TO L IF E A T A B IB L E SCHOOL Get i n t o t h e W o r d o f G o d . Le t I t s h a p e y o u r l i f e . L e a r n t o w o r k w i t h ot he rs . F in d pur pose i n li f e . Ch o o s e f r o m 1 2 m a jo rs an d pr e pa re t o r e la t e
TO L IF E IN TH IS MO DER N A G E Ch icago. Cr o s s ro a d s o f million s. Ex cit em en t. A c i t y w h e r e yo u c an s e e l i f e a s i t re a ll y i s . W h e r e e l s e c an p r a c t ic a l ex pe rie nc e b e t t e r pr e pa re yo u t o liv e o u t G od 's p u r p o s e s in y o u r l i f e .
D i r e c t o r o f A d m i s s i o n s Dept. 9K0 M O O D Y B IBLE IN S T I T U T E 820 N. LA SALLE STREET CH ICAGO , IL L INO IS 60610
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I w a n t to know how to relate to th is present age.
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SEPTEMBER, 1970 / Vol. 61 / No. 8
Established 1910 Dedicated to the spiritual development of the Christian home THE KING’S BUSINESS LA MIRADA, CALIFORNIA 90638 THE KING’S BUSINESS Magazine is a publication of BIOLA SCHOOLS and COLLEGES, INC. Louis T. Talbot, Chancellor, J. Richard Chase, President. ARTICLES: Evangelism with a Purpose / Joel E. Romero 8 The Great "Giant Leap" / Jock MacArthur 10 What Our Children Need / Gordon Chilvers 13 Kill the Umpire / Glenn O'Neal 15 From Little Messages of Life / H. R. Ballough 16 The Spirit Searches / Lehman Strauss 18 A True Tale from the Appalachians George H. Clement 27 Starved Imagination / Richard C. Halverson 29 Fish, Famine and Five Thousand Turkana Edward H. Arensen 30 The Great Offer 32 What My Thing Is— and Why I Don't Do It Don Fults 34 Parcelled Preaching / Robert Warren 39 Temptations / J. Allen Peterson 40 Motomi Played Pachinko / Don McAlpine 42 Minority Groups / Robert McKemey 46 FEATURES: Over a Cup of Coffee / Joyce Landorf 22 Christian Workers' Clinic / Ray Syrstad 36 Talking it Over / Clyde M. Narramore 38 Book Highlights and Reviews 44 Dr. Talbot's Question Box / Louis T. Talbot 45 COVER: Coastal View near Santa Cruz Photo by Orville Andrews Message from the Editor / Samuel H. Sutherland 4 People in the News 7 Cults Critique / Betty Bruechert 21
Sulimin
Nanni Sitompui
Choi Jung Hoon
Kim Ok Kyung
You cannot wipe the tears from the eyes of every child
t tg k F ,
— ■ W ÊÊ^m Tjoa Heng Tjiang I but you can love one.
I t is heartbreaking to see the hope of the world, little children, so in need of attention and love. COMPASSION, INC. maintains 23,000 needy children in India, In donesia, Korea, and Haiti. They come to our homes in need of medical attention, food, clothing, a place to live—all of the necessities most of us take for granted. For just $12 a month you can give one of these children a chance to live. Through your contribu tions, you will make it possible to clothe, feed, and educate a little boy or girl. Each child lives in a Christian Home, receives medical care, and learns that with your love, the future is filled with pos sibilities worth living for. Choose one of these children who needs you. Become his foster father or mother in a faraway land. You receive a photo and life story of
the child you select. If your child already has been chosen, we will send you the picture and history of another little boy or girl who needs you. Desperately.
Editor: S. H. SUTHERLAND Managing Editor: BILL EHMANN Art Director: JOHN OZMON Copy Editor: BETTY BRUECHERT Circulation Manager: LOUISE POND Treasurer: PAUL SCHWEPKER
Rev. Henry Harvey, President 7774 Irving Park Rd., Dept. K90 Chicago, Illinois 60634 (Canadian residents write Box 880, Blenheim, Ontario.) Iwant to sponsor a needy child. I understand I may discontinue at any time. My c h o i c e ____ _ If this child has been chosen, please select similar child. I prefer a □ boy or □ girl, ap proximately ____ years old, from the land of Enclosed is □ $12 for first month □ $144 for first year. □ Send me child's name, story, address and picture. □ I cannot sponsor a child but want to give $_------------- □ Please send me more information. Name---------------------------------------------------- Address------------------------------------------------ City_____________State— -Zip- Make checks payable to Compassion, Inc. Contributions are tax deductible.
Subscription Rates- THE KING'S BUSINESS is pub lished monthly with the exception of July/ August issue which is combined. U.S., its posses sions, and Canada, $3.00 one year; $1.50 six months, 30 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. Add 90 cents extra for Canadian and Foreign subscriptions. Allow one month for a change o f address to become effec tive. Please send both old and new address. Remittances should be made by bankdraft, ex press, or post office money order payable to THE KING'S BUSINESS. Advertising: For informa tion address the Advertising Manager, THE KING'S BUSINESS, 13800 Biola Ave., La Mirada, California 90638. Manuscripts: THE KING'S BUSI NESS cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts mailed to us for consid eration. Second class postage paid in La Mirada, California. Printed in U.S.A. by Church Press, Glendale, California.
SEPTEMBER, 1970
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sold down the river I n the February 28 issue of T.V. Guide, Newscaster Howard K. Smith, stated bluntly, “ There is a network news bias.” Surely this must be the first time that any newscaster ever has dared to expose his colleagues, especially in the television newscasting business. It was back on November 12, 1969 when Vice President Spiro Agnew “ blast ed at the liberal left and its frequently violent crusades.” Then on the following week the Vice President let loose another broadside, this time particularly against the television newscasters and com mentators. This speech set the network broadcasting companies back on their heels. The broadcasters cried like a bunch of babies when their candy was taken away from them, accusing the Vice President of intimidation, threat, and other ways of trying to destroy the "free dom of the press.” But the press and the broadcasters have exercised all the freedom their little hearts could desire for the past forty years. It was not until Vice President Agnew was courageous enough to call them on their abuse of this liberty that anyone ever dared to raise his voice against these darlings of the TV companies. In his article, Mr. Smith criticizes his colleagues for “ falsifying U.S. political reali ties by means of biased reporting.” In plain language, he is saying that the network newscasters are deliberately lying, by twisting and warping the facts of any given case until the real truth is completely submerged in the welter of untruths, half-truths and subterfuge. This whole sordid mess, according toMr. Smith, began under the administration of the late President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Radio newscasters became liberals when "liberalism was a good thing and most intellectuals became highly liberal.” He states: “ Our tradition since F.D.R. has been leftward.” There is a sort of unofficial fraternity among the newscasters. Mr. Smith states: “ Our liberal friends today have become dogmatic.” They make sure that they follow the party line which is notoriously left of the political center. Their motto, ac cording to him, is: “ Be sure you please your fellows because that’s what’s good. Make sure you’re pleasing The Washington Post, The New York Times and one another.” It was this left-wing element of newspapermen and radiomen way back in the early thirties who propa gated the lie that prohibition during the twenties had been a bad thing. The facts of the case are that it was one of the best things that ever happened to America but it was impossible to get anybody to believe the truth because of the barrage of false propaganda that was given out in the name of and under the blessing of the news media. It was this left-wing element that had captured the newspapers and radios of those days. They were the ones who labeled the depres sion "Hoover's Depression” and nailed President Hoover to the wall when it hit. This left-wing element, in the news business, was at tracted to the socialistic trends of President Roosevelt, and boosted him and his views with all the enthusiasm at their command. They never said a word about the fact that the depression lasted much longer under President Roosevelt than it did under President Hoover and that actually President Roosevelt never did get us out of the de pression. It was merely a boost in the economy which came about as a
PUT BRIERCREST BIBLE INSTITUTE IN YOUR WORLD Turn to Christian service at Briercrest, an evangelical interdenominational institution representing 35 denomi nations throughout Canada and the U.S. For over 36 years it has been the starting point for a great number of pastors, missionaries and Christian lay workers. Brlercrest’s 3-year General Bible Course is built on the foundation of directly studying the Word of God and of Christian Theology. Caronport High School is operated by Briercrest to meet the need for Christian training. This school is fully accredited and includes boarding facilities. With an overall enrollment of 500 students, Briercrest is small enough for individual attention, large enough to provide the facilities and variety needed for learning. Tuition is exceptionally low — total fees may be as low as $375.00 per semester for students. If it’s Bible you want . . . open the door to your future at Briercrest. Briercrest Bible Institute Dept. KB-90 Caronport, Saskatchewan, Canada Name__________________________ ___ ____ Address_______________________________ City, State__________________________ __
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THE KING’S BUSINESS
FROM A CHILD THOU HAST KNOWN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES —2 Timothy 3.15 * r ,
*a message from the editor *
S .kf.-S uiitf)JlouuL
result of World War II that brought us out of the depression. These left-wingers in the news business invariably have followed the socialistic policies which have become a part of the American way of life, in spite of the fact that some of these policies are dia metrically opposed to the history and ideology of America as it has progressed through almost two hundred years of its existence. The liberals did not dare to say much against President Dwight D. Eisen hower because he was such a hero to so many. Nevertheless, they did embarrass him by attacking his Vice President, Richard M. Nixon, and made every effort to get him off the ticket. This left-wing element is still after President Nixon's hide! The late Senator Joseph McCarthy did a tremendous job of exposing communism in high governmental circles, but these same left-wingers in the news media were able to put over the shameful notion that Senator McCarthy had committed a crime in his exposures. Today, when anyone speaks out against com munism, he is accused of following “ McCarthyism” and that, in their estimation, is a bad word indeed. This is the very same element that pilloried Senator Barry Goldwater in the national election of 1964. They took many of the statements which Mr. Goldwater had made in his political speches, twisted them out of their true meaning, and made them appear to be something reprehensible by showing him to be an “ extreme rightist.” This same element, now writing so much of our newspaper material and broadcasting so much of our radio and television news, hammered at President Lyndon Johnson until he real ized the futility of his even trying to be elected in 1968. They would have defeated President Nixon too if the opposition party had not been embroiled in a bitter political internal feud. Newscaster Smith declares: "The negative attitude which destroyed Lyndon Johnson is now waiting to be applied to Richard Nixon. John son actually was politically assassinated. And some are trying to assassinate Nixon politically. They hate Richard Nixon irrationally.” They have seized upon the Vietnam war as a means whereby they think it will be possible to slaughter President Nixon at the next elec tion. So whatever he says or does, they make it out to be blame worthy. In their estimation, it is always America that is totally wrong in carrying on the war in Vietnam. They call it "America's Immoral War.” Nothing whatever is said about the fact that the communists are waging this war in an effort to gain control of Asia and ultimately the whole world. Communist policy is too well-known to need repeating here, but the fact that the United States is dedicated to the mission of stopping its spread before it engulfs the whole world is never referred to by these liberal commentators. Frequently the protestors in our land are shown on television newscasts waving Russian flags, Communist China flags, carrying pictures of Mao Tse Tung, eulogiz ing those who would seek to destroy America, and condemning those Americans who are making a noble effort to save our beloved country from the ravages of communism. It is this element in our society that has been quite successful in putting over the lie that patriotism is a bad thing. They mean American patirotism; patriotism related to the communist ideology is acceptable. Continued on Page 6
Paul’s atiferijn charge to Timothy rings cleat through nineteen hundred years, and still today the Scriptures have power, for young and old alike, “to make thee wise unto salvation." For nearly four hundred years — longer than any other — Cambridge University Press has held the privilege the responsibility, of publishing the greatest book of all, the Holy Bible.
AT ALL BOOKSTORES
5
SEPTEMBER, 1970
EDITORIAL (continued) Indeed, this has become an ideo logical war. The liberals — and the majority of the news media, includ ing newspapers, radio and televi sion, are liberals — are all for in stantaneous pulling out of our men from Vietnam, and all other areas of the world, and letting the com munists take over without a word of protest. It is the liberals who are so critical of any move on the part of our government to assist Israel in its heroic defense of its land and people. One cannot accuse all of the liberals who would have us pull away from every one of our friends and our re s p o n s ib ilitie s toward them, of being communists. Yet the inescapable fact is that this is exactly what the communists would be utterly delighted to have us do. The liberals in governmental cir cles and in all other areas of Amer ican life, seldom, if ever, say one word against communism. By their denunciation of the policies which would defend America against com munism, both at home and abroad, it would appear they would just as soon see America turned over to communistic ideology and prac tices. The utter hypocrisy of the whole situation, which the liberals are propagating, lies in the fact that the casualties in Vietnam can not compare with the victims of the cigarette, dope and liquor habits and other soul and body-destroying influences which are running ram pant in our beloved land. If these liberals really had the lives of in dividuals at heart, they would be putting first things first, especially from a numerical point of view. But their attitude is to do everything possible to discredit America as we have known it for two hundred years and to change it to something radically different, patterned after Marxism. Another unfortunate facet of this whole situation is that if anyone dares to oppose the liber als, he is accused of trying to polar ize public opinion and to divide the country. They have successfully brainwashed an appreciable seg ment of our population into think ing that they are doing and saying 6
the right thing and that those who oppose them are the big bad wolves in American life. Actually, it appears that the time has come when Americans would do well to change political affilia tions around and perhaps call them conservative and liberal, for that is exactly the polarization which these liberals have in itia te d . Then it would be possible to classify a Re publican according to his actual belief, from a political and sociolo gical point of view, and it would likewise be possible to so classify
tian-American way of life. Certainly, if the liberals have their way, the end is not yet. It would appear that the ultimate destiny of America would be nothing but a repetition of the great communist countries which have been held in the grip of a godless, atheistic ideology, where in the souls of men are not their own, but held by Satanic forces from which apparently there is no escape. It must be remembered that within a few short months there will be another national elec tion. Many men will be sent back to Washington. Before that election is held, the electorate would do well to listen to what these candidates have to say; and even more impor tant, to listen for what they omit. If one refuses to or is incapable of understanding what world commu nism is endeavoring to accomplish, he is not fit to represent the people of these United States in the halls of Congress. If he is soft toward those violent dissenters who are seeking to close the public educa tional institutions of our land, and in other ways completely disrupt so ciety, he has no business govern ing this great land of ours, and should be kept out of Washington. If a candidate, in any way whatso ever, espouses the Marxist doctrine of “ From each according to his ability, to each according to his need,” by all means he should be kept out of any office where he can influence legislation to that end. It is anti-Christian in the extreme. It is also anti-American in the ex treme. This socialistic ideo logy should not be allowed to have any place whatsoever in our Christian- American way of life. These are deadly serious days in which we live. It is our firm conviction that the course of America for genera tions to come will be determined by the actions and attitudes of this generation during the next few years. God grant that the upcoming generation will yet be able to look back upon this generation with gratitude and thanks to God for saving America from a fate worse than death itself. THE KING'S BUSINESS
a Democrat. Then, at least, we would know for whom we are voting and what we could reasonably ex pect of them in their voting pat tern. Let it be said that if this were merely a political discourse, cer tainly it would have no place in a magazine such as The King’s Busi ness but it is the editor's firm con viction that this goes far beyond politics. It is a life-and-death strug gle within America itself. Actually, it is the life-and-death struggle for the very souls of men, because modern liberalism, from the very time that it reared its ugly head back in the early years of the de pression, has gone farther and far ther away from the historic Chris
Palmer has authored 165 books, the first one being published in 1943. In cluded in his writings are the Danny Orlis series, made up of 54 books, which have been produced for the Back-to-the- Bible Broadcast’s youth program. Close to three million of these books have been sold. DR. EVERETT S. GRAFFAM, Executive Vice President of the World Relief Com mission, and Rev. Richard W. Pendell, Director for Vietnam, received First Class Social Welfare Medals at a special ceremony held in the Saigon office of the Ministry. Minister of Social Welfare, Dr. Tran Nguon Phieu, presided at the ceremony, which had high-ranking offi cials in attendance. This medal is the highest civilian award given by the Min istry of Social Welfare of the Republic of Vietnam. DR. RICHARD JONES, Chairman of the Education Division of Biola College, La Mirada, California, has been elected Vice President of the California College and University Faculty Association. Dr. Jones has served on the Representative Council of the organization for the past three years. Pocket Testament League has an nounced another first in its history with the launching of a major campaign in Italy. PTL’s International Director, J. EDWARD SMITH, stated, "We chose Naples for the break-through campaign in Italy because that great city is repre sentative of the nation as a whole, and because we could count on the dedi cated cooperation of a small nucleus of local pastors and churchmen.” The organization has been involved in pioneering evangelistic work on six continents for more than half a century. The Reverend C. CHESTER LARSON has accepted a call to become the full time pastor of the newly-organized Evan
REVIVAL IN ISRAEL
The Sudan Interior Mission has a new plan of operation whereby missionaries will have the option of a two-year term in Africa, followed by a three-month fur lough; or a four-year term, followed by a six-month furlough. It is suggested that the proposed two-year program will be more advantageous in the areas of furlough housing and schooling arrange ments. Fort Wayne Bible College expanded its Correspondence Department in July, ac cording to the president, DR. JARED F. GERIG. It has assumed the program formerly offered by Judson College in Elgin, Illinois. The new school will offer 86 courses for college credit. The Reverend OLAN HENDRIX has been appointed General Director of the American Sunday School Union. He be gan his duties in July. The organization, founded in 1817, reports 140 rural mis sionaries working in 39 states. It super vises more than 1500 Sunday schools throughout the country. World Vision International has an nounced the appointment of JERRY BALLARD to a newly-created post of Director of Communications. Mr. Ballard has a background in journalism and au thored four books and eleven film pro ductions. His responsibilities in World Vision will include administration of ex ternal and internal communication pro grams. DON W. HILLIS, Associate Director of The Evangelical Alliance Mission, stated that 72 candidates were accepted by the organization during the past fiscal year, and 65 new missionaries were sent over seas. In announcing the statistics. Dr. Hillis declared, "This is not a post-mis sionary era.” The Los Angeles Baptist College at Newhall, California has broadened its curriculum through a co-operative ar rangement with the local junior college, College of the Canyons. With inter change of credits and reciprocal library privileges, s tu d e n ts may e n ro ll in courses that are presently not available at LABC. Significant additions are in the area of business, mathematics, pre-en gineering, pre-nursing and various voca tional preparations. BERNARD PALMER was presented an award as Outstanding Author of the Year by Moody Press of Chicago. Mr. SEPTEMBER, 1970
ONE OF THESE DAYS -
This will be the headline in news papers around the world. The Proph ets of the Bible, again and again, declared that there would first be a return of the Jews to the Land of the Book followed by a rethrn to the God of the Book (Jer. 24:6-7; 32:37-39, Ezek. 36:24-27; 37:12-14). "So, all Israel shall be saved.’’ (Rom. 11:26). The answer is that faith cometh by hearing and our responsibility is to witness to them "Thus saith the Lord’’ and prepare their hearts for the outpouring of His Spirit. This witness goes forth in faith to areas in America and Israel. For more information about this over 75-year old mission and help in witnessing, contact ALEX P. KOVAL, General Director ARCHIE A. MACKINNEY, Director of Deputation ------------ Clip This Coupon Today------------ AMERICAN MESSIANIC FELLOWSHIP Dept. 4, 7448 N. Damen, Chicago, Illinois 60645 Name_______ __________________________ _ Address_________________________ _ City_____________ State________Zip______ DO YOU FIND IT HARD to speak to others about their SALVATIOfW their FEARS? their TROUBLES? their SOR ROWS? Many Christians do. And yet they sincerely want their lives, to be an influence for the Lord. There is a way of approach that is courteous and effective. Use our leaflets and booklets specially prepared for spiritual needs. Only Bible verses used with appropri ate headings. Sample titles: GOD'S MESSAGE TO YOU. FEAR NOT, FOUR THINGS GOO WANTS you TO KNOW, WORDS OF COM FORT, WHY READ THE BIBLE? etc. Send for FREE samples. Make use o f the WORD.. AMERICAN SCRIPTURE GIFT MISSION 1211 Arch Street, Room K, Phila., Pa. 19107
gelical Free Church of Riverside, Califor nia, which began in the summer of 1968, and was organized as the First Evangeli cal Free Church of Riverside in May of 1969. Membership is over 50 at the pres ent time, with aver
age attendance of around 80. Mr. Larson was pastor of three churches in Minne sota before coming to California in 1964, where he has been Western Di rector of Christian Education for Scrip ture Press Publications, Incorporated. He has also served the Evangelical Free Church in America as the executive Sun day school teacher for 12 years. Mr. Larson has edited the column in the King’s Business Magazine, The Chris tian Workers’ Clinic, for the past several years. Rev. C. Larson
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Bible will arise and sweep all men into itself” (McGavran 1970:357). The second essential character istic is concerned with God’s men to execute God’s message. If the goal is “ to win the lost and to plant Baptist churches,” then it is of ut most importance not only to cast the net into the waters but also to pull in the net that is loaded with the precious fish. The success is determined by the catch. A wrong understanding of terms and the modus operandi may hin- her some churchmen. Misconcep tions and erroneous views concern ing evangelism are common; how ever, there is a correct view. Some churchmen define evangelism as “ presence.” Harvey Cox makes no distinction between evangelism and social action; just being in a given country is sufficient witness. A hos pital or a social concern of the Church may be looked upon as Christian presence. Where did this idea take root? “ The word presence has become an indispensable in-word in the contemporary discussion on mis sions,” says Colin Williams in Faith in a Secular Age. He traces the term back through the French Jesuit missionary, Charles de Foucauld, who believed that “ mission, rather than being conceptualized in verbal terms, should first be seen as a ‘being there'— a servant presence in love on behalf of Christ” (Tip pett 1969:49). Thus to be present is a sufficient form of evangelism. Success is measured in social terms. This form of evangelism might well ask, how much good can you do for people? Another approach to evangelism might be termed p ro c lam a tio n evangelism. Proclamation evange lism proclaims to all people pos sible the Gospel in terms that they can understand. The vast majority of missionaries and nationals be lieve that proclamation evangelism is all that they are called to per form. To evangelize means to an nounce. Merely to tell forth the message is our responsibility. No evangelism has happened until the THE KING’S BUSINESS
with a purpose b y J o e l E. H om e ro
T here is a mountain of material that can be read about evan gelism. Almost any good mission ary activity can be classified as evangelism. A simple definition of evangelism can be: Winning the lost to Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit so that their trust in Him may be manifested in service and fellowship in and through a local assembly of baptized believers. It is the goal of my Mission in Argentina to win the lost and to plant Baptist churches in that land. In order to arrive at the goal, the missionaries of our Mission have organized into a field conference that has often formulated different plans in order to carry out their purpose. Whatever plan is proposed, it must have certain characteristics in order to be successful. We shall attempt to list three characteris tics and to distinguish between them. First, the message that is communicated is of vital impor tance. The “ glorious Gospel” must form part of the strategy of plant ing churches in Argentina. The def inition of the Gospel can be found in I Corinthians 15:3-4. "For I de livered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scrip tures." Without the Gospel there is no true evangelism. This is true because, the Gospel is the “ good news” of salvation. How that was 8
accomplished is in three parts: Christ died for our sins; He was buried, and He arose from the dead. Because He lives, we shall live also if we believe in what Christ has done for us. There is little Gospel preaching today. Peter Wagner in his recent book Latin American Theology rec ognizes the fact that a very vocal segment of the “ new radical left” probably does not believe or teach the “ glorious Gospel” of our Lord. The problem is also aggravated when both missionaries and nation als who believe in the Gospel are engaged in myriads of activities that do not essentially contribute to winning the lost and to planting churches. These activities may be necessary and good but if they are not producing church growth they should be se rio u s ly questioned. Donald McGavran speaks directly to this problem: “ The only way in which the Good News of Jesus Christ can possibly reach the myriads of earth is for fantastic church planting to take place. . . . The only way in which Christian values, economic justice, racial brotherhood, social better ment or democracy can spread is for multitudinous cells of baptized believers to be formed in which the Word is preached and the sacra ments are observed. It is incon ceivable that the Spirit of God will so operate on men in these tumul tuous and revolutionary times that some new religion which knows nothing of Jesus Christ and the
And that end is to disciple the un saved who respond to the Gospel. We need to review our present ap proach. Brady Tyson, Methodist missionary in Sao Paulo, sees three false ideas about church growth. He sees the mistake of beautiful buildings that do not necessarily attract people. Would not several house churches in the community serve a more adequate purpose? Then he speaks of the mistake that assumes that a church always needs a pastor. The layman can certainly be utilized in every con gregation. His third observation is the mistake that evangelism needs to be done through the children in Sunday school (McGavran 1969: 95-96). The missionary task force of our field or any field should constantly be on their toes to use different methods that will aid in the proc lamation and persuasion of the peoples to respond to Christ. If one method does not work, then an other one should be tried. In one case, evangelistic campaigns did not produce s ig n ific a n t church growth in a receptive field. How ever, at a different time evangelis tic cam pa igns were e ffe c tive . “ Some campaigns left no measur able results but a few were notably successful” (Bennett 1968 :155 - 156). Whatever methods are used they must be fortified and utilized under the guidance of the Holy Spirit who desires to glorify Christ and to aid in the growth of the Church. The goal of winning men to Christ needs to be accomplished by evangelism with a purpose. The purpose should be to add disciples to the Church of Jesus Christ. Without committed men who decide for Christ within the believing con gregations, the stated goal of evan gelism is unfulfilled. In conc lus ion , the me thods should be tested in receptive and ripe fields. If a field is not ready then the results will be minimal. God grant that the missionary task force may learn to labor in the ready fields that must be worked in purposeful evangelism. KB 9
disciples. It may be in terms of individuals, moreover; successful evangelism often recognizes family ties (extended families) and blood ties. “ In a true people individuals are bound together not merely by common social practices and reli gious beliefs bu t by common blood” (McGavran 1955:9). Persuasion evangelism is greatly concerned with men who under stand the Gospel and adequately persuade men to acept it. Christian workers should be able to avoid confusion. Christians sometimes make a distinction between the “ Gospel of Jesus Christ” and “ Christianity,” to avoid the relativities and am biguities associated with the latter term. But the Gospel is not so de livered from relativities of history; it too is known, professed, and in terpreted in history by finite men” (Anderson 1961:216). Persuasion evangelism is meas ured by the number of disciples becoming members of the church. This is a valid measurement. It must be done by the effective pres entation of the Gospel, communi cating Christ in the power of the Holy S p irit; "He communicates Himself in the person of His Son, in whom the Word became flesh,” (Nida 1960:22) and then persuad ing the people to become disciples. Discipleship will become an at tractive thing to the people of our field when indigeneous churches appeal to the unchurched. What kind of churches are these? "An indigenous church is precisely one in which the changes which take place under the guidance of the Holy Spirit meet the needs and fu l fill the meanings of that society and not any outside group” (Smal ley 1967:150). Therefore, the ulti mate guide in determining success ful persuasion evangelism is by the number of d is c ip le s becom ing members of the church. The third characteristic must of necessity include the methods. Many methods can be used in ef fectively presenting Christ to the masses and classes. Methods and plans are only a means to an end.
“ good news” has been told. This group would definitely say that presence is never a substitute for proclamation. This second view is good but it is only a partial work of the task th a t evange lism demands. It doesn’t give a workable demonstra tion of the complete task of evan gelism. Robert Calvin Guy quotes Roland Allen, “ Thus Roland Allen insisted that missionaries do not go to the field to ‘tell people the tru th ’ but to minister the Spirit" (McGavran 1965-43). Ministering the Spirit and sharing Jesus Christ demands more than proclamation. It demands more than a neutralist witness. “ Indeed, any formula which lim its the Christian to search or to neutralist witness, whether out of respect for the sovereignty of God or fear of practicing religious im perialism, has an artificial ring to it. It fits a system, not the New Testament. In avoiding the manipu lation of persons, it falls into the sin of passing by the other side. It may enable Christians to continue witness to an unresponsive society, but that does not make the formula pleasing to God or true to the New Testament Chu rch ” (McGavran 1970:41). Proclamation evangelism usually measures its success by the amount of people who hear the Gospel and understand it. Proclamation does not preach for a verdict. To under stand the message is not enough. We cannot accept that proclama tion is the entirety of the respon sibility of evangelism. Evangelism with a purpose entails a verdict theology. Men must be given the opportunity to accept or reject the Gospel. A third conception and the cor rect view of evangelism may be seen in persuasion evangelism. Per suasion evange lism recogn izes proclamation evangelism. This de mands making the message under stood and persuading men to be come disciples. This mea'ns not only preaching to individuals but also to entire families, clans and tribes, persuading them to become SEPTEMBER, 1970
b y J a c h M a cA r th u r
The Great “GIANT LEAP”
I " n the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and tru th ” (John 1:1-14). Rather than devote myself to the speculations of the implication of space technology, space explora tion, and space philosophy, I am anxious to point out that the great giant leap of man toward the stars, as significant and tremendous as it was, nevertheless is dwarfed by the leap of God to earth in the miracle of the incarnation, when the Creator of the universe in vaded the planet and came to dwell among us. A visitor from outer space came to our tiny planet 1900 years ago when Jesus Christ was cradled in the manger of Bethlehem. This was nothing less than the enhumanation of the incomprehensible cosmic God, the coming of God to earth in human form: ‘‘The Word became flesh.” To the human mind there is something almost incredible in the assertion that God became a man, and we would never have pre sumed to believe it, had not God revealed it. Be cause, of all who have ever lived on earth, apart from Adam, only Christ came into existence without a human father. The unbroken rule for the human race is, “ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is sp irit" (John 3:6). But if Jesus Christ had been conceived and born as men are, He would have been conceived and born in sin. Burdened with the same corrupt nature that is yours and mine, He would never have been the sinless Saviour of mankind, and there would have been no essential difference between Jesus Christ and any other human. 10
The miracle of the ages is that Jesus Christ came into the world by the miracle of parthenogenesis. There are many passages that we might take in speak ing of this greatest leap but let us use John 1:10: “ He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.” Here are three great facts from this verse: God was “ in the world.” That little baby wrapped in the homespun clothes of a Palestinian peasant, lying in a feed trough in a cave for animals in Beth lehem, was none other than God coming to earth in human form. Isaiah prophesied that one day God would become incarnate: “ Behold, a virgin shall con ceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Im manuel” (Isaiah 7:14). “ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The ever lasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). The Apostle Paul refers to Jesus Christ as “ The great God.” He declares, "For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9); “ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputa tion, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:5-8); “ For by experience, we know the un merited favor shown us by our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor that ifi order by his poverty, ye might become rich” (II Cor. 8:9). The life of our Lord Jesus Christ did not begin in the womb of Mary, for He was the eternal Son of God, who, by the miracle of the virgin birth entered the stream of human history in corporeal form. How amazing that the infinite God should become a baby and empty Himself so that He could be “ in the world.” This is identification! God came into the stream of our humanity— and it was a polluted stream. He has not held Himself aloof and remote— a “ God up there,” but has drawn near. Nor has He come in the person of a messenger or envoy. He has come Himself in His Son all the way into our sin-cursed, hostile en vironment. How amazing that the God who called the heavens into being, and flung the stars into space, and who upholdeth all things by the Word of His power, should THE KING’S BUSINESS
son or thing strikes the vision. Yet, it is an external form truly indicative of the inner nature from which it springs. Nothing in John 1:1-14 teaches us that the eternal Word emptied Himself of either His di vine nature or His attributes, but only of the out ward and visible manifestations of the Godhead. God may change form, but He cannot cease to be God. Taking the form of a servant was the first giant step in the downward plunge. After the incarnation came Gethsemane with its cup, Calvary with its cross, and the resurrection with its triumph. The human soul constantly cries with Philip, "Show us the Father.” We must see God in human form in order that the longing of our hearts and the logical demands of our minds may be satis fied. Sitting at the feet of Jesus, His words to Philip fall upon our ears, and hearts, as God's sweetest benediction, “ He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). See Him moved with compassion for the restless multitude who are like sheep without a shepherd, and that is God. See Him weeping in pity over Jeru salem, and that is God. Did you hear Him speak to blind Bartimaeus when the disciples said, "Shut up, you beggar” ? Jesus Christ said, “ Bartimaeus,. receive thy sight.” That is God. Did you hear Him speak to the poor woman with the scarlet stain of sin on her soul? The mob wanted to stone her, but Jesus said, “ Go in peace, sin no more.” That is God! Do you hear Him on the cross praying for the howling mob that nailed Him there? That is God. Read the story of His wonderful life full of tenderness and compas sionate forbearance. If you want a single word to characterize it, write over it from beginning to end the word “ love,” and that is God! The primary purpose of the incarnation was that God might make an atonement for sin, that He might die for you and for me, making possible our recon ciliation with God, our escape from sins, isolation, contamination, and death! The angelic visitor said to Joseph, “ Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). The unanimous testimony of Scripture bears out this af firmation, “ Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). “ But we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Heb. 2:9). “ And ye know that he was mani fested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin” (I John 3:5). God has exhausted the possibilities of human language to let us know how completely our sins through the person and work of Jesus Christ have been put away. Approaching the cross our Lord said, "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world” (John 18:37). What a value God places on your soul and mine! As someone has so beautifully said, "He stoops and lifts me from the 11
become a helpless infant. But there was absolutely no other way that God could penetrate the barrier and reveal Himself to man and become man's Saviour. It was the rescue operation of God! The logic of the incarnation is unassailable. “ God was manifest in the flesh . . .” (I Tim. 3:16). This means the pre existent Christ was embodied in human flesh, demon strated in human life, exemplified in human action, and crystallized forever in human form. The record of the Word of God is so clear that one has to deny the veracity, integrity, infallibility, and inspiration of the only written revelation God gave to man, to deny the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. The Holy Book beautifully tells us that the angel said, “ Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel an swered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall over shadow thee, therefore, also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:30-35). Joseph discovered that Mary, the girl he was to marry, was about to give birth to a child. He was crushed. He felt he had been deceived, his honor injured. He was perplexed about what he ought to do. And it was while he was deeply troubled that the angel of the Lord came to him and said, “ Joseph, fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost, and she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:20, 21). I cannot understand how, in the face of such overwhelming evidence, that any man would be w ill ing to prostitute his brain and his soul either, by mutilating the Word of God, or insulting the mother of Jesus in a satanically-inspired, but futile effort, to snatch from the brow of Jesus Christ this piece of incontrovertible evidence of His glorious Godhood. The coming of God to earth in the person of Jesus Christ was a stunning metaphysical and spir itual accomplishment. And it, too, brought to the world a shining reaffirmation in that the one who came brought with Him the most tangible evidence of the love of God man has ever seen. To worship God as a Father, we must see the divine in human form. The incarnation is the sublime revelation of eternal love. The Apostle tells us that our Lord emptied Himself and took upon Him the form of a servant. The word for form here is the word morphe, and it is one of the strongest assertions in the New Testament of the deity of Jesus Christ, because morphe is the external appearance by which a per- SEPTEMBER, 1970
vagabond, a nomad. He said, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” (Matt. 8:20). Nothing can break us more thoroughly, we are told, than not to be wanted. The sense of rejection is devastating to personality, and the solitude for Him grew greater as the end came nearer. Jerusalem would have none of Him. One of His own band covenanted to betray Him. His own few followers forsook Him and fled. At length He hung upon a cross isolated between heaven and earth, naked and forsaken and alone. There was no room for the body of Jesus in the cemetery. He had to be buried in a borrowed tomb. He was an unwelcome visitor. Nobody wanted Him. That ought to break your heart and mine. Never was a greater welcome afforded to any by so many as to our astronauts when they returned from the lunar landing. In contrast, the great leap of God was, for the most part, unnoticed. Progres sive secularism, humanistic sophistries, material ego tism, specious modernism, are all blind to Christ. The reason our world balances on the edge of thermo nuclear holocaust on the one side, and the oblivion of moral decay on the other, is because men have continued to say, “ We will not have this Man to reign over us.” Jesus said, “ For this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). More than we need anything in this world we need a vital relation ship with God, and we can only find that relationship through faith in Jesus Christ. He alone can fill that indescribable emptiness, that unrelieved ache in the hearts and souls of man alienated from God. Yes, “ He was in the world and the world knew Him not." Without Him there is nothing ahead but darkness. “ But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12). When 0. Henry was dying, the nurse thought the end had come and began lowering the shades. He opened his eyes and said, “ Put up the shades; I don’t want to go home in the dark.” God made the great leap in the miracle of the incarnation to make it possible for us to have light, unfailing light, for Jesus Christ said, “ I am the light of the world.” The first words of man on lunar soil were, "That's one small step for men, one giant leap for mankind." But we can say the giant leap God made for man, in the miracle of the incarnation, has made it possible for man to discover God, by taking one small step toward Jesus Christ. “ All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). Dr. Jack MacArthur is Pastor of the First Baptist Church, Eugene, Oregon. He has written numerous books and has a radio and television program entitled “Voice of Calvary." THE KING’S BUSINESS
dirt, and tells me that He loves me enough to for sake the courts of heaven, that He did not abhor the virgin’s womb, but came as a babe and lived this life to show me how it could be done, and stretched Himself on the wood at the last, and died to redeem me. . . . Let no man tell me now that I am worthless." The second great fact from John 1:10 is: "The world was made by him.” What a thing it is to realize that when we look up into the mysterious night sky, strewn with heavenly bodies, to recall, that the An dromeda galaxy is outside our galaxy, and is two and one-half million light years away from us, and light travels at the rate of 186,000 miles per second. Beyond that there are 200 million galaxies left for us to explore. Think, then, of what these words mean, “ For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him, and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (Col. 1:16, 17). Yes, “ the world was made by Him.” He is not only the Creator; He is the Sus- tainer. Believe it. The Christ who was born of a woman to walk the earth, weary, sorrowing and suf fering, is the Creator and Sustainer of the whole universe. The third amazing fact from John 1:10 is: "The world knew Him not.” “ And the light shineth in dark ness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:5). The one who gave all men breath and mingled among them 30 years, they did not recognize. For 4,000 years angels' tongues and holy men told of His coming. Abraham saw His day afar off and was glad. Job, in his misery, looked for the day when the Redeemer would stand on the earth. Balaam saw the star rising out of Jacob and the King coming to the world. David, in the Psalms, sang over and over again of His coming. Isaiah said He would be born of a virgin. Micah said He would come out of Beth lehem. Daniel told of the time of His birth. Isaiah painted a picture of the Saviour’s cross that ought to have broken the heart of every sinner; yet, when He came, they knew Him not. From the very beginning they had no room for Him. There was no room for Him in the inn, and so He was born in a place that was never intended for human use, a dirty, stinking place that no American community would tolerate, that today’s laws of sani tation would declare a nuisance and a source of dis ease and demand its removal as utterly unfit even for animals, let alone for human habitation. How this epitomized and typified His reception by the hostile world! All his life Christ was a stranger among men, despised and rejected of men. They had no interest in Him. He was unwanted. They did not want Him in Galilee. Capernaum did not want Him. They drove Him out of Nazareth. The Gadarenes asked Him to leave their country, although they, witnessed His mighty works. The Samaritans would not receive Him. Wherever He went, He was a homeless wanderer, a 12
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