Preparing for Work in Other Lands by Joel C. Rogers

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 6, 1906

Preparing for Work in Other Lands

By Joel C. Rogers

It is time for our youth to know that God has a mighty work for them in the world. Especially must our students realize this. We know the third angel’s message is to be carried to all the world. We should study the meaning of “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” I fear we have never seriously reckoned with this problem as we do with other enterprises. One of our small printing-offices receives an order for a hundred-thousand edition of a great book. The manager and all his assistants begin at once to figure on the details of this stupendous undertaking. “Have we the necessary machinery and equipment, the workmen, and material?” It is found that new presses must be added, more men and women must be trained for the many kinds of work, and large amounts of material must be obtained.

Let us apply the illustration. Our General Conference and Mission Board have received the order—and we believe from God—to carry this message to all the nations right away. They pass the order on to our schools. The principals and faculties with their students are left to figure on the extent of the work, and provide the needed workmen. Parents and our people generally will furnish the material,—the money.

The principal will keep this matter before his faculty. Certain teachers will be appointed to enlist students in—

Studying special countries, their people, conditions, and needs.
Learning names of nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples in the land selected.

Praying for them by name for God (a) to work on hearts of heathen, Mohammedan, Catholic, Jew, or Protestant; (b) to bless the workers already in those fields; (c) to send forth new workers; (d) to move people to give money.
Suggesting ways of raising money to support a missionary or a native worker.

Many helps on mission study may be obtained from our own mission reports in the Review and Instructor, from the Missionary Review of the World; the American Board of Foreign Missions, New York City; Student Volunteer Movement, 3 West Twenty-ninth St., New York; United Societies of Christian Endeavor, Chicago and New York.

Students, God says to you: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world . . . then shall the end come.” Find any people on earth who have not heard this message, and these words of Christ are your call to carry the message to them. Prepare for God’s work. Then unless he shows you that you should stay in the home land, heed his call to some more needy people.

You need the Holy Spirit to direct your mind to the people who need your peculiar abilities. Pray for the Spirit. You are in the time of the latter rain.

China is awakening and opening up for the message. Solve this problem: If the Lord gives us five years yet to work, how many workers are needed to tell the message to China’s 400,000,000? Make similar problems for India’s 300,000,000, Africa’s 200,000,000, South America’s 50,000,000, Europe’s 350,000,000, besides the millions of the islands of the seas.

We are not to undertake this mighty task in any adventurous spirit, nor with any sentimental interest. Our hearts must be moved by the appealing cry and the appalling need of doomed souls. It is their last chance. God must plant in our hearts a deep love for lost souls, without God and without hope in the world.

JOEL C. ROGERS.