MARCH, 1970 / Volume 10 / Number 3
M ON TH LY PUBLICA TION O F THF BIOLA FELLOWSHIP
president .....................
Arroyo Grand# - San Luis Obispo KOAG 1280
S.H. SUTHERLAND
10:00 A.M. MTWTF
Bakersfield - Wasco KAFY
managing editor ..........
Sun.
550 4:00 A.M.
BILL EHMANN
1050 9:30 A.M. MTWTF
KWSO Burbank KBBQ
design .........................
JOHN OZMON
Sun.
1500 7:00 A.M.
Chico - Paradis# REWQ Fresno - Dinuba KRDU Lodi - Stockton KCVR Los Angeles KBBI
printing ......................
8:00 A.M. MTWTF
930
CHURCH PRESS
biota hour host ............
MTWTF MTWTF
A.M. P.M.
1130 8:30 8:30
DON RANSON
8:00 A.M. MTWTF
1570
CONTENTS CHRIST’S TEMPTATION ................ 3 Dr. Richard McNeely CHRIST’S BAPTISM ........................ 5 Dr. Richard McNeely MR. SANGUINE ................................ 7 Dr. Tim LaHaye MR. CHOLERIC .................................. 10 Dr. Tim LaHaye MR. MELANCHOLY ........................14 Dr. Tim LaHaye MR. PHLEGMATIC ..........................17 Dr. Tim LaHaye PANEL DISCUSSIONS ..................20 STUDIES IN EPHESIANS ............24 Lloyd T. Anderson
8:30 A.M. MTWTF A.M. MTWTF 9:00
107.5 (FM)
KTYM
1460
Los Angeles - Long Beach
1390 11:00 A.M. MTWTF 1390 9:30 P.M. MTWTF
RGER KGER
Modesto KTRB
Sun.
860 3:30 P.M.
Oxnard - Ventura - Santa Barbara KOXR 910 Redding - Red Bluff
8:00 A.M. MTWTF
A.M.
Sun.
ROMS San Bernardino -
1400
8:30
Riverside
RACE RFXM
1570 9:30 A.M. MTWTF
Sun.
590 7:30 A.M.
Santa Cruz RSCO
Sun. Sun.
1080 8:30 A.M.
8:30 A.M.
RSCO
99.1 (FM)
San Diego
MTWTF MTWTF
A.M. P.M.
8:00 9:30
RBBW 102.9 (FM)
Sun.
RDEO XEMO
910 4:00 P.M.
8:00 A.M. MTWTF
860
San Francisco RFAX Santa Maria RCOY
8:30 A.M. MTWTF
1100
Sun.
1440 10:30 P.M.
OREGON
Albany - Eugene KWIL Ashland - Medford KW IN Coquille - Coos Bay KWRO KWIL
790 8:00 A.M. MTWTF 790 3:00 A.M. MTWTF 580 11:10 A.M. MTWTF 7:00 A.M. Sun.
ON THIS MONTH'S COVER
630 8:30 A.M. MWF
The Biola Quartet will participate in the Family Bible Conferences this year. Pictured left to right are: Paul Davis, Keith Wells, Andrea Wallin, Dave Lee- man (pianist) and Dawn Hefty.
Portland KPDQ KPDQ
800 11:30 A.M. MTWTF 11:30 A.M. MTWTF
93.7 (FM)
WASHINGTON
Blain# - Vancouver, B.C. RARI Seattle
550 8:30 A.M. MTWTF
KTW RTW
1250 4:30 P.M. MTWTF
4:30 P.M. MTWTF 8:00 P.M. MTWTF 12:30 A.M. MTWTF
102.5 (FM)
Seattle - Tacoma RGDN Spokane RCFA Walla Walla
630 11:30 A.M. MTWTF
1330 11:30 A.M. MTWTF
Second Class postage paid in La Mirada, Calif. Printed in U.S.A. by Church Press, Glendale, Calif. Address: Biola Broadcaster, 13800 Biola Ave., La Mirada, California 90638.
RTEL Yakima RBBO
1490 8:00 A.M. MWF
1390 9:30 A.M. MTWTF Continued on Page 35
CHRIST’S TEMPTATION
by Dr. Richard McNeely Professor of Bible Biola College
T here is no one who has ever lived who has been without temptation. It is important to see how our Sav iour met the devil’s wiles as given to us in the fourth chapters of Matthew and Luke. The Lord had fasted forty days and forty nights. He was physi cally low when the evil one ap proached Him. It’s interesting to see that Mark testifies of these events, “The Spirit driveth Him into the wilderness.” The second Gospel writ er presents Christ as the obedient Son of God, the suffering Servant. Matthew says, “the Spirit led him.” Matthew, presenting the Lord as King, declares, “The Spirit led Him.” Christ was taken into the wilderness to be tested so that His person might be proven and demonstrated to be genuine. It was to show that He cannot sin. No where is it indicated in the slightest that Satan had any power against God’s Son. Christ was not a helpless victim but rather was on the offensive, forcing the devil to try his utmost in temptation. Al though He had been fasting for some days, He could not hunger, for God sustained Him both physically and spiritually (John 4:34). The first temptation was in the sphere of Christ’s humanity and His loyalty to the will of God. What a subtle temptation when Satan sug gested turning stones into bread! Eating isn’t sinful, but normal. Here was a bid for the Lord to act on His own initiative apart from God’s per fect will. If I can put it into your jargon today, it was a temptation to do His own “thing” ; it was a tempta tion that was independent of the Fa ther. Satan reveals his knowledge of the Sonship of Christ for the word if really means since. The devil knew
Jesus had certain rights and certain ly He could satisfy Himself. This shows our enemy’s ever clever lie that happiness comes from gratify ing our fleshly appetites. “Step out of God’s will,” is what Satan is coax ing. “Exercise your own rights as a Son.” Satan didn’t test the deity of Christ, he rather conceded it. But we see the Trinity there in a perfect unity. Christ quotes from Deuter onomy 8:3, pointing out that real contentment comes in submission to the Word and will of God. This is contrary to Satan’s basic philosophy that man is an independent being. Next Christ was tested in the sphere of His Messiahship. In the Holy City, He sat upon a pinnacle of the temple. This was some 450 feet high. It rose up from the great Court of the Gentiles. The devil quoted Psalm 91:11, 12, making this temptation an outgrowth of the first one. He decided very cleverly to use Christ’s trust in God as a means of tempting Him. “Just how much do you trust God?” the enemy confided. What a misconception on Satan’s pa rt! He isn’t omniscient and fortun ately doesn’t know all the thought of God. The Old Testament prophecies in dicated that Messiah would come in the clouds. So what a spectacle this would be if He lowered Himself gently from that height. Why, all the Jews would cry, “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Christ’s kingdom might come in early. Here again the Lord met the temptation by quoting the Word of God (Deut. 6:16). He testifies, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” To trust someone doesn’t mean that you have to put him to the test. 3
Our Saviour shows absolute confi dence in God. Finally, Christ is tested in the sphere of His mission. Satan showed Him all the kingdoms in the world and the glory of them. Doubtless Sa tan was making a genuine offer, for according to John 12:31, Ephesians 2:1 and other passages, he is' the Prince of this world; he has authori ty over this realm. He was willing to surrender it all to get the Lord to succumb. But there was a catch. The requirement was that Jesus worship the devil. The Lord was offered king doms without a cross of suffering. Again, the insidious thought was met by Scripture (Deut. 6:13). To re ceive the kingdoms that way would mean that Christ would have to serve Satan. Here our Lord shows His ab solute recognition of the sovereign authority of God as well as His sub mission to it. In these three tests we see Christ’s dependence upon God; His confidence in God; and His submission to God. The first test was in the flesh and Christ had victory in the physical realm. The second concerned the pride of life and He had victory in the spiritual nature. The third was the lust of the eyes, and Christ had victory in the realm of His appoint ed work and purpose. How blessed to read of Him that “He was in all points tested like as we are, yet apart from sin.” Christ was not able to sin. These tests prove that Satan could not cause Jesus Christ to sin. Since He is the sinless One, our Saviour is pre-eminently eligible to be our Saviour and our Sovereign. Of all the things you wear, your ex pression is the most important. Home is the seminary of all other institutions. A communist is a guy that borrows your pot to cook his goose. 4
La Mirada Councilman Wil Simendinger (left) and Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland look over a copy of the Blola student newspaper. The Chimes, which high lighted the recent Homecoming program. The Coun cilman and Dr. Sutherland participated in the parade activities. Dr. George Cowan, President of Wycliffe Bible Trans lators, was featured in chapel recently at Biola. He stayed on campus for several days to present the work of Wycliffe and discuss missionary en deavors with Biola students and faculty. On the right is Dr. J. Richard Chase, Biola's Academic Vice President.
by Dr. Richard McNeely Professor of Bible Biola College
CHRIST'S BAPTISM
T here are some very interesting truths to gain from the study of Christ’s baptism. While John the Baptist preached repentance, he re minded his hearers that there was One coming who would baptize His followers by the Holy Spirit and with fire. We find this account in Matthew 3:13-17. Although Jesus Christ was baptized by John, it wasn’t in the mode of John’s traditional baptism. Three kinds of baptism are given to us in the New Testament. The first is John the Baptist’s, which called for the remission of sins; the second was our Saviour’s, and the third the believer’s baptism. We note that John hesitated to baptize the Lord. Jesus wasn’t taking the place of a sinner in being baptized. The Lord had absolutely no sin in Him whatsoever (II Cor. 5:21, Heb. 4:15, I Peter 2:22). So, just because Christ was baptized by John that doesn’t mean that His baptism was the same as that received by others in Judea. Some have argued that this act inducted Christ into the office of a priest. Such could not be the case since Jesus needed no cleansing. The Lord became a priest after His resurrection and ascension. Christ was a priest not after the order of Aaron, but after the order of Mel- chizedic. There was no washing of water involved with that priesthood. There are some definite scriptural reasons given for Christ’s baptism. First of all, the act was to fulfill all righteousness. This is an Old Testa ment ritualistic term. The individ ual to whom the blood was applied was granted cleansing. In this case it was to signify that there was no
reason why Jesus Christ shouldn’t be identified with the Jewish rem nant. This declared His eligibility to fellowship within the common wealth of Israel. The baptism was to make Him known to His own people (John 1:34). In the original, the words to dip appear in baptism. It was used by those who dyed cloth. Keference was made in this case to a baptizing work. But the cloth wasn’t considered really dipped unless it took on the features of the dye into which it was placed. This is why we can say metaphorically that baptism means identification. One of the reasons Je sus was baptized was that thereby He could be identified with those who already had received John’s baptism. Christ authenticated what John had been teaching. Beyond all of this is the fact that Christ was baptized to be identified with sinners. This shows us the uni versal aspect. We, too, have been in cluded. Had we been there, we would have been among those who declared their sins, and a belief in the coming Saviour. Baptism sets the keynote to the fact that the Holy Spirit now resides in our lives, that we are a part of Christ’s body, and that we are determined to do His will and work. The Saviour came, first of all, to identify Himself with humanity. Then in relationship He identified Himself with a particular nation. This was accomplished by being born of the seed of woman and of the family of David. Being born as a man, Christ identified Himself with all who by faith have received Him 5
as Lord and Saviour. Keep in mind that we don’t follow Christ in bap tism. We could not ever do this. No mere human being could fulfill all righteousness as did our blessed Lord. The reason we are baptized is because this is part of becoming His disciples. Jesus Himself said that making disciples was our principal work and this concerns baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. The baptism of Jesus Christ was a means by which He identified Himself with us. It is tremendously important to realize that He became One with those He came to save.
One on God’s side is a majority. We can no more blame our circum stances for our character than we can our mirror for our looks. The best inheritance a parent can give his children is a few minutes of his time each day. Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.
Moody Institute of Science has designed a Mobile Missionary Unit which is being demonstrated throughout the United States at this time. Dr. Irwin Moon presented the work in a chapel service. Following the program Mr. Lyle Phillips, who with his family is traveling with the unit, answered questions and allowed students to tour the trailer. 6
by Dr. Tim LaHaye Pastor, Scott Memorial Baptist Church, San Diego
MR. SANGUINE
blood. Of course, the fluid area has long since been discarded by medical science. Hippocrates’ analysis has stood the test of time as we see that people today still fall into one of these basic temperaments. Mr. Sanguine, is a warm, bouy- ant, lively person who seems to en joy life. External impressions find their way into his heart, usually causing spontaneous outbursts. Feel ings predominate, rather than re flective thoughts, as decisions are made. When Mr. Sanguine comes into the room, he has a tendency to lift the spirits of those present. Fre quently he dominates the entire con versation with a flow of exuberant speech. Since he will be a thrilling story-teller, he makes an excellent children’s worker. Because of his emotional nature, he can relive sto ries in an exciting manner. Mr. San guine enjoys people; he doesn’t like solitude. As an out-going individ ual, Mr. Sanguine is probably a hyper-extrovert. He never seems to lose his childlike curiosity for things around him. For such a person, even the unpleasant things of life can be forgotten by a change of environ ment. Usually he awakens in a good mood, singing his way through life. The natural trait of Mr. Sanguine producing this optimistic disposition is that he has a God-given ability to live in the present. It’s a fact that the people who are happy are those who enjoy right now. This should be the capacity of Christians. It’s sad to see so many who profess to know the Lord worrying, stewing and fuming about things that may never happen. It’s no fun to be around 7
C hapter O ne I t ' s a wonderful thing to realize that when an individual receives Jesus Christ as Saviour, he is in dwelt by the Holy Spirit. There should be a notable difference. While the personality and bodily structure may remain the same, a natural man who has been converted will show signs of the supernatural. All people fall into one of four basic categories which are discussed in my book, Spirit-Controlled Tem perament. Frequently tendenc ie s from one, two and sometimes three of these natures can be seen in each of us, although one will be predomi nant. Sometimes we follow basic pat terns seen in parents or grandpar ents. In every personality there are both strengths and weaknesses. No matter who we are, and what our backgrounds may be, we need the Holy Spirit to guide and control us. Temperament is an ancient theory first pointed out by Hippocrates about 400 B.C. He suggested that the sanguine personality was domi nated by a special red blood. This made the individual active and dy namic. The color of the choleric was yellow bile which gave the name. Melancholy had a black bile. The phlegmatic had more of a thick
These messages by Dr. Tim LaHaye are based on discus sions in his book, Sp irit-Con trolled Tem peram ent.
Mr. Sanguine can also be weak- willed. He will start things which are never finished. This is a part of the flesh or our old nature. There may be a tendency to fall into sen sual sins since he’s stimulated by sight. Oh, he can weep bitter tears and remorse will characterize his re pentance. Yet, he will get up from the kneeling rail and go right out to sin again. It’s difficult for him to have strength of character. No tem perament has a greater problem with lust than does Mr. Sanguine. With today’s loose morals in every area of life, it’s not easy for him. There is a very real need for the Holy Spirit to fill his life with all the con sistency and the strength of charac ter that he must have. Sanguines have tremendous poten tial for God. As out-going, gracious, lovable people, they can help to guide others in the things of the Lord. One of the thrilling things is to see how Jesus Christ is able to come into the life of such a person. Consider the Apostle Peter who speaks before he thinks; yet look at him when the Lord is in control! He becomes an effective servant of the Most High God. This is what you, and each of us, need in our lives day by day for the glory of our Saviour. C hapter T wo T here is a wonderful change that comes into a person’s life when he receives Christ as Saviour. This is as the Bible promises, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Cor. 5:17). As you yield yourself to Him, He will give you a Christ-likeness which will show to the world the Lord’s glory. There are four basic tempera ments : sanguine, melancholy, chol eric, and phlegmatic. The first is an outgoing, happy-go-lucky sort who seems to enjoy life. The Lord Jesus
someone who’s always miserable. Jesus Christ has come to cleanse us from our past miserable mistakes and habits. This is why we need to go to the Lord for daily cleansing-. I remember a woman who got very angry with me when I told her she was worrying too much. She fired back, “Well, someone has to worry about these things, don’t they?” I smiled and suggested, “Why don’t you try committing them to God?” She didn’t like that idea because she would rather keep her life in turmoil than tranquility. Committing a mat ter to God means you can rest your case in His hands. This is such a needed word for parents concerning their children. Rather than all those anxieties about things, start redeem ing your time. Enjoy those children, instead of driving yourself on the job or something else that won’t matter one bit five years from now. Happy is that father or mother who puts the priority on his children. You’ll find that Mr. Sanguine has a way with people and people have a way with him. It’s a fact that a good salesman is usually a good cus tomer. This is characteristic of this man. He is usually very compassion ate. With his tender heart, no one responds more genuinely to the needs of others than Mr. Sanguine. By nature, he finds it easiest to obey the scriptural injunction, “Rejoice with those who do rejoice and weep with those who weep.” When properly motivated, the san guine temperament can be a dynamic influence for God. How thrilling it is to see such a Spirit-controlled in dividual! Yet, with all of these positive aser- tions, Mr. Sanguine also has some very definite weaknesses. Often his boundless energy can be turned into reckless activity. He can be very im practical and disorganized. He often satisfies his own frustration of de siring to do something without be ing certain of any lasting benefits. 8
to do something about it. Keep in mind that mere service can be just carnal works unless the individual is filled with the Spirit of God. Yes, the greatest need in the lives of God’s people today is the filling of the Holy Spirit. Humility and meekness are char acteristics of Mr. Sanguine who is guided by the Spirit. No longer a bull in the china shop, as was Peter, we find here the gentle and tender touch. Since a sanguine can often be very caustic and abrupt in his speech, when Spirit-controlled, he will seek to glorify Jesus Christ and Him crucified. A Spiritrfilled sanguine is a really lovable person who loves people and wants to help them in every way possible. We all need to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that we’ll get our eyes off of our selves and onto the needs of others, both spiritual as well as physical. Get on your knees and confess your sins to God. Then look on the whit ened harvest field, recognize the need of the lost souls for whom Christ died. Don’t fall into the pattern of feeling sorry for yourself. The min ute we start pampering ourselves, we’re disobeying God. We are sure to be most miserable. The nursing of grudges always ends in heartache and sorrow. If you’re a sanguine tempera ment, frustrated because you never seem to accomplish anything, or get anywhere, you need to confess your sins and weaknesses to the Lord, asking the Spirit of God to give you a purposeful life. By the grace of God, make it a point every day to study the Bible. Meditate on the truths you’ve read; memorize them, too. I think every Christian should master the first epistle of John. It’s able to give a tremendous spiritual life and stabilize us in our daily walk. All of us have trouble concen trating when we read the Scripture. This is why we need the Spirit of God to work within us. 9
saw tremendous potential in Peter who was a friendly, lovable type of person, yet possessing rock-like char acteristics. The secret of the victori ous Christian life, which is not the exceptional, but rather the norm, is one controlled by the Holy Spirit. Mr. Sanguine has some serious weak nesses which need to be modified by the Holy Spirit. Frequently, Mr. Sanguine may have a tendency to be very volatile, angry one moment and happy the next. Such a nature needs to be over come if we are to be useful servants of the Lord. There is a weakness of will when he doesn’t follow through or finish his jobs. Galatians 5:22-23 reminds us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long- suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” Such char acteristics supply strength for every natural weakness. The Holy Spirit provides self-control. The Christian will not be this way by nature but only through the power of God. There is a discipline that is needed in such areas as the devotional life. I knew a sanguine who really loved the Lord yet he couldn’t get into the habit of reading the Word of God every day. He realized that if he did this every day, as well as prayed, he would become a consistent, effective Christian. So he made this little rule, “No Bible, no breakfast.” He kept that challenge for spiritual growth uppermost. Following this route, he brought himself into a state of vic tory. His friends found that he sud denly had an ability to communicate truth. His temperament was being controlled by the Holy Spirit. Another weakness of the sanguine is restlessness. He can hardly sit still. He wants to go about doing good deeds. By the way, if you find yourself indulging in too much self contemplation, start being concerned for others. Happy is the one who sees the need of this troubled old world and gives himself to Jesus Christ
by Dr. Tim LaHaye Pastor, Scott Memorial Baptist Church, San Diego
MR. CHOLERIC
There are four basic characteristics about Mr. Choleric. He has a strong will power, being in continual mo tion to finish his job. He is usually self-disciplined. Second, he’s practi cal ; life has to have utilitarian values. If you happen to be a wife mar ried to one who has a choleric tem perament, one of the hardest things in the world is to get him to enjoy music. Yet, he’s practical enough to know that taking his wife to musical occasions makes her happier and easier to live with so he’ll go along with it. I must confess that I have this nature myself. I can remember preparing for a series of messages on Revelation. I finally succumbed to the need of taking my wife to the Boston Philharmonic Symphony Or chestra. I’ll never forget it — all those violins, brass, drums and cym bals. Looking at my lovely wife next to me, I saw her enraptured. She’s of a different temperament, enjoying the fine arts. Usually we find that opposites attract each other. On this occasion I wanted earplugs; the racket was deafening. I took the pro gram and used the back of it to make a number of notes concerning the study I’d been doing. Before the concert was over, I’d diagrammed the entire Tribulation period. Maybe it was because the concert made me feel I was in the midst of the Tribu lation, I’m not sure. This third characteristic of a choleric temperament is the fact that usually he’s a born leader. It’s easier to make a choleric into a leader than any other temperament. He’s the one who volunteers and picks up the pieces.
C hapter O ne H uman temperament is fascinat ing to study. This is the raw ma terial from which we’ve been created. It’s made up of the traits we inherit ed at birth. These are modified some what by our upbringing, education, and most of all, motivation. By that I mean the indwelling force of the Holy Spirit. In our first study we considered the person who was san guine. The second is described as choleric. Most people will have a lit tle of several temperaments although one will generally predominate. The choleric is also an extrovert like the sanguine, although, not quite as volatile. The thing that dominates him is his strong will power. He is usually very self-sufficient and inde pendent. He tends to be decisive and opinionated. Mr. Choleric thrives on activity. He doesn’t need to be stimu lated by his environment. He has endless ideas, plans and ambitions. He possesses a practical, keen mind, capable of making good, instant de cisions or planning worthwhile, long- range projects. He doesn’t vacillate under the pressure of what other people may think. He’s prone to be a crusader, often thriving under op position. Mr. Choleric is among the most successful of human beings. This isn’t because he is smarter than others. But he’s practical and fol lows through. When other people give up on their dreams, he’s still churning and carrying through. Did you know that the successful sales man is only about 16 to 17 percent better than the mediocre salesman? Successful people just go a little furtheT. Many are the failures of a life which quit too soon. 10
Lastly, Mr. Choleric is an opti mist. He doesn’t see problems, but goes after the solutions with a posi tive zeal. He can inspire other peo ple to work through his enthusiasm. He has an indefatigable concept that things will all work out. This kind of person makes great contributions to society. They’re productive in whatever field they may enter. If you happen to be a choleric- dominated man or woman, remember the weaknesses which are also ap parent. Just as every human being has strengths, he also has weak nesses. That’s why it’s so thrilling to see a person come to know Jesus Christ. He is thereby strengthened in the areas of his weakness. We all have besetting sins. It’s very dan gerous to judge another Christian in anything that’s not covered in the Word of God. It’s easy for me to have victory over certain sins be cause of my temperament. But I have my own areas of weakness as does every human being. Mr. Sanguine has besetting sins of sensuality, ly ing and deceit. Mr. Choleric can be an angry, hot-tempered individual, knowing bitterness and discontent ment. Another weakness of the chol eric temperament is that he’s prone to be cruel and even ruthless. Get in his way and he’ll run right over you. To him, things, not people, count. Such a person may lack a real love and concern, and often have a cruel tongue. No one can slash an other verbally like a choleric. It’s difficult for him to apologize, or more important, to go to the Lord con fessing his sinfulness. Mr. Choleric will often be prone to impetuosity. He leaps into things through his self-sufficiency. I’ve of ten said that if a choleric-tempera ment person isn’t led to Jesus Christ by the time he’s 12, he may never make this decision. The affairs of life become too complex. If this is your nature, may I earnestly sug gest that you immediately turn your
life over to the Saviour completely? Let Him rule and reign in your heart! C hapter T wo S o predictable is the power of the Spirit of God that we can expect Him to work a real miracle in the life of each person who comes to Jesus Christ by faith. While the in dividual may not be as different as we would like to see, yet the conver sion will be evident if it is genuine. God wants to make us new creatures so that we can be of use in the plan and purpose He has ordained. Each of us needs to be conformed to the image of His Son. In our natural makeup there are certain things, such as our tempera ment, which can be very useful to the Lord when channeled in His will. But make no mistake, that basic temperament needs to be changed. Our strengths must be directed by the Holy Spirit. Weaknesses can be modified and overcome. I believe that the Apostle Paul is a good example of the choleric tem perament. There is a strong tenden cy to be self-sufficient, impetuous, and hot-tempered. That can cause a lot of difficulties. Such a person needs to overcome his weaknesses by the Spirit of God or else he will be enslaved forever by the habit pat tern. Mr. Choleric, when he’s con verted, has a tendency to enjoy working for God. His problem is working under the controlling influ ence of the Spirit. He would rather “run the show.” What happens to him though when the Holy Spirit is doing the directing? He becomes a consistent, gracious, understanding, even compassionate individual. What a miraculous change can be wrought if only he’ll be willing! This isn’t a complex thing although it’s often a long procedure to see it fully con summated. The Bible exhorts us to “walk in the Spirit.” We are com manded to be “filled with the Spir i t
and of Scandinavian background. The fellow had a beautiful daughter who just idolized him. She went to a Christian college where they select ed one student each year for her beauty. This girl won, and when she got home, wanting her father to commend her, she put the school an nual in front of him. He in turn was very cold and indifferent. He hur riedly looked through the pages. When he came to the magnificent picture of his own daughter in full color, he passed along without one word of comment. While this man had provided his daughter with all the necessities as well as a lot of the luxuries of life, yet she died a thousand deaths that day because Dad didn’t say, “Honey, this is beau tiful! I’m thrilled for you; what an honor!” There was no approval. The one thing she wanted more than any thing else he failed to give. Chil dren need and should have our love and approval each day. How we love the approval of God in our lives as well as the approval of our fellow men! If it’s true with us, all the more so with those about us whom we love. Do you know, I’ve found some of the hardest people to deal with spiritually are those who have had choleric fathers. The reason is they’ve transferred a concept of God from their human parent. Conse quently they think of God as a stern, angry, disinterested ta sk -m a s te r . They see Him as never satisfied with our good but only displeased with our evil. In Scripture our God is re flected by the Lord Jesus Himself as a concerned and compassionate Heavenly Father who loved us so much that He gave His only begot ten Son to die for us. We find an excellent picture of this in the Prodigal Son. When the boy came back, his father literally ran to meet him. The lad was kissed and welcomed back. That’s a picture of God’s love for sinful, fallen mankind. Faith and self-control are two
it.” As we allow these processes to take place over our lives, we will be characterized by the nine fruits of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22ff. Frequently we observe that Mr. Choleric needs more love. Such a person would rather show his love for his wife and family by taking an extra job, bringing home more money. He can’t understand a lack of appreciation for such love. While not often kind by nature, when filled by the Spirit of God, Mr. Choleric has a real love exemplified in his life, and he’s also joyful. Joy is really a response to the indwelling Spirit of God regardless what your tempera ment may be. I remember a certain preacher who was choleric by nature. The peo ple of the church loved him for he was a very dynamic young leader. They wanted to work under him al though no one could really keep up with him. One of his board lovingly said, “Pastor, can’t we take a rest for a while? We’ve been going at this project so hard and long, every one is worn out. You have to remem ber that ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day.’ ” The exuberant, fire-eating leader flashed back, “Yes, but don’t forget I wasn’t foreman on that crew.” This is often one of the atti tudes of the choleric temperament. He wants to run things and be the dominant figure. What a miraculous transformation takes place when he’s filled with the Spirit of God! We find him more gentle, more peaceful, more joyful, and more loving. As a counselor and a pastor, I’m totally unimpressed with the way choleric men treat their wives, oft- times pretending to be spiritual. Any time a man is so self-sufficient and independent that he isn’t even polite to his wife, he’s very unwise. If this is true with you, ask the Spirit of God to give you gentleness. Your wife and children need it. I had a friend who was choleric
12
very strong natural characteristics of the choleric. Unfortunately that faith is usually in himself instead of in the Lord. We have a tendency to compartmentalize our thoughts. Those things we can handle we do for ourselves. Those things on which we feel we need help then we seek for God’s guidance. It isn’t a matter of God helping us to serve Him but rather God using us to serve Him. The reason Paul became such an outstanding Christian is because he took that angry, bitter, choleric tem perament, filled with threatenings and slaughter against the early church, and yielded it all to God. Do you remember the prayer recorded from the lips of Paul when he called upon the name of the Lord? He simply asked, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” From that day on God controlled him. Even after some people become Christians, they still want to control themselves. The Sav iour set the pattern as He declared, “I am come to do the will of Him who sent Me.” We must yield our selves to God. The wisest thing I ever did was to give myself to God. That’s the greatest investment any one can make. Paul had been on the select council of Israel and knew that when he accepted Jesus of Nazareth, he would lose his status. He would be disgraced and never welcomed back to Jerusalem. Almost 2000 years have passed and who knows the names of any of the other 69 men on that council? His deci sion made him known beyond all oth ers. He gave his life away only to find it more abundantly in Christ. You do the same, experiencing the filling of the Holy Spirit and the promised fruit that will make you a vital and vibrant testimony for Christ.
The recent Torrey Memorial Bible Conference al lowed many Biola students to talk personally with the speakers. Meeting various students are Dr. Dick Hillis (bottom) of Overseas Crusades, Dr. Richard Strauss (middle), Philadelphia pastor, and Mr. Bob Harrison (top) of Overseas Crusades. Mr. Harrison was soloist for the conference. 13
The most important thing in prayer is not what we say to God, but what God says to us.
by Dr. Tim LaHaye Pastor, Scott Memorial- Baptist Church, San Diego
MR. MELANCHOLY
such as Moses, Elijah, Solomon, the Apostle John and many others. Mr. Melancholy has more classi fied strengths than any of the other temperaments. If he will only walk in the Spirit of God, he can be a tremendously productive individual for the Lord. As a perfectionist, his standard of excellence is above his fellows. His requirements of accepta bility in any field are often higher than either he or any one else can attain. This leaves him too much introspection as he relives events and decisions, wishing for one more opportunity. Mr. Melancholy often appears to be against things when in reality he’s just analytical. If such a person will only learn how to walk in the Spirit, these strengths can be channeled into wonderful service for Christ. In addition to his faithfulness, Mr. Melancholy is very self-sacrificing, giving generously of himself. But this kind of temperament also has some very serious weaknesses, the first of which is the fact that he’s prone to be self-centered. There is an excellent volume on this subject, Temperament in the Christian Faith, by Dr. 0. Halesby. In one section, he describes the melancholy as be ing “surely more self-centered than any of the other temperaments. He is inclined to that kind of self- examination and self-contemplation which paralyzes his will and his energy. He’s always dissecting him self and his own mental condition, taking off layer after layer as an onion is peeled, until there is noth ing left.” This self-examination is not only unfortunate, but also down right harmful. E v e r y t h i n g that
C hapter O ne W hen the H oly S pirit of God with His supernatural power comes to live within you, there is bound to be a marked difference. He desires to strengthen you in every area of life. Dr. Henry Brandt says, “You can use your background as an excuse for present behavior only until you become a Christian. After that, it’s no longer a valid excuse. You now have a new source of pow er, making it possible for you to live a new life in Christ.” Mr. Melan choly is the first of two introvert- ish temperament types. He is very gifted and brilliant. He has a ten dency to be like Moses, a genius- prone individual. Hippocrates called him “the black or dark tempera ment.” He’s very analytical, self- sacrificing, and a perfectionist type. He has a very sensitive emotional nature. No one gets more enjoyment from the fine arts than Mr. Melan choly. He’s given to a variety of moods. Sometimes his moods lift him to heights of ecstacy. Other times he’s gloomy, depressed, antagonistic and withdrawn f r om humanity. While he doesn’t make friends easily, he is faithful to those he has. Rather than push himself f o rwa r d , he shrinks back, letting others do things he could really improve on. He doesn’t volunteer to do much of any thing although he can diagnose prob lems accurately. Melancholics may be pessimistic and often are in opposi tion to one another. Many of the world’s great geniuses, artists, musi cians, inventors, philosophers, and educators were of the melancholic temperament. The same is true with many outstanding Bible characters 14
touches the melancholic is of prime importance to him. This is why many of them become hypocondriacs. Traits which are not corrected can ruin the entire life. It’s very easy for such a person to be offended and insulted. He carries his feelings on his sleeve, being prone to be sus picious and “evil surmisings.” As a pessimist, Mr. Melancholy can see not only the ultimate end of a proj ect but also what’s more real to him, all of the problems to be encountered along the way. Such a person will never be happy until he goes to the Lord in faith to overcome all these difficult tendencies. The Holy Spirit of God is able and has promised to change such individuals. One other characteristic about Mr. Melancholy is a spirit of criticism. He’s critical of himself as well as others. Maybe you have this tenden cy, too. The sooner you brand this part of your life as a sin right out of the pit, and ask God for victory over it, the sooner you’ll be a re joicing servant of the Lord. You’ll never be a happy Christian as a critic. This will drive all your friends away. But more than this you’ll be grieving the Holy Spirit. Oh, it’s true, people do things that are wrong. But that doesn’t mean they’re no good, deserving of our condemnation. No one’s perfect, ex cept Jesus Christ. He has given us the pattern as we look to Him for guidance. He wants you to exchange your weaknesses for His strength. All it takes is faith. Why not take this step today in your life? C hapter Two H ow interesting it is to see the various temperaments which God has given to each of us! Unsurren dered to the Lord, they will cause us misery and unhappiness. When channeled by the Holy Spirit, we’ll not only lead victorious lives for the Lord, but also be useful servants for whatever work He may have for us
to do. Mr. Melancholy has an emo tional capacity knowing no bounds. He appreciates the finer things of life. At the same time, he’s pessi mistic and self-centered. He needs to get his eyes off himself and fixed firmly on Jesus Christ. Only then can he be an effective Christian. His proneness to moodiness can really be quite vicious. For seemingly no rea son at all, he goes through gloomy periods. People may consequently avoid him. His sensitive nature rec ognizes this rejection and makes things even worse. A melancholy person should ear nestly seek the Holy Spirit’s help in getting his eyes off himself and onto the needs of the many others around him. One of the most dynamic illus trations of the power of the gospel is the way in which the Spirit of God works in individuals like the Apostle John or Moses. I think it’s a dynamic illustration of power when an individual that is filled with negativism like Moses goes on to become a great leader of Israel. If you don’t believe that Moses was a melancholy, then read the five ex cuses of Moses to the call of God found in Exodus 3 and 4, and you’ll find that Moses just didn’t want to serve God. He was afraid, he had every weak-kneed excuse that every melancholy has ever used for not serving God and God used him any way. Why? Because when Moses finally said, “All right Lord, I will be available,” then the Spirit of God came on him in power and he be came an effective tool. The Holy Spirit of God has an effect on us. He isn’t an oozing substance. He isn’t going to make us do some thing that we’re going to be em barrassed about or ashamed of. He can deliver such a person from all his misery and frustration. Memor ize Galatians 5 :22 and 23, seeing the nine characteristics w h i c h are strengths of the Holy Spirit. Some of the fruit you have by nature; 15
many more of them you need as the Spirit’s gifts. One of the common sins of so many Christians today is self-pity. We indulge our minds. God has worked a miracle in giving us such magnificent minds which af fect our emotions. Either you con trol your mind or your mind will control you (II Cor. 10:1-5). It’s usually true that whenever the mind and the will are in conflict, the mind will win. The same thing works for good feelings. The melancholy who trusts God and experiences the fill ing of the Holy Spirit, is thankful. Instead of praying, “Oh, God, please make me a better man,” it would be much better to pray positively, “Dear Lord, thank you that you’re in my life, and that you can make me a better man.” The trouble is that some people would like to be depressed. How assuring it is to know that God is able to take the negative and replace it with the positive! Only through Him can you find that confidence that “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.” This comes from the filling of the Spirit. He brings faith, self-control, meek ness, and all of the other gifts avail able to a committed individual. One melancholy came to me in all of his misery and anxiety. I shared with him the fact that he was wast ing a lot of time in self-pity and self- analysis. My suggestion was that he ought to yield himself to the Spirit of God, sharing his faith with oth ers. He looked at me and said, “But they’ll reject it.” What a negative outlook! After talking to him about this, his further objection was, “Well, I’m not sure they really de serve it.” His problem was that he made his decisions on the basis of what seemed right to him. The fact is, what seems right to us is imma terial. What the Bible says is truth! Happy is the child of God who is committed to it and who is yielded to the power of the Spirit of God. 16
Moses was very realistic when he said, “I don’t think the people will believe me. I don’t know much about theology. I don’t have much talent.” Many a child of God has been useless because he uses his judgment and not the Lord’s. Moses yielded to God and was one of the greatest human leaders the world has known. You do this and you’ll have a victorious Christian life. Submit your thought life to God. Only then will you be an effective witness for His glory and grace. Jesus Christ is able to give you a positive approach to life. I know one rather analytically per fectionist individual who can always find some loopholes in my ideas. Not being a perfectionist, I dream up ideas and toss them out to these mel ancholy individuals who can always find things wrong with them. If I can answer their questions then the ideas may be sound and worth fur ther development. But one who has only negative thought patterns will be wiped out before they begin. This melancholy friend of mine, after knocking all of the suggestions, will turn around and testify, “But if God’s in it, it’ll work!” And that’s the answer. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. One of the characteristics of the Spirit-filled life is faith. If there’s anything you and I need, it’s faith and goodness. Goodness means that the melancholy person won’t be find ing things wrong with everyone else. If you keep putting criticism, bitter ness and hostility in your mind, ul timately it’s going to erupt in either misery, ulcers or a nervous break down. The Bible urges us that if we live in the Spirit, we should also walk in the Spirit. Let’s not be de sirous of vain glory, provoking one another or envying one another. We should rather be concerned about them. Be positive in your life, com mitting your way to the Lord. Think about Him and you'll always pray with thanksgiving.
I by Dr. Tim LaHaye Pastor, Seott Memorial Baptist Church, San Diego my husband never shares with me his plans and goals." The reason is he has been doused with “ice water” so many times that he is afraid or irritated at trying it any more. A Phlegmatic tends more to be a spec tator in life. The crusading spirit of a choleric will cause the phlegmatic to say, “This is terrible; why doesn’t someone do something about it?” He doesn’t see himself in this light. The phlegmatic is also a peace maker. This makes him a very good counsellor. He’s very dependable in fulfilling his obligations. Being very practical and efficient, he can con serve his own energy by anlayzing situations. He figures out the sim plest and least tiring way of getting the job finished. One of the best characteristics about the phlegmatic is that he works well under pressure. It may sound strange and yet some phleg matics act more like Christians be fore they’re saved than some believ ers do after they’re born-again. Some of the phlegmatic’s weak nesses are that he is prone to be slow and lazy. His lack of motivation tends to make him only a spectator. He has a natural inclination to do as little as possible. This keeps him from initiating many fine projects he may have at least considered. He doesn’t want to get too involved or over-extended. It’s true that he’s also rather stubborn. He will drag his feet in a nice way but he still wants his own way. His wit and humor are kind of a self-defense mechanism. He can be very indecisive when prob lems come. If you can get Mr. Phlegmatic in terested and involved, he will be come a tremendous Christian force 17
MR. PHLEGMATIC
C hapter O ne I N this study we want to consider Mr. Phlegmatic. Like his predeces sors, he’s a distinct individual. Just as we inherit a certain physical characteristic from our parents, so we also inherit a certain type of temperament. This determines the kind of actions which motivate us. All t emp e r ame n t s h a v e b o t h strengths and weaknesses. So often we look at the other person and lament, “I wish I were like him.” We should be aware that when Jesus Christ comes into a person’s life, old ways are passed away and we be come new creatures in Him. We have a right to expect people to be differ ent when they are possessed by the Holy Spirit. The apparent differ ence will be in our behavior. Life for Mr. Phlegmatic is a happy, pleasant experience as he avoids as much involvement as pos sible. He’s calm and easy-going, nev er seeming to get ruffled. He seldom explodes in anger but keeps his emo tions very much in control. He is most consistent as far as outward experience is concerned. He feels much more emotion than appears on the surface, having a good capacity to appreciate the fine arts and the better things in life. Mr. Phlegmatic is not lacking friends because he enjoys people. He will often have a natural, dry sense of humor. He has the unique capabil ity of seeing something humorous in others. He possesses a good retentive mind and is capable of being a good imitator. He’s often annoyed at the aimless, restless enthusiasm of other temperaments. I know of a couple where the wife has said, “I don’t understand why
Holy Spirit will give you goals, am bitions and drives. The secret of mo tivation is to have proper goals. Some people are more moved by fear which isn’t what it should be. Of course, the best of all motivators is faith. This is a thrilling way to live. It’s open to each of us. On the other hand, if you’re interested only in self, you’ll self-protect you r s e l f . Don’t say that you’re not capable. This is a lie of the devil. This has its real basis in pride. Such selfish ness keeps us from being available to the Spirit of God. Sometimes we preachers have a tendency to work a good horse to death. When it comes to a phleg matic, however, I never worry about him over-extending himself. They often have a tendency to under-ex- tend themselves and not to get in volved. Keep in mind that one day we’re going to stand before Jesus Christ. Will you hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful serv ant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” If you’re a phlegmatic, when some one gives you an opportunity for Christian service, don't start pray ing that someone else will fill that place. Ask the Lord, “God, is it I? Do you want me to fill that need?” Thank the Lord that you have an opportunity to invest yourself in such a way. Happy is the man who involves himself with the Holy Spir it controlling and motivating him in every area of life. Go to the Spirit of God for self-control. The difference between two phleg matics when one is a Christian and the other isn’t is that one will actu ally volunteer for service. It’s con trary to his old nature. Why not ask your preacher, “Do you have a need in Sunday school where I can serve Christ? I’d like to volunteer.” The superintendent may pass out from the sheer shock. There are similar problems in the home. A phlegmatic has a tendency
for the Lord. Next time you have a job to do, ask one of the phlegmatics to take charge. Generally they’ll do a superb job. They may not volun teer but be sure to ask them. If you’re a phlegmatic, let me caution you. As a Christian, you’ll find that it is easy to let someone else do the work. Don’t let yourself be fooled. Get involved in the church in some active manner. Ask the Lord to give you strength and guidance along the way. C hapter T wo T he H oly S pirit in an individual’s life means that there’ll be a com plete change. The temperament can be entrusted to the proper hands. Mr. Phlegmatic is very easy-going. He never gets upset but is very effi cient, practical, and generally enjoy able. On the side of weaknesses, he is naturally prone to be lazy, stub born and a tease. He also has a ten dency to be stingy. He’s conserve tive with everything he does. He’s the type of individual who never gets upset. He needs to be externally mo tivated. He works well under pres sure. Mr. Phlegmatic is an unusual ly capable person if you can properly motivate him. He needs to be en couraged to study the Word of God. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak, bringing self-control which is so needed. Never pamper yourself in com miserating, “Oh, I wish I were of another temperament” ! Such think ing isn’t going to change anything. The clay can’t say to the potter, “Why hast thou made me thus?” We have no right to question God’s wisdom and sovereignty. Instead of complaining about what shape you might be in, why not go to your Heavenly Father, who specializes in modifying human behavior, chang ing people, and you’ll find what He wants to do in your life. As you grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, the 18
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker