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April, 1936
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
The water is clean. Why don’t you want to use this glass ? “The water wouldn’t be clean long if you poured it over those things that are in the glass.” You are right. When you want a drink, you want it from a clean glass. These glasses are so much like people that I have given them girls’ names. The empty one I have called Gladys Glass, and the other is Gertrude Glass. They look enough alike to be twins. Christ is looking for those who will carry the Water of Life to thirsty un saved people. He requires that those who carry the water shall be clean and empty. Paul said: “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use.” Just as I would not use this glass which
THE CHALLENGE OF RUSSIAN COMMUNISM IS ACCEPTED BY THE MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CH ICAGO Militant atheistic communism has sought to dethrone God and has ordered Him out of Russia. But God still lives and Time, His dependable servant, will sooner or later dispose of His enemies. We believe with all our heart that some day, should our Lord tarry, the Russian door will open to the preaching of the gospel. As evidence of our faith we propose to inaugurate a Russian Course to prepare now the witnesses who will be ready when the great day comes and the great door swings open. There are two million Russians in America. The graduates of this new course will have large fields for home mission service in our own land and then will be equipped and prepared to preach Christ in Russia when that privilege is granted. Millions of Russian refugees in many countries of Europe outside of Russia also offer great missionary opportunities. Too long has the Church-of Christ been merely holding its own. With many Christians discouraged because of the recall of missionaries and the narrowing down of some fields, we call on Bible believers every where to look up and take courage. Our God is never defeated. The day of victory is just ahead. We invite correspondence with young, English speaking Russian Christians who are sound in the faith and whose hearts are burdened for Russia and who might feel led of the Lord to enroll in this course. It will start (D. V .) with the opening of our Fall Term, September 10, 1936. We invite the gifts of God's stewards who have faith and courage enough to invest in this enterprise. We invite the promises of Christians everywhere who will pray daily for this new course, its teachers and students, and for an open door in Russia. Yours in the name of the One who said: "G o ye into all the world . . . and Lo, I am with you alway,” THE MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO Will H. Houghton, President Henry P. Crowell, President of the Board of Trustees 153 Institute Place, Chicago, Illinois P.S. May we remind you to include in your thinking our Jewish Missions Course, one of the few such courses in all the world.
is filled with trinkets until it has been emptied, so God does not use Christians until they have been emptied of worldly things and have been cleansed. You would not be satisfied to drink from this glass if I should remove only half of the arti cles. I think Gladys and Gertrude Glass give us an explanation as to why Zaccheus was very anxious to right the wrongs he had done. He was a follower of Christ, and he wanted to tell others about Christ. It was necessary that Zaccheus be celan if Christ was to use him. Another example o f this same truth is found in Christ’s cleansing the temple. It was God’s house, supposed to be used for His glory, and people had made it a mar ket place. Christ drove out the merchants and cleansed the temple. I am going to remove these things from Gladys in order that she may be like her Lesson T ext: Lk. 20 :45-47; 21 :l-9, 34-36. Golden T ext: “ In your patience possess ye your souls” (Lk. 21:19). Outline and Exposition I. T h e D a n g e r of P r e t e n s e (20:45-47). W i t h i n t h e h e a r in g of all the peo ple, our Lord warned His disciples of the danger of pretense in re ligious observances (v. 45) . They must beware of the subtle temp tation o f seeking the honor of men (v. 46). This tendency was the fault of the scribes, who appeared to be religious, while in reality they merely were satisfying their pride; they loved to have the chief places. But while appearing before men to be religious, the scribes manifested before God the injustice o f their methods (v. 47). They, seeming to be like God, were like Satan, misusing and destroying the poor.
pretense. The temptation to appear to be generous while being selfish at heart is a grave danger. Our Lord teaches that the motive behind the gift gives value to the gift. A small offering may be greater in the sight o f God than a large amount, as men count greatness. The rich men gave much, but the poor widow gave “more than they all.” The amount of the gift makes little difference with God; He is never in need o f anything. It is the motive behind the gift that counts with Him. Without sincerity, gifts to God are value less. But when to sincerity sacrifice is added, the gift is priceless. III. T h e D a n g e r of D e c e pt io n (21:5-9). Our Lord protected His disciples against deception concerning the time of His re turn to earth by declaring that certain events must transpire before He would return. He taught that while He is away, certain other events will appear to be so much like the ones predicted that some individuals will take advantage o f the similarity in order to deceive their fol lowers. There will be those who will cry, “ I am Christ; and the time draweth near.” Our Lord gave a warning against being deceived by those who come in His name, declaring that they, and they alone, have the whole truth. “ Go ye not therefore after them,” the Lord commanded.
sister—ready to give water to the thirsty. If you want Christ to use you in giving the Water of Life to the thirsty, be sure that your life is clean and empty.
MAY 24, 1936 BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE (Temperance Lesson) L u k e 20:
to 21:38 Their condemnation was all the greater because they took advantage of the widows—those who had no means of pro tecting themselves. These leaders were hypocrites, making a pretense o f being something that they were not (v. 47). Probably our Lord would not have been so direct in His teaching, on this point, ■ if the disciples themselves had not been in danger of falling under the same con demnation as did the scribes. The disciple also must guard against the danger of pretending to possess Christlikeness while at the same time practicing injustice in dealing with men. The public assumption of high spirituality, accompanied by a secret seeking o f honor from men, is like wise hypocritical. II. T he D anger of I nsincerity (21 :l-4). These verses describe another phase of
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