Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 25 (1910 - 1915)

Ms 72, 1911

Talk/Thoughts on Luke 9

San Fernando, California

April 24, 1911

Previously unpublished.

Luke 9:1 “Then He called His twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And He sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.” [Verses 1, 2.] It is the healing and the preaching of the Word. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 1

Verses 3-7. You see, the healing and the preaching are connected. That is the work that we are trying to do. We are trying to bring that very work so that it shall be fulfilling the words of the Scriptures, and we want that you should look these things up and then you can see how they harmonize. Here they are preaching, they are teaching, and they are healing, all blended. That is the very work that God has given His people to do, and every one of us should understand the Scriptures. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 2

Verses 7-23. You see, the healing and the preaching were not separated, but connected. There is something the individual himself must do. He must take up his cross, and follow Christ. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 3

Verse 24. How is he to lose his life, and yet save it? The very losing of the life to the gospel is saving it. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 4

Verses 26-62. Now I will not read any more, but I will ask every one of you to be sure to study the Word and get the meaning of it. It will be so that the time will come, how soon we cannot tell, but the time will come when there will be trials and persecutions everywhere. What we want now is to have our hearts in full harmony with Christ and intelligent in regard to His work and what He will do for us if we will follow on to know the Lord, that we may know that His going forth is prepared as the morning. That is, there is a continual increase of light. Here was Christ in our world, reflecting light upon the people and the time was now nearly come when He should be taken from them. He desired that they should remember all that He had said to them. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 5

We want, while we are together in the school, an intelligent knowledge of the sanctification of the Holy Spirit of God upon the human heart, for that is our only safety. When you have that, your intelligence of the truth is such that it is virtue, it is character, sanctified character, and you will be in a position to reflect light to others round about you. The younger ones you will look after in the schoolroom. You will see if you cannot help them in some way, the older ones being a blessing to the younger, and thus you can bring the Christ-work right here in our world today. What we want is the seeing of Him who is invisible. Here was Christ coming right up to His crucifixion, and He looked around on the attacks that He would meet, and tried to help them in every way possible. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 6

That is the business of fathers and mothers in the home. It is to help their children, that they may understand the Word of God, that they will bring it into their life practices, and that such schools as this shall reflect the light of heaven upon the schools that shall be established, and the grace of God shall come into these schools. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 7

When the light came that Christ was coming, that the end of all things was at hand in 1843, they thought that the period of this earth’s history would end. But we have been toiling along ever since. The people would be gathered in meeting in different places all through the city of Portland, Maine, and when the meetings were over, you would hear them going from the meetings, praising and glorifying God. And some had to remain all night where they were because the power of the Spirit of God was upon them, and they had no physical strength. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 8

We want to be in a position to discern what God is willing to do for us. You want to realize what He is willing to do for you right here who are trying to get an education. There is a large company here, and as you are seeking to obtain an education, let those who have charge of these children and youth do their best to educate and train them for the future eternal life, and in doing that they are giving an education for the higher life above. What we want is heaven, and what we need is a distinct understanding of how we can glorify God as I have been reading here, by doing His will. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 9

If we do the will of God, it will be much easier for our parents to teach us out of the Word of God how to conduct ourselves in our homes and everywhere and anywhere. You can give a representation to the world that will be surprising. Let your words be of that tenderness for one another and have that care for one another that creates love. Love creates love, and the Lord wants you, young and old, to come into a sacred nearness with Him. You can do it, and that is the only way to glorify God, the only way that you can honor God because you each have your peculiar disposition and natures. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 10

Christ is not here in person to teach us. The parents must come in and act their parts and the teachers must act their part. They must so represent Christ in word and in character that the light of heaven will be opened to these youth and many will be converted to Christ. Following on to read the next chapter we come to the point where He was about to be betrayed and where His life was taken away. And yet He kept on with His work. He knew just what was in their minds and hearts, and the Lord knows what is in your minds and hearts, and He knows how to help you, and give you precious help. He will give every one of you strength and support if you in your humility you will tell Him your troubles, and then ask Him to give you intelligence how to meet these difficulties. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 11

He will give it to young and old, because Christ came to our world to do that very thing. He left the royal courts. He came into our world to reach humanity and to teach humanity and uplift humanity, that they shall not be corrupted with false teachings. These are in the world, and we want every one of you to come to Christ while you are young. We see how tender Christ was when He was upon earth. He took a little child, and set him in the midst, and then He told His disciples that unless they became humble like that little child they could never enter into the kingdom of heaven. And we want to learn the lesson. What we want is to study the Word in humility of mind. What we want is the sacred influence of the Holy Spirit of God upon our hearts. And we want to help one another. We want that you should help one another. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 12

We want the sacred influence of God to come right into homes, that fathers and mothers may be enabled by the grace of God to bring their children to Jesus Christ and teach them so that they may understand what is the Bible requirement. Do not scold. All the scolding you can do will only work counter to God. The Lord wants that you should lay right hold of the eternal, and that you shall have an experience that will be marked by your neighbors, and they will see there is a reality in your profession. But if you go scolding through life, it will not amount to anything. Take the children away, and talk with them kindly, and they kneel down and with their hand in yours pray for them and then they may pray for themselves. Tell them there is opportunity to pray for themselves, and the blessing of God will be there. And they will not forget these seasons. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 13

What we want to remember is that God has a work for every father and mother to do in the soul-saving business. You cannot throw it upon others. Fathers and mothers must take right hold of the solemn work and the children realize that their parents are trying to help them, and then they will bend their energies in the direction that their parents want them to go. If you do this, let me tell you, the school will be of much greater profit to the children. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 14

Light and truth are to be shown by fathers and mothers that are educating in the truth. What they want is that you shall perfect a character that Jesus the precious Saviour shall acknowledge. He came to our world that He might educate by His own example in childhood, by His own words, by His own actions, and then to preach to them the saving gospel truth. That is what Jesus consented to come into this world to do, to take humanity upon Himself. You can see how Satan was determined to cut short His life. He was determined to stop this work. He cut short His life, but there were those that believed in Christ who were to carry out the words and works of Christ. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 15

By beholding be become changed, and every son and daughter of Adam, unless they are thoroughly converted, will never pass through the golden gates thrown open, nor will they in this world make a success of bringing others to the gates of the city of God by their example. But if we follow on to know the Lord, when the gates are thrown back upon their glittering hinges and the nations that have kept the truth shall enter in, there will be a whole flood of those who will say, “It was you who spoke to me so kindly; it was you who prayed for and encouraged me.” And I want that every one should be in a position to encourage others, and we all seek to obtain the overcomer’s reward. That is the higher education, and that is the only higher education there is in this life. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 16

Copy the life of Christ. If you do this, you are doing a grand and noble work in this life, and you will never regret it. I feel intensely as I consider this subject. Jesus has His angels. You try to do your duty, and these angels are right around to make the impression upon those that have no religion. We want to see the labor that shall be carried forward each for the other, and then we shall see distinct laboring for souls, and you will have your reward in doing it. You will become confirmed in the fact that Jesus Christ has given His life for you, and that He is fitting up your character by preparing you for His courts above, if you will receive the instruction given in His Word and given in such schools as this. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 17

Strive, strive for the mansions that Christ has gone to prepare for us. He came to be our example in the world, and not a sin was found in His life. God sent His Son into the world to be a help and strength. He sent Him into the world, and He wants us to follow on to imitate and practice the life of Christ, so that we shall not lose this life and lose the life that is to be ours if we will teach as Christ taught and work as Christ worked. Then we shall be overcomers by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 18

I do not know that I need to speak any longer, but I feel intensely over this subject, and concerning every school that is established. By beholding and studying the life of Christ you become conformed to His image if you obey. But if you do not obey the lessons that you learn in contemplating the life of Christ, these lessons will be useless to you. Fathers and mothers, we want to ask the grace of God right in this world, to teach and to educate and train in every way possible the youth, that they may be overcomers by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. I want you to take these Scriptures and read them. You will understand what there is in these Scriptures. By beholding we become changed. Keep the good ever before you and read the Word. I have no need to read it to you. Read the Word, and the blessed, blessed Scriptures will conform your characters in the similitude of Jesus Christ. Amen. 25LtMs, Ms 72, 1911, par. 19