The Seventh-day Adventist movement has a tremendous heritage in foreign mission work. J.N. Andrews was the first missionary that went into a foreign land to spread the good news of salvation and a soon coming Savior. Since that time thousands have spent their lives working for the less fortunate in various places of the world. As we grew up, we all knew someone who was a missionary. We listened to their stories from South America, China, India, Africa, and other far-away places. Most of us who grew up within Adventism have probably, at one time or another, dreamed of going to one of these far-away places to be a missionary.
What has that heritage of foreign missionaries left to the movement today? What is the condition of the work in these foreign lands? And what is our responsibility within Historic Adventism to continue the work that has gone before us?
Today there are approximately nine million people in the world professing to be Seventh-day Adventists. North America has not kept up the pace of growth that foreign missions have. In most places of the world today you can find Seventh-day Adventists, and in many, many places you can find Adventist churches, schools, and hospitals. This work was established with tremendous sacrifice. I was told by one missionary that West Africa was considered the white man’s grave. During the 1920s, as families of missionaries went there to establish the work, almost without exception one of the family members would become sick and die within the first six weeks after arrival.
What is the spiritual condition of these churches around the world? It is very much like it is here in the United States. You see worldliness, broken homes, and celebration. The structure is demanding absolute allegiance to the church leadership, as they embrace liberalism and apostasy, and push out those who are trying to hold up the law of God as the great principle of life. So we ask the question, Is there any value today in the work that was established in such sacrifice? The answer is, Absolutely. There are faithful souls around the world who are upholding the great standards of truth that God has given His people. Many of those people are no longer accepted by the structure, even though they are standing faithful to the great principles of truth that so many today want to put down and label unchristian.
What is our responsibility to other faithful souls around the world who are working at tremendous sacrifice to continue the work of spreading the Three Angels’ Messages in their area? We need to hold up their hands so that they can do more. In many places of the world today, God has people who are working for Him who don’t even have enough food to eat. I believe that while we are still in a condition of plenty, we need to share what we have. However, we have a responsibility to do more than just share so that they will have enough food to keep going; we also need to help them with their evangelism. The ground is so fertile. Unlike the United States, where it is getting harder and harder to develop interests, people are responding in these foreign countries.
Let me share with you what is happening in Ghana, West Africa (I could tell you stories about other places also). One year ago, Steps to Life decided to help the Historic Adventists in that area for two main reasons. First, people in that area are interested in learning about the Bible, and the Historic Adventists there are organized. There are over fifty churches in the country that are organized into a group called the Historic Adventist Church. The group has fourteen pastors. They are responsible to an executive council that is elected by the national council. The national council is made up of two delegates from each of the smaller churches and three delegates from each of the bigger churches. It was our opinion that with that kind of organization, outreach could be followed up in an effective manner. We saw that new interests would have church groups to fellowship with and to be nurtured into Christian maturity. Their headquarters have been in the bedroom of a church member’s home, but with money sent by you, the donors, they now have a building for the headquarters and a clinic. We were also enabled to help them with some church buildings. We have been able to send money monthly for the added support of the ministry and for evangelism, and also a Bible correspondence school has been started.
God is blessing these efforts, and we praise Him for the opportunity to be a part of the work. The Bible correspondence school is being managed by Joseph Class Peters in Accra, Ghana. He established an office in the church that was purchased there. He then advertised in two of the national newspapers, with two consecutive ads in each paper. There are now over one thousand students enrolled in the school, all from those four advertisements. You should read the letters from the people enrolling—there are teachers, business people, government workers, bankers, and students who write and say that they would like to learn more about the Bible! When the students complete their fourteenth lesson, their name will be given to a pastor or church elder in their area for a follow-up. It is exciting to watch this happen! This would not be possible without the continued support from the historic Adventists in this country. We are working toward developing programs in other parts of the world also. We want to be faithful to each opportunity that God directs us to help with.
Africa is a garden of opportunity for soul winning. You can sponsor a bible worker for between $75.00 and $100.00 per month. Evangelistic campaigns are conducted for between $400.00 and $500.00. Last year they conducted an evangelistic series in Tema, and now they have a church with 27 people. They are meeting in a rented school house.
Is the movement today benefiting from the strong heritage of foreign missionaries? Absolutely! Does our responsibility for spreading the gospel reach outside the borders of the United States? It certainly does! We are all members of a body, and one part of the body shows care for the other parts. “There should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” 1 Corinthians 12:25–27.
As we respond to our brothers and sisters and develop the fellowship of believers so that we can carry out the campaign of battle and war in the order of heaven, we will be much more successful against the Devil and will actually see more people in heaven. “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:6, 7.
God requires that everyone who has been blessed with means here on this earth should give liberally to those who have little. “The time has come for us to take advance steps. We should beware lest a selfish, covetous spirit shut out the blessing of God. The Lord calls upon us to give of our means to support His cause. He requires more of us than merely the payment of the tithe. . . We should come before Him with both thank-offerings and sin-offerings. Our obligation to God is endless. His work must not languish for want of means. His claims must be met first, at whatever cost or sacrifice. It is time for those who have large possessions to cut down the principal, that God’s work may be extended in foreign lands.” Signs of the Times, September 27, 1883.
It is our duty not only to wait and be ready ourselves for the Second Coming, but also to hasten the soon coming of God by warning others. “Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.” 2 Peter 3:12. We need to do all we can to get the last great Message of Mercy to the whole world. “Had the church of Christ done her appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would before this have been warned, and the Lord Jesus would have come to our earth in power and great glory.” Desire of Ages, 634.
The Gospel is going to go to the whole world with or without us. May each one of us search our own hearts as to our duty in spreading the Three Angels’ Messages.
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” Revelation 22:20.
The End