The Review and Herald
January 27, 1891
Co-Operation With Christ
(Concluded.)
Those who are sanctified through the truth, should with pen and voice testify what is truth, what Christ is to them. There are many branches of the work. Home missionaries and foreign missionaries are needed, and there cannot be too large a number. Everything we do should be done with reference to the salvation of souls, the glory of God. RH January 27, 1891, par. 1
There should be no extravagance, in building fine homes, in buying costly furniture, in indulging in worldly dress, or in providing luxurious food; but in everything let us think of the souls for whom Christ has died. Let selfishness and pride die. Let none continue to expend means to multiply pictures to be sent to their friends. Let us save every dollar that can be saved, that the matchless charms of Christ may be presented before the souls of the perishing. Satan will suggest many ways in which you may expend money. But it is spent for self-gratification,—for unnecessary things, no matter how trifling their cost,—it is not spent for the glory of God. Let us look well to this matter, and see if we are denying ourselves as we should. Are we making sacrifices, that we may send the light of truth to the lost? RH January 27, 1891, par. 2
How do we employ our time, fraught with eternal interests? What are we doing through personal efforts to let our light shine? We shall have to face these questions in the judgment. Have we been faithful stewards of the grace of God? Can the Lord say to us, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant?” How many have been converted through our instrumentality? RH January 27, 1891, par. 3
To what degree have you taxed your resources to answer the claims of God upon you? There should be but one interest in the church; one desire should control all, and that is the desire to conform to the image of Christ. Each one should strive to do for Jesus all that it is possible for him to do, by personal effort, by gifts, by sacrifices. There should be meat in the house of the Lord, and that means a full treasury, that responses may be made to Macedonian cries coming from every land. How pitiful it is that we are obliged to say to these who cry for help, “We cannot send you men or money. We have an empty treasury.” Let all the pennies, dimes, and dollars that are lost to the cause through selfish love of pleasure, through desire to meet the world's standard, through love of ease, be turned into the channel that flows to God's treasury. It is the rills flowing into one that finally make the river. Let us be conscientious Christians, be laborers together with God. RH January 27, 1891, par. 4
Why is it that there is so little genuine love for Christ in the church?—It is because the love of self has taken the place of love for Him who died on Calvary's cross for the sins of the world. Let us be of one heart, of one mind, and let us draw near to God, that he may draw near to us, and fill us with his intense love for perishing souls. Let every heart beat in unison, in interest for the cause of Christ. New fields of work must be opened, souls are to be added to the faith, new names will appear on the church records,—names that will appear in the immortal records in heaven. O that we might realize what might be done with the money expended for the gratification of self! RH January 27, 1891, par. 5
Christ declared that the Holy Spirit should not speak of himself, but that “he shall testify of me.” The Holy Spirit was to glorify the Redeemer of the world, who came to demonstrate the love of the Father by a life of suffering and humiliation, and by a death of shame. The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ by manifesting in the members of the church the self-denial, the self-sacrifice, the devotion of those who truly follow the great Exemplar. They shed a heavenly influence, and reveal in their characters the loveliness of Christ, working in harmony with the Holy Spirit. They can be silent concerning their own finite selves, but can extol the greatness of Christ, wakening an interest in others by the revealing of his marvelous love. They are able to show forth the praises of Him who hath called them out of darkness into his marvelous light. RH January 27, 1891, par. 6
O, let the tongue be silent concerning the pictures of self! let there be shame that the money expended in this way has not gone into the treasury to reproduce the likeness of Christ, to set forth his matchless charms. Jesus alone should engage the attention. Those who have attracted attention to self should change this course of action, and turn the minds of men to Him who is deserving of the whole heart's love. They should see the sinfulness of aiding the enemy of God and man by placing objects before the mind to divert the attention from Christ and heaven. RH January 27, 1891, par. 7
This work of selfishness grieves the Holy Spirit of God. Did not Christ have travail of soul that the redemption of a lost world might be made sure? Then shall not the followers of Christ, those whom he has left as his representatives, be moved with soul anguish, and travail in spirit that souls may be brought to Christ? “We are laborers together with God.” Christ worked unceasingly for the souls of men, and why are the members of the church standing all the day idle? Go, work in the Master's vineyard. Repent with tears and humiliation that you have wasted so much time upon unimportant matters when souls were perishing. RH January 27, 1891, par. 8
As stewards of God's grace, have you not a personal interest in the work of saving your fellow-men? Shall Christ have died in vain for them because he does not have the co-operation of his professed followers? God requires that you shall be filled with the Holy Spirit. The work of Christ is sacred, and the command is, “Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.” He requires perfection of character in his agents. The influence of his church must all tend toward the building up of his cause in the earth. RH January 27, 1891, par. 9
Each member must co-operate with the Holy Spirit in his office work. Let no one feel that he must engage in a warfare at his own charges. To neglect a single means which God has provided, is to exclude the rays of light that should shine forth to the world, and to rob the souls for whom Christ died, of the light of life. Human effort must be combined with divine power. RH January 27, 1891, par. 10
Stumbling-blocks are placed before those who are looking for light, because the professed followers of Christ are devoid of the power of the Holy Spirit. RH January 27, 1891, par. 11
The professed people of God do not study the life of Christ as they should. Satan has filled their minds with interest in things of minor importance, and the eternal realities are set aside. It is this that makes so great a dearth of laborers; this is why the sowers and reapers are so few. The fields already white unto the harvest, call for workers from every walk in life. There is so much, O, so much undone that should be done for the benefit of humanity! The widows, the fatherless, the poor, the helpless, are all around us; and we can expend money in selfish thoughtlessness when so much needs to be done? Christ will give us grace to do the work next to us; he will help us to use our time with wisdom, to give our means to unselfish projects. But he declares, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” The absence of the heart-felt religion, the love that purifies the soul, places the professed followers of Christ with his enemies. RH January 27, 1891, par. 12
When Christ gave his final commission to his disciples, he said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” This commission is for us; then let us work in the Spirit of Christ for our fellow-men. In great cities and smaller cities, in highways and by-ways, let us go forth to hold up Jesus as the one able to cleanse from sin. Every member of the church may be a working member, if he can do no more than say, “Come.” For the word declares, “The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” RH January 27, 1891, par. 13