SEPTEMBER, 1947
BUSINESS m »
THE BEST IN V ISU A L A ID S NOW IN Beautiful Rich Colors at Reduced Prices You will want this new movable, realistic, picture method of telling Bible stories or preaching illustrated sermons. Holds your class spellbound. Discipline prob lems solved. Give it a try in your class. You’ll be sur prised at results. Children want to learn and they clamor for this new way o f presenting Bible truths. You will double your attendance. Write for free folder telling all about this new method of teaching, to— STORY -© -GRAPHS Dept. K. P. O. Box 145, Pasadena, Calif. "fy e e d M * f S h e e p " AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR JEWISH
Send for your free copy o f th is remarkable te s ti mony o f haired turned to love. A JEW AND THE NAME of JESUS m r r : T K mrr i m t Hear 9 O Israel ; Jehovah Our God, Jehovah is One!
EVANGELISM, Inc. Winona Lake, Indiana
Called out by the Holy Spirit to an apos- tollc effort to win the Jews for Christ.
Ynlillid*'
" m ™,"an,
President SOME CAN GO. ALL CAN PRA Y For the torn, scattered, hungry Lost sheep bf the House of Israel. Your pray erful co-operation will be appreciated. Write us for “Salvation” Magazine. U.S.: Dept. KB Canadian: Dept. KB Winona Lake, Indiana Box 310, Galt, Ontario
D an iel R ose, D irector Trustee Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Elder, Church of the Open Door The Bible Institute of Los Angeles maintains a Jewish Department whose ministry deals with the preaching of the Gospel to God’s ancient people, Israel. From this of fice go out thousands of pieces of literature especially prepared to in terest the Jews. Also many of the students are engaged in visitation work, calling upon the Jewish peo ple and Inviting them* to the meet ings. Teams of students hold regular street meetings in places where an audience can be secured. Various prayer meetings are held and every Sunday at 4 p.m. in the lower audi torium of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles a mass meeting is held with fine speakers. You are invited to pray for the work of the Jewish De partment, and to support this min istry by your prayers and gifts.
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What can / do?, everyone asks. You can help make this world a better place to live in by facilitating the world-wide distribution of the Bible. Simply send us your contribution. Or better still, why not make your own future more secure by purchasing an American Bible Society Annuity Agreement? In this way, you not only receive the peace of mind which comes from a generous lifetime income, you enjoy the untold satisfaction of knowing that your money helps spread the Word of God—and so con tributes to the peace of the world. American Bible Society, 450 Park Ave., New York 22, N. Y. □ Please send me, without obligation, your booklet KB-84 entitled “A Gift That Lives!’ □ I enclose $------------- for the world-wide distribution of the Scriptures. Name ........ ..................... .............. Denomination......................... Address___ ________............................... ................... .................... City............... ..................—....—— ---------- State................— Mail This Coupon Today Without Fail
Investigate this Chris tian Plan which enables you both to give and re ceive at the same time and entitles you to cer tain' tax exemptions. Write for the interesting illustrated booklet, “ A Gift That Lives”
Address all communications to DAN IEL ROSE. Director Jewish Department Bible Institute of Los Angeles 558 So. Hope Si., Los Angeles 13
Official Publication of The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated
Louis T. Talbot, D.D.
Betty Bruechert Managing Editor
William W. Orr, D.D. Associate Editor
Editor in Chief
Copyright, 19^7, The King’s Business No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission. All Bights Reserved.
Vol. 38
SEPTEMBER, 1947
No. 9
CONTENTS Editorially Speaking _______________________ _— ..................................... . 4- A Love Story, William W . Orr ................................................................. 6 My W ill ......................................................... ................................................ 9 Prayer Meditation, Margaret Kami ............. - .........................................— 10 The Blessed Hope, Thelma H . Overholt .................................................... 11 Our Neglected Neighbors, Ralph E. Blakeman — ................................... 12 How a Rabbi Found Peace, Max Wertheimer. ......................................... 14 The Least of All Saints, Christina Georgina Rossetti......... .................... 15 A Bible Question Game, Dorothy Shreve Cole ............................. ;--------- 16 Micaiah, the Odd Number, Vance Havner .............................. ................. 17 Human Destiny, Frank E. Lindgren .............................. - .......................... 18 The Inner Life, Thomas a Kempis ............................................................. 19 The Lesson Elsie Learned, Clyde C. Flick ............... - .............................. 20 Replying Against God, G. H . Clement ............ .......................................... 22 Junior King’s Business, Martha S. Hooker ................................................ 23 Dr. Talbot’s Question Box............. 25 Young People’s Topics, Walter L. Wilson .............................. - ................ 27 Day of Christ, Nell Jones ............ - ...................... -— .................................. 50 It’s An Idea, Carlton C. Buck .................................. ...................................31 The Love Which Passes Knowledge, John F. Carter...... ................. „...31 One Soweth, Another Reapeth, Norman Lewis.... ................ ............. . 32 Biola Family Circle.............................................................. 34 The Bible in the News........................—...................................................... 37 Sunday School Lessons................................................................................... 38 Book Reviews ................. ................................................... -— ..................... 41 Object Lessons .......................................................-............................-—■— 44 Reader Reaction ............................................................................................. 46 Picture Credits; Cover, Eva Luoma ; George R. King, pp. 6, 22 j Cham ber of Commerce, Santa Barbara, Calif., p. 9 ; Los Angeles County Chamber of Commerce, pp. 10, 21 ; Adelbert Bartlett, p. 23. S U B S C R IP T IO N IN F O R M A T IO N — "The King’s Business" is published monthly: $2 00, one yr.; $1.00, six months; 20 cents, single copy. Clubs of tryee or more at special rates. Write for details. Canadian and foreign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of address to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. R E M IT T A N C E S —Payable in advance, should be made by bank draft, express, or post office money order payable to “ The King’s Business.” Date of expiration will show plainly on outside wrapper or cover of magazine. A D V E R T IS IN G —For information, address the Advertising Manager, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles 13, California. M A N U S C R IP T S — “ The King’s Business” cannot accept responsibility for loss or , damage to manuscripts sent in for consideration. Entered as second-class matter November 7, 1938, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in the Act of February 28, 1925, embodied in paragraph 4, section 538, P. L. and R., authorized October 1, 1918, and November 13, 1938. A D D R E S S : The King’s Business, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 13, Calif. PAGE THREE
PSALM 85
To the Chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the cap tivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah. Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierce ness of thine anger. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease. W ilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation. I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly. Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps. SEPTEMBER, 1947
even years, when the totals will seem to add up to fruitlessness. The mone tary reward for service will, most times, be pitifully small. There will be plenty of heartaches and testings on every hand, but in and through these mountains of difficulty will flow the refreshing streams of- as surance, which remind us that the good which, under God, we are allow ed to accomplish, will last while eternities follow eternities. Nor is that all, for God has a way of multiplying our service. The one whom we lead to Christ may be God’s chosen instrument to reach a thou sand souls. The booklet or tract which we have sent forth in His name may be the means of touching millions. The radio message breathed out over the air waves may find lodgment and bring forth fruit in a million hearts. It is not our welfare, but God’s good, which we are handling, and He has guaranteed that His Word will most certainly accomplish His pur pose. So, lift up your heads, tired Christians, and find new hope, dis couraged ones, remembering that the good which you have begun, perhaps in a small and faltering way, will never end, and we do mean, never, never end. A BILL (S-265) which would pro- hibit the transportation of alco holic beverage advertising between the states is now before Congress. Many church groups throughout the country have circulated petitions asking for the enactment of this bill into law. This legislation would pro hibit the United States mails from accepting any material which was eventually to be used to advertise the liquor industry, which means, of course, that liquor, advertising would be virtually prohibited. Bills of this character have appeared in Congress from time to time without having been passed. However, there sterns to be stronger pressure being placed upon S-265 than any previous bill. Christian people of our land are asked to remember this matter in their prayers, and to write to their Congressmen stating their views. T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S ☆ Bar Liquor
have later sought the communion and fellowship of the church. ☆ Responsibility TN a recent archaeological expedi- tion to thé ruins of ancient Nineveh, one of the finds was a plaque dealing with the laws of the realm. One of these laws reads: “If you fail to teach your child to obey, if you fail to teach him to re spect the property rights of others, you and not he are responsible for the result of your neglect.” To this the Word of God agrees. God, who does everything in perfect wisdom, gave parents to children because they needed them. Consequently, parents with the added wisdom of years are responsible for the correct rearing of their children. If the child fails, responsibility belongs to the parent, and if this principle were strictly maintained with par ents being roundly punished for the misdeeds of their children, you may be sure there would be a great deal less juvenile delinquency. ☆ The Good Will Never End Tn a recent visit to Yosemite Na- -*- tional Park, our attention was drawn to a bronze plaque located near one of the beauty spots in that wonderland of nature. The plaque had been erected in appreciation of one who had been the director of the department of National Parks over a period of years. This wise and far sighted individual had laid the prin ciples of conservation and preserva tion which were proving of such in estimable value and pleasure to the American people. The writing upon the plaque set forth briefly America’s debt of gratitude to this man, closing with these words, “The good which he has begun will never end.” When we read this, we were quite naturally struck with the analogy of this statement to that which is most certainly true in the Christian life. Those who serve the Lord Jesus Christ are dealing in eternal things. There may be times of difficulty and there certainly will be times of dis couragement. Months will go by, and
19 Million ALTHOUGH the world ostensibly ■*Ms at peace, there are still 19 mil lion men under arms and the larger nations are continuing to spend more than 27 billions yearly on arma ments. In addition to this money, which is admitted by 39 major na tions, there are other unrevealed bil lions being spent in research and development of atomic bombs, bac teriological warfare, jet planes and many other new weapons. The real force of this statement is under stood when we remember that many of the nations involved are still struggling under tremendous eco nomical burdens from the last war. The picture is sadder still when we almost daily see the incapacity of the United Nations organization to make any headway toward the goal of permanent peace. We wonder what the figures would be if, for the next ten years, a tithe of these bil lions could be diverted into the chan nels of worth-while missionary ef fort, taking the earnest youth of our land and sending them to the far corners of the earth with the story of peace through the Prince of Peace. ☆ Membership Increase rpHE latest figures available con- -*• ceming the membership in the various denominations throughout our land reveal an over-all increase this year of nearly 2 million. A total of 73,673,182 are reported on the various church rolls of our land with 24,402,124 listed as Roman Catholics. Almost every one of the more than 50 denominations showed a sizable increase, with the large Protestant bodies exhibiting the greatest. Just how many of these millions are ac tually born-again children of God no one of us can ever know. Biit it is true that one of the best places to hear the Word of God taught and the gospel preached is within the walls of a place dedicated to worship. Many have felt that the consistent increase in church membership dur ing the last two decades has been brought about partly by the strong evangelistic preaching of the Word of God over the radio. Many have been saved in their own homes and
PAGE FOUR
derfully responsive to the guiding hand of the Spirit of God. It is not impossible that this should be re peated today, for the same world wide miraculous demonstration of the power of the gospel of Christ could sweep the earth again if God’s conditions were met. This may never be on a world-wide scale, but it is so gloriously true that each individual Christian life may know true success and continuous victory on the same plan. The key to this success is to be found in the little word yield. We are to yield, not only in the life of surrender, but in a constant day-by-day acknowledg ment of our inability and His ability. Yes! there is an answer! Let us all seek it from the Lord. ☆ Financial Plan rphe press has given considerable publicity to the financial plan used by an eastern church in a recent drive for a new building. The plan is simply to distribute $10 each to members of the church, asking them to invest it and return with the in crease. The idea, of course, came from the New Testament parable of the talents. Latest reports show that of $2,000 distributed, nearly $10,000 has been returned. The schemes contrived by churches for financial gain are almost num berless. Many pastors apologize and stammer in their effort to make giv ing as painless as possible. Others constantly press home the example of Old Testament tithing. Others re sort to bazaars, church suppers, and drives of one sort or another. Many of these plans are an abomination to the Lord and entirely unworthy of a place in the church program. Everything that needs to be un derstood in regard to church finances is plainly told in the pages of the New Testament. The foundation teaching is that all a Christian has or ever hopes to obtain has come as a gift from his Heavenly Father, and that his money and possessions are given to the believer as a sacred trust, to be used for the Lord’s glory. There is an added promise that those who sow bountifully will reap bountifully, and that those who honor the Lord with their substance will, both in this life and in the life to come, be rewarded. God’s plan for giving is a very simple one. Place Him first, honor Him to the degree in which He has prospered you, and give systematical ly and regularly. If this plan were followed out in the life of every Christian, there would never be any need for financial drives. PAGE FIVE
School Opens \ gain we have come to the time of year when Bible Institutes open wide their doors to new classes of earnest young people. This year the Bible Institute of Los Angeles wel comes another large incoming class. We joy and rejoice that God has en trusted these young people to us for training. Just how many more classes Biola may have the privilege of training we do not know. Certainly the eleventh hour of the world’s his tory is upon us. At any time God’s clock may strike, and this dispensa tion close by the personal appear ing of the Lord Jesus Christ. Of to morrow we cannot be sure, so we turn our attention to that task which is ours today. To the young people who are coming to Biola for the first time we bid a most sincere and cordial wel come. We trust that your stay within these sacred halls may adequately fit you for the work which God has planned for you. We trust that your hearts may be wide open to the lessons which the Spirit of God de sires to impress upon you. We want to assure you of our love and of our desire to be of whatever help we can. Then to those who are returning to Biola, we offer you warmest Chris tian greetings. You have already em barked upon your course of training, and certain fundamental truths have already been planted in your heart. Now your task this year will be to go on in the things of God, to make yourself proficient in His service, and to have your life better show forth the excellencies of Christ. A word to the friends of Biola, scattered throughout this land: May we again urge upon you the absolute necessity of prayer. Biola is not a commercial enterprise. We are not a business venture. Our battle is pri marily a spiritual one, and our foes are wicked principalities and powers. Therefore, the answer to the Biola problems is always a spiritual one. If we are to advance in the things of God, we must be armed with God’s own weapons. How we thank Him for the many friends He has raised up for us in the years that are past! Next year we shall complete forty years of service as a Bible Institute, but these years have only been made possible through the intercession of God’s saints. Our forthcoming school year will be a success or a failure only to the extent that God’s people remember us in their intercession. One of our greatest material needs is a new building. Pray that it may be provided within this year if it is God’s will. It is heartbreaking to turn away students who desire to train for God’s service. SEPTEMBER, 1947
There Is an Answer T'Yne is likely to become very dis- couraged as he views the ap parent barrenness, seeming futility and poor co-operation of the great Christian forces in the world today. There is little more than the turning of wheels, with little or no real re sults. One group battles another on inconsequential p o i n t s , while the world waits desperately for the life-giving message that is our possession. Were it not for the fact that the Word of God definitely teaches the complete failure of the church as a force for righteousness, the outlook would be gloomy indeed. But, as the story of man has always been a story of failure, so even as great a force as the church of Christ will fail to live up to its God-given re sponsibilities. However, there is no cause for discouragement, for the answer lies in the fact that one of these days God will call a halt to this entire matter. He, who has been sitting on the right hand of the Majesty on high, will tarry no longer, but will return to this earth. Then, under the excellent wisdom and fear less power of the Son of God, this world with its peoples will come to know the end which God has purposed. Do not misunderstand me: This does not mean that we should sit with folded hands and eyes uplifted, awaiting that coming day. Nor do we believe that, because of the in ternal strife and apparent fruitless ness of Christian effort, we should give up trying to do the work of God. God has not failed to furnish a plan whereby there may be harmonious labor between His children. The truth is that there is a plan; and this plan is a Person, and this Per son is none other than the Holy Spirit of God who indwells the heart of every truly born-again Christian. What is lacking in Christian co-op eration and efficiency today is di rectly traceable to the failure on the part of Christians to recognize this Blessed One as Lord and to yield to Him their hearts and lives for effi cient service. Genuine and profitable Christian service is found only as God’s children surrender to the gra cious leading of the Paraclete. Suc cess in Christian enterprise is never on any other basis than the basis of the Spirit’s complete direction. What is wrong in Christian circles and with Christian enterprises today is not so much a lack of sincerity or earnestness, but a disregard bom of ignorance of the Spirit's guidance. You recall the remarkable spread of Christianity during the first two centuries of the Christian era. This was due entirely to the fact that the Christians of that day were won
Rock Creek Park, Washington, D. C.
O NCE UPON A TIME many, many long centuries ago, a most wondrous Visitor came to this earth. This Visitor was the majestic Son of God, story of peerless love. He told of the greatest Lover of all times, God. He showed that the object of God’s love constituted the greatest host, even the entire world of humanity. He fully demonstrated the absolute sincerity and intense reality of this love by freely offering His life for the sins of the world on the cross of Calvary. He delighted, during His earthly sojourn, to speak of His Father’s love. Never a day went by but what that love was told and exhibited in compassion, in sym pathy, in comfort and in the healing touch. One day as He talked with an earnest inquirer, He seemed to reach forth and, as it were, gather the entire immense story of God’s love and God’s Gift, and condense it into one glorious sentence of twenty-five words. Truly this sentence is the greatest that ever fell upon human ears. Never was so much said in so little. It is the heart of the Gospel. It is the message of the Bible. No one but God could have spoken it. Millions of ser mons have been preached upon it. Multiplied millions of the sons of earth have found it balm to their ears and balm to their souls. Its letters are light, its words are love, its message is life! For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever belteveth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. FOR GOD... God loves us! So if there is to be a love story at all, it must start with God. The world is utterly incapable of love. Ever since that first terrible sin brought moral PAGE SIX
ruin to the race, man’s nature has been sinful, de graded, hateful. The world’s love is poisoned with lust, impurity and malice. In place of love’s true attributes there have come greed, selfishness and mistrust. To such a world dark in despair, comes this message of new hope. God loves us! Have you understood the greatness of the God who cares for you? It is none other than the Creator of the vast universe. It is He, who by the magnitude of His power, maintains all things. It is the God of intense holiness, before whom all the angels veil their faces. It is the God of all wisdom who knows the inmost secrets of men’s hearts. This God loves us. All of God’s works are perfect. He holds mighty Arcturus in his boundless course without a second’s 'loss of time. He imparts the unerring instinct to the honey bee. His love is perfect too. It is complete, understand ing, effectual. What comfort to the needy heart of humanity! What new hope for a world! Think of this, friends, God loves us. SO ... The wonderful story goes on to say that God not only loved us, but He so loved us. See this small word of two letters linking the dizzy heights of the third heaven to the depths of a lost world. It is conceiv able that God might have loved us just a little or that His mercy might have been feebly stirred to help us. But no, God’s love is infinite, boundless, incomparable. God so loved! Be honest now in your thinking. The world is un lovely. Sin, degradation, rebellion, unrighteousness are On every hand. Puny man would, if possible, crowd God out of His universe. He would rob Him of the honor which is rightfully His. Today man mocks at His T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
clothed for a time in human flesh. He came to live a
God is a great giver. Consider the daily bounties which He causes to fall upon us—light, warmth and healing from the sun; the rich earth which yields food and materials in abundance; raiment, variety, health, music, beauty. These are only a few of God’s choice blessings. Even upon the unthankful and the defiant are the gifts poured out. But none of these can be compared to the gift of all gifts, the love gift of God. Gifts must be freely given. If they are merited or earned, they are not gifts. Nor could God’s love gift ever be earned even in a million eternities. It is incomparably priceless! It is a gift worthy of the Giver. And, even though the world with its sophisticated skepticism con sistently refuses to believe, this gift is given freely, without any strings attached. It is offered now. In fact, in the mind of God, the gift is already bestowed. It remains only to be accepted. Furthermore, it is offered to everyone. No one is to be denied. To be sure, only God could give such a gift, but God is actually giving it to only those who will receive it from His hand. HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON... Not worlds of gold, not mountains of diamonds, not oceans of pearls, but God’s only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the gift of His love. While the Son of God existed with God from all eternity, still for a little space of time He clothed Himself in human flesh that He might live and die as the transcendent expression of the love of God for a lost world. He was born of a virgin mother. He lived a sinless and perfect life, teaching, working and healing as none other had done. One day, in the middle of time, while, the universe held its breath, He ascended a cross of wood to become God’s sacrificial Lamb, giving His life for the sins of the world, including our own. Following the agony of His death, men placed the Lord Jesus in a borrowed tomb, from which after three days He came forth a glorious Conqueror over sin, death and the grave. Today He lives nevermore to die, but to save and keep those who will trust Him. Here is shown the wisdom of God’ s love. God is absolutely righteous in pardoning our sins when we believe, for they have been fully atoned for by His Son on the cross of Calvary. God’s love has found a way to put away sin, and yet to save the sinner. THAT WHOSOEVER... What a glorious word is whosoever.' What a revela tion of the love of God to a needy world! What a man ifestation of His mighty power, to offer to save whoso ever will come, whenever he desires, and in whatever condition he may be! The need is universal, for all have come under the blight of sin. So the remedy must be universal too. No one need be barred from the benefits of God’s love. The cost need not stand in the way, for there is no charge to man. Neither should one hesitate for lack of merit, since merit does not count here. Race, illiteracy, age, have no bearing on it. When God says whosoever, you may safely rest your all upon His Word, and come. Full well we understand that whosoever includes a lot of territory. The thief, the murderer, the adulterer, may knock at the door. But God has said whosoever. Those who have sinned much will find God’s love theirs as well as those who have sinned little. God has remem bered every possibility and has included it. He freely saves from the uttermost to the uttermost. But God does not save in job lots. It is a personal proposition. For even though God offers His love to whomsoever, it is an individual transaction. It may not include everybody, but it certainly includes anybody. That means you and me, too. PAGE SEVEN
commandments and defy His laws. But God’s love is not to be denied. In spite of the world’s hate, God so loves. There was a tremendous gulf to be bridged before we could be rescued from our «lost condition. God’s holiness and man’s sinfulness are absolutely irrecon cilable. God’s righteousness demands the full punish ment of sin. And even though God’s love sought the salvation of the sinner, His holiness must be completely satisfied by full judgment upon sin. Here see the great ness of God’s love. He so loved the world, that He found a way to save us. LOVED. .. Who can comprehend the love of God? It fills the universe and defies description. It is as high as heaven, yet deep as man’s need. God loves because He is love, and He' is the Author of love. So God’s heart desires the best, the highest, the noblest, for the objects of His affectidn. And, wonder of wonders, that includes you and me! How can God love an unlovely world? How can God desire unworthy sinners? For the life of me I do not know. I could understand if the story read, “God so hated the world.” But I know that God does love us, and I find supreme rest in this knowledge. Do not think that God’s love is a sudden spasm of affection. Rather, it has lived in God’s heart from all eternity. Moreover it will endure everlastingly. God has brought many sons home to glory, for God’s love is intensely active, bestowing everything, receiving nothing. There is no hope for the world other than that God loves. But this love is inexhaustibly benevolent. There is enough and to spare for everyone. Though multiplied millions draw heavily upon it, there is not the slightest depletion. And throughout the years it does not change; it is eternal, unchangeable, constant. THE WORLD . .. Who but God could love a world? It is not a world of mountains and oceans and flowers which God loves; it is a world teeming with men, women and children, millions upon millions of them, and in all sorts of conditions. However, they are all alike in this, that each possesses a soul which throughout eternity will never, never die. God sees us all just as we are. He is not deceived. There are old and young, some living passably moral lives, some deep in wickedness. A few are rich, num bers are poor. Some are educated, others illiterate. There are men with white skins, and others with black. All are different, but all are alike in that they constitute a world which desperately needs someone to care for it. God cares! It is a lost world which God loves. It is lost because of its terrible sin of rebellion. Since that first sin, all have been born in sin. Consequently, sin is easy and natural because of man’s innately sinful nature. In this world none are righteous; all are under condemnation. All must die because of sin, except for one hope: God loves this lost world! Full well we understand the world has not recipro cated God’s love. Rather it has scorned Him, ignored, rebuffed, repudiated Him. It has charged Him falsely. But, can you believe it, He still loves the world, all of it, yes, you too! THAT HE GAVE . . . Here is the acid test of love’s purity: Is it unselfish? Is it generous? True love’s dominant characteristic is always a constant desire to bestow rich gifts upon the one beloved. So God’s great heart of love for us is mani fested by the incomparable gift of His Son. SEPTEMBER, 1947
BELIEVETH . . . What then must one do to open the floodgates of God’s love upon his soul? Ah, my friend, you can do nothing, for God has done it all. The condition, if condi tion it be, is that you merely believe. Believe what? Well, God has set forth some tremendous facts about man’s condition. He states that we are sinful and utterly helpless in our sin. We are hopeless and condemned before Him1. But God, because of His love toward us, has provided a way of salvation. This way is through His love gift, His well-beloved Son. Jesus Christ has come, loved, died and risen again; and by His death pardon, new life and all that goes with it, are ours. God earnestly desires that we shall believe this. It isn’t a mere head belief that God wants. You are not to believe on Christ as you would on Julius Caesar or Abraham Lincoln. Rather, it must be a deep, deep heart belief which embraces your whole being. It must be a decision to trust God on this basis for time and eternity. It must be a reliance upon Him for your every need. It must be a reception of the Lord Jesus Christ forever into your heart and life. Belief is the very opposite of doing. It is the absolute antithesis of good works. Rather, it is trusting in the finished work which Christ has already done. It is staking your faith forever on the sacrificial offering of the Lamb of God on the cross of Calvary. IN HIM . .. A most delightful chapter of this greatest love story is the tender revelation of God’s love for His Son, the Lord Jesus. God is exceedingly anxious that we should love His Son too, not in a dutiful or perfunctory sort of way, but deeply and wholeheartedly. To bring this to pass, God has wrapped up all the marvelous parts of His love gift to us in one perfect package, the person of His Son. You have all that God desires to present to you when you accept His Son. Our acceptance of Jesus Christ includes the glory of His deity. The Son of God is also truly God, coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. But the Son of God is also the Son of Man. He who is truly God also became the Man most wonderful. He lived in the world and was tempted in all points as we are. Christ is altogether lovely in His person and work. However, the focal point of our love must always center in His death. This is the supreme demonstration of love. Christ Jesus, who knew no sin, upon whom sin had no claim, became sin for us. He took our place and bore our penalty. When you understand this, you will love Christ above all other things in time or eternity. We must not place love’s confidence in any other thing, not in rituals, or good works, not in church membership or baptism or respectability. God saves upon one basis only—that we love and receive His beloved Son. SHOULD NOT PERISH . . . The magnitude of God’s love story will never be fully realized until we peer into the terrifying depths from which we have been saved. We can never measure God’s love until we view what would have been our most certain doom. Without God’s intervention we should have perished eternally. What is it to perish eternally? It is not the easy answer of cessation of existence, not annihilation; but a never-ending existence, separation from God and from all Christians. It is a conscious continuance in abysmal darkness, terrifying aloneness, agony, torment and bitter memories, a separation forever from light, from life and from love. To consider this makes one shudder. You must understand that it is not a question of whether or not the world is to be condemned when it stands before the last judgment. Sinners already stand condemned. Sin’s wages are death, and those wages are PAGE EIGHT
already earned. What alone remains is the execution of the sentence from which there is no appeal. Ah, friends, the story of love fs that for those who accept God’s bountiful mercy they shall not perish. We are fully, completely, perfectly, eternally saved from this terror. The claims of sin are paid forevermore. We are free because the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God’s love, has made us free. BUT HAVE . . . Do not think that God’s love story must have a sequel to show a happy ending. Do not think that God’s benevolence must wait until death to present its blessings. For those who receive the gift of God’s heart, their unbounded happiness begins that instant. All those glorious bounties which God purposes we shall have become ours at the time we receive His Son. Our names are immediately entered in God’s family register. Of course the result is peace in our heart. We are now members of God’s family. Now we have forgive ness of sins. We are now possessors of life eternal and joy supernal. We may now lift our heads and walk like sons of God. This is one of God’s love secrets. You see, God’s love plan is not a partnership arrange ment. It is not God’s working part, and our working part. Rather, it is God’s doing it all. It is God’s work and not ours. So the continuance and permanence of the bless ing rests upon God’s faithfulness and not upon our behaviour. God also graciously grants the witness of the. Spirit in our hearts. The blessed Occupant of the temple of our life will fill and thrill us as we meditate on God’s love and goodness. We will find ourselves resting more and more in the glorious and eternal assurances which God has given us in His great love letter. EVERLASTING LIFE . . . Here is the soul thrilling climax of the love story. To those who will receive Christ, God gives the quin tessence of all gifts, everlasting life! What in earth or heaven can be found to compare with never-ending life? This is graciously given in order that as eternity fol lows eternity, we may continue to enjoy the unspeak able blessings God has prepared for those who will accept His love. Life here below does not in the slightest degree rep resent that life above. There all trace of sin is to be forever removed. No longer .shall sorrow reign, and tears flow. No more shall hearts be broken, and bodies wracked with pain. The familiar sights of today shall not be seen there, for heaven contains no hospitals or prisons, no cemeteries or asylums. Many new glories shall be there, not only the streets of gold and gates of pearl, but the very presence of God among His loved ones, and the never-ending com panionship of those whom we have loved long since and lost awhile. We shall see Jesus too. We shall lpok into His face eternally. We shall walk with Him by sight. We shall satisfy our souls through His beauty. Never shall we part from Him whom' our soul loves. Everlasting life including all this may be ours now, not at death’s door, but when one receives the gift of God’s love. This is the truth of God. What else in all of life compares with the supreme fact that God loves you? What else is so important to your heart as that Christ died for you? The question of all questions is: Will you accept the Gift of God’s love? Will you receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Saviour? If you will, then right now lift your heart to God in prayer, telling Him that you accept the Gift of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that this moment you receive Him into your heart and life as your Saviour. T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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L AID on Thine altar, O my Lord divine, Accept my will this day, for Jesus’ sake; I have no jewels to adorn Thy shrine— Nor any world-famed sacrifice to make; But here I bring within my trembling hand, This will of mine—a thing that seemeth small, But Thou alone, O God, canst understand How, when I yield Thee this, I yield mine all. Hidden therein, Thy searching gaze can see Struggles of passion—visions of delight— All that I love, and am, and fain would be, Deep loves, fond, hopes, and longings infinite. It hath been wet with tears and dimmed with sighs, Clenched in my grasp, till beauty it hath none— Now, from Thy footstool where it vanquished lies, The prayer ascendeth, “May Thy will be done.” Take it, O Father, ere my courage fail,
I may not see nor know it as my own,
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P rayer I s the C hristian ’ s V ital B reath There arises from the multitudes of humanity a group of people who, having come to know God through the Lord Jesus Christ, find within themselves an insatiable thirst, an unnatural craving for personal fel lowship with Him; and they cry: "Lord, teach us to pray.” Some learn the sweetness of an early morning watch when the soul is filled with such fragrance of heaven, that it be comes so anchored to the Heavenly Father that it cannot go far astray from Him throughout the day. Others find that, when the worries and stress of the day are over, the cool and quiet of eventide agree most de lightfully with communion. Blessed is the man who is wise enough God- ward to observe them both! Once Ira D. Sankey learned graph ically how vital a breath prayer may be. During his later life, he was asked to accompany a group oi Christian Endeavorers on a moon light boat ride and to sing for them some gospel songs. He chose that beautiful hymn of Fanny J. Crosby’s "Saviour, more than life to me, 1 am clinging, clinging close to Thee.’ When he had finished it, one of th< young people pressed into his hant a note from the captain of the boat It was a request that he come t< his cabin. He opened the door an< faced a man about his own age weather-beaten, and scarred with sin T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S
By Margaret Kann
T HE SCOPE and experience of prayer are so vast that the Christian may meditate upon out a long lifetime, and yet be con stantly discovering absolutely new and unexplored territory. Sometime ago I was asked to lead devotions for a city-wide group of women at their “Day of Prayer.’’ It led me to muse thus: “Prayer, a day of prayer, a week of prayer, a life of prayer— familiar expressions these—but what is prayer?” P rayer I s the G reat C ommon D enominator All men, faced with the humiliat ing realization of personal inability, cry out for help beyond the human realm. I am reminded of my godly mother. One afternoon when the family was gathered around the din ing room table, as was our custom, for the fireplace was in that room, her knee joint suddenly gave way. As she sank to the floor, we heard her say, “O, Lord!” As little chil dren do, we gathered quickly around her and questioned, “Mamma, do you know what you said? You said some thing terrible!” She answered, “No, honey, what did I say?” When we told her, she said sweetly, “I was
not saying anything bad; I was just praying.” So she was; suddenly aware of uncontrollable circum stances, the natural unconscious re action was to call out to God for aid. In a somewhat similar fashion, the blasphemer reels out his oath. Some thing suddenly infuriates him. He is forbidden by law, or is physically un able, to visit upon the cause of his trouble the sort of punishment he deems fitting. Therefore, he calls upon God to visit that person or that thing with catastrophic judgment. In the January, 1946, Reader’s Di gest, there appeared an article en titled Typhoon Off Okinawa in which Lieutenant Commander Robert Es- son Rew, Jr., is quoted as saying, “My heart sank; I held onto a sta tion and prayed.” His experience sounds something like that we read of in Jonah 2:7: “When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD.” - When the heart' sinks, and the soul faints, then men call upon God. Multitudes, who have not liked to retain God in their knowledge, in times of extreme calamity and dire distress, have cried out to Him. I doubt if there ever lived a soul who at some time did not cry out for superhuman help. Certainly, prayer is the great common denominator.
their meaning and reality through
PAGE TEN
^ I t e . fe le A A e c S , By Thelma H. Overholt M y heart is crushed with grief. The way before Seems filled with endless pain and blackest night. Groping my way, I seek a respite for my woe. In His dear Book I find it, like a shaft of light! He’s coming soon! Perhaps He’ll come today! Perhaps today! M Y busy hands are filled with countless tasks, I long for quiet and a peaceful rest
The captain said, “I know you.” Mr. Sankey, a little uneasy because he had no recollection of the man, asked, “When did you come to know me, Captain?” The captain replied, “You were a soldier in the Union Army during the Civil War. I was fighting with the Confederate forces. One night I was detailed to do away with the guard of a certain bridge that lay in our advance. As I crept quietly through the trees and under brush that grew at the bridge’s ap proach, suddenly there appeared the fine form of a Union soldier march ing guard. As I lifted my rifle to po sition and would have taken the life of that guard, he raised his head and in a golden tenor voice began to sing: ‘Saviour more than life to me, I am clinging, clinging close to Thee.’ He sang with such reality that I could not bring myself to pull the trigger. I returned to my detachment, having failed in my mission, and heartsick to know the God of whom the soldier guard sang.” After a pause he continued, “I have groped away most of my life, but the mo ment I heard your voice tonight, I knew you were the guard at the bridge and that, if any man could lead me to know God, it would be you.” Mr. Sankey, somewhat shaken in spirit, but with deep joy, told the captain of a Saviour “that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.” Perhaps each of us needs to remind himself that normal breathing is reg ular and continuous. It must remain so in order to keep us free from sys temic poisons and to keep us freely supplied with the life-giving and re freshing pure air. He who draws his breath hesitantly and in gashing spasms is in danger of dying. Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath. P rayer I s a F oretaste of C elestial J oy Prayerful communion is the most supreme ecstasy mortals may know. It is the gilt-edged wing on which the believing soul may leave behind earth’s foolish restlessness, mount, and pass through the ramparts of glory into the presence of God Him self. There are three verses in the Gos pel of John which taken together form the scriptural classic on prayer. Often they are misunderstood, and leave a sincere Christian confused. Observed closely, each prayer prom ise is accompanied by a qualifying phrase which is the key to its as surance of celestial joy. John 14:13, 14: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glori fied m the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” John 15:16: “Ye have not chosen SEPTEMBER, 1947
But no, the burdens come more crushingly, and I Cry out to Him, and in my souj there springs A joy supreme. It won’t be long, For He may come today! M Y mind is filled with dread foreboding as I gaze Upon a world so steeped in wickedness and sin, Woe upon wee, and sorrow, grief and pain. When comes the end? And then my weary mind Turns once again to Him; and oh, the joy! Unknown to men of earth, He’s coming back! Perhaps, perhaps today!
O Father, make this heart of mine to beat in tune With Thy unmeasured love. And grant my hands Sweet rest to others bring. Lord help me To keep fixed on Thee my gaze. That I May always, with a sympathetic word, Help others too, to know the joy of this dear hope. He may come yet today! This very day!
me, but I have chosen you, and or dained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” John 16:23, 24: “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” We have heard these called un conditional prayer promises. How different is the picture when we dis cover these qualifying phrases. The promise is that of unconditionally granting to the child of God any request which he has faith enough to believe he will receive. How shal low and on the surface then would be our experience! The promise summed up is this: When you can face your problem, whatever it may be, and then out of a completely sincere heart pray, “Father, glorify thy name,” the unchanging and un changeable answer is, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” We have often wondered if it were possible to make a request of God and to know assuredly that we would receive exactly what we asked for.
Indeed it is possible. When every circumstance of life becomes sec ondary, and the yielded heart cries, “Oh, that my life may bear fruit and that the fruit may remain to Thy glory,” • then there 'is no possi bility of denial. God says, “I will do it.” To our eternal shame and humilia tion, we have each found that our communion with God is most def inite, real, and continuous, when we are experiencing times of distress or fear or heartache. The promise of John 16:24 is, “That your joy may be full.” We remember the words of the Psalmist, “In thy presence is fulness of joy.” Perhaps the burden we fain would be relieved of is the instrument which alone keeps us "in His presence.” When that place of His known presence is the thing most desired, though it be attained through suffering or distress, then the answer must always be “Yes.” To the child of God who prays, "Father, glorify thy name, that my life may bear fruit, that I may know the joy of Thy presence,” God will never say, “No.” Oh, moment supreme, when the soul is lost to Self and every earthly thing, aware solely of the trans porting joy of complete abandon ment to the will of God! Then prayer is a foretaste of celestial joy. PAGE ELEVEN
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