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Pastoral Ministry
this is doing the work of a gospel minister. In order to be fitted
for God’s work, these men need as thorough a conversion as Paul
experienced. Ministers must be living representatives of the truth they
preach. They must have greater spiritual life, characterized by greater
simplicity.—
Testimonies for the Church 4:446
.
Those proclaiming the church is Babylon divert money from
a channel of usefulness into a channel of evil—Those who advocate
error, will say, “The Lord saith, when the Lord hath not spoken.”
They testify to falsehood, and not to truth. If those who have been
proclaiming the message that the church is Babylon, had used the
money expended in publishing and circulating this error, in building
up, instead of tearing down, they would have made it evident that they
were with the people whom God is leading.... If those who have done
this kind of work, had felt the necessity of answering the prayer of
Christ that He offered to His Father just previous to His crucifixion,—
that the disciples of Christ might be one as He was one with the
Father,—they would not be wasting the means intrusted to them, and
so greatly needed to advance the truth. They would not be wasting
precious time and ability in disseminating error, and thus necessitate
the devoting of the laborer’s time to counteracting and quenching its
influence. A work of this character is inspired not from above, but
from beneath.—
Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 43, 44
.
Worldwide Movement
Home and foreign missions are to share God’s money
equally—Home and foreign missions are to share equally of God’s
trust money. In planning for the work, the difficulties to be met in
foreign fields are to be considered. Let not those who have every
advantage be niggardly in appropriating means for the advancement
of the work in mission fields. For Christ’s sake, willing support is to
be given to the work of the gospel, which is to be carried to all parts
of the world.—
The General Conference Bulletin, July 1, 1900
.
The urgency of the mission within our borders—In the great
cities are multitudes who receive less care and consideration than
are given to dumb animals. Think of the families herded together
[32]
in miserable tenements, many of them dark basements, reeking with
dampness and filth. In these wretched places children are born and