When I was called to pastor our Adventist church in a small city I found a discouraged group of believers. Perhaps once a month the district pastor would visit the church, and sometimes only once in three months. On the spiritual side of the ledger the outlook was bleak. This small congregation had undergone many trying experiences in the years that had passed.
The first elder, a man in his forties, had been a member for nine years and yet he knew little about Ellen G. White and her work. In fact, he had the impression that she was almost fanatical in some of her views. I traced his feelings back to the one who baptized him and also to another pastor who followed. Actually the first this elder heard of the messenger of the Lord was what he was told as he was being led into the baptismal font. He and his wife were then asked whether they would agree to read a book entitled The Desire of Ages. They promised to do this.
After the baptism the minister discussed the subject still further and stated that Seventh-day Adventists generally consider her as a prophet, but that he and his wife would have to decide that for themselves after they read The Desire of Ages.
Later another pastor came to the district, and he used the Spirit of Prophecy to advance overzealous health reform teachings. Unfortunately Ellen G. White was given credit for his extreme views. Thus this church elder and his wife came to dislike the Spirit of Prophecy, and all because of the manner in which two of our preachers had dealt with the Question of Mrs. White's call and her work. This brother and some others reasoned that if this woman was the kind of person who supports the teaching of such views, then she certainly could not be the Lord's true messenger.
This was actually the situation when I arrived in this city. Little wonder that the local elder and his wife, along with the majority of the members, were experiencing a rather mechanical and lifeless kind of religion.
A few weeks after arriving I discussed the question of prayer meetings, asking what would be a good topic to interest the believers. The church elder, whom we will call Brother Jacobs, had just received from the conference office a brochure describing the Prophetic Guidance Course. His interest in the course stemmed from curiosity. When he mentioned the possibility of teaching this course on Wednesday nights, I thought the idea was an excellent one. Having completed the course myself, I felt led of the Lord to undertake the project.
Our church ordered enough textbooks (the Treasure Chest) and lessons for each family. On Sabbath we announced our plan, and the following Wednesday night the Prophetic Guidance Course began.
Would there be an interest? Would the church members, with their negative attitude toward Ellen G. White and her work, feel the need of this course? Doubts entered my mind many times. When Wednesday night came every member was present except for shut-ins who never attend. This was a real victory. Of all those who originally enrolled, only two failed to finish the lessons and receive the diploma. We stretched the course out over a period of six months—too long, to be sure—but nevertheless the interest was high despite interruptions. It was noticeable that this elder and his wife at first objected and sought to discredit the writings at every point. But as evidences in favor of her inspiration began to come out, the objections disappeared.
On one occasion, during which we were discussing the physical phenomena associated with the early visions of God's servant, I called attention to the experience that she had in holding the Harmon family Bible for thirty minutes while in vision—the huge Bible weighing 181/2 pounds extended on her left hand.
I tried to illustrate this phenomenon by bringing from my library the largest book I possessed. This volume weighed half as much as the volume Mrs. White held. The strongest man in the audience held this book for only three minutes. Brother Jacobs exclaimed, "I just can't believe that Mrs. White did it!" We said very little and did not push the point, for we knew that the physical phenomena could be imitated by Satan. When we advanced the more satisfying internal evidences of her inspiration, the old opinions began to give way. I tried to show how balanced the teachings of health and diet principles were. This served to offset the extreme teaching that the poor folks had heard before.
To give an idea of the condition of the believers' theology at the time the course began, I took a poll. To my utter surprise, I found only two members who really believed that these messages for the church were inspired. It is true that all believed in a sort of formal way, but only two seemed to hold with confidence to the fact that the counsels should actually be put into daily practice. I believe the main reason for this attitude was just a plain lack of sufficient knowledge about Ellen G. White and her mission to the church and the world. The prophetic-guidance class study had established this man's faith in the movement and in God's messenger to the remnant. The church experienced a real revival.
The most oustanding result of the Prophetic Guidance Course in this small church was the unity it brought. For the first time in the history of the congregation all the members stood together in their faith in the Sprit of Prophecy. Doubts as to God's leading in the origin, growth, and development of the church were erased. A new willingness to spread the gospel was evident. A new enthusiasm took possession of the people.
The lessons this course teaches in church history, the development of basic Adventist doctrines from the Bible, the clear leading of the Lord through His messenger, and the development of departmental church activities, makes a powerful impact upon the mind of the student. No other way can the church become more firmly established than by studying these lessons as a group.
Any pastor with adequate preparation will be able to take these lessons and present them to his congregation. He thereby lays a foundation for faith in God's providence that will hasten the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the giving of the loud cry by the members and preachers of the Advent Movement.
Moreover, the study of these lessons will lessen materially the influence of offshoot movements in the church. It is impossible to tell how many churches, large and small, would find new life through the Prophetic Guidance Course lessons if a plan of class study were seriously undertaken.