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Testimonies for the Church Volume 4
last. Yet our work needs tenfold more means now than was needed
by the Jews. The great commission given to the apostles was to go
throughout the world and preach the gospel. This shows the extension
of the work and the increased responsibility resting upon the followers
of Christ in our day. If the law required tithes and offerings thousands
of years ago, how much more essential are they now! If the rich and
poor were to give a sum proportionate to their property in the Jewish
economy, it is doubly essential now.
The majority of professed Christians part with their means with
great reluctance. Many of them do not give one twentieth of their
income to God, and many give far less than that; while there is a large
class who rob God of the little tithe, and others who will give only
the tithe. If all the tithes of our people flowed into the treasury of the
Lord as they should, such blessings would be received that gifts and
offerings for sacred purposes would be multiplied tenfold, and thus the
channel between God and man would be kept open. The followers of
Christ should not wait for thrilling missionary appeals to arouse them
to action. If spiritually awake, they would hear in the income of every
week, whether much or little, the voice of God and of conscience with
authority demanding the tithes and offerings due the Lord.
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Not only are the gifts and labors of Christ’s followers desired, but
in one sense they are indispensable. All heaven is interested in the
salvation of man and waiting for men to become interested in their
own salvation and in that of their fellow men. All things are ready, but
the church is apparently upon the enchanted ground. When they shall
arouse and lay their prayers, their wealth, and all their energies and
resources at the feet of Jesus, the cause of truth will triumph. Angels
are amazed that Christians do so little when such an example has been
given them by Jesus, who even withheld not Himself from death, a
shameful death. It is a marvel to them that when professors come in
contact with the selfishness of the world they should fall back to their
narrow views and selfish motives.
One of the greatest sins in the Christian world of today is dissem-
bling and covetousness in dealing with God. There is an increasing
carelessness on the part of many in regard to meeting their pledges to
the various institutions and religious enterprises. Many look upon the
act of pledging as though it imposed no obligation to pay. If they think
that their money will bring them considerable profit by being invested