The Ohio Independent Baptist, October 1971

(Concluded from page 13) cJor. e them , place o ur approval upon thcn1, link our names to them, relate to them a those who are the Lord' own . But if they are not - tf1en leave tl1e1,1 alone! Note w ith care what this Scripture ay : "Approve things 1J1at are e.xc ellent". We may approve only eJ:cellent tl1ings - we dare not e n– tl o rse ,vh a t is ques tionable, or wrong - for if we do, we become di sobedi– ent to God's c lear in truction , a nd show ourselves to be inferior, ungra te– t ul, unspiritual, a nd out of the path of God's will. Hence, the right kind of knowledge and the ability to exer– ci se godly di cernment are e sentia l ' to our placing approval upon the proper things. (2 ) Tl1ey are 11ecessary f or oi,r exercise of sincerity. "That ye n1ay be incere" - in t11 is case, the word "si ncere' ' is the key. It is the G reek eilikrineis, "of unmixed substance, pure, unalloyed' ' . Sincerity is the heart of C hri s ti an cha racter. Two possibilities appear as to the derivation of this word. It may come from a verb which means "shake to and fro in a s ieve' ' - he nce, pro– duc ing a purity which is the result of a s ifting process of testing (cf. Luke 22: 51). On the other hand it may come trom a combination of the words " sunlight" and ' 'judge". One holds up an object in the clear light of the sun to see if there is some flaw in the piece, which the penetra t– ing rays of light wi ll reveal. At any rate, the same thought of genuineness is the point in both . We mus t be able to stand up and walk before men , as t hose who a re the genuine articl e through and through, unalloyed with \.VOrldfy ingredients, unmixed with e lements that are not spiritual and god ly. We are to be whole, complete, mature Chris tians, genuine and pure through and through , so that we are able to lay down our li ves on the line as wholesome support for w hat we say with our lips. It is requis ite that when men look at us and ex– amine us, we s tand forth as genuine, the kind of C hri s tians we profess to be, with no element of sham or pre– tense, but the real thing through and through. And in order to be so - we need the right kind of knowledge, a nd the capability of discerning right f rom wrong, true from false, good from bad. Our love in the true faith mus t always be flowing abundant ly in the channe ls of ful l, accurate k11owledge a nd moral, spiritual dis– cernment. Serving In Brunswick Robert Earl Til burt II bega n his n1inistry at Peoples Bapti st C hurch of Brunswick , Ohio, on September 1, a assi tant to Pas tor Len G oodwin. For the pas t two years he was Ass ist– ant in Youth and Vis itation at Berea Baptist Church, Berea, Ohio. Mr. Tilburt received hi s Bachelor of Religious Education degree at Grand Rapids , Michigan , in 1967. He and his wife, Thelma, and their two boys, Mark and Bryan , wi ll continue to res ide in Berea. ' 'With the Lord'' Mrs. Mi ldred J. Howell, wife of Rev . Raymond D . Howell , former pas tor of the Struthers Baptis t Taber– nacle, wf! nt to be with her Lord on Augu t 5. She had suffered from a cardiac illness . Mrs . Howell will be long remem– bered for her warm and generous hos– pitality and her devotion to mission– aries. She faithfu ll y erved with her husband in helping es tabli sh the Struthers work. C lergymen officia ting at the funeral service were Rev . C harles Kiloski , present pastor of the Tabernacle, Rev. Raymond Freder– icks and Rev. Owen D. Fitch. GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH, TROY, OHIO FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH, GREENVILLE, OHIO Wells Construction Company Church Specialists 17219 Euclid, Allen Park, Michigan 48101 Complete Church Building Program Services Including Call or Write MASTER PLANNING PRELIMINARY LAYOUTS PLANS & SPEOIFICA TIONS ENGINEERING TOPOGRAPHI WORK PARKING LOT DFSIGN CHURCH SIGNS CONSTRUCfION - (Ask About Work Equity Plan) THE OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIST Mr. Lawrence F. Wilson Professional Engineer 3504 Worden Road Oregon, Ohio 43616 Telephone: 419-691 -5886 or, Our Main Office OCTOBER, 1971 19