Jewish Contributions to Christmas - Christian and Missionary Alliance

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on perfecting itself. Emulation in- spires man to noble endeavor to make himsclf useful and as accom- plished as possible. Change one letter and zeulous becomes jealous. How easy for emulation to gearshift into envy. If in a race a runner finds a rival passing him, tries to jostle or trip him, honorable rivalry has becn replaced by con- temptible conduct in thc athlete who is no longer zealous but jealous. An old English poet put it: "Envy, to which the ignoble mind's a slave, / Is emulation in the lcarned and brave." Pat had a deep-seated grudge to- ward Mikc. In waking hours he was obsessed with how to add to Mike's woes. One night an angcl appeared to Pat, offering him whatever he wished. The angel added: "You should know this-whatever you ask will bc given you. But twice of the same thing will be given Mike." After :I moment's pondering Pat asked, "You mean that if I ask for a Cadillac 1 will get it, but Mike will havc two just like it?" The angcl said yes. "If I ask for a mansion, Mike will gct two mansions?" Pat continued. The angel nodded. "Then." said Pat, "I know what I want; 1 wish to he blind in one eye." Sympathy makes us "rejoice with them that do rcjoicc, and wcep with thcm that wcep" (Romans 12:15). Envy reverses this practicc, making us rcjoicc when others weep and wcep whcn othcrs rejoice. Envy is that nasty fecling of gratification whcn you learn that your neighbor's new car had its front fender dented, or that thcir new appliance has some dcfcct, or that his business is not do- in: so well, or that thcir brilliant child failed to win a scholarship. Even if we do sympathize with thcm in thcir sorrows, cnvy makes it difficult to exult with thcm over their successes. The girl who learns that her fricnd has been scarred in an ac- cidcnt can ache in sympathy. But if she hears that her friend has been selccted homecoming queen, an honor which she herself covcted, her con- pratulations may havc a hollow ring. The envious man feels that others' fortunes are his misfortune; their profit, his loss; their blessing, his bane; their health, his illness; their promotion, his demotion; their success, his failure. Phineas metcher said of envy, "Sick of a strange disease, another's health." 1 Welcome, New Subscribers! i For many of you, favored by a gift subscription from a Christian friend or relative, this will be your first issue of THE ALLIANCE WIT- NESS. THE ALLIANCE WITNESS has been around for a long time. Ninety years, to be exact. It is a journal of Christian life and missions and its Bible-centered con- tent has earned it a reputation that literally is worldwide. At last count, we had readers in 109 countries. We want very much for the magazine to contribute to your life If you havc suggestions, we 1 welcome them. If you have com- ments, we arc glad to receive thcm. They may be sent to us at the address on the back cover. Above all, pray for us and for the mag:izinc. THE ALLIANCE WIT- YESS seeks to be a voice for God in a very cxciting age. THE EDITORS - -- Often people consider sins of the ksh such as adultery and drunken- ness as more heinous than sins of the spirit such as pride and envy. Such classification is a radical miscalcula- tion. In reality, sins of the spirit are more serious. No sin of the flesh put Christ on the cross. Rather. Pilate "knew that for cnvy they had dcliv- crcd him" (Matthew 27:18). More than one New Testament passage ranks the envious person with the debauched and the drunkard (Romans l3:l3; Galatians 5: 19-21 ). Thc medieval divines recognized the severe wickedncss of envy whcn they counted it among the seven deadly sins, second only to pride. Recognized traditionally as a part of moral theology, the seven dcadly sins give structure to Dante's Purga- tory which follows their order, and are discussed in Chaucer's Parson's Tale and in Marlowe's Doctor Faustus. In his essay on envy Francis Bacon calls it the "vilest and the most de- praved affection, the proper attitude of the devil, who is called the En- vious Man, that soweth tares among the wheat by night." Envy has been termed "the four-lettered demon." But because it is not a gross fleshly sin, but rather slinky and subtle, envy can conceal itself under the guise of friendship, visiting in peo- ples' homes, dining with them, chum- ming with them and all the time en- vying thcm. Or it can worm its way into church with little trouble. If someone suffers a temper tan- trum in churoh, everyone around gets the benefit. The fellow who staggers into church drunk advertises his in- ebriation. But someone could envy repeatedly during a church service- singing a hymn, during prayer. Bible reading, the choir number or sermon -and not a single soul would be the wiser. Because it is so subtle. envy is often found in the Lord's work. Jeal- ousy in the Corinthian church drew Paul's rebuke. One noted revivalist said that among the half-dozen out- standing lessons he came to learn was this sad truth-even in Christian v,ork "effectiveness of service usually memt envy and opposition on the p.lrt of some." HOW easv to cnvy! No one need enroll in a school to master envy: it springs from the unregenerate hu- man heart as weeds on a lawn. Paul describes fallen man as "full of cnvy" (Romans 1 :29) How we need to live above envy! In his probing wny revivalist Charles Finney wrote, "Look at the cases in which yon were envious of those you thoqht were above you. Have you not so envied some that you had been pained to hear them praised? It has becn more agreeable to you t~ dwell upon thcir failure than upon their success. Be honest with yourself, and if you havc harbored this spirit of hell, repent deeply hcfore God." .
Phaitoon Hathamart in front of the International Student Fellowship House in Minneapolis where he first came in contact with the gospel Can Thailand be won fo Christ by 1980? Phaitoon Hathamart says "Yes!" and he is hard at work to prove his point. A fellow Thai, currently studying in Minneapolis. tells his story. By SOMDEE POOSAWTSEE THE first Protestant missionary to Thailand rcturncd homc in despair a few ycars aftcr his arrival in 1828. As prospective converts to Chris- tianity, thc Thai scemed hopeless. Later other missionaries laborcd nineteen long years before thc first Thai acknowledged Christ as his per- sonal Saviour. Even now, aftcr 144 years of missionary work in Thai- land, less than 1 percent of the popu- lation is Christian. Can Thailand bc won for Christ? Phaitoon Hathamart, a recent con- vcrt from Buddhism, says "Ycs!" His faith is cvidcnce of the impossible which is about to happen in his homeland. Thc name Phaitoon means lapis lazuli. Phaitoon's parents chose the name with the hope that his future would be as bright as that semi- precious gem. The hope proved well founded. Phaitoon excelled in school and was awarded a five-year scholarship at the university. There he studied agri- cultural economics and graduated with top honors in his class of several thousand. He worked for a while as an as- sistant to a marketing technician for the United States Operation Mission to Thailand. But he was not satisfied and he strove for greater achieve- ments. While holding a teaching position at the university he was awarded the coveted Royal Scholarship to do grad- uate work in Australia. Upon his re- turn to Thailand he was granted a professorship at Kasetsart University. His father-in-law, a prominent gov- ernment official, made a path for Phaitoon into the socially elite circle. His success was highlighted by audi- cnces with the King of Thailand and special missions for him. Phaitoon traveled halfway around the world bcfore he met the King of Kings. In July, 1969, he and his wife and older daughter stepped onto the soil of the United States. In his possession was a Rockefeller Founda- tion scholarship for pursuing a doctor& at the University of Minnesota. Hc expcctcd to rcturn to Thailand with prcstige, expertise and status. Rut one evening in October of that year his phone rang. Phaitoon was surprised to hear the voice of a stranger inviting him to the bimonthly meeting of the International Student Fellowship. He was even more surprised to hear himself agreeing to go. He went once, twice, many more times. On Christmas Eve a Filipino student first presented the Person of Jesus Christ to him. Phaitoon went home with a mind deeply perplexed. "1s Jesus real? Did He love me enough to die for my sins?" Later at the New Year's Eve watch-night servicc Phaitoon had the awesome sense of an unseen Pres- encc surrounding him. That same night, as hc watched a television showing of "The King of Kings," he was startled and appallcd by the pic- ture of the loving Christ hanging in agony on the cross. In thc heavy silence of his room he knelt down
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Page 6 and 7: LIVE ABOVE ENVY! A well-known pasto
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Page 14 and 15: Tomorrow in Missions Frontiect in M
Page 17 and 18: A New Face for the Bobo-Dioulasso C
Page 19 and 20: To the Fields To PERU: Miss Betty M
Page 21 and 22: Personnel Changes TRANSFERS Rev. R.
Page 23 and 24: SALVATION TODAY: QUEST OR FACT? Fro

Jewish Contributions to Christmas - Christian and Missionary Alliance

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