14
Pastoral Ministry
the truth as it is in Jesus.—
Letter 64, 1906
(
The Paulson Collection of
Ellen G. White Letters, 43
).
[20]
Ministers who are not converted daily do rash, unwise
things—Some ministers who are connected with sacred responsibili-
ties have lost all realization of what it means to watch for souls as they
that must give an account. They do rash, unwise things. They have not
discernment to see what their unwise movements are doing, because
they are not daily converted. It is a sad thing to lose confidence in men
in whom we ought to have confidence. The precious souls for whom
Christ has died must not be left to be the sport of Satan’s snares and
temptations.—
Manuscript Releases 19:212
.
Do not preach until you know what Christ is to you—Will my
brethren take heed that no glory is given to men? Will they acknowl-
edge that Christ does the work upon the human heart, and not they
themselves. Will my ministering brethren plead with God alone in
secret prayer for His presence and His power? Dare not to preach an-
other discourse until you know, by your own experience, what Christ
is to you. With hearts made holy through faith in the righteousness of
Christ, you can preach Christ, you can lift up the risen Saviour before
your hearers; with hearts subdued and melted with the love of Jesus
you can say, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of
the world.”—
Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 154, 155
.
The more you associate with the Master, the more closely you
will resemble Him—The more that the minister of Christ associates
with his Master, through contemplation of His life and character, the
more closely will he resemble Him, and the better qualified will he
be to teach His truths. Every feature in the life of the great Example
should be studied with care, and close converse should be held with
Him through the prayer of living faith. Thus will the defective human
character be transformed into the image of His glorious character. Thus
will the teacher of the truth be prepared to lead souls to Christ.—
The
Spirit of Prophecy 3:244
.
The yielding of self to the will of God is not an easy attain-
ment—The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever
fought. The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God, and
being clothed with humility, possessing that love that is pure, peace-
able, and easy to be entreated, full of gentleness and good fruits, is not
an easy attainment. And yet it is [our] privilege and [our] duty to be a