Boris Perchatkin

The magazine 'Reconciler' — Creator and Witness of the History of Pentecostalism in Russia, 1929-1939

December 22, 2010 · Adam Bondaruk, Baptists, Victor Belykh, AUCECB, Persecution, Interview, KGB, Books, Unregistered Pentecostals, Nikolay Kotyakov, On Emigration, United Church of Evangelical Christians, Vestibule, Petr Saenko, Pentecostals, Religious Mafia, Slavik Radchuk, Contemporary Persecution, Security Services

The All‑Polish United Congress of Pentecostal communities, held in May 1929 in the village of Stara Cholnitsa, decided to publish the journal «The Reconciler». The publisher was the Eastern European Mission. At first it was printed in Riga, later in Narva. G. Schmidt was appointed editor. The circulation was 4,000–5,000 copies. The first issue appeared in August 1929 and immediately aroused enormous reader interest. In it the Eastern European Mission formulated the main task of the publication as follows: “to preach Christ, and Christ crucified. We will proclaim not only salvation, but will declare to you the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:28).” The final issue came out in August 1939, just days before the outbreak of the Second World War. In all, 121 issues were published over the decade.

The journal’s regular contributors were prominent figures in the Pentecostal movement – G. Schmidt and Donald Gee.

The journal printed 150 articles by Gustav Schmidt on various theological and practical church questions. His articles “The Reality of Eternity,” “Does Christ Give Full Salvation?”, “The Consequences of Sin,” “God – Above All in Our Life,” “The Good Soldier of Jesus Christ,” and “The Two Sons of Joseph” contain profound theological meaning. As a Pentecostal teacher, Schmidt devoted particular attention to the person and work of the Holy Spirit in his articles – “Power from on High,” “Perfect Discipleship,” “Divine Healing,” “The Day of Pentecost,” “The Operations of the Holy Spirit,” “The Spirit of His Son,” “The Holy Spirit in the Age of Grace,” “Pride.”

Schmidt defended the established order of church work in evangelical gatherings, offering a model of church order and Christian living (“What the Community of Christ has Lost and What Belongs to Us”). He wrote much about children, instructing church ministers: “It is important to teach children the Word of God. Parents bear the primary responsibility for this, but those who lead the congregation are equally responsible for the children of their members. If the leaders do not ensure that the Word of God is taught to children in the assembly, how can the children learn it?” In the journal’s pages he answered readers’ questions about the Bible. He set forth matters of Christian doctrine and explained difficult passages in the Bible – “The Triune God,”

«The Reconciler.» 1937. No. 1–2. P. 16.

“Where Are the Dead?”, “Types in the Life of Moses,” “The Second Coming of Christ,” “Signs of Christ’s Imminent Coming.”

Over the years, the journal printed more than fifty articles by Donald Gee. His writings concentrated above all on laying out the foundations of Pentecostal doctrine and the nature and work of the Holy Spirit. He gained particular renown through series of articles: “On the Gifts of the Holy Spirit,” “Shall We Give Up Speaking in Tongues?”, “On Spiritual Fruit,” “On Shepherds and the Flock,” “On Spiritual Gifts,” “The Ministry of Women.” They have not lost their significance even today. In them he presents the nature of spiritual gifts and the methods of their exercise, the inner world and character of the person who “lives in Christ not according to the flesh but according to the spirit.”

The journal’s pages published numerous church documents, testimonies, reports, sermons, news about religious life in the world, and information on the Pentecostal movement not only in Poland and in the former Russian territories, but also in Bulgaria, Canada, England, Germany, and Latvia.

By now, the journal «The Reconciler» has long been a bibliographic rarity. Yet it seems to us that many of the materials printed in its pages have not lost their spiritual significance for the contemporary Pentecostal movement in Russia. Moreover, they contain valuable information on the history of the Church in the twentieth century on the territory of the former Russian Empire.

We invite the reader to become acquainted with some of the publications from «The Reconciler».

No. 1

Letter from Zub‑Zolotarev

to the editors of «The Reconciler»

Hallelujah, Glory to the Lord that the journal «The Reconciler» has come out and one can already read its pages.

What a wonderful title «The Reconciler» – one wants to repeat endlessly «The Reconciler», «The Reconciler», «The Reconciler»… Yes, truly, it could only have been the Lord through the Holy Spirit who revealed to you to name the journal in this way, especially at the present time, a time of enmity between men and of men against God.

I prayed long and waited for the appearance of this journal, for its lines are so needed by our people. The whole fullness of the gospel teaching with all the workings of the Holy Spirit, as in the first apostolic times, falls drop by drop from the lines of «The Reconciler» like precious myrrh, and life‑giving fragrances are shed upon life, for “we do not peddle the word of God, as many do; but as of sincerity, but as from God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ” (2 Cor. 2:16‑17).

That is the impression I gained when I read the first issue of «The Reconciler». The aim of the journal is to reconcile people to God and to preach

Christ as the true God, who reveals himself even now in deeds and signs.

Many dead churches boast that their assemblies are large, that their buildings are adorned with gold and silver, that the wisdom of this world dwells in them, that their members are filled with worldly glory.

But as for you, dear brother Schmidt, as editor of «The Reconciler», may the Lord bless you to boast in Christ Crucified, in His wonderful Resurrection, and in the operations of the Holy Spirit.

  1. No. 1. P. 24.

No. 2

Pride

G. Schmidt

“Be not proud” (Jer. 13:15).

When our Saviour came down to earth, He humbled Himself and became the obedient servant of all. His humility showed itself in all His actions. By His humility and His meekness He gave us an example of what we ought to be and how we ought to act.

Yet very often these qualities are lacking in the children of God. When the Lord God is pleased to lay some duty upon them and they succeed in it, they are capable of allowing the devil, the father of pride, to fill their souls with pride, and in their conceit they begin to look down upon their neighbour.

Blindness usually follows hard on the heels of pride. The devil blinds people and makes them suffer because of pride, for the proud regard every admonition as a personal insult. By infusing a spirit of pride into the human heart, the devil

  1. destroys communication between God and man (Prov. 8:13);

  2. takes away people’s gifts;

  3. turns sermons into empty words;

  4. deprives people’s prayers of power, for the proud can testify only of their own “I,” and not of Christian love;

  5. sows discord among people (Prov. 13:10);

  6. makes people petty and touchy;

  7. causes them to neglect the counsel of their neighbor.

From this list, which could be significantly expanded, it is already clear what influence the devil gains over God’s children if he succeeds in filling them with pride.

If you happen to tell a proud person that he is full of pride, he will most likely assure you that this is not so, and as proof will give a series of examples, and if you do not show that you are fully convinced by his words, he will be offended, become angry with you, or even break off all acquaintance with you and then will certainly complain about you, saying that this brother or sister does nothing but criticize.

If someone is not guilty of the vice of pride, he will welcome every admonition and will himself ask God to show him the traits of his pride, and will love the one who admonished him more than the one who flattered him.

Pride is Satan’s most successful weapon with which he fights those who belong to God.

Beware of pride!

  1. No. 2. P. 12.

No. 3 Latvia

I. Borman

The desire to receive full consecration, to receive Power from on High manifested itself among our believers even before the World War. But individual attempts by individual persons to bring about spiritual awakening did not have great success, and during the war, when the congregations were left without preachers, and the majority of the members were forced to move into the interior of Russia, this zeal died out completely.

With the end of the war, the members of the congregations who had been scattered throughout Russia until then began to return. But they were no longer the same; there was no longer the former warmth that had warmed them in the pre-war time, for they were ruined materially and broken in soul. Those who had remained in place also lost their spiritual riches and barely dragged out their spiritual and physical life.

But then, in 1918, unexpectedly, like lightning, the Light from on High flared up. Somewhere in a dark corner of Latvia: in Līdēre, Saikava, Gatarta — in small congregations where there were no learned preachers trained in spiritual seminaries or Bible schools, the Lord poured out of His Holy Spirit. The baptism with the Holy Spirit was accompanied by the sign of other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

In 1919 this movement already leaps to the cities of Riga, Libau (Liepāja), Wolmar (Valmiera), and then spreads throughout all Latvia. Those who had received the baptism with the Holy Spirit began to preach, but they faced persecution. Their documents are taken away from them, they are forbidden to preach the Gospel, and some are expelled from Latvia, and many go to Brazil. Thus in 1921-1922 several dozen preachers and about 2,000 members of congregations left Latvia for Brazil.

But the fire is not quenched: the wind envelops it in smoke, but at the same time fans the flame. Those who have drunk of the “new wine” can no longer be satisfied with the doctrine of regeneration; they thirst for the baptism with the Holy Spirit, they thirst to obtain Power from on High, and they pray fervently for it. The Lord, heeding their earnest prayers, baptized several souls with the Holy Spirit toward the end of 1927. In 1928 this movement expanded considerably, and in 1929 the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was so great that they began to speak of it again throughout all Latvia.

At the present time there are about 15 congregations in Latvia in which the teaching about the baptism with the Holy Spirit is preached and in which the baptism itself is accompanied by the signs of other tongues. The people thirst to obtain Power from on High and flock to the meetings where the baptism with the Holy Spirit is preached.

Every month, edification meetings are arranged in various places in Latvia, to which people stream from all corners of Latvia. And the Lord baptizes with the Holy Spirit. Those who have received the baptism with the Holy Spirit return to their own regions and there preach the full Gospel, bringing many souls to the Lord. Hallelujah!

A great work lies ahead. Workers baptized with the Holy Spirit are needed. Pray, brothers and sisters, that the Lord would send out laborers into His harvest!

  1. No. 5. P. 39.

No. 4

The Day of Pentecost

G. Schmidt

The Pentecost of the Old Testament was a Jewish thanksgiving feast of harvest, called the “Feast of Weeks,” because it concluded the seven-week harvest after the Passover. It was a feast of gratitude for the first harvest (Ex. 23:16), and on this day every true Israelite was required to appear in Jerusalem to offer sacrifice.

In the New Testament, Pentecost is mentioned again as the fiftieth day after the Passover.

In the early apostolic times, all seven weeks after the Passover were considered weeks of joy, and this whole period was called Pentecost. Then from these days of rejoicing, the day of the Passover, the day of the Ascension, and then the fiftieth day and the two days following it, which the Catholic Church celebrates as the chief Christian feast, were specially singled out.

In ancient times, the Jews adorned their dwellings with fresh greenery, and this custom was also adopted by Christians, who, especially in Russia, decorate their dwellings both outside and inside with young birch trees.

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit promised by Christ descended upon the 120 in Jerusalem and filled them with Power from on High. On that same day, 3,000 hearers of Peter’s sermon received salvation, and they formed the first New Testament Church of Christ.

Many consider Pentecost as a completed event — no, it is the beginning of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh, which is clearly expressed in the book of Acts, where a description of the development of the first Church of Christ is given: in the house of Cornelius the centurion, in Samaria, Ephesus, Corinth, and also in all the other congregations founded by the apostles, this outpouring of the Holy Spirit was repeated upon all who repented and consecrated themselves to the Lord’s service.

To remove all doubt, on Pentecost Peter in his sermon, inspired by the Holy Spirit, spoke wonderful and clear words: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38–39).

From these words, spoken at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, every true champion of righteousness must acknowledge that Pentecost is not a passing phenomenon, but the beginning of the Holy Spirit’s operation in the spirit of the New Covenant. Despite the clarity of this truth, the event of Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit soon came to be regarded merely as a historical occurrence, celebrated as a remembrance, without any vital significance attached to it.

This was the work of the enemy. When the bearers of the Christian idea slept, the enemy came and stole from them the truth of Christian life. The enemy succeeded so completely in driving the meaning of Pentecost from the hearts and minds of Christians that the leading circles of Christianity regard those who adhere to the full teaching about the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the sign of new tongues as being in error.

The Pentecostal movement that arose 25 years ago restored to Pentecost the significance that God had given it, and granted it its rightful place in the life of Christians. Therefore we celebrate Pentecost not as a historical event, but as an acknowledgment of the truth that lies at its foundation and forms part of the spiritual experiences that every one born anew in Christ must undergo.

For the apostles, the day of Pentecost was the beginning of extraordinary and fruitful activity for Christ and His Gospel. Since there is not the slightest indication in Holy Scripture that the blessing of Pentecost ceased or was to be changed in subsequent times, we sincerely believe that we too may earnestly desire the same experiences and, like the disciples, may receive the baptism in the Spirit and fire, which will make us joyful and spiritually strong witnesses for Christ.

Of course, exceptions are possible, as they were in the apostles’ time. Thus Demas (Col. 4:14; 2 Tim. 4:10), having received a most wonderful blessing, again became a friend of the world. The baptism in the Holy Spirit does not guarantee us against Satan’s temptations, or against being cast back into our former state of indifference if we cease to watch. Simon (Acts 8:13, 21) received certain blessings, but did not become sincere in heart. As exceptions do not disprove the rule, so backslidings do not disprove divine truth. The disciples, if they had not received power from on high, could not have withstood the forces of darkness in the battle; just so, without the baptism in the Holy Spirit, we cannot be established in our Christian life. Why do Christians today lack such power, and why do even the children of God suffer repeated defeats? — Because in these times people do not seek the strengthening by the power from on high that God promised to those who preach the Gospel.

Glory to the Lord, who, according to His inexpressible love for us, kindles the fire of the Holy Spirit even in our day. Over the past 25 years, hundreds of thousands of souls have received the blessing of Pentecost, and the Lord tirelessly pours out of His

Holy Spirit in all the countries of the world, and believers today glorify Him with new tongues, and the gifts of the Spirit are manifested in the most wonderful way.

Only those who have experienced the wonderful blessing of Pentecost can have a true understanding of it and therefore can worthily participate in the celebration of this day. Let us thank the Lord for these souls and lift up our hands to Him, asking Him to fill with the Holy Spirit the many souls thirsting to receive this blessing, so that they too may take true part in the celebration of Pentecost.

To those who have not yet experienced this wonderful blessing, I would like to cry out: “Follow the words of the Savior, which He spoke to His disciples on the Mount of Olives before His ascension: ‘Stay in Jerusalem and continue in prayer and supplication until you are filled with the Holy Spirit and praise God with new tongues’ — to Him be glory and thanksgiving!

Soon, yonder in the air, the true Pentecost will be celebrated, the true harvest feast, when Christ will gather into His barns all the finest sheaves. Oh, what a triumph that will be, what gratitude will rise to God from the great multitude of the saved, which no one can number.

Hallelujah!

  1. No. 5. Pp. 33, 38.

No. 5

Congress of Evangelical Faith Christians in Poland

Delegates arrived from all parts of Poland, although many, for lack of money for travel, had to walk for several days. Besides the delegates, many guests also came to the Congress, among them guests from Danzig: the Field Superintendent of the East European Mission, Brother G. Schmidt, the matron of the Bible School in Danzig, Sister Nitsch, and Sister Bukchinskaya.

As the congress opened, it was immediately felt that the Lord was with us. Two years ago, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, and German Pentecostal brethren united into an association in order to obtain the same legal rights as the other churches. At that time our opponents said that our association, because it included persons of different nationalities, would not last long. This year’s numerous congress showed that our opponents were mistaken, for besides the full unity of those already in the association, the Lord added during the past year an entire district numbering over 1,000 believers. The Holy Spirit impels toward unity those whom He instructs. Just as at Pentecost He united into one the Jews speaking different languages, so now He has united into one all nationalities. This unity was manifested with special power during the congress, where all were “of one heart and one soul” (Acts 4:32).

After hearing the reports of individual members of the association committee, one of the delegates proposed, in view of the satisfactory work shown by the individual members and the association committee as a whole, to extend the committee’s mandate in its current composition for one more year, which was unanimously adopted by the assembly.

For our night’s lodging, a large barn filled with straw had been set aside—so inviting to heads weary from the day. But the brothers from the Executive Committee were unable to enjoy that spacious and comfortable room for the night, because the committee meeting dragged on until midnight. After the meeting, we settled down for the night in the prayer house, spreading straw on the platform. The sleeping arrangements were not as comfortable as in a home, nor as pleasant as in the barn, but instead it was our happy lot to spend the night, like Samuel, right in the temple itself (1 Sam. 3:3).

  1. No. 9. P. 80.

No. 6

Bible Courses in Pechorno

M. Verbitsky

Organizing Bible courses requires effort, care, and sacrifice, for one must not only provide shelter for those who come to the courses but also feed them. Our courses were scheduled for July 2–12, that is, during the “leanest time,” when most peasants have exhausted their reserves and the new harvest is not yet ripe—and there is no point even mentioning cash reserves. A thirst to receive instruction from God’s Word is great, and the brothers, regardless of any difficulties, make their way to the courses. Some bring food with them, but only a little; some have money, but even less; and others have nothing at all. Yet the Lord wonderfully provided and fed everyone, and no one lacked anything. The awareness of our unity in Christ and the mutual sympathy among God’s children made this possible. The local congregation in Pechorno, the congregation in Ogryzkovtsy, and several others took upon themselves the sacrificial care of those who came. All the foodstuffs that a rural householder had at that time were supplied to the courses free of charge, and only what was missing had to be purchased. Transport and labor were also donated. Great is the power of fellowship; in it, even in poverty, everyone can serve the cause of God. Each of us not only can but must do something for the Kingdom of God, and God’s blessing will not delay in making itself known in such labor. Remember how the handfuls of meal of the widow of Zarephath proved sufficient to sustain them throughout the famine (1 Kings 17:12).

The Lord richly blessed the teacher, our dear brother Schmidt, granting him a wonderful revelation of the Word, which the course participants eagerly absorbed, treasuring it in their hearts and minds. The Lord also blessed brothers A. Bergholtz and I. Bendinger. As a result, all the participants were satisfied with the knowledge they received, which at the same time planted in them a desire to go ever deeper into the study of God’s marvelous Word. Yes, Bible courses encourage laborers in God’s field to search for “the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God” (Rom. 11:33).

In the evenings and on feast days, spiritually edifying meetings were held, to which many children of God and outsiders flocked.

It is difficult to determine the exact number of participants, because almost every day new ones kept arriving, but there were never fewer than 50 people.

Thanks be to God, who so wonderfully helped us to conduct these courses. We also thank the congregations, especially Pechorno and Ogryzkovtsy, who provided material assistance and thereby made it possible for even the poorest brothers to attend the courses—brothers who not only drew from the wisdom of God’s Word but also saw a good example of love shown to them.

  1. No. 3. P. 77–78.

No. 7

What We Believe and Teach

Our doctrine is not based, like the teaching of the large Christian churches, on hundreds of years of tradition, but exclusively on Holy Scripture, which contains the plans and commandments of God that we must know. From the content of this Word of God we draw all our knowledge and derive the foundations of our faith, which are as follows:

  1. The Bible is the inspired Word of God, containing the inerrant revelation of God to people (2 Tim. 3:14–17; 2 Pet. 1:19–21; Luke 24:25–27, 44–45).

  2. There is only one God—Creator, Preserver, and Judge of all people—who reveals Himself to man in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Isa. 45:5–6; Matt. 28:19; John 15:26; Rom. 1:19–20).

  3. Through the fall, sin has so ingrained itself in man that it has made him incapable of any good (Gen. 3:1–7, 8:21; Rom. 3:23, 5:12).

  4. Christ, the Son of God, having become man, through His death on the cross and bodily resurrection atoned for the sins of people and obtained for all the possibility of salvation (Acts 10:40–41; 1 Cor. 15:3–4; Gal. 4:4; 1 John 2:2).

  5. Salvation for people, however, is possible only through faith in Christ as the Son of God (John 3:16; Acts 4:12; Gal. 2:16; 1 Tim. 2:5–6).

  6. Through repentance, conversion, and the new birth, as well as through holiness of life, the believer grows toward perfection in Christ (Matt. 5:48; John 3:3–8; Acts 17:30, 26:20; 1 Thess. 5:23; 1 Pet. 1:15–16; Heb. 10:14, 12:14).

  7. Water baptism for believers is a symbol of the pledge of a good conscience toward God. The Lord’s Supper is observed in the Church in remembrance of Christ’s supper with His disciples (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38, 8:36–38; 1 Cor. 11:23–29).

    1. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the privilege of every believer, and its reception is outwardly confirmed by the sign of speaking in other tongues (Luke 3:16; Acts 1:4–5, 2:4, 10:44–46, 11:15–16, 19:6).
    2. Divine healing of the body from sickness is the result and part of the perfect work of redemption accomplished by Christ on Golgotha (Isa. 53:4; Matt. 8:16–17; John 5:14–16).

  8. The nine spiritual gifts and the biblical ministries are necessary for the building up of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:1–31; Eph. 4:7–16).

  9. The second coming of Christ to earth and the catching away of believers before the beginning of the millennial reign of Christ on the earth are the wonderful hope and expectation of every child of God (Acts 1:11; 1 Cor. 15:22–24, 51–57; 1 Thess. 4:13–18; Rev. 20:1–6).

  10. At the end of human life, all who have been washed by the blood of the Lamb will inherit eternal blessedness, and all who have not been reconciled to the Lord—eternal torment (Matt. 12:26, 25:31–46; John 3:36, 5:23–29; Rom. 2:2–16; 2 Thess. 1:7–10; Rev. 20:11–15; Heb. 9:27).

  11. No. 7–8. P. 66.

No. 8

Annual Congress of the Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith in Poland

I. Zub-Zolotarev

Thanks be to the Lord, who helped also in this year 1935 to hold without hindrance the Congress of the Union of Evangelical Christians in Poland, which took place on June 4–6 in Kivertsi, Lutsk county. Thanks be to the government of our country, where we enjoy freedom of worship, and thanks to the authorities of the Volhynian Voivodeship, who are favorably disposed toward us and do not hinder us in meeting our religious needs.

The congress was scheduled to begin on June 4, and already on June 3 delegates began to arrive. The first to come were the “bicycle riders”—those brothers who own bicycles. In inclement weather they had to cover hundreds of versts, but as they approached their goal and saw me coming out to greet them, they forgot their weariness and began to exclaim, “Glory to the Lord! Hallelujah!” Yes, the love of Christ is wonderful; it covers everything: weariness, poverty, and so on. After the bicycle riders, groups and individuals on foot started arriving; many of them had to walk hundreds of kilometers, and in order to reach the congress in time they had, one might say, to travel day and night, resting only for two or three hours wherever exhaustion knocked them off their feet, often under the open sky. And these weary, exhausted pilgrims on the earth, as they approached their goal and saw other brothers who had already arrived, forgot all the difficulties just overcome, rejoiced, looking forward to still greater joys of fellowship at the congress and Bible courses, and in joy greeted one another with a holy kiss. The last guests arrived by train, and among them were our dear brothers: the president of the Eastern European Mission, Brother P. Peterson; the field superintendent, Brother G. Schmidt; and the chairman of the Union of Evangelical Christians in Poland, Brother A. Bergholz. The news of the arrival of these dear guests spread among the brothers, and one could hear them passing it on to one another: “The brothers have arrived!” — “Who?” — “Schmidt, Peterson, Bergholz!” — “And where is Brother Kindermann?” — “He’ll come tomorrow!” — “Glory to the Lord, what joy that will be!” Yes, the hearts of God’s children are filled with joy when they meet to have brotherly fellowship and to consider their own work and the common work in God’s field!

Finally the time for the opening of the congress arrived. The hall was filled to overflowing with delegates and guests, numbering up to 150 souls. The chairman of the Union, Brother A. Bergholz, opened the congress and was elected congress chairman, with Brother Ivan Zub-Zolotarev as vice-chairman, Brother H. Fedyshin as secretary for Polish, Brother D. Komsa for Russian, Brother M. Verbitsky for Ukrainian, and Brother Mittelstedt for German. Brothers Peterson and Schmidt conveyed greetings from brothers in America and other countries and gave a word of welcome; then the work of the congress began.

From the report of the Union committee and the statistics read by the Union secretary, it is evident how the Lord blesses the Union, constantly adding members to it. Thus, in 1933 all members of the Union numbered 15,441, while in this year 1935 the number of members received through water baptism reaches 18,197 souls; this figure does not include the German congregations, where, as is clear from the report of the brothers who came to our congress, the Lord is also blessing wonderfully, and many congregations have already joined our Union. Then it was announced what the Union has accomplished over the past year: regent courses were organized, courses for Sunday school teachers were held, a Polish songbook was published, a Russian songbook is being prepared for print, prayer houses have been built, an orphanage is being organized in Baranovichi, and so on—in all of this the Eastern European Mission has taken and continues to take an ardent part. Glory to the Lord!

The same brothers were re-elected to the Union committee, only in place of Vice-Chairman Brother O. Mazalo, who passed into eternity, two brothers were elected: Brother I. Panko and Brother I. Chersky. As treasurer, Brother M. Verbitsky was elected in place of Brother D. Komsa.

With the Lord’s blessing the days of the congress passed quickly and imperceptibly, and when on the 7th Brothers Peterson and Kindermann, preparing to depart for other countries, said their farewells, calling on all participants of the congress and through them all God’s children to continue standing in unity and to labor faithfully for the Lord, the whole congress in turn thanked the brothers for their visit, promised to remain and work in unity, wished them a safe journey and further blessed success in the work in God’s field, and asked them to convey fraternal greetings to the children of God in other countries.

Brother Schmidt remained with us for several more days, teaching us lessons from the Bible. The Lord wonderfully blessed us, and many questions from the Word of God were resolved, and valuable instructions were given for the workers of God’s field.

During the congress and Bible courses, evangelistic meetings were held, of which the one that was especially blessed was the meeting on Trinity Sunday, June 9. The hall was full, and therefore the majority of those present had to remain outside. The Word of God was preached with special power, and more than ten testimonies of divine healing were given, where the Lord healed in the most severe cases. Oh, yes, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

All participants in the Bible courses and meetings remained grateful to the Lord for the abundant instruction from God’s Word imparted through Brother Schmidt. May the Lord bless dear Brother Schmidt for further such courses, which are so needed for the workers of God’s field in our country.

A farewell meeting was held on June 11, at which all participants thanked the Lord for the blessings they had received, and also the writer of these lines for his efforts in organizing the congress and meetings. Everyone departed and dispersed strengthened by the Word of God, carrying with them the seeds of Christ’s truth, in order to scatter them abundantly over the Lord’s field, gaining souls for the Kingdom of Christ in these our days, when the coming of Christ is already at the door.

  1. No. 9. Pp. 79-80.

No. 9

Shall We Cease from Speaking in Tongues? (This question is examined in the form of a written reply to a Christian worker who raised it in a letter to the author)

Donald Gee

I have received your letter, in which you try to persuade me to break fellowship with Pentecostals, or, as it is sometimes expressed, with the “speaking in tongues” movement.

The foundation you are putting forward unquestionably merits prayerful and thorough consideration. You say that if I would only renounce speaking in tongues and break off fellowship with Pentecostals, then doors that have remained closed until now would open wide for me into blessed fellowship with the most devoted, spiritually mature evangelical Christians.

I cannot remain indifferent to such an appeal, for at one time I was deeply distressed to learn that I had been cut off from fellowship with the Christian workers of the city where the Lord had placed me for service, and also excluded from participation in evangelism and other spiritual work to which I considered myself bound not only nominally but actively. I have no doubt that, concerning every foundational point of Christian doctrine, I would have reached heartfelt understanding with my fellow workers, but then, because of these “dreadful tongues,” I found myself excluded from fellowship with them.

At the end, you refer to the names of well-known and popular Christian workers who, having rejected our distinctive testimony, were again received into fellowship and allowed to participate in broad Christian work. You urge me to follow their example. — How can I do that?

I will not touch upon the experiences of other people, but I know that the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the sign of speaking in tongues entered into my spiritual life, and that the experience when the Lord touched me so really and vitally lifted me into a completely new sphere of fellowship with Him and activity for Him. My ongoing experience of speaking in tongues over many years does not lose its blessing even now.

I am convinced and affirm that my experience of speaking in tongues proceeded from the Holy Spirit. To deny or devalue this would be a deadly blow to my faith in the reality of that spiritual experience, and would dishonor the gift of God and even the Giver Himself.

And on what basis of the Word of God do you build your exhortations to me to renounce “the tongues”? Does not the Word of God clearly tell us: “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19), and this command, by the context of the chapter, relates to His manifested gifts. You surely know that in some Bible translations this verse is rendered as “Do not quench the manifestations of the Spirit.”

Furthermore, 1 Cor. 14:39 says directly: “do not forbid speaking with tongues.” Do you want me to grossly disregard, or even altogether refuse to fulfill this clear command of the Word of God, as some Christians of our time do? God forbid that from me!

If you will point me to even one place in Scripture that would explain to me why, having received the gift of tongues, I should reject that gift, I will consider your indication a kindness and promise humbly and strictly to obey that command of God.

However, in your proposition you do not even demand that I entirely cease the exercise of this gift of tongues altogether. You limit yourself to demanding that I refrain from exercising this gift in public gatherings; you leave me unrestricted exercise of it in personal prayer.

This proposal of yours sounds more acceptable, because in part it agrees with my opinion. I personally hold the view that when the apostle Paul says: “I speak with tongues more than you all” (1 Cor. 14:18), he meant the exercise of the gift of tongues privately, during his communion with God (1 Cor. 14:2), and this my supposition is fully consistent with the other instructions of that chapter. I personally prefer and seek for myself the gift of speaking “with the mind” (1 Cor. 14:19), but I do not disdain the gift of speaking in tongues. As long as the exercise of that gift is accompanied by interpretation (v. 5), and it seems to me that the majority of sound Christians do so. Though I know there are some brothers who mistakenly think that one speaking in tongues cannot control himself and therefore has the right to disrupt the order of the meeting even at the most solemn moment. Such brothers forget the fundamental rule of 1 Cor. 14, which says: “Let all things be done for edification” (v. 26), and they disgrace the Lord by the manifestation of their fanaticism. Believers who know the Spirit and the Word of God better than such individuals will surely not disgrace the gift of tongues itself just because, through ignorance, it is exercised, though sincerely, but incorrectly. I think not.

I consider that in many cases the public exercise of the gift of tongues is useless, and sometimes even harmful. Moreover, I am absolutely convinced that the Holy Spirit will never prompt the exercise of the gift of tongues outside the rules given by Him in 1 Cor. 14, for otherwise He would be acting against Himself.

But I cannot forget the rule that “the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all” (1 Cor. 12:7) and, consequently, the gift of tongues is also for the church; therefore we have no right to exclude the exercise of this gift from the assembly of believers.

The awareness that the Lord has given me this gift urges me to go to the gathering where, as I know, reasonable spiritual freedom and the proper exercise of the gift of tongues reign. This same awareness prompts me to withdraw from assemblies where, as I know, there is no freedom for the manifestation of spiritual gifts.

To publicly renounce what I personally believe would be, on my part, a reproach to all moral values, which no one who loves the truth could ever do. Here it must be said that in some cases silence is equivalent to denial, and such silence deserves strict condemnation.

You assert that “tongues” are a hindrance in evangelism, proceeding from the principle that “saving souls” is one thing, while the exercise of gifts is another; that is, in your view it turns out that the exercise of the gifts of the Holy Spirit cannot go hand in hand with successful evangelism, and therefore one must be strictly separated from the other.

I am ready to admit that in some cases the manifestation of gifts may stand in the way of bringing individual souls to the Lord, but I am confident that no worker in God’s field who is under the influence of the Holy Spirit and possesses love for souls will give such an offense. If this does happen, then such workers should receive wise reproof along with loving instruction.

In the principle you advance of opposing the “salvation of souls” to the “manifestation of gifts,” you separate two actions that should least of all be separated or set in opposition, for such a division has no biblical basis whatsoever. On the day of Pentecost, it was precisely the manifestation of the Spirit that prompted the multitude to hear and receive the word of life. In other instances, on the contrary, the manifestation of the Spirit was the result of receiving the preaching of the Gospel. Thus, in the house of Cornelius, during Peter’s preaching, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those present, and they began to speak in tongues. If we accept your assertion that the operation of spiritual gifts is neither the cause nor the result of salvation, it would follow that in the cases cited above the Holy Spirit acted incorrectly. Such a supposition is obviously nonsense.

Of course, I admit that the unexpected manifestation of the supernatural element in the preaching of the Gospel, given the unestablished state of unbelievers, creates an unusual atmosphere, and that the manifestations of the Holy Spirit to the degree that they occurred in the early church bring some members of the present-day church into deep confusion and even fear. But such a situation by no means speaks against.., but rather testifies to the inadequacy of the spiritual condition of the churches of our present day.

Unquestionably, the Holy Spirit, in His boundless mercy, takes into account the condition of believers in our day and the circumstances in which they live, and therefore acts accordingly. However, this does not at all mean that God in our times refuses to lead us along the biblical, and as we believe, more normal paths, when the preaching of the Gospel of grace is accompanied by supernatural manifestations of God’s power not only in the hearts of people, but outwardly as well. We encounter evidence of this in the continually growing movement of the Holy Pentecost.

To uphold not only theoretically but also practically the presence of the supernatural in the preaching of the Gospel is not our duty but our privilege. For this, of course, faith is necessary, and along with it wisdom and much patience, but the joy of fellowship with the Lord, who comes to His own in the church, covers it all.

To renounce speaking in tongues would spare us reproaches and would be tantamount to our acceptance where we are now rejected, and by this path we would draw closer to cooperation with broad circles in the work of preaching the Gospel. But would not such compliance grieve the heart of our Master? We firmly believe that, one way or another, He will bring all nine gifts back into the church. This assertion of ours is justified by the testimonies of the New Testament, and the ever-growing challenges of the spiritualists require it.

We are given an inexpressible privilege to be instruments in His hands for carrying out these His purposes, and if exclusion from active fellowship with some of our brethren of the Evangelical church is the price for this, we are ready to pay it. Let them know that we highly prize this privilege of ours. More than that, we await the hour when they too will recognize that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are intended for the present time as well!

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