THE K I NG ' S BUS I NES S
January, 1942
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the boy were found in the ashes of the building. I knew the boy; he was my play mate in school. Yes, the father had his eyes opened. He repented, and returned to the Lord Jesus in great agony of sorrow and confession of sin. But what a price he had to pay, and what a price his wife had to pay, and his son! The Lord Jesus paid a tremendous price that we all might return to Him. But yet so many are willing to stay far from Him. Some of us are just wait ing till a great calamity overtake us to bring us back. Your doubts, your selfishness, your p r i d e — are they standing between you and the most blessed fellowship with the Lord Jesus? You say, “I have not forgotten Him.” You can’t forget Him. That father did not forget the Lord; he just allowed sin to come in between. He'allowed self, the world, pleasures, and pride to come in between him and his Christ. Then he began to hate; he hated his wife and son because
one time he did. I am sure that some day he will again; we must pray for him more than we have.” They went to their knees then and prayed. They did not know that the father had crept in very, silently to listen to their conversation; he almost hoped to hear them speak hard words of Condemnation of him. As they prayed, the mother said, “Lord, open his eyes that he may again see the beauties of Thy face.” The father heard the prayer, and in great wrath rushed upon the two, striking them both with his fist. As he turned upon the son, the mother ran to the neighbor’s house for help. In the meantime the boy ran from the father and crawled under a bed. There was a small kerosene lamp on the table; the father grabbed the lamp and threw it at the boy; the. glass broke, the oil covered the floor and the boy’s clothes, and he was covered with flames. The father rushed to safety, but the house burned down. Next morning the charred remains of
God’s relationship swith men are hid den in mystery; he who would tear the curtains of mystery apart *can never hope tp enter. Sin need not be- coarse, flagrant sin. before it 'can keep us from the finest relationship with God. Even with the most ex treme culture and refinement one can isolate himself from k n o w i n g the riches of grace and truth in the ^Lord Jesus Christ. Many Christians have never had an experience of those deeper things that come with a close intimacy with the Lord Jesus. Some have known it and lost it by allowing sin to intrude. It may not have been gross, immoral Sin; it may have been the sin of doubt, the sin of pride, the sin of neglect of prayer and of reverent study of God’s Word. It may have been jealousy of others; it may have been a desire for the things of the world. But it has dulled the edge of perception and of enjoyment of the finest aspects of our fellowship with Him. There is a mystery that protects the deeper things of the spirit from prying eyes. Formality, preciseness in quoting creeds, regularity in attend ing church, such will not open these mysteries» Doubt of the truth of the Word of God will surely-close them the more tightly. The Lord Jesus never stoops to defend Himself before the doubting Christian; He never flatters to win him. He stands on His own truth and righteousness, shows. His love to all without favoritism. Each one may step into the experience of the .richest, closest, most wonderfully satisfying knowledge of the grace of God, if we draw nigh in humble trust and obedience. Our approach to God must be rev erent. The sweet incpnse of His Word will not exude its fragrance to rough handling; the gold of-His truth will not be* revealed to‘ those who delight in the glitter of cheap tinsel; the wisdom of the Spirit will not be com municated to the sophisticated. He who excuses sin in his own life is blind to the inexpressible beauty of God’s holiness. Unhallowed lips utter unheard prayers. The curtain of mys tery excludes even those of God’s own children who presume to tramp heav ily into the holiest place. j i . ; ", One evening the mother and her .son were again enjoying an evening of sweet fellowship. The lad had just been playing an improvised piece that he called “Roses in the Candle light.” After the music, the.boy turned to the mother and exclaimed, “Mother, would it not be wonderful if Father could enjoy these evenings^with us!” The mother replied, “Yes, lad; at
T h e P ow e r of Id e a s By A . W . TOZER* Chicago, Illinois
up activity in the dissemination of Christian truth. In the last an alysis, this will be found to be of eiten greater service to our coun try than defense measures of a military or economic nature—vital and necessary as these are—for it will be creating strength where it is most needed, in the characters of our people. THE KING'S BUSINESS is hav ing a large ministry in this work of spreading truth and exposing the hearts of many to the trans forming power of redemptive ideas. I rate it a top-flight jour nal, well edited, well written, and true to the faith. Such magazines are too few and their circulation too small. A battered, bleeding world needs their healing min istry in increased degree.
The power of simple ideas to change the lives of whole popula tions is dramatically illustrated today in Europe and Asia. It is being revealed that ideas are more powerful than t anks or bombs or torpedoes. Populations are like clay await ing the seal. They will ultimate ly be, in a large degree, what their beliefs are. The power of ideas to change beliefs, and fi nally conduct, is almost beyond conceiving. The world knows this. The church seems to have forgotten it. If we are wise these days, we will publish the truth; we will at tack more and more minds with the power of divinely inspired ideas. The times call for stepped-
'Minister, Christian and Missionary Alliance Tabernacle,
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