March, 1968 / Volume 8 / Number 3
MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE BIOLA FELLOWSHIP
president ................
S. H SUTHERLAND
editor . . . .
AL SANDERS
production
BILL EHMANN
printing ..................
CHURCH PRESS
ON THIS MONTH’S COVER
CONTENTS
Helen Little (seated) Nava j o from Oraibi, Arizona; Prof. J. Vincent Morris, Academic Dean; Prof. Paul Eymann, Registrar; Rick Potter (seated on ground) Phoenix, Arizona; lolene Mc- Kenney, Albuquerque, N e w Mexico; Prof. Vernon Doerksen, Director of Publ i c Relations; John Wiker, Phoenix, Arizona.
W ISDOM FOR TRIALS by AI Sanders............... 3 "H O W SHALL W E ESCAPE?" by S. Franklin Logsdon ....10 FOLLOW PAUL by S. Franklin Logsdon ....12 THE IMPORTANCE OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION by AI Sanders ............. 14 PARABLES A N D PEARLS ....21 PANEL DISCUSSIONS ...... 25 BIBLE PROPHECY by Lloyd T. Anderson .....29
Second Class postage paid in La Mirada, Cal. Printed in U.S.A. by Church Press, Glendale, Calif. Address: Biola Broadcaster, 13800 Blola Ave., La Mirada, California 90638.
the b i o l a h o u r
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deed dwell within our hearts. It was John Bunyan who put it rightly when he said, “The problem of problems is to get Christianity put into prac tice.” A minister of the Gospel was asked to name his favorite Scripture por tion. His answer was quite unique. “Five words which are really not just one verse but found many places,” he explained. “This phrase has kept me through many times of adversity and trial. It is the recur ring statement in the Bible, ‘And it came to pass.’ You see, I’ve found that the difficulties confronting my life are really not there to stay, but rather they’ve just come to pass. I’m trusting God to give me the strength. Sufficient is His grace for every need.” That’s a good and practical word of exhortation and testimony. In verse one we find the human authorship f o r th r ig h tly declared, “James, a servant of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.” A servant is one who has given up all of his own personal freedom so that he might become an instru ment of usefulness in his master's hand. In the light of such a defini tion, what a beautiful word this really is! A little Sunday school boy was asked if he could define the word servant as far as our Christian re lationship is concerned. He thought a moment, and then suggested, “Well, I guess it would be one who never says ‘no’ to his Master.” The un fortunate thing is that too many of us want the Lord as our constitution al king, just so long as we can re tain the right to be the prime min ister. A slave doesn’t have to be con- 3
H aving as the topic for her Sun day school lesson Malachi 3:3, a faithful teacher was interested in the declaration about God, “He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” She felt it would be interesting to know if a metalurgist actually did sit during the refining process. Seeking one out, she was pleased to learn from him that this was exactly what the craftsman did. He explained, “I have to make c e rta in that just enough heat is used: not too much and not too little.” This she felt would make a perfect illustration of how the Lord always watches over us. As she was starting to leave, the man called her back, “Say, maybe you’d like to know how I can tell when the metal is just exactly right? This added information might prove helpful.” He continued, “As the heat is applied, and the metal becomes molten, I remove the dross. Then, when just the right amount of heat has been used, my sure check is that I am able to see my face reflected in the cauldron.” In all of our expe rience of life, we need to keep in mind that the Lord sends times of severe heating or testing not that He might destroy us, but that we might be refined and come forth as purified silver, tried in the furnace of life. In James 1 :l-5 we have the practi cal application of those truths. There was an old southern preacher who declared. “Dere am de two sides of de Gospel. Dere am de beliebe side, and dere am the behaben side.” He was right. It’s not only that we pro fess a knowledge of Jesus Christ, but also the necessity is that we live exemplary lives, giving clear evi dence that the Holy Spirit does in
entirely different. Our translation would be a positive watchword for this materialistic society. It tells us, “be satisfied.” How many people do you know who are truly contented with life? They have a car, but they want a better one. They have a home, but they want a larger one. They have a job, but they want a different one. They have a TV, but they want a colored one. They have a wife . . . but perhaps I’d better stop there. The wonderful practicality of the Gospel is not only that it brings us eternal life, but also, if we fulfill the requirements God has estab lished, complete, overwhelming satis faction and contentment will be our blessed lot. Wisdom for Trials Part II James 1 :2 begins with the term of affection, “My brethren.” This is not just a pious cliché used for an open ing remark. This is a term of sacred endearment s ig n ify in g the close bonds of Christian fellowship in love. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if in the problems of our churches, when there are misunderstandings, petty griev ances and jealousies we approached the matter in the same manner? “My brethren” ! So important is th is word of affection and strong Chris tian love that James uses it seven teen times in these five chapters. James now makes this paradoxical pronouncement, “Count it all joy when ye fall into divers tempta tions.” How can one possibly look at his trials and testings and still rejoice? Usually I have a tendency to count something joyful to escape difficulty. Sometime ago, I was in New York City on business, heading for Chicago to attend a Christian radio confer ence. All flights to the Windy City had been cancelled, however, because of a tremendous storm which had buffeted the entire area. They said
cerned about what he is going to eat, or where he is going to eat, or where he is going to live, or what kind of clothes he will have to wear. All of these things are the responsibility of his master. This is what is meant when in the sixth chapter of Mat thew our Lord exhorts His disciples, “Therefore, take no thought saying, What shall we eat? or, what shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?” (vs. 31). Two verses be yond, the familiar 33rd, we have the exhortation — promise which many of us have committed to memory, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” The unfortunate part is that while many of us want the “things,” we are not willing first to seek the kingdom of God and His righteous ness. James is addressing this letter to the twelve tribes which were scat tered abroad. Because of the Baby lonian captivity, these children of Is rael had been dispersed to the utter most parts of the earth. For every Jew in the homeland there were two scattered throughout the world. This has always been God’s method of ad vancing His cause. He scatters, that others may hear and be evangelized. The word scattered or dispersed is made up of two words, “sowing” and “through.” God was furthering His message in the known world through sowing these Jewish people in areas to which previously they never would have gone. So it has been through the centuries. The one last word of the first verse is simply, “greeting.” It was during World War II that I received a personal letter from the President of the United States. It was a famil iar form which began with the word, “Greeting.” That was anything but a happy salutation. It struck a note of uncertainty not showing what the future might hold. The word greet ing here, however, means something 4
it was the worst weather since the turn of the century and before. A dozen or more cancellations in a pe riod of three days were made. Mon day morning, news came that the storm was heading for New York. I called the airport and made ar rangements to head nonstop from Los Angeles, smog and all. After being in the air for a few hours the voice of the pilot came over the inter com, “Ladies and gentlemen, if you’ll look out the side of the airplane you’ll see the southern extremity of Chicago.” As I looked, it was an amazing blanket of white which just seemed to cover everything. Here and there we could see some black or brown spots which were evident- ally portions of houses not covered by the blizzards. I sat back in the comfortable seat, 30,000 feet up, folded my arms, relaxed, and thought, “Sanders, you’re really a smart one. Just look what you’ve escaped.” I was joyful because I’d missed the hardship below. James tells us that, as Christians, we’re not to look at the experiences of life this way. It is not proper to categorize these events that transpire into a group of things which are happy and a group which are unpleasant. Every thing which comes our way as be lievers is to be considered with joy. Even though there may be heaviness on the outside because of these test ings, there still can be joy in the heart. Over near the Rock of Gibraltar there are two ocean currents which flow in the same body of water. Yet they do not in the least disturb each other. One current from the Atlantic flows into the Mediterranean; the other from the Mediterranean flows into the Atlantic. Both currents are in the same ocean, both currents go ing in opposite directions. Even so, in the experiences of life there may be circumstances surrounding us which are not pleasant: death, sickness, fi nancial reverses, unpleasantness in
the home or neighborhood. We may not have any reason to be happy about these things. Yet in our heavi ness or sorrow our joy remains un affected for it is rooted and ground ed firmly, as a result of a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Joy is not conditioned by outward cir cumstances. The word divers is that from which we get our term diverse or of many different kinds. This symbol izes a never-ending variety of colors. What a perfect description for trials! Have you ever seen any two testings just alike? One day it may be illness, another sorrow, another persecution and on the list goes. Here is a varied hue of colors. We may not be able to comprehend all of the experiences that befall us, but they are known to God. The poet has wonderfully written, THE WEAVER My life is b'ut a weaving between my Lord and me: 1 cannot choose the colors; He work- eth steadily. Oft times He weaveth sorrow, and I, in foolish pride, Forget He sees the upper and I, the underside. Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly, Shall God unroll the canvas and ex plain the reason why, The dark threads are as needful in the Weaver’s skillful hand As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned. The word temptation in the Bible doesn’t always necessarily mean an enticement to do evil or a solicita tion to some immoral thought or deed. (In James 1:13-15 it does mean that.) Here temptations has refer ence to trials, testings, difficulties, and tribulations. All of these things are not a sign of God’s displeasure 5
refined and fitted for a higher and holier purpose. God does not put us in the heat to burn us, but rather that we might be vessels molded for His service. We are tested, and God gives us the strength and sustains us by His grace during these most diffi cult times. When we first joined the Biola staff 15 years ago, I got to know a wonderful woman who lived in a lit tle wood-frame home down in Wil mington, California. She had been bedridden for years. Disease had racked her frail body for a half cen tury. She suffered from arthritis, rheumatism, cancer, Parkinson’s dis ease and also was going blind. She could only write with an almost un intelligible scratch, and ye t her poems are among the most beautiful the church has ever had; her name, Martha Snell Nicholson. She wrote, THE THORN I stood, a mendicant for God Before His royal throne, And begged Him for one priceless gift For me to call my own. I took the gift from out His hand, But as I would depart I cried, “But, Lord, this is a thorn, And it has pierced my heart.” “This is a strange and hurtful gift Which Thou hast given me.” He said, “Hay, child, I give good gifts, And gave my best to thee.” I took it home, and though at first The cruel thorn hurt sore, As long years passed I grew at last To love it more and more. I learned He never gives a thorn Without this added grace; He takes the thorn to pin aside The veil which hides His face! —M artha S nell N icholson
whatsoever (Phil. 1:29). In times of trouble the best answer psychology has is, “be calm.” Christianity, on the other hand, has a much higher and nobler reply. We are told, “be joyful.” Wisdom for Trials Part III If the Holy Spirit had caused James to stop with the writing of verse two, we might find ourselves wondering. We could take trials, en deavoring to rejoice, but we would also want to know, “Why?” In the next verse, the Apostle says, “Know ing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (Jas. 1:3). When hardships come we need to have some comprehension about the reason for them. Up in a nursing home in Albany, Oregon, there is a faithful member of our Biola Fellowship. For more than 30 years, he’s been completely paralyzed from the neck down. He cannot move any part of his body except his mouth and head. He has had to be fed and cared for as though he were a baby. Yet, when we visited his bedside, with glistening tears in his eyes, he testified, “You know, I wasn’t a Christian when this hap pened. And if this is what God had to do to bring me to Christ, I’m glad He did it.” He knew God’s plan for his life. What a lesson that taught me! How easy it is to begin feeling sorry for ourselves thinking that we have the most difficult lot of anyone else. All we have to do is to remem ber the many, many others who are so much less fortunate. The word “faith” represents that settled conviction we have in the fin ished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. When trials come, and they will, our faith will be tested to the “nth” degree. Do you want to be effective and useful for Him ? Then you’ll need to be willing to go through the fires of testing that you may come forth 6
stones help them to keep their feet solidly upon the river bed, getting to the other side safely. What a picture this is of our lives! Sometimes the Lord gives us a weight, perhaps some physical affliction. This is not to hurt us, but rather that we might place our feet more solidly upon Him, the Rock of Ages. In this way we can go through the streams of life which are so often swollen. Wisdom for Trials Part IV What about this matter of per fection? Whenever the word perfect is used in the Bible in reference to God, it is in the absolute sense. The Lord is perfect. In Him there is no darkness, no sin, no lack of love whatsoever. Keep in -mind, however, whenever perfect is used in connec tion with man, as it is here, it is only in a relative sense. The mean ing by translation is spiritual ma turity or growth in grace. There is no such doctrine in the Bible as sin less perfection. We are told, “Let patience have her maturing work that you may be growing in spirit ual stature, and not lacking any thing..” A similar statement is found by Paul in Philippians 1:6. The trouble is that while some people have accepted the Saviour, they’ve never gone beyond that point. Christianity seemed to stop right there. It reminds us of the little boy who fell out of bed one night. His mother, hearing the thud, rushed into the room to ask, “Son, what happened?” Sleepily, the lad tried to figure it out and came up with the amusing explanation, “Well, I guess I went to sleep too close to the place where I got in.” Spiritually speak ing, there are far too many Chris tians like that. They haven’t gotten much beyond the point of initial sal vation. We are reminded in Scrip ture, “As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him.” 7
Patience is what each of us needs, for only thereby can we mature in our Christian growth. The thing we so soon forget is that the only way we can gain patience is through trials. No doubt you’ve heard the story of the man who asked his preacher if he would mind praying for him. He felt that he desperately needed more patience in life. The minister was happy to comply and said he’d begin right then. He in toned, “Oh Lord, send this brother troubles. Give him great difficulties. Let him know the tribulations of life personally.” The prayer was quickly interrupted by the mystified Chris tian layman who, rather confused, injected, “Pastor, I didn’t ask you to pray that way. I don’t want trou ble; what I need is patience.” The wise man of God knowingly respond ed, “Yes, no doubt. But you must realize that patience can come only through trials. You see, Romans 5:3 tells us ‘We glory in tribulation, knowing that tribulation worketh pa tience.’ ” Yes, patience is standing fast and not running away. James does not stop there. Some one might well have said, “Who needs patience but a doctor?” In verse four we are exhorted, “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting noth ing.” In order to mature in Christ, to grow in the likeness of our Sav iour, we desperately need patience. This teaches us to wait on the Lord for His strength and grace. The only way to have patience is to have trials. James says patience will make you perfect. One of our missionary graduates, serving Christ over in Africa, tells how natives cross the rain-swollen rivers of areas suddenly hit by tor rential downpours. Frequently, in order to avoid being swept away by the rushing current, they will either tie stones around their waists, or carry them on their heads. In this way, crossing the river, the heavy
God wants us to progress, to move onward so that there will be nothing lacking or wanting in our spiritual growth. There are some three thou sand promises in the Word of God. All of them, however, have conditions which first of all must be met (Matt. 6:33, Psa. 37:4). Finally, if all of this is hard to understand, and it is, the Lord wants us to ask Him for wisdom to understand. God actually urges us, “Just ask Me!” (vs. 5). Unless we understand why trials confront our lives, there is a grave danger that we’ll become bitter instead of better; resentful and rebellious instead of righteous. “How is it possible to look at trials beneficially?” The Holy Spirit indwells the life of each born-again believer. “Unless there is within us that which is above us, we shall soon yield to that which is about us,” someone has said. Not too long ago I read about a town down in Texas along the Louisiana border which has the very unusual name of “Uncertain.” Think of it! One would feel a bit strange with such an address. I'm afraid there are many people who live in that very community, s p ir itu a lly speaking. They are the ones who believe their doubts and doubt their beliefs. The Word of God was penned for a vital purpose, even as the apostle wrote, “These things have I written unto you that ye may know that ye have eternal life.” We must have this as surance through comprehension of God’s will and ways. James tells us that God wants to give us this divine wisdom liberally. Frankly, without apology, I admit I need it every day. Liberally means that it is spread, or stretched out in every direction. Someone may say, “Well, why do we need to ask God for what He already knows we must have ?” Prayer is not to change God’s mind. When we come to Him, humbly as a child would come to his father, 8
it shows that we are completely and wholly dependent upon Him. He gives th is wisdom liberally. The word means too that He gives it to us singly. It shows individual con cern. God is not only interested in the Billy Grahams, the pastors, the Bible teachers, the well-known per sonalities He’s vitally interested in you, even though it may seem to you that there is1no one else on the face of the earth who cares one single bit about you. God knows and you may be sure that He is concerned. Would that such bestowal of love were as natural for us! God doesn’t start an argument as to whether we need wis dom or not. He doesn’t scare us away by questioning, “Why are you com ing to me again; what’s the reason for it” ? Not a bit of it! There is an abundant supply waiting for us to take. The Lord never scolds us for ask ing. There is not even a gentle re proach in any sense. The Bible tells us that “the Lord upbraideth not.” Experiencing trials of life as far as the world is concerned, the best theory others can advance is, “Well, you made your bed. Now you’re just going to have to lie in it.” A man told his friend that whenever he and his wife had problems, she always got historical. The other fellow was amused and corrected him, “You mean, she gets hysterical, don’t you?” The maligned husband in sisted, “Not my wife. She gets his torical. She keeps throwing up the past to me.” Well, you see, God never says, “I told you so.” The other night as I was doing some scripts, my boy across the way was at his homework. I was tired; I had risen early; it had been a hard day. Jimmy asked me a rather ele mentary question, for he’s only 11. I heard myself saying, “Why don’t you just use your own good common sense, son?” I had to apologize later. Aren’t you glad the Lord never says that? “He that spared not His own
Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” A dear saint of God who suffered with trials and illness most of her life on a bed of pain and anguish, Annie Johnson Flint, wrote these words, HE GIVETH MORE GRACE He giveth more grace when the bur dens grow greater; He sendeth more strength when the labors increase; To added affliction He addeth His mercy; To multiplied trials He multiplies peace. When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done, When we reach the end of our hoard ed resources, Our Father’s full giving is only begun. His love has no limits; His grace has no measure; His power no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
Mrs. Loreze Richardson Cleft), member of the staf of the Bioia BusinessOfice, opens gifts presentedto herby Mr. Al Sanders, vice presi dent of Public Relations for Bioia, upon news that she was selected as "Employee of the Year" by the Executive Committee of the schol. The presentation was made at Biola's An ual Staff Christmas Banquet. Food for the occasion for the past seven years has been furnishedby sup liers of the school. Seven young men who have been presidents of their high scho l student bodies are atend ing Bioia College this year amnog the 1284 students enrolled.They are as follows (front row, left to right) James Reavis, Orange,Cali fornia, Norman Thiessen, Reedley,California, Todd Lewis, La Mirada, California. (Back row, left to right) Larry Vanover,Lib y, Montana, Dr. J. RichardChase, Academic Vice President of Bioia, Allen Carden, La Mirada, California, Earl Duncan, Norwalk, California, and Steve Hovda, Phoenix,Arizona.
Dennis Hutchison of Raven a, Ohio, checks over records at the men'sdormitory deskwith Don Sappington, whose home is in San Jose. Denis is a dormitory as istant at Biota.
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O NE of the greatest questions of life is asked pointedly from Scripture, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation (Heb. 2:3?” This salvation is term ed “great” because of what it involves. It necessitated the planning and pro vision of the infinite Godhead. It called for a display of divine love and mercy, sending Jesus Christ from the highest glory of heaven to the deepest grief of earth. It is great, too, because of what it accomplishes. Those who are dead in trespasses and sins are made spir itually alive. Those who are outcast sinners are received into the eternal family of God. The Just died for the unjust that He might redeem us to God. Think of the distance, the dif ference, the deception, the disinterest and the danger which are involved. The distance between God and man had to be removed. Believers are made nigh by the blood of Christ. The difference must be changed ; thus Jesus died that we might be recon ciled to God. The deception must be dissipated, thus if the Son of God shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. The disinterest must be reversed, thus old things pass away; behold all things are made new. The danger must be relieved, thus there is therefore now no condemnation for them who are in Christ Jesus. The beloved apostle John, in his im mortal explanation of the purpose of the Holy Scriptures, forcefully af firmed that the Bible was written that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing we might have life through His name. Think of the necessity of this sal vation. Man is hopeless and helpless 10
apart from the Saviour. If men could save themselves and have assurance of eternal bliss, the Lord Jesus Christ would never have died so ig- nominiously on Calvary’s cross. But He did die. The salvation provided at so incalculable a cost is absolutely necessary in order for man to gain heaven and escape hell. It is urgent that everyone move without delay to receive God’s free gift. No one can appropriate divine redemption for us. It is entirely an individual mat ter. God is not running governments, operating commerce, industry and finance. He is calling out a people for His name. God has made salva tion available to all. It is simple enough for a child to grasp, yet suf ficiently profound to stagger the keenest intellect. The universality of redemption and its availability are beautifully sug gested by an all-inclusive invitation. God is not willing that any should perish. It is lamentable that man, in all of his need, helplessness and hopelessness, continues to re je c t God’s divine love. Salvation is avail able through the Word of God. It speaks for itself. It stands where other books fall. It shines through the darkest prison walls and glows through the densest clouds. It is the key to man’s destiny and the basis of all enduring hope. In His Word, God tells His story of love for you d!nd me. The Lord’s gift is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is purely a gift. It can be neither purchased nor earned. We are re deemed not with gold and silver, but with the precious blood of Christ. Think of the patience and longsuf- fering of the Lord! While His free offer is treated with insulting silence
or deliberate rejection, He still ex tends it in love. It will be an exceed ing sorrowful and inexcusable state in which rejectors will find them selves. There is no excuse for reject ing Christ. He is the world’s only Saviour, men’s only hope, and God’s only offer. What is your standing before God ? THE VA LLEY I have been through the valley of weeping. The valley of sorrow and pain; But the "God of all comfort" was with me, At hand to uphold and sustain. As the earth needs the clouds and the sunshine. Our souls need both sorrow and joy; So He places us oft in the furnace, The dross from the gold to destroy. When He leads through some valley of trouble, His powerful hand we can trace; For the trials and sorrows He sends us Are part of His lessons of grace. Oft we shrink from the purging and pruning. Forgetting the Husbandman knows The deeper the cutting and paring, The richer the cluster that grows. Well He knows that affliction is needed; He has a wise purpose in view, And in the dark valley He whispers, "Hereafter thou'lt know what I do." As we travel through life's shadowed valley, Fresh springs of His love ever rise; And we learn that our sorrows and losses Are blessings just sent in disguise. So we'll follow wherever He leadeth, Though pathways be dreary or bright; For we've proof that our God can give comfort. Our God can give songs ir> the night.
Caroline Ennis,who majored in musicat Biola College and whose home is in La Mirada, com pletes her time of student teaching at a scho l in the Lowell Joint Elementary District. Miss Ennisplansto be employed as a teacher in the first grade this coming semester. She plays both the organ and piano, and has worked with Campus Crusade. ChrisDavis, Biola College student, leads more than one hundred runners over the first part of a cros country course In a special Biola InvitationalMeet. Davis finished eighth as the Biola Eagles claimed second place for the day. The group is crossing the smal crek which flows through the Campus. Water is used for valuable irrlgational purposes.
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Bffoui PAUL H ow many wonderful truths have been given us by the Holy Spir it through the Apostle Paul! He ex horts us, “Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me (I Cor. 4 :16).” The thought of following a man is almost forbidding, especially in re gard to eternal matters. Yet, one may follow Paul w i t h unquestionable safety. To do so is to walk in the very center of God’s will. Paul was impressively practical. He ran to win like a well-trained athlete. He fought the fight of faith like a good soldier. He worked tirelessly as a wise mas ter-builder does. He pressed on with vigor and courage, always accredit ing divine grace as the compusive dynamic. Paul wanted to make the Christian conscious of his privilege and responsibility. As far as prayer is concerned, he not only advanced the principle; he also engaged in the practice. The need for a higher standard of godliness is constant communion with God. Take a look at the apostle in a dark, dingy jail cell. Bars could not break his spirit. Guards could not repress his soul. He required no kneeling pad, knew nothing of cleri cal intonation. His naturalness in prayer betrayed utmost confidence in God’s presence and power. To Paul faithfulness was not a slogan; it was a life. We, too, need to learn that prayer can subdue an unruly temper and a sour disposition. Prayer can give to us a definite conformity to the mind of Christ. We also need to follow Paul in his determination. Listen as he as serts, “I determined to know nothing among you save Christ and Him cru cified” ; “I press toward the mark of the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus.” This is a holy 12
resolve and a deep affection for a Pe rson . The academically-minded people of Corinth argued against the purposefulness of God. To them Paul said more about wisdom than is found in any other given portion of the New Testament. “The world by wisdom knew not God,” he insisted. Christ is the incomparable, exclu sive means to life, liberty, happiness and hope. The cross is the only way from the old to the new. What he found so satisfyingly true for him self, Paul determined to make avail able to others. We may follow Paul in his demon stration. There was an impressive symphony of characteristics which enriched the life of Paul. This par ticular word demonstration seems not to occur elsewhere in the New Testament. It means expressly a showing or a pointing out. It is used in this sense in being a beacon light to point people to Christ. This is the outward proof of the indwelling Holy Spirit. While Paul may have lacked oratorical ability and forensic elo quence (by his own admission), the demonstration of the Spirit w a s there. Paul's ministry denied diffi culties, challenged k ing s, opposed councils, and wrought miracles. It is just as available today as it was in early times. The grand old man of the early church was about to bid adieu to his fellow workers, “For now I am ready to be offered,” he solemnly an nounced, “and the time of my de parture is at hand.” What does it mean to be ready to meet the Lord? It presupposes a completed assign ment, constant obedience, and fruit for His glory. It denotes confidence that the work done can stand the test of fire. Indeed, as other transía-
tions make clear, Paul was already being offered. He bore in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Paul’s record is without equal among the many who have trod with dedication the pathway of divine calling. I t was the Lord who made his faith im movable, his influence immeasurable, and his message immortal. The be loved apostle’s life is our encourage ment and his message is our chal lenge. Proper perception, supported by a holy resolve, allows for no àl- ternate, no alternative, but to follow
Him. Then, when the last step has been taken and faith gives way to sight, when the vales of eternity scintillate in their true value, how everlastingly grateful we will be who emulated Paul’s example. .Paul says, “Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ” (I Cor. 11:1). Paul died like a soldier dying in battle with sun shine on his face. He entered unto the Lord’s presence, now in the full realization that “absent from the body” is to be “present with the Lord!”
Biolastudents recently had the op ortunity to casttheir ballots fortheir favorite in the 1968 election. The girls looking on at the left are Fran Baldwin, a senior from La Mirada, and Roberta Patrick, a junior from San Bernardino. Mr. Duane Wetzler,associateprofessor of Lan guage, Biola College, does some research on material for one of his classes. The Biola facul ty now numbers more than seventy full time, with additional instructors and teachers in volved in part time work. Students who are interested in attendingBiola should make certain their applications are in immediately to avoid being disappointed.
Dr. James 0. Henry (seated), head of the History Department of Biola College, looks over thespecial tour folder designed for the unique Biola European study program this summer. With him is Mr. Israel Carmona, member of the Biola faculty and director of "Unusual Tours, Inc." This summer there will be three tours to the major cities and countries of Europe. Those who enroll will not only enjoy Christian fellowship and travelbut also at their option, may receive as many as six unitsof collegiate academic credit through Biola Col lege. Biola will also be sponsoring six Holy Land tours for the late spring and summer. Complete descriptive brochures are available upon request.
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by Al Sanders
IMPORTANCE OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
I t was M ark T wain who said when he was graduated from high school that he was amazed at how ignorant and unlearned his father really was. However, four-years later, when he had finished college himself, he could hardly believe how much his dad had learned in such a short period of time. It’s true; education has a way of changing one’s perspective on things. Here at Biola, we are not simply interested in presenting vari ous areas of knowledge to our stu dents. Our entire emphasis is to give them that which is thoroughly reli able, education based upon God’s Word, the Bible. Scripture exhorts us to study to show ourselves approved unto God “workmen who needeth not to be ashamed.” It is a fact for our stu dents, as well as any Christian, that in order to grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, there must be a consistent method of Bible study. Some time ago an experiment was conducted in New York City. Doc tors took a baby and for a period of three months fed it nothing but ele phant’s milk. At the end of 90 days that baby weighed more than 100 pounds. Let me hurry on to ex plain, lest some of you become aghast at this atrocity; the infant happened to be a baby elephant! Growth to that extent was perfectly natural. Translating this rather mundane il lustration into our own situation, we have to remember that growth in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ can not be determined by how we feel, or by how long we’ve been Chris tians. Spiritual maturity is not even measured by the degree of our active service for the Saviour. Growth in grace is tied in directly with our knowledge of Christ. 14
Some very grave dang e rs face Christian education today. Biola—its Board, administration, faculty and staff — is exerting every means by prayer and God’s guidance to guar antee continued Christian confidence. A graduate of a well-known Chris tian college recently called me and in a shaken manner stated, “Al, I’m very much disturbed. I want young people with whom I counsel, to come to your school. I’ll tell you why.” He then proceeded to explain something of the alarming trends of worldli ness and secularism which were clearly evident in the school from which he had been graduated. As an example, he cited the fact that the college gave little indication that the institution had any Christian concept whatsoever. He indignantly report ed, “I had to go as far as page 43 in the yearbook before there was even the slightest hint that my alma mater had any Christian concept. But with Biola it was right at the front where it should be.” It is alarming to note the elements and inroads of apostasy so insidious ly appearing where one would least expect them. History does have a way of repeating itself! The warning comes, “There shall be false teach ers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift de struction.” Yale University, founded in 1701, had as its main purpose the prepara tion of spiritual leaders for a new nation. Dr. Cyrus Northrop, in his book written about the turn of the 19th century, dealt with the subject, “Two Centuries of Christian Activi ty at Yale.” We read from the pub lication, “Yale College was founded
by Christian ministers in the inter est of education, but especially reli gious education, in order that there might be an adequate supply of Christian ministers. For the first century no less than 40% of Yale’s graduates became ministers of the Gospel.” Thinking of those impres sive figures, it is hard to conceive of the fact that today Yale Univer sity, through its press, publishes books which deny the very existence of God. Lectures by professors both on the staff and those who are in vited in, show broad contempt for the things of Christ. Professor Wil liam Montague of Columbia Univer sity is quoted as boldly declaring at Yale, “Zeus and his cousin of old Judaea [that is, Jesus] never were at all except in the nightmare dreams and minds of their worshippers.” Sophia Smith was the godly wo man who, under the Lord’s leading, was led to establish Smith College for women. As to her reasons, she boldly testified, “Sensible of what the Christian religion has done for my self, and believing that all education should be for the glory of God and the good of man, I direct that the Holy Scripture be daily and syste matically read and studied in Smith College, and that all of the discipline shall be pervaded by the spirit of evangelical C h r is tia n ity .” Today, however, things there are vastly dif ferent. Professor Barnes, chairman of the History and Sociology Depart ment, shows his contempt for Chris tianity by calling for the students, as well as the entire school person nel, to surrender three things: First of all, belief in the reality and the deity of a Biblical God; second, faith in the uniqueness and divinity of Jesus Christ; and third, the belief in immortality. Fourteen years after Smith Col lege was started, Dr. Joseph Taylor was led of the Lord to establish an other women’s school known as Byrn Mawr. In a biographical report con
cerning the founder, it was written, “His was the prayer that Byrn Mawr should become, in the highest and most blessed sense, a school of Christ in which the students- should learn of Him, under the training and gra cious discipline of His Holy Spirit, the lessons of truth and love.” Today, one of the faculty members who has been on the staff for over 40. years, an eminent psychologist, Dr. Lewba, is an example of what has gone on there in liberal thinking. He actual ly wrote a book based on the erron eous premise that man is even supe rior to God. As a matter of fact, the title of the volume is “God or Man.” One of the chapters of this edition is taken up, as expressed in the dubious title, with “The Evils Done by Christianity.” Columbia University originally be gan in the mid 18th century as King’s College. Interestingly enough, in the Neiv York Gazette an ad of that tiiqe stated, “The chief thing that is aimed at in the college is to teach and engage the student to know God and Jesus Christ, and to love and serve Him in all sobriety, godli ness and righteousness of life with a perfect heart and a willing mind.” Today, unfortunately Columbia Uni versity contains one of the greatest concentrations of anti-supematural- ists that any university could possi bly muster. In past years educational leaders such as William Montague, Will Durant, and John Dewey have been on the faculty. The latter wrote, “God is the work of human nature, imagination and will.” One of the most interesting of the earliest colleges is Dartmouth, found ed by a minister, Eleazar Wheelock. His purpose was to establish a school in New England for the training of Indian converts in the gospel. A later president declared, “Dartmouth Col lege was conceived in the fervor of piety, born in the throes of a great missionary zeal, dedicated at birth to Christ, cradled the first year in 15
meeting, eat bread and wine if you like, or curds and cream and baked apples.” Professor Pratt of Williams Semi nary, obviously not conversant with true salvation, seeks this explana tion, “The supposed joy that accom panies conversion is nothing more or less than the effect of religious laugh ing gas.” Professor Augrey, former presi dent of Crozier Theological Semi nary, declares: “The way to have communion with principle [formerly known as God] is by relaxed quiet ness on a mountain side, absorption in some glorious symphony, and lit tle friendly moments w ith one’s flowers.” Here on the West Coast, Dr. Mc- Cowan of Pacific School of Religion caps such philosophies by his evalua tion that “The fundamentalist theory of the finality of the Biblical revela tion can be satisfying to no person who thinks. I cannot explain the empty tomb any more than how Santa Claus comes down the chim ney.” These are tremendous days in which we are living. Without ques tion they are days of compromise and spiritual lethargy. We as God’s children need to be active and con stantly on guard. When you think of students in schools, colleges and universities today, 'the majority of them are having a concerted attack made upon their minds by Satan. These are tomorrow’s leaders, as well as citizens of this land. We can only say, in a prayerful attitude as with the Psalmist of old, “If the founda tions be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Here at Biola we urgently need Some people practice what they preach; others, unfortunately, just practice preach ing.
revival, and stands wedded to Chris tianity until death.” Unfortunately, this prophecy was not fulfilled. To day at Dartmouth College one is shocked to see what has taken place. Listen to this statement which ap peared in the student newspaper; “Graduate and undergraduate alike take pride in the freedom of thought that is permitted here. On the reli gious question, it is only to be ex pected that Dartmouth shows a large percentage of atheists and agnostics. Dartmouth is proud of her disbeliev ers.” The thing which makes all of this so tragic is the fact that the Lord’s people through the years invested their savings in these schools, believ ing that they would remain faithful to God and the Bible. Really, it is morally dishonest and sinfully wicked for leaders to change these impor tant philosophies in deliberate direc tions away from the faith. Perhaps it is even sadder to con template that what is true of the colleges and universities of our land is unfortunately also true of our seminaries. Originally e s tab lish ed and based upon the Word of God, many of them seemingly have become drunken with the foolishness of man, which is what God calls wisdom with eternal values left out. Worshipping at the shrine of intellectualism, they have turned aside from the God of the Bible. Dr. Nixon of Colgate Rochester Divinity School has declared, “We shall hardly bandy words about the finality of Christ. The field is open at any time to mean more to men than Jesus has meant. He was a hu man being, a child of his people, and times. One might just as well speak of the wool of the lamb as of the blood of the lamb.” Professor Theodore Parker com mented, “The Lord’s Supper is a heathenish rite and means very lit tle. Cast away the elements! Let all who will come together and have a 16
your prayers. In every area we want to stand on guard, making certain that such unfortunate days do not befall this school of the faith. We feel very strongly about borrowing money from the federal government. We cannot help but believe, and court cases are now beginning to point this up, that gifts of government money some day will mean govern ment control. Some have reasoned, “After all, if the government’s go ing to give out money, we may as well be there to grab our chunk.” Seemingly very few Christian col leges have the same convictions as ours; however, every one has to an swer to God for his own decisions. It is clearly evident, however, that it is the government’s intentions that any school which receives such money must not dictate as to whether or not the students who attend are Christians, what they believe when they come, what they believe when they leave, what the faculty members believe, or what they teach. In other words, there must be complete aca demic freedom. We trust that by God’s grace we shall never come to that place. The moment we do, this school will be no different from secu lar schools. Biola must stand out as a lighthouse in learning, dedicated thoroughly to Christ. The basis of Christian education for Biola is to prepare these young people, all of whom have made a pro fession of faith, for a world in dire spiritual need. We must instill in their lives a holy purpose for living. There is no stronger philosophy for such spiritual education than that found in II Timothy 2:2. The Apos tle Paul, writing under the inspira tion of the Holy Spirit, declares, It doesn't take much of a man to be a Christian, but it does take all there is of him.
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also.” This is a wonderful motto and watchword for Biola, especially dur ing this 60th anniversary commemo ration. First of all, Paul urges that the material used for instructional pur poses should be based on those things which we have heard “among many witnesses.” This can be translated, “along with many witnesses.” The Apostle is actually talking about the entire broad expanse of Scripture. He is pointing out that the spiritual truths we are to teach have been given to us in the Word of God. Writing to the Galatian believers, he strongly warns them of those who might seek to bring in other ideas. He vehemently declared, “Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” Our business is to teach these Biola young people the Word of God without fear or equivocation. We,believe th a t the Bible is the Word of God, not just that it contains the Word of God. Comments by the president of a cer tain Christian school stated recently: “We are now in the process of re thinking some of the various tenets of our faith.” Then he began to list such things as the inerrancy of Scripture. He mentioned demytholo- gizing the book of Genesis, the two Isaiahs theory, the late-dating of the book of Daniel, and other such mod ernistic principles which are being studied. He also discussed whether or not we should rethink the virgin birth, the vicarious atonement, the bodily resurrection, and the pre-mil- lennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Again, we want to go on record here at Biola, assuring you that we are not in the least bit in terested in re-thinking any of these cardinal doctrines. Our position, as 17
I was seated between two people. I had the opportunity of witnessing to both of them, presenting God’s plan of salvation.” I was thrilled to see her so excited. Actually, what she had done was to follow God’s chain- reaction of evangelism: one student witnessing to two people seeking to lead them to Jesus Christ so that they in turn could go out and lead still others to Him. This is exactly the type of ministry in which we are interested here at Biola. Next the Apostle says, “The things that thou hast heard of me among (or along with) many witnesses the same commit thou to faithful men.” This is a generic term symbolizing both men and women. "Faithful men” indicates those who have a sense of responsibility to the Gospel call. Here at Biola it is our consis tent purpose to take only those who have been born again, who have made this open profession of faith. Biola is not a reformatory. We have one calling which God has given and that is to prepare Christian leaders for a world in dire spiritual need. We are not interested in taking young people who have only a pass ing concern for the things of Jesus Christ. The time is far too short and the needs are far too great to spend time in that direction. If a young person merely wants to have an education with a Christian at mosphere, there are a number of good schools from which he can select. We want to take young men and women who are interested not only in a Christian education but also in one which is wholly based upon God’s Word and one which will prepare them to meet the spiritual needs of men and women in all walks of life around the world. For instance, every student who attends Biola has a specific Christian service assignment. This means that every year in a different kind of work he will put into practice those things gained in the classroom. This
we instruct these young people, is rather to reaffirm these truths, all down the line. This Scripture says th a t these things which we have heard among, or along with, many witnesses, we are “to commit to faithful men.” This is God’s chain-reaction of salvation. It is always His program for evan gelism. The way it works is that eter nal life flows from His heart to my heart to your heart to the hearts of your neighbors and ultimately around the world. I very strongly believe in Christian radio. There is no other way to reach the masses so effectively and yet so inexpensively than through b ro ad ca sting . Yet Christian radio is never to take the place of the purpose each one of us must fulfill. It is in the committing of the sacred truths we have learned from God’s Word into the hands and hearts of others. It is our own per sonal responsibility. Scripture tells us, “the same com mit thou.” “Commit” simply refers to a deposit. When you go to the bank to deposit something, you do so for several reasons. First of all, you are assured of security. Second, you do it for convenience. And third, you have in mind the interest you will receive. The exact same things are true as we commit these fundamen tal precepts to faithful men. Some weeks ago, I was on a flight to an area several hundred miles from Los Angeles where I was to speak. As I got off the plane, a young lady stopped me at the ramp and asked, “Aren’t you A1 Sanders from Biola?” When I told her I was, she said enthusiastically, “ Well, you know, I’m a student there. Do you know, on the way home for vacation 18 The unbridled mind soon runs away from the soul.
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