Letter to a Minister and His Wife Bound for Africa
15
Here is where you have failed of reaching souls in the past. When
you have followed your natural inclination, you have closed the door
whereby you might, with a different method of labour, have found
access to hearts, and through them to other hearts. The influence of
our work through gaining one soul is far-reaching; the talent is put out
to the exchangers and is constantly doubling.
Now it will be well, my brother, for you to carefully consider these
things; and when you labour in your new field, do not feel that as an
honest man you must tell all that you do believe at the very onset, for
Christ did not do that way. Christ said to His disciples, “I have yet
many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” And there
were many things He did not say to them, because their education and
ideas were of such a character that it would have confused their minds
and raised questioning and unbelief that it would have been difficult to
remove.
God’s workmen must be many-sided men; that is, they must have
breadth of character, not be one-idea men, stereotyped in one manner
of working, getting into a groove, and being unable to see and sense
that their words and their advocacy of truth must vary with the class
of people they are among, and the circumstances they have to meet.
All should be constantly seeking to develop their minds evenly and
to overcome ill-balanced characteristics. This must be your constant
study if you make a useful, successful labourer. God would have you,
old as you are, continually improving and learning how you can better
reach the people....
A great and solemn work is before us—to reach the people where
they are. Do not feel it your bounden duty the first thing to tell the
people, “We are Seventh-day Adventists; we believe the seventh day
is the Sabbath; we believe in the non-immortality of the soul,” and
thus erect most formidable barriers between you and those you wish
to reach. But speak to them, as you may have opportunity, upon points
[18]
of doctrine wherein you can agree, and dwell on practical godliness.
Give them evidence that you are a Christian, desiring peace, and that
you love their souls. Let them see that you are conscientious. Thus
you will gain their confidence, and then there will be time enough for
the doctrines. Let the hard iron heart be subdued, the soil prepared,
and then lead them along cautiously, presenting in love the truth as it
is in Jesus Christ.