The Call to Move Forward
By F. M. W.
THE children of Israel had been delivered from Egyptian bondage. In wonder-working power, Jehovah had vindicated his own glorious majesty and might and the weakness and nothingness of the gods of Egypt. He had brought glory to his great name by the overthrow of Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, and the deliverance of his people from galling servitude. His chosen ones were now at Mount Horeb; and there in terrible majesty and imposing grandeur the Lord had proclaimed his great name, and made known to them more fully the requirements of his divine government. For more than a year Israel was encamped at this place. Their temporal wants were supplied with but little effort on their part; the falling manna from morning to morning furnished them with14necessary bread; the flinty rock poured forth an abundance of water for their need. They no longer felt the power of the oppressor. The wilderness of Sinai had become a pleasant retreat, where for the first time in their lives they could breathe securely the atmosphere of quietness and freedom. Their time was employed in the construction of the sanctuary according to the divine pattern, in the perfecting of their organization, in plans and anticipations for the future. A spirit of contentment came over the encampment. The people were quite willing to remain in their quiet refuge; but this was not the Lord's purpose concerning them. The objective point of all their journey was yet ahead. The purpose for which they had been called out of Egypt was not yet accomplished. The presence of the Lord appeared in a cloud of glory over the tabernacle, and the instruction to Israel was: “Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: turn you and take your journey. . . . Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers.” The land of promise was not a great distance from their encampment. The record is, “There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.” The people reached Kadesh-barnea, on the border of the land of promise, at the end of the eleven days' journey; but here their faith failed them. Listening to the ten spies, who brought back an unfavorable report of the land, fear led to rebellion, and in consequence they were turned back again into the wilderness. For thirty-eight years they wandered from place to place until the murmurers and complainers had died by the wayside. But their children, whom these fault-finders charged would be left to perish, were permitted to cross over the Jordan into the goodly land. What a record was this! Thirty-eight years to do what God designed should be done in less than that many days! Eleven days' journey to the border of the land of promise, but thirty-eight years required in consequence of unbelief and rebellion before they were permitted to pass over! This was the experience of Israel of old; and it is written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. The lesson is for Israel to-day. We, like them, have encamped these many days before the Lord. We have been busied with material preparation. The past years have been largely devoted to the development of a system of truth, to the formation of plans and policies, to the perfection of organization and the creation of institutions,—the establishment of the foundation and framework for future building. This preliminary work has all been necessary; and, like the building of the material sanctuary, has been in the order of God's providence. But God speaks to us now even as to ancient Israel: “Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: turn you and take your journey. . . . Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers.” As the providence of God led them onward in the days of old, so that same providence beckons us onward to-day. This movement now confronts the whole world. The gates of the nations have been opened to it. We stand at the doorway of the most propitious era of the history of this message. But as we consider this supreme moment of opportunity, this crucial situation which exists in the giving of this message, the question is intuitively thrust upon us, How shall we meet the situation which confronts us? By what power shall we meet the demands that are made upon us in this present emergency, and which will insistently follow every advance move of this work? The demands of to-day are greater than yesterday, of this year than last year; therefore, there must be greater resources with which to meet them. To whom shall we go? and to what source shall we apply? There is only one source of power which will help us in our dire need, and that is the power of the angel of His presence who went with Israel of old, the power of the Holy Spirit, which is promised to the church of God even unto the end of the world. And this power of the Spirit the Seventh-day Adventist Church must have in fuller and greater measure than ever before if it shall accomplish the work to which it is called at this time. That Spirit has guided in the development of this movement. Repeatedly in the triumphs of this message thus far we have felt the stately steppings of God's onward march; we have seen and recognized his wondrous power; but O, the measure of the power of the past can not be the measure of the power for the future if the work committed to us is to be done! To have no more of the measure of the Spirit than we had last year is to retrograde; to remain still is to fall behind; to see and feel no more of the divine presence working in our midst than we have seen in years gone by is to take a step backward: and this we can not do. The perishing world urges us on. The rapidly approaching day of God speaks in clarion tones, bidding us to hasten. Nor can we look to the means and agencies which the providence of God has brought into this work, and trust them to do that which only the working of God's power will accomplish. We can not trust to the influence which our institutions will exert, good and powerful though that may be, to accomplish this message. We can not trust in the machinery of the movement, although that is most necessary to effective and concerted action. We can not trust to the beautiful system of truth which we hold as a people. The arguments may be given, they may convince the reason and intellect; but O, this will fall far short of giving the message with compelling power! Without the power of God resting upon our institutions and filling the hearts of our workers connected with them, they become but monuments of brick and stone. Unless we as ministers have our tongues touched with coals from off the divine altar, our words will fall powerless on unbelieving hearts. We need connected with all our institutions, connected with our preaching, connected with every office and organization, a power outside of human wisdom and human devising, something more than intellectualism, culture, and human ingenuity. All this may be used, if sanctified to God, but can not be depended upon to accomplish that which only divine power will accomplish. We may give liberally of our means, we may even give ourselves in a perfunctory way for service; but men and means alone will not avail. The men may die or their labor be fruitless, the means be expended, and nothing be accomplished in the end. It is the Spirit's power, the Pentecostal baptism, which we need. This and this only will make our missionary labor life-saving service. Divine energy must electrify the organization. There must be a spirit within the wheels as the motive power of operation. The lives of God's people must be vivified. The Holy Spirit must be talked about, sought for, and welcomed as an honored guest in the heart and life. Our laborers need to go forth with Pentecostal consecration. This spirit of evangelism is the great need of the church of God to-day. This is the only power which will move hearts. It is for this baptism that we need to seek above everything else, and this seeking God invites us to do. “Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.” This seeking for the Holy Spirit must be accomplished by renunciation of sin, and consecration of life. “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” With outstretched hands, with suppliant hearts, with consecrated lives, from15which every known sin has been forever banished, let us seek the fulfilment of the promise. The promised power will not be long delayed. Seeking, we shall find; asking, we shall receive; knocking, heaven's door of grace and power will be opened unto us.
F. M. W.