Old Paths Advocate - Church of Christ

PAGE TWELVE THE OLD PATHS ADVOCATE APRIL 1, 1946
Heaven’s gain, and “we sorrow not even as others
who have na hope.” He was my elder brother and
the father of Chester, gospel preacher in Califor-
nia. I am glad that since it had td be, I could be
at his bedside in his last hour and minute in this
earthly life. We ask the prayers of all the faith-
ful ones in our sad hour. May we all ever be
ready for the “crossing over.” Due to some al-
terations in the-mission work in Missouri, I hope
to be able to answer some calls for meetings out-
‘side of Mo., this year.
REMINISCENCE
i E. A. Lowry
As my time of this life will soon come to an
end, will you be so kin&,as to allow me space for a
short review of the past history of the church,
and my connection with it?
My boyhood was spent on a farm in Sequa-chee
valley under the influence of a Christian family,
and a most enthusiastic band of Christian people.
When Sunday game, the whole neighborhood ga-
thered at Cold Springs for worship. Our weekly
work was, singing, (I seem to hear it now), for
most half an hour; prayer by one or two (every
Christian kneeling) ; reading the scripture,
preaching by an Elder, always something for you
to carry home in your mind to think on the next
week ; the Lord’s Supper, after comments, bring-
ing many to tears. There was not much formali-
ty in those meetings but full of Spirituality, (of
which inany now would be ashamed).
Seventy-one years ago last July, I obeyed the
Gospel under the preaching of Elder James Bil-
lingsley, who also evangelized. I began trying
to preach at about 21, round about Spencer, Tenn.,
where I was in school.
In my closing days I thank God for several
things: that I was born in Sequachee Valley, born
on a farm, born of Christian parents, that I gladly
walked two and a half miles to school, had to work
hard on the farm; had to do anything that was to
do (black smithing, shoe mending, milling, grind-
ing corn, and wheat), we boys did all our hauling
with an ox team, my father drove the horses, but
did not trust us with them. Learning all those
useful things helped me much when I had a home
of my own. I chose the profession of teaching,
and evangelizing, and worked at it till my hearing
and age caused me to cease all except writing.
When I was about 23 years old I asked the sub-
stitute elders to ordain me to preach. Our old
Elders were dead, and their sons “grew up and
took charge,” as Bro. Lipscomb had said. These
“so-called elders” said, you don’t need to be or-
dained. All you need is a written recommendation
from the elders. Christ ordered elders, deacons,
and evangelists ordained after sufficient prepara-
tion. MAN has said you don’t need it. So I have
called for ordination ever since. AM I right? I
have oppoged international literature, and wanted
the Bible alone used entirely. Look around at the
procedure in our Sunday schools and you will say
Lowry is right. Did Jesus know what he wanted,
when He decreed that Evangelists should (‘go
everywhere and preach the gospel to every crea-
ture? Has inan become wiser than God? I want
to see them GOING as I saw them in my youth.
Am I right? I want to see all Christians kneeling
in prayer. Am I right? Again, I am doubly anxious
to see the Emblems Christ gave us restored to its
proper place. Until then neither God nor His Son
is claiming anyone as his own. What happened to
the Jews when they began to worship Idols. Where
are the Jews now? Accursed forever.
Brethren,‘your time is coming. Are you going
to substitute for his plans till it comes? Read
Rev. 149-11. And beware, be wise, be sure, be
true, be ready. “I have kept the faith,” I have
fought all error, and am still prayini for the re-
turn to “Thus saith God.”
This may be my last offer. May God help us
thru.
VIEWS AND REVIEWS
“I hope for the kingdom of God. ‘In the days of
these kings shall the God of heaven set up a king-
dom’.’’-Adventist in P. T. M.
This is somewhat like a man praying for a
n0s.e when, if he would look, he would find it-al-
ready on his face.
Christ did not teach “us” to pray, “Thy king-
dom come.” This is what he taught his disciples
to pray-when it was said, “Repent ye: for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt. 3:2)-“The
time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand” (Mk. 1:15)-Mt. 6:lO;’Lk. 11:2. But from
the first Pentec.ost after the resurrection of
Christ, as we have it in Acts, chapter 2, when
sinners were “delivered out of the power of dark-
ness, and translated into the kingdom of the Son
of his love” (Col. 1:12, 13) in obeying “that form
of doctrine” (Rom. 6:17, 18), as given in Rom.
6:l-4 and Col. 2:12, 13, this prayer was answered.
On this Pentecost Peter declared, “He would raise
up Christ to sit on his throne,” as David had pre-
dicted; and that “This Jesus hath God raised up,
whereof we are witnesses.” And “God hath made
that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both
Lord and Christ.” Hence, as the writer of He-
brews says, “We see Jesus, who was made a little
lower than the angels, for the suffering of death,
crowned with glory and honor” (Heb. 2:9). Zach-
ariah had prophesied of him, “He shall be a priest
upon his throne” (6:13). And the writer of He-
brews says of him, “SO also Christ glorified not
himself to be made a high priest; but he that said
to him, Thou art my Son, today have I begotten
thee” (5 :5), “begotten” from the dead (Rev. 1 :5 ;
Heb. 1:6; Ps. 23. This kingdom, established
“in the days of these kings,” was a growing king-
dom, as Daniel pointed out: The “stone” became a
“mountain.” Let some Adventist tell us how ,this
can be if the kingdom here spoken of will not
exist till Christ’s second coming.
-H. C. Harper.
For a century Churches of Christ have been
pl6aacing for unity of all who love our Lord on the
basis of the New Testament.
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
To continue “speakins
the truth in love,” “en.
deavoring to keep the
unity of the spirit in the
bond of peace”; “keeping
the ordinances as deliv.
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“Thus saith the Lord. ‘Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the OId Paths, where is the good way, and walk there-
in, and ye shall find best for your souls.”(Jer. 6;16) “And they that be of Thee shall build the old waste places: thou
shalt raise up the foundations of many generations: and thou shalt be called. The Repairer of the Breach. The Restorer
of Paths to Dwell in.” Il$a 6R.13)
Vol. XIX Route 2, LEBANON, MISSOURI, MAY 1, 1946 No. 5
COUNTING THE COST
By John L. Reynolds
“For which of you, intending to build a tower,
sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whe-
ther he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply,
after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able
to finish it, all that behold him begin to mock
him, Saying, This man began to build, and was
not able to finish” (Lk. 14:28-30). Jesus made
no attempt to conceal the difficulties consequent
upon being his disciples, and his statement of the
facts in this instance is the more remarkable be-
cause it immediately follows the parable in which
the privileges of the life to which he invites men
are spoken of as a feast. One of these parables
.sets forth the joy of the Christian life, while the
other very plainly informs men that their en-
trance into this life and its continuance will in-
volve the sacrifice of much that they hold dear.
In the same context we read these words of the
Lord, “If any man come to me, and hate not his
father, and mother, and wife, and children, and
brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also,
he cannot be my disciple” (Lk. 14:26). In study-
ing through Luke and John we learn that great
multitudes followed Jesus. But near the close of
his ministry we read, “From that time many of
his disciples went back, and walked no more with
him” (Jno. 6:66). All of these started to build
but were not able to finish.
Vast crowds were attracted to Jesus by his
miracles, by his unusual teaching, and by his
manifest sympathy for all classes of men. But
these people had no adequate appreciation of the
hardships they must undergo in order to be
Christ’s disciples. Many accepted Christ because
he seemed to be what they wanted. They thought
that he was the long promised Messiah and that
he would remove the Roman yoke from their
necks. Some were filled with admiration for his
supernatural power by which he could instanta-
neously heal disease, stop a storm, feed the hun-
gry, or call the dead back to life. With a variety
of motives men followed him in increasing num-
bers until the chief priests and rulers feared that
he would capture the nation and take their places
in the temple and synagogues. On every occa-
sion Jesus took care to inform the people of the
hardships his disciples would have to face. He
clearly indicated at all times that he was not go-
ing to bestow any earthlyzewards. People should
count the cost and ask, “To what will this dis-
cipleship lead me?”
Too many today begin to follow Christ with-
out counting the cost. They accept the pleasures
of the Christian life, not thinking there will be
adversities. The angel who told John to eat the
little book said, “It shall make thy belly bitter,
but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey”
(Rev. 10:9). So it is with those who accept
Christ and stay with him. “If we suffer, we
shall also reign with him” (2 Tim. 2:12). Many
follow Christ while the way is sweet, but when
the way becomes bitter, they desert him. Jesus
said, “If any man will come after me, let him de-
ny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”
(Matt. 16:24). The cross is an emblem of suffer-
ing. Jesus suffered upon the cross. If we are
the true disciples of Christ, we will suffer many
hardships in this life, even some unto death, be-
cause he said, “Whosoever will lose his life for
my sake shall find it” (Matt. 16:25).
Some take only a partial view of:Ohristianity ;
they fail to count the cost. In Christ’s days some
accepted him being moved by his supernatural
power or the hope of temporal blessings. Many
make the right start, lay the foundation and then
stop. The foundation is important but it is not
worth anything without the building. Every
Christian must build a character upon Christ and
like Christ‘s..This is the tower which the Lord
wants us to build.
The old man is corrupt according to the deceit-
ful lusts and he must be put away. Destroying
old habits and making new ones is the daily toil
of a Christian. The cost of the tower is sacrifice,
self-denial, cross bearing, and the exchange of
earthly pleasures for heavenly ones. Jesus said,
“Seek ye firzt the kingdom of God and his right-
eousness” (Matt 66:33). If w6 obey Christ, we
will always have sufficient funds to finish the
tower.
Ceres, Calif.
. BUILDING A CHRISTIAN HOME
I have seen the need of writing on this subject
for several years and have hoped that some one
else would do the writing. I felt, too, that many
who really need the teaching would resent it. But,
when I receive so many good letters of commenda-
tion on my former articles on this subject, it
makes me want to try harder. Here is a sample
of a letter from a young Christian couple: “Just