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.
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