N o w in C o l o r ! The Famous Manual of
★
Tuckers Turn Out 6 * Thrills . . . excitement . . . and a lesson for boys and girls of 9 to 14. Professor Tucker accepts a government position^ in Washington in spite of warnings. His son gets into danger when he finds a buried parachute and uncovers a spy ring. The daughter hears a wonderful Bible story. 125 pp. 75c 'tC d d DEPT. *390 Visual Teaching for the Flannelboard Y o u cart now teach the International Sunday School Lesson on you r flannelboard from beautifully colored cutouts. Saves many hours of preparation. Cutouts enable you to h old the interest b y combining w ord w ith action. A ll drawings required are in th e manual w ith simple, easily understood instructions. Issued Q u arte rly at an Am azin gly Low P ric e ~ ~ $ l.5 0 . H andw ork fo r Pupils to Accom pany M a n ual~-*l2c P e r Set. Other Flannelboard Lessons and Accessories fo r Every Purpose. Catalog Free. Send 10c fo r Complete Samples o fSundaySchool Quarterlies and Papers. CHRISTIAN PUBLICATIONS, Inc. 1507 N. Third Street. Harrisburg, Pa. A schoo l te a ch e r . . . gives himself a Bible assignment Yes, he’s found that he needs to know God’s W ord to be a good teacher. As signments, exams, paper wads—he fo r gets them all when he studies his Bible. “ Isn’t it a fine experience” he asks, “ to discover truths unknown before? I have taken many Bible courses, but never with the rich blessings I have found in the Scofield Bible Course” You, too, can learn the secrets o f a deeper Christian life through Moody home study courses. W rite Dept. K815 7 t t o * ééà/. __________ 1 5 3 i n s t i Y W e p l a c e ★ ★ ★ P R A Y ★ ★ ★ Motion PictoOoO and4il*n Skip* Christ-centered, soul- winnins visual aids produced by Christians. Literature upon request. for a worthwhile vacation that w ill last a ll year tNJOY profitable Bible study and rich fellowship. TAKE YOUR CHO/ti...Bible Doctrine, Synthesis, Music, Children's Work and many other practical subjects. STUDY with w ell known teachers, members of the regular teaching staff of Moody Bible Institute. RCMCMBIR... tuition is free, except for private music lessons. SPtH D four weeks or two . . . as your time allows. For information write Dept. K-1029. A soldier in Guadalcanal wrote his mother: “I have been reading my New Testa ment which the Chaplain gave me from the American Bible Society and it has causedme to thinkvery seriously about my soul and the future. “I amwriting you, Mom, to ask that you read with me a chapter from the New Testament each day. .. and I will truly invincible. Let all unite to make it a real power in our lives. A Plan 100 Years O ld T oday! You help this work and yourself when you purchase an American Bible So ciety Annuity Agreement. Under this Plan you receive a regular income as long as you live. Send for the booklet “A Gift That Livesl’ MAIL COUPON TODAY! feel that somehowwe are united. . . and if I come back, the Church and the Biblewill meanmorethan ever in our lives” American Bible Society« Bible nouse. NewYork22, N.Y. □ Please send me, without obligation, your booklet KB-tS entitled “ A G ift That Lives” EUI enclose ....... to provide Testaments for young men in our armed forces. A Challenge! Only the Bible can make this nation Name.. ..............ril Denomination ... Address*. City ......... 153 INSTITUTE PLACE • CHICAGO ... State ... June, 1944 193 “Next Fall May Be Too Late” • In the welter oi a world gone mad, o l nation rising against na- tipn, of the terror that stalks in the night, of the arrow that flieth by day, of pestilence, of destruc tion, of the elements in commo tion, is there not a warning in the stark realism of these few sentences taken from a letter re cently sent us: “I was going to- send the money this fall; but the Lqrd said, Send it now; next fall may be too late. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if He came this Feast of the Trumpets, the ingathering of the Harvest! God does all things in order.” • And here is something for .the earnest child of God to think about. What and if He should come at the time of the blowing of the trumpets on the first day of the Month Tishri? What and if you were then suddenly caught up to be with Him? Do you not think it would please Him won derfully that you should now have your part in a testimony that warns Israel of the wrath to come? And do you know a better way to please Him than to snatch a few brands from the burning, a few Jewish souls that will be your trophies when at last you lay your burden down and meet Him face to face? • The ' time is short. That is why we keep reminding you of the privilege o f sharing with Him in His yearning over the lost Sheep in the House of Israel; and that is why so,many o f the Lord’s choicest saints are count ing it a joy to fellowship with us in our God-given task of these last days. Perhaps if you Will make it a ■matter of earnest prayer, He will lead you also to become a burden bearer with'us; and from experience we can assure you it will be a happy day for you. AMERICAN BOARD OF MISSIONS TO THE JEWS, Inc. 31 Throop Avenue, Brooklyn 6, N. Y. Dear; Friends: Gladly do I enclose $ ........................ my; g ift for Israel’s salvation, “ before it is too late.”, Name. ................. . ••••,, Address. •, C ity.. . . . . . . . . . . . , , . . , . . state The Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Inc. ” Vnto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in ftis own blood” (Rev, 1:5). THE KING'S BUSINESS Cover Photograph by Courtesy of Yosemite Park and Curry Co. School of the Holy Light —Charles A. Roberts as told to Anne Hazeltbn .....194 Current Business— Editorial• ......... ..................................... ............................... 195 Behind the Neyys —-Dan Gilbert....... .... %L __i.... ...............................................195 When God Saved the Brewer’s Boy, Part V I —Louis T. Talbot as told to Mildred M . Cook.. ...... .........................................• V - •........ 196 Teams . . . N O W . . . for Christ —Lu Marshall B. S h a l l i s . . . . . . ...... ....198 How W ise Are You?— A. W. Tozer. ....................................... ........................200 Junior K ing’s Business —Martha S. Hooker....... ....... .......................................201 International Lesson Commentary......:......,4...........'.........,.:........;.......l„.,./...l__203 Christian Endeavor —Paul R. Bauman, Chester J. Padgett, Jean Robinson, Evelyn Reeves, Frieda Helen Buck .................. .......................214 Biola Family ........................................................................................................219 Dr. Talbot’s Question Box............. ......................................._____...............___......222 Daily Devotional Readings......... ..........................\........... .................______ .....223 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION— “ The King's Business” is published monthly: $1.50, one yr.; $2.00, two yrs.; 75 cents, six months; 20 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. Write for details. Canadian and for eign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of address to become effective... Please send both old and new addresses. REM ITTANCE Payable in advance, should be made by bank draft, express, or post office money order payable to “ The King’s Business.” Daté of expiration will, show plainly on outside wrapper, or cover of magazine. > ADVERTISING—For information, address the Advertising Manager, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles 13, Calif., or our eastern representative, Rehgious Press Association, 51 No. 52nd St., Philadelphia 39, Pa. MANUSCRIPTS— “ The King’s Business’' cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts sent in for consideration. Entered as second-class matter November 7, 1938, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special raté of postage provided for in the Act of February 28, 1925, embodied In paragraph 4, section 538, P, L. and R., authorized October 1, 1918, and November 13. 1938. ADDRESS: The King's Business, 558 So. Hope. St., Los AngelesT3, Calif. LOUIS T. TALBOT, Editor-in-chief MILDRED M. COOK, Managing Editor RANSOM D. MARYIN, Staff Artist T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 194 • WHILE CONTINUING as the enthusiastic Superintendent of the Hunan Bible Institute (the China department of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, located in Changsha, Hunan, China), Mr. Roberts envisions vast opportunities for spiritual advance among ALL the youth of post-war China. He is confident that the Institute and the Biola Evangelistic Bands—already notable for their far- reaching spiritual ministry—will be appreciably strengthened by the develop ment of Christian schools for younger pupils, about which this article speaks. School of the Holy Light By CHARLES A. ROBERTS as told to ANN E HAZELTON T HE DENSE winter fog had lifted. Warm sunlight glinted across the fields of bright small bungalows clustered about the pine-clad hills of Shantong, a resi dential suburb of Chungking where the families of China’s officials live. If the sun’s rays rested a moment longer on a taller building that stood out above the residences, no one in side the wide chapel hall noticed. Rows of children, ranging in age from six to thirteen years, their faces shining with cleanliness and antici pation, sat quietly at attention as the several important speakers mounted the platform. Outwardly, the meeting was not unlike a gathering of the student body in any government ele mentary school. But there was a dif- ference. When the program began, each dark head was bowed in prayer to God, and, when the first hymn was announced, young voices joined eagerly in the singing of praise to the one true God. A selection was read from the Bible. Addresses followed, given by men whose names have weight in China’s official and educational circles: Gov ernor Chang Chih Chung (now aide- dercamp to the. Generalissimo), Mr. Chang Ching-yu, Mr. Chu Ching Nung, Note: There ts similarity in the names, as well as in the objectives of two schools in China, as the Chinese lettering above will show. The Institute (left) is “ The School of the Holy Canon (B ib le]” and the school for younger children (right) is “ The School of the Holy Light." Thus the written and the in carnate Word are being exalted. etc. The burden of the messages was one: that the aim in establishing this school—the preaching of the gospel in order to lead the children to know Christ—might be fulfilled. It was February 13, 1943, and the Holy Light School was being officially opened. It was a dream fulfilled— a dream that began ten years before in the heart of a Christian Chinese official. Foundation for the Dream Before a building Is erected, there' must be a foundation. The foundation for the Holy Light School began, not so much in the stones that mark the actual foundation of the buildings, but in the spiritual birth of Ernest R. Yin, one of China’s high officials. In the minds of Ernest Yin and his wife, Faith, there was no thought of the far-reaching changes that were to enter their lives, as we see them in their beautiful home in Shantung Province some fifteen years ago. Ernest Yin was then Director of Tax 'Bureau on WineS, Spirits, and Tobacco. Though he was a member of a Protes tant Church, a graduate of Harvard University, and his wife the daughter of Pastor Ding Li-mei, one of the mightiest witnesses God ever raised up in China, there was no evidence of spiritual life in either the man or his wife. Their lives were a whirl of society dinner parties, theaters, dances, and mah-jong parties, while the Bible which Ding Li-mei had given them at -heir marriage, lay for gotten and at the bottom of a trunk. There was no place for God in their lives. It must have been disconcerting for them when Lena, Ernest. Yin’s daugh ter by a former marriage, returned from college for a holiday and re fused to have any part in the fam ily’s social life. Only a short time before, she had found the Lord Jesus Christ to mean everything to her, and now she chose to stay at home and tell Bible, stories or teach choruses to David, the six-year-old son of Ernest and Faith. The parents urged her to go out and have a good time and forget her fanaticism. “We once thought, too, there was something in that,” they told her. “But our eyes were opened at college in America, and we know now that the Bible is only Hebrew folklore. It is not good enough to waste your life on.” ' Lena, with almost prophetic vision, defended her stand. “It is the Word of God to me, in spite of what col leges may say.” Then, her voice sof tening in respect due her parents, she faced them with their owri neglect. “You, who have been taught of Christ, have denied Him, and turned back to a world of pleasure. You have neg lected to tell David anything of the Lord Jesus Christ, when he was hungry to hear. You love him very much, but I wonder whether God will not have to take him from you, to melt your hearts.” [ Continued on Page 219] golden rape, to throw into relief the 195 - June, 1944 Current Business LOUIS T. TALBOT, Editor-in-Chief Commencement at Biola The thirty-fourth annual commence ment exercises at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles will be held in the week of June 4. The baccalaureate address will.be given on Sunday eve ning by Don Householder, co-pastor (with Robert P. Shuler) of the Trinity Methodist Church, Los Angeles. Class day exercises will be held on Wednes day, yJune 7, and the commencement message will be delivered on the fo l lowing evening by H a r r y Rimmer, well-known s c i e n t i s t , author, and preacher, ./• The Class of 1944 numbers seventy- four members, of whom sixteen will qualify for a degree. The motto of the class, “ Christ to the Uttermost,” ex presses not only the aim of these graduates, but also the purpose of the school itself. the war. The trend was definitely to ward internationalism on a grand scale. This trend seems now to be revers ing itself. There is an evident leaning to intense nationalism. The Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Commit tee has bluntly said that the idea, once so popular, of an “ international police force” is no longer seriously contem plated. Official reports have been rather meager on the subject of what ac tually took place in the celebrated conference between Messrs. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. However, only a few weeks after the conference, leading military directors in the na tion’s Capitol announced that America must continue compulsory military service for all young men for an in definite period following the war. It was stated that we must plan to main tain an army of at least several m il lion men in the post-war period. The war will be prosecuted until we have attained “total victory”—that is, the total defeat and disarming of Ger many and Japan, and their satellites. Germany and Japan will not be per mitted to keep military forces in the post-war world. Against what nations will our large post-war army be used? Already, it would seem, our more far- visioned leaders discern the general outline of a third world war. The Scriptures tell us that there will be no world system of peace and brotherhood until Christ comes and es tablishes His own righteous rule. [.Continued.on Page 2241 —will’ avail nothing unless he who prays is rightly related to God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ. There must be the confession o f per sonal and national sin, the acceptance of the atoning work of Christ the Saviour, and reverent dependence upon Him for favor if prayer is to “work” and accomplish what is desired. To present the advantages o f prayer with out declaring its governing conditions is, basically, a tragically unkind thing to do. A ll the rules are in the Book; let us acquaint ourselves and others with them and submit to then). Then let us PRAY, assured of results. Thank You Many readers have told us that the May number—which was the first one to contain fewer pages than formerly, in compliance with WPB requirements —brought special blessing to them as they read it. We praise God for this happy result. Readers have appreciated the fact that much advertising is b e i n g re jected (at financial loss to us) -in order to keep the article section and the de partments of lesson helps at their nor mal size. K To all these understanding and gen erous souls—“thank you.” This Business of Prayer In prominent display type, many newspapers throughout the nation re cently carried a two-column, page-long article entitled “A Time for Prayer.” The “ time,” the article explained, is to be at the beginning o f the antici pated invasion of, Europe: It would be proper . . . if on in vasion day not only prayers should be offered up in all churches and private houses in the United States, but that when the announcement is made that the invasion has be gun, there should be an observance of prayer and meditation on the streets. A ll traffic should stop, for however short a time . . . Soon er can the sun be plucked from his sphere than the idea of God can be erased from the human spirit and His worship banished .from the earth . . . We urge that all Americans PRAY, each in his own way, to the one Supreme Being who holds this mighty ven ture . . . in the hollow of His hand and in the decrees of His will. It is indeed heartening to find great American dailies, that reach thousands of readers, giving this much space to the subject of needed prayer in the n a t i o n . One can remember many years when there was no such empha sis coming from the secular press. It would be even greater cause for rejoicing if these newspaper readers had been informed of the real nature and purpose of prayer. Should not the article have stated plainly—as the Word of God does—that true prayer is not a demand made to God on the part of unregenerate hearts, that it is not like a charm to be used for one’s per sonal advantage? A ll the praying that may be done in churches, in homes, on the streets— worthy as this plan unquestionably is Behind the News By DAN GILBERT NEW DEFINITION OF TREASON: • In Chicago, recently, a soldier was brought into court, charged with caus ing a disturbance in a cocktail lounge. He was first arraigned on a charge of “malicious mischief” ; he had thrown whisky glasses through bar mirrors. The judge tolerantly excused the act as a pardonable prank. The same soldier was then accused of breaking five bottles of whisky. The judge became severe at once and im posed a prison sentence, declaring, “ Anyone who would destroy five full bottles of whisky in times like these commits a crime tantamount to trea son.” Commenting upon the case editor ially, the Salt Lake City Tribune said, “Were Carrie Nation alive today and engaged in the activity that made her famous,, this judge would probably sentence her to be shot at sunrise.” When one considers the attitude of this judge, and of some bureaucrats who allot large quantities of gasoline to keep the beer trucks and whisky salesmen on the road, he would gain the impression that the protection of the “freedom of the alcoholic traffic” was one of the “freedoms” for which we are fighting. CHANGE IN POST-WAR PLANNING: • A drastic «change has taken place in the general attitude toward the post war world. A year ago, the leaders of the Allied Nations were thought to be committed to the idea of a strong world government to be set up after 196 T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S When my work on the railway ceased abruptly, I obtained employment in a restaurant. Here, too, I found trouble in concentrating on the task in hand. I would take several orders, and then promptly forget what they were. Un abashed, .1 would substitute my own choices, so that a gentleman, having prepared to enjoy, let us say, chicken a la king, might find himself being served ham and eggs. If he demurred, I would hold forth confidently on the advantages of ham and eggs over any other item on the menu. The First Pastorate These deflections of mine must have been widely known; and yet, in Sep tember, 1911, a little church in Brain- erd, Illinois, about thirty -miles from Chicago, asked me to serve as student pastor. This was the kind of work I had longed for — the kind I had thought myself unable ever to per form. The invitation delighted and en couraged me, and though the Lord knew I was not well prepared—either in heart or in experience—for the op portunities that faced me, He led me to accept that call. My weekly letters to Mother now rang with a new, glad note. I would tell her my sermon topics, and how I prepared to develop them, and some times even would intimate the fear with which those halting sermons were delivered. Unknown to me, Father be came especially interested in that phase of my correspondence, as Mother would share the letters with him, and he would sometimes say wistfully, “I wish I could hear that.” Thus in my Father, in Australia, the Spirit wrought .a work of mellowing which was to eventuate at last in his yielding to Christ as Saviour. But of even more graciousness, it seemed to me, was the operation of the Spirit of God in my own needy life. God knew I lacked light and assur ance from the Word, and to help me in my specific need, He brought His servant, John Harper, all the way from London to Chicago, in the fall of 1911. Harper arrived in early November, when I had been a “pastor” for just two months. I can see him now. His eyes dis tinguished him. Mild and kindly they were, and when he preached, they shone with compassionate earnestness. He was forty years of .age—“<*w alive man,” as A. C. Dixon used to say. His voice marked him, too, especially When God Saved The Brewer's Boy By LOUIS T. TALBOT as told to MILDRED M. COOK CHAPTER VI. I N THE Registrar’s office of the Moody Bible Institute is a thin, maroon-covered catalogue of the school, with yellowed pages and some unique illustrations. One of these pictures occupies a half page and bears this caption: “How some of the students earn their way.” Taken some time in 1911,. it shows a portion of one of the old wooden cars of the Chicago elevated railroad, with eighteen uniformed trainmen posed be side it. These men were “el guards,” whose duties were similar to those of conductors; I was one of them. This part-time employment was a blessing to me, coming as it did soon after the sobering disillusionment that my funds were exhausted, and I was grateful to be earning. I would attend classes at the Institute in the morn ings, work in the afternoons, and hope to get my studies prepared in the eve nings. So desperately did I want to make good in school that my thoughts never were wholly divorced from classroom requirements. Things went well for some time. I was assigned to a local train, operating between the downtown “Loop” district and Wilson Avenue on the Northside; and I found no diffi- Copyrighl 1944, by Mildred M. Cook culty in learning the names of all the stations to be called. In fact, this pro cedure became so automatic that there was time for mental review of Insti tute assignments. Dr, Evans’ course in Daniel was always on my mind: it fascinated me—and besides, he was 'an exacting teacher I Ultimately, I was transferred to an express train, which covered the same territory to which I had been accus tomed, but made few stops. On board ing the cars, passengers would ask all about local stops, and—with my mind on Daniel—I would assure them grandly that all these would be made. I sang out the names of the stations. But the train whizzed right on. People began to crowd around me, demanding explanations which were never quite clear in my Australian brogue. I had been caught napping, but with the old air of self-confidence, I brought forth a quick answer. “There has been some mistake,” I assured my troubled travelers. “When you get to Wilson Avenue, you will find a train ready to take .you to your destination. Just cross over the elevat ed bridge and get on.” Naturally, any returning local train would serve that purpose. But the pas sengers seemed sAisfied—all except 197 June, 1944 tellectually at least, and had accepted it. But the- truth Was not a vital force: in my life, because I had never wished it to be.- A Spiritual Crisis One night John Harper preached from a great text: “Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures." - For the first time in my life I saw how great was the price Christ had paid for my salvation; saw the im mensity and perfection of the plan,of God as revealed in the Scriptures'. . - What a revelation this was to me! When the invitation was given I went forward, and on my knees cried out to God. ■ “O Lord,” I prayed, “ I thank Thee for dying for me!. I want to live for Thee. If I’ve never before trusted Thee in saving faith, I do so now.” - Then the words of the preacher’s oft-repeated text came to me, and I said them back to the Lord, slowly, in believing faith: “I am crucified with ■ Christ: nevertheless I .live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life, which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of ,the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” That night I qpnsciously t u r n e d about so that my bgck was upon the old life of self-satisfaction, and my face was toward . . the wondrous cross On which the Prince of Glory died.” This was a beginning of days to me. I can point to 'it as the occasion when I became sure of'having passed out of darkness into His marvelous light. It was when His Spirit witnessed with' my spirit that I was a child of God. Some day, “when the b o o k 's are opened,” and we stand in the Lord’s presence, we shall know some details of His redeeming work in us, which now may be obscure, but of the fact o f the finished work there need never be any doubt. I rose from my knees, satisfied. To right and left of the organ loft were wall texts in large letters that I had seen many times before. Now they had new meaning for me, for they spoke of Christ who was in all things to have the pre-eminence. I read: “Who gave himself for us,” and “His name alone is exalted.” There it was again —accent on the Son of God—-the secret of every blessing. People around me were singing, and often slender John Harper him self Would rise to lead it; ’ “ All hail the power of Jesus’ Name, Let angels prostrate 'fall.” How Christ Was magnified! How *His power, His righteousness, His worthi ness were set forth! Through every service, one text, Galatians 2:20, ran like a s c a r l e t thread. God led His servant to give searching messages on confession and cleansing in the blood of Christ, on the reckoning of oneself dead to sin and possessed of resurrection life in Christ. As the days progressed, another old song echoed t h r o ug h/ the Moody Church, and this one likewise was cen tered in the Son of God: • “When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of Glory died, My richest gain I count but loss And pour contempt on all my pride.’’ |"' We sang all five of those glorious stanzas. Right through the Christmas season, interest in the meetings continued un abated. At year’s end, God was search ing. my heart very deeply, I had thought I was a Christian. I had said so, quite believingly, on the applica tion blank which had been sent to the Moody Bible Institute. Back in Aus tralia, I had answered the questions of a zealous, soul-winning pastor, and on the strength of those replies, had been invited to unite with the church. The plan- of salvation I understood, in his voice in prayer. One thought of John Knox while hearing Harper plead with God. And when he prayed, the heavens opened. The Moody Church, whose audito rium was shared by the Moody Bible Institute, was pastorless at the time, and John Hajper had been asked to leave London, where he was minister of the Walworth Road Baptist Church, to fill the Moody Church pulpit on the November Siindays, that year. He had come prepared to work on a book he was writing,.Reeling that this leisurely month could thus be profitably em ployed, V The book inever was'completed, for from the first hour, Harper’s preach ing stirred hearts ana he was in de mand as a ileader. By the beginning of the second week, evangelistic ser vices were being held nightly, with prayer meetings each morning from six to s e v e n -o ’clock, and at noon. Often the preacher spoke as many as five times a day. Though none of us realized it then, he was pleading with men from the threshold to Glory, for only a few months later, in April of 1912, while en route to Chicago for a return evan gelistic engagement, he went Home to Christ from the icy decks of the S. S. Titanic. . To hear him speak, I would be in the meeting every night. Both the music and the messages held me, as they did scores of others. In those first weeks, one hymn predominated, “ Love so amazing, so divine, Shall have my soul, my life, my all*,’ I sang with them, my heart echoing “ amen.” That week end, the little church in Brainerd welcomed a “new” pastor—one who, at the cross, had be come “a new creature in Christ Jesus.” (To be continued) T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 198 An Officer of the British Navy has some important things to say about the Independent Gospel Team — » modern form of the oldest method of evangelism. .LT. M AR SHALL B. SHA LL IS* (left) Discusses . . . , Teams... N O W ... for Christ N EEDIN’ a button, njate?” one gray-haired workman inquired of another. His quick eyes had clumsily improvising with a nail, for the last button on his overalls. The man looked up, surprised, as his questioner pulled out a small box con taining needle, thread, and buttons, and began sewing on the required but ton. His surprise turned to incredulity when two other men joined the first, and as the one sewed, the others took turns speaking to him of spiritual mat ters. It was a new thing to find men who were concerned over his spiritual welfare, willing to give up their lunch hour to demonstrate that concern. He was not the first at Bishopsgate Station to receive the ministry both in their opportunity for witness had ar rived! Iodine and bandages gave other opportunities while the men bound up cut fingers. Small gifts of tea, sugar, or milk taken to sick work-niates pro vided times to talk of the Lord, until, over the course of a few years, many had been saved. There you have the ideal team: con ceived in the midst oi need, and born in prayer; placing scanty pence and brief leisure at the Master’s disposal. Three elderly working men, twelve pennies, a little sanctified gumption, and many were saved—in a place where there had been no former wit ness for Him. Somehow in my very earliest thoughts of gospel work, I have pictured the team —two or more in- one accord, working together for God. From time to time I have been privileged to work word and in deed from this team of three elderly men, on whose hearts the Lord had placed the burden of their lost work-mates. They had b e g u n simply, by spending part of each lunch hour in prayer, meeting in an empty truck. The Station Agent was ap proached later, and though not too sympathetic, he had agreed to their holding a gospel meeting a week in the men’s messroom. This was .tolerat ed by the workers, hut the team knew they must get closer to the men indi vidually if they were to win any of them for God. Realizing, from experience, the value of practical demonstration, they each began to save a penny a week from their small salaries, until their pennies became a shilling, and they were able to invest in a sewing kit. When the first workman was noticed trying to fix his trousers with a piece of string, detected a work-mate in difficulties, ' An Offline in the British Navy and one of the organizers of “Independent finsvpl Teams.*1 199 June, 1944 for the Master in conjunction with other men and women, and I know of scarcely any other deeper joy than the lqye which floods our hearts as we “ strive together for the faith of the g&spel.” God's Chosen Plan— The Team The team method of evangelism is not new. There are the unfinished pages of modern gospel ministry filled with names that shed a fragrance and a power upon our generation — men like Torrey and Alexander, Moody and Sankey, the Wesleys and George Whit field. These; were ; teams, born and motivated in prayer. There are the accounts of the gospel teams of the early church: Peter and the eleven at Pentecost; Peter and John at the temple gate; the Joppa gospel team with Peter at Caesarea; the first gospel team to Asia Minor, Paul and Barnabas; Paul and the gal lant little gospel band, varying in numerical strength, as it traveled and travailed for Christ. In the earthly lifetime of the Lord Jesus Christ, we find the team spirit being taught when He led a preaching band through city and village, and later sent out (jthers in teams of two. Even in the realm of prayer, He taught the value and principles of team praying: “ If two of you shall agree . . . it shall be done” (Matt. 18:19). Going still deeper into the divine rec ords, we find the team spirit fostered and maintained by that mighty team leader, Nehemiah; by the glorious trio who witnessed as a team for God in the very mouth of a burning fiery furnace; by the three who teamed up for their king to break through the enemy’s host to draw water from the well at Bethlehem; by David who led his four hundred outcasts until we marvel at their exploits. Into the very mists of history and time we plunge, and there we find two brothers, Moses and Aaron, who mold ed a nation for God. Earlier still, we mark the perfect and prayerful prepa ration between Abraham and his eld est servant in winning a woman’s heart for God’s chosen channel, Isaac. Beyond the dawn of human history, we reverently go in our thinking. There we discover that the origin, o f doing things together, the root of the idea of teamwork, is to be found with in the very being of the divine Creator H i m s e l f . “Let US make man..." (Gen. 1:26). Little wonder that, as I yearned to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, I found myself looking and longing for kin dred spirits, 'helping hands, encourag ing spokesmen, sympathetic listeners, wise counselors, the valuable experi ence of fellow soul-winners, and the strength that comes from prayer part ners. Make no mistake, God meant us to have team mates. The team is not our idea, but God’s chosen and much- used plan for the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ in all times and places. During the early war years in Great Britain, the same s p i r i t u a l vision swept simultaneously across ' the eyes of five young men in the London area. A heart-burden for the lost brought them together to prayerfully consider the best means and methods for ag gressive evangelism, in order to cope with the special needs of war-time Britain. They became convinced that the team —whether that means two, twelve, or seventy—the team is God’s idea for effective service. Thus were Independent G o s p e l Teams born. Open-air meetings were held-, house-to-house work engaged in, personal work and public preaching services were conducted where oppor tunity offered. The great secrets of clailhing and taking, as well as ask ing; in prayer were discovered; the laws of fellowship and team power were learned; and lessons in love to one another were revealed. From-the first we felt the Lord would hâve Us' stress the value of precious souls, the responsibility of all Christians to witness constantly, and to remind the Lord’s people çf God’s chosen and proven method of winning souls from the death-grip of the enemy of God and man. Teams for Christ be came our message and our challenge to Christian youth- the world over. We produced our first bulletin, “The Independent Gospel Team.” And God sent us the funds (and paper!) to go ahead with two thousand copies. These were distributed personally, accompa nied by much prayer, and the response amazed us. Our first bulletin spread across the world and is now being re printed and published in India, .under the title, “ Independent Gospel Teams, India.” The Need of Teamwork Today thousands still / remain un touched by the gospel, because their lives are lived outside the ambit of the activities of the average church. It is the privilege of isolated Chris tians, whose daily life is lived among these spiritual aliens, to be Christ’s ambassadors to them. But the solitary soul-winner is often at a disadvantage. No man is a re pository of all the gifts needed to reach all men. Fellowship of kindred spirits is essential to us all: without it the lone ember may flicker and grow dark and cold. It is not always that the local church, from which the Chris tian witness draws his sustenance, can provide him also with colleagues who work where he works, and witness where he shines, or are burdened with the same need that exercises him. It is where two or three are gathered to gether—not exclusively in church fel- [ Continued on Page 221] “TWO OF YOU . . . ” The minister was leaving his pastorate. He had given five years to this church, and God had blessed his ministry increasingly. Materially, the church was in better condi tion than when he came; a new edifice had been erect ed. Numerically, there had been an increase in attend ance and membership. Spir itually, there was evidence of progress in individual lives. It had been a good span of years. The minister talked it over with his secretary. “Some times,” , he said, “ I wonder why God has been so good to me here.” There were many reasons, of course. But the girl could have given him one of which he had been unaware. “These five years,” she could have said, “you have not had to come to an un- prayed-in office. I have been here early, to dust your desk and to drop on my knees be side the chair you would oc cupy. I have said, ‘Lord, Thy servant has a large work to do, seated in this ch a ir, working at this desk. My tasks, in comparison, are very small. But I can ask Thee to bless him and use him today — and I do ask just that.’ Somehow, it has been a partnership.” - • She was a native of Mexi- ico, a well-educated and tal ented teacher. But she was rebelliously opposed to own ing Christ as her personal Saviour. At the summer school of the University of Mexico, she met a young missionary who was there as a student. “When my new friend spoke to me of her work, I realized at once that I was not saved, that I did not be long to the people of God.” [ Continued on Page 222]: 200 T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S then be forced to commit ourselves to a wisdom w h i c h has been dis credited by the Lord and p r o v e d Worthless by human experience. Sadly enough, there.is nothing to prevent Us from going on day after day com mitting our churches to an inadequate human strategy, at h u g e financial cost, to say nothing of the immense waste of labor, and the spiritual bar renness which results. To look these facts squarely in the face is to lose confidence In ourselves and in all our busy planning. “They that are in the flesh cannot please God,” however sound t h e i r doctrine may be, however sincere and well in- tentioned their efforts to serve the Lord. God's Way Dark as the picture may seem, it ap pears so only to the flesh. The true, children of God áre not left in a blind impasse; they aré not oompelled to trust to their own resources. God has provided a way for us if we will but humble ourselves to accept it: it is the way of self-abnegation and meek sur render to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. "The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way” (Psa.. 25:9), The Holy Spirit made the difference between blundering disciples, in wardly blind, and the spiritually acute Apostles who led the early church to blazing victories. It was not experi ence, but the Holy Spirit that made the change. Apart from the Spirit, experience may only .confirm us in our mistakes; time may but deepen our basic errors. Religious history teaches this too plainly for any of us to miss. The' times call for believers who have the inner light, Whose lives ride the never-failing beam. Indoctrina tion is not enough. Israel had the Law, but she must have also the fiery pillar to lead her through the wilder ness. To the church of Christ, the Holy Spirit is not a luxury; He is a neces sity. We dare not dismiss the whole thing with the remark that everything is all right now that we are living in the dispensation of the Holy Ghost. It is not the dispensation, it is spirit ual experience that matters: experi ence with the Holy Spirit, not experi ence apart from Him. True, we are living chronologically on the near side of Pentecost, but at the same time it is altogether possible for us to be living on the far "side of Pentecost experien- tia lly . Whatever our theological views, we must humble ourselves and receive— Dy our moment -by •moment yielding —a mighty fullness of the Spirit for light, for power, and for purity. B NE of the first things we need to learn—and the last we usu ally do learn—is that we are tuition that will enable us to know the mind of God: This is probably the hardest of all hard t r u t h s for human conceit to swallow. It exposes the poverty, of our nature in its most' humiliating form. Of nothing are we so inordinately proud as of our reason. To be told that our best wisdom is ^>ut childish ignorance, and that it is rejected in toto by the Creator, is a painful blow at human pride, and is considered by many an unwarranted affront to their native dignity. It is a deeper humilia tion still to discover that God rejects not our ignorance only, but also our learning—not our worst, but our best —and that He flatly declares that the brightest, most penetrating thoughts of the natural mind are but foolish ness with Him. It is disquieting to discover in the Gospels that every time the disciples offered- a suggestion or expressed an opinion concerning spiritual things they were wrong, dead wrong, and had to be set right by the Lord Him self, T h e i r Ideals, methods, plans were almost never approved by fheir divine Master. Though they were the favored descendants o f those to whom the oracles had first been committed, though they must have often heard the Law and the Prophets read in their synagogues, they were still pitifully blind to the true light of God. Their -religious education had apparently helped them little; they lacked the inward illumination necessary to un derstand God’s mysterious ways. Yet, judged as men, they were not inferior. Subsequent developments re vealed an I. Q. level remarkably high, and an average of gift and ability well above the ordinary. Query: What reason have we to be lieve that we in our day can do any better than they did in theirs? For instance, why should we assume that a board of a dozen men meeting the first Tuesday after the first Monday of each month shall be able to dis cover the sure will of God for the church, when that first board of a dozen Apostles scarcely succeeded in thinking the thoughts of God once in three years? Our natural egotism may prompt us to redact these observations as being excessively -pessimistic. If we do, then I see no help for us. We shall by nature devoid of any spiritual in 201 June, 1944 The Magic Slate By EVELYN M. McCLUSKY S O YOU like to talk?” asked the little traveler in lower eleven as the train pulled out o f.thé station. He was a little fellow in a sailor suit, and he was very busy adjusting the packages -which he, his mother, and little sister would be needing* on their long trip. His little sister wanted a drink, so his mother took her to get one. “I’ve never been on a train before in my whole life!” ' he announced to the passenger across the aisle. "Have you? . . . Oh, you have? Then where do we,sleep? I don’t see any room for a bed in .here.” “ It’s ail folded away above your head there, and when it is time to make your bed, the porter w ill’ unlock the place, and it will come down on hinges,” explained the lady. “W ill everybody see me go to bed, and see me sleep?” “No, there will be green curtains to make a little room for you.” “You know about beds on trains, don’t you? Do you want me to come over and talk to you? I like to talk. I think I’d better get over there with you right now, before Mother comes back. She might think you wouldn’t want me, hut you do, don’t you?” “ I’d love to have you. Come right over.” “I’m six, and my name’s Bobby,” he said as he sat down beside his new friend. “ I’m going to have a birth day the very day we get into Chicago. That is the day we will meet my daddy. He is in the . . . guess what?” “Because of your suit. You want to be like your daddy. Have you ever had your birthday into God’s family so you’ll want to be like Jesus?” “Oh! Don’t talk ‘about that.” “Why not?” “ Because Mother doesn’t allow me.” “Doesn’t allow you to speak of Jesus?” exclaimed the lady. “Why, Jesus is God’s Son who made a longer trip than you will make. He came all the way from heaven to die for you. He died for me, too. I love Him for that, and for giving me everlasting life. If anything should happen to my body, •I’d go right straight to be with Jesus.” ' “Say! Do you mean if a German or a Jap shot you that you’d go right to be with God?” “ I certainly do.” “ In the Navy, of course!” “ How could you guess?” “Well!” gasped Bobby as he flopped back against the seat. “That’s what I have been wanting to know about.” Then the traveler drew out a Bible. “What’s that?” “ A Bible. Have you. ever seen one' before?” ? “No. But Jean said that her mother reads it all tjie time.” “Who’s Jean?” “ She’s the little new girl that moved into the apartment house where we were. She sings about Jesus and knows verses. She knows ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son . . .’ Say! Is that what you’re talking about?” “Exactly.” With this, the lady took from her handbag a magic slate, and quickly drew a cirelp on it. “This circle,” she explained, “ is marked with a ‘D’ for death, and every one who is ever born on this earth is in this Circle of death. There is only one way out. There is one Door—Jesus.” “Oh, I know! Jean sings a song about ‘One door and only 6ne.’ Is that what you mean?” “Yes, it is” his Companion agreed. Then she continued, “ You See this lit tle door has the cross i in the middle of it.” “ Is that the cross where Jesus was?” - “ Yes, He died there for you, Bobby. You see, Satan is the one who keeps boys and girls and men and women in the circle of death. But when Christ died, He became the Door out of the death circle. If you will take Him as your Saviour, you will come out of the circle, and through the Door into everlasting l i f e ; and there is nothing Satan can do about it.” “Then Satan will never get me again?” “No. Christ arose from the dead. He lives, and will take care of you for ever.” “W ill Jesus fight Satan for me?” “ Yes, He will,” the lady assured him. “Would you like to bow your head right now, and tell Jesus you want Him to.be your Saviour, and to take you out of the circle of death?” “ I think I would,” answered Bobby. And right there in the train he bowed his head, and asked Jesus to save him. Then he-was so happy he jumped up and clapped his hands. By this time his mother and little sister were back in the seat which he had left. “I hope, Bobby, you are not visiting already,” his mother said anxiously. “You mustn’t bother the lady.” “Mother,” he asked as he crossed the aisle to her side, “ did you know that Jesus loved me so much He died for me?” His mother was puzzled. “Wait, I’ll show you,” he promised. He asked the lady whether he might borrow the magic slate. When she said, “Of course you may,” he took it> and eagerly drew the circle with the one Door for his mother to see. He told her all that he knew about the Lord'Jesus Christ-. For all the rest of his journey he was busy going through the big train coaches, and drawing the circle for the passengers. He told them how they could get out of the circle of death by going through the Door into everlast ing life. Bobby had become a missionary for the Lord Jesus. Junior King's Business By M ARTHA S. HOOKER Member o f Faculty Bible Institute of Los Angeles \ 202 T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S ROBERT HARKNESS Bible Quiz This is station K.Y.B.C. thè Know Your Bible Club of the Junior King’s Business Department. June is the month for Children’s Day so the answers to our Bible Quiz this month will be the boys and girls of the Bible.. R e a d each description, and then from the list below, match the names to the sentences. What is the name of: 1. A boy whose mother’s name was Eunice; his grandmother’s name was Lois, and who “from a child.. . hast known the holy scriptures.” 2. A girl who attended a p r a y e r meeting at the home of Mary, mother of John Mark, where prayer was made for the deliverance of Peter. 3. A lad whose- voice God heard when he was in the wilderness near death because of thirst 4. A child who was g i v e n to his parents in answer to. prayer and who “ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.” 5. The first baby boys ever born in this world, whose parents once lived in a beautiful garden home. 6. A boy whose name was given to his father by an angel as he prayed in the temple. 7. A shepherd boy who wrote “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” 8. Four Hebrew children who were carried away as captive by Nebuchad nezzar, king of Babylon, and to whom God gave “ knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom.” 9. A Captain in whose home a little captive maid served.. He was “a mighty man in valor, but he was a leper.” Presents . . . Two Correspondence Courses !, EVANGELISTIC HYMN L A Y IN G For Piano an&^£rflan Teaches TW E LVE M u s i c a l Subjects. E IGHTY musically-illustrated lessons. If you can already play hymns and gospel songs, send today for new free Prospectus. THREE THOUSAND students have enrolled. 2. BEGINNER’S HYMN PLAYING COURSE For Piano For those who cannot play a note but who wish to learn to play hymns and gospel songs. Children can also study this course under home supervision . ... Now enlarged to F IF T Y lessons with special HARKNESS KEYBOARD CHARTS . . . Send for FREE booklet to ROBERT HARKNESS P. O. Box 204, South Pasadena, Calif., U.S.A. ONE WORLD? Not Until Jesus Comes— “PROPHECY MONTHLY” JUNE ISSUE full of k e e n ar ticles: Why there’s no chance of a “world family’’; Modernists and “Materialistic Resurrection” ; Demonism and Healing Pro grams; A Jew wants to k n o w why Christians keep Jesus fas tened to a cross; Who are the Black Jews of Ethiopia? Many other topics that will thrill the lover of Bible prophecy. 10. A disciple who brought a lad to the Lord, and the boy gave his lunch to Jesus. Daniel Hananiah, Mishael, Aza- riah (Dan. 1:6, 17); Andrew (John 6:8, 9); Naaman (2 Ki. 5:1, 2); Tim othy (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15); David (Psa. 23:1) ; John the Baptist (Lk. 1:13); R h o d a (Acts 12:12, 13); Samuei (1 Sam. 1:27; 2:18); Ishmael (Gen. 16:15; 21:17); Cain and Abel (Gen. 4:1-5). Answers to K.Y.B.C. Quii 1. Timothy. 2. Rhoda. 3. Ishmael. 4. Samuel. 5. Cain and Abel. 6. John the B a p t i s t . 7. David. 8. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah. 9. Naa man. 10. Andrew. Memory Verse “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleas ure in them” (Eccl. 12:1). New K. Y. B. C. Members BIG CREEK, C A L IF .: Ona Mae Zumwalt (Mrs. Otto R. Turner, leader). HEALDSBURG, CALIF.; Norris and Ru dolph Wilson, John Vichi (Miss Grace Rob bins, leader). SANDUSKY, N. Y.: Nancy Ashworth, Connie Bnown, Charles and Kenneth Burges, Marjorie and Martha Byroads, Eloise Durkey, Gale and Marlin Marble, Bernard, Phyllis and Thelma Roblee, Phyllis Taylor, Glenn and Ruth Wilson, Rodnie Young (Gordon Storms, leader). TULARE, CALIF, i r Geneva and Juanita Baker (Elsie Friesen, leader). How to Join the K. Y. B. Club To become a member of the Know Your Bible Club, read through the Gospel accord ing to John, using either your own Bible or a Gospel of John which will be sent upon request. When the Gospel has been read and a statement to +his effect, signed by parent or Sunday-school teacher, has been sent to the Editor of the Junior King's Business, a K. Y. B. C. pin will be mailed. Sunday- school classes or clubs desiring to order ten or more Gospels or pins may wish to share the cost of these supplies, as the Lord di rects: Gospels, postpaid five cents each—in quantity, three cents; pins, without postage, two .cents each. However, no one is to do without a Gospel or pip because of lack of money. Address: Junior King’s Business, 558 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 13, Calif. S P E C I A L - PROPHECY, o ffi cial o r g a n - of American P r o - phetic League, is $1 year in U. S.; f o r e i gn i $1.15; Special trial, 4 mo., 25c. PROPHECY 3 Box BB, E R o c k Sla., Los Angeles 41, Calli. This Adv. and * \ 00 Year Sub. and FREE BOOK “Jewels’VEarr A spiritual Feast. YOU WANT THE BEST IN VISUAL AIDS A new movable, realistic, picture method of tell ing Bible stories or preaching illustrated sermons. Holds your class spellbound. Discipline problems solved. Give it a try in your class. You’ll be surprised at the results. Children want to learn and they clamor for this new way of presenting Bible truths. You will double your attendance. Write for free folder telling all about this new method of teaching to— STORY-O-GRflPHS Dept. K, P. C. Box 145, Pasadena, Calif. | -■> ■ . ,1 I ... ' ' ----■■. - . ■. • 1
Made with FlippingBook HTML5