Spanish Field Conference
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The conference participants in Spain enjoyed a visit to Lago de Bañolas. |
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8.
Full of joy at being able to participate once again in a spiritual conference, we prepared to enjoy the meetings held April 21-23, 2000. The services were held in a school next to our headquarters in Parets del Valles (Barcelona), and believers came from different parts of Spain, including Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, Tenerife, and Almeria. Furthermore, some of these believers originally came from different countries, such as Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Rumania, and Venezuela.
In the first subject presented on Friday, April 21, “The Holy Spirit’s Work in the Old Testament,” the work of the Holy Spirit in men and women during the different epochs of this period of the church was analyzed: The case of Daniel, who with the help of the Holy Spirit revealed the dreams of the Babylonian king; and that of Moses, who received divine help to lead the people of Israel from Egypt to Canaan. The story of Joseph was also brought to our attention; with the help of the Holy Spirit he was able to interpret the dreams of the prisoners and of the Pharaoh. David pleaded with God not to take His Holy Spirit from him. The Holy Spirit stood by Isaiah in his sacred mission to rebuke the infidelity of Israel. All in all, without the work of the Holy Spirit these men of faith would have had no success in their sacred mission.
In our second subject, “The Holy Spirit’s Work in the Time of Christ,” we began by studying Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the kingdom of the Messiah, upon whom the Holy Spirit would rest and enable Him to do His important, decisive work on earth. We studied the work of the Holy Spirit in conceiving Jesus in Mary, a fact that is explainable only as the work and miracle of God. We also considered the indispensable work of the Holy Spirit, who came down from heaven in the form of a dove and empowered Jesus to perform His service on earth. The harmonious cooperation of the Holy Spirit with Jesus so the plan of redemption is carried out according to the divine plan. After this service, we greeted the Sabbath. Our hearts were happy that on this occasion we numbered more than 40 persons.
For the service on Sabbath morning, the third subject was presented: “The Complete Work of the Holy Spirit (Early and Latter Rains).” We were shown the work of the Comforter in the disciples. As uneducated men who had spent several years with Jesus, they were nevertheless unprepared for the great commission He entrusted to them on earth. The Lord knew they needed special help to be able to carry out His work; that is why He said: “And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” Luke 24:49. The Greek word dynamis, meaning “power” or “movement,” was described, as well as the latter rain and the Lord’s promise to send it. What are the prerequisites for receiving the latter rain? To be united and to ask the Lord in prayer to send the blessing of His Spirit. Let us not expect to wait for the latter rain to change our character, for that is something we need to change now, before the final refreshing is received from the Lord.
In the latter rain, we will receive the special gifts of the Holy Ghost of healing the sick, performing miracles, prophesying, etc. Some very important examples were given of God’s power to work in the hearts of men and how He changed their lives through His Spirit. We were asked the important question: “Do we let the Holy Spirit work?” Before the closing prayer, the choir from Barcelona presented a beautiful song of praise.
During the service, the hall was completely filled; more than 70 people heard this message. Many visitors were present, which gave us joy.
The hours of the holy Sabbath continued, and we came with great expectation to the moment of the youth program. Led by the young people, all were given an opportunity to share a testimony, experience, or song. It was wonderful to hear the testimonies of some brothers and sisters, who told of the change that took place when they accepted Jesus. On the musical side, we enjoyed the contributions of the Barcelona choir, the Giner family, the believers from Tenerife, the believers from Madrid, and others. Many brothers and sisters who wished to participate were unable to do so, because the time passed quickly without our even noticing.
The fourth subject was then presented: “The Work of the Holy Spirit in our Day.” We were reminded not to grieve the Holy Spirit and that we will receive special gifts from above. He is commissioned to lead us and to speak for us when we must stand before authorities and magistrates. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was also described. “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.” Matthew 12:31. The Lord wants to protect us from committing this terrible sin. Deliberate, continued rejection of the Lord’s call is also blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
In the four spiritual messages during this conference, we went through different eras of humanity: The Old Testament, the New Testament, our day, and the future, thus analyzing the work of God’s Spirit in the past, present, and future.
After morning worship and breakfast on Sunday, April 23, we prepared to spend the day in recreation, the most important part of which was enjoying the love and fellowship of the believers. The conference organizers and workers had the idea of traveling to Lago de Bañolas, in the province of Gerona. A bus was rented so we could travel together on this excursion. We were able to enjoy a boat trip on the lake. After taking some pictures, we looked for a place to eat lunch. But then it began to rain, so we had to be satisfied with eating in the bus, from which we watched the heavy rain and hail. During the outing, we enjoyed singing together with guitar accompaniment.
Although no one wanted it, it came–the end of the conference. When all the believers are happy together, the time is too short. It is important to tell how successful these meetings were, based on the promise of the Lord: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20. We could feel the Holy Spirit’s presence; and with our faith strengthened, we parted from one another to take up the battle of daily life. God be thanked for His immeasurable love!
–José Luis Hurtado, Spain
Nothing too hard for the Lord
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A baptism in the Koboga District in Uganda was officiated by Brother Festo Birikano. A new church was established in this region. |
“Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” Genesis 18:14.
Because of the fallen nature which we have inherited, we are often weak and unbelieving, and God’s people tend to think that some things are hard for the Lord. But there is nothing hard for Him. God’s word is the same today as it was in ancient times.
Brother Wycliffe Luvita, leader of the Kenyan-Ugandan Union, visited us in Uganda at the beginning of June 2000. We first traveled to the eastern part of the country, Mbale District. After spending the Sabbath with the believers there, we went to the capital, Kampala, to continue with negotiations for obtaining a piece of land for a field headquarters. The Lord opened the way for us, and now we have a place about eight kilometers outside Kampala where we can erect a house of worship for our Lord.
Our next destination was Mbarara, on the western side of the country, where our believers welcomed us with great joy. The representatives from the various churches gathered for the field delegates’ meetings. We want to thank all the departments of the General Conference for their assistance to the field, for at the beginning it is not easy. We also thank the Good Samaritan team for the boxes of clothing. All of our people, believers, workers, and refugees, were indeed blessed by the relief you sent to us. The gospel work does not consist just of words. May the Lord bless the team. We hope to receive even more, for we want to enter another refugee camp this year. Our visit brought much joy to the youth and church members.
But as these activities were being carried out, we were arrested by security officers from the area, and on Sabbath evening they took us to the subcounty headquarters. We remembered the scripture that says we are not only to believe in Jesus but also to suffer for Him. On Sunday, June 11, before the end of a ceremony in which three couples were united in holy wedlock, a high-ranking officer in the government came with a district police officer on a motorcycle, arrested Brother Luvita, and took him to the nearest police station. They told us that we should report to the Residential District Commission (RDC), the representative of the President, on Monday. We went there, where we were interrogated; we made our statements and were set free. But they wanted to retain our brothers who are refugees. We pleaded for them, and finally they were given their documents and set free. It was not easy for us, but we thank the Lord for His providence. The verse of 1 Timothy 2:1, 2 is very meaningful to us: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”
We need your prayers, for the situation here is still not good, since we are nearing the elections and the incidents with the Kanungu Cult affect us. The government has even now banned house meetings or gatherings. Some of our members, such as those in the capital city, have been fellowshiping in their residences; but this is no longer permitted. We now have a piece of land, but we do not have enough funds to erect a building. We hope that our brethren all over the world will be moved to help us again. God bless His people.
–Alfred Mukhooli, Uganda
Follow up in South Korea
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This group in South Korea welcomed Brothers Gabriel Cabrera and Branko Cholich in June. To Br. Cholich's left is Brother Kang Dae Chun. |
[See the last issue of The Sabbath Watchman (World in Brief) for Brother Branko Cholich’s report of his initial contact with interested souls in South Korea.]
A week after [my return from my trip to Asia], while I was in my office in California, the telephone rang. A caller from South Korea identified himself and said that a group of people invited me and at least one other person from the General Conference to go to South Korea and give them more explanation about the church’s history. The meeting was scheduled for June 14-18, 2000; and I received the additional information that four leaders from their former organization would be there. I first believed that the people who were interested to join us wanted to witness an open discussion, but I found out later that I was wrong.
The decision was made that Brother Gabriel Cabrera would go with me. Reservations for the trip were made, and I met Brother Cabrera at the airport in Seoul on Monday, June 12. He arrived five hours earlier than I and was met by Brother Joon (Melanchthon). While waiting for me, Brother Cabrera became acquainted with many things that we were to discuss later. For example, we learned that this group had separated from their former movement several months before. We also learned that the interested group had met with the representatives of this movement the previous day and did not consider further conversations with them necessary.
We then had a peaceful conference. The program provided for more spiritual sermons than discussion of the history. There were two meetings out of the four-day conference dedicated to questions and answers relating to the 1951 separation. The people were very happy and seemed relieved during these days.
For the closing of the Sabbath, Brother Kang Dae Chun delivered a very strong message to the congregation, taking a very clear position against accusation and division. After the Sabbath, the people asked Brother Cabrera and me to leave so they could discuss their alternatives among themselves. About an hour later, three of the brothers came to our room and said that their decision had been made to join the International Missionary Society and that the following day the acceptance and organization should take place. They said that the majority of the people present would join with us. Some people requested rebaptism.
The next day, the congregation gathered together in the church to proceed with the program. Three families have homes in this area between a mountain, a highway, and a river. It is a little village of their own. All who attended the conference were lodged there. An adjacent rented meeting place holds 80-100 people. All who were present that morning were happy; for them it was a new beginning in their Christian experience.
After a short explanation, a form printed in Korean was given to those present, and those who wished to join the International Missionary Society were asked to complete the form. Twenty-eight believers expressed their desire to be accepted without being rebaptized. As their names were read, they came up to the small pulpit one by one and were accepted into the church. After that service, we boarded cars and vans to go to the nearby river, where three people were baptized in the chilly clear water. After the baptism, these three and four others who had been busy in the morning with preparations for lunch were accepted as members. Then followed the ordination of Brother Kang as a minister and also of three church elders.
Since the new members wished to be organized before lunch, we proceeded with the business meeting. After lunch, pictures were taken, and then we boarded a van to travel to Seoul, a drive of more than four hours, so we would be closer to the airport, as we needed to leave the following day.
Five of us stayed overnight at the home of Brother Myung Jun Cho, who operates the Everlasting Gospel Publishing Association, which intially published the large three-volume Spirit of Prophecy set as well as the E.G. White Study Bible. The next morning, Brother Cabrera and I left our new friends in South Korea with hopes that the work in this part of Asia will be supported by the believers in South Korea. May God bless every humble effort.
–Branko Cholich, U.S.A
