January, 1937
THE K I N G S BUS I NESS
Around the King's Table
By PAUL W. ROOD
(Jas. 5 :8 ). The fact that we are expecting Christ to come at any time should cause us to separate ourselves from all known evil and to live a life of prayer. Remem bering His coming, we will be zealous for the glory of our Lord and will seek to win as many as possible for Christ before the rapture of the true church. Certainly it is possible that Christ may come this year. Let us live and work as if we really believed in this possibility. If we do, we will not be selfish, vindictive, unkind, and jealous, but we will be unselfish, forgiving, kind, and magnanimous in our attitude toward one another. If this truth of the imminent return o f the Lord grips our hearts, we will be awake when others are asleep, spiritual when others are carnal, victorious when others are defeated, and optimistic when others are pessimistic. “ And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3 :3 ). the attitude of the leaders— and it is undeniably the atti tude of many in the movement— the appellation was not unsuited to the case. Even when due allowance has been made for this phraseology as belonging to newspaper par lance, the keynote of the movement is all too apparent to those who have observed the emphasis of the work as a whole. It was stated in the local paper that there was to be no preaching on heaven or hell, and a speaker was quoted as saying that evangelism was to be taken out of the hands of the “ queer folks.” Undoubtedly there are some “ queer folks” engaged in religious work. Certainly a Christian worker should be well balanced and should refrain from anything that will bring the cause of Christ into disrepute. The Scripturally instructed Christian will avoid all extremes in manner and dress and will conduct himself in a way that will command the respect of all right-thinking people. One receives the impression, however, that the “ stream lined revival” speaker is not thinking of those who write caustic anonymous letters and do other things that reveal a warped mind. It seems likely that in his objection to “ queer folks” the spokesman of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America is referring to those who are not in harmony with “ streamlined revivals.” If our surmise is correct, old-fashioned believers in apostolic and New Testament Christianity are classified as “ queer.” A “ streamlined revival” is not characterized by apostolic preaching that emphasizes the substitionary death of Christ and His resurrection. There is nothing in this modern view of revival that is offensive to the natural man. “ The preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolish ness,” says the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 1 :18 ). The “ stream lined revival” preacher does not preach as Christ preached. The Lord Jesus Christ preached on sin, repentance, judg ment, and hell. No other person mentioned in the Bible said as much about hell as did Jesus. Christ and the Streamlined Revival When the Preaching Mission came to Chicago, a prominent daily paper referred to the movement as a “ streamlined re vival.” If the paper rightly interpreted
An examination of world conditions at tjje beginning of the new year reveals
On the
f ° v turmoil everywhere. The Orient is of a New Year seetbing with unrest. Asserting herself as one of the great world powers, Japan is rapidly extend ing her sphere of influence and will eventually dominate the races of the Far East. There is a rising tide of nation alism in that region, and the white man will undoubtedly be driven out in the not distant future. Europe is on the brink of another war. Communism and Fascism are the two forces that must clash sooner or later. The civil war in Spain may be the spark that will kindle a general European conflagration. Russia is the best prepared for war of all the nations in the earth. While the emissaries of Russian Communism are spread ing propaganda against preparedness in other nations, Russia is armed to the teeth. It is significant that though secular and religious periodicals in this country are con cerned about the menace of Fascism, they have, generally speaking, little or nothing to say about the menace of Communism. Can it be that these periodicals are controlled — or at least greatly influenced— by disciples of Karl Marx and Lenin? W e hold no brief for Fascism, but it would encourage supporters of constitutional government if editors and leaders would declare themselves in a way that would not give aid and comfort to Communists. In the United States, the overwhelming victory for the New Deal indicates that the plan of members of the so- called “ brain trust” to repudiate our cherished national principles has met with the enthusiastic approval of the voters. During the next few years we can expect that attempts will be made to reconstruct the Supreme Court and to curtail the freedom of the press and to centralize power. In every realm it is going according to the W ord of God. “ How are things going in St. Louis?” was the question asked of a well-known pastor in that city. “ According to the W ord of God,” was the answer. “ Yes,” said the questioner, “ on your corner it’s going according to the W ord of God.” “ It is going according to the W ord of God on every corner in St. Louis,” was the significant rejoinder. Yes, the immediate outlook for the world is dark. But we know that Christ is coming and that with His return a glorious day will dawn. It is natural that we ask our selves the question, W ill Christ come back this year? W e do not know. Certainly it is true that Scripture-promised signs are multiplying on every hand and that the stage is set for the enactment of the final scene of the drama of “ man’s day.” It will be well for us if we as Christians make all of our plans tentative and put over them, “ subject to change without notice,” because we are subject to change without notice. During these confused days, the “ blessed hope” should have a very practical effect on us as Christians. W e should “ love his appearing” (2 Tim . 4 :8 ) and “ comfort one another” (1 Thess. 4 :18 ) with this truth. W e should be patient, “ for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh”
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