Entering and Occupying by J. N. Anderson

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 12, 1911

Entering and Occupying

By J. N. Anderson

J. N. ANDERSON

The missionary forces of our denomination are extensively distributed in the various parts of the world. We have workers in forty-five of the fifty-seven mission fields, thus giving us potential possession of the larger part of the world. But while that is true, the fact remains that so far as actually occupying those fields is concerned, we have merely made beginnings — very promising and splendid beginnings, indeed, but nevertheless they leave to us to-day the real task of carrying the advent message to the world.

In this day of God's great preparation in which open doors have been set before us and solid foundations have been laid by God's advance guard, we have boldly and with commendable zeal and courage entered upon this work. This is well; all good beginnings are good as beginnings, but they must issue in successful endings. The success of every undertaking is determined by the way in which it ends.

The entire mission force of all societies in all heathen lands is approximately 20,000. Of that number our force would constitute probably not more than about the one-fiftieth part. These figures plainly show how very thin our ranks must be in the great heathen fields where a thousand million await the preaching of repentance and remission of sins.

The point in all this is that a great work lies before us. Jesus enjoined on his followers to pray the Lord of the harvest that he send forth laborers into his harvest. And this prayer carries with it the duty of training and sending forth missionaries to fully occupy the fields we have already entered, and reach on still farther to possess the fields unentered. No one can say how many men and women will be required to accomplish this great work, but we all know it will call for a large army of workers. The Buddhism of Tibet and Mongolia claims the eldest son in every family for the priesthood. Can we do less? Do we not indeed stand for the principle that every believer in the Lord is a member of the royal priesthood, a bearer of the advent message? Is it too much to expect that, on the average, every family be represented in the foreign field? It must be that the God who has opened all the great doors in these fields is also calling his messengers to enter them speedily to take possession for him. Are there not scores of young men and women upon whom the Spirit of God is moving, leading them to enlist in this great cause? We should have scores and hundreds of young people in active training for this world-wide enterprise. We should have not less than one hundred fifty students as prospective missionaries. This number of stalwart young men and women would be an excellent reserve from which the Mission Board could draw to fill the many urgent calls from all parts of the world.

Washington Foreign Mission Seminary.