FIELD WORK DEPARTMENT EXPANDS
the nothing that is you, and make something out of it by His power and for His glory. God can and will use human vessels that are clean and empty. He will use you too, if you’re clean and empty. Clean of all pride, and empty of all self. That’s our first responsibility. Have An Active Trust Here is the real secret for those who would truly know the will of God for their lives. They should exercise an active trust. Don’t sit down and fold your hands and expect the Lord to drop a package o f sealed orders in your lap. But lend your hand to the immediate tasks of the Christian life which are near by. Keep busy in the opportunities for service right where you are . . . now! There is an Old Testament story about a trusted servant of a great man who was given a very important mission to accomplish (Gen. 24:1-4). A phrase out of that story is illus trative here as the servant said, “ I being in the way, the Lord led me” (Gen. 24:27). He really didn’t know where he was going, but he trusted God and started out. The lesson from that is to put ourselves in God’s way by earnestly endeavoring to do the tasks which fall to our hands (Gal. 6:9). A principle of the will of God seems to be to promote to higher tasks those of His children who are faithful in the smaller things. Very often God calls to important positions those men and women who have faithfully ful filled the smaller jobs, and the num ber of these smaller jobs (yet no job is small if it is for Christ) is legion. One can teach a Sunday school class, or be an usher in a church, or go to a rescue mission, or sing in the choir, or arrange the chairs, or mow the church lawn . . . and on and on. But there is another side to this matter of keeping active while seek ing God’s will. It adds a tremendous teaching value to our experience. Everyone knows that we learn by doing, and very often God withholds His further guidance until we have attained the place of more definite experience. So an active trust may hasten the fuller revelation of God’s will. Let us have done with the attitude that by-and-by, after so long a course of education or training, then I shall serve Christ. Do not misunderstand us—we believe in training. But God is not limited to the use of those who are trained. He can use here and now everyone whose trust is an active trust, and whose faith is a working J U L Y , 1 9 5 0
faith. Nor will God fail to render full rewards for every last piece of service done now. Begin Preparation Immediately Those who would be used by God should begin their preparation for service at once. Every means to increase one’s knowledge of the vast amount of the truth of God should be seized upon. As you enter upon a program of study you’ll be surprised and delighted as to how your spirit ual knowledge will increase (2 Tim. 2:15). For instance, one should regularly attend Sunday school classes where the Word of God is taught. This should be supplemented by a regular place in the church worship service (Heb. 10:25). It is surprising how much one may learn by fastening one’s mind upon the Sunday school lesson or upon the sermon. Too many listeners allow their minds to wander. Of course, everyone should have his own Bible, preferably a Bible with a large margin, where notes can be entered and succinct sayings worth remembering can be written down. Many Christians find it profitable to keep a notebook carefully record ing the illustrative material and the outlines which are heard from time to time. Such material becomes almost invaluable as one later assumes a place of responsibility where he must give out constantly, and where he finds very little opportunity to take in. Read good books regularly (1 Tim. 4:13). There’s a wealth of them available. And then when summer comes, there can be those grand times when physical recreation is combined in a delightful way with spiritual inspira tion. The Christian should seek out some Bible Conference where unham pered and unhindered by the ordinary demands of life, for a week or two he may give his entire attention to the drinking in of precious spiritual truths (Mark 6:31). Some Christians find themselves liv ing in rural areas and unable to take advantage of the teaching in churches and Bible classes. Such folk should begin to prepare by use of correspon dence courses. Or better still, every Christian ought to set aside a little time—at least a year—and attend a good Bible Institute where the cur riculum is made up largely of Biblical subjects (Matt. 6:33). Even those who plan on specialized education should undergird their Christian life by a year or more o f definite study in the greatest of all books, the Bible (2 Tim. 3:14-16).
Mr. James R. Sewell
A GAIN the Bible Institute is happy to announce the appointment of another new member to the Field De partment. This time it is Mr. James R. Sewell of San Diego, who will rep resent this Bible school in San Diego and Imperial counties. For some time Mr. Sewell has been active in the College Avenue Baptist Church of San Diego where his wife and two children, a daughter nine and a son twelve, are also members. He served there as Sunday school host and as Vice-President of the Men’s Brotherhood. Mr. Sewell has also taken part in the activities of the San Diego Christian Business Men’s Youth for Christ. For twelve years Mr. Sewell was in a wholesale business and for a num ber of years traveled as a salesman for Devoe & Raynolds Paint Company. Lately he served as a Pre-Need Coun selor for Greenwood Memorial Park in San Diego and will now devote one- half his time to that work along with his contacts for the Bible Institute of Los Angeles in the southernmost area of the state. Mr. Eugene Poole has been repre senting the Bible Institute in the San Diego territory for the past ten years or more, but his duties in the greater Los Angeles area have increased to such an extent that the Business De partment feels it imperative that he give more of his time to local work and relinquish other territory to those living in the field. Mr. Poole wishes to take this opportunity of expressing his deep appreciation to the many friends upon whom he has called for Biola for their warm, Christian fel lowship and numerous kindnesses. Page Thirteen
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