THE K i lt 'S t O W S Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Incorporated 1942
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MIRACLE Christ touched a barren life: Its every clod Lifted the fragrance of the Son of God!
m SPIRITUAL DEFENSE
revealed. Purchase of American Bible Society Annuity Agreements, issued now for nearly 100 years, paying generous yearly annuities for life to thousands of living annuitants, is one sure method of ensuring the nation-wide and world-wide distri bution of the Scriptures. Send for the booklet, “A Gift That Lives!’ which tells you how you can receive and bestow the bene fits of this great Plan. FILL IN AND CHECK
JVlany of the Society’s old friends are now calling their Annuity Agreements their “ Spiritual Defense Bonds!’ To win the war all must help the Government by buying defense bonds and stamps. Christian people are convinced that it is absolutely essential that Christ shall win the peace. To accomplish this, one of the best ways is through the greatly increased circulation of the one book— The Holy Bible—where God’s way is .____ ____
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY • Bible House, New York, N. Y. □ Please send me, without obligation, your booklet KB-20 entitled j “ A ra ft That. Lives.” “ Gift at i s.' □ I attach $1.00 for 100 I Spiritual Defense Seals” to help in the | □ I attach $.________ for ì “ _T work 0 The "Spiritual Defense Seal ''— use themwidely—pin one dollar ($1) to the coupon and 100 seals will be sent you promptly. Help a Great Cause—send for the seals today! Each dollar that you send will make it possiblefor 6 boys in an Army camp to receive the New Testament. Name..............................—— Address____________________ City. ..State- April, 1942 THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NES S 121 [Look for this Sign o f Progress Everywhere''. MYERS BROS, GENERAL CONTRACTORS Since 1900 3407 San Fernando Road Los Angeles, California Phone CL. 63181 We are in our 42nd year of successful building construction. Now working principally on major defense projects. FOR YOUR MISS IONARY L IBRARY GOD’S RAVENS A Story of Life and Work in the Belgian Congo By Julia Lake Kellersberger THE INCENSE-BEARERS OF HAN Stories of twice-born Chinese By James R. Graham, Jr. Only a missionary gifted with the love of people and the ability to put her experiences into living words could have written such a book as this, so full is it of physical and spiritual adventure, of love and faith and hope. Born in the “Black Belt” of "the South, Mrs. Kellersberger knew the tender devotion of a black “mammy” and carried it in her heart back to her “mammy’s” ancestral people in Africa. Cloth bound ....................... ....... .................................................... $ 1 . 5 0 There is no one better equipped or better able to write a group of in triguing missionary stories than Dr. James R. Graham, Jr. He knows, respects, and l o v e s the people of China. Dr. Graham is a real story teller and adds much life and zest to his tales through the use of hu mor, human interest elements, and an unusual style of writing. Cloth bound ...... .......................$ 1.00 GOFORTH OF CHINA By Rosalind Goforth A vivid record of a great mission ary’s life and work, written by his wife. The name of Jonathan Go forth is bound to survive as that of one of the truly great missionaries to the Orient. You will enjoy this record of a devoted s e r v a n t of Christ. Cloth bound .......... $1.50 California patrons plfase add 3 % tax 560 S. HOPE STREET LOS ANGELES, CALIF. —thankful for the blessing brought to their own lives by what he was, and what he found in God, no less than by his f r u i t f u l labors.” Paper binding...,50c; cloth $ 1.00 C. T. STUDD Famous Athlete and Pioneer By Norman Grubb HOW I KNOW GOD ANSWERS PRAYER By Rosalind Goforth Here is the personal testimony of one lifetime. Answers to prayer that stimulate faith! Your heart will be touched and stirred as you read this beautifully written and fascinating book. Popular edition, f c lo th ..................................... $ 1 . 0 0 HUDSON TAYLOR’S SPIRITUAL SECRET By Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor “The desire of the writers is to make available to busy people the experiences of their beloved father The epic story of “C. T.” one of Eng land’s best all-round athletes, who re nounced wealth and position to an swer the Call, facing a life of hardship and danger with courage,, self-denial and endurance, first of all in China and then in the very h e a r t of Africa, pioneering for God. C l o t h bound.... ................... $1.50 I I I O L A B O O K B O O H April, 1942 THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NES S 122 "I MUST HELP THE JEWS" “Everything 1 have seems going or gone—yet I Must Help the Jews.” Thus wrote a child of God whose soul had been stirred to its depths be cause of the tragic condition of the Jews throughout the world. “1 Must Help the Jews!” Dear child of God, they are still God’s people, beloved for the fathers’ sakes; and because you have been born again, you love what He loves; and you know that He still loves Israel with an everlasting love. “I Must Help the Jews!” Driven like cattle and h u n t e d animals, through the fields and forests of Europe; tortured, harassed, brutally beaten, stumbling their way through the bloody attacks of Nazi hate, seeking in vain a place of shelter— what a Christianity for the Jews to gaze upon! “I Must Help the Jews!” In the face of such a crisis, may God help His true Church to awake! May we who are truly His fill to the full our measure of duty in behalf of a pdb- ple now facing the spectacle of a world civilization organizing in solid mass for the greatest outburst of Jew-hate the world has ever known! Dear Reader, will you say “I, Too, Must Help the Jews” ? Help us to tell them “These things you have suf fered are not things which Christians do!’’ This is an S.O.S. It is Israel’s eleventh hour. So swiftly does the world cataclysm move, this may be the last call before the trumpet blows, and you will be face to face with a Christ who may look into your eyes and ask, “What have you done for these, my brethren?” Matt. 25:40. Brooklyn, N. V. I do want to help the Jews. Here Is* .................. ...I. Use It as God directs, to make known the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ to Israel, Name ----- ------- -— ....... ............................. Address —.............— .......................................~ City .......... ..............................State — ------— AMERICAN BOARD OF MISSIONS TO THE .TEWS, INC. 31 Throop Avenue —Photo by G. E. Kirkpatrick Volume XXX III April, 1942 Number 4 The True-to-the-Bible Family Magazine Motto: “ Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Rev. 1:5). TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover Photograph by Meisel from Monkmeyer Press Photo Service Ransom D. Marvin , Staff Artist Around the King’s Table— Louis T . Talbot .................................... 123 Significance of the News— Dart G ilb ert ................. §...................... 124, Victories — Evelyn W . Woodsworth ....... ...........................................125 When God Fights Our Battles— Robert Hall G lo v er ...................126 Machine Guns at the Gate— Charles A. Roberts ............................127 Unlocking Languages for Christ’s Sake— Ethel Wallis......... .......128 Junior King’s Business— Martha S. H o ok er .......................... ......... 133 International Lesson Commentary ...................................................135 Notes on Christian Endeavor— Peter F. Wall, Margaret J. Hart , Elbert L. McCreery, Ford L. Canfield, Mary R. Morrow . .148 Bible Institute Family Circle .......... ,.............................................. 153 Daily Devotional Readings ................................................................. 154 The Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Inc. LOUIS T. TALBOT Editor-In-Chief M ILDRED M. COOK JUanaglng Editor 0 Information for Subscribers on Page 159 0 THE KING’S BUSINESS, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angela lalif. April, 1942 ■ THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NES S 123 i Around the King's Table LOUIS T. TALBOT, Editor-In-Chief ♦ Headquarters British Guiana Base Command U. S: Army Post Office ; 807, British Guiana OFFICE OF THE CHAPLAIN cipally to blame. The Jewish faith Is r e p r e s e n t e d by leadership chosen by a united constituency. The Catholics are cohesive and have adequate means of delegat ing authority to those whom they choose as their spokesmen. That section of Protestantism which is affiliated with the Federal Coun cil has the ear of the govern ment, the press, and the radio be cause it speaks for a great and . well-organized constituency.” But there are millions of Christians who can have no fellowship with the Federal Council’s leadership, because of the organization’s dominance by men of the higher.critical school who deny the deity of Christ and the blood atonement for mankind’s sjn. In mat ters of vital importance, these Bible- believing Christians may soon need to speak with united voice—with es sential unity of opinion, but not, of course, an organic union among their various denominational and faith mission organizations or other enter-, prises. To facilitate this group influence, Mr. Wright and a committee of 150 evangelical Christian leaders, most of them executives in their respective denominations and mission boards, have issued an invitation for a three- day conference, April 7 to 9, to be held in the Coronado Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri, under the title of The Tem porary Committee for United Action Among Evangelicals. Mr. Wright is chairman of the committee and Ralph T. Davis, 373 Carlton Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y., is Secretary-Treasurer. What these leaders and their col leagues may be able to accomplish, and whether their particular plan is the full solution is a matter for the future to reveal. Certainly the prob lem they face is a vital one and mer its prayerful consideration on the part Of the Lord’s blood-bought children throughout America! Declaring that he was “convinced we are being prepared for the great est missionary advance in the his tory of Christianity when this war is over,” Charles T. Leber, Secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A., summed up his conclusions following an airplane trip to mission stations Missionary Encouragement from the War Evangelicals Without Representation Radio propagation of the gospel on a nation-wide seale is so seriously handicapped by the present system of control of the airlanes that evan gelical Christians everywhere should I be deeply concerned. It is regrettable that evangelicals desiring to broad cast have found that both the Colum bia Broadcasting System and the Na tional Broadcasting Company prohibit the use- of their facilities for religious broadcasting except under restrictions which give the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America a virtual monopoly so far as Protestant broadcasting is concerned. J. Elwin Wright, who is bringing this matter to the attention of Chris tian leaders in America, points out: “ Under this arrangement, the 20,000,000 evangelicals of t h e country, constituting a group as diverse from the modernists as the modernists are different from the Catholics, are left without a voice.” But Mr. Wright goes on to say: “In fairness to these broadcast ing companies we should state that they have repeatedly ex pressed their willingness to grant time to the evangelicals when ever they get together and pro vide some agency to represent them. They point out the obvious fact that they cannot deal with two hundred denominations in allotting time.” The planning of radio programs is not the only subject on which the Federal Council has undertaken to speak for all the Protestants of Amer ica. Relationships between the church and the government are becoming in creasingly important during these war months. Such matters as policies Which affect missionary passports and visas, by way of example, are of ex treme importance to large groups of “Thus far our government has taken no hostile position regard ing religion — for that we are thankful. But, innocently or oth erwise, it is undoubtedly placing in the hands of modernists, pow ers which operate unfavorably for evangelicals. For this situation the evangelicals themselves are prin evangelical Christians. Compients Mr. Wright: The King's Business 558 South Hope Street Los Angeles, California Gentlemen: Your card of January 14, tell ing me that copies of THE KING'S BUSINESS were being sent, arrived some days ago and yesterday's mail brought the copies mentioned. May we take this means of saying thank you for your kind ness and consideration in mak ing these fine magazines avail able to our men? They are being placed in our reading rooms where all have access to them. May we also ask your prayers for pur work here? God is mak ing Himself known in our midst in a new and wonderful way, and we are praying that the fires of genuine revival may break out in the hearts of our men. Again thank you for your thoughtfulness. Very cordially yours, (signed) MARSHALL G. MINES Chaplain, British Guiana Base Command. The above letter tells its own story. It is typical of many oth ers that are being received con stantly. Who would not wish to have a part in bringing about the “genuine revival . . . in the hearts of our men,” of which Chaplain Mines speaks? S3.00 WILL P R OV I D E FOUR COPIES OF "THE KING'S BUSINESS" FOR USE IN CAMPS OR READ ING ROOMS. Gifts of money for this purpose are earnestly sought, because the need is very great. And further names and addresses of military centers which Will re ceive and use THE KING’S BUS INESS are also desired. Please write today. THE KING’S BUSINESS 558 South Hope Street Los Angeles, Calif. April, 1942 THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NES S . 124 Christian nations, but that a mi nority in each country make up the true Christianity. I am sure that the growing strength of Christian ity in China contributed .to the present invasion of China by Japan, that in the Philippines and Thailand the strength of the Christian movement helped bring on the attack by Japan, and that the attack upon Christianity in India was brought on by the fact that Gandhi was not able to draw the Christians into a synthesis of - all religions.” Dr. Leber’s basis of reasoning seems logical. It is the same truth, applied to nations, that individual Christians long have recognized; that is, that the adversary of souls is most active when the most positive testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ is being given. Viewed thus, to the-.follower of Christ the Coriqueror, all adversity should really be encouraging! PREPARING TO WIN THE PEACE: • America is building a mighty fleet of bombing planes and battleships to out-match and out-fight the Nazi- Japanese war machine. But, looking beyond the war, the question needs to be asked: What are we doing to lay the groundwork for the spread and extension of the Christian cul ture of democracy, once the war-is over? Why are not our schools con centrating upon the objective of fa miliarizing the young generation with the Word of God? Why is not our educational system geared to the goal of preparing a new generation that will occupy for Christ and conquer in His name and for His cause? George Washington counseled, “ In times of peace, prepare for war.” It is equally true that in time of war, we ought to prepare for peace. The present generation is engaged in the task of conquering with bayonets. The task of the next generation should be to conquer with Bibles. Armies of young Americans are being prepared now to wage war against dictatorship in all parts of the world. Let us begin now to train the rising generation to assume the responsibility of going into all parts of the world to wield the Sw.ord of the Spirit. The battle between the pagan cul ture of Nazism and the Christian cul- [ Continued on Page 160] ' Biola’s Missionaries in Training When a young Christian really tastes the joy of soul-winning,, what is the result? He can never be fdlly sat isfied with anything less than a life dedicated to winning others to Christ. Soul-winning now, fruitfulness for Christ now—such is the standard the Bible Institute of Los Angeles holds before its students. As future mission aries — literally, as “sent ones”— whether on the foreign field or in so- called secular work at home, they. need to be reaching out to lost souls now, ~ Biola students, responding, learn that actual .evangelism—through per sonal soul-winning effort in conversa tions and literature distribution—is as essential as formal classroom instruc tion or even the leading of meetings. By way of examining the extent of this activity, the Practical Work De partment of the school tabulated the report of the school year of 1940-41 and compared it with figures for 1921- 22. In 1921-22, the year of the largest enrollment in Biola history, the total of 923 (Day School 525 and Evening School 398) was made the basis of the report. In the comparison below, only the Day School enrollment for 1940- 41, numbering 486, is taken into consideration; hence the work of only about half as many persons earlier report is recorded. as in the conversions 2,274 Part of the work recorded for both years was done in connection with the students’ regular practical work as signments. But the students also sought and found many other con tacts entirely apart from any activity expected of them as part of their school course. A large proportion of the tracts distributed last year were left in the form of brightly colored cellophane packages at doors, whole city blocks being covered systemat ically. Institute students were teaching classes in 149 different c h u r c h e s throughput Southern California last year, foreign settlements or racial groups .«ached by these Sunday and week-day Bible classes included the following: Armenian, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Jewish, Korean, Mexican, Negro, and Russian. Thus money given to the Institute serves the double purpose of supporting both student training and the present mis sionary activity of these young pepole. 1,602 Bibles, 1940-41 Day School Enrollment 486 ]$&l-22 Day and Evening School 92» Testaments and Gospel« distributed 6,550 4,401 Tracts distributed 225,912 153,424 Personal Interview» 19,652 26,401 Professed In Hawaii, the Philippines, Thailand, India, and the French.Cameroons. Reported in the Watchman-Exam iner, this prominent mission leader voiced censure for boastful Americans when he said: r..“ It:; is my conviction that as Americans and as a church we have-nbt yet learned our lesson fr^m this war, We are-still sure of •our racial superiority and of our reliance upon our material ism. We must eradicate this idea of our superiority.” But he went on to point out rea sons for the conflict and benefits is- suihg from it which may be unreal ized by Christians in general: “ I am convinced, too, that this attack has been made upon us in some places because of the Strength of' our Christianity and not because of its weakness. We must admit that there are no BEYOND THE WAR: • Qerman school children are being trained to “manage” the post-war world. An accredited investigator for a Stockholm news agency reveals these amazing facts: “The schools of Germany have been ‘streamlined’ to prepare a young generation for its ‘high calling’ to colonize and control the entire earth . . . ‘‘Boys and girls, from the age of six upward, are being taught to speak the English and Spanish languages. The major purpose of their ‘education’ is to familiarize them with historical, geographi- . cal, economic, and social condi tions in North and South America. The Nazi chieftains confidently believe that the war will have been won before these s c h"o. o 1 Children reach m a t u r i t y . The theory is that, after the present generation of Germans have con quered thè world, the new gener ation of Germans will ‘civilize’ it according to the Nazi pattern . . . “The goal of the Nazi educa tional system is to prepare an army of propagandists who will carry the Nazi ‘culture’ to the ends of the earth, establishing its universal sway over the life and future of mankind.” '* Significance of the News By DAN GILBERT Washington, D. C., and San Diego, California April, 1942 THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NES S 125 Spiritual Advance on the African Front S By EVELYN W. WOODSWORTH* Brooklyn, New York New things are happening in Africa. A new seriousness, born of viewing the world at war, has brought to the African church marked progress along indige nous lines. The African Christian is look ing beyond his own kith and kin and giving himself at last to the spreading of the gospel even to enemy tribes. In Kenya Colony, the first na tive-supported missionary has been sent from the A k a m b a tribe to the hostile Masai tribe, an e l u s i v e , warlike people whose h a r d n e s s for decades baffled the faithful missionaries who have labored there. In Kenya Colony, the first year of the war showed a rec ord of 1,293 additions to the church by baptism. The American church has no right to take a defeatist out l oo k on missions, despite the present world situation. Sailings, or the lack of them, can never measure a mission’s work. naturally a generous giver. He hangs on to his scant supply of cash, and really much prefers to be in debt. It is a long, untraveled road through his heart to his pocketbook, or should we say to the depths of his khaki shorts’ pocket? But new things are coming to pass in Africa — among them spiritual victories in the face of war—and the spirit of giving is one of them. During the past year, one assembly of believers in Kenya has been great ly depleted because many of its mem bers have been taken for military service. The natural result should have been a falling off in interest and offerings. But not so—those who-were left have made willing sacrifice, and the offerings have tripled! The Sengani outpost in Ukamba- land is another example of victory the Lord has won in the hearts of His own in teaching them to give. At a time when money could not be expected to flow freely, the Akamba Christians have erected an attractive cut-stone chapel, with concrete floörs and iron roof. The cost of the mate rials was equal to a thousand Amer ican dollars—supplied by the natives themselves. The craftsmen were all Akamba, and most of the labor was given without wages. Just before this building was dedi cated ' last December, a huge box mysteriously, appeared at the front entrance. Nothing had been ordered of its dimensions, and no one had been seen delivering it—yet there it was! Inside was a beautiful twenty- four-inch church bell, the gift of an African Christian. Its value must have been over one hundred dollars. Although it is true that the Akamba are in a section of the country where cash is more easily obtained than in districts farther removed from the centers of colonial civilization, even that fact does not lessen the marvel of this extraordinary giving. [ Continued on Päge 131] I N THE SPRING of 1940, when the war burst into Kenya Colony, the Nandi Christians began to do some thinking and then to take stock of their financial resources. Those who had work were well paid if they got the equivalent of two dollars a month—but most of them had-no work. Not a word was said to the white workers at the big mis sion station, but each little outpost strained to do its part. Cent by cent, the thin brown copper coins were brought in until these loyal folk had accumulated the stupendous sum of one hundred shillings (roughly equiv alent to twenty-five American dol lars at normal exchange). Then the great day came to present their offer ing. The missionary was taken by surprise when they surrendered to him the precious g^ft—wholly inde pendent of their giving for Christian work—with instructions to forward it to the Government “to help Britain win the war.” * Victories in Giving Nor do these African Christians stop at merely patriotic generosity.' A new seriousness born of viewing the world at war is taking hold of the African church, and marked prog ress along indigenous lines has been the result. Now the African is not * Missionary of the Africa Inland Mission, and a graduate of the Bible Institute of Los An geles. Class of 1931. April, 1942 THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NES S 126 When God Fights Our Battles rA Meditation on 2 Chronicles 20 By ROBERT HALL GLOVER* Germantown/ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania B S A NEW WAR breaks out with terrific fury over the Pacific L Ocean, engulfing almost all the nations not already involved in the European conflict, and with the gravest bearings upon missionary work in China and the entire Far East, my heart has turned for comfort and reassurance to the Word of God. How unspeakably precious is that Word to His children in times of distress such as the present! And my thoughts have been directed—I believe by the Holy Spirit—to this long-familiar record of God’s signal deliverance of Jehosha- phat and Judah from the assault of their strong and vindictive enemies. Unquestionably this «incident, as chbsen by God for a place in holy writ, was designed by Him to convey spiritual lessons to His people in later times (Rom. 15:4). All through the Old Testament we have impressive in stances of the Lord’s dealings not only with individuals but with nations also, on. the basis of their attitude to- *Home Director for North America, China Inland Mission. ward Him and His revealed will and purposes. Times have changed, but God has not changed, nor have His principles of d e a l i n g s with men changed but are eternally the same. He is still the God of nations, whether recognized as such or not. As Jehosha- phat phrased it, “Art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the nations? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to with- s t a n d thee?” Let us then approach this divinely inspired r e c o r d with minds and hearts open “to.see what he will say unto me [us]” (Hab. 2:1) through this portion of His Word. The Enemy’s Assault “There cometh a great multitude against ■thee from beyond the sea.” Here was a ruthless attack, unpro voked and unjustifiable, by aggressor nations bent on conquest. And it was \yith armed forces far superior to. those of the nation attacked, and therefore destined, humanly speaking, to over throw and subjugate that nation. Judah’s Reaction “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and pro claimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves to gether, to ask help of the Lord.” Now Jehoshaphat was no coward or weak ling, but .a true soldier with a. fine military record behind him. But in this national emergency his first re course is to God, and he leads his people in a humble and whole-hearted appeal for divine help. In his prayer, after ascribing sov ereignty and power to the Lord, as already noted above, he goes on to recall God’s covenant relation and gracious p r o m i s e s to the nation through Abraham, and His past mer cies and deliverances. And then his prayer climaxes with a most touching acknowledgment of the utter inad equacy of either their own strength or their own wisdom, and a casting of himself and his people upon the Lord as their only hope. “O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have • 66 The battle is not yours , but God 9 s " (2 Chron. 20:15) April, 1942 THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S 127 no might against this great company that cometh against us; n e i t h e r know we what to do; but our eyes are upon thee.” What Immediately followed this humble and fervent petition cannot fail to stir the heart: “And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, t h e i r w i v e s , and their children.” How unique, how impres sive—a whole nation gathered together un to God in prayer and fasting at a time of national crisis! And yet why should this be thought unique or strange, and not sim ply the natural atti tude for any nation to take which acknowl edges God and pro fesses to believe in and serve Him? world - wide missions at the zenith of its opportunity and suc cess. For it has now become perfectly ob- viqus that the aggres sor powers — I refer not to the entire na tions involved but to the coteries of ,un scrupulous t y r a n t s within them who have usurped complete' au thority and control for the time—are ut terly unchristian and an tich rlstian , and that their aims in clude not only world conquest and domin ation politically but also the overthrow of true Christianity at home and of its prop agation throughout the world. Truly the Enemy has come in like a flood and is fiercely challenging and also Machine Guns at the Gate A Word from CHARLES A. ROBERTS ■ OB 2,000 SOULS, suspense ond danger pressed hard against this Chinese gate. Here, too, while machine guns roared, a remark able victory was witnessed. The oc casion was last fall's four-day Jap anese occupation of Changsha, Hu nan, China. The stirring story is re ported by Charles A. Boberts, Super intendent of the Hunan Bible Insti tute, the China Department of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. The above photograph of the gateway to the large compound of the school was taken before the beginning of Japan's hostilities in China. v threatening the very existence of our own and all other missionary work in China, as well as that of our sister "societies in other fields. From this point of view we face a prospect by no means bright, but black with clouds. How shall we encourage our hearts? Surely it must be in the blessed fact that "God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him,” and in taking our stand with Jehoshaphat and Judah, confess ing our own lack of the needed might and wisdom, and then adding, “but our eyes are upon thee.” God’s Response Promptly came God’s response to this attitude of trust and cry for help, bringing inexpressible comfort and joy and fresh cotfrage to that sorely tested company: “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's . . . Ye shall not need to fight in this bat tle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you . . . fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.” The battle had been theirs, against heavy odds and with every prospect of their suf- ferthg a disastrous defeat. But in re sponse to their cry of desperate need, God took over the burden of it, and now it is His battle, and He bids them - dismiss all fear and anxiety and go forward with full confidence, to “see the salvation of the Lord” wrought out for them. What a blessed ex change! How completely reversed the situation! Mark you, they still had [Continued on Page 132] If o n l y the professedly Christian nations of today which are confronted with formidable forces of aggression would—their leaders and people to gether—follow the example of Jehosh- aphat and J u d a h , and give them selves to humble heart searching, con fession of personal and national sins, and united, earnest prayer for His in tervention and deliverance, what a wonderful demonstration of d i v i n e power might be witnessed? But, alas,' although it is true that there are many godly people in both the great English-speaking nations who have taken this attitude and given them selves to prayer, it cannot honestly be said that these nations as such have been humbled, have turned from their sinful and worldly ways, and have earnestly sought the Lord anew. And because of this, God cannot do for them what He is so able and willing to do. However, the chapter before us has its application also to the true people of the Lord, in every land and day, who face the assaults of strong and vindictive fo'es, whether spiritual or physical, which attempt to destroy their faith, rob them of their victorious testimony, or defeat their undertak. ings in Christian service. Particularly does the instance of this attack upon Judah, and of that nation’s manner of meeting it, fit the case of God’s mis sionary cause, and never more clearly and forcefully than at this very time, when it is certain beyond any ques tion that the great Adversary of Christ is working behind the scenes and has designed these wars of aggression as & staggering blow to the work of When the Japanese troops entered the city in September, 1941, the Hunan Bible Institute's small staff of loyal Chinese servants, with' the staff of the China Inland Mission's Hudson Taylor Memorial Hospital and the Methodist Mission, two groups which had been using portions of the com pound, remained with Mr. Boberts to care for the refugees who flqcked to the gate. In all, about two thousand persons were sheltered within the walls. Mr. Boberts' story follows: "On September 26, a few of us watched a battle to the northeast of the city. This we could do from the top of our Milton Stewart Hall. But the bombing was too much for the Chinese, who had no planes with which to counterattack. And on the evening of September 27, the Japanese entered the city and the flag of the Bising Sun Was hoisted. At about 4 p. m. we heard rifle fire drawing near er to our district, which is known as the Leek Gardens. It was Chinese rear-guard action. [Cent, on P. 130] April, 1942 THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NES S 128 H E STOOD before me drenched and muddy, his dark Indian eyes dancing with joy of an ticipation. His black w i r y hair, soaked and limp, formed an in- congruent frame for the radiant glow which shone through his brown, broad face. “But Carmen,” I protested,, “I didn’t expect you today—it’s raining so hard! You are soaked! You are going to be sick.” “But I wanted to come,” he beamed in response. “We have a lot of work to do.” “ Is Juan coming, too?” I inquired. “Yes,” ejecfed Carmen in broken Spanish, “but he was coming a little slow, so I thought I would come ahead and start to work.” Carmen’s eagerness is encouraging, for he has known Christ as his Saviour for only a few months. His brother Juan, who has been a believer for more than a year, true to the apostolic pattern “first findeth his own brother” Carmen, who now vies with Juan in his ardent desire to know more of Christ, and to help in the translation of the Word for his own people,'the Tzeltal Indians, of whom only twenty per cent speak any Spanish at all. Juan has had an exceptional edu~ cation for a Tzeltal—about four years of rural school, where he learned to read and write Spanish. His brother Carmen speaks brokenly and reads haltingly. The task of translating the New Testament in Tzeltal lies no heavier a burden on their hearts than ours, for we two American young women see 45,000 Christless Indians before us, our parish, sheep without a shepherd. To these we have been sent as witnesses. Two witnesses for one tribe whose estimated size is almost that of the 50,000 Navajos of the United States! A Work Lonj Planned “All right, Carmen,” I agree, “ let’s get to work.” Before beginning our four-hour session of nouns, verbs, and *Member of the Wycliffe' .Translation , Group which is .sponsored by the Pioneer Mission Agency (attended Biota in 1936-1938). Unlocking Languages for By ETHEL Chiapas, WALLIS* Mexico appears rather to have been whetted by the elements. He joins us in our short invocation of the Lord’s blessing upon our language work, to the end that it might bring glory to His name alone. What joy consumes, our hearts as we realize that the two Tzeltal intercessors, with whom we are one around the Throne of Grace, are the firstfruits of a rich harvest. As we hear and join them }n prayer for their own people, we have the assurance that in this hidden fastness of Chiapas, where it has been said, “Ye are not my people,” yes, even here it shall be said, “Ye are the sons of the living God.” We know that Juan and Carmen, with other Tzeltals who have been added to the body of Christ through “the word of their testimony,” will one day be singing praises to. the Lamb who was slain for us from the foundation of the world, in that land where there is no language barrier. The Calling of the Workers Juan, the first believer among the Tzeltals, was a chosen jewel in the hand of our God years before he heard the gospel message. He told us that from earliest childhood he had a long ing in his heart to know the living God, but the form and ceremony of Catholicism, which was the only ap proach open to him, was hollow and unsatisfying. He lit candles for the saints in his little hut, and placed flowers and pine twigs around the wooden crosses which he set up around the door, but these meaning less rites left him sad and unsatisfied. Then came the happy day when a Mexican believer had given him a simple testimony concerning .the liv ing God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Although his knowledge was incomplete, Juan knew that this was the truth for which he had yearned. Faithfully seeking to learn more about this One whom he knew Was his Saviour, and desiring to make Him known to his own Tzeltal people. Juan, in the foreknowing providence of God, ¿oon found one who revealed to him in life and precept the full glottal stops, we read a portion from Romans 10. As we' come to verse 15, I see a Tzeltal brow knitted in per plexity before me, and I ask, “What is it, Carmen?” “I don’t understand w h a t t h i s means: ‘How beautiful are the feet of them that preach t h e g o s p e l o f peace.’ ” - I suppress a knowing smile at this inquiry, for before me is the literal fulfillment of that Verse. Little does Carmen know that his own bare feet, paddling up the hill through the slush and slime of a Chiapas rain, were seen by the prophetic eyes of Isaiah when he through the Spirit penned that beautiful description of gospel messengers, later employed by the Apostle Paul. It is not hard to explain to Carmen that it is our re sponsibility to bear about in our bodies the dying of the Lord Jesus, and to take with our own feet the message of reconciliation through the blood of the cross to these dying Indians around us. A shadow of obligation clouds his glowing face as he assents, “Yes, yes, of course. That is what we must do. No, no—they can’t know about Christ unless we tell them ourselves, we who know Christ.” A few minutes later, Juan comes splashing, duck-fashion, through the downpour, oblivious of the disagree able weather. His appetite for work Native Informant and Missionary Translator At Work Photo from Pioneer Mission Agency April, 1943 THE K I N G ' S BUS I NE SS .129 Today, with the eager help that Juan and Carmen have come to our house fo give, Marianna Slocum and ,1 are working on “text”—taking down from dictation in phonetic script the Tzeltal language as it is spoken in stories, conversation, and the relating of personal experiences. Marianna sits across the table from me, courageously continuing Bill’s work in the power of the Lord. She is taking text from Carmen, who is a rich repository of folk-lore. His supply of goatrand-rabbit, tiger-and-snake, and Chicken Little stories is inex haustible. Juan looks up from our side of the table in time to see Carmen sniffing along the table, illustrating a dog in pursuit. Carmen has no in hibitions about reenacting the story he is telling, to make it clear. Juan, with a shade of disdain in his voice, says softly, “Puro cuento [pure story]!” His heart and mind fired with a desire to get the Word quickly to his own people, Juan cannot quite grasp the importance of spending time in the extraction of pointless stories from his brother. We have to remind him that the analysis of ordinary nar rative conversation is necessary as a mold into which we can pour the pure gold of the Word of -God. Teals in the Workers’ Hands The history of the Christian church has shown the absolute necessity of haying the Word of God in the every day language of the people if it is to produce fruit in daily living. The Bible in the vernacular is essential to the permanence of any mission work, par ticularly if persecution comes to the native church in the absence of the missionaries. Because of the peculiar difficulties of learning an unwritten aboriginal language, the p i o n e e r Christ's Sake shining of the glorious gospel of Christ. In 1938, William C. Bentley, burdened with the urgency of trans lating the New Testament for the Tzeltals, went to Chiapas, the south ernmost state of Mexico, to work among them. He was the first repre sentative of the Wycliffe Translation Group* to go to Chiapas. Previous to his coming, no Indian in that entire district had ever been evangelized in his native Indian language by a white missionary. Work in the Spanish lan guage or through an interpreter can not possibly reach the great mass of the Indians of Mexico, for their lim ited Spanish vocabulary barely en ables them to carry on trade with the neighboring Spanish-speaking popu lation. And it is obvious that the spiritual truths of God’s wonderful plan of salvation cannot be conveyed through a few score of words which only a few of the primitive Indians are able to use as they barter their goods. Bill Bentley had been praying— praying for a prepared instrument through whom the Word might be given to the Tzeltals. Thus’ when Bill . found Juan, a deep longing was satis fied, and an earnest prayer was an-s swered. Through the unfolding of the Scriptures by Bill’s faithful ministry, Juan learned the deep meaning of the cross, and the consequent responsibil ity of making known the death a n d _ life of the Lord Jesus to his own ped^i^ pie. A first-draft translation of the Gospel of John was made. Then came the summer of 1941 when Bill left Chiapas for Pennsyl vania, to take for himself a bride, Marianna Slocum, who was to be his helpmeet in the completion of the *A group of Christian translators who concen trate on the task of translating the Scrip tures for the fifty-one Indian tribes of Mexico, reducing the languages to writing. Work is under way at present in only twenty of these languages. translation of the New Testament in Tzeltal. But God had ordained that another translation should be first completed, for on August 24, six days before the scheduled date for his wed ding, Bill was taken into the presence of his Lord whom he had faithfully served for three years among the Tzeltals of Mexico. Now he knows the full glory of the One with whom he walked in Close fellowship when the shadows of earth intervened. Truly, he “walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Tarascan Indians Phot 9 Courtesy of National Railways of Mexico 130 THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NES S April, 1942 through a peephole, reported that large numbers of troops were return ing from the south, these being Jap anese who had pushed on southward and were now retreating. “The Japanese had reached a point thirty miles south of the city, stayed a brief few hours and returned. Then I knew that the gun firing of the night of September 30 was an attempt by the Chinese to regain the city. By daylight and on until 10 a. m. of October 1, the machine gun and rifle firing in the Leek Gardens area was terrific, and bullets were flying all over the place. The Chinese had ar rived, and the Japanese were fighting a rear-guard action. “All our refugees lay flat on the floors of their rooms, and our for eign women and children went to the basement of the Milton Stewart Hall to remain there until the smoke of battle had cleared away. We were caught right in the center. Machine guns used a spot at our gateway to command the road, as the entrance is a bit V-shaped. Again, praise God, not one person of the two thousand folk on the compound was injured! And again we were happy that we had such a high brick wall around us, for it stopped many a bullet. “That morning, as I had been up most of the night rushing from one point to another, it was about 6 a. m. when I said to my cook, a former soldier who rather grinned at the sit uation, ‘Chow Shifu, you’d better make a pot of coffee for the folks and get it over to the big building.’ And then I came into my living room and turned on the radio to see wheth er I could pick up any outside news, and lo I got Tokyo and heard: ‘The ImpaHal troops having accomplished their objectives at Changsha were re tiring to original positions’ ! “That half-lie was the best news heard in four awful days. I ran over to the Milton Stewart Hg,ll and gave out the news. We were all greatly cheered. By night the Chinese had fully re-occupied the city. Then fol lowed days of waiting and sending the refugees home and cleaning up the compound.” Under present international condi tions, of course, the American flag would not form the restraint upon Japanese action that it frequently provided before December 7. Another Japanese drive toward Changsha would be far more dangerous for Mr. Roberts and his Chinese coworkers than previous attempts have been. But God who has so miraculously preserved the buildings through the fires and warfare of recent years can do further wonders if it is His pur pose to maintain a testimony in that spot—and if His people pray in line with His will. this summer’s session' at Camp Wyc liffe. It is to be held for ten weeks, from June 10 through August 18, on the campus of the University of Okla homa, Norman, Okla. For this coming summer session, Camp Wycliffe’s Summer Institute of Linguistics is offering a limited number of scholar ships, from a fund known as the Wil liam C. Bentley Scholarship Fund.* A Great Task Unfinished “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). We who are engaged in trans lating that Word in the state of Chiapas rejoice in the privilege of sharing in the work that was so glo riously begun through Bill Bentley’s sacrificial devotion to his Saviour. As we work, we intercede also for the thirty tribes of Mexico, some large, some smaller, for whom no effort of translation is being made. We are praying for fifty new workers to enter Mexico this fall, to help fill the great need. One thousand tribes of earth still have no portion of the Bible in their own language. What is the Lord’s will for you concerning this mattei;? “Our neighbors began to crowd our gates, and when I went out and opened up, in rushed men, women, and children, dragging behind them all that they could possibly pull or carry. Many more climbed over our walls. . . Dormitories and any avail able space were used for sleeping ac commodations. As many as eight or ten persons were in one room where normally one student lived! Fortu nately it was September and the weather was (very good, so that there was little suffering from lack of cov ers. The Japanese military police called on us on September 28 for the usual formalities of name, national ity, and the like. “Late in the night of September 30, we heard firing, both large and small guns. During the day I had gone to the gate several times to let refugees in. We kept our gates locked and boarded up, with a large United States flag painted on the board, to gether with the Chinese of ‘Bible Insti tute of Los Angeles, U. S, A.,’ written in large characters. Our' gateman, who had been keeping a watch *These scholarships are for $30.00 each, con ering registration fees and an additional $25.00 to apply on expenses. The conditions governing the award of the William C. Rent- ley scholarships are (1) scholastic qualifi cations, (2) financial need, and (3) the pur pose to translate the Bible into native dialects. Application either for these schol arships or for regular enrollment at the Summer Institute of Linguistics should be made to the Pioneer Mission Agency. 1201 Chestnut Street. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. MACHINE GUNS AT THE GATE [Continued from Page 127] Church of the Open Door MISSIONARY RALLY April 3 to 12 Sixth and Hop* Streets Les Angeles, California (Simultaneous rallies in three neighboring communities also). worker in such fields «will waste months and even years of time un less he is scientifically trained. But certain fundamental principles for reducing any language to writing and analyzing its construction are applicable to all types of languages, all over the world; and these are the principles which we of the Camp Wycliffe translation group have been taught in the courses at the Summer Institute of Linguistics. Many of the students at Camp Wycliffe will need to attack languages whose words have several varying tones for a single vowel, with widely different mean ings. Special help must be given these workers. Courses in Phonetics, Pho- nemics, Morphology, Syntax, teaching natives to read, and the like—such subjects constitute the curriculum, with the addition of an anthropology course which deals particularly with customs of primitive peoples. Since the first session of Camp Wycliffe in the summer of 1934, more than ninety linguistically t r a i n e d missionaries have gone out to fifteen different countries, on four continents. Their reports reveal unmistakably that their training has saved both time and labor in learning primitive languages. Camp Wycliffe’s Summer Institute of Linguistics is endorsed by the American Bible Society and recom mended by a senior ethnologist of the Smithsonian Institution at Washing ton, D. C. The academic qualifications of Camp Wycliffe are further shown by the fact that the University of Oklahoma has graciously offered to be host to the group, inviting its members to use the facilities of the campus, and offering university credit to those in the number who have uni versity standing. Enrollment at Camp Wycliffe is open to missionary candidates and missionaries of all evangelical boards. Two w e l l - k n o w n denominational boards now require all their pioneer missionaries to attend Camp Wycliffe before going to their respective fields. Consecrated young Christians who have already had their Bible training and academic work (or who are now engaged in this study during the regular school year) and who wish to 'serve in pioneer mission fields are encouraged to apply immediately for
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