January 1927
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
21
We can find no better marching orders than those given by Paul to Timothy in 2 Tim, 2:23-26. Let these words be our meditation for this month: “But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, know ing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient; In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” We must not strive (show a spirit of strife), but must be “unoffensive toward all men, skillful teachers, patient under wrongs” (Weymouth). We cannot represent the message of peace in a wrangling spirit. We are dealing with men who are opposing themselves (v. 25)’. The best way to win such men is, to put them in the way of convincing themselves. We may beat a man down with argu ment; we may corner him with reasonings with which his mind, for the time, cannot cope—and still he is not gained for Christ. SOME DIVINE PSYCHOLOGY Paul is teaching Timothy to respect the freedom of all men — to not press them so hard as to humiliate and aggravate them, thus sending them in the wrong direction. Give them clews. Let them convince themselves. Above all, let them have no adverse impressions as to your attitude and life. If a man convinces himself in this way, he will be pleased. That is divine psychology. Let us also be mindful of the. fact that unbelievers are in the devil’s share (v. 26). Clubbing a man will not release him from.this trap. In dealing with such, we should remember that we are contending, not merely wjth subtle phases of error, but a master spirit behind. We will never achieve a victory in such a case unless we closely follow the divinely inspired instructions. Prayer, patience, persistence, piety —these are the qualifica tions of true contenders for the faith. By their use we may be used of God to assist men in slipping out of the devil’s snares. Watch this column each month for your marching orders. Send us your name if you wish to enroll with the Defenders, to pray and work for the deliverance of those who have been ensnared in the present day apostasy trap. Read the statement of Dr. Maclnnis on the page opposite the first editorial. Yours for the Faith, Keith L. Brooks. ■S!*. .SKs. ds> ate The Greatest Discovery O NE time Sir James Simpson, the discoverer of chloro form, was asked what his greatest discovery was and in reply he said, “The greatest discovery that I have ever made is the d i s c o v e r y t h a t Jesus Christ is my Saviour.” It is a great day in the life of any man when he comes to discover Jesus Christ as a reality and He becomes a living power in his life. Paul said “I know whom I have believed,” and that is the key to the life of one of the greatest personalities of history. It wasn’t primarily “I know what I have believed” but “I know Whom I have believed.” This was the central conviction of his life and of course it involves right thinking and will result in right beliefs, but we must ever remember that religion is primarily and essentially an experience of the soul in which it comes to know Jesus Christ Who died and liveth forevermore.
The Defenders’ Column
Notes by
Managing Editor
"Above all, talcing the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts o f the wicked. And take the helmet o f sal vation, and the sword o f the Spirit, which is the word o f God."
MARCHING ORDERS D R. HORTON has asked me to take the banner of the organization which he founded, known as “Defenders of the Faith,” now numbering over 4,000 members. I am glad to take this banner, and pledge, by God’s help, to keep it lifted high and moving forward. I call upon every member to scan this column each month for marching orders : Let us be sure of what we are doing. It must be borne in mind that the expression “Defenders of the Faith” is not a Scriptural one. Nowhere does God’s Word call upon us to defend His truth, which is eternally settled in the heavens. No mail can do anything against the truth of God, therefore it needs no defense (2 Cor. 13:8). We are called upon to “earnestly contend for the faith” (Jude 3), by which it is not meant that we should be contentious about the faith, but that in a construc tive and helpful way, backed by a life that will not count against our testimony, we should set forth the truth to men. City of Melchizedek At Jerusalem, Prof. Macalister of the Palestine Exploration Fund has uncovered the actual wall of the City of Melchizedek, King of Salem, who blest Abraham with bread and wine. The ancient date is demonstrated by the potsherds in the rubbish cleared, which belong to the Bronze Age. Macalister has identified the later walls of the city as it was held by the Jebusites. It was over this wall that, when David began his siege, the defenders leaned as.they taunted him with the words, “Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou Canst not come in hither.” Kirjah Sepher The buried city of Kirjah Sepher was found by an expe dition headed by Dr. Melvin G. Kyle, of Xenia Seminary. This was a flourishing city up to about 600 B. C., covering the whole national history of Israel from Joshua to the destruction of Nebuchadnezzar, and a long Canaanite history back nearly to the time of Abraham. Dr. Kyle found evidence of the destruction of the city gates by Joshua as recorded in the Old Testament, also various wells referred to in sacred history. Bethshan Excavations at Beisan, the Bethshan of the Old Testament, have revealed the image of the goddess Ashtoreth, with a shrine containing bronze serpents, doves and other objects used in her worship. The temple bearing her name, and in which she was worshipped, was, found. This temple is described as an oblong structure having three columns on each side. Ashtoreth is men tioned in the Bible as an object of worship among the Phoenic ians and the Philistines.
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