Pacific Union Recorder
July 17, 1902
Christ the Efficiency of Every Worker
The Lord calls for faithful stewards,—stewards who realize that God expects them to preserve their individuality. All who are connected with our conferences and institutions should now take up their work manfully. They are not to be dependent on men, or to submerge their identity in any organization or institution. For the strength he receives, the human agent is wholly dependent on God. How foolish it is for human agents to reach out for and depend on human power! Unless that which is imparted by man comes from the Source of all strength, it is of no value. The word of the Lord to every man is, “Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.” PUR July 17, 1902, par. 1
Shall we not feel the weight of our personal responsibility, and maintain our individuality? While we should respect and love one another, we are to remember that no one can fight our battles for us. Every one has his appointed work, and upon the accomplishment of this work depends his salvation. PUR July 17, 1902, par. 2
When the apostles stood in their appointed places, doing the work entrusted to them, they became mighty in word and deed. God inspired them to write the gospels. With accuracy they traced an account of the incidents to which they had been eyewitnesses, giving us a record of the truths uttered by our Saviour, and showing us things to come. PUR July 17, 1902, par. 3
And to us the Lord will manifest Himself as one who can save to the uttermost. My brethren, while God has entrusted us with talents for which we are responsible to Him alone,—while He requires us to preserve our individuality,—yet He desires every one of us to be so closely united with Christ that our personal identity will be hid with Him in God. Because human agents have not realized that Christ alone is their efficiency, great spiritual weakness has resulted. If we yield our individuality to other men, allowing them to think and to act for us, we become weaklings; for we obtain no experience of our own. Let every one trust in Jesus as his sufficiency. He is our only sure covert and dependence. PUR July 17, 1902, par. 4
It is high time for us to realize the responsibility resting upon us. We may learn many lessons from the sixth chapter of Isaiah. The prophet declares: “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims; each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.” PUR July 17, 1902, par. 5
As never before, we are in need of spiritual discernment. Our eyes should be turned from visible to invisible things. Continuing, the prophet says, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips,”—a people who do not practice what they say,—“for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Why did Isaiah come to this conclusion?—He was given a vision of the Lord's glory, and this made him sensible of the great contrast between the purity and holiness of God and the impurity and sinfulness of the professed people of God,—a people who had neglected to practice the principles of strict integrity, equity, and justice. Because men had not walked in the great light with which they were blessed, blindness and hardness of heart came upon them. The value of the many words spoken by them was measured by the degree of fidelity with which they obeyed heaven-sent counsels. PUR July 17, 1902, par. 6
“Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar; and he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” This is the position in which God's servants should stand at the present time. “And He said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.” PUR July 17, 1902, par. 7
With attentive ears and perceptive minds some will receive the message. The Holy Spirit will work with power through all who realize that a deep and thorough transformation must take place in the heart,—a transformation represented by the touching of the lips of God's servant with a live coal. PUR July 17, 1902, par. 8
In this vision, Isaiah saw the Lord seated on a throne in the most holy place, above the ark containing His commandments, and surrounded by the cherubim and His appointed attendants—His ministers. From this holy place the glory shone forth. Those who are now engaged in carrying forward the Lord's work in the earth, should keep their eyes fixed on the place where the Lord God of heaven is enthroned. From Him they should obtain their orders. PUR July 17, 1902, par. 9
We have a risen, ascended Saviour. Through the uplifted gates He entered heaven as our representative, the representative of all His people. We have an Advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous. Today He is pleading in our behalf. With His own blood He has redeemed us. He has given the assurance that as He was raised from the dead, even so shall all His followers be raised from their graves. And He will lift up His people to sit together with Him in heavenly places. He has promised that those who believe on Him shall be justified; and those whom He justifies, He will also glorify. He is our Head, our Hope, our Rejoicing. Have we not every reason to rejoice, and to sing praises to our Redeemer? PUR July 17, 1902, par. 10
Mrs. E. G. White