3S3
October, 1933
K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
T H
FROM THE B O O K OF LIFE A N D EV ERY DAY LIFE
B y R oy T almage B rumbaogh Smell —W e have gone into rfiouses, the atmosphere of which was laden with an odor that offended the nostrils. The folk inside were unaware of it, but having come in from the pure air of God’s out-of-doors,' we detected it. The nostrils pf mature souls are similarly smitten when the spirit ual enter into afi 'atmosphere laden with worldliness. Sight —Some folk glide through a gal lery chuck full o f the triumphs o f brush and chisel, unmoved; but they will respond readily to the comic section of a news paper. One will scarcely notice a peculiar brightness in the night; another will see “the moon asleep on the waters.”. Poets see; fools merely look. A man gazing cas ually a® a bush near sundown remarks about the afterglow; eyes gifted with spir itual discernment see the bush aflame with the glory of God. Hearing —A music director mourned the fact that the junior choir was a shade flat; I did not notice it. His ear had been train ed in tone perception; mine had not. A prominent magazine editor preached on “The Church of the New Reformation.” People went wild about him. A few, however,' detected the false and flat be neath the elusive though charming verbi age. A few ears trained in theological dis crimination knew he was a religious “ Red.” Feeling —I touched a painted object. It looked like w ood; touch proclaimed it tin. Preachers and evangelists can almost in variably sense the spirituality of the church in which they preach. We cannot explain it ; we know it, that’s all. Qod wants us to develop our spiritual senses. Ever-increasing nearness to Him does the work. BLOOD—Who knows anything about real sacrifice? A man may give much money, and still be ignorant o f real sacri fice. A man may offer his time and talents upon the altar, and still be a stranger to real sacrifice. Man has not sacrificed un til he has shed blood. America is the land o f freedom and “the free;’?, Why? Because o f the blood shed in Revolutionary days. We live in the UNITED States o f America because o f the blood poured out in the sixties. The world was made free for democ racy, for a very little while, because of the living blood which flowed from the wounds o f the world’s youth. “Without shedding of blood is no re mission.” . My friend, let us not say that we have sacrificed for Christ until we have poured out blood, red blood, living blood, for Him whose broken heart bled for us. Words have life, deeds have worth, prayers have power, only when saturated with blood. Life is in the blood. When we put our life into these things, we have shed blood.
LOOK ALIKE—A Jew cannot hide himself among a multitude of Gentiles. Racial features and external mannerisms
MONEY AGAIN—Have you noticed how often money is brought to our atten tion in connection with the important facts
betray him. Chris tians look alike, but the similarity is in ternal. Could th e children of God look upon the souls of
of the gospel? Christ was betrayed f o r money. The soldiers at the; foot of the cross"; gambled for the garments o f our
those who have been born again, a likeness as marked as the nose of the Jew would be easily discernable. HOLY—-The body of Christ is holy. What a shame that so many o f the mem bers incorporated into the whole have not the moral sublimity and spirituality of the mass 1 COUNTERFEITER—The devil is a clever counterfeiter, and really he is a genius. God mints a coin of gold bearing the impress of heaven. Satan imitates the superscription on base metal, and then cir culates the spurious coin. The stamp of blessed assurance finds imitation in pre sumptuous self-confidence. The God of heaven gives courage. The god of this darkness prompts recklessness. The Spirit tests. Satan tempts. Test the coin. Does it ring true to your inner consciousness ? Do the teeth o f the Scriptures declare it legi timate currency? “My soul', be on thy guard.” THAT TIRED FEELING—The times are aeroplane speed. The axles o f ordinary days are hot with haste. The generation is restless and impatient. There are social reforms, political conventions, religious drives. Hardly has the dust of one effort settled than another is amove, stirring up a still greater cloud of loose particles which will soon be outrivaled by a closer successor. This continual wear and tear is telling on the American people. Faces are haggard, brows are wrinkled, weary eyes look out from sunken sockets. Men break down in the prime of life, leaders sink into prema ture graves. An epidemic of sleeplessness has' . seized our people. Morning comes finding brains still fagged out and bodies still worn to frazzle. Opiates give but ar tificial relief. This generation needs habitual repose found in wholesome associations domi nated by spiritual associates; in domestic circles overarched with prayer, undergirt with the Word, pervaded with heaven’s holiness; in the upper room rendezvous; in church prayer meetings which are “real brooks by the traveler’s way;” T h a t “boundless contiguity o f shade” sought by so many is to be found only in the arms of Jesus. Those who regularly “go apart for a while” do not break down, for they re ceive continually the strength that enables them to maintain their physical, mental, and spiritual equilibrium at all times.
Lord. Denial of His resurrection was pur chased with money. The soldiers were told that if the governor heard about it he would be “persuaded.” That is, they would bribe him also. The ugly face of bribery may be seen in almost any group. It ap pears in many forms and shapes. What a curse money has been to the church! An eminent church leader wrote a book in which he expressed the conviction that the church today needs strong spiritual power. A newspaper writer commenting on this said, “ So long as leaders in church movements are selected because o f their business, political, or executive ability, the temporal power is bound to overshadow the spiritual significance of the church.” Many church leaders hold office merely because they have money. It usually makes no difference as to how they got it, just so they have it. Wealthy churches usually exercise an influence out of proportion to their spiritual strength. Those who owe church position to financial standing are usually the source of church troubles. The disciples and early deacons had lit tle of this world’s goods. They were chosen because they were men full of faith, of the Holy Ghost, and o f spiritual wisdom. The church needs to return to first century principles. A man who has executive, business, or political ability should not be barred, but he should not be chosen merely because he has one or more o f these traits. Men of wealth should not be deprived of leader ship in the church because they happen to have money, but they should not be chosen merely because they have in their posses sion much gold and silver. Wealthy lead ers usually demand homage. Often they buy loyalty. Frequently they corrupt ses sions, diaconates, and boards o f trustees. Worldly leadership makes a worldly church. Spiritual leadership makes a spir itual church. Let the people arise and de mand the leadership God wants them to have. DISCERNING CHRISTIANS — Ca n you detect the spurious ? Do you ever mis take “ fool’s gold” for the precious metal? Is your conscience keen enough to dis cern instantly the good from the evil? Growing Christians a r e d i s c e r n i n g Christians; spiritual senses become more and more acute;
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