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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Official Publication of The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated
Louis T. Talbot, D.D.
Betty Bruechert Managing Editor
William W . Orr, D.D.
Editor in Chief
Associate Editor
Copyright, 19U8, The King’s Business No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission. All Rights Reserved.
Vol. 39
September 1948
No. 9
THE LO AD THAT LIFTS. O NE day when walking down the street, On business bent, while thinking hard About the “hundred cares” which seemed Like thunder clouds about to break In torrents, Self-pity said to me: “ You poor, poor thing, you have too much To do. Your life is far too hard. This heavy load will crush you soon.” A swift response of sympathy Welled up within. The burning sun Seemed more intense. The dust and noise Of puffing motors flying past With rasping blast of blowing horn Incensed still more the whining nerves, The fabled last back-breaking straw To weary, troubled, fretting mind. “ Ah, yes, ’twill break and crush my life; I cannot bear this constant strain Of endless, aggravating cares; They are too great for such as I.” So thus my heart condoled itself, “ Enjoying misery,” when lo! A “ still small voice” distinctly said, “ ’Twas sent to lift you—not to, crush.” I saw at once my great mistake. My place was not beneath the load But on the top! God meant it not That I should carry it. He sent It here to carry me. Full well He knew my incapacity Before the plan was made. He saw A child of His in need of grace And power to serve; a puny twig Requiring sun and rain to grow, An undeveloped chrysalis; A weak soul lacking faith in God. He could not help but see all this And more. And then, with tender thought He placed it where it had to grow— Or die. To lie and cringe beneath One’s load means death, but life and power Await all those who dare to rise above. Our burdens are our wings; on them We soar to higher realms of grace; Without them we must roam for aye On planes of undeveloped faith, (For faith g^ows but by exercise In circumstance impossible). Oh, paradox of Heaven! The load We think will crush was sent to lift us Up to_ God! Then, soul of mine, Climb up! for naught can e’er be crushed Save what is underneath the weight. How may we climb? By what ascent Shall we surmount the carping cares Of life? Within His Word is found The key which opes His secret stairs; Alone with Christ, secluded there, We mount our loads, and rest in Him. — Mary Butterfield.
CONTENTS Editorially Speaking . . . ............................................................................ 4 The Bible in the News, William W. O rr ................................................ 5 Anglo-Israelism—True or False? Louis T. Talbot ............................. 6 The God-Sent, G. Kearnie Keegan ........................................................... 7 The Worker More Than the Work, F. L. Chapell ..................... .......... 8 Youth Wants to Know, F. John Carter .................................................. 9 Don’ts for Preachers, W. W. Holland .................................................... 11 Jonah and the Whale, R. I. Humberd ..................................................... 12 Dr. Talbot’s Question Box........................................................................... 13 How to Listen to a Sermon, Kenneth J. Foreman ................................ 15 Biola Family Circle...................................................................................... 16 A New Kind o f Vocation, Theresa Gustafson ...................................... 17 Young People’s Topics, Walter L. Wilson .............................................. 18 A Lively Bible Quiz, Vernon Howard . ................................................... 18 Junior King’s Business, Martha S. Hooker .......................................... 22 Snails, What Can They Teach Us? Walter L. Wilson ......................... 22 Sunday School Lessons, Homer A. Kent, Allison Arrowood ............. 23 Object Lessons, Elmer L. Wilder ............................................................. 28 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION—“ The King’s Business” is published monthly; $2.00, one year; $1.00, 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. REMITTANCES—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. ADVERTISING—For information, address the Advertising Manager, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles 13, California. MANUSCRIPTS—“ The King’s Business” cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts mailed to us for consideration. Entered as second-class matter November 7, 1938, at the Post Offie 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 R., authorizd October 1, 1918, and November 13, 1938. ADDRESS: The King’s Business, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 13, California.
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S E P T E M B E R , ( 9 4 8
use every legitimate tool in order to do His work and further His cause. All three booklets may be obtained at the Biola Bookroom. Weilcome to a New Class A GAIN it is our privilege to open wide the doors of the Bible Insti tute of Los Angeles to a large incoming class of hand-picked young men and women. The history of Biola now in cludes more than two-score years of the record of God’s faithfulness, and His demonstrated ability to preserve and to use this institution which has for its first aim the teaching of the Bible. As we go into our forty-first year, we accept these new students with a sense, first of thanksgiving to God, and then of our solemn responsibility to train them for Him. We pray that God will give us the wisdom and strength necessary to prepare these young people fully in the imperishable truth of Scripture. To this end we reiterate our historic position that we believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible Word of God, and that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God and the world’s Saviour, and that it is our duty and privilege to so fill the minds of our students with a knowledge of this Word and a love for the lost that they will go forth to the ends of the earth carrying the story which is able to make men wise unto salvation. We call Christian people the world around to remember the Bible Institute of Los Angeles in their prayers. ' Preach the Word f I 'HREE out of the 27 books of the A New Testament are labeled pasto rals. They are so called because Paul, the great Apostle to the Gentiles, addressed them to two of his younger friends, Tim othy and Titus, who were pastors. In these short but vital letters is found ex ceedingly valuable advice for pastors all down the centuries. Among the admoni tions given is a terse suggestion that we “preach the Word.” The original term used in the New Testament is karusso which means to cry out, herald, or exhort. It is as if the message so burned in one’s heart that it must be expressed with passion ate feeling and godly fervor. This is the work of a pastor, but the pastor is to cry out the Word, that is, his ser mons are to be made up of Scripture, not about the Scripture, but the very Word of God itself. At this point lies the secret of preaching' successfully. Godly men, with rare insight into the truth of God, have declared that expos itory preaching is the thing. If one de sires the blessing of God to come upon his congregation, his method of preaching must be to take the Word itself and “ expose” his people to it. Of necessity, this must rule out many beautifully- turned and highly-polished s e rm o n s which tickle the ears of the listener. But if there is substituted instead the preaching of the Word of God, it will accomplish God’s purpose!
cently and this has become the basis of our ability to succor the world’s starv ing people. It would be foolish, of course, to look in the matter-of-fact-reports from the Department of Agriculture for any rec ognition of God’s part in these bountiful bushels, but do not forget for an instant that these harvests do not come by chance, but instead constitute a tremen dous mark of God’s favor to America. There isn’t any doubt but that God is supplying us in order that we may help others, for the cry of hungry stomachs as well as hungry hearts the world over reaches the ears of a compassionate God. Let America then continue to have an open heart toward the world’s under privileged, and let us take all these bounties as a gift to us from God, and let us unselfishly bestow them far and wide. Meanwhile let the Christian peo ple of America remember that this is also a God-given opportunity to take the spiritual bread of life as well to needy souls. Give Attention to Reading I T IS not always the ponderous tomes that are most beneficial universally. Very often small booklets, such as the late Dr. C. I. Scofield’s “Rightly Divid ing the Word of Truth,” have been a blessing beyond measure as an aid in the understanding of spiritual truth. In Southern California lives Max Zim- mermann, a man who has spent many years in personal spiritual dealing with the sick and needy in the huge Los An geles County General Hospital. He has just published a handbook for personal workers. This 40-page pocket-size “Soul Winner’s Guide” should prove to be a most valuable aid to all those who de sire to be used of the Lord in winning others to Christ. It presents forty com mon excuses that the unsaved give, and answers to them from Scriptures, ar ranged in an easy-to-find thumb index. Surely this guide ought to result in leading thousands of souls to Christ. Another simple booklet is entitled, “ The Good News by Mark,” in which Frances Noble Phair, long a worker with boys and girls, has taken the stories of the second Gospel and put them in lan guage so simple that, without sacrificing any spiritual content, even the youngest may easily understand. Today is a day when all those who love Christ should
Answering the Upward Call The staff of The King's Business, the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, and the Church of the Open Door extend deepest Christian sympathy to Mrs. Bruechert, Managing Editor of The King’s Busi ness, in the recent loss of her husband, the Rev. I. P. Bruechert. Mr. Bruechert went to be with the Lord Sunday morning, August 1, at his home. He had risen early for a season of prayer and Bible study and from this time of devotion, with an opened Bible on •his knee, he responded to the com mand, “ Be ready in the morning, and come up” (Ex. 34:2), slipping quietly into the presence of the Lord he loved. A graduate of the Omaha Theological Seminary, Mr. Bruechert held pastorates in Iowa and Nebraska before becoming Minister of Visitation, and Assistant to Dr. Louis T. Talbot, pastor of the Church of the Open Door, the position which he held at the time of his death. Mr. Bruechert will be remembered by our readers as the contributor of “ Help ful Hints for Soul Winners,” a series of messages on personal evangelism, a serv ice in which he himself was signally blessed, winning scores of souls to the Saviour and encouraging many believers to a closer walk with Him. The preparedness of this stalwart, de voted Christian to be called unexpectedly from earthly service to face his Heaven ly King challenges every heart with the fact that anyone may be summoned in like fashion at any time. To be ready is an exhortation each one of us should heed. Bountiful Bushels O VER the broad acres of our great land the tasseled corn again is wav ing and the golden grain is ripening. Estimates from the Department of Agri culture predict another amazing crop of nearly 3% billion bushels of corn and 1% billion bushels of wheat. This year’s harvest may prove to be the greatest one that we have ever known, which is all the more remarkable because it is the tenth in consecutive order of a series of ever-increasing harvests. During the years of the past war, our land brought forth abundantly, which fact was a tremendous aid to victory. Since the close of the war, America’s acres have continued to produce magnifi-
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T H E K I N O ' S B U S I N E S S
Nearly 50-50 J* It is a surprising thing that so many churchgoers favor union of churches. In a recent Gallup poll, the question was asked, “ Do you think it would or would not be a good thing for all Protestant churches in the United States to com bine into one church?” The figures showed 42% favored such union, 47% were against it, and 11% were uncertain. The percentage favor ing union, I believe, shows a dangerous growth in the past two-score years, which is just another solemn indication of that coming day of compulsory world wide church union. Big Missionary Gifts Some 1946 figures point to several large Baptist churches in Dallas, Texas with heart-warming records of most generous missionary contributions. The First Baptist Church gave $232,445 which was well over ,50% of its total budget; Cliff Temple Baptist Church gave nearly $90,000, and the Gaston Avenue Church nearly $70,000. It has come to our attention that a smaller church in the city of Pasadena, Califor nia, with a membership' of barely 200 gives each year between $25,000.00 and $40,000.00. These figures are a challenge to all other churches. WMBI-FM Now 50,000 Watts The Moody Bible Institute of Chi cago operates both an AM and FM radio station. Recently, the Federa l Communications Commission ruled that the Moody FM station might increase its power to 50,000 watts, which will make it the most powerful FM station in the Chicago area. Programs include Bible study, devotional talks, sacred and classical music, and public service fea tures. Exodus to Paraguay Recently, in western Canada, nearly 2,000 Mennonites packed up their be longings to sail to South America in or der to maintain conscientiously their particular mode of religious life. Most of these had come from Saskatchewan where, according to business standards, they had enjoyed increasing prosperity. However, wealth brought envy and bit ter competition for worldly possessions. So followed the decision of the old-line Mennonites to seek a new place in virgin territory where they might once more practice the plain and simple way of godly living. Republican Plank «it As a part of the policy of the Repub lican, party, the following plank was in serted in their platform: “ We welcome Israel into the family of nations arid take pride in the fact that the Republi can party was the first to call for the establishment of a free and independent Jewish commonwealth. The vacillation of the Democratic administration on this question has undermined the prestige of the United Nations. Subject to the letter and spirit of the United Nations char- S E P T E M B E R , 1 9 4 8
William W. Orr, D.D.
every Christian faith with the exception of the Roman Catholic, will meet official ly. There will be no “ Protestant Pope” or even a unified high command, but hope is being held out that advance in broth erly understand ing will be reached thereby. Although conservative Chris tians expect little real spiritual results from such a meeting, there is no doubt that world-wide united prayer is always in order, and will bring its own measure of blessing. More Women • <£ Research workers, in a recent In dianapolis, Indiana survey, report that in the membership of Protestant churches there are seven women for every three men. Also, from the laboring classes of our country, only one out of twelve men is found in regular church attendance. Worse still, while the population has greatly increased in the last fifteen years, the Sunday School enrollment has shown a sharp decline. This corrobo rates what nearly every pastor knows, that far too often the mother has to shoulder the entire burden of church attendance for the family. There is need for concerted prayer for the ’men of every community, and study made to ward making the program of the local church of interest to him as well as the rest of the family. Crime in a Black-Out How can intelligent people condone a habit that will be responsible for the following: A news item tells of the bru tal strangulation of an estranged wait ress wife by her husband. According to the man’s own statement, he arranged a meeting to discuss reconciliation, tak ing along with him a bottle of whiskey. Very little more was remembered about the whole incident until the murderer read about his crime in the papers three or four days later. The tragedy of this, which is not an isolated case, is that the drink which is the real criminal and which caused this hideous crime can be freely and easily obtained \on nearly every comer of every village and city of this country. Page Five
ter, we pledge to Israel full recognition, with its boundaries as sanctioned by the United Nations, and aid in developing its economy.” Comics Code «5* Because the ubiquitous comic book has been condemned as one of the chief contributors to juvenile delinquency in the United States, 14 major comic book publishers with a combined monthly cir culation of 14,000,000, agreed on a vol untary clean-up campaign of their own. Among the code’s provisions were these: (1) no sexy, wanton comics; (2) no glorifying of crime; (3) no scenes of sadistic torture; (4) no vulgar and ob scene language; (5) no glamorizing of divorce; (6) no religious or race ridi cule. Without doubt this is a much-needed re form, but the amazing feature about the entire comic book scandal is the criminal apathy on the part of parents who with out question regularly hand over to their youngsters the money necessary to buy them. North Dakota Nuns *£ For the past thirty years, when school boards could not find other suit able teachers, Catholic nuns have been employed in the public schools of North Dakota. In a recent election, the citizens of this state decided by a large majority that the nuns must go, or at least they must not wear their distinctive religious garb. Now, we understand, the nuns will be allowed by the Catholic authori ties to teach in ordinary civilian dress. Church Bells A call is being issued to all United States churches asking them to ring their bells once every hour from 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M; on Sunday, August 22nd. The purpose of this is to summon all Christians to prayer, for on that day in Amsterdam there will begin a meet ing which has been termed, “ the most significant occasion since the Protestant Reformation”—the first assembly of the Council of World Churches. For four teen days the Council, including almost
ANG LO -ISRAEL ISM — False or True ?
First in a Series of Revealing Articles
by Louis T. Talbot, D.D.
O NE of the strangest, most amus ing, as well as one of the most tragic interpretations of God’s Word,, which has been projected before the minds of God’s people in recent years is Anglo-Israelism, or British- Israelism. Anglo-Israelism and British- Israelism possess the same meaning, the former having a wider sweep than the latter. This strange system of Biblical interpretation originated about the sec ond thalf of the nineteenth century, and is supposed to answer a question which is not a question at all, that question being: Where are the lost ten tribes of Israel? Anglo-Israelism and Israel The ten tribes are not lost physically, and never were, but Anglo-Israelism supposes that they were actually lost, and that its system of teaching answers that question. Its answer to that sup posed question is one of the most amaz ing, amusing speculations that has ever been presented to Bible students, this speculation being that the lost ten tribes are none other than the British people. According to this theory, the inhabitants of the fritish Isles and the United States of America are intimately con nected, Britain being of the tribe of Ephraim and the United States of the tribe of Manasseh. Those who adhere to. this theory also teach that these nations, England and the United States, are in themselves the lost ten tribes of Israel and accordingly are heirs to the prom ises of God. In propounding this theory, Anglo- Israelism declares that with the first captivity, the members of the ten tribes (the kingdom of the North) were car ried away into the valley of the great river of the Assyrians. Later a second expedition made captives of the people of the South, Judah. At the time of the restoration only the victims of the lat ter captivity (Judah) were returned to Palestine. These people go so far as to say that the tribe of Judah was the only part of Israel in Palestine at the time of our Lord’s earthly ministry, and con sequently were responsible for the cruci fixion of Christ. The others regained their freedom from the Assyrians and pushed their way westward, preserving their identity
as they moved and giving the names of their tribes to countries and cities which they founded and to rivers which they crossed. The tribe of Dan, so Anglo-Israelism says, gave its name to the DANube, DarDANelles, and to DANmark. Reach ing England they founded, among other cities, the one that bears the name DAN- elagh. How it came to pass that Dan was the only tribe which left traces of its movements is something which An- glo-Israelites have not explained. The United States of America is brought into the picture because their progenitors emigrated from Britain to this land. How a trip across the Atlantic changed them from Ephraim to Manas seh is another point which has not been made clear; however, the Anglo-Israel- ites are positive that the people of Eng land and the United States are the lost ten tribes of Israel, and are heirs of the promises which God made in His cove nant to Abraham. Anglo-Israelites and Jews T HIS pertinent question naturally arises: If England and the United States' are to be identified as the ten tribes, who are the Jews and what is to be their destiny? The Jews, according to these Anglo-Israelites, are the descend ants of Judah, and since this was the only tribe in the land of Palestine during the earthly ministry of Christ, they alone are responsible for His crucifixion, and upon them rests the curse of God as a result. Anglo-Israelism applies all the promises to the British nation, while the curses are left to the Jews, the descend ants of Judah. I have come to the conclusion that this whole system is a delusion of Satan, a denial of the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus, a presentation of a false Messiah, leading people to rest upon their national connection for their sal vation rather than upon the redemptive work of Christ. The system, like Chris tian Science, Modernism, Russellism, and the Oxford Group Movement, is a sign of the days in which we are living. In the magazine, Biblical Truth for the Bereans, the following tenets of Anglo- Israelism are set forth by the Anglo- Saxon Federation of America, Haver hill, Mass.: 1; “ The Bible does not state or infer
that the Jews are God’s chosen people. Judah and Israel are entirely distinct and separate entities. 2 Chronicles 11. 2. “ The Bible made these prophecies and recorded these facts concerning Is rael and the Jews. Israel was to find an island home and be moved no more. The Jews were to be strangers in all lands. Israel was to constitute a king dom but the Jews were never to be a nation, until reunited with Israel. Jews were to remain under the law and Old Covenant, whereas Israel was to be a Christian people. 3. “ Israel had nothing to do with the crucifixion of our Lord, not being in the land, except Benjamin, who accepted Him. 4. “ ‘Ephraim’ is England and ‘Man asseh’ represents the United States. Manasseh was the thirteenth tribe, and that accounts for the discovery of Amer ica on October 13, 1492; and the follow ing ‘thirteens’ in American history: thirteen colonies; 13 bars and 13 stars (flag); 13 letters in E Pluribus Unum and 13 feathers, 13 olives, and 13 ar rows on American coins. First American navy, 13 ships. Cornerstone of White House laid October 13, 1792. The 13th amendment abolished slavery. General Pershing born September 13, 1860 and arrived in France for participation in the World War June 13, 1917. The first letter in Manasseh is the 13th in both English and Hebrew languages. Herbert Hoover and Charles Curtis each had 13 letters in their names. 5. “ The Celtic-Anglo-Saxons are Is rael, the chosen people of God. The British Isle inhabitants are descendants among others, from the tribes of Saxons (Isaac’s sons), the Danes of Dan, the Jutes of Judah, the Fresians, the Piets, and the Scots, and Normans of Ben jamin. 6. “Brith in Hebrew means covenant;' therefore, we have Britain, ‘covenant law’, British the ‘covenant man’, Bri- . tannia, ‘covenant ships.’ ‘Britannia rules the waves,’ controlling the English Chan nel, Gibraltar, Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, the Suez Canal, Malta, Aden, and other gates and stations. America controls practically all of the remaining gates. This, all in fulfillment of Genesis 22:17, ‘thy [Abraham’s] seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.’ (Read Isaiah 14:1 to 8). ( Continued on Page SO)
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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Message delivered at the Commencc- ment of the Bible Institute of Los An geles, June 10, 191,8.
By 0 . Kearnie Keegan, D.D.*
Thè God-taught preacher does not min imize any portion of God’s revelation. All is essential. Every Scripture is de signed to lead to regeneration or sancti fication, for the new birth or growth in grace and in knowledge. While some may think lightly concerning the New Testament church, God does not estab lish unimportant things. We must have convictions—not just opinions. Opinions are those ideas we hold, but convictions are those which hold us. We have the Word of God, the infallible revelation from our Heavenly Father, for our faith and practice. We are instructed to test the doctrines to see if they be of God. If Christ is not central and pivotal fn them, we had bet ter discard them. If they lead us to waste our time in unprofitable, self- glorying predictions and opinionated the ories, we had better abandon them. We would do well to major upon winning the lost to Christ and training those we win in the winning of othersi If we stay busy about the main mission of the Mas ter, we will not get lost in the mountain wilds while taking unnecessary excur sions in dim-marked paths. The God-Sent Are God-Called The ministry is not à profession; it is an obsession. The God-called person may run to the highest mountain or to the farthest islands of the sea, seeking to escape his God-given responsibility, but he will find he cannot get away from God’s call. Let us learn a lesson from Jonah. We are doing the work of Christ a great injustice when we go to our young
It does not follow from ordinary crea tion. It is not written, “ If creatures, then heirs.” Neither is it found in natural descent. It is not written, “ If children of Abra ham, then heirs.” Nor can it come from meritorious service, for it is not written, “ If serv ants, then heirs.” Nor is it by ceremonial observances. It is not written, “ If circumcised or bap tized, then heirs.” “ But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become thé sons of God.” If yoü do not know beyond a doubt that you are God’s purchased possession through the vicarious work of Christ on Calvary, all else is vain. This fact is foundational. The God-Sent Are God-Taught Too often in this modern age have we substituted tradition for “ thus saith the Lord.” We have majored in man made ritual to the exclusion of God- given revelation. The Lord Jesus de clared that He would send the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who would teach us all things and bring all things to our remembrance. The God-taught preacher or Christian is well-rounded in his concept of God’s Word. He does not ride a hobby, but declares the whole counsel of God. A preacher who rides a hobby is like' one on a merry-go-round. The horse he rides is pretty; there is a lot of fanfare and noise, but when he has finished the ride, he hasn’t gone anywhere or done any good! - 1 .
“A fter these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and -place, whither he himself would come” (Luke 10:1). I N this perilous hour of the world’s history, it is imperative that we have Christian leaders with a sense of mission. When Jesus gathered His fol lowers about Him and selected seventy who had completed their course of train ing in His peripatetic school, He per sonally commissioned them to the task that lay before them. They were truly God-sent. However, I am fully persuaded that they were no more God-sent than you if the following things are true in your life. We may know that we are “come to the kingdom for such a tiihe as this” if the emphases of this message are the pivotal points in our lives. The God-Sent Are God-Bought Today we have many watered-down theories concerning salvation. There is little wonder that the forces of modern Christianity are' seemingly in retreat. We have too many enemies within the camp. The Word declares, “ The blood of < j esus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” and that we are bought by His precious blood. We are “heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ . . . and if children, then heirs.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon clearly stated the grounds of our peculiar re lation to our God: * Pastor of the Temple Baptist Church, Los Angeles, California.
Scenes from, the thirty-eighth Commencement o f the Bible Institute o f Los Angeles, June 10, 191,8. On the left), the great auditorium o f the Church of the Open Door is seen, filled to its capacity of 4,800; on the right, is a view o f the famous missionary map of the world on which colored lights indicate the missionaries supported by the church, and the hundreds of graduates of the school in foreign lands, as well as the motto o f the class of *48 “ Order My Steps.’* S E P T E M B E R , 1 9 4 8 Page Seven
THE WORKER MORE THAN THE WORK the apparent work which He sets before us may be accomplished. It is, rather, that in the accomplishment of this work we may be prepared for our highest and ultimate service in the age to come. Too often men, by judging simply from the narrow view of the present time, suppose that the conquest of evil and the immediate establishment of righteousness in the earth are the main objects God now has in calling us into His service. This they conceive is the task He has given us to do. But if this work were the chief thing in view, He could more easily accomplish it by other and better agents. He could set His own hand to it more vigorously,'and call in more supernatural agents than He now does. All power is His, and He has but to use it to bring about the desired result. There is a time coming when He will arise in His might and make short work in the earth. If the immediate rooting out of sin -and the establishment of righteousness were the foremost objec tive now, He might thus arise at once and speedily perform this short and rad ical work. Evidently, then, this is not His chief aim at present. Unless we discern clearly what the real end is which He has in view, we wonder as we behold the long and dreary reign of sin, and survey the vast extent of the misery and sorrow that abound in the earth. We are ready to cry, “How long, O Lord?” We wonder why He who has the keys of death and hell does not turn them in the lock, why He who has the residue of the Spirit does not pour it out upon the earth. Or, looking at our great Example, the Lord Jesus Christ, we ask: If work were the chief thing, why did He spend the greater part of His life on earth with out working? Why did He give only about three of His thirty-three years to work? Why did He allow Himself to be cut off at so early an age when appar ently He was best fitted to minister? Or, following the history of the church, why was Stephen, when full of faith By F: L. Chapell G OD’S purpose in calling us to be laborers together with Him during this present age is not simply that
people, and point out to them the ad vantages of the ministry and say, “Why not choose this field of endeavor?” Jesus said, “ Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth la borers into his harvest.” God selects His servants and sends them forth with His message for a needy world. That mes sage burns as a fire in the soul of the God-called person; he must speak or die. The God-called servant is moved of God for he who would move the world must first be moved of God himself. Some time ago one of my friends told of an urgent telephone message coming over the wire. The voice at the other end of the line said, “ I am Larry Dahl- berg. I am speaking for my father.” Likewise I as a God-called servant can say, “ I am Kearnie Keegan. I am speak ing for my Heavenly Father.” If you are not certain that you can thus speak for Him, search your heart before you go into the ministry! The world’s great heart is aching, Aching fiercely in the night; And God alone can heal it And God alone gives light; And the men to bear the message And to spread the living Word Are you and I, my brother, And the millions who have heard. Can we close our eyes to duty, Can we fold our hands at ease, While the gates of light stand open To the pathway of the seas? Can we shut up our compassions, Can we leave our prayers unsaid, Till the lands which sin has blasted Have been quickened from the dead? We grovel among the trifles And our spirits fret and toss, While above us burns the vision Of the Christ upon the Cross; And the blood of Christ is streaming From His broken hands and side; And the eyes of Christ are saying, “ Tell your brothers I have' died.” The God-Sent Are God-Empowered Jesus said, “ Without me ye can do nothing.” “ All power is given unto me.” Christ gives power to overcome tempta tion. The higher one climbs spiritually, the easier target he becomes for Satan. Beware of over-confidence. Paul said, “ Have no confidence in the flesh.” Christ gives power to overcome ob stacles. So long as we live in this world there will be obstacles to overcome. But mountains of defeat become stepping- stones to success for the God-empowered. When the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, the waters parted as the soles of their sandals came down toward the surface. Not one drop touched their shoes! Queen Esther said, “ If I perish, I perish.” God gave her the desire of her heart. Peter said to the Sanhedrin, “We must obey God rather than men,” and God delivered him. Christ gives power to work miracles. He promised, “ Greater works than these (Continued on Page Zl) Page Eight
and the Holy Ghost, and doing wonder ful works, cut off so soon? And why have many others of the rarest workers been cut down prematurely? Why are all these things as they are? Learning Discipleship We do not presume to give all the rea sons for God’s administration when He Himself does 'not give account of His matters. But one evident reason we can see: In God’s sight the worker is more than the work; character is more than mere deeds; the doer is more than the things done. Further, it is the character more than the deeds of the church that God now contem plates, since the church’s main sphere of service is to be in the ages to come. The present age, therefore, is disciplinary rather than executive. We are disciples, that is, learners, more than workers at present. Is it not modern self-importance that has set the name “ workers” above that of “ dis ciples” ? To be sure we are laborers, but this is largely because the work may be necessary to our learning, since there are some lessons that can be mastered best in work. We are workers in order that we may be learners, in order that we may be fully equipped for the age to come. When our character is perfected, our present-age work is largely done, even though we may seem to have ac complished little in the way of pulling down the strongholds of Satan or in building up the cause of God. The Sav iour could say, “ I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do,” even when His whole nation was rejecting Him and His own chosen apostles were forsaking and denying Him. He was One in whom the Father was well pleased, notwith standing the world was not won to God. Thus also Paul could rejoice when near ly all his fellow-laborers had forsaken him, and when apostasy was creeping into all the churches he had founded, for he had kept the faith. His boast was not what he had achieved in the way of work, but of what he had come to be in the way of character. Manifesting Godliness If, now, we inquire what are the ele ments that God is seeking in the worker, we may say that the first is godliness, that is, a proper appreciation of God— such a vivid apprehension of Him as will keep one constantly thoughtful of Him and reverent toward Him. Ungod liness—that is, inappreciation of God— is the marked manifestation of the wicked, especially in the last days. Of the wicked, the psalmist said, “ God is not in all their thoughts.” The true disciple learns to realize and recognize God in all things and at all times. He prays without ceasing because God is a constant reality to him. The prayerfulness of Jesus is a marked wit ness to this fact. His prayer at the tomb of Lazarus is eloquent in this regard, showing not only His own constant com munion with the Father, but also His (Continued on Page H ) T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
YOU TH WAN T S TO KNOW
H O W W E GO T OUR BIBLE
By Rev. F. John Carter
young people’s meeting was about over. They were singing the closing hymn. Patricia Garland scribbled a A- note on the back of a church calendar and passed it over to Archie Green, the president. He read it, smiled, and nodded to her. “ Before we have the closing prayer,” he announced, “ let me remind you again that next Sunday our pastor, Mr. Wal ler, will lead us in a discussion on ‘How We Got Our Bible.’ That’s something you won’t want to miss.” After the meeting, Archie took -a second look at the note and immediately sought out Patricia, Fred Wilkins and Mary Peters. The four comprised the cabinet. He motioned them to follow him, and led the way to a corner of the church parlor. “ What’s on your mind, prexy?” inquired Fred. “We’ve got only five minutes before church service, so you better unload in a hurry.” “ I think I can make it,” Archie laughed. “ Believe it or not, Patricia has an idea!” “Hooray for Patricia!” teased Fred. “ Then there’s hope for our young people’s society. But what’s her idea? Tell us.” “ She thinks that if Mr. Waller could somehow work us into his plans for next Sunday, it would provide variety and put some life into the meeting. I think so, too, but we’d have to talk things over with him first. What do you say?” “ Let’s speak to him after church, and find out how he feels about it.” Patricia suggested. “After all, we don’t want to interfere with what he has in mind.” Mr. Waller was most hearty in his approval, and it was arranged to have the group meet in the parsonage early in the week to discuss matters. Eight o’clock Tuesday evening found the four young folks in a huddle with the pastor. It wasn’t long before they de cided that he should present the topic as he had planned, but that he should call on them to supplement his statements at appropriate times. The job now was to make the necessary assignments. Archie scratched his head reflectively. “ Pastor, don’t you think we ought to have a general idea of the entire subject before Sunday? It would help us to carry out our parts more intelligently.” Mr. Waller nodded his assent. “ I think you’re right,” he said positively, “ and you should get that general idea to night.” “Well, where do we begin?” asked Fred. “ I’m all set to go.” “ Suppose you just start asking questions,” the pastor sug gested. “ Okay,” said Fred, “here’s number one. Did King James write the Bible?” “ By no means,” the pastor replied. “ The Bible was written centuries before he was born. But in his time there was grow ing dissatisfaction with the existing translations of the Bible, and as a result, he gave the order for a new translation, and thus the King James Version was bom in 1611.” “ You said the Bible was written centuries before King James. When was it completed?” asked Archie. “All the writings which comprise our Bible were in exist ence by the end of the first century after Christ. But all hadn’t been gathered together as one collection, or, as we would say, under one cover. The entire Old Testament, how ever, had reached that stage, for that was the Bible used in our Lord’s day. But the writings which were to constitute the New Testament were not definitely decided upon until many years later, although all were being used by different groups of Christians—some in one place, and some in another.” “Mr. Waller,” put in Patricia, “ you mentioned the Bible that was in use when our Lord was on earth. In what lan guage was it written? Was it Hebrew?” “ The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew,” replied the pastor, “with a very small portion of it appear ing in Aramaic. Bqt as a result of the conquests of Alexan der the Great in the fourth century B.C., Greek became the S E P T E M B E R , 1 9 4 8
spoken language of most of the Jews, and they eventually forgot Hebrew. Therefore the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew into Greek for their benefit. That happened about 285 B.C. The translation is known as the Septuagint because tradition says that seventy men did the work. That was the Bible of the Jews when our Saviour lived on earth, and as I have just pointed out, it was written in Greek, as were also the original manuscripts of the New Testament.” “ I don’t suppose they had any pocket Testaments in those days,” smiled Mary. “ I should say not,” exclaimed the pastor. “ The New Testa ment hadn’t been formed, and of course, the Old Testament was far too large for any convenient pocket size. Moreover, writings were not bound in the form of books, but existed as scrolls, and each was written by hand.” “ Can you tell us how the Bible came to get translated into English?” Archie asked. “ Let’s take it step by step,” the pastor suggested. “ First, the Greek Bible, both Old and New Testaments, was trans lated into Latin by Jerome. There had been many other trans lations into Latin, but his was considered best. That was in the fourth century. His came to be known as the Latin Vul gate, and became the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church. In factf it was about the only translation that the countries of Europe had, and only those persons who had a knowledge of Latin could read it. But very few individuals had copies of it for they were still written by hand.” “ But when was it translated into English?” “ I’m coming to that,” said Mr. Waller. “ In 1382 the entire Bible appeared in English for the first time, having been translated from the Latin Vulgate by John Wycliffe. It, too, was written by hand, for printing by movable type was not known until 1454.” Page Nine
Mary edged to the front of her chair. “ What is it, Mary?” the pastor asked. “ Do you have a question?” “ Yes, I have,” she replied. “ I don’t understand why, if Wycliffe translated the Bible into English, it was necessary later on to have the King James Version. The Bible is the Bible, and English is English, isn’t it?” “ The fact is,” he said, “that between Wycliffe’s Bible and the King James Version there were something like six other versions. The period was one of great intellectual advance. The cobwebs of the dark ages were being swept away. In 1492—well, you know what happened then. But in addition to the discovery of America, it was in 1492 that Grocyn became the first teacher of Greek in Oxford University. The first Greek grammar was published in 1476, and the first Hebrew grammar in 1503. In other words, the foundations for ad vanced Biblical scholarships were laid. But to get back to your question, Mary. In any work of translation, different people will express a certain thought in different ways. Suppose Ar chie translated the first chapter of Genesis from Hebrew into Greek—” “And it will have to remain a supposition,” Archie chuckled. Everyone laughed at that, and when quiet was restored, the pastor went on. “ And suppose that Patricia came along and translated Archie’s Greek into Latin. And let us suppose that Mary had the job ,of translating Patricia’s Latin into English—do you think the resultant translation would be ex actly like it would be if Mary could have translated that chap ter from the Hebrew into English?” Mary laughed mischievously, and said, “ Not if Archie and Patricia had anything to do with it.” “All right,” continued the pastor. “ I think you get the point. Those who translate naturally inject their own styles and ex pressions into their work. Wycliffe translated the Bible from Latin. Had he translated it from the original Hebrew and Greek, perhaps his work would have been different. A century or more later, other scholars used Hebrew and Greek manu scripts that had become available. As the knowledge of those languages improved,, scholars saw where even better transla tions could be made, and thus by the beginning o f the 17th century it seemed advisable to have another translation or revision, and the King James Version was the result.” “ I’m beginning to see light,” Archie acknowledged. “ I knew you would,” the pastor said in a fatherly tone. Then suddenly, “Archie, how would you like to read up on the King James Version, and be ready to give a report when I call on you next Sunday?” “ I sure would. It intrigues me. But can you tell me what books to get hold of?” “ I’ll see that you get several books that deal with the sub ject.” “ I’ve got another question, Mr. Waller,” said Jack. “ If the King James Version brought the Bible up to date, why do we have other versions today?” “ There are three principal reasons,” the pastor replied. “ First, the English language has changed so that some words today have different meanings from what they had in 1611, or have been dropped entirely. Second, Biblical scholarship has made giant strides since the 17th century; and, in the third place, we now have valuable manuscripts of the Bible, including the most, important ones that we know of today, which those who produced the King James Version didn’t have. Naturally, they throw further light on the exact meaning of Scripture.” There was a pause, for the young folks seemed to have run out of questions. Mr. Waller said, “ If you have nothing fur ther to ask, I’ll—” “ Just a minute,” interjected Patricia. “ You said the King James Version was produced in 1611. When did the next ver sion appear?” “ That wasn’t until 1885, or about 275 years later. By then it was felt necessary to revise the King James Version.” “ But,” persisted Patricia, “ don’t we still use the King James Version? It’s the only Bible that I ever see.” “ That is probably so,” the pastor explained. “ You see, dur ing that period of 275 years the King James Version was the Bible of the English-speaking world, at least the Protestant part of it, and people grew used to it, and came to love its beautiful expressions. Consequently when the Revised Version Page Ten
was available in 1885 it didn’t take the place of the King James in the affections of the people.” “ There’s a man who attends prayer meeting who has a Bible that is different from ours—that is, from the King James Version,” Archie observed. “He let me look at it, and I noticed that it reads a little differently and is arranged in paragraphs instead of verses.” “ I think you are referring to Mr. Anderson,” the pastor said. “He has an American Standard Version—but that reminds me. I should have told you that the revised Bible of 1885 was the work of a group of British scholars who were later aided by an American group. It was understood, how ever, that the revision produced at that time would be in line with the thought of the British revisers, although all suggestions by the American scholars which were not incor porated into the text were to appear in an appendix added to each copy which came from the press during the next fourteen years.” “ But where does Mr. Anderson’s Bible come in?” Archie asked. “ I’m coming to that right away,” said the pastor. “ The American scholars agreed to give no sanction to the publi cation of any editions of the Revision, other than those pro duced in England, for a period of fourteen years. But when that term expired, they prepared their own Revision known as the American Standard Version. It first appeared in 1901, and was based on the best scholarship of both Britain and America, but prepared with American readers in mind be cause some words used in Britain then either were not used in America or were used with different meanings. And that is what Mr. Anderson’s Bible is.” “ Then there were two Revised Versions?” queried Archie. “ It would be better to say there were two editions of the one Revision—the first being that finished in 1885 and pub lished in England; the second, that completed in 1901, and printed in America.” “ Mr. Waller,” asked Patricia, “would that make a good topic for me to have next Sunday?” “ It certainly would, Patricia. Suppose you take it. You’ll have to share the books that Archie will be using, but I know he won’t object. Then it’s understood that you will dis cuss the Revised Version of 1885 and 1901.” “ Pastor,” said Jack, “ you’ve brought us up to the twentieth century. Have there been any developments since 1901?” “ Yes, Jack. I’m glad you asked that question. The Bible is again being revised—right now. The New Testament has already been completed and published, and the Old Testament is expected to be ready in 1950. And all this work is being done by American scholars.” “ I think I’ve seen one of those revised New Testaments,” commented Mary. “ Don’t they have blue covers?” “Yes, the cloth binding is blue, but there are leather bind ings also,” he explained. “ Perhaps you would like to know what that New Testament is called. Excuse me a moment while I go and get my copy, for I don’t remember the name exactly.” He went over to a bookcase and quickly located the desired volume. “Here is is,” he said. And turning to Mary, “ See its cover is blue, as you noticed.” ' “ But what is it called?” she asked. “ Oh, yes,” he remembered, “here’s the name, ‘The Revised Standard Version of the New Testament.’ ” Mr. Waller continued: “ I think we’ve made good progress this evening, but we’ve barely.scratched the surface of the subject.There’s one thing more before you go home. Since the American Standard Version appeared in 1901, a number of different versions in modern English have been prepared. They are the work of individuals rather than of officially ap pointed committees, and are very helpful. I have several of them, written by different scholars, and I think if one of you would take them, an interesting contribution could be made on Sunday by reading a familiar passage from each. Who would like to do that? Let’s see, only Jack and Mary are left. Jack, suppose we say ‘ladies first’ and let Mary take that as her assignment.” “ Okay,” he responded gallantly, “but what’ll I take?” “ Do not worry; there is plenty to this subject for all of us,” his pastor reassured him. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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