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T h e K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
April 1928
since; but the best part is that she has taken a bold stand for the Lord Jesus Christ and the Word o f God, and only recently made public her confession by uniting with a church. Her whole life has been transformed. The Lord has given her a burden for souls, and her voice is now heard in the class in testimony and prayer. Even her neighbors give testimony o f the great change that has taken place in her life. “ Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new crea ture, old things are passed away: behold, all things are become new.” — o — A Radio.Cake and a Spiritual Birthday It all happened because o f a birthday cake,—a lovely pink one. A mother had been coming to our Radio Studio for some time, bringing her little girl to take part in the Children’s Hour program. They both seemed so lovely that the one in charge o f the Children’s Hour never doubted but that both were already Christians, but on one particular night it was learned at the Children's Hour program that one o f the little girls had had a birth day, and her piano teacher had bought her a lovely pink birthday cake: A fter the program the birthday cake was enjoyed by all who had had a part on that evening’s program. Among those present were this'lovely lady and little girl. While visiting our radio, “ Aunt Martha” chanced to ask the name of the Sunday school the little girl attended, and was astonished at the reply “ None.” Turning to the mother,' the same story came from her lips. She further con fessed that she felt perfectly “ satisfied,” but when asked if she was ready to meet our Lord, should death call her, she said: “ Oh, I don’t want to die:” She was given a Gospel of John as she left, and promised that both she and the little child would read it. She also promised to bring the little girl to Sunday school the following Sunday. This she did, and attended Sunday school herself. She began reading her Bible, but it was all so new to her it could be seen she was not understanding it, so she was invited to- visit “ Aunt Martha” that help might be given her. What a joy it was to open up the Word to this hun gry heart! The way o f salvation was made plain, and without hesitation she knelt in prayer and accepted the Lord Jesus as her own Saviour. In talking over her life afterward, she told how only three months ago they decided to move to the East and had started with all o f their possessions,' but before they had even E ft Los Angeles, the husband stopped the car and said, I can go no further; I have a feeling that we should return.” They waited a while to see if he felt differently, but being still firm in this conviction, they turned back and re-rented the; house they had just vacated. As she told o f this incident it was blessed to hear her say that it must have been the Lord leading even then. Surely this whole family will soon belong to the Lord.' And so the earthly birthday o f one little girl caused a new birthday o f another to be recorded in heaven. 1111 ate ate My Little Philosophy It was a wise remark o f John Adams that : “ It; [the Bible] contains more o f my little philosophy than all the libraries that I have seen; and such parts as I cannot reconcile to my little philosophy I postpone for future investigation.”
The Post Resurrection Miracle Rev. O. R. Palmer o f Philadelphia calls attention to the fact that our Lord’s post-resurrection miracle was “ a fishing miracle,” and brings out some interesting points concerning the number — “ 153”— the total number of fish caught. , Jesus said: “ Children, have ye any meat?” and then tells them where to cast their nets. What a catch it was! Such an unexpected way and place! “ Great fishes!” and their net, once, breaking, now holding , It was a miracle, a post-resurrection miracle, fresh from the nail-marked hand of their Lord. A token of the new power by which they were henceforth to be fishers of men. Interpreting that baffling “ 153,” Mr. Palmer says: “ The Holy Spirit counted the fish, and recorded the num ber for our instruction and cheer. How significant the number! How happy we should be that it is .recorded! How our hearts should leap for joy as we see what it teaches concerning our place in our Lord’s own resurrec tion life and power! Let us examine i t : In order to give the number, we must divide it into three parts. First a hundred, then fifty, then three. ‘“ An hundred.’ The number one hundred in the Word o f God is used for the highest number o f fruitful ness and blessing., It is the number used by the Holy Spirit to show how the Lord was with and blessed Isaac: ‘Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundred fo ld : and the Lord blessed him’ (Gen. 26:12). It is the number used by our Lord to show the greatest possible fruitfulness to the one who receives the Word of God into good ground. ‘He that receiveth seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also heareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold’ (Matt. 13 :23). May we not, therefore, believe our Lord is showing by this number that He has brought His Church into a place of hundred fold blessing and fruitfulness? “ ‘And fifty.’ I f the number one hundred is significant, the number fifty-is equally so. It is the number o f full salvation (Gen. 18:26). God told Abraham H e would spare all o f Sodom if H e could find fifty righteous people in- it. Pentecost was fifty days after the Passover, when the Holy Spirit came to bring full salvation, and to make real in us what Jesus had wrought out for us. F ifty was the year o f jubilee, and is it not time for the Church to enter into its jubilee of full salvation, its blessing and its power? This could not be until after the resurrection o f our Lord and the descent of the Spirit. “ ‘And three.’ Three is the number o f Trinity, and the fruitfulness of the Church and the reality o f full salvation is made possible, because all three Persons o f the Trinity are now in partnership and co-operating with us.” Another writer has recently pointed out that the word for “ grace” in thq-Greek, occurs just 153 times. God’s Side o f the Fence “ When a boy,” said a prominent member of a church, “ I was much helped by Bishop Hamline, who visited a house where I was. Taking me aside, the Bishop said, ‘When in trouble, my boy, kneel down and .ask God’s help; but never climb over the fence into the devil’s ground and then kneel down and ask for help. Pray from God’s side of the fence.’ O f that,” said he, “ I have thought every day o f my life since.”
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