«This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven» (Acts 1:11).
Joseph Bates was waiting at the large train station in Salem, Massachusetts, along with some other Adventists. As they waited, they decided together to sing some hymns. The people who were coming and going through the station A multitude of men and women stood entranced listening to that little group singing with all their hearts. About seven thousand met afterwards to hear the preaching of God ‘s Word, and hundred were baptized. All because of music.
One of the things that helped the early Adventist recover from their Great Disappointment and share the doctrines they believed in was music and the publication of several hymnals. James White used to say, «There is power in Adventist singing,» and that there was something special about their songs.
What can we learn from this? On one website dedicated to Adventist music it is suggested that we can find at least three lessons:
- If we profess to believe in something or to have a faith, then the songs we sing and the music we listen to should reflect that fact as well. Is this true for us?
- When we sing with all our hearts and with great conviction, the mu sic will have a powerful effect on those who listen. Do we sing with conviction?
- Singing songs that are appropriate for the occasion gives greater power to the message. Do we choose our music carefully?
The early Adventist often sang about Jesus’s second coming, and that same theme was present in all the means of communication that they used. Do we also sing hymns that reflect our enthusiasm and longing for the soon coming of our Lord? Are our daily decisions and our business practices influenced by a firm faith in Jesus’s soon return? Or do we settle for a type of ecumenical worship that is extremely emotional and and at times anthropocentric?
Some things that we can do are: spend time during the week learning hymns that were sung by early Adventists about the Second Coming; use at least one hymn from that time for our daily family worship and for congregational singing; listen to a recording of it during the week; visit places that are mentioned in different hymns; and sing them often so that they can make a deeper impression on our hearts.
The power of the message that we have to share is still there, and if we sing more and with greater conviction, we will reach many more hearts. So… Let’s sing!
