King's Business - 1940-06

King's Business - 1940-06

JUNE • 1940

The Bible Family Magazine

Five cents a copy, 50 cents a year in U. S. Official Organ of the Bible Institute o f Los Angeles

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201

June, 1940

T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S

LOUIS T. TALBOT, E ditor-In-C hief MILDRED M. COOK, Managing Editor W. F. KEMPF, Advertising and Circulation Manager

Official Organ of The Bible Institute' of Los Angeles, Incorporated

“ N e x t F a ll M a y B e T o o L a te ” • 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 now; 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. AMERICAN BOARD OF MISSIONS TO THE JEWS, INC. 31 Throop Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y. Dear F riends: . Gladly do I enclose ,$.......................... m y g ift fo r Israel’s salvation, “ be­ fore it is too late.”

SheSifcle Tamil# S itatine Motto: “ Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.” — Rev. 1 :5.

Volume XXXI

June, 1940

Number 6

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 Around the King’s Table — Editorial .........................................................202 Views and Reviews of Current News — Dan Gilbert .......... ................... 203 “ The Finger of God”— R. S. Beal. ............... ......... ................................ ,„204 A Mother’s Letters to Her Children — Grace Pike Roberts ...................206 Prophetic Clouds— Silver Lined !— Louis S. Bauman .............. ...............207 Whose Prisoner Are Y ou ?— Robert A. Laidlaw .....................................209 The Preacher’s Study —Herbert Lockyer ............................................ .....210 Evangelizing among University Students............ ....................................211 Girls’ Query Corner —Myrtle E. Scott ........................................................212 Bible Institute Family Circle.......... .................. ..................... ......................214 Junior King’s Business —Martha S. Hooker. .......... .'.......’..................... ....215 International Lesson Commentary ........................ .......... ......................217 Notes on Christian Endeavor —Lyman A . Wendt. ......................... .........229 Daily Devotional Readings..................................................................... ........234 Our Literature Table............... .............................................................. .......238 I N F O R M A T I O N F O R S U B S C R I B E R S THE KING’S BUSINESS is pub- lished monthly at the rates below, payable in advance, for either old or new subscribers, in the United States or its possessions. These rates include postage.

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THE KING’S BUSINESS

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Around the King s Table E D I T O R I A L By Members of the Faculty of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles

mark, Dutch East Indies, England, Francé, Germany, Greece, Greenland (Danish Colony), Holland, Italy, Japan, Norway, Rpssia, Sweden, and Turkey. The page, heavily freighted with news of the Asiatic and European holocaust, covers America in eight items: Presi- •dential primary in California, Red Prop­ aganda in Hollywood films,. the Presi­ dent’s billion dollar W. P. A. fund, ill­ ness of the San Francisco mayor, in­ crease of the - United States Navy, a blizzjjifad in Colorado, rain in Chicago, and sr hew lemon scent perfume in th e. printer’s ink giving a novel advertising appeal. What a contrast! Bill Henry, columnist and commenta-- tor on the Los Angeles Times staff, closed a recent luncheon address before one hundred.men with these significant words, “I would not bet fifteen cents that America •will not be in the war before the year is over.” The fulfill­ ment of this suggestion-is certainly not in keeping with the wishes of those who are Christian. Every right-thinking man views with dread the prospect of the suffering that war entails. Arid American participation in war would rapidly change the tenor of America’s news items. We are not yet out of the days the Son of Man had in mind when He said, “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see (hat ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and k i n g d o m against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earth­ quakes, in divers places.” —Kenneth M. Monroe.

ed much, and rightly so, have failed; and because of this fact, some have turned aside from allegience to their Lord. In this connection we do well to remind ourselves of such Scriptures as 2 Timothy 2:13, R.V.: “If we are faith­ less, he abideth faithful,” and Jeremiah 2:5: “What unrighteousness have your fathers found in me?” and again, Micah 6:3: “O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.” We can tes­ tify against others, but never against Him, and He is the One we are to follow, not others. Doubtless many people would have great burdens lifted from their souls, many would be living lives of joy and usefulness if, in spite of the faithless­ ness and failures of others, they would constantly heed this word of our Lord, “What is that to.thee? follow thou me.” —John A. Hubbard. A Shrinking World This old world is certainly shrinking! The significant events of every nation are published in the larger cities of the civilized world the same day on which they transpire. Almost before the smoke of battle clears in the Trond­ heim region in Norway, the newsboy is shouting, “Extra! Extra!” at the corner of Seventh and Broadway in Los An­ geles. On the front page of a recent Los Angeles paper, comments were made in­ volving diplomatic conflict or actual war in the following nations and colo­ nial possessions: Belgium, Canada, Den-

The Believer’s Chief Concern "If 1 will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me” (John 21:22). The Lord Jesus had just revealed the fact that Peter would suffer martyr­ dom. At that point, Peter saw John and asked the Lord, "Wha&dfejhall this man do?” In reply Jesus' spoke the words used above: “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.” Of course, this instruction does not mean;,that we are to be indifferent to the course and fate of others, but the thing f supreme importance is that at all costs we are to obediently follow Him, regardless of what others may be called upon to do or may choose to do themselves. We are to follow Him in the line of service to which Hé calls, regardless of what others may be called to do. Believers are members of the body of Christ and h a v e différent functions, just as members of the human body havël Thé service of one may be’ seem­ ingly easy, ours very hard. The min­ istry of others may seemingly be large and fruitful, ours small and apparently barren, but the word of our Lord comes to us, “What is that to thee ? follow thou me,” and, obediently following in His service, we may find that what He accomplishes through us is far more fruitful than was apparent at first. This fact is illustrated by the more or less familiar story of a company of church officers who were waiting on their pastor and in the spirit of com­ plaint were calling his attention to the fact that during the whole year only one person was converted in the Church, “and that only a boy,” The dear old pastor was almost broken-hearted as he confessed, “Yes, only one saved, and that only a boy.” But that boy was none other than Robert Moffatt, whom God wonderfully used in later years as a missionary in Africa, and 'whose in­ fluence for missions is still going on. We are called upon to follow Christ faithfully in the circumstances In which He places us, regardless of the circum­ stances of others. Other people may be rich and have much; we may be poor and have little. They may be popular and we little known, but again we hear Him saying to us, “What is that to thee? follow thou me.” We are to follow Him faithfully re­ gardless of the failures of others. In this respect many have been caused to stumble. Those of whom they expect­

• •

“Your hoar is come!” A dictator may road his men with this Drospect of conquest. He may ride reck­ lessly o v e r t h e right* of others. But “THY hour is come,” will before long be the Father's word to His beloved S o u , whose right it is to r e i g n . come. Lord. Jesus.’ 9

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Views and Reviews of Current News By DÂN GILBERT Washington, D. C , and San Diego, California

COMFORT FOR THESE TRYING DAYS • “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee’’ (Psa. 56:3). • “ In the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, and his children shall have a place of refuge” (Prov. 14:26). “ Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he alio is become my salvation” (Isa. 12:2). “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or fam­ ine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Bom. 8:35, 37). Blackout— and the Cross A reader of THE KING’S BUSINESS, writing from Oakland, Calif., sends this significant word: “That is indeed a dark picture which Dr. McComb presented in the May KING’S BUSINESS [ “Europe—and the Bible,” p. 167]. Any way we look at it, the picture in Europe is dark., It is a terrible blackout. VThe .following Is a part of a para­ graph taken from an article describing the war in England, in The New Wit­ ness of January 24 of this year. It seems tp me a very apt illustration: “ ‘A t night a great blackness reigns over the whole country. There is not a glimmer of light anywhere except for the traffic lights in tl^e town, and these are blackened out as well, except for two slits in the form of a cross. The cross is the only light that shows our way.’ “In spite of the darkness in Europe and in our own country, the cross is still before us, and God Tbtill holds the universe in His hand. “And, in view of all this sad condi­ tion, does it not behoove us to search our own hearts and find out whether we are failing Him? Do we really be­ lieve all the Bible ? We think we do, but do we? 'Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it’ . (Mai. 3:10). “If we are really doing that, why is evangelism paralyzed? Surely if only two of us do it, that is enough to claim tv,« nromise.”

WHITE-COLLAR CRIMINALS: Edwin H. Sutherland, well-known expert in criminology, recently has brought to light a mass of information that com­ pletely upsets the “conventional ex­ planations of the cause and nature of crime.” In the first place, he shows that the “crime wave” permeates all classes. Usually only lower-class criminals— thugs, hold-up men, forgers, etc.—are sent to jail. In the “upper brackets,” the stealing is customarily done “within the law.” But the crime wave has swept everywhere. Big business and large-scale politics are scenes of as widespread criminality as are the slum districts of the. large cities. Dr. Sutherland contends: “White-collar criminality in busi­ ness is expressed most frequently in the form of misrepresentation in financial statements of corporations, manipulation in the stock ex­ changes, commercial bribery, bri­ bery Of public officials directly or indirectly in order to secure favor­ able contracts and legislation, mis­ representation in advertising and salesmanship, embezzlement and misapplication o f f u n d s , short weights and measures and misgrad- ing of. commodities, tax frauds, mis­ application of funds in receiverships and bankruptcies.” Corruption in political circles is so notorious that Dr. Sutherland devotes little attention to it. In high commer­ cial and political circles, softer terms may be used to describe these activities, but it is undeniable tnat there is as much lying and defrauding, as on the lowest levels of economic existence. Behind the white-collar criminals are found the crooked criminal lawyers without whose counsel and ingenuity few "stealings within the law” could be successfully carried but. Thèse lawless lawyers are highly educated, nearly al­ ways prosperous, and brilliant to an un­ usual degree. Certàinly their criminality cannot be attributed to lack of brains of economic opportunity. They are not the “underprivileged,” either according to nature or to society. Dr. Sutherland holds that it can be clearly shown that “the theory that criminal behavior is due either to pov­ erty or to conditions associated with poverty is invalid.” Grime is not caused by poverty or by “feeble-mindedness,” as .s generally supposed.

With the old theories exploded, crim­ inality must remain somewhat of a mystery to the criminologists. But it is no mystery t o . those who accept the Bible as revealed Truth. The Word ,of God teaches that crime is due to a per­ verse will. Crime comes out of the foul­ ness of the heart of unregenerate man. All men—rich and poor, cultured and uncultured, intelligent and stupid—are born with a depraved nature. Education, breeding, wealth, culture will not cure the lawlessness of the will of man. Only the Lord Jesus Christ, by the miracle of regeneration, can give to men a, new heart, a new will, a new mind. “Ye must be bom again” (John 3:7). That truth applies to the rich and to the poor, to the white-collared and to the slum-dwelle.s. Unregenerate men will behave the same, whether attired in tuxedoes or in rags, whether equipped with college degrees or left in illiteracy. Criminology, like all other sciences, will never arrive at truth until it builds upon Biblical principles. EYES EAST: This commentator has previously expressed the opinion that the danger of military involvement to America lies in the Orient rather than in Europe, at the present time at least. Developments seem to confirm this position. In testifying before the Senate Naval Committee, Rear Admiral Joseph K. Taussig frankly declared: “I don’t see now we can escape being forced into an eventual war by the present trend of develop­ ments in the Far East.. . . It should be a naval war. We can’t invade Japan, and Japan can’t invade the United States.”- It was an indiscreet admission, and of courst, Secretary Of. the Navy Edison was prompt to point out that the Ad­ miral “was expressing his own views, not the views of the Navy.’ ' But the significance of the statement cannot be explained away. It represents what is on the rn.nd of certain Naval authorities at the present time. There is a disposition» to feel that, at the opportune time, Japan will strike in Asia, in unison with the German war effort in Europe. Whether or not Ger­ many can hold The Netherlands, Japan is counted upon eventually to try to [Continued on Page 227]

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| u c s ° ° '

W HAT did the Lord Jesus mean when He spoke of “the fin­ ger of God” ? He had just cast tongue which had been tied was loosed. Questions arose in the minds of the curious crowd as to the power by which the Saviour had wrought this miracle. He, knowing their thought, replied by saying, “If I with the finger of God cast out demons, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you” (Lk. 11:20, R.V.). What was the meaning of the expres­ sion, “the finger of God” ? Matthew supplies the answer: “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you” (12:28; cf. R.V.). The finger of God is the Spirit of God. It is an interesting [This message, which was delivered at a commencement service at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, comes from one whose ministry of twenty-two years in a single pastorate (First Baptist Church, Tucson, Ariz.) has been marked by the Holy Spirit's working. A t least fifteen young people froyt Dr. Beal’s church have come to Biola for training. " When these young people have come to me saying they felt led of God to enter the Bible Institute of Los Angeles in preparation for their life work," the speaker said, “ I have felt in my soul a sense of real satisfac­ tion, and 1 have thanked1God that there was such a training venter as this on the Pacific Coast. . . . You now are to be congratulated not only upon the completion of a required course of study in spiritual things, but also because of the deeply spiritual school from which you are being graduated." — E ditor .]

the living God. What may be said of God and of Christ may be spoken of the Holy Spirit. He is a living part of a living whole. The attributes and' characters of the Godhead are one. Personality may be ascribed to the Spirit even, as we ascribe it to the other members of the Holy Trinity. To think of this One in any other way is to dishonor and to disown Him. It amounts to a denial of the Trinity and an accep­ tance of Unitarianism. Such disbelief as this has far-reaching consequences in the experience of men. If the Holy Spirit is naught but an influence or some impersonal power, can He take the things of Christ and show them to us? Can He guide us into the truth? He could not, since He would not exist to do so, if He were not the glorious Person the Word claims Him to be. Power to create is to be thought of in relation to the Spirit. It is a pre­ rogative of God. I invite your attention to the exactness of Scripture in this re­ spect. In Psalm 8:3, 4 we read: "When I consider thj^heavens, the work of thy fingers, the paoon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him ?” And again, Job 25:13, “By his Spirit he hath gar­ nished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.’ Then we face the direct statement concerning Him in Psalm 104:30, which reads, “Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.” It is not hard to see that every at­ tribute we ascribe to God may be rightly and Scripturally ascribed to the Holy Spirit. In all instances He is referred to in the Bible as a personality, is defi­ nitely called God, and is so recognized by our Lord in His earthly ministry.

a demon out of a poor fellow, and the

figure of speech which the Lord uses concerning the Third Person of the Trin­ ity. It is the figure of condescension. God condescended to liken Himself to His creation to the end that His crea­ tures might be able to understand and comprehend Him. The Finger of God: ,His Deity Sometimes in using the figure of the human body, the Scriptures set forth God as being the heart, the fountain of life. Christ is likened to the head which rules and governs the body. Then the Spirit is represented by' the hand or finger as in'the case- of iny text. The power of the body is executed by the finger, hand, or arm. It is the hand that ministers to all of the body and performs the work of the body. This explains the reason that the Lord Jesus speaks of casting out demons by the finger of God. Let us notice as we begin this anal­ ogy that the finger is an integral part of the hand. What may be said of the hand may be uttered of the finger be­ cause the life of one is the life of the other. The blood, the bone, the flesh, and the life of the hand is that of the finger. Both are of the same nature and substance. Thus it Is with the Spirit of

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unyieldedness and worldliness. It has been said that a living argument is in­ vincible. That is what God wants. The only Bible that most folk read is your life and mine, but if we mar that mes­ sage, what a vitiated ygospel the world gets! How essential it is that we as Christian workers going forth to our God-appointed tasks shall give forth a message of crystal clarity, not only by word of mouth but by manner of life as well! Nothing is so sad to witness as a faltering or fallen servant of God, a minister of the gospel who fails. Oh, if we could only learn to practice what we preach, we would not be ashamed to preach what we practice! Above all things as you go forth, give the world a clean-cut demonstration of the power of the message you proclaim. Be as ear­ nest and effective out of your pulpit as you are in it. - The finger is used when we eat, and it is an exceedingly useful member in this respect. Jesus is the Bread of Life. He becomes a living reality to us and a satisfying portion as the finger of God applies Him to our hearts and lives. No one can get hold of Jesus apart from the Spirit. Spiritual things are spiritu­ ally discerned, and not until the Spirit of God does His office work within our hearts do we come to know, love, and appreciate the Saviour. The more we have of the Spirit, the more we will possess and manifest the presence of the Master, for His supreme task is to take the things of Christ and show them to us and to manifest the presence of Christ through us. Other Functions Continuing the analogy of the finger, we observe that we use the finger in taking hold of an object. By this means we can bring things into close contact with ourselves. And this is the way God gets hold of the sinner. It is by means of His finger—His Holy Spirit— that God touches men to convict and to convince them. His Spirit working through His redeemed children is as the finger of God Himself taking hold of souls and drawing them into contact with Himself. The finger points out, and thus we see another striking point