Not to Control Other Men’s Lives
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All our workers must have room to exercise their own judgment
and discretion. God has given men talents which He means that they
should use. He has given them minds and He means that they should
become thinkers, and do their own thinking and planning rather than
depend upon others to think and plan for them.—
Letter 12, 1885
,
(October 28, 1885, To Brn. Butler and Haskell).
Position No Authority to Dictate—Every branch of the work of
God is to have recognition. “He gave some, apostles; and some,
prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for
the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying
of the body of Christ.”
Ephesians 4:11, 12
. This scripture shows that
there are to be different workers, different instrumentalities. Each has
a different work. No one is required to lay hold of another’s work,
and, though untrained, try to do it. God has given to each according to
his ability. One man may think that his position gives him authority to
dictate to other workers, but this is not so. Ignorant of their work, he
would enlarge where he should retrench, and retrench where he should
enlarge, because he can see only the part of the vineyard where he is
working.—
Testimonies for the Church 8:170, 171
.
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