SEPTEMBER
Photo by Adelbert Bartlett A Sunday morning congregation leaving the Church of the Open Door, Los Angeles.
“ Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God, praise the Lord; for the Lord is good.”
Brien<^* ®at’' are turning B H HH1H open- BHn J p M n - H j|m H ■ H H Bssss S B H r a H H M H a l M g B f f i l H “ s I 1 ■ ,aS one. ' ««d room, _ +n t ram W 3v e r y 011 H youaS «0 kwhbb BH h a a « nuldvoui°?
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CY iair® a n
1933-
A u g u s t 2 0 ,
The Scroll of the Law
Published Monthly by and Represent ing the Bible Institute of Los Angeles
S h e S i t i l e T a m i l s Motto: "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood .”—R ev . 1 :5.
Number 8
September, 1933
Volume XXIV
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Around the King’s Table— John A . Hubbard...........-................ -.....290 The Fortress Held—Louis T. Talbot..............................................—292 Fishing Beside all Waters— Samuel Fisk...........................................295 The Risen Christ and Missions—Merrill C. Tenney .———............ 296 Preaching Opportunities in the Modern World ¿«fKfrJoseph Carleton Holbrook................................................ 298 Girls’ Query Corner—Myrtle E. Scott................................................ 299 Present-Day Fulfillment o f Prophecy— Louis S. Bauman.............. 300 The Laurel Leaf— Gwendoline A. Lear............................................. 303 Living Lessons from the Book o f Life and Everyday Life ' —Roy Talmage Brumbaugh................................................ 306 Our Literature Table;...............................................................;.............. 307 How D. L. Moody Did It in 1891.................................-............ -........308 Bible Institute Family Circle................................................................. 310 Tunior King’s Business—Martha S. Hooker........................................ 311 Notes on Christian Endeavor— Mary G. Goodner...........................313 International Lesson Commentary ..... ——..............—— ...........316 Daily Devotional Readings....................................................... -............ 324
The Scroll is the most Sacred thing in the Jewish Synagogue. Christ read His in tr o d u c to r y message from the scroll in the Synagogue. Every Bible Student ought to .have one o f these miniature scrolls. Our Offer We want you to read The Chosen People, edited by Ex-Rabbi Leopold Cohn and considered by many Bible students the most help ful paper on prophecy and the Jew published in America. It gives you inspiring reports of the world-wide activities o f the American Board o f Missions to the Jews,-Inc. Also, we want you to read the life story o f Mr. Cohn, written by himself in a sixty-page b ook let- one of the most thrilling stories you have ever read. Jews are really accepting the Lord Jesus Christ. The price of the Scroll is 50 cents, and The Chosen People is 50 cents a year. Mr. Cohn’s auto biography is 30 cents. Send us $1 and we will mail you ALL and enter your ñame for a year’s sub scription for The Chosen People; if not satisfied we’ll return your money without a question. And may we remind you also of the continuous need of our Mission ary undertakings? Our work mer its your every confidence. It is a program of world-wide Gospel tes timony to ithe Jews. Your fellow ship in prayer and gift is always welcomed and appreciated. The Chosen People is of course sent to all contributors. Am e r i c a n B o a r d o f M issions to the Jews Inc. 31 Throop Ave. Brooklyn, N. Y.
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POLICY AS DEFINED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES (a) To stand for the infallible Word of God and its great fundamental truths, (b) To strengthen the faith of all believers, (c) To stir young men and women to fit themselves for and engage in definite Christian work, (d) To make the Bible Institute of Los Angeles known, (e) To magnify God our Father and the person, work and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; and to teach the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our present practical life, (f) To emphasize in strong, constructive messages the great foundations of Christian faith. 554-558 So. Hope St., BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Los Angeles, Calif.
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290
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
September, 1933
roun (/THE KING’S TABLE . . . B y the E ditor
[The material on this and! the follow ing page, with the exception o f the item, “Answering the Atheists ” and the poem by Thomas Kimber, a graduate o f the Bible Institute o f the class o f 1923, has been fur nished by Dr. John A. Hubbard, Acting Dean o f the Bible Institute o f Los Angeles. In his thirteen years’ connection with the Bible Institute, Dr. Hubbard has endeared himself to very many, who will remember, with praise to God, the blessing that always a ccom p a n ied his devotional messages. J—E ditor .]
cumstances, but Lot is revealed as a thoroughly selfish man, looking out for number one, while Abram is seen as the unselfish one whose trust is in God. In the first chapter o f Ruth, two young women find themselves in precisely the same circumstances. Orpah is seen as the weak, senti mental vaccilating one; Ruth as strong, determined, stead- tast. In John 12, verses 1 to 6 , Mary is revealed as the unselfish, devoted one; Judas Iscariot as the greedy, grasp ing one. Circumstances did not make these different people what they were, but the circumstances certainly revealed what they were. In like manner, each one o f us is being revealed contin ually If the revelations are not what they should be, it is we that need to be changed— not our circumstances. The Necessary Prefix j V f any people with marked ability are decided failures 1 M hie because they lack the necessary two-syllable prefix which turns ability into reliability. Daniel was a young man o f great ability. In the various tests to which he was put, he proved that he possessed the indispensable prefix, for he certainly was characterized by reliability. The same was true of his three companions. In the Apostle Paul, we have another striking example not only o f reliability, but also o f another prefix very essen tial m Christian service—adaptability. To the Jews he became as a Jew, that he might gain the Jews. T o ’ the weak, he became weak, that he might gain the weak He became all things to all men that he might by all means save some (1 Cor. 9:19-23). In our day, we need more abTtSt’an WOr^ers characterized by reliability and adapt- K A Cool Head and a Warm Heart eep your head cool and your heart warm. The one who lets his head get hot and his heart cold is in a bad way. Judged by this statement, many people are truly “ in a pad way, and it is deplorable that among these are some ot God s real servants. Oftentimes, the service of such is greatly hindered. The grace of God is sufficient to change a hot-headed, cold-hearted servant into a cool-headed warm-hearted one. This fact is vividly illustrated in thé case of Peter. In the Gospels, he is often seen as the hot- headed one for example, in the garden where he is seen cutting off the servant s ear; and on at least one occasion cold-hearted— in his denial o f his Lord. In the Acts eter is seen as the transformed one, always exhibiting 1 a cool head and a warm heart. What our Lord Jesfts Christ did for Peter, He can do for us. . u c v u n r i u i s or u o a he chariots o f God are twenty thousand, even thous ands upon thousands” (Psa. 68:17, R. V . ) . Many believers long and pray for a larger,'fuller spir itual life and experience. God sends “ chariots” to carry them on to greater heights, but in many cases, the chariot is not recognized, but appears like a Juggernaut car, before which idolatrous devotees in India cast themselves and are crushed to death. Like Elisha’s servant of old, we need to have our eves opened to see the chariots o f God (2 Ki. 6 ). Joseph’s ex- T
J ohn A. H ubbard
When the Heart Is Overwhelmed
J P rom the end o f the earth will I call unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: Lead me to the rock that is higher than I ” (Psa. 6 1 :2). Sooner or later, in one form or another, there comes to all the experience referred to here, a time when the heart is overwhelmed, or as another translates the passage, “ covered over with darkness or distress.” When the heart is overwhelmed, what shall we do ? In the Psalms, we have revealed to us two ways o f dealing with these overwhelming experiences, two ways by which men and women seek relief. One is the wrong, unsuccessful way, and the other, the right and effectual.’ The wrong way is indicated in Psalm 55, verses 4 to 8 . When overwhelmed, the writer sighs for wings like a dove that he may fly away and be at rest. Down through the ages, this has been the method by which multitudes have sought relief, trying to get away from the experience by travel, worldly pleasure, drink, and even suicide. But this does not give the real solution. Contrast with this method that indicated in the verse quoted above. In one case, the overwhelmed one is look ing at self, looking at the trouble, looking for an avenue o f escape from it. In the other, the distressed one is looking away from self to a higher source, not asking to be taken away from the difficulty, butfto be granted victory in the overwhelming experience. O f course, “ the rock” referred to is none other than our blessed Lord Himself. Whenever and by whatever the heart may be overwhelmed! there is refuge and deliverance in Him. 0 safe to the Rock that is higher than I, My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly; So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine would I be; Thou blest Rock of Ages, I’m hiding in Thee. How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe, 1 have fled to my Refuge and breathed out my woe • How often when trials, like sea-billows roll Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul The Revealing Power of Circumstances C ircum stance s do not make a man; they display him.” Much has been said concerning the influence o f our circumstances and environment. Admitting all of truth there is in this, let us look at the other side, let us look at our circumstances from a different angle as indi cated in this quotation. The Scriptures abound in illustrations o f the truth that circumstances do not make but reveal character In Genesis 13, Abram and Lot are in exactly the same cir-
September, 1933
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penencc affords a remarkable illustration o f the chariots o f God. In Genesis 37, God revealed to him the goal, the high place, to which He purposed to carry him. From Genesis 41 onward, we have the record o f the reaching o f that goal. In between, we have what might be called the journey during which God sent various “ chariots” to carry Joseph on to triumph. Chariot Number One, hated by his brethren; Chariot Number Two, sold as a slave; Chariot Number Three, lied about, slandered by a wicked woman; Chariot Number Four, cast into prison; Chariot Number Five, forgotten by the butler. It looked as though Joseph were being taken farther from the goal rather than being brought nearer to it. But God was back o f all and overruling all, not approving the hatred, the lying, etc., but turning these things into His chariots for Joseph’s good. “ The ‘Failure’ of Internationalism at London” /f I n d e r this caption, the Literary Digest quotes excerpts V -l from various newspapers relative to the London Conference. While some contend that the conference was productive o f some good, it seems generally agreed that it failed to accomplish its primary purpose, namely, to point out a way by which the world-wide depression might be brought to an end. We quote: From the conference . . . has developed an intense nationalism . . Reluctantly . . . proponents of internationalism were forced to admit defeat and turn to nationalism. Down through the ages, the job o f successfully manag ing the world (or even portions thereof ) has proved to be too much for man. But the people who give heed to the prophetic word— the “ lamp shining in a dark place” __ know that the day is coming when the affairs of earth will be carried on properly. It will be when the government is placed on the shoulder o f our risen, glorified, coming King, Jesus Christ. There will then be a glorious “ International ism,” for “ all kings shall fall down before him ; all na tions shall serve him. He shall have dominion from sea to sea. In his days shall the righteous flourish, and abun dance o f peace” (Psa. 72:7, 8 , 11). “ Surely I come. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Answering the Atheists I N A RECENT issue o f the Atlanta (Ga.) Journal, there JL appears a strong article under the caption, “ A Mourn ful Cry from Atheism.” The writer quotes from the sev enth annual report o f the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism, as follows: . The modernists seem to attack atheism only to screen their own unbelief. . . . Higher critics within the church, carrying on the work of Voltaire, Paine, and Ingersoll, in milder lan- guage it is admitted, have made many Christians so ashamed of their creed that we now hear of that acme of absurdity, “a creedless faith”—of persons who believe without believing anything. Thus Christianity slowly dis solves. Commenting on these statements, the writer in the Atlanta Journal remarks: / The organized atheists surely know who are their best allies, and preachers who find themselves allied with atheism may well inquire what is the source of their apostasy . . . Preachers who proclaim anything whereby faith is diminished impair their own force for good and damage the minds and hearts of their hearers. The supreme need of our times is not increased doubts, but strengthened faith . . . What is needed is positive faith and not puerile unbelief . . . As the doubters of former times and their dubious teachings have fallen into negligence and forgetfulness, so the propagators of rationalism in our day will pass away. The modernists of the present are doomed to be the forgotten men of the future. But the JVord o f the Lord will abide forever.
. These are strong and courageous words for a secular journal to print. They should be a rebuke to cold, lacka daisical professing Christians who have a form o f godli ness but deny the power thereof—men and women by the hundreds who fill our churches but who know nothing of personal regeneration and care for nothing, seemingly, beyond that which pleases their aesthetic tastes. Words like these ought also to spur on to increased faith and testi mony every humble believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who loves the Word and proclaims it, however hesitantly, in the power o f the indwelling Holy Spirit. For it is impossible that thus Christianity slowly dissolves,” for Christianity is Christ, and “ from everlasting to everlasting, thou art Goa. We must admit, with poignant sadness, that there is a measure o f ^truth in the atheists’ sneering allusion to the grand farce” that has been carried on in many Christ- less, bloodless, Bibleless churches today, that, like Sam son, “ wist not that the Lord was departed.” But the coun terfeit can never tarnish the genuine, and salvation by faith in the finished work o f the Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary, with all that it involves, is real— blessedly, eter nally real. Dare to believe it. Seek to propagate it.
THE TEMPLE VEIL B y THOMAS KIMBER
"The veil of. the temple was rent in the midst” (L k . 23:45).
Above the tumult of the crowd A voice rang out in accent loud. It sounded like the awful cry
,
O f one who was condemned to die. It wrung my heart with grief and pain— The temple veil was rent in twain. I asked of one who stood near by, “Who is this Man, condemned to die? His face is kingly—but so marred! His hands and feet with nail-prints scarred. Who is this Man ?” I asked again— The temple veil was rent in twain. But e’er an answer met my ear, The mob set up a mocking jeer. “Ha, ha 1” they cried and shouted loud, “Art Thou indeed the Son o f God? Oh, well we know Thy boast is vain!” But the temple veil was rent in twain. And then I felt the mountain shake; The ground beneath me seemed to quake. The throng rushed madly from the place With fear and frenzy on each face, Far down the hill—across the plain— The temple veil was rent in twain. Within the city gates they pour Up to the temple’s golden door. They fling the massive portal wide And rush with angry haste inside The sanctuary to profane— The temple veil was rent in twain. But l o ! within a dreadful sight That chilled their hearts with sudden fright. For there upon the pavement hurled The richest curtain in the world With tattered shreds of golden skein-^i;( The temple veil was rent in twain!
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood o f Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath con secrated fo r us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh Let us draw near" (Heb. 10:19-22).
September, 1933
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ft’
FORTRESS | l§ p | | p m | 9 ÙU B y LOUIS T. TALBOT* Los Angeles, California o f a pencilled note, pasted on a small medicine box and reading as follows: “ For the Church of-the Open Door. This is my wedding ring, all I have to give” ? What appeal to heroism, to Christian courage, captured the heart o f the thirteen-year-old boy who wrote: “ Mr. Talbot, enclosed is a bill for $5.00. I got a job on a farm, paying me a dollar a day. I have to get up at three o clock in the morning. I have worked five days and I give you five dollars” ? • What was it in the heart of “ one o f the least that caused an unwieldy pencil to form these precious words: “ I send you these 181 pennies. The Bible says, ‘A little child shall lead them.’ I am a little child” ? What was it that prompted the writing of such a letter as this? I am sorry to have made three distributions of my offerings. When I brought the first to your office, I did n undreds of letters have been pouring into my office in the last several weeks— letters from all parts of the United States, indeed from all parts of the world. Before I attempt to say anything about why they came, or from whom, let me share one of them with you, for its spirit is typical of them all. As you read it, you will understand, perhaps, why I carried it in my pocket for several days as a peculiarly sacred and precious thing, reluctant to do what the writer requested. It reads like this: The enclosed rings are a gift from my two daughters who are at present taking a rest cure in the Olive View Sanatorium. They had no money,- nothing to give but their high school rings, but they are heart and soul with us all in this great proj ect and want to have some part. They want you to know that they are praying earn estly that the money may be raised and the church and Institute continue to be a lighthouse for God till He come. They are not able to earn any money, but they do want to give,all they have, these two gold rings.'. May God bless you, ■; Enclosed were two rings, bearing the dates of 1925 and 1927. The gold itself was worth only about $1.50, but the sacrificial spirit o f which it was the embodiment was priceless. I told the story o f these two rings to a Sunday morn ing congregation in the Church of the Open Door. Nearly 3,000 people were present. There were tears as they listened. I expressed the desire to go personally to the sanatorium where these girls were confined and return their rings to them, provided two persons in the congrega tion would redeem the rings at $50.00 each, attaching their cards to them. At the close o f the service, six persons came forward to comply with the request. By common consent, only two cards were attached, but each o f the friends paid the $50.00 offered, and when I visited those girls a few days later and returned the gifts they had whole-heartedly given to the Lord, I had the joy o f telling them that they had given, not two rings, not even $300.00, but a gift like Mary’s,- “ very costly,^; '. • • , and the house was filled with the odor” of their self-sacrifice. This is the spirit that has been ruling in the Church of the Open Door and among the friends o f the Bible In stitute. Hundreds of letters and gifts, many o f them with the blood marks o f sacrifice on them, have given elo quent evidence of it. W h a t P rompted t h e G iv in g The questions naturally arise, “ W hy? What is the need for it?” ^ . .,. 15 What, for instance, was the motive behind the writing *Pastor, Church o f the Open Door, and Acting President, Bible Institute o f Los Angeles. not think of the others. The enclosed, my wed ding ring, is the last, all of precious memories. What a joy and blessing it has been to have a part in this blessed task! How near our Lord Tesus Christ has come to us through it! I cannot tell you all it has done for me. By “ three distributions” this woman meant that she had come three times to the Church o f the Open Door, each time giving what seemed to her at the time to be her all. The first gift was a diamond ring— the most val uable o f the many received; the second, a set o f sterling silver, beautifully engraved; and the third, a plain, worn gold band, “ the last o f all precious memories.” The answers to these and hundreds o f questions like them do not come glibly. They form a sacred story that reads like the opening chapters o f the book o f the Acts. The Holy Spirit has been leading, searching, mov ing, and the result has been “ marvelous in our eyes.” Mr. Talbot, on a “warm day,” pointing to the thermometer that registered giving. September, 1933 T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 293 continuation o f its world-wide ministry in its present loca tion. From how many hearts earnest and constant prayer arose regarding this problem, only God knows. And to Him alone belongs the glory for the answers received. Officials o f the church had the thought impressed upon their minds that perhaps the bank would consent to the con sideration o f the auditorium as separate from the adjacent dormitory buildings, and would be agreeable to the sale o f the auditorium independent o f the other two. W e saw that if the bank would agree to this, it T h e E mergency T h a t L ed To t h e V ictory Briefly, this was the situ ation: A mortgage of nearly $500,000 on the three build ings o f the Bible Institute of Los Angeles— the central au ditorium and the two thirteen- story dormitory buildings— was held by a Los Angeles bank. In the midst o f the financial distress o f the pres ent time, the bank granted a year’s moratorium, at the close of which time some concerted action was expected in the matter o f meeting this obliga tion. The year was drawing to a close. Not only was a Some of the contents of the Joash Chest—precious things contributed by those who had little money to give. spirit o f uncertainty and alarm filling the minds o f the directors o f the Bible Institute, but the whole congrega tion o f the Church o f the Open Door, which has never known any other church home than that of the Bible Insti tute auditorium, began to be disturbed over the thought o f the possible necessity o f seeking another place of worship. The Church o f the Open Door, organized about sev enteen years ago, is an organization entirely distinct and separate from the Bible Institute o f Los Angeles, yet working in close connection with it and in fullest harmony. What affects the Institute affects the church, and “ if one member suffer, all the members suffer with him.” A l though separate organizations, from the very beginning, the Institute and the church have combined to form one o f the outstanding centers for Bible teaching and preach ing in the world today. It has been proven again and again that the Spirit o f God led the founders o f this work in the selection o f the site in a strategic location in down town Los Angeles, a growing city o f more than a million souls. During the years, some o f the, greatest soul-winners that God has raised up in modern days— Dr. R. A . Torrey, Dr. T. C. Horton, Dr. John McNeill, Dr. P. W . Philpott, and others—rhave ministered from the church platform and in the Institute classrooms. That such a gospel lighthouse is needed today in the heart o f Los Angeles is evidenced by the fact that last year between 500 and 600 new mem bers were added to the church, most o f them on confession o f faith. To some o f us, it was unthinkable that the church and the Institute should withdraw from this valuable location and yield these splendid buildings to other and perhaps non-Christian hands. W e felt that the founders pf the would not only make possible a home for the Church o f the Open Door, but would insure the preservation o f the In stitute, inasmuch as most o f the classrooms are located in the central building and could continue to be used even though—what is not expected— it should become neces sary to deny students all dormitory privileges. Being convinced that the thought was o f God, repre sentatives o f the church and the Institute approached the bank with the proposition. Before the plan could be pre sented, the chairman o f the bank’s committee said: “ Gentlemen, I was awakened last night at two o’clock, so heavy has my heart been concerning the approaching end of the moratorium year granted the Bible Institute. We do not wish to see so magnificent a work as this closed. As I endeavored to think o f a way by which the bank’s interests might be safeguarded and the Bible Institute car ried on, a plan flashed into my mind.” And then he outlined to us the very plan that we had come to put before the bank! W e felt this was the Lord’s confirmation o f the way out —His way, the way that was suggested when we prayer fully waited upon Him. The terms o f the sale then drawn up were $350,000 at 4% , payable $25,000 down and $2,000 a month, the latter including principal and interest. The $2,000 amount did not awe us so much as did the $25,000 down payment which had to be raised within a month after the bank’s terms were accepted. How could we carry on our present organization, with its twenty-seven missionaries wholly dependent upon the church for support, besides other ave nues o f service, and at the same time raise $25,000 in cash in four weeks? It seemed humanly impossible to con ceive. And it was humanly impossible, but “ with God all things are possible.” “ Is anything too hard for the Lord?” work had lighted a t o r c h , and on b e in g gathered to their fa thers, had passed it to us to lift it high. W e set about prayer fully to seek ways and means by which this location might be main tained, thereby estab lishing a p e rm an en t home for the Church o f the Open Door and enabling the Bible In stitute to retain the use o f its facilities for the In spite o f the para lyzed state o f business and the depression that had worked havoc ev erywhere, the congre gation’s response to the conviction that God was calling was: “ Arise, let us be doing.” No M on ey -R a is in g C a m p a ig n There was absolute ly no. organized attempt at money raising. The need was made known THE CHOIR OF THE CHURCH OF THE OPEN DOOR September, 1933 T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 294 couraging message to the effect that he was crying daily to God to give us victory. Friends at a distance joined in the effort. From Chicago this encouraging word was received: W e are in a great struggle o f prayer for the church as you come to the great crisis. “He only doeth wondrous things.” . . . I will fast and pray on the thirteenth, if so be the Lord will grant mercies to the Church of the Open Door at this time. It is no sacrifice. I gain phys ically and every way by giving the Lord a service that means more than just a nod. . . . Biola’s affairs will be made a special matter o f prayer on the morning of the thirteenth, and again on the afternoon of the fifteenth. to God in prayer and made known to the people from the pulpit and over the radio. About the time the effort was launched, a well- meaning business man called on me. He came out o f sin cerity o f heart to tell me that with his experience as a business man, he feared the plan was doomed to failure, that it was utterly impossible to raise $25,000 cash in four weeks in this day o f depression unless high-powered finan cial men were employed. However, we felt that God had been so often dishon ored in the way money had been raised for church work that we determined to cast ourselves wholly upon Him and venture out on faith. W e made a covenant that we would In addition to the regular Sunday morning and evening meetings in the church, Sunday afternoon mass meetings were held. Among those who rendered valuable assistance were Dr. Cortland Myers, Rev. R. P. (B ob ) Shuler, Dr. Stewart P. MacLennan, Dr. William Evans, Rev. Harry Anderson, Dr. Arthur I. Brown, and Rev. Ernest M. Wadsworth. T h e J o a s h C h e s t Many o f God’s people not approach any individual and ask for money, but that we would ask God to lay the need upon the hearts o f the people as that need was made known from the platform and over the air. A huge thermometer was placed in the main auditorium at the back of the choir loft, the rising “mercury” indicating from week to week the progress in giving that was being made. It became a com mon question: “ Have you seen the thermometer to day?” and a common re sponse: “ Praise the Lord, isn’t it wonderful ?” Slow ly at first, but ever stead ily the “ temperature” rose. Before July 15, the day when the down payment was due, the “mercury” had burst the tube, for over $4,000 more than was needed had been re ceived ! T o his credit, it should be added that the business man who called to say that su ch an a ch iev em en t would be impossible with out high-powered sales men, came to the pastor a were so situated, finan cially, that they found it impossible to give any thing in cash. A t their re quest and for their bene fit, the “ Joash Chest” came into use. It was placed at the front o f the auditori um, a reminder of the Old Testament days when the Lord’s people brought o f their gold and silver for the repairing o f the temple. Even before the purchase o f the auditorium was antici pated, the Joash Chest began to be filled with articles o f gold and silver and precious stones, treasured things that were not easily given up. And when it became known that by this means the temple o f the Lord could be, not repaired as in Joash’s day, but preserved and maintained, the chest overflowed with the love o f ferings o f God’s people. Real es tate and oil stock were given, second time with this .testimony: “ Only the hand of God Himself could bring about what has been accomplishd this month!” The response was unanimous and enthusiastic. All the departments o f the church cooperated heartily. The choir gave over $1,000, the Sunday-school over $3,000, and the young people societies $1,000. Space forbids the mention o f many other similar amounts representing love and self- denial. Not only did the church respond willingly, but other friends, many o f whom are not affiliated with the church at all, came to the help o f the Lord. Friends o f the Bible Institute proved to be among the most liberal givers. The radio Bible class taught by the pastor five mornings each week, and composed o f members from hundreds of churches in Southern California, sent in between $4,000 and $5,000. One woman, an Italian reared in the Roman Catholic Church, listened to the message over the air and came to the church office with a cashier’s check for $275. A man whom we had never seen, but who had been blessed through the radio ministry, borrowed $ 1,000 on his insurance policy and sent it in with an en and watches, thimbles, lockets, chains, bracelets, and family heirlooms came in in abundance. Many o f the gifts bore such messages as this, to which a tiny old-fash ioned broach was attached: “ A tiny thing, not worth much, but it’s the widow’s mite, just a little old relic handed down and doing no good the past twenty-five years. God bless the Church o f the Open Door.” Not worth much! How much, we wonder, in God’s sight! An Armenian woman heard o f the need o f the Church o f the Open Door and the Bible Institute. She does not attend the church, for she does not know English. But she knows God. In language she could understand, He spoke to her heart, and obeying Him, she brought to the church office as her gift to the work o f the Lord a beautiful hand-made silk moire coverlet— rose and blue and lace trimmed. In old Armenia, it is a bride’s choice possession in which her treasures are placed to be carried away to her new home. [Continued on page 299] 295 T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S September, 1933 FISHING Æ estele allQÊuhrs A TRUE TALE OF HOLLYWOOD HILARITY AND A CONVERTED COMMUNIST B y SAMUEL FISK Los Angeles, Calif. CiQ M ^ ^ ^ ^ liant boulevard, they there also presented as the power of God unto salvation. It was a dark and foreboding section o f the city where they endeavored to “ fish for men.” Joe was stumbling along East I T t is Saturday evening in the gay city o f Hollywood. The pleasure-seeking p o p u la c e fills the streets and throngs the places o f amusement. _ The bright lights of oflttn fishers flJPHE first Fishermen’ s Club was (lu organized twenty-seven years ago by Dr. T. C. Horton, who in his life time embodied to so large an extent that spirit of soul-winning zeal which the clubs now strive to instill in their members. Although the present Bible Institute o f Los Angeles came into being as an outgrowth of that first Club, it has never had any organic connection with the Institute. Now that the International Fisher men’ s Club has become organized, branch clubs are being established in many towns and cities. With the sole purpose of encouraging and training young men to win their fellows to Christ, the International Fishermen’ s Club is unique. In the regular weekly meeting, where songs, testimonies, re ports, and Bible messages are given, the boys are instructed and inspired to engage in effective soul-winning efforts. Its constitution holds the Club from becoming merely a recre ational or educational enterprise, and its program seeks no secular enter tainment. It is founded upon the con viction that the Word of God alone is sufficient to draw men together, and that the constraining passion of Christ is the deepest note to which man’ s nature can respond. This is proving abundantly true in the lives of hundreds of young men who find in the local Fishermen’ s Club real fel lowship in things divine. For information about this enter prise, or for details as to plan of or ganization, address the E x e c u t i v e Secretary, V . V. Morgan, 132 Pacific A v e ., L o n g Beach, Ca l i f o rn i a . popular theaters flash on and off in their effort to attract those seeking entertainment. The crowded traffic in the streets witnesses to the gala spirit o f this play-land city. Smartly dressed citizens pass up and down Hollywood Boulevard, some in even ing dress and some in sport attire, as they hurry here and there, greet one another, or pause to gaze at an elab orate window display. But what is that ? Amid the ring ing o f traffic signals and the cries of newsboys, the shrill notes o f a trum pet are heard above the tumult. As some o f the pedestrians shuffle along the sidewalk, their attention is sud denly and strangely arrested by the sound, not o f jazz, but o f gospel music. A s they approach a corner of the boulevard, they find themselves face to face with a strange sight for a city like this. Ten or a dozen young men, clean-cut, neatly dressed, and with the appearance o f joy in what they are doing, stand there before the curb lustily singing a gospel song. A portable organ is being played, ac companied by a lad not over eighteen years, who takes up the melody on a trumpet. A sight like this is enough to amaze the most worldly. What can impel red-blooded young men of this day and age to come into the heart o f Hollywood and tell forth in song and testimony the story o f One who died on a cross nineteen hundred years ago? Two figures standing in the center o f the group attract special atten tion. They are both there to testify to the power o f the gospel in trans forming a man’s life. They both tell of a great change which they have experienced, one only three weeks ago, the other, more than that number o f years ago. Ed has the stamp o f a cultured and refined individual about him, while Joe still shows the marks Fifth Street hardly knowing where he was going, for his mind was deeply pondering a bitter past and an unsatis fying prospect for the days ahead. To be sure, he was still with the com munists and on their list as an organ izer (as he afterward told u s), but what did life amount to anyway? Drink had left its stamp upon him, and his bootlegger friends were egg ing him on. Fourteen years had been spent behind penitentiary doors. Down, down, down, and bitter, bitter, bitter was his story. He paused to lean up against a building and gazed in front o f him with a far-away ex pression in his eye. He hardly realized that it was the singing o f gospel songs that had caused him to stop here. It was near the end o f the open-air meet ing, and some one stood in front of him pleading with him about One whose name he had often taken in vain. He argued derogatively, using all the old stock objections. But the lad seemed at least sincere— and surely happier over what he had than Joe was over his portion. Because o f this and the boy’s courtesy, Joe con sented to take a little red Gospel of John. But less than a block away, he crumpled it and threw it into a trash pile on a vacant lot. A restless night, however, left him with only an empty heart. The next day, by some unex plainable impulse—-Joe never could account for it—he found himself going back in search of that little red book, and counting the blocks, just forty o f them, till he came to the trash heap. And oh, the message which that crumpled book contained! It found its way deep into his heart and brought forth fruit unto everlast ing life. The next week he was at the Fifth Street corner waiting to greet the boys upon their regular return. Joe’s struggle was a hard one. Penniless, the urge to go back to organizing for the communists was persistent. But Ed had befriended him and was now introducing him to our Hollywood crowd before whom Joe showed forth the joy o f a new-found hope. Ed’s testimony, on the other hand, while displaying [Continued on page 305] that sin’s inroads have left in their wake. The same ex pression o f peace, however, illumines the faces o f both. But their backgrounds are as striking as are the changes to which they bear witness. Three weeks ago, the Fishermen boys made their way down to the east side o f metropolitan Los Angeles. The same message that they now herald on Hollywood’s bril 296 September, 1933 T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S ■ he RISEN ■ trid (^ti isi Q/.]fi ir C IT I y f t V . C S /OA j ' S J MISSIONS B y MERRILL C. TENNEY* Boston, MassC e n u n n e r v e d and dis- heartened men sat brooding in an upper room in the city T h e R isen C h r ist , t h e M essage of M issions This message concerning the risen Christ constitutes the very heart o f missionary preaching. In Acts, the one book o f the New Testament which purports to give to us an ordered account o f apostolic missions, there are some fourteen sermons, spoken to Jewish or pagan audiences with the avowed objective o f bringing them to repentance and salvation. O f these, ten mention the resurrection defi nitely ; two imply it ; and in two it is not mentioned explic itly, since the point o f approach was from an angle that did not necessitate immediate reference to it. It is worthy o f note, however, that in the majority o f these addresses, the resurrection is not simply stated as an historic fact, but is stressed as the vital and distinguishing characteristic o f the new doctrine. The risen Christ is the proof o f our sin. The very word salvation implies a situation from which men are to be rescued. According to the New Testament, that situa tion is the condition o f sin. Had Jesus remained in the tomb, the crucifixion might have been regarded as the judi cial removal o f a troublesome demagogue, or, possibly, as the tragic death o f a beloved teacher, or at the worst as a gross miscarriage o f justice. Whatever view be taken under the circumstances, His execution might have been regarded as the blunder o f an ignorant and bigoted age. His resurrection from the dead proved conclusively that Jesus o f Nazareth was the Messiah o f the Jewish nation, foretold by the prophets ; that His claims to be the Son of God were not the idle boast o f an impostor; and that the man whom Jew and Gentile had scorned and crucified was the Lord o f glory. “ Ye . . . . killed the Prince o f life, whom God raised from the dead,” said Peter to the council (Acts 3 :15 ). In that one act, God reversed the verdict o f humanity concerning Jesus, and revealed His everlast ing condemnation o f those human traits and passions which sent Him to His death. “ He showed unto them his hands and his side”—mute but convincing evidence of human sin. The risen Christ is the guarantee o f salvation. His scars speak o f a finished atonement for sin. In the thir teenth chapter of Acts is Paul’s well-known sermon in the synagogue o f Antioch o f Pisidia, probably à representative specimen o f his usual missionary addresses. A fter a long historical argument, culminating in the narration o f the death and resurrection o f Christ, Paul brings his message to this climax : “ Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgive ness o f sins; and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” M r . T enn ey o f Jerusalem late one Sunday afternoon. Three days before, Jesus, their beloved teacher and trusted leader, had been crucified by the joint action o f the Jewish hierarchy and the Roman procurator, and they had been left to mourn His untimely fate. Fear, failure, and futility were written on their countenances. The joyous fellowship of yesterday was only a hallowed memory. The pointed para bles, the sharp criticism o f injustices, the penetrating im peratives of His teaching were of the past. The promises which He had made to them o f the forgiveness o f sin, of lasting peace o f heart, and o f a coming kingdom seemed valueless. How could One who had been “ numbered with the transgressors” forgive sins? How could He give -peace o f heart who had died in agony on a cross o f shame? What right had He to talk of a coming kingdom when He ,could not save His own life ? Even their faith in eternal righteousness may have been shaken; for how could a righteous and sovereign God allow so perfect and holy a life to suffer such*a death? Suddenly, in the gathering gloom, they became aware of a Presence. A familiar voice sounded in their ears: “ Peace be unto you’ — and Jesus stood before them. Scarcely daring to trust their senses, they stared at Him _aghast, and then at each other, wondering whether they had been seized by some strange hallucination. But n o ! “ In His hands and feet are wound-prints, and His side.” Recognizing the scars, “ then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.” The reality o f the risen Christ changed their attitude completely. Sorrow was exchanged for gladness,- fear for faith, and hope for despair. Past experience with Him was now a dynamic power rather than a haunting memory, because He lived. Yet, though the effect o f the risen Christ on the lives o f these despondent men is o f great importance, the com mission which He gave to them is o f still greater value. Evidently His appearance was intended not only to restore their joy and to reestablish their faith, but also was very definitely the beginning o f a new enterprise. All four Gospels agree in telling us that Jesus’ major concern after His resurrection was the proclamation o f the good tidings to all nations, and that almost His first greeting was the mandate, “ Go.” With this experience, and the others that followed in the forty days before His ascension, began the enterprise of Christian missions. This undertaking is therefore closely linked with the risen Christ.' In fact, without the resur rection, there could have been no missions. The connec tion between them mav be stated in three wavs.. I *Assistant Professor of Greek and N ew Testament Interpreta tion, Gordon College of Theology and Missions. September, 1933 T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 297 Christ risen means that the demands o f the law are fully satisfied. Christ risen is the magnanimous reply of God’s grace to human rebellion. Christ risen means that “ He is able also to save them to the uttermost, that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make interces sion for them” (Heb. 7 :25 ). The risen Christ is the proof o f immortality. Immor tality, apart from Christ, is at best a dream. Men have discussed it as a possibility, reasoned that it is a probability, hoped that it might be an actuality. Jesus did not dis cuss it; He assumed it. He did not reason about it; He affirmed it. He did not hope for it; He demonstrated it. Socrates, the greatest teacher o f the pagan world, after a long and involved argument for the survival o f the soul after death, said to his disciples in the hour of his own The resurrection had exalted Him far above all the powers o f earth at the right hand of God. Because they considered themselves to be His representatives, they dared to defy all lesser potentates and councils that bade them be silent. The risen Christ is the authority for the protection o f the message as given through the messengers. Compare His utterance to them, “ As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you,” with His reply to Pilate’s boast, “ Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above.” As the Father assured the Son o f His personal protection until the work of the latter should be fulfilled, so Christ watched over the safety of His followers as they, went about His business. W e have the classic example in the arrest o f Saul on the Damascus death: “ So we go, I to die, and you to live: Which is better, only God knows.” His best message ended with a question mark. How infinitely better the words o f the Lord Jesus: » ‘Because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19). With that message, He sent forth His disciples, and with it He sends us forth, too. Many won der why we do not change the message with the changing times. Do not new circumstances require new doctrine? Have not the ideas o f men so progressed that we need a new truth? Do not our civiliza tion and culture demand a less ele mentary gospel? The answer is that, in the nineteen centuries since the first Easter morning, human nature has not changed. It has the same sorrows, fears, and sins that it always had, and it is still under the same condemnation. Neither has Christ changed in that time. He is still a living personality, none the less real because invisible. Since He has committed to us the word o f reconciliation, we dare not change it until He shall appear to declare the work finished. road. When persecution threat ened to strangle the infant church in its cradle, He intervened by transforming the chief opponent into His greatest apostle, and the flight from persecution into a world-wide evangelistic campaign. T h e R isen C h r ist ^ t h e L eader in M issions Not only did He protect His followers from the onslaughts of their enemies, but also He directed their advance and led the attack. The book o f Acts tells us that the third Gospel relates “ all that Jesus began both to do and teach,” with the implication that He continued “ to do and teach” through His dis ciples. He led them in facing a new world. From that upper room, the little group o f unlearned fish ermen went forth to present to a cultured and cynical age the gospel o f the cross. T o the Gentile, it was utter foolishness to think that so irrational a procedure as belief in a crucified Jew could assure him o f salvation. To the Jew, it was blasphemy to assert that one who had been hung on a tree could pos sibly be Israel’s Messiah. Who o f A M B A S S A D O R S OF T H E R I S E N I j w C H R I S T This promising quintet, all g r ad u a te s of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and accepted candidates of the China Inland Mission, are sailing this fall, the Lord willing, to take the message of the risen Christ to those in China who perish without it. Left to right, they are: Dick Hillis, Wilda Miller, Marguerite Goodner, Hilda Riffel, and Edwin Cory. They represent another and larger company of Biola alumni who look forward to leaving soon, either as new or returning missionaries, to serve in Africa, Central and South America, and elsewhere. Hun dreds of others are already at work in their respec tive fields. Biola seeks always to exalt the risen Lord, and her sons and daughters go forth fearlessly to the ends of the earth to make His praise glorious. T h e R isen C h r ist , th e A u th o r it y for M issions that group was able to plan a campaign that could make this gospel triumphant over Greek philosophy and over Jewish legalism? The risen Christ directed them to tarry at Jerusalem until power should come upon them from on high. He told them that they should present their message as witnesses, not as rhetoricians— “ the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.” “ The Lord added to the church daily those that were being saved.” He led them in matters o f procedure. Through His Spirit, He indicated by revelation every major change o f policy, organization, and itinerary. The appointment of the seven for the social service o f the church, the begin ning o f the ministry to the Gentiles, the decision o f the council at Jerusalem with regard to the status of Gentile converts, the routes to be followed in the evangelization of the Roman world were all determined by Him. He did not always preserve His servants from death; but though the workmen passed, the work persisted. He opened and shut the doors for them. He emboldened them in the face o f opposition. He wrung victory from defeat, until the [Continued on page 302] It is one thing to have a message to deliver; it is quite another to have the authority to deliver it. On what authority have we the right to traverse sea and land with the imperious declaration that man must choose the alter native o f believing the message to be saved, or o f rejecting it, and so be lost ? The fact o f the resurrection is the supreme proof o f the reality o f our teaching. “ As my Father hath sent me,” He said, “ even so send I you.” During His years o f ministry, He constantly affirmed that the words which He spoke were not His, but the Father’s, who sent Him. A s He delivered the message committed to Him by the Father, so we proclaim that which He entrusted to His apostles, and which they transmitted to us by the records which they left. The risen Christ is the authority for the propagation o f the message. When Peter and John were asked, after the healing o f the lame man, “ By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” they replied: “ Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name o f Jesus Christ o f Nazareth . . . whom God raised from the dead . . . doth this man stand here before you whole.”
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