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JULY. 1970 / Volume 10 / Number 7
MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE BIOLA FELLOWSHIP
CALIFORNIA
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CONTENTS Los Angeles KBBI
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MESSAGE PROM BIOLA’S NEW PRESIDENT ................... 3 J. Richard Chase PRINCIPLES FOR EFFECTIVE LIVING...... ........ 7 Henry Brandt MEANINGFUL LIVING ............. 17 Ted Duncan CONTEMPORARY PHARISEES 18 Merton Leigh YIELDING TO THE YOKE ........ 20 Dennis Olsen EFFECTIVE SENSITIVE WITNESSING .......................... 21 Todd Lewis PANEL DISCUSSIONS ............... 23 MIRACLES .................................. 27 Lloyd T. Anderson ON THIS MONTH'S COVER Biola’s 75-acre campus allows for much student fellowship as lifelong friend ships are established. Pictured near the College Union are (1. to r.) Dave Perry, Debbie Small, Shirley Shaw, and Craig Scott.
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Biola’s Board of Trustees were keen ly interested in my commitment to Christ, to the historic do c trin a l statement of the institution, and to the other Christian distinctives of Biola. The Board and faculty mem bers present were, of course, inter ested in my educational philosophy and the goals I thought should be set for our academic program s. These were explored in detail, but the overriding concern was still that Biola must be an institution that adheres to the Word of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Let me share with you some of the thoughts that I communicated to that committee. First, I underscored the fact that Biola must be ground ed squarely on the Word of God. These days more than any other call for a comprehensive knowledge of and adherence to the Word of God. Information, whether it deals with personal conduct, the social issues before us today, or even scientific data, must be analyzed, interpreted and then applied. Both the Christian and a Christian institution as Biola must make its interpretations of in formation in the light of the re vealed Word of God. At Biola I believe our reliance on the Word should be more than simp ly a philosophical or even theologi cal commitment; it should be part of the very fabric of a Biola educa tion. Consequently, I feel keenly that we must continue the clear em phasis upon the instruction of the Word of God that has been the hall mark of our school for the 62 years of its existence. That means, of course, that students who are en rolled in Biola will have excellent and intensive instruction in the Word of God. Even though a person may be majoring in business admin istration, nursing, history or any other major in the curriculum, he will have the equivalent of a full major in Bible and Doctrine. It is also my firm belief that this instruc- 3
MESSAGE FROM BIOLA’S NEW PRESIDENT
Dr. J. Richard Chase
L ast F ebruary Dr. Sutherland an nounced his retirement as Presi dent of Biola. This was to become effective no later than August, 1970. He has served our organization for 34 years — over half of that time as President. In September of this year, he will be 70 years old. With great reluctance, the Board of Di rectors accepted his resignation and decided that upon his retirement, he would become President-emeritus. After the announcement last Feb ruary, faculty and board committees were appointed to select the new President. I was notified recently by Mr. Sylvester Marshburn, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, that I had been selected unanimously as the sixth President of Biola. I’m sure that you will be pleased to know that in my meeting with the Presidential Selection Committee,
tion should not be simply adequate but that it must be outstanding. The Biblical division should never become simply that department that carries on the distinctives of the school while the rest of the organization pursues its own ends. Fully inte grated into the life of every student must be competent Biblical instruc tion. Therefore, as Biola continues to strengthen and develop every aspect of its academic program, you may rest assured that Biblical in struction will remain central to every major. Flowing from this emphasis upon the Word of God is Biola’s tradition al doctrinal statement. Naturally, the men on the committee and later the full Board of Trustees were keen ly interested in my wholehearted support of the doctrinal statement. Having been on the Biola staff since 1953, I have not only a full under standing of the doctrinal statement but have repeatedly reaffirmed my commitment to these basic doctrines and do so again at this time. In a January broadcast, Dr. Sutherland spoke of the significance of Biola’s doctrinal statement. I’ll not take the time to repeat a message so recently given, but I do want to reaffirm my belief in our full statement and at least state a few of its tenets. I believe that the Bible is indeed the Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice; that there is one God, eternally existing and manifesting Himself to us in three Persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit; that Christ was born of a virgin, crucified, raised from the dead, and that he is personally com ing again; that there is a heaven and a hell; and that men are lost apart from the saving work of Christ up on the cross of Calvary. And I do most assuredly believe that man was created in the image of God. I would like to underscore this last point be cause with the rapid advance in so many areas in science today there 4
are some Christians who feel that an intelligent person cannot believe that man was directly created by God. It is my conviction that much of the excellent scientific data avail able today does not really support the theory of the evolution of man as commonly understood. As I said earlier, it is man who interprets the data and structures it so that it may lead to certain conclusions. I believe firmly that time will reveal, either in this life or the life hereafter if need be, that there are ways in which we can structure the data be fore us that is indeed truth in such a way that it will yield the conclu sion that man was created by God, as indicated in the Genesis account. In short, I do believe that God cre ated all life in such a way that it would bring forth its own kind—as indicated in Genesis 1:24. The Board was also desirous of selecting a President who recognized and supported the other basic dis tinctives of Biola. For instance, they wanted to know whether or not I believed that Biola should be staffed and attended by Christian faculty, staff, and students. Th is I was able to affirm wholeheartedly. I be lieve that a Christian college is a place where Christian young people need to face squarely some of the difficult problems that they are go ing to meet later on in life. They need to have the understanding, sup port, and direction that can only come from faculty and staff who know and serve our Lord. A college is, of course, a place where students are asked to think, to dig into com plex problems. Because of this, it is absolutely essential that we take seriously our Christian commitment and demand that all who are direct ing the educational enterprize be earnest Christians who are clearly anchored to the Word. Another distinctive that has char acterized Biola from its inception is that of Christian outreach. I believe
current trends nor tradition for the sake of tradition should thwart the Christian’s reliance upon the Word. Although I have not discussed academic matters here — and will not develop that line of thought, let me mention one aspect of Biola in that area in which you may be in terested. Biola does have a wide range of standard academic majors. In addition, the college and its grad uate program, Talbot Theological Seminary, offers the fundamental Christian ministry majors in such areas as Bible, theology, and Chris tian education. The essential feature of Biola is, however, that each major — whether history, English, business adminis tration, or whatever — is formed and viewed with a spiritual dimen sion. We expect God to use our grad uates regardless of the major pur sued. Some will be in the pulpit, some overseas, some in the class room, some in nursing, some—with future schooling—in medicine, oth ers in business—but all will have a clear concept of what God’s Word teaches and all, we pray, will be in the area in which God wants them. Our academic program strives for excellence. We will never justify me diocrity in any of our areas on the basis that that part of the curricu lum is not important. But through a Christian philosophy of education, through chapels, through a signifi cant emphasis upon Biblical instruc tion and through prayer, we hope to guide each student to the place where God can best use his talents. We are historically, currently and vitally interested in preparing young people for the wide variety of Chris tian ministries demanding attention today. Further, we are dedicated to providing a thorough grounding in the Word of God for all who go into secular areas. In the words of Paul in Ephesians 1:12, we want all of our graduates to live “to the praise of His glory.”
that Biola needs to attract those stu dents who are truly interested in some form of service for Christ. This past year, in our College and Seminary program, we had well over 1500 young people involved in some form of Christian service. This is part of the very life of Biola. It must always characterize the school. Further, B io la’s s tu d en ts a re characterized by Christian qualities of character and conduct that set them apart from the non-christian college student. I am proud of our students. Most are sharp, collegiate in nature, aware of contemporary issues, and earnest in their commit ment to Christ. I believe that Chris tian students (and all of us) must earnestly seek, as Christ gives the strength, to exemplify the Christian qualities of character, or fruit of the Spirit, that Paul so clearly states in Galatians 5:16-18. I believe it is far better to attract and enroll stu dents who are willing to be led of the Spirit than to seek those who are constantly irritated by rules. Or ganizations that attempt to run smoothly and are concerned about their testimony will have some rules and regulations. We must be wise in the standards we set, but we must also be wise in the students we en roll for Biola has and will continue to expect its students to live lives that are pleasing to the Lord rather than lives that are centered in self. Although Biola College and Talbot Seminary cannot set standards of admission, of conduct or even of be lief that are acceptable to all, we will apply procedures and standards that are grounded in the Word of God. And where the Bible is not clearly relevant, we will continue to be sensitive to the weaker brethren so that we do not cause them to stumble. In short, it is my desire that Biola be clearly characterized by a knowl edge of the Word of God, and a dedication to its message. Neither
Now, although I have left much unsaid, I do want to close with a look to the future. Should the Lord tarry, there will be development and progress at Biola. We will not change the basic distinctives of the school, but we will certainly look for devel opment in other areas. Educational development and progress has always characterized the school. B io la ’s leaders have always sought to pre pare Christian young people for the demands of their age, and we can do no less in the days ahead. Re member, 30 years ago Biola had a campus that consisted of only a cou ple of downtown buildings and a Bible Institute program. In the in tervening years a college program was started, a School of Missionary Medicine was begun and later de veloped into an accredited baccalau reate nursing major, an undergradu ate school of theology was begun and then discontinued in favor of Talbot Theological Seminary, our accredited graduate school of theol ogy, and a new campus in La Mira da, Calif, was developed. Today Biola College stands as a tribute to the outstanding academic leadership of Dr. Sutherland and the administrative efforts of such lead ers as Dr. Charles Feinberg, Profes sor Leonie Soubirou, and Dr. James Christian. During these years of de velopment and progress, Dr. Suther land, Dr. Louis T. Talbot, our Chan cellor, and the Board of Trustees, have all provided spiritual leader ship and administrative direction so that these changes would enhance rather than hinder the God-given mission of Biola. Will you join me in praying that in the years ahead — till Christ comes, Biola will continue to develop and progress in those areas where it must, without diminishing its clear dedication to Christ and its historic mission. As the new President, I would greatly appreciate your sup port in both prayer and gifts. 6
Biola students attended the Evangelical Student Congress at Spring Arbor College In Michigan. Pic tured in Chicago, Illinois, en route to the meetings are (left to right) Todd Lewis, Greg Thompson, and Dane Beckwith.
A revival of old-fashioned patriotism and a grateful acknowledgment of what our country has done for us would be good for all our souls. —Manton S. Eddy If you’ve been bom into God’s family, never forget who you are, and act as befits a royal heir. Jesus Christ is a Lawyer who never loses a case, a Doctor who never fails, and a Friend who never turns His back on His own.
Dr. W. Robert Smith (left) is featured speaker at Biola's Summer Family Bible Conferences. He talks with Dr. J. Richard Chase.
problem was that I bottled up my feelings. I’d take it out on my wife and little children instead. About that time I became interested in the Bible. One night while reading I came across this passage which disturbed me a great deal. By Ephesians 4:31 and 32 I was troubled. “Let all bit terness and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice.” I couldn’t help but think of my boss when I read that. What was wrong with being bitter toward a fellow like that? After all, he was impolite and nasty to me. The idea of being decent toward him burned me up. The next verse I read was even worse, "Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one anoth er; even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” That didn’t sound manly to me. I can assure you, that humanly speaking that night wasn’t very rewarding. The Holy Spirit was speaking to me, and I finally decided that I was going to love my boss. I remember the day I saw him at work reach into his back pocket for that old, dirty pouch. He filled his jaw with tobacco, and chewed for awhile. Then, he de manded, “Brandt, come in here!” For some reason I was just as mad as ever! I still couldn’t make up my mind to love him. I wondered why would the Scriptures tell me to do something that was impossible. Then, I found the answer one day while reading II Corinthians 3:4ff. Psy chologists say that the trouble with the church is that it creates guilt; it makes people have feelings of in adequacy. This passage reminds me that I’m not sufficient unto myself. But how can that be true? I got my education without God’s help. I found a job without God’s help. I could meet all social requirements without God’s help. Why should I think that I have nothing of myself? The ex hortation is not that we are suffi- 7
PRINCIPLES FOR EFFECTIVE LIVING
by Dr. Henry Brandt, Christian Psychologist
P art O ne O VER the years , I've discovered that if anyone will make an ef fort to understand the Bible, putting to work those principles which it gives, he will find living to be tre mendously effective. I was a mechani cal engineer during World War II. I designed tools for the production of aircraft engines. My boss, who came up the hard way, had a very beauti fully furnished office. The govern ment provided us with nice surround ings. Next to the boss’s desk, on top of an expensive rug, was a big, round highly polished brass spittoon. Com ing up from the ranks he brought his habit of chewing tobacco along with him. Whenever he chewed particu larly hard we knew he was going to bawl out someone. This one time he came after me. I really hated him, although he didn’t know it. Of course, there wasn’t anyone who appreciated the boss’s treatment. Our dislike of him was always the subject of con versation around the lunch table. My
This is the ministry of the Spirit of-*God. In II Corinthians 4:2 we read, “We have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty. Not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by a mani festation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” Have you re nounced the hidden things of dis honesty? What does an honest per son look like? We are supposed to manifest the truth, commanding our selves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. There was a young couple who came to me for consultation. The young man was an engineer in his later tw en ties. Their educational time of life was behind them. The young lady he was going with was a secretary. Between the two of them they had a good salary. During court ship days they shopped for a build ing site. They designed a house and had it built. They shopped together for furniture. What an ideal situa tion with which to begin life to gether. Certainly with that kind of setting, any two people should be able to make a go of a marriage. But marital success doesn’t depend on that with which you surround yourself. After they were married problems started coming. The fellow came home one night and in the liv ing room he spotted a cobweb. He was very meticulous and neat. It an noyed him considerably. But he dis missed it, thinking his wife hadn’t noticed it. The second night the cob web was still there. He kept up the front, however, so that she was un aware of his feelings. By the third night it was getting harder to be convincing that there was nothing wrong. When he kissed her his eye was on that cobweb. But he still said the right things. Here was a very lovely home, and yet when this young man came into the house his whole world consisted of a corner of that room where the cobweb was lodged.
cient of ourselves, to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God, who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit, because the law I could not live up to. I could do my work and be a gentleman around my boss, but there was an area where I was powerless. This was in the area of attitude, and only the Spirit could help here. This has been one of the most precious revelations of my life. I came to un derstand what was wrong with my inner life. My strength would have to come through resources not my own. You may have all kinds of tal ent and ability, thinking that you don’t need God’s help. Christianity deals in the area of the spirit rather than ability. Emotionally upset peo ple sometimes cannot exercise their ability. Yet, a lot of us have a tre mendous amount of self-control. Still there’s a lot of difference between self-control and submitting to an other power. I asked the Lord to give me His power to love my boss. And you know, it worked. Oh, he still kept on saying, “Brandt, come in to th is office!” Now, however, I found my self, not only walking in with a smile, but also with a joy in my heart. Yes, there’s a source of inner strength not your own. It can be yours as you appropriate it through faith. You need the Saviour. He alone can save you from yourself. He wants you to have access to this power which is all availing. P art T wo A ll of us should be interested in learning how our lives can be more effective for the Lord. There are areas in our lives where we are weak, helpless and inadequate. How are you in your reactions to people? So often it depends on what they do and say. We desperately need a pow er not our own but given of God. 8
appreciation, all the while resenting it on the inside. He, too concealed his annoyance with her. These two lovely young people were putting up a hypocritical front. Outwardly, everything was right, but inside what explosive feelings were at work. Finally, the inevitable hap pened. His wife let him have it squarely, “I’m sick of having you tell me what to do! Go away and leave me alone!” These two had been lying to each other. These were the hidden things of dishonesty. When they came to see me there was a severe coldness which had developed in their relationship. They hadn’t been involved in any big arguments, yet they realized there was a wall of solid steel built between them. T h e re ’s a song th a t declares, “There’s a wall between us, and it’s not made of stone. And the more we’re together the more we’re alone.” The wall was erected on the basis of working hard to deceive each oth er. Now, the individual who walks in the power of God is a person who has renounced the hidden things of dishonesty. His objective is to mani fest the truth, “commanding himself to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” P art T hree T here are wonderful results in store for the individual who yields himself to the power of God in daily experience. There is a sufficiency of grace available to us. We must have a realistic relationship with people, avoiding all forms of hypocrisy. As a counselor I make a conscious at tempt to discern what kind of an in dividual to whom I’m talking. Gen erally, it’s very, very difficult. We have to rely on what people are will ing to tell us about themselves. It’s a very difficult thing to be honest. A young lady came to me for counseling. I told her she would have to be honest. When the session was 9
Finally, however, the eighth night, he had had it. He brought her into the living room and said rather heat edly, “You see the cobweb up there in the comer ? This is the eighth day it’s been there.” He was totally amazed when she took him in her arms, and exclaimed, “Honey, I’m so glad I ’m married to you. I’ll be a better woman and wife with your help!” She went out to the kitchen for a broom. By now, he felt like a heel. She had taken it so nicely. He didn’t know what she was saying to herself on the way to the kitchen, “Why doesn’t he clean the cobweb off himself?” By the time she came back there was a smile on her face as she took care of the task. Apparently everything was fine, at least on the surface. It wasn’t too much longer after that when the two of them were washing dishes together. He studied her efforts carefully, for after all, he was an efficiency engineer. It really made him upset because of her methods. They were just backward and too time-consuming. Finally he suggested, “Do you rea lize th a t you’re washing those dishes cross handed?” Isn’t that the cardinal sin of efficiency? He explained in great detail the proper way anyone should work. If it'd been you, what would you have said? She wiped her hands on her apron and put her arms around him to thank him superficial ly at least with, “Honey, you know, I never have thought of that by my self. Thank you!” Again, he felt like a heel. But underneath as she swirled the dishwater she was saying, “Brother, is he going to tell me how to run this kitchen?” Of course, he didn’t know it. Since his wife had been so ap preciative of his advice, he started looking around the kitchen for other ways of efficiency. He had sugges tions on the way she stacked dishes, fixed the cupboard, lined up the pan try. Each time she expressed her
over, I asked “Has everything you told me been the truth?” She broke into tears, “Nobody ever believes me.” I felt bad that I had questioned her. Yet before her next interview she wrote to confess that she had lied. It wasn’t until about the fifth interview that I was getting the actual facts. We talk about the Spirit of truth, but it’s another thing to be truthful. The Bible exhorts us, “Having re nounced the hidden things of dis honesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the Word of God de ceitfully.” Last week I was talking to a man who had difficulty control ling his employees. He would never really tell them what he thought of them. He was misleading them. They had the impression that their work was more sa tis fa c to ry than he thought it really was. He explained, “I didn’t want to hurt their feel ings.” Getting by with the least amount of trouble at the moment isn't always the most exped ien t thing. Too often we only say what's convenient. While we may call it “diplomacy” Scripture refers to it as lying. Why is it so much simpler to mislead people rather than to level with them? In our last message we spoke of the young couple who had developed a wall of coldness between them. They had worked hard saying to each other what they thought they wanted to hear. And yet, it gave them such a sense of isolation from each other. Shouldn’t a husband feel as if he can believe his wife, and vice versa? Can’t we take a person at his word ? Sometimes you know perfectly well that the individual is going to go off and pout if he hears the truth. Why not just shade the truth a lit tle bit? It has been my experience that many of the human relations prob lems with which we’re confronted are based on untruths. The Bible
has the only real principle for living, “Renounce the hidden things of dis honesty. Commend yourself to every man’s conscience in the sight of God with the truth.” The man who walks in the Spirit of God is one who has a drive within him toward the truth. He doesn’t walk “in craftiness.” Occasionally, someone knowing I’m a psychologist, will say, “I’ve a friend who needs help. I’m so con cerned about him. I’m planning a dinner party and would like you to come. I’ll see that the two of you sit next to each other. Maybe you can strike up a conversation, and find out what’s troubling him.” Now, isn't that clever? Really, it’s nothing more than craftiness. Someone who’s walk ing in the Spirit isn't trying to maneuver people. In addition we are not to “handle the Word of God deceitfully.” In Christian circles, ask people what they think of the Bible. You’ll get pretty much the same answer, “Oh, that’s the greatest Book there ever was.” The problem is we only give lip service to loving the Word. There are a lot of things in it that we don’t like to read. There was a man whose wife was very discourteous to him. He was mad at her. “Why should I be gracious toward her?” he reasoned. The Word of God in dicates that we ought to be walking in a spirit of grace (II Peter 3:18). This biblical principle just made him mad. We cannot be dishonest about what our attitude is toward the Word of God. I t must be our standard for life, consciously, knowingly and de liberately. The man who walks with God will truly yield himself to the Holy Spirit. We are not to handle the Word of God deceitfully, but by a manifestation of the truth. We should be able to commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. This then is a real principle for victorious Christian liv ing.
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MOMENT BY MOMENT God does not lead me year by year, Or even day by day But step by step my path unfolds; The Lord directs my way. Tomorrow’s plans I do not know, I only know th is minute; But He will say, "T his is the way, By faith now walk ye in it.” And I am glad that it is so; Today's enough to bear; And when tomorrow comes, H is grace Shall far exceed its care. What need to worry then or fret? The God who gave H is Son Holds all my moments in H is hand And gives them, one by one. STEP BY STEP Child of My love, fear not the un known morrow. Oread not the new demand life makes o f thee; Thy ignorance doth hold no cause for sorrow Since what thou knowest not is known to Me. Thou canst not see today the hidden meaning Of My command, but thou the light shall gain; Walk on in faith, upon My prom ise leaning, And as thou goest all shall be made plain. One step thou seest — then go for ward boldly, One step is far enough for faith to see; Take that, and thy next duty shall be told thee, For step by step thy Lord is leading thee. Stand not in fear thy adversaries counting, Dare every peril, save to disobey;
Thou shalt march on, all obstacles surmounting; For I, the Strong, w ill open up the way. Wherefore go gladly to the task assigned thee, Having My promise, needing noth ing more Than just to know, where'er the future finds thee, In all thy journeying I go before. GOD’S HALL OF FAME Your name may not appear down here In th is world’s Hall of Fame, In fact, you may be so unknown That no one knows your name: The Oscars and the praise of men May never come your way, But don’t forget God has rewards That He’ll hand out some day. This Hall of Fame is only good As long as time shall be But keep in mind, God's Hall of Fame Is for eternity; To have your name inscribed up there Is greater more by far Than all the fame and all the praise Of every man-made star. This crowd on earth they soon for get When you're not at the top, They’ll cheer like mad until you fall And then their praise will stop; Not God! He never does forget, And in His Hall of Fame, By just believing on H is Son, Forever . . . there’s your name. I’ll tell you, friend, I wouldn’t trade My name, however small, That’s written there beyond the stars In that celestial hall, For all the famous names on earth, Or glory that they share, I’d rather be an unknown here, And have my name up there.
¡1
—Walter Huntley
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the proper feelings and reactions in my life. I remember a conversation I had wth my wife during our court ing days. She volunteered her life making me happy. That sounded good to me! Imagine anybody want ing to spend her life making me happy? I told her I'd be willing to do the same for her. But actually, we had both lied to each other. The whole thing collapsed the first week we were home from our honeymoon. Some of the fellows I ran with be fore I was married had planned a ski trip for the next week-end. I very happily told my wife the plans I’d made with them. After all, this was her first chance to make me happy. Do you know what was her reaction ? “Oh, no you aren’t. You’re married now!” It really dawned on me what I had gotten into. One of the impor tant things about marriage is that it made me conscious of how self- centered I was. While I may have meant what I told my wife in that I would devote my life to making her happy, I discovered stronger drives in me. I was determined to get what I wanted. And my wife wanted the same for herself. It was only natural. The first couple years of our mar riage were pretty stormy. We fool ishly spent all our time trying to out- maneuver each other. How foolish when we should have been building a life together that would be mutual ly agreeable and binding. I thought maybe parenthood would help. Per haps this would unlock all those good qualities which had to be in me. Along came a baby which I envi sioned would be nice, warm and cud dly-soft. In s te ad I discovered it smelled and had a reversible stom ach. Sometimes it yelled all night. Some nights, when I couldn’t force my wife to walk the floor with the child, I had to. It made me very mad. Parenthood didn’t transform me, and certainly didn’t do much for my character. This is how I came to real ize that I needed a Saviour. Only God
P art F our T here is a wonderful reminder for us in II Corinthians 4 :7 that tells us “we have this treasure (salva tion) in earthen vessels that the ex cellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” The Spirit of God indwelling us is a treasure. Remem ber that at one period of his life, Paul was an evil man and a mur derer. He vented his hatred on Chris tians seeking to eradicate them. What happened to this man? Was it some sort of social reform he had experienced to change his objectives in life? No, he had been completely transformed through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why what he received from the Lord was re ferred to as a treasure. This doesn’t mean wealth in a monetary sense. Make no mistake. Contentment and money don’t go together. You can’t buy happiness and satisfaction. Recently I bought a brand new Oldsmobile which is a beautiful car. The car annoys me, however, be cause the windows rattle and the car creaks. I told one of my friends about this, and he listened quite sympa thetically. It seems he has a 1970 Cadillac which refused to start a few mornings ago. When he called the dealer they responded, “We’ve got so much work around here we can’t possibly come up for your car. Get a tow truck service or a wrecker to haul it in.” How frustrating after all the money he’d spent! We did a lit tle crying on each other’s shoulders. I was in a new $60,000 home re cently. The furniture was perfect and the location was tremendous. The thing that bothered my hostess, how ever, was that one of the windows stuck. She spent all her time telling me about that nagging aggravation. Wealth doesn’t do much for one’s character. It simply reveals it, not causes it. At one time I thought maybe mar riage was what I needed. I wanted to find someone who could stimulate 12
derfully warm sp irit, had com plained, “You’re a thief and a liar! You come around here and tell us that you’re ministering to us. In stead you’ve been taking the money that comes here from the States and spending it on yourself. Look at the car you drive, the house you live in, and the clothes you wear. You’re a thief!” He slapped this missionary across both sides of his face. Then he spit in his face, telling him to get out. How would you respond to some body who treated you this way ? There wasn’t any choice. He had to pick up his family and leave. He re turned to this country where the family rented a house. Day after day this young man sat and turned over in his mind events in the Congo thousands of miles away. The more he thought, the more he became up set. He got himself into a frenzy, and finally became sick with severe abdominal pains. At the hospital he was examined carefully with x-rays, tests, and other activities. No one could find anything wrong. It was all emotional. The time came when this young missionary was able to return to the Congo wth his family. One of the first things that happened was that the native convert who had mistreat ed him, came up to apologize. He ex plained, “You know, in those days we heard so many conflicting stories, we just didn’t know what to believe. Please forgive me.” The missionary laughed it off, but while his lips said he would forgive, in his heart he wouldn’t forget. He kept nursing the grudge. This was about the time I came along. The missionary asked if he couldn’t be transferred to some other station. He felt he would be more effective if he could get away from the presence of this national. I reminded him that being 8,000 miles away hadn’t helped. How could 75 or 100 miles make a difference? I read to him Christ’s words, “I say unto you, love your enemies. Bless 13
can save us from ourselves. We need a power not our own. The Bible re minds us that as many as receive Christ, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God.” You see, the power comes from Him. This is what the Apostle Paul is talking about. This power that comes from God is called "a treasure.” Look at the kind of response you’ll have to life in this power. Verse eight reminds us, “We are troubled on every side, but not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.” The Chris tian life doesn’t imply that we’ll be free from trouble and trials. Yet, in the face of such oppressive circum stances we don’t have to be distressed or frustrated. People in despair are driven to the consulting room. It’s easy to feel forsaken. It seems no body understands them and they’re all alone in the world. I listen to many people who express their fu tility with life. Isn’t it strange with cars, homes, food, clothes, plus all the social and cultural advantages there are still mounting cries of despair. It’s obvious that what trans forms people is not technological change. Without Christ, we’re lost and need a Saviour. Only God can bring us peace and contentment amid the chaos and confusion of this life. If you have never done this before, invite Jesus to come into your life. He will by your simple believing faith. P art F ive S OMETIME AGO, when I was visiting in the Congo, a young missionary man came up to me for counsel. Dur ing this time there was quite an up rising in the Congo with a wave of anti-American feeling. It seems that a national who had been led to the Lord, and was making real progress, had become embittered in all the ten sions. The native, formerly of a won
them that curse you. Do good to them that hate you. And pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you.” He needed this same attitude toward the man he had led to the Lord earlier. He took the New Testament he was hold ing and slammed it down on the table and exclaimed, “You can't be serious? Have you ever had anyone slap you around or spit in your face? You don’t know what it means to leave everything and evacuate your life’s work. You have no idea what I went through.” He had the mistaken idea, as do a number of people, that the only way one can understand another is if you have experienced his same conflicts. Have you ever stopped to think what kind of training it would take to be a counselor if I had to experience everything every body else goes through? I would need to be a robber, thief, liar, adulterer, and even come to grips with death it self. To set a broken arm, a doctor doesn’t have to break his own. I told the missionary, “Much more impor tant than whether or not I’ve been through what you’ve experienced, is what the Word of God has to say to you in your present situation.” Can you realize all those things that happened to that missionary? He had enemies who cursed and hated him. Jesus said, “In the face of such treatment, love the people who did it. Think in terms of being a blessing to them.” I grant you, that’s not nor mal. It requires strength and grace that’s supernatural. I wrote a book, “The Struggle for Peace.” This was the very reason I wanted to have the material printed, for there are so many with this need. Now, here’s a prospect of peace. The whole idea was repulsive to the missionary. He had been to college and seminary, and was willing to lay down his life, forsaking homeland and friends to communicate these very principles to the people of the Congo. So many times when things 14
don’t go the way we want them to our tendency is to enjoy our misery. This can be quite acceptable and de sirable as we pinch ourselves. Why is it people struggle so against peace? Have you wallowed around in self- pity and misery? Have you jumped on the missionary’s side thinking you should have sympathy? The best news I could give that man was to make it clear that he had access to a Power far above his own. Only by following the Lord's principles can we have a spirit of wanting to be a blessing to others. Do you have a burden of prayer for those who de spitefully use you? This is really victory. We need the right kind of attitude when things aren’t going the way you think they should. Yet people struggle for their own way rather than the Lord’s. One day this missionary came to me looking as though the burdens of the world had rolled off his shoulders. And he after many interviews, said, “I guess I won’t need to talk to you anymore. I yielded my heart to God. At the point where I was willing to love this national, God filled my heart with love toward him.” May his story be a lesson to us. Don’t fight against peace. Surrender your self to the Lord. Don’t sit there nurs ing your grudges, feeling sorry for yourself. Jesus Christ will give you power enabling you to love your enemy and to live above your cir cumstances. You can be a blessing to people who curse you. If you want this kind of spirit, all you need do is to invite the Saviour to come into your life and have complete control in every area of your daily experi ence. P art S ix W e can find real contentment in life, not because our circum stances change, but because we do. A change of heart is based on our yielding ourselves to the power of
for him to enter the front door. Only one little detail went wrong. Her husband didn’t show up. The soup got cold and she got hot under the collar. When it was 15 minutes later, the phone rang. Her husband report ed that he had been delayed at the office. He would be right there with a friend. That really burned her up. Well, when luncheon was finally served the guest said he didn’t want the soup. And her husband, after one mouthful complained, “Why in the world did you make this so hot?” They hurried through the rest with very little conversation and the two hurried away, leaving this sputtering woman behind. She was furious! Af ter she told me her stormy story, I simply commented, “You know, you don’t have to be upset over some thing like that!” She really got dis turbed then, and maybe you would for her. It wasn’t doing her any good to fume and fuss around an empty house. She wasn’t hurting her hus band. He knew nothing about it. But it certainly hurt her. The Bible tells us that wherever strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. When you have hard feel ings lurking in your soul you start thinking in terms of getting even, and some pretty evil things begin to make sense. My client was defend ing her right to be hostile. And I would just like to say to you that was her privilege. You hurt nobody but yourself. Envy and s t r i f e don’t come from above. The wisdom that is from above is first pure and peace able and gentle. Doesn't that sound great? It’s easy to be entreated or approachable. It’s without partiality and hypocrisy. The fruit of right eousness is sown in peace to them that make peace. Why do we want to resist and fight peace? If you knew that you could get rid of strife in your heart wouldn’t you grab for it? This woman got mad at me when the idea was first advanced. It's not a case of defending her mate, but 15
God. In James 3:14-18 we read some tremendous truths related to this subject. Take the time to study them for yourself, and let the Holy Spirit give you His illumination. The in spired word declares “But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom de- scendeth not from above, but it is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is there is confu sion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” Notice where envy and strife are located. It’s inside where no one sees it; you can easily hide it. This cer tainly isn’t pleasing to the Lord. The word sensual means p leasu rab le. Have you ever known “hard feel ings” to be pleasurable? Yes, at times, there is something satisfying about them. It’s sad to see elderly people who have carried gripes and complaints for 25 or 30 years. Think ing to themselves, they’re worked up into frenzy, seething over the thing that’s long been forgotten. This is devilish; it isn’t of the Lord. I remember a woman who came to me one day, really upset, for her regular appointment. She said that when her husband was leaving the room that morning he commented, “I’m coming home for lunch today.” That seemed to be a good idea so she’d make this a really memorable occasion. She got out a tablecloth, good dishes and even the best silver ware. The table was set for two. He always liked soup piping hot. Since he was punctual she would have it all ready for him. When it got close to noon she took the added trouble to take a bath. With hair combed, fresh make-up, best perfume, and one of her better dresses, she waited
rather changing her attitude toward him. When you’re confronted by someone’s inconsiderate behavior, it doesn’t mean you have to get mad. Your source of peace is God, not somebody’s inconsiderate behavior. All of us need that wisdom which is from above. It’s accessible to the individual who will open his heart through faith in Christ, and ask for it. To me, the questions come — am I What I profess to be? The life that I profess to live, Can others see in me? Do others know I try to walk The path that Jesus trod? Or do they have a cause to doubt That I’m a child of God? The life that I profess to live May others see in me, And may I be exactly, Lord What I profess to be.
Love for God is evidenced by our love for others. Does your hi-fi or stereo have any cause to be ashamed of its record? Some people quit reading anything but superficial books. They die at thirty and are buried at seventy or seventy- five: a thought well worth pondering. The Bible: it is to be reverenced, read, treasured in the heart and practiced in the life. In this life there is no gain without pain. One soul saved is worth a world of gold. The school of suffering graduates some rare scholars! The Christ-like life is the only power that can subdue the world.
Some of the most miserable people in the world are those who have these things. David had something to say about wisdom which was quite different from his son's. See his testimony in Psalm 16:7, 8. God’s Word is the only sure source of wis dom and knowledge. The Bible an swers life’s basic questions. The comparisons between these two men are most marked. There were a thousand women who could be called the wives of Solomon. He had parties that no social “bash” to day could even come close to. There were no moral s tan d a rd s to be obeyed. Solomon as king could do anything he desired. Consequently, he went to every extent to have a good time. Yet, he could only say in later years that all was vanity. To day, with drugs so prevalent, and complete sexual abandon, there is a dropping of all responsibility and order. The saying is, “Do your own thing!” The idea is that “anything goes.” We should just live for pleas ure. Such a life, as Solomon knew, will never satisfy. No wonder our young people today are disillusioned and confused. The suicide rate among teenagers is almost unbelievable. Only Jesus Christ can satisfy the basic deep-down needs of the human heart. David, on the other hand, found his pleasure in another source (Psa. 16:11). Knowing God is not some thing that will come and go, leaving you empty. It’s a pleasure and joy which builds and satisfies not only for today, but for all our tomorrows. Solomon also sought the avenue of worldly possessions (Eccl. 2:4ff). In reading I Kings, the 10th chap ter, it seems to one that it is almost absurd to see the extent to which Solomon went to gain worldly pos sessions. Nothing seemed to sat isfy. While we may be limited by a lack of funds, it was not so with Solomon. He was one of the richest kings this world has ever known. 17
MEANINGFUL LIVING
by Ted Duncan, student at Talbot Theological Seminary
W hether young or old, people today around the world are searching for a meaning and a ful fillment in life. The Bible tells us about two kings, both extremely wealthy, who searched for the an swer to life’s needs. They were David, and his son Solomon. They sought for a purpose in life in quite different ways. Solomon’s story is recorded in Ecclesiastes. The first chapter shows his search with wisdom and knowl edge; however, they were carried to an extreme (v. 13). Solomon is a name which has become synonymous with wisdom (I Kings 4:29ff). Yet, in spite of this, it didn’t bring him peace and purpose in life. In fact, Solomon found that the more he knew, the more miserable it made him. Wisdom by itself will not an swer the basic problems of life. Peo ple want to know such things as, “Who am I? Where am I going? What’s the purpose of my existence ?” Science, education and wealth can’t answer these questions. Popularity, success, fame and fortune don’t guar antee purpose and meaning in life.
Still, his possessions never satisfied him (Eccl. 2 :llff). This life of try ing to “keep up with the Joneses” doesn’t fulfill the deepest needs with in the human heart. No wonder Solo mon observed that all was vanity and “like chasing after the wind.” At the end, Solomon fell into idolatry. He taxed the people so heavily to sup port his luxury that after his death the kingdom was divided and all but two tribes were taken away, and it was only because of David his fa ther that God didn’t take everything away from Solomon. He died a bro ken and defeated man. We see David, his counterpart, however, whose life ended in glory, peace and prosperity (I Chron. 29:8ff). No wonder David was a man after God’s own heart. He was the greatest king Israel has ever known, except for Jesus Christ, “The Son of David,” who will reign one day. David was one of the great men of the faith. While he made mis takes, he had unquestionable faith. Solomon made a wreck of his life because he looked around him, at his own wisdom, pleasure, and posses sions. His life ended in tragedy. David looked to God, owning Him as Lord and Master. May our testi mony be that of David’s, “Thou wilt show me the path of life; in thy presence is the fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). We can measure our likeness to Christ by the range of our sensitiveness to the burdens and needs of others. The man who deals in sunshine is the man who gets the crowds. He does a lot more business than the man who peddles clouds. Don’t make God your last resort; make Him your first resource. From the darkness they are calling, Burdened hearts bowed down by sin. Hear their cries of bitter anguish, Who will go — their souls to win? 18
CONTEMPORARY PHARISEES
by Merton Leigh, student at Talbot Theological Seminary
I N His earthly ministry the Lord encountered many who opposed Him, such as the Pharisees, Saducees and other various individuals. The Pharisees were a group considered to be the separatists of their day. That's what the word means. This sect was known as early at 185 B.C. While they believed the law, the prophets, and the writings, they adopted the allegorical method of in terpretation, placing h igh regard upon tradition. They believed in the immortality of the soul, the exist ence of angels, and even in a future resurrection. Much of their time was given to prayer and fasting. They tithed of their income, and were strict in keeping the Sabbath. Two notable individuals were Nicodemus and Saul of Tarsus. The Pharisee demonstrates some of the major errors which are seen in 1970 among both professing Christians and un believers. We need to ask ourselves, “How can we avoid the errors of the Phari
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