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

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THE COMIVLENTATOR PAGE FIVE Christmas Swapping By Mrs. D. E. Wisner Child Evangelism Instructor PREPARATION The use of scenic backgrounds with this story is optional since the figures may be placed against a neutral back. If scenery is available, we suggest using two boards, one showing an indoor and the other an outdoor Christmas scene. Probably most of the figures can be obtained from the brightly colored pictures in Christmas magazines, and the figure of Christ from Sunday School literature. The indoor setting includes a fireplace, . large armchair, and the following figures: John, a boy of about eight, with toy in ex- tended hand, a group of children, each holding an object to be tradedg books, a pet, a blue sweater, a cap, and gloves, a Christmas tree and wreath to be added to the indoor background, seated picture of ohn in pensive attitude to be placed in the armchair, and the picture of a puppy ' a circle to indicate John's thoughts. In the outdoor scene the figures are: ohn warmly dressed pulling a wagon h1ch contains an assortment of toys and 1 ackages hidden in the wagon under the oys bundles marked Suns Hell Death, Darkness Fear and Sadness White clothed I gure of Christ carrying large white pack abeled Grace brightly colored bundles arked My Rlghteousness Heaven Life, Light Peace and Joy For the last setting use standing figures f John and his mother and father and lso kneeling figures of the three All of ese should be colored if necessary back- d w1th outing Hannel and cut out PRESENTATION They called him Swapping John and o wonder' CSet up first scenej He tried o swap off everything he owned' He wapped his toys his books his pets- he ven swapped the nice blue sweater his other had bought him as well as his cap d his gloves CPlace figures of John and e group adding the book pet sweater, ap and gloves as mentionedj His par- nts tried to cure him they punished un they promised him nice things His eacher at school tried but Swapping John till loved swapping more than anytlung lse in the world' CRemove all iiguresj 'nh 11111111 llth-Si!! -nu-H-it 11111111 -1:1--r -.- :fs 5, WQJ to -ga By noon each Christmas Day he had wapped off most of his presents. fPlace eath in window and Christmas tree to ne sxdej Tonight on Christmas Eve, he as thinking what fun he would have to- orrow CI-'lace seated Figure of John in he armcha1r.J His last thought before omg to bed was of the cunning little pup- y Charles had. CAdd picture of puppy in r . ' Si , u 'Q' -- 5 L ' N K - .-LZ. circle above his head.D He wondered what Charles would take for it. Early on Christmas morning he loaded up his presents and started to see his friends. C'Set up the outdoor scene on the other board, and add John pulling the wagonj As he was going down the snowy lane to Charles' house, he saw a white-clad Stranger coming. John saw that He had the kindest face. W'hen He smiled, His brown eyes twinkled. I see you're doing your iCh.ristmas swapping early, John. John hated to be teased about his swapping, but there was something about the Stranger that kept him from talking back. John, why do you always get the worst of the bargain? Why, I don't. I never losef' Why don't you do some swapping with me?', asked the Stranger. What do you have? Oh, I have many good things, and then John saw that He had a huge white pack on His back. On it was written in large letters the word Grace. ' All right, I'll swap you, John replied. Wouldn't you like to get rid of that dirty looking bundle marked Sins? the Stranger asked. John was surprisedg he had never seen that bundle before. Per- haps you'd rather have this. The Stran- ger held up a beautiful package marked My Righteousness. CExchange bundles as indicatedj O yes, exclaimed John. What else do you have ? Well, I know you'll be glad to part with that one. He pointed to one marked Hell. O yes, do take it, cried John. 'Tll give you this instead, said the Stranger, handing him a shining gold pack- age marked Heaven. This is great, exclaimed John. But say, this is no swapping. You're getting nothing. You're just giving me these won- derful things. 'I'hat's right, said the Stranger. They are gifts, but if you want the good things in my pack, you must be willing to hand over what's in yours. You can't have both. Well, I see that my bundles are no good anyway. I'd rather have yours. Let's swap! And- so they swapped. A package mark- ed Death was exchanged for one called Life: Darkness for Light: Fear for Peace: Sadness for Joy. At last Swapping John's pack was overflowing, yet wonderfully light. He thanked the Stranger for all the beautiful packages and hurried home to tell his mother, but when he stepped up on the porch- he awoke! It had been only a dream. CReturn to the indoor scene! All Christmas Day he thought of his strange dream, and when evening came, he told his parents all about it. Mother studied about it for a moment. fShoW three characters standing near the fire- placej Why, I've never thought about it be- fore, but I guess being a Christian is a little like swapping- only the Lord Jesus already did His part of it many years ago. Now let's see: He came to our Earth that we might go to His Heaven. Surely, that's swapping, isn't it? Then He was born in- to the Human Family that we might be born into God's Family. C ,g,g,J.1j,,.,2, -he , Jr-. KH ' 2 it t N--..- as f if QQJ J il- -25.-L . -4- 11-, or--1 ' lgff x Father spoke, And remember, too, son, that He took Our Sins that we might have His Righteousness- He took our Death that He might give us Life. But what about that bundle marked Hell? He didn't really take our Hell like in the dream, did He, Father? I don't un- derstand how He could do that. Yes, I-le did, said Father softly. In a way we ca.nnot understand our precious Saviour took the full punishment for our sins as He hung there on the cross. Be- cause of what He did, there will never be Hell for a Christian, only Heaven forever- more. O, that's wonderful, exclaimed John. Then my dream was really true. He has already taken my bad things, but- He hasn't given me His things-yet. If I ask Him will He give me all those good things like in the dream? Yes, said Father. If you will ask Him to come into your heart, He will bring those good things with Him. He says, 'Be- hold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in CRev. 3:20J. Why don't you let Him come into your heart today John, and He will bring Life to you, and Righteousness and Heaven, and many other wonderful things. Why yes, I guess I will. Yes, I will this very minute, said John. Then he knelt and asked the Lord Jesus to come into his heart and save him. CReplace standing fig- 'ure of John with kneeling one.J His parents looked at each other with tear-filled eyes. How wonderfully God had brought salvation to their boy at Christmas time. You know, dear, said Mother, I think I need to do a little Christmas swapping myself. How do you mean? Well, you know how often we have spoken of the way we want it to be in our hearts- the Lord Jesus on the Throne and Self on the Cross. Somehow, lately, in the awful rush of this season, I think Self CCo'n.tinued on Page 71 T'he Child Evangelism story is being illustrated each month with the sketches of Eva Dubert, sopho- more student at the College. Her own interest in the salvation of the children is well expressed in her use of this talent for her Lord.

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PAGE FOUR THE COMMENTATOR I Am Alpha and Omega N'-I , ' BY DR. C. J. Roms U Author and Bible Teacher ' PART V The Greater than Solmon, Matthew 12: wif 'il Whatever may be the Sphere in which 42. As a king Solomon in his government, we contemplate our Lord in His many la- bors, His lovingkindness is never lacking, His vitality i.s never faint, His wisdom is never warped, and His faithfulness never falters. Therefore, the prospect of His perfecting His church according to His eternal purpose can never deviate. Our objective in the present study is to deal with twelve of our Lord's titles and offices beginning with the letter HG . The Glory of Goal, John 1:14. Glory is as difficult to define as light, because it constitutes the very essence of the divine character, and consists of all those incor- ruptible qualities that comprise the very nature of Godhead. Christ in Person is the expression of every feature of the holy nature of Deity. The glory of God is exhibited in the face of Jesus Christ CII Cor. 4:65. The Gift of God, John 3:16, 4:10p Rom. 6:23. Where else may we find more pro- found wisdom, or more prodigious wealth, than is expressed in the gift which God has given to mankind in the Person of Christ? What a legacy is this! For .... unto us a son is given Clsa. 9: 65, in whom the infinite fullness of love, light, and life abides. Therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ, the greatest gift of God, adds a new come- liness to love, a new character to labor, and a new charm to life, endowing and en- riching it with all spiritual blessings. How shall he not with him also freely give us all things? CRom. 8:32J. Christ brings to us legacies that are immortal, incor- ruptible, and inseparable from His own personal character. The G-ood Master, Matthew 19:16, Luke 18: 18. Our Lord's answer to the rich young ruler who addressed Him in these words is very significant, for He said, Why call- est thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. The real implication of Christ's words is simply this, By your addressing me as good, do you really rec- ognize that I am God? Goodness is the very substance of God's character, and Christ is Emmanuel, the visible image of the invisible God. Because Christ is in- herently good, He is able to make good. He is the Sower of the good seed CMatt. 13:24Jg He is the good Shepherd CJohn 10:14Jg and it is He who makes the tree good fMatt. 12:33D. The Great High Priest, Hebrews 4:14. Christ as our High Priest is set down at the right hand of the throne of God in order to maintain us in acceptance before the holiness of the Father. This throne is not one of granite but of grace, not a throne of marble but of mercy, not a throne of stone but of sympathy. By vir- tue of our Lord's greatness He had the right to redeem, the strength to sanctify, and the ability to assure our acceptance for evermore CRom. 5:10J. In the might and merit of His priestly majesty Christ pos- sesses and dispenses all the resources of mercy, all the requirements of mediation, and all the requisites of compassionate kindness for our maintenance before God. He is the only one who made sorrow a scepter, and thorns a miter when offer- ing Himself without spot to God. ' garments, grace, and glory was unexcelled in Israel. Christ is greater than Solomon, however, in His government: for He is King in the material, physical, natural, ethical, moral, spiritual, judicial, and prov- idential realms, as demonstrated in the gospels during His manifestation. Like- wise, His administrative authority is also absolute in heaven and in earth CMatt. 28: 183. Christ is greater than Solomon also in His garments of official vocation. The proverbial robes of state of the earthly monarch have long since perished, but the indestructible garments of service, sacri- fice, and salvation as worn by Christ are immortal in their function and ineffable in their fragrance. Christ taugh.t that Sol- omon's robes were not as delicate and beautiful as the Hower petals wherewith He had strewn the entire landscap QMatt. 6:29D. The Greater than Jonah, Matthew 12:41. When our gracious Lord avowed Himself as being greater than Jonah, He uttered a tremendous claim. This prophet preached in the sphere of the Gentiles after exper- iencing what in figure represented death, burial, and resurrection. Our Lord Jesus Christ indicated beforehand that He would reach out to the whole Gentile world by means of His atoning death, burial, and resurrection. The Great Commission bears witness to the truth of His testimony CMatt. 28:18-205. Christ was certainly greater than Jonah in that He was never deflected from the pathway of devotion to duty by proffers of infiuence, pleasures of indul- gence, or privileges of independence. He never sold the truth to save the hour Nor bartered with the world in seeking power He let the sullen stream of rumor flow And pandered not to hearers high or low. The Greater than J acob, John 4:12. May- be had we been making comparisons of Old Testament characters with Christ we would not have included Jacob. However, Jacob makes one of the greatest contri- butions in this connection. The twelve sons of the patriarch expressed the twelve outstanding propensities of Jacob's char- acter. Christ called twelve of the sons of Jacob to be His disciples, and by His re- generating power He made them partakers of the divine nature and instructed each: Philip in godliness, James in holiness, John in lovingkindness, Peter in graciousness, Matthew in meekness, Thomas in truthful- ness, Nathanael in guilelessness, Simon in faithfulness, Jude in perfection, Andrew in goodness, Thaddeus in peaceableness, and Paul in righteousness. These twelve sons were entrusted to express Christ's own person, and their names are there- fore graven on the twelve foundation stones of the City of God. The Gazelle, Proverbs 30:31. The Auth- orized Version renders the Hebrew word greyhound which should be rendered ga- zelle, the animal fleetest of foot in the extensive deserts surrounding Palestine. This figurative representation of the Sav- iour is given here in conjunction with three others: the lion, goat, and king. CContinued on Page 7 J By Rev. Wade K. Ramsey 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: Is the Christian always wiser than the unbelieoer? ANSWER: The Lord Jesus said, The children of this world are in their gen- eration wiser than the children of light CLuke 16:85. We all know how true this has proved in many cases. But note that it is in their generation that their wis- dom is said to surpass. It deals especially with the things that pertain to this life, and our Lord expects us to profit by this fact. It cannot, however, look beyond this generation: it is powerless to deal with future things, it is of the earth, earthy- es to the wisdom of this world which com nought, for the world by wisdom knows not God. On the other hand, the wisdom which the believer possesses comes from above, and it is of superior worth. It is the revealed wisdom received by the believer when he asks in faith, nothing waver- ingf' Personified, it is Christ Himself, the wisdom par excellence CI Cor, 1:30, 315. Consequently, it leads to God and deals especially with the things of the world to come. All believers do not have this wisdom to the same degree. They receive it as they ask, nothing wavering, and pos- sess it in proportion to their faith. Yet it is a distinguishing mark of all God's people. The Lord, in the parable of the ten virgins, divided them into wise and foolish: the wise are saved and the foolish are lost. In the Bible foolishness is always associated with unbelief, and wisdom with faith CPsa. 14:15 Prov. 14:9g I Cor. 15:34, 36: Dan. 12:35 Prov. 111305. Therefore, the humblest saint in the final reckoning will be accounted wiser than all the wise of the world. QUESTION: How may a person rejoice in trial? ANSWER: As strange as it may seem to many, we are required of God to rejoice in trial. The Lord Jesus said to His dis- ciples, Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you fMatt. 5:11, 123. Also in the second verse of James I we read, Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. Peter says, That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory a-t the appearing of fCon1:inued on Page 73

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PAGE SIX THE COMMENTATOR XJ P Aw was 5 'f 22 if ' . -... b:i:3bt.-25255, :-'cease ' nr-1. if. -.s,,,:3,:,5:fs.g,g V-ve...-:--1-v .. ,-sf . -we ,. Kev .- K., 53 , R, 4 1 6 148- , Y Q, f 2' ' I av Q 1 X,2gS f Jig X A 3 'Z fig 3 fishesg professional the church in orde Sunday School Lesson Notes ' By Dr. Walter L. Wilson President, Kansas City Bible College J A N U A R Y 6- Finding the Christ John 1:35-49. Gold- en Text: John 1:41. The Lord is al- ways interested to know why we fol- low Him and still asks the question, What seek ye? Some follow Jesus for the loaves and men sometimes join r to et business and 8 Q politicians to get votes. When the Sav- iour asked the question of the two disci- ples in our lesson, they answered, Where dwellest thou? They were interested in th-e place where Jesus lived rather than in His precious Person. Too often men's hearts are not occupied by the Person of Christ, but with the mechanics of living. 'I'he secretary in the office may be more occupied with her letters and filing than she is with the Lord of glory. The care- taker of the church property may busy himself in gathering up the hyrnnbooks and the Bibles but have little interest in the Saviour of sinners. The kindness of our Lord is seen in that He made no comment or criticism but in- vited them to come and see. What did they see when they came? There is no record of it whatever. As His Word is oc- cupied with His Person, so our attention is to be turned toward Him and not to- ward things. The effect of this visit was that Andrew became a missionary. It is nearly always soy those who keep company with Christ find that the spirit of soulwinning some- how grips the heart. No wonder Andrew sought out his brother Simon Peter. An experience with Christ gives a heart a hunger for others who have not yet known Him. Andrew did not say he had found the right church or the right religious society, his message was, We have found the Mes- sias. That is what counts. Jesus found another willing heart and spoke just two words, Follow me. These were satisfying words to Philip, who heard, believed, and followed. His visit with the Saviour had the same effect as Andrew's -he must go and tell what he had seen and heard to Nathanael. Andrew found his brother, but Philip found an outsider, and so it goes. JANUARY 13- The Call of the Fisher- men. Luke 5:1-11. Golden Text: Mark 1:17. What our Lord taught that day from the boat is not revealed in this passage. It was intended only for them, or else it would have been preserved for us. Un- doubtedly He gave them, as He always did, just the truths that they needed. Hav- ing finished His sermon, He at once sought out others who would carry His message to hungry hearts and continue to go with the Word of Life after H-e had returned to His Father. This passage verifies our own experience that the Lord has no single plan for call- ing all his servants. In the case of Simon, he had to learn that his own efforts did not avail in the business of winning souls for God. He had toiled as an expert fish- erman, in company with others who were experienced, nevertheless, he had failed. We don't serve God by our own wisdom, but by and through the Spirit of God. Zerubbabel had to learn that it is not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts CZech. 4:63. The blessing Peter received in this case was greater than he had anticipated. In their last fishing experience the Lord tells how many fish there were and that they were large ones, but here we do not know whether they were large or small. We need not always be concerned with the size of the catch or the character of the folk. Sometimes the Lord saves little children and enables them to grow up into great servants of God. Sometimes He saves men of giant intellect and women of un- usual talent. The number and the kind is the business of the Lord of the har- vest, while we are only His servants to carry out His will. Does it seem strange that the effect of this great catch was to make Peter feel he was a sinner? It is still the same. Most servants of God have a feeling of great weakness and inferiority when they see God working, hearts melting, and lives being changed. The gentleness of Christ is revealed when He said to Peter, Fear notg from henceforth thou shalt catch men. Nat- urally, Peter might well feel afraid, for he had not been trained to be a preacher. His training was at the seaside with a group who knew little of culture, tact, or wisdom, except as it applied to fishing. At Jesus' words, however, he and those with him turned their backs on all, in order to follow Him only, in the great business of wirming men. JANUARY 20- Matthew Becomes a, Fol- lower. Matthew 9:95 Luke 5:27-39. Golden Text: Luke 5:31, 32, Most of those who tell about their con- version make a great deal of the occasion and relate in a dramatic way the wonder- ful things that took place when the soul and the Saviour met together. Matthew, however, tells the story of his conversion in one verse. He had listened to a ser- mon of two words, and without taking time to consider the results of his action or to ask for any assurance of future se- curity, his whole desire was only to heed the call made by the Master. 'I'hose two Words transformed his life. He did not hold onto his office and seek to ,follow Christ as well. He severed completely his old associates and connections and laid his life at the disposal of the sovereign Son of God. Levi, or Matthew, was so enthused over this new and wonderful relationship that he invited his friends to a f-east. This was no ordinary affair, for the Scripture calls it a great feasti' with a great company who came to hear Matthew's Lord. This was a genuine conversion by a man who was to be out and out for Christ. Matthew was chosen by the Holy Spirit to write the first book in the New Testa- ment, and his name has become honored throughout the world. He never could have known that this experience with the Lord Jesus would make him a winner of souls in over a thousand languages and dialects throughout the world. Not any of us know what God will do with us when we trust Him fully and give our- selves to Him without reservation. We may be sure of this that the Lord who bought us with His blood and the Holy Spirit who led us to Christ will not leave us stranded and bewildered, but will teach us the way of the Lord more perfectly and will fit us for places of responsibility ac- cording to His will. It is quite evident that our Lord con- sidered Matthew to be one who was ill and a sinner because He said that He call- ed that kind of person. Probably the associates of Matthew thought of him as a very fine citizen and a worthwhile neigh- bor. The Lord, however, sees through the outward appearance and reads the heart. How sweet it is to know that He calls us even though He knows what kind of folks we are. JANUARY 27- Nicodemus, a Hesitant Follower. John 3:1-10, 7:45-52. Gold- en Text: John 323. Nicodemus was a religious man, yet in all of his religious exercise he had missed the Lord Jesus. In his study of the Old Testament he had failed to see that those Scriptures testified of Christ. It is easy to be occupied with religious affairs and even to teach and preach many things in the Word of God without discerning the simple figure of Jesus Christ our Lord. Nicodemus also failed to find the need of the new birth. He possibly took the position of many in our day who feel that all men have a spark of God in their hearts and that this ember just needs to be kind- led afresh and made to glow. The Sav- iour certainly refuted this idea by His def- inite statement, Ye must be born again. It was not enough to say to Nicodemus, Except a man be born again, He must make it more personal so that this great religious leader would know that he him- self must be changed by the transforming power of the Spirit of God. This message from One who was almost unknown and who was not recognized as a teacher nor a leader by the rabbis was revolutionary in character. Nicodemus had never heard such a statement before, it confused and distressed him. He wanted to enter heav- en, yet here was an experience which Christ declared was essential, and he ha never heard of it. This definite statement from the Lord Jesus should cause everyone to stop an think. He did not make this statement to a drunkard, a thief, or an outlaw, but to a very good, upright, moral, religious man. Possibly, this man was better than mos of us who read this article. Certainly he was above reproach. He could not hav held such a responsible position unless he had the confidence of the people. With al of this, however, it was necessary for hi to be born again and rec-eive from heave th.at life which can enjoy heaven. There was real hatred in the hearts 0 the religious leaders to the Lord Jesus Even today many religious men refuse t permit the gospel in their Sunday 'School and church services. The people must no hear about the sorrows and suffering o the 'Saviour for their sins, nor of the s punishment awaiting the sinner.