When Christ sent out the twelve disciples on their first
missionary tour, He bade them, "As ye go, preach,
saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick,
cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have
received, freely give." Matthew 10:7, 8.
To the Seventy sent forth later He said: "Into whatsoever
city ye enter, . . . heal the sick that are therein, and say unto
them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." Luke
10:8, 9. The presence and power of Christ was with them,
"and the Seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even
the devils are subject unto us through Thy name." Verse 17.
After Christ's ascension the same work was continued.
The scenes of His own ministry were repeated. "Out of the
cities round about" there came a multitude "unto Jerusalem,
bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean
spirits: and they were healed every one." Acts 5:16.
And the disciples "went forth, and preached everywhere,
the Lord working with them." "Philip went down to the city
of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people
with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip
spake. . . . For unclean spirits . . . came out of many that
were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and
that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that
city." Mark 16:20; Acts 8:5-8.
Work of the Disciples
Luke, the writer of the Gospel that bears his name, was a
medical missionary. In the Scriptures he is called "the beloved
physician." Colossians 4:14. The apostle Paul heard of his
skill as a physician, and sought him out as one to whom the
Lord had entrusted a special work. He secured his co-operation,
and for some time Luke accompanied him in his travels
from place to place. After a time, Paul left Luke at Philippi,
in Macedonia. Here he continued to labor for several years,
both as a physician and as a teacher of the gospel. In his work
as a physician he ministered to the sick, and then prayed for
the healing power of God to rest upon the afflicted ones. Thus
the way was opened for the gospel message. Luke's success as
a physician gained for him many opportunities for preaching
Christ among the heathen. It is the divine plan that we shall
work as the disciples worked. Physical healing is bound up
with the gospel commission. In the work of the gospel, teaching
and healing are never to be separated.
The work of the disciples was to spread a knowledge of the
gospel. To them was committed the work of proclaiming to
all the world the good news that Christ brought to men. That
work they accomplished for the people of their time. To every
nation under heaven the gospel was carried in a single generation.
The giving of the gospel to the world is the work that God
has committed to those who bear His name. For earth's sin
and misery the gospel is the only antidote. To make known
to all mankind the message of the grace of God is the first
work of those who know its healing power.
When Christ sent forth the disciples with the gospel
message, faith in God and His word had well-nigh departed from
the world. Among the Jewish people, who professed to have
a knowledge of Jehovah, His word had been set aside for
tradition and human speculation. Selfish ambition, love of
ostentation, greed of gain, absorbed men's thoughts. As reverence
for God departed, so also departed compassion toward men.
Selfishness was the ruling principle, and Satan worked his
will in the misery and degradation of mankind.
Satanic agencies took possession of men. The bodies of
human beings, made for the dwelling place of God, became
the habitation of demons. The senses, the nerves, the organs
of men were worked by supernatural agencies in the indulgence
of the vilest lust. The very stamp of demons was
impressed upon the countenances of men. Human faces
reflected the expression of the legions of evil with which men
were possessed.
What is the condition in the world today? Is not faith in
the Bible as effectually destroyed by the higher criticism and
speculation of today as it was by tradition and rabbinism in
the days of Christ? Have not greed and ambition and love of
pleasure as strong a hold on men's hearts now as they had
then? In the professedly Christian world, even in the
professed churches of Christ, how few are governed by Christian
principles. In business, social, domestic, even religious circles,
how few make the teachings of Christ the rule of daily living.
Is it not true that "justice standeth afar off: . . . equity
cannot enter. . . . And he that departeth from evil maketh
himself a prey"? Isaiah 59:14, 15.
We are living in the midst of an "epidemic of crime," at
which thoughtful, God-fearing men everywhere stand aghast.
The corruption that prevails, it is beyond the power of the
human pen to describe. Every day brings fresh revelations of
political strife, bribery, and fraud. Every day brings its
heart-sickening record of violence and lawlessness, of indifference to
human suffering, of brutal, fiendish destruction of human
life. Every day testifies to the increase of insanity, murder,
and suicide. Who can doubt that satanic agencies are at work
among men with increasing activity to distract and corrupt
the mind, and defile and destroy the body?
And while the world is filled with these evils, the gospel
is too often presented in so indifferent a manner as to make
but little impression upon the consciences or the lives of men.
Everywhere there are hearts crying out for something which
they have not. They long for a power that will give them
mastery over sin, a power that will deliver them from the
bondage of evil, a power that will give health and life and
peace. Many who once knew the power of God's word have
dwelt where there is no recognition of God, and they long
for the divine presence.
The world needs today what it needed nineteen hundred
years ago--a revelation of Christ. A great work of reform is
demanded, and it is only through the grace of Christ that the
work of restoration, physical, mental, and spiritual, can be
accomplished.
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."
There is need of coming close to the people by personal
effort. If less time were given to sermonizing, and more time
were spent in personal ministry, greater results would be
seen. The poor are to be relieved, the sick cared for, the
sorrowing and the bereaved comforted, the ignorant instructed,
the inexperienced counseled. We are to weep with those that
weep, and rejoice with those that rejoice. Accompanied by
the power of persuasion, the power of prayer, the power of
the love of God, this work will not, cannot, be without fruit.
We should ever remember that the object of the medical
missionary work is to point sin-sick men and women to the
Man of Calvary, who taketh away the sin of the world. By
beholding Him, they will be changed into His likeness. We
are to encourage the sick and suffering to look to Jesus and
live. Let the workers keep Christ, the Great Physician,
constantly before those to whom disease of body and soul has
brought discouragement. Point them to the One who can
heal both physical and spiritual disease. Tell them of the One
who is touched with the feeling of their infirmities. Encourage
them to place themselves in the care of Him who gave His
life to make it possible for them to have life eternal. Talk of
His love; tell of His power to save.
This is the high duty and precious privilege of the medical
missionary. And personal ministry often prepares the way
for this. God often reaches hearts through our efforts to relieve
physical suffering.
Medical missionary work is the pioneer work of the gospel.
In the ministry of the word and in the medical missionary
work the gospel is to be preached and practiced.
In almost every community there are large numbers who
do not listen to the preaching of God's word or attend any
religious service. If they are reached by the gospel, it must be
carried to their homes. Often the relief of their physical needs
is the only avenue by which they can be approached.
Missionary nurses who care for the sick and relieve the distress of
the poor will find many opportunities to pray with them, to
read to them from God's word, and to speak of the Saviour.
They can pray with and for the helpless ones who have not
strength of will to control the appetites that passion has
degraded. They can bring a ray of hope into the lives of the
defeated and disheartened. Their unselfish love, manifested
in acts of disinterested kindness, will make it easier for these
suffering ones to believe in the love of Christ.
Many have no faith in God and have lost confidence in
man. But they appreciate acts of sympathy and helpfulness.
As they see one with no inducement of earthly praise or
compensation come into their homes, ministering to the sick,
feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, comforting the sad, and
tenderly pointing all to Him of whose love and pity the
human worker is but the messenger--as they see this, their
hearts are touched. Gratitude springs up. Faith is kindled.
They see that God cares for them, and they are prepared to
listen as His word is opened.
Whether in foreign missions or in the home field, all
missionaries, both men and women, will gain much more ready
access to the people, and will find their usefulness greatly
increased, if they are able to minister to the sick. Women
who go as missionaries to heathen lands may thus find
opportunity for giving the gospel to the women of these lands,
when every other door of access is closed. All gospel workers
should know how to give the simple treatments that do so
much to relieve pain and remove disease.
Teaching Health Principles
Gospel workers should be able also to give instruction in
the principles of healthful living. There is sickness everywhere,
and most of it might be prevented by attention to the
laws of health. The people need to see the bearing of health
principles upon their well-being, both for this life and for the
life to come. They need to be awakened to their responsibility
for the human habitation fitted up by their Creator as His
dwelling place, and over which He desires them to be faithful
stewards. They need to be impressed with the truth
conveyed in the words of Holy Writ:
"Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I
will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their
God, and they shall be My people." 2 Corinthians 6:16.
Thousands need and would gladly receive instruction
concerning the simple methods of treating the sick--methods
that are taking the place of the use of poisonous drugs. There
is great need of instruction in regard to dietetic reform.
Wrong habits of eating and the use of unhealthful food are in
no small degree responsible for the intemperance and crime
and wretchedness that curse the world.
In teaching health principles, keep before the mind the
great object of reform--that its purpose is to secure the
highest development of body and mind and soul. Show that the
laws of nature, being the laws of God, are designed for our
good; that obedience to them promotes happiness in this life,
and aids in the preparation for the life to come.
Lead the people to study the manifestation of God's love
and wisdom in the works of nature. Lead them to study that
marvelous organism, the human system, and the laws by
which it is governed. Those who perceive the evidences of
God's love, who understand something of the wisdom and
beneficence of His laws, and the results of obedience, will
come to regard their duties and obligations from an
altogether different point of view. Instead of looking upon an
observance of the laws of health as a matter of sacrifice or
self-denial, they will regard it, as it really is, as an inestimable
blessing.
Every gospel worker should feel that the giving of instruction
in the principles of healthful living is a part of his
appointed work. Of this work there is great need, and the
world is open for it.
Everywhere there is a tendency to substitute the work of
organizations for individual effort. Human wisdom tends to
consolidation, to centralization, to the building up of great
churches and institutions. Multitudes leave to institutions
and organizations the work of benevolence; they excuse
themselves from contact with the world, and their hearts grow
cold. They become self-absorbed and unimpressible. Love
for God and man dies out of the soul.
Christ commits to His followers an individual work--a
work that cannot be done by proxy. Ministry to the sick and
the poor, the giving of the gospel to the lost, is not to be left to
committees or organized charities. Individual responsibility,
individual effort, personal sacrifice, is the requirement of the
gospel.
"Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them
to come in," is Christ's command, "that My house may be
filled." He brings men into touch with those whom they seek
to benefit. "Bring the poor that are cast out to thy house," He
says. "When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him." "They
shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." Luke 14:
23; Isaiah 58:7; Mark 16:18. Through direct contact, through
personal ministry, the blessings of the gospel are to be
communicated.
In giving light to His people anciently, God did not work
exclusively through any one class. Daniel was a prince of
Judah. Isaiah also was of the royal line. David was a
shepherd boy, Amos a herdsman, Zechariah a captive from Babylon,
Elisha a tiller of the soil. The Lord raised up as His
representatives prophets and princes, the noble and the lowly, and
taught them the truths to be given to the world.
To everyone who becomes a partaker of His grace the
Lord appoints a work for others. Individually we are to
stand in our lot and place, saying, "Here am I; send me."
Isaiah 6:8. Upon the minister of the word, the missionary
nurse, the Christian physician, the individual Christian,
whether he be merchant or farmer, professional man or
mechanic--the responsibility rests upon all. It is our work to
reveal to men the gospel of their salvation. Every enterprise
in which we engage should be a means to this end.
Those who take up their appointed work will not only be
a blessing to others, but they will themselves be blessed. The
consciousness of duty well done will have a reflex influence
upon their own souls. The despondent will forget their
despondency, the weak will become strong, the ignorant intelligent,
and all will find an unfailing helper in Him who has
called them.
The church of Christ is organized for service. Its
watchword is ministry. Its members are soldiers, to be trained for
conflict under the Captain of their salvation. Christian ministers,
physicians, teachers, have a broader work than many have
recognized. They are not only to minister to the people, but
to teach them to minister. They should not only give instruction
in right principles, but educate their hearers to impart
these principles. Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted,
loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessing can
be retained only as it is shared.
The monotony of our service for God needs to be broken
up. Every church member should be engaged in some line of
service for the Master. Some cannot do so much as others,
but everyone should do his utmost to roll back the tide of
disease and distress that is sweeping over our world. Many
would be willing to work if they were taught how to begin.
They need to be instructed and encouraged.
Every church should be a training school for Christian
workers. Its members should be taught how to give Bible
readings, how to conduct and teach Sabbath-school classes,
how best to help the poor and to care for the sick, how to
work for the unconverted. There should be schools of health,
cooking schools, and classes in various lines of Christian help
work. There should not only be teaching, but actual work
under experienced instructors. Let the teachers lead the way
in working among the people, and others, uniting with them,
will learn from their example. One example is worth more
than many precepts.
Let all cultivate their physical and mental powers to the
utmost of their ability, that they may work for God where
His providence shall call them. The same grace that came
from Christ to Paul and Apollos, that distinguished them for
spiritual excellencies, will today be imparted to devoted Christian
missionaries. God desires His children to have intelligence
and knowledge, that with unmistakable clearness and
power His glory may be revealed in our world.
Educated workers who are consecrated to God can do
service in a greater variety of ways and can accomplish more
extensive work than can those who are uneducated. Their
discipline of mind places them on vantage ground. But those
who have neither great talents nor extensive education may
minister acceptably to others. God will use men who are willing
to be used. It is not the most brilliant or the most talented
persons whose work produces the greatest and most lasting
results. Men and women are needed who have heard a
message from heaven. The most effective workers are those who
respond to the invitation, "Take My yoke upon you, and
learn of Me." Matthew 11:29.
It is heart missionaries that are needed. He whose heart
God touches is filled with a great longing for those who have
never known His love. Their condition impresses him with a
sense of personal woe. Taking his life in his hand, he goes
forth, a heaven-sent, heaven-inspired messenger, to do a work
in which angels can co-operate.
If those to whom God has entrusted great talents of
intellect put these gifts to a selfish use, they will be left, after a
period of trial, to follow their own way. God will take men
who do not appear to be so richly endowed, who have not
large self-confidence, and He will make the weak strong,
because they trust in Him to do for them that which they
cannot do for themselves. God will accept the wholehearted
service, and will Himself make up the deficiencies.
The Lord has often chosen for His colaborers men who
have had opportunity to obtain but a limited school education.
These men have applied their powers most diligently, and
the Lord has rewarded their fidelity to His work, their industry,
their thirst for knowledge. He has witnessed their tears
and heard their prayers. As His blessing came to the captives
in the courts of Babylon, so does He give wisdom and knowledge
to His workers today.
Men deficient in school education, lowly in social position,
have, through the grace of Christ, sometimes been wonderfully
successful in winning souls for Him. The secret of their
success was their confidence in God. They learned daily of
Him who is wonderful in counsel and mighty in power.
Such workers are to be encouraged. The Lord brings them
into connection with those of more marked ability, to fill up
the gaps that others leave. Their quickness to see what is to
be done, their readiness to help those in need, their kind words
and deeds, open doors of usefulness that otherwise would
remain closed. They come close to those in trouble, and the
persuasive influence of their words has power to draw many
trembling souls to God. Their work shows what thousands of
others might do, if they only would.
A Broader Life
Nothing will so arouse a self-sacrificing zeal and broaden
and strengthen the character as to engage in work for others.
Many professed Christians, is seeking church relationship,
think only of themselves. They wish to enjoy church fellowship
and pastoral care. They become members of large and
prosperous churches, and are content to do little for others.
In this way they are robbing themselves of the most precious
blessings. Many would be greatly benefited by sacrificing
their pleasant, ease-conducing associations. They need to go
where their energies will be called out in Christian work and
they can learn to bear responsibilities.
Trees that are crowded closely together do not grow
healthfully and sturdily. The gardener transplants them that they
may have room to develop. A similar work would benefit
many of the members of large churches. They need to be
placed where their energies will be called forth in active
Christian effort. They are losing their spiritual life, becoming
dwarfed and inefficient, for want of self-sacrificing labor for
others. Transplanted to some missionary field, they would
grow strong and vigorous.
But none need wait until called to some distant field before
beginning to help others. Doors of service are open everywhere.
All around us are those who need our help. The
widow, the orphan, the sick and the dying, the heartsick, the
discouraged, the ignorant, and the outcast are on every hand.
We should feel it our special duty to work for those living
in our neighborhood. Study how you can best help those who
take no interest in religious things. As you visit your friends
and neighbors, show an interest in their spiritual as well as in
their temporal welfare. Speak to them of Christ as a
sin-pardoning Saviour. Invite your neighbors to your home, and
read with them from the precious Bible and from books that
explain its truths. Invite them to unite with you in song and
prayer. In these little gatherings, Christ Himself will be
present, as He has promised, and hearts will be touched by
His grace.
Church members should educate themselves to do this
work. This is just as essential as to save the benighted souls
in foreign countries. While some feel the burden for souls
afar off, let the many who are at home feel the burden of
precious souls who are around them, and work just as
diligently for their salvation.
Many regret that they are living a narrow life. They
themselves can make their life broad and influential if they will.
Those who love Jesus with heart and mind and soul, and
their neighbor as themselves, have a wide field in which to
use their ability and influence.
Little Opportunities
Let none pass by little opportunities, to look for larger
work. You might do successfully the small work, but fail
utterly in attempting the larger work, and fall into discouragement.
It is by doing with your might what you find to do
that you will develop aptitude for larger work. It is by slighting
the daily opportunities, by neglecting the little things
right at hand, that so many become fruitless and withered.
Do not depend upon human aid. Look beyond human
beings to the One appointed by God to bear our griefs, to carry
our sorrows, and to supply our necessities. Taking God at
His word, make a beginning wherever you find work to do,
and move forward with unfaltering faith. It is faith in Christ's
presence that gives strength and steadfastness. Work with
unselfish interest, with painstaking effort, with persevering
energy.
In fields where the conditions are so objectionable and
disheartening that many are unwilling to go to them, remarkable
changes have been wrought by the efforts of self-sacrificing
workers. Patiently and perseveringly they labored, not relying
upon human power, but upon God, and His grace
sustained them. The amount of good thus accomplished will
never be known in this world, but blessed results will be seen
in the great hereafter.
Self-Supporting Missionaries
In many places self-supporting missionaries can work
successfully. It was as a self-supporting missionary that the apostle
Paul labored in spreading the knowledge of Christ throughout
the world. While daily teaching the gospel in the great
cities of Asia and Europe, he wrought at the trade of a craftsman
to sustain himself and his companions. His parting
words to the elders of Ephesus, showing his manner of labor,
have precious lessons for every gospel worker:
"Ye know," he said, "after what manner I have been with
you at all seasons: . . . and how I kept back nothing that
was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have
taught you publicly, and from house to house. . . . I have
coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves
know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities,
and to them that were with me. I have showed you all things,
how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to
remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more
blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:18-35.
Many today, if imbued with the same spirit of self-sacrifice,
could do a good work in a similar way. Let two or more start
out together in evangelistic work. Let them visit the people,
praying, singing, teaching, explaining the Scriptures, and
ministering to the sick. Some can sustain themselves as
canvassers; others, like the apostle, can labor at some handicraft
or in other lines of effort. As they move forward in their
work, realizing their helplessness, but humbly depending
upon God, they gain a blessed experience. The Lord Jesus
goes before them, and among the wealthy and the poor they
find favor and help.
Those who have been trained for medical missionary work
in foreign countries should be encouraged to go without delay
where they expect to labor, and begin work among the people,
learning the language as they work. Very soon they will be
able to teach the simple truths of God's word.
Throughout the world, messengers of mercy are needed.
There is a call for Christian families to go into communities
that are in darkness and error, to go to foreign fields, to
become acquainted with the needs of their fellow men, and
to work for the cause of the Master. If such families would
settle in the dark places of the earth, places where the people
are enshrouded in spiritual gloom, and let the light of Christ's
life shine out through them, what a noble work might be
accomplished.
This work requires self-sacrifice. While many are waiting
to have every obstacle removed, the work they might do is left
undone, and multitudes are dying without hope and without
God. Some for the sake of commercial advantage, or to
acquire scientific knowledge, will venture into unsettled
regions and cheerfully endure sacrifice and hardship; but
how few for the sake of their fellow men are willing to move
their families into regions that are in need of the gospel.
To reach the people, wherever they are, and whatever their
position or condition, and to help them in every way possible--this
is true ministry. But such effort you may win hearts
and open a door of access to perishing souls.
In all you work remember that you are bound up with
Christ, a part of the great plan of redemption. The love of
Christ, in a healing, life-giving current, is to flow through your
life. As you seek to draw others within the circle of His love,
let the purity of your language, the unselfishness of your
service, the joyfulness of your demeanor, bear witness to the
power of His grace. Give to the world so pure and righteous
a representation of Him, that men shall behold Him in His
beauty.
It is of little use to try to reform others by attacking what
we may regard as wrong habits. Such effort often results in
more harm than good. In His talk with the Samaritan
woman, instead of disparaging Jacob's well, Christ presented
something better. "If thou knewest the gift of God," He said,
"and who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink; thou
wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee
living water." John 4:10. He turned the conversation to the
treasure He had to bestow, offering the woman something
better than she possessed, even living water, the joy and hope
of the gospel.
This is an illustration of the way in which we are to work.
We must offer men something better than that which they
possess, even the peace of Christ, which passeth all
understanding. We must tell them of God's holy law, the transcript
of His character, and an expression of that which He wishes
them to become. Show them how infinitely superior to the
fleeting joys and pleasures of the world is the imperishable
glory of heaven. Tell them of the freedom and rest to be
found in the Saviour. "Whosoever drinketh of the water that
I shall give him shall never thirst," He declared. Verse 14.
Lift up Jesus, crying, "Behold, the Lamb of God, that
taketh away the sin of the world!" John 1:29, A.R.V. He alone
can satisfy the craving of the heart and give peace to the soul.
Of all people in the world, reformers should be the most
unselfish, the most kind, the most courteous. In their lives
should be seen the true goodness of unselfish deeds. The
worker who manifests a lack of courtesy, who shows
impatience at the ignorance on waywardness of others, who speaks
hastily or acts thoughtlessly, may close the door to hearts so
that he can never reach them.
As the dew and the still showers fall upon the withering
plants, so let words fall gently when seeking to win men from
error. God's plan is first to reach the heart. We are to speak
the truth in love, trusting in Him to give it power for the
reforming of the life. The Holy Spirit will apply to the soul
the word that is spoken in love.
Naturally we are self-centered and opinionated. But when
we learn the lessons that Christ desires to teach us, we become
partakers of His nature; henceforth we live His life. The
wonderful example of Christ, the matchless tenderness with
which He entered into the feelings of others, weeping with
those who wept, rejoicing with those who rejoiced, must have
a deep influence upon the character of all who follow Him in
sincerity. By kindly words and acts they will try to make the
path easy for weary feet.
"The Lord Eternal hath given me a tongue for teaching."
"That I should know how to speak a word in season to him
that is weary." Isaiah 50:4, Leeser; A.V.
All around us are afflicted souls. Here and there, everywhere,
we may find them. Let us search out these suffering
ones and speak a word in season to comfort their hearts. Let
us ever be channels through which shall flow the refreshing
waters of compassion.
In all our associations it should be remembered that in the
experience of others there are chapters sealed from mortal
sight. On the pages of memory are sad histories that are
sacredly guarded from curious eyes. There stand registered
long, hard battles with trying circumstances, perhaps troubles
in the home life, that day by day weaken courage, confidence,
and faith. Those who are fighting the battle of life at great
odds may be strengthened and encouraged by little attentions
that cost only a loving effort. To such the strong, helpful
grasp of the hand by a true friend is worth more than gold or
silver. Words of kindness are as welcome as the smile of angels.
There are multitudes struggling with poverty, compelled
to labor hard for small wages, and able to secure but the barest
necessities of life. Toil and deprivation, with no hope of
better things, make their burden very heavy. When pain and
sickness are added, the burden is almost insupportable. Careworn
and oppressed, they know not where to turn for relief.
Sympathize with them in their trials, their heartaches, and
disappointments. This will open the way for you to help
them. Speak to them of God's promises, pray with and for
them, inspire them with hope.
Words of cheer and encouragement spoken when the soul
is sick and the pulse of courage is low--these are regarded by
the Saviour as if spoken to Himself. As hearts are cheered,
the heavenly angels look on in pleased recognition.
From age to age the Lord has been seeking to awaken in
the souls of men a sense of their divine brotherhood. Be
co-workers with Him. While distrust and alienation are pervading
the world, Christ's disciples are to reveal the spirit that
reigns in heaven.
Speak as He would speak, act as He would act. Constantly
reveal the sweetness of His character. Reveal that wealth of
love which underlies all His teachings and all His dealings
with men. The humblest workers, in co-operation with
Christ, may touch chords whose vibrations shall ring to the
ends of the earth and make melody throughout eternal ages.
Heavenly intelligences are waiting to co-operate with
human instrumentalities, that they may reveal to the world
what human beings may become, and what, through union
with the Divine, may be accomplished for the saving of souls
that are ready to perish. There is no limit to the usefulness
of one who, putting self aside, makes room for the working
of the Holy Spirit upon his heart and lives a life wholly
consecrated to God. All who consecrate body, soul, and spirit
to His service will be constantly receiving a new endowment
of physical, mental, and spiritual power. The inexhaustible
supplies of heaven are at their command. Christ gives them
the breath of His own Spirit, the life of His own life. The
Holy Spirit puts forth its highest energies to work in mind
and heart. Through the grace given us we may achieve
victories that because of our own erroneous and preconceived
opinions, our defects of character, our smallness of faith, have
seemed impossible.
To everyone who offers himself to the Lord for service,
withholding nothing, is given power for the attainment of
measureless results. For these God will do great things. He
will work upon the minds of men so that, even in this world,
there shall be seen in their lives a fulfillment of the promise
of the future state.
"The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them;
And the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and
singing;
The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it,
The excellency of Carmel and Sharon,
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
And the excellency of our God.
"Strengthen ye the weak hands,
And confirm the feeble knees.
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not;
Behold, your God. . . .
"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart,
And the tongue of the dumb sing:
For in the wilderness shall waters break out,
And streams in the desert.
"And the parched ground shall become a pool,
And the thirsty land springs of water. . . .
And an highway shall be there, and a way,
And it shall be called The way of holiness;
The unclean shall not pass over it;
But it shall be for those;
The wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
"No lion shall be there,
Nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon,
It shall not be found there;
But the redeemed shall walk there;
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with songs
And everlasting joy upon their heads;
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And sorrow and sighing shall flee away."
Isaiah 35:1-10.