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285
6 THROUGH THE BIBLE STUDY j Genesis to Revelation, Chapter by Chapter. | Dr. Harlin J. Roper, Pastor Scofield Memorial Church For Sunday Schools, Bible Classes, Young People’s and Missionary Societies, Vaca tion Bible Schools, Prayer Meetings, and Home Study. Samples 15c; 4 grades 50c; Complete set $2.40. THROUGH THE BIBLE STUDY Extend the testimony of your Church, Sunday School or Youth Groups to every home. Distribute regu larly... results will amaze you, THE DOORSTEP EVANGEL DR. WILLARD M. ALDRICH, Editor Usefiîspowerful4-pa¿c. tnonlMyimprinted withnaipeor P. O. B ox 1-B Vancouver, Wash Please Pray For The King's Business INCOME D o w n T h r o u g h t h e Y e a r s . . . FOR THE NUMBER CHRISTIAN IN SEPTEMBER! 2010 Bryan St. Dallas 1, Texas A Native Indian's Testimony “ It is a great joy- to read this precious paper, and I get much blessings to my life. Last month, Feb., 1946, I read subject, ‘The Shepherd of Bethlehem.’ I got comfortable news to my heart when 1 was in sick bed. I circulate this paper to the Christian work ers and God’s children. They enjoyed very much spiritually. “ Some workers in the mission fields, who are far distant places, request me to send this to them for reading. I am an Indian Christian worker for Christ . . . working vol untarily among the sick, the poor, the needy and the brokenhearted, and visiting in the hospital preaching the infinite love of God.” T. S. Milton. M ad ras, South India. A Suggestion “ There has been a great improvement in T he K in g 's B u sin e ss . . . Several years ago the names of the Board of Directors and the Faculty were printed each month. It made the magazine so much more valu able.” M iss Ina Renner. Pasadena, Calif. From England “ Some of our young, folk have been richly blessed through reading your magazine’s pages, and the many Christian boys whom it was our delightful pleasure to entertain on their furloughs, were thrilled to know that we were able to provide such a glorious feast for them.” Fred erick Flavell. W orcester, England. Encouragements “ I appreciate this fine magazine. It is deeply spiritual and soul refreshing. May God’s richest blessing attend the editors and co-workers,” L a u ra B. Lew is. C anon City, Colo. “We had a most delightful surprise a month ago when among our mail we found a copy of your splendid paper, It is many years since it stopped coming to us. We used to consider it one of the finest papers that was published, and we can see from this recent copy that it still maintains the high evangelical tone for which it was noted. We read and digest every article, and have derived great spiritual help from the maga zine’s „messages.” M a isie Jardine. A y a v irl, Peru. “ The Faster number is particularly fine, and 1 appreciate the words of assurance about the Bible and the Resurrection.” Rev. John L. Showed. Croom , Md. Bible Book of the Month “ We look forward to The K in g 's Business, and receive a great blessing from it, espe cially from Dr. Hubbard’s ‘Bible Book of the Month.’ ” F ra n k and Frances Stradley. Sew ard, A laska. Devotional Headings “ I especially like tfye new ‘Devotional Readings,’ by lone bowman. “ The ‘Bible Book of the Month,’ by Dr. John Hubbard, is a wonderful addition, too. In fact everything you print is fine.” M rs. J. B. D avis. WATCH EDUCATION -4— -4- -4~ -4— -4- A REGULAR ►There are two majorrequirements for everygood investment—safetyofprincipal and regularity of income. A Wheaton College Annuity Contract offers you both. ►Now in its 86th year, the College has enjoyed unusual blessing and growth at the hands of the Lord. The physical assets have increased steadily, and there is no bonded indebtedness. During the years the College has been invest ing annuity funds, not a single dollar of investment has ever been lost, nor has the College ever failed to meet an Annuity payment when due. ►What’s more, there is a real plus value in a Wheaton Annuity Con tract. It gives you an opportunity to have a definite part in the training of young men and women for Christian life and service... Why not investigate the great possibilities of a regular income down through the years?The coupon below will bring you complete information and a copy of the booklet “ Pleasant To morrows” . Mail the coupon today. There is no obligation H ¿ S i É Wheaton College, Bo* KP-76 Wheaton, Illinois Without obligation, please send me full information regarding the Wheaton College Annuity Platt and a copy of the booklet *PleasantTomorrows”. • Kam*- -------- ------- ------- . . . . ..... ............... . i.....—— - • Address: ______ :____________ ______________ . — -----------------------------------Zone No- :— ■ City : ---------- State : ................................. — Date of Birth:. , W ilm ington , Calif. ■ —............................................- , ----------- -----------— - ............................................................................- .......................... TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 2SS ACROSS THE DESK ef the Associate Editor T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S Published Monthly by and Representing The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated A PPLICATION for a new FM radio '•** station for the Bible Institute of Los Angeles has just been filed. Old- timers will remember that we owned and operated the first religious broad casting station in the entire United States, which was sold, f We régret that, due to an unforeseen paper shortage, some of our June maga zines did not contain the special graduate feature. jf Biola has had a wonderful commencement with no less than 119 earnest young people receiving their diplomas. We are much impressed with the godly de termination of these students. They . know that God has called them, and they know where they are going. We feel that if our Lord Jesus Christ tar ries, the world will feel the impress of this class of 1946. f Thanks are due to eloquent servants of God who delivered commencement addresses: Rev. Robert Munger, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church .of Berke ley, Calif., a young people’s favorite, who easily captivated the hearts of all Biolans; and Dr. William McCar- rell of Cicero, 111., a staunch defender of the faith, who has lost none of his God-given power to proclaim the truth, Greatly interested in the re port of a Presbyterian missionary ■from China, Mr. Banon, who speaks convincingly of the present challenge of that vast land. He also gives a glowing report of' the steadfastness on the part of former Biola-in-China trained native workers. Under al most unendurable conditions, they Remained true to Christ. Surely there iá every reason to get this school in •operation as soon as possible. j[ Paper "shortages continue to plague news paper and magazine publishers. Not withstanding, more magazines are appearing on the newsstands, What saddens our hearts most is the un happy duty of writing 250 applicants for admission to the Bible "Institute that there is no room. We need hun dreds of thousands of dollars for the erection of a fourth building. If we had it now, we would not have to say "No” to these fine Christian young "people, if Happy to have on our net- "Work radio program one of our best- known graduates, Dr. Charles E. Ful ler, of the Old-Fashioned Revival Hour. Another famous graduate, Rev. Percy Crawford, also widely used by the Lord in radio ministry, was here 'recently. We thank God for these two and for nearly nine thousand others, who have graduated from this school 'since its beginning. This is the most challenging age of all time, and we ’ must meet it by the grace of God. "Brethren, pray lor us.” Ransom Marvin John Bazart Illustrators William W. Qrr, D.D. Associate Editor Louis T. Talbot, D.D. Editor in Chief Betty Bruechert, Managing Editor Copyright, The King’s Business No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission. Yol. 37 JULY No. 7 CONTENTS How I Was Saved.................... .................................................................... 287 A Nation Is Bom, Ruth A. Woodworth ...................................;.................. 289 A Most Remarkable Answer to Prayer, Charles E. Fuller ........................... 290 The Church That Left Its First Love, G. Coleman Luck ........................... 291 Editorially Speaking....."..................... ..... ...................................................... 293 The Bible Book of the Month, John A. Hubbard ....................................... 294 The Cup of Wrath, Poem, Charlotte E. Arnold ....... ................................. 295 Lyman Stewart................. ................... ........................................................ 297 The Bible Institute on the Air............................................... ..................... 298 Biola Family Circle....................................................................................... 299 Devotional Readings, lone Lowman. ............................................................ 301 The Bible in the News..................... ...................................- ..................... 303 Dr. Talbot’s Question Box................................... ....................................... 304 Junior King’s Business, Martha S. Hooker ................................................... 305 Earth’s Treasure Heaps, Paul R. Bauman ........ ........................................... 307 Book Reviews, William W. Orr ......... ........................................................ 308 One World or Christ’s, Bernard Ramm ............................ .......... ........——- 309 Young People’s Topics, Dr. Walter L. Wilson ................................ ........... 310 Sunday School Lessons......................,......... . ......................................... .— 314 Object Lessons for July, Elmer L. Wilder .................................................. 320 Bible Drills, Charlotte S. Frampton ............................................................. 322 S U B S C R IP T IO N IN F O R M A T IO N — “ The K in g 's Business" is published monthly: $1.60, 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 foreign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of address to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. R E M I T T A N C E S — 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 on outside wrapper or cover of magazine. A D V E R T IS IN G — For information, address the Advertising Manager, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles 13, California. M A N U S C R IP T S — “ 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 March 3. 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in the Act of February 28, 1925. embodied in paragraph 4, section 538, P. L. and ft., authorized October 1, 1918, and November 13, 1938. A D D R E S S : T h e K in g ’s B usin ess, 558 So. H op e St., L o s A ngele s 13. Calif. iULY, 1946 Sunday night in the fall of 1902, I stayed at home reading my Bible and this good book of Dr. Patton’s, espe cially a chapter with the heading, “The Holy Ghost Saith Today.” As I read, I saw the whole plan of sal vation—that Christ offered me His death on the cross as a full and suf ficient atonement for all my sins. The question that confronted me was: Would I accept this offer? I was young and loved the world, and I felt that if I accepted His pardon and salvation, I would have to give up the world and its pleasures. There was a s t r u g g l e , but finally God brought to bear upon my conscience the words, “My spirit shall not al ways strive with man” (Gen. 6:3a). I was afraid to refuse, so I knelt down in my study, and accepted His gracious offer, ahd rose up, saying— “ ’Tis done, the great transaction’s done, I am my Lord’s, and He is mine.” I wa§ now born again, and I began immediately to testify. First of all, I told my mother, who was surprised and delighted. I began family worship at home. Then I began to consider my life’s work, and since I had tasted the sweetness of God’s grace, the law no longer appealed to me. I now de termined to go in for grace instead of law! “E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply, Redeeming love has bean my theme And shall be till I die.” PERSONAL TESTIMONIES BY MEMBERS OF THE SIOLA ADM IN ISTRAT ION Samuel H. Sutherland , Dean: I was born in a Christian home. From earliest childhood, I knew .of the Lord, but I cannot recall just when I was born again. However, the experiences leading to my entering the ministry are very definite. Prior to the entrance of the United States into the World War I, even though I knew the Lord wanted me in full-time Christian work, I tried to compromise by offering to go into Y.M.C.A. work. That did not bring me any peace of mind. I thoroughly dis liked decision services and would avoid them whenever possible because I felt so definitely that the Lord had His hand on me, and I did not want to submit to His will. Finally, in desperation, I promised Him that I would go into full-time Christian work either at home or abroad and would serve Him any place—except in .China. I have never been able to figure out why the thought of working in China was so repulsive to me. Still I had no peace in my heart. It was after long and troublesome h o u r s that I finally yielded. I even included China in my surrender! Later I learned that God did not want me in China, but wanted me to be willing to go as He directed. I thank God for praying parents who did not try to coerce me into going into Christian work, but who left it entirely in the hands of the Lord to lead as He saw fit. n # Reid McCullough, Professor of Biblical Lar.guages: I was reared not in a Christian home, but in a religious one. I went through public school, high school, and university without any serious reli gious thought. But, after I had finished the university, and was planning to go to King’s Inns, Dublin, to study law, I became quite interested in the Bible. I attributed this to the teach ing of my English professor in Queen’s University, Belfast, Professor Mac- Mullan. He used to point out in class i the beauties o f . the language of the King James Version. This appealed to me, for I was fond of literature. Soon I was curious about the mean ing of the passages, and I found my- soli consulting religious books at home that threw light on the Bible. I was’ particularly impressed by a book written by Rev. W. J. Patton of Dromara, County Down, entitled, “ Pardon and Assurance.” Soon I was under deep conviction of sin; I had discovered that I was a lost sinner on the way to Hell. One TH E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 28S One Sunday, a former minister re turned to our Methodist church. Under his s e r m o n that night, I became strongly convicted of sin and wanted very much to stand on his invitation. I was too shy to stand alone, so I said to my pal, “ If you will stand up, I will too.” But he said, “No, not tonight”—fatal words, always! So I did not decide for Christ that night, but went through a terrible time of remorse and regret. For days after ward, I yearned for - the chance to come again. I drifted farther and farther away. Three years later I attended the Chapman-Alexander meetings in Bal larat. - Again the Lord spoke to my heart, and soon after that I accepted Him as my personal Saviour. Since that time, I can truly testify to His faithfulness and keeping power. Through World War 1 He kept me, then led me to the Bible Institute to receive my training for Christian work, and has given me a place in His blessed service. © © Gladwyn TV. Nichols, Instructor in Music: I had been bandmaster of the local Salvation Army band since the Unripe age of fourteen years. One Sunday evening as I stood in full uniform directing this band of Christian musicians, the Lord defi nitely spoke to my heart, according to the tenor of these words, “You have ho right to be leading this band, which is composed of men who are converted. You have neither part nor lot in this matter because your heart is not right in My sight.” I shall never forget the piercing conviction that accompanied this im pression. My mother asked a colored lady Salvationist to pray for my im mediate conversion, This humble wom an took in washing for a living, so she prayed for the over th washtub. She truly prevailed with God. At a Salvation Army Sunday morn ing service, as a result of the preach ing of the early day Salvationist, Major John Galley, I quietly knelt down at the close of the service and simply accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour. At the afternoon street meeting, I was the first one in the ring to testify —to the intent, that; although I had played in the band for six years and directed them for four years, and although wearing full uniform, I had up to that morning been unregener ate and sailing under false colors; but now, knowing Christ as my Saviour, I could truthfully take my stand as a sinner, saved by the grace of God. Bernard Ramm, W . R. Hale, Professor of Apologetics: ' I was born during World War I in Butte, Montana; and spent my youth in Seattle, Washington. During my formative years, two persons greatly influenced me. One was a brother whose athletic activities inspired me, and the other was a young Russian, a scientific genius, with whom I spent hours working out experiments. I was graduated from high school with my major aspirations (athletics and sci ence) fulfilled, and anticipated with eagerness a study of chemistry at the university. Little did I know that one week after graduation, there would take place a great “Copemican” revolution in my heart, when self, the center of my own little solar system, would be replaced by the Sun of righteous ness. My eldest brother was a Chris tian, and a group of his friends started a young peoples’ work at the famous Lake Sammamish conference grounds. I yielded to his invitation to spend a week there, which I felt would turn out to be a sort of Boy Scout affair. However, the first person who met me was kind-faced, gray-haired “Dad dy” Cant, one of the prayer founders of Biola, whose gracious and fatherly interest led me to expect something more than hikes and sports! That night around a campfire, I heard for the first time an earnest, straightforward presentation of Christ and His Gospel., I felt an irresistible magnet drawing me to Him; my mind seemed to grasp in a flash the su preme significance of Christ; my heart went out to Him as the forgiver of sin and instlller of hope. I rose to my feet and in words strange to my own ears, I confessed Rim as my Saviour. Then all Heaven broke loose in my heart; I found myself in a new world. At that time an unquenchable thirst to study the Bible was born in my heart, which remains to this day. Little did I dream that hours studying the Bible to quench that thirst .would be the background ex perience and knowledge for my pres ent teaching ministry at Biola. After a year of chemistry at the University of Washington, I had an other great change of heart. As I walked along the paths of that beau tiful campus one spring day, I found myself Saying, “ I won’t need chem istry in Heaven; God knows that He doesn’t need my knowledge of it.” I registered for Greek instead; I must have known I had to be a minister. That day I turned all of my life over to His service, and' from that day until this, the Christian life has been one of joy unspeakable and full of elorv. Dean ef Men: As a lad of twelve, I became Inter ested in the evangelistic campaign of the late B. Fajf Mills. One night, after the message, I was led to go into the inquiry room where I accepted Christ as my Lord and Master. It was a joy ous night for me, as I went home and told my parents. They could hardly believe that one so young as I could take such, an important step. My parents were Unitarian, and 1 was the first of the Hale family to break away from the Unitarian faith and enter the evangelical church. At the age of eighteen, the Lord led me to go into definite Christian service. Since that time, I have never sought a position. I received my Chris tian training in Gordon Missionary Training College in the Clarendon Street Church in Boston. Two of my teachers were Dr. A. J. Gordon and Dr. James M. Gray, who was at that time an Episcopal clergyman in a Boston Church. The Spirit of God has led; and opened and closed doors for me. Therefore, the joy of the Lord has been my strength. The key verse of my life is the first one I ever quoted in a meeting, “Be ye doers of thé word and not hearers only.” Half of ; my life has been spent in the service of the Lord with the Y.M.C.A., and the other half with the Bible Insti tute of Los Angeles. © © Gordon E. Hooker, Instructor in Music: I was born and reared in a Christian home in a small town in Tasmania, the island state of Australia. From earliest childhood we seven children were acquainted with the family altar. Here we were taught to read the Scriptures and pray. To this day, the reading of many passages brings viv idly before my mind my mother or my father as they read these very Scriptures, Psalms 23, 90, 103; Rev elation 21, 22; Isaiah 40, 53; 1 Co rinthians 15, and many verses from the Gospels were familiar to me as a child. Across the years, in memory, I now hear my father or my mother leading in prayer as we all knelt before God. Many years before I definitely ac cepted Christ as my Saviour, I was well aware of the way of salvation. I knew the Gospel story. Church and Sunday school had been a part of my childhood. However, as I grew older, I fell into bad company and began trying out the things that the other fellows did and said, but even so, it was not uncommon for me to ask God for forgiveness after I had done or sgM something I knew was wrong. It seemed the natural thing to do. JULY, 1946 289 J NationJstiorn RUTH A. WOODWORTH WHAT ABOUT INDEPENDENCE IN THE PHILIPPINES? W HEN IN 1898, during the S p a n i s h American war, the Americans first entered the prisons, and released many per sons who had been detained there for political and religious reasons. One of these prisoners asked an American soldier, “May we read and teach the Bible now as we wish?” The soldier pointed to the American flag and said, “As long as that flag flies over the Philippines, you may read and teach the Bible as you please.” On the Fourth of July, the American flag is to come down in the Philip pines. America can be justly proud of her record there. She has given the Islands a fine educational system, improved sanitation, hospitals, lep- rosariums, and, above all, religious liberty. Missionary Prospects What will independence mean for the evangelical church? Will foreign missionaries be needed? Will they be welcomed? Will the Church of Rome succeed once again in making the Bible a forbidden book? The new P h i l i p p i n e president, Ma uel Roxas, is reported to be the choice of the Roman Catholic Church, and to have Fascist sympathies. He has denied the latter charge, and prom ises to be the greatest champion of democracy that his country has ever had. He has also assured full coopera tion with the United States policy in the Far East. His policy has been stated in the words: “Peace at home, plenty from the United States.” His victory at the election poles over the more liberal Osmena does not look promising for evangelical Christianity. But when we see the success the Gospel has had in the last forty odd years there, and when we consider the promises of God, we take courage, and pray and hope for the best. A recent report of the Gospel Prayer Band covers present conditions in the Philippines: “It is,common knowledge that as a whole the Philippines are left in s h a m b l e s . Her homes, farms and factories were ruthlessly destroyed in one of the most wanton orgies of plunder ever visited upon a helpless people. What has survived the war is her undying pride that she has remained loyal to America, so eloquently p r o v e n at Bataan and Corregidor. Her hope of survival lies mainly in the unselfish aid that the United States can give.” This is true of the religious situation in the Philippines as well. Churches, hospitals, Bible institutes have been destroyed; m a n y Christian leaders have been killed. Believers have been scattered and disintegrated because of the cruelties they have endured, and the brutal maiming and killing of their loved ones. They are calling for the missionaries to come and help them make another start. They need food, clothing, shelter, Christian liter ature and Bibles. Here is our opportu nity to translate 1 Corinthians 13 into action. Revival In spite of these conditions, it was the Philippine Islands, they opened Ruined street in Manila never more true that the Christian Church never loses out through suf fering and affliction, but rather is always p u r i f i e d and strengthened thereby. During the Japanese occupa tion, the propaganda department of the Japanese Army tried by cruel threats to force our Christian Filipino leaders into an unscriptural church union of all Protestant churches. This involved not only a union with mod ernists and unbelievers, but also bow ing towards Tokyo, and praying for the Japanese dead. At that very time, when our own lives were in jeopardy* God sent a revival to our church in Manila. Secret sin was uncovered and confessed, and wrongs in the lives of our Christians were put right. God worked very mightily. Those of us who paid the price will never be the same because of the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. One of the results of this revival was the organization of the Gospel Prayer Band, c o m po s e d of young Filipino men and women. They are Typical Philippine scene—Native boy with caribou. TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 290 on fire for God and have the vision of an evangelized Philippines. They are seeking to preach the Gospel and to lead believers to a victorious Chris tian life wherever there is an open door. They have bound themselves to pray for revival every evening at nine o’clock. This Gospel Prayer Band is support ing five full-time workers engaged in revival and Gospel work among the churches in the provinces of Luzon. One of these workers from Cabanatuan writes, “Many more students are at tending our Saturday night Youth Rally. Twenty to thirty students (many of them Roman Catholics) are attending my Bible Clas§ every Thurs day afternoon. I am starting a Chris tian bookstore and kindergarten. We expect soon to open another work among high school s t u d e n t s in Lucena, in the southern part of Luzon.” This is an indication of the zeal and vision God has given the Filipino Christians. They are worthy of our prayer support. Also last fall revival broke out during a Bible and Workers’ Con ference in South Negros. One of the speakers gave this account: “I was thrilled to face the largest congrega tion ever gathered in a local church. The people literally drank in every word. The messages centered on the way of salvation, the assurance of salvation, and our Lord’s second com ing.” The whole evening congregation, between 600 and 700, was divided into five prayer groups, each division being under the leadership of two pastors. The Holy Spirit melted hearts, and believers confessed their sins, and cried for forgiveness. Young people wept! Old people wept! Then the prayer groups gathered in the audi torium. The leader of the evening challenged the people to forsake sin and consecrate themselves anew to the Lord. A hundred or more came forward weeping. There were few dry eyes among the Christians that night. I wept with joy behind the platform where I was all alone, and promised God to serve with a new spirit. There on my knees I washed my heart of all enmities and jealousies and filth iness of the flesh and spirit. “Then came the testimony meeting. The audience was told that those who cared to go home could do so, for it was then 10 o’clock. About 200 stayed. Testimonies Went on and on. The joy of the Lord prevailed. After testi monies had been coming thick and fast, a revived old saint, who was formerly president of the church or ganization, stood upland said, ‘Let us finish this now, because the bus for Baeolod will start at four o’clock in the morning, and this is already three o’clocki’ We did not know that, as we AMOSTREMARKABLEANSWER TO Charles E. Fuller vavavava ' javjvavavavavavavavavavavavavavavavaväv , WMEKL listened through the testing phones; the noise of the rain came back in a loud roar. Our only hope was God’s miracu lous intervention. I.stepped to the front of the platform, intending to ask God to "Intervene, and, as I did, Satan whispered in my ear, “Suppose you pray, and the rain doesn’t stop! They will laugh you out of town.” Confident that God had His own hand on these circumstances, I lifted my hand, and, with the roar of the rain pounding on iron, I prayed: “Father, in Jesus’ name, wilt Thou please stop the rain that this broadcast may go out clearly for Thy giory?” Suddenly the rain ceased, and not another drop fell throughout the en tire broadcast. Some ten minutes after it was over, the rain descended in such volume that the people could not leave the building for a long time. It left a great impression on those who witnessed this miracle of God’s power in response to prayer, and as a result many souls were saved. This testimony- of answered prayer is offered to the glory of God that it may encourage others to pray. ence at Doane Hall, Iloilo. Many of our Christians and workers had just ex perienced the revival in Negros and they arrived with great enthusiasm and zeal for the Lord. The Conference motto was: “He that Winneth Souls is Wise.” Again the Holy Spirit worked in hearts and many decisions for the Lord were made. The Philippines face a new era in their history, as they take their place as an independent nation. The Bible- believing churches in the Philippines also anticipate a new day as they take on the responsibility of evangelizing the Islands. It is a task which the missionaries can never perform; the Filipinos alone can accomplish it. To do it, there must be trained Filipino pastors, evangelists, and childrens’ workers. It is the responsibility of the believers in America to send mis sionaries to help in the Bible in stitutes and seminaries, and to work with the Filipinos, as they undertake the task of evangelizing the areas where there is no Gospel witness, and to reach the mountain tribes. "Pray ye therefore,” and “Pray with out ceasing.” TN THINKING of the most remark- able answer to prayer in my ex perience, it is difficult to single out one above another, for every answer to prayer is an occasion of gratitude to God. One, however, stands out above the rest as remarkable and amazing. We were in Waterloo, Iowa, to ad dress a gathering at the Hippodrome. Over ten thousand people assembled for the meeting in this building, which had a corrugated iron roof. It had been a humid, stormy day with in termittent showers. As the time for the evening service drew near, the rain began coming down in a steady torrent, creating a tremendous noise on the metal roof of the Hippodrome. The regular Sunday broadcast of the Old-Fashioned Revival Hour was to be released from this building. It would soon be time to go on' the air, and we realized that, unless the rain ceased, the coast-to-coast broadcast would be ruined. With only a few minutes be fore the broadcast time, it looked as though the rain would continue all night. From the technician’s desk, we sang and praised the Lord, it was al ready morning. I have no doubt as to the genuineness of that revival. One pastor said it was emotionalism. If it was, I praise God for it, because it blessed me and took away the things that so easily beset me and hindered the Lord’s working. “Now as to the cause of it: I asked the South Negros workers how it all began. One answer was because the emphasis was all on the Bible, and on HOLY LIVING.” -The Outlook It is very encouraging to hear that the pastors and leaders are taking up the task where the missionaries were forced to lay it down. For many years, we have had a Young Peoples’ Con ference in Iloilo at Thanksgiving time. It was always one of the high lights of the year, when souls were saved and young people' gave their lives to the Lord. To our great joy, we learned that the Iloilo and Negros leaders, without any missionary stimulus or contact whatever since the close of the war, made arrangements for the resumption of the annual Thanksgiving Confer- JULY, 1946 291 THE CHURCH THAT LEFT ITS FIRST LOVE G. Coleman Luck I N the opening chapters of Revela tion, a marvelous appearance of the glorified Lord Jesus to the exiled apostle John is described. First, the apostle heard the thrilling Voice behind him. In preparation for the revelation to follow, our Lord ad vised John to write what he would see, and send it to the seven churches of Asia—Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Then as John turned, he saw the Lord standing in the midst of sev en golden candlesticks. In His right hand were seven stars. The vision was so overpowering that John was strick en, but the Lord strengthened him with comforting words. rpHEN Christ commanded, “Write the -*•things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter” (1:19). This furnishes a convenient outline of the entire book. Chapter one covers “the things which thou hast seen;” chapters two and three, “the things which are” ; and chapters four through twenty-two, “the things which shall be hereafter.” Then our Lord explained the symbol ism of the stars and candlesticks rep resenting the churches themselves. "IMMEDIATELY, following t h e s e -*■words, we find, in the next two chap ters, personal letters dictated by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself to the seven churches of Asia. These letters are of the utmost importance for a number of reasons, and well worth a careful study. There is a fourfold application of these seven letters: (1) The pri mary application was to the particular church at that special time, as in the case of other epistles in the New Testa ment. (2) There is also a direct appli cation to similar Circumstances in churches at any period. For instance, if the conditions exist in my own church which were present in the church at Ephesus, then the same in spired instruction which applied to that church would apply to my own. (3) The principles set forth in each letter may be applied to the individual Christian at any time. Churches are made up of individual Christians, and the condition of the church as a whole is simply the result of their combined state. So if the letter to Ephesus fits my condition, I am to apply it to my self, regardless of whether this is the general attitude of my church. (4) In addition, there is the prophetic appli cation. This is to be expected from the Lord’s reference to a "mystery.” As we examinç the church at Ephesus, we find that it was representative of the Church as a whole during the pe riod just following the work of the apostles; Smyrna typified the next pe riod of church history, and so on. Since this key evidently fits the lock, We con clude that the seven letters as a whole cover the prophetic history of the Church. rpHERE are generally seven features -f- of similarity in the various letters, which it is helpful to note when mak ing a study of the book; (1) the ad dress; (2) description of the Lord; (3) commendation of good works; ,(4) complaint; (5) exhortation; (6) threat; (7) promise. Let us then consider the first letter—the communication to Ephesus—“The Church that left its first love,” under these headings. 1. The Address. "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write” (2:1a). Some have interpreted this term to mean that a special angel is assigned as the unseen helper of each church. Others hold that the seven churches had sent messengers to John, and that it is to them reference is made. To me, neither of these explanations is satis factory. “Angel” of course does mean “messenger.” The same word is em ployed in the passage in which Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” is mentioned; it is called “ the messenger of Satan.” The appointed messenger of God in a church is the pastor. If today I write a letter to a church, do I not address it to the pastor, knowing that he will read the message to the whole body? Thus, our Lord addresses His com munication to the “messenger,” or pas tor, to be passed on by him to his congregation. A LITTLE research with regard to the town of Ephesus, which may be obtained from a Bible encyclopedia, will be of interest. The name means “desirable,” and in many respects it is fitting as a description of the condition of the church. 2. Description of the Lord. “These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candle sticks” (2:1b). In each of these seven letters, the Lord Jesus is described, usually in accordance with the account TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 293 will soon cease, whether in the case of an individual or of a church. Once the hearts of the people of Ephesus had been warm with enthusiastic love for the Saviour, but their affection had cooled. Note the solemn warning and exhortation which follow this ac cusation by the Lord Jesus. 5. Exhortation. "Remember there fore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works,” Re member the time when you were first saved and a burning love for the Sav iour filled your heart? If you have allowed that love to grow cold, get down upon your knees in repentance today and return to that first affection. 6. Threat. The Lord uttered a threat as to what He would do if the Ephe sian church disregarded His words: “Or else I will come unto thee quick'y, and will remove thy candlestick out-of his place, except thou repent.” The Lord did not state that He would oblit erate the church, but that He would remove its candlestick, that is, its testi mony for Christ and its power to il luminate Him. The apostle Paul throws a clearer light on this in the famous thirteenth chapter of his first epist'e to the Corinthians. Here he in dicates that the greatest labor without love as its compelling motive is com pletely ineffectual and unacceptable to Him. 7. Promise. Before reaching the con cluding promise, there is a parenthesis in verse six of this chapter in which the Lord makes reference to the Ephesians’ hating “the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.” This same group is also mentioned in the letter to Pergamos, and can better be considered in connection with that epis tle. The word indicates those who “overcome” or “ conquer the people.” A striking example of their attitude and teaching is the case of the over bearing Diotrephes, to whom reference is made in the third Epistle of John. T HE LORD Jesus Christ makes it very clear in each letter what will happen if His exhortation is disre garded, and His command disobeyed. He also gives a promise as to the bless ing which will follow if His warning is received and acted upon. “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God” (2:7). Some will not heed, but to each one who has an ear to hear the Spirit’s voice, this promise is given. “The overcomer,” the one who overcomes the fault men tioned, will be given precious spiritual food; he will eat of the “ tree of life.” The Christian whose heart is warm with love for the Saviour may con tinually partake of a feast of good things, food to eat which the world and the worldly Christians “ know not of.” teaching to be sure It agreed with God’s Word. If it did not, they rejected the teacher as a liar. In this present day of apostasy, how greatly needed is this kind of discernment. Men who pre tend to be ministers of Christ are able in some instances to insinuate them selves into the pulpits of our great de nominations, where they actually deny the Word of God without being called to account for it. Many church mem bers are so unacquainted with the Scripture that they do not know whether or not a sermon is in accord ance with the teachings of the Bible. Shame upon us! Let us learn a lesson from the church at Ephesus. "OUT THE praise from the Lord for -*-* the church at Ephesus did not end even here. He continued with the words, “Thou hast borne, and hast pa tience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and' hast not fainted.” The labor of this church was so great that the Lord mentions it more than once in these strong terms. The-reason for their diligence—the one great cause for which they were working—is ex plained in the words: “For my name’s sake,” We hear a great deal today about loyalty to the church, but what we need first is loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. If a Christian is completely faithful tp the Saviour, his service in the church will be perfectly adjusted and unselfishly fulfilled. 4. Complaint. After all of this adula tion, it would appear that nothing could be wrong with such a church as the one at Ephesus. But the next word is surprising: “Nevertheless.” The Lord in His love is obliged to say in all faithfulness: “Nevertheless I have this against thee', because thou hast left thy first love.” In our Authorized English Version of the Scriptures, the statement is greatly weakened by the addition of the word “somewhat”—“I have somewhat against thee.” But this word is printed in italics,' indicating that it was not in the original manu script, but added by the translators (as they thought) to complete the sense in the English. This was a fearful de nunciation. If I, as a husband, am a good provider and work hard for my family, would that satisfy my wife, if she found that my love for her was growing cold? Would she consider that failure an insignificant thihg? A thou sand times no! Love is the most im portant thing of all in a home, and it is of greatest value to the Lord too. If any word is to be added here, let us employ the word “this” as I have done above. Weymouth thus translates this verse: “Yet I have this against you— that you no longer love Me as you did at first.” If you are a Christian, the first thing that Jesus Christ wants from you is supreme love for Him. If this is lacking, all work done for Him is unacceptable. If love is lacking, it is very likely that labor for His cause of His appearance in chapter one. But each description is different, and em phasizes the special feature of Christ’s person or character which that particu lar church needed to recognize. He is depicted as the One holding the seven stars (or pastors) in His right hand. How beautiful is this picture! In a very real way, the pastor of the church is in the hand of Christ, and is directly responsible to Him for the shepherding of His flock. Our Lord is also described as the One walking in the midst of the candlesticks. I be lieve that this is the picture of seven individual candlesticks, not one candle stick with seven lamps as was used in •the Tabernacle. Mark these seven churches on a map of Asia, and you will find that they form a rough circle. The work of a candlestick is to give illumination, not in order that people may see it, but that surrounding ob jects may be illuminated. Here we see that Christ is the Object seen in the light of the candlesticks. The task of the Church is to present Christ to the view of a lost world. 3. Commendation of Good Works (2:2,3). Our Lord first commends Ephesus for good works, as indicated in verse two, “I know_thy works.” Oh, if we could only get a firm grasp of the fact that Christ knows us through and through, and that He is in thor ough sympathy with what we are do ing for Him! In the case of the church at Ephesus, the first item in the list is their “labour,” which is a stronger word than work, indicating hard, tedi ous exertion. Thank God for Christians who are. willing to work long and hard for the cause of Christ. They are all too few today. Beyond this, our Lord speaks- of the “patience!’ of this church. After they had labored for a while, they did not cease even in the face of discouragement, but continued their service patiently. Then the Lord says, “I know . . . how thou canst not bear them which are evil" (2:2). Today we find that churches are often little concerned about the fact that their members are living wicked, Christ- dishonoring lives. Such was not the case in Ephesus. They believed firmly in salvation by faith, but they likewise insisted that believers should give evi dence of their faith by consistent Christian lives. They sought to be clean vessels, “meet for the Master’s use.” There are further commendations by the Lord. “Thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars.” Even in this early day, at the close of the first cen tury, false teachers, emissaries of Sa tan, “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” had arisen, claiming to be apostles of Christ. The church at Ephesus knew this; before accepting any man as a messenger of Christ, they, tested his
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