Biola H BROADCASTER
CONTENTS PROVIDING FOR OUR CHILDREN 3 PARENTAL LOVE ........................... 5 PARENTAL IMMATURITY............. 7 SELF-DECEPTION ........................... 9 NO ANSWER..................................... 12 WHY HAST THOU? ....................... 14 MY SHEPHERD ................................ 15 FEAR ...................................................16 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS........ 19 THE BIOLA FELLOWSHIP PLAN 23 PARABLES AND PEARLS ............. 26 GALATIANS 5 AND 6 .................. 31 COVER: A welcome addition to the Campus ministry is a new sign project of the 1965 Biola College senior class. Here Dr. Sutherland, Biola pres ident, joins in sending greetings with Paul Barkley, president of last year's class.
Monthly Publication o f the BIOLA FELLOWSHIP Vol. 5 No. 12 DECEMBER, 1965 STAFF Präsident ......... .............. .S. H. SUTHERLAND Editor......................................................ALSANDERS Production .........................VIR6INIA LUBER Photography......................................... .BILLEHMANN Printing .................................CHURCH PRESS Published monthly by the Radio Department BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles, Calif. 90017
Controlled circulation postage paid at Los Angeles, California. YOUR CHRIST IAN W ILL
Did you know that there is a way to invest in Biola for the training of students while saving costly estate taxes! Ultimately you may be able to leave more money for your loved ones. As a Fellowship member you are under no obligation when you write for information or counsel. BIOLA STEWARDSH IP DEPARTMENT
$ T I T U T E
H O U R
T H E
B I B L E
I N
Santa Maria KCOY
CALIFORNIA Arroyo Grande-San Luis Obispo
Sun MTWTF Sun.
1440
7:00A.M.
Turlock
4:00 9:30 9:00 A.M. MTWTF P.M. Sun A.M. MTWTF 8:30 A.M. Sun. A.M. MTWTF P.M. MTWTF 8:00 A.M. MTWTF 8:30 8:00
KÓAG
1280
KCEY KHOM
1390
10:30A.M.
Bakersfield-Wasco KAFY Chico-Marysville KHSL Fresno-Dinuba KRDU KWSO
93.1 (FM)
9:00 A.M.
550 1050 1290 1130
OREGON
Albany-Eugene KWIL Ashland-Medford KRVC Coqullle-Coos Bay KWRO KWIL
MTWTF MTWTF MTWTF MWF MTWTF MTWTF MTWTF MTWTF MTWTF MTWTF MWF MTWTF 22 )
790 790
8:00 A.M. 3:00 A.M. 8:30 A.M. 8:30 A.M. 11:30 A.M. 11:30 A.M. 11:30 A.M. 12:30 A.M. 11:30 A.M. 11:30 A.M.
KClB
94.5 (FM)
1350
Lodi-Stockton KCVR Los Angeles KBBI
1570
630 800
A.M. MTWTF A.M. MTWTF A.M. MTWTF P.M. MTWTF A.M. MTWTF A.M. MTWTF A.M. MTWTF A.M. Sun. A.M. Sun. A.M. Sun. P.M. Sun. A.M. MTWTF
8:30 9:00
107.5 (FM)
Portland KPDQ KPDQ
KTYM 1460 Los Angeles-Long Beach KGER 1390 KGER 1390 Oxnard-Ventura-Santa Barbara 11:00 10:30
93.7 (FM)
WASHINGTON
Blaine-Vancouver, B.C. KARI 550
8:00 8:00 9:00 7:30 8:30 8:30 4:00 8:30
KOXR
910
Redding-Red Bluff KQMS 1400 San Bernardino-Riverside KCKC KFXM Santa Cruz 1350 590
KARI
550
Seattfe-Tacoma KGDN
630
Spokane KCFA
1330 1490 1390
KSCO KSCO San Diego KDEO San Francisco KFAX
1080 (FM) 910 1100
Walla Walla KTEL
Yakima 8:00 A.M. 9:30 A.M. (Radio Log continued on page KBBO
99.1
SPECIAL CHRISTIAN HOME SERIES
providing for our children
by Dr. W. Robert Smith
While our homes are not necessarily responsible for human depravity, we are responsible, under the Lord, for guiding and directing the lives en trusted to us. What kind of a setting are you providing for the Holy Spirit’s work? As one has rightly declared, “It’s not society that makes people bad, it’s society that keeps them from being worse than they are.” Similar ly, it is not homes which make chil dren bad, but rather they are the in stitutions our Lord uses in order to make children good by His redeeming grace. If a child grows up without any re straints, love, or anything he normally must have, he will naturally become delinquent. There must be both re straints of love and restraints of dis cipline. There a re th re e p r ima r y avenues of development open to any human being in the course of his growth. First it is the avenue of widening interests known as the “ex panding self.” Then we have detach- 3
W it h a l l o f t h e s tr e s s e s and strains today, it is not easy to have the kind of home one ideally pic tures. For our problems we must seek the answers directly from Scripture, with the guidance of God’s Holy Spir it. Many of the difficulties people ex perience are due to an improper en vironment. Hard circumstances grow out of relationships which are not ideal. If we as fathers and mothers were mature individuals, growing more in the likeness of Christ, most of these griefs and tribulations would be solved. Our Lord was an ideal and perfect person in every way. At the same time He had Judas with Him. He loved Judas with an infinite love, communi cating that compassion in many ways. Judas did not respond. When we have done the best we can and the child is influenced by circumstances around about him, this cannot always be blamed on the parents. We ought not to be excessive in self-condemnation.
ment and insight, which is self-ob jectification. Finally we find integra tion or self-unification. One psycholo gist has said, “If one cannot escape on the level of the immediate biologi cal impulse, his life is manifestly dwarfed and infantile.” Often our children see us as parents far more concerned about finances and temporal things, than about that which really matters for all eternity. We should learn to see ourselves as others see us. Too often we are not really objective or honest in this evalu ation. For instance, do you cultivate a good sense of humor? This is very important as our children observe us. A dad told me, “I came home one day and was a little ‘owly’ with my wife and family. I was indulging in self- pity. Sitting down I read the news paper grumping and muttering in my own figurative beard. Finally the Lord interrupted, as well He should, and said, “All right, fellow, after all I am still in the heavens. I do still love you. You still have the hope of eternal life. Your wife is a godly woman and you have enough to eat. Why don’t you put away your rattles and climb out of your high chair? Take off your romp ers and dress up like a man. Go out and sweeten up. Give your wife a good kiss.” So he put down the paper and went out to the kitchen to surprize his wife. Immediately she could sense the change and said, “You’re feeling bet ter, aren’t you?” He began to laugh at himself and said, “Lord give me a sense of humor.” Do we see ourselves as we really are? A mature person always has some unifying philosophy of life. He may not be able to express it in so many words, but it is a moving force in his daily existence. Does your home have a spiritual goal? As a Christian you certainly should have. Do you desire to be a mature person in Jesus Christ? Are you seeking first His kingdom and righteousness ? A man told me about a problem he was having. His wife was very self- centered. She hadn’t received too much love as a child. He decided he wanted to take his son away for a little vaca
tion. This was a good idea for com panionship in the early teen years is vital. Mother had a terrible tantrum. When they came home his boy said, “Dad, I don’t think we ever ought to do this again.” The woman foolishly pouted for about six weeks. You can imagine why an older daughter in that home wants to get away. She tells her friends, “My mother is a regular witch : she is watching everything and everybody. She wants her own way. I don’t care if I ever see her again.” This shows lack of spiritual stability and growth. One of the very real problems in our homes is hostility. The key to good mental health is the ability to handle hostile feelings through the strength, wisdom, and power which the Holy Spirit waits to give you. This certainly comes when we are progressing in spiritual growth (II Peter 3:18). Are you concerned about being like the Lord Jesus Christ; let ting Him live His life in and through you? May God grant that it may be so in your life. Singing for the freshmen reception is (he Biela Faculty Quartet. From left to right are Mr. William Leek, Mr. Jack Schwarz, Mr. Edwin Heppner and Dr. Richard McNeely. Dr. McNeely is associate professor of Biblical studies at Biela while the ether three men are all members of the music faculty. Mr. Heppner directs the Biela Chorale which will be giving concerts on a tour to the Midwest this March.
4
I by W. Robert Smith everything was different. Somebody had cared.” Never underestimate how much af fection means in the proper develop ment of the Christian home. The Lord made us this way so that we would seek affection from the dear Saviour Himself. If you have been denied love in your childhood, do not deny it to your little ones. They will grow up the same way as you have. Seek the amazing, overwhelming love of our Saviour. To excuse ourself by saying, “I can’t love him (or her) because he (or she) is not lovable, is folly. Cer tainly I was not lovable when the Lord Jesus Christ died for me. The Saviour loves us even unto death. He has set the pattern we need to follow for our children. Your children seek your ap proval in what they do. Many times we fail to recognize the enormous pres sures upon the average teenager to conform to his group. If we fail to satisfy this need of approval by good behaviour, then they will seek atten- Vickie Hansen, Biola student from San Diego, an employee in the school fountain, hands a soda to a delighted fellow Biolan, Jerry Boerner of Downey, California. Standing in the background, waiting on other customers, is Joann Hartvigsen of Bremerton, Washington. With the proposed student union build ing this popular facility will be moved, allowing room lor the present room to expand in order that needs of the growing enrollment may be met.
PARENTAL LOVE
O N E OF t h e most unfortunate things of life is that many of us do not understand our own weaknesses and desires. All of us have physiological needs. In body chemistry one must have food, water, air, elimination, temperature, and such things. We nat urally want to avoid pain, seeking pro tection from external dangers. We need activity, rest and exercise. One of the most basic needs, however, re gardless of age is affection. There must be a security of love. Without this the individual will be out of bal ance and feel alone. A daughter said, “I never remem ber my father-giving me a kiss until I was 18 years of age.” A woman told me, “I don’t remember my mother ever saying that she loved me until she was on her death bed.” The result was that as a wife, she had real difficulty accepting her husband’s love. Her life had been blighted. If we understand our deficiencies, then we are on the way toward correcting them. How our children need love in a way which they can understand. The most important aspect of our personalities, in terms of solving problems, is the capacity to love; to care about other people in the broadest sense. You and I must con cern ourselves with that which is be yond the borders of our own yards. Families without love are manufac turing plants for delinquency because no one cares. A person recently told me, “I was about to commit suicide. I didn’t because I didn’t have the cour age to do it. But I don’t think any body cares for me. My mother used to say, ‘You’ll never get married. Who would ever want to live with you ?’ My sister tells me, ‘You’re so ugly!’ This has been true all my life. Then somebody gave me a word of encour agement. A Christian woman talked to me and before I left, she placed a kiss on my cheek. As I drove home the skies seemed more luminous and
5
tion by bad behaviour and foolishness. Frequently people will ask, “Why do children lie?” One of the basic rea sons is that they are seeking some type of recognition. A young man re cently told me that he had grown up in a home where there was no love. His mother was married many times and didn’t live with them. He lived with his granny part of the time. Finally he was sent back to his father who was an alcoholic. He told me, “He beat me so much as a young teenager, I ran away from home. I have been wandering here and there ever since. I was in prison and have just been let out to come to this church service. I was caught passing forged checks. Yet, I didn’t spend a penny on myself. I gave it to friends who had a need. Recently I forged a check in the amount of several thousand dollars. I didn’t spend any of it on myself. I gave it to other people. This made them think I was a big shot. I wanted them to say, ‘0, you’re a good Joe. You’re such a kind and generous fellow.’ I see now I was only seeking approval and affection which I had never received.” What a tragic end to life. It would all seem most hopeless without the won derful love of our blessed Saviour to lift us up and give us assurance of sins forgiven, and of acceptance with God. If your child is misbehaving, it may be because he is not gaining your ap proval. If they fail to get recognition for the things they do, then they are going to go out and do evil. Many problems arise from a feeling of being rejected. In dealing with young people everyday, we see so many who believe they have been set aside by their own family and as a result they don’t care about anything. One of the marvelous things about the Lord Jesus Christ was that He accepted people rather than rejecting them. Peter had confidence instilled because the Lord called him a “rock.” He final ly became one. A person must feel that he is the master of his own situation and that he can deal successfully with most of his problems. If you have a child who is doing poorly in school, you ought to try to encourage him.
Don’t always be brow-beating him. He can master his problems with your help, even to some extent if it is physi cal or perhaps mental. Praise builds up confidence. The military used to have “obstacle” courses. Now they call them “con fidence” courses. Men are put through swamps and are made to climb over high walls. This is so that in the field of battle they will have confidence. A child, similarly, needs to gain mastery M A R Y H AD A FAITH IN GOD Mary had a faith in God, It means so much, you know; And everywhere that Mary went, Her faith was sure to go. It followed her to school one day, And there she found a rule; The Court Supreme would angry be To hear a prayer at school. And so her teacher stopped her prayer, When grown-ups caused a fuss; Their cries of anguish filled the air, "School prayers are so unjust!" "To Me let all the children come," The Saviour said one day; Forbid them not," His stern com mand, For grown-ups to obey. Oh, Mary dear, forgive these ones Who just don't understand; If they but shared your priceless faith, School prayers would ne'er be banned. We grown-ups need your kind of trust And faith that long endures; To guide us o'er life's storm-tossed seas, So please hold fast to yours. — Bruce E. Stocking in the home or else he will seek it somewhere outside, meeting real diffi culties head on. If we do not have af fection, approval and mastery we need not give up in despair for we can cul tivate them by the grace of Christ. The Holy Spirit seeks to impart di vine wisdom as we allow Him to. He will not force, but waits upon a will ing heart. Are you ready to be the kind of a mother or a father the Lord intended you to be?
W. Robert Smith
PARENTAL IMMATURITY
I t is A p r o v e n fact that most of our family difficulties are because of immaturity on the part of father, mother, or both. If you want your child to have the right kind of values, you must manifest appreciation and approval of the proper values he has. It will not help to be a perfectionist. Some parents manifest to their chil dren that they are more concerned about their personal prestige rather than what their offspring achieve. Even those of us who are devout fol lowers of Christ sometimes make this grave error. We are afraid of what people might think rather than being conscious of our own family needs. How terrible is this sin of pride. It is sad that we do not permit the child to achieve. A parent, usually a mother, will “cluck” over the young one, doing everything for it and not letting him stand on his own feet. I know of a woman whose husband is an alcoholic. In psychological counsel ing it appeared to bring her some morbid satisfaction which she wasn’t willing to admit. Since she had never received love as a child, it allowed her to bestow it upon him during his tragic moments of drinking. He never had the opportunity of standing on his own feet. So, what we are saying can also be true on the adult level. A child needs a sense of achievement and if he doesn’t get it something goes out of his life. Another cultural need is prestige. This is better summarized in the word, recognition. Of course we need to keep this within the bounds of normalcy. Too many people are overly enamoured with this which can become pride. As an example, college education is an achievement. If a boy took all the necessary hours and failed in one re quirement so that he could not get his degree, he would have all the achieve ments and yet miss the prestige. It would have a real effect on him. Every
one wants to be satisfied that he has a part in making a contribution to his fellowman. In the Christian life this is additionally significant. Again, there must be honesty with ourselves. To be mature one must be genuinely interested in others. He needs to see himself as others do. Many of us will not be realistic. We should ask the Holy Spirit to show us our weaknesses. We do not admit that we are wrong for it does not en hance the picture we like to carry of ourselves. Which of us hasn’t been sensitive to criticism? This may be due to the fact that we have not had the right amount of approval as a little child. We don’t like to admit our errors. We easily become irritated. If we are wrong, we ought to be ready to admit this first of all to ourselves in all honesty. You can never grow in God’s grace until you see yourself for what you really are. A woman in a certain Bible class was shocked (she was a new Chris- Biola student Dennis Plies of Garden Grove, Cali fornia, not only is an accomplished musician on the marimba, but also an excellent musician at the organ. Here ho is preparing a special number at the console ol the Lansing memorial pipe organ, the beautiful instrument which is such a vital part of the now Recital Hall on the Campus.
7
tian) to realize that wives were to be in subjection to their husbands. She couldn’t see that such a foolish set up was proper. The teacher suggested, “How many presidents of the United States do we have?” She began to get the picture. If mother tries to be head of the house, then there are going to be real problems. It is not a case of superiority or inferiority, for we are PRAYER LIFE TESTS Has my prayer life been powerless be cause of some besetting sin? Has my prayer life been hindered by haste, irregularity, indefiniteness, insufficient preparation, unbelief, neglect of Bible study? Has my prayer life been fruitless? Have I had such power with God that I have had power with people? Have I had definite answers to prayer week by week? Has my prayer life been restricted merely to short, stated seasons of prayer or have I come to know what it means to "pray without ceas ing"? Has my prayer life been limited to prayer for myself? My family? My work? My church? My own in terests? Or have I taken the world into my heart and into my prayers? Has my prayer life been starved? Or have I devoted time to the study of God's Word about prayer? Do I know His precepts and promises? Has my prayer life been joyless? Do I love to pray? Or is prayer more of a duty than a delight? Has my prayer life been growing? Do I daily know more of the mean ing and power of prayer? Has my prayer life been sacrificial? Has it cost me anything in time, strength, vitality, love? all equal before the Lord. This is sim ply the way the Lord has ordained the home to work effectively and efficient ly. When this woman saw the error of her ways, she had the intestinal fortitude to admit it to her whole family. She had been overstepping her bounds and there were problems none of them could face. She asked for their patience as she sought the Lord’s strength to mature further in God’s
grace. She was willing to admit her error. If we are willing to admit our own limitations and weaknesses, not only does it make for growth in Christlike- ness but also it makes for growth in our family. If you admit your error to day you are not as apt to make it tomorrow. One of the most significant ways by which you will grow in grace and become as the Saviour is to break down the barriers of hostility and hatred. Do you ever seek the forgive ness of others for things you have done or said? How can you expect to be right before the Lord unless you do? In family relationships there is a great deal of sin against the other. Ask each other's forgiveness. See your weaknesses and limitations. H ow honest will you be with yourself as well as with the Lord? The Holy Spir it desires to make you as a clean vessel for the Master’s use. Let Him convict and convince you of sin. Then ask God’s cleansing through Christ (I John 1:9) for victorious living. TIPPING Have you ever wondered just what is proper in the amount of tips which are supposed to be paid to bellboys? There seem to be many conflicting ideas on the subject. Actually, the word “tip" is an abbreviation for “to insure prompt ness." Someone has said it is the price one pays for being assured of special privileges in service. One group of em ployees which depends on gratuities, at least for a part of their salary, set the “ground rules” in saying, “Everyone must tip for unless he does the service is sure to be even worse the next time." Perhaps it would be better for employ ers to add the equivalent of the tip to the price of the meal, or whatever the com modity may be, passing the benefits along to the employee, thus doing away with the practice altogether. This should remind us that we never need to tip the Lord because of any fa vors He has done, or that we may wish Him to do on our behalf. Salvation is the free gift of God. There is not one tip we can add to it. Our whole-hearted desire should be in seeking to please the Lord, serving Him with hearts of grate ful love. This is not working for our sal vation but rather working it out. 8
W. Robert Smith
SELF - DECEPTION
I N t h e l it t l e book of James we find some marvelous insights given to us by the Holy Spirit. Few passages are so significant regarding the mat ter of Christian maturity. The first chapter deals with self-deception no less than three times. Unfortunately, the major compass of many people’s lives is to maintain their own self-image. As they think of themselves highly they desire every one else to do the same. In many cases of genuine neuroticism a person wears a mask because he has sinned. Having refused to live up to the patterns God has ordained, he puts on a false face instead of admitting he is wrong and doing something about it. He may hide and not desire to go out, finally wind ing up in an institution all because he wasn’t willing to be honest with him self. A young woman came to talk to me about her problem. She was a Chris tian girl, and taught in the Sunday school. She had real musical ability. Now, however, she doesn’t darken the door of a church. She says she has to stay away from crowds. She gets upset and loses her food. The medical doctors can find nothing wrong. I told her, “I ’m not a professional psychia trist but if I think you need to see one I’ll encourage you to do so.” We chat ted together and I explained, “We will only have an hour together and you will probably not be coming back again. There is not the time to delve too deeply. But, let me ask you a ques tion. You will need to answer it hon estly. If I embarrass you, forgive me and don’t be angry. It is th is: are you living in some real sin which you have not confessed? It may now be grieving your own heart and you won’t get it straightened with the Lord.” Aston ished she replied, “How do you know these things?” I responded, “I don’t know them, particularly, but I know them in general.” She confessed the
problem. She had been going with a young man who did not know the Lord. She felt, as the Scripture tells us, that she shouldn’t go with him and it be came a very sensitive point. She low ered her head and continued, “What’s more, we’re going out under the cover of darkness and going into the lowest levels of sin.” I said, “When you go into the church, do you think every body is staring at you?” She shook her head in the affirmative. “You’re so upset with yourself that when you think of the shabby hypocritical life you are living, you want to go out and vomit?” Again she agreed. I could tell her, “You don’t need a psychia trist or a psychologist, you need to confess your sins before the Lord. Cease your pattern of living in un chastity and ask God’s forgiveness. Begin to walk within the patterns of purity. A year and a half later I saw her. She was radiant as she asked, “Do you remember me?” Smiling, I replied, “While I don’t remember your name, I recall the experiences we talked about. You used to be afraid faking a briaf period for fellowship are throe members of the Talbot Theological Seminary stu dent body. With his back to the camera is Robert Bengston, paster of a church in nearby Buena Park. In the center is Gene Luber of Whittier and on the right John Lubeck of Montebello. The Seminary held its annual "Open House" on November 11.
9
of crowds.” She said triumphantly, “Now I’m not. I got things right with Christ.” It was not easy for her to say to herself, “I’m just a plain woman who is living in fornication, wickedness and violence.” You see this breaks the image we have of ourselves. A veteran of the Korean war sought counseling. He had been “shell shocked.” The experiences of battle left him on the ragged edge of men tal stability. No one could help him physically. Seeking the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit the talk was conducted. He was told frankly, “You may be offended at this, how ever, the question must be asked. Yotir medical and psychological examina tions show that you have various ner vous tensions and all kinds of pain. Could it be that you left a child in Korea which you fathered and yet, for which you have never taken the re sponsibility? He turned ashen gray and shouted, “No man knows this! How do you know it?” Quietly the answer came, “It is enough that both you and God know it. It cannot be hidden longer.” He admitted his sin before the Lord, asking for cleansing. He told his wife about his unfaithful ness. She forgave him. He took respon sibility for that little child and his physical and mental problems were cleared up. So long as that man was not honest he couldn't live with him self. You cannot grow in grace unless you will be honest with yourself and your family. So often we distort the evidence and endeavor to detach ourselves from the truth. If the problem gets bad then many people will run away from it. That doesn’t solve anything. As an example here is a Christian wife and mother. She does not assume her re sponsibilities in the home and is irri table. She is a very poor housekeeper and doesn’t bother to cook well. She is always running off to church meet ings. This avoids the real circum stances. Let me tuck in here the fact that there is a correlation between the peace which we have inside and that which we live in outside. It is very difficult to live at peace with yourself
if you are living in a messy home. The Lord never intended it to be this way. If you have an unpleasant duty to perform you do not seek to avoid it by trying to be busy doing something else. One reason why some people like to look at the TV all day, or read cheap books, or even go to church meetings all day or all night is that they want to get away from doing things they know they should do. Don’t misunder stand; this is not to minimize going to church. The Lord says, however, “If you come to My house and you have a gift for Me, but you have ought against your brother, get it straight ened out first of all.” Don’t think you can bribe God by going to church meetings. You have obligations to ful fill first of all. There are so many dis- tractive devices. Then we need to think about ration alization, which' is summarized by giv ing a reason which is not the real rea son. There are many kinds of this, self-justification, false compensation, exception making and so on. Blaming things on other people will excuse us. This way we can criticize. When Adam was asked of the Lord why he sinned, he foolishly replied, “Well, God, it’s this woman You gave me.” You see, to keep his self-image, he had the foolish pride to blame the Lord. There is many a man who blames his prob lems on his wife, and many a wife who blames her problems on her husband, and as a result lives and homes are shattered. We must learn to take the responsibility for what we are and then to have the fortitude to make them right with God and man. When Eve was asked about her sin, instead of asking for pardon she began to blame it on Satan. A college student asked me the question, “Are we al ways tempted by Satan ?” I said, “Son, Satan has some of us so well organized he could go away, take a vacation, and we’d carry on without him being around.” If we want to grow in grace and maturity we must be honest with ourselves and with the Lord. By His grace we will become more Christlike and loving. 10
And pray that thanks-living shall be my one aim. Then heart, mind and soul, and what ever is mine, W ith glad songs of praise shall for ever be Thine. — Albert Simpson Reitz A THANKSGIVING For all Thy blessings given there are many to thank Thee, Lord, But for the gifts withholden I fain would add my word. For the good things I desired that barred me from the best, The peace at the price of honor, the sloth of a shameful rest; The poisonous sweets I longed for to my hungering heart denied, The staff that broke and failed me when I walked in the way of pride; The tinsel, joys withheld that so con tent might still be mine, The help refused that might have made me loose my hand from Thine; The light withdrawn that I might not see the dangers of my way; For what Thou hast not given, I thank Thee, Lord, today. — Annie Johnson Flint t h in g s B ecome n ew I never knew the stars could hold Such mysteries as they now unfold, I never knew the tumbling rills Could make such music in the hills, I knew the earth was passing fair But not that angels sojourned here! I never knew that grass could be So green, nor waves so full of glee, I never knew the lark could raise Quite so divine a song of praise, I knew the sunshine drove me wild But not that it was God who smiled! But when I gave my heart's poor throne To Christ that He might reign alone, He rent, the veil that blinded me And gave my soul new eyes to see, And so to my new sight the earth Has had, like me, a second birth! — Jack Window
THEY FORGOT God's people of old took the fruit of the vine, The corn and the oil and the gold of the mine. W ith manifold blessings He cared for His own, Yet words of thanksgiving were all but unknown. They simply forgot that God gave them the land W ith all of the riches received from His hand. W ith selfish indulgence they walked in their ways, Nor lifted their hearts and their voices in praise. Today there are many in lands every where Who share in the grace of God's bountiful care; Yet never give thanks to the Father above For all of the wealth of His wonderful love. W ith dark days upon them they mum ble and moan, When trials distress them they grum ble and groan. But when the clouds clear from the pathway they trod, They straightway forget to say thanks unto God. Oh, Lord, search my heart and reveal unto me Where oft I have failed to give thanks unto Thee. Through all of my lifetime Thy love never failed, But goodness and mercy have always prevailed. When burdens were heavy and sorrows opprest Thy great lovingkindness brought com fort and rest. Then why should I fail to give thanks unto Thee For all of Thy mercies abundant and free. W ith heartfelt thanksgiving I'li bless Thy great name
11
Walter L. Wilson
NO ANSWER
H a v e y o u e v e r thought what a won derful blessing it is to be able to keep still? The idea comes from words about Jesus in Mark 15:5, “But Jesus yet answered nothing.” I’ve been in homes where folks are fussing at each other all the time. The husband says something and the wife contradicts him. “It wasn’t blue at all. It was there and I saw it, it was pink.” The gift of being able to keep still is wonderful. My father-in-law used to say, “Walter, the man who can talk in 7 languages can’t be compared to the man who can keep still in one.” In Mark 15, Jesus was standing be fore Pilate, but he answered him not. “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth." He could have said plenty. He could have said just one thing that would have brought death to his enemies, but He came to save, not to punish. In soul winning I have found it such a blessing just to let the per son talk and talk. I found this so in my practice of medicine, too. I re member a woman who came to my office and she told me all about herself and her troubles, what kind of symp toms she had and what the remedy was. When she got through with that long harangue, I got up and said, “Thank you, I’m so glad you came, Mrs. Martin to tell me all of this won derful news. If you ever need me, let me know.” “Aren’t you going to do anything for me?”, she retorted. I said, “You don’t need me. You diag nosed your own case. You told me what the treatment was and how you took the treatment. You’ve got it all fixed up. You don’t need me.” Then she saw how foolish she was. What she thought about herself wasn’t true at all. In the matter of answering for our selves, however, it’s a good thinjg not to talk too much about what we be lieve and what we don’t believe. I
mean, be a good listener, no matter what the person says. Let them go on talking because if you break in on a person when he’s talking to you, he won’t listen to you. He is thinking about p i c k i ng up the conversation where he left off and when you quit talking, he starts right in where he left off. “Jesus yet answered nothing.” It’s not necessary to label every thing, beloved. The sun doesn’t need a sign on it to tell you it gives light and heat. The apple tree doesn’t need to wear a label to tell you it’s good for food. Sugar doesn’t need a descrip tion to announce that it’s sweet. The life of Jesus and the words that He spoke were quite sufficient to prove His deity. Christ wasted no time on His critics. Some of our prominent speakers are the same way. They are called all kinds of names and are blasphemed and harangued, and they answer nothing. It does wonders for you, if you know how to keep still. Christ wasted no time defending Him self when issues were so plain. He gave abundant proof of His divine origin. He left the matter for their decision. If you can learn just to keep Hr. Jamas Hill, new director of the Biala Music Department, is pictured here with his wife at the recent freshmen reception. Hr. Hill will be re ceiving his doctorate this year. He also directs the newly formed Biola Brass Ensemble.
12
still and be a good listener, you’ll learn a great deal. The richest man I ever knew personally was that kind of a man. He was on the board of education in one of our big cities. Several times I went to that board of education to appeal to them to get evolutionary t e a c h i n g out of the schools. In all the time I was there I never heard him talk except when he was asked a question; yet he was the wisest man there. Because he kept still, everybody knew he knew more than they did. When you listen well, you learn something. When you’re talking, you’re not learning anything. You’re just letting others know how little you actually know. Jesus answered nothing. His silence showed that He was in command of the situation. He knew there was plenty of time coming for Him to an swer. One day Pilate and the others will have to go and meet that One, the Judge on His throne, the very One they crucified. There were some occasions when Jesus answered their questions. When anyone had some thing on his heart, it received His attention. He gave careful answers to those who had a genuine desire to know. He could look right through them and see what was behind the question, and then He answered ac cordingly. The enemies of Christ were cruel and cutting. Their false accusa tions against Him received no atten tion from Him at all. He just kept still. He knew the time would come when He could have to speak with authority on the eternal throne. The Lord doesn’t always work quickly. He settles matters in His own time, and that will be at the Great White Throne when there is no appeal, no avoiding, no evading. The answer stands! Everyone who is listening to me now will stand before God sometime. If you’re saved it will be at the judg ment seat of Christ. If you’re lost it will be at the Great White Throne. Let me urge you to go to the Saviour and throw yourself in His arms for His mercy and His grace and His love. He’ll say to you, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you.”
DECEPTION Our eyes are wonderful gifts of the Lord, however, sometimes they can fool us. An old jail had been abandoned in British Columbia. It was used some years before when the area was a lumbering and mining community. Before it was tom down, the owners noted the large locks and heavy steel doors. On the win dows were two inch iron bars. Upon closer examination of the now deterio rating walls they had to laugh. It was discovered that- the now rotting walls had been made out of light ¡>1aster board covered with paper, cleverly painted to resemble steel reinforced plating. With a strong kick, a hole could easily be made. Prisoners had been fooled, yet the jail records didn’t reveal that anyone had ever tried to escape. Have you ever felt that you were in what seemed as bad as a jail, your cir cumstances had so hemmed you in? How easy it is for Satan to get us so dis couraged that we sit back, pouting, com miserating in self pity. You feel like you are in a rut (this is the same as a grave, only with the ends kicked out). Yes, Satan knows how to wield his clev er tool of discouragement. He wants us to feel defeated. Knowing he cannot rob ns of our salvation, he seeks to make us content in taking the Lord’s second best. He wants us to be mediocre rather than victorious. Remember, God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Don’t be like those who spiritually, when trou ble strikes, go out and buy crutches. Look to the Lord, for He wants you to use the “wings of grace.’’ VALUE OF A M A N When Meretus, a French scholar of great renown, accepted the Protestant faith many centimes ago, he was driven into exile, persecuted, and finally brought to complete poverty. He had to end his days in a pauper’s hospital. There, seri ously ill, doctors examined him. He had just enough strength to hear them say in Latin, so that no one would under stand, “Let’s try some experiments on this worthless creature.” To their shock and surprise the well educated Meretus replied to them in Latin, “Will yon call ‘worthless,’ one for whom Jesus died?" In our personal evangelism, we stress here at Biola the true value of the hu man soul. 13
T h e q u e s t io n was asked of Jonah, “Why hast thou done this?” He was supposed to be a servant of God and do things for God. When God told Jonah to go do some preaching, how ever, Jonah didn’t want to so he ran away. He ran off with his message. Jonah boarded a ship. A terrible storm arose and the men were exceed ingly afraid (Jonah 1:10). The sailors said to Jonah, “Why hast thou done this ?”, for the men knew he fled from the presence of the Lord. This is what I want to talk about. “Why have you done this?” Let me ask you, dear friends, why are you where you are and like you are? Do you hold anything against the Lord Jesus that keeps you from loving Him dearly? Why doesn’t He have your whole possession, your heart and your soul, and your mind? Are you afraid of being a fanatic? I know men that are fanatic about baseball and nobody finds fault with them. There are oth ers that are fanatical about travel but nobody finds fault with them. The only time I know of that anybody finds fault with a person being a fanatic is when he loves the Lord out and out. He’s a fanatic. Anybody that gives God His rightful place, the Holy Spir it His rightful place, and the Bible it’s rightful place is a fanatic. Do you know why that is? Because the human heart hates God and hates the things of God. My friend, are you running away from God? Why are you doing what you are doing? You go to church on Sunday morning, of course, but you’re glad to get away and get out to the golf course or take a ride through the country. The evening comes and al though the church is there, you’re not there, and although Wednesday comes, the church is there, but you’re not there. We ought to ask ourselves what is there in God’s glory and God’s grace that we don’t like. What do
you have against Christianity or against the Bible or against the Lord to be what you are? I’m sure a lot of you dear friends are not Christians at all. Well, why not? Can you give one reason why? Do you think that the things of God take pleasures away from you? In the best times of life the Lord Jesus is the One who satis fies the heart. I saw a banker one time writing out checks, $50,000, $110,000, $225,000 and I asked him if this was what he was enjoying. “Oh,” he says, “I do this to make a living, but my joy is to go down to the camp and give away Bibles to soldiers and talk to them about the Lord Jesus. That's my joy.” Well, what do you enjoy most? Do you have something that’s going to be good for you when everything else fails includ ing your money? I have a friend in business who had to declare bankruptcy. He was rejoic ing in a big job he had, when sud denly his entire business was wiped out. The rug was pulled out from under his feet, but that didn’t stop his loving the Lord. His heart wasn’t in his business; his heart was with his Lord — and so you tell me what you’re doing away from God. My precious friend, nothing in this wide world is going to suit your soul-heart except that which you can’t lose when you die. Don’t run away any longer? Throw yourself into the arms of Jesus. Only the Saviour can do any thing for you, so go to Him and trust your life to Him. Eternal reward* are given for what we do, not for what we talk about doing. * * * A bit of love is the only bit that will bridle the tongue. * * * A gossiper is like an old shoe on which the tongue never stays in place. * * * 14
■ by Walter L. Wilson went to the Lord about it. He drew closer to the Lord. I had a dog once that would sharpen her claws on the upholstery in the- parlor. When I would spank her with a little twig, she would draw closer to me. She would gradually crawl closer and closer and look up at me with those tearful eyes. She didn’t run away from me because I spanked her. She drew nearer. The Lord wants us to do that. He loves us so much that He wants to train us and mold us and make us into His will and His pur pose. David loved his Shephe rd and sang about Him. Let me ask you—do you? Do you really have the Lord for your Shepherd? Do you follow Him so people will know who you be long to? David wasn’t a man who cared for God one day and then quit Him the next. He wasn’t a Sunday visitor. There are some people that go to church only three times. The first time they are carried in to be sprinkled with water; the second time they go in to be sprinkled with rice; and the third time they are rolled in to be sprinkled with dirt; and that’s about all they ever know about a church. But David wasn’t that kind of a man. He was immi nently successful in business. He was consistently v i c t o r i ou s with his army, but the Lord was his Shepherd all the time. With all these human successes David leaned on the guid ance and wisdom of his wonderful Shepherd. Don’t you trust in anything you can lose, money or health, religion or any other thing. You trust only Christ Jesus. David didn’t feel that he had sufficient wisdom nor had good knowledge to run his army. He be lieved in God and followed Him. May each one of us be able to say, “the Lord is my Shepherd.” 15
MY SHEPHERD
D avid , a great king and a very wealthy man, sa id something that ought to interest you and me. He said, “the Lord is my Shepherd” (Psalm 23:1). Think of a million aire, the head of an army, the gov ernor general of the country saying that. Why should he say “the Lord is my Shepherd” if he had millions of dollars ? Although he was powerful and had a great undefeated army and his tremendous wealth enabled him to purchase anything his heart wanted at any time, he depended upon none of these things at all for joy and peace. He might lose his army and men mi gh t take his wealth, but no one could take his Shepherd away from him. David was too wise to trust his life to things that were so effervescent and tran sient as money, fame and power. He trusted his life to the One who ruled his life, the One who gave him his life, his lovely, lovely Lord. David doesn’t say Jesus is my shepherd. Christ wasn’t born yet; but he didn’t say Joel is my shep herd, nor Joshua is my shepherd. He said, “the Lord is my Shepherd.” It is the Lord who controls the world, who keeps it from flying around off its orbit and keeps the sun shining. The Lord, the Unchanging One, the Almighty One, the Great One, the Precious One, is my Shepherd. The Lord is able to take care of him safely through dark days and bright days. He ended the Psalm by saying, “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” All the days, the good days and the bad days, the sweet days and the sour days, the cloudy days and the bright days, the days of tears and the days of sunshine, the days of defeat and the days of victory. No wonder he could say the Lord was his Shepherd. When things went wrong David
FEAR I John 4:18
by Al Sanders
H a v e y o u e v e r been afraid? Then perhaps you can feel the alarm and panic of the little girl who was awak ened one night in the middle of a terrifying thunderstorm. She was so frightened that she desperately called out for her mother. When she got to her bedside, the little lass was in tears. The Christian parent tried to console her child with the gentle reminder, “You don’t need to be afraid, darling. Jesus is right here beside you. He will take care of you.” Still the scared youngster cried. Her mother again suggested quietly, “But sweetheart, you know Jesus is here; you needn't be afraid.” The child nodded in agree ment but sobbed, “I know, Mommie, but I want someone with skin on him.” How often have we expressed her sen timents when problems and difficulties come to us. How do we relate the Lord to the everyday trials and forebodings of life? Do we look to “someone with skin on him,” or seek Christ’s help and strength for our answer? Dr. Charles Mayo, the emminent physician declared, “It’s my opinion that fear, in its broadest sense, is at the bottom of every iota of ill health and unhappiness directly traced to and caused by fear. When we realize that one out of every two hospital beds today is occupied by someone who is suffering f r o m mental difficulties, disease or disorder, we can see the immense gravity of the situation. Now, when you get right down to the examination of fear we see how foolish and baseless most of the ap prehensions we experience really are. As an example, consider the woman who, greatly agitated, went to her physician to unload, saying, “Oh, doc tor, I’m so worried about my son, who’s so worried about my being wor ried.” Fears and frustrations are about that pointless. Now, what are some of the more
common fears? No doubt that which is most basic is the concern of an in dividual for his own personal safety. In Leviticus there is an interesting word God gives concerning Israel. Be cause they had turned away from His will and way, they were to be punished. It was prophesied, “The fear of a shaking leaf shall chase them.” Many people fail to achieve victory, both personal, financial, and moral, as well as spiritual, because they are fright ened by something so insignificant as a rustling leaf. When I was a boy, our nearest playmates were some six or eight blocks away. We enjoyed going to their house because we would occa sionally get asked for dinner. This was always enjoyable, but the walk home after the porch light on my friend’s house was out, and without street lights, was foreboding and fearsome. The wind in the trees caused the leaves to stir and imagination assured me that someone was waiting to pounce out upon me. By the time I reached home, I was running and only breathed a deep sigh of relief when I had reached the safety of our front door. “The fear of a shaking leaf” certainly chased me. A second fear is one of being alone. Someone has well said that there are certain individuals who, if they were left alone, might find themselves in poor company. The simple facts are that God is interested in us; in every aspect of our daily existence. I know some people who can be in crowds of people, and yet feel as though they are completely alone. They can’t feel that anyone is really concerned about them. A leading television comedian who enters millions of homes weekly, ad mits a fear of being left alone to such a degree that he keeps all of the lights in his Beverly Hills mansion burning night and day. Do you have a fear of being alone? The Word of our Sav- 16
disappear automatically, nor do we rid ourselves of them by hiding our heads in the sand as the proverbial ostrich. This way we fool no one but ourselves. We read in our key verse, I John 4:18, “fear hath torment.” The word in the Greek means to writhe or to twist in anguish. This suggests mental grief and spiritual torture. If one is not a believer, he needs to see that fear does not end here on earth. If the soul’s destiny is not settled here, the impos sible torment will go on eternally. How cleverly Satan blinds people’s eyes and thoughts with the lie of sui cide. A person may feel that, because he is so filled with fear, or because his life is so miserably frustrated, he is burdened and perplexed, that the only way to be rid of these problems is to be rid of himself. Therefore, he seeks to end his life. This poor individual doesn’t realize that the only thing that’s happened is that he killed his body. His soul, however, will live on eternally. He has only consigned him self all the quicker to judgment and hell. Now, what about fear’s glorious cure? This is the result of love’s per fection in Christ. We are not talking about spiritual perfection, but rather spiritual maturity. When I was in the ninth grade studying algebra for the first time, our teacher told us at the very start of the course, “Students, don’t be foolish in wasting your time. If you do, you will only have to cram when examinations come. This won’t work. Do your lessons well and when the tests come, you’ll have nothing to fear.” Now, testing will come to all of us. It is impossible to always live on the mountain-top of experience; there are valleys of discouragement and dis appointment. The Bible assures us, however, that when love has been per fected, when it has been allowed to grow, fear will not be able to grip our souls. During World War II the Atlantic Charter was drawn up by a group of leading statesmen. One of its noble objectives stated that every man should enjoy “freedom fear.” Obvious ly that document, as well-ordered as 17
iour assures us, “Fear not, for I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” There is also the fear of losing one’s health. This is frequently cou pled with a concern that a man may lose his livelihood thereby. I think of a businessman friend of mine who will be 55 shortly. “The thing that con cerns me the most,” he confessed, “is what is going to happen in these next ten years. I don’t know whether I can hold out until Social Security.” Maybe you are thinking the same thing. In dustry, it seems, is not interested in men over 40; some of them have even dropped that limit to 35. Companies merge, automation is brought in, and men who have worked themselves up into respectable and responsible posi tions' find themselves out looking for new employment. As far as health is concerned, the older we get, the more the possibility of losing our health; this makes us- afraid. An ache around the heart, a strange fluttering, an un usual growth previously unnoticed are all certain omens of disaster. Some people are even afraid to go to the doctor, fearful that he may discover what is expected, but which disease we dare not even utter. As we face the problem of fear, we need to consider any possible remedy or cure. Our forebodings don’t just One «1 Iks popular new structural on tho Biota Campus Is the Rose ol Sharon Prayer Chapel. Pic tured at tho door are Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland, Biola president, with Stove Hlckerson, president of tho Biola Associated Student Body. Tho facility is located away from tho busy "stream" of Campus life, allowing a place whore students may enjoy a time of private meditation, prayer, and fellowship with tho Lord.
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker