Watchman Archives

My beloved brethren, we must harmonize all scripture (2 Tim. 2:15) to distinguish the colossal difference between how matters of personal faith (Rom. 14) and matters of the faith (Jude 3) are to be handled, unless we can swallow camels.

A gospel preacher must never take his purpose lightly. He must strive hard to never let popular opinion sway his message. If he does, he might wake up one day to find that his audience has left him for one with even softer preaching. Our purpose is simply to preach the word as God revealed it. Let the unadulterated seed, the word of God, have the opportunity to be sown into the hearts of the hearers, just as God meant it to be.

We do not want to send our young people to a college run by brethren if we can’t trust that they will be taught the truth while there. We don’t want to send our children to summer camps run by brethren if an appeal to emotionalism is the rule. We don’t want to have our children attend youth retreats and lectureships if they get the idea that fun and frolic is the work of the church. While we want our children to know how very precious their souls are, we do not want them to think that the work of the church is to cater to their whims.

Vacation Bible School Material: The Parables of Jesus

If you are without Christ, a defenseless pawn in Satan’s game, it is a wretched existence that leads only to a worse eternity. The seventh chapter of Romans closes with a hint that deliverance from this wretched existence is possible and in this lifetime, through the Redeemer.

With this issue of Watchman Magazine, we begin a new feature intended to help Christians (especially preachers) to both utilize the tremendous opportunities that technology supplies in preaching the gospel of Christ, and avoid the pitfalls that are associated with the same.

1 Cor. 1:2, “los que en cualquier lugar invocan el nombre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo”. Esto no se refiere a la oración directa a Cristo. Compárese Hech. 2:21, “Todo aquel que invocare el nombre del Señor, será salvo”. ¿Se salva uno por la oración sola? En el mismo capítulo vemos que es necesario el arrepentimiento y el bautismo para perdón de pecados (v. 38). Invocar su nombre es reconocer la autoridad de Cristo y acudirle para obtener la salvación.

Surely we can realize that it has always been a sin to steal. The Law of Moses clearly stated, in Exodus 20:15, “You shall not steal.” Jesus repeated this basic law in Matthew 19:18. The Apostle Paul repeated it in Romans 13:9. Paul goes on to explain the proper way to obtain needed goods in Ephesians 4:28, “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.”

It matters not at all how the Baptists or any other sect votes on any issue or doctrine. All the edicts of all the ecclesiastical bodies of the all the earth count for nothing and mean even less. What is changed by their vote? Are the resolutions of men bound upon the word of God? Can they alter what God has said? No, not one syllable!

The purpose of this address is to examine the New Testament record and see how New Testament churches conducted missionary work or the work of evangelizing the world. We shall see that, in the execution of their divine commission, the matter of supervision, management and control was in the local churches, where God himself placed it, and was never transferred to a general board. The authority divinely invested in the local church was everywhere strictly respected, which effectually blocked the way against the entanglements which have always marked the history of general ecclesiastical organizations in religion.

To so preach is to “speak boldly”, but to speak boldly is to speak as one ought to speak. As Paul requested the prayers of his brethren, so does every faithful preacher today. This preacher, as every other servant of God, requests that you pray that I might “speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Eph. 6:20).

There is no convoluted, legal jargon in Jesus’ commands to us today. We must simply obey His will as plainly declared in the Gospel. Whether those commands regard the need to love our neighbor, the requirements of godliness in morality, or the plan of salvation, we must look to the clear teaching of Christ and obey it.

Churches need to concern themselves with doing the work God designed them to do. Far too often for far too long, church work has been driven by human idealism rather than divine wisdom. Typically, men start with a human idea of “good work,” then ask “what’s wrong with it?” And then, if they do not find it specifically condemned in Scripture, they begin to practice it. This process has produced not only the man-made mess known as denominationalism, but also division after unscriptural division among churches of Christ. What we need to do is start with God’s design, accept that His way is not only right but also best, and then follow His pattern implicitly.

What about your relationship with Christ? Have you been added by the Lord to His church? Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Those that believe and are baptized will be saved Mark 16:16. About three thousand baptized believers were added to the Lord’s church after the Word was preached on Pentecost Acts 2:41. Do you believe? Are you willing to change and follow Christ? Have you been baptized for the remission of sins? If not, why not? Jesus will add you to His fold if you accept His terms. Study your Bible, follow the teaching of Christ. Be Saved.

Truly, baptism for the remission of sins is one of the most controversial subjects. The reason for this is because men do not want to do it! When we get our hearts right, we will want to do all that God has said. When we love Him, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15, 23-24). Dear reader, please consider your soul, and how important it is (Matthew 16:26)! Christ died for you (Matthew 20:28). Do not turn your back on Him, but do what is right by becoming His child today and living for Him all the days of your life (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

Conjuring up the confidence to confess Christ before men prior to baptism is an important step unto salvation, but confession does not cease there. Instead, it becomes a daily obligation and blessing, the way in which the rest of the Christian’s life is defined and dedicated to God.

Before one can repent he must become aware of his sin and be sorrowed by it. In such sorrow he must desire to amend his life in harmony with the Lord’s will and then bring forth those fruits of repentance already noted in this study (Psalm 51:1-3,17,7,13-15). Many will be lost in the final day because of a failure to repent, even many claiming to be God’s children. Let us all be careful that we not become stiff-necked, refusing to repent. In fact, every lost person will be in torment because he failed to repent.

It is necessary for each sinner to be taught the truth in order to produce faith (Romans 10:17). His faith must lead to repentance (Acts 17:30; Acts 2:38), to confession (Romans 10:9,10), and to baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). Upon being baptized he is a child of God, an heir of God, and joint heir with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17), added to the Lord’s church (Acts 2:47), and the recipient of all spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). Truly, this is the man who has been saved by faith (Ephesians 2:1-10).

All religious institutions, conceptions, and actions that find their authority outside the law of Christ are sinful and are destined to be rooted up by God (Matthew 15:13). The religion of Christ was designed by God in eternity, and must remain as delivered unto us by the Holy Spirit in the Bible. To add to it or to take from it or to preach other than its precepts is to incur the wrath of God (Galatians 1:8,9; 2 John 9-11; Revelation 22:18,19).

One’s beliefs about Genesis 1 reflect to a great degree his belief about the inspiration and authority of the Bible. The doctrine of Bible inspiration declares that God supernaturally revealed to its authors the very words of God himself (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Because the Bible is God’s inspired revelation, it has authority over man. What it speaks on creation carries greater weight than the pronouncements of the educated of any age, including our own and those in the future.