Main

Noble Birth

A Community at Herrnhut

Life Among the Moravians

Into All the World

VI. Into All the World

VII. Troubled on every side

VIII. The Pilgrim Count

His Last Years

VI. INTO ALL THE WORLD

A testimony to the Moravian missionaries was made by William Carey, who is considered “the father of modern missions” and was one of the first missionaries to India. After reading several issues of Periodical Accounts, Carey threw down some copies of this Moravian missionary journal (first published in 1790) in a meeting of Baptists and exclaimed, “See what these Moravians have done! Can't we Baptists at least attempt something in fealty to the same Lord?” [14]

A. Prayer Groups

The Moravians’ burden for the spread of the gospel throughout the world issued from their corporate prayer.

 

The Moravians’ burden for the spread of the gospel throughout the world issued from their corporate prayer. This living touch with the Lord resulted in an intense concern for carrying the gospel into the whole world. Even on the first of the prayer days, February 10, 1728, there was discussion concerning Turkey, Ethiopia, Greenland, Lapland, and other countries. Within two days following this first prayer day, twenty-six single brothers had banded together as a mission-prayer group and had moved together into their own house to seek the Lord together about their burden.

B. Missions Abroad

While in Copenhagen in 1731, Zinzendorf met a slave from the Danish West Indies and invited him to Herrnhut. Accepting the invitation, this slave visited Herrnhut and spoke concerning the need for the gospel among his fellow slaves. The church in Herrnhut picked up the burden, and one year later, two Moravians became the first missionaries to the slaves in the West Indies. The evening song service on August 18, 1732, became a farewell to these brothers – a potter named Dober and a carpenter named Nitschmann. Dober was single, but Nitschmann left behind a wife and child. At three a.m. on August 21, they departed. Zinzendorf took them fifteen miles in his carriage, as far as Bautzen. From there they walked for a month to reach Copenhagen. They spent another month in Copenhagen breaking down opposition to their venture and waiting for a ship. They then sailed for St. Thomas in the West Indies.

In Greenland the gospel was taken to the Eskimos. The following is an account of how one Moravian shared the gospel with the Eskimos:

As John Beck sat in his tent translating the Gospels into the native tongue, a group of Eskimos gathered round him. They asked him about his work, and he began, as he had often tried before, to open up the questions of dogmatic theology with them. But they turned away. And then in an inspired moment, John Beck slowly read the verses he had just translated from St. Matthew’s account of the Agony in Gethsemane. “And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. And He fell on His face and prayed, saying, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me.” Where argument had failed, the story of the Suffering Saviour prevailed – a lesson the Moravian missionaries never forgot. [15]

Some Moravians also went to Surinam to preach the glad tidings to the blacks there. Others worked among the Hottentots of South Africa. Still others went to Georgia in America. In Pennsylvania some sought to bring the gospel to the Indians. One Indian gives this account of his encounter with a Moravian missionary:

[A Moravian missionary]…came into my tent, sat down beside me, and spoke nearly as follows: ‘I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven and Earth. He sends to let you know that He will make you happy and deliver you from the misery in which you lie at the present. To this end He became a man, gave His life a ransom for man, and shed His Blood for him’. When he had finished his discourse he lay down upon the board, fatigued by the journey, and fell down into a sound sleep. ‘What kind of man is this?’ thought I. ‘There he lies and sleeps. I might kill him and throw him out into the wood, and who would regard it? But this gives him no concern’. I could not forget his words. They constantly recurred to my mind. Even when I was asleep, I dreamed of the blood which Christ shed for us. I found this to be something different from what I had ever heard, and I interpreted Christian Henry’s words to the other Indians. Thus, through the grace of God, an awakening took place before us. I say, therefore, Brethren, preach Christ our Saviour, His sufferings and death, if you wish your words to gain entrance among the heathen. [16]

These Moravians were true pioneers among missionaries.

C. John and Charles Wesley


...a group of Moravians sailing on the same ship as the Wesleys sang hymns of praise on the ship in the midst of a great storm...

 

There were others besides the Moravians who were burdened to carry the gospel to the Indians. Among these were John and Charles Wesley of England. James Hutton, an acquaintance of the Wesleys, saw them off when they voyaged to Georgia and corresponded with them after they reached America. They related how a group of Moravians sailing on the same ship as the Wesleys sang hymns of praise on the ship in the midst of a great storm and how they answered those who asked whether they were afraid: “We are neither afraid for ourselves nor for our children.” Hutton in his book relates scenes of the Moravians, after they arrived in Georgia, felling timber, constructing houses, preaching to the Indians, and holding a song meeting – all to the amazement and delight of John and Charles Wesley.

Hutton also discusses the influence of the Moravians on John Wesley:

He talked much with the learned Spangenberg, and continued the intercourse when he arrived in Georgia. “My brother,” said Spangenberg, “I must first ask you one or two questions. Have you the witness within yourself? Does the Spirit of God bear witness with you that you are a child of God?” John Wesley was dumb. “Do you know Jesus Christ?” asked Spangenberg. “I know,” replied Wesley, “that He is the Saviour of the world.” “Do you know,” pursued Spangenberg, pressing the question further home, “that He has saved you?” “I hope He has died to save me,” stammered Wesley. “Do you know yourself?” persisted Spangenberg, who was not content with skin-deep work. “I do,” replied Wesley, “but,” says he, “I fear they were vain words.” For a time he stumbled on as dazed as ever.

“I went to America to convert the Indians,” he wrote, bitterly, in his Journal, when he returned to England; “but oh, who shall convert me? I have a fair summer religion. I can talk well; nay, and I believe myself, when no danger is near. But let death look me in the face, and my spirit is troubled. Nor can I say, ‘to die is gain.’

“I have a sort of fear that when I have spun my last thread I shall perish on the shore. I have learned…that I who went to America to convert others was not converted myself.” [17]

John Wesley later met Peter Boehler, a Moravian, who helped him further, saying:

“My brother, my brother, that philosophy of yours must be purged away.” When John Wesley complained, “Ah, how can I preach the faith which I have not got?” Peter Boehler answered, “Preach faith till you have it, and then, because you have it, you will preach it.” [18]

Eventually John got the faith.

D. Training of Missionaries

He wanted the aspiring missionaries to “count the cost” thoroughly before setting out.

 

The training of the missionaries was conducted by Zinzendorf himself. He directed their studies in writing, language, geography, and medicine, as well as the Bible. Wesley notes in his Journal that the curriculum in Herrnhut included reading, writing, arithmetic, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, English, history, and geography. Only volunteers from within the church there were sent out. Zinzendorf tested them with severe discouragement and delay. He would even order them to disembark after boarding their ship if he had any doubt about their qualifications. He wanted the aspiring missionaries to “count the cost” thoroughly before setting out. That would leave no room for hidden faintheartedness and disloyalty to hinder the work later. Each volunteer was required to respond to questioning by Zinzendorf before the whole congregation. Dr. Regnier, for example, submitted to the following examination when he desired to become a medical missionary to Surinam:

Z:

What makes you think you are called to this work?

R:

I have long felt an inward call to preach the Gospel to others.

Z:

What do you intend to do in Surinam?

R:

I will do my best to earn my living and to bring sinners to Christ.

Z:

How do you intend to get there?

R:

I shall simply trust Christ to shew me the way.

Z:

How long do you intend to stay there?

R:

I shall stay there either till I die or till the Elders call me to another field.

Z:

How do you propose to treat your wife?

R:

I will love her with all my heart; but I shall not allow my love for her to interfere with my work.

Z:

How will you treat the Congregation you are leaving?

R:

I will honour and obey Herrnhut as my spiritual mother.

Z:

How will you behave if you have to wait a long time before you go?

R:

If I have to wait for a ship, I shall simply regard the delay as the will of the Lord. [19]

Zinzendorf demanded the brothers' strict obedience to both the civil and ecclesiastical laws of the country where they labored in the gospel. He insisted that they abstain from activity in politics or in controversial social issues such as employer-employee relationships. Three additional guidelines were given to the Moravian missionaries: 1) the missionary was to live humbly among the heathen, never lording it over them; 2) he was to preach the crucified Christ immediately, leaving subjects such as the creation and the fall for later; 3) his aim should not be to convert an entire nation but rather to watch for individuals seeking after truth. [20]

Finally, Zinzendorf imparted to his trainees a spirit of self-effacement.

“You must never try to lord it over the heathen,” the Count instructed the missionaries, “but rather humble yourself among them, and earn their esteem through the power of the spirit.” [21]

The missionary must seek nothing for himself: no seat of honour, no report of fame. Like the cab-horses in London, the Count said, he must wear blinkers and be blind to every danger and to every snare and conceit. He must be content to suffer, to die and be forgotten. [22]

During Zinzendorf’s lifetime, no missionary biographies were published. Letters from brothers in distant lands were sometimes hand-copied to be read in meetings but were not printed for general use.

E. Financial Support

"We must banish all care as to how we shall live.”

 

After they reached their destination, the missionaries were expected to carry on a daily life that would give weight to their preaching and convince the heathen of the saving power of the Lamb. Zinzendorf considered it very important that the missionaries earn their own living in order to teach the natives the dignity of labor. Hence, the Moravian missionaries received from the church only enough money to take them to their port of departure. They had to work for their ocean passage. Once in the mission field, they worked at whatever occupation would provide their necessary food and clothing.

Solomon Schumann wrote from Surinam: “Brother Kamm is picking coffee; Brother Wenzel is mending shoes; Brother Schmidt is making a dress for a customer; Brother Doerfer is digging the garden; Brother Brambly is working on the canal.” “We must banish all care as to how we shall live.” [23]

Count Zinzendorf was a man who ran to gain the prize of God’s high calling. This history is not intended to exalt Zinzendorf but to exalt the One after whom he was running. The principles that governed his life were definitely of the Lord and are worthy of our consideration. The testimony of the Lord at Herrnhut was marvelous. In the church in Herrnhut, the Lord had a people that were truly after His heart. They were one with Him and were willing to lay down their lives that Christ could have His way throughout the earth.

F. Witness Journeys

In 1731 Zinzendorf traveled to Copenhagen, where he had the opportunity to witness to the king of Denmark and his court. Zinzendorf, who was of nobility himself, was often used by the Lord to turn the heart of those in high positions. Spangenberg said this of Zinzendorf:

“…when the Count set before such persons the whole mind of Christ, they could not resist the Spirit and power that was in him….” [1]

Once Lord Chamberlain Von Pless told him, “The king desires to speak with you. Converse with him with all the sincerity of a witness for God, which character you bear amongst us.” [2] He was invited to the king’s table. One author describes the Count’s reactions:

The consequence was, that many were anxious to show [Zinzendorf] honour and affection; nay, they loaded him with it in such a manner, that he was wearied with it, and wished himself rid of it.

In his letters to the Countess, [Zinzendorf] says, “People vie with each other in showing me kindness, so that I clearly see, God intends to prove to me here, that I have lost nothing by following in the footsteps of His Son. But I long only the more to return to my blessed sphere of affliction, where I gently reposed under so much that was oppressive.” [3]

..."he resolved to become still more attached to the reproach of Christ, and to confess His word still more boldly."

 

The king was so impressed with Zinzendorf that he desired to confer on him a high honor at the coronation. Zinzendorf had much conflict within and did not desire to receive honor from men. After the queen’s mother charged him not to create a situation by refusing the honor, Zinzendorf reluctantly accepted. “From this time, however,” writes Spangenberg, “he resolved to become still more attached to the reproach of Christ, and to confess His word still more boldly.” [4]

Completing this witness journey, Zinzendorf returned to Herrnhut very early in the morning of July 21, 1731.

He…found the unmarried brethren engaged in prayer together. As gratified as the church was to possess him again, so much rejoiced was he to find his dear Herrnhut in such prosperity: it had not only outwardly increased, but also inwardly in grace, in an abundant measure. The meeting-house had been enlarged to twice the size, and yet it was filled…and he could joyfully say, with reference to the church, “As long as Jesus is Lord, fresh grace will He afford.” [5]

He also learned that seventy-four new exiles had found refuge at Herrnhut. The second day after his return, he invited them to dine with him.

In 1736 Zinzendorf took a walking tour through southern Germany and Switzerland with the intention of witnessing to whomever he met. He traveled alone in plain clothes for most of the journey. Many were receptive to his witness, which he shared from an open heart.



VI.

  Into All the World

VII.

  Troubled on every side

VIII.

  The Pilgrim Count