Exciting Find

The newspaper articles of W.H. Wood announcing his candidacy for Constable and his withdrawal from the race.

The Taylorsville Signal

April 9, 1931

W.H. Wood for Constable

Beat Two

            For some time the many friends of W.H. Wood of Rt. 1 have been urging him to become a candidate for Constable of Taylorsville Precinct, Beat 2.  That gentleman has at least decided to accordingly his formal announcement to that effect may be found in the regular announcement column of this issue of the Signal. 

            Mr. Wood having been a resident of this precinct for several years needs no introduction to the voters of this justice district.  He is a sober, honest, hard-working farmer, possessed of every qualification necessary to make him an ideal executive officer of the Justice Court.

            Mr. Wood has always had a good record as a law abiding citizen.  He is a successful farmer and licensed Baptist preacher.  29 year old has been deacon of the Fellowship Baptist Church for several years.  He is qualified both mentally and physically to look after the duties of the office of Constable. 

            It is his purpose to see each voter in person before the primaries, but in the meantime he covets any investigation of his life and character that the public may choose to make.  His candidacy is with the voters for their consideration. 

            He has issued the following card:

To the Voters of Beat Two:

            I take this method of announcing myself as a candidate for Constable for Beat 2.  I have never before asked for any public office.  I have lived in Beat 2 for the past seven years.  It has always been my desire to be of some service to my county and I believe I can fill this office without fear or favor.  I ask your careful investigation of my record as a private citizen and if found worthy of your consideration I shall honor your support by rendering four years of faithful service.  I think if there has ever been a time in the history of our country that we need officers that will rebel against vice and crime it is now and if elected I will make our country a better place in which to live.

            I will make the race fair and impartial holding no prejudice towards my opponent.  I will not forsake the friendship of my fellowman for an office.  I had rather come back defected honestly than to have the office unjust and I will make no effort to win votes that way.  I hope to see every voter before the August primary and present my claim personally. 

            Your vote and influence will be solicited. 

W.H. Wood

Withdrawal from the race:

The Taylorsville Signal

July 16, 1931

To the Voters of Beat 2:

I want to say that some time ago I entered the race for Constable not knowing my future by any means.  I wanted to make Beat 2 an officer if elected that would enforce the laws and make our country a better place in which to live, but I find that God must have first place in the hearts and lives of Christian people.  I have been a licensed Baptist preacher for several years, but very little preaching have I done, being handicapped without a college education.  I have found no opportunity in this great work.  I have been praying and waiting for the opportunity to arrive in which I might enter my studies for the ministry, but little did I know that the time was so near at hand when I entered the race for Constable.  I have made plans and secured a place in Clarke College and will enter this fall if the Lord be willing, therefore I am withdrawing from this race to enter my school work.  I hope no one will be disappointed and I am asking that you choose will in electing your next crop of officers.

Sincerely Your Friend,

W.H. Wood

Ordination

Ordination

Prepared for Estes’ ordination at Brandon Baptist Church on August 19, 1945

By W.H. Wood

The spirit of ministration will always find many opportunities open to it.  The state of mind of a minister should be to – fear God – reverence, honor and respect Him as the God of heaven.

The new enterprise should be undertaken in the spirit of prayerful dependence and self-consecration.  His message should be to proclaim the truth under the supervision of the Holy Spirit.  His purpose should be to avoid iniquity such as all types of unrighteousness, wickedness, evil, injustice, and crime. 

Ordination is an act of brotherhood and recognition of spiritual gifts essential to the ministry.  We believe that according to the scripture your habit should be walking with God.  We also believe that according to the voice of scripture your greatest work will be turning men to God.

Divine grace unites with human judgment and effort.  Teaching the law of God in accordance to the divine grace extended you will be your greatest duty.  Acting as God’s messenger is your commission.

Paul admonished young Timothy to study. 

You must study to show yourself to the world. 

You must study to show yourself approved unto God. 

You must study to be a successful workman.

You must study that you may not be ashamed. 

You must study that you may be able to rightly divide the word of truth. 

You have the message – the green light is on – go forward, hand-in-hand with God and fear no danger so long as you cooperate with God. 

"My covenant was with him, one of life and peace, And I gave them to him that he might fear Me; So he feared Me And was reverent before My name. The law of truth was in his mouth, And injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, And turned many away from iniquity. "For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. Malachi 2:5-7

So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Acts 14:23

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.  For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. These things command and teach. Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. 1 Timothy 4:9-16

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. As I urged you when I went into Macedonia--remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine,  nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust. 1 Timothy 1:1-11

Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Acts 2:41-42

What the Bible Teaches About Life After Death

What the Bible Teaches About Life After Death

Prepared on June 21, 1941 By W.H. Wood

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21

My message this afternoon will be on “What the Bible says about life after death.” Every normal person wants to know what the Bible teaches about life after death.  My text found in Philippians 1:21 contains four strange words, words hard to believe, seemly contradictory words, and yet true.  Comforting words for every child of God, “to die is gain”.  These words correct our false conception of death.  We have thought of death as being a loss, but it is not for the saved. 

To die is to gain what?

In death, we gain a fuller life existence. Many think death is the cessation of life, but it is not.  Death is not a terminus; it is a train, a thru train to glory or despair.  Death is not an end; it is merely an episode in the ever flowing river of life.  In Luke 16, we read about Lazarus and the rich man.  Lazarus died and lifted his eyes in Abraham’s bosom meaning Heaven.  The rich man died and found himself in conscious torment.  That souls have memory, reasoning power and other faculties of life is proven by the fact that God represented by Abraham appealed to the memory, reasoning power of the rich man.  These truths are taught in many passages among them Revelation 6:9-10 - When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"

Illustration:  Dr. Moody attending the funeral of his little granddaughter.  He said she is not dead, but lives on in another realm. 

I used to dread death because I thought it meant I would go into a casket and be buried under the cold soil for many centuries, but one day I learned the truths from the Bible and now a fear death no more. 

To die is to gain a new temple for our souls.  These bodies are vehicles of expression for our souls.  They are but tabernacles in which the inner man lives.  Death is the giving away of these earthly houses.  We love these bodies, and it is but natural that we should dread to leave them.  But…thank God, when these bodies do die, our souls are not left homeless to wander in space.  For 2 Corinthians 5:1-11 teaches clearly that God provides another house for our souls when our bodies die. 

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked.  For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.  For we walk by faith, not by sight.  We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.  Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. 2 Corinthians 5:1-11

These passages teach that when our bodies leave this tabernacle of clay, they will go to be in a sure enough house not made with hands.  I don’t know what this body will be like, but I know that it is much better than this present body as a house is better than a tabernacle.  I know it will be some vehicle fit for my soul’s new surrounding and activities. 

To die is to gain a new home in Heaven, where we are to stay when we leave these bodies and get our new temples for the soul.  The Bible answers clearly:  Absent from the body, at home with the Lord.  You remember the souls of the slain saints of Revelation 6:10, 2 Corinthians 5:1-2 says our “house not made with hands is eternal in the heavens.”  Philippians 1:23 says for the saints to depart or die is to be with Christ.  Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled, I go to prepare a place.”

Illustration:  Dr. E.J. Daniel’s father was sick and near death for 3 weeks, but got better.  They sought to make his last days happy by deciding to remodel the old home, but God wanted to give him a better home. 

To die is to gain everlasting fellowship with loved ones gone on before.  The thing that makes life happy is its fellowship with loved ones and friends.  Death is no respecter of these sacred fellowships for it separates mothers and babies.  Jesus tell us in Matthew 8:11 that we will fellowship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in Heaven.  Thus they are to retain their identity in Heaven or else we could not sit with them and know them.