Mission News From India 8 Vans-96 Brothers-732 Baptisms Each Spring before the brothers graduate from the three-year preacher training at Dindigul we send them on an evangelistic campaign for Christ along with the “seniors” from the two-year school of preaching for single men at Coimbatore. This is in order to win souls for Christ in an intensive manner. When the first group of 17 graduates were sent on such a campaign in December 1990 there was only one van. This year (Feb. 13-27) eight vans were used to carry the 96 brothers to proclaim “the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 8:12). We thank God 732 obeyed the gospel. In order that you might have a better understanding of this effort let me tell you about some of the things that influence our approach to the work. I have occasionally worked in such campaigns, although it is our preference that native brethren be sent to their own people. This way we have poor saints preaching to poor people. Speaking of poor people, India and other third world countries are filled with them. Tamil Nadu alone has about 75,000,000 souls. The vast majority live with very limited resources as to this world’s goods. Yet, it should be burned into our hearts that Jesus not only proved His Messiahship with signs and wonders, but by the fact that He preached the gospel to the poor (Matt. 11:5). It is also most important to recall, people are often prone …

Mission News From Greece March 25, 1999. Our beloved brethren in Christ, We thank God for everything He allows to happen for we know all things work for good for those who love the Lord. Kossovo is north of Greece and we hope that a political solution will be found quickly to stop the possibility of war in this region. As we share with you our most recent news from the mission work in Greece we would like to express our deep appreciation to the Lord for the life He is giving us and to you for your support to the Roussos family and the work in Greece, Bulgaria and Albania. OUR EGYPTIAN BIBLE STUDENT IN USA,HESHAM NOSSER, DIED IN A CAR ACCIDENT It is very hard to believe, but it is true. Hesham died in Knoxville Tennessee on March 11. Hesham came to Greece from Egypt to find a better job and a better future. He met the church of Christ and he became a member of the Lord’s church. He had a great zeal for the Lord’s work and a great desire to spread the good news to his people. Egypt is a country of 60.000.000 people and they only have one Gospel preacher of the churches of Christ. Hesham decided to study God’s Holy Word and was a student at the East Tennessee Bible School in Knoxville, Tennessee. As he was returning to his apartment from the church in the evening of a rainy day his car …

Laban was the brother of Rebekah, Isaac’s wife, and also the nephew of Abraham. He came from that branch of Terah’s family that stayed in the land of Haran after Abraham and Lot left for Canaan. He is the son of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. Most of what we know about Laban is during his twenty year encounter with Jacob, Isaac and Rebekah’s son (Genesis 29-31). Jacob, having tricked Isaac his father into giving him Esau’s rightful blessing (Genesis 27:22), had to flee for his life. So, Isaac and Rebekah decided to send him to Laban in Haran until Esau’s anger cooled. While he was there, Jacob took two wives, both Laban’s daughters, Rachel and Leah. He worked seven years for each of them, and six additional years for his own livestock–a total of twenty years. During this time, both Jacob and Laban seem intent on besting the other in their dealings with each other. But no matter what else happens, God is with Jacob and continues to bless him, a fact to which even Laban concedes (Genesis 30:30). But after the deal with the “spotted, speckled, and ringstraked” cattle (Genesis 30:31-34), Laban and his sons feel that Jacob is cheating them, and stealing what is rightfully theirs. Jacob takes his wives and children and all the livestock rightfully his as per the agreement and slips away quietly and is gone three days before Laban notices his absence and begins to pursue him. Laban is considered an undesirable character in the Bible. Why …

In part 1, we noted the publicity, goals and major claims of the Jesus Seminar along with a brief critique of their scholarship. In this article, we will offer a response to one of their major claims as regards the New Testament writings. No Knowledge of the Original Text? Most of what the Seminar has concluded about the reliability of the New Testament’s account of Jesus is based on the premise that the gap between the original time of writing and the copies of the New Testament writings which have survived is too great for those documents to be trusted. In their own words: We do not possess autographs [the originals] of any of the books of the entire Bible. The oldest surviving copies of the gospels date from about one hundred and seventy-five years after the death of Jesus, and no two copies are precisely alike. And handmade manuscripts have almost always been ‘corrected’ here and there, often by more than one hand. . . . Even careful copyists make some mistakes, as every proofreader knows. So we will never be able to claim certain knowledge of exactly what the original text of any biblical writing was (Robert Funk, et.al., The Five Gospels: The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus, 6). Space permits only the briefest of responses to this claim here. But we can present enough to show that they have not told the whole story and to wonder why, in light of their claim to represent current …

[Editorial in Christian Bible Teacher, Abilene, Vol. 42, No. 3, March 1998, p. 76; besides editing that fine Gospel journal, brother Turner is the Director of Bear Valley School of Preaching, P.O. Box 36225, Denver, CO 80236; (303) 986-5800.] Unemployment is a perpetual concern for most Americans. A daily watch is kept on the local, state and national unemployment indexes. Thankfully, in recent months the number of unemployed people has dropped. This contributes to a more stable economy. Unemployment is also a perpetual concern, and problem, for most church leaders. The number of people spiritually unemployed in many congregations is staggering; in some churches the number is as high as 80 percent. The national average of unemployed church members is estimated to be between 70 and 80 percent. Why is there so much unemployment in the church? It is not because of a lack of work, nor the overabundance of workers. As a line in the song says, “There is work to do . . .” Jesus said “. . . Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35). The Bible makes it clear that members of the church must work. Paul wrote: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). James wrote, “You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:24). Since it is …

Job, the great patriarch of the ancient Uz, stands like a beacon light amidst the “tragedy” figures of literary history. The drama of his life is fairly well known. In terms of character, he was a spiritual giant. The inspired record describes him as one who was “perfect [spiritually mature] and upright.” He revered God and attempted to abstain from sinful living (1:1). In addition to his spiritual qualities, the Creator had blessed him with material prosperity. He owned vast herds of livestock; indeed, he was “the greatest of all the children of the east” (1:3). Truly, the sage of Uz was one of the significant characters of the initial era of human history. The Theological Significance Jehovah was proud of Job. He was a trophy among humanity. Hence, on a certain occasion (the details of which are not revealed), the Lord challenged Satan: “Have you considered my servant Job . . .?” Immediately the malicious enemy responded: “Does Job serve God for nothing?” (1:9). The devil then proceeded to slanderously charge that the patriarch’s piety was solely out of self-interest. In other words, Jehovah bribed fidelity out of Job. The subtle implication was this: “You, God, are not worthy of human service on the basis of your own merit; rather, you must pay for it.” The whole book of Job, in reality, is a response to this charge. Not because the Lord, for his own sake, needed to defend himself. No, this great spiritual battle was for our benefit. The Test In order …

Nebuchadnezzar was “the great king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, who reigned from 605 to 562 B.C.” King Nebuchadnezzar is credited with many great accomplishments. He was a famed conqueror, having defeated many peoples. Some of those who were defeated by him were Egypt, Tyre, Edom and Judah. In addition to his victorious conquests, he was known for his great building projects. One of his magnificent projects was the beautiful hanging gardens of Babylon, noted as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Both biblical history and secular history bear testimony to the fact that King Nebuchadnezzar was a great and powerful ruler of the Babylonian Empire. His fame, riches, power and ability no doubt played a big part to his becoming a very prideful man. His pride is obvious from his own words, as he said, “. . . Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling-place, by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). But of course, many others since the time of King Nebuchadnezzar have demonstrated a prideful spirit. However, as a warning to us, we need to know that “pride” is one of those things that God hates (Proverbs 8:13). Because of King Nebuchadnezzar’s sinful “pride,” he was brought down and humbled before the great God of heaven, as God punished him. God, through his prophet Daniel, had this message for King Nebuchadnezzar, “. . . O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is …

The Bible is rich in biographies and biographies are rich in instruction. There are approximately three thousand men and women mentioned within its pages. Some of these have but scant material given about them. Such is the case with the subject of our study, Nimrod. Even from a little much can be gleaned. Nimrod was one of the most prominent personalities during the four centuries between the flood and Abraham. The story of Nimrod falls within that section of Scripture regarded by some as myth and legend (Genesis 1-11). It should be noted, however, that the language of these chapters describes persons and events. The mention of lands, families, languages and national groupings constitutes definite points for historic reference. Nimrod was a very enterprising man. Our text reads, “Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, ‘Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.’ And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city)” (Genesis 10:8-11, NKJV). The tenth chapter of Genesis gives us the history of the spread and development of three great families since the days of Noah, being Japheth, Ham and Shem. Nimrod was a grandson of Ham listed in “the genealogy of the sons of Noah” and a son …

Author The name Obadiah means “servant of Yahweh.” Other than his good name, little is known about Obadiah. There is, perhaps, more speculation than fact relating to his historical identity. The book of Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament and reveals nothing personal about the prophet. Date The exact date of this prophecy is hard to determine. “The date of Obadiah’s work is ascribed to periods ranging from 845 to 400 B.C. However, the two most probable dates are 845 and 586 B.C. or shortly thereafter” (Homer Hailey, A Commentary On The Minor Prophets, p. 28). Some of the arguments against the late date are as follows: There is no mention of Babylon or the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. There is no mention of Jerusalem or the temple. There is no mention of refugees fleeing to Egypt. The following are some of the arguments for the early date: The book of Obadiah is listed with the pre-Assyrian prophets in the canon. Jeremiah quoted from Obadiah; therefore, the book of Obadiah was written before the book of Jeremiah. The enemies as described in Obadiah were from early history. Verses 19 and 20 speak of the Judeans repossessing their land. This did not happen after they were carried away in Assyrian and Babylonian captivity. There is an abundance of material available where the arguments for the date of this book are set forth. In this overview, we have not pursued these many arguments in detail. The simple point that must be …

Some people can sleep through anything. Others wake up at the sound of a bird. The Bible records only one instance when Jesus was asleep–and it was in a storm. “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:37-38). The apostles were not novices at traveling the Sea of Galilee. Some had previously earned their living fishing on it and the Bible mentions numerous occasions when they traveled across it. But something happened this night that scared seasoned fisherman. The word for storm here (lailaps) means “whirlwind, hurricane” (Arndt/Gingrich, p. 462). The boat filled with water and they were in danger of drowning. It is at this point that they decided to wake Jesus. That’s right, He is still asleep! How could Jesus sleep in a storm? This May Indicate Mental Peace. Often insomnia is caused by mental distress. When the mind is agitated, the body finds little rest. Jesus did not have this problem. His mind was at ease. This incident is a living example of “peace passing understanding.” Paul wrote, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). Asleep in a boat in such a storm is a little hard to believe, but the peace of God ruled …

“Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly” (Jonah 1:17-2:1). Down in the deep, dark chambers and hollows in the belly of a big fish, Jonah, wrapped in seaweed, desperately prayed to God. Like many of God’s children past and present, Jonah in this instance did not pray to God until he had no other recourse. “When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple” (Jonah 2:7). Jonah was a prophet of God and a native of the northern kingdom of Israel. Apparently he had made a vow to God respecting his function as a prophet (Jonah 2:9). Jonah, as a prophet, was committed to preaching God’s Word to his fellow Jews. However, he was unwilling to proclaim God’s Word to Gentiles–especially to the Ninevites. Only when Jonah could not escape from God and the mission on which he was sent, he reluctantly preached to the Ninevites. Further, Jonah became angry when: (1) the Ninevites repented, and (2) God consequently refrained from destroying them. Doubtless a poorer example of evangelism could hardly be imagined. Yet, the despicable attitude of Jonah toward the Ninevites may be shared often by the Lord’s church today. Are we sometimes as though we are in the belly of a big fish? Do we flee from the …