VOL.
LIII. May/June 1970 No. 3
Doctrines More or Less Important Pentecost"And when the day of Pentecost was
fully come then were all THE
ORIGINAL national festivals established by the Mosaic law were three in number
"Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord thy
God in the place which He shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and
in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles; and they shall not
appear before the Lord empty; every man shall give as he is able, according to
the blessing of the Lord thy God which He hath given thee." (Deut. 16:16,
17.) The same three festivals are elsewhere prescribed. (See Exod. 23:14-17;
34:18, 22, 23; Lev. 23.) The
second of these great national festivals was that known to us by the name of
the feast of Pentecost. In the
law of Moses it is called "the feast of the harvest, the first-fruits of
thy labors"; also "the feast
of weeks"; that is, the feast celebrated the day after the completion
of seven weeks from the second day of the Passover, when the sheaf of the
first-fruits of the harvest was presented before the Lord (Lev. 23:15): in
other words, the feast occurring fifty days after the second day of the
Passover. Hence its later Hebrew name, day of fifty, which becomes in Greek, day of the Pentecost (Greek, "pentekoste,"
fifty). - See Exod. 23:16; Lev. 23:15-21; Num. 28:26-31; Deut. 16:9-12. The
day of Pentecost was properly the celebration of the close of the harvest of
wheat and barley. As a sheaf of the ripening harvest had been presented at the
sanctuary on the second day of the Passover, as an acknowledgment that it was
God's gift, and as such belonged to Him, so now two wave-loaves of fine flour,
made from the gathered harvest and baked with leaven, were presented before
Jehovah. This was the distinguishing rite of the feast. The loaves were made
with leaven because they were not intended for the altar, but were a
thanksgiving offering for God's bounty in furnishing food for His people. At
the same time the priests were commanded to offer seven lambs of the first
year, ore bullock, and two rams, as a burnt-offering, with the customary meat
and drink offerings also one kid of the goats for a sin-offering, and two
lambs of the first year as a peace-offering. On the same day was a holy
convocation, and all servile labor was forbidden. It was a joyous festival to
the Lord, every one being enjoined to bring with him a free-will offering,
according as God had blessed him, and to eat it at the sanctuary with his
children, his servants, the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the
widow. The
Jews also called it "the feast of the joy of the law," as occurring,
according to their tradition, on the very day when the law was given from
Mount Sinai, the fiftieth of the Exodus, from the night of the first Passover.
It must be acknowledged, however, that this cannot be clearly made out from
the sacred record, nor is there any reference to such coincidence in the Old
Testament. God, however, honored the day in a preeminent manner by choosing it
as the time for the gift of the holy spirit, and thus for the inauguration of
the Christian dispensation. The Jewish tradition, nevertheless, does
beautifully cause the feast of Pentecost to associate the old dispensation of
the law with the new dispensation of the Gospel; the organization of the Old
Testament church under Moses with a partial ministry of the spirit, with its
reorganization under the apostles with the fullness of the holy spirit. Waiting for the PromiseIt
was on this day that we find the disciples, in the words of our text, gathered
"with one accord in one place," and thus included probably not only
the apostles but also the one hundred and twenty mentioned in Acts 1:15. Ten
days before, the apostles had witnessed the ascension of Him whom they loved.
During the forty days since His resurrection, through His various
manifestations, they had gradually realized His change from hman to the
divine nature. He was raised from the dead a life-giving spirit-being (1 Cor.
15:45) and was no longer a man, of the earth, earthy. He was no longer human in
any sense or degree, but the full implications of His change were as yet unperceived
by the disciples, as we note from their question recorded in Acts 1:6. True, He
had already breathed on them, saying, "Receive ye the holy spirit."
(John 20:22.) We may not speak with certainty as to the meaning of this, but
the relationship was incomplete according to the plan and purpose of God, for
He soon "commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but
wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me."
(Acts 1:4; Luke 24:49.) The "promise of the Father" was of the
spirit, but evidently concerning that yet unexperienced ministry of the spirit
coming "upon" them for power. With this parting instruction, the Son
of God was received from their sight, nevermore to be seen until that happy
day, "face-to-face in all His glory." For ten days they had "continued
with one accord in prayer and supplication," awaiting they knew not what. The Spirit's DescentWhile
thus gathered, having given themselves entirely to devotion, "suddenly
there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all
the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues
like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with
the holy spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the spirit gave them
utterance." (Acts 2:2-4). It
burst upon them at once. Though they were waiting for the descent of the
spirit, yet it is not probable that they expected it in this manner. As this
was an important event, and one on which the welfare of the Church depended, it
was proper that the gift of the holy spirit should take place in some striking manner, one which even their
physical senses, such as sight or hearing, could attest so as to convince their
own minds that the promise was fulfilled, and so as deeply to impress others
with the greatness and importance of the event. The sound appeared to rush down
from the sky. It was fitted, therefore, to attract their attention no less from
the direction from which it came than on account of its suddenness and
violence. Wind in the sacred Scriptures is often put as an emblem of a divine
influence. It is invisible, yet mighty. In this place the sound as of a gale
was emblematic of the mighty power of the spirit, and of the great effects
which its coming would accomplish among men. It does not appear that there was
any actual wind; all might have been still; but the sudden sound was like such a sweeping tempest. It was
the sound, and not the wind, that filled the house. And it is
this which makes the miracle really far more striking than the common
supposition makes it to have been. A tempest might have been terrific. A mighty
wind might have alarmed them. But there would have been nothing unusual or
remarkable in it. Such things often occurred; and the thoughts would have been
directed, of course, to the storm as an ordinary, though perhaps alarming occurrence.
But when all was still, when there was no storm, no wind, no rain, no thunder,
such a rushing sound must have arrested their attention, and directed all
minds to so unusual and unaccountable an occurrence. Possibly
the "cloven tongues like as of fire" were first seen by them in the
room before they rested on the heads of the disciples. Perhaps the fire appeared
at first as scintillations of flame, of slender and pointed appearance, moving
irregularly around the room until it became fixed on their heads. The word
"tongue" occurs often in the Scriptures to denote the member which is
the instrument of taste and speech, and also to denote language or speech
itself. The common opinion is that these tongues, or flames, were, each one of
them, split, or forked, or cloven. But this is not the sense of the expression.
It means that they were separated or divided one from another; not one great
flame, but broken up, or cloven into many parts; and probably moving without
order in the room in the Syriac it is: "And there appeared unto them
tongues which divided themselves, like fire, and sat upon each of them."
The old Ethiopic version reads it: "And fire, as it were, appeared to
them, and sat on them." The fire, in the form of a gentle flame, rested
upon the head of each one. This evinced that the prodigy was directed to them, and was a very significant emblem
of the promised descent of the holy spirit. After the rushing sound, and the
appearance of the flames, they could not doubt that here was some remarkable
interposition of God. The appearance of fire, or flame, has always been
regarded as a most striking emblem of the Divinity, and was thus used on
several occasions, as recorded in the Old Testament. And now to the disciples,
the tongues would be emblematic of: first, God's presence and power; and
second, of the diversity of languages which they were about to be able to
speak. "They Were Filled with the Holy Spirit"To
be filled with any thing is a phrase denoting that all the faculties are
pervaded by it, engaged in it, or under its influence. Acts 3:10, "were
filled with wonder and amazement"; Acts 5:17, "filled with
indignation"; Acts 13:45, "'filled with envy"; verse 52,
"filled with joy and the holy spirit." The disciples were entirely
under the sacred influence of the power of God, which revealed itself in the
miraculous ability to speak languages which they had not before learned. No
such outpouring of the divine spirit had ever occurred before as respects the
children of Ad-am. Indeed, no such new 'begetting on God's part was possible
until first the sin-offering had been made and accepted. The phenomenon itself
witnessed the acceptance of the merit of the great antitypical High Priest, who
ten clays before had ascended into the antitypical Most Holy. (See Heb. 9:24.)
It is probable that this great work is referred to in Revelation 8:1-5. Various Manifestations of the SpiritGod's
holy spirit had indeed been manifested in various ways previously, but all of
them differed from this manifestation. For instance, it was the holy power of
God which moved upon the waters in connection with the world's creation. (Gen.
1:2.) Again, as the Apostle Peter declares, "holy men of old spoke and
wrote as they were moved by the holy spirit"; mechanically. (2 Pet. 1:21.)
He further explains that what they spoke and wrote they did not comprehend,
because their utterances and writings were not for themselves but for us of the
Gospel Age. We are, therefore, to recognize the fact that the
spirit-dispensation had its beginning in Jesus, when He was thirty years of
age; but so far as others were concerned, its beginning was in the sanctified
ones at Pentecost, as recorded in this lesson. Neither are we to think that
this Pentecostal outpouring requires a repetition, for the holy spirit thus
once poured upon the Church was to abide, to continue, with the Church, not to
be withdrawn and poured out afresh repeatedly. A collective anointing was here
indicated, and its authority extends to the last called one of this Gospel Age
even "like precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard,
even Aaron's beard; that went down to the skirts of his garments." - Psa.
133:2. It
was appropriate, that the giving of the holy spirit should be with a certain
outward demonstration and manifestation; not merely to impress and convince the
apostles and the early Church, but also for the benefit of those who should
subsequently come into relationship with the Church. Faith must have a ground
to rest upon, an assurance that there was at the beginning such a direct
recognition of the Savior's sacrifice and of the divine acceptance of the
consecrated ones who trusted in Him. The reality and certainty of this miracle
of tongues is strongly attested by the early triumphs of the Gospel. That the
Gospel was early spread over all the world, and that, too, by the apostles of
Jesus Christ, by men of Galilee, is the clear testimony of history. They
preached it in Arabia, Greece, Syria, Asia, Persia, Africa, and Rome. Yet how
could this have been affected without a miraculous power of speaking the
languages used in all those places? It requires the toil of many years to speak
in foreign languages; and the recorded success of the Gospel is one of the most
striking attestations to the fact of the miracle that could be conceived. Under
the influence of this remarkable power from God, we find Peter, who in fear had
denied his Master, now powerfully moved, in the very city of Christ's crucifixion
and in the presence of his enemies, to boldly proclaim the Word of truth. Here
it was that he used one of the two "keys" entrusted to him (the
second at Cornelius' conversion, three and one-half years later, the first of
Gentile believers) and moved thousands to acknowledge Christ. And ever since,
from its "birthday" at Pentecost, the true Church hay continued to
manifest God's power and glory. Some have concluded that there were times when
the holy spirit was not in the world at all, but this was because they were
looking for it in a wrong direction or under wrong conditions. At time' s the
nominal church of outward professors has been so overgrown with the
"tare" element that the true "wheat" could not readily be
"discerned, yet we are confident that the Lord never left Himself without
a witness, and that even in the darkest hour of the Dark Ages there we're some
of God's true people in the world; some representatives of the body of Christ;
some, therefore, possessing the holy spirit; some who therefore constituted the
salt of the earth and the lights of the world, even though the darkness was
great around them and its influence so powerful that no record of the true
Church is to be found, but only the records of the apostasy. Fruits Superior to GiftsThe
fact that the holy spirit upon the disciples was accompanied by miraculous
manifestations or gifts, tongues, etc., does not imply any greater favor of God
toward the primitive Church, which had those gifts, than toward the Lord's
people of a later day, after those gifts had ceased; for, as the apostle points
out, it was possible for some to have those gifts without having much of the
real spirit of the Lord. He says, "Though I speak with the tongues 'of men
and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling
cymbal. Though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and
all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains,
and have not love, I am nothing." (1
Cor. 13:1, 2.) We are, therefore, to esteem love for the Lord and for the
brethren and for the neighbor-active love, which does, as well as wishes and
says--to be the best evidence of an acceptable condition with the, Lord, the
best evidence of a filling with His
holy spirit, a far better evidence than the possession, of the
"gifts" described. Far greater, far more precious gifts of the
spirit. then, are the gifts which the spirit develops in us -- the fruits of
the spirit -- joy, peace, faith, love, etc. Jesus
has ascended to His Father, but this other "paraklete" (comforter)
has come to dwell in His people forever. The holy spirit's work is threefold.
First, with reference to Christ's immediate disciples, it was the revealer--Jesus had instructed and
opened truth to their minds, but their minds were weak, their memories
treacherous. The holy spirit comes to bring to mind Jesus' works, to strengthen
memory, to fill them with the, truth thus spoken in all its vividness and
power, and open the true meaning of what was obscure and dark. Nor is this all.
There were many things Jesus had for them, which they could not bear, were not
able to receive, before His departure. These the spirit should make known to
them; these things to come it should unfold to them. This promise is the foundation
on which; the, whole New Testament rests as the inspired truth of God. They
spoke, they wrote the things pertaining to Christ and His Kingdom, as they were
moved by the holy spirit. The
second office is that of the convictor
and regenerator. It is to convince the world of sin, of righteousness, of
judgment; and as it convinces and convicts, it is to renew and lead them to
Jesus. On the day of Pentecost this power was demonstrated; thousands were
pricked in their, hearts: thousands believed in Jesus. Ever since, its presence
has been revealed in conviction and conversion. Religion advances; Jesus is
received; the Gospel is victorious only as the holy spirit brings the truth
home to the hearts of men. And this tremendous power will be recognized in the
glorious time near at hand when God shall pour out His spirit upon all flesh,
in the times of restitution long promised. The
third office is that of quickener,
guide, and comforter. To the soul penitent and believing, this blessed
spirit comes and quickens it to see and feel the fullness, and richness, and
power of the truth as it is in Jesus; stimulates it to sacrifice and labor;
excites to prayer; strengthens against temptation; supports and comforts amid
.trial, sorrow, and death. Jesus sends this divine spirit, in fulfillment of
His promise to work in His Church and thus completes the cycle of redemption.
- W. J. Siekman "Even at the Doors"
"What will be the sign
of
thy presence, and
of
the consummation
of the
age?" TWO
brief articles introducing this discussion have already appeared in this
journal. (See the January-February and March-April issues.) In both we sought
to make it clear that the views expressed in this series, while representing
our deep conviction, were not presented in any spirit of dogmatism or strife
toward those of our brethren who might hold differing views. On the contrary
the right of such to hold and teach the same was freely conceded. SIGNS AT HIS FIRST ADVENTWe
next inquire: What occasioned this question on the part of the disciples? Why
did they seek a sign in connection with his return? To us it seems that they
recognized a possibility that he might be present without their knowing it.
This had been the case with many at his first advent -- had been true,
even, of themselves, and was still true of the great majority of their own
nation, the leaders of which were at the very time plotting his destruction.
They themselves had had doubts and fears as to his Messiahship for a long
time. In fact, when at length Peter progressed to the point where he was able
to confess: "Thou art the Christ [the Messiah], the Son of the Living
God," it was not without divine aid. "Flesh and blood," exclaimed
our Lord, "hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in
heaven" (Matt. 16:16, 17). At
his first advent our Lord gave many signs in evidence of his Messiahship. St.
John records seven of them in his Gospel. First, the water turned into wine
(John 2:1-11); second, the nobleman's son healed (John 4:46-54); third, the
man with infirmity thirty-eight years healed (John 5:1-9); fourth, feeding of
the five thousand (John 6:1-14); fifth, walking on the water (6:15-21); sixth,
blind man given sight (John 9:1-7); seventh, Lazarus raised from the dead (John
11:1-46). We pause a moment here to consider how eloquently these signs
revealed the presence not only of the Man Jesus, but of the Messiah, the Sent
of God. WATER TURNED INTO WINEIn
the turning of water into wine may first be seen the change which comes into
the heart and life of a believer during this Gospel Age, when, having heard
the story of the Savior's love, and realized what a restoration to human
life-rights and privileges this means to him, he consecrates all these and
gladly yields himself to do the Father's will -- to walk in the footsteps of
Jesus even unto the end. What a transformation takes place in that one's life
as the Father honors him with the spirit of sonship! Then, too, what gladness
of heart such will experience when at the commencement of Messiah's reign the
marriage of the Lamb takes place, and we with our Lord partake of that which
the fruit of the vine, the wine, typifies -- the Kingdom joys and honors. And
what new life will be imparted to this world as it partakes of the rich
fruitage of love which the true vine, and its true branches, our Lord Jesus and
his faithful Church have borne! "This
beginning of miracles [this first of the signs] did Jesus in Cana of Galilee,
and manifested forth [thereby] his glory; and his disciples believed on
him" (John 2:11). Yes, Jesus, Master, Lord, this sign alone convinces us;
this sign which caused some to hate thee, which caused some to despise and
reject thee, causes us, thy true disciples to exclaim, with heartfelt devotion
and joy: My Lord and my God! It satisfies our heads and rejoices our hearts,
as we recognize it, not only as a miracle, but as one worthy of our great
Messiah, a sign revealing to us ahead of time, thy glory. THE LIVING BREAD FROM HEAVENAnd
so with the rest of these deeds having significance, these signs that
were written that we may believe (John 20:30, 31). The healing of the
nobleman's son, the cure of the impotent man at the pool of Bethsaida, what
were these mighty works but illustrations of the gracious work of restoration
which Messiah will undertake in that glad Millennial day? Was it only to
appease the hunger of the moment that he caused five thousand to sit down and
be fed from five barley loaves and two small fishes? Ah! no, in this as in all
of them he displays his glory, he discloses his identity, he shows himself to
be the great Messiah, who is the Bread, the Living Bread come down from heaven,
and mankind shall yet with joy appropriate the rights to human life which he so
graciously surrendered, that they might live forever. THE LIGHT OF THE WORLDHow
sublime the evidence he presents that he is the light of the world. How little
need there is to argue that point in the presence of the blind man who received
his sight. How plainly does this point to the glorious day fast approaching
when Messiah will open the eyes not of one blind man but of all; when he will
restore the sight of those who are blind not only physically but mentally,
yes, and morally too; when he will open the eyes of their understanding, and
enlighten their minds with respect to the Father; when he will he their
guiding light indeed. WALKING ON THE WATERAgain,
the circumstances in connection with our Lord's walking on the water bear
unmistakable testimony to his Messiahship. The disciples were in a boat on
the sea. A storm came up, and on account of the strong wind the boat was being
tossed about with the waves. Night came on and it grew very dark when in the fourth watch of the night,
just before the dawn, Jesus came to them, walking on the water.
"Ah!" muses John, as from more than forty miracles he selects those
seven which, in his judgment, will best serve as signs of Jesus' Messiahship,
"I must not leave that one out." And how glad we are that he did not,
for is it not a very remarkable picture of the way in which our Lord was to
return? Has not the Church been tossed about pretty much all down through the
Gospel Age? Is not the darkness growing more intense? Is not the night fast
closing in upon us, that dark night when no man can work? (John 9:4). Do not
the sea and the waves roar and foam? Are not the restless, turbulent, masses of
society dashing up against the firmly entrenched powers that be, and are not
men's hearts failing them for fear? (Luke 21:25, 26). And just as to his
disciples in the boat Jesus came in a manner quite unexpected, walking on the
water, so he was to return and to make his presence known to the Watchers in
the end of this Age (Luke 21:26, 27). And is it not a joyous thought to
remember that just as the waves subsided and the wind, and they soon reached
their haven, so he will subdue all things unto himself shortly, and we, if
faithful, shall reign with him a thousand years. RAISING OF LAZARUSAnd,
beloved reader, you who have stood in silence by the cold and silent form of
one you have loved, and watched the body lowered beneath the sod-have come away
with your heart all crushed and broken-is there any significance to you in that
mighty work which Jesus wrought when he awakened Lazarus from the sleep of
death? Ah!
how eloquently this sign speaks to us. It speaks of that still mightier work
the Father wrought when he raised up Jesus from the dead. It points unerringly
to the time now near, when Messiah, the Living One, the One who was dead, and
who is now alive forevermore, shall speak with authority, and all that are in
the graves shall come forth, and they that hear and obey his precepts shall
live (John 5:28, 29). Examination
of these signs discloses the fact that while each had its own particular
lesson to impart, they unite in teaching one special lesson, namely, that Jesus
is the Messiah. Yet just as many today, even amongst believers, may read of
them without seeing their Messianic significance, so when they were being
performed many saw the mighty works but saw in them no sign of his Messiahship.
Even the disciples had been slow to believe (Luke 24:25). Would they
experience difficulty in recognizing him at his second advent? Some such
thoughts as these, it seems to us, must have been uppermost in their minds
causing them to put the questions: "What will be the sign of thy
presence?" (Matt. 24:3). (Continued
in next issue) -
P. L. Read Notes on ChronologyTo
the day of his death (October 31, 1916) Pastor Russell believed and taught that
October 1914 marked the close of the Times of the Gentiles, and that the period
of our Lord's second advent began forty years before. However, as he himself
stated, "There is enough uncertainty about the matter of chronology to
make it a matter of faith rather than of positive knowledge" (Reprints
R5336). Because
of this measure of uncertainty, when, in 1912, he listed various items of his
faith, and unqualifiedly affirmed them, in some instances challenging statements
to the contrary as unscriptural, he was careful to state his belief as to the
date of our Lord's return in much more guarded phrase: "We do not affirm,
dogmatically, that he came in 1874, but we say that to us it is the evident
teaching of the Scriptures" (Reprints R4956). Would
that some of his over-zealous followers could learn from his wise and faithful
example here! Moreover, in the Foreword to S.S., Vol. II, written October 1,
1916, still more light was beginning to break through, as his keen, spiritual
mind pondered the unfolding scene: "We could not, of course, know in 1889,
whether the date 1914, so clearly marked in the Bible as the end of the Gentile
lease of power or permission to rule the world, would mean that they would be
fully out of power at that time, or whether, their lease expiring, their
eviction would begin. The latter we perceive to be the Lord's program; and
promptly in August 1914, the Gentile kingdoms referred to in the prophecy began
the present great struggle, which, according to the Bible, will culminate in
the complete overthrow of all human government, opening the way for the full
establishment of the Kingdom of God's dear Son." Subsequent
to writing The Time Is at Hand, the author was led to see that the
harvest of the Gospel Age extended beyond forty years and that there is no way
of determining its exact length. Under the caption "Our Mistake Respecting
the Harvest," he wrote (September 1, 1916): "We imagined that the
harvest work of gathering the Church would be accomplished before the end of
the Gentile Times; but nothing in the Bible so said. Our thought was purely an
inference, and now we see that it was an unjustified one" (Reprints R5950). -
Herald, December
1956 A Legend of Service"I heard the voice of the
Lord, saying, Whom shall I send,
Life's Empty VictoriesThe following article was
written, just prior to his death, by a regular contributor to a secular
newspaper, namely "The Minneapolis Tribune" (December 19, 1932). It
is commended to the thoughtful consideration of our readers as full of heavenly
counsel. AS
A MAN grows older, yet has not reached extreme old age, when, presumably, all
his past is mellowed and softened in the pleasant, tranquil light of sunset and
both mistakes and right acts are equally overspread by the thought that nothing
has mattered much, since the whole thing will be soon over; when he arrives at
the stage in life's journey where he reviews the past, not alone for the gentle
pleasure of reminiscence, but also to seek guidance for his remaining future,
and while he still imagines that it is possible for him to mold his character
into the secret ideal which he has all along vainly struggled to perfect, there
comes, at least to the man of the average temperament, in this pause of review,
this moment of rest before he completes his destiny, the thought of how much
happier, and better and altogether pleasanter his life might have been had he
avoided as he might easily have done, certain complications and conflicts
which, at the time, seemed to him mightily important. When
they occurred, he was absolutely certain that the triumph of his opinion was a
matter of tremendous consequence; it was essential that he should override the
opposition and impress upon his opponent the pre-eminent truth and right of his
position; and so he went at him, hard and strong, and in the heat of the
controversy, which ripened into a feud and perhaps ended in the permanent
estrangement of one who might once have been counted a friend, he said or did
things which were hard and bitter, and better left unsaid or undone. Perhaps
he gained his point; beat down his antagonist and sent him, humbled and
mortified, from the contest, to nurse his grievance ever after, and nourish to
the end of his days a smoldering hate of the man who got the better of him; or
worse, to cherish the feeling that he had been hardly used. Strange
it should be that, in his later years, the outcome does not seem to have been
of very great consequence. What remains permanently is the memory of the
incident, and a regret that it should have occurred. Looking
back, he realizes the exact moment when he might have refrained from pressing
his man to the limit, have perhaps sufficiently satisfied his self-respect and
vindicated the justness of his contention without sacrificing a possible
friend. Probably it would puzzle him now to' state exactly what it was all
about then, this famous victory, but he remembers it was a great fight and he
was in it and he is sorry. Not
sorry that he stood up stoutly in defense of his positive convictions; no man
ever regrets that, but sorry that he should have esteemed it necessary to go to
such lengths in pursuit of his ends that it put reconciliation and ultimate
restoration of friendship beyond the bounds of the possible. He remembers these
incidents with a vague discomfort. No matter which of the two was in the wrong,
he holds himself responsible for the outcome. Did
he convince the other of his error? Scarcely. "He that complies against
his will is of his own opinion still." Did the encounter seriously
contribute to the upbuilding of his own character? Hardly, unless it was
desirable to encourage in himself the love of fighting for the fight's sake.
His later calm and deliberate conviction is that it was not worth while, and he
grudges the vitality and energy he put into it, which might well have been
conserved to later, more mature and far better use. The
thing the man remembers at this particular point in his life with the most
satisfaction is not such a fruitless contest, but rather the time when, by
conceding a point, by some exercise of forbearance in pressing an advantage, he
made a friend of his opponent, although they differed irreconcilably. Touching
these other encounters, which at the moment it seemed so necessary to win, but
which in the end were so barren of real gain, he says, somewhat sorely,
"Let them be forgotten and forgiven." He
recalls with secret gratification not his paltry and vainglorious victories,
but his flabby and perhaps sentimental concessions: the small foolish, kindly
things that he did, rare enough, he admits, but fruitful in pleasing memories.
For, after all, we are men tarred with the same stick; more or less good, bad
or indifferent, as the case may be, yet all capable of doing something kind for
each other. He draws from his past the lesson of tolerance, for the future that
is left to him, and resolves, perhaps vainly, but at least, for the moment, sincerely,
that henceforth, while he may never falter in defense of a principle, he will
try hard to so moderate his attacks upon the other man as to leave no sting
past healing. The
assets he counts up with the most satisfaction are the friends he finds about him.
What they may expect of him is the animus of his future. He will endeavor to be
true to them and to his own convictions, but he will avoid the useless
multiplication of enemies. This is his hope, as he takes stock of what lies
before him. Perhaps
the writer could offer no suggestion to his readers, touching the form which
good resolves, customary at this season of the year, should take, that would be
better for ourselves and for the world we live in, than that we will lead
kindlier lives; that we will be less sure and less harsh in our judgments; that
we will refrain as far as in us lies from giving the other man "a piece of
our minds;" that we will leave room for him to be convinced of his error,
if he be wrong and we right, not through the might of our pounding, but rather
through the gradual change in his own convictions; that we will finally try to,
proceed on the way that we esteem the right and only one with less friction,
believing that which is true and right will prevail anyhow, and the surer and
swifter if it be not enforced by contention. In
a word, to resolve to make friends, not at the sacrifice of conviction or
principle, but by conceding to others the simple right of learning the truth in
their own time and in their own way, helped perhaps by our, of course,
pre-eminently wise suggestion and example, if truly they be such, but at least
not hindered by our overemphatic dictum. . . Doctrines More or Less ImportantTHERE
are certain features of the doctrine of Christ which are fundamental and
indispensable, and without which none would be recognized of the Lord as one
of his followers. There are other features which would seem to be useful, helpful,
blessed, but not fundamental -- not essential to membership in the Body of
Christ. The fundamentals have been enjoyed by good, saintly ones from the day
of Pentecost until now. We,
the same class now, have the same fundamentals, and are permitted to have
other privileges, truths, "meat in due season," for our
strengthening. These latter are not necessarily essential to our membership in
the Body of Christ; otherwise our forefathers who did not have them would not
have been members of Christ, and there would have been no Christ Body for
centuries. The
fundamental theory of the Atonement is as follows: (1)
All men -- all of Adam's children -- are sinners. (2)
None can be reconciled to God without a Redeemer's sacrifice. (3)
Jesus came into the world to be that sacrifice -- and later to apply that
ransom -- price for the sins of the world. (4)
On the basis of faith in the Redeemer's work, the believer may consecrate
himself to the divine service, in acceptance of the divine invitation,
"Present your bodies a living sacrifice." (5)
So doing, the believer may -- up to the time of the completion of the elect
number -- exercise full assurance of faith that his sacrifice will be accepted
of the Father; and that he will receive a share of the anointing of the holy
spirit -- the begetting. (6)
Such as meet these conditions are to be accepted as brethren in the highest
sense of the term. This much would seem to have been always necessary, and
more than this we believe is not necessary today. But if by reason of our
favorable day we have more knowledge, we may also have corresponding trials,
which our greater knowledge will offset. Our
advice to the Lord's dear people everywhere is that they put no yoke upon each
other, beyond the fundamentals specified above -- that otherwise they stand
free, and leave each other free, and fellowship and agree as much as they can
with each other. If
there be a disposition to crowd each other on more than this basic faith, and
if it be considered necessary to separate in order to aid the progress of
either of the parties, then doubtless rather than a continual contention a
separation would be the wise course. We
are not criticizing the views of any one. Each has a perfect right to hold
whatever he believes the Bible to teach, and our views are doubtless well known
to all of our readers. Briefly stated, they are as follows: (1)
That the one that sinned was Adam, and that he and all his posterity were
involved. (2)
That a Redeemer was necessary, that Jesus became that Redeemer, and "gave
himself a ransom for all." (3)
That God has invited some of the redeemed sinners -- not to be the ransom --
price, nor to redeem anybody else, but -- to be associates of the Redeemer,
members of his Body, his Bride. (4)
The terms and conditions upon which these may have fellowship are that Jesus as
the great Advocate shall accept them as his members -- their flesh as his flesh
-- and that he shall impute to them the share of his merit which would be
coming to them as members of the Adamic race. Then they are legally justified
from all the shortcomings, weaknesses, and imperfections inherited by them;
and their own wills and all their remaining powers and talents being
consecrated, their sacrifice may be acceptable to God -- as part of the sin-offering by the great High Priest. (5)
Sharing thus in the Redeemer's death, these are privileged to share in his
life, by the first resurrection. The Redeemer does not now make application of his merit to the world,
aside from the newly -- accepted and added -- members. He will carry out the --
divine program, and sacrifice all his -- members before presenting, at the end
of the Age, the merit of his sacrifice on behalf of the sins of the whole
world, and will thereby seal the New Covenant for them. In
our judgment many err in attaching too much value to the Church's sacrifice;
whereas other dear brethren err, we think, in that they do not see any value in
the Church's sacrifice, nor that she is permitted a share in the Master's
sacrificings at all. To us it seems like the swing of the pendulum from one
extreme to the other; whereas our view lies in the center, as we have stated
the matter. If
after fully considering these matters, a class finds that it cannot agree, and
would make better progress as two classes, we would concur in that conclusion
as a wise one, as much as we would deplore the necessity of a division. Such a
separation would not necessarily alienate either class from the Lord's people,
nor from the Society, because both acknowledge Jesus as their Redeemer, and
both acknowledge that his blood is primarily efficacious. --
Reprints, p. R5284 Unity or Uniformity? Which?AS
WE watch with keen interest the developments in the ecclesiastical heavens,
and note the fine Scriptural sentiments sometimes expressed, shall we not do
well to examine our own hearts that no sectarian prejudices may hold sway
there. Because iniquity abounds, the love of many is waxing cold, and today
many are beginning to feel that if it is impossible for men to be united in the
fellowship and service of Christ, then Christianity is either an idle dream,
beautiful but impossible, or an empty fairy tale. Nevertheless, notwithstanding
the scoffs and jeers of the world, and the bickering and wrangling of
worldly-minded Christians; in spite of the irritation outside the Church, and
the agitation within, all truly consecrated followers of Jesus long for a
larger fellowship. When that longing becomes a determination, when the wish
becomes a will, where there is a will there will be provided a way to overcome
the lethargy that is upon us, to overcome the, sectarian vanity from which
perhaps none of us is entirely free. When
the Gospel first began to be preached by our Lord and his Apostles, what a
oneness was manifest in the Church, as 'the little band of followers sought to
walk in the footsteps of the Master! They were only a humble folk, without
wealth, or scholarly attainment, or social standing, but they seemed to catch
the spirit of the Master, and after Pentecost such a spirit of joy and love and
faith and hope possessed them, and such a fervor of missionary zeal, such a
oneness of heart and action, that it seemed almost as if the prayer of Jesus
would find speedy fulfillment, and that the whole world would soon believe on
him. (John 17:21.) In the early centuries the Gospel message seemed to spread
like fire. In the language of the Revelator: "It went forth conquering
and to conquer." (Rev. 6:1.) * Just to read the story of those early days
is enough to make the heart beat faster. Well might the powers that were in
those days be astonished as they witnessed the power of the Gospel in the lives
of those who received it, giving to believers such a vision of our glorious
hope as enabled them to stand undaunted in the face of cruel deaths, to meet
the furious hate of their persecutors undismayed; nay more, to meet that hate
with a gentleness, a love, a compassion, which only close followers of Christ
can display. -------------------------------- * See
Vol. 1, pages 305-309, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." (Published
by our Institute.) Alas!
the rider on the white horse, which seems to symbolize that period of the
Church's history, was followed by other horsemen, as those of us who are
familiar with our Lord's revelation are aware, and ere long, as history shows,
a great compromise was effected between the world and the Church. Since then,
the story of the Church has often enough been a history of hatred, of
narrowness and stupidity, of inconceivable bigotry and brutality. What crime
against God and man has the Church not committed? How appalling is the record!
As we read the pages of history, the outrages there revealed fill our minds
with horror, remembering as we do, that they were perpetrated in the holy name
of Jesus. Yet
through all the centuries, amid wrangling bigots and proud tyrants, the true
faith was kept alive. Though the Church as a whole was not Christian, became
indeed anti-Christian, some few were found at all times who had not defiled
their garments. These have been the salt of the earth, the light of the world.
As another has said: "If one seeks the Apostolic succession, here it is,
unbroken and uninterrupted, a shining tradition of vision and service. It is in
their gentle lives, silhouetted against dark backgrounds, that we trace the
history of the hidden Church, the 'little flock.'" Though not inspired as
were the Apostles, they were entrusted by God and by Jesus with the Gospel, and
they guarded it, dear brethren, for us. They kept watch over it as of a sacred
treasure, as keepers of a holy fire, which must never be stamped out. They
yielded their lives to the sweet, mellowing influence of the holy spirit of
love and truth, though it meant for them certain privation, loss and hardship
beyond our experience, enjoying withal a fellowship of spirit which not even
the curse of sectarianism could destroy. And if these, with their feeble light,
were enabled to preserve a fellowship of spirit even in the midst of sectarian
bondage and in the darkness of the Dark Ages, will not the Lord expect at least
as much from us as we face the issues which confront us today? For
ourself, we are more interested in unity of Christian spirit, and in fidelity
to Christ in thought and deed, than we
are in unity of name, creed, or organization. Jesus said, "Whosoever shall
do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and
sister, and mother. We are more concerned about attaining that sort of unity in
the Christian family than about any other person's definitions, or -efforts,
to limit the Church by any name or professed unity of his own. Christian
unity is a spiritual fact. (Eph. 4:3.) Christian uniformity will never come,
and would not be a good thing if it did. There was unity without uniformity in
the early Church. The message of the Church is more important than its
machinery. -
P. L. Read. The Question BoxThe Gospel According to JohnPreliminary
Remarks During
the past six months our local Bible Class (here in St. Louis) has been engaged
in a study of The Gospel According to John. Amongst the questions thus
far considered some, we thought, might be of general interest. Two of these
were submitted in our last issue. Two more are submitted below. Question
No. 3: John
1:17 reads: "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by
Jesus Christ." What
is the meaning of the word "truth" in this text? Answer: Whereas
"truth" is often contrasted with "falsehood," such could
not be the intention here, as the law is holy, just, and good (Rom. 7:12). That
John is drawing a contrast between the code on Sinai and the gospel which
came by our Lord Jesus seems clear. But the "law" was itself
"truth." Moreover, in types and symbols, it was not less certainly
"grace." Evidently then, the contrast must lie not between
"falsehood" and "truth," but between "symbol" and
"reality." Indeed, Moffatt actually employs the word
"reality" instead of "truth" in his translation:
"Grace and reality are ours through Jesus Christ." So also in 2 Pet.
1:14: "We have seen his glory ... full of grace and reality." However,
a still finer shade of meaning becomes apparent when we learn that the Apostle
is really employing a figure of speech rarely, if ever, used in English,
although its meaning may be verified in Webster and in other English
dictionaries. It is known as "hendiadys" (from the Greek hen dia
dyoin signifying one by means of two). It is the expression of one idea
by the use of two nouns joined by the conjunction "and," one
of which, generally the latter, is to be understood as an adjective qualifying
the other. Instances
of the use of this figure of speech may be seen in a number of Scriptures. For
example, in Acts 1:25 when Peter, addressing the brethren on the occasion of
their choice of Matthias to serve in the place of Judas, speaks of
"ministry and apostleship," he means "apostolic ministry." Again,
in Acts 14:13 when Luke tells us that the priest of Jupiter, intending to
offer sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas brought "oxen and garlands," he
means "garlanded oxen"; that is, oxen made ready for sacrifice,
having on the wreaths which were always put round their heads on such
occasions. Paul's
"hope and resurrection of the dead" (Acts 23:6) means "the resurrection
hope of the dead" or, which is the same thing, "the hope of the
resurrection of the dead." The
expression: "through his philosophy and vain deceit" (Col. 2:8)
means "through his vain, deceitful philosophy," for the Apostle does
not for one moment admit that the dangerous views against which he is warning the brethren have
anything of true philosophy in them. "The
power and coming* of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:16) means "the
powerful coming* of our Lord Jesus Christ." Here is an instance in which
the first noun (instead of the second) becomes the adjective -- a doubly
emphatic form. -------------------------- *Greek,
parousia, presence. Returning
now to our text, James Neil, an able scholar of other days, suggests (as
opposed to symbol) the adjective "unveiled," making the phrase read:
"grace unveiled." And surely it is a true representation of the
matter that whereas grace came in symbols and types by Moses, real grace or grace
unveiled came to us through Jesus Christ. A
comparable figure of speech in which three nouns are employed (instead
of one noun qualified by two adjectives) is that of hendiatris.
It may be seen in the well-known words of Jesus: "I am the way, the truth,
and the life" (John 14:6). Here Jesus is not speaking about his being
"the truth," or "the life," but is replying to the question
put by Thomas: "How can we know the way?" Under the figure of
speech termed hendiatris, the last two nouns are to be understood as adjectives
qualifying the first noun. Thus understood, the phrase reads: "I am the
true and living way." To make this meaning unmistakable our Lord
immediately adds: "No man cometh unto the Father but by me." Question
No. 4: John
7:52 reads: "Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no
prophet." Will
you please discuss this verse? Were the chief priests and the Pharisees right
when they told Nicodemus that out of Galilee ariseth no prophet? Answer: The
context shows that Jesus was being condemned without a hearing. In verse 32 we
read that the Pharisees and chief priests had sent certain officers to arrest
him. It seems that these officers had happened to come at a time when Jesus was
speaking to the people. His words, as they listened, had been so persuasive,
had contained so much evidence of truth, so much proof that he was from God,
that the officers had been impressed and awed by him and did not dart' to take
him a prisoner. They returned without him, saying (verse 46), "Never man
spake like this man." Instead
of questioning the officers to ascertain what they had heard, whether they had
been convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, and, if so, on what evidence, the
Pharisees ridiculed the idea, saying, "Are ye also deceived?" At this
point Nicodemus, who was one of them, reminded them that the law in which
they boasted, but in which, alas, they did not delight, gave every man the
right to a fair and impartial trial (Ex. 23:1, 2; Lev. 19:15, 16). His words were:
"Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he
doeth?" In verse 52 we read their reply: "Art thou also of Galilee?
Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet." If
Nicodemus had followed their advice and had searched sufficiently, he would
have found the chief priests and Pharisees in error. On this point we will
content ourselves with quoting the Diaglott footnote to John 7:52, which
reads: "This
conclusion [that out of Galilee ariseth no prophet . . . was incorrect. Jonah
was of Gath-heper, in Galilee; see 2 Kings 14:25, compared with Joshua 19:13.
Nahum was a Galilean, for he was of the tribe of Simeon, and some suppose
Malachi was of the same place." However,
while they were wrong in saying that no prophet was of Galilean origin,
they would have been correct had they limited their contention to the statement
that the Messiah was not to come from that province. This point had been
made already, by some of the multitude, in their discussions concerning our
Lord. Their opinions are recorded a few verses earlier. We quote from John
7:40-42: "Many
of the people, therefore, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said,
This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not
the Scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the
town of Bethlehem, where David was?" The
Scripture had, indeed, so declared. We quote: Psa.
132:11 - "The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn
from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne." Jer.
23:5, 6 - "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David
a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute
judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel
shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called: The Lord
our Righteousness." Micah
5:2 - "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among
the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come . . . that is to
be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from
everlasting." These
Scriptures, however, while making it clear that the Messiah was to be a
descendant of David, and was to be born at Bethlehem, in Judea, contained
nothing to conflict with the thought that the Messiah, having been born of
David's line, at Bethlehem, could be removed therefrom to spend his early years
elsewhere. Nor do they offer the slightest suggestion that Messiah's ministry
must begin at Bethlehem, or for that matter at Jerusalem, or at any other
city of Judea. Had they been in the proper attitude of heart the members of the
Sanhedrin would have examined the evidences. So doing they would have found
that Jesus was a descendant of David and that he had been born in David's city,
Bethlehem, even though it was also true that he had been brought up in Nazareth
of Galilee. Moreover, by searching, they would have found a certain passage in
Isaiah respecting Galilee, which found a striking fulfillment in the ministry
of our Lord. It is found in Isaiah 9:2. There we read: "The
people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the
land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." Who
were the people referred to by Isaiah as those who "walked in
darkness"? The previous verse supplies the answer to this question. They
were the people of Galilee. Isaiah,
in the closing verses of chapter 8 and the first verse of chapter 9 had been
predicting, first a time of trouble and then a time of joy, for Israel. The pathway
of trouble would be where no light would dawn; where they would suffer hunger,
not only bodily hunger, but deep craving of heart for help that fails them and
for relief which never comes. Their sufferings, he tells them, in 8:21, would
be so great that they would curse both their earthly and their heavenly king.
Later, however, all this gloom would be dispelled; the anguish of the nation
would he removed. Where
did Israel experience the distress and darkness here predicted? Isaiah tells
us, in considerable detail, in Isa. 9:1. First he mentions the land of Zebulun
and Naphtali; then he continues his description of the region to which his
prophecy refers by saying it was "by way of the sea, beyond Jordan,
Galilee of the nations." Let us read his account, beginning with Isa. 8:21
and ending with Isa. 9:1, using the American Revised Version, margin: "And
they shall pass through it, sore distressed and hungry; and it shall come to
pass that, when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse
their king and their God, and turn their faces upward: and they shall look unto
the earth, and, behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and into
thick darkness they shall be driven away. "But
there shall be no gloom to her that was in anguish. In the former time he
brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the
latter time hath he made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the nations." The word "Galilee" means a
"ring" or a "circle," and since in Isaiah's day the land
was encircled by Gentiles, it was well named the Ring of the Gentiles, or the
Galilee of the nations. Moreover, with many Gentiles dwelling also in their
midst, and cut off, by this circle of Gentiles, from Judea, the great religious
center of their day, the people of Galilee were, as Brother Russell has
observed in Reprints, R4557, "in greater darkness than their brethren, in
the very shadow of the death-darkness that was upon the Gentiles." The
people of Galilee, then, were the ones to whom Isaiah referred as those
"who walked in darkness." Did the time ever come when these people
saw a great light? Let an inspired writer supply the answer. We turn to Matt.
4:12-26: "Now
when he [Jesus] heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee; and
leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the
borders of Zebulun and Naphtali: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
through Isaiah the Prophet, saying, 'The land of Zebulun and the land of
Naphtali, Toward the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, The people
that sat in darkness Saw a great light; And to them that sat in the region and
shadow of death, To them did light spring up. " But
while Isaiah's prophecy found. its first fulfillment in the earthly
ministry of our Lord, in a larger sense it has yet to, be fulfilled. While the
light did, indeed, shine brightly,. at our Lord's first advent, the darkness
comprehended it not. Only a few--just one here, one there-appreciated the light
then or since. As a nation Israel rejected the Messiah. Blindness has continued
upon her to this very day, and will continue "until the fullness of the
Gentiles be come in" (until the full number has been selected out of every
kindred, tribe and nation, to complete the Gospel-Age Church). Then, the people
"who walked in darkness," that is to say, the whole world of mankind,
both Jew and Gentile, shall see "the Sun of Righteousness arise with
healing in his beams" (Mal. 4:2, margin). Already: "We begin to see
the dawning
- P.
L. Read The Pilgrim MinistryAs
we enter the fifty-third year of our association together, it is encouraging
to report that far from diminishing, there is an increasing interest in the
Pilgrim Branch of our ministry. At this time of the year, when most of the
friends are renewing their "Herald" subscriptions, correspondents
frequently take the time to assure us that the services of our traveling
brethren are deeply appreciated. It
facilitates the work and assists those who have matters in charge, when
brethren throughout the country communicate their wishes well in advance, so
that when we are making out schedules we are in a better position to make
appointments. It is helpful, too, if we are informed in advance of the probable
number of discourses desired. During
the past few years there have been a number of additions to our
"Herald" subscription list, and it may well be that some of our readers
are not aware of the availability of the services of our Pilgrim brethren. We
take this opportunity, therefore, of informing such that our traveling
brethren frequently pass through cities where there are only one or two friends
and that arrangements could easily be made for a stop at such points, without
any additional expense, if we were informed in sufficient time to include such
appointment in a Pilgrim's schedule. It will, therefore, assist us materially,
and make it possible to accomplish more in this branch of our ministry if our readers will let us know their
wishes in regard to Pilgrim visits. Notice of Annual MeetingAll
should be aware of the fact that the affairs of our Institute are in the hands
of seven brethren who are elected from its membership to serve for a period of
one year or until their successors are elected. Our
Annual Meeting this year is scheduled to be held (D.V.) Saturday, September
19, at 10:00 a.m., in the Y.W.C.A., North Carolina and Pacific Avenues, Atlantic
City, New Jersey 08401. Membership
in the Pastoral Bible Institute is, and always has been, open to any
consecrated brother or sister who "is in full harmony with the purpose,
spirit, and policy of the Institute," and who intends to support it
"in all reasonable ways as he or she shall deem to be the Lord's
will." As
stated in its charter, the purpose for which the Institute was formed is
"the dissemination of Bible truths in various languages by means of the
publication of tracts, pamphlets, papers, and other religious documents, and
by the use of all other lawful means which its Board of Directors, duly
constituted, shall deem expedient for the furtherance of the purposes
stated." The
membership fee is five dollars ($5.00) which should accompany the application.
If an applicant lacks the membership fee, but is otherwise acceptable, the fee
will be paid out of a special fund provided for that purpose. In
order to participate in the election of directors at the next annual meeting,
anyone, not already a member, who desires to apply for membership should do
so promptly as, according to our bylaws, "the registration of such
membership must be made twenty days prior to the election." Members
of the Pastoral Bible Institute are hereby reminded of the privilege which is
theirs of nominating in the pages of this journal the brethren they wish to
elect as directors for the fiscal year 1970-71. The
brethren whose term of service will expire are: F. A. Essler, J. C. Jordan, A.
L. Muir, J. T. Read, P. L. Read, W. J. Siekman, and J. B. Webster. The
brethren named above are pleased to report that a spirit of Christian love and
harmony exists in their midst; and they have every reason to believe that the
Lord has seen fit to bless their association in this ministry. They realize,
however, that those carrying on any work may fail to see opportunities for
improvement and expansion apparent to others not charged with such
responsibilities, and that for this reason changes in office sometimes have
beneficial effects. They therefore urge upon all the members of our Institute
that they make this a special occasion for prayer, that our Father's will may
be expressed in the vote of the members. If after prayerful meditation any are
led of the Lord to nominate brethren, and will forward the names and addresses
of such brethren so as to reach this office on or before August 10, 1970, such
names will be published in the September-October issue of the
"Herald," that all members may have an opportunity of voting for them. Our CorrespondenceIt
goes without saying that the letters we receive from the friends throughout
the year are warmly appreciated. They have "oft refreshed" us (2
Tim. 1:16); sometimes providing just "the word in season" for our
spiritual sustenance (Prov. 15:23). Would
that we might find it possible to reply to each letter, but this we cannot do.
May we ask each and everyone of you to please accept this little line as our
word of grateful thanks. And, in the words of the great Apostle, may we commend
you (as we commend ourselves) to God, and to the word of his grace, which is
able to build us up, and to give us an inheritance among all them which are
sanctified (Acts 20:32). "The
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (2 Thess. 3: 18). Entered Into Rest
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