September, 1936
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granted, but that we should test every teacher and his doc trine by God’s standard— His infallible Word. This neces sarily involves a knowledge o f the Word acquired by prayerful and systematic study. These are perilous times; we need to be more earnest students o f the Bible than ever before. Discernment is a gift o f the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit, who indwells every believer, works through the Word. Insofar as we allow the Spirit to direct us to the Word and saturate our minds with the Word, in that measure will we have spiritual discernment. We need to be spiritually minded and Scripturally instructed if we are to witness effectively for Christ in these last days. “ He that is spiritual judgeth [“ discerneth” ] all things,” says Paul (1 Cor. 2 :15 ). The Spirit-filled believer as a prayer ful, diligent student o f God’s Word will soon detect the error in a movement or a teacher, and will not be swayed by cunningly devised fables or spurious movements. It is a tragedy that some cannot recognize the differ ence between that which is o f Satan and that which is of God, and it is equally tragic that many do not realize the difference between that which is soulish and that which is spiritual. There are Christians who live mostly in the soul ish realm. Architecture, art, oratory, music, or anything which has an appeal to the aesthetic nature will satisfy thé soulish man, and he will erroneously consider it as spirit ually edifying. Here again it is necessary to allow the indwelling Holy Spirit to fill and control the personality, and to illuminate the Word o f God, so that we will have discernment enough to correctly analyze movements, books, teaching, and even our own hearts. Read the Bible. Study the Word of Truth. Search the Scriptures. Make much use o f the Word. Test everything by the Word o f God! Empire o f the old Roman Empire was on display in the Italian Building at the Brussels Ex hibition in 1935, and that beneath the map Mussolini had inscribed these words: “So it was—So it must be.” What is in prospect for Italy ? Stewart Brown, United Press correspondent in Rome, has recently sent a dispatch that should seem especially significant to the Christian reader. For the international conflict that is threatening Europe, Italy is prepared with one o f the greatest armies that ever marched on the conti nent. Mussolini has more than 1,000,000 men under arms in Italy and East Africa. He feels that the present Euro pean tension makes it impossible for him to relax the nation’s military preparedness. According to his own dec laration, Mussolini fears that the wild race for armaments and organization o f new political blocs is rapidly forcing Europe to the brink o f a conflict even more terrible than the World War. Mr. Brown asks : “ Will Italy fight beside or against Germany in the next war?” and then answers his own question: “ Nobody knows, not even Mussolini himself, for the political map of Europe is changing so rapidly it is impossible to say what the alignment will be.” Italy is leaving nothing to chance. Mr. Brown con tinues : The Brenner Pass, looking toward Austria and Ger many, is heavily fortified. The Italo-Jugoslav frontier bristles with “pill boxes,” trenches and emplacements. Roads leading into France and Switzerland are dotted by imposing camps o f Italy’s hand-picked Alpine troops. Every Italian port, since the threat o f war between Eng land and Italy, has been strengthened with anti-aircraft batteries, heavy coast artillery, mine layers and flotillas o f submarines .— (L os Angeles Times, July 30, 1936). Bernard van Lierop o f the Belgian Gospel Mission informs us that a map The Roman
A dozen new military airports have been established recently, and the old ones improved and enlarged. Fifteen hundred new airplanes are being built, and as many new student pilots are in training. Key industries have been nationalized. Mussolini believes he can throw the entire nation into war over night. Brown refers to “ Italy’s un precedented preparations for the next war,” and closes his dispatch with the significant words: “ The newly created Italian Empire must be reckoned with.” Students of prophecy are watching these developments with great interest. We are nearing the end of “ the times of the Gentiles,” and prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes. Every Christian should read and ponder the book o f Daniel and the book of Revelation with new inter est. Such a study should have a sanctifying influence upon our conduct and service. “ And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Rom. 13:11). The expressive word “ going-to-do-er” “ Going-to- used by the Logan Observer o f Iowa gives Do-ers” the New York Times occasion to write an editorial. The writer reminds us that while the word was originally applied to a Congressman, it can not be so restricted but applies to much the larger part of the population. He speaks o f Mr. Micawber’s son in David Copperfield who never carried out his good intentions, and o f how near he is to us o f common clay. The following sentences are quoted from the editorial: “ Politicians, early, often, and usually, are ‘going-to- do-ers.’ ” “ W e are going to save money next year.” “ The lives o f most o f us are a series o f broken resolu tions and plans.” There are “ going-to-do-ers” in the spiritual realm. There are unsaved men and women who intend to accept Christ sometime, but not now. They want to enjoy the pleasures of sin a little longer. They give the flower o f youth to the service o f Satan, and then offer the stem o f senility to God. It is not fair to give Christ the ashes of a life burnt out in sin. Christ wants not only our souls for eternal joy but also our service through the passing days. Furthermore, we cannot guarantee that there will be an opportunity to be saved tomorrow. “ Now is the ac cepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6 :2 ). “ Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts” (Heb. 3 :7, 8 ). You could be in eternity tomorrow; therefore you dare not procrastinate. Accept Christ now. How about the Christian “ going-to-do-ers” ? Tomor row you are going to live a consistent, overcoming life. Tomorrow you are going to dedicate your personality and everything to God. Tomorrow you are going to begin to read the Word systematically and pray regularly. T o morrow you are going to witness for Christ. How about today? “ Free Meal Tomorrow” was the statement on a placard in a restaurant window. A man who passed by decided to come back on the morrow. He returned the following day and asked for the free meal. “ Oh, that’s tomorrow,” said the proprietor. Remember that tomorrow never comes. It is today that we are to live for Christ and serve Him. It is today that we should be stewards and witnesses. It is today that we should be intercessors. It is today that we should feed on the Word. It is today that we should win souls. It is today that we should say an eternal “ yes” to Christ and surrender our lives to His control. Don’t be a “ going-to-do-er.” Be a “ doer.” “ But be ye doers o f the word, and not hearers only,- deceiving your own selves” (Jas. 1 :22).
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