Editorial
July, 1974
Volume 9, Number 3
We hope that every minister in the Church of the Brethren will be challenged by the article in this Witness. This includes all of us, for every born again Christian is a minister and ambassador of Jesus Christ. But the Scripture also establishes the set-apart ministry, which functions under a special calling as the shepherd of the flock, Acts 14:23 and 1 Peter 5:2.
For this “set-apart” ministry the Bible establishes the highest of moral and ethical standards. The Word teaches that such should be examples to the flock (1 Peter 1:3). “These pastors must be men of blameless lives because they are God’s ministers” (Titus 1:7 L.B.). We grieve because of an apparent crumbling
of biblical morality among ministers in our denomination. How relevant and startling are the words of Jeremiah, “Do you really think that you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie .. and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant,’We are saved!’ — only to go right back to all these evil things again” (Jeremiah 7:9-20 L.B.). God’s answer to such conduct is a resounding, No.
When preachers do not believe and teach the absolutes of the Word of God, they usually become promoters of a so-called “new” morality and give their agreement to situational ethics. This false philosophy of men often boomerangs and makes the minister himself a victim of his own failure to honor God’s Word for what it says.
The real question that confronts us is this: Does the changing attitude by many toward the ordained leadership reflect a better understanding of God’s Word, or does it indicate that the church, more and more is adopting the pattern of the world? We believe that the latter is more nearly correct. A query to this year’s Annual Conference is seeking to declare the 1933 position of the church on divorce and remarriage obsolete. Since the 1933 decision was guided by the overall statements of Scripture, does this indicate that the Bible is obsolete also!
Guarding the Gospel
by Donald E. Miller
Those who have money and other valuable items like to deposit them where they are safely kept and properly guarded, protected from burglars and fire, etc. The sign (FDIC) on the door of the bank or at other conspicuous places, gives added comfort because it speaks of additional protection and insurance. However, in this message we want to think about another kind of deposit and another type of guarding.
The world had been shaken by the powerful Gospel which the Apostle Paul had preached. After many years, the same zeal still burned within his soul, but conditions had changed. In writing to Philemon, verse 9, he refers to himself as “Paul the aged”. To the Philippians he had suggested that death was near. And then to Timothy he declared, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand” (2 Timothy 4:6). With this kind of an awareness and with a very deep concern for the continuation of the Gospel, he further wrote, “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us” (2 Timothy 1:13-24).
Without a doubt the message was addressed to Timothy in particular but intended to be passed on, and to become our responsibility likewise today. For in chapter two, verse two, of the same letter, Paul wrote, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
THE PRECIOUS DEPOSIT
Paul spoke of “that good thing” which was consigned for faithful keeping. In 2 Corinthians 4:7 he refers to it as “a treasure which we have in earthen vessels.” We have been entrusted with something of great value. What is this precious deposit? It seems clear that Paul refers to the basic truths underlying the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By this we mean truths such as the virgin birth, sinless life, the atoning values of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death, His bodily resurrection, His ascension, His visible return for the Church, and all related teachings that are given to help us understand and share the Gospel.
The Gospel is not vain argument nor empty philosophy, nor false science, nor powerless ritual, nor petty showmanship. It is a story to tell, a truth to declare, Good News to proclaim, a Christ to exalt “. . . it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16).
The Gospel is a treasure, not discovered by the church, but deposited in care of the church to be preached to the world. Some have said that preaching is out of date. Some publications have discontinued Biblical expositions and have turned to topics of social concern. These may have their place, but must be treated very carefully, and in light of and in relationship to, the Gospel.
Our deposit — that with which we have been entrusted – – dare not be altered to suit the whims and fads of human fancy. Our commission is not to declare unto men what they want to hear, but rather what they need to hear. Men want to hear dirty stories; they want to see obscene pictures; they want to learn how to make more money; how to experience some new thrill. They need to be told that man possesses a sinful nature as a result of disobedience in the Garden of Eden. They need to be told that “when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15). They need to be told, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
THE POINT OF PROTECTION
Paul is not telling us to hoard the Gospel — to keep it hid away, unwilling to share — but rather to protect it as one would protect clear, cool spring water. Keep it free from dilution and pollution –as milk which when diluted loses its strength and value, and as meat which to pass inspection must be kept free from contamination.
This treasure, the Gospel, is endangered because we have it in earthen vessels. We are so timid, so hesitant, and so easily corrupted by sin. Because of this, the message has been marred, and many times rejected. In many cases young people have concluded that the message is untrue, because the messenger has been false. The ministry, and those engaged in teaching, have a special responsibility in this area. Paul exhorted Timothy, “… be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).
It is very sad to observe that many set apart for the ordained ministry have sealed their own lips an subjects such as divorce, and the remarriage of divorced persons, by becoming involved with these evils themselves. How can a minister lift up the Gospel standard effectively if he himself is practicing a double standard, having an affair with a member of his own congregation or with one from a neighboring congregation? And what is equally as bad (or maybe even worse) is for those who hold responsible positions of leadership in the district or brotherhood to have knowledge of such conditions — and then ignore, tolerate, try to justify, or even hide the facts by transferring the preacher into other areas of service. We are insisting that the message is contaminated when delivered by filthy vessels, and people are being turned off. People became sick and tired of seeing moral corruption prevalent among the ministry — and then quietly swept under the rug without public confession and proper discipline. 1 Corinthians 11:30 has a message for such situations. “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”
God will hold us accountable for our own personal standards, as well as for the way we discharge the responsibilities we carry due to the position we hold. Some have accepted position for personal recognition, and have failed to give due consideration to the responsibility.
We want to say a word, at this paint, to young people. First, study the Word of God carefully for yourself (asking the Holy Spirit to help you understand its message) and then guide your life accordingly. Be assured that it is pure and safe. Do not let the inconsistencies of older folks destroy your appreciation for the Word of God. If you have ever asked yourself the question, “Why don’t older Christians trust us? Why are they so skeptical and critical of us?’! — may I suggest that it is because the deposit of faith end biblical truth is so precious that the older saints fear you might not recognize its value, and thus fail to love it enough to care for and protect it. But those who are older must welcome youth, and with them work for the Lord.
Sometimes we fear that unless others dot their “i’s” and cross their “t’s” or use the same phraseology we do — we write them off as unchristian, undesirable, and unusable. There are young people who ;eve the Lord and cherish the faith, and He has become precious to them. They will love the truth more as they walk with Christ and know Him better. They are inexperienced, but they can gain experience as we counsel with them and pray for them. The :ask of guarding the faith must be a cooperative effort of both young and old.
Remember to diligently attempt to keep the vessel free from hypocrisy. Don’t pretend to possess that which you do not have. Don’t testify to that which you have not received. God’s kingdom cannot be established through deception, exaggeration, or dishonesty.
This treasure must be guarded not only against human weakness and contamination, but also against the attacks of our vicious enemy. The world around about us is controlled by forces of evil. Ephesians 2:2 mentions the “prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” Ephesians 6:12 reveals that our warfare is against “the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” In our day, generally speaking, politics has become corrupt, big business is driven by greed, education has lost its purpose, entertainment wallows in the filth of obscenity, modern literature is reduced to pornography, immorality is popular, abortion is legalized, homosexuality is glamorized, and personal honesty is laughed at. The church must be careful that these things so commonly accepted don’t influence her position on the Word of God. Holiness is still God’s standard, and worldliness (in all its forms) is still our enemy. Our Gospel must be pure if it is to be powerful.
THE PLEDGE OF VICTORY
There are problems associated with our guarding the faith, but we dare not become discouraged and throw up our hands in despair. May we take courage by referring to the teachings of Jesus and to the experiences and testimonies of some of His followers.
Our victory does not lie in popularity, nor in applause, nor in acceptability on the part of the world. Jesus said, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you” (1 John 3:13).
Our victory does not lie in comforts and luxuries of this life. Paul claimed victory in the jaws of persecution and death.
Our victory does not depend upon the accumulation of material wealth. Peter declared, “Silver and gold have I none .. .”
Our victory does not lie in numbers. Jesus, in speaking of the strait and narrow way that leads unto life eternal, said, “Few there be that find it.”
Our victory lies in the fact that God is able, and that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church. Christ did not call us to convert the world, but to preach the Gospel to the world. It is His purpose to call cut a people from among the nations for His name, and this is being done wherever the Gospel is kept and presented in its original purity. Regardless of the apostasy in christendom, we can rest assured that in every age there have been people called out who bear His name.
This is not the first time that Satan has despised the church. This is not the first generation in which he has opposed the Gospel. Through it all, God has always had His people. There are still those who have not bowed their knees to Baal. Across this nation we have men on the front lines battling against sin. They are dealing with corruption in every form, same of which defies description. The power of the Gospel still avails. Sins are being forgiven, lives are being transformed, souls are being saved by the power of the Gospel.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is what the world needs:
The world seeks peace. The Gospel presents the Prince of Peace.
The world is crying for love. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
The world seeks to be free. “if the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).
The unconverted say they “want to live.” “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10b).
The world seeks to reform the corruption of humanity. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The world seeks a pure environment. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth …” (Revelation 21:1a).
People are calling themselves the NOW generation. “.. Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2b).
What the world needs today is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let’s guard its purity, for it is “the power of God unto salvation.” It is our responsibility to GUARD THE GOSPEL.