WORLD EVANGELICAL CONGRESS - BERLIN October 28,1966
``As Jesus Christ has said: "Where two or three are gathered together in my
name, there I am in the midst of them." lt is therefore Our expressed hope that
these words will be realized in their full significance in this great assembly.
We are happy to be present in this famous City of Berlin where Christian leaders
are assembled to consider ways and means of spreading Our Christian Faith in the
world. We thank Mr. Billy Graham for inviting Us to address this meeting. The
propagation of the Christian Faith among nations has become a task of paramount
importance in this age as is evidenced by this great assembly of Christian
leaders.
As you all know, it is centuries past since Our country, Ethiopia, accepted the
Gospel of Christ. We learn from the Holy Scriptures that the first Ethiopian who
confessed faith in Jesus Christ was baptised only a few months after the death
and resurrection of Our Lord. From then on Christianity spread steadily among
the Ethiopian people and became the religion of the Ethiopians in the Fourth
Century. It is a matter of pride for Us, a special cause for thankfulness to
Almighty God, when We recall that the Christian Faith was introduced to Our
people by the Imperial Court and through the instrumentality of the then
reigning Monarch.
Ethiopian history testifies that our ancestors, who rose after the first
Christian Emperors, were men and women who had great zeal and keenness for the
Faith of Christ and who did all in their power for its propagation among our
people. Many among them, like Emperor Caleb who lived in the Fifth Century and
Emperor Lalibela and his immediate successors who lived in the Twelfth Century,
have been canonized.
When the countries of the Middle East, North East Africa and Asia Minor, where
the Gospel was preached by the Apostles, were over run by and succumbed under a
power opposed to the Christian Faith, the sovereigns and people of Ethiopia,
firm in their deep love for the Faith of Christ and supplemented by the nature
of their native land, put up great struggles to preserve Ethiopia as an island
of Christianity. Deep is Our thankfulness to our God for this grace. Numerous
are our ancestors, who throughout the centuries consecrated and sacrificed their
lives on the battlefield that Ethiopia might survive strong in her Christian
Faith.
When, after all these worthy predecessors, We assumed the leadership of Our
people half a century ago, We became acutely aware of the magnitude of the
sacred trust and responsibility
vouchsafed to Us to work for the glory of God and the continued and lasting
welfare of Our people. During the past 50 years not only did We labour that Our
people may lead a better life while on this earth but We also did not spare Our
energy and treasure to develop their spiritual heritage, the value of which no
human mind can assess.
We have laboured that the Holy Scriptures and the books left to Us by the Church
Fathers be multiplied by means of modem printing techniques and be distributed
to all not only in our modern language, but also in Geez, our ancient language.
Our Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which was cut off for centuries from her fellow
Christian Churches, has joined the World Council of Churches and co-operates in
the task of strengthening the Faith and bringing about Church unity. We have
helped and will continue to help the missionaries who are sent from other lands
to preach Gospel to those of Our people who have not come to the knowledge of
God's saving grace. As the unity of the Church is of great concern to Us and,
God willing, being hopeful that this sacred objective might be achieved in our
day and age, We were happy to have convened two years ago a meeting of the Heads
of the Oriental Orthodox Churches in Our Capital City of Addis Ababa to
deliberate on ways and means of bringing about harmony and unity in the Church.
We refer to all these only to indicate that this age above all ages is a period
in history when it should be our prime duty to preach the Gospel of Grace to all
our fellow men and women. The love shown in Christ by our God to mankind should
constrain all of us who are followers and disciples of Christ to do all in our
power to see to it that the Message of Salvation is carried to those of our
fellows for whom Christ Our Saviour was sacrificed but who have not had the
benefit of hearing the good news.
Since nobody can interfere in the realm of God we should tolerate and live side
by side with those of other faiths. However, if the threat is posed we shall not
fail to resist with courage any such incursions. We wish to recall here the
spirit of tolerance shown by Our Lord Jesus Christ when He gave forgiveness to
all including those that crucified Him.
In these modern days, there are a multitude of things published in print and
broadcast by radio which captivate the human mind and spirit; many new ideas are
disseminated by the learned. Many wonderful appliances are produced to make life
more and more comfortable. The rich powers have passed on from exploring and
exploiting this earth and are vying with each other to explore and conquer the
moon and the planets. Knowledge is increasing in a bewildering manner. All this
is good, wonderful and praiseworthy. But what will be the end of it all? It is
Our firm belief that only what the Lord wills will be done. We should be careful
that the results thus achieved by mankind should not meet with the fate of the
Tower of Babel, the handwork of those people of old which came to pieces in
their hands. The Apostle Paul says: "The wisdom of this world is foolishness
with God" and "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise and they are vain." The
reason for this is because generally speaking man makes himself and his wisdom
the beginning and the end of his aim in life, and we are convinced that the end
of this is destruction and death.
Our Lord Jesus Christ says: "What has a man profited if he shall gain the whole
world and lose his own soul?" Why did the effort of those who tried to build the
Tower of Babel come to nothing? Was it not because they tried to live apart from
their Creator, and because, vaunting themselves in their wisdom, they tried to
build a tower whose top was to reach unto heaven and thus make a name for
themselves? It is Our conviction that all the activities of the children of men
which are not guided by the Spirit and counsel of God will bear no lasting
fruit, they will not be acceptable in the sight of the Lord and will therefore
come to nought as the Tower of Babel came to nought.
It is for this reason that the Church of Christ, and especially Christian
leaders, have such an enormous responsibility. However wise or however mighty a
person may be, he is like a ship without a rudder if he is without God. A
rudderless ship is at the mercy of the waves and the wind, drifts wherever they
take it and if there arises a whirlwind it is smashed against the rocks and
becomes as if it has never existed. It is our firm belief that a soul without
Christ is bound to meet with no better fate.
Therefore 0! Christians, let us arise and, with the spiritual zeal and
earnestness which characterized the Apostles and early Christians, let us labour
to lead our brothers and sisters to Our Saviour Jesus, Who only can give life in
its fullest sense.``