CAN YOU SEE THE WOLF?
Granted some preachers  among us have been "shouting wolf" for the last 35 years.  Time and again brethren looked but cold not find the wolf.  After a while, many became inured to the warnings of the wolf-warners.  They finally  decided those who were constantly sounding the alarm did not merited their attention.  Such a response was just what Satan hoped for.  Now, with their eyes closed and ears plugged, he could do his work of infiltrating churches with no serious opposition.  Muffled and blindfolded, preachers and elders neither saw nor heard as the Adversary's minions did their work.  First they captured the administration and Bible departments of some of our schools.  Satan emboldened a few our successful young preachers to launch a program of change.  Intoxicated with the taste of their "new wine," they worked evangelistically to recruit others to join their campaign.

When more responsible watchmen saw these real wolves savaging churches in many places and sounded a warning, the majority of our preachers and elders still had their blindfolds and earplugs in place. They could not hear.  Many did not wish to hear or see.  Such knowledge is disconcerting. Warnings were brushed aside as scare-mongering, complaints from preachers jealous of others' success or nitpicking.

In August of 2003 a leading change agent issued a bold announcement that rang a bell even the deaf could hear and caused a flash of light that pierced  the thickest blinders.  Max Lucado, the most daring of the change agents and the darling of our  liberal brothers, preached a sermon announcing a new agenda for his Oak Hills Church of Christ in San Antonio.

• Their name would be changed to "Oak Hills Church."  His logic was, "Some people find the name ‘church of Christ' to be an insurmountable barrier...Let's seek to remove any barrier that would hinder a person from hearing the Gospel."  Immersion is also a barrier to many. Jesus as Lord is a barrier to Jews and Muslims!

• He proposed, "establishing Oak Hills Campuses in other sections of the city. These satellite churches will at least initially, be a part of the Oak Hills family...  Our multi-site churches could stay linked together by viewing a video of the sermon from the ‘mother church.'" In the world of Catholicism, this is called a diocesan form of church government.

• Instrumental music would be used in their Sunday evening services for young adults. Max said, "I will present the...message and we will target twenty and thirty year-olds. Recognizing the power of contemporary music, the new assemblies will be instrumental...A soft keyboard beneath an altar call, the sound of a cello during communion service...I am convinced instrumentation reaches hearts...We feel it is wise to use this tool." Note his absence of Scriptural authorization for this change. For change agents "feelings" trump Scripture when it gets in the way.

• In the San Antonio Express-News (9/6/03), Vic King, Oak Hills' minister of missions, said, "Oak Hills' core values are similar to those of other evangelical churches."  He continued, "Oak Hills also believes that salvation doesn't come through baptism, but that baptism is the initial step of obedience after salvation."

• Their core values were  said to be like  the "Evangelical" churches.  In "lay" terms, this  refers to Baptists, Reformed Churches, Assemblies of God and other "conservative" denominational bodies.

• Bro. Lucado also said, "Our Lord called us to be a force for unity among San Antonio Churches.  We, for the first time, ‘swapped pulpits' with Trinity Baptist Church."

Now I ask those who preach for and those who shepherd our churches: Can you see the wolf?  Yes, Bro. Lucado is gifted and an effective, successful writer. Yes, he has had far greater acceptance among those outside our brotherhood than any other writer.  Yes, he did attend Abilene Christian University. Yes he once was a missionary and a preacher of truth and righteousness.  Please, take off the blindfolds, remove the earplugs  and see the sad and ugly truth.   This brother and the church he serves have abandoned New Testament Christianity for the appealing fields of "Evangelical" Protestantism.  Like Hymenaeus and Alexander, they have made shipwreck of the faith (I Tim. 1:19-20).  Given his high visbility, his popularity and success Bro. Lucado will influence many young men to emulate his example.

As unfortunate as this case is, Bro. Lucado and Oak Hills  congregation are but one example of scores of others who have done likewise.  A tidal wave of error is sweeping across the face of our brotherhood.  It will eventually reach your congregation.  The time to prepare for this invasion  and protect your flock is now! Ours are not premature or unfounded warnings.  The wolves are already within the fold.  Many casualties have already been suffered.  For the sake of the Lord Jesus and his holy church, rise up and be the faithful watchmen and shepherds God expects you to be!

THE INTOXICATING NATURE OF ERROR
All of us have seen the unpleasant sight of a person under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  Their reason is clouded and responsibility is forgotten. Behavior that is crude and destructive often follows.  When a person embraces error it too has a way intoxicating their spiritual minds and impairing their spiritual judgment.  Under its influence:

• False pride takes over and they feel they are right and all others are wrong (I Tim. 3:6).  Especially do they tend to despise the faith and convictions of their fellow Christians who do not follow them in their error.

• They tend to think that they should be immune from criticism and examination.  No one should question the new views they have embraced or press them to justify them by Scripture.

• They feel compelled to promote their new belief and proselyte other Christians to it (Matt. 23:15).

• They feel their new found beliefs authorize them to drive out of the congregation those who do not accept their views. They prefer that they in silence tolerate it.

• They feel they are entitled to the church property built and paid for by those who do not share their views.

• They usually assume an air and demeanor of superiority toward those who do not follow them; treating them with condescension as either pathetic or obstructionists.

• They become zealous for error (Rom. 10:2).  Usually they are far more zealous for their error than they ever were for saving the lost and building up the church.

• They lose their sense of conscience, for they stoutly deny that they believe or practice things new or different, all the while knowing  they do (I John 2:4).

• They set about searching the past history of the church trying to find some thread or particle of information they can inflate to make it appear some great leader of the past thought as they do. It is amazing how much they can make of one ill-chosen word, or off the cuff comment.

• Once embraced, error tends to blind ones sense of spiritual discernment (Eph. 4:18).  Error leads to more egregious error and eventually to total apostasy.  They aspire to lead the church, but when the blind lead the blind, both fall into the ditch of error (Matt. 15:14).

• The above observations aptly describe those who are intoxicated with the new wine of  "change."

The exhortation of Paul is timely: "Understand what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunken with wine..." or error (Eph. 5:17-18).  Only the "sober-minded," whose hearts are filled with the truth of God are qualified to lead God's people (I Tim. 3:2).
 

• * Make copies of this paper and share them with your Christian friends, especially preachers and elders.

• Underwrite the cost of mailing CTN to the preachers and elders in a given city, county or state. It only costs us .50 per month to mail two copies addressed to the minister and elders of a congregation. For $25 per month we can mail all churches in Iowa; for $50 all the churches in N. Carolina. We especially need to be mailing all churches in Texas.

• Ask your elders to read this journal and to consider providing copies to all their flock and to help us expand our outreach.

• Pass along to others our web address: www.christianity-then-and-now.com where hundreds of articles on the change movement are posted.

• If you use the Internet, team with us in sending out a pertinent lesson each week to Christians on your e-mail list.

• Help us send the paper to  our missionaries abroad.

• Help us increase the size to 8 pages per issue.

• Pray that God will raise up helpers in this battle for the bride of Christ and that He will defeat those who would corrupt his blessed church.

GREAT BIBLE DOCTRINES (A Review)
Bro. Walter Swain has written an excellent book on some of the important doctrines set forth in God's Word.  It is broken into thirteen chapters making it suitable for a quarter of Bible classes. Although not specifically  written to combat the change movement which challenges and denies many of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, this book is well suited to do that.  Chapters on the Importance of Doctrine; the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit; God's Grace and Man's Part in Salvation; The Kingdom of God, the Church; Worship and Perverting the Doctrine strike the very heart of the teaching of the change agents.  Bro. Swain has preached the gospel for over 40 years and is rock solid in his faith.  You and your congregation will be blest by the study of this book.  Preachers will find thirteen good sermons in its pages.  You may order the book from Star Bible Pub. Co.,  P. O. Box 821220, Ft. Worth, TX 76182.

A MOST UNUSUAL CHURCH
The church Jesus built is  most unusual.  In fact, when compared to most modern churches it seems downright strange.

Christ's church has no earthly head.  Jesus was appointed by God to be head over all things to his church (Eph.1:22).  He has never surrendered that position to any man.

His church has no earthly governing body or headquarters.  Christ designed his church so that each congregation is independent and self-governing under his rule. Members of each congregation select their own leaders (Acts 6:3), who oversee only the flock among them (I Pet. 5:2). Thus no national or international governing body exists to control his people.

The Lord's  church has no creedal statement drafted by men.  He gave his church his New Testament which contains "all things pertaining to life and godliness (II Pet. 1:3).  He strictly warns against adding to or taking from his Testament (Rev. 22:18-19).  No man or committee is capable of improving on Christ's word.

Jesus' church has no separate clergy.  Jesus forbade his disciples calling their teachers "father" or any other exalted titles that separate them from his disciples.  All of you are brethren, he said (Matt. 23:8-9).  Even Christ and his apostles were not addressed as "reverends."

His church has no political agenda.  Christ declared, "my kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36).  Our mission is to win people's hearts to Christ (Matt. 28:18-20) and to do good in the name of Jesus (Gal. 6:10).  Social, political activism are not the church's business.

"What a strange church," folks may say.  "How can it
exist," they may wonder?  Invite them to   come and see.  Nothing is this world is more wonderful than seeing God's people serving him in his appointed way.

A VERY  UNUSUAL  CHURCH
There are churches on every hand; all kinds of churches: Catholic, Protestant and others, big churches, fancy churches, small and plain churches.  Let me tell you about a very unusual church that has:

• No rock bands or professional entertainers; just simple worship to God with hymns and spiritual songs sung by all (Eph. 5:19);

• No showmen or comedians; just plain, ordinary Christian teachers who preach God's Word to those assembled (II Tim. 4:1-2);

• No cathedrals, or temples; just plain, functional meeting houses in which to worship and serve the Lord;

• No magicians or "miracle" workers; just normal, intelligent Christians doing the will and work of Christ in the church and in the community. Helping the poor, ministering to the ill and doing good in the name of Christ;

• No denominational structure or government; just congregations meeting, conducting their own business, choosing their own leaders and serving God as they understand Scripture to direct;

• No human founder to honor or follow, no human doctrinal system to believe or obey; just disciples honoring Christ by believing in Him as God's Son and obeying His will as revealed in His New Testament;

• No sectarian or denominational names to be known by; just members who are called Christians (I Pet. 4:16) and congregations called "churches of Christ" (Rom. 16:16);

• No political agendas or involvement; just Christians working to promote a kingdom, "not of this world" (John 18:36), who pray for kings and all in high places (I Tim. 2:1-2) but do not try to manipulate or control government.

You may say, "What a strange and unusual church; I can't imagine such." To experience just such an unusual church, visit a Church of Christ and discover the beauty of simple and unadorned New Testament Christianity, such as you read of in your Bible.