Editorials
"For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward." Isa. 52:12.
This is a verse of great consolation for both the individual Christian, as well as the Church as a whole.
There are several places in scripture where God's church is likened unto an army, and the Christian life a warfare. Yet the captain of this army is the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6), and the soldiers are people of peaceful persuasion. (Matt. 10:16). The spirit of war is the extreme opposite of the spirit of the gospel. Christ would be hard put to be the leader of some radical groups whose goal is the casting down of every individual or group who fails to endorse their particular creed. The whole purpose of the Church militant of which we sing and testify, is to establish peace in the hearts of men!
As we go forth to establish this peace, Christ goes before us for the purpose of leading us into green pastures. Sometimes the path may be rocky, but Christ always has a place of rest in view for us. It is simply our responsibility to follow Him.
The devil attempts to draw our attention away from the path that leads to peace. He is advertising and marketing that which will fulfill the lust of the flesh, and we must shut our mind and heart to these things. It seems he is continually inventing new and novel ways to saturate the human mind with sensual pleasures, especially as we draw nearer the judgment.
As we follow Christ, we will think only on whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, of virtue, and of praise. (Phil. 4:8.)
When following Christ, we need not fear that sin will overtake us. Rest assured, God will not lead us into temptation. He may place us in association with people of a baser sort, but we need not feel apprehensive, nor think we must necessarily fly from such an environment, or as Isaiah put it, "go by flight," for God can keep us. And by leading us in these paths, the army of the Lord will be increased! Through association with needy souls, more will have the opportunity to see that this is the good way and find peace in their hearts.
Christ has gone before His Church, which emerged as twelve lowly disciples, and what did it accomplish? It shook the very powers of a paganistic system. The enemies of the Church fought truth with the torture rack, the sword, lions and fire, yet the blood of the martyrs was but seed upon the soil. The Church prospered and encompassed the globe because God had gone before it.
"...and the God of Israel will be your rereward." The original Hebrew says, "God of Israel shall gather you up." It is God who also goes behind the Church gathering up the weak and wounded. He is the Shepherd who carries the young in His arms. He nourishes the inexperienced until they are ready to take their place at the front of the battle against wrong.
And we need not fear that those who cast reflections upon righteousness will prevail against truth. If infidels choose to oppose God, let them fight with Him. If the gospel be as base as some claim, let them cast discredit upon God, the One who revealed the doctrines. Let them fight Jehovah Himself, for He it is Who protects the flanks of the gospel endeavor. There is no need for us to lag to the back of the army to be sure no one misrepresents our beliefs. Let us stay positive and close to Christ who would lead us on.
In that Christ goes before, He has conquered every foe lying in the way. One writer has said, "Dost thou dread sin? Christ has nailed it to His cross. Dost thou dread Death? Christ has been the death of Death. Art thou afraid of hell? He has barred it against the advent of any of His children; they shall never see the gulf of perdition. Whatever foes may be before the Christian, they are all overcome. There are lions, but their teeth are broken; there are serpents, but their fangs are extracted; there are rivers, but they are bridged or fordable; there are flames, but we have upon us that matchless garment which renders us invulnerable to fire. The sword that has been forged against us is already blunted. God has taken away, in the person of Christ, all the power that any thing can have to hurt us."
"And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." Col. 2:15. As we follow Christ, our life is the dividing of spoil, and the binding up of the wounded. We can be more than conquerors through Him who loved us, and find a treasure beyond measure.
As was announced in the March Faith and Victory, beginning April 1st, the cost of the Faith and Victory is $3.00 per year, or five copies for $12.00. The price of the Bible Lesson books has also been raised to $4.00 per year, or $1.00 per quarter.
We have also increased the price of books as reflected in the current book list. This price increase still does not quite reflect the ratio of what we were charging for books 20 years ago as compared to the general cost of paper then and now. At present, we are actually charging less in comparison to the previous rate. Naturally the price of other printing supplies, as well as the cost of living for our employees has also risen dramatically. Thanks for being understanding!
On March 6th, we placed an order for 10,000 pounds of paper, which will allow us to continue printing out of stock books. This was a good time to order the paper, as the price has temporarily dropped. We were also able to save $1,575.00 on this shipment by accepting it on skids rather than in boxes.
People often ask us about the progress on the new Print Shop building, and we are thankful for your interest. We have nearly completed painting the interior walls. The next major step in the project will be installing the ceiling grid. In the near future, we will provide a much more in-depth report on the status of the building project.
Bro. Toney and Sis. Jeannie Samons were in Guthrie on Feb. 26 through March 1 to present a study on marriage and home life. Much valuable information was shared on how to keep a happy marriage and raise a family for the Lord. This type of presentation is inestimable in merit, and the Guthrie congregation seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. Bro. Toney and Sis. Jeannie have also made this presentation in several other congregations in the states of Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas. -Wayne Murphey
