THE KEY —

TO SUCCESSFUL MEDICAL MISSIONARY WORK 

IS FOUND IN MINISTRY OF HEALING, 126 - 128

HERE IS PART OF IT —

126:1—Many transgress the laws of health through ignorance, and they need instruction.

SECTION ONE

Origin, Purpose,

1 – HERE IS THE WORK THAT LIES BEFORE US:

GO TO ALL THE WORLD WITH THE MESSAGE

2 – HERE IS A BASIC PROBLEM UNDERLYING IT:

HOW TO REACH THE PEOPLE

AND WIN THEIR CONFIDENCE

3 – THIS BASIC PROBLEM HAS BEEN SOLVED

— CHRIST SOLVED IT

4 – HOW DID CHRIST SOLVE IT?

— BY MEETING THEIR NEEDS

"If ever it has been essential that we understand and follow right methods of teaching and follow the example of Christ, it is now."—Evangelism, 53.

"Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as One who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’ "—Ministry of Healing, 143.

"If you would approach the people acceptably, humble your hearts before God, and learn His ways. We shall gain much instruction for our work from a study of Christ’s methods of labor and His manner of meeting the people."—Evangelism, 53.

"Make Christ’s work your example. Constantly He went about doing good—feeding the hungry and healing the sick. No one who came to Him for sympathy was disappointed."—Welfare Ministry, 53.

"Christ stands before us as a pattern Man, the great Medical Missionary—an example for all who should come after."—Welfare Ministry, 53.

"What, then, is the example that we are to set to the world? We are to do the same work that the great Medical Missionary undertook in our behalf. We are to follow the path of self-sacrifice trodden by Christ."—Welfare Ministry, 54.

"Christ saw the sickness, the sorrow, the want and degradation of the multitudes that thronged His steps . . . Today the same needs exist. The world is in need of workers who will labor as Christ did for the suffering and the sinful."—Welfare Ministry, 54.

"Do you, my brethren and sisters, inquire: What model shall we copy? I do not point you to great and good men, but to the world’s Redeemer. If we would have the true missionary spirit, we must be imbued with the love of Christ; we must look to the Author and Finisher of our faith, study His character, cultivate His spirit of meekness and humility, and walk in His footsteps."—Welfare Ministry, 55.

"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."—Welfare Ministry, 56.

"The union of Christ-like work for the body and Christ-like work for the soul is the true interpretation of the gospel."—Welfare Ministry, 33.

"God calls for thousands to work for Him, not by preaching to those who know the truth for this time, but by warning those who have never heard the last message of mercy. Work with a heart filled with an earnest longing for souls. Do medical missionary work. Thus you will gain access to the hearts of people, and the way will be prepared for a more decided proclamation of the truth."—Welfare Ministry, 57-58.

"Medical missionary work is the pioneer work of the gospel, the door through which the truth for this time is to find entrance to many homes. God’s people are to be genuine medical missionaries, for they are to learn to minister to the needs of both soul and body. The purest unselfishness is to be shown by our workers as, with the knowledge and experience gained by practical work, they go out to give treatments to the sick. As they go from house to house they will find access to many hearts. Many will be reached who otherwise never would have heard the gospel message."—Welfare Ministry, 125.

"A principle is brought out in this parable (of the good Samaritan) that it would be well for the followers of Christ to adopt. First meet the temporal necessities of the needy and relieve their physical wants and sufferings, and you will then find an open avenue to the heart, where you may plant the good seeds of virtue and religion."—Welfare Ministry, 118.

"When the Saviour said, ‘Go . . . teach all nations,’ He said also, ‘These signs shall follow them that believe; in My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.’ The promise is as far-reaching as the commission. Not that all the gifts are imparted to each believer. The Spirit divides ‘to every man severally as He will’ (1 Cor. 12:11). But the gifts of the Spirit are promised to every believer according to his need for the Lord’s work. The promise is just as strong and trustworthy now as in the days of the apostles. ‘These signs shall follow them that believe.’ This is the privilege of God’s children, and faith should lay hold on all that it is possible to have as an endorsement of faith.

" ‘They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.’ This world is a vast lazar house, but Christ came to heal the sick, to proclaim deliverance to the captives of Satan. He was in Himself health and strength. He imparted His life to the sick, the afflicted, those possessed of demons. He turned away none who came to receive His healing power. He knew that those who petitioned Him for help had brought disease upon themselves; yet He did not refuse to heal them. And when virtue from Christ entered into these poor souls, they were convicted of sin, and many were healed of their spiritual diseases, as well as of their physical maladies. The gospel still possesses the same power, and why should we not today witness the same results? Christ feels the woes of every sufferer. When evil spirits rend a human frame, Christ feels the curse. When fever is burning up the life current, He feels the agony. And He is just as willing to heal the sick now as when He was personally on earth. Christ’s servants are His representatives, the channels for His working. He desires through them to exercise His healing power.

"In the Saviour’s manner of healing there were lessons for His disciples. On one occasion He anointed the eyes of a blind man with clay, and bade him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam. . . . He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.’

John 9:7. The cure could be wrought only by the power of the Great Healer, yet Christ made use of the simple agencies of nature. While He did not give countenance to drug medication, He sanctioned the use of simple and natural remedies.

"To many of the afflicted ones who received healing, Christ said, ‘Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.’ John 5:14. Thus He taught that disease is the result of violating God’s laws, both natural and spiritual. The great misery in the world would not exist did men but live in harmony with the Creator’s plan."—Desire of Ages, 823-824.

"These lessons are for us. There are conditions to be observed by all who would preserve health. All should learn what these conditions are. The Lord is not pleased with ignorance in regard to His laws, either natural or spiritual. We are to be workers together with God for the restoration of health to the body as well as to the soul.

"And we should teach others how to preserve and to recover health. For the sick we should use the remedies which God has provided in nature, and we should point them to Him who alone can restore. It is our work to present the sick and suffering to Christ in the arms of our faith. We should teach them to believe in the Great Healer. We should lay hold on His promise and pray for the manifestation of His power. The very essence of the gospel is restoration, and the Saviour would have us bid the sick, the hopeless, and the afflicted take hold upon His strength.

"The power of love was in all Christ’s healing, and only by partaking of that love through faith, can we be instruments for His work. If we neglect to link ourselves in divine connection with Christ, the current of life-giving energy cannot flow in rich streams from us to the people. There were places where the Saviour Himself could not do many mighty works because of their unbelief. So now, unbelief separates the church from her divine Helper. Her hold upon eternal realities is weak. By her lack of faith, God is disappointed and robbed of His glory.

"It is in doing Christ’s work that the church has the promise of His presence. Go teach all nations, He said; ‘and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.’ To take His yoke is one of the first conditions of receiving His power."—Desire of Ages, 824-825.

"Many have expected that God would keep them from sickness merely because they have asked Him to do so. But God did not regard their prayers, because their faith was not made perfect by works. God will not work a miracle to keep those from sickness who have no care for themselves, but are continually violating the laws of health, and make no efforts to prevent disease. When we do all we can on our part to have health, then may we expect that the blessed results will follow, and we can ask God in faith to bless our efforts for the preservation of health. He will then answer our prayer, if His name can be glorified thereby."—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 26.

"Let none who profess godliness regard with indifference the health of the body, and flatter themselves that intemperance is no sin, and will not affect their spirituality. A close sympathy exists between the physical and the moral nature."—Counsels on Diet and Food, 43.

"In order to be fitted for translation, the people of God must know themselves. They must understand in regard to their own physical frames, that they may be able with the psalmist to exclaim, ‘I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.’ They should ever have the appetite in subjection to the moral and intellectual organs. The body should be servant to the mind, and not the mind to the body."—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 33.

"Those who choose to be presumptuous, saying, ‘The Lord has healed me, and I need not restrict my diet; I can eat and drink as I please,’ will erelong need, in body and soul, the restoring power of God. Because the Lord has graciously healed you, you must not think you can link yourselves up with the self-indulgent practices of the world. Do as Christ commanded after His work of healing, ‘Go and sin no more.’ John 8:11. Appetite must not be your god."—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 25.

"God has shown that health reform is as closely connected with the third angel’s message as the hand is with the body. There is nowhere to be found so great a cause of physical and moral degeneracy as a neglect of this important subject. Those who indulge appetite and passion, and close their eyes to the light for fear they will see sinful indulgences which they are unwilling to forsake, are guilty before God."—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 71-72.

"Knowledge must be gained in regards to how we eat, and drink, and dress so as to preserve health. Sickness is caused by violating the laws of health; it is the result of violating nature’s law."—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 21.

"God’s people should place themselves where they will grow in grace, being sanctified, body, soul, and spirit, by the truth. When they break away from all health-destroying indulgences, they will have a clearer perception of what constitutes true godliness. A wonderful change will be seen in the religious experience."—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 34.

"You have stumbled at the health reform. It appears to you to be a needless appendix to the truth. It is not so; it is a part of the truth. Here is a work before you which will come closer and be more trying than anything which has yet been brought to bear upon you. . . . You are stumbling over the very blessing which heaven has placed in your path to make progress less difficult."—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 39.

"We need to learn that indulged appetite is the greatest hindrance to mental improvement and soul sanctification."—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 45.

"Anything that lessens physical strength enfeebles the mind, and makes it less capable of discriminating between right and wrong. We become less capable of choosing the good, and have less strength of will to do that which we know to be right."—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 48-49.

"As our first parents lost Eden through the indulgence of appetite, our only hope of regaining Eden is through the firm denial of appetite and passion."—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 59.

"The controlling power of appetite will prove the ruin of thousands, when, if they had conquered on this point, they would have had moral power to gain the victory over every other temptation of Satan. But those who are slaves to appetite will fail in perfecting Christian character."—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 59.

"God demands that the appetites be cleansed, and that self-denial be practiced in regard to those things which are not good. This is a work that will have to be done before His people can stand before Him a perfected people."—9 Testimonies, 153-154.

"If man will cherish the light that God in mercy gives him upon health reform, he may be sanctified through the truth, and fitted for immortality."—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 70.

"The health reform, I was shown, is a part of the third angel’s message, and is just as closely connected with it as are the arm and hand with the human body. I saw that we as a people must make an advance move in this great work. Ministers and people must act in concert. God’s people are not prepared for the loud cry of the third angel. They have a work to do for themselves which they should not leave for God to do for them. He has left this work for them to do. It is an individual work; one cannot do it for another."—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 74.

"Health reform is to stand out more prominently in the proclamation of the third angel’s message. . . . In perfect and complete unity with the gospel ministry, the work of health reform will reveal its God-given power. Under the influence of the gospel, great reforms will be made by medical missionary work. But separate medical missionary work from the gospel, and the work will be crippled."—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 75.

"For years the Lord has been calling the attention of His people to health reform. This is one of the great branches of the work of preparation for the coming of the Son of Man."—Counsels on Diet and Foods, 70-71.

- CHAPTER TWO -

THE MESSAGE OF ISAIAH FIFTY-EIGHT

TO THE REMNANT CHURCH

A SPECIAL CHAPTER FOR GOD’S PEOPLE TODAY

FIRST, POINT OUT SIN AND PUT IT AWAY

— STOP VIEWING IT WITH SILENCE

SECOND, TREAT OTHERS JUSTLY.

STOP MISTREATING THEM

AND USING THEM TO YOUR OWN ADVANTAGE.

"My brethren, you need to study more carefully the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah. This chapter marks out the only course that we can follow with safety . . .

" ‘Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.’ Show them where they are making a mistake. Set their danger before them. Tell them of the sins they are committing, while at the same time they pride themselves on their righteousness. Apparently seeking God, they are forgetting Him, forgetting that He is a God of love and compassion, long-suffering and goodness, dealing justly and loving mercy. Worldly policy has come into their business and religious life. Their hearts are not purified through the truth. God looks on their outward ceremonies of humility as a solemn mockery. He regards all religious sham as an insult to Himself.

"The people of whom the prophet spoke made a high profession of piety, and pointed to their fasting and to other external forms as an evidence of their piety. But their deeds were tainted by the leprosy of selfishness and covetousness. They had nothing except that which they had first received from God. He bestowed His goods on them that they might be His helping hand, doing what Christ would do were He in their place, giving a true representation of the principles of heaven."—Letter 76, 1902.

"The outward signs of fasting and prayer, without a broken and contrite spirit, are of no value in God’s sight. The inward work of grace is needed. Humiliation of soul is essential. God looks upon this. He will graciously receive those who will humble their hearts before Him. He will hear their petitions and heal their backslidings. Ministers and people need the work of purification in their souls, that God’s judgments may be turned away from them. God is waiting—waiting for humiliation and repentance. He will receive all who will turn unto Him with their whole hearts."—Manuscript 33, 1903.

"The people here described realize that they have not the favor of God; but instead of seeking His favor in His own way, they enter into a controversy with God. They ask why, since they observe so many ceremonies, the Lord does not give them special recognition. God answers their complaints: ‘Behold, in the day of your fast, ye find pleasure and exact all your labors. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.’ These fasts are only outward show, mere pretense, a mockery of humility. These worshipers, while mourning and lamenting, retain all their objectionable traits of character. Their hearts are not humbled, nor cleansed from spiritual defilement. They have not received the softening showers of the grace of God. They are destitute of the Holy Spirit, destitute of the sweetness of the heavenly influences. They manifest no repentance, nor faith that works by love and purifies the soul. They are unjust and selfish in their dealings, mercilessly oppressing those whom they regard as their inferiors. Yet they charge God with a neglect to manifest His power to them, and exalt themselves above others because of their righteousness. The Lord sends them a message of positive reproof, showing why they are not visited by His grace."—Manuscript 48, 1900.

"[Isaiah 58:1-4, quoted] . . . The house of Jacob, at the time this warning was given to Isaiah, appeared to be a very zealous people, seeking God daily, and delighting to know His ways; but in reality they were filled with presumptuous self-confidence. They were not walking in the truth. Goodness, mercy, and love were not practiced. While presenting an appearance of sorrow for their sins, they were cherishing pride and avarice. At the very time when they were showing such outward humiliation, they would exact hard labor from those under them or in their employ. They placed a high estimate on all the good that they had done, but a very low estimate on the services of others. They despised and oppressed the poor. And their fasting only gave them a higher opinion of their own goodness.

"There are sins of this same character among us today, and they bring the rebuke of God upon His church. Wherever such sins are found, seasons of fasting and prayer are indeed necessary; but they must be accompanied with sincere repentance and decided reformation. Without such contrition of soul, these seasons only increase the guilt of the wrong-doer. The Lord has specified the fast He has chosen, the one He will accept. It is that which bears fruit to His glory, in repentance, in devotion, in true piety. [Isaiah 58:6-7, quoted].

"In the fast that God has chosen, mercy, tenderness, and compassion will be exercised. Avarice will be put away, and fraud and oppression will be repented of and renounced. All the authority and influence will be used to help the poor and oppressed."—Review, October 13, 1891.

"Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?"—Isaiah 58:6.

"The Lord has not given man the work of putting yokes on the necks of His people, binding them in such a way that they are not free to look to Him and to be led and guided by Him. It is not the Lord’s design that His people shall be made amenable to their fellow men, who are themselves wholly dependent on God."—Letter 76, 1902.

"Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?"—Isaiah 58:7.

"Of him who walks in the way of life everlasting, using his blessings to bless others, the prophet Isaiah declares: ‘The Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones. And thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.’

"These blessings we need. We need the water of life that flows from Jesus Christ, which will be in us a well of water springing up into everlasting life. ‘The Lord shall guide thee continually.’ When we are guided by the Lord, we shall have clear discernment. We shall not call righteousness unrighteousness, nor think that things that the Lord has forbidden are right. We shall understand where the Lord is working.

"Many have not understood this. There are some who I know have been led astray by the enemy. But God wants to make you a partaker of the divine nature. He wants no yoke of human authority on your neck, but that you shall look to Him who is able to save to the uttermost every one that comes to Him in righteousness and truth. We have no time to tamper with the enemy, for we are very near the close of this earth’s history."—Manuscript 43, 1908.

"The piety and advanced spiritual knowledge and growth of a church is proportionate to the zeal, piety, and missionary intelligence that has been brought into it, and carried out of it to be a blessing to the very ones who need our assistance the most. Again, I urge you to consider Isaiah 58, which opens a wide and extensive vineyard to be worked upon the lines which the Lord has pointed out. When this is done there will be an increase of moral resources and the church will no more remain almost stationary. There will be blessing and power attending their labor. The selfishness that has bound up their souls they have overcome, and now their light is being given to the world in clear, bright rays of a living faith and godly example. The Lord has His promises for all who will do His requirements."—Manuscript 14a, 1897.

"The matter of caring for our aged brethren and sisters who have no homes is constantly being urged. What can be done for them? The light which the Lord has given me has been repeated: It is not best to establish institutions for the care of the aged . . . Nor should they be sent away from home to receive care. Let the members of every family minister to their own relatives. When this is not possible, the work belongs to the church, and it should be accepted both as a duty and as a privilege. . . .

"The minister should educate the various families and strengthen the church to care for its own sick and poor. . . . Let them deny themselves luxuries and needless ornaments, that they may make the suffering needy ones comfortable. In doing this they practice the instruction given in the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah, and the blessing there pronounced will be theirs."—6 Testimonies, 272.

"We felt that the Lord’s instruction in Isaiah 58 was for us, and that His blessing would attend us in obedience to His Word. All can do something for the needy little ones, by helping to place them in homes where they can be cared for."—Welfare Ministry, 221.

"I have been instructed to refer our people to the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah. Read this chapter carefully and understand the kind of ministry that will bring life into the churches. The work of the gospel is to be carried by means of our liberality as well as by our labors. When you meet suffering souls who need help, give it to them. When you find those who are hungry, feed them. In doing this you will be working in lines of Christ’s ministry. The Master’s holy work was a benevolent work. Let our people everywhere be encouraged to have a part in it."—Manuscript 7, 1908.

"I have no fears of workers who are engaged in the work represented in the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah. This chapter is explicit, and is enough to enlighten anyone who wishes to do the will of God. There is plenty of opportunity for everyone to be a blessing to humanity. The third angel’s message is not to be given a second place in this work, but is to be one with it. There may be, and there is, a danger of burying up the great principles of truth when doing the work that is right to do. This work is to be to the message what the hand is to the body. The spiritual necessities of the soul are to be kept prominent."—Letter 24, 1898.

"The fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah contains present truth for the people of God. Here we see how medical missionary work and the gospel ministry are to be bound together as the message is given to the world. Upon those who keep the Sabbath of the Lord is laid the responsibility of doing a work of mercy and benevolence. Medical missionary work is to be bound up with the message, and sealed with the seal of God."—Evangelism, 516-517.

"[Christ declared,] ‘It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves.’ Then the Restorer practiced His medical missionary work. ‘The blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.’

The market places, the merchandise stores, need cleansing. Courts of justice, lawyer’s offices, the medical fraternity, need purifying. Shall we say that the medical missionary work needs cleansing? Christ, who came to our world to reveal the Father’s heart of tender compassion, has shown us the methods which Sabbathkeepers are to follow in their work. These are plainly specified in the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah. God will not be a party to any dishonest transaction. The soul who keeps the Sabbath is stamped with the sign of God’s government, and he must not dishonor this sign. By closely examining the Word of God, we may know whether we have the King’s mark, whether we have been chosen and set apart to honor God."—Medical Ministry, 123.

"The fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah is a prescription for maladies of the body and of the soul. If we desire health and the true joy of life, we must put into practice the rules given in this Scripture. Of the service acceptable to Him, and its blessings, the Lord says, [Isaiah 58:7-11]. . . .

"If those who are suffering from ill health would forget self in their interest for others; if they would fulfill the Lord’s command to minister to those more needy than themselves, they would realize the truthfulness of the prophetic promise, ‘Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily.’ "—Ministry of Healing, 256, 258.

"Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and Thy righteousness shall go before thee; and the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward [rearward, or, shall follow thee]. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, ‘Here I am.’ If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity. And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday. And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones. And thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not."—Isaiah 58:8-11.

"Please read Isaiah 58. . . . This is the special work now before us. All our praying and abstinence from food will avail nothing unless we resolutely lay hold of this work. Sacred obligations are resting upon us. Our duty is plainly stated. The Lord has spoken to us by His prophet. The thoughts of the Lord and His ways are not what blind, selfish mortals believe they are or wish them to be. The Lord looks on the heart. If selfishness dwells there, He knows it. We may seek to conceal our true character from our brethren and sisters, but God knows. Nothing can be hid from Him.

"The fast which God can accept is described. It is to deal thy bread to the hungry and to bring the poor which are cast out to thy house. Wait not for them to hunt you up and entreat of you a home for themselves. You are to search for them and bring them to your house. You are to draw out your souls after them. You are with one hand to reach up and by faith take hold of the mighty arm which brings salvation, while with the other hand of love you reach the oppressed and relieve them. . . .

"If you engage in this work of mercy and love, will the work prove too hard for you? Will you fail and be crushed under the burden, and your family be deprived of your assistance and influence? Oh, no; God has carefully removed all doubts upon this question, by a pledge to you on condition of your obedience. This promise covers all that the most exacting, the most hesitating, could crave. ‘Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily.’ Only believe that He is faithful that hath promised. God can renew the physical strength. And more, He says He will do it. And the promise does not end here. ‘Thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.’ God will build a fortification around thee. The promise does not stop even here. ‘Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am.’ If ye put down oppression and remove the speaking of vanity, if ye draw out your soul to the hungry, ‘then shall thy light rise in obscurity and thy darkness be as the noonday; and the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought (famine), and make fat thy bones. And thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.’ "—2 Testimonies, 33-35.

"We are to put into practice the precepts of the law, and thus have righteousness before us; the rereward will be God’s glory. The light of the righteousness of Christ will be our front guard, and the glory of the Lord will be our rereward. Let us thank the Lord for this assurance. Let us constantly stand in a position where the Lord God of heaven can favor us. Let us consider that it is our high privilege to be in connection with God—to be His helping hand."—Notebook Leaflets, No. 23, page 1.

"Note the inspired promise of the prophet to those who do all in their power to relieve distress, both physical and spiritual [Isaiah 58:8, quoted]. As Christians we are to have a righteousness that shall be developed and seen—a righteousness that represents the character of Jesus Christ when He was in our world."—Manuscript 43, 1908.

"To those who minister to the necessities of the hungry and afflicted, the promise is, ‘Then shall thy light arise in obscurity.’ Many are in obscurity. They have lost their bearings. They know not what course to pursue. Let the perplexed ones search out others who are in perplexity, and speak to them words of hope and encouragement. When they begin to do this work, the light of heaven will reveal to them the path that they should follow. By their words of consolation to the afflicted they themselves will be consoled. By helping others, they themselves will be helped out of their difficulties."—Manuscript 116, 1902.

"As believers in Christ we need greater faith. We need to be more fervent in prayer. Many wonder why their prayers are so lifeless, their faith so feeble and wavering, their Christian experience so dark and uncertain. Have we not fasted, they say, and ‘walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?’ In the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah, Christ has shown how this condition of things may be changed. He says: ‘Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?’ This is the recipe that Christ prescribed for the fainthearted, doubting, trembling soul. Let the sorrowful ones, who walk mournfully before the Lord, arise and help someone who needs help. . . .

"To those who have been engaged in this work I would say: Continue to work with tact and ability. Arouse your associates to work under some name whereby they may be organized to cooperate in harmonious action. Get the young men and women in the churches to work. Combine medical missionary work with the proclamation of the third angel’s message. Make regular, organized efforts to lift the church members out of the dead level in which they have been for years. . . . God’s people must realize their great need and peril, and take up the work that lies nearest them.

"With those who engage in this work, speaking words in season and out of season, helping the needy, telling them of the wonderful love of Christ for them, the Saviour is always present, impressing the hearts of the poor and miserable and wretched. When the church accepts its God-given work, the promise is [Isaiah 58:8, quoted]. Christ is our righteousness; He goes before us in this work, and the glory of the Lord follows.

"All that Heaven contains is awaiting the draft of every soul who will labor in Christ’s lines. As the members of our churches individually take up their appointed work, they will be surrounded with an entirely different atmosphere. A blessing and a power will attend their labors. They will experience a higher culture of mind and heart. The selfishness that has bound up their souls will be overcome. Their faith will be a living principle. Their prayers will be more fervent. The quickening, sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon them, and they will be brought nearer to the kingdom of heaven."—6 Testimonies, 266-268.