The Ohio Independent Baptist, August 1966

fl l ~ 11 l U l \' s, l \ 1 l \.'' I l' 1, t i S t 11 t' 1,,tt'111 .. ,,t t 'llll I i11 I t'tlll,lrlf .. anti– ~ , , " t' ",,1 ()"''1 ,( 11a I l , angc 1,.... 111 \\ l \. l ,, \ 'll,lt. 4( J'l'I ('Cllt t ) t tllt)SC i ,,n,11c tll' l1ur l1 \.',\('ll \C,lt' ,1rc l1t.'tng , t,> l1c.: ., r gra111 dll(i t11t lt1e11cc , l ll' 111 ('fl \\j(}1it1 lCtl \e1.ll\ • lL) , llt' t1cg t't tl1c 111 l1l1lcn1 l)l · 1)1ritt1,1l I rc.JJ - ,1 1 ,' \.' c, c, er, t:ht1rch al– tl1 )t1~t1 ~1crh,111 1n c,tir Bible ccntcrctl \.lt .. h .. , the 11e1ct:11Lagc 1 lo,,er. Hl''' e, c . ,, hen l 11r"l l1eard c1n(i l,1ter re ,\u th "· 1 \.i 1d 'l Ille ~oul earching t , , "' hl)\\ tl11 had atfe ted Ill) O\\'n 1111n1 tr, L)f n(' ' ' t)\er 30 )ear. Grate– ft•I I,, ·1 can tt1rn to nun1ber of ort:c1t111 one "<1' ed and going on to •11.1tt1r1t, and no,, er, ing the Lord l''n 111a~, field . \\'ell o, er a hundred n nt1n1h r are 1n ft1ll t1m er, ice. and 1n n1 t a e bearing preciou fruit ,, ith th 1r faithful er,ice to hri t. Bt1t there i al o a Jong li t of ju t a pre 1ou one . \\ ho tarted well at the ro bltt ha, e f alien b) the ""ay– ·ide. immature and unfruitful. What cau ed thi ? Ho,\ had I failed? Ho'Ai' had the church failed? I think it can be un1med up in one entence. The babe 1n hri t had failed to become ··rooted and bt1ilt up in him" (Colo - ian 2. 7). \\ e had failed to nurture then1 ,vith the proper food and at– tention. The ea on of early cultiva– tion had been pa ed over. I had not ) ten1aticall) given them full oppor– tuntt\ to trike their root down deep in the fertile oil of the \.Vord of God. "'\ e\\ con, ert · cla es are better tha1> nothing. but I have been convinced that the, are econd in order and ef- ~ tecti\~ene . Very f eVr ne~ convert feel at libert')' to peak before others of the temptations he encounter or of h1 limited knoVv ledge of the Word b} 1 a ktng que tions. With thi con- lu ion in my mind and through the chal]enging influence of two young U. . Airmen. \\ ho had per onall,· benefited in their Chr1 t1an Jive b 1· a } ten1atic ··follo\\'-up" effort, I a ked God to help U\ n1eet th1 ~i tua– tion victoriou I). Desiring Desiri11,;: to encourage those that re– ei e Chri t directly or indirectly through our mini tr). I turned to the \\'ord of God to find guidance. Colos– ian chapter t\a. o ]earl} pointed the AUGUST, 1966 PAGE 4 a11d built up in Him, and established in tl1e fait h as y e have been taught abounding therein with thanksgiving .'' By Rev . Robert D. McCarthy ,,a,. i1l'lt' ' 'l' reacl l)f 1 1 ,tul's <.ICCJ) l)llC~l 11 fl,r a "l'gtllClll l)I (,l)C.i \ -- ~ 111 l tf IL' ll ,,he) f,lccc.1 tl1c att1,1ctivc ,ll gtllllClll\ t)( C\ ii lllCll, \\ 1 lll)~C tlc~tgn ... ,,,1 .... lt' ~hi11,,1cck lhc1r 11,c" f crv- 1cc J>a111'" hc,11t \\clS 111ove(l with c 1.l I n c, t ,l n \.1 et\ a 11 <.I h c de':> i rc d t c11Cl)tt rage l he111 in l his new l1fe 111 t ' hri\l. Stich pc1 on,11 interest in new– l1 rn hri t1an', '" ill cost hours of pr,l) erft1l preparation if 1t i lo pro– tlt1ce a ·incerc in1pre ton upon their he,1rt . They mu t en e that thi in– tere t con1e f ron1 our hearts and i') directed toward them individually. Thi mean of cour e contact with them per onaJly after they confe Chri t a their O'h n per onal aviour. They \vill be ope11 to the ugge tion of per onal Bible tudy offered by the pa tor or another earne t Chri tian at thi tin1e. In every case o far one of the fir t expre ion made by the e nev\ Chri tians has been their amazement at the per onal interest . ho,vn in their Christian growth. eedle to a 1, it re ults in their placing the right importance upon Bible tud 1', and you are off to a plendid tart toward your objective of e tabli bing them in Chri t through the Word. Discerning Discer11111e11t in piritual 111atters i for tho e who have the mind of Chri t throt1gh the new birth. Paul tells us in I Coronthian 2: 10, that God has revealed the e things for us by Hi Spirit. Hi Word record the un earchable riches of Chri t and Rev. R. D. McCarthy Colossians 2: 17 t>fft:rs l1t:lievers t1ntler·s1antfi11g anll in– slrt1ctil>n for every e pcric11{;c l)f life. f-i\) llo,\. -llJJ Wl)rk wi l h l J1c new h ris– t i ans bri11g~ thc111 in lottch \Vith the '• i\ f I 11 ti Of hr i c;; l ' ' f Or CV Cry (I a y I i v– i n g. l l ~ill prc-arn1 thcn1 ,1s they face the atlvcr<;ary of their \OLt)c., ,ind a sttre victory for lhe111. Avoiding f,1ilure lhrot1gh becoming c labli hed in hrist, n1can ,l trongcr witness has been added to our local 1estimony al o. While none of us shou]d bypcts~ warning our people again5t inful habit in preaching and teaching, it is in the mall or individual Bible tud}' that we can do our be t work in pointing out uch hazard to the Chri tian te timony. Alone with ,t incere pa tor or Christian friend, the e new-born one are more apt to a k question about per anal sin5 or que tionable practices and accept help from Hi Word to overcome them. After all, the "sword of the pirit is in the Word of God' Ephe i– an 6: 17, and through study of the Word together we can help them to become kilful in per onal u e of thi God-given weapon . . . Paul remind the Colo sians that they had been taught how to become "rooted and bui )t up in him, and e tabli hed in the faith. ' The value of seeking to reach every new Christian with per onal Bible tt1dy i manifold. ot only do we reach the needy heart of the new convert but we immediately recruit and put to work many members of the church. Follow-up is a mini try in which the whole church may par– ticipate. Thi nece arily calls for new dedication on the part of many, for we all know that one mu t practice what they teach if they are to be effective. We ee thi wa true with the Apo tie Paul for he wrote in Philippians 4: 9 '·Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard. and see11 i,z 111e, do: and the God of peace hall be with you." ew Chri tian need to be hown "how"' to institute daily habit of prayer and Bible tudy by older hri tian , not ju t 'told ' to do it. A they ee the examples set before them. and have per onal touch with tho e ~ ho are Jeading them throt1gh (Continued on page 14) THE OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIST