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( ( We Cry Unto Thee For H elp”
Seventeen sick and wounded, and a crew of six, in an army transport plane crash-landed on a coral reef, the water waist-high in the shattered cabin. For four days, in thirst, hun ger and pain, they waited for a rescue that might never come. On the fifth long day of waiting, a nineteen-year- old boy, sick with malaria and with wounds in his side and back, remem bered it was Sunday. Church services were being held back home. There in the lone Pacific, they too held service. “ Oh most powerful and glorious Lord God,” they prayed, “we cry un to Thee for help.” Before another Sunday, help did come. You may not be able to shoulder a gun. You may not have to share with our boys the terrible hardships of bat tle. But there is one thing you can do.
You can see to it that, through the American Bible Society, the W ord of God is made available to our Armed Forces wherever they are, so that sometime, somewhere in the jungle or desert, those boys of ours— facing the supreme test of their courage— may find comfort, strength, and perhaps deliverance. And for the future— remember, when you buy an American Bible So ciety Annuity Agreement, your money will not only help further the work of distributing the Bible and New Testaments to the young men of all race's and of all lands in years to come, at the same time you receive as high as 7 % returns. Do not fail! In vestigate this Plan at once! Send for the booklet “ A G ift That Lives.”
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by her granddaughter, Emm; Moody Powell. Only biography o the life associate of D. L. Moody evangelist and founder of school Reveals Mrs. Moody’s share ii the destiny of her era. The a thor had access to diaries, let tors, intimate family records a photographs never before use 343 pp. $2.00
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January, 1944
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GOD REVEALS IT, STALIN KNOWS IT, HITLER DOES IT! WHERE DO YOU STAND? We mean God’s irrevocable in structions with regard to world missions—“To the Jew First.” The devil believes this, brother, and together with Hitler, prac tices it! For has not tha Jew been always first in every ex plosion of world hate? Is it not upon the Jew that the devil has ever concentrated his fiercest fires? When the Pharaohs sought, slave labor for the rearing of their pyramids, “To the Jew First” was the passion which possessed their wicked souls. “To the Jew First” likewise possessed the soul and body of such an arch fiend as Hamah. Callous indeed must he be who in the face of an Israel going through such hellish agony as she has never, known in all her long dark years of torture, w ill: s t i l l deny the gospel ministry “To the Jew First!” If the world has -put the Jew first in its scheme of hate and destruction, then in the name of all justice where should the Church put the Jew in her scheme of love and gospel ministry? Ever eternally fixed, whether you accept it or not, dear reader, stands God’s order, “To the Jew First!” We are astride the world, at grips with the most gigantic tasks that ever a Jewish Mission . Society faced. If ever the Mace donian cry needed to be shouted out, it is now. In our own coun try, across the seven seas, in the lands of Nazi oppression, in the land of Arab hate, almost wher ever the sun shines, this Mission of yours is trumpeting the call to the last remnant of Israel for the final shout which we all await with bated breath. Your fellowship in this God- given task w ill prove rich be yond compare. “THE CHOSEN PEOPLE” Moved by Bible stu dents for its helpful information on Prophecy and the Jews, is sent to contributors. MAY WE HEAR ,FROM YOU? AMERICAN BOARD OF MISSIONS TO THE JEWS. INC. 31 Throop Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y. Here is my offering, $................ “To the Jew First.” May the Lord bless this gift for Israel’s salvation. • Name..... ................................ :___ Street........,________ ____________ _ City----------------....State...............
The Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Inc. "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood'* (Rev. 1:5). THE KING'S BUSINESS Cover Photograph by H . Armstrong Roberts When God Saved the Brewer’s Boy — Louis T . Talbot as told to Mildred M . Cook. ................................. ..................................... . 3 Current ' Business — Editorial ;_________ _______________________ ________ 5 Behind the News — Dan Gilbert ........:................~..... ...... ........ ......... . 5 Christian Service Among Servicemen — Erick E. Paulson ................... » 6 The Neglected Miracle— E. Schuyler English.... ................................. 8 The Pneumonia Patient with “ Heart” Trouble— Captain Philip B. Marquart ......... .......................... ...... .................H Dr. Talbot’s Question Box......................... ......................................... 13 Bible Institute Family Circle................. .................... ......................... 14 Junior King’s Business —Martha S. Hooker...... .................. 1................ 15 International Lesson. Commentary............. ......... ....... .......... .... ;......... 18 Notes on Christian Endeavor — Herbert G. Tovey, Lester E. Huberj Hyman Appelman, Jitsuo Morikawa ...................................... ...... 26 Daily Devotional Readings...!________ ._____________ _____ _____________ 31 Our Literature Table...................................... ........... ..... ................. 36 SUBSCRIPTION UNIFORMATION — “ The King’s Business” is •published monthly: $1.00, one yr.; $1.50, two yrs.; 50 cents, six months; 10 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. Write for details. Canadian and for eign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of ad dress to- become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. REMITTANCE —Payable in advance, should be made by bank draft, express or post office money order payable to “ The King’s Business.” Date of expiration will show plainly on outside wrapper or cover of magazine.. ADVERTISING —For information, address the Advertising Manager, 558 South # Hope Street, Los Angeles 13, Calif., or our eastern representative, Religious Press Association, 51 No. 52nd St., Philadelphia, Pa. MANUSCRIPTS— “ The King’s Business” cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts sent in for consideration. Entered as second-class matter November 7, 1938, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in the Act of February 28. 1925. embodied in paragraph 4, section 538, P. L. and R., authorized October 1, 1918, and November 13, 1938. % ADDRESS: The King’s Business, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 13, Calif. LOUIS T. TALBOT, Editor-In-Chief MILDRED M. COOK, Managing Editor RANSOM D. MARVIN, Staff Artist.
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
S CARCELY A W EEK passes but that some one comes to me and says: “Mr. Talbot, I just can’t stand it— having our home broken up like this!” Sometimes the cruel circumstances of war reach into the family circle. At other times, it is supposed incompatibility in in dividuals that forms a widening wedge. Not infrequently it is the persistent refusal of one to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, that causes heartache. Over and over there is the echo of the old song:
impelled to allow to be written— as a testi mony to the grace of God— the record of divine dealing in my own life and family. In our Australian home there were my parents and eight of us children. In His mercy, God saved every one of us— in some instances under circumstances that seemed moit unlikely from a human point of view. I here bear witness to the truth of Acts 16:31: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, A N D THY HOUSE.” ' In the accompanying narrative, there is nothing of which I can feel proud; there is much that mortifies me. But, like Paul in Acts 26, I have testified of personal mat ters with one purpose alone: to set forth the matchless grace and power of our re deeming Lord.
■W ill the circle be unbroken, By and by?
As a pastor, I have sought to bring light and comfort from the Word of God to these needy souls, and as I have done so, the Author of the Book has spoken to my own heart. Almost against my will, 1 have been
s
January, 1944
Are you a parent, often wearied and outwitted by some smart èhild? Are you a teacher of lively boys and girls? Here is encouragement; for the grace of God is just the same in 1944 as in that earlier dav—
♦ When God Saved the Brewer's Boy By LOUIS T. TALBOT as told to MILDRED M. COOK
Chapter I.
f
S O N ”—M Y F A T H E R eyed me Sharply, “ did you have anything to do with what happened at the church tonight?” To my teen-aged mind, this discern ment was uncanny. I wondered how he knew, so quickly and so well. Had he been there, watching from some van tage point the family pew in this sub stantial old church in the Sydney of forty years ago? Had he, by some means, seen the interest of one small boy shift suddenly to the flickering- gas jets that illuminated the build ing? Did he know about the uncon trollable curiosity to find out “ how it works” ?. If so, he had seen a lithe figure slip unobserved beneath the pews, emerge in the vestibule where the gas meter was kept, turn off the
this tattling he laid himself open to the punishment that Father promptly gave to each of us. I have come to feel that the advice my father gave me that night was a revelation of his own character—©f the strength of honesty and truth and fair dealing that was so highly de veloped in him. He used to say that He lived by the Golden Rule, and in all the years of my experience, I never have known any other man who has come so near to attaining that high standard as he did. But it was not until near the close of his life that he
gas, and creep back to sit piously with the others before the lights dimmed and went out. Father did not often go to church; eight young Talbots and their mother went regularly. But father seemed to know all about the consternation that had followed the scene. He repeated his question to me: “Did you have anything to do with this mis chief? Because, if you did, you must confess it, son. No good ever «comes from covering up what is wrong.” The words meant.little to me then; so little, in fact, that I did not answer. My younger brother, aware of what had taken place, and unsure (as he had a right to be) of my loyalty in shielding him, confessed for me. By
Copyright 19iS. Mildred M. Cook.
“My mother knew the v a l u e of suspense. ‘Some day — I’ll tell you,’ she said softly.”
Left: Louis T. Talbot as he appears today.
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•
Above the din, a mother hears God’s melody •
- having taken orders for liquor all day, ' companionship, for she and my father my mother would come up to the big were devoted to each other and he room on the second floor of our home, gave her every consideration. Nor was which I shared with two b r o t h e r s , she in need of diversion, for we chil- Sometimes I would be propped up in dren were unpredictable in our antics bed, reading a cheap, exciting story, and we kept the place in an excited Sometimes the gas jet would be turned .turmoil all the time. Her natural off and the room in darkness when I placidness, her sense of humor, and would hear a familiar tapping at the her penetration into human nature en- door. I remember now the feelings that abled her to enjoy her family to the always arose within, me at the sound fullest extent. She was happy in the of her coming—the sense of deep love work of the church, but still there was and respect for her. a spiritual'aspect in her life in which v , , , ... „ she must have felt solitary and with- “ Louis?” she would say softly, and ,jrawn a .mere slip of a girl, she had come physical standards, she was a frail to love my father. She cared for him woman, but shq had an inner beauty so much that she left England for that gave her great spiritual strength. Australia, and married him on the day Often she would sit on the edge of of her arrival t h e r e . In the home my bed or m o v e about the r o o m church, she had evidenced a true ac- quietly, putting in order the garments ceptance of Jesus Christ as Saviour, that I had thrown in every direction, but»neither she nor my father had had I cannot recall her words, for they were any Bible teaching on the dangers of different on every occasion; but the the unequal yoke, the marriage of a theme was always' the same. She believer and an unbeliever. I doubt would warn me of the evils of the that they had ever had^ presented to business in which we were engaged,' them the truth of 2 Corinthians 6:14: and she would urge upon me the ac- “Be ye not uilequally yoked together ceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as with unbelievers: for what fellowship my personal Saviour. While I did not hath righteousness with Unrighteous- them I would see her small dark figure framed in the doorway. Judged by
became willing, himself, to make one great confession—the owning of him self a sinner in God’s' sight, needing the cleansing blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The high respect that we chil dren had for him would have been increased tenfold had this decision, been made in the years we shared our lives together. I was the sixth in. a family of five boys and three girls; a brother and a s i s t e r were y o u n g e r . My father’s strength and firmness left their im print upon the life of each of us. Per sonally, I count his life as one of the four major factors that molded my early days. The o t h e r contributing agencies were the influence of a godly mother, the ministration of a good pastor, and the restraint of church at tendance. The Control of a Strong Father My father was a polished English man. He was not a brewer in the sense that the term is used in America. Rath er, he was a Sales manager, having under his supervision the work of sev eral hundred men in connection with what was then the largest brewery in the Southern Hemisphere. His business was with “ hotels,” which, in that coun try, are establishments of a superior kind, where liquor is sold. He never drank liquor, and he cautioned his boys not to touch it. His own advancement to a position of high responsibility had been along the path of hard work and diligent study. In turn, he «implanted in his children at an early age an apprecia tion of the value of work. Indeed, when I was still in my teens, I worked for my father on Saturdays, going from hotel to hotel, taking orders foir the business. He kept a steady control over my activities and saw to it that I learned, essential lessons in meeting the pub lic and in perseverance in the daily task. But more than that,.- the very force of the strength of his character kept an - intangible control over his son’s growing personality. Though nei ther realized it then, God in His mercy had His hand upon each of us: upon my father, with his proud, yearning heart, and upon the son that was so headstrong and mischievous. In in fi nite grace, the Spirit of God was woo ing us, though for a long time each in his own way ignored or resisted that call. The Influence of a Godly Mother The family’s association with the liquor business was a cause of anxiety to my mother. I remember well how on many occasions, when I had tum bled into bed on Saturday nights after
Windows . . . Marbles . . . And a Pipe
ness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” Thus it was that for many years there was in my mother’s life a want of spiritual fellowship that neither her husband nor her growing children sat isfied. Perhaps it was this very lack that made her so zealous for the salva tion of all of us. Perhaps it was the reason for those daily periods when she would slip away to her room and [ Continued on Page 30]
comply with her wishes then, I did notf resent those talks. They were the ut terances of a mother’s loving, sympa thetic heart, born of prayer and holy ambition. God used them, later, among the links that bound me to Himself. Looking back upon my mother’s life now, from the viewpoint of my ma turity, it seems to me that in a sense she must have been extremely lonely, though she gave no outward evidence of it. Certainly she did not want for
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January,. 1944
Current Cusiness LOUIS T. TALBOT, Editor-in-Chief
Hitler came Into power . . . has been reduced by five million as a result of his war upon them . . . More than three million Jews have been destroyed by planned starvation, forced labor, deporta tions, pogroms, and methodical murders in German-run extermi nation centers in eastern Europe since the outbreak of the war in 1939. . . . In twenty-four countries of Continental Europe now under the control of the Axis, only three million Jews are alive today. Facing these terrible facts, many persons have gone so far as to ques tion the existence of God, because they cannot reconcile mounting trag edy with a divine rule of the world. This problem is created by failure to interpret aright the plain teaching of Scripture that the world will not be come perfect through the preaching of the gospel. God’s ancient people, Israel, must “ blossom and bud,” and then the face of the world will be filled with fruit. Whenever prophecy is interpreted with the rightful em phasis, whenever the central place ‘of Israel in the divine plan is recognized, we see the need for prayer “ till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isa. 62:7). What the New Year will bring to the Jew's only God knows. But God’s plan has not miscarried. “ God hath not cast away his people which he fore knew.” 'The outcome w ill be a glori ous deliverance; it has been proph esied. Oh that we may heed the divine summons to pray, with intensity and perseverance! A surprisingly small percentage even mentioned “ a son” or “ a hus band,” despite the fact that nearly every ho e in the land has contribut ed at least one member to the military forces of tion. Such surveys as these reveal sev eral things, which go far toward ex plaining the sagging morale on the home front; First, there is the super ficiality of the thinking processes of most of the people. Second, there is their self-centeredness. Life, for many, is still lived on the low plane of “crea ture comfort.” , THE NATION'S GREATEST NEED: • A third research organization in vestigated what people hoped to get out of the war. Individuals were asked to declare their opinion of what [ Continued on Page 17J
New Leaves
do not know that the Bible Institute of Los Angeles operates this, the larg- cest Bible Institute in the Far East, the Hunan Bible Institute. For years it has trained hundreds of young Chinese to witness for Christ in all parts of China. That work is still go ing on! It Js the present plan not only ’ to continue this teaching and preach ing ministry, but also to enlarge it along the lines of post-war require ments. Further facts are given on page 12 of this issue. It must be Christ— and not chaos—for China and for the world. The New Year— and the Jew When God 'wills that a thing be done. He first sets men to pray. Frederick A. Aston, director of the New York Jewish Evangelization So ciety, is not alone when he makes the comment that there never has been a time when prayer to God was more urgently needed than npw. Any thoughtful person who surveys the world today is startled and shocked. Everywhere suffering abounds. But upon the Jews has the Nazi fury de scended as upon no other people. • The New York Times of August 27, 1943, reported: The Jewish population of Eu- • rope, which totaled 8,300,000 when OUR PEOPLE'S GREATEST NEED: • A national organization for the “sampling” of public opinion has just completed a survej on the question: “What is your greatest need today?” The majority of women replied: “ silk or nylon hose.” The majority of men answered: “New tires for my car.” i Fewer than ten percent of the peo ple interviewed expressed a need for moral values or spiritual things. Only a handful- voiced a neea of God, of faith, of courage, of character, of self- control. The overwhelming majority could think of no greater need in war time than that of material things. Another research organization has conducted a survey of what people miss most, now that the war has de prived them of many things they for merly possessed.
The leaf is turned, The page is clean and new. I grieve already for the blots
That soon will show. Blots of my making,
Blots dropped by other hands. Oh, that the ink were colorless That none might see! Gould I but learn to keep A page unspoiled! O Lord, guide Thou the hand That does the writing. Remind Thy chiid No blot Is there to Thine all-seeing eye. “Whiter than snow,” “ As far as east from west”— Thy promise? are sure! —Helen Gailey. China: Chaos, or Christ W ill the close of the present war usher in a period of terrible chaos in the world? Thinking men are asking the ques tion. Answers,come from representa tives of every strata of responsibility. "In China, in the post-war world, it will be either the acceptance of Christ, or of chaos, that w ill face us.” “Us”— it is Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, China’s great leader of some 450 mil lion people, who has expressed this sentiment in various ways. The Generalissimo believes what he says. He must, for he himself turns to the Book of Christ’s teachings. Is it not significant that at the ,recent world-changing conference at Cairo, the press bulletins that described the unofficial activities of the principals made much of the fact that China’s leader arose at five o’clock in the morning in order to have his custom ary period of private Bible study and prayer? Not merely an hondfed tfadi- tion, but a matter of personal con cern is his relationship to God. Furthermore, he has done much to make pleasant the work of the mis sionary in China. And with what re sults? M u t u a l understanding and friendship exist between China and the United States, largely the Cumula tive result of a century of missionary endeavor. China’s leaders are men of outstanding ability, and many of them in high governmental positions are active Christians. To help the millions in China to learn of the Lord Jesus Christ—as the Generalissimo declares is essential— there is located in Free China a great Bible Institute. Many of- our readers
Behind the New s By DAN GILBERT San Diego,- Calif.
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Photograph by V. S. Army Signal Corps .
e
Hospital visitation to hun
dreds of soldiers is an im portant phase of a chaplain’s work. Here Chaplain Paulson brings joy from the Word. e Servicemen spirit. When they visit the chapel for the first time it is plain to see that they are wondering whether real spirit ual fellowship of the kind they have enjoyed at home w ill be found in an Army camp. But their faces soon lighten when they hear a message of deep spiritual tone and sound Bibli cal content. The chaplain becomes very intimate with these men, who form the nucleus for organized work of many kinds. They take an important part in the Bible Class, midweek service, Service men’s Christian League, and Saturday night prayer meeting. By every means available they are encouraged to pre pare thenjselves thoroughly for later Christian service, and opportunities are given them to engage in such work While in the camp. Considerable responsibility for the conduct of the evening evangelistic services is assumed by these men, and they often talk directly after the meet ings with those who profess faith in Christ. The first time an outdoor evan gelistic service was conducted this summer, only a small group was pres ent. A ll but three professed to be Christians. Yet before the evening was over these three men had also decided for Christ. This brought- great happiness to those who had labored in prayer with the chaplain on the preceding night, seeking God’s bless ings upon the services of the Lord’s
Christian Service Among A CHAPLAIN s e r v i n g in any / \ branch of the armed forces i V today must feel a deep sense of responsibility for the spiritual well being of the men whom he serves. Especially is this so if he is convinced that a large percentage of servicemen have never heard the gospel and that only a minority have actually accepted Christ as their personal Saviour. When a chaplain considers the dangers that these men may face In the near future he can only say with- Paul, “Woe is unto me, if I preach hot the gospel!” Because the men with whom he deals differ so greatly in their, back grounds, especially in their earlier contacts with the gospel, a chaplain must seek to render a variety of serv-, ices to them. A small minority come to camp well established in their Christian faith. To such he' must bring opportunities for further spirit ual growth, for fellowship with others of like hope and conviction, and for active participation in many kinds of By CHAPLAIN ERICK E. PAULSON Christian work. Others come with some nominal c o n n e c t i o n s with churches at home, but with little un derstanding of the faith they profess. Their greatest need is to become es tablished in their Christian faith so that they‘ can face dangers, and pos sibly even death itself, with fortitude and hope. The third, and by far the largest group to which a chaplain seeks to minister, is composed of men who know little or nothing about the gospel. The chaplain’s task is to set clearly before them the cardinal facts» of the gospel and to lead them indi vidually to a saving faith in Christ. It is the purpose of this article to set forth some of the ways in which the spiritual needs of men are being met in one training camp and to re count a few of the results that have attended Such ministry, in the hope that this may help those at home to pray more intelligently for the work being done by evangelically-minded chaplains.
Cooperation in Christian Service One of the greatest joys of a chap lain is to have fellowship during each training cycle with a small group of men who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and who, in many instances, are looking forwa. to full-time Chris tian service* They come from many different denominations, but they dis play a common love and fervency of
[ Erick E. Paulson became a chaplain of the Medical Replacement Training Center at Camp Robinson, Ark., in Feb., 1942, and later served in Camp Gruber , Okla. He had been in service in the Army as a chaplain since 1940, Prior to his Army work, he had ministered in pastorates of Presbyterian churches in Minne sota for more than tw'elve years. He is a grad uate of Hamline University of St, Paul, Minn., of Princeton Theological Seminary, and of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (Class of 1923). Having received a medical discharge from the Army, he, expects, to resume his pastoral duties. —Editor.!
January, 1944
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Day, and who had helped to deal per sonally with these new converts. By such experiences, choice young men are being aided in their preparation for later service as ministers and mis sionaries. Certainly one has good rea son to believe that God is using this period of Army service to make ready some very able and c o n s e c r a t e d preachers of the gospel. Instruction for the Immature But there are also a great many im mature Christians in our camps, men who may have accepted Christ but who know little about the privileges and blessings that are theirs in Him. Still others have been members of churches since childhood but are un certain as to whether they have ever been genuinely converted. Because thes6 men are in dire need of instruction concerning the simple elements of the gospel, an effort is made to present in every message the •most essential facts about Christ’s Person and work and our responsibili ties to Him. Many ways of accomplish ing this are being tried, including un usually simple and clear preaching and teaching, the placing of carefully selected literature concerning the Christian faith in the pews and on tables at the rear of the chapel, and mimeographing on the back of the chapel program each Sunday a de tailed outline of the sermon, complete with Scripture references. Because these calendars are attractive, con taining an appropriate Bible picture or symbol prepared by a soldier artist, men are inclined to preserve them for later study or send them home. Thus the -Word that has been preached in camp also frequently reaches families and friends in many different parts of the country. ' That many of the men who come out of civilian life as nominal Christians really find a- deep and satisfying spiritual experience d u r i n g their period of training is attested in vari ous ways. Some seek baptism; others ask for letters so that they may unite with a church at home. Still others give convincing testimony to their
fellow servicemen concerning the new life they have found. Sometimes the evidence reaches a chaplain less directly, coming to him through letters from parents or relatives who rejoice in the stand their loved one has taken. Only eternity w ill reveal in full meas ure what God is working among these men, but the miraculous changes w it nessed to date bring a chaplain deep joy and a renewed determination to put every talent or ability he may have into his preaching and teaching of the Word. Decision through Direct Preaching One of the hardest problems a chap lain faces is to reach men who have not heard the gospel and who'are not likely to come of their own accord to chapel services. Visiting these men in their hutments when they are off duty evenings sometimes establishes a con tact that leads to church attendance and ultimate decision for Christ. One illustration is found in the case of a young man who had been invited many times by the chaplain to at tend a service, but to no avail. Finally one Sunday morning the chaplain no ticed him, as he was greeting men at the door. Later that same day this soldier came over to the chapel, ap parently anxious to talk over what he had heard. When asked whether he had heard anything that impressed him, the answer he gave was “Plen ty!” The chaplain then inquired whether he had been among those who had raised their hands in response
to the closing Invitation. He said that he was, and so the chaplain took time to give him a much fuller explanation of the meaning of the Christian life. That evening he came to the Service men’s Christian League, and without being asked to do so, took part ■in prayer. At the close of the meeting he also gave a-"clear-cut testimony to his faith in Christ. While formerly he had been something of a problem in his company, his squad leader later commented to the chaplain about the noticeable change that had occurred in his attitudes. Because so many men are in a similar position, having not yet de cided for Christ or having never made a public confession of their faith, the practice has been followed of giving an invitation at the close of nearly every service. Sometimes the response has been far greater than any one had dared to hope, for at a single service as many as thirty men have stood in response to the invitation. Rarely does a service end without at least one or two men reaching some decision, rep resenting either a first acceptance of Christ or a fuller committal of life to Him. And so the fields appear, white unto harvest. In view of the' remark able dumber of conversions that oc cur among those who do come to serv ices^ it is deeply lamentable that only a comparatively small percentage of Protestant men in our camps attend [ Continued on Page 38]
The chaplain (second from left) marches with his men in the training area.
Photograph by V, S. Army Signal Corps.
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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In the first weeks of 1944, the Inter national Sunday School Lessons cen ter in the Gospel of Mark. For that reason, the accompanying article will be especially useful.
By E. SCHUYLER ENGLISH*
Fresh Glimpse of a Familiar Portion
T HERE IS a great similarity be tween the miracles of the feed ing of the five thousand (Mk. 6:32-44) and the feeding of the four thousand (Mk. 8:1-9), so much so that the latter is often overlooked entirely. Those who would discredit the in errancy of the Scriptures suggest that the accounts in both Matthew and Mark of the feeding of the four thou sand are merely inaccurate rep’eti- tions of the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, or mythical tales used by the evangelists to emphasize the power of Christ. There are, of course, certain very striking similarities be tween the two events as fourid in Mark 6 and Mark 8, namely: (1) both occurred in desert places; (2) in both instances our Lord was surrounded by 'Associate Editor, Our Hope, New York, N. Y., and author of valuable “Studies" in Matthew and Mark.
thousand and the four thousand. For example, here are seven: (1) in the first instance the multitude had been with the Lord one day, and in the second, three days, (2) upon the first occasion the disciples were told to “ go and see” what supplies were available, while upon the other they were ready with the information be fore they were asked; (3) when the five thousand were fed there were five loaves and two fishes, while for the four thousand there were seven loaves and a few fishes; (4) the first time, which was near the Passover, the multitude was told to sit in com panies “ upon the green grass,” while the second time, later in the year when the green of the Near East would be burnt by the oriental sun, they were instructed to sit “ on the ground” (literally, **on the earth"); (5) in the first instance our Lord is said to have “ blessed . , . the loaves,” while upon
much people; (3) in each case the Lord was with His disciples; (4) in each instance there was a humanly inadequate supply of loaves and fishes available; (5) both times the people were commanded to sit down upon the ground; (6) it is stated twice that “ they did all eat, and were filled” ; and (7) in each instance there was more than enough, so that some of the fragments were taken up into baskets. But is it not true that in most of the exercises and emergencies of life there are to be observed corresponding phenomena? Our Lord cast out demons more than once, He healed more than one blind man, and He raised more than one from the dead— there were similarities, and dissimi larities as well, in the performances of these varied miracles. And there were notable dissimilarities in Mark’s records of the feedings of the five
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January, 1944
that they had hope (faint though it may have been) that in this circum stance the Saviour might again per form the “impossible.” For it is to be noted that on this occasion, when He asked: “How many loaves have ye?” they did not need to inquire as they had before (6:38) but were ready with the answer: “Seven.” Seven loaves for so many? Our Lord had only five loaves when the numbers were greater, and He could have done with less, for to Him noth ing is impossible. The multitude had come to this place prepared, as we shall observe later, to remain some time, but by this hour all that could be found were the sever barley loaves (or cakes) and the few dried fishes, humble fare which could- be carried readily and did hot require cooking. When the disciples had reported what supplies were available—observe that we did not say, “When the Lord Jesus had learned what supplies were avail able,” for all things were known to Him—but when the disciples had re-
Life, the true Manna sent down from heaven. But in the second miracle the only evident need to be met was the physical hunger of the people who had come from far and whose sup plies had been exhausted during the time spent with our Lord. The fact that the disciples asked the question: “ From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?” need not astonish us. Of course they remembered the feeding of the five thousand, but they did not remember it to their own profit. How like the disciples we all are! We have a ll experienced the mighty hand of the Lord on our behalf—to save, to keep, and to satis-, fy. But with each new emergency comes the same question:'“What shall I do?” and we fail anew in the prac tical and experiential realization that i t is the Lord from whence our help cometh. Nor could the disciples pre sume to dictate to the Lord Jesus how the multitude should be fed. But it is not at all inconceivable or incredible
the second occasion He is said to have given thanks, first for the loaves, and later to have “blessed” the fish; (6) after the five thousand were fed twelve baskets of fragments remained, but when the four thousand were sat isfied there were seven baskets over; and (7) the number that were fed was different in each instance. There are other dissimilarities, but what we have written is evidence; if needed, that the two miraculous multiplica- tions of the loaves and fishes were quite diverse. Two other facts are significant as to the authenticity of both of these records. One, while the account of the feeding of the five thousand is found in all four Gospels, the feeding of the four thousand is found in only two. Had the record of five thousand fed been found in two Gospels only, and the account of the feeding of the four thousand in the other two, it might be supposed that here were simply diver- gènt reports of one and the same inci dent. That Matthew and Mark nar rated both miracles is evidence that both occurred. In answer to some who propose that the feeding of the five thousand was actual but that the sec ond miracle was written simply to en large upon the power of Christ and purely by invention, let us observe that any such imaginative addition would certainly have expanded the miraculous element. There would have been more people fed with fewer sup plies, whereas in fact the reverse was true. Meeting a Physical Need The feeding of the four thousand took place somewhere in the neigh borhood of Decapolis, in a mountain (Matt. 15:29, 32), and in thè wilder ness (v. 4), that is,- in this instance, in a barren waste, literally, on desert. A very great multitude had followed the Lord Jesus to this spot, and this was the third day that they had been with Him. Then He called His dis ciples, and said: “ I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: and if I send them away fasting to their ' own houses, they w ill faint by thé way.” The physical need of the multitude was greater on this occasion than upon the previqus one. Here our Lord’s compassion was “ because they . . . have nothing to eat” ; there, He was compassionate for them, but “ be cause they were as sheep not having a shepherd” (Mk. 6:34). The particular purposes of the two miracles appear to have been differ ent. The feeding of the five thou sand was obviously preparatory to the teaching of deep spiritual truth, evi dent from the context in John 6, wherein the miracle is recorded as taking place just prior to the great discourse on Christ as the Bread of
T o rrey M em o r ia l B i b l e Conference
# God's Word studied # God’s Messengers heard
# God's Servants challenged # God’s Message proclaimed
These privileges await you January 23 to 30, 1944
Speakers:
Jack Mitchell —W idely recognized Bible teacher and conference speaker. Walter Lewis Wilson —Pastor, Central Bible Hall, Kansas City, Missouri, known to thousands through his w rit ings and radio ministry as the •“be-' loved physician;”
Archer Anderson —Pastor, First Presby terian Church, Duluth, Minnesota Herbert Lockyer— Internationally known Christian author and conference speaker. Harold Ockenga — Pastor, Park Street Congregational Church, Boston, Mas sachusetts.
Twelve meetings daily, Including afternoon and evening meetings at Lake Avenue Congregational Church, in Pasadena, and First Brethren Church, in Long Beach. THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 55t South Hop« Strict Lot Angeles 13, California
T H É K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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who are His and who trust Him wholly day by day, moment by moment. The mighty miracle was symbolic of the repetition of His gra'ce in the daily pathway for the daily need. He mul tiplies our blessings that we may be filled and satisfied. “And they took up of the broken meat that was left Seven baskets” (v. 8). Not so many in number as upon the other occasion, but it is in teresting to see that the baskets were of a different type. The word used for baskets at the feeding of the five thousand is the Greek kophinous (from kophinos),, meaning a small hand basket. The word here is spuri- das (from spuris) and means a provi sion basket, considerably larger than the hand basket; The word is that which is found in Acts 9:25 (en spat;- di) where we are told that Paul was let down over the wall at Damascus “ in a basket.” This is just another in stance of the meticulous accuracy of the Word of God. The five thousand were fed at eventide of the "one day that they were with Christ. The mul titude had journeyed for only a short distance, and thus had the usual hand baskets for daily use. But in the case of the four thousand, the crowds had been with the Lord “three days” and “ divers of them came from far” (vs. 2, 3), and as a consequence we find that when baskets were taken to re cover the fragments of the loaves and fishes they were found to be the large provision baskets which would be used for journeys which were long in dis tance or duration. Closing a Chapter And so our blessed Lord, having ministered to the multitude in loving compassion, sent them away. The five thousand Jews who had experienced the first miracle would have made Him King, by force (John 6:15), but the Gentiles nad no-such idea, obvi ously, and we find that they apparent ly departed without demonstration. Thus ended another phase of our Lord’s earthly •ministry, and as the other periods terminated with a feast, so this one. At the conclusion of His Galilean, minis y the five thousand were fed; at the termination of the service among the Gentiles in the bor ders of Tyre and ¿idon, the four thou sand were filled, and finally, His Ju dean ministry closed with the Passover Feast, celebrated with the Twelve, and with the institution of the Lord’s Supper. The next great feast w ill be the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7), when all His blooa-bought saints, His Body and His, Bride, will be with Him. It will be a glorious day when once more and forever those who are Christ’s will be filled and satisfied with cups that w ill be run ning over. “ Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
ever, there was no custom among the Gentiles as to the single blessing and consequently our Lord, lest there be misunderstanding in regard to His thankfulness for both provisions, was careful to return thanks for each sep arately. Using Human Instruments Before we go oh it would be profit able, perhaps, to take note of the fact that while the power of the miracle of the feeding of the four thousand was Christ’s, the Son of God’s, and that He alone performed it, with no man’s help, yet He Was gracious to make use of (1) the provisions that the multitude offered, and (-2) the hands of the disciples to minister. “He took the seven loaves . .-..'and gave to his disciples to set before them.” ' Such is the providence of God. He willingly and gladly utilizes that which we offer to Him, no matter how inadequate it ma, seem for His pro gram, and multiplies it; and He em ploys the willing hands of His obedi ent servants to administer the fruit of His power. Had W l . been among the four thousand that day, would we have been willing to turn over to the Lord Jesus the provisions which were ours by God’s grace in any event? And again, as His disciples and apostles, would we have accepted the broken loaves in faith and passed them on to a hungry and needy throng? Yes— though all power is His, it is the economy of God that human instru ments' shall fu lfill His commission. “ So they did eat, and were filled . . ..” (v. 8). Of course they were! No one ever sits down at the table of His provision without arising satis fied, unless he refuses that which is proffered. “The Lord is my shepherd, ■ I shall not want . . . my cup runneth over.” Such is the experience of those
ported, our Lord commanded the peo ple to sit down on the ground. Understanding Jewish and Gentile Customs It is time now that we make a cer tain observation. The five thousand who were miraculously fed earlier, near Bethsaida in Galilee (Lk. 9:10), were for the most part from the region about Capernaum* that is, they were Jews. On the occasion of the second feeding of a multitude, it is to be re membered that they came from the neighborhood of Decapolis, a semi- Gentile city, and thus, the crowd was composed of Gentiles almost exclu sively. Now this is quite interesting, in view of that which took place after the four thousand were seated upon the earth, for we read that our Lord “took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them , . . and they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them” (vs. 6, 7). In the case of the five thousand (and re member, they were Jews) it is re corded: “And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them” (6:41). There was but one blessing for the loaves and fishes in the first instance, but separate blessings for each article in the second case. We quote Alfred Edersheim in The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah: “The Mishna lays down the principle* that if bread and ‘savoury’ were eaten, it would depend upon which of the two was the main ' article of diet, to de termine whether ‘thanksgiving’ should be said for one or the other. In any case, of course, it would be spoken over the bread, the ‘savoury’ [dried fish] being merely an addition.” How
God ’s Word Says:
I am a sinner. “ A ll have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Sin brings the penalty of death. “ For the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). "Death passed upon all men for that all have sinned” (Rom. 5:12). Christ Jesus bore the penalty of death for sin.
| “ The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6). “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the free” (1 Pet. 2:24). I may receive His gift of life. “ God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11). “He that hath the Son hath life” (John 3:36). This Is Salvation!
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January, 1944
The Pneumonia Patient
With "Heart" Trouble
By PHILIP B. MARQUART Captain, Medical Corps
a S I HEADED down the r a m p toward Ward 47, I was tingling L w i t h disappointment. W h y ward? The nurse was ready for ward rounds as I entered. Reluctantly', I hung my stethoscope around my neck. The ward boy rolled the chart holder to the door. As I entered the large ward room, he shouted, “Ward: Atten tion!" I gave them “At Ease,” and turned to bed number one. The record informed me that George had been making slow progress in recovering from pneumonia, and his X-ray had shown no improvement whatever. Even now he was complain- {The author is an outstanding Christian, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, trained in neuro psychiatry. Before his entrance into military service, he practiced medicine and neuro psychiatry in Texas. He is furnishing fur readers of THE KING’S BUSINESS’ a fas cinating series of medical • and psychiatric case studies of soldiers. The persons con cerned are those of the doctor’s own ac quaintance—men to whom has been given, not only help for their physical and mental distresses, but also that spiritual benefit which only the acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ can bring .—EDITOR.]
ing about pleuritic pain at the back of his chest. “ X am having a sticking pain over my heart, too,” he said, indicating a point near his left breast. “ Yes,” I exclaimed eagerly. “ And what else?” “Well,” added George, “when I have the pain, my heart starts beating fast and turning over in my chest, and then I get a catch in my breath so that it feels like smothering.” By this time I was thoroughly in terested. Here, in the very first pneu monia patient, was a nervous symp tom, due not to his pneumonia at all, but arising from some anxiety in his life. “But you’ve had this pain before you were .in the Army, haven’t you, George?” I asked. "Yes, I have, Sir. I’ve had it for four years, off and on. It started when I was fourteen. It isn’t heart trouble, is it, Captain?” “No, it is not heart trouble, and you have no need to worry about it. When I have time, I shall examine it —and it can be overcome, I believe.”
When I had a. chance to return and consider George’s case, he was eager to -learn more about his trouble. I ex plained to him that such symptoms as he described were not due to some thing wrong in the organ which pumps the blood around the body, because the condition was worse at night when he was lying quietly trying to go to sleep. Rather, it was something wrong in his experience—in that portion of the personality which we call the “heart” (Matt. 15:18-20). This was a real pain over his heart —not imaginary—and it therefore had real causes; but the causes were some upset emotions in his life.-He insisted that he knew nothing that had upset him in that way. But the answer to that is found in Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” We cannot know our own heart, because it is the subconscious part of us. George had to be stimulated and challenged to do a bit of de tective work on himself in order to find the real, forgotten causes of his
should the C. O. order me, a psychia trist, to t a k e over this pneumonia
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