addiction, and he needs a Redeemer to
liberate him ( John 8:34‑36).
1. Trust in the Lord Jesus. Peter in Acts 2 shows
that Jesus is the Lord and that the Jews rejected
and killed their Messiah. The theme of Acts 2:21
is fleshed out in showing who Jesus is, what He
did, and how he fulfilled the Old Testament
18 April 2008
prophecies pointing to the coming Messiah. His
miracles give public confirmation that He came
from God (Acts 2:22; cf. John 3:2). His atoning
death, burial, and resurrection are the centerpieces of God’s saving plan (Acts 4:10‑12). This
all fulfilled God’s prophecies pointing to the
coming Christ, who is the Son of David.
This shows us that in true gospel preaching,
the person and work of Jesus must be the focus
of faith and commitment. The gospel has not
been preached if His saving person is not known
(1 Cor. 15:1‑4). To evangelize these Jews, note
that Peter did not initially preach on the nature
of the church. This came later after they were
converted to Christ and submitted to His authority (Acts 2:42‑47).
So, one does not become a member of the
Lord’s church in order to be saved; rather, one
is a member of Christ’s one true church because
he has been saved (Acts 2:47). The church is the
effect, not the means, of salvation. Christ is the
only Savior; the church is the saved. An “institutional” or “historic” view of the church sees it
as a holding vat for the blood of Christ, which is
an entity apart from saved people. This develops
into a misplaced “loyalty to the church” that
eclipses “loyalty to Christ” (cf. Acts 11:23).
2. Penitently Turn to the Lord Jesus. When the
Jews believed that Jesus fulfilled these OT
prophecies, and they realized they had killed
their Messiah, they were horrified. “Cut to the
heart” indicated they were sincerely convicted of
their wrong-doing (Acts 2:37).
Peter, in telling them how to “call upon the
Lord,” tells them they must “repent” (Acts 2:38).
To turn to the Lord in submissive trust, one must
turn away from sin in repentance. Repentance
is renouncing all the vain things we trusted in before. It is renouncing the love and practice of sin
in order to turn to the Lord as our first love.
3. Confess Jesus as Lord. Not all of Peter’s
preaching on Pentecost is recorded in Acts 2.
He must have preached a long sermon! “With
many other words he solemnly testified and
kept on exhorting them, saying, ‘Be saved from
this perverse generation!’ ” (Acts 2:40). Since
the New Testament is harmonious on the steps
of salvation in calling on the Lord, Romans
10:9‑17 informs us that “calling on the Lord”
for salvation involves an essential step of a
loyal confession of Jesus’ deity: “if you confess
with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ . . . you shall be
saved. . . . with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation” (cf. Mat. 16:16, 18; 1 Tim. 6:12).
An “institutional”
or “historic” view
of the church sees
it as a holding vat
for the blood of
Christ, which is an
entity apart from
saved people. This
develops into a
misplaced “loyalty
to the church” that
eclipses “loyalty to
Christ.”
Some are embarrassed to confess the Lordship
of Jesus before a sympathetic assembly on Sunday or Wednesday in publicly responding to the
invitation. Although you may be baptized at any
hour day or night (Acts 8:38; 16:33), you must
ask yourself, “Would I be embarrassed to confess
Christ as my Lord to my friends or co-workers
the next day who ask what is happening in my
life?” We must be willing to have courage to
speak up for Christ to others before we are ready
to commit our lives to Him (Mat. 10:32‑33).
4. Be Baptized into the Lord. In the process of
calling on the Lord, Peter preached “be baptized . . . in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Baptism
(immersion in water) is an act of faith where
we appeal to the Lord to cleanse us by his blood
(1 Pet. 3:21; Rom. 6:3‑4; Rev. 1:5). Rabbi Saul
was told: “Now why do you delay? Get up and
be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on
His name” (Acts 22:16). This clearly shows that
calling on the Lord is not merely saying the manmade “sinner’s prayer.” It involves obedient faith
expressed by immersion into Christ to contact
the Lord’s saving blood (Rev. 1:5).
Calling on the Lord is a trusting, obedient response of a failed sinner who appeals to
the Savior to do for us what we cannot do for
ourselves. The ground and merit of salvation is in
what the Lord has done for us. Our comprehensive confidence in appealing to and depending
on the Lord for deliverance is essential to meet
the terms of grace (Heb. 5:9), however we must
never get over the fact that we are lost sinners
deserving of hell without the Lord’s grace (Rom.
3:23; 1 Tim. 1:15; Gal. 2:20). “For there is no
distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same
Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all
who call on Him” (Rom. 10:12). This penitent
humility will keep us gratefully Christ-centered,
not man-centered, in our efforts to glorify Him.
Zeal for the Lord, so sorely lacking in many, will
spiritually flow from a loving heart that truly
appreciates the blessings of salvation from sin
(Titus 2:11‑14).
Huntsville, AL
wfwalton@juno.com
Focus Magazine 19
The Poison of
Bitterness
Al Diestelkamp
B
itterness is an evil that can develop and
grow within a person almost unbeknownst to him. I am convinced that
it is a tool that Satan uses to entrap
even the very ones who have worked hard at ridding their lives of many other sins.
The apostle Peter spoke of bitterness as a poison when rebuking the former sorcerer. He said,
“I see that you are poisoned by bitterness” (Acts
8:23).
Simon’s condition was not exclusive to him.
None of us are immune to its venom. Husbands
are warned against being bitter toward their
wives (Col. 3:19). Though the inspired writer
did not specifically mention the possibility, I
have no doubt that wives can develop bitterness
toward their husbands. Certainly, if a father
fails to heed the apostle’s instructions to avoid
discouraging his children by provoking them to
wrath (Col. 3:21), they will likely develop bitterness toward him.
Preachers are prime candidates for this
poisonous condition. Though most preachers
are treated well by the brethren, occasionally
they are not. Unreasonable expectations of the
preacher and/or his family can cause resentment
that, if he is not careful, will lead to bitterness.
A preacher may expect brethren to live up to
his expectations, and when they don’t, he gets
discouraged. Many able men have lost their influence, some even losing their faith, after being
overcome with bitterness toward the brethren.
The elderly (and those approaching old age)
seem to be especially susceptible to bitterness.
Perhaps the loss of energy, diminished capacities, health problems, and the perception (real or
20 April 2008
imagined) that the younger generation does not
appreciate us opens the door to bitterness.
Bitterness is the state of being “sharp and
disagreeable; harsh; severe; piercing” (Webster’s
Collegiate Dictionary). It can be brought on by a
number of circumstances, including discouragement, hopelessness, envy, and jealousy.
The New Testament has several things to say
about this attitude:
1. It needs to be “put away” (Eph. 4:25‑32). The
apostle Paul lists it among many other sins, and
among those that “grieve the Holy Spirit.”
2. It is connected with “cursing” (Rom. 3:9‑18).
Christians who would never curse verbally may
be guilty of “virtual cursing” by their display
of bitterness. This may be only in thought, but
if unchecked will eventually manifest itself in
harshness.
3. It is a spiritual “poison” (Acts 8:18‑23). As
already noted, Simon, who in becoming a Christian had to repent of his sorcery, was told that
his bitterness was a poison that had him “bound
by iniquity.” Suddenly without the attention
of the masses, perhaps he became jealous of the
apostles’ power to convey the Holy Spirit by the
laying on of their hands.
4. It can “spring up” unannounced (Heb.
12:12‑17). Read these verses and note how the
Hebrew writer tells us that we ought to be “looking carefully . . . lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble” (v. 15). If unchecked it can
take hold of us so powerfully that, like Esau, we
might not find place for repentance, even if we
want to.
It’s one thing to identify a problem, and
another to provide a remedy. By applying the
scriptures I believe we can beat this villain on
two fronts:
First, we should help prevent it in others by
avoiding what promotes it. For instance, a husband’s bitterness can be lessened by the wife’s attitudes and behavior (Eph. 5:25, 28, 33a). At the
same time a wife’s bitterness may be avoided if
the husband will treat her as God instructs (Eph.
5:22, 33b). Parents’ bitterness can be minimized
if children will obey (Eph. 6:1‑3), and children
will be less likely to become bitter if fathers will
listen to God (Eph. 6:4; Col. 3:21).
All Christians should make a concerted effort not to be a discouragement to others. The
younger Christians, in their enthusiasm and zeal,
must not leave the older generation behind. They
need to understand that “change” (even though
it is within authority) is unsettling to the elderly.
Bring them along gently.
Older Christians need to accept what they
know in their hearts—that change is inevitable,
and as long as it is scriptural, it may even be
desirable. Don’t “quench the spirit” of the youth
lest they become bitter.
You can help a preacher avoid the pitfall of
bitterness by being an encouragement to him in
his efforts to teach the lost and edify the saints.
Treat him as the brother he is, rather than an
employee of the church who can be hired and
fired at will.
Knowing that envy and jealousy promote
bitterness, we should avoid flaunting power,
possessions, or any other advantage we have over
others.
Secondly, we must fight bitterness in ourselves
by actively resisting it. To borrow a phrase from
Barney Fife, “Nip it in the bud!” Treat it like any
other temptation. Start by recognizing Satan as
the source of bitter attitudes. When the symptoms appear, study and meditate on the scriptures instead of having a “pity-party.” Be willing
to rejoice with those who are blessed more than
you—replace envy with joy. And most of all, pray
for help.
Bitterness has the potential of consuming a
person and draining him of his spirituality, and
oh, how Satan enjoys that!
Cortland, IL
aldiestel@verizon.net
Email Me . . . Or Don’t
Our church directory used to be wonder‑
fully simple: name, address, telephone
number. Today the contact information for
one family can fill a page. As the meth‑
ods of communicating increase, so must
our dedication to use them wisely. This
is especially true for the limitations of
email. Paul might write today, “Let no cor‑
rupt communication proceed from your
keyboard, but what is good for necessary
edification, that it may impart grace to the
readers” (Eph. 4:29). Here are a few guide‑
lines for making email a blessing.
Do Not use email to . . .
▶ Deal with a relational conflict. Relationships are personal things.
You need to hear the person’s voice
and see their face.
▶ Spread gossip. Reputations can be
ruined with the click of a “Send” but‑
ton.
▶ Correct someone. They need to hear
the love in your voice.
Do use email to . . .
▶ Announce events.
▶ Keep the church informed.
▶ Share the joys and trials of the spiri‑
tual family.
▶ Ask members to help with specific
needs.
▶ Tell someone they are valued.
▶ Speak well of God.
The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of judgment (Prov.
10:21).
—Tim Jennings
Focus Magazine 21
Facing
Religious
Issues
Steve Patton
For there must also be factions
among you, so that those who are
approved may become evident
among you. —1 Corinthians 11:19
T
his passage has always challenged me,
but I know the truth it states is accurate.
The Lord’s church has never been without controversy. Every generation and every local
congregation has to deal with religious error and
factious people. Since we will never be able to
completely avoid such unpleasant circumstances,
the question we need to ask is, “How do we deal
with such issues?” I believe certain principles of
Christianity must be called to the foreground
whenever these problems arise. If we will take
these principles to heart, controversy can be
dealt with in the spirit Jesus wants. Let us look at
principles that help us deal with religious issues
as they arise.
Expect Future Issues and Problems
They are going to happen. From the beginning, God’s servants were warned that problems
would arise (1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 4:1‑4). They may
even arise from within (Acts 20:29‑30; 2 Pet.
2:1‑3). Being vigilant is the peculiar responsibility of elders and evangelists, but every member
must always be on guard.
22 April 2008
Be Well Grounded in God’s Word!
I hope this one is obvious, but it is where we
must begin in dealing with controversy. Faithfulness is always rooted in the knowledge of truth
(Rom. 10:17). It is love of God’s Word that
helps us discern right from wrong and leads us to
making good choices (Phil. 1:9‑11). Failure here
leaves us susceptible to false teachers and their
ungodly attitudes and tactics. How concerned
are you about religious error? How much time
you spend in Bible study is the best answer to
that question. We all share a responsibility in
this area. Don’t develop a clergy/laity attitude and think this is something we leave
up to elders and preachers. Take personal
responsibility. You may learn of false teaching
or problems in your congregation before the
elders and preachers do.
Let me suggest another important principle related to false teaching that can prevent
problems. Do not take someone’s word about
what another person believes or teaches. The
sad story, too oft repeated, is when a person’s
reputation is damaged by irresponsible charges
and rumors. Even worse is when others believe
the rumors just because someone said it was so.
Do not create problems and issues where they do
not exist.
This means we are going to respect the Bible
as our final authority, the final court of appeal for
what is right and true. Nothing else determines
the truth about the matter but the Word of God.
We must all humbly respect God’s final Word.
Maintain Church Autonomy
Church autonomy is the biblical principle
that each congregation is to be independent
and organizationally separate from every other
congregation. Elderships were appointed in each
congregation and had local oversight only (Acts
14:23; 1 Pet. 5:1‑2)! God meant for each local
congregation to do its own work. God did not
mean for a congregation to allow a party of men,
an institution, a religious journal, or any other
such group or individual to determine local
congregational practice. We stand before God
now as local congregations doing our own work.
That means the place we look for approval is the
Word of God and nowhere else. We must be very
careful that we do not allow rumor, unfounded
charges, and Pharisaical attitudes to decide
what we will believe and practice. That is true
congregational autonomy. Does that mean we
never listen to teaching from other Christians?
Of course not. Just be sure that is what you are
doing: listening to biblical teaching and wisdom,
not rumor, false charges, and attempts to draw
artificial lines of fellowship. Remember this—in
the end it does not matter what others may think
of a local congregation. All that matters is what
the Lord thinks, and that is determined by His
Word and not by the words of men.
Be Patient and Longsuffering
With Your Brethren
It is true that men like Paul were sometimes
very harsh and blunt in dealing with false teachers. He called Elymas a son of the devil (Acts 13).
He said Hymanaeus and Alexander had made
shipwreck of the faith (1 Tim. 1:19‑20). But
that was not his preferred approach. When
instructing young Timothy about dealing with
brethren who were in error, he made it clear how
they were to be approached: “The Lord’s bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to
all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with
gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance
leading to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim.
2:24‑25). I see the same attitude in Jude’s words
in Jude 22‑23. Paul’s great problem-solving
chapter for the divided brethren in Corinth is
1 Corinthans 13. We read this “love chapter” at
weddings but Paul wrote to brethren who could
not get along and were opposing one another.
It is meant as a problem-solving chapter and
we need to see it as such. Paul’s instructions to
the saints at Rome were to show patience and
forbearance with one another. Whatever you
believe about the application of Romans 14–15,
one cannot escape that he is teaching patience
and forbearance with one another.
When differences arise it is not a time for
loud, boisterous, and abrasive behavior. It is not a
time to belittle and attack the character of another. Rather, the Bible teaches all are to patiently
listen to each other and to let the scriptures settle
the matter. Problems and differences in a local
congregation will not be solved without applying
the attitudes taught in these passages.
Pray and Strive for Unity
Jesus wanted us to be united. It is at the heart
of his prayer for his disciples on the very night
of his betrayal ( John 17:20‑23). He knew the
power of unity and wanted the world to see it
in his disciples. When Paul begins to describe
the worthy walk of Christians in Ephesians 4,
he talks about lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, and forbearance as a fundamental part of
“endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in
the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:1‑3). Brethren, we
must want to be united if we are going to be one.
I sincerely believe that there are some brethren
who so thrive on controversy that they have little
concern when division is the result. They seem to
think it is a desirable outcome. Division is never
desirable. I admit it is sometimes necessary but it
is never to be desired!
We must work at unity. We must work on
attitudes toward one another. We must work to
know and love one another. That means being
patient with one another’s faults. It means working to know the truth and patiently teaching it to
one another.
Every Christian needs to recognize that dealing with religious differences and error does not
mean we abandon all attitudes of love, patience,
forbearance, and humility. Truth is our standard.
The heart of Jesus is what we desire. Let us speak
the truth in love and handle differences in a
Christ-like spirit.
Tampa, FL
sapatton@tampabay.rr.com
Focus Magazine 23
Focus on Dating
“You May Now
Kiss the Bride”
Cindy Dunagan*
S
exual purity. What virtue is more difficult to instill in our teenagers than
purity of heart? No one needs to tell
you we are living in an ultra-sexualized
culture where your teenagers will be continually
surrounded with sexual temptation. This roaring
lion (1 Pet. 5:8‑9) is a computer click, radio station button, and TV channel away. Many of the
ones your teens will spend the day with at school
are not only sexually active—they are advertising
themselves as so. It is no wonder we are losing
more teenagers to fornication than any other
temptation. I am the mother of a seventeen-yearold son and a sixteen-year-old daughter, and I
share your concern—yet there is good news.
Recently I attended two weddings where
the bride and groom experienced their first kiss
together on their wedding day upon the words,
“You may now kiss your bride.” The first time
I attended such a wedding, despite being relatively well acquainted with the family, I did not
know until sometime after the wedding that this
vibrant, college-age couple had made such a goal.
With the second couple, I only knew of their
commitment to this atypical standard because
we are very close friends with the family. Both
couples were clearly motivated by a sincere desire
to honor God and one another by making this
sacrifice. Neither reflected an arrogant or “holier
than thou” attitude. How admirable.
Shortly after one of these weddings, my daughter posted a little survey on her blog, which read,
* Cindy is the author of the Journaling Toward Moral
Excellence series of journals.
24 April 2008
[This couple] courted for a year and didn’t kiss
before they were married. . . . What are your
thoughts on what is appropriate physical affection before marriage? How will your children
be raised to date/court compared to how you
were raised? Do you ever wish your dating/
courting years were more or less physically
involved?
As would be expected, responses varied greatly.
One stated she could never resist kissing because
she enjoys it way too much. I could see her point.
What is not to like? Another respected those
who chose not to kiss, but had once broken up
with someone because she realized by kissing her
boyfriend she was not physically attracted to him.
A mother of a bride wrote,
Not kissing before marriage was her choice,
not our rule. But she came to the decision after
reading about courtship, and deciding that
purity begins in the mind and heart, and they
need to be educated. [My husband] and I dated
for a year before we were married, and did kiss.
After reading the same things [my daughter]
did, educating myself and looking back, I wish
we had waited too. It’s a piece of your purity
that is precious and should be saved.
How wise for this mother to realize that the only
way her daughter was able to successfully achieve
her goal was that it was deeply part of her own
heart, and not something that was only valued in
the hearts of her parents.
One young bride wrote,
[My husband] and I didn’t kiss before “you may
kiss the bride” . . . it made our dating relationship unique to the others that we have had
and made our relationship so much more than
physical attraction. It also made our wedding
day even more anticipated. However, I don’t
believe that it is wrong to kiss your boyfriend/
girlfriend . . . but I wouldn’t change our decision
if I had to do it over again!
She went on to explain that both she and her
husband had previously kissed other people. How
encouraging to be reminded that although a girl
has kissed in her past, if she decides to save the
rest of her kisses for her future husband, she can!
Another bride also had wise advice for those
who would start afresh:
[My husband] and I kissed before we were
married—but at a point in our relationship,
we had to make the decision that we needed to
stop because it was becoming a focus in the relationship. As we got to know each other better
and learned to balance stuff in our relationship,
we were able to gradually reintroduce it. . . . [My
husband] was the only guy I’ve ever kissed and
I feel like it’s a very special thing. I think it
depends on the individual couple—if kissing
is the focus of the relationship, it’s not a good
thing. I think I definitely want to teach my kids
that they shouldn’t devalue themselves or the
importance of relationships by kissing every
person willy-nilly.
What are some practical steps successful
parents have taken to encourage purity in their
teenagers?
▶ Nurture a chose relationship with your
teens and enjoy your relationship with
them. Your opinion should be the most
important influence as they are deciding
whom they will date, and how they will
date.
able on DVD), which is really more about
dating wisely than not dating at all. Another popular Josh Harris book is
Boy Meets Girl. You probably will not
agree with everything the author proposes in either book, but many successful families have found these books
chock-full of practical, wise advice and
motivation to present our bodies as instruments of righteousness (Rom. 12:1‑2).
▶ Only allow media and technology in your
house that does not put a stumbling block
in the way of your teenagers. If you allow
a MySpace blog, visit it frequently, and let
them know in a friendly way you will be
doing so. Many Christians are allowing
www.pleonast.com as a safer alternative. Avoid televisions and computers in
bedrooms. Even with parental controls
and blockers, the spiritual disadvantages
often far outweigh the advantages.
▶ Sit down with your teens and discuss or
even list the ways teens show affection in
their relationships and where they have
determined to draw the line to keep their
own hearts pure. Lack of communication,
gray lines, and blurry standards can lead to
compromise and excuses.
▶ List with your teens all the blessings and
benefits you can think of for guarding one’s
purity, and as many specific consequences
for sexual compromise you can think of.
▶ Delay dating years as long as possible.
When your teens do date, consider confining it to double or group dating, or better
yet, primarily in the presence of family.
▶ Read books with your teens such as Joshua
Harris’ I Kissed Dating Goodbye (also availFocus Magazine 25
“You May Now Kiss the Bride” continued from page 25
▶ Many families present to their teens, on the
birthday that marks for them the beginning
of their dating years, a “purity ring” symbolizing their son or daughter’s promise to
God and himself or herself to remain pure.
It is often given by the father and is worn
until it is replaced with a wedding ring. The
ring is saved as an heirloom to give to the
son or daughter’s own child one day. While
the ring obviously has no inherent power,
like a wedding ring, it is a reminder of a
very holy commitment.
I see guarding the purity of our hearts when we
are so very much in love with our future spouse
as one of the most challenging expectations
from God. Yet the reward of choosing to replace
physical intimacy with emotional, mental, and
spiritual intimacy during courtship has a definite
advantage. It prevents the natural progression of
lust, which by its nature grows more and more
alluring. Not playing with lust also gives couples
better clarity as to whether they are together for
more substantial reasons than sexual chemistry,
thus allowing a deep, real love to develop. Although it puts stress on the relationship to deny
oneself the fun of kissing, it is less stressful than
feeling guilt, being dishonest with parents, and
trying to stop the lust that can feel like a speeding train, which so often follows kissing. No one
is saying that it is always sinful to kiss, yet many
wise young people are discovering a clear spiritual advantage to staying off “first base” altogether,
in order to avoid “second and third base.”
Each and every one of us was created with no
greater desire than to love and be loved. God
promises in Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in
the Lord and He will give you the desires of
your heart.” The two couples whose weddings I
attended are beautiful and refreshing examples
of love, self-control, and the full joy God wants
for each of us. The word of God is powerful and
by it you too can raise teenagers whose faith is
stronger than the pull of sexual temptation.
Beaverton, OR
cindy@StraightPathsPress.com
26 April 2008
Leadership Tip
of the Month
Jesus said concerning John the Baptist,
“What did you go out to see? A reed shaken
by the wind?” (Mat. 11:7). John’s message
was not in line with what was popular. One
of the most difficult challenges for any lead‑
er is criticism. The desire to avoid criticism
has even led presidents to check the polls
before making major decisions. In doing so,
it is evident that their concern is not what is
right or best for the nation, but what is the
path of least resistance.
Elders and preachers can easily fall into a
similar trap. Even one or two members offer‑
ing strong criticism of a particular practice
or sermon can cause us to stop a good work
or neglect preaching on a needed subject.
If Nehemiah had listened to strong criti‑
cism, the walls of Jerusalem would never
have been built. If David had listened to the
ridicule of his brothers and the other men of
war, Goliath would have never been killed. If
Paul had listened to the pressure of the Ju‑
daizers in the church in Antioch and felt the
influence of Peter and Barnabas, he might
have withdrawn himself from the Gentile
Christians and the truth of the gospel would
have been compromised.
It is not that a leader should turn a deaf ear
to justified criticism. The apostles wisely
listened to the complaint concerning the
Grecian widows (Acts 6:1‑6). But the stan‑
dard for decision-making must be what is
right, good, and profitable. That must be
the path taken regardless of the number of
people who object. Leaders step out in front
and lead. They do not put their finger in the
air and take the church wherever it wants to
go. Too many leaders are “reeds shaken by
the wind.”
—Berry Kercheville
Epaphras:
Epaphras, who is one of you, a
bondservant of Christ, greets you,
always laboring fervently for you
in prayers, that you may stand
perfect and complete in all the
will of God.
—Colossians 4:12
I
n 1977 I began local work in Louisiana.
Among that small band of disciples was
a young man I will never forget. He was
a devoted husband and father, a provider and
spiritual protector of his family. I remember him
conducting his first Bible class with a red face,
a gravel voice, and other obvious signs of being
nervous, but what I most remember about him
were his fervent prayers.
Epaphras, the servant of Christ who first
brought the gospel to Colossae (Col. 1:7‑8), was
also known for his earnest prayers. Epaphras was
a native of Colossae and one of three Gentiles
mentioned at the end of this letter. In this context Epaphras is in Rome with Paul and absent
from those in Colossae, but he has not forgotten
them. He is praying for them.
Paul reports that Epaphras is “laboring fervently” in prayer (nkjv). The niv says, “always
wrestling in prayer.” This is a word indicating
patience, persistence, and intensity. The spiritual
warfare of the brethren was constantly weighing
on his mind. This kept him active in prayer. This
is a great commendation of this servant—that
foremost in his heart was the well-being of the
brethren.
The prayers of this wonderful servant were
accompanied by zeal for other churches as
well—Laodicea and Hierapolis (Col. 4:13).
These neighboring churches were also exposed
to the same perils as the church in Colossae. This
“great zeal” indicates deep anxiety and anguish.
The Prayer
Warrior
George Slover
Epaphras was deeply concerned about all three
churches in the valley of Lycus.
These churches were threatened by heresy.
The best defense against false doctrine is to be
well grounded and convicted in truth. Thus,
Epaphras prayed that the brethren “might stand
perfect and complete in all the will of God”
(Col. 4:12). This should be the goal of every
servant of Christ. These deep-rooted convictions
will help them make good moral decisions and
avoid doctrinal error.
The church is in need of those like Epaphras
and my friend from Louisiana. Satan is constantly trying to destroy souls by leading them astray.
The greatest hindrances to Satan’s progress are
those who will boldly proclaim God’s word and
will go to their knees in prayer.
What about you?
Nanette’s Books
915-B South Jefferson St.
Athens, Alabama 35611
Toll Free: (866) 870-5639
Local: (256) 771-9910
Fax: (256) 771-9997
Email: sales@nanettes.com
Free Shipping with all orders over $50
www.nanettes.com
Focus Magazine 27
Life Lessons
in Personal
Spiritual
Growth
W. Frank Walton
gospel preacher should be a good example of the transforming power to grow
in Jesus (1 Tim. 4:12; 2 Pet. 3:18).
“Take pains with these things; be
absorbed in them, so that your progress will be
evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and
to your teaching; persevere in these things, for
as you do this you will ensure salvation both for
yourself and for those who hear you” (1 Tim.
4:15‑16, nasb). Growth is required of preachers
to remain faithful to our charge before the Lord.
We who teach or preach must take heed to
ourselves in how we apply the gospel to our spiritual lives, for we will receive a stricter judgment
( Jas. 3:1). We can and must make the transforming good news of Jesus authentic, when we walk
the talk. Here are some of my life lessons from
25 years of gospel preaching.
1. Faith in the Lord, Not Brethren. I well remember how many good brethren have encouraged
me to preach. Many were very supportive in my
initial, awkward attempts in preaching. Robert
F. Turner advised me in a letter, “It is fine that
brethren are encouraging to you, but you must
put your faith in the Lord (Acts 11:23) and not
men. Brethren may fail but the Lord will not.”
I remember a turning point in my spiritual life. My faith transformed from being
merely rule-oriented to keep from going to
hell, to being faith-oriented in the Lord and
28 April 2008
obeying in Him in order to be with Him in
heaven. I listened to a sermon tape where
the preacher quoted 2 Corinthians 3:18—
We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a
mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to
glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
The power to obey what is in the epistles is found
by observing Christ in the Gospels. This means
that studying, meditating constantly, and applying the words and example of Jesus will help me
grow.
We may have different personalities but the
focal personality we should all aspire to is Jesus
Christ. Being a Christian is much more than
merely keeping some external rules or holding to
key doctrines in the church of Christ.
By reading and meditating on the example,
teaching, and saving work of Jesus Christ, the
most effective preacher ever and greatest life ever
lived, I am becoming a better, stronger Christian
(1 John 2:6; Rom. 8:29). The gospels are the
presentation of Christ, Acts is the propagation of
Christ, the epistles are the application of Christ,
and Revelation is the victory of Christ. In studying the life of my Lord, I visualize myself endeavoring to faithfully follow Him. I tell myself,
“With the Lord’s help, I can make the best of
this situation.” In facing a task or decision, I ask
myself, “What would the Lord really want me to
do?” It is the Lord I must ultimately please, not
myself or others. If He finally says, “Well done,
good and faithful servant,” that is enough for me.
2. Faith in God’s Word, not a Movement of Men. The
historical effort of the last 200 years to restore
original New Testament Christianity in faith,
practice, and spirit has been called “The Restoration Movement.” It is a noble, Biblical ideal
to “contend earnestly for the faith once for all
delivered to the saints” ( Jude 3) and to strive for
“the restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21).
Sectarianism is undue loyalty to a human
religious movement (1 Cor. 1:10‑13). In Soils
and Seeds of Sectarianism, J. D. Bales says “loyalty
to good men” can be an unwitting perversion
to restoring idealistic faithfulness to Christ as
foremost. In the 1976 Florida College Lectures,
Ed Harrell well observed: “the heart of the Restoration Movement” is “non-sectarian Christianity . . . a commitment to reject all human authority and stand only on revealed truth.” What does
this mean?
[The] non-sectarian spirit . . . is the courageous
abandonment of all old loyalties to follow
Christ. It is the acceptance of Jesus’ appeal to
leave all behind and take up the cross and follow Him (Mat. 10:34‑38). . . . Growing denominational consciousness within the Restoration
Movement was . . . a “we” consciousness . . . of
denominational pride. A desire to do God’s
work changes into a desire for recognition
and respectability . . . to feed human pride and
ambition. . . . The path of history is strewn with
the wrecks of churches that came to love men
more than God. . . . There is a fine line between
the desire to do good and the desire to be
great. . . . The church is not dependent on any
human arrangement. . . . In time, institutions
invariably become centers of sectarian influence . . . [and] loyalties (The Restoration Heritage
in America, pp. 191‑199).
There is a difference in properly appreciating and being edified by the faithful obedience
of our spiritual forerunners (Heb. 13:7), versus
allowing their human efforts, as in traditional
doctrinal positions, papers, colleges, or institutions, to become a human standard for faith and
practice. Over the years, I often found myself
wondering, “Where are we going as a brotherhood? What is happening to ‘us’?” Some journals
I read would print dire warnings of how “we”
were gloomily going down the tubes as a brotherhood.
Who are all the “we” we are thinking about?
How did “we” get collectively locked together in
the church universal? Think! I cannot control or
take responsibility for others. I am only responsible for me, in what I think, say, and do (Rom.
14:12). That is enough! Fellowship can be only
actualized on an individual basis or in a local
congregation—that is it! The “we” consciousness
is a misplaced, sectarian emphasis that is foreign
to the pure gospel of ultimate faithfulness to
Jesus. Paul did not care too much what others
thought, even “big shot” preachers (Gal. 2:6),
but cared only about what is right in the eyes of
God (1 Cor. 4:3‑4).
3. Faith in the Lord’s Way of Salvation by Grace,
Not Sinless Rule-Keeping. There is a huge difference in God-ward faith of obedience to accept
and faithfully stay within the terms of grace for
salvation (Rom. 1:16‑17; 4:12; Heb. 5:9), versus
a man-centered, performance-oriented, legalistic
attempt at salvation by works through perfect
rule-keeping (Rom. 3:24‑28). Over the years,
I have seen many Christians who seem to have
little confidence or assurance of their salvation,
because they are plagued with doubt about
whether they have done enough to go to heaven
(contrast 1 John 5:13; Phil. 4:3; 1 John 3:19‑21).
The submissive obedience of faith looks away
from self. It focuses on God’s gracious system of
justification in Christ (Rom. 7:25–8:25), not my
performance. This frees me from “anxiety performance,” so I can do the best I can out of love and
gratitude to the Lord ( John 14:15; 1 John 5:3).
Christians are not sinless (1 John 1:8), but we
should sin less and less (1 John 3:4‑10).
So, we are to strive for the ideal of Christ. Maturity in the faith has humbled me to realize I am
not where I ought to be yet, but thank the Lord I
am not where I used to be (1 Tim. 1:14‑16; Rev.
2:19). Faith is my trusting response in view of all
the Lord has done for me. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now
live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal.
2:20).
Huntsville, AL
wfwalton@juno.com
Focus Magazine 29
ALABAMA
BIRMINGHAM
VESTAVIA HILLS
2325 Old Columbina Road
Sunday Bible Study - 9:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:00 PM
Contact: Harold Comer
or Jason Moore
Phone: (205) 822-0018
DOTHAN
HONEYSUCKLE ROAD
986 Honeysuckle Road
Sunday Bible Study - 9:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:00 PM
Phone: (334) 792-9708 or
(334) 671-1903
Local Church Information
MONTGOMERY
SOUTHEAST
2401 S. Plum St. I-85 to Ann St.
Exit #3 – north on Ann 5 blocks
to Plum – turn left
Sun. Bible Study-9:00 AM
Sun. Worship- 10:00 AM
Sun. Worship - 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study- 7:00 PM
Contact: Stephen Russell
(334) 239-2204 or
Jerry Thomas (334) 567-9694
30 April 2008
WILSONVILLE
PO Box 373
9940 North Main Street
Wilsonville, AL 35186-0373
Sunday Worship: 10:00 AM
Sunday Bible Study: 5:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study: 7:00 PM
Contact: Danny Johnson
Email: johnsons@
sylacauganet.com
Phone: (256) 249-3047
Contact: Nathan Brackeen
Email: dbrackeen@juno.com
Phone: (205) 669-0828
ARIZONA
TUCSON
NORTHSIDE
1513 W. Roller Coaster Road
Sunday Bible Study - 9:45 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:45 AM
Sunday Worship - 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:00 PM
Contact: Brent Forsyth
Email: brentforsyth@juno.com
Phone: (520) 887-2242 or
(520) 579-5217
ARKANSAS
FAYETTEVILLE
OLD WIRE ROAD
2480 Old Wire Road
Fayetteville, AR 72703
Sunday Bible study: 9:30 AM
Sunday Worship: 10:30 AM
Sunday Worship: 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study: 7:00 PM
Contact: Berry Kercheville
Phone: (479) 442-7486
or (479) 582-0175
CALIFORNIA
EL CAJON / SAN DIEGO
523 S. Johnson Avenue
El Cajon, CA 92020
Sunday Bible Study - 9:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:00 PM
Contact: John Mulligan
Phone: (619) 444-6106 or
(619) 443-1643
www.elcajonchurchofchrist.org
FOLSOM
FOLSOM POINT
900 E. Natoma
Folsom, CA 95630
Sunday Assembly - 9:30 AM
Sunday Bible Study - 5:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:30 PM
Contacts: David Posey (530) 676-9514 or
Dan Hamilton (916) 984-9617
Phone: (916) 608-4866
LONG BEACH
STUDEBAKER ROAD
3433 Studebaker Road
Sunday Bible Study - 9:50 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:45 AM
Sunday Worship - 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:00 PM
Contact: Lonnie Fritz
(562) 420-2363 or
Mark Reeves (562) 377-1674
FLORIDA
JACKSONVILLE
SOUTH JACKSONVILLE
2209 Parental Home Road
Sunday Bible Study - 9:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:00 PM
Contact: Robert Hardage
Phone: (904) 721-2075 or
(904) 725-5903
LAKELAND
LAKE GIBSON
4601 N. Socrum Loop Road
Exit # 33 off I-4 by Ho-Jo
Sunday Bible Study - 9:30 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:30 AM
Sunday Worship - 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:00 PM
Contact: Brent Lewis
Preacher: Wilson Copeland
Phone: (863) 859-3749 or
(863) 688-2665
WEST PALM BEACH
HAVERHILL ROAD
4236 Haverhill Road
West Palm Beach, FL 33417
Sunday Bible Study - 9:30 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:30 AM
Sunday Worship - 6:30 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:00 PM
Contact: Brent Kercheville
Email: haverhillcoc@bellsouth.net
Phone: (561) 686-5887
www.westpalmbeachchurchofchrist.com
GEORGIA
ATLANTA
ACWORTH KELLOGG CREEK
3510 Kellogg Creek Road
Exit 277 off I-65 turn left
Sunday Bible Study - 9:30 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:30 AM
Sunday Worship - 5:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:30 PM
Contact: Jeff Winburn
Phone: (770) 529-7066
FAIRMOUNT
PINE GROVE
12731 Hwy 53 W
Fairmount, GA 30139-9531
LOUISIANA
MANDEVILLE
NORTH SHORE
2021 McDonald Street
Mandeville, LA 70448
MARYLAND
RIVERDALE
WILDERCROFT
6330 Auburn Avenue
Riverdale, MD 20737
Sunday Bible Study: 9:30 AM
Sunday Worship: 10:30 AM
Sunday Worship: 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study: 7:30 PM
Contact: Mike Thomley
(301) 446-1912 or Vernon
Klemm (301) 249-1706
MISSOURI
BRANSON
EAGLE ROCK ROAD
432 Eagle Rock Road
PO Box 2271
Branson, MO 65615
Sunday Bible Study - 9:30 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:30 AM
Sunday Worship - 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 6:00 PM
Contacts: Philip North or
Dawsey Crutchfield
Phone: (417) 336-3120 or
(417) 239-1829
KEARNEY
KEARNEY
406 N. Clark Street
PO Box 712
Kearney, MO 64060
Sunday Bible Study - 9:30 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:30 AM
Sunday Worship - 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 6:00 PM
Contact: Don Hamilton
Phone: (816) 637-2762
Building: (816) 628-6750
NEVADA
LOVELOCK
1180 Elmhurst Street
Sunday Bible Study - 10:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 11:00 AM
Contact: Gary Milich
Phone: (775) 273-3247
NEW MEXICO
PORTALES
UNIVERSITY DRIVE
523 W. University Dr.
Portales, NM 88130
Sunday Bible Study- 9:45 AM
Sunday Worship- 10:40 AM
Sunday Worship- 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study- 7:00 PM
Contact: Dee Lancaster
Phone: (575) 356-3121
or (575) 359-0440
MEMPHIS
EAST SHELBY
4700 Mayfield Road West
Sunday Bible Study - 9:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 7:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:00 PM
Contact: Terry Francis
Phone: (901) 759-1242
www.eastshelby.org
TEXAS
FORT WORTH
CASTLEBERRY
1025 Merritt Street
Sunday Bible Study - 9:30 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:30 AM
Sunday Worship - 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:30 PM
Contact: David Holder
Phone: (817) 624-1780 or
(817) 737-9173
www.castleberrychurchofchrist.org
NORTH FORT WORTH
7025 North Beach Street
Sunday Bible Study - 9:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 5:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:30 PM
Contact: David Henderson
Phone: (817) 232-2568 or
Phil Lumpkin (817) 281-2941
www.nbcoc.org
GRANT’S PASS
34 SW Leonard Street
Grant’s Pass, OR 97526
RICHARDSON
MELROSE DRIVE
740 Melrose Drive
Richardson, Texas 75080
Sunday Bible Study - 9:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:30 PM
Phone: (972) 231-5242
Contact: Tom Russell
(214) 509-0602 or
Don Patton (972)279-5325
www.melrose-drive.org
TENNESSEE
VIRGINIA
NORTH CAROLINA
WAXHAW
MINERAL SPRINGS
PO Box 265
6403 Waxhaw Highway (NC75)
Mineral Springs, NC 28108
OREGON
KNOXVILLE
NORTHSIDE
Bishop Road
Sunday Bible Study - 9:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:00 PM
Contact:Craig Lindsey or Kevin Burris
Phone: (865) 966-0231
or (865) 607-5846.
LOUDON
706 Ward Avenue,
Loudon, TN 37774
2 blocks off Hwy 11
(Mulberry Street)
Sunday Bible Study- 10:00 A.M.
Sunday Worship - 11:00 A.M.
Sunday Worship- 6:00 P.M.
Wed. Bible study - 7:00 P.M.
Contacts:
Building: (865) 458-5043
Ed Barnes: (865) 458-4382
David Aaron: (865) 458-6811
Jim Thomason: (865) 458-5269
MADISON
CAMPBELL ROAD
320 Campbell Road
Sunday Bible Study - 9:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 10:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 6:00 PM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:15 PM
Contact: Robert Jackson
Phone: (615) 868-7153 or
(615) 227-1515
BLACKSTONE
Highway 46
256 Brunswick Road
Sunday Bible Study - 10:00 AM
Sunday Worship - 11:00 AM
Wed. Bible Study - 7:30 PM
Contact: Walter Davis
Phone: (804) 590-2609 or
(434) 292-3951
PLACE AN AD FOR
YOUR CHURCH HERE
Provide valuable information to Christians
who are traveling or moving. Place an
ad for only $80 per year (six issues).
Contact the Focus Business Manager:
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7854 LaBarrington Blvd., Powell, TN 37849
(865) 607-5846.
WHY SACRED SELECTIONS?
ADOPTING
COUPLES
THE LACQUEMENT FAMILY
DONORS
SACRED
SACRED SELECTIONS is a non-profit 501(c)3
SELECTIONS
California corporation. Donations are tax
is an
deductible. All donations are used solely for the
adoption
purposes of funding the costs directly associated
funding
with the adoption process. Administrative costs
organization.
are met by members of the board and the time
The found-
dedicated to operating the foundation is
ation is
volunteered.
committed to
There are many good works for philanthropically
providing the
minded persons to do and the SACRED SELECTIONS
financial
board commends the efforts for all of these.
means for
However the specific intervention in the life of a
Christian
young child by way of adoption, we believe can
couples that have successfully completed their
effect the
states home study program and are ready to
greatest change
receive a child in their home.
in the life of
Couples meeting the foundations grant
that child and
criteria may receive funding up to $25,000
perhaps in
to cover the direct costs associated with the
generations to
adoption process.
follow.
The foundations board members encourage
For more
you to contact SACRED SELECTIONS by calling
information
916-770-0336 for additional information or
please contact
us at:
to request a grant application.
916-770-0336.
ACRED
Over the Last 11 years we have talked with many
young couples who wanted to adopt but did not
have the Thousands of Dollars required for all the
Adoption Fees. These young couples can afford the
day to day expenses of a child but the up front
costs of adoption make their dreams of bringing a
child into their hearts and home to Love impossible.
The Answer was simple... All that was standing
in the way of a child being adopted was MONEY!
There needed
to be a way to
help finance
adoptions!
The
primary
objective of
SACRED
SELECTIONS is
to provide the
financial
means for
qualified
young couples
to adopt a
THE SEBREE FAMILY
child and thus
for that child to have all the advantages that one can
enjoy and benefit from being raised in a loving
Christian home!
DONATIONS MAY BE:
• Directed for a particular couple
• Given in Honor of a Loved One
(A special card of acknowledgement
will be sent to the family)
For more information and fascinating successful
adoption stories contact us at 916-770-0336 or
visit our website at www.sacredselections.org.
SELECTIONS
he S ACRED S ELECTIONS F OUNDATION is
SACRED SELECTIONS
mmitted to the ideal of providing the
The S ACRED S ELECTIONS F OUNDATION is
nancial means to bring together the need for
committed to the ideal of providing the
d the long to give-LOVE-through the
financial means to bring together the need for
ocess of adoption.
and the long to give-LOVE-through the
705 E.Bidwell St. Ste 2-329
Folsom, CA. 95630
Ph. 916-770-0336
www.sacredselections.org
705 E.Bidwell St. Ste 2-329
Folsom, CA. 95630
SACRED SELECTIONS, INC.
SACRED SELECTIONS, INC.
705 E.Bidwell St. Ste 2-329
Folsom, CA. 95630
Ph. 916-770-0336
www.sacredselections.org
705 E.Bidwell St. Ste 2-329
Folsom, CA. 95630
SACRED SELECTIONS, INC.
SACRED SELECTIONS, INC.
process of adoption.
FUNDING
CHRISTIAN
ADOPTIONS
www.sacredselections.org
FUNDING
CHRISTIAN
ADOPTIONS
www.sacredselections.org
31
T
Among the Reeds of the Nile
he Nile River that made life in Egypt possible, and was deified among the pantheon of
gods (including Hapi and Osiris), was to be
the means of execution for Hebrew baby boys (Ex.
1:22). It was when Egypt’s treatment of Israel was
most brutal that Moses, Israel’s deliverer, was born.
was positioned to see what would take place (Ex.
2:4, 7).
Pharaoh’s daughter (believed by many scholars to be
Hatshepsut, who later became a Pharaoh herself )
took pity on the weeping Hebrew baby and adopted
him as her own son (Ex. 2:10). Meanwhile the Lord
used Miriam to arrange for their mother Jochebed to
nurse and care for Moses.
His family had him for
those crucial formative
years, to teach him about
the God of Israel and His
gracious promises. They
imparted to Moses the faith
in God that would later
characterize his life.
God had a plan for that
baby boy, whom Steven
described as “lovely in the
sight of God” (Acts 7:20).
It was through God’s
providence and intervention that Moses was
spared. Baby Moses was
blessed to have in Amram
and Jochebed parents who
Lessons Learned
trusted God implicitly in
1. God is sovereign. In
these cruelly oppressive
the Bible we see the
times (see Heb. 11:23). His Photo shows reeds among the Nile River. This kind of
unfolding of His plan
mother “took a papyrus
setting was where baby Moses was placed.
and purpose.
basket for him and sealed it
2. The importance of deep and abiding faith and
with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and
trust in God, regardless of circumstances.
set it among the reeds along the edge of the Nile”
3. The fleeting window of opportunity for teach(Ex. 2:3, net). She was not abandoning the baby,
ing young formative minds.
but strategically placing the waterproof basket where
Article and photo © Leon Mauldin.
Pharaoh’s daughter bathed. Miriam, Moses’ sister,
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