Loma Linda Messages

Established Prosperity

“Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” LLM 33.1

Isaiah 8:20. “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” LLM 33.2

Two texts are here set before God's people: two conditions for success. The law spoken by Jehovah himself, and the spirit of prophecy, are the two sources of wisdom to guide His people in every experience. Deuteronomy 4:6. “This is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, who shall say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” LLM 33.3

The law of God and the Spirit of Prophecy go hand in hand to guide and counsel the church, and whenever the church has recognized this by obeying His law, the spirit of prophecy has been sent to guide her in the way of truth. LLM 33.4

Revelation 12:17. “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” This prophecy points out clearly that the remnant church will acknowledge God in His law and will have the prophetic gift. Obedience to the law of God, and the spirit of prophecy has always distinguished the true people of God, and the test is usually given on present manifestations. LLM 33.5

In Jeremiah's day the people had no question about the message of Moses, Elijah, or Elisha, but they did question and put aside the message sent of God to Jeremiah until its force and power was wasted and there was no remedy but for God to carry them away into captivity. LLM 33.6

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Likewise in the days of Christ the people had learned that Jeremiah's message was true, and they persuaded themselves to believe that if they had lived in the days of their fathers they would have accepted his message, but at the same time they were rejecting Christ's message, of whom all the prophets had written. LLM 33.7

As the third angel's message arose in the world, which is to reveal the law of God to the church in its fullness and power, the prophetic gift was also immediately restored. This gift has acted a very prominent part in the development and carrying forward of this message. LLM 33.8

As differences of opinion have arisen in reference to interpretations of Scriptures and methods of labor, calculated to unsettle the faith of believers in the message and lead to disunion in the work, the spirit of prophecy has always thrown light on the situation. It has always brought union of thought and harmony of action to the body of believers. In every crisis that has arisen in the development of the message and the growth of the work, those who have stood firmly by the law of God and the light of the Spirit of prophecy have triumphed and the work has prospered in their hands. LLM 34.1

The question naturally arises: Whence comes this wisdom revealed through this gift, which is more than the combined wisdom of all the church besides? LLM 34.2

As the message developed and grew, it was this gift that urged the extension of the work, and from that day to this has done more than all other influences combined to push the message into the regions beyond. In every development of the message—evangelical, education, medical, and publishing, the spirit of prophecy has not only led the way, but given light on how to conduct these different departments in such a way as to bring success in the spread of the message. LLM 34.3

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Again and again as the wisdom of men has failed and the work became hedged about or tangled up in any of its departments, the wisdom of this gift has always been shown in setting it free. The clear-cut missionary policy laid out for all departments of this great work by the spirit of prophecy in contrast with the mercenary policy oft times worked into it by men to whom the care and keeping of the message has been entrusted, shows that the wisdom of this gift is from above. LLM 34.4

When our educational work, under the fostering care of this gift, first developed the Battle Creek College, it was a power for good in fitting men and women to carry this message to the world. Many of those now bearing responsibility in the cause received their early training at that place. The same is true of the early days of Healdsburg College, which was fostered and molded by the same gift. But a change came over all our educational work. The wisdom of men molded it after the wisdom of the world until the schools, instead of sending forth laborers into the missionary fields, were turning the minds of the young to worldly avocations, many of who were losing their love for the truth. LLM 34.5

Whence came the wisdom to correct this wrong and turn our schools again into the pathway of life? Who is responsible for the great wave of Christian education that has molded the entire denomination and multiplied our Christian schools by the score, enabling them to send forth hundreds of young people as missionaries into the home and foreign fields? Shall we not learn to esteem more highly, and follow more closely a gift that can bring such blessing and prosperity to the cause of God? LLM 34.6

At the beginning of this message believers were few and widely scattered. There was no definite organization for the direction of the work, but as believers came into the truth (53) and companies were formed, it was manifest that some organization was necessary. But strange as it may seem, the wisdom of man led them to oppose all organization. Again light was shed upon the perplexing situation by the spirit of prophecy, which resulted in a simple form of organization for the protection and furtherance of the work; and peace, harmony, and prosperity came out of confusion. This same form of organization continued until the wisdom of men, to whom the care of the organization had been committed, began to plan for a centralizing power at the head of the work, which resulted in retarding rather than fostering it. Missionaries in the field felt their hands were tied, and mission fields were languishing, and the resources were drying up. Where was the wisdom of men in this perplexity? LLM 35.1

Again the spirit of prophecy shed light upon the situation, pointing out the difficulty and the remedy. As the light has been followed, relief has come, the message has gone with leaps and bounds, and the resources have increased wonderfully. The great need of the hour is consecrated men and women whose faith and experience has grown strong in grappling with difficulty and in undertaking great things for the cause of God. LLM 35.2

The object and aim of every organization and institution connected with third angel's message is missionary, and when it fails in this, its usefulness is gone. LLM 35.3

The publishing work, like every other department of the message, was started under the light and fostering care of the spirit of prophecy. Its aim was missionary, to disseminate the light of present truth. But as the work enlarged and the publishing work was committed to the wisdom of men, it grew into a great commercial machine that was working more for the world than for the spread of the message. Men conceived the idea of centralizing our publishing work under one great (54) combine to be ruled by the great men at the head of the work. High wages were paid, and the missionary spirit left the work as the spirit of the world came in. The spirit of prophecy called for a change of plans in our publishing work, it called for a distribution of the abundant facilities established at Battle Creek to assist plants in more needy fields, but called in vain. The wisdom of men, which was the wisdom of the world, could see no light in distributing. There seemed to be no remedy for God to correct the evils in this department of His work but to let His judgments fall upon the institution. From a communication written from Australia, I quote the following:— LLM 35.4

“The God of Heaven has been dishonored. You have found a place to invest means in various enterprises as though it were a virtue to leave my work in other lands to struggle in poverty and nakedness. You have not shared your abundant facilities as you might have done, even (though) the sacrifice required might appear large to you. Nothing that earth has given is of sufficient value to recompense the travail and burden of soul, the agonizing of mind that has been felt in seeing the people working at cross-purposes with God, hindering the work, and making it necessary for God to withdraw His prospering hand from the publishing association and from the conference.” LLM 36.1

Had the light given this department been followed, how different might the results have been today! Note the result when men did turn to follow the light. The prosperity of God has been seen all through our publishing work. Instead of today running them simply for commercial ends, every publishing house is crowded to its utmost capacity, publishing the truth, and more than fifty thousand copies of books are being published in outside printing houses because our own (55) publishing houses cannot turn them out fast enough. The canvassing work is renewed, and hundreds of young people from our schools are carrying the pages of truth to the homes of the people. Such has always been the prosperity of God's people as they have believed his prophets. LLM 36.2

All who are acquainted at all with the medical work know that it was the testimonies that first turned the attention of this people to the importance of establishing medical institutions, and as the years have come and gone, the same gift has led out in establishing sanitariums and medical missionary enterprises all over the world. LLM 36.3

Wonderful light has been given in every detail of the various departments, and as the light has been followed, success has attended the work. The policy outlined for this branch of the cause, like every other, has been missionary, educational, and evangelical. And when our medical work was in danger of being swayed into wrong lines, message after message was sent to the head of the work to save it from ruin. A centralizing power had also entered the medical work, which was seeking to gain control, the sanitarium was losing sight of the regions beyond, the real object of this department of the message. In this case communication from Australia from (Sister White came) I quote further:— LLM 36.4

“Then the test came upon the sanitarium. God has given them prosperity, not to be a means of self-exaltation, but that they might impart of their substance. When His servants were sent to Australia, you should have understood that God would work through them, and you should have exercised liberality in appropriating means to advance the work. The medical missionary work should ere this have been established upon a solid foundation. There should be no withholding of means. The Lord has let His chastening hand fall upon the Review and Herald office because (56) they would not heed His voice. Self-sufficient managers hedged up the way that His work should not advance. The Lord calls upon the Battle Creek Sanitarium to extend her work and to place the health institution here upon a proper basis. This should have been done two years ago. The withholding tends to poverty.” LLM 36.5

The result of failing to heed the light sent by the spirit of prophecy is now manifest in the destruction of that institution, and the present situation at the head of our medical missionary work. Could the brethren at the head of the department have accepted the light that was given through this gift, we should today see the same prosperity attending this department that has come to the others as the light has been followed. LLM 37.1

God has permitted all these things to come upon His people that they might see the folly of trusting to men, however great their power or influence, and that His people might learn to believe in the Lord their God and in His prophets that established prosperity might follow their efforts to advance His cause. LLM 37.2

The message from the spirit of prophecy today to this people is a call for a reorganization of the entire medical missionary work, the key of which is unity. It would seem that this particular phase of the message is to be so blended with every other part that the entire message is to stand out before the world after the similitude of Christ's work that every individual member of the church—layman, canvasser, Bible teacher, school teacher, institutional worker, and minister is to stand in Christ's stead before the world with His message of teaching and healing. The nurse or physician is no longer to content himself to simply minister to men's physical necessity, but is to perform a double ministry. The minister and missionary worker are to minister alike to soul and body in their need, and (57) thus the entire work is to become one united medical missionary evangelistic work. LLM 37.3

“We have come to a time when every member of the church should take hold of medical missionary work.” “Christ is no longer in this world in person, to go through our cities and towns and villages, healing the sick. He has commissioned us to carry forward the medical missionary work that He began.” LLM 37.4

“If ever the Lord has spoken by me, He speaks when I say that the workers engaged in educational lines, in ministerial lines, and in medical missionary lines must stand as a unit.” “Medical missionary work is yet in its infancy. The meaning of genuine medical missionary work is known but by few. Why? Because the Saviour's plan of work has not been followed.” LLM 37.5

“Christ, the great medical missionary, is our example. He healed the sick and preached the gospel. In His service, healing and teaching were linked closely together. Today they are not to be separated. The nurses who are trained in our institutions are to be fitted up to go out as medical missionary evangelists, uniting the ministry of the Word with that of physical healing.” LLM 38.1

“There should be companies organized, and educated most thoroughly to work as nurses, as evangelists, as ministers, as canvassers, as gospel students.” LLM 38.2

“From the instruction that the Lord has given me from time to time, I know there should be workers who make medical evangelistic tours among the towns and villages. Those who do this work will gather a rich harvest of souls, both from the higher and lower classes.” LLM 38.3

“Let our ministers who have gained experience in preaching the Word, learn how to give simple treatments, and then (58) labor intelligently as medical missionary evangelists. Christ stands before us as a pattern man, the great medical missionary, an example for all who should come after.” LLM 38.4

“The Lord calls upon our young people to enter our schools, and quickly fit themselves for service. In various places, outside of cities, schools are to be established, where our youth can receive an education that would prepare them to go forth to do evangelical work and medical missionary work.” LLM 38.5

From the above quotations and the experiences rehearsed, is it not clear to all that (the) Lord, through the spirit of prophecy, under whose fostering care the entire message had developed, and through whose influence each department—publishing, evangelical, and educational, has been reorganized and restored to its original purpose after the wisdom of man have turned them aside, is not calling for a reorganization of our medical missionary work in all its departments,—educational, institutional, and evangelical? LLM 38.6

What is our individual responsibility in this matter? When God moves forward in His work, it divides men into two classes, those who follow in the way He leads, and those who turn aside. Are not the words of Mordecai to Esther applicable to each of us today: “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance rise to the Jews (the work) from another place, but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom (the work) for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14. Or shall the prophetic words of Christ as He wept over Jerusalem, Matthew 23:34-39 describe our attitude and our condemnation at last? LLM 38.7

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