Newbold College Awards Ceremony 2013 - Seventh-day Adventist ...

6perspectiveSabbath, 15 June, didn’thave much to commend itabove other Sabbaths. Itwas the middle of themonth, halfway to payday, butthat wasn’t what set me thinking.Three years ago, on 15 June2010, my dad died. He had beendiagnosed with cancer butpassed away much quicker thanexpected. As I stopped andpaused at the graveside, a patchof ground now well grassed overand hosting a modest plaque withhis name on, I was remindedof thoughts that have botheredme for these past three years –he died without any sign of arelationship with God. Humanlyspeaking I can’t pretend to behopeful of his standing come theDay of Resurrection.It had been some decadessince he’d openly had whatwe would term a ‘church life’.Fortunately I’m not God, and it’snot my place to decide who issaved and who is lost – I’m sure,come that great day, we’ll all besurprised as to those taken andthose left behind, so to speak.But moving on from my father:what about the millions around uswho seem just as indifferent toGod as he was? How are wegoing to make an impression ontheir lives?Times are hard for manypeople, and the focus of theirlives is on how to survive in theface of rising energy and foodbills. In fact, the recent reports onthe economy don’t make goodreading, with the average workingperson faced with a downturn inpay of around 10% since theeconomic gloom descended afew years ago. Against thisbackdrop, have you ever stoppedto wonder how this country is tobe set alight with the Gospel ofsalvation through Jesus? Is thereMissionpossible?by Stuart SlyA lesson from the Welsh Revivala way to reach the more thansixty million inhabitants of thisnation, or are we simply facing‘Mission Impossible’?It is possibleI, for one, believe it is possible,because it’s been done before.Let me introduce you to 26-yearoldEvan Roberts, a coal minerturned blacksmith’s apprentice.The year is 1904, and the place,West Wales. Methodist preacherJoseph Jenkins is holding aseries of meetings on the theme,‘To deepen our loyalty to Christ’.So inspired is Roberts by themessages that, despite littleformal education (he finishedschooling at the age of 11), hedetermines to do his part inspreading the Gospel message.His ‘training’ for this venture isless than meagre – he has beena faithful member of the MoriahCalvinistic Methodist church atLoughor near Swansea since ayoung teenager, and SundaySchool superintendent in recentyears. But Evan is a committedman with a praying heart, and hesets off for theological training atNewcastle Emlyn. After his threemonths’ training, he returns toLoughor and asks permissionto hold meetings for the youngpeople in the fellowship. Whatfollows exceeds all expectations:‘Slowly and quietly – for itmust be emphasised that fluencyof speech had never been amarked characteristic of his – hespoke of the deep things of Godand Christ, the hours passingquite unobserved, while tearscoursed uninterruptedly overthe cheeks of his listeners.People passing by the churchcommented freely andwonderingly upon the unusualspectacle of lights burning in fullblaze at such an hour. . . . Insidethe building strangethings were happening.Young men and womenwho had never beenknown to speak openlyof any experience of saving gracestood and testified fearlessly.Others were bowed in prayer.Some sang the hymns of Zion.Tears, sobs, and songs of praisewere intermingled, continuinguntil near midnight. The happythrong dispersed in all directions.. . . Next day the village wasagog.‘When Mr Roberts arrived forthe pre-arranged service nextevening, the chapel was besiegedwith curious worshippers, hardlyknowing what would transpire.. . . When it became known thatsome of the outstandingcharacters of the neighbourhoodhad been converted afterwithstanding Gospel appeals ofeminent preachers for a lifetime,and that these were declaringnew-found joy and faith withoutshame or fear, the excitementbecame tense. Rumours sped farand wide. Down in the bowelsof the earth, miners not onlydiscussed the services butactually sang boisterously thegrand old hymns taught themin their childhood and almostforgotten through sin.’ 1It is difficult for us tocomprehend the impact the HolySpirit made on the lives of thecommunities in that area. Thedance halls, theatres and sportingevents all saw a dramatic declinein attendance; bars were empty,and the courts and jails wereempty too – for once the policefound themselves without anywork to do! The hard-working,hard-living miners bestexemplified the effect of therevival: bad language disappearedfrom their lips to such a degreethat stories abounded ofpit-ponies being unable to understandthe miners’ instructions, soaccustomed werethey to beingsworn at andEvan Roberts beaten.The effects ofthis revival were not confined tothe mining valleys of Wales, however.Word of the transformationsbeing seen in the principalityspread around the world. Visitorscame from many countries, andsubsequently took the revivalflame back home with them.The public excitement of therevival had died down by 1906.Evan Roberts went to Leicester torecuperate from the gruellingpreaching schedule, and thenewspapers went back to politicsand the other issues of the day.But for many of the estimated150,000 converts, the events ofthose two years developed intoa lasting, loving, lifelongrelationship with their Saviour.Some years ago an elderlyrevival convert was askedwhether the revival stopped in1906 – she answered, ‘It’s stillburning in my heart today; it’snever been extinguished.’Evan Roberts was an ordinaryyoung man who, when placedin God’s hand, producedextraordinary results. Accordingto Ellen White it can happenagain: ‘He who loves Christ themost will do the greatest amountof good. There is no limit to theusefulness of one who, by puttingself aside, makes room for theworking of the Holy Spirit uponhis heart, and lives a life whollyconsecrated to God.’ Desire ofAges, pages 250, 251.So that’s how we can set thiscountry alight with the Gospel ofJesus. The mission is possible. . . are we available?1David Matthews, I Saw The Welsh Revival(Chicago: Moody, 1951), pp. 22, 23Opinions expressed in the Perspective pagesmay, but do not necessarily, reflect the viewsof either MESSENGER staff or the BUC.. . . a forum in which to ask questionsor share information about appsand all things digital that mayenhance twenty-first-centuryspirituality, hosted byDavid Bell.We kick off this new feature with a questionposed by Pastor Jeff Couzins, trying to get to gripswith his new ‘smartphone’.Iwrote to the MESSENGER exactly one year ago todayregarding the use of mobile phones in church. Things havemoved on since then. I have since found myself the proudowner of an all-singing, all-dancing smartphone. When thephone company upgrades your phone at the renewal of thecontract, that’s just what they want to do – give you the latestgadget. Now my phone seems to do many things that evenmy laptop can’t do.Anyhow, I found myself needing access to a hymnalrecently, and there wasn’t one to hand, but – you’ve guessed it– I had the app on my phone. So I sang from the hymnal onthe phone. On another occasion I read from the Bible on myphone, and now I have downloaded the Sabbath Schoollesson. I find myself relying more and more upon thissmartphone. But there’s a snag – in fact two snags.The first snag is that some members who read myearlier article now say I’m inconsistent. But I’m not againsttechnology in church. I just wanted to start a discussion onhow these devices can be used responsibly.The second snag is that I can put my phone on silent,and that avoids the embarrassing ringtone going off inchurch, but callers are given phone priority. The screen istaken over by the incoming call. How was I to avoid thatsituation, yet still use all the helpful aids and technologyon my phone? This was a dilemma.I used to wonder if my call was beingtransmitted all over the world when I’min Blackpool or Preston or Blackburn. Theanswer is no! There are some people whoprobably already knew that, but apartfrom being a little dense, I’m also behindthe times when it comes to technology.Apparently, mobile phones continuouslypoll local transmitter masts to tell theservice provider where the phone is. Thatway, when someone calls me from afar,the telephone signal is sent from atransmitter in my vicinity. So, when I’min church, the nearest transmitter iscontinuously talking to my phone –exchanging some type of computer‘conversation’ with it. My challengebecame clearer to me: how could I usemy phone to benefit from these ‘church’apps?Then it struck me – flight mode! On aplane I can use all the many smartphonefeatures without the actual telephonefeatures. Flight mode disables thephone’s communication facilities –telephone, internet, Bluetooth, andmaybe even other things I don’t evenknow about.In flight mode, my phone isn’tconstantly polling the transmitter, whichmeans it won’t interfere with technologyin church, such as radio microphones,cabling and so forth. And the ringtoneor message alarm will not go off. Yet I can still sing from myhymnal, read the Sabbath School lesson, and even readdevotional books such as Steps to Christ and Desire of Ages.However, I still have a dilemma. I cannot use my Bible in flightmode.For some reason the Bible needs to use the internet toconnect the server to my phone.Can anyone please help me? Is anyone aware of a Bible appfor Android phones that doesn’t continuously need access tothe internet?Jeff CouzinsThanks Jeff for your question. There are many Bible apps thatwork ‘offline’ and are also free to download. Try ‘Bible KJV’,which works offline, unless you want to search. May I alsosuggest you look at a tablet of some sort; this would take thestrain off your eysight, and you won’tbe constantly scrolling, yet it wouldslide discreetly into your Sabbathbriefcase.If anyone else would like tocomment on this subject, or raise anyother topics, please email me at:dbell@stanboroughpress.org.uk.David7