"...That the older women be reverent in their behavior, neither slanderers nor slaves to drink. They should be teachers of what is good, that they may wisely train the young women to be loving wives and mothers, sensible, chaste, good housekeepers, good-natured, submissive to their own husbands, so that the word of God may not be slandered", (Titus 2:3-5, Berkeley Trans.)
    In view of the rising divorce rate, these words of Paul suggest how far short we are falling of the wonderful, yet tremendous, task the Lord has left for us. Since the creation of woman our calling has been that of being a help-mate to our own husbands. Repeatedly are we admonished to show such submission and respect. Surely we would never deliberately slander or blaspheme the Word of God. Yet, Paul says that we do this very thing if we do not have a right attitude in this matter. It is significant to notice that Sarah was not ashamed either to call or treat her husband as "lord", (I Pet. 3:6).
    In the galaxies of the heavens are millions of stars that go unobserved by human eye. They continue faithful in their allotted places--

fulfilling the role for which they were created. Yet, how often do we rebel, revolt and complain of the subjective role to which the all- wise Creator, Master and Lord of glory has assigned us in His purpose of bringing the creation back into subjection to His perfect will.
    One of the most effective methods of teaching is by way of example. Can the younger women see manifested in our lives such love for our husbands and children as becomes our Christian profession? We are quick enough to observe such failure of love on their part!
    What causes us more concern: a broken washer? or some discord in our family relationship? Would you rather spend an hour at the hair dresser? or alone with the Lord who "adorns the heart"?
    Let us never permit our "moods" and the "cares of this life" to so weight us down that we cannot properly set the sort of example that pleases God -- an example that the younger women may safely follow. And may we not deceive ourselves in this matter. We certainly do not deceive our Lord; and it is most probable that those who observe our daily lives will be prompt to detect any departure from a role of TRUE Christian womanhood.

    In the midst of trials, testings, false reports, misunderstanding and rejection, it is good for the child of God to remember that his PERFECT Lord and Master was faced with a persistent barrage of false accusations. His enemies constantly watched for some word or deed whereby they might raise such an issue as would silence His voice and permit them to be piously proud in their self-righteousness and sin.
    When He ate "with publicans and sinners" they thought He was not particular enough about the company He kept. The same crowd that charged John the Baptist (who came neither eating nor drinking ) with "having a devil", accused the Son of Man (who came eating and drinking) with being "gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners".
    Jesus was never ashamed of the relationship between Himself and

the Father. Nor did He fail to commit Himself fully to the task of fulfilling the Father's will. He did not come to be ministered unto, but to minister. So fully did He abandon Himself to this ministry that His own family and friends (?) attempted to "lay hold of him for they said, He is beside himself".
    The Jews took counsel how they might put Jesus to death. When He asked them "Why?" they retorted, "Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee"? And, in addition to all this, He was accused of: sabbath-breaking (Jn. 9:16), blasphemy (Matt. 26:65), and treason (John 19:12).
    Now, if all this opposition -- this willful, deliberate, malicious wickedness -- was manifested toward the PERFECT Son of God, what endless accusations may wicked hearts be expected to hurl against His imperfect servants HOWEVER EARNESTLY they may endeavor to walk circumspectly before God and men!
    Surely there is enough opposition from the wicked world that the Lord's own people need not "devour one another"! It is sometimes difficult for an under-shepherd (of the Lord's little flock)to keep his equilibrium in dealing with the "butting" sheep. Nevertheless, we DO have a responsibility to help those who seem to be their own worse enemies.
    "The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient. In meekness instructing those that OPPOSE THEMSELVES; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknow-

    The Jesus of the New Testament has been rejected by modern religion. Several decades ago religious liberalism launched a search for "the historical Jesus" -- unsatisfied with the one revealed on the pages of the New Testament. Nor is He permitted, by them, to speak in His own behalf.
    This attempt to re-make Jesus of Nazareth into an effeminent, soft-spoken idealist of the maternalistic order IS A TRAGIC MISTAKE. The sternest language used, and the most serious threats spoken, in the New Testament fall from His lips. He never minimized the seriousness or the heinousness of sin. He minced no words in dealing with sin, or with sinners. He declared the Pharisees and Sadducees to be hypocrites, blind leaders of the blind, wolves in sheep's clothing, whitewashed sepulchers filled with dead men's bones -- and wondered how they could "escape the damnation of hell" (Matt. 23).
    The Jesus of the Gospel records never once cringed at the thought of being, identified with the God of the Old Testament. And He was perfectly capable of speaking for Himself. Since religious liberalism has rejected the God of the Old Testament, as being too authoritarian", in favor of one who will conform more closely to their ideals of the "democratic order", IT SEEM ONLY LOGICAL AND RIGHT that Jesus of Nazareth at least be permitted to testify in His own behalf!
In a series of brief articles we will consider what greatness the

Son of Man attributed to Himself. The reader may determine who speaks the truth -- Jesus, or certain religious "architects" whose agnostic religiosity shudders at the idea of a supernatural being before whom all must one day stand in judgment.

    Herod's Temple, forty-six years in building, was the pride of Israel. No shrine was ever more dearly loved, or its sanctity more jealously guarded. It was indeed a magnificent structure of cream stone trimmed in gold. Even the roof was adorned with golden spikes placed there to keep the birds from perching on it.
    Acutely aware of their veneration of the temple, Jesus Christ stood within the temple gates and declared with all boldness: "In this place is one GREATER THAN THE TEMPIE"! Nor did the people doubt, for a single moment, that He spoke of Himself. If, indeed, heaven was His throne and the earth His footstool, how utterly insignificant must be a house of stone in comparison with the majestic greatness of His person.
    The temple had served a useful purpose in the wisdom of God. Yet, at the very best, it had held forth a mere "shadow" of that which He had come to do, to be, to fulfil.

ledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken: captive by him at his will", (2 Tim. 2:24-26).

    Of all the prophets in Israel, Jonah had been the most emphatically nationalistic in his outlook. (And let it be remembered that Jesus Himself designated Jonah "the prophet".) So intense was his disdain for the Ninevites, Israel's enemies, that he was fairly wroth when they repented and God, in mercy, spared them from destruction.
    Precisely because of his exclusivistic attitude, many in Israel held Jonah in high esteem. Therefore, when the Jews asked a sign of Jesus He replied: "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a

sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Ninevch shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here" (Matt. 12:39-41). When Jonah proclaimed the Word of God the enemies of Israel repented. Now a greater than Jonah calls the covenant nation itself to repentance; and she will not hear!

    In the pastor's absence next Sunday, Brother Ben Ward will be in charge of the services. Pray for him; also for your pastor as he leads in a Rewival effort at West Monroe, Louisiana..