Waldron Mission Fund

 

Under the oversight of the elders of the Crossville church of Christ, PO Box 211, Crossville, TN 38557

WORLD POPULATION

Jim E. Waldron

THE BIG TEN*

 

Year 2007        Millions          Year 2050     Millions

 

China                    1,311          India                  1,628

India                     1,122          China                 1,437

USA                         300          USA                      420

Indonesia                 225          Indonesia              285

Brazil                      187          Pakistan                295

Pakistan                  166          Brazil                    260

Bangladesh              147          Nigeria                  299

Russia                     142          Bangladesh           231

Nigeria                    135          Congo                   183

Japan                      128          Ethiopia                145

At the beginning of 2007 the world population stood at just over 6,555,000,000 (*World Population Reference Bureau www.prb.org), and it is expected to top eight billion in the year 2025 just eighteen years from now.  With these enormous figures in mind the churches of Christ more than ever must focus on the order of our King: 

 

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16).

Continued Overleaf

In September 1967 my family and I arrived in Karachi, Pakistan to begin our first tour of duty in the kingdom of God’s dear Son (See Col. 1:13) on foreign soil.  Through the help of God and many saints during the intervening years about 80 percent of my time has been directly spent in foreign missions.  The major thrust of that work has been to train native Christians to reach their own with the gospel.

 

In the face of enormous population figures as those above, and the gravity of the Savior’s expectation for His people in every generation, here are some important considerations:

 

¨ We must realize that American culture has in general made us soft and flabby, but our Master expects that we will endure “hardship as good soldiers of Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:3).

 

¨ Realize, not only are other countries without Christ, but there are three hundred million Americans that are lost.

 

¨ Every Christian home needs to emphasize that the work of the church is not fun, food, games, gimmicks or sports, but the urgent need to seek and save the lost, as our Savior came to do (Luke 19:10).  Family devotionals should include this urgency right along with the need for godly living—the two go hand in hand.  Remember to “let your light shine” (Matt. 5:16).

 

¨ Pulpits should not only emphasize Mark 16:16, but also Mark 16:15, right along with exhortations to godliness and faithfulness to doctrine.  Concerning these things, Paul wrote “take heed to yourself and the doctrine.  Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (I Tim. 4:16).

 

¨ Church bulletins should be used regularly to keep not only the need for godly living before the saints, i.e., “holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14); but the importance of zeal for God’s house—the Church—before the congregation (Matt. 6:33).  Such zeal ate up the young man, Jesus of Nazareth; he was 30 when this was noted about Him (John 2:17).

 

¨ Alone or in conjunction with other sound congregations in their area every local church should have a training program to obey Two Timothy Two Two.

¨ Realize that Bible courses, tracts, radio and television preaching are good, but there must be missionaries who like Paul  go to the field; for he made it his aim to preach the gospel, where Christ was not named (Rom. 15:19).

 

¨ Realize also the great need in foreign missions not to simply go and preach but to commit the pure and unperverted (Gal.1:6-9) gospel to “faithful men (native brethren) who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2).

 

¨ Know the need to rarely put foreign brethren on American support lest the field become a welfare program for American churches.  Paul wrote “a great and effective door has opened to me and there are many adversaries” (I Cor. 16:9).  Other countries have touts, scalawags and carpet baggers just like we do in the U.S., and such form an adversary to faithful gospel preaching.  Often American money has opened the door to greed and jealousy among workers.  Read the book on Indian missions God—Man—Money by Russel G. Bell, 5712 S.W. 35th Street, Topeka, KA  66614-4594.  Phone:  785-272-0711

 

COBI

The above is a code name for Central Ohio Bible Institute, which is conducted by the Alkire Road Church near Columbus, Ohio.  It meets on Tuesday evenings from 6:00-9:00 and on Saturdays from 9:00-12:00.  The director is Trevor Major.  Nine other gospel preachers in the area, including Mark Bass, the local preacher, serve as instructors.

 

The courses are taught over three years and are laid out in three tracks, which are:

1)    For those who desire to preach,

2)    For leadership, such as the role of elders and deacons,

3)    For general Bible knowledge, classes for men and women.

 

This work of training faithful disciples could and should be copied or imitated (cf. I Cor. 11:1) by local churches around the nation; there are others who are doing this.  The Alkire Road church also conducts a future preacher training school for young men and boys.  The dates this year will be July 7-14.

For further information on either of these programs go on the internet to (www.alkirechurchofchrist.com) or phone brother Major at 614-875-1028.  Their local address is the Church of Christ, 2779 Alkire Road, Grove City, OH  43123.

 

WINTERFEST

 

JEFF WALLING– DUDLEY CHANCEY

 

During 2006 Jeff Walling of the Providence Road Church, Charlotte, NC, continued to push unity between the churches of Christ and the Christian Church (See Christian Chronicle, August ‘06, Spiritual Sword, Fall ‘06, Bulletin Briefs, July and December ‘06) without the latter giving up any innovation that caused the division in the first place.

 

       Walling has for more than twenty years boldly proclaimed that instrumental music in worship is simply a matter of judgment—a gray area. 

 

       Concerning his very bold push—with him it is like a crusade—to get the churches of Christ to compromise with the Christian Church on this subject, on October 17, 2006 I phoned the C.E.O. of Winterfest, Dudley Chancey, and asked if he was going to continue to use Walling at Winterfest. 

 

       Dudley Chancey, besides his Winterfest business, is a professor at Oklahoma Christian University.  After the phone call he and I exchanged emails on the subject.  On December 6, 2006 he informed me by email that Walling will, as usual,  be at Winterfest (Arlington, TX, January 19-21) and Gatlinburg, TN, (February 16-18).

 

       In the time of Jeremiah there were false prophets who also wanted to compromise with error and false religion.  But the prophet of God boldly affirmed, they cry “peace, peace when there is no peace” (Jer. 6:14).  Today the words of Walling have the same ring, and brother Chancey uses him to draw a crowd at Winterfest to promote their business (www.winterfest.org).  Winterfest Group, 14301 Middleberry Rd. Edmond, OK  73013, Phone:  405-475-6314.

 

 

 

Instrumental music in worship

 

More division comes to the restoration

 

V. Glenn McCoy

 

After the merger of the groups (1831-32) associated with Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell, the church experienced phenomenal growth for the next two or three decades.  The Gospel was being preached in its simplicity and purity.  Thousands were being baptized for the remission of sins.  Churches were springing up all over the land.  Men of prominence including James A. Garfield, who would become the twentieth president of the United States, were active in this movement to restore first century Christianity.  Even though things ran smoothly and successfully in the movement that was sweeping the country like a prairie fire, it was not long before some became dissatisfied with simply preaching and practicing the New Testament pattern.

 

       A wave of innovations began to disturb the peace of the brotherhood.  One of those was the American Christian Missionary Society, but an even greater wedge was driven into the heart of the brotherhood by the introduction of instrumental music in worship.  The history of the introduction of the instrument into worship among the disciples shows the efforts began quietly, but ultimately as it grew it robbed faithful Christians of their meeting houses and put a wedge into the church that has not been removed in the 145 years since.

 

Read more of the history of the restoration movement in a book by V. Glenn McCoy entitled Return To The Old Paths, McCoy Publications, 22470 Mission Hills Lane, Yorba Linda, CA  92887

BULLETIN BRIEF