1944
Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Incorporated
Motto of Seventy-Four Graduates in the Class of 1944, Bible Institute of Los Angeles
Dr.WilburM. Smith
¿ o n , TfC e e t ¿ *t S e n o c e e " b y
This well known teacher, editor of Pelou- bet's Notes, suggests the shortest Gospel, with its terse, military tone, for use in
A public official...
who knows his Bible A fter a fu ll day at the office, the treas urer o f a W yom ing town finds time for personal B ible study through a M oody hom e study course. H e says . . . " , . . your course stands right by the B ible, with clear and definite inform a tion on how to handle G od ’s W ord in teaching all classes o f people” W ou ld n ’t you like a better understand ing o f how to present the Bible to others—in all its convincing power? T h e Teacher Training Course w ill help you. W rite for details. Address Dept. j^g22
short-term classes in army and navy camps. But his exposition of Mark, and his practical working outlines, will prove of great value to all Bible students. For chaplains, pastors and teachers. 96 pages. 50*
153 Institute Place • Chicago 10 • Dept. K396
YOUNG EDDIE JONES WANTS A BIBLE — BADLY Is it asking you too much to give him one? Young Eddie Jones, the boy down the street, is a prisoner of war—living in bitter misery. More than anything else, he wants a Bible to fill his mind and heart and sustain his courage. The American Bible Society through its of fice at Geneva, Switzerland, has already pro vided over 200,000 Bibles, Testaments and Portions, in more than 30 languages, to grate ful prisoners of war in all countries. Through American Bible Society Annuity Agreements, which now provide as high as 7 % returns, friends have helped to meet emergen cies like this for nearly 100 years. Find out more about this great Annuity Plan and how it entitles you to certain tax exemptions. Send for the interesting booklet “A Gift That Lives!’ URGENT!JILL OUT_AND_MAILIMS COUPONTODAY! □ Please send me, without obligation your booklet KB-47 entitled “ A Gift That Lives." •n I enclose $.............. to provide Testaments for prisoners of war. Name ....................—................................................ Denomination ............................-............-..............-.............................— Address™ ......................................................................................................................^ City.™ ...................................................... ..State. -------- American Bible Society, BibleHouse,NewYork22, N.Y.
A Moody Annuity check is good news, ar- •riving regularly. It brings a sense of security in later years . . . just at the time when financial worry can loom so large, if no provision has been made against it.
But that regular check . . . wel come as it is . . . will b e only one of the worthwhile returns you'll get through the Moody Annuity plan. There are the spiritual dividends, too. Your an nuity dollars will be used to help in the training of young people for soul-winning lives of Christian service. That's why w e want you to read DOUBLE DIVIDENDS, the booklet that explains how you can secure this double satisfaction. Mail the coupon today.
Dept. K748 153 INSTITUTE PLACE, C H IC A G O 10
Gentlemen: Please send me your interesting booklet, DOUBLE DIVIDENDS, without obligation on my part. □ Also Booklet A . I am under 20. Name________________________________________________________ .
MOODY B I B L E I NS T I TUT E • CH I CAGO C ity and State.
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“Next Fall May Be Too Late” % • In the welter of a world gone mad, of nation rising against na tion, of the terror that stalks in the, night, of the arrow that flieth by day, of pestilence, of destruc tion, of the elerhents in commo tion, is there not a warning in the stark realism of these few sentences taken from a letter re cently sent us: ~ “ I was going to send the money this fall; but the Lord said. Send it now; next fall may be too late. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if He came this Feast of the Trumpets, the ingathering of the Harvest! God does all things in order.”. • And here is something for the earnest child of/ God to think about. What and if He should come at the timé of the blowing of the trumpets on the first day of the Month TisHrf? What and if you were then suddenly caught up to be with Him? Do you not think it would please Him won derfully that you should now have your , part in a testimony that warns Israel of the wrath to come? And do you know a better ■ way to please Him than to snatch a few brands from the burning,, a few Jewish, souls that will be your trophies when at last you lay your burden down and meet -, Him face to face? • The time is short. That is why we keep reminding you of the privilège of sharing with Him in His yearning over the lost sheep in the House of Israel; and that is why so many of the -Lord’s choicest saints are counts ing it a joy to fellowship with us in our God-given task of these last days. Perhaps if you will make it a matter of earnest prayer, He will lead you also to become a burden bearer with us; and from experience we can assure you it will be a happy dày for you. AMERICAN BOARD OF MISSIONS TO T H E JEW S. Inc. 31 Throop Avenue, Brooklyn 6, N. Y. ! Dear Friends; Gladly cfô'T enclose $ my gift for Israel’s salvationi “ before it 4a too late.” ‘ Name . . . . . . . ...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A ddress.. . . . . . . . . . , . . . ... .. L City. . . . .* ..... S ta te.. . . . . . . . .
The Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Inc. “ Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins tn his own blood ” (Rev. 1:5).
THE KING'S BUSINESS Cover Photograph by Harold M . Lambert. When God Saved the Brewer’s Boy, Part V II — Louis T. Talbot as told to Mildred M . Cook Current Business — Editorial ..........................................>.. ....... ......227 Harvest in the Douglas MacArthur Country — John R. Turnbull .............228 The Student Nurse........................ .:..................... ...................................... :.....229 W e Are the Dead — George M . Coivan.i.. .......... .............................................230 Dr. T a lb o t’s Question Box.................................. ...............................................233 Junior King’s Business — Martha S. Hooker. ..................................................235 Biola Family .....,....... .......... ................................................................................. 237 International Lesson Commentary.......................................................... ....... ..238 Christian Endeavor — Ransom D . Marvin, Elmer Sachs, David E. Dilworth, S. Herbert Bess .................I .......................................................249 Daily Devotional Readings...................... :......-.................................... .'.............253 Literature Table.................... . ...............................................£............ .................256 .......................„...:..... :™.....................226 SUBSCRIPTION INFORM ATION —“ 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. R EM ITTA N C E —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 op outside wrapper or cover of magazine. ADV ER TIS ING —For information, address the Advertising Manager, 558 South > Hope Street, Los Angeles 13, Calif., or our ekstern 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 M arch '3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in the Act o f February 28, 1925. embodied in „ paragraph 4, section 538; P. L. and R., authorized O ctober 1„ 1918, and November 13, 1938. ADDRESS: The King’s Business, 558 So. Hope. St., Los Angeles 13, Calif. LOUIS T. TALBOT, Editor-in-chief MILDRED M. COOK, Managing Editor RANSOM D. MARVIN, Staff Artist
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When God Saved the Brewer's Boy By LOUIS T. TALBOT, as told to MILDRED M. COOK . Copyright 19 44, by Mildred M. Cook
Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis, where my brother Jim was a pastor, and it said that Jim was critically ill. Across the face of that cryptic message I saw one b i t t e r word: “Frustration.” It meant that everything was g o i n g wrong—for Jim, and for me. For long minutes I sat silent. “You want to go to him, Son, don’t you?” the judge asked at length. I wanted nothing else quite so much at that moment. But I had just begun my pastorate in Paris. I argued that to leave it now would be disastrous. The judge had walked longer by faith than I had walked, and he had learned that when God upsets His people’s plans it is always meant for their good. Kindliness warmed his voice as he said, “All right, Louis. We’ll ar range it.” The decision meant providing supply preachers for the indefinite period of my absence. But the judge had not seen that invisible writing, and so his faith rose with the emergency. Stumblingly I went on, having 'to learn other and harder lessons in God’s school. The Heart of Brother Jim Arriving in St. Louis, I found Jim even more ill than I had feared, and my heart cried out desperately, “Why does this have to be!” When I bent over his bed, he reached up thin arms, pathetic in their powerlessness, to draw me to him. “It’s all right, old boy,” he whis pered. “I’ll get better. I have to.” One dominant thought seemed to be driving him on. “I must get to Aus tralia . . . to speak to Dad. . . about his [ Continued on Page 232]
CHAPTER VII J UDGE SCOTT answered the door it open and read two startling mes sages, one on the usual blue ticker tape and the other scrawled with in visible ink that only I could see. It was late summer, in 1913. My work completed at the Moody Bible Institute, I had come to this little Texas town of Paris to become the pastor of the First Congregational Church there, at the special insistence of the saintly Judge Scott, and I was making my home with him. . Without hesitation, I handed the tel egram to my good friend. It was from IN EARLIER CHAPTERS: It was while he was attending the Moody Bible Institute tíf Chicago, that Louis Talbot realized poignantly for the first timé the wonder of God's plan of salvation, and took a firm step for ward with Christ. Contributory to this event were many earlier factors: the faithfulness of his mother's prayers for her husband and eight children, and the belief that Acts 16:31 was for them; the demonstration of moral uprightness in his brewer father; the testimony of Converted gangsters; the mighty sweep of evangelism under Torrey and Chapman in Sydney. Pos sessed now of a new driving forcé, this gay, trick-loving Au s t r a l i a n found increased zest for living. Love and admiration for his older brother Jim were also intensified, for al though Louis had come to America simply to be with his brother, now their life interests were fused into the common purpose of winning souls.
bell, received the telegram, and came back to the living room to hand the yellow envelope to me. I tore
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Current Business LOUIS T, TALBOT, Editor-m-Chief
ADOPTION By FLORENCE EISELE
“For os many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sops of God" (Rom. 8:14), Born of the Spirit 1 have a new name, A grand family background— the faithful and true; A Father whose love is for ever the same, A wonderful Saviour who maketh things new! O Spirit of God, wilt Thou help me to bear. My new family likeness, in me, everywhere. Born of the Spirit I go a new way , Far from the old paths I might now be using. No more rebellious, I gladly obey. Joying His guidance, in ways of His choosing. Spirit of God, give me wis dom to show The trust of my fathers, in Thee, as I go.
Chaplains chose the thirteen pop ular, nondenominational hymns, and a d d e d the Twenty-third Psalm. Some of the Hymns were: “God Will Take Care of You," . “Faith of Our Fathers,” “Abide with Me” . . . “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Here is a modern application of a truth as old as the Word itself: “Man shall not live by bread alone.” “K ration” — thirty-two ounces of which, according 'to the report, will furnish 3,726 calories, is sufficient to sustain a man’s bodily strength for some time; but he will “live” only “by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Christian people should thank God that the head of the training and planning division of the office of the Chief of Chaplains was led to make this provision for “men going into battle.” ■Not only so, but here is a sugges tion for every person who wraps a package or writes a letter: Why not include some printed portion that will be the' “ plus” provision for a hungry soul? Where “ Brother” Means Something At a time when thousands of men are being plunged into active military service, loved ones at home are natu rally concerned about their spiritual as- well as their physical wellbeing. The following paragraphs are excerpts from a letter, written. by a member of the Church of the Open Door in, Los Angeles, and carrying comfort in every line. The sailor states: Recently I was transferred to a station on a South Pacific island for reassignment. My first night there was a lonely one, and I went for a walk, wishing fervently for a Chris tian companion to talk with« Strolling along disconsolately, I was passed by three young men carrying Bibles under their arms. I quickened my pace and followed them. They-led me to a hut where twenty or thirty men were assembled. I found that these men met here nightly to sing hymns and study the Word together. There was a chaplain who made oc casional appearances in the meetings; but these nightly services were en tirely due to the men’s own eager quest for light and truth as it could be searched out of the Scriptures.
Not Asleep When the biggest war story of all tíme filtered through from Europe to America a few days ago, for hours most people in this country knew nothing about it because they were asleep. The fact can be explained, from a natural point of viéw, because of the time of night at which these news releases were made. And yet one wonders whether the incident is not a picture of other and more serious apathy: that of the followers of Jesus Christ who are insensible to the great cause of the conquering Christ as He moves forward today in grace, saving souls, toward the tomorrow of His own righteous reign on earth. All too many Christians are sound asleep. Two days after Europe’s invasion had been announced, some 400 young people went on record as being, in the f u l l e s t sense of the word, “awake.” They were the student body of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, and the occasion was the school’s 34th annual commencement. Within the group were seventy-four grad uates of this year’s class, whose motto, “Christ to the Uttermost,” ex presses both determination and as surance. These wide-awake young people are going into military service, into further training for home and foreign missionary work, into other spheres of witnessing—fully believing that Christ is the only answer to the world’s needs. For every eager young student and graduate, there could be named one or more equally wide-awake Christian steward who has made possible the training of young people at Biola where tuition is always free. And in a coming day, they shall share alike in the victory. They are awake. “ K Rations” Plus When a million packages of “K rations,” were unwrapped, recently, by weary men in out-of-the way portions of the war areas, these small boxes were found to contain not only vitamin-rich food, but also a bit of spiritual inspiration. According to Time magazine: For men going into battle, the Army . . . wrapped leaflets en- . titled “Hymns from Home.” . . .
Our “ church” was the mess hall by day. It was a wooden building and, like Noah’s ark, it had one window— covered with screen wire. However, the mosquitoes had learned infiltra tion tactics, and they swarmed in! Our music was an accordion—when the accordionist wasn’t on watch. When he couldn’t, be present, we “sang the Lord’s song in a strange land” with out benefit of accompaniment. The order of service was not complex: we started off with a couple of hymns, then had the newcomers stand up and say “howdy’.’ ; we interspersed a few more songs with testimonies and Scripture verses. Finally the teacher— a chief yeoman—brought before u's a selected chapter, and we took it apart. There were 'soldiers at these meet ings as well as sailors, and in that little room it was not “GI Joe” or “matie,” but “ brother." I don’t be lieve anyone can truly appreciate that word as much as a man who is in a strange land thousands of miles from home, when he walks up to a total stranger and is met with a smile, an outstretched hand, and “Welcome, brother!” and knows that he is a brother in Christ. 'I attended this unchartered “church” regularly for the duration of my stay in that place, and. never have I seen faith more staunch and uncompromising.
THE K I N G ’ S BU S I NES S
Left: A sailing vessel seen in prewar days off the Mindanao coast.
Below: A Mindanao tribes man of the Philippines.
Harvest in the Douglas MacArthur Country
By JO H N R. TURNBULL*
B LL THE WORLD k n o w s how General Douglas MacArthur l Came safely through troubled waters, after Bataan and Corregidor, to the great island of Mindanao, sec ond largest of over 7,000 in the whole Philippine area. Our readers may be interested in making a visit with iis to the very area of Mindanao from which the General J:ook o ff by plane for Australia. This inland area is reached by traveling north from Cotabato on the coast, first by one of the many small launches that ply the waters of the Rio Grande River, and. the rest of the way on foot. Travel is slow. It was our privilege, before war occurred, to traverse this region thoroughly on an evangelistic mission. At six one morning, we boarded a small craft already crowded with pas sengers and baggage. We were off fdr the Northern interior, the real Doug las MacArthur country. *Founder and director o f the World Evan gelization Service, with headquarters in Flint, Mich., Dr. Turnbull travels throughout the United States in the interest of world-wide missions. For seven years, he served as a missionary in India, and was later transferred to the Holy Land. He has been privileged to visit many mission stations around the world.
For us, the five hours’ ride was a constant delight as we passed con tinuous groves of coconut palips, little farmhouses of bamboo, children bath ing in birthday suits, dug-out canoes bobbing in our wake, a few small villages clustered a m i d towering palms, water buffalo called carabao> that were cooling themselves in the river, a large crowd attending a wed ding, dozens of gaudy green birds fluttering around their nests in the sandy river bank, caves cut out of the bank to capture shrimps; and, finally, around the bend in the river we saw Dulawan. (That was a long sentence, but it was a long river, too!) At Dulawan, the middle of the street became so packed with human beings that we had to .walk single file through the throng, picking our way among gaily clothed country folk who hafi come to town fo r .market. Tem porary booths of bamboo and burlap afforded surprising sights, strange sounds, and significant smells. Some sold fish that needed no advertising, if one Were looking for genuine an tiques. An enterprising s a l e s l a d y , seated on the ground, kept beating a set of gongs to announce her brass- ware. We had some tasty ice cream
served in pink cup-cones, and sur vived! Unfamiliar vegetables in oddly woven baskets were offered by peas ants in peculiar garments. In the evening, several Moro men, Moslems, came to the home of the missionary to pay their respects, and I had an opportunity to witness to them for an hour. The Moros are much more difficult to win than other races on the Islands, but God can melt even the heart of a Moslem. Scores of them, in fact, have turned to Christ in the Philippines. On one occasion, on one of the smaller is lands, we had thè joy of seeing fifty Moslems «in one day accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Above Dulawan, the palm country gave way to rice fields. We crossed a river on a primitive ferry run by a fearfully and wonderfully made en gine, composed of parts from different cars. The model T seemed predomi nant. Ahead loomed low mountains. In a hamlet of twenty houses on stilts we halted at the bamboo home of a
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humble Christian. In his care we left part of our baggage. Then we march ed through real tropical country amid giant trees. In places the grass, twenty feet high, waved over the edge of the trail and s h a d e d us.- JSoon we were at the front gate of the pret tiest little mission house that we have seen in the Philippines. The building was a marvel of economy and bam boo, a real gem of beauty in the midst of the jungle. Next day, with the local Filipino pastor, we walked two and a half , hours through the parboiling humidity, up and down many a hill, to hold a service in a converted chief’s big house. That big native home, open at the .sides and high off the ground, surrounded by banana and other tropi cal plants, furnished a significant set ting for the preaching of the gospel. At the .close of the service fourteen- adults came forward to pray for sal vation-fourteen more souls added to the 140 or more Christians, including the Chief and his wife, where all had been pagans only two years before. Among the converts that we met at Kidapawari, where we stayed that night with friends, of a sister .mission, was an elderly, sweet-faced Woman of eighty. In,her unregenerate (lays, she had killed five women with her own hands, strangling them in a rage, but one would never guess her past to look at her. She has become as great a power for good as she once was for wickedness. Her son, too, had become a Christian who was alert on his Master’s business. On a journey to the North as a trader, he witnessed to the tribesmen and there followed some remarkable conversions. From that small beginning a great flame was kindled, and in that area over 5,200 have been converted from raw heathenism. It was up in this country, far from the coast, that I penned most of this description. I callHit the Douglas Mac- Arthur Country because our distin guished leader focused our attention upon it by his dramatic escape through that very territory. A devout Christian himself, he; would rejoice to know that thousands have bowed to his Lord in the jungle that gave him refuge. There is something in the hearts of the converted Filipinos which the Japanese cannot imprison and that is the joy of salvation. Sunday morning, far up in the in terior, the converted tribespeople were streaming -into the church at nine ( o’clock. Service was dismissed at three. I preached only two hours through an interpréter. The audience was dis appointed; they thought I should have taken another hour or two! By count of the church secretary, 465 were present. Just a few years previously, most of them had taken part in the [Continued on Paae 2371
Carol Stuart stood alone. She had no Christian friend either in the hospital where she trained, or in the big city in which it was located, the going was hard. But when she could say, *'l am satisfied with only Jesus; I am thrilled with His companionship,” things began to happen f o r . . .
The Student Nurse
B AROL STUART sat forward a little. Her dark eyes rested in tently on the dancing couples in the center of the room. She searched especially the faces of the girls who were, like herself, student nurses. She was looking for some sign that would indicate a*kindred spirit. But she saw only enjoyment of the dance. Until today, Carol had not known that it was compulsory for the student nurses to attend the hospital’s social affairs. The superintendent of nurses had refused her permission, to remain away. The cold weight that was her heart seerned to grow heavier, an ! the years of training stretched endlessly ahead. Had she made a mistake in coming to this hospital? Had she acted too hastily, a s s o m e o f h e r friends, thought? Why had God sent her to this Jewish hospital? Or had He sent her? The questions raced through her mind. Weary and heartsick, she closed her eyes, and against the throbbing dance music she prayed: "Father, help me to be strong for Thee. Even if there should be no other Christian in this place . . . Give me some sign, even tonight, that I may know I am in Your will.” She opened her eyes and saw one of the girls coming toward her, a tall, golden girl whose smile was warm and friendly. “ I’ve noticed you sitting here,” she said to Carol. “You aren’t having a bit of fun.,Would you like me to teach you to dance? It isn’t hard.” “Thank you for coming over,” Carol smiled.. “But, you see, I do know how to dance. Before I became a Christian, I danced a great deal. If you’d like to know why I don’t dance now, sit down and I’ll tell you.” The girl looked startled for a mo ment, but she sat down. “ Carol Stuart,“ known by another name, is a registered nurse and has completed one year as a student at the Bible Institute of Los An - «e/pf.
“When I gave my heart to the Lord Jesus Christ,” Carol began simply, “I gave Him my life, too. I wanted-to do «nothing I could not share with Him. I did not feel that I could take Him to a dance,"I’m here tonight because it is compulsory, but I know He under stands and it is all right. Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour? If you don’t, I’d like to tell you about Him.” “I’ve never heard anyone talk like this,” the girl said, rising and prepar ing to move away. “It interests me, but I have to go now. Perhaps an other time we can talk.” But Carol was satisfied. She had her “sign." The'quick, fervent prayer that she had breathed a few moments before had been answered. Other girls came to her that evening, offering to teach her to dance. To each she gave the same reply. Some were embarrassed and excused them selves Quickly; others were interested, or polite enough to sit and listen for a time. No one could say whether any heart had been touched deeply, but Carol was content to know that she was in the Lord’s will and that He had work for her to do here. From that first night, she hoped a Bible class might be begun. As it was a Jewish hospital, no organized religious classes could be held, but she was free to invite the girls to her room to liste.n as she read. As she gave the first invitation for a Tuesday evening, she wondeied whether any would come. When the time arrived, her room was cowded! Girls sat on the floor, the bed, and her one chair. Carol had begun to read from the book of Romans When, suddenly, from the room next door, a girl’s strident voice began an irreverent shouting of the w o r d s of the beautiful hymn, “Fairest Lord Jesus,”' to swing time. Carol flushed, but kept on reading. [Continued on Page 234]
TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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We Are the Dead
By GEORGE M. COWAN
to an end a race, a people—the Cuitla- teco Indians of Guerrero. ‘‘Territoria Inexplorada” We sat and talked together, and as bit by bit she recalled almost for gotten fragments of the past, we pieced together a picture of the Cuit- lateco people as they had once been. How many millenniums must be turned back to find their beginnings? No one knows. The pyramids that dot their land and the stone idols that still lie buried beneath the drifting sand of Southwestern Guerrero—a region which to this day is still largely unexplored—have not yet yielded 'to the archaeologist any story they may contain Qf the puitlateco race. Before the beginning of the six teenth century, however, they were already a sturdy race, numbering in to thousands upon thousands, dwell ing along the Pacific Coast some where in' the general region of Acapulco. With the discovery of the
known past. In April of 1943 ONLY FIFTEEN COULD BE FOUND, AND OF THESE THE YOUNGEST WAS IN HIS SEVENTIES. Once a living race with a living language, now they were gone and their voices spoke no more. Children no longer learned the tongue of their forefathers. To all but two, dona Constancia and hej sister Amada, the Cuitlateeo language was but a strangely familiar yet largely forgotten memory of the days of their .earliest childhood. Dona Constancia, embodying for us somehow a whole race, a once strong and virile race, a race that was no more, seemed more Of the past than of the present. As she talked along, one by one we drew out from her thg words of her mother tongue, those imprinted first on the pages of hef memory, those that still spoke clear est and dearest to her heart. Strange they were and difficult for our tongues, but not for hers. As the days went by, she came and came again until finally we were
"NOW Is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). , I DON’T want to be buried in a box. Them boxes are heavy things. I want my own clothes. Thus dona C o n s t a n c i a - voiced perhaps as profound a piece of philo sophy as she ever had uttered during the course of her almost eighty years. As she sat on the low stone ledge of the patio porch at the post office in San Miguel Totolapam, Guerrero, Me x i c o , calloused, disease-blotched feet sticking out from a dirty skirt, puffing vigorously on a crude, smelly,/ corn-husk cigarette, her quick, off hand repartee and her active, restless body;contradicted her great age. Yet her face, so tanned and eroded by the years of exposure to blistering sun and wind-whipped sand, arid her hair; so streaked with gray,, only served to confirm it. She was an interesting and amus ing character in her own right. She was an historic and tragic figure in- what she symbolized. With her came
Sad eyes which said: “ For us is no provision,
Suddenly, before my inward, waking vision
“ Give us your Saviour too.
Millions of faces crowded up to view,
able haltingly, ever so haltingly, yet none the less intelligibly, to read to her ,J6hn 3:16 in her own language. We had told her the gospel story in Spanish, but it seemed somewhat re mote and foreign to her. But when we read it to her in her own mother tongue and asked her whéther now she understood the message of God’s Word more clearly, she quiftkly, and in her own inimitable offhand way replied: “And why not? Walk along with you—of course I da!” Translated— -But Too Late! Oh, the tragedy of it! Born, lived, and died, a whole race of people, and never once did they hear, in their own language, the language that alone could speak directly to their hearts, never once did they hear the story
Western World by Columbus and the consequent conquest of Mexico by the Spanish “conquistadores,” Cuitlateeo culture underwent a radical change. As the conquest spread, they moved northward across the barren, desolate mountains and valleys, u n t i l they came to the banks of the Rio Balsas. Here they came, tumpline on fore head, pack on back, trudging the weary miles. Here they sweated and toiled under the burning sun as they sought to eke from the hot, dry plains their livelihood. Here they practiced their witchcraft and paid their hom age to the only gods they, knew, idols of wood and stone. Here they died, and here they, buried their dead. When their decline began and how long they lingered no one knows. By the nir-^eenth century they were a decadent race. By the twentieth they were but a name, a part of the lin-
THE WYCUFFE BIBLE TRANSLA TORS, INC.: The author is now en gaged in translation work among the 55,000 Mazatecos in Oaxaca, Mexico, under the Wycliiie Bible Translators. This group is a movement raised up by God for the giving of His Word to the unreached tribes in the over looked corners of the globe. Already some 52 tribes in Mexico have trans lators with them, and the organization is penetrating into the unevangelized regions of South America. Each sum mer a linguistic institute is held (Bacone, Okla., and Briercrest, Sasic., Can.) where missionaries of any and all evangelical boards may receive basic instruction }n the' sciences of linguistics. For postwar missionary opportunities, the advantage of this linguistic training is immeasurable. Home office is located at 1305 North Louise St., Glendale 7, California.
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of God’s redeeming love in Christ for them! Finally, in the will and mercy of God, three of His witnesses had come, three whose hearts God had burdened for the Cuitlateco people. They had come—but too late! “They have eyes to see, and see not; . . . ears to hear, and hear not” ; such were the words spoken of old concerning Israel, but, in a different sense, equally applicable to the fifteen remaining Cuitlatecos, the last remnants of a dying race. Yes, they had eyes, but they read not, for they were old, dim with years, unlearned in the art of reading. Yes, they had ears, but they heard not, for through disuse much of their Cuitlateco vocabulary was forgotten and Spanish was by no means com* pletely understood. Yes, they had hearts, but dull, hardened hearts. Dur ing all the years of their existence no one had ever come with the Word of God, the message of life and hope and love, written in the blood of the Son of God who died and rose again for them, the Cuitlateco people. Yet Not Too Late Too late? Yes, too late for the thousands upon thousands of Cuitla tecos for whom Christ died, but who never once heard! Too late? No, not too late for the fifteen who remained! Our God is the God of the impossible and His Word is “ quick, •and power ful, and sharper than any twoedged
“We long for the Desire of every nation.
"Give us,” they cry, ” your cup of consolation.
“And oh— we die so fast!”
“ Ne’er to our outstretched hands *tis passed.
— Author unknown.
go now, for the harvest of today will be gone tomorrow1 To tardy, visionless disciples of old qame the heart-searching rebuke of God’s Son Himself: “Say not ye, There are yet four irionths, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” Satan, keeping many occupied with this present world, would seek to persuade us that it is still “four months” until the harvest: then we shall give and then we shall go. For unnumbered millions that will be— too late! Christ said that the fields "are white already to harvest.” "Now is the day of salvation.” God’s message is for today. God’s messenger must go now.
tribes of earth who still have not the Word of God in their own language! Many of these, as the Cuitlatecos, are, fast passing off the scene. Too late? No, not yet too late if \Ve go to them now! Christ is still, as of old, saying to you who are His disciples; “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers Into his harvest.” Pray forth translator-missionaries for the three to four hundred tribes In the great Amazon Valley of South America. Pray forth workers for the millions of people and the many language groups of Siberia. Pray forth laborers to go to the unknown num ber of tribes in the great “heartland” of interior Asia. Pray that they may
sword.” It is “ like a hammer- that breaketh the rock in pieces.” To every known living Cuitlateco, a Gospel of John in Spanish was given. Several, whose hearts God had prepared, received it joyfully, as it was in very truth, the Word of God. Several were dealt with personally concerning their need and God’s provision of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. “Faith cometh by hear ing, and hearing by the word of God.” Pray with us that these fifteen may find someone to read the Word to them that they may hear, though in a strange and foreign tongue, the message of God’s love for them, and hearing it, believe it unto salvation in Christ. Too late? No, not yet too late, not yet too late to reach the one thousand
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God Saved the Brewer’s Boy
[Continued, from Page 226]
Jesus! I Am Resting, Resting*
"Jesus! I om resting, resting In the joy of what Thou art; I am finding out the greatness .Of Thy loving heart. Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee, And Thy beauty fills my soul. For, by Thy transforming power. Thou hast made me whole. Oh, how great Thy loving kindness. Vaster, broader than the sea! ■ Oh, how marvelous Thy goodness. Lavished all on me! Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloyed, way from Australia, a few years earli er, just that I might be near him. I think he realized, too, that I would ~ gladly have exchanged places with him now, and given him my strength and youth, if it eould have meant his continuance in the ministry in which God had so richly blessed him. What he did not know was that his slow, sketchy sentences, spoken in weakness, were revealing his inner most heart; and that they were show ing him as a spiritual gianf and me as a pitiable dwarf. , For example, when he .recalled the Ferguson tent meetings, he had no words for the great numbers who had attended, or for the generally conced ed success of the campaign. He never referred to the fact that it was this effort that had overtaxed his strength and brought on his present suffering. All he could talk of was his heart break over the souls who had not come and had not accepted, Christ. “O ,God,” I would pray as I left his room, “what «would I not giv^ for a love for souls like that!” His concern for Father was even more poignant. Never a day passed that he did not speak of him, or ask that we pray together for his salva tion. Jim begged the physician to do all he could to make him well, adding quiekly, "I’ve got to get to Australia, you know. My Father is not saved.” For a time, his physical condition seemed to improve. My church in Tex as kindly extended the" period of my absence, and I planned to go with Jim to Australia as soon as he was able to travel. Tickets were purchased, and the thought of the trip buoyed him up. But gradually weakness overtook hirh,
Know what wealth of grace is Thine/ Know Thy certainty of promise. And have made 'it mine. Ever lift Thy face upon me. As I work and wait for Thee; Resting 'neath Thy smile. Lord Jesus, Earth's dark shadows flee. Brightness of my Father's glory. Sunshine of my Father's face. Keep me ever trusting, resting. Fill me with Thy grace." and he knew, himself, that the Lord was going to take him Home. That last night of Jim’s life he rest ed his head in my arms--/! a young fellow of twenty-three and he four years older. Even in his weakness, he sang, and the hymn which he chose was a brave declaration of his faith: ~ “Jesus, I am resting, resting In the joy of what Thou art; I am finding out the greatness Of Thy loving heart.” All night long he was in prayer, and ? his Words are burned upon my heart. “Lord,” he began, “we have trusted Thee. .. we do trust Thee, and we evbr shall trust Thee f o r . .. everything. . . in life . . . in death. . . and forever.” I thought: Can I actually add "amen” to that? There was a long pause. Jim said something about our thoughts not be ing God’s thoughts, and then he added: “We supposed our plan would . . . bring Father. .. to Thee. But if this is not Thy way . . . then work as Thou seest best—just so Father is saved.” • I knew what it cost him to pray like that: I knew it cost even more for him to Say: “Lord,.! will lay down my min istry and go -Home—gladly—if that will show Father his need of the Saviour.” In his prayer, he asked the Lord to sustain the family, and especially Mother. He exhorted me earnestly to preach the Word and to be instant in season and out of season. And then, slowly, he ceased speak ing, and God took him. v A wave of despair broke over me. For five anguished hours I wept as I
With almost his last breath, Jim sang.
soul. Oh, Louis—” and his voice trailed off, “pray for Dad!” That was Jim: always putting oth ers’ needs before his own. He had known his physical strength was lim ited, for in early young manhood he had suffered an attack of rheumatic fever which had affected hij heart. During the few years that followed his graduation ffom the Moody Bible In stitute and attendance ,at Xenia The6- logical Seminary, he had been warned repeatedly by physicians that he must limit his preaching to two messages a week. But his soul was aflame- with love for the lost, and he could not be deterred. It had been his plan to resign his pastorate at Ferguson-, and to conclude his ministry there with a tent cam paign designed to reach the whole town with the gospel; and then, in the fall, to sail for Australia with one major purpose in view—to witness to Father personally of his need of the Saviour. There had been, of course, the faithful testimony and appeal that letters made possible, but these had not been enough. Jim wanted also to see Mother again—the .one who had prayed him through, into the ministry. I found myself saying: “It’s a per-, feet plan. If anybody can lead Dad to Christ, Jim is the person to do it.'” In fact, it never entered my mind that, ;n the providence of God, there could De any other way. Jim seemed to rest in the facf .of my presence with him. He knew that my love, for him was such a deep abiding force that it had drawn me all the * From ltnmunuel Hymnal, published by Mac millan Go., Ï929 . Used by permission •
July, 1?44
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prayed. I saw that horrid word again: “Frustration.” Nothing s e e m e d to make any sense. In my darkness and loneliness, I was sure God’s plans had miscarried. I kept asking: How could God take him, when he had so beauti fully resigned himself to the divine will? Why had He denied Jim’s one wish,, when it had been for the salva tion of a lost soul? Who, now, could win Father for Christ? Certainly there was no one else so winsome and so zealous as Jim. By Faith to Australia The struggle within me,was desper ate and long. But by the time we had laid Jim to rest, and I had prepared to go on to Australia alone, I was beginning to walk by faith, as old Judge Scott had tried to show me. During the few weeks that I was at home in Australia, I saw that a change had qome in my father’s : attitude toward spiritual things. He would sometimes ask us to read Scripture passages from Daily Light, and to sing the old hymns of the church. But he would not let me speak to him alone. Day after day passed, and I'thought of Jim, and of his crushing burden for Dad’s salivation. One night, just before I was due to return to the United States, I made up my mind I must talk to Father. I waited until he had retired, and then I went to his room, and turned on the light, and sat at his bedside for about an hour. He did not resent my coming. I spoke of Jim—to whom Father had refused to write for some six long years—of Jim’s fruitful minis try in America, and especially of his great love and concern for Father. My listener was deeply touched; tears trickled down the gray lines of his face. Never before had I seen my father give away to emotion. He seemed to understand the plan of sal vation as I outlined it simply for him; in fact, I am not sure but that, even then, he believed. His love of fair deal ing shone out again, as it had so often in his lifetime. “Son,” he said brokenly, “I’d have to give it up—this liquor business— And I’ve been in it almost thirty years. I’m too old to start anything else.” When we prayed together, he sobbed as he said, “Lord,'I want to be a Chris tian. Make it possible for me to be a Christian.” He would not see that the possibility was already provided. With a heavy heart, I left him. There followed three or four years in which I read, off and on, that “in visible writing” that dulled my faith. Then” came a letter from Australia that blotted out the gloomy word, “Frustration,” from my spiritual vi sion and set me shouting, “Jesus doeth all things well!”
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee; In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.” ; “ O Lord!” They prayed together, and then he added hopefully, “I will come back to you, Mother. You need me so. I- will take better care of you than ever before!” “But. . . if the Lord—” “If the Lord* should call me—I am* . . . ready. . . trusting in Him.” ' Not long after he had uttered those words, my father saw “ earth’s vain shadows flee,” and because he was “trusting in Him” when that moment came, I know he went Home to be with the Lord. The Saviour’s plans had not miscar ried. He .had not used Jim, or me, in the way we had supposed He would. But there was joy in heaven over one sinner that repented — and that one was our father, for whom Christ died. (To be continued) • The two records herein cited are not figurative; they are literal, and are to be taken at their face value. .'Our Lord, who created the universe, and who sustains and upholds it is surely able ' to “handle” a few million of its inhabitants. QUE.: Will Christ set- up His kingdom on this earth for a thou sand years? The Word of God states that Christ will reign on this earth for a thou sand years—the millennium. This period is to be ^preceded by the event of the Rapture, in which born-again believers will be “ caught u p . . . in the clouds, to me^t the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:16, 17). These believers, or “ saints” will have a part later, ftl the activities of the kingdom which Christ will establish. Concerning the kingdom, we learn from Ziechariah 14:4, Psalm 2:6, and Luke 1:32 that Christ will descend to the Mount of Olives, and that His reign will emanate from Jerusalem where He will occupy the “throne. . . of David” which will be given to Him by God, the Father. Believers will “appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:4), and reign With Him (cf. 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 5:10). According to Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:9-11, ‘■‘every knee shall bow” to our Lord, and “every tongue” shall “ confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God.”
Victory Through Christ The letter unfolded a picture to me: of a weary man, extremely ill for two years before he would resign himself to his affliction. Now he was on his way to the hospital. His wife bent over him. They spoke of several indi viduals, among them two faithless as sociates of Father’s who had once ruined his business and caused him to go into bankruptcy. “You know,” Father said gently as he neared the hospital, “all that ha tred and bitterness in my heart—it is gone!” “Is. it, John?" “It is. Could you sing for me?” She knew what he wanted. Two fa vorites had been “Lead, Kindly Light,” and “Abide with Me.” There was that last verse: “Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes, Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies: 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.: What Scriptural proof can be offered to meet the argu ment that God c o u l d not have “ handled” two or three million people; therefore, there were not that many who left Egypt at the Exodus ? This argument is in direct contra diction to the account given in God’s Word. In Exodus 12:37 we read that there were “about six hundred thou sand on foot that were men” of the Israelites. who left Egypt. That three fourths of these men were married, and had two children, would be a conservative estimate, and one which would bring the number well into the two-million bracket. This total does not include the older members of the company who could not be “on foot,” nor the mixed multitude which joined the Israelites in their exodus. Again in the first and second chapters of Numbers is .the record of the numbering of the Israelites while in the wilderness. The poll was to be taken of the men who were “from twenty years old and upward” who were able to ‘go forth to war” (Num. 1:3). The total amounts . to almost 600,000. Add to this number the aged, the women, the children, and the mixed multitude. The sum is again well over the two-million mark.
Dr.Talbots Question Box
THE K I N G ’ S BU S I NE S S
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daily study of the Word of God. The questions were on evolution, zoology, and the familiar defiances that men throw in God’s face. Quietly and earnestly she spoke, thankful that she had restrained the human impulse to launch into an argument when it was first suggested. Suddenly one of the girls jumped up. “Boy, this meeting is getting too hot ipr me,” she said, and went out. But the other girl listened for almost two hours as Carol showed her the wonders of the Word and sought to present Christ as the personal Saviour she needed. Virginia was another one who came with arguments. She was very skep tical and talkative ai d seemed unable to find answers to her complaints. One evening she asked to accompany Carol to church. All the way, she wanted to argue. But when the message was over, and the invitation to accept Christ was given, Virginia went forward. Had she really mean. it? The answer was immediately evident. She showed a love for God’s Word. She began an intensive course in Bible memorizing, and in four months a f t e r her con version she was an outstanding Chris tian leader in the hospital. When the day came for Carol to leave the hospital, her work completed, she thought back tc that evening, a few years before, when, she had prayed on the dance floor—and she thanked God for His abundant answer. She had been alone then, alone as a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. But she had been assured that she was in God’s place for her. And she had stood there, unafraid. Now she could count, with praise to the Lord for His working, a number of girls who were rejoicing in Christ as their Saviour. She could point to the Bible class, fully established and with a regular teacher, meeting outside the hospital and extending its welcome to student nurses from other training cen ters. She could rejoice over the Chris tian home that had.been opened to them, where nurses could gather for Christian fellowship when they had a few hours free or overnight leave. At least two of their group had gone forth to serve Him in other places: Lynn and Frances 'witnessing faith fully as Navy nurses, one at Pearl Harbor and the other in Oakland. All this God had wrought, and Carol knew she was the human channel He had chosen to begin the work. Thus it was with a humbly grateful heart that she enrolled, almost immediately upon the completion of her hospital training, as a student of the 'Bible Institute of Los Angeles, eager to be, come an increasingly efficient witness for the One who “ same not to be min istered ¿into, but to minister.”
“Why are you different from the other girls?” one of the student nurses asked her as they worked together one night. “No matter what happens, or .how tired you are, you are always joyful.” “ I’ll be glad to tell you,” Carol an swered, her eyes soft with happiness. “Blit there are rots of lights on now and work to do. If you will come to my room when we go off duty, I’ll tell you then.” The girl was waiting, and Carol began immediately' to tell her the source of joy and peace. “That’s what I’ve been looking for all my life,” the y o u n g nurse ex claimed. “I’ve gone to church, heard about«Christ and that I should walk in His steps, but I’ve never known how.” . “Would you 1i k e to accept Him now?” Carol asked so itlv . | “Oh, yes.” And the transaction was made. With a little silent prayer of thanks giving, Carol lifted her heart to God: “O Lord, this is wonderful: I thank Thee for sending me here, to see Thee work.” The whole hospital took notice when the lives of two senior students were completely changed. Lynn and Frances had come at separate times to Carol to find the secret of her happiness. Carol soon discovered that their back grounds had been almost identical. Living in Christian homes, they had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ while they were young. But there had been none who seemed to understand the importance of living a separated life, trusting the Holy Spirit for daily vic tory. Now they became marked stu dents when they •suddenly quit their smoking and drinking and were seen with heads bent over their Bibles. One day, these two girls were, with Carol in her room, earnestly, discuss ing a portion of Scripture when two other girls came in. They were ex cited, almost hysterical. “ Do you mean to tell me there is a God?” one of the new girls demanded. “Then why does He allcAv war? Why does He let good people suffer?” Carol opened her mouth to answer, but the Holy Spirit seemed to stop her. She sat quiet, while the girls argued for some twenty minutes, deny ing God and the Bible, until they were fairly exhausted. Then Carol spoke. “Do you really want to know why these things are?” she asked. “If you do, sit down and I’ll tell you.” The two girls, surprised, sat down. Carol had made a mental outline of the arguments t h a t had been ad vanced, and now the Lord gave her the answers to each one — answers that she had drawn from her faithful
STUDENT NURSE [ Continued from Page 229] •
She knew that Ruby, who had sneered at her plan, ■was trying 'fto disturb the, meeting. / Each week the girls came, and some were showing definite interest. ( One evening, when the meeting had just ■begun, there was a knock at the door and Ruby walked- in. . J. , 4: “Hi, Stuart,” she called., “How about' letting me in on one of these meet ings?” • “Whyi certainly. Come on in,” Carol ■invited, hiding her surprise. “Can I smoke?” . “Of course, if youi want to. Here’s an ash tray for you.” And Carol un screwed the top from a jar and ex tended it politely. But Ruby pnly began her cigarette and then let the rest burn away, her eyes f a s t e n e . d .upon Carol’s face throughout the reading and- discussion.. When the other girls left, Ruby stayed. “Couid you tell me about this salva-' tion?” she asked diffidently. Joy stirring her heart, Carol told her. Pure hunger was on Ruby’s earn est face'as she listened, but she shook her h e a d and said wearily, “It is good, but it isn’t for me. I’d have to give up the man I love, if I accepted Christ, and he is the only one who has ever cared for me. I , can’t give him up.” , Ruby’s near decision but deepened the longing in Carol’s heart for a Christian friend. Night after night she prayed that God would give her. one Christian friend, just one. But one night she was able to write ih her diary, “Tonight, for the first time,..I can really say that I am satisfied with Jesus. I am thrilled with His com panionship. Though I know no other Christian in all this city, I am content. He is all I need.” Just one week from that night, the first girl accepted Christ. The next .week, another one was Saved. And Carol knew that God was leading her on lip victoi^- Soon she found that the students were watching heir life. Some were outspoken in t h e i r ridicule. Others were curious.
"If thou shalt c o n f e s s with thy mou t h the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, THOU SHALT BE S^VED.” — Romans 10:9.
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