February 1926
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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Brent of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York, styling him a “ warrior and a prophet” and quoting him as saying that the church should be “ in the van or the fray, in the very thick o f the fighting. ” Many Christians are opposed to the use of the word “ battle” or “ war.” They are willing to fight for and battle for some laws calculated to promote the peace and prosperity of our nation, but they do not want to fight for the Bible,—for its inerrancy, for its funda mental doctrines, which áre all simple and clear and are basic in a real Christian life. * . They will fight to defend their homes and their loved ones, their social and secret organizations and their political preferences; but when it comes to fighting for the faith of the fathers, then they believe in doffing their military garb and donning pacifist robes. They plead for charity for all deniers of the Word of God and quote some sentimental sayings of poets and phil osophers. We believe heartily in every effort which has for its object the betterment of the race and the stemming as far as possible of the tide of lawlessness and crime which is sweeping over our land, but first things must come first, and the first thing, the thing which ranks pre-eminent in our estimation, is that which must always be contended for—a life fashioned like the life of Him who laid down His life to bring salvation to men. The command of Christ has never changed: “ Put on the whole armour of God. ’ ’ The battle is on ; the Com mander cries “ Fight the good fight of faith!” ^ The enemy is united in heart and life. They, comprise an immense army composed of persons from every walk o f life,—politicians, preachers, professors, leaders from the laity, Socialists from the slums,—all snared by* Satan to believe a lie, rallying to fight against God and His Word. This battle has been age-abiding and will never cease until the Lord*from Heaven shall call His cohorts to meet Him in the clouds, thus witnessing to a sinful, unbelieving world the truth of the Scripture during the tribulation times. The call to the Christian from His Commander is to leave the Barracks and rally with Him on the Battle field, around the standard of the Bible, armed with the Sword of the Spirit, protected by the shield of faith, fighting the good fight in defense of the faith. FAILURE OF FAITH MEANS FAILURE OF FRUIT Much light is thrown upon present conditions in the church by a single passage of Scripture which fell from the lips of our Lord, as recorded in Matthew 13:58: "And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." He was there. He knew the need, He had the power, but— ! Does this not give us the reason for the ineffec tiveness of much of our service for Him? Read the whole chapter carefully, analyze the conditions por trayed, and you will see that time has not changed these conditions but, on the contrary, has emphasized them. We still have the wayside—stony ground—hot sun—the wicked one (Satan)—tares—birds of the air—pearls—fish, and the climax, faith and unbelief! What is the greatest need of the true church ? Faith. We have drifted into a habit of thinking of a church as a building of brick and stone. When we say to a
“ Ring the bells of heaven! there Is Joy today, Angels, swell the glad, triumphant strain! Tell the Joyful tidings! bear it far away! For a precious soul is born again. Glory! glory! how the angels sing! Glory! glory! how the loud harps ring; 'Tis the ransomed army, like a mighty sea, Pealing forth the anthem of the free."
BANKING ON THE BIBLE We are here today. Where will we be tomorrow? We are alive today. Will we be tomorrow? We are in good health today. Will we be tomorrow? These are some of the questions which no one can answer. We hope—we trust—but have no definite assurance about many things. But there is one ques tion of great moment which every individual must face: If we die today, where will we be tomorrow ? ■This is a serious question because eternal interests are involved. Most people of sound mind give it some thought. We have had the privilege of personal con versation with thousands of people and have rarely found any one who did not have serious thoughts about eternity. Sometimes, an attitude of indifference may be assumed, but careful probing usually discloses that such a position is not natural, logical nor satisfactory to them. The .multiplying number of religious cults proves that man is ever trying to solve the mystery of life here and hereafter. We know that there is but one Book that can meet the need. Test it in any and every way; compare and contrast it with every other book; and the result is the same. The Bible is true! You can bank on it. You can make your deposit of faith in it and then write your check at any time, knowing that it will be honored. You can go to it with any problem or question know ing that it will give you a satisfactory answer. You can "bank on the Bible” in the building of the best possible human character, a character that will stand any test and never fail. If you desire peace of mind and rest of soul, it is there and only there. If you want inspiration for service, you will find it in the Bible. If you want victory over temptation and selfishness of life, your Bank will never fail. You can “ bank on the Bible” for God is there; assur ance is there; peace is there; certainty of the future is there-; a bright outlook for eternity is there. Fear has fled; joy fills the soul. You no longer rely upon human opinions and theories; not on wild speculations; not on weird dreams nor idle tales; not on man’s suppositions and vain hopes. You are “ banking on the Bible,” and it can never fail. I f you are “ banking on the Bible” you do not fear to meet any scientist, philosopher, professor or teacher. You pity them, pray for them, but you know they are restless and know no peace. Your faith is fixed, firmly fixed, and your vision is of eternal years in company with the saints of God and the angelic throng. You are “ banking on the Book” that deals with the eternity that is past and the eternity that is to come. Nothing on earth or in Heaven can disturb you. You are satisfied. “ Bank on the Bible!” FROM BARRACKS TO BATTLEFIELD An article in The Literary Digest for December 19, 1925, entitled “ The Church’s Call to Battle,” calls attention to the militant attitude of Bishop Charles H.
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