Church the Light of the World
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from the churches and from the world to bring them into a sacred
nearness to Himself. He has made them the depositaries of His law
and has committed to them the great truths of prophecy for this time.
Like the holy oracles committed to ancient Israel, these are a sacred
trust to be communicated to the world. The three angels of
Revelation
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represent the people who accept the light of God’s messages and
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go forth as His agents to sound the warning throughout the length and
breadth of the earth. Christ declares to His followers: “Ye are the light
of the world.” To every soul that accepts Jesus the cross of Calvary
speaks: “Behold the worth of the soul: ‘Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature.’” Nothing is to be permitted
to hinder this work. It is the all-important work for time; it is to be
far-reaching as eternity. The love that Jesus manifested for the souls of
men in the sacrifice which He made for their redemption, will actuate
all His followers.
But very few of those who have received the light are doing the
work entrusted to their hands. There are a few men of unswerving
fidelity who do not study ease, convenience, or life itself, who push
their way wherever they can find an opening to press the light of truth
and vindicate the holy law of God. But the sins that control the world
have come into the churches, and into the hearts of those who claim
to be God’s peculiar people. Many who have received the light exert
an influence to quiet the fears of worldlings and formal professors.
There are lovers of the world even among those who profess to be
waiting for the Lord. There is ambition for riches and honor. Christ
describes this class when He declares that the day of God is to come
as a snare upon all that dwell upon the earth. This world is their home.
They make it their business to secure earthly treasures. They erect
costly dwellings and furnish them with every good thing; they find
pleasure in dress and the indulgence of appetite. The things of the
world are their idols. These interpose between the soul and Christ,
and the solemn and awful realities that are crowding upon us are but
dimly seen and faintly realized. The same disobedience and failure
which were seen in the Jewish church have characterized in a greater
degree the people who have had this great light from heaven in the last
messages of warning. Shall we, like them, squander our opportunities
and privileges until God shall permit oppression and persecution to
come upon us? Will the work which might be performed in peace and
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