NEW ZEALAND by G. A. Wantzlich

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 1, 1900

NEW ZEALAND.

By G. A. Wantzlich

WANGANUI.—In reply to the call inviting ministers and workers occasionally to write out some of their experiences while engaged in the work, I enclose a brief sketch of a practical lesson experienced recently.

The text in Zech. 4:6 never before appeared so forcible to me as at this time: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” After three-months’ special public labor, consisting in holding public meetings, distributing tracts from house to house, united with personal invitations to come to the meetings, visiting and holding Bible readings, the effort would appear to have been all in vain. At last one Sabbath morning a young man about twenty-one years of age called to see me, to tell me that he had become fully persuaded of the truth as taught by the Seventh-day Adventist people, and that he had decided to be baptized and unite with our church here. I began to think that this was something I had accomplished, and accordingly congratulated myself upon my success. However, during the conversation, I found that all my efforts had not been instrumental in his conversion at all, since it had not reached him, but that he became convinced of the truth through reading “Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation” and “The Eastern Question.”

“By my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” I thank the Lord that this is so, that man can not lay claim to having done anything at all. “For without me ye can do nothing.” How apt we are to forget this, and how slow to learn the lesson!

I have become more convinced than ever that much of the success of our labor depends proportionately upon the scanty or liberal distribution of our literature among the people. So I have determined, with God’s help, to work more extensively in this direction in the future.

“In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand; for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.”

G. A. WANTZLICH.