The Gift of Prophecy

1985
Spirit of Prophecy Statement—1985 General Conference Session

Voted, to adopt the following statement regarding the Spirit of Prophecy: GOP 405.3

We today express our deep gratitude to God for the continuing presence of spiritual gifts among His people, and particularly for the gift of prophecy as manifested in the life and writings of Ellen G. White. GOP 405.4

We praise and thank God (1) for the fact that this gift points unerringly to Christ’s great sacrifice for the sins of the world, and for its tender and moving appeals that lead and draw us to His cross and to Him as our substitute and surety, (2) for the unparalleled influence of this gift in exalting the Scriptures as the standard for character, the revealer of doctrines, and the test of experience, (3) for the aid this gift has provided, and continues to provide, in helping us to understand God’s eternal purposes and the certain working out of His will in the great struggle between good and evil, and (4) for the instruction, counsel, warnings, and reproof provided through this gift, and for its decisive influence in guiding the church through the years and in creating and maintaining the remarkable organizational and doctrinal unity of the church. GOP 405.5

In the light of these considerations, GOP 405.6

We urge church administrators, church pastors, and other leaders by precept and example to encourage church members to study earnestly the inspired counsels and follow carefully the practical instruction and principles for daily living that these counsels contain. GOP 405.7

We call upon evangelists, pastors, and lay preachers to make extensive use of the Ellen G. White books in their soul-winning endeavors. GOP 406.1

We call upon our education directors, school administrators, and teachers in our educational institutions by precept and example to encourage students to study the Ellen G. White books and the other rich, inspired materials available in the Ellen G. White-SDA Research Centers. GOP 406.2

We urge administrators, physicians, nurses, and other workers in our health-care facilities to study and honor Ellen G. White’s counsels as they relate to the operation of our medical institutions. GOP 406.3

We encourage non-English-language divisions to continue the well-established program of translating the Ellen G. White books into their various languages. GOP 406.4

We urge all union and local conferences and missions to give careful study to the selection and appointment of persons with ability and enthusiasm to promote the writings of Ellen G. White in the churches and institutions within their territories. GOP 406.5

We urge our publishing houses to translate and publish the Ellen G. White books, and we encourage our literature evangelists and church members everywhere to give these volumes wide circulation. GOP 406.6

We encourage our publishing houses, where feasible, to translate and publish the new six- volume Ellen G. White biography, and we urge ministers and church members to read the volumes and to note carefully “the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history” (Life Sketches, p. 196). ²³ GOP 406.7