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ProvideforHisTomorrow-NOW! A grand boy! Think how his whole future life will be influenced as he regularly receives a check from the American Bible Society! The American Bible Society Annuity Agreement has never failed in 100 years to pay its holders the agreed upon return. And when you guard and influence this young man through the years, isn’t it a stirring thought to realize that you are taking part in the increasingly impor tant work of making the Holy Bible more widely available throughout the world? Let us send you “A Gift That Lives”—a booklet that tells how this Plan will work for you! n _THE _C OUPON_TODAY F American Bible Society, ■ ^ 1 ^ B ible House, New York, N . Y. ■ Please send me, without obligation, your I booklet KB-27 entitled “A Gift That Lives!’ Name.. | Address.. i City.. .State..
A Much Appreciated Christmas G reeting
W h y n o t use them this y e a r instead o f cards? D o you know th e ori g in of C hristm as bells — o r the candles? This fascinating and a ttra c tiv e book gives you the answ ers to hundreds ol questions ab o u t C hrist m as. I t contains v alu able d ata on the ori g in a n d u se o f 6 3 C hristm as custom s and symbols ! Also contains
Trained for Service— . . . trained to serve Christ in a needy world, graduates of Moody Bible Institute are proving the thoroughness of their prepara tion in America and on foreign mission fields. Whether you become a pastor, mis sionary, gospel musician, teacher, or lay worker, you will serve better with such sound training. Study with other conse crated young people this winter term, be ginning January 5. Write for details. OFFICE O F THE DEAN HtcocUj Dept. K-2 11 3 i n s t i t u t e p l a c e C H IC A G O • ILLINO IS
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83 YEARS ' OF CHRISTIANSERVICE The Sunday School Times has been published every week, without in terruption, for over 83 years, as an all-around Christian journal stand ing for the whole Gospel and the whole Bible as the Word of God. Everyweek it contains ten helps on the International Uniform Lessons for many -different departments. Everyweek it contains editorials on everyday Christian living. Everyweek it contains the answer to some reader’s problem that no doubt is puzzling thousands of it contains special arti cles on some phase of the Christian life, Bible study, Sunday school teaching or management. inaddition to all of these weekly features it brings to its readers frequent series of articles on timely subjects. Here are some to be pub lished during the fall and winter: "Was Christ’s TriaJ Just?” by Ir win H. Linton, well-known Chris tian lawyer. “Why I Believe That Jesus Christ Is the'Son of God,” by the Rev. T. Stanley Soltau, former missionary in Korea. "How an Everyday Christian Woman An swered an Everyday Infidel,” by Mrs. E. P. Stead. Other equally im portant series vital to Christian thinking today will appear in fu ture issues. A 24-weeks-for-$1.00 subscription will bring all of the regular weekly features, that mean so much to the Christian worker and Sunday school teacher, plus special mate rial planned for publication during the next ffw months. Send $1.00 now for 24 weeks. others. Everyweek
Th e K i ng ' s B u s i n e s s Volume XXXIII November, 1942 Number 11 The True-to-the-Bible Family Magazine
M o t t o U n t o him that loved, us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Rev. 1:5).
TABLE O F CONTENTS • Cover Photograph: Big Trees at Yosemite Ransom D. Marvin, Staff Artist
Around the King’s Table —Louis T . Talbot ................................................. .. 404 Significance of the News —Dan Gilbert ............... ..................................:......... 405 What Is There Left to Be Thankful F o r ?— A Symposium ........................... 406 The Sentinel of Peace —Arthur Hedley.. ................................... ....................... 408 Avoiding Panic ..................................i __________ ....______ .....;.................. 409 This Day of Thanks — Herbert Lo£kyer.....~...~~ .............. .......... .................... 410 The Christian Minister in Uniform — Chaplain E. E. Paulson .............. . 412 International Lesson Commentary.............................................................'........ 414 Notes on Christian Endeavor — Thelma Bain, Ruth McCreery} Mildred M . Cook, Lowell C. Wendt ........................................424 Junior King’s Business —Martha S. Hooker .................... ^...................... 429 Daily Devotional Readings..................................................... ............................ 431- Bible Institute Family Circle............... ............................................................... 436 The Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Inc., « I L D ilE D M. COOK M a n agin g E d ito r INFORMATION FOR SUBSCRIBERS SUBSCRIPTION PRICE* “T he K in g 's B u sin e ss” is p u b lish ed m on th ly, $1.00— one y ear; $1.50— tw o y ea rs; 50 cen ts— six m on th s; 10 cen ts— s in g le copy. C lubs o f th ree or m ore a t sp ecia l ra tes. W rite fo r d eta ils. C anadian and fo reig n su b scrip tio n s 25 cen ts extra. I t req u ires one m onth fo r a ch a n g e o f add ress to becom e e ffe c tiv e . r P lea se sen d b o th old and n ew add resses. REM ITTANCE—P a y a b le in advan ce, sh o u ld be m ade b y ban k draft, ex p ress or p o st o ffic e m on ey order p a y a b le to “T he K in g ’s B u sin ess.” D a te o f ex p ira tio n w ill sh o w p la in ly each m on th on o u tsid e w rapper o r co v er o f m agazin e. ADVERT ISING— F or in fo rm a tio n w ith referen ce to a d v e r tisin g in “T he K in g ’s B u sin ess,” ad d ress th e A d v ertisin g M anager, 558 Sou th H ope S treet, L os A n g eles, C alif., or our ea stern rep resen ta tiv e, R elig io u s P ress A sso cia tio n , 51 No. 52nd St., P h ila d elp h ia , Pa. MANUSCRIPTS— “T he K in g s B u sin e ss” ca n n o t a ccep t resp o n sib ility fo r lo ss or d am age to m a n u scrip ts se n t to it fo r consid eration . E n tered as sec o n d -c la ss m a tter N ovem ber 7, 1938, a t th e p o st o ffic e a t L os A n geles, C alifornia, under th e A ct o f M arch 3, 1879, A ccep tan ce for m a ilin g a t sp ecia l r a te o f p o sta g e provided fo r in th e A ct o f F eb ru a ry 28, 1925, em bodied ,in p a ragrap h 4, sectio n 538, P. L. and R., au th orized O ctober 1, 1918, and N overhber 13, 1938. THE KING’S BUSINESS 558 South Hope Street • Los Angeles, California LOUIS T. TALBOT E d ito r-In -C h ief
T h e Su nday School T im es Co* ’ D ept. B -2, 325 N. 13th S tre e t P h ila d elp h ia , P a. I e n clo se on e d o lla r fo r a 24- w e ek s su b scrip tio n to T he Sun d ay School T im es, to sta r t w ith th e cu rren t Issue. Name.....--------------------------- „____ „„ A ddress , .... ------------------------- T.T.n.r—
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one to think it is better than ever, in scope and spiritual richness. We are paying more for nearly everything else these days. Most secular maga zines cost more—some of t h e m as much as 100% more (Saturday Eve ning Post, Ladies Home Journal, etc.). The King’s Business is still only $1.00 a year in the United States, arid only 25 cents extra in Canada and foreign countries. Couldn’t you and I get together and see to it that we get this good Bible Family Magazine for all our relatives that we-send gifts to? I want to,send it to our pastor and several mission aries besides. They’ll enjoy the helps for ministers and Christian workers, and the many good, quotable bits. Nell and Rich will like it for the Junior K i n g ’s Business department
So, thinking about Christmas, .I’ve been casting around for something that would be of extra special value for extra low cost. .I think The King’s Business is it! 'You've u s e d it in your Sunday-school and youth work for years; in fact; it was you who in troduced me to its weekly object ,les- sons. I read somewhere that as a service to Christians, in this time of interna tional emergency, the publishers are offering the magazine this year at no increase in cost—though the advance sheets of the magazine would lead
At home, Nov. 20, 1942.
Dear Sis: ,«*/ I’ve been wanting to write to you about Christmas, but I mailed last week’s letter without evdh mention ing it. Christmas is going to be different this year—not just ours, but every body’s. - ; I think it is going to be a lot less extravagant so far as Christian peo ple are concerned. And that’s as it should be. With our men in camps or overseas, this is no time for our insisting on nonessentials at home. I know you feel that way about it. At the same time, it is mighty im portant that we .have for ourselves— and that we give, too—the kind of things that will build s p i r i t u a l /strength. Have you rioticed that any number of national leaders sëem to be awakening to this need? I saw a s t a t e m e n t of Présidant Roosevelt’s ; that was published in a letter of- his riot long ago and I copied down a few sentences of it: ‘Nothing but the prior demands of the war on our resources should -.intervene to curtail or inter rupt the marshaling of the spiritual forces of the nation. . » . Perhaps not since the Fathers of the Constitution established freedom of religion have our people had greater need for a re turn to the teachings of the Master. God speed you i n .knowing His will and spreading His message.’
Worth Much More
★
FOR $1.00— 12 monthly i s s u e s of THE KING'S BUSINESS; 25 cents extra in Canada and foreign . countries. FOR $1.25— A year's subscription PLUS a box of 12 beautifully em bossed Christmas cards (re tail price 50 cents or more). Scripture quotations thereon. THE KING'S BUSINESS 558 So. Hope St. Los Angeles, Calif.
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since they have Dickie now. And won’t the inspirational articles and* daily devotional readings just suit Aunt Marion? We could get a special rate on subscriptions if we sent in a group of them. I’m writing for infor mation about that today and about the book premiums given group or ganizers. We could get our Christmas cards through a combination offer too —the kind with Scripture verses on them. It seems to me that when Christian publishers are doing all they can to build up spiritual morale throughout our great nation, just now when it is needed so much, we readers ought to do our best to cooperate for the Lord’s sake. Please write me what you think about all of this. And write soon, because Christmas will be here before we know it, and we shall want to get our orders in early.^ Love, dear, Julie.
Jv EVERY MONTH: Regularly, THE KING'S BUSINESS will contain object lessons, editorials, news comments, notes on Christian Endeavor, helps on the International Lesson, and daily devotional readings. In addition, the following special articles will be featured: OF VITAL CURRENT INTEREST: Question Box....;..............................._____________._________Louis T. Talbot The Civilian's Tremendous Responsibility..... ..............Chaplain J. B. McLeroy Escape from Poland____ ___ _____ ______.______ _______ Karl Faulkner Newspaper Publicity for the Gospel...... .............. .............. ......Carl F. H. Henry My Christmas Shopping List.... ____ ______ Julia Lak» Kellersberger A Nurse's Experiences in Soul-Winning....___________ .....Wilhelmina Annas FOR YOUNG PEOPLE ESPECIALLY: Home for Christmas (A Christmas program easy to give, in any church or Christmas gathering)..:........Helen Frazee-Bower and Mildred M. Cook The Bible and Science (By a member of Phi Beta Kappa)............O. E. Sanden Vera and a Verb (A Story)--- -------------------- ------------- ---------Ken Anderson TO STIMULATE STUDY OF THE WORD: The Spirit-Filled Life (two articles)...... ......................... ...... ........Ruth Paxson God of the Valleys .......................... -------------------------------- ---- jj . a . Ironside Thy Heart in the Sight of- God.................. ............ ...................Vance Havner Brought Out to be Brought In______________________ W. Graham Scroggie
Unchanged in Pride— Still $1.00 (in U. S.)
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ground the King s Table LOUIS t . TALBOT, Editor-in-Chief
her heart, the coming of thé Lord and the believer’s, eternal home. . . “Most people seem to think we will suddenly just be there,” she wrote in a note that accompanied the poem. “But remembering how the disciples, watched Him as He went) u n 't 11 a clbud received Him, I expect to enjoy* all the journey up!” Long hours drag by. From this my bed of pain I scan the sky whence He will come again. - A shout, a light! Then, borne upon the breeze, I take my flight above the dimming trees. My pulses sing, my heart a homing bird; The heavens ring with .music riever heard, ... Far down the sky the age-old planets plod Their course, but I am winging on toward God! ; :. :.: The sky, in aH its blue etérnal steeps, Echoes His call wherever starlight sleeps. Throngs of redeemed make glad the listening air; Rapture long dreamed—my . living Lord is there!' * * O weary heart, let not your faith grow dim: This still your part, to work $nd wait for Him. A Church Studies'a Book From children to adults, members of a large city church in Georgia concentrated for. six months on a single.book of the Bible, the.Book of Luke. Realizing, th a t, this particular Gospel was to be the basis of the International Sunday School Lesson outlines for a period o f,six months, K. Owen White (Biola ’22), pastor of the Kirkwood Baptist Church of At lanta, Ga., challenged his congrega tion to make a careful investigation bf the book arid then led them in their study. . ' Dr, White reported* that in a church membership of 2,420 with about 1,800 of this number resident in the com munity, 533 persons enrolled during the special Study-Course week which climaxed consideration of the Gospel of Luke. Four hundred took the re- *See article in King’s Business* Sept1,, ISki.
Christian .people now. do their part through personal and group Interces sion that is offered not merely on Thanksgiving Day, but that will con tinue and increase so long as the conflict shall last. God’s pledge and His faithfulness are; unchanging. He has s a id :'“Cali -upto me and I will answer thee and show thee great arid mighty things which thou knew- est not” (Jer. 33:3). Shall not patriotic, praying people respond to His call? For a Prayer Front In line with "th_e foregoing comment „on “Thanksgiving—and Prayer” comes the follovrihg pertinent message from , William T. Ellis: “Strangely enough, the Prayer Front in this war has not yet. been organized. Of course, people are praying—perhaps more than ever before. But- ä planned, ?; chUrch- - wide, nation-wide Prayer Front ' has still to go into action. §v “True, there have been named occasional n a t i o n a l days of . prayer. And some countries; like < Australia and South Africa, have ■ appointed daily prayer periods. But Christiah people as a whole have not yet acted. “A Prayer Front Calls for open churches on week days; it would be a tragedy w e r e prayer to be disassociated from worship in the house of God. Daily prayer serv ices should be appointed. These should be held in churches, shops, hospitals, schools, o f f i c e s , and military and naval units. No®n is :;r- the most generally-accepted hour, when all business and traffic should stop, and all people pause to pray. “God waits to be entreated. He has promised, to answer united • prayer, in turning to Him, we turn ' . to victory for those principles ’which are implicit .in His jjature. . .„Let us pray!” , The Rapture The poems and other writings of Martha Snell Nicholson—for years a great sufferer and a radiant Christian —have helped countless, numbers of the Lord’s people. Recently, although her doctor had forbidden her writing be cause of her increasing weakness, she said she “had to” s e n d to KING’S BUSINESS readers the following Stan- zas based on-the #heme that is nearest
Thanksgiving-—and Prayer 7 • On the coming Thanksgiving Day, when thousands of people will be re viewing God’s benefits to them as in dividuals, and when they will be;, recalling also those mercies which God has shown to this nation, a great wave of earnest, humble prayer and praise should sweep America. No argument is needed to establish the''conviction that bur present na tional situation is unprecedented: Our country, at war against forces of ag gression and antichrìstiànity, must be ; ori God’s side—and God , with her— if the hoped-for triumph is to become a reality. Our merely taking for- granted that God will be with us, as did the Israelites in the days of spiri tual decline under Eli, will be dis-; astrous The Lord’s ancient people “cried to God in the battle, and he was entreated of them, because they put their trust i» him" (1 Chron. 5:20), Likewise must'the modern generation trust in Jehovah if victory for the cause- of righteousness .is to be as sured. To Christian people it, is gratifying . to find that the need for repentance and prayer is becoming more widely fdlt. Commentirig on this fact, Er nest M. Wadsworth, Director, of the G r e a t Commission Prayer League, gives the following encouraging word: “A recent letter from a member of our President’s Cabinet de- • dares: ‘The President and his Cabinet need and want the pray- ; ers of the entire nation.’ A United ■ States Senator writes: ‘Concerted support of a program of prayer o u g h t to be of. real value.’ A •• United States Representative as- : serts: ‘The nation n e.y.er needed divine guidance more than it does. . at this time’.’’ I The Lord’s people ' should rejoice in this awakening to the nation’s need of God, even though this sense Of. need may seem to be as yet entirely' too small and unrepresentative of the country as a whole. Let ministers and
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quirecl-work and passed a test at the close of the week. Sermons were based on the Gospel of Luke for the period of six months. One advantage of the plan was that the number of Sunday- school pupils staying for the eleven o’clock service materially increased. Some of the testimonies regarding the plan were as follows: A Deacon: “I feel as if I really KNOW what the Gospel of Luke is all about.” A Teacher: “This is the first time I ever made a really thorough study of a whole book, and believe me, I found out how much I didn’t know about the Bible.”
A Departmental Officer: “I hope we will do it. again. I believe our bo^s and girls really learned more during this period than any other correspond ing period of time.” A Member of an Adult Class: “I always wanted to have a family altar. Reading the Gospel of Luke daily has made that possible, and' you don’t know how happy I am.” A. Layman in the Sunday-school: “I wish we could study one book at a time all the time. I certainly have profited by this d e t a i l e d study of Luke."
The Pastor: “Figures simply do no t and cannot tell the story. The spirit and atmosphere of the church is the most conclusive evidence and proof as to the real value of such an effort. Personally I greatly enjoyed the study of the Gospel and found great joy. in the preaching of the Sunday morning sermons.” With the approach of the first quar ter of 1943, in which the Gospel of John is the basis ,of the International Lesson Series, other pastors and con gregations may wish to consider a similar unified, intensive program of Bible study.
Significance of the News By DAN GILBERT Washington, D. C., and San Diego, California
THE SHIFT TO THE "OFFENSIVE": • Historians may some day record the turning point of the war as that period during which the United Nations shifted from a “defensive” to an “offensive” strategy. When the war broke out, the Allied strategy was dictated by a defensive psychology and plan of action. The theory was that Nazi Germany could be “starved out,” defeated by a naval blockade. There would be no need to invade enemy territory; . the Allied nations could stay at homè, remain on the defensive, and win by a long- range blockade. The course of the war proved this theory to be almost dis astrously in error. As fair as human military strategy is concerned, it is now regarded as plain that the War must be carried aggressively into the very heart of the enemy nations. What is true in the military sphere is also true in the spiritual realm: victory comes through an assumption of the offensive. Jude instructs us to earnestly “contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” He does not say that we should merely '“defend” the faith. To contend for the faith means to" carry it forward. There is an old military slogan to the effect that the best defense is an offense. You cannot defend anything by standing still. We cannot defend America effectively by strengthening oUr defenses here at home. To defend America, we must wage offensive war in Europe and Asia. There is a spiritual slogan to the same effect: thè best defense of the gospel is the proclamation of the
STORMING THE FORT: • Our governmental leaders no longer think in terms of defending America from the attack of the enemy. They think in terms of destroying the enemy in his owrf back yard. It is high time that our religious leaders ceased to think and plan in terms, of “holding the fort.” We are not com missioned to hold the fort; we are directed to storm the enemy’s: fort. Our task is to storm the strongholds of sin, to smash the embattlements of evil. Our task is to res8ue the perish- iiig, the enslaved, and the dying. With Christ’s power, we are to release the captives' and bind up the wounds of the afflicted. We are to carry the gospel to all men, everywhere. We are to enter into [Continued on Page 437]
gospel. We cannot “defend” the Bible by answering the arguments of its enemies. We cannot win by remaining on the defensive. We must take the offensive, using the Word of God as our weapon. It is our sword. It is our means of conquering in the name and by the cross of Christ. We must use the Bible, rather than explaining and apologizing and arguing on its behalf. As a matter of fact, it needs no argu ment in order to establish its authority. We cannot win arguments for the Bible; but the Bible can win argu ments for us. We cannot defend the Word of God; but if can defend us. Our knowledge and brain power can not prove that the Bible is true; but the Bible can conform our knowlédge and brain power to the pattern of truth. ,
Suggestion for Christmas Why not use thè program, "Home for Christmas," in your Sunday - school of other group this year? The full text, in cluding several original poems by the beloved writer, Helen Frazee-Bower, will be p r i n t e d in the next issue of THE KING'S BUSINESS. Almost no rehearsal and decoration required for presenting this truly Christ-honoring hour. Why not provide THE KING'S BUSI NESS as "quarterlies" for Sunday-school workers? The cost is only a few cents a copy. Many schools are following this plan with enthusiastic results. Write for information.
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s There Left
delight in them was all bound up in your great desire that they should put God first in their lives, as you had. And now I come to the most im portant part of this letter, ■ thankful that I can say that God in taking you has given me another gift—the gift of Peace through Christ. You know, all these many years I thought I was a real Christian. But it was in the memorial service held for you, at the Sunday morning worship hour in the little church we had both at tended, that God showed me my true condition. Even now I cannot describe that service. I had thought It would be impossible for me to go—the wound was so fresh—how could I go to hear them speak of you? And then I knew I must go—for your sake, for the sake of the children, and for friends who had loved you. I’m so glad I did. It was a beautiful service—a holy one— for God met me there. The pastor’s closing words, “On Sunday morning, December 7, Lieutenant Commander M---------- reached safe port and met his Commander face to face,” fell on the hushed quietness of an audience deeply touched. The choir began to sing, as an invitation, the hymn you loved, “The Haven of Rest.” Then the scales fell from my eyes, and sud denly I saw what it meant to know Christ, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” As I knelt at the altar, that morn ing, I was able to say, for the first time, “I accept this cross, Lord. Thy will be done.” Peace came to me then, and I knew that I had the abiding presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. That deep joy, that Is not dependent upon circumstances,' has been mine in all these months that have fol lowed. Friends have exclaimed how remarkable it is that I can laugh and sing with our children again.
I prayed so earnestly to meet this sorrow, and I learned, to my joy, that “God is faithful.” It meant so much to me to know that loved ones and friends were holding us up with their prayers. I didn’t try to look into the future. As morning followed morning, as the days wore on, each;one bringing with it the crashing realization of my loss, I simply asked Clod to guide me through that one day. At evening I was grateful for the cafe and for the loving-kindness that had come our way. And slowly I began to sense that I had much—oh, very much— to be thankful for. I’m thankful, first of all, Mike, for all those happy married years with you; thankful, too, that the children are already half-grown, and so they will remember the fine qualities that made up one sturdy, lovable Daddy— you—who believed so strongly in prayer. Remember' the times when the children were small, and when all three of them had the whooping cough at one time? You were so tender and strong then, and I leaned on your strength and your faith in God. Memories of those and other simi lar experiences are precious, but it is the most recent times together that live with me now: The little cottage on the edge of Puget Sound where we lived two whole months with you that last summer while your ship was in the Yard. I’ll never forget the day we stood on the steps watching our three brown, husky youngsters swim ming, and you said, with a catch iii your laughter, “Look at ’em, Honey, watch ’em go—aren’t they swell kids, though?” Somehow I knew that your
An Answer from a GOLD-STAR HOME
Darling: This letter—should it be mailed, as it will not be—would be returned to me marked “unclaimed”—just like those last two letters of mine that came back to me with your rank blotted out in the blackest of ink. But it will do me, good to set down some facts in black and white, just for my own sake. What can I say of that day, De cember 7, that brought fear into our quiet room in California as it did to so many other homes? The chil dren gathered close to the radio, their faces’ frozen with dread. Don, Bob, and Patty, all old enough to realize the meaning of the news—all think ing of their Daddy in the midst of death, rained from the skies at Pearl Harbor. All during the following week I wouldn’t allow myself to lose hope. I kept the Bible open. I tried to pre pare for whatever might be ahead for me. Then on December 3.6, the word came: “The Navy Department deeply regrets. . . .” The rest of the mes sage merged into meaningless words. How can I tell you of the days that followed? How can I tell any one? When one reaches bottom, there’s no way to look except up, and losing you was an experience that plunged me into the lowest depths of sorrow.
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(there; were casualties In many fami- -' lies all over the town), and the con gregation decided to collect funds and start building up again and continue as a, self-supporting church, and that after six years of War in the, district.. This had been Father’s aim in all the twenty years he ¡¡labored among them, but not until he fave his life for the people by staying'with them through more than‘three years of Con stant fighting, did it become a reality. Praise the Lord! But God was working in my heart, too. He taught me never to question. His doings, whatever be the circum stances, but just to “stand Still, and see the salvation of the Lord.” He . gave me that peace of His. “which passeth all. understanding.” John 14:27 became a reality to me. I found out that only One can give satisfying peace, and that is Jesus. For centuries the world has been endeavoring to establish peace; and what has been the result? A world in flames! I thank God today that although all my dear ones are, in the hands of evil men in both Norway and China, not a hair on their heads shall be touched unless my Father which is in heaven knows about it. And that is good enough for me! From 'the bottom of my heart, and after having tried them often, I •can testify as to the truth of these words of Jesus: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I pnto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” And so I can thank God for every- - Uiing, For when I have Christ, I have life (for without Christ, life isn’t worth living) and I can say with Paul, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
to Be Thankful For?
My reply Is, “It’s not really I who Is doing this; it’s the grace of God.” I thank God for His gift, and I" long that I may live to make Christ known —at least to my “congregation” of three—our children. Of course there’s a slow leak in my heart for you—there always will be. I’m not always ’optimistic. But I’m learning that nothing is so deteriorat ing as self-pity. I know now that God never sends more than we,can bear. His Word, which is becoming more previous to me daily, promises that. With His help I’ll carry on, and some day, because we both trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross, we’ll be together again. In the meantime, His grace is sufficient for me. God has promised; He never fail^. Yours forever, Opal.
ago my father was killed in a Japan ese air attack on his mission station far up in Northwest China. When last heard from, my mother, sister, and two brothers were in Japanese-occu pied China. The rest of my relatives are all in Norway. Today I thank God that He took me away from all my friends in Nor way when I was only thirteen years old, however trying it was for me, just to make me realize what a Friend He could be to the lonesome, and that if I would be willing to do what He wanted me to do, whatever the cost, He would make something out of me. Since then my future'plans have been changed completely three times as a result of the war, and I have spent almost three years as a refugee att different places in China. When we arrived in China in 1937, war had broken oUt, and only Father was able to reach the mission station, though not without difficulty. In the summer of 1939, however, my mother was able to join him, while we chil dren were in a British schodl. On the night before Christmas Eve that year, a telegram came through from Mother saying that Father had been killed. Ever since, that day has been one of the greatest milestones in my life. I felt that from then on ' I had to be both father and brother to those younger than I. But with the responsibility, God gave me. also strength and a wonderful sense of His peace. I could not question God why all this had happened, but as I knelt in His presence I thanked Him for using Father’s life and prayéd that even through his sudden departure ‘ from . this world, souls might come to a saving knowledge of Christ. And they did! In death as wéll as life he was a testimony for his Lord and Master. Even heathens wept when they saw Father’s smiling face after death. Weak Christians were revived as they realized t h e suddenness of death
An Answer by an 18-YEAR-OLD . REFUGEE*
An Answer from a GERMAN INTERN MENT CAMP
One of the greatest joys any one can have must be to know and feel that God is using one’s life to fit into His great and perfect plan of salva tion. That is the reason I have so much to be thankful for, because al though I am only eighteen years old, God has led me through some hard, but at the same time wonderful, ex periences. . . . *1 |un_a Norwegian staying in the United States only for the duration of the war. My parents were.mission aries in China, and consequently I have been separated from them a great period of my life. Two years
What causes for thanksgiving re main for two missionaries—the hus band in a German internment "Camp and the wife back in America after having been for more than a year in the power of the Nazis? Our reasons for rejoicing acre God’s own miracles for both of us. My husband and I were returning to Africa in April of 1941. We had spent our furlough time in North America and were eager to continue our work .under the Africa Inland Mission in Kenya Colony, East Africa. The (ship on which we traveled was the S. S. Zamzam, which was shelled [Continued, on Page 439]
The necessity fo r omitting the name of the young man who wrote this testimony w ill he apparent to the reader ',— -E ditor .
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The paradox of PEACE in the m i d s t of vast w a r preparation a n d conflict:
The Sentinel of Peace
By ARTHUR HEDLEY Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England
D O YOU' EVER' t h i nk of the Apostle Paul as being anxious, full of doubts and fears? He with those written in later years, we can note a distinct change of tone. In Paul’s Epistles to the Corinthians we find him agitated, fearful. Paul was so troubled about the moral and spiritual state of the C o r i n t h i a n church that he incapacitated himself for work. He sent Titus as his inter mediary to remedy things, and suf fered restless days and sleepless nights until he returned. He was full of fears within (2 Cor. 7:5). When Titus failed to arrive at the appointed place, Paul feared the worst had hap pened, his imagination got the better of him, and he saw his years of hard labor laid in ruins. He wrote: “I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus” (2:13). A door of oppor tunity was opened to preach the gospel in Troas (v. 12), but Paul was too disquieted to embrace it. Who has not known such an ex perience when the heart has been so disturbed, the mind so fearful and agitated, that work has become dif ficult, if not impossible? Our sleep has been disturbed by fears which
made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6, R.V.). If they will commit everything to God in prayer and blend the note of thanksgiving with their supplica tion, then “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (4:7). Peace on Guard The Revised Version translates the final clause of this lovely passage as “shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” Shall guard? How can peace do any guard ing? We have never thought of peace as a military grace, as a sentinel of the soul, but rather as a gift, a treasure to be desired and preserved. We all long to'possess it, and when possessed of it, we feel that all is well with our inner life. But peace is. a militant grace, for it opposes everything that would disturb our internal calm. It conflicts with evefything that would conflict with our happiness. Peace garrisons the door of the heart, preventing any thing’s having access to It that would disturb or annoy. It is only when we are at peace within that we can main tain dominion over oUr disquieting feelings and surging passions.
the darkness and loneliness of the night seemed to magnify, until all seemed- lost. A Later Contrast When, later, Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians, we notice a de cided change of tone. No longer do we find him unhappy and restless, but full of joy, peace, and contentment. Evil men are still busy seeking to wreck his work, but he has learned to take a long view of life and to see things in their true perspective. His imprisonment, his chains, have helped in the furtherance of the gospel (Phil. 1:12; cf. 1:16-18). Paul has learned the art of con tentment. Whatever his circumstances, nothing disturbs him; he accepts everything with serenity of mind and soul. “I know,” he says, “both how to be abased,, and I know how to abound; every where and in all things' I am instructed . . . both to abound and to suffer need” (4:12). Paul has now found the secret of the untroubled heart. The secret he reveals in his ex hortation to his beloved converts: “In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let y o u r requests be
was. In comparing his earlier Epistles
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Many generations ago a servant of Christ who had known much trouble wrote: “Be careful before all things to place the sentinel of peace over all thy feelings. It will lead thee to great things without any labor, nay, with great calmness and se curity. With this sentinel, sent thee by God, thou wilt so watch over thyself, and endure injuries I without disquiet.” How true this is, every one knows who takes note of his personal re actions to life. If you can confront evils calmly and quietly, with full self-possession, they cannot overcome you. An old Quaker merchant who had learned this truth adopted as his telegraphic address “Undisturbed —London,” and no matter what trouble he might be passing through, the p e a c e of God garrisoned the heart, keeping o,ut every care and fear, and thus the soul maintained its calmness and tranquillity under all circumstances. It is not our peace which is to guard the soul, but thè peace of God. Our own peace is too frail a thing to op pose the forces which -oppose it. It is a peace too dependent on circum stances, and is very easily destroyed when | assaulted by adverse circum stances. We think ourselves very strong and braye when all goes well with us, and think we can he calm and tranquil under any trial, but we get a shock, when trouble does corde. It is then we find our peace cannot keep out the fears and anxieties which spring up from within to at tack the inner citadel of the soul. No, it is not our peace, but the peace of God which alone will enable us to keep out every intruder, every enemy of our soul’s tranquillity. We are .to prepare against our foes—be forehand—by so living with Gpd, in faith and prayer, that His own peace possesses and fortifies our souls. By prayer and supplication; with thanks giving, we must feed habitually upon God’s abounding grace, that Bis peace and not our own will keep guard over our souls. It is God’s p e a c e , the fruit of prayer and thanksgiving, which will successfully withstand our foes within —our fears, antagonisms, jealousies, suspicions, and mistrust.. Therefore the Word says, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts . . . and be ye thankful” (Col. 3:15). Inner Peace in England These lines are written at a time when we in Britain are being put to a severe test; when the w a i l i n g sirens, by night and by day, warn us [Continued on Page 4111
A v o i d i n g
P a n i c
Peace at Pearl Harbor— even in the first terrible hours of Decem ber 7: this was the keynote of the testimony brought to friends in the homeland by Mrs. James W . Downing (Morena M . Holmes, B. Chr. Ed. ’40 at Biola) when she was required to return to the United States on the first shipload bearing evacuees to the mainland. In the days just prior to the outbreak of hostilities, Mrs. Down ing had been receiving special ' blessing from reading The Disci pline of Peril by Oswald Chambers (published by, Simpkin Mar shall, Ltd., London). A few excerpts from the book are given below, by permission of the publishers, for the benefit of those who may like wise be' facing disturbing hours.
We get tremendously scared when our social order is broken up, and well we may. We get terrorized by hundreds of men being killed, but we forget that there is something worse—sinful, dastardly lives being lived, day by day, year in and year out . . . These are the things that produce pain in the heart of God. Are the terrors that are abroad pro ducing panic—panic born of coward ice and selfishness? You never saw any in a panic who did not grab for themselves, whether it was sugar or butter or nations . . .- The one great crime on the part of a disciple, ac cording to Jesus Christ, is worry. Whenever we begin to calculate with out God, we commit sin. "Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil-doing" (Psa. 37:8, R.V.). Face facts . . . Our Lord teaches us to look things full in the face, and He says: "When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be scared." . , . There is ho natural heart of man or woman that is not scared by these things, and the evidence that God's grace is at. work amongst us is that we do not get terrified. Our attitude must be: "Father, I do not know what these things mean: it looks like starvation and distress, but Thou hast said, 'Do not be scared/ so I .will not be; and Thou hast said, 'Let not your heart be troubled/ so I will not let it be; and I stake my confidence in Thee." That is the real testimony. The clearest evidence t h a t God's grace is at work in our hearts is that we do not get into panics.
"And when you, hear of wars and disturbances, do not be scared; .these have to come first, but the end is not at once" (Lk. 21:9, a mod e r n translation). Our Lord.'talks so much about peril and disaster, and we deliberately shut our eyes and hearts and minds to it, and then when these things come, if we think at all, we are at our wits' end; we do not khow what to make of them. "But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them" (John 16:4). THE INEVITABLENESS OF PERIL "Wars and disturbances . . . have to come first." Have we realized that the worst must happen? And yet Jesus says, "When ye hear of wars and disturb ances, do not be terrified." We are not only hearing of wars and com motions; they are here right enough. It is not imagination; it is not news paper reports; the thing is here; there is no getting away from it. It is astonishing how we ignore what Jesus Christ tells us. He says that the nations will end in war and bloodshed and havoc; we ignore what He says, and when war does come we lose faith in God; we lose our wits and exhibit panic. The basis of panic is always cowardice.
THE IMPULSE OF PANIC ", . , do not be scared."
There is one thing worse than war, - and that is sin. The thing that startles us is not the thing that startles God.
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This Day of Thanks
By HERBERT LOCKYER
I N 1864 SARAH JOSEPHA HALE, the Boston.widow who faithfully cam paigned for twenty years for a set o b s e r v a n c e of Thanksgiving Day, made possible ah institution which has meant much to America through out the years. Mrs. Hale, one of this land’s first woman journalists, was not satisfied with Thanksgiving’s be ing an off-and-on affair, and she be sought Abraham Lincoln until in 1864 he established the custom that there after, by annual Presidential procla mation, the last Thursday in Novem ber be observed as a national Thanks giving Day. Seventy-eight years later, we find ourselves a p p r o a c h i n g another Thanksgiving Day, but in a time of international crisis such as the world has never known before. One phase of George Washington’s Thanksgiving proclamation of 1795 sounds strangely apropos in view of current- develop ments abroad. He wrote, "Render this country more and more a safe and
propitious asylum for the unfortunate of other countries." It is a matter for profound gratitude that America is guarded by two mighty oceans and has provided a place of refuge for multitudes of helpless refugees. But if the tide of war should turn against this nation, one wonders how long it Would remain a safe and propitious asylum for its millions of inhabitants. As we read of the terrible destruc tion that has overtaken other nations, Americans should be thankful that they still live in a land that has never been overrun by a cruel foe, has never had its homes destroyed by bombs of attacking forces,. has never expe rienced the horror of real famine, has never witnessed long columns of deso late refugees fleeing for their lives from their homes. A World Prospect That Tests -Faith The gr&ce of gratitude is one we must cultivate, no matter what ad verse experiences may come our way.
By precept and practice, New Testa ment writers emphasize the truth that thankfulness is a virtue we must manifest in spite of untoward circum stances. “Rejoice alway” was the ex- h o r t a t i o n o f the much-afflicted apostle who, as he wrote, was languishing in a prison celL Alas, however, we find ourselves in a thankless world! The ruthless de struction of all that man has counted precious is an evidence that he is not grateful for all the blessings of Christianity and of a civilization that owes very much to the influence of Christian principles. The question be fore us is: Is it possible to be thank ful in a blighted world like ours? Can we still sing amid so much sorrow? With universal grief, can souls be grateful? Do tears and thanks go to gether? As blood is being spilt on many battlefields, can we still bless the Lord? What is there left to be grateful for? In a world o t blasted cities, destroyed
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free to go where we like and to wor ship as we desire. Others face nights of terror and days of anxiety as death is raided from the skies; we can still sleep undisturbed in our beds. Other nations are bein% overrun by cruel hordes who rape their women, pillage their homes, and destroy their posses sions; we are still unmolested. And having such envied blessings, we dare not complain as we are rationed, called upon to pay heavièr taxes, and made to endure niinor Inconveniences. As Thanksgiving Day Comes round, there will still be turkey to eat and nuts to chew. When, in 1621, the first Thanksgiving took place in thè Ply mouth Colony, G o v e r n o r William Bradford proclaimed a three-day cele bration. About fifty-five colonists, and one hundred Indians met to feast on fish and a great store of wild turkeys. Bradford later wrote: “Famine once we had— But other things God gave us in full store, A fish and ground nuts to supply our strait, That we might learn on Providence to wait, And know, by bread man lives not in his need.” And as we come to thank God for all, the good things so freely bestowed upon us, let us pray that multitudes who will be thinking of material bene fits only, will coinè to experience the abounding riches of God’s gràcé.. Yes, in a world at war there-is much that Americans can be thankful for. As we pause and think, we ■ praise and thank. ; • » . -~v v j j f l was perfectly calm and controlled. . . . All my need was so abun dantly met in the midst of periL My d o c t o r and his dear; wife came and carried me to -their home and poured God’s oil and- wine for my healing. They, found me in bed untouched after the crash—a most miraculous deliver-’ ance. If Christian people would * only pray and trust for God’s w ill: to be done in them, they would have grace to do the hardest things and nothing to fear.” ::W What, a testimony to the effectiveness of ciod’s peace to guard the soul in the hour of peril and need! Learn to cultivate the h a b i t of prayer, trust, and thanksgiving. Make God your confidant; unbosom your self to Him; tell Him air that, troubles your heart. Do this: “in every thing,” and the peace of Christ will come int<* your heart.
the nations. He has the “more sure world of prophecy” that tells him not to be troubled as he witnesses inter national conflict and collapse. Are you not thankful for the Bible with all its predictions of the coming days, and its pronouncements of de liverance from a creation groaning and travailing in pain? Beloved, let us give heed to God’s Word as it urges us to lift up our hearts and heads, seeing our redemption is at hand. Further, is it hot something to be thankful for when we remember that there is no place where earth’s sor rows are more felt than up in heaven? As separations and graves become more common in the land, there is an increasing need of the ministry of comfort. Do we pray as we ought for those Christians who have found themselves enduring h a r d s h i p as ^slaves or >prisoners of war, or who have suffered the loss of all things but who ■daily seek to comfort and encourage those around them simi larly afflicted but who have no Christ to lean upon?. Knowing that God is putting their tears into His bottle, these suffering saints are thinking of those around who do not enjoy the consolation#"of the gospel. America’s Privilege Here in America, the land of the free, we find our gratitude intensified as we meditate upon the benefits flowing to us from the hand of God. What a God-blessed country this is! Others are starving; we have bread enough and to spare. Others are sub ject to the tyrannical rule of satan- ically inspired dictators; we are-still of the approach of those who come to hurl their explosive and incendiary bombs on "our homes, churches, hos pitals, schools, orphanages, factories, stores. Many believers are proving how strong and real is the guardian peace of Christ in their inner life. Here is a letter from one brave, help less invalid to a friend: "I was in my own dear home and at prayer feeling unutter ably thankful to God that I had no hate for any one in my heart and no fear. In this state of mind I remained, my infirmities not withstanding, the peace of God g u a r d i n g my heart and mind through Christ Jesus . . . Between one and two in the morning, two bombs were dropped on my house with alarming destructive effect; but, helpless though I was, I felt myself to tbe firmly held in the mighty, loving hand of God and
homes, scattered families, h e l l i s h slave camps, the misery, anguish, and fears of those people overrun by brutal forces bent upon spoliation, what re mains to praise God for? As we listen to the moans and groans of the famine stricken, of wo men and children driven like cattle from home and hearth, of those who die terrible deaths on land and sea, does not praise seem a mockery? Sup pose you lived in Greece where dogs and cats, and even rats, are being eaten by a helpless people bled white by heartless intruders, how would you feel? Living as we do in a paradise of plenty, we cannot fully understand the awful destitution of nations where h u n d r e d s daily die indescribable deaths; Abiding Causes for Gratitude Let us honestly face our theme and enumerate some things left to us in a wat-weary world for which we still can give sincere thanks. First of all, we are grateful that we have a God above who is just and righteous. Anxious hearts wonder why He does not intervene and stop this cruel war. Some argue that the sobs and sighs of a blood-sodden earth are not consistent with God’s love. But is it not a matter for heartfelt gratitude that we serve a God who is not indif ferent to the anguish of the innocent? Just as He looked down upon the oppressed Israelites in Egypt and shared in their hardships, for “in all their affliction he was afflicted” (Isa. (63:9), this God of compassion is not indifferent to the cries of multitudes who are under the heel of some of the most bloodthirsty men who ever lived. In a world where solemn pacts and treaties and the sanctities of life are discounted and where might displaces right, it is something to be thankful for that God has not abdicated His righteous throne. Because though the mills of God may grind slowly they yet grind exceeding small, the wicked tormentors of earth will yet be ground to powder. Let us be solemnly grate ful that Psalm 2, with its assurance of divine judgment, is still in the Bible. We can rest assured that our God is righteous and just. Another blessing is to be thankful for God’s changeless Word in a chang ing world. No matter where we turn there is change and decay. And, as civilization crumbles, men’s hearts fail them for fear. We have reached a time when there is distress among nations with perplexity. The minds of the wisest are confused, seeing that their Ideologies and philosophies are being torn to shreds. Rulers, writers, and economists are d e s t i t u t e of authority as they predict the future of this blood-saturated world. The Chris tian, however, is not unnecessarily perturbed by the chaotic condition of !
The Sentinel of Peace [Continued from Page 409]
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