Changes

Dear brethren,

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I know many of you have been ill and down with various things but it is my prayer for you that you are much better and doing well.

In the last newsletter I wrote of my planned travels. Well, I still plan on doing some traveling this year, however, some of the destinations have drastically changed.

For instance, brother William Howard and I had been invited to speak on a lectureship in Australia in the Spring. We planned on speaking on the lectureship and visiting with other brethren and working there in edifying and evangelizing. (I have never been to Australia and always wanted to go and this would have been a great opportunity to be involved in the Lord’s work and fulfill one of my life’s goals.) But, brothers Howard and Charles Franks returned from Iceland in January. There they met a group of brethren (six, perhaps seven) who are in desperate need of the basic teachings of the New Testament so that they may be grounded in the faith. As a result of their initial visit and the much needed edification of the brethren, brothers Howard and Franks want to make several visits in the future in hopes to get the Lord’s body in Iceland prepared to evangelize that island nation. At this time, trips will be planned for the express purpose of evangelizing Iceland. My wife, Linda and I have been invited to go to Iceland on April 16, 2009 and help in this work. The expense of the trip will be about $3,100.00. If you would help us with this expense, it would be truly appreciated.

(By the way, the brethren in Australia understand the need in Iceland and wished us well in this good effort for our Lord.)

Also, brother Yaw Boateng and I had spoken of going to once again to Ghana, West Africa and working with the brethren there in July 2009. However, brother Boateng and I have discovered that there are many Ghanaian churches of Christ spread throughout Europe (especially in the United Kingdom) that need help in the areas of being self-propagating and self-governing. We are currently making contact with the Ghanaian brethren in Europe and are planning Gospel efforts there this year. I will keep you informed of this much-needed work as our plans solidify.

I still plan on going to Malawi in October of this year.

I do want to thank each of you who support Linda and me in our work at Truth for the World. I realize, especially in these difficult economic times, the sacrifices made by you. My salary is down $1,200.00 a month and I am earnestly seeking more funds for our work. Satan is using the downed economy as a weapon against the people of God and their work of saving lost souls. However, remember what the apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:11, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” The work of our Lord must - and will - go on. Thank you once again.

If you would like to contribute monthly to the Hill Mission Fund or to the Iceland, European- Ghanaian, or Malawi efforts, please send your checks to Truth for the World, Post Office Box 5048, Duluth, Georgia 30096-00655 and mark them Hill Mission Fund and please designate which fund you are supporting.

May our God bless you and grant you peace, happiness, and success in all of your Gospel endeavors according to His good will.

In Christ Who Saves,
Jimmie

Greetings from Georgia!

Just when I think that I couldn’t get any busier – 2009 comes along. A few of the “extras” I have done so far this year at home and office include:

• Reformatting Tracts – Since the 8-page booklet is no longer a postal requirement on our tracts, we are returning to the single-tract setup and adding graphics. I already had this format for our teachers, but with the Riso now used in Printing everything has to be in digital form so - “start from scratch” with the graphics again. I have 49 out of the 66 ready to go.
• Printing – William Howard has returned to working with our Internet so most of our printing jobs are going to the Riso via my computer now. Walking to the print room 25 times a day to feed the machine or clear paper jams is the biggest hassle with this new arrangement, but at least the materials are finding their way to the shelves. I’ve printed more than 100,000 sheets since beginning this in mid-January – so I’m getting more exercise!
• Writing – Jimmie asked me to rework a fundraiser booklet I had put together for Truth for the World so that it could be used as February’s Update. Cool!
• Studying Icelandic – I have been asked to teach ladies’ classes on the campaign to Iceland with Jimmie, William and Katrece Howard, and possibly others. I want to be able to converse at least a little with sisters who do not speak English so I got online and found a language course. My American tongue simply refuses to make some of these sounds, but I’m still trying, takk fyrir!
• Reformatting our postal newsletter – You may have noticed this one is smaller – and in color. The two-page stapled variety was a LOT of work because all of the folding had to be done by hand. By making this easier to produce we hope we can produce it a bit more frequently. And the color Riso is actually cheaper than our B & W copier.
• Updating our Blog – Jimmie has published many articles over the years so I asked him about posting some on our Hill Mission page. I had not anticipated that would entail me typing them, but for most he only has the published hardcopy. His “The Little Faithful Christian” has long been one of my favorites. Now you can go to our blog and read it.
• Clearing rooms – We finally have floors! (See our blog for photos.) But the strange thing about replacing flooring is that there can be nothing on it while the work is done. At this moment everything from our kitchen, pantry, dining and laundry rooms is still piled helter-skelter in our living room because it made more sense to finish the wall repairs and painting while these areas were empty. So, I guess that means I don’t have to cook again today!

I hope you have a wonderful March.

In Christian Love,

Linda

Before and After

Remember the flood we had last summer just days before Jimmie had his cancer surgery?

And some of the aftermath?

Well, we have FINALLY finished replacing the damaged floors and walls the water left behind.

I promised pictures, so here is a short tour.

Before the flood we had bamboo laminate in the living room. We tried hard to salvage what we could of it since the hallway was not touched,

but our previous flooring had been discontinued so we could not purchase the additional amount needed to just repair the foyer. Sadly, it all had to go.

Now we have carpet in the living room and hall, and hardwood in the foyer.

It was Jimmie's first time installing wood flooring, but he did a great job!

I must admit that carpet is softer to walk on than laminate, so I'm adjusting pretty well to the change.

The wall between the living room and kitchen was pretty ripped up, and we knew we could never mud a patch job that would look anything more than a patch job.

Then Jimmie came up with a great idea!

We replaced the wall board with paneling and a chair rail that wraps around the breakfast bar.

The rail and baseboard still has to be stained and varnished - my job - but I love it!

The kitchen was completely submerged for many hours so not only was the linoleum destroyed but also the baseboards and some of the wall board.

No wonder our grandson, Cole, called this is a messy floor!

It looks just a tad better now!






Jimmie had hoped to do most if not all of the work (other than laying the carpet) himself. But that was not possible due to the slow recovery from surgery and radiation, so we hired a contractor for a good portion of it. Still, there was plenty of work for Jimmie and me just running to Lowe's for supplies and clearing the rooms. And now, we get to move it all back!

Thank you again to everyone who helped us with prayers, cards, hugs, phone calls, and financial help during a very difficult year.

- Linda

For The Glory Of God

All that we do and everything that we are about should be for the greater glory of God. James stated, "For that ye ought to say, if the Lord will, we will live, and do this, or that" (James 4:15). Solomon said, "Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth" (Proverbs 27:1). The thought of these verses is that we should make all our plans subject to two things, namely, that the Lord wills (that it is according to His will as revealed in the Bible), and that we live to do it. "If the Lord will" should be a prerequisite to all of our plans. We should be drive by motives that seek nothing but God’s glorification. Any other motive or intent on our part cannot succeed. When we lean on our own understanding, we fail. Solomon said, "Trust in the Lord with all thing heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). God’s will, God’s way, and God’s work should be our guide each and every day.

God’s Will

God’s will is exactly what we should choose to do once we have the facts. David said, "Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God; Thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness" (Psalm 143:10). Davis was writing under inspiration and, of course, the Bible had not yet been completed. As a man in the official position of king and counselor of a great people, he was confronted with various conditions of life. At such times he needed specific instruction concerning the will of the Lord. This was given to him by the spirit of God for his infallible guidance. Today our infallible guidance comes from the spirit of the Lord through His holy word. It is only when we follow God’s word explicitly that we are doing God’s will.

God’s Way

Thee is an old saying that, "the road to perdition is paved with good intentions". That saying is true, and it is also true that the blocks of honest ignorance help to cover the pavement. Jesus taught this very thing in Matthew 15:14 when He said, "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." It is imperative that we follow God’s way and not our own for our way is the way unto death. Again, Solomon said, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Proverbs 14:12).

God’s Work

What would Christ do if He were here in our situation? He would do the work of His Father. That is exactly what we must do. In Matthew 6:10, Jesus prayed "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." God’s rule had been going on for centuries in heaven, so this prayer was to recognize that fact while praying for it to take place here on the earth. God’s will for His children on the earth is that we follow His commandments and do His work, which is the teaching of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Gospel. Therefore, when we pray "Thy will be done," we must be sure to do God’s work.

If we remember these points daily and give God His proper place in our lives, we will be counted among the wise and will inherit glory; we will glorify God and succeed. "The wise shall inherit glory; but shame shall be the promotion of fools" (Proverbs 3:35). In whatever we do, plan to do, and all that we accomplish let His will, way and work guide us. We will not go wrong! "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5,6).

- Jimmie B. Hill

The Lord's Order of Worship

I read a lot of different church bulletins from week to week and one thing they most all have in common is the order of worship. They list who is to make the announcements, who is to lead the singing, who is to do the scripture reading, those who are to do the opening and closing prayers, and those who are to serve on the Lord’s table. They are all pretty much the same and I suppose that each service is quite orderly. But sometimes I wonder how the services would go it we used the Lord’s Order of Worship. The Lord’s Order of Worship is:

"Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there

rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee;

leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way;

first be reconciled to thy brother,

and then come and offer thy gift"

(Matthew 5:23,24).

This is the Lord’s Order of Worship: "first be reconciled to thy brother."

Imagine the confusion on Sunday morning if the song leader refused to sing until he made things right with his brethren. What if those serving on the Lord’s table refused to serve the Lord’s Supper until they made things right with their neighbor? And what if the preacher said, "I cannot preach today’s sermon until I have first made things right with the elders"?

The Sunday morning worship service probably would not get underway until around four o’clock the next Sunday, but when it did it would truly be a great worship service!

What is the principle that the Lord gives us in Matthew 5:23,24? It is that the quality of the worship is determined by the quality of the worshipper. In other words, the acceptability of any act of worship is determined by the acceptability of the worshipper. The gestures of worship are meaningless unless the heart is right. Jesus also said, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

In our congregations today we have an order of worship, but do we have the Order of Worship?

May we all glorify God in our worship.

- Jimmie B. Hill

We Are To Be Wallbuilders

In the Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah we read of the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. This was done in three successive efforts, beginning in the first year of the reign of Cyrus. First, Zerubbabel and Jeshua led a band of Jews to Jerusalem and started the work to rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1,2; 3:1,2). Ezra went up to Jerusalem and restored the law by reading and explaining it to the people during the reign of Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:1-19). And Nehemiah also went up to Jerusalem to begin work on rebuilding the wall in the 20th year of Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 2:1ff).

The wall was finished in fifty-two days (Nehemiah 6:15) and the enemies of Israel were "cast down in their own eye" (v. 16. Why? Because they lost their self-confidence. They knew that this work was wrought from God (v. 15b). God today reveals Himself through the works of His people.

The rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem was not without tests and trials! The Jews faced opposition from without and from within. The Lord’s people today face the same opposition.

From without the Jews faced
RIDICULE (Nehemiah 2:19; 4:3);
HINDRANCE (Nehemiah 4:8);
FALSE ACCUSATIONS (Nehemiah 6:5-7); and
COMPROMISE (Nehemiah 6:2).

Today the church of our Lord is ridiculed and called a host of unsavory names and this by even others who claim to be Christians; is impeded in its work by the world; suffers false accusations; and is called to compromise the truth. Unfortunately, many of our brethren have given in to this opposition. They have left the work of rebuilding the wall and have come down from Jerusalem leaving the Lord and His word behind to compromise the truth on the "plain of Ono." Nehemiah was too wise to be sidetracked and stayed with the task given him by the Lord (Nehemiah 6:3). The Lord’s people must exercise that same wisdom today!

The opposition from without caused grave problems for the Jews from within.

Internally they faced
INDIFFERENCE (Nehemiah 3:5);
WORLDLINESS (Nehemiah 4:10);
COWARDICE (Nehemiah 4:11,12).

Many of those within the church today are indifferent and apathetic to the Lord, His work, and His people. They revel in worldliness wanting all that "glitters" and the Lord’s blessing at one and the same time but only to their own deceit. Cowardice is unbecoming to a child of God (Revelation 21:8).

Brethren, let us put our hands together and overcome indifference so that we all may put our "necks to the work of the Lord." Let us rid ourselves of the "rubbish" of worldliness so that we are able "to build the wall." And let us throw off the yoke of cowardice and proclaim the glory of the Lord wherever we may be.

Our Lord and Saviour withstood ridicule. He overcame the hindrances to His work. He did not let the false accusations stop him. He never, never compromised the truth. We, too, can overcome all of these outside obstacles if we will simply follow Jesus (I Peter 2:21; Philippians 4:13).

Even though an internal evil is always more dangerous and deadly than an external evil, both can be overcome.

Brethren, let us, too "finish the wall".

- Jimmie B. Hill

I Get So Tired . . .

I read an article the other day on brotherhood issues and fellowship. The author’s point was that we should not be concerned with minor issues but should only be concerned with bringing people to Christ. I get so tired of brethren who are willing to overlook what they deem “minor” sin in an effort to forgive what they consider to be “major” sin. If these so-called “minor” sins are not important, then why does God command repentance to be made by an erring brother or before the alien sinner be brought to Christ?

I get so tired of brethren who are willing to dismiss conservatism for the sake of liberalism. They point out the division over the one-cup issue, church cooperation, orphans homes and the fact that we are divided over expedient matters. They fail to point out, however, that it is not the expedients that are causing the divisions but the binding of these expedients as law. If these things were simply viewed as expedients there would be no division. Such is not the case. But then these brethren try to convince others that their liberal practices are also just matters of expediency. Instrumental music in the worship of the church is not an expedient; baptism is not an expedient; conservatism and liberalism are not expedients. God gave us the Truth. Truth is neither conservative nor liberal. It is absolute and we must walk therein to be pleasing to God. While it is true that we have certain liberties in Christ, we dare not loose where God has bound nor bind where God has loosed. To do so is sin.

I get so tired of brethren who want unity (actually mere union) at the sake of doctrine. I get so tired of brethren who constantly think of fellowship as “visiting, eating, and playing together” with the brethren. I get so tired when I hear brethren say, “God is not concerned with our perfection, as much as our direction.” I get so tired of hearing the brethren say, “Well, it may not be exactly what God wants, but I like it.”

Yes, I get so tired of these things and many more such things in our brotherhood. But then I think of my wonderful brethren who stand tall for the truth and endure this same tired feeling. I think of Paul and how tired he must have surely been being beaten and imprisoned as he stood for truth . And I think of Jesus who was certainly tired after being beaten, spat upon, mocked, ridiculed, scourged, slapped about the head, and then falling from the weight of the cross and I don’t feel so tired anymore.

I guess many have been tired through the ages. Truth has always had its foes and its champions surely grew tired. But truth will prevail so I will go on teaching and trying to get others to obey the Lord in every way. I get so tired but I know that someday there will be rest for me.

- Jimmie B. Hill

Redeeming the Time

Dear brethren:

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

A great evangelistic opportunity has been afforded my wife and me this year and it is our desire to take part in this good work (Titus 3:1).

My wife, Linda, and I have been asked to go to Reykjavik, Iceland and help work with the small group of brethren in that place.



Iceland is an island located in the North Atlantic between Greenland and Europe just below the Arctic Circle. Icelandic is the official language but English is widely spoken.

Reykjavik is the largest city on the island with a population of about 120,000 souls who are predominatly Lutheran.


This is not actually an evangelistic trip but more of one of edifying the brethren there (who know very little concerning the work and worship of the Lord’s church).

The entire church in Iceland since the US military left the island (plus Charles Franks from the Duluth congregation, third from the left).

We plan on several such trips in the future and then, after the brethren have been grounded in the Truth, schedule future evangelistic campaigns to this nation of 300,000 souls. (At this time, we are running ads for the Truth for the World Bible Correspondence Course in one of the local newspapers and have received our first student.) We plan on leaving on April 16 and working with the brethren for about two weeks. The cost for the airline tickets will be about $1,600.00 and we will need an additional $1,500.00 for food and lodging for a total of $3,100.00 for the two of us.

Since my thyroid surgery last year, this may be an ambitious undertaking. However, I feel very well and must be about "redeeming the time" (Ephesians 5:15). These brethren are eager to know the Truth of the New Testament and we are eager to teach them. We are asking interested and faithful congregations and/or individuals to contribute $300-$500 to this effort. If you can help us to defray these costs, please send your contributions to Truth for the World, Post Office Box 5048, Duluth, Georgia 30096-0065 and mark them Hill Mission Fund - Overseas Trips.

Thank you for your prayerful consideration. If you have questions concerning our work, please contact us at one of the avenues listed above. A full report will be sent to those who contribute to this effort. May our God bless you richly and grant you peace, success, and happiness in all of your Gospel endeavors as you strive to serve Him.

"Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity" (Ephesians 6:24).

In Christ Who Saves,
Jimmie B. Hill

Jimmie's Articles

Jimmie has written and had published a number of articles over the past 25+ years that he has been preaching, so I recently asked him to post some to our blog. I didn't know that would mean me typing them from the hard copy saved in a filing cabinet, but for his early stuff that is the only form he had. How on earth did we manage in the years before computers?

I hope to post many more over the next few weeks.

- Linda

Sweeping It Under The Rug

About three thousand years ago Koheleth wrote, "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil" (Ecclesiastes 8:11). What a sad, depressing, and discouraging commentary on the attitude of man toward sin. History records thousands of instances where justice has been defeated and even humiliated by prolonging the punishment of the evil doer. When the guilt of one has been proven beyond doubt, he should be punished straightway. The lag in retribution is the secret of many of the follies and faults within the world today.

This same sad commentary can also be read in the church of our Lord. In many congregations sins are just "swept under the run" and, although they are never completely forgotten, they are ignored. This action is preferred over doing it the Lord’s way (II Thessalonians 3:6) and allows the congregation to wear the facade of peace, love, happiness, and contentment. It lulls the brethren into a false sense of peace and security.

If evil, like a raging fire, would scorch us all at once, we would take more care in doing the Lord’s will in such matters. However, when issues are hidden by time – "swept under the rug" – our willingness to do the Lord’s will becomes more lax and we begin to get comfortable in sin and many more problems arise ("a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump"). Sins that are not dealt with swiftly will have consequences that may be beyond our immediate vision but will cause trouble just the same. Simply "swept under the rug" they will leave "lumps" that will be stumbled over time and time again.

The apparent success of the sinner should not discourage others from doing that which is right. His false pride and arrogance, combined with other forms of wickedness in his life, are grievous to the Lord and motivates him to falsely accuse the faithful whom he regards as his enemies. This is purely a cowardice method used to deal with that which he cannot meet otherwise. David wrote such a one:

"His ways are always grievous; thy judgements are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. He hat said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be an adversity. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity" (Psalm 10:5-7).

Isaiah stated, "Let favour be shewed to the wicked yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord" (Isaiah 26:10). Favor shown to the wicked will be unappreciated and will not improve his conduct but will only make it worse. And even though he may be surrounded by the goodness of the faithful, he will continue in his unjust life, in his unholy ways, and in his disrespect for God and His faithful children.

Brethren, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise" (II Peter 3:9). The wicked man will finally receive his reward as well as all who aid and abet him. Those who fear the Lord (and not the anger of the sinner) will receive favor from the Lord. Shall we obey the Lord or continue "sweeping it under the rug?"

- Jimmie B. Hill

The Little Faithful Christian

One evening the little faithful Christian was teaching other church members a lesson on visitation. He took his lesson from Matthew 25:34-46. During the lesson, many church members gave him hearty "Amens!" for truths that he pointed out from God’s Word. At the close of an excellent lesson, the little faithful Christian asked the other church members several questions.

"Who will help me feed the hungry and quench the thirst of the thirsty?" he asked. "Not us!" replied the other church members. "We have too many fellowship meals to plan." So the little faithful Christian took it upon himself.

"Who will help me to house the homeless?" said the little faithful Christian. "Not us!" said the other church members. "We’re expecting guests from out of town." So the little faithful Christian opened up his home to the homeless.

"Who’ll help me clothe the naked?" the little faithful Christian asked reluctantly. "Not us!" cried the other church members. "We’ve got to buy new Easter outfits and you know how tight money is." And so the little faithful Christian took his own money and bought and gathered clothing and gave to those in need.

And finally the little faithful Christian asked, "Who’ll visit the sick, the fatherless, and those in prison?" And the other church members said, "Not us! We’re going on vacation for a much needed rest." And so the little faithful Christian visited as many as he possibly could.

Not too long after the little faithful Christian presented this lesson, the Lord returned. He asked, "Who’ll go with me to heaven?" and all the church members said in unison, "We will! We will!" But the Lord said, "Depart from me, ye cursed. To him that knew to do good, and did it not, to him it is sin. You were to be doers of the word and not hearers only, and inasmuch as ye did nothing for the poor and less fortunate, ye did nothing for me. Depart into everlasting fire." But to the little faithful Christian the Lord said, "Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

What is the moral of this story? Well, you figure it out.

- Jimmie B. Hill

February Report

Dear Christian Friend,

January was chock-a-block full, as our Aussie friends like to say. A sampling of the good things that happened include:

• After months of printing woes our new print/copier finally started conversing with our computers and producing desperately needed BCC booklets and Gospel tracts.

• Our teachers reported 48 baptisms, 29 restorations, and the establishment of 2 new congregations of the Lord’s church.

• Following a holiday slow-down our Internet visitors bounced back with 35,377 website hits from 141 nations. As usual the USA was #1 with visitors coming from all 50 states.

• William Howard and Charles Franks of the Duluth congregation traveled to Iceland for a 10-day initial survey campaign. They were able to meet with the tiny congregation there and encourage the brethren, make contact with the radio and television stations for possible broadcast of our programs, and start a series of newspaper offers for our Bible correspondence courses. Plans are already being made for a group campaign here in the Spring when temperatures will be above freezing and the sun will shine more than the 5 hours daily that they saw. Eating the traditional Icelandic Sheep’s Head Jam will remain optional.

• We heard from a new nation! The Isle of Man became #219 on our contact list. It is an island dependency of the British Crown (but not part of the United Kingdom) located in the Irish Sea between Scotland and Northern Ireland. English is the primary language. It has a population of about 80,000 souls who worship according to Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and the Society of Friends traditions, but apparently none according to the Bible. Please pray that the Lord’s church can be established here.

What a wonderful way to start a new year!

Staff of Truth for the World