I
• APRIL, 1961
broadcaster
the BibleIostitateHoar Areas & Station Dial
I B I O L A b roadcaster VOL. 1 NO. 4
Location Time Days
CALIFORNIA
Bakersfield-Wasco KWSO Chico-Marysville KHSL
1050
7:30 A.M. Sun. 9:30 A.M. MTWTF 8:30 A.M. Sun. 8:00 A.M. Sun. 8:00 A.M. Sun. 9:30 A.M. MWF 11:00 A.M. MTWTF 9:00 A.M. MTWTF 8:30 A.M. MTWTF >ar 8:30 A.M. MWF 10:00 A.M. MWF 8:30 A.M. MWF 8:30 A.M. MWF 8:00 A.M. MTWTF 9:00 P.M. MWF 10:30 A.M. MTWTF 8:00 A.M. MTWTF 3:00 A.M. MTWTF 8:00 A.M. MWF 8:00 A.M. Sun. 8:30 A.M. MWF 9:00 A.M. Sun. 11:30 A.M. MTWTF 11:30 A.M. MTWTF 9:00 P.M. MTWTF 11:30 A.M. MTWTF 11:30 A.M. MTWTF 5:30 P.M. MTWTF 8:30 A.M. MWF
1290
Eureka KDAN El Centro KAMP
790
APRIL, 1961
1430
Fresno-Dinuba KRDU 1130 Los Angeles-Long Beach KGER 1390 Los Angeles-Burbank KBLA 1490 Los Angeles KBBI 107.5 (FM) Oxnard-Ventura-Santa Barbara KOXR 910 Sacramento KEBR (FM) Redding-Red Bluff KSDA 1400 San Bernardino KITO 1290 San Diego XEMO 860 San Francisco KGO 810 San Francisco KEAR 97.3 (FM) ______ San Jose-Santa Cruz-San Francisco KLOK
C O N T E N T S
CRISIS IN THE CONGO .......... 3
HARVESTING LIVES FOR CHRIST .............................. 6 CHRIST'S LOVE CONSTRAINS US ................ 9
NUGGETS OF GOLD .............. 11
1170 11:00 A.M. MWF
JOHN: COPESTONE OF THE GOSPELS .................... 12
San Luis Obispo KVEC
920
Turiock
KTUR
1390
OREGON
THE MENACE OF COMM UN ISM 14
Albany-Eugene KWIL Ashland-Medford KRVC Coquiile-Coos Bay KWRO Klammath Falls KAGO Bend KBND
790
ENERGY FROM G O D ............... 17
1350 1110
PANEL DISCUSSIONS ............. 20
630
REPORT ON THE ORIENT ...... 23
1150
Portland KPDQ
FRONTIERS OF FREEDOM ...... 27
800
WASHINGTON Blaine-Bellingham (Vancouver. B.C.) KARI 550 Pasco KPKW 1340 Seattle-Tacoma KGDN 630 Spokane KCFA 1330 Walla Walla KTEL 1490 Wenatchee KUEN 900 Yakima KUTI 980 OTHER Caldwell-Boise KBGN 910 94.1 (FM) Denver KLIR 990 Pueblo-Colorado Springs KFEL 970 Phoenix KHEP 1280 Tuscon KTUC 1400 Birmingham, Ala. WSFM 93.7 (FM)
STORYTIME ......................... 31
STAFF Editor ............... Ruth D. Gill Supervision ..Thomas E. Steele Production ..........A l Sanders Printing....................ChurchPress Published monthly by the Radio Dept. BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 558 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, Cal.
8:00 A.M. MWF 10:30 A.M. MWF 8:00 A.M. Sun. STATES 8:30 A.M. MTWTF 8:30 A.M. 8:30 A.M. Tues.-Thurs. 8:30 A.M. MWF 9:00 A.M. MTWTF 8:30 A.M. Sun. 8:30 A.M. MTWTF
CRISIS in the CONGO SPECIAL RADIO REPORT
It is our especial privilege to bring to you an Interview-Testimony of keen interest. Rev. and Mrs. Al Miller, Biola graduates of the years ’52 and ’54 respectively, have fust returned to the “home port” from the Congo. This running comment by Al will give you a current report of the work in that area of crisis. We would like to state that Al first felt the call of the Lord to service in the Congo as a lad of thirteen years. The Lord had placed him, by birth, in a true Christian home which steadi ly became a sort of “American Com pound” for missionaries on furlough. Their lives and words of witness left seed deeply planted in A l’s heart. The years becoming ripe took Al and his wife to the Congo with the customary stop over of several months in Belgium. Al will give his report from this point on. Since the Congo is the Colonial pos- (Continued on page 4) If you are not receiving copies of the BROADCASTER monthly, you may have them come to your home or office auto matically by being a member of the Biola Fellowship. This is a group of faithful donors who invest monthly in the distinctive ministries of the Bible Institute of Los An geles, Inc. No minimum or maximum amounts are set; this is a matter between you and the Lord. In maintaining this 53 year old work for the Saviour, we have found that faithfulness on the part of God’s stewards is the important thing. You are invited to become co-laborers with us in this vital testimony. The investment you make will bring you this publication month ly, hereafter, without your request.
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If you are already a member of the Fellowship and have received an extra copy of this publication, please pass it along to a friend. You may also enroll a friend in the Plan so that he may receive these helpful monthly features from the broad casts. Since all materials from the Biola radio programs are included in the BROAD CASTER, publication is generally complet ed near the end of the specific month. Your patience is greatly appreciated. □ I would like to become a member of the Biola Fellowship. I am enclosing $...................................... f°r the ministries of Biola.
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cult because African evangelists have been very active for years in going into places where we, as missionaries, have never gone. I recall the statement made by Dr. Redpath, pastor of Moody Church, when he visited our Mission work in the Oriental province: he said he was impressed with the fact that if ever a church was ready to stand on its own feet, it was the African Church. Now you have heard that word of prophecy and have definitely seen it come to pass. It is interesting that the Lord al lowed us to evacuate twice, actually, and almost a third time. In the first evacuation we got to the border but did not go across because, as we came to the coastal area, we felt that the panic of the Belgiums was born of fear. In talking to Congo leaders and officials in charge of the area we found it was very calm. We had the privilege of going across if we wished or returning to our Mission Station, which we did. In the second evacuation we actually crossed and remained three weeks. At the time we could not understand why the Lord permitted this. However, as we look back now, these evacuations were the thing, as it were, that shook the church and brought them to real ize that the stay of the missionaries might be short. Before this they were reticent, leaving the responsibility on church leadership (missionaries) say ing that “you’ve had more training than we.” But when we returned from the second evacuation, which was three weeks, they had come to the realization that they must take over. My conviction is that the Lord, not the missionaries, has begun a work, and the Lord will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ. We are thankful for the godly men that He has raised up among the African Christians. These are marked men—however, they are faithful and I am sure that they will prove, under the Lord, to be stead fast as leaders. The question often arises, why should these people, who have been 4
CONGO CRISIS (con*.) session of Belgium, they have designed a Colonial course for all missionaries, doctors, and nurses who intend to go into the Congo and serve. They have designed this for them to become aware of Belgium’s attitudes and their de sires regarding strangers who go into their Colonial possessions and work for them. We finally arrived in the Congo at our field of appointment about 1960— the first of the year—and were assigned to the Oriental province. The Africa Inland Mission, under which we served, has a work in the Oriental and Kivu provinces. Mr. Sanders, you have indicated that folk, generally, would like to have me give them some idea of the size of the Congo by comparison with the United States. The answer to the query would be that the Congo itself is as large as the United States minus Texas: this means that it is 3000 miles from Leo poldville in Oriental province to the North East corner of the Congo. The territory varies in character. In our area it is rather hilly and rocky. Down toward the Kivu province you have large mountains, and toward Leo poldville it is a thick brush area, or what we call jungles. As to our work: I was first put in charge of the Station Bible School after I had become accurately acquainted with the language. This school was used, largely, to train Africans in the Word of God so that they could take care of Sunday School classes in the villages. After a short period of teach ing in the Station Bible School, we took on the responsibility of teaching in regular Bible School, training pastors and evangelists. In preparing for this work, I thank the Lord for every hour that I spent here at BIOLA. The great Africa Inland Mission has been in the Congo forty years. But it would be difficult to answer the ques tion of what the harvest of souls under the work of AIM has been. It is diffi
and it is difficult to see how the U.N. could bring unity to the Congo when they are divided! The Oriental and Kivu provinces are closed to missionary work. The Amer ican Consul will not allow any Amer ican missionaries to return. Now unless the Lord performs a miracle, it is very doubtful that we will be able to get back into the Kivu and Oriental prov inces where Communism is in com mand. Recent history gives us to know that when the communists enter, they do not leave. If they cannot take over the entire country, they will take part of it. It looks as if we have another Korea in this instance. It even seems similar to the overthrow of the Provin cial Chinese Government—the mission aries were forced to leave and will probably never be able to return. This is all the greater reason why a strong indigenous church should be built, so that the people can carry on the min istry of the Gospel. Mr. Sanders, we must emphasize the fact that this is no time for discourage ment for we have many missionaries on the field and they need our prayers and sufficient support. The Gospel is the only thing that will hinder the on slaught of Communism. Many opportu nities of missionary endeavor still exist and we should buy up these opportu nities to get the Faith to the people before the doors are closed for Missions! 5
given forty years of excellent care and treatment by American missionaries, show resentment? Why would they go along with the police or perhaps com munist inspired riots? There are a number of reasons that could be given for such questions. But the first and most difficult to withstand is that all of the people around the Mission Station are not Christians. You can go just half a mile off our Station and come to the most pagan village that could be found in the heart of Africa. When a missionary moves into an area, and other missionaries join him to establish their Mission Station, the people know that there are going to be schools and along with the schools there must be buildings — and along with the buildings there must be work and the people want to work. They want the money and will, in many instances, though not in all, take on the form of Christianity. They hope to ob tain the benefits knowing that the mis sionaries are not going to choose the non-Christian workers if Christian workers can be secured; so they fall in line. There are problems in Africa that are not different from those in the United States. When you ask about the future of that land, it is very uncertain as you can imagine. It is divided pro-Western and pro-Communist. The U.N. is divid ed, pro-Western and pro-Communist
lives for CHRIST
by Miss Milre Lisso, Latin America Mission
I a m a relatively new missionary, having been on the field in Latin America but one term. When I left home I had rather fixed ideas as to what a missionary is—also how to be a good one. But, since I have looked over the Latin American field at close range, and have returned to the States, I am afraid I have had to change my former ideas radically. Do you know what made me change them? It was not resultant of what anyone had told me; or even a deeper study of the Word; but, just seeing some real missionaries in action. And I would like to bring to you some of the impressive acts and methods in the ministry of these missionaries. Early in 1960 I had the distinct pleasure and blessing of going into some of the backwoods jungle areas along the coastal line of Colombia. All of us are somewhat familiar with much of the severe persecution and hardship suffered by our brethren there in the past several years. However, it seems that the church is growing as nowhere else in the world. God is doing a mighty work without much aid from foreign missionaries or any kind of outside help. During the time that I was giving classes to new believers, I met many missionaries—two of whom, while very
genuine and effective, are quite color ful and have an unusual interest to us as we look at their work. They were not missionaries, in our sense of the term. They had never been to a service of worship; had never sat under Sunday School teaching, nor had they heard a minister of the Gos pel. Without any evangelical influence around them, God, through the Holy Spirit, moved into their lives. Perhaps we had better look at Olinda and her life as it grew into fruitful service. Five years ago when Olinda was only seventeen, she found a strange booklet, done in Spanish, lying in the dirt path. She had a fourth grade edu cation, and since books were very hard to secure out there, she took it home and read it with great pleasure, it was the Gospel of John. As she read and reread it, the Holy Spirit spoke to her heart. While she had no background for this sort of reading, she began to see immediately that God had done a great thing for her—He had sent His Son into this world and He had died for her sin, and by the simple act of believing she would receive eternal life —a precious gift from Him. She did believe! The Lord did a marvelous thing in her life for she turned immediately to tell others. Naturally, her first concern 6
to anyone. His life had been lived to the destruction of others as well as to himself, but a believer was faithful in his testimony and this lost man found his anchor in Christ. Unfortunately he did not know how to read, and he could tell but little of all he had experienced in this new relationship to his Lord. He had a tremendous testimony but he decided that this was not enough. God had given us a Book whereby we might know Him and what He expects of our lives—he felt that he must know what God had to say. So this man, high up in the jungle— who had no school to which he might go, and no one to teach him—had got ten hold of a New Testament and had literally forced himself to learn to read by reading, or at least attempting to read, the New Testament, “Oh,” you say, “that is impossible.” Well, I would certainly never recommend it, however, Victor learned to read God’s Word. He still reads as if he were a third or fourth grader, but it would bring tears to your eyes to hear him read as he believes it so implicity. It is God’s Word to Him and the most precious possession he has. When Victor feels that God is calling him to a certain town, he leaves his crops and family in God’s hands. It makes no difference if times are hard, he is not afraid of poverty. He gets astride his little mule and off he goes to a nearby town or perhaps a village at a distance. I was told of one town to which Victor had been several months before. He was there for seven days. Following his usual procedure, he read the Word of God to them and then gave his testi mony. We must bear in mind that he has had no training in a Bible School or even a church — but God, through His Holy Spirit, has taught him His Word. When Victor left that town seven days later he left seventy believ ers. Returning three months later, he (Continued on next page) 7
was that her parents might know of the message of the booklet and what jt had done in her heart. Since they could not read she began to read to them. As she read, she told them how differently she felt inside. The ultima tum of her parents was, that she would either have to throw away the book and forget about it or leave the home. But Olinda refused either of the courses and continued to read to them. Finally they took matters into their own hands and threw her, with her few little possessions, out of the house. Shortly after that she came back in and said, “but don’t you see I am different? For the first time I have joy in my heart. I don’t have the oppression that I used to feel.” The parents would not listen and removed her again and again. Finally, the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of this young, almost illiterate, girl was more than they could withstand—they began to listen. They, too, accepted the Lord and then the three of them began to tell the neighbors and relatives. Also, the three of them were either thrown into jail or thrown out of the village. But the minute they were re leased from jail, they began to preach and tell the Good News of Jesus Christ. The village folk could not read the Word, but they heard the message and the Holy Spirit applied it to their hearts savingly. Now in that small vil lage, which has only heard the Gospel for a few short years, there are more than two hundred believers. You have this story only because one young girl came to genuinely love her Lord and was not ashamed or afraid to tell the other folk about Him at the peril of her life. She, you see, was a real missionary! As we went further into the jungle we met another missionary, a man named Victor. He is homesteading high up in an area of the jungle where there are actually no homes. He and his little family live there alone. Formerly, he was a man who was absolutely no good
HARVESTING LIVES (cont.) found that the whole town had come to know Jesus Christ. This man has had many testings, persecutions and difficulties but he has found the reality of the presence of Jesus Christ in his life through it all. He is convinced that his life is for one purpose—that is to preach Christ. Well, the world is full of Olindas and Victors who are unknown to us but certainly known to and loved by our Heavenly Father. What motivates them? Well, I think that is quite sim ple. They are missionaries who have given all they are to Jesus Christ be cause they truly love Him. Paul ex plained them to us when he wrote: “For the love of Christ constraineth us: because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto them selves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.” "Christ Is A ll" Like to a worn-out garment, cast aside, From off my heart the heavy spirit fell As, moving through the darkness, far and wide, A rising tide of song began to swell. Song after song came crowding to be heard, And all earth's faces vanished and were blurred In one Face, strangely beautiful to see. For all the songs are one song, and the Face, Is one Face only, when the heart has known The matchless Christ and His redeem ing grace. There cannot be another: He alone Moves on the fringe of all our days And clothes us with the garment of His praise. — Helen Frazee-Bower
Miss Lisso'shares favorite poems.
"T R U ST " When nothing whereon to lean remains, When strongholds crumble to dust; When nothing is sure but that God still reigns, That is just the time to trust. ’Tis better to walk by faith than sight, In this path of yours and mine; And the pitch-black night, when there’s no other light, Is the time for our faith to shine. HIS W ILL BE DONE “His will be done,” we say with sighs and trembling, Expecting trial, bitter loss and tears; And then how much doth He answer us with blessings In sweet rebuking of our faithless fears. God’s will is peace and plenty and the power To be and have the best that He can give, . , , A mind to serve Him and a heart to love Him, The faith to die with, and the strength to live. It means for us all good, all grace, all glory, His kingdom coming and on earth begun. Why should we fear to say: “His will . . . His righteous, His tender, loving, joyous will . . . be done?” 8
M ISSIONARY MESSAGE BY MILRE LISSO: Christ’s Love Constrains Us W e t e r m i n a t e d the previous report by quoting the famous motivat ing passage for all missionary service.
that the Central American Mission had a small primary school there where they were teaching the Indians to read and write—also, to be good Christians. So we went to this school somewhat as a matter of sight-seeing, really, to see what the Lord was doing there. When we arrived at the school we found a very interesting little building, certainly not what we would find here in the States—but it was adequate. We entered one of the rooms and there met a teacher, but she was an Indian of a different tribe. Her name was Linda. When we inquired about the work she was quick to take us through the school, showing us the children and explaining the work that was required of them. The teachers there were work ing at great sacrifice. After asking Linda where she was trained, she asked me the same ques tion, and I told her that I had the pri vilege of being from the Latin Ameri can Mission Seminary in San Jose, Costa Rica. It was an amazing thing to see her practically get down on her knees in front of me as she said, “Oh, if that was true! I have always wanted to meet someone from the Latin American Seminary.” I asked her why, and she gave the most interesting account of her life and her wishes for the goal of her service. She looked at me and then came the story of desires unfulfilled—she said, “Well, I have been teaching in this school for fifteen years but the dream of my heart all of my life — in fact, since a very small girl, was to go to the Bible Seminary in Costa Rica and prepare myself for missionary service.” I could not refrain from asking, “Well, why haven’t you gone if this desire is so strong in you and you feel that God has called you to prepare yourself to be a missionary?” — “I have but one (Continued on next page) 9
It was given by Paul in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians where he said, “For the love of Christ constrain- eth us: because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” Here we find the key, the motivating force, the reason for all Christian serv ice. We love Christ because He first loved us. Henceforth, we do not live to please ourselves, but to please Him— whatever that may cost! There are many of us on home soil, and on for eign soil, who do not know what this means; who have never discovered what has occurred in the depths of a soul that has done well in His sight. We were told in Sunday School that crossing the ocean never made a mis sionary. How true this is, but where did we get the idea that only those who cross the ocean are missionaries? It is true that Paul was a missionary in a traditional sense, but the Corin thians were not, and if this passage which Paul wrote them was to be their code of activity, their guiding light— they were new creatures in Christ and were henceforth to live completely for Him in every area of their lives. Well, how good a missionary am I? Inci dentally, how good a missionary are you? Linda of Guatemala. I saw a real mis sionary in Guatemala when I passed through enroute home. Her name was Linda. We had gone out quite far from the city of Guatemala to a small city called Antegua, one of the former cap itals of Guatemala. We went out from that city to a rare, small town of In dians. We were given to understand
Sentence Sermons "It is better to fill a little place right than a big place wrong." * "Give according to your income lest God make your income according to your giving." * " It is not how long you live but for whom you live that counts." * * * "What a nation does on Sunday determines what it is the rest of the week." CHR IST 'S LOVE (cont.) answer for there is but one reason; I am here and there is no one to take my place. I just cannot permit this school to fail because of my personal ambi tions.” Friends, you can imagine how I felt when I got this reply. Here was a girl who, all her life, wanted to prepare herself genuinely so she could be what, perhaps, our concept of a real mission ary is. She had given up her dreams. She had given up her ambitions. Here she was in a far away place where few will ever hear of her—perhaps never see her work, but God is using her in the lives of these boys and girls. Day in, day out, no money, no recognition. This is a personal sacrifice to serve Jesus Christ where He has called her, and she has gone gladly, giving up the great desire of her heart. This, l would say, is a real mission ary! * * * "It is better to appreciate things that you do not have than to have things that you do not appreciate." * * * *
That Shall Ye Also Reap We are told to cast our bread upon the waters, for they will return to us with the increase. It was a warm summer day, several decades ago, when a young medical student, selling books in a farming district, stopped at a home and the door was answered by a young girl in response to his knock. In the matter of purchasing books, she had to tell him—“My mother is a widow and we cannot afford to buy anything.” The student was thirsty and he asked if he might have a glass of wa ter before going on his way. The young girl graciously suggested that they had a quantity of cool, fresh milk if he would enjoy that. He of fered to pay for the kindness, but she said, “No, my mother has taught me that a Christian should be kind to strangers.” Years passed. One day a woman was brought into a private room of the hospital with attendant nurses. The patient was too ill to notice any one, but the chief surgeon had rec ognized her and took particular in terest in the case. Weeks passed. One morning the nurse said, “You are going home to morrow.” Of course the woman was happy, but it was obvious that some thing was burdening her. Finally she turned to the nurse and said, “My bill, will you get it—it must be very large.” When she noticed the stag gering amount she wept. “How can I ever be able to pay it?” Then she looked down the lines as the services rendered were listed. A t the bottom of the bill she read the notation, “Paid in fu ll by a glass of milk.” The Lord Jesus says that when we offer a cup of cold water in His name He will honor it. Kindness is not a sign of weakness, it is proof that, as a Christian, our desire is to give a vital and living testimony for Christ. 10
"When giving someone a 'piece of your mind,' make certain you haven't lost your own peace of mind."
"It is only when we have learned to 'stand still' that we are able to effectually 'go forward.' "
Be Still and Know "Be still, and know that I am God"— Not that the trials will cease, Not that the crooked will be straight, Or chaos turn to peace; Not these. It may, or may not, be Within His blessed will To change the circumstances; but, heart, "Be still," He says, "Be still." Be still and know that He is God. For pathways steep and rough, Not what He brings, but what He is Will always be enough. — Helen Frazee-Bower "What Matters?" It matters not if I've been hurt; It matters not at all That sometimes from my weary eyes The scalding teardrops fall. What matters most— is if I've erred And not confessed the sin And through my lack some needy soul Has failed to follow Him. It matters not if cherished friends; On whom I leaned in vain Have wounded me by word and deed And left me with my pain. What matters is— can I forgive Again, and yet again? It's not, "Have they been true?" but, "Lord Have I been true to them?" 'Twill matter not when evening comes; How rough the road I've trod, If only 1 have walked with Him And led some soul to God!
"C R IT IC ISM — Constructive or Caustic?
Have you ever met anyone who was always caustically critical? One day after John Wesley had closed his sermon, a woman came up to him to complain about the length of the strings on his bow tie . . . so familiar in those days. She had heard nothing of his sermon; of his tie she commented that it was en tirely too long and was an evidence of worldliness to her. There was a pair of scissors underneath the Bible in the hold of the lectern, and see ing them, Wesley gave them to her and said, “Now trim off the ends to suit yourself.” As she trimmed off the ends she sighed the comment — “Now that’s much better.” Wesley smiled and r e p l i e d , “Would you mind letting me have the scissors and sticking out your tongue for me—it appears to be en tirely too long. I would like to cut it down to proper size.” Whether Mr. Wesley was right or wrong, I am afraid the Lord needs to do a little trimming on most of our tongues from time to time. Let our words today be words, not of criticism, but of kindness, accept able in the sight of the Lard.
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"The Lord's presence is never so sweet as in moments of appalling diffi culty."
BIBLE STUDY NOTES FROM TUESDAY-THURSDAY PROGRAMS
JOHN: copestone o f the gospels
I d o n o t know of any book in the Bible that is used so much to lead souls to Christ as their Saviour, as the Gospel of John, unless, of course, it be Romans or Ephesians. Perhaps there are twenty great verses in this book that can be used by individuals in lead ing another to the Saviour. If God will make clear to us that this is the book we are to use, enlarging our knowledge of it as we go along, then, it may be that we shall have the great joy of leading more to know the Lord than ever before through the study of this, the copestone of the Gospels. Let us ask the Lord, as we dip into its truth, that it be given deep lodg ment in our hearts and increase our use of it to the effective leading of others into the knowledge and fellow ship of Christ. The purpose ef the Book of John— as we shall see in a verse at the end of the book — is to prove that the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. The great truth of the Book of John is that God sent His own Son into the world to die, that men might be saved simply by believing on Him. This Gospel of John differs from the other three Gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gos pels — that is, in each of the three there is given a part (as the author was led by the Holy Spirit to write it) of the birth, childhood, and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. But John makes no attempt to give us the life of Christ. Dr. Edward Drew says, “John seems to keep us always in the heavens. When you follow Matthew, Mark, and Luke you are down among men, and you see the Son of God toiling as a man, toiling with Israel. But when you read the Book of John you do not feel you are
among men; somehow you feel you are away off in the heavens observing Christ, God’s Son. You feel that you are an eagle soaring in the heavens and that God has given you an eye so strong, you can go into the very full ness and brightness of the sun at noon day, because this must be done to see Christ in the Book of John.” Note how the Book begins: John 1:1,2— “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with Godr But first I want you to see a comparison of the beginning of the Book of John with that of Matthew, which Book opens the New Testament. Matthew 1:1 — “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham .” Now as a Gentile, that may not mean anything to you, unless you are a sound Bible student. But, a strict Orthodox Jew, of old European stock, who under stands God’s Covenant with Abraham and with David, will immediately see sense in the first verse of Matthew. Verse one of the Book, gives you the clue to the purpose of its writing, for the first sixteen verses contain the genealogy of Christ and Matthew is here proving that He is the Messiah of Israel. Mark's plan is to show that Christ is the mighty Servant of Jehovah. We see that Christ came to subject Himself to the will of the Father and to do the work which His Father had sent Him to do. Mark 1:1-4— “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the proph ets, Behold, 1 send my messenger
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Jesus and learned, undoubtedly, the manner of His birth in detail and set down the record.” Then the second reference, in which Luke starts with Zacharias: Luke 1:5— “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a cer tain priest named Z-acharias . . .” Luke begins with the announcement to Zacharias that John the Baptist would be bom, then he tells of the birth of Christ with relative facts. Let us set down the Synoptics in review: 1— Matthew begins with Abraham; his purpose is to prove the Messiahship of Christ through genealogy. 2— Mark begins with John the Baptist, the Forerunner of Christ. Mark’s purpose is to show Christ to be the mighty worker—His miracles etc. 3— Luke begins with an announcement of Christ the man; his purpose—to show Christ’s humanity. It is Luke who tells of the Prodigal Son; The Rich Man and Lazarus, and human matters of that kind, to show Jesus personally in touch with men. This is not so with John. We shall return to Chapter 1: John 1:18— “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” Christ is the Son of God. He came from the bosom of God and went back to the bosom of the Father as the Eternal One. So John goes back far beyond Gen esis. Genesis goes back to creation; John goes back before creation, and, if he is to show you Christ as Deity, he must go back before creation. Christ was not created. He was al ways in existence. There was a time when the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three persons in one, dwelt in infinite bliss alone. When God had not created anything, then it was that the Son was in the bosom of the Father! He was plucked from the bosom of God and given to us to be cursed, hated, and slain—an offering for our sin! 13
before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Pre pare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness . . .” Mark is showing Christ as the mighty worker, but he (Mark) must initiate his teaching with the ministry of John the Baptist who was heralded as the Forerunner—he also baptized Christ. It is of interest that Christ was thirty years of age before He performed mir acles. Now we want to run a comparison with Luke, and to do so we must look at two references—First: Luke 1:1,2—“ Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the be ginning w e r e eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;” We draw from Dr. Edward Drew again as we quote “Luke is writing down all he learned from eyewitnesses. Perhaps he tried to find some of the shepherds . . . who heard and saw the heavenly host, and he went to the mother of
Dr. Lloyd T. Anderson, Bible Teacher, Pastor , Bethany Baptist Church , West Covinay California
APRIL SUMM A RY MESSAGE TbeMenace of Comninism by A l Sanders I n o u r messages for March, we spent a great deal of time in the discus sion of Communism and the insidious threat it is to the very moral fiber and spiritual foundation of our nation. To day, we want to summarize the sub stance of this vast force which already holds in its sway nearly half of the world’s population. Communism is the “worship of the collective power of man in place of the worship of God.” Communism is the materialistic, man-centered religion of this 20th Century. At its heart is the idea of the “chosen people” — the proletariat. Communism believes that, after it wins its struggle with capitalism, the proletariat will establish a paradise on the earth that will be both just and prosperous. Nei ther of these ideals, however, have yet been established in nations which have been ground under the Red heel of de feat. B e c a u s e of its man-centeredness, Communism means man-worship. It is atheistic at its core. It has no place for God. It regards history as following a rigid, scientific, predetermined pattern moving toward the establishment of socialism throughout the world. • “Not that there is no God, but men everywhere must be made to cease be lieving in Him” ■— thus reads official policy. Wherever communists gain civil authority over men they begin to reveal this hostility. In countries controlled by Commu nist power, the message of the Church has been devitalized, its life muzzled and its outreach terminated. No longer does it have its former place of power and prestige. It is barely tolerated. At
a future date, by authoritative decree, it may be completely obliterated. In fact, this has already happened to a large degree in rural China. A few urban churches are permitted to exist— doubtless for propaganda purposes—but by all reports the organized church in China has virtually ceased to be a spir itual power in the land. It has been penerated, captured and defiled. Obviously Satan is behind the move ment. It is ever his will that “the spirit of error” dominate the minds of men. Communism is a most cleverly devised weapon in his age-long conflict with God. And its emergence at this hour in history is most significant, especially in the light of prophecy. We become so preoccupied with Communism and communists, however that we may tend to forget that Satan himself is our great adversary. Nowhere does Scripture call upon Christians to embark upon a crusade against the people, but rather against sin. And Communism is “the big lie.” Some church men have foolishly attempted an ideological compromise with Communism, as we discussed sev eral broadcasts ago, but neither Biblical Christianity nor Marxian Communism would permit such fool-hardy action. We must never compromise the truth in Scripture. We said a moment ago that Communism holds in its sway nearly one half of the world’s popula tion. But remember, there are many of these who are not sympathetic — they just do not have any choice. In Soviet Russia, right now, it is estimated that three per cent are communists. Richard Arens, staff director of the Committee 14
brush fires or limited wars against our enemies, the Capitalist nations.” How about revolts, isn’t there some possibility here? Look at the uprising in Hungary for evidence. This was a demonstration to the world concerning the impotency of the free world in its present state of hypnotism; as well as the fact that other satellites have seen the impossibility of such revolt. Here in our country, the insidious work of the Communist Party contin ues. Front groups stir up public feeling, and sway unthinking students and youth groups to foolish actions. Our government reports on the accomplish ments of but one of the more than 200 communist front groups which have been so labeled in this nation by the FBI. Listen to the record of their achievements, right here in America; “Printed 142 memorandums and 98 leaflets; sponsored and initiated 62 radio programs, 19 on a network basis with nationally prominent speakers; provid ed speakers for 412 meetings of organi zations and groups; produced special material which served as a basis for 14 articles in nationally circulated maga zines; special services to newspaper editors, columnists, and radio commen tators; sponsored eight national and 27 regional conferences on general as well as specific topics, testified in 26 hearings before committees of the United States Congress as well as before many local legislative bodies.” And that, my friend, is the work of but one front organiza tion, guided by those who consider themselves citizens of our land, an indi cation of the Menace of Communism, the world’s greatest conspiracy. Lest our time get away from us to day, may I say that in addition to these messages for the month, as well as for the last, there are so many other help ful printed materials on the subject of Communism. I wish we had time to read the list, or of going further into the subject. I only pray that we have created in your heart a sense of the urgency of the hour in which we live. (Continued on next page) 15
on Un-American Activities, U n i t e d States House of Representatives, stated: “In a conversation which we held with the President-in-Exile of Estonia, the communists are holding the people in a vice-like grip. In Estonia the Reds are estimated at about one per cent. In Red China, a hard core of 10,000 commu nists spearheaded the take-over of that teeming aggregation of millions.” This fact, you see, leads to the danger of the system. A few key businessmen, some outstanding youth leaders, several respected ministers, and the Party has a hard core force with which to ac complish their evil purposes. Don’t for get that the one trait which the com munist has as a special feature of his make-up is lying, and doing it so con vincingly, that the average person would be completely swayed and fooled. Of the 86 nations of the world, only one, the United States stands as a formid able fortress against the massive ele ment and bulwark of Communism. Let us not deceive ourselves, however. We have been at war with the commu nists for years, a war which has resulted in a loss of billions of dollars from our treasury, with a staggering national debt that makes the minds of even world bankers reel. This war has cost us the blood of our youth, as a total war, a political, war, an economic war, a psychological war, a global war; and a war which they, the communists, not we, have been winning at an alarming rate. When General Albert C. Wedemeyer, Chief of Strategic Planners for World War Two was asked his appraisal of the communist time-table for world conquest and domination, he responded soberly, “Sir, in my humble opinion and judgement, it is already too late.” He went on to declare, “I am not a complete pessimist, however, but I have to say it is very, very late. If I were the senior advisor for the Soviet hierarchy, I would tell Mr. Khrushchev, ‘Continue to do exactly what you are doing now. Do not involve the Soviet Union in ma jor wars, but employ the satellites in
youth will decide the entire struggle of humanity, between these two massive forces which can never be resolved in compromise. As we said at the start, it is a fight—not with men, but with our adversary the Devil, for it is he who is behind all of the evil and Satanic phi losophies of the Communist govern ment. We endeavor to let our students know of the unfortunate fact how that many youth and student groups right here in our nation can be so easily vic timized and exploited by the Reds. Now, the reason for this series over the air has been to point out that we must be aware of what is going on if we are ever to do anything about the men ace. A friend of mine was told that his wife had cancer. Do you suppose that he tried to shut the doctor up, to tell himself, as well as his wife, that the condition did not exist? Or was he so afraid of the subject that he didn’t speak a word about it? No, of course not. He did the only thing any loving husband would do. The best medical advice was sought. Every possible care was given to the loved one. The cure for the dis ease is based upon knowledge not fear. For those of us on the radio staff, it is our urgent prayer, as we have presented this series of messages over the air, and xlow draw them to a close, that you have been made more aware of the in sidious Red menace in our nation. Let us pray for our President, for men in authority, for our youth, and that we ourselves may give a ready witness for Christ each opportunity which presents itself. All the while remembering the words of Almighty God, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
MENACE OF CO M M U N ISM (cont.) You may be but one voice, but your testimony for Christ and the right can be heard as you pray to God, and live for Christ, according to His blessed Word. As one pertinent suggestion, however, may I state that if you want some excellent materials on this subject, you can get a complete listing from our Government Printing Office in Wash ington, D.C. They have a special bul letin which is available, free, listing 56 informative publications on Commu nism. You can get a copy by writing directly to the Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C. Especially if you work with youth in the church or Sunday School you’ll want this ex cellent help. May I also point out that it is be cause of the growing menace of Com munism that we feel our task here at Biola must be urgently pushed forward with all speed and gravity. The primary target of the Reds is our American youth; of this there can be no mistake. Here in the four schools of Biola, we are training nearly 1,000 young men and women each year, who are not only thoroughly grounded in the Word of God, but also who know and love the principles for which this nation stands, and upon which it was founded. Fre quently, you will hear testimonies by these young people who say, “I am going to be teaching in a school.” Some have written, “Why don’t all of your young people go to the foreign field.” Actually, a large percentage of them do go, but still, we have the great respon sibility here in our nation to train god- ■ly men and women to teach the boys and girls of our land. For if the founda tions be destroyed, what can the right eous do? I trust you will pray more earnestly, with the understanding of the work, for the young people who are now in training here at the four schools of the Bible Institute Hour, Los An geles. The Leninist principle has been that
"The blood that 1 makes you a friend to God, makes you a foe to sin."
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MONTHLY PRAYER MESSAGE
ENERGli from GOD If
by Rev. Thomas E. Steele
He who lu s charge of planets is mind fu l sti'.l of me; Though I cm weak and sinful, He heeds my fa ntest plea From scenes of radiant splendor He notes one crimson drop, Of my hearts lonely bleeding, the choiring angels stop, And gaze, all lost in wonder, as He, the undefiled, Stoops low in love to succour His sinful, suffering child . . . T h u s M a r t h a Snell Nicholson, the late beloved poetess, describes her experiences with God in Prayer. It is time again to consider this won derful and yet unfathomable subject of PRAYER. I never cease to wonder that the Mighty God who flung the universe into existence can be sensitive to the weakest cry of an errant child. And yet, God’s Word plainly teaches that He does hear our faintest cry, that He senses our smallest need, bears with our most intimate burdens, and shares our tears. I submit to you t h a t , while prayer is one of the greatest mys teries in the Word of God; one of the most profound doctrines; yet, it is simple enough for a tiny child to grasp and experience. A little girl recently received a new rain coat. Being eager to wear it, she listened intently to the daily weather reports given over the radio. When it was reported that there was a possibil ity of rain, she would carefully lay out the new rain coat so that she could put it on at the first drop of moisture from
the sky. After several days of disap pointment, she became quite discour aged. But remembering what her Sun day School teacher had recently taught them concerning prayer, she went to her room and prayed that the Lord would allow it to rain so that she might wear her new raincoat. The next morn ing when the hour arrived for her to go to school, she quietly put on her rain coat, gathered her books and lunch, and started for the door. The mother, inter ested in the developments which had transpired, asked her why she was wear ing her raincoat when it wasn’t raining outside. “I know, Mother,” said the little girl, “but the Lord’s going to make it rain.” “Why, Dear,” replied the mother, “how do you know that the Lord is go ing to make it rain?” “Because I asked Him to and my Sunday School teacher told me that whatever we ask in His name, He will do it for us.” To the mother’s relief and surprise, when the little girl opened the door and moved out into the yard, a light rain began to beat gently down. Calling back to her mother, the little girl cried, “Look, Mother, Jesus answered my prayer. Why, it’s raining just for me!” She went singing off to school com pletely delighted in the conviction that God, in response to her prayer, had brought the rain. Someone has likened prayer to the switch at a mighty power plant releas ing at a touch, all of the reservoir of (Continued on next page) i7
His children. Such a provision requires the genius of Deity for it must be in accord with His foreknowledge, and with His unchangeableness. There must be a way whereby the God of the Uni verse attends to the desires and needs of a finite being, and at the same time does not violate His own nature. This is the mystery of the mind of God and the mechanics of prayer. We cannot understand, much less explain, the de tails of how God brings this to pass. But we can turn the switch through humble, believing, trusting, yielding prayer and Some of us stay at the Cross, Some of us wait at the tomb, Quickened and raised together with Christ, Yet lingering still in its gloom. Some of us bide at the passover feast With Pentecost all unknown; The triumphs of grace in the Heaven ly Place That our Lord has made our own. If the Christ who died had stopped at the Cross, His work had been incomplete; If the Christ who was buried had stayed in the tomb, He had only known defeat. But the way of the Cross never stops at the Cross, And the way of the tomb leads on To victorious grace in the Heavenly Place, Where the risen Lord has gone! — Annie Johnson Flint thus receive everything that God in in finite concern and love has promised. The key is simple faith. Faith like the little girl who so simply prayed and then believed that God would do what she had asked. Faith was the key to Elijah’s success in prayer. James wrote concerning him, “he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, 18 "Victorious Grace in the Heavenly Place"
ENERGY FROM GOD (cont.) power and energy contained. When we lived in Northern California I used to marvel at the mighty Shasta Dam, third largest dam in the world, which pro vides electrical power and irrigation water for the great Central Valley of California. There, tons of water are channeled through huge tubes large enough for a Greyhound bus to pass through, and are brought to bear on the mammoth generators which produce the power. Through a series of transformers the electrical energy is reduced so that it can be transmitted over high tension wires to points of distribution. Massive electronically operated switches regulate the flow and distribution of the electrical energy to the points of need. A single switch can control the entire operation. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? And yet, it is so highly complex that college trained engineers were required to design and maintain the installation. I am not sure that most of our listen ers are acquainted with the fact that the Bible Institute of Los Angeles owns and operates a full time radio station here in Los Angeles. Those of us who are privileged to have a part in its operation were intrigued and amazed at the ex tremely complicated equipment which is required. Electronic engineers with many years of technical training spent many days installing a powerful trans mitter that beams out the program. But the amazing thing is that with all the skill and scientific knowl edge required to design and construct such a radio station, the transmitter cap be operated, if needed, from many miles distance through the very simple turning of a switch. The trans mitter has been so designed that an individual who has had no training in electronics can operate it. I believe that this illustrates the dual mystery of prayer. God, in infinite wis dom and tender mercy, has provided a means whereby all of the tremendous resources of His omnipotence can be brought to bear on the daily needs of
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