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Welfare Ministry
of our faith, study His character, cultivate His spirit of meekness and
humility, and walk in His footsteps.
Many suppose that the missionary spirit, the qualification for mis-
sionary work, is a special gift or endowment bestowed upon the minis-
ters and a few members of the church and that all others are to be mere
spectators. Never was there a greater mistake. Every true Christian
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will possess a missionary spirit, for to be a Christian is to be Christlike.
No man liveth to himself, and “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ,
he is none of His.” Everyone who has tasted of the powers of the world
to come, whether he be young or old, learned or unlearned, will be
stirred with the spirit which actuated Christ. The very first impulse of
the renewed heart is to bring others also to the Savior. Those who do
not possess this desire give evidence that they have lost their first love;
they should closely examine their own hearts in the light of God’s
Word, and earnestly seek a fresh baptism of the Spirit of Christ; they
should pray for a deeper comprehension of that wondrous love which
Jesus manifested for us in leaving the realms of glory and coming to a
fallen world to save the perishing.—
Testimonies for the Church 5:385,
386
.
Christ’s Interpretation of the Gospel—The divine commission
needs no reform. Christ’s way of presenting truth cannot be improved
upon. The Saviour gave the disciples practical lessons, teaching them
how to work in such a way as to make souls glad in the truth. He
sympathized with the weary, the heavy laden, the oppressed. He fed
the hungry and healed the sick. Constantly He went about doing good.
By the good He accomplished, by His loving words and kindly deeds,
He interpreted the gospel to men.
Brief as was the period of His public ministry, He accomplished
the work He came to do. How impressive were the truths He taught!
How complete His lifework! What spiritual food He daily imparted as
He presented the bread of life to thousands of hungry souls! His life
was a living ministry of the word. He promised nothing that He did
not perform.
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The words of life were presented in such simplicity that a child
could understand them. Men, women, and children were so impressed
with His manner of explaining the Scriptures that they would catch
the very intonation of His voice, place the same emphasis on their
words, and imitate His gestures. Youth caught His spirit of ministry,