OCTOBER 1941
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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S The King's Business The True-to-the-Bible Family Magasine The Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Inc. LOUIS T. TALBOT • M ILD RED M. COOK E ditor-In-C hief Managing Editor
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The Scroll of the Law
Motto: “ Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood*1 (Rev. 1 :5 ).
Volume XXXII
October, 1941
Number 10
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Ransom D. Marvin, Staff Artist Around the King’s Table— Editorial ........................ .................... 371 Significance of the News— Dan Gilbert ........................................... 371 Four Oratorios of Revelation— lames R. Graham, Jr ............... 372 • The Purifying Hope— Douglas White ................................374 When God Would Do Some Bigger Thing— Ernest Dowsett.. 375 How the Life of the Spirit-Filled Christian Is Maintained— Ruth Paxson ................ .............................................................. 376. Bible Institute Family Circle........... - ....,............ 1........................... 381 International Lesson Commentary......................... „ ....................... 382 English— The Basic Working Tool— Sherwin Cody ................... 383 Notes on Christian Endeavor —Herbert W - Cassel, Lyman A. Wendt, Mary Frances Redding, Allison Sehvay, Doris C. Aldrich .........;....................................................................... . 394 Daily Devotional Readings................................................................ 400 Junior King’s Business— Martha S. Hooker ..................... ............ 405 Our Literature Table...................................... .................................. 407 SUBSCRIPTION PRICE* “ T he K in g ’s B u sin ess” is publish ed m onthly. $1.00— on e y e a r; $1.50— tw o y e a rs; 50 cen ts— six m on th s; 10 cen ts—sin g le cop y. C lubs o f fiv e or m ore at special ra te s; w rite fo r details. C anadian and fo re ig n su b scrip tion s 25 cen ts extra. It req u ires on e m onth fo r a ch a n ge o f address’ to b ecom e e ffe ctiv e . P lea se send both old and new addresses. R EM IT T A N C E—P a ya b le in advance, should be m ad e by bank draft, exp ress or p ost o ffic e m on ey ord er paya b le to “ T h e K in g 's B u sin ess.” D ate o f exp ira tion w ill sh o w p lain ly each m on th on ou tsid e w ra p p er or co v e r o f m agazin e. A D V E R T iSIN G -^ -F or in form a tion w ith re ferefice to a d v e rtisin g in “ T he K in g ’s B usin ess,” address the A d vertisin g M anager, 558 South H ope S treet, D os A n geles, C alif., or our eastern rep resen ta tive, R e lig io u s Press A ssocia tion , .1601 C hestn ut St., P h iladelph ia, Pa. M ANU SCR IPTS— “ T h e K in g ’s B u sin ess” ca n n ot a cce p t re sp o n sib ility fo r loss or dam a ge to m an u scrip ts sen t to it fo r con sid era tion . E n tered as s e co n d -cla ss m atter N ovem b er 7, 1938, at th e p o st o ffic e at L os A ngeles, C aliforn ia , u n d er the A ct .of M arch 3, 1879. A ccep ta n ce fo r m a ilin g at special rate o f p osta ge p rovid ed fo r in the A ct o f F ebru ary 28, 1925. em bod ied in pa ra gra p h 4, section 538, P. L, and R., au th orized O ctob er 1, 1918, and N ovem ber 13, 1938. THE KING’S BUSINESS 558 South Hope Street • Los Angeles, California INFORMATION FOR SUBSCRIBERS
The Scroll Is the most Sacre^ thins in the Jewish Synagogue. Christ read His introductory message from the scroll in the Synagogue^ Every Bible Student ought to have one of these miniature scrolls. Our Offer We want you to read The Chosen People, edited by Joseph Hoffman Cohn, son of the late ExBabbi Leo pold Cohn, and considered by many Bible students the most helpful paper on prophecy and the Jew published in America. It gives you inspiring reports of the world-wide activities of the American Board of Missions to the Jews, Inc. Also, we want you to read the life story of ExRabbi Leopold Cohn, written by himself in a six ty-page booklet—one of the most thrilling stories you 'have ever read. Jews are really accepting the Lord Jesus Christ. - The price of the Scroll is 50 cents, and The Chosen People is 50 cents a year. Mr. Cohn’s autobiog raphy is 30 cents. Send us $1 and we will mail you ALL and enter your name for a year’s subscrip tion for The Chosen People; if not satisfied we’ll return your money without a question. And may we remind you also of the continuous need of our Mis sionary undertakings. Our work merits your e v e r y confidence. It is a program of world-wide Gos pel testimony to the Jews. Your fellowship in prayer and gift is always welcomed and appreciated. The Chosen People is of course
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- ^ T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S Around the King s Table LOUIS T. TALBOT, Editor-In-Chief
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of valor” of whom we read in the Old Testament narratives. At the present moment there is need of modern “Minute Men” who will act vigorously in these days of crisis in our own country, and throughout the world. Many lands are now in the fur nace of affliction. The nations have forgotten God, and His hand is heavy upon them. What happened long ago when people forsook the Lord is taking place again before our very eyes: “Na tion was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity” (2 Chron. 15:6). And our beloved United States is Threatened with the same fate if we do not repent and return to God. George T. B. Davis, well known through his connection with the Million Testaments Campaigns, has prepared a folder calling for “One Million Minute Men” who will spend at least one min ute daily in prayer for a great spiritual BATTLE FOR A “DRY” ARMY: • This commentator repeatedly has pointed out that the suppression of the liquor traffic is a fundamental requisite of national defense. In response to many inquiries, the following facts are sub mitted as to “how goes the battle” for a “dry” army. It will be recalled that in 1917 Con gress enacted special legislation to pro tect the army and navy from the liquor traffic. This legislation made possible the enforcement of Federal prohibition in areas adjacent to all important points where our armed forces were concen trated. President Wilson personally sponsored the measures providing for “war-time emergency prohibition,” even though he vetoed the Volstead Act enacted after the war was over. Bills with a similar purpose—to pro vide for “emergency prohibition” in and around army camps—are now pending in the United States Congress. The leg islatures of Maine, Iowa, Colorado, and Minnesota have petitioned Congress to pass these measures.
This Is V ictory Men and women—even Christians— react differently to sudden, blinding grief. Those who, by reason of habitual abiding "in the secret place of the‘ Most High,” are enabled to face any emer gency in the calm strength of the Lord, give a high quality of testimony that is more conclusive than the most eloquent words would be. This kind of witness ing to Christ’s sustaining grace was re cently given by the beloved pastor of the Moody Memorial Church of Chicago, H. A. Ironside. Dr. Ironside was at Montrose, Penn sylvania, in charge of the important general conference which attracts large numbers of Christian people, when word reached him of the death on July 25 of his son, Edmund, who had been founder and president of the Southern Bible Training School, Dallas, Texas, a Bible Institute for Negroes. The father’s grief was that of a parent over the sudden parting from a beloved son, but it was more than that; it was that sor row that comes with the severing of ties of love and service which unite two devoted souls in common labor for their coming Lord. Deep as was his personal loss, Dr. Ironside moved steadily through days of responsibility at Montrose, ar riving in Dallas only in time for the funeral on July ,29. A missionary who was in attendance at the conference wrote in a personal letter to THE KING’S BUSINESS; “ Dr. Ironside spoke that first night on heaven, and I don’t be lieve any of us who were present will ever forget that service! The triumph in which he walked through those days was a remarkable testi mony to us all.” This is victory! “Thanks be* to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” One M illion Minute Men Shortly before the Revolutionary War began, a unique movement sprang into being and quickly enlisted multitudes in its ranks. Its members were called “Minute Men.” They were zealous pa triots who were ready at a minute's no tice to serve and defend their country. The patriotic fervor of those liberty- loving men has been an inspiration to American youth for more than a cen tury and a half. Their courage and heroism remind one of the “mighty men
awakening, for national defense, and for the preservation of civil and'religious liberty throughout our land. These folders (one cent each) may be given to members of one’s church, Sunday-school, Bible, class, or mission ary or young people’s societies, or they may be sent in letters to-relatives and friends. Address: One Million Minute Men, 1505 Race Street, Philadelphia, Pa. Any effort which has as its purpose the stimulating of prayer and obedience to God’s Word is an effort that should be supported. D ivision Am ong Christians According to an article by Demaree Bess in the Saturday Evening Post, in invading Russia the Germans “were pre paring the foundations for an appeal to all lovers of peace everywhere and es pecially in Christian churches to end their war.” Mr. Bess continues: [ Continued on Page ’404] Strong opposition to the legislation for a “dry” army has come from unex pected sources. The New York Times has quoted letters which Secretary of War Stimson and Secretary of the Navy Knox have written to the Senate Mili tary Affairs Gommittee arguing against the pending measures. Secretary Knox contended: “The suppression of the sale of liquor is an invasion of American rights.” . :r> Secretary Stimson argued: "It would be harmful to the men in the service as well as unnecessary to direct a prohibition against them that did not apply to other citizens.” He added that the War Department was “firmly convinced that such legislation would not be in the in terest of temperance in respect to the armed forces, but would be a stepping stone for a movement lead ing to nation-wide prohibition, a method of control once tried and [i Continued on Page 399]
Significance of the News By DAN GILBERT Washington, D. C , and San Diego, California
October, 1941
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S -
87* T h e b o o k o p r e v e l a t io n is a book of Unveilings as the English name and the Greek word “ apok- alupsis” indicate. It lifts us up out of the realm of things mundane and draws aside the curtain for a glimpse of those beings who are untrammeled with the demands of things fleshly and earthly. We find that those who are Inhabit ing the celestial city are perpetually in a state of jubilation and praise. We . f i nd , moreover, that the objects of praise are not the angels or even the best of redeemed men, but always and only the Godhead Itself. The dwellers in that City are telling forth day and bight the wondrous attributes of the One that sits on the throne, and they are chanting the greatness of His work. We want to make particular mention of four great songs that are recorded in this great finale to the Word of God, the Book of Revelation. It is not specifically recorded that all these great ascriptions of praise are sung, but we believe the indications are undeniable that they were, and thus we are speak-, ing of them as oratorios. T h e O ra torio o f Creation The first great oratorio we find re corded in the last part of chapter 4. It is not sung by' the whole body of the heavenly choir, but by the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders. This wonderful song we are calling “The Oratorio of Creation.” It will be noted that this is the theme of the song: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive honor and glory and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Rev. 4:11). God is the Author and Creator of the things infinite and things infinitesimal. . The three Persons of the ¡Godhead have different functions in the creative work. God the Father is consistently set forth in Scripture as b e i n g the Originator, the Designer of all things; the Son is invariably the One who as sumes the responsibility for the carry ing out of that which the Father has designed, and the Holy Spirit is repre sented as being the Person who actually brings into being what the Father has designed and what the Son has com manded. “God [when the word ‘God’ is used without any Person’s being specified, it usually refers to the Father] . . . hath . . . spoken unto us by his Son, . . . by whom also he made the worlds” (Heb. 1:1, 2). Obviously, then, God the Father made thè worlds through the medium of God the Son. Verse 3 speaks of God the Son as “upholding all things by thé word of his power.” He is issuing this “word of . . . power” to the Third Person who is the active Sustainer. It Was Christ who said, “Let there be light,” and the Holy Spirit whoy
brooding over the primeval c h a o s , brought the light into being by His active operation. The Psalmist tells us, “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath [Spirit] of his mouth” (Psa. 33:6). Christ issued the word, and the Holy Spirit carried it out. Job tells us, “By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens” (26:13), and also, “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath [Spirit] of /the Almighty hath given me life” (33:4): God the Father, then, is the Architect, God the Son the Contractor, God the Holy Spirit the Builder. And as the Catechism states it, “These three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.” Truly we can re peat with Paul, “Great is the mystery of godliness” (1 Tim. 3:16). It is a mystery too deep for the mind of man to fathom, yet we can enter into some part of this great mystery. . “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power” ! Who but the great God the Creator is worthy of receiving glory and honor and power? John says of Christ, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing m a d e that was made” (John 1:3). The inspired Apostle caught a little glimpse of the glory of the Creator. It is thought by many that the Gospel according to John was written after John had seen t h e s e heavenly visions. Small wonder then that the Gospel is permeated with the thought of the Godhead of Christ. “We beheld his glory, the glory as of. the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (1:14). But the oratorio tells us not only that He is the Creator of all things, but also that He is Himself the Object of the creative work. If there is one thing that the Scriptures teach, but which seems to have been overlooked by many would-be expounders of the Word, it is the ¡fact that there is no work or purpose of God that-does not begin and end with God Himself. Man is a utility to the accomplish ment of the divine purposes, and God has given him a lofty position if he will but accept it, but man is, neither author nor finisher. Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last (Rev. 1:8, 11; 21:6; 22:13), Unless this great principle is understood, the purport of the mass of Scripture will be missed. “For by h[pi were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or prin cipalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him” (Col. 1:16; cf. Rom. 11:36). T h e O ra torio o f R edem p tion The second oratorio of heaven is found recorded in Revelation 5:9-14. This mighty chorus we call “The Oratorio of Redemption.” This great paean of praise is directed to the Lamb who was slain, and who has accom plished a redemption of men from “everyi kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” through the shedding of His- blood (v. 9). It should be noted that the first part of this oratorio was sung by exactly the same group who sang the Oratorio of
By JAMES R. GRAHAM, Jr. Revelation 4:9-11; 5:8-14; 16:4-7; 11:15, 16.
October, 1941
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he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace” (Heb. 10:29)—every proud, self- righteous Pharisee that has spumed Óod’s pure way of salvation, will one day, even in hell, bow the knee and confess the Lordship of Christ. Even though unwilling, each of these will join in singing this oratorio in its last chorus, “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be untò him that sitteth upon thè throne, and *unto the Lamb for ever and ever” (v. 13). May we stop to recapitulate the four classes that will take up this Oratalo of Redemption which is universal in its scope and includes every God-conscious •creature that inhabits or has ever in habited the universe: (1) The ones who have participated personally ih redemp tion. (2) The unredeemed in glory, angels and others. (3) Those not in heaven’s glory, but still inhabiting the earth. (4) Those who have already entered the regions of the lost. [ Continued on Page 380]
Creation, the four'living creatures, and the four and twenty elders. It is usually agreed by interpreters of the Book of Revelation that the four and twenty elders represent the church, which com prises both Jew and Gentile, the twelve patriarchs representing Israel, and the twelve apostles representing the church which began to be called out from the Gentiles through their preaching. Certain it is that the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders represent collectively those who have been redeemed from the penalty and power of sin, because in the song they declare that very fact: “Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood” (v. 9). This first part of the oratorio is the personal testimony, sung in mighty unison, of those who have experienced the thrill of the redemption which Christ has wrought. It is only a selected portion of the great heavenly choir that sings Jthis particular part of the score. It is after this individual and collec tive avowal of redemption has been chanted that the myriad host of angels, ten thousand times ten thousand, or one hundred million and more, burst forth into the chorus of praise to the Lamb in the words, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing” (v. 12). These are sinless, unredeemed beings who have not participated personally in the bene fits of redemption, though they have appreciated the magnitude of it vastly more than have the darkened millions for whom redemption was intended. Then John tells us of the further ex tension of the oratorio to “every crea ture which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in
them.” It b e c o m e s ' universal in e x t e n t and embraces all who are in heaven who are neither former earth- dwellers, participants in the redemption, nor are they angels. Pos sibly they are inhabit ants of other planets, or sidereal bodies, sin less and unredeemed b u t inhabiting t h e heaven of God. Then there are those who are yet living on earth, or on the sea, and those that are under the earth. The last classifica tion, we believe, em braces the myriads of the lost. Does not Paul tell us . (Phil. 2:10) that there will be a day when “at the name of Jesus every knee s h a l l bow, . . . in heaven, and . . . in earth, and , . . under the earth, and that e v e r y tongue should c o n f e s s that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the g l o r y o f G o d t h e Father” ? I t . is a s o l e m n thought that one day every Christ-rejector, every profane person who has "trodden un der foot the Son of God, and hath counted t h e b l o o d of the covenan t, wherewith
Doxologies By WILLIAM M. RUNYAN
When saints of God together bring Glad anthems to their Lord and King, With voices vibrant with the joy That the redeemed above employ. These saints on earth are practicing What thef in heaven shall help to sing. Doxologies on earth below “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.” Who in the flesh shall praise Him most But echoes yonder heavenly host. O saints of God, prepare, prepare For alleluias over there! Let swell the paeans of His praise While here we live our pilgrim days. For what we sing and what we are Combine to lift our praise far Above the bounds of time and place, To where the ransomed see His face— To where the “New Song” in acclaim Extols the Saviour’s wondrous name: “Thou hast redeemed us by Thy blood, Worthy art Thou, O Lamb of God, Honor and glory to receive!” This shall we sing! This we believe!
October, 1941
s u
The Purifying Hope By DOUGLAS WHITE*
/
'
Clarkesville, Georgia
N OT MANY of God's children are Interested in prophetic teaching, but among those who are inter ested, there is tragedy in the fact that many too evidently fail to profit by their understanding of predic tive prophecy. To fail to comprehend and be governed by the claims of Christ relative to His return is to miss com pletely the practical value of this teach ing. “Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” applies to revelation of prophetic as well as other truth. The failure of those who profess to be possessed of this knowledge to pro duce something better and higher in the. realm of Christian character has brought the teaching of some devoted servants of Christ into disrepute. The disciples were motivated by curiosity when they asked the Lord, “Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). The reply which He gave to this question does not suggest displeasure* that His followers should be interested in the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. But it does show the Lord’s purpose to divert their attention to that which was of immediate and practical importance. “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons . . . But ye Shall receive power, . . . and ye shall be witnesses unto me” (Acts 1:7, 8). To Him, the more important issue was the reception and exercise of p o w e r rather than the knowledge of "times” and “seasons.” Witnessing unto Him, not witnessing to a program, was to be the thing of all-absorbing interest. On the’ other hand, the Lord Jesus did not deny any possibility that this resto ration would come to pass, nor did He say that the disciples were to be left in darkness concerning the event. ; He was merely placing the emphasis where it belonged. A little later, these same men received the full answer which they sought. The revelation came immedi ately after their risen Lord’s ascension into heaven. Heavenly messengers in formed His astonished disciples, as they
stood looking at the cloud which had received Him out of their sight, “Why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus [apart from whom there is no kingdom], . . . shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go i n t o heaven” (Acts 1 : 11 ). The Spirit-esjpowered witness “unto the -uttermost p a r t of the earth” is the concern which should claim our attention in view of Christ’s promised re
turn. Our business is to complete the witnessing with all possible haste. Therefore, if the signs which are to precede the Lord’s return are visibly apparent upon the prophetic horizon, it simply means that we must redouble our efforts to complete that witness. Th e Reason fo r P roph ecy It is very significant to note what fs said by the other .writers of the New Testament as they record the words of Jesus or write under the direction and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Almost invariably, when they give forth information about the sec ond coming, they exhort believers to deny “ungodliness and worldly lusts” and to “live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” as they Continue “looking for t h a t blessed h o p e , and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” It was for the purpose of re deeming us “from all iniquity,” and to "purify unto himself a peculiar peo ple, zealous of good works” that Christ “ gave himself for us” (Tit. 2:12-14). It also will be for such a people that He will return. The apostle of love, who penned the Revelation, reminds us in his first Epis tle .that a life of intimate fellewship with Christ is dependent upon abiding in Him, “that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming” (1 John 2:28). So then, “every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth him self, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). Unless our prophetic enthusiasm pro
duces a life of purity and separation from the world, creating a zeal that causes us to be “steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,” and a consuming love that con strains us to lay our all upon"the altar of sacrifice, we have gained only the knowledge that “puffeth up” but does not edify.. How sad it is that this great truth, for the teaching of which many of us are religiously ostracized and treated with scorn, should become to some that hold it a mere intellectual intrigue—fascinating but not inspiring, a bone of contention instead of the backbone of conviction! • What a travesty it is that the one thing that will keep us militant and loyal when all else gives way, should be corrupted to such an extent that the prejudiced point the finger of scorn at the inconsistency, and refuse to give the matter even a brief consideration! In our teaching of prophetic truth, there is great need to give an admoni tion to conform to the demands involved in the reception of such truth. How a Japanese Learned A missionary in Japan was encour aging the native converts in the mem orization of Scripture. The missionary felt, and rightly so, that nothing would bring forth fruit in the lives of those babes in Christ more readily or effec tively than the assimilation of the Word of God. He prepared a course of mem ory work for one bright intelligent man of mature years who had evidenced a very remarkable and genuine conver- [ Continued on Pagt 404]
'Pattor, Firtt Baptist Church,
October, 1941
TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
875
I T IS W E lt to be prepared for the "If nets.” For some the ninety-first Psalm Is to be claimed literally, but for others there is martyrdom. Through faith some have subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of aliens, women re ceived their dead raised to life again. But that does not exhaust the list. Not every one who lives by faith readily overcomes every circumstance and achieves outward vic tory. So the Spirit adds, “ AND OTHERS . . ." (Heb. 11:35, 36). They were those who had to face the “ IF NOT . • The man who mistakes faith for a short cut to health, wealth, and prosperity may be in for a sobering correction. God does not follow one uniform procedure with all 6f us. Peter walks out of prison by divine interven tion, but James dies by the sword. These Hebrew children knew that God was able to deliver them, but IF NOT they would be true anyway! Their faithfulness was not condi tioned by favorable circumstance. Although, of course, you would like to be delivered from whatever fiery furnace you are In, have you made up your mind about the "if not” ? No matter to which category In the eleventh of Hebrews you belong, will you be faithful anyway?* YANCE HAVNER *Reprinted from Consider Him, p. 6i (1937), by special peritiission o f Fleming 11. Revell Co., N. y.
When God
Would Do
Some Bigger Thing
By ERNEST DOWSETT* Eastbourne, England
life as the raw material for further progress, the faith which sees that God has larger meanings in life than we are now able to read, that He has larger answers to our prayers than we are now able to appreciate, and that He has a thousand ways of' fulfilling the promises of His faithfulness—such are the spirit and faith of these three who were appointed to the fire. A ccepting G od ’ s Alternative It is quite likely that few of the experiences of our lives will be realized in just the way we are expecting 'them to be realized. It may be that the bright future of which we are dreaming may come to us through bitter failure; that the longed-for deliverance from some> bondage may come by way of a heavy cross. It may be that the spiritual
"Our God whom we serve Is able to de liver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Dan. 3:17, 18). H ERE ARE THREE young men bow down to lie popular idol; they were' to Join the fickle multitude in acclaim ing an earthly king to the denial of the King of their hearts, and with a burn ing, fiery furnace in front of them if they should refuse. And from these men came this answer to the king: “Our God . . . is able to deliver us . , . and he wiR deliver us . . . But if not . .* That is, if that cir cumstance remains unfinished, if our ex perience does not come up to our expec tation, if we are baffled by it, our reso lution yet remains unshaken, our faith in God will remain firm; we will still reckon on God who is greater than all our expectations. “But if hot,” we are still ready to praise Him, who, for His own inscrutable purposes appoints us to the fire. In that spirit and in that faith these three young men were east into the furnace. That is the spirit, and that is the faith that should fill us with courage and confidence when we are tempted to complain, when circuihstances for us remain unfinished, when our experience does not come up to our expectation. In line with this very theme, one writer has said, “Ups and downs there must be in life, and we are quite wise to learn how to deal with them. Only san guine youth sees life as an un broken ascent; experience soon cor rects that Only by diligent seek ing and by a renewed will can we resume the ascent; and then the most we can ask. is that the general ascent shall be upward still.” - But the spirit which looks «.t the dif ficulties and the disappointments of * Retired Congregational paetor with a travel ing preaching miniitrg ,
who had been challenged by the secular powers not to wor ship God. They had been commanded to
blessings we are seeking may lead us to Satanic opposition. And it may be that we are go ing forth soon to tread a path way clouded with the mystery of God’s dealings. Unless our faith has an alternative, we shall grow disheartened, and be overcome by the things we meet. Observe those whose faith had an alternative: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace. . . . But if not” —it He, does not do what we think He should—we are xfeady to trust Him still. Again and again in God’s Word this amazing alternative stands. One of the prophets was facing a failure of the crops in Palestine. Perhaps the spring rains had been exces sive, or the summer drought had been severe. Perhaps some storm or some pestilence>had beep raging. At any rate, the harvest had not come up to ex pectation. The pinch of famine was in the land. The spirit of praise was being silenced. It was the time when God would do some bigger thing. Habak- kuk could see no figs In the groves, no olives in the or- [Continued an Page 379J_
I
October, 1941
S76
TH E K I N G ’ S
B U S I N E S S the Spirit-Filled Maintained
How the Life of Christian Is
By RUTH PAXSON
sense you do begin to live there. You will never find the Christian life any thing but arduous and. hard as long as you are unfilled with the Holy Spirit, and yet it is true that it is the Spirit- filled Christian toward whom the devil is most furious in his attitude, and on whom he makes the most diabolical as saults. Put, friends, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we know how to meet that. We know that Satan is a de feated foe, and we learn from Romans 8 that even with those severe diaboli cal attacks made upon us, we can have a heart filled with the peace of God that passeth all understanding. We can have the rest, the quietness, and the joy of the Lord in the midst of it all. To have victory, we need to under stand something of the devil’s tactics. The story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 is tty? Scriptural illustration of Satan’s methods. Have we not every right to believe that Ananias and Sap 7 phira were a part of that Spirit-filled Church? And yet the devil got place in their lives. When Ananias and Sap phira imitated the generosity of Bar nabas in order that they might receive praise from the Church, they secretly kept back part of the price of the possession they sold, yet pretended to contribute the full proceeds. Sudden death was the result for both of them. A terrible judgment! What was the sin? Keeping back part of the price? Yes, but back of that was lying unto the Holy Ghost. What was the real sin ? It was giving ’’ Satan place, allowing him to implant a thought in the mind. “Why hast thou conceived this thing In thine heart?” said Peter. The next
the greatest proof and the greatest man ifestation of the infilling of the Holy Spirit is the control by the Holy Spirit. That control is manifested and main tained through our continuous obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the will' of God as revealed in His Word. That will of God will be manifested in our walking in the ways of God. It will be well to think of three com mands that deal with the negative side of maintaining the Spirit-filled life. No - Standing R o om fo r Satan The first command is in Ephesians 4:27: “Neither give place to the devil.” Let us keep quite constantly in mind that the devil’s hatred is primarily • toward the Lord Jesus Christ. He hates you and me as Christians because we are in Christ. But he hates Christ be cause Christ took from him a subject in his evil kingdom and a slave in his service, when each of us received the Lord Jesus as his personal Saviour and came out of the kingdom of Satan and was translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. The devil hates us because we repre sent Christ in this world. We are the visible, tangible part of the Lord Jesus Christ that he can now reach and touch. He especially hates the Spirit-filled Christian, because the Spirit-filled Christian is his greatest menace. He makes the Spirit-filled Christian a tar get for his severest temptations. This may sound discouraging^ to you because you thought that you were not going to have; any struggles or hard times and that you were going to live on Easy Street as soon as you were filled with the Holy Spirit. In one
[In the previous articles in this series. Miss Paxson has shown the absolute ■contrast of the believers position since he passed beyond the Cross, the Great Divide, and has been delivered position- ally from the sphere of Satan, the world, and the flesh, to be in Christ, in the Church which is His Body, and in the Holy Spirit. Following the descrip tion of this positional sanctification, Miss Paxson dealt with the Christian s progressive sanctification through the working of God the Holy Spirit. In the installment preceding this present ar ticle, she discussed the Lord Jesus Christ's words in John 7:37, " I f any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink,” showing that they express im portant conditions for the infilling of the Holy Spirit. — E ditor .] O NCE FILLED, are we always filled? No! There are perhaps thousands who have known in times past what it was to have a definite experience of the infilling of the Holy Spirit that marked a crisis in the life, yet who cannot truthfully say that they know they are filled with the Holy Spirit today. Through sin that comes into the life and that remains there unconfessed and unpardoned, through disobedience to God’s will, which means an unyielded place in the life, or through anything that hinders the sustenance of that life and growth- in It, 9 "There is no limit to what God will do through any man, provided he doe s not TOUCH THE GLORY ! But how guilty we Christian workers are! We not only touch the glory, but too often we take it to ourselves." October, 1941 T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S 377 step had come when "they agreed to gether.” Satan got place and then he got possession, which means control. The devil just asks for standing room. He never will ask you and me first of all for control. Never! He knows we would not give that to him. He just asks -for place! When once he gains entrance, he will bring a whole family of demons with him and will get control. Yes, just one thought, one look,' one desire, one imagination, one ulterior motive, one" bit of compromise—such a little thing! And everybody does it, we say, so it must be all right. Yet the fact that everybody does it may be exactly the reason that it is wrong. Only one little indulgence of the flesh —such a little thing that one hopes it cannot make any difference. It may seem just one step downward and one step backward. The devil never asks you and me to take a landslide—just a little lowering of the standard, just a little reservation, keeping back a tiny part of the price. W here thé Enemy Finds Entrance Last summer I was in a conference in the Berkshires. There' was a girl there about sixteen years of age who at the conference the year before had received the Lord Jesus Christ as her Saviour. I was giving a message simi lar to this one, and she came up after wards and said, ‘‘Miss Paxson,.I know where the devil got in in my life. I do not want you to think I’m a jitter bug or anything like that, but I know that the devil got in with me through swing music,” Yes, she knew exactly where the devil got place in her life, and then he got control, and she had lived a year of absolute defeat as a Christian. Where did he get “in” with you? In what thing did you give him place, and has he now got control? My friend, if we give him even the slightest bit of standing room, there is no telling where his diabolical work will end. Beware also of dabbling in religious cults that omit the Saviour’s atonement for sin. I want to say to any person dabbling in Unity, Christian Science, Jehovah’s Witnesses, or in any other of the cults that deny the blood of the Saviour and give teaching regarding the Holy Spirit contrary to God’s Word, you aré giving the devil place. If you so continue, he will get control. All over these United States I am finding people that call themselves^Christians that have Unity books on top of their Bible and Christian Science books alongside the old Book, and they say, “Why can we not have both and study them together?” It is giving place to the devil, and there is no telling where he will take you if you allow him even standing room. He knows all of your susceptible, and weak points, and he will use any method to gain access to your life. One thing that impresses me in creasingly these days is how cruel thie devil is. He is cruel! Oh! the things that are told m e .in interviews of his diabolical cruelty! Satan disguises his approach. He will come through the most sacred things of life. A young woman came to me one day greatly troubled. She was working in a mission where God had been using' her in winning souls. She was very zealous for the Lord. So was the man who was head of the mission, but his wife had no interest in his work. The devil came through the holi est of things and the most sacred and made those two people feel that they were mated and made to be together because of their love of the Lord and their love of winning souls. One evening the. young woman came to me in the ut-.- termost despair because she found her self in love with that married man. And the devil was trying to persuade her that they were made for each other and that the relationship was all right. God never puts love into a heart of a married man for a woman other than his wife. It is lust, not love. It is the devil getting place, even though he comes by a sacred approach. Satan tempts through the world out side, and you know it is sometimes very difficult to detect when it is the devil’s temptation because there are no stand ards in this world today. Then the devil comes through the flesh. He bores from within. He knows all the weak spots in our disposition and the lusts o f our heart and the old habits of our, life; and he will come along those old grooves. And unless you and I are filled with the Holy Spirit, there is nothing to hold us safe against the attacks of the devil, as. he comes both from without and from within. Are you really willing to ask God the Holy Spirit to search you through and through to see whether in any possible way in any place in your life ypu have given place to the devil T There is a place for real self-examina tion, not introspection, but true, Scrip tural self-examination and self-judg? ment. Will you be willing to do it now, and if God shows you any place where you .have given place to the devil, by a definite act of your will are you willing to take that place back and give it to the Lord Jesus Christ? Th e H oly Spirit Ungrieved Ephesians 4:30 gives us the second command: “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.” “Grieve”-—there is no word in t the Bible used in connection with the Holy Spirit that more clearly and beautifully reveals the tenderness and love of His heart. We cannot grieve any one unless that one loves us. There is living within you that loving, tender, sensitive Person, God the Holy Spirit, and because He loves us, you and I can cause sorrow to Him. I took the names of the Holy Spirit to study them in this light: that I might know when ever and however-1 might be grieving God the Holy Spirit. Here are some of the things I gleaned concerning the Holy Spirit: He is the Spirit of Truth. Anything of error or unsoundness in what you and I believe grieves this wonderful Spirit of Truth. Friends, I believe we may know exactly what the Bible teaches. Bible study can follow a very simple method. First, what does the Bible say? Secondly, what is the mean ing of what it says? Thirdly, what is the meaning of what it says to me? Too often, not knowing exactly what the Word of God says, we begin to think of something it means to us in our experience, and this may be quite contrary to the teaching of the Bible. Then we make the Bible coincide with our experience—and there too error and confusion creep in. Friend, will you trust this One who is the Spirit of Truth to teach you and guide you into all truth, to keep you from . error and unsoundness in what you believe? But further than that, He is grieVed by hypocrisy and deceit and lying and falsehood. Are we testifying to more than we really know in experience in our lives? Do we profess more than we possess in order to keep, up our reputation as a ■Christian ? We are tempted to lie in giving church sta tistics, for example. We are tempted to lie in so many phases in our Christian TU ustration b y W illiam P h illip «.
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