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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
March, 1933
ception, seeking to lead astray the children o f God. In these latter days, he has even lodged himself in the profess ing church, using many of our modern ministers to under mine the faith o f young believers. In this time o f reli gious confusion, there must not be an uncertain note in the message o f the church if she is to command the blessing o f God upon her ministry. Many well-meaning people think it is unbecoming in a Christian, especially in a min ister, to be found in any controversy, even to contend in any way for the great Christian truths and doctrines that are the foundation principles of our holy religion. Con troversy and a bad spirit are in their estimation synonymous terms; so for any minister to strenuously oppose error or wrong teaching is to display a lack o f Christian meekness. To be convinced that such a position is utterly wrong, we need only to consider the attitude o f our Lord toward error. While He was always patient and tender with sin ners, He was uncompromisingly severe in His condemna tion of error, and in His exposure o f those who were guilty o f promulgating the same. During the whole o f His public ministry, He was never out o f controversy. From the day o f His inaugural ad dress in His own home town till He expired on the cross, He was in the midst o f continual controversy. No one surely would accuse our Lord o f being deficient in meek ness ; yet who ever used more severe language than He did when speaking o f error ? Furthermore, He did not confine Himself in His censures simply to the false doctrines. He included also those who were guilty o f spreading these teachings. The apostles, Spirit-filled as they were, followed their Lord in their attitude toward error and toward those who were guilty of spreading false doctrine. Note how Paul, in the first two chapters of Galatians, contends for the great truths' o f the gospel, not even hesitating to rebuke the Apostle Peter for deflecting from the liberty o f grace. The great doctrines of grace would have been lost to the church if Paul had not earnestly contended for them. In the present crisis hour, the church must not dishonor her Lord by trying to maintain a pacific attitude on the great certainties that set forth the person and work of Jesus Christ her Lord. She is God’s appointed custodian of the truth during the present age. T o be true to this heavenly stewardship in the midst o f forces that unceas ingly seek to extinguish the torch of truth, she can take no other course than that o f earnestly contending for the truth. To F ulfill a M in istry of I ntercession When world conditions give evidence of declining inter est in spiritual things, it becomes a challenge to the church to give herself to the ministry of prayer with renewed fer vor and zeal. According to the sixth chapter o f Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, the Lord provides every believer with five pieces o f defensive armor, which enable him to stand against the wiles and onslaughts of Satan, but he is provided with only two offensive weapons with which to oppose the adversary. Yet these are quite sufficient, if he uses them. One is the weapon o f prayer. The church in the past has been a spir itual force in the world only as she has maintained her min istry o f intercession. Meager attendance at her prayer ser vices always indicates that her power is on the decline. If Daniel could maintain a life of prayer and win vic tories for God while living at a godless court with all its political intrigue and social corruption, surely we ought to win larger victories, with all the privileges o f Christian fellowship, with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, with our clearer understanding o f the truth o f God, and with all the accumulated evidence of the faithfulness o f God in hearing and answering the prayers of His people. Are we faithful in this our God-given ministry?
church is being asked to change her program for one more accept able to the pagan world. “ Join hands,” they say, “ with the world religions in a program of human betterment and social uplift.” Jesus Christ builds His church, not by alliances with worldly re ligionists to make a better world, but by saving men out o f the world to form a new body o f regenerated people, who in turn will be able to bear witness to the power of His re deeming grace. To F eed the F lock Peter’s commission to feed the sheep and care for the lambs o f the flock is still a part o f the church’s mission. Believers constitute the family o f God, each member pre senting his or her own peculiar and individual needs. The young Chris tian needs careful nurturing, being able to partake only o f the “ milk o f the word,” but like the new-born babe, he must have the “milk o f the word” if he is to grow into a ma ture Christian. The more mature Christian can partake o f the strong meat o f the Word. The faithful pastor and his helpers have not an easy task in ministering to all the members according to their need and capacity. Many a modern church service, with its music furnished by tal ented musicians and its ethical dis course scintillating with eloquent phrases, may furnish entertainment or serve as a mental stimulus, but it is often utterly lacking in spirit ual nourishment for the saints. Children underfed, or given food that nourishes not, soon fall a prey to disease. Likewise saints, underfed and poorly nourished in the Word o f God, either turn to worldly attractions and amuse ments, or else they are easily en snared by some o f Satan’s delu sions. Saints well nourished by the milk and the meat o f the W,ord o f God are never caught in the net of Satan and drawn into one or an other o f the many modern cults. To C ontend E arnestly for the F a ith In Jude 3 (R . V .), the Holy Spirit designates the “ body o f truth” delivered t o ' the apostolic church by the ascended Christ as “ the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (cf. Acts 1 : 2 ). As long as Satan is loose in the world, operating as an “ angel of light” (2 Cor. 11 :14), he will con tinue his persistent program o f de
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