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What Must I Do To Be Saved?

  

FROM: 6/30/02 Radio Program

Question:

Why do you not take care of orphan's homes? Where do you get this?

Answer:

First, let's begin with a bit of history. In the 1950's and 1960's, there was a split in the Lord's church over the subject of supporting colleges out of the church treasury as well as supporting orphan's homes in like manner. While the split happened at this time, the seeds of digression had been at work some years before this. It began some years before with churches trying to justify supporting colleges out of the treasury. This did not fly, and many were opposed to it. However, among other people, N.B. Hardeman (Freed-Hardeman University) made the statement that the church support of colleges and support of orphan's homes "stand or fall together." His comment, as well as the work of others started a chain-reaction, because those same ones who were persuaded that the church ought not be supporting a college had their heart-strings pulled when the argument switched to the subject of an orphan's home. In reality, they both should have "fallen together," as bro. Hardeman said. The reason we gave this abbreviated history lesson is to make people aware of the subject at hand, and introduce some to this subject in case they had not heard this before.

In answer to the question, let me start out by saying that your question concerning an orphan's home is moot. Why? Because there are no orphan's homes today in the U.S.. There are CHILDREN'S homes, but not orphan's homes in the U.S.. I lived in Tennessee for eight years, and got mail and flyers frequently from the TN Children's Home in Spring Hill, TN. I never got one piece of mail from the TN Orphan's Home. Why? Because they changed their name. They have no orphan's there, they have children there -- i.e., those with one (or both) parents still living!

Now, why do we not give money from our treasury toward these places? Because it is not authorized of God. The Lord's money is to be spent in three ways:

1. Evangelism - I Thessalonians 1:7-8; I Corinthians 9:1-14; Philippians 4:13-16

2. Edification - I Thessalonians 5:11; Ephesians 4:11-12, 14-19, 29; Romans 14:19

3. Benevolence toward needy saints - Acts 2:44-45, 4:32-35, 6:1-7, 11:27-30; Romans 15:25-26; I Corinthians 16:1-2; II Corinthians 8:1-5, 9:1, 12; I Timothy 5:16

Seeing that God was specific as to how the money is to be spent, we do not have the right to add to or take from God's word and spend it in any other way.

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