-1940
JULY
10 CENTS
• Going into "all the wo r l d " with "the word of God . . . quick, and power f u l . " the ninety members of the 1940 graduating class of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, have chosen to serve “in Christ's stead."
LYMAN STEWART CENTENARY— SP EC IAL OFFER New, Renewal orExtended Subscriptions toTHEKING'SRUSINESS
"THE FUNDAMENTALS" Edited by R. A . Torrey— Four-vol ume Set FREE with Five Annual KING’S BUSINESS Subscriptions at $1.00 each.
In Honor of the 100th Birthday Anniversary of LYMAN STEWART, Fonder of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE O F LOS ANGELES, INC.
T H E B U S I N E S S JULY and AUGUST Offer Limited to Supply of Books K I N G ’ S
Occasionally important historical events are iden tified with individuals, institutions, magazines, and books. In 1909, God moved two Christian laymen, Messrs. Lyman and Milton Stewart, to set aside a large sum of money for the printing and distribution of “THE FUNDAMENTALS,” edited by R. A. Torrey, that would set forth the fundamentals of the Christian faith, and be a testimony to the infal lible truth of the Bible. “THE FUNDAMENTALS” were sent free to min isters of the gospel, missionaries, Sunday-school superintendents, and others engaged in aggres sive Christian work throughout the English-speaking world. We have a limited supply of these sets of “THE FUNDAMENTALS” — four volumes bound in paper covers (over 350 pages to the volume) for those sending in FIVE yearly SUBSCRIPTIONS to THE KING’S BUSINESS at $1.00 each— new, renew als, extensions. Enclosed find $........ ............. for ______ .......______ ____ ._ subscriptions. Name _____________ .....___ ________________________ ______________ ___
To Those Unable to Secure Five Subscrip tions . . . You May Have Your Choice of One of the Following Three Books for Send ing in THREE Subscriptions at $1.00 each: □ STREAMS IN THE DESERT, by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman. The most popular devo tional book ever printed. □ THE READERS’ BIBLE, King James Version. Simulated leather covers, flexible, gold stamped front and backbone, 1,100 pages, boxed. □ WEBSTER DICTIONARY, bound in black simu lated leather, semi-flexible, printed on white eggshell paper; 928 pages, 38,000 words. Synonyms and antonyms. Other features. 1 Name.___:_____ ___ _________....._____ ........._______....___ ...._____ Address_________________ __________ ________________ ....____________ City.........------ ....-----......._______ State_________...________ .... 2 Name_________________________ ______ _____________ _____________ _ Address_____ ........_______ ______......_________________......_______ City-------------------------------- - State____________ _________ _ 2> Name_______________ _____ ___ ________ ___ ________ .......__________ Address________ ........_________________ ___________________________ City---------------------------------- State______________________ A Name________ ....__________________ ....— ___________ ........_____ _ Address._______________________ ......__________________ „.._____ _... City.......____ .___________________ State______________________ C Name.............___....___________________ ____ ...__ .....____....____ Address_______________ __________ ..._______...__ .._....____________ City._______ _______ - ____________ __ State________________________
Please send me ____....___ _______________ ...___________ ... (book). City ----------------------------------------------------------------- Address _..._____________ _______________. . . _______________________ _ ____ ......._______ State....-_____ ______ ________ _____________ __________ _
Add 25 cents for Canadian or Foreign Subscriptions
THE KING'S BUSINESS •
558 South Hope St.
• Los Angeles, Calif.
July, 1940
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
241
The King s Business The True-to-the-Bible Family Magazine The Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Inc. LOUIS T. TALBOT, Editor-In-Chief W . F. KEMPF, Advertising and MILDRED M. COOK, Managing Editor ® Circulation Manager
" N e x t F a l l M a y B e T o o L a t e " • In the welter of a world gone mad, of nation rising against na tion, of the terror that stalks in the night, of the arrow that flieth •by day, of pestilence, of destruc tion, of the elements in commotion, is there not a warning in the stark realism of these few sentences taken from a letter recently sent us; “ I was going to send the money this fall; but the Lord said, Send it nowf next fall may be too late. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if He came this Feast of the Trumpets, the ingathering of the Harvest! God does all things in order.” • And here is something for the earnest child of God to think about. What and if He should come at the time of the blowing of the trumpets on the first day of the Month Tishri? What and if you were then suddenly caught up to be with Him? Do you not think it would please Him wonderfully that you should now have your part in a testimony that warns Israel of the wrath to come? And do you know a better way to please Him than to snatch a few brands from the burning, a few Jewish souls that will be your trophies when at last you lay your burden down and meet Him face to face? • The time is short. That is why we keep reminding you of .the privilege of sharing with Him in His yearning over the lost sheep of the House of Israel; and that is why so many of the Lord’s choicest saints are counting it a joy to fellowship with us in our God-given task of these last days. Perhaps if you will make it a mat ter of earnest prayer, He will lead you also to become a burden bear er with us; and from experience we can assure you it will be a happy day for you. A M E R IC A N B O A R D O F M ISSIONS TO T H E J E W S , INC . 31 T h roop A ven u e, B rooklyn , N. Y . D ea r F rien d s: G lad ly do I en close ........................ m y g ift fo r Isra e l’s sa lv a tion , "b e fo re it is to o la te.”
Motto i “ Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Rev. 1:15).
Volume XXX I
July» 1940
Number 7
TABLE OF CONTENTS • Ransom D. Marvin, Staff Artist
The photograph on the cover was made by Howard A . Smith, a member of the Extension Department of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles Lyman Stewart Centenary.............................................................................. 242 Around the King’s Table — Editorial ............................................... .......... 243 A God of Love— and the Horrors of War — James R. Graham, Jr .......245 Significance of the News — Dan Gilbert ............................. ....................... 246 Holy Boldness — Vance Havner ........................................................................247 248 What of Preparedness ?—Herbert Lockyer. ............................................. 251 Los Angeles—Without Excuse!..,.................................... .......................... 253 Junior King’s Business —Martha S. Hooker ............................................ ,..257 International Lesson Commentary..................... £....................................... 259 Notes on Christian Endeavor —Mildred M . Cook .................................. 269 Daily Devotional Readings............................................................................273 Bible Institute Family Circle................. 277 The Complete Sufficiency of Christ for Christian Service — Alva J. McClain ................................................................... SUB SCR IPTION ; P R IC E : "T h e K in g ’s B u sin ess” is publish ed m on th ly. $1.00— one 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 ‘a t special ra te s; w rite fo r details. C anadian and fo re ig n su b scrip tio n s 25 cen ts extra. It req u ires on e m onth fo r a ch a n g e o f address to becom e e ffe ctiv e . P lea se send b o th o ld and n ew addresses. R E M IT T A N C E — P a y a b le in advance, sh ou ld be m ade b y b an k d ra ft, exp ress o r p o st o ffic e m on ey o rd e r p a ya b le to “ T he K in g ’s B u sin ess.” D a te o f e x p ira tion w ill sh ow p la in ly each m on th on ou tsid e w ra p p er o r co v e r o f m agazin e. A D V E R T IS IN G — F o r in fo rm a tio n w ith re fe re n ce to advertising* in “ T he K in g ’s B u sin ess," address the A d v e rtisin g M anager, 558 South H op e S treet, L os A n geles, C alif., or ou r ea stern rep resen ta tive, R e lig io u s P ress A ss o cia tion , 1108-10 C olon ial B ld g., 13th and M arket S treets, P h ilad elp h ia, Pa. M A N U SC R IP T S — “ T h e K in g ’s B u sin ess” cann ot a ccep t re sp o n sib ility fo r loss o r dam a ge to m an u scrip ts sent to it fo r con sid era tion . Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 8, 1917, authorized October 1, 1918. Entered as Second Class Matter November 7, 1938, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. INFORMATION FOR SUBSCRIBERS
N am e ............
A d dress , , , , , ............ ........................... . , ,
THE KING’S BUSINESS
558 South Hope Street
•
Los Angeles, California
C i t y . . , , . ................. S ta te ..........................
July, 1940
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
242
18 40
Lyman Stewart Centenary
19 40
•
Founder and First President of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles
Lum an S tew a rt
God has never failed to have leaders, and He has . always had His own way in selecting them. Our beloved friend and brother, Lyman Stewart, was a man chosen of God to fill a unique place in the world and the church. Shrinking from any suggestion of prominence in his Christian life, he possessed a remarkably resourceful mind— keen, intuitive, and with the vision of a prophet. Mr. Stewart was a man of one Book— THE BIBLE. He believed it. He was never moved by the opinions of men concerning it. He had tasted its sweetness. He had tested its strength. He had triumphed in its sovereignty. He found in it the supply for every need of life, the solution for every problem. He believed that it spoke the truth when it said, "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” He believed that the only remedy for sin was to be found in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, as revealed in that Book, and because he believed it, he desired that all men everywhere might hear its message and, receiving Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, have eternal life. To this end, he gave the best of his life. If he needed a visible monument, it is here in our midst in the splendid buildings of the Bible Institute— but his immortal monument has been erected in the hearts and lives of men and women. Could we call from heaven and from the ends of the earth those who have been blessed by his ministry, the shout of thanksgiving and praise would vibrate wherever man is found, for every country on the globe has felt the touch of his great, pulsing heart. T. C. HORTON.
July, 1940
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
243
Around the King s Table E D I T O R I A L
schools in the English-speaking world.” The outlay for this work was enormous, but was gladly made. Hundreds of thousands of letters from all parts of the world poured into the office of the publishing committee, expressing the gratitude of readers for the help which “The Fundamentals” had been in saving them from the shipwreck of their faith. These valuable articles, in four vol umes, are again available. Please see inside front cover of this magazine. Mr. Stewart realized, too, that if a strong testimony to the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be given tomorrow, young people must be trained thoroughly in the Word of God today. An enduring memorial to the faith, the vision, and the generosity of this faithful man of God and of his consecrated colleagues stands in the buildings of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, and in the further fact that year after year, in good times and in seasons of depression, the training in the Word of God has gone on uninter ruptedly. “His monument,” commented one edi torial writer on the life of Lyman Stewart, “is here, in the center of a great city of a million people—where hundreds of students are being trained for Christian work, where thousands of people are being reached through the printed page and through various evan gelistic enterprises, where the influence of the great pulsing heart of this man of God will be felt until this age shall close.” Yes, “until this age shall close”—by the grace of God, Lyman Stewart will live, his testimony and his gifts con tributing to the spread of the gospel in a world frenzied with war, suffering from famine, heartache, fear. And with him there will “live” also all those who, like him, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. For “he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” —Louis T. Talbot.
One Hundred Years of Living One hundred years ago—on July 22, 1840—there was horn in Cherry Tree, Venango County, Pennsylvania, one who later merited the distinction of being great in many respects, yet one so mod est that in connection with some of his most remarkable achievements he would not even allow his name to be mentioned. On September 27, 1923, he went to be “with Christ; which is far better.” But in this year 1940, which marks the, cen tenary of the birth of Lyman Stewart, this truly “great” man is still glorious ly alive. Lyman Stewart was notable as a pi oneer in the business world; from be ing a poor boy, working in a tannery, he rose to the chairmanship of one of the largest oil corporations in the nation. He was distinguished also as a philan thropist; there are countless evidences of his practice of giving, especially to the work of the Lord. But best of all, he was outstanding as a Christian, a hum ble believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Of him, R. A. Torrey ,could say: “Mr. Stewart was one of the greatest Chris tians I ever knew—a rare combination of strength and achievement, on the one hand, and of gentleness and humility on the other.” Likewise T. C. Horton, who was until 1926 the Superintendent of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, could write feelingly of Mr. Stewart’s life and ministry, as the accompanying page indicates. Lyman Stewart lives today because the yearning of his heart extended to the needs of men in all the world. For example, when, about thirty years ago, he realized the fearful danger which confronted the church at large by rea son of the attacks being made upon it by professors and preachers who scoffed at the Word of God, Lyman Stewart, with his brother Milton, set about to publish “fundamental articles” to be sent “ to every minister, missionary, evangelist, and student in religious
“ The Bridegroom Cometh” How significant are present-day world conditions in the light of the prophetic portions of the Word of God! When one studies the Scriptures prayerfully and with an open heart, he is not sur prised at the perplexed—even tragic— state of the world today, for .the very events that are now taking place are recorded as being among those which will mark the “end time.” We would commend to all readers of THE KING’S BUSINESS that they study carefully Matthew 24 and 25. These chapters are a part of the' Olivet discourse, the last great .prophetic ut terance of the Lord Jesus Christ prior to His crucifixion on Calvary’s cross. .The words were spoken in reply to the question 6f the disciples: “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the consummation of thé age?” (Matt. 24:3, R. V. margin). In answer, our Lord looked down through the years toward the completion of the age, and He gave some unmistakable signs by which men may know the nearness of the close of the times of the Gentiles. The five great signs given by our Lord to show the approaching culmin ation of this dispensation are: religious declension, world war, famine, pestilence, earthquakes; and these are to be fol lowed by the revelation of the Anti christ and the erection of his image. It is true that the five first-named signt have been known to men of every age; but not until the present day have all the signs been present at one time, and in as great intensity as is now being ex perienced. . Surely the “sign” events characteriz ing the present hour should be a call and a challenge to every Christian to live for God and to take advantage of every opportunity for witnessing for JesUs Christ in view of the likeli hood of the close of this witnessing era and the completion and translation of the church which is His body. But
Enlarged King's Business
• It will be seen at a glance that this issue of THE KING’ S BUSINESS contains MORE editorials and MORE articles than usual. . . . In line with readers’ desires, increased emphasis has been placed upon current events in the light of Bible prophecy. At the same time, devotional articles and study material of
high quality continue to be offered as usual. • In its present form, THE KING’S BUSINESS is undoubtedly the BEST VALUE FOR A DOLLAR as a true-to-the-Bible family journal. . . . Will you not pray for this ministry and help to extend it by in troducing the magazine to your friends?
July, 1940
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
244
Putnam Studios.
COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES AT THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES In the beautiful auditorium of the Church of the Open Door, which seats over thirty-seven hundred, a vast com pany gathered on the evening of June 6 for the Thirtieth Annual Commencent Exercises of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. In the graduating class of ninety members, the largest group to be graduated from the Institute in many years there were sixty-four students who received diplomas in recognition of work completed in the General, Mis sionary, Christian Education, and Music courses. The degree of Bachelor of Christian Education was conferred upon eight students, and the degree of Bachelor of Theology was conferred upon seventeen young men. The speaker of the evening, Alva J. McClain, and Keith L. Brooks each received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity.
lstics of every dispensation: First, definitely new revelation. Second, failure of the natural man. Third, Judgment of God. Fourth, promise of blessing to the remnant. With respect to the present Church Age, the first two characteristics are axiomatic, and we should not be sur prised at the coming of the third—the judgment of God. Nor should we over look the comfort of the promised bless ing. To your task, O pastor! Preach Christ, who can save a world dying in sin. Interpret world events in light of the Word for your people. Inform men and women concerning what is scheduled for this old world before
newspaper and to “ tuning in” on an Associated Press release'given by radio. A world which i$ in darkness as to the plans and purposes of the Creator has not been able to read the “Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin” (Dan. 5:25) emblaz oned upon the temples of materialism. Men love to sip the poisoned honey of delusion. Preachers, never before has it been more imperative to obey the Pauline injunction, “Preach the word.” Further more, Peter calls attention to the con trast between “ cunningly devised fables” and “ a more sure word of pro phecy” (2 Pet. 1:16, 19). In this dark day, let the light of prophecy shine. There are four well-defined eharacter- *
while there is no justification in Scrip ture or elsewhere for believers to set dates for the coming of Christ, we are not left in ignorance concerning indi cations of His sure approach. Observe conditions as they are today in the religious, political, and social spheres. Is there not an astonishing similarity between these conditions and those which the Lord said would pre cede His return? In them all, one may plainly hear the voice: “Behold, the bridegroom cometh.”—Louis T. Talbot. “ What’ s It All About?” These words, expressed and unex pressed, are the common response to the perusal of an “extra” edition of a
July, 1940
T H S K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
*45
“ the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ.” “Foa the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet. 1:21), and every word of God shall have complete fulfillment. —Kenneth M. Monroe. Can Ye Not Discern the Signs of the Times ? “Despise not prophesyings” (1 Thess. 5:20). Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus demanding signs of His author ity (Matt. 16:1). They were queer bed fellows, but it was not the only time the ritualists and the rationalists have gotten their heads together to try to put Bible Christianity on the spot. SIGNS—signs—said Jesus—are you not surrounded with them? The sign- seekers were great students of the barometer. “When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering.” They were weather-wise, but they paid no attention to other kinds of signs. At the same time, they scoffed at all who put stress upon pro phetic things. What did our Lord say to them? “ O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times ?” Our Lord calls for men to interpret the events that make up the history of their day and to give witness. These events are signs to be searched into, and they have meaning. John Wesley said he read the papers “to see how God was moving in the world.” Do men today want signs that the Word of God is true? Let them put the morning newspaper alongside the prophetic portions of the Bible. If these ecclesiastical leaders of the Saviour's time should have seen that prophecy indicated the time of the Messiah’s ad vent, there should not be the slightest doubt in our day that events are flow ing in the very molds of prophecy at a rate probably never before witnessed in history—nor that the same Messiah’s predicted second advent is very close at hand. Yet we find good, earnest preachers avoiding prophetic topics because they believe them controversial They argue that it is better to give full attention to preaching salvation, failing to realize that all about them are hundreds of Christians so' utterly perplexed by the day’s events that they have completely lost their bearings and need the light of the prophetic Word to get them to lift up their heads. [ Continued on Page 250]
G od o f L o v e - a n d t h e H o r ro rs o f W a r By JAMES R. GRAHAM, JR.*
F REQUENTLY we hear the ques tion asked, “How can a Giod of love permit the injustice and bloodshed that is in the world today? Innocent women and children and peace ful citizens and nations are made the victims of the passion for power o f ra pacious war lords.” From these condi tions, they deduce the conclusion that God either does not exist at all, or else that He is indifferent to suffering (in which case His righteousness disap pears), or that He is impotent to cor rect matters. Any of these conclusions concerning God would seem to disqual ify Him as an object of love or worship. We believe it is high time that Chris tians were clarified on this point and able in meekness to instruct “those that oppose themselves” and to vindicate the character of our holy and righteous God, who, in the very essence of His nature, is loving-kindness and tender mercy! In the first place, it must be pointed out that the popular presentation of the character and 'attributes of God has given great prominence to His love while disparaging His holiness and power. The resultant picture has been false and has led to untold error. Solemn Truth We find God’s testimony to Himself as recorded through the prophet Isaiah: “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things” (Isa. 45:7). What mean these words? Does God “ create evil” ? Yes, that is what He says of Himself, but He does not say that He is the Author of sin. There is a great distinction. God is the Sover eign Power of the universe—holy, right eous. He is the Framer of all laws, spiri tual, moral, and physical, and He it is who determines the penalty that will follow the breaking of those laws. Any individual or body that has power to make laws has power to decide what will be done to the offenders against such laws. In this very true sense, then, God does create evil as a recompense for the in fraction of His laws in any plane. In a very true sense, the drunkard who de bauches his body with intoxicants and wallows in the gutter can be said to have been put there by God. A man thrusts his hand into a flame of fire, and when it is burned and charred, there is a very true sense in which it can be said that God has burned his hand. It is written: “Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, that made *Missionary and Bible Teacher.
all the earth drunken . . . Thou art my battle-axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, . . . I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion” (Jer. 51:7, 20, 24). Babylon was used as an in strument to visit judgment on Judah, but she in turn received the recom pense of her own evil. Make no mistake about it. God does create evil as a recompense for sin, in dividual and collective sin. The awful things we see taking place in the world today are the inevitable recompenses for moral and spiritual evil. There are undoubtedly degrees of wickedness and evil, but there is no nation or people that is “innocent” in God’s sight. All the nations now actively involved in the bloodshed and carnage have not only been guilty of the worst kind of moral sin, but (which is worse) they have col lectively “ trodden under foot the Son of God, and . . . counted the blood of the covenant . . . an unholy thing” (Heb. 10:29). The attitude of the world has always been to desire a murderer and to kill the Prince of life. It is the responsibility of the Sov ereign Power to visit punishment where it is due, but it is not His fault. It is the duty of an earthly judge to pro nounce sentence upon a proven criminal, but the pain to the criminal and his family is not the fault of the judge. It may be well a^this point to add this word: While we can be sure that the main utility of evil in God’s order of things is as a penalty for the breaking of His laws, He uses it correctively as well as punitively. It is a sound pro position that sin will inevitably bring an eVil recompense, but it is unsound to say that every manifestation of evil or trouble (especially toward a believer) is a penalty for some sin. Tribulation worketh patience, and evil purifies as well as punishes. Fire consumes. . But every fire we see in the distance is not a house on fire; it may be a smelting furnace! Failure to understand this as pect of the question was the great error of Job’s friends. Our God is indeed a God of love who desires not that “any should perish, but that all should come to repentence” (2 Pet. 3:9). He makes peace before He creates evil. After sin has run its course and the evil which must result has taken its toll, then Shiloh—the giver of peace—will come, and to Him will “ the gathering of the people be,” then “of the increase of HIS govern ment and peace there shall be no end” (Gen. 49:10, Isa. 9:7).
July, 1940
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S Significance of the News By DAN GILBERT Washington, D. C , and San Diego, California
246
constant characteristic of Communist policy has been its inconstancy. The Reds have reversed themselves a&aia and again, with respect to their domes tic as well as their foreign policy. On his record of past performance, there would be no reason to suppose that Stalin would stay “tied” to the Nazi war chariot, if there were any real advantage in breaking loose. As previously indicated in this col umn, Stalin engineered the Nazi-Soviet pact in the beginning, on the presump- ton that Communism had everything to gain and nothing to lose from the de struction of the other nations of Europe- Many observers felt, from the start, that Stalin was counting on the early collapse and defeat of Germany. This would enable Soviet Russia to take over the German nation and bring her under the complete dominance of Moscow. The smashing of the German army on the west would give Russia her opportunity to move in on the east. The view as sumed that Stalin’s purpose In egging Hitler on to war was to secure the ad vance of' Sovietism at the expense of Germany. Frank L. Kluckhohn, foreign expert of the New York Times, thinks that the last thing Stalin wanted was a Nazi triumph, and that the present prospect of it appalls him: “Reports from Moscow speak of something approaching panic on the part of the Soviet rulers. . . . To put it bluntly, the diplomatic reports indicate that they are shaking in their boots and fully realize ¿hat a Germany dominating all of Europe would have Russia at its mercy. These reports indicate that the offi cials of the Kremlin have been shocked by the speed and success to this point of the Nazi drive through the Low Countries and into France.” According to this observer, “Joseph Stalin thought that, in playing his part in assuring that the Nazi attack would he in the west and not the east, he could count on a long war in which both sides would emerge exhausted. He planned to toss his weight first on one side and then another to assure this.” A long war which would seriously weaken both sides would enable Stalin to emerge as the real dictator of Europe. Mr. Kluckhohn continues, “Information in reliable quarters is to the effect that the internal sit uation in Russia is far from good from the viewpoint of its leaders and that the Soviet Union is not strong enough to step in at this moment when an Allied defeat is regarded in Moscow as at least pos- [Continued on Page 256]
herself to Mussolini’s pro-Nazi attitude, a renewed effort to win Stalin away from Hitler was launched. In view of past failures of all such attempts, in view of Stalin’s deliberate “sell-outs” at every opportunity in the past, it is difficult to understand the basis on which hopes are still enter tained that the Nazi-Soviet pact can be wrenched. Upon assumption of power, Winston Churchill’s government began to seek for a new and more friendly approach to improvement of relations with Rus sia. The Associated Press carried this ex planation: “Inclusion of the Labor and Lib eral Parties in the cabinet was said to have paved the way for abandon ment of the stiff-necked attitude of former Prime Minister Chamberlain and most of his Conservative re gime toward the U. S. S. R. “A softening of press attacks al ready has been noted. . . . Discus sions between Russian Ambassador Maisky and Foreign Secretary Hali fax are intended to open the way for trade negotiations on a broader basis, and ultimately lead to im provement of political relations.” STALIN’S SHIFTINESS: • It well may be that the hope for a “shift” in Soviet policy is predicated on the notorious “shiftiness” of Stalin’s character. Under his leadership, the one
ANTI-GOD COMBINE: • Nothing demonstrates so vividly the inherently atheistic character of the Nazi movement as the efficiency with which it cooperates with Soviet Com munism in the advancement of the cause of international godlessness. Per sonal and political differences between Hitler and Stalin have made other phases of the Soviet-Nazi pact operate rather unsmoothly. But in the “fight against religion” there is perfect har mony, both theoretically and practically, between the two movements. I Russia, the most vocal and vehe ment praise for Nazism issues from the organs devoted exclusively to atheist propaganda. The “militant godless” wing of the Communist Party supports Hitler with far more enthusiasm than do other sections of the Communist In ternational. On the occasion ty! Hitler's invasion of Holland and Belgium, the Soviet press assumed an attitude of coolness and even mild criticism. It probably was an insincere gesture, but it is significant that Bezbozhnik, offi cial Moscow organ of Soviet atheists, broke away from the “Communist Party line” and intensified its praise of Hitler aggression at the very time that other Moscow organs were veering in the other direction. Bezbozhnik branded as “ traitors to Communism" all who would oppose or impede a united effort for world domi nance on the part of the forces of Hit lerism and Stalinism: “Whoever opposes Soviet-German cooperation is an enemy of the Soviet government and of Commun ism. Germany and the Soviet are unitedly fighting against capitalism, against religion, and for a new so cial order. The German nation, like the Soviet people, are against re ligion and for socialism . . . Stalin and Hitler are against religion and capitalism.” SOVIET SPHINX: • For reasons which do not appear clear to us, influential Allied leaders still seem to regard Soviet Russia as an “unknown factor,” or at least an “unde termined factor,” in the European equa tion. The “pulling and hauling,” the “coaxing and teasing,” the diplomatic “wooing” of Russia continues. At the very time that Britain apparently gave up the “wooing” of Italy and reconciled
Cartoon by Bruce Bussell, Courtesy, TJhe Los Angeles Times.
TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
July, 1940
247
Holy Boldness By VANCE HAVNER*
ing and the people are imagining vain things. Once again the kings of the earth are standing up and the rulers are gathering against God and His Christ. And there is no question of greater moment today than this: Will Bible Christians let the hostility of this world frighten them into toning down their fervor and softening their speech that it might be more acceptable to this, untoward generation, or shall we dare, like the saints of old, to claim from heaven the grace to live and testify boldly and hilariously and dangerous ly? I am not thinking just now of the dangers of modernism and worldliness. I am not so much afraid that we shall fall into false doctrine on the one hand or into dancing and card-playing on the other, as I fear a more subtle peril. I fear that we shall decide, "After all, we might as well be clever and diplo matic and come at the world in a dif ferent way. Isn’t it a better policy to stay on good terms with the world and, as preachers and churches, impress men with our success and popularity, and feed them the gospel in flavored capsules? Isn’t that better than the blunt, direct way of the Acts of the Apostles that keeps us living in a storm of persecution all the time? They lived in hot water, and some were even literally boiled in it to meet a martyr’s death! That is too dan gerous.” So we are in danger of revising the prayer of the early church to read, “Lord, grant unto Thy servants to be •more discreet in their testimony that with all caution they may speak Thy Word so as not to offend the powers that be.” That is the crisis, and if we present-day Christians allow ourselves to be intimidated into such a compro mise as this', we might as well write “Ichabod” — '“there is no glory” — over our churches. Holy Boldness Seen by the World The need of the hour is holy boldness. In this fourth chapter of the Acts, you will observe, first, boldness seen by the
^ T ^ H E fourth chapter of the Acts re cords a crisis in the life of the 1, early church. Peter had preach ed his second great sermon. The first persecution had begun. Peter had made his address to the Sanhedrin. He and John had been forbidden to preach in the name of Jesus. They had answered in those memorable words: “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” The Crossroads Then Peter and John reported their experiences to the church, and then and there the church came to a crossroads. If they had decided, “Well, perhaps af ter all, we are going about this too dan gerously; there is no sense in making the world angry with us; maybe we should modify our method and change our technique”—if on that historic oc casion the early Christians had decided to put on the soft pedal and to tone down their enthusiasm until they stood out less distinctly against the back ground of that ungodly age, they might have saved their necks, but Christianity would have died of dry rot and the gos pel inevitably would have gone into eclipse. But I thank God that they were given grace to pray as they did pray, quoting first God’s own Word in Psalm 2, and then moving on to plead, "And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word.” Thank God, they did not pray, “And now grant unto Thy servants that hereafter we may be more careful with our re marks, more diplomatic so that our ser mons shall not give#offenae!” Had they prayed like that, we would not read next that the place was shaken and that they \*ere all filled with the Holy Ghost and spake the Word of God with boldness! We have come to another crossroads today. Once again the nations are rag-
world: “Now when they saw the bold ness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” (v. 13). The very boldness of Peter and John, as well as their mes sage, was a testimony. Instead of the world’s being driven away by such bold preaching, it has always been impressed by it. And it has been impressed to the glory of God for “they took knowledge of them, that they had been' with Jesus” ! Boldness has been a mark of God’s men through thé ages. Moses could not deliver Israel until he forgot his own handicaps and summoned couragè to .face Phwoah. Joshua was continually exhorted to be strong and of a good courage. When Samuel came down to Bethlehem, the elders trembled at his coming, and asked, “Comest thou peace ably?” It is time today fo r 'a prophet to come to town before whom even the elders shall tremblé! Elijah was accused of being the troubler of Israel for his bold condemnation of sin. Jeremiah must be made as a fenced, brazen wall, and Ezekiel’s face was made as adamant against the faqes of his generation. God’s watchmen who stand in the gap to warn men of sin and judgment have been accused through the ages of being calamity howlers and hoot-owl preach ers, pessimists mourning in the dark. Well, Micah said’ he “would make a mourning like the owls (Micah 1:8), and thùs there is Bible precedent for it. Bet ter be God’s hoot owl than the devil’s mocking bird! Our Lord knew that fear would be the great bugaboo through the ages, and He kept exhorting against fear: “Fear not them which kill the body . . . Fear not, little flock, . . . It is I; be not afraid . . . Be not afraid; go tell my brethren . . . Fear not; I am the first -and the last.” Paul preached boldly at Damascus arid at Jerusalem aryl in Iconium. He asked the Ephesians to pray for him that he might open his mouth boldly to [ Continued on Page 256]
*Fastor, First Baptist Church , Charleston, S. C,
July, 1940
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
248
?‘Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should 30 and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain” (John 15:16)
The accompanying message, by the President of Grace Theological Seminary, was the commencement address delivered at the Bible In stitute of Los Angeles, June 6, 1940. In introducing his subject, the speaker said: “Knowing some thing of the uncompromising Chris tian faith of this school, the high spiritual ideals for which it stands; and having spent some time with in its walls both as a student and as a teacher, I sincerely congratu late you upon the successful com pletion of your respective courses. Considering the desperate moral and spiritual need of the world just now, and the widespread in difference and skepticism even within the professing church, one might easily become discouraged. But the best antidote for all such pessimism is to see, as we are see ing tonight, young life which has had the vision to prepare itself for the altar of God’s service.” X tain respects, was the darkest in the history of our sinful race. The infi nite God had laid aside His preexistent glory, had become poor, had humbled Himself to be born of a virgin, lived as Man among men, healed their diseases, offered them the water and bread of life without money and without price; and the answer of the world to all this un deserved grace was, “Away with him, . . . We have no king but Caesar,” and at last His was a lonely cross at Gol gotha where He hung reviled and for saken of men. You say the present hour is dark! Well, look back and con sider that hour! Consider also the men to whom the lo rd was speaking in that dark hour. There were only eleven of them—very ordinary men, terribly weak, human, and fallible, full of self-seeking and quarreling and the fear of man, blind to the spiritual meaning of the hour. Cer tainly, there were no heroes there that night, no supermen, but simply a few weak men of like passions with us. Yet in that dark hour, and to those weak men, our wonderful Lord said, “ I have chosen you.” Dark hours and weak men are nothing to Him. “My strength,” He says, “is made perfect in weakness.” “The darkness and the light are both alike” to Him. This is the God who is still speaking to men. Listen again to what He says: “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.” These glorious words declare several in dispensable principles of all Christian service. HE WORDS of the text were spoken in an hour which, in cer-
The Complete • Sufficiency of Christ for Christian Service
By ALVA J. McCLAIN Winona Lake, Indiana
a fine group of men. You have good blood in your veins. You have brains and personality. Your glands are in ex cellent working order. Your talents are great. You are well prepared. God needs men like you. We congratulate you for choosing the Lord.” But this is not the Lord’s way. He says, almost sharply, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.” And remember that He is the infallible Teacher, the One who never makes a mistake. He knew that the greatest need of those eleven men in that hour was an unshakeable convic tion that they belonged to the sovereign God who works all things after the coun sel of His own perfect will. The effect of this great truth of God’s sovereignty upon your life depends whol ly upon your attitude toward the Son of God. If you will only bow your head submissively in the presence of your sovereign Lord, confessing humbly, “Thou are the Potter, I am the clay.” you will find flowing into your soul a new courage and a new assurance. The servants of the Lord have always needed courage, but we seem just now to be entering times more fraught with peril than any since the days of the martyrs. The fires of religious persecution are once more burning, and again the blood of Christian martyrs is flowing. Door after door is being shut to the freedom of preaching the gospel of the grace of God. If these tendencies continue, as it seems they will, the time may come (and very soon) when to be true to the Lord Jesus Christ may cost you the loss of everything else. In the face of this prospect, you will need something more than mere human bravery. But if you believe that, far back in the counsels
1. The Sovereign ty of Christ Is the O n l y Sufficient Ground of Chris tian Service.
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.” Here the Lord Himself lays the foundation of all true Christian ministry in His own absolute divine sov ereignty. You will notice that He makes no attempt to tone down its unqualified severity, nor explain its insoluble mys tery. He does not ask that we shall understand it, but only • that we shall bow our heads humbly and accept it as a great, and blessed fact of Christian faith. Every once in a while I have an unusually bright and ambitious student who rolls up his intellectual sleeves for the purpose of settling the problem of human freedom and divine sovereignty. Only one of two things ever happens: Either the student comes back full of humility, or else he comes back full of heresy! All the so-called explanations miss the point just about as far as the old Colored man who “explained” the truth of divine election something like this: “God votes for you; the devil votes agin you; and the election goes the way you vote yourself.” At first thought, our Lord’s uncom promising declaration of His own sover eign election might seem a strange way to urge men to action. In our worldly wisdom, we probably would have tried a different way. We might have said to those eleven men that night, “You are
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
249
July, 1940
his head to see whether he had brains enough to preach!” Now as an educator, I have often wished there were some such short and easy way of discovering the presence of brains in ministerial students. But even if we could thus “put our fingers” on intellectual ability so as to be sure of it, it would not be enough. For you will need something vastly more than mere brains to preach the gospel as it ought to be preached. You will need a thousand other things. You will need that wisdom which comes down from above. You will need almost infinite patience. You will need a heart of compassion. You will need to know how to be full and how to be hungry, how to be abased and how ».to abound. You will need to know when to speak and when not to speak. Once, in order to make sure about this impor tant matter, God struck the prophet Ezekiel dumb, and then opened his mouth only when He wanted the prophet to speak. If God should sud denly do that today, I think a vast and impressive silence might blanket the land next Sunday morning. But if the Lord Jesus Christ has chosen you and “ordained” you, no matter what the task, you may be sure that He will pro vide that special fitness which, is needed. “I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go.” Let us pause for a moment with this word "GO.” It is the command of the Lord. Listen as He speaks: "Go . . . to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” “Go . . . into the high ways.” “Go ye into all the world.” “Go . . . and teach all nations.” If the mis sionaries and the ministers of the early church had any distinctive characteris tic, it was mobility. Study their lives, and you will find them generally on the “go.” They fought very few battles in the trenches. They won their victories by great offensive movements. We talk sometimes about the missionary methods of the apostolic church. That church, it seems to me, had just one simple and comprehensive method — they went places, and kept on going places! One of the troubles from which the church today is suffering is too many men who insist upon being “chosen” and “or dained,” but who have no passion to “go” in obedience to the Lord’s com- mand' We have plenty of theological move ment today, but altogether too little missionary movement. Let the slightest measure of success come to our work today, whether in Chicago or .in Shang hai, and men will begin to say, “It is III. The Com mand of Christ is the Only Suf ficient Definition of the Scope ' of Christian Service.
good for us to be here. Let us build something and settle down.” Even on the mission fields, instead of moving out into the unreaihed regions, we have too often built our comfortable shelters, settled down and said, “Let the people come to us.” Doubtless a certain mea sure of this procedure is necessary. But may God give to this graduating class of 1940 a great baptism of divine “rest lessness” that will move you out into the great unreached places of the earth. Perhaps you already have felt this di vine urge; you are willing to “go,” and you are asking, “Where shall I g o ?” Each one of you must get your1orders from the Captain of your salvation. But I do know that no man will ever find the perfect will of the Lord in this mat ter by standing still. The mightiest ship of the ocean ways can be steered by a touch on the wheel, but only if the ship is moving. Therefore, if there is any se cret of divine guidance, its first prin ciple is to keep moving. The great mis sionary Paul had learned this secret. Advancing through Asia Minor, he tried to go to the left and was stopped; then he tried the right and was stopped again. Since he never retreated, no di rection was left but straight ahead. Taking this road, he came at last to Troas, and there he got his vision. The visions of God in this age, come to those who are on the march, not to those who sit in monkish retreats. If you desire the assurance of the Lord’s guid ance, start out and go some place—even if it should be only across the street to bear your testimony to a neighbor. “I have chosen you . . . that ye should go and bring forth fruit.” There can be no fruit-bearing apart from Christ. The branch can not bear fruit of itself, The source of the fruit is not in us, but in Him who said, “I am the vine.” Sec ond, there can be no fruit-bearing apart from Calvary. Remember what He said: “Except a com of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (John 12:24). If Christ had not died, all that glorious and eternal life of the Vine would have remained shut up forever in Him alone. But, oh, thank God, He died! And because He died, the barriers were broken down, the life was released, and it now flows out in saving grace to a world of sinners. Now we come to the deepest part of tHMK mystery as it concerns us who be lieve: We have been chosen to bear the fruit. That eternal life which was with the Father, that life which was released IV. The Life o f Christ Is the Only Sufficient Source of Fruit-Bearing Service.
of eternity, a sovereign God saw you, fixed His loving choice upon you, brought you into the priceless boon of your personal existence, providentially watched over your life, led you to Christ for salvation, brought you to this very school, planned every detail of your life, makes everything in the universe from the fall of a raindrop to the fall of an empire work together for your final, good—I say, if you believe this—and you have a right to believe it if you are bom again—then you can never retreat, and you can never be crushed by any defeat.
II. The Ordina tion of Chrigt Is the,, Only Suffi cient Preparation f o r Christian Service.
“I have ordained you,” He says. This is perhaps neither the time nor the place to discuss the meanings of Greek terms. But it is a curious fact that not one of the various Greek words translated by the word “ordain” in our common version ever refers exclusively to' that ceremony we call “ordination.’’^ I have no criticism to offer against such a ceremony as this. Undoubtedly the min isters and missionaries of the early church were set apart thus by the lay ing on of hands. But we should under stand that, in the truest sense of our Lord’s words, no human hands or power can “ordain” one to a place in God’s service, nor impart the preparation needed for service. The Lord Jesus Christ, and He /ilone, is able to do this. Great stress is being laid today upon educational preparation as a prerequisite to ordination to the Christian ministry. If held within proper bounds, this em phasis is right. I believe in higher edu cation. In fact, *I see no reason that the Christian worker should not be trained as rigidly and exactly in his field as the doctor is trained in his field. And if we should limit the field of the minister to the Word of- God alone, the field would be so vast that if the student should spend ten years doing nothing but concentrating upon this Book, he would then not know any too much. It is because this field has been neglect ed in many institutions of higher educa tion that the land is cursed with so much loose thinking and inaccurate preaching. But mere intellectual equipment is not sufficient. James Strong tells the story of a little boy who had attended and watched with deep interest an ordina tion service. When he arrived home, his father asked him to tell what happened, and the boy replied, “One man read the Bible, another one asked a lot of ques tions, and then all the ministers put their hands on the young man and felt
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker