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After the wanderer has staggered through the swamp of doubt, he finally has solid ground under his feet again. Now he can breathe again! He sends a prayer of thanks to heaven and praises God for the reliability of his promises.

As he looks around, he notices that he is standing in a clearing surrounded by a dense forest. The forest looks dark and gloomy. But the clearing is bright and friendly. In the clearing, the hiker sees a small forest church. It has been built from old rocks. It does not look as imposing as some of the cathedrals he has seen in large cities. Nevertheless, it radiates something warm and inviting.

The municipal building

God's church should not appear airy, proud and impressive, as the old Gothic or Baroque churches do. Jesus went through life as a simple carpenter. His church represents his simplicity. Although the church is simply built, it has a solid foundation. Its massive walls defy all storms and attacks.

The logo of the Seventh-day Adventist Church can be seen on the church. It is the church of which I am a member. However, this is not to say that the Adventist Church is the only community that can bring salvation.  (It has been pointed out to me that it could be interpreted that way, but that was never my intention!) I am firmly convinced that God has many children in all congregations and churches and that it is His deepest desire to unite them all in the truth. Nevertheless, the Adventist Church has become a spiritual home for me. It is precisely this community and the knowledge of being part of a large, worldwide family that this scene is intended to express.

In the community

At the entrance to the church stands a friendly man who invites the hikers to the service and gives them a warm welcome. The hiker had not yet met any other fellow pilgrims. Curious and full of joyful expectations, he enters the church. Together with his fellow hikers, he worships God. They explore the Bible together to better prepare themselves for the challenges of the journey ahead. They encourage each other with the promises of God.

The hiker finds the stories of the other pilgrims particularly fascinating. He learns how the others have come to this path and what they have experienced on their journey so far. The exchange encourages him and confirms that he is on the right path.

But he also hears sad stories. For example, he hears about a man who was released from his burdens on the cross and went through the narrow gate. But when he came to the mire of doubt, he had lost his secure footing on the promises of God. He slipped off a stone and sank into the mire of doubt. A helper was there immediately, but the man only looked at the mud that was pulling him further and further down. He thought that even the helper would not be able to pull him out of the mud and gave up hope. So this pitiful man died there in the mire of doubt.

The wanderer heard of some similar fates. But he also heard of people who had lost their firm hold on the promises, but who looked away from their doubts and towards their helper. In faith, they took the hand of their Savior, who put them back on solid ground.

Full of amazement, the wanderer praised God for leading him so safely through the mire of doubt. He now understood much better how strong God's promises are and how important faith is.

What encouraged the pilgrims just as much as the joint Bible study and exchange of experiences was the joint singing in praise of God. All the pilgrims joyfully and with grateful hearts joined in the praise of their wonderful Savior! Through the singing, a deep love for God grew. Or to put it another way:

On the wings of praise, the soul soars closer to God.

-Ellen G. White, Steps to Jesus, p. 107

Mission

Another aspect of the community is a kind of education or training. The pilgrim learns that sooner or later he will come into contact with the broad way and the people who walk on it. Every pilgrim has the task of telling the people who walk on the broad way about the narrow way and their destination, the heavenly Jerusalem. In particular, they should tell them about the brilliant king in this city so that people can make a good decision - preferably in favor of the narrow way, of course!

Some pilgrims are even sent directly to the wide path to help people find the narrow path. This is a very challenging job. You experience a lot of rejection, ridicule and contempt. Some of these missionaries are even sent to prison or even killed.

The wanderer hears many stories of brave men and women who have sacrificed everything - even their lives - for God. All these stories inspire him to follow their example. If it is God's will, he wants to dedicate his whole life to proclaiming the glorious name of his God!

Encouraged, we continue

The hiker could have stayed in the community forever. He really enjoyed the fellowship with his fellow pilgrims. It was a small foretaste of what it would be like in the heavenly Jerusalem. But there was still a long way to go. The wanderer knew that time was running out and that God's grace would soon come to an end. He had to reach his destination by then!

As he continues on his way, his heart is full of gratitude and joy. He now has a deeper understanding of the grace and omnipotence of God. The testimonies of his fellow pilgrims have encouraged him. He has seen that they were not perfect either, but nevertheless stayed on the path and did not become discouraged.

Still deep in thought and whistling a song of thanks, his path leads him ever closer to the dark forest.

Click here for the next chapter: Through the forest of fear