Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 18 (1903)

Lt 247, 1903

Leaders in our Medical Missionary Work

“Elmshaven,” St. Helena, California

November 12, 1903

Portions of this letter are published in MM 96.

To the leaders in our medical missionary work

Dear Brethren,—

I cannot rest. Your opportunities and your perils are repeatedly presented to me. I call upon you to seek the Lord, to be reconverted, and to come into line. The Lord is not dependent upon any human agency; but He has chosen men to carry forward His work of soul-saving. The co-operation of divine and human agencies has ever been His plan. He works through human instrumentalities, but it is only by co-operating with Him that men can gain real success. However great a man’s talents or self-confidence, he can do nothing apart from God. “We are laborers together with God.” [1 Corinthians 3:9.] If men will allow themselves to be out of harmony with Bible truth, if they will allow the enemy to come in to deceive the people of God with his sophistries, the Lord’s rebuke will rest upon them. 18LtMs, Lt 247, 1903, par. 1

I am instructed to say to those who have entertained scientific, speculative theories regarding God: It would be far better for you to seek to understand your duty before God than to enter into speculations regarding His personality. By allowing your minds to be led into such scientific speculations, you place yourselves where you will know less and less concerning your Creator. 18LtMs, Lt 247, 1903, par. 2

Your knowledge of God and of His attributes has been lessened since you have begun to theorize regarding His nature and prerogatives. Your attempts to explain Him reveal to the heavenly host how little you really know of Him. The word of the Lord to you is, “I will no more be with you, unless you return to your first love. I will remove your candlestick out of its place, except you repent. I will turn My back to you, and not My face. You have greatly dishonored and belittled Me. All these things hath Mine eye seen.” 18LtMs, Lt 247, 1903, par. 3

Repentance and conversion is the only way to salvation. When your eyes are opened, you will see the danger of the sentiments that you have been entertaining. You have been eating from a dish of truth and error, of good and evil. As you place yourselves where the Lord can use you as men of spiritual intelligence, as laborers together with Him, you will realize how far you have been departing from Him. 18LtMs, Lt 247, 1903, par. 4

My brethren, will you not be soundly converted and no longer trifle with God? Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But it is not too late for wrongs to be righted. If you will come to Christ with humble, contrite hearts, He will receive you and will help you to purify your souls from the sophistry of Satan’s devising. It is against the Lord God of heaven that you have sinned, He who in a marvelous manner has led His people on step by step, preparing the way, giving them the great, grand truths that are to be proclaimed in the closing days of this earth’s history. 18LtMs, Lt 247, 1903, par. 5

The church is now engaged in a warfare that will increase in intensity on the very point on which you have been misled. Not one pillar of our faith is to be moved. Not one line of revealed truth is to be replaced by new and fanciful theories. 18LtMs, Lt 247, 1903, par. 6

In clear lines truth has been given us. Under the guidance of God, books have been prepared which state clearly the truth for this time. If you will not believe these evidences, neither would you believe if one rose from the dead. 18LtMs, Lt 247, 1903, par. 7

You must make thorough work for repentance. Come before God in humiliation and contrition. There must be harmonious working among God’s people. We must know who is going to follow the light. “If the Lord be God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.” [1 Kings 18:21.] 18LtMs, Lt 247, 1903, par. 8