Old Paths Advocate - Church of Christ

PAGE SIX THE OLD PATHS ADVOCATE FEBRUARY, 1946
d
ed in Houston regarding the army induction. I the war effort. So she said to herself. ‘‘1 will
didn’t learn of it until the early part of Dee, arise and go to my husband and will say-un?;
-when Sister Lilla Phillips and Sister Lela Phillips, him, Husband, I have sinned against heaven and
both of Portales, New Mexico, sent me letters,
informing me that he was in prison under ap- neglected my family in a terrible way. I am no
more worthy to be called-thy wife, nor the mother
pearance bond. I had money in an Oklahoma
bank but was not cei-tain as to the amount, as it
of thy children. Make me as thy hired housewas
in a joint account with Mrs. Miller and pykeeper.“
She gathered her tools together and started
self, so I wrote her and upon receipt’of my letter
she immediately wired $500.00 to the designated
home. And when she was yet a long way off the
party, but you good people had already paid his
husband saw her and forgiving her, ran and
clasped her in his arms. And the wife said, “Husbond,
and the $500.00 was returned. I read an
article in the December issue of the OPA that
band, I am no more worthy to be called thy wife,
Sister Phillips sent me, the article mentioned,
nor the mother of thy children.” But the father
being from another one of my boys, Alvin V.
said to the children, “Run and bring hither a
Fenn, stating his intentions of working for the
dress and the best apron. Put stockings on her
feet and rush to the meat market and get a steak
Master, which makes me very happy. Last night
at church (Dec. 23rd), I met one of his girl school
of the fatted calf, and let us have a warm meal
mates from Canyon City, Texas, a Miss Carr. once more. For this your mother, who was lost
is found.” So they rejoiced and made merry.
I worked on the army base, Fort Richardson,
near Anchorage. We had our first snow here
(Selected) -R. L. Williams
Sept. 6th and not a flake of it has melted. From
where I work I could see snow on top of the
MARANATHA
mountains all last summer.
J. H. McKAIG
Robert D. Fenn, Post Engineer, Concerning the word “MARANATHA,” an ex-
Machine Shop SP 14 APO 942, planation might prove interesting, for the very
c/o P. M. Seattle, Washington. , good reason that of all the subject ixaiter given in
the Bible, both to a regenerated, or unregenerated,
“THE PRODICAL MOTHER’’ world, its meaning is, perhaps, the most impor-
A certain man had a wife and three children. tant.
The wife, becoming dissatisfied with housekeep- MARANATHA is an Aramaic expression. When
ing and coveting the money being earned by her PAUL wrote First Corinthians in Greek, he used
neighbors, said to her husband, “Husband, se- Aramaic in the twenty-second verse of chapter
cure for me the Social Security number that fall- sixteen, “If any man LOVE not the LORD JESUS
etktto me, and divide unto me a portion of thy CHRIST let him be A-nath-e-ma (a person or a
tro.,---- 99
UJelb.
thing devoted to destruction) Mar-an-a-tha” (Our
With a reluctant heart the husband granted LORD IS COMING). It is important to know,
her desire and divided his wardrobe. Not many
it continues to appear in its original form in all
days later she donned her slacks, and with a translations, down to the most recent translation
toolbox under her arm, waved goodbye to the in modern speech. ~ That learned company of men
children, and took her journey into a far country appointed by KING JAMES the first in the sevenand
there secured a man’s job in a factory. She teenth century, gave us our beloved Authorized
made big wages but she associated with the wick- Version, but they left MARANATHA unchanged.
ed and listened to the vulgar stories’that were
Roman Catholic scholars in 1582, at RHEIMS,
told. There was a mighty spiritual famine in that
translated every word of First Corinthians 16 into
Ewlish, except MARANATHA.
land and she grew lean in her soul. The children,
turned loose on the mercies of the neighbors,
If i?s a Latin version all will be Latin except
soon forgot that they ‘ever had a mother; but
MARANATHA.
the husband remembered the duties of a wife and
Examine any translation ; Swedeish, German,
Spanish; French, all declare “hands off,” when
wished for the war to be over that his wife might
it comes to the word (or sentence) MARANAreturn
to her home. The husband dined on cold
lunch meat while the wife tried in vain to fill
THA; strange isn’t it? Scholars in all-generations
oY approximately sixteen hundred years,
her .stomach with the husks of the cheese and down through the Hebrew, Syriac, Greek, Latin,
crackers that fell from the canteen vendor’s ma- Anglo-Saxon languages, at last gave us our prechine.
And no man gave unto her the respect due cious English Bible; with MARANATHA still in
a lady. One day at rest period, as she sat en- ARAMAIC. MARANATHA that endearing word,
gulfed in cigarette smoke and smutty stories, that ever kept the lamp of TRUTH burning in
she came to herself with remorse. “Here I sit the hearts of the earls Christians!
surrounded with vulgarity and sacrificing the re- Those who lived so dose to the time of JESUS,
spects due a lady. At home is a deserted hus- while Rome was Pagan, and had access to the
band, while my children roam the streets unre- original writings and letters of the Apostles, by
strained. The money I make seems small com- choosing to die in the first persecution, rather
pared - to. the peace of mind and soul.”
than forsake HIS teaching, show how great their
. In vain she tried to smother her conscience faith and,cc\nf_dence was. Let the works of that
with the thought that. she was .contributing to age decide, if their ability to form a proper opin-
FEBRUARY, 1946
THE OLD PATHS ADVOCATE
PAGE SEVEN
I
ion or decision be questioned. It has been stated STRENGTH RECEIVED, turn around and credit
that “The progress of any age is preceded by an it to our own achievement?
’
increase in its INFORMATION, which when used, Another important fact worthy of note is, when
is placed in the store house of record or memory, John wrote the great revelating letter, CHRIST
hence all progress depends upon the amount of caused him to put in (Parenthesis) (Rev. 16:15)
stored-up information and its application to use.” it is so important, HE specially calls our atten- .
While the works of the world advance from tion to it, GOD’S people the humble believers,
stage to stage, they do not show advancement in are made to suffer from the habitual omission of
personal capacity, but an increase in the amount this great fact, and who can estimate the injustice
of stored-up information, as in every case, the done to unbelievers ?
use made of it shows about the same mental abil- The great resurrection scene pictured in Isa.
ity.
25-9, is a crowning demonstration of this sacred .
If the people who lived in the lst, 2nd, and word MARANATHA; “And it SHALL BE SAID
3rd centuries A. D. and were endowed with fac- IN THAT DAY, lo this is our GOD; we have
ulties equal to ours, and living so near to the waited for HIM and HE will save us; this is the
time of CHRIST, is it not probable that their LORD; we have waited for HIM, we will be glad
opinion of the religion for which they died, is of and rejoice in HIS SALVATION.” There is a
more value than our own?
universal memory of the catastrophe of the Flood,
comparable with the Master’s warning in Mat.
The history of those days show the awe in
which they held this sacred w0l.d. MARANA-
24-37, at the present this is being intensely studied
by Bible students all over the world, should
THA was a salutation, when one Christian met YOU care to look into this, start with Genesis
another, he greeted him with MARANATHA, re- 6 :11-12-13.
joicing in the declaration: “OUR LORD IS COM- If we preach personal Salvation only, and neg-
ING.” It took the form of a benediction, they lect to warn of the soon return of the AUTHOR
were jubirant in wanting it known “OUR LORD of personal Salvation, though we are feeding the
IS COMING.”
-
flock the ‘‘sincere milk of the word” we are fail-
It became a pass-word when they met in caves ing to give them “meat in due season” we canand
dens of the earth, it is stated in a certain not be ready unless we “WATCH AND PRAY,”
writing, that “it was used in celebration of the and if we do, we cannot keep from WARNING,
LORD’S SUPPER, bringing to that occasion a else we ourselves are not READY. With the
note of triumph.”
Gospel of Salvation let us have the MEAT OF
In our greetings now-a-days, is it piety, or le- PROPHETIC understanding, “HALLELUJAH
vity?. Do we remind one another of HIS coming, MAR ANATHA.”
or does our superiority complex exclude our hu-
Box 1137, Vista, California.
mility? ‘When we aught to be radient with love
and expectancy, we seldom refer to HIS COM-
THE NEW BIRTH
ING.
By E. A. Lowry
If our economic condition is flush, and our physical
health good, we are prone to forget many Dr. T. W. Brents, one who understood, and
things; one is, that the most dangerous time in taught the Bible in, and out of Burritt college for
a Christian’s life, is right at the moment, when many years said to his class one day, “You should
“HE THINKETH HE STANDETH.” How be very careful how you approach this subject,
strange indeed is the everyday life of the modern and be sure you study it well and understand it *
Christian with the open BIBLE before him, to
before you carry it to the public.” Many, I find
behold the utter neglect of the joyful Heavenly since I received this warning, have, to my knowlnews
contained‘ in that sacred word MARANA- edge, and their shame, made nothing cut of it
THA.
but confusion. Itvas at least forty years after I
began preaching before I would tackle it in pub-
We automatically do ;way with selfishness and lic. Not perhaps because I was so much duller
itsLattendant evils, when we forget SELF; by than others but through timidity, and fear that
thus doing we become humble, loving children, I would confuse it so others could not get it.
“servants of the MOST HIGH GOD,” loving and
appreciating our brethren as we never loved be-
I believe that if we understand the birth of ,
fore. Our eyes are then open to our brothers’ flesh, and will stick to the text as Jesus gave it
we can very readily understand it. Surely, Jesus
virtues and the good he is doing.
How is it when one achieves something worthy would not confuse the subject, when He was trying
to make it plain to a leader in Israel. At first
and splendid in the Lord’s work, do we go to such He spoke of it simply as a birth. Then made it
a one and encourage him, or are we too self-centered,
jealous, and envious? If our brother’s plain by saying, “Except a man be born of the
works are good, is there bitter envy in our hearts,
water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the King;
when there should be LOVE.? And, if tAat cov- dom of heaven” (Jno. 3 :3-5).
ering for sin is there, we will have UNITY, and
Now let us consider a birth of flesh. There ,
must be a father and a mother. God has so arwith
it PEACE; on the LORD’S TERMS; not
ours.
ranged this, that there must be a “begetting” the
Do we say like David (Psalms 62-5) “My soul
father’s part, and the delivery of the begotteninto
a new and different environment. In a spiritwait
thou only upon GOD,” and with the