•BX O L -A .
broadcaster
CALIFO RN IA Arroyo Grande-San Luis Obispo KCJH 1280
9:00 A.M. MTWTF
Bakersfield-Wasco KAFY Chico-Mafysville KHSL Fresno-Dinuba KWSO
Monthly Publication of the BIOLA FELLOWSHIP Vol. 5 No. 7 JU LY , 1965 C O N T EN T S W H A T DO YOU EAT? ............. 3 LESSON FROM ROCKS ............. 5 WE ARE HIS SHEEP ................ 7 THE END OF L IF E .................... 9 A WORD TO FATHERS .............11 ENJOYING SALVATION ............13 FIND REFRESHM ENT................. 15 FATHERS' DAY MESSAGE .......... 18 QUESTIONS AN D A N SW E R S ...... 21 THE START OF FAITH ............. 26 GOD'S PART IN FAITH ............. 28 W H A T IS FAITH? .................... 34 THE GROWTH OF FAITH ..........35 COVER: Bonnie Orr (left), from Whit tier, Calif., puts "finishing touches" on fellow student Jeanne Henry of La Habra. The new 306-bed women's residence hall is expected to be com pleted in time for the opening of school in September so that all girls may be housed right on the Campus. Y O U R C H R I S T I A N W I L L Did you know that there is a way fo invest in Biola for the training of students while saving costly estate taxes. Ultimately you may be able to leave more money for your loved ones. As a Fellowship member you are under no obligations when you write for information or counsel. BIOLA STEWARDSHIP DEPARTMENT S T A F F President.....................S. H. Sutherland Editor.................................... Al Sanders Production ...............Virginia Schwepker Photography................William Ehmann Printing..............................Church Press Published monthly by the Radio Dept. BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 558 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, Cal. Controlled circulation postage paid at Los Angeles, California.
550 4:00 P.M. Sun 1050 9:30 A.M. MTWTF
1290 8:30 A.M. Sun.
KRDU KCIB
1130 8:30 A.M. MTWTF
94.5 (FM)
8:00 P.M. MTWTF
Lodi-Stockton KCVR Los Angeles
1570
8:00 A.M. MTWTF
KBBI KTYM
107.5 (FM)
8:30 A.M. MTWTF 1460 9:00 A.M. MTWTF 1390 11:00 A.M. MTWTF 1390 10:30 P.M. MTWTF
Los Angeles-Long Beach KGER
KGER
Oxnard-Ventura-Santa Barbara KOXR 910
8:00 A.M. MTWTF
Redding-Red Bluff KQMS
1400 8:00 A.M. MTWTF
San Bernardino-Riverside KFXM
590 7:30 A.M. Sun.
Santa Cruz KSCO
1080 8:30 A.M. Sun.
KSCO
99.1
(FM)
8:30 A.M. Sun.
San Diego
KBBW 102.9 (FM)
7:30 A.M. MTWTF 860 8:00 A.M. MTWTF 910 4:00 P.M. Sun.
XEMO
KDEO San Francisco Santa Maria KCOY Turlock KFAX
1100 8:30 A.M. MTWTF
1440 7:00 A.M. Sun.
KHOM
93.1 (FM)
9:00 A.M. Sun.
OREGON
Albany-Eugene KW IL KW IL Ashland-Medford Coquille-Coos Bay KWRO KRVC
790 8:00 A.M. MTWTF 3:00 A.M. MTWTF 790
1350
8:30 A.M. MTWTF
630
8:30 A.M. MW F
Portland KPDQ KPDQ
800 11:30 A.M. MTWTF 11:30 A.M. MTWTF
93.7 (FM)
W A SH INGTON
Blaine-Vancouver, B.C. KARI
550 11:30 A.M. MTWTF
Seattle-Tacoma KGDN
630 11:30 A.M. MTWTF
Spokane KCFA
1330 11:30 A.M. MTWTF
Walla Walla KTEL
1490 8:00 A.M. MW F
Yakima
KBBO
1390 9:30 A.M. MTWTF
Albuquerque, New Mexico K A R A 1310 KA R A 99.5 (FM)
7:00 A.M. MTWTF 7:00 A.M. MTWTF
Billings, Montana KURL Caidwell-Boise
730 8:00 A.M. MTWTF
KBFM 94.1 (FM) KBFM 94.1 (FM)
8:30 A.M. MTWTF 7:30 P.M. MTWTF 8:30 A.M. MTWTF
KBGN KBGN
910
910 7:30 P.M. MTWTF
Denver, Colorado KLIR
990 12:00 Noon MTWTF
(Radio Log continued on page 27)
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JUNE RADIO MESSAGE WHAT DO YOU EAT? D id you know that there is a res taurant mentioned in the Bible? It is a rather strange eating place as we will see, and there is an interesting line of food which is offered. I won der whether any of you have eaten there with that kind of a diet. I give you my word, you will be sorry if you have. The first course out of the five served in this restaurant is found in Isaiah 44:20, “He feedeth on ashes.” That is right, the Bible says ashes. How would you like a diet of that? It is speaking of Ephraim. Ashes tell us that there was something there once, but now it has been destroyed and just the dirty dust remains. Hopes were vanished, plans were wrecked, and the future was ruined. Ashes symbolize tragedy. Why would anyone use this to feed on? The verse simply refers us to those who used to have something but now it is all gone. Yet instead of forgetting the past, they feed on it. I used to have a Cadillac, and now I have an old beat-up Chevrolet. I used to have a 16-room house, and now I live in just two rooms. I used to have lovely, sweet surroundings, a marvelous garden and flowers, but now I have weeds around the home. I used to be able to wear $150 suits, and now I buy them in a second-hand store. These are similar to some of the statements people often make. They only remember what they used to have. I have seen many folks who do that. They never seem to get over what they used to have or what they used to be. The only thing this type of memory serves to accomplish is to make us miserable. Those about us are generally not interested. Who wants to hear the “re-lived” past? The second interesting course is found in Hosea 12:1, “he shall feed on wind.” That is easy to come by to day. We call it “hot air,” and there
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are lots of folks who dispense that! They start talking and never seem to stop. (You know, they say, “a bore is one who when you ask him how he is he proceeds to tell you.” Or, “a bore is one who talks about himself when you want to talk about your self.” Hasn’t someone, perhaps a proud grandmother, said to you, “Have I shown you the pictures of the children?” Pretty soon they are off and running. One usually gets to see the “rogue’s gallery” whether he wants to or not. When I started in medical practice, the only kind of phones we had were party lines. One day when I picked up the receiver, I heard two women talking to each other. They weren’t saying anything worth listening to. Finally, since my call was vital and concerned a person’s health, I said, “Ladies, don’t you know that for every idle word that men speak, they shall give an account of it in the day of Judgment?” They were shocked to think that someone had been listening to them. I said, “Now, don’t get ex cited, ladies. It hasn’t been anything worth hearing. It is just wind and more wind.” Then, one time I saw in the paper a cartoon of a young married couple standing in the living room with a closed door. The caption had him say ing to his wife, “I think our friends must have been offended. They went home as soon as they said ‘goodbye.’ ” It is true that some people just don’t know how to say “goodbye” and a proper way to end a conversation. They are like the switch engine which has no “terminal facilities.” It is very common that after a church service someone will come up to tell me something which is very in significant. He may use the excuse, “Dr. Wilson, I want to ask you what you think of this situation.” Then he proceeds to tell me what he thinks. 3
of us every day. We can’t follow our Saviour’s will if we are only living on our past. Do not feed on past situa tions and make that the center of your life. You will be miserable if you do. The fourth course in this unsual “meal” is taken from where it tells us that God gave the people “worm wood” to eat. Have you ever had any? Wormwopd is extremely bitter and unpalatable. Do you eat the bitter things in your life? Someone may have cheated you out of some inherit ance. You have hated them for it. Maybe even the little things make you bitter. As you drive up to park someone darts in ahead of you. How bitter you become. You know, you can find out a lot about a person’s real self when you watch him behind the car’s steering wheel! Again, some thing your neighbor does either pur posely or accidental, may set you off. Oh, how bitter some people become. They don’t forget it, either. They continually feast on the bitter worm wood. The Lord doesn’t want this to be characteristic of our lives. We are redeemed and should be new men and women in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17). The fifth course in this strange diet is foolishness. In Proverbs 15:14 we read that “they fed on foolishness.” Some people are certainly like this. When you see them, they are always up to some foolishness. I knew a man who, when I saw him coming, I went across the street. He never seemed to have any interest in things which are essential. No one could get anything from him as a help for his heart. Think of the television programs which seem to gain the interest and attention of the world. They are mostly foolishness. As we have seen this strange and unhappy five-course diet, I trust if any of these are familiar to you that you will go to Him of Whom the Psalmist spoke when he said, “0 taste and see that the Lord is good.” Our desire should be that we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! 4
He isn’t interested in getting my views at all. That, of course, is a human trait of which many of us are guilty. This is what the Spirit of God meant when He used Hosea to write, “He shall feed on wind.” It is a poor reputation to be known as one who always likes to talk, especially when it is about himself! The third dish some people feed on is tears. That is a very strange word taken from Psalms 42:3 and 80:9. It has reference to those who live on past experiences, failures, and “would have beens.” A woman came to me one day at the end of a meeting. She was so broken up. She pleaded, “Oh, Dr. Wilson, will you pray for me?” Of course I told her I would be glad to, if she would tell me the cause of her sorrow.” She pro ceeded, “I lost my dear husband.” I could sympathize with her, for this isn’t easy for anyone to go through. I asked her when it was that it had happened. She replied, “Oh, it was 21 years ago.” She was still grief strick en and weeping unconsolably. Now, the loss of a loved one, especially a Christian mate, is never easy. But to live continually on tears is folly! Tears are certainly necessary, for they come to all of our hearts, but we can’t feed on them. There needs to be a time when these sorrows are given to our lovely Lord. He wants us to burden Him with that which bur dens us (I Peter 5:7). When all you have are griefs and tears you are no good to anybody. You can’t carry an other person’s sorrows. Only the Lord can remove the weight as we are willing to turn it over to Him. This is the only way He can take it. The Lord gave me a wonderful com panion. Together we shared 49 years of happy home life before she was called to glory. Yet, there is a man we know who is grieving over something which took place 52 years ago. I said, “My dear friend, are you getting any good out of this thing? Do the tears help you to face each new day?” No, he seemed to want to dwell on the past when the Lord had something better for him. That is the same with each
JUNE RADIO MESSAGE LESSON FROM ROCKS T here are some interesting things in the Word of God about rocks. We can gain some very practical in sight into the study of this subject, tracing back the word through vari ous Scriptures. For instance, Psalm 81:15 tells us, “With honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.” This is God talking to the “haters” of the Lord (verse 15). In Numbers 20:8 we read of the miracle whereby the thirsty c h ild r e n of Israel were quenched by the rivers of water flow ing out of the rock. In Deuteronomy 8:15 we learn of the rock that is of flint. (That is probably the hardest rock there is.) Later, in Deuteronomy 32:30 we And oil coming out of the rock. Sometimes the rock is certain verses very definitely refers to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is, of course, the Rock of Ages. In other places, rock represents circumstances, conditions, and even people, nations and tongues. Reflecting back on some of these interesting pictures, we first must realize that ordinarily there is no wa ter in a rock. Sometimes we see the water from a spring trickling down between the cracks in the rock; how ever, it is not from the rock itself. The passage in Psalms now tells us about honey, not from a beehive, but out of a rock. God must have some valuable lesson for us to learn from this. The meaning is that even in the hardest of circumstances God has a sweet portion for us if we will only take the time to wait upon Him for the answer. I am thinking of a family who had very little money. They were ex tremely poor. We had to take them in and give them a place to live. We fed them because they had nothing what ever. They loved the Lord, however, and worshipped Him faithfully. You never heard them complain. We didn’t want to see them sent to the poor
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house so, since they had been a help to us in former days, we took them in. The woman had a sister who, with her husband, did nothing to help them. In fact, they treated them very meanly. They had money they would never miss, but, like rocks, they were as hard and cold as stone. One day a long-distance call came to my home for the woman. It was from her sister telling that the husband, her brother- in-law, had died suddenly. She, of course, was sorry, but she didn’t know fully what his death really meant. But even more strange was a later call placed by an attorney. He told her that while coming back from the graveside funeral service, his wife died suddenly of a heart attack. Everything the un concerned couple possessed was willed to this poor woman who, with her hus band, was staying at our house. It was all so totally unexpected. The Lord took care of the needs of this lovely couple by giving them honey out of the rock. A friend of mine went prospecting up in Alaska. Do you know what he found? It was a gold mine which had been overlooked by others. He brought some of the gold back and showed it to me. It, too, was honey out of the rock. It was a barren place, and oth ers had passed it by thinking the place was worthless. He came along, put a
Dr. James H. Christian (center), Biola College dean, looks over schedule with students Robert Thune of Murdo, South Dakota, and Janet Brown of Whittier, Calif.
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drill down and found the treasure. That is what this verse is talking about. It is a place which seems im possible to bring you any blessings. Then suddenly it becomes a source of rich possession. A church burned down and the pas tor said, “I’m glad of it. I just got a blessing out of that because we’ve been wanting to build a new one for a long time. We couldn’t get the entire congregation to agree, and now the Lord has solved our problem for us.” Have you ever gotten sweet and good things out of a place from which you didn’t expect them? Thank the Lord for it, because it is His provision for us! In thinking about water coming out of a rock, we have to realize that a person could drill all day in stone and still never find water. But in the mira cle of God’s grace, He came in and touched the rock so that when it was struck it brought forth the liquid refreshment. I have always enjoyed reading the story of Charles H. Spur geon. One day, when only 21 people were in church, a blacksmith preached a simple sermon. Spurgeon was saved on that bitter cold day. Whoever would have thought that such a transforma tion could take place and touch such a personality of God. Since then the written sermons and works of this man have influenced the entire world. Rivers of water came forth as the Word was faithfully given. He was just a farmer’s boy. What did he know? Very little, but God touched him. The Lord touched D. L. Moody when he was a shoe salesman. A Sun day school teacher came along and led him to the Saviour. Nobody thought Moody had anything the world would remember. He must have resembled a rock. But think of the rivers of living water God poured forth through his life and ministry empowered by the Holy Spirit. As another example we can point to R. A. Torrey, who was used so mightily of the Lord in the early days of ministry during Biola’s young years. He was ready to commit sui
cide, so bitter and despondent had he become. God spoke to his heart and the fervent prayers of an anxious mother were rewarded as his wife was entirely dedicated to the Saviour. He was like this rock out of whom came the water of life. We don’t want to overlook the oil out of the rock. As with* honey and water, we know that naturally one doesn’t get oil out of a rock. This again speaks of an impossible situa tion. Oil, of course, had been used for such things as food, lubrication, illu mination, and so forth. It was a mira cle of the Lord as He provided the precious life-giving substance. How often our lives need the Holy Spirit, as the oil of the Lord, to keep us lubri cated and moving properly. Oil is also fuel, and certainly we need that which will guide and propel us properly into the areas of service where our testi mony may be a blessing to others. As the world thinks of the Lord Jesus Christ; they may cast Him aside as a worthless rock which will not “fit in” the building program of modern life. Hovy wonderful for the believer to find his every need satisfied in Christ. He gives us His living water for the days, duties, opportunities, and disappointments. When you walk with the Saviour, and when you are drinking from His fountain, you will find it easy to get along with other people. The smoothness of living, the smoothness of operation, the smooth ness of co-operation in the church, the home, the business, the social con tacts, will all be lubricated by His Spirit. When you come to Him for that which you need in your own heart, the Lord will, fill you with the oil of glad ness, the oil of sustenance, and the oil that feeds and smooths out the rough places. This is what will make you shine for Him. He will give it to you abundantly and without measure. Let us learn to know the Saviour and to take all our circumstances and impos sible situations to Him. Out of them all He will bring glory and blessing. He is our wonderful Rock of salva tion! 6
JUNE RADIO MESSAGE WE ARE HIS SHEEP M usic is one of G od ’ s gifts to mankind. In Psalm 95:1, we read, “0 come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.” I am so glad that he put it both ways. Some people can sing like nightingales while others sound like sick bullfrogs. The Lord wants both, however, for, after all, He made them both. He never expected a bullfrog to sing like a canary. All He asks us to do is whichever one we can. In verse 4 we read, “In his hand are the deep places of the earth.” When you get “down in the dumps,” remember that you are close to His hand. When you are in despair, hover ing in the shadows, you are nigh to the Lord. When you feel as if you will never see daylight again, remember that then you are in the very center of His love. He is that precious Person Who cares, keeps, protects and pro vides. That is His name, the Lord our Provider. Then in verse 7 there is an interest ing thought. It says, “For he is our God; and we are the people of his pas ture, and the sheep of his hand.” That is fascinating to me. Some sheep are left in the pasture while others are kept in the pen. The people of His pasture are those who have lots of things. They needn’t worry about the pennies. No bill collector is coming to their door. No one is threatening a lawsuit because they haven’t paid their debts. They don’t have to sub sist on cheap commodities. To some our Lord gives plenty. They may have such things as nice carpets, a grand piano, a new automobile, and every possession one could desire. They have everything they want. But then they are the sheep of his hand. Have you ever been like this? One day a woman was giving out tracts. She saw an elderly woman sit ting up on the front porch so she
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climbed the terrace and gave her Gos pel tract. In doing so she said, “This tells you about the Lord Jesus Christ,” The woman responded, “I’m glad to hear about Him, because I’m one of His hand lambs.” This was a peculiar statement, so the woman explained it by saying, “Well, you know some of God’s people have plenty. They’re the lamb of His pasture. But I have so little I have to come to His hand every day to get something to eat. When I need to pay my bills I just have to live out of His hand to my mouth. You see, He loves the “hand lambs” best, because we come the oftenest to Him. Those in the pasture may never come for a long time, but I have to come to Him every day. He wants me to be close to Him.” What a sweet thought that is. The Psalmist says, “the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” When we get to thinking that we can get along without Him and that we don’t need to go to Him very much, we don’t pray as we should, we don’t read the Bible as we should, and we don’t go to church as we should. Then the pasture dries up until there is a spiritual drought. The soil, where the tree had been planted by the river, begins to show signs of thirst. Do you know Him as the Pro-
Biola student trie from left to right: Kathy McKinney, Susie Brenneman and lois Amundson.
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vider of your life? How blessed and wonderful He is in making provision for His people. Sometimes He does it through business, while on other occa sions it may be through friends. He always fills the heart with good things. I read one time about a Confucian priest who was saved. He had a brother who was also a Confucian priest. After his conversion, however, the unsaved brother asked him, “Say, how does your God feed you? How are you getting on?” The converted man responded, “Oh, I’m coming along very nicely. The Lord always provides.” Then he was asked, “But, do you have anything for supper in the house?” The saved man smiled and replied, “No, but you see it’s only one o’clock. I don’t eat supper until six. That is when my Father feeds me.” About 4:00 the priest returned to see what might have happened. Again he wanted to know, “Brother, do you have your supper provided?” Again he was reminded that his meal was still two hours away. The brother returned again at 5:00, and then finally at 5:55. This time the brother, seeing that no provision had been made, was ready to make fun of his new-found faith. As they stood out on the front porch talking, a bunch of crows flew over head. They were all fighting over something that seemed to be a delecta ble morsel. All of a sudden a nice loaf of hot bread fell down. One of these crows had evidently stolen it out of somebody’s kitchen window where it was put to cool. So, with implicit faith and trust, the converted priest testi fied to his brother who went away saying, “Well, you have a God I don’t know. He’s one I never have trusted.” This is the way the Lord always does for us. He abundantly provides, perhaps not just when we want Him to, but rather when He knows it will be for our best. The Bible says, “He openeth His hand, and the desire of every living thing is satisfied.” Sup pose you had to feed all of nature. How would you go about it? God opens His hand so that the desire of every
Dr. Milton (. Gould (left), Biota Alumni presi dent, goes over plans for soon-to-be erected Missions-Alumni building on Campus with Dr. S. H. Sutherland. Alumni executive secretary William Eitzen looks on. living thing may be satisfied. That is a wonderful thing that He would find something to eat for everything He has made. The Psalmist tells us that our times are in His hand. I met a dear man of God recently whom I hadn’t seen for about 25 years. He came to my morn ing service, and I was surprised to see him. Very often the Lord sends someone into my pathway whom He wants me to deal with. The same is true with you. After all, we are the sheep of His hand. David said, “He maketh me to lie down in green pas tures.” A sheep will only lie down if it is not afraid and not hungry. The Lord has completely satisfied our lives when we follow His perfect will day by day. What a joy it was to wit ness to this dear friend whom I hadn’t seen for such a long time. The Lord may clean your pasture from one time to another. Yet, He never asks us to lie down on sticks and stones. God is busy training us for eternity. He wants us to know Him better as we walk with Him in complete confidence and trust. Remem ber, beloved, you are one of His sheep and He will feed and care for you always. 8
JUNE RADIO MESSAGE THE END OF LIFE T here are some very pertinent and helpful questions asked in the Word of God. In Ezekiel 18:31 the query is, “For why will ye die?” How we should ponder these five impres sive words. Although many centuries have passed since it was asked, there is still no answer in the things found around us. Seeing the wonderful joy, peace, and blessedness of the Chris tian life, we can well wonder why any one would prefer to go to hell. Why would anyone prefer the devil to our Lord? Things in this life are so tran sient and fickle when compared with the permanent and wonderful pre ciousness belonging to those who love the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord has said, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” There are really many kinds of death. There is phys ical death when an individual dies. Spiritual death refers to one who has never accepted the Saviour. But eter nal death has to do with this one who, in life, rejects the Saviour. Through out eternity he is forever separated from God. One time I was riding along with an undertaker at the head of a funeral procession. I said to the driver, “What do you suppose that verse means, ‘Let the dead bury their dead.’ ” The mor tician looked quickly at me and said, “Why, that’s not in the Bible, Dr. Wilson.” I had a hard time convinc ing him it was until I opened my Bible to the, statement which appears in Matthew and again in Luke. He was now very interested. “What does that mean?” he wanted to know. “If Jesus said it, I guess it must be true. But I can’t see any sense to it.” Then I told him, “You see, you’re dead to God, just like this woman in the back of the hearse is dead to her family. The family is doing a lot for her, but she doesn’t care for them at all. They tell her they love her, but she makes no response. They call
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her, but she doesn’t answer. They command her, but she doesn’t obey. They lavish their love on her, but she doesn’t give anything back. For all practical purposes she is utterly ignor ing her family. That’s the way it is with God.” He thought for a moment, then quizically asked, “Say, did someone tell you about me up at church?” (He thought I knew some real “dirt” about him.) I assured him no one had told me anything about him. As the tears began to come, he told me, “I ’ve had a lot of funerals lately. I sat up until 2 o’clock this morning trying to find out how to be a Chris tian. I knew they would have my fu neral someday. But I couldn’t under stand what I read.” What a joy for me to open the Bible again and to read to him while he was driving the hearse very slowly. It was a muddy road, and we had to go quite a long way. It was a privilege to read about the Saviour and how He came to bear our griefs and to carry our sorrows. He took our sins away and blotted out our iniqui ties, making us children of God. He wants to give us a robe of righteous ness which is the garment of salva tion. The Lord Jesus does 33 things for us when we trust Him with our soul, heart and life. Christ will make you fit for heaven and give you the free gift of eternal life. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” This dear fellow slightly bowed his head over the wheel and said, “Lord Jesus, I never knew you came to save me. I’m going to trust you right now” That man is a deacon now in the Baptist church in that town.-The Lord isn’t pleased with the death of the wicked. That is why He has sent along His Gospel to keep us from dying. Why is it that people don’t consider 9
the end of their lives? Balaam said, “0 that I might die the death of the righteous, and my last end be like his.” He knew the other kind of death was terrible. He died, however, on the battlefield fighting against the people of God. Very few people, comparative ly speaking, accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour. They seem rather to follow the path of disobedience and sin. I see man deliberately going into wicked things in order to make money. They can’t take it with them; they can only meet the need of today. One time a woman in Kansas City left a house to us. Some relative sent for me because before she died she changed her will revoking all previous testaments. We never received it. An other man left $15,000 to our Bible school. The relatives went to court and tried to prove that he was out of his mind when he made the will. He was just as sane as I am, but they were able to persuade the court to the con trary, and the school never saw a penny of that money. The Lord wants us to live both here and hereafter. Some will sell their soul to the devil for a few dirty coins. They forfeit heaven and the favor of God, choosing the path of punishment. Can you think of a reason why a person would go on knowing that he will, be lost forever with no sign of God or Christ? He uses profanity and practices wicked ness. He thinks nothing of defrauding others. There was a very wealthy man I knew. For about two years, I had tried to win him for the Saviour. I gave him my Gospel tracts, but he would say, “That’s fine for some people, how ever, I’ve got all I want.” Then one day he lost his wealth. It amounted to several million dollars all in one un fortunate deal. It so stunned him, he had nothing else to which he could turn, for what he had been leaning on was knocked out from under him. He committed suicide and went to a Christless grave. There was a good friend of mine whom I knew for some years. He had a fine position with one of the large companies and made lots of money.
Donna Green, Biola College senior, gives a special recital on the beautiful new Biola memorial pipe organ. One day he walked out to my home to talk. I pleade'd with him to trust the Saviour. I said, “Why don’t you come to the Lord Jesus Christ? Someday you’re going to leave all this behind, along with your money and your friends. Why would you want to die without a Saviour?” “Well,” he said, “I don’t believe in a thing. I don’t be lieve in hell. I don’t believe in any church. I would rather you wouldn’t say anything to me about this mat ter.” Just a short time later, I got on a train and picked up the newspaper to read. Right on the front page was thé picture of my friend. He had driven his car into the garage, at tached a hose from the exhaust to the inside of his closed car. What a shock this was. Although this man had everything, yet he had nothing. He preferred to die without the Saviour. If you do not know the Saviour per sonally, I plead with you to come to Christ while there is yet time, “for why will ye die?” The sickness which conies only on Sunday must be cured by the Great Physician. * *• * The most untamable thing in the world has its den just back of the teeth. * * * Some Christians who should be wielding the Sword of the Spirit are still tugging at the nursery bottle. 10
JUNE RADIO MESSAGE A WORD TO FATHERS I T IS AN INTERESTING FACT that God never told mothers to teach the Bible to their children. This is always given as the fathers’ responsibility, and rightly so. A verse which greatly interests me is I Chronicles 28:9, where David testifies, “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever.” David had many experiences with God. Is that true of us? Do we have something to share with our family, especially our im pressionable children? Have you ever knelt with your chil dren and individually introduced them to the Lord? This is our responsibility before God. There are too many par ents who leave their children to be raised like heathens. There is no at tention given to their souls, even though at school they may be taught about everything else except God. This is why such a great stress must be placed on the home. If you don’t take care of this vital aspect, certainly no one else will. You will not need to wonder why your boys and girls turn out like hoodlums. I think of the classic story about the farmer who had a pet pig. He lav ished great love and care on it. It was kept in the house and never saw a pen. It ate good food off a plate, and never was fed any slop. It was kept washed and sprayed with perfume. There was a lovely pink ribbon tied around its neck. One day the farmer invited in his neighbors and friends to see his beautiful prize pet. So many people came that the hog had to be let go outside; everyone couldn’t get in the house. The night before there had been a heavy rain and there
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were pools standing around the yard. Do you have any idea where that pig went when it was let loose? Do you think it went to the rose bushes to smell their lovely fragrance? No, it made a beeline for the mud hole. It went in ribbon and all. The farmer was the laughing stock of all who had come. Conditions and circumstances are one thing, however, our primary duty is to tell our boys and girls of the One who saves the soul. THE VOICE OF ONE W HO WEPT Today I heard the voice of one Who wept in far off lands Because of -sin and misery. And begged with outstretched hands For one small lamp to light his dark. Now fain I would have slept, So stopped my ears, but In my heart That sobbing voice still wept. And then I heard the voice of One Who counted not the cost, But left His ivory palaces To seek and save the lost. He said, "The sound of one who weeps Is coming up to Me. Dost thou forget that last command Which I gave unto thee. To preach My Word to all the world?" O, bitter be our shame! Still hopeless millions walk the earth Who never heard His name. And still the world spends lavishly In every crowded mart, And still the voice of him who wept Is sobbing in my heart! — Martha Snell Nicholson The Lord Jesus declared, “No man cometh unto the Father but by me.” Frequently we read about young peo ple getting killed. Where do they go? There was the teenager who shot and killed people out along the highway. Then he committed suicide himself. Where did he go? We must carefully 11
consider the end of things. Call your boy or girl to your side and say, “I want you to know the God of your father, and believe in Him just as I do.” Can you say this? A perfect heart with which to serve Him indi cates where the feelings are, while a willing mind is the portion for our thoughts. The. hymn writer has it cor rectly as he declares, “For there is only one way to be happy in Jesus, when we trust and obey.” Do you husbands and wives pray to gether for your children? This is the way your day should start each morn ing. The Bible is God’s remedy for sin. It alone can keep your home together as you apply it to your lives. It is also the only preventative for sin. Living without it makes you subject to all the ways of the devil. The only safe place where you can have real satisfaction and rest is in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit indwells the believer to give power in his life so that he may be useful and fruitful. Walk with Him today and you will have a blessed existence you can find in no other manner. The man who expects to go to heaven should take the time to study the only route which will get him there. TRUE SACRIFICE Having no money to buy her husband a gift for their wedding anniversary a loving wife cut off her long hair and sold it in order to get enough money to buy a chain for his watch. The husband, also destitute, as far as this world’s goods are concerned, loved his wife a great deal. He wanted to make a sacrifice. The decision was to sell his watch in order to buy her a fitting anniversary present. He got a lovely comb and mirror so that she could prepare her beautiful long hair. What an illustration of one who truly loves. Such a person will always seek creative ways in which to show this affection. Listen to these familiar words from John, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is bom of God, and knoweth God." “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (I John 4:7, 10).
On tour across the country this summer is the Biola student quartet. Standing (left to right) aro Richard Buhler, Hawthorne, Calif., Bob Polley (pianist), Walnut Creek, Calif., and Jim Reub, Sacramento. Seated are Roland Gangstee, Medford, Ore., and Lyle Jacobson, Sacramento. W RAPPING THE GOSPEL J. R. O] penheimer, the atomic scien tist, once declared, “The best way to send information is to wrap it up in a per son." While the scientist didn’t have it in mind, yet, this is exactly what God did when He sent to this earth His only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The purpose in training these 1400 young men and women at Biola is also to send them forth with the Gospel message, God’s gift to all mankind. It is true, we can proclaim this message by radio or through the printed page, these are vital tools, however, as the well-known atomic scientist rightly said, “The best way to send information is to wrap it up in a person." A WORD TO DADS Dr. V. Raymond Edman, a wonderful man of God, for more than a quarter of a century president of Wheaton College, was once. asked if, as a father, he had his life to live over again what he would do differently. His answer is most appro priate, “There are many things! I would deliberately, even doggedly, take more time to be with my children. Our four boys realized that there were many de mands on my time. They were very un derstanding. I f I had it to dp over again, however, we would have taken more time for reading and praying together, as well as for picnics and trips. Reading and praying together add love and secu rity to young hearts.” 12
JUNE RADIO MESSAGE ENJOYING SALVATION O ne thing I enjoy is to look at par ticularly interesting verses ' of Scripture to find many precious les sons from them. I think of Jeremiah 12:5, “If thou hast run with the foot men, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?” There is a good appli cation here for those who go to church just because they have to. After about 10 minutes they start yawning, looking at the clock to compare it with their watches. If all one has is a passing interest in spiritual things, why should he think he would enjoy heaven? Maybe you sit there wishing the preacher would hurry up and get through. You are figity and wearied with it all. If you were with people who are really spiritual, loving their Bibles, singing songs of Zion, praising God and wor shipping Him, it would be as “run ning with horses.” Now, if “running with footmen” (weak religious teach ing) bothers you, what would you do when the real thing comes along. The prophet also talks about “the land of peace.” This is where you have everything anyone could want. There is plenty of money, a good salary is coming in, the home is paid, the children are all well, the automo bile is covered with insurance, and the chickens are all laying. If in this kind of an atmosphere the things of God weary you, whatever would do if you went to heaven? This is what the swelling of Jordan represents. This portion of the Bible deals with hypo crites. These are people who want only enough religion to keep them out of hell, but not so much as to affect or to impede their daily lives. These peo ple only profess to be Christians; it is merely a “show.” I knew a woman who seemed to be
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a wonderful Christian. One day her husband fell dead in the front yard. In a matter of days she had turned against the Lord, putting her Bible on the shelf, and stopping any church attendance. She dropped out of every thing. What would this woman do in heaven? In the gloryland, Christ, not our own self, occupies all the atten tion. Beloved, when one is really saved, God gives him a brand new life and an entirely different nature. As a re sult, he loves the things of Christ. His personal likes and dislikes will be completely changed. This is one of the miracles of salvation. If it has never been your portion, you need to make it so today. Since the life of the Lord Jesus Christ is given to you this is the rea son you love to live the life of God. The more spiritual the church is, the better you will like it. The more spir itual the preacher is, the more you love him. The sweeter the songs are, the more you love to hear them. Your whole soul, mind and heart are occu pied with heaven. It is impossible, apart from redemption, to get a sinner to live like a saint. He may put on a front for a few hours Sunday morn ing, but the rest of the week it is a different story. Man must have a new nature which only God can give. If the Lord Jesus has given you the gift of eternal life, it must manifest itself. One time I mentioned over the air that beans are left handed; they grow up a pole from left to right. (Peas do just the opposite.) Several weeks later, I received a letter from a woman near San Diego who wrote, “You may know something about your medicine, and you may know your Bible, but frankly, you don’t know beans. I have some in my backyard which grow from right to left. What do you say to that?” I wrote back a kind note, thanking her, saying, “I ’m so glad 13
you told me. Will you please send me some of your beans when they come up?” Some weeks later I received an other letter from her. It was actually just a short line. She stated, “My dear Dr. Wilson, my beans proved to be peas.” You see, beloved, you can't make beans grow from right to left. THE CROSS W A S HIS OWN They borrowed a bed to lay His head When Christ the Lord came down; They borrowed the ass in the moun tain pass For Him to ride to town; But the crown that He wore and the cross that He bore Were His own— The cross was His own. He borrowed the bread when the crowd He fed On the grassy mountain side; He borrowed the dish of broken fish With which He satisfied. But the crown that He wore and the cross that He bore Were His own— The cross was His own. He borrowed the ship in which to sit To teach the multitude; He borrowed a nest in which to rest— He had never a home so rude; But the crown that He wore and the cross that He bore Were His own— The cross was His own. He borrowed a room on His way to the tomb The Passover lamb to eat; They borrowed a cave for Him a grave, They borrowed a winding sheet. But the crown that He wore and the cross that He bore Were His own— The cross was His own. Even so, when God gives one a new nature and he is born again, he will live for the Saviour. This is the only thing that will give you a deep inter est in the spiritual welfare of your family, friends, and the lost around the world. Examine your heart to see if you have eternal life so that you may impart it to others.
Nr. Merv Fishback, executive administrator of Arizona Bible College, Biota's Phoenix affiliate, points out Campus features to Raydean Nau- man, ABC student and granddaughter of Dr. Ray A. Myers, Biola Board chairman. TUNED IN TO GOD
Expansion into space has been grow ing rapidly 4 in the past half decade, however, in the last few months, it has virtually exploded. Actually we need to take a greater interest in the sad affairs here on earth rather than trying to get to the moon. Still, we are amazed at man*8 technological advancements. Take for instance the antenna which has been devised to pick up signals from distant satellites. The strength of such signals needs to be no more than one millionth of a i millionth of a watt. Sound confusing? Look at a comparison. This receiver-an tenna is so powerful that if you had it in your home here in America you could pick up what little sound a gnat might make flicking its wings over in Bombay, India. According to space scientists, that is what one millionth of a millionth of a vjatt is like. Approaching the ultimate in man’s achievements through communi cation we are concentrating on hearing another person’s voice from a distant planet. In the light of real spiritual needs here in our country, however, the human heart is basically designed to hear its Creator. As God’s voice is tuned in, even U faint signal becomes loud and clear when amplified by obedience. Are we interested enough to hear and to respond? Listen to His gracious invita tion, “ Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). * * * The Bible promises no loaves to the loafer. 14
JUNE RADIO MESSAGE
FIND REFRESHMENT
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W hat would you th in k if some one compared your life to a weed? Before you answer, let me read Jeremiah 48:6, “Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wil derness.” Now the heath in appear ance is cpmparable to a tumbleweed. It breaks off from its root in the dry season and rolls every which way be fore the wind. It is only stopped by a fence or some other object, where it piles up with those like it. This is not true in Palestine, however, where the heath has a tiny blue flower. When the dry weather comes, the roots shrink and it generally makes itself a smaller ball. While it breaks off from the ground its roots go with it. When it finds a wet place, such as a swamp or marsh, the roots take hold again and the plant will blossom once more. God uses this unusual plant to say something to us relative to our lives. Take a look at your daily existence and see if there is any water there. Water, of course, represents the Word of God. The wind is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Are you living in a place where your soul is being re freshed? Years ago, when I was prac ticing medicine, I had a good medicai library. I spent a good deal of money on my books. When I gave up my practice, however, I decided I needed the space in my library for my Chris tian study volumes. Calling up a used book dealer, I was taken aback when he told me that they were worth only pennies; virtually of no value whatso ever. Since I first started medicine, many changes have been made. In. this verse, the Lord is suggest ing that we need to have our souls patterned after this heath plant. Let the Holy Spirit take you into an at mosphere where God is loved and wor shipped, and where people talk sense so that the things of earth are second ary to those things of heaven. There
is a vast difference between religion and Christianity. In genuine Chris tianity the individual is in love with Christ his Saviour. On the other hand, there are millions of “religious” people. They may go to church and read a chapter out of the Bible once in a while. They will speak nicely about good things, but they have no COM IN G SOON In the glow of early morning, In the solemn hush of night; Down from heaven's open portals, Steals a messenger of light; Whispering sweetly to my spirit, While the hosts of heaven sing! This the wondrous thrilling story, Christ is coming, Christ my King. Often I can hear His footsteps, Stealing down the paths of time; And the future dark with shadows. Brightens with this hope sublime. Sound ‘the soul-inspiring anthem Angel hosts, your harps attune; Earth's long night is almost over, Christ is coming— coming soon. Long we've waited, blest Redeemer, Waited for the first bright ray Of the morn when sin and sorrow At thy Presence flee away; But our vigil's nearly over; Hope of heaven, oh, priceless boon! In the east the glow appearing, Christ is coming— coming soon. — W. Macomber real knowledge of the Saviour, and have never been born again. If you are a true believer, the Holy Spirit will take you into those quarters and circumstances where you can grow in the grace of the Lord. Lord Byron once declared, “My life is in the yellow leaf, the fruits and flowers of love are gone. The worm, the. shallowness, and the grief are mine alone.” What a terrible thing, to live in a place where there is no water of life, and no sunshine of heaven. I had 15
a very fine banker friend whom I thought was a perfect businessman. One day I picked up the paper, how ever, and saw that he had been ar rested. While we thought he was ideal, he turned out to be a fraud. There are many people who are like this spiritually. Listen my friend, there is no safety outside of Christ Jesus. The devil will come along with all sorts of temp tations. When you yield you have no strength apart from the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. We need to be in that place where the wind can take us. He will carry us where there is the Water of Life. So, if you are in place where you are drying up, and things are hard for you, let the Holy Spirit blow you out of there to where you will find love, light, joy and the peace of God that passeth un derstanding. * * * The way to see farther ahead is to fol low the will of God as far as you can see. « * * SEEDS OF DESTRUCTION As we think of Independence Day we can’t help but reflect on the fact that there are distinctive parallels between the fall of the powerful and proud Ro man Empire and our own country today. In 1787, Edward Gibbon completed his masterful volume, “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.’’ He claimed that the reasons for this society’s downfall were first of all, the rapid increase in divorce which resulted in the undermin ing of the home unit. Second, higher and higher taxes and the spending of public money. Third, the mad craze for pleas ure. Fourth, the building of gigantic armaments. Fifth, the decay of religious faith, fading into mere formalism and finally becoming too impotent to help the people. Can we ignore these tell-tale signs when we see moral corruption and spiritual declension on every hand? The exhortation may have been given origi nally to Israel, however, its spiritual ■principle for our country today is cer tainly realistic, “I f my people shall hum ble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Miss Leonie V. Soubirou (right), director of the Biota College Department of Nursing, talks with students Margarita Barr, Laurel Heath, Carol Mimms, and Cheryl Tyra. HOW IS YOUR CONSCIENCE? One day a little boy and his sister were playing hospital. The lad was the patient while the girl pretended to be the nurse. As they began, he explained in serious tones, “I ’m supposed to be ‘on conscience.’ ” What he meant, of course, was that he was “unconscious.” Yet, it would seem he might have been very correct. Actually, as God’s children we are all “on conscience.” This was Paul’s declaration to Timothy when he wrote, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from .o pure heart and a good conscience.” During the Olympics one runner, who was the third in a four way relay race, dropped the baton while trying to pass it. Throwing himself on the ground, he wept openly. He actually had to be helped from the arena. Considering his failure he realized very poignantly that he had put his team out of the running. He had disappointed his countrymen. The suc cess of the two runners before him was thereby cancelled. The runner who would have followed him never had a chance. So it is with life itself. There may be someone who will never be won to Jesus Christ unless we are faithful in holding high the torch of eternal life. So may we live, “on conscience,” perceptive of God’s truth. As a faithful Christian you must translate God’s Word into your life so that others may find . the knowl edge of Christ. So Paul wrote, “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and Godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward” (II Corinthians 1 : 12 ). 16
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