The Message to all the World by W. A. Spicer

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 17, 1910

The Message to all the World

By W. A. Spicer

W. A. SPICER

(Reading for Friday, December 16)

"WHEREUPON, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision." Thus spake an apostolic missionary.

Nearly thirty years before, Paul had seen the heavenly vision that called him to carry the message of salvation into the regions beyond. All these years the voice had sounded in his soul, urging him on from land to land, never wearying, never staying.

"I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness, . . . delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."

Time had not dimmed the memory of that scene on the Damascus road. Until his course was finished, he must be obedient to the heavenly vision.

Now, to us Seventh-day Adventists also has come the heavenly vision, revealed by the same Lord Jesus. Not to one alone, but to all, so soon as we receive the light of truth for this day, there comes the vision of the angel flying in the midst of heaven, "having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come."

And another angel followed the first, and the third followed them, the threefold message compassing sea and land, and gathering out a people prepared for the Lord.

That is our heavenly vision. We can never follow the Lord of the third angel's message without following him to every nation and kindred and tongue and people. The vision is just as clear today as when it appeared to the pioneers in this advent movement, and the urgency of its call increases with every passing year. There is for us no other business in life than to respond to it. We will follow it by our continual prayers, by every resource of means that God enables us to save and to earn, and by our personal service, until the last unwarned field has heard the cry, and the Lord himself suddenly cuts short the work. That heavenly vision is the advent hope. And it grows brighter every month and year, as the Lord leads on the work from land to land.

While we this week dedicate ourselves anew to God, and bring gifts for his blessed cause, the thoughts of our brethren in many lands are with us. We must give place to some of their testimonies, sent for this meeting,—words of cheer from every side, and appeals to renewed effort. The first to speak is Elder J. T. Boettcher, of the Russian Union, the largest and most populous union conference we have. He says:—

"We are just back from a most profitable trip in Siberia. Though the law forbade our holding general meetings, we were able to plan the work by local meetings. I send you a picture of the Russian company in Harbin. (This shows twenty-six adults, besides children.) We present these as our firstfruits

from Manchuria, by the Chinese border. As there were but three fully keeping the Sabbath, when our Russian minister, Elder E. Gnadjin, went there, these are certainly splendid results for two months' effort. These people had long called for help. A sister of this church now sends this greeting to all:—

"‘Dear Brethren and Sisters: Rejoice with us, yea, rejoice with us; for the Lord has visited us through his servant, and opened our eyes to see the truth. We were on the verge of destruction, but the Lord heard our prayers. Light has gained the victory over darkness here in Harbin, and fruit is beginning to appear in a new field. Our eyes are wet with tears of joy. Accept our heartfelt thanks, dear brethren and sisters, for your kindness in sending us the light. We see you have spared no pains to love your neighbor as yourself.’"

So these believers thank God for the truth that brings a cross; for in the cross they find the power of God unto salvation. And while we rejoice at the splendid progress in this great field, let us breathe a prayer for some in Russia and Germany who are to-night in prison cells for the Sabbath of the Lord.

From the land of the Greek Church, we turn to the greatest Catholic field. Elder L. P. Tieche, of the Latin Union Conference, sends word:—

"Our last quarterly report shows exactly one thousand members. Please let our people know; and remind them that we have yet to bring the message to more than a hundred million souls in this union. Somebody will have to give us a lift, or the work will be delayed."

Elder Walter Bond writes:—

"The believers gathered in our first general meeting in Spain by standing vote sent their greetings to their brethren in other lands, with assurances that they are one with them in carrying the message to the world in this generation. Prospects never seemed brighter for our work here. The Lord is opening ways faster than we can follow. Our force of laborers is so small! As we think of the millions about us without hope, our hearts cry out for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in more abundant measure. Pray for poor, priest-ridden Spain."

Amid the revolution in Portugal, Elder C. E. Rentfro rejoices that at last another worker is coming from Switzerland to join him. Changes are coming rapidly these days, and prophecy is fulfilling. The heathen East is astir also. Just a word from various workers there. Asked how goes the battle in China, Elder W. A. Westworth sends a word of cheer, and adds, in a personal note:—

"I hardly see how to say what we want to in a word. The longer we are here, the greater the burden seems to be; and to tell you the truth, brother, just now we are wondering what next. With the sickness among the workers you can see we must have better arrangements to retain what we have. And still the work goes forward—we can not stop it nor keep up with it. Woe be to us if we fail to step into the openings!"

From the interior of China, Elder J. J. Westrup speaks:—

"The brethren of the Central China Mission greet the believers in other lands. Many of our Chinese brethren are suffering persecution for the truth's sake. Thank God, with persecution and a real burden for souls comes pentecostal power. There is a great movement toward the truth among the Chinese. They come to us from all directions asking, ‘What is the truth?’ and, ‘Can you teach us?’ O for time to answer these calls! While on this mountain, I have studied with two bright young men from Hankow who accepted the truth last week; and one of them, full of enthusiasm, went home, and the last we heard from him he was preaching to a company of thirty-five. O, how the Lord is working and opening doors! Who will with us enter in?"

Words of progress come from Korea. You must have read not long ago Elder I. H. Evans's report in the REVIEW, of the nine thousand sick people who had passed through that little thatched hut of a dispensary at Soonan within eighteen months. Here is a word from Dr. Riley Russell, giving us just a glimpse of the daily round:—

GROUP OF SABBATH-KEEPERS AT HARBIN, MANCHURIA

"Last night a poor woman came to a large stone near the corner of our house to offer sacrifices to Satan because her child was sick. I gave her a tract, ‘The Way of Salvation,’ and told her Jesus loved women and loved her baby. We also gave her some medicine, and asked her to bring us her child. When we see these poor souls suffering and dying without Christ, we think, What more can we do? Within two days I have had five calls to visit different companies of believers; but next Sunday, school must begin, and we have accommodations for only a little more than half of our boys, and as yet nothing for the girls. At times we get bowed down with the amount of work which must be done. God grant that men and means may be poured into the Orient. Our God is mighty, and Korea's workers are all of good courage."

On the way to India, we must pass by

more than one needy Oriental mission where a few workers are laboring in whitening fields. That means passing Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, East Indies, and Burma—over a hundred million unwarned souls in those five words. You must have read not long ago, in a report from Brother J. S. James, of that South India sister who, on baptism into Christ, changed her heathen name to one signifying, "A woman of gold." That transformation the truth is working for many. And we have read also of that baptism in East Bengal where a Hindu heathen who witnessed the scene embraced one of the candidates coming out of the water, exclaiming, "God bless you, brother." Wherever the truth is preached, similar things are seen. We had expected to have at this service a word from Elder J. C. Little, leader of our work in Bengal. But Sister Little sends the word:—

"As you know ere this, the card from Europe asking for a message from Bengal

came too late for Mr. Little to reply. Yet his death may be the strongest appeal that could be made. He was willing to spend his life working for India; but God, for some reason I do not understand, ordained otherwise."

And Elder W. W. Miller says this loss emphasizes anew their need of more workers and more facilities in unhealthful lands, and pleads for help to come out to fill the gaps. He says:—

"Sister Little, instead of returning home, longs to take up the work her husband has laid down, and be with it to the close. Never in the history of our work in India, have we realized as at this time our great need of workers and means to answer the calls."

And Africa, too, sends messages. Elder Conradi has spoken for the East African work. From West Africa, to which recruits ought to be on the way at this moment, Elder D. C. Babcock speaks:—

"The little band of workers for the millions of West Africa, send greetings to all our dear people, who have so liberally supported the cause of the Master in this dark corner of the earth. The

Lord is greatly blessing the efforts put forth. The field is wide open, and facilities are rapidly increasing for pushing into the interior. Only a few hours' ride on a steamer, and we come to the new railroad penetrating to the very heart of the darkest spot of all West Africa. Before this year closes, we hope to establish our work in the interior—one station among the Mende people, and one among the Temnes. We appeal for men and means to close up the work in West Africa. 'Pray for us.'

Elder R. C. Porter speaks for South Africa, where we have been longest at work:—

"The work in South Africa is moving in a much stronger way than any of us anticipated, and in a manner that taxes our resources and strains our force of laborers to the utmost. It is so in the book, the medical, and the educational departments. The conferences are pressing an aggressive campaign of evangelistic city mission work, which is bringing a harvest of souls into the truth."

"Our missions are staggering under the tremendous burden. At Solusi, our oldest station, where Elder M. C. Sturdevant is, the attendance within just over a year has been multiplied by three, with others knocking at their doors. In Nyasaland, where the field is so large, and the laborers are so few, we have now nearly a thousand students in training. But the calls for the extension of the work are pitiful. Elder J. C. Rogers writes, 'What shall we do?'"

"From Somabula, Elder W. C. Walston reports an urgent call to open a new station, and asks, 'Shall we go forward?' Elder W. H. Anderson sends word from beyond the Zambesi: 'I find the work in this field has doubled during my absence on furlough. Can you provide additional funds for immediate extension?' Elder F. A. Armitage is opening a new station in Zululand. He sends a telegram: 'Send me a man, and I will meet half the salary personally for one year.'"

"These are but a few of the calls. If the reader could hear these natives, so lately from heathenism, speaking intelligently the praises of God, and see the tears of joy streaming from their eyes as they sing the songs of Zion, he would say, Go forward, and the men and means shall be provided. Shall we go forward? or shall we hold back from these hungry souls calling to us in the darkness? The offerings from our people for the foreign mission work must answer the question. What shall the answer be?"

Three or four testimonies now must close the service, though many more would gladly speak. Elder J. W. Westphal, of South America, says:—

To our brethren assembled for the week of prayer, greeting from the Neglected Continent. The last year has been one of progress with us. In the great city of Buenos Aires, where it has seemed so hard to get a foothold, doors have opened, numbers have been baptized, and their meeting-place, formerly larger than necessary, is too small. An impression is being made in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the second largest city of the continent. In North Brazil the openings are more than can be filled. Sabbath-keepers who have never seen a minister call for help. West and east among the Catholics, and among the Indians, we have open doors. Some of the Indians have been baptized, and others have thrown away idols, and ask us to teach them the way. We can not carry the work alone. We must look for help from our brethren in the home lands.

This longing, prayerful look toward the home fields by those who have gone out from America and Europe and the colonies touches every chord in our hearts. We will stand by as God may enable us. In writing a personal letter to a friend in America a little time ago, Elder Westphal broke off the thread of his communication and cried out: "It is getting so we can hardly keep the outposts. Lord, send us help." The laborers in these fields where but a few face millions, can only cry to the Lord of the harvest, and go on winning souls within reach.

WORKERS ATTENDING GENERAL MEETING AT HIROSHIMA

From one-time cannibal Fiji, Elder B. J. Cady writes:—

"At our last missionary meeting thirty of our students testified their willingness to go on to New Guinea or other heathen islands. They are nearly all adults. I can say of our brethren here that their eyes are on the field, and they are willing to do what they can to help. I wish you could hear their touching prayers for the heathen. One of the student volunteers was once a cannibal. When he prays for these fields, his voice breaks; and with eyes filled with tears, he beseeches God to have mercy on them in their darkness, and to send them the truth. O, that we all may have the same burden that our Fijian brethren have!"

The next testimony comes from Smyrna. "Unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write," was the word so long ago from Him who is "the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive." Now Elder R. S. Greaves sends greeting from

the church in Smyrna. He says:—

"Smyrna has changed from what it was in the early days of the gospel; but he who is 'the first and the last' remains the same. So though our denomination has been spoken against in the pulpit, and denounced in the press, we still hear the words to Smyrna, 'Fear none of those things,' and we trust we may be faithful unto the end."

Last of all, from Jerusalem, where the Saviour gave the great commission, "Go ye into all the world," the word from Brother Ludwig Krug, of the Jerusalem Health Institute:—

"We are so thankful to our brethren for the financial aid that has enabled us to provide new quarters for our work. Many sick and lame in the ancient city of Jerusalem and about its gates have found healing or relief of their pains at our health institution. As we secure an entrance among the many nationalities by the medical missionary work, it is our heart's desire that yet again a strong church of God's people may be

gathered in Jerusalem, as in apostolic days. Two souls were recently baptized here. Greetings from Jerusalem to all the brethren and sisters."

Thus to-night, as Isaiah says, "from the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous." Isa. 24:16. Wherever the eye of faith turns, it sees those angel messengers of the Lord Jesus

flying through the midst of heaven, with the message for every land and tongue. The Lord tells us that when the witness has been carried to all nations, he will come. He only can finish the work; and he will do it when his church obeys his command. Wherefore, by his grace, we too, as Paul, will not be disobedient to the heavenly vision.

The word of prayer, in closing, comes from Elder R. W. Munson, of Java, in the far East Indies, who sends the text, Num. 6:24-36: "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee; the Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."