General Conference Bulletin, vol. 4

THE MACEDONIAN CALL TO SERVICE

H. E. OSBORNE

Reading for Friday, December 26.

The early church had a commission from God to carry the gospel into all the world; and they did it within one generation. Surrendering all to God for service, living but to do His blessed will, the believers went forth “conquering and to conquer.” Revelation 6:2. GCB October 1, 1902, page 666.1

Paul and his companions had journeyed to and fro in Asia Minor raising up companies of believers. Asia Minor, we may say, was a home field to the apostle. Why should he not push on until all parts of the home field had been worked, and then enter the regions beyond? But the Spirit suffered him not to preach in Asia, and forbade him to go into Bithynia. The Lord, whose promised presence led the missionary campaign, knew a better and quicker way of reaching not only Asia Minor, but all the world with the message of salvation. GCB October 1, 1902, page 666.2

His guiding providence, like the pillar of fire and of cloud, led the band of workers down to the waters that separated Europe from Asia. There, in vision, the apostle heard the cry from Macedonia, “Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” The pathway to a quickly finished work lay toward the lands afar, where fields were white unto harvest. GCB October 1, 1902, page 666.3

Led on, sometimes, perhaps, by a specific call of God; more often, without doubt, by the ordinary knowledge of the need, missionaries of that early church pushed out into Persia and Babylonia, Egypt and Ethiopia, and to far-off India and China. Forsaking all at the call of need, they “went everywhere, preaching the word,” no man counting anything that he had as his own. As John Wesley said of them, they were “all at it, and always at it.” Paul asked no special recognition because he gave himself and others no rest in the fact of the missionary obligations laid upon them. “For though I preach the gospel,” he said, “I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” GCB October 1, 1902, page 666.4

In later times, it was the knowledge of the needs of the Irish people,—a knowledge gained while a captive in enforced servitude among them,—that led the Scottish lad Patrick, after his escape, to go back as a missionary to the land of his captivity, there to do a wonderful work. The youth, meditating on the ignorance of the people and the glorious truth of the gospel, seemed ever to hear voices crying from the Irish coast, “We beseech thee, child of God, come and again walk among us.” It was the Macedonian cry still ringing. GCB October 1, 1902, page 666.5

So, too, in recent centuries, as Christians in Europe began to hear of the darkness of peoples afar off, some ears were open to the cry of the perishing. Thus the Moravian youth, Dober and Nitschmann, heard the call for help from the slaves of the West Indies; and, constrained by the love of Christ, they set forth, determined, if necessary, to sell themselves as slaves upon the plantations, if only so they might secure the privilege of living among the negroes who were dying in sin, with no one to care for their souls. Then men of God in various churches began to hear the cry of the vast heathen world, and the era of Modern Missions was ushered in. And thus the way was prepared for this final definite message that we bear. GCB October 1, 1902, page 666.6

Now, in our ears, if we be not deaf to every call of God, there rings as never before a Macedonian cry for help; for the need of the world is more desperate than ever. Here is a word from “Christ’s Object Lessons,” that expresses the situation:— GCB October 1, 1902, page 666.7

“In this time of prevailing iniquity we may know that the last great crisis is at hand. From India, from Africa, from China, from the islands of the sea, from the down-trodden millions of so-called Christian lands, the cry of human woe is ascending to God. That cry will not be long unanswered.” P. 179. GCB October 1, 1902, page 667.1

The answer to earth’s cry of woe is the coming of the Lord; and now to the church on earth is committed the glorious work of preparing the way of the Lord. GCB October 1, 1902, page 667.2

We cannot deal with the fields in detail as once we did in our readings. God has been leading us forward in recent years into the wide world that He loves. The feet of our own comrades who have gone out from our midst now touch the thresholds of the nations. The burden of vast peoples with their crying needs is pressed directly against the hearts of the home churches. By the knowledge of this message we are made debtors to all men. GCB October 1, 1902, page 667.3

“We have heard the joyful sound,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves!
Spread the gladness all around,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves!
Tell the news to every land,
Climb the steeps and cross the waves,
Onward, ‘tis our Lord’s command,
Jesus saves, Jesus saves!” GCB October 1, 1902, page 667.4

What shall be our response to the cry that goes up to God from Africa? GCB October 1, 1902, page 667.5

Our brethren in South Africa need aid in developing the work in the British colonies. Strong conferences must quickly be built up that shall be the base from which to push forward into the interior. As the result of this work we shall get laborers and supporters of laborers for the great field of native Africa. Egypt, now practically a British colony, is another such field, which must serve as a base of operation for Arabic-speaking Africa. GCB October 1, 1902, page 667.6

The years of toil and the precious lives laid down for Matabeleland are bearing fruitage. With two hundred students enrolled in the schools, and older youth developing as successful teaching evangelists, we have an earnest of the great work to be done by trained native agencies. Other helpers from this land are urgently needed to guide the work, and train the recruits. In the broken words of our young Matabele teacher, the call has come to us: “Him that likes, let him come and help us, because we black people are in the dark.” In King Khama’s country the people have been asking us for teachers for years, and now the call comes to enter Barotseland. Teachers should be in the fields by April. GCB October 1, 1902, page 667.7

The South African Conference has been carrying on a mission in Basutoland. Only recently a special work of grace is reported in the mission. By just such experiences the Lord has often prepared the way for great expansion in the African field. For instance, in Livingstone’s day, the Nyasa region was the darkest of spots—the open sore of the world. When he laid down his life, British Christians were stirred and missions were pressed into the region. The chiefs opposed schools for fear the fierce spirit of war would be broken down. The workers waited. The land was full of strife and bloodshed. But gradually schools were opened. And then,— GCB October 1, 1902, page 667.8

“A conscience began to awaken, the shedding of blood began to seem horrible, and these awful raids a crime. At last the missionaries awakened to the fact that the armies were no longer going out to devastate, the war dresses were rotting on the village treetops, and the peace of the gospel has come to triumph.” GCB October 1, 1902, page 667.9

Later, as a Christian community was formed, the Spirit of God touched hearts and native teachers began to work for the joy of serving the Master. People crowded to hear the Word. Deputations came in from other parts begging for schools. And thus came a great awakening that made a new field of the entire district. In our own work in Africa, we begin to see the repetition of some of these experiences written in the mission story of the Dark Continent; and God forbid that we should be slow to respond to the call for help. GCB October 1, 1902, page 667.10

By a sharp turn of God’s providence we have this year been led into the Nyasa country ourselves. Two families, those of Brethren Booth and Branch are there, gathering up the work which Brother Booth formerly had at the Cholo station. Sabbath-keeping native teachers are doubtless already in training for service in carrying the message into regions farther beyond. Here is where the very natives had the grace of God in their hearts to insist that the fourth commandment should be obeyed as it reads, rebuking even the missionary for his disobedience. GCB October 1, 1902, page 667.11

We must not talk merely about answering the cries and warning the world. But one thing will do now. Surrendering all to service we must go forth “conquering and to conquer” in the strength of God, as did the believers in those early days when a message was carried to all the world in one generation. GCB October 1, 1902, page 667.12

And what of Asia’s cry? Slowly we are responding; but oh, how slow it must seem to those who wait. One missionary has told how he first received this call to go to the distant lands. He was crossing the fields from his work one evening, when he saw his little boy running to meet him. Suddenly the little one vanished from sight. The father remembered some old well holes in the field, and knew the boy had fallen into one. With all the speed that his agonized heart could give to his flying feet, he ran to the rescue. To his joy he found the well shallow and empty and the little one unhurt. But as he drew the boy out, the little fellow, with quivering lips, said, “Oh papa, why didn’t you hurry?” It had seemed to him such a long time of waiting—those few seconds of loneliness and fear. It set the father to thinking of the millions who are waiting for the word of life and for the helping hand to lift them from the pit of ignorance and sin. GCB October 1, 1902, page 668.1

Why do we not hurry? With this message of the Lord’s soon coming, with the judgments of the last days breaking over the land, why have we not hurried into Asia, where over half the population of the world is sinking in the mire of sin? Now, at any rate, we must hurry. We must hurry to save souls from ruin; we must hurry if we would save our own souls. Progress in India, progress in Burma, the land of Judson’s trials and of gospel triumphs, show that people are waiting for this message. “These words have comforted my heart,” said a sad, but sweet-faced Hindu woman to one of our Bible workers; “God surely sent you here; won’t you come again and tell me more about Jesus?” Think of the sad hearts waiting in these lands to hear for the first time that message of comfort; and decide if the Macedonian call does not come to us to hasten forth to tell sinners more about Jesus and His soon coming. GCB October 1, 1902, page 668.2

And China, suffering, sinful, the colossus of heathenism, the most populous empire on earth, and yet the last, almost, to be entered by our forces,—what a pressing plea comes to us from that distracted land in the very knowledge of its condition and of our neglect. I do not know who has compressed more of China’s need and cry of woe into a few words than has Dr. Guinness in his trumpet-call:— GCB October 1, 1902, page 668.3

“Oh! church of the living God!
Awake from thy sinful sleep!
Dost thou not hear you awful cry
Still sounding o’er the deep?
Is it naught that one out of every three.
Of all the human race,
Should in China die, having never heard
The gospel of God’s grace?
Canst thou shut thine ear to the awful sound,
The voice of thy brother’s blood?
A million a month in China
Are dying without God!” GCB October 1, 1902, page 668.4

There is a world to be saved. From every land comes the cry for workers to enter the ripening fields. Truly, “From India, from Africa, from China, from the islands of the sea, from the down-trodden millions of so-called Christian lands, the cry of human woe is ascending to God.” And, thank God, “that cry will not long be unanswered.” Earth’s cry of need is to us the Macedonian call to service. God forbid that it should now be said: “My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.” We must spend our lives seeking the Lord’s lost sheep. GCB October 1, 1902, page 668.5

And the call to service is a call to prayer. Only between ourselves and God can we settle the matter of individual surrender for service. When all the church unites in constant prayer for the spirit of service, the Macedonian cry will meet a response that will quickly finish the work. The last prayer given by the Spirit in the book of Revelation is for the coming of the Lord. “Even so, come (quickly), Lord Jesus.” When the thousands of believers in this message make that prayer the burden of their hearts, there will be a stirring of the depths, and a mighty work will be wrought. The world will understand that Seventh-day Adventists really believe that Jesus is quickly coming. GCB October 1, 1902, page 668.6

It was the Saviour’s love that led Jesus to respond to earth’s cry of woe, and come down to seek and to save the lost. Nothing less than that love can keep us in the way of service. But with the love of Christ constraining us, and with a continual experience of His love and power to save from sin in our own lives, what more glorious privilege can we conceive of than that of having a part in answering the Macedonian call to-day? GCB October 1, 1902, page 668.7

The people that are caught up in the clouds when Jesus comes will be soul-winners, every one. Then to the rescue now; every one of us! The world is ready for the message of the Lord’s soon coming. GCB October 1, 1902, page 668.8

“O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God.” W. A. SPICER. GCB October 1, 1902, page 668.9