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A P R I L , 1963
T H I R T Y C E N T S
AN UNUSUAL OPPORTUNITY TO improve and deepen your knowledge o f the Bible WORKSHOPS and SEMINARS add interest to
SESIONS:June17-July 5; July 8-July 20
TWO THREE-WEEK
to teachers, pastors, missionaries and active laymen. Because of Chicago’s location, cultural and recrea tional facilities, many will combine vacation with this unique opportunity for Bible study. Tuition is free and room and board costs as little as $20 a week. The only other expense is the student bene fit fee of $5.
M oody Summer School offers an exceptional opportu nity for concentrated Bible study and sharpening your preaching and teaching ministry. More than 50 carefully selected courses to choose from, taught by Moody’s outstanding faculty of Bible teachers, Christian educators and gospel musicians. Summer School is also a refresher course which appeals
MISSIONARY LITERATURE WORKSHOP... Planned for missionaries on furlough and missionary candidates. Sessions on writing- basics for simple writing for new literates, etc.; publishing-material selection, editing, translation, financing, types of presses; dis tributing-sales and give-away tracts, clubs, colporteurs, catalogs. First session: June 17- July 5. CHRISTIAN RADIO BROADCASTING . . . Fun damentals of broadcasting, covering announc ing, continuity, production, programing, speech interpretation, music for radio, chil dren’s programs, adm inistration, tapes, recordings. Facilities of Station WMBI are used. First session: June 17-July 5. ng cover, see coupon on page 46)
Workshops and seminars are practical training tools in effective teaching. They enable instructor and student to meet on a discussion level where prob lems and questions are approached on a give-and-take basis. In Moody’s Sum mer School they will be an important supplement to classroom instruction. PASTOR'S SEMINAR . . . Lectures and discus sions on such subjects as the personal life of the pastor, present day trends in theology, the pastor's relationship to evangelism, Christian education, missions and church music. One week only—June 17-21. (to avoid <
BIBLE INSTITUTE WORKSHOP FOR MISSION ARIES . . . Bible institute objectives, organiza tion, recruitment of students, standards of acceptance, faculty, buildings, equipment, library, curriculum, teaching methods. Second session: July 8-26. OPEN AIR EVANGELISM...Children's meet ings, street meetings, industrial noon-hour evangelism. Techniques for effectively pre senting Christ to the unchurched. Open only to men. Second session: July 8-26. CHURCH MUSIC . . . Offered by Sacred Music Department during the second week of first session, June 24-29. DEANS OF WOMEN . . . Discussions of prob lems regarding total responsibility of deans. Panel discussions, workshops, papers by sem inar students. Restricted to deans of women and their associates. One week only, beginning June 17. MISSIONARY HISTORY. . . Research course, using MBI library and other Chicago libraries. For missionaries and college graduates with special interest in missions. Supervised field activity, embodying papers on results. June 17-July 5.
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k MAIL COUPON TODAY for FREE CATALOG and APPLICATION PAPERS Application papers must be r mailed back at least ten days before the opening of session you plan to attend.
INTERDENOMINATIONAL • EVANGELICAL MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE 820 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago 10, Illinois WILLIAM CULBERTSON, president • S. MAXWEtL CODER, dean Please send me Summer School folder, catalog and application papers. Name ___________________________________________________ Address ------ City. Zone ______ State. o*t. 4K3
RADIO BIBLE CLASS Silver Anniversary
To God be the glory, great things He hath done! The year 1963 marks twenty-five years of continuous broadcasting of the Radio Bible Class. Beginning with one small station, the program now is heard each week on the ABC radio network, other regional networks, and hundreds of leading independent stations. The Our Daily Bread broadcasts are heard each weekday Monday through Friday on selected independent stations. The printed ministry for 1962 exceeded five million copies of the devotional guide and sermon booklets. We thank the many friends who, under God, have made this possible. We desire no credit, for it is all the grace of God. “ This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23).
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BIBLE CONFERENCES Each year in various parts of the country, thousands are afforded the opportunity to see and hear Dr. DeHaan and Richard DeHaan in person. While Radio Bible Class is best known by radio and literature, this third phase — Bible Conferences — is an essential and vital part of this worldwide Gospel ministry.
LITERATURE The printing and distribution of handy, pocket-size booklets of the radio sermons has grown hand-in-hand with the broadcast ministry down through the years. The devotional guide Our Daily Bread was introduced in 1956. These two publications, plus a newsletter, are sent to many thousands automatically each month through the Membership Mailing List.
RADIO For a quarter of a century, listeners have tuned their radios each Sunday to the solid Bible-teaching ministry of Or. M. R. DeHaan. Associated with him is his son, Richard W. DeHaan, who conducts the devotional program Our Daily Bread. The ministry of the Word is enhanced by the musical contributions of Clair Hess and Henry Bosch.
TH IS AD A P P E A R S THRU TH E C O U R T ESY O F A F R IE N D R A D I O B I B L E C L A S S * P . 0 . BOX 2 2 , G R A N D R A P I D S , M I C H I G A N
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APRIL, 1963
T h e
B u e i n e B B
l ik e the sun shining in my heart../ Last year, after attending one of the overseas Pastors' Con ferences sponsored by World Vision, a faithful minister of the Gospel wrote: ; ; “ This conference is like the sun shining in my heart. It burned my pride, my laziness and my empty soul. It refreshed my life, rebuilt my faith and renewed my strength in joy and humbleness through the Spirit of my Saviour, Jesus Christ. Pray forme." c I
E S T A B L I S H E D 1 9 1 0 A publication of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Inc. Louis T. Talbot, Chancellor • S. H. Sutherland, President • Ray A. Myers, Board Chairman APRIL, in the year of our Saviour Vol. 54, No. 4 Nineteen Hundred and Sixty-three Established 1910 Dedicated to the spiritual development of the Christian home M i a TH E FLICKERING FLAME OF FAITH — Vance Havner .................... 8 TH E RESURRECTION . . . A GLORIOUS C ER TA IN T Y — R. I. Humberd ............................................................................................ 10 NAPOLEON SPEAKS TH IS EASTER — Sam Gallagher .......................... 11 AFR ICA 'S WOMEN ARE AW AKING — Mrs. Michael Kurlak ....... 12 BLUEPRINT FOR YOUNG MARRIED COUPLES — Wayne Saffen .. 14 HOW DO I LOVE TH EE — Betty Bruechert ............................................... 16 FELIPE ALOU IN SOUTH AM ERICA — Don B. Rood .................... 19 PROPHECY: TH E MOLD OF HISTORY — Charles H. Stevens ....... 20 GOD'S HIGHER PLAN — Lucille Webster ............................................... 22 SUNSHINE MARY — Alice M. Ardagh .................................................... 38 M IN ISTRY TO SEAMEN .................................................................................... 44 MESSAGE FROM TH E EDITOR — Samuel H. Sutherland CU LTS CR ITIQUE — Betty Bruechert ...................................... CHRISTIAN SEN TIN EL — Nelson Dilworth DR. TALBOT'S QUESTION BOX — Louis T . Talbot TA LK IN G IT OVER — Clyde M. Narramore 32 PERSONAL EVANGELISM — Benjamin Weiss ....................................... 33 BOOK REVIEWS — Arnold D. Ehlert ............................................................ 34 WORLD NEWSGRAMS — James O. Henry 36 SCIENCE AND TH E BIBLE — Bolton Davidheiser 37 UNDER TH E PARSONAGE ROOF — Althea S. Miller 41 ALUMN I NEWS — Inez McGahey ............................................................ 43 FOR WOMEN ON LY — Dick Hillis ............................................ 45 Column READER REACTION ................................................................................................ 5 PRESENTING TH E MESSAGE .......................................................................... 31 PEOPLE IN THE NEWS .................................................................................... 46 C o w The coming of Easter reminds us of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and our cover illustration for April is intended to convey an impression of the "Good Shepherd who giveth His life for the sheep." This color photo, by G. Eric Matson of the Matson Photo Service, was taken in modern-day Palestine where men still tend their flocks as they did in the time of Christ. — All Rights Reserved — 6 28 29 30
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ThU man ‘was one of over 40,000 who have been bieued and helped in the past 10 years by the unique Pastors' Conference ministry conducted by World Vision. •- P le a s e p r a y . . . h r Ihe conferences scheduled for Chile and Colombia in April...and for the foammembers: DR. HAN KVUN6 CHIK OF KOREA EVANGELIST FERNANDO VANGIONI OF ARGENTINA AND REV. RUBEN LORES OF COSTA RICA. And, If you can give, remember that just $15 will cover complete costs for one faithful man of God to attend the conference In his country, providing transportation, food, lodging. to help some faithful servant of Christ attend the con ferences in Chile and/or Colombia. □ Send me the World Vision magazine FREE every month, that I may keep informed about these conferences and other strategic events on the mission fields of the world. DR. BOB PIERCE DR. PAUL S. REES | I li hdp...enclosed is my gift of $
S. H. SUTHERLAND: Editor A L SANDERS: Managing Editor BETTY BRUECHERT? Copy Editor
PAUL SCHWEPKER: Controller JANE M. CLARK: Circulation Manager JEANNE SHARP: Advertising Manager
VIRGIN IA SCHWEPKER: Production Manager EDITORIAL BOARD: William Bynum, Bolton Davidheiser, Arnold D. Ehlert, Charles L. Felnberg, James O. Henry, Martha S. Hooker, Oran H. Smith evANoeucAt. m m association
ADVERTISING — for information address the Advertising Manager, The King's Business, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles 17, California. MANUSCRIPTS — "The King's Business" cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts mailed to us for consideration. Second-class postage paid at Los An geles, California. Printed in U.S.A. by Church Press, Glendale, California. ADDRESS: The King's Business, 558 So Hope St., Los Angeles 17, California.
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION — "The King's Business" is published monthly. U.S., its possessions, and Canada, $3.00 one year; $1.50 six months, 30 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. Write for details. Foreign subscription 75 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of address to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. REMITTANCES — Should be made by bank draft, express, or post office money order payable to "The King's Business.'
ADDRESS- CITY—
DR. BOB PIERCE, president WORLD VISION, INC. Box 0, Pasadena, California or Box 181-K, Toronto 12, Ontario, Canada
THE KING'S BUSINESS
4
for men and women who have *300, *500, *1,000 or more...
Following is a report of the results of this year’s work of sending our used Christian reading including THE KING’S BUSINESS: Decisions for Christ in 1962........ 597 Workers added in 1962 .................t 46 Inquiries in 1962 ............................255 The workers are both nationals and missionaries who wish the reading for personal profit^ We have never dared say much about this feature as we know we would be flooded as we find that most workers go out there without spiritual supplies. The inquirers are asked to read four magazines and hand them on to three other persons, thus spreading the good news and sometimes getting a decision for Christ. If your readers like this idea of the second use of Christian reading we are in need of your magazines, especially the year 1962, and this one coming up as soon as they are through with their copies. Logan Papworth, Manager, Christian Salvage Mission, Inc., Howell, Michigan SOCIAL DANCING In many public schools students are re quired to participate in social dancing. In other places the students are not required to dance, but are made to feel peculiar or strange by the attitude of the teacher. Sometimes non-dancers are penalized in other ways such as lower grades, etc. We feel an alternate activity should be pro vided during these periods. We are concerned about this situation and we wonder if other Christians would like to join us in writing letters to our new State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Mr. Max Rafferty, Sacramento, California, and their city and county boards of educa tion. It is suggested that letters to the State Superintendent be sent by registered mail with return receipt requested. Mrs. Ernest C. Wolters, Riverside, California Let me thank you for printing my pastor’s article on “ Successful Soul Win ning” in your January issue of THE KING’S BUSINESS. However, did you realize that his name was Mark Dicker- son and not Mark Davidson? I felt you would want to know this correction. Gladys Cleveland, Trinity Baptist Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan. NEW SUBSCRIBER I would like to receive a one-year sub scription to your magazine. My neighbor just gave me her January copy. I now have on my kitchen wall “Who is a Wit ness for Christ?” that was in that issue. So now I must have a subscription to this wonderful Christian magazine. Mrs. C. A. Leonard, La Mesa, California SOUL W INN ING ARTIC LE A CORRECTION
become a partner with
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in the most important business in the w o rld ... GOD’S BUSINESS! . . . for three-quarters of a century Moody Bible Institute has been dedicated to its purpose of doing business for God When you put your money into Moody Annuities, your savings are literally doing business for God. And while your dollars are actively working for the Lord, they’re working for you, too—providing a generous, guaranteed income as long as you live (as much as 8 ^ % annually—depending on your a ge ). The assurance of a regular, unchanging income provides wonderful peace of mind. Moody Bible Institute has never missed a single payment since the first annuity was issued more than a half century ago. And much of the income is tax exempt.
M O O D Y A N N U IT IE S return as much as S'/2% ANNUALLY (depending on your age) MUCH OF IT IS TAX EXEMPT
W h at we mean by D O IN G B U S IN E S S FO R G O D . . . Teaching and training men and women for active Christian •ervice is the first purpose of the Institute. .. men and women dedicated to Christ and the spreading of His gospel to the ends of the earth. Today—about 2,200 former MBI students are serving under 200 mission boards. . . at work in more than 95 countries. And more than 3,000 former students are serving as pastors in this country. So, when you put your money into Moody Annuities, you have the deep satisfaction of knowing that your dollars are actually doing business for God through MBI’s many soul winning ministries. Would you like to receive Double Dividends on your money? Mail coupon today! r — — ------------------------ ----------------------- --------- -— J Write: Annuity Department { M O O D Y B I B L E I N S T I T U T E Deot. 4K3 | 620 N. LaSalle St., Chicago 10, III. | Please send me, without obligation: O free booklet, * ‘Double Divi- I dends” —describing Moody Annuity Plan in detail; O booklet, “ Doing } Business for God. ’' | blnme Ag*
DOING BUSINESS FOR G O D ...
Write for your FREE copy today. Tells bow MBI is doing business for God— and how you can have a share in these many min- istries.
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a City
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5
APRIL, 1963
CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS DIRECTORY
message from the editor Ä
“ I a p p r e c i a t e STONY BROOK’ S Scholarship A id” says Glenn Jamison Tanta, Egypt
BY DR. SAMUEL H. SUTHERLAND PRESIDENT, THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, INC.
THIS IS INCREDIBLE In 1953, a book entitled The Sun and the Umbrella was pre sented to the Christian public. Its author was Dr. Nels Ferre’, then professor o f philosophical theology at Vanderbilt University School o f Religion. It caused something o f a stir at that time, due to the fact that it was both widely condemned and stoutly defended by the various segments o f the professing Protestant church. Rarely has a book ever appeared which struck harder at the very vitals o f historic Christianity than did this book. It constitutes a vicious attack upon the person and work o f our Lord Jesus Christ, upon the Bible as the Word o f God, upon the church o f Jesus Christ in its historical aspect and, indeed, upon almost all o f the basic tenets o f Protestanism as they have been known and believed by devout Christians through the centuries. O f course, there have been infidels and skeptics in every generation who have raised their voices against the very doctrines that are blasted into by the author o f The Sun and the Umbrella. But whereas these men o f a past generation, such as Thomas Paine, Robert Ingersoll, Francois Voltaire and those who preceded them in earlier generations o f the Christian era, attacked the church o f Jesus Christ from without, this present author would like to think that he is well within the fold o f the church and in deed that he is a part o f the church o f Jesus Christ. Hence he claims to be knocking at the foundations o f the Christian church from within. But somehow his objections to the great truths o f historic Christianity have the same hollow and shallow ring that these in fidels who preceded him reveal in their writings. Incidentally, it is strange indeed that no denomination or cult has ever grown up and established churches based upon the ideology o f such infidels o f previous generations. They were, in large measure, lost voices cry ing in the wilderness. Comparatively few ever rallied to their Christ- denying cause or followed them in their lonely cries o f unbelief. But the most remarkable part o f it all is that in this generation, one like the author o f The Sun and the Umbrella could speak and write from within the Protestant church and be so widely acclaimed and encouraged in his blasphemous statements by contemporary church leaders.
The School is operated not for profit but to render service in the field of Christian edu cation. Because of endowment income and the annual contributions of generous friends, the School is able to maintain a tuition rate lower than that of most schools in its class. Each year a large amount of scholarship aid is granted on evidence of the character, abil ity and earnest purpose of the applicant, and the financial need. While this policy applies especially to sons of ministers, missionaries, and other Christian workers, it is by no mwinfl limited to such boys. Christian Education at Stony Brook has real meaning. The atmosphere is wholesome without being pious. Boys are urged to live their lives in accordance with the will of God as set forth in Scripture. Bible Study is a major subject and is required of all students throughout the entire course. By maintaining a balance between reli gious, academic, and recreational activities, the School aims at a harmony of • purpose. By intelligent appnca- 4 tion of this Christian program, in i both administration and teach- ,gv ing, Stony Brook is making a dis- j/B tgf tinctive contribution to American V W education. I K S . D r . F r a n k E. G a e b e l e in jja B S B Headmaster ~ i J n F i T For Catalogue and Information, write Director of Admissions, Oept. 80 THE STONY BROOK SCHOOL Stony Brook, Long Island • New York CHRISTIAN SCHOOL TEACHERS WANTED Qualified teachers interested in teaching in Christian Schools should write to CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS SERVICE, Inc. 10119 Lafayette Avenue, Chicago 28, III. Teacher Agency Service is Free WHEATON ACADEMY welcomes qualified applicants . . .
L o ca te d on a w ood ed , 33 -a cre campus, six miles northwest of Wheaton, Illinois .. . the Academy offers academic preparation for schools of higher education. Fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Second ary Schools, it provides for your son’s and daughter’s all-around de velopm ent-intellectual, spiritual, social and physical life. Writ* or phono today for admission and placomont proctduro—Phono 231-0727 WHEATON ACADEMY, Dept. K43 Box 267 Whoaton, Illinois
6
THE KING'S BUSINESS
Concerning the Bible, the author states, in effect, that to claim the Bible as the only infallible rule o f faith and practice is "idolatry” (p. 39). He vehemently denies the doctrine o f the verbal inspira tion o f the Scriptures (p. 43). Whereas the Bible distinctly states p that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, yet this author claims that while in all probability Jesus was actually born in Nazareth, that the writers o f the New Testament, in order to make something o f Him that He was not, took a rather obscure prophecy out o f the Old Testament and applied it to Jesus, thereby claiming that He was born in Bethlehem. And the writer concludes that Jesus Him self may have been misled in His understanding o f the Old Testa ment even though He seems to have spent a great deal o f time throughout His life in its study (pp. 39-41). O f course, the most blasphemous part o f the book centers around the person o f our Lord Jesus Christ. Dr. Ferre claims that Jesus Christ was a man born in a normal manner as are all other v men and that He was a sinner like all other men (pp. 28 & 29). He states that the doctrine o f the virgin birth was invented in an effort to make Jesus appear as a sinless being (p. 29 ), and that He was never God, the second person o f the Trinity (p. 35). He speaks o f God’s becoming incarnate but he makes it very clear that • to him this "does not mean that . . . the human Jesus is God . . . Such is the nature o f the grand myth which at its heart is idolatry” (p. 83). This recalls to mind the pronouncements o f Harry Emer son Fosdick o f the previous generation and his blood - chilling words, "The peril o f worshipping Jesus.” Dr. Ferre even takes to task the World Council o f Churches for its tendency to raise Jesus to a pedestal above the rest o f His fellow human beings! (p. 35). He denies completely the doctrine o f the atoning work o f the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross by stating that such a doctrine creates the image o f a "bloodthirsty God” (p. 31). He declares that the Second Coming o f Christ is "the darkest” doctrine, shut ting out the living God, and that there is a question as to whether Jesus even taught such a doctrine (p. 33). One could go on at length disclosing the unscriptural views by this doctrinal deviate. However, the theological viewpoints o f Dr. Ferre would have no particular significance for us were it not for the fact that there are an appreciable number o f widely-accepted religious leaders who "respond with approval and enthusiasm to Dr. Ferre’s thesis, in the words on the jacket o f the book. Among these religious leaders is Bishop Gerald Kennedy o f the Methodist Church, who states that The Sun and the Umbrella was "written in the power and spirit o f the New Testament. . . . We have stood in need o f this clari fication o f the person o f Jesus . . . it will thrill sincere world- minded Christians. Nels Ferre has given us the clue for a truly universal Christianity.” Dr. E. M. Poteat o f the Baptist Church also states on the jacket o f this book: "A fter the denunciations [o f the book] will come a sober effort to refute or modify his [Dr. Ferre’s] radical surgery. •CONTINUED ON P A G E 26
VJust SO. ; |||wtavy tbWM m 1 j grows
....
itrin^'nd Is steadfast:'5: ''Csmlmdge University *i Preks has' made. / When you own a Cambridge.Bible;: % you own a book made with craftsmanship inherited through .?%; twelve generations.
AT ALL BOOKSELLERS
7
APRIL, 1963
I n sc r ip t io n s o n p u b l ic buildings are often amusing and sometimes pathetic, especially if they quote Scripture. In one metropolis the City Hall bears these words, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Lifted out of its context and taken as it stands, such a verse could mean anything to anybody. It raises two stupendous questions: What is truth? What is freedom? It presents two tremendous issues: How to know the truth and how to be free. It sets forth two mighty pur suits that engage mankind perhaps more than anything else on earth, the search for truth and the quest for freedom. Every school building, every scientific labora tory, every religious institution speaks of man’s search for truth. All the world-wide present-day turmoil, with new nations being born every few days, testifies to man’s quest for freedom. Could more be packed into one sim ple inscription than this: “ Ye shall know the TRUTH and the Truth shall make you FREE” ? But without its context this verse does not answer the questions it raises. It merely faces us with two colos sal abstractions, Truth and Freedom. A missionary in a pagan land would need a better text than this. I do not know of a more striking illustration than this of the danger in not quoting enough of a passage of Scripture. These words were spoken by our Lord (John 8:32) but they are not His complete statement. The City Hall inscription left out the first word in the verse, “AND.” That means that something has gone before and we have it in the preceding verse: “ If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.” The next verse follows naturally, “ AND ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” But even that is not enough. If we continue in the Word, there must be a start. The preceding verse begins, “Then said Jesus to those Jews WHICH BELIEVED ON HIM” which goes back one verse more where we read, “ As He spake these word, MANY BELIEVED ON HIM.” Their faith was cheap and superficial but the false im plies the true. Putting these verses in order, we get this sequence as it applies to us: We believe on Jesus; we become His disciples; we continue; we abide in His Word; we know the truth. We are set free for “ if the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” Now it makes sense and what a pity to carve part of it on a City Hall and not carve it all! Here then is the secret of Freedom and the secret of Truth. We have never heard more about freedom and seen less of it than we do nowadays. Even Christians fall far short of the liberty our Lord was talking about. They are slaves of fear, slaves of doubt, slaves of worry, slaves of habit, slaves of self and sin. We hear much about truth but the outstanding characteristic of this age is ignorance. The generation of Noah’s time “ KNEW NOT” until the flood came and as it was in the days of Noah so it is today. We have more education than ever but much of our ignorance is educated ignorance. Will Rogers used to say, “The stupidest fellow on earth is an educated man when you get him off the subject he was educated on.” A leading educator says, “ The intelligence of the race has failed before the problems which the race has raised.” Our Lord declared that the basis of error is ignorance: “Ye do err, NOT KNOWING the Scrip tures, nor the power of God” (Matt. 22:29). The man who does not know God’s Word and God’s' power is an ignoramus, no matter what else he knows. The secret of Freedom is to know the Truth. Jesus Christ is the Truth. According to our text the way of freedom is to believe on Christ, become His disciples, continue in His Word. Thus we come to know the Truth and the Truth sets us free. This is the secret-which the
world does not know. Most church members do not know it either which means either they are not believers or not disciples. The word believe does not mean today what the New Testament word means. It has come to mean head acceptance of a proposition instead of heart thrust in a Person. The majority of church mem bers show no evidence of having been bom again; they are' just what they have always been. They certainly are not disciples for a disciple continues in, abides in the Word. This abiding is not a condition of discipleship but a manifestation of it. We show that we are disciples by learning and obeying. The sheep hear the Shepherd’s voice and follow Him. The believer comes to Christ, the disciple comes after Christ. We come to Him and re ceive His rest; we learn of Him and find rest. Our churches are filled with many professed believers but there are few faithful followers. We are long on mem bership and short on discipleship. Crisis is not followed by continuance. Too many “take the step” but they do not follow it with the walk. The Great Commission tells us to teach the disciples TO OBSERVE all the things our Lord commanded. Knowledge of the Truth that sets men free comes not merely from dissemination of informa tion but from obedience to the Truth. Our Lord con tinually emphasized the price of discipleship. He did not encourage cheap faith, He demanded costly obedience. Plenty of people will join church, come to church, “ come forward” to dedicate and re-dedicate, who will not fol low it up with day-by-day obedience. There is nothing spectacular, sensational, Hollywoodish, about Christian discipleship but without it men cannot know the Truth and be set free. We are more anxious to gather statistics than to grow saints these days. We are out to swell the roll and are not too concerned about what church members believe or how they live. We have mob-ilized a host like the mixed multitude that followed Moses out of Egypt but went to pieces in the wilderness. We are not going to bring freedom to the captives today by rallying hosts of superficial converts who profess to come to Christ byt will not come after Him, who will take Him as Saviour but refuse Him as Lord. The Jews to whom our Lord spoke the words of our text professed to believe on Him but when He began to talk about continuing in the Word, they argued with Him. They believed on Him in verse 30 of this chapter but were ready to stone Him in verse 59. We read in John 6 that His listeners complained of His hard teach ing and “many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him.” I see that happen almost every week in my meetings. When church members are called upon to deny self, take up the cross, give up the world and follow Christ, make Him Lord of all, they resent it, they argue, they fall away and do not even return to the services. They are like those who believed on Jesus in John 2 but whom our Lord did not trust because He knew their faith was cheap and worthless. They never intended to take Christ seriously and they knew nothing of the liberty wherewith He sets men free. Friday night of the revival finds them at the ball game and Sunday night at home watching Ed Sullivan. I could ignore these professed followers and preach to church “ prospects” but here lies our main trouble, a superficial faith that fails to follow our Lord and that argues back when the terms of discipleship are laid down. We have packed our church rolls with these people but the business of the church is to make DISCIPLES, true believers who con tinue in the Word, who know the Truth and have been set free. This is the way of the believer-disciple, freedom through faith that follows.
9
APRIL, 1963
THE RESURRECTION . . . A GLORIOUS CERTAINTY by R. 1.
Humbert and the United States has grown out of that statement.” You go on dpwn the street, turn a comer and see a church. “What is that?” “ That is a church.” “What is a church for” “ Over nineteen hundred years ago a man was cruci fied. A short time later, over five hundred people were together, when suddenly this man who had been crucified, appeared before them in new resurrection life, and the church is built upon the fact of His resurrection.” Now here is the point. I have never, never met a man anywhere who doubted the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but more people saw our Lord after His resurrection than witnessed the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Verily, our Lord arose by many in fallible proofs. Testimony of Three Thousand Although the Bible records many who saw our Lord after His resurrection, yet some today tell us that they were deceived and if they had investigated more care fully, the mistake would have been evident. But didn’t they investigate? What do people do at a time like this? Imagine yourself in that country at that time. You move about in a daze; your mind is constantly upon the happenings of those last few days. On the third morning, you are eating your breakfast, when suddenly the table begins to dance and dishes to rattle. You dash out. It is an earthquake. An hour later, your neighbor dashes in with the startling news, “ He is risen! He is risen! The body is gone! The grave is open!” And what would happen as that news spread through the community? Every camel, every donkey, all means of travel would be pressed into service as every last man and woman in that entire community would journey up to that tomb. They would search every square inch; they would discuss every rumor a thousand times; they would even take chips off the sepulchre to take home as souvenirs. Why? Simply because an extraordinary event had taken place. That is what people do at a time like that. Time moved on; the day of Pentecost finally came. Suddenly word was flashed around: the disciples are act ing strange; something has happened. People by the thou sands gather. Peter stood up and said, “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs — Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have cru cified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it” (Acts 2:37). “ Peter, we know it, we know God removed that body! We were there! We examined every square inch of that tomb; we discussed every rumor a thousand times; we were there. Men and brethren, what shall we do?” And three thousand, with all the evidence at hand, accepted the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and went out to give witness of it. Verily, our Lord arose by many infallible proofs which we are commissioned to make known to an un believing world.
I a t o n e t im e attended a funeral. When the minister was through with his message, the undertaker came over and closed the lid of the casket. There was a little “ click.” They took my father out to the cemetery and left him there, and I have not seen him since that time. But I am confidently expecting to see him again—see him in a body throbbing with life and vitality. But Paul tells us that “ If Christ be not raised — they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished” (I Cor. 15:18). Thus I want to know beyond a shadow of doubt whether Jesus of Nazareth arose or not. But we are assured He did arise and “ shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3). • Testimony of James “He was seen of James” (I Cor. 15:7). James saw Him. Can we imagine the conflicting emotions that surged in his breast? James and Jesus were brothers. They played together; they ate together; they slept together. One day — maybe — Mary said: “ James, take the pitcher to the well and get some water.” “Ah, I got the water yesterday, let Jesus do it!” They were just boys together. One time after our Lord had gone into His public ministry, His own brethren said to Him, in effect, “ If you want to be a preacher, why don’t you act like it? No one does what you do.” “ For neither did his brethren believe in him” (John 7:5). Verily, if James had been in close touch with Jesus for nigh onto thirty years and was not convinced of His deity, certainly nothing short of a resurrection would convince him. A year or so after I graduated from high school, I met a brother of one of my classmates. “Well,” I cried, “How’s my old friend coming along?” “Ah, don’t mention his name to me. He’s disgraced the family.” His brother had become involved with the law and was in prison. He had brought dishonor upon the family, and they wanted no reference to him. And what about James? Verily, James’ brother had “ disgraced” the family; He had been in trouble with the high priests; He had been crucified. Yet there was that earthquake when He died; there was deep darkness! How do you suppose James felt when suddenly His brother, our Lord, stood before him? Is it any wonder that James became a staunch pillar in the early 'church? Again I say, nothing short of a resurrection could have convinced James that Jesus was God the Son! But he saw the risen Lord. Testimony of Five Hundred “He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once” (I Cor. 15:6). Sometimes the testimony of two or three people will change the entire course of a trial, but here were five hundred, more than half-a-thousand people, who could say, “ I saw Him!” Verily, our Lord arose by many in fallible proofs. Suppose you are walking down the street with a foreigner, a man knowing absolutely nothing about our country. You come to a post office.
“What is that?” inquires the stranger. “ That is an American flag,” is your reply. “What does than mean?” he asks, simply.
“ So many years ago, some men got together - and signed what is called the ‘Declaration of Independence,’
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
T h e f o l l o w in g l in e s are excerpts taken from a letter written by Napoleon Bonaparte to one of his gen erals who considered Christ only a great moralist and genius. Napoleon was at this time in exile on the Isle of St. Helena, his last earthly home. “Now that I am at St. Helena, now that I am fas tened down alone upon this rock, who fights my battles and conquers empires for me? Do men think of me? Who exerts himself for me in Europe? Who has remained faithful to my name? . . . Such is the fate of great men! Such is the fate of Caesar and Alexander; and then we are forgotten. How many and various judgments are passed on the great Louis XIV. Scarcely was he dead when the great king himself was left alone in the soli tude of his bedroom in Versailles . . . He was no longer their master, but a corpse, the tenant of a coffin and a grave. Such is the approaching fate of the great Napol eon! What an abyss is there between the depth of my misery and the eternal reign of Christ who is preached, praised, loved, adored, and living throughout the uni verse! Can that be called death? Is it not rather life?” The great “ abyss” that Napoleon referred to between his person and kingdom and that of Christ’s needs little explanation. There is no comparison between the person, life, accomplishments, and kingdom of the majestic Christ
and the miserable, erring leaders and kingdoms of this world. Where is the leadership? Where are the thrones of the world conquerors of the past? Come see the place where their bodies were laid, and there rests the answer. The worms have eaten their flesh and dust has returned to dust. Their kingdoms have decayed and vanished with their leaders! Now, “ come see the place where the Lord lay.” “He is not here, for He is risen” (Matt. 28:6). “ Neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see cor ruption” (Acts 2:27). “ God raised Him from the dead” (Acts 13:30). “Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour” (Acts 5:31). Napoleon died in despair. Christ died a victorious death, a death in which He paid the full wages of sin for a fallen race. He now lives at God’s right hand and invites all to share His eternal kingdom with Him, a kingdom built on love and truth. “ And of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end” (Isa. 9:7). Easter time is a fitting time to accept His gracious invitation. The way is sample: “ Except a man be bom again he cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3). “ I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). You can have this eternal life now. “ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:36).
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APRIL, 1963
INESS MISSL
Africa’s
Women
Are Awaking
by Mrs. Michael Kurlak Christian ami Missionary Alliance
“ TT don ’ t care ; she must go to her husband!” was the JL response when we remonstrated with the men who were dragging the kicking, screaming girl through the. mud and mire of a Kankan street'. These men were forc ing the girl to marry a man against her will, and there was no reprieve for the girl. When he learned that the man in question was old and already had several wives, the girl’s resistance to such highhanded methods seemed understandable. Again screams came from across the street. Upon in vestigation we found a man beating his wife unmerci fully. Our inquiries revealed the fact that this cruel treatment was being inflicted because the wife had ne glected to take a cup of water to her husband with his evening meal. When we dared to make the observation that a minor offense like that hardly warranted such severe punishment, we were rebuked by a spectator. “Madame,” he said, “ If he doesn’t beat her for that now, she’ll do something worse the next time.’ An old woman lay ill on a mat outside the door of her hut. As we tried to talk with her about the Christ who loved her, a young man came by and gave her a vicious kick. “What are you doing?” we cried. “ Oh,” was the heartless reply, “ that is all right; she is only my mother.” Being forced to marry against her will — receiving un merited abuse — being disrespectfully treated in her old age — such was the lot of the African woman 35 years ago when we first came to Africa. An African husband considered his wife far inferior to him; she was simply part of his goods and chattels. Had he not paid a dowry for her? Was she not his property to do with as he pleased? After all, all she was good for was to cook his meals and bear his children. Although this situation was ameliorated somewhat under the rule of France, yet woman continued to hold an inferior position to man. In many little ways this was evident. A man would not sit down and chat with his wife; he was above that. If he and his wife were going to the same place at the same time, she would walk several paces behind him, to satisfy his superiority com plex. Now, nearly two score years after the above scenes were enacted, the status of womanhood in the new re public of Guinea is undergoing a radical change. With the coming independence three years ago came a new era for the womeit of this country. Instead of being trod-
Christian women pounding grain for special feast Lavish preparations are made for feast
den under foot, as she has been for centuries, she is being emancipated and her status is being elevated to a high level. For example, the title “Madame” always used to be reserved for the white women only, but the men now use it freely in speaking to or of the African women. The new government passed a law recently abolishing polygamy. Effort is being made to enforce the law, but because it is diametrically opposed to the economic life of the people, enforcement has not made much headway yet. However, many women are looking for the day
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
when it will become a reality. A political meeting of the women’s auxiliary of the government party was in session one evening. The women were discussing the merits of a monogamous marriage. The concensus of opinion was that it had tremendous advantages. A man who with oth ers was listening on the outskirts of the crowd begged permission to say a word. “ Could you not have a law made,” he said, “ allowing a man to limit himself to two wives?” The quick-witted leader of the meeting hesitated a brief moment and then replied spiritedly, “ All right, if you men want to have two wives, then we should be allowed to have two husbands.” That terminated the dis cussion. Now a girl enjoys the right to decide whom she will marry. A law has been put into effect that no girl may be married until she is 17 years of age, thus abolishing the custom of child marriage. And even then she is not to be forced to marry anyone against her will. One of the tenets of the constitution of the new government is the liberation of womanhood. The new nation desires to at tain a high standing among the nations of the world, and her leaders realize that one means of accomplishing this end is to treat their women with respect and honor that they receive in the more fully developed countries. Guinea women now have the franchise. They also have their own organization within the political party of the government. Their officers are very much in evidence at all public functions and command the respect of all— men as well as women. Their demands cannot be dis regarded nor neglected. Their auxiliary is a force to be reckoned with at all times. Their elaborate dress and dominating bearing attest the fact that they are fast attaining a position of importance in the political and social life of the country. One day at the airport, as we awaited the arrival of some African dignitaries, we stood beside the head of the women’s auxiliary of the govern ment party. She is an elderly, unlettered woman, but I was amazed to watch the courteous, deferential way in which she was greeted by many men as they passed by. Such expressions of respect were unheard of 35 years ago. Girls are being trained to be clerks and cashiers in stores, to operate the telephone exchange, to become nurses and nurses’ aides in hospitals, to run motorcycles and drive tractors. What a contrast to the former days when education for African girls was scoffed at by the men! A girl go to school? Why, she doesn’t have any sense; she doesn’t have any brains. What could she learn in school? This was the attitude of even some of Christian men, when it was proposed that the Mission open a school for girls. The sincerity of their attitude was revealed when they expressed amazement at the abilities of the first girls to finish their training at our school. They could hardly believe their eyes and ears when a woman stood before the congregation in church, read the Scripture without hesi tation and offered several comments on it before she led in prayer. Such poise! Such fluency! Why, after all, the men admitted, women are good for something else besides the drudgery of farm and kitchen chores. And so you may ask, “What of the Christian women in this new day and age?” In 1944 God laid the need of the womanhood of Guinea upon the hearts of a missionary couple who established a girls’ school at Baro, the site of the original Guinea mission station. Over the years scores of girls have come to school, ignorant, undisciplined, dis respectful, uncouth, timid or shy. Many have left the school, well-trained in the Word of God, ready to be married to pastors, Christian workers or Bible School students. Today most of them are out representing Christ among their own people.
INCARNATION AND HUMILIATION By William Ward Ayer Down From Heaven Jesus came Sharing earthly sin and shame; Down to earth from God above, Demonstrating God is love. Down From power— Adoration! Down! Rejected by His nation; Spit and scoff and mocking cry— On a Roman Cross to die! Down From life Effulgent, free— Living from Eternity; Down into the dismal gloom Of dark Death— the stenched Tomb! Down From Heaven To the race! Shepherds see that blessed Face; Angel choirs lift the strain— "Peace on Earth, good will to men!"
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APRIL, 1963
Blueprint for Young Married Couples in the Church
by Wayne Stiffen
Y ou are y o u n g a d u l t s . You are interested in a church group for your age and interest level. What are your reasons? You are married, on your own, on your way. You have a family, or you may be planning one. You may be a college graduate. Or you may have started on a job after high school, which may or may not be your lifetime vocation. Or you have completed your tour of duty in the Armed Forces and are perhaps still in the reserves. Or you have finally begun your profession as a doctor, lawyer, engineer, scientist, teacher, accountant, or businessman. “What’s My Line?” is no TV program to you. It’s your bread and butter, maybe your house and car. It’s more than that. It is what gives you a sense of importance, of belonging. You are satisfied that your work is important, that your effort is worthwhile. All, or at least several, of these things put you into the category of “ young adults.” Most of your friends are people very much like you. Perhaps you even live in a “ planned community,” where your neighbors are pre-selected for you for congeniality from the same age and economic bracket. You never stopped to analyze just why your friends are friends. It happened quite naturally. You worked to gether, lived in the same neighborhood, had the same problems and interests. You did not plot the cultivation of your friendships. They just happened naturally—out of a common interest. What happened is that you found yourselves in a very homogeneous group. Your friends are of the same age and same family status, have the same hobbies, same neighborhood, same pursuits—and are probably not of the same church. This last statement might jar you a bit. Just how many really close personal ties do you have with people from your church? How many with church people of the same age, same interests, same problems? Even to think of it offhand may make you feel that this would be a forced, unnatural grouping and association. Sure, you have friends at church, some of them close. But are they really among your best friends? Perhaps the very suggestion makes you bristle a bit, as if the church were intruding upon your very personal affairs, as though the church had to do something to make friends for you. Come to think of it, “Why doesn’t the church do some thing for its young adults?” You have heard the questim put by others. Maybe you have asked it yourself. It sometimes seems that the church is more concerned about young people who kill, steal, rob, kidnap, mug, and forni
cate than it is about those who come to church every Sunday and who are trying to live Christian lives. What does the church have to offer its young adults? The roster of organizations looks impressive. But how does it look to the average young adults? The youth group? They’re too young. Men’s Club? Ladies’ Aid? They’re too old. Young adults would not dream of say ing this out loud when asked to join these groups, but this is the underlying reason for their polite refusals and excuses. Later on they change their minds, when they discover that “ youth is a state of mind.” But “ later” is not “now.” Sunday school? What is there to learn after that? They know the Bible stories. What new ones are there? Bible class? It sounds good, but in most churches it is made up of older people. It often does not deal with questions young adults ask. Voters’ assemblies? They’re often run by the “ Old Guard.” Council? You’ve got to get elected first. Choir? Fine for those who can sing. There may even be a fellowship club for Married Cou ples. Some are alive. Some are dead. Most are struggling. You may feel that these have failed to reach and hold your kind of people. At any rate, there seems little left to do but to go to church on Sundays. Thank God for that! At least here there are no barriers. People of all ages, classes, and races go to church and worship together as one body. There is a warm feeling of identification with this group. But suddenly the young adult loses his feeling of identification with the church. For the congregation dis perses after the service. A few greetings at the door, and then the church is empty, the streets deserted. The church will not meet until it is called together again next Sunday. Each member goes his own way until then and follows his own interests. There ought to be some way of keeping your group together, of bringing them together more often in more informal and intimate association, of getting them to know more and care more about each other. What the young adult misses and what he is searching for is komonia, the. fellowship which was characteristic of the early church. According to the second chapter of Acts it was common for Christians to meet daily in one another’s homes. They had a real sense of belonging. Young adults need the church as the community in which they find their life and express it. And the church needs her young adults. In no other group is there such latent talent, drive, genius, ambition, devotion, initiative, creativity, eagerness to learn and apply, readiness of action. The problem is to get these powerhouses linked
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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