021196 Search Magazine

2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ. [asv]

Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Ephesians 5:25-29 (nkjv)

25 . . . just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. . . . 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

Eighty years ago an eighteen year old girl stood before her class in a small town in Tennessee and gave her graduation speech. I proudly share it with all of you.

Honesty is the best policy that a man, woman or child can adopt in any circumstance; whether it be in a business deal or a social affair, for it is the basis of all business dealings and ought to be the standard to which everyone works in his affairs with his fellow creatures. There is an old saying that goes like this, "Happy are the young, who find the pestilence cleansed out of the earth, leaving open to them an honest one." To prove this, let us see what qualities go to make up honesty, and if they are not due to be kept always in mind.

First, to be honest, you must be sincere; and to be sincere you must, as it were, say what you mean and mean what you say. When you tell a man you will do a certain thing, if you are sincere, you will do that thing no matter through what trials it may lead you. Then, again, if you are sincere, and have professed to be a friend to a man, you will stand by him through all his misfortunes, will uphold him and help him in every way possible. Holmes says, "Thou shalt not profess that which thou dost not believe."

Second, to be honest, you must be honorable, actuated by principles of honor, above oppressing the weak and directed toward a just and proper end. So let us all strive for honor, for it is said that the winning of honor is but the revealing of a man's virtue and worth without disadvantage.

Third, to be honest, you must be virtuous, for it is said that virtue is the substance, the essence and the best part of anything. And we also find that in the Bible we are many times commanded to be virtuous. John Adams said of his mother: "Her price is far above rubies." How could he say this? Because she was in his sight a virtuous woman.

Fourth, to be honest, you must possess an upright conduct for as you remember this is also one of the great commandments. The body is but the servant of the mind, and if we foster dishonest thoughts in our minds our bodies are sure to do dishonest things; thereby preventing it from being said that we possess an upright conduct. A pure mind does not fall suddenly into crime, but the criminal thought has long been fostered in the heart and the hour of opportunity only reveals its gathered power.

Furthermore, we find that the word honest also embodies two other of the great commandments: Thou shalt not lie and Thou shalt not steal.

To prove that all these qualities, sincerity, honour, virtue, an upright conduct, and truth are necessary to a man's character and good name, let me call your mind to a few cases where they have been used and a few where they have not been employed - and the results.

Do you recall how Sam Davis suffered death rather than betray his country; and how Benedict Arnold attempted to betray, to the British, that for which he had so gallantly fought at Saratoga, just because they offered him a higher position in their army than he had held in his own? What were the results? Davis' name today stands among the greatest, and the most highly honored names in history; while Arnold's is never mentioned except to show the disgrace one must suffer for acting dishonorably. Thus we are shown that an honest man reaps the good results of his honest thoughts; while a dishonest man garners his own suffering.

Furthermore, could George Washington have ever attained the name of being the father of his country, if he had not been sincere, never saying or doing any thing that he did not say or do with all sincerity; if he had not persevered, when his country would have fallen, had he given up or had been insincere, not actuated by principles of honour, and not directed toward a first and proper end? The whole world would say that he could not. It is said that the universe does not favor the greedy, the dishonest, and the vicious; although on the mere surface it may some times appear to do so. But that it helps the honest, the magnanimous, and the virtuous, look at the great Bible character Job. He was an honest man guided by principles of sincerity, honour, virtue, and truth. What was his reward? We are told that he reaped a long and fruitful life, the end of which was blessed more than the beginning. Again, let us contrast the character of Absalom with that of David. Although Absalom was David's son, he possessed none of his characteristics, except that of beauty. Absalom was insincere and untruthful, the most unprincipled, the most rebellious, and the worst youth whose story is recorded in Scripture, while David was just the reverse. What was the end of each? Absalom perished at an early age; while David lived to be a very old man and received his reward.

So schoolmates and friends, let us be honest for I have tried to show you what it is to be honest and also what it is to dishonest. Above all, let us not foster dishonest thoughts in our minds for I have tried to show you that honest thoughts can never produce bad results. So let us live so that in after years when our bodies have perished and returned unto that from whence they came, our names will live on and will be written among those of the honest rather than among those of the dishonest; not only in the books here upon this earth, but also in the one great Book.

Editor’s Note: This young lady turned out to be my mother, who was wife for 54 years to my father, and mother to six kids, 18 grandchildren, 22 greatgrands, and two great-greatgrands. I thought “mother” said it better then than I could say it now. She memorized it word for word and gave it flawlessly then I’m told, and has lived it ever since. Honesty still is the best policy. We need more of her stripe today.

AP NEW YORK - Bulletproof back-to-school clothes are the latest thing in New York City for children who face a dangerous trip to and from school. School blazers and other jackets fitted with bullet-resistant Kelvar 129 pads are providing a feeling of security to parents undaunted by price tags ranging from $250 to $600.

Added shielding from flying bullets can be had from a bulletproof book bag or clipboard. As Dickens said, "It is the best of times and the worst of times. . . ."

An atheist complained to a friend because Christians had their special holidays, such as Christmas and Easter; and Jews celebrate their national holidays, such as Passover and Yom Kippur. "But we atheists," he said, "have no recognized national holidays. It's unfair discrimination." His friend replied, "Why don't you celebrate April first?"

As King David did say, “The Fool says in his heart, There is no God." Psalm 14:1.

"But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.." (Gen. 2:20b-22)

From the blessing of Eden until now, man has been given the highest blessing of all creatures.

The companionship of woman is the crowning blessing God bestowed on the new world. The Son of God reflected upon this creation while in the flesh, "He who made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." (Mat 19:4-6)

Declared before all men, the man and the woman were joined together by the bonds of God. It was not the creation of God that man and woman should leave one another. Rather, they were to cleave unto one another and become one.

This union was one of commitment and desire for each other. The relationship of the man and the woman is established in Heaven by the authority of God. For a lifetime they were to share their lives. For a lifetime they were to be to one another as one. For a lifetime they were to be bond by the vow made before His throne. "For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband." (Romans 7:2)

The law of marriage was established by God in the garden of Eden. All men are subject to that law as we are to the laws of creation. The law of marriage is established by the authority of God for a lifetime commitment. Regardless of man's changing the law, it stands forever by the power of God. When ask why divorce had been granted previously, Jesus replied, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so." (Matthew 19:8)

The law of marriage still stands in its completeness and finality before God. "From the beginning it was not so" shows that God's law was unchanged even when Jesus was on the earth. The Son of God affirms the authority of marriage to be one man for one woman - for life! He further elaborates in Matthew 19 that if anyone divorces for any reason other than sexual immorality, and marries another, adultery is committed. The person who marries this person has also committed adultery. Can one break the law of marriage for any cause? God established His law to be for life. Man cannot change that law - "Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate."

The law of marriage is a wonderful law. It brings true happiness to a strife torn world of divorce and abuse. The reason marriages are failing today is not because of the failing of the law. The reason marriages are failing today is because of the lack for concern to the law God established in the beginning, revealed in His Word. "For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce." Malachi 2:16 "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge." Hebrews 13:4. ♢♢♢

“Had I but served my God with half the zeal I served my King, He would not in mine age have left me naked to mine enemies. (Shakespeare). “I’ll take fifty percent efficiency to get one hundred percent loyalty.” (Samuel Goldwyn)

I’m prejudiced, and I admit it. My prejudice is that Jesus Christ is King of kings, and Lord of lords. He is Saviour and Intercessor, and will be Judge. My studied conviction is that God has turned over the administration of His Kingdom on earth to His Son, Jesus Christ. His One and Only; His unique Son. The writer of the great Book of Hebrews says, “God, who in ancient days spoke to our ancestors in the prophets, at many different times and by various methods, has at the end of these days spoken to us in a Son whom he appointed heir of all things; through whom also he made the universe. He being an emanation of God’s glory and stamp of his substance, and upholding the universe by the utterances of his power, after by himself making purification of our sins, has taken his seat on the right hand of the majesty on High” (1:1-3, Montgomery version).

Being a believer in Christ, I am not ashamed to admit it. I would not lay claim to my right to eternal life, and ignore the Author who legislated such. I would not lay claim to being a dedicated follower of Christ and wear any other name but His. I would not pose as a worshiper of God and avoid the commands of Jesus concerning worship. I would not presume to belong to Christ (1 Cor. 6:19,20), and do my good works in the name of any human organization. Jesus authorized all these things, and as a follower of Jesus, I subscribe to them.

If I were President of our country, or held any other political office, and considered myself a Christian, I would not demean my Lord by patronizing all others of various faiths who do not believe in Christ as the one and only Son of God, and at the same time remain silent as to my status and relationship. As an example, a few years ago, and as the president of a large civic club, I received a letter from the national headquarters recommending that the traditional invocation not be concluded “in the name of Christ.” “This would offend some who do not believe in Christ,” the letter stated. I respectfully refused to do it then, and will not do it now. Should we ever elect one who is not a Christian, and chooses to pray directly to “his” God, I will exercise my right to ignore it.

Some time back I became aware of the number of persons today who talk “God talk,” but never mention the Lord Jesus Christ. This happens very frequently in the political arena, but not uncommon even in “Christian” journalism and the electronic media. It is common when our “Christian” officials speak for America in foreign countries. Every one seems to believe in “God,” but only Christians believe in Christ.

It has always been a good thing to stand for convictions. Even objectors will honor those who know what they believe and stand for the same. To the contrary, few of us have much respect for those who twist and turn with the circumstances.

I do not believe in a “first cause” god, or “highest authority” god, or “a god as you understand him” god. I believe in the God who has revealed Himself in the Bible.

Many of us have gone to the trouble to study the evidences that confirm the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, and now we teach it and are loyalty to it. This Book teaches us that Jesus is Lord and He is Christ.

Every man has the right to believe what he chooses. What he chooses will determine his life now and his destiny.

I would respect him, though I believe him to be wrong, if he is loyal to his beliefs. I would hope that I can remain loyal to mine.

Prejudice towards other people is very prevalent in our society. This ugly attitude encourages decisions about someone else before he or she has a chance to show otherwise. Christians have this problem.

Built in to the word "prejudice" is "pre," before, and "judge." Judging before hand. When applied to people, prejudice means making up our minds that one is bad or worthless without even investigating that person's actions.

The apostles of our Lord and the early disciples showed prejudice against the Gentiles, the non-Jewish people. I suppose that, to their thinking, God's chosen people had always been and would always be physical descendants of Israel (Jacob). Therefore, when the disciples were scattered from Jerusalem by persecution they preached "the word to none but the Jews only." (Acts 11:19) Of course, they should have known better. For one thing, the prophesied Messiah would bring justice to the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:1). The Messiah was not just the savior of the Jews, He would save the Gentiles too.

Even more, Jesus commanded them to "make disciples of all the nations. . . ." (Matthew 28:19, NKJV). It would be hard to rationalize that Gentiles were excluded from this.

And so, when Peter was called for by Cornelius in Acts 10, it seemed to take Peter quite some time before he realized that he was supposed to preach Christ to Cornelius.

God sent Peter a vision, trying to get him to realize that all meats had been purified by God: and [Peter] saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." But Peter said, "Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean." And a voice spoke to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call common." (Acts 10:11-15, NKJV)

But the vision had a deeper meaning. Jesus said teach all nations. They were not teaching the Gentiles. If Jesus thought them fit for His disciples, who was Peter to question?

So far, all of the disciples, apparently, questioned this. No Gentile was preached to. Even when Peter made it to the house of Cornelius, it seems as though he still did not understand that he was supposed to preach Christ: Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me? (Acts 10:29, NKJV)

After Cornelius related his heavenly vision, Peter made a startling declaration for his time: Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him." (Acts 10:34-35, NKJV)

Even then, God had to pour the Holy Spirit out on Cornelius and his friends before Peter felt confident that they could be baptized and become true disciples of Jesus.

When Peter returned to Jerusalem, he had to recount the whole story -him, an apostle of Jesus - because the Jews there were rebuking him for going to a Gentile's house.

Peter continued to struggle with prejudice. Paul records in Galatians 2 that he rebuked Peter publicly because Peter treated the Gentiles differently than the Jews. This only happened when Jews from Jerusalem had come to Antioch, where Peter was. Instead of giving them the good example of showing no partiality - like God - he withdrew from the Gentiles and would not eat with them (Galatians 2:12ff).

Prejudice dies hard. We should not be surprised to find it still alive and kicking nearly two thousand years later. We have to fight prejudice of economic class, nationality and skin color. Through it all, we must remember, "In truth. . . God shows no partiality."

Paul made an interesting statement in Acts 20 that medical science has now long since verified: And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings. . . . (Acts 17:26, NKJV)

Now some believe that Paul was saying that from one man (Adam) all men came, but the point remains the same. "The brotherhood of man" is an expression often used, and in many ways it is fitting. Why do we have so much trouble believing this?

Prejudice is spread most easily through family lines, passed down from parent to child. We all know that the teaching of a parent is hard to counter. We can counter it most effectively by not passing these wrong notions to our children.

Now, some may be asking, how serious is this, really. Why can we not keep to "our kind" and them keep to theirs.

First of all, Paul taught us in Acts 17 that "our kind" is their kind too. When Peter "kept to his own kind" (the Jews), Paul rebuked him.

Second, we have the same commandment from God that the early, Jewish Christians had: teach all people. Who can honestly look about and say that we do not tend to be racially and socially selective about who we preach to? If Peter "was clearly in the wrong" (Galatians 2:11, NIV) when he treated the Gentiles differently than the Jews, how can we escape condemnation if we do the same?

Third, James addresses the problem of economic prejudice in this language: My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:1-4, NKJV)

We must put away from ourselves the evil of prejudice if we want to be pleasing to God. What God "cleansed" we must not treat as unclean.