Kansas City Bible College - Armour Bearer Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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PAGE FOUR - THE COMIVIENTATOR The Blessed Way of Life Matthew 5:1 -12 By Rev. Leonard J. Larson It ls our plan to present a series of articles by members of the Board of Directors of the Kansas City Bible College in order that the friends of the College may become acquainted with the men of God who are ultimately res- ponsible for its welfare. Rev. Mr. Larson, who is pastor of the Mis- sion Covenant Church of Kansas City, Mis- souri. has worked to promote the school almost since its inception, as a member both of the Board of Directors and of the faculty. .At the present time he is teaching courses in Church History and World History. His deep spirit- ualit and wide ex ri n m y pe e ce ake him a bless- ing to the school. lEditor's note.J Everywhere men are seeking for the blessings of life. Jesus understood this deep yearning in the hearts of men, and here in a matchless message He proclaims the nature of the blessed life and how men may find it. Delitzsch has called the Mount of Beatitudes the Sinai of the New Testament. But what a contrast these two reveal! On Mount Sinai, far out in a desolate wilderness, God was hidden in the fire and smoke and thun- ders of a mountain that trembled at the awful presence of the Almighty. It was a mountain of wrath and death to any whose feet might touch it. Its command- ments were stern and unyielding de- mands. Here on a beautiful mountain-side fill- ed with the fragrance of lilies, the song of birds, and the laughter of happy chil- dren, to a wondering multitude the Son of God proclaims the constitution of the spiritual kingdom He would bring to men. Here is set forth the only true and bless- ed way of life. No promise of a worldly kingdom or material blessings and gross delights does He bring, but the challenge of a new spiritual kingdom of righteous- ness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit CRom. 14:17 RVJ. Jesus proclaims that true blessedness consists, not in what men have, but in what they are. The em- phasis is not on doing, but on being. Life and character are the supreme considera- tions of this blessed way of life. FINDING 'mr BLESSED LIFE The Beatitudes consist of trinities with- in a trinityg there are three groups of 'three each. Taken together they form a gospel in miniature, the details of which are supplied by the subsequent gospel story. The first three beatitudes reveal the way by which men may find the bless- ed life. No man can enter this kingdom of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit except by the narrow gate of spiritual poverty, a consciousness of his own sin and utter unworthiness. The proud, the self-righteous Saul of Tarsus must first become the chief of sinners, before he could become a recipient of the grace of God. When Isaiah cried out, Woe is me! for I am undoneg because I am a man of unclean lips, then came a seraphim with cleansing fire from the altar to touch him. Beloved, you, too, must become undone because of your sins and spiritual poverty before the por- tal to this blessed life will open to you. Secondly, the way to this blessed life is by a crushed and boken heart. Out of this sense of spiritual poverty and conscious- ness of sin, must come the agonies of deep spiritual mourning and penitence. The Sermon on the Mount is no easy re- ligion of good works, for we are imme- diately brought to the cross of Calvary where sins are revealed and forgiveness is given. The tragedy of much shallow, joy- less Christian living lies in the fact that there, has never been any deep sorrow over sin, no soul anguish that has given birth to a new life. Only those who peni- tently grieve over their sins to forsake them can ever taste the sweetness and joy and comfort which a gracious, for- giving God can give. Finally, entrance into this blessed life must be by way of a meek and humble heart. Mighty achievements, earthly riches, worldly honors avail nothing. Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhab- is Holy, I place, with iteth eternity, whose name dwell in the high and holy him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, the contrite and to revive the heart of ones Usa. 57:157. Jesus himself once said, Verily I say unto you, except ye turn and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall hum- ble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven cMate. 18: 3, 4, R.V.J. LIVING 'rua BLESSED LII-'E The next trinity of beatitudes presents the virtues that are essential to living this blessed life. It is not enough to have discovered the way to this blessed life, we must find grace and power to live it. To live as a Christian, we must first be 'right with God and deeply concerned about the things of God. There must be a CCo'nti'n.ued on Page 75 UESTIOV7 5. x By Rev. Wade K. Romsey Dean, Kansas City Bible College In this column Mr. Ramsey will be glad to answer questions sent in by our readers which concern Bible in- terpretation or application and are of general interest. -Editor QUESTION: How can we explain the fact that Moses' pagan education neither wrecked or seemed to weaken his early training in faith? ANswER: That trained in Egypt in Egyptian learning is 7:22, And Moses was Moses was thoroughly attested by Acts learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. That this training neither wrecked nor weakened his faith in the true God is equally attested by all of his life and teaching. The remarkableness of this fact is emphasized to us when we remember the wreck and ruin that has been wrought by the present day pagan learning. Not too long ago, a college president said, . . . I have met hundreds of young peo- ple reared in godly homes who went off to college believing the Bible from cover to cover and came out of college with wrecked faith and blighted morals. What, then, is the explanation of Moses' faith? His preservation from the impiety and immorality of the world despite his pagan education like all other such pre- servation can finally be traced to Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy Uude 241. But since God often uses ordinary means to accomplish his wise ends, it still remains for us to ask what were the means used to preserve Moses in the faith. In answer to this we think there are at least four factors which contributed to the stability of Moses' spiritual life: Q15 His parents set before him a very consistent, godly life CHeb. 111231. 125 They faithfully taught him in spir- itual things. CBJ They succeeded in actually bring- ing him to a personal knowledge of God lHeb. 11:2-17. C41 He had a long period of training under God Himself in the wilderness. As Paul had his time of training in Arabia, so Moses had his in the desert of Midian. QUESTION! Was Lot a saved man? ANSWER! It seems clear from the Scrip- tures that Lot was saved. This is ap- parent from the following considerations: C15 Abraham evidently numbered him among the righteous when he said to the Lord, Wilt thou also destroy the right- eous with the wicked? CGen. 18: 232. See also Genesis 18:24, 25, 28, 30, 31 and 32. CCo'rLtinued on Page 71

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THE COMMENTATOR PAGE THREE CHRISTIAN SERVICE REPORT BY Rav. W. Jacx Wu.soN Director of Christian Service Meet Don Conner. Don hails from Ev- ansville, Indiana, and is a sophomore this year. Because he is typical of many of our young men, I am using him as an ex- ample for this report. Early this year the Christian Church in Kingsville, Missouri, wrote to ask wheth- er there was a young man in the College who could fill in as a minister in the ab- sence of a regular pastor. I talked with Don about it and found him eager for any opportunity to preach. I might add, by the way, that his grades are above average and his practice preaching in the homil- etics class gave evidence of real prepar- ation and ability. We do not send out students whose grades are poor or who have not shown proficiency in the prac- tical application of what they learn in the classroom. So Don Conner went to Kingsville. God blessed his ministry with them that first Sunday, and apparently the people liked his message. They asked him to return, and he did. He now goes regularly, and is considered the temporary pastor of that congregation. Occasionally he takes mus- ical groups from the College, and the church is receiving a rich blessing in the ministry of these young folks, We are grateful to God for opportuni- ties like this. It is a wonderful exper- ience for our students, and a blessing to the churches to enjoy a ministry they might not have if Kansas City Bible Col- lege students were not available. SPRING BANQUET ON APRIL 4 The annual spring banquet of The Kan- sas City Bible College will be held' in the Bulkley Memorial Building on the College campus, Friday, April 4, at 7:00 p.m. Dr. R. R Brown of Omaha, Nebraska, will be our speaker again this year. Those who heard Dr. Brown last year will not want to miss his message. Music will be furnished by the College music department under the direction of Mr. E. S. Crum. Alumni and friends are cordially invit- ed to be present for this evening of in- spiration and good fellowship. The din- ner, which will be served by the Califor- nia Catering Company, will be 52.00 per person. Reservation may be made through the College office, Fe-3000. CONFERENCE BLESSINGS The inter-semester student conference, January 24-25, was a spiritual high point in the year's activities. Some comments by the students themselves will 'give an insight into its results. ' Horace Brelsford, senior student, writes: The Victorious Life Conference meant to me a realization of a greater need of doing God's work in the power of the Spirit of God, and not in the power of human wis- dom or ability. My heart was challenged to yield my life more fully to God for His use. From Augusta Thiessen, senior and mis- sionary candidate to the Philippinesg The conference was a time in which the Lord was able to continue the work in my heart which He began several years ago. It was not a time in which I learned about Him, I learned to know Him in a deeper way, 'Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ' CGal. 2:16J. Junior student Lorraine Jost comments: Victory through Christ has always seem- ed to be a good motto, but so often it has not been a reality in my life. Through this conference the Lord has shown me that victory is a practical thing, and day by day we, through Christ, may be over- comers in our spiritual walk. Frank L. Collier, freshman, says: It was through the deeply spiritual mes- sages of Rev. Darrel Handel in our con- ference that I was made to realize my complete dependence upon God. So often we feel so self confident, but if we are going to be used and blessed of Him, we must depend on the Spirit of God. I thank the Lord for the conference. for it has brought me nearer to Himself. Another freshman, Mary Guttery, also reports blessing: During the conference I realized I was letting the lusts of the flesh hinder the work of the Lord in my life. If He is to be Lord at all, He must be Lord of all- and I realize that if I let Him be Lord of all, He can even use a 'nobody' like me for His service. DR. WILSON'S ITINERARY March 8, Youth for Christ, Havertown, Pa. March 9- Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, Pa. March 10- Dr. Barnhouse Bible Class, New York, N. Y. March 11-14- First Baptist Church, Peekskill, N. Y. March 15- Youth For Christ, New York March 16- Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, Pa. March 17- Dr. Barnhouse Bible Class, New York, N. Y. March 18-21- Grace Chapel, Havertown, Pa. March 22- Youth For Christ, Philadel- phia, Pa. March 31-April 3- Bob Jones University, Greenville, S. Car. April 11- Afternoon, First Reformed Church, Newark, N. J. Evening, Madison Avenue Baptist Church, Paterson, N. J. Usa NEW P.O. Box NUMBER At WALDO STATION Box 8426 s ALUMNI NEWS Former students, Robert and Retho. Far- thing, write from French Equatorial Afri- ca: We have had the joy of seeing many accept Christ as their own personal Saviour, coming out of darkness into His marvelous light. It has been a real joy to us to be able to reach so many who have never before heard the Name of Christ. There are still untold thousands yet to hear, so we would ask especial prayer as we seek to make Him known in the re- gions beyond. In February I leave again to go on the path to Haraze where we went last Feb- ruary. Many of the men who were work- ing here at the mission have now left the work rather than have to make that trip again, and in a way I do not blame them, for many of the men are yet strangers to His saving grace and were it not for the fact that we are trving to reach the peo- ple on this path with the Gospel, I am sure that I would not be anxious to go either. I hope to be able to get a bicycle which will keep down the number of men needed for the trip. If I can get enough men just to carry water and food, I will go ahead, but unless the Lord definitely undertakes, it will be a real problem to get even that many . . .This time Retha is staying at home, not because she does not want to go, but because I believe it is the wise thing to do. We are nearing the end of the term, and years do have a way of tell- ing on a person out here. If the Lord so provides, we shall be heading for the States in August or Sep- tember of 1952. fx Q . Roberta Watters, former student and dietician at the Col- lege 1948 - 49, left on E February 15 for serv- . ice in Costa Rica un- der the Latin Ameri- ca Mission. She is to work in her pro- fessional capacity in one of the hospitals there. Her departure for the field occurred within only a few weeks after her acceptance as a candidate because of this remarkable incident. At the Mission headquarters in New Jersey the members of the Board of Directors had met with the candidates, and they had prayed together for God's enabling grace. Within an hour Miss Watters' entire monthly support, plus traveling expenses and' language school, had been supplied by an unknown servant of the Lord. COLLEGE CHOIR AT CHAPEL The College Choir presented the Chapel program on February 1. The beautiful maroon robes with gold colored stoles which the choir members wore for the first time on that occasion were dedicated appropriately to the service of God through the Kansas City Bible College. The spring itinerary of the Choir, which will be pub- lished in full next month, will start with the first off-campus appearance on March 30 at Central Bible Church at the 11 o'clock hour, followed by an evening pro- gram at Odessa, Missouri. .i,,. it Has

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THE COMMENTATOR PAGE FIVE Rewards and Crowns By Mrs. D. E. Wisner Child Evangelism Instructor Pnsrmmrion The figures for this story may be used against a plain background. They in- clude: a large red cross with a door that opens, a throne made of goldg a strip of blue construction paper' with the word Joy in yellow lettersg a larger strip with Joy in larger lettersg a still larger strip with Joy in still larger lettersg 5 gold crowns: Jack and George, boys about 12 years of age: reclining figure of Bill, about 16, Bob, the same age, reading his Bible, Jim, about 24, carrying a brief case, Jerry, wearing a sun helmet, standing before a grass hut. These figures may be selected from magazines or sketched on construc- tion paper and colored, or stick figures may be used. They should be backed with outing flannel and cut out. PRESENTATION Did you ever receive a prize? If you did, you had to work for it, didn't you? Today we are going to go exploring in the Bible to discover something about the prizes, or rewards, God offers to Chris- tians. Since they are only for Christians, we should first make sure that we are eligible. CPlace the cross with open door in the lower left corner of the board.J Jesus said, I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved fJohn 10:93. It doesn't cost anything to enter the door: in fact, you receive a gift when you enter- the gift of eternal life. Are you inside? Would you like to be? Just tell the Lord Jesus about it. Ask Him to come into your heart and save you. He'll do it, and that very minute you'll enter the gate of salvation. Then you will be eligible for God's rewards, or prizes. Will every Christian receive rewards? No, only those who have earned them. CRead I Cor. 3:12-15.5 We cannot live just any old way down here and expect rewards in heaven. When are these prizes to be given, and what are they? CRead II Cor. 5:10.J It is there at the Judgment Seat of Christ that the rewards are to be given. CPlace the throne in the upper left corner.b All Christians will be there, but some will receive no rewards because they did nothing to earn them. Let us first see what God says about joy in John 15:11, That my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. so it seems there must be de- grees of joy: joy for everyone, more joy for those who are ready for it, and much joy for those who have lived the closest to the Lord. CPlace the three sizes of strips reading Joy as they are men- tioned.J Do you know anything about the joy of Bible study, and prayer, and soulwinning? Then the Bible speaks of crowns that the Lord offers as rewards. We will read about five of these. First, the crown of life is offered to those who endure suffer- ing patiently for Christ's sake. fRead Jas. 1:12 and place the first crown.J Has anyone made fun of you or mistreated you for being a Christian? Enduring suf- fering patiently for Christ's sake will mean a reward for you. In I Corinthians 9:24-27 we read about the incorruptible crown. CRead the pas- sage and place the second crown.J The Grecian wrestlers and runners exercised much and lived on a diet of coarse food to obtain a corruptible crown- one made of leaves that would soon wither. God offers a crown that endures forever to those who do not allow the fiesh to rule in their lives. The crown of rejoicing is offered for winning others to Christ. fRead I Thess. 2:19 and place the third crown.D If you have ever known the joy of leading a soul to Christ, you will understand why this is called the crovim of rejoicing. The crown of glory is mentioned in I Peter 5:1-4. CRead the passage and place the fourth crown.l This is for those who teach, God's word. Even boys and girls can earn it if they teach other boys and girls more about the Lord Jesus and the Bible. iii as .iii Then there is the crown of righteousness fRead II Tim. 4:8 and place the fifth crown.J This is for those who long for the return of the Lordg for those who pray, Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Now let us take a look at some Chris- tians and see what they are doing about these things. Jack and George accepted the Lord Jesus at camp one summer, then they went back to Junior High. CPlace Jack and George before the cross and bring them through the door.J George refused to smoke, but he didn't say much about the Lord Jesus. He seemed afraid to. But it wasn't long before Jack had led Ted and Andy to the Lord, then Ted led his brother and another pal to accept Christ. Let us imagine these boys at the Judgment Seat of Christ. CMove the figures up to the throne, placing one above the other.l Here is George alone. Here is Jack with four others. There will be joy for George. CPlace small Joy be- side George.J There will be at least one crown and more joy for Jack. CPlace one crown and larger Joy beside Jack.J Bill and Bob are young Christians. fRemove Jack and George and return other figures.J Bill takes life easy. QPlace reclining figure of Bill.D He sleeps until breakfast and just never has time to look at his Bible. He means to do it in the evening, but after reading the comic books and hearing his favorite radio programs he is too sleepy. He listens to the fiesh, of course. I think we would call him a lazy, careless Christian. But you ought to know Bob. He made the football team and scored in every game, but he never forgets to get up fifteen minutes early to read his Bible. CPlace figure of Bob, reading.D You never catch him without his New Testament in his pocket. He gives out tracts, though some ridicule him for doing it. He teaches a class of boys and has led some of them to the Lord. Now let us show Bob and Bill at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Bill will have joy- all will have thatg but Bob ltas earned all the crowns and much joy will be his. CPlace small Joy beside Billy place larg- est Joy and all the crowns beside Bob.J Jim and Jerry are two other young Christians. God called them both to the mission field, but Jim decided to stay at home and send some money to the mis- sionaries instead. CPlace figure of Jim carrying brief case at the lower edge of the board.J He feared the hardships of life on the mission field. but Jerry went out. He lives in a grass hut with no conveniences, but he doesn't mind, fPlace figure of Jerry and the grass hut beside Jim.l He is happy to be where God wants him to be. You can just tell by looking at him that he wouldn't want to be any place else in all the world. If he had not come to Africa these natives would still be living in sin with no hope of heaven. When Jim and Jerry stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, which do you think will be the happier? APrL1cA'r1oN All six of these boys were Christians, but three of them missed the rewards and much of the joy that might have been theirs. They must have been quite asham- ed to meet the Lord, and very sorry they had no gift for Him CI John 2:28J. How will it be with us when we stand before Him? Do we need to meet Him empty- handed? No, we can serve joyfully and well, and then some day we'l1 hear His Well done. This story is one of a set of ten object lessons called. The Good Enough Fami1y, published by Hollenbeck and McCall. P.O. Box 1275, Aberdeen. South Dakota, and is used by their permission. FOR PLACING CHILDREN Dr. Harold L. Lundquist, nationally known Christian leader and author, has resigned from the pastorate of the First Evangelical Free Church of Chicago to be- come Executive Director of the Evangel- ical Welfare Agency. This licensed child placing agency, with a charter to serve Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Southern Wis- consin, has its headquarters at 542 South Dearborn Street, Chicago. Dr. Lundquist will be supervising the placing of children for adoption and foster care in Christian homes. Licensed in 1950, the agency has found a tremendous opportunity in serv- ing the needs of evangelical Christians. 'Supported by churches and organizations of more than 30 denominations, the Evan- gelical Walfare Agency is rapidly expand- ing its services to help meet the needs of homeless children. Every life is a signpost. Which way are you pointing- toward God or othefr- wise. --Selected.