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QUESTION!
“ By what right do $ou choose your Lord’s last command as the one thing to he crowd ed out of your life?”
T E !
Tke one calling not overcrowded is tke Missionary’s.
MISSIONARY NUMBER— March 1923
The Satisfaction OF A
Safe Investment The last Bond Issue of the Government was over subscribed the first day. The rate of interest was four per cent. Why was it so quickly absorbed? The Interest Rate Was Small, but the Security Was Unquestioned. You Are a Christian You want to make the wisest use of your money. You need the interest income now, but after you are gone, you want your money to work for you in glorifying God.
We can give you an Annuity Contract with Interest o f from Five to Nine per Cent according to your age.
We Can Give You Unquestioned Security We will use your money in the definite work of training men
and women for Christian service, and in aggressive, soul-saving lines. Full Particulars Upon Application Bank References Supplied
T. C HORTON, Superintendent Bible Institute of Los Angeles, California
THE KING’S BUSINESS MOTTO: *7, the Lord, do keep it, I wiUwaterit every moment, test any hurt U, / will keep it night and day.“ ■ sa-rra a- . ........■’■ ¡-■ ■ a Isa. 27:3 ■ ........... .......... .. .....—^ PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 53 6- 558 SOUTH HO PE STRE ET , LOS AN GE LES , CAL. E n tered a s S econd-C lass M a tte r N ovem ber 17, 1910, a t th e P o s t Of fic e a t Los An gel es , C ali - u n d er th e A ct o f M arch 3, 1879 A ccep tan ce fo r m ailin g a t special ra te of p o sta g e p rovid ed for in S ectio n 1103, A ct of O cto 1917, a u th o riz e d O cto b er 1, 1918 Volume XIV March, 1923 Number 3 CONTENTS E d ito rials: Missionary Methods (227 ), The Coue Cure (228), Heresy Hunting (230 ), Chirst and th e Critics (231 ), Contrast and Comparison (232 ), Amuse m ent Pestilence (233) Bible Briefs— By T. E. Cramer (235) A Whole Christ fo r th e Whole W orld—By Dr. A. C. Dixon (236) Common Sense from a Jap an ese Boy— (240) The M issionary’s H en— (242) Open L e tte r to a Modernist—-By Rev. B. W. Burleigh (244) M issionaries and Marriage—By Wm. C. Irvine (246) Obstacles to th e Revival W e Need— By Rev. Oswald J. Smith (248) Notes of th e Mission Fields— (251) Bible Fundam entals— The H eathen (254) Jo h n and Christian P erfection— By K. L. B. (256) Bible In stitu te in H unan— (259) Evangelistic Stories— By In stitu te W orkers (262) F alse Cults in Mission F ields— (269) Hom iletical Helps— (271) ' Bible In stitu te Happenings— (277) H ea rt to H ea rt W ith th e Girls—By Mrs. K eith L. Brooks (317) Song: “The K ing’s H ighway”— By J. B. T rowbridge (320) W hat is Christadelphianism ?— By A. J. Pollock (321) Good Books— (324) PLEASE W h e n se n d in g su b s c rip tio n s , a d d re ss c o rre sp o n d e n c e to O ffice of T h e K in g ’s B u sin ess, B ib le I n s titu te o f L o s A n g eles, 536- 558 S o u th H o p e S tre e t. C h eck s m a y be m ad e p a y a b le to B ib le I n s titu te of L o s A n g eles. Do n o t m a k e c h e c k s o r m o n ey o rd e rs to in d iv id u a ls c o n n ected w ith th e B ib le In s titu te . Y E A R FOREIGN COUNTRIES, INCLUDING CANADA $1.25—SINGLE COPIES 15 CENTS Special Club Rate for T e n o r More Subscriptions 75c Each Rev . T. C. HO RTO N,E d ito r in Chi ef Rev . K E ITH L. BROOKS, M anaging E d ito r ALAN S. PEARCE, C ircu latio n R ep resen tativ e C o n trib u tin g E d ito rs DR. F. W . FARR DR. JO HN N.Ma clNN lS DR. A. C. DIXON In tern ation al Sunday School Lessons— (279) Fundam entals Sunday School Lessons— (299) ' C u rren t Religious Comjnent— (314) O N L Y O N E D O L, L A R A
I’m Not Merely Smiling Now I ’m LAUGHING with Joy Because the Contest for the Scholarship is on, and I’ll be going to hundreds of new homes I Just Can’t Tell You How Happy I Am Turn, to page 325
MISSIONARY NUMBER
fliijiiiniiiiijiiiNiiinwjiiiiNiiNgjiiiu As thou h a st sen t me in to th e world, even so have I also sent th em Into th e world. (John 17:18) And he said un to them , Go ye in to all th e world, and preach th e gospel to every creature. (M a rt 16:15) And h e th a t reapeth receiveth wages, and g ath ereth fru it un to life etern al; th a t both he th a t soweth and he th a t reap eth may rejoice together. (John 4 :3 6 ) ¡¡l!lllllll]]|lllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllliillll!!lllllllllllllllllllllNilllllllll]]»l]l!l!ll!lllllllllllll!l!l!!llll!IIIIIIIIIIII]l!llllll!INIIIIIIlll!llllllll]INI!ll!llllll!]lllllimillllNlllllll!l»INIIIIIIIIIII]II!inilllllllllNIIIIIIIIIII!l!l!llilllllllllllllllllll!l MISSIONARY METHODS We are thinking of a lost world; of millions of unevangelized; of our own country with millions yet unreached with the Gospel; and wondering whether the church is not making some serious errors in its attitude towards its members and towards the world field. There are two outstanding facts which need stressing. First,—salvation is a gift of God through faith in a crucified, risen Saviour; the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Saviour and confession of Him as Lord is accompanied by the incoming of the Holy Spirit, who imparts eternal life and seals the be liever unto the day of redemption, when he will receive his glorified body. The believer has a new life, a new relationship. He is not his own. He is bought with a price. He belongs to Christ. The second important fact is that this hew relationship involves new responsibilities. We become subjects of a new ruler. Among the last words of our Lord before He went to the cross were, “ I have manifested thy name unto the men thou gavest me out of the world. ’’ He takes us out of the world and then He sends us into the world. “ As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I sent them into the world.” He was a missionary. We are missionaries sent into the world. He came to give God’s message to the world and to give His life. Are we better than He ? Now here is where we have made the most serious mistake in our Christian iife. We are glad our sins are forgiven; glad for the indwelling Spirit; glad for the precious promises for time and eternity; but we are not glad that we are His representatives, His missionaries. As believers, we do not need a special call to be missionaries. We are missionaries. We do need a call from the Holy Spirit (who alone can give the call) for special service in our missionary work. He calls some to be apostles, some teachers, some evangelists, some bankers, some bakers, some lawyers but He must chopse. The church is full of restless people because they are out of the will of God. Many men have chosen to be preachers and pastors whom God never chose. Many whom we call “ foreign” and “ home” missionaries were neveij called to the field they have selected. No believer ever needs to “ volunteer” as a missionary. All need to
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THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S recognize that they are missionaries, and that they are foreign missionaries. Heaven is our home, and they do not need missionaries in heaven. But every believer is sent as a missionary to a lost world. “ The field is the world.” and God knows it is a foreign field. If He leads some—as He does—to be merchants and mechanics; others to be teachers or tradesmen; some to he pastors and evangelists; why not gladly recognize that fact? The mother in the home is God’s missionary with a won derful work to do. The father, at the carpenter’s bench (as was Jesus), is a missionary. Children, in the school, are missionaries. The early church, led by the Holy Spirit, did its work wisely and well. They had no Bibles, no Testaments, no tracts, no committees. They had their Lord’s command to go, and they went. Let us follow their example. Let us eliminate the wheels that bring no grist in the church. Let us eradicate all suggestion of invidious distinctions between “ home” and “ foreign” mission work. Let us recognize that every true believer is a foreign missionary, and let us seek to he in God’s will, glad to serve, glad to rejoice in all that others are doing in the world field. __T. C. H. THE CURIOUS COUE CURE FOR CONVICTS A reader of The King’s Business has called our attention to the following news item in a local paper regarding the latest freak cult to be inflicted on a long-suffering public. The item states: “The 3500 men an d women sh u t up behind th e gray walls of San Quentin and Folsom sta te penitentiaries—many fo r life— are to have a Coue C h ristm as.' “Through th e efforts of P au lin e Jacobson, well-known w riter and social worker, th e two California prisons are to be converted in to g re a t hum an laboratories to te st th e efficiency of th e form ula of th e noted P arisian doctor. “Miss Jacobson, w ith th e assistance of o th er w elfare w orkers, is now busily engaged in preparing fo r th e prisoners’ Coue Christmas. “Bach prisoner received Christmas morning a Coue strin g tied in to SO knots w ith an appropriate p rin ted explanation of its use. Dr. Coue advised those who would h elp them selves to p u t one of these string s un d er th e ir pillow and each n igh t an d morning finger each of these kno ts while th e lips m u rm u r the Coue p rayer: “ ‘Day by day, in every way, I ’m g etting b e tte r an d b etter.’ “The k no tted cords Miss Jacobson p repared were of gay color. ‘We w ant to provide a b it of sun ligh t fo r th e eye as well as th e soul,’ she said. ‘Behind th e prison walls th e re is no magic to stir th e blood. Our little Christmas g ift will carry a message ,of new hope. I t w ill open th e way fo r th e prisoners to find new possibilities w ithin themselves. The Coue strin g will show th e way to freedom . J u s t th in k of th e possibilities of 3500 prisoners tw ice daily speaking th e words of th e Coue formula. I t will m ean a modern m iracle.’ ” The newspapers announced that 1600 of the prisoners at San Quentin became “ Coue chanters,” among the first to accept the “ gay-colored strings” being “ Bluebeard” Watson (who killed 27 wives) and Mrs. Louise L. Peete, who is serving a life sentence for murder. It seems that Mrs. Peete has made a slight change in the “ chant,” her version of it being, “ Day by day, in every way, we want to look better and better.” As she is the recognized “ queen of the prison” this sentiment seemed to her to be more appropriate and equally as effective. No doubt the prisoners who so cheerfully accepted the strings expect that they will be able to climb up the “ twenty knots” to freedom, as inti-
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mated by the further pertinent comment of the newspapers: “There may be some sligh t doubt among th e prison officials as to th e efficacy of th e strin g and th e saying, b u t th e re isn ’t th e sligh test doubt in th e world th a t these m u rderers are going to w ork it fo r a ll th e re is in it, bo th in the m a tte r of publicity an d to curry favo r w ith all parties concerned.” • "So it comes to pass that at the beginning of this new year we have this new suggestion for “ uplift” which may prove to be the successful rival of Christian Science as it includes about all there is in that cult without having to deny outright the existence of self-evident facts. It is a shorter and simpler cut by far to the desired end. Dr. Coue is now in the United States for a series of lectures on his new discovery. The world has waited long for this wonderfully simple solution of the problem of sin and sorrow and suffering. We have tried to express our understanding of the method of using the “ chant” and the “ string” in the accompanying cartoon. —T. C. H. HERESY HUNTING In the New York Times of Sunday, December .10, 1922, Dr. John Archi bald MacCallum, pastor of the Walnut Street Presbyterian Church of Phila delphia, comes to the defense of Harry Emerson Fosdick and charges the Philadelphia Presbytery with '“ heresy hunting.” In the opening words of his address Dr. MacCallum says: .. “The recen t a tta c k upon Dr. Fosdick by th e P resbytery of Philadelphia is likely to precip itate ano th er period of b itte r and divisive controversy in th e P resby terian Church an d indirectly, by its repercussions, in all th e P ro te sta n t churches of th is country.” The enemy always seeks to throw dust in the eyes of the people by the cry of “ here.sy hunting!” Well, we do not care what they cry. Every loyal, Bible-loving, Christ-defending Christian must take the consequences, blow' away the dust and speak out squarely. Fosdick’s own words condemn him, showing clearly that he belongs to a school of speakers who take pleasure in airing their infidel views in the name of scholarship. In his sermon entitled, “ The New Knowledge and the Christian Faith,” preached in the First Pres byterian Church of New York City, May 21,1922, he says: “Here, fo r example, is one point of view; th a t' th e virgin b irth is to bd accepted as historical fact; it actually happened; th e re was no o th er way fo r a personality like th e M aster to come in to th is world except by a special biological m iracle. T h at is one point of view and' many are th e gracious an d beautiful1 souls who hold it. “But, side by side w ith th em in th e evangelical churches, is a group of equally loyal and rev eren t people who would say th a t th e virgin b irth is n o t to be accepted as an historic fact.” This is' an old trick of Satan, the deceiver. The enemies of the truth may use their soft, soothing, sweet metaphors, but “ What saith the Scrip ture?” must be our continual and continuous answer. Our Lord Jesus Christ was a “ heresy hunter” if you so choose to desig nate one who contends for the truth, and He hunted the Pharisees to their lair. Listen to Him in John 8 :42-44: “Jesu s said u n to them , If God w ere your F ath e r, ye would love m e; fo r I proceeded fo rth and came from God; n eith er came I of myself, b u t h e sen t me. Why do ye n o t und erstand my speech? even because ye cannot h ea r my word. Ye are of your fa th e r th e devil, an d th e lu sts of your fath e r ye will do. .He was a m u rd erer from th e beginning, and abode n o t in th e tru th , because th e re
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is no tr u th in him . "When h e speaketh a lie, h e speaketh of h is own; fo r h e is a liar, and th e fath e r of it.” Paul was a heresy hunter, and he hunted the enemies of the truth to their dark abode. John was a heresy hunter and commanded that the saints receive not into their homes those who held false doctrine. The Bible is a heresy hunter, and that is what troubles the heretics. They can only meet the truth by a total deniai of its authenticity and authority. These men are playing a worn-out game and it cannot win against God’s inerrant Word. Listen to Fosdick’s childish plea in the same sermon: “H ere in th e Christian churches are th ese two groups of people an d the question which th e F undam entalists raise is th is; Shall one of them throw th e o th er ou t? \ V ' H as intolerance any contribution to m ake to th is situ ation ? W ill it persuade anybody of anything? Is n o t th e Christian church larg e enough to hold w ithin h e r hospitable fellowship people who differ on points lik e th is and agree to differ u n til th e fu ller tru th be m anifested?” No sir, Mr. Fosdick, the Christian church is not large enough to hold both believers in the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ and the deniers of His Virgin Birth. There would be no place for á staunch Democrat in President Harding’s cabinet. How can two walk together except they be agreed? There is plenty of room for you with.the Unitarians. Go on out. Be man enough to stop your devil-inspired work of seeking to blind the eyes of God’s people with your use of worn-out sophistry. The church has pulled through these ages, by God’s grace, without any of your so-called “ scholar ship” and we are willing for the test to continue, building on the solid rock, of the inerrant Word of God; and let every.true, loyal saint say, “ Amen!” —T. C. H. ^1^. afc ate CHRIST AND THE CRITICS We are studying the Gospel of John and wondering at the complacency of the critics, when they suggest all kinds of questions concerning this Gospel. “ There is no claim,” say they, “ in it as to the Virgin Birth of Jesus.” They question its authenticity, etc., etc. . ' . i Well, let us look at one or two things in connection with it. President Harper, of the Chicago University, once said of i t : “ It is the greatest piece of literature in the world.” It has been called the “ incomparable piece of literature.” , Every word in it is simple and can be understood by any boy or girl. The truths it teaches are the deepest and clearest in the whole Bible. Every fundamental teaching of the evangelical church is clearly and forcefully set forth. The inspiration of the Book; the Triune God (God the Father, Jesus Christ, God’s Son as one with the Father, Eternal God, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, Creator, God manifest in the flesh, receiving worship as God and after His death accepting the title of Lord and God); the Holy Spirit as one with the Father and Son and yet distinct in personality and proceeding from the Father, sent by the Son and abiding in the believer forever, teaching of and glorifying Jesus; the sacrificial atonement of Jesus, God’s Lamb dying to save sinners; His physical resurrection in His glorified body; His ascension to be with the Father; the second coming of Christ; the eternal life of
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THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S believers; the personality of Satan'; the eternal punishment of unbelievers; the two resurrections—one of believers and one of unbelievers,—are all found in this Gospel of John. There is not one thing lacking for the sinner or for the saint. ' The way of salvation is made plain; the assurance of salvation is made definite;- the need of the believer is supplied; the eternal blessedness of the believer is affirmed. Now if the Gospel of John is not authentic, it is the most infamous error ever edited and published, and the records contained in it concerning the statements of Jesus are the most blasphemous ever uttered, and the church has been buncoed for centimes. If it is God’s Word and true, then the men who lay their unholy hands upon it and discredit it are worthy of the condemnation of God .and the contempt of all people, for they would rob. thè church and the world of the greatest single piece of literature ever, given to man. You can read it through in ninety minutes. You could study it for ninety years and still find it fresh, inspiring and instructive. Read it. Study it, Believe it. Live it. Put it to the test. It works ! —T. C. H. A CONTRAST AND A COMPARISON The Sunday School Times has been making a survey of the Sunday Schools of the United States and has found nine schools with an enrollment exceeding 2500 each, as follows: Your attention is called to the fact that these schools all stand four square for the whole Word of God, and we also call your attention to the fact that all of them are “ poor, pessimistic, premillennial schools.” There is something worth considering in this fact inasmuch as some of' the dear brethren charge the premillennialists with being star-gazers instead of soul-savers. There is food for thought here for .the Modernists. The churches with which these schools are connected are Bible churches and are a proof of our Lord’s own statement: “ And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me. ’’' We can heartily challenge any church or Sunday school in the country having a Modernist pastor to a comparison with these which we have named. In the Sunday School of the Church of the Open Door, of Los Angeles, there are now over eight thousand enrolled,—officers, teachers and scholars in all departments. The story of this school will be published ‘soon as an incentive to other churches and sehools-Mvhether they be old or young, whether they be large or small—to do business for God. —T. C. H. F irst Baptist Church, F t. Worth, T exas............................. 6200 Church of Open Door, Los Angeles, C a l . . . ................... .. 5358 F irs t Christian, Canton, Ohio.................................................... 5000 Bast Calvary M. E. (Col.) Philadelphia. ............ .................. -3734 F irst Church, United B rethren, Canton, O h i o . . . . . . . . . 350-9 F irs t Presbyterian, Seattle, W ash.......................................... 3550 F irs t Christian, Long Beach, C al........................................; . 3454 Moody Church, Chicago, 111...................................................... 3124 Bethany P resbyterian, P h ilad elph ia.................. 2569
THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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THE AMUSEMENT PESTILENCE “ If any man love th e world, th e love of th e F a th e r is no t in him. The world passeth away, and th e lu st thereof, h u t he th a t doeth th e will of God abideth forever.” (1 Jn . 2:15, 17.) What fools people are to fix their affections upon the things that can not endure, but that are already in process of dissolution. The only thing worth while is the will of God, and no intelligent Christian will have diffi culty in ascertaining that many of the things in which our people of today are engaging are not according to the will of God and therefore belong to the things which are themselves perishing and Which are leading on untold thousands to eternal ruin. The lust of the flesh (those things which have their origin in the lower nature), the lust of the eyes (the desire of seeing unlawful sights for the sake of sensations), the pride of life (vainglory and the love of social rank and power or the possession of worldly resources)—all of this is bait for the devil’s hook. Some are getting greatly concerned because of the lengths to which our young people are going in the social life of the public schools. In the town where the writer resides, the number of young girls being ruined through dances and bootleg booze became so appalling that parents and teachers got together for a meeting to try to solve the problem. This is how they solved i t : They voted to hire an approved dancing master and put on weekly dances in the school building, under proper supervision. This, thev think, will cure their young people of the desire for these things of the flesh. Will they never learn that thousands upon thousands of girls that were once pure are now in houses of ill repute because they took their first steps in some select parlor dance? The modern dances, wherever they may be held, are designed to kindle the passions of young men. "Whether in parlor, school or public hall, the thought-life of any young man is almost certain to be set on fire of hell. Who can tell what the result will be ? Approved danc ing professors and genteel chaperones will never make the dance a safe proposition. True spiritual influence in the church and Sunday School, the truth of God and prayer at the family altar, the Bible in the school, Jesus Christ enthroned in the heart—these are the only things that can block the path of these young people in their present rush toward perdition. In the face of such conditions, it is sad to see churches letting down the bars and giving more liberty on the amusement question. The Canadian Methodist Church has just adopted a modified attitude. A few years ago they were out and out against the dance and other evils. Now they have appended a footnote to the discipline and simply call on the people to use discrimination, to distinguish between the wheat and the chaff. One of their resolutions says: “We desire to recognize th e liberty of all people to a full measure, in regard to all legitim ate pleasures, and yet urge th a t in pursuing th e things of passing happiness, we do not let our liberty become a cause of offense.” The Methodist Church of the Philadelphia Conference recently recorded the following remarkable passage on the pernicious effect upon the churches, of the amusement pestilence:
234 T HE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S “The shocking magnitude of th e waves of crime now sweeping America chal lenges th e churches to every form of effort to redeem and reform th e vast un reached population of our country. There is every patriotic, moral, social and reform reason for im portunate prayer for Pentecost today. America has gone amusement-mad, dance-crazy. The colleges, Y. M. C. A., Y. W. C. A., socials in Methodist homes, lodges, American Legion, and every form of gathering, have th e ir dances in scantiest female a ttire and modern lascivious form. H igh schools! and even gramm ar schools have become dance parlors, making so much of it th e girls ta lk abou t it incessantly, as if no other work were for th em so im portant. Christian paren ts should unite and stop the public school dance.” Having used the Methodists in our illustration, we recall something that John Wesley ’s mother wrote to him when he was in college. We com mend it to the Methodists and to all others: “Would you judge of th e lawfulness of a pleasure, ta k e th is rule. W hatever weakens your reason, impairs th e tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God'or takes away th e relish for sp iritual things, whatever increases the au tho rity of your body over your mind, THAT THING IS SIN.” iv-K. L. B. AN HONEST CONFESSION For fifteen years the Bible Institute of Los Angeles has had the smile of God’s approval and His richest blessing. Every department of our work has developed in the most natural and logical manner so that in this country and in China we have established a work unique in character, and one which never fails to command interest and commendation from those who investi gate it. ,In our Institute classes here—including those in our Correspondence School—we have approximately 2,500 students, and in the Institute- work in Hunan Province, China, we have 247, making 2,747 in all under instruc tion, most of them doing some practical Christian work. Our evangelistic enterprises reach Jews, Shop Men, Sailors, Mexicans, and, in fact, thousands of men and women of all classes, everywhere. Through our Book Boom and The King’s Business magazine We are reaching more than #a hundred thousand people. We have outgrown our splendid quarters and are in need of new buildings, but we are handicapped in securing the necessary funds by reason of the false impression which has been broadcasted by some denominational papers and through other sources that we have millionaires behind us. We should be glad were this so, for we could use an abundance of funds, but this impression is without any foundation in fact. We are abso lutely dependent upon the gifts of those upon whose hearts the Lord shall lay our work. We make this frank confession and do not hesitate to say that we need your prayers, and your financial help. We covet your personal investigation of our work and our resources, and will be glad to spnd you literature giving full particulars. _____________ —T. C. H.
FORM O F B E Q U E S T TO TH E BIBLE IN STITU TE I give and bequeath to Bible Institute of Los Angeles, incorporated under the laws of the State of California .„A.................. .— ...JDollars, and I direct that the release of the President of the Board of Directors of said Bible Institute of Los Angeles shall be sufficient discharge to my executors in the premises.
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MARGINAL NOTES FOR TOUR STUDY BIBLE
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Subtract th e age of David when he began to reign. Multiply by th e number of stones David had in his scrip when he went fo rth to meet Goliath. Add the number th a t was saved in the Ark. Subtract th e number of Angels Mary saw a t th e Sepulchre where Christ was buried, according to th e Gospel of John. Add th e number of Deacons chosen by the early Church. Subtract th e number of Mites th e poor Widow threw into th e treasury. Divide by th e number of Devils th a t went out of Mary Magdalene. Take th e number thu s found fo r the corresponding verse in Matt, xi, and in th is verse you will find something th a t we all long for and th a t Jesus alone can give. The man who fell asleep a sectarian and awoke a cosmopolitan— Acts 10: 9-22. The shortest biography ever w ritten —Acts 10:38. “Whosoever”— th e first tim e in Acts — 10:43. When P eter had a sermon cu t short by th e Holy Spirit—Acts 10:44. The Gentile Pentecost—Acts 10. The first missionaries, to. th e heathen E - la y Christians—Acts 11:20. Persecution, th e mother of evangel ism—Acts l i e 19. The b irth of th e name “C hristian”— Acts 11:26. The formula for giving to the Lord’s work—Acts 11:29. Lk. 2:14, “On earth peace, good will toward men,” is literally, “ Peace to men of good w ill.” Cf. Rom. 6:1.
SOMETHING'WE ALL WANT T. E . Cramer, Burbank, California Take th e number converted a t P en te cost. Divide by the number of years Enoch walked w ith G od.' Multiply th is by th e number of Books in the Old Testament. Add to this th e height of the gallows, in cubits, Haman had made to hang Mordecai on. Subtract the number of days Jesus was tempted in th e W ilderness. Add th e number of Children two she- bears killed. Multiply by the number of persons recorded in th e Old Testament th a t went to Heaven w ithout dying. Divide by the number of times God called Samuel when he was a lad. Subtract th e number of Books in th e New Testament. Add the num ber of stones th e Com mandments were w ritten on. Subtract th e number of years the Chil dren of Israel were in captivity. Multiply by th e number of parts into which Palestine is divided. Subtract the number of men fed by twenty loaves of bread. Add the number of daughters Jacob had. Divide by the number of times Peter denied his Master. Subtract the age of Jesus when he began his Public m inistry. Multiply by th e number of persons recorded th a t Jesus raised from the dead. Add the age of Jesus when in His boyhood He went to the feast of the Passover. Divide by the number of days and nights Jonah was in the whale’s belly.
A Whole Christ for the Whole World Christ Defined, the Implications Set Forth and the Obligation . that Devolves Upon All Christians
By DR. A. C. DIXON, Baltimore
glory as of th e only begotten of the F ath e r, full of grace and tru th .” We cannot understand all this, bu t we can see it. In the second text is a definition of the Scriptures. “All Scripture is God- breathed and profitable.” Beyond ques tion th is is the rig h t translation. In “all Scripture” is the breath, which is the life, of God. I t does not say th a t all w riters of Scripture are God- breathed, though “ the Holy Spirit did speak by the mouth of David,” and “ holy men of old spake as they were moved by th e Holy Spirit.” Scripture is not w riter, but w riting. In the w riting is the life of God. This w riting refers to the Old Testament, and, by fair inference, to the New. Every Scripture in these Scriptures has in it the life of God. Our th ird text defines the field of Christian activity. “All th e world,” This, of course, means all the ea rth to its remotest parts, bu t immensely more. Into all th e cosmos, the present order of things a t home and abroad. W hat th is present order needs is th e Gospel. “The field is th e world,” near as well as distant. W hether th e present order be civilization, as in America and England; or savagery, as in C entral Africa, the universal need is ju s t the same. “P reach the Gospel to every creatu re,” civilized, semi-civilized and savage. Implications The first implication is th a t Christ stands alone as th e Saviour of th e world. In him alone “ dwells all th e fullness of th e Godhead bodily.” He is the solitary mountain peak rising far above the hills of humanity. He is the solitary sun in the heavens which eclipses all other
“In h im d w e lle th a ll th e fu lln e ss o f th e G od h ead h o d ily .” Col. 2:9. “A ll S c rip tu re is G o d -b re a th e d an d p ro fita b le .” 2 T im . 2:16. "Go ye in to a ll th e w o rld a n d p re a c h th e Gospel to every creatu re.” M ark 16:15. of these Scriptures come ree trip lets of tru th : (1)
T riplet of Definitions; (2) A _ip let of Implications, and
(3) A T riplet of Obligations. Definitions
. We have a definition of Christ as one. in whom “ dwells all th e fullness of the Godhead bodily.” God has all wisdom, and in Christ dwells the fullness of omniscience. God has all power, and in Christ dwells the fullness o f ‘omnipo tence. God is all-holy, and in Christ dwells, the fullness of holiness. I do not understand how omnipresence can be present, nor how the infinite and eternal can subm it to th e lim itations of the finite and temporal. But I see it in Christ as “ God manifest in the flesh.” I stood th e other day out in the open and looked up at th e broad expanse of sky and cloud and out upon th e wide stretches of space in all directions to th e horizon. Then I went into a little building called a “Camera Obscura,” and th e broad expanse and the wide stretches I saw in moving picture upon a table th ree feet square. I may not under stand how so much can he compressed into so little, h u t I can see and enjoy it. In Christ is all of God and all of man, except sin; th e fullness of deity and the fullness of humanity. I do not comprehend it, h u t I see it and rejoice. “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the
THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S lights. He has no peer and no rival. “There is none other name given under heaven among men whereby we must be saved.” “The only-begotten.” Millions of others have been begotten by n atu ral generation and of God unto eternal life, bu t He stands alone as begotten of a virgin th rough th e Holy Spirit. Among all th e persons in the universe He is unique in His virgin birth. In th is He is “ the only begotten” in earth and heaven. The second implication is th a t th e Bible stands alone as th e God-breathed Word, which “liveth and abideth fo r ever.” O ther books have in them the life of men. This is the one book which has in it th e life of God. O ther books have in them divine life only as they have drawn it from th is solitary source. The th ird implication is th a t the Church, by which we mean all who have been born from above, stands alone as th e agency th rough which t his unique Christ and unique Book a re to be tak en to all th e world. “Go ye” was spoken not to angels bu t to His disciples. We are H is sole dependence for world evangelization. If we fail Him, the work will not be done. Obligations Our first obligation is to give to such a Christ th e place He deserves. The one in whom “ dwells the fullness of th e God head bodily” deserves our worship and service. It is fitting th a t we should fall before Him and say w ith Thomas, “My Lord, and My God.” It is fitting th a t such worship should be linked w ith con sta n t and whole-hearted service. To serve Him w ithout worship is to rob Him of the glory which is His due, and to worship Him w ithout service is a pietism which may resu lt in mere sp irit ual luxury. Social service which takes the crown of deity from Christ is tre a son to our King, and no amount of doing good can atone for such a wrong. Our second obligation is to give to th e God-breathed Book th e place it
237 m erits. It is our text-book on theology, th e most im portant science under the sun. Only he who has no God can truly say th a t he has no theology, for th e ology is what we know about God. If we have a little insignificant Go£, we shall have a little insignificant theology. The greatness of th e God we worship is th e measure of our theology. The Bible is, for the most p art, the revelation of God in Christ, and the book th a t reveals in Him “all the full ness of the Godhead bodily,” has such a theology as no other book approaches. Indeed, all other books which do not echo •th e teachings of the Bible have nothing b etter th an mythology. In th e world of books the Bible not only merits, pre-eminence, but' is so unique as to suggest th at, like the Christ it reveals, it belongs to a class apart. A German theologian inform ed us th a t the five kings in the fourteenth chapter of Genesis had no historic exist ence; but now in th e ligh t of knowl edge, revealed by th e pick and spade, th e reign of Arioch is acknowledged to be the certain sta rtin g point of ancient history, showing th a t the Bible was for thousands of years th e only correct tex t book on th is p a rt of ancient history. A few years ago th e historians who - did not accept the Bible as th e inspired Word of God denied th a t Sargon, King of Assyria, mentioned in Isaiah 20:1, • ever existed. His name did no t occur in th e list of Assyrian kings, th a t were known to modern scholarship, and the Bible m ust be m istaken. But now, in the light of w hat the pick and spade of the archeologist have revealed, we know the date and deeds of Sargon’s reign and have even unearthed th e founda tions of his palace. So th a t th e Bible was fo r a t least twenty-five hundred years, the only correct text-book of As syrian history. And the Bible was un til the tim e of Copernicus the only correct text-book on astronomy. While the world was be-
THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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The man who did most to found th a t departm ent of geology known as fossil- ology was William Smith, an English man, who died in 1837. He was a su r veyor, who supported himself by his trade, and, as he went about his busi ness, made as careful observations as possible of th e e a rth ’s formation, spe cially of the fossils which he found in many places. He had talen t, if not genius, for draw ing maps of what he saw and in time attracted wide attention to th e discoveries he had made. He did for fossils very much w hat W erner did for rocks. He was certain th a t th e age of the rocks could be determ ined by the fossils th a t were in them . But subse quent investigations have proved th a t the fossils which Mr. Smith classified as belonging to the upper stra ta are elsewhere found in the lower stra ta and vice versa. Indeed, the rocks and the fossils have become so inextricably mixed th a t a living geologist asserts th a t no up-to-date scientist can afford to risk his reputation by declaring th a t he can now tell the age of a rock or a fossil. I tu rn to the Bible and find th a t be tween the first and the second verses of th e first chapter of Genesis th ere is time enough for long ages of deposit in the perfect o rder of “ the heaven and th e e a rth ” which God created. And since “was” may be tran slated “be came,” so as to make it read, “ th e earth became waste and void,” th ere is an intim ation th a t a great upheaval took place a t th a t remote time. This in tim ation leads a distinguished Bible student to say: “It is by no means nec essary to suppose th a t the life-germ of seeds perished in the catastrophic judg m ent which overthrew th e prim itive order. W ith the restoration of dry land and light, the earth would bring fo rth as described. It was animal life which per ished, the traces of which rem ain as fossils. Relegate fossils to th e prim i tive creation, and no conflict of science w ith the Genesis cosmogony rem ains.” YOUR BIG OPPORTUNITY! PAGE 325
lieving silly things as to th e'sh ap e, size and support of the earth , Job wrote, “He stretcheth out the North over empty space and hangeth th e earth upon nothing.” Job 26:7. During the past year I have devoted some tim e to the study of the history of geology, w ith the kind assistance of the Peabody L ibrarian in Baltimore; and, though the task is not yet finished, I must confess to some startling su r prises. When I studied geology in col lege, I thought th a t its classifications and principles were as solid as “the eternal hills,” bu t th is recent study has so far left only one certainty, which is, th a t, as a speculative science, geology is in a chaotic state. The practical geol ogy which the mining engineer studies gives him facts upon which he can rely, but in the realm of theoretical geology th e fogs of uncertainty prevail. The most famous geologist of his day, and its founder as a science, was A. G, Werner, of Saxony, who died in 1817. W erner studied the stra ta of his native land and imagined th a t sim ilar stra ta encircled th e globe. The lowest rocks he very reasonably supposed were the oldest and the uppermost rooks he ju st as reasonably supposed were the newest. He had a genius, if not a mania, for classification. One historian says th a t he bought books, not th a t he m ight read them, bu t th a t he m ight classify them in his library, and he gave banquets, not th a t he m ight enjoy the fellowship of friends, bu t th a t he m ight have the pleasure of properly arrang ing them at th e table. His “Onion Coat” theory of the e a rth ’s stra ta was orderly and beautiful. But investigations in other countries, notably in America, have proved th a t some rocks which are lowest in Saxony are uppermost in America and vice versa. The fair inference is th a t W erner was as much m istaken in his stratifications as everybody now knows th a t he was m istaken in his theory th a t basalt was of aqueous formation.
T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S Geologists are willing to adm it th a t more th an one upheaval may have taken place. We tu rn again to th e Bible and find the historic record of such an upheaval in th e ’ sixth and seventh chapters of Genesis, when “the fountains of the g reat deep were broken up,” the w aters covered th e highest mountains and all animal life was destroyed except th a t Which was preserved in an ark specially built for the purpose. We are tre mendously interested by the fact th a t all geologists of note, who wrote before A. D. 1830, believed th a t present geolog ical conditions can be explained by this biblical record of th e Noachian Deluge. As I have read the geological literatu re of the past fifty years, I have turned to the Bible w ith th e confirmed conviction th a t it is the most reliable, up-to-date text book on geology th a t is now before the public. All geological phenomena can be more reasonably explained in the light of the Bible th an of any other book in existence. Biologists adm it th ree things: (1) That science cannot explain th e origin of m atter and life. (2) T h at life comes only from antecedent life. (3) That one species has never been known to evolve into another species. Such a claim can be based only upon what is imagined to have taken place before the historic period. When we look into the Bible, we find th a t God is revealed as the au tho r of both m atter and life. We find also th a t every species is reproduced “afte r its kind.” The biology of the Bible thus harmonizes w ith the known facts of sci ence and contradicts only the vagaries of speculative scientists. We have, therefore, the rig h t to claim th a t the Bible is an up-to-date text-book on biology. In th e Bible is revealed, not only the origin of m atter and life, but of th e Sabbath, of marriage, of the State, of civilization, of sin and of crime. Since philosophy is “ th e science which
239 investigates the causes of all phenom ena,” and the Bible reveals most clearly and au tho ritatively these causes, the Bible is the most reliable text-book on philosophy. As a text-book on theology, on ancient history, on astronomy, on geology, on biology and on philosophy, the Bible is worthy of a place in our schools. When all o ther books were teaching erro r about Arioch and Sargori, the Bible was rig h t; when all th e world was wrong in its thoughts about th e earth and the air, th e Bible was righ t; and today the proof th a t the Bible is the in erran t Word of God is immensely stronger th an the proof in favor of any theory of geology, biology or philosophy th a t con trad icts the Bible, while th e geology, biology and philosophy of the Bible are in harmony w ith all the facts of n atu re about us, history behind us and sound reasoning w ithin us. Those who really know the Bible and the facts of history, astronomy, geology, biology and phi losophy must be convinced th a t to ex clude the Bible from our schools is to keep from the young people of th is gen eration knowledge which they have a righ t to possess. Our th ird obligation is to give to world evangelization th e place it de serves. We have a universal Christ in th a t He is ju st th e Savior th a t every creature needs, and a universal Bible in th a t it has a message to every crea ture. It is fitting th a t we should carry such a Christ and such a Bible to the u tterm o st p art of th e earth. Our Mas te r is expecting us to do it. Let us not disappoint Him. GOOD ONE ON THE BURGLAR We have ju st read about a m inister’s wife waking h er husband w ith the dread news th a t th ere was a bu rg lar in the house. The preacher m uttered sleepily as he relapsed into unconsciousness: “Well; let him find out his m istake for him self.”
WILL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT
Common Sense from a Japanese Boy What They Think About “Missionaries” Who Come to Them With an Empty Gospel
A REAL CALL TO PRAYER
following h eart message l a young Japanese Chris- has a tru e ring concern- th e Gospel message in
Holy Spirit is the witness. Whenever I read the K ing’s Business, I can’t help but pray in thanksgiving to Him th a t th ere is such a strong voice in America, whence the most p art of th e Christian Work in th is country comes. Please make your voice loud and do lead the Christian faith of America, cooperating w ith th e Moody Bible In stitu te. I have been also reading Moody Monthly and seeing such two big and strong in stitu tions, crying out His voice, His warning, I feel sure God will fight th e battle H imself and win it a t last; fo r none can be His enemy. Glory be unto Him! I have ju st been reading the King’s Business of September and impressed so much w ith your editorials: “W hat of America,” “A‘ Sign of the Times,” es pecially w ith “The Inevitable.” America has done an immense good to this Empire, for which I am heartily thankful. She is the only nation, at present, which can be and ought to be th e leader in everything; in science, in financial realm,. in thoughts, and in faith , which is the most im po rtan t of all things, as others are led from faith. There seems to be about 800 mission aries;* of whom, perhaps, more than th ree-fou rth s are from America, for which I don’t know how to express my thankfulness. Though th ere are yet only less than 200,000 (though I am not sure) Chris tians in Japan (excepting Chosen or Korea) y et th e Christian influence has been so g reat and this we owe fo r the most p art to your country. There is an universal un rest in th is country in every direction and seeking earnestly for something th a t can give them rest and
Japan and every other foreign field. This young man has a keen sense of the folly and failure of any attem p t to exploit Christianity in any other way th an through the in e rran t Word of God. We rejoice in converts w ith th is spirit and are giving his le tte r to our readers in the hope th a t it will awaken them to the necessity for the church to devote itself to the definite business which was committed to it— not only on th e foreign field, bu t in our own land. Tokyo, Japan. To the Editor in Chief, Rev. T. C. Horton, Dear Sirs: Though a young boy, having much in te rest in Christianizing this Island Country, I dare to w rite th is poor letter in my poor English. I have been read ing and enjoying several of your K ing’s Business, and pray th a t God will bless your work for Him. I was only con verted two years ago, so I have very little experience and knowledge about Christian faith and th e Bible, yet Christ’s love was abundantly understood during these two years. “This is a faith fu l saying and worthy of all acceptance, th a t Christ came into th is world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” I am glad th a t the K ing’s Business is faithful to Him and crying loudly for the Fundamentals. It is tru ly God’s Voice to every one and so has power, while the Modernist cry, though often beautiful, has no power a t all. The
THE K I N G ’ S- B U S I N E S S peace. This only our Saviour Jesus Christ, who is virgin-born, who was cru cified because of our sins and who arose again and is to come again w ith His physical body, can do. Christ must be th e only One to save th is country from the present condition of sin and unrest, darkness and confusion. But what I am going to w rite in th is le tte r is not mentioned yet. You all know th is country has been very good to catch and learn things from other countries. Great p art of letters which are being used now came from China long ago. Buddhism came from India; Confucianism came from China; alm ost all scientific learnings came from Europe ancj your country and C hristian ity is spreading now by the faith fu l effort of hundreds of m issionaries from your country. A fter all, my country, so far, has been a country of borrow ing and im itation. Here, w e' are in g reat dan ger. We have been used to learn from others w ithout exam ination and scrutiny. Good and bad come together. T rue Christianity and false one come to g eth er and are received both w ithout examination. I am only a college boy and have never been to your country so do not know much about th e spiritual condition of your country people, but people coming back from your country and papers say, it is in dangerous con dition. The faith , Christian faith, in your country is now marching a wrong way, I feel. (Please excuse me my boldness and impoliteness. I am w riting ju st what I feel and th ink .) The Christian faith of your people of the present time is not th a t of years ago. Of course th ere are tens of thousands of faith fu l and tru e to th e Lord like your In stitu te and Moody’s and others. I am w riting this because the Christianizing of th is little country depends so much on your m is sionaries,-and so, n atu rally I am anxious about it. If Christ was not born from Virgin
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Mary; if He is not the Son of God, if He is not th e only necessary and suffi cient One who came down from God to be the Redeemer fo r us fallen men; if He did not rise again and if He will not come again in His physical body; then Christianity is nothing bu t a teaching of weak m orality and the Holy Bible be comes only a book of ethics of “ do and do-not.” Lord, give repentance to th e Modernists. They do not know what they are doing and saying. They are denying Thy Son! And yet they claim to be Thy children. Christ my Saviour only a man? Man is under no condemnation, needs no re pentance? God is too good to punish him? Man is little different from monkey? Christ has come already? He will not come? It is in a sp iritual sense? Lord, send repentance to them before too late, fo r they will all perish, go to hell and will be b u rn t in unquenchable fire! Send Thy Spirit abundantly to Dr. Torrey’s In stitu te, to Mr. Moody’s In stitu te; they are not those of human beings! They are Thine! F o r Thy glory send quick victory to these faith ful In stitu tion s and th e ir people! Though a little boy far away, I am pray ing here. Lord, listen and answer my prayers! I t is for Thy glory and for thy Son’s! “The fru its of th e modern m issionary teaching, destructive of Christian, faith as founded upon the Bible, are now de veloping so rapidly in certain fields th a t no fair-m inded person can fail to ob serve the trend of things.’! Thus the K ing’s Business of September says. And th is is sadly tru e here in th is country too, when th is young boy sees the Chris tian work of the present tim e by the missionaries though fo r whom he has so much thankfulness. Of course there are many, many faith fu l ones, some of whom I know. The fallen condition of man in sin, need of repentance and regeneration; faith in Jesus th e Son of God; hope for
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