EDITORIAL
"We've got to go ahead or back," I announced to the prayer group which meets in our home. I referred to our project TRIUMPH. The work has grown so large that we have been forced to decide, as of this present date, whether we close down, limit our output, or go ahead and expand with an uncertain future. We have prayed, others have prayed for us and, as we reviewed the miraculous growth and supply of the past, we could do nothing else but decide to expand. This present printed issue is the fruit of our decision.
As you can well imagine this expansion of our work means more expense, some $100 more a month. (The expense each month until now has been approximately $150). However, when we started out two years ago and faced the same situation (although only a fraction of the cost now), God wonderfully met out needs through many of you, our faithful readers. In my very first editorial I said: "There will be no charge for my little paper as long as the Lord supplies the need. If he should fail to supply, then of course the paper will be discontinued. But I am sure you know, as do I, that our Lord always supplies every need of His children, even more than we could ask or think. Little did I realize the miraculous way He would supply through many months of steady growth and responsibility. Never once has a bill gone unpaid. Your gifts have kept us on the firing line for Christ.
My quote above still stands for this new venture. As the Lord supplies we shall continue sending you TRIUMPH in its present form.
We put out no July issue of TRIUMPH. We spent the time preparing for this August issue. Your comments concerning this advance step will be appreciated.
"Brethren pray for us."
Sincerely in Christ,
ARTHUR E. GORDON
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DEAR SHUT-IN
You know, being ill is an education too, and it has many subjects. Let's try for good marks, using the experience as a stepping stone, not a stumbling block. It takes a lot of Him to feel so miserable and so cross and not say a cross word. Only Jesus can keep you sweet. Don't be surprised if you don't always score an A in that department. I find, though, if I tell my loved ones that I'm sorry I'm so cross, but that I just feel so-o-o bad, that it seems right off I start to feel better. Maybe it's their prayers.
Suffering can make one a very understanding person from way down deep, tender too. It can present a real challenge. One dear friend of mine is a shining example of what one phase can be. It seems she had cut out all they dared, which had meant ever so many operations. Needless to say she felt somewhat in the valley whenever she had to re-enter the hospital. There were times of real suffering, but she bought up the opportunity to witness for Christ. She would write me how God had been using her there. Some in that same room were dying. Likely it was the last chance some would have of hearing the gospel. She could have spent the whole time feeling sorry for herself and with good reason. When I see how achievements have been won in other lives I have to hang my head in shame.
I know what it means to be frightened, not knowing the way under, over or through, as if I were batting my head against a stone wall. I was so frantic that I didn't sense the heavenly Father was there, just waiting for me to fall from sheer exhaustion of doing it in my own strength. When I fell back in His arms He had all the answers.
You know, in preparing a good feast, food has to be cooked. Vessels (pots & pans) are needed in the preparations. There's not usually a great deal of applause attributed to a container, but the cook would be lost without them. They bring out the glory of the cook's work. Are we willing to be a vessel for the Master, to take a little fire to glorify Him? In illness one can be bitter, thoughtless, a self-centered person. Remember, it won't be easy, but you won't be alone in trying to be the better person. If you will look up He's there, and I've found Him precious. He has His merit badges, too.
by LILLIAN BUTT
-- April 1959 Letter.
Miss Lillian Butt suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. Before her illness she was a nurse.
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DISCOURAGED
Be thou not at all discouraged,
This belongeth not to thee;
God is love and He is faithful--
Faithful always shall He be.
He may not remove the causes,
He may let thee suffer still;
But remember, God is faithful,
He hath loved thee, and He will.
Jesus Christ is the expression
Of His love for you and me,
Sent from heaven that He might suffer--
Suffer anguish, us to free.
Art thou now at all discouraged,
Burdened with a load of grief?
Flee to Jesus--Holy Savior,
Rest in Him and find relief.
--a.e.g.
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PRESENT WITH THE LORD
In a letter, dated January 26, 1959, Mrs. Charles Gossett wrote me: "I expect to see my Savior face to face before long. It's with deep joy that I look forward to this blessed time." On February 18, 1959, Mrs. Gossett went to be with her Lord. Her departure left many sad hearts, yet we rejoice with her in her present reward.
My acquaintance with Mrs. Gossett was short but her gracious, sweet Christian character left its imprint on my memory. Our first meeting was in the Polio Regional Respirator Center, Columbus, Ohio, when she and her husband, the Rev. Charles W. Gossett, visited me as a patient. I was impressed, to say the least, by her friendly and warm manner, even at this first meeting. Subsequent visits only served to convince me that this lady was an exceptional saint of God.
Pauline Gossett, the former Pauline Reed, was born and reared in Circleville, Ohio. She was married to Rev. Gossett in 1936, two years after they met. They have one daughter, Pat, now Mrs. Robert Danec. Mrs. Gossett helped her husband pioneer, from its inception fifteen years ago, the Myland Memorial Community Church of Columbus. Rev. Gossett still pastors the church. At my request, Rev. Gossett testifies to the virtues of his wife:
"No pastor on earth could have asked for a better companion and helper than God gave me, in the fifteen years we labored together in pioneering the church which I have pastored from its birth. She was a sweet, tireless worker, absorbing the many complaints, giving endless comfort to the weak Christians, the sick, and the youth who almost worshiped her.
"The last fifteen years of our life together were so interwoven in the Lord's work here, we just did not take time to think of ever being separated. Pauline took care of all my correspondence, personal and church, kept in contact with visitors, kept church records, addresses, marriages, baptisms, and dedications. She seemed to have a deep love and compassion for the sick. For some years she kept up a visitation ministry in the county hospital here (Ben Franklin), which is a charity hospital for those without income.
"Never did I hear an off-colored word from my wife's lips. She lived with her Bible almost every spare minute. She taught the Women's Bible Class in our church.
"Pauline seemed to enjoy almost normal health the last twelve years, until about eight months ago. I think she knew at that time that there was something seriously wrong, but she wanted to keep her illness hid from me as long as possible. I insisted on examinations by the doctors, but there was nothing that could save her; she was full of malignant tumors. She had been victorious over the one major disease (tuberculosis, when in her teens), only to become a victim of a worse killer.
"She lived three months after surgery. I was her nurse, doctor, and spiritual minister here in her own home. Letters were on the go constantly, giving her testimony of her readiness to go, up until the last two or three weeks of her life. Also a telephone by her bed was in use most of the time. Her suffering was more than I can describe."
The personal testimony of Pauline Gossett, prepared about one month before her death, is reproduced verbatim as follows:
"Realizing that my home-going is not in the too distant future, I want to leave a word of testimony as to the complete joy and satisfaction I have found, down through the years, walking with my Lord and Savior--not to mention His love and constant care for me.
"These past weeks have been a prelude of Heaven, days that were rich in unexplainable peace and contentment.
"It is my desire that my loved ones and dear friends in Christ rejoice with me as I move on into His glorious presence. It is also my fervent prayer that those who know not my Savior shall be reconciled unto Him, even now.
"The Lord bless you each one--until we meet again."
At the bottom of Mrs. Gossett's testimony was the poem, "I Needed The Quiet," by Alice Hansche Martenson:
I needed the quiet, so He drew me aside
Into the shadows where we could confide;
Away from the bustle where all the day long
I hurried and worried when active and strong.
I needed the quiet, though at first I rebelled,
But gently, so gently, my cross He upheld,
And whispered so sweetly of spiritual things,
Though weakened in body my spirit took wings
To heights never dreamed of when active and gay
He loved me so greatly, He drew me away.
I needed the quiet. No prison my bed
But a beautiful valley of blessing instead;
A place to grow richer, in Jesus to hide,
I needed the quiet, so He drew me aside.
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IN CHRIST WE HAVE . . .
A love that can never be fathomed!
A life that can never die;
A righteousness that can never be tarnished;
A peace that cannot be understood;
A rest that cannot be disturbed;
A joy that can never be diminished;
A hope that can never be disappointed;
A glory that can never be clouded;
A light that can never be darkened;
A happiness that can never be interrupted;
A strength that can never be enfeebled;
A purity that can never be defiled;
A beauty that can never be marred;
A wisdom that can never be baffled;
Resources that can never be exhausted.
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ARE YOU THIRSTY?
BY HARRY W. RICKARDS, Jr.
We are living in a world today that is thirsty, a world that is thirsty after peace, a world that is thirsting for that which will satisfy the longings of the human heart. We see men and women everywhere rushing to-and-fro seeking pleasures that will satisfy the thirst for joy within the human heart and life. They seek that which will erase the confusion of mind and will implant peace in the heart.
While sitting in a restaurant one day drinking a milk-shake I had this question asked of me: "Why did you order a milk-shake?" I answered, "because I was thirsty." "Then," he asked, "why did you ask for a glass of water after drinking the milk-shake?" In honesty I had to admit that the milk drink did not satisfy my thirst and I needed the glass of water for that purpose. Was it not foolish for me to pay for that which would not quench my thirst when without charge, I could drink all the water I wanted and have my thirst completely satisfied?
Is this not a picture of the world today? I wonder if it isn't a picture of you. Have you been thirsting for that which will satisfy the longings of your own heart? Have you been thirsting for something real in your own life? Listen to the words of our God: "For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." (Jeremiah 2:13). Have you been guilty of forsaking the only Fountain of living water? Have you gone about digging your own wells, looking for water that will satisfy the thirst in your life, only to find that the wells you dig "can hold no water?"
Here is the invitation of God: "Ho, every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye . . . without money and without price: (Isaiah 55:1). Jesus said: "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14). Will you believe this? Will you receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior, and let Him give you the very water of life--His own life within you, making you a child of God forever, satisfying every need of your heart and life?
Will you give the answer that Peter gave in John 6:67, when our Lord asked the disciples if they were going to go away as many others were doing? Peter answered: "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." Peter was saying, where else can we go to find the satisfying water of life? There is no one else to whom we can turn.
Do you see what Peter saw--that the very Fountain of Life is the Lord Jesus Christ, that there is no other satisfying water, no other one to meet the needs of the human heart, no other one to satisfy the longings of that heart.
Are you ready to turn aside from your sin, to place your faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you? Are you willing to receive Him as your own personal Savior? The moment you do, you will be born again (this time a spiritual birth) into the family of God, becoming a child of His forever. You will then be drinking at the Fountain of Life and having every need in your life satisfied in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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The blood of Jesus Christ is the currency
with which our debt of sin is paid.
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TO THEIR WILL
" . . . but he delivered Jesus to their will." Luke 23:25.
Pilate delivered Jesus to the will of His tormentors. The same is true today. Jesus is delivered to the will of the people. He is delivered to your will. You may do with Him what you want. You may spit on Him, mock Him, scourge Him, smite Him, or in any way crucify Him. He will answer back not a word. You may do your worst to Him; He will stand passively by. Curse Him if you wish. Use His name to swear. Put Him aside for more pressing things. Neglect Him, turn from Him, poke fun at His Word, laugh at His bold claims, do as you will with Him.
This is your day. You have complete liberty to act toward Him as you please. You, like the boisterous atheist, may look toward heaven and shout defiantly: "If there is a God, I give Him just sixty seconds to strike me dead," and He will do nothing. But mark this, and mark it well:
God's day is yet to come. We are yet to be delivered to the will of Jesus. Then the tables will be turned. Then we shall do the listening and He the talking. Our record will be considered. Our lives will be examined. Jesus will no longer stand passively by, but as the righteous Judge will judge each man according to his works and words. Be assured, your words are not lost, but recorded to accuse you on that day. Your works are all observed and remembered for that day. Everything that is now hidden shall be brought to light.
God's patience is not exhausted in sixty seconds by a puny, blasphemous atheist. But do remember, there is coming a time when God will no longer deal with man in grace and love, but shall judge and shall have vengeance upon His enemies. In that day God shall pour out His awful wrath against all workers of iniquity.
For those who have abused the opportunity of having Jesus delivered to their will, putting Him to open shame, putting Him aside for other things, crucifying Him afresh and daily, they shall discover the will of Christ distasteful, to say the least. But for all who have delighted to do His will, they shall delight in Him throughout eternity. His will is light and gladsome to the willing, but heavy and wearisome to the unwilling.
The Jews who stood before Pilate, that memorable day, agreed together: "We will not have this man to reign over us." YOU may say to Jesus, "I will not" if you so desire, but if you do, don't be surprised when some day He says to you: "Depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Much better will it be for those who hear Him say: "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
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It is difficult to pray
in the midst of suffering and adversity,
thus we are bidden to bear one another's burdens
and to pray for one another.
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THE SPIRIT-FILLED CHILD OF GOD
does not look around or he would be dismayed;
he does not look within, or he would be disgusted;
he does not look back, or he would be defeated;
he does not look at others, or he would be disappointed;
he does not look at his circumstances, or he would be disheartened, he does not look at his blessings, or he would be diverted;
BUT he looks at Christ and is delighted.
--Selected
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Sunshine and shade are both necessary to beautify nature, in that flowers grow best in the sunshine and ferns grow best in the shade. Likewise, sunshine and shade are both necessary in our lives to beautify us for God.
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SERMON SERIES - XXIV
BE AT PEACE
I THESSALONIANS 5:12-28
Most organizations have their public-relations man. His primary task is to bring about a good relationship between his company and the public. We might say he strives for peace between them. But this is not a passive peace where each says to the other: "You let me alone and I'll let you alone, and we'll live at peace with one another," but a productive peace where both the corporation and the public profit.
The local church as a rule has no official public-relations man, but actually each member ought to be such. Every Christian should take upon himself the task of establishing peaceful relationship between his assembly and the community. More that this he should strive for productive peace in the local assembly itself. This is the place to begin, for how can a congregation bring peace to a community--that is, productive peace, where the community and the church both benefit--if anything but a peaceful atmosphere exists in the congregation?
Our text calls for this proper relationship in the church in these words: "And be at peace among yourselves." It points out three distinct directions which this peace should take, and reveals the power to make it operative. The text also includes the salutation which brings to a close the First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians.
(WITH) THEM THAT LABOUR (12-13a)
"And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake."
The leaders of the local church are by God's appointment. Because they are, and by their very position, they deserve recognition, and more they deserve our love. Of course we must first be sure they are God's choice, then we must "esteem them very highly." Practically, this surely includes working in harmony with them and praying for them. Our love toward them must be of the type (the only type recognized by God) found in the First Corinthian epistle, where we read: "Charity (love) suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked," etc. How many God-appointed pastors would give anything to have a congregation permeated with this spirit of love.
Of course I recognize that there will be personalities which cannot quite "hit-it-off." But the promise is still with us that "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." For the sake of their work, which is God's work, we must appropriate this promise. May it become more than a promise to us, even an established fact.
AMONG YOURSELVES (13b-15)
"Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men."
A second direction for peaceful relations is among the brethren of your assembly--the layfolk. There is a place for warning. The unruly must be warned of their sin. Some, sad to say, are going to speak and act in ways unbecoming a Christian; these are to be warned before they cause dissention among the others. A little leaven soon leaveneth the whole lump.
There is a place for comforting. "Comfort the feebleminded," or as sometimes rendered, "the faint-hearted." Those who are strong-hearted, who have grown in grace, who have matured through years of Bible study, prayer, and practical experience, are to help comfort those not so fortunate.
"Support the weak." Your faith is strong; humbly support those who are weak in faith. It seems easy and natural to push them down when they manifest weakness, but our part is to lift them up, support them until they can again support themselves.
Above all, "be patient toward all men." Render only good in return for evil. Do this among the brethren and also "to all men." The world's philosophy is retaliation. But Jesus said: "Whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." Impossible! someone exclaims. But it isn't impossible to the one in whom dwells the love of God in Christ Jesus, which love is shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Spirit.
Peaceful relations between our ministers and ourselves, and among our fellow believers, depend largely if not wholly upon our right relationship to our God. The performance of the next, sundry exhortations will determine our state before Him.
(TOWARD) GOD (16-22)
"Rejoice evermore." Yes, even in sorrow, knowing your hope is in One who shall one day wipe away every tear.
"Pray without ceasing." We are not commanded to kneel without ceasing, but to be in a constant attitude of prayer, where prayer becomes as natural and easy as talking to a friend. Let us recognize our ready access to the throne of grace. Let us keep the channel open by constant vigil against sin and by frequent reading of the Word of God.
"In everything give thanks." How can we give thanks in adversity? We can if we thoroughly believe Romans 8:28, where Paul, under inspiration, confidently said: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God." If we know that all things, in the providence of God, work together for our good, we can give thanks for everything.
"Quench not the Spirit." To quench the Spirit is to fail to respond to His guidance. However, He can only guide the believer. The nonbeliever can resist Him but cannot quench Him. We must follow His guidance constantly. And He always guides in harmony with the Bible.
"Despise not prophesyings." This can refer to FORTHtelling as well as FOREtelling. We must beware of prophesyings today which have not the Bible at their core. But all Biblical "fore" and "forth" telling we must not despise.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." Prove all things by the Word of God. Measure them by their treatment of Christ. Reject all that in any wise take from or add to the Scriptures. Hold fast to that which honors the Bible and exalts the Christ.
"Abstain from all appearance of evil." Be a total abstainer. Turn from every form of evil. Harbor not a bit in your life. Stay apart from anything which even appears like evil, lest others be made to stumble.
What an array of commands! Where can we find the wherewithal to comply? Our text tells us:
HE . . . WILL DO IT (23-24)
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."
How can we maintain peaceful relationships in the church and in the community and toward God? Only by the "God of peace." He is faithful. As He has called you unto Himself through Jesus Christ, so He will enable you to live accordingly. You may be "confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."
Sanctification is used in the Scriptures in three senses. In one sense we are said to have been sanctified, in another we are being sanctified, and in still another we shall be sanctified. The Book of Hebrews tells us that we have been "sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Here we are potentially, or seen as being, wholly set apart from sin unto God. This was accomplished by the death of Christ, once for all. It can never be added to. God sees us as perfect, holy individuals in Christ.
Jesus prayed to the Father concerning us: "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." Here we are progressively set apart from sin unto God. This is accomplished by the Word of God, as we give ourselves to its study, and live in accord with its teachings. In this sense sanctification is not complete, but is in a state of growth.
In Colossians Christ's work of reconciliation is shown to be that which was purposed "to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight." And again we read: "We know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." Here we are practically set apart from sin unto God. This lies in the future when we shall see Christ face to face, having entered into our heavenly reward. Nothing shall be there that in any way defiles. No longer will sanctification be potential or progressive, but actual and complete. We shall then be separated completely from sin and wholly unto God. But give no credit to yourself, for it is "the very God of peace," who shall "sanctify you wholly," and preserve your whole spirit and soul and body blameless "unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
(SALUTATION) (25-28)
"Brethren, pray for us.
"Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss (or if you wish, with an holy handshake, but be sure it is holy and not in guile; remember Judas' sin).
I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."
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OTHERS
Lord, help me to live from day to day
In such a self-forgetful way
That even when I kneel to pray
My prayers will be for others.
Help me in all the work I do
To ever be sincere and true
And know that all I do for You
Must needs be done for others.
Let "self" be crucified and slain
And buried deep; and all in vain
May efforts be to rise again
Unless to live for others.
And when my work on earth is done,
And my new work in heaven's begun,
May I forget the crown I've won
While thinking still of others.
Others, Lord, yes others!
Let this my motto be,
Help me to live for others,
That I may live like Thee.
--C. D. Meigs
From "3000 Illustrations for Christian Service."
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