1944
APRIL
Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Incorporated
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¿4 new Olid HIS BE THE VICTOR'S NAME by Dr. Max I. Reich. Of deep interest 16 every Christian, set ting forth the fact, meaning and power of the resurrection. Illustrated cover. 15c GLORIOUS DELIVERANCE BY RESURRECTION by Dr. Wilbur M. Smith. Refreshing meditations on resurrec tion certitudes, expertly prepared for general reading. 32 pages, paper. 25c BECAUSE HE LIVES by Walter B. Knight. A fine treatment of the importance of Christ’s resurrection. 24 pages. 15c THE RESURRECTION OF THE HUM AN BODY by Norman H. Camp. Answers vital questions about the resur rection of Christ. 127 pagfes, cloth. SOc Send order for these booklets direct to
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A "BEDTIME STORY" FOR FIGHTING MEN A t an aerodrome noisily preparing for the night’s operations, a pilot began to read aloud. “ And, behold, two of them
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went that same day to a village called Emmaus. . . and they talked together of all these things which had happened. “ And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them” Gradually the room stilled. The pilot finished, closed the book. “ There’s my ‘bedtime story! If I should come down tonight I should like to feel those
A newspaperman . . . thrilled b y Bible study You see, his deeper spiritual life makes even the grind of a newspaperman’s life easier. After completing a Moody Bible doctrine course, he wrote . . . "Counting the blessings which this course has given me, I thank God He has used it to reveal more fully His faithfulness and love to me!’ Let a Moody home study course also help you understand your Bible. For details, write Dept. K-808 C O R R E S P O N D E N C E S C H O O L
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April, 1944
"1MUST HELP THE JEWS” “ Everything I have seems go ing or gone—yet I Must Help the Jews.” Thus wrote a child of God whose soul had been stirred to its depths becaue of the tragic con dition of the Jews throughout the world. “ I Must Help the Jews!” D e a r child of God, they are still God’s people, beloved for the fathers’ sakes; and because you have been born again, you love what He loves; and you know that He still loves Israel with an everlasting love. “I Must Help the Jews!” Driven like cattle and hunted animals, through the fields and forests of Europe; tortured, harassed, bru tally beaten, stumbling their way through the b 1o o dy attacks of Nazi hate,,seeking in vain a place of shelter—what a Christianity for the Jews to gaze upon! “ I Must Help the Jews!” In the face of such a crisis, may God help His true Church to awake! May we who are truly His fill to the full pur measure o f duty in behalf of a people now facing the spectacle o f a world civiliza tion organizing in solid mass for the greatest outburst of Jew- hate the world has ever known! Dear Reader, will you say “ I, Too, Must Help the Jews” ? Help yds to fell them “These things you have suffered are not things which Christians do!” This is an S.O.S. It is Israel’s eleventh hour. So swiftly does the world cataclysm move, this may be the last call before the trumpet blows, and you will be face to face with a Christ who may look into your eyes and ask, “What have you done for these, my brethren?” (Matt. 25:40.) I TO THE JEWS, INC. I 31 Throop Avenue Brooklyn, N. X. I 1 do want to help the Jews. Here Is I j $____________ Use it as God directs to | ■ make known the saving power of the j ! Lord Jesus Christ to Israel. | Name .......................... ...................... | ■ Address ..............—~ ! City ___________________.State --------- ■ I AMERICAN BOARD OF MISSIONS J
The Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Inc. “ Ditto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins tn his own blood" (Rev. 1:5). THE KING'S BUSINESS v™ Cover Photograph by Philip D . Gendreau When God Saved the Brewer’s Boy, Part I V — Louis T . Talbot as told to M ildred M . Cook _________________ _____ _— — ---- ................122 Current Business — Editorial ............................... .............................— .— -------123 Behind the News —Dan Gilbert. ______________ ......__________ ........---- ---------124 Here is Security — Newman Watts. _____________________ _______ ........-------------125 Private Ben W h o Could N ot Read — Captain Philip B. Marquart... ________ 127 When Trouble Comes — Clarence F. Stauffer ....-------.------------------....-------128 D r. Talbot’s Question Box ___ _____________ ____________ ..........— .— ......130 Biola Family ______________________ _____ ____________ __________..._____________..134 Junior K ing’s Business —Martha S. Hooker. ............................_________ ____ .135 International Lesson Commentary____________________________________________ 137 Literature Table _________________ ______ ____......______ .....................................147 Christian Endeavor— A Symposium, Helen Bradley Brown, Doris C. Aldrich, John A. Hubbard...., ___................................................ 148 Daily Devotional Readings.........i_____ _____ ________ ____________ _______ —........152 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION— “ The King’s Business” is published monthly: $1.50, one yr.; $2.00, two yrs.; 75 cents, six months; 20 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. Write for details. Canadian and for eign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of address to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. REM ITTANCE—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, Calif., or our eastern representative, Religious Press Association, 51 No. 52nd St., Philadelphia 39, Pa. MANUSCRIPTS— “ The King’s Business” cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts sent in 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 13,193,8. • " ADDRESS: The K ing’s Business, 558 So. Hope. St., Los Angelas 13, Calif. LOUIS T. TALBOT, Editor-In-Chief MILDRED M. COOK, Managing Editor RANSOM D. MARYIN, Staff Artist
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People surged to ward the Sydney Town Ha l l . The A m e r i c a ns were here again! When God Saved the Brewer's Boy By LOUIS T. TALBOT as told to MILDRED M. COOK Chapter IY. C HE STEAM-DRIVEN streetcar puffed along. It was late on a Saturday afternoon, and I was- on* my way to a theater. A ll at once,
While my informant was still talk ing, I left the car to investigate for myself. Had I given him time, he might have told me that Charles M. Alexander and Robert Harkness — those gifted musicians who had been with R. A. Torrey on a similar mis sion in Sydney’s Town Hall several years earlier, were back again—of fering the same glorious gospel and being greeted with similar city-wide enthusiasm. Thousands had b e e n saved under/Torrey’s mighty preach ing. The evangelist this time was J. Wilbur Chapman/ In the providence of God, both these great preachers touched my life. Impressed by Success But I was not interested in per sonalities as such. I was swept along by my appreciation of the success of these men, which was apparent in the immense crowd of 'interested fol lowers. I reasoned: Any man .who can draw and hold people like ’ that has something—but what is it? I found that every entrance to the auditorium was closed, with police men standing guard and explaining —not too patiently—that the house was filled, though I t seated some 4,000 ‘ persons. Not even standing room was available inside. Snatches of conversation of the by standers fascinated me. I h e a r d \Continued Page 132]
my attention was p r i c k e d wide awake. The car barely crept, and I saw, on either side, people surging in one direction. Out of my seat in an instant, I approached the conduc tor. “What’s the matter? What’s going on here?” I flung the questions at him. Mild-mannered and deliberate, he looked a bit shocked at my igno rance. I was eighteen, and no tourist as he could see. Waving an arm in the direction of the Town Hall, “Don’t you know where you are?" he que ried. “ Yes. Of course.” I was impatient and excited. “But-r-these crowds?” Fully three thousand people were massed about the building, unable to gain admittance. I remembered, fleetingly, that it is proverbial with Australians tt> show their interest in wholehearted fashion: as many as twenty-five thousand of them as sembling at a football game between local teams; that number and more at a game of cricket; still more at a bicycle championship. “ It’s the evangelists from America here again,” the conductor was tell ing hie. “Seems they like Sydney”—* this with a show of pride. *
Copi/right 19H, Mildred. M. Cook
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“God commendeth his love toward us, in that . . . while we were yet sinners . . . Christ died for us."— Romans 5:8.
The cross of Christ revealed the sin of man at its worst and the love of God at its best. —C. Norman Bartlett.
Current Business LOUIS T. TALBOT, Editor-in-Chief
\
form of his country is hungry for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the opinion of Theodore W. Engstrom, now w i t h the United States Army, though he carries on some of his former work as Manag ing Editor of the Christian Digest. He goes on to say: I have found that under the show of bravado, thèse young men—all of them—have a deep longing for peace and satisfac tion in their hearts. Many of them come from fine Christian homes and churches. They are receptive to a sincere testimony from one who has been cleansed .from sin B in the blood of-Christ. -Every Christian should have a part in the work of this great “mission field.” How may this be done? First, by prayer: Let us beseech God earnestly to bless every individ ual and agency at work for the salvation of the souls of these men. Second, by letters: Let us write cheerful, encouraging letters to ac quaintances in the service, setting forth clearly but tactfully God’s plan of salvation through Christ. Attrac tive gospel literature w ill make good enclosures. Third, by witnessing: Let us speak to servicemen whenever we can—on trains, in streetcars, on the street, wherever they may be. ■Tremendous responsibility is laid upon the Lord’s people in this day. Thousands of our young men are go ing out to face the enemy in our stead, yet they are going without Christ and without hope for their own souls. What are wé doing about it? The opportunity is here!
tened to the old, old story of One who loved him enough to die for him. Then the speaker bowed his head to pray. He was so burdened for this old man who was dying with out Christ that he wept as he pleaded with God for his salvation. It was this compassion that touched the sick man’s heart. Here was a stranger who had come to visit him, and who had cared so much that he had wept over him, though the Jewish family were gaily sunning themselves at the beach. As the way of life was unfolded to him, he nodded his head earnestly to signify Ills desire to accept Christ as his Saviour. Though he had no longer than three days to live on earth, he passed into eternity to be for ever with his Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Love' for the dying—Christ’s love and the love of His followers—had won him. If you would 'ike your heart warm ed with the knowledge of other inci dents of salvation like this one,'why not get in ''touch with Daniel Rose, director of the Jewish department? His office is easily accessible in the Bible Institute building. “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved” (Rom. 10:1). The Ripest Mission Field The Armed Forces constitute the ripest mission field of our day! Despite a hardened exterior, a seeming indifference to the things of God, and an outward show of self-reliance, the average American young man in the uni
Love for the Dying It was love—divine love for lost sin ners—that sent Christ to the cross. And it is this love, manifested in His followers, that will' draw others to Him. Here is an incident that sets forth this fact. i The doctor’s words, “He has per haps three days .to live,” were no surprise to the Christian nurse to whom he spoke, but they gave her a great sense of sadness. Their pa tient, a Hebrew man ill with cancer, had heard about the Messiah from her, for she had spoken to him of the Saviour, but there had been lit tle response. Now he had only three days to live. To the nurse’s mind there came a heartening thought. She remembered the Sunday afternoon Jewish testi mony meeting which is a part of the work of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and of the Church of the Open Door, for she had attended this service when her employment had permitted, and knew of the ear nest desire of these friends to help Israel into the Light. Telephoning the Jewish department, she explained the problem. In response to that call, one of the missionaries to Israel—himself a per son of the Hebrew race who had found Christ as his Messiah—went to the home. He found that despite the grave illness of their relative, the family had gone to the beach for the day. But two earnest Christian women were in the house; the nurse and the housekeeper. They remained in another room to pray while the missionary went into the sick room. The patient was beyond speech, but his mind wai. clear, and he lis
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Behind the News By DAN GILBERT
of nations to carry on orderly and peaceful relations with their neigh bors. Many of our internal national prob lems are evidences of the bankruptcy of the social sciences. Some of the “solutions” adopted for these prob lems would cause the founders of America to smile with bewilderment, or to weep with pity. In the twentieth century, there has been a world-wide collapse of the processes o f intelligent and moral self-government. Dictators have used bullets instead of ballots as a method of government. Discipline in the home has broken down. In place 9£ parental control, we have police control. Millions of people in our own land have failed to achieve self-govern ment in their own thinking, dreaming, and living. As the consequences of self-uncontrol grow more aggravating, we- may expect new epidemics of “col lective insanity.” New “ crackpot” schemes and theories w ill be ad vanced on all sides. Multitudes w ill be deceived, There will be false teachers, theorists, prophets, and leaders in all walks of life. The whole life of man kind w ill be regimented under the rule of unreason, immorality, and ir- religion. CHRIST'S COMING—OUR ONLY HOPE: • The preachers of the social gospel. , claim to have a cure for every social ill. When Bible believers tell them that their schemes w ill fail, they ac cuse us of being pessimists. They say we are engaging in destructive criti cism. But, without Him, there, is no hope. A ll the peace planners, all the or ganized good will of mankind, were unable to head off World War II. What ground is .there for indulging the hope that they can head off World War III? A ll the social theorists.and experts have miserably failed to elim inate poverty, crime, and evil in all their generations o f' striving. What reason is there for expecting them to succeed in the future, when they have uniformly failed in the past? In Christ, we have hope for the fu ture. In Him, we have help for the present. In Him, every young person can find the power and strength to resist evil temptations, No young per son w ill find that power and strength anywhere else—certainly not in dance halls which multiply evil temptations while breaking down self-control. In the midst of the clanging chorus of the voices of the false teachers and false prophets, we need to raise our voices in clear and Scriptural tones. We must speak out against pagan so lutions to present problems, and point the way to a full acceptance of God’s Word and a full reliance upon His Son to save and keep from sin.
SOLVING THE DELINQUENCY EPIDEMIC:
ing the night clubs, roadhouses, and dens of iniquity tomorrow. NATIONAL INSANITY? • A noted psychologist once said that the American people; were subject to spells of “episodic collective insanity.” One wonders whether there may not be truth in .that claim, when he ob serves presumably intelligent people recommending dancing as a cure for delinquency. The real'solution to the delinquency problem is Bible classes, not dances, in the high schools of the nation. Hu man nature does not change. The only way to keep young people from sin is to lead them, to hide away the Word of God in their hearts (cf. Psa. 119:9, 11). | The Church holds the only sufficient answer to the ‘ heeds of youth. But while the program of dancing and recreation- for youth- is being unduly publicized, many church leaders re main silent, indifferent, and uncon cerned. It is time for Protestants to protest against the paganizing of youth, and to insist upon a program which w ill use the people’s tax-sup ported schools to advance the Bible solution, to the delinquency peril. BANKRUPTCY OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES: • Most of the social experts and the orists would classify themselves as “social scientists.” “ Social science” is that branch of knowledge which deals with human affairs, human relations, and the activities of men in group life. In the physical sciences, there has been great progress in the past cen tury. Man has learned how to use chemicals, drugs, and the forces of nature in new and novel ways. He has added to his knowledge of the human body and the ailments which afflict it. But he has unlearned many things about himself. No previous generation did a. poorer job of managing its a f fairs in an orderly way. Divorce and delinquency are symptoms of the in dividual’s incapacity to govern his own emotions and inner life. War is an evidence of the inability
• Some months ago, the rising rate of Juvenile delinquency was headlined by police officials throughout the na tion. In many cities, committees of ex perts were set up to devise ways and means of dealing with this growing evil. Their solution to the; problem is now being tried out in leading cities. Generally, the solution consists of the setting up of “ teen towns”—recrea tional dance halls for young people. One renowned “ expert” declared that, the way to keep youngsters out of trouble was to encourage them to. dance and “jitterbug” themselves into exhaustion. In one large Midwestern city, danc ing was officially introduced into the school program. Never before had dances been permitted in the tax- \ supported 'high schools. But in the face o f the emergency, the school au thorities reversed this policy. Promi nent ministers withdrew their objec- tions to school-sponsored dances, “in view of the emergency.” The idea that dancing will cure de linquency is on a par with the con tention that getting one’s feet wet will cure a cold, or that contracting a cold is a -safeguard against pneumonia. The dance hall has always been the gateway to delinquency. Of course, the sponsors of this pro gram for “ teen town” dance halls rec-^ ommend that liquof shall be forbid den and that only soft drinks be made available. But where there is dancing, , alcoholic drinks will be smuggled in. The program for reforming and pu rifying the dance hall is reminiscent of the recent attempts to dignify the saloon. A saloon may be called a “ cocktail lounge” or a “ tavern,” but it is'still a saloon. A dance hall may be called a “ teen town,” but it is still a dance hall, the gateway to immoral ity. Young people encouraged to en gage in recreational dancing in the schoolhouse today, w ill be frequent
"In view of the emer gency," we had better get back to Psalm 119:9,11.
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April, 1944
Is SECURITY
Here..
• •-
T O A JOURNALIST, and particu larly a Christian journalist, Paternoster Row—that ten-foot London’s St. ' Paul’s Cathedral — was sacred ground. I was not living in London during the peak blitz period, but I fully remembér what a cold chill passed through my frame when I listened to the radio report that the Row with its religious publishing houses and its Bible shops had been burned to the ground. It was about two months after the fateful December raids that I visited the great metropolis, and walked as far as the barricades from the Cheap- * side end. Not being able to see much, I then made my way round Newgate Street into Warwick Lane, which was not barricaded. Tears started into my eyes as I watched workmen feeding bonfires of the remaining rubbish on ground which but a few weeks before had
; A parable it is, surely, of the valley of. suffering through which the world is passing in these momentous days, and of the remarkable deliverances which have been experienced by those in Britain’s favored isle. Experiences of Total War For the first three years of war, I lived on the South Coast. During one period, sneak raiders popped in so frequently that the sirens lost all meaning, for it was impossible to keep in mind which siren was heard last, the warning or. the all-clear. Danger and death were so closely associated with the sound of the air plane in the sky that I have known myself to duck my head when one of our owA planes rushed low over head. The terrifying thud of the fa ll ing bomb, the horrifying glare of burning buildings at night, the sight and sound of falling debris, the piercing screams of frightened chil dren, the scramble from the danger area of unexploded time bombs, the breathless vigils fire-watching while
been a center of evangelistic life and literature. Then I noticed the new view of St. Paul’s made' possible by the demoli tions. As I stood there silent and sad, the sun broke through the February clouds and lit up the golden cross on the top of the cathedral. It was a resplendent sight. It ban ished my sadness; it warmed my heart, and put a new song in my mouth. I stood there enraptured and exultant. Nazi bombs may rain de struction; but :‘the cross, it standeth fast” ! There, high in the heavens, lit up by the sun, was the conquering symbol, the token of triumph, the un- dimmed and indestrtictible hope of the future! There, alone, amid the ruins, I lifted up my voice and sang: The cross it standeth fast, Hallelujah! Defying every blast, Hallelujah! The winds of hell have blowh, The world its hate hath shown,
wide thoroughfare by the side of
Yet it is not o’erthrown, Hallelujah for the cross.
* Known also as "The London Journalist,” he U the author of many helpful books.
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and steel. Of what value is human life in a world of total war? Look at the cross. There God is saying: “This is the worth of a human soul to Me.” A friend wrote to me to tell of the loss of his boy. He had been over Germany in his bomber, and the ene my got him at last. What happened to him is too horrible to contemplate. He was the -parents’ only son, a re fined, gentlemanly Christian lad. How much they loved him! A ll their faith and hope was in that boy; they va l ued him above their own lives, and yet in their deep sorrow and loss they remembered that Jesus valued him above His own life—and they saw it all at the cross. A New Standard of Values The cross, again, indicates the sweep of Christ’s work on behalf of men. “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things”—that is, all things He deems needful. • This war has made us all realize the vital difference between the es sentials and the nonessentials of life. “It was wonderful to feel gloriously free from things," was the remark of a dear Christian who had been de prived of everything in a bombing raid. Many trusting souls have learned afresh to hold lightly to earthly valu ables; and to prepare to lose all but the spiritual, eternal realities; thus the latter have become increasingly precious. In these days when nothing of earth counts for much, it is heart ening to know that when God gave His only begotten Son-to die on Cal vary’s cross, He gave Himself, and everything is included in that gift. The Christ who bears our sins away, carries our cares also. The One who died lor us, feels for us. The cross encompasses all our needs in its wide sweep, because He who gave the greater gift „ cannot refuse the less. In the words of the poet Kirkham we may say: I know, dear Xord, that all my needs Are ever known to Thee: That every trial, sorrow, care, Calls forth Thy sympathy. Yea, by the cross Thou bidst me come, I come, dear Lord, today; And know that cs I on Thee trust, My cares shall pass away. Yes, that is the secret of peace amid war. Come to the cross, dear friends. Freedom from care, the quiet joy of burdens lifted, the rest and peace of God settled in your soul, can all be yours a3 you put your tr“ Jt boldly and confidently in the crucified and risen Saviour.
and bears it 'in His own heart and life. Here are a few instances in which this truth is clearly shown. A friend of mine, a professional man, had built up a fine business on' Guernsey Island. He had a lovely home» in a house built to his-own de sign. He had made a hobby of clocks, and his house vas a miniature mu seum of timepieces of all types. Sud denly he had to leave it all—business, house, home, clocks, motor car, every thing—and come over to live in an already overcrowded land and find some means of livelihood when his profession was closed down for the duration. Try to imagine how he must have felt. But he stood up to it. He found consolation and strength at the cross. A minister I know survived the en tire destruction of his home. Furniture which had spelled home to him for years; a library, the result of a life time of selection; sermon notes and studies which necorded years df dili gent study of the Word; personal ef fects of value because of the mem ories they recalled—all, everything except the clothes he stood up in, and the contents of his pockets,' all was gone, ,gone in a night. Nevertheless, he went on preaching —for the comfort of -the cross was a well at which he had drunk deeply himself. When bombs were falling one night, a mother clasped her darling girlie and rushed into the cupboard under the stairs. The little one nestled closely to the bosom of her mother. Presently she whispered: “Mummy, I can hear your heart beating.” Many a dear saint of God has heard the divine heart beats as death and destruction have been all around. The cross, moreover, proves how much value God puts upon a human soul. War makes us callous of men and women. We hear, of thousands dy ing, and we do not turn a hand. Our fine young men don the uniform of their country and go forth, often to have their bodies mangled by iron
the enemy planes droned overhead as the stars twinkled and the neighbors slept—these and many other of the experiences of total war call for the comfdrt and security of the cross. I claim to have had published one of the first war books. It was entitled: How to Live Calmly in War Time. It was a series of meditations calcu lated to quiet the heart in the time of danger and crisis. I wrote it several months before the war began, when I had no conception of what modern war would be like. Since those early days of ..apprehension a nd , strain, many of God’s people have come to •know what it is to find refuge in the Saviour of Calvary. The old divines used to say that the hill of Calvary was the hill of comfort; that the house of consola tion was built of the wood of the cross. It would seem at first glance as if the place where the Son of God was cru cified, the place of callous brutality, of calculated injustice, of shameful ignominy and torturous agony would be the last place where consolation in sorrow and distress could be found. It is nevertheless .true that tortured souls all down the Christian cen turies have soothed their stricken souls at the foot of the cross. Through all the depths of sin and ' loss, Drops the plummet of thé cross; Never yet abyss was found, Deeper than the cross could sound. Proof That God Cares The cross proves that God cares. A great theologian once said that .“ only the cross can assert eternal provi dence and justify the ways of God with men.” Those wfto are baffled and distraught by the tragedies of war should see this message in the cross —God cares. God cares for you enough to die for you in the Person of His only begotten Son on Calvary’s cross. No matter how horrible, how terrible your trouble and anguish, Jesus steps down into it
Salvation Is for YOU
The Need —Personal “ The heart is deceitful . . . desperatelyl wicked” (Jer. 17:9). The Way— rChrist “ I am the way . . . no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). The Method —Acceptance “ Come unto me . . . and you? soul shall live” (Isa. 55:3). The Time —Present “ Now is the day of salvation” (2 Cer. 6:2). The Future —Eternal qfpr God . . . gave his only . . . 3cn, that whosoever believeth in him should . . . have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
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Private Ben Who Could Not Read By PHILIP B. MARQUART* Captain, Medical Corps B HAPLAIN KING visited' Ward 47. There he encountered a young soldier named Ben, who Was ill with pneumonia. Ben was il in every sphere of his life, even though he had previously been “ no account,” and a soldier of very doubt fu value to Uncle Sam. It was also
not needed sedatives when he -was most ill with pneumonia, and there fore he did not need them at this time. But he insisted he had not slept. “ Perhaps you’re n e r v o u s about something,” I suggested. “ I don’t know what it could be,” doubted Stuart. “Or perhaps your conscience is bothering you,” I added. Suddenly a look of recognitioru came -into his eyes. He remembered the curse words he had used and the warning Ben had given him. He blushed and hung his head. He thought was going to yield, but I said, “No, Stuart, you are not going to get any sleeping pill. You know what it was that disturbed you yesterday. Why not get that cured instead?” “ I would,” pleaded Stuart, “ but I don’t know what to do about it. It’s already done, and I can’t undo it.” . “Then perhaps you had better call Ben back again, and talk the matter, over. I’m sure he can suggest some thing.” As soon as v/ard rounds were over, Ben made a beeline for Stuart’s •bed. They talked for a long time, and Stuart was absorbed- with interest in the Scripture verses he was shown. Later in the day, I noticed a smile of peace on Stuart’s face and stop ped at his bed to see what he would say. “I’m h a p p y now, Captain,” he beamed, “ and I won’t need any seda tive. I took Jesus Christ a i my Sav iour, and now I’m a Christian soldier.” Little by little, the old selfish ways began to disappear, but not without a struggle, and not without repeated failure. On one occasion, he was im pudent to a nurse, and the nurses began to heckle him and give him extra duty. In fact, they were carry ing the punishment too far, and there was danger of discouraging him. But all he needed was a word of com mendation from other patients or a suggestion from me that he was big enough to take it. In the two weeks that he remained in the ward, Stuart was so thoroughly changed by his [ Continued on Page 131]
noticed that he no longer cursed. But the story of Ben does not end here; in fact, it does not end with Ben. And actually it has not con cluded at all, for the influence of Private Ben is even now spreading to all parts of the world from Ward 47. Reaching a Doctor of Philosophy Ben’s life touched another soldier, a man with a Ph.D. degree. Cultured and well educated, he watched the change in Ben after the boy had ac cepted Christ, One night, all by him self, this Ph.D. accepted Christ and was gloriously converted. A few days rater, I saw him hold up his Gideon Testament and say, “I once thought I knew psychology, but I didn’t know any psychology at all until I started reading this little book. It’s wonderful." The Ph. D. and a few other Chris tian soldiers began to meet every night in one corner of the ward to study their Testaments. That cus tom of Ward 47 is still going on— these mapy months later—and scores of hungry soldiers have oeen saved by partaking of the Bread of Life. Helping a Troubled Conscience Ben became a zealous soul-winner. One of the best examples of this fact is seen in what he’ did for Stuart a few days after he was saved. Stuart was a spoiled youngster of eighteen who just could not take Army life. One day the air of the w a rd ' was rent with curses as Stuart gave vent to some minor dissatisfaction. Im mediately, Ben laid flown his red Gospel and rushed across the room to Stuart’s bed and told him, in no uncertain terms, where soldiers go if they say such things as he had. Stuart answered in defiant tones, as though he were not fazed by Ben’s warning. But he was. The next morning, when I was on ward rounds, Stuart asked me for some sleeping pills because, he said, he had not been able to rest the night before. I told him that he had
literate. It had been noticed that he never attempted to read in bed in order to pass away his time. As a child, he had been to school, but after attending for five years, had not been able to pass out of the sec ond grade. However, Ben was-eager to hear about Jesus; he wanted desperately to be saved, and Chaplain King had no trouble at all in leading him to Christ. Being, as the men said, “ a Stickler for the Scriptures,” the Chap lain had explained carefully the plan of salvation as given in the Word of God; and then, not knowing that Ben was illiterate, had given him a lit tle red Gospel of John before he left the ward. The boy read that Gospel in all his spare moments from that time on ward. The word “ read" is used ad visedly, for he was not merely look ing at the pages, as some of the other patients surmised. He actually could tell what he read. It is true that he could not pronounce the words aloud from the text, except very falteringly, 1but Ms silent reading was effective for the first time in his life. We tested him on the morning newspaper, but he could neither read it aloud nor catch the meaning. He could read only the Bible. How for tunate some more highly endowed persons might be if they could read only the Word of God, and under stand it, rather than the worthless pages that they do .read! More important than this educa tional miracle of reading was the change in Ben’s personality and character. Every one who knew him noticed it. The other patients mar veled at it. As he got up and around in convalescence, the nurses sent him on errands, because he now could be relied upon. He became more capable * A preceding article by Captain Marquart: entitled “ The Pneumonia Patient with ‘ Heart* Trouble ** appeared in January. Before his entrance into military service, the author practiced medicine and neuro psychiatry in Texas. He is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and an earnest Christian .—FDITOR.
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By CLARENCE F. STAUFFER* Los Angeles, California
no hope, no trustful dependence upon the Great Physician, no God-given inner resources in the hour of crisis. It is even more distressing to see Christians who are pitifully impov erished in spiritual resources. Many of them meet the difficulties and ad versities of their lives no better than non-Christians do, because they have not established that, intimate fellow ship with God which opens the chan nels of His grace and enables God to give courage and strength for every need of life. One of my patients had an illness which had made her an invalid. A l though she had been a Christian for a long time, she lacked that peace of heart and quietness of mind which she should have possessed as a child of God. This patient declared that God could and would heal her. She fastened" her hope of recovery on James 5:14. Until the end of her earthly life, there was manifested a lack of inner harmony and spiritual poise which are the possible posses sions of every surrendered and trust ing soul. On the other hand, my own heart was blessed and enriched recently as I ministered to *h e l d « v Chris tian woman who nad gone through an operation for cancer on her eye.
viduals who suffer from this lack. Every life has its inevitable share of adversity, disappointments, sorrow, and suffering, but the tragedy of life is to come face to face with reverses and to find oneself unable to meet them. The hazards of war have a way of revealing the true nature of men. On November 24, 1943, the aircraft carrier, Liscome Bay, was struck by a torpedo and sunk. Tim Woodham of Barstow, California, in describing the catastrophe said the water was soon covered' vyith men swimming away from the stricken carrier. “ I shall never forget it,” he said. “Most of the men were singing hymns or cursing their fate.” The Test of Trouble In my ministry, as the Baptist Chap lain at the Los Angeles County Gen eral Hospital, I have frequent oppor tunities to witness how men and women react to disappointment, pain, and suffering. As one walks through the wards of this great hospital, he ca'n hear some calling upon God to help them in their distress and pain, while others are cu;sing God and their fate. The unsaved person cun trust only in medical science and in the skill of man. Beyond these, he has
TT AST MAY, a fourteen - year - old girl committed suicide in Hoi- I J lywood because she faced cer tain apparent barriers in her life, and she had no inner spiritual resources to help her surmount them. Her pathetic farewell note stated, . . there is no other way out . . . I can’t keep up in school. I try, but it’s so very, very hard, fighting, fight ing just to keep my head above wa ter—but it isn’t worth, i t This last must seem strange to hear from a child (because no .matter how much make-up I put on, how I fix my hair, or what clothes I wear, that’s all I am, just a child) . . . If there is a God, and I know there must be, I especially ask his forgiveness.” This young girl faced difficulties as real to her as those which confront adults. In her case, the home and the church had failed utterly to lay the foundation for the development of inner spiritual resources which come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. She was but one of hundreds of indi- * Baptist Chaplain at the Los Angeles County General Hospital, appointed by the Los An- yetes Baptist City Mission Society. He minis ters personally to an average of five hundred patients a month. Before enterina upon this work in May, 19i3, Mr. Stauffer served in con nection with the Dean’s office at Wheaton College, and at Westmont College, Los Angeles. At Wheaton, he was also Assistant Professor of Christian Education,
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not worship necessarily by engaging in these activities. Recently a soldier attended a church service near his camp. After the service he said: “The service left me disappointed and distressed. More than that, I was ashamed. The music was cheap arid the sermon was barren. No one seemed to feel that it made much difference whether the service was held rr not. And it did not.” The Christian Advocate published the following letter from a devout man who had just had word of the loss of a son in action: “I went to the house of God with a consuming pain in my heart, and they seemed to think they ought to entertain me by making the service ‘snappy.’ But I didn’t want to be made cheerful. I wanted to be reassured of the nearness of God.”
suffers because both clergy and laity are too often ignorant of its- nature and function. Even personal devo tions have been crowded out by the feverish rush of modern life. The family altar lies forsaken in our twentieth century homes. ' When we see even ministers confused as to the nature and function o f .wfcrship, we are not surprised that there are few laymen who know much about wor ship, and that few take time to prac tice the art of worship. Wrong Conceptions of Worship Too often the minister is>more con cerned with his sermon than with the leading of the congregation into a v i tal experience of worship. As a result, he treats the elements which precede the sermon as “ preliminaries” to be gotten through as quickly as possible: Usually these “ preliminaries” are in terrupted at intervals by the arrival of latecomers, many of whom try to miss as many as possible of the “pre liminaries.” In ‘ our Sunday-schools the “ open ing exercises” vary from formal, in tellectual assembly periods to noisy pep meetings. We try to “ pep up” the audience by singing jingly, jazzy choruses under the direction of a song leader who stops the music to make every one smile, and then exhorts the crowd to “raise the roof.” Such condi tions and practices do not develop a spirit of reverence, and certainly do not develop worshiping saints. Many earnest Christians do not go to these extremes, yet they do not have those genuine- and satisfying experiences in which the worshiper realizes that God has been present and has spoken to his heart. You may come from the mid-week prayer and testimony service and say, “We were worshiping God tonight.” But prayer is not worship; testimony is not worship. You may listen to the minister preach and expound the Word of God, and going away you may say, “We worshiped God this morning.” But listening to the min ister is not worshiping, no matter how eloquent and moving his mes sage may be. Exposition of the Scripture is not worship, regardless of how reverent and scholarly the exposition may be. Prayer, testimony, and exposition of the Scriptures are, essential elements of worship that should aid*in produc ing a worship experience, but we do
She endured a night of continuous hemorrhages; and when I called on her in the morning, she was in a very weakened and critical condition. The patient asked me to read the third chapter of Ephesians. As I read, I could hear her repeating from mem ory oertain verses of this"1 great chap ter. . When I finished reading, she said, “I shall not ask you. to pray that I shall get well. I feel that my time is short, and if my work is finished I want to go to be with my Saviour. Please pray that if my work is not finished, He may make clear His will and I may have a little more time to serve my Lord.” What faith in the goodness of the will of God for one’s life! Apparently her ministry is not finished, for she has shown rapid improvement. To pa tients, nurses, and visitors, the radi ance and joy of her life in the midst of suffering are a constant witness of God’s wonderful grace. Another cancer- patient had been in the hospital for more than a year. His eyes, nose, and much of his face were gone as the result of this dread disease. Yet this man was a glorious testimony to the saving and sustain ing power of the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of a living dedth. In spite of intense suffering he never com plained or pitied his lot in life. As I read the Bible and prayed with him, his spirit would fairly bubble over w ith .joy and praise to the Lord for His goodness. He had the secret of victorious living. Key to the Abundant Life Jesus said, “ I am come that they might have life, and . . . have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). Every child of God has a right to possess the spir itual uplift and strength which Christ has promised. Many are living vic torious lives in the central streanl of God’s w ill; others are living in the shallows of spiritual defeat and floundering in the mud flats of dis couragement and self-pity. T h i s abundant life in Christ must be ap propriated if one would meet the crisis of life with peace of heart, quietness of mind, and strength of soul. One significant means of coming into possession of these inner spirit ual resources of Christ is worship, which enables man to establish that intimate contact and fellowship with God which open tne channels of His grace and enables Him to flood our lives with His sufficiency for every human need. It is commonly acknowledged by au thorities on the subject that worship is the most misunderstood and neg lected function of Protestant Chris tianity. The public worship of God
“ 0 God, our souls are rest? less until they find their rest in Thee.”
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The Nature of Worship The eternal hunger of the human heart for God was expressed by Au gustine in the memorable Words, “O God, thou hast made us for thyself and our souls are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” There is also a divine need to be met by worship. You remember the words of Jesus to the woman at the well, “The hour cometh, and now is, when true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him” (John 4:23). We have always known whom the Son is seeking, for He came “to seek and to save that which was lost,” but few have per ceived the truth that from among those saved by the Son, the Father is seeking worshipers. It is not easy to interpret the na ture and significance of worship. Sat isfactory definitions are very diffi cult to formulate. W. D. Maxwell says, “Christian worship at its best provides a way for man’s whole being and na ture to approach God, and opens many channels of grace through which God draws nigh to man.” * An outstanding Christian educator has described worship as a time ex posure to God during which ^God il luminates and shines through the windows of the soul. During this ex posure, God sketches with' indelible lines the impress of His character upon our personality. Central in Christian worship is an intimate fellowship with God. The acts and attitudes of worship estab lish and maintain this fellowship and communion with God the Father through the mediation of the Son and the Holy Spirit. When we come into such a vital relationship with God that we have a wonderful sense of His nearness, our hearts w ill over flow in adoration and praise. This is the essence of worship: the soul’s adoration of God Himself. This .is what God is seeking, redeemed men and. women to love and honor Him with intense devotion. Functions of Worship Worship is not coming to the Father to receive some material .gift; it is being completely engrossed with the Giver—the heart going out .in grati tude not only for what God has done for us, but for what He is in Himself, the eternal, sovereign God. When we feel the awe, reverence, and holy af fection due His great Name, we will cry out with the Psalmist, “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” Worship will bring individuals into great life-changing experiences with God. Isaiah had such an experience *Maxwell, W. D„ An Outline of Christian Worship, Its Development, and Forms, Lon- don: Oxford University Press, 1936, P. 4S.
with God as he worshiped God in the temple in the year that Uzziah died. The brilliant and wealthy Augus tine was a cynical, hardened young man who scorned the church of Christ until one day, out of curiosity, he attended a service of worship. That experience led directly to his con version near Milan, about A. D. 384. He became one of the greatest lead ers of the Christian church, because a worship service had led him to con trast his worthless life with the purity and beauty of the life of Christ. Worship will develop spiritual growth. AS the worshiper ■comes into a more vital relationship with the Fa ther, he will seek to rid .himself of the differences between his own thinking and conduct and those of God. He w ill endeavor to put out of his life all that is recognized as being unworthy of intimate fellowship with Questions for answer in this depart ment should be sent to the Editorial Department, THE KING'S BUSINESS, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 13, Calif. QUE .: Please tell me what the sin is which is mentioned in 1 John 5:16 as that which is “ unto death,” and that for which we need not pray. This sin is not the “ unpardonable sin” as some would suppose, but has to do with that which provokes God’s chastisement in the form of physical death. When the child of God falls into sin, his salvation is not endangered; for since he is “in Christ Jesus,” con demnation of him is impossible (Rom. 8:1); but his fellowship is broken. If he refuses, or neglects to follow the Holy Spirit’s injunction in 1 John 1:9 to "confess” his sins, and thus re establish fellowship between himself and his Lord, he may have to suffer the Lord’s punishment mentioned here as being that which is “ unto death.” An illustration of this is given in 1 Corinthians 11:27-34. The Corinthian Christians had been disorderly in their observance of the Lord’s Supper. They had been partaking of it “ unworthily,” and because they failed to judge them selves, they were judged by God with bodily weakness, and in some cases, physical death. From the verse in question, it would seem that the Christian is not obliged to pray for his erring brother in this particular respect. Lest there hs a misunderstanding,
God. Genuine worship w ill result in spiritual growth. Moreover, worship will enable the Christian to see the difficulties and problems of life in their true per spective. Psalm 73 gives a picture of a godly man who is agitated because of the prosperity of the wicked. The Psalmist says, “When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end” (vs. 16, 17). Worship enables us to see life as it is related to the eternal and abiding realities. In the sanctu ary of God there is understanding and enrichment of life. Worship is a delicate art of the Christian ,life, and careful guidance must be given in order that adults as well as children may have fruitful experiences as they bow down and worship God. let it be said that there is no Scrip tural teaching to substantiate the the ory that physical ailment and death involving the Christian are always the result of individual sin, and a sign of the Lord’s displeasure with His, re deemed one (2 Cor. 12:7-10). It is possible both to suffer and to die in full victory in Christ—but this condi tion .is distinct from the disciplinary action here being discussed. QUE .: Is it right fo r Christians to cremate their dead? Nowhere does the Scripture state a rule as to how believers should bury their dead; nor in the Old and New Testament records of death and bur ials is cremation described. There are people who prefer cre mation, and some have been known to ask that their ashes be scattered on the sea or land from boats or airplanes. While these requests have, no doubt, come from unbelievers, let it be remembered that the fact of a body’s being in the form of ashes in an urn, or elsewhere, places no limit on God’s ability to raise those ashes in the form of an incorruptible body. Nevertheless, in thè light of the truth that the saints’ bodies will be raised in the likeness of Christ’s glorious one (cf. Psa. 17:15; Phil. 3:21), and that the body is said to return to “ dust” rather than to ashes (cf. Gen. 3:19), to follow the more accept ed method of burial would appear to be our Lord’s preference for His children.
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