Volume 43      Number 1                                                                                  September 2000

The front-page articles for Volume 43 of The Gospel Message will be written by Brother Doug Twaddell, an evangelist sent out by the 12th & Walnut Street congregation in Beloit, KS. Doug and his wife, Jill, have four fine children and he is a grandson of the late F. Wilford Landes, a previous editor of this paper. We are thankful to have this good brother writing for us, and if you have any questions or comments on any of his articles, please feel free to write to him at his home address.

“A family altar will alter a family.” The point of the preceding article is certainly worth reemphasizing. So many times our public assemblies of the church lack godly reverence and holy zeal because our daily lives lack proper worship for the Almighty God.

The Lord neither needs nor requires anything fancy, just simple humility when we approach Him in worship. He made this principle clear even under the Law of Moses.

Note Exodus 20: 24-26: “An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.”

We do not need to build anything as though God might be impressed with our workmanship. Simply giving our broken and contrite hearts to the Lord is the sacrifice He accepts!