General Conference Bulletin, vol. 4

OUR FIELD

H. E. OSBORNE

Reading for Monday, December 23.

The urgency of the time and the crisis that presses upon us, the message for the time and the power by which it is to be proclaimed, have been set before us. What now of the field of our work? GCB October 1, 1901, page 567.3

“The field is the world,” said Jesus. The old, old commission to Christ’s church, so many centuries unfulfilled, is now to be loyally accepted and carried out in the power of the Spirit in this generation. The commission sets the boundary of the harvest field. GCB October 1, 1901, page 567.4

“Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations.” GCB October 1, 1901, page 567.5

“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” GCB October 1, 1901, page 567.6

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” GCB October 1, 1901, page 567.7

Stretching from pole to pole, wherever human habitations are found, is the field. It is the world that God so loved that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus loved it so much that he could not remain at home in heaven while his brethren were sinking under the burden of sin. He came to the place of need, bringing the glad message of release, and taking upon himself the burden. Into this world that Jesus loves we are to go with the same message. The witness to this great salvation, that saves to the uttermost, is now to be borne in fervent haste unto the uttermost parts of the earth. GCB October 1, 1901, page 567.8

Describing the motive power in the work of witnessing in apostolic days, Paul says, “For the love of Christ constraineth us.” That love which brought Jesus to earth, sent those who received it into all the known earth, even in Paul’s day. The same love now must send this people out into all the world, in this our day. Who that knows the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, can help loving the world that he loves? and who that knows the joy of his service and the solemn crisis that faces us, can live for any other purpose whatever, that to join in sending this message to every creature in all the world now, and at once? We have talked a long time about going to every nation and kindred and tongue and people. Much has been done, it is true, by God’s blessing upon the little effort we have made. But we can see the sword coming upon all lands. As watchmen, God sets us upon the coasts of the whole earth to warn the people. If we keep silent, or sound but feeble warning, we shall be guilty of blood. Already blood-guiltiness is marked against us for the delay in entering vast fields. While praying God to forgive the negligence, we must assuredly let his Spirit lay upon our hearts the burden of this world-wide harvest time. Out in the darkness, men and women this day are everywhere waiting for us who have the light. “Can we, whose souls are lighted With wisdom from on high,—Can we, to men benighted, The lamp of life deny?” GCB October 1, 1901, page 567.9

God forbid! His light has arisen upon his people, and his glory shall now be seen upon them in every part of this dark earth. There is a beautiful paragraph in “Gospel Workers,” suggesting the view that the angels of heaven have of this world and our work in it:— GCB October 1, 1901, page 568.1

“Would that every one of you could have a view that was presented to me years ago. In my very girlhood the Lord saw fit to open before me the glories of heaven. I was in vision taken to heaven, and the angel said to me, ‘Look!’ I looked to the world, and it was in dense darkness. The agony that came over me was indescribable as I saw the darkness. Again the word came, ‘Look ye.’ And again I looked intensely over the world, and I began to see jets of light like stars dotted all through this darkness; and then I saw another and another added light, and so all through this moral darkness the star-like lights were increasing. And the angel said, ‘These are they that believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and are obeying the words of Christ. These are the light of the world; and if it were not for these lights, the judgments of God would immediately fall upon the transgressors of God’s law.’ I saw then these little jets of light growing brighter, shining forth from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and lighting the whole world. Occasionally one of these lights would begin to grow dim, and others would go out, and every time this occurred there was sadness and weeping in heaven. And some of the lights would grow brighter and brighter, and their brightness was far-reaching, and many more lights were added to it. Then there was rejoicing in heaven. I saw that the rays of light came directly from Jesus, to form these precious jets of light in the world.” GCB October 1, 1901, page 568.2

When darkness that might be felt hung over Egypt, “all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” So now, when darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the people, every believing home circle is to be glowing torch, and every believer a jet of light growing brighter and brighter, and shining forth from the east and the west, and from the north and the south, lighting the whole world. GCB October 1, 1901, page 568.3

God has wonderfully opened the way for us to plant the jets of light in every darkened corner of the earth. At Pentecost, with the gift of tongues, the disciples spoke the Word to representatives of a score or two of languages. Now the Word of God, in whole or in part, speaks in over four hundred tongues. A century ago, the number of languages in which the Bible was translated was only about threescore. But the time of the end was come. The Lord sent down the great missionary revival, which has led earnest men into the ends of the earth, there to give to the people the Scriptures in their own tongue, and prepare the way for the closing work of the gospel. God’s providence has swung wide open the gateway of the world, and his Word now calls upon us to enter every land and nation with the message of his coming. GCB October 1, 1901, page 568.4

“Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy salvation cometh.” GCB October 1, 1901, page 568.5

The work can quickly be done. We are to go through the world as heralds, and when the circuit of the nations is made, the end will come. When the cry is sounded and the standard lifted up, the Holy Spirit will bring the issue before every honest soul, and the decision for God and eternity will be made. Already, we know, hearts are being prepared for the reception of the truth in all parts. Away beyond the human missionary’s influence God’s Spirit is at work. In old colonial days, David Brainerd found among the Indians of the American forests one whose heart had been touched by the Great Spirit, and whose life had been changed, so that he loved all men and sought to teach his tribesmen the way of love. Down in the wilds of the Guianas, the early Moravian missionaries to South America one day found a man who unmistakably had been taught of the Spirit the way of seeking God. When he first heard the name of Jesus, he exclaimed at once that this was the Way of salvation of which he had learned in his solitude before ever a missionary had penetrated to his land. He eagerly drank in the truth in its fullness, and became himself a teacher. The world is large, but God is sending breath moment by moment to every soul in it. He is speaking by his Spirit to every heart. The life of Christ is lighting every man that cometh into the world. There are no distant lands with God. All alike are close to his heart of love. GCB October 1, 1901, page 568.6

Definitely and perseveringly, we are to pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest. GCB October 1, 1901, page 569.1

Pray for more laborers in Europe, the mother of modern nations. Four hundred millions of souls, representing mighty empires, face the little band of our workers now in that field. The ground of Europe shakes with the tread of armed men. Millions are drilled for battle, waiting only for the signal. The winds of strife have been held these many years in order that this message might be carried by an army of workers through these waiting countries. Oh, the pity of it! that we have done so little in all, and have left great nations like France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal almost, if not quite, untouched. It is, in truth, high time to awake out of sleep. GCB October 1, 1901, page 569.2

Pray also for Africa. Now for a long time in the South, the believers in Africa have been experiencing the full meaning of the fact that work not done in times of peace is done at great disadvantage amidst the alarms and the horrors of war. And beyond the colonial borders, nearly two hundred millions of souls in the Dark Continent are groping in blindness. Jets of light are shining out in lone spots, along the southern, western, and northern borders. Shall not many more be added? GCB October 1, 1901, page 569.3

Populous Asia, with its eight hundred and fifty millions of wandering hearts, lays heavy claims upon our prayerful sympathies. China’s four hundred millions have had little of our effort-one worker, thus far, in a seaport town. Think of it! A little band of pioneer missionaries is soon to go out to represent us in beginning at this late day a really serious campaign in that great land through which the message must be sounded:— GCB October 1, 1901, page 569.4

“And ye who cannot go, oh! help
With the wondrous weapon, prayer;
While ye uplift your hands at home,
The cross shall triumph there.
And give ye freely from your store
To the warriors in the field;
The more you give, to you the more
Barrel and cruise shall yield.
So only can you cleanse your hands
From the guiltiness of blood!
For a million a month in China
Are dying without God!” GCB October 1, 1901, page 569.5

In Japan, India, and the East Indies, another four hundred millions of people are sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. Light has sprung up in a few places. Enough has been done in Japan and India, and down in the Malay Straits to show that God and the good angels are there before us, so that wherever we plant the jets of light other lights spring up and multiply. So, too, is it in Jaffa and Jerusalem, and in Galatia and Bithynia, and the regions round about, where the feet of the apostolic missionaries sped swiftly with the gospel message long ago. If only twenty years ago we had sent a score of true and tried workers into these populous eastern lands, to occupy strategic centers, men and women with the languages might now have been ready to lead a host of recruits into the fields. How different would the outlook be to-day, if this had been done! But now let us do the work. In South and Central America, Mexico, and the islands of the sea, our missionaries look out upon vast regions beyond the influence of their present efforts. GCB October 1, 1901, page 569.6

We are only beginning, but the end is in sight. The whole harvest field is within our reach. The world, big as it is, is only a little, wandering, shadowed planet in God’s bright universe. Heaven has come down to lead it once again back to the fold. We must go and tell the whole world about it, for the time, even the set time, is come. One may get to almost any point on earth in six or eight weeks from London or New York. The world is open before us. Nothing need hinder filling the whole earth with the sound of this message within a few years of glorious missionary service. Few as our stations now are, they surround the world, as Gideon’s little band, widely extended, surrounded the camp of Midian. Strong re-enforcements at each station and a world-wide, united movement forward, and steadily forward, and the battle is won. “The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” It is the same arm that in the days of old made a way through the sea where there was no way. God’s command is itself the way of performance. Again his command rings out from heaven to his marching hosts on earth, “Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward!” A restless sea of humanity lies between us and a finished work. Right forward into its opened pathway, we are to march in faith. GCB October 1, 1901, page 569.7

The world is so needy that even though the world-crisis before us did not urge us on, no one having a sense of the need could help but hasten out to its relief. GCB October 1, 1901, page 569.8

Read the whole of that stirring missionary psalm, the ninety-sixth, calling us now to sing unto the Lord a new song, to declare his glory among the nations, his wonders among all people; to say among the nations that the Lord reigneth. The very fields, dedicated to God, rejoice to preach the message among all nations, “for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness and the people with his truth.” GCB October 1, 1901, page 570.1

This is the call to go to all nations. GCB October 1, 1901, page 570.2

Then read the ninety-eighth psalm as the song of victory, when the work of witnessing is done. GCB October 1, 1901, page 570.3

“O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvelous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. GCB October 1, 1901, page 570.4

“The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the nations. GCB October 1, 1901, page 570.5

“He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” GCB October 1, 1901, page 570.6

Let us take up the song of missionary service given in the ninety-sixth psalm, and the joy of singing the triumphant ninety-eighth will soon be ours. GCB October 1, 1901, page 570.7

The call to-day is for one thousand missionaries. They are wanted now at the front. Pray God to send them forth speedily. W. A. SPICER. GCB October 1, 1901, page 570.8