1998_03 by Uplook

UPLOOK APRIL

1998

S W E E T WAT E R

SPRING

E DI TO R I A L

SWEET WATER SPRING A little member—big trouble or big blessing

“The boneless tongue, so small and weak, Can crush and kill,” declared the Greek. “The tongue destroys a greater horde,” The Turk asserts, “than does the sword.” While Arab sage doth this impart: “The tongue’s great storehouse is the heart.” The sacred writer crowns the whole, “Who keeps his tongue doth keep his soul.” Intelligent speech is one of the faculties that marks us out, with the angels, as special creatures of God. True, higher animals communicate with each other in a limited way, but we have can express thoughts through spoken words. In this way it is possible to use our members (and this one in particular) as instruments of righteousness or unrighteousness (Rom. 6:13). How sweet is the water that can flow from a consecrated tongue! How soul-saving is the gospel river to a dying son of the dust. How refreshing is encouragement to a parched life. Think of Hannah’s prayer of gratitude (1 Sam. 2), and David’s songs of delight in God, and Paul’s classic intercessions for the saints. But how bitter the springs of hatred and malice and petty jealousy. I can almost catch the hard, metallic aftertaste in the back of my throat as I write these words. James, in speaking of the tongue, portrays it as a bit in the horse’s mouth so it might be used to bring the whole body to obedience (3:3). It is like a ship’s helm, that responds to the control of the captain and, though small, can bring great changes, in spite of contrary forces (v. 4). Or it can be like a little spark which causes a forest fire that rages out of control (vv. 4-5), or a poisonous snake inflicting its deadly venom on the unsuspecting (vv. 7-8). It can bear fruit, but only the kind of fruit that grows from that particular kind of root. The kind of words we

by 2

sow are the kind of words we reap (Lk. 6:38; Mt. 5:7). Then James throws us a curve. He writes: “Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men…Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing” (vv. 9-10). But he continues: “Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?” (v. 11). The answer is obviously, No. Sweet and bitter water can’t come out of the same spring. But can’t blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth? That’s just the point! When you mix sweet and briny water, what do you get? Some of both? All sweet? No. The bitter water spoils the sweet. So with our tongues. The attempted blessings are ruined by the bitterness. May the influence that flows from our lives be sweetened by the river that unceasingly flows from the throne of God. We had decided to gather an Uplook on worship—the highest use of the tongue—some time ago. It happened to coincide with receiving the responses to our renewal notices. Almost all of the mail was very encouraging, and we are deeply grateful for your constructive suggestions, kind words, practical fellowship, and prayers. There were some others of a different flavor, of course. We expect that. We know it goes with the territory. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was dubbed by the Chicago Times, “silly, flat and dishwater utterances.” Beethoven had his playing described as “noisy, unnatural, over-pedaled, and confused.” A bit like one or two letters I received, except mine were not so gentle. Yet we should learn from such rebuke. We are not always sure it is a friend who is wounding us (Prov. 27:6), but anything that humbles us is good for us. It gets us moving in the right direction (1 Pet. 5:6). British statesman Edmund Burke said, “He who opposes me and does not destroy me strengthens me.” We do find the chastening a little easier to take, however, when we know that the person correcting us cares for our spiritual well-being. For some reason, I’m reminded of General George Patton’s remark, “All my life I’ve been shot at. Often by the enemy.” Watch how you use your weapon.

➲

suppose we’ve all had to learn the hard way that we carry a potent force with us everywhere we go. Some of the time it lies there inert, seemingly harmless. As harmless as a venomous snake in the grass, says James (3:8)! Philip Burrows Strong captures the wisdom of the ancients regarding the tongue in poetic form:

J. B . N I C H O L S O N, J R . UPLOOK

• APRIL 1998

UPLOOK

CONTE N T S

(USPS 620-640) Founded in 1927 as Look on the Fields, UPLOOK is published eleven times a year by Uplook Ministries, 813 North Ave., N.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49503.

UPLOOK Volume 65

April 1998

US POSTMASTER: Send address changes to UPLOOK, P. O. Box 2041, Grand Rapids, MI 49501-2041

Number 3

FEATURES LITTLE ROCK UPDATE

CHRIST THE PERFECT MAN C. H. Mackintosh

LET ME EXPLAIN A New Tool

CUBA: SPECIAL REPORT Alfred Adams

PICTURES OF CHRIST Chart

THE LORDIAN FEAST Liddon Sheridan

THE WORLD-WIDE SEARCH Daniel Smith

THE GEOMETRY OF A CIRCLE J. B. N., Jr.

RELIGIOUS RITUAL David Dunlap

DEPARTMENTS EDITORIAL

WHAT’S GOING ON?

FRONT LINES

BOUQUET OF BLESSING: Supping with Him

LIVING ASSEMBLIES

HEROES: C. J. Baker

CANADIAN POSTMASTER: Send address changes to UPLOOK, P.O. Box 427, St. Catharines, ON L2R 6V9 ISSN #1055-2642 Printed in USA. © Copyright 1998 Uplook Ministries Periodical postage paid at Grand Rapids, MI. International Publication Mail Product (Canadian Distribution) Sales Agreement No. 1064363 UPLOOK magazine is intended to encourage the people of God in fidelity to His Word, fervency in intercessory prayer, labors more abundant, and love to the Lord. Believing in the practical Headship of Christ and the local autonomy of each assembly, this is not intended to be an official organ of any group or federation of local churches. The editor and authors take responsibility for materials published. For any blessing which accrues, to God be the glory. UPLOOK is copyrighted solely for the purpose of maintaining the integrity of the material. It is not intended to limit the proper use of articles contained in the magazine. Please include the words: “UPLOOK magazine, by permission” on photocopies made for personal use. For large quantities or other purposes, contact UPLOOK. Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope with all unsolicited material. News items must be submitted at least two months in advance of issue requested. Selected news items will be carried for two issues (if time permits). The editor reserves the right to determine those items best suited for the magazine. Editorial decisions are final. Photos accepted. Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for photos you wish returned. Website: http:\\www.uplook.org e.mail: uplook@uplook.org

Uplook Ministries is a tax-exempt corporation looking to the Lord to provide for the needs of this ministry. This magazine is sent freely to those who request it, but evidently is not freely produced. Donations should be made payable to “UPLOOK” and sent to:

U.S. donors:

P.O. Box 2041 Grand Rapids, MI 49501-2041

Canadian donors:

P. O. Box 427 St. Catharines, ON L2R 6V9

Contributions may also be made using your Visa or Mastercard. When you write, please include your card number and expiry date and the amount in US currency that you wish to donate. Receipts are issued for all donations received and are valid for tax purposes in the United States and Canada. Be sure to enclose your former address label when sending a change of address. Please let us know of changes six weeks in advance.

UPLOOK

• APRIL 1998

KEEP

PRAYING

Little Rock update

The gospel outreach in Little Rock is rapidly approaching. Remember that the dates are JUNE 7-12. Every willing heart can have a significant part to play.

e didn’t expect to be sitting in a restaurant in Little Rock, AR, across the table from an aide to the governor of Arkansas. But it was only one of a number of open doors the Lord has provided us as we have been preparing for the gospel outreach there. Here are some of the developments:

A NOTE FROM THE HELLERS We are happy to tell you that, in answer to the prayers of the saints, the Heller’s house in Tulsa sold in five days! They have found a suitable house in West Little Rock (see map on next page), the area we hope to focus on with the door-to-door effort. John writes: “When the Lord put us into full time work almost 12 years ago, there was a desire to see new assemblies established. We had no idea how or where this would be done, or even if the Lord would grant the responsibility to be part of such a work. This vision has remained a constant in our hearts since being commended to the Lord’s work. Three years ago, we began discussing and praying about being available to go wherever the Lord directed. Whether to another assem-

bly, the mission field or to help establish new assemblies in the U.S., we were willing regardless of the call. Happy that God had put us in Tulsa and desiring not to manufacture a calling of our own, there was mutual agreement to wait on the Lord and let Him move. A request that the Lord would lead with a location in mind, rather than us seek it out, came within a month. No one but the Lord knew of this specific request for His direction to a new work. The next 3 months were spent weighing it out in prayer and with godly counsel… The following 6 months proved to be a time of gracious but unmistakable dealings concerning the Lord’s desire for Little Rock. “For it is the Lord who is at work in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13) became one among many verses that God used to convince us to reconsider Little Rock. In fact so solid was His work, we knew it would be sin not to go… There has always been risk in true service to the Lord (Lk. 19:20). It is no different for believers in our generation. In addition to the important work of “strengthening that which remains,” God continues to call saints to the challenging labor of spreading

GOOD NEWS

Little Rock

the gospel. This is the outflow of time spent with the Saviour, which was the hallmark of the early church and always has been for those who follow Him. It is more convenient to pick the place and time we wish to serve, but this is best left to His choice. What can be accomplished by simple surrender to His purposes, is never truly regretted. “For Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through Thy work: I will triumph in the works of Thy hands” (Ps. 92:4). With God’s direction, our family will to move to Little Rock in the latter part of May…No doubt there are many solid believers in that city, but to our knowledge there is no New Testament assembly. The exercise is to reach souls who are searching for the Saviour, and introduce interested believers to the blessing of meeting in a New Testament pattern. We are thankful to be working with fellow believers who have a heart for the lost and a burden for the local N.T. church. There is close guidance and counsel from the brothers at East Tulsa Bible Chapel, in working through the details of the

A fund has been set up by the East Tulsa Bible Chapel for those wishing to invest in the Little Rock Outreach. For information, call: T. Victor Anderson at (918) 466-1591 or Frank Moffitt at (918) 299-5218 The mailing address is: East Tulsa Bible Chapel, P. O. Box 691854, Tulsa, OK 74169-1854 Checks should be payable to ÒLittle Rock Outreach.Ó

UPLOOK

• APRIL 1998

LITTLE ROCK UPDATE

Little Rock The location of John and Bobbie HellerÕs new home Area of concentration in West Little Rock for door-to-door work The Hilton Hotel for the evening meetings and accomodations The city center where we will hold a noon open air meeting June outreach and the establishment of an assembly in Little Rock. If you believe the Lord would have you join this outreach effort, we would be grateful to labor together in the gospel this June. Much prayer and work still needs to be done. Pray with us that the Lord be honored in all!

PRAYER WARRIORS NEEDED It is the height of presumption to attempt anything without prayer. And as we think of the needs before us, we appeal to the Lord’s people to invest through intercession in the work in Little Rock. The enemy has already made his move, with a cult recently exposed on national television. Using mind control tactics, they subvert young minds in debasing ways. They call themselves the Brethren! It is an old ploy; resisting truth by imitating it (2 Tim. 3:8). If you would like regular updates for your prayer investment, please send your name and address to: Little Rock Outreach, PO Box 2041, Grand Rapids, MI 49501.

IF YOU ARE GOING, LORD WILLING The dates for the Little Rock Outreach are: arrival Sunday afternoon, June 7 to Saturday morning, June 13. It is essential that everyone is registered no later than May 7. A deposit of US$25 along with your name, address, and phone number should be sent to Little Rock Outreach at the above address. Our home base for the week will be the Hilton Hotel. This is where we will stay, meet for breakfast each morning, and hold our evening gospel meetings. Most of our mornings and afternoons will be spent doing door-to-door visitation and literature distribution. Each day, the team will meet at a central outdoor location for a noon rally. Bag lunches will be provided at that time. Participants will be on their own for dinner, allowing us to meet people at restaurants and then bring them to the evening meeting. The cost is $175 (US) for quad occupancy or $285 (US) for double occupancy. This does not include UPLOOK

transportation or evening meals. Further details about payment will be sent to those who register by May 7. Participants must be at least 18 years old. A small group will be in Little Rock the week prior to the outreach, (June 1-6) for the purpose for doing some preliminary literature distribution and preparation for the arrival of the rest of the team. If you or someone you know is available for the first week in June or both weeks, please contact us so we can make the necessary arrangements. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or suggestions at Little Rock Outreach, PO Box 2041, Grand Rapids MI 49501, or call (616) 456-5123. Email messages may be sent to caroline@uplook.org. We look forward to hearing from you before May 7 so that all of the arrangements can be made as smoothly as possible. Thank you again for your continued prayers! Ý

• APRIL 1998

A Masterpiece

Christ the perfect Man The excellency of His character and ways C. H. MACKINTOSH The Lord Jesus, when here on the earth, was the only perfect Man this world has ever seen. He was all and always perfect, under the eye of God and before men—perfect in thought, perfect in word, and perfect in action. In Him every moral quality met, and this in perfect proportion and manifestation. No single feature predominated. In “the Man Christ Jesus” there were perfectly blended a majesty which overawed, and a gentleness which gave perfect ease in His presence. The scribes and Pharisees met His withering rebukes, while the poor Samaritan, and “the woman that was a sinner,” found themselves unaccountably yet irresistibly attracted to Him. No one feature in His character displaced another, for all was in fair and comely proportion. He could say in reference to the five thousand hungry people that followed Him in the barren desert, “Give ye them to eat,”(Lk. 9:13) and when they were filled, He commanded, “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost” (Jn. 6:12). The benevolence and the economy are seen to be equally perfect, and neither interferes with the other. Each shines in its own proper sphere. He could not send away a hungry people unfed, nor could He suffer a fragment of God’s supply to be wasted. He would bountifully meet the need of men with a full and liberal hand, and when that was done, He would see to every atom of that which was not required, so that nothing provided by God for human need, should be lost. The selfsame hand that was widely opened to every form of human need, was firmly closed against all prodi6

UPLOOK

gality and waste. There was nothing niggardly in His measure of supply, nor was there any extravagance in the manner of His providing for man’s need. In this, as in all else in which the Lord Jesus appears, He is ever absolutely perfect in His character and ways. What a lesson there is in all this to us! How frequently with us, does benevolence resolve itself into unwarrantable waste, while, on the other hand, how often is our economy marred by the exhibition of a miserly spirit. At times our selfish hearts refuse to open themselves to supply the needs that present themselves, while at other times we squander, through a wanton extravagance, that which might meet the need of many a fellow-creature. But there were none of these inequalities in our blessed Lord. He was perfect in all He did and gave, and equally so in what He refused to sanction. How blessed and refreshing to the soul it is, to be so occupied with Him, in all the perfections of His character and ways, as these were manifested throughout His earthly course. Creation’s light was sweet indeed, But soon it changed to gloom, When sin obtained a footing there, And man received his doom. The light that from the Saviour shone Was perfect in its beam, And gave to all on whom it fell A glorious heavenly gleam. ’Tis this that gladdens holy heaven: No other light is there; The glory of the Lamb alone Illumes the city fair.

• APRIL 1998

NEW TOOL YOU

CAN

USE

Let me explain Here is a new full-color brochure to give to visitors at your assembly or to distribute in the neighborhood.

A few words of explanation

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to meet with the first Christians? One of the greatest blessings this side of heaven is to gather with others who take God and His Word seriously. We are a group of believers saved by grace through faith in Christ and His finished work (Rom. 10:9-10) who meet around the Lord Jesus by faith, seeking to follow only the directions given in the New Testament. We believe that the church is God’s idea. Christians do not meet in congregations merely because it is desirable or helpful, but because the Lord has ordained it (1 Thess. 2:14). Our Lord Himself first spoke of the church when He declared that He was its builder and would establish it on a sure foundation—Himself (Mt. 16:18). He also first spoke concerning the local church, to which matters of right relations between believers might be referred (Mt. 18:17). There may be some things about a gathering like this that would be different to you. We would appreciate a few moments to explain how we meet and why.

By the way, there are many who meet like this. You may have heard of names like George Müller, the great man of faith; H. A. Ironside, the famous Bible expositor; Jim Elliot, the intrepid martyr of Ecuador; or W. E. Vine, the author of the well-known Dictionary of Expository Words. These, like thousands of others worldwide, met simply according to the pattern found in the New Testament. Sometimes such groups are referred to as “Brethren” (due to the lack of division between “clergy” and “laity” in their meetings), but we desire to gather simply as Christ’s ones in His name,1 recognizing no names that would divide God’s people.2 To be gathered in His name is to meet by His authority, submitting to His Lordship, and following His Word.

Does the New Testament provide a pattern?

MEETING AS A NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH TODAY UPLOOK

If you suggested changing any other doctrine—salvation by faith in Christ, the deity of the Lord Jesus, or the inspiration of Scripture, for example—it would invite strong reaction from Bible-believing churches. But somehow many feel we are free to redesign the church any way it suits us. Yet we have no more right to make a new way of meeting than a new way of salvation. “At the very outset of the New Testament it is striking that the Lord Jesus and the apostles labored to establish only one institution—the local church.3 Paul stated, ‘As a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereon’ (l Cor. 3:10). The local church lies at the heart of God’s program today. Indifference to the doctrine of

• APRIL 1998

LET ME EXPLAIN the church is certainly indifference to the plan of God.” 4 Francis Schaeffer writes, “The church did not sit there as a group of believers with no form. The New Testament form is commanded by God. These norms are not arbitrary—they are God’s form for the institutional, organized church and they are to be present in the twentieth century as well as in any century.” 5

However, rather than subscribing to man-made creeds, rules, and constitutions, we find the Word of God to be the only infallible statement of Christian faith and practice (2 Tim. 3:16). The Scriptures should be appealed to directly in a gracious and humble spirit (2 Tim. 2:25) to settle all disputes, give directives to the assembly, and provide the basis for all public and private ministry.

A truly scriptural assembly should be composed only of true believers.

The Holy Spirit represents Christ on earth.

By this we mean people who, having believed the gospel, have experienced the miracle of new birth, and know themselves to be “children of God by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 3:26). Unconverted people cannot truly participate in worship or other holy activities of the church, nor could they be expected to support its testimony by holy living. Christians are exhorted not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14-18), although we should do good to them and share the gospel with them.

What about baptism? The word “baptism” is the English form of the Greek word baptizo, which means to submerse or immerse. All converted people in New Testament times were baptized before taking their place in a local church (see Acts 2:41; 8:12). Christ had commanded that this should be done (Mt. 28:19). The same pattern is observed by scriptural assemblies today. Converts should be taught that baptism is the symbol of their being buried with Christ, and rising (as He rose) to walk “in newness of life” (Rom. 6:1-11).

Christ is the gathering center. Although a local church is a gathering of like-minded believers, no fellowship based on people will work. “Truly our fellowship,” said John, “is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 Jn. 1:3). Matthew 18:20 states: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” It is so easy to be distracted from Christ, to find ourselves gathering to a preacher, a set of doctrines, a sacrament, or form of church government. This is very different from being gathered to Christ. We want to recognize His headship (Col. 1:18) in our assembly practically. We believe He deserves this, for it is His church: “Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it” (Eph. 5:25).

A New Testament assembly takes the Bible as authoritative and complete. We believe firmly in the historic doctrines of the church.

Of course, it is not enough to recognize the truths of Scripture if we do not act on them. Many claim to be Biblebelieving churches, and we thank God for that. But we must seek also to be a Bible-obeying church by the work of the Spirit of God in us. It is of the utmost importance that the Holy Spirit be given His place in the local assembly. His power is the only power for worship, ministry, or evangelism. It is easy to displace Him by substituting human arrangements. It is common in many congregations to have one man to preside as minister or pastor, with activities under his control. However the Spirit is to direct the believers in their meetings (1 Cor. 12 & 14).

For the guidance of the local church, elders are appointed by the Spirit. From Acts 20:17-38, we see that the terms “elders” (v. 17) and “overseers” (bishops, see margin, v. 28) are used of the same individuals and are applied to those who “take heed…to the flock” (v. 28). In other words, elders, overseers (or bishops), and pastors (or shepherds) are all describing the same workers in the church. Elder emphasizes their maturity; overseer emphasizes their responsibility; shepherd emphasizes their ministry—to heed, lead, and feed the local flock. These men (the words are always used in the plural) are to fulfill the qualifications given in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Our elders are to be respected, prayed for, and obeyed (Heb. 13:7, 17).

There is no difference in value between men and women, but there are distinct roles. The work of Christ has removed all human distinctions of privilege (Gal. 3:28). And every believer, whether male or female, is a priest to God (Heb. 13:15). As holy priests (1 Pet. 2:5) and royal priests (1 Pet. 2:9), we can worship and witness as much as we desire. But as in the home, so also in the church, men and women are given distinct roles. Church order, like chronological or alphabetical order, has nothing to do with importance. It has been established by God so “all things [are] done decently and (according to the) order” (1 Cor. 14:40). Men are to come to church meetings prepared to func-

Copies of this brochure are available in quantities of 50 for $3.95US or $5.95CDN from Gospel Folio Press. 10

UPLOOK

• APRIL 1998

A NEW TOOL TO USE tion publicly, representing God to the assembly in the ministry of the Word as the Spirit leads (1 Pet. 4:10-11) or representing the assembly to God in prayer and praise, doing it carefully so everyone can add “Amen” (1 Cor. 14:16). The women, free to pray and worship the Lord all they wish, must however do it silently (as do the men when they are not being moved by the Spirit to speak). Thus the women have free access worship as the men do, but are not to reverse the divine order by speaking publicly in the church (1 Cor. 14:34; 1 Tim. 2:11-12).

Why do the women wear the head covering? One of the ministries given to women in the church is that of being stewards of the coverings, somewhat like the Gershonites in the Old Testament (Num. 4:24-26). God’s glory is to be seen alone in the local church. In order to do this, the men remain uncovered by not having long hair and by removing any head coverings, because the man is “the image and glory of God” (1 Cor. 11:7). Any covering would symbolically veil God’s glory. There are, however, two competing glories in the church. “The woman is the glory of the man” (1 Cor. 11:7). And “if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her” (1 Cor. 11:15). Because there are two symbolic glories to be covered, there must be two coverings. The first covering (Gk., peribolaion) is the woman’s long hair (v. 15b) to hide the glory of the man (the woman herself). The second covering (Gk., katakalupto) is to hide her glory—her hair. In this way, God’s authority is declared, men are reminded by this that their glory is to be hidden in the church, and the angels are instructed (1 Cor. 11:10).

The Lord’s Supper occupies a central place. As the early Christians did, we come together on the first day of each week to “break bread” (Acts 20:7). Being a divine appointment, it should never be relegated to a secondary place, or treated as a matter of occasional obedience. It is to be a time of calling our Lord to mind and declaring His death for us. It is observed not as a sacrament administered by a clergyman, but as described in 1 Corinthians 11. The prime purpose of this time is not to minister to other believers, as in other meetings of the church, but to minister to the heart of God through appropriate reading of scriptures, worshipful hymns, and prayers expressing to God the worthiness of our Saviour.

moment one is saved (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 5:30). We have no member’s list, but do receive into fellowship those whom Christ has already received (Rom. 15:7; 16:1-2). The whole assembly is happy to receive all who i) confess Jesus Christ as personal Saviour and Lord; and ii) have a consistent Christian life and testimony. Being received into this fellowship means you are ready to embrace the privileges of local church life and willing to accept your responsibilities with us. These include regular attendance at the meetings of the church (Acts 2:42; Heb. 10:25), the exercise of your gift for the upbuilding of others (1 Pet. 4:10), submitting to one another, especially in obedience to the elders (Heb. 13:17), and sharing as the Lord enables you in the financial needs of the assembly (1 Cor. 16:1-2; 2 Cor. 9:7) as an act of worship (Heb. 13:16). Funds are not solicited, especially not from unbelievers (3 Jn. 1:7).

But there is so much more! Obviously in a paper like this it is not possible to deal fully with all the issues involved in church life. But as we seek the truth in God’s Word, the Holy Spirit delights to show us more. The Apostle Paul stated the two-fold wonder of God’s blessings to the human race: “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ” (Eph. 3:8-9). May the Lord help us all to enter more fully into these twin treasures: what we have in the cross of Christ and what we have in the church of Christ. ENDNOTES: 1. Mt. 18:20; 1 Cor. 5:4; see Mt. 23:8 as to who the “brethren” really are—every true believer in Christ. 2. See 1 Cor. 1:10-15; 1 Cor. 3:3-5 3. See 1 Cor. 4:17; 7:17; 11:16; 14:33; 14:34 4. Uplook, Jan. 1998, pp. 27-28 5. F. Schaeffer, The Church at the End of the 20th Century, Downers Grove, IL, InterVarsity Press, 1970, p. 66 Much of this material adapted from A Scriptural Assembly by Andrew Stenhouse.

You can localize the pamphlet here

What about membership? Strictly speaking, the only church membership spoken about in the New Testament refers to the act of placing a new believer into the Body of Christ. This happens the

GOSPEL FOLIO PRESS PRINTED IN USA P. O. BOX 2041, GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49501-2041

P. O. Box 2041, Grand Rapids, MI 49501-2041. See additional ordering information at the bottom of page 31. UPLOOK

• APRIL 1998

FRONT

LINES

SPRING CONFERENCE The theme of this year’s conference at Wauwatosa Community Chapel (2200 N. 67th St., Wauwatosa /Milwaukee, WI) is Holy Priesthood, Royal Priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5 & 9). The meetings are planned for 10:003:30, on April 18, with Elliot VanRyn (FL), John Gordon (NC), and Paul Bramsen, missionary to Senegal. For further info.: Fred Schwertfeger at (414) 771-9150 wauwatosachapel@juno.com DELAWARE YP STUDY Wilmington Christian Assembly continues the series of Young Adult Conferences (teenage through 35). Sessions run from 9:30 AM through the evening supper. Apr. 18—Glory to Glory with Dave Robbins (ON); May 16—The Fruit of the Spirit with John Bjorlie, (MI). Overnight accommodations available. For more information: David Calaiuta, Telephone: (610) 429-4538 david.calaiuta@mci2000.com POST-EASTER CONFERENCE A conference will be held, Lord willing, on April 18-19 at the Gospel Chapel in Baldwin City, KS (Third and Chapel Sts.). This is an open platform conference with ministry furnished by like-minded brethren who have knowledge and experience in the things of the Lord. Meetings scheduled Saturday at 2:30 and 7:00; Sunday at 9:45, 11:00, and 2:00. Meals and housing. Contact: Ray M. Jones (785) 594-3374 LIMON, COLORADO The Christians that meet at Limon Bible Chapel, 385 J Avenue, Limon, CO, will hold their annual Bible conference on Apr. 25-26. Invited speakers: Bob Clark (TX), Dan Lindsted 12

(KS), and Ben Parmer (CO). Housing and meals provided. Contact: Limon Bible Chapel (719) 775-9788 (719) 346-8547 CHICAGO CONFERENCE The Chicago area Spring conference will be held, Lord willing, at Palos Hills Christian Assembly (10600 S. 88th Ave., Palos Hills, IL) on Apr. 24-26. Speakers expected: Alan Schetelich, Keith Keyser, and Rex Trogdon. Contact: Robert Fiebig at (708) 448-2552 MISSIONARY BREAKFAST Another Southern Ontario missionary breakfast will be held at White Oaks Inn in St. Catharines, ON, on Saturday, Apr. 25 at 8:30 AM. Tickets are $12 per person and can be purchased from: H. W. (Bill) Allison 3199 Sovereign Rd. Burlington, ON L7M 2W1 Phone: (905) 336-8101 Fax: (905) 336-2881 e-mail hw.allison@sympatico Maps to White Oaks Inn will be available on the back of the tickets. LIGHT IN THE FOREST The Christians that meet at the Gospel Hall, Forest, ON, are expecting Wm. Burnett (ON) and J.B. Nicholson (MI) to minister from God’s Word at their conference, May 1-3. Schedule of meetings as follows: May 1 at 7:30 pm; May 2, ministry at 2:30 and 6:30 with supper between; May 3, Lord’s Supper at 9:30, gospel at 11:00, lunch, ministry at 2:00. For further details, please call: Bill Brandon (519) 786-5518 or Alex McIntosh (519) 786-5038 WOMEN’S CONFERENCE The 21st Annual Ladies Spring Missionary Conference at Oakwood UPLOOK

• APRIL 1998

Bible Chapel, 2514 Cabana Rd W., Windsor, ON, will be held May 2. Speakers: Mrs. Marion Loney (ON) and Mrs. Cheryl Gilbert of Wycliffe Bible Translators. Theme: “Open Mine Eyes, Lord (Mt. 17:8). Registration 9:30; first session 10:00; Lunch 12:00; last session 1:15. Co-sponsored by Ladies’ Missionary Committees of Oakwood Bible Chapel and Turner Rd. Chapel. SPRING CONFERENCE Bethany Bible Chapel at 4312 E. 116th, Carmel, IN (Indianapolis), will be holding its Spring Conference on May 2-3, 1998. The sessions will be held at 4:00 and 7:00 on Saturday, and a ministry meeting on Sunday at 11:00. Lord willing, David MacLeod from Dubuque, IA, will be the speaker. For more information, contact: Brent Logan (317) 259-9252 or Ron Morgan (317) 769-5725 WORKERS & ELDERS Plan to attend the sixth annual Ontario Elders’ and Workers’ Conference, May 5-7, D.V. The conference will be hosted by the Scottlea assembly with other assemblies from the St. Catharines, ON area joining in to provide lodging and meals. The theme: “Things Which Must Shortly Come to Pass.” Paul Grieve (South Africa) and Randy Amos (NY) will give morning and evening sessions. Boushra Mikhael, J. Boyd Nicholson, Sr., and Ernie Sarlo will take plenary sessions. To register: Ontario Workers & Elders Conf. P. O. Box 26044, RPO King St. Oshawa, ON L1H 8R4 WESTWARD HO Shiloh Bible Camp (Cosmopolis, WA) announces the semi annual Prayer Retreat to be held May 8-10. Prayer meditations will be led by

FRONT LINES Paul Emery (OR). Contact LeRoy Junker: (360) 233-5074 or 532-5179. NW WORKERS’ CONF. Northwest Worker’s Conference is to be held May 12 (eve.) to Friday, May 15 at Lakeside Bible Camp, Whidby Island, WA. Theme: Update on Science & the Bible. Speaker: Dr. Donald Chittick, PhD. Dr. Chittick has lectured around the world on this vital topic. He has done much research into alternative fuels and holds several patents. In addition he has authored several key books in the creation arena. He is in fellowship in the Oregon City Assembly. Registrar: Dean Mills at (253) 874-9862 email: dmills616@aol.com INVITE TO CA The 7th Annual Spring conference is to be held May 15-17 at Claremont Bible Chapel, Claremont, CA. Lord willing, the speakers are Alan Parks and Harold Summers. Henry Kamena 1400 W. 13th St. Space 91 Upland, CA 91786 hwkamena@aol.com TEACH & TESTIFY1998 Ron Hampton (MB) is organizing teams for Ireland this summer to encourage Irish assemblies. The dates are May 25-June 18. There will be a three-day orientation, followed by 17 days in ministry and evangelism, with each team hosted by a different Irish assembly. The time will finish with three days of sight-seeing. Contact Ron at: 614 Greene Ave. Winnipeg, MB R2K 0M6 Phone/fax: (204) 669-1694 rhampton@mb.sympatico.ca ANNUAL CONFERENCE The annual conference of Bethany Gospel Chapel (Worcester, MA) is planned for May 22-24 with guest speakers Liddon Sheridan (AL) and

Jim Paul (ON). Meetings will be held on Friday at 7:30; Saturday at 2:30 and 6:30; Sunday at 10:30 (Lord’s Supper), 2:30 and 6:00. MEMORIAL WEEKEND Meadow Ridge Bible Chapel (West Fargo, ND) will hold their 1998 Memorial Weekend conference on May 22-25 with Colin Anderson (ON) and Elliot VanRyn (FL) as speakers. Contact Myron Martinson at (218) 233-9790. SKYLAND CONFERENCE The 42nd Annual Skyland Bible Conference will be held at Covington College atop Lookout Mountain, Georgia (near Chattanooga, TN) July 4-10. Speakers: Tom Taylor and Alan Parks. Skyland is a family conference with programs for all ages—nursery,

children ages 5-10, teens, and adults. For a folder and further info: John and Tina Taylor (336) 454-4927 FELLOWSHIP FAMILY CAMP This camp provides an opportunity for families to share with other believers in a time of daily Bible teaching, fellowship, and recreation in the spectacular Rocky mountains. The location is Covenant Heights Conference Center, seven miles south of Estes Park on highway #7, just east of beautiful Longs Peak (14,256'). There are private rooms for families. There is also a campground for those who prefer to use a tent or camper. The dates are: Aug. 2, 3:00 PM to August 6, 3:00 PM. Make reservations early. For more info.: UPLOOK

• APRIL 1998

Donald Norbie 2605 14th Ave. Court Greeley, CO 80631 dlnorbie@juno.com UPWARD BOUND 98 The time: Aug. 22-Sept. 4, 1998; the place: Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON; the speakers: Boyd Nicholson Sr. & Frank Burgess; the aim: superb Bible study for serious (in the best sense of the word) people; the bonus: sensational fellowship, splendiferous recreational facilities, swell accomodations and savory food; the price: $250 US; the intangible: Come for the first week only or stay for the second week—a joyous, apoplexy-inducing canoe trip. The contact: Saju Mathew at (519) 886-5187 DIETARY SUPERVISOR Rest Haven Homes in Grand Rapids, MI, is seeking a qualified Dietary Supervisor. For info. call Terry Carrick at (616) 363-6819 or send resumes to: Rest Haven Homes 1424 Union, NE Grand Rapids, MI 49505 Fax: (616) 363-1658 NEW WORK IN KENTUCKY Harold Preston writes: “We have been burdened for some time about an outreach in Harrodsburg, KY. It seems that now the Lord has opened the door. Three weeks ago, I called about an office space that was advertised in the local paper. When I explained to the owner that I wanted space for a Bible study, he said this was more than we’d want to pay, but that he had another place that would be better. I went down to look at it and found a large conference room at the end of the motel. The manager said the owner had called and told her to let us have it for $175 a month. He could easily get $400 or $500 a month for commercial use. 13

FRONT LINES The manager said she had been burdened for some older people living in their apartments who were unable to attend church services. She had been praying for 3 weeks that something could be done for these folks and felt that this was an answer to her prayers. She got busy inviting people. I ran an ad in the local paper and printed some brochures…We are praying that a good number of interested people will turn out….” PLAY IT AGAIN Jim Paul is in the process of acquiring a number of ministry tapes of brethren from the UK and North America who have gone home to be with the Lord. The purpose is to provide this ministry for a generation who may cherish the memory of these excellent teachers and for young people who would be greatly blessed. Any profit would be used for the work at Galilee Bible Camp. Assemblies with tape libraries may have some messages available that would be an asset to this collection. Questions or contributions: Jim Paul PO Box 84027 Pine Crest P. O. Ottawa, ON K2C 3Z2 Canada Phone: (613) 829-1292 Fax: (613) 829-1524 e-mail: jimpaul@cyberus.ca COMMENDATIONS The believers meeting at Bethel Gospel Chapel, New Liskeard, ON, have commended Christy Barnes to the grace of God for His work in Ecuador. Christy has been in fellowship in this assembly for seven years, and has been involved in the Youth Group, teaching Sunday School, and as an Awana Leader. She has also graduated from the two-year program at Kawartha Lakes Bible College. Recently she has been led to serve the Lord in Ecuador. Christy plans to 14

leave shortly, as the Lord directs and provides. She will be working in Guayaquil with Tim and Lil Home, helping with a school they have started for poor children, and in various children’s outreach opportunities there. We share in this exercise, praying God’s blessing and protection. The Lord’s people meeting in His name at Emmanuel Bible Chapel, Montague, PEI, take pleasure in extending the commendation of our brother and sister, Robert and Margaret MacGregor, to the work of the Lord in Prince Edward Island and elsewhere as the Lord leads. In 1982, they came to Montague to help with the assembly. They have been a blessing to many and have seen good growth in the work. Besides their work in Montague, Bob helps minister in various assemblies throughout the Maritimes. They were first commended to the Lord’s work in 1985 and we believe they will continue to be of real value to the assemblies of God’s people in which they minister. PASSING INTO LIFE William Nathaniel Bush was born in Waxahachie, TX, on January 1, 1900. His father, Thomas Claires Bush, was a traveling evangelist among assemblies for over 50 years. In February of 1923, while attending the Louisiana St. Gospel Hall, William trusted Christ. He and his wife, Lois, moved to Pasadena, CA, in 1922. The family attended South Lake Gospel Hall which later became Villa Chapel. During the next 65 years William was actively involved at Pasadena, North Hollywood, Shadow Hills, Ladera, Avenue 54, and Claremont Bible Chapels. In each he served as an elder. He also served on the Board of Directors of Adelaide Christian Home for Children and Western Assemblies Home in Claremont. UPLOOK

• APRIL 1998

Bill was always available as a speaker in Southern California assemblies. Because of his special interest in children, he became involved in summer camp work in 1938. In 1962, his vision led to the purchase of Verdugo Pines Bible Camp in Wrightwood, CA. In addition, he organized special camps for underprivileged children. Another love he had was to hike and photograph Yosemite National Park. His wish to share the beauties of the Park caused him to found Yosemite Bible Conference in 1947, where hundreds gathered for a week each summer to enjoy God’s Word and the outdoors. As an outgrowth of the Yosemite conference, he started the Pacific Coast Christian Congress at Mount Hermon in 1968. Many trips throughout the world with Lois, grandchildren, friends, and Christian organizations were enjoyed after his retirement. In his seventies, he began visiting missionaries around the globe, documenting their work with pictures, articles, and speaking engagements. His last trip, at age 93, was to Honduras. On January 13, 1998, Arthur Heath, at the age of 85, passed into the presence of the Lord. Mr. Heath has been with the assemblies in Sherbrooke, Quebec for many years. It was under the ministry of David Long at Grace Chapel that he accepted the Lord Jesus as his Saviour. He was active as a Sunday School teacher, and used his car to bring young people to meetings and clubs. He was treasurer and elder of Huntingville Community Church. In later years he has been able to enjoy a restricted life at Grace Christian Home in Huntingville. He never retired: he carried on an active tape ministry and he had a deep interest in prophecy, especially as it related to Israel and Jewish people.

SPECIAL

REPORT

CUBA

The last bastion mean persecution and trial. The authorities warned some that they will be under constant surveillance if they are baptized. Recently special permission from the government was granted to build a hall in San Gabriel, so funds sent or carried down from Canada and the U.S. made it possible

One of the brethren in Havana looking at a car not unlike the country itself. Grand Bahama Great Abaco

O Miami

Andros

Eleuthera

Nassau

BAHAMA ISLANDS

he of t

Key West of s ait Str

Berry Islands

Bimini Islands

nd G r a

Great Guana Cay

Great Exuma

San Salvador

Rum Cay

Matanzas

Cat Island

Oce

B m

uba is only ninety miles from the State of Florida. Covering 42,800 square miles, its 1997 population exceeds 11 million. In Cuba there are three kinds of people—miserable non-believers, Fidel Castro’s buddies whose needs are met, and poor, joyful Christians. There was a time when the Communist government decreed that no more Sala Evangelicas could be erected, but meetings in homes were approved just so long as the overflow didn’t stand outside the houses. Now they are demanding that every house-group be registered with the government and only men who have an official permit are allowed to preach. Some have been fined fifty dollars just for speaking at a house-meeting because they weren’t registered. (The G U L F O F M E X I C Cubans’ average salary is ten dollars per month. Doctors, architects, laborers, etc., all earn the same wage.) ° Others not registered are f under house-arrest. Habana The Customs Department confiscates Bibles, tracts, Pinar del Rio and all religious materials at the Cuban airports. If the Isla de Pinos visitor requests it back, it will be released to them

Sagua la Grande

Colón

Long Island

CUBA

Mayaguana

Caibarién Cienfuegos

Ragged Island

Sancti-Spiritus

Trinidad

Acklins Island

Banes

in e

C AY M A N I S L A N D S Grand Cayman

Cauto

Manzanillo

STRA A MAE SIERR Santiago de Cuba

when they leave the island, otherwise it will be destroyed. Let’s pray that this ban will be lifted. Baptisms are a regular occurrence in the assemblies in Cuba—eighteen one time; eight at another; next time, eleven, and then fourteen, fully realizing that it may

Great Inagua

Holguín

E Little Cayman Cayman Brac

Camagüey

San Pedro

Samana Cay

Crooked Island

Baracoa Guantánamo Cap-Haïtien Gonaïves

HAIT

to erect a very commodious building. There were 800 at the opening, including a number of communist government officials. The assembly is less than three years old but they already have sixty-one in fellowship and a large Sunday School. Pray for Cuba, and if you can do anything to relieve the plight of your suffering brethren and sisters there, do it. Ý

JOHN ADAMS UPLOOK

• APRIL 1998

A picture gallery par excellence Christ is portrayed in every hue of the universal palette. (By no means an exhaustive list!) MYSTERIOUS

ASTRONOMY

ZOOLOGY

THE NAME ONLY HE KNOWS (Rev. 19:12)

THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (Mal. 4:2) THE TRUE LIGHT (Jn. 1:9) THE MORNING STAR (Rev. 2:28) THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH (Lk. 1:78)

THE LAMB OF GOD (Jn. 1:29) A WORM, AND NO MAN (Ps. 22:6) THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH (Rev. 5:5) SPARROW ALONE ON A HOUSETOP OWL OF THE DESERT PELICAN OF THE WILDERNESS (Ps. 102:6-7) SHEEP BEFORE HER SHEARERS (Isa. 53:7) HIND OF THE MORNING (Ps. 22, title)

RELATIONSHIPS THE SON Who called Him that? God the Father (Mt. 17:5) The Spirit through the Word (Mk. 1:1-11) The Lord Jesus Himself (Jn. 10:36) Gabriel (Lk. 1:35; 2:11) John the Baptist (Jn. 1:34) The disciples (Mt. 14:33) Paul (Acts 9:20) Martha (Jn. 11:27) His executioner (Mk. 15:39) demons (Mk. 3:11; 5:7) THE BABE (Lk. 2:12) THE YOUNG CHILD (Mt. 2:20) THE MAN CHRIST JESUS (1 Tim. 2:5) THE BRIDEGROOM (Mt. 9:15) FIRSTBORN AMONG MANY BRETHREN (Rom. 8:29)

BOTANY THE ROOT & OFFSPRING OF DAVID (Rev. 22:16) THE BRANCH (Zech. 6:12) THE TRUE VINE (Jn. 15:1) THE CORN OF WHEAT (Jn. 12:24) A PLANT OF RENOWN (Ezek. 34:29) THE ROSE OF SHARON (Song of Sol. 2:1) THE LILY OF THE VALLEYS (Song of Sol. 2:1) A BUNDLE OF MYRRH (Song of Sol. 1:13) A CLUSTER OF CAMPHIRE (Song of Sol. 1:14) FIRSTFRUITS OF THEM THAT SLEPT (1 Cor. 15:20)

LANGUAGE THE WORD (Jn. 1:1) THE ALPHA & OMEGA (Rev. 1:8)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN UPLOOK

• APRIL 1998

GEOLOGY STONE CUT OUT WITHOUT HANDS BECOMES A MOUNTAIN (Dan. 2:34) THE STONE OF STUMBLING & ROCK OF OFFENCE (1 Pet. 2:8)

IDEALS OR ABSOLUTES THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE (Jn. 14:6) THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD (Col. 1:15) THE BRIGHTNESS OF HIS GLORY (Heb. 1:3) THE WISDOM & POWER OF GOD (1 Cor. 1:24) FULLNESS OF THE GODHEAD BODILY (Col. 2:9) THE SAME (Heb. 1:12)

ARCHITECTURE

GEOGRAPHY

MEDICINE

A NAIL FASTENED IN A SURE PLACE (Isa. 22:23-24) THE BUILDER (Heb. 3:3) A SURE FOUNDATION (Isa. 28:16) HEAD(KEY)STONE OF THE CORNER (Ps. 118:22) THE TEMPLE (Rev. 21:22) THE CARPENTER (Mk. 6:3) HIS FLESH THE VEIL (Heb. 10:20) THE DOOR (Jn. 10:9)

HIS COUNTENANCE AS LEBANON (Song of Sol. 5:15) SHILOH (Gen. 49:10) THE SHADOW OF A GREAT ROCK IN A WEARY LAND (Isa. 32:2) KING OF SALEM (Heb. 7:2) SHOWERS THAT WATER THE EARTH (Ps. 72:6) THE NAZARENE (Mt. 2:23)

THE GREAT PHYSICIAN (Lk. 5:31) A BALM IN GILEAD (Jer. 8:22) A QUICKENING (LIFE-GIVING) SPIRIT (1 Cor. 15:45) THE HEALER GOD (Mt. 8:7)

ROYALTY KING OF KINGS & LORD OF LORDS (Rev. 19:16) THE JUDGE (Acts 17:31) A SCEPTER OUT OF ISRAEL (Num. 24:17) THE LAST ADAM (1 Cor. 15:45) THE HEAD (Col. 2:10) THE CHIEFEST AMONG 10,000 (Song of Sol. 5:10) A GOVERNOR (Mt. 2:6) ENSIGN OF THE PEOPLE (Isa. 11:10) A PRINCE & A SAVIOUR (Acts 5:31) A GOVERNOR (Mt. 2:6)

CULINARY THE BREAD (Jn. 6:33) THE PASSOVER LAMB (1 Cor. 5:7)

MILITARY CAPTAIN OF JEHOVAH’S HOSTS (Josh. 5:14-15) THE ALMIGHTY (Rev. 1:8) THE CAPTAIN OF SALVATION (Heb. 2:10) THE DELIVERER (Rom. 11:26) THE BATTLE-BOW (Zech. 10:4) A POLISHED SHAFT (Isa. 49:2) HEAD OF ALL PRINCIPALITY & POWER (Col. 2:10)

OFFICIAL THE GREAT HIGH PRIEST (Heb. 4:14) THE MEDIATOR (1 Tim. 2:5) THE DAYSMAN (Job 9:33) THE INTERCESSOR (Heb. 7:25) THE CONSOLATION OF ISRAEL (Lk. 2:25) THE SURETY (Heb. 7:22) THE FORERUNNER (Heb. 6:20) REDEEMER (Isa. 59:20) MINISTER OF THE SANCTUARY (Heb. 8:2) THE PROPITIATION (MERCY SEAT) (Rom. 3:25) THE TESTATOR (Heb. 9:16-17) THE AMEN (Rev. 3:14) THE AUTHOR & FINISHER OF FAITH (Heb. 12:2) THE FAITHFUL WITNESS (Rev. 1:5)

PREPARED BY J. B. NICHOLSON, JR. • PRINTED IN USA

BOUQUET

BLESSING

SUPPING WITH HIM The culmination of Christian worship

The bread and wine are spread upon the board, The guests are here, invited by the Lord; Why come they thus, why tarry for a space? But for Thy presence, O Thou King of grace. Here in our midst art Thou, O risen Lord; Worthy, O Lamb once slain, to be adored; Here in our midst to lead Thy people’s praise, And incense sweet unto the Father raise. We do remember Thee, as Thou hast said, And think upon Thee as we break the bread, Recall Thy dying love, Thy cross and shame, Drinking the cup of blessing in Thy name. Thus do we show the death our dear Lord, While in our hearts His love is spread abroad; So is faith quickened for the conflict here, Till in a little while He shall appear. Only a little while we pilgrims stay To spread the table on our desert way; Soon will He come, and coming take us home, Amen, e’en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come!

And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you. Lk. 22:19-20

Broadly speaking, prayer is the occupation of the soul with its needs; praise is the occupation of the soul with its blessings; but worship is the occupation of the soul with God Himself. —A. P. GIBBS in Worship: the Christian’s Highest Occupation

—George Goodman

Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name: bring an offering, and come before Him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. 1 Chronicles 16:29 We cannot rightly observe the Lord’s Supper unless we come to the table, blessing, praising, magnifying, and adoring our Saviour—praising Him for even instituting such a festival of remembrance—such a memorial ordinance to help our frail memories; and praising Him yet more for giving us so blessed a thing to remember as His own great sacrifice for our sin. —C. H. Spurgeon 18

Jesus invites His saints To meet around His board; Here pardon’d rebels sit and hold Communion with their Lord. This holy bread and wine Maintain our fainting breath; By union with our living Lord, And int’rest in His death. Our heav’nly Father calls Christ and His members one; We, the dear children of His love, And He the firstborn Son. Let all our pow’rs be join’d, His glorious name to raise; Let love divine fill ev’ry breast, And tune the heart to praise. UPLOOK

• APRIL 1998

All have the privilege of expressing their worship at their Lord’s Supper, in the presence of the Father and His children. It is not an occasion for oratory but just the Spirit-led expression of delight in God and His great Gift unto His children. —A. J. Parris The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 1 Cor. 10:16

CORINTHIANS

11:20

The Lordian feast

Outside of heaven there is nothing like this privilege anywhere else in the universe. LIDDON SHERIDAN

“

he Lord’s Supper”— these words occur at the conclusion of 1 Corinthians 11:20, and refer to one of the three symbolic ordinances given to the Church in the New Testament. I would like to ask you to consider what I believe to be an accurate translation (not a paraphrase, but a translation) of these words, which will shed much light on this ordinance which is so precious to our Lord Jesus Christ, and to His own. The word, for “Lord” in this phrase, is not the proper noun, “Lord,” in the possessive case: “Lord’s”. It is a special form of the name, “Lord,” used only twice in our New Testament. It is a descriptive adjective, and, as has been pointed out by various translators, is “an adjective for which no exact English equivalent is available.” Therefore, we must coin a word to

translate it; and, as I mentioned in the title, I believe the word, “Lordian,” is the nearest I can suggest in this verse, as well as in the only other occurrence of it in the New Testament, as translating the word, kuriakon (an anglicized spelling of the Greek word used here). The other place in the New Testament where this adjective form of the word “Lord” occurs is Revelation 1:10, which we will consider later. IT IS HIS FEAST: HE IS THE HOST The “Lordian Supper” would include the thought that it is His. After all, He instituted it and delivered it to His disciples to keep in remembrance of Him. Paul, as the one who laid the foundation (as to the teaching of the truth) of the Church, declared he was confirming this for the observance by the churches until the end of this age (“till He come,” 1 Cor. 11:23, 26). At that table He is the Host, and we are the invited guests. Yes, it is “The Lord’s Supper” or “Feast.” What an honor to be there! IT IS ABOUT HIM: HE IS THE SUBJECT The adjective “Lordian” would go beyond the fact that it is His. It is Lordian because it is all about Him. Of the bread He said, “This is My body,” and of the cup containing the fruit of the vine, He said, “This is My blood.” Then He added, “This do in remembrance of Me.” At this table any other subject than the Lord Himself is out of place. All that is said, sung, or prayed is to “call Him to mind,” as J. N. Darby literally translates and explains in his footnote on 1 Corinthians 11:24. The last UPLOOK

clause, “This do in remembrance of Me” reads, literally, “For the calling of Me to mind.” The word translated ‘remembrance’ has an active signification of ‘recalling’ or ‘calling to mind’ as a memorial (cf. Heb. 10:3). No wonder the saints who are gathered in His Name at that table do not preach sermons to edify the church nor preach the gospel to the unsaved, nor pray, pleading concerning the various needs of the people nor of His work in the world. Their hearts and minds focus on that one Great Object—the Lord Jesus Himself. This is the one gathering of the Lord’s own that consists of pure worship, and nothing else. IT IS FOR HIM: HE IS THE RECIPIENT The expression, “Lordian,” would include the thought that not only is it His feast, and that it is all about Him, but the wonderful fact that it is for Him. Notice when He chose to give this institution to the church: it was

• APRIL 1998

THE LORDIAN FEAST that dark night, “the same night in which He was betrayed,” when He delivered this ordinance to His own. What weight He put upon it, in making it, as it were, His last request before His suffering and death.

and His banner over me is love” (Song of Sol. 2:4). Further, she indicates she is at His table, and finally she concludes she is in His embrace. A wonderful spiritual law is declared in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “We all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirHE APPRECIATES OUR APPRECIATION ror [and their mirrors, being only polished metal, gave And, those words, “Do this, in remembrance of Me,” only a limited image of the person] the glory of the Lord, make it so obvious that He appreciates our appreciation. are being changed into the same image from glory to Divine, yet so human! In this we see He is like us: how glory, as by the Lord the Spirit.” Surely He had this in we appreciate it when those on whom we bestow our love mind also when He gave us this feast. Occupation with show their appreciation! How He delights in our hearts’ Him makes us like Him! calling Him to mind and telling Him and the Father how I shall never forget the revelation of this my dear wife much we appreciate the glories of His Person, and of His gave me, when I spoke to her in a sharp, unkind way, and work, “finished” forever for us upon that cruel cross. she replied, “I wish you were the kind of husband at the See His appreciation, as one leper of the ten returned end of the week that you are at the beginning of the to fall at His feet and worship Him. He asks, week.” Yes, at the beginning of the week in obedi“Were there not ten cleansed? Where are the ence to His request, I view those eloquent nine?” And, when that dear lady in faith emblems which speak of His wonderful touched the hem of His garment, He Person and His glorious work at the asks, “Who touched My clothes?” cross for me. The result is that my Truly In the midst of that mob all heart is cleansed, in that I have to around Him, He noticed that one judge myself, fearful of mocking it is a wonder who truly believed in Him, and Him in telling Him I love Him pressed though the crowd to and appreciate His work that that the little table just touch Him. Oh, to be one cleanses me from all sin, and of those who meet around His yet holding some unjudged sin doesn’t fall beneath table, who truly “touches” Him in my heart (1 Cor. 11:28-291; in praise and adoration, rememHeb. 12:6). At the same time, the weight which bering Him at Calvary! So, the seeing the infinite love that those question is not, “What do I get out emblems declare, makes my heart is upon it! of that time of worshipping Him?” more tender. No wonder my wife Rather, it should be, “What does He saw a difference early in the week. I get from me, as I behold Him?” suppose, if she had her choice, she would Often the words are said in all sincerity, like for us to remember Him this way in the “We do not have the authority to bless these middle of the week also, for her husband’s sake. emblems, so we ask His blessing upon them.” But we IT TRULY IS A FEAST read, “The cup of blessing which we bless” (1 Cor. 10:16), and in 1 Corinthians 14:16 “...when thou shalt As you see, we have used the word, “Feast,” instead of bless with Thy Spirit...” Yes, when we see Him portrayed the word, “Supper,” in translating this phrase, “the Lord’s in those emblems and how much He loved us even to the Supper.” The writer was brought up in a home where the death of the cross, then we can tell Him how wonderful custom was to have the big meal, which was called “dinHe is to us, and to His Father, then we bless Him. ner,” in the middle of the day, and at night just a snack, Yet, in spite of the fact that we are not there to receive which we called “supper.” Therefore, “supper” doesn’t a blessing, we are blessed. That woman who touched the appeal to me very much. hem of His garment was blessed, and so are we when we It is wonderful to see that the word deipnon translated “touch” Him. When we get through the crowd (the dis“supper” is not at all “supper” as I knew it. W. E. Vine, in tracting sounds and scenes about us, the thoughts of work his Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, says undone, and yet to be done, the “crowd” Satan will no of this word deipnon, it “...denotes the chief meal of the doubt use to hinder our focusing on Him alone), we cry day...” In fact, this same word translated supper is used out as the bride in Song of Solomon, “Draw me!” Then almost immediately, we say with that bride, 1. Here the word “damnation” is “judgment.” “The King has brought me into His banqueting house, 20

UPLOOK

• APRIL 1998

THE LORDIAN FEAST again and again to speak of a feast, a banquet! In Matthew 23:6 it is used, where the Lord accused the Pharisees of desiring the “chief places at feasts.” In Luke 14:16-17, we read of a man having prepared a great feast and inviting many to come to his “feast,” and the word for feast is again deipnon. In Revelation 19:9, we read of “the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Again the word translated “supper” is deipnon. Do you think that will be just a “snack?” What a glorious banquet that must be! And this is the word translated “supper” in 1 Corinthians 11:20, which surely, accurately translated, would be “Feast.” Truly, it is a wonder that little table doesn’t fall beneath the weight which is upon it. You might say, “Well, there’s no weight on it, just the bread and the cup.” But as the Spirit of God leads us in meditating upon Him in His varied personal glories, in the glory of His work of redemption for us and for God the Father who so delights in Him, and in His obedience unto the death of the cross, what a weight of wealth and blessing we enjoy! Yes, it is indeed “The Lordian Feast.” How could we ever miss being there? What a delight to obey His request to call Him to mind as we sit at His table! THE LORDIAN DAY FOR THE FEAST The only other occasion where this word “Lordian” is used in the New Testament is in Revelation 1:10. There it is “the Lordian Day,” where John says, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s (actually, Lordian) Day.” Some have thought John was referring to “the Day of the Lord,” a phrase which occurs many times in the Old Testament and about 6 times in the New Testament, referring to “the great tribulation” and the final judgments on this world. However, if that were the case, John would have used the usual possessive case of the noun, “Lord.” But, he did not. Instead, he used the adjective form of the name Lord, which we have translated, “Lordian,” obviously referring to the first day of the week. This was that special day in the believers’ minds, the day that Christ arose in victory from the dead, and the day which was prophesied in Leviticus 23 in “the feast of firstfruits,” the “birthday” of the Church (cf. Lev. 23:15-16; Acts 2:1). How fitting, as we see in Acts 20:7, that Christians should be found on “The Lordian Day” at “The Lordian Feast,” remembering Him! What a high privilege! What a delight! What a blessing—“till He comes.”

TILL HE COME Wide-flung, The rosy banners of the dawn Blazon the eastern sky, A whispering zephyr Stirs the breathless trees And passes by. Etched ’Gainst ‘Gainst the changing pageant Clear stand the somber pines. While all the low horizon, Deeply gold, With splendor shines. Wrapt in a fragrant stillness Now the earth Holds up her dew-washed face, Waiting The daily miracle of God, His act of grace.

Then, to my list’ning heart, A still small voice, These words I hear Him say: “Whose coming Is as certain as the dawn, Perhaps today.”

LIDDON AND HELLEN SHERIDAN HAVE SERVED THE LORD TOGETHER FOR MANY YEARS, PRIMARILY IN THE SOUTHEASTERN U. S. THEIR HOME PRESENTLY IS IN Ý BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA. UPLOOK

—IVY M. FORDHAM

• APRIL 1998

LIVING ASSEMBLIES

ONE MAN, ONE VOTE

The assembly is not a democracy. The Lord has the only vote. ubmission and a close relative, obedience, are We submit to the Lord. Wives, children, servants, and not the most popular topics of the day, but “sheep” all submit “as unto the Lord.” Underline that they do play a significant role in the life of the word “Lord” in Ephesians 5 and 6 in your Bible. assembly. Here are a few exhortations to obeThere is great power and peace in submission. When dience: “Obey them that have the rule over you, and subwe submit to the elders, we are recognizing God’s mit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that appointed authority, and are now His responsibility. must give account” (Heb. 13:17). “Submitting yourselves Instruments of His authority carry serious obligations. one to another in the fear of God” (Eph. 5:21). It is a serious thing to abuse God’s delegated authority. “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. For example, the Scriptures instruct a wife to submit to Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed her husband, but the husband is not required to demand with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth it. Rather, the husband’s duty is to “love, cherish and grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5). nourish” his wife. In fact, the model is Christ’s love for The Lord Himself was the perfect Man the church. Most husbands have enough to of obedience. One of the most mysterious Only one Man’s view do in keeping this command without worverses in the Bible tell us: “Though He rying about the wife’s submission. counts in the church. Fathers likewise are told not to “provoke” were a Son, yet learned He obedience by He has the best the things which He suffered” (Heb. 5:8). their children to wrath. This guards us The church has always been threatened against worldly notions of power over vantage point for with a carnal way of thinking that sees the those who are entrusted to our care. seeing things as they Elders do well in following the example of local church in terms of worldly power struggles. Some Christians have thought are—heaven’s throne! the apostles. Peter for instance says, “Feed that power in the assembly is something to the flock of God which is among you, takbe sought after through whatever manipulation or strateing the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; gy that works best. In the first century, the apostles not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being warned of unbelievers who “crept in unawares” (Jude 4) lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the with a view to destroying the flock through their power flock” (1 Pet. 5:2-3). Or consider Paul’s approach to the plays. But even professing believers in the early church Thessalonians: “Nor of men sought we glory, neither of were guilty. Diotrephes (3 Jn. 8), Alexander (2 Tim. 4:14) you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdenand others saw the local church as a place to seek power. some, as the apostles of Christ. But we were gentle We need to be careful that we are not guilty of these among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children” (1 charges in greater or lesser degree. My responsibility as Thess. 2:6-7). a member in fellowship in the local church is to obey. But Rebellion is sin. Samuel’s solemn words to Saul still some will immediately object that such apparent blind ring in our ears: “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, obedience does not adequately handle church rulers who and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” Pretty fail to rule well. And so, we might reason, we have to strong words. Submission and obedience to God is a safe take things into our own hands to compensate for their place to be. His rule and delegated authority is not a cold, failure. This thinking has led some in the history of the lifeless system that can be explained by diagrams. It church to assume no elders exist anywhere. comes from a heart of love for sinners. He could order However, a careful review of what the Bible teaches our obedience, but His grace has won our rebel hearts about obedience and submission in the assembly should through the death of His Son. Let us be characterized by give us assurance that God knew what He was doing in His ways as the church displays to the principalities and teaching us plainly about these issues. powers the “manifold wisdom of God” (Eph. 3:10). Ý

by 22

BRIAN UPLOOK

GUNNING • APRIL 1998

JOHN

4:23

The world-wide search The Father is on a search for true worshippers. Does He find what He is looking for when He finds you? DANIEL SMITH

t is God the Father of whom the Lord speaks to the Samaritan woman—the One who is God in nature and Father in relationship. The name Father seldom occurs in the Old Testament and is never there in the New Testament sense. As used in the Old Testament, The Triune God is spoken of as a “Father,” Jehovah’s

relationship to the nation of Israel as their Head (see Deut. 32:6; Isa. 63:16; Jer. 31:9). In our Lord’s words to the Samaritan woman, He is speaking of God as the Fountainhead of all created things in heaven and in earth—the Father of all spirits, the Source of all humanity, the God of the spirits of all men, the great God our Creator. When our Lord says that “God is a Spirit,” He does not mean some cold, distant abstraction—a mere assem-

blage of divine attributes—but a God of life and love with the heart of a father and with all a father’s resources and rights. True, men have broken that relationship and strayed like a prodigal into a far country, but that does not change God’s nature, though it does alter man’s relation to Him and the treatment man receives from His hands. He put the fatherly heart in all men and did so after the likeness of His own. It is that fatherly heart which yearns over wayward creatures. THE FATHER SEEKS The word “seeketh” means more than appears. God the Father is in search of something which to Him is very precious and valuable, something which He cannot bear to lose. Great as God is, there are some things He cannot think of letting go. It is the very greatness of God which manifests itself in His loyalty to His creatures and His longing for a loving relationship with the ones He has created. So when anything of man is lost to Him, He searches for it. He would not part with it. God is no cruel tyrant who says: “I have lost a certain thing in man, but I can do without it.” Others may overlook something they lose, but not God. “Can a woman forget her sucking child?…Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee” (Isa. 49:15). God cannot forget man. He seeks the lost. We must not dilute this expression and say God will have us back if we will come, that He will accept our worship if we care to give it. That is far short of the meaning of Scripture.

UPLOOK

• APRIL 1998

THE WORLD-WIDE SEARCH We might ask, But what can God want? Yet we read that He seeks, He seeks something here on earth and from His creatures. What He seeks is the worship which has been lost to Him and which has impoverished man who no longer worships God. THE FATHER SEEKS WORSHIPPERS

But the worship He seeks is spiritual worship. The outward man is nothing. He wants the inner man of the heart—the innermost shrine. Worship must arise from the depths of a man’s soul, but it can rise only through redemption. Forms, robes, gestures, and ornaments are not worship, nor do they help worship. If anything, they hinder it. God wants our hearts. It is the blood of Christ which can purge sin from us, remove the guilt, and free our soul from dreading God, so that man, through such grace, can give to God true worship. The blood of Christ satisfies God’s righteousness and the sinner’s conscience. The Spirit of God renews the penitent man in truth. In this way we may give to God what He is seeking—the true worship due to His holy Name.

God is in search of many things lost to Him by man’s default: affection, allegiance, reverence, and obedience, but primarily worship. This is what He especially claims. From man, whom God has created, there should arise without ceasing the fragrance of holy worship. As the Lord even answered Satan: “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.” It grieves God that man through sin has been ruined so that he cannot engage in this best of all exercises. But THIS ARTICLE IS REPRINTED FROM WORSHIP AND He seeks to have it restored. Does it seem a small thing REMEMBRANCE BY DANIEL SMITH. SEE AD ON P. 25. to you that God should lose the worship of men when He has the worship of myriads of angels? Then you are wrong! God misses every person alienated from Him. This concerns God; it should concern us. Everything we do concerns God, but most of all He is concerned about our worship. Praise ye the Father! Praise our God most holy, And is not His desire enough to provoke us to come to Him with Who cheers the contrite, girds with strength the weak! our adoration, since He has made Praise Him who doth with glory crown the lowly, a way back to Himself through the cross of His dear Son? His And with salvation beautify the meek! search is worldwide; His call is universal. The shepherd misses a lost Praise the Father! Source of all our blessing, sheep more than the sheep missBefore whose gifts earth’s tidiest boons wax dim! es the shepherd. The shepherd does the seeking, not the sheep. Resting in Him, His peace and joy possessing, The woman loses her coin. It does not miss her, but she cannot All things are ours, for we have all in Him! afford to be without it, so she seeks it. The father loses a son. He is troubled. The prodigal may Praise ye the Father! Praise ye Him who gave us, not miss his father, but it is the In full and perfect love, His only Son! father who runs to meet his son on the road home.

Praise the Father ✿✿✿

HE IS WORTHY God is in earnest. The One who seeks worshippers is worthy to be worshiped. He desires worship from men here on earth, as well as from angels in heaven. 24

Praise ye the Christ, who died Himself to save us! Praise Father, Son, and Spirit! Three in One!

—LADY MARGARET COCKBURN-CAMPBELL

UPLOOK

• APRIL 1998

REMINISCENCES

The geometry of a circle My grandparent’s generation met in a circle to break bread. Or did they?

hen I was a boy, we always sat in a circle to remember the Lord. Or at least they sat in the circle—I was not in fellowship so I sat “at the back” with those who had not been received by the assembly. There was a definite “in” and “out” to the assembly in those days. And we knew who was in and who was not. Not being “in” placed you in the seat of the unlearned where you could observe without participating. Let me tell you what I observed. First, I noticed that the circle was not a circle, or so it seemed to me. It looked very much like a square. A circle, after all, as Webster defines it, is “a closed plane curve every point of which is equidistant from a fixed point within the curve.” But perhaps those old-timers

weren’t wrong. They were not talking about the location of their chairs, but the location of their hearts! And their hearts were all equidistant from the Center after all. I also noticed the reverence of those in the circle. As they took their places (usually fifteen minutes or more before the meeting officially began), they sat silently reading their Bibles, or with their eyes closed in meditation. They even tip-toed to their places across the linoleum floor. Reverence was the word that came to mind. I sensed I was sitting in the anteroom of heaven, looking in. I remember the eloquence of the men who prayed. It was not false piety or put-on. Most of the believers in my local assembly were blue-collar workers; many had not been educated past eighth grade. They may not have been familiar with the classics, but

they knew their way around the Word, and they knew their way into the Holiest. I remember the singing, a little slower than I would have paced it, but heartfelt and real. I remember the tears, too. Working men with calloused hands and tender hearts would break down, then sit down, unable to finish their prayer. I can’t forget those memories. That’s one reason I and my family gather with other saints around a table with bread and wine each week to remember Him. And in the center is our Lord. —J. B. N., Jr. Ý

A CLASSIC IS BACK! WORSHIP & REMEMBRANCE by DANIEL SMITH

FEATURE

PRICE

The highest occupation of the human mind, the sweetest ministry of the heart, is the worship of God and the remembrance of His Son. But what is worship? And what is it we are to remember about Him? This volume is a collection of 52 short chapters, filled with “sweet incense” to offer up to the Lord. Excellent in preparing for the Lord’s Supper. Regular Price: FEATURE PRICE:

$11.95 U.S. $10.00 U.S.

$16.95 CDN $14.00 CDN

SEE ADDITIONAL ORDERING INFORMATION ON PAGE 31

UPLOOK

• APRIL 1998

H ERO ES

C. J. BAKER

Dedicated to Christian businessmen who live for the real world is mother penned this in her Bible, “July 22, 1840. This day delivered of a son, Caleb Jason. The Lord have mercy on my son.” At seventeen, a defiant Caleb Jason Baker (1840-1918) left Sussex, England for America. But the God who hears and answers prayers is not stymied by the distance from Hailsham to Chicago. In 1869, walking down the street with twelve dollars in his pocket, he stopped in front of a window shaded by a tattered awning. He made some measurements, went to the ship chandler to price out canvas and proceeded to rent a treadle sewing machine for 75¢ per month. After making a modest earning from his first awning, he said, “Well, I could do that, I’m going into the awning business.” His sister Emma was his sole employee and seamstress. Baker was salesman, delivery boy, and installation artist. Soon they were ordering canvas in 500 yard bales. In the path of the Chicago fire, October 8, 1871, he wrapped his sewing machine in canvas, tied a rope around it and dropped it out the window of his riverside apartment. He then rolled his three bales of canvas in likewise. The rope was tied to a post, and he ran. After the fire passed, he pulled his murky inventory out of the river. A sidewalk in the remains of “the metropolis of the mid-west” became his factory. The soggy canvas was stretched out, dried and sewn into tents for the homeless. Baker immediately went to Western Union to telegraph his closest supplier, in Austin, Texas, to send bales of canvas, lots of bales. In that tragedy God was good to C. J. Baker. Some time in 1872, he knelt down in his room and trusted Christ after reading His words, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.”

by 26

We know little about Baker’s first marriage. He had a daughter, Margaret. Then, in December of 1877, he married a widow named Eliza Roe with a nine-year-old daughter named Grace. This marriage was in the Lord. C. J. was attracted to her because of her involvement in evangelism, and no doubt she was a great help-meet. Together they may have run Chicago’s first rescue mission. He rented the floor of a building on South Desplaines Street and hung a sign outside the door: “Clean beds—5¢” Inside were two hundred cots and two huge stoves. There was no bedding. The men just slept with their clothes on. The Chicago news reporter who wrote a large piece about the mission was as amazed by Baker’s generosity as he was by the squalor of the mission’s guests. The men might get a meal at night, and certainly a gospel message, and Baker’s friends said if someone didn’t have five cents, “he usually supplied the nickel.” We have no record that Baker ever labored with or knew D. L. Moody. John Darby also visited the area, but we have no record that they met. But we do know that he met a Scottish evangelist named Donald Ross (1823-1903). Ross labored in the revival times of 1859-60 among the miners of Lanarkshire, Scotland. Ross was a fearless Scot. A leader of a band of gospelers, in military mindset they assaulted enemy citadels. Andrew Miller said of those sweeping days, “In country districts and in fishing villages, in towns and cities, the heralds of the Cross were busy. Brownlow North and James Turner, Hay-M’Dowall Grant and Reginald Radcliffe, Lord Kintore and Richard Weaver, Gordon Forlong and Harrison Ord, Duncan Matheson and Donald Ross, gathered numerous sheaves of golden grain for the Lord of the harvest. Duncan Matheson and Donald Ross were men of kindred spirits,

JO H N A . B J O R L I E UPLOOK

• APRIL 1998

C. J. BAKER and were splendid gospel pioneers. Matheson was accustomed to speak of his friend as ‘that Caledonian warrior.’” In the awakening, workers and converts found that the Spirit of God tended to either transgress or ignore their denominational scruples. Some, like Ross and his coworkers in the Northern Evangelistic Association, found themselves disconnected from any denomination. As they consulted Holy Scripture, they discovered that many of their practices lined up with New Testament teaching, and were therefore legitimate for today. Ross had his mandate. Donald Ross came to America in 1876, and in 1879 he moved his family to Chicago. He and three other men began to remember the Lord in the breaking of bread in a tent, which was also used for evangelistic purposes. They knew of a well-to-do Englishman who claimed to have met in similar fashion back in the old country. They invited him to join the fledgling assembly. After the breaking of bread, he looked at the tent, and remarked, “This is indeed ‘without the camp,’” and never returned. Ross seemed oblivious to discouragement. He did what true evangelists do—he preached, and prayed and plugged away. Baker wrote, “I believe it was the summer of 1879 that I first met our brother Donald Ross. He, with James Goodfellow, of Canada, had pitched a tent in Chicago, on the west side, opposite Union Park. I was then engaged, four nights of the week, in a mission hall, and in spare evenings I went to hear him preach. I remember distinctly how impressed I was with his forceful, energetic preaching and his apt illustrations, also with the fact that he was proving his points with the Word of God, which was not at all the case with the preaching that I had been listening to in other places. I became much interested immediately…one Sunday morning, I went to see them remember the Lord in the breaking of bread. Brother Ross invited me to participate with them, which I did; and six or seven of us altogether remembered the Lord in this, to me, novel way.” In August, Eliza Baker gave birth to Jessie Mae who would marry William Sommerville. In the fall of 1879, Baker offered Ross the use of his mission hall for evangelistic meetings. The nightly meetings continued until May 1, 1880. It was only after a full year of nightly gospel meetings that Ross conducted their first baptism, in which several went down into the water. The breath of God was felt in the windy city. A vigorous and devoted congregation was established. This had all created tension with Baker’s Baptist pastor. The pastor already felt endangered by Baker’s evangelistic outreach to children in the slums. Besides the UPLOOK

mission work, Baker was the superintendent over about 20 Sunday School classes. A divide came when the irked clergyman notified the Sunday School teachers: “Don’t go there any more,” and Baker suddenly had no Sunday School. Baker abominated such pettiness. He knit in with Ross. Thereafter the Presbyterians, Baptists, and any other Protestant group became to him part of “the sects.” In February of 1884, daughter Marion was born. She would became Mrs. Walter Lewis Wilson. Wilson is the author of the Moody Press books, The Romance of a Doctor’s Visits, Doctor’s Casebook, etc., and became himself a useful evangelist and Bible teacher. In 1886 Baker published one of his two charts, Two Roads and Two Destinies, or Life and Death: Hades or Sheol, which taught dispensational truth. These visual aids were accompanied by books or study guides, and were widely used and really blessed. Baker also wrote several gospel and prophet booklets and tracts. The imminency of Christ’s coming was big in Baker’s thinking. Baker’s new views, practices, and associates embarrassed his brother-in-law and business partner, Mr. Murray, so that their relationship was becoming, shall we say, tense. Still their tent and awning business was prospering. Baker said, “Now look, we’re sending a great many tents and a great many tarpaulins to Kansas City; there seems to be a big market down there. Let’s do this: either I stay here in Chicago and you go down to Kansas City and set up a business, or you stay here and I will go to Kansas City. We’ll just split up the business.” Did he learn his diplomacy from Abraham, who gave Lot the first choice? Murray wasn’t crazy, and immediately said he would stay with his half of the business in Chicago. Baker then selectively approached seven or eight employees and invited them to come with him to Kansas City. He wanted capable tent and awning workers, but it appears that the chief qualification for going to Missouri was their agreement with him on spiritual matters, and their abilities in gospel outreach. Several were excellent singers. One of the men’s wives, Mrs. Rendall, was an outstanding children’s worker. An assembly in Kansas City began the day they arrived in 1887. They found a place for a factory, and the congregation met in the main room. Kansas City was the last outfitting station for the settlers pulling their wagons to a fork at Gardiner. From there, wagon trains branched out to Santa Fe, California, Oregon, or Oklahoma. Their trains could be 90 wagons long and they all needed canvas coverings. Situated in Kansas City, Baker had a virtual monopoly. Those were busy days, but Baker was vigorous; he did not tire. Lines of wagons three city blocks long would be waiting for their canvas in a day. One of the ladies who

• APRIL 1998

C. J. BAKER worked for him pled, “Oh, Mr. Baker, we’re so tired. Give us a little rest some time!” His answer? “There’s plenty of rest in heaven; we need to be working down here.” Newspaper articles talked about the man who worked all day and preached for two hours each night. Saturday was the night for the open-air gospel preaching at the corner of Eleventh and Grand. Mrs. Charles and Mrs. Rendall’s singing voices could be heard two blocks away. Clerks would pause and whisper, “Doesn’t that sound beautiful!” If the preaching was good, the singing was better. People in the audience called out, “We want to hear that lady sing.” When Mrs. Charles was told that singing above the bustle of the streets would ruin her voice, she said, “What better place is there to do it? Where am I going to use my voice; what am I going to use it for? What good is it if I don’t use it?” Down Kansas City’s main street (then a dirt road) they rented a vacant building at Fourth Avenue to start a Sunday School. Baker told Mrs. Rendall, Miss Jamison, and a few others, “You’re Sunday School teachers; now go get yourself a class.” They fanned out in a ten-block radius, looking for street urchins to invite in for a Bible lesson. Busy days became fruitful days. Baker was soon employing three hundred workers, and the assembly had about 150 in fellowship. Baker was a media event. Curious news articles appeared with headlines such as this piece on December 27, 1894 (at the time of their annual conference): On factory walls, large Bible texts taught gospel funA QUEER RELIGIOUS SECT, The Quiet “Believers” who are having a Convention in this City. They Have No Organization, No Preachers and Nobody Speaks at the Meetings Until Moved by the Spirit—Money Not Accepted From Outsiders. damentals, and at noontime an evangelistic meeting was available to all workers. In the year 1894, Donald Ross moved and made Kansas City his base of operations. Alfred Mace described Ross “as essentially a gospel preacher. He was more than a preacher and an exhorter. He was a laborer, and he toiled for the perishing; at fairs and races, in tents and halls, in barns and chapels, in music halls and theatres, in cottages and in the open air, he sounded out the wondrous story.” From Kansas City, Ross ranged in all directions in his gospel campaigns. He wrote, edited his periodicals, and preached there until 1901 when he returned to Chicago. A year or two before his death, C. J. Baker approached 28

UPLOOK

his son-in-law’s father, William Sommerville, and gave him a job as a janitor on a floor where more than a hundred women worked at sewing machines. He said he didn’t want him to spend much time pushing a broom, “the less the better.” Instead C. J. Baker instructed the evangelist to linger at the ladies’ work stations and witness for Christ. Baker was never accused of showing favoritism to his believing workers. At times he employed almost 500 workers. The large government and automobile industry contracts did not intimidate the evangelist. His trade catalog had more gospel content in it than many so-called gospel tracts do. All the officers and stockholders of the tent and awning company were Christians. At one annual meeting, Baker said, “Look, the Lord has given us all of this money in our hands. All of you that work here have received your salaries; you don’t really need this money. Why don’t we just turn over the entire profits of this business to the Lord’s work?” It was amazing that he suggested such a thing—and more amazing that the men followed through with the suggestion. Baker provided large tents, free of charge, for pioneers in Argentina, China, Venezuela, and here among the savages of Canada and the United States. J. J. Rouse, William Williams, and Ross wore out several of those tents. C. J. Baker died of pneumonia two weeks after his dear friend William Sommerville was taken home. Hundreds wept at his passing. Kansas City newspapers were emblazoned with HIS RICHES TO THE POOR, Gave Away His Riches. The copy read: “With this big business, however, Mr. Baker did not die a rich man. He made it the rule of his life to give away all that he made except the amount needed in the business and for his own personal expenses.” What was his secret? Baker knew the truth of 2 Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

MATERIALS FOR THIS ARTICLE TAKEN FROM: Hy. Pickering, Chief Men Among the Brethren, Loizeaux Bros. C. W. Ross editor, Donald Ross, Gospel Tract Publications H. Sommerville, Reminiscences of His Grandfather Baker, 1994 W. Sommerville, Reminiscences About Our Family, 1977

Ý • APRIL 1998

DA R E TO TH I N K

EVANGELICAL REVIVALS And the Lord’s Supper

oday, as never before, the practice of the Lord’s Supper stands in jeopardy. There are many who are questioning its significance. Others are trivializing its importance. Some, who tell us that “new wineskins” are needed, are now celebrating the Lord’s Supper on Wednesday evenings, or at birthday parties and wedding anniversaries.1 Others allege that the regular celebration of the Lord’s Supper is an obstacle to church growth. They state that Scripture never commanded us to celebrate the Lord’s Supper weekly. Long accepted principles of biblical worship are now being replaced by modern marketing techniques. Clever numerical growth strategies using sociological and demographic studies are competing with the standards and patterns of the Word. Saddest of all, in many assemblies the Bible is losing this all-important battle. If the pages of Christian history could speak, they would raise their uncompromising disapproval. Was there ever a true revival where there was not a return to true worship? Was there ever a time that the practice of the Lord’s Supper was not a mark of genuine revival? Would we dare neglect to examine our own spiritual condition when worship of Christ at the Lord’s Supper no longer attracts our hearts? Can our hearts remain unmoved and indifferent when churchgoers crowd in to hear a 10-piece rock band and drama presentation at the 11:00 service, while there are so few true worshippers found at the Lord’s Supper? Has the church exchanged holiness and reverence in worship for the atmosphere and glitter of late night television? Where are the true worshippers? Can it be that the neglect and planned deemphasis of the Lord’s Supper is simply a sign of our own spiritual poverty? In every great revival, the renewed emphasis and interest in the Lord’s Supper was God’s stamp of approval on that movement. Interest in the Lord’s Supper was never a detriment to spiritual growth. The most powerful spiritual awakenings in history have often been characterized by a twofold renewal in worship: first, a renewal of simplicity in the practice of the Lord’s Supper, then a renewed spiritual appreciation for the Lord’s Supper. Simplicity of worship has often been a great charac-

teristic of true revival down through the centuries. Elaborate ceremony and arranged worship will almost without exception lead to dead ritual, which neither pleases God nor satisfies the heart of man. A true mark of spiritual revival, time and again, has been a return to worship in simplicity and the rejection of forms and ceremony of the established churches. The Wesleyan revival in England is a striking example of this practice. The Spirit of God began to work in the hearts of a small company of believers. As they studied God’s Word, they were convinced that these principles should be put into practice. In simplicity they attempted to put into practice what they found in the Scriptures to be true. Soon the power of God began to change the hearts of these men. As their lives changed, their hearts were burdened. Soon, to celebrate the Lord’s Supper simply as the New Testament instructs became their passion. One researcher writes of how the Lord led in their lives, “In November, 1729, four young gentlemen of Oxford, Mr. John Wesley, Mr. Charles Wesley, Mr. Morgan, and Mr. Kirkham of Merton College, spent some evenings together in reading chiefly the Greek New Testament. To the original four, others were added to the

DAV I D UPLOOK

DUNL AP

• APRIL 1998

EVANGELICAL REVIVALS Club, one of whom, John Clayton, son of a Manchester bookseller, led the members in a new direction. In his father’s shop he had read many of the early Christian writers and was constantly illuminating discussions with references from the same. Soon the group eagerly embraced the early church practice of the weekly Lord’s Supper. The evangelical revival quickly became a revival of worship as well. Hundreds of eager converts crowded into their once near-empty parish churches to receive communion often, to the consternation of the religious leaders who were unused to such enthusiasm. The evangelical leadership were quick to restore, first monthly, and then weekly communion services.”2 The simple way of worship also found its way into the life of believers in the north of Great Britain. Fifty-eight years later in Scotland, James and Robert Haldane, ministers of the gospel, traveled in a carriage and were well supplied with tracts which they themselves wrote, printed, and distributed. They spoke in churches and schools, but chiefly in the open air. Hundreds, and sometimes thousands, gathered to hear them; there was much power in their testimony and many were converted. At the fair at Kirkwall, three to four thousand listened daily, and on the Lord’s day some 6,000 gathered to hear. Following the principle of the New Testament, they began to take the Lord’s Supper each first day of the week. Robert Haldane recalled, “I began practicing the Lord’s Supper monthly. Afterwards I became convinced that on the principles I held, that I ought to observe it weekly. I met with a few individuals who erected themselves into a church; and I am convinced that any group of Christians may act as we did.”3 An accompanying hallmark to the simplicity in worship has been a great heartfelt appreciation of the Lord’s Supper. A leading feature of spiritual revival has been the tenderhearted affection present in remembering the Lord Jesus Christ in His death. In America, the gospel went forth to the Indians in New Jersey through the missionary, David Brainerd. Here as in other places, as the Spirit of God mightily moved in the hearts of men, the spiritual revival was accompanied by a sincere appreciation of the Lord’s Supper. David Brainerd wrote in his journal on July 13, 1746, “There appeared tender affection in the assembly under divine truth; my soul was also somewhat refreshed. I administered the Lord’s Supper to thirty-one of the Indians. God seemed to be real and present among us. The worshippers were sweetly melted and refreshed. O, how they melted when the elements were first uncovered. There was scarcely a dry eye among them when I took off the linen, and showed them the symbols of Christ’s body.”4 30

UPLOOK

A renewed appreciation of the Lord’s Supper was not unique to North America or Great Britain, but was also present in the mission fields of South America. After a number of months of preaching the gospel to Indians in the Ecuadorian jungle, missionary Jim Elliot had seen a small band of believers gather together as a New Testament church. Their desire to remember the Lord in his death began to burn in their hearts. Elliot wrote in his journal (Jan. 16/55), “With a small nucleus of baptized believers, they began having a simple meeting for the breaking of bread, when Christ was exalted and worshipped. No one taught; the words of men were few. Hymns of adoration were sung, prayer was offered, and gradually the new believers began to understand the meaning of worship—offering to the Lord the love of their hearts, with simplicity and sincerity. Others began to observe this gathering from the outside. There was not much to watch. The room where we met was the schoolroom—bamboo walls and floors, thatched roof, backless benches. A small table stood in the center of the circle with a loaf of bread and a cup of wine. The Indians gathered quietly, and sat barefooted and reverent around the symbols which spoke to them of the death of their Lord, whom they had so recently come to know and love. One by one the young men would take part, suggesting a hymn, or praying, while all joined in lifting their hearts to Christ. Reminded of His death, they also thought of His coming again, and frequently ended the meeting singing, ‘Be happy, believers—Christ is coming.’”5 Throughout the centuries the weekly practice and the genuine appreciation of the Lord’s Supper was an indication of the spiritual strength of the Christian church. The past is the great interpreter of the present and a safeguard of the future. A worshipping assembly is a spiritually robust assembly. Biblical orthodoxy leads to worshipful doxology. The pattern is plain throughout history; when the church began to forget the Lord in worship, very soon thereafter she also forgot her calling in the world. When we ignore the voice and testimony of history we do so at our peril. May the church of the 1990’s soon realize that the sincere appreciation and the regular practice of the Lord’s Supper is a measure of her spiritual strength. Ý ENDNOTES: 1. Bruce McNichol, “Too Often,” Interest Magazine, (Nov. 1991): p. 3 2. Donald Bridge and David Phypers, Communion: The Meal that Unites (Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Pub., 1981), p. 124 3. E. H. Broadbent, The Pilgrim Church (London: Pickering and Inglis, Ltd, 1931), pp. 298 & 301 4. Jonathan Edwards, The Life of David Brainerd (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1978), p. 280 5. Elisabeth Elliot, Shadow of the Almighty (New York, NY: Harper and Row Pub., 1956), p. 222

• APRIL 1998

O N TA R G ET

SPEAKING SPEAKING OF OF WORSHIPÉ WORSHIPÉ W

ORSHIP THE CHRISTIAN’S HIGHEST OCCUPATION by Alfred. P. Gibbs Every believer has the responsibility and privilege of worshipping. But what is worship and how is it different from praise? What are the dangers? How can we prepare for worship? An excellent and thorough treatment. Paper. 279 pages. X-898 US$7.00 CDN$9.00

NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH PRINCIPLES by Arthur G. Clarke James H. Large, editor of Precious Seed magazine, called it “a most valuable re-statement of Scripture teaching regarding the local church,” and a “comprehensive, sane, and balanced presentation of the truth in such comparatively small compass.” Paper. 123 pages. J-1112 US$6.00 CDN$8.00

CHURCH DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE Edited by J. Heading & C. Hocking A compilation similar to Treasury of Bible Doctrine but on this key subject. Over 40 authors give insights on such subjects as church doctrine, unity, baptism, reception, and fellowship. A vital resource for elders and student. Paper. 336 pages. X-CDP US$10.00 CDN$14.00

Church Doctrine & Practice

THE LORD’S SUPPER by Alfred P. Gibbs To the Christian the Lord’s Supper is more than just a meeting of the church—it is the core of his new life, the central theme of his song. This study of this important subject is thoroughly examined in this work. Increase your appreciation for the Saviour! Paper. 216 pages. X-842 US$7.00 CDN$9.00

M C

ILL UILD Y HURCH by James Gunn While the Lord Jesus was here, He said, “I will build My church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” We are members of this great spiritual institution. This reprint of Mr. Gunn’s classic work gives insight into the working of the N.T. gathering. Paper. 156 pages. X-8006 US$7.00 CDN$9.00

SCRIPTURAL PRINCIPLES OF GATHERING by Alfred P. Gibbs Squeezed into this booklet is a wealth of material. Alfred Gibbs, in his dependable and concentrated style, gives 8 major reasons why he found his place among those known as Brethren. Far from sectarianism, it is Scripture based and Christ centered. Paper. 46 pages. X-862 US$2.95 CDN$3.95

’ S

HE ORD S UPPER THE CHURCH’S LOVE FEAST by Donald L. Norbie A succinct historical overview of the central meeting of the church. Includes The Passover Setting, First Century Practice, Changes through the Ages, Current Views, and a call to return to the original intent of the Saviour’s request: “Remember Me.” Paper. 40 pages. X-8006 US$2.95 CDN$3.95

Ordering Information: BY PHONE, FAX, OR MAIL U.S. Customers: Add 10% for shipping charges ($3.00 for orders of $25 or less). Michigan residents add 6% sales tax. Canadian Customers: Add 7% GST and 15% for shipping charges ($4.50 for orders of $25 or less).

FOLIO PRESS g GOSPEL P. O. Box 2041

Grand Rapids, MI 49501-2041 UPLOOK

Ü Ü Ü

Order line 1-800-952-2382 Phone 1-616-456-9166 Fax 1-616-456-5522

• APRIL 1998

UPLOOK (USPS 620-640) P. O. Box 2041 Grand Rapids, MI 49501-2041

Seen from the Outside Exerpted from Following the Pattern by Alfred Mace

“There is a group of Christians in this city—indeed there are several groups—whose Sunday morning service follows no “order of service,” is conducted by no minister, parson, or priest, at which no one knows, as the hour of worship draws near, who will begin the service or open the meeting. “The regular gatherings of these believers is devoid of anything ecclesiastical. The meeting place is not called a church, because that term, as found in the New Testament, has a spiritual significance and reflects to the spiritual body of Christ...The setting and procedure here is rigidly non-ecclesiastical. There is neither pulpit or altar, no choir nor organ, nor orchestra; there is no chairman or precentor, and the hymns end without an ‘Amen.’ Ritual and liturgy are absent. There are no gowns or surplices, no processional, no cross, no ushers, no presiding officer, and at the evening service no collections are taken. There is no Book of Common Prayer, nor Missal, nor Book of Common Order. There is just the Bible and a hymn book. “These people disclaim any name, as implying denominationalism. The early believers in Christ were ‘first called Christians at Antioch.’ Therefore the signboard reads ‘Christians meet here.’ Enrolled of necessity under the Societies’ Act, they are legally known as ‘Christian Brethren’…A continuation of New Testament Christianity is the ideal aimed at. “Arranged in a hollow square are plain chairs and in the center in a plain table, on which are a loaf of bread and two goblets of wine. There is silence. No person is in charge. No minister is in the pulpit, no priest at the altar. The pulpit desk stands outside the square of fellowship. There never is an altar. All are in a waiting attitude. Again, let it be said, there is no leader. There is no visible president and an entire absence of organization. Christ is recognized as the as the Head of His Body, and the Holy Spirit the director of worship. Now, one speaks a few words of exhortation and prays. A hymn is announced and sung unaccompanied. There is a Bible reading with brief comments, a hymn. Later, one rises and breaks the loaf in two. On two plates it is passed from hand to hand, all sitting, each taking off a piece of bread. The goblets of wine are passed. The elements are covered with a white cloth. “Plates are passed again from hand to hand for an offering. After a hymn, one of the younger men gives a well-spoken homily. An announcement is made. Soon the hour is past. All has been deliberate, reverent, prayerful. Each carries a Bible and the Scripture passages referred to are turned up by the listeners. Indeed, the Bible is textbook, manual, guidebook of rules, articles of constitution, and all. The brethren settle all matters by the Word of God.” This article was written by Dr. J. K. Unsworth, an observer at a Lord’s Supper in an assembly in Victoria, BC and appeared in the Victoria, BC, Daily Colonist, June 7, 1936