Untitled article | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 23, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 37.

FROM ASIATIC TURKEY.

ELDER Z. G. BAHARIAN, our Armenian missionary, in a letter to Elder Holser, speaks of his experience as follows:—

Thirteen days were spent in Aleppo. These were days of great blessing from the Lord. I held twenty-six meetings for Bible study, the principal subject dwelt upon being the faith of Jesus. I see more and more the importance of studying this subject, because in no other way can the people so well be led to see the harmony of all parts of present truth. Many might think that the faith of Jesus is already preached in all the churches, and that therefore we must dwell on other points; but my experience proves the contrary. The faith of Jesus that we preach to-day is as strange to them as other doctrines. It was so in Aleppo. The people were surprised to find that Christ is the author of the faith, that it is the faith of Jesus (not ours), that we must have it as the free gift from God, that this faith Christ has put in his word, and through hearing of this word his faith is created in us, and that through this faith we become connected with the power of God, to work the works of God,—his righteousness.

About eight days were spent in the study of this point. A man and his wife, who have been Protestants for thirty years, confessed publicly that only now they learned the way of the new birth and how to live the Christian life. A doctor from Aintab, forty-five years a Protestant, was in Aleppo, and attended most of our meetings. After five or six days he made a confession that surprised all and will surprise all. He said that during the forty-five years that he has been a Protestant, he has been with many missionaries and able pastors, and has earnestly asked many questions about Christ's dwelling in us, receiving the Holy Spirit, and the new birth, but he was sorry to be obliged to say that he had never received a plain, simple answer. All these told him, "We must have Christ in us." But how? When he saw in our Bible study that Christ is the word of God, and that he dwells in us with his word, that everything that God gives us,—repentance, faith, the new birth, the Holy Spirit, salvation, etc.,—is put in his word, and that we must get them from his word, how glad he was! He said that he had about become an infidel, never could love Christ and his Bible, but now old things had passed away, and all things had become new. I left him in study. Although he did not begin to keep the Sabbath, our hope is that he will do so, and become a great blessing to Aintab. May 2 five persons were baptized, and soon after I left Aleppo for Alexandrette, because the government did not permit me to go to other places, except back to Constantinople.

To this letter from Brother Baharian, Elder Holser adds:—

This makes six that are now baptized in the province of Aleppo. This is the first time that they were visited, and, as you see, it was but a short visit, too. I have just received a letter from a colporter in Nicomedia, who began to keep the Sabbath while I was there. Although he was their best colporter, the society has dismissed him, on account of his keeping the Sabbath. At present he is learning basket making.