Chapter 44—Church Organization
Someone must fulfill the commission of Christ; someone must
carry on the work which He began to do on earth; and the church has
been given this privilege. For this purpose it has been organized
Ministers should love order and should discipline themselves, and
then they can successfully discipline the church of God and teach them
to work harmoniously like a well-drilled company of soldiers. If disci-
pline and order are necessary for successful action on the battlefield,
the same are as much more needful in the warfare in which we are
engaged as the object to be gained is of greater value and more elevated
in character than those for which opposing forces contend upon the
field of battle. In the conflict in which we are engaged, eternal interests
are at stake.
Angels work harmoniously. Perfect order characterizes all their
movements. The more closely we imitate the harmony and order of the
angelic host, the more successful will be the efforts of these heavenly
agents in our behalf. If we see no necessity for harmonious action,
and are disorderly, undisciplined, and disorganized in our course of
action, angels, who are thoroughly organized and move in perfect order,
cannot work for us successfully. They turn away in grief, for they are
not authorized to bless confusion, distraction, and disorganization. All
who desire the co-operation of the heavenly messengers must work in
unison with them. Those who have the unction from on high will in
all their efforts encourage order, discipline, and union of action, and
then the angels of God can co-operate with them. But never, never will
these heavenly messengers place their endorsement upon irregularity,
disorganization, and disorder. All these evils are the result of Satan’s
efforts to weaken our forces, to destroy courage, and prevent successful
action.
Satan well knows that success can only attend order and harmo-
nious action. He well knows that everything connected with heaven
is in perfect order, that subjection and thorough discipline mark the
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