The Positive Side
After reading an article by me in the Gospel Guardian, a man phoned me and asked if we could not give some positive teaching. I said "Yes, and when we do you know we are right." It is like immersion for baptism; those who sprinkle and pour know we are right when we have immersion. We have scripture for a church sending to a preacher: Phil. 4:15 "Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only." So, our position is not in question as to the scripture for it. Some of them oppose by saying it is not wise. That is lack of faith.
I told this man once that he lacked faith in God's plan. Denominations either do not understand God's plan of salvation or they do not have faith in it. That is the trouble with our liberal brethren; they need more faith in God's plan. When they say that God's plan is not wise and dangerous, it shows a lack of faith in them.
Brother Hoyt Houchen, in a sermon once, referred to Phil. 4:15 and other passages as "approved examples." After services, I told him that that example was not approved by Nashville headquarters.' But, we need to be doing — it is not a question of who is doing more and who is doing less, but our concern should be "Are we doing our duty? and not who is doing more and who is doing less." A woman on the liberal side once began talking about what one was doing and what one was not doing. I told her she would get in trouble for comparing and she could see it. The Bible says: "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." We may take note sometimes, others even outside are doing things that we neglect or we may take lessons from brethren that are doing more: "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." (II Cor. 8:9) I have never wanted to quit the church of our Lord and join some denomination because they sometimes do better in some things than we do. What we should be interested in is to please God. I said something one time when the singing was poor in the Church of Christ where I was worshipping. I said if the Baptist Church was that way they would do something about it, but I did not get it in my head to quit and join the Baptist Church because we were more neglectful than they on some points. We should be interested in doing things because it is right. Christ went about doing good: (Acts 10:38) and so should we. If we do something wrong, we should not mind being told it is wrong. If we have no authority to do things, we should not do it. With some it seems to be a question of who is doing it. If it is wrong for some to organize boards and conclaves unknown to the New Testament Church, it is wrong for others to do so. Some think it is wrong for us to criticize, but when Brother L.R. Wilson was "anti" he said: "For a man to pretend to believe and practice the Bible when he sets aside any portion of it that seems to him unnecessary, and adds anything to his practice which seems to serve his purpose, is the most vicious form of infidelity. Since we have the Bible as the revealed will of God, it is either necessary for us to go by it or it is not. Now, if we feel that it is not absolutely necessary for us to go by it, why don't we come openly and admit it, and thus avow our infidelity outright? But if we claim the Bible as our criterion, why do we keep adding new names, new organizations, and new practices to the divine pattern?" (He thought we had a pattern. F. R.) (Aerial Bombardments pp. 22, 23, 24) On page 17, he says "Because some of us refuse to have anything to do with these men-made organization and iniquitous societies we are stigmatized as antis, old fogies, mossbacks and non-progressive."
When men reject God's plan of sending money to a preacher I am not interested in offering some other plan; if they do not have faith in God's plan, they might not have much in mine. But, again let me say, we need to go about doing good. Small things for small people sometimes count a lot. In fact, I am willing to let the common people and the poor testify as to my interest in helping the poor, but in the final day God is going to be the Judge. I am not trying to explain what L. R. Wilson meant, but if the principles he taught in that radio sermon were true then, they are true now. I was in a hospital at Cleburne, Texas; an orderly was standing by the bed and he was going to help me up. I said "I am about helpless." He said: "I'll help you." "The Book says bear ye one another's burdens," Gal. 6:2 and John 13:35 "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." He called himself "Bill," and said he was a Baptist preacher. He was a credit to the Baptist Church. We should take note of things like that and also try to be good and help, but not join the Baptist Church because our brethren are neglectful. We should be careful not to neglect our duty, On the final day we are going to be judged by the things we did and the things we did not do: Matt. 25:41-46. As we have opportunity, let us do good unto all men. Sometimes it may be small things, but let us do good.