By Michael W. Campbell

Unable to write his final diary entry himself, Davis dictated it to the guide who entered it for him: “God has especially blessed in this trip. I had a complete mission at Paruima River, another at Mt. Tulameng, and then we came to Mt. Roraima. Just finished establishing a mission when I was taken sick.” This station officially was established on June 25, 1911, the first Seventh-day Adventist mission in this region. On his deathbed, Davis promised that someone would come and teach the people. He died July 31, 1911, from blackwater fever and was buried by Chief Jeremiah at Mt. Roraima. Carrie would return to her home in the United States.

Following Davis’s death, the Indians gathered every Sabbath by his grave to sing. Despite their numerous “appeals” for another teacher, it was 14 years before Adventist missionaries finally followed up on Davis’s work.

About 1918, an explorer found a group of Indians who were singing “There’s Not a Friend Like the Lowly Jesus” in English. Finding this strange, he discovered that they would bring out the effects of Brother Davis and hold a simple service.

In 1922, after more than a decade of waiting, Chief Jeremiah hiked for four weeks to the Adventist mission office in Georgetown to plead for a teacher. In 1924, the division committee decided they must not wait another year despite budget cuts. W. E. Baxter and C. B. Sutton visited Mt. Roraima the following year. They arrived at the grave of Davis on October 25, 1925, after a lengthy journey to find the Davis Indians. Chief Jeremiah and his son brought them a bundle of papers. In it was a letter from Davis dated July 17, 1911, certifying that 130 persons at Mt. Roraima had “solemnly declared their intentions to live true and loyal” to “the Gospel of Christ and the doctrines and principles of the Seventh-day Adventist church.” The trip up to the mission resulted in both Baxter and Sutton suffering an attack of malaria.

In August 1927, thanks to a special offering, Arthur and Elizabeth Cotts were able to continue the work at Mt. Roraima begun so many years earlier.

The death of Davis “shook Adventists” and served as “a continuing reminder . . . that they were to fulfill the gospel commission even in remote regions.”

Today the 54-bed Adventist hospital in Georgetown, Guyana, is named in Davis’s honor. Also, in 1956, the Davis Indian Training School at Paruima in the Kamarang became part of the Mount Roraima Mission. In the early 1980s, it was reported that there were more than 1,500 Adventists among the “Davis Indians.”

This story was adapted from Michael Campbell’s biographical article in the online Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. We invite you to visit encyclopedia.adventist.org to enjoy more stories about Adventist missionaries.

Read Roswell F. Cottrell, “Spiritual Gifts,” Pages 5–16, in Ellen G.White, Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

“Let men go forth to labor, trusting in the Lord, and He will go with them, convicting and converting souls. One worker may be a ready speaker, another a ready writer, another may have the gift of sincere, earnest, fervent prayer, another the gift of singing. Another may have special power to explain the word of God with clearness. And each gift is to become a power for God because He co-operates with the worker. To one God gives the word of wisdom, to another knowledge, to another faith. But all are to work under the same head. The diversity of gifts leads to a diversity of operations, ‘but it is the same God which worketh all in all’ (1 Corinthians 12:6).

“Let no man despise the supposed lesser gifts. Let all go to work. Let no one fold his hands in unbelief because he thinks that he can do no mighty work. Cease looking at self. Look to your Leader. In meekness, sincerity, and love do what you can.”—Ellen G. White, in The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, April 12, 1906.

“We each need the help we can receive from other minds. God will work in other minds than ours. The various gifts given to different ones are to blend for the ‘perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ’ (Ephesians 4:12). . . .

“There will always be obstacles before us, but we are to follow our Leader, and meet our difficulties unitedly, hand in hand.”—Ellen G. White, The Upward Look, p. 141.

Discussion Questions

<–Thursday

Join It Is Written Sabbath School host Eric Flickinger and this quarter’s author, Dr Adenilton Tavares de Aguiar, as they provide additional insights into this week’s Sabbath School lesson.

With thanks to Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.

1. Have you been envious of others’ gifts? Which ones, and why?

2. Have you ever encountered a believer or congregation who spoke a different language? To what extent did you experience the Holy Spirit’s ability to overcome this particular barrier to connection?

3. Has sharing in the Holy Spirit ever helped you overcome a worldly barrier that otherwise might have gotten in the way of connection with another believer (culture, ethnicity, worship style, socioeconomic status, theological perspective, politics, etc.)?

4. Paul’s list of gifts is clearly not exhaustive. What gifts that are not listed have you come to appreciate in your church members more and more?

5. What gifts do you think are underappreciated in the body of Christ, but are essential to it?

6. The Greek word for gift, charisma (root for the English word “charismatic”), is a divinely given favor for the common good, not a personal possession. Our author points out that the mere presence of a gift is not a sign of spiritual superiority. In that light, how can a charisma be misused, or even amplify the harm a person could do?

7. Have you ever been in a church where there was clearly a competitive feel about gifts and ministries? What was that like? What effect did it have on the body of Christ?

8. The parable of the talents starkly teaches us that every single member has the ability to use God-given talents for the kingdom. How well does your local church do at calling forth everyone’s gifts? What change would bring forth more empowerment of everyone’s God-given gifts in your congregation?

9. Our author points out that there are different meanings of the word “prophet.” The word can mean “one who speaks for another,” or “one who speaks in advance.” Thus, a prophet may make future predictions, but also may be the person who shares the perspective of God speaking into a current situation as well. Do you think most of our church members understand both kinds of prophet? Which kind of prophet has been more helpful to you in your spiritual journey? Why?

10.      How would you describe the proper use of Ellen White’s writings? What assumptions, principles, or evidence guide your answer about both the value and the limits? 

The gift of prophecy occupies a prominent place in Paul’s discussion on spiritual gifts. Interestingly, the gift of prophecy is usually mentioned before the gift of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:10,28; 1 Corinthians 13:8). When the gift of tongues is mentioned first, this is only to emphasize its relative unimportance compared to the gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:4-6,22).

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

The gift of prophecy is meant to provide edification, exhortation, and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3; compare with Acts 15:32). This suggests that prophecy is not so much about predicting the future as it is about how to live in the present. The Greek verb prophēteuō can mean either “to say something in advance” or “to say something on behalf of someone else.” For instance, the first sense is seen in Acts 2:29-31 (compare with Amos 3:7), where the idea that David is a prophet is explained as “foreseeing.” The second sense is seen in Acts 15:32, where Judas and Silas are identified as prophets. Their “prophecy,” however, consisted in encouraging and strengthening “the brothers with many words” (ESV).

From Ephesians 4:11-13, we learn that the spiritual gifts did not cease in the apostolic era. They should remain until the end (Acts 2:39). However, if someone claims to be a prophet, he/she must be evaluated based on the Scriptures. Broadly speaking, four rules should be satisfied. First, the unconditional prophecies always come true (Deuteronomy 18:22; Jeremiah 28:8-9). Second, the message agrees with that of previous prophets (Deuteronomy 13:1-3, Isaiah 8:20). Third, the daily life demonstrates a commitment to Christ (1 John 4:1-3). Fourth, Jesus said false prophets would be known by their fruits (Matthew 7:15-20). This is also true concerning true prophets.

The book of Revelation indicates that the gift of prophecy is a distinctive characteristic of the remnant church (Revelation 12:17, Revelation 19:10). As Seventh-day Adventists, we believe that the gift of prophecy was bestowed upon Ellen G. White and is reflected in her writings.

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