September, 1940
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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of the midnight sky. That wonderful, far procession of fire-bright stars and planets forever moving on in solemn stillness does preach a message to man kind. It is the message of the Lord’s “eternal power and Godhead” (Rom. l:20h It tells to men of the ages the story of boundless creative power,.but never once since the beginning of the world' has it whispered of redeeming love. That message had to come by divine revelation. It had to be proved in the blood and pain of Calvary before a wondering race could ever dream of its possibility. The ones who carry that message are not the mute dead bodies in the heavens above, but living men and women who have tasted of the grace of God and found it good. The stars afford a wealth of imagery and illustration, and they are referred to freely throughout the Bible, but he who would seek in their far depths for the gospel of Jesus Christ must be very foolish indeed, when the full, blazing light of the Word of God is within reach of his hand. The foregoing fads are only samples of the strange vagaries which have fol lowed the true Word of God. The re ligious faddist, like the poor, we have ‘always with us. The need for sound doc trine was never greater, “for there are many unruly and vgin talkers and de ceivers . . . Whose mouths must be stopped” (Tit. 1:10, 11). There ¿s one sure defense against these “vain talk ers.” That is to open one’s Bible,' smile, and say, “ Chapter and verse, please.” Then, if a passage of Scripture is quot ed, it must be compared with the rest of the Bible. Pads depend upon iso lated texts. They can never face the whole truth. In a recent letter to members of Biola’s World-Wide Prayer Circle, the Secretary, Christina ' J. Braskamp, re minded the group of their opportunity to pray for the spiritual ministry of Institute students during the vacation .months, as well as for supply of the school’s needs as the fall term ap proaches. For some of the students liv ing in Los Angeles, the project of reach ing the homes of the city by distribution of cellophane-wrapped tracts continues through the summer months. Many other students have been serving on gospel teams or in Daily Vacation Bible School or summer Bible conference work. Persons desiring to join the Prayer Circle may choose a definite weekly hour to pray for the Bible Insti- * * e of Los Angeles and may enroll by writing to Miss Braskamp at 558 S. Hope St., Los Angeles, Calif. Prayer Circle members are invited to send in also their own personal requests to be shared with others before the Throne of Grace. BIOLA’S WORLD-WIDE PRAYER CIRCLE
for light. The whole business is as fan* ciful as a fairy tale, and its arguments wholly untenable. Many former adher ents of the notion have since deserted it and aré pow painfully silent on the sub ject. The teaching is losing ground in strictly orthodox circles, but it is still doing yeoman service in the cause of another fad, Anglo-Israelism. The Anglo-Israelism Theory Anglo-Israelism also has received the apostolic approval of a few recognized teachers and has confused not a few of the children of God. This theory is just curious enough to be fascinating, and it contains enough truth to sound convincing^—if one does not read too far. The contention is that the ten lost tribes of Israel, some time after their deporta tion to Assyria, spread over the British Isles and parts of continental Europe under the names of Normans, Angles, Jutes, and Saxons. Thus the Anglo- Saxon nations of today aré said to be the Israel of Bible prophecy. Some im plications of the theory are: 1. That the Scriptural kingdom of God is Great Britain. 2. That the "stone . . . cut out of the mountain without hands” is Great Britain. 3. That the reign of Christ on earth will come through the conquest of the world by Great Britain. 4. That the important work of the church in this hour is to preach this "kingdom truth” and thus a c q u a i n t Great Britain (who for some reason seems very careless about the whole thing) with her noble origin and nobler destiny. I have noticed that non-Anglo-Saxons do not take to the theory .so avidly, which is not surprising; for if The theory were true, then a large portion of the white race would be in a class with the Hittites and the Amorites of antiquity. They would be just scrub stock without a pedigree. Real burnt-in-the-wood An glo-Saxons, however, receive a psycho logical lift from the idea. The Only flaw in it is that it*will not stand examina tion. Neither the Bible nor history sup ports it. Astrological Theories Another fad which props up here and there is the practice of attempting to deduct gospel _ truth from astrology. This writer is among those who will not agree to identify the Bible with astrol ogy—a thoroughly discredited pseudo science long abandoned by mature intel lects. The astrologers and stargazers of Isaiah’s time could not save Israel. God said of them, "They shall be as stubble; the fire shall bum them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame” (Isa. 47:13-15). Dare we, in these days, turn back to such vanities? The soul must be dead indeed which is not profoundly moved by the glory
Why Wait for The Draft? N
"Neither will I offer burnt offer- * ings unto the Lord, mg God of that which doth cost me nothing" (2 Sam. 24:24). # The soldiers of God’s army are all volunteers. God never drafts any one. But many a man who thought to rob God of the thank offering due to Him has found that God is not mocked—all the silver and gold are HIS (Hag. 2:8), and He levies where He will. But what a wealth of heart sat isfaction belongs to the man or woman who .VOLUNTEERS under the banner of the Lord Jesus Christ, to go into active service or to give that others may go! The following Is a true story: Bob F., a Biola graduate, and his wife, volunteered for foreign service as missionaries in the land of China where Bob was born. They could not pass the physical examination and were rejected by the mission board. They determined, then, that they would do all they could to spread the gospel by their gifts and prayers. Bob got a position as a chauffeur. He received the sum of twenty-five dollars weekly from which to support his wife, baby, and himself. What could they be expected to do from so meager an income? With a. valor and fortitude unsurpassed by those in the battle front, these good sol diers of Christ managed to live on the sum of $12.50 weekly. When the- challenge came for funds to open a new field in the heart of Africa, they gave the first ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS. Are you waiting to be DRAFT ED, Christian friend? ENLIST your every resource of time, strength, and money in the cause of getting the gospel out to the ends of the earth. The Bible In stitute of Los Angeles is expect ing in September a student body of over four hundred young men and women to whom we want to GIVE the preparation for active Christian ministry. Does God want YOU to help make this possible? Write: The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated, Elmer J. Peterson, Business Manager, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles, Calif.
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