Bible Institute and Prayer Number
i i . i J
-•'v'v-
JANUARY, 1922
30 DAYS
IN WHICH TO REACH OUR GOAL The King's Business In 50,000 Homes hy Jan. 1, 1922 MANY OF OUR SUBSCRIBERS HAVE ALREADY DONE THEIR PART WILL YOU DO YOURS? WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL IT MAKE TO YOU? FIRST: You will be making an effort in a good cause. SECOND: You may, under God, be a great blessing to some home. THIRD: Through reading the magazine some soul may be saved. FOURTH: Some young people may decide to prepare them selves for Christian work. FIFTH: Some Sunday School teacher may get a new vision for service. SIXTH : Some pastor may be set on fire for service and a whole church thereby revived. SEVENTH: Whatever good results from this campaign, through your efforts, you will share in through eternity. DO IT N O W REMEMBER: With each GIFT subscription a copy of “ Truth
for You” by Dr. J. H. Sammis; or “ Who Are These Premillennialists?” by T. C. Horton; or “ Ransacking the Scriptures” by K. L. Brooks; or “ Bible Marking” by K. L. Brooks, sent to any address. Christmas greeting card bearing send er’s name, direct to subscriber.
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T H E K IN G ’ S B U S IN E S S MOTTO: H theLord, dokeep it,1willwaterit every moment lest any hurt it, I will keepit nighiandday^ PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE " b ib le INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES PUBLISHED m 536 55g SOUT h HOPE STREET. LOS ANGELES. CAL. Entered a . Second-Class Matter November H . 191 0 . at^the Post Office at Los A n gles. California
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Number 1
Januar?, 1922.
Volume XIII
Rev T. C. HORTON. Editor in Chief
Rev. KEITH L. BROOKS. Managing Editor
A LAN S. PEARCE, Circulation Representative Contributing Editors
„ „
DR. F. W. FARR
DR. FRENCH E. OLIVER
REV. WM. H. PIKE
DR. A. C. DIXON
CONTENTS Editorials: This Year (3 ), Idealizing Christ in Industry (3 ), Religious Reds (5 ), Deceiving Conceptions (5 ), Proof of the Pudding (7), Christ of the Cross and Crown ( 8 ). Satan and Scripture (9 ), Rome and the Bible (9 ), Striking Contrast (10) Bible Briefs— (12) Speaking with Tongues— Dr. A. C. Dixon (14) Modernism and Prayer—Dr. John Horsch (20) Men of Prayer— (23) Facts from the Foreign Field—Dr. R. A. Torrey (26) Evangelistic Stories— (31) Bible Institute Notes— (37) Homiletica! Helps and Pulpit Pointers 139 ) Notes on the Jews— (43) Talk with the Unsaved—Arthur Gook (44) Deity of the Holy Spirit— Dr. Edw. Bick^steth 0 6 ) Sunday School Lessons— (50) Daily Devotional Readings—Dr. F. W. Farr (85, Editorial Afterthoughts— (92) NOTICE— Help us send this magazine to the missionaries, for this purpose are practically exhausted.
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LYMAN STEWART, President of Bible institute of Los Angeles
0, tender Christ, bless Thou this year! Bless Thou its dawn, and bless Its noontide and its evening, Lord; And let each heart confess, As days and weeks and months go by To help the year grow old, That of Thy glory, King of kings, The half not yet is told.
. —Mary D. Brme. HROW away the old calendar and hang up the new! The dead and its deeds are recorded. No power of earth can them,—written in indelible ink; chiseled on the tablets eternal ages. A year of untold wrongs and crimes against God and man. A year of famine and suffering and sorrow for nations. A year of testing and trial for men and women. A story of broken vows, broken hearts, broken homes. Will there ever be another like it? Yes, and worse if the Book is true —the prophetic Book that never fails to tell the truth. The old world staggers on like a drunken man to its destined doom. Will there be no light? No cheer? No surcease of sorrow? Yes, oh, yes! The darker the night for the world, the brighter the rays of the ineffable Sun of righteousness for the people of God. Can we not change God’s plan? No, it is fixed. What can we do? Do what He has given us to do. Do His holy will. Bring some of the shipwrecked souls to the eternal shore. Break the news of God’s love for men, of Christ’s sacrifice for men.: Tell the story of the sheltering blood that shields for ever the sins of men. Tell the story of redeeming love. Heal the broken hearted. Give sight to the blind. Set at liberty those who are Satan-bound. Live out the wonderful life of Christ that is within us. Set the joy bells ringing in the hearts of the sin-oppressed. Do this, as Jesus did, and you will have fulfilled your mission, and in the midst of a ruined world you will be a light-bearer, a, joy-bringer, a soul- saver. And when the books are opened you will have ho reason to sorrow over a misspent year. Do your best. The night cometh. ' Make it a year of blessing to others and you will have no lack of joy. —T.C. H. IDEALIZING CHRIST IN INDUSTRY The Chicago Evening Post recently contained a most interesting ar ticle concerning a conference of business men in England, for the purpose year is change of the
4 T HE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S of establishing a “ Christian order of industry.” The article says that Lord Robert Cecil presided and that many men, conspicuous in commercial and manufacturing industries in England, took part in the discussion, and that a governing council of fifty members was named to promote the aims promulgated. Among the speakers at the conference was Arnold S. Rowntree whose name, appearing on cakes of chocolate and tins of cocoa, is famous through out Great Britain. Mr. Rowntree urged as fundamental principles: “Industry must create and develop human fellowship. Any practices cal culated to destroy such fellowship are immoral. “ Every human Individual is of Intrinsic worth, and human labor cannot be considered a commodity. “ Industry must consider among its first charges the provision of an income sufficient to maintain in reasonable comfort all who engage in it; provision for special burdens to which those who engage in it may be subjected; provision fo? superannuation; provision for healthy conditions, development of personality, talents and self-expression.” Mr. Charles Smithson, another prominent business man, added the following: “ Receipt of an income from industry should carry with it responsibility for conditions and purpose of the industry. “ All natural resources and every natural privilege which owes its' worth to the labor or necessities of all should be held and utilized for the benefit of all.” It is evident that Great Britain is beginning to feel the pinch of the perils that threaten its perpetuity and is awakening to a consciousness that the mere carrying of the title of a Christian nation is not sufficient, but that a nation must ring true to its profession as well as the individual. There can be no doubt but that these business men were sane, sensible, practical business men; not preachers, not missionaries or theorists. It was not a religious gathering in the sense in which we use that term. These men recognized that the ideals of Christ must be realized in human life and in business life, if prosperity and peace are to be maintained. But they failed to realize that there must be something more than merely putting ideals into institutions. There must be the acknowledgment that the life of Christ must be a personal possession of the individual before there can be any real hope of a satisfactory change in the life of men. The conditions faced by the mother country are the same as those now faced by our own beloved land. We must not only have resolutions passed by assemblies, but we must have a resolute understanding of the great fact that men need the real God-given (in God’s ordained way) life of God and this can only be obtained through faith in the God-given Son of God. In order that this may be accomplished, there must be the return of men to God’s Word, as the only reliable authority, and the preaching and teaching of that Word. This is God’s ordained solution of all problems, be they social, political, industrial,—in the church or family; and there is the prom ised power of God accompanying His Word. His Word works today in shop and factory, in store and school, in society and the slums, anywhere and everywhere that His ambassadors carry it. Some of us have the joy of seeing and having the testimony to this fact every day. When will our Christian business men awake to the Consciousness of this fact, and dedicate their energy and their means to the carrying out of God’s program—the giving of the Gospel, which is the power of God, to
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every creature? The Gospel is not social service. He never says so. It is not simply-altering the physical conditions of men; good as that is. The Gospel is all of that, and more; it is the impartation of the life of God Him self through His Word, and the Church as a whole must awake to this fact or there is no hope for our land or for the sorrowing, suffering world. We are glad to quote the closing words of this great cosmopolitan daily, referring to conditions in Great Britain: “ This thing will happen in the United States one of these days. We hope it will happen before the situation grows as critical and as dangerous here as it has become in England. But sooner or later we will discover, as the business men across the Atlantic are discovering, that it is mere waste of time and energy to attempt to solve our human problems,— social, political or industrial,— by other methods than those which are in harmony with God’s standards as revealed in the teaching and life of His greatest interpreter, Jesus Christ.” —T. C. H. RELIGIOUS REDS A recent dispatch from London states that the British Government is awakening to the peril of the plot of the Beds to upset the governments of the world. It is sorrowfully sad to have to wake up when one is having a nice, cozy slumber, and especially so for a great nation,—but the fires are burn ing in India and Afghanistan, with some smoke in Ireland. Poor Russia that promised so many promising things is pretty well burned up. We are glad that England is shaking off the sheets and getting on her feet. Let us pray for her. But there is another set of Reds right here in our own land—Religious Reds—rampant in their determination to overthrow God’s written law and demand that it no longer be regarded as inerrant. These Reds flaunt the banner of Modernism in the midst of the churches and -with devilish effront ery demand the right to change the interpretation of God’s holy Word to suit themselves. They are blasting against the very foundations of our religious faith. They cannot change the Bible any more than they can change any of God’s unchangeable laws, but they can undermine faith .and set the poor people adrift without chart or compass. The devil is at the bottom of both of these Red Movements. He is a. Red devil, and a ready devil, and he uses any kind of an instrument he can find, whether it be a rampant anarchist obsessed with a desire to rule or ruin, or a pulpiteer or professor with little brains and lamentable brag and conceit. Pity these poor, radical leaders. May God have mercy on them and change their unsound minds. But God pity more the poor, de luded followers who swallow the poison of the pit as readily as do the people of Russia. Pray, brethren, pray! T. C. H, CONCERNING DECEIVING CONCEPTIONS The theme for a recent Sunday sermon by a noted Congregational preacher, with a large following, was “ New Bible Conceptions.” We get a little tired of following these adventurers who prate and
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I DONT SEE ANYTHING TO THIS BOOK
prattle about the Word of God, but as long as so many deluded people follow them, we must keep on their track and help to warn the unwary. He said: “ The new view of the Bible which I am to present, is the view acceptable to our age. Two generations hence it may be necessary to revise that which we now hold.” No doubt that will be true for the devil keeps these enemies of the Bible busy finding some excuse for holding on to their pulpit jobs while putting it over upon the unsophisticated people who are paying their bills. "The old view,” he tells us, “ contained three fundamental elements. First —-verbal inspiration. Second— absolute infallibility. Thirds—plenary authority. “ This old view of the Bible, as thus stated, has been for many years taught by the church as of supreme importance. But in our time there has arisen a new school of thought which, with the scientific temper, is subjecting all of this to a careful and critical analysis.” ¡5This is where he seeks to “ put it over.” The “ new view,” as he calls it, is as old as the devil himself, and the devil has been working it ever since Eve fell for it in the Garden of Eden. To quote more at length would be to rehash what every student knows is not new at all, but the old Satanic subterfuge worked threadbare; but these men who pose as preachers are able to make the dear unsuspecting people believe that they are “ scholars” of scientific minds, and that from their ponderous brains have been evolved some startling scientific secrets for which the world has been waiting with bated breath. The man who dished this up to a large audience of ignorant hearers is but a sample of a large company of men who adorn (?) the pulpits of the country and who seek to exploit the insipid view s of men rather than to teach the inspired Word of God. “ ’Tis true, ’tis pity, and pity ’tis, ’tis true!’ ’ Pray for them. T. C. H.
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THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING The test of a machine is, “ Does it work well?” The test of a business policy is ,“ Does it work well?” The test of an organization is, “ Does it work well?” The test of a religion is, “ Does it work'well?” The Protestant evangelical church of the world is up in the air. It has been swept from its feet by professors and preachers who have been insinuat ing all kinds of questions concerning .the evangelical faith. The theory ad vanced is that every man must think for himself and that the uncultured oc cupants of the pews, the simple minded men and women that pay the bills, have no thinkers and therefore they must depend upon these cultured gentlemen who are willing to supply their need, if they are willing to pay the price. What do they supply.?. Vicious vagaries. Listen to their vaporings; “ The Bible is not inspired; we are.” “ The Bible is full of myths and fables; we will point them out to you.” “ Man never fell downward, but he fell upward.” : “ There is no devil.” “ You have been reading folk-lore and legends, when you read the Bible.” • “ The prophets were not prophets.” “ We are yet in the unfinished state.” (Well, that is certainly true as far as the critics are concerned. Unfinished? Yes, but when God Almighty puts the finishing touch upon them, they will be conscious of it.) “ Truth is in the bud.” (On the contrary, truth is in its flower.) What is truth? “ Truth is the edict of God. * * * Truth is always straightforward. * * * Truth needs no color, beauty, no pencil. * * * Truth takes no account of centuries. * * * Scientific truth is marvelous, but moral truth is divine, and whoever breathes its air and walks by its light has found the lost paradise. * * * The expression of truth is simplicity. * * * Thy WORD is truth.” The acid test to apply to a doctrine, no matter when or how it originates or who voices it, is, “ What is its fruit?” Righteousness is the fruit of truth. Holy living is its fruit. Separation from the world is its fruit. Love for the lost, manifested in-soul-saving efforts, is its fruit. Test the teachers. Test their followers. Test the churches where the de structive, critical, scissor-cutting theory of handling tne Word of Truth pre vails. Contrast their record with the history of the early church, the history of the self-sacrificing, self-denying, soul-saving church and you have your proof Does the Bible-denying, virgin-born-Christ-denying church or life function in a humble, spiritual, self-sacrificing, soul-winning, fruit-bearing manner? This is God’s test. This is the practical test. “ By their fruits ye shall know them,” not by their self-styled scholarship, but by their zeal for the honor of God’s Word and God’s holy Son, whose blood is alone sufficient to make atonement for the sin-cursed race; and by their stalwart defence of a God-inspired, God- preserved, infallible Word which, has always and will always bring forth the promised fruitage. , , - “ Oh! how great is the power of truth which, of its own puwer, can easily defend itself against all the cunning and wisdom of men, and against the plots of all the world.” “ The Gospels do not agree.” “ There was no virgin birth.” “ Miracles are impossible.”
8 THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S “Weigh not so much what men say as what they prove, remembering that truth is simple .and naked, and needs no invective to apparel her comeliness. Any believer can test the whole matter for himself. “ The proof of tha pudding is in the eating.” Test it by tasting it. ■ T. C. H.
THE CHRIST OF THE CROSS AND THE CROWN ‘ ‘ The Pittsburgh Christian Advocate” (Methodist) has been devoting its cover page to an expose of the “ modern heresy ’—belief in the second coming of Christ. In one of these brilliant articles occurs the following statement: “ The hope of this premillennial propaganda is that Jesus is about to do what He resolutely refused to do in the days of His flesh, namely, confirm men in their misconception of both the Bible and the King dom.” . . . . It is true that the Jews completely misunderstood Christ’s mission m His first advent. This is evident in many statements, such as Mark 9 :32; Luke 9 :45; John 10:6 j Luke 18:34; John 12:16; 8 :43. Even His disciples failed to grasp the truth He was .constantly repeating (Matt. 15:16). They completely reversed the order of the prophecies which uniformly repre sented the Messiah as first coming as a suffering Savior and later as a glori ous King. (See 1 Pet. 1:11; Acts 17:3; Luke 24 :25-27, 44-46). They failed to see that the sin question must be settled. The religious leaders there fore totally ignored the angel’s announcement that Christ had come “ to save His people from.their sins” (Matt. 1:21) and John’s announcement that He had come as the Lamb of God to atone for sin, to baptize with the Holy Ghost and to gather His wheat into His garner (Matt. 3:11, 12; Jn. 1:291. Believers in the premillennial coming of Christ are fully aware of this misconception on the part of the Jews (John 18:33-36), but they know something else equally as well for they believe in the statements of the New Testament. They know that Christ repeatedly told His hearers that His world-wide kingdom promised by the prophets awaited His second coining when He would appear with power and great glory, bringing His saints with Him, meting out vengeance to the enemies of the Cross and establishing a reign of absolute righteousness and peace. The Methodist professors seem to have but one good way of getting around the nearly 400 references in the New Testament to the second com ing of Christ. Their Professor Brightman, for instance, says, “ If the doc trine of the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures be true, premillennialism is true. ’ ’ The Jew ignored the Christ of the Cross and the modernist ignores the Christ of the crown. Denying, as they do, the inspiration of the Scriptures, it is easy for them to evade all the prophecies of the last times such as 2 Pet. 3 :3, 4, where we are told the day will Come when man will deny the truth of the glorious second coming of Christ. -K . L. B.
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SATAN AND SCRIPTURE i Have you ever noticed, in the account of the temptation of our Lord in Matt. 4, the reply made to Satan when “ his majesty” attempted to quote Scripture to the Savior? Said Satan: “ It is written— ” and Christ replied, “ It is written AGAIN.” The devil himself can quote Scripture. In-this particular case he is attempting to develop faith in God. He is showing Jesus how He can be more religious. And he quotes Scripture in his attempt to lead Jesus on. But we find that he has taken Scripture out of its context and thus forced meanings into the divine Word which the Spirit never intended to convey. Had Christ accepted the devil’s version, He would- have presumed upon God and would have been confused. Jesus immediately'perceived Satan’s method in the use of Scripture, and replied—“ But it is written AGAIN.” There are many people who are afflicted with one passage of Scripture. They build whole schemes on one verse taken from its context. Scripture must be compared with Scripture. We need the whole Bible by which to test our theories. It is possible to fix the mind on one line of Scripture and miss the message of the whole Book. It is just this thing that has led many off upon tangents. “ Speaking, in tongues” is the sole stock in trade of some well meaning people. “ Holi ness unto the Lord” is the only thing in the Bible to others. “ The seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God” —is all that others can see. So we might go through the list of extreme sects. Forget not that “ It is writ ten AGAIN,” Put all statements on the subject side by side. Further more be sure that you are not doing, as was Satan in this instance—adding words and omitting words—and so forcing into a passage a meaning that was not intended. •Yes, the devil is a Bible student—in his way. —K. L. B. as» S&iy ROME AND THE BIBLE Roman Catholics, when confronted with the statement that their church and Pope are afraid of the Scriptures and opposed to their being read or circulated, have, since 1914, pointed to a statemertt issued by Pope Bene dict XV on October 8, 1914. This purports to be a strong recommendation of Bible reading and it is as follows: “It is a truth too well established to need recalling, that all errors flow into liinnH.li society from the burial by men in oblivion of the life, the precepts, the lessons of Jesus Christ, and their neglecting to apply the same to the actions of every day. We strongly desire and exhort the entrance of these most holy books into Christian households that all the faithful shall become habituated to the daily reading and study of the same and thence learn to walk worthily in all tilings pleasing to God.’ ’ Does this mean that Rome has changed its position with regard to the Scriptures and really welcomes the work being done by the great Bible societies in sending forth the Word of God? It means nothing of the sort. The Bible burnings under the direction of the Romish church continue. Just a few weeks ago a consecrated col-
10 THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S porteur traveling in Brazil, his only intent being to preach “ Christ and Him crucified,” was violently set upon by a representative of the Romish elergy, who beat him severely and heaped vile abuse upon his head. The Bibles and religious tracts were confiscated and publicly burned. This is# the carrying out of the orders of “ His Holiness,” Cardinal Arcoverde of Rio de Janeiro, who recently issued a command to all the faithful in his jurisdiction that war should be waged without, quarter upon all Protes tants. Evidently His Holiness is alarmed at the power and progress of the truth in Brazil. In the “ Larger Catechism,” prescribed by Pope Pius X, page 2Ó1, is the following query: “ What ought a Christian to do if a Bible should be offered him by a Protestant or by some emissary of the Protestants?” Answer: “ If a Christian should be offered a Bible by a Protestant or by some emissary of the Protestants, he ought indignantly to spurn it because it is forbidden by the Church, and if he should have accepted it without adverting to what it is, he should at once pitch it into the fire or fetch it to his priest. ’ ’ In the National Library at Paris there is a document containing advice given by the cardinals to Pope Julius III. It contains the following: “ You should promote the reading of the Gospel as little as possible, especially in the common tongue, in all those countries under your jurisdiction. Let the very little suffice that is usually read in the Mass and let no one be per mitted to read more. It is necessary to withdraw the Bible from the sight of the people but with great caution in order not to arouse tumults.” (Folio B, No. 1088, Yol. 2, pages 641-650,) If the Scriptures are read by Roman.Catholics, it must be only the Douay version containing the interpretations of the popes and priests. The Bible without notes is altogether too damaging to the cause to be per mitted, and if read, would lead to the rejection of the whole system of priest hood, popery, ritualism and superstition. Shall we hesitate to open the Scriptures to Catholics simply because. the powers over them would keep them in darkness ? Let us remember that men are born again “ not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, by the Word of God which liveth and abideth forever” (1 Pet. 1:23). Exhort them to “ search the Scriptures” and to obey the injunction, “ Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.” —K. L. B. A STRIKING CONTRAST Having a Sunday of rest during my holiday, I went to the only church in the village, and found that the service had begun. The preacher, with gold cross es on his vestments, was reverently reading an Old Testament portion; and, when he said, “ Thus endeth the first lesson,” the surpliced choir rose and faced the big crosses on the altar, while they sang. Then a New Testament lesson with another song from the choir facing the big crosses on the altar. In the midst of it all were two or three priestly benedictions by the preacher. I thought I could see the fluttering of some Roman rags amid the finery of music, postures and crosses. But the first hymn began, “ O Lamb of God, still keep me,” and I said to myself, “ Nevertheless I rejoice with Paul that Christ is preached.” Buc
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before the sermonette ended, my joy was turned into sorrow. The subject was “ Struggle,” and the preacher insisted that struggle is a universal law in the physical, moral and spiritual world. All life is a struggle. The struggling god of H. G. Wells was mentioned with approval. Paul, as a Jew, believed that there were good and evil spirits struggling with- each other. We may reject Paul’s view if we choose, though the preacher was inclined to agree with Paul. He even thought that Christians after death might continue to struggle. There was no recognition of Christ as Savior or the Holy Spirit as power. The preacher was evidently a stranger to any rest of faith which comes with ac cepting the finished work of Christ. The only comfort he had or could give to others was the fact that we must everlastingly struggle; and there was no com fort in that prospect to at least one of the audience. It seemed to him that real victory ,does not come to the soul till it ceases to struggle and rests completely in Christ, and that struggle means lack of life rather than the abundant life our Lord came to give. To struggle in one’s own strength is certain defeat, while rest/ of heart in Christ is certain victory. “ This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” In the afternoon I went to a big tent meeting in a neighboring town, and heard an evangelist preach in his shirt sleeves to about 4000 peopie. There were no vestments, crosses and posturing; but there was power, in his opening prayer he asked God to “ so bless the meeting as to put hell in mourning and make heaven rejoice.” There was an atmosphere of sensationalism in the place, and some things were said which did not add to the power of the meeting, but Christ was given the preeminence in all realms, and people accepted Him as their atoning Savior- and King. In the sermon of the morning, though faultless in diction and pleasing in delivery, there was nothing that could save a soul, and as I tried to estimate its value to the people, it seemed to be less than nothing. They went away without a smile, like convicts doomed to an eternity of struggle.— A. C. D. A GRACIOUS AND GLAD NEW YEAR TO OUR GROWING FAMILY We desire to return our heartfelt thanks to The King’s Business family for their prayers and gifts and service for thé year 1921. We have been able, through these means, to reach a higher standard in all departments of our work, than ever before. We face the New Year with undiminished faith in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, with unwavering confidence in His infallible Word, with uncompromising loyalty in its defense, and with undiminished love and zeal for the saving of the lost throughout the world. We earnestly covet your continued fellowship in the blessed work com mitted to us by His grace, and look forward with glad hearts to the service to which He has called us, and in which we have the assurance of His Di vine favor. 1 . T. C. H. Form of Bequest to tke Bible Institute jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinuiiiiiHHHiiinnuuiiiiHiMiiiiiiiiiiiiinniuiuiinniiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiHiiiiHiiiiiiHiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiwHHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiijiiiiiiiitHuiuje 5 3iiiuiiiiii»iiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiii*iiiiiiiniiiHiniii«iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuii»iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii»iiiiMiiiiiiiiiim»inimrtiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinii*ini*n»iiiiiiniiimiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniimmiiiii^ g || / give and bequeath to Bible Institute o f Los Angeles, incorporated, || || under the laws o f the State o f California ______ ;___________________ Dollars, || |l and I direct that the release o f the President o f the Board o f Directors ¡| j| o f said Bible Institute o f Los Angeles shall be sufficient discharge to my || If executors in the premises. âl II 5 r.iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiMiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHitfÉlitHiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiii: 5 ............................................................................................. .
BRIEFS
BIBLE
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MARGINAL NOTES FOR YOUR STUDY BIBLE
The longest chapter in the Old Testa ment is Psalm 119 with 176 verses. The shortest chapter is Psalm 117, hav ing two verses The heart of the Gospel is, “ He bore our sins” (1 Pet. 2:24), a truth that is being widely denied in our day. There are three great foundation reasons why the New Testament was written. 1. To reveal the Son of God— Jn. 20:31. 2. To reveal eternal life— Jn. 5:39. 3. To give comfort and hope to believers— Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11. The Word of God-^l Its divine in spiration—-2 Tim. 3:16. 2. Its abso lute purity— Ps. 12:6. 3. Its supreme authority— Ps. 119:128. 4. Its perfect unity— Jn. 10:35. 5, Its eternal per manency— 1 Pet. 1:25. In a word—Repentance, a change of mind. Regeneration, a change of heart. Conversion, a change of course. Adop tion, a change of family. Sanctification, a change of condition. Justification, a change of position. Glorification, a change of residence. It is said that there are fifteen or ders of creation described in Genesis and that science verifies this precise order. Man is the only being created by God (Gen. 1:27) who has the power to de bate with God. Man was created in the “ image of God” and the earliest HUMAN remains show superior brain capacity. The only day God ever took for rest is mentioned in Gen. 2:2. God put man in the garden to work it and keep it (Gen. 2:15). Work is ordained of heaven. Eve, the bride of the first Adam, (Gen. 2:25) was not made of dust (Gen. 2:22), nor is the Bride of Christ an earthly body. Adam and his wife hid behind a tree (Gen. 3 :8).- Zaccheus was up a tree (Lk. 19:4). Nathaniel was under a tree (Jn. 1 :4?). Christ was on-a tree (Gal. 3:13). The devil’s gospel from the first has been “ no future punishment” (Gen. 3:4). The first recorded sin is covetousness (Gen. 3 :6). It is also the first sin in the early church (Acts 5:1-3).
Of two things “ take heed” : what you hear (Mk. 4 :24); how you hear (Lk. 8:18). For the birth of the name “ Chris tian,” see Acts 11:26. The one “ badge” that every true Christian should wear is described in Jn. 13:35. The first church prayer meeting is reported in Acts 1:14. Over five thousand places mentioned in the Bible have now been identified in the Holy Land alone. Who were the first missionaries sent out by the church? See Acts 8:4. the first forty months of Jesus’ min istry were devoted to demonstrating "wlto He was.” The next twenty dem onstrated what. His mission in the world was. (See Matt. 16:13-16.) There are at least two reasons why we need not trouble because of the works of the higher critics. Find them in Psa. 119:89 and Heb. 4:12. The word “ reverend,” which is at tached today to the name of ordained ministers, is a word almost unknown in Scripture. It occurs but once (Ps. 111:9) and then .in connection with the name of God, not man. Had you noticed that each verse of Psalm 136 ends alike? In the Jewish division of the Old Testament there are five books of law, eight prophets, nine psalms or poetical,' or twenty-two in all. Some one has pointed out that the total number is the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and that as there are five double books in the Old Testament so there are five double letters ,in the He brew alphabet. A hypocrite has hopes, but no reason for his hopes. An atheist has reasons, but no hope for his reason. A Chris tian has a reason for his hope and a hope for his reason. The shortest book in the Bible is 3 John, yvith but one chapter of 14 verses and 296 words. The shortest book of the Old Testa ment is Obadir.h, which has one chap ter of 21 verses. Psalms is the longest book of the Bible, having ISO chanters.
T HE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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The first preaching of the cross is in Gen. 3:21, the first prophecy of the cross in Gen. 3:15, and the first per secution for the cross in Gen. 4. God prescribed hard work for man in his fallen state. Many an evil desire passes away in the energy of hard work. The devil uses idle hands his Vfork to do. The first recorded sin was against God. The second recorded sin was against man (Gen. 4). If there is no fear of God in the hearts of men, there will be no respect for the rights of fel low men. Where did Cain get his wife? Under favorable circumstances population will double in twenty-five years. Cain was 128 years old when he was married. At the end of the first twelve years after the creation of Adam and Eve, there were at least seven pairs on earth. This would mean 11,970 persons by the time
Cain was'' married and if half of the number were females, Cain would have had a wide selection. Note that Gen. 4:16, 17 does not state that Cain got his wife in the land of Nod. Cf. Matt. 1:25, the same expression. gAfp ■ TRYING THE SPIRITS One reason why Charles Dickens never became a spiritualist was because he once attended a seance and asked the medium to call up his friend, Lindley Murray, a man who was a great scholar and highly intelligent. When the supposed spirit came Dickens asked him if he were really Lindley Murray and the spirit replied, “ I are.” “ You are a liar,” said Dickens, “ because if you were Lindley Murray you would use good grammar.”
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A STRAIGHTFORWARD APPEAL Y “Apology” in the November issue of The King’s Business has been acknowledged in a practical and substantial way by a number of our readers, for which—on behalf of the magazine— I express my deep gratitude. I am now taking occasion in this number, which will reach you about December 1st, to urge EVERY READER, if possible, to set aside One Dollar and Two Cents as a Christmas present for some relative or friend or pastor or evangelist or missionary or other Chris tian worker. I wish I could speak face to face with every one of you and tell you of some of the marvellous results that might come from such a gift. For instance, don’t you wish you had been responsible for sending The King’s Business to the pastor who just wrote us as follows: “I did not renew m y subscription when it ran out about a yea r ago. I fe lt th a t you w ere too radical, and th at the evils of w hich you spoke as e x istin g w ithin and w ith o u t the church did exist in a m easure, but th a t God would ‘turn all th in gs out for good.’ “I realize now th a t m y view s were w ron g. I have given The K in g ’s Business articles more stu d y, and find th ey contain real Gospel teachings and I am sure th e y please God. He w ill turn a ll th in gs out for good if we, as H is disciples,, on ly g e t the vision th a t w e are H is instrum ents, and th a t it is through us He m ust carry out H is plans and purposes after He endows us w ith the stren gth and power. “M y prayers are for your g re a t w ork and m ay The K in g ’s Business open the eyes of m any of -God’s w orkers as it has opened m ine to true sad truth th a t w e are lo sin g our hold on God in our effort to hold both the worAd and God. I am enclosing check for another year’s subscription.” This clear man’s own heart has been stirred, his congregation has been helped, and because of this, untold blessings may come to untold numbers. Try it.
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) r ' ' Speaking W ith Tongues The Plain Replies of the Word cf God to Some Modern and Dangerous Views of the Matter By DR. A. C. DJXON
[ P E A K I N G “ with other tongues” at Pentecost means that the Apostles spoke in dif- 1 ferent languages, so that the people understood them in the language in which they were born. It was evi dently miraculous. It is plain, how ever, that the people were not convert ed through this speaking “ with other tongues,” but through Peter’s sermon which was spoken in the Greek tongue, a language which all present could un derstand. The tongues phenomenon with the distributed flames of fire which sat upon each of them, and the rushing mighty wind, preceded the sermon and was a sign to the Jews that Joel’s prophecy was being fulfilled. It was God working in a way beyond human comprehension or explanation. Not Repeated There is no record that this Pente costal experience of the fire, the wind and the “ other tongues” was ever re peated. After Peter’s sermon to the household of Cornelius (Acts 10:46)., they spoke with tongues and magnified God, but not with “ other tongues” as at Pentecost. The twelve men at Ephesus, after they had received the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands, “ spoke with tongues and proph esied” but not with “ other tongues.” (Acts 19:6.) In Mark 16:17, a passage of rather doubtful authority because it is omitted from some of the best manuscripts, we have the prophecy, “ They shall speak with new tongues,” But the word “ new” does not necessarily mean “ other tongues.” There is a s».-.nse in which a tongue may be new witrout being dif
ferent. There may go with the old familiar language a new power which really makes it a new tongue. “Other Tongues’'’ at Pentecost and “ Tongues” at Corinth When we turn to the fourteenth chap ter of First Corlnthiane we find a speak ing with tongues (“ unknown” is in italics and ought to be omitted) which is very different from the speaking with “ other tongues” at Pentecost. Let us trace the differences. 1 At Pentecost everybody under stood, at Corinth nobody understood, not even the speaker himself.. “No man understandeth him.” (1 Cor. 14:2.) “ If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prayeth but my understanding is unfruitful.” (1 Cor. 14:14 ) 2. At Pentecost speaking w i t h “ other tongues” was for the people; at Corinth speaking with tongues was for God only. “ He that, speaketh in a tongue speaketh not unto men but unto God.” (I Cor. 14:2.) 3. At Pentecost speaking w i t h “ other tongues” edified the people for they said, “We do hbar them speak in- our tongues the wonderful works Qf God.” (Acts 2 :11 ); at Corinth he who spoke with tongues edified only himself “ He that speaketh in a tongue edifieth himself, but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.” (I Cor. 14:4.) 4. At Pentecost the speaking with “ other tongues” had with it the ,sign of the distributed flames of fire and the rushing mighty wind; at Corinth there was no such s’ gn. We are, therefore, driven to the con clusion that bpeaking with “ other tongues” at Pentecost was a different
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thing from speaking with tongues at Corinth. It is clear that speaking with other tongues at Pentecost meant that different languages were spoken or at least understood by those who heard. What “ Speaking With Tongues” Meant. Now, what was the experience in which people spoke only to God and did not themselves understand nor did others understand what they said? In Contrast With Prophesying. 1. It was an experience in contrast with prophesying. Prophesying meant speaking God’s message to the people, but speaking with tongues brought no message to any one. “ In the spirit he speaketh mysteries, but he that proph- esieth speaketh unto men to edification and exhortation and comfort.” (I Cor. 14:2, 3.), Can be Explained. 2. It was an experience which could be interpreted. The man who spoke with tongues could explain the phenomenon to o t h e r s . He could expound the experience. The word “ interpret,” used three times in CCor. 14, is the Greek word translated “ expound” an Luke 24:27. “ Beginning at Moses and all the prophets he ex pounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” This does not mean to translate but to ex plain the meaning of. Speaking with tongues could not be translated, •be cause no one understood the meaning of what was said. But there was some thing in dt which could be explained. And unless it be thus expounded, it is is like a pipe or harp giving forth sounds but no notes; like a trumpet blast that means nothing; like words in an unknown tongue which carry no ideas. (1 Cor. 14:6-11.) Not to be Sought. 3. The experience of speaking with tongues was not to be sought, because i; was an infeiior gift and the command is, “ Desire earnestly the best gifts;” yet it was not to be refused nor forbidden.
“ Seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church” (I Cor. 14:12). But no where are we told to seek the gift of tongues, because in that there is only self-edification. . Paul said, “ I would that ye all spake with tongues (for even self-edification is a good thing) but rather that ye prophesied, for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues except he inter pret (explain), that the church may re ceive edifying.” (I Cor. 14:5). “ Wherefore let him that speaketh in a tongue, pray that he may interpret (explain).” (I Cor. 14:13.) An Ecstatic, Emotional Experience. 4. Speaking with tongues at Corinth was an ecstatic rhapsodical experience which expressed emotions without thought. The heart was full of thanks giving, joy and rapture too great for expression in connected language, while it expressed itself in ejaculations, laughter, tears and shouts. And yet the one thus affected could, after the effusion, explain by giving the reasons for such expressions of joy and rapture; or even a friend who had had similar experiences could explain it for him. It was an experience which dealt solely with God in prayerful and praiseful worship, but it was not irrational, be cause there were good reasons for such ecstatic and exuberant joy. This rhap sodical feeling was a gift of the Spirit not to be despised but rather appre ciated, and the ability to interpret it to others was also a gift of the Spirit (I Cor. 12:28-30), but the Corinthians are warned aghinst undue attention to their ecstatic feelings and urged to seek rather the gift of prophecy which would edify others. Indeed, Paul insists thai “ the spirits of the prophets are subjeci to the prophets,” for “ God is 'not the author of confusion” (I Cor. 14:32, 33); so that this gift of ecstatic joy must be kept within bounds. “ Let all things be done unto edifying.” “ If any man speak in a tongue, let it be by
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two or at the most three and that by course (one at*a time). And let one interpret” (I Cor. 14?26, 2 7 ).' All the time of a meeting should not he taken up with these ecstatic rhapsodies to the exclusion of “ edification, exhortation and comfort,” and two or three people should not be allowed to express their ecstacies at once. “ And, if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church, and let him speak to him self and to God” (I Cor. 14:28). If no one explain the reason for these rhapso dies, let them cease, and let those who are full of inexpressible ecstacy keep it to themselves and to. God. Let them enjoy their rhapsodies in silence or go to a private place where no one but God will hear them. These rules observed in public as sembly would effectually curb hysteri cal fanaticism. Hysteria that could give no reason for its emotions would be curbed, and fanaticism that would produce confusion by moving many to take part in the demonstration at the same time, would also be curbed. Tne Better Gift. Paul says, “ As for myself I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the understanding also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the under standing also. Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit (that is, with a tongue expressing emotions without thoughts) how shall he that occupdeth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he under- standeth not what thou sayest? For ihou verily gdvest thanks well, but the other is not edified. I thank my God I speak with tongues more than ye all. Yet in the church I nad rather speak five words with my understanding that I might teach others also than ten thou sands words in a tongue” (I Cor. 14: 15-19). Paul’s meaning is plain. He controls his ecstatic feelings in public and refuses to let his emotions run a- way with his mind. He does this for
the benefit of those present who occupy the position of the unlearned in rela tion to this experience, knowing noth ing of it. And though he is grateful for such rhapsodical experiences he keeps them between himself and God, not giving way to them in the assembly, where five words of instruction are worth more than ten thousand words without meaning, though they be the expressions of ecstatic joy. Then he exhorts the Corinthians not to be like children in seeking and displaying these spectacular gifts (I Cor. 14:20). For Those Who Lack Faith. 5. The experience of speaking with tongues was a sign of unbelief rather than of faith in those who had it. “Wherefore tongues are for a sign not to them that believe, but to them that believe not” (I Cor. 14:22). This can not refer to thè unbelievers who come in and listen, for the next verse says' “ If, therefore, the whole church be come together and all speak with tongues and there come in those that are unlearned or unbelievers, will they not say that, ye are mad?” Speaking God’s message or prophesying in a tongue that all can understand is for the unbelievers who come in as we see in I Cor. 12:24, 25. Expressing ecstatic rhapsodical joy by ejaculations, meaningless to them, will impress them that we are crazy and out influence over them for good is at an end. Those who beseech God for a sign that He is with them in power show by that prayer their lack of faith, and as God answered Israel’s prayer of unbelief for a king and sent His chas tisement with the answer, so He may answer the prayer for a sign and make the answer a chastisement for our un belief. The quotation of Paul from Isaiah 28:11 intimates that strange tongues may be sent in chastisement for disobedience (I Cor. 14:21). God’s Word is sufficient basis for faith. To demand more in tbe way of miraculous signs is to dishonor His Word. . Jesus
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THE K I N G ’ S ' B U S I N E S S said, “ Lo, I am with.you all the days to the end of the age.” We should believe it and act accordingly without insulting Him by asking Him to give us further proof that He spoke the truth Our Lord said, “ I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you forever” (John 14:16). Shall I seek a sign that He told the truth and thus' dishonor His Word, or shall I believe without sign that His Word is true and the Holy Spirit is with me all the time? Are not the words of Jesus as true now as when He spoke them: “ An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign”:' (Matt. 12:39)? To claim that one cannot have the Holy Spirit with! out the sign of speaking with tongues or any other sign is to manifest a spirit of unbelief. A Grief to the Spirit. Indeed, to seek any sort of spectacu lar manifestation of the Holy Spirit is to grieve the Spirit. His mission is to testify of Jesus Christ and not of Himself. “ He shall not speak of him self” (John 16:13), Jesus said, “ He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and snow it unto you” (John 16:14). Those who are seeking their Pentecost, as they tell us, by spending days and weeks in prayer for the bap tism of the Holy Spirit which will vali date itself by the gift of tongues are seeking to induce the Holy Spirit to speak of Himself, a thing He declares that He never does. God Does New Tilings. To seek the signs of Pentecost is to attempt to induce God to repeat what is no longer needed, now that the Holy Spirit is with Fis church ready to work in answer to faith. Jehovah said to Isaiah, “ I will do a new thing” (Isaiah 43:19). Solomon said, “ There is noth ing new under the sun,” and the course of this old world under the sun is dread fully monotonous, but He who made the sun apd sits enthroned above it delights
in doing new things. No two leaves, no two experiences are exactly- alike. Every revival has its distinctive features and to try to make one like another is to make a counterfeit. Many a sin ner has made the mistake of seeking Paul’s experience on the way to Damas cus, and many a saint has made the mistake of seeking the experience of Finney, Whitefield or Moody, when what he needs is his own experience through implicit faith in Christ and His Word, which will fit him for the work to which God has called him. The God of Sinai and Pentecost lives forever, and works as He will. But Sinai with its thunder and lightning has not been re peated. Nor has Pentecost with its visible fire and audible wind and “ other tongues” been repeated by the Holy Spirit. The essentials of it in thp con viction of sin and conversion of sinners through the preaching of the Word in the power of the Spirit are constantly repeated in ali parts of the world every time a penitent sinner accepts Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. ■? The Supreme Test. There is one supreme test by which we can tell whether anything is of God and that test is the Word of God. Is it according to the Word? If so, it is of God; if not, it is not of God. In this way we can “ try the spirits” and see whether they are of God. If they speak and act according to the Word, they are of God. Let us apply this test to pres ent-day phenomena. ' « 1. The claim that no one has the baptism of the Spirit unless he speaks with tongues is not of God, because •it contradicts the Word of God which places the gift of tongues at the bottom of the list of the Spirit’s gifts and plain ly tells us that it is not one of the best gifts; that speaking God’s message in a language that can be understood is better. (I Cor. 12:28 and 14:5.) It is a wresting of Scripture to .make Acts 10:46 or 19:6 mean that no one
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