Methods
115
will be called to account for unfulfilled duties.—
Testimonies for the
Church 9:34
.
On this first tour the disciples were to go only where Jesus had been
before them, and had made friends. Their preparation for the journey
was to be of the simplest kind. Nothing must be allowed to divert
their minds from their great work, or in any way excite opposition and
close the door for further labor. They were not to adopt the dress of
the religious teachers, nor use any guise in apparel to distinguish them
from the humble peasants. They were not to enter into the synagogues
and call the people together for public service; their efforts were to
be put forth in house-to-house labor. They were not to waste time in
needless salutations, or in going from house to house for entertainment.
But in every place they were to accept the hospitality of those who were
worthy, those who would welcome them heartily as if entertaining
Christ Himself. They were to enter the dwelling with the beautiful
salutation, “Peace be to this house.” That home would be blessed by
their prayers, their songs of praise, and the opening of the Scriptures
in the family circle.—
The Desire of Ages, 351, 352
.
Visit your neighbors in a friendly way, and become acquainted
with them.... Those who do not take up this work, those who act
with the indifference that some have manifested, will soon lose their
first love, and will begin to censure, criticize, and condemn their own
brethren.—
The Review and Herald, May 13, 1902
.
The apostle’s efforts were not confined to public speaking; there
were many who could not have been reached in that way. He spent
much time in house-to-house labor, thus availing himself of the familiar
intercourse of the home circle. He visited the sick and the sorrowing,
[116]
comforted the afflicted, and lifted up the oppressed. And in all that
he said and did, he magnified the name of Jesus. Thus he labored,
“in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.” He trembled lest
his teaching should reveal the impress of the human rather than the
divine.—
The Acts of the Apostles, 250
.
Go to your neighbors one by one, and come close to them till their
hearts are warmed by your unselfish interest and love. Sympathize
with them, pray with them, watch for opportunities to do them good,
and as you can, gather a few together and open the Word of God to their
darkened minds. Keep watching, as he who must render an account
for the souls of men, and make the most of the privileges that God