reviving_and_organizing_the_church_for_service

The main ideas from this information are: - The church members need to be revived and organized for service. Many members have never been converted or have backslidden, which hinders the work of bringing souls into the truth. - The church members should be trained and prepared to cooperate and support the ministers in their efforts. - There is a need for personal effort and involvement from church members in evangelism, visiting, praying, and sharing the truth with others. - The church members should be examples to new converts and live a life that reflects their belief in the truth. - Ministers should not try to do all the work themselves, but should involve and enlist the help of the church members in evangelistic efforts. - Different methods can be used to reach people, such as distributing literature door-to-door and forming small working groups. - Order and discipline are important in the church and ministers should lead by example in organizing and disciplining the church member Heading, reviving and organizing the church for service. Subheading, reviving church members. The Lord does not now work to bring many souls into the truth because of the church members who have never been converted and those who were once converted but who were backslidden. Testimonies, volume 6, page 371, 1900. Subheading, 20 souls instead of one. There was a vast amount of rubbish brought forward by professed believers in Christ who block up the way to the cross. Notwithstanding all this, there are some who are so deeply convicted that they will come through every discouragement and will surmount every obstacle in order to gain the truth. But had the believers in the truth purified their minds by obeying it and had they felt the importance of knowledge and refinement of manners in Christ's work, where one soul has been saved, there might have been 20. Testimonies, volume 4, page 68, 1876. Subheading, first train church members. In laboring where there are already some in the faith, the ministers should at first seek not so much to convert unbelievers as to train the church members for acceptable cooperation. Let them labor for them individually, endeavoring to arouse them to seek for a deeper experience themselves and to work for others. When they are prepared to sustain the minister by their prayers and labors, greater success will attend his efforts. Gospel Workers, page 196, 1915. Subheading, clearing the King's Highway. When a special effort to win souls is put forth by labors of experience in a community where our own people live, there rests upon every believer in that field a most solemn obligation to do all in his power to clear the King's Highway by putting away every sin that would hinder him from cooperating with God and with his brethren. Review and Herald, December 6, 1906. Subheading, council to churches where city efforts are held. About four years ago, when Elder Haskell and others were conducting a Bible training school and evening service in New York City, the word of the Lord to the workers was there. Let the believers living near the place where you are holding meetings share your burden of the work. They should feel it a duty and a privilege to help make the meetings a success. God is pleased by efforts to set them at work. He desires every church member to labor as his helping hand, seeking by loving ministry to win souls to Christ. And to the church in Los Angeles over a year ago, when the Lord was mightily stirring the people through the tent meetings and progress, was sent the word, let the Los Angeles Church have special seasons of prayer daily for the work that is being done. The blessing of the Lord will come to the church members who thus participate in the work, gathering in small groups daily to pray for its success. Thus the believers will obtain grace for themselves and the work of the Lord will be advanced. This is the way we used to do. We prayed for our own souls and for those who are carrying on the work. The Lord Jesus declares that where two or three are gathered together in his name, he is in the midst of them to bless them. That there be less talking and more sincere earnest prayer. I fear that the effort that is being made to proclaim the truth in Los Angeles will not be appreciated. Let every man come up to the help of the Lord against the mighty foe. For a special effort is made, as has been made by the evangelistic work done in Los Angeles, that every member of the church draw near to God. Let all search their own hearts with the light that shines from the word. If sin is discovered, let it be confessed and repented of. Let every helper be in good working order. The Lord will hear and answer prayer. Let not the church members think that efforts should be put forth for them by the one who is impressed to labor for those who have been neglected, those in whose behalf special efforts have not heretofore been put forth. Where such an effort is made, as has been made in Los Angeles, let the members of the church clear the King's Highway and help with their means in the work being done. Let them show that they are in perfect harmony. Let them be on hand at the meetings, armed and equipped for service, ready to talk with anyone who may be interested. Let them pray and work for the lost sheep. Review and Herald, December 20, 1906. Subheading, an example to new converts. Let the older members be an example to those who have recently come into the truth. I entreat those who have been long in the truth not to hurt the new converts by living irreligious lives. Lay aside all murmuring and do thorough work in your own hearts. Break up the fallow ground of your hearts and seek to know what you can do to advance the work. Awake, awake and give to the unconverted evidence that you believe the truth of heavenly origin. Unless you do awake, the world will not believe that you practice the truth that you profess to hold. Letter 75, 1905. Subheading, the church members to help. The Lord requires that far greater personal effort shall be put forth by the members of our churches. Souls have been neglected, towns and villages and cities have not heard the truth for this time, because wise missionary efforts have not been made. Our ordained ministers must do what they can, but it must not be expected that one man can do the work of all. The master has appointed unto every man his work. There are visits to be made, there's praying to be done, there's sympathy to be imparted, and the piety, the heart, and the hand of the whole church is to be employed if the work is to be accomplished. You can sit down with your friends and in a pleasant social way talk of the precious Bible faith. Review and Herald, August 13, 1889. Subheading, ministers enlist churches in evangelism. Sometimes ministers do too much. They seek to embrace the whole work in their arms. It absorbs and dwarfs them, yet they continue to grasp it all. They seem to think that they alone are to work in the cause of God, while the members of the church stand idle. This is not God's order at all. Review and Herald, November 18, 1884. Subheading, a working force augmented by laymen. How can our brethren and sisters continue to live close to large numbers of people who have never been warned without devising methods of setting to work? Every agency from the Lord can work to the glory of his name. All leaders who have had long experience will understand the importance of these matters and can do much to increase the working forces. They can plan to reach many in the highways and the hedges. As they put forth calm, steady, devoted effort to educate the church members to engage in personal work for souls, wherever there are favorable openings, success will mark their labors. Manuscript 53, 1910. Subheading, the fields in your neighborhood are ripe. The truth will triumph gloriously. Let the churches begin to do the work that the Lord has given them, the work of opening the scriptures to those who are in darkness. My brethren and sisters, there are souls in your neighborhood who, if they were judiciously labored for, would be converted. Efforts must be made for those who do not understand the word. Let those who profess to believe the truth become partakers of the divine nature, and when they will see that the fields are ripe for the work that all can do, whose souls are prepared by living the word. Australasian Union Conference Record, March 11, 1907. Subheading, distributing literature from door to door. Brethren and sisters, will you put on the Christian armor, your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace? You will be prepared to walk from house to house, carrying the truth to the people. Sometimes you will find it trying to do this kind of work, but if you go forth in faith, the Lord will go before you and will let his light shine upon your pathway. Entering the homes of your neighbors to sell or to give away our literature, and in humility to teach them the truths, you will be accompanied by the light of heaven which will abide in these homes. Review and Herald, May 24, 1906. Subheading, organizing into working bands. In our churches, let companies be formed for service. In the Lord's work, there are to be no idlers. Let different ones unite in labor as fishes of men. Let them seek to gather souls from the corruption of the world into the saving purity of Christ's love. The formation of small companies as a basis of Christian effort is a plan that has been presented before me by one who cannot err. If there is a large number in the church, let the members be formed into small companies to work not only for the church members, but for unbelievers also. Australasian Union Conference Record, August 15, 1902. Subheading, like a well-drilled company of soldiers. Ministers should love order and should discipline themselves, and then they can successfully discipline the Church of God and teach them to work harmoniously, like a well-drilled company of soldiers. If discipline and order are necessary for successful action on the battlefield, the same are as much more needful in the warfare in which we are engaged, as the object to be gained is of greater value and more elevated in character than those for which opposing forces contend on the field of battle. In the conflict in which we are engaged, eternal interests are at stake. Angels work harmoniously. Perfect order characterizes all their movements. The more closely we imitate the harmony and order of the angelic host, the more successful will be the efforts of these heavenly agents on our behalf. Letter 32, 1892.