1 Peter 5:1-5 "The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly,[fn] not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away."
"A serious and perhaps unsuspected hindrance to the success of the truth is to be found in our churches themselves. When an effort is made to present our faith to unbelievers; the members of the church stand back, as though they were not an interested party, and let all the burden rest upon the minister. I know that for this reason the labor of our most able ministers has been at times productive of little good. The very best sermons may be preached, the message may be just what the people need, and yet no souls are gained as sheaves to present to Christ. {ST March 16, 1882, par. 9} In laboring where there are some already in the faith, the minister should at first seek not so much to convert unbelievers, as to secure his army of workers. He is not merely to present the truth from the desk, but as the shepherd of the flock he should care for the sheep and the lambs, searching out the lost and straying, and bringing them back to the fold. He should visit every family, not merely as a guest, to enjoy their hospitality, but as Christ’s servant to inquire into the spiritual condition of every member of the household. His own soul must be imbued with the love of God; by kindness, love, and courtesy, he should win his way to the hearts of all, and then labor faithfully for the good of parents and children, entreating, warning, encouraging, as the case demands. {ST March 16, 1882, par. 10} A constant effort to promote personal piety should be seen in the minister’s public labors. Sermon after sermon should not be given on the prophecies alone. Practical religion should have a place in every discourse. The discourses should be short, and to the point, and followed by a spirited social meeting. Sometimes the social meeting would have the best influence to come first. Let every member of the church feel a duty to labor wisely, skillfully, and earnestly. Let all bear testimony with the one object in view, to glorify God, to gain a deeper experience themselves and to save souls. Thus the church will be kept working with the minister, the careless will be aroused to seek a reconversion themselves, and then they are prepared to work for others. This is good generalship. The results will be found to be far better than if the minister performed all the labor alone." {ST March 16, 1882, par. 11}
"Many love to preach, but they have very little experience in ministering. Search the Scriptures with the families you visit. Christ’s work was to put believers in possession of every essential truth, that by searching, they might discover other precious gems. We need to search in the lessons of Christ for the true meaning of His words; for it remains to be discovered. As we do this, the new aspect of some truths will be seen; we shall see the far-reaching compass of others, and the connection of some with others. Thus we shall find a harmonious whole. We must put our minds to the task of searching, with humble, holy, determined purpose, and with much prayer. The diligent seeker will receive his reward. {Ms7-1891.}
"It is not preaching alone that must be done. Far less preaching is needed. More time should be devoted to patiently educating others, giving the hearers opportunity to express themselves. It is instruction that many need, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little. {Ms7-1891.}
"But it is very difficult to impress the minds of our ministering brethren with the idea that sermons alone cannot do the work that is needed for our churches. Personal efforts are wanted; they are essential for the prosperity of individuals and churches. In speaking, we must act intelligently, remembering that the minds of our hearers cannot retain or appropriate one-half of the discourses that are given. Few minds can take in so much matter. Yet without giving the minds of the people time to digest that which they have heard, too often plans are laid for another discourse to follow closely upon the one already given. What time have the people to digest the preceding discourse? If they grasp the ideas of the latter discourse, but a small portion of the former is retained." {Ms7-1891.}
"On Sunday evening I retired to rest at eight o’clock. I slept for a while and then awoke with a heavy burden on my heart. In my sleep I had been addressing a company in San Francisco, among whom there were a number of ministers. I had been given a special message for some of those present. I must now try to present the matters which weigh most heavily on my mind. I had spoken plainly, asking, “Do you, in word and action, keep the way of the Lord?” One of authority stood by my side and sanctioned the words that I spoke. Then He gave a most solemn charge, saying: {Ms 105, 1902, par. 1}
“Do you keep the commandments of God, which are exceeding broad? Do you love God supremely and your neighbor as yourself? Are you seeking the present and future good of those with whom you are connected, or is self exalted as supreme? If you realized the importance of your work, you would labor in a Christlike manner, united with one another, and feeling your dependence on God. You would be meek and teachable. You would cast away the leaven of evil out of your nature and receive the grace of Christ. The working of the new leaven would be plainly seen. Put away all chafing, all dissatisfaction. It prevents you from doing God’s work with an eye single to His glory. When you can better understand how precious in the sight of God it is for you to give the preference to your brother, you will be enabled to sit together with Christ in heavenly places. Pulling away from one another does not make peace, but dissension. You need to be melted over, that you may be purified from the dross that has been mingled with words and actions. Unless you see yourselves as God sees you, you can never gain entrance into the holy city. A miracle of grace will have to be wrought in your lives to save you from the result of your wrong actions. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. Take up your appointed work. {Ms 105, 1902, par. 2}
“God can do little with the one who criticizes his brethren, differing with them instead of being in harmony. The Word of the Eternal must be your law. There must be no petty invasion of another’s rights on the one hand, or haughty neglect upon the other. Unless the workers are laborers together with God, they will surely become separated from Him, because they cannot be in harmony with His Spirit unless they work with Him. When they respect Christ, they will crucify self and love one another.” {Ms 105, 1902, par. 3}
Every believer should realize that he has pledged himself to be wholly the Lord’s servant, to do His will. He is not his own, his time is not his own, his strength and his talents are not his own; but he is bought with a price, and is required to seek most earnestly to know the will of God concerning his duty in all things. Such a one will soon learn the advantages of entire surrender to God, and of working on Christian principles, having an eye single to the glory of God. If he goes weighted with the Spirit of the message of truth, he will feel weak in himself; but as he walks by faith, he experiences the grace of God which is sufficient for every trial, under every circumstance. {Ms 7, 1892, par. 12}
As a co-worker with Jesus Christ, he is fully entitled to the cheering assurance that the Holy Spirit is his great Helper, in short does the work while he is but the instrument in His hands. If he feels his powerlessness, that is as it should be; but when he looks and trusts in Jesus, he knows that God is Omnipotence. At every post of duty he must be girded with a power which he does not possess. Help, divine help has been provided and pledged by God to him. The greatest, the most deadly struggles, the sorest trials and besetments, constitute the very emergencies when he may take hold by living faith upon the strength of the Mighty One and like Jacob say, “I will not let thee go except thou bless me.” [Genesis 32:26.] {Ms 7, 1892, par. 13}
The workers—God’s husbandry—when pressed sore by the enemy will feel their need and will look to the Author and Finisher of their faith and obtain from God wisdom and power and grace that they may fill their positions of trust. “Ye are laborers together with God.” [1 Corinthians 3:9.] In this work there will be new and living experiences. The soul in its helplessness will be driven by the great necessity to cast all its care and burden upon Jesus Christ. {Ms 7, 1892, par. 14}