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Plan Now to Attend Annual Conference on Prophecy and the JeW August 28 —September 5 Winona Lake Indiana Speakers Include Dr. John Bradbury, Dr. Hyman J. Appelman, Dr. J. P. Muntz, Dr. Louis Bau man, Dr. Owen White, Dr. J. D. Gray, Dr. Eddie Lieberman, Dr. Herbert Lockyer, Dr. Henry Einspruch, Rev. Donald MacKay, Dr. Nathan Stone, Dr. Solomon Birnbaum, Rev. H. B. Centz, Dr. Jacob Gartenhaus, Rev. A . B. Machlin and Rev. A . Edwin Wilson. Write for information to The American Association for Jewish Evangelism, Inc. Winona Lake, Indiana THE BEST INVESTMENT you can make is an investment in the work of the Slavic Missionary Society: care for orphans; aid to refugees in Europe; support of missionaries; printing and distributing the Word of God. Help to save souls and bodies of precious men and women for whom Christ gave His life. Ask for free copies of “ Slavic Evangel” with details about the work. Send your contributions to the S L A V IC M IS S IO N A R Y S O C IE T Y , IN C . Dr. F. J. Miles, International Secretary 5537 No. Glenwood.Ave., Room 2, Chicago 40, Illinois Address in Canada: 152 Eglinton Ave., East, Toronto 12, Ont.
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W o u ld you like to help in the spreading of God’s Word to the millions who are seek ing the light? One of the best ways to achieve this is to obtain regularly from the American Bible Society, Gift Annuity Agreements, which pay you a regular income so long as you live. Later a portion of your Gift Agree ment will be used by the American Bible Society for printing and distributing the Scriptures. For more than 100 years, men and women in all parts of the world have received a regu lar income from Gift Agreements issued by the Society. Payments never vary. They are based on your age, when issued. We have prepared a booklet, “ Your Gift that Lives.” In this beautifully printed book let are scenes from many different parts of the world. Also included in the booklet are 31 questions and answers, telling you all about
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The Press and The Christian W o r ld One Church: Many Presbyterian leaders are greatly desirous of a complete Presbyterian union. This may be a step nearer with the election of Dr. Clifford E. Barbour of the Knoxville, Tennessee, Second Presbyterian Church to Moderatorship of the General Assembly of the Presby terian Church in the United States. Dr. Barbour, the first moderator from the South since 1834, has expressed his hope that one great Presbyterian Church out of many will be created. Largest Missionary Offering: The 26th Annual Missionary Con vention of the Peoples Church in To ronto was the occasion for receiving an offering of $181,000, the largest ever received. This will enable the Peoples Church to maintain its present staff of over 20'0 missionaries, and to send out a score or more of new workers. Protestant Voice: Although U. S. Protestantism has never yet possessed a single journal istic voice, in all probability this may soon be realized. Recently a hundred and fifty Protestant churchmen met in Kansas City and announced plans to buy the present Protestant Voice and turn it into a national Protestant publi cation which looks like a newspaper and reads like one, with interest as uni versal as the church it represents. South American Revival: Recently Paul F. Robinson and Henry C. Crowell of the Moody Bible Insti tute flew over 10,000 miles throughout Central and South America and reported that real revival is breaking out today in that area. Even veteran missionaries are immensely encouraged by the way the Lord has been working during the last few weeks. Especially in Ecuador was the revival evident. The meetings are crowded and sometimes there is barely room for the speaker to stand. Foundation For Christian Schools: Dr. George J. Broodman, a dentist of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is the foun der of a movement to further the in terest of Christian education by the publishing of Christian school text books, sponsoring scholarships, confer ences, clinics, and refresher courses for Christian school teachers. Teams For Europe: Dr. Robert A. Cook, President of Youth for Christ International, has called for a thousand ministers to form 500 two-men evangelistic teams to travel to 55 countries of the world to reach the spiritually hungry. Dr. Cook be lieves that'with these teams there would be created a spiritual “blitz” which would shake these countries for Christ. Tomorrow, he feels, may be too late. J U L Y . 1 9 4 9
Official Publication of The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated
Louis T. Talbot, D.D.
Betty Bruechert Managing Editor
William W . Orr, D.D.
Editor in Chief
Associate Editor
Copyright, 1949, The King’s Business No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission. All Rights Reserved. Vol. 40 JU LY 1949 No. 7 Radio Number CONTENTS Editorially Speaking ............................................................................. 4 Dr. Talbot’s Question Box ................................................................ 5 One Hundred Per Cent Christians, M. R. De H a a n ...................... 6 The Pacific Coast Radio Ministry, William W. Orr ...................... 8 “ They Have No Wine,” Vance Havner ........................................... 10 Poem, With You, J. Danson Smith . . . . ............................................. H Others May—You Cannot, G. D. Watson ................ .................... 11 What the Bible Says About Heaven, Louis T. T a lb o t .............. 12 The Bible in the News, William W. Orr ......................................... 14 God and the Cowboy, Jettie H. Tadlock .............................................. 15 Junior King’s Business, Martha S. H o o k e r ..................................... 16 Esperanza’s Choice, Jane and Neil N e llis .......................................... 16 Biola Family Circle ............................................................................. IT Poem, How Much I Owe, Robert Murray McCheyne .................... 19 Conquering Depression, Arthur Hedley ........................................... 20 Young People’s Topic, Walter L. W ilson ........................................... 21 Sunday School Lessons, Homer A. Kent, Allison Arrowood .......... 24 Object Lessons, Elmer L. Wilder ....................................................... 28 Cover : Dr. Louis T. Talbot, President of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, and Dr. William W. Orr, Vice-President, before the microphone of the United Pacific Network. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION— “The King’s Business’’ is published monthy; $2.00, one year; $1.00, six month; 20 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. Write for details. Canadian and foreign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of a’ddress to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. REMITTANCES—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. ADVERTISING!—For information, adderss the Advertising Manager, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles 13, California. MANUSCRIPTS—“ The King’s Business” cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts mailed to us for consideration. Entered as second-class matter November 7, 1938, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, Cali fornia, 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. ADDRESS: The King’s Business, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 13, California. Page Three
true character of the founder of Chris tian Science and the true nature of the movement which she had founded. It is sufficient to say that the book which Mr. Peabody subsequently published is one of the moSt amazing and revealing accounts of this' pseudo-religious system. More than that, in the introduction, the author challenges both Mrs. Eddy and the whole Christian Science combination to dare to prosecute him for libel, insisting that he is telling nothing but the truth. Of course, some years have gone by since the publication of this intensely in teresting volume, but it would be a good thing if truly evangelical Christian lead ers and laymen would again take down this hook from the shelves of their li braries and read once more the absurd claims of this false system. The Chris tian Science Church has surrounded it self today with an aura of unassailable respectability, but the heart and soul of the system is as false as it is possible to be, absolutely denying the atonement of Christ. Old-Fashioned Way A panel group of doctors in a recent California Medical Association Conven tion agreed that the best way to take care of a newborn baby was the old- fashioned way. They said: “ Put mother and baby together and let nature take its course.” This was advanced as an innovation in modern pediatric care. This “new” system, they concluded, makes for an early feeling of security in the infant which can only be obtained by the per sonal attention and love of' the mother. This causes us to reflect that long ago God passed the laws of health and hap piness which are standard equipment in the human family, and it is the part of real wisdom to abide by His laws. Unbelief’s Despair The tragedy of the death of former Secretary of Defense, James Forrestal, is heightened by the revelation of the bitter darkness which had engulfed his mind and soul. A book of poems left at his bedside on the day of his death was opened to a doleful work by Sophocles entitled, “ Chorus from Ajax” which included these despairing lines: “ Better to die, and sleep The never-waking sleep, than linger on, And dare to live, when the soul’s life is gone: But thou shalt weep.” How different is the hope of the sweet Psalmist of Israel who wrote, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” The difference between belief and unbelief is nowhere more sharply defined than at the instant when one passes out of this life into the Great Beyond. For the Christian it is an abundant entrance into the realms of light, life, and love. But for the one who knows not God, it is a deeper dark ness and despair than ever known. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
bless God with unfeigned devotion and sincere worship. Let America prove again the truth that “ righteousness exalteth a nation.” “ Come Ye Yourselves Apart and Rest Awhile” These were the words spoken by the Lord Jesus into the ears of His disciples during the busy days of His earthly ministry. It was true that the Lord was so much in demand that He had almost no leisure—no, not even enough to eat His food in peace. So He took His own apart where they might rest and re fresh themselves. We are living in busy days too, with the nervous strain almost unbelievably high. It is quite necessary for God’s people today to go aside occasionally to refresh both mind and spirit. For this purpose, we suggest a week at the Bible Conference sponsored by the Bible In stitute of Los Angeles, at beautiful Mount Hermon in central California, August 14 to 21st. This choice spot in the heart of the California redwood country is an inspiration to all who attend. There will be Bible teaching with Dr. Louis T. Talbot, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, Dr. Charles L. Feinberg, and Dr. William W. Orr will direct. There will be recreation and fun as well. In formation relative to reservations should be obtained by writing to the Mount Hermon Conference Association, Mount Hermon, California. Other information regarding meetings and speakers may be obtained from Dr. William W. Orr, Conference Director, 558 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 13, California. This book was first copyrighted in 1910, entitled, “ The Religio-Medical Mas querade.” The author was Frederick W. Peabody, LL. B., a Boston attorney who had been retained by a number of clients directly and indirectly connected with the litigation which grew out of dif ferences between these clients and Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Chris tian Science Church. Over a course of ten years, Attorney Peabody came to know as well as anyone could know, the A Complete Exposure of Christian Science
Can God Bless America? Again on Independence Day we will be treated to the usual stream of oratory, honoring the nation’s honorable dead, and calling upon God for continued bless ings to rest upon our land. Ever since the rather widespread use of the popular song of that title, the phrase, “ God Bless America,” has been more than ever in the thinking of the American people. Many have reasoned that the United States is; God’s special favorite among the nations and His blessing upon us is to be looked upon as a matter of course. But when we say, “ God Bless America,” what America do we mean? Do we mean the America of Hollywood with its utter disregard of morality and its disgrace ful flaunting of the church? Do we mean the America of our shameful divorce courts where a legal separation may be obtained on the most flimsy grounds? Do we mean the America of our political disgraces where graft and avarice flour ish like grass? Do we want God to bless these Americas? And if God is to bless, how shall He bless us? Shall He bless us with peace? Surely that is a worthy desire, but what will we do with peace? Shall we use our leisure to forget God and feed on selfish pleasures'? Shall we ask God to bless us with prosperity, more automobiles, more homes, more gadgets? And what shall we do with more automobiles? Shall we, .as more than nine-tenths of our people do, utterly disregard God’s interests on the Lórd’s Day? We ask God to bless America, but let us not forget what kind of a God we are speaking to. He is a God, first of all, who is omnipresent. Nothing is hidden from Him. Moreover, He is a God of absolute righteousness and pristine holi ness. He cannot bless the wicked, nor can He withhold judgment upon sin and transgressions. When we pray to God, this is the God to whom we pray. But, oh, how God has already blessed America with wide fertile acres and snow-capped mountain peaks, with roll ing oceans east and west and friendly neighbors north and south. Mineral re sources without limit are ours and op portunities for advancement know no end. Yea, verily God hath blessed our land with all manner of the choicest blessings. Now it is time for America to Page Four
I heard a minister say that he was “ strictly Pauline” in doctrine. He is very strong on dispensations. What does he mean? I do not know. I suggest you have a conversation with this brother, and find out. I hope he does not believe in Bul- lingerism, which is unscriptural. Please explain Matthew 25:1-13, the parable of the Ten Virgins. There is a difference of opinion among Bible teachers as to the interpretation of this passage. Some see in the Ten Virgins a representative body of Jews; others that they are the children of God during this dispensation. Some even declare that this parable teaches a partial rapture, that the wise virgins are the spiritual Christians and the un wise the immature believers who will not be a part of the raptured company when Jesus comes. I have stated repeat edly in these columns that I did not be lieve there was any Scripture to sub stantiate this view. The unwise virgins could not have been saved, for the Lord said to them, “Verily I say unto you, I know you not,” which could never be said to even the weakest and the most carnal Christians. However this parable is interpreted, one thing is certain: the oil is a type of the Holy Spirit, and the matter of preparedness is the theme. Can anyone who believes in Christ save his loved ones who do not? My husband is a good man, but he does not believe the Bible. Can I help him? You may live before him such a radiant Christian life that the Spirit of God may show him that Christ is real and that you possess something he does not. Paul discusses this in First Corin thians (7 :16) where he states, “ For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how know est thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?” This, subject is also taken up in First Peter 3:1-6. Do not nag, or scold your husband. Go to God in prayer for him, and live a sweet Christian life before him. That is all you can do. Will you please explain how the sheep and goat nations of Mathhew 25 either enter the kingdom or are excluded 100% on the basis of their treatment of “my brethren” ? How could one nation be 100% loving and fair to the Jews? No nation, not even Russia, could be wholly unjust to them. I agree with the questioner. The na tions in Matthew 25 are not groups as nations, but as individuals. The word for nations may well be translated, “ Gen tiles.” It is written that when JesUs was on the cross He cried, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Some J U L Y , 1 94 9
creation in all probability were angelic beings with Lucifer as their head, whose rebellion against God caused that original creation to be destroyed after which the earth was in a chaotic condition. When later on God created man, He made him the lord of creation. God then gave him a helpmeet, and commanded them to be fruitful and to replenish the earth. That Adam was the first man does not necessarily mean that he was the first being. Will the Jewish people who have ac cepted Christ live in the earthly Jeru salem or in the New Jerusalem? Do they become members of the bride of Christ? Jews who are converted to Christ in this age become a part of the body, which is the bride, of Christ. In the body of Christ there is no national dis tinction; there is neither Jew nor Gentile. In Him all national distinctions pass away. The saved during this age are all believers. I knew a mcun in another state who robbed a bank. He served his sentence in prison, and is now free, but he has never told where he concealed the money he stole. He has now been converted. Will God forgive him if he does not return the money to the bank? If he is really saved, he will do so. The Bible teaches not only conversion, but restitution, where possible. The money is not his although he has paid the law’s penalty for stealing it. The dearest idol I have known, What'er that idol be, Help me to tear it from Thy Throne, And worship only Thee. So shall my walk be close with God, Calm and serene my frame; So purer light shall mark the road That leads me to the Lamb. —WILLIAM P. COWPER Page Five
claim that God turned His face away from His Son because Jesus had been made sin, and God could not look upon sin. If God is everywhere, is He not looking upon sin all the time? When our sins were laid upon Jesus, they did the same thing to Him that they do to us: they separated Him from God. The cry “ My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” indicates that God was dealing with Jesus judicially, as a sin bearer. However, after He cried, “It is finished,” and the work of re demption was complete, He again ad dressed God as Father, saying, “ Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” God sees every believer in Christ. He no longer looks upon him as a sinner but as one in Christ. Whenever I hear anyone closing his prayer without mentioning the name of Jesus, I feel that God has not heard that prayer. But in praying the Lord’s Prayer, the name of Jesus is not men tioned. What about this? I can understand how such a prayer might be prayed by an earnest layman, or a person in a rescue mission who was not instructed in theological pro cedures, and ignorant of his Bible. The Lord looks upon the heart. However, if a minister should pray without mention ing the name of Christ, I would con clude that he belonged to that class known as liberal theologians' who are no better than Unitarians. All prayer should properly be addressed to the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. My pastor says that Adam was not the first man, but that God created a race before He made Adam. I have an idea that the questioner has misunderstood his pastor. In all proba bility, the minister stated his opinion that there was a race of beings upon the earth before man’s creation. That may be true. These were not, however, human beings. Adam was the first man. The beings that inhabited the original
One Hundred Per Cent /$J2 s ) a FW -A - s Address delivered at the Commencement of the Class of 1949 , Bihle Institute of Los Angeles
Christians By M. R. De Haan, M.D.
Three Calls of Peter We see the same thing illustrated in the life of the Apostle Peter. Three calls of Peter are recorded in the Scrip tures. The first is described in the first chapter of John, where at the preaching of John the Baptist, Peter came TO Jesus at the invitation of his brother, Andrew. Here Peter, I am sure, was saved, and became a thirty per cent believer. He paid nothing and left noth ing, but came only to the Lord Jesus Christ to receive from Him that which He had to offer. But in the first chapter of Mark, there is the account of another later call; for Mark tells us: Now after that John was put in pri son, Jesus came into Galilee . . . [and said to Peter ] Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men (Mark 1:17). Here you will notice that Peter is called to come AFTER the Lord Jesus Christ. This was not the same as the call in John, for in the Gospel of John, John the Baptist was still preaching, but in this instance John had already been cast in prison. This second call to come AFTER the Lord Jesus was not for salvation, but for service. It was not to come TO Jesus but to come AFTER the Lord Jesus Christ. In the first instance, Peter paid nothing. Here he is expected to pay the price, to leave something, and to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Coming TO Christ costs nothing, but coming AFTER Christ in disciple ship means sacrifice. Jesus said: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his CROSS daily, and follow me (Luke 9:23). Peter's Third Call But there is also a third call of Peter, which many have missed. It is found in Matthew, chapter 10, where Jesus chooses twelve to forsake everything and go with Him to the end, to go all the way, to go all out for Him. This meant suffering and finally death for Christ’s sake. Coming TO Christ for salvation, coming AFTER Christ for service, go ing FOR Christ in the fellowship of His suffering. The Bible abounds in many illustra tions of this very same truth. In Gid eon’s army there were three classes of people. First, there were the thirty-two thousand who were only thirty per cent ers. Then it was reduced to a company of only ten thousand, whom we may classify as the sixty per centers. But Gideon gained the victory with the hand- T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hun dred (Murk b:20). T HIS is our Lord’s own classifica tion of all believers who, hearing and receiving the Word, bring forth fruit. There are, according to this verse, three kinds of believers in the world: those who bring forth the mini mum of fruit, called thirty percent; the average fruit-bearing Christians called the sixty percent; or the very maximum of fruit-bearing, called one hundred per cent. This is the threefold classification of Christians as given by the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul also classifies believers, but he does it in two groups — carnal and spiritual. But Paul’s classification has to do with conduct rather than with fruit-bearing. Jesus’ classification recog nizes, therefore, three possibilities of Christian progress and growth and bringing forth fruit. When Jesus, said that the good ground would bring forth thirty, sixty, and an hundredfold, He was by no means endorsing anything less than the maximum of one hundred per cent. But He knew that many be lievers would be content with being only thirty or sixty per cent fruitful for Him, and makes this statement only as a prediction of fact, without giving any endorsement for anything less than the maximum. Certainly nothing less than the very best, the very maximum of one hundred per cent, should ever sat isfy the true believer. This Order Runs Through All Scripture This threefold classification of be lievers runs all the way through the Bible. It was so in Jesus’ own ministry. There were three kinds of people who came to Christ for salvation. First, there was that great multitude who came to Christ and believed on Him, but they never went any farther, and we hear no more about them in all of the gospels. Then the second group was much smaller, and these are called dis ciples. There were seventy of these, seventy who had not only come TO Christ for salvation but had come AF TER Christ for service. These were better than the thirty per cent, but still came short of the maximum ideal of one hundred per cent, for these dis ciples followed Him only part of the way, and only for a time. While all was Page Six
fair and prosperous and the hope of the kingdom shone brightly upon them, they were enthusiastic and active, but when Jesus began to reveal the way of the cross and the price of discipleship, they would not pay the full price, and left Him, for they were only sixty per cent. Of these disciples we read one of the saddest records in all of Scripture. John tells us in John 6:66, after Jesus had revealed the cross to them: From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Dr. M. R. DeHaan, Radio Minister of the Radio Bible Class Grand Rapids, Michigan
They were only sixty per cent effi cient and when it meant suffering, they ceased to serve the Lord Jesus. But there is a third group for which we do thank God. There were only twelve, (and one was a devil) who had not only come TO Jesus, (the thirty per centers) and had come AFTER Jesus, (the sixty peb centers) but who were willing to go FOR JESUS as well. Though they wavered for a time at the cross, they were still there after the resurrection and became the nucleus of that group at Pentecost through which the gospel was introduced into the whole world. Here, then, are the three groups in the ministry of our precious Lord Jesus Christ: First, those who came TO Him and then those who came AFTER Him, and finally, those who were willing to go all the way FOR Him. They were believers, disciples and apostles.
harvest; to wake up and to move into the hundredfold class. You can be saved by coming to Christ, but you cannot be a disciple without WORK, and you can not be all out for Christ without paying the price of suffering; it may be even the supreme sacrifice. But, says one, “ All of these are saved, are they not?” Yes, but oh, what a difference it is going to make! If you really want to be your very best for Christ, you will experience suffering, loneliness, criticism; yea, it may mean the cross. It may cost you your very life, if you are willing to go all the way with Him. If this seems to be a big price, then listen for just a moment to the other side of the story. For there is a great deal more to this truth than just the matter of suffering and service. God has a special reward promised to those who dare to go all the way for Him. Praise. Honor, Glory There are also three degrees of re ward in Scripture, very definitely out lined. In First Peter 1:7, we read concerning believers: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto PRAISE and HONOUR and GLORY at the appear ing of Jesus Christ. Notice that Peter is talking about rewards when Jesus returns. These re wards are threefold. T h e y are: PRAISE AND HONOUR AND GLORY. Praise for salvation, honor for service, and glory for suffering. Paul in First Corinthians 4:5 declares: Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall EVERY MAN have praise of God. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, every believer shall have PRAISE of God. Praise is the very minimum for salvation. It is for the thirty per cent ers who have come to the Lord Jesus Christ. But the second reward mentioned in First Peter is honor. This is for service according to the Word of God: He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man SERVE me, him will my Father HONOUR (John 12:25, 26). Here our Lord Jesus Christ is not speaking of salvation, but of service, and the reward is honor for faithful service unto Him. But there is something even better which the Lord has reserved for the hundred per centers. It is GLORY when (Continued on Page 19) Page Seven
Maybe you sang in the choir and they wouldn’t let you sing the solo. Others received more praise than you. Perhaps you were an officer in the church, or even a preacher, and persecution came; you gave up and couldn’t pay the price. How many today are bitter, inactive, critical, out of circulation, just because when trouble and persecution came, they lost their discipleship and were unwill ing to pay the price. Group Number Three But thank God for the third group. Though small and always in the minor ity, they are the ones, like the three hundred of Gideon’s army, through whom the Lord sends the victory. In every live church, you will find a little group that does most of the work, the praying, the soul winning, and the suf fering. They also receive most of the
ful of one hundred per centers—the three hundred who were left after the final test. The same truth is taught in the par able of the pounds and also in the par able of the talents. Jesus, in discussing this same truth of fruit-bearing with His disciples in John 15, mentions three possibilities, and calls them first, fruit; second, more fruit; and finally, the max imum, much fruit. Here again we have thirty, sixty and one hundredfold. John also in his first epistle, teaches the same classification when he addresses the be lievers as, “ little children,” “ young men,” and “fathers.” There are three kinds of food for these three classes of people: milk for babies, bread for young men, and strong meat for fathers. Practical Evidences Now in every assembly and group of believers of all ages, we find these same three classes of people among those who have come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Every pastor sadly admits that too many of his members are merely thirty per centers. Usually they are in the majority: those who are out to get as much as they can, with as little sacri fice as possible. They are not the ones who serve, but who receive. They attend church only when it suits them, seldom attend prayer meeting, teach no Sunday school classes, win no souls for Christ, take little or no active part in the rest o f the work of the church. Apart from being on the roll and attending church, they are about as useful as a totem pole. Sad to say, in the average church these constitute the majority of the membership. How many churches with a membership of five hundred, have only thirty in prayer meeting and a hundred in their evening service. Group Number Two But thank God, they are not all of this group. There are also the sixty per centers, the followers of Christ who are called disciples, who have not only believed on Him but have also gone with Him, at least in a measure of service. In this group we find our work ers, our Sunday school teachers, soul winners, and our best supporters. But unless they become a hundred per cent, they too must fail sooner or later. These are the group who are active and enthusiastic and on fire as long as they do not have to pay a price. But when the going gets hard, and the shadow of the cross falls across their pathway, when their work is not recognized and appreciated, when they do not receive a pat on the back for their service, they go back like the disciples and walk no more with Jesus. How many there are in this class! Once you were active in the Sunday school class, teaching the Word, UN TIL you were hurt by some remark of an irresponsible person, or because the superintendent gave you another class and you quit in disgust. J U L Y , 1 9 4 9
criticism from others, and the least of praise, and are often misunderstood and blamed even for their faithfulness. They give most and receive the least. To which group do you belong? Have you been a professor of Christ for many years, but have made no progress? You pray no more effectively than you did years ago; you seldom witness for Christ; you know nothing about tithes and offerings; you are no farther along spiritually now than you were then. You are just coasting along with your only interest in salvation just keeping out of hell. God have mercy upon you! Or have you been in the sixty per cent group and have been classified as a disciple, a follower of Christ? You were active once, but something happened. You became bitter because you were not appreciated, or you did not receive the recognition you felt was your due. Now you are on the sidelines, dragging your feet, and back in the class of the thirty per centers, the minimum of service for Christ. May God have mercy upon you too! It is my purpose to have you bestir yourselves before you are called to account to the Lord of the
I F YOU live on the Pacific Coast, and your radio is tuned in at 8 A. M., Monday, Wednesday or Friday, you may Hear the familiar strain, “ We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations.” Or there may fall upon your ears a cheerful, Australian voice with the announcement, “ God’s Good Morning, and Welcome to Another Broadcast of the Bible Institute Hour.” This radio gospel ministry which ^is now released by nearly two-score Pacific Coast stations had its origin in 1932 through the vision of Dr. Louis T. Tal bot. Called from the Philpott Tabernacle
of remote broadcast, to every part of the Bible Institute buildings, commenc ing with the bells on the roof top, and proceeding through the library, dining room, lobby, bookstore, engine room, etc. Listeners have been invited to be come partners in the world-wide minis try of the Bible Institute. But always the heart of the broad cast has been the message from the Word of God. This too has been varied. Complete books of the Bible have been covered and discussions of great Bible themes carried on. Recently a very pop ular Bible Question and Answer pro-
of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, to the great Church of the Open Door in Los Angeles, Dr. Talbot made plans for con tinuation of his radio ministry, believ ing it to be a means of reaching the lost with the gospel. Thus began over a local Southern California station the unique, and now famous, verse-by-verse study of the Bible, which has continued for 17 years. Dr. Talbot took his radio listeners through book after book of the Bible, supplementing his messages with printed lessons which were widely distributed with the result that the name of Louis T. Talbot became a household word, especially in the Los Angeles area. With the phenomenal growth of the networks, the radio ministry of Dr. Talbot began to expand as well. About six years ago, at the invitation of a large broadcasting chain, a new pro gram, at first entitled, “ The Bible Insti tute on the Air,” and later called, “ The Bible Institute Hour,” was aired three times weekly on a chain reaching from San Diego, California to Seattle, Wash ington. This program has proven a great blessing, as a channel bearing the Word of God and the cheer of the gospel to thousands. From the first, it has been an interesting, challenging, lively pro gram, with outstanding music, including a young people’s choir, special vocal and instrumental combinations, and heart-stirring testimonies by Bible In stitute students. These young people have told of the way in which God led them into the knowledge of Himself and into full-time service for Him. The radio audience has been taken, by means
Engineer Willis Freytag “mixes” the program. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Student pianist Neida Parker accom panies the choir.
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BIBLE INSTITUTE RADIO BROADCASTS California Call Letters On Dial
Wednesday &Friday 8 00- 8:30 AM 8 00- 8:30 AM 8 00- 8:30 AM 8 00- 8:30 AM 8 00- 8:30 AM 8 00- 8:30 AM 8 00- 8:30 AM 8 00- 8:30 AM 9 30-10:00 AM 8 00- 8:30 AM 8 00- 8:30 AM 8 00- 8:30 AM 8 00- 8:30 AM 8 30- 9:00 AM 7 45- 8:15 AM 8 30- 9:00 AM 8 30- 9:00 AM
1510 1150 1280 1240 920 1230 1130 900 1490 1570 960 1350 1340 1450 1290 1230 1400 1400 1450 1030 1090 1490 1400 1020 1150 1240 1340 1380 1110
KUSN KRKD KFOX KRNO KVEC KPRL KRDU KSGN KYOS KCVR KROW KSRO KHUB KMYC KHSL KVCV KGFW KWIN KORE KWJJ KING 'KWWB KYAK
San Diego Los Angeles Long Beach San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Paso Robles
Dinuba Merced Oakland Lodi
Sanger-Fresno
Santa Rosa Watsonville Marysville
Dr. Talbot and Dr. Orr—Question and Answer Team.
Chico Redding
Grass Valley
Oregon
Ashland Eugene Portland
8 00- 8:30 AM 9 30-10:00 AM 8 00- 8:30 AM 8 00- 8:30 AM 8 00- 8:30 AM 8 00- 8:30 AM
Washington
Seattle
Walla Walla
Yakima
Special Broadcasts
KFVD KRKD KRNO KHUB KGER KXLA
10:00-10:30 AM
Los Angeles Los Angeles San Bernardino Watsonville Long Beach
(Mon. thru Fri.) 8 00- 8:30 AM Mon. 8 00- 8:30 AM Mon. 8 00- 8:30 AM Mon.
11 00-12:15
Sun.
Pasadena
7 30- 8:45 PM Sun.
Accent on Youth (Student-Alumni Program)
Pasadena
KXLA KRNO KPMO
1110 1240 1600
7:30- 8:00 PM Sat. 4:30- 5:00 PM Sun. 7:30- 8:00 PM Sun.
San Bernardino
Pomona
Mrs. Al Sanders at the organ console.
gram has been adding to the Bible knowledge of thousands. Based upon questions sent in by the listeners them selves, it has awakened an unusual re sponse from listeners in all walks of life and all realms of Christian fellow ship. Friends of the Bible Institute Hour make it a regular habit to tune in from their homes. Others receive the program as they drive along in their cars, in ga rages and other places of business. The aged and ill at home and in sanitari ums and hospitals have been blessed. Prison authorities release the program. Even boys and girls listen with eager ness. From the beginning, the program has been supported on a faith basis. Dr. Talbot and his associates have impressed upon the listeners their privilege of la boring together with God in this im portant mission. They are urged to write in once a month and to send their contributions regularly. Only eternity will reveal the amazing amount of good that has been accom plished by the program which begins, “ God’s Good Morning, and Welcome to Another Broadcast of the Bible Insti tute Hour.”
Student director Ed Steele leads a trained student choir that really loves to sing. Page Nine
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“D ,le y J 4 aue
W im e
“ They have no wine" (John 2:3). “ These men are full of new wine” (Acts 2:13). “Be not druiik with wine, wherein is excess; hut he filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). CL I N THIS discussion I am not concerned with the details of the feast at Cana. I am interested only in the dilemma of the feast, as stated by our Lord’s mother, “ They have no wine.” That was a real emergency. Whatever else they may have had in abundance, the feast was spoiled. They had no wine. There is a spiritual lesson here. Something like this pre dicament exists in the church today. We have run out of wine. There is a feast of good things among Bible Christians today —plenty of preaching and teaching. There are churches and radio ministries and Bible conferences. Our tables are loaded with a superabundance of spiritual food. The gospel is a feast, not a funeral or a frolic. There is the water of life, the bread of life, the milk and honey, the figs and pomegranates, the meat of the Word. The Word and the works abound, hut we have no wine. Three times in the New Testament wine and the Holy Spirit are spoken of in the same connection. John the Baptist was not to drink wine, but to be filled with the Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit-filled Christians were accused of being full of new wine. And we are bidden in Ephesians not to be drunk with wine, but to be filled with the Spirit. Wine changes the face, the walk, the talk. A man drunk on wine creates a stir wherever he goes. In the spiritual realm, these things may be said of a Spirit-filled man. Jesus was thought to be “ beside himself.” So was Paul.. Fenelon speaks of his being “inebriate of the Holy Spirit.” Dr. G. Campbell Morgan asks, “Has anyone ever charged you with being drunk with your Christianity? O God, how seldom men have thought us drunk. We lack-the flashing eye and the pulsating song and the tremendous enthusiasm of an over whelming conviction.” Matthew Mead declared, “ If the preach ing of Christ is to . the world foolishness, then it is no wonder that the disciples of Christ are to the world fools. He is no true Christian who is not the world’s fool.” Dr. A. T. Robertson states that the early Christians at Pentecost were accused of being “ tanked up with new wine.” No such charge could be leveled at most churches today. We are pre-Pentecost in experience. Those early Christians had known Jesus. Calvary and the resurrection were behind them. They had the apostles, they were all of one accord, they were in a prayer meeting—not playing bingo in the basement. But, for all that, they were not ready to face the world. They were behind closed doors. Pentecost made them drunk from heaven and put them out of doors testifying to the wonderful works of God. Our gospel feast today has run out of wine. For all our abundance of good things, the exhilaration of the Spirit is lacking. The Spirit has not been removed, but we are not drunk Christians. We need a heart-warming. That heavenly wine which makes glad the heart of man is not in evidence. The world has its wines, its stimulants, its intoxicants. They start with the “lift” from a cigarette or a cocktail and run the gamut of every excitement for body, mind and spirit that this doped and drugged age can devise. But the devil apes the genuine and the false is but the counterfeit of the true. We see the perversions in the drunkard or the dope- fiend or in a Hitler. These are Satan’s distortions of a true Page Ten
By Vance Havner Greenville North Carolina
principle. No man ever achieved much without being “beside himself.” On the natural plane, we see the constructive side of this law in a Beethoven or a Lincoln or an Edison. The great achievements in the realms of art, literature, statesman ship, invention and science have been made by men drunk with a vision, beside themselves. Peary said,'“ I have long since ceased to think of myself except as an instrument for one purpose, to find the North Pole!” Some of us can remember how, as country boys, we were beside ourselves with the exhilaration of springtime on the farm. Many a May morning, we wandered barefoot through the pasture while the bluebirds warbled and the redbirds splut tered and the yellowhammers and thrushes and vireos and warblers were beside themselves with the ecstasy of the season. We were so fired with the joy of living that our feet barely seemed to touch the ground! Was it not so when we fell in love? You married man, sober enough now maybe, can recall how in the dear days beyond recall, you fared forth on a summer night to call on the lady of your heart you were so filled with the stimulant of love that you loved the moon, the stars, everybody—except that rival who was running you a close race for the hand of your beloved! And I have wondered why we Christians do not so love Jesus, the Lover of our souls, until we love everybody, saint and sinner—everybody except the arch-enemy of our souls. Now, just as the natural man has his stimulants, good and bad, so has the spiritual man. God has provided it for His people. We are not to be drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but we are to be filled with the Spirit. We have not only meat to eat, but wine to drink, of which the world knows nothing. But so much of our religious activity is produced by the stimu lation of the natural man—the. false fire of Nadab and Abihu. When George Fox was going through spiritual travail, he was advised to drink beer! Newman was told to take wine. Their counselors sensed the need of a stimulant but they recommended the wrong kind. Of course, some Christians would have all wine and no food; they make everything of experience and would have us live spiritually by excitement, neglecting the solid food of the Word. Some, lacking the true wine, would stir themselves with artificial substitutes in a jitterbug, juke-box parody on the Acts of the Apostles. Yet we of the major denominations are to blame for the store-front churches and what some have called “the lunatic fringe of religion.” We have lost our “amen” and “hallelujah.” We have argued the filling and the baptism, trying to explain what has never been experienced. We have analyzed the wine, but have not drunk it. We are authorities on the Spirit-filled life but no examples of it! We have no wine. The salt has lost its savor. Ephesus has left her first love. We lack the fervor, the zeal, the flavor, the hilarity, the sparkle, the radiance, the effervescence. We are sound and orthodox and active—but so was Ephesus. We have many meetings but few of them stir the soul. And we are often shamed by simple souls, babes who know the secret, while the wise and prudent miss it in their cold, proud churches. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
WITH YOU Lo, I am with you! With you as I promised! What though ye see Me not, nor fee! Me near? Lo, I am with you! rest your heart upon it! Lo, I am with you! Always! Now! And here! Lo, I am with you, in the darkest valley! Lo, I am with you, in life's brightest hour! Lo, I am with you, in life's deepest sorrow! With you as well in summer's fairest bower! Lo, I am with you. Now! Henceforth! Forever! Ye, who are Mine, by precious blood, My own; Lo, I am with you, — have this for your comfort: No hour can be when thou art quite alone. — J. Danson Smith. OTHERS MAY - YOU CANNOT By G . D. Watson I F God has called you to be really like Jesus, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility, and put upon you such demands of obedience, that you will not be able to follow other people, or measure yourself by other Christians, and in many ways He will seem to let other good people do things which He will not let you do. Other Christians and ministers who seem very religious and useful, may push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans, but you cannot do it; and if you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent. Others may boast of themselves, of their work, of their success, of their waitings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise your self and all your good works. Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, or may hdve a legacy left to them, but it is likely God will keep you poor, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, namely, a helpless dependence on Him, that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by day out of an unseen treasury. The Lord may let others be honored and put forward, and keep you hidden in obscurity, because He wants you to pro duce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade. He may let others be great, but keep you small. He may let others do a work for Him and get the credit of it, but He will make you work and toil on without knowing how much you are doing; and then to make your work still more precious, He may let others get the. credit for the work which you have done, and thus make your reward ten times greater when Jesus comes. The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you, with a jealous love, and will rebuke you for little words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over. So make up your mind that God is an infi nite Sovereign, and has a right to do as He pleases with His own. He may not explain to you a thousand things which puzzle your reason in His dealings with you, but if you abso lutely sell yourself to be His love slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love, and bestow upon you many blessings which come only to those who are in the inner circle. Settle it forever, then, that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that He does not seem to use with others. Now when you are so possessed with the living God that you are in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, per sonal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of Heaven.
There is a reminder of this very thing in the account of the feast at Cana. We read that when the water was turned into wine, the governor of the feast did not understand it,1BUT THE SERVANTS WHICH DREW THE WATER KNEW. How often have God’s workings been a mystery to the mighty and noble, the dignitaries and important folks, while some humble souls, who took Jesus at His Word and filled their waterpots with water, understood. Do not our revivals start that way? It is not governors and mighty men who recover the Pentecost wine for the church; it is the servants who draw the water—maybe in a back-street church. Anyway, we must recover the wine. It takes drunk men to make a dent on this world. The early church was irresistible. Nowadays someone has described the average church service as “ a mild-mannered man standing before a group of mild- mannered people exhorting everybody to be more mild-man nered.” But this age will never be moved by mildly interested people sipping hot chocolate in a basement during Go to Church Week. If Adolf Hitler, drunk with Nazism, could poison one gen eration in Germany and wreck the world, certainly one gen eration of American youth, filled with the Spirit and fools for Christ’s sake, could make this world sit up and take notice, asking first, “What meaneth this?” and then, “What shall we do?” We lack that which stirs the soul and warms the heart. Say what you will about emotion, man is so constituted that if he cannot get a lift the right way, he will get it the wrong way, for life is hard and men must have some way of rising above it. So they set out to have a good time. They pour several drinks down their esophagus, release their inhibitions and make fools of themselves. When it is over they have escaped life only temporarily and their troubles return with a hangover added. But God says, “ Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” Do not get drunk that way. There is a heavenly stimulant that really works. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, be filled with the Spirit, and you will not escape the world, you will overcome it! It will not lift you out of this world but it will enable you live above this world though Satan’s darts at you are hurled. And there is no hangover! “ The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” There is no morning-after, dark-brown taste to the joy of the Lord! The children of this world are wiser than the children of light. All kinds of isms are put over by enthusiasts willing to abandon themselves to their cause. We see some of them standing on street corners in all kinds of weather handing out their propaganda while comfortable Christians sit with folded hands half asleep and wonder why these sects grow so amazingly. Yet the greatest power in all existence wants to sweep through us and our churches. There is no use in grum bling about these isms. The best antidote for the false is a double dose of the true. If they are filled with the wrong spirit, we certainly are not filled with the right Spirit! This world is not moved by theological brass hats but by fools for Christ’s sake, beside themselves, drunk on new wine. There was One at Cana who could supply the lack. Jesus’ mother said, “ Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” There is One who can meet our lack today. He was first a guest at Cana but when this dilemma arose He became the host. Too often He is just a guest in our hearts and churches, limited to a room or two at that. Let Him take over, obey Him and whatsoever He says, do it. He bade them fill the waterpots with water. That must have looked very foolish when what they needed was wine, not water. If the miracle had not hap pened, how ridiculous the whole business would have been! God often bids His servants do things that do not make sense to the world. And He makes fools of us temporarily to vindi cate us eternally. The Isaraelites marching around Jericho, Gideon and his three hundred, David with his sling and stones going to meet Goliath—what fools if it hadn’t worked. But it worked and it always works when God commands and we obey. We have no wine. But let us make Christ the host and do as He commands. And the last wine will be better than the first.
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