Old Paths Advocate - Church of Christ

PAGE SIX THE ‘OLD PATHS ADVOCATE MARCH 1, 1946
to Gatlinburg, Tenn., tell us whether the camp
there is a religious camp or operated‘by the gov-
ernment, please. -Homer L, King, Rte. 2, ’
Lebanon, Missouri.
BUILDING A CHRISTIAN HOME
A place to call “home.” A house does not always
mean a home, and yet there must be something,
-some place that we think of as home. I realize
that I may be “old fashioned,” but I believe that
before a couple marry they should make some
kind of arrangement for some place to live to
themselves. Many a marriage has gone on the
rocks all because the young folks did not consider
God’s words to “Leave father and mother” and
cleave to one another, and moved in on the old
folks.
Young folks will have to get adjusted and ac-
quainted after they marry and they need to be
off to themselves, and leave all of their parents
out of it, and start from the beginning to build
for themselves a Christian home.
The flowers bloom in clusters and have their
home; the beasts and birds have their nests to
raise their young and for their home have often
given their lives. With the human race, the mak-
ing of one’s own home is the supreme earthly
fascination tonwhich all you the looks forward and
upon which old age looks back. Be it ever so
humble there is no place like home.
Mr. Guest says “it takes a lot of living in a
house to make it home.” But when a house is thus
lived in, and made a home it almost seems sacred,
and when I see a worn out, discarded old home it
makes me think of Joyce Kilmer’s poem :
“But a house that has done what a house should
do, a house that has sheltered life,
That has put its loving wooden arms around a
man and his wife,
A house that has echoed a baby’s laugh, and held
up its stumbling feet,
Is the saddest sight, when left alone that ever
your eyes could meet.”
But tho a house alone does not make a home,
it still remains that the most satisfying concep-
tion of a human home involves some kind of a
rather permanent place; a place with a family
centered for its every day life, for its growth, its
loving, its learning.
One of the greatest sacrifices which the Son of
God made for us seems to be summed up thus:
“And they went every man to his own house:
but Jesus went unto the mount of Olives” (Jno.
7 :53 to 8 :1). The Son of Man hath not where to
lay his head.
The home place should be used to the glory of
God. Lydia’s home place enabled her to care for
Paul and Silas while they preached the gospel in
Philippi (Acts 16). Aquilla and Priscilla turned
their home place into a meeting place for the
Church. Marks house alive at midnight with
praying disciples, was ready to receive Peter Yrom
/
his prison deliverance. On and on we could go
with Bible records like these but these are enough
to show us that God wants the Christian home
to be ordered right. No wonder then that Paul
said for the old women to teach the young women
to “be keepers at home” (Titus 2:5). I do not
understand that the Apostle means that the wife
should just stay at home; but she is to be a home
keeper. In 1 Tim. 5:14 he says, “I will therefore
that the younger women marry, bear children,
guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary
to speak reproachfully.” The woman is
the home keeper according to Gods arrangment,
and parents should train up their little girls to be
such.
Many a bird has been lost because of a faulty
cage, and many a husband has been lost because
of an unkept house. No amount of paint, powder .
and perfume will atone for unwashen dishes, dirty
floors and half cooked meals.
I also understand that when God said to Adam:
in the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread, that
he meant to place the responsibility of making the
living on the shoulders of the man, and no amount
of ability to drive his fathers car, play pool or
entertain will make up for an empty flour bin.
The husband is the head of the family (Eph. 5),
and as such he should take the responsibility and
see that the wife and children are properly cared
for to the extent of his ability. If it is the duty
of the wife to keep the home, it is first the duty
of the husband to see that she has a home to keep.
Though this home may be just.a cabin or a
tent, if the husband does his best to be the provider
and the wife will do her part of the keeping
and they both will trust in God and abide by his
word, in their old days they will look back to this
home place as the happiest home on earth.
-Homer A. Gay.
P. S. I hope to write several articles on this
subject. If care to say anything either for or
against what I say please write direct to me.
H. A. G.)
RIGHT LIVING’BRINGS PEACE
’ Many fear that we will have a third world war.
Wrong doing is what forced us into this war;
when we have compelled other nations to do right
will we learn the value of right living? If all
nations were righteous there would be no war.
The very best thing we can do is to make sure
we are right ourselves, and that applies to trou-
bles in home, church or nation.
Jesus was the Great Teacher. He gave a plan
for leading others to do right, “That they may
see your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven”; Matt. 5:16. The plan for
leading others to do right is $0 do right ourselves.
By that plan we do not use force, why not fall
in with prophecy and prevent wars by righteous
living?
What is right? “Tor the ways of the Lord are
right.” Hosea‘ 14:9. If. we would know what is
right we shculd study the Word and rightly di-
vide it. L$arn what He requires of us-not what
MARCH 1, 1946 THE OED .PATHS :ADVOCATE: PAGE SEVEN
He required of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Matt.
17th Chap. makes it plain that we are to hear
Christ, not Moses or Elias. Old Testament teach-
ing is good but we, being saved by the blood of
Christ, should hear Him in all things.
The Golden Rule is right. Roger Babson says,
“Only the Golden Rule will save this country .-
not a rule of gold. A character standard is far
more important than even a gold standard. The
success of all economic systems is still dependent
upon both righteous leaders and righteous peo-
ple. In the last analysis, our national future de-
pends upon our national character-that is, whe-
ther it is spiritually or materially minded.” Isn’t
that a big statement .when there is so much sin in
our nation? Yet we believe it is true. Why? Be-
cause it is in harmony with Christ’s teaching.
The rich young man wanted to be absolutely
right. Jesus said, “sell that thou hast and give
to the poor.’’ That may seem to be strong teach-
ing but there is where faith takes hold. We must
believe that Jesus knows best. The man was a
ruler and no*doubt could make a good living with-
out his wealth. Jesus wanted him to learn that
“it is more blessed to give than to receive”; a
tryth which we often fail to understand.
Would Jesus approve of one man holding a mil-
lion acres of land and refusing to farm part of it
because he could not make a profit? Lincoln
warned against prejudice and the accumulation
of wealth in the hanas of the few saying it threat-
ened the safety. of our nation. We are looking for
a better way and we must find it. Not commun-
ism, but a way that will bring comfortable living
for all. Righteous leaders can find a way with-
out going to the extreme of communism.
What a wonder statement Roger Babson
made when he spoke of a spiritually minded na-
tion. Pgul, who was spiritually minded, was will-
ing to suffer the loss of all things to win Christ.
All of us may not be able to reach the spiritual
heights which Paul reached but we can get
enough of it to make this a better world in which
to live. Enough of the right spirit will lead us to
accept the teaching of Christ and His inspired
apostles without addition or subtraction. We will
not quibble about baptism or any other command
being non-essential. We will make every effort
to be at the Lord’s table each first day of the week
to “shew the Lord’s death till he come.” We will
SO love the church that we will give it our support
Instead of supporting some man-made organiza-
tion. We will sing with the spirit and with the
understanding forgetting about mechanical in-
struments to entertain others.
Yes, with the right spirit’we can build homes,
churches and nations where fellowship and peace
reign. Do we want such a wonderful world? We
can have it by following this admonition; “Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Je-
sus.” Phil. 2:5. Are you willing to try that if
the other fellow does? The way to get him to
try is to do it yourself.
To accept Christ as your personal Saviour
means tc go a!: the way in obedience to Hfs com-
mands. Let’s get away from this half-way busi-
ness of serving the Lord and use every lawful
means to spread the gospel which is God’s power
unto salvation. Salvation for the’home, for the
church and for the nation. That takes in everything
and it means everything.
-Arthur U. Johnson, 1414 Briggs Ave.,
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Parsons, Kansas.
L. H. Skaggs, 818 So. 27th., Temple, Texas, Jan-
uary 2.-We wish to let all know that we have
not given up, but are still pressing on, facing the
obstacle with courage, trusting that our labor
will not be in vain. We hope to have a meeting
next summer, the Lord willing.
L. T. Cryer, Rte. 4, Box 758, San Angelo, Texas,
Feb. 11.-The church here continues steadfastly
in the Lord’s wxk. Brother J. E. Miller and fam-
ily, of El Dorado met with us last Lord’s day. We
are glad Bro. King is back in Missou-i. We are
sending our renewal to the paper.
F. K. Reeves, Marion, La., Feb. 10.-We are
going onward with the church work here in the
Scriptural way. We are planning some mission
work for this year. I hope all faithful congre-
gations and individuals will co-operate to keep
the work going unto the end.
F. R. Roberson (colored) Rte. 2, Box 58, Law-
renceburg, Tenn., Feb. 2.-We are glad to say
that the few faithful continue to meet for worship
and we enjoy it with the Bible as our guide.-We
are sending our renewal and another to the OPA.
We enjoy it very .much. We often speak of you,
Bro. King.
L. A. Corbell, Arch Route, Baileyboro, Texas,
January 19.-We are still meeting for worship
at Old Bula. Some have moved away, and we are
few in number. Were it not for the promise: “Let
us not be weary in well doing, for we shall reap
in due seasons if we faint not,” we might give
up; but not so since the faithful have always been
few in number.
C. G. Fancher, .Route 3, Wichita Falls, Texas,
Feb. 12.-We have arranged to have Bro. Lyn-
wood Smith for our spring meeting, beginning
April 14, continuing to the 21st. We plan to have
Bro. Gay for our summer meeting, July 7 to the
14th. We are looking forward to a big meeting,
July 4th., this year. We need to associate more
wit.h each other that we may love and appyeciate
each other more. We are glad to hear of the good
spirit manifested in Calif. at the all-day meetings,.
in Jan.