News

It was at the General Conference Session of 1874 that John Nevin Andrews took a leap of faith to accept the appointment of the General Conference to send him to Europe as the first official missionary of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Adventist Church was a neophyte in missions, leaders then were hesitant in the work of sending missionaries. The work of missions seems impossible, but by September 15, 1874, John Nevin Andrews set sail to Switzerland; with him were his 16-year-old son, Charles, and Mary, who was just 12 at that time. September 15 of 1874 made mission impossible as mission possible. 

In the words of Ellen White, writing to the church in Europe, she penned, “We sent you the ablest man in our ranks.” JN Andrews was described as the “ablest man.” This means that in sending missionaries, the church sends the best and not the least. John Nevin was  more of a scholar, a writer, theologian, and administrator. He served as General Conference president from 1867–1869. This profile made sending missionaries a serious endeavor. The Adventist Church sends the best of the very best.

Asia, namely the Southern Asia-Pacific, is blessed to have received missionaries. Missionaries like Abraham La Rue, a mariner turned colporteur, pioneered the Adventist work in Asia, arriving in Hong Kong from the United States on May 3, 1888. He was a self-supporting missionary (also known as a “tent-making” missionary, liken to that of the apostle Paul) who turned the harbors of Hong Kong into his mission field. La Rue has traveled to Japan, mainland China, Singapore-Malaysia, and Sri Lanka to bring the printed pages of the Advent Message. It was not until 1901 that Asia came onto the map of the Adventist Mission, and in 1902, Jacob Nelson Anderson arrived in China on February 2. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is well known for sending Anderson as the first official missionary to China. Ralph Waldo Munson started the work in Indonesia on January 1, 1900.  In 1905, Robert Caldwell, a colporteur, began the work in the Philippines, and Lewis V. Finster, the first ordained minister to be sent to the Philippines in 1908, was known as the “apostle to the Philippines.” 

Truly, missionaries played an important role in the spreading of the Three Angels’ messages not only in Asia but around the world. This week, we seek to celebrate the legacy of sending missionaries. It is now time for us —the church in the Southern Asia-Pacific Division—to send missionaries within and outside our territory. It is our mandate. This week, we seek to reignite the mission spirit within our ranks.

This verse runs deep in the very fiber of Adventist identity and missions: “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people  (Revelation 14:6 NKJV).” 

The time has come that we consolidate our efforts as a church. The General Conference has introduced an initiative that is to last till Jesus comes. This initiative is in response to the challenges of presenting the “everlasting gospel” (Rev 14:6) . The challenges are enormous, but the present is an even greater opportunity for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, looking at it from a different vantage point—that the challenges are to be seen as opportunities for missions. The mission impossible is now mission possible through the “mission refocus.”

The "Mission Refocus" initiative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is a strategic effort aimed at realigning the priority of the church for missions. This includes its resources—be it human resources or financial resources in reaching “the 10/40 window,” “the post-Christian window,” and “the urban window.”   This is evident in Revelation 14:6, which reads: “And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people” (NASB). We are to be intentional in our mission endeavors.  Our mandate of making disciples is not just locally but globally. 

The world population is now reaching the 8 billion mark. The audited world membership of the Seventh-day Adventist church in 2023 is at 22,785,195.  The disparity is simply enormous. A perceived impossibility in missions.

This initiative seeks to enhance the effectiveness of the church's operations and outreach by prioritizing missions, evangelism, church planting, and community engagement, especially in areas where the Adventist presence is limited or where there is a significant potential for growth.

Essential aspects of the Mission Refocus initiatives are the following:

1. Reallocation of Resources: The initiative involves reallocating financial and human resources to areas that align more closely with the church's mission priorities. This may include reducing investments in areas that are less mission-critical and increasing support for frontline missionary work.
2. Evangelism and Church Planting: A major focus of the initiative is to boost evangelistic efforts and establish new congregations, particularly in unentered or under-reached areas. This includes training and supporting missionaries, pastors, and lay members in effective evangelistic strategies.
3. Strategic Partnerships: The Mission Refocus initiative encourages the formation of strategic partnerships within the denomination and with other like-minded organizations to amplify the impact of mission activities. This could involve collaborations for health, education, and social services that open doors for evangelism.
4. Innovation in Ministry: Recognizing the changing global landscape, the initiative also promotes innovation in ministry approaches. This could include the use of technology, media, and other modern tools to reach people in new and effective ways.
5. Discipleship and Leadership Development: Strengthening discipleship programs and developing leaders who are mission-focused are also key facets of the initiative. This ensures that the mission of the Adventist Church is sustainable and that local congregations are empowered to carry forward the work.

The Mission Refocus initiative is about ensuring that the Seventh-day Adventist Church remains true to its mission, adapting to current challenges and opportunities while maximizing and amplifying the impact of the “three angel’s messages.”

Having said this, let us consider again the introduction to the Three Angel’s Messages, the first part of Revelation 14:6. Reading from verses 6 and 7: “And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth” (NASB).  Looking closely at this verse, there is a special interest in the messenger and the audience—the hearers. The angels here pertain to divine instrumentality. They are not angels per se, but these angels are, in a literal sense, messengers. It is noteworthy that these angels represent human beings. They are proclaimers/messengers of the message of God (e.g., Matt. 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 9:52). Too often, a misreading of these in our ranks results in the notion that a supernatural being is yet to come in the last days. The context does not support this. These messengers are human beings who are part of God’s last day church. This is the remnant church of Revelation. The Seventh-day Adventist Church sees herself as the fulfillment of this apocalyptic remnant (Revelation 12:17; 14:6-12; 18:1-4). This last day angel is a last day messenger. The Seventh-day Adventist church is the last day messenger. We, as members of the church, are the embodiment of this. We are the last day messengers. We are to be missionaries in these last days. Ellen White comments: “The angels are represented as flying in the midst of heaven, proclaiming to the world a message of warning, and having a direct bearing upon the people living in the last days of this earth's history. No one hears the voice of these angels, for they are a symbol to represent the people of God who are working in harmony with the universe of heaven.” 

Our message is clear, a message with divine origin: “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters. And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.” Revelation 14:7–12 must also be our mandate for mission and ministry. We are not here (on this earth) for an excursion and vacation. We have a solemn responsibility—to be heralds of God’s message of hope amidst hopelessness in the world. This is the identity as well of the Adventist Church, a missional church. After 150 years of missions, we are to continue with the challenge and mandate till Jesus returns.

Mission Refocus is not just an initiative in these challenging times, but a movement of the Advent people for missions. Thus, turning mission impossible into mission possible. What is your, response?  May our response be, “I will go for missions!”

Felixian Tolentino Felicitas, SSD Field Secretary

______________________________

1. Gilbert M. Valentine, J. N. Andrews: Mission Pioneer, Evangelist, and Thought Leader, Pacific Press, 2018.

2. Ellen G. White, Letter 2a 1878; cf. Manuscript Releases, Volume 16, 416-327.

3. See, for a more comprehensive and detailed narrative of the early beginnings of the Adventist Church in Asia, Gil G. Fernandez, editor, Light Dawns Over Asia: Adventism’s History in the Far Eastern Division, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies Publications, 1990.

4. The New American Standard Bible version is used in this sermon.

5. Erton Kohler, “Three Window,” Mission 360: Stories from Around the World, Volumes 11-1, 12-13.

6. Source, https://www.adventistarchives.org/church-membership, accessed August 2023.

7. Ellen G. White, Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 429.