Old Paths Advocate - Church of Christ

PAGE TWELVE THE OLD PATHS ADVOCATE FEBRUARY, 1946
GOSSIP TOmTN
Have you ever been to Gossip Town,
On the shores of Falsehood Bay,
Where old dame Rumor with rustling gown
Is going the livelong day?
It isn’t far to Gossip Town,
For people who want to go;
The Idleness Train will take you down
In just an hour or so.
The Thoughtless road is the popul&- route
And most people go that way:
But it’s steep down-grade, if you don’t watch out,
You’ll land in Falsehood Bay.
You glide through the Valley of Vicious Talk,
And in through the Tunnel of Hate;
Then crossing the Add-to Bridge,
You walk right into the city’s gate.
The principal street is called “They Say,”
And “I’ve Heard” is the public well;
And the breezes that blow from Falsehood Bay,
Are laden with Don’t You Tell.
In the ’midst of the town is Tell Tale Park,
You are never quite safe while there;
For its owner is Madam Suspicious Remark,
Who lives on the street, “Don’t Care.”
Just back of the park is Slander’s Row,
’Twas there that Good Name died.
Pierced by a shaft from Jealousy’s bow .
In the hands of Envious Pride.
From Gossip Town peace long since fled,
But trouble, and sorrow, and woe,
And grief, and care, you’ll meet instead,
If ever you chance to PO. .
-Harry M. Barr.
(Selected by Mrs. Homer L. King from the wall
in Sister Lila Phillips’ living room, Portales, New
Mexico).
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO YOU
There’s a sweet old story translated for nian
But writ in the long, long ago,
The gospel according to Mark, Luke, and John
Of Christ and His mission below:
Unselfishness mirrors in every scene;
Love blossoms on every sod;
And back from its vision the heart can tell
The wonderful goodness of God.
Men read and admire the gospel of Christ,
With its love so unfailing and true;
But what do they say and what do they think
Of the gospel “according to you”?
‘Tis a wonderful story, that gospel of love,
As it shines in the Christ-life divine;
And, oh, that its truth might be told again
. In the story of your life and mine.
You are writing each day a letter to men;
Take care that the writing is true.
’Tis the only gospel that some men will read,
That gospel according to you.
Selected by Ben Frentrup
BAPTISM OF FIRE AND THAT OF SPIRIT
“NO place in the Bible where a Christian ever
prayed for the baptism of fire. Personally I have
prayed for God not to send that baptism on me;
but I have many times supplicated him for the
baptism of the Spirit.” (Adventist, in P. T. M.,
Sept. 28, 1933.)
“When Adventists claim to receive the baptism
of the Holy Spirit, I seriously question the validity
of their baptism.” (Adventist, in P. T. M., Feb.
9, 1928).
REPLY: And I do too. The Saviour said
“teach” before “baptizing,” Mt. 28 :19. . The one
who prays for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, cer-
tainly has not been taught. In fact “NO place is
found in the Bible” where anyone ever prayed for
the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The baptism in
the Holy Spirit was promised to the apostles
(Acts 15; John 14:17, 26; 15:26; 16:7, 13; Lk.
24:49) And the apostles were baptized in the
Holy Spirit._ (Acts 2:4) Jesus prayed for this.
(Jno. 14:16) And what was the resulti of this
baptism? Jesus said to the apostles, he (the
Comforter, the Holy Spirit, John 14:26) “shall
teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you.”
And again he told the apostles, “Howbeit when
he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you
into all truth.’.’ (John 16:13).
The baptism in the Holy Spirit made the apos-
tles infallible in teaching the doctrine of Christ.
The baptism in the Spirit has served its purpose.
We now have the inspired Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:
16), and we are told to “stully” them (2 Tim. 2:
15; Col. 3:16), and “learn in us (the inspired
apostles) not to think of med above that which
is written” (I Cor. 4:6), for “Evil men and se-
ducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and
being deceived.” (2 Tim. 3:13)
The baptism of fire, also to be administered by
Jesus (Mt. 3:11, 12) will fall to the lot of the
lost. (Mt. 25:41; Rev. 20:16)-H. C. Harper.
YOU TELL ON YOURSELF<
You tell on yourself by the friends you seek,
By the very manner in which you speak,
By the way you employ your leisure time;
By the use you make of dollar and dime.
You tell what you are by the things you wear,
By the spirit in which your burdens bear,
By the.kind of things at which you laugh,
By the records you play on the phonograph.
You tell what you are by the way you walk,
By the things of which you delight to talk,
By the manner in which you bear defeat,
By so simple a thing as how you eat.
By the books you choose from the well-filled shelf:
In these ways and more, you tell on yourself;
So there’s really no particle of sense
In-an effort to keep up false pretense.
Selected by Ben Fre
Our Purpose is+ to “ear:
nestly contend for the
faith which was once de-
livered unto the saints,”
and to ‘‘prove all things;
hold fast that which is
I’
Vol. XIX
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Route 2, Lebanon, Missouri, March 1, 1946
“DRAW NIGH UNTO GOD”
By M. Lynwood Smith
Throughout the old Testament we find where
God’s people drifted away from Him and His
keeping, although they were once in His favor.
They allowed things to come between them and
their God, which separated them from God.
“Your iniquities have separated between you and
your God, and your sins have hid His face from
you, that He will not hear” (Isa. 59 2).
Not only was the above true of God’s people at
that time, but it is true of God’s people (Christ-
ians) today. Many have left the “Old Landmarks”
and have lightly regarded the holy word; by be-
coming too worldly minded, too much concerned
about the affairs of this life, too much concerned
about being popular and like the “nations (de-
nominations) about us.” Therefore, our “iniqui-
ties have separated between us and our God, and
our sins have hid His face from us, that He will
not hear.” This is a very sad and dangerous con-
dition for Christians, indeed. How can we think
of facing the dangers, trials, persecutions, and
death, without the blessed Savior by our side?
Without the relationship between God and His
people, they cannot stand. How can they stand
when “separated from God” and His face turned
away from them, so that He will not hear their
prayers? ,Many church members seem content
to go along through life, without ever approach-
ing His throne of grace in prayer, until in time of
need. Surely, these are times of need, as we live
in these perilous times, confronted with every
temptation we can imagine. But, so long as we
remain “separated from God,” we cannot ‘‘come
boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy and find grace to help in time of need,”
for our cries unto-Him will not penetrate tkie
wall our sins have built between us and our God.
What, then, shall we do about this awful con-
dition? Let us measure the distance we stand
from our God; “examine yourselves whether ye
be in the faith”; repent of the sins, confess them,
and earnestly pray to our God to forgive us, and
the wall will be removed; His face will turn to-
ward us, and smile upon us, for He will then hear
our cries. Let us earnestly hear His word and
obey His voice, that we may ever stand in that
sacred relationship to 3ur God. May we “draw
nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh unto US.”
Let us hear Isaih: “Seek ye the Lord while He
may be found; call upon Him while He is near: Jet
deavoring to keep the ‘
unity of the spirit in the
bond’of peace”; “keeping
the ordinances as deliv-
No. 3‘
Lord, and He will have mercy upon him, and to
our God, for He will abundantly pardon”. (Isa.
55:6, 7). Note, will you, if we will do as the
Lord says, “He will abundantly pardon,” and as
Jaixes tenderly admonished the erring ones in the
church, “Draw nigh unto God,”, and then the
blessed promise-“He will draw nigh unto you.”
Wha.t‘consolation to the sin laden child of God!
I rejoice that when we “draw nigh,” come close,
“to God,” that God will “draw nigh,” come close,
to us.
In the above we have learned that in order to
have the Lord by our side (close to us), we must
come to Him. When we come to Him, He meets
us, “abundantly pardons,’’ and remains nigh unto
us, so long as we remain “nigh” unto Him. I am
afraid we overlook the full meaning of the Lord’s
words in, “I will never leave thee nor forsake
thee” (Heb. 13 :5). Evidently, there are certain
conditions implied here. For certainly the Lord
did not mean to tell us that no matter how deep
in sin a person may go, He would still be with
them; but as James has told us: “He will draw
nigh unto us,” upon conditions, for he stated that
condition, viz.; “Draw nigh unto God, and He will
draw nigh unto thee.” And, just so, when we
allow our sins and iniquities to come between us
and our God, He Takes His leave, turning His face
from us, and will not hear our cries; just as we
also read: “Why transgresseth thou the corn-
mandment of the Lord, that ye cannot prozper?
Because ye have forsaken the Lord, He hath for-
saken you” (2 Cron. 24:20). And again: “The
Lord is with you while ye be with Him; an2 if
ye seek him, he will be found of you, but if ye
forsake Him, He will forsake you” (2 Cron. 15 :2).
Therefore, in order to have the Lord always
with us, we must “draw nigh” unto Him and
remain nigh unto Him in faith and implicit obe-
dience unto Him. As Paul has said, “Who can
separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribu-
lation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Then, he trium-
phantly exclaims: “Nay, in all these things we
are more than conquerors, through Him that
loved us”!
Our attitude in these matters should be as ex-
pressed by the poet:
“Let nothing between my soul and my Savior;
. SO that His-wondrous face may be seen,
Nothing Preventing, the least of His favor,
Keep the way clear,-let nothing between.”
the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous “Draw nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh unto
man his thoughts; and let him return unto the you.”
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