Introduction of Brother William Woodson by Brother John Phillis:] This is a day that we’ve been looking forward to for some time now, the day that we’re beginning our Gospel Meeting with Brother William Woodson. Brother Woodson is here with us; he arrived here in Albuquerque Wednesday afternoon. He and Normand Belt went off to Pegosa Springs, Colorado, for two days of “glorious fishing.” When they returned they said that it was wonderful fishing, but the catching didn’t amount to much; but Brother Woodson had a wonderful time, and he is here with us to hold this Gospel Meeting for us. We’ve been thinking about this and praying about this for a number of weeks now, and it is going to begin today.
In this hour, Brother Woodson will begin with a presentation for us, and the theme for this series of sermons that he’s presenting to us during this meeting has to do with “The New Testament Church.” I won’t give Brother Woodson a long introduction at this point; we’ll do that during the worship hour. Let me just simply say that Brother Woodson is a faithful preacher of the Gospel and has been for some fifty years now. He is very much enjoying his retirement; he finally has gotten to take some time off where he is just able to do leisurely things like fish, and what not. But, to tell you how he’s spending his retirement, over the past two weeks he has held meetings in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, spoken on a lectureship program in Pennsylvania, and now he’s here in New Mexico holding a meeting for us. I think he goes back to Lawrenceburg later this week only to turn around and go somewhere else again. So, he is spending his retirement doing what he loves to do and what he’s very capable of doing, and that is, preaching the Gospel. So, we are very privileged and honored to have Brother William Woodson with us here for this series of meetings, and we’re very glad that he has come our way. So, at this time I give to you Brother William Woodson.
[Brother Woodson:] I’m glad to be here with all of you. I have been looking forward to being in your company since John and I talked about this some time back. I want to let you know that I appreciate the Uptown Northeast church here [this meeting was held before the Northeast congregation of the Lord’s people had a building; we were meeting in a large conference room at the Uptown Sheraton Hotel]. I think that I’m going to offer this idea as a motto for this church: “Keep your water handy.” I definitely have to do that. I am used to west Tennessee and east Tennessee and middle Tennessee. But the altitude and all connected with it leaves me kind of dry and thirsty. And so, if I drink from time to time here, I hope you understand. It’s my attempt to stay equal with you folk that are “acclimated.” So, I’m glad to be here and have a part with you in this Gospel Meeting.
John and I talked about matters that we would discuss in this particular session. We settled upon the theme of “The New Testament Church.” I’m glad to discuss that with you, and I hope that our studies will be helpful to you, not only today, but throughout the other sessions of our time together.
Let me begin by noting the old and familiar adage: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” That’s so true in many, many parts of life. I think it is especially true among churches of Christ today. I spent a number of years in the study of the history of our people, particularly the old post-Civil War period until roughly World War I. In those years, there was a great deal of turmoil, a great deal of difficulty. One of the focal points of that discussion had to do with the church. What IS the church? How do we UNDERSTAND it? How do we KNOW it? What does it DO?
Well, as you probably know, there came, ultimately, a very serious division. The division became evident by the late 1890s, and the process of final division and disillusion took until roughly 1910, 1912. Well, in these twenty or so years, there was the disengaging of even families who went separate directions. There were churches that were divided. There were homes that were troubled by this. All through these years since, there has been the awareness that what once happened could happen again. That’s a sad reality. I wish it were not so, but it is. There are those who think today that we are facing a further division. I hope that is not true. In some towns and cities across the counter, there’s already an implicit division. And that is, individuals, congregations, know that something is preventing their full fellowship, association and working together. They’re not mad at each other so much as they’re marching on different routes. And sooner or later, that comes to a discussion of the church.
One of the interpreters of the history of the break in Tennessee, Kentucky, etc. in the 1880s and 90s was a man by the name of Alonzo Fortune. He was a preacher in what would now be called “The Disciples of Christ.” At that time, he was a preacher at the Central Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky. He wrote a book in 1932 entitled The Disciples In Kentucky. In that book, he traced the progress of the cause in Kentucky from the 1801 period, in the aftermath of Barton W. Stone and Caneridge Meeting House, etc., until the time of the break. In one of his chapters, he discusses the thought of the church. And here is his statement about the two ideas of the church. Fortune wrote:
There were two different interpretations of the church, which inevitably came into conflict. There were those who believed the church should move on with the world and adapt the spirit of the New Testament to conditions that were ever changing. They held that, when not forbidden by the New Testament, they were free to adapt their program to changing needs.
On the other hand, there were those who believed the pattern of the church was fixed for all time, and the fact that certain things were not sanctioned was sufficient ground for rejecting them.
These men on both sides were equally honest, but they had a different approach to these issues that were raised.
This, I think, is a fair and accurate statement of the reality—these two ideas of the church. One, that the church is free to shift its outward form in harmony with what would be called “the spirit of the New Testament” in order to adapt to the changing needs of a society or culture. And so, whatever the congregation wishes to change—free to do that. What it wants to add—free to do that. What it wants to leave off—free to do that. The other view was that the church is of divine nature, that while men and women compose it, it has as its ideal a divine nature, and it is not to be changed. Whatever may be the circumstances, the central theme must always be “the church is divine in nature and it is not to be changed from what is revealed in the New Testament”.
These two ideas were in conflict. They have continued to be in conflict. They are still at the heart of much of the difficulty being faced among our people today. I want to think with you in this series about a number of topics, all of which will grow out of this fundamental idea, that “the church is divine. It is NOT to be changed.” There are matters of judgment, matters of expediency—that is, methods. All of these can and should be changed in order to use the abilities to the best of those involved. But, methods are not the substance of the church. Whether we are using overhead projectors, or a chalk board, is a matter of expediency, a matter of judgment. It is not a matter of faith. Whether we have an assembly like this in this particular area or in a meeting house or in a home, that’s a matter of judgment, a matter of expediency. What takes place—whether you use one method of teaching, or have one place of meeting—what takes place in the life and work and worship of the church is of divine nature.
I want to think with you today about what I call “Lessons From Pentecost.” There are any number of ways that one might approach the study of Acts, chapter 2. It is a remarkable chapter by any yardstick. I want to think with you about some thoughts that we need to remember today, all of them emerging from this very fascinating chapter.
Think for a moment about what a remarkable thing occurred that day. When the sun came up on this Pentecost Day of, say, AD 33, there were thousands of people in the city of Jerusalem, most of whom were loyal Jews. O, to be sure, there were Roman soldiers; there were, no doubt, merchants and travelers of all nationality. But, the main population of the city was Jewish. Many of these were residents of Jerusalem and Judea; others had come great distances, some from some fifteen different places.
Well, theses folk were there for a great moment in their lives. Perhaps, some of them had saved their money for many years. They had made a pilgrimage of a lifetime. They would tell their children, their grandchildren in years to come, “What a great time we had in Jerusalem, Pentecost, AD 33!” This is what was true when the sun came up.
When the sun went down, some 3,000 of these people had changed their direction remarkably! Some of these—perhaps most of these—had been present some fifty days before when a Man from Nazareth, named Jesus, was crucified. Perhaps some of them had yelled out to Pontius Pilate, “Crucify!!” And so, He had died. Then He was buried; and according to the Jewish rulers, some of His disciples came and “stole away His body” and “the disciples claimed that He had been raised from the dead.” All of that was not true, according to the Jewish people. [Matthew 28:11-15: “…some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. 12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, 13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole Him away while we slept. 14 And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. 15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.”]
So, here they are—loyal Jews at sunrise. At sunset, 3,000 of them had accepted the divine Truth of Jesus, an absolutely remarkable thing to consider. You imagine what it would take today for 3,000 of the citizens of Albuquerque to totally, completely change their religious orientation between sunup and sundown. I think that would stagger the imagination! Well, how did that occur on the Day of Pentecost? I want to think with you about that, and in the thinking of that, lay something of a foundation for our continuing studies.
THE FIRST LESSON that comes to mind from this chapter is that, What God Has Said Is True. What God has said is true. Look in the 2 nd chapter of Acts, and verse 16. I’m reading from the King James Translation. Peter said, when some stated that the men who had experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit were drunk, “No, these men are not drunken as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel…” [Acts 2:15-16]. He proceeded to quote Joel 2:28 through 32.
Now, think for a moment about what he is quoting: “ And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams,” [Acts 2:17], and he continues with a quotation. Usually, the book of Joel is dated about 830 BC. These verses, from what we would call Joel 2, had, no doubt, been read and thought about by any number of Jewish people. But, without the events of the day, what does this mean? What is the meaning of “the last days”? What is the meaning of “the pouring out of God’s Spirit on all flesh”? What in the world is he talking about?
Well, God knew. God clearly knew what He meant. There’s no way to reckon the number who had puzzled about Joel 2. Now, what God had said about it was true. But the people did not know that at the time, and so here we are facing a remarkable Truth. What God says is TRUE, but people may not understand that for any number of years.
There’s another passage. This time in Acts, chapter 2, and beginning with verse 25, a quotation from David. Peter said, “For David speaketh concerning Him, ‘I foresaw the Lord always before My face, for He is on My right hand, that I should not be moved: 26 Therefore did My heart rejoice, and My tongue was glad; moreover also My flesh shall rest in hope: 27 Because Thou wilt not leave My soul in Hades [or, hell], neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption’” [Acts 2:25-27]. These words were written, give or take, a thousand years before Christ. Now, what is the meaning of it? Who is the “Lord” that David foresaw? What does it mean that “He is on My right hand, that I should not be moved”? What does it mean that “My flesh shall rest in hope…that My soul will not be left in Hades” and that the “Holy One” will not be allowed to suffer “corruption”? Now, without the events and the statements of Pentecost, what do these verses say? What is he talking about?
Now, I think the point that we’re developing is quite clear. God knew what the fulfillment of the Words of Joel and David were. Men did not understand that. And yet, as the Day of Pentecost continued, there emerged an understanding…an understanding wherein the fulfillment of these prophecies was presented. And it was presented in such a way that the people could see clearly that, this is what the Scripture says, and this is its fulfillment. God knew; He told it properly—correctly; we did not understand it; now we do. That becomes a most valuable thought for me to hold, and for you to hold: What God has said on a subject is TRUE. I may not understand that. I may not even believe it. I may even refuse to read it. Doesn’t change it. The fact IS what the fact IS!
For example: What does one believe about Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”? Is that true? Or, is that not true? If one believes that passage is true, he will look at this world from an entirely different standpoint to that occupied by people who do not believe it. You see, what is tied up with Genesis 1:1 is an understanding, not just of a passage in the Bible, but an entire understanding of the origin of the world and the nature of the world. And when one looks at the world from the standpoint of Genesis, he sees it from an entirely different vantage point from one who rejects that.
Now, does one believe that? Or, that Jesus was born of the virgin, Mary? That is called into question, if not denied, by many theologians today. [They say,] “No! That could not have happened! It is a biological impossibility. It could not be!? Well, when I come to those statements in Matthew 1 and Luke 3 and other allusions, what do I think about what the Bible says? If I believe it, then I have won understanding of the nature of Christ when He came into this world. When I don’t believe that, that begins to affect not only what I think about Jesus, but it also affects what I think about these Words in the Bible. If they’re not true, why are they in the Bible? And if these Words concerning the virgin birth are not true, what about verses on other matters concerning Jesus and other matters?
Or, take the statement in the Great Commission: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned” [Mark 16:16]. Do I believe that? If I do believe that as written, there are, in this passage, two prerequisites to salvation: belief and baptism. Without submission in faith and baptism to the command of Jesus Christ, there is, in this passage, no promise of salvation. But, if a person says, “No, I just don’t believe that. I don’t believe that at all. I don’t think baptism is necessary for salvation,” well…you’ve got an entirely different understanding, not just of that passage, but of many, many other passages that cannot be made to fit with the rejection of what is IN this one passage.
FIRST LESSON: What God has said is TRUE.
Now, on the day of Pentecost, that was the Truth held in common between Peter and the apostles and other disciples AND the 3,000 on that day.
A SECOND LESSON to think about: Man’s confusion without revelation. It’s interesting, in this early chapter [Acts, chapter 2], when the Holy Spirit came, those who saw and heard were not only impressed, they were absolutely confounded. For example, in verse 6, “Now when this (the coming of the Holy Spirit and subsequent events) was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded (confused; could not make sense of it)…” Further, “They were amazed and marveled,”verse 7. They could not put this into their own frame of reference. They were hearing men speak in the tongues wherein they were born [verse 8]. In verse 12, “What meaneth this?” They were totally confused.
Now, that’s an amazing thing to think about. There are those today who make remarkable claims about the Holy Spirit doing this, or that, or the other. How…do…you…KNOW that what you claim IS the work of the Holy Spirit is IN FACT the Holy Spirit? On the day of Pentecost, the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, apart from the explanation given by Peter and the rest of the apostles, brought about confusion, amazement and doubt and ceaseless questions.
What was the way this matter was made plain? Well, notice the Words that are found down in verse 14: “Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words…” Hearken! Listen! Hear! Learn!
Again, down in verse 22: “Ye men of Israel, hear these words…”
Again, down in verses 36-37: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, Whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
In verse 38, “Then Peter said unto them…”
Verse 40, “And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying…”
In verse 41, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized…”
What do we have here? Peter goes about to put into words the understanding to be given to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit being displayed on that occasion. Here was confusion…great confusion, AND confusion about a direct appearance of the Holy Spirit from heaven! They were confused! The understanding emerged out of the words spoken by Peter AND accepted by the 3,000 or so who were baptized.
That tells us a great deal. That tells us that confusion in matters religious must ultimately be answered by the revealed Will of God. If we go about to answer questions of religion without basing the answer IN the text of the Bible, we are always facing the danger of further confusion. But, when our mind is guided by the Words of the text, the question is then answered, but it is answered by the revelation given in the Word of God.
Now, that’s a marvelous thought to entertain. What am I to believe? What am I to do in worship? How am I to live? What is the church to do? What is its work and role? Well, you go by the number of religious bodies in this town, and you will find as much difference as you will find on the streets where they’re located. Now, is all of that true? Is all of that in harmony? Well, of course not! A visitor from Mars, if we could imagine such a being, would go to this congregation or that congregation, or this group or that group, and ask about their belief, their worship, whatever, and he’d walk away saying, “These are mad men! They’re in hopeless confusion! They teach different things! They do different things! These people are simply in total confusion!” And that would be true.
How could the confusion be removed? Well, on the Day of Pentecost the way was, “We want to follow the revelation of God being given on that occasion by the inspired apostle Peter.”
A THIRD LESSON: Look in verse 22 for a moment. This lesson is that Jesus is the center of ALL God’s redemptive plan. To repeat: Jesus is the CENTER of ALL God’s redemptive plan. Peter said on this occasion, “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain…,” and so on. Think for a moment about what is presented: Two entirely different thoughts about Jesus.
The thought of God: Jesus is approved of God. The word translated “approved” is from a word that means “to point to; to point out.” By the miracles and wonders and signs that Jesus did during His personal ministry, God was pointing, as we would say, a finger toward Him. “This is My Son! This is the ONE I have sent! See the miracle? Understand the Truth? This is My divine Son!”
Now, the Jewish people, on the other hand, they didn’t believe that. They said, “No. He is a false teacher! He is in league with Satan! He is deceiving; He is misleading; He deserves to be tried, condemned and crucified!”
We’ve got two ideas about Jesus.
Now, in the sermon preached by Peter, the heart of the sermon was by the preaching of the Truth to bring the mind and heart and will of the Jewish person into harmony with what God taught about His Son! That’s still to be the leading burden of our preaching—causing us to understand from God what He has revealed in and through His Son so that we, in submission to His Son, will do what God instructs us to do accordingly. That is the most sublime thought that can enter the mind of man…that God made it so, that through His Son I can understand His final Will for man. And in that marvelous culmination in Christ, all of the history of Israel, from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob until the end of Jerusalem in AD 70, all of that is culminated, and I am able to appreciate the Words of the Old Testament, the Words of the New Testament and bring these into my life and they guide my life and guide the life of the church according to what Christ is teaching. And if I err from that, if I reject that, if I pay no attention to that, I am trading the instruction of God concerning His Son for my own understanding—the exact mistake of the Jewish people on that day.
One more thought, and our time is gone. In this reading, notice in verse 38 that obedience to Christ is the means of our deliverance. In verse 38, an answer was given to the question, “What shall we do?” “Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
I’m sure that you are familiar with this passage. I do not wish at this point to discuss repentance and baptism for the remission of sins. It’s true. It is taught in this passage. But I want to look at another part of the passage. Look at this little expression, “…in the Name of Jesus Christ…”—literally “upon the basis of the Name of Jesus Christ.” A remarkable moment has come to be. Jesus, so Peter had shown, had been raised to God’s right hand. He had received the promise of the Holy Spirit. AND, in fulfillment of that promise, He had sent the Holy Spirit, as the apostles had received. And this was to enable them to preach the Truth of God, and do so by virtue of the Name of Christ. Christ is now at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and principalities and powers made subject to Him. Now, if one wishes to abide within, or to come to be within, the Will of God, that is guided by the Name, the authority, the sovereign majesty of Jesus Christ. To shun that, or reject that, is to reject not simply a few Words in the text of a verse, but to reject the purpose and the plan of Almighty God.
Now, in closing our thoughts for the moment, these four simple, but profound Truths are the difference between the church being what God wants it to be, and not being that. These verses and Truths are what stands between individuals that have not been saved and who are saved. In order to do the Will of God, I must first of all understand that what God has said is true. I must believe that. I must be willing to let that guide me. Also, I understand that by God’s revelation, whatever uncertainty, confusion in religious matters may obtain, these can be overcome by the revelation of God. And then, I am to see every dimension of religious life in the present time from the standpoint of the divine nature and authority of Jesus, the Son of God and the head of the church. And finally, I am to be submissive to Christ, submissive from the heart, submitting to Him as the Son of God, as the Savior of the world, as the head of the body, the church. And, as a result of that, I am able to turn to the Words of the Bible, and whatever the passage, when I understand that, when I follow that, I am abiding within and holding true to the Will of God concerning my life individually, concerning the church, concerning the worship, concerning ALL of the dimensions of the life and work of the church.
On these four foundation themes we will hope to build in subsequent discussion. Our time is gone. Thank you.