The first command of our Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples was, "As ye go, preach." (Matthew 10:7) The last command He gave them was "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15) Jesus "came forth" that He might "preach the Gospel." (Mark 1:38) It was preaching that condemned Him. No sooner had He commanded His disciples but He departed to teach and to preach," and when the persecutor had imprisoned John the Baptist, Jesus came into Galilee "preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God." (Mark 1:14)

The same was true of the Apostles. "Daily in the Temple and in every house they ceased not to preach and to teach Jesus Christ." (Acts 5:42) In fact, the Apostles were themselves so consumed with preaching they appointed deacons that they might give themselves continually to "prayer and to the ministry of the Word." (Acts 6:4) When the Apostle Paul received the Macedonian call "Come over and help us", he did not understand it to mean God wanted him to carry food and clothing, but the Gospel to the Asians.

It is on account of the Gospel message that Christians are called "the salt of the earth." Salt is something more likely to bring water to the eye than laughter to the lips. By its very nature, it is more apt to be spit out than swallowed. Accordingly, Jesus prepared His disciples by telling them "In the world ye shall have tribulation," and so He prayed for them, "I have given them Thy Word; and the world hath hated them because they are not of the world." (John 16:33; 17:14) The Apostles "confirmed the souls" of the early Christians by exhorting them that "we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God." (Acts 14:22) "Blessed are ye," Jesus said, "when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in Heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." (Matthew 5:11,12)

How deep has apostasy spread in the church when she has turned from preaching to entertain them who do not like the Gospel! How cruel, how unfeeling to amuse the careless, and to provide recreation for the perishing! In John chapter 6, when many were offended at His preaching, our Lord did not turn aside to entertain them. He pitied sinners. He pleaded with them, He sighed and wept over them, but He never amused them.

The prophets and apostles were not imprisoned because they amused the people but because they refused to amuse them, and they cease to be the servants of Christ who seek to please men. (Galatians 1:10) A faithful man (who can find?) cannot be a "good ole boy."

Jesus said, "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38) The Apostle Paul confessed, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth." (Romans 1:1b) Is it not because of apostasy that the church has shamelessly ceased to teach and to preach Jesus Christ in order to "join affinity" with the world?

When Peter came to the house of Cornelius, the centurion said, "Now therefore are we all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God." (Acts 10:33) The professing church of today far from assembling together to hear all that is commanded them of God does not even congregate for this purpose. They attend church for fellowship. Fellowship takes priority over preaching. Some attend a church because "family", or because it is stylish and good for business, but without the slightest regard as to whether the Word of

God is faithfully discharged. The truth of God is to them of little importance.

What little interest in the Word of God is to be found among the new breed of "saints!" Their "Bible studies" hardly handle the Scriptures, but are studies in books about the Bible. With such pabulum modern saints are fed, and in their leaderless "cells" everyone pools his ignorance. Who would suspect that when the Lord said, "Behold, the days come, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the Word of the Lord: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they

shall run to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord, and shall not find it" --who would suspect that such would be said of the churches of America?

The modern church member more highly esteems his lodge membership. He subordinates public worship to the YMCA, the PTA, and the beach. He has grown up having had members of the National Football League, presidents of the United States, country and western music stars emulated be fore him. He has read of the "born-again" experience of Larry Flynt, Graham "Galloping Gourmet" Kerr, and how Marabel Morgan was "tickled to death" by the Holy Spirit when she was at her hair- dresser.

He is simply the product of a church that has discarded the admonitions of the apostles. Paul admonished the Romans, "be not conformed to this world" (12:2), and wrote to the Corinthians, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be separate, saith the Lord." (II Corinthians 6:17) He told the Ephesians, "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." (5:11) He wrote to the Philippians that they might be "blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation" among whom they shone as "lights in the world, holding forth the Word of life." (2:15,16) He cautioned the Thessalonians, "Abstain from all appearance of evil (I Thessalonians 5:22), and to Timothy he wrote, "In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the Master’s use, and prepared unto every good work." (II Timothy 2:20,21) To the Hebrews, the Apostle admonished, "Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach" (13:13), and James scolded, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." (4:4)

Peter wrote that Christians should be "obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance but as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy." (I Peter 1:14-16) And the Apostle John warned, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in Him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world." (I John 2:15,16) But the contemporary church Barbara Mandrell can sing the hymn dedicating the Oral Roberts University hospital, and then can participate on "Solid Gold", which is probably the most pornographic television program on general stations.

Since unconverted people being "dead in trespasses and sins" have no real interest in the Gospel of Christ, most will not attend church unless it is for a feast, a fight or a funeral. Therefore the "hip" church, the one "where it’s at", has added a new facet to the ministry of the Word: the ministry of providing recreation, entertainment and amusement for them who do not like the cross of Christ. A crowd will come to hear a quartet, but who cares to hear a sermon? –(Only they to whom the Word of God is precious) Seminars on prophecy will attract some who have no stomach for doctrinal or practical preaching.

In the 18th century, George Whitefield preached to tens of thousands in the open air, but let fifty people assemble in the modern church and suddenly it is necessary to bring in microphones and amplifiers. Drum beaters and microphone squealers are not listed among the gifts Christ gave to His church.

The Apostle Paul declared, "I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified." (I Corinthians 2:2) When Philip "preached Christ" to the Samaritans revival broke out, and when the apostles in Jerusalem came to witness the events, they "preached the Word of the Lord...and preached the Gospel in many villages of the Samaritans." (Acts 8:25) They did not have a "delightful evening" with them who did not believe.

"Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: and Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen from the dead: and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ." (Acts 17:1-5) Paul continued in Corinth a year and six months teaching the Word of God, and when he finally arrived in Rome, he expounded and testified the Kingdom of God persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the Law of Moses and out of the prophets, from morning till evening." (Acts 28:25)

When the early church experienced the "early rain" of persecution, the "seed" of the church swelled, sprouted and has grown into a tree the branches of which are found around the globe. The manner in which this came about was that they who were scattered abroad went everywhere "preaching the Word." (Acts 8:4)

It is about time for the "latter rain" of persecution to "set the fruit." And, probably not until then will the church forget its sports program and carry the Gospel into neighborhoods and government projects, and conduct open air meetings, and plead with sinners-black and white, and every other color, to repent or perish. Perhaps the greatest hour of the modern church will be when our churches are padlocked and we are forced into the streets, the lanes and the by-ways with the blessed Word of God!

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THE CINNAMON TREE

When people believe their body is more important than their soul, they are like the cinnamon tree. They may jog, swim and lift weights to tone their muscles, and take meticulous care of their complexion. They may cut out "junk" food, watch their caloric intake and ingest only natural vitamins. But they are like the cinnamon tree, nonetheless.

When people are concerned about their physical appearance and take more care to wash their hands than their heart, when they labor after knowledge but do not desire the knowledge of God, they are like the cinnamon tree.

When people are more interested their children be handsome, popular and successful rather than that they be pleasing to God; when they are more concerned their children be given the things they never had rather than they should have a praying father and a God-fearing mother; when they are more concerned their children learn how to make a living than how to live, and that they be happy in life even if they are miserable in death --they are like the cinnamon tree.

APPRECIATION MONTH

"(The Angelus) is the best church paper I have seen." -Bernie Martin

"(The Angelus) is the best newsletter of that nature that have seen from any church.... It really is a pastoral letter rather than a newsletter and I like it." -Luder Whitlock, Jr. (President, Reformed Theological Seminary)

Dear Friends: Our printer has notified us he needs $32 an hour to survive, and has told us he must greatly increase our printing cost. If you have been receiving "The Angelus" for a year or more, will you show your appreciation by sending us one dollar ($1.00)?

It is desperately needed to help defray both printing and postage costs. Send it to "The Angelus", 1731 Fenwick Street, Augusta, Georgia 30904. Thank you.

"MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED

FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE,"

Text: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." -Hoseah 4:6

The world should say of this nation, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people; for what nation is there so great who hath God so nigh unto them ...and what nation is there so great that hath statutes and judgments so righteous." (Deuteronomy 4:6-8)

Great preachers have trekked this country. This land nestled between two great oceans has sent the Word of God into virtually every clime. Certainly all our people should "know the Lord from "the least to the greatest." This nation should be "filled with the knowledge of the Lord," for the Word of God has been preached in our streets, and has been brought to the doors of our dwelling.

How is it then that Americans are so rude, calloused and ignorant

of God and His Word? How is it the people in our city, on our street perhaps in our very household remain unconvinced of their need of Christ? How is it they remain unconvicted and unconverted? Why is it God has not given them "an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear unto this day?" (Deuteronomy 29:4) The reason lies with the preachers of America and with the people themselves.

The knowledge of God is everything, for "the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." (II Thessalonians 1:7,8) People perish for lack of knowledge, and the pulpits of America no longer resound with "doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness." Few preachers there are who give attendance to "reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." Most have rejected knowledge. Knowledge is vile in their eyes and disdained in their hearts. Because they consider it not worth the trouble, they have shaken off the burden of teaching the people.

Such are "dumb" shepherds who have forgotten the good of the people. "Who is blind but My servant? or deaf, as My messenger that I sent? ...Who is blind as the Lord’s servant?" (Isaiah 42:19) These blind leaders of the blind are willfully blind. Therefore God says, "I will also reject thee so that the priesthood thou shalt not discharge for Me." (Hosea 4:6)

People themselves are responsible for their ignorance of God because they have "refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear." (Zechariah 7:11) Americans have deliberately turned their backs upon the Law of God. The knowledge they once apprehended they have deliberately forgotten. Americans are ignorant of God, and ignorance will be the architect of their destruction. But, their ignorance is a self-imposed ignorance: they are willfully ignorant, they have blinded themselves. They have said to God, "Depart from us, for we do not desire the knowledge of Thy ways." Not wanting to be annoyed by the Truth of God they have deliberately suppressed it.

"Seeing thou hast forgotten the Law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." Americans have by and large forgotten what they once knew of the Law of God. How many in their youth have been taught the fear of the Lord who in their adulthood have forgotten their lessons? How many parents refusing to live in the fear and admonition of the Lord also deny their children the knowledge of His ways? At this very hour there is growing up a generation that knows not the Lord. If unchecked, the same indictment God brought against Israel will be brought against this once great land: "There is no truth, no mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and everyone that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of the Heaven; yea, the fishes of sea also shall be taken away."

HEALING BALM for TROUBLED HOMES--

WHOLESOME COUNSEL for all

Contemplating marriage --

"THE MARRIAGE RING"

by

John Angell James

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