The Ohio Independent Baptist, May 1968

• • • eviva • - by Rev. Lewis E. Hunter - 1'/1e c1111/1or of t/1is article is R ev. L e~vis b'. J-/ 11nter, J/ irst Baptist Churc/1, Bri111swick, 0/1io. This dear brot/1er re– ce11tl)1 hac/ a /1eart attack and /1as IJeen i11structed !)y his doctor to be 111ost care/i1l witlz 111atters pertairzing to /1is /1ea/t/1. The L orri is blessi11,f.f t /1 e work i11 Britnswick . T/1e fol– l<Jwing 111es ·age is !)11ilt l1po11 tl, e popt1/ar revive,! text <J/ II C/1r<)11ic'les 7: 14. 1-Ve do lve/1 to c1pp!y its trL1tl1 to otir l, e·a rt s ! When an American thinks o,f hi country's pI"ogress, it is in t,erm of material improvemen,ts. We are perfecting motors which have reduced friction to a minimum. We are developing a society which has increased friction and law,lessne s to a maximum. This is a crucial h,our. What is the cure for this day in which we live? Is it too late ? Ha God forgotten us? I am glad when I read Hebrew 13 :8, " Jesu Chri t the same yesterday, and today, and f or– ever.' ' No, God has not forgotten , but with every promi e that God h a made in His Word, there i a con– dition for man to ·meet. As we look back in the Scripture , we read that Solomon prayed to God. We read in chapter even that God appears to Solomon, verses 12-15 in answer to his prayer. Will you look with me at verse 14, as we break it down ? For I believe this is the hope for thi s crucial hour. I I Chronicles 7: 14 reads , ' '/ f 111y pe(Jple, which are called by rny na,ne, shall humble themse lves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear fro,n l1eaven, and will heal their land." IF MY PEOPLE . . . We notice here that there must be other people besides God's people. A s tudy of the Scripture teaches that there are two c lasses of peo pJe - not the rich a nd ,the poor, not the Jew and the Gentile, not the well and the sick , and not the white and the black. G od 's co ncern ic; with the saved and the lost ; the c hildre n of God and the ch ildren of Satan. Tf you arc saved, then you arc a child of , od. 'f f you arc t1nsav d , you are a chi ld of Satan. Tr1 Joh n 3:3, Jesus s,1id 1() Nico– tlc.n1u ~ '·veri ly. ver il y. T say unt<) thee, exce1>t a 111a r1 l1e l1l1r r1 again. THE OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIST he can no t ·ee the kingdon1 o f God. " Nicodemu a ked Him h ow thi cou ld be. Je u gave him the an wer in J ohn 3: 14-15. ' And a Mo e lifted up the erpent in the wilderne , even o mu t the Son of m a n be lifted up : That who oever beJieveth in him hould not peri h but h ave eternal life . ' Rev. Lewis E. Hunter In th·e 21 t chapter of Number , we read that the people of I rael poke against God and God ent the fiery serpent into the caJmp. Every one that was bitten wa d y ing. The people cried out "We h ave s inned! " a nd the Lo rd told Mo e to make a fiery serpent. M oses m ade the fi e ry er– pe nt of brass. Any m a n, when h e be– held -or looked at 1he serpent, Jived. As Mo es lift e(l tip that erpent in the wilderne , o wa J est1s Chri t lifte d up for the ins of man. very one that looks to Hi111, tn1sting in Hi e; shed blood , shall Jive. Thi s ic; how we l1ccon1c th e children of 1 cl. . . . WI rr 1-r AR AI4l.JED RY MY AM .J ••• "J he c.11 i..ci 1lc~ were ca llcu 'l1 ristians f'tlJ' tile Jirst litl1 at ntit)Cl), rl Il e\ were called Chri ·tians •because they were acting I ike Chri st - no t because they were born in America or be– cau e the ir pa re nt were Chri ti an . We need people today wh o a re true Chri tian with ac tion like Chrjs t. A Chri tia n walk hould be a hri t-1 ike walk. A hri ti a n talk hould be a Chri t ... Iike talk . God would have tho e who cJain1 to be Chri tian to be Chr ist-like. . . . HALL HUMBLE THEM- SELVES .. . Often time we take the word " humble" a a ign of weakne or a ign 0 1 f fear. There wa no weak– ne or fear about Je LI Chri t, yet we read in Philippi a n 2: 6-8, 'Who, be ing in the form of God, thought it not ro bbery to be equal wiith God : But m ade him e lf of no r eputation, and took trpon him the form of a ervant and was made in the like– ne of me n : And being found in fa hion a a ma n, he humbled hin1- ~elf, and became obed ie nt unto death , even the death of the cro. .' ' The Lord h a no b lessing for the heart that is ft1JJ of haughtine . He re erve Hi ble i ng for the heart that i e n1pti ed of e lf. I t i the mo t hun1- ble who are the worthie . I t i the be t-fi11ed talk of corn th at be nd it. head the Jowc t. . .. AND PRAY . .. The praye r. of G d's pc ple can change the cour. e that mc rica i · now trave ling. We are fighting a "'ar in Viet a 111 that, th leader~ f ()t1r cot1ntr)' predict. cot1l i last fr(,n1 ter1 to tw ntv ve,1r~. The 0111111t1111\l"i ,trt; ninet) 1111lc\ fr 0111 the t1St of lor tda . We no,v l1nvc 0111n1t111i~i \ 111pa– thi1er<; i11 higl1 r>l,h.'~\ l f 1\n1eri~,1 has an '11Cfl1\ , it 1s < t1111n1un1~n1 . "f heir (lt.:,11t,; 1s lt.' take ) \t" J tl1c \Vo rlcl . (Continued on page 17) MAY, 1968 s