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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
September, 1940
Significance of the News By DAN GILBERT Washington, D. C., and San Diego, California
In the Sieve In a recent book, Charles J. Forcey says: “Peter was handed over to Sa tan to be sifted as wheat. That is a picture of the church as a whole in these days. She is being made ready for her coming Lord.” Certain it is that a sifting is going on. It has been truly said that “when the phurch can no longer produce the mir acle of conversion, it will lose its right to exist.” William Carey, faced with the dark millions of India, exclaimed: “What is there on earth worth living for, but the glory of God and the,salvation of souls?” The line is daily being drawn between those churches which cling to a New Testament program of soul-winning and the edifying of the saints, and those which cater to the world with classes on psychology and personality development. God has not changed His methods. The work of soul-winning stood aside until those men whom Jesus had trained were endued with power from on high. “Wait for the promise of the Father,” said our Lord, and though we do not now have to wait for the Spirit’s out pouring, it is certain that we have no power to do effective service for God apart from the infilling of the Spirit. Throughout the history of the church, inadequate men have always been do ing impossible things because this divine power came into their, lives. ' Modern leaders will have to learn all over again that there is no conquest of the world for God but by the Holy Ghost. Lectures on modern psychology bear no relation to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. It is disgusting to read of preachers who are teaching church members how to smile and rehearsing them in church services. Smiles never can take the place of the inner renovation of the Holy Spirit, the one means of discovering the joy of the Lord. Yes, the church is being sifted. Are YOU, dear reader, one of those who are drifting with the modern trend? Is your church one of those which is gradually giving in to the program for “the new age” ? May God give us courage to con tend earnestly for the faith once de livered! —Keith L. Brooks.
need to remember that the real issues of life are not determined at the ballot box. Political changes in administration cannot save us. America needs to get back to the Bible. Christians can exert more influence on their knees in prayer than all the politicians can exert even with the instruments of dictatorship at their disposal. The future of our nation rests with born-again believers. We have the key to the situation. By praying and by witnessing we can change the life of men and nations. We should take a reasonable interest in the affairs of citizenship, but let us remember that the only really effective Way to serve our country is to serve Christ. By winning men to Him, we help to build Christian character in the life of our people; we help to reinforce the real foundations of democracy. 1 “GANG-UP” OR GANG WAR: • For several years, there has been available in Washington, D. C., docu mentary evidence of the fact that Italy, Germany, Russia, and Japan have a definite plan for the dismemberment of the British and French empires, and for the division of the spoils among . themselves. Week by week, we see more evidences of the working of this system of "gang- up” on the rest of the world. But, also, there are some accumulating evidences of a break-up of the gang-uppers. There are well-tested axioms regarding “when thieves fall out—’’ In America, we know how gangsters turn on one another. Often a “gang- up” by gangsters against law and order is followed by a gang war among the gangsters themselves. The question is, will the dictators— especially Stalin and Hitler—fall to fighting among themselves before they complete the devastation of civilization? The event seems inevitable; only the time is in doubt. After Britain is con quered—if she is—Hitler and Stalin will . doubtless come to blows. But the rest lessness of the Russian despot and his [Co ntinued on Page 357]
AMERICA AT THE CROSSROADS: • An unprecedented volume of mail has recently descended upon this writer’s desk. These communications reveal a universal consciousness that a great crisis is confronting our country. The feeling is expressed that, truly, Amer ica is at the crossroads, and that, basi cally, these issues are moral and spirit ual. THE ISSUES DEFINED: • At the outset, I must say that I share this general feeling. There comes an hour of decision for every people. I believe that ours is approaching. Elec tions are symptomatic, rather than de terminative. In other words, the course of political events is the result of deeper movements. Extreme radicalism is sim ilar to a high temperature being run by an ill person. It indicates that some thing is wrong inside. All history shows that a people gets the kind of government that it de serves. A moral and spiritual decline is always the forerunner and cause of an economic or political collapse. Cor ruption comes to prevail in government in direct proportion to the degree that immorality prevails in the lives of the people. Lowered personal standards pro duce lowered public standards. What has come to be known as our system of “democracy”—justice, liberty, opportunity for all—rests upon the foundation of Christian character built into the lives of the people. The govern ment is as good—or as bad—as the people are. It is an expression of them. An election really determines very little—It simply records what already has been determined. It is something like a census, The census does not cause people to be born. It simply re cords how many have been bom', as against how many have died, since the last one was taken. An election, of it self, does not produce an administration of righteousness or unrighteousness; it shows how the people, individually, have declared themselves. THE FUTURE: • Regardless of the outcome of the coming Presidential election, Christians
CHURCH OF THE OPEN DOOR CELEBRATES SILVER ANNIVERSARY September 15 to 22
ers at the strong program planned for this week of meetings. Sessions are to be held in the auditoriums o f the church, at Sixth and Hope Streets, Los Angeles. Detailed plans may be secured from the church.
The committee on arrangements for the Silver Anniversary of the Church of the Open Door invites all friends o f the church and o f the Bible Institute of Los Angeles to hear internationally known speak
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