Arresting Public Attention
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Every dollar at our command is to be expended with economy. No
great display is to be made. God’s money is to be used to carry forward
in His own way the work that He has declared must be done in our
world.—
Letter 107, 1905
.
Display Is Poor Advertising—The large cities are to be warned,
but, my brother, not all the methods that you follow in this work are
right. You think that you are at liberty to spend all the money that you
please to gain the attention of the people. But remember that in the
Lord’s vineyard there are many, many places to be worked, and that
every dollar is needed.
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God is not pleased by your large outlay of means to advertise your
meetings, and by the display made in other features of your work. The
display is out of harmony with the principles of the Word of God. He
is dishonored by your expensive preparations. At times you do that
which is represented to me as the shredding of wild gourds into the
pot. This display makes the truth taste too strongly of the dish. Man
is exalted. The truth is not advanced, but hindered. Sensible men and
women can see that the theatrical performances are not in harmony
with the solemn message that you bear.—
Letter 190, 1902
.
Disappointing Results From Expensive Methods—Cut down
the expense of advertising your meetings, and if a large amount of
money is given in the collections made at the meeting, use this money
to carry on your efforts in new places.
Do not hire worldly musicians if this can possibly be avoided.
Gather together singers who will sing with the spirit and with the
understanding also. The extra display which you sometimes make
entails unnecessary expense, which the brethren should not be asked to
meet; and you will find that after a time unbelievers will not be willing
to give money to meet these expenses....
I beg of you not to continue to follow such expensive methods of
labor. I must tell you that the Lord does not endorse these methods.
And they do not accomplish what you suppose they do.—
Letter 51,
1902
.
Must Depend on God—There is far more being done by the
universe of Heaven than we have any idea of, in preparing the way
so that souls shall be converted. We want to work in harmony with
the messengers of Heaven. We want more of God; we do not want to
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feel that it is our talking and our sermonizing that is to do the work;