have been a disappointment to them. Often when they came by I was not ready. But they were an example to me. All along the way, some one here, some one there, stood out, showing love, joy, peace and long-suffering. It is those qualities of love which attract—not the things which you don’t do, but the things which you do for others. Many an actor is generous, doesn’t gossip, evolves a philosophy which keeps him from worrying and keeps his worldly sins to a minimum. Therefore, if your life is to attract, it must be lived on a higher plane. He will not be attracted by the fact your skirt is longer or your neckline higher. But only as you are the consistent Good Samaritan in your neighborhood will he be impressed and thus inspired to seek the Lord. The early Christian was called upon to die better than the heathen. The present-day Christian is called upon to live better than the heathen. “That ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). SALVATION T. Larson see the blood, I will pass over you.” These words were spoken by God to Is rael at the time of the contest between Pharaoh and Israel, when Pharaoh would not allow Israel to depart for the land of Canaan. God commanded Israel to of fer the Passover lamb, eat it, and sprin kle the blood on the door posts. The death angel was to kill the first born son in all homes of the Egyptians, until Pharaoh, seeing the hand of God’s judg ment upon his kingdom, would release Israel. So God said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” He did not say, “ When I see your goodness,” or “When I see your education and civiliza tion.” No, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” God forgives sin on the basis of the bloody sacrifice of the Lamb of God. When God sees the blood of His Son covering our souls, then He will pass over us, not judging us, but justifying us by faith. The blood of Christ brings forgiveness, cleansing, eternal life, and everlasting glory for the ones who are born again by faith in Christ. Christ be comes “ the author and the captain of salvation” (Heb. 5:9; 2:10). “ In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salva tion” (Eph. 1:13). Dr. Joseph Cook of Boston, at the World’s Fair at Chicago, 1893, gave a masterful address on “ The Claims of Christianity.” He had studied for three years to prepare this forceful answer to non-Christian religions. He challenged the exponents of bloodless religions “ to present a single remedy for sin.” There was no answer. He declared, “We have the remedy for sin in Christ and Chris tianity—the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
praying for those whose names they know. We may know the names of few but we do read about them in the news papers from time to time. This should prompt prayer. We can send well- printed, well-written tracts to them. It is doubtful whether an occasional tract would have any effect. But can you imagine what would happen if a star should receive tracts by the hundreds? The very impact would impel him to read some of them. Our greatest testimony to any per son, motion picture actor, or butcher, is by our personal life. As I look back over my life, a few people stand out. There was an aunt who was a Christian whom I greatly admired and yearned to be like. There was a schoolteacher who invited me to church and though I un derstood little of what was preached and she did not speak personally to me about my soul, nevertheless the impres sion was made. There was a couple who drove me to Sunday school when I attended Gustave Brigleib’s church for a while. I must OUR GREAT By Joseph T HE greatest need of any human is to be saved from sin, saved for ever, and saved for a purpose— the glory of God and a life of service for Him. We are not saved by good works, by ex emplary character, by moral reformation, or by keeping the law of the Old Testa ment, or the Golden Rule or the Ser mon on the Mount. We are not saved by “ doing the best we can,” or by our own human philosophy. We are not saved by accident, or by thinking we are all right. For thousands of years men have sought by their own ability, wis dom or design to save themselves. Because salvation embraces deliver ance from sin in the nature, as well as sins of daily life, it includes deliverance from Satan and from the judgment awaiting the unsaved. Salvation is the gift of God, provided for needy sinners who cannot save them selves. “ Whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent” (Acts 13:26). “ The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men” (Tit. 2:11). Salvation delivers from the penalty, pollution, and power of sin. It includes forgiveness, cleansing, and pardon. It covers justification for past sins, sanctifi cation for the present, and eternal glori fication for the future. It provides a new heart, a new nature, a new life, and Divine power to overcome sin. When saved, we become new creatures in Christ, enjoying God’s righteousness, dwelling in the love of God, possessed by the Spirit of God. We Are Saved by the Blood of Christ In Exodus 12:13 we read, “When I
try to hush up the trouble to protect the investment. No one, least of all I, want, in any sense of the word, to make a wholesale condemnation of the motion picture in dustry. It is one of the most influential industries in the world. It can and does affect the lives of people all over the world. But just as it is necessary to have a pure food and drug act to in sure the purity of food sold, so does the motion picture industry need super vision. There is an effort being made to reach the people in the industry for Christ. The Hollywood Christian Group is a fundamental gathering which meets every Monday in á home in Hollywood. Testimonies and a straight-forward message present the gospel to those who would never enter a church. Through this group many have heard the message of Christ, some have ac cepted Him as Saviour, and a number have entered Christian work. Tim Spencer, formerly with the Sons of the Pioneers, now devotes much of his time to Christian witnessing. Redd Harper, western singer, was reached through this group and played the lead in the Billy Graham picture, Mr. Texas. Georgia Lee heard the message of salvation at one of the meetings and became a Christian. She refused a well- paid TV contract with a beer sponsor. Recently she played the lead in a Christian film, The Flame. It featured the work of Bob Pierce in Korea. There are many hungry, searching hearts in Hollywood and it is the responsibility of the Christian to reach them. They will never be reached for Christ by anyone throwing brickbats at them. To make flat, derogatory statements is only to make a person defensive. Such statements prompt a “Who do you think you are?” attitude. This is a natural reaction. Nor does God’s Word advocate it. Rather, God sent His Son because He loved us and we can only reach others when our motive is love. The first move in reaching show peo ple is for the Christian to cease to be a party to the system. As long as you attend motion pictures, you are encour aging these people to have a false sense of security. Even though, in their lonely moments they feel distressed, as long as the stars have the adulation of peo ple they feel they must be on the right track. They reason that since most people run after their autographs, ap plaud them and read every word written about them, they must be all right. We Christians cannot, by our pres ence, endorse a form of entertainment which glorifies, to such a large extent, sex, drinking of liquor, and a low stand ard of morals. This is true not only of the pictures but many of the people who produce them. We must make our choice between following those who have abil ity and money, or those who have char acter and Christ. Christians can go a step farther by
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