A church without walls

Jesus instilled into His followers a be lief in the Father, the Holy Spirit, and Himself. He taught love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, and unity among the believers. He showed them an example in love and obedience. These attributes must be carried over into His remnant people.

Christ also gives His people a sense of freedom. First of all, freedom of the mind. This yields us a sense of self-worth, a dignity, a self-respect, an assurance that we can achieve whatever the challenge may be. The mission of God's church is to help us hold ourselves in His esteem. As a result peace comes to mind and love reigns supreme. Today the devil works to take over the minds of people. He operates in many subtle ways, but the Lord promises to keep us in perfect peace that passes all understanding. When God becomes the ruling influence of the mind, fears are dispelled and biases are overcome.

Jesus also gives freedom to the body. Health is not just a doctrine, but a vital part of the total gospel. Good health liberates the body. It is difficult for a soul to serve the Lord in its fullness when ailments enslave the body. The gospel teaches us to care for the body as the temple of God. The church has a duty to tell the world about this principle that God has given us.

A third type of freedom through Christ concerns the soul. Jesus forgives all sins. When we accept Him, there are no more "guilt trips" (see 1 John 1:9). All our sins are taken away. The church must pro claim this assurance to all the world!

Our task

When the Seventh-day Adventist Church was born in 1844, historic forces in the United States were in a state of despair mingled with hope. The abolitionist movement was at its height, pro claiming equality and freedom of all human beings. A bitter civil war raged in the country. The institution of slavery received a fatal blow. But more than freedom from human slavery, there was the possibility of freedom from sin, its results, its guilt. Adventism offered such freedom to all humankind, to the free and the bond. The gospel of Jesus makes all persons free indeed (see John 8:32).

Early leaders of the Adventist Church did not have a presence of mind that the truths given to them were for all people worldwide. There could be no "home going" until the "everlasting gospel" had been shared. This early misperception was set right, however, through the gift of prophecy in the ministry of Ellen White. It was she who directed the church in its mission to every kindred, tongue, and people.

I love this gift of prophecy, for it helped to set the church on the right course. The church became a worldwide organization. Ellen White wrote: "The church is God's appointed agency for the salvation of men. It was organized for service, and its mission is to carry the gospel to the world. From the beginning it has been God's plan that through His church shall be reflected to the world His fullness and His sufficiency. The members of the church, those whom He has called out of darkness into His marvelous light, are to show forth His glory. The church is the repository of the riches of the grace of Christ; and through the church will eventually be made manifest, even to 'the principalities and powers in heavenly places,' the final and full display of the love of God (Eph. 3:10)."¹

"The church is God's fortress, His city of refuge, which He holds in a revolted world.... From the beginning, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth. In every age the Lord has had His watchmen, who have borne a faithful testimony to the generation in which they lived. These sentinels gave the message of warning; and when they were called to lay off their armor, others took up the work. God brought these witnesses into covenant relation with Him self, uniting the church on earth with the church in heaven. He has sent forth His angels to minister to His church, and the gates of hell have not been able to prevail against His people." ²

Because the Adventist Church has been faithful to its commission, it is found in all parts of the globe. In America, Europe, Africa, Inter-America, South America, Asia, the islands of the seas, the gospel is being preached and the honest in heart are accepting the truth.

My dream for the church

Because of my love for the Lord, I dream for the future of my church. I envision a dynamic, inclusive, growing, and united church awaiting her Lord's soon return.

I dream of a dynamic church. The church is here to tell the story of God's love—transforming, powerful, compassionate, caring love. We seem to have gotten caught up in institutionalism, in balance sheets, in things, in shoving for leadership, and in a feeling that we will be on earth forever. Sometimes it seems that we have lost sight of our original mission. We must seek the old paths. We must not waver from the commission that was given by our Lord. The Lord is not slack concerning His promises. He that shall come will come in just a little while (see 2 Peter 3:9-11). Oh, that we would do the work that has been as signed to us that the kingdom might come. Away with frustration and worry as to how to get the job moving. God never sends us out for failure. The work will be done!

I dream of a church willing to use everyone in its global service. Several years ago one of our missionaries told of an experience that he had during his tour of service in Africa. In those days, the custom for getting an audience to hear the gospel preached was to go to the center of a village and begin ringing a bell. The natives would gather and the missionaries would proceed with their mission.

In one particular village that the missionary and his native pastor entered, the usual procedure for getting a crowd was followed. However, none came. In spite of many efforts people failed to respond. The missionary concluded that "we must shake the dust from our feet and go elsewhere." The African pastor suggested that they pray for the Lord to guide them as to which direction they should take. He did not see the village as being unreachable. He convinced the missionary that they should not give up but try to reach the people once more. The missionary agreed. Thus, they knelt and prayed. After the prayer, the pastor asked: "Did you hear what He said?" The missionary replied, "No, did you?" "Yes," responded the pastor. "Then you lead us!" said the missionary.

The next evening the two of them entered the village circle and began to look up into the heavens. The curious villagers began to gather around them and they too looked upward. What did they see? When the circle was filled with people, the pastor pointed to the constellation Orion and said: "He will come from there! The Deliverer will return to earth for His people through that space in the heavens." They then preached to them about the love and sacrifice of God for humanity and of His return for those who love Him and desire to go with Him when He comes. The villagers became very eager for the "return." God had answered the prayer of the pastor and had opened the door so that the gospel could be preached.

The next day after they had prayed, once again the pastor was given the reins to lead the way. The people responded to his guidance until finally the Seventh-day Adventist Church was established in a village in which it seemed hopeless to get the people to respond. God will finish His work in all the earth if we will permit Him to use whomever He will. The gifts to the church are spread among many people of many cultures, languages, dialects, and backgrounds. The work will grow when the church can bring itself to allow others to lead when the Lord has shown them the way and given them the know-how.

I dream of a church ever growing. With nationals leading the church in most areas of the world, the church has shown enormous growth and maturity. George Brown in Inter-America, J. J. Nortey and L. D. Raelly in the two African divisions, and P. D. Chun in the Far East are providing directions to mushrooming church growth. Manuel Vasquez has written a powerful document on the challenge facing the church in North America. In this treatise, en titled "America's Changing Face and the Church's Changing Voice," he states: " 'The Browning of America' which some ethnic minority writers spoke of in the 80s was more than just a nice cliche. It was a forecast of things to come in the rapidly changing population mix of America." ³ And then he quotes Time magazine: "Already 1 American in 4 defines himself as Hispanic or nonwhite. If the current trends in immigration and birth rates persist, the Hispanic population will have further increased an estimated 21 percent, the Asian presence about 22 percent, Blacks almost 12 per cent, and Whites a little more than 2 percent when the twentieth century ends." 4

Church growth among Hispanics and Asians has grown under the leadership of their own leaders. The gospel is being preached! And I have no doubt about my dream that this everlasting gospel will be carried to earth's remotest bounds and that our Lord will soon come!

I must speak now about the sons and daughters of former slaves in America. They were shown in vision to Ellen White as pleading for someone to come and teach them the ways of salvation.⁵ When the good news was finally shared with this downtrodden people, their minds, bodies, and souls became freed by the "truth" and they began to accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord. When Black leaders were used by God to give the message to their people in America, the work among them began to grow. In 1900 there were 50 Black members in the church in the United States; in 1909 there were 900; in 1918 there were 4,500; in 1944, when regional conferences were organized, there were 17,000 members.

Under regional leadership the membership had reached 21,800 by 1956; by 1960 it had grown to 70,000; by 1980 it was at 130,000; and in 1990 it stood at 218,000, accounting for 28 percent of the total membership of the North American Division. Regional conferences ac count for an annual baptism of 10,000. We do not baptize people to get money; but money comes when we baptize people. Tithe paid to the North American Division by its Black membership in regional conferences/churches during 1991 amounted to 18 percent ($75 mil lion) of the division receipts. Of the 42,000 baptized in the division during 1991, 18,000 were born outside the United States and more than 10,000 were baptized in the regional churches. The gospel is being preached to all mankind! Jesus will soon come.

I dream of a church without walls. The" work of the church has been hampered by the setting of quotas, limitations by "qualifications," ethnic back grounds, and the control of the finances to determine who will lead. On the isle of Patinos, John the Beloved envisioned that "there was no more sea." He had been separated from his church, his friends, and his family and placed on this island. He rejoiced when told by Jesus that when He returns there will be no more separation, no more division, no more "groups" but all one body, we. No more sea. The church must reach this state before the end finally comes. Who ever is chosen by God to get the job finished must be used, whether he or she be Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, female, youth, or layperson. There must be no more "sea"!

Barriers continue to impede progress. A barrier makes prisoners of people on both sides of it. If it keeps someone out, it keeps someone else in. Barriers can exist between two people, or two churches, or two conferences, or two races, or the sexes. The result is always the same. It stops the flow of communication and ideas. It holds back the progress of God's work.

Some of the most impenetrable walls are built out of the most insubstantial things: words. Words become rules and policies, procedures and attitudes. Be cause words come easy, walls spring up faster than they can be torn down. Some words used in the Seventh-day Adventist circles that tend to build walls are: "qualified"; "I think I can work with him/her"; "we will study and look with favor"; "let us set up a search commit tee"; "you people"; "I was raised with these people, I understand them"; "now brethren, let's be Christians"; "let us have patience"; "who is supplying the money?"

This problem of barriers is some thing that we should be concerned about, because advancement of the cause of Jesus Christ requires innovation. Innovation stems from creativity that is possible only when individuals are not hampered by artificial barriers.

Free interchange between different races of people, communities, churches, conferences, unions, and divisions in different parts of the world and the nation will help to bring great success in the spread of the "everlasting gospel." This cannot be accomplished in any community or among any people as successfully as it might be as long as barriers remain in the organizational structure of the church. Various groups can be used to swell the church population, but those same people are given limited leadership roles, if any at all, because of the "walls." When ethnic groups realize that they are being overlooked and deprived, they go on their own to get their jobs done, and then arises the cry "polarization." This is another wall!

The temptation to erect a wall is always strong. In the beginning, the idea behind it is that it will protect somebody from something and make him/her strong. But in the end, it only makes him/her weak by making him/her dependent upon the wall. A wall cannot prevent someone on the other side from having a good idea. It will not protect an inferior person from a superior one. Too long the church has implied by its actions that a number of its ethnic groups have nothing to offer in business, finances, or administration. Because of this attitude, the church has been the loser. But the worst thing about a wall is that it takes away "incentive" to work constructively with one's brothers and sisters. And this ultimately prevents the church from getting the best product or service that all of its members, regard less of national origin or race, have to offer.

As we move toward the year 2000, we must confess that time is not on our side. Seven million Seventh-day Adventists on Planet Earth are charged to share the "truth" with six billion people around the world. This is quite a responsibility.

The commission to the church re mains the same: "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved"! "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness . . . ; and then shall the end come."

In the midst of a tornado that struck Louisville, Kentucky, a few years ago, one of its citizens raced into the street to hail passing motorists and urged that they leave their vehicles and join the group that was being sheltered in a nearby ditch that was filled with water. This was done for their safety. The group locked arms with each other; pushed their feet against the ground and held on to each other for dear life until the storm had passed. It made no difference as to who the one next to another was. Survival was the objective. Let us join hands, lock arms, press together, for a finished work in the earth.