Brighten the Corner Where You Are

Oscar Pimentel, General Overseer The Church of God

“Every member a worker, and a work for every member” —A. J. Tomlinson

A. J. Tomlinson’s challenging words (above) remind everyone that all can do something for God no matter what. It is certain that no matter where we are in the world and who or where we are in the Church, we can, by God’s grace, brighten the corner where we are. There is an old hymn we used to sing, perhaps some of the youth may never have sung it before, it is entitled “Brighten the Corner Where You Are.” Some of the lyrics of the song are:

Do not wait until some deed
of greatness you may do
Do not wait to shed your light afar
To the many duties ever near you now be true
Brighten the corner where you are.

Here for all your talent you may
surely find a need
Here reflect the bright and Morning Star
Even from your humble hand
the Bread of Life may feed
Brighten the corner where you are.

The hymn encourages us to gleam for Christ right where we find ourselves now and not wait for some sort of platform that may be able to catapult us into the so-called “limelight” of public or Church attention. Neither should one wait for some special occasion, event or opportunity, but one should identify and understand that especially in our normal, even mundane, everyday lives we can do some good deed, share some encouraging words or simply testify of what the Lord has been doing in our own lives. You can be a worker!

One does not need special acknowledgment or recognition to shine for Christ wherever he or she finds him or herself, after all, Christ’s notice of us is a recognition far greater than any other; rather, we should acknowledge and recognize the great necessity that strangers, coworkers, neighbors and families have of the Saviour. Let’s not leave all the work to the pastors or the evangelists, although they have a special calling on their lives into the ministry for which they will report to the Lord, but you and I someway, somehow, to some person or persons, can be the difference makers if we simply brighten our important corner of the world.

You may judge that your corner of the world is not important, but if there is a soul near you it is, in fact, an important corner of the world! Take a look around, without respect to persons, do you see the poor, rich, sick, healthy, happy, sad, friendly, unfriendly, small and great? Most importantly, do you see the soul? Allow me to remind you of some of the words of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, “Ye are the light of the world...Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:14-16).

Christ is the True Light, and He has lit a flame in every child of God with full intent that we should be used of Him where He has placed us for His Father’s glory unto the saving of souls. Do we believe that we are where we are today by accident? Dear loved one, you are exactly where the Lord needs you to be, and you are an important part of God’s great program. The splendor of the glorious light of the gospel of Jesus Christ which now shines in you is not to be hindered by past or present life conditions. We may, at times, ask ourselves, “What difference can I, one person, really make?”, but we underestimate the power of ONE. Read the following tidbit of information I found during some personal time of reading:

ONE mischievous boy can break up a school. One false alarm can cause a panic. One match can start a conflagration. One false step can cost a life or ruin a character. One broken wheel can ditch a train. One quarrelsome worker can create a strike of ten thousand men. One undiplomatic word can provoke a war involving thousands of lives and destruction of millions of dollars in property. One hasty act of legislation can entail untold hardships. One wayward daughter can break a mother’s heart. One lie can destroy a person’s character. One false witness can send an innocent man to jail. One vote can decide an election. One kind word at the right time may save a person from suicide. One sermon may fire a man’s soul and set the course for his future life. One drink may start a person on the road to alcoholism. One wrong example may lead dozens down the wrong path. One decision for Christ will determine future destiny.

And the Bible says: “one sinner destroyeth much good” (Eccl. 9:18). Yes, just as one broken link can make a chain useless, just as one leak can sink a ship, or just as one worm can spoil an apple. But we are glad to note that ONE can do good, as when one good word makes a heavy heart glad: “Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad” (Prov. 12:25). One faithful ambassador is health: “A wicked messengerfalleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is health” (Prov. 13:17). Just one word spoken in due season—how good it is: “A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!” (Prov. 15:23). Just one word:

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (Prov. 25:11). Noah found grace in the eyes of God, one man upon the whole earth, and because of his obedience the human race was spared. Esther put her life in jeopardy and risked death by daring to enter in to the king’s hall, she saved her nation from extinction. Jonah, after his escapade, went to Nineveh in obedience to God and preached, and a great revival of repentance broke out in the city.”

Oh, the power of ONE! There are two great personages whom we often speak of from the Old Testament passage of 2 Kings 5; and rightly so, because by Elisha the prophet of God and Naaman the captain of the host of the king of Syria, God was glorified. Yet there is one person often overlooked in this whole account who, as a matter of fact, is far more important than either of these two men of renown, for without her neither of these two men would have had this encounter.

She has no name; at least her name, unlike Elisha’s and Naaman’s, is not shared with us—she is only known as “a little maid” (v. 2). Perhaps her name is not given on purpose since it affords us the chance, if we will take it, to add our name in its place, therein granting us the opportunity—better yet, the privilege to place ourselves in her spot and to do as she did—brighten the corner where she was.

We know by Scripture that her country had been attacked by the enemy, Syria, and she had been brought to Naaman’s house a captive, no doubt a slave and a servant void of any rights or voice. Let us continue to consider her possible life’s conditions. Her parents may have been slaughtered during Syria’s invasion of Israel.

She must have seen her city destroyed and burned to the ground; if not, she may have at least had the unfortunate occasion to witness her childhood community destroyed. Who knows if she may have had siblings whose whereabouts were unknown to her when she was removed from her homeland. She was torn away from friends and loved ones and the comforts of her home, to be dragged away to an uncertain future.

How would you and I fare under such sorrows of life? What would be our spirit under similar experiences? Have tough and unexpected experiences of life caused us to feel like the prophet Jeremiah who said, “I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name” (Jer. 20:9) in his time of temptation? Perhaps it would be all the reason to abandon the faith and wallow in self-pity. We have all, somewhere along the way, had our fill of sorrow and heartbreak and, unfortunately, others may come, but what we do amid those moments is what ultimately matters.

Take courage dear saint, have another look at this one little maid’s testimony in Naaman’s house. She is reminiscent of that great man Job who, having lost everything, declared, “...Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). Furthermore, it was said of him, “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (Job 1:22), and this same spirit seems to have taken hold of this little maid, and can take hold of you and me as well. She was not there by accident, nor were her circumstances merely unfortunate. No! Someone has said, “Unless affliction is seen to be God’s work, it does little good to the soul.” They were God ordained! God knows how to put us where He needs us, and He knows what to allow into our lives for His divine purposes.

Unto the man who was responsible for the army of Syria—the same army which was dispatched by his orders to ravage her homeland and strip her and her countrymen of all they had and ever hoped to be—she, seeing his infirmity unto death, would in effect say to him, “I know a Man whom you can go to and be healed!” It is apparent that she had no anger or resentment or hatred in her heart toward this man, or any man, nor was she entertaining a pessimistic spirit of “Woe is me, how can I help, if I need the help?” The little maid was not looking for a blessing but desired to be a blessing! She wasn’t talking about “I’m just barely holding on,” but she had, as it were, laid hold of eternal life!

She, looking beyond herself and beyond this man’s own faults, observed his need. She goes on to share the news of help, health, and hope that can be found in God; not from the vantage point of having achieved her life goals, ambitions and dreams, or from the comforts of a life where all things had turned out the way she planned them, but amid her life’s condition as a captive and servant in Naaman’s house and the experience of all that led to this point in her life.

What an inspiring example of one person who brightened the corner where she was, regardless of her circumstances! Calling or no calling! She was not some great preacher, like the prophet or a person in great authority like Naaman, but she was one person who obeyed God.

What is our excuse to not shine for God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ? Has our love for souls waxed cold due to our past or present experiences or actual circumstances? Paul asked, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Rom. 8:35). What is it, dear saint? What could cause the love of God, love for our neighbor, to exit our lives? “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:37-39). Don’t let life take it away, but be determined to brighten the corner where you are! Be determined! Be determined!

Do not wait until some deed
of greatness you may do
Do not wait to shed your light afar
To the many duties ever near you now be true
Brighten the corner where you are.

Somewhere she had learned, somewhere she had seen, somewhere she had experienced the love and power of God and did not forget about it when it mattered the most—when she was alone and even afraid. I wonder how many times Naaman and his wife walked past her while in his house and paid little to no attention to her, yet there in that place of little importance and little recognition that one little maid was the difference maker because she dared to tell them of her great big God upon recognizing his great big need. Oh, isn’t it true, we have a mighty God who is a match for mighty needs?!

Now imagine Naaman’s arrival at home to his wife and family after dipping seven times in the River Jordan according to the words of the prophet Elisha. His leprosy was gone; his flesh was left like unto that of a little child and was no more plagued by that horrible and dreaded flesh-eating disease. Imagine the joy of that man and his family and an untold number of others who knew what he was like before. Imagine the little maid’s delight. He wouldn’t have to keep people at a distance anymore, he wouldn’t have to hide any more, he had no need to feel ashamed anymore because his leprosy was gone!

Now imagine when you see that unkind and cruel man or woman come through the doors of your local church with a kind and gentle new behavior because you dared to “brighten the corner where you are” and made mention of a Man, Jesus Christ, whom they could go to for healing. Imagine the drunkard or drug addict whom everyone has lost hope for, even their very family, coming to a time of fellowship clean and in their right mind because you worked for God and brightened the corner by telling them “Come to God.” These are not things to be merely imagined, they have happened and will happen if we will only work for God where we are.

Work for God, dear saint, let your light so shine, brighten the corner where you are no matter the circumstances—pleasurable or disagreeable—which you are presently in; without respect to persons, whether you are under special appointment in your local church or not, whether you feel as if you are a God called minister or not, whether you hold an evangelist’s license or not, do as this little maid who right smack dab in the middle of her day-to-day living saw a need nearby and took the opportunity to tell someone about her God and His goodness toward us.

WHICH IS THE CHURCH?

By: Robert J. Pruitt

WHICH IS THE CHURCH?

Nothing has done more to confuse and frustrate the plan of God in the world than denominationalism.

One can understand the frustration of a new convert to Christ when he begins to look for a church home. Each one either claims to be the true church or a denominate part of it, yet there are others who claim the same thing and neither will have anything whatsoever to do with the other-no fellowship, no unity, no brotherhood, no agreement, no love for one another.

Can denominationalism, then, be the Church? Absolutely not. There is no similarity to it and the scriptural image of the Church. "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Ephesians 4:4-6).

Where, then, is the Church? is it to be found in the world? Is it functioning now? These questions must be answered by the support of Scripture; otherwise we would remain as confused as when we started.

Briefly, we can use the same test to identify the Church, the Body of Christ, as was used to identify Jesus Christ as the Messiah. That test was that He fit and fulfilled the prophetic image of that One. There were, no doubt, many little boys the age of Jesus who had the same name as He. But there was only one who was the true Messiah. The same test may be applied to identify the Church.

When John the Baptist was in prison and had some misgivings and apprehensions about Jesus being the true Messiah, he sent some of his own disciples to Jesus to ask Him personally if He was the one or should they begin looking for another. How did Jesus answer their question? At first He told them nothing; He simply asked that they accompany Him. "And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he. whosoever shall not be offended in me" (Luke 7:21-23). That was Jesus' answer as to whether He was truly the Messiah. He did what the Messiah was supposed to do. He fulfilled that place in prophecy.

The same test of identity must be applied to the true Church. The one which fulfills exactly the image projected in prophecy is the true Church. Now, the only problem is to find it.

Let us return to the prophets and trace the conception, development, and continuity of the Church right to this moment.

The Church's appearance on the earth was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah and others: Isaiah 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house (the theocracy, the Church) shall be established in the top of the mountains (literally mountains), and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. Read also almost the same words by the prophet Micah (Micah 4:1, 2). Then the Psalmist David, filling the role of prophet wrote, "There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth" (Psalm 72:16). The initial phase of these three prophecies was fulfilled when Jesus took the twelve up into a mountain (Mt. Hattin, about A.D. 28) and established the Church: "And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils" (Mark 3:13-15). Thus, the Church was organized, the names of the twelve were listed Judas was appointed treasurer (John 12:6; 13:9), and the twelve were ordained.

The newly established Church worked with Christ and grew in its early stages. There were problems and persecutions but it was learning at the feet of Jesus.

After the crucifixion, at which time the Church was scattered and many turned away, it again was given a new impetus at Pentecost when one hundred and twenty of the saints experienced the infilling of the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, whom Jesus had promised to send after His ascension (Acts 2).

This new power caused the Church to grow and consequently to incur the wrath and persecution of those Jews who disagreed with its doctrine and the acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah. The Church survived the persecution and began to grow in numbers and influence. External threats were no longer their greatest problem. There was trouble brewing from within. The apostle Paul described it in Acts 20:29-31: "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." Read als 2 Peter 2:1, 2 and the book of Jude. All these warn the internal problems which threatened the Church.

This threat was not unknown to prophecy however, because both Isaiah and Micah again were inspired to warn of the events to come.

"For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth (the early Church), when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have l sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee (Isaiah 54:6-10).

On the same incident, Micah had this to say, "Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies" (Micah 4:10). (Although it is generally considered that the universal religious confusion constitutes the "Babylon" referred to in the Scriptures, there is a more specific application inferred here. In view of the fact that there is unlimited religious freedom in the United States of America, and as a result there are more than three thousand different religious organizations of all persuasions, both Christians and non-Christians this country above all other nations of the world is a seething bed of religious confusion. Within this context it seems plausible that it fits the description of the prophet Micah when he said of the Church ".. thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered . .." And since the Church arose this side of the Dark Ages in this land, the application seems to have some validity.)

These prophecies of the downfall of the early Church were officially fulfilled in A.D. 325 when the Church, weak in power and doctrine as a result of the evil leaders who had crept in, accepted an ecclesiastical, or council, form of government to replace theocracy at the Council of Nicaea. At that point it no longer existed as the Church, or the theocracy of God. This was the beginning of what is known in religious history as the Dark Age period.

In speaking of the eventual restoration of the Church, Isaiah gives a strong hint as to the geographical location of where it would be restored. For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed" thee up shall be far away" (lsaiah 49:19).

Then God speaks to the Church through the prophet Isaiah to awake from her sleep and begin to shine: "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising" (Isaiah 60:1-3).

After centuries of obscurity, glimmerings and rays of light began to appear, but the Church, theocracy, was still in the distance. God began to deal with devout men to take a stand on what they found to be true in the Word of God. Martin Luther discovered the doctrine of justification by faith, the regeneration of the new birth, which resulted in the formation of the Lutheran Church, but it stopped short of embracing all that God had provided in His word for the theocracy. John Wesley discovered the doctrine of personal sanctification and established the Methodist Church, but it, too, stopped short of embracing all that God had provided and required of the theocracy. Neither of the above officially recognized nor embraced the mighty outpouring of the Holy Ghost in the holiness and pentecostal movements which emerged during the latter part of the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries.

But that was to be a part of doing all things and obeying "All that the Lord hath spoken." The theocracy had not yet been restored. Even the holiness and pentecostal movements did not embrace New Testament government and discipline. All of this is a matter of religious history and may be substantiated by further research.

At the turn of the twentieth century there was a flurry of religious activity, but the prophecy of Isaiah and David was yet unfulfilled. Through Isaiah God was speaking to no one else but the Church when He said "Arise and shine."

David was speaking in a dual prophetic role when he wrote Psalm 132:6. He was speaking of the immediate restoration of the Ark of the Covenant and prophetically of the arise of the Church, the theocracy, with the words, "Lo. we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the Wood" (Psalm 132:6).

The prophecy of David's was fulfilled on June 13, 1903, when A. J. Tomlinson met with a group of devout men and women who were seeking the true Church. They could not find it in the main line denominations. They were willing to make any sacrifice to find the Church which would obey God in everything.

After praying on the mountain near the cabin where the devout group had met, A. J. Tomlinson went down the mountain and joined the group in worship. Later he gave this testimony: "I came with the understanding that we were going to search the Bible to see if we could find the Church of God just like David said we would find it." And of the meeting after he came down from the mountain, he said, "I came back down the mountain and entered the meeting. Questions were asked; Bible answers were given. They said they took the whole Bible rightly divided as their only rule of faith and practice. I said, Well, if you take the whole Bible rightly divided, that makes it the Church of God. Why do you want to call it the Holiness Church at Camp Creek? They agreed with me but couldn't answer my question. Then I said, You have agreed that this I have said (taking the whole Bible rightly divided) makes it the Church of God, and will you be willing to take it and keep it the Church of God? They said they were willing.I then asked if they were willing to take me in with the understanding that it is the Church of God-not going to be, but is the Church of God? They were willing. So I stood right there in front of the fire place and Brother Spurling, who has gone to heaven, took the Bible and gave it to me. He handed it to me and said, Will you take this as the Word of God, believe it and practice it, obey its precepts and walk in the light as God is in the light?' I thought deeply. I remembered what a time I had on the mountain. I meant business. God meant business. Right there l gave my hand to Brother Spurling. I took the obligation (covenant) with deep sincerity and extreme sacredness never to be forgotten." At that moment the Church, the theocracy, began to function again after the centuries of sleep. It arose and will shine brighter and brighter until the day when Christ raptures it away to be with Him forever!

Who is Who?

Written by A. J. Tomlinson and was part of his Annual Address to the 23rd Annual General Assembly in 1928.

Do any of you remember of a conflict between two prominent men of the early Church? The trouble rose between Paul and Barnabas. On their first missionary journey they had John Mark with them for a while, but by and by he became homesick, or concluded the hardships were too great, or the persecutions too severe, or something, and deserted them and went back home. When it was decided to go on a second journey, Barnabas insisted on taking the young man with them again, but Paul thought it not good because he forsook them and went back home before.

The contention became quite sharp between them. Paul was filling the place as Overseer over the churches of that region and Barnabas was a companion in labor. But when this conflict arose between them Barnabas refused to submit to his superior in office. As a result of this parting asunder one from the other, Barnabas took Mark and sailed unto Cyprus, while Paul chose Silas and departed to his field of labor, where they went about confirming the churches and pushing out into new fields. It was on this trip that Timothy was found and harnessed up in the work.

But the important matter to which I wish to call attention is that concerning Barnabas. His name was there dropped from the record by the historian as if he had died. Luke, the writer of the book of Acts, makes no more mention of him. Had he submitted to Paul, who was over him in the Lord, doubtless his name would have been carried right on in the record. But on account of failing to recognize constituted authority under God’s order which He put in The Church of God, his name was carried no further.

Those who have studied our records have been able to trace quite a number of names up to certain times and places and then they are not found any further. What is the cause of this disappearance of names? Well, here it is in short. When names of ministers have disappeared along in the records when there is no notation given of their death, it is a sign that they have failed to submit to God’s order in some manner, and others have enlisted to fill up the ranks. Some have rebelled against the Overseers—those who are over them in the Lord; some have done just what Paul said they would do, spoken perverse words to draw away disciples after them. This class has undertaken to set up something over which they could have the rule and preeminence.

All of these uprisings, rebellions, heresies and names disappearing from the records, have occurred to prove who is who. John explains it very clearly when he says, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” (1 John 2:19).

In other words, John shows that they went out in order to show who is who. And this cleansing process is still going on. During the past year some names have been expunged from our records that may never appear again. This disintegration has been caused by a spirit of rebellion against constituted or established authority. The minister that bluntly refuses to recognize the authority, instructions, advices and counsels of the Overseer that is over him in the Lord will sooner or later go on the rocks. It is sorrowful, it is pitiful to look on the faces of some of these I know, but they have done it to themselves by refusing to submit to the wise counsel of those who are over them in the Lord. And the sooner the balance of our people learn who is who according to the Bible way of putting it, the better off they will be. It is the self-willed, the rebellious, the insincere, those who despise dominion and government that sooner or later fall on the rocks and are usually ruined forever. Very few of such people ever recover. I have seen them try, yes, apparently they have made tremendous efforts only to fall back again into the whirlpool of discouragement, or still further and deeper rebellion, to never rise again. Truly it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living and angry God. He is determined to have His order of government recognized and obeyed. If some will not do it because they love to have the preeminence themselves, He will let them go to the rocks and get others that will follow His order of government. The minister that stands up boldly before his congregation and irreverently declares he is going to do thus and so whether it suits the Overseer or not, and at the same time knowing he is running over the counsel and advice of him that is over him in the Lord will sooner or later go on the rocks so his name will disappear from the record in the future.

It might be considered a light thing for Barnabas to have rejected the counsel and advice of Paul who had evidently been placed in the position as overseer of the territory to which they were going, but by his doing so, even that little, left his name off the record thereafter. And whether it would be considered a light offense or a grave offense the effect was just the same. No more mention of him is made in the book of Acts. And if he ever did retract, repent, and come straight so he served further in the early Church, there is no mention of it made in Luke’s writings, who was evidently the historian of Church work in those days. But whether he did or not, this incident is surely a danger signal hung out to show others the danger of disregarding the wise counsel of those who are over them in the Lord.

Paul had good reasons for thinking it was not best for John Mark to go back over there. He might have acted in a way that he lost his standing or reputation as a preacher over in that country. Paul felt the responsibility and wanted things to be carried on in good order in his territory, as every good State Overseer desires. I have heard some of our State Overseers make statements in a similar manner. Referring to a certain minister they have said, “I’d rather he would not come into my state.” Doubtless Paul knew it was not best for John Mark to go back over there again. It was the duty of Barnabas to submit to Paul and let John Mark go to other fields, because it was Paul’s territory as overseer. And even as General Overseer I would not knowingly send a minister into a state contrary to the wishes of a good, dependable and faithful Overseer. And when those ministers went up from Jerusalem to Antioch representing themselves as having been sent by James to teach that the Gentiles must be circumcised and keep the law, it was learned afterward that their representation was false for James declared he never gave them any such instructions.

It is evident that those false teachers learned who was who before they got through with James and that council of apostles and elders, of which James was presiding officer as well as General Overseer of all the churches, including the churches in Paul’s territory as well as under John, Peter and all the others. I tell you, I am afraid to depart from God’s order. And on the other hand I feel a tremendous lift in my spirit when I speak or write in its defense. I agree with Paul that it was not best for John Mark to go on that trip into Paul’s territory without knowing his reasons, because of the position Paul held.

It has been said that some who were our preachers, but are gone now, used to lay special emphasis on Hebrews 13:17 as long as they could put it to the members of the congregation under them, but when the same rule was to be applied to them by the Overseers who were over them, they disobeyed, rebelled and bolted. Then a few of the State Overseers in the past have been very attentive toward having the ministers in their territory to obey them, but then when it became necessary for the General Overseer to call them to account and give them counsel, advice, and instructions, it was another thing. And some have even uttered words of defiance which has thrown them into the rank with those mentioned by Peter and Jude in their last days’ messages who were not afraid to speak evil of dignities—those who are above them in rank and position. This is quite serious because of what will follow such disregard for constituted authority. Of them Peter says, “But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption” (2 Peter 2:12).

Peter states further that such people have forsaken the right way, which shows they were once in the right way, and were probably good workers in the Master’s service. But they have gone wrong some way and gone so far that they utter words of defiance of any rule or authority over them. Then, look out, matters are becoming serious for them, and Peter mentions them as cursed children, wanting more money than they are getting, and will put into practice any kind of a covetous or dark scheme to get it.

All of these references have been given to illustrate who is who after the Bible order. And in concluding this topic I wish to make an attempt to express my gratitude to the many of my fellow helpers and co-workers for their loyalty, sticktoitiveness, uprightness and cooperation, and for their honor and respect toward their General Overseer. Many of these are here in this presence today, into whose faces I can look while this message is going forth. To say “I love you” is putting it very mild. Many of you have ravished my heart, enchanted and charmed me by your valiant service during this five years’ period of special conflict. Your noble deeds and brilliant victories you have achieved in the hard fought battles, in my estimation have made many of you worthy of a badge of honor and the applause of angels. I say, “Hurrah for the faithful soldiers who have fought heroically for liberty and truth up to this hour!”

Twenty-Nine Foundation Stones

I’d like to share a little history or background on our Twenty-nine Prominent Teachings. The first 25 teachings of the Church were agreed upon in the 6th Assembly in 1911. The 26th teaching was agreed upon in the 8th Assembly in 1913. The 27th teach­ing was approved in the 3rd Assembly in 1908 (was reaffirmed in the 11th As­sembly in 1915.) The 28th teaching was decided upon in the 11th Assembly of 1915. The 29th teaching was settled upon in the 18th Assembly in 1923 (but it did not appear in the official list of teachings until 1927.) 1908, 1911, 1913, 1915, 1923. Some agreed upon over 100 years ago, all agreed upon be­fore the vast majority of us were born!

My dear brothers and sisters, my dear friends, The Church of God did not create, nor did the Church formu­late or invent these “Teachings Made Prominent,” but our Church forefa­thers searched the Scriptures and sought God through prayer; and God blessed those men and women and they received divine understanding of these Bible truths and agreed upon them as revealed in the Scripture by the Holy Ghost. God, the Great Creator, ordained these in the far-back ages of eternity. They originated in the infi­nite mind of God way before He cre­ated man. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Psalms 119:89 says, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.”

The Bible tells us in Acts 15:1, “And certain men which came down from Ju­daea taught the brethren, and said, Ex­cept ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” Here you have a group of “certain men”—and a certain sect of the Pharisees—that began teaching a doctrine that did not line up with the Gospel of Jesus Christ or His teachings of being saved by grace through faith. They had set forth a doctrine, adding to it that in order to be saved the person must be circumcised like God had commanded Moses way back in the Old Testament. This caused confusion and cast a yoke upon the neck of Jesus’ disciples that was unnecessary. It troubled them, burdened them, and subverted their souls; in other words, it undermined the power and authority of Jesus’ teachings.

The Church did not want, or need, one person to teach one thing, and another to teach something differ­ent—erroneous doctrines that don’t line up with the Bible rightly divided— causing confusion concerning what Jesus’ teachings say. So do you know what the Church did? Why, the Church got down to business! They came to­gether, conversed, shared testimonies about what God had done, had great joy together, and then ultimately com­pared all things to “the words of the prophets; as it is written” (Acts 15:15).

The Bible says that it pleased the Holy Ghost, apostles, elders, and the whole Church (v. 22), and they wrote letters to the churches stating that af­ter due consideration, and guidance from the Holy Ghost, the Church had agreed that it was not necessary for them to be circumcised as certain men had taught, but only to “abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep your­selves, ye shall do well” (v. 29.)

Former General Overseer, Bishop M. A. Tomlinson, said, “The many doc­trines set forth in the name of religion must be tested against the Scriptures. The Church of God is dedicated to the principles of the New Testament doc­trine—the truth rightly divided.”

I say to you again concerning the Twenty-nine Prominent Teachings of The Church of God, that our Church forefathers this side of the Dark Ages searched the Scriptures and sought God through prayer. They came toto­gether by the Spirit of God and, once they received divine understanding that the Holy Ghost and the Word agreed concerning any one of these teachings, wrote their findings down so that there would be no confusion. They are for a hedge of protection to the next generation, i.e., me, you, our children and our children’s children.

If we are going to really know Je­sus Christ then we must also know the doctrine He preached. Someone may ask if Jesus has a doctrine. Well, the Bible says, “And they were astonished at his doctrine…” (Mark 1:22). “…and said unto them in his doctrine” (Mark 4:2). “The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine” (John 18:19). “Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me” (John 7:16). The answer, then, is yes He does and they are the teachings and doctrine of His Father in heaven.

In this world you will find a lot of Christian organizations, or Christian people who say, “Doctrine?! We don’t need doctrine, all we need is Jesus!” “Let’s only preach about Jesus!” “Let’s not talk about doctrines because they cause division and they hurt people.” But that’s not true. Some will say there is no need for Bible doctrine, but these Bible doctrines that the Church up­holds are a never changing standard, a hedge of safety and a sure foundation for The Church of God of the Bible.

The Church is built upon the rock of divine revelation and of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone (Eph. 2:20). Our doctrine is vital to this building! We take or accept the whole Bible rightly divided as our rule of faith, and it is out of the Bible that these Twenty-nine Foundation Stones of faith, that are so vital to our salvation, have been derived and brought to the forefront. In a building or edifice, the foundation is known to be the lowest part of the building. It is an integrated stable base that the rest of the building sits upon and one that must bear the entire load of the structure. The material used in the foundation must be good enough to bear the load of whatever is built upon it; in other words, it’s got to be good enough to build upon. A founda­tion stone is the first stone set in the foundation of the building that is to be constructed. It is important because all other stones will be set in reference to this stone and it determines the posi­tion of the entire structure.

This is what the Twenty-nine Prom­inent Teachings represent for you and me today; they are the stones to be used in our foundation. They are the underlying principles, the ground­work, so to speak, a firm foundation upon which the lives of Christian men and women of all ages can be built. The success of our spiritual growth is determined by the strength of our spiritual foundation. Jesus said, “There­fore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these say­ings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matt. 7:24-27). Luke 6:48 adds that the wise man “digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock”.

My dear friends, we are living in perilous times and the light showers of persecution have begun to fall upon the Christians of this world, but in the near future it will be torrential rain. The flood waters of spiritual deceit and de­struction have not yet fully risen, but you can be sure they are well on their way. The winds of false doctrine have been blowing for a long time, but to­day it seems the forces of these winds are more violent, blasphemous and unashamed.

If we “hear” but “do not,” according to the Word of God, we are building our life upon shifting sand. Any build­ing will fall that does not have a sure and solid foundation when the rain descends, the floods come, and the winds blow and beat upon it. Great shall be the fall of it! Nevertheless, if a building has a solid foundation— if you hear and do according to the teachings of Christ in your life—the rain will descend, the floods will come, and the winds will blow and beat upon the building and you will not fall. For you are built upon the Rock! What is that ROCK? The Word of God! A SURE FOUNDATION!

Someone has said, “When life is calm, our foundations don’t seem to matter, but when a crisis comes, our foundation is tested.” Be sure your life is built on Jesus Christ! We should make sure not to build our life on shifting sand or faulty ground such as fame, security, success or wealth. Take these basic Bible doctrines that form the very foundation upon which THE CHURCH OF GOD is built, upon which the Christian life can be built, and you are sure to withstand all the elements of this spiritual tempest that is on the rise, or whatever crisis may come into your life! These are not the Church’s “Declaration of Faith.” They are not all or the only doctrines the Church teaches, practices and adheres to, but we believe they are the first principles of the oracles of God. On these we can and must build!

We are living in a time of constant change—in the world of politics, the geopolitical landscape has been changing. This government has fallen, that government has fallen. This new government has been established and that new leader has been put in. I’ve heard over the radio of this politician or that politician changing his stand on certain national policies. We hear of laws that constantly are amended or changed. So much uncertainty! How can you live with peace of mind in the midst of such change and uncertain­ty? Nationally, we hear of new modes of transportation being considered. Houses, hotels, airplanes, cars, phones, computers, watches and all sorts of other things are constantly being up­dated, revised and made better. I even hear of so-called “climate change.” Now those are physical and natural things that do not worry me too much, although I’m aware of them.

The real concern for you and me is that we not be swept or blown away by the frequently changing principles and shifting beliefs of this religious world, being “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doc­trine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to de­ceive” (Eph. 4:14). We don’t want this to be part of our testimony, that we were deceived and led astray, and finally made shipwreck.

Today there is a constant change and shift of faith that the so called mainstream Christian or religious world has been pressured into by those within their ranks who advo­cate the need to change the Chris­tians’ stand on Bible teachings in or­der to be able to meet the challenge of a continually changing world. A minister of the gospel said it so well one time, “God is not looking for a message and teachings people will love; He is looking for a people who will love His message and teachings!” One Church of God minister put it like this, “It’s not about whether a doctrine is beautiful and good to the eye, but whether it is true.”

Religious institutions may alter what they teach to make it look ap­pealing to the multitudes. Others may abandon the faith once delivered unto the saints. “Nevertheless the founda­tion of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Tim. 2:19). I want you to know that the only thing in this life you can count on to never change or shift is the Word of God—it is the same yesterday, today and forever!

Have you ever crossed a creek, from one side of the bank to the oth­er, desiring not to get your shoes or clothes wet? What did you look for? You looked for big rocks, big stones, upon which you could step, that wouldn’t move when you put your weight on them and that were a sure and good footing. Amen? The mo­ment you felt it move it scared you and you didn’t know if it would hold. You didn’t know if it would move, flip over, slide, or shift—but what you did know was that if it moved you would fall into the water. In an attempt to find a sure place to put your foot and get across, you tried this stone and that stone and then the next one until you found one you believed you could count on.

My dear friend, spiritually speak­ing , today we don’t have to go try this thing, go try that thing and go try the other in an effort to get through this old world and into glory and risk fall­ing into the world’s water that will drown God out of our lives and de­stroy our souls. We have “in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a pre­cious corner stone, a sure foundation” (Isa. 28:16), and those who came be­fore us battled “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” and they did battle standing upon this tried Stone, this sure foundation.

If it was good enough for them— if it was good enough for Paul, Peter and young Timothy—then it’s good enough for us today! There is no need for you to stand or build upon some­thing uncertain today, but build your life upon the Word of God and take these Twenty-nine Foundation Stones and build upward toward God. These Twenty-nine Foundation Stones will get you across to the other side!

Bishop R. O. Covey wrote: “Since the Word of God is the only thing that will not pass away, it is reasonable that it is the best footing we can have.”

The Word does not move, it does not shift—it does not teeter totter! This foundation has “no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). You can stand on it! You can build on it! You can count on it being the same to­morrow and 10 or 100 years from now!

Not all Christian churches teach these basic Bible beliefs the way The Church of God does. And many don’t teach them at all. There are all sorts of untrue teachings out there that we are certain to encounter and the enemy of our soul would like nothing better than to confuse people and lead them astray. For this reason it is important to not simply accept and believe these Twenty-nine Prominent Teachings just because your parents, pastor, Church buddies, friends, etc., do. If that is as far as our biblical knowledge goes concerning our prominent teachings (i.e., I believe them because he or she believes them) we can be sure that the foundation we are built upon is riddled with gaps and cracks. We are in danger of sinking or collapsing! We must all search them out and study them out for ourselves.

Didn’t Jesus say, “and digged deep”? Each one has got to dig deep into the Word of God and search the Scriptures, going deeper in our relationship with Christ. We don’t just want to know Jesus, but we need to know about Je­sus and that is what the Twenty-nine Prominent Teachings are about, God’s dictates for His people. Ask God for divine understanding, because once you receive it from God concerning the truth of these Bible doctrines then you will know how important they re­ally are. You will be able to defend the biblical doctrines.

In Matthew 16:13-19, Jesus asked His disciples who people said He was. They responded to Jesus informing Him of who the people thought He was, but then Jesus looked at them and asked them, “But whom say ye that I am?” He no longer wanted to know what others thought and believed, but Jesus was now interested in know­ing what they believed and where they stood concerning Him. Peter an­swered saying, “I know who you are. I am convinced that you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” It wasn’t because someone else believed it or told it to him, but because he had re­ceived divine understanding from God above. This is the kind of revelation needed concerning these teachings so that no matter what others may say about them, no matter if others despise them, no matter if others say they are old fashioned, you can say, “I know what they are. I know how im­portant they are. They are God’s Word and a sure foundation”.

But if you only believe because others believe what will happen if oth­ers stop believing? Ask yourself, “How firm is my foundation?” Jesus said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31, 32). God’s purpose is that every child of God get in His Word and continue in His teachings, for in doing so you will have divine understanding of the truth and it shall make you free. Free from what? Free from doubt, fear, foolish and unlearned questions, from giving heed to fables and endless ge­nealogies, from profane and vain bab­blings. FREE FROM FALLING!

Lost

This four letter word lost as an adjective means: unable to find one’s way; not know­ing one’s whereabouts, as in “Help, we’re lost!” It also denotes some­thing that has been taken away or cannot be recovered. But what does it mean to “be lost”? What thoughts invade your mind when you hear the word “lost”? I’ve had the experience of being lost while driving and I didn’t know where I was or in which direction to drive. I’ve been in that place where I was absolutely baffled not knowing which way was north or south.

 

Have you ever lost something valuable? When my children were just little babies and we would go to the store, one of my biggest fears was losing them in the store or not being able to find them because they could so easily get lost among the clothes racks. I remember one occasion, not too long ago, when on a trip to the country of Peru, I lost a brand new cell phone with all my personal informa­tion in it. And I could enlighten you of the many times my children have told me, “Dad, I lost my money.” A beautiful lady I know and love dearly frequently informs the family that she’s lost her bank card.

 

People all over this world have lost their valued possessions to house fires while others have “lost” their homes to natural disasters, i.e., hurricanes, ty­phoons, earthquakes, floods, etc.

 

There was a man some time ago who exercised regularly and ate well, however this man died at a very young age. Why? Because he lost his health. People have lost their eyesight in ac­cidents while others, like me, seem to lose it with age. While visiting Gua­temala a few years ago, I greeted a minister of the gospel in the Church who lost an arm in a work related acci­dent. Some folks have lost their ability to speak, lost their minds or lost their hearing. Others have lost total control of their bodies as was the case of an old friend of mine after a car accident suffered in his youth. Due to sickness and death, we’ve lost some very good people to death this past year. Mothers and fathers have lost sons on the field of war.

 

The saddest kind of “lost” there is and the saddest kind of “lost” to be is to be a lost soul! The Bible says that Jesus came to “seek and to save that which was lost,” and one of the greatest vers­es of the Bible, John 3:16, says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have ever­lasting life.”

 

The word perish means “to be lost” and in Bible terms to be lost means to be far from God. It signifies that the person has not received the Lord Jesus Christ as the only and sufficient Saviour of their soul. When a person dies with­out accepting Jesus Christ as Saviour of their soul, according to the Bible, that person will perish. In other words, that person will be eternally lost—separat­ed from God and heaven forever and ever. They will spend eternity in a lake of fire that burns and will never go out.

 

I must inform you, perhaps remind you, that this awful place called hell was not anticipated for man, but for the “devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). I must also remind you that God does not send people to hell. They go there by their own choice; or rather, by making the wrong choice, perhaps through ignorance. When man, the sinner, is presented the sure cure (Je­sus Christ) and he spurns the great love of God and His free salvation, then finds himself in hell, it will have been because of his own neglect or rejection of the truth.

 

The following question and state­ments have been made: “Did you know that when I die, I will not die rich or poor? I will die saved or lost. When you die, you will not die educated or illit­erate. You will die saved or lost. When we die, we will not die famous or a ‘no­body.’ We will all die saved or lost!”

Oh, but how wonderful to know that Jesus, the Son of God, has pre­pared a special place for man! At this very present time, He is preparing “a place for you” (John 14:2). I de­sire to live with Jesus in that special home above. How about you? This special home is in heaven. I don’t know exactly where heaven is, but the majority of people who believe in that place called heaven where God is, think it to be high in the sky, even higher than the clouds and way beyond the sun. The Bible does tell us that heaven is up, such as in Acts 1:11, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gaz­ing UP into heaven?” and the Bible also transmits God’s desire that all men “be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). To go there one must be saved or free from sin.

 

Sin is that dreadful thing which causes separation between man and God and it will take a person to hell. Maybe one of our readers is asking himself or herself, “Well, what is sin?” 1 John 5:17 says, “All unrighteousness is SIN.” But beware of the many disguises which sin takes! I believe it would be beneficial to mention a few of those disguises to make you, the reader, aptly aware of the many faces of sin, and en­able you to be more fittingly equipped to take heed and also warn others.

 

UNBELIEF: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16).

 

NEGLECT: “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him” (Heb. 2:3; also read James 4:17).

 

EXCUSES: “Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many… And they all with one con­sent began to make excuse… For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.” (Luke 14:16, 18, 24; also read Rom. 2:1).

 

WAITING TOO LONG TO DECIDE ON CHRIST: “When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are” (Luke 13:25; also read Heb. 12:17 and Acts 24:25).

 

PLEASURES, CARES, AND PRIDE OF LIFE: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be over­charged with surfeiting, and drunk­enness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth” (Luke 21:34, 35; also read Matt. 13:22). “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:16, 17).

 

SPIRITUAL SLEEPINESS: “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thess. 5:5, 6). “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleep­ing” (Mark 13:35, 36).

 

DISREGARDING GOD: “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the na­tions that forget God” (Psa. 9:17).

 

LIVING UNGODLY: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be pun­ished” (2 Peter 2:9). “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdi­tion of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:7).

 

WORLDLY GAIN AS YOUR PRIOR­ITY: “For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” (Luke 9:25). “Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself” (1 Tim. 6:5).

 

BEING A HYPOCRITE: “And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 24:51). “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matt. 23:13).

 

The preceding list, extracted from one of our Church tracts, is by no means exhaustive. Consider this verse of Scripture, “But the fearful, and unbe lieving, and the abominable, and mur­derers, and whoremongers, and sorcer­ers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8).

 

C. T. Davidson wrote the following in the White Wing Messenger dated June 6, 1974, concerning the subject of hell: “If a man could foresee the disas­ter awaiting his soul in hell, he would labor, toil, struggle and strive with everything within him to stay out of hell… AND HE CAN STAY OUT OF HELL IF HE WANTS TO.

 

Despite the beautiful pictures painted by Satan, if one goes to hell he is an unwelcomed intruder, for hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. Man is not wanted there, even by his closest associates, and why should he not want to shun or keep out of this raging inferno?

 

“One may stall for a time to indulge in the pleasures of sin and try to excuse himself by saying he will have a lot of friends if he goes there, but this is ut­ter deception. His erstwhile friends of this world will then be his worst, most violent enemies, and they will hate him with an unparalleled passion. They’ll be screaming—yelling—ago­nizing cries of distress as he plunges into their midst. Some of them may pounce on him and gnash on him with their teeth… foolish soul, why did you come here?

“Then all of a sudden, the lisping, licking, lapping, crackling tongue of fire and flame will engulf him, parch­ing, searing, blistering and torturing him—no relief in sight. Then he re­members yonder world from which he had descended, just like the rich man that begged for even a drop of water to be placed on his parched tongue. He had his senses in hell and if you go there, friend, you too will remember. Keep out of hell—you’ve got no busi­ness there. You have no reason to want to go there. Your erstwhile friends of this world don’t want you there. So why don’t you stay away?

 

“As sure as there is a heaven, there is a hell. And in hell there are no churches, but there is a roaring concert prayer— the unfortunate writhing, screaming in Man must first be made aware of his problem—sin—and that he cannot save himself. He must realize that he is guilty, corrupt and offensive in the eyes of Almighty God. He must repent of his sins and acknowledge Christ as Lord and Saviour and renounce ev­ery form of sin. Christ is the only Sav­iour for every man that desires to be saved, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12; also read Jer. 10:23; John 3:16; Rom. 5:6).

It seems there is one calling that historically has not been overcrowded, and that is the missionary call. “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear with­out a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14.) What is needed is men of God, true missionar­ies, doing God’s work so that not an­other soul will descend into that awful place. This world can do without many things, but it cannot do without the Gospel of the Son of God! Man can af­ford to lose just about everything, but, whether he knows it or not, he cannot afford to lose his soul. If he should lose it, let it not be because you and I, or the Church as a whole, sat idly by and did not warn this world of a hell to shun and a heaven to gain through Jesus Christ the Lord!

distress and agony, but the horrendous appeal for mercy rings on and on in fu­tility and rejection. Oh God, the plight of this person! Why didn’t he stop long enough to give his soul a breath of true redemption through Jesus Christ— long enough to even say, ‘I believe you Jesus, my Saviour. Have mercy on me. Forgive me of my sins. SAVE ME NOW, LORD, or I perish!’

“Friend, stay out of hell. You don’t want to go there… surely not. It was made for the devil and his angels.

“There will be no neighbors in hell. You’ll have no friends if you go there—no confidential and close as­sociates, no kindly hospitable visiting among friends, no societies, no enjoy­able associations, no entertainment, no churches. But there is a hell-wide prayer meeting now going on that would horrify the whole universe if only five minutes of it could be heard by the world today. If you don’t like prayer meetings, friend, then stay out of hell, for they will go on there for a long, long time.”

“Hell is not a place manufactured by the preachers to scare folks into do­ing certain things. Hell is not the grave. And, hell is not on this earth—but hell is an actual place.

“When man leaves this world in SIN, he goes directly to the place called hell, and there is positively and abso­lutely no stopover station! There’s no halfway station, no purgatory, no lim­bo, nor anything of the kind. The man who goes to hell stays there until he is brought before the judgment bar of God. Then he goes from the judgment bar of God to the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone—which is the second death” (For Love of Souls, by Harper Hunter).

Just as heaven is real, hell is real; and this subject must be spoken of and preached with entire fearlessness and frankness or we shall not succeed in keeping people from going there. It is indispensable that all men hear the gospel and believe in it in order to be saved, but mere agreement that Christ is the Son of God is insufficient for sal­vation. If that was the case then devils would be saved since the Bible says they “believe, and tremble” (James 2:19).