AUGUST, 1946
HS)
YOUNG PEOPLE'S
TOPICS Dr. Walter* L. Wilson
SEPTEMBER 1, 1946 LOOKING A T EACH OTHER ’S PROBLEMS
2.
SPIRITUAL PROBLEMS ARE NOT
unfortunate conditions which may prevail in each life. Some people must be carried on the backs of others all their lives. They never seem to be self-sufficient. These friends need counsel concerning their own teach ing and training. We need to help them to learn a trade or a profession or to obtain work which they can handle. Others make unfortunate in vestments and need counsel in regard to the use of money. Some have never learned the art of saving. Let us be like Jotham who prepared his ways before the Lord (2 Chron. 27:6). SEPTEMBER 8, 1946 A LL heathen are alike in that they ^ enjoy sin, love religion, and hate the truth of God. There is no differ- ence in any country. Missionaries from every part of the world report the same conditions: namely, that the heathen love their sins and do not want to live godly lives. Even before the heathen know what is in the Bible they manifest a distinct hatred of all the moral code of the Bible, and despise right human relation ships. Their hearts are darkened by Satan. They think only of personal gain. In India, the whole thought of their religion is to placate an angry God and to beg for advice from their gods. There is no word of building a good character or of having gracious, unselfish relationships toward others. They love the darkness of unbelief and of ignorance. They resent and re fuse that which would lift them to higher standards. For Those Who Have Topics 1. WHAT DO THE INDIANS THINK OF CHRIST? 2 Cor. 10:5. Throughout India, the Lord Jesus Christ is considered only as a teacher of moral codes. He is not wanted as the Saviour of men, for they do not feel the need of the Saviour. He is not accepted as the virgin born Son of God because this would njake Him W H A T ARE YOUNG INDIANS TH INK ING ? R om . 15:1-4; I sa . 9:2
MATERIAL. Psa. 31:3. We must learn to distinguish be tween spiritual soul trouble and the cry of distressed nature. Many who find themselves in difficulty cry for relief for purely selfish purposes. We must remember that the Lord some times sends poverty, loss and un- happy experiences in order to accom plish certain ends in the human heart an(i life. We need to be in close fel lowship with God in order that we may not be found praying and de vising against His corrective will. ‘ The Lord maketh poor.” He knows that thereby He can better train the heart than by granting wealth. The Lord sometimes sends disease for the benefit of the' person. Let us remem ber in seeking to help others that all things God allows to happen have as their end the spiritual blessing of the person with whom God is dealing. 3. DOMESTIC PROBLEMS ARE DIF FERENT. Psa. 112:5. It is most difficult for an outsider to help in problems of the home. The approach must be made graciously and humbly. Remember always that there are two sides to every story. God offers many remedies for domestic difficulties. His instructions concern ing children and their relationship to the parents are very specific and clear. His counsel concerning hus bands. and wives io also quite plain and definite. Where there is a desire in the heart to please God and to have happiness in the home, the presenta tion of Bible teaching will be suf ficient. Peace will come where trouble has reigned. Joy will come where sorrow persisted. Troubles over fi nances, relatives, guests or physical arrangements will a l l be settled sweetly when the Christian comes with godly counsel from the Word. 4. FINANCIAL PROBLEMS DIFFER. Psa. 37:5, 16. The use and the abuse of money are a constant source of trouble. How many there are who need the help of others to adjust their financial af fairs! If we would help others in this matter, we must sympathetically con sider both the shortcomings and the
L uke 6:31, 37, 38; 1 C or . 12:12-26 rpHE problems which face us are summed up in two general classi fications: those which relate to our selves in our relationships to earth, and those which are concerned with our relationship to God and to the Christian life. The Christian has prob lems which do not occur in the lives of the unsaved, but there are many problems which affect both the Chris tian and the man oTthe world. In the Word of God, we find a full answer to every question and prob lem that may arise in any sphere. Let us not be guided by our own wits and wisdom. Let us be directed by the plain statements of the Scrip ture and then the problems will be blessedly solved. The leading of the Holy Spirit, the teaching of the Word of God, and the experiences of others are the three channels through which God’s answer comes to man’s per plexities. For Those Who Have Topics 1. CHRISTIAN PROBLEMS NEED GUIDANCE. Psa. 25:9. Christians are affected b y their background, environment, and teach ing. We cannot help another success fully unless we take into consider ation the training he has had and the conditions under which he has lived. We may learn by inquiry what the position of a friend has been, and thus bring out of the Scriptures the remedy especially adapted to his particular need. The background of a Lutheran is quite different from that of a Methodist. The life of a Baptist is not at all like that of an Episco palian. When we learn these facts, then we may look to the Holy Spirit to give us the needed knowledge, wisdom^and tact in h e l p i n g our friends solve their difficulties in God’s way. It is most essential that we learn the ambitions and desires of another if we would successfully fit the remedy to the case.
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