WHERE P R A Y E R PREVAILS Train for needed Christian service at this growing Bible School—“ built with prayer." The good climate and mountain scenery of the famed Col umbia River are an added inspiration. Accredited courses. FREE tuition, strong faculty, devoted student body. Ask for catalog. Interesting Monthly Sent Free for a Year to All Inquirers. MULTNOMAH ■III School o f the I Y I B I B L E Willard M. Aldrich, Th.D., President B. B. Sutcliffe, D.D. John G. Mitchell, D,D. Chairman of Trustee Board Vice-President 703 N.E. Multnomah St., Portland 12, Oregon Lf„i INSURANCE f MINES, MacKEIGAN & HILKER 3757 Wilshire Blvd. LOS ANGELES 5, CALIFORNIA Room 205 Phone FE. 2139 If you are interested in becoming a missionary, do not fail to read Page ‘ 208.
F acing R ealities W HEN A BOY enters Stony Brook, he usually finds that the educa tional standards are higher than those of the school he has been at tending. All at once' he is brought up against the realities of educa tion. Harder work is demanded of him than ever before in his school career. - Most boys need the challenge that this hard work offers. Frequently they have been drifting along in their local school. Here at Stony Brook they find something worth getting their teeth into. When the task is done, when the course is passed, they feel a glow of satisfac tion never before experienced. Some boys, it is true, have diffi culty in adjusting to work of higher standards, but Stony Brook masters stand ready to help boys get on their feet. What do high academic standards mean for a boy? The answer is found in the records of Stony Brook graduates in college, in the Armed Services, and in professional life. Stony Brook's twenty-fourth year starts,in September, 1945. New boys are being accepted this month. If you wish a catalogue, address the headmaster. ionyßrookJchool Frank E. Gaebelein, Litfc.D., Headmaster, Stony Brook, Long Island, N. Y.
gives himself a Bible assignment Yes, he’s found that he needs to know God’s Word to be a good teacher. As signments, exams, paper wads—he for gets them all when he studies his Bible. “Isn’t it a fine experience!’ he asks, “ to discover truths unknown before? 1 Ixuve taken many Bible courses, but never with the rich blessings I have found in the Scofield Bible Course!’ ^ You, too, can learn the secrets Of a deeper Christian life through Moody home study courses. Write Dept.- 81 CO R RESPO N D EN CE SCHOOL
ody Bible Institute ! .153 IN STITU TE.PLACE •' C H IC A G O '
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ment has almost 100 years of suc cess behind it. And, too, wouldn’t it give you a glow of satisfaction to know that you are sharing in the work of distri buting the Scriptures to millions throughout the world? "A Gift That Lives” tells you of this grand Plan and how it works. Let us send you this booklet.
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Our Readers Speak “ THE KING’S BUSINESS means much to me out here in the Pacific, and has been a help to many others aboard ship. May God continue to bless you in your work for Him.” Lt. Howard F. Moffett, USNR “ Hearty congratulations on the new set up of THE KING’S BUSINESS. May the paper be blessed of God and used for His glpry!” Mrs. Robert Vlnlng, Piedmont, W. Va. “ We pasé THE KING’S BUSINESS along to others that they too may garner spiritual food. May the circulation increase many fold.’* Dr. Amelia Ziegler, Portland, Ore. “ Every article is well worth reading. I find the Bible study lessons and daily de votions very helpful.” Mrs. S. C. Clark, Omaha, Nebr. “ I was very happy over the new KING’S BUSINESS and the fine articles it con tained. Especially do I want to speak of the editorial, ‘Consistency.’ I have talked so much about our enemy No. 1; the liquor curse, and cannot understand why we hear or see in print scarcely any protest against the devastating crime and what it is doing to the home front and the armed forces— using necessary manpower .in its production: using precious grain and sugar when people are starving; giving priority over munitions for war. . . S. Pascoe, Pasadena, Calif. “ I particularly like the section devoted to the children and the message presented.” Florence Springer, Kerman, Calif. “ I hope ‘The Bible in the News’ will be a regular feature. I also like ‘Devotional Readings’ shorter.” S. Currie, Los Angeles, Calif. “ I do appreciate the better grade of paper used in my April KING'S BUSINESS but I do not appreciate nor understand the think ing of anyone who would hesitate" to rec ommend the magazine because of the grade of paper previously used. After all, the message brought by any publication is what counts, or it should be, and the soft pliant paper did make it very convenient for slip ping into pocket or purse for reading at odd moments of waiting.” Mrs. Maude Portwood, Tacoma, Wash. “ It was with deep regret that I read the item in the April issue (Biola Family Cir cle) about Burt Bascom and myself. The facts were so out-of-date and inaccurate . . . Burt was married in September, 1944. Previous to this time we had spent four months in the State of Chihuahua doing survey work. My wedding took place on December 15, 1944. “ The Lord has been merciful above all that we could want in bringing us here to work among the Aztecs of the State of Vera Cruz. We, with several other couples, are learning this ancient language to publish the Scriptures that these thousands of In dians, too, might have the Gospel in their own language . . . This particular dialect is quite distinct from the other dialects of Aztecs in Mexico . . . There are at least 40,000 people speaking this dialect in this region and we are the only ones trying to bring them the Word of Life in their own language.” Our apologies to the Laws and the Bascoms. —* Editors. We invite comments from our readers and welcome suggestions for improvement of the magazine. Our purpose is to make this pub lication as helpful as possible to you in your Christian life and ministry. Mr. and Mrs. Howard Law, Mecayapan, Ver. (via China- meca) Mexico.
Help Win AMERICAN YOUTH for Christ
During these days of juvenile delinquency it is the responsibility of every Christian to help stem the tide which threatens to sweep aside all re straints. One of the best methods of combating this force of evil is with CHRISTIAN LITERATURE BO O K S— The Harrison Road Mystery For Boys Tnd Girls. Dragon Boat Mystery Ages 12 to 16, ^ e Chicken Devil Mystery 60 cents each, postpaid For High School Students THE PIG’S BIRTHDAY $1.00 Postpaid FOR AUTOGRAPHED COPIES FROM THE AUTHOR’S WORKSHOP Terrace Drive HARRIET BECHTEL Nyack, N. Y.
after introducing the ALL BIBLE GRADED SERIES o f Sunday School Lessons* Others say: 4(Our school has progressed wonderfully, spiritually, educationally”
"Th e lessons are truly heart'Searching and interesting* “ Your Sunday School material is the best we have seen** OPENS the Eye-Gate
ALL BIBLE Pupils’ Manuals and Leaflets dramatize the Lessons— make them live through the week in the minds and hearts o f youngsters. Supplemental visual aids available for Beginner, Primary, Junior departments. You can carry right on through the summer without any slump. Hundreds o f schools declare ALL BIBLE GRADED SERIES stimulates summer attendance. These days cry out for emphasis on Bible teaching and for prayerful effort to keep children close to G od ’s Truth through summer days. Write today for sample Lessons and full particulars. Post card will do. Please indicate department number.
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DIRECTORS Hyman J. Appelman, D.D. President •J. Palmer Muntz, D.D. Vice President B. E. Allen, D.D. Secretary Elmer B. Funk > V. R. Edman, Ph.D., L.L.D. Robert O. Fleming Albert G. Johnson, D.D. Treasurer ADVISORY COUNCIL H. A. Ironside, D.D. Litt.D. Louis S. Bauman, D.D. Richard S. Beal, D.D. Herbert W. Bieber, D.D. John W. Bradbury, D.D. Rev. Herman B. Centz L. S. .Chafer, D.D. Litt.D. Horacé F. Dean R. D. Decker, D.D. Peter W. Erickson, D.D. Rev. Howard.. W. Ferrin Arno C. Gaebelein, D.D. Frank E. Gaebelein, Litt.D. Rev. Jacob Gartenhaus Robert H. Glover, M.D. Earle G. Griffith, D.D. Harry J. Hager, D.D. •Henry Hepburn, D.D. W . H. Houghton, D.D., LL.D. J. A. Huffman, D.D. Paul S. James, D.D. N. A. Jepson, M.D. Harry E. Jessop, D.D. Lewis J. Julianel, D.D. Rev. A. B. Machlin John H. McComb, D.D. J. R. McCullough, D.D. Rev. Arthur W. McKee Col, F. J. Miles, D.S.O., D.D. John G. Mitchell, D.D. Samuel N. Morris, D.D. F. Russell Purdy, D.D. Harry Rimmer, D.D., Sc.D. Paul W. Rood, D.D. Rev. W. M. Robertson E. C. Sheridan, D.D. Harold Strathearn, D.D. Robert Lee Stuart, D.D. B. B. Sutcliffe, D.D. Robert S. Swanson Louis T. Talbot, D.D. W. Theodore Taylor, Th.D. Walter L. Wilson, M.D. J. W. Hakes, D.D. General Secretary Peter MacFarlane R. L. Powell, D.D.
Objectives of the American Association for Jewish Evangelism, Inc.
The sole basis of the work is found in Romans 10:1— “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.’’
and our objectives are: 1. To establish and maintain Jewish evangelistic centers and to employ every known and approved method of leading Jews to Christ. 2. To prepare and distribute timely and attractively produced tracts and other kinds of Christian literature for the definite purpose of making the Gospel of Christ intelligible to the modern Jewish mind. 3. To cooperate with and to strengthen and sustain to the fullest pos sible extent all approved existing agencies for bringing Jews to Christ. 4. To assist local churches and union evangelistic campaigns desiring to include Jews within the scope of their ministry. 5. To use radio facilities for broadcasting the Gospel message to Israel in Yiddish and English. 6. To cooperate with approved colleges, seminaries, and Bible schools of the country in preparing workers for definite evangelistic work among Jews. 7. To prepare for the widest possible postwar evangelistic - activity among Jews at home and abroad, having especially in mind the re habilitation of Jewish life in Europe and the anticipated growth of the Palestine settlement. 8. To maintain a center for Prophetic Bible Study and Interpretation at Winona Lake, Indiana, and to extend the comfort and inspiration of prophetic truth to God’s people in various parts of the country by means of Bible conferences.
We desire the prayers and gifts o f the Household o f Faith to the end that Israel might be saved.
American Association for Jewish Evangelism, Inc. National Headquarters Winona Lake , Indiana
Dr. Ironside Chm. Advisory Council
Dr. Appelman President
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
The Bible Institute' of Los Angeles, Incorporated
Published Monthly by And Representing
No. 6 William W. Orr, D.D. Associate Editor
Vol. 36 Louis T. Talbot, D.D., Editor-In-Chief
June, 1945
Ransom Marvin Staff Artist
MISSIONARY NUMBEP
CONTENTS: The Greatest Power in Heaven and in Earth by John Bechtel .........204 Editorially Epeaking .................................... -.......... .....i..............................206 So You ’ re Going To Be a Missionary? by Henry Owen ..................208 From Death to Life by Carol Terry ....................................................... 211 The W orld in Los Angeles by Ben Owen .............................;................212 Bible Institute o f the Air.............................. ............................................... 213 My Enlistment by Geraldine Hamlett ....... ....... .................................... ...213 The Bible in the News...... ................. ................. ........................................ 214 Biola Family Circle by Leonard Gaylord... ...........................................215 Junior King’ s Business by Martha S. Hooker ........................ ............ 216 Devotional Readings .................. .......... ................ ............................. .........218 Sunday School Lessons __................................. .................................. .......219 Greek W ord Treasures ....................................................................... .........231 Object Lessons by Elmer L. Wilder .................................................. .....232 Young People’ s Topics..... ............... .................................................... ...... 234 Dr. Talbot’ s Question Box ............... ........................................................238 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION—“ The King's Business” is published monthly; $1.50. one yr.; $2.U0, two yrs.; 75 cents, six months; 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 address to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. REMITTANCE—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, address the Advertising Manager, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles 13, Calif., or our eastern representatives, Religious Press Asso ciation, 51 No. 52nd St., Philadelphia 39, Pa. MANUSCRIPTS—“ The King’s Business” cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts sent in for consideration. Entered as second-class matter November 7, 1938, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, 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, Calif.
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THE GREATEST POWER IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH By John Bechtel
T HINE, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is as head above all” (1 Chron. 29:11). The word POWER is used approximately three hun dred times in the Bible. Generally speaking, the various references may be pigeonholed under four categories: (1) The Power of Nature; (2) The Power of Man; (3) The Power of Evil; and (4) The Power of God. It is our purpose to demonstrate the operation and respective scope of these four “powers” as witnessed in the Far East. The Power of Nature Perhaps the greatest manifestation of the power of nature in the Orient is a typhoon. Sweeping through the affected area of land or sea, leaving in its wake a significant trail of wreckage and loss of life, a typhoon is feared by navigators, farmers, and city-dwellers alike. More than a hundred years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence in the United States, an English mariner, William Dampier, made an entry in the log-book of his ship. This was just ordinary routine in the life of one of His Majesty’s ship captains, but when the skipper made this entry, he was recording history. Under the date of July 4, 1687, lie described an extremely violent circular storm in which his ship had been in volved during the previous twenty-four hours. Captain Dampier was a world traveler. He had en countered hurricanes in the West Indies, tornadoes off the coast of Africa, and cyclones in the Southern hemi sphere. Whirlwinds, waterspouts and other severe storms had been his lot during the years he had followed the seven seas. However, the storm on this occasion was so violent that he termed it “a tuffoon,” and thus he gave us the earliest known -European description of the type of storm now defined in our dictionaries as: “A typhoon —a tropical cyclone occurring in the region of the Phil ippine Islands and the China Sea between the Philippines and the islands of Japan.”
Where Dampier got the term “tuffoon,” is difficult to decide. Evidently it has an Oriental origin. The Can tonese in southern China call this type of storm a “Tai- fjing” ; to the Pekinese it is a “Ta-fang,” -and in both -, cases the meaning is “a great wind.” “Taifu, Tuphan, Tufan, or Toofan,” are words the Japanese use to describe it, and in-Arabic and Hindustani, “Tufan” is the term. To pass through a typhoon is an experience not to be envied. Whether on land or sea, the danger is great. . A tidal wave frequently accompanies a typhoon with the result that the lowlands of countries in the typhoon belt are flooded and the loss of life and property is tremen- ■ dous. In cities like Hongkong, Manila, or Shanghai, where — typhoons frequently pay unwelcome visits, the harbor authorities have inaugurated a series of signals; which act as a warning to the boat population and masters of ships. Some idea of the intensity of these storms may be obtained from the fact that in 1937, the large Japa nese steamer, the Asaina Maru, of 18,000 tons displace ment, was picked up by the wind and water and placed on the bund in the city of Hongkong. In addition a Dutch steamer, the Cremar, was broken in half on the rocks as a' child would wreck a toy ship. However, as great as the power of nature may be as demonstrated by a . typhoon, there is a power even greater. In three of the Gospels, the inspired writers re cord a scene that was enacted upon the Sea of Galilee. The literary skill of the ages has failed to improve upon the simple, concise, yet all-inclusive handling of the narrative. “They took him even as he was in the ship . . . And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mk. 4:36-39). ]
thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted
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In the nineteenth chapter o f the Gospel o f John. Here we have depicted a pen-picture of that scene in Pilate’s judgment hall, where the Son of God appeared on trial before the arrogant representatives of the Roman gov ernment. “Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at-all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.” True, Pilate possessed the power of man, but only be cause the greater power permitted it. There will be a Judgment day, which will not be staged in a Roman court, dominated by a godless despot; but in the Divine Court of Justice, God Almighty will occupy the judgment seat. Before His great white throne, governors, kings, potentates, presidents, yes, even dictators, will appear and be judged and sentenced to eternal condemnation. The greater power of God will be manifested. The Power of Evil Some adherents of the so-called “New Theology,” find considerable difficulty in accepting the doctrine of a per sonal devil. Certainly a sincere and intelligent perusal of the Word of God can leave no doubt in our minds as to the fact that we are confronted with a real, personal enemy of our souls, who goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Likewise, missionaries who have been confronted with the “power of evil” (Hab. 2:9), the “power of darkness” (Lk. 22:53), and the “power of Satan” (Acts 26:18), as it is manifested in the lives of benighted souls, appreciate the fact that there is a strong spiritual power operating against the welfare of men’s souls. This power is wielded by a super-despot, Satan. The problem of the power of evil, which seems to be a stumbling block to the intelligentsia, presents no dif ficulty to the most ignorant heathen. Often he has en gaged in spiritual combat with this power. The mis sionary need waste no time in convincing his audience that they are face to face with a satanic force, because they are ever attempting to appease the wrath of this power. When a heathen Chinese lights a joss-stick, a wax taper, or burns merit paper outside the door of his humble shack, he does it with one end in view. He is bribing that evil power into granting him freedom from hard luck or adversity which he believes is meted out to all those who do not sacrifice to the evil one. Here are some concrete cases of the influence of the power of evil in the lives of Chinese: Mr. X was a young Chinese villager who had accept: ed the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. Re turning to his home, he decided to destroy the heathen idols there. Unfortunately, he was the only believer and hence his proposal was met with opposition. However, in spite of the protests of his relatives, he proceeded to remove the idols from his home. Hardly had he started when his father became ill. A native doctor was summoned and pronounced the patient in a critical condition. In spite of everything that quack could do, the father continued to decline until it became apparent even to the family that his hours were numbered. The mother of the household, realizing that something unusual was wrong with her mate, rushed off to a “devil woman” (Kwai-poh), who advised that the family heathen altars be re-established in the home. So, disregarding the Chinese Christian’s wishes in the mat ter, his superstitious relatives reinstated the gods of their household, and almost immediately—simultaneous with their burning of Incense and worship—the stricken parent showed signs of improvement! ( Continued on Page 209)
On this occasion why was Jesus able to do what the Psalmist describes as making “ the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still” (Psa. 107:29)? For the sim ple reason that He was utilizing a greater power than the power of nature, because He was using the Power of the Creator—“The sea is his, and lie made it” (Psa. 95:5). Furthermore, not only did He create the seas and thus has power over them, but He sustains them with His power. The writer of the Hebrews says, “upholding all things by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3). . The Power of Man At the present time we are living in an, age when the power of man has reached its peak. This is the day of Hitlers and Tojos. Dictators speak and the people jump to do their bidding. Tyrannical oppression is the lot of whole races of people, subjugated by despotic leaders, who make free use of the “iron heel” to enforce their wishes. Perhaps in no other part of the world has the misrule of a conquering nation been more in evidence than in China and Hongkong, and in other regions where the New Order in the Far East has been introduced. Hardly had the Japanese authorities taken over the government of the former British colony until Hongkong became one huge gambling den. Pitiful, indeed, it was to see gam ing tables cropping up in the streets, not hidden behind blinds or tucked away in some secluded alleyway, but openly flaunting their trade before all. Soon cabarets, and their attending vices—opium and prostitutes—were opened along the main thoroughfares. More heart-break ing, however, was the depressing sight of thousands of Chinese patronizing these establishments, thus permit ting their minds to be detoured from the fact that they were a conquered people. Like a bird hypnotized by a snake, unaware of the fate awaiting it, thousands of Chi nese became demoralized. The Japanese also showed their power by reducing the population of Hongkong. Because of the lack of food, tens of thousands of people packed up their few belong ings and fled from the city. Daily notices appeared in the newspapers announcing organized treks-to Shanghai, Amoy, Swatow and other coastal cities. When the exodus was not quick enough, great throngs of folks were cor ralled in the streets, and forced onto boats which trans ported them to an unknown destination. Harrison Forman, in a featured article to the New. York Times, quotes a Chinese official, Li Chung-king, as stating that in the northeastern provinces of China, 13,000,000 have become opium addicts as a result of a de liberate Japanese policy to poison the minds and bodies of the inhabitants of Manchuria since Sept. 18, 1931. “According to Mr. Li, the enemy’s opium policy con sists of a forced planting of the poppy, the openly encour aged smoking of opium and the consumption of other habit-forming narcotics. .. In Shansi province the enemy has instituted a barter system by which cotton cloth, rice, meat, cooking oil, salt and other commodities are ex changed for opium.” The writer of Ecclesiastes, in describing the deplor able conditions prevailing when unscrupulous autocrats hold down the seat of office, said: “Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?” (Eccl. 8:4). In other words, what a ruler decides is law, and his decrees are not subject to chal lenge, nor is recourse open from their injustices. Does this mean, then, that rulers, no matter how ty rannical, are responsible to no one for their misrule? As far as this world is concerned, men may never have to answer for the use to which they have put their power, but there is a higher power to which all rulers—good and bad—are responsible, and that power is God Himself. No better illustration can be found than that recorded
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EDITORIALLY
SPEAKING
to speak! What insane folly for man made of clay to endeavor to live more than one day at a time! How God must laugh when this puny creature struts about with declarations of what he is going to do. If there ever was a desirable quality in leaders, it is humility. Men who have become acquainted with the Word of God from earliest childhood are blessed indeed, for in the pages of God’s book the real status of man is revealed. He is but a creature of His hand to whom life is loaned for a time but his very breath and the b e a t of his heart continue only by the permissive .will of God. Let these deaths, be a lesson to all future dictators. ’An Appalling Sin This is the month when the welcome news of victory on the European conti nent and the capitulation of the arm ies of our enemies- has reached the ears of the American people. Many have received it with composure and perhaps from the hearts of more peo ple than we imagine profound thanks to God have been given. But there is a large percentage of our population who has received this wonderful news without any thought of gratitude to God. When the truth is wholly known, unmistakably it will be seen that it was our God Himself who gave us this victory. Yet these blind ones ascribe victory to mere superiority of arms and intelligent military direc tion. But look—not a single bomb has dropped upon our nation! The crops during the war years have exceeded anything that we have known before. No major catastrophe has come upon our land and the reserves of oil, of iron and of coal have not been ex hausted. These things are marks of God’s favor. What base ingratitude, what terrible sin, then, it is for us to receive these blessings from God’s hands without humility and thanks giving. On one occasion when the Lord Jesus healed ten lepers, He mar velled at their ingratitude for only one returned to give Him thanks. Surely God's bounties call for days of national gratitude to our God. ★ ★
Congratulations ! To the seventy-one fine young peo ple in our 1945 graduating class, we offer our very earnest and sincere congratulations. We thank God for the privilege that has been afforded us to have had a part in the molding of your spiritual life, and in the training of your dedicated talents for the work of the ministry to which God has call ed you. Be assured that as you go forth from these halls, our prayers will follow you. We make request of God that He will do great exploits through your lives; that through your preach ing of the Word, He will cause tens of thousands of precious souls to be born into the Kingdom of God; that He will edify and strengthen in the faith other thousands who will be reached by your teaching of the Word; and that your lives as His representatives may be a consistent adornment to the doctrine and to the name of the Lord Jesus, whose you are and whom you serve. May God bless you each and every one. It is with real joy that we catalog the information that two-thirds of this fine class have their faces set toward the mission field. Be assured that it will not be easy, but be further as sured that it will be glorious. The news of the manner in which Benito Mussolini met his death was no shock to those conversant with Bible history, '"here have been other loud-mouthed, blatant, godless men who shouted their intentions just as loudly. However, in every case, the inexorable laws of God’s judgment eventually were executed upon them and most of them suffered complete loss of position and ignominious death. So also ended the life of Mus solini—this man who screamed his defiance of God and man. At the present writing, the details of the death of Adolf Hitler are not known, but his boastful utterances over a decade have been published far and wide. It was he who made laws that the Jehovah of the Jews should have no place in Greater Ger many. Defying God’s revealed will, he proclaimed that the master race would endure for the next thousand years. How utterly ridiculous for man, whose breath is in his nostrils, so Dictators * Deaths
Speed An official of a prominent aircraft company is quoted as having predict ed that within the next ten or fifteen years it will be quite possible to travel at the speed of one thousand miles an hour. We are led to remark in the ver nacular of the school boy: “So what?” What is to be gained by such scien tific advancement? What is even to be gained by traveling one hundred miles an hour? When will the world awaken to the fact that these things are not the goal of life? When will the energies of man be trained to pro duce those simpler virtues which bring peace of mind and satisfaction of heart? When shall our philosophy of life be reversed from materialistic conceptions to spiritual appreciations? The answer, according to the Word of God, is that as long as man sits in the saddle of the universe there will be no change for the better. A rather small booklet which can be purchased for a dime, but the power of which to enlighten, edu cate and bless is all out of proportion to its size, is Dr. C. I. Scofield’s “Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth.” In our own life we give much credit to this booklet for aid irv’establish- ing lines of concept w h i« have re mained steady through tnfe years of further study. We know of no comparable booklet to place in the hands of new Chris tians to produce orderly and sound thinking. Pastors and Christian work ers would do well to have a supply on hand for regular distribution. In this way a real counterbalance is provided against the errors being so widely propagated by the cults of today. ★ ★ Great Little Book
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tion of the gospel. And with what consecrated zeal we should exhort the Church of Christ to turn from unim portant and petty things, to the great est task in all time, that of preaching the matchless story of the grace of God. Now is the time to think, to plan, to organize. Soon the peace will be upon us, then to work for Christ as never before. God give us wisdom and courage for we need it today as never before. ★ ★ Value Demonstrated One of the unforeseen benefits of sending the young people of America to various and far-flung battle fronts all over the world has been that there with their own eyes they have had a sight of foreign missions in action. They have beheld the effect of the Gospel of Jesus Christ upon the stony hearts of pagans. In some' sections, according to first-hand reports, our boys have been disgusted beyond measure at the filth and degradation of untouched barbarism. For con trast, they have been amazed at wit nessing the transformation of many of the worst into clean, intelligent, obedient and upright citizens, through the appropriation of Jesus Christ as personal Saviour and Lord. Writes a soldier from New-Guinea, “ I had a few mental reservations as to the value of foreign missions, but now I have had all my doubts erased.” An officer stationed in the South Pa cific confessed, “These people who were head hunters not long ago are so changed it might be beneficial for them to come over and evangelize our civilized western world a bit.” This is not new to us who have long known and loved the cause of foreign missions. But we should be happy to see that as a result of the uncovering processes of war the mis sionary enterprise would be vindi cated. Certainly these astonishing tales from mission lands have shed a spotlight on many obscure, and often despised, missionaries. Now is the time to promote mis sions as never before. Now is the time to take advantage of the public interest. Now is the time for the church of Christ to awaken and to press the battle with all the energy at our command. This mpy be our last chance before Christ returns to set up His kingdom in all of the lands of earth. Let us then not fail God in prayer for the missionaries; let us not be niggardly about investing our money in His cause; and let thè young peo ple among us consider the call to go in person!
gospel to the ends of the earth ere Jesus returns? ★ ★ What Shall We Do With Peace? With surprisingly little celebration, and admirable gravity and under standing, the people of these United States received the long awaited news of “V-E” day, and the cessation of hostilities on the European continent. Today the lands of our enemies are now being occupied by the victorious troops of the United Nations. The war criminals are being ferreted out, and the vast task of reconstruction begun. One of these days the wires will crackle with the further announce ment that Japan has capitulated, and that entire peace ha^ been declared. Undoubtedly, many will “go wild" with this news. We earnestly trust, and feverently pray that this day may be soon. But look here—what are we going to do with the peace? What is our country going to do with the peace? Do you think that God will bring about a cessation of hostilities merely in order that we may revert to the manufacture of more ca»s, more re frigerators, more gadgets? Have we not in peace as well as in war a solemn obligation to fulfill? In these years of war, God’s mercy to us has been marked. Not a bomb has landed on our shores. Our fields have brought forth abundant harvests. Our natural resources of coal and iron and oil have not failed even when we have had to satisfy the voracious appetite of war. On the other hand, our enemies are suffer ing from lack of these requisites for successful combat. When peace comes, shall we forget God? Shall we turn to our selfish ways and multiply to ourselves the means of pleasure, ease, and sin? Shall we fail to remember that God is primarily interested in righteous ness and in the propagation of the gospel? Shall we turn a deaf ear to the cry of the millions who never heard that Christ died and rose again? God is giving America the greatest opportunity in her history not only to be a leader of nations, but to be His “mouthpiece” to the world. Oh, that the coming of peace would mean that we would set ourselves to do the will of God! Many students of the Word of God feel that if complete peace once again returns, it may be the very last peace before the events surrounding the re turn of Christ. If this be true, how dead in earnest we should be to make every minute count for the propaga-
The San Francisco Conference In our neighboring city, by the Golden Gate, representatives of nearly fifty nations are assembled to draw up a blue print for the peaceful set tlement of disputes among nations of the earth. The envoys to this confer ence are serious minded men con vinced that something must be done if civilization is to endure. During the last few weeks the sorriest page of human history has unfolded. Innocent victims of war—the starved, the beat en and the slain in concentration camps have passed before their eyes in the columns of our newspapers and magazines. In a sense, the San Fran cisco delegates are desperate meri. They must either get together on this matter of peace, or international chaos will ensue. This conference challenges every Christian to pray mightily that God will give wisdom and under standing. He alone is able to bring results from this meeting. At the same time we ask ourselves, "Can this meeting succeed?" In all the milleniums of human history, there have been very few years when war has not been raging somewhere. Have we now arrived at a state of civiliza tion which is able to outlaw war or has this last most terrible, most costly war, forever sounded the death knell to the myth that civilization can in itself cause wars to cease? Our belief is that, while these men are sincere and while we certainly pray for them, there can be no peace between men and nations until the heart of man, which the Bible de clares to be deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, is changed, made over, metamorphosed into a new heart. This can only take place by a miracle of God’s grace. Thank God it does-happen when men and women receive the Son of God as their per sonal Saviour! But will nations ever be converted? No, we believe not. But God also has an answer for this, and at a time known only to Himself, He will call a halt to this whole holocaust of blood shed, and send His beloved Son to bring order out of chaos. Another con ference will be set up at that time and none other than the Son of God will occupy the permanent chairman ship. Then we shall see that of which the prophets wrote centuries ago. Na tions shall learn war no more and righteousness and peace shall cover the earth as waters cover the sea. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! But as Christians, and even with the knowledge that the effort must be a futile one, we must,—and we repeat, we must not fail to pray for leaders and all who are in authority-. Who can tell, but that this will be God’s method to open doors for another priceless opportunity to preach the
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TH E K I NG . ’ S B U S I N E S S
SO YOU'RE GOING TO BE A MISSIONARY? B y Henry Owen K OU HAVE Just returned from a great missionary meeting where, when an appeal was made for young people to give their lives for missionary service, you responded. It was a great Step to take, but you really meant it, and you walked home filled with a new inspiration. But the next day, when your feelings were more normal, you said to yourself, ‘Tve given my life to God to be a missionary, but what do I do next?” Now you have done the right thing in yielding your self for whatever service God wants you to do, but a number of factors must be considered in attempting to find out whether or not that service is to be done on the mission field. Poor health may rule you out at once, and so may a nervous temperament. You must expect to be subjected to the heavy strain of acclimatization, hard language study, strenuous travel and a life of iso lation. A thorough medical examination will reveal the true state of your health, and the doctor may be able to suggest treatment. Personal Qualifications Exceptional personal qualities are demanded in a good missionary. You should have the ability to lead and inspire others. You must be free from racial pride. If you feel that the American way is the only way of looking at life or of doing things, you had better stay at home! You should be able to work with those of other nationalities or of decidedly different backgrounds and temperaments. Some missionaries find that their great est problem is getting along with their fellow mission aries! This demands a spirit of unselfishness, of con sideration for the feelings of others, and of adaptability. Strong perseverance will be needed for the mastery of a foreign language, and to enable you to hold on in a situation which is seemingly hopeless. A sense of humor and an optimistic outlook are distinct assets, but if you are given to fits of melancholy, and cannot throw off depression, missionary life will be most trying. Mission boards do not look for perfection, but they will expect to find evidences of these qualities in you, and the time for their development is now. An average spiritual life is not good enough for the mission field. It must be unusual. The missionary is a special target for the devil. He lives in an environ ment predominantly evil, perhaps with no opportunity of fellowship or spiritual help from other Christians. Those he is trying to help will pay more attention to his life than to his sermons. It is not too early, then, to develop a close communion with God through regular prayer and Bible study. This should result in a genuine
love for the souls of men, the importance of which cannot be overemphasized. Without it, all other qualities and attainments will mean nothing. As Bishop Houghton, General Director of the China Inland Mission, has put it, “The Chinese will forgive much that irritates them in us if there is evidence that we love them.” Spiritual Discipline There is also a need for a spiritual discipline: the ability to sacrifice your rights, to accept injustice meekly, to submit yourself to experienced missionaries even when you may not agree with them, to deny yourself. This is contrary to the spirit of the age, but the missionary candi date will remember that “even Christ pleased not him self” (Rom. 15:3). If you are in the armed services now, do not feel that you are wasting time, which might be otherwise spent in missionary preparation. Joyfully ,ac cept your circumstances as an opportunity for the develop ment of this spirit of discipline which is denied to the civilian. I would recommend to all who feel the mis sionary call the repeated reading of “Ambassadors for Christ,” by Misses Cable and French, two veteran mis sionaries, in which book all aspects of missionary life, but especially the spiritual, are discussed in a refresh-' ing and original fashion. It is not enough that you would like to do mission ary work. Many mission boards are asking, “What con tribution can you bring to the work in our field? Can you teach the Bible, do evangelistic work, work among children, or reduce unwritten languages to writing? What is your gift?” Such special gifts may not be discovered until after you have commenced your training, but every effort should be made to determine what they are. We do well, nevertheless, to give heed to the wise words of one who wrote, “There will never bo >.&y . ?.c i of oppor tunity for the worker who is really wise, to win and help
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June, 1945
THE GREATEST POWER ( Continued from Page 205)
souls.” Here, again, the time to begin Is now. As Hud« son Taylor wrote, “A voyage across the ocean will not make anyone a missionary or a soul winner.” Educational Requirements “How much education does a missionary need?” young people frequently ask. That depends upon the require ments. of the mission board under which you hope to serve, and upon your age. The older you are, the more difficult it is to adapt yourself to new circumstances and to learn a language. Generally speaking, it is best to get all the education you can, within reasonable limits. Avoid “Snap” courses. Take those which demand hard work and real thinking. Keep away from the mission field if you are content to loaf through school or if you don’t like to study! In college the selection of courses will depend on your own interests, but you should in clude such subjects as anthropology, ethnology, lan guages, and the history and culture of the field in whieh you expect to work. - Greek will be helpful for a min istry in which translation will be prominent. And don’t forget English, for if you cannot handle your mother tongue well, you cannot expect to speak good Urdu or Swahili. A course in scientific methods of language study, such as is offered by the Summer Institute of * Linguistics, will prove valuable, especially in work among people with an unwritten language. Theological training may be obtained at a Bible in stitute or seminary. Each type of school has its advan tages. The Seminary educational standards aré, as a rule, higher than those of the Bible institute, while the Bible institute usually places more stress upon the Eng- lish Bible than does the average seminary, and also upon aggressive evangelism and the winning of souls. The ideal would be to secure both types of training, but time and other considerations may not permit this. Remem ber, however, that the best theological school can never teach you all there is to know about the Bible. Practical Experience Of equal importance with academic studies is prac tical experience. The missionary’s objective is not only to preach the Gospel, but also to establish and help churches. A Chinese pastor who was asked what type of missionary recruit would be needed for China after the war immediately replied: “Those with some experi ence in church work at home. Church experience is more valuable than fluency in the language.” Such experi ence may be gained by serving as assistant to some well- qualified minister during your student days, and thus learning about the organization of the local church, and of such inter-church organizations as the presbytery and convention. Business and industrial experience are of great practical value in adding a knowledge of men to a knowledge of books. The missionary must be able to enter deeply into the lives of those he hopes to win to Christ. In many fields farming experience will be an asset, for you may need to build your own house, plant your own garden, and repair your own truck. One more question remains to be answered: “How may I know to what field I am called?” If you are con vinced that God would have you in His service, do not let this question delay you in starting your training. But pray constantly for guidance, and absorb all the infor mation you can about the various mission fields, through reading and through conversations with missionaries. In due time God will narrow your interest down to one field, to the exclusion of all others, and the conviction will grow that He wants you to work for Him there. Wait for this definite guidance, however, for there will come times when only the deep sense of being in the place of God’s appointing will keep you on the field.
Picture the deathbed of a heathen Chinese woman: Many times she had heard the Gospel, but preferred to worship the gods of her ancestors. She had made her choice, and in her spiritual blindness “ bowed down to wood and stone.” Suddenly the quiet of the Oriental was unceremoniously broken by a screech of pain from her trembling lips: “They’re coming after me; I can hear the chains; burn incense, burn incense !” s Sympathetic relatives ran to do her bidding. They rushed off to the nearest incense dealer, and buying bun dles of it, returned and burned it to the demons which were making her deathbed a scene of terror. Only tem porary relief was gained. Eventually she passed out into a dark eternity to the sound of clanking chains and ter rifying voices. What does this indicate? It proves conclusively that there is a power of darkness, a power of evil, a power of Satan that operates in the lives of benighted men who have never been enlightened by the Gospel. ^ ' Is there no greater power to conquer this power of evil? Yes, thank God, there is! When Jesus said: “It is finished,” He sealed the fate of this power of evil. In Mark’s Gospel we have a vivid illustration of what happens when a “movable evil object” comes in contact with a “spiritual irresistible force.” -/!> '%É fl “There was in their synagogue a man with an un clean spirit; and he cried out, saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him” (Mk. 1:23-28). The unclean power, that possessed the unfortunate man recognized and paid tribute to a greater power, and was subject to Him to the extent that when commanded to leave the lesser power had no recourse except to com ply with His demands. Praise God that in Christ is in vested the combined power of the Godhead! Through Him we have access to a dynamic greater than all of the powers of evil combined. The Power of God In defending himself before King Agrippa (Acts 26), Paul recounts his call to the ministry, and during the course of his testimony he says: “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” Paul was commissioned to go forth to turn men and Women from the power of Satan unto the power of God, with the result that those who came in contact with the almighty power of God would receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among the household of faith. They would be free from the power of Satan. In presenting the Gospel to the needy Chinese, evan« gelists frequently use a large poster published by the Religious Tract Society of Hankow. On this poster is de picted a man wrapped in the coils of a huge serpent. From head to foot, including his arms, the poor unfor tunate victim is gripped in the power of the reptile, which is gradually but surely contracting its muscles until it appears the man will be crushed to a pulp. Help less, with his dying breath he cries for help. Finally assistance is given him by a powerful friend. The message unfolds and the application is made. The audience is made to realize that they, like the poor man, are wrapped in the toils of sin, and that they too are utterly helpless to extricate themselves. Their only hope
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