Pastor Lonnie C. Ford, of the Garden Island MB Church, Kilauea, Hawaii, informs me that they have an opportunity to purchase a building for their mission in Hanapepe - on the opposite end of the island from where their church is located. An 1800 square foot church building, with 11,900 square feet of land, is available for an unusually reasonable (for Hawaii) price of $65,000. And the Garden Island church hopes to obtain this property for their mission.
    One problem, however, is that the present owners insist on a payment of the first $32,000 within the next few weeks - the balance within three years. With faith in God, the little flock at Kilauea is undertaking the purchase - even though it seems that they will have to mortgage their new (and beautiful) chapel in order to meet the immediate financial requirement.
    Having spent a week among these brethren earlier this year - observing their love for Christ, for His church, for one another, and for lost souls, I want to have a part in getting their new mission well established.
    If YOU would like a part in this

    While we attempt to bring no one under bondage to our convictions, Landmark Missionary Baptist Church has never practiced the observance of religious "holy days". Nor have we made this a test of fellowship among our brethren - though we have often wondered how so many could participate in things chat are of, undoubted, paganistic origin. (And I sincerely hope that no one will take offence at that statement until he has carefully, and thoroughly, investigated the available historical data relative to the observance of Christmas, Easter, Epiphany, etc., as religious "holy days".)
    Instead of writing negatively, in condemnation of such practices, I submit a number of reasons why it appears (to us) best to REJECT the observance of ALL religious "holy days" as inappropriate for Bible-believing Christians.
    1) Baptists have, for almost 2,000 years, championed the principle of the "all-sufficiency of the Scriptures" in all matters of faith and practice - specifically of the New Testament in matters pertaining to Christian life, worship and ser-

vice, (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Landmark MBC believes that the Word of God DOES INDEED "thoroughly furnish us" in EVERYTHING pertaining to a life of true godliness. Yet, we find nothing, in precept or example, to indicate that our Lord is honored by the observance of feasts, festivals and celebrations that He has nowhere SPECIFICALLY APPOINTED in His Word.
    2) We observe that Cod dealt firmly with those in Old Testament times who went BEYOND HIS COMMANDMENT to insert religious innovation into the order that He had established for the worship of His covenant people - things that eventually so fully corrupted their worship as to make it totally UNACCEPTABLE, and positively ABOMINABLE, in His sight! When Nadab and Abihu introduced the innovation of "strange fire" upon God's altar, they were consumed by the fire of His wrath! (Lev. 10:1-2). And He strongly condemned those who, in

His name, proclaimed what He had not commanded, (Jer. 14:14-15; 23:28).
    3) Jesus declared that those who worship the Father must worship Him "in spirit and in truth" (Jn. 4:23-24); nor is "sincerity" enough to meet those requirements. Since Christian observation of "religious holy days" cannot POSSIBLY be under the direction of the Holy Spirit (Who ALWAYS leads according to the Word of truth), then the practice (being nowhere commanded of a New Testament people) must involve a supplanting of the inerrant and all-sufficient word of God by the traditions of carnal men.
    4) The apostle Paul specifically expressed his growing FEAR for the brethren at Galatia who, following the perversion of Judaistic teachers, had begun to observe religious "days, months, times and years", (Gal. 4:10-11).
    5) Somewhere we seem to have gotten the impression that it is a serious thing to ADD TO or TAKE FROM the word of God, (Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Prov. 30:5-6; Rev. 22:18-19).
    6) And the fact that every religious "holy day", in which an ungodly world takes such delight, appears to have had its ACTUAL ORIGIN in a converging compromise between paganistic idolatry and the devious innovations of a pragmatic Roman priestcraft, causes us to PAUSE, and to SERIOUSLY QUESTION the validity of so succumbing to the pressure of public opinion as to leave our honest scruples behind and enter upon the celebration of

something that our Lord has NOT commanded.
    "Let brotherly love continue!"

    Any discerning student of the New Testament will recognize that the Gospel message is woven around two appearances of Jesus Christ on this earth. The first appearance was IN HUMILITY - for the sacrifice which He made for sinners on the cross of Calvary. The second will be IN GLORY, (Heb. 9:23-28). The New Testament teaching concerning the Christ is that of His voluntary SUFFERING followed by GLORY - PUBLIC suffering followed by PUBLIC glory, (Rev. 1:7).
    The Gospel records picture Jesus as the Son of Man, returning in power and great glory to the very sphere of His rejection, humiliation and crucifixion, (Matt. 16:27; 19:28; 25:31; 24:30; Lk. 22:69; 21:27; 9:6; Mk. 8:38; 13:6).
    More than 80 times Our Lord applied to Himself His, favorite designation; "Son of Man", (Matt. 8:20; 11:18-19; 12:39-40; 17:9, 22-23). Twice others applied the title to Him, (Acts 7:56; Rev. 14:14). It is in this role that He appears as the coming Saviour and Judge of men, (Lk. 19:10). At His second coming He will effect a great division among men, (Matt. 25; 2 Thes. 1:7). As the "Son of Man" Jesus will rule with supreme authority over the kingdom of God, (Jn. 5:22-23, 25-26; Matt. 13:41-43).

    Rejected by the covenant-nation, that has long prayed and longed for His coming, and betrayed by one of His own disciples, Our Lord is on trial for His life, He applies to Himself terms which all recognized as Messianic. Adjured by the Living God to tell them plainly whether he was "the Christ's He answered in the affirmative. "Nevertheless", He said, "Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven", (Matt. 26:64). Charged with blasphemy, He was delivered over to the Roman authority (Pilate) who ultimately permitted His enemies to triumph. Though He was truly "Son of Man", "Messiah", "Servant of Jehovah" and "Son of God", He was, nevertheless, crucified through the weakness of a cowardly Roman governor - who failed to uphold the justice for which Roman courts were so well known, (2 Cor. 13:4; Phil. 2:7; I Pet. 3:18).
    Our Lord reminded His enemies that, as "Son of Man", He would appear a SECOND TIME in totally different circumstances. His return to this earth will be in the full dignity, power and glory of the Son of Man - the Divine KING of the earth! They were not rejecting, and putting to death, an ordinary man. He was no less than "the Lord of GLORY!" (I Cor. 2:7-8; Jas. 2:1) His unique contribution to the concept of the "Son of Man" was His associating it with SUFFERING!
In stark contrast with the apparent weakness, humiliation and defeat of His first advent, the

SECOND COMING of our Lord will be in POWER and GREAT GLORY! Various expressions are used to set forth the glory of His messianic power. His coming will be in "the glory of the Father" - upon a throne of glory, (Matt. 19:28; 24:30). He comes IN HIS OWN GLORY, and in the glory of the Father and of the angels, (Matt. 16:27; Jn. 1:51). The impression is always the same: the return of Christ will be in an overwhelming display of glory and kingly power - associated with the perfection (or completion) of our salvation, (Tit. 2:13; 2 Thes. 1: 10). As the High Priest of our profession, He comes leading many sons to glory, (Heb. 2:10). At His coming He will perfect the work that He has already begun in us, (Heb. 9:28). And, according to Peter, the glory of His second coming will balance out the sufferings connected with His first appearance, (I Pet. 1:7; 5:1, 4, 10).
    Man was made in the image and glory of God (I Cor. 11:7) that he might enter into fellowship with his Maker. But, through rebellion and sin he has fallen short of this destiny (Rom. 3:23). Jesus Christ has come "in the likeness of sinful flesh" and fulfilled this destiny - glorifying the Father, and being glorified BY Him.
    The glory of God "in the face of Jesus Christ" is still to be seen and reflected by the church (2 Cor. 4:3-6), and is shared flow (I Pet. 4:14) and hereafter (Rom. 8:17) by those who are willing to suffer with Christ, and for His sake. It is a very important part

of the task of His church to see that the world acknowledges the glory which is His (Rom. 15:9), and which may be seen: in His works (Acts 4:21), in His disciples (I Cor. 6:20) and in His Son Who is the "Lord of GLORY"! (Rom. 16:27).
    0, that we might NOW PREPARE to SHARE this glory at our Lord's Return! E.G.


    Landmark Church is delighted to welcome those who come to meet with us on Saturday evening, December 21, for a youth-led service of "Fellowship and Praise". It is always a blessing to share the good things of the Lord with others from our Sister Churches. And we anticipate a delightful time in the Lord!
    True Christian fellowship involves a "sharing-in-common" of "the riches of Christ" as set forth in His Word. And praise is the spontaneous response of a grateful heart to the abounding riches of His grace! E.G.

MISSION OPPORTUNITY ... Continued

new missionary out-reach, you would make a wise, and eternal, investment by sending a LIBERAL offering to the Garden Island Missionary Baptist Church - specifying that it is for their "Mission Property".
Write:
    As "fellow helpers" of the truth, a liberal support of mission work will pay eternal dividends!

    During the past few years, a number of incidents have been brought to my attention where vastly differing re1igious assemblies have assumed "Baptist" name. What one needs to understand is that the mere ASSUMING of a name, apart from the Biblical and Baptistic order for establishing a scriptural church, can only make a "pseudo-Baptist" assembly! A number of such assemblies are deceiving themselves and others in our day.
    Some time ago a Presbyterian church, in Pennsylvania, became disenchanted with their denominations unscriptural synod system and voted to become a "Baptist" church. But, one wonders how they could be "Baptist" without JOHN'S BAPTISM - which NO Presbyterian church ever possessed, or had authority to administer! True Baptists have, since the days of Jesus' earthly ministry, received the same baptism as was administered to our Lord and ALL of John's disciples, with whom He established His church. Authority to administer this baptism (which is the ONLY baptism commanded in the scriptures) was committed into the hands of the church that Jesus established during His personal ministry.
    Apart from the authority of a properly constituted, local, New Testament, Baptist church, there is NO VALID BAPTISM: nor can another scriptural church come into being! Thus, a protestant assembly CANNOT become a REAL BAPTIST CHURCH without: re-baptism, re-orientation and re-organization, under the

authority and direction of a properly organized Baptist church! So, Presbyterians who merely changed their name did NOT thereby become Baptists - according to the true Baptist order.
    More recently, in Illinois, a Reformed church, under the guidance of a Southern Baptist minister, came to be recognized as a Baptist church - NOT by submitting to baptism, at the hands of a scripturally organized Baptist church, and re-organization under the direction of said assembly, but by a New Reformation!! They ASSUME themselves to be Baptists because they have accepted a number of Baptist principles - though certainly not BAPTIST CHURCH POLITY!
    The disturbing thing about all this is that some of these "pseudo-Baptists" are beginning to presume themselves into the role of AUTHORITIES ON BAPTIST CHURCH ORDER -- a development that can only lead to the compromise and disintegration of those principles which, in their pragmatic expediency (because Presbyterian and Reformed Christians might object to the humiliation of re-baptism), they have chosen to ignore.
    When the Son of Man cometh, will He find THE FAITH on the earth? In a walk of faith, one does NOT make up the rules as he goes! So, let us beware the snare of "pseudo-Baptist" sophistries! E.G.
    "And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully", (2 Tim. 2:5).

    ACCORDING TO GOD'S WILL,
Midnight strikes and the old year
  will be gone,
And we close the tablets we've
  written on,
And torn twixt hope & doubt & fear,
We open the book of an unlived year.

  AN UNLIVED YEAR! Ah, stained
  with tears
Are the well-thumbed volumes of
  other years!
Soiled with blunders & black regret
Are the pages we read with our eye-
  lids wet.
Closed in our hearts, as the leaves
  are turned,
Is the record of passions that

  flamed and burned:
And panics and sorrows, and ghosts
that leer,
Look out from the page of the dy-
  ing year.

But, fresh in our hands once more
  is laid,
A clean new book, by the Master
  made;
Unmarred are the pages lying there-
Twelve new chapters fresh and fair.

It is ours to write the daily tale,
Of how we conquer or how we fail;
Of struggle and effort and hope
  that wakes,
Like a song in the heart when a
  bright day breaks.
Once a year, when the glad bells
  ring,
And the Old Year nods to the will
  of the King;
Fresh in our hands, with the title
  clear,
And leaves uncut, is an unlived
  year.


    My heart rejoices to hear that Bro. David Torres, of the Garden Island MBC, Kilauea, Hawaii, has recently accepted God's call to the Gospel Ministry. This is a beloved brother whose love for Christ and zeal for truth was quite evident as I ministered among the brethren there last Spring. May God's richest blessings be upon brother Dave and his fine family!