God’s Call to Service
17
Those who have united with the Lord in the covenant of service
are under bonds to unite with Him in the great, grand work of soul-
saving.—
Testimonies for the Church 7:19
.
So vast is the field, so comprehensive the design, that every sanc-
tified heart will be pressed into service as an instrument of divine
power.—
Testimonies for the Church 9:47
.
Men are instruments in the hand of God, employed by Him to
accomplish His purposes of grace and mercy. Each has his part to act;
to each is granted a measure of light, adapted to the necessities of his
time and sufficient to enable him to perform the work which God has
given him to do.—
The Great Controversy, 343
.
Long has God waited for the spirit of service to take possession of
the whole church, so that every one shall be working for Him according
to his ability.—
The Acts of the Apostles, 111
.
When He sent forth the twelve and afterward the seventy, to pro-
claim the kingdom of God, He was teaching them their duty to impart
to others what He had made known to them. In all His work, He
was training them for individual labor, to be extended as their num-
bers increased, and eventually to reach to the uttermost parts of the
earth.—
The Acts of the Apostles, 32
.
Not upon the ordained minister only, rests the responsibility of
going forth to fulfil this commission. Every one who has received
[12]
Christ is called to work for the salvation of his fellow men.—
The Acts
of the Apostles, 110
.
The real character of the church is measured, not by the high pro-
fession she makes, not by the names enrolled upon the church book,
but by what she is actually doing for the Master, by the number of her
persevering, faithful workers. Personal interest, and vigilant, individ-
ual effort will accomplish more for the cause of Christ than can be
wrought by sermons or creeds.—
The Review and Herald, September
6, 1881
.
Wherever a church is established, all the members should engage
actively in missionary work. They should visit every family in the
neighborhood, and know their spiritual condition.—
Testimonies for
the Church 6:296
.
The members of the church are not all called to labor in foreign
lands, but all have a part to act in the great work of giving light to
the world. The gospel of Christ is aggressive and diffusive. In the