WITH FEATURES FROM JULY "BIOLA HOUR" BROADCASTS
The Bibl e InstituteHour CALIFORN IA Arroyo Grande-San Luis Obispo KCJH
I B I O L A
broadcaster Monthly Publication of the BIOLA FELLOWSHIP V o l. 4 N o . 8 A U G U S T , 1 9 6 4 CONTENTS AUCTION FOR THE SOUL ........ 3 BIBLE MODELS ....................... 5 CALLS OF JESUS .................... 7 MORN ING HOURS .................. 9 PARABLES A N D PEARLS .......... 11 RADIO QUESTIONS ...................15 EVERLASTING THINGS ........... 20 GOD'S PERFECT W ILL ............. 22 GOD'S READINESS .................. 24 EVIDENCES OF TRUTH ........... 25 THREE GREAT THINGS ........... 27 TUESDAY-THURSDAY STUDIES ..30 BIOLA FELLOWSHIP PLAN ...... 34 COVER: Through these halls of the School of Nursing of the Los Angeles County General Hospital will pass the Biola College women enrolled in Biota's new registered nursing pro gram. This beautiful new three mil lion dollar building houses the library, classrooms, laboratories and school offices as well as the spacious resi dence for the students. STAFF President................ S. H. Sutherland Ed ito r.............. ..............Al Sanders Production ............Virginia Schwepker Printing ...................... Church Press Published monthly by the Radio Dept. BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 558 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, Cal. Controlled circulation postage paid at Los Angeles, California.
1280 9:00 A.M. MTWTF
Bakersfield-Wasco KAFY Chico-Marysville KHSL Fresno-Dinuba KRDU KWSO
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Yakima
1390 10:00 A.M. MTWTF OTHER STATES
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Albuquerque, New Mexico KARA 1310
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by Dr. Walter L. Wilson Q u C u OIH FOR THE SOUL
S ome of the most interesting news paper advertisements concern auc tions. Have you ever read them? You know, there is always an auction going on in the world. For the Chris tian, there is a constant bidding for him. On one side is the world, the flesh, and the devil. On the other side is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The first three are for bad and the latter three are for good. In Matthew 6:24 we read the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mam mon.” Then in Matthew 16:26 the Saviour asks a pertinent question, “What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” What an interesting and penetrating question. The first of the three bidding against righteousness is the world. Scripture tells us, “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Notice that it does not
say the love of God is not in him. That is included, of course. The term Father is used because He gave His Son to save lost men. The world comes along and says, “I’ll give you pleasure and everything your heart can pos sibly desire.” The field of business challenges many people, but even when they have amassed a fortune they still have no peace or satisfac tion. Lord Byron found that happi ness was not obtainable in education. Yet he sold his soul to the bottle and met final tragedy. He had everything the world could offer but found no peace with God and no rest for his soul. For him there was no hope be yond the grave. But why not love the world? It is attractive and wonderful. People look up to you when you are on the pin- acle of success. When I was in high school I knew a girl who possessed a lovely voice. She was so good that some rich men in the community got together and paid her way to study music in Berlin, Austria and London. She made the Metropolitan Opera. 3
er you will sell out to the world. The next bidder after you is the flesh. How much time and money we spend on these bodies seeking all sorts of gratifications. It seems that the changing fashions must always be made and that we must keep up a good front to meet our neighbors’ equals. There was one man who tried to keep up with the Jones’ until he remembered that his name was Jones. Do you remember the famed French man, Charlemagne? Napoleon said that he was a silk stocking full of mud. He looked beautiful on the out side but with nothing but emptiness or that which was worthless within. All he left behind was a memory of pride and selfishness. The flesh is against the Spirit of God. Because of that He is grieved and hindered. The Spirit cannot do what He would like to do in our lives seeking to make us what He wants us to be. Lastly, there is the devil who bids for your soul. He seeks to win men with the enticement of power. Think of the figures in history, sports, poli tics, entertainment and other fields who are now all dead and gone. Many of them are even forgotten. Sell out to the world, the flesh or the devil and find only misery and grief. How satisfying to the soul for time and eternity to turn to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Saviour loves you even when you confess your sins. He is patient with you in your problems and trials. He gives you a robe of righteousness which you can wear when you go over into eternity where He takes you to God. “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.” When the storm breaks you will have a Refuge from destruction. Trust Him, believe Him, and you will be saved! * * * Nothing will cook your goose quicker than a boiling temper. * Never suffer your goods to become your god. 4 * *
When I saw her later she told me, “You know, Walter, you’re crazy on religion. I’m going to get somewhere with my voice. I’m going to earn $5,000 a night for singing.” I told her, “I hope you do, but I hope you don’t die getting there.” One day she came through Kansas City and they put a notice in the paper. But it was less than three months later that she came back in a box car and her body TAKE HEART AND WAIT If, but one message I would leave behind One single word of courage for my kind, It would be this: "Oh, brother, sister, friend, Whatever life may bring, whatever God may send No matter whether clouds lift soon or late, Take heart and wait! Despair may tangle darkly at your feet, Your faith be dimmed, and hope, once cool and sweet, Be lost, but, suddenly above a hill A lamp, set on a Heavenly sill, Will shine for you and point the way to go— How well I know. For I have waited through the dark, and I Have seen a star rise in the blackest sky Repeatedly— it has not failed yet, And I have learned God never will forget To light His lamp, if we but wait for it. It will be lit. — Grace Noll Crowell found a place in the cemetery. She sold out to music and she got what she went in for. As far as I know, she went into eternity with no Christ. Isn’t that terrible? Remember that the world wants you. It may give you temporary blessings in the way of wealth and popularity, but what a final let-down. You have to choose now whether you will give your soul and your life to the Saviour or wheth
BIBLE MODELS
by Dr. Walter L. Wilson
I N the B ible , we find some very in teresting models or patterns for our lives. In James 5:10, we read, “Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an exmple.” Think of Abel who was killed by his brother Cain. In Hebrews 11:4, we read, “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excel lent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was right eous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speak- eth.” Abel had sins in his life and he admitted it. He obtained a sacrifice and offered it to God. He made an atonement for his iniquities. Al though he is dead he still has a mes sage for us. Don’t try to bring the things that you have accomplished with your own hands. This will never avail whatsoever. It takes blood to put away sins. That is what is meant by the lamb’s death. Here is a righteous man under the blood. Don’t trust in anything else as Cain did.
There is also Enoch who serves as our “model walker.” What a wonder ful thing to walk with God. When one walks with a person he gets to be like that individual. Consecration or dedication is actually a well regu lated life walking with the Lord. And Enoch walked with God even after Methuselah came. Many people think that after the baby comes, they don’t need to walk with God any more. They don’t have the time. They have a good excuse to stay home from fellowship with other be lievers. Have you noticed how that when you want to go anywhere, the child is sick or needs special atten tion? It spoils so many of your plans. Enoch walked with God even after he begat Methuselah. What a wonderful thing that the great Crea tor of the universe invites you to walk with Him. One time a financier came to James Pierpont Morgan, Sr., to see how and where he might borrow $100,000. After some conversation, Mr. Morgan said, “I want you to meet some of the other bankers here on Wall Street.” So they crossed the street to the Equitable Trust Company, then to the Manhattan Bank, the Irving National Bank, the City National Bank and others in this important financial mecca. When they got back to Mor gan’s office, the man asked, “But how about the hundred thousand dollars?” The wealthy leader responded, “Oh, any of those fellows will lend it to you now because they know you to be my friend. We have walked around arm-in-arm and they will give you as much as you need.” Walk with God, my friend, and the same will be true with you. If you keep company with the Lord He will give you what your heart and soul needs. He loves to do it. Noah was the model worker. He built an ark giving us the lesson of 5
Dr. Walter L. Wilson (seated), goes over broadcasts with Mr. Ed Steele, Biola Extension radio stations director.
separation. Those who o b s e rv e d him no doubt said the equivalent of, “Religion always makes one crazy with the heat.” He was building a ship along the side of a mountain. He knew there was trouble coming. This is the way by which I got saved myself. When I was 15 years old I realized God was going to send me to hell because I was living a wicked life. It didn’t take much encourage ment to get me to the Saviour. I went right to the lovely Lord, Decem ber 20, 1896. That was before many of you were born. My sins were blot ted out with his wonderful precious blood, and He made me His child. Noah built the ark for others, but no body wanted it. There were doubt less those who helped Noah build the ark, especially in carrying heavy tim bers and the like. But they were nev er saved. It is like lots of people who help to build the church, who give their money and their time, but who never get to know the Saviour person ally. Job is the model of piety. He sat on a pile of ashes and the devil af flicted him with a disease probably similar to elephantitis. I have gone through the book of Job 58 times picking out all of the symptoms which are mentioned. Everything would point to this disease. Potash is the only relief from the agony of such discomfort. His declaration was, “Though he slay me yet will I trust him.” “And when he has tried me,” said Job, “I shall come forth as gold.” Isn’t that lovely? Abraham is the model of faith and justification. He believed God and it was counted to him for righteous ness. Because he did what God told him, God called him a righteous man. Moses is the model of faithfulness. He walked with God in the desert. He saw bread come down from heav en and the water come out of the rock. There were more than a dozen times that Israel wanted to get rid of Moses. The sam e was true with Christ. That is the reason for the
FATHERS AND SONS
Distinguished fathers congratulate sons upon graduation from Talbot Theologi cal Seminary. Above is Dr. Charles L. Feinberg, seminary dean and his son , Paul. Below, Dr. Jack MacArthur and his son, John.
people in Revelation to sing the song of Moses and the Lamb. David is the model singer. He started singing when he was 15. He got to play before the king himself. He became a man of war, although he was of beautiful countenance. He sang such psalms as the 19th, 23rd, 51st, and, oh, so many more. Of what are you a model? Are you a model of one who walks with God, a model of one who believes God, or one who lives a godly life before his children, neighbors, and friends? Will you let the Holy Spirit have complete control of your life so that you may be a model for God? 6
D u r in g h is H u m a n l if e on this earth, the Lord Jesus Christ is sued some very simple calls. In Mat thew 9:9 we read His words to Levi, “Follow me. And he arose and fol lowed him.” (Matthew tells the story of his own conversion.) It takes about 10 or 15 seconds to read Levi’s testi mony. I have heard some people tell of their conversions taking an hour and a half. My, you would think the world was on fire when they got saved. One wonders who is really being glorified in the recounting. When the Lord said, “Follow me” to you, did you willingly answer Him? In Mark 1:17 Jesus says, “Come ye after me, and I will make you fish ers of men.” These men forsook their nets and followed Him. They didn’t take up a collection and have a great choir sing. I wonder if that can be said about your life, too? Let me ask you the second time, Have you heard Him invite you to be a winner of souls ? And have you found the joy of seeing lost men receive the Lord as their Saviour? In John 1 :39, answering the ques tion, “Master, where dwellest thou?” He answered in three simple words, “Come and see.” He didn’t say “Go and see.” He wanted them with Him. Isn’t it strange that the Bible doesn’t say what they saw when they got there? Did He have a bed or did He sleep on the floor? Did He have any furniture? Did He have any dishes? Did He have any drapes at the windows? You see, if the Bible was written to satisfy our curiosity it would be a much larger book. No doubt there would be much that was valueless for our spiritual growth. The Lord wants you to dwell with Him. He wants you to be like Ruth. She said to Naomi. “Whither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodg- est I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.”
She m ean s business. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone reading these lines today would say to the Saviour, “That’s me. Lord Jesus, I want to be with you at all times.” Now, here in John 1, we find that Andrew immediately went out and found his own brother. He brought Simon Peter to Jesus. Isn’t that lovely? Have you ever done that? While in a restaurant in Akron, Ohio, I talked with a lovely-looking waitress. She was a very beautiful THE WAY OF PEACE "The road is too rough," I said; "It is up hill all the way; No flowers, but thorns instead And the skies overhead are gray." But One took my hand at the en trance dim And sweet is the road that I walk with Him.. "The cross is too great," I cried, "More than the back can bear, So rough and heavy and wide, And nobody by to care." "I know, I care, and I understand." "Then why do we fret and sigh, Cross-bearers all we go; But the road ends by and by In the dearest place we know; And every step in the journey, We may take in the Lord's own company." girl. I said to her, “Young lady, I know a man who is in love with you.” “Honest,” she said, “you don’t tell me!” “Yes,” I said, “I’m telling you. I have it on good authority that He wants you to come and live with Him.” She was all ears. “Tell me about him. Who is he?” I told her, “I would like to lead you to Him. Would you like to see Him?” “Oh, indeed, I would.” Then I proceeded to tell her about the Lord Jesus Christ. Just then the head waiter came and took her away. But at least it gave me 7
the opportunity to introduce her to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a won derful thing to bring somebody else to Jesus. Have you ever done it? Go in for this business for it pays well and it brings the joy of the Lord into your soul. In John 1:36, we read the words of John the Baptist, referring to the Lord, “Behold the Lamb of God!” Has anyone ever told you to take a good long look at the Lamb of God? Have you seen the Lord Jesus Christ with His wounded hands and feet? He received all of these dying for sinners such as we. He died the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God. Beloved, let me ask you, did you ever tell anybody, “Behold the Lamb of God” ? That word “behold” is God’s stop, look and listen sign. We are admonished to be found look ing unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith. The more one looks at Him, the more he will love Him. In John 5:29 we find the words of the woman who had lived a very im moral life and who had just met the Saviour for the first time. Her words were, “Come see a man.” She didn’t know anything about homilet ics or synthesis but she had met Jesus and that made all the difference. A similar instance is true in John 9:35 where a blind man had met Jesus. He had received his sight from the Saviour and yet had to ask, “Who is the Lord, that I might believe on Him.” The Lord identified Himself and the man declared forthrightly, “Lord, I believe.” His life was com pletely changed. He worshipped and adored the Man who had opened his eyes. Let me ask you, Have you seen any thing about the Saviour that made you love him? Phillip was running along the road that leads down to Gaza. I have been on that very road. He saw a man in a chariot and the Holy Spirit led him to speak with him. Phillip explained Jesus to the Eunoch and that day he met thé Saviour and trusted Him.
BIOLA QUARTET
Touring across the country this summer are Biola students who form the special quartet. They are from left to right: Mark Shore, Richard Buhler, Lyle Jacobson, and Charles Stahl.
Bob and Sharon Hilts, Biola students from San Jose and Fresno respectively, record for broadcast with Margaret Sanders at the piano. Paul, on the road to Damascus, was struck by the Holy Spirit and said, “Who art thou Lord?” The Saviour answered him back, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.” “What wilt thou have me to do?” came the reply. He met the Saviour and right away became a servant to Him. Has this been true in your life as well? Let God have complete control in every thing you do day by day. 8
by Dr. Walter L. Wilson
MORNING HOURS T here are some interesting verses in the Bible about the morning hour. This time of the day is par ticularly delightful. The sun is ris ing and the birds are singing. It seems like a fresh slate of oppor tunities is placed before us. In Lamentations 3:22 and 23, we read, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithful ness.” One can never exhaust the mercy and grace of God. His wis dom is unsearchable, His mercies un measurable, and His power unimagin able. The song may say that His mercies are new every morning but actually the verse says that his com passions are new every morning. The two are very similar, of course. As you go to Him in the morning thank Him for His compassion on your behalf. Actually, why should He love us? We really deserve His scorn and hatred. Yet, this is never true. My, how we need fresh compassions day by day and moment by moment. He already knows what we are going to do today and what we need to meet every experience we may face. There are sins of omission and we need the sweet compassionate forgiveness of the Lord. In Ecclesiastes 11:6, we read, “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand : for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.” We can be thankful that there are no two people alike. You have things God gives you out of His word. Others may find something en tirely different. There are different kinds of seeds to sow. It may be a seed of refreshing to someone who is discouraged, or consolation to some one who is distressed. In the morning ing sow your seed for the Lord.
Don’t just say, “It’s a nice day, isn’t it?” They know it is a nice day. Have something to say that is worth listening to. Give those you meet a fresh glimpse of the Lord. You can’t do it of course unless you are living close to Him. HE HOLDS THE KEY Is there some problem in your life to solve, Some passage seeming full of mys tery? God knows, who brings the hidden things to light. He keeps the key. Is there some door closed by the Father's hand Which widely opened, you had hoped to see? Trust God and wait . . . for when He shuts the door, He keeps the key. Is there some earnest prayer unan swered yet, Or answered not as you had thought 'twould be? God will make clear His purpose by and by; He keeps the key. Have patience with your God, your pa tient God, All-wise, all-knowing, no long far rier He; For of the door of all thy future life, He keeps the key. Unfailing comfort, sweet and blessed rest. To know of every door He keeps the key; That He at last, when just He sees 'tis best, Will give It thee. In the evening, the verse tells us, we are not to withhold our hand. The happy times of life are .when everything is going well. The family 9
is not sick, the bills are all paid, the birds are singing, and the business is good. These are the morning times. The evening times often bring sor rows and tears. The shadows are fall ing with disappointment and frustra tion seemingly on every hand. So the Bible tells us to keep on sowing even when the shadows fall. You don’t know what God will do with the Word that you say and maybe years later it will bring fruit. I was in Havana, Cuba, one time some years ago holding a missionary con ference and a gentleman came up and said, “Dr. Wilson, I’m a pastor of such-and-such a Baptist church here in Havana and I’m here because of a little word you said 20 years ago.” One time, when I was preaching in Philadelphia, a young lady, about 30 years of age, came dressed in a nurse’s uniform. She said, “I’m a nurse in full-time Christian work be cause of a little word you gave to me in a hospital in Minnesota when you were addressing the workers there. What you said so affected me I went up to my room and knelt down making the Lord Jesus my Saviour. He has given me the privilege of serving Him in this manner. The Bible says, “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:6). Drop a word in the barber shop, or in the daily pathway you may take. In Psalm 92:1, 2 we read, “It is a good thing to give thanks . . . to show forth thy loving kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night.” There are five types of kind nesses in Scripture. Loving kindness is just one of them. There is a kind ness based on love. If you put a dol lar bill in a blind man’s hand this isn’t loving-kindness. You have done it because you have pity for him. God loves you even though you don’t deserve it. It is His infinite grace and kindness that brings this about. Do you tell other people about this? Another verse about this time of the day is Psalm 30:5, “Weeping may
GRADUATION 1964
A portion of the more than 2500 people who attended graduation exercises of Biola. endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning.” This morning could be the morning of eternity. Weeping may be caused by a state of terminal cancer, or arthritis, or heart trouble, or something else of a similar na ture. There is no joy in life at all. But if you are the Lord’s and saved by grace, joy will come to your life. In the morning you will see His face. This will be a morning when there will be nothing ahead of us; when we will never again experience sor row, grief, or disappointment. You will be with the Lord forever and ever. In Isaiah 21:11, 12, we read the in teresting question, “Watchman, what of the night?” The watchman said, “The morning cometh, and also the night.” Have you ever thought how strange it is that people never ask you to prove that there is no heaven. They always want us to prove there is no hell. Here the watchman gives the glad news that the morning is coming. But he also reminds us that the night of darkness, the judgment of hell is coming, too. It is morning for the Christian and night for the unsaved. How is it with you as you read these words today? Are you eagerly anticipating the morning, or is all you have to expect the darkness and dreaded night? Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Talk to God about your neighbors and talk to your neighbors about God.
ETERNAL SEPARATION A minister was greatly burdened for a friend of his who was a distin guished judge in the community. The jurist had heard many cases where husbands and wives were seeking di vorces, yet he and his wife were known to be one of the happiest mar ried couples in town. Going to the judge, the wise man of God began, “Since we’ve been friends for so long, I just wanted to come and offer my condolences. I t ’s certainly too bad about you and your wife.” The judge was somewhat confused and con cerned. He h u r r ie d ly questioned, “What do you mean? What’s wrong with my wife and me?” The minister continued, “Well, I understand that you and your wife are going to sep arate, at least that’s what I ’ve been led to believe." The judge let out a hearty laugh and said, "Somebody’s thrown you off. That’s where you are aU wrong, parson. Why there’s per fect harmony between us, and every one knows it. It’s preposterous to think that anything could ever hap pen to our happy home. No such thought has ever entered our minds.” The minister put his hand on his friend’s shoulder and replied solemn ly, “You realize that your wife is a Christian. Since she has put her faith and trust in Christ she is going to heaven. The separation comes because you are without the Saviour. The Bi ble says that at death you will be heading in the other direction.” And the jurist saw the light. There is a great day coming that will bring sep aration to many, a parting which can never be reconciled. Today, by grace, the door of salvation is open to all. But in a coming hour if man does not now enter in he will find this Scrip tural question unanswerable, “For how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation." * * * To keep in good standing with God, a Christian must be found kneeling. 11
YOUR BURDENS Have you heard of the legendary Valley of Discontentment? It should have provided for the happiness of men, but for some reason there was only a perpetual complaining among the inhabitants of the area. One day a stranger came for a visit and was greatly depressed by the grumbling he heard. He requested all the people to assemble for an important meet ing. Once there they heard his inter esting plan. On the following Satur day each person was to tie up all of his burdens in a package, writing on the wrapper what was contained in side. The next few days people were busy getting all of their cares, wor ries, frustrations, and burdens to gether. Then, on the day appointed the hillside outside of the village was covered with these strange packages. For hours people passed through them inspecting the labels. Each one sought a set of burdens he thought would be lighter than his own. By nightfall all the packages and people were gone, and strangely enough each one had gone back home carrying the bundle which he himself had brought. We need to remember that the burden the Lord gives us are not heavy. I f they are then they are not His, for He has promised, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
A HOME FOR AN ORPHAN A fascinating story is told of an event which took place many years ago in old Germany. A man and his wife were not only poverty stricken but also burdened with grief: death had claimed their only son. A black crepe hung over their home as well as their hearts. One evening, as they sought to warm themselves by the fireside, they were surprised to hear the voice of a young child singing in the cold outside their window. As he pressed his face close to the win dow, obviously seeking a hand-out or whatever he might find, he plaintively sang: Foxes to their holes have gone, Every bird into his nest. But I wander here alone, And for me there is no rest. Hurriedly they opened the door, and brought the shivering child close to the fire. The wife suggested that he might be hungry. Despite the fact that they themselves had so little, they set a hearty meal before him. Next they offered him a warm place to sleep for the night, which he readily accepted. When he ivas securely tucked in, they tiptoed from the room and returned to the dying embers in the fireplace. They both had the same idea. They would invite the orphan child to live with them. permanently. The next morning they explained to the lad that their own son had been taken from them. And if he had no home, they would be delighted to call him their own boy. The lad then ex plained hoie that he had been born into a very religious home but that both his parents had been killed and that he had been reduced to begging for whatever he could find. He also told them how that some day he had hoped to become a priest, and to bring help to men. This lad did groiv up to be a priest and the world, as well as the church, has known him as the great reformer. This family h a d opened its doors to none other than Martin Luther. The Word of God re minds us that true faith opens the heart’s door and offers a helping hand to those in need. As James pertinent-
MEW STEWARDSHIP REPRESENTATIVES
Mr. Gary Boren (left), new Biola Stew ardship Representative from the Long Beach area meets with Mr. Al Sanders for broadcast. Below, from right to left, Mr. Marv Fishback, executive administrator of the Arizona Bible College, meets with Mr. Ronald Brightwell, new Stewardship Representative for Arizona and New Mexico, and Mr. Ray Weiskopf, Stew ardship Department director.
ly asks, what good does it do to tell someone ivho needs our help, “Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; not withstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body what doth it profit?” “But have fer vent love among yourselves . . . for love shall cover a multitude of sin.” * * * If you want to hear all about the troubles of the church, just ask someone who hasn't been there for three or four months. 12
chases amounting to millions of dol lars in my time, but the greatest in vestment of them all was when I was a small country boy and I scrimped and saved to buy this little red leather Bible for $2.75. I paid for the Bible week by week with hard - earned money. I count it the most important purchase in my whole life for it told me of the Lord Jesus Christ and through Him I found eternal life." I f one of our nation’s leading business men could say that, why is it that we, who seem so poverty-stricken both fi nancially and spiritually, let dust ac- cummulate on the pages of the Bible or Bibles so common in most church homes. The Psalmist rightly declared, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” * * * You can't do anything to become a Chris tian, however, after you are one, you should do everything that becomes a Christian. NECESSARY SHADOWS It may seem to you as though life itself holds no future happiness or reason for going on. Yet, the Word of God promises us that if we suffer with Him, Christ our Lord, we shall also be glorified together. There are cer tain plants in the Christian life, such as meekness, gentleness, kindness, humility, understanding, which can not grow to perfection if the sun of prosperity is always shining. So be thankful for the trials and hardships. Know that God wiU not suffer you to be tried above that you are able but Will with the testing also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it. Happiness doesn’t depend upon the mere absence of pain, both physical and mental. I f we can accept chastening from our earthly parents, and in later years count ourselves happy because we were spanked and corrected, how much more should we be in subjection to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Giver of every good and perfect gift. As the Word of God tells us “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into manifold trials and testings.” 13
HOW DO WE LIVE? How tragic that so few Christians really heed the Scriptural injunction, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man on the needs of others.” We stop at the point of where it might cost us something. A mission ary wife and mother of three children was invited to speak at a certain church’s women’s meeting. Her mes sage was so inspiring that they kept her U5 minutes longer asking ques tions. When it came time for the meet ing to close, one of the be-jeweled ladies reported that the treasury was depleted. However, they did give the missionary the traditional 501 for gas allowance. And since she had offered to take the four chicken pies which remained from the dinner (no one else wanting them) they deducted fifty cents each and gave her two dollars and fifty cents to make up a total of $5.00. Happily they rolled away in their expensive late-model cars, satisfied with the part they had taken in missions. What would God think about such hypocrisy? Far fetched, you say? Talk to some of the missionaries and listen to their fac tual recountings. How unthinking and selfish many people are. This world is in dire spiritual need. I t is dying; it is lost without Christ. I f we are only concerned about what we can amass for ourselves, how can we ever reach the lost for Christ? Speaking of the bestowment of God’s grace and manifold blessings, ive are reminded, “To whom much is given, much shall also be required." * * * There is more power in the open hand than there is in the clenched fist. LIFE'S GREATEST INVESTMENT I t was in Philadelphia that John Wannamaker, a great man of God and one of America’s self-made million- naires of bygone days, built a huge department store business. When he was only eleven years of age Wanna maker bought a Bible which he dearly loved and constantly read. Before his death he declared, “I have made pur
and deplore some of the more modem attempts at translation. Doctrinally, we believe that the Lord Jesus Christ could come at any moment to take all true born-again believers to be with Himself. We believe the Bible to be God’s inerrant, holy, inspired Word, from cover to cover. A faithful evan gelical pastor was once accused of being outmoded and out-of-date by a modem preacher w h o complained, “You still talk about hell and shock cultured people with your doctrine of the blood. You’re just a flat tire. You’re a stick in the mud. You’re so far behind, you’ll never catch up.” Well, of course, the gentle-spirited man smiled kindly and, even though slandered, he gracefully replied to the suave and sedate infidel, “Yes, I guess you’re right, I couldn’t catch up with you even if I doubled my speed, for you see, I ’m not going your way.” May God help us to turn to the Living Word for our strength, and thereby find the complex problems of life dis solved as we look into the face of Him who loved us and gave Himself for us, even our blessed Saviour, the Lord, Jesus Christ. * * * God does not comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters.
THE LITTLE AND THE BIG Do you ever have a craving for peanuts? Someone has said that a true test of will power is to be able to stop after eating just one salted peanut. This little substance is a tre mendous miracle of God. What mysti fies scientists is how the little nut on the inside of its hard shell can receive nourishment and grow until it is final ly edible without any connection what soever. George Washington Carver discovered how to make more than 300 different items out of peanuts. He prayed to God, “O Lord, what is the universe?” “And the Lord,” he said, answered h im by declaring, “George, that’s too big for your little head to understand. You let me take care of the universe and you select something that you can understand.” Dr. Carver picked out the peanut and as a result of his projects he revolu tionized Southern agriculture. Instead of constant soil depletion by repeated crops of cotton, peanuts were grown to enrich the ground of the southern plantations. Today, peanuts have be come big business. These little won ders of God’s creation are used to make cheese, milk, butter, flour, ink, dyes, soap, stains, insulating board and sev eral hundred other commodities. The reason we mentioned this is because you may feel you have nothing to offer the Lord. But God has given every one a talent. I f you will just give it back to Him, He will multiply it. The little you do faithfully is the big thing with out God. In Job we read these words, “Though thy begin ning is small, yet thy latter end shall greatly increase.” * * * "Horse sense" is the ability to say, "N e igh " to temptation. * * * OLD FASHIONED “The Biola Hour” has often been accused of preaching an “old fash ioned” gospel. This we consider a com plement and not an insult. We believe in the fact that God created all things as they are. We stand by the author ized King James version of the Bible
Biola students, Edyth DeGroff, Whit tier (left), and Pat Dalton, Fullerton, enjoy “time out" from studies for dormi tory fellowship. 14
ràdio Questions answered vitti Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland and Dr. Charles L. Feinberg
Q. Orting, Washington — “What do you call 'the age of accountability?’ We have family devotions and attend Sun day school and church.” A. It is good to hear of a family which follows such an important prac tice. “The age of accountability” is generally recognized as that period in a child’s life when he comes to a real ization of the fact that he is a sinner and that he needs a Saviour. At that point he is held accountable for the decision of acceptance or rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Up to that time his soul is covered by the blood of Jesus. Some have arbitrarily placed this age between 11 and 13. We be lieve, however, that a specific age cannot be given. We know of children much earlier than that coming to a personal relationship with the Lord. Whatever the age is when a little child gives evidence of the fact that he knows he is a sinner, it is then that he is in line to accept the Lord Jesus Christ. He needs all of_the en couragement possible to receive the Saviour. One of our students testified on a broadcast the other day that when she was young she and her brother liked to play church. When she was six and her brother eight, she gave her heart to Christ after he had preached the sermon. The altar call was as important in that moment as though it had been given in a regular church. The assurance of sins forgiven has never diminished through the inter vening years, and now she is graduat ing from Biola. Q. Los Angeles, California — ‘‘How is one to use the g ift of ‘discerning the spirits’ in the church?”
A. In I Corinthians 12:10 we read, “To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another dis cerning of spirits; to another divers kinds on tongues; to another the in terpretation of tongues.” Perhaps a better way to answer this is how we are not to use this gift in the church. The spirit of God certainly never meant for an individual to set himself up as a self-appointed judge or critic of others. This is not the way God has constituted authority in the church for the discipline of the body of Christ. The Lord does want to .give us a keen sense of judgment or in sight. It is really supernatural and that is why it is called a gift. Revela tion 2:2 gives us a good instance of this as we read, “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou can’st not bear them which are evil: and thou has tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars.” This is a tremendous use of the discerning of spirits. Liberalism would never have gotten such a hold in our major denominations if more people, who had been endowed with this gift, had utilized it in a humble, reverent man ner under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Q . Canon City, Colorado — “What about the men who crucified the Lord Jesus? Were they forgiven? When Peter preached after Pentecost he said, ‘You crucified Christ,’ and the people cried out, ‘What milst we do to be saved?” ’ A. This is given to us in Acts 2:23. Peter states, “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and fore knowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and 15
slain.” In the 36th verse we read, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have cru cified, both Lord and Christ.” The people were convicted and they wanted to know what they could do. We be lieve that many of these men were saved. Many gladly received His Word and were baptized. The same day there were about 3,000 souls con verted. ' Q . Clearbrook, British Columbia, Canada — “Please explain John 17:20 and 24. Does the Lord actually pray for those who will believe in Him before they are saved?" A. John 17:20 reads, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.” Verse 24, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am ; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovest me before the foundations of the world.” Yes, these verses do teach us that the Lord does actually pray for those who will believe in Him, before they are saved. We believe that all of us, be fore we ever came to trust Christ, had His prayers on our behalf. Our Lord Jesus Christ looked down all the centuries of time to pray for those of us who are now trusting in Him. What a wonderful blessed thought this is. It is not only humbling but it ought to call forth our daily adora tion. Q . Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada— “Why can’t Christians agree on how often the Lord’s Supper should be held in remembrance of His death?" A. We can agree to disagree on this particular point. Some like to meet together to observe the ordinance every Sunday. There is nothing wrong in that at all. Others do it the first Sunday of each month, while some only make it quarterly. There is ab solutely nothing wrong in any of these for there are no set rules given
Mr. Willis Toms (standing) Biota Col lege registrar and director of Admis sions in classroom scene. in Scripture as fa r as the frequency is concerned. The warnings are sound ed, however, relative to our attitude of mind and heart. It is a time of self-examination. Q . Newport, Washington — “Does God hear prayers of the unsaved Jews be cause they are His chosen people?" A. We do not believe that, in this dispensation, God hears the prayers of unsaved Jews merely because they are His chosen people. The middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile has been broken down, and we are both to make a personal decision con cerning the Lord Jesus Christ. The saved stand before God in blessing, whether they be Jews or Gentiles. The same is true of the unsaved in judg ment. The only way a Jew can be heard in his prayer is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for the many who have accepted the Saviour as their Messiah. Q . Berkeley, California — “Some time ago I requested discussion on II Tim othy 2:20. Can you please help me on this? It reads, 'But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor.’ ” A. The apostle Paul is writing his last letter, this one to Timothy. He is giving some very practical advice on how Timothy, as a pastor of a church, is to conduct himself. Paul 16
possibly consider. It would take a book to do it justice. The Word of God is full of truths and prophecies concerning it. Perhaps the most solid result of World Wars I and II, has been the definite advance of the Jews returning to Palestine. After World War I, the Jews were given the Bal four Declaration. It declared in es sence, “The English government fa vors the establishment in Palestine of a homeland for the Jews, it being understood that the rights of minority religious groups would be preserved and that their sacred places would be kept inviolate.” When the Jews heard this, and when special funds became available, they did begin to return in sizable numbers. Colonies were being settled in different areas of the Holy Land. Then after World War II, in 1948, there was established the state of Israel. They have not been without their many and varied problems. They finally had the liberty, however, to divide this land into two parts. Some people erroneously think that the return of the Jews to their home land is just a matter of world politics. This is not true. It certainly does have a very definite place in world affairs but, as someone has said, “If there is difficulty in the world, it is because some people are not in their right place.” Israel is scattered all over the world while she ought to be in her homeland. The basis of this statement is shown in such passages as the 12th and 15th chapters of Genesis as well as abundant other Scriptural portions. Israel has been taking her rightful place in world affairs specifically since the State was founded on May 14, 1948. I t has representation in the UN. Their flag flies with all the others. But where does the return of Is rael come in in the Bible? Isaiah 49:17-21; Jeremiah 23:1-8 and other portions of Scripture give us clear evi dence. They will be brought back from every area of the world. Some one may say, “Well, they’ve been there before. It won’t last very long.” If it depended upon them you would be absolutely right. But God has a word 17
speaks of some in the visible church who were not doing a bit of good. They would have been a lot better off if they had never gone into it. They are distinctly vessels unto dishonor. “You want to be just the opposite,” Paul points out. “You want to be used by God.” In other words, he is show ing the two sides as compared with vessels, just as we have them in our homes. We should seek the way of blessing rather than allowing our selves to be led astray and leading others with us. Q . 'Lake Oswego, Oregon — “Our church believes that a child must be baptized because of original sin. Where does this thought come from?” A. Original sin has a specific connota tion in the theological thinking of orthodox groups. While these words do not actually occur in Scripture they certainly do represent a basic doc trine taught in the Bible. Look at such verses as Romans 5:12. “Where fore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Original sin is that which has been transmitted and in herited to each of us from Adam. Some of the liturgical churches feel that baptism is necessary for the sal vation of these little ones. The only difficulty is, however, that there is no Scriptural basis for such a policy. Baptism is one thing, while dedica tion of infants is another. If any church believes that a child, when it is baptized, has been cleansed from original sin, it is contrary to Scrip ture! The reason we are baptized is because of our faith. It is an outward sign to the world of an inward change of heart. The belief has come from some of the theologies of the middle ages and earlier. It is a part of ritual ism and is not Biblical. Q . Ukiah, California — “Will you discuss the Jews returning to the home land in the place of world affairs?” A. This is one of the most marvelous and thrilling studies anyone could
formation that takes place. It sup posedly actually becomes the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Martin Luther could not hold to this particular doctrine and this was a part of the reformation truth. He used the word “consubstantiation.” He meant that the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is in, with, and under these elements. Then there is the third view and the one which we believe to be that which is valid and Scriptural. This is that the ele ments remain the same and that there is the spiritual application as they are partaken of. We are to meditate upon the broken body and the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is far too beautiful a service to make it a matter of argumentation. Like baptism it does not mean that we are saved or lost by partaking or abstain ing. We come to the communion table in simple faith believing and confess ing our sin. We rejoice over the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood for our transgressions. Q . Vancouver, Washington — “Please ex plain Isaiah U1:25 which states, ‘I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon mortar, and as the potter tread- eth clay.’ What does all of this mean?” A. Chapters 40 to 48 of Isaiah deal with the comfort of God for His chosen people. Why do they need this consolation? Although Isaiah was liv ing in th e eighth century B.C., through the Spirit of God and by prophecy, he was projecting himself beyond the exile into a future time. He didn’t want them to feel that their captors’ gods were greater than Jeho vah. He was pointing out that their difficulty came because God used them to chasten them. Here are proofs that their God is the greatest of all in the world. He can foretell something and He brings it to pass. He not only has power to predict, but inherent in the militant prediction is the power to bring it to pass. God says so and it is 18
in Amos 9:15 in which we read, “And I will plant them upon their land and they shall no more be pulled up out of their lands which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.” The world famous archaeologist and Palestinian scholar, Dr. William F. Albright, has stated, “It has never been known in the history of the world that a nation should be in en slavement and bondage to another world power for over 400 years and then be delivered, only to go back and start their lives all over again in their own land.” (He refers, of course, to the Egyptian bondage.) " It has never been heard of in the history of the world that the same nation, cen turies later, should be taken off into another captivity for 70 years, and five sixths of them (the ten tribes) taken away 150 years before that into the northern part of Mesopotamia, namely into the land of Assyria, and then come back and reinstitute their political life, and their religious cus toms, once again. Finally, it has never been known in the history of man that a nation should be, for almost 2,000 years, scattered world-wide, and then be brought back again. But we have seen it in our own day. It has hap pened before our very eyes. Once I did not believe in prophecy, but now I can wait, with full assurance, for the literal fulfillment of other prophecies that have not yet been realized. They will be completed with equal literal ness and exactness.” God’s Word standeth sure! Man can speak and it will come to naught, but God speaks and it must stand. We have a sov ereign and an omnipotent God. Q . Newport, Washington — "A t the Lord’s Supper did Jems say, ‘This is my body and blood,’ meaning that it was real or only symbolic?” A. This is a very significant question. There are three views held concern ing this phrase. One large ecclesiasti cal body holds to the doctrine of “transubstantiation.” When the offici ating clergyman prays over the ele ments there is a supernatural trans
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