Frankfort Pilgrim College - Pilgrim Yearbook (Frankfort, IN)

Page 43 text:

After Four Years N ALL our lives there come times when decisions must be made that affect very vitally our eternal destiny. Times eome when there must be a choosing for God and Holiness or a choice for hell and its torments through our resistance and neglect of the things of God. All of us as free moral agents must thus choose. But how glad we are as members of the col- lege senior class of 1930 that we ever met the man of Galilee, the man Christ Jesus who came not only to help us choose but to make possible our choice of Heaven. And because of this vital contact with Christ, our lives were so com- pletely transformed in the newness of the power of Christ that old desires and ambitions were supplanted by a love for righteousness and holiness augmented by a desire to see His second coming. And then there began to spring up within our innermost beings a yearning desire to so equip ourselves that we might be able to accomplish something for the Lord. Hence our minds were turned toward securing a Christian educa- tion that would enable us to fulfill our new ambitions. We began to pray for divine guidance as to what we should do and where we should go in order that we might acquire an education so guarded and directed that we would not inbibe such teachings as would be detrimental to the welfare of our Chris- tian lives. Realizing the fact that the world and its institutions of learning were failing to supply that which would satisfy and benefit lost and dying humani- ty and realizing as well the demand for men and women who knowing Jesus, could present Him to others, we were made to feel more and more the need of such an education as could be obtained in our spiritual schools and colleges. Hence this year finds us at Frankfort Pilerim College, almost at the end 7 1 C D of our brief, but never-to-be-forgotten college career. Looking back over near- ly four years spent in efforts to attain a college education, we see many changes which have come with these passing years. Many times during these years our president, teachers, and fellow-students have been used of God to impress up- on our minds and hearts a greater realization of what it actually means to be whole-hearted followers of Christ. Their testimonies, their counsel and their prayers have often been the means of drawing us nearer to God. And when we have tarried before the Lord in secret prayer, God has let new light dawn upon our hearts and we have been obedient, non-essentials have faded into insignifaiice while communion with our Savior has been sweeter. Consequent- ly He has been better able to use our lives to bless those around us. Many times in our Bible and Theology classes and in other classes, too, has God spoken to us through His precious Word and revealed and applied new truths to our hearts. We do give God glory and honor for He has led us out and beyond many modern day conceptions of God and His truths into new and pleasant paths. Nevertheless, the road which we have travelled has not been without its trials, its difficulties, and ofttimes, its seeming failures. But. He who has p1'omised that there shall no temptation take us but such as we were able to bear has mercifully provided a way of escape in every circumstance. There have been on every side those influences which have tended to hold us steady. When the powers of darkness have been a1'rayed against our souls, faith, that mighty influence, has sustained us and carried us through. When discouragements have come and all our efforts seemed of no avail. God has drawn us to Himself in prayer and whispered to us that He is able to D

Page 42 text:

l 3 Q vvlllvllllf The President's Counsel To The Graduates i' DEAR Graduates of Frankfort Pilgrim College: It is withl unfeigned delight that I accept the privilege of addressing you as students of this school. I am the more delighted because of my long association with you as your teacher. counselor, and president. ln this last address to you may I say, first, let your greatest aims and your strongest efforts be for the best things of life. In all your efforts, salvation in the ultra sense of the word, which must include a spiritual birth from God and a purity baptism of the Holy Spirit with power, is the most valuable. The best things may include, also, the very highest excellence and what are often termed common place every-day things. A heart filled with divine love and a wisdom that cometh down from above is always seeing something a little better, or a little higher order of relationships than those about it. It also leads to an effort to reach the better in all living and all activities. Second, I'll call your attention to what seems to me to be a fact that is not apparent to all. You are living in a peculiar time, with peculiar condi- tions all about you. Strange things have recently entered the world-in poli- tics, in government, in education, in religion, in social life. You should be pre- You ask, What is the change J? Briefly, the world is rapidly being prepared by the forces of righteousness, directed by God, the Father, and the forces of evil directed by Satan and his deinonish followers for the very soon coming of Jesus and the preparation for the kingdom that he always said he would set up to rule the world. On the other hand preparation for the outpouring of tIod's wrath on a Hodless, wicked world in order to break the power of sin and unrighteousncss upheld by the nations is taking place. You are in these days. Quickly lind your placeg strike valiant blows for the coming kingdom of Christy rescue every soul possible from the fires, anguish and death of the Next, I have a warning for you. The Lord said that at this time men shall have the form of godliness while denying the power thereof. It may take the form of luke-warmness, wherein being deceived you may say with the liaodiceans, UI am rich and have need of nothing . Your nakedness caused by the absence of humility, purity of heart and the Spirit may not be perceived until it is too late, the Lord having come. It may take the form of a broken cistern leaking out its waters representing the Spirit, or like the fool- ish virgins with their lamps going out and not enough power and presence of the Spirit to replenish in the moment of need. Or it may be like the love wan- ing because of the church being full of iniquity. Beware of the losing of grace Finally, be of strong courage. This quality was needed from ancient times and will be needed the more now. lVe are at the end of the world. Live low, in fact, keep so little and humble that the tire of the enemy will go over you. But if he should strike you, be armoured with the truth. Christ: then can protect you. Be farsightedg a vision, that will include the time until the coming of the Lord, revealing the succession of events, will be needed. As you are obedient and call on the Lord, wisdom will come. Above all, run the race wellg light your battle trueg keep your hearts perfect in divine loveg be filled with the Spirit always, yielding to Him, preach the Gospel with no un- certain tonesg warn all meng keep yourselves unspotted and ready for the coming of the Lord. May the riches of God's grace and the depths of His love The best things are always from Heaven. pared to meet them. tribulation. and the Spirit. keep your hearts steadfast until that day. I 3621 -33-

Page 44 text:

perfect that which He has begun in us. Realizing the marvelous change al- ready wrought in us, hope has taken hold and we have been enabled to pursue a more steady course. During these four years of training, ambitions have at times filled our bosoms,-ambitions to enter a field of service for which our finite reason told us we would be more fitted. But, again, Cod would direct the counsel and advice of our teacher for us, which steadied our flighty desires. But still despite these steadying influences that have surrounded us, we have encountered along the way dangerous and subtle tendencies to tangents. Tendencies toward modernism, harmful attitudes, and unsettled Christian ex- perience. uncertainties as to viewpoints as well as the pursuit of studies to the neglect of prayer life so often lead astray. The tendencies of the modern youth to slip just outside the consecrated circle of tied are so numerous but the overcoming grace and power which is ours through Christ is far greater, mightier, yes,-all sufficient. During these years in school the blessed Holy Spirit has certainly used the lives of those around us to establish us in Him, to fix us on the rock, Christ Jesus. We have often watched our godly President, Brother Taylor, our teachers and fellow students during times of severe trial and we have seen how through prayer and faith God has sent marvelous deliveranees to them, has empowered them to accomplish much for Him. And now after four years our college days, days blessed by the memory of the manifestations of Cod in our chapel services, in our classrooms and in com- munion with Him, are drawing to a close. We are thankful to God for these permanent and vital changes which, throughout this time, have been wrought in our estimations or spiritual and material values, changes which have given us a clearer, truer vision of things temporal and eternal. Our faith and con- lidcnce in Cod and in the authority of His VVord has been so strengthened through these years that we are now, looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great Cod and our Saviour Jesus Christ . In that day will be revealed all that Frankfort Pilgrim College has done for us, for only eternity can reveal the indelible influence of this school upon our souls. I CHRISTIANITY AND EDUCATION Christianity redeems us, not from sin only, but from all narrowness, meanness, and littlencss of conception, it puts great thought into our hearts and bold words into our mouths, and leads us out from our village prisons to behold all nations of mankind. Cn this ground alone, Christianity is the educator in the world. It will not allow the soul to be mean. It forces the heart to be noble and hopeful. It says, Go and teach all nations, Go ye into all the world, Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others, t'Givc and it shall be given unto you. It is something to have a voice so Divine ever stirring the will and mingling CO1111- sels. It is like a sea-breeze blowing over a sickly land, like sunlight piercing the fogs of a long dark night. If we have nar1'ow sympathies, mean ideas, paltry conceptions, we are not scholars in the school of Christ. We are citi- zens of the world, let us bring no reproach upon Christ by our exclusiveiiessf' .-40-.