"For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him. . ." Numbers 23:9

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THE MOUNTAIN MESSENGER

October 2004
Volume 1..........................Number 9
Crum, West Virginia

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"FACTS ARE RATHER STUBBORN THINGS"

By James E. Farley

I have been watching with interest and much amazement the controversy that CBS is currently immersed in with the dubious documents concerning President George W. Bush’s National Guard service. Every major network, with the exception of CBS, says that the documents are forgeries. CBS and their news editor / anchorman, Dan Rather, have indeed said that they cannot prove the documents to be real and true, but he and they are still saying that "the facts" of their report are true. They have reported that they have been working on this story for over five years. Their attitude and reporting (and "apology") has news people, politicians, and the average American on both sides of the political spectrum scratching their heads in amazement and disbelief. Their "arguments" remind me of the atheistic evolutionist’s arguments concerning the age of a certain rock. We hear them say, "This rock is 20 million years old." Well, how do you know that? "Because," they say, "we found a fossil in the rock and the fossil is 20 million years old." Well, how do you know that the fossil is 20 million years old? "Didn’t you listen?!," they exclaim, "The ROCK we found it in is 20 million years old!" Surely such circular "argumentation" does not fool the truly thinking person.

You see, the documents that CBS has were put forth as "proof" of their accusations against the President, but they cannot be substantiated as factual. But then they said that the documents are factual because the accusations against the President are true. Hmmmm! They really thought (it seems) that they had the goods on the President this time. Maybe the average American does not know that that these charges against the President were brought up when he ran for Governor of Texas, and again in the 2000 presidential campaign, and that they were shown then to be false charges both times. However, here we are again in the heat of a national political campaign and these old "dogs" are back off the porch chasing cars. But this time they jumped too far ahead of the FACTS, and Dan Rather (CBS) reported assumptions as if they were indeed facts. Even the "friends" of Dan Rather are now on the radio and TV talk shows, and in the newspapers and magazines spouting out their utter amazement, astonishment, and bewilderment that - a man of such stature as Rather - would have gotten into such a mire. But there he is stuck in the mud of pride, arrogance, dishonesty and confusion. Why? NO FACTS! In fact, the FACTS seem to point in the opposite direction from where Rather and his cohorts stand on the issue. But, like the evolutionists mentioned above, they continue to "argue" their circular case, because they so want them to be true. They want their report to be true so badly, they don’t care if they distort the facts here and there, or even put forth an "argument" with no facts at all. They just "feel" like they are right, and they talk and talk and talk... It seems they think if enough people hear them talking about it, or read their literature, it will soon become FACT - at least in the minds of those hearing and reading.

Those of us who have stood against man-made denominationalism for any time at all have seen this kind of attitude many times before. Denominationalists will say, "I know that my position is true!" Then they take the Word of God and try to make it fit their belief and their feelings. Well, this is getting the proverbial cart before the horse - and friends, it is hard to get anywhere that way!

Just because one THINKS or FEELS something is true, does not make it true. The FACT is - there is ONE CHURCH that Jesus died for, and it is not a denomination! It is the church of Christ. (Matthew 16:16-18). The church is His body. (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18). It is a FACT that the Word of God says, "There is one body" - (Ephesians 4:4). One may object, and say, "Oh, I know there is more than one! What about the Baptists, the Methodists, the Presbyterians, the Lutherans, etc., etc., etc.???" The Word of God still reports THE FACTS, and the FACT is - There is one body - and the body is the church! That is rather stubborn, but it is A FACT - A BIBLICAL FACT!

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A person may tap their hand on their chest and say, "I know I’m right, and I know I’m saved because I feel it right here in my heart!" - but that does not make them right, nor saved! Feelings are not a safe guide in such matters. It is not a good thing to trust in your heart.

Listen to the Word of God. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).

"He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered." (Proverbs 28:26).

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12).

"O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." (Jeremiah 10:23).

These few passages illustrate clearly why the Word instructs us to assure our hearts, and not that our hearts are to assure us. (Compare I John 3:19). Too many want to put the horse before the cart in this matter. They want to "follow their heart" when they should be instructing their hearts to follow God’s Will as it is revealed in the verbally inspired Word! You see, in order for us to be truly "transformed," our minds must be renewed. We must be molded in God’s image, and not the other way around! (Compare Romans 12:1-2).

Saul of Tarsus serves as a perfect example of one who "followed his heart". He TRULY THOUGHT he was right when he was persecuting the Lord’s church. He said so to King Agrippa. "I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth." (Acts 26:9). He thought he was right but he was as wrong as two left shoes! He thought he was right, but did not have all the FACTS!

The FACT is, one must submit to the Lord in humble obedience to His Will before he can be a Christian; a member of His church. Take a minute to read Hebrews 5:8-9; Matthew 7:21; Romans 10:1-3; James 1:21-25; I John 2:3-5; etc.

Saul of Tarsus was not saved until he submitted to Jesus as His Lord. We can read the FACTS of his conversion at Acts 9, Acts 22, and Acts 26. Saul of Tarsus was not a believer in Jesus as the Christ, therefore he was LOST. (John 8:32). However, he came to believe on the road to Damascus after he met Jesus there. Was he saved AT THAT POINT - at the point of his faith in Jesus??? NO! Absolutely NOT. How do we know? The Bible tells us so!

When Saul recognized Jesus for who He really is, and confessed Him as "Lord", he asked, "Lord, what will you have me to do?" This shows a penitent heart. If the commonly heard doctrine of "salvation by faith only" was really true, here would be an opportune time for Jesus to have said something like, "Do? Do? Son, there is nothing you can do!" However, this is not what the Lord said. What the Lord did tell Saul was for him to go into the city and there he would be told ALL things that he MUST do. (Acts 9:6; Acts 22:10). He was there, praying and fasting, for three days. (Acts 9:8-9). Was he saved? NO! Not yet, for he was still in his sins. How do I know this? The Bible tells me so!

The Lord commissioned a preacher named Annanias to go to tell Saul what to do. Remember, he was to be told ALL things that he MUST do, and this had not yet happened. When Annanias came he told Saul, - "why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16). If Saul was saved before this time, he was saved in his sins. This agrees perfectly with our Lord’s own words at Mark 16:16. Take time to read GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION in this issue.

There - you have THE FACTS, and Facts Are Rather Stubborn Things. What will you do about it, my friends? It is up to you.

James E. Farley -To Contact Jim by email, click here