Arise, O Church, and Finish Thy Task!
God has committed to the heralds of the third angel's message the stupendous task of giving Heaven's final message to man--a message presenting His last overtures of mercy to a world in revolt, a message that will decide the eternal destiny of each individual on earth. The climactic hour of human history to which the church long has looked is manifestly here, when, amid scenes of earthly turmoil and trouble, blended with celestial power and glory such as the world nas never before seen, the message is to close triumphantly.
The hour has come for the sounding forth of the loud cry of the third angel, when divine power is to be united with consecrated human effort. As opposition to the claims or the message reaches its climax, the truth is to become the center of world attention and decision, and will be heralded to all men everywhere.
Time's hour is late. The days of trouble, long foretold, are upon us. Probation soon will close. The world is in a state of unprecedented upheaval. The conflict of the nations spreads throughout the earth. The old order is passing. What we fail to do in times of comparative peace and prosperity, in lands still open to us, will soon have to be done under the most forbidding conditions.
We have been ninety-six years in the time of the third angel's message. Truly the hour has come to arise and finish the work. We must read aright the lesson of those lands in which today public evangelism is seriously hindered. We must press into those doors of opportunity that are still open—in Europe, North and South America, Inter-America, Africa. India, the Orient, Australasia—ere they Close and the opportunity be forever past.
The sands of time are sinking. Probation's hour is fast closing. What we do must be done quickly. We must therefore catch a new vision of God's expectation of us, and of our duty to Him. We must understand His divine provision for this momentous hour. We must pray for the latter rain in this time of the latter rain. We must enlarge our plans, and proceed with our God-given task with increased rapidity.
The time has come to put away all lethargy and self-complacency. We must address ourselves to the supreme goal of finishing our task. We must pray for a revival of true godliness in our own hearts.
Public evangelism must now be pressed to the fullest degree possible. Men of God's appointment, with special evangelistic endowments, must enter the great cities, sounding forth the last message of mercy. We must capitalize present public interest and concern in current and impending events to proclaim the coming of Jesus.
We must enter the unentered areas—the cities, towns, and country places—where as yet there are no representatives of the church. We must assign more workers for continuous public evangelism in our conferences and missions. We must train more young men for evangelistic ministry, holding them unswervingly to evangelistic endeavor.
Every available resource should be drafted and employed to accomplish this great objective. Every worker should make soul winning the supreme purpose of all his efforts. National and indigenous workers should be developed speedily and given increased responsibility. The world should be sown with the literature of the message. The consecrated efforts of our laity and church officers should be added with increasing effectiveness to those of our ministers in one vast, unceasing endeavor quickly to finish our task. The latent talents of our great army of youth should be enlisted, trained, and led into this greater evangelism movement. The spirit of sacrifice and service in soul winning must become our supreme passion. Emergency times demand emergency plans and action.
The assembled delevates of the 1940 Autumn Council earnestly appeal to our entire church and ministry in all the world to join in prayer and devoted consecration to God that the divine energy of the Holy Spirit may characteiize our lives and service. We earnestly summon the remnant church to evangelistic action in harmony with the clear mandate of God for the times. Arise, 0 church, and finish thy commissioned task !
St. Paul, Minnesota. Oct. 22,1940.
Sabbath Observance Action
Whereas, The Sabbath has been given to man as the great sign of God's creatorship, in the keeping of which is signified man's loyalty to God, His government, and His law ; therefore, we are to keep the Sabbath, not doing our own work or finding our own pleasure on this holy day, guarding its edges, maintaining its spirit, and observing it as a day of spiritual rest and refreshing; and
Whereas, Nominal Christianity's growing disregard for the sacredness of the Sabbath institution, together with the increasing pressure of these tense times, is manifesting itself among our people in a growing laxity as regards Sabbath observance, and by encroachments of a commercial character in many of our Sabbath services of worship;
We therefore earnestly recommend renewed consecration on the part of our workers and people everywhere in the observance of God's holy day by : 1. Sacredly guarding the edges of the Sabbath, making full preparation for its opening before the setting of the sun.
a. Welcoming the blessed day by worship around the family altar, and again at the setting of the sun at the close of the Sabbath, rededicating ourselves and our children to the Lord.
b. Putting aside all secular papers, and refraining from the use of the radio.
c. Refraining from automobile journeys not in harmony with the proper observance of the Sabbath.
d. Jealously guarding the hours of divine worship, sacredly reserving them for the worship of God, and for the feeding of the flock of God with heavenly manna, carefully guarding the hour devoted to the preaching of the Word.
e. Exercising great carefulness in the manner of raising money on the Sabbath, and disposing of literature during the Sabbath services, reducing announcements and campaign instructions to the minimum so that the spiritual character of the Sabbath be kept ever before our churches, and by seeking to make all specific campaigns and programs contribute to the upbuilding of spiritual life.
