VOL. VI
MARCH, 1915
No. 3
O N E D O L L A R A Y E A R
Ziu King0 lustess MOTTO : “I the Lord do keep it, I will water it every moment lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.”—Isa. 27:3. R. A. TORREY, EDITOR J. H . S a m m is T . C. H o r t o n J. H. H u n t e r —ASSOCIATE EDITORS— Organ of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Inc. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. Entered as Second-Class Matter November 17, 1910, at the postofHce at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
DIRECTORS
Lyman Stewart, President. William Thorn, Secretary. T. C. Horton, Superintendent. E. A. K. Hackett. S. I. Merrill.
Rev. A. B. Prichard, Vice-President. J. M. Irvine, Treasurer. R. A. Torrey, Dean. Giles Kellogg. H. A. Getz.
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT We hold to the Historic Faith of the Church as expressed in the Common Creed of Evangelical Christendom and including: The Trinity of the Godhead. The Deity of the Christ.
The Maintenance of Good Works. The Second Coming of Christ. The Immortality of the Spirit. The Resurrection of the Body. The Life Everlasting of Believers. The Endless Punishment of the Im penitent. The Reality and Personality of Satan. (7) Bible Women. House-to-house visitation and neighborhood classes. (8) Oil Fields. A mission to men on the oil fields. (9) Books and Tracts. Sale and dis tribution of selected books and tracts. (10) Harbor Work. For seamen in Los Angeles harbor. (11) Yoke Fellows Hall. Thoroughly manned. Our Mission for men with Boot Black and Newsboys Class and Street Meetings. (12) Print Shop. For printing Testa ments, books, tracts, etc. A complete establishment, profits going to' free dis tribution of tracts.
The Personality of the Holy Ghost. The Supernatural and Plenary au thority of the Holy Scriptures. The Unity in Diversity of the Church, which is the Body and Bride of Christ. The Substitutionary Atonement. The Necessity of the New Birth. P u r p o s e Institute trains, free of cost, accredited men and women, in the knowledge and use of the Bible. Departments: 0 9 The, in stitu te Classes held daily exceptSaturdays and Sundays. (2) Extension work. Classes and con ferences held in neighboring cities and towns. (3) Evangelistic. Meetings conducted by our evangelists. (4) Spanish Mission. Meetings every night. (5) Shop Work. Regular services in shops and factories. (6) Jewish Evangelism. Personal work among the Hebrews.
OUR WORK
A ND O T H E R B O OK S W H IC H HAVE RECE N T LY BEEN READ BY O U R BOOK C RITIC, MR. D. B. WA LL A C E . TH E D E S C R IP T IO N S F O L L OW IN G TH E TIT LE A R E H IS OWN W O R D S.
The Tabernacle: Its Types and Teachings. W illiam J. M cClure. 50c. T he b est book on th e tab ern acle th a t h as ap p eared in re cen t y ears, giving th e ty p ical signilicance of th e m in u test d etails in such a m an n er as to be of sp iritu al u se to u s in o u r daily lives. Studies of Paul and His Gospel. P rin cip al A. E . G arvie. $1.50: P au l’s zeal fo r God, b o th before an d a fte r his heavenly vision; h is re tirem e n t in to A rab ia; his being cau g h t up to th e th ird h eav en ; th e b itte r persecu tio n w hich he suffered; his m issio n ary jo u rn ey s, etc., a re all discussed in th e first p a rt of th is book, show ing th e developm ent, experience, an d p erso n ality of th is A postle to th e G entiles. T he sec ond p a rt deals w ith th e g re a t d o ctrin es of Ju stificatio n by F a ith ; Sin an d L aw ; H oli ness; th e R e tu rn of o u r L ord for H is peo ple, etc. T his book is ably w ritten . Present Truth for Present Times. 50c. A m o st valuable w ork p o in tin g out clearly th e differences of th e v ario u s Gos pel d ispensations, show ing w hy th e com m an d s given in one disp en satio n m ay not apply to all or an y of th e others. Dread Symbols. “ Phegon.” P ap er, 20c. In th is pam phlet, w hich de scrib es R evelation, C h ap ter VI, th e first seal is m ade to rep re sen t th e G erm an E m p ire; th e second is th e. terrib le w a r w hich th e K aiser h as b ro u g h t upon th e e a rth ; th e th ird an d fo u rth are fam ine, pestilence, an d th e rav ag es of th e w ild b easts of th e e a rth—w hich th in g s follow as consequences of th e w ar w hich th e w rite r th in k s will continue u n til th e opposing forces of th e co u n tries a t w ar w ill be p ractically a n n i hilated, an d th e co u n tries them selves b e com e b a n k ru p t b ecause of th e enorm ous n a tio n al d eb ts w hich th ey w ill have in curred. Romanism and Ruin. H. C. M orrison. $1.00. A tim ely w arn in g to th e P ro te sta n ts of th e U n ited S ta te s to p u t fo rth a stren u o u s an d united effort to th w a rt th e a tte m p ts th a t are being m ade by th e R om an C atholics to g et them selves into pow er in th e Am erican governm ent. T he terrib le deeds th a t w ere p erp etu ated in form er y e a rs by th e R om an ists in E u ro p ean co u n tries should ro u se th e people of th is
land to endeavor to th e e x te n t of th e ir ab ility to p rev en t such tro u b les from oc cu rrin g here. Spiritual Law in the Natural World. F. W . G rant. $1.00. A few y ears ago th ere ap p eared th e w ork of D rumm ond called “N a tu ra l L aw in th e S p iritu al W orld.’’ To begin w ith n a tu ra l law an d w ork backw ard to find th e sp iritu al is likely to lead th e in q u irer in to error. T h e p resen t w rite r tak es th e opposite m ethod, beginning w ith sp iritu al law as se t fo rth in God’s W ord, an d th en endeavoring to find th ese law s exem plified in th e w orkings of n atu re. H e points out. som e of th e erro rs m ade by D rumm ond. C h rist used m an y illu stratio n s from n a tu re to d escribe sp iritu al tru th . To search for sp iritu al law s in n a tu re is q u ite rig h t, b u t th e a u th o r of th is book ( “N atu ral L aw ” ) ap p ears to have carried th is su b je c t fa r beyond reasonable lim its. Men Who Prayed. H en ry W . F ro st. $1.00. F am iliar, h e a rt- to -h e a rt ta lk s w ith th e read er •concerning th e lives of th e Old T e stam e n t sa in ts who offered p ra y e r to Jehovah. T h e book is m ore th a n a stu d y of p ray er; it is a stu d y also of m en w ho prayed, an d m en of v astly different types, so th a t w e can all find our en co u rag em en t an d g uidance in th ese pages. Mr. F ro s t is a m an of p ray er: he lives a co n secrated life an d is th u s ab le to plead w ith God an d prevail. Thirsting for the Springs. J. H. Jow ett. 500. D evotional ad d resses ra th e r th a n serm ons, b u t adm irably ad ap ted as m odels for th e p ray er-m eetin g— suggestive, illum inative an d scrip tu ral. W ell su ited to th e req u irem en ts of God’s children who a re striv in g to a tta in to th e “h ig h er life.” Peloubet’s Select Notes on the Interna tional Lessons. $1.00. Am ong th e an n u als co n tain in g n o tes on th e In tern atio n al S unday School lessons, th e one by P elo u b et has, for m an y y ears, been a fav o rite w ith teach ers. Tarbell’s Teacher’s Guide to the Interna tional Sunday School Lessons. $1.00. T arb ell’s Guide, w hich h as ap p eared in recen t y ears, is a n ex cellent w ork and is being used in a larg e n um b er of schools. T he su b je ct m a tte r is v ery full an d well arran g ed .
ANY OF THE BOOKS LISTED ABOVE WILL BE SENT PREPAID UPON RECEIPT OF LIST PRICE
ADDRESS ALL ORDERS TO THE BIOLA BOOK ROOM, Bible Institute of Los Angeles 536-538 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, Cal.
WE COMMEND THE FOLLOWING LIST OF O U R OW N P U B L I C A T I O N S FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF OUR READERS
Redeeming the Time, lc each; 8c p er dozen; 50c p er hundred. Il lum in ated card co n tain in g verse w hich b e gin s “I have only ju s t one m in u te.” Daily Helps. Selected by A n n a E . B a ttin . 5c each ; 40c p er dozen; $3.00 p er hundred. A stiff cov ered booklet w ith S crip tu re read in g s for every d ay in th e year. Do You Know? Do You Understand? Do You Realize? Have You Heard? 6c p er dozen; 25c p er hundred. T hese qu estio n s a re com pleted by th e u se of Gos pel tex ts. V ery u sefu l in p erso n al work. Daily Prayer List. J. H. H u n ter. 25c p er dozen; $1.50 per hundred. L ines for tw elve n am es an d a d dresses, to g eth er w ith spaces for d ates w h en p ray ers w ere b egun an d answ ered. “ S uggestions,” “H in d ran ces,” “C onditions” an d “E n co u rag em en ts” a re appended. God’s Sure Promise (John (1:12). A rran g ed by R. A. T orrey. 5c p er dozen; 30e per hundred. A p rin te d sta te m e n t for new converts, including "H ow an d W hen To R ead th e B ible,” by R. A. T orrey, and 'a n in q u irer’s card p erfo rated so th a t it can be easily to rn off. How to Bring Men to Christ. R. A. T orrey. 15c each; 25e fo r tw o; $1.00 fo r eig h t; $7.00 p er hundred. A plain, forceful tre a tise ; sim ple an d p ractical. The Higher Criticism and the New The ology. R A T orrey. 15c each; 25c for tw o; $1.00 for eig h t; $7.00 p er hundred. T his deals w ith th e h ig h er criticism w hich is d e stru ctiv e an d u tte rly m ischievous. The Doubter’s Doubts About Science and Religion. S ir R o b e rt A nderson. 15c each; 25c for tw o; $1.00 for eig h t; $7.00 p er hundred. T his book is ad d ressed to m en of th e world an d sp eak s from th e sta n d p o in t of sk e p ti cism. The Return of the Lord Jesus. R. A. T orrey. P ap er, 25c each; cloth, 50c each. A m aste rly tre a tm e n t of th e m ost im p o rta n t p h ases of th e second bodily com in g of o u r L ord Jesu s. The Wondrous Joy of Soul Winning. R. A. T orrey. Cloth, 50c each. E m p h a sizes th e privilege of pray er, testim o n y and w insom e effort to d raw first one an d then an o th er to th e Saviour. Truth for You. J. H . Samm is. 10c each ; 85c p er dozen; $6.00 p er hundred. A personal w o rk er’s book in convenient form for th e v est pocket co n tain in g a su rp risin g fund of condensed inform ation.
What to Put in Our Three Circles of Prayer. Jam es A. F ran cis. 5c each; 50c p e r dozen; $3.00 p er hundred. H ow th e p ray er bound aries a re clearly sta k ed o u t in th ree g re a t prayers. The Second Coming of Christ. R. A. T orrey. 3c each, 30c p er dozen; $2.00 p er hundred. By an a u th o r w ho is espe cially fam iliar w ith his subject. The Life That Wins. C harles G. T rum bull. 2c each; 20c p er dozen; $1.50 p er hundred. A v ery helpful book for young C hristians. What Do We Mean by Praying Through? C harles G. T rum bull. 2c each ; 20c per dozen; $1.50 p er hundred. A n im p o rtan t q uestion ably answ ered. When the Deacon Talked in Church, lc each; 7c p er dozen; 40c p er hundred. T he comm on excuses for w ithholding our w orldly goods from God a re h ere se t forth in a strik in g m anner. Is the Present Tongues Movement of God? R. A. T orrey. -2c each; 15c p er dozen; $1.00 p er hundred. C onvincing reaso n s for a n sw erin g th is q u estio n in th e negative. How Can I Know That I Am Led by the Holy Spirit? R. A. T orrey. lc each; 10c p er dozen; 75c p er hundred. C h ristian s who w a n t th e deeper life w ill find th is booklet in v alu a- able. Is Total Depravity a Myth? lc each; 10c p er dozen; 75c p er hundred. Show s th a t to ta l d ep rav ity is no m ore a m y th th a n th e ato n em en t. The Five Card Sharpers. 8c p er dozen; 40c p er hundred. A tru e sto ry of a C h ristian m an who acted as “fo rtu n e te lle r” to five card sh arp ers. Having an Original Experience with Christ, lc each! 10c p er dozen; 75c p er hundred. “W h at m an y of u s need is th a t C hrist should becom e to u s a n a lto g eth er different P erso n from th a t w hich H e seem s to us now .” The Story of the Bamboo. B. E. N ew combe. lc each; 10c p er dozen; 75c p er hundred. A p arab le of bam boo w a te r channels th a t w ill reach th e h e a rt an d m ak e th e follow ers of th e M aster w illingly give th e ir lives to H im for H is unhindered use. What Must I Do to be Saved? 5c p er dozen; 25c p er hundred. A Gospel an sw er to an im p o rtan t question. Sin Made White. 8c p er dozen; 40c p er hundred. S h o rt and to th e point.
A ny book listed above w ill be se n t post- paid upon receip t of list price.
BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 536 So. Hope Street, Los Angeles
The Bi o l a Book Room
THE KING' S B U S I N E S S Voi. 6 MARCH, 1915 No. 3 Table of Contents E d ito r ia l: Timely Selections from an Old but Inspired Poem —Are They Noble Heroes or Cowardly Assassins?—How Easily a Philosopher May become a Fool—England’s Drift Romewards—What do the Nations Need, a Day of Humiliation and Prayer, or Simply a Day of Humble Prayer? i L,........ .— —............................................ — ------ 187 Intercession and Evangelism. By Miss Ruth Paxton —.... 190 “Weak Things Used to Confound the Mighty.” By D. L. Moody. ....... ...... .................... .;.— -198 Revivals and Evangelists, II George Whitefield ( Continued ) By J. H. H u n t e r .... |i...... ......... —fr. ...................------....... 204 Life and Life More Abundant {poem). By J. H. Sammis 208 International Sunday School Lessons. By R. A. Torrey and T. C. Horton- ____............ ...... -........ .............................. 209 Devotional Studies in the New Testament for Individual Meditation and Family Worship. By R. A. Torrey...i........... 222 Hints and Helps ........... :..... .......................................................... 239 A t Home and A broad ............... ..................... ............................... 245 Institute Notes ...........................- -......-— ........-.......................... 250 Light on Puzzling Passages and Problems 259 His Way Is Best {poem). Selected . ......................................... 260
SUBSCRIPTION RATE
-
-
ONE DOLLAR A YEAR
Published by the Bible Institute of Los Angeles
536-558 South Hope Street Copyright by Bible Institute of Los Angeles, 1915
The WONDROUS JOY OF SOUL-WINNING A NEW BOOK by R. A. Torrey, D. D. SOME OP IN IONS Just Issued. “English Churchman” :
“As an evangelist of world-wide experience, D r . T orrey knows much of the happiness of leading men and women to Christ. This little book, however, is not concerned with preaching to the multitude, but with individual dealing— what is known as ‘personal work.’ It has been written at the request of M r . T h om a s H ogben , Founder of the ‘One by One’ Working Band, and emphasizes the privilege of prayer, testimony, and winsome effort to draw first one and then another to the Saviour. The counsel given is sound and practical, and if followed is sure to produce blessed results.”- “D r . T orrey , as everybody who has heard him or read his books knows, lays much emphasis on soul-winning. In ‘The Wondrous Joy of Soul-Winning’ he deals with the best methods of leading others to Christ, and the little book is one that ought to be in the hands of every Christian “T h is great Evangelist and expert soul-winner writes in- spiringly of the joys of leading souls to Christ. The indi vidual believer is slow to realize the possibilities of such service, and we are grateful to. the ‘One by One’ Band for publishing, and D r . T orrey for writing, tbis inspiring but much-needed message to the Church.” “W ritten at the request of the Founder of the ‘One by One’ Band, and with a Foreword from his pen, this is an earliest and practical appeal to the individual Christian to realize not only the responsibility but the joy of being a ‘fisher of men.’ ” “T h is is an eminently practical book on a most important subject. D r . T orrey writes out of a large experience, and he illustrates his various points, with telling incidents. In dividual work for individuals is the keynote, and the titles of the chapters will indicate the author’s plan:—‘The Won drous Joy of Winning Souls,’ ‘Fishing for Men the Business of Life for Every Follower of Christ,’ ‘The Most Effective Method of Winning Others for Christ,’ ‘The Essential Con ditions of Success in One by One Work,’ ‘How To Go at One by One Work.’ It is a book to be read and pondered.”
“Life of Faith” :
• worker.” “Our Own Gazette” :
“Schoolmistress” :
“Witness,” Belfast:
_____ Price
-
-
-
Post Paid
50 Cents_____
Address all orders to TH E B I O L A B O O K ROOM Bible Institute of Los Angeles
536-558 South Hope Street
Los Angeles, California
BUY AND PASS IT ON
THE KING’S BU S IN ESS Voi 6 MARCH, 1915 No. 3 0 = Timely Selections from an Old but Inspired Poem S AH, JEHOVAH, Thou God to Whom vengeance belongeth, ^ Thou God to whom vengeance belongeth, shine forth, f Lift up thy self thou Judge of the earth: j Render to the proud their desert. S Jehovah, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph ? They prate; they speak arrogantly: All the workers of iniquity boast themselves. They slay the wicked and the sojourner, And murder the fatherless. And they say, Jehovah will not see, Are They Noble Heroes, or Cowardly Assassins? NE of the most saddening and appalling things about the present war is the Way in. which cultured men, men of sufficient educa tion had scientific intelligence to invent and manage aeroplanes and Zeppelins, allow themselves for the sake of gaining a little worthless applause to direct their engines of destruction in the night above the homes of sleeping women and children and non-combatants and drop bombs upon them and maim and kill them. Nothing of real value from a military point of view is gained for the country that they represent by this procedure. Almost all of those killed are women, children, cripples and civilians, almost no soldiers have been killed. Nothing in all the history of civilized warfare is so outrageous and contemptible as this.- This is not honorable warfare, it is cowardly murder. And yet these men go home to their own lands, and instead of being imprisoned and executed, they are re ceived with acclamations by men in the highest authority and even by the women of their own land. Is there any bottom to the depths of degradation and blindness to which war will not drag men and women? When one reads of these things, he rejoices to know God reigns and that He is a God that takes account of all the actions of men and that no eminence of position, and no support of the mightiest monarchs, can shield the man who engages in Neither will the God of Jacob consider. Consider, ye brutish among the people; And ye fools, when will ye be wise ? He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? He that formed the eye, shall He not see? He that chastiseth the nations, shall not He correct, Even He that teacheth man knowledge? Jehovah knoweth the thoughts of men, that they are vanity.
188
THE KING’S BUSINESS such damnable exploits from the wrath of God that will finally be meted out to him. One of the saddest things about it is that people who will condemn this sort of thing when done by the representatives of another nation, applaud it when done by the representatives of their own nation. What is called “love of country” is often as far from real intelligent love as midnight is from noon. It is simply the quintessence of selfishness, maliciousness and baseness. How Easily a Philosopher May Become a Fool IP t ÉO /PI * *" were n°I so sud, one could scarcely keep from being amused as he reads the letters and newspaper articles of eminent men Philosophy and Science and Letters in Germany anc* in France and in England. Some of these utterances from these leaders of modern thought are so absolutely blind and illogical that it seems incredible that these great men should ever have written them. And one is almost tempted to wonder whether the word “philosopher” is not simply “fool” written long., We^ are tempted to mention the names of some of the eminent men who have written these blind and preposterous letters and articles ; for their names have stood for all that was profoundest and supposedly rationally established in Philosophy and Science. When one reads some of these recent utterances the question inevitably arises whether these “great men” may not be as unsafe guiaes in Philosophy and Science as they are in matters of morals and politics. England’s Drift Romewards NE of the most remarkable developments of the war is the ap- pointment of Sir Henry Howard as British Ambassador Ex- traordinary to the Vatican. For four hundred years Great Britain has sent no representative to the Papal Court, but in this time of ^ J p g stress, she has reversed the policy of centuries. The consciousness of the powers that be in England of the peril of their action is seen in the fact that the “Press Bureau” laid an embargo on any discussion of the mission. A few papers declined to be muzzled on a subject of such immense importance and portent, but the surprising thing is that there has been so little protest on the part of Protestants against this action. Days of humble prayer will bring little result if England is going to bow the knee to the apostate Church of Rome, and to recognize its claim to secular power, by sending an Ambas sador to the Court of Rome. Will America follow suit? Possibly, in the more “grievous times” that are coming, but every person loyal to the Word of God, to say nothing of every loyal American, should resist to the uttermost all actions on the part of persons in authority that squint in that direction. What Do The Nations Need, a Day of Humiliation and Prayer, or Simply a Day of Humble Prayer? ®nglish Christians, aroused by the awful devastations of iP® Present war, saw in their sufferings and misfortunes and losses a call from God to national humiliation and prayer. They ‘£S°:°W^W° sought to awaken their fellow-countrymen to a sense of the deepest need of the hour. It was suggested in various quarters
THE KING’S BUSINESS 189 that a Day of Humiliation and Prayer be appointed. But those in authority thinking that the word “humiliation” would look badly in the eyes of their enemies, changed the suggested “Day of Humiliation and Prayer” to a “Day of Humble Prayer.” It seems to us that this was most unfortunate. It was not at all a question of how it would seem to their enemies; it was simply a question of the nation’s path of wisdom in the sight of God. It was God’s help they sought, not any man’s. The right thing for any individual or any nation to do when visited by calamities or when facing great difficulties is to go to God and earnestly seek and find in God’s presence if there is anything in its conduct that is displeasing in His sight and to humble themselves before God in definite confession and renunciation of their sins, making restitution as far as is in their power, and then, and then only, have they the right to seek God’s help and expect it. This is set forth very clearly in Solomon s prayer at the dedication of the Temple (1 Kings 8:33, 34), “When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house; Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.” That England as a nation has sinned there can be no question; in their religious life, and their social life they have departed from God, and there should be humiliation of themselves before God for that fact before they can approach God in acceptable prayer and expect His help; and there have been very definite national sins, for example, in their conduct toward China in the matter of the opium traffic, and even in their present conduct. There should be confession of this sin and there should be restitu tion to China for the wrongs done. This is not at all to say that England is wrong in the present war, but God judges nations, just as He does indi viduals for past sins, and they must confess and make restitution before God can come to the help of the individual or the nation. A Day of Humiliation and Prayer was exactly what England needed, it is exactly what Germany needs, and it is exactly what America needs. Americans have a way of taking great glory to themselves because they are not in the war, but while we may rejoice and do rejoice that we are not in the war, nevertheless, we are not without sin, and as a nation we have ignored God, followed after idols and also the devices and desires of our ownhearts. Nothing would do more to straighten out the present awful calamities that are devastating the earth, not merely the nations that are at war but other nations that are affected by the war, than an International Day of Humiliation before the true God, the God and Father of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and of prayer. Such a day, if carried out in all sincerity, would bring this war and all wars speedily to an end. I x f { i i H UMBLE yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. IPeter 5:6. Ì. f I 1 Ì
Intercession and Evangelism 1 By Miss R uth P axson NATIONAL STUDENT SECRETARY OF THE YOUNG WOMEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION, SHANGHAI, CHINA
(Noté: This address contains a message greatly needed, not only in China but in America and England and other countries as well. Copies of this address in pamphlet form may be had at 5c each by addressing the Biola Book Room, 536-548 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, California.— E ditors .)
brought nigh; he is lost and must be found; he is dead and must be made alive again. The Word of God as clearly shows what he may become. He may know God as a loving Father and Jesus Christ as an all sufficient Saviour, more than that he may enter into an intimate personal relationship with God, nay, may really come into His family as a son and heir and co heir with Jesus Christ; more than that he may have God Himself within him in all His fulness through the indwelling Spirit; still more yet he may grow daily into a discernible likeness to Jesus Christ, so incarnat ing again the very life of the Son of God on earth that he is able to say, “For me to live is Christ.” Then having attained to this life himself, through the complete abandonment of his life to God, he goes out as a wit ness ; as one filled with a passion to win others to God until his home, his community, his city, his nation, have heard the voice and have felt the transforming touch of the living Christ. This, and still more, is evan gelism. But it is all this whether we speak of it in general terms in con nection with a movement, or in spe- -cfic terms in connection with an indi vidual. I pause here to ask, “who is suffi cient for these things ?” Who here is equal to such a task as this? Not
HIS morning we have two great themes blend- ed into one, intercession and evangelism. The major emphasis is to be
placed upon intercession, but interces sion in its relationship to evangelism, evangelism in its dependence upon in tercession. What is Evangelism? First, what is evangelism? Let us confine ourselves for a moment to the personal equation in it. Three persons are concerned: God, who works to win, the one to be won, and the one who wins him. I wish 'we could con sider God’s part in evangelism; His finished work of saving and keeping men through the death and resurrec tion of Jesus Christ., His perfected method of wooing and winning men through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the world. God’s part is done. Think now a moment of the one to be won. The Bible clearly ■reveals his condition, whether he be rich or poor, learned or ignorant, great or small, cultured or crude. He is one ignorant of God whose mind is blinded by the god of this world; he is far off from God and must be ♦An ad d ress given a t th e sum m er confer ence on E vangelism held a t K uling and P eitaih o , C hina, d u rin g th e sum m er of 1914.
THE KING’S BUSINESS
191
you, not I, not any man or woman on earth, no matter what his natural endowment or his training. Jesus, speaking to one of the highly cul tured scholars of His day, said, that which is flesh is flesh, “That which is spirit is spirit,” teaching him that by no natural means, can the natural ever be changed into the spiritual. Only one thing can ever span the gulf between the natural and the spir itual and that is the life giving power of the Holy Spirit; only One can ever span this gulf and he the life giving Spirit. The man who offered the importunate prayer rightly said, “My friend has come and I have nothing to give him.” Jesus said, “Apart from me ye can do nothing.” “Power belongeth unto God” and unto no one else. Nevertheless Gocl has in trusted to us the work of evangelism. He has committed unto us the minis try of reconciliation. God never denies Himself nor does He ever mock us. God has remained stead fastly true to His purpose to save men through Christ Jesus; and in spite of all the unfaithfulness of His children, He remains absolutely true to His plan of doing it through human personality—but how? The plan is so simple its very simplicity is a stumbling block. It is this— power through personality by prayer. God’s power; your personality; prayer; the marvellous combination of the Holy Spirit of God and you. We must believe it. God has no other way of winning men and women and little children in this world than this one —power through personality by pray er. Intercession is the one means and the only means of touching and re leasing the power of God. Intercession is the power on earth that commands the power of heaven.” There is no other. So we will stand •forever at the threshold of this great door of evangelism and will never
enter it to possess what is beyond unless we are willing and determined to give intercession its God appointed place in our lives. I am not going to persuade you or myself into becoming true intercessors by telling how other men and women have prayed, although the witness of such lives is of inestimable value. Nor again shall we think of how all great movements of evangelism have been begun and carried through in prayer. Most of us are more of less familiar with these facts. We know and admit the facts, but they have influenced our prayer but little. No, we need something more virile, vital izing, vivifying, than this to lift us out of our spiritual inertia, out of our senemic prayer life, into the life of an intercessor after God’s own heart. The purpose of this message is that God Himself may lay for each one of us an indestructible bedrofck foun dation for our life of intercession, upon which the Holy Spirit, the Mas ter Builder, shall erect a superstruc ture after God’s own pattern, which shall defy all storm and stress and strenuousness of the complex life we live. Dr. Gamewell’s house at Peitai- ho is built upon a promontory of solid rock. When building he was warned by sailors who said it could not withstand the fierce blasts of wind that sweep over that bay. Dr. Gamewell did not give up or give in, but by long iron rods imbedded six or eight feet in solid rock, he secured the little house to its foundation. It holds fast and withstands all kinds of wind and weather. Our spiritual inertia, the force of old habits, the nagging, insistent, pressure of worn are all against us in the desire to be intercessors such as God seeks. We must have our desires imbedded in something deep and solid and eternal enough to hold us fast in all kinds of wind and weather. There are five
THE KING’S BUSINESS
192
and on the throne. His life on the earth—what was it? A life of intense activity, never ending work. I do not believe Jesus ever had an idle mo ment. He had moments of relaxa tion, rest, recreation, but never of idleness. He worked as few have ever worked. If the “many other things which Jesus did should have been written everyone, even the world itself would not contain the books that should be written.” But was He man of prayer? What part and place did intercession have in His life? A careful study of the records cannot fail to convince us that intercession was put absolutely first that the Son of Man was pre-eminently a man of prayer. Prayer was to Him commun ion with His Father without which He could*not work. It was to Him, as the Sent One of God, the supreme and the greatest working force with out which His whole mission to sick, sightless, sinful men would have failed. He never worked apart from prayer. He spent long hours, whole nights in intercession. “The greater the pressure of work the more deter mined He seemed to be that there should be no shortening of the timé nor flurrying of the spirit.” Jesus, though the very Son of God, had to have His supplies replenished by con tinual and long continued seasons of prayer. His life, work, suffering, death were all accomplished through prayer. Our Christ was a praying Christ. The life He lived for us was a life of intercession. All that Christ was as an intercessor we may be. The part that intercession played in His life as a working force it may—nay, it must—play in yours and in mine. Prayer in Christ on earth and in us cannot be two different things. But one shrinks from saying or even thinking that he can literally, really, follow the example of our Lord on earth, for He was the very Son of
things I shall mention as this bedrock foundation. The Will of God The first is the will of God. What is the will of God for every man and woman—if He had His way in human lives? Stated negatively, "God is not willing that any should perish.” Stat ed positively, “For this is the will of the Father that everyone that behold- eth the Son and believeth on Him shall have eternal life.” Everyone in China? Yes, “everyone that behold- eth and believeth.” God is love. He is no respecter of persons. He wants men to be saved. How then does He mean that they shall “behold and be lieve” ? By the release of His power through some personality in response to prayer. It is a combination lock. The loss of any one part means fail ure to unlock human hearts to the message of the Gospel. We have here the simple statement of our Fa ther’s will for the people among whom we live and work in China. We came to China to do His will. Are we doing it? If not, where is the failure in the combination? Is it in our prayer lives? “My meat and drink is to do the will of my Father” was part of the bedrock foundation of Jesus’ life on earth and it com pelled and constrained Him to spend whole nights in prayer that men might “behold and believe.” Is it part of the bedrock foundation of your life and of mine? Does the clearly re vealed will of the Father-God for perishing men and women compel and constrain us to pray ? The Life of Jesus Christ on Earth and on the Throne This leads me to the second stratum in this bedrock foundation which is the life of Jesus Christ on the earth
THE KING’S BUSINESS
193
God and must have had a power to will and to do that never can be ours. No, it never can be ours by mere imitation, but here we come to the very root and essence of the Christian life itself. What is it to be a Chris tian ? It is nothing less than to have Christ Jesus formed in you until you can say from experience, “Christ is my life,” “I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me,” “For me to live is Christ.” But what Christ? The very same praying Christ who lived on earth who will continue to pray in the very same way in me. But not only did the Christ who was on earth pray, but the Christ who is now on the throne prays. If in tercession was the chief method of Christ’s work on earth, it is now His most exclusive work at the right hand of the Father. “Wherefore He is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near to God through Him, seeing He ever liveth to make inter cession fpr them.” But what con nection can a praying Lord far off on the throne of God have with my life on earth? What connection has your head with your arm? Jesus Christ is the head of the Church which is His body. We each are members of that body. Jesus Christ, the Head, though now at His Father’s right hand, is still carrying on His saving work on earth. How? Through un ceasing, direct, intercession to the Father on the throne. But again how ? Through the intercession of members of His body, the Church, really, vitally, united with Him, though on earth, whose highest duty and privilege is precisely the same as that of the Head. “As in heaven so on earth,” intercession is God’s chan nel of blessing. Have you and I entered into the fulness of this mar velous truth of an indwelling Christ ? Are we “complete in Him” ? Then we each one must be an intercessor
as He was and as He is (Rom. 8 :34). The Promises of God l The third stratum in this foundation for a life of intercession is the prom ises of God. I can think of nothing more solid or stable or sure upon which to build one’s life of interces sion than the immutable word of God. I can conceive of no greater incen tive to a life of intercession than the unchanging promises of Jesus Christ. Before we turn to the promises let us think of the Promiser. He is one who could not deny Himself and will not deceive us. He cannot lie and He will not mislead. What does such a one promise? Listen, “Whatsoever ye ask in my name that will I do.” “If ye ask anything in my name I will do 'it.” “Ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.” “All things whatsoever ye ask and pray fpr believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them.” Jesus had given the commission to that little group of disciples, “Go ye,” “make disciples of all the nations”—an ap parently impossible task. How could they do i t ! On that last night it would seem as though He wanted to assure them over and over again that He had given them power to do what ever He had commanded to be done, so we find in His farewell discourse the wonderful six-fold repetition of the unlimited “anything” whatsoever. He Who had said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth,” through these promises now declared that this same power was at their disposal. In the work of saving souls Jesus Christ gave to them the right to draw upon that power to an unlimited degree through intercession. It were as though He had said to “I took your place upon the Cross, you will take my place in the world, but you must have power to do my
THE KING’S BUSINESS
194
bearing can we glorify the Father. Work and fruit bearing are by no means synonymous, j Some of our work is simply the energy of the flesh, the working off of a surplus nervous energy, or the dissipation of a limited supply of it. What is fruit bearing? We shall know very clearly when some day we stand alone before Him with whom we have to do and render our account. Will it be the number of patients treated or pupils taught or meetings led or hours spent in interviews? God keeps but one kind of statistics, He only writes names in the book of life. It is not the output of our work but the fruit age of that output that counts at all with Him. A short time ago a mis sionary said to me, “I have never worked so hard as I have this last year and have never seen so few re sults. It is because I have prayed so little.” Oh, if we could but come to believe today that it is the bearing of eternal fruit, and not the burning of nervous energy, that God wants, we would see that intercession must have its God-appointed place in our lives.. Jesus taught us, and revealed to us through His own life, that fruit bearing depends upon prayer. “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide, that whatso ever ye shall ask of the Father in my name He may give it you.” Are you bearing fruit? Are you praying? Intercession a Working Force The next thing I will mention links up naturally and closely with this truth of fruit bearing, i. e., interces sion is a working force. It is more than a working force, it is the great est working force in the spiritual world. What is prayer? It is com munion and fellowship with our heav enly Father, and I would not take
work there. I give you my word for it—my unchanging word—I pledge my own name as security, that in response to a prayer these prom ises will be fulfilled.” God would have us have, “unhindered use of His omnipotent power.” As heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, He would have us “possess our posses sions.” Are we doing it? Have you unclaimed deposits in the treasure- house of.God? They are waiting for you, but they can be drawn in but one way—through believing interces sion. The unlimited promises of God unveil to us the limitless power of God. I verily believe if we do not now permit them to constrain us to a life of intercession, they will some day condemn us as we stand before the judgment seat of God “to account for the things done in the body.” The Purpose of Our Lives The fourth stratum in this bedrock foundation upon which our life of intercession is to be built up is the outstanding purpose of our lives as Christians, as missionaries. What is it? To teach school? To heal the sick? To keep accounts? To mold a home? To preach the Gospel? None of these things as an end in itself, but all only as a means to one end in every life. What then is the purpose of your life and mine in China? Jesus Christ tells us, “Ye did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you that ye should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name He may give it you.” Jesus Christ said very little to His disciples about work, but He said much about fruit bearing. Upon that He put tremen dous emphasis, even to making true discipleship dependent upon it. In fact He said only through much fruit
195
THE KING’S BUSINESS
a woman which made her feel the necessity of a two or three days’ retreat there would undoubtedly be criticism on the part of some. But the reverse could be true and no one speak of it or even notice it. If in tercession is work we will be as un failingly faithful in it as in any other phase of our work. If you have a clinic, or a class, or a preaching ser vice, or an appointment of any kind, it is your duty to be there at the stated time, and it would be the honorable and expected thing to excuse yourself from any person, or from any other task or pleasure, to be faithful to this duty. How is it with you in regard to that appointment with the sover eign God of heaven and earth to talk and plan with him regarding the greatest work in the world ? For triv ial unnecessary things, for slight ail ments, for mere pleasures, for sheet laziness, and through spiritual inertia, for pressure of other duties only ap parently important, we cut out the hour of intercession altogether, or postpone it to a more convenient seai son which never comes. We reason no one knows about it but God, and He is gracious, and merciful, anu “remembers we are but dust,” and He will substitute the desire for the deed. The story is told of a famous violinist, who after having gained world renown still continued to prac tice, six or seven hours a day. Some remonstrated with him, saying that now he had gained his reputation he need not continue this drudgery of daily practice. He replied, “If I ceased to practice for one day I should know it, if for two days my best friends would know it, if for three days the whole world would know it.” Do not let us deceive ourselves into thinking we can cease to intercede and no one will know it. If we cease for one day we shall know it and feel the loss of it; if for two days our
one jot or tittle from our reverent thought of prayer as such, but I am convinced we must come to regard intercession as work also. We say we cannot give intercession its right ful place because of the pressure of work. But what is intercession? It is work, the chief, most imperative work we have to do. It is the hard est and most taxing work some of us can ever have. Intercession deceives both the active and the passive tem perament. It seems like such a leis urely thing to kneel to pray and ex actly suited to a passive nature. Why, it requires an exertion and energy that is utterly beyond a naturally pas sive disposition except through the energizing power of the Holy Spirit. We must face it —intercession is work, the greatest fruit bearing work God gives us to do. If then it is work, it will be reckoned in with our day’s schedule. If it is the greatest work ing force, naturally it will be given the first and chief place in our day’s schedule. If intercession is work we shall love to pray as we love to do all other parts of our work. Which would you rather do—preach one ser mon and win three thousands souls to Christ, or preach three thousand ser mons and win one person? The an swer will reveal which you love to do more, preach or pray. It is a sad commentary upon the lives of the dis ciples, as well as upon those of the Pharisees, that the only people we are told in the Word “loved to pray” were the hypocritical Pharisees. If inter cession is work, then there will be system about it. Why, I believe some of us would be recalled home by our Boards if we used as little system about other parts of our work as we do about our intercession. Any man, who began six or eight lines of work and gradually gave them all up would be severely censured by his colleagues. If some special service were laid upon
THE KING’S BUSINESS
196
ing to pay the price? Is God able? He was in the first century: .He has been in Korea, and He has given evi dences of the mighty working of His Spirit in some parts of China. He says nothing is impossible with Him. He has proven it many times. God is able. Are you ? If not, do you desire to-be? Will you today deter mine by His grace to be ? “And I sought for a man among them that should build up the wall, and Stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none” “And He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor,” “There is none that called upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee.” God waits for intercessors. Will you today yield your life to become One after God’s own heart? I be lieve to some of us it will be as im portant a step as when we surren dered the life to Jesus Christ, defi nitely purposed to become a mission ary. It may be the most difficult decision some of us ever have made. To break through old habits, to resist the clamor of pressing duties that always have had their way, to be willing to endure misunderstanding, to make every other call subordinate to this one whether others approve of it or not, will not be easy at first. Intercession costs. I know of noth ing that costs so much. It will cost time. It will mean hours where we have spent minutes. Undoubtedly it will mean giving up time we have spent in fellowship with people to spend it with God. I have come to see that to say I have not time for intercession is nothing but self-exalta tion and self-confidence in its most malign form, for it is equivalent to saying, “I can work without God.” Nothing is a greater victory for the devil than to convince one he hasn’t
colleagues will know it; if habitually we neglect to pray our whole work will reveal it. I verily believe our whole life of service would be completely revolu tionized if we began today to think of intercession as the greatest work ing force and put it into each day’s schedule as such. -Evangelism—Inter cession: Intercession—Evangelism, in China! Every message to which we have listened during the days of this Conference has driven home to us the fact that we are face to face with the most magnificent opportunity any human beings ever had given them of God. He has spoken to us from out of heaven telling us of the pre paredness of the hearts of this people, of the whiteness of the harvest field, and He has called us to the reaping. What is to be our response? Let us ask ourselves today, “is God ready for this great spiritual awakening in China?” What more could God do to get ready? He has sent Jesus Christ to be each man’s. Saviour, He fias given the Holy Spirit to woo and to win, He has opened the windows of heaven to pour out the blessing. Reverently I say it, God’s part is done. For what does He wait? Just as truly as the outpouring of Pente cost depended upon the waiting prayer of those early disciples, so does a Pentecostal outpouring upon China wait upon the prevailing prayer of God’s people in this land. Pozver through personality by prayer. Are you ready? Is God willing? He has said He was, and, to back up His statement, He has given those un limited promises by which we may prove His sincerity if we will. Through the promises of Jesus Christ, God the Father has been willing to open the storehouse of His power and put it all at our disposal. But there is but one means of obtaining i t : power through prayer. Are we will
197
THE KING’S BUSINESS
that He may make you a man, a woman, of prayer? Will you put your life under the control of the Holy Spirit that He may make you an intercessor after God’s own heart? Two verses I have asked the Holy Spirit to imbed in our consciousness today. The one a severe, forbidding one, “To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” Sin not to pray? Sin not to make use of the omnipotent power of God freely put at my disposal for the blessing of others? Sin to steal through lack of prayer the birthright of salvation through Christ Jesus from hundreds of Chinese men and women? “To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” But let us turn from the word that compels to the one that woos us into it. “Verily, verily, 1 say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works I do shall he do also and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father.” “The works I do and greater.” Are we doing them ? How can we do greater works than He did on earth ? He answers, “Because I go unto my Father” and there at His right hand unceasingly intercedes for you. I also take up my abode in you and to the extent to which you yield yourself to me for a life of intercession, I will intercede through • you. God waits for intercession, I will intercede through you. God waits for interces sors. In this day of God’s willingness and power, will you give yourself anew to Him to become an intercessor after His own heart?
time to pray. The devil feats noth ing as he fears a praying saint. Intercession costs vitality. We read of our Lord, “He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears.” Can you see Him com ing in the morning from those nights of prayer on the mount? Have you listened to Him in Gethsemane, and heard Him from the Cross ? Can you believe siich intercession did not cost Him life itself ? Do your prayers bleed? Do they cost you anything? Have you ever spent yourself in pray er? At Kuling a young man came home one evening utterly spent from baseball. It was good for him, for all day he had been hard at mental work. We do spend ourselves at tennis, at baseball, at language study, at preaching, but have we ever spent ourselves at intercession? David Brainerd did. He said, “I wrestled for the ingathering of souls, for mul titudes of poor souls, personally, in many distant places. I was in such an agony from sun half an hour light until dark that I was wet all over with sweat.” Dr. Jowett rightly says, “All vital intercession makes a drain upon a man’s vitality. True interces sion is a sacrifice, a bleeding sacrifice, a perpetuation of Calvary, a filling up of the suffering of Christ.” Un questionably, if our intercession blesses, it must bleed. Does yours? “And He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no in tercessor.” Does He say it as He looks upon your station, your city ? Will you yield your life to God today
XXX X I i
<(/~^OLD mountains and the midnight air V / Witnessed the fervor of Thy prayer; The desert Thy temptations knew, Thy conflict and Thy victory too.”—
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 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker