evangelism

Reporting from Montana, USA – In Everything Give Thanks

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When I worked for a large corporation in Anchorage, Alaska, the job required frequent travel. I usually flew on Alaska Airlines. When Alaska Airlines serves their meals to their customers, they always place a little card on each tray with the following Bible verse: “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O most High: to shew forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night.” Psalms 92:1, 2. That thought has never left me. It is good for us and we are even required to give thanks unto the Lord, for we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Most of the time we forget to thank the Lord. We dwell on the dark side of life, and on the failings of others, because of this we become discouraged and unhappy. I am glad that the owners of that airline had the idea and the courage to place these verses on my tray. I am only one life they touched with these messages from God’s Word. This is what I would like to do with my life—to touch the lives of other people so they have a desire to follow Jesus more closely, not to follow a man or a system, but the Lord of the Church. The 144,000 are doing that according to Revelation 14:4 — “they follow the Lamb.” Even if we can touch only one individual in our life and that one person is saved, it was all well worth it. It would be better to help one soul to be truly converted and saved, than to baptize fifty people that are not converted and will be lost anyway.

I read a statement in Testimonies, vol. 2, 246: “One soul saved, to live throughout the ages of eternity, to praise God and the Lamb, is of more value than millions in money.”

My being here on earth is no accident. God is in control. He always has been and always will be and that’s good news.

Just looking back in my own life, I remember when God saved me from drowning as a little child; when He led us out of Berlin four weeks before a bomb destroyed the apartment complex my parents lived in; when He helped us to escape from the Russian army in East Germany while they were only one mile away from the place we stayed; when He brought us safely to a little village in Bavaria (West Germany), hundreds of miles southwest; when He protected us from various severe bombing attacks in Bavaria; when He brought my father safely home from a three and a half year prison term in Siberia, and when we learned the beautiful Three Angels’ Messages through the Seventh-day Adventist movement. I can only marvel and be grateful for His leading.

As a young man I immigrated to the United States, and served for two years in the U.S.A. Army. During my overseas stay, I met my first wife with whom I was privileged to spend twenty-eight blessed years raising three nice children. During my first years in the U.S.A. I became acquainted with several sincere, upright, honest, and spiritual Seventh-day Adventist Christians. Today I would consider them Historic Seventh-day Adventists. God used them to impress upon my mind and heart the importance of the messages given by Him to Ellen White, in the Spirit of Prophecy—one of the main signs of the true Church. In Testimonies, vol. 4, 148, I read this statement: “In ancient times God spoke to men by the mouth of prophets and apostles. In these days He speaks to them by the testimonies of His Spirit. There was never a time when God instructed His people more earnestly than He instructs them now concerning His will and the course that He would have them pursue.” But will they profit by His teachings? Will they receive His reproofs and heed His warnings?”

There is a very important statement found in Selected Messages, vol. 1, 48, which says: “The very last deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God . . . There will be a hatred kindled against the testimonies which is satanic . . . Satan cannot have so clear a track to bring in his deceptions and bind up souls in his delusions if the warnings and reproofs and counsels of the Spirit of God are heeded.” When I read this I was convicted and determined to remain true and faithful to God by heeding His counsels and encourage others to do so.

When false teachers, theories, and the modern theology crept into the church, when finally celebration and NLP and the tearing down of standards came into the church, I already had a good foundation by being grounded in the Spirit of Prophecy. We read in Selected Messages, vol. 3, 84: “All who believe that the Lord has spoken through Sister White, and has given her a message, will be safe from the many delusions that will come in these last days.”

It was several months after my wife died of cancer in 1993 that I was invited by the Printed Page to go to Romania, Poland, Czech Republic, and Germany to speak to various independent groups and conference churches encouraging them to stay faithful to the historic message given to this movement over a hundred years ago, and not to follow any man or system or to believe any new teachings without testing them by the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. The early believers checked out Paul’s teachings as we read in Acts 17:11: “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the work with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” If they had to check out Paul by the written Word, then we surely must check out every one that comes along today, and if he preaches the truth, he has nothing to worry about because the truth will stand.

During one of my speaking appointments in Germany I met a lovely Christian woman, who I married this month. We plan to use our time and talents to glorify Jesus and to be an encouragement to others.

For the past three years I have been priviliged to speak as a layworker to various groups and churches in Europe and the States, for various independent ministries, and in some conference churches. I am not interested in erecting walls of separation but in encouraging people to follow Jesus alone and the truth He has given to this movement. My main goal is to encourage each one, myself included, to become like Jesus in character. “It is character that decides destiny.” Christ Object Lessons, 74. “It is. . . the possession of a Christlike character that will open to us the gates of Paradise.” Christian Service, 247.

It is my goal and desire to continue to be a blessing and a support to my local church and wherever the Lord wants me to share that information in order to prepare a people for the coming of the Lord.

We are told in the book Desire of Ages, 253, that “Jesus had nothing to do with subjects of dissension among the Jews. It was His work to present the truth.” “He denied the right of the priests and rabbis to question Him or to interfere with His work.” Desire of Ages, 211. “Jesus taught the Scriptures as of unquestionable authority.” Ibid., 253. “As the Son of man, Christ would stand loyal to God.” Ibid., 114.

Jesus is my example, He is my leader, and I want to follow Him in my personal life and in the presentation of my messages as we find in Testimonies, vol. 5, 147: “Choose poverty, reproach, separation from friends, or any suffering rather than to defile the soul with sin. Death before dishonor or the transgression of God’s law should be the motto of every Christian.” May the Lord help us in this endeavor.

Reporting from Switzerland – Contend for the Faith

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It was in July 1991 that we came in personal contact with Steps to Life for the first time. We met pastor Marshall and John Grosboll at the first International Campmeeting in Hengelo, Netherlands. This was the very first time that we saw so many people who believed like my wife and I. We met people from Hartland, Hope International, David Kang, Ty Gibson, Russel Standish and others. The reason we were at this campmeeting was to take the opportunity to be baptized together. During the meeting, when I was listening for the first time to Marshall Grosboll’s sermon, I was very happy that we had found people who believed the same as we did. He was preaching about Christ’s nature and all the sermons from Marshall and John were real blessings to all the people. This campmeeting will ever be in our mind. On Sabbath, my wife and I were baptized with ten other people by Pastor Russel Standish. Before we went home, I asked Marshall Grosboll if it would be possible to invite him to come to Switzerland some time.

A few weeks after we were back home, we heard the sad news of the death of the Grosboll family. I had a very hard time understanding why this happened. The last booklet of Marshall’s was sent to me, and after I read it, I was convinced that this booklet should be given also to German speaking people. I spent many hours translating it. In August 1992, 10,000 copies of Somebody Cares in German were printed. Now this booklet is also translated into the Romanian and Hungarian language.

In November 1992 we had our first campmeeting with John Grosboll in Melchnau, Switzerland. The second campmeeting was in May 1993 with John Grosboll, Ron Woolsey and Jakob Gnanakkan. People from Germany, Austria, France and Switzerland were attending. In the same year we had a campmeeting with Norman Hopkins from England and Venita Marcussen. Walter Tschoepe was visiting us and was speaking to us on Sabbath one year ago.

Since February 1993, I went, for the first time, with Ron and Claudia Woolsey to Romania. I spent now about 30,000 kilometers and 3 months for the supporting of our “Historic Adventists” friends during my eight times travels. 5,000 copies of “Somebody cares” in the Romanian language, 350 sacks with clothes and shoes, 1,300 kilograms of rice, 2 copy-machines, 10 bicycles, 1 power-saw, 5 wheel chairs, complete equipment for a dentist and many other things were brought by a VW-Bus with a trailer. I am happy that every time I was also able to bring them financial help as well, so that they can work fulltime for the gospel.

After the campmeeting in Hengelo in 1991, we attended the international meetings every year. Because of the lack of translators, I was asked to help translate for the speakers and was invited to speak as well. I decided to distribute the sermons from these different meetings and from the meetings in Switzerland. The tape ministry now has a list with over 100 sermons from speakers from all over the world. I offer also 10 different music tapes, like “Scripture Songs I-IV,” “He Will Carry You,” “Set Free,” “Heartsongs,” “Quietly Await,” “If That is Not Love” and others. The book Steps to Christ is recorded on audio tape and some parts from Christ’s Object Lessons and the book Somebody cares. Also available are some tapes recorded from the Bible, like the gospel of John, some letters of Paul, the book of Revelation, and parts of the Psalms. Since I started with this, I have duplicated more than 2,700 audio tapes.

With the computer and the copy machine I was able to make tracts in many different ways. Some of these tracts are translated articles from Ellen White or compilations. Some are different chapters of the larger books like Great Controversy, Desire of ages, Patriarchs and Prophets, and Acts of the Apostles. I also have my personal experience on paper in the form of a tract, with an advertisement at the end, where people can ask for one free copy of the books Steps to Christ, Desire of Ages or the Great Controversy. The title of this is No more Sunday, because when I accepted the Sabbath, I decided to keep the right day in the future. 25 different tracts are now available.

Two years ago, before we moved in the house we are living in now, we sent out 25,700 leaflets with a coupon (in every household around the region) for the Great Controversy by mail. The result was 85 orders. In the same time we started homeschooling two of our tree children. We did find a nice place out in the country side, were we live now surrounded by fields and forests. We have our own spring water and wood for heating the house. The children are happy with the two dogs, two rabbits, three cats, three goats and some chickens. The first winter, we had for two months, more then one meter of snow. The last 300 meters we had to walk to the house, because it was impossible to reach the house by car, even with 4 wheel drive and snow chains. But the spring time is a wonderful time with beautiful flowers on the fields and with the beautiful songs of the birds in the morning.

The LORD has helped us many times to overcome difficulties and troubles. I would like to take this opportunity to give thanks for this and to encourage His people all over the world to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” The LORD will help us to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” I am sure that we have the truth, but “Man’s advantages for obtaining a knowledge of the truth, however great these may be, will prove of no benefit to him unless the heart is open to receive the truth, and there is conscientious surrender of every habit and practice that is opposed to its principles.” Desire of Ages, 455, 56.

Only through His strength and love can we conquer and through faith we see the heavenly home. Sister White wrote many, many lines, and I did learn very much through her writings. One sentence I decided to take heed of: “The unstudied unconscious influence of a holy life is the most convincing sermon that can be given in favor of Christianity” Sketches From the Life of Paul, 331. It would be a great joy for us, if you would remember us in your prayers.

May the LORD bless you and help you to live for Him, because He died for us.

Reporting from Illinois, USA – By God ’s Grace

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I’m a fifth generation SDA, but I fell in love with dear Jesus when I was eighteen years old. My first craving was to learn more of Him. My heavy college load of pre-med at a public college sank into nothingness as I read books like Desire of Ages. I got a D in French, a D in History, and an F in Algebra. My dear mother thought I was ruined. But God did not let those grades hurt me one bit because I had done what he wanted me to do. I had gotten to know Him. For the next 6 ½ years my grades were fine.

My second craving was to share this lovely Jesus with as many as I could, and I prayed that He would help me do it. Although I did not realize then, that is just the kind of prayer that God delights to answer. That craving led me to read Great Controversy, give Bible studies, start an SDA gospel ministry, and write the book National Sunday Law as a soul-winning tool to reach the modern TV minds of today with God’s Three Angel’s Messages. Our kind Father has pushed them out around the world with 8.6 million in print. God gets all the credit. He gets all the praise, for we can do nothing. It just gives us a lot of joy. Why not pray that God will use you to reach many souls for Him? Then He will use you to inspire others. I dare you to pray it. He will answer that prayer!

I used to look in church basements to try to find a soul-winning tool that could grab people’s curiosity, lead them to Jesus, to the cross, His love, His law, His Sabbath, and give them the warning against the mark of the beast, and the Three Angel’s Messages, all in one simple setting. This tool would need to penetrate the modern TV minds, be small enough for busy people, and be wrapped up in Jesus, yet give them God’s last warning message. I could not find such a thing.

Since I finally found such a book, I am using it along with many SDA people. National Sunday Law is calculated to arouse their curiosity to read Great Controversy, which most TV minds will not read today. Now we get orders for hundreds of the Great Controversy. After they receive it, we enroll them in the Bible course through the mail. We have over 100 now taking Bible studies that way.

Then, there’s the satellite TV program once a week, on which we are going through the book of Revelation, and through the life of the lovely Jesus. We also send this program on video to hundreds each month who have no satellite dish.

I speak in many SDA churches in the USA and other countries. The dear SDA people need to learn how to be true historic Seventh-day Adventists. If you or I don’t teach them, who will? Their pastors? They need to be awakened out of a stupor to see that Rome is attacking God’s church and trying to turn it into a Roman Catholic clone. They also need to wake up to really know dear Jesus, and to know their duty to reach the world with the very message that God told us to give.

I have a special video series exposing Rome’s attack. I make it plain that as an ordained SDA minister, I’m standing in loyal defense of God’s SDA church against that attack.

At our church, we have SDA campmeetings once per year, and a one week soul-winning school every two months. It lasts one week so that those who work can take a weeks vacation and come to it without losing their jobs.

God has also provided a beautiful large building, which by God’s grace will be used as a “health resort” with health classes, and a health restaurant, to help save souls by way of medical missionary work. Our work in the building is not finished yet, but we appreciate your prayers that our kind Father will help us, and will bless.

May God richly bless you as we all work together with Him for souls, so that they, with us, can soon be home in that wonderful land where Jesus is.

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Reporting from California, USA – Healing the Sick

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“Christ, who created the world and all things that are therein is the life and light of every living thing . . In Him is life, that is original, unborrowed, underived.” Medical Ministry, 7. Because Christ loved the life He gave to each in the human family, He came to restore that life to its fullness. His requirement for all of us is to do our part in the restoration and reconciliation of fallen man to Himself. Jesus says to all that follow Him, “Heal the sick.” Matthew 10:8. This is the work the Lord gave us to do through the health ministry. Specifically what we do is teach health principles to those who are ill and point them to a better way that they may be healed. Our programs are always Christ centered. Our main object is to introduce fallen man to his Creator.

In California we offer a ten day detoxification program. This is a thorough cleanse of the entire body. During the ten days the participants stay with us in our seven bed facility. Each day we teach and put into practice the eight laws of health as found in Ministry of Healing, 127. We encourage sunbathing with moderate exposure, adequate exercise, much needed rest, along with the proper use of water, etc. Each day a lecture is given teaching health principles, the nature of disease, and how to overcome disease. The highlight of the day seems to be the afternoon steambath. Our guests range from the terminally ill to those just wanting to improve their health. No one is turned away because of finance. We want to share with all as Jesus did.

We are located on the eastern slope of the San Bernardino mountains, 4,500 feet above sea level. The air is relatively clean and hiking abundant as we border a protected wilderness area. No neighbors are near, giving privacy to do the Lord’s work in peace and quiet.

We are frequently asked to speak and teach the health message. We also conduct training programs on how to be a medical missionary, give massage therapy, perform hydrotherapy, and the preparation needed to do all this work. The Lord has blessed as we see healing taking place in the physical man. More importantly, souls are being won for the Lord. “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.” Matthew. 9:37. Won’t you be a part of the final harvest and help with the needed work-force to finish this work so we can go home?

Everyone is to be engaged in the service of the Lord. We think you will agree we are at the end of time. “Those who have a knowledge of the truth as it is revealed in God’s word must now come to the front. My brethren, God requires this of you.” Medical Ministry, 22.

“Christ, the great medical missionary, is our example. Of Him it is written that He ‘went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.’ He healed the sick and preached the gospel. In his service, healing and teaching were linked closely together. Today they are not to be separated.” Review and Herald, September 21, 1905.

As we can see, God has a plan to spread the gospel which is to include the medical missionary work.

“Christ stands before us as the pattern Man, the great medical missionary—an example for all who should come after. . . We are to do the same work that the great medical missionary undertook in our behalf. We are to follow the path of self-sacrifice trodden by Christ.” Medical Ministry, 20.

We are frequently asked, “Why did you become a medical missionary?” This question can be answered best by relating a recent experience.

Recently we were at Steps to Life when a man some 1,500 miles away called. He said, “I was told about you by an acquaintance who said you might possibly help me. My wife, whom I love dearly, has terminal cancer. (He was crying as he related this to us.) The doctor gives no hope. I love her so much! I want her to live. Please help my wife.” At that moment we felt the weight and responsibility of what it means to be a medical missionary.

Two weeks later we visited this precious couple in their home. We suggested a natural food diet designed to bring healing to the body. More important we prayed with them and directed them to the Great Physician. Both now have hope and are closer to Jesus than before. She has decided to attend our next program this summer. We all have faith that, if it is God’s will, and she follows the health laws God has given us, restoration of health will come.

Why not pray for a miracle, some people may ask? Wouldn’t this be easier and faster than going through so much trouble? Today, in most cases, lifestyle needs to be changed for healing to come. Part of medical missionary work is to educate on true health principles. Then the Lord can honor prayers for healing. We are told: “The way in which Christ worked was to preach the word, and to relieve suffering by miraculous works of healing. But I am instructed that we cannot now work in this way; for Satan will exercise his power by working miracles. God’s servants today could not work by means of miracles, because spurious works of healing, claiming to be divine, will be wrought.

“For this reason the Lord has marked out a way in which His people are to carry forward a work of physical healing combined with the teaching of the word. . . The time is at hand when Satan will work miracles to confirm minds in the belief that he is God. All the people of God are now to stand on the platform of truth as it has been given in the third angel’s message.” Medical Ministry, 14, 15.

Another aspect of our work is sending Bibles and Spirit of Prophecy books to Africa. Nearly six years ago we inherited “Inspiration Books, Inc.,” a California non-profit organization proclaiming the Three Angel’s Messages mainly to Africa. Many thousands of books are sent each year to hungering souls because of donations of used books or money for new ones which comes to us from faithful Historic Adventists. Many more could be sent if we had the funds. We wish space was permitted in this article to share some of the thrilling testimonies we receive from precious souls who have found the Sabbath and our message through these books. Many home churches are being raised up all over the world as apostasy is growing, and faithful Seventh-day Adventists, along with those who are hearing the name of Jesus for the first time, are meeting together—some just under a tree.

Jesus is coming very soon! We are told, “Get ready! Get ready! Get ready!” Early Writings, 64. Let us follow this instruction and get ready.
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Reporting from the Philippines – Pressing Forward Despite Difficulties

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The work in the Philippines is going forward and we are very busy. There are currently eight historic Seventh-day Adventist pastors and we have plans to increase that number to 10 very soon. Their work is mainly evangelism and also visiting and strengthening and organizing the home churches. In April we had a month long training session for the young people which was followed by a month long evangelistic series in Roblon. They learned how to go door to door and sing for the people and give health talks and Bible studies in their homes.

At first the meetings in Roblon were in the open air but when rain interfered we rented a very old condemned school building and completed the series there. Our evangelistic meetings could be helped with a tent and a good PA system. The young people were active in visitation in the villages during the day and assisting the ministers with the meetings each evening. There are about thirty-five young people who are involved in Bible work. But after we trained them we have no more funds to support them in their work. All of the pastors have given up good jobs to go into full time gospel work and they and their families often suffer want as they sacrifice for the work.

We recently held a campmeeting on Palawan. There are two home church groups there who have been constructing church buildings. We are thankful to the supporters of Steps to Life for assisting financially so that these buildings could be completed.

We have been receiving many urgent calls from groups of Catholics (the Philippines is 80-85 % Catholic) who are asking to hear our message. Brother Jun Mendoza and Brother Willie just returned from meeting with a group in Urdaneta Pangasinan in central Luzon. This was a group of Catholics, mostly professional people, who have been studying the Bible and have their own chapel. They were very open to the health message and some became vegetarians immediately. They also enjoyed the messages of prophecy. They asked us to give a series of studies. Hopefully we will be returning soon.

Some of the pastors have been requested by conference SDA churches to give presentations on health and prophecy topics and we have seen some changes with a growing openness. They have learned that Elder Ralph Larson has helped our work and they are more open since he is highly respected here because he taught here in the seminary for many years. Also, we have been explaining about historic Adventist. They know the older conservative Adventists don’t cook on Sabbath and are health reformers and they know that we believe these things and they ask if we are “original” and we say yes we are original or historic Adventist. One young lady from a home church was asked to give health lectures during the first half hour of a radio broadcast sponsored by a conference church and this is working well. We are slowly able to present the Spirit of Prophecy to them. We are praying for a reformation.

One pastor in Palawan has been asked by a group of SDA students in the public university to start a study with them. This is a group of several hundred young people. This will involve a great deal of travel which is costly.

We are moving forward with organizing the home churches with each group electing elders, deacons, a treasurer and clerk. We have been having meetings to decide on the best way to organize for the improvement of the evangelistic work so that we work like a team. We have read of the organization in Ghana and see that it benefits their efforts to have organization.

We have difficulty visiting the many home churches scattered throughout the provinces. Some of the young people are studying under the pastors and are visiting some of the remote home churches. The young people are learning to carry some of the pastorial duties of the pastors.

Brother Willie will be traveling to Mindanao soon to meet with the home churches and to visit the home church school on that island. Workers on this island have a vegetarian restaurant and bakery and often give Daniel and Revelation seminars in cottage meetings. They also have a radio broadcast.

The headquarters for the Philippine work will be in Mindoro on a property which has been donated. This property is in need of some repairs but it includes a large home which can house the offices and a building which was once a shoe factory which can be used for a training center and possibly contain a publishing work in the future. Renovations and office equipment are needed to furnish this facility.

Plans are being made for a program of medical missionary training for the many young people who have requested this training. The curriculum is being prepared now. They will be learning the eight laws of health and also hydrotherapy and simple home remedies. This training will be held in the old shoe factory on Mindoro during the month of August.

We continue to have a radio broadcast in Manila which has one half hour of health lectures and one half hour of evangelistic Bible sermons. The funding for this broadcast will end in a few months. There have been many calls and requests for literature through this broadcast but the supply of books is inadequate.

There is so much work that we are not able to answer all the calls. The people are open when we go door to door and we can always find interested people who wish to study. We have willing workers but limited funds which keep us from doing all that we want to do.

There are workers who wish to start a Bible Correspondence school and others who want to open a sanitarium. When there are funds to copy tracts and literature this is used quickly to meet requests. Many home churches are active in literature distribution.

We want to thank the supporters of Steps to Life for the assistance with books and child evangelism materials, for help to complete construction of the chapels and also for your prayers.

 

Editor’s Note: This report is from Willie Manipol, Dave Matudan, Jr., and other pastors and workers in the Philippines. It contains excerpts from recent phone conversations and letters, which have been edited for this publication.

Reporting from Zaire, Central Africa – A Spiritual Revival Movement

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A Specific Case of a Spiritual Revival Movement with the Zaire Union Mission of Seventh-day Adventist Church Full Member of Historic Seventh-day Adventist Family.

How the SDA General Conference Church in Zaire Central Africa Contributes Greatly to Delay the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

As Historic Seventh-day Adventists, we believe in the holiness of the Good News contained in the Holy Bible. We truly trust in the Spirit of Prophecy and we are proclaiming the message of the Three Angels. We humbly think that any ecclesiastical movement which does not confess such a goal should change its name instead of claiming to be Seventh-day Adventists.

In 1972 the General Conference Church of SDA joined a national ecumenical movement called “The Church of Christ in Zaire” (L’eglise du Christ au Zaire) as the forty-second member.

We will never forget this year during which we, as former members and/or workers of the GC church in Zaire, were informed about the affiliation of the church to the ecumenical movement.

This national movement, created as a reaction to the Catholic denomination is composed of sixty-eight, Protestant churches. These churches no longer have individual names, but are part of a “Community.” The GC Church of Zaire is now called: “The Forty-Second Community of the Church of Christ in Zaire.”

This affiliation was not free, nor under the local church initiative for it was duly accepted and sponsored by the General Conference which paid the duties of affiliation, by sending the required amount to the Union which paid it to the Ecumenical corporation.

We were also very concerned and disappointed with the management of the SDA Church because it does not reflect the Spirit of Prophecy. Tribalism, underhanded dealings, vote catching, private and informal committees instead of official ones, lack of punishment of guilty persons because of their close relationship with some officials of the Union, lack of true social projects of development such as schools for the churches sake, led us to leave the ecumenical church of the GC. In short, we saw we must stay by the old land marks and organize our group based on the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy and the Message of the Three Angels.

We could not figure out how we could preach against the Beast if we made connection with those who are worshipping it. We realized that we could not spread the Three Angels’ Messages while being involved in a fellowship with Sunday Protestant Churches. And last, we could not imagine that it is possible to observe the Law of God in its wholeness while being in connection with an ecumenical movement who are law breakers, especially disregarding the fourth commandment, the sign of God’s people from the beginning to the end of time.

From this evidence, we arrived at the conclusion that we must be self-governing as well as self-supporting. But, we are not yet self-sufficient.Consequently we have to restrain our outreach for lack of funds. May you find here our origin, Seventh-day Adventist Independent Church. Thanks to God’s blessings we have friends and brothers all over the world. We also have partners who contribute to lighten the task we have to spread the warning message to our part of the world.

Organization, of Main Objectives, and Things that Handicap the Way

The Zaire Union Missions of Seventh-day Adventist Independent Church has existed since 1990. At the very beginning, it had only 5,000 members. Today we have 16,000 members out of a population of 45,000,000 people in Zaire. We have a lot of work to do, but we cannot do it without the Holy Spirit is guidance or the benefactors assistance and the prayers of our fellow believers.

We are active in the Kinshasa, Bandundu, and East-Kasai regions. The work in the Shaba and Kivu regions will be organized in the near future.

Evangelism

We are currently using the door-to-door method in our evangelism. We lack very much the French translations of the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy, and Hymnals, as well as Bible literature for witnessing. We would like to start a Bible Correspondence School as soon as we have means to print the lessons.

Communication

The problem of communication is one of the serious problems we are facing in our ministry. In a car it can take more than a day to travel thirty kilometers during the rainy season, because of the bad condition of the roads. On these roads bicycles are faster than cars!

We have 259 workers, that includes Pastors, Evangelists, Bible Workers, Teachers, Gardeners, etc., all work without salary,trusting that God will provide. We need assistance in this area.

We need a private ham radio in order to establish a regular link between Kinshasa, the headquarters of the mission in the country. The official Post Office in Zaire as well as the telephone system are unreliable. Only cellular phones can link the country to Europe and the USA. Here again is a big problem to resolve.

We would also like to broadcast our distinct message by public radio. May the Lord help us in this project. This is the way we can reach a lot of people who we can not reach personally. There are local Sunday churches and ministries that already have broadcasts.

We think we have the best message all over the country—the message of warning given by the Three Angels. Give us a hand so that we might be the co-labourers with the angels in our country and in all the French speaking countries in Africa. God bless all of our benefactors, and may we together hasten the glorious second coming of our King and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Reporting from England

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My Experiences

In the early eighties the Lord sought me out and brought me from a life of crime into a conversion experience. For many years I had been a professional drug-dealer/smuggler and for at least twelve years I was using drugs on a daily basis. Thanks to the witnessing efforts of members of the Seventh-day Adventist church I was baptized into the church in 1983. For the next seven years the Lord led me through a time of spiritual growth and tuition until in 1990 my wife and I responded to a call to enter the mission field.

In January 1991 we left with our two children to follow the call to work as missionaries in Hungary and other parts of Eastern Europe. While in Hungary the work involved preaching the gospel in SDA churches and witnessing, the saving grace of Jesus Christ in schools, hospitals, prisons, community centers, and anywhere there was an opportunity. Much of the work involved speaking with drug addicts and alcoholics and introducing them to the true gospel. Evangelistic meetings were held not only in Hungary, but also Romania and (the then) Czechoslovakia, plus there were opportunities to speak to a wider audience through newspaper, radio, and television interviews in Hungary, Yugoslavia, and France. During this time the Lord also provided many opportunities to pursue my research into “the Mystery Babylon” of Revelation 17 and the influence of the “New Age Movement.” This research began in 1981 and drew on many aspects of my life “before Christ.” It seemed as if the Lord had been preparing me for this work from my youth. This resulted in a series of tracts “The Prophetic Look” series and a booklet “Unveiling the Mystery Babylon Using Biblical and Historical Evidence.”

Following the outbreak of the war in Yugoslavia I had the opportunity to travel into that country twice and the Lord opened the doors so that I was able to take the truth of “the great controversy between Christ and Satan” to many members of the media and to be able to confront members of the governments within the federation on the role of the Vatican in the war and modern politics. During the visits there I was able to gather much research material, which, when added to material gathered in Israel, Argentina and Peru, resulted in the video, “The Vatican and Fascism.” This video was produced in the USA after giving this presentation in several States and taking part in Religious Liberty meetings in both the USA and Jamaica. It was a follow-up from a two previous videos: “The Future Plans of the New Age Movement” and “The Vatican’s Conspiracy for World Domination.”

Since that time my research has continued into the role that the Roman Catholic church has played in history, culminating in the (so far) five-part series: “The Vatican and Politics” and the two-part “Religion of 666,” which traces the roots of the number 666 and identifies the true meaning of Revelation 13:18. These presentations have also been given in England, France, Germany, Italy, and Holland as well as Eastern Europe. Unfortunately in 1993 my wife and children had to return to England and were not able to return to be with me on the mission field. Understandably this placed quite a strain on all members of the family, which was resolved by my return to England in January, 1995. Being loathe to work for anyone else and after prayerful consideration, my wife and I decided to trust in His guidance and continue the work that He set before us, from England.

Since that time He has continued to provide for us and we have followed His leading. There have been evangelistic meetings in Australia, England, Denmark, Holland, and Germany as well as research undertaken in various other places. We now produce a newsletter on an irregular basis which focuses on the research undertaken and updates on previous topics.

 

Statement of the Aims of this Ministry:

(1) The primary aim of this ministry is to lead souls to Christ.

(2) As loyal members of God’s Seventh-day Adventist Church we recognize that we are members of the church that is destined to fulfill Christ’s commission to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:19, 20.

(3) We also recognize that this commission is to be fulfilled through the preaching of the Three Angels’ Messages of Revelation 14, namely, that we should preach the everlasting gospel “unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” Revelation 14:6.

(4) We recognize that each of the Three Angels has it’s own peculiar aspect to its message.

First Angel — a call to worship the God of creation, to glorify Him through faith and obedience to His commandments and proclaim the fact that the day of judgment has begun. Revelation 14:7.

Second Angel — to identify Babylon and expose her corruption of not only God’s plan of redemption but also His plan for His church. Revelation 14:8.

Third Angel — to warn the world of the dangers of straying from God’s way and the vital importance of God’s original Ten Commandments in His plan (particularly the fourth commandment as the sign of allegiance to Him). Revelation 14:9, 10.

Reporting from Denmark

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Dear brothers and sisters around the world: It is my privilege to write a few lines to you about the work I am involved in. I hope that this will be an encouragement to someone. The Three Angels’ Messages have to reach every human being. This involves so much work that it seems impossible to men, but with the Lord’s help this will happen. Maybe not in the ways which we expect, but somehow the Lord is going to use every humble instrument to finish this work. I am personally involved in many different things. First of all I have started a correspondence school here in Denmark. This has proved to be a big blessing.

A few people began the work here with distributing small tracts which we call “The Silent Messenger.” In these we write an article about a chosen topic. After we give out the tract we offer a free book and/or Bible studies by correspondence. We often cover the same area with different issues of the tracts. In this way we try to feed the people with spiritual food even if they choose not to contact us.

The last two years we have tried during the winter time to have a Prophecy Seminar. This has unfortunately not proven to be a success here in Denmark. People are very closed minded and seldom go out to religious meetings. We have found it to be easier to invite people to a correspondence course. This has made us focus more on the correspondence school. The number of students has been increasing. I praise the Lord that as the work has grown He has given me a sister-in-law who is very eager to help me to answer all the letters. It was a great joy to us, when one of our students chose this spring to be united with God’s people.

Besides Denmark, God has given us Romania as a special missionfield. It was under God’s special leading that I first went to Romania in connection with one of John Grosboll’s trips to Europe. There have been many trips since then. We have found a group of good and faithful Adventists, who are doing a large work of evangelism. But the people are poor and they are often in lack of means for evangelism. We have tried to supply them with literature which they can use in their evangelism. We have been printing “Somebody Cares” in their own language in large amounts. In addition to this we have bought Spirit of Prophecy books in Hungary and brought them to Romania.

We have also taken many trips to Romania supplying humanitarian help. We have brought food, clothes, shoes, blankets, and many other things to give to the most poor. This work has proven to be a great advantage for the local people in their evangelism. By first receiving humanitarian help, the people are much more open to the gospel when we arrange for evangelism in that city. When someone would come and give clothes away without charging anything, the people know that we are different and have something to offer. By God’s grace we have had the blessing of seeing people converted as a result of the help we have brought to them.

I thank the Lord that He has given me the privilege of having a part in His work. Wherever He sends me I want to be willing to go. May the Lord show you where your little vineyard is and give you grace and strength to work for Him.

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Reporting from Oklahoma, USA

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In 1987 my husband and I began a Bible Correspondence School. Our goal was to cover Oklahoma with the opportunity to study the Bible. Our flyer offered a FREE Bible to those who might not have one as well as free Bible Study Guides. We did not worry as to how many baptisms would result. We only thought of the benefits of getting the literature into the homes so the Holy Spirit could work and reveal truth to searching hearts. We remembered that the Lord does not work to bring many souls into the church right now because many of us are unconverted. But it is always time to sow seeds in preparation of the Loud Cry. That is when we plan to do most of the reaping of the work that is now being done.

Our program was designed for rural areas since they are the least worked. Everyone gets mail delivery. Reaching people through the mail seemed the most feasible method of designing our outreach. With 77 counties in Oklahoma we decided to cover one county at a time. We used all our spare funds to get things ready. By the fall of the year we sent our first flyers. Our response was one-half to two percent return. As people heard of the work, they wanted to help too. Some people helped get lessons and books ready to mail, others gave money, and many people prayed.

Other churches heard of our project and asked us to cover the rural routes of their cities or counties. This gave them names to visit and opportunity for invitations to Revelation Seminars and evangelistic meetings. Our flyers found backslidden SDAs and the lessons sent to new SDAs helped to ground them in truths they had already discovered.

Later, our church became involved in helping get cards offering a FREE Great Controversy and Bible Studies, ready for the mail. We were able to obtain a non-profit, bulk mailing permit which saved thousands of dollars in postage and enabled us to cover more area at one time.

Today we have expanded so that we have several people employed as well as a whole church full of volunteers. Our work covers other states as well. We send cards out for other church groups all over the United States as long as they pay the very minimal expenses involved. They can decide if they want us to send the Great Controversy and the lessons or they can choose to do it themselves.

God has also opened the way for us to mail the National Sunday Law book all over the United States for Amazing Truth in Illinois. Our non-profit status saves thousands of dollars in postage and our church volunteers love the work.

To date we have covered all but 18 counties in Oklahoma and have sent thousands of Bible studies, books, and literature throughout our state. We are making plans to do a second coverage with the National Sunday Law and in fact have already covered five counties. The responses are tremendous. Several people have been baptized and many others are giving serious consideration to the subject of the Sabbath. After doing a coverage of one county with the National Sunday Law book, one lady wrote in, regarding her convictions for the Sabbath, and said that the book had really created a stir in her town.

If a person or church group cannot afford to cover a whole county, start with one town or one route. But do something! The more seeds we sow now in times of peace the more souls we will reap in the harvest of the Loud Cry!

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The Closing Work in Ghana

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“Among earth’s inhabitants, scattered in every land, there are those who have not bowed the knee to Baal. Like the stars of heaven, which appear only at night, these faithful ones will shine forth when darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the people. In heathen Africa, in the Catholic lands of Europe and of South America, in China, in India, in the islands of the sea, and in the dark corners of the earth, God has in reserve a firmament of chosen ones that will yet shine forth amidst the darkness, revealing clearly to an apostate world the transforming of obedience to His law.” Prophets and Kings, 188. In our part of the Lord’s vineyard, Ghana, in West Africa, (In fact heathenism is now a thing of the past here) the Historic Adventist Group has always sought to maintain primitive godliness, and to be a part of faithful ones proclaiming the message of the third angel. What methods do they use?

In 1991 I had a chance to attend a Bible Workers’ Seminar in Canada. In the process, it came out that there are various means of reaching the world with the gospel: Tracts, pamphlets, books, Bible studies, magazines, loaf of bread, cooking classes, letters, a telephone ministry, Sabbath schools, character building stories, a prison ministry; the list can go on and on. A good emphasis was put on acquisition of training before one can work effectively in any of these areas.

The Ghanaian group lacks most of these logistics, though good in themselves. But with the assurance that “The Lord will work through humble instruments leading the minds of those who consecrate themselves to His service. The laborers will be qualified rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the training of literary institutions. Men of faith and prayer will be constrained to go forth with holy zeal, declaring the words which God gives them.” Evangelism, 699. His members and workers are fully engaged in the proclamation of the Third Angels’ Message. In this article, I want to share with you some of the unique experiences we have had during the past year.

General profile of work in the churches

Every individual is involved in the house-to-house work especially on Sabbath afternoons.

Volunteer groups like “Christ Support Groups” in Kumasi and Accra are seriously complementing the efforts of ministers.

During the last Easter holidays the youth wing of the church had a 4-day fasting and prayer session, with the view of getting the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Third Angel’s Message.

Efforts in the Gold Mining City

Prominent among the strategies used here are door-to-door evangelism, open air crusades, and preaching on the streets. In February 1995, our Mobile Gospel Team (comprising Pastor Sam Bempong, and Evangelists Boakye, Kusj and Anning) embarked on a four week open air crusade at Obuasi (a gold mining town). Apart from going from house to house, they also sold 1080 cassette tapes. These tapes have the following messages recorded on them in the local language: Christian marriage; In the Days of Noah; Who is a Christian?; The Judgment; Health Reform Principles; Prophecy (Daniel 2, 7 and Revelation 13) ; and Is Rapture Real? The interest was indescribable. One hundred and nine persons are receiving Bible studies, and thirty-five souls joined the local church. An interested individual sold his old 15-seater Volkswagen bus to the group. The bus is now running on a second-hand Toyota Carina engine.

The Tema Crusade

Between late June and early August 1995 (4 weeks), the mobile team moved to Tema, an industrial city near Accra, the capital of Ghana. Fifteen souls were won to the Lord and 78 others are receiving Bible lessons. Here too, 430 tapes were sold.

Dunkirk Street Preaching

Dunkirk is a spot close to the center of Kumasi, the city where we have the church headquarters. At this spot daytime street preaching has been going on since July 1993. On a typical day the mobile team and/or some lay members will mount platforms and use the prophecy series in Daniel and Revelation printed on cloths to warn passers-by who are easily attracted to the spot. In fact, many souls have joined our various churches through this effort. Notably, the Tema church was started around an individual who first heard of the message at Dunkirk. Recently, the emphasis has shifted to medical evangelism, where Evangelist Adu Poku (Head of our Sanitorium Unit) and his group are doing the work of the mobile team, whereas the original mobile team has moved into the districts to help for a time.

Now and Beyond

This year, with the establishment of Steps to Life Bible Correspondence School in Accra, more souls are being reached. The lessons are structured in such a way that, midway, the students would be approached by contact persons from the church. Everyone is busy doing his or her part. Dear reader, this is a group that has little, but offers all. Why don’t you get on board?

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