Yesterday, Pentecost-Today, What?
W E ARE witnessing an age of remarkably ex panding horizons. The everywhere of the uni verse is bringing its frontiers into view. Pro stratospheres. We are not yet acclimated to our expand ed world. We do not feel at home. Americans in particu lar are full of fear. The new responsibilities are tremen dous. The problems are intricate and far-reaching. The future is uncertain. “Men's hearts [are] failing them for fear," as Jesus foresaw. Dr. Virgil Jordon, President of the National Industrial Conference, said recently, “America has become afraid. The fears are many and deep. They lurk in the recesses of men’s minds and influence individual and collective actions in various ways. In America, as in the rest of the world, statism has become the modern religion, and government is god.” These are the words of a present-day seer. A false prophet? Not in the light of today’s events. It is illuminating to see men outside of the realm of religious organizations turn on such searchlights. The searching rays did not spare the great Einstein who, Dr. Jordon states, “sits like a pope at Princeton and issues bulls on the subject of political economics. Recently I heard him deliver a paper on economics which was pathetically sophomoric for a man of his intellect.” Even the super-great are groping in darkness in search of the master key to unlock today’s secrets. What has all this to do with, Yesterday, Pentecost— Today, What? Everything! Have we eyes and see not, ears and hear not, minds and think not? Yesterday Pentecost ushered in “the age on ages telling” with "tongues of fire”—tongues aflame with coals off the altar of God—tongues with a unified divine message for a divided world, a Christless life, and a globe in need of the Kingdom of God. Pentecost was the initial JUNE, 1947
Temple of the Olympian Zeus, Athens, Greece
William H. Heppe, D.D. demonstration of the Spirit of truth, life and power to all ages and peoples, in relation to all human needs and possibilities. And today, What? Cultural tongues, ethical tongues, scientific, commercial, sociological, political, diplomatic, interracial tongues; broadcaster vying with broadcaster to play up the highlights and becloud the issues: word sprees, offering human remedies for the world’s ills. It is a veritable age of loquacity. We seem to have forgotton that the real values lie behind the words, and are bom in the secret recesses of the soul. Words may be mere empty sounds. They may be worth their weight in gold. They may throb with the power of an atomic bomb. Moltke, it was said, could be silent in seven languages. It were better for the world if some men today were silent in all tongues. One who heard our Daniel Webster, said, “He didn’t say much, but every word weighed a pound,” and his biographer stated that when Webster spoke, sparks were emitted. Another and Greater, spoke with authority, and men declared, “Never man spake like this man.” His words vibrated with life, flashed like diamonds, raised the dead, unlocked eternal secrets, motivated world move ments, and will yet rule the world. John discovered the over-all reason: “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him." Yes, yesterday, “tongues of fire.” And today? Oh, for flaming tongues to utter burning, prophetic words, Spirit-born, Spirit-empowered, Spirit-convicting, Spirit- redeeming words, tongues with a unified message to make a unified world. It does not matter about the possible repetition of the outward phenomena: the creative Spirit is not limited to one outlet. The message, the power, are all-important. P« 3 < Eleven
vincialism is archaic. We live and move in unmeasured
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs