There's springtime in my soul today, For, when the Lord (s near, The dove of peace sings in my heart. The flow'rs of grace appear.
I f you were a
GOOD SHEPHERD FOUNDATION Yes, you’d know, because the Good Shepherd Home is today feeding, sheltering and clothing destitute Jewish children. You’d remember, with warm gratitude, how heroically Good Shepherd worked to rescue Jews from the Nazis. You’d be familiar with their present evangelistic ministry to both Jew and Gentile . . . their courageous battle against anti-semitism. You’d wonder about AMERICAN CHRISTIANS! And why not? For you’d see how generously American Jews are helping their brethren in Hungary. And then you’d observe that the 2,000 Christian Jews of Hungary — cut off from those relief supplies because of their stand for Christ — are largely ignored by their brethren in Christ in America. We believe that Christians will meet this stirring new challenge if they are informed. The American Association now becomes responsible for the maintenance of a nation wide program of evangelism and relief work in that country, carried on by a consecrated group of native Hebrew Christians and a devoted staff of supporting workers. We covet your prayerful support especially for this new undertaking involving the immediate needs of these fatherless and motherless orphans. Write today for a FREE copy of “ SALVATION” containing the complete story of the Hungarian work.
A DD I T I ONA L ACT I V I T I ES OF AMERI CAN A SSOC I AT I ON FOR JEWI SH EVANGELISM Publishers of the magazine “SALVATION,” Sponsors of the “CHRIST FOR ALL” radio broadcast by Dr. Hyman J.'Appelman, America’s outstanding evangelist. Our missionaries are now laboring in a dozen different American cities. DR. HARRY A. IRONSIDE, Chtdrman of the Board DR. HYMAN J. APPLEMAN, President
ERICAN ASSOCI ATI ON FOR JEWI SH EVANGELI SM Dept. KB-59 W IN O N A LAKE, IN D IAN A
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T H E K I N © 'S B U S I N E S S
Official Publication of The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated
Louis T. Talbot, D.D.
Betty Bruechert Managing Editor
William W . Orr, D.D.
Editor in Chief
Associate Editor
Copyright, 19U9, The King’s Business No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission. All Rights Reserved. VOL. 40 MAY , 1949 NO. 5 Mother's Day Number
FO L LOW ING H IM
CONTENTS
Following Him, J ..C. R y le .......................................................................... 3 Editorially Speaking .................................................................................. 4 Dr. Talbot’s Question B ox.......................................................................... 5 Portrait o f a Christian Mother, Margaret T. Kann ........................... 6 I Live by the Faith o f the Son o f God, Merrill F. Unger ................. 7 Heart Rest, F. B. M eyer ......................... ................................................ .. 9 God Bless My Mother, Gaylord du B ois ................................................. 10 God Led Me to Biola, Jesse L. Miller, N. P. V. Gupta, Joseph C o o k e ........... .......... .................................................... l l , 12, 13 The Spirit o f Criticism, E. L. Hamilton .............................................. 13 Not Here, But There......................... ........................................................ 13 The Bible in the News, William W. O rr ................................................. 14 The Kite That Wanted to Be Free, Louis T. Talbot ......................... 15 Junior King’s Business, Martha S. Hooker .......................................... 15 Biola Family Circle...................................................................................... 17 Young People’s Topics, Walter L. Wilson ............................................ 18 A Quiz for Mother’s Day.......................................................................... 18 God Answers Along the Trail, Everett Bachelder .............................. 21 Sunday School Lessons, Homer A . Kent, Allison Arrowood ............. 22 The Sunday School Teacher............................. ....................................... 22 Object Lessons, Elmer L. W ild er.. .......................................................... 28 Picture Credit Cover, Harold M. Lambert, Philadelphia. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION— “The King’s Business” is published monthly; $2.00, one year; $1.00, six months; 20 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. Write for details. Canadian and foreign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of address to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. REMITTANCES— Payable in advance, should be made by bank draft, express, or post office money order payable to “The King's Business." Date 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, California. MANUSCRIPTS— “The^ King’s Business" cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts mailed to us for consideration. Entered as second-class matter November 7, 1938, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, Cali fornia, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate 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 Angeles 13, California
T F we profess to serve Christ, we must *■ follow Him. As the soldier follows his general, as the servant follows his master, as the scholar follows his teach er, as the sheep follows its shepherd, so the professing Christian ought to follow Christ. Faith and obedience are the lead ing marks of real followers, and will al ways be seen in true Christians. Their knowledge may be small, and their in firmities great, their grace weak, and their hope dim. But they believe what Christ says, and strive to do what He commands. And of such Jesus declares that they serve Him and are His. Christianity like this receives little praise from man. It is too thorough, too decided, too strong, too real. To serve Christ in name and form is easy work, and satisfies most people, but to follow Him in faith and life demands more trouble than most men will take about their souls. Laughter, ridicule, opposi tion, persecution, are often the only re ward Christ’s followers receive. Their religion is one, whose praise is not of men, but of God. Yet, to him that followeth, the Lord Jesus holds out abundant encourage ment: “Where I am,” He declares, “there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.” Let us lay to heart these comfortable promises, and go forward in the narrow way without fear. The world may cast out our name as evil, and turn us out of its society, but when we dwell with Christ in glory, we shall have a home from which we can never be ejected. The world may pour contempt on our religion, and laugh us and our Chris tianity to scorn, but when the Father honors us at the last day, before the as sembly of angels and men, we shall find that His praise will make amends for all. —Bishop J. C. Ryle.
M A Y , 1 9 4 9
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under his care of the pitfalls which await those who disregard God’s will. In so doing there would be established in the minds of the youth a definite standard by which to gauge courtship and marriage. More than that, this prin ciple of Christian life would also be passed down into the lives of the chil dren which were born into such a home, and the weight of woe which comes from the disregard of God’s law might be entirely eliminated. A few years ago it was the United Nations Organization. Starry-eyed ideal ists over all the land were telling us that at last we had an organization that would safeguard the world’s future. No longer would it be possible to have war, for had not nearly all the nations of the world affixed signatures to the articles of agreement? But now, in spite of all that has been said before, we are wit nessing the establishment of a new mili tary defense alliance. Under the leader ship of the United States of America, nations fronting on the Atlantic Ocean have united in a pact of mutual military assistance. But do not misunderstand us. Perhaps this is the very best thing to do under the troublous circumstances of today. If it seems best, then by all means let us unite against aggressors. But we would point out that this exemplifies this fact: there can never be any per manent peace by world organizations or by defense alliances, and Christian people should not expect it. War stems from hearts that are wrong, and there can never be true harmony among men while man is at enmity with God. Some day peace will most surely come, but it will be in the form of a Person, even God’s own dear Son. We should amend the above by one statement. Under the leadership of anti christ there is to be a brief time of peace. Probably it will be uncertain, but it will be cessation from war, and backed by Satan’s power. However, there is a brighter side, for when we see this tem porary peace in force, it can only be a short step until God’s permanent peace comes. Mount Hermon Vacation Again this year the Bible Institute of Los' Angeles is sponsoring a glorious week of spiritual inspiration and physi cal relaxation at beautiful Mount Her mon Conference Grounds in Central Cali fornia. The time is August 14th to 21st. Dr. William W. Orr, Vice President of the Bible Institute, will direct the Con ference. The speakers will be Dr. Louis T. Talbot, Dr. J. Vernon McGee and Dr. Charles L. Feinberg. Inquiries regarding reservations should be addressed to Mount Hermon Confer ence Association, Mount Hermon, Cali fornia. T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S Now the North Atlantic Defense Pact
further application: those who look for these things are to be diligent in their Christian lives, that they may be found of Christ without spot and blameless. God’s plan regarding prophetic teach ing is not only to acquaint us with these events which will most surely come, but to bring about that conformity of life to the plan and purposes for which He has called us. Let students of prophecy beware lest being carried away with a mere academic knowledge of eschatologi cal teachings, they fail to give diligence to make their daily lives adorn the doc trine of Christ. Divorce Problems It falls to the lot of the editors to answer many questions about the Bible and daily life sent in response to a net work radio broadcast. While many un usual questions are asked, most of them fall into several general categories. One of these pertains to the intricate and vexing problem of divorce and remar riage. Quite a few people are deeply troubled as to God’s attitude regarding their marital status. Many letters come tell ing of pitiful home situations, and seek ing recommendations as to the best course to pursue, and yet not offend God. To most of these inquirers we suggest that rather than receive advice by mail, the very best thing for them to do is to seek a personal interview with some lo cal man of God, and talk the entire mat ter out over an open Bible. One cannot read these letters without being struck by the fact that in very many of the cases little or no counsel was ever given regarding God’s interest in their marriage. Too often the court ship was conducted and the ceremony solemnized without a thought as to the teaching of the Word of God. Believers have blissfully married unbelievers, many of them totally ignorant of the fact that God has expressly forbidden such a union. The result has been a harvest of evil years and broken lives. There is a definite need on the part of Christian leaders and pastors to stress more than ever the Scriptural princi ple of separation. Sermons should be preached on the subject, and the pastor should take the opportunity to earnestly and definitely warn the young people
The Personal Application o f Prophetic Truth It has been said that when anyone desires a large audience he should speak on prophetic subjects, as a sermon about the horrors of the time of the coming antichrist will always bring out more people than a sermon on the loveliness of Christ. Sometimes this seems to be true, and in Christian circles the coun try over we find a certain type of Chris tian who seems to drift from one pro phetic conference to another, always seeking some new angle to the unfold ing picture of the future. More than occasionally it seems that this type of Christian fails to have his life measure up consistently with an accompanying appropriation of prophetic truth. The Second Letter by the apostle Peter first warns solemnly against false teach ers, and then gives a strikingly vivid picture of the end of the world, possibly through the force of atomic power. In the tenth verse of Second Peter 3, the Day of the Lord is described as coming as a thief in the night in which both the heavens and the earth are to pass away with a great noise. This is evi dently to be brought about by an atomic explosion of such unheard-of proportions that the heat generated will melt even the elements of which our world con sists. The Apostle, however, does not leave the subject there but adds reassur ingly, in verse 13, that we look for new heavens and a new earth wherein right eousness will certainly abide. This is startling prophecy to be sure, and a minute examination of words, syntax, and emphases opens up a tre mendous vista for our prophetic imag ination. Prom this passage we can viv idly picture the cataclysmic end of the universe with all its sinful connections, and the amazing emergence of an abso lutely new universe wherein forever and ever righteousness will dwell. It is a picture both awe-inspiring and delight ful to the inquiring mind. However, the apostle Peter reveals, this astounding fact to Christians as an incentive to a more holy life. In verse 11, notice the application as Peter says, “ Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?” And in verse 14 note a Page Four
Were the gifts of the church described in First Corinthians 12 , including healing and tongues, removed from the church, and if so, when did they cease? I f the early church needed them, are they not needed even more in these latter days? My understanding of God’s Word is that all of these sign gifts were re moved when the full written revelation of God’s Word was completed. I believe Paul is referring to this when he states, “ Whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge [supernatural knowledge], it shall van ish away . . . But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away” (1 Cor. 13:8, 10). The gifts that remain are listed in Ephesians 4:11: “Apostles . . . evange lists . . . pastors and teachers.” The apostles are with us in their writings; and we have evangelists, pastors and teachers, and these, Paul further states, are “ For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man” (Eph. 4:12,13). The reason these gifts were withdrawn is that they were signs needed then to prove that God was in the gospel that was being preached. However, this fact has now been established, and our proof is in a completed Holy Scriptures which bear sufficient witness to God’s truth. Jews who receive Christ are often called “Jewish Christians.” Are we not told that there is neither Jew nor Gen tile when we are in Christ? It is true that we are all one as be lievers in Christ and that this distinc tion is not Scriptural. However, because of the fact that it is a rare occurrence for Jews to accept Christ, they are often designated as Jewish Christians. How ever, the more correct title is Hebrew Christians, since the word Jew denotes Judaism. Can a Christian be a soldier? Is it right for him to go to, war? Did not John the Baptist teach pacifism when he told the soldiers “Do violence to no man” (Luke 3:14)? Certainly a Christian can be a soldier. M A Y , 1 9 4 9
Dr. L. T. Talbot
God has placed government in the earth as Homans 13 makes clear; soldiers, policemen, judges—all are law enforce ment officers and will be held responsible to God for just administration of law. I believe it is right for Christians to go to war on behalf of weaker peoples. John the Baptist did not mean that soldiers were not to fight at the call of duty, but that they were not to use their office to settle personal scores and griev ances. I f John had been teaching paci fism, he would have told them to get out of the Boman army, but he did not. An evangelist in our town stated that a person could break every one of the Ten Commandments and still be saved. Is that right? Yes, it is. Jesus taught that the first commandment was to love God with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength, and that the second commandment was to love our neighbors as ourselves. He declared that upon these two hung all the law and the prophets. Yet there is not a single person who ever lived who has kept these two commandments. But uncounted millions of just such sinners will be forever with God, because they have trusted the Saviour of sinners, who died to save us from our sins. Salva tion is by grace, not by law. What is meant by Hebrews 4 : 8 : “For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of an other day” ? I thought Jesus always gave rest if we trusted Him. The translators made an error in using the name Jesus here instead of Joshua which it should be. Joshua is the Hebrew equivalent for the word Jesus which is the Greek form. It is very mis leading. The reference is to the entrance into the land of the children of Israel. Of course, Jesus always gives rest as promised in Matthew 11:28.
In Hebrews 2:10 it is stated: “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the cap tain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” I thought Jesus was always perfect and did not need to be made perfect. The verse is self-explanatory. Jesus was perfect morally, but in order to be a perfect Saviour, He had to be made perfect in suffering. Jesus Himself speaks of this: “ And he said unto them, Go ye, tell that fox, Behold I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomor row, and the third day I shall be per fected” (Luke 13:32). He meant that on the third day His resurrection, the triumphant climax to His suffering and death, would be accomplished. If we are surrendered to the will of God, how are we to treat sickness and other trials? Should we pray for re moval of them or would we be inter fering with God’s will? If we are to be mature Christians, we must go through difficulties in order to learn how to overcome. So God al lows trials to come into our lives, some times the result of our own carelessness, but always to teach us a lesson. But we are told to pray always. We can ask God to make us well, or to remove the difficulty. If it is removed, we can thank Him; if not, He has a purpose in it. I am teaching the book of Jude and I find in verse 14 a prophecy by Enoch with regard to the Lords Coming with 10,000 of His saints. But I cannot find this in the Old Testament. Where did Jude get his information? Jude got his information from the same place that all the writers of Scrip ture did—from the Holy Spirit Him self, according to Second Peter 1:21: “Holy men of God spake as they were moved [inspired] by the Holy Ghost.” Page Five
PORTRAIT OF A CHRISTIAN MOTHER
An affectionate and vivid description of the author s own mother
By Margaret T. Kann
I N my hall of childhood’s memory, the ' portrait of my mother hangs bathed in perpetual sunlight. As my thoughts race back over the years, it seems to me that the title given to her by an old colored man on our ranch, whom we knew simply as “Pink,” best sums up all that she was and is—“ Miss.” This brief and affectionate title was coined by the aged Southern Negro for the unriv aled queen of his universe—the mistress of the plantation—the wife of his be loved “Massa.” With the passing of gen erations and of the old plantation life, the term has come to apply to those rare personalities, seldom met, who seem to have been crowned by nature mistress of all. “Miss” is loved, respected, looked- up-to, admired and adored by all. To her world she is the personification of beau ty, poise, style, kindness, genuine inter est, and a natural ability to share with others; and in sharing, she communi cates to others joy, happiness, an air of lightness and mirth, a sense of burdens lifted, and of spirits completely re freshed. Mother Nature endowed “Miss” with a perennial love of adventure which led her to marry a young cowboy whose father threw away a fine legal education already earned, to herd cattle on the wild Texas frontier; led her to move with him into a two-room ranch house in the heart of Indian territory, which later became the State of Oklahoma, and there where her only neighbors were joy and sorrow, loneliness, sand hills, and hard work, to become the mother of five girls and two boys. One night when the cowboy was away, “ Miss” awakened to hear the triumphant bark of the hunting hounds. They could not be very far away. That adventurous spirit of hers would not be quieted; the dogs had treed something which they evidently : considered worth-while — she must find out what it was. Quietly, lest she disturb the sleeping babies, she pulled on a pair of trousers, lit a flicker ing lantern, shouldered the old double- barreled shotgun, and set out to join the dogs. Soon she shined her lantern into an aged blackjack tree, and spotted a sullen opossum. Of course she brought the ’possum home, and felt no small bit of pride when she displayed her prize the next morning to the cowboy. Her sur prise was unbounded when she discov ered that instead of one ’possum, she had bagged ten; there were nine babies in the animal’s pocket! Needless to say, “ Miss” often found her children the center of her adven
awhile. Oftener than not, their childish voices would break out into singing, “ The Old Gray Mare came tearing out of the wilderness.” The years did not dim “Miss’s” spirit of adventure. The year that she became a great-grandmother, she decided that the cowboy needed a fishing partner, bought herself a pair of slacks, a rod and reel, some minnows, and caught more sand bass than any other member of the world’s largest Anglers Club. A second trait which has character ized “ Miss” is a self-bestowing love for others which seems to shine brightest on you, whoever you are. Because she was left in the world bereft of both another and father almost before she was old enough to start to school, “ Miss” longed to give to everyone she met some thing of the warmth and tender love- which she herself had missed. There were ample opportunities for such deeds of kindness among the ranchers. When a blue norther swept down across those barren saftd hills, tossing the tempera ture down around zero, there was no colder place on the face of the earth, it seemed. During one such spell, the fa miliar sound of a horse’s hoofs was heard outside the ranch house soon after midnight. This could only mean distress of some kind. “Miss” wrapped herself as warmly as possible, put all of her own children into one bed to keep each other warm, mounted the horse behind her neighbor, and went with a smile. By sunup a little stranger had put in his appearance at Simon’s house, but TMiss” still had problems. The diapers she washed and hung over the old wood stove promptly froze stiff. “ Miss” found a way out, as she always did. Perhaps it was with the warmth of her own personality. Each of “ Miss’s” children was sure that he w^s her favorite, and so has each of the young lives which she has influ enced through the years felt himself a favorite. When she was slightly their senior, adolescent boys and girls voted her their Sunday school teacher. I do not recall that there has been a year since until now that she has not been teaching that difficult age group. That self-bestowing love makes her more their favorite today at over sixty years of age, than ever before. But, most of all, “ Miss” is what she is because of her unshakable faith in the Person of God, the power of His Word, and the superiority of His will. The seeds of this faith were planted years ago on the ranch when catastrophe (Continued on Page 16) T H E K I N G 'S B U S I N E S S
tures. One unforgettable day strange voices filtered in on the breeze coming up from the creek bottom—not happy, joyous tones of children at play, but notes of fright and terror. “ Miss” hur ried to the row of tall majestic cotton wood trees to discover two tiny tots be ing swayed fifty feet overhead in the tiptop of thq tallest tree. One youngster could not summon enough courage to flatten herself against the tree trunk and slide away to the next footing. Her part ner was gaily sliding up and down the treacherous limb saying: “ If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” “ Miss” could only join in the pleading; surely the limbs at the top of the tree would
Latest Photograph of “Miss.”
not hold the weight of her body. Soon she was grasping two little girls in her arms, and thanking a loving heavenly Father for protection that was beyond her power to give. Not far from the ranch house was the edge of the virgin forest, in which lurked secrets of Indian lore. The chil dren spent numberless happy hours im personating first, the blood-thirsty In dians on the warpath; then, the brave whites who risked their lives to protect their cattle and homes. When “Miss” be gan to wonder if all was well in the for est, she had only to peer into the shadows for a while and soon one after another o f the children would appear on top of the trees to sit down in the thick maze of entwining grapevine to rest
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"I LIVE BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD"
By MERRILL F. UNGER, Th.D., Ph.D. Professor of Old Testament, Dallas Theological Seminary
T HE Apostle Paul was just as sure that he was living the Christian life by faith as he was that he had begun the Christian life by faith. If we are to live the Christian life as it ought to be lived, we must be equally certain that the life we now live in the flesh we “ live by the faith of the Son of God,” who loved us and gave Himself for us (Gal. 2:20). Yet faith in the Son of God, which brings victory and blessing into Christian living, is all too rare among %the people of God. Is there any other way to liVe the Christian life than by faith? If our own puny efforts and con taminated works are unable to save us, can they possibly be of any more avail to help us live a life acceptable and well pleasing to God? Certainly not. It is just as impossible to live the Christian life acceptably on any other basis than faith as it is to begin the Christian life on any other principle. Christian living is made possible by faith, and by faith alone. Out of whose innermost being are the “ rivers of living water” to flow? Out of him who strives, works, and struggles? Nay. “ He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his . . . [in nermost being] shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). But are we not to rely upon ourselves, our strength, our will power, our human morality and eth ics? Nay, says the Apostle. “ The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God.” Fcrith in the Son oL God Furnishes The Key of Access to Fullness of Life. Do you stand amidst grief and disap pointment? Are you hedged in and hin dered on every hand by defeat and fail ure? Is your Christian experience joy less and unvictorious? Do you stand as it were with Martha of old at the grave of Lazarus, hopeless and helpless? Can you not hear the Saviour, who conquered sin and death for you, calling across the centuries to triumph in His triumph, to rejoice in His victory? “ Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” (John 11:40). Would you see the glory of God? Would you unlock the mystic treasures of that resplendent truth “ Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27)? Would you strike the inexhausti ble spring that will flow out into a river of blessing? The key is faith. You must believe. You must believe on Christ “ as the scripture hath said.” M A Y , 1 9 4 9
Why the great disparity between what we are in Christ, and what we claim and appropriate as our possessions here and now? The answer: We refuse to be lieve God’s Word! We refuse to believe we are what we are in Christ and to act upon that position! We hesitate to go up and possess the land of spiritual conquest. We refuse to possess our pos sessions in Christ. If ever the benefits Christ purchased for me are to be en joyed here and now, I must believe they are mine, and take them as mine. I must believe in my identification with Christ in death and resurrection. I must be lieve apart from my feelings, fears, struggles, failures, and confusion—the old way of self and the flesh. I must count on Him! Grasping what our position in Christ really means, and by faith appropriat ing what our participation in Christ implies, will be a gateway to a whole unexplored continent of spiritual privi lege and power, a portal to such hap piness as we never dreamed possible this side of heaven. Faith not only fur nishes the key of access but 1. I Must Believe That Christ Died For Me. “ Christ died for our sins ac cording to the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3). First and foremost for my welfare this is what the scripture hath said concern ing Christ. He died for me! He bore my sins “ in his own body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24). He justifies me freely “by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24). He is de clared to be “just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26). Believing this testimony of God concerning His Son, I have access into eternal life. 2. I Must Believe That I Died In ’ Christ. I must believe that when I trust ed Christ as my Saviour, I believed “ into Him.” “ He that believeth . . . [into Him, into vital union with Him] as the scrip ture hath said” (John 7:38) shall have the rivers of blessing welling up in his heart. Saving faith is believing into Christ—a state of vital union with Him and all other believers in Him. It is not a mere intellectual belief in a historical Christ. It is not merely believing that Christ died, but that He died for me, and that I died in Him. When He died, I died! “ God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son that whoso ever believeth . . . [mto] Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “He that believeth into Him is
Dr. Unger
not condemned” (v. 18), but he “that believeth not is condemned already, be cause he hath not believed into the name of the only begotten Son of God” (orig. tr. fr. Gk.). 3. I Must Believe That I Arose In Christ. Believing into a position of vital union with Him, we become one with Him not only in death, but in resurrec tion as well. The new creation is life in union with Christ Jesus. If the Head shares life, shall not the body also? Our positional death to sin and self and to all that we were in fallen Adam, is the gateway to a larger, fuller life in Christ. Having signed the death warrant to the “ old life” and having consigned it to the grave, for we are sharers of Christ’s tomb (Rom. 6 :4), we discover that we are recipients of a life infinitely more wonderful—the life of the ages. “ God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us . . . hath quick ened us together with Christ . . . and . . . raised us up together” (Eph. 2 :5,6). Christ’s resurrection my resurrection! God hath raised me up together with Him. Here is something for my deepest need! Life! Power! Blessing! This ex ceeding greatness of His power becomes available “to us-ward who believe, ac cording to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead” (Eph. 1:19, 20). Page Seven
me may find the heavenly way. Realizing that I died in Christ is just as import ant a part of the gospel as that Christ died for me. Both aspects of the cross are the gospel. Let us not separate in our thinking and living what God has joined together. The requirements of the New Testa ment as they bear upon the Christian life all presuppose this oneness of the believer with Christ in the power of His resurrection. Everywhere the Christian life is placed in the realm of human impossibility. A supernatural standard is set. The Christian life is placed on the plane of the miraculous. He who would live it must cease to move in the realm of the purely natural. Like Peter we essay to walk on the waves. We dare not look at the billows or listen to the boisterous winds. The moment we do, we sink, and hear the warning words of the Saviour, “ O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matt. 14:31). But looking to Jesus, and to Him alone, the miracle occurs. The wa ters become firm to support our as sured step. The step lengthens into a walk. The walk merges into a life—a life the testimony of which becomes that of the Great Apostle: “ I . . . [have been] crucified with Christ . . . and the life which I now’ live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God.”
to dwell. Eternal death, the penalty of sin, is removed. I am baptized spiritu ally into Christ, His body the Church, and become vitally one with all true believers. I am sealed with the Holy Spirit and stamped as God’s own until the day of redemption. Positionally, I am perfect in Christ, one with Him for all eternity—a son, a priest, and heir. Why, then, you say, are there defeat, disappointment and struggle? Why so little experimental realization of that which I am in Christ? The answer: There is life, and there is fullness of life; there is the indwelling of the Spirit, and there is the fullness of the Spirit. As your faith, so be it unto you. You are a child of God: will you be lieve it, and thus enjoy the freedom of a son? You have the privilege of being filled with the Spirit: will you believe that God will fill you? You died with Christ: will you believe that you are dead to sin and self? You arose with Him: will you appropriate His resurrec tion power? 2. Believing That I Died In Christ Brings Me Fullness of Life. Life is not enough. I need fullness of life. The little streamlet will not suffice. Jesus prom ised, and; I need, rivers of living water. It is ' not enough that I go to heaven myself. I must become a channel of vic tory and blessing that others through
4. / Must Believe That As I Reckon On My Position In Christ Its Benefits Be come Experimentally Real. What a vast difference there often is between our unchanging position in Christ and our changeable practice in life, between our glorious standing and our too-often in glorious state. We are princes, but we frequently act like slaves. We are wealthy, but live as beggars. We are clothed in linen clean and white, but live as though covered with rags. We have manna from heaven, but eat the weak and beggarly elements of the world. We have water of life from the rock, but languish with thirst in the desert. We have the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, but stumble on in our own folly and self- sufficiency. Faith in the Son of God Determines The Degree W e Enjoy Fullness of Life. The Word of God through Isaiah to the faithless Ahaz may well be applied to every believer, hesitating and wav ering on the threshold of spiritual con quest and blessing: “ If ye will not be lieve, surely ye shall not be established” (Isa. 7:9). 1. Believing That Christ Died For Me Brings Me Life. I receive a new nature. The Holy Spirit comes into my heart
Our Hunan Bible Institute Family including Faculty, Student Body, Hospital Staff and Orphans
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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All earnest souls seek
T HE voice that breathed o’er Eden” spoke of rest. In Genesis 2:3 we are told of the rest of God. Upon that day there fell no night, because the rest of God has no shadow in it and it never terminates. God has left open the door. It stands wide open, and every heart which He has made may share it. It is a rest full of work, but, like the cyclone, all the atoms of which revolve in a turbulent motion around the central cavity of rest, so do all the activities of God revolve around His deepest heart which is tranquil and serene. It is possible, if you and I learn the lesson amid anx iety and sorrow and trial and pressure of work, always to carry a heart so peaceful, so still, so serene, as to be like the depth of the Atlantic which is not disturbed by the turbulent winds that sweep its surface. Now this rest of God spoken of in Genesis was not ex hausted by the Sabbath or by Canaan, for after each of these had existed for many a century, God still spoke of His rest as being unoccupied. And at last a simple Jewish peasant (so He seemed) stood up in the midst of fisher folk and other humble people and said: “ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. “ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” His words may be re-stated thus: “ On this breast of Mine is a pillow for every heavy heart. My breast is broad enough; My heart is deep enough. I offer Myself to all weary ones in every clime and age as Shiloh, the rest-giver.” Here is the accent of Deity as He says, “I am meek and lowly in heart.” Yet He assumes to Himself the prerogative of giving rest to all that labor and are heavy-laden. How can one possibly account for the meeting of humility so great with pretentions so enormous in this meekest of men unless He be more than man, the very Son of God incarnate? As He stands there upon some mountain slope, with Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum on the land-locked lake of Galilee at His feet, He speaks of two kinds of rest, the rest He gives, and the deeper rest which He shows us how to find: “ I will give you rest,” He says, and then, in a softer undertone, He whispers: “ Take my yoke upon you . . . and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” I will not now refer to the rest He gives—rest from the guilt of sin, rest from its penalty, rest from conviction, rest from an accusing conscience, rest from the dread and the wrath of God. That rest He gave you, beloved, when you knelt years ago at the cross. From those parched lips the dying Christ, your Priest and Intercessor, gave rest unto your soul, and, being justified by faith, you had peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. M A Y , I 9 4 9
I will not write of this, but of something deeper, because I find that there are tens of thousands of Christians who have the first rest, but have not the second. They could look death in the face without wavering, but they cannot look panic, disaster, bereavement, pain or trial in the face without dis quiet. “ You shall find rest,” but you must look for it. I want to show you where to find it and how; in three ways, which are one, for they converge in one. First, you must take His yoke. Now, at first sight it appears ridiculous that those who labor and are heavy-laden should find rest by having the im position of a new yoke or burden, however light. He says: “My yoke is easy . . . my burden is light.” But then, even an easy yoke with a light burden imposed on laboring and weary souls would surely not give them rest. How can it be? Ah, listen! The yoke that Jesus imposes is the yoke that He Him self carried, a yoke that by the very nature of it includes two. He says then to you, weary soul: “ Come hither and share My yoke with me, and we will pull the plow together through the long furrow of life.” I have been told that there are farms in Western Canada so large that you may start a furrow in the morning, pursue it all day, and only finish it at night, returning the next day. One day when I was at Northfield, Mr. Moody took me to Mount Hermon school. He had a yoke of beautiful white oxen, and he told me that when one of these oxen was being yoked in, if the other happened to be on the far side of the farmstead it would come trotting up and stand beside the other until it was yoked in also. So Jesus stands today with the yoke upon His shoulder, and He calls to each one, and says: “ Come and share My yoke, and let us plow together the long furrow of your life. I will be a true yokefellow to you. The burden shall be on Me. Only keep step with Me, and you shall find rest to your soul.” What W a s His Yoke? Christ’s yoke was His Father’s will. “ I delight to do thy will, O God.” Now it is not to my purpose to discuss here the human and the divine side of Christ’s character. But to me it is as though Christ curtained off His divine attributes, as we might allow the curtain of a theatre to drop from the roof and to shut off the whole of the apse behind. Any moment the curtain could be lifted, and I suppose you would still grant the apse to be a part of building, but it would be cur tained off for a definite purpose. So for the purposes of under standing our human life in all its aspects, our Lord voluntari-
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ly emptied Himself, laid aside the use of His divine attributes, and was content to live as Elijah, or John the Baptist, or as you and I have to live, a life of perpetual dependence upon God. Directly a creature lives so, he has to take God’s plan and then God’s power. Whenever God gives a plan, He gives the soul everything which is necessary for its completion. So when Moses on the mountain saw the plan of the tabernacle, every diamond and pearl and piece of gold and silver and wood and carved work and embroidery complete, painted by the rainbow upon the cloud or standing before him like a fair vision, he knew that down below amongst the people he could find a duplicate for everything that he had seen. So Jesus Christ was always looking at the Father’s will, the Father’s power. That was His yoke. We begin by willing the will of God, we come to choose it, and we end by delighting in it. And that is The Secret of Rest Will you take the yoke of God today? God’s will comes to us (first) by His Spirit, (second) by His Word, and (thirdly) by circumstances. And I think it is in circumstances that we are most tested. It is just there that we have to meet God, and just as in some electric light the two points have to come very close together before the light shines between them, so the point of your will and the point of God’s will have to touch, and then the light of acquiescence and peace flashes out. You know of course what a corn on the foot is—the shoe rubs it, and nature throws out a shield of hard skin, which we call a corn: and the tender flesh is under the corn. There have been things in my life that fretted and worried me, and I seemed to throw out a little corn, and was strong and hard and bore up like a martyr, like a hero. But I learned that that was not the sweetest way. I was running away from God’s will whenever I had a chance, and evaded it. I have learned better lately—just quietly day by day to let God’s will play upon my heart, not running from it, not hiding from it, but taking it. I take His yoke. There are some people who bear the yoke because they cannot help it; there are other people who take it. Have you taken it? Take it now by your will. You have lost your dear husband or wife or you have lost your money. Learn to look up into the face of the Crucified, and say: “ Jesus, I take the yoke.” When you are driving a young horse, if that horse frets and kicks, it simply gets itself into a lather, but it has to go your way after all. Much better for the young horse if, instead of plunging and kicking and fretting, it would only take the collar and the bit right away. That is what you are—a young colt; and you are foaming and fretting and working yourself into a fury. You will never get right in that way. Come back, and quietly take what God permits, and understand that in that there is the secret of rest: and a new tranquillity will come. You will have your floods of tears, but you will say: “ I take the will of God.” “ Anoint thine head and wash thy face.” I am very fond of that verse. We go about whining: “ 0 dear! my suffering!” And so we give people the conception that God is very hard, and everybody pities us, and it is rather comfortable to be pitied. You feel that you are somebody if you excite somebody else’s pity, and in that you get your reward. But if you anoint your head, and wash your face, and put on your sweetest look, and dress your nicest, and live your sweet orderly self, hiding your pain in your heart, God who seeth in secret, will reward you openly, and you shall live to see what you thought absolutely necessary to your life to be a handful of withered leaves. I thank God for my disappoint ments, because I see now that they were His appointments. There are the two other methods by which you can find rest in your soul. The one is by faith. “ We which have believed do enter into rest” (Heb. 4:3). Faith has two hands. With one hand faith is always hand ing over, and with the other she is always reaching down: the “ up and down” life. The angels went up on the ladder carrying Jacob’s worries, and they came down the ladder bringing God’s help. Page Ten
G O D BLESS M Y MOTHER G o d bless her hands that blessed my infant head, The day that they first laid me on her bed! G o d bless her hands, now clasped in prayer for me— ' The hands that taught me first to worship Theel G o d bless her head, now white as winter snows, And shelter it from every wind that blows! God bless her heart, whose constant mother love O f each fond wish, each eager plan, each dream! "Love never faileth!" Grant, O God, the gleam O f mother love's fair vision may not pass, But, when the mirror of life's darkling glass Is shattered, may give place to joyous sight! 0 Love Divine, W ho gave Thine only Son To bear the guilt and shame of souls undone, And give them glory— grant her wish, I pray, Her love's dear hope, fulfilled upon that day When faith is lost in sight . . . G o d bless her now, Beyond my tenderest thought— Thou knowest howl —Gaylord Du Bois. Do you know what it is when you are worried, to kneel down and say to God: “ Father, take this,” and by one definite act to hand over the worry to God and leave it there? If there is one thing that annoys me more than another, it is for a man to say to me: “ Will you do this?” I say: “ Certainly.” Then he keeps sending letters all the time to remind me. I conclude: “ That man does not trust me.” So when I have really handed a thing over to God, I leave it there, and I dare not worry for fear it would seem as if I mistrusted Him. But I keep looking up to Him—I cannot help doing that—and say: “ Father, I am trusting.” Like my dog at home: he used to worry me very much to be fed at dinner, but he never got any food that way. But lately he has adopted something which always conquers me: he sits under the table, and puts one paw on my knee. He never barks, never leaps around, never worries me, but he sits under the table with that one paw on my knee, and that conquers me: I cannot resist the appeal. Although my wife says I never must do it, I keep putting little morsels under the table for him. Soul, do you know what I am talking about? That is the way to live—with your hand on God’s knee. Say: “ My God, I am not going to worry; I am not going to fret; but there is my hand, and I wait until the time comes, and Thou shalt give me the desire of my heart.” Take His yoke, and trust Him. And then, lastly, reckon on God’s faithfulness. 1 remember so well J. Hudson Taylor coming to my church the first time I ever met him. He stepped on the platform and opened the Bible to give an address, and said: “ Friends, I will give you the motto of my life,” and he turned to Mark 11:22: “ Have faith in God.” The margin says: “Have the faith of God,” but J. Hudson Taylor said it meant: “ Reckon on God’s faith to you.” He continued: “ All my life has been so fickle. Sometimes I could trust, sometimes I could not, but when I could not trust then I reckoned that God would be faithful.” There is a text that says: “ If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful, he cannot deny himself.” And I some times go to God about a thing and say: “ My God, I really cannot trust Thee about this, I cannot trust Thee to pull me through this expenditure of money with my means, but I reckon on Thy faithfulness.” And when you,cease to think about your faith, and, like Sarah, reckon Him faithful, your faith comes without your knowing it, and you are strong. T H E K I N G 'S B U S I N E S S Best speaks to me of that which is above: Love that believeth, hopeth, beareth all For me. no matter how far short I fall
Testimonies of Three Outstanding Students
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enrolled in evening school. There I came in contact with the Baptist mis sionaries and the Navigators, and was soon working happily with them. How ever, this fellowship did not last very long, for I was soon transferred to Clark Field. Everyone knows what happened to Clark Field as well as Pearl Harbor bn that fateful day of December 7, 1941. The Japanese caught us utterly unpre pared and destroyed nearly every one of our planes right on the ground. It is impossible' to describe the horror of that attack. Bombs were falling all about us; the earth was riddled with machine gun shells; gas tanks were blowing up by the dozens. I found a little cove in the earth and hugged it tight. But, wonderful as it may seem, right in the midst of that terror and confusion, a great calm came into .my heart; I realized that I was in a fox hole which nothing could penetrate— the hollow of the hand of my Lord. I can only touch the high spots of what followed. It is in the history books for all to read. I was in that infamous Death March out of Bataan, with my comrades falling on every side. Among them were thirteen to whom I had taught the Word of God and who had accepted Christ as their personal Saviour. Only two of the thirteen survived that march. Those awful scenes are written deeply upon my heart. One incident in particular I can never forget; God grant I never may! One of my buddies, bleeding and ragged, held up a Bible (how he was permitted to retain it I don’t know; the Japanese took mine) and he said with
a grin, “ If I get back, I am going to school to learn this Book so I can come hack and tell these people of the love I found on Bataan.” He did not return, but I did; and I am going back! When I say that out of 37,000 Ameri cans taken prisoner by the Japanese only 3,700 were ever liberated, one will have an idea of the price we paid. I was a prisoner of the Japanese for three and one-half years, moved from camp to camp, subjected to unspeakable tortures, suffering slow starvation, covered with sores — seeing others suffer more than myself. I do not want to go into the dreadful details except to say that my Lord was with me and saw me through. Had I not gone through these things, I should not have known Him so well, or ever had such an opportunity to prove that His grace really was suffi cient. Discharged from the Army, June 6, 1946, I set foot on American soil just five years to the day from the time I left. I lost no time in enrolling in the Bible Institute of Los Angeles to be trained to carry the gospel to those who sit in darkness, awaiting the messengers of light. Soon I will be through my course, and am ready to report for duty wherever my Lord may send me; if He wills, back to the Philippines. But I can truly say from my heart that I would rather be in a death march or a prison camp with my Lord, than to live in the greatest ease without Him in this land, or any place on this earth. Only one life, ’Twill soon be past, Only what’s done For Christ will last.
Jesse L. Miller, Senior: I WAS bom the first time in 1920 at Gillette, Wyoming, and bom the second time in 1937. Because I was reared in a Christian home and early became an active leader in the local Christian En deavor, I was not aware that I needed a Saviour until at one of our conven tions I heard that great man of God, Dr. Walter J. Feeley, preach the gospel. The Holy Spirit showed me then that I was a sinner, and just as I was I came to Him for salvation. I have been in the hollow of His hand ever since. Of course, I did not dream at the time I accepted Jesus as my personal Saviour that it would not be long until I should be going through the greatest trial a man can face, and that I would need Him desperately. On Friday, Sept. 13, 1940, thirteen of us fellows enlisted in the services; and even boarded Pullman car 13! (Only two of us survived the war!) Weighing >anchor at San Pedro, Oct. 31, 1940, we sailed for Manila on the S. S. Washington, one of the finest of the luxury liners. We had a grand trip, with stopovers in Honolulu, Shanghai, and other ports. The four days in Shanghai brought me to a mo mentous decision. The sight of the wretched beggars who had never known a “ square meal” in their lives did something to me. While I pitied their physical plight, I knew their greater need was the Bread of Life, and there I said “Yes” to Christ, should He call me to that land—or any other needy foreign country—to preach His gospel. Arriving in Manila, Nov. 21, 1940, I
Mr. Miller
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