Chapter 1

Do I rob God?

But Israel did not fulfill God's purpose. They forgot God and lost sight of their high privilege as His representatives. The blessings that they received brought no blessing to the world. All their advantages were appropriated for their own glorification. They robbed God of the service He required of them, and they robbed their fellow men of religious guidance and a Holy example. 8T 26

What is His plan for service?

It is His plan that men are to work for their fellow men. - AA 109, RH 03-02-1911.16

God "could send means from heaven to carry on his work; but this is out of his order. He has ordained that men should be his instruments, that as a great sacrifice was made to redeem them, they should act a part in this work of salvation, by making a sacrifice for one another, and by thus doing show how highly they prize the sacrifice that has been made for them." 1T 174

"All that the apostles did, every church member today is to do." 7T 33

What if we neglect to do His will?

That is, if one neglects the duty Christ has enjoined, of trying to restore those who are in error and sin, he becomes a partaker in the sin. For evils that we might have checked, we are just as responsible as if we were guilty of the acts ourselves. - DA 440

Are God's promises for real?

When we realize that we are working together with God, His promises will not be spoken with indifference. They will burn in our hearts, and kindle upon our lips. To Moses, when called to minister to an ignorant, undisciplined, and rebellious people, God gave the promise, " My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. " And he said, " certainly I will be with thee. " Ex. 33:14; 3:12. This promise is to all who labor in Christ's stead for his afflicted and suffering ones.

Love to man is the earthward manifestation of the love of God. DA 641

How much education do I need?

God can and will use those who have not had a thorough education in the schools of men. A doubt of his power to do this, is manifest unbelief; it is limiting the omnipotent power of the one with whom nothing is impossible. O for less of this uncalled-for , distrustful caution! GW 488, 9T 259

I can do it on my own!

"All the good qualities that men possess are the gift of God; their good deeds are performed by the grace of God through Christ. Since they owe all to God the glory of whatever they are or do belongs to Him alone; they are but instruments in His hands. For if one comes to lose sight of his entire dependency on God, and to trust to his own strength, he is sure to fall." - PP 717

I keep running into opposition!

Obstacles to the advancement of the work of God will appear; but fear not. To the omnipotence of the King of Kings, our covenant-keeping God unites the gentleness and care of a tender shepherd. Nothing can stand in His way. His power is absolute, and it is the pledge of the sure fulfillment of His promises to His people. He can remove all obstructions to the advancement of His work. He has means for the removal of every difficulty, that those who serve Him and respect the means He employs may be delivered. His goodness and love are infinite, and His covenant is unalterable. 8T 10

How does this happen?

Every obstacle to the redemption of God's people is to be removed by the opening of His Word and the presentation of a plain "thus said the Lord." 8T 10

But nothing happens!

The plans of the enemy of His work may seem to be firm and well established, but He can overthrow the strongest of these plans, and in His own time and way He will do this, when He sees that our faith has been sufficiently tested and that we are drawn near to Him and making Him our counselor. 8T 10

What else hinders our success?

I asked the angel why there was no more faith and power in Israel. He said, "ye let go of the arm of the Lord too soon. Press your petition to the throne and hold on by strong faith. The promises are sure. Believe ye receive the things ye ask for, and ye shall have them." I was then pointed to Elijah. He was subject to like passions as we are. And he prayed earnestly. His faith endured the trial. Seven times he prayed before the Lord, and at last the cloud was seen. I saw that we had doubted the sure promises, and wounded the Savior by our lack of faith. EW 73

"It is the absence of the Spirit that makes the Gospel ministry so powerless. Learning, talent, eloquence, even natural or acquired endowment, may be possessed; but without the presence of the Spirit of God, no heart will be touched, no sinner won to Christ. On the other hand, if they are connected with Christ, if the gifts of the Spirit are theirs, the poorest and most ignorant of His disciples will have a power that will tell upon hearts. God makes them the channel for the outworking of the highest influence in the universe." COL 328

Answered Prayer Delayed

"I saw that if we do not feel immediate answers to our prayers, we should hold fast our faith, not allowing distrust to come in, for that will separate us from God. If our faith wavers, we shall receive nothing from Him. Our confidence in God should be strong; and when we need it most, the blessing will fall upon us like a shower of rain." 1T 121

Answer to Prayer

Let your heart break for the longing it has for God, for the living God. The life of Christ has shown what humanity can do by being partaker of the divine nature. All that Christ received from God we too may have. Then ask and receive. With the persevering faith of Jacob, with the unyielding persistence of Elijah, claim for yourself all that God has promised.

Let the glorious conceptions of God possess your mind. Let your life be knit by hidden links to the life of Jesus. He who commanded the light to shine out of darkness is willing to shine in your heart, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will take the things of God and show them unto you, conveying them as a living power into the obedient heart. Christ will lead you to the threshold of the Infinite. You may behold the glory beyond the veil, and reveal to men the sufficiency of Him who ever liveth to make intercession for us. COL 149

Prayer Delayed

To the sincere suppliant God will send an answer to every petition uttered in humility and faith. He may say "Yes," He may say "No," or He may say simply "Wait." Sometimes answer to prayer may be delayed because a change must come about in our own hearts before God can answer it (see DA 200). BC

There are definite conditions to answered prayer, and if there seems to be delay, we should inquire whether the difficulty may be with us. It is an insult to God to be impatient with Him when we have not complied with the conditions under which it is possible for Him to answer prayer. - BC on Luke 11:9

Obstacles to Prayer

The central lesson of the parable is, of course, steadfastness in prayer. The parable also defines the kind of requests for which our Lord counsels steadfastness--prayers whose object is the blessing of our fellow men and the extension of His kingdom. "All that Christ received from God we too may have" (COL 149). BC on Luke 11:9

Fickleness in prayer is not pleasing to God, "with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17). He who is fickle in prayer is not really expecting anything of God. "He that wavereth" need not "think that he shall receive anything of the Lord" (James 1:6, 7). BC on Luke 11:9

What promises do we have?

Prov. 3:5,6 NKJ --" Trust in the Lord with all (your) heart, and lean not on (your) own understanding; V. 6 In all (your) ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct (your) paths."

Prov. 16:3 NIV --"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

"Those whose affections are set on God will succeed." 7 Test. p. 90

"To every worker I would say: go forth in humble faith, and the Lord will go with you... The power is of God. Work in dependence upon Him, remembering that you are laborers together with Him. He is your helper. Your strength is from Him. He will be your wisdom, your righteousness, your sanctification, your redemption... He will be your comfort, your rest." GW. p.38

"If the servants of God will walk with Him in faith, He will give power to their message. They will be enabled so to present His love and the danger of rejection the grace of God that men will be constrained to accept the Gospel. Christ will perform wonderful miracles if men will but do their God-given part." COL. p. 149

Who is responsible to open doors?

Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's Gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord. - 2 Cor 2:12

Why do we need spiritual help?

"for though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. v. 4. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to diminish strongholds. v. 5. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." - NIV 2 Cor 10:3

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the Savior of his knowledge by us in every place. - 2 Cor 2:14

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. - 2 Tim 3:16

Why do we have these problems?

"My brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials, v. 3. Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. v. 4. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." - James 1:2 NKJV

I can't wait to get started!

When we follow the humble Bible way, we shall have the moving of the Spirit of God. All will be in sweet harmony if we follow the humble channel of truth, depending wholly upon God, and there will be no danger of being affected by the evil angels. It is when souls get above the Spirit of God, moving in their own strength, that the Angels cease watching over them, and they are left to the buffeting of satan. EW. p.116

"Wait on the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." - NIV, Ps 27:14

Do I need to teach doctrine?

Christ is to be their text. They need not dwell upon doctrinal subjects; let them speak of the work and sacrifice of Christ. Let them hold up His righteousness, in their lives revealing His purity. The true missionary must be armed with the mind of Christ. His heart must be filled with Christlike love and he must be true and steadfast to principle. Testimony V. 7, p. 228

I don't see any results for my labor!

The good seed may for a time lie unnoticed in a cold, selfish, worldly heart, giving no evidence that it has taken root; but afterward, as the Spirit of God breathes on the soul, the hidden seed springs up, and at last bears fruit to the glory of God. In our lifework we know not which shall prosper, this or that. This is not a question for us to settle. `We are to do our work, and leave the results with God. "In the morning sow thy seed, and in evening withhold not thine hand." Eccl. 11:6. Christ's Object Lessons, p. 65.

The Most Important Lesson

God is not dependent upon men of perfect education. His work is not to wait while His servants go through such lengthy, elaborate preparations as some of our schools are planning to give. He wants men who appreciate the privilege of being laborers together with Him-men who will honor Him by rendering implicit obedience to His requirements, regardless of previously inculcated theories. There is no limit to the usefulness of those who put self to one side, make room for the working of the Holy Spirit upon their hearts, and live lives wholly consecrated to God, enduring the necessary discipline imposed by the Lord without complaining or fainting by the way. If they will not faint at the rebuke of the Lord, and become hardhearted and stubborn, the Lord will teach both old and young, hour by hour, day by day. He longs to reveal His salvation to the children of men; and if His chosen people will remove the obstructions, He will pour forth the waters of salvation in abundant streams through human channels. Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students p. 409

Unity

May be one. There would be diversities of gifts (1 Cor. 12), but there was to be unity of spirit, objectives, and beliefs. There were to be no strivings for supremacy such as had recently plagued the Twelve (Luke 22:24_30). The unity springing from the blended lives of Christians would impress the world of the divine origin of the Christian church. BC John 17:21

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: John 17:21,22

Is it truth? Are we Bible believers? Is Christ glorified in us? I want you to consider this. He is speaking of the oneness and that unity that shall exist with Christ and His disciples. In that unity, in that oneness, Christ is glorified in us. Now I would have you consider how very light a matter many of us make of seeking to preserve this unity. Why, this unity with believers in and through Christ is the great strength of the church! The oneness, the love which through their faith and unity exists with God's people through faith in Christ, is a power. Sermons and Talks Vol. 1

Unity with Christ establishes a bond of unity with one another. This unity is the most convincing proof to the world of the majesty and virtue of Christ, and of His power to take away sin (MS 111, 1903). 5B page 1148

Credentials From Heaven

These are your credentials from Heaven as your possession of authority over all the power of the enemy. Your acceptance of these credentials along with the HOLY SPIRIT is all that you need to accomplish His goal in your life. Sooner or later we shall awake to the fact that the Lord is a God of method, and that blessed are all they that work with Him.

The Lord's Work

Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. - Zech. 4:6

Need for Daily Prayer

Our daily prayer should be, "Lord, help me to do my best. Teach me how to do better work. Give me energy and cheerfulness. Help me to bring into my service the loving ministry of the Savior." MH p. 474