Cincinnati Bible Seminary - Nautilus Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

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LIVIN, | An Open Field forthe Word S44 cededededededeaeaedeaeaeeedeeck deed eecteteecteteeecfeds eae oe a oF i ELLA AAAS AAAS SISSI IIS IIIS E LEE YS Dy — X % 4 ‘ prs ) i te 44. ys + 4h 4y Jr, % “The field is the world.” Matt. 13:38. “The seed is the word.” Lk. 8:11. “T have set before thee an open can shut it.” Rev. 3:8. The age-old conflict between the powers of light and darkness is seen in one of its most interest- ing aspects as our attention is focused upon the effort of men to close doors that God has opened. As usual, man’s efforts are futile when he seeks to close a door that God has ordained shall remain open. Yet man’s ability to temporarily close local doors has occasioned the most bitter strife. “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15. The Word of God is not, and can never be, circumscribed by any worldly limitation, as to geographical boundaries or as to its power. “The Word of God is quick and powerful and at A eb aaed 2 I Times 2:9 sharper than a two-edged sword . “.. the Word of God is not bound.” This open door into the world-wide field can never be closed by human authority. No comity agreement (by which missionary boards would divide cities and communities, assigning the vari- ous sections to the different denominational bodies as their exclusive fields of operation) can ever be harmonized with the spirit of Him who, by God’s authority, opened that door to the world-wide field. When the apostle Paul found doors closed to him by the opposition he urged the Colossian brethren to pray “.., that God would open unto us a door of utterance, Christ’ .2 to speak the mystery of . that I may make it manifest as I ought Col. 4:3, 4. ‘To the Church at Corinth he wrote, ‘For a great door and effectual is opened to speak.” door, and no man unto me, and there are many adversaries.” I Cor. 16:9. The door of the inn was closed. “‘No room!” they said, One after another the doors have closed. The doors to the hearts of men, philosophies, edu- cational institutions, nations, and the islands of the sea. “Lift up your heads, O ye gates: And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors: And the King of glory will come in.” The one who would limit this open field for the Word reminds me of the man who would try to build a fence around a cyclone. The great powers of God defy the feeble control efforts of When man thinks he has harnessed the lightning and brought it under his control, he is killed by the sudden bolt. During the early ministry of Jesus He had men. many times forbade those who would have pre- maturely proclaimed His Messiahship. But at the triumphal entry into Jerusalem He answered those who criticized the people for proclaiming Him ee King, by saying: . 1f these should hold their peace the stones would immediately cry out.” Lk. 19:40. ‘This is no time for indifference. ‘The days of inaction are past. ‘Today all nature joins Heaven in crying out for the unfettered, world-wide proc- lamation of the Gospel. Though ambitious men may seek to thwart God’s purpose, the field will remain open; because the Word is eternal. “Heaven and earth shall pass Our land of promise awaits men of victorious faith away, but my words shall not pass away.” who are willing to pay the price of conquest.

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LIVIA VIIA Personal Liberty in Christ PIII SSS hosed tt You are now ready to step forth and serve in the most dangerous and opportune of all ages in which men have lived. Another generation or two will likely record the survival or sacrifice of the personal liberty of mankind. Today, in an effort to save the masses, the individual man is being subjected to severe and dangerous experiments. This is being done in a world laboratory with personal liberty in a test tube under the microscope of men who scrutinize through eyes of materialism, rationalism, modern- ee ism, atheism, and socialism — men “. . . having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12). They forget that the very soul of character, of cul- ture, of survival at all lies in the personal liberty of the individual. They gamble, trifle, and traffic with the most precious possession man has in this world — personal liberty, the gateway to heaven. Its roots reach to God Himself when “. .. in the likeness of God). 2. He made us. Surely this “likeness” does not include salvation by regimentation nor a sacrifice of the lost lamb in deference to the protected flock. The whole story of creation, revelation, and salvation is given in the interest of the individual and concern for his personal liberty as a being with an eternal soul. As men drift and depart from God they rely more and more upon things of this world and the power of men, and just in this proportion do they sacrifice the individual and his personal liberty. ce Yours, however, is a personal liberty “in Christ.” ‘The greatest liberty on earth is found among the devout followers of Christ. As Christi- anity becomes shackled by denominational organi- zation and hierarchical regimentation, liberty in Christ disappears. Today these powers of men are thrusting tentacles to the ends of the earth in an effort to enslave mankind and to place him in a machine where there is neither personality, power, life, nor salvation. On the other hand, as Christ lives and works in the lives of his true followers as individuals there is liberty. ‘Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (II Cor. 3:17). “For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1). You, as free men in Christ, stand as the hub and heart of all the hopes of humanity. Upon you rests the responsibility of clearly presenting the liberty of the true New Testament church. You face a hostile world — foes within and without: a world thinking in terms of powers of men rather than the power of God; a world trying to join hands and circumscribe the hub of civilization rather than cleanse the heart of the individual; a world confused, weak, and weary with the sins of men; a world willing to grasp for straws blown by every wind of doctrine; a world leadership of men who deny God and largely despise spiritual and eternal things. You stand at the cross-roads of civilizations. ‘The potentialities reach to heaven; the perils point to hell. If you go forth with a clear understanding of the Restoration Plea, if you have zeal with knowledge of the Word, if you have faith to die for freedom in Christ, then go forth and battle for the faith of our fathers! God give us men. The time demands Strong minds, great hearts, true faith And willing hands; Men who possess opinions and a will; Men who have honor; men who will not lie; Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog In public duty and in private thinking! For while the rabble with their thumb-worn creeds, Their large professions and their little deeds Mingle in selfish strife; lo! Freedom weeps! Wrong rules the land, and waiting justice sleeps! —J. G. Holland

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PRESIDENT RALPH L. RECORDS A student enters the Seminary as a Freshman. He thinks of home and frequently is lonely. One day he feels a hand on his shoulder, and hearing a friendly voice in greeting, finds himself talking with Pres. Records. From then on, Seminary life takes on new meaning. ‘Th e student knows that the interest in him is genuine. We feel that the Seminary is peculiar among colleges in that such a close relation exists between the students and the president. As the Senior Class prepares to leave and assume the responsibil- ities in the Master’s Vineyard, it does so with the knowledge that it has the prayers and best wishes of the President. BSA SS SS ISS is NN SS RS SS Si i NN ZN ZS ZS 2s ES NS RS IS ZS ARS RS SAN SN S S NS BS ZS RN NN AS SS Si nS A i SS 9