Watchman Archives

There are many things to be accomplished in a local church. There is the work of evangelism, edification and benevolence. Elders are appointed by God to oversee the local work and deacons are appointed to serve its needs in a special way. Worship is designed by God to lift up praises to Himself and to allow saints to glorify His name, expressing the deepest emotions of a human heart. The local church is a place of ministry, a place to be busy, a relationship of the spirit and a home for kindred souls that encourage one another.

The Lord’s church today needs devoted disciples! The truthfulness of this statement is self-evident. The purpose of this article, and one of the reasons for this special issue of Watchman, is the recognition that there are many challenges besetting the church as we near a new century. In order for God’s institution to be able to fulfill His mission for it, Christians must do their work.

The work of women in the local church must be defined by gospel standards and not by our culture. The way we live is vastly different from New Testament times but God has permanently set the pattern for work and organization of the church outside of time and human influence. Regardless of how much more social freedom women have today, the work of women in the church is the same as it was when Priscilla traveled with her husband, when Dorcas made clothes for the needy, and when Phoebe was serving the church in Cenchrea.

Let us never forget that we are saved only because God extended his grace in love, by sending His Son. Let us never forget that if we make it to Heaven, it will not be because we earned or paid our way there, but rather because of that freely offered gift. And let us never forget our part of this salvation equation. The extension of grace teaches us that we have certain responsibilities to our God. Notice what Paul told Titus in Titus 2:11-12, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age…” The gift has been offered, and it is up to us to accept it through the obedient faith described by James in his epistle.

Ignorance is destructive to the child of God (Hos. 4:6; Isa. 5:13). If we are not armed with God’s word, we cannot fight the battle against Satan and his agents (Eph. 6:10-17). Therefore, let us be diligent in our studies. Let those of us who are blessed to preach regularly, teach our brethren the false claims of denominational error (exposing it in the light, Eph. 5:11-13), so they may know the difference between it and God’s truth. Let us show them the distinction between what some of our own brethren advocate and what the Bible actually says. Don’t be deceived!

At some point, we stubborn humans are going to have to submit to the even more stubborn facts, and confess that the great evolutionary processes that our children are forced to learn in school do not exist – outside of the imagination of man. There is a God in heaven, and we ought to stop trying to explain Him away.

There is a beautiful and rich word in the Hebrew language that powerfully describes the faithful mercy and steadfast lovingkindness of our Lord. This meaning filled Hebrew word is transliterated into English as hesed.

The author’s personal reflections on his ministry in Germany.

La verdad es la realidad, lo que existe (Hebreos 11:6). Cristo es la verdad, la palabra de Dios es la verdad, el evangelio es la verdad, la doctrina de Cristo es la verdad, el Nuevo Testamento es la verdad. No hay substituto para la verdad. No hay otra cosa “tan buena” como la verdad. Las leyes y tradiciones de las iglesias humanas no sirven porque no nos hacen libres del pecado. No pueden hacer lo que la verdad hace.

A loving father writes a letter of concern to a wayward child.

A Loving Father writes a letter of concern to a wayward child.

A Loving father writes a letter to his wayward child.

Local Church Autonomy must be understood to avoid error. For example, we must not be guilty of violating autonomy, and establishing denominational structures. However, it is also important that we not “hide behind” autonomy, to justify a departure from the truth of God’s word. Autonomy simply gives us the right, no matter what others may do, to serve God as He commands.

Let us remember that spiritual integrity is something that God requires of us. I like to think He is patient with us because of what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 7:1, “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” Are you working to perfect your holiness (or integrity)?

we need to take out our Bibles, roll up our sleeves, and get to work answering the arguments presented by the “Change Artists.” We do not have to be unkind; but we do need to be bold and straight forward. We need to stand for truth, and let the world, and the Lord, know the position we occupy.

Muchos creen que el Dios del Antiguo Testamento era Dios cruel que sólo hablaba de castigar, y creen que el Dios del Nuevo Testamento es muy tierno y “puro amor”, pero Dios no cambia (Mal. 3:6).

When we penitently believe on Jesus Christ, becoming obedient to His will, God forgives us those sins which have been put to our account. It is in this manner that God imputes righteousness to me. Since our sins are forgiven, they can no longer be imputed (“…blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin”, Romans 4:8). God thereby restores me to that condition of righteousness which I occupied beofre I sinned (Ecclesiastes 7:29), and pronounces me righteous on the basis of forgiveness.

Jesus knew and recognized the difference between His Father and the Holy Spirit. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my (Jesus’) name, he (the Comforter, the Holy Spirit) shall bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I (Jesus) have said unto you” (Jn. 14:26). “The Comforter,” the “Holy Spirit” was sent “from the Father” (Jn.15:26). Thus, Jesus (if language means anything at all) made a distinction between the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Darwin said the fossil record would prove his theory, but time, excavation, and research have not shown this to be true.

With the abundance of error on the person, work, and indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we thought it prudent to republish these outlines for your study, and encourage you to pass them along to others. We need to make sure we are well grounded in the faith concerning this issue, as Charismatic/Pentecostal groups are on the increase (Col. 1:23; Titus 1:9-14). Too, there are brethren who believe in a direct non-miraculous indwelling of the Spirit, something which brother Puckett and this writer deny.