Plain Truth 1962 (Vol XXVII No 08) Aug - Lcgmn.com

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Page 26 highways and assorred forms of violence." Mr. Harris went on co describe how there are more killings annually in Houston, Texas, [han in all England, and showed that some of OllI larger cities have more crime rhan many European countries! THINK of it! \Ve in America, proud of our heritage, proud of ou r grear freedoms, with a !ltt/llee retlt1"1t to religio1l, lEAO THE WORLD IN CRIME! Mr. Harris said, "\'{Ie have somehow bred a narional character in which VIOLENCE seems co play the dominanr moril." (Emphasis mine. ) It would be superfluous co again documem rhe hideous, besdal, animalistic forms of violence rhat have become such a daily parr of our decadent life. You know which secrion of yoltr [Own or city you musr avoid, which districts are dangerous, how you must reach YOllr children to beware of strangers, how rOttr wives, mothers, sweethearts or daughrers must avoid being Out at nighr alone! Sure you do! Everybody does! We KNOW we're a vile, crime-ridden nation caught in a fetid vortex of degeneracy unparalleled in histOry! lc's time we faced ir squarely in the light of our our ward pretense of RELIGION! Most Admi[ Igno[ance of [he Place of [he Chucch Asked what rhe church is FOR, whar ie should DO, the real place of the chllfch in our society, mOSt people are vague. In another exrensive survey, people were hazy and e01zftued about the church and its beliefs. There was the prevalent view thm j[ is imporcanr [Q "have faith" but it didn't seem m matter much in whar or in whom. A large majority looked upon the church as "a building with an employed sraff and a scheduled program engaged in the saine basic business as other characrer·building agencies." Many admitted chey joined church be· cause they wanted to have a sense of "belonging." Others said it was because it was "the thing to do." Some said rhey went to cheir church because of the ease of ies parking facilities, because mey like rhe renor soloist, because they enjoyed the voice of the minister, or be· The PLAIN TRUTH cause ir was rhe ChlUCh they had "always arrended." Still Others went to their church because it was anended by rhe people with whom they had always wanted to associ are. Some wanted to ger their children imo "wholesome acrivmeso Shocking as it seems, to MANY people today, a church is looked upon as a civ ic necessity-a communal obligation-a "nice thing for the cown to have," like clean streets, a secure jail, a swimming pool, and a ciry dump! \'{Ihar classic ignorance! And whar frighrening implications for the future! Ar a time when as NEVER BEFORE we need co know the basic answers CO life, to Imo'lV where we are going, to kno'lV WHAT we are, WHY we are, HOW to fulfill our purpose in life, the many can· flicring brands of religion FAIL TO GIVE THE ANSWERS! Nor only are people in ignorance as to the p1l,rp ose of the church, but mosr simply do nor know WHAT IS the church! The CHURCH-Jus< Wha[ Is I[? Jesus promised, "1 will build My Church!" (Mace. 16: 18 ). BU[ wha[ did Jesus DO when He BUILT it? Did He construct a building? Of course nor! But He DID organize a body of believerJ! Jesus BUILT His Church on [he Day of Pentecost, A.D. 31. It was built, and ir became a rrue BODY of called-our ones, in whom was the Spirit of God, when rhe Aposdes were suddenly imbued with the Spirit of the Father. Lee's come co understand! The word "church" in rhe English language has come to assume the meaning of a cer· rain kind of BUILDING! To MOST people, a "church" is a bHilding set as ide for religiolls services. Bur whar is rhe BlBlE definition ? What IS a "church" according to the BIBLE? Srephen, in his inspired message, jusr before his martyrdom, said, "This is He ( Chrisr) thar was in the CHURCH in the wilderness wirh the angel which spake to Him in the l\{oum Sina, and with our fathers, who received the lively oracle:; co give umo us" (Aces 7: 38). Srephen referred to rhe One of whom Moses spoke, showing, as did rhe Aposde Paul ( read [ Cor. 10:4) tha[ [he Peeson who became Chrisr was actually with August, 1962 the Israelires in rhe wilderness. The physical human beings of rhe tribes of Israel were called a CH URCH. The Greek word lIsed for "church" is ekklesia. Ir has NO connection wirh an,' kind of a building Or physical S{fucturc, in its original incent. Racher, it means, simply, "congregarion." It means a gathering, a group, a congregation of PEOPLE! ler's notice some striking New Testa· menc proofs. Paul wcoee his greetings co Priscilla and Aquila, who were his close helpers, saying, "Likewise greer rhe ehtl,reh thac is IN THEIR HO USE" (Rom. 16: 5). Wha[ did he mean? Tha[ [he[e was a litrle white building, complete with a "J/eeple" (you would be SHOCKED ro look up the origin of the sceeple) INSIDE OF AN HOUSE? Of course nor! Paul spoke of the PEOPLE, rhe group of called-alit ones, who wete meeting inside rhe house from rime to ume. Notice toO how Paul mentioned rhis same group in his Jeerer to the Church a[ Corinth. "The churches of Asia salure you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that i, in their bo",e" ( I Cor. 16: (9 ). The world assumes rhe PEOPLE come to rhe church-which is rhe BUILDING! But in acmaliry, it is the CHURCH that assembles INSIDE THE BUILDING. The CHURCH is NOT the mere building, but the PEOPLE! Bur whar KIND of people? A person can walk into a building. Bur he CANNOT walk inco the Church of God! Rather, he must be PUT into ir. NOtice Acts rhe second chapter, and verses 41 through 47. Here, on that same day of Pentecosr (verse 41) there "were ADDED UntO them (those already in the chllfch) about three thousand souls." Luke concluded by wriring, "And the lord ADDED to the church daily such as should be saved." These people did NOT look aboU[, deciding upon one rype bteildi1z.g or anmher. They were NOT concerned with parking lms, renor soloists, the size of rhe choir, Or rhe member of m.embersrarber) a coral CHANGE had come over rheir lives, flooding rheir whole BEINGS! They had become ·repentant, and, after meeting God's prior conditions, had
August, 1962 been pitt into His true Church! The Church Is the Body of Christ JUSt as Jesus accomplished the work of God in His physical body while here on this earth, so today He accomplishes the WORK of God through His SPIRITUAL body on earth. That body is the Church of God-{)f which Jeslls is the HEAD! "And He is the Head of the body, the Church, who is, the beginning, the first· born from the dead, that in all things He migh"c have the preeminence" (Col. 1: 18). Paul was also inspired to write, to the Ephesian Church, "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the Head of the Church, and H e is the Saviour of the body (Eph. 5: 23). Earlier, he had written, ", .. and gave Him to be THE HEAD over a11 things to the Church, which IS HIS BODY, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:22,23). Jesus Christ is the LIVING, DYNAMIC HEAD, the fuling, deciding, leading, guiding HEAD of His true Church. He DID NOT give this great posicion ineo the hands of ANY man, men, or woman or women. Rather, HE, and HE ALONE retained the office of LIVING, ACTIVE HEAD of His true Church! Each membe1' of that true Church, who must be PUT INTO the Church, becomes completely joi11ed eo Christ by the Holy Spirit of God! JUSt as your physical body has many members, which automatically follow the will of the HEAD, so does the Church have MANY MEMBERS, all comprising one body. "For as the body is ONE, and hath man.y memberI, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so ALSO IS CHRlST!" (l Cor. 12: 12 ). Notice it! All are ONE. They are one in spirit, one in purpose, one in real unity and harmony. Together, they are accomplishing ONE GREAT WORK of which Jesus spoke. The Church is the BODY OF CHRIST! It is NOT a building. It is NOT a manmade organization of "believers" who are devising their OUJ1l way to "worship God." It is NOT a nation of people, NOT a conglomeration of many C01tfiicting, difJe1'ing ideas, all somehow being "one" church! The Church is the The PLAIN TRUTH spirirual BODY OF CHRIST-HIS BODY THE CHURCH HE BUILT, AND OF WHICH HE IS RIGHT NOW THE LIVING HEAD." How Do People GET INTO the Church? People may WALK into a building. They cantJOt walk into the Church of God-the Body of ChriSt! Peter said, rrRept!1Jt, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" ( ActS 2:28). It is the receiving of the Holy Spirit that MAKES you a member of that one t1'ue body! "By ONE SPIRIT are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been aiJ made to drink imo one spirit. For the body is noc one member, but many" (I Cor. 12:13,14 ) . But remember, the Creator gives His Spirit ONLY TO THOSE WHO WILL OBEY Him! (Acts 5:32) . If a person has truly, deeply REPENTED, and NOT JUSt experienced [he sorrow of the WORLD, ( II Cor. 7: 10), has been baptized in 'water, as God commands, and has truly received the energizing Spirit of God, THEN he becomes a MEMBER of the Church of which Jesus is the living Head! Believe it or noc, it is absolutely im· possible to JOIN the true Church! Jesus plainly laid so! He said "Not everyone that saith untO me, 'Lord, Lord' shaH enter inca the kingdom of heaven, but he [har DOETH the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). He said, to.. in VAIN do they WORSH1P me (actually WORSHIP Christ, CLAIM CHRIST AS SAVIOR, PROFESS CHRIST) , teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" ( Matt. 15:9). No, getting inca the true Church of which Jesus is living HEAD is noc 10 eaIY as to merely "join" or "begin atrending" or walk inca. Ie involves a complete change of character, a cotal about·face in your life. Jeslls sternly warned, IrSt1'ive to enter in at the strait (difficult) gate, for many, I say untO you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able!" ( Luke 13:24). How do people get inca the TRUE CHURCH? By REPENTING of their sins, the Page 27 transgression 'of God's laws ( I John 3:4). By being baptized, as an ourward sign of their obedience co God, and their willingness to lay down their carnal :., tHles to be BURIED forever (Acts 2:38, Rom. 6: 1·6), and then, by the laying Oil of hands (II Tim. 1:6) receiving the SPIRIT OF GOD. Paul was inspired to write, "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His" ( Rom. 8:9 ) . God must PUT you inca His one and only true Church. YOU CANNOT, of yourself, JOIN! Your Bible says so! H ow MANY Churches ARE There? Today, you live in a world of C011· jwion. The world has actually ORGANrZED confusion. There is chaos and confusion among races, among Ian· guages, between political powers, military forces, and especially is there GREAT CON FUSION in religion! Remember, Jesus said plainly, "I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH!" (Matt. 16:18). He DID build it. The convected memberI of chat Church are called God's BUILD ING! (l Cor. 3:9). He built HIS Church - NOT the church of a man, or a new rype government, or a woman, or of a famous theologian, or of a "saint" in the past! Rarher, it is the ONE Church which is ACTUALLY the Body of Christ! Jesus solemnly promised He would NEVER LEAVE His one true Church ( Matt. 28:20). Notice what God inspired Paul to say abour it. "There is ONE body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling, ONE Lord, ONE FAITH (body of beliefs, DOCTRINE ), one baptism, ONE God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Eph. 4:4·6). That one body is in complete agreement! lr respo1'J.ds to irs Living HEAD, Jesus Christ, readily, willingly, AUTO MATICALLY! It is tOgether, in real UNITY!" ".. From whom [he whole body FITLY JOINED TOGETHER and compacted by that which every joint supplierh, according to the eIJect1tal working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unce the edifying .of itself in love" (Eph. 4:16). Jesus Christ gave the panern for His own kind of GOVERNMENT to KEEP that body 10 harmony, in unity, in
Page 1 and 2: a • magazlne of understanding VOL
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Page 5 and 6: What's Behind NEW SHIFT • U.S. Fo
Page 7 and 8: August, 1962 The PLAIN TRUTH Page 7
Page 9 and 10: The CURSE of III Health! Our people
Page 11 and 12: August, 1962 unde1'tyit~g cause of
Page 13 and 14: The Autobiography of Herbert W. Arm
Page 15 and 16: August, 1962 vises you to take up t
Page 17 and 18: Listen to The WORLD TOMORROW SPECIA
Page 19 and 20: August, 1962 KSAY-San Francisco-10l
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Page 31 and 32: The Necessity for Christ's - Second
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Page 44 and 45: Is There a REAL HELL FIRE? There is
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