there would be no problem. You are not in business with him. As far as a franchise is concerned, you will want to know a great deal about the firm with which you are considering doing business. This is from the fi nancial or economic background. As a spiritual principle, one would need to know the terms, the contract, the general depth of the association. Again, we need to make sure that we don’t draw a circle so closely around ourselves that we have no testimony or effectiveness for the Lord. Study carefully I Corinthians 5:9-11. If y o u s a y , “I’m not going to have anything to do with anybody who is morally tainted,” you will have such a narrow limit that it will require an FBI investigator to check out those with whom you can have any potential dealings. Paul says, “You get to this point and you may as well go out of the world.” Q. Everett, Wash. — “I f the Word of God indicates that things will be come increasingly difficult in the end times, shouldn’t we rather rejoice that the Lord is closing doors? I do believe that as He gives opportunity, strength and wisdom, we should do all in our power to press everyone possible into the fold.” A. Yes, in a sense, this is correct. The world says, “Cheer up, the best is yet to come.” The real Bible-be- lieving Christian says, “Cheer up, the worst is yet to come.” When the devjl has done his very worst, then we know that our redemption draw- eth nigh. While some doors are clos ing, many o t h e r s are opening wide. We need to enter these as soon as possible bringing the lost to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Here at Biola, we look for the Lord to come at any moment, but we are planning as though He might not come for a generation. We must be busy doing His will and His busi ness. That is our sacred commission.
uals, like Johnson, Paulson, Carlsen, and the like. Other last names also came as a result of the localities and areas in which people lived. Q. Middletown, Ohio — “Was the new birth actually known in the Old Tes tament ?” A. Yes, it was known as well as ex perienced. There is little doubt but that Adam was bom again. Certainly this would be true of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Isaac, Jacob, David, and the list goes on and on. Remember, Abra ham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. We can’t expect the same wording as we would, say in John 3, but it is definitely there. Jesus expressed surprise that Nicodemus did not understand the new birth (John 3:10). Read Psalm 51. New birth is always the operation of the Spirit of God upon a sinner who is dead in trespasses and sins, giving to him new life in Christ and a new relationship to God. In the Gospels one comes nearer to Calvary. So there is stated there in more explicit terms. Q. Junction City, Ore. — “According to II Corinthians 6:1U, is it wrong for Christians to lease or to rent a busi ness building to unbelievers? Would this be considered as an unequal yoke? How about going into a fran chise business with an organization about whose owners one knows noth ing?” A. This passage ordinarily has to do with marriage relationships, as is indicated by the context. Yet it does have a definite bearing on all phases of our life. We must also re member that we cannot draw a line about ourselves and be strangled. If the building were rented to someone who carried on a business contrary to the Word of God, such as a saloon, then it would be wrong for you as a Christian to lease it. If the tenant carries on a legitimate business,
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