MAN'S best-laid plans to fulfill the gospel commission often seem to fail be cause of the devil's opposition. Yet, God's foreknowledge makes ample provision to turn the adversary's schemes into an additional plus for His work.
Miracles in the twentieth century? Are they possible in this superorganized, computerized age of Gallup polls and statistical averages? Yes, and, believe it or not, they are as impressive as those recorded in Holy Writ.
If you want to see miracles, just launch out into the deep: try evangelism in anyone of its multiple forms and you will observe how Jesus sees the end from the beginning. Like others, you may learn that "in every difficulty He has His way prepared to bring relief." You, too, can have the promise that "our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us of which we know nothing." Listen to this: "He has means for the removal of every difficulty, that those who serve Him and respect the means He employs may be sustained." --The Ministry of Healing, pp. 481, 482.
If ever human plans could guarantee success, the Bogota effort Colombia's largest evangelistic campaign had to prosper. Carefully arranged timing called for meetings during the dry season, nearly a year after the often-explosive presidential elections. Besides, an influential lay man, head of a government department, volunteered as public relations director. With the assistance of the evangelist's own liaison officer, Prof. David G. y Poyato from Mexico, we could easily win the confidence of the Catholic-oriented press and communications media.
Yet the reality turned out to be a near failure, except for God's providence. The dry season never arrived: Colombia registered the highest precipitation of the century. Political agitation and student unrest threatened to interrupt the meetings. And long before the meetings began we just did not seem to get anywhere with the press or other news media.
A Thousand Ways
But "our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us of which we know nothing."—Ibid. (Italics supplied.) The constant rains, which flooded our auditorium just one day before the presentation of the opening lecture, always stopped about forty minutes before each program. However, after the crowds were in the building it often rained again, thus obliging the visitors to stay until the end of the program.
About two weeks after the opening of the effort serious civil disturbances in various cities led the government to declare a general state of siege. In some areas riots provoked by students and political agitators subjected the citizens to rigidly enforced curfews as early as 5:00 P.M. During a state of siege large gatherings like ours with an attendance of thousands are prohibited, but the Lord gave us grace in the eyes of the authorities and permission was granted to continue the effort. How did this miracle come about?
During the first week two police officials and their wives attended an introductory lecture on the problems of the modern home. These gentlemen were so impressed that they asked the public relations department of the national police to solicit the evangelist's services for their departments. This led to an interview with General Bernardo Camacho Leyva, chief of the Colombian police forces. As a result, a group of agents from the youth division attended a lecture on juvenile delinquency in the hall of the public effort. Later the evangelist spoke to 350 officials in the police club. Next he lectured to 800 students of the National Police College for noncommissioned officers. Finally, the chief of the division for the prevention of alcoholism, Jose Ignacio Cepeda, offered to help Pastor Aeschlimann with the preparation of a thirty-minute program on alcoholism for the national television.
What we could not obtain, even at great cost, was now given to us free of charge. The program was so successful that the public requested a repeat. The management gladly accepted Pastor Aeschlimann's services in the preparation of two additional programs on the home and the problems of modern youth. During one of the televised presentations the evangelist received a certificate of merit from the national police in recognition of his in valuable contributions made to the mental health of the nation.
About that time another miracle took place. A letter from the secretary of the president of Colombia invited Pastor Aeschlimann and his associates to an audience with Dr. Pastrana Borrero. For weeks this request had been pending and we could not understand why there was no response. Of course, the twenty-minute interview was published in the government's newspaper at the very time that the nation's unrest became quite noticeable. The visit with Colombia's chief of state could not have come at a more opportune moment.
Again, our heavenly Father had provided means for the removal of difficulties of which we were not even aware. The lectures were held in a3,000-seat auditorium on the International Fairgrounds. About six weeks after the initial lecture the evangelist had come to a crucial point in his series of meetings: the transition to the testing truths after the presentation of those doctrines we hold in common with other Christians. This is the time we least of all needed disturbing outside influences.
Devil Makes Haste in His Work
But, of course, the devil made it a point to stir up man's worst passions, and strikes, marches, and violent demonstrations disturbed the peace in many places. In one large city our believers could not even meet in their own church buildings on Sabbath morning.
To prevent any disorder at the seat of government the authorities ordered the most outstanding army unit, the Battalion of Colombia, with armored tanks and all, to Bogota. Imagine our consternation when those troops quartered on the fair grounds! Several days later just a few hours before our weekend lectures were to begin the colonel in charge informed us that our meetings were to be suspended on orders of the military head quarters.
With the worsening of the political situation the military were now in charge and the national police could no longer back us up. However, our well-known friend ship with the police authorities, the recent television programs, and the just-publicized visit with the chief of state made our intentions quite clear to the military commander, who offered no objections when we requested an assembly permit.
The following week when we returned for an extension of the permit, one of the colonels remarked, "I just don't under stand it. Here we are on the alert day and night, because with so many universities in this city we are sitting on a real powder keg. Yet, miraculously thus far nothing has happened!" I knew. One of God's miracles was occurring right before our own eyes: God's angels were holding back the winds in the nation's capital.
Months before the campaign's actual set-off a studied effort was made to be friend the press by inviting editors and journalists to a banquet. Mimeographed sheets with ample information about the forthcoming evangelistic thrust were prepared, but all in vain. Few men showed up and only one reporter published a little obscure and even erroneous note, which was lost in some corner of one of the least read pages of his newspaper.
At a subsequent get-together only three journalists attended. When we were about to leave somewhat dejectedly, a representative of the French press took us aside and gave us some inside tips on how to cope with the Colombian press. "Buy your way in, make individual friends," he counseled.
Advice Is Heeded
Nevertheless, we decided to go ahead and invite the press and television to chronicle the advent of the man who planned to turn Bogota upside-down. However, when Pastor Aeschlimann touched down at the international airport and we saw no one but a group of our own members and a privately hired photographer, we determined to accept the journalist's counsel at any cost. A picture and accompanying text were taken to El Tiempo, Colombia's most prestigious newspaper, and published in the Sunday edition. This took a big bite out of our budget, but the thousands of halfheartedly spent pesos soon paid off. Other re porters of rival newspapers sat up and took notice. Short comments made their appearance in the social section. One editorial commented on the lecture on juvenile delinquency. Our books paved the way for further friendship. Soon the lectures on tobacco, alcohol, and mental health got front-page treatment and comment without spending one centavo. We were in!
Miracles, Miracles, Miracles
With the approaching season of Holy Week Colombia's celebrated Easter sea son the spirit for religious gatherings would be right, but very likely in the Roman Catholic chapels. Our attendance might well be minimal. To make certain our voice would be heard, our public relations director suggested to Pastor Aeschlimann that he write an article on Holy Week. He would try to have it published in the Easter edition of at least one of the leading dailies. Would that be possible with so many Catholic writers bid ding for space?
Here again our heavenly Father manifested one of His thousand ways to provide for His own. In fact, God changed an apparent obstacle into a springboard for greater success. Satan's agitation scheme began to backfire.
The bishops of the state church worried greatly about the hundreds of rebel priests who on previous occasions had used Christ's words against the rulers of His day in their leftist speeches against the government. So to avoid further problems the hierarchy prohibited the clergy to preach on the seven last words or related subjects of Holy Week. This left the public, which has an almost superstitious reverence for anything related to Christ's passion, and the press without any traditional subject for Good Friday or Easter Sunday. As a result the evangelist drew record crowds when he spoke on the seven last words. Three leading dailies gratefully accepted Aeschlimann's article on the life and death of Christ. One newspaper printed the article, which occupied nearly one whole page, with a large picture of the evangelist preaching to an overflow crowd.
Still more miracles were to follow. If you remember that just fourteen years ago our world church ordained a day of prayer and fasting for our persecuted believers in Colombia, it seems unbelievable that the evangelist's closing lecture could be given in the Elliptic Hall of the national capitol. Here, where senators debate the laws, and the presidents of Colombia are sworn in, an Adventist evangelist preached a sermon about the world's only hope for the decade of the seventies!
Among the nearly 3,000 listeners we noticed dozens of high-ranking officials, representatives of the military, and prominent citizens. The special music was not presented by a church choir, but by the Symphonic Band of the National Police, under the direction of a famous Colombian maestro!
Our plans were to rent the renowned Columbus Theater, right across from the presidential palace, but this request was turned down. However, a government official, close friend to our public relations lay-director, offered his services to obtain for us free of charge the most prestigious and magnificent hall we could find anywhere in the country to preach the message of Christ's coming rule.
Indeed, the Lord has a thousand ways to provide for us, and His ways are above and beyond what we plan or even hope for. We need only be dedicated to His service. These present-day miracles are often more impressive than those of ages past. As Richard Cecil, an eighteenth-century divine, so aptly stated: "A reflecting Christian sees more to excite his faith in the state of things between Temple Bar and St. Paul's, than in what he reads from Genesis to Revelation."
