Finishing the Work by F. M. W.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 16, 1915

Finishing the Work

By F. M. W.

“THIS gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” In this statement the Lord foretells the extent to which the gospel message will be proclaimed just before his return.

The apostle John likewise declares that the gospel message will go to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” See Rev. 14: 6, 7. The extent to which this is being fulfilled is one of the encouraging omens of the Lord’s soon coming.

The gospel heralds are penetrating earth’s darkest regions, and in nearly every nation under heaven the banner of the cross has been unfurled. Many and wonderful providences have attended this propaganda. God has broken down adamantine walls, and opened iron gates. In many lands an excellent beginning has been made; and what has been done can be regarded only as a beginning. Only the outer fringes of the great heathen world have been touched. Millions upon millions on every continent, in nearly every nation, and in some cities, know naught of the coming Saviour.

We felt impressed with this stupendous fact recently as we visited some of the great cities on the Atlantic seaboard. In Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, and other great centers of population, how many are still unwarned. Considering the problem of their evangelization from a human standpoint, the task would seem most difficult, and well-nigh if not quite impossible; but “with God all things are possible.”

It is not by might, nor by power, but by his Spirit that his work is accomplished in the earth. He could take the single sermon of the humble fisherman on the day of Pentecost and carry it very shortly to earth’s remotest bounds. In the fullness of time he can as easily and rapidly and widely diffuse the message of the kingdom.

How mightily could God manifest his power in the spread of this message if he so willed! The agencies of communication are prepared. The fast mail, the newspaper, the express train, the ocean steamer, the telephone, the telegraph, the airship, will become his messengers when his wisdom determines, to do a speedy work in the earth. A Spirit-filled and spoken message uttered by a humble messenger of the cross could be sent with convicting and convincing power to every corner of the earth in an incredibly short space of time.

And sometime God will employ in behalf of his truth these agencies of rapid transmission. The inventions of the age will do service for the Master. He is ready, we verily believe, to work in this mighty manner today. But his church is not ready. Its members are not prepared to stand the searching test of critical publicity.

We need feel no concern over the triumph of the message of God, nor by mathematical calculation seek to determine the time required to sound it abroad. We need to take careful heed to our personal relationship to heaven, seeing that our hearts are cleansed from sin, and that we stand in that condition where the Master can work through us for the manifestation of his power and glory. When we are prepared for service, prepared to become the agents and agencies through whom God can manifest the wonders of his saving grace, we shall see of the revelation of his power in the speedy triumph of his truth.

F. M. W.