AUGUST
1944
Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Incorporated
'In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid” (Psa. 56:11).
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winning souls for Christ Not so unusual . . . it’s just that he knows his Bible well enough to help people find Christ. . . . Knowing his Bible was no accident . . . he let Moody home study courses make it easier . . . “ I am still working on the railroad . . . preach at the county jail practically every Sunday, and have had 36 pro fessed converts in the past five months!’ Would you like to know how to lead others to Christ, like this conductor? A Moody home study course will help you, too. For details write Dept. K821
B
00KS
by Ironside Laidlaw
and other Great Soul-winners • Send for our big FREE catalog of the Best in Christian Literature. Receive also book and information of this 30-year faith work, active in serving Armed Forces and others. Outstanding Christian Bookstore on the Pacific Coast. Prompt service. Write TODAY . WESTERN BOOK & TRACT CO ., Inc. I)ept. KB. 1119 Franklin St., Oakland 12, Calif.
II Tune In "THIS IS LIFE Refreshing, restful Saturday nights, 10:30 C.W .T. K X E L . . . 50,000 watts . . . 1540 kc Conducted by Paul Hutchens, novelist and author o f the Sugar Creek Gang books W rite to-d ay for your free copy of Paul Hutchens' story, “ H is Handicap Came In H andy" — Address T H IS IS L IF E Box 717 Waterloo, Iowa LABORATORY OF DEMOCRACY C HORES never hurt a boy. They teach him to respect manual labor. They give him a feeling of responsibility for the welfare of the group. When all boys In a school have their chores to perform, the work program teaches certain fundamental lessons in democracy. At Stony Brook all boys — those from homes of larger means and those on scholarship — make their own beds, take turns waiting on table, share in the care of the dormitories, help clean classrooms and campus. The boys may know that to an extent they are helping to release men and wom en for the war effort and that whatever saying in cost is effected is used for ad ditional scholarships to aid able but needy boys. This program is worthy of your inter est and support. Perhaps you have a son to educate and want him under whole some influences. Perhaps you wish to con tribute to the education of boys who need k the sound Christian e d u c a t i o n Stony Brook provides, but whose families cannot afford the moderate tuition fees. The Headmaster will be glad to give you more informa tion. tomjBrookJchool Frank E. Gaebelein, Litt.D., Headmaster Stony Brook, Long Island, New York Please Mention K in g ’ s B u sin ess
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Write today, for FREE P R O S P E C T U S by STANDARD Describes what Daily Vacation Bible School is and does, its cost, organization plan, teacher staff and training, equipment, courses; includes samples of Standard’s TRUE-to-the-BIBLE lessons for each grade (Kindergarten, Pri mary, Junior, Intermediate); and describes Standard’s supplemental material. DVBS provides marvelous opportunities for bring ing vitally needed Christian instruction to children in wartime. Get ready NOW for this summer’s work! Ask for your copy of free Prospectus today.______ Dept. KB -8 The Standard Publishing Co. 8th ond Cutter Streets, Cincinnati 3, Ohio [CHRISTMAS CABPlI f f i O BeautifulJb/JersSfg $ y % With and without Scripture texts. Can ship at once. Also big line of Bibles, Testaments. Books, Every- day Cards, etc. Send 65c In stamps j l g r for sample of 30 cards. WESTERN ART STUDIOS. 257 So. Spring St.. I> oh Angeles 12, Calif. Dept. 88-W
A m . assured ««y regular z ttc o T fte i s sttc/ L & 2 > i& sfifty Thousands receive their checks regularly at statedintervalsbecause they hold Annuity Agreements of the American Bible Society. This REGULAR INCOME brings comfort and freedom from worry about the future. The Annuity Agreement plan is simple with a two-fold advantage. First: —It pro vides steady income for protection in old age. For over 90 years, Annuity Agreement checks have never failed. Second: —You en joy knowingyou are helping make the Bible morewidely available throughouttheworld. UA Gift That Lives9,9a booklet explaining the plan, will be mailed at once if you will Bible House, New York, N. Y. Please send me, without obliga- tion,booklet KB-^entitled“ A GiftThatLives” Name. 1 Address 1 Denomination 1 rjfa 1__ send your name and address. -----MAIL COUPON TODAY ——] AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY
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Helping Israel After the War “We would strike into the heart of Europe, and undertake such a work of relief as we have never dreamed of doing since the Mission began fifty years ago. Who knows how golden will be the opportunities in that desper ate hour, for the sowing of the Gospel seed at a time when Jew ish hearts will be tender and torn, and Jewish bodies will be emaciated? And who knows what a harvest such a seed-sowing will bring? “There will be no New Testa ments, for Hitler has destroyed every vestige of God’s revelation; children will be wandering aim lessly, sobbing in vain for a mother and father that are no more. Women there will be listen- - ing in vain for a voice that once rejoiced their ears to hear; but now that voice is stilled; fathers there will be, derelicts on t h e shores of s a v a g e brutalities, Weeping for mothers and chil dren they may never again see. Into the .midst of this heart breaking scene your Mission will come. We will print immediately a hundred thousand, five hun dred thousand, even a million copies, of the New Testament in Yiddish. We have missionaries waiting in London, who at the first ringing of the bells of peace will hie themselves with the speed of the airplane into these storm centers of heartache and spiritual blackness, as our agents. Through them we will hold out the hand of mercy so that the suffering may receive from us spiritual blessing and also those things needed for bodily nourish ment. Through them we will do our utmost to unite broken fami lies; many of the refugees from the Nazi persecutions know that our Mission in Paris is to be the rallying center when the war is finished, for Jewish wanderers in exile. And there they hope once more to meet their loved ones.” — Joseph Hoffman Cohn, in The Chosen People, May 1944. Are Y o m With Vs? Dear Friends: Yes, I want a share in your God- given vision for shattered Israel after the war. Here is $ ..............as my fel lowship, and you shall have my pray ers and heart sympathy. N a m e ................................................. Street . . . . . . ................................................• City ....................V............ AMERICAN BOARD OF MISSIONS TO T H E JEW S, INC. 31 Throop Avenue, Brooklyn 6, N. Y. 39 King William St., Hamilton, Ont.f Canada
The Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Inc. "Unto him that loved us. and washed us from our sins tn his own H ood" (Rev. 1:5).
THE KING'S B U S IN E S S ™ Cover Photograph by Ewing Galloway. <•), '■ "4 i When God Saved the Brewer’s Boy, Part V III — Louis T . Talbot as told to 'Mildred M . Cook .............. ......... ..............................................258 Current Business ................................................... ....................... ....................... 259 Rendezvous with Life — Don Householder ......__:............ .......... ........... ......260 One Sailor’s Testimony —Le Roy Allen, CY , USNR ........-.____ ....___......262 I Ranch for God — George E. L e n z ..................... ............................................264 Junior King’s Business —Martha S. Hooker ...................................... ......... .'..267 International Lesson Commentary .............. ............. ....................... .....269 • Christian Endeavor —Richard W . Hightower, Morena Holmes Downing, Ruth McCreery, George M . Cowan..., ........... ........... .........279 Daily Devotional Readings ...................... .................. ...___ ..................284 Dr. Talbot’s Question Box ............................... ......... .......... .......... .................286 Biola Family ............. ...................................................................... .................... 286 Literature Table ............. ......... ........._______ ...:_____ .......................— .......287 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION— “ The King’s Business” is published monthly: $1.50, one yr.; $ 2 .0 0 /two yrs.; 75 cents, six months; 20 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. W rite for details. Canadian and for eign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of address to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. R EM ITTA N C E —Payable in advance, should be made by bank draft, express, or po^t office money order payable to “ The King’s Business.” Date of expiration will show plainly on outside wrapper or cover of magazine. ADV ER TIS ING —For information, address the Advertising Manager, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles 13, Calif., or our eastern representative, Religious Press Association, 51 No. 62nd St., Philadelphia 39, 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 o f 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 K ing’s Business, 558 So. Hope. St., Los Angeles 13, Calif. LOUIS T. TALBOT, Editor-iii-Clii«f MILDRED M. COOK, Managing Editor RANSOM D. MARYIN, Staff ArtliL
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When God Saved the Brewer's Boy
When she played, I knew her heart was in the music.
By LOJJIS T. TALBOT as told to MILDRED M.. COOK Copyright 2944, Mildred M. C ook
m m MMttjiN
CHAPTER VIII ^ T ^ H E MONTH of May, in Texas, has a gentleness about it. I met JL her there—in May. She came to prayer meeting, in the little church in Paris, Texas, where I was the pastor, ana to which I had just returned after a long absence in St. Louis and Australia, due to the illness and death of my brother. While I was away, she had been engaged as church organist. Early for the meeting, she came into the room before others were there. I saw her enter—dark hair framing a small round face. When she spoke, her voice had a softness that I liked. Seeing me, she could have been either shocked or else amused, for I was seated at the organ, making a joyful noise in a manner that was
scarcely a musical accomplishment. But if either mirth c. surprise moved her, she did not show it—and from the very beginning I thought vaguely: Here is somebody that can understand me. People began to assemble for the meeting. I went to the pulpit to take charge, and she slipped into her place at the organ with such quietness and grace as to be almost unobserved. I heard her play; there was skill and finesse in her music, and her heart was in it. After the meeting, I in quired about this Miss Audrey Hogue, and upon learning that she would give music lessons to a small group of pupils, I arranged at once for les sons with her to be taken twice a week! . -• ■
In various ways, I learned that she had been among the many whose spiritual lives had grown, like an unfolding flower, under the warm winr someness of Joseph Flacks, the He brew Christian who had preached in my church during' the weeks of my absence. When I thought of her, I told myself again, as I had many times before, that Joe Flacks was one of the choicest friends I ever had. His short, squat figure had first become familiar to me at the Moody Bible Institute where our rooms were close together *and our activities even closer. Later, when I had felt my presence extremely necessary to the then new r Continued on Page 2651
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Current Business LOUIS T. TALBOT, Editor-In-Chief
CREATOR and REDEEMER “ He showed them his hands” (Lk. 24:40). What glory when I see the hands That formed the seas and all the lands. That molded mighty stars in space • Yet fashioned snowflake’s dainty lace— And how I’ll love Him when I see Those blessed hands, nail- scarred for me! — Charlotte E. Arnold. “To Bedell Smith with affectionate re gards and my complete confidence.” Think what it would mean to have the a f f e c t i o n and "complete confi dence” of “the Chief of Staff of the United States Army! But the child of God has something greater. He has the personal love of the Lord of heaven and earth. And, inexplicable though it be, he has also His confidence. “Ye have not chosen me,” -He declares, “but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should . . . bring forth fruit” (John 15:16). We Christians ought to live under the daily i n s p i r a t i o n of that one blessed Face. We ojight to show to the w o r l d np conflicting interests. There is only One'Person to please: we have His confidence; we have His love. What else can matter? - Biola’s Program I There is evidence that the enroll ment at the Bible Institute of Los An geles and its affiliated Bible Theologi cal Seminary will be the largest in many years. Registration begins on September 5. Three-year diploma courses are of fered in Christian Education, Sacred Music, and Bible. Four-year Theologi cal Seminary courses leading to ap propriate Bachelor degrees are offered in Sacred Music, Christian Education, and Theology. There is no tuition charge. The cost of board and room as well as other expenses are kept to a minimum. Young men especially are invited to come to the Institute for as long a time as may be available to them be fore induction into the armed forces. For men and women alike, training is provided which will furnish the best kind of equipment for witnessing for Christ in the postwar world.
are concerned — may,suddenly close with a bang. Missionaries are continuing to arrive from the Orient by every available ship, and .they do not bring happy re ports. They wish to say no more than is necessary about existing conditions, but it is a stark fact that they feel keenly the smugness of the. church at home, the self-sufficiency that makes for impotency both before God and men. If bloody revolution is to be averted in many lands in the East and in the West at the close of this war, then the c h u r c h must stop dead in her tracks, reverse her program of flip pancy and professionalism and return "with strong crying and tears” ,to the Lord who has been outraged by dis obedience to His commands to evan gelize the world. We do well to recall the words of Peter: “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of «. God: and if it begin first at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Pet. 4:17). Unless the much-talked-of postwar missionary program is the product of ' the church upon its knees, then all the monies poured into its coffers, and all the candidates preparing to go forth with the new equipment of a modem age of science will be useless, for there will be only resentment and refusal on the part of the “newly liberated” peoples to hear the message of love and redemption. Pray for China: pray as never be fore. This is the hour of emergency and of unmatched opportunity. There must be no delay. One Portrait General Eisenhower’s Chief of Staff is himself a remarkable person. This General Walter Bedell Smith, -as one of a handful of strategists, worked out the closely guarded moves for the European invasion. When a definitive history of the operation can be writ ten, it probably will be discovered that General Smith was the man -who saw it most clearly from its inception to the fateful Monday morning when the actual movement for assault was set. This trait of having one straight aim is characteristic of him. It is evi denced in his office, located a few steps from G e n e r a l Eisenhower’s. There on the wall is a single portrait, that of General George Marshall. A visitor sitting beside Smith’s desk has no trouble in reading the inscription:
No Fear One of the signs of thé approach of the end of the age is that men’s hearts shall fail them for fear. But the child of God is to be with out anxiety. He possesses the anti dote for fear; he has confidence in the One who will make “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Does every Christian actually live fearlessly? He should. The world expects and the Lord provides that a testimony be given to unbelievers that will prove that those who put their trust in Christ will have their needs supplied. Viewed this way, all the ter rors of the p r e s e n t day have new meaning. It was the blind and godly George Matheson who once grasped this truth and wrote; O my God, teach me, when the. shadows have gathered, that there is a way through. The shadows tell me that I shall stand one day upon the p e a k s of Olivet, the heights of resurrection glory. But I want more, O my Father; I want Calvary to lead up to it. I want to know that the shadows of this world are the shades of an ave nue—the avenue to the house of my Father. I shall receive no hurt from sorrow if I walk in the midst of the fire. China The picture in China is black. Seven years of warfare have passed for this nation, and in their wake are poverty, injustice, agony of heart, death. At the same time courage has grown, and the will to be free. An indomi table people, the Chinese have suffered bitterly, and their present sorrows are almost beyond comparison. The Japanese have made advances. They have taken Changsha, where the Hunan Bible Institute is located, and thus this C h i n a department of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles is at present in occupied territory. But the testimony of Jesus Christ goes on, and it will continue to do so. Members of the Biola Evangelistic Bands are at work in various regions, and souls are being saved through this and other instrumentalities. It is impossible to explain all that is going on in China, even to under stand it This much we know: Unless the Lord's people take the situation seriously and prayerfully, the door to China—so far as her spiritual needs
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SONG OF YO U TH W h e r e ’ s th e trum p e t and th e d rum . For my racing, surging song? Where’ s the leader who can show me Where my talents best belong? Here in Christ, I see the answer ■ And the echo singing loud, Here in Him, the perfect Leader, Here I find the mighty God! — ,Jeanne Fartcell Michealson.
Rendezvous
A .with Life By DON HOUSEHOLDER*
I HAVE a rendezvous' with life—a date with life. - 1 heard a young girl call to her friend across the street and say, “I have a date.” She was thrilled. You, too* have a date, and you ought to be thrilled. It is a date with life. You need a philosophy to fulfill this engagement; You may be better than your theology, but you are no better than your philosophy of life. Your environment and atmosphere in contacting and finding a meaning in life is not so .encouraging. For many, it is but drab monotony, boring routine, and at best, comparative medi ocrity. The sensualist will tell you that you live only when you indulge your self. The ascetic will call you away from life itself. The cynic, with a sneer, will say as in the words of a dying actor: “Let down the curtain, the farce is over.” The pessimist will state wjth gloom that “ all progress is a delusion whose glory ends in inevita ble decay.” * Co-pastor (with Robert P. Shuler) o f Trinity Methodist Church, Los Angeles, Calif,, and Bpccalaureate speaker during Commencement week at the Bible Institute o f Los Angeles, June, ityb. The accompanying message was his address on that occasion .
But there is Another who spoke on life, who came one day saying, “I am come that they might have life, arid that. they might have it more abun dantly” (John 10:10). The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world, not guess ing, but "knowing . . . that-he was come from God” (John 13:3). He was the greatest Teacher that ever lived, and the foundation of our civilization has been built upon His precepts and teach ings. He never dealt with trivial mat ters, but spoke on the great ultimates. Well may we hear the Voice from the sky, “This is my beloved Son. . . hear ye him.” The most important person a few years ago was the scientist, because the question of that day was “how.” Today, it is no longer “how,” but “why,” and Christianity alone solves that problem. Origin and Desiiny of Life Clarence Darrow refused to believe in God because he would not believe in . anything fhat ne could nqt form a mental concept of. He could not form
a mental concept of God; therefore, he did not believe in Him. Yet, Darrow went up and down this nation defend ing justice. Have you ever seen justice walking the streets of a city? Yes, the greatest realities are intangible—God and prayer, faith and hope and love. We join witn the one of old, who said: “In the beginning God”—not as Ingersoll would say, “in the beginning, infidelity” ; or as Spencer would say, “in the beginning, agnosticism!" Psy chology says that atheism is a disease, but the Bible says that it is the mat ter of a bad heart. The ancient writer gives us the true source of life: “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Al mighty hath given me life” (Job. 33:4). Modern education says that so fqr as history, science, and philosophy are concerned, man is not going anywhere. Contrast this worldly wisdom with that of our Master, who said that He not only knew He came from God, but that He would return to God. So with us, dust is not our destiny. The spirit returns to the God who gave it. There was a time when we were not, but there shall never be a time when we shall cease to be.
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Preach to the times, they say. Well, broken hearts, shattered lives, wasted opportunities, s t r u g g l e s , sorrows, heartaches, and heartbreaks are the times. We need to go again with un compromising earnestness and pro- c l a i m the unchanging fundamental truths of God’s Holy Word. Said one of old, “Give me the right word and the right accent, and I will move the world.” God. is that Word and man redeemed in Christ is the accent. We have but to go and hurl the invectives of the gospel of Jesus Christ against the strongholds of iniquity, with the burning eagerness of the Master, and “ the gates of hell shall not prevail.” Life demands equipment. Jesus says that all authority is given Him in heaven and on earth, and He also says, “ as my Father hath sent me, even so •Send I you” (John 20:21). Our resources are infinite. We have but to draw upon them. Prayer is the means of tapping them. Science today is in the midst of a veritable revolu tion, Swinging away from the material concept, to the spiritual. They are tell ing us now that the iron-bound laws of nature apply in a general way and not to everything in particular. The action of a single atom, they say, is unpredictable—anything may happen. The scientists are now making room for that which they call “creative sur prises.” Prayer is our privilege to share the creative surprises with God in His universe. Life requires inspiration. The Mas ter says, “Lo, I am with you alway, dven unto the end” (Matt. 28:20). David Livingstone knew the inspira tion of Christ’s presence as he gave himself to the wilds of Africa and to a pagan people, for the glory of God. In peacetime, go yonder to Westmin ster Abbey-and you will see tourists, not by costly monuments, but over to the side of a simple slab, whereon is inscribed the name o f this great mis sionary of the cross. You want to make your mark in the world; you will make some mark. Mul titudes are making it the dollar, and a monument cut to the figure o f a d o l l a r sign would -make a fitting memorial to many that are dying to day. Christ made His mark—the cross, and a host of believers have followed in sacrificial service, taking the gospel to many lands. Some went to the Paci fic, to far-off islands, hardly known to us. Because of their obedience to Christ,.an American lad, wearing his country’s uniform, is able to write his mother now: “Dear Mom: If it had not been for Christian missions, I would have been feasted upon, instead of feasted, when I fell out of the skies into this native village in the South Pacific.” With the inspiration of the divine presence of Jesus Christ, we can go anywhere.
Life means a time to labor. We are saved for something. Our belief is to be translated into conduct. Our Chris tian experience is not to be a terminal, but a distribution point. Finders are not keepers in the kingdom of God, but sharers. A baby announcement c a r d that came into my home said, “Being born is the only thing that has happened to me so far.” There are tod many like that in the kingdom of God. Noth ing has happened since they gave themselves to Christ, and time is pass ing and souls are nearer eternity than ever .before. Time is the only thing that God rations. You cannot recall a second from yesterday, nor borrow one from tomorrow. We must work while it is yet day. William Carey, at his church con vention, calling for the birth of a mis sionary passion among its members, was told to sit down. But William Carey refused to sit down, and the great foreign missionary enterprise of the world is a living monument to this man. Too many are sitting still with their handkerchiefs soaked in holy chloroform of a false piety, putting themselves to sleep to the needs of the world that is set on fire by hell. Life presents a program. We are told to go preach and to teach. The end in view is to make disciples.. Great preaching is the overflow of the life, but ft is also the outflow o f words from a heart that is burning with the passion of God for men. Many have gone to the devil’s dictionary and, with the magic and mystification of words, have streamlined, or denied the great saving truths of our gospel. Conse quently we have a world today that is spiritually bankrupt. I spoke to a high school assembly with sixty-four hundred -students, and the vice-principal told me that one thousand of that number were on pro bation. Here is a field that calls for dis tinctive work and the church stands today with a distinctive message, sepa rate from and abbve all other institu tions and agencies and organizations working for the betterment of man kind. God is revealed in nature, and in science, but these do not speak. Man needs the saving knowledge of God. “ I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto / S A L V A T IO N to eve ry one that believeth.” — Romans 1:16.
Studdert-Kennedy, c h a p l a i n in World War I, said before his death, that the supreme question he thought he would face at the judgment in ref erence to his life would be, ■"What did you make of it?” If that is true, we had belter find, then, the meaning of our existence. The Meaning of Life In the possession of two great facts, His origin and destiny, life for the Master found direction, and took on a sense of mission and of destiny. Know ing this—He “took a towel” (John 13:3, 4). This reveals to us the quality of His Spirit and life. Life upon this earth means a time to live. A girl in a hospital who had been given up to die, received good news from her doctor, and wrote her pastor, “The doctors say I have one chance to live; what shall I do with it?” My answer would have been, “ Give it to God.” The possession of physical life gives rise to the possibility of spiritual life. We come to know God through Jesus Christ in th^ new birth (John 3:1-18). Physically speaking,, the conversion ex perience awakens dormant brain cells and gives life to body, mind, and soul. Modem scientific psychology tells us that these would remain dormant ex cept as they are touched by the Spirit of God. In the language' of the man on the street, we are “not all there” until God. comes into our life. The experience of being bom again is like an airplane at the airport that taxis along and then suddenly lifts from the earth, and wings through the air. As it rises, you hear spectators say, “There she goes.” So it is in life. You may move along as a plane does when it taxis down the runway. Then comes the time when you respond to the heavenly pull. You are lifted to the heights in your Christian expe rience, and those standing by say, “There he goes.” Temptation is out ahead, and if the devil .cannot get you on one level, he will try another. Let thy soul be on thy guard for ten thousand foes arise to take thee from the skies. Joseph was not a marble statue, por an Egyp tian m u mm y , but he had a God in whose sight he could not commit evil. If we find meaning in this life, we must find it within the realm of our own selfhood in relationship to God through Christ. If we do not find it here, we will not find it at all. Alexander conquered the world, and wept b e c a u s e there, were no more worlds to conquer, but he failed to con quer his own self, aind died from drink. "He that ruleth his spirit [is greater] ■ than he that taketh a city” (Prov. 16:32). This is not selfish; it is your primary duty.
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One Sailor's Testimony By LE ROY ALLEN, CY, USNR
In a personal letter, the writer of the accompanying message had this to say to the Editors of THE KING’S BUSINESS: “ I want so much to speak a word for my Lord! Will you take the enclosed testimony — cut it to pieces, scrap most of it — but try to
find one sentence that will convince the reader that ‘they that go down to the sea in ships. . . these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.* ” . . . Reading this, who w o u l d n o t be “ convinced”— and grateful.
I T IS TRUE that life In the Navy subjects a man to temptations and “siftings” he never would en counter in his orderly, civilian walk. But it is true also that where sin a b o u n d s , grace does much more abound. It has been my observation that wherever there is one Christian, there are two — except when God is certain that the one can stand alone. The Lord will not permit His Child to be tested more than that one is able to-bear. If the surroundings are be yond his spiritual strength to endure, God will send him help. “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for t h e i r labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow” (Eccl. 4:9, 10). I have found this verse to be true—and “I speak what I do know, and testify to those things that I have seen” (cf. John 3:11), On several occasions during the past two years I have been at sea from two to eight weeks without setting foot on land. On a small ship like a destroyer there is no chaplain, and for a while I knew of no other Christian on board. It was at such times as these that I learned how many are needed'to travel the “Jericho road,” as the old song puts it: “Just Jesus and you.” Some blessed Hours were passed in my duty station, the ship’s office, at night after the ship had quieted, as I sat with God’s Word open before me and read what He had to say.
To the Christian parents who are sending their sons into military ser vice, I have this to say: “In that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted” (Heb. 2:18). What to Do Your duty to your loved ones is to pray for them, to hold them up con stantly and without faltering, to pray effectively in the power of the Holy Spirit. In ancient times, cities were be sieged, and were defended from the walls. Often thè defenders themselves would make a foray from thé city. They would open the gates and charge the encircling enemy with spear and sword. At such times, those who stayed inside the cit? would man the walls and would pour a rain of arrows over the heads of their brethren, into the ranks of the foe, and thus aid in the victory to be accomplished. You people Who are “staying by the stuff" in these days have that same obligation. We cannot win the battle against sin without you, and a “con science void of offense” is the best medal any soldier can wear. It has been my blessed privilege to be the object of prayers offered by many persons who have made my spir itual welfare their daily concern. My wife, who led me to the Lord ten years ago, has built a hedge around me with her prayers só that evil “should not come nigh” me. When I left home, I took along a small Testament in which
my wife . had written these words, found in Isaiah 50:7: “For the Lord God will, help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” The Lord God has helped me. He will help every one who puts his trust in Him. Christian young man, do ypu want to remain true to the Lord while in the service? Then will it With all your heart and soul. “Whoso takes but a step to God Through doubtings dim, God will advance a mile Through dazzling light to him.” Parents;- loved ones, do you want this dear one of yours to be held stead fast in his faith? Then pray for it. God will see that it is done. Victory • When Simon Peter was taken in the snare of the tempter, the prayer of Christ rent the fneshes of the encir cling net, and led His servant out into liberty. Let us take heart from this incident, so that, when temptation darkens around us, we may cry to the Strong One for strength. He will pluck us out of our distresses. He will guard us from stumbling, until we are pre sented faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. —David M. McIntyre.
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LOUIS T. TALBO T ’s life s t o f y which has a p p e a r e d in this magazine in eight stimulating chapters entitled “When God Saved the Brewer’s Boy,” is be ing published as a beautifully illustrated book.
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I Ranch for God By GEORGE E. LENZ
Circle, Montana
8 EOPLE look surprised when I tell them I ranch for God. Once I worked only for myself—and got But when I started ranching for'God, things began to happen. Take the time when sleeping sickness struck. Whole herds of horses were dying in our state. I had six hundred horses, and I had to make a decision between my ranch—and God. ■ But I am getting ahead of the story . . . . . Finances seem a 1w a y s to have played a critical part in my life. I was born in poverty and, being the eldest boy of a large family, I had to work instead of at+ending school. I was twenty years old before I (even re alized how important an education is in this world of competition. Because regular school was then impossible for me, I bought a set of textbooks, and each evening, as soon as the work on the farm was done, I would pore over my books until the early hours of the morning. I wanted to be a teacher. And I did qualify for teaching. But I suddenly faced a need for more money than a teacher’s salary would provide, so I went to Montana and started ranching for myself, working so intensively that there was ho more time for further study. Before I got my first crop harvested, the draft caught me— and I went to France.
I returned from the Argonne, broken in health. I had been wounded and so sick that I had despaired of ever reaching America again. Now that I was here,- what was I to do? I started back to Montana to begin the struggle for existence in thé only work I knew well. Even ranching seemed to prom ise only failure. Because of my in
just for curiosity. It was something to break the monotony of the daily struggle. There was something in his message that seemed to me to be un usual. I went back the next night— and the next. Every message was just for me, until one night I openly confessed my need, and took Christ as my Saviour.
into desperate circumstances doing it.
Rancher Lenz began without health and without education, but he learned how to give, as well as live, by faith. Now he has 10,000 acres of owned land, 600 horses, and a testimony that is glorious.
juries, I had to have help for most of the labor those first years, and there was no money for adequate help. A Picture in Poverty The years went on. I married. We t were very poor, so poor that often we resorted to borrowing from the chil dren’s penny banks. And though we did not realize it then, our poverty was an exact picture of our spiritual state. We gave little thought to God. We got to church only once in, a while, and never even thought of going to prayer meeting. We were dead spirit ually and .living in poverty. About this time an evangelist came to the community to conduct evange listic meetings. I went the first night
My non-Christian ne i ghbo r s ridi culed me for my stand, but for the first time in my life I knew my burden of sin was gone. I was at peace with God and I somehow knew that what concerned me physically was His concern, too. Dividends in Giving A little while after my conversion, I heard Charles E. Fuller’s radio mes sage on “Lavish Giving.” I could not forget it and it upset me considerably. I loved the Lord and I wanted to give to Him, too. “But what have I to give to You, Lord?” I asked in my con fusion. About that time a new minister came to our little church. He hewen
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from our local church were ready and eager to go. Some were life-work re cruits, some were young people whose faith needed strengthening, and some had not yet come to know Christ in salvation. Surely God wanted them to go to that conference. But there was no transportation. E v e r y One was fighting sleeping sickness, and all cars were needed for other purposes. What was I to do? I had horses, too. Was I to let them die without putting up a fight? There was other urgent ranch work to do. On the one side, my horses and ranch- were at stake; and on the other weTe lost souls, and the Holy Spirit whispering, “These souls are precious in God’s sight.” Then I thought back to the time when I had promised to give every thing to Christ. I had given on faith then, for I had nothing. Was I now to let the very things Qod had given me stand in the w’ay of doing His will?' “Seek ye first the kingdom of God,'and his righteousness;^and all these things shall be added unto yQu” was a verse that had meant much to me as God had given me more and more. Suddenly I knew that if He took it all away now, it would be all right. He would have, something else for me. I had decided. Leaving my ranch in the care of my family and hired help, I took my car and truck, turned my back on the ranch, and set out with the young people for the Bible conference. The neighbors looked after us and shook their heads. “You’re crazy, man,” they had said to me when the word had spread that Rancher Lenz wafts going off to -a Bible conference and leaving his horses, un vaccinated, to die. “Your horses will be half Head before you get back, and there will be nothing you can do then.” pastorate in Paris, the Lord had snatched me away and had planted Joe Flacks in my place—Joe with his deep love for the prophecies of the Word of God and for the dying souls of men—and I came back to the church to find that the people were freshly prepared by the Spirit of God for a great advance. For a time we two were co-pastors of the work in Paris, and never have I worked in sweeter harmony with any other man. It seemed right, then, that when Audrey and I were to be married, some two years later,-our Jewish brother should perform the ceremony. In fact, though the plan was not prearranged, he helped in the purchase of the wed ding dress. The incident reveals two
to startle the members of the church with rousing sermons on tithing, love offerings, and giving by faith. I had my answer. “From now on, Lord,” I said, “my money and my ranch are Yours. You know the very little it is. But it’s Yours.” I began to give, on faith. Many times I gave all I had and was only sorry I didn’t have more. I made pledges by faith when I did not know where the money was to come from. I was experiencing the first taste of joy in giving to God. Änd I was amazed as God began to give memore, so that I had more to give back. It seemed the more we gave, the more we received,i and every day became one of joy in serving Him. Does it pay, materially, to give God one’s all? The answer is definitely no, if we give only for that reason. But when we give all that we are and have, in whatever business we may be in, purely for the love of our Redeemer, God always gives more than \ye do. It may be in increased worldly goods, it may be in other ways, but it is always His best for us. Since I began -to ranch for God, it has pleased Him to entrust me with increased possessions, in the passing years, many of our godless neighbors suffered bankruptcy and left the com munity. But during the same period, God enabled us to buy other farms to annex to our ranch, until now we have about 10,000 acres of owned land, and we lease some 2,000 additional acres. We have some 150 head of cattle, about 1,500 sheep, a carload of hogs, and 600 horses. It is all the Lord’s doing. Without Him I was, and still would be—nothing. Giving all we have to Him has brought us in creased goods, but only that we might have more to give to Him. I believe the only way we can take money to heaven is to make the exchange here on earth through Christian service, that others may find salvation at the foot of the cross where our own re demption was made. I can say with all my heart that God gave us all we have, and any time He wants all or part of my ranch, He shall have it. I can say that because I’ve had the test and know. Th « Lord’s Service, or My Ranch? About five years ago, sleeping sick ness among horses swept Montana, and was s o o n o u t o f all control. Ranchers began frantically vaccinat ing horses in an effort to check the disaster; whole h e r d s were swept away. I had six hundred horses. The reasonable thing was to start vacci nating immediately. • But five hundred miles away in the mountains, our Bible conference was beginning. Twenty-five young people
He Giveth Mere and Mere During the wonderful days spent at the camp, God took all concern for my ranch from my mind, and I saw several of the young people I had brought there, making the all-impor- tant decision to accept Christ. Others, already saved, were richly blessed. ’ As we neared home on our return ■trip, the first thought of my horses crossed my mind. How would I find them? But “ the Lord is not slack concerning his promise.” Though the sleeping sickness had struck right around our ranch, not one of my horses was in fected. I had saved over $600 in vac cination expenres, and I did not lose a horse the whole year! Four weeks later, an event occurred that was, fo me, the final proof that my decision had been right. One of the young gi:*ls who had found Christ at the Bible conference am had come home to live her life in shining wit ness for Him* was accidentally killed. I knew that but for my having decided, that earlier day, in favor of Christ, at what I believed to be a gross neglect of my horses and ranch, she would have died without Christ. Could the world know or give a joy that equaled mine at that hour? As a young man I sat up until the early hours of the morning learning to read, write, spell, and figure, trying to master a way of life in the pro fessional world. Now, at the age of fifty-two, I sit up far into the night,' reading and learning the things of God, and seeking to be more efficient in soul-winning. Ranching for God has paid rich dividends in many ways, but the best is the joy and sweet satisfaction that come as I, read His Word, learn to know His voice, and try to live—and give—by faith. beautiful characteristics: zeal for souls that our Hebrew friend displayed, and perception and sweetness shown in the bride-to-be. It happened this way; In the town of Paris, there had been a devastating fire. Within a few min utes, some 14,000 people were made homeless. Our church suffered some loss, and among other furnishings that needed to be replaced was the piano for the Sunday-school. I was absent from the city at the time, and my co-pastor was to make the purchase in Dallas, some one hundred miles away. He prevailed ; pon our young organist to accompany him on this errand, and to give her advice. When the p i a n o was purchased, there were the wedding things to be chosen. In her happy impulsiveness,
THE BREWER'S BOY - [Continued from Page 258]
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the girl urged “Brother” .Flacks to gp with her in .search of satin and veil ing and valley lil'es. Perhaps, she knew, with her fine sensitiveness to human needs, that the mere invitâtion would kindle delight in the heart of a Jew who must ,ften h?ve been lonely. They went to one of the best stores., in Dallas, operated by Jews, and saw yards of^gleaming satin unfolded. In his ' gentle, t unassuming way,. Joseph Flack- suggested to the sales-- person, “ You know, I’m going to marry this girl.” ' His Jewish features were unmistak able, and his comment aroused curi osity. . • In the most riattcr-of-fact way, he went on to say, “Yes, but she is not* going to marry me. I will tell you of the absent bridegroom.” . It was easy and natural to make the transition to the subject of Christ, thé waiting Bridegroom in heaven, and to urge upon the hearer an acceptance of Him. All day long, he missed no opportunity to witness, with delicate tact, for the Lord he loved. The train that was to take them back to Paris was aue to leave at about nine o’clock. ■“There is time to go to the mission!’’ Joe Flacks suggested eagerly. To the girl, wearied from a hard day of shop ping, the idea seemed preposterous. Put again her understanding heart moved her to assent. Seated in the back ->.? the mission hall where some two hundred people had congregated, she saw her friend invited to be the speaker of the eve ning. In embarrassed surprise, she listened; his message was about “The Wedding Garment.” The Jews love allegory and are par ticularly apt in the use 01 it. Joe Flacks was that night. He began with snatches of conversation that had been heard that afternoon. And then, faithful to his Lord, he went on to exalt Christ, the heavenly Bridegroom, and to speak of His love for His bride, the church. With tenderness he drew attention to the One* who had so “loved the cl urch” that He gave His life for it on Calvâry’s cross. He pic tured Him in the “far country,” even heaven itself, waiting and praying for His blood - bought bride, u n t i l He should return for hei and take her to Himself. In the interim before Christ’s return, he said that all the bills are paid; for just as the girl’s father had given her several blank checks, to be filled in according to the amount of her needs, so all the promises of God are at the believer’s disposal. With humility he spoke of the Holy Spirit, the One whe aids the bride-to-be in her task of choosing garments “ clean and white,” in readiness for Christ’s appearing and the “marriage supper of the Lamb.”
A, roomful of people listened in close attention. To one person, the message meant more than to others. In th i deepest sense—she understood. She understood also on that day in 1919 when The Letter came. We had moved to Oak Park, Illinois, where I was pasfor of the Fourth Congrega tional Church, and we were experi encing hard days. With the influenza epidemic raging, I was called upon, night and day, to minister to the suffering an4 the dying and to com fort the bereaved.
on musingly, “ and that English bride of his must find things looking right!” Perhaps she thought of her own coming to Australia, as a bride from England in that long-ago time. She wanted her son, and her son’s wife, to partake, or the same home-centered enjoyment. But when “tomorrow” came, Mother was unable to rise from her bed, and one of my sisters was ill, too. The doctor called, and Mother whis pered, “Pleaje see my daughter first. She is much worse than I am,” Rapidly she grew weaker. Though her mind was clear and she under stood all that was said to her, she became unable to speak. It had not been difficult, however, to know some of the things she was thinking. For example, when her children came to her bedside—and all the family was. neat her except Jim and Father who were in - h e a v e n , Hubert who was en route from France, and I in the United States—Mother seemed to check them off one by one, as though she were saying, “Yes, you are safe in Chrirt. In that little locked room upstairs I prayed fo. you every day. ‘With ray own hands’ I helped to lead you to the Saviour.” On the question of personal salva tion, she could account for all of us— except one. There was my brother Will, the only one of the family to whom the taste for liquor had been a sharp temptation. It was to him that my Mother gave her last pleading message, not spoken in words, but in the ■appeal of her eyes., She would look only at Will, following him with her glance as he moved about the room. But those eyes closed, at last, and Will had not yielded to Christ I came back from my walk and my musing and I sa'id to my wife, “Mother prayed for all of us But she. had to go to hea/en without knowing that her prayer was fully answered. I won der why.” My wife was not as troubled about the m a t t e r as I was; she.had a mother’s faith,* and that kind is strong, When years passed—five, perhaps— and word came of Will’s illness, and of his outstanding triumphant con version and testimony that occurred only a few days before his death, my understanding helpmeet reminded me gently, “Your mother always believed Acts 16:31, didn’t she?” I recited the text aloud: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Mother, Father, five boys and three girls: all our “house” was “saved.” Yes, Mother haS believed, and God had met her fajth in glorious fulfill ment. He always will.
Utterly wearied, my wife and I were resting in our little bungalow home that hot afternoon. Our year - old daughter played or the floor. When the mailman came, handing me a sheaf of letters, I saw that one was large and weighty, as though it con tained enclosures. It was from Aus tralia, and I tore at the envelope. Inside, there were messages from several of my sisters and brothers. ~ read the words unbelievingly, and Silence Settled over me like a heavy cloak, without a word, I passed the letters to rr.y wife. When she read them, she did not reprove mt f o r my' silence nor seek to alter it. Alter all, she, too, was a mother, and with that indescribable perception that God has given to such women, she sensed what it had mean for a mother to die,’ in far-off Australia, and for her son, in America, to be suddenly jolted into the realization of his great loss. Later in the day, ,1 left the house, and for hours I walked, seeking to reconstruct :he scenes that The Letter had sketched. My mother had died of influenza, following only a week’ illness. With one of my sisters, sbe had been mak ing her home with another daughter, after the passing of my father. One day, while she was still well, but resting on a couch and chatting with one of the girls, she observed, “Tomorrow I will wash those curtains. I want to wash them with my own hands." The curtains were Nottingham lace, and she prized them. “Hubert will be hon.e from the war in about twe more ^eeks,” she went
[The End.], See Page 263
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