Recent world happenings have brought to our attention anew the rapidity with which world conditions can change, and the necessity of always conducting our work on such a basis that it will not be unduly affected or brought into jeopardy by political and social changes that may come. From its early inception, the special message that is so dear to every advent believer has been worldwide in its scope. The slogan of pioneers in this cause was the same as our slogan today—to preach the everlasting gospel to, "every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." This watchword has so extended the message to all parts of the world, that our statisticians find it difficult to tabulate accurately the growing figures, and to report fully the progress of the message as it swells into the loud cry.
Today in a world of envy, hate, and distrust, the work of Seventh-day Adventists stands as a living testimony to the efficacy of the gospel to unite peoples in all lands, regardless of racial differences, education, and environment, into one great family who are preparing for the Saviour's soon return. This is an age of intense nationalism, of economic and social regimentation, of mutual distrust between nations and peoples. Modern facilities are intensifying the potentiality of the many beliefs and "isms" that everywhere are clamoring for expression. And unless special care is exercised at this time by those who labor with voice and pen, there is danger that the unity of our work will be broken and we shall be brought into perplexity and difficulty.
Every worker in the advent cause needs constantly to be on guard, to weigh his utterances carefully, and to bear in mind that any statement unguardedly made may be used by the enemies of truth to bring perplexity to workers and believers in other parts of the world. In the Spirit of prophecy we have the following timely counsel:
"The very highest obligation is resting upon us. Satan is standing ready, burning with zeal to inspire the whole confederacy of satanic agencies, that he may cause them to unite with evil men, and bring upon the believers of truth speedy and severe suffering. Every unwise word that is uttered through our brethren will be treasured up by the prince of darkness."—"Testimonies," Vol. IX, p. 242.
"Let everyone bear in mind that we are in no case to invite persecution. We are not to use harsh and cutting words. Keep them out of every article written, drop them out of every address given. Let the word of God do the cutting, the rebuking; let finite men hide and abide in Jesus Christ. Let the Spirit of Christ appear. Let all be guarded in their words, lest they place those not of our faith in deadly opposition against us, and give Satan an opportunity to use the unadvised words to hedge up our way."--Id., p. 244.
As we study the time of Jesus' earthly ministry, we find that in many respects it was much like the age in which we live. It was an age of gross materialism. War and prowess were worshiped by one class, and philosophical and speculative thought were held in high regard by another. Christ's own people, the Jews, had lost the spirit of true religion and worship and were clinging to dead forms to satisfy their unfulfilled desires. There was much that was wrong and that could be justly condemned and criticized in the political, social, and economic structure of His day. It was not His mission, however, to place undue emphasis on these shortcomings. He was a religious teacher. His first work was to direct the attention of men and women to the kingdom of heaven and the conditions of its citizenship.
When tempted to enter into a discussion of the political conditions of His day, Christ replied, "My kingdom is not of this world." His all-absorbing purpose was to liberate the individual from sin and its results, to give man a spiritual conception of life, and show him how to prepare for the life to come. His crowning claim was, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." To Christ, there was a definite separation between the temporal and the spiritual. In His statement, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's ; and unto God the things that are God's," Christ clearly showed His relationship to things temporal and spiritual.
On the eve of the present struggle between the two major powers in the Orient, I was asked to take up work in the editorial rooms of the Signs of the Times Publishing House, at Shanghai. While at that time there were rumblings of the coming storm, few believed that it would break so soon. We labored on day by day as usual. Suddenly the war clouds broke, and in a few hours' time we found ourselves in a war zone. Upon advice from our consular representatives, we left our posts.
Through special intervention of the hand of God, we were able to return to our publishing house a few days later, and though we were close to the front line of fighting, and under shellfire, we were able to secure some valuable documents and our periodical mailing lists. With these lists in a suitcase, we left the next day for British Hong Kong to continue the publication of the Signs of the Times magazine, our church paper, and other literature. It seemed like a difficult task, but as we look back on God's leadings during the last fourteen months, we acknowledge His continued blessings, and we are glad to report that we have not missed an issue of our missionary paper, the Signs, and that at present we are getting out all our periodicals on schedule time. We have also been able to publish some books, a number of tracts, and promotion material of various kinds.
These experiences have impressed upon our minds anew the importance of always following a cautious and consistent policy in all our writing and in our interpretation of current events. The fact that while publishing in a British colony we have been able to send literature without interruption into territory controlled by both belligerents in the present conflict, is the result of careful work. In our first issue of the Signs printed at Hong Kong, we emphasized the fact that we purposed to continue to publish our periodical, and to follow our former constructive policy of producing a nonpolitical, nonpartisan, religious magazine of the highest quality. During the last year when scores of magazines and newspapers have had to suspend or cease publication on account of the raging conflict, we have been able to continue our work with but few delays or interruptions. And during the last fourteen months we have produced over fifty million pages of literature.
In this age, when people are looking for that which is unusual, we should take care that what we write and say is not so colored as to make a spectacular appeal. We should not be too positive or too dogmatic in our interpretation of current happenings. Neither should we go beyond the Bible and the Spirit of prophecy in predicting just what will take place as a result of certain present happenings, as this might bring the Scriptures and the work we represent into disrepute.
Care should be taken in passing judgment on political systems and on individuals. Public opinion in these days fluctuates so rapidly that before our utterances reach the public, attitudes may have greatly changed. Therefore it is not well to exalt unduly one political or economic system above another. We should remember with Paul that "the fashion of this world passeth away." At best, there are shortcomings in all things earthly. Our presentation of the gospel should lead people to set their affections on things above. We should not convey the idea that before God any one is superior to another.
It is a wonderful privilege to be a coworker with God in these closing days of earth's history, but the privilege carries with it a heavy responsibility. Every worker should conduct his work, be it with voice or with pen, so that it will be a constructive force in building up unity, and in strengthening every pin and pillar of the message for these last days.
