T H E K I N G ’.S B U S I N E S S
69
THE PREACHER AS A PROPHET “ The United Presbyterian” has a very suggestive article on the subject of “ The Minister as a Prophet” in which, among other things, it says: “There are THREE CLASSES OF MINISTERS; th e first, those who live in th e heavy a ir of stuffy lib raries commun ing w ith men who are dead w ith th e issues and thoughts of a d istan t past, when creeds were b u ilt and religious though ts took form . T heir teaching is detached from cur
vision, and the only basis for a preacher-prophet is the Word of God and world events as they verify the Word predictions. The predictions of God’s Word cannot be changed. All efforts to make them void have failed and will fail. These predictions stand rock-ribbed in the midst of the turmoil of nations, staggering under the weight of increasing debt and ceaseless unrest. Hundreds of solutions have been offered, but none of them work. Why? Because not one of them is founded on the basis of fact, but of fancy, and the
re n t life; no voices speak to them out of th e world’s pres en t un rest, and as a resu lt, T H E Y H A V E NO GOS PEL to give to a world th a t is tra vailing to b r i n g some ideal of ju s tice, o r overthrow some hoary wrong. THE S E C O N D CLASS lives a t th e o ther e x t r e m e . They are engrossed in th e problem s of today. They a r e acquainted w i t h every movement of society about them . Their finger is up on th e p u l s e of present., life., and they feel its every t h r o b , b u t they have no tim e to commune w ith God and study th e deep er teachings of His Word. They do n o t ta k e tim e to know God; t h e r e f o r e , they have no mes sage from H im for th e age in which they are so deeply interested. In THE THIRD CLASS is th e p ro phet. In a sense he combines th e char acteristics of th e o th er two. He sees all th a t they see and knows how to
'main fact which is overlooked is the fact that men have a n a t u r e which is opposed to God and op posed to right eousness, and no power can cure or change it. A new nature mu s t be t h e foundation for a r a t i o n a l national building, and t h e Bo o k rings true to fact when it predicts present conditions as they pass be fore our vision to day in every na tion on the earth. But .the Book
M I L T O N S T E W A R T Departed to be w ith his Lord November 20, 1923. Jtt iKnnonam
Opposite th e editorial page in the November issue of The K ing’s Business appeared the photograph of Mr. Milton Stew art (b ro th er of Mr. Lyman S tew art), tog ether w ith a few words con cerning him and his service for God in th is and other lands. On September 28, 1923, Mr, Lyman S tew art (P residen t of the Bible In stitu te of Los Angeles) fell asleep, and his photograph appeared in the December number. At th e tim e of Mr. Lyman S tew art’s home-going, Mr. Milton Stew art was so ill th a t it was not deemed advisable to inform him of th e event, and on Novem ber 20, he followed his b ro ther into, the glory land. Mr. Milton Stew art was an outstanding example of what a Christian layman can be and do for God. Quietly, unobtrusively, he m inistered his funds in a wise manner. He was in h earty fellowship w ith the Bible In stitu te of Los Angeles* and a generous contributor to the erection of the In stitu te buildings in Los Angeles, as well as those of the Hunan Bible In stitu te in China, the adm in istrayon building th ere being known as “Milton S tew art H all.” He also supported several of the colportage bands in connection w ith the boat work of - the Hunan Bible In stitu te. His h ea rt was, however, drawn out in a special manner to th e foreign field and he comm itted a large fund to a trustee, Mr. W. E. Blackstone, who, together w ith an Advisory Committee of th ree other men, has adm inistered this fund to th e leading evangelical Mission Boards, including Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and many of th e “F aith Missions,” such as th e China Inland Mission and others, thus enabling them to do a g reat deal of evangelistic work which would not have been otherw ise pos sible. He was very wise in insisting th a t th is money should go only to those m issionaries who professed to be staunch believers in th e fundam ental doctrines of God’s Word, and we cannot but rejoice th at, as far _as possible, it has been used along definite lines, bringing definite results. These two b ro thers were united in h ea rt and life for a much longer period th an is allotted to most men (Mr. Milton Stewart being 85 years of age and Mr. Lyman Stewart, 83). It is not often th a t two brothers, living in fellowship w ith th eir Lord and w ith each other, drawn, out into giving so largely of th e ir time and means in obedience to our Lord’s command “Give the Gospel to all people," should be so nearly united in being called to the well-earned rest which God has promised to those who love and serve Him. Their lives are a testim ony to the grace and goodness of God, and th e ir entrance into th e heavenly home was abundant.
a l s o predicts a c omi n g change, not wrought by the plans of men, but by the Prince of Peace and Po wer who w i l l take the sceptre. Wh a t , t he n ? Shall we sit and w a i t ? No, we cannot. We have our orders from H e a d q u arters: Truth it in love to all people, and hasten the day of His r i g h t e o u s reign so clearly d e f i n e d in the Book! A ll the problems of life have their solu tion in God’s Word, and the remedy is always pos sible of practical application in every age. Pity the preacher if he be not a prophet-preacher, with the unchangeable Word in his hands1and on his lips. FINE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN ARE DEDICATING THEIR LIVES FOR THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL (Page 77)
bring th e messages which he receives from God in to th e hum an life of th e generation and th e day in which he lives. He is in te rp re te r and sees th e sp iritu al bearings of these g re a t movements, and can b ring a message of hope and guidance from God to th e people to rn by doubt, unbiased by self-interest. The GOSPEL HAS THE ONLY REMEDY fo r th e ills of th e world, and th e p rophet of God is th e in te rp re te r of th a t Gospel to man. He has a message, too, for those souls who have lo st th e ir way am id th e strain and w rench of w arring interests, and speaks to th e ir h ea rts.” The prophet must have a basis for his prophetic
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs