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• WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
• FREE MORAL AGENCY
• ECCLESIASTICISM
• ARE YOU SUFFERING?
• A RELIGION OF PEACE
• DOROTHY ADINA PUGH

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January 2026

 

 

 

 

WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS

DAYS OF VISITATION

Alfred King

        As Jesus stood on the Mount of Olives, just prior to His descent into Jerusalem where He would be crucified, He looked over Jerusalem and He wept.  This particular event is recorded for us in Luke 19.  In the first part of Luke 19, we find the multitudes casting their garments, branches from trees or bushes, and clothes in the path as they made way for the Messiah to enter Jerusalem.  This was the day many Jews in Israel had been waiting for, for years, even centuries.  Now the prophecies given since the fall in the Garden would be fulfilled as the foretold Messiah would enter Jerusalem and establish His kingdom.

        Many Jews (including the disciples) thought that Jesus had come to set up an earthly kingdom such as was in the days of David and Solomon, when Israel ruled over the whole land conquered by David.  It would be the exalting of the Jewish people when they would triumph over Rome and be freed from Caesar’s tyranny.

        You can just imagine how elated the disciples were as excitement and expectation filled the atmosphere.  This was the most glorious day in history, for the Son of God was riding into Jerusalem where He would be crowned and lead the Jews in a triumphant march against their most hated enemy.  Israel’s glory had finally arrived.

        Did anyone there that day see the real purpose of this time?  Did any understand that Jesus did not come to set up an earthly kingdom?  Did any have the understanding that Jesus came not to set up a worldly kingdom but to be the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world?  Did any anticipate that Jesus would be crucified and die at the hands of the very enemy they thought He had come to defeat?  Did any comprehend the plan of God?  Did any go into their closet that day and pray for the Son of God that He would be empowered to face the cross, have the sins of the whole world laid upon Him, have His Father turn away from Him because of those sins, and then left alone while crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

        The agony of this moment broke Jesus’ heart.  He who knew no sin, He who had always been conscious of His Father’s presence, always hearing His voice, always obeying His commands, and always doing the works of His Father, is now hanging upon a Roman cross, fulfilling the Father’s will, and yet, left alone to suffer abandoned and forsaken by all.  Even His disciples, being totally confused and overcome with fear and disappointment, forsook Him and fled.  The grief was more than a human body could endure.

Jesus wept over Jerusalem

        It was only a few hours before this that Jesus stood on Mount Olives and wept.  Let’s read the account from Luke 19:41-44.  “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.  For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.”

        If you will notice in the title, “Days” is plural.  There are days of visitation which God has given mankind in every period of earth’s history.  There are at least two days of visitation:

        1. A visitation of warning, exposing evil. It’s a time for repentance.

        2. A visitation of Judgment.

           • Consider a few visitations revealed in scripture:

           • Saul’s visitation came on the road to Damascus.

           • The visitation for the early church came on the day of Pentecost.

           • Israel’s visitation came in Egypt, as did Egypt’s.

           • God gave Noah to preach and warn those who perished in the flood.

           • Sodom’s visitation came when righteous Lot was judge among them.

           • Jerusalem’s visitation came from Jeremiah.

           • The greatest visitation came when Jesus hung upon the cross.

Visitation of Warning

        God visits mankind, and specifically His people, to give warning of coming judgment.  He cautions His people to be aware of the times, to awake, not to hide themselves from truth, and be conscious of their time of visitation.  God is very faithful, not willing that any should perish.  God promised in Amos 3:7, “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”  All through scripture God has given warning and time to prepare before judgment falls.

Saul’s visitation came on the Road To Damascus

        God appeared to Saul while his heart was set on the destruction of Christianity.  He was full of anger and hate.  This is how God appears to many people even today.  Multitudes are filled with hate, anger, various lusts of the flesh, and have a distasteful attitude toward God and His word.  Yet, it is in this state that God often visits them with the Gospel of Salvation.  It is their time of the first visitation.  There are others who are carnal and worldly; God reveals Himself to them in various ways.  If these visitations are rejected, there awaits them another time of visitation when judgment from the Almighty comes.  Saul (Paul) responded positively to his visitation and became the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Visitation Of Israel In Egypt

        It is interesting with this visitation because it was not only for Israel but also for Egypt.  After ten plagues upon the Egyptians, Egypt as well as Israel, saw firsthand the power of God on display.  It could not be denied.  Now was the time for a response.  Pharaoh refused to repent and acknowledge God’s hand in the destruction of Egypt; therefore, his second visitation destroyed him and his armies in the Red Sea.  For Israel, they went out of Egypt rejoicing.  However, it wasn’t long before their experiences in the wilderness stole their joy, and murmuring and complaining replaced the excitement.  After all the signs and miracles they experienced in Egypt and in the wilderness, they still failed to see God as He truly is.  In their eyes, the giants in Canaan were greater than the God who brought them out of Egypt.  In consequence of this blindness and unbelief, they all died in the wilderness.  This is such a sad account and yet believers today fall into the same trap.  We limit the Holy One of Israel.

        But speaking of Israel, God spoke through Jeremiah of coming judgment upon Jerusalem.  This was God’s mercy and love calling out to the people of His choice, and yet, they would not hear.  Because they would not hear in the time of their visitation, the visitation of judgment came upon them; Jerusalem was taken, the temple destroyed, and the Jews were taken captive and became slaves in the land of Babylon.

Visitation In Noah’s Day

        In the days of Noah, God gave warning through Noah.  According to the Apostle Peter in his second epistle, chapter 2 and verse 5, Noah was a preacher of righteousness.  “And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.”  God warned those who perished in the flood through Noah.  He warned through declaring to them the way God commanded people to live.  They refused and continued in their evil ways until “the flood came and took them all away.” (Matt. 24:39) 

Sodom’s Visitation

        Likewise, in the days of Lot: Lot lived in Sodom and, according to scripture, he was vexed with the filthy conversation (conduct) of the men of the city.  2 Peter 2:7-8 informs us of the situation in Sodom.  “And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds).”  It appears that God, in His divine providence, placed Lot in Sodom for a voice of warning at the time of impending judgment; the men of Sodom found fault with Lot, accusing him of being a judge among them.  “And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them.  And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. (Gen. 19:9)

        Verse one of Genesis 19 states that Lot sat at the gate when the two angels came.  The gate was often where business transactions took place, where people would come to discuss various topics, and where judgment would frequently take place.  Lot was accused of being a judge among them.  These verses suggest that Lot may have discussed the moral decadence of the city with others.  The way he welcomed the two men (angels) into his home informs us that he was concerned for their welfare in such an evil environment.  Lot was labeled “righteous” by the Apostle Peter, and we gather from these scriptures that he had, to some degree, warned the Sodomites of their evil.  This was their time of visitation; it was a warning that sin brings judgment.

        Lot’s attempt to steer the mob from his home and stop the evil they intended to do reveals his time in Sodom had been a time of warning, condemning the sins of the city.  The lives lived by believers in a sinful world are a testimony against sin.  All too often, men don’t see the warning signs around them until it’s too late.  Jesus left us with many warnings and told us to watch and pray always that we may escape God’s judgment when it comes.  Today, many signs of coming judgment are before us, and every believer needs to take seriously these warnings.

Visitation Of The New Testament Church

        When the Holy Spirit came in power and fell upon the hundred and twenty gathered in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost, it was the first visitation for New Testament believers.  From that upper room came the true church of Jesus Christ, and it still bids today for men to turn from their wicked ways and embrace the Gospel with its power and glory.

        There is a serious error among so many believers today regarding the moving of the Holy Spirit that began about two thousand years ago.  It is still for the church today.  It is essential for believers in the latter days because evil is increasing and will continue to do so.  It is a serious error that the church is not ready.  This is because, in many cases, it has postponed the kingdom of God by being content with less than Jesus Christ provided through His life, death, resurrection, and His ascension.  What Jesus procured for His people was manifest on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on this early gathering of believers.

        Consider seriously what transpired on that glorious day:  There were thousands brought to salvation.  Many, very many, were baptized in the Holy Spirit, and the Gospel spread throughout the known world, and it still exists today because of that wonderful move of the Holy Spirit.  The church today, while saved, is weak and malnourished because too many have rejected the baptism of the Spirit and become satisfied with a lukewarm Christianity.

        This brings us to a very important point.  If this is the first visitation and we don’t desire it, embrace it, and experience it, but instead, reject it; what will the second visitation bring?  Let us be cautious and be aware that there is more to Christianity than what most of us experience

Visitation Of Judgment In The Latter Days

        Jesus and the Apostles, as well as many Old Testament prophets, recorded events that would transpire in the last days.  Paul warned by saying, “… now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).  Today, the “eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (2 Chron. 16:9).  “Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts …” (Heb. 3:15).  The final visitation of Judgment is not merely the death of this body in this life.  But it is that which will be announced and declared to every person on the Day of Judgment as we all stand before The Judge of all men, and this last visitation will result in the eternity of every man, woman, and child who has ever lived upon the earth.  Let us not be as Jerusalem when Jesus looked over the city and wept because we knew not the day of our visitation.

 

 

 

 

FREE MORAL AGENCY

Randall Walton

        This term is used nowhere in the Bible; though it has a somewhat religious connotation, it is absent from the pages of the Holy Book.  Many seminaries and other theological institutions use the term rather liberally and apply it to various religious activities and actions.

        But what, actually, does it mean, and who is affected by it?

        In order to understand it, one must take it apart, word by word, and define those words one at a time.  Once this is done, we can reassemble those words in their original order and have a clear understanding of their intended meaning.

        Let’s begin with the word agency.  An agency is one or more persons who are empowered to act in the place of another; that is, to carry out certain specified deeds, acts, or transactions.

        At the time of the creation, God commissioned mankind as an agency over His handiwork.  He said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (Gen. 1:26).  Thus, mankind became God’s agency to act on His behalf for the good and the benefit of the earth and its inhabitants.  Not only did He place this authority (dominion) upon mankind, He also gave him a great responsibility to see that said authority was carried out judiciously, expeditiously, and with equanimity.

        Through Adam, his wife and their family, this agency has passed to every generation throughout man’s history; we are all, individually and collectively, custodians, or agents, of God’s planet and its creatures.  What a stupendous responsibility has been placed upon our frail shoulders!

        The word moral implies that there are certain recognized standards of right and wrong in conduct or character for all people.  Of course, in the year 2026, there is a wide divergence of opinion about right vs. wrong.  To a true Christian, the Bible is the standard by which to measure right and wrong.  Any act or action which is contrary to a “Thus saith the Lord” is wrong, immoral, ungodly, and an abomination.  Many other religions, as well as non-religious people, do not adhere to the moral standards that true believers do, but we still insist that that which agrees with the Bible is Right, and that which disagrees is morally Wrong!

        The word free means that a person is not under the control of some other person, is able to act, think, and make decisions without coercion or force.  In its most fundamental aspect, it is the ability to make choices with liberty and personal desire, without undue influence from other sources.

        When we join these three words in their original form, we have Free Moral Agents, or Agency, which simply means that every rational person upon the face of the earth possesses the awesome and awful power to choose her/his eternal destiny!  It is not up to the Living God to decide each one’s fate – it is up to every individual rational person to make the right moral choices.  Jesus summed it up succinctly with this message: “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then shall he reward every man according to his works”! (Matt. 16:27)  Works, acts, deeds, behavior, or what he has done.

        Though some governments and societies that pressure men to submit to certain ideologies or acts, no one is forced to succumb to those pressures.  We all make choices, and we act and react to our choices on an individual basis.  This is according to divine justice: no one can ever rightfully blame another person, nor God, nor the devil, nor circumstances, nor adverse conditions for making wrong decisions.  Though we do not all have equal IQ’s, all rational persons have enough intelligence and a sound conscience to distinguish between right and wrong.  Mistakes must therefore rest upon those who make them, not upon another party; otherwise, the Judgment of God would be a farce and every sinner could claim that God is a respecter of persons.

        In this darkened hour, when people are proclaiming the right to choose whether to have their unborn babies murdered, they are correct in their claim of choice, but their choice is entirely wrong.  Sin in any form is always a matter of choice.  But a person’s right to choose does not always justify his choice.  Only if the choice measures up to the standard of righteousness is it ever the right choice.

        As free moral agents, we need to recognize the seriousness of our position before God.  He said: “The soul that sinneth shall die.”  He also declared that: “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).  In both these instances, it is plain that the matter of sin and its resultant consequences lies squarely in the hands of the transgressor.

The Hazards Of Free Moral Agency

        God, in His infinite wisdom and knowledge, fully understood the risks involved when He made man a free moral agent.  He could have created man without his own personal will and desires, a puppet who would respond obediently to every pull of a string control.  But that would make God a tyrant – the use of unlimited force over a helpless subject.  Such is totally incompatible with His own nature and character.  God is not tyrannical – He is love personified.  Further, He desires from His creatures fellowship, love, and worship; and there is no way a puppet could offer Him the devotion He deserves.

        It was totally necessary, then, that God endow His creatures with the ability to express themselves freely, without undue influence or force, for the moment force is used, then true worship and praise cease to function.  Man cannot be forced to worship nor to obey the living God.

        In order for Free Moral Agency to produce the desired end, God had to grant to His creatures three invaluable and indispensable qualities: 1 – freedom; freedom of choice, freedom of expression; 2 – mercy,because man had a natural bent toward misbehavior, it was necessary to offer a means of pardon for transgression.  Man’s choices would not always be for the best, so in order to prevent mankind from destroying himself and his race, mercy must be brought into play; 3 – Blessing; in order to survive in a hostile environment such as we experience, man must be blessed with God’s intervention into the many vagaries of his existence.  He must oversee the seasons and the waywardness of stormy weather.  He must provide for His creatures that which they cannot provide for themselves.

        And yet, these divine gifts or qualities are filled with great risks, for in the hands of the ungodly, they are subject to abuse and misuse.  Let us solemnly consider these one at a time:

1 – Freedom.  As wonderful as this is, it can easily be reduced to frivolity.  Freedom is easily confused with license.  License is also known as permission.

        Freedom has to do with the right to choose one’s pathway, whether that way is good or bad.  It is not a guarantee that whatever a person’s choice is will come out right!  It is not a permit to do as one pleases without consideration of the consequences involved.  God has placed before every rational being two choices: eternal life or eternal death.  Then God has instructed mankind concerning the requirements for obtaining eternal life, as well as the means of attaining eternal death.  The ultimate choice for either lies in the heart of each individual.

        Too many people seem to confuse freedom with license.  They feel that because of one act of confession to God in their entire lifetime, they have His blanket approval for whatever they choose to do from that point on.  The Scriptures consistently contradict such a presumption as this.  Free moral agency not only grants the privilege for man to choose his direction, but also places upon him the full responsibility to make the proper choice.

2 – Mercy.  This divine quality is indicative of God’s capacity to forgive the transgressor of his transgressions.  The inherent risk in mercy is that the transgressor may interpret it as God’s approval of lawlessness.  Such an idea is completely foreign to the economy of God.

        God has clearly laid out His laws and requirements before mankind.  The human breast is impregnated with a God-given monitor which we call a conscience, so that no one has a viable excuse for disobedience.  That God forgives is an undeniable fact.  But let it be firmly understood that forgiveness (mercy) is not unconditional!  The Almighty Himself has stated that His Spirit will not always strive with man (Gen. 6:3).

        Mercy becomes most essential with the breaking of any of God’s laws.  But the dispensing of mercy must be preceded by confession, remorse, godly sorrow, and repentance, otherwise the offender becomes convinced that lawlessness is approved by God, and then he can continue to sin unabated and maintain good standing with his Creator.  This is entirely inconceivable.  While justice demands that certain consideration be given for man’s innate propensity to evil, justice always places limits upon how far and for how long mercy continues to operate.

        Free moral agency then embraces mercy for those whose intentions are to be law-abiding citizens of the kingdom of God.  The choices wthatthe free moral agent makes must be compatible with the standards set forth in God’s inexorable and perfect law.  To do otherwise is to beg the judgment and retribution of the lawgiver.

3 – Blessing.  All of humanity today exists only because of the manifold blessings of the Lord of Glory.  There is really no such thing as a completely independent and self-sufficient person anywhere upon this globe.  This is not to say that many do not claim to be such, but their claims are not founded in reality.

        Life and breath on this racing, erratic orb is only possible by the omnipotent intervention of our Creator/Lord who purposely and deliberately placed us upon this thin-skinned ball of turmoil, toil, and tears.  Survival here is but for a few short years, and those are plagued with disasters multiplied: pestilences, briers, weeds, venomous reptiles, wild animals, floods, storms, earthquakes, meteors, etc., etc.

        But He has promised peace in the midst of the storms, rest for the weary of heart, food for the hungry, and water for the thirsty.  He has assured us happiness and contentment here, so long as we meet His conditions.  But therein lies a serious problem: too great and too many blessings tend to have a corrupting influence on the choices made by His free moral agents because they mistakenly equate their many blessings as God’s approval/acceptance of their own personal waywardness.

        It is Biblical truth that God sends rain upon the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:45), and it is pure folly for either to believe that an abundance of rain is proof that God unconditionally blesses either or both.  He does send needed precipitation in answer to prayer, but He is careful to let us know that His magnanimous blessings are not to be construed as carte blanche permission to do as we please.

        As free moral agents, we have the freedom to make whatever kind of choices we desire, whether right or wrong.  However, we do not have the prerogative to order the kind of results (or rewards) for those choices.  Jesus stated a divine principle in His Sermon on the Mount, which should be one of the basic building blocks for every individual who contemplates a close walk with God:

        “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matt. 7:17-20).

        Which kind of free moral agent are you?

 

 

 

 

ECCLESIASTICISM

Harry R. Miller

        The Protestant Church of our day is truly a “house divided against itself.”  Although the many different factions of this totterimg structure are founded upon widely divergent platforms, even the slightest attempt at a reformation or change in any part of any of these foundation principles is loudly decried as heresy and sacrilege, and can only result in dismal failure.  The early “protestants” against Rome were the more or less fortuitous founders of certain institutions which were doomed from their very inception to develop rapidly into great churches, their ultimate downfall assured by their fanatical adherence to extreme sectism.

        Disagreement and strife grew proportionately with the spirit of sectarianism and, as “new theologies” and perversions multiplied, it was inevitable that these “mother churches” should spawn a host of disgruntled offspring.  And once begun, the process continues to repeat itself as each generation of unholy creed-bound ecclesiastical children brings forth more of the same type of sinful disobedient progeny to increase the truant ranks of fantastic isms that already abound upon the earth.  Today, Sectarianism is hopelessly divided.  And Christ has declared that such a “house” cannot stand.

        There is only one universal “Church” of Christ.  It is the one that is founded upon “The Rock” of obedience to the Lord Jesus: all others are impostors.

        Not since the early apostolic times has the true Church been able to form a complete assembly.  Today, its members are scattered from one end of the earth to the other.  They are all members of the body of Christ, it is true, but sadly separated members.

        In this day of the judgment of the Almighty God, it would be well for all men who claim the Christian faith to make a thorough examination of their ecclesiastical structure and make sure it is founded upon the proper footing.  When the “rain” of the latter day descends, the floods are sure to follow, and the winds will beat upon every man’s house; and every house that has been erected upon the sand of sectism shall surely fall (Matt. 7:24-27).

        Sectarian societies have become very popular and appear respectable to modern man, but actually the system upon which most of these sectarian churches are founded is impractical, unscriptural, and ungodly.  This is a shocking statement, but consider carefully the following:

        Christianity is not competitive; but sectarianism is most competitive.  Real, genuine Christianity is so unusual that when manifested, it is convincing proof, even to men of the world, “that ye are my disciples” (John 13:35).  The sectarians talk Christian love and brotherhood, but they are not convincing the world of anything except that most professing Christians are hypocrites!  Much of what is carried on in the name of Christianity is in reality a travesty of the apostolic faith.  Sanctimonious ritualism is, very often, a mockery performed before a crowd of unsanctified church members to appease their consciences.

        Anyone who will deny the lucrative value of the sectarian institution just doesn’t know what he is talking about.  Oh yes, it is true that there are still many ministers who have not bowed the knee to Baal (Baal: the organization; the prestige; the pay).  But these are mainly individuals who are caught in the web and have no idea how to go about extricating themselves.  Not all ministers are corrupt – but, basically, the system is.  Certainly, Sectism has made many men financially independent; and often enough, living in comparative luxury has gone to their heads, and they have become veritable lords of God’s people.

        Sectarianism fosters rivalry, division, and all manner of carnal developments.  In such a system, the hypocritical Pharisee is born and nurtured.  The self-protective structure engenders a self-seeking priesthood.  The minister who most ardently supports and defends the constitution of the particular hierarchy that he represents rises to the most prominent places, and he is considered to be one of the most “dependable,” and “sound in the faith.”

        Secular fidelity is developed to an amazing degree in old and entrenched defenders of “the faith” of a sect.  Saul of Tarsus was an example of the extreme fanatical sectarian.  Only the intervention of Providence saved this man from becoming completely bound by his fanaticism.

        “Church fear,” the threat of disfellowship and excommunication, are instruments used by the sectarians for the purpose of holding their religious subjects in bondage to the system.

        Make a comparison between Russian Communism and sectarianism, and take note of the similarities: force, fear, and ignorance are indispensable weapons of tyranny.  The masses under the Communists and the masses under the sectarians could never be held in bondage if these three ungodly elements were exchanged for moral persuasion, love, and the plain truth.

        In Russia, crooked officials never fear exposure through the press, for under tyranny, there can be no free speech or exchange of ideas: every dissenter is silenced by fear of liquidation.  (The Russian press is a ruled organ of official propaganda.)  Name almost any denominational system and compare its structure with the Russian system of tyranny: no lay member, teacher, or minister dares to express any thought that might be contrary to the voice of power.

        Down through the ages, competitive denominations have criticized one another, each declaring that the others refuse all reasonable scriptural arguments and accept as infallible the voice of the powers that be.  The “wayfaring man” should certainly be thankful that God did not invest any earthly institution with the absolute power of interpreting the Sacred Word.

        It is no dishonor to the Creator when we investigate, examine, test, and scrutinize His word, for: “Let us reason together saith the Lord.”  Faith is not manifest by the submission of the soul to blind forces or emotional impulses – FAITH is “THE EVIDENCE” of things hoped for; but it is based upon a reasonable understanding, not of man’s word, but of the Word of God.  Ecclesiasticism demands man accept, blindly and unreservedly, its statements.  But this is unscriptural: “For cursed is the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm.”  “No more” in Samaria nor in Jerusalem will the “true worshippers” go to worship the Father: they will worship Him in spirit and in truth. (“Truth” – is His Word.)

        The sectarian system has built assemblies of believers upon the foundation of a one-man ministry.  Such a ministry is then governed by democratically selected officials who, in turn, give allegiance to a strict set of rules: the product of other democratic proceedings.  The lone minister acts as a “go-between,” or mediator, between the people and their constitution.  The creed, or constitution, is the voice of authority: as a matter of fact, it is as GOD to many present-day professing Christians.  Touch the creed and you touch the apple of the church’s eye: – you are actually desecrating their god when you begin to shake their creed.

        These peculiar doctrinal twists are, in reality, the distinguishing marks which set each sect uniquely apart from that one universal body of Christian believers.  If the “twists” can be removed from the internal doctrinal beliefs of a sect, the assembly no longer has its distinct sectarian mark – it is then just plain “Christian”!

        As long as a one-man ministry, dominated by the powers of the overlords, rules, there will be no reform of the church; neither will there be any remedy of its ills.

        The only hope of the church is that she return to that one Apostolic Order, which is plainly set forth in the book of Acts.  In apostolic times, true ministers of Christ rarely, if ever, ministered singly or alone.  Even during the brief ministry of the twelve and of the seventy – they were sent out two and two.  And when the church came together, the order of the service was that of a Christian Congress.  In such a gathering, the Scriptures were discussed by a number of ministers: issues were presented, and minds were wholly given over to the process of reasoning together.

        These apostolic discussions were never carried on behind closed doors, where certain men could come to “an understanding” (a collusive method of policy makers); but were held in public, as a preventive measure against truth being “sold down the river” for expediency’s sake.

        Open and aboveboard discussion does not confuse the minds of the people.  There is nothing else that will so clarify the doctrinal atmosphere as a reasoning together, and an unbiased analysis and investigation of facts.  There is a vast difference between the careful and systematic consideration given a subject by a group of honest seekers who are studying diligently to learn the truth, and the contentious argumentative disputes carried on by certain belligerent and quarrelsome characters who are merely interested in putting over their own ideas.  But the ill-founded logic of such an adverse element can always be shown up and made to look ridiculous in the presence of the sound reasoning of Christian ministers.

        True Christian doctrine is not static.  Truth cannot be contained within the bounds of a creed, for it is progressive: always subject to growth and development.  Sectism has attempted to align truth with certain fixed standards in order to prevent corruption of doctrine, but truth is like the manna of old: when it is confined to a set creed, it will breed worms.

        After breaking away from Catholicism, the Protestants formed one doctrinal structure after the other until today the doctrinal atom has been split so often and in so many places that a sensible man should realize that the very system, which the Protestants have adopted, must be at fault.

        A “ONE-MAN” CHURCH was unknown in the apostolic days: this is a phenomenon of the days of apostasy.  A God-ordered church has endowed men with different talents of ministry.  Each minister’s gift is a counter-balance to those of the others.  A lone ministry is lopsided: it can swiftly run out of orbit.  “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Cephas,” soon turned into carnality.  No woman could bake a cake made with only one ingredient; the church should never try to make bread that contains only one element, for its saints!

        Churches “of Paul,” of “Cephas,” and of “Apollos,” are all SECTS.  They are competitive.  They do not function as brothers, but seeking to outdo or excel one another, they let the spirit of pride supply their motive power.  The competition among such groups breeds fanaticism and all manner of evil fruits.

        All over our great nation there are literally tens of thousands of little “die-hard” groups that refuse to work with one another.  Many of these are led by some poor stick of a preacher, often someone who was never called to preach in the first place: many times a slick-tongued “boot-licker” who plays the game for what there is in it for himself.

        A great many people love to be seen and heard in public places.  The “preacher’s itch” is one of the characteristics of those preachers who never were called of God.  Such characters, filled with self-importance and self-esteem, love to run a one-man show and call it “the church of Christ.”

        Children can be forgiven for playing church, but when adults go into the business, it becomes most disgusting.  Every stratum of society has its own particular brand of (so-called) “Christian” entertainment.  The “upper crust” maintain their learned “Doctors of Divinity”: usually suave hirelings, with hearts of marble, who conduct their services with decorum and impressive dignity in keeping with their stations in serving “the best people.”  On the lowest level, for contrast, we can find a stratum of oozing humanity led by a “be-bop” preacher: usually a fellow of the baser sort, and more often than not, one whose moral background is extremely dubious.  This character leads his “shin-dig” show into a combination of boogie-woogie and voodoo devil dance; while between the top-notch, and this gutter brand of (so-called) “Christian” devotions, there are literally hundreds of different layers and combinations of sects and cults, all claiming to serve the same Lord and Saviour.

        “The inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left” (Isaiah 24:6).  Here is a prophecy of a major event which will take place before the return of the Lord Jesus.  It might be well to consider who these few men are, and just why they are left.

        Great destruction in this end time will decimate the greater part of the inhabitants of the earth.  It is written in Matthew twenty-four: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time…And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (verses 21,22).

        It would seem that the “few men” and the “elect” are one and the same people.  Let us now consider a portion from Matthew 7:14: “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and FEW there be that find it.”  These few men were very fortunate in that they found the way of life.  Apparently, the “way of life” is not forced upon men, neither has it ever become so common to man that it is patronized by the multitudes.  This way must be sought by men in order to be found of them.  “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”

        The elect are those who have sought the things of God, and have not let down until they found.  Too many people give up before they reach the goal; these fall by the wayside.

        In Luke 13:23, a certain man put a very pertinent question to the Lord Jesus.  He asked, “Lord are there few that be saved?”  My friend, consider the Master’s answer – “Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able.  When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut the door….”

        The master of the house is going to “rise up,” for He has promised to do a great and mighty work of shaking the earth in this last day.  The heavens will blare forth their message of the coming of the day of God Almighty.  The sun, the moon, and the stars, all shall give an undisputable testimony.  Then a great sign that shall indicate His imminent coming.  No wonder the men of earth will “seek to enter in.”  This will be the time when they cast their idols of gold and silver to the moles and the bats.  It is then that the great multitudes begin to pray for the rocks and the mountains to fall upon them and hide them from the face of the Master.

        “As it was in the days of Noah, so also shall it be at the coming of the son of man.”  Not many men went into the ark in the days of Noah.  Few men would pay any attention to Noah or his message.  He preached sound doctrine, but they would not receive it.  So also is it today.  Most Christians today refuse to accept the words of God, for they will not permit their religion to be of such a nature that it will interfere with their way of life.

        A true Christian walk will not only interfere with a man’s way of life, but will also completely change it; politically, commercially, financially, economically, and spiritually.

        The following scriptures prove these points: “Who hath delivered us from the power (dominion) of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son” (Col. 1:13).  (The political life changed.)

        “Go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor” (Matt. 19:21).  New Testament Christians are not to buy, but are to sell and give.  This is not practiced today. (A change in commerce.)

        “Give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not” (Luke 12:33).  And in order to accomplish this, men were told to “sell that ye have.” (A change in financial procedure.)

        “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:27).  This will certainly change any man’s way of living.

        We are told to live no longer the rest of our time “in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God” (I Peter 4:1,2).  And in Romans 12:1, we are told to present our bodies a living sacrifice unto God – which is a reasonable service.  If men will do these things, they will be among the few men who are the Lord’s elect.

 

 

 

 

ARE YOU SUFFERING?

Curtis Dickinson

        “Why does God allow so much suffering in the world?”  This is a common question.  While we do not expect to know why Almighty God does everything, there are some things about suffering that can be understood from a study of scripture.

        Suffering is a universal problem.  From the modern hospital bed in Rochester to the bombed-out streets of Kabul, there is physical pain, mental anguish, and the lonely helplessness of dying.

        In every national political campaign, great promises are heard: There is to be no more ignorance, poverty, disappointments, infidelity, defeat, or despair.  In our society, everyone, if he is “normal,” is healthy, wealthy, financially secure from the cradle to the grave, and supplied with plenty of recreation and entertainment.  Nevertheless, he is going to suffer.  But when suffering strikes, it comes as a great shock to the person totally unprepared.

        Many religious writers, whose understanding of the book market is developed far beyond their understanding of THE BOOK, tell us that the Christian life should be one free of burdens.  They “use” Christian concepts for success in the marketplace and insist that if we have faith, God will make us rich, cure all our physical ailments, and see that we are loved and esteemed by everyone.

        Then Christians ask, “But why does God allow me to suffer?”

        If they had done their homework, they would have read that suffering is a part of God’s program.  Jesus said, “The Son of man must suffer many things…If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:22,23).  So at the very beginning of the Christian journey, there is the introduction of the cross and suffering.  How could anyone think that he could be a true Christian and escape suffering?

        Since Adam’s rebellion, there have been evil people in the world.  Life must be lived out in the midst of good and evil, and although we choose the good, there still remains the pressure and opposition of the evil.  Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18).

        If so much suffering is due to sin, the next question is, “Why does God allow sin in the world?”  The answer is that, as long as God allows people in the world, He must allow sin!  Man is created with such marvelous mental powers that he may do good or evil, and as long as he is alienated from God, he continues to do evil.  Only by stamping out man could God stamp out sin.  Of course, God will do just that very thing in the day of judgment, by destroying the entire world, sinners included (II Peter 3:7).  But in the meantime, He is “long-suffering, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).

        As long as the world stands, there will be good and evil, the wheat and the tares, and therefore suffering.  The solution will come when God rescues all believers – those who have turned their hearts and minds to the Creator, through Christ – from the world, and then destroys it.  In the new heaven and earth, there will be only righteousness, for there will be only righteous people there (II Peter 3:13. Cf. Rev. 21:1-5; 22:1-5).

        Still, we ask, “But why does God allow THIS suffering?”  In the prime of life, one is cut down in the agony of disease.  The one who is striving to make a Christian home is stunned by the wife or husband who bitterly opposes the life of faith.  After gearing one’s life to suburban living, with all the luxuries a comfortable salary can afford, one finds he is out of a job, and the financial pressure becomes unbearable.

        So suffering inevitably comes even to those of faith.  We might say that it comes especially to those of faith, for these are the ones who can profit by it.  To understand suffering, we first must understand the purpose of God.  “And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).  ALL THINGS!  Even suffering?  Yes, especially suffering.

        But the key to understanding this bold statement is the word, purpose. It is God’s purpose that is to be done.  His goal is not to give everyone a paradise on earth, but to prepare us for the eternal paradise to come.  His goal is not that we should be rich in material things, but rich in His spiritual blessings.  His purpose is to have a people in His image, “holy and without blemish before Him in love.”  Whatever the suffering the Christian must endure, it cannot defeat his purpose to attain this goal.

        Did not the suffering of Christ work out for the good of God’s purpose, that He might redeem sinners from death by the sinless one dying in the sinner’s place?  Did not the suffering of Stephen work for good for all Christians who are challenged by his example?  Who can know the influence that Stephen’s martyrdom had on Paul, who held the coats that day for the Jews who committed the murder?  And while the suffering ended Stephen’s life, it did not thwart God’s purpose for him, for God can raise him up at the last day and grant him immortality.

        And what of the suffering of Peter and John?  Did it thwart the purpose of God for them?  Not at all.  It developed their patience and compassion so that they could withstand the pressure from their enemies and hold fast to the truth of God, leaving the marvelous records for millions to read and know His purpose.  There is a witness for God that only the dark shadows can bring out.  The fact of God’s sustaining spirit can only be proven in the crucible of suffering.  The reality of our belief in God’s ultimate purpose to save us from this present evil world and give us immortality in a new creation is best demonstrated in the pressure of the suffering we endure.  Hence, the Hebrew Christians could take joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing that for themselves they had a better and more enduring possession (Heb. 10:34).

        Is your suffering physical?  Paul suffered physically, “longing to be clothed upon with (the) habitation which is from heaven” (II Cor. 5:2).  Paul was writing about the resurrection (II Cor. 4:14-5:10).  Such suffering in the flesh teaches us the necessity and the glory of the immortality to be granted at Christ’s coming, when all believers will be changed to powerful immortal beings.  Also, physical suffering causes the witness of the sufferer to stand out all the stronger.  It was when seen in the midst of the fiery furnace that the three Hebrews in Babylon called attention to the power of God.  From the cross, we look excitedly to the resurrection.

        Is your suffering caused by financial pressure?  It is God’s purpose to have us trust Him totally, not for material benefits, but in spite of their absence.  It was after Job lost all that he possessed that he exclaimed, “to God would I commit my cause” (Job 5:8).  It is only when deprived of material things that many people can learn not to depend upon them.  To be diminished in goods does not mean we are diminished in God’s eyes.  The goal – to be conformed to the image of God – does not require luxurious furnishings and all the modern gadgets money buys.  Moreover, the witness to the world is more convincing from the lips of those who obviously do not serve God for the sake of temporal gain.

        Is your suffering at the hands of others?  Jesus said, “In the world you have tribulation” (John 16:33a).  John wrote, “We know that the whole world lies in the evil one” (I John 5:19).  It is natural that the purpose of God should be opposed by God’s enemies, and we who are aligned with His purpose will receive the enemy’s blows.  Such conflict forms the background for our witness and builds us up for the battle.  Adversity puts muscle in our faith and our message.  “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial among you, which comes upon you to prove you, as though a strange thing happened unto you: but insomuch as you are partakers of Christ’s suffering, rejoice; that at the revelation of His glory also you may rejoice with exceeding joy” (I Peter 4:12).

        Suffering burns out the ambition to gain this world, so that we might gain the new one.  Suffering demonstrates the evil of sin and sets us toward the goal of godliness.  Suffering lays a steady hand upon our fickleness to force us into a steadfast purpose.  And when we have passed through the fire of suffering, we do not curse the flame, but rather bless God for the affliction which opened our eyes to His blazing glory.

        To understand suffering, we must know God’s purpose and make His purpose our own.  As pilgrims in this world, we understand that “the world passes away, and the lusts thereof; but he that does the will of God abides forever” (I John 2:17).

        Anti-Christian forces have become more militant and seek to destroy all that is Christian, causing intense suffering to faithful Christians over the entire world.  But this means that the time of fulfillment of all we hope for is nearer.  To be marked for opposition from God’s enemies means that we are marked for His fellowship in the new Creation.

        “In the world you have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

 

 

 

 

A RELIGION OF PEACE

Randall Walton

        We have noted with interest that many people have been proclaiming that the Islamic religion is one of peace and harmony with one’s neighbors.  There is a grain of truth in this statement, but it is certainly not the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

        Just as the religion we call Christian is made up of many different colors and stripes – from ultra-liberal to ultra-conservative and many points between – so it is with the Islamic religion.  There are some Muslims who believe in and practice peaceful coexistence with non-Muslims.  But they do not follow the teachings of the Koran closely.  They decry the use of violence and warfare and prefer to practice their religion in peace and quietness.

        But they represent a small segment in the ranks of Islam.  There are millions of others who have adopted a measure of protest against the infidels (Christians and Jews), but do not embrace acts of violence in their protests.  From the passive Muslim to the ultra-radical is a long stretch which includes varying degrees of physical restraint and confrontation all along the way, until you finally come to the extreme radical – the terrorists – who believe their mission in life is to exterminate all non-believers by whatever means is possible, even if it includes suicide.

        We should not be so naive as to believe that official Islam embraces peace and brotherhood among the world’s inhabitants: it does not!  World domination and “Islam-only” is its goal.  The peaceful Muslims are not considered faithful to the cause because they do not strictly conform to the teachings of the Koran.

        The only true religion of peace is that founded by Jesus the Christ ,who Himself is the Prince of peace.  “The kingdom of God is righteousness, and PEACE, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17).  There is no peace in this world apart from Him. “These things I have spoken unto you, that IN ME YE MIGHT HAVE PEACE” (John 16:33a).

        For the true Christian, peace is in Jesus Christ.  The world may be in total confusion and turmoil and violence, but the man or woman of God has no fear: his peace is permanent and secure because it is built upon an impregnable foundation.

        Jesus stated most emphatically that “I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life: NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME” (John 14:6).  That statement negates every religion on the face of the earth except TRUE Christianity!  Only those people who go to God through Jesus the Christ can be saved or expect to see heaven.  All else is vanity and worthless, offering only a vain, empty hope to their followers.  Sad but true.

        Thank God for Jesus and His vicarious death.  Thank God for preserving for us a record of His wonderful teachings and commands.  Thank God for peace which passes understanding – available only through His Blessed Son.

 

 

 

 

DOROTHY ADINA PUGH

        On December the first, we lost another member of the People of the Living God family.  Dorothy Adina Pugh passed away at the age of eighty-eight leaving behind two sons, Donald and Tony Pugh, a sister, Loretta Fountain, and other family members.  Sister Adina has been a member of this fellowship since a child and has always been very dedicated and supportive, being willing to fill in wherever she was needed.

        She met her husband, Delano, in the mid-fifties; they were married in 1957 and a little over a year later had their first child.  In New Orleans, she taught second grade for a while but, liking to be outside, she switched from the classroom to taking P.E. with the younger students.  In December 1981, she and Delano moved to Tennessee and, about a year later, started a dairy.  Adina worked right alongside Delano for several years, running cows, milking, vaccinating, nursing cows and calves, and any other job that needed to be done. 

        In 1989, she and Delano moved to Washington to start a dairy there.  By the end of 1991, the dairy in Washington was operating and proved to be very successful.  However, by 1998, the work was suffering financially, and the whole operation was suffering from lack of workers to do all the work necessary to keep it afloat.  Delano and Adina returned to Tennessee in June of 1999, and all the property, includ ing the dairy, was sold.

        Back in Tennessee, they returned to running the dairy here until Delano passed in August of 2009.  Adina also taught in the school here in Tennessee for a few years before her age began to affect her, and she was not able to keep teaching.  For the past few years, her health had slowly deteriorated and after a couple of falls and surgeries, she succumbed to her injuries and age.  She will be missed by all who knew her.