IT MUST have been a thrilling and wonderful experience that day, nineteen hundred years ago, when a small handful of people, mostly fishermen and peasants, met with Christ on a mountain in Galilee. The truths He had taught in the past years about His resurrection from the dead had now become fact. Death and the tomb could not hold Him. And now, after a number of days, He stood upon the threshold of His Father's house. He was going home.
However, before He left, there was still one more thing He had to do. It was essential that He give to His church on earth a charter. That charter is sometimes called the Great Commission. The people expected some pronouncement from Him, and He did not disappoint them. He said, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations" (Matt.' 28:18, 19). "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel" (Mark 16: 15).
The important work of the church was to "preach the gospel." Through the preaching of the gospel they would make disciples. And they were to preach in all the world. They were to preach to all nationalities.
They were not to preach to one nation alone. The gospel of the kingdom was to be "given to Israel first, and then to all nations, tongues, and peoples. It is to be given to Jews and Gentiles. All who believe are to be gathered into one church."—The Desire of Ages, p. 821.
After the ascension of Christ, Pentecost evidenced what would happen if the church carried out the instructions of their Master. "Until ye be endued with power from on high," their Lord had said. They were to wait. And waiting, they would make every preparation to receive that power.
Twelve apostles (ministers of the gospel), together with about 108 lay evangelists and other church members, constituted the group that took Christ at His word. They prayed, they waited, they planned; and then, when the Spirit was poured out from on high, they opened the doors of the upper room and boldly walked out into the public square, which at that time was filled with people. As they moved among the masses they witnessed. They gave praise to God for His love and mercy. They told people about the Messiah, who had come as a man, and had died, was buried, rose again, and was now ascended into the heavens. People thought they were drunk
when they heard them talking in foreign languages. That is what they did, for the various nationalities represented there that day said, "We all alike hear these Galilae-ans speaking in our own language about the wonderful things which God has done" (Acts 2:11, Weymouth).* It is recorded that "every known tongue was represented by those assembled."—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 39.
What a demonstration of faith! What evangelistic zeal! What mighty working in man of the mighty power of the Spirit! Never had there been such an ingathering of souls into the church as there was on that day of Pentecost. Three thousand persons of a variety of language groups were baptized that day. They had found the Way of life! It was a new life for them, and they rejoiced in their new-found faith.
* Weymouth's New Testament in Modern Speech by Richard Francis Weymouth. Copyright by Harper and Brothers. Used by permission.
To Seventh-day Adventists has been committed a charter also. It is the charter of the three angels' messages. To no other religious people in the world has this charter been given. The message of Revelation 14:6, carried by the angel winging his way over land and sea, has in it the gospel for our times. This angel is said to have "the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." None are to be passed by because of language difficulty. God has made provision for His gospel message to be preached in every language under the sun, in every place in the world where languages are spoken. If it were not so, He never would have given the commission to His church to "go into all the world."
But, some may ask, does this mean the language peoples of America too? Yes, it means just that.
For years this denomination carried on a strong work among the foreign-language people of America. Then something happened. Evangelistic fervor waned. It was thought that there was no longer need to put forth a strenuous effort to reach these people. "Let them learn the English language" was what some said. Others said, "Let them become American or Canadian citizens. We do not need foreign-language churches." So a change came into the church with the final message for all people.
But what do we actually see in North America today? We have reports from reliable sources that indicate that "22,000,000 people in the United States speak, read, write and think in some other language than English as their mother tongue."— Common Council for American Unity. Immigrants entering the United States in the twelve years ending in 1957 numbered 2.6 million.
Add the 8 million in Canada to the 22 million in the United States and we have a total of 30 million people to whom we must carry the message for these last days; and it must be done through the use of many languages.
Years ago Ellen G. White wrote: "In the cities of America there are people of almost every language. These need the light that God has given to His church."—Testimonies, vol. 8, p. 36.
In order to comprehend what 30 million people massed together might look like, let us take the three most populous States of Eastern U.S.—Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. The combined population of these States practically equals 30 million. What a tremendous population! And most of these people are still without a knowledge of the message of truth for today. Every eighth person in North America speaks, reads, thinks, and writes in some other language than English as his mother tongue. Almost unbelievable, isn't it?
One writer has said that "the United States is a country of many races, many nationalities, many religions. Thirty-five million Americans are immigrants or the children of immigrants."—Common Councils for American Unity. "The largest city in America, New York City—has 800,000 Russian-speaking people, 428,000 Germans, 404,000 Poles, 294,000 Austrians, 185,000 Czechs, 114,000 Hungarians, and many thousands of people who speak Spanish." —Bible Christian News, Progress, June, 1959.
It is altogether possible that were Ellen G. White alive today, she would again write words similar to the following:
God would be pleased to see far more accomplished by His people in the presentation of the truth for this time to the foreigners in America than has been done in the past. ... As I have testified for years, if we were quick in discerning the opening providences of God, we should be able to see in the multiplying opportunities to reach many foreigners in America a divinely appointed means of rapidly extending the third angel's message into all the nations of earth. God in His providence has brought men to our very doors and thrust them, as it were, into our arms, that they might learn the truth, and be qualified to do a work we could not do in getting the light before men of other tongues. —Evangelism, p. 570.
Among these millions are the representatives of many nations, many of whom are prepared to receive the message. Much remains to be done within the shadow of our doors—in the cities of California, New York, and many other states.—Testimonies, vol. 8, p. 35.
It is strange that as we go about the field and talk about the situation that obtains, we meet with so apparent little response. It is as though when the Lord extends a call, as He did to Isaiah, "Who will go for us?" that we are satisfied to say, "Oh, well, let those who speak the language do it."
The line of foreign-language workers is a thin one; in some areas it is so thin that it would take the death of only one man to break the thread. We have in North America approximately 131 foreign-language workers. That is not many, is it, when you think of 30 million people? Each worker has the responsibility of reaching an average of 214,285 people. There are approximately 155 churches scattered throughout the land, using 23 languages other than English. These churches are set as beacon lights inviting people of other languages to come and be taught in their own language. They are vital to the work of evangelism among the 30 million, even though their sons and daughters turn to the English churches later. We must have places of refuge for "all people."
What responsibility do we have toward the foreign born? The message sent to the church years ago applies with equal force today:
Unless more is done than has been done for the cities of America, ministers and people will have a heavy account to settle with the One who has appointed to every man his work.—Ibid.
The work in foreign fields is to be carried forward earnestly and intelligently. And the work in the home field is in no wise to be neglected.— Ibid., p. 31.
I think of Edmund Klute, who is working in Chicago with its more than 100,000 Poles and 60,000 Germans. His is the onerous task of trying to reach these tens of thousands. He is the only minister we have to the millions of Poles in America. How is he ever to do it? He cannot, for the task is superhuman.
Then there is Eduard Magi, in New York City, trying to reach the masses who speak Russian, Ukrainian, and Estonian. One man against the formidable environment of this cosmopolitan city in America! These are only two of scores of missionary workers in this land of riches.
Let us take a look at these people of "other tongues" as the Spirit of Prophecy has pictured them:
In the courts and lanes of the great cities, in the lonely byways of the country, are families and individuals—perhaps strangers in a strange land— who are without church relations, and who, in their loneliness, come to feel that God has forgotten them. They do not understand what they must do to be saved. Many are sunken in sin. Many are in distress. They are pressed with suffering, want, unbelief, despondency. Disease of every type afflicts them, both in body and in soul. They long to find a solace for their troubles, and Satan tempts them to seek it in lusts and pleasures that lead to ruin and death. He is offering them the apples of Sodom, that will turn to ashes upon their lips. They are spending their money for that which is not bread and their labor for that which satisfieth not. In these suffering ones we are to see those whom Christ came to save.—Christ's Object Lessons, pp. 232, 233.
As David, the sweet singer of Israel, cried out in his affliction, so do many of these benighted people cry out before the Lord, "I looked on my right hand, and behold, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man sought after my soul" (Ps. 142:4, margin). Where, then, does the responsibility for carrying the gospel to these people lie? Is it with the General Conference? Partly, yes. Perhaps there has not been enough emphasis placed upon the importance of reaching these people through the various avenues of service fostered by departments. However, the major responsibility is upon conferences (union and local) and upon churches. If I understand rightly, the conferences are responsible for the task of carrying the gospel to every man's door in their territory, formidable though that task may be. Every church that is established is to be a witnessing church, the members going forth with the message to the people.
City evangelism, like all other evangelism, is not to be confined to preaching in auditoriums, halls, or churches. True evangelism means going out after the people, all kinds of people. The greatest of all evangelists, the Lord Jesus Himself, sought people where they were. You do not find that He lectured to the people. He had no great evangelistic meetings as a rule. But He did take time to find a Samaritan woman, a lowly, outcast woman of another nation, and He brought her to the well of truth and sent her away full, to be a missionary to her own people.
The Saviour is still carrying forward the same work as when He proffered the water of life to the woman of Samaria. Those who call themselves His followers may despise and shun the outcast ones; but no circumstance of birth or nationality, no condition of life, can turn away His love from the children of men..—The Desire of Ages, p. 194.
Paul had great anguish of soul for the lost. As he traveled from city to city, among people of many languages, the uppermost craving of his soul was that he might win some. To preach the everlasting gospel under fair or forbidding circumstances, was the task he had set for himself. That is why he wrote to the church at Corinth: "For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" (1 Cor. 9:16).
The great need of America today is that of home missionaries who will go out with Christ after the lost legions of people of other languages. Doris Salter, writing in Bible Christian Union Progress, June, 1959, says:
Missionaries are needed in our own United States who speak more languages than English. A larger per cent of our own population than we perhaps realize is not at home, and never will be at home, with the English language. Our hearts should be deeply concerned that this section of our country's population be adequately reached with the saving truth of the Gospel.
The men and women to whom has been assigned the task of working specifically for the people of other languages in America are in many instances lonely people. They do not always fit into the methods and plans for evangelizing the English language populations. They long for opportunity of fellowship, study, and discussion of methods for reaching their fellow men. Perhaps someday there may be an opportunity to get these workers in North America together in a ministerial council, or seminar, where they may look at their mutual problems and draw strength and help from one another. This is a time when Israel is to move forward together. Every man is to look upon the needs of his brother. Perhaps the words written by the prophet Isaiah may be applicable here.
"They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage" (Isa. 41:6). But they did not end there. There was more to be done than just speak words. "So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved" (verse 7).
We are thankful for a partial revival that is taking place. The Pacific Press Publishing Association is working diligently to produce much-needed literature in various languages. The Voice of Prophecy has accepted the challenge of getting out more Bible correspondence courses in other languages. These wheels are moving. Evidences of an increase in souls won, churches organized, and new workers appearing upon the scenes all point in the right direction. But the harvest is already white, so very, very white. We must hasten onward and send more laborers into the harvest field. May the Lord of the harvest baptize His people with the unction of the Holy Spirit so that a Pentecost may come in our day, and that many more may say, "We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God."
"HOW then shall they call on
HIM in whom they have not believed? and
HOW shall they believe in
HIM of whom they have not heard? and
HOW shall they hear without a preacher? and
HOW shall they preach, except they be sent?"
—Apostle Paul, Rom. 10:14, 15.