PACIFIC OCEAN BALBOA, CANAL ZONE, OCTOBER 1, 1939 Vol.. XVI No. 19 ATLANTIC OCEAN SOUTH AMERICA HARVEST BGATHER1NG Some say there will come a great and 'happy surprise to those who ingather for the cause of Christ. Thus far God has blessed us accord- ing to our faith and He will continue to do so, but some day, if we are true and if we continue to pray as did the disciples, "Lord, increase our faith", the full gift of faith to us will bring the fullness of the blessing of God upon us. "Before the final visitation of God's judgments upon the earth, there will be, among the people of the Lord, such a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since apostolic times. The Spirit and power of God will be poured out upon His children." —"Great Controversy", p. 464. When that experience becomes ours, we will surely realize the fulfilment of Isaiah 60:1-5. Among the blessings mentioned here we find that the wealth of the Gentiles shall flow unto us. (See margin, v. 5) This promise is repeated also, but under other figures, in the same chapter and in chapter 61. Among the figures used to indicate the great change that is to come and the greatly enhanced blessings and resources we may expect in our efforts to sustain and carry on the work of lightening the earth with the glory of God, we find the following: "For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron:" Isaiah 60: 17. By comparison, the change will be as follows: We now, according to this verse, possess, have access to, or util- ize in the work that which is represented by brass, iron, wood; and stones; but these, under divine blessing, shall be By G. A. ROBERTS changed for gold, silver, brass, and iron. This represents a vastly im- proved situation. Placed side by side for comparison, it appears as follows: Present blessings � Future blessings and resources �and resources Gold Silver Brass � Brass Iron � Iron Wood Stones According to this comparison, there are two elements—wood and stones— that will be discarded from our present facilities or resources, and two ele- ments added to our facilities—gold and silver. Our two most valuable resour- ces for service now are represented by brass and iron, and our two least valu- able by wood and stones, but after the change that is to Stake place under the blessing of God, our two present most "And by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved." Hosea 12:13. God's leadership of His people has always been through the human agent—a proph- et. Thus, "by a prophet" was God's people anciently brought out of Egypt and led into the promised land of Ca- naan. So it would naturally be "by a prophet" that God would, in His final work in the world, lead His remnant church through the perils of the "last. days," the wilderness wandering and on into the heavenly Canaan, the eter- valuable resources will be at the bot- tom of the list as our least vaulable resources; and our present two least valuable resources for service in the cause will be discarded entirely. And in their place, or to make up the four elements first represented as covering our activities and resources, we shall have gold and silver, two entirely new elements that we have not had before —and very much more valuable than anything we have ever known. May we not accept this figurative prophecy as a promise that some day great financial changes shall come and the wealth of the Gentiles shall really flow unto us that there may be ample means with which to carry on the ex- panding work for these last days? May we not well believe that some of our present time activities will cease, and that our present lack of resources will cease, and that we shall have an (Continued on page 3) nal kingdom. When in God's Provi- dence the time came for the giving of His last message to the world in the development of a commandment keep- ing church, God began to speak to His remnant people through the voice of the Spirit of prophecy. Not only was Israel brought out of Egypt by the leadership of a prophet, but also "by a prophet was he pre- served." The preservation—the care of God's people is as important as is God's leadership. • It is only as His people are successfully led out of a world of sin BY A PROPHET By A. R. OGDEN Members of the San Cristobal church in front of their own building in San Cristobal, Venezuela. INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER and preserved from the pitfalls along the way, that it is possible for God's purpose to be fully accomplished for His church and people. Hence, the above quotation from the Prophet Ho- sea emphasizes these two important fac- tors in connection with the Lord's pro- gram and purpose for His church. Both the leadership and preservation of the people of God are dependent upon the prophet's voice. God might have spok- en directly, or used some other means than human agencies. However, through all the ages, it has been by this method of speaking through the human agent —a prophet—as His chosen mouthpiece that God communicates from heaven to earth, from God to man, the divine counsels for His people. The entire Bible bears witness to this method of heavenly divine communica- tion with man on earth. This is evi- denced in both the Old and New Testa- ment record. The last book of the Bi- ble, the, Revelation, begins with the sig- nificant introduction, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John: who bare rec- ord of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand." Rev. 1:1-3. While this book is called "The Reve- lation of Jesus Christ," and was given to show to his servants things future— shortly to come to pass—yet it was sig- nified by His angel unto John. The written record, therefore, of the human agent became the "Word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ." And true to God's purpose, a threefold bless- ing comes to those who thus receive it as God's word, though brought by a human agent. In this case the agent used was the Apostle John on the is- land of Patmos. As in the Revelation there was the assurance of a blessing to him that "readeth," and they that "hear," and those who "keep" the things written therein, so there is likewise in this our day the same threefold bless- ing to those who read, hear, and keep the things that God has in His infinite wisdom revealed to the remnant church in the "Testimony of Jesus," given to us in the spiritual writings of the Spirit of prophecy. (Continued on page 6) va � ANTILLIAN UNION nnh CONVENTION AT VERTIENTES, CUBA Sabbath and Sunday, July 8 and 9, will long be remembered by those who were privileged to attend the Depart- mental Convention held for the English- speaking membership of the Camaguey Province, Cuba. This was the first con- vention ever held in Cuba for our En- glish-speaking brethren. The first meeting of the convention was held Friday evening of July 7, with the church filled to capacity and many were gathered outside. Delegates and members from the neighboring church- es and companies were kindly cared for bY the hospitable members of the Ver- tientes church. Sabbath morning, the enthusiastic gathering celebrated Sabbath school at the usual hour. It seemed good to be present in God's house and sing and pray and study His wonderful truths. Fol- lowing the Sabbath school hour, the very solemn service of ordination of a deacon took place. Pastor W., H. En- gland, assisted by Pastor Victoriano Suarez, consecrated one of the local members who had previously been elec- ted by the church for this office. The local elders of the Vertientes and Bara- gua churches also assisted in this ser- vice. Four candidates for baptism, who had been prepared by the local church eld- er, were examined carefully, and were buried with their Lord in baptism by Pastor England in a nearby stream. The next day was given over to con- vention work exclusively. It would or- dinarily 'seem impossible that so much could be crowded into just a few hours. Every minute was well spent. Brother J. A. Zaragosa, Cuba Con- ference Departmental Secretary, led out in the proceedings, assisted by W. H. England, H. L. Higgins, V. Suarez, W. R. Mulholland, and Harold Brown, the new Home Missionary Secretary of the Antillian Union. � JOSEPH HICKS SOME GOOD SABBATH SCHOOL RESOLUTIONS The following good, suggestive Sab- bath school resolutions were made by Elder S. A. Wellman in connection with the 1938 Sabbath School Rally Day program. They are just as.timely now. "Believing that the Sabbath school was established of God for the build- ing up of the remnant church in prepa-, ration for translation, I promise by the grace of God to strive to meet the following Sabbath school objectives and to lead others to such faithfulness: 1. To be regular and prompt in at- tendance at Sabbath school. 2. To study the Sabbath school les- son carefully and prayerfully. 3.. To seek to win others to the Sab= bath school and the church. 4. To give as God has prospered me (Continued on page 5) • • • • • • • • • • • • The active Laymen Preachers' Class of the Vieques Church, Puer- to Rico. Eloy Acosta, pastor and instructor, is the second from the left in the front row. INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER � 3 vs OUR WORK IN CENTRAL AMERICA MEXICAN UNION By W. A. BERGHERM Sit A very interesting series of institutes were held in the Central American Union during the months of June and July. It was the privilege of the writer to be present at these gatherings and once more to renew acquaintances. In all, three institutes were held in the fields of Honduras, Salvador and Gua- temala, respectively. A fourth was planned for Panama but due to cer- tain conditions which developed later, this meeting was postponed. During the first six months of 1939, the Central American Union has made a fine gain over the same period of last year. Their deliveries represent a gain of 55% during this period as com- pared with last year, and we believe by the end of this year there will be a splendid showing over that of 1938. Twenty-five students are now in the academy of Costa Rica, because of scholarships earned through the sale of our literature during the recent vaca- tion period. The Central American Union has rather pioneered the way in this student work of our Division. We rejoice to think that our colporteur de- partment provides not only a way to obtain means for our youth to secure an education, but that it also opens a field of labor where, even after their education has been completed in school, they can continue to work. In our travels through the union we met a number of young people who should also be in our school in Costa Rica, and who we hope will not rest until they enter this institution and better fit themselves for service. Inasmuch as a report has recently been made in the MESSENGER of the institutes held in Honduras and Salva- dor, we shall refer only to the gather- ing held in Guatemala. Fifteen colpor, teurs, including prospective colporteurs, were present at the institute of this in- teresting field. Some of them have been in the work for quite a number of years and it was a real privilege to meet with these workers. Under the present lead- ership the work has forged ahead in a strong way. Perhaps no worker in our cause can testify to the power of God's deliver- ance from danger in travel, and from difficult situations as can the colpor- teur. During the institute we listened with interest to the experiences from these men who had come in fresh from the field. One told of being delivered from the hands of an evil-intentioned man who, with a machete in hand, was about to attack him while crossing a river in a small boat. As they neared the shore they heard suddenly the sound of a galloping horse approaching. Im- mediately the man was detained from carrying out his purpose. God had sent a messenger to stay his hand. Another was miraculously saved from a forest fire, and later from a riv- er into which he had fallen. Although his books were soaked, yet after they were dry he had no trouble in making the delivery. Still another praised God for having guided him through a swol- len river in a direction that led him to safety. Had he taken the course he planned on, he would have been lost in the swift moving water. Today, as in the time of the disci- ples, the Lord works miracles of heal- ing through the colporteur. We were told of one brother who visited a fam- ily where a young man was possessed of a devil. They knelt in prayer and the man was delivered. Another col- porteur told of meeting a Chinese busi- ness man who suffered from an ulcer of the stomach. The doctor said there was no hope and had given him only a month and a half longer to live. The family had given him up to die. Ear- nest prayer offered by the colporteur brought a change for good. The man has grown stronger ever since and now, after several months, he lives to praise God for the colporteur's visit. So we (Continued on page 7) WON BY THE BIBLE During the time of our institute in Pichucalco, Chiapas, Mexico, an oppo- nent of our faith was very active in speaking publicly and privately against the work of the Seventh-day Adventists. Poor man, he did not know that in that same state a colporteur of the denomi- nation of which he was a member, had recently sold Bibles which resulted in the organization of two Seventh-day Adventist Sabbath schools, with mem- berships of 99 and 72. These 171 people had found the truth of the seventh-day Sabbath by simply read- ing the Bible, without the help of any missionary worker to explain the truth to them. An opponent of the Sabbath, truth may deceive uninstructed souls by public denunciation and misrepre- sentation; but the Holy Spirit today is influencing hundreds to accept the plain testimony of the Bible. This ex- perience is positive evidence that we have reached the time when the prophe- cy of Romans 9:28 will be accom- plished. "For He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: be- cause a short work will the Lord make upon the earth." � C. E. WOOD HARVEST INGATHERING . . (Continued from page 1) entirely new experience of zeal and faith and activity and fruitage in prose- cuting the work of God? We trust that every one will take up the Harvest Ingathering work this year expecting great and unusual things from the world in increased gifts. The promise is there. It will be fulfilled some day. It may be now. INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER -,110 tgrzg-MM-Mg-h4-z.04-g+z-M51456-14g-Mkeiztght gtagt***Agtar0 GENERAL CONFERENCE OF SEVENTH- DAY ADVENTISTS Takoma 'Park, 'Washington, 'D. e. To Our Ministers, Our Conference and Institutional Workers, and Our Believers Generally. Greetings: The officers of the General Conference take this oppor- tunity of addressing you upon a matter of great importance. We are living in a time of great spiritual and moral crisis. Of these times Jesus prophesied thus: "As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." Luke 17:26-30. Jesus illustrated His point by drawing a parallel between the days of Noah and Lot and the days just previous to His coming. The moral conditions of those evil times were deplorable in the extreme. Just as Jesus predicted, we have come again into just such times. The world today is like another Sodom. The sins and loathsome practices of the antediluvians again prevail in the world. On every hand salacious exhibitions, insinuating and impure theatrical plays and motion pictures, low-class radio programs, so- called beauty contests vulgarly portraying the nudity of young women, mixed bathing in indecent costumes, and a flood of vile literature, contribute to the breaking down of moral restraints and standards. These evils threat- en even the life and spiritual well-being of the church. We know that the great body of our workers and believers are godly men and women of moral integrity—. But some who have stood as shepherds of the flock have fallen before the temptations of these perilous times. We desire to sound a solemn warning against the intrusion of these evils into the church. We call upon the ministry and all our workers and members to turn away from every practice and association that tends toward laxity and indulgence. We exhort every worker and church member to keep himself free from moral contamination and from all tendencies in that direction, and to shun a careless, world-loving, easy manner of life that invites temptation and leads to wrongdoing. We call upon all our workers and members in this cause, both men and women, to conform to the highest standards of rectitude and moral conduct, and to avoid all unbecoming and improper relationships. Let it be known everywhere that this denomination will not tolerate or condone any laxness in these matters on the part of those who as leaders or work- ers should be examples to the church and to the world. The highest spiritual and moral considerations should lead every worker to avoid even the appearance of evil. Where workers give evidence of carelessness in their conduct or live in a careless, world-loving way, or are con- tinually surrounded by an atmosphere- of suspicion, or fail) to live up to the adopted standards of the church, they should be released from further service in the cause. It is the duty of conference committees and institutional boards to deal promptly with all cases involving failure in such mat- ters. The church has a right to demand that every worker who serves this cause shall maintain in his life all these standards, or else give place to those who, in the fear of God, will endeavor to do so. Workers who habitually maintain a liberal or worldly at- titude in their general deportment and conduct toward de- nominational standards, thereby fail to give the spiritual leadership the church has a right to expect. Such workers should be encouraged to change their attitude on these fun- damental questions, or seek other lines of employinent. We appeal to all our workers to live as consistent examples in all these particulars. We also appeal to all our church members, believers, and young people to keep their lives and actions on a high plane of moral conduct in harmony with the well-known standards of the church. The time has come when there should be a clear line of distinction between those who serve the Lord and those who serve Him not. The church must guard faith- fully its good name and reputation. While the erring should always be dealt with in a Christlike manner, there must be no compromise with sin. A clean church must be maintained. Let us "cleanse the camp" from all moral pollution. We call upon all to unite in carrying .out such a worthy purpose. "Every man that bath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." I John 3:3. To see Christ as He is, to associate with Him in the world to come, to be the com- panions of the pure and holy and noble of all generations, to associate with the angelic host—what a wonderful privi- lege. And Christ Himself pronounces this benediction: "Bles- sed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Mat- thew 5:8. GENERAL CONFERENCE OFFICERS, J. L. McElhany � E. D. Dick President �Secretary AJIJXAAAlAJIAAaAJIAAAAAAAJXJXJNAnAAAJIAAlAAAIAAAAAAAAJIJIAAAAAAAAJIAXAA1 AAA A A AAAAA.II � ArkillIAAAAAA AVIMAMI-M-WW-MfOMMAMM- Wiwigq-MMInanqg INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY IN THE ADVENT MOVEMENT What a privilege to have the direct leadership of God in the closing work of the Gospel! This privilege was prom- ised to the remnant church in the book of Revelation: "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ;' Rev. 12:•17. The dragon is Satan, oper- ating through oppressive governments. Verse 9. The woman is the church. Verses 1-6. The remnant, naturally, is the last end of the church of Christ in the last days, which is distinguished by the fact that it keeps the command- ments of God and has the testimony of Jesus. The testimony of Jesus Christ is defined in Rev. 19:10. It is the Spirit of prophecy. In I Cor. 1:6, 7 is to be found the following: "Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that ye come be- hind in no gift; waiting for the com- ing of our Lord Jesus Christ." This testimony of Jesus Christ, or the gift of the Spirit of prophecy, is to be in evidence in the remnant church. In accordance with the promise, that gift made its appearance in this move- ment at its very inception. The coun- sels coming from God through that source have constituted a molding, spir- itual influence in the lives of Seventh- day Adventists and have guided in the work of the denomination. The Secret of Success Other church bodies have earnestly sought from us the secret of our suc- cess in both home and foreign mission- ary projects. They seem to think that we are an exceptionally wise people to be able to do what others have failed to accomplish. But this is not the case. We are but a cross section of the in- telligence of mankind. "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many no- ble, are called. But God bath chosen the foolish things of the world to con- found the wise; and God bath chosen the weak things of the world to con- found the things that are mighty." I Cor. 1:26, 27. The secret of the success that has attended the progress of this movement is in the fact that the Lord has given us direct counsel through the gift of prophecy. A Bulwark for the Coming Crisis The church is entering the closing bitter crisis. This brief word picture is given by the pen of inspiration: "Perilous times are before us. . . . The enemy is on our. track. We must be wide-awake, and on our guard against him. We must put on the whole armor of God. We must follow the directions given through the Spirit of prophecy. We must love and obey the truth for this time. This will save us from ac- cepting strong delusions. God has spok- en to us through His word. He has spoken, to us through the testimonies to the church, and through the books that have helped to make plain our present duty and the position that we should now occupy. The warnings that have been given, line upon line, precept upon precent, should be heeded. If we disregard them, what excuse can we of- fer?"—"Testimonies for the Church," Vol VIII, p. 298. The leadership of this movement, sensing the vital importance of each church member's receiving at this time the help and encouragement God has intended for us in the Spirit of Proph- ecy counsels, urges the faithful study of these heaven-sent messages. An Unusual Opportunity To encourage each family now with- out the Spirit of prophecy writings to secure without further delay at least the more important of these helpful volumes, special price discounts have Members of the Cara- cas, Venezuela, church who sell CENTINELA magazines on the way home from church on Saturday evenings—a splendid lay workers' activity. been arranged for a six-month period from July 1 to December 31, 1939. This will enable each to secure these books at a material saving. Every Seventh-day Adventist home should,be supplied with as many of the volumes of the Spirit of prophecy as possible. Our Seventh-day Adventist churches should have a full set of the books in their libraries for the use of those who have not yet been able to secure these valuable writings for their own homes. The church library, how- ever, can never take the place of the home library. As Seventh-day Advent- ists renew their study of these precious writings, great blessings will come to each home, hearts will be warmed, mis- sionary activity will be advanced, and the work of making a people ready to meet their God will be perfected. M. N. CAMPBELL, General Conference Vice- President for North America. SOME GOOD SABBATH . . . (Continued from page 2) to missions through the Sabbath school that the gospel may be given quickly to all nations. 5. To answer God's call to service in the Sabbath school and the church, or wheresoever He may call me to make Him known." Are you living up to all of the above resolutions? If not, why not? Is there anything in the above not consistent with the life and experience of every Seventh-day Adventist church member? Read them carefully; ponder them earnestly, and let every church member put them into actual practice in his personal life and experience. A. R. OGDEN 6 � INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER THE INFLUENCE OF ONE TRACT One of our lay members in the city of Veracruz, Mexico, was distributing tracts in the hospital of that city. He had distributed all but one tract, which was entitled "The Tithe." He did not think that this would be a very ap- propriate tract to distribute in the hos- pital, but one patient seemed very anx- ious to receive something to read, and he gave it to him. A few weeks later our worker in that district met this man on the street, and he handed him 10.00 pesos tithe. The Holy Spirit had used this tract to in- fluence the heart of this man, even though this was the first religious lit- erature he had received from Seventh- day Adventists. "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall ac- complish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereunto I sent it." � C. E. WOOD TITHE PAYING IN OLDEN TIMES It is interesting to note that not only Christians, but also heathen in the past have paid tithe to their gods. If per- sons and entire nations, not knowing the true God, Creator of heaven and earth, loved their gods and their reli- gion enough to be willing to pay tithe in order to sustain their religious rites and ceremonies, how much more ought we, with a knowledge of the eternal love and the great sacrifice of "The Great God," owner of all things. After the battle of Mycale (479 B. C.), in which the Greeks won a deci- sive naval victory over the Persians, the whole nation rejoiced, and in their joy bestowed the glory for the victory upon their gods. "Nor did the pious Greeks think that the marvelous deliv- erance had been effected without the intervention of the gods in their be- half. To the temple at Delphi was gratefully consecrated a tenth of the immense spoils in gold and silver from the field of Plataea."—Myers, "Gen- eral History." page 123. Alexander Crudens states that "the most barbarous nations, and the hea- then Greeks and Romans, out of a prin- ciple of religion common to all men, have often dedicated their tithes- to their gods. Some have made it a stand- ing obligation, others have done it up- on particular occasions, and by the im- pulse of transient devotion. Laertius says that when Pisitratus, tyrant of Athens, wrote to Solon, to persuade him to return to Athens, he told him that "every one there pays tithe of his goods for the offering of sacrifices to the gods." Pliny says that the Ara- bian merchants who traded in spice, dared not sell any till they had paid the tithe to their god Sabis; and Plutarch mentions the Roman custom of offer- ing to Hercules the tithe of what they took from their enemies. Among the many baked clay tablets unearthed in Assyria, a number of them contain receipts for tithe paid to the priests of ancient Syrian temples. Can we, as Christians, living in the last generation of this earth's history, be satisfied with- less devotion to the cause of God than that shown by the heathen to their religious and national gods? Surely not. The love of God ought to constrain us to do much more and from a willing and grateful heart. PETER NYGAARD BY A PROPHET . . . (Continued from page 2) The blessing can, however, come only as the church reads, hears, and keeps "those things which are written. there- in." Vers. 3. How can any believer, any member of the remnant church who neglects this threefold agency of God's blessing upon His church and people in these perilous times of the "last days" to which we have come, expect to receive the full blessing of God. It seems in the Providence of God that our brethren of the General Conference should have been impressed to make provision for a wider circulation of the "Spirit of prophecy" books just at this time. How anxious should every be- liever be to provide himself with this wonderful counsel and spiritual help from heaven that has been provided and by which we may be preserved amidst the perils of these serious times in the history of human events. Let all remember and take seriously to heart the words of the text used as a basis of this article. "And by a proph- et the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he pre- served." Hosea 12:13. Truly the church, every member, just at this particular time needs the assurance of God's lead- ership and preserving care. It is only thus that any individual can pass safe- ly through the perilous days before us —the very "time of trouble," and come forth triumphant. It will be only when we as a denomination follow closely and walk prayerfully in the light of the "Testimony of Jesus" that we can be victorious individually, and as a united church accomplish the purpose of God in "finishing the work." (To be continued.) A LITTLE EXPERIENCE Just a little experience we had during one of our tent efforts that I want to pass on to the brethren. One night, as I was coming out of the tent, a brother who had not been in the truth very long asked me this question: "Brother Crager, if one had $100.00 or so in the bottom of his trunk when he accepted this truth, do you think he should pay tithe on it? I replied that I thought this would be the right thing to do, for if through the years God gave us strength to earn a living when we did not recognize Him as a partner, surely when we accepted the truth, whatever we may have left or laid up from those earnings, we ought to consider that God has a right to His share of it, and therefore give Him His tithe. But I told the brother he must pray over it and decide for himself. Two weeks later, as I was looking over the treasurer's report, I found a nice little sum to the credit of this brother. I greatly rejoice when I see the Spir- it of God working in this way on the hearts of our people, and I know that this step will bring spiritual and tem- poral blessing to our brother. May it not be that others, when hearing these experiences, will hear that still, small voice speaking to them in the same way? If so, will they not pray over the matter and ask God to DIVISION DIRECTORY G. A. ROBERTS � - � - � - President and Ministerial Assn. Sec'y. W. C. RALEY � Secretary-Treasurer E. R. SANDERS � Assistant Sec'y-Treasurer H. L. NIELSEN �- � Assistant Auditor W. A. BERCHERIVI � - � - � Field Miss. Sec'y. W. L. ADAMS - - Educational, Missionary Volunteer, and Home Commission Secretary Home Missionary and Sab- bath School Secretary INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER W. C. Raley, Editor G. A. Roberts, Assistant Editor Published semi-monthly as the Official Organ of the Inter-American Division Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Box 2006, Balboa, C. Z. Price 50 cents a year. Entered at Cristobal, Canal Zone as second-class matter under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. Printed at Cristobal, C. Z., Isthmus of Panama VOL. XVI OCTOBER 1, 1939 No. 19 INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER impress them and suggest what He would have them do? As we study Malachi 3, I believe we will be im- pressed that this brother has only done what God expects each of us to do. C. P. CRAGER OUR WORK IN . . . (Continued from page 3) might continue to tell how God's hand has been revealed in one way 'and an- other. One told of a man who possessed a book for 18 years but never had read it. When the colporteur tried to sell him another he was reminded of the book he had purchased so many years before. Instead of buying, he tried to sell his book to the colporteur. He sent his wife a note by a boy asking that the book be sent to him for the purpose of selling it. The wife sent the book but accompanied it with a note saying: "Do not sell this book, I have begun to read it. Please don't sell it." When the colporteur was told of this, he sold the man three more books. The Lord was still watching over the seed sown so many years be- fore. In honor of our beloved brother Fan- selau, the former field missionary sec- retaiy of Guatemala, whose labors of love shall not be soon forgotten, time was taken from the busy program to visit the tomb where he now rests. Flowers were tenderly placed upon his grave in honor of his memory. Plans were laid during the institute for a stronger work with the magazine El Centinela. Their order was in- creased to such a number as will put them over their goal. Everyone had a good and profitable time together. We parted looking forward to the next in- stitute. We predict a good year for Guate- mala, and for the entire Central Amer- ican Union. TEN-MINUTE MISSIONARY SERVICES October 7, 1939 Finding Openings for Bible Studies "Fear not, 0 land; be glad and rejoice; for the Lord will do great things." Joel 2:21. We are living in the day of God's power. In one of the Latin-American countries a priest warned his congregation that they must be very care- ful even in passing the Seventh-day Adventist chapel. "Don't even look in that direction,"" he said, "for there is an invisible power there that will draw you toward them." Today that Power in its mysterious way is turning many thousands away from despair and causing them to find hope and certainty in the third angel's message. All about us are people "looking wistfully to heaven." The seed sown in the Harvest Ingathering Campaign, and through the literature distributed and the stir- ring events of the day, is ready to burst forth into fruit, if we as God's husbandmen will do our part by taking our Bible and go forth to warn the world. By loaning our small books systematically, distributing tracts, or oftentimes just by asking a neighbor for opportunity to open everywhere. Surely it can be said that we are living in the day of- the open door. May God open our hearts to comprehend and our eyes to behold what great things He is prepared to do in the lands today, through and for His people. Then with this greater vision may our hearts be stirred to cry out "Here am I, Lord, send me." October 14, 1939 An Impressive Scene "For He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness; because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth." Rom. 9:28. If a picture were taken of your church, to be displayed in the halls of fame, every member would certainly want to be included in the pic- ture. Many would want to be in the very front row. Our theme study today, however, is about a picture portrayed in heaven. Though it was unrolled many years ago before the eyes of the servant of the Lord, yet it is a picture of events taking place today. We read: "In visions of the night representations passed before me of a great reformatory movement among God's people. . . . Hundreds and thou- sands were seen visiting families, and opening before them the word of God."—"Testimonies," Vol. IX, p. 126. What an impressive scene is this picture pre- sented to the view of the servant of the Lord, so long ago. My brother or sister, were you in the picture? Our work has been marked out for us. "We are to take our Bibles and go forth to warn the world." .',i;AA:CA'AWWWW,W,X:CA%;t:XW:AAW.C.C.I€XXXXAW."#.WWW.XXXWY,XXXAM'AXX:CAE'ArArAW.WWWWWWW.W.W.-AX:Cf.XCKAWX-A:*:#,M20;:0 "GOOD NEWS" Your publishing house and your local Bible House have very GOOD NEWS to announce at this time. THE SPECIAL DISCOUNT on the SPIRIT OF PROPHECY WRITINGS which has been in effect since June, WILL CONTINUE UNTIL DECEMBER 31, 1939. So YOUR OPPORTUNITY to avail yourself of these wonderful books at the special prices already announced still continues for a time. A 20% discount is still being made on single volumes and a 25% discount given on FULL SETS of "TESTIMONIES" and "CONFLICT" Series until December 31, 1939. Get your orders in early, as we find it impossible to continue these special prices beyond the end of the year. We hope EVERY SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST FAMILY will improve this opportunity. 2,1-1).gCC1,21 DIIZtOgh"LtIZ Now Available on All E. G. White Publications. Write Your BOOK AND BIBLE HOUSE for details. 8 � INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION MESSENGER THESE OBEYED "I receive just as much joy out of tithe paying as I do out of resting on the Lord's day," says one. "Both are alike, holy unto the Lord, and there is real happiness and pleasure in. loving obedience. I esteem it a great privi- lege thus to acknowledge my God as Lord of all my life. It is a wonderful help in character building, breaking the power of the natural tendency to cov- etousness inherent in the human heart, and proves to my experience to be a mighty stabilizer in the disposal of the nine-tenths; for all I have belongs to Him, and I am answerable to my Se- nior Divine Partner for the manner in which I discharge my obligations." "This liberality on the part of the believers was the result of the outpour- ing of the Holy Spirit. . . . Their love for their brethren and the cause they had espoused, was greater than their love of money and possessions. . . . Thus it will ever be when the Spirit of God takes possession of the life." —"Acts of the Apostles," pp. 70, 71. Many believers know this to be true from personal experience. One of our brethren writes as follows: "When I came into the truth I felt the necessity of paying tithe on all that I had, at that time as well as on all my income. At that time I had $1,500.00 and I paid the $150.00 tithe as easily as I could have given fifteen cents. I considered this remarkable, for I am thrifty in spirit and saving in habit, and have always been keen on the ac- quisition of means, so for me to give $150.00 to any cause outside of my own would ordinarily have staggered me. But this didn't, for when I saw that the Lord required His own I glad- ly gave it and in so doing received a great blessing. Faithfulness in tithing has kept me spiritually and helped me to be true to the message, having dedi- cated myself, my means, my property, and all I ever hope to possess, to Him for service in the finishing of His work in the earth." HOW ONE YOUNG PERSON OBTAINED FUNDS FOR SCHOOL Some time ago we received an in- teresting letter from Brother Tirso Es- candon, one of the young men who are attending the school in Medillin, -Co- lombia. As we are fast approaching the time when our schools will again be closing for the vacation time, we be- lieve the letter will prove an inspira- tion to other young people to do what this young man did. It reads: "Regarding my work during vaca- tion time, I can truly say that the Lord blessed me in a wonderful way. I was able to work 436 hours, selling more than $1,340.00 worth of literature. My sales averaged $3.08 per hour. From this I dedicated $62.00 to help on the scholarship of Judith, my sister, and payed her account that she had with the college the previous school year. Besides my scholarship I had sufficient to pay my expenses in the field and to frequently help my mother. I enjoyed good health although I worked in the Caqueta region. My sister and I were among the first to arrive at the college. "We are now busy with our many studies and we hope to be victorious by the help of the Lord." Many other letters of a similar na- ture might be published, to indicate how our youth in all parts of this Divi- sion are obtaining funds for an educa- tion in just this manner. The colpor- teur work offers not only a financial way to go to school, but an experience that is in itself an education of great value. May the Lord help our youth to break whatever bands may be holding them back and to do and dare for God. W. A. BERGHERM YOU HAVE FAILED TO ARRIVE After a hard summer of work, your plan to attend the Academy or College of your choice this year has now failed. It is discouraging when you are so anx- ious to complete your course. Hundreds have traveled this way be- fore. Some gave up in discourage- ment, and others now wish they had gone ahead. Others took advantage of help offered through the HOME STUDY INSTITUTE, and went ahead with their studies, thus losing no time. What are you going to do? Perseverance wins out, so write us of your desires and needs, and we will gladly respond with a letter and particulars, and so make the school year a happy one. Even though you cannot be in the class room, you can still secure the necessary studies, and also earn money for attendance in school later on. Write now, get started early, and you will have your credits in due time. THE HOME STUDY INSTITUTE Takoma Park, � Washington, D. C. MINISTERIAL READING COURSES The following announcement has been received from Elder L. E. Froom, General Conference Secretary of the Ministerial Reading Course Committee. The arrangement for the quadrennial certificates for the Reading Course is as follows: "The annual credit card is signed by the Division Ministerial Association Secretary in which the reader resides. The quadrennial certificate is issued from the General Conference Associa- tion office and signed by the General Secretary. "No charge is made for the certifi- cate and the name of the reader is beautifully hand-lettered by an expert, and is really an attractive affair." We invite all who have read the last four years' courses to send us the in- formation, and we will pass on to the General Conference the names of all those who qualify for this certficate. G. A .ROBERTS Ministerial Association Secy. INE1111111111=11. � Sister J. L. McElhany It is with a feeling of great sadness that we inform you of the death of our dear Sister McElhany, wife of our General Conference president, on August 12. Her illness was long and serious. Just 13 months ago, she was operated upon and since then has scarcely been up from her bed. While at times she rallied and some held out hope for her recovery, it was evident to those clos- est to her that unless the Lord saw fit to heal, she would never be well again. In recent weeks, her condition becarhe progressively worse. On August 10, she went into a. coma from which she never regained consciousness. While we are all deeply distressed by this heavy blow which has fallen on, the home and heart of Elder McElhany, we cannot but recog- nize as a mercy the fact that she is at rest and that she suffers no more. Through it all she has been most cheerful and courageous. Our hearts are drawn out -in deep sympathy to Elder McElhany in the loss of his dear com- panion. Their walk together in happy compan- ionship covered a period of 38 years. Only those who have passed through such experiences can realize the depths. of sorrow that comes in such a separation. The experience of these re- cent months have drawn heavily upon Elder McElhany. While he- was most attentive to Sis- ter McElhany and her needs, he did not neg- lect the heavy responsibilities devolving upon him as president of the General Conference. He has carried this dual load in a most commend- able way. Those nearest to them have been inspired by their courage and confidence in the- Lord and resignation to His will as -they faced and met the sadness and sorrow which this hour has brought.