Friday, September 25, 2009

Advice from the Spirit of Prophesy, Pt 14

"An infinite sacrifice has been made for man, and made in vain for every soul who will not accept of salvation. How important, then, that the one who presents the truth shall do so under a full sense of the responsibility resting upon him! How tender, pitiful, and courteous should be all his conduct in dealing with the souls of men, when the Redeemer of the world has shown that he values them so highly! The question is asked by Christ, "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household?" [MATT. 24:45.] Jesus asks, "Who?" and every minister of the gospel should repeat the question to his own heart. As he views the solemn truths, and his mind beholds the picture drawn of the faithful and wise steward, his soul should be stirred to the very depths" (Gospel Workers (1892), p. 15).

"Again: those who do accept the truth naturally expect that the one who presents it to them is right in his ideas of general principles and of what constitutes Christian character. When associated with him, they incline to do as he does. If his practices are wrong, they almost imperceptibly become partakers of the evil. His defects are reproduced in their religious experience. Often, through their love and reverence for him, some objectionable feature of his character is even copied by them as a virtue. If the one who is thus misrepresenting Christ could know what harm has been wrought by the faults of character which he has excused and cherished, he would be filled with horror" (Review and Herald, April 12, 1892, par. 5).

"All who reject the sacred message regarding the requirements of the law of God, reject truth. God's obedient people are to hold fast to truth in every line. This is the only hope of the soul when Satan seeks to take control of heart and mind.

"The resistance of truth leaves men captive to the will of Satan. Those who today hold fast to erroneous ideas, and feel satisfied with popular errors, rejecting a plain "Thus saith the Lord," reveal that had they lived in the days of Christ, they would have helped to swell the cry of the murderous mob, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" (The Paulson Collection of Ellen G. White Letters, p.3).

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