In his Annual Address of 1980, Brother M. A. Tomlinson gave a special admonition about the coming times. We find ourselves now forty years later in a place where we must rally and press forward in the midst of adversity in the world. I felt compelled to reprint some excerpts from his message for our CPMA boost for the purpose of renewing our strength and finding encouragement in his timely words:
Describing the results of Paul’s ministry at Ephesus, Luke wrote, “So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed” (Acts 19:20). Each day seems to bring increased tensions throughout the world. Recent events have created conditions that would have been hard to imagine a few short years ago. As our minds are drawn to the economic and political situations the Church faces around the globe, we may be made to wonder what adverse effects these things will bring upon the progress of our work. We may be encouraged to look upon the conditions surrounding the early Church during its period of greatest spiritual successes. The times of the apostles and other first century Church leaders were not marked either by affluence or by a lack of opposition. It was in the midst of persecution and adversity that the Word of God grew mightily and prevailed. From his Roman prison Paul wrote to Timothy, “Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound” (2 Tim. 2:9). We must remember that God’s Word is the power behind all creation, both visible and invisible, “…whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Col. 1:16, 17).
There is no way to bind God’s eternal purposes. Satan, in his attempts to discourage, would have us to be alarmed by existing conditions. It is true that he has succeeded in creating much chaos and distress of nations, but we are not distressed. Nor shall we allow him to disturb or blind us by situations he has created to prevent our carrying out God’s plan for His Church. It is for such times as we now face that God has predetermined our role. As darkness settles in and deepens upon the world, the light that God has present in the world becomes more brilliant. Darkness does not have the power to hide light nor to diminish its brilliance as long as that light is present. It is only when that light is removed that darkness can have its triumph, and the Church of God will not be removed until its work is completed.
This is no time for despair; it is a time for renewing our strength, and with a strong faith in God, to press more firmly into the conflict. The battle which we are waging is not ours; it is the Lord’s. May we be reminded that He has never lost a battle!
Our successes will not be determined by the prosperity of the times or the lack of such, but by our relationship with God. This relationship sometimes seems most precious when the conditions under which we are forced to labor seem the worst. It appears that it is easy to drift into self-dependence during periods when we are not beset by troubles and problems. While this is not necessarily the way it should be, history teaches it to be so. We must be ready to accept whatever development of worldly events becomes necessary to free us from all trust in the arm of flesh. We must somehow come to realize that our wisdom and our abilities are inadequate for the challenges we are facing as the Church of God.
Therefore, we cannot panic when props upon which we may have depended are suddenly taken from us. We are in God’s hands, doing God’s work, and He will not only sustain us; He will provide the wisdom and power for the achievement of all the goals He has predetermined for us. There is little reason to look for a leveling off in the chaotic conditions of this world. The Bible forewarns us of perilous times, when evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse. Jesus predicted distress of nations with perplexity. But we cannot allow such times to cause us undue anxiety. God is still on the throne. He has not lost control, nor will He ever. And we are laborers together with Him. The conditions we are now experiencing have not taken Him by surprise. He foresaw the end from the beginning, and for such a time as this He has chosen us. While we may have reason to doubt our own abilities to cope or deal with situations we shall be encountering, we cannot doubt His ability. To the church at Corinth Paul wrote, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed…” (2 Cor. 4:8). Living in the time when there is distress of nations, we are not distressed. Our faith is in God, and our confidence soars. We believe that events which are creating chaotic conditions in this world are only setting the stage for the completion of our pre-Rapture work.
Our hearts are quickened with expectation that the day we have been awaiting so long is now very near. Oh, we want to be ready for the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. What a day that will be.
Hallelujah! It is certainly no time now to entertain any feelings of discouragement or despondency. This is a great day for the Church of God. Our cheerfulness in anticipation of the joys ahead should serve as a beacon for the frustrated and disillusioned people all around us. The light of the world will not be dimmed by the gross darkness we must penetrate. Darkness does not have the power to affect light adversely, but light does have the power to dispel darkness. It is surely time for the light of Jesus to be shining brightly within the Church. As His Body we cannot tolerate anything which will prevent the brightness of His light shining through us to bring hope to a darkened world. If there is any darkness remaining within us it must be laid aside immediately. Yes, we may very well expect difficult times in the days ahead, but these will serve only as a stimulating signal to us to lift up our heads and labor more vigorously, for they speak to us that our redemption draweth nigh.