February 1930
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
64
gave his life for Christ and for others. “He that loveth his life loseth it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. I f any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my ser vant be: if any man serve me, him will the Father honor” (John 12:25, 26). The world’s philosophy is: Get every thing possible of position, possession, prestige and popu larity. The unbeliever’s life is the inflowing life. Jesus taught and practiced the outflowing life. Men have watched and been attracted by this self-for getful, Christlike life manifested in His followers. Col onel Lawrence was practically the only Christian among a company of wild Mohammedan Arabs. On a very try ing march through the desert, one of his men was lost. His camel was with the party, but the man was not there. It was one of those days when sun and desert wind dried up lips till they cracked, and granulated eyelids. Lawrence, alone, went back seventeen miles in that desert inferno until he found the man, half dead. He revived him with some water, put him on the back of his own camel, and brought him to the line o f march. The others had said, “ Let him perish. Do not risk your life for his,” but Lawrence was a Christian. Self-forgetfulness is a mark of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. The world says,. “ Push ahead and ride over your fellow men.” But Jesus has taught us to forget ourselves in helping others. A H eavenly W itness to H is L ife Three times in the earthly life of Jesus did heaven witness for His life, service, and teaching: U At His baptism, a voice from heaven said, “ Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). 2. At His transfiguration, a voice said, “ This is my Son, my chosen: hear ye him” (Luke 9:35). 3. When Jesus was facing the cross, with the weight of the sins of men bearing down upon Him, He said, “ Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name” (John 12: 27). And a voice out of heaven said, “ I have both glori fied it, and will glorify it again” (John 12:28). God honored Jesus’ life, lived nineteen hundred years ago; He also honored Him in His death, by raising Him from the dead. He has glorified Jesus at His right hand during all these centuries. According to the testimony of the heavenly voice, God will glorify Him again when He comes in power and glory. T he D eath of J esus “ W e would see Jesus,” said the Greeks, and Jesus an swered, “ Except a grain o f wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit” (John 12:24). “ If you wish to see me,” said Jesus, “ look at the cross. I have lived the crucified life ; not the self-centered, but the self-abandoned life. My life has been centered in the will of my Father. It has been given in service for others, as my Father has directed my by His Spirit. I am now going to offer my life on the cross as an atonement for the sins of men.” A little girl sat with her father on the front seat in a church. The preacher was telling about Jesus being lifted up on Calvary, when suddenly she burst into tears. “What is the matter, dear?” her father asked. “ Oh,” she said, “ Jesus died for my sins.” How did that little child know? Because the Creator is still honoring the life and death of His Son by appealing to the hearts of men. “And / / ’ said Jesus, “ if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself” (John 12:32).
Biola Anniversary The anniversary o f the Bible Insti tute will be celebrated with special ser vices February 25 to March 2, 1930. Dr. James M. Gray, President o f the Moody Bible Institute, will be present four days. Other speakers cannot yet be announced. A special feature will be a mass meet ing o f Christian Endeavorers and other young people’s groups on Friday evening, February 28. Watch the daily papers for further announcements.
about one thousand years. Since then it has been on the decline. What about Christianity? Christ came six hundred years after Buddha and six hundred years before Moham med. Christianity has steadily increased, and is still grow ing. Jesus Christ has enough followers today to convert the whole world in three years, if each professing Chris tian would win one soul for Christ each year. It is no wonder that Lecky, the historian, said: “ The three short years of the active life of Jesus have done more to regen erate and to soften mankind than all the disquisitions of philosophers and all the exhortations of moralists.” But why this great attractiveness of the Christ ? T he P erfect L ife of J esus Why did the Greeks want to ,see Jesus ? They had cul ture, art, literature. They loved beauty, the perfection of which they saw in Jesus. His life was beautiful in its simplicity and simple in its marvelous beauty. They ad mired character, and in Jesus saw their ideal. His life was the most beautiful they had ever seen— accurate in His conceptions of life and perfect in conduct. Luke, a cultured Greek, has given us a picture of this marvelous life of Jesus Christ. Even the infidel Renan said the Gospel according to Luke is “ the most beautiful book in the world.” An unconverted Japanese statesman has said: “ The most beautiful life on the pages of history is the life of Jesus of Nazareth.” No one has ever been able to point to one thing in Jesus’ life that is unjust, or rash, or deceitful, or jealous, or mean, or small. His life on earth was a perfect exam ple for all men, in all countries, among all races, and for all time. It is no wonder that Jean Paul Richter said: “ Christ, who, being the holiest amongst the mighty, the mightiest among the holy, lifted with His pierced hand empires off their hinges, turned the stream of centuries out of its channel, and still governs the ages.” The founder of Christianity came from God, in the fulness of time, to express God in a perfect human life. J esus ’ P hilosophy of L ife Men were, and are, drawn to the teaching of Jesus Christ. He taught that God would honor a man if he
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