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Alive To Foreign Mission
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July 15 - Alive To Foreign Mission-2

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The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

In spite of the fact that some leading Adventist ministers still preached as late as 1872 that the taking of the gospel to all the world referred to in Matthew 24:14 had seen its fulfillment, the momentum for mission continued to gain force among Adventists. But where to get the educated personnel was the problem, one that led to moves in 1873 and 1874 toward founding the denomination's first college.

By the summer of 1873 James White was not only requesting a college, but urging that J. N. Andrews go to Switzland that autumn in answer to the request for a missionary from the Swiss Adventists. That November saw White summon a special session of the General Conference to discuss a missionary. But stilll northing happened.

It is significant that White's featured sermon at the November 1873 session was an exposition of Revelation 10 in connection with foreign missions. Earlier in the year he had applied the importance of Revelation 14:6 to preach the everlasting gospel to all the world and command of Revelation 10:11 to "prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings" to the wroldwide commission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the wake of the Millerite disappointment. Those two texts, along with Matthew 24:!4, would eventually impel Adventist missions to every corner of the earth as the demomination sought to fulfill what it came to see as its prophetic role in history.

In January 1874 White established the True Missionary. Adventism's first missionary periodical's pages urged the sending of foreign misssionaries. Ellen White shared the broader vision of her husband. During April 1874 she had an "impressive dream" that helped overcome the remaining opposition to missions. "You are entertaining too limited ideas of the work for this time," the angelic messenger told her. "Your house is the world. . .The message will go in power to all parts of the world, to Oregon, to Europe, to Australia, to the islands of the sea, to all nations, tongues, and peoples." She "was shown" that the mission work was far more extensive "than our people have imagined, or ever contemplated or planned." As a result, she called for a larger faith that would express itself through action(LS 208-210).

"Larger faith." That was the need then. It is the need now.

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 Increase our faith, Father, that we might see Your will, even in our lives.
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