Then Jesus came to them and said. . . . Therefore go and make disciples of all nations. . . (Matthew 28:18-19).
As the day of Jesus’ coming is approaching we have the duty to spread the Three Angels’ Messages throughout all countries. Though located on the British Islands, Scotland was one of the countries where the message of Reformation hadn’t reached yet. Our Lord inspired Pastor Henry Dering to organize a special missionary project to spread the word of God in this country.
Looking back through the history of Christianity in Scotland we can find interesting facts regarding the observance of the Holy Sabbath. Believers kept the Lord’s Commandment faithfully for more than a thousand years.
No one knows exactly how and when the Gospel first reached these remote islands. However, there is evidence of Christians as early as 200 A.D.
The Christian evangelization story of the British Isles began with Patrick in the middle of the fifth century. By contrast to the Constantine’s mishmash religion, the Christianity of Celtic missionaries—Patrick, David, Columba, Aidan—was a great light in a dark age. Columba devoted his life to preach to Picts, Britons and Scots in the sixth century, converting the nations to Christianity by word and example. The observance of the Seventh Day Sabbath was one of the most important features of the Celtic Church. By raising the profile of the Celtic Church, Columba directly challenged the authority of Rome. Scotland was one of the countries who held out the longest against Rome. Only in the eighth century the heavy hand of King Nectan banished the Columbate brethren from their island retreat on Iona and the country officially accepted Catholicism.
Nevertheless, this question was still causing concern to a Scottish Queen Margaret as late as the eleventh century. The observance of Saturday as Sabbath and the refusal to recognize the authority of the Pope in spiritual matters was regarded by the majority of Scots to be interconnected.
Despite the best efforts of King Nectan centuries earlier, Scottish Christianity was still the “Columban” or “Celtic,” not the “Roman,” variety. It was not only the fourth commandment that was held in reverence, but all the Celtic life was governed by the Ten Commandments. The Celtic Christians believed that the Cause of salvation was Christ alone and the keeping of the law was the fruit.
As Queen Margaret discovered in the eleventh century, it was one thing for kings to make an accommodation with Rome, but quite another to root Celtic Christian customs out of the lives of the people.” (From the book, The Celtic Connection, by David Marshal)
The Scottish history was taken into consideration while making preparations for our missionary outreach. The topic of the printed tracts was about the Biblical Sabbath.
Prior to our arrival we had only one contact in Glasgow, Scotland, but God can work with few as with many. He was leading us all the way in the preparation for this outreach. The chosen accommodation was a youth hostel, located in the centre of Glasgow, where we could meet many different people.
From the 11th until the 23rd of April 2012, several brethren from different countries, USA, Canada, Holland, Finland and England, came together with one purpose, to work for God in Scotland. Even though some of us met each other for the first time, the spirit of cooperation was present, and we went through many interesting experiences together.
Ten thousand Sabbath tracts and a thousand leaflets about God’s love were distributed in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and some surrounded villages. We were meeting people on the streets, going from house to house, offering literature and inviting people to learn more about God’s love towards human beings and His will for us.
For some of us, the experience of distributing the tracts on the streets was a familiar story, but for others it was new. While a few came back with half of their leaflets, wondering what they were doing wrong, others finished their load and came back for more. This was just the beginning of the week, but by the end the brethren gained more confidence with the support of the group and managed to complete the work given. Together the Lord prospered our way and the leaflets were finished before the end of the ten days.
Friday evenings and Sabbath worships were shared with a group of Russian people, who belong to the Seventh-Day Adventist church. It was a great joy to see young people deeply interested in studying the Bible, who had many questions on different topics.
We were grateful to Brother Vladimir Shumko and his family for organizing a wonderful excursion to the Highlands of Scotland, the lake Loch Lomond and a small historical village, Luss, whose roots extend to the ancient Sabbath-keepers. Sabbath afternoon was spent among the beautiful nature with gorgeous views, in the company of new brethren to whom we were grateful for their hospitality.
During the week we had different studies from ministers Henry Dering, Jerry Eaton and Vladimir Marinov on different topics, including missionary work, canvassing, and prophesied events of the last days. We also covered preparation for Christ’s coming, marriage, family relationships and personal experiences.
We had a chance to visit a Muslim mosque and a Jewish synagogue, to learn more about working with different religions.
While we were in our hostel we met several interested souls; among them was Frances, a deaf and partially blind sister who can read lips and speak. She joined us for our morning and evening worships and shared her life experiences—how the Lord was saving her from dangers and helping to communicate with other people.
We praise the Lord for the opportunity to participate in His work. The seeds have been sown and we pray to God for the growth of the work in this country through the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sisters Tatiana Sanchez and Mweete Chimba