TH E K INO 'S B U S I N E S S
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Then walking after the Spirit means a control without resistance and with out rebellion, jüst an implicit, im médiate, qûick, joyous response to the Holy Spirit. I should like to illustrate that truth by a dog I saw in a park in London. He was out walking with his master. He was just a tiny fellow, and a great, tall man had him on a leash. They were walking along and everything was going fine. Then the little dog got a notion into its little head that it did not want to go that way. And that little thing took an angle of forty-five degrees in relation ship to that leash. Every muscle of its body was strained against the leash. And the tall master could not budge that bit of a dog one inch! Not an inch! The dog wanted to walk another way. The carnal Christian is like that dog, resisting, rebelling, re fusing to walk along with the Spirit. Friend, the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s sanctification is ac complished as He habitually fills and controls thé life. Does He fill and control yoür life? If not, will you let Him do so today? Church, Wichita, Kan., and early in June took this group to their Central Kansas Institute which is beautifully situated on the grassy hillsides of Winfield, Kan. John W. Falconer, ’24, has resigned the pastorate of the Church of the Open Bible irr Alameda, Calif., and is waiting on the Lord for a new field of service. Carlton C. Buck, ’30, has accepted' a call to become the pastor of the First Christian Church in Orange, Calif. His ministry there began Au gust 1 . Marian Settles, ’42, is working in an office of a defense plant located in Dumas, Tex. The Lord has given her many opportunities to witness to those with whom she is working. Miss Settles is teaching in a local Baptist church, and is looking forward to missionary service, being an accepted candidate of the Africa Inland Mis- sion. • Paul Kuhlmann, ’35, has been called to the acting presidency of the Grace Bible Institute, a new training center located in Omaha, Nebraska. Mr. Kuhlmann served in China for five years under an independent mission and has taught two years in the Okla homa Bible •Academy, Meno, Okla., where he was used of the Lord as the superintendent of the Academy. [Continued on Page 391]
thing short of that, Lord, but just do not ask implicit obedience,” is our cry. And there is our place of defeat. We go to a conference, we say that we have yielded to Christ as Lord, and then immediately He exercises His authority and Lordship and asks us to do Something we do not &ant to do. We say, “No, Lord, 1 do not in tend to do that.” We do not do it, and we go down in defeat. We run to Christian people in an effort to find out what is the matter with us, arid when somebody faith fully tells us, we do not like it. In interviews, again and again when I have tried to deal with this subject, the person has become impatient, al most to the point of losing temper, on this point of obedience. People do not want to hear about that. They want the victory in order to be more comfortable, but they do not want to obey, and-the only way to be vic torious is to obey! Oh, the marvelous patience of God! To me one of His most wonderful .qualities, almost be yond Hie love, is His patience toward me. Now, first, let us take one or'two points on obedience to God’s will, placing ourselves in the center of God’s will by choosing the' rule of Christ rather than the reign of self over our lives. It is not only accepting God’s will in principle, but also sub mitting to it in practice. Are we will ing to do that? Then, secondly, it is obedience to God’s Vford. God never asks us to walk in the dark. A walk in the hdly will of God will be revealed to us in the Word of God. I am going to read you something out of the New York Times concerning the death of a noted aviator: “The famous airman' lost'h is life because he Violated an elementary rule of flying. He took off in a cross wind. The. man who had flown the fastest and most dangerous planes ever built, without a serious accident, met death because of a mistake that a beginner would not make.” He did something he knew he ought not to do, and when he did it, he knew he ought not ,to do it. There, too, is the point of your defeat and mine.' Thirdly, it is obedience to God’s ways. God’s, will is not indefinite and intangible, it is practical. It extends over our whole manner of living. God will reveal to us His will concerning the clothes we wear, the books we read, the business we are in, the money we spend, the studies we pur sue, Hie companionships we have, the habits we form. He shows us ways of thinking, eating, resting, working, dressing, and living, and '» doing all those things that are in full accord ance with His will, revealed in His Word. We need to allow Him to per meate and control every phase of life.
vSubmitting to the Spirit's Control Walk after the Spirit. Let the Spirit take control—that Spirit who knows the will of God, the Word of God, and the ways of God. Let Him do the walking in us, by having that inward and outward control, and then we shall live the life of a spiritual Christian. Now, are you a carnal Christian or a spiritual Christian? The carnal Christian has given the Holy Spirit only partial control in his life, so naturally this grieves the blessed Holy Spirit. May I illustrate? Have you a good imagination? If so, you will see a cat that I once saw. It was a picture of a cat whose front and hind legs Were going in opposite directions. It surely was a very strange-looking cat. And it was not making much progress, as you can readily see. The front legs going one way and the hind legs going the other! That is the carnal Christian— part of the time walking after the Spirit and part of the time walking aftef the flesh and getting nowhere but into discouragement and despair. In America Robert J. (’28) and Mrs. Patterson (Helen Lynn, ’28) rejoice in the Lord’s provision for their Home Church in Napa, Calif., where recently He has supplied a piano, foiding chairs, new hymn books, and a communion set. The entire summer was spent in chil dren's work in and around Napa, and the Pattersons found the boys and girls hungry for the gospel. •Edward D. (’34) and Mrs. Bowman are serving the Lord at Buena Vista, Va., where Mr. Bowman is pastor of the First Brethren Church. The church membership is about 175 and it is a joy to feed thém the Word of God. Clifford E. (’35) and Mrs. Chaffee are in Philadelphia, Pa., 'where Mr. Chaffee is the assistant minister of the Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church. They are anticipating service in China as the Lord directs. Guest speakers at a Christian con-, ferénce in the Japanese relocation cen ter, Poston, Ariz., included Jitsuo Mori- kawa, ’33, end Yutaka Nakagawa. The conference theme was “Youth Facing Life Anew.” Miss Doris Fuji- moto who attended Biola prior to the evacuation is a leader, of Christian activities at this Japanese center.- Ruth Newlon, ’36, is busy as a sponsor of young people’s groups. She is the adviser of the high-school Youth Fellowship in the Zion Methodist
Bible Institute FAM ILY CIRCLE
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