WIXLIB

Page 3WH AT GOD H AT H JOI NE D T OGE T HE RThe American home is in deep trouble. The signsare too plentiful and clear to ignore. Divorces havereached stagge ring proportions with betwee n twoand three out of every five marria ges ending indivorce. Divorce laws have been made easier. Nolonger does society attach a stigma to divorce. Thevery institution of marriage itself is under attack.Coed dormitories are the order on ma ny collegeca mpuses a nd a rra nge me nts to "live togethe r"without honor of marriage are increasingly popular.The "pill" is in common use among many unmarriedyoung women who would have no reason for its useunless the y purpose to commit fornication.The distinct role of men and women in the homehas been blurred by the unisex movement in conjunction with the wome n's libe ration a gitation.High sc hools are te ac hing s hop to girls a nd homemaking to boys and while it might be good for girlsto know how to fix a few things, and for boys to knowa little about cooking, it is not too difficult to catchthe drift of this phe nome non. You see, ma ny of theeducators who pla n curricula for stude nts today donot believe that man should be expected to be thebreadwinner and woman the home-maker. The EqualOpportunity Act already passed by Congress is nowseeking ratification in 38 states to make it the law ofthe land. If so ratified (at last count 30 states hadalready approved it), young women will be assubject to military conscription in time of war asyoung me n. A husband may sue his wife for nonsupport and children in divorce proceedings may asoften as not be gra nted the husband. Eve n separaterest-room facilities in public places may come underattack by zealots of women's liberation under thislaw. On the drawing boards now are plans for governme nt supported daycare centers for the c hildre nof working mothers. Indeed, the foundations arecrumbling.What are Christians to do in the midst of suchcircumstances? We must do what the people of Godhave always done in time of trouble. We must "askfor the old pa ths " a nd "walk the rein." We mus treturn to the Bible as our guide and fashion our livesaccording to its prece pts.The Origin of the HomeWhe n que s tione d a bout the home a nd God'sdesign for it, Jesus referred his critics to thebeginning. "Have ye not read, that he which madethe m at the beginning made the m male and female,and said, For this cause shall a man leave father andmother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twainsha ll be one fles h? Where fore the y a re no moretwa in, but one fles h. Wha t the re fore God ha thjoined together, let not ma n put asunder" (Mt. 19:46). When the allowance for divorce under the la wwas cited, Jesus said "from the beginning it was notso" (Verse 8). God ordained marriage as in the bestinterest of mankind. He saw that it was not good forthe man to be alone and that he needed an help meet.Woman was therefore created to fill a unique role inall the unive rse whic h no othe r cre ature was a dapted to meet. Amid the floral beauty of Eden thefirst wedding ceremony took place as God "broughthe r unto the ma n." Ada m ma de a vow of ac ceptance, recognized her as now a part of his ownlife, and stated the rule to govern the family unit forall time ; that a ma n sha ll leave father a nd motherand cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh(Ge n. 2:18-24). From the be ginning the divinepurpose called for one man and one woman livingtogether until death. Whoever questions the validityof the family unit indicts the wisdom of God.The Purpose of MarriageC ompa nio ns hip wa s provide d by the firs tmarriage. Adam and Eve complemented each other.God said, "It is not good that the ma n s hould bealone; I will make him an help meet for him" (Gen.2:18). An "help meet" meant a companion suited tohis needs and implied that he would serve the samepurpose for her. Mutual understanding, sympathy,and common purpose a nd acc omplis hme nt we rebasic needs they both had. It is in connection withthese needs that the sex urge is to be satisfied inmarria ge. Separated from such considerations itbecomes nothing more tha n a nima l passion a ndgreed. This divine arrange ment made provision forthe propagation of the race for God said, "Be fruitfuland multiply" (Gen. 1:28). Into this lovely circle ofcompanionship, unity of heart and life with theunderlying purpose to "cleave" together, offspringwere to come. Children should be brought into theworld only within the confines of marria ge wheretheir a rrival is hailed as part of a divine sc he meraising motherhood to a place of fulfillment andbringing out the best in ma n to protect and providefor his own. Children born under different circumstances are indeed unfortunate. The family wasdesigned by God for the best interest of the man,woman and child and became the very foundation oforde rly socie ty a nd progress.Permanency of the HomeGod me a nt for the m to "cleave" toge the r, notsplit apart. Jesus said God "joined" the m toge therand that ma n was not to "put asunde r" that unitedby God. Divorce entered under the law, not becauseit was a part of God's original plan, but "because ofthe hardness" of huma n hearts and to provide

Page 4protection for the innocent victim of abuse. "Butfrom the beginning it was not so"; that is, God didnot intend for this to happen nor did he mean for thisunit to be put asunder. In Mt. 5:32 and 19:9, Jesusgave the only acceptable cause for putting away awife or husband and marrying another, and that wasfor fornication. "And I say unto you, Whosoevershall put away his wife, except it be for fornication,and shall marry another, committeth adultery: andwhoso marrieth her which is put away doth commitadultery" (Mt. 19:9). Divorce means sin has beencommitted. Divorce means failure. Divorce meansthe divine purpose for the home has been ignored.Divorce is a crack in the foundation of the nation."Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let nonedeal treacherously against the wife of his youth. Forthe Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hatethputting away" (Mal. 2:15b-16a).Start RightHomes often break up because they were startedwrong. Shotgun weddings have two strikes againstthem from the first and are calculated to buildresentment leading to friction and ultimateseparation or divorce. Fornication and its fruit is notthe right way to begin. Teenage marriages areseldom successful. How many people now livingwith a second companion have been heard to say, "Imade a bad mistake by marrying too young." Theyseem to think that justifies any eventuality. Wemust teach our young people to honor chastity andto behave toward the opposite sex when dating. It isfar better for young Christians to confine theirdating to those who are Christians. Some younggirls, in love with love itself, use the poorestjudgment in gravitating always toward boys with nomorals. Perhaps they think they are great reformers, but usually wind up with a life full of trouble.They did not start right. And boys need to use somesense. That pretty little thing may not have muchto commend her as a wife except that she is a prettylittle thing to look at. What are her values? What isher attitude toward God, Christ, the church andgodly conduct? Why should any boy or girl evenconsider dating a person who is unwilling to go withthem to worship the Lord? There are enough adjustments in marriage to make without having tostand apart on the things that matter most. Youngperson, if you marry an unbeliever, you will havetrouble about your time, your money, familypriorities, friends, and especially in the rearing ofyour children. Indeed, when you marry a child of theDevil, you will have trouble with your father-in-law!Start right. Marry a Christian.Divine GuidelinesGod placed the husband at the head of the familyunit. "For the husband is the head of the wife, evenas Christ is the head of the church" (Eph. 5:23). Thewife is to be subject to her own husband, as unto theLord (Eph. 5:22). The husband is to love his wife ashis own body and is to nourish and cherish her,dwelling with her according to knowledge (Eph.5:28-29; 1 Peter 3:7). The wife is to "see that shereverence her husband" (Eph. 5:33). The husband is the breadwinner. It was to Adam thatGod said, "In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eatbread" (Gen. 3:19). A "man" is to "provide for hisown" (1 Tim. 5:8). Woman's natural role is as thehome-maker. Paul said, "I will therefore that theyounger women marry, bear children, guide thehouse, give none occasion to the adversary to speakreproachfully" (1 Tim. 5:14). Older women are toteach the young women "to be discreet, chaste,keepers at home, good, obedient to their ownhusbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed"(Titus 2:5). Being a good wife, attending thechildren, guiding the house, is a full-time business.When these divine guidelines are respected,husbands have a sense of accomplishment, wives afeeling of fulfillment and children have a sense ofwell-being.The ignoring of these divine precepts concerning"what God hath joined together" accounts for thewreckage of human lives and the collapse of thefamily unit. What can we do? We can preach on thehome. We can have classes for our young to informthem as to what God said. Editors can write articlesand staff writers series of articles on the home. Butunless there is a practical application in the familylife of each of us, then we shall fail. We must havefathers who assert leadership in their families, wivesand mothers who view their role as noble and notdegrading, and children who are taught by word andexample to respect God and his word, their parents,and each other. We must have homes where theBible is read each day and where prayer is "wont tobe made." We must have homes where the emphasisis on character and right doing and not just onmaking money and surrounding ourselves withluxuries. If our homes are to survive, we must havestronger influences for righteousness than theschools, jobs and entertainment worlds have forunrighteousness. Upon this depends the futurewelfare of the church of the Lord and even thesurvival of the nation.

Page 5UsingtheSWORD OFTHE SPIRITKen Green2920 New Hartford Road Owensboro,Kentucky 42301A NOD OF APP ROVALA tip of the editorial hat to the College JudicialBoard of Ithaca College, in Ithaca, N. Y. Accordingto an AP release, Nov. 20, 1974, the Board put thestops on a student progra m called SWAP—SwitchWith Another Person. One 18-year-old freshman girlwho roomed with a young ma n for a week afterdrawing his name, said : "Sex was not the object ofthe e xpe rime nt."Perhaps the young ma n couldn't be reached forcomme nt on that, but the Board, composed ofadministrators, fac ulty, staff and stude nts , appare ntly had a differe nt impression.A statement was released which stated in part:"Any e xperime nts involving cohabitation a reconside red by the colle ge to be in violation ofhousing re gulations. Failure on the pa rt of a nystudents to comply with this order will result inprosec ution under the Colle ge Judicia l Boa rd."It's rather unusual to hear of such restrictions inour day and time. In more and more college dorms,the only students who possess rights are those whodesire to live as animals. Other students may eitherput up with s uc h or move out.We appreciate the decision of the Judicial Boardof Ithaca College.We might add, however, that the experiments ofSWAP violate much more than housing regulations.The doc trine of our King a nd Savior de ma nds :"For this is the will of God, eve n your sanc tification, that ye should abstain from fornication:That every one of you should know how to possesshis vessel in sanctification and honor" (I Thess. 4:3,4).Chariot Fever"He takes conje ctures, acce pts them as fact,builds on to them way-out theories, and presents his'many small coincidences' according to his ownpreconceived notions. He deliberately chooses theunconnected, weaves a semblance of connectionaround it, and puts his theories out as foregoneconclusions. This approach is often used by writers,and it may make exciting reading, but one dare notacce pt it as substantially credible."That's Dr. Frederick H. Giles commenting on thec la ims of Eric h von Da nike n a s s e t forth i nDa nike n's best selle r, "C ha riots of the Gods ?".Giles is Associate Professor, Dept. of Physics andAs tronomy, Unive rs ity of South Ca rolina. T hequote is take n from the book, "C ras h Go T heChariots" by eminent archaeologist, Dr. CliffordWilson.For those who may be unacqua inted with thec ha riot fe ve r s weeping the la nd, he re's a brie fresume of von Danike n's theory: He alleges thatintellige nt beings from other solar systems havevis ite d the ea rth in ce nturie s pa st. Upon the irarrival, they found primitive ma n making his stonetools and killing game by throwing spears. The menin the spaces hip tried to teac h the se mi-sava gesa bout civiliza tion a nd mora l c onc epts. A fe wspecially selected women were fertilized by theastronauts. The evolution of the species was controlled by these "heave nly" vis itors.All history is reinterpreted by von Daniken andother writers who have caught the fever. When I sayall history, Bible history is included. According to"Cha riots", Sodom a nd Gomorra h were destroye dby an atomic explosion, the ark of the covenant wasa radio transmitter by which Moses talked to "God"(actually the man in the flying saucer), and Ezekielsaw a spaceship in chapters one and ten of his book.Isn't it amazing how many who find the Bibleincredible will believe such absurd notions as these?Paul described them well whe n he said, "Becausethat, when they knew God, they glorified him not asGod, neither were thankful; but became vain in theirimagination, a nd their foolish heart was darkened.Professing the mse lves to be wise , they be ca mefools" (Roma ns 1:21, 22).By the way, we heatedly recommend the aforeme ntioned book, "Crash Go the Chariots". It's apaperback, published by Lancer. If the bookstore inyour vicinity doesn't have it in stock, you may do alot of people a favor if you suggest they order somecopies.Attention ReadersIt will be my aim in this column to use the swordof the Spirit in piercing, slicing a nd revealing thetrue nature of live and current issues of our day.If you should run across items in local papers orother reading material that you would like to seecommented upon in these pages, send them to me atthe address above. Though I'll probably not use allthe clippings received, such will be of benefit inproviding a wide r ra nge of source mate ria l.Oh yes. Re me mbe r to put the date a nd na me ofthe publica tion on all clippings.Them Beverly HillsI've read that the te n thousa nd tale nts tha t wereowed by the unmerciful servant (Matt. 18:24) wasequivalent to about 3 million today. I've consideredwhile reading that parable how difficult it wouldseemingly be for the ave ra ge pe rson to get thatdeeply in debt. Even with credit cards, it would takesome time to accomplis h that feat.But one couple did just that! Some readers mayrecall the publicity that surrounded Ernest and

Page 6Margaret Medders, now of Memphis, Tennessee, in1967 when creditors found out they were broke. Thiscouple, parents of ten children, blew 3 million ofother people's money!Having been led to believe that he was heir to 6billion, Mr. Medders, who knocked down a cool 65a week as a mechanic's helper, went on a six yearspending spree. Among loans he received was 1.94million from an Indiana order of nuns. (You may notbelieve it, but "T he Poor Sis te rs of St. Fra nc isSeraph Inc. put up the money!) Medders promisedthe m 10 million whe n his ship ca me in.According to Assoc ia ted Press Write r, BillSimmons, Mrs. Medders had a 60,000 ring a nd an 80,000 mink coat. When they testified in court thattheir social security checks were not even sufficientto pay their utility bills at "Colonial Acres", 200creditors filed suit within weeks.That story is a mixture of come dy a nd tra gedy.But the re's a lesson the re for those who seek it.Most people are in the same lamentable position asthe Medders. They're waiting for ships that nevercome in. T hey build their todays upon baselesshopes for tomorrow a nd take assura nce in thingsthat will soon burst like bubbles.Solomon, who possessed great wealth, said: "Wiltthou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for richescertainly make themselves wings; they fly away asan eagle toward heaven."Better yet, hear the admonition of our Lord: "Laynot up for yourselves tre asures upon the e arth,w her e moth and r us t doth corr upt, and w he rethieves break through and steal: But lay up foryourselves treasures in heaven . . . for where yourtreasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt.6:19-21).MI RACL ES - No. 1This writer has never seen a miracle. I have seenso-called miracles or alleged miracles, but never age nuine mirac le. The truth of the matte r is thatnobody today has seen a miracle. What people arecalling miracles are really not miracles at all, butrather natural occurre nces that are misinte rpreted.God is not working mirac les toda y!Miracles Defined and DelimitedThe theologia n, Ja mes Orr, de fined miracle as"any deviation from or transcendence of the order ofnature, due to the interposition of a supernaturalcause" (The Faith of a Modern Christian, p. 65). R.C. Trenc h sta tes that the esse nce of a miracle is ,"An extraordinary divine causality, and not thatordinary which we acknowledge everywhere and ineverything" (Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord, p.10). Trench made a good point when he wrote, "Themirac le is not a greater ma nifes tation of God'spower tha n those ordina ry a nd eve r-re pe ate dprocesses; but it is a different manifestation" (Ibid.,p. 10).We can say, in light of the preceding definitions,that a miracle is a direct intervention of God whichdiffe rs f ro m t he na tura l or de r t ha t we s e eeverywhere and in everything. A miracle would notnecessarily be, therefore, an inexplicable experience.Man still is not able to explain all the laws of nature.For exa mple, doctors are not able to explain whycancer is arrested in some people, but not in others.There is a natural explanation, but it is not known,presently. When a miracle was worked, there was nonatural e xpla nation.Escaping unharmed from a serious car or planeaccident, while all other occupants were killed, is nota miracle. By coincidence, such a person happenedto be sitting in the right place at the right time. Tocall this a miracle is using the word inaccurately.God may have been protecting the person by hisprovidence, but providence is not miraculous. God'sprovide nce works through na tural orde r.A phe nome non is not necessarily a mirac le,although miracles were unusual. For exa mple , onFeb. 28, 1963 a large, strange cloud, like a halo inshape, appeared in the stratosphere over Flagstaff,Ariz. It could be seen for hundreds of miles. Picturesof this mysterious cloud appeared in Life Magazine

Page 7and also Science Magazine. There was no reasonableexpla nation for it at the time. It was too high fornormal clouds or even jet vapors. Some declared itto be a miraculous omen. But several months later,Dr. James McDonald of the University of Arizonaconc luded that the cloud was caused by a rocketbeing detonated high ove r Va nde nberg Air ForceBa se in Ca lifornia , dumping wa te r into thestratosphere, causing the cloud to form. The windla te r c a rrie d it ove r Ari zo na . He re wa s aphe nome non, but not a mirac le.Friends, a nytime an event can be explained bynatural process, such as curing functional paralysis,hysterical blindness or psychosomatic illnesses, onecannot say a miracle has taken place. God has notdirec tly interve ned. T he la ws of nature ha ve notbeen transcended. The cure can be easily ascribed tothe power of suggestion.Miracle DescribedThe Bible does not define miracle but it does givea description. The Bible speaks of miracles as"wonde rs ," "s igns " a nd "mi ghty works . " Pe te rsaid on Pentecost that Jesus was approved of Godby "miracles and wonders and signs" (Acts 2:22).Paul worked the signs of a n apostle among theCorinthia ns "in signs, a nd wonders, a nd mightydeeds" (2 Cor. 12:12). The word spoken by the Lordwas c onfirmed (es tablis hed, ma de sec ure ) with"signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, andgifts of the Holy Ghost" (He b. 2:3-4).The word, "mira cle ," indica tes the source ofpowe r, "the inhe re nt a bility" (W. E. Vine ). T heBible uses the word "wonder" in refe re nce to amira c le , s ugge s ting the e ffe ct it ha s upon thepeople. Trench says, "the astonishme nt whic h thework produces upon the beholders . . . is transferredto the work itself" (Ibid., p. 3). The significance ofthe word "sign" is to show the design of miracles.Miracles were designed to confirm the word a nd toestablish the divinity of Christ (Mk. 16:20; Jn.20:30-31). All three words, miracle , wonder a ndsign, do not denote different kinds of supernaturalworks, but different aspects of the same miraculousdeeds. The healing of the palsied man in Mark 2:1-12was not only a miracle (power), but a sign (v. 10)and a wonde r (v. 12).Divers MiraclesHebrews 2:4 speaks of divers miracles. There werema ny differe nt kinds of miracles worked by Jesusa nd his apostles. Le t us notice the re were:(1) Miracles of healing. Jesus Healed all mannerof diseases (Mt. 4:23). No case was too difficult. Hehealed leprosy (Mt. 8:1-4), cured a deformed ha nd(Lk. 6:6-11), made a palsied man whole (Mk. 2:1-12)and healed a severed ear (Lk. 22:50-51), to name afew. The apostles continued the work of healing intheir ministry (Ac ts 5:15-16; Acts 19:11-12).(2) Miracles of exorcism. There were many in thefirst century who were possessed of demons. At theCapernaum synagogue, Jesus cast a demon out of aman (Mk. 1:21-28). At Gadara a legion of devils wascast out of a man and sent into a herd of swine (Mk.5:1-13). The daughter of the Syrophenician woma nwas relieved of a de mon (Mk. 7:24-30).(3) Miracles of raising the dead. Both Jesus andhis apostles raised the dead. Jesus raised La zarus(Jn. 11:17-46), the widow's son of Nain (Lk. 7:1117), a nd the daughter of Jairus (Lk. 8:41-56). Peterraised Dorcas (Acts 9 36-43) and Paul restored lifeto Eutyc hus (Ac ts 20:9-10).(4) Miracles on material things. On two differentoccasions, Jesus fed thousands of people with just afe w loa ves a nd fis hes. In c hapter 14 of Ma tthe w,Jesus fed 5000 me n plus wome n a nd childre n withfive loaves a nd two fis hes. In the 15th c hapte r, hefed 4000 me n plus wome n a nd c hildre n with sevenloaves and a few little fishes. Great miracles, indeed!At the wedding feast in Cana Jesus turned the waterto wine (J n. 2:1-11).(5) Miracles involving nature. When Jesus chose,he could walk on water (J n. 6:19). He also enabledPeter to walk on the sea of Galilee (Mt. 14:29). Jesuscould calm the

SEARCHING the SCRIPTURES "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me"—-John 5:39. "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the. scriptures da