Reformation Before Revival
Our beautiful and impressive cover is a part of the great Reformation monument in Geneva, Switzerland. To those who have visited this memorial it is unforgettable. Ten figures in all appear on this monument. These central, larger ones represent the Swiss branch of the great sixteenth-century Reformation.
The messenger of the Lord, speaking of this Reformation, declares it to be the greatest upsurge of spiritual power since the days of the apostles. The spirit of revival was paramount in all the Reformers' work for God. During the great struggle against the powers of opposition, we are told, "Luther 'did not pass a day without devoting three hours at least to prayer. . . .' In the privacy of his chamber he was heard to pour out his soul before God in words 'full of adoration, fear, and hope, as when one speaks to a friend.' "-The Great Controversy, p. 210.
Prayer and consecration to God's cause were the secret of their amazing success. The world was shaken by the ministry of those men. They emerged from the secret place of prayer as men inspired for a great task. Is not such a baptism of power the greatest need of the remnant church today? For decades we have spoken of the time when God's work will finish in a blaze of glory and power; when the Holy Spirit will illumine the church, and the Gentiles will come to the light of a rising people. Such thoughts are not new, but the question is, When will it come to pass? In the religious world there is a great deal of talk concerning revival and there are evidences of false and spurious revivals. Religion, for long enough an unpopular subject, has suddenly sprung into the spotlight. Roman Catholicism is adopting new techniques and moving into the greatest hour of its history. Satan, with all deceivableness of unrighteousness, is sweeping thousands into his deceptive snares. Great national and international movements are about to challenge the people of God on every side.
This is the time of all times when God's true church should arise and move forward to her destiny. God's message to His ancient people was, "Shake thyself from the dust; . . . loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, 0 captive daughter of Zion." Page 4 When a person faints, the first thing we do is to remove all obstructions in clothing. The neck must be free. And God makes just such an appeal to His people. The church must be set free from the things that hold her in a state of stupor. In the Scriptures and in the writings of the Spirit of prophecy much is said about the former and the latter rain. While these are an experience for the church as a whole, they are also an essential experience for the individual. The former rain represents that work of grace in the heart whereby the Spirit of God enables us to lay aside "every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God." Great light has come to the Advent church on matters of personal living and holiness. We, of all people, have been most blessed. But sanctification must be an experience, not just a slogan. What is it that is hindering the ministry of this movement from leading the church into the fullness of divine power in the latter rain?
Could it be that we have not yet fully accepted the blessings of the former rain? We talk about revival, but real revival without reformation is impossible. A candid examination of ourselves before God will compel us to admit that we are living below par. What a wonderful truth it is that reveals to us the purpose and blessings of the Sabbath! We emphasize, and rightly so, that the fourth commandment is a part" of the law of God which is written in our hearts under the new covenant experience. But the remnant church will be keeping not only the fourth but all the commandments of God, the first of which is a command against idolatry. Idolatry finds many forms. It even includes "covetousness, which is idolatry."
Spiritual Idolatry
The basic cause of the weakness of the disciples before Pentecost was covetousness. Their eyes were .on position, prestige, and personal preferment. While they had given up much for Christ, yet they had not given up personal ambition. Not until all their hopes collapsed at the cross was God able to strip them clean of the curse of covetousness. Before Pentecost those men worked and schemed, pushed and pulled, to arrive somewhere. Personal ambition, the desire to be first, became a very idol in their hearts. And while the world has changed very definitely, yet human nature is largely the same. With all our advantages we too can reveal the very same tendencies. Intellectualism, scholarship, prestige in the conference or the institution in which we serve, the ability to make a better showing in baptisms or Ingathering or the number of new church buildings erected in a given time these are among the things by which we can slip into the curse of idolatry.
As a denomination we have moved into an era of luxury as compared with the time in which our pioneers lived. The horse-and buggy days are over; the little red schoolhouse on the hill, with its crude stove and its water pail in the corner, which served as a gathering place for the early Advent believers, has been replaced by beautiful modern churches and large and efficient institutions- and we rejoice that this is so; but are these things making us "at ease in Zion"? Are the paralyzing fingers of luxury reaching out to rob us of that personal acquaintance with God into which men under far less favorable surroundings often enter? We have heard much about Korea during these last years, and we can thank God that in that unhappy land we have a faithful and loyal membership. Great things are happening in the·lives of God's people over there, not only among our own members but among Christians in general. The fact that the great majority-some say 90 per cent-of all Protestant churches in that land meet in their bombed-out buildings for prayer every morning between five and seven o'clock, 365 days a year, is a challenge to us.
My visit to Korea made an impression on me I can never forget. I can agree with what Dr. Billy Graham reported on his trip to Korea which terminated just a few weeks before my visit there. He said: "I saw things in the Korean church that made me doubt that we have the right to call ourselves a church here in America. Such sacrifice! such suffering! Fellow Christians, l"m prepared to say that if it takes persecution to bring about that kind of a church, then-·God send it to American that it might drive us to our knees, as the Korean church has been driven to its knees:· It was what he saw in Korea as compared with the ease and luxury of this land that led Dr. Graham in an impassioned appeal to the church at large to say: "We are in desperate danger of having a set of formulas and a set of creeds, with proper Ts' dotted and proper 't's' crossed and we fall down and worship that instead of the Lord Jesus Christ. ... We have been guilty of hypocrisy. We have talked farther than we have walked." And further: "We have been guilty of accepting the doctrine of antinomianism, which has allowed us to believe we can be Christians and go on and live any kind of a life we want to. '..Ye can gossip, we can backbite, we can hate, we can criticize, we can do all of those things and still sing on Sundays, 'I surrender all.' "
Evidences of Lack of the Spirit
Could these words in any way apply to us? If the apostle Paul could step into our prayer meetings, our church board meetings, our conference committee meetings, what would he see and hear? If he were to ask us the question, "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" what would be our answer? If pride, jealousy, anger, and envy; if gossiping, criticism, and low thinking, are evidences of and reasons for the lack of the Holy Spirit's power, then our answer would have to be as humiliating as was that of the Ephesian brethren. They knew something of the historic Christ, but they did not know Him as a ruling power in their lives. When with wondering joy they opened their hearts to the full truth, then the Spirit of God came upon them and qualified them to labor for the Master. They became powerful witnesses when Christ and His kingdom swallowed up every other interest in their lives. Is there anything more blinding or crippling than self-interest?
Through the counsels of His Spirit the Lord has given to the Advent people great light on the subject of personal living and holiness. Dare we lay these statements aside with a smile and yet feel that we are ready for the outpouring of the latter rain? Is it possrble to have the peace of God m our hearts while we live in flagrant disregard of the clearest counsels of His Spirit? Have we a right, as ministers, to plead for the latter rain upon the church of God while we fail to lead our members into the fullness of the blessings of the former rain? These words are familiar to us all: "Many have in a great measure failed to receive the former rain. They have not obtained all the benefits that God has thus provided for them. They expect that the lack will be supplied by the latter rain .... They are making a terrible mistake .... There must be no neglect of the grace represented by the former rain. . . . The blessings received under the former rain are needful to us to the end. Yet these alone will not suffice. . . . If we do not progress, if we do not place ourselves in an attitude to receive both the former and the latter rain, we shall lose our souls, and the responsibility will lie at our own door."-Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 507, 508.
People in Advance of Leaders
In the days of Isaiah the Lord declared: "0 my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths" (Is a. 3: 12). Could that apply to the church today? It is most humbling to read such expressions as this from the messenger of the Lord: "Ministers should seek a heart preparation before entering upon the work of helping others, for the people are far in advance of many of the ministers." -Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 166. This was written seventy years ago. Would such a statement in any way apply Page 6 to the Adventist ministry today? Is it true that "the people are far in advance of many of the ministers"? "What we need is men who are thoroughly converted themselves and can teach others how to give their hearts to God."-Ibid., pp. 166, 167. Speaking of the lack of spiritual power, the Lord's messenger adds these pathetic words in describing the conditions at that time: "A large majority of the ministers had no more sense of the sacredness of their work than children."- Ibid., p. 166. "Oh, what can I say to open blind eyes, to enlighten the spiritual understanding! Sin must be crucified. A complete moral renovation must be wrought by the Holy Spirit. We must have the love of God, with living, abiding faith.
This is the gold tried in the fire. We can obtain it only of Christ."-Ibid., p. 105. Through the prophet Ezekiel the Lord said: "Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the Lord will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols" (Eze. 11:1). . Idols in our hearts! A thought worth pondering! With the prospect of world disaster staring us in the face and dense darkness covering the earth, God calls His people to arise and shine. Then He gives the promise that His glory will be seen upon us. "Fear God, and give glory to him" is the message we are commissioned to carry to the world. But are we giving Him that glory in· our own lives? Is the first angel's message having its full place in our hearts? When the glory of the Lord is seen upon His people, then the Gentiles will come to the light of His truth and even kings will be led to surrender to the King of kings, for "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of salvation," and "the light of present truth will be seen flashing everywhere." -Evangelism, p. 694. That surely is something for which we should prepare seriously. No one will dispute the fact that the church can rise no higher than its leaders. And only a spiritual leadership will produce a spiritual people.
But recognizing this, let us ask ourselves the question, Do our own dear people and the world in general, looking upon us as a group of ministers, see us as God-filled men? Are we setting before them the kind of example that will lead the church into the true spirit of revival and reformation? Only a deep, lasting work of grace accompanied by true reformation will bring the revival for which we have prayed and prepare the church for the latter rain. God's message to Laodicea, the church that felt in need of nothing, is clear and definite. He says, "Be zealous therefore, and repent." But to that same church was given this greatest of all promises: "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." But this promise is to the overcomer. The words of the Faithful Witness ringing down the centuries may well have meaning for us today if we but catch the echo of His voice: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
Counting the Cost of Soul Winning
C. S. LONGACRE Takoma Park, Maryland
From time to time we have read the statistics compiled that have placed certain estimates on the average cost of winning a soul to the faith of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. This calculation, we are given to understand, is based on the total salaries paid the total number of workers in the cause, this figure being divided by the total number of souls won to the truth and baptized during each year, in order to obtain the average cost of bringing a soul into the truth. These estimates have varied from year to year according to the total salaries paid the workers in the cause and the total number of souls won during each year. But I submit that this is not a fair way of arriving at an average estimate of the cost of winning a soul.
The cost of soul winning, or bringing new members into the church, during a single year, and the cost of feeding the flock already won during past years should all be taken into account when we make our estimate of the cost of winning a soul and the cost of keeping in the fold the souls won in the past. Is it fair to charge the total cost of feeding the sheep in the fold won during past years to the cost of winning souls in a single year?
The Saviour said: "Feed my sheep" and "Feed my lambs," aside from the commission He gave His disciples to evangelize the people in all nations. It costs a great deal of money and it takes a great deal of time on the part of our workers in the cause to feed the sheep in the fold and keep them APRIL, 1954 from going astray, and this cost should be deducted from the cost of soul winning in order to arrive at a fair estimate of the average cost of winning the total number of souls during a single year. It has been estimated that it costs on the average nearly $2,000 to win one soul to the truth. If the cost of feeding the sheep that have been won during all past years and preserving what was won in the past, which is a large financial item, were deducted from the actual expense of making new converts to the faith, the average cost of winning a soul would not be nearly so high as our present estimates indicate.
It is just as important that we preserve what has been won as that we work to gain new adherents to our faith. Is it fair for a father who provides for the cost of living expenses in his family to charge all the expenses of a family of twelve children up to the last child born in the· family circle each time a newcomer arrives? Many a pastor has to spend a great deal of his time not only feeding his sheep but providing folds to house his sheep already won, and to provide room for other sheep that are to be brought into the fold. No pastor can afford to let his converts go out the back door of the church as fast as he brings new ones in through the front door. That would be like a man endeavoring to fill a barrel with water but leaving the bunghole open, thus letting the water run out from the bottom as fast as he poured it in at the top. The cost of bringing souls to the conviction of the truth and to the place where they are willing to be baptized and join the church, is small compared to the cost of establishing them thoroughly in the truth and helping them grow in grace and the knowledge of the truth until they finally become workers themselves; all of which is a part of the pastor's duties, besides winning souls to the message.
Should we not take into consideration these two aspects of a pastor's duties-pastoral and evangelical-when we seek to find the correct answer as to what it actually costs to win a soul to the message and, on the other hand, what it costs to conserve our gains? This may not be so easy a task as merely to add up all salaries paid all workers and divide the total expenses by the total number of believers baptized in a single year. It is the souls that endure to the end that the Lord garners in the harvest time.
It costs more to preserve and polish these precious jewels than it does to dig them out of the mine in the rough in the beginning. Let us endeavor to find true estimates and rightly divide both the word of truth and the cost of winning a soul.
"Your Radio Doctor"
For the past year Radio Ceylon has been carrying free of charge a weekly fifteen-minute health program entitled "Your Radio Doctor." On the program is heard the voice of Clifford R. Anderson, M.D., of the Washington Sanitarium and Hospital, who also writes his own scripts. This health program is tied in with the Voice of Prophecy. It is also identified with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Listeners are invited to write in for free printed copies of the health talks. Each health talk sent out is accompanied by a letter telling of the Voice of Prophecy Bible Correspondence Course, with an enrollment card enclosed. Y our Radio Doctor has been so well received throughout Southern Asia that Radio Burma is now also broadcasting these programs free of charge. In addition, . the Burmese Government requested the privilege of translating them into Burmese for free broadcast. This is all the more remarkable since there is considerable prejudice against Christian activities in that country.
A. E. Rawson, radio secretary of the Southern Asia Division, has recently written concerning the response to this radio health program: "This medical broadcast is really meeting with a good reception throughout this whole division. We have received hundreds of letters expressing deep appreciation and thanks for this good service. "The talks are interesting. They are on very timely subjects, and Dr. Anderson presents them in a way that holds the attention of the people. ... Southern Asia. Our radio mail is increasing. It has grown beyond all expectations. We'll soon have to put on two people to do nothing else but handle out radio mail! . . . Only time and eternity will reveal the full good that is being accomplished. No mat~er where you go in Southern Asia, people speak h1ghly of Your Radio Doctor."
The Washington, D.C., offices of the World Health, some of whom actually help to pubhoze the program. At this writing the programs are being translated into other languages for release in other parts of the world .
A Great Entering Wedge
"I can see in the Lord's providence that the medical missionary work is to be a great entering wedge," wrote the messenger of the Lord many years ago. Again we were told, "Medical missionary work is the right, helping hand of the gospel, to open doors for the proclamation of the message." Through the years we have seen this demonstrated hundreds of times on a local level in many parts of the :world, but many areas have still to feel the Impact of the enterinowedge. New ways are opening up for the wider proclamation of the message. We believe that these counsels are not to be confine. d to. a f.e w centers where we have medicine into practice on an international scale. "With this in mind let us read a few additional counsels regarding the "entering wedge,'" all of which are gleaned from the chapter ":Medical Evangelism,'' pages 513- 546 in the book Evangelism:
"Nothing will open doors for the truth like evangelistic medical missionary work. . . . Medical missionary work is the pioneer work of the gospel, the door through which the truth for this time is to find entrance to many homes .... Do medical missionary work. Thus you will gain access to the hearts of the people. The way will be prepared for more decided proclamation of the truth .... It will be an agency through which the truth can be presented to the attention of unbelievers. They will reason that if we have such sound ideas in regard to health and temperance, there must be something in our religious belief that is worth investigation. If we backslide in health reform we shall lose much of our influence with the outside world. . . . As a means of overcoming prejudice and gaining access to minds, medical missionary work must be done, not in one or two places only, but in many places where the truth has not yet been proclaimed. . . . This work will break down prejudice as nothing else can .... It is necessary to the advancement of the cause of God .... Medical missionary work gives opportunity for carrying forward successful evangelistic work. It is as these lines of effort are united, that we may expect to gather the most precious fruit for the Lord. . . . Medical missionary work is to be bound up with the message, and sealed with the seal of God .... Medical missionary work is in no case to be divorced from the gospel ministry. The Lord has specified that the two shall be as closely connected as the arm is with the body .... Recognize the medical missionary work as God's helping hand. ... Medical missionaries are- to have as much encouragement as any accredited evangelist .... We must educate, educate, educate, pleasantly and intelligently .... This work ranks equally in importance with the work of the gospel ministry."
A number of our evangelists, pastors, and lay preachers have requested that these tape-recorded health talks by Dr. Anderson be synchronized with a set of filmstrips similar to the Twentieth Century Course that has proved so effective in soul winning. The Ministerial Association would like to hear from other workers concerning their reaction to this suggestion. It may be that many of our workers would be interested in this plan for public and pastoral evangelism. Some of our local radio broadcasters might also like to use these tape-recorded talks by Your Radio Doctor.
May we hear from you?
