TheBibleMitoteHour CALIFORNIA Arroyo Grande-San Luis Obispo
I B IO L A
broadcaster
KCJH
1280
4:00 9:30 9:00 A.M. MTWTF P.M. Sun A.M. MTWTF 8:30 A.M. Sun. A.M. MTWTF P.M. MTWTF 8:00 A.M. MTWTF 8:30 8:00
Monthly Publication of the BIOLA FELLOWSHIP Vol. 5 No. 5 M A Y , 1965 CONTENTS DO THOU FOR M E .................. 3 KNOW ING H IM ...................... 5 PREPARATION ....................... 7 THE CONSTANT FIRE ...............11 I A M W H AT I A M ...................13 THIS IS ONE ........................... 15 DESPISED AN D REJECTED .......... 18 HE M AD E THE STARS ............. 21 QUESTIONS A N D ANSWERS ...... 23 TUESDAV-THURSDAY STUDIES ..29 COVER; Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland (seated), Biola President with Dr. Charles L. Feinberg, Dean of Talbot Theological Seminary, looking over questions sent by listeners, as they pre pare for their weekly "B iola " feature. Y O U R C H R I S T I A N W I L L Did you know that there is a way to invest in Biola for the training of students while saving cosily estate taxes. Ultimately you may be able to leave more money for your loved ones. As a Fellowship member you are under no obligations when you write for information or counsel. BIOLA STEWARDSHIP DEPARTMENT STAFF President ............ S. H. Sutherland Editor ................. ......AI Sanders Production ....... ...Virginia Schwepker Printing .......... ....... Church Press Published monthly by the Radio Dept. BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 558 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, Cal. Controlled circulation postage paid at Los Angeles, California.
Bakersfield-Wasco KAFY Chico-Marysville KHSL Fresno-Dinuba KRDU KWSO
550 1050
1290
1130
KCIB
94.5 (FM)
Lodi-Stockton KCVR Los Angeles KBBI
1570
107.5 (FM)
8:30 9:00
A.M. MTWTF A.M. MTWTF A.M. MTWTF P.M. MTWTF A.M. MTWTF A.M. MTWTF A.M. MTWTF A.M. Sun.
KTYM 1460 Los Angeles-Long Beach KGER 1390 KGER 1390 Oxnard-Ventura-Santa Barbara KAAR 104.7 (FM) 8:00 KOXR 910 8:00 Redding-Red Bluff KQMS 1400 8:00 San Bernardino-Riverside KFXM 590 7:30 11:00 10:30
Vacation with a Purpose BIOLA CAMPU S CONFERENCE June 27-July 3, 1965
Santa Cruz KSCO
1080 8:30 A.M. Sun.
KSCO
99.1
(FM)
8:30 A.M. Sun.
San Diego
KBBW 102.9 (FM)
7:30 A.M. MTWTF 8:00 A.M. MTWTF
XEMO KDEO
860
910 4:00 P.M. Sun.
San Francisco KFAX Santa Maria
1100
8:30 A.M. MTW TF
KCOY
1440 7:00 A.M. Sun.
Turlock
KHOM 93.1 (FM)
9:00 A.M. Sun.
OREGON
Albany-Eugene KW IL KW IL Ashland-Medford Coquilie-Coos Bay KWRO KRVC
790 8:00 A.M. MTWTF 3:00 A.M. MTWTF 790
1350
8:30 A.M. MTWTF
8:30 A.M. MW F
630
Portland KPDQ KPDQ
800 11:30 A.M. MTWTF 11:30 A.M. MTWTF
93.7 (FM)
WASHINGTON
Blaine-Vancouver, B.C. KARI 550 Seattle-Tacoma KGDN 630 Spokane KCFA 1330 Walla Walla KTEL 1490 Yakima KBBO 1390
11:30 A.M. MTWTF 11:30 A.M. MTWTF 11:30 A.M. MTWTF 8:00 A.M. MW F 10:00 A.M. MTWTF (Radio Log continued on page 19)
APRIL RADIO MESSAGE DO THOU FOR ME D id you know that the history of “Mrs. Judas” is found in the Bible? Our five-word sentence sermon describes her. Her children are also told about in the Word of God. We should get the context by starting with Psalms 109:6, “Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; and let another take his of fice. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his chil dren be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places. Let the extortioner catch all that he h a th ; and let the strangers spoil his labour. Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off; and in the gen eration following let their name be blotted out.” You may rightfully ask, “How can you say that it is about Mrs. Judas and her children?” My answer is be cause Peter said so. Do you remember in the first chapter of Acts the apostle quotes this as referring to Judas Iscariot? This is the reason we can make such an application. Down in verse 21 we find a sweet phrase which is our text, “But do thou for me.” The Psalmist is talking to the Lord. He wants Him to do something spe cial for him. I ask you, would you like the Lord to do something for you to day? Tell Him exactly what you would like Him to do for, in or through you. How wonderful it is to serve the liv ing God. The entire verse declares, “But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.” Verse 27 car ries on these thoughts as we read, “That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, Lord, hast done it.”
Dr. Walter L, Wilson
That means a great deal to me. God is willing to do something for me so that others may know that we belong to Him. If you know and love the Lord, then you will want to do things which will exalt His interests and bring glory to His name. I t is further interesting to note that this is one of the Messianic Psalms foretelling us of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look how there is confidence in the almighty God. Prayer should never be selfish. So often we ask God to bless what we have done rather than praying that He might do what He knows is right, so that honor and glory may come to him. David wanted God to be known as a miracle-working Saviour. David was in a position where nobody else could help him but the Lord. It is good for us to be found in similar sur roundings. Money, church ritual, edu cation, social standing, none of these things can help; we must trust it all to Christ. We need to have this same personal dealing with the Lord so that we may say with David, “0 God, thou a rt my God!” This is what gives us true peace of heart which gives us both the same peace God enjoys as well as peace with Him. I remember the time a great big bill came to me. I couldn’t pay it, so I went to the Lord about it. I told the Lord, “E v e r y b o d y knows that I haven’t got any money. I’m looking to You to do it.” He did do it too, in a way I never even thought of. The Lord put it into the hearts of those I had written off as “dead beats.” He was the one who caused them to send the money they owed me. There was plenty as a result and you can be sure I thanked Him for the miracle. That is what is meant by our text, “But do thou for me.” When David was in the cave during the time that the army of Saul was all around him, the Lord put it into the hearts of some enemies to invade. 3
Professor Edwli Hoppmr, director. us? W h a t do we c a r e ? ” They wouldn’t take the money. The money was used to purchase a common ground for burials. Judas may have been the first to be placed there. God got rid of Judas quickly. David believed that God could do something when he was unable. All through the Bible the Lord reveals Himself as One who wants to show us that He is God. We should ask ourselves the ques tion, “Has God ever done anything un usual for me?” Have you ever asked Him to let you get into such a mess that nobody else could get you out ex cept Him? That is a wonderful ex perience. He wants us to know and to be lieve Him as we face the trials of life. Take your problem to Him and believe what He says. As the Psalmist has told us, “But do thou for me, 0 God.” 4
Tb* Blola Calltge Cboril* with Israel. As a result, Saul had to take his army and flee. He showed Himself strong before David and his follow ers. As fa r as Gideon’s “odds” were concerned, the world would have said, “I t can’t be done.” But Gideon believed the Spirit of God and with 300 men, following the Lord’s orders, he put all the Midianites to flight. All the people certainly knew that only God could do it. God likes to ac complish what man thinks is impos sible. Now let us consider the case of Judas. When he sold Jesus he only got $18.50. It may have been that if he was married, he connived with his wife. She may have thought she could use the money on herself. It was care fully planned, but God upset his goals. Judas went back to the priest who gave the money to him and threw it down. He said, “I betrayed innocent blood.” They replied, “What is that to
G od ’ s W ord records the wonderful heart cry of Paul. It is one we, too, should have. The problem is we are usually busy with our business and other activities so that we don’t have time for the Lord. In Philippians 3:10 we read that explanation, “That I may know him.” Those five words' tell us exactly what kind of a person the Apostle was. He didn’t ask for a great following or anything else of this world which we might consider to be essential. All he desired was a living, vital, intimate relationship to the Lord Jesus. He was already a be liever, and the Holy Spirit had since used him to bring us some wonderful truths of the Saviour. Yet, what a desire he had to know the Lord Jesus in a continually new way. I wonder if that could be our heart’s cry as well. None of us has ever found out all there is to know about the Lord. Most of us have hardly started. I don’t suppose many of you read ing this know the President. Perhaps you are not even acquainted with the governor of your state. There may be other human figures whom you would like to know. But when you find out all there is about various personali ties, there is only discouragement as you are confronted with their weak nesses and failures. You don’t have to live with a person very long before you know What they are really like. Christ, however, will never be a dis appointment for He is the perfect Son of God. I remember one day, when I was dictating a letter in my office, my secretary said, “Dr. Wilson, I don’t think you should send this letter. It doesn’t sound like you.” Well, it per haps was rough correspondence, and maybe I didn’t feel just right that day. I was thankful she had enough concern to warn me before It could have been too late. I tore up the letter, and I have been glad ever since. The
more we get to know the Lord, how ever, the more we love Him. We marvel a t His infinite grace and love. Think of Peter when he denied the Lord. Coming to the realization of what he had done, do you think Christ bawled him out? No, He rather took him back in love. He asked, “Simon Peter, lovest thou me?” As this question was asked three times, it finally broke Peter’s heart. The Lord had a human right to scold Peter, and yet He didn’t. If we just knew Christ better, we would never find our hearts in despair. No one is ever exempt, for the Lord loves even the hard cases. He doesn’t give up when we would do so in our own lives. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ. The Scriptures promise this. He loved us when we were wicked and He brought us to Himself. Is He going to love us any the less afterwards? Of course not. After we get saved are we any worse than before? No, for if Christ took us in because we were good, then He would have to “kick us out” when we were bad. This is not the way He operates. Words are inade quate to express how wicked we are as sinners, yet Christ still died for us. Christ wants you to know what kind of a Lord He is. “The blood of Jesus Christ, his (God’s) Son, cleans- eth us from all sin.” The original means, “He keeps on cleansing us.” He is the One who gives us a mes sage to tell other people. He is the only One to whom we can falk about the heathen. There is no one else for us to tell them about. He is the only One who can meet the need of the lost. How can you possibly talk to others, however, without knowing Him bet ter than you do now? He Wants to give you life more abundant which will be meaningful to others. He gives you the kind of life that prepares you for eternity. Here and now we have 5
a sample of the life which will be ours throughout all eternity. Paul wanted to know Christ so well that he could talk to anybody about Him. This is exactly what he did. Paul didn’t want to be a stranger when he got to heaven. Will you be surprised when you meet Him? Will you feel at home with Him? Paul wanted to know Christ as his shepherd so that He would tell him which way to go and where the pasture was. David said, “The Lord is my shepherd.” This was the Apostle’s great desire. May our consuming goal and purpose be, “That I may know Him!” THE WRONG CHOICE There was a most memorable day back in 1874 when David Livingstone was buried in Westminster Abbey. As with the recent fumeral for Sir Winston Churchill, the streets of London were lined with thousands of people seeking to pay their respects. Amid the throng, however, people could not help but notice a dirty, unshaven, poorly-clad elderly man who wept uncontrollably. It was so noticeable that an officer stopped to ask him what the problem was, fearing he might be hurt carrying on in such a manner. Livingstone was loved by all people, but tears wouldn’t bring him back. The social outcast responded sober ly, “I’m not weeping so much for him, as I am for myself. You see, Davie and I were bom in the same village. We were brought up in the same school and church. We worked together at the same factory loom. The only difference is, Davie wisely went the right way and I went the other. Now he is revered by a nation while I am neglected, unknown and dishonored, and treated with con tempt. I have nothing to which to look forward but a drunkard’s grave.” The officer stood silent for a moment, realiz ing there was nothing more he could say. The hopeless derelict had made the wrong choice. He reaped not only a wasted life but also he faced a godless eternity. Consider the fact that one care less step in your life could mean a des tiny of eternal damnation. Stop to take inventory. Choose your pathway f o r Christ. Out of the wisdom of Proverbs we read, “The memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot.” So, “choose you this day whom ye will serve.”
BIOLA GROUND-
Wlth beds for 306 girls (so that no more freshmen will need to live downtown) ground has boon broken for this vital residence hall to be completed about September t.
An old-fashioned plough, rather than tradi tional shovel, is used for groundbreaking. From loft to right, Dr, S. H. Sutherland, Blola Presi dent; Dr. Ray A. Myers, Chairman o! the Blola Board; John Galbraith, architect; Miss Margaret Hart, Associate Dean of Students; and Heather Jacques, President of King's Daughters.
Below, hands on the plough, are grandchildren of Dr. Myers, Sherry .and John Myers, both Blola students.
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S ometimes very familiar portions of God’s Word are misused. One of these is a five-word sentence ser mon given to us in Amos 4:12. You have heard it before, “Prepare to meet thy God.” This phrase is sometimes put up in rescue missions in great big letters right over the platform. Actu ally, however, God didn’t say that to the Egyptians, the Babylonians or to any other heathen people. He said it to Israel, to His own people. Here were those who had been redeemed by His covenant. It was declared to those of His own choosing. We can also apply it to our hearts. He is talking to you and to me as Christians, too. No other judge in all the world would do that. We are never warned that something is about to happen to us. But God tells us in advance and He gives us wisdom to see our need. No prosecut ing attorney gathers evidence against us and then lets us know all about it. He rather waits to “spring” it in the courtroom. How wonderful the Lord is to us. He is the Judge of all the earth. He tells us all the evidence He has against us. Everything we do and say goes down on His record up there. He doesn’t need to tell us anything, but out of love He does. In addition, He tells us how to pre pare to meet Him. He lets us know how to avoid all the evidence He has against us. Can you imagine the love of God who so graciously and won derfully provides for us in view of that coming day? The Bible reminds us, “It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this, the judgment.” No one needs to go along carelessly and find eternity as a surprise. You know, I can’t help but notice the young people out here in Cali fornia. They come in the restaurants smoking cigarettes and carelessly dressed. They joke and swear with no regard for others. They seem to have no aim in life except girls and cigar
ettes. Yet the day is coming when they will have to start earning a liv ing. They will somehow have to adjust to society. They certainly aren ’t pre paring for it now. Their only thought seems to be in living for the devil. You can tell by the language they use. How sad and tragic this is. God wants us to prepare to meet Him as true Christians. When we get to eternity we will meet our heavenly Father. When we were saved, the Lord Jesus brought us into His family. So, as adopted sons and daughters, we will want to know our loving heavenly Father, along with the rest of the family. He is the Shepherd of the sheep, and we will report to Him about whether we grew any wool for Him or not. What will we be able to say? He found the right pastures for us where the grass was green and tender. He took care of us so kindly and sweetly. Are you preparing to meet that Shepherd? Will you be glad to see Him because you not only en joyed His care but also you gave Him something? We must also be prepared to meet the Judge who will decide what we have done that can withstand the test ing by fire. Will our works be quickly consumed as wood, hay and stubble? There are 625 commandments in the Bible, many more than just the ten of Exodus 20. Most of them have to do with our relationships with others. Christ said one day, “This is my com mandment, that you love one an other.” That means not just the Meth odists loving all the Methodists, and the Baptists loving all the Baptists, and the Catholics loving all the Catho lics, and the Jews loving all the Jews. •That wasn’t what He said. Have we learned from the Word of God what He wants us to do? As a family, we know what the rules of the house are so that we can be obedient to them. This is the only way in which 7
our affairs will be smooth and vic torious. Even so, God tells us about His rules and He expects us to know them and to observe them willingly. Then, He is also our High Priest. We will meet Him in this aspect. We will have to answer why we commit ted those offenses and the things that are wrong in our lives, as well as tell Him we didn’t come for forgiveness. He is the Captain of our salvation. We must know what .the rules are. Are we good soldiers? Do we keep the uniform on all the time, not just on Sunday morning? Do others know that we belong to Him and that we wear His robe of righteousness? Don’t allow it to become soiled. He will ask us about that when we meet Him. We will also meet Him as the Chief Builder. We are always to be building a house for Him. He said, “Upon this rock I build my church.” Do we build Him a place of worship, or do we wor ship money and all the rest of the things that the world loves? He is the One Who ought to know what kind of church members we are. What kind of songs do we sing in this structure we are building for Him? How quickly the trash of this world occupies our thoughts. It is really sad, isn’t it? Someday we will meet Him as the Lord of the harvest. The Holy Spirit, you know, is Lord of the harvest. The Lord Jesus sent Him to be that for us and we will meet Him there, too. Are we gathering sheaves for Him? Are we planting good seed for Him? Is our life filled with tares? Do we just let someone else do our share in the heat of the day? The song rightly asks, “Must I go, and empty handed?” He will be looking for the sheaves. Will we be able to present them? Will God be glad He saved you because you are so valuable, so useful, and so helpful? 0 beloved, we have to meet Him some day. “Prepare to meet thy God,” is this important five-word text for our soul’s consideration. I commend this pre cious Word to you to meditate upon until that blessed day when we will see Him face to face, and when we shall be like Him.
Biola leaders from left to right are Mr. John Isaac and Mr. Ray Weiskopf, Stewardship De partment, Dr. Charles L Feinberg, Dean et Talbot Thoological Seminary, and Mr. Al Sanders. A FORTUNE A MINUTE The attraction of the world focuses each year upon the awards Hollywood presents to its brightest stars for their stellar performances. It was interesting to learn that the first client signing up to sponsor this year’s academy award’s television program invested the sum of $300,000 to pay for time and production of only two 90 second spot announce ments promoting his product. T h a t means $100,000 on a minute of time which elapses and is gone forever. The Christian can’t help but think what this money could mean for the cause of Christ through the training of much-needed missionaries. Untold sums are spent in amusement and entertainment, when a world is lost and dying without Christ. One can’t help but reflect on the words of the Lord Jesus, “For, what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” •k * * To grieve over sin is one thing, but to truly repent is another. * * * POPULATION EXPLOSION Since 1936 the world’s population has increased at a rate of two per cent every year. Prior to 1915 the rate of increase was less than one per cent. That increase may seem very slight, unless the magni tude of it grips the heart as it does us here at Biola where we are preparing the missionaries and spiritual leaders of tomorrow. I f the population has in creased two per cent since the time of Christ, there would be more than seventy quadrillion people. That would mean 100 people for every square foot of earth. This is the rate of increase today, a challenge to every one interested in reaching souls. 8
HIS LAMPS
SAID A PRAYER FOR YOU LAST NIGHT
His lamps are we, To shine where He shall say; And lamps are not for sunny rooms. Nor for the light of day: But for dark places of the earth. Where shame and wrong, and crime have birth. Or for the murky twilight gray. Where wandering sheep have gone astray. Or where the lamp of faith grows dim And souls are groping after Him, And as sometimes a flame we find. Clear shining through the night, So dark we cannot see the lamp— But only see the light— So may we shine, His love the flame. That men may glorify His name. — Annie Johnson Flint Lord, keep me sweet when I grow old, And things in life seem hard to bear; When I feel sad and all alone, And people do not seem to care. O keep me sweet when time has caused This body, which is now so strong, To droop beneath its load of years, And suffering and pain have come. And keep me sweet when I have grown To worry so, at din and noise; And help me smile, the while I watch The noisy play of girls and boys. Help me remember how that I, When I was younger than today, And full of life and health and joy, Would romp and shout, in happy play. Help me to train my heart, each day. That it will only sweetness hold; And as the days and years roll on, May I keep sweet, as I grow old. O keep me sweet, and let me look Beyond the frets that life must hold, To see the glad eternal joys; Yes, keep me sweet, in growing old. WHEN I AM OLD
I said a prayer for you last night, And asked the Lord above To fortify your faith in Him And comfort you with love. I did not know what you might face. What testing time might come But through life's darkest hours, my friend, Are greatest victories won. Our God is equal to each day. He cares and understands Our deepest needs, our greatest loss, He helps us to withstand. After we have done our best And nothing else can do, 'Tis then that faith must take its stand Connecting God with you. Our very best is not enough. Our strength is weak indeed But if we will invite Him to, He'll help us to succeed. I said a prayer for you last -night, For Jesus answers prayer. I asked the Lord to strengthen you And keep you in His care! WHEN WE GROW OLD What can we do when we grow old, And our hair is turned to gray? There is much that we can do, If we simply watch and pray. We can laugh with little children, Cheer up others old and gray, The lonely and forgotten ones, Whom we meet along life's way. We can smile at those around us Though sometimes it's hard to smile;
Someone's burden may be lifted, So that makes a smile worth while. Sometimes I think, God loves, us most When we grow old and gray, And take more time to think of Him, More time to watch and pray.
SET THE SAILS When Hudson Taylor first went to China, it was in the early 1800’s. He had to travel on one of those old-time sailing vessels. Near calamity befell the ship, however, when it neared the shores of the Cannibal Islands. There was abso lutely no wind and the water current was carrying the boat toward the shore where vicious savages were waiting to kill and to plunder. Desperately, the cap tain came to Mr. Taylor urging him to pray for God’s help. Calmly the new mis sionary smiled and replied confidently, “I will, sir, providing you have your sailors set the sails to catch the breeze God will send.” The captain replied, “In a time like this do you expect me to make myself a laughing stock? I can’t unfurl the sheets in a dead calm.” Mr. Taylor commented, "Then, I can’t pray for the vessel. It would be impossible unless you will prepare the sails." The captain saw he meant what he said, and hurried off to get the sails dozen and properly rigged. A short while later, the missionary was still on his knees. A knock came at his door. Excitedly the captain inquired, ‘Are you still praying for wind? I f so, you’d better stop. God has sent us about all we can manage I” A scarce 100 yards from shore, a strong wind had hit the sails from out of no where. All of the passengers were saved. Similarly, the soul must set its sails for God’s refreshing and reviving winds. We have to believe that the Lord is going to do that which is “exceeding, abun dantly above all that we can ask or think." This is what it means to pray in the Spirit. We must believe that prayer works, because God works through prayer. * * * It all depends on your outlook: you can complain because rose bushes have thorns or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses. THE MINISTER'S WI f I "A preacher's wife is a superhuman being who can teach a Sunday school class, play the piano, direct vacation Bible school, use a typewriter, dress well on practically nothing, arrange bouquets, plan showers and picnics, make calls with her husband, direct the Christmas program, be president of the women’s missionary society, entertain evangelists, answer the phone and door bell from sun rise to midnight, be a good housekeeper and raise well - behaved, well - adjusted children.”
CLEAN HANDS Salesmen will generally recognize the value of good grooming. One who special izes in jewelry suggests that he has to be particularly conscious of this since people look at his hands first of all. To show a potential customer a choice pearl or a rare diamond zoith soiled hands is repulsive and unthinkable. We are training these Biola young people so that they, zoith clean hands, may hold forth to the world the pre cious jewel of eternal life. * * * Delayed obedience is the brother of dis obedience. * * * CHURCH BUSINESS It was Henry Ford who was credited with the statement that he was sure the church must be a divine institution “be cause any other organization following similar business procedure would have been bankrupt long before.” He may have .been right in some isolated cases, and if so these problems need correcting. The Lord tells us that all things should be done decently and in order. Interest ingly enough, and contrary to Mr. Ford’s declaration, recent statistics show that there are 2600 business failures for every church forced to close its doors due to mismanagement of funds. We thank God for the dedicated deacons who are minding God’s earthly affairs. Yet mere financial solvency is not the acme of good stewardship. The church is a place where God’s Word is faithfully pro claimed, it is not just a storehouse for fund raising. Unfortunate reproach has been heaped upon the church, sometimes as a result of the actions by its official representatives. Deacons must be care fully chosen. They carry a heavy burden of responsibility and need our continued prayers. The church is not a dormitory but a work shop where those who labor most shall be entitled to the greatest eternal reward. F. B. Anderson has written: You vowed to serve Christ, And men know that you did, They’re watching the things that you do; There isn’t an action of yours that is hid, Men are watching and studying you. * * * The measure of a man is not the number of servants he has, but the number of peo ple whom he serves. 10
I n the O ld T estament there are some very valuable and practical lessons which we can learn profitably. Our five-word sentence sermon is found in Leviticus 6:13. It is an in teresting expression which is preceded by the words, “The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar.” Then the phrase for our present study, “It shall never go out.” This place was the altar of burnt offering. It speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ Who gave Himself for us. His sacrifice for sins is always burning. Whenever you need cleansing, you can go to Him imme diately for forgiveness. In the case with Israel, the person could come to the altar, unburden his soul and then return to his tent con tented and assured in the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ is our burnt offer ing. Just He Himself and no one else Not Him and some church; not Him and some preacher; not Him and some denomination; just the Lord. The book of Hebrews tells us that when He had by Himself purged our sins, that He sat down. It was a finished act. Now, when it comes to salvation, our Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever. No matter when you come or how you come, when you reach the cross and claim the atone ment, you are saved and enjoy peace with God. You will never come to the Saviour if you don’t realize your need of Him. Coming to Him means you realize in your soul and heart that no one else can save you. There is no other way and no other sacrifice. The Lord Jesus gave His life at Calvary to save us. The words, “It shall never go out,” refer to the fire on the brazen altar. God’s great love made it possible for the sinner in Israel to come with His sacrifice a t any time of the day or night. This was typical of the Lord Jesus Christ and His offering for us. I was saved when I was 15, but I have
seen boys and girls saved at five and six. Then again, in one meeting, I saw three men over 80 years of age get saved. That is not very common. One can come to the Saviour any time in life when there is a need felt for Him. The sacrifice is all ready for us. There was a service where the preacher asked those in the audience to tell when they came to the Saviour. It was interesting. Some came in the early morning hours. Others found salvation late at night, before retiring. I suppose every hour of the day or night was referred to. The same would be true if we could “poll” all the Christians in our radio audience. When I sing, “Happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away,” I’d like to change it to read, “0 happy night, when Jesus washed my black heart white. He taught me how to sing and shout, and live for Jesus out and out. 0 happy night, 0 happy night, when Jesus washed my black heart white.” You see, I was saved at night. The Lord in His infinite grace places this gift of salvation within the reach of everyone. The rich and the poor must come in like manner; all are the same at the foot of the cross. Our Lord invites each bur dened heart to come to Him and find
Dr. Wilson at the "m ike."
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what is needful a t the burning altar. This fire of offering was to be kept burning all the time. God is going to have people in heaven out of every kindred, lan guage, and social strata. I don’t know how old you were when you found the Lord as your Saviour. Whenever it was, it took place because Christ’s sac rifice was more than sufficient; it was efficacious. The Lord doesn’t ask you how bad you were. As a matter of fact, I think the worse you are the better He likes to save you. I have been a physician for many years. People come to me with head aches, pimples or corns to be treated. Yet, I always enjoyed being able to help someone who really had some thing wrong with him. This showed whether I had any skill or ability. The Lord sent me some very difficult cases, and yet He also gave me the wisdom to be a help. The Lord likes to work the miraculous, I am convinced. Don’t let the devil tell you that the Lord doesn’t want you, or that He isn’t interested in you any more. Re member His words, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.” What a wonderful promise He has made us. Today, the only altar is Calvary. By His grace we are redeemed by His precious blood. He gives us eternal life and a robe of righteousness which makes us fit for God’s presence. God has seen to it that the story of Calvary has been told all over the world. The very same story I heard back in 1896 is the same story being told today. The light of salvation shall never go out; its truth shall never cease. Someday, however, the door will be shut and great tribula tion shall fall upon the earth. The re straining grace of the Gospel will be gone. Let me urge you to remember that while the fire is burning you can come' to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you know Him see that you do all in your power to win others to the Saviour. Beloved, the Bible tells us, “He that winneth souls is wise.”
Biofa School of Missionary Medicine students loam to take blood pressures.
B E " B R O A D M I N D E D " Christianity is not “one of the world’s great religions.” It is wholly separate and apart from anything else. Religion is best defined as man in his constant at tempt to reach out and lay hold of God. Christianity, however, is God reaching down through His Son Jesus Christ and laying hold of man. What a vast differ ence. As in other fields, Christianity does not allow for broadmindedness. Such is true in the chemical laboratory. Drink ing water is composed of two parts hy drogen and one part oxygen. The slight est deviation from that formula would be fatal. There is no room for broad mindedness in the mathematical class room. Despite new methods of study, no variation is allowed. In our space pro gram, millions of dollars would be lost if one were careless in anything less than complete accuracy. There is no room for tolerance in the garage. The piston rings of your car must fit the cylinder walls within one thousandth of an inch. I f the motor is to run smoothly, there can’t be any variation to bring maximum performance. The Lord Jesus Christ asserted without any equivoca tion, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me." There is no other way or sys tem. “There is one God and one media tor between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” * * * What a man is depends largely on what he does when he has nothing to do. 12
grace by any trusting heart. If you claim to be a Christian, then be a real one! I don’t mean just a religious person. There are too many who go to church on Sunday and then Monday start cursing and swearing, and doing a lot of other things that a born-again believer would never do. I remember one Sunday when we had communion service. (I was also in the tent business.) A man came up to the Lord’s table, taking communion with some others. I knew this man was a rascal. He just pretended to be something on this occasion; the rest of the time he lived for the devil. This was just a big pretense. When he saw me, he turned deep red. He real ized that I knew the truth about him. He changed his direction right then. But there' are a lot of people who live a lie. It is too bad that they don’t realize that they are only fooling themselves. They will be the losers. What Paul meant was that he was what the Lord wanted him to be. How many of us could truthfully say this? Sometime ago newspapers carried the story about the death of a very prominent man who lived in one of our Western cities. He had big busi ness which he had built up by him self. He was as honest and straight forward as he could be. They later elected him president of the Chamber of Commerce. He was so well known that he became head of several big institutions. But when he died, they discovered he wasn’t even an Ameri can citizen. He came from a foreign country and never had taken out nat uralization papers. He left a fortune but his relatives couldn’t get it be cause he was a foreigner. He had been treated like a real citizen by the peo ple. Everyone had assumed that he was one, but he wasn’t. The revelation stunned all of the people in the area. Are we what we seem to be? If you claim to belong to the Lord Jesus Christ and have His nature in you, 13
O UT OF t h e many interesting testi monies in the Bible, the Apostle Paul makes a wonderful statement which few people today would be able to declare. It is only five words; how ever, it comes as a powerful sermon. In I Corinthians 15:10 we read his testimony, “I am what I am.” I remember a man who came to our town purporting to be a great doctor. Supposedly, he was able to cure any thing with his special “medicine.” It was purported to be wonderful. He made a great deal of money from sell ing it. Then some people began won dering and asking questions. One per son started by checking on the man’s degrees. What he found out was de vastating. The fellow had never been near a medical college. He had spent most of his time previously with a circus. He was all a hoax and his medicine nothing more than colored water. He had been able to fool peo ple for a long time simply because no body took the trouble to find out about him. In Paul’s declaration, “I am what I am” there is no pretense whatsoever. He was anything but a hypocrite. What would happen if I told you I was a watchmaker? I might hang out a sign in front of my shop and you could bring me your timepieces to be fixed. Yet, I couldn’t do it. I don’t know the inside of a watch from the inside of a threshing machine. You would soon find out that I was a fraud. Paul claimed to be a Christian; he was a man of God. He tells us he is the apostle to the Gentiles. In the Bible God says some interest ing t h i n g s about Himself. Moses asked Him, “Whom shall I say sent me?” The Lord told him, “I am that I am.” That may sound like an in complete statement. I t is that way, however, so that we can fill in the blank. Whatever need you may have, He will fill it. “I Am” is a blank check to be drawn on the bank of God’s
you will live like it every day of the year. It should show not only in a negative way, in that we don’t drink, we don’t beat our wives, and things of that sort, but also in that we have Christ on display through us in every thing we do. Some of the devil’s chil dren, remember, live beautiful lives, but they are not saved. A Christian is one who is interested in the Lord Jesus Christ. He certainly ought to be for the Bible teaches that he is a part of the bride of Christ. I remember a man in the laundry business who was telling me that he claimed to be a Christian. One day, however, he gleefully spoke of how he got ahead of one of his customers. He thought it was clever and smart to conduct his business like that in order to make money. At one time I was in the laundry business, and I knew what compromising he had done. But what about his testimony? One day his driver came back with a report of a problem. It seems a woman had sent six towels to be cleaned. When they came back, however, there were only five. She told this man, “Mister, the towel you lost was my best embroid ered one. In itself it cost $1.50; then I had to put all the hand work on it. It took me hours. You’re going to pay for that towel, and you’re going to pay dearly.” The driver said, “I’m sure my boss will be glad to. Just let me talk with him about it.” She was still furious. At another stop a woman told him that she had sent six towels, however, she received seven back. “The seventh,” she reported, “had someone else’s initials on it.” The mys tery was solved. Sure enough they were the initials of the woman who lost the one. When he saw it, he was very amused. It was a cheap 50 cent towel which already looked like it was ready for the rag bag. He went out to see her himself. “I’m the owner of the laundry and I understand you lost a towel.” She didn’t know he had it. She started, “I’m glad to speak to you, sir! You’re going to pay dearly for that towel. It was one of my finest! It was an expensive one to begin with
and then I spent hours in embroidery work on it. Yes, you’ll pay plenty.” He nodded in agreement and then quietly took the towel out of his pocket and showed it to her. He said, “Are these initials yours?” She was rather shocked and grabbed for it. “There has been a mistake,” she stammered. Then with a little nervous laugh, “I guess I made a mistake, didn’t I?” He looked her in the eye, and said, “You lied to me. You’re nothing but a cheater trying to beat me out of this money. You keep your towel, but don’t ever call us again. We don’t need your kind of business.” Telling me the story he said, “How do you like that?” I thought for a moment and then I said, “Friend, as a Christian, that woman will never listen to you give the Gospel. You sold her out to the devil for a cheap towel. You would have been better off paying her for it. You didn’t act like one who knew the Lord. You acted like a very wicked person. How do you expect to ever reach her for the Lord?” He saw the point. I realize what he did was only human, and we are all only hu man ; but we need to remember Paul’s testimony, which should be our desire to say, “I am what I am.” Beloved, if you claim to be a Chris tian then be one, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and the rest of the week. That means the fourth of July and all of the other holidays, too. He took the place of being exactly what God called him to be as a child of His. I love that. We know we should let everybody realize to Whom we be long and what affect it has had upon our lives. This is the way in which your own soul can be blessed as you are what you really claim to be. Take the challenge of the wonderful five word sentence sermon, and with the indwelling presence of God’s Holy Spirit, as a born-again believer say, with confidence and assurance, “I am what I am!” * * * Education without God is like a ship with out a compass. * * * The danger in stretching the truth is that it's apt to snap back! 14
■ by Dr. Walter h Wilton man. How wonderful it would be if we all could have this same testimony. When people see you coming home from work, or at the nearby store, or out in the yard raking up leaves, they would be able to say, “There is a man (or a woman) who knows the Lord.” In Peter’s case, the girl said, “He is one of them.” Now those five words reveal some wonderful things for our spiritual profit. F irst of all, here is one who is very observing. We are not told when or how often she had seen Jesus. She may have been in the crowd when He drew children to Him and told of His love for the little ones. She may have seen Him do some miracles somewhere. We do not know. At some time or other, however, she saw Jesus and Peter with Him. Whether we know it or not, people are watching us all the time. They know very well what we are. We are not fooling anyone. They can tell whether you and I are living for the Lord Jesus or whether we are just like they are. They know whether they can come to us with their soul’s troubles. One day, as I was leaving church, a boy about 12 years old, was standing at the door crying. His father said, “Dr. Wilson, my boy would like to be saved but he’s afraid to come to you.” More than 60 members of the First Baptist Church ef Canoga Park recently visited the Biola Campus.' In the center is Mr. James L Montgomery, church board chairman, and Bov. Vernon H. Snydor, pastor. Mr. Al Sanders and Dr. S. H. Sutherland are on either side.
APRIL RADIO MESSAGE
THIS IS ONE T here are some very interesting, and wonderfully practical stories given to us in God’s Word. Today’s five word sentence sermon was deliv ered by a little girl. You know, chil dren can say some very interesting things. I love to hear them chattering away to one another, and sometimes even to themselves. In Mark 14:68 we find the denial of Peter. How heart breaking was this sad situation. Then in verse 69, a lit tle maid saw him, and since she was so observant, as most children are, she said to those nearby, “This is one of them.” She was testifying that Peter had been a follower of the Lord Jesus. The crowd, of course, wanted to kill the Saviour and everyone connected with Him. So the disciples had all for saken him and fled. Somehow, how ever, Peter remained behind and got into the high priest’s house. Here, he was warming himself by the fire, thinking of the events from past days. A little girl pointed “the finger” in accusation against him. Each time you read this, you have to pause to ask yourself, “Am I sure that I would have a similar reputation among boys and girls in our neighborhood?” It would be well to ask yourself the same thing. Are you one who is known for keeping company with Jesus? Do they connect you with Him, or with someone else? There was another time when a little maid had something to say. Back in the Old Testament there was a girl who had a job in the commanding officer’s home. He was a general in the Assyrian army. In some manner he contracted leprosy. The child said to his wife, “If your husband was only with the prophet in Samaria, he would be cured of his disease. This man can do wonderful things. He is a man of God. He had power from the Lord.” What a sweet testimony this was. She was perhaps about 12 years of age. She had seen something in the prophet that made her know he was God’s
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That made me feel very bad. I always try to act and live in such a way that children will feel at home with me. Evidently, however, something both ered him. I took the little fellow and we went over to one side of the church. I said to him, “Now, Jimmy, we’ll kneel down together. You tell the Lord Jesus anything you can. We’ll just talk with Him together. His father and mother were devoted Christians. I knew his parents had taught him things in the Scriptures. So he started to pray, “Jesus, I’m so glad You came to save me, and I’m glad that You went to the cross for me. I’m glad You died for my sins and suffered terrible for me.” He went on a bit more and then quit. I said, “Jimmy, why don’t you keep on praying?” He responded, “Uncle Walter,” for that is what they knew me by, “I just now saw Jesus. You did it for me.” You see, it had all been a theory with him before this time. He knew all the stories but suddenly the Holy Spirit revealed it to him in a wonderful way. He trusted the Lord and he was gloriously saved. When Jimmy was 18 his father put him in charge of a big grocery store. He was a very mature young man, and had developed welL Do you know what he did? Whenever he wrapped up a package he always put a Gospel tract in it. Or, he would put one in the grocery sack along with the sales slip. Everybody who came in that big store heard the message of eternal life from him. They all knew that •Jimmy was one of God’s children, saved by grace. We don’t fool any one. People certainly know whether or not we really are what we profess to be. They tell by the way we act and by the things that we do. In the Case of Peter, however, he was now with the company of Jesus’ enemies. This is the crowd that would take Him out to the cross and nail Him there. He stood there with this crowd. How miserable he must have been inside. (A real Christian will al ways be miserable in company with the world.) The maid said, “This is one of them.” How sad it is to realize
Biola. service awards were recently presented to employees of the Arizona Bible College by Hr. Donald Zahn, chairman of the Board of Management. From left to right: Hr. Paul Eyman, Mr. John Van Kommer, Mrs. Electa Oltrogge, Mr. Zahn, and Mr. Arthur Menzemer. that there are mothers and fathers who won’t let their children go to church at all. They never give them any encouragement in the things of the Lord, and frequently will even for bid them to attend Sunday school. How tragic this is. As a result, what else could one expect but that their offspring would turn against the Lord and have no time for the things of Christ. Another terrible thing is that children are taught things against God in so many places. I thank the Lord for Godly public school teachers. We need to pray for them. But there are so many who lead these young lives astray by their false instruction on such things as evolution. At one time, I was speaking at a fathers’ and sons’ banquet. One dad got up and told the other men how they ought to play with their boys, and listen to their boys, and sym pathize with their boys. He gave them some good points, too. (He had a 12 year old son.) When he sat down, the master of ceremonies called on his son to say a few words. He sort of stam mered and then said, “People, what my dad was telling you is unknown to me. He never has done any of those things with us.” My, what that did to the clowd. The boy knew his dad was only a hypocrite. The boy had to be honest when he was ’put on the spot. Children can’t be fooled; what about us, beloved? As others look at you, particularly those who have never received the Lord as their Saviour, can they say, “This is one of them.” 16
HOW DO YOU SEE? Have you ever heard of the eye dis ease known as micropsia? This particu lar affliction is a form of distorted vision. Objects appear larger than they really are. There are some people who have spiritual micropsia. For instance the Israelites on their advance to the prom ised land. Victory had been assured by the Lord, however, they looked at their enemies and could only see them as giants before grasshoppers. They shrank back and foolishly refused to venture obediently, trusting the promises of God. Micropsia is really unbelief, which al ways magnifies the negative. Today, as you look at the commands of God, do they seem impossible? The only answer for spiritual micropsia is to look to the Great Physician. This disease can be corrected through faith-in God’s precious Word. “Trust in the •Lord with all thy heart, and lean not to thine own under standing. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths." . . . When you're in deep water, a great deal depends upon keeping your mouth closed. * * * DESIRE FOR GOD “There is a thirst that ought not to be quenched. It is the thirst for God. Other thirsts are quenched when they meet their object, but the thirst for God will be quenched even if it doesn’t meet its object. In my daily existence, if I do not taste of the Lord, I shall cease to thirst for Him and the Spirit of God will be quenched. To do this is to sink into a paupe-Ps grave. A theologian once said, ‘I have read of a worm that dieth not and of a fire that is not quenched, I know a fire, however, that is not quenched where the worm does die. It is the fire of Thy love my Father, the deepest longings of my heart for Thee. Only in that endless flame shall the worm of my care be made to die. Only in that mighty thirst shall the power of all other thirsts be allayed. The worm of my care comes back because finite joys grow dim. It shall be consumed forever more in that joy whose every height re veals new heights to come. As the heart panteth after the waterbrooks, so pant- eth my soul after Thee, 0 God.’ ’’ —George Matheson * * * Words like tranquil waters behind a dam can become reckless without caution and wisdom. 17
HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN? J. Hudson Taylor said that he had known more than 100 instances of Chi nese people accepting Christ at their first hearing of the Gospel. One night, addressing a company of Buddhists, one of them was gloriously saved. A fter the meeting he asked Mr. Taylor, “How long have you in England known this won derful Saviour?" The great man o f God replied, “Probably for four or five hun dred years. Why do you ask?" With tears glistening on his cheeks he replied, “Why didn’t someone come sooner? My father sought for light all of his life. He died in the dark as did our ancestors before him. Why has it taken you so long?" This is a question which has been upon the hearts of the adminis trators of Biola since the school’s found ing 58 years ago. We are doing every thing possible to accept more young peo ple who are desirous of preparing them selves to go to the uttermost parts of the earth to preach the Gospel of our blessed Saviour. * * * Efficiency, economy, energy, endurance— if you apply these "e's" now they will lead to ease later on. . . . STRIKING THE KEY One of our radio outlets in the north west sent us an interesting story about how a sheepherder, way out away from any town, had written to them asking that they might sound an “A” note on one of their evening programs. The rea son was he desired to tune his violin since he had no other way of checking. The instrument would naturally mean more to him if it were in tune. (Our stations really serve the public.) Our lives are just like musical instruments. They produce pleasing tones only if we are in harmony with God. It was at Calvary that the Lord sounded the uni versal note to which all lives must be tuned. That note is not reformation but redemption and regeneration through the blood of Christ. This is the note or mes sage which is sounded forth through the lives of our young people whom you are helping to train for service not only in pulpits and places of spiritual leadership in our land but also in the countries acros8 the seas, where the Word of God is still allowed to be proclaimed. * A lie is a coward's way of getting out of trouble. * *
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