Sounding the Message in Europe
353
in Christian fellowship, none striving for supremacy, God will work
mightily for us.—
Testimonies for the Church 8:38
(1904).
[410]
Greater Effort Needed in Europe—It will require far greater
effort to accomplish the work than in America because of the poverty of
the people. Then the ministers are so plentiful. We think of the words
of the apostle, They shall “heap to themselves teachers having itching
ears.” As soon as the truth is brought to the place the ministers of
the different churches become alarmed and send at once for ministers
to come in and commence revival meetings. Here they are called
conferences. These meetings will continue for weeks, and no less than
ten ministers will be on hand; the very best talent will be enlisted,
and warnings and threatenings will be poured out from the churches
against the seventh-day people, who are classed with Mormons, and
who they say are breaking up churches and causing divisions.
It is very hard to get any hold of the people. The only way that
we find to be successful is in holding Bible readings, and in this way
the interest is started with one or two or three; then these visit others
and try to interest others, and thus the work moves slowly as it has
done in Lausanne; but twenty have embraced the truth there, and this
is not all the good that has been accomplished, for the young men who
are preparing themselves for laborers have here had a good drill and
received an education that will fit them for greater usefulness in the
cause of God.—
Letter 44, 1886
.
Reaching European State Church Members—From the light
that has been given me concerning the people in this part of the country,
and perhaps all through Europe, there is danger, in presenting the truth,
of arousing their combativeness. There is little harmony between
present truth and the doctrines of the church in which many of the
people have been born and brought up; and they are so filled with
[411]
prejudice, and so completely under the control of their ministers, that
in many cases they dare not even come to hear the truth presented. The
question then arises, How can these people be reached? How can the
great work of the third angel’s message be accomplished? It must be
largely accomplished by persevering, individual effort; by visiting the
people at their homes.—
Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions
of the Seventh-day Adventists, 149, 150
(1886).
The Silent Messenger—“But,” says one, “suppose we cannot gain
admittance to the homes of the people; and if we do, suppose they rise