the years. May God richly bless him and may God reward him according to His riches in grace by Christ Jesus.
individual lives those great spiritual j achievements which are so earnestly de- tsired. 1 We think, at this moment, of a story from a passage of the New Testament. John the Baptist was the forerunner of Ithe Lord Jesus Christ and in the days of his ministry God was mightily with him. He had tremendous power in speaking and by him a mighty note of challenge was sounded over the land of Judea. Be- cause of the forcefulness.of this Spirit- directed personality, crowds followed him wherever he went. Then there came a time when, through the appearance of the Lord Jesus, the crowds of John the Baptist lessened. Some went to John the Baptist, reminding him of this fact, to which John the Baptist gave reply in the following words of gold: “He must in- crease, but I must decrease.” Here were the words of a truly Spirit- |filled man and they ought to be the words o f every born-again child of God today. This is the goal of true spirituality and this is the part of true success. While it is gloriously true that the Christian Idwells in Christ and Christ in him, still lit is also true that there is room for \Christ to increase in every one’s life. I Great men of God have always been Ithose who were selfiess, and who were filled with the love and wisdom of the Son of God. Holy men of God have al- ways been hidden behind the cross of IChrist. What a wonderful motto for all of us for the year 1950! May God help ps to make it our own: “He must in- I crease, but I must decrease.” One of God’s Best Servants land an Important Work r HE debt which every Christian owes to God’s ancient people, the jjew s, is almost beyond calculation. Just o remember that our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, was, according to the flesh, a Jew, in itself shows how great Is this debt. Then do not forget ¿that the Bible, the Christian’s great [Book of treasures, was written exclusive ly by Jewish servants of God, and that ithe first missionaries to the Gentile peo- rple were Jews. Here is an obligation that [jwe can never fully pay. But we can do (this: we can faithfully take back to the '[lost sheep of the house of Israel today ¡the precious words of God’s love for '(them; we can love them and show our {interest in them, seeking all the while to bring them into that new and wonderful »■elationship with God through Christ, {which is the goal for both Jew and Gen- i tile today. I A great work for God, in behalf of the Jewish people, has been going on in the ;[Church of the Open Door and the Bible Institute in Los Angeles for more than t wo-score years. A Jewish Department ias been maintained as a regular part of Ithe work here whose particular aim has ¡been to reach out with arms of love and [kfffectibri towards God’s ancient people. II For the past fifteen years, this im- Il lANUARY, 1950
Don’t Give Cheap Tracts T HE greatest message in all the world is the gospel, which simply states that while all men are sinners and all men are lost, still Christ died for all and every one may be saved by simple faith in Him. Here is a message which ought to be set forth in the very best possible man ner. It is not that God limits Himself to gifted servants only. It is not that God cannot speak from a scrap of paper, but the very excellence of the message de mands that it be presented in a dignified and reverent way. It has always been a source of deep discontent to see gospel tracts printed on newsprint. Without a doubt there is something to be said for the fact of greater distribution, but it is a sad com mentary on the giving habits of Chris tian people to so limit the distribution of the message of God to inferior vehicles. The practice of printing large quantities of tracts on inexpensive paper has sought to be justified in the minds of some through the result of larger audi ence acceptance, but the fact of the mat ter is this, that in our present day and age cheap-looking tracts are not received but discarded. Out of a hundred of these inferior productions about one is read, whereas, if the same money were used to print ten superior tracts, all ten might be read. At any rate, this is something about which to ponder. Can we take the rich and imperishable Word of the great King of kings and not dignify it by using exceptionally good printing? Is it right to attempt to degrade the mes sage by placing it upon paper which is not acceptable? There is a bright note in all of this for several companies dur ing the past decade have seen the need and have prepared very tastefully gotten up multi-colored tracts which are both honoring to the Lord and pleasing to the eye. May God lead us very defi nitely in this important matter.
Mr. Daniel Hose portant work has been in the capable hands of Mr. Daniel Rose, a Hebrew Christian, who came to know the Lord as Saviour some fifty years ago in Cincin nati, Ohio. Mr. Rose was born in Cleve land, Ohio, in 1869. Inheriting a part in his father’s business, Mr. Rose showed unusual business acumen in both increas ing and enlarging the business which he had inherited. But God had plans for Mr. Rose. One day through' the earnest ef forts of a friend, his blindness regarding the Lord Jesus Christ was dispelled, and he came into a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ both as Messiah and Sav iour. From that time to this, Mr. Rose has devoted himself to the privilege of witnessing both to Jew and Gentile con cerning the marvelous miracle that God has wrought in his heart. A man greatly beloved both in the Church of the Open Door and the Bible Institute, Daniel Rose has given not only of his money but of his heart’s affection toward this testimony in Southern Cali fornia. With love such as only a Jew could manifest for his own people, Mr. Rose has been reaching out to other Jewish wanderers with, the only story which can satisfy the restless heart. Lit erally tons of literature have gone out and telephone books from all the larger cities of this country and foreign coun tries have been scanned to secure Jewish names to which kindly letters and sound Christian literature were addressed. Just recently the Jewish Department of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles em barked upon a new venture, sending transcribed radio programs in Yiddish to the large HCJB Radio Station in Quito, Ecuador, from whch they are transmit ted to all sections of the world where Jewish people are living. Mr. Rose’s own testimony in an at tractively-printed brochure has been sent out by the tens of thousands and the results, while they have not been over whelming, have been steady and hearten ing. Surely a work that will outlast eter nity has been going on in this depart ment among the people dear to God’s own heart. Mr. Rose has reached the age of four-score and we, at the beginning of this year, would like to bespeak our words of deepest appreciation for his uftselfish service for Christ and in be half of the Jewish people throughout
THE GOLDEN CORD Through every minute of this day, Be with me, Lord! Through every day of ail this week, Be with me, Lord I Through every week of all this year, Be with me, Lord! Through all the years of all this life, Be with me, Lordl So shall the days and weeks and years Be threaded on a golden cord, And all draw on with sweet accord Unto Thy fulness, Lord, That so, when time is past, By grace, I may at last, Be with Thee, Lord. —John Oxenham
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