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Dedicated to the spiritual development of the Christian home T1 n o P C i n g ® B u s i n e s A PUBLICATION OF BIOLA SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, INC. Louis T. Talbot, Chancellor • S. H. Sutherland, President • Ray A, Myers, Board Chairman *Vol. 58, No. 7 • JULY, in the year of our Lord 1967 • Established 1910 A r t i a l e s THE CALENDAR OF GOD — Vanee Havner .................................... T
THE SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN — William S. Deal ........................ 10 DEPRESSION: THE CAUSE AND CURE — Tim LaHaye ................. 11 WHY I CANNOT BE A JEHOVAH'S WITNESS — Robert Mignard 13 A CHURCH CAN HELP ITS PASTOR — David D. Allen ............. 16 BURDEN, DEDICATION, REALIZATION — Karl H. Hummel ...... 18 CHILDREN IN THE CHRISTIAN HOME — Gerald Gooden ........... 25 LOVE THY NEIGHBOR — Sandra Harms ........................................ 34 THE NEW SCOFIELD REFERENCE BIBLE — Charles L. Feinberg ............................................................ ■— 36
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR — Samuel H. Sutherland ............... 4 OVER A CUP OF COFFEE — Joyce Landorf ...................................... 22 DR. TALBOT'S QUESTION BOX — Louis T. Talbot ........................ 24 TALKING IT OVER — Clyde M. Narramore .................................... 26 BOOK REVIEWS — Arnold D. Ehlert .................................................. 30 CULTS CRITIQUE — Betty Bruechert .................................................. 32 SCIENCE AND THE BIBLE — Bolton Davidheiser ............................. 33 CHRISTIAN WORKERS CLINIC — C. Chester Larson .................... 38 C o l u m n s PEOPLE IN THE.NEWS .......................................................................... 6 READER REACTION ..................... ............................................................ 31 PRESENTING THE MESSAGE ................................................................. 35
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Includes • 24 hour nursing care • private or semi private room • special diet • reasonable rates • one level • air conditioning • physician of your choice For availability, w rite o r phone M iss Junette Johnson, H ospital A dm inistrator ALLIANCE CONVALESCENT m m HOSPITAL 1505 COLBY DR. AT MISSION R0. GLENDALE, CA. 91205 PHONE (213) 247-4476 A M inistry of the Christian & Missionary Alliance
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BILL EHM ANN: Advertising and Production Manager EDITORIAL BOARD: B ill Bynum, Bolton Davidheiser, A rnold D. Ehlert, Charles L. Feinberg, James O. Henry, Martha S. Hooker E R 2 ^ EVANGELICAL PRESS ASSOCIATION
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION — "The King's Business" is published monthly. U.S., its possessions, and Canada, $3.00 one year; $1.50 six months, 30 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. W rite for details. Foreign subscription 75 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of address to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. REMITTANCES — Should be made by bank draft, express, or post office money order payable to "The King's Business."
ADVERTISING— for inform ation address the Advertising Manager, The King's Business, 13800 Biola Ave., La Mirada, California 90638. MANUSCRIPTS— "The King's Business" cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts mailed to us for consideration. Second-class postage paid in La Mirada, Calif. Additional entry offices in Los Angeles, California. Printed in U.S.A. by Church Press, Glendale, California. ADDRESS: The Kina's Business, 13800 Biola Ave., La Mirada, California 90638.
JULY, 1967
a message from m k the editor Ä
WHERE CAN A JEW FIND CHRIST?
On street corners, in homes, in shops, and in our witnessing' cen ters, our workers faith fully proclaim the story of redemption'accord ing to Moses and the prophets, and the gos pel message from the New Testament, and Jews are finding the Saviour. For help in witnessing, or for your own spiritual need, write to: Rev. A. A. MacKinney G eneral Director Am erican M essianic Fellowship 7448 N. Dam en Avenue, Chicago, III. 6 06 45 generous income, and to determine with certainty the disposal after their death of that which the Lord entrusted to their stewardship without delays, deductions, inheritance taxes, and probate court costs.
A Jewish boy accepted a tract, "Isaiah's Por trait of Messiah" and immediately asked, "Can you tell me more about this?" There on a street corner in Chicago a 12 year old boy listened intently to the skillful presentation of the Scriptures and ac cepted Jesus Christ as his Messiah and Sav iour. A middle-aged Jew ess, after hearing the gospel for several years at Miami Beach called and said, "I am terribly distressed! Please come over. I must find the Lord today."
%
BY DR. SAMUEL H. SUTHERLAND PRESIDENT, BIOLA SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, INC.
C 0 C U
J n t h e M a y 5 issue o f The Los Angeles Times a news item ap peared entitled, "Ten Churches Approve Drafting Plan o f Union.” It was a report o f a meeting in Cambridge, Massachu setts, composed o f delegates from ten Protestant denominations and called "Consultation on Church Union” (COCU ) COCU is merely another attempt on the part o f Ecumenicists in the various denominations to bring about a church union regardless o f the costs in principles and convictions o f Bible-believing, dedi cated laymen and clergymen alike in the participating denomi nations. Incidentally, the participating denominations include the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the Christian Churches (Disciples o f Christ), the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, the Evan gelical United Brethren Church,, the Methodist Church, the Pres byterian Church in the U.S., (Southern), the Protestant Episco pal Church, the United Church o f Christ, and the United Presby terian Church U.S.A. The leaders o f this movement "would hope that other churches would join us as soon as possible so as to share fully in the preparation o f the plan.” This is not the time or place to enter into an extended study o f the proposed merger o f these ten Protestant denomination^ but suffice it to say that any union o f the above-named group will have to consist o f a theological mish-mash o f the worst type. It is quite readily admitted that such a United Church "will con stantly remind itself o f the divisive dangers in verbal confession- and intellectual formulations.” It is stated further that "it will not permit the use o f any single confession as an exclusive re quirement for all or as a basis for divisions within the new community.” The great doctrines o f the infallibility o f the Bible, the virgin birth, the vicarious atonement o f our Lord Jesus Christ and His bodily resurrection, may be believed by members o f the union, but it is not necessary to believe them in order to be or dained into the union as a preacher or to become a member o f one o f the churches o f the union. These must not be insisted upon as a basis o f membership either for laymen or the- clergy. Many or most o f the other major doctrines found in the Word o f God
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4
THE KING'S BUSINESS
either will be completely discarded or so minimized that they will become o f no consequence whatever in the teaching and preaching o f the clergy in tjie great united church. It is not difficult to imagine the complete confusion and frustration that the average Bible-believing laymen will encounter when he dis covers that the minister who has come to his church believes none o f those things which he holds near and dear. One is at a loss to understand the thinking (if any) o f these ecumenical leaders who openly would defy their ordination vows and willfully vio late all o f the doctrinal teachings o f our Lord Jesus Christ con cerning His person and His work in an effort to bring about a watered-down, and emaciated church union that stands for noth ing, helps nobody, and makes a travesty o f the testimony o f un told generations o f Christians from the days o f our Lord even down to the present time. Not only have these ecclesiastical leaders no doctrinal convic tions themselves, but they are making every possible effort to destroy the very convictions that have characterized the church o f Jesus Christ through the centuries and that have made some o f these very denominations such a potent factor in generations past in the life and times o f the people. Small wonder that the church today is considered so lightly by so many citizens! O f course, it is a sort o f a status symbol to belong to some church at the present time, but all too many church members have but a form o f godliness while they deny the power thereof. Older people are becoming more and more disillusioned and disturbed by the trends in their respective denominations. While spasmodic efforts have been made by individuals or groups o f individuals to purge the leaven out o f their denomination, without exception all such efforts have proven o f no avail. The voices o f such Prot estants are lost amid the hurrahs raised in behalf o f church union, ecumenicity, dialogue, interaction, and all such forms o f theological and ecclesiastical "togetherness” which sound very beautiful on the surface but which, when looked at in better perspective, are revealed to be a far cry indeed from that which our Lord declared the true church should be. "Thou art the Christ” said Peter, "Right” replied our Lord. "And upon this great foundation fact I will build my church and the gates o f hell shall not prevail against it.” The very word Church comes from the Greek word meaning the called-out ones. It appears more and more evident that the church o f the Lord Jesus Christ will be composed o f not only those who are called out from the world, but also those who are called out from the visible church. It appears that the organized denominations are becoming so identified with the things o f the world and with worldliness in general that the testimony has been practically lost to the cause o f our Lord Jesus Christ. In the days o f the early church, Roman religions had so degenerated that they were ac tually called the "ceremonies.” That is all they amounted to. (continued on page 38)
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tual understanding in marriage. Professor Jaeck has served as chairman-director o f the Minnesota Board of Parole and Probation. He has participated in various research and survey programs fo r the Nation al Council on Crime and Deliquency and the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administra tion o f Justice. Mrs. Jaeck has done professional writing, is active in speaking, church and club activities. She serves as a national representa tive fo r Christian Women’s Clubs of America. The Billy Graham school o f Evange lism in Kansas City, September 11- 15 is expected to attract 1000 pastors and seminary students. The program is a new idea in the Billy Graham crusades which was originally set up for seminary students at certain key meetings. The schools are now en larging to include pastors. Dr. John Frame, medical consultant for the Sudan Interior Mission, and other mission societies in New York City, is completing an extensive sur vey of the disease, infectious hepati- tus (including t h e better-known “ jaundice” which exists among many missionaries). Missionaries in select ed countries have aided Dr. Frame in outlining the trend and identifying its causes. Included in the survey are SIM areas o f Liberia, Upper Vol ta, Ethiopia, Sudan, Dehome, and Niger Republic, with Ethiopia hav ing the highest incidences. The rea son for increased frequency o f the disease among missionaries is not yet clear. The Evangelical Alliance Mission re ports a record number o f 113 candi date applications in 1966. Ninety of these requested regular appointment with the mission while 23 applied as associated workers. “ The most urgent need in TEAM fields today lies in the area o f child, youth, and adult evangelism,” says Don W. Hillis, associate director. The 22nd Annual Convention o f the National Sunday School Association will convene in Minneapolis, Minne sota, October 25-28, 1967. One of the largest registrations in the his tory o f the movement is expected. A special feature in the format o f the convention program will be t h e Saturday session for those unable to attend during the week-day events.
Dr. Milton C. Gould who has been di rector o f develop ment for Biola, re signed from serv ice due to continu ing poor health. He will be taking in- t e r i m pastorate w o r k throughout the Southern Cali
fornia area, in addition to hosting Biola’s 4th Annual Family Bible Conference on the La Mirada Cam pus, June 25 through July 1. Dr. Ben S. Elson, executive director o f Wycliffe Bible Translators, an nounced the new membership goals of the organization to include eight thousand translators and support personnel by 1985. (Present mem bership totals 1,875.) Some 75% of the members sought in the long-range recruitment plan are expected to come from North America, according to Dr. Elson and Wycliffe Co-Founder W. Cameron Townsend. “ The purpose o f this pro gram is to make potential candidates aware of the tremendous opportuni ties for Christian service with the Wycliffe Bible Translators,” Dr. El son said. “ It is intended to challenge these people with the important task of providing the Scriptures fo r all people who do not have them, as soon as possible.” Mr. Thomas "Ed" Steele, formerly di rector o f radio and extension for Biola Schools and Colleges, Inc., was appointed South American Repre sentative fo r the organization at a recent meeting o f the school’s Board o f Directors. He is stationed in Quito, Ecuador and is on the staff of HCJB. Gordon and Dorothea Jaeck have CO- authored the book entitled, I Take Thee released by Zondervan Pub lishing House o f Grand Rapids. Mr. Jaeck is chairman o f the department o f sociology and anthropology at Wheaton College. Concerned with the art o f successful marriage, I Take Thee scrutinizes the gamut o f emo tions that fill a marriage — the de lights and difficulties of early mar riage, perplexing decisions, the frus tration o f childlessness, joys and re sponsibilities of parenthood. It is in tended to serve as a personal guide to develop practical purpose and mu Ur. Gould m
With the Magic Secret Point Writes on most anything LINDY PEN C O ., N o.H ollyw ood, C a lif. 91605, U .S.A
6
THE KING'S BUSINESS
W hen I WAS A BOY growing up in the country, one o f the bright spots at the end o f the year was the arrival of the new almanac for the coming twelve months. It had stories, jokes and farming information and it predicted the weather for fifty- two weeks to come. How the forecaster could mus ter enough courage to guess about the Fourth of July when it was not yet New Year’s Day was a wonder to me, especially since the average weather prophet cannot hit it right twenty-four hours ahead. But anyway it was an interesting almanac and by the end of the year it was a well-worn and much-thumbed volume. In our homes there lies a Bible and therein is the calendar of God but most of us know far less about it than we knew about our almanacs back on the farm. The Bible may be a best-seller but that can be made to mean too much: most people who own one know almost nothing about what is in it. Least o f all do they know how to tell what time it is and to know the seasons in the Heavenly Almanac. The Bible has much to say about “times and seasons.” Of course, the four seasons of the year are the creation of God. When He set the rainbow in the sky after the flood, He said, “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease.” In his words to the people of Lystra, Paul spoke of “ the living God” who “ gave us fruit ful seasons.” I would not like to live, if I could, where there is only one season, for God has or dained variety and there is a sermon in every change of the year. There are historical and spiritual seasons too. Some of them we cannot understand for our Lord said, “ It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in His own power” (Acts 1 :7). But Paul wrote to the Thessa- lonians, “ But of the times and the seasons, breth ren, ye have no need that I write unto you” (I Thess. 5 :1). To the church at Rome he wrote, “ And that knowing the time . . . or THE SEASON . . . that now it is high time to awake out of sleep” (Rom. 18:11). We can know what time it is in the calendar of God and although we cannot prophesy the details of His program, we can know when it is autumn for the sinner and springtime for the saint. The prophet Jeremiah lived through the de cline and fall o f God’s chosen people. He said, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jer. 8:20). What a long winter they have had! But our Lord told us that when we see
THE CALENDAR OF GOD
by Dr. Vance Havner
JULY, 1967
7
the fig tree begin to bud. we know that summer is now nigh at hand (Luke 21:29, 30). We are see ing today the national budding o f Israel and the long winter is showing signs of spring. The most patriotic nation on earth is Israel and her spokes men are aflame with strange devotion which they themselves do not understand for only God’s Cal endar which they do not accept as yet can explain the new “ season” in Palestine. Autumn is a season o f sadness. The poet wrote: “The melancholy days have come, The saddest of the year.” There is a wistfulness about the passing sum mer, the departing birds, the falling leaves. There comes a day when the wild duck on a Canadian lake feels the hint of eoming frost in the air and something tells him to start to sunnier climes. The tiny warbler knows when the day comes to fly from New York to South America, from autumn to spring-time. The beasts and birds and bees can learn what they need to know but man, for all his boasted intelligence, cares little when the summer is ended, the harvest past and that still he is not saved. No wonder Isaiah said, “ The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.” We are living in the autumn if not the early winter of this age. Paul Harvey, the commentator, wrote a fine book, Autumn of Liberty. To him the season of liberty is passing, not only behind the Iron Curtain where winter’s night already reigns, but even in America where little by little the free dom for which our fathers fought is fast departing. We are so busy making money and spending it, gambling on give-away shows and taking tran- quilizing pills, that we are unaware o f the change of season. If it was autumn when Paul Harvey wrote the book, it must be early winter now. Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death.” Today, somebody has remarked, we only say, “Gimme!” And while we are busy getting and grabbing, our liberties stealthily are stolen from us. The few voices that still cry out are disregard ed. It is not a day for statesmen and prophets but for diplomats and politicians. Civilization heads for its blackest winter. We have reached that “ perplexity,” the state of hav ing our way, which our Saviour prophesied (Luke
21:25). To use His own figure of speech, the car case awaits the vultures (Luke 17:37). The world is sick and we are treating the symptoms, not the disease. The operation may be brilliant but the patient dies. To all our problems today—nuclear, race, juvenile delinquency, war—there is no hu man solution. We may temporarily alleviate some of the distress with diplomatic aspirin and eco nomic happy pills but the case is beyond us. We do not understand God’s calendar. The peo ple of Noah’s day were eating and drinking, marry ing and giving in marriage AND KNEW NOT until the flood came and took them all away. We are told that when they shall say, “ Peace and safety (or security),” then sudden destruction cometh (I Thess. 5 :3 ). No two words are more often on our tongues today than peace and security, and we have neither. The season has changed in the religious world. Regimentation and standardization have steam rollered us into a faceless uniformity. There are many politicians and few prophets. The four hun dred false prophets bid Ahab go up against Ramoth-gilead but if a Micaiah should dare to be a lone dissenter, he will fare on bread and water. The man who would rise in the face of all this, determined to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made Him free, would be classed an “odd number,” non-co-operative and unchristian. We have mentioned Jeremiah who lamented the end of the season. Never forget that it was the false prophets who preached peace and serenity in his day. Jeremiah would be regarded a neurotic today, a disturber of the peace and an enemy of morale as indeed he was considered in his own time (Jer. 38:4). Today we are lulled into false serenity by religious fads and chemically by tran- quilizing drugs. A spirit of deep sleep is poured out upon us as in Isaiah’s day. No wonder Paul writes, “And that KNOWING THE SEASON, it is HIGH TIME TO AWAKE OUT OF SLEEP.” It is not considered good taste to cry out against the times, to condemn false creeds and evil conduct. Both Amos in the Old Testament and Paul in the New called their day an evil time and our Lord tesr tified against His generation that its works were evil. They were right and we are still reading them while the happiness boys of their day have long since been forgotten.
THE KING'S BUSINESS
It is autumn in the world today. The harvest is past, the summer ended and men are not saved. God is taking out a people for His Name but there are more heathen than ever. They are all around us. One does not have to go to South America to see the equivalent of Auca Indians. We are in the midst of them. They are just as blind, just as lost and just as indifferent to God . . . and they wear just as few clothes! They appear gay but when the effect of the cocktails wears off and they scrape off their paint, they are as miserable a lot as ever trod this vale of tears. It is autumn in this world. The amazing thing about God’s calendar is that two seasons run concurrently. Jesus said that as the budding of the fig-tree meant that summer was nigh, “ so likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.” He also said, “And when these things [signs in the sky, distress of nations, per plexity, men’s hearts failing them for fear] begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” With the Christian the season is exactly the reverse of this world. When it is autumn in the world, it is springtime for the church. When it is night for the world, it is day for the Christian. We do not read that “ the day is far spent, the night is at hand” but that “ the night is far spent, the day is at hand.” Our Lord says our redemption draws nigh and Paul declares that our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The watchman on the wall said, “ The morning cometh and also the night.” What is a sad day for the world is a glad day for the believer. Headlines mean one thing to the sin ner, another to the saint. The Christian does not rejoice over bad news because it is bad but because it means that the situation has become so hopeless that only the Lord’s return can solve the riddle. If it is springtime on God’s calendar for the Christian when it is autumn for the world, the season should prevail in our hearts. The Song of Solomon sets forth in application the love of Christ and His church. There is a springtime passage: “My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away, For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth ; the time of the sing ing of birds is come, and the voice o f the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her
green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair-one, and come away” (2:10-13). Christmas Evans, the great Welsh preacher, was riding along on horseback on his way to preach when God convicted him of a cold heart. He teth ered his horse, went into the woods and prayed for four hours until he felt as if his spirit were “ rising up from the grave of a hard winter.” Today is a day o f air-conditioning but there is no push-button gadget that will change the heart from winter to spring. Evangelical Christianity needs nothing to day more than a change of seasons in its soul. We need to break up our fallow ground. Revival changes the season in the heart and in the church, Ephesus in Revelation was orthodox and busy but winter was in its heart. Christians have no business living in spiritual winter. The righteous man is not season al ; he is perennial: “His leaf also shall not wither.” We do not change ourselves by going South in the winter. We need to get alone like Christmas Evans and wait on God until there is a breaking up with in and springtime comes to the heart. Of all people, the sinner needs most to read God’s calendar: “ The harvest is past, the summer is ended and we are not saved.” I can remember a country preacher of my boyhood days who held forth in the little country church on the closing night of his meetings with this sad and ominous text. I still recall his earnestness for he sensed an emergency and it gave him urgency such as one does not often see today. I have wished that I might recover more of the impelling sense o f crisis that set him beside himself as he warned the impeni tent. I have longed that this blase modem gen eration might wake up to the shortness of time and the vastness of eternity. It seems a light thing today not to be saved. Hell has been smiled away and judgment made a myth. In its place there grows a frivolous notion that God will take care of us all anyway whether we repent or not. Our Lord had no such light view of the doom of the ungodly and died to spare us the horrors of eter nity without God. Some of us feel that He may now be gathering in one last crop o f souls before He rings down the curtain. How good that it is still the day of salvation but how alarmingly im portant that we turn to the Saviour before the last page turns in the calendar of God! Q¥|
9
JULY, 1967
by Dr. William S. Deal Evangelist, Author, and Professional Counselor
C h r i s t i a n SUCCESS in life is more than a fair dream; it can be come a gloriously radiant reality, if only we will allow Christian princi ples to become fully operative in our lives. God told Joshua that if he would adhere to certain principles which he had laid down for him, “ Then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good suc cess” (Josh. 1 :8 ). Just as fo r Joshua there was “ good success” awaiting if he adhered to the Lord’s direc tions, so for the Christian today there awaits spiritual prosperity in his life for Christ if he does the same. Real Christian success depends largely upon the extent to which each person is willing to allow Jesus Christ to reign in his heart. By background and national heritage and tradition, Americans are a fierce ly democratic people. They bow down to no man, and accept the dic tatorship o f none in their personal affairs. By national temperament we are a freedom-loving people. But de spite this, Christians must bow to the absolute rule o f Jesus Christ. So long as one remains unwilling to do this, he is not a true Christian. Jesus Christ is no mere man, elect ed by the whims of a vote to hold a temporary office, to be ousted from office if His policies do not please us. He is King o f kings and Lord o f lords and He shall reign forever and forever. Our English word Lord is derived from a Greek word which means Master — as a master of slaves in ancient times. It suggests sovereignty, total Lordship, complete dominion and absolute rule. Christ, the Deliverer and Saviour, becomes the Christian’s Lord and Master, the one to whom total commitment and absolute obedience are due forever. He becomes the Lord of life, and all activity should conform to His bless
ed will and life’s pattern fo r us. All Christians know the above truth o f the Creed and often express it in confession and word, but do we always practice it in actual life? Are our actions in daily living a con stant confession o f our belief, or do they sometimes discredit it? No one can be a worthy subject o f this great Eternal King until he takes God’s Word as a real and lasting part of him. By our works we must demon strate our submission and obedience to Christ’s claims and commands. As our King, Christ has give us freely o f His love, and with it power and grace in forgiveness and cleans ing. In turn we must give something back to Him in a life committed ab solutely and forever to Him and His great eternal purposes in our lives. This is the inner side o f successful Christian living. The outer side has to do with Christ-like behavior and service to our fellowmen. We serve Christ best outwardly as we carry out His pur pose fo r men in serving them as His servants and ambassadors. Our love fo r Him compels us to witness to others, to live before them this sur rendered and laid-down life o f devo tion. This we do, not to impress men o f our saintliness, nor even to show them the good profession of our faith, but rather because the love of God constrains one to do his best for all men, both fo r their current bene fit, and ultimate good. It is our way o f showing God’s love to all men — doing good to them, both because we love God and because in turn, we love all men. When Christianity breaks down at this crucial point, it fails in its highest and grandest mission to men. When will Christians see that Christianity is not merely a re ligion to be enjoyed personally, as so many weak, immature and narrow Christians mistakenly seem to think? It is a religion to be shared with all
men everywhere. The idea of enjoy ing personal religion, while certainly to be seen on the pages o f the New Testament, is by no means promi nent. But the idea o f witnessing, sharing Christianity, and winning others leaps up at one on almost every page! This is the sad stumblingblock in so many would-be Christian lives. Some will accept this bit o f Scrip ture or that part o f the Sermon on the Mount, some o f the parables or Beatitudes, but prefer not to go along with the total commitment to Christ’s all-out commands in the New Testament. They wish to be numbered with His followers, but prefer not to be constant cross-bear ers, especially not that part o f it which means separation from the world and total dedication to the sacrifice o f the ultimate self-life to God’s glory alone. Because o f these faulty concepts and poor living, they constitute the weak spots in the Christian pattern, and become the stumblingblocks in sinners’ way. Take a closer look at yourself, read er. Stop measuring your Christianity by other anemic Christians. Compare your life with Christ’s and see where there needs to be improvement. Yes, being a really successful Christian means total commitment to Jesus Christ — to all He is, in purity and love, and to all He desires in our lives laid down at His feet for sacrifice and service to Him. We no longer accept merely the teachings o f Christ, but His Person; we live no more merely for Christ, but a Spirit-filled life in Christ. He be comes not only Saviour, Friend and Guide, but a living, vital out-flowing power in our lives, yearning, long ing, witnessing, working, daily to win and form others into His blessed image. This is successful Christian living at its best. God grant each o f us grace so to live! QQj]
10
THE KING'S BUSINESS
DEPRESSION:
The Cause and Cure
P a r t II
by Tim F. LaHaye, Pastor Scott Memorial Baptist Church San Diego, California
S ince depression is a universal experience, it is worth our time to examine its basic causes. T emperament T endencies Although depression is common to all tempera ment types, there is none that is so vulnerable to this problem as the melancholy temperament. Mr. Melancholy can go into longer and deeper periods of depression than either o f his fellows. Mr. San guine can be depressed for a brief period of time, but since he is so susceptible to his immediate en vironment, as soon as he has a change of environ ment, he experiences a change o f mood. Thus a cheerful companion coming on the scene can trans form his mood of depression into one of joy. Mr. Choleric is a perennial optimist and looks with such disdain upon depression because of its impractical resultant apathy that he does not ordinarily become a slave to it. He is not overly occupied with him self, but has long range goals and plans which more than occupy his mind in the field o f pro ductivity, which is not conducive to depression. Mr. Phlegmatic would probably rate second in de pressive tendencies among the four temperament types, though his periods of depression would not be as frequent nor as deep as the melancholy type because of his basic cheerful nature and his sense of humor. It should be borne in mind, however, that we are not one solid temperament type; there fore, if a person is predominantly phlegmatic with some melancholy tendencies, he is going to be vul nerable to depression. If he is a combination of choleric with some melancholy, again he will ex perience depression. Thus we see why it is impera tive to understand the universal aspect o f de pression.
There are three reasons why Mr. Melancholy has the problem of depression more than others. 1. His greatest weakness is self-centeredness. Everything in his life is related to self. He spends a great deal of his time in self-examination. Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones states the following: “The fundamental trouble with these people is that they are not always careful to draw the line of demar cation between self-examination and introspection. We all agree that we should examine ourselves, but we also agree that introspection and morbidity are bad. But what is the difference between examining oneself and becoming introspective? I suggest that we cross the line from self-examination to intro spection when, in a sense, we do nothing but exam ine ourselves, and when such self-examination be comes the main and chief end in our life.” Essen tially then, the difference would be that self-exami nation is commendable when it results in doing something about that which has been discovered. Self-examination for its own sake is introspection, which produces depression. 2. Mr. Melancholy is a perfectionist; there fore, he finds it easy to criticize not only others, but himself. No person can become so distressed with his own work as Mr. Melancholy. The fact that it is far better than either of the other temperament types means nothing to him. That it does not meas ure up to his supreme standard of perfection both ers him and causes him to become depressed at what he considers his own failure. Psychologists tell us that a melancholy person is often prone to be over-conscientious. Dr. Cramer expresses it this way: “ The depressive takes life too seriously. He has a narrow range of interests,
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JULY, 1967
develops a meticulous devotion to duty, and is pre occupied with the smallest, most insignificant de tails. Combined with these traits there is often a compelling drive for the highest possible degree of success and excellence. The depressed person can put out a surprising amount of constructive work and assume a great deal of responsibility. He accomplishes this by driving himself ruthlessly. He is a slave driver for getting results; he brags of his accomplishments, prides himself that his work cannot be duplicated, that no one else could possi bly take his place, that his efforts are indispensa ble; his drive for power and control, his lack of appreciation for the feelings of others make him almost impossible to get along with.” Thus we see that even when he reaches his standard of perfec tion, he can become disagreeable, unlovable, and unappreciated which throws him into a fit of depression. 3. A perfectionist has a tendency to be un realistic, both toward himself and others. He seems incapable of adjusting to the demands made upon him by changes in the course of life. For instance, a very active person at church—one who teaches a Sunday school class, directs youth group, and is active in the calling program—may not recog nize that duties at home also demand his attention. Certainly the standard of Christian service at church is higher for the single person or young married couple without children than for a young mother with three small children. Home responsi bilities, of course, should not be offered as an ex cuse for lack of church attendance, but the cur tailment of some Christian activities should not cause Mrs. Melancholy to feel that she is forsaking her spiritual service, or that she is a success as a mother but a failure as a Christian. The truth of the matter is, she is not a success as a Chris tian until she is a success as a mother. The person who already has an overloaded schedule must either neglect his family or shirk some responsibility (which makes the perfection ist guilt-stricken) when taking on additional duties. Happy is the man who knows his limita tions and refuses to accept another responsibility unless he can complete the one for which he is presently accountable. It is far better to do a good job of a few things than a poor job of many things. This is particularly true of a conscientious person with perfectionist tendencies, for unless he does his best, he will never be satisfied with his accom plishments. Dissatisfaction with one’s accomplish ments often leads to depression. H yprocrisy L eads T o D epression The average Christian who attends a Bible- teaching church soon learns the standards o f the Christian life. If he attacks his weaknesses ex ternally rather than by the control of the Holy
Spirit working from within, he may become de pressed. Suppose a man has a problem with resent ment, bitterness and hostility. He soon learns that this is not the standard of spirituality for the Christian. Unless he handles this matter on a per sonal basis between him and God, he will try to solve it by the power of self-control. To control anger by the force of one’s will is not only futile, but it will lead to an explosion somewhere in the body—high blood pressure, heart trouble, ulcers, colitus, or a myriad of other maladies or it* may result in a belated explosion. The frustration that follows an angry reaction to a given situation leads to depression. A true cure for these problems must come from within through the power of the Holy Spirit. P hysical P roblems Physical problems can lead to depression. When ever a person is weak, even simple difficulties are magnified. This can be avoided in physical weak ness when one bears in mind the principle given by the Apostle Paul in II Corinthians 12:9-10, “When I am weak, then am I strong.” Paul knew that the grace o f God was sufficient for a Chris tian after a severe illness or at any other time in his Christian experience. I have observed that individuals can become depressed when there is a mineral or vitamin de ficiency. I am told that Vitamin B is the nerve vitamin, the complete absence of which can make a person nervous, which in turn may lead to frus tration and depression. It is also apparent that some women suffer a hormone deficiency when going through the change of life, and this deficien cy often produces depression. Before a person at tributes all of his depression to spiritual reasons, physical causes should be investigated by their physician; however, most people are inclined to attribute their depression to physical problems rather than face the fact that it is spiritually and emotionally induced. T he D evil Most Bible teachers remind us that the devil can oppress a Christian even if he does not in dwell or possess him. It is true that some Chris tians seemingly have been depressed by the devil. Personally, I am not overly impressed with this reason because the Bible tells us, “He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world.” There fore, if a Christian is depressed by the devil, it is because he is not “abiding in Christ” or is not “ filled with the Holy Spirit.” We have all read of the nine characteristics of the Spirit-filled life. I do not find any place for depression as caused by the devil in the life o f the Spirit-filled Christian. We must meet the conditions and walk in the Spirit to avoid being depressed by the devil. Q©
12
THE KING'S BUSINESS
by Robert B. Mignard
T he crystal - clear teachings of the Word of God will not allow a thorough-going Bible stu dent to embrace the doctrines set forth by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The basic teachings of this sect are in conflict with the Scriptures. Fifteen of their unique doctrinal errors are listed here and constitute sound reasons why no one may unite with the Witnesses and still hold to the truth of God: Scripture demonstrates that the Lord Jesus Christ is Jehovah. Isaiah 41:4 ; 44 :6 and 48:12 de clare that the attribute of being the “ first and the last” belongs to Jehovah alone. In Revelation 17:8, 11, 17 and 22:13, 14 Jesus Christ is shown possess ing this very attribute, thereby making Him the Jehovah of these Isaiah passages, and indeed of the entire Old Testament. Isaiah 45:22-25 speaks of a universal worship, which one day all mankind will render unto Jehovah. Phil. 2 :9 -ll applies this 1. The Jehovah's Witnesses Deny the Absolute, Unique Divinity of Jesus Christ
Isaiah passage to Jesus Christ. Isaiah 44:22, 23 sets forth Jehovah as the Re deemer. Eph. 1:7 establishes Jesus Christ as this Redeemer. In Isaiah 45:24 and 54:17 Jehovah is our right eousness. In 1 Cor. 1 :30 Jesus Christ is our right eousness. Isaiah 43:11 reserves for Jehovah alone the work of saving man. “ Beside Me there is no Sav iour.” Titus 2:13 teaches that Jesus Christ is the Saviour, thereby establishing Him as the Jehovah of Isaiah chapter 43. An honest student of the Scripture will read, study and compare the verses used above. 2. The Jehovah's Witnesses Teach That Jesus Christ is a Created Being— Simply Another God This doctrinal error is achieved through a spurious translation in their New World Transla tion o f the Christian Greek Scriptures which ren ders John 1:1, “And the Word was a god.” Isaiah emphatically denies this error in 43:10, 44:6 and
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JULY, 1967
as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and since each Person is God, the persons are equal. 5. The Jehovah's Witnesses Deny The Bodily, Corporeal Resurrec tion of Jesus Christ From The Dead False doctrine declares “ The man Jesus is dead, only His spirit arose.” The witness of Jesus is quite different (Luke 24:36-45). Even a casual glance at v. 39 dispels any doubt concerning the bodily resurrection. Thomas met the physically resurrected Christ (John 20:24-29), as did the other disciples who ate fish with Him, (John 21: 12-14). Paul testifies to the corporeal resurrection of Jesus Christ in I Corinthians 15:3-19. The guards at the tomb, the chief priests and San hedrin would never have become excited, Matthew 28:11, 15 if “ only His spirit arose.” 6. The Jehovah’s Witnesses Deny the Bodily, Visible Return of Jesus Christ They say, “We must not expect Him to come again as a human being”— “Coming is properly translated presence and refers to the invisible pres ence of the Lord.” In contrast, a Bible student discovers the truth that Jesus Christ IS coming back again physically, literally. In Revelation 1:7 “ every eye shall see Him” ; in I Thessalonians 4: 16, 17 “ the Lord Himself shall descend from heav en” ; and in Acts 1 :10, 11 He “ shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” The testimony of these passages is irrefutable. 7. The Jehovah's Witnesses Deny Presence of the Believer With Christ Upon Death According to II Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1: 21-24 and Luke 16:20-22, the believer, immediate ly upon death, passes into the presence o f Christ. The body sleeps in the ground (John 11:11-14), awaiting the resurrection (I Cor. 15:20-23), while the soul and spirit, now separated from the body, (James 2:26), pass into heaven. 8. The Jehovah's Witnesses Chide the Believers' Hope of Heaven John 14:13; Philippians 3:20, 21; I Peter 1:3- 5; Revelation 3:12 are but a few o f the many passages in Scripture which speak o f the “ living hope” of being with Christ forever.
45:5, 21, and shows their translation of John 1:1 to be illegitimate. Four times Jehovah declares the impossibility of there being “ another god” or “a god” beside Himself. Every honest student of Scripture must acknowledge the solitary aloneness of Jehovah. Of the many Scripture references which dem onstrate this to be false, John 16:13, 14 is repre sentative. Eight times the Lord Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit by the personal masculine pronoun. The Greek word “ Spirit” is neuter but the pronoun employed is not “ it” but rather “ he” or “himself.” Christ was grammatically incorrect, for the pro noun must agree with the noun in gender, but theo logically correct in thus recognizing the Spirit’s personality. Were the Holy Spirit not a person, the pronoun “ it” would have been used and the gram mar of the passage kept intact. Even the Witnesses’ own New World Translation acknowledges the Spirit’s personality in the translation of these two verses. The divinity of the Holy Spirit is clearly demonstrated in the following references which the honest student will carefully study: Acts 5:3, 4; I Cor. 3:16; II Cor. 13:14. In I Cor. 12:4-6 the Holy Spirit is called Lord (v. 5) and God (v. 6). In placing Isaiah 6 :8-10 alongside o f Acts 28:25-27, it becomes evident that the God of Isaiah 6 is the Holy Spirit. Though the truth of the Trinity is amusing to the Witnesses, nevertheless it constitutes part of the revelation of God. The Bible student discovers there is a Person in Scripture known as the Father, who is God (Eph. 1 :2). There is another Person in Scripture called the Son, Christ, Jesus, Jesus Christ who is God (Titus 2:13). There is still an other Person called the Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, Spirit of God who is God (Acts 5:3, 4 ). The one Greek word theos, “God,” is used of. all three Per sons, thus ascribing the same divinity to each. The careful student also notes the fact o f the Trinity in Isaiah 48:16, 17; Matthew 3:16, 17; 28:19 and II Corinthians 13:14. The conclusion is simply that there is one God manifest in three Persons known 3. The Jehovah’s Witnesses Deny the Personality and Divinity of the Holy Spirit 4. The Jehovah’s Witnesses Deny the Biblical Doctrine of the Trinity
9. The Jehovah’s Witnesses Deny the Reality and Etemality of Future Punishment
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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