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All Have a Duty to Witness, September 2
You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you
shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to
the end of the earth.
Acts 1:8
, NKJV.
My heart was rejoiced to see among the converts so many young men and
women, with hearts softened and subdued by the love of Jesus, acknowledging
the good work wrought by God for their souls. It was indeed a precious season.
“With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation.” God forbid that these souls should ever lose the ardor of their
first love, that a strange coldness, through pride and love of the world, should take
possession of their minds and hearts.
It is essential that these who have newly come to the faith should have a sense
of their obligation to God, who has called them to a knowledge of the truth, and
filled their hearts with His sacred peace, that they may exert a sanctifying influence
over all with whom they associate. “Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord.”
To every one God has committed a work, to make known His salvation to the
world. In true religion there is nothing selfish or exclusive. The gospel of Christ is
diffusive and aggressive. It is described as the salt of the earth, the transforming
leaven, the light which shineth in darkness. It is impossible for one to retain the favor
and love of God, and enjoy communion with Him, and still feel no responsibility
for the souls for whom Christ died, who are in error and darkness, perishing in their
sins.
If those who profess to be followers of Christ neglect to shine as lights in the
world, the vital power will leave them, and they will become cold and Christless.
The spell of indifference will be upon them, a deathlike sluggishness of soul, which
will make them bodies of death instead of living representatives of Jesus. All
must lift the cross and in modesty, meekness, and lowliness of mind take up their
God-given duties, engaging in personal effort for those around them who need help
and light.
All who accept these duties will have a rich and varied experience, their own
hearts will glow with fervor, and they will be strengthened and stimulated to re-
newed, persevering efforts to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling,
because it is God that worketh in them both to will and to do of His good pleasure.—
The Review and Herald, July 21, 1891
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