"A Way That Is Right And Can Not Be Wrong"
The caption above is the title of a tract by Brother Jesse P. Sewell. It is an excellent tract, and deserves to be widely distributed. It would do untold good in leading honest people to a better understanding of God's Word. I quote below one paragraph from this tract:
"MISSIONARY WORK. There is perfect union on the point that God demands that his children shall preach the gospel to every creature in all the world. But as to how this work shall be done there is a great deal of bitter dissension. Many contend that societies other than the church may be organized and maintained for this purpose. Others believe that the church, as such, must do the work. No believer contends that if the church does the work it will not be acceptable, but only that other ways are more practical. The church of Christ suggests that if there is a way which all admit to be correct, if worked, that we all accept this way, and work it. Whether God approves the work done by societies other than the churches, we all know that He will approve the work if done by the churches. Hence at this point, let others be right or let them be wrong, we are right and cannot be wrong in doing missionary work through the church only, and in offering this as a common ground for union."
Now I want to paraphrase the foregoing paragraph:
BENEVOLENT WORK. There is perfect union on the point that God demands that His children shall support the weak, visit the widows and fatherless in their afflictions. But as to how this work shall be done there is a great deal of bitter dissension. Many contend that societies other than the church may be organized and maintained for this purpose. Others believe that the church, as such, must do the work. No believer contends that if the church does the work it will not be acceptable, but only that other ways are more practical. The church of Christ suggests that if there is a way which all admit to be correct, if worked, that we all accept this way and work it. Whether God approves the work done by societies other than the churches, we all know that He will approve the work if done by the churches. Hence at this point, let others be right or let them be wrong, we are right and can not be wrong in doing benevolent work through the church only, and in offering this as a common ground for union.
Now I should like to add this: There is much discussion about individuals having the right according to the Scriptures to contribute to orphan homes, like the one at Cullman, Alabama. If it were strictly a private enterprise, that argument might be correct. But such organizations are not strictly private; they have been set up by the churches. The churches have sent delegates, or representatives, to organize such institutions. "The churches, as such, "defend and support them. They are not parallel to the average college; because the college is doing a work that is largely secular. But in the minds of a majority of brethren, even the colleges among us are "OUR COLLEGES." They think of them as church institutions, established and maintained by the church — not "the churches," because they seem to think of the church of Christ universally for the most part. The basic reason for our troubles now is that we have a generation that speaks "half in the speech of Ashdod," and cannot speak in the language of true New Testament Christians. Their psychology is wrong. We even must have a pastor. Of course, we do not call him a pastor. But we really want a regular preacher, working full time with us, so that he may visit us, pastorally, and that we may be like the nations around us in having a one-man pastor. I know that a preacher can scripturally live among and work with a church. But it is different when he works FOR them, and WITH them in the sense of a pastor. When will we ever learn the place and work of elders, or bishops, and deacons? Who ever heard of brethren encouraging the bright young man to prepare to be a bishop some day?