Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: May 14, 2006
LOOKING BACK AT OUR GOSPEL MEETING
Ben Justice
What a wonderful week we had last week with Brother Dub McClish! Brother
McClish is an outstanding proclaimer of the Word of God, and we are truly
thankful that we had the privilege and honor of sitting at his feet for a few days.
Every lesson was encouraging and challenging. It has certainly re-energized my
spiritual life, and hopefully it has yours too. The seed of the kingdom was
planted. We are hopeful that it landed upon good and honest hearts and that
the fruits of our labors will be realized before it is eternally too late. The theme
of the meeting was, “What Does The Bible Teach . . .” Brother McClish most
certainly told us what the Bible teaches relative to a number of subjects.
Brother McClish began the meeting speaking about “The Lord’s Supper.” This
was a very informative lesson on many aspects of the Lord’s Supper. He
emphasized the different designations of the Lord’s Supper as given in the NT,
such as, “My (the Lord’s) table” (Luke 22:30; I Cor. 10:21) and “communion” (I
Cor. 10:16). Other points emphasized were the elements of the Supper, the
manner of observing the Supper, and the frequency of observing the Supper.
Several erroneous ideas and doctrines were also exposed.
For Sunday morning worship, Brother McClish spoke on the importance of
“Worship Attendance.” He emphasized five points. When we worship, we exalt
God, we are encouraged, we are edified, we are being examples, and we engage in
evangelism. It is a tragedy indeed when many do not see the importance and
necessity of worshipping God. Even many members of the church make excuse
after excuse of why they can’t be back on Sunday nights and Wednesday nights.
In fact, the only time you see them is on Sunday mornings. Such folk need to
ask themselves, “Will these excuses work on the day of judgment?”
Sunday evening, Brother McClish presented a very challenging lesson on
“Discipleship,” with emphasizes upon Luke 9:23 — “And he (Jesus) said unto them
all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,
and follow me.” Being a disciple takes great sacrifice, but it is truly worth it to be
a disciple of the Lord. I wonder why so many deprive themselves of the manifold
blessings of being a disciple of the Lord! Being a disciple is not simply being
acquainted with the Lord and his teachings; it is wholly following the Lord in all
things. Jesus said in John 8:31-32, “. . . If ye continue in my word, then are ye my
disciples indeed; (32) And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
It is denying self; it is taking up our cross and following Jesus. All of this must
be done “daily,” as Jesus noted.
On Monday night, Brother McClish spoke on the silence of the Scriptures. It
was truly a masterpiece. I am convinced that if people of the religious world
could grasp what was said in that lesson, religious error and confusion would
disappear. Of course, people must not only grasp and understand it, but they
must also accept it and put it into practice. The Bible is crystal clear in teaching
that its silence is not license for us to engage in a teaching or practice (Col. 3:
17; Heb. 7:14; 8:4).
Brother McClish presented exactly and precisely what the Bible teaches relative
to the subject of baptism on Tuesday night. When the majority of the religious
world repudiates the essential nature of water baptism, the Bible tells a
completely different story. Could the words of Jesus be any clearer in Mark 16:
16? — “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall
be damned.”
Brother McClish closed out the meeting Wednesday night by speaking on the
“The Church.” It was truly a powerful sermon on the church you can read about
the Bible. It is the Lord’s Church. It was prophesied in the OT, presented in all
of its glory in the NT, on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 (see v. 47). The nature
and mission of it is clearly spiritual (John 18:36). The identifying marks of it are
clearly seen in the NT (Acts 2:24; 20:7; I Cor. 16:1-2; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). Its
destiny is eternal (I Cor. 15:24; Eph. 5:23; Heb. 12:23, 28; Dan. 2:44).
I personally look forward to this time next year when we can have our next
gospel meeting, Lord Willing. Plans are being put in place to get someone
scheduled for next year’s meeting. As concerning this year’s gospel meeting, it
was truly outstanding in every way.
CURRENT CONTROVERSIES & COMPROMISES IN THE CHURCH
(A Follow Up to Brother McClish’s Lecture)
I sincerely appreciate Brother McClish taking the time to present one more
lesson than normally expected during a Gospel Meeting. A part of me was
hesitant to even ask him to present the material that he did. The reason is
because of the amount of material that needed to be covered. However, I knew
that the congregation needed to hear these extremely important matters, and I
knew that Brother McClish could get the gist of it in within an hour’s time.
The lecture was all captured on tape. It is my plan to distribute copies of this
lecture to area congregations. Ignorance is not bliss, brethren. We must be
informed of compromises and those who perpetuate such in the church. Jesus
and all of the NT writers informed others of those who were compromisers of God’
s truth. We have the responsibility to mark and avoid those who cause division
and offences contrary to the doctrine of Christ and avoid them (Rom. 16:17).
There is no way to carry out this command unless we know who to mark and
avoid.
Faithful, truth loving brethren have absolutely nothing to hide when it comes to
these issues. As one brother aptly noted, “This is not about personalities,
favorites, or friends. The facts are available for open minds to see.” All of those
who are in support of “Apologetics Press” and Dave Miller are not to be given the
right hand of fellowship. This is what the Bible teaches (Eph. 5:11; 2 John 9-11).
For those who have Internet access, I highly encourage you to check out the
following website that has a tremendous amount of information and
documentation for all to see and read. The problem is not the evidence; the
problem is when brethren simply refuse to accept the evidence because of
brotherhood politics, prestige, and power. These are truly perilous times for the
precious bride of Christ. May we never ever give in to such devilish ways! The
website is: www.thedemaslist.org