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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
June, 1940
advise you not to be overwhelmed by them. Reverently respect your own in dividuality . . . Without being angular, believe in your own angle, upon the as sumption that it is through your own unrepeated personality that God pur poses that your light should break upon the world. Reverently believe in your own uniqueness, and consecrate it in the power of the Holy Spirit. Be your self, and slavishly imitate nobody.” Reading holy, inspiring thoughts, allow them to consummate in personal sur render, for what your reading does for you, it will do for others through you. Look to God in daily expectation that He Himself will make of your study a holy sanctuary and a well-furnished workshop, where He will meet with you, His servant, and prepare you to meet, in His name, those for whom He died. University Students geles, the members of the student or ganizations at Biola enthusiastically agreed to prepare the letters, booklets, and other materials to be sent to the resident address of each “ S. C.” stu dent. ; .- Several years ago, just such a plan as this was begun at Wheaton College, Wheaton, 111., when a group of students made possible the distribution of the Gospel of John to thousands of univer sity students in the East. Today this movement has grown to include more than half a million collegians through out the United States and Canada. The Wheaton group took the name of the Scripture Distribution Society, and ar ranged for the printing and circula tion oi “His Triumph.” Since the inaug uration or the work, Wheaton students have contributed thousands of dollars ' toward the placing of the booklets in the hands of other students. It was through their generosity that the Gos pels were made available to Institute students. The Progress of the Plan Usually it is the plan for some Chris tian group on each campus to arrange for the distribution of the Gospels to the student body. However, it was found that at the University of Southern Cali fornia, the Christian groups were inac tive in so far as this sort of evange listic testimony was concerned, and Biola students volunteered to care for the distribution of the Word there. Hearty Response This project was presented to the stu dents of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. Immediately an offering was taken, and enough money was realized to make possible. the purchase of en-
shells, the very Word of God. T. L. Cuyler said, when he was asked to ex plain his marked success in Brooklyn, “I study the Word of God in the forenoons, and doorplates in the afternoons.” If the Bible has been in our hands during the morning hours, we shall have some thing to carry to needy souls behind doorplates in the afternoon. Bboks—“the Juices squeezed from the cluster of the ages”—will bring us joy and profit. They have been called “lit erature of power,” because of the quick ening energy which they impart. John son attributed to Isaac Watts the abil ity to convert “every kind of informa tion, by the piety of his mind, into theology.” And yet, in all our reading, we must keep before us the apt remark of Dr. Jowett in discussing the preacher in his study: “While I am advising you to consult other minds, I must further Evangelizing among E VERY student at the University written on attractive stationery to the student personally, .'and it ; enclosed a booklet, "His Triumph” (an Authorized Version of the Gospel of John), spe cially prepared to appeal to. college and university students. The message was signed by a student leader in an other institution, the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, one which has the spiritual welfare of all young people at heart, and it read in part as follows: “Realizing your problems in fac ing the world, we as men and wom en of the Bible Institute of Los An geles feel that the only solution to a successful and happy life is that to be found in the enclosed booklet which we have found to be the in spired Word of God. “We have been constrained by what we have discovered in our study of the Word of God to put all of our trust in Jesus Christ, thè Son of God. “Thousands of other university students have proved the claims of this Book. It is our desire that you, too, will read it prayerfully.” The letters to the women were signed by the President of “The King’s Daugh ters,” and those to the men were sent over the signature of the President of “Biola Men”—two student organiza tions at the Bible Institute of Los An geles, which together include the entire Institute student body of 415 members. How the Work Began
ing with tobacco smoke. Perhaps others, can. For my part, I should be ashamed for Jesus to put His head round my study door and find me trying to study His Word with smoke blinding my eyes. The only smoke I want around me in my sanctuary-study is the smoke that filled the temple courts. The preacher is a messenger of God. He speaks concerning spiritual things and these must be first prepared and then delivered in a spiritual atmosphere. If a preacher fails to guard and regard his study as a Holy of Holies, quickly will that failure be written across his life. “One thing alone, dear Lord, I dread: To have a secret spot That separates my soul from Thee, And yet to know it not.” * The Study Is a Workshop With his own soul spiritually pre pared, the preacher will get down to business, and as he does so, he will first of all visualize his audience.' Be cause he soon will be facing men and women with varying needs, a vision of what they need will help him in his ser mon preparation. “During our prepara tion in the study . . . there should be the shadow of a listening people. To forget that is the next crime to forget ting God,” declares Dr. Black. As a general rule, the morning hours are best for study. Dr. Denny used to tell his students that he should dis trust all work done by “artificial light.” If a man is healthy and living normally, he is freshest in the morning. For many years, G. Campbell Morgan has observed the rule never to allow himself to open a newspaper until after one o’clock in the day. For his Bible study he pre serves a clear mind. On the Other hand, the preacher must n6t overdo his preparation. If he is worn out with study, he will be use less for his task. Over-thorough prep aration will forbid free action. Yet earnest, faithful concentration will be amply repaid, for nothing can take the place of fearless, original, prayerful thinking. As Adam Clarke has it, “study yourself to death, and then pray your self to life.” . “ ' ; The preacher will strive to keep his study as tidy as he can. An untidy study reveals an untidy mind. First and foremost, the preacher will learn how to handle his Bible. Bishop Wilson has well said that God has not tied himself to ordinances, but He has tied us to the use of them. Of all ordinances, the chief, and the very spring, is the Bible. This Book, then, must be read and studied with an awful and mysterious reverence, for in its deep recesses is heard, as the children think they hear the waves in seashore *Faber.
of Southern California—a total of 4,566 young people—received an important letter on April 23. It was
Challenged by the prospect of distrib uting the Word of God to university students in their own city of Los An-
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