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*& & á V f HI k F/ 3 i f l : v § 0 1 4 w * r V « ! Build aBetterTomorrow bywhat you do today! — f o r t h e w o r l d — f o r y o u r c o u n t r y — f o r y o u r s e l f What can / do? everyone asks. You — yes, you — can help make this world a better place to live in by facilitat ing the world-wide distribution of the Bible. Simply send us your contribution. Or better still, why not make your own future more secure by purchasing an. American Bible Society Annuity Agreement? In this way, you not only receive the peace of mind which comes from a gen erous lifetime income, you enjoy the untold satisfaction of knowing that your money goes toward the work of spreading the Word of God wherever it is needed— and so contributes to the greater peace of the world. Mail This Coupon Today Without Fail Investigate this Christian Plan which enables you both to give and receive at the same time and entitles you to certain tax exemptions. Write today for the interesting booklet, “ A Gift That Lives.” American Bible Society, 450 Park Avenue, New York 22, N. Y. □ Please send me, without obligation, your booklet KB-90 entitled “A Gift That Lives.” □ I enclose $......... for the world-wide distribution of the Scriptures. Name........... ......................................... .............. Denomination.. Address....................................i........................... ...................... City..................................................................... State.. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S Page Two 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, 19U8, The King’s Business No part o f this magazine may be reproduced without permission. All Rights Reserved. Vol. 39 M A R C H 1948 Easter Number No. 3 Cmmaustoarb T ORD CHRIST, if Thou art with us * and these eyes Are holden, while we go sadly and say “ We hoped it had been He, and now to day Is the third day, and hope within us dies,” Bear with us, our Master, Thou art wise And knowest all our foolishness; we do not pray, “ Declare Thyself, since weary grows the way And faith’s new burden hard upon us lies.” . .Nay! Choose Thy time; but ah! where’er Thou art Leave us not; where have we heard any voice Like Thine? Our hearts burn in us as we go; Stay with us; break our bread; so, for our part Ere darkness falls, haply we may rejoice, Haply when day has been far spent, may know. — EDWARD DOWDEN. a series of articles on soul-winning; the messages from the Thirteenth Annual Torrey Memorial Conference by Dr. Leo H. Lehmann, Dr. Chas. L. Feinberg, Dr. H. H. Savage, Dr. Vance Havner, and others, will be published; there will be a three-part discussion of the sub ject “ Life’s Greatest Facts” by Dr. W. W. Orr. In addition, Dr. L. T. Talbot will continue to write on prophecy and related Bible subjects; and all of our regular departments will be maintained, and some, like “ Miscellanea,” “ Reader Reaction,” which we have been obliged to drop for lack of space, will be restored from time to time. We appreciate the kind and generous comment of our read ers on the appearance and contents of the magazine, and welcome suggestions for its improvement. M A R C H , I 9 4 8 THE K ING 'S BUSINESS A N D THE FUTURE S OME real treats are in store for our readers in forthcoming issues. Dr. Walter L. Wilson has promised CONTENTS Editorially Speaking ........................... ................................................ . . . 4 The Bible in the News, William W. O r r . ............................................ ■.. 5 The Triumphant Resurrection, Jim Crowthers . ................................. 6 Reassuring Resurrection Reflections, Hyman J. Appelman.. ............ 7 Life with a Future, Arthur Hedley ...................................... .............. ... 8 The Neglected Science in'an Atom Bomb Era, Carl F. H. H enry. . . 9 My Conversion from Mormonism, Einar Anderson ............................. 10 Ananias and Sapphira, Vance Havner .................................................. 11 Junior King’s Business, Martha S. H o ok e r. ........................................... 12 Palestine, Russia and Ezekiel 38, Louis T. Talbot ............................... 13 The Berkeley Version o f the New Testament, Reid McCullough . . . . 15 Biola Family Circle...................................................................................... 16 Meditation, Ernest. A. D. Cornelius. ................. .... ; .............................. 17 Young People’s Topics, Walter L. W ils o n ,. .................................. 20 It’s an Idea, Carlton C. B u ck . ........ •...................................................... 20 Annual Missionary Conference....................................... . . . . . : ............ 23 Sunday School Lessons, Homer A. Kent, Allison Arrowood ............. 24 Object Lessons, Elmer L. Wilder . ...................... ................................... 28 Picture Credits: Cover, E\oing Galloway, New York; p. 6 —Eva Luoma, Hollidays Cove, W. Va.; pp. 8, 9 —Philip Gendreau, New York. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION—L“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, California, .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. Page Three personal, individual, and require the service of a full and sincere heart. Con cerning this service Christ will make inquiry of every Christian at His judg ment seat. America’s Morality T WICE, in the world’s history, God found civilization so immoral that He brought swift and inescapable judg ment upon it. The first instance was in the time of Noah when the earth was filled with violence and its immorality knew no bounds. The 'second was in Abraham’s time when the cities of the plain, including the notorious Sodom, were com p letely overthrown. God’s hatred of adulterous living is plainly de clared time after time in the pages of Holy Writ. But because of the innate sinfulness of the human heart, men will not be restrained from these deeds of evil. Recently an important book on the sexual behavior of human beings has been published. This is a factual account of more than 12,000 case histories. As a result of the tabulated testimony, it is proven that more than 85% of the male population in the United States have lived in sin to a greater or lesser degree. The report gives in detail the various degrees of transgression of which Amer icans are guilty. It makes sad and de pressing reading for those who recognize that God must bring every sin into judg ment. Among all peoples of all ages, none with such vast ability and record of ac complishment as the American people have ever existed. But let America be ware ! Other civilizations have fallen suddenly for sins of which we are guilty. Now is the time to write upon our hearts that “righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” Easter — A Guarantee T HE Lord Jesus Christ made tremen dous claims during His ministry of three and one-half years. He taught that all men needed to be born again. He linked His own life to the story of the serpent in the wilderness by declaring that He was to be lifted up and that He would draw all men unto Him. He promised that even His enemies should see the heavens open and the Son of Man coming in power and great glory. There is no mis take; these were either the words of God or of a demented person. But the resurrection is the guarantee, the proof, the validation of Christ’s claims, and an exhibition of the mighty power of God. The resurrection was God’s state ment that the claims which had been made by Jesus of Nazareth were in reality the truth of the ages. How won derful to rest our confidence in a Risen Saviour! Our past is secure, for He has borne our sins and we shall meet them no more; our present is in His hands, for He ever lives to care for us; and the future is brilliant with the light of His sure promise of eternal life. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S in which these so-called agnostics dwell provide irrefutable evidence of the mas ter craftsmanship of an Omniscient Creator. The alternative is that the world and all its mysteries have come into being by natural law, but again, what is natur al law? There is no law without a law giver and a law-enforcer. Some will ar gue that blind chance has brought about the wonders of our environment, but there is not one actual demonstration in all of the world’s laboratories that a single integral whole developed of itself. It has been said for a long time, and rightly so, that there are no real athe ists. Those who so profess to be are either ignorant or so filled with pride that they have lost all sense of honesty. J UST where this idea came from we do not know, but it is of great antiqui- - ty. It resides in the hearts of many church members. They have hired a pastor so they can sit back and relax so far as their Christian responsibility is concerned ! It is high time these church members woke up to the fact that because they pay their minister a salary, they can take life easy. God in no way excuses the average Christian from personal participation in the challenges of the Christian life. The only way he can dis charge his responsibility is personally to do the will of God in his own life. It is a strange thing the way that many Christians regard the Christian life. After spending the week feverishly serving themselves and endeavoring to pile up earthly treasure, on Sunday morning they sit through a thirty-min ute message and feel that all their obli gations are fulfilled. Do they not donate to the pastor’s salary, and does he not spend his time in works of charity for them? Such an attitude is a stench in the nostrils of God! Let it be understood that while the pastor has his place as a leader of God’s people, and his salary ought to be suf ficient and commensurate with his needs, there are real and definite responsibili ties which devolve upon every member of the church of Christ, from which no one is excused. These responsibilities are Your Pastor Can’ t Live Your Christian Life The Basis of Christian Behavior I T is not possible to understand right ly the principles of Christian life without first having an understanding of the foundation on which it is built. We have no right to deny or to admit anything except the unassailable basis which God Himself has set as our standard. This criterion is to be found in I Corinthians 6:19,20, a vitally im portant passage for all Christians to re member. Why are we to live for Christ? Why is the Christian life to be different? Why must God’s children refrain from many things, including even innocuous things? Well, stated simply, it is that God’s chil dren do not belong to themselves any more. Before we met Christ, we were dead in trespasses and sins and slaves tp our own sinful desires. But we have been bought with a price and our re demption has set us free. However, we are indebted for both time and eternity to the One who has purchased us and, therefore, every hour of our life, every beat of our heart, every ounce of our energy, belong to God, and our job in life is to glorify Him. What a difference it makes in the mat ter of amusements, pleasures, compan ionships, when we wholly subscribe to God’s principles! Everything in the Christian life is then changed, not on the basis of whether we may, without harm, subscribe to something, but wheth er it will contribute to the great stand ard of our lives. The question for us to answer is: “ Will it glorify God?” Is It Possible to Be an Honest Atheist? A RECENT check of public opinion in ten nations reveals that while 34% of France’s population are either atheists or agnostics, 6% of the popula tion of the United States, or over 8,000,- 000 people, profess entire disbelief or doubt in the existence of God. But is it possible to be of normal intelligence and so disbelieve? Has not God placed literal ly millions of evidences of His handi work in our environment? Does not al most everything upon which we lay our eyes cry out that there is a wise and powerful God? Yes, and even the bodies Page Four Federal Council One of America’s important maga zines, Fortune, speaks out with amazing candor with regard to the Federal Coun cil of Churches. We quote: “Today the Federal Council is a vigor ous, going concern, representing 25 de nominations with 28 million members. Yet in 39 years it has made only one memorable contribution to the domestic welfare of the U. S., and that nearly a quarter of a century ago. Its famous 1928 report on conditions in the steel industry undoubtedly helped persuade U. S. Steel’s pious Bible-quoting Elbert H. Gary to renounce the twelve-hour day. Since then the Council’s well-mean ing, ill-informed approach to domestic, social and economic problems has won little confidence. Much of the time it has seemed to be thinking of the U. S. of 1908, when most workers were un organized and trusts were the economic issue. ‘To most business men,’ one church-minded big business man ob served recently, ‘the pronouncements of the Federal Council on business matters have seemed at best a lot of hooey and at worst plain Communistic’.” Smart Ants Dr. Ernest N. Cory of the University of Maryland states that the ant and the termite are more intelligent than man. These insects are able to supply enough food for all of their species. Everyone works, but everyone eats. The inability of man to provide food for all is due to human greed. Dr. Cory declares that “ artificial control of prices and supply” was tried as early as 1700 B.C. in Egypt, and failed. With Dr. Cory’s theory of ant wisdom, the Book of Proverbs is in complete agreement. Bored Miss Evangeline De Castro, a 17-year- old young lady from the Philippines, who was chosen as Miss Philippines from the Miss America contest in Atlantic City last summer, has announced that she is to become a nun. The reason given by Miss De Castro for turning to a very different type of life is that social life with so many dances bores her. How many prominent socialites would say the same thing, and a great deal more, if they were to tell the exact truth! Solemn Figures Since the close of the war, there has been a great deal of talk regarding Russia’s changed attitude toward re ligion, but the following are some figures which every thinking Protestant ought to know: According to Ripley’s “ Believe It or Not,” Josef Stalin and the Communists have, since 1918, liquidated by murder or exile 255,078 members of the clergy and destroyed 88,874 religious edifices. In cluded in this are 152,471 priests and monks and 52,032 nuns of the Russian church; 26,000 rabbis and teachers of the Jewish faith; 16,914 Mohammedan M A R C H , 1 9 4 8 of others by a gift of blood. All of which makes us think that not this man, but the Son of Man is the world’s greatest blood donor for how many multiplied millions of souls have found new life through the shed blood of Calvary. Subscriptions Fulfilled An interesting note is to be found in the subscription notice printed at the masthead of The Gospel Minister, “ Sub scriptions are received on the following condition: Should the Lord return to take the church, and the paper neces sarily cease publication, all obligations concerning unexpired subscriptions will be considered fulfilled.” This is a practical approach indeed to the “ blessed hope” of the Lord’s return. Too many who steadfastly affirm belief in the imminency o f His coming do not give any practical exhibition of it in “ I foresee peace and abundance in 2004 because the greed and lust of the 20th century will have been brought into the open where they can be seen and de stroyed. The destruction of these evils began in 1947 with our determined effort to aid the suffering people of Europe.” With our brother’s prediction we have sincere sympathy, but does it not say in the Word of God that conditions are to become steadily worse until God Himself calls a halt to the entire matter, and sends His Son to rule and to reign? One-Third Women The tragic and alarming fact is that records show 1/3 of the inmates in our institutions who are confined there be cause of chronic alcoholism are women. This statement is from the California Department of Mental Hygiene. These statistics should be considered along with the disturbing fact that far more men use alcoholic liquors than women. A trail of broken hearts, dis rupted homes and frightened children, completes the picture. s Paqe Five their daily lives. Peace In 2004 Ernest I. Pugmire, who is the Nation al Commander of the Salvation Army, is quoted as saying: By WILLIAM W . ORB. D.D. mullahs; 5,106 priests and monks of the Roman Catholic Church; 2,025 Armenian priests, 530 Lutheran pastors,. The Com munists also confiscated 18,900,000 acres of church property and stole four bil lion dollars’ worth of church funds. Iron Fish Recently a British submarine remained submerged for “ several weeks” and then resurfaced under her own power with a crew of 7 officers and 60 men in good health. New inventions and perfected mechan isms are responsible for almost unlimited under-water stay. This reminds us of an Old Testament story in which God pre pared an under-water conveyance for an erring prophet. Strange to say, no one ridicules the submarine report, while the story of Jonah has been shamefully criti cized for centuries. Kagawa Says Although we have not previously been able to endorse the views of Japan’s so-called “ greatest Christian,” what he wrote recently in the Christian Century is worthy of careful reading: “ By the abandonment of war, we in Japan have emerged from the era of barbarism. . . . If only we had done this willingly ten years ago, history would have taken another course. . . We are going to alter the definition of a ‘great’ state. A truly great state is not neces sarily big, nor rich, nor quarrelsome with its neighbors. The great state is one which is wise, moral and God-fearing. The ideal we pursue is that of making Japan a state with which God can be pleased.” Blood Donor Recently, in the city of Philadelphia, a man died at the age of 68 who was known as the world’s champion blood donor. He had given more than 1,100 pints of blood and it was his boast that his blood flowed in the veins of some of the country’s best families. Furthermore, he claimed that he had never sold a drop of blood in his life, saying that it was a great thing indeed to prolong the life Is it for you The T riumphant Resurrection? By Jim Crowthers Missionary to Mexico Again Christ’s resurrection corrobo rates those Scriptures which make Him the Judge of all things in the universe. “ And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:30,31). All judgment has been given to the Son. Jesus said so and by rising from the dead, He demonstrated that His claim was true. We see Jesus as our Saviour. The time is coming when the rest of mankind will see Him as their Judge. According to the Bible, our justifica tion is based on the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul proclaims, “ Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 13:38). Paul writes that Abraham’s faith was reckoned to him for righteousness: “ For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him .for righteous ness” (Romans 4:3). We are justified by God’s sovereign grace—through faith. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour, God justi fies us. In other words He decrees that (Continued on Page 19) THE KING' S B U S I N E S S W HAT is the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Why is it the central doctrine of the Bible? The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that the God of the Bible is the true God. There are many other so- called gods. But like the idols described by John in the Revelation, they can neither see nor hear nor walk. Like the Baal of the neighbors of Israel, these deities cannot bring down fire from heaven to consume a sacrifice. The God of the Bible is the God who could send fire from heaven at the simple request of His servant, Elijah. The resurrection of Jesus Christ by the power of the God of the Bible proves that the God of the Bible is the only true ,God. Other gods have never exhibited such power. Then if the God of the Bible is the true God, it is well to pay close attention to His Word. The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that He was really a teacher sent from God as He claimed to be. Jesus declared: “ He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (John 14:24). Jesus claimed that His teachings were God’s truth. They refused to believe Him and crucified %Him for making such a Page Si* claim. He knew all this was coming so He prophesied what would happen to Him and that He would rise again. When he did rise from the dead, He demonstrated that His claim was true and that His teaching was direct from God. The resurrection of Jesus Christ abundantly proved His claim to be the Son of God. At His unjust trial, the high priest commanded Him to tell if He were Christ. “Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I sav unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy: what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blas phemy” (Matt. 26:64,65). His enemies believed that Jesus de served death for blasphemy because He boldly claimed to be the Son of God. If He were not, then they were right in saying He deserved death. But He proved that claim by rising from the dead. No mere human could ever rise from the dead. Jesus proved His claim to be the Son of God by prophesying His own death, burial, and resurrection. If He had not risen, His testimony would have been shattered. Reassuring 8 Resurrection =Reflections I N the first chapter of Romans, the 4th verse, Paul the Apostle has this to say: “ And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” T HE greatest event that ever hap pened on this planet thus far was the H E died to expiate our sins. He arose to redeem us from their power. He By Hyman J. Appelman Dr. Appelman, the well-known Hebrew evangelist, will open a six months’ cam paign in Australia, March 11, 1948. The prayers of God’s people everywhere should support these meetings. (Col. 3:1-3). “ And ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). H E arose to inspire us with the most elevated hopes. He arose to inspire us with the hope of Christ-likeness here, of victory over sin, of triumph over temptation, of the ability to resist Satan and the emissaries of the pit. He arose to inspire us with the hope of the first resurrection, when the trumpet shall blow, when the Lord Himself shall de scend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. He arose to inspire us with the hope of the home in the heav ens which He has promised to prepare for those of us who love Him, who be lieve in Him, who have been washed in His blood, who have been regenerated by His Holy Spirit. He arose to inspire us with the hope of an eternal resurrection and reunion, body and soul reunited to reign and rejoice with the Christ of God forever. He arose to inspire us with the hope of a mighty reward, when the- crowns of righteousness and reward shall be placed upon our brows by the angels of God at the behest of our Lord and Saviour. S URELY the resurrection ought to be the hope of every soul to the ends of the earth. Surely the resurrection ought to be the theme of the song of the saints of God. Surely the resurrection ought to be the aim of every soul, saint and sin ner, to the ends, of the earth. May God, in His infinite, compassionate grace and mercy, reproduce the resurrection favor, the resurrection fact, the resurrection force, the resurrection fervor in all of our lives. Page Seven died to rescue us from spiritual bondage. He arose to assert His dominion over us, that, as the people whom He hath re deemed, we should live not to ourselves, neither for ourselves, but for Him who died for us, and rose again. He died to teach us that we must be crucified with Him, that the body of sin must be de stroyed, that we must be transformed by dying unto sin into the likeness of His death. He arose to teach us that, dead to our former sinful pursuits, we must live with Him; that leaving, as it were, in the tomb, into which, with Him, we descend, the polluted garments of the old man, we must put on the splendid apparel of “the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness;” and from the darkness and corruption into which sin hath plunged us, we should rise into newness of life. H E arose to assure us of the most important blessings. He, who was once a suffering Saviour, subject to the power of His enemies, and unable to save Himself from death, has now be come a Redeemer mighty to save. He arose to assure us that the atonement, which, by pouring forth His soul unto death upon the Cross, He had made for our sins, is accepted by His Almighty Father as all-sufficient and availing. He arose to assure us that for our sins there is fullness of pardon, that guilty and obnoxious as we are, liable to awful wrath, through His propitiation, we may be made the subjects of the favor of God. “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20). H E arose to impose upon us the most exalted duty. “ That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). “ If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” resurrection. The greatest miracle ever wrought was the resurrection, including all smaller ones. The focal point towards which prophecy points is the resurrec tion of Jesus Christ. The great demon stration that He was the Son of God was the resurrection. The greatest theme of preaching is the resurrection. The great complement of the redemp tion on the Cross is seen in the resurrec tion, that event which intervenes be tween Christ’s crucifixion and His coming again. It is the plentiful assurance to all children of God that they shall thus rise from the dead, and shall bear the likeness of their glorious Lord. It is a demonstration of the fact that Christ was really deathless, that though He submitted voluntarily to death, it was an impossibility that He could ever be holden of it. It was the preparation for the descent of the Holy Spirit. It is the great assurance to every believer, that in Jesus he has the Messiah of the Old Testament, and the Jehovah, the Sover eign Lord of all. T HE Lord Jesus Christ arose and proved that He was not a blas phemer when He said that He was equal with God; that He was not an imposter when He announced that His Father had sent Him into the world; that He was not a deceiver when He testified that though the Son of Man should suffer and be crucified, the third day He would rise from the dead invested with all power in Heaven and in earth, Lord of the living and the dead, holding the keys of death and hell, so that He opens and none can shut, and He shuts and none can open. He arose from the tomb not as He descended into it,' the crucified malefactor, the helpless victim of malice and persecution, but the Head of the Church, of His Church, the Ruler of the kingdoms of the world, the Lord of lords. M A R C H , I 9 4 8 B ECAUSE man is a sinner, and his will is opposed to the will of God, he is ever acting against his best inter ests, and those of the world. Try as he will, he is doomed to failure all the while God is not in his thoughts. Because “ it is not in man . . . to direct his steps” aright (Jer. 10:23) his future must in evitably be dark, dismal, 'hopeless, if he persistently rejects Christ, the light of the worjd (John 8:12). Refusing to fol low Him, he will stumble and plunge deeper and deeper into the dark abyss (John 12:36). Man has no future if he has no place for God or for the gospel of Christ. He who lives only for the present has nothing to hope for in the future, and thus he tries to lose himself in this and that, because he dare not think too much about his future, even on earth. W HEN we turn to the New Testa ment, how different is the outlook! Here we are in the presence of men and women whose circumstances are such that they have every reason to be de pressed. Some are imprisoned, scourged, threatened with death; others are robbed, homeless, forsaken by their own, but there is no pessimism among them. Peter condemned to death sleeps soundly and peacefully on the eve of his execu tion (Acts 12:7). Paul and Silas with their backs lacerated, and their feet in the stocks, “ sang praises unto God” in the midnight hour, to the amazement of their fellow prisoners (Acts 16:25). Those robbed of their possessions sub mitted to their trial “ joyfully” (Heb. 10:34). In a time of fiery trial, saints rejoiced with “ joy unspeakable” (1 Pet. 1:8). From a material point of view, their future was as dark as it could be, and yet they were full of joy and thanks giving, a wonder to those unbelievers about them. W HAT was the secret of their hap piness? It was because Christ, by His atoning death on Calvary, had par doned their sins, and had given unto them eternal life. By His resurrection from the dead, there had been born in their hearts an ever-living hope of “ an inheritance imperishable, undefiled and unfading” (1 Pet. 1:3, 4 Weymouth). The Lord Jesus by His death, resurrec tion and ascension had led them into another world, with His Father. Though still in this world, they were not of it (John 17:16). They were citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20 R.V.), marching with their faces set towards the New Jerusa lem. The future for them was bright with glorious hope for they knew that, soon or late, they would enter into their inheritance and be with Christ for ever more. This prospect enabled them to see the present season of trial in its true perspective. It.banished fear and trans formed their outlook; it gave them some thing to live for, and enabled them to rise triumphant over adverse circum stances. Because Paul knew death would t m ure jß ife W i th . À 3 v by Rev. Arthur Hedley of London, England M AN has ever held the belief of a future beyond this present life. In every nation and tribe there exists a universal belief in immortality. Lord Tennyson expressed this faith in his immortal poem, In Memoriam: Thou wilt not leave us in the dust; Thou madest man, he knows not why, He thinks he was not made to die; And Thou has made him: Thou art just. B UT we cannot close our eyes to the fact that today in so-called Christian countries many are dismissing all thought of a life beyond the grave. With the increasing spread of Communism, man is losing his belief in God, in im mortality, in heaven and hell, and acts in the belief that death is the end of all things. Hence, man is devoting all his energies to making a paradise of this present world. A well-known Commu nist declares that since science -promises such good things for man, the day will come when he will double his allotted three-score years and ten, and will enjoy such a happy span of existence that he will no longer desire another life. Then the hope of immortality, which has per sisted for many millenniums, will die a natural death. W HAT a hopeless outlook for the present generation! They are to endure all the sorrows and sufferings of the present, in order that some genera tion in the far distant future may have a good time on earth! It is not surpris ing that H. G. Wells, who had so much to say about this Utopia, which man, not God, would bring in, was disillusioned and pessimistic in his old age. This cos mic philosopher concluded that life held no future for the human race. He be lieved it to be doomed and its doom has tened by its follies. When a friend pro tested that his fatalism was not very en couraging to those who wanted to do something to salvage the human race, Mr. Wells replied: “ It is quite consistent with my philosophy. The stoic accepts the inevitability of the end but makes the best of the interim.” The fact is, that when man rejects the Christian faith and hope, he makes a terrible mess of this present world. Being without God, he has not a spark of hope for his own future or for the world. But with Robert Browning, the believer declares: Truly there needs another life to come! I f this he all — And other life await us not—for one I say ’tis a poor cheat, a stupid bungle, A wretched failure. I, for one, protest Against it—and I hurl it back with scorn! Page Eight T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S bring him face to face with the Christ he loved so devotedly and trusted so im plicitly, the trials of. the present were but momentary and his heavy afflictions light. Present trials and afflictions were hardly worthy of consideration in the light of future glory (Rom. 8:18; 2 Cor. 4:16-18). O NLY those who are “ in Christ” and who possess the hope of eternal life have a bright and certain future before them. Those who live only for this world have nothing ahead. They know not whether they will even enjoy the future for which they are making such preparation in the present. Our Lord related the story of the rich farmer, who, while he was planning a good time for himself in the future, was suddenly called into God’s presence, a bankrupt in faith (Luke 12:16-21). The future of the believer is as real as Christ Himself. The more we abide in Christ, in His love, in His will, the more sure we are that there is nothing, not even death, that can separate us from the love of God in Christ. The deeper we sink the roots of our life in Christ and in His Word, the brighter becomes our future, and the less we are troubled by those things which cause the hearts of the ungodly to tremble. T HE future of youth can only be a true success as it is inspired by Christian faith and hope. So many young people go astray because they live only for the things of time and sense. Such living can only bring disillusionment and disappointment. To gain ' some little world and lose one’s soul is a very bad bargain, for “what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). Live only for this world and you live for an uncertain future, for “ ye know not what shall be on the morrow” (Jas. 4:14). To live for Christ, for His world of love, truth and righteousness, is to live for the things that abide, the things which bring true joy, peace and liberty. Then to die is gain. When we live for Christ, for eternity, and are supported and in spired by the glorious hope of the gospel then the future grows brighter as the days go by, for “ the path of the just [righteous] is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Prov. 4:18). “ There have been many times in my life when I have been driven to my knees in prayer to God, with the over whelming conviction that there was no where else in all the world for me to go for help. My own wisdom and the wisdom of all about me seemed absolutely insuf ficient. I remembered God said ‘If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God,’ and I knelt down and asked of God, and my prayers were answered, for some invisible power outside of me helped me to solve the problems of the day.” —Abraham Lincoln Central Park, New York T HERE is a science more important and vastly more significant than all other sciences; more important than physics and chemistry, than an thropology and sociology, than botany and biology and zoology and psychology; yes, a science more important than all the discoveries in the realm of nuclear physics, even in an atom bomb era. It is theology—the science of God. For it is God who gives significance to human life; it is God who gives meaning to history; it is God who gives worth to the totality of existence. Without Him, human history is but the uncertain and perilous march of man through the dark valley of a temporary cosmic accident. Without Him, there is no ultimate mean ing in the structure of things. Without Him, nothing ultimately matters. With out Him, there is nothing in the universe to underwrite morality in any enduring and eternal sense. Without Him, nothing is eternally true, eternally good. Without Him, all is change; there is nothing eternal. W E must bring back to its own the science of God, and not only the conception of the God for whom the heart of man cries out. The need is not merely for the God that man “wills to believe” exists in order that life may continue significant, but it is the God who has revealed Himself, the God who has spoken; the God who is not at the mercy of the philosophers as they con struct their systems of thought, but the God at whose mercy the whole creation stands; the God, who, because He is merciful, has made an abundant pro vision for us and for our salvation in Jesus Christ, His Son, our Saviour. The science of God and His self-revelation of Himself in the sacred scriptures—God’s unique revelation to man—is of burning interest to all who know whom they have believed and are persuaded that the Lord is able to keep that which they have committed unto Him against that day. By Carl F. H. Henry, Th.D. T HE Christian message is a message for the whole man—for the mind and for the will and for the emotions—a message which centers in the glorious news that God is a merciful God, that He has provided in Jesus Christ a suffi cient provision for the sins of man, a forgiving God who, at tremendous cost, has purchased for us eternal salvation. I F God has not spoken, if He has given no sure witness of Himself, He has not clearly confronted man. If there is no sure divine message for this hour, then there is no sufficient reason for a ministry, there is no “good news” for the heart and mind weighed with the guilt of sin, there is no sure light for the world’s present darkness. But He has spoken! Some theologians, tired at last of the conflicting babblings of men, are realizing anew that God has spoken. But, this neo-orthodox theology thinks God stuttered when He spoke. Our God is not a stuttering God; He speaks in accents clear and plain. B ECAUSE the Word of God is given, there is a divine message of redemp tion which we convey; there is a need for workers consecrated to the service of Christ Jesus the Saviour and the Lord of Life; there is the good news of salva tion for all who turn to God by faith; there is need as never before for theol ogy to point the way to the Light divine for the present darkness of a world at the end of its tether. God has spoken: that is the message. A holy God has spoken, and disclosed the desperate and sinful lostness of man. But this God has spoken mercifully; He provides salva tion in Christ Jesus our substitute. These are the good tidings; without them, the church has no message; be cause of them, she has a mission. Page Nine M A R C H , 1 9 4 8 MY CONVERSION from Mo rmonism entrance into heaven in my own right eousness. I may say just here that when we had decided to go to church, which we did, and to the Mormon Church, it did not satisfy us. There was still some thing lacking. We needed to know the Lord Jesus as our personal Saviour, but of course up to this time we knew nothing of Him or of His power to save. The Saturday night came when “ First Mate Bob and the Crew of the Good Ship Grace” were in Escondido. (Up to this time, to my knowledge, I had never attended any other church service than that of the Mormons.) The church was packed when we arrived, but we were successful in getting a seat on the plat form. First Mate Bob gave his testi mony, then the quartet sang songs of Jesus. Oh, how it thrilled me when they began to sing! Then one by one the boys gave their testimony of what God had done for them, and I realized that they had something I did not have. When the service was over, they gave the in vitation for anyone to accept Jesus Christ as Saviour. I was so much under conviction that tears were running down my cheeks. That night I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Sa viour. I was born again of the Spirit of God. The Mormon missionary girls were still coming to our home instructing my wife. I sensed something was wrong with the Mormon doctrines, but I could not understand what it was. The day was approaching when my wife was to be baptized into the Mormon Church, and we set a date to meet with some of the Mormon elders and missionaries for a certain morning at our home. In the meantime, I heard that a Chris tian evangelist was coming to. San Di ego to hold some meetings, and I wrote him that if there was anything we could do to help him while he was in San Diego, to call on us and we would be glad to do what we could for him. The following week I received a letter from him telling me he would be at a friend’s home in San Diego, and that on a cer tain morning about ten o’clock I could call for him there, and he would come to our home to discuss some things with us. We had already arranged with the Mormons for a meeting on this same morning, and we did not know what to do. We decided to call the Mormons and tell them that the evangelist would be at our home the same morning we had planned a meeting with them, and we invited them to come and meet him. The president of the Mormon mission aries said that he could not say for certain whether they would be able to come, but if they could, it would be about nine o’clock. The morning arrived, and we. were waiting for the Mormons to come. Nine o’clock came, then nine-thirty; still the Mormons did not arrive. At nine forty- five, I had to leave to call for the evan gelist, and my wife and I concluded that the Mormons were not coming. (Continued Next Month) T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S By Einar Anderson The First Part of the Moving Personal Testimony of a Business Man I WAS born in Utah in 1909, and like countless thousands, I was brought up in the religion of my people. I was taught to accept the Mor mon faith as the true Church of Jesus Christ, and was baptized at the age of eight. We lived in Utah until I came to California with my sister in 1926. Up to that time, I hardly knew of any de nomination other than Mormonism. I was taught that my salvation depended on being baptized, obedience to the or dinances of the gospel (so-called by the Mormons), and a life of good works, and I considered myself very fortunate to be a Mormon. In California I was soon meeting oth ers belonging to other denominations who believed the same thing, and then I reasoned with myself: “What difference does it make what a person belie.ves as long as he does the best he can? What more does God expect?” As time went on, I became very rest less, would work only a few months here and there, and then would move on to some other place. There was something lacking in my life, and I could not imagine what it was. I never knew any thing about the Lord Jesus Christ who died for my sins. I was never taught that I was a sinner and needed a Sa viour. I began to plunge into the things of the world,- trying to satisfy a longing in my soul. My brother William, who had come to California in the meantime and who like myself was reared a Mormon, also real ized that his life lacked something, and he began to read the Bible for himself. As he read, he came to see himself a poor lost sinner, and he cried out to God to save him, and God heard him, and saved him. No human instrument was used in his salvation. The Holy Spirit brought him under conviction, and through the reading of the Word of God he was saved. He began to talk to me about the. things of the Lord, but could not tell me how to be saved except to read the Bible myself. I was interested, because I believed the Bible to be the Word of God. As time went on, I met my wife. She was a Catholic, but that did not matter to me. I thought that now that I had met my wife, and was in love with her, this was probably what had been so lacking in my life. But, after we were married a short time, although we were very happily married, I realized that there was still something definitely lack ing in both our lives. We went to dances Page Ten and shows and, although we enjoyed these pleasures at the time, we were not satisfied. One evening I asked my wife: “ Hon ey, what is it all about? Isn’t there something to life beside just working, eating, and trying to have a good time?” She suggested that we attend church on Sundays and see if we would not be better satisfied. I then proceeded to make a good Mormon out of my wife, and we started to attend Sunday school. I had two Mormon missionary girls come to our home every Monday night to in struct my wife in what to believe and do to become a Mormon. Meantime I had subscribed to a Chris tian magazine. My brother William had encouraged me to take it, and I read for the first time a message on the new birth, and I became deeply interested. At this time, I had a baker working for me who was a Christian, and he told me what a change had come into his Jife when he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. I invited him to our home, and he told me about a group of boys known as “ First Mate Bob and the Crew of the Good Ship Grace,” who had held meetings in San Diego that he attended, and how through their minis try he had come to know Christ as his Saviour. He then told me they were coming to the First Baptist Church in Escondido, California, about two weeks hence, and my wife and I decided to go and hear them. During this time I was coming under conviction. I wondered about God and the hereafter, and whether there was any way for a person to know for sure about eternity. I was very miserable, and did not care whether I lived or died. Then- one day I picked up the Bible my brother had given me, and I hap pened to open to the Gospel of Matthew, at the 7th chapter, and read these verses: “ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” I said, “ 0 Lord, I guess I am lost.” I could see the broad way leading to destruction, and I had been taught that we could be saved only by baptism and a life of good works; and here I read that only a few people in comparison to the multitudes would be saved. So I said to myself that I surely must be lost., I realized then that I could not merit the All Christians should beware of the sin of A numuô un d -Su p p h iru By VANCE HAVNER AS RECORDED in the first four f - \ chapters of the Book of Acts, the early church rolled along tri umphantly for a time, but it soon en countered trouble within as well as with out. The fifth chapter begins signifi cantly with the word, “ But . . .” Let those who sigh for the “ good old days” remember that even the first church was For Thee all the follies of sin I resign;” who never dream of actually making such a surrender to God! Consider how we invite God to “have Thine own way,” to “ hold o’er our beings absolute sway,” when there is not the faintest intention of thus submitting to His will. We have had courses in stewardship galore and have been told countless times that we are “not our own” but that we are “ bought with a price,” yet for all that, we withhold from God our time, talent, money and, above all, ourselves. Observe how the matter of lying to the Holy Spirit was dealt with. By the »grace of God, the church rose to the situation and cleaned house, exhibiting a holy and healthy intolerance of sin. Here was such a fever heat of consecration that men with falsehoods on their lips could not stand it. The temperature was high enough to kill the germs! If the church of today would take such a stand against the sins within it and would thunder like Peter against lying to the Holy Ghost, the world would retreat re spectfully to a safe distance, and the fear of God would fall on a generation that now laughs at holy things. But sin has been excused and pampered until liars, divorcees and hypocrites fill church offices and seem never to have heard that those who bear the vessels of the Lord must be clean. We read that, following the death of Ananias and Sapphira, great fear came upon the church and all that heard; many signs and wonders were wrought; some dared not join the church; but the people magnified them and believers were the more added to the Lord, multi tudes both of men and women. Such con sequences would again follow such pro cedure but of course nobody wants to risk it these days. Discipline has disap peared from the church. There is a lot of sickly sentiment about the sinning in dividual. The other side of the truth, that the body of the church must be pro tected from the individual when that person becomes a source of infection, is forgotten. Paul, in his drastic action in Corinth, had in mind the welfare of the whole church. Of course, the sinner must be restored when duly repentant and all action against him must be taken in love. But a weak tolerance of sin has filled our churches with liars against the Holy Ghost. The world has lost its awe of the church; it now slaps the church on the back in rude familiarity and all too often “ church” has become merely another club to join along with civic societies and fra ternal orders. There was a three-fold reaction to the death of Ananias and Sapphira: some durst not join the church; but the people magnified them; multitudes of believers were added to the Lord (Acts 5:13, 14). Along with rebuffing the superficial came the drawing of the saved. The law of at traction works both ways. The thorn re pels; the rose charms. The rich young ruler was attracted, then repelled. A holy church that knows how to deal with Ananias and Sapphira will repulse some and entice others. Today the sole empha sis is on attraction. We enter the show business and make ourselves ridiculous, trying to lure the world into the church. The house of God needs first to be a dreadful place before it can be a delight ful place. The best way to deal with Ananias and Sapphira is to start with ourselves. “ Let a man examine himself.” Each one of us should ask, “ Is there any of this sin in me?” Believers may grieve the Spirit, may quench the Spirit, may lie to the Spirit. We are not our own, we are bought with a price. All things are ours but us, and we are His. Yet how many Christians do you know who think of themselves merely as stewards of God? Some give Him a tip, and call it a tithe, as though the nine-tenths were their own. Of course Ananias and Sapphira were not obliged to give up all their pos sessions and to place the price in the common fund, and neither are we. It was and is a voluntary matter. But to pre tend to do it and not do it is the sin that God marked with sudden death. Is it not equally sinful to profess a full sur render which we have not made? I do not hear much today about this startling incident in the early church. I suppose the liberalists have some way of accounting for it other than by the fearful facts of the case. But I do not hear much about it from the orthodox. Of course the Book of Acts gets a lot of letting alone from the saints. Much about it is most disturbing; our pale copy to day is so weak that much of the original is not discernible at all. The modernists stay in the gospels and the fundamental ists sometimes do not get started well until they reach Romans. But Acts gives us the norm. There is where the move ment started and, no matter how em barrassing some of it may be when compared with our modern version, we had better face up to it. We need some preaching about Ananias and Sapphira and lying to the Holy Ghost. Any lesson that God illustrates as fearfully as He did this deserves our earnest consider ation. If we had the holy intolerance of sin here manifest, we might also share in the aftermath of blessing, of multi tudes added to the Lord. Page Eleven Dr. Vance Havner not an untroubled brotherhood. What with the murmuring of the Grecians, the break between Paul and Barnabas, Paul’s “run-in” with Peter, the fuss be tween Euodias and Syntyche and the Gorinthian schisms, to say nothing of the failings of the churches in Asia as de scribed in Revelation, the New Testa ment is no record of unbroken harmony. There were liars aplenty in Jerusalem but Ananias and Sapphira had this dis tinction that they were liars in the church. What made this sin so grievous that two lives were snuffed out as an eternal warning to all saints of all time? It did not lie in their giving part of the price or in keeping part of it : that they had a perfect right to do. It did consist in feigning that the part was the whole; it was a pretense of full sur render which in reality had not been made. If God struck dead all who so lie to the Holy Ghost today, many a sanc tuary would be filled with corpses! Think of the multitudes who sing, “My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine, M A R C H , I 9 4 8
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