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President Clinton and other politicians have
dedicated themselves to connecting all school classrooms to the Internet.
Most of our public libraries are already connected to the Internet, and
many of them apparently have little or no supervision for the children.
Powerful individuals are determined that there will be no supervision, and
that children are to be free to roam the Internet. They do not want to exclude
children from watching any of the dirty filthy trash available on the computer
screen. Hold on to your hats, because I am going to prove this in this article.
Newsweek (7-27-98) carried an incredible story on page 53. "Last
week, in the name of free speech and free love, two `18-year-olds' dubbed
`Mike' and `Diane' announced that they would `lose their virginity,'
live, on their Web site, on Aug. 4. According to the site, the couple was
inspired by last month's birth of a baby boy shown on the Internet and wanted
to show the world that making love is `nothing to be ashamed about.' Soon
after their announcement, though, the company that was going to take over
hosting the site backed out, its CEO calling the site `a money-making publicity
hoax.' (The current host could not be reached for comment.) Others had expressed
doubt about Mike and Diane; they looked a little buff, a little experienced
for `first-timers.'"
Apparently this event did not take place, but does anyone doubt that a similar event will not take place? It will happen, just as surely as the sun will rise in the morning. The Internet is almost totally without any regulation. There is already unbelievable filth on the Internet in vivid picture form. I have never seen any of it, but I have been invited to do so. Even though I am a Baptist pastor, and my email address is < baptist@llano.net> I have received invitations listing filthy sites on the Internet and inviting me to watch. I will not do so, because once you look at these dirty pictures it is implanted on your brain for life. The last invitation I received offered me a free thirty-day subscriptions to their web site. They boasted that every kind of sex act known to man can be seen on their Web page. Multitudes of men, women, and children will not be able to resist such invitations. I am told that you can surf the Web and find many such sites.
"An 18-month survey of the Internet, completed in 1995, found 917,410 sexually explicit pictures, film clips and stories. Much was far kinkier than what's available on magazine racks, including pedophile, sadomasochism and a barnyard cast of thousands." (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, 7-25-98) Remember these are the figures in 1995, and it has likely doubled by 1998.
There are incredible stories coming out about adult addiction to pornography on the Internet. I fear that many are becoming addicted to porno who would never start this vile habit by going to a porno shop. It is so easy and so private to try it on the Internet, then all of a sudden they are addicted to it. A woman writes Ann Landers saying, "My husband of 22 years has become a recluse. He refuses social invitations, has quit attending our children's activities and lies to me about the amount of time he spends surfing the 'Net. Like an alcoholic, he apologizes and promises to do better, but once the computer clicks on, he sits there, transfixed, until the wee hours of the morning. I don't understand the attraction. Most what I've seen is garbage pornography, crackpot philosophy and nonsense." (LAJ 7-29-98) This woman went on to say that she is considering divorce. I fear that this sad story is being repeated over and over again.
This shocking story was printed in our local newspaper today. The headline and the article are being quoted in part below.
"Child, infant porn scandal shocks Netherlands. AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) This is Holland's summer of shame.
"The discovery of a Netherlands-based ring that trafficked in the most shocking kinds of child even infant pornography on the Internet has unleashed a lurid scandal, which gained momentum with the firing of a Justice Ministry official who allegedly downloaded the porn for his own use.
"With ties to Germany, Italy and the United States, the case has brought calls for the revival of anti-porn vice squads and a more aggressive approach to electronic smut.
"The public outrage stands in contrast to the generally tolerant attitude toward personal vice in the Netherlands, where prostitution and use of `soft' drugs like marijuana are legal.
"But the Dutch are not ready to tolerate the pornography discovered on computer drives and diskettes in mid-July, when police raided an cluttered apartment in sleepy North Sea town of Zandvoort and the scandal broke."
The article went on to say, "The seized materials include digital photos and video that depict children as young as 12 months old being raped and sodomized. (Emphasis ours)
"This week, the scandal took a startling new turn. A top employee of the Justice Ministry, which is leading the investigation, was ousted for downloading child pornography from his office computer for personal use." (LAJ 7-30-98)
We are truly living in a sin sick world. I know
what some of you are thinking that it is not our problem, let the Dutch
deal with this. The Internet is truly the World Wide Web. Anyone in the
USA, including children, who has a computer hooked up to the Internet can
access Web page in Holland and look at it. There is no long distance
charge at all. It is just as easy as accessing a Web page in your hometown.
Not only can they look at the pictures, but they can download them to a
computer disk and look at them over and over again. Now do you begin to
get the picture?
What if some man or boy looks at such porno, then goes out at rapes or sodomizes
your baby or young child, or your grandchild?
I know some of you are not going to pay any attention to me. You are going to listen to the pleading of your children, rather than listen to me. Their friends have computers in their rooms, and are allowed unsupervised use of them. Other children will go to the library where they can often look at porno, because the open minded uncaring people who are in charge will not supervise their activities. In many instances they will not be allowed to restrict Internet access as we will show you in an article that will quote in its entirety. Do not fail to keep reading this article.
Under no circumstances should you allow your children unsupervised use of a computer that is connected to the Internet. If you have a computer in the home, do not allow it to be located in the children's room. Let it be installed in the room where the family sits, and let it be used only when there is at least one caring parent present. Do not take this warning lightly. It may mean the difference between saving or destroying a child. Do not naively think that the schools and libraries are going to protect your children in their use of computers in those facilities. Sure there will be some godly school teachers and library employees who will do their best to supervise the children using the Internet. There will be many teachers and librarians who will do nothing to protect your children.
Do not expect your politicians to clean up the Internet. They will never do it. Anyone who thinks that politicians, school teachers, and library workers are going to protect your children, please contact me at once in order to buy two rich gold mines and one diamond mine here in Lubbock, Texas for just a few dollars.
I cannot emphasize the addictive power of pornography enough. Once a person looks at it there is the very real danger that they will be hooked. Like drugs, it has a powerful addictive effect that can destroy lives. Like film in your camera, your mind receives an image that is implanted in the brain. Those who escape from the snare will only do so after heartbreaking struggles and with the help of God. Don't let your family be destroyed by this monster.
I am not saying that no one should use the Internet. There is good material on the information highway. For instance, our Church has literally hundreds of articles on Internet Web pages, and there are many other good sites as well. (This article will be on the Internet Web.) I read magazines and newspapers, but I don't read that which will defile my mind. I listen to radio and watch TV, but I am very careful what I listen to and what I watch. There is some regulation of newspapers and magazines, and the same goes for radio and TV (of course there is not enough regulation).
Below you will find the incredible article from The Lamplighter which is the newsletter of the Wisconsin Valley Library Service. People should be shocked that a high official in Library profession would write such a radical article. It shows the trend in America today, and should be a warning to parents of just what is in store for the children. (Bold face type for emphasis in this article is ours.)
"Choosing Sides - the Impasse Between Prudes and Purists - We are at an impasse. The adversaries are frozen in their views. Christian zealots and other extremists profess to want to "protect" our children and their own by restricting the access of every child to library resources, especially the Internet. In their zeal, they are willing to turn the job over to anyone but librarians, even the biased, automatic choices of filtering machines designed to purify tile information so it conforms to the moral codes of the true believers in some sectarian version of what is "evil" and "good." On the other side, the free expression purists eschew compromise, too, as they condemn even our professional sisters and brothers who have found rational compromises that allow some parents to restrict some children, while other parents use the library to give their children full freedom of access to information. I support the compromisers... but, in the face of such rigidity I find I must choose sides.
"At the national policy level the choice for librarians is obvious. It is a choice between those who would restrict my child's access to information to the moral code of the prudes of American's virulent religious right, and the rigid rhetoricians of freedom, who see the First Amendment as an absolute. That choice is unpleasant but easy. For any American, it is a no brainer. . . here is a draft of one man's arguments favoring free access to information for all children. . .
"When our country was born, the first public document over which patriots shed their blood made our "liberty," our freedom, second only to life itself as the priority of the new nation. Later, when they decided to specify certain of our rights because our new Constitution was not clear enough, they gave the very top priority, the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights, to freedom of expression. Those among us who would let senators and preachers decide how much freedom we should have continue to try to restrict that freedom of expression. Yet it has always grown. Our freedom grows because even now, as a society, we know that despite the dangers and evils exposed by open free expression, it is the main necessity for democratic self-government and that takes a higher priority than suppressing repugnant, blasphemous, or even dangerous and destructive expression. To deny our children that freedom is to deny them the ability to learn how to participate in that self-government. To prevent or "protect" them from discovering even the most evil expression in our midst is to cripple their powers of discrimination, their ability to criticize, their crucial need to find, see and know good and bad, so as to be able to choose between them. . . We must not deprive them of that knowledge.
"Nor must we deprive them of the nurture, the helping hand, the guidance, the tools for seeking truth and knowing it when it is discovered. We cannot simply turn them loose in our jaded information society without helping them understand that some of the "information" is false, is evil, is dangerous, is misleading, or is ambiguous. So especially in this freest of societies, we are duty bound to try to be in loco parentis. That may not be a legal obligation, but it is clearly a moral duty for every librarian, every teacher, every parent and person in a free society. If we don't help our children understand the terrible price of freedom, they are not as likely to keep it as our first national priority." (John Berry. Editor-In Chief, Library Journal, 3/1/98) Heather Eldred (Copied from The Lamplighter a monthly newsletter of the Wisconsin Valley Library Service, Wausau, WI April, 1998.)
Personally I am horrified and offended that someone who has such influence concerning our libraries would write such a bigoted article. I am sure that his article does not reflect the views of all those in charge of our libraries, but I am afraid that many would agree with him. Notice the following radical views that John Berry holds.
1. He believes that anyone who opposes his views is a Christian zealot or an extremist. Note that he says, "Christian zealots and other extremists profess to want to `protect' our children and their own by restricting the access of every child to library resources, especially the Internet." In other words he favors unrestricted Internet access for the children in our public libraries. We have received reports of child molesters showing children how to find the porno on public library computers, and then stalking those same children when they leave the library.
2. He is also against the computer devices that are supposed to protect children from porno sites and other objectionable material on the Internet. It is to be admitted that those software and hardware devices are a miserable failure, but at least they are better than nothing. Mr. Berry says, "In their zeal, they are willing to turn the job over to anyone but librarians, even the biased, automatic choices of filtering machines designed to purify tile information so it conforms to the moral codes of the true believers in some sectarian version of what is evil and good." He considers such machines to be biased. To him the definition of anything to be evil or good, is sectarian.
3. Mr. Berry seems to be saying that anyone who would restrict our children's access to even the vilest porn is a prude and is a part of some so-called virulent religious right. Here are his own words. "At the national policy level the choice for librarians is obvious. It is a choice between those who would restrict my child's access to information to the moral code of the prudes of American's virulent religious right...."
4. He deplores any laws or religious values that would conflict with his idea of freedom. "...despite the dangers and evils exposed by open free expression, it is the main necessity for democratic self-government and that takes a higher priority than sup pressing repugnant, blasphemous, or even dangerous and destructive expression."
5. Mr. Berry believes children ought not to be prevented from discovering even the most evil expression, and that they should be allowed to discover good and bad. "To deny our children that freedom is to deny them the ability to learn how to participate in that self-government. To prevent or "protect" them from discovering even the most evil expression in our midst is to cripple their powers of discrimination, their ability to criticize, their crucial need to find, see and know good and bad, so as to be able to choose between them . . . We must not deprive them of that knowledge."
Just to think that this man is "Editor-In Chief" of the Library Journal makes me to fear for the children of America. Apparently this paper is not distributed to the general public, but is meant for the people in the library profession. Let us pray to God that he does not truly represent the views of the majority in this profession.
If carried to the logical conclusion, I suppose that it would be all right to stand up in a crowded theater and cry "fire." Of course a few people might be seriously injured or killed, but what would that matter in the preservation of freedom of speech.
It is amazing, that such people would want clean water, and clean food for our children. And at the same time would be in favor of exposing their minds to the awful sewage of human expression on the Internet. Why not put rat poison on the table with good food, and let the children themselves decide what they want to eat. My children wanted to play with matches, but they were kept from doing so, but this man would be for inflaming their passions with filthy trash on the Internet. I am sure his views would be extended to the books that children would be allowed to check out at the library.
This is the kind of trashy thinking that we
are battling in our society today. Pastors, parents and the caring public
had better be on their guard. It is for sure that people like Mr. Berry
are not going to do anything to protect our children. I wouldn't want my
grandchildren to be served food infested by maggots, neither would I want
someone to pump information- maggots to their brains. If this tags me as
a Christian zealot, an extremist, a prude, and a member of the religious
right well so be it.
The story is told about a prominent American who was visiting the country of Argentina and was asked by the president of that country, "Why has South America prospered so poorly and North America has prospered so well? What do you think is the reason?
The visitor replied, "I think the reason is found in the fact that the Spaniards came to South America seeking gold, while the Pilgrim Fathers came to North America seeking God."
There is a good point to that statement but unfortunately things have changed in this country. America has now bowed down to the treacherous and ensnaring god of mammon, i.e. materialism and riches. Just look around and watch how people go berserk over the lottery games that are available.
After being condemned as a social evil for years,
gambling has now become an acceptable practice. State lotteries and church
bingos have promoted and dignified gambling so as to make it appear as a
harmless pastime and a respectable recreation. Critical financial needs
and the glowing reports of multi-million dollar lottery winners have whetted
the appetites of many who hope to win a fortune. A popular slogan promoting
the lottery says: "Millions won weekly," but it fails to tell
the other side of the story: countless millions of dollars lost weekly,
not to mention ruined lives, broken homes, hungry children, and the accompanying
rise in organized crime, prostitution, and theft.
Our nation has become a nation of gamblers. Countless millions of Americans
play the lottery today and billions of dollars are spent every year in just
the casinos, not including the state government sanctioned lotteries and
other avenues of gambling. Today we have everything from raffles to bingo
to scratch-to-win lotteries to powerball lotteries to horse and dog racing,
to all the casinos that present themselves as a temptation to people, even
to the child of God in a world that has gone hysterical over quick cash
and easy money. In a time span of just 5 years, America moved from having
legalized gambling in just two states to now in 48 states.
Usually when you mention the Bible and gambling in the same breath, most people believe the Bible has little or nothing to say on the subject. In fact, so many have believed this falsehood that even so-called Christians are now getting into the game, spending a dollar or two each week for a chance to win millions. While there is no 11th commandment that specifically says: "Thou shalt not gamble," the Bible has plenty to say about all the games of chance and get-rich-quick schemes.
The tenth commandment declares: "Thou shalt not covet..." (Exodus 20:17). Coveting is desiring what belongs to someone else; it is wanting more than you already have. No one can deny that the entire gambling industry is based on greed. Proverbs 15:27 denounces greed -- "He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live." Statistics prove that this verse is true.
Almost 20% of all wife abuse cases involve compulsive gambling. A magazine article reported that as gambling increases, there is also an increase in the proportion of divorce or separation, disagreement about money matters with one's spouse, lack of understanding between married partners, and more reported problems among gambler's children. One fourth of the children of compulsive gamblers have problems at school, are substance abusers, gamble themselves, run away from home, or are arrested. The Bible is right. He who is greedy of gain does, in fact, trouble his own household.
There are other passages that deal with and
condemn greed, materialism, and covetousness:
"The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to
labour. He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth
and spareth not." (Proverbs 21:25-26)
"And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." (Luke 12:15)
According to Colossians 3:5, covetousness is idolatry. The Bible warns us in Ephesians 5:3, "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints."
To gamble requires seeking prosperity at the expense of others. No one gambles to lose. The prime motivation for all forms of gambling is to gain what is not ours. That is covetousness.
Just in case the tenth commandment is not enough to convince you that the Bible takes a definite anti-gambling stance, there's the eighth commandment: "Thou shalt not steal." (Exodus 20:15) Jackpots are taken from others, others who have gotten nothing for it in return. Legalized state lotteries have become government sanctioned stealing, particularly from the poor, robbing families of the necessities of life. This is a violation of the eighth commandment. Somebody once said: "Gambling is stealing by mutual consent."
The ambition for worldly goods has destroyed many lives and is strictly forbidden by the Lord. That doesn't mean that it is sinful to prosper. God has often blessed His people with material goods, only because they gave Him first place, top priority in their lives. However, that does not give us the right to seek wealth. We are to serve God and be satisfied with what He gives us. "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5) It's been stated that God is not anti-material goods; He is anti-grab all you can. The more you have to live for, the less you need to live on. Those who make possessions their goal and materialism their god will never have enough.
"The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season." (Psalms 145:15) It seems many people do not believe what this verse says. We seem, rather, to have many desires that we believe can only be met by the purchase of a winning lottery ticket or by the pull of a slot machine's arm at just the right moment. The Lord Jesus said our Heavenly Father knows all our needs and that He will supply them: "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:31-33)
The apostle Paul declared in 1 Timothy 6:8 that having food and clothing, we should be content. The problem then, seems to be, that many of us have difficulty separating what we genuinely need from what we just plain want. While there is no eleventh commandment saying, "Thou shalt not gamble," it is easy to see that gambling is an act of discontentment with God's provision.
Gambling is really an insult to God. He says
He will supply all of our needs (Phil.4:19); even
2 Corinthians 9:8 says that God will see to it that His children will have
all sufficiency in all things. When we gamble, we are in effect saying to
the Lord that He cannot or will not keep His promises. Gambling is not an
act of faith; it is a denial of the faith. It is a denial of the truths
of God's Holy Word.
Gambling is morally wrong because it is an attempt to get something for nothing. This destroys initiative and creates laziness. Instead of rolling up his sleeves and going to work, the gambler hopes to live off the misfortune of others. This attitude of getting something for nothing is destroying America.
Webster's dictionary defines gambling as playing for money. But God never intended that man play for money to meet his needs. God intended that man work to meet his needs. Genesis 3:19 talks about "in the sweat of thy face," i.e. work for a living. Nevertheless, through the ages, Satan has whispered to mankind that there must be an easier way to make a living and one of those ways he suggests is gambling. But it is contradiction to God's Word.
"Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase." (Proverbs 13:11)
The book of 2 Thess.3:10 says: "that if any would not work, neither should he eat." God intends that we earn our living by honest labor. God never intended that man gamble or play for money to meet his needs. It should also be pointed out that God did not intend for man to work so that he could gamble away his paycheck. According to the Word of God, work comes before wealth, sowing before reaping. It is the gambler that seeks to reap what others have sown.
A judge was once quoted as saying: "Gambling has grown gigantically as a business which produces nothing but embezzlers, forgers, pickpockets, burglars, and bandits."
Gambling is a much more serious problem than many think. "Today's Health" magazine stated, "Gambling is America's most unrecognized social cancer." In 1980 pathological gambling was certified as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association.
In the mid 1950's the Gamblers Anonymous was established to help people deal with their gambling problems. Over 15 years ago there were virtually no women or teenagers in the Gamblers Anonymous. Today over 20% are teenagers and 25% are women. Realization is growing that gambling is as addictive as alcohol and drugs and is a harder addiction to cure than either drug or alcohol abuse.
The compulsive gambler today is likely to be somewhere under 30 years of age and about $85,000 in debt. Nationally, on an average, a compulsive gambler will be in debt for about 2 years salary or about $45,000-50,000 dollars, before he seeks help.
When the gambler loses, the children go hungry, wives do without, bills go unpaid, tension builds, arguments increase, and eventually the family is destroyed. The gambler doesn't have time for his wife and children. He would rather be at the race track or the poker table than with his family. The compulsion to gamble destroys a man's compassion for his family to the point that he is willing to neglect them to satisfy his own carnal desires. I remind you of 1 Timothy 5:8, "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." (1 Timothy 5:8)
When pressed for funds people will resort to all sorts of illegal activities to finance their gambling habit. They will steal from their loved ones, write bad checks, and even commit armed robbery. A Senator from Wisconsin said this in regard to legalized gambling: "The idea that legalized gambling will be a revenue raiser is an illusion. Every dollar raised from such sources means $5 dollars spent in higher police costs and relief costs." A former police officer said: "For every dollar received in gambling taxes, government spends $10 dollars fighting problems directly related to legalized gambling -- prostitution, embezzlement, bad checks, and police corruption." It is a known fact that racketeers and mobsters swarm to gambling communities and bring with them other sordid businesses.
The bottom line about gambling is that it totally disregards the warning and teaching of 1 Timothy 6:10, "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
The entire passage of 1 Timothy 6:6-10 warns
us about the dangers of covetousness. Verse 6 teaches that wealth does not
bring contentment. The word "contentment" means: an inner sufficiency
that keeps us at peace in spite of outward circumstances. Paul used the
same word in Phil.4:11, "for I have learned, in whatsoever state
I am, therewith to be content." True contentment comes from godliness
in the heart, not wealth in the hand. A person who depends on material things
for peace and assurance will never be satisfied, for material things have
a way of losing their appeal.
Verse 7 teaches that wealth is not lasting.
Verse 8 teaches that our basic needs are easily
met. Food, clothing, and shelter are basic needs. Somebody once said that
"a man is wealthy in proportion to the number of things he can afford
to do without." We are so glutted with luxuries that we have forgotten
how to enjoy our necessities.
Verse 9-10 reveals that the desire for wealth leads to sin, sorrow, and
shame. The phrase "will be" (v.9) means to want to above all else.
To be in such a position puts you in danger of experiencing temptations,
snares, foolish and hurtful lusts. This describes a person who has to have
more and more material things in order to be happy and feel successful.
But riches are a trap; they lead to bondage, not freedom. Instead of giving
satisfaction, riches create additional lusts and desires that must be satisfied.
Instead of providing help and health, an excess of material things hurts
and wounds. The result Paul describes is a picture of a man drowning.
A world of pain and misery could be avoided if people would steer clear of the gambling trap. Whether it is playing bingo, betting on a ball game, or buying a lottery ticket, we should refuse to participate. It's not the amount of money involved that is the problem; it is the principle of the matter.
"He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity." (Ecclesiastes 5:10) You can be sure that following the Lord and His Holy Word is no gamble. No one is a loser who does that.
In summary, gambling encourages greed; it encourages materialism and discontent; it encourages "get rich quick" kind of thinking; it encourages reckless and wasteful investment of God-given resources; it discourages honest labor; and it discourages faith and trust in an all- sufficient, all-knowing, loving God.
"Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven." (Proverbs 23:4-5) Here we are warned not to be guided by human wisdom which places priority on being successful in this world and making a lot of money. Pursuing wealth is like chasing the wind: a man can never get enough of it and it is hard to keep. Getting rich is the goal of many people. However this is a misleading and deceptive goal because it focuses our attention on the wrong world. We better pay attention to the Bible when it says, "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (Col.3:2).
I believe that God's people can be guilty of falling into the trap of covetousness, coveting after someone else's belongings or possessions. We can be just as easily enslaved by desiring for that which we don't have or being discontent with what we do have.
"A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent." (Proverbs 28:20) That word "innocent" means guiltless or unpunished. What we must do is to remain faithful unto God and trust Him, not the lottery, to supply and meet our every need, whether it be physical, material, or spiritual.
The question we need to answer for ourselves is: does God own us or does material gain own us? If the latter is true, you can be sure there are some serious spiritual deficits in your life.
"Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them" (Acts 13:1,2).
The significance of the Holy Spirit's function in the local church, the body of Christ, is too often disregarded to say the least. However, nothing is more clearly established in the Bible than the work of the Holy Spirit in the matter of salvation of the soul, service to the Savior, and the sending out of the servants.
The scripture above is only one of many that reveal the work of the One generally referred to as the third Person of the trinity. From the time that Mary was found with "child of the Holy Ghost" (Matt. 1:1-18) throughout the ministry of our Lord Jesus the blessed Holy Spirit stands prominently in the position of directing. Only the inability to explain or receive properly the entire scope of the Holy Spirit's personal ministry can cloud the image of His glorious work.
At the Lord's baptism this Person was seen "like a dove descending" as the voice of God identified His Son and the pleasure He had in Jesus (Mark 1:10,11). The Spirit led the Lord Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted forty days and nights. It was in the power of the Holy Spirit again that Jesus returned to Galilee to begin His public ministry (Luke 4:1-14). The Holy Spirit was as totally involved in the ministry of the Lord Jesus as was God the Father.
The Lord organized His church during His earthly ministry and instructed it of the solemn responsibility resting upon it. Jesus is the Rock on which the church was built (Matt. 16:18) and their charge to evangelize the world cannot be missed (Matt. 28:18-20). Jesus explained to this group of baptized believers that He must ascend back to the Father that another Comforter might come: "It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you" (John 16:7). After His resurrection Jesus explained the same truth to Mary Magdalene, the woman out of whom He had cast seven demons (John 20:17; Mark 16:9). The Savior as always kept His promise to this little group of followers, His church. Forty days after His resurrection He did indeed ascend back to His heavenly Father in the sight of those who had been told of such an event (Acts 1:1-11). Accompanying the promise of the Lord that He would return again to receive His own was the word of two men in white apparel as he Ascended into the cloud (John 14:1-3; Acts 1:1-11).
The power of the Holy Spirit upon their witness throughout the world was as sure to come as the promise made (Acts 1:8). Their part was to wait until they were endued with such power before they began this ministry that would be impossible apart from the Holy Spirit's direction and presence. Some ten days after the Lord's ascension He fulfilled the promise of sending the Holy Spirit upon His established church (Acts 2:1-4). The Lord's church was established and commissioned for the work of reaching the world for Christ during His ministry on earth. After He had ascended back to His Father, Jesus empowered His church to do its commissioned work of missions to the world in the power of the Holy Spirit.
No instruction from the Lord concerning the work of God can be by-passed with any hope of spiritual success. God has given proper and perfect directions to follow from salvation to sanctity to service. Certainly the Lord of glory is not honored when His divine directions are ignored. Jesus is the sole possessor of His church. The terms used to identify the very group which He assembled together cannot possibly leave any doubt about ownership. Jesus refers to this called out group as "my church" in Matthew 16:18. The Lord attends to the work of adding to His church (Acts 2:47). The promised Comforter, the Holy Spirit, directed in filling the vacated apostolic position from which Judas fell (Acts 1:15-26). Jesus continues to nourish and cherish His church because it belongs to Him (Eph. 5:9). The great mystery of His relationship with His church can only be partially understood by earthly illustrations (Eph. 5:32). Paul refers to the church as our Lord's body in Ephesians 1:21,22.
The diminishing earthly ministry of John the Baptist brought questions to the mind of some of his own disciples. They questioned John concerning the activity of the Lord and His disciples as they made and baptized disciples. John informed them of the great truth of the Lord's relationship with His church: (John 3:29,30) "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease." What a friend was John the Baptist to the Lord Jesus to confess his own less important position and work and proclaim the progressive work of the Lord and His church. John was completely aware of and content with being "...the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias" (John 1:23). What a blessing if every office holder in all religious organizations would adorn themselves in the same garment of humility in service. The Lord taught by illustration and by parable His divine relationship with His church. John, the beloved disciple, continued to learn from the angel regarding this personal relationship (Rev. 21:9). Only total disregard to divine record can deny the personal affection and admiration of the Lord for His church. It is then no great wonder that He prayed the Father that He would send the Holy Spirit to empower and guide His bride. It already has been brought to attention that the Holy Spirit did come and gave the church power for her assigned work (Acts 2:1-4).
A most definite work of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ is as the director of missions. Again the willingness and work of the Holy Spirit in this area is not without record. During the persecution brought upon the church at Jerusalem by Saul of Tarsus the body of Christ scattered (Acts 8:1-4). Every where they went they carried the witnessing message of the blood of Christ shed for the sins of humanity. (Acts 8:4) "Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word." The preaching of the word was then and remains today "the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believeth" (Rom. 1:16). The drawing power of the church is not games and gimmicks but the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The promise of the Lord was to never leave His church without a Comforter (John 14:16,17). He made it clear in verse seventeen that this Comforter would be "the Spirit of truth." Those who traveled as far as Antioch were as aware of this promise as those who first heard it. There is no doubt they were firmly established with the doctrine of this promise. Some of them may well have been there when the church was empowered by the Holy Spirit. Many of them may have been among the three thousand souls who were added to the church on that very day (Acts 2:41). To say the least the work of the Holy Spirit with its heavenly design is gloriously seen in the early church.
The Holy Spirit's work as the director of missions is recorded in Acts chapter thirteen. The verses to be considered at this point are printed at the beginning of this article. Acts chapter eleven verse twenty-six records the action of Barnabas bringing Saul, now a converted, baptized Christian, to Antioch to join other prophets and teachers in that church (Acts 13:1). God, who declares "the end from the beginning" (Isa. 46:10), is certainly cognizant of all that is happening. The divine plan of the Godhead revealed bodily in Christ (Col. 2:9) is performing His perfect work. During an assembled time of fasting and prayer the Lord's church at Antioch was visited with a message from the promised Comforter. (Acts 13:2) "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." There can be no doubt who is in charge here. It was the work of the Lord in His church directed by the Holy Spirit who was in charge. Not only is the Holy Spirit directing in this mission of the church He is the Person of the trinity that called Barnabas and Saul as missionaries. The Holy Spirit had directed the church at Antioch to separate, set off by boundaries for a particular work, the men He had called for this specific work. The responsibility is clearly defined by the Holy Spirit. The work was theirs alone (the local church and her Holy Spirit called missionaries) to perform when and where He so directed. The church took that responsibility "...when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away" (Acts 13:3). The Holy Spirit is not through with the work of directing in the mission of the Lord in this church nor with these men. Not only is He in the business of calling missionaries and directing the church of His desire concerning them He also makes the decision of their place of service. (Acts 13:4) "So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus." It was also back to Antioch, the local church that sent them out, that Paul and Barnabas traveled to tell of the work they were sent to do (Acts 14:26-28).
What a sad ending to this chapter if indeed the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the local church stopped here. What a restraint upon the faith of the Lord's followers should other means need to be sought out to carry out the mission of the church. The One sent by the Father, to teach and remind the Lord's disciples of all things, certainly will not neglect His responsibility.
For any person to say or even think that the program set up by our Lord to reach the lost, make disciples, baptize them, and teach all things commanded, is outdated is certainly lacking in spiritual wisdom. The Holy Spirit's action through the local church at Antioch is not only an example it is the plan of our Lord for His church today. Not only has the Lord Jesus never changed (Heb. 13:8), His method of reaching the lost forever remains the same. (1 Cor. 1:21) "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." There would be no reason to assume that He has change in the method whereby other local churches are established. Just as surely as sheep produce other sheep it is the local body of baptized believers that alone have the authority to produce other bodies of the same kind. The local church stands apart from any and all other organizations with the authority to make the decision of missions (where, when, why, how) as they are led by their God sent director of missions, the Holy Spirit.
Many other organizations seek to imitate this method but only fall short because of lacking authority and direction from the Holy Spirit. The authority to preach the message of Christ, baptize believers, teach them doctrinal truth, and send out missionaries is given to the local church alone. To discard this traditional method of producing other churches is disregarding a direct command from the Bridegroom. Who could be more concerned about the reproduction method of the bride of Christ than Christ the Bridegroom?
For the church to feel she is losing ground by the old traditional, biblical methods of mission work is absurd to say the least. To seek to devise a better method is to belittle the divine design of the Lord for His church. Should the local church today employ the same method of spiritual preparation as the early church she, too, would see more clearly the direction to take. It is not difficult to defend the doctrine of separation from the world and all its allurements. Unless, of course, the argument is made that times have changed and the old methods will no longer work. The same holds true in the method of missions. The unchanging Godhead is not seeking help from depraved man to promote His work by a different method but to preach His word in a designed manner. A manner that was designed by the Lord and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
"Great fear" came upon the church at Jerusalem when the lives of Ananias and Sapphira were taken because of lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-11). It also effected the country about wherever this was heard. A fresh case of yielding to the Holy Spirit's leadership in the local congregation will do amazing things. But to turn from or even depreciate the biblical method of the Holy Spirit's office in the local church is to tread on dangerous ground. God indeed is loving and merciful, but He never has nor will He ever change from His divine design in making disciples, baptizing those who repent and believe, and teaching them all things commanded. It is the responsibility of the local church. "Go ye into all the world" is a direct command to the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit was sent to empower the church for this mission and to be the director of the mission commanded by our Bridegroom.
May the One who established His church grant courage to every member of the body of Christ to yield to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in all things. The local church today does not need another design, it needs the available direction of the Holy Spirit. The local church today need not forsake traditional church planting, it needs to give the Holy Spirit His rightful place as director of missions through the local church. The church alone has the authority, which cannot be delegated to another, to carry out the commissioned work given to the bride by her Bridegroom.