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A serious renection on our outy in soul-winning, will not
only enlighten us on the principles ol Gospel missionary work,
but will also stimulate a heart-searching investigation ano
scrutiny ol our lives--past, present, ano luture.
The Loro says: "So thou, O son ol man, I have set thee a
watchman unto the house ol Israel, therelore thou shalt hear the
woro at my mouth, ano warn them lrom me. When I say unto
the wickeo, O wickeo man, thou shalt surely oie, il thou oost
not speak to warn the wickeo lrom his way, that wickeo man
shall oie in his iniquity, but his blooo will I require at thine
hano. Nevertheless, il thou warn the wickeo ol his way to turn
lrom it, il he oo not turn lrom his way, he shall oie in his
iniquity, but thou hast oelivereo thy soul." Ezekiel 33:7-9.
"Ano he saio unto them, Go ye into all the worlo, ano
preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 1o:1.
"But ye shall receive power, alter that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you: ano ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, ano in all Juoea, ano in Samaria, ano unto the
uttermost part ol the earth." Acts 1:8.
These scriptures bring to us a vivio realization ol the
nature ano extent ol our outy to all the souls we meet ano are
associateo with. Both at home ano abroao, personally ano by
proxy, we are to labor to oo gooo unto all humanity, giving the
light ol the Thiro Angel's Message, ano witnessing to what Jesus
our Savior has oone lor us in oelivering us lrom the guilt ano
power ol sin.
Missionary work may appear to us as a outy, ano it may
even be buroensome, as outies have a way ol being, but il the
love ol Jesus has been sheo abroao in our hearts by the Holy
Spirit, we will ever esteem it our highest ano most joylul
privilege to win souls lor Him. The love ol Christ constrains us
1
to seek lor the lost ano perishing ,2 Cor. :1!,, ano to know that
we are cooperating with heavenly agencies in saving souls lrom
the oarkness ol this worlo ,Col. 1:12 through 1!, Acts 2o:18,.
When the Master sent lorth the twelve on their nrst
missionary journey, He enunciateo the principle, "lreely ye have
receiveo, lreely give." Matt. 10:8. He gave them power over the
power ol the enemy, over oisease, ano also power to preach the
Gospel. Ano tooay it is just as necessary that we have these gilts
as it was that the oisciples hao them. He says, "Without Me ye
can oo nothing." John 1:, Vol. , p. 19. "I counsel you to
tarry at Jerusalem, as oio the early oisciples, until, like them, you
receive the baptism ol the Holy Spirit."
It is not haro to see that in these oays much ol the
missionary work oone comes lar short ol exhibiting the power
ano character that attenos this gilt.
A great many connne their missionary ellorts to the
propagation ol the ooctrines ano the prophecies ol the Message,
while Christ ano the Gospel ol salvation are either entirely lelt
out, or are only occasionally mentioneo as haroly more than
matter ol history. The result is that to those who receive such a
oevitalizeo message, Christ has not become the Minister ol
circumcision ol the heart ,Rom. 1:8, Rom. 2:29,, that the booy
ol sin might be oestroyeo, ano that hencelorth they shoulo not
serve sin in the lusts thereol ,Rom. o:o-8,. Such emasculateo
missionary work is what brings tares into the church, ano ol
such work the Loro says: "Woe unto you, scribes ano Fharisees,
hypocrites lor ye compass sea ano lano to make one proselyte,
ano when he is maoe, ye make him two-lolo more the chilo ol
hell than yourselves." Matt. 23:1.
Every tree bears lruit alter his kino, like begets like. A
stream can rise no higher than its source. Likewise they who
labor in Goo's vineyaro can raise their converts no higher
2
spiritually than they are themselves. This is a very solemn
thought, ano shoulo leao us to oeep searching ol heart. When
the message is preacheo by the arguments ano wisoom ol man
without the power ano oemonstration ol the Spirit ,1 Cor. 1:17,,
the hearers ol the Woro, though intellectually convinceo ol the
arguments, are lelt unconverteo to Christ, with the result that
Christ's salvation is useless to them, ano that when He calls
them, they know not His Voice.
In Romans 3:1, 2 ano Rom. 9:3 through , Faul places a
high estimate on the possession ol ooctrinal knowleoge, but the
possessor may be like Nicooemus to whom, though a teacher in
Israel, the new birth was a mystery. Ano such, Christ saio,
cannot enter the kingoom ol heaven, or even see it.
Tooay there are many who know all the ooctrines ol our
laith, ano who are even able to oeleno them against any
opposition. They proless to be Goo's commanoment keeping
people, but are altogether unacquainteo with Jesus Christ. Many
who have been in the church lor years have never experienceo
John 3:1o or Rom. :1 through .
Regaroless how long one's name may have been on the
Church recoro, il he is not born again ,justineo by laith,, he is
out ol Christ, ano is alien to the blessings ol the Gospel.
There is not one in one hunoreo who unoerstanos lor himsell
the Bible truth on this subject ,justincation by laith, that is so
necessary to our present ano eternal wellare."--"Christ Our
Righteousness," p. 10o.
"Some ol our brethren are not receiving the message ol
Goo upon this subject. They appear to be anxious that none ol
our ministers shall oepart lrom their lormer manner ol teaching
the gooo olo ooctrines. We inquire, is it not time that lresh light
shoulo come to the people ol Goo, to awaken them to greater
earnestness ano zeal? The exceeoing great ano precious
3
promises given us in the Holy Scriptures have been lost sight ol
to a great extent, just as the enemy ol all righteousness oesigneo
they shoulo be. He has cast his own oark shaoow between us
ano our Goo, that we might not see the true character ol
Goo....As a people, we have preacheo the law until we are as ory
as the hills ol Gilboa, that hao neither oew nor rain."--"Christ
Our Righteousness," p. o!, o.
"The watchmen are responsible lor the conoition ol the
people,...The very ones who shoulo be most active ano vigilant
in the hour ol peril are neglecting their outy ano bringing upon
themselves the blooo ol souls."--"Testimonies," Vol. , pp. 23,
23!.
"Our ooctrines may be correct, we may hate lalse
ooctrine, ano may not receive those who are not true to
principle, we may labor with untiring energy, but even this is not
sulncient....A beliel in the theory ol the truth is not enough, to
present this theory to unbelievers ooes not constitute you a
witness lor Christ."--"Review ano Heralo," Ieb. 3, 1891, "Christ
Our Righteousness," pp. 98, 99.
"How much more power woulo atteno the preaching ol
the woro tooay, il men owelt less upon the theories ano
arguments ol men, ,1 Cor. 1:17, ano lar more upon the lessons
ol Christ, ano upon practical gooliness."--"Review ano Heralo,"
Jan. 7, 1890, "Christ Our Righteousness," p. 99.
"The greatest oeception ol the human mino in Christ's
oay was, that a mere assent to the truth constitutes
righteousness. In all human experience a theoretical knowleoge
ol the truth has been proveo to be insulncient lor the saving ol
the soul. It ooes not bring lorth the lruits ol righteousness....The
same oanger still exists. Many take it lor granteo that they are
Christians, simply because they subscribe to certain theological
tenets."--"Christ Our Righteousness," pp. 99, 100.
!
"The ministers have not presenteo Christ in His lulness
to the people, either in the churches or in the new nelos, ano the
people have not an intelligent laith. They have not been
instructeo as they shoulo have been, that Christ is unto them
both salvation ano righteousness."--"Christ Our Righteousness,"
p. 111.
"This I oo know, that our churches are oying lor the
want ol teaching on the subject ol righteousness by laith in
Christ, ano on kinoreo subjects."--"Christ Our Righteousness,"
p. 113.
These lacts reveal the oirect cause ol the oownlall ol
Laooicea, ano unerringly point to the remeoy.
Whenever men ano women who have not experienceo
the new birth, engage in missionary work lor others, they can
leao them, not to Christ, but only to the theories ol the
ooctrines. The worker who has not been washeo in Jesus' blooo
is as a blino man trying to leao the blino, or as a leper trying to
heal a leper. Yea, in Goo's sight, he may be more guilty than the
one lor whom he is laboring.