February 1943
69
NOTES on Christian Endeavor
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
a recognition of ownership. It means a breaking down of every idol that would seek to lift its head between the believer and his Lord. The mes sage given to the children of Israel under the Law still remains the mes sage given to t h e Christian under grace: We must worship the Lord our God with all our heart, and desire that “in all things he might have the pre-eminence” .(Col. 1:18). II. THOU SHALT HÔNOR THE LORD’S DAY (vs. 8-11). Thet O ld Testament L a w placed great importance on the keeping of the Sabbath' day. In Numbers 15:32-36 is given the story, of the man who was found gathering sticks on the Sab bath day. In obedience to the Lord’s commandment, the people took the mân without the camp, and they stoned him to death. Here we see thé working of the Law. First of all, it revealed the sin of the man in the breaking of the S a b b a t h ; then it swiftly brought its penalty of death. In the Law there is no mercy shown the sinner. Is the Christian today commanded likewise to keep the Sabbath day? Certainly not! The Sabbath day as observed by the Jews was*Saturday— the seventh day. However, the early Christians met on Sunday, the first day of the week, to worship the Lord, and to break breed together. There fore, we today observe Sunday, and not Saturday, as a day of worship. ■The commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,” does not apply directly to the believer to day. Nevertheless, we who know the Lord and love Him will not want to do less under grace than the Jews did under the Law. We most as suredly will desire to keep His resur rection day holy. in. thou S halt l i v e right - in THE SIGHT OF ALL MEN (vs. 12-17K The first four commandments deal with our attitude toward God and to ward the Sabbath. The last six com mandments have to do with our atti tude toward our fellow men. God laid down definite rules concerning the rights of others. Man was not to be a law unto himself. He was to respect and honor the rights and possessions of his fellow men. If he failed, he Would have to pay the penalty. ~
T h e W r i t e r s
March 7—MBS. R. E. NEIGHBOUR
Mrs. Neighbour’s missionary travels have taken her into many parts of the world where she and her husband have ministered, and always she has been particularly interested in the youth of those lands. She is editor of the Christian Service Quarterly, a publication for young people, and is much in demand as a. speaker at'Bible conferences. Mr. Christian (B. Th. ’42 at Biola.) was elected to member ship in the Phi Alpha Chi Honor Society at the Bible Insti tute of Los Angeles last June. He was formerly the director of a Christian Endeavor group at the West Hollywood Pres byterian Church in Hollywood, California, and the teacher , of a class of high-school boys. At present Mr. Christian is attending Westmont C o l l e g e in Los Angeles, and ministering as a supply pastor in various local churches. Miss Kosher faBiola ’42) taught in an elementary grade school after being graduated from the University of Cali fornia at Los Angeles, and now has combined her academic experience with her Christian education in her present field of service in Colorado, where she is doing children’s and young people’s work. *' Mr. Girton (Biola ’42) is now the missionary pastor of the Navajo Indian Church at Lupton, Arizona; He has conducted yoUhg people’s meetings in churches in Southern California, and spent one entire summer in Saskatchewan, Canada, ■ working under the Canadian Sunday School Union.
March 14—JAMES H. CHRISTIAN
March 21—GENEVA KOSHER
|March 28—CHARLES GIRTON
MARCH 7, 1943 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS : W H A T THEY MEAN TO ME E xodus 20:3-17 By Mrs. R. E. Neighbour Introduction Nearly six thousand y e a r s have passed since God gave to Moses the Ten Commandments. The Ten Com mandments were written on two ta bles of stone, and they were given amid great thunderings a n d light nings. They spoke of the judgment of a righteous a n d h o l y God. They showed no mefcy to the sinner. Know ing that no man would be able to keep perfectly thè Old Testament Law, God made provision in the system of sacrifices for “justification by faith” on the part of the believing sinner. But as to the Law itself, its precepts must be kept, or certain penalties were sure to follow. We as Christians, however, “a r e not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire,
nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest” (Heb. 12:18). Therefore, what do the commandments mean to us today? Do they have any place in the life of the man or woman born in this century? They had a tremendous influence on the people of Moses’ day. Has their influence forever passed, or is there a message in the Law for men today? For Those Who Have Topics I. THOU SHALT WORSHIP GOD AND GOD ALONE (Ex. 20:3-7). It is important for us to remember that the Commandments were,written by the finger of God. W h e n God speaks, there is no room for argument. God has said, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” and this state ment is final. On this first command ment rests, the importance of the ful fillment of all the other command ments. First, there must be the recog nition andsthe acknowledgment of God in our lives. We must worship Him, and Him alone. What does it mean to the believer to place God first in the life? It means
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