Witnessing
by Ellen White
Medical missionaries must be sent into all parts of the world to carry relief to
suffering humanity. The president of our General Conference asks, Shall we build, or shall
we not build? Shall we provide a building to accommodate our students who are being
educated for medical missionary work? We answer, There will be no need of building in a
short time. If our people will heed the light that God has given them, and will move out
of Battle Creek, ample room will be provided for our students who are connected with the
Sanitarium. Too many responsibilities now centre in Battle Creek. A shaking will take
place there, and people will not crowd so constantly and so persistently into Battle Creek
as they have done in the past irrespective of the warnings of God. We have not the men to
fill positions of trust who will carry forward the work successfully; but let those who
remain in Battle Creek be faithful sentinels in carrying the light to other towns and
cities. They could do a work for the Master by letting their light shine forth. 13MR 70
The heavenly host are filled with an intense desire to work through human agencies to
restore in man the moral image of God. They are ready and waiting to do this work. 1888
1764
Their prayers now are filled with earnest, simple faith that takes God at His word. All
now seem to have warm hearts. The love of Christ is assurance to them of their acceptance,
and they long to speak and acknowledge the great goodness of God in providing them a
righteousness which is pure, spotless, efficacious. 1888 283 (4-7-89)
At the commencement of the Sabbath Eld. Farnsworth preached a most gloomy discourse
telling of the great wickedness and corruption in our midst and dwelling upon the
apostasies among us and there was no light, no good cheer, no spiritual encouragement in
this discourse. There was a general gloom diffused among the delegates to the conference.
But the Lord gave me testimony calculated to encourage. My own soul was blessed and light
seemed to spring up amid the darkness. (see 3BIO 393) 1888 68
In the very time in which we live, the Lord has called His people and has given them a
message to bear. He has called them to expose the wickedness of the man of sin who has
made the Sunday law a distinctive power, who has thought to change times and laws, and to
oppress the people of God who stand firmly to honour Him by keeping the only true Sabbath,
the Sabbath of creation, as holy unto the Lord. He has called them to bear the sign of
God, to exalt the Lord in keeping holy His law; for it is a transcript of His character.
No part of the law of God and their covenant obligation to keep that law holy is to lose
its binding claims upon all the world. Those who have had the light upon keeping the law
of Jehovah are to stand firmly in the faith, and to make that light shine forth in clear,
distinct rays. 18MR 33
God is angry with those who pursue a course to make the world hate them. If a Christian
is hated because of his good works, and for following Christ, he will have a reward; but
if he is hated because he does not take a course to be loved, hated because of his
uncultivated manners and because he makes the truth a matter of quarrel with his
neighbours, and takes a course to make the Sabbath as annoying as possible to them, he is
a stumbling block to sinners, a reproach to the sacred truth, and unless he repents it
were better for him that a millstone were hung about his neck, and he were cast into the
sea. 1NL 56
The message we bear must be as direct as was the message of John. He rebuked kings for
their iniquity. He rebuked the adultery of Herod. Notwithstanding his life was in peril,
the truth did not languish upon his lips. And our work in this age must be as faithfully
done. The inhabitants of the world at this time are represented by the dwellers upon the
earth at the time of the Flood. The wickedness of the inhabitants of the old world is
plainly stated: "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and
that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen.
6:5). 2SM 151
From what has been shown me, there should be a careful selection of help in the office.
The young and untried and unconsecrated should not be placed there, for they are exposed
to temptations and have not fixed characters. Those who have formed their characters, who
have fixed principles, and who have the truth of God in the heart will not be a constant
source of care and anxiety, but rather helps and blessings. The office of publication is
amply able to make arrangements to secure good helpers, those who have ability and
principle. And the church, in their turn, should not seek to advantage themselves one
penny from those who come to the office to labour and learn their trade. There are
positions where some can earn better wages than at the office, but they can never find a
position more important, more honourable, or more exalted than the work of God in the
office. Those who labour faithfully and unselfishly will be rewarded. For them there is a
crown of glory prepared, compared with which all earthly honours and pleasures are as the
small dust of the balance. Especially will those be blessed who have been faithful to God
in watching over the spiritual welfare of others in the office. Pecuniary and temporal
interests, in comparison with this, sink into insignificance. In one scale is gold dust;
in the other, a human soul of such value that honour, riches, and glory have been
sacrificed by the Son of God to ransom it from the bondage of sin and hopeless despair.
The soul is of infinite value and demands the utmost attention. Every man who fears God in
that office should put away childish and vain things, and, with true moral courage, stand
erect in the dignity of his manhood, shunning low familiarity, yet binding heart to heart
in the bond of Christian interest and love. Hearts yearn for sympathy and love, and are as
much refreshed and strengthened by them as flowers are by showers and sunshine. 3T 193
We as a people have not accomplished the work which God has committed to us. We are not
ready for the issue to which the enforcement of the Sunday law will bring us. It is our
duty, as we see the signs of approaching peril, to arouse to action. Let none sit in calm
expectation of the evil, comforting themselves with the belief that this work must go on
because prophecy has foretold it, and that the Lord will shelter His people. We are not
doing the will of God if we sit in quietude, doing nothing to preserve liberty of
conscience. Fervent, effectual prayer should be ascending to heaven that this calamity may
be deferred until we can accomplish the work which has so long been neglected. Let there
be most earnest prayer, and then let us work in harmony with our prayers. It may appear
that Satan is triumphant and that truth is overborne with falsehood and error; the people
over whom God has spread His shield, and the country which has been an asylum for the
conscience-oppressed servants of God and defenders of His truth, may be placed in
jeopardy. But God would have us recall His dealings with His people in the past to save
them from their enemies. He has always chosen extremities, when there seemed no possible
chance for deliverance from Satan's workings, for the manifestation of His power. Man's
necessity is God's opportunity. It may be that a respite may yet be granted for God's
people to awake and let their light shine. If the presence of ten righteous persons would
have saved the wicked cities of the plain, is it not possible that God will yet, in answer
to the prayers of His people, hold in check the workings of those who are making void His
law? Shall we not humble our hearts greatly before God, flee to the mercy seat, and plead
with Him to reveal His mighty power? 5T 713
Watch against the stealthy approach of the enemy, watch against old habits and natural
inclinations, lest they assert themselves; force them back and watch. Watch the thoughts,
watch the plans lest they become self-centred. Watch over the souls whom Christ has
purchased with His own blood. Watch for opportunities to do them good. 6T 410
There are many ways in which we can work to reach those not of our faith. If the work
of temperance were carried forward by us as it was commenced thirty years ago, if we at
our camp meetings held up before the hundreds and thousands who assemble on the ground the
evils of intemperance in eating and drinking, and especially the evil of liquor-drinking,
if these truths were presented in connection with the evidences of Christ's soon coming,
there would be a shaking among the people. If we showed a zeal proportionate to the
importance of the truths we are handling we would reach hundreds. We need to trim our
lamps and receive in them the holy oil from the two olive branches. When the power of the
Spirit of God rests upon us, there will be an altogether different showing for our labours
from that now seen. 7MR 169
This work requires money and workers. The tent remains two or three weeks, and then the
camp is broken up to do work in other places. A tent must still be left, a mission home
secured, Bible workers employed to go from home to home to those who become awakened,
convicted, and converted. All classes of people should be laboured for, the drunkard, and
the tobacco devotee, and the tea drinker, and the coffee user, and all are to be educated
in matters of temperance, and from the Word instructed in the law of God. This is the work
that God's treasury must sustain. In this work sheaves will be gathered, souls converted
and baptised and added to the church as in the days of the apostles. No one is to be
neglected. 9MR 086
Are we to wait until the fulfilment of the prophecies of the end before we say anything
concerning them? Of what value will our words be then? Shall we wait until God's
judgements fall upon the transgressor before we tell him how to avoid them? Where is our
faith in the word of God? Must we see things foretold come to pass before we will believe
what He has said? In clear, distinct rays light has come to us, showing us that the great
day of the Lord is near at hand, "even at the doors." Let us read and understand
before it is too late. 9T 20
Never was there a more important time in the history of our work than the present. The
message of the third chapter of Malachi comes to us, holding up before us the need of
honesty in our relations to the Lord and His work. My brethren, the money that you use to
buy and sell and get gain will be a curse to you if you withhold from the Lord that which
is His. The means entrusted to you for the advancement of the Lord's work should be used
in sending the gospel to all parts of the world. 9T 53
There is nothing that the Saviour desires so much as agents who will represent to the
world His Spirit and His character. There is nothing that the world needs so much as the
manifestation through humanity of the Saviour's love. All heaven is waiting for men and
women through whom God can reveal the power of Christianity. AA 600
Instruction has been given me that the important books containing the light that God
has given regarding Satan's apostasy in heaven should be given a wide circulation just
now; for through them the truth will reach many minds. Patriarchs and Prophets, Daniel and
the Revelation, and The Great Controversy are needed now as never before. They should be
widely circulated because the truths they emphasise will open many blind eyes. . . . Many
of our people have been blind to the importance of the very books that were most needed.
Had tact and skill then been shown in the sale of these books, the Sunday-law movement
would not be where it is today.-- Review and Herald, Feb. 16, 1905. CM 123
While we yield ourselves as instruments for the Holy Spirit's working, the grace of God
works in us to deny old inclinations, to overcome powerful propensities, and form new
habits....
As we seek to win others to Christ, bearing the burden of souls in our prayers, our own
hearts will throb with the quickening influence of God's grace; our own affections will
glow with more divine fervour; our whole Christian life will be more of a reality, more
earnest, more prayerful. COL 354
Christ is seeking to reproduce Himself in the hearts of men; and He does this through
those who believe in Him. The object of the Christian life is fruit bearing--the
reproduction of Christ's character in the believer, that it may be reproduced in others.
COL 67
Multitudes who were not interested in the harangues of the rabbis, were attracted by
His teaching. They could understand His words, and their hearts were warmed and comforted.
He spoke of God, not as an avenging judge, but as a tender father, and He revealed the
image of God as mirrored in Himself. His words were like balm to the wounded spirit. Both
by His words and by His works of mercy He was breaking the oppressive power of the old
traditions and man-made commandments, and presenting the love of God in its exhaustless
fullness. DA 204
He who loves Christ the most, will do the greatest amount of good. There is no limit to
the usefulness of one who, by putting self aside, makes room for the working of the Holy
Spirit upon his heart, and lives a life wholly consecrated to God. If men will endure the
necessary discipline, without complaining, or fainting by the way, God will teach them
hour by hour, and day by day. He longs to reveal His grace. If His people will remove the
obstructions, He will pour forth the waters of salvation in abundant streams through the
human channels. If men in humble life were encouraged to do all the good they could do, if
restraining hands were not laid upon them to repress their zeal, there would be a hundred
workers for Christ where now there is one. DA 250
True character is not shaped from without, and put on; it radiates from within. If we
wish to direct others in the path of righteousness, the principles of righteousness must
be enshrined in our own hearts. Our profession of faith may proclaim the theory of
religion, but it is our practical piety that holds forth the word of truth. The consistent
life, the holy conversation, the unswerving integrity, the active, benevolent spirit, the
godly example,--these are the mediums through which light is conveyed to the world. DA 307
Jacob's night of anguish, when he wrestled in prayer for deliverance from the hand of
Esau (Genesis 32:24-30), represents the experience of God's people in the time of trouble.
Because of the deception practised to secure his father's blessing, intended for Esau,
Jacob had fled for his life, alarmed by his brother's deadly threats. After remaining for
many years an exile, he had set out, at God's command, to return with his wives and
children, his flocks and herds, to his native country. On reaching the borders of the
land, he was filled with terror by the tidings of Esau's approach at the head of a band of
warriors, doubtless bent upon revenge. Jacob's company, unarmed and defenceless, seemed
about to fall helpless victims of violence and slaughter. And to the burden of anxiety and
fear was added the crushing weight of self-reproach, for it was his own sin that had
brought this danger. His only hope was in the mercy of God; his only defence must be
prayer. Yet he leaves nothing undone on his own part to atone for the wrong to his brother
and to avert the threatened danger. So should the followers of Christ, as they approach
the time of trouble, make every exertion to place themselves in a proper light before the
people, to disarm prejudice, and to avert the danger which threatens liberty of
conscience. GC11 616
The Pharisee who invited Christ to his house on this occasion was a ruler in Israel, a
member of the Sanhedrin, a man of influence. Jesus had not accepted his invitation for the
purpose of satisfying his appetite, or to furnish himself with an hour of amusement; but
he had accepted it for the purpose of representing the character of God. Christians may
safely accept invitations to dinners where promiscuous company should gather, if they will
but follow the example of Christ, and act from the same motives as did our Saviour. PH048
20
Last night a scene was presented before me. I may never feel free to reveal all of it,
but I will reveal a little.
It seemed that an immense ball of fire came down upon the world, and crushed large
houses. From place to place rose the cry, "The Lord has come! The Lord has
come!" Many were unprepared to meet Him, but a few were saying, "Praise the
Lord!"
"Why are you praising the Lord?" inquired those upon whom was coming sudden
destruction.
"Because we now see what we have been looking for."
"If you believed that these things were coming, why did you not tell us?" was
the terrible response. "We did not know about these things. Why did you leave us in
ignorance? Again and again you have seen us; why did you not become acquainted with us,
and tell us of the judgement to come, and that we must serve God, lest we perish? Now we
are lost!" RC 243
It is by contemplating Christ, by exercising faith in him, by experiencing for
ourselves his saving grace, that we are qualified to present him to the world. When the
soul is renovated through the truth and brought into harmony with God, the Lord will
accept us as workers together with himself, for the salvation of others. RH AUG.25,1896
Christ has made every provision for the sanctification of His Church. He has made
abundant provision for every soul to have such grace and strength that he will be more
than a conqueror in the warfare against sin. The Saviour is wounded afresh and put to open
shame when His people pay no heed to His word. He came to this world and lived a sinless
life, that in His power His people might also live lives of sinlessness. He desires them
by practising the principles of truth to show to the world that God's grace has power to
sanctify the heart. RH DEC.14,1906
A time is coming when the law of God is, in a special sense, to be made void in our
land. The rulers of our nation will, by legislative enactments, enforce the Sunday law,
and thus God's people be brought into great peril. When our nation, in its legislative
councils, shall enact laws to bind the consciences of men in regard to their religious
privileges, enforcing Sunday observance, and bringing oppressive power to bear against
those who keep the seventh-day Sabbath, the law of God will, to all intents and purposes,
be made void in our land; and national apostasy will be followed by national ruin. We see
that those who are now keeping the commandments of God need to bestir themselves, that
they may obtain the special help which God alone can give them. They should work more
earnestly to delay as long as possible the threatened calamity. If, in our land of boasted
freedom, a Protestant government should sacrifice every principle which enters into its
Constitution, and propagate papal falsehood and delusion, well may be plead, "It is
time for thee, Lord, to work, for they have made void thy law." Some may think that
because it has been revealed in prophecy that our nation shall restrict the consciences of
men, it must surely come; and that if we make an effort to preserve our liberty, we shall
be acting the part of unfaithful servants, and thus come under the condemnation of God. RH
DEC.18,1888
It is now too late in the day for men to please and glorify themselves. Ministers of
God, it is too late to be contending for the supremacy. The solemn time has come when
ministers should be weeping between the porch and the altar, crying, "Spare thy
people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach." It is a day when instead of
lifting up their souls in self-sufficiency, ministers and people should be confessing
their sins before God and one another. The law of God is made void, and even among those
who advocate its binding claims, are some who break its sacred precepts. The Bible will be
opened from house to house, and men and women will find access to these homes, and minds
will be opened to receive the word of God; and when the crisis comes, many will be
prepared to make right decisions even in the face of the formidable difficulties that will
be brought about through the deceptive miracles of Satan. Although these will confess the
truth and become workers with Christ at the eleventh hour, they will receive equal wages
with those who have wrought through the whole day. There will be an army of steadfast
believers who will stands as firm as a rock through the last test. But where in that army
are those who have been standard-bearers? Where are those whose voices have sounded in
proclaiming the truth to the sinning? Some of them are not there. We look for them, but in
the time of shaking they have been unable to stand, and have passed over to the enemy's
ranks. RH DEC.24,1889
All who believe the truth should remember that they are to bear the credentials of
Christ to the world, in their firm unity, their Christian courtesy and love to one
another. Wherever he may be, every follower of Jesus can give to the world a practical
illustration of the purity and power of the truth. We should ever bear in mind that the
world will criticise us in the conduct of our temporal affairs. Do we work as Christians?
Do we buy and sell as Christians? That which we may speak in the church is not of half as
much consequence as the influence we exert in our daily business life. We are constantly
making either favourable or unfavourable impressions to the truth. We should manifest
kindness, forbearance, and generosity, not to our brethren merely, but to all who do not
love the truth. RH FEB.16,1892
We are not ready for this great issue to which the enforcement of the Sunday law will
bring us. Let the members of our churches become missionaries for the Master; let them not
linger in ease and indifference; but let them go forth to work for God. Their spiritual
muscles have been nearly palsied with inaction. Go without the camp, bearing the reproach
for Christ and the truth. Work to-day in the Lord's vineyard. Go out into the highways and
hedges, and stir up the people to investigate the truth. Woe to all who profess to walk in
the light, yet who are at ease in Zion. They absorb the God-given rays of righteousness,
but do not diffuse the light to others. The parable of the faithless servant who hid his
Lord's money, condemns them, and they are classed among those who refuse to be
co-labourers with Jesus Christ, selfishly caring for their own ease, and leaving those for
whom Christ has died, to perish without the knowledge of the truth which God has
graciously given to them. Those who have been the receivers of spiritual light, may become
the receptacles of darkness, to whom the words of Christ are applicable, "If
therefore the light which is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" RH
JAN.01,1889
There are many now teaching others who need themselves to learn what it means to be
redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. They need to feel the
power of saving grace....
Shall we not by dwelling in the sunshine of his [Christ's] presence, become mellowed by
his grace?...
A true, loveable Christian is the most powerful argument that can be advanced in favour
of Bible truth. Such a man is Christ's representative. His life is the most convincing
evidence that can be borne to the power of divine grace. When God's people bring the
righteousness of Christ into the daily life, sinners will be converted, and victories over
the enemy will be gained. RH JAN.14,1904
If we only knew what is before us we would not be so dilatory in the work of the Lord.
We are in the shaking time, the time when everything that can be shaken will be shaken.
The Lord will not excuse those who know the truth if they do not in word and deed obey His
commands. If we make no effort to win souls to Christ we shall be held responsible for the
work we might have done, but did not do because of our spiritual indolence. Those who
belong to the Lord's kingdom must work earnestly for the saving of souls. They must do
their part to bind up the law and seal it among the disciples. RH JAN.22,1901 (6T 331)
There is no greater evidence that those who have received great light do not appreciate
that light, than is given by their refusal to let their light shine upon those who are in
darkness, and devoting their time and energies in celebrating forms and ceremonies.
Thoughts of the inner work, the necessary purity of heart, are not entertained. RH
JUL.16,1895
What is the work that we are to do here in the world?--We are to wash our robes of
character, and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. We must sanctify ourselves and
our households to God. We must bring Jesus into our hearts and our homes, and we must seek
every day to instruct others in regard to the claims of the law of God and the plan of
salvation, that they may have a knowledge of Jesus. You can neglect anything of a temporal
character more safely than you can the spiritual interests of your household. Our Saviour
wants you to keep in close relation to himself, that he may make you happy. When Christ
lets his blessing rest upon us, we should offer thanksgiving and praise to his dear name.
But, you say, if I could only know that he is my Saviour! Well, what kind of evidence do
you want? Do you want a special feeling or emotion to prove that Christ is yours? Is this
more reliable than pure faith in God's promises? Would it not be better to take the
blessed promises of God and apply them to yourself, bearing your whole weight upon them?
This is faith. It is by faith that we are to come into a sacred nearness to Christ, not
depending upon feeling; we are to say, "I believe thy promise, Lord, because thou
hast said it. Thy word is pledged; we know that we are the children of God because we
comply with the conditions, because he has pledged his word." There is not a friend
in the world of whom you would require one-half the assurance that our Heavenly Father has
given you in his promises. RH JUL.29,1890
Those who present the truth are to enter into no controversy. They are to preach the
gospel with such faith and earnestness that an interest will be awakened. By the words
they speak, the prayers they offer, the influence they exert, they are to sow seeds that
will bear fruit to the glory of God. There is to be no wavering. The trumpet is to give a
certain sound. The attention of the people is to be called to the third angel's message.
Let not God's servants act like men walking in their sleep, but like men preparing for the
coming of Christ. RH MAR.02,1905
Europe is stretching out her hands to us for help, and the way is opened to do a good
work there if the press can be established, and publications go forth from it in the
German, French, and Italian languages. Bro. Ribton says that Italy needs publications in
her own language, in order for our ministry to be successful there. These repeated and
urgent calls stir our inmost soul; yet we are unable to personally aid the European
mission as we would like to do. Now is the time to invest the means which God has
intrusted to his stewards for this very work. Time is short; hoarded wealth will soon be
worthless. When the decree shall go forth that none shall buy or sell except they have the
mark of the beast, very much means will be of no avail. God calls for us now to do all in
our power to send forth the warning to the world. RH MAR.21,1878
It is the duty of the people of God to have their lamps trimmed and burning, to be as
men that wait for the Bridegroom, when he shall return from the wedding. You have not a
moment to lose in neglect of the great salvation that has been provided for you. The time
of the probation of souls is coming to an end. From day to day the destiny of men is being
sealed, and even from this congregation we know not how soon many shall close their eyes
in death and be habited for the tomb. We should now consider that our life is swiftly
passing away, that we are not safe one moment unless our life is hid with Christ in God.
Our duty is not to be looking forward to some special time for some special work to be
done for us, but to go forward in our work of warning the world; for we are to be
witnesses of Christ to the uttermost parts of the world. All around us are the young, the
impenitent, the unconverted, and what are we doing for them? Parents, in the ardour of
your first love, are you seeking for the conversion of your children, or are you engrossed
with the things of this life to such an extent that you are not making earnest efforts to
be labourers together with God? Do you have an appreciation of the work and mission of the
Holy Spirit? Do you realise that the Holy Spirit is the agency whereby we are to reach the
souls of those around us? When this meeting shall close, will you go from here and forget
the earnest appeals that have been made to you? will the messages of warning be left
unheeded, and the truth you have heard leak out of your heart as water leaks out of a
broken vessel? RH MAR.22,1892
Through self-denial and suffering with Christ, we grow in grace and in the knowledge of
the truth....
Brethren, if your eye be single, you will have well-balanced minds, and will be firm as
a rock to principle. You will remember that the eye of God is upon you, overseeing your
labour; and you will move on from strength to strength, from grace to grace, gathering
rays of light to reflect them upon the pathway of others. Be strong in the grace of
Christ, and let your hearts be filled with love to God and to one another.... Though
sorrowful, you may be `always rejoicing.' Brethren, have courage in the Lord. RH MAY
20,1884
If in the providence of God you have been given means, do not settle down with the
thought that you need not engage in useful labour, that you have enough, and can eat, and
drink, and be merry. Do not stand idle while others are struggling to obtain means for the
cause. If you do less than your duty in giving help to the perishing, remember that your
indolence is incurring guilt. Before it is forever too late, begin to reform. Invest less
in worldly enterprises, and use your means in creating increased facilities for giving the
third angel's message to the world. The time will soon come when no man can buy or sell,
save he who has the mark of the beast. We have no time to lose. The end is near. But
opportunity is still offered for your talent of means now buried in worldly possessions,
to be transferred to the Lord's work. RH MAY 27,1902
What a privilege it is to labour for the conversion of souls! Our calling is high. We
may enjoy the companionship of the heavenly angels. We may not discern their forms, but by
faith we may know that they are with us. [Heb. 1:14 quoted.] Brethren, sisters, God
invites us to unite with the angels in their ministry. Thus every one of us may become his
helping hand. To fit us to do this work, he will strengthen our minds as verily as he
strengthened the mind of Daniel. As we give to those in darkness the truths that have
enlightened us, God will enable us to understand these truths still better. He will give
us apt words to speak, communicating to us through the angel standing by our side.... Let
us close the windows of the soul earthward, and open them heavenward. Let us not allow
earthly things to take possession of the mind, but let us keep it open to receive the
communications that the heavenly angels are ready to give to us. RH NOV.11,1902
Everywhere there are men who should be out in active ministry, giving the last message
of warning to a fallen world. The work that should long ago have been in active operation
to win souls to Christ has not been done. The inhabitants of the ungodly cities so soon to
be visited by calamities have been cruelly neglected. The time is near when large cities
will be swept away, and all should be warned of these coming judgements. But who is giving
to the accomplishment of this work the wholehearted service that God requires? . . .
O that God's people had a sense of the impending destruction of thousands of cities,
now almost given to idolatry. RH SEP.10,1903
When we give ourselves unreservedly to the Lord, the simple, commonplace duties of home
life will be seen in their true importance, and we shall perform them in accordance with
the will of God. We are to be vigilant, watching for the coming of the Son of man; and we
must also be diligent; working as well as waiting is required; there must be a union of
the two. This will balance the Christian character, making it well developed, symmetrical.
We should not feel that we are to neglect everything else, and give ourselves up to
meditation, study, or prayer; neither are we to be full of bustle and hurry and work, to
the neglect of personal piety. Waiting and watching and working are to be blended.
"Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord." RH SEP.15,1891
In giving Christ to our world for the redemption of the human family, God planned to
change the destructive tendencies of man's influence, and he lays special claim upon that
influence, seeks to press it into his service, and by his Holy Spirit sanctify the
ability. He wants to make man a chosen vessel unto honour, to be a co-worker with him in
suppressing evil, and extending righteousness in the earth. Christ, co-operating with
human agencies, will restore man to favour with God. ST DEC.21,1891
If you respond to the drawing of Jesus, you will not fail to have an influence on
somebody through the beauty and power of the grace of Christ. ST FEB.22,1892
The great Teacher, in His lessons, presents the life-diffusing power of His grace,
declaring that through His grace men and women may live the new life of holiness and
purity. He who lives this life works out the principles of the kingdom of heaven. Taught
of God, he leads others in straight paths. The working of the Holy Spirit in his life
shows that he is a partaker of the divine nature. Every soul thus worked receives so
abundant a supply of the rich grace of heaven that, beholding his good works, unbelievers
acknowledge that he is controlled and sustained by divine power, and give to God the
glory.... ST JUN.28,1905
While our Saviour is the great source of illumination, forget not, O Christian, that He
is revealed through humanity. Every individual disciple is Heaven's appointed channel for
the revelation of God to man. Angels of glory wait to communicate through you heaven's
light and power to souls that are ready to perish. Shall the human agent fail of
accomplishing his appointed work? O, then to that degree is the world robbed of the
promised influence of the Holy Spirit. ST MAY 18,1904
God is ever seeking to impress our hearts by his Holy Spirit, that we shall be
convinced of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement to come [Jn. 16:8]. We may place our
will on the side of God's will, and in his strength and grace resist the temptations of
the enemy....
Jesus would enlist men in his service. He would direct their perverted powers in such a
way that, through his grace, they may become agents for the working of unmingled good to
every other man, and each become his brother's keeper in disinterested love, and thus the
world be restored to God....
Let them follow in the footsteps of Jesus, obeying to the letter his word of
direction" `If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross daily, and follow me' [Luke 9:23], `so shall he be my disciple' [Jn. 15:8]. In the
grace of Christ alone can this be done.... God has provided grace that his chosen, his
elect, shall not be discomfited by the enemy. God has provided that men shall be
Christians in the market place, in the house of commerce, in all manner of taxing cares in
private or public life, as well as at the prayer meeting. ST SEP.4,1893
To all who seek Him at the footstool of mercy Christ gives power to witness for Him. He
has placed Himself under obligation never to disappoint a true seeker for the Holy
Spirit's guidance. ST SEP.9,1900
The world today is in crying need of a revelation of Christ Jesus in the person of His
saints. God desires that His people shall stand before the world a holy people. Why?
-because there is a world to be saved by the light of gospel truth; and as the message of
truth that is to call men out of darkness into God's marvellous light is given by the
Church, the lives of its members, sanctified by the Spirit of truth, are to bear witness
to the verity of the massage proclaimed. TM 458
We draw from God's promises all that peace, that comfort, that hope that will develop
in us the fruits of peace, joy, and faith. And by bringing these promises into our own
life we bring them always into the lives of others. Then let us appropriate these promises
to ourselves. . . . They are like the precious flowers in the garden of God. They are to
awaken our hope and expectation, and lead us to a firm faith and reliance upon God. They
are to strengthen us in trouble and teach us precious lessons of trust in God. He in these
precious promises draws back from eternity and gives us a glimpse of the far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Let us then be quiet in God. Let us calmly trust in
Him and praise Him that He has shown us such revelations of His will and purposes that we
shall not build our hopes in this life but keep the eye upward to the inheritance of light
and see and sense the amazing love of Jesus.--Letter 27, Jan. 1, 1886, to Dr. and Mrs. J.
H. Kellogg. UL 15
Many are longing to grow in grace; they pray over the matter, and are surprised that
their prayers are not answered. The Master has given them a work to do whereby they shall
grow. Of what value is it to pray when there is need of work? The question is, Are they
seeking to save souls for whom Christ died? Spiritual growth depends upon giving to others
the light that God has given to you. You are to put forth your best thoughts in active
labour to do good, and only good, in your family, in your church, and in your
neighbourhood. In place of growing anxious with the thought that you are not growing in
grace, just do every duty that presents itself, carry the burden of souls on your heart,
and by every conceivable means seek to save the lost. Be kind, be courteous, be pitiful;
speak in humility of the blessed hope; talk of the love of Jesus; tell of his goodness,
his mercy, and his righteousness; and cease to worry as to whether or not you are growing.
Plants do not grow through any conscious effort. Jesus said, "Consider the lilies of
the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin." The plant is not in
continual worriment about its growth; it just grows under the supervision of God. The
children of God are to cease worrying, cease looking at themselves; they are to take an
earnest interest in others, and seek to lead the feet of the straying in the narrow path
cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in. In this kind of work they will gain
breadth of thought, tact, and skill. They will realise that they are to become agencies
through which God will convey the truth to other minds, and that they are never to be left
alone in their efforts; for heavenly angels will work with them, and impress the hearts of
those who hear. YI FEB.03,1898
If you truly belong to Christ, you will have opportunities for witnessing for him. You
will be invited to attend places of amusement, and then it will be that you will have an
opportunity to testify for your Lord. If you are true to Christ then, you will not try to
frame excuses for your non-attendance, but will plainly and modestly declare that you are
a child of God, and your principles would not allow you to be in a place, even for one
occasion, where you could not invite the presence of your Lord. YI MAY 4,1893
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