The Ohio Independent Baptist, January 1967

JANUARY, 1967 A MEDITATION By Dr. Otis Holmes The rendition of Jeremiah 5: 30 according to the King Jame Ver ion ound almo t nice even though con– tradictory... "A wonderful and hor– rible thing i co1nmitted in the land.' , In our way of thinking, how can any– thing be "wonderful' and horrible, ttl the ame time. The text in the He– brew actually ay ' 'A thing of terror t wonder) and horror is committed 10 the land." Jeremiah experienced it in his day. \1\1 e are eeing the ame pitiful plight in our . There i no ign of 'revival in our time.'' There is every ign of t!cumenical build-up which produce degeneration. There is in this day the identical jargon of 'FAL E PRO– PHET FOOL! H PRIE TS, FI - KLE PEOPLE" and the Funny (phoney) Prince fall for it. "The people (even God's people) love to have it so." The few faithful prophets of our day, like voices in the wilderness, cry, 'Thus saith the Lord.' ' They re– fuse to compromi e the fundamenta]s of the faith. They, like Jeremiah, pro– nounce the judgment of God upon the shameful sins. They stand out like ore thumbs. They are coffed, mock- Concerni ng Subscriptions Jt was at the beginning of la t year 1hat Joh11 I' ody, Chicago's Ron,an r athoJic Archbishop, announced that 7 l1e elv U' orld, a weekly newspaper, V\'Ou ld be cnt to c ery home 1n the j1oce e begi1111ing Ja11t1ary 1 t . Every ar11ily i11 C\ 1 cry J{ oman atholic par– sh " 'ould be receiving 1 1 l1e Ne~v Ji' 01 l<I a11d each pari~h would be t>11Jed £or 111~ total number of na111es nt jn at th rate of 5 a y ar per )Ub> c1 ip1jon. I lie 111ailing Ii t of 'J,l,e \ ,v Ji' 01 !ti l1ad I,ee11 22t),000 l>Lat b)' a 111g tl1i ctio11 it " 'a expect d to doubled! 1 n a a to, al J tter, Ar l1bi ho1> d) cit d \ I t ican tincil JI ' 111a - 11 n1u11c ti n d er th· t 'tl1e aitf1.. ul t1 uld · e d ,; d tl1 n ity > r ding an circulating tl1 tJ1.. JJic p1 , 11 ti } re to Jl al l1ri - The Ohio Independent Baptist VOL. 39, NO. 3 ed, and ridiculed. They are put off the air, pL1t out of the churche , and even put in jail. The ecumenical 'prophet " pro- phesy falsely; the piou , mushy– mouthed " prie ts' rule religiously; and the fick le and finicky people clap their hand and warble their hallelu– jah in glee. They "Jove to have it ~ o." They ay it provides them with freedon1 because it cast off all re- traint . Strange Talk Indeed! I poke before a denominational gathering some year ago. I used in 111 y devotional the texts : John 3: 30, ' 'He mu t increase, but I must de– crease." and Col: 1: 19, " . . . that in all thing he ( Chri t) might have the preeminence." I tried as best I knew how to emphasize the need of exalt– ing Chri t Je us above anything - hurch , unday chool, our own life, etc. One of the ' denominational ervants" arose to peak afterward. He made hi spiel for the state de– nominational paper and concluded by ay ing ' There is something going on right under our no e that ay , 'Give u Chri t, above the unday School , above the Church, above the program. I a k you, where would I have heard of Chri t if it had not been for the t ian evaluation of all that happen ." o group of Bapti t folk wo11ld \ubmit to a forcible program of st1b– scribi ng to a paper . . . not even to J'/1 e 0/1io /11 depe11{le11t Bapti t! Y t , one can ee the benefit of such a pl,tn ! ( on1munication 1s a very im– portant part o f ,t11y Sltcce ' <;,f t1l pro– gra 111 . Inforn1cd people 111akc better work~r \\ ho willingly st1pport a 1Jro– gra 111 . J t wot1lu greatly cnha11ce ot11 fcllow!-il1iJJ a11d stre11gtl1cn ot1r po "' i– tion jf c, 1 ery fa111ily i11 Lhc O RB were rcceivj11g the 0.1.B. \,Vict1 our 01.- I I{)" 111 >t l1 )<.I )J libs rilJi11g, 'f ' l1e (Jl1i, /11 fle1,e11 fle11I ll,11,1i,\' t goes to aJ)JJl' J. i111atel)' 2...00 atl Ire e . It lias 11 :i.c: 11 u 1i111atc<.t t11at tl1 re ar --0111 8()(J{) I a111ilic: i11 ttr ) 1 RIi . 'l J1i11k 11 \\ it ,v tild 11 lJ> if '-=acl1 cl1 tir 11 i 11 • • 1a t 1 11 ,, t 1 Id t I l, r i l > or n f t }1 ir 1 a 111 i Ii c: • \\ 1 ~ t i 11 J1 a, t }1 SJ) i,tJ Church, unday chooJ , the pro- gram?' ' A he at down there were ~'An1en " throughout the denon,inational gath– ering. Another of the "denomination– a l ervant ., aid loudly, "Let me pay you for that peech." After the meet– ing I cornered the fal e prophet" and ~ aid, "Sir it een1s to me that you have the cart before the hor e. Where wou)d you have ever heard of Church and unday School if it liacl not been for hri t? He i the One who e tabli hed the churche .' "My people love to have it o." o woncler that God declare in an1azement " A thing of terror and horror i committed in the land., , od wil l not continue to allow a nation, an organization, ,l church, or an individual to pro per pirituall y if he put Je u Chri t econdary to anything. God also a ked, ·... and what will ye do in the end thereof?' The end for I rael and Judah wa judgment - de truction of home and city. de ecration of temple, captivity in the hand of the enemy. The end for thi nation and world - it fal e prophet , f ooli h prie t , and fickle people i al o nothing hort of judg- n1e nt from God . . . u11lc there i a whole ale turning back to d in true rcpentan e! rat of l .50 per )'ear for each fa111tly \.\ hcr1 the church tib · ribes for e\·er\ 1an1ily 1n their chttrch. Get the 0.1 B. into the hand\ c)l ,ou1 pe<.)plt:! t1b \Crtbe tod,l) ! New OARBC (1967) Directory ttacl1c<.J to the <;e11tc1 ol th1 1 11e l)l '"I J1c Ohio Jr1,icp~11Jcnt Baptt t 1, )Our Rl.3( ' li Rl 1-'.l Dll~l l ·1~ R 'r' fl)r 19 7. \\ 1 t; ll ,tll it J)ri11tcll llJ) i11 th i ft)r111 s l tl1at , ,ti ~ )tll l .. CJ>arat ~ it J l'l)lll t11 111 ·1g·1z i11 IJft)J r anti kc: cJ> it ,, itl1 ) f~ ti i11 tl1:. gl , ~c,1111>art111 :.111 \)f ) tar ar. 1 " tra t> 1> i c a l t l 11 g a s t 11 ) 1 a t ·111 b J1 a I I dir tir1g 'llf r ll t t tl1 tit >1 1\ . I >11al l 1 I ffat, I • I > t , 11 i t, 11 i . 1 t git t t }1 IJ , r tl1 t f p1 i11ting ,, t1l I L, HJ)J r . JANUARY 1967 P GE