(Gospel Advocate, Vol. 142, No. 5, May 2000, p. 13.) Paul and Peter both exhort elders to shepherd the flock. Paul said to the elders of Ephesus: “[Shepherd] (t)ake heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28 ASV). Peter said, “[Shepherd or] (t)end the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according to the will of God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind” (1 Peter 5:2). The shepherd is a perfect example of what the elders are to be to the congregation. The shepherd rules the flock but does not lord it over the flock. He loves the flock and leads them gently along. The shepherd sees to it that the flock has food or pasture. He also sees to it that they have shade and protection and shelter. The shepherd examines the flock to see that they have no sores or wounds. He calls, and the sheep follow. The shepherd does everything needful for the sheep. Similarly, the elders must shepherd the flock of God. The good shepherd will lay down his life for the sheep. He will protect them against false teachers. He will refute the error and will lead them to pastures or sources of good food and nourishment. He will lead them beside still water or water that is

Christians are often perceived by society as being intolerant. Some people who claim to be Christians are not tolerant. And some people who claim to be tolerant are worldly minded and intolerant of Christians. Since all ought to be truly tolerant, this matter of tolerance and the new tolerance needs to be discussed. Tolerance is differing with people without persecuting or doing violence to them. Intolerance is opposing a view to the point of violence. The new tolerance has come to expect that people will not disagree with any belief and that every belief is acceptable. Critics of Christianity, especially homosexual critics, criticize Christians for being intolerant, but this charge is untrue. For 300 years under pagan Rome, Christians were tolerant of paganism and many “isms.” They did not persecute the Jews, but certainly strove to understand them or to refute them or withstand them. Neither did they persecute pagans or those intolerant of Christianity. Apologetics in the New Age by David Clark and Norman Geisler says, “Pluralists are wrong when they claim that tolerance depends on pluralism. Exclusivists can be tolerant in accepting the right of others to have different beliefs. Pluralists can be intolerant in telling adherents of all religions that they are wrong when they hold exclusive beliefs. Indeed the whole notion that one needs to accept as true the other person’s belief in order to tolerate that person is a misuse of language. It makes no sense to speak of tolerating ideas with which we agree —

We must use the knowledge of the Word of God to findthe way to resist temptation, to overcome evil and to do good. The devil is after our souls today. Maybe more so than ever before. We need every help we can have to resist the devil and overcome him, and to anchor our souls. The knowledge of the Word of God is one of the best offenses and defenses that we have to perform this task. Jesus used just such knowledge in resisting the devil (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). He spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted of the devil. He ate nothing in those days. When the time was finished, the devil said unto him, “If thou art the Son of God, command this stone that it become bread” (v. 3 ASV). Jesus then said unto him, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone” (v. 4), quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. The devil continued his temptation by showing Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and offering to give him the authority over all these if Jesus would worship him. Jesus answered, “It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Luke 4:8). Then the devil continued his temptation, telling Jesus, “[C]ast thyself down from hence: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, to guard thee: and, on their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone” (Luke 4:10-11).

The task of an editor is to correct mistakes of orthography, mistakes of grammar and mistakes of lack of clarity. The translator’s task is to translate the author’s message from one language into a second language. He is to do this with as close verbal equivalence as possible. Simply because the language is different and he cannot use the same words does not justify a translator in failing to strive for verbal equivalence as close as possible. In the history of the translation of the Bible into English, the earliest translators, Wycliffe, Tyndale, Coverdale and the King James translators, attempted as nearly as possible to bring about verbal equivalence. The translators of the American Standard Version did the most accurate job that has ever been done in translating the Bible from Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek into English. Their effort proves that it can be done. After 40 years of working with Greek and Hebrew and teaching these languages, I know that when I give my students a photocopy of the Greek and Hebrew text as a test, they can translate very accurately into the English language. When I give them a copy of the American Standard Version, they can translate back into Hebrew and Greek more accurately than from any other version. As I visit churches, I am appalled at the wide range of versions that I find as pew Bibles and hear from the pulpit. Recently I encountered some worship leaders using paraphrased versions that edit God. Those who

Families have been often recognized as the foundation of society. Generally, families are the closest units of any society. Family members strengthen each other, help each other and defend each other. To write about the family of Christ is very needful but it is more needful for us to truly make the church the body of Christ as the family of Christ. The phrase “family of Christ or family of God” is not used directly in the King James and American Standard versions of the New Testament. However, the relationships are clearly expressed so that it is certainly Scriptural to speak of the family of God and the family of Christ. The Scripture repeatedly calls God Father. The term brethren is used many times as an address of faithful Christians. They are beloved brethren and faithful brethren. The term sister is likewise used to express the closeness of one member of Christ’s body to the rest. The entire fellowship of the church is described by the term brotherhood (1 Peter 2:17; Rom. 12:10; 1 Thess. 4:9). Hebrews 2:11-12 indicates that Christ is what some call our elder brother. “I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the congregation will I sing thy praise.” Many see in this Christ as the first brother or the elder brother. As one reads all of these Scriptures speaking of the relationship between brothers, sisters and father and elder brother one is impressed with the fact that Christ’s family is important