The Adventist Church is a world movement. This is why the General Conference sends some of its staff into all countries, their purpose being to develop the different branches of the work and to give of their experience to local leading brethren, so that they might get a larger vision of methods for applying and proclaiming the gospel of Christ to the greatest number of people possible.
The visit to Europe of J. R. Spangler, associate secretary of the General Conference Ministerial Association, was unavoidably limited to Italy, France, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, and Portugal. His presence was greatly appreciated among our workers in all these fields and he had the opportunity to learn something of our division territory and of those who, as God's ministers, serve the Advent cause in this area.
Some Impressions on Fields That Have Been Visited
Getting out of the plane in Rome, Italy, Pastor Spangler continued his trip by train to Florence, where the first workers' meeting for the Italian Union was to be held.
Florence, besides its reputation as a city of art, cherishes the memory of one of the bravest witnesses of the rights of truthSavonarola. In spite of bitter opposition, the fervent Dominican prior proclaimed, in the very bosom of the Catholic Church at the end of the fifteenth century, the power of the Scriptures. In the convent where he spent several years of his life, one can see today the Bible that belonged to him and the standard with the motto "We preach Christ!" which he carried through the streets of Florence. Before leaving the city Brother Spangler and I bowed in silence and emotion in the prison cell where this man of God spent his last night on earth before he was hung and burnt on the Piazza della Signoria.
Back in Rome to take the plane for Paris, we visited the prison where Paul spent his last days on earth and where he wrote his Second Epistle to Timothy. In the dark and damp dungeon are written these words: "Thou who passest, listen in silence to the terrible or glorious echoes of twenty-five centuries of history." And it is truly a glorious echo, challenging the passing of time. Paul says: "The Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known" (2 Tim. 4:17). If we desire today to make known the gospel fully, we must abide in Christ and count on Him. Therefore we asked the Lord to grant us His help and His presence.
We met with the workers of the Franco-Belgian Union at Bievres, France, not far from Paris, yet away from the agitation and the noise of the capital. In meditation and peace we drew near to our divine Master as we considered together, under His blessing, the obstacles the preacher meets today and also the encouraging possibilities that can be ours as we present ourselves for God's service. One of the most interesting and beneficial aspects of this convention was the group study of evangelistic problems and practical suggestions for more rapid progress of the work.
Our next stop was with our brethren in Austria. They planned the meetings to be held amid the calm and beauty of nature. Near Villach, Carinthia, at an intersection of the Austrian, Italian, and Yugoslavian borders, these workers devoted four days to the study of the Word, the evangelization of their country, and the sanctification of the church at a time when modern life, with its numerous attractions and unexpected changes, makes spiritual work particularly difficult. But these very attractions may offer the vigilant minister of the Lord possibilities for progress heretofore unknown. These discussions led the participants to implore Heaven to give them the grace to represent their Master more worthily and to live in closer communion with Him.
Our third stop was Switzerland. On our way from Austria to Berne we made a little detour through the Waldensian valleys of the Piedmont. Pastor Spangler preached on the Sabbath in the small church of Torre Pellice, then visited the house where Ellen G. White stayed for several eral weeks in 1885. He also went to the Waldensian Museum and to the Ghieisa d'la Tana—a grotto where, in the Middle Ages, the Waldensians met to worship God in secret. Following Paul in Rome and Savonarola in Florence, the Christians of the Piedmont gave an immortal testimony of loyalty to the Word of God.
In Switzerland also our workers met in the quiet of an outside site. Two conventions took place at Oertlimatt, on the shores of the Lake of Thun. The first was for the workers of the German Swiss Conference; the second, for the French-speaking Conference. Everywhere in our division in such circumstances, we had to face the problem of translation. However, Brother Spangler adjusted himself to the situation with his usual good humor. We had the pleasure of having with us for a few hours the president of our work in Southern Europe, M. Fridlin, as well as the educational and temperance secretary, P. Steiner. The former, by a stirring message, stimulated us to plan more powerful evangelistic activities. The latter emphasized the value of the Five-Day Plan, a means of gaining liberty from the slavery of tobacco. Plans are under way to get this social activity started in all our countries.
From Geneva we flew to Spain where, because of particular conditions, three conventions were to be held in three different places. We stopped one day in Barcelona.
The three churches we have there have the largest number of Adventists that can be found in one city in the Iberian Peninsula. At the end of our very loaded program and before our departure for Saragossa, we were invited to admire a caravel that was anchored in the port. It was the exact reproduction of the Santa Maria of Christopher Columbus. This sight reminded us of a man who, having as his motto, "I am looking for a new world," was able to inspire his mariners with the courage and the faith that enabled them to reach their goal in spite of severe setbacks. What a wonderful example of intuitive vision, of endurance and consecration to a cause is given us by this outstanding navigator!
In Saragossa for two days our workers tried to study the evangelistic methods that are most efficient in a country as Catholic as Spain. Upon arrival in the city in the evening, traffic was nearly blocked by the tremendous procession organized in honor of the Virgin of Pilar. Masses of people came to kiss devotedly the venerated column, an admirable gesture of sincerity, but revealing to us the need of these souls for a more thorough knowledge of salvation through faith in Jesus.
Our last convention in Spain took place in Madrid. Some twenty participants, some of whom came from neighboring towns, were benefited by the teaching and comfort of the Word of God, of which Elder Spangler was the exponent. In Madrid, as well as in Saragossa, the whole church had the privilege of attending one of these meetings.
Our itinerary ended in Portugal. The Lisbon chapel served as meeting place for all our workers throughout the union. Lisbon is a famous name in the Adventist vocabulary. It reminds us of the earthquake in 1775, connected in Bible prophecy to signs of the end of a wicked world to which a better world must succeed. Visiting the ruins of the ancient church of Carmes, the remains of this famous earthquake, Brother Spangler and I were thinking that even stones are able to testify of the truthfulness of prophecy. The series of workers' meetings organized in Southern Europe closed with a happy note—the Portuguese Union had reached the highest baptismal goal ever in its history.
More Than Ever Convinced of the Authenticity of the Advent Message!
In conclusion, some thoughts on the nature of the teaching given by our guest to the workers invited to the different conventions.
Not only was Elder Spangler able to gain the good will of all by his winning personality and his conversation, but he succeeded also, in his Bible studies, to present to us a substantial synthesis of the truth for our time. "The Advent message," he emphasized, "is not a modern ideology which is added to those which have preceded it. It is really the revelation of God for our generation. The contents of this proclamation is condensed in the threefold message of Revelation 14, which is nothing less than the everlasting gospel of justification by faith. Against this gospel, come from God, there is the opposition of Satan, whose history can easily be traced back through the centuries and whose last manifestation will take the special form of a sign: 'The mark of the beast.' "
How to preach efficiently the truth for our time without creating premature opposition—this was the central theme of development to which Brother Spangler devoted some of his time. Other aspects of the evangelical mission of the preacher were considered. At the end of this series of meetings each one of us can no doubt say that—using the term of the speaker—he is "humbly proud to be a Seventh-day Adven tist."
Following a touching consecration service, which took place during one of the conventions, several experienced workers expressed in different terms one main opinion or thought. "We did not think, when we came here, that we would attend a revival meeting, but this truly has been one!" A worker on sustentation, though by no means without dynamism, stated: "Absolutely unheard of!" This expression, though it may not be exactly academic, shows nevertheless an honest enthusiasm. And we must recognize, when with the eyes of the Spirit we get into the inspired pages of the Bible, that we discover unsuspected realities which help us to understand better the words of Job: "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee" (chap. 42:5).
All One in Christ
Some who have entered these missionary fields have said: "You do not understand the French people; you do not understand the Germans. They have to be met in just such a way."
But I inquire: Does not God understand them? Is it not He who gives His servants a message for the people? He knows just what they need; and if the message comes directly from Him through His servants to the people, it will accomplish the work whereunto it is sent; it will make all one in Christ. Though some are decidedly French, others decidedly German, and others decidedly American, they will be just as decidedly Christlike.—Testimonies, Vol. 9, p. 180. (Taken from an address delivered at the European Union Council, Basel, Switzerland, September 24, 1885.)
