Called to Be Separate

            James writes, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27. The separation from the world which God’s Word requires does not mean shutting ourselves away from working for the perishing multitudes around us. The great need in this world cries out to us to leave our comfort zones behind and do what we can to relieve suffering, ignorance, and darkness.

            Everyone is called to be a missionary. We may be asked to serve in the town where we live, or to go to some faraway place that needs special help. We may also be missionaries in our own homes. However, all of us will need to sacrifice our personal pleasure and preferences in the work of saving souls.

            The many statements collected in this article should help to give a picture of the great need of missionary workers, and the kinds of work which we can do. There is something for everyone.

            God does not expect the same kind of work of each person. Earnest prayer will help us learn what our duty is. Yet honest consideration of the needs of perishing humanity should give us a broader vision and take away a desire to excuse ourselves from service. Meditation on what Jesus did for us on the cross should deepen our love for Him, so that we will be delighted to give of our time and efforts in winning those He died for.

            Jesus sacrificed His life for us. What are we willing to do for Him? Have we perhaps, till now, been living for ourselves? Have we been focused on our own comfortable lives? Jesus is calling for us to surrender ourselves to His call. Are we willing?

The Missionary Spirit

From the dawning of one’s Christian experience comes a sense of responsibility to go and do something so that others could find Jesus. “The spirit of Christ is a missionary spirit. The very first impulse of the renewed heart is to bring others also to the Saviour.” GC 70. A renewed person will sacrifice selfish considerations to help meet the world’s great need. “He whose heart is aglow with the love of Christ will regard it as not only a duty, but a pleasure, to aid in the advancement of the highest, holiest work committed to man--the work of presenting to the world the riches of goodness, mercy, and truth.”  AA 338, 339.

          “My brethren and sisters, you have been bought with a price, and all that you have and are is to be used to the glory of God and for the good of your fellow men. Christ died on the cross to save the world from perishing in sin. He asks your co-operation in this work. You are to be His helping hand. With earnest, unwearying effort you are to seek to save the lost. Remember that it was your sins that made the cross necessary. When you accepted Christ as your Saviour you pledged yourself to unite with Him in bearing the cross….

            “The transforming power of Christ's grace molds the one who gives himself to God's service. Imbued with the Spirit of the Redeemer, he is ready to deny self, ready to take up the cross, ready to make any sacrifice for the Master. No longer can he be indifferent to the souls perishing around him. He is lifted above self-serving. He has been created anew in Christ, and self-serving has no place in his life. He realizes that every part of his being belongs to Christ, who has redeemed him from the slavery of sin; that every moment of his future has been bought with the precious lifeblood of God's only-begotten Son. 

            “Have you so deep an appreciation of the sacrifice made on Calvary that you are willing to make every other interest subordinate to the work of saving souls? The same intensity of desire to save sinners that marked the life of the Saviour marks the life of His true follower. The Christian has no desire to live for self. He delights to consecrate all that he has and is to the Master's service. He is moved by an inexpressible desire to win souls to Christ. Those who have nothing of this desire might better be concerned for their own salvation. Let them pray for the spirit of service.” 7T 9, 10.

            If we feel a lack of care for the salvation of others, if we find ourselves wrapped up in our own lives, our comforts, our needs and desires, we should be concerned. The Christian life is a life of service. If we shirk this service, we will forfeit the joy of working together with Christ, and “no one will be registered in the books of heaven as a Christian who has not a missionary spirit.” ChS 86, 87.

The First Missionary Field

Those who are parents have a very special mission field in which to work. “As workers for God, our work is to begin with those nearest. It is to begin in our own home. There is no more important missionary field than this.” CG 476.

“On fathers and mothers, God has placed the responsibility of saving their children from the power of the enemy. This is their work, a work that they should on no account neglect. Those parents who have a living connection with Christ will not rest until they see their children safe in the fold. They will make this the burden of their life. 

 “Parents, do not neglect the work waiting for you in the church in your own family. This is your first field of missionary effort. The most important work you can do is to place your children on the Lord's side…. As you take your children with you into the service of the Lord, what a victory you gain. 

  “If the families around you are opposed to the truth, strive to lead them to yield to the claims of Christ. Work patiently, wisely, considerately, winning your way by the tender ministry of love. Present the truth in such a way that it will be seen in all its beauty, exerting an influence that cannot be resisted. Thus the walls of prejudice will be broken down.

  “If this work were faithfully done, if fathers and mothers would work for the members of their own families, and then for those around them, uplifting Christ by a godly life, thousands of souls would be saved. When God's people are truly converted, when they realize the obligation resting on them to labor for those within their reach, when they leave no means untried to rescue sinners from the power of the enemy, the reproach will be removed from our churches.”  7T 10, 11.

The first work of parents is for their own children. And as they do this work, they may take their children with them as they engage in missionary work for those outside the home. In this way, the children will be trained as missionaries, and the influence of the home can be extended so as to benefit many more than the family itself.

“Wherever the people of God are placed, in the crowded cities, in the villages, or among the country byways, there is a home mission field, for which a responsibility is laid upon them by their Lord's commission. They are to take up the duty that lies nearest. First of all is the work in the family; next they should seek to win their neighbors to Christ, and to bring before them the great truths of this time.” RH, April 23, 1901.

Working Nearby and Far Away

            Some will find themselves working close to home, while others will be called to faraway places. “It is in harmony with God's plan for the extension of his work in the regions beyond that many are called to leave their native shores for distant lands, to act as leaders and teachers in soul-winning service. It is also in harmony with his plan that those who remain in their home fields shall unite in well-organized efforts to save the perishing multitudes living close by, within easy reach.” RH, October 22, 1914. “They may be workers in the missionary field, having a personal interest in the distribution of tracts and papers which correctly represent our faith. All cannot go abroad to labor, but all can do something at home. . . .” DG 116.

Special Need in Unreached Places

            Many faraway places have received a disproportionate amount of light in comparison with more favored places nearer to home. And yet it is God’s plan that people in every place have an opportunity to learn the truth. “I see fields that have never been entered. The torch of truth must be carried into the dark places of the earth. While the angels are holding the winds, we must work as Christ worked. Let no man fix his eyes on his own sphere of labor, and think it is of greater importance than all others. The missionary fields are all to receive equal interest. The field is the world.” RH, December 15, 1885.

            While some regions of our world have been blessed with an abundance of light, others have very little opportunity to know God’s truth. We must not hoard the light for ourselves, but share it with those in darkness.

“The missionary spirit needs to be revived in our churches. Every member of the church should study how to help forward the work of God, both in home missions and in foreign countries. Scarcely a thousandth part of the work is being done that ought to be done in missionary fields. God calls upon His workers to annex new territory for Him. There are rich fields of toil waiting for the faithful worker.” 6T 29. God wants the neglected fields to receive help. “We are not to confine our efforts to a few places.” MM 303.

A Lack of Missionaries

            “Workers are needed now. As a people, we are not doing one fiftieth of what we might do as active missionaries. If we were only vitalized by the Holy Spirit, there would be a hundred missionaries where there is now one. But where are the missionaries? Has not the truth for this time power to stir the souls of those who claim to believe it? When there is a call to labor, why should there be so many voices to say, ‘I pray thee, have me excused’?” CH 507.

“Do you realize that every year thousands and thousands and ten times ten thousand souls are perishing, dying in their sins? The plagues and judgments of God are already doing their work, and souls are going to ruin because the light of truth has not been flashed upon their pathway. Do we fully believe that we are to carry the word of God to all the world? Who believes this?” TM 398, 399.

“There are hundreds of millions of men, women, and children who have never heard the truth, and multitudes are constantly going down to the grave without any sense of their accountability to God.” HS 288.  “It is a mystery that there are not hundreds at work where now there is but one. The heavenly universe is astonished at the apathy, the coldness, the listlessness of those who profess to be sons and daughters of God.” 9T 42.

“Salvation was brought to us at great self-denial and infinite cost by the Son of God. Some have followed his example, and have not let farms, or pleasant homes, or even loved ones, stand in their way. They have left all for Christ. But I am grieved and astonished that there are so few who have the real missionary spirit at this time. The end so near, the warning of a soon-coming Judgment yet to be given to all nations, tongues, and peoples, yet where are the men who are willing to make any and every sacrifice to get the truth before the world?” HS 164.

And yet God has had many who have responded to His call. Their example can inspire us as we choose to step forward in obedience. “God is calling for men who are willing to leave their farms, their business, if need be their families, to become missionaries for Him. And the call will be answered. In the past there have been men who, stirred by the love of Christ and the needs of the lost, have left the comforts of home and the society of friends, even that of wife and children, to go into foreign lands, among idolaters and savages, to proclaim the message of mercy. Many in the attempt have lost their lives, but others have been raised up to carry on the work. Thus step by step the cause of Christ has progressed, and the seed sown in sorrow has yielded a bountiful harvest. The knowledge of God has been widely extended and the banner of the cross planted in heathen lands.” AA 370.

Entering Unreached Places

In order for the message to be taken to all of the unreached or underprivileged areas of the world, many will need to sacrifice comforts, preferences, and advantages. “There are many families who would be a great blessing if they would take their belongings and settle in some of our towns or country locations where the standard has never been raised. Many should move into the regions beyond, and become just what Christ has said that those who believe in him should be. Let married men and women who know the truth go forth to the neglected fields to enlighten others. Follow the example of those who have done pioneer work in new fields.” PH012 9. “…where there is an opening to obtain a livelihood, let families that are well grounded in the truth enter, one or two families in a place, to work as missionaries. They should feel a love for souls, a burden of labor for them, and should make it a study how to bring them into the truth. They can distribute our publications, hold meetings in their homes, become acquainted with their neighbors, and invite them to come to these meetings.” 8T 245.

In this work, self-sacrifice will be needed. And yet, if the gospel is to go to all the world, selfishness must die. “God calls for Christian families to go into communities that are in darkness and error, and work wisely and perseveringly for the Master. To answer this call requires self-sacrifice. While many are waiting to have every obstacle removed, souls are dying without hope and without God in the world. Many, very many, for the sake of worldly advantage, for the sake of acquiring scientific knowledge, will venture into pestilential regions and endure hardship and privation. Where are those who are willing to do this for the sake of telling others of the Saviour? Where are the men and women who will move into regions that are in need of the gospel, that they may point those in darkness to the Redeemer? 

            “If families would locate 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, a great work might be accomplished.” AH 488, 489.

            “It is not always pleasant for our brethren to live where the people need help most; but their labors would often be productive of far more good if they would do so. They ought to come close to the people, sit with them at their tables, and lodge in their humble homes.

The laborers may have to take their families to places not at all desirable; but they should remember that Jesus did not remain in the most desirable places. He came down to earth that he might help those who needed help.” HS 148.

“The Macedonian cry is coming from every quarter of the world, and men are saying, ‘Come over, . . . and help us,’ and why is there not a decided response? Thousands ought to be constrained by the Spirit of Christ to follow the example of Him who has given His life for the life of the world.” CS 56.

 “The end of all things is at hand. Our time to work is short, and there is a world to be warned. There is need of more thorough missionary work. The calls are urgent for more laborers, but where are the light-bearers to the world? God has sent the truth to our doors, but are we doing all in our power to send it to the dark corners of the earth?”  HS 287. Our assignment is clear. The unreached places must be reached. “It is the positive duty of God's people to go into the regions beyond.” 9T 118.

All are Called to Be Missionaries

In God’s eyes, we are not our own, nor can we be islands unto ourselves. We are our brother’s keeper, and we are, by virtue of being born into the human family, responsible for sharing our privileges with other people. “Let none be left unwarned. We might have been in the place of the poor souls that are in error. We might have been placed among barbarians. According to the truth we have received above others, we are debtors to impart the same to them.” 6T 22.

Although not all will become foreign missionaries, self-denial, sacrifice, and service are required of all. “We are not all asked to serve as Elisha served, nor are we all bidden to sell everything we have; but God asks us to give His service the first place in our lives, to allow no day to pass without doing something to advance His work in the earth. He does not expect from all the same kind of service. One may be called to ministry in a foreign land; another may be asked to give of his means for the support of gospel work. God accepts the offering of each. It is the consecration of the life and all its interests, that is necessary.” PK 221.

            We often think of missionaries as a specially called class of people, and yet all of us are called to be missionaries. “Did the professed believers in the truth live the truth, they would today all be missionaries. Some would be working in the islands of the sea; some, in the different countries of the world. Some would be serving Christ as home missionaries. Not all are called upon to go abroad. Some may be successful in business lines, and in this work they may represent Christ.” WM 111. “We are not all called to occupy the desk, but we are all called to be missionaries, though perhaps in a limited sense. None can be excused. It is the duty of every one to sow the seed of truth, that it may spring up and bear fruit to the glory of God. The Lord has not given his work into the hands of a few men only; but he has given to every man his charge.” RH, April 1, 1880. “They may spend their lives within the circle of the home; they may engage in life's common vocations, or go as teachers of the gospel to heathen lands; but all are alike called to be missionaries for God, ministers of mercy to the world.” RH, May 16, 1912.

Financial support is needed to help take the message to the world. In giving, self-denial is needed. We will need to forgo things we would like to have, and live simply. “Brethren and sisters, will you answer the cry? saying: ‘We will do our best, both in sending you missionaries and money. We will deny ourselves in the embellishment of our houses, in the adornment of our persons, and in the gratification of appetite. We will give the means entrusted to us into the cause of God, and we will devote ourselves also unreservedly to His work.’” 5T 732.

            Yet even financial donations, important though they are, are not enough. We are each called to serve personally as a missionary. “My brethren and sisters, take an active part in the work of soulsaving.… By personal labor reach those around you. Become acquainted with them. Preaching will not do the work that needs to be done…. This work cannot be done by proxy. Money lent or given will not accomplish it. Sermons will not do it. By visiting the people, talking, praying, sympathizing with them, you will win hearts. This is the highest missionary work that you can do. To do it, you will need resolute, persevering faith, unwearying patience, and a deep love for souls.” 9T 41.

            “Some think that if they give money to this work [helping the needy], it is all they are required to do; but this is an error. Donations of money cannot take the place of personal ministry. It is right to give our means, and many more should do this; but according to their strength and opportunities, personal service is required of all.” 6T 275, 276. “God will require personal service at the hands of every one to whom he entrusts his truth. Not one is excused. Some may feel that if they give their substance they are excused from personal efforts. But God forbid that they should deceive themselves in this. Gifts of means do not meet the requirement of God, for the duty is but half done. He will accept nothing short of yourselves. You must work to save souls. All will not be called to go to foreign missions, but you may be missionaries at home in your own families and in your neighborhoods.” ST Sept. 4, 1879. “God requires that all of us should be self-sacrificing workers.” 4T 59.

How to Do Missionary Work

            “There are ways in which all may do personal service for God. Some can write a letter to a far-off friend, or send a paper to one who is inquiring for truth. Others can give counsel to those who are in difficulty. Those who know how to treat the sick can help in this line. Others who have the necessary qualifications can give Bible readings or conduct Bible classes.” 6T 433.

“Tracts, papers, and books, as the case demands, should be circulated in all the cities and villages in the land. Here is missionary work for all to engage in.” CH 466. “Let every believer scatter broadcast tracts and leaflets and books containing the message for this time. We need colporteurs, who will go forth to circulate our publications everywhere.” CM 21. “There is missionary labor to be done in the distribution of tracts and papers, and in canvassing for our different publications. Let none of you think that you cannot engage in this work because it is taxing, and requires time and thought. If it requires time, give it cheerfully; and the blessing of God will rest upon you. There never was a time when more workers were needed than at the present. There are brethren and sisters throughout all our ranks who should discipline themselves to engage in this work; in all our churches something should be done to spread the truth.” CM 21, 22.

            “My brethren and sisters, give yourselves to the Lord for service. Allow no opportunity to pass unimproved. Visit the sick and suffering, and show a kindly interest in them. If possible, do something to make them more comfortable. Through this means you can reach their hearts, and speak a word for Christ. Eternity alone will reveal how far-reaching such a line of labor can be. Other lines of usefulness will open before those who are willing to do the duty nearest them.” 9T 36.

“The presentation of Christ in the family, by the fireside, and in small gatherings in private houses, is often more successful in winning souls to Jesus than are sermons delivered in the open air, to the moving throng, or even in halls or churches.” GW 193

“Have you looked after the fatherless and the widow? This is a branch of home missionary work that should by no means be neglected. Are there not around you poor and suffering ones who need warmer clothing, better food, and, above everything else, that which will be most highly prized,---sympathy and love?” CS 46, 47.

“The work of gathering in the needy, the oppressed, the suffering, the destitute, is the very work which every church that believes the truth for this time should long since have been doing. We are to show the tender sympathy of the Samaritan in supplying physical necessities, feeding the hungry, bringing the poor that are cast out to our homes, gathering from God every day grace and strength that will enable us to reach to the very depths of human misery and help those who cannot possibly help themselves. In doing this work we have a favorable opportunity to set forth Christ the crucified One. 

            “Every church member should feel it his special duty to labor for those living in his 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. Present 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. This, united with simple songs and fervent prayers, will touch their hearts. Let church members 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 of souls afar off, let the many who are at home feel the burden of precious souls around them and work just as diligently for their salvation. 

            “The hours so often spent in amusement that refreshes neither body nor soul should be spent in visiting the poor, the sick, and the suffering, or in seeking to help someone who is in need.” 6T 276.

“There are many things that persons may do if they only have a mind to work. There are many who will not go to church to hear the truth preached. By personal efforts in simplicity and wisdom these might be persuaded to turn their feet to the house of God.” ChS 130. “Another work in which all may engage is gathering children and youth into the Sabbath school. The young may in this way labor efficiently for the dear Saviour.”  ChS 130.

Women Needed as Missionaries

“Let every sister who claims to be a child of God feel a responsibility to help all within her reach…. Sisters, God calls you to work in the harvest field and to help gather in the sheaves.... In the various lines of home missionary work the modest, intelligent woman may use her powers to the very highest account.” WM 160. “The Saviour will reflect upon these self-sacrificing women the light of His countenance, and will give them a power that exceeds that of men. They can do in families a work that men cannot do, a work that reaches the inner life. They can come close to the hearts of those whom men cannot reach. Their labor is needed.” WM 145.

“Women can learn what needs to be done to reach other women. There are women who are especially adapted for the work of giving Bible readings, and they are very successful in presenting the Word of God in its simplicity to others. They become a great blessing in reaching mothers and their daughters.” WM 160. “We greatly need consecrated women who, as messengers of mercy, will visit the mothers and the children in their homes and help them in the everyday household duties, if need be, before beginning to talk to them regarding the truth for this time.” WM 146. “There is a great work for women to do in the cause of present truth. Through the exercise of womanly tact and a wise use of their knowledge of Bible truth, they can remove difficulties that our brethren cannot meet.” Ev 491.

“Consecrated women should engage in Bible work from house to house. Some of the workers should act as colporteurs, selling our literature and giving judiciously to those who cannot buy.” 9T 120, 121. “Personal evangelistic work is to be done. The women who take up this work carry the gospel to the homes of the people in the highways and the byways. They read and explain the word to families, praying with them, caring for the sick, relieving their temporal necessities.” 6T 118.

“Our sisters can serve as vigilant workers in writing, and drawing out the true feelings of friends who have received our papers and tracts. . . . These can in many ways do a precious work for God in scattering tracts and judiciously distributing the Signs of the Times.” RH, Dec. 19, 1878. “My sisters, do not become weary in the distribution of our literature. This is a work you may all engage in successfully if you are but connected with God. Before approaching your friends and neighbors or writing letters of inquiry lift the heart to God in prayer.” WM 162.

             “Who can better represent the religion of Christ than Christian women, women who are earnestly laboring to bring souls to the light of truth? Who else is so well adapted to the work of the Sabbath school?... If with a heart imbued with the love of Christ, she teaches the children of her class, praying with them and for them, she may see souls converted and gathered into the fold of Christ.” WM 164, 165.

The Home is a Mission Field

The home is a mother’s most important mission field. No wife or mother should neglect the duties and responsibilities of her home and family, even to engage in missionary work outside the home. “If you ignore your duty as a wife and mother and hold out your hands for the Lord to put another class of work in them, be sure that He will not contradict Himself; He points you to the duty you have to do at home. If you have the idea that some work greater and holier than this has been entrusted to you, you are under a deception. By faithfulness in your own home, working for the souls of those who are nearest to you, you may be gaining a fitness to work for Christ in a wider field. But be sure that those who are neglectful of their duty in the home circle are not prepared to work for other souls. 

“The Lord has not called you to neglect your home and your husband and children. He never works in this way; and He never will. . . . Never for a moment suppose that God has given you a work that will necessitate a separation from your precious little flock. Do not leave them to become demoralized by improper associations and to harden their hearts against their mother. This is letting your light shine in a wrong way, altogether; you are making it more difficult for your children to become what God would have them and win heaven at last. God cares for them, and so must you if you claim to be His child.      

“During the first years of their lives is the time in which to work and watch and pray and encourage every good inclination. This work must go on without interruption. You may be urged to attend mothers’ meetings and sewing circles, that you may do missionary work; but unless there is a faithful, understanding instructor to be left with your children, it is your duty to answer that the Lord has committed to you another work which you can in no wise neglect. You cannot overwork in any line without becoming disqualified for the work of training your little ones and making them what God would have them be. As Christ's co-worker you must bring them to Him disciplined and trained…..

“The mother should not accept burdens in the church work which compel her to neglect her children. The best work in which a mother can engage is to see that no stitches are dropped in the training of her children. . . .” AH 245, 246.

Reaching Out Beyond the Home

            Yet it is not necessary to neglect one’s home or family in order to do missionary work for others. “Wives and mothers should in no case neglect their husbands and their children, but they can do much without neglecting home duties, and all have not these responsibilities.” WM 164. “Some can do more than others, but all can do something. Women should not feel that they are excused because of their domestic cares. They should become intelligent as to how they can work most successfully and methodically in bringing souls to Christ. If all would realize the importance of doing to the utmost of their ability in the work of God, having a deep love for souls, feeling the burden of the work upon them, hundreds would be engaged as active workers who have hitherto been dull and uninterested, accomplishing nothing, or at most but very little.” WM 165.

God wants each of us to have a broader vision. Unselfish love for the many under-privileged souls in this world will lead us to extend our efforts even beyond those of our own home circle. “The true Christian is bent on doing good, not only to his own family, but to all who come within the sphere of his influence. Many ways of usefulness will open before the willing, aspiring, devoted soul, who wants to labor for the salvation of others….” RH, June 10, 1880.

            “In our homes we have a very important work to do for the salvation of our children, but we are not to shut ourselves up to service merely for our own families. We must not allow ourselves to be so overwhelmed with household cares that we shall find no time for visiting those about us. If a ray of light has come to you, find some one to whom you can impart it. There is a world to be warned, and we are to receive help and light and blessing from Jesus Christ, then carry this light to other souls.” RH, December 2, 1909. “We are not to inclose ourselves in our houses, and devote our whole attention to our families. This is the height of selfishness. The whole world is lying in iniquity and darkness, and we should not be content to shut away our light from perishing souls.” ST, May 13, 1889.

Parents should search for ways to do family ministry, including the children in service to others. “Our households must be set in order, and earnest efforts must be made to interest every member of the family in missionary enterprises. We must seek to engage the sympathies of our children in earnest work for the unsaved, that they may do their best at all times and in all places to represent Christ.” ChS 207. “Even the children should be taught to do some little errand of love and mercy for those less fortunate than themselves.” 9T 37.

 “When the Lord bids us do good for others outside our home, He does not mean that our affection for home shall become diminished, and that we shall love our kindred or our country less because He desires us to extend our sympathies. But we are not to confine our affection and sympathy within four walls, and enclose the blessing that God has given us, so that others will not be benefited with us in its enjoyment.” WM 159.

Rewards of Missionary Service

The end of the world is very near. Soon the destiny of millions of people will be decided. While it is true that God gives each person an opportunity to choose right and be saved, it is also true that many people will be lost who could have been saved if someone had reached out to them in missionary effort. God has chosen to give human beings the privilege of working for their fellow men’s salvation. If this work were merely optional on our part, He would not so earnestly appeal to us to begin it. We will be held accountable for the loss of the souls which we should have won to Christ, but neglected to.

            We are told that God will send angels to help to finish the work. This will be necessary because of neglect on the part of human beings to do this work. “When divine power is combined with human effort, the work will spread like fire in the stubble. God will employ agencies whose origin man will be unable to discern; angels will do a work which men might have had the blessing of accomplishing, had they not neglected to answer the claims of God. The work is now presented to man. Will he take it? There are at the present time many doors unbolted and thrown open to the workers. Will they enter these doors? Who is ready at the bidding of the Master to say, ‘Here am I, Lord, send me’? The Macedonian cry comes to us in pitiful appeals from all parts of the world, ‘Come over and help us.’…. I see fields that have never been entered. The torch of truth must be carried into the dark places of the earth.” RH, December 15, 1885.

Let us surrender our lives to God and His service. Let us determine that angels will not need to be sent to do our part of the work for us. In the day of judgment, what anguish will be experienced by those who failed to care for their fellow beings! “Oh, the neglect that will be charged against individuals, organizations, and churches in that day when every man shall be judged according to the deeds done in the body! Then it will be seen how great was the measure of responsibility for failing to extend the work into the regions beyond.” 6T 89. “To every soul the reward will be, not according to profession, but according to what has been done. Actions will measure the love you have for Christ and for perishing souls. Christ will say to you, whatever has been your course, ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it [or did it not] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’” ST, June 25, 1894. Brackets in original.

            We do not need to be among those who will forfeit heaven because of their neglect. We can rather be among the group who will experience everlasting joy in seeing people for whom they labored living eternally with the Lord.

           “When the work of the judgment is finished, and decisions have been made for eternity, it will be seen that those who have given themselves whole-heartedly to the service of God are the ones who stand right with heaven. Some of these may not have been able to leave their families to go to distant mission fields, but they have been missionaries in their own neighborhood. Their hearts have been so filled with the love of God that their great anxiety has been to win souls for him. This has been more to them than silver and gold and the precious things of this world. And as they have labored in simplicity to minister the word of truth, the Spirit of God has sent home the word to the hearts of the people.”  RH, January 20, 1910.

These people have done the best that they could. Mothers, fathers, young people, children, elderly people, ministers, missionaries, colporteurs, Bible workers, nurses, doctors, in Africa, in Thailand, or in their own home town—according to where the Lord has placed them—have worked faithfully for God. They have improved the little opportunities that were placed in their path. They have searched for new opportunities to reach out, leaving behind their comfort zones, denying their own pleasure, and sacrificing of themselves to give someone else a chance to be saved. They will not regret for a moment that they have done this.

“There is reward for the wholehearted, unselfish workers who enter this field, and also for those who contribute willingly for their support. Those engaged in active service in the field, and those who give of their means to sustain these workers, will share the reward of the faithful.” CS 348. These faithful supporters of God’s work, in addition to their personal work for people around them, have denied themselves of things they would like to have had, for the good of others. In the day of reward they will not feel sorry that they decided on a simple outing in the country instead of an expensive vacation, and sent the money to a missionary. They will rejoice that they decided not to shop for new clothes they did not really need, and use the money to buy evangelistic literature to share with their neighbors. They will be glad that they chose not to outfit their house as well as they could have, and instead saved the money to help build a church for a group of believers in Africa. On earth, their clothing and homes were plain, their lifestyle simple. Yet their heavenly reward will be far beyond what they could have dreamed.

            “The redeemed will meet and recognize those whose attention they have directed to the uplifted Saviour. What blessed converse they have with these souls! ‘I was a sinner,’ it will be said, ‘without God and without hope in the world, and you came to me and drew my attention to the precious Saviour as my only hope. . . . Others will say, ‘I was a heathen in heathen lands. You left your friends and comfortable home and came to teach me how to find Jesus and believe in Him as the only true God. I demolished my idols and worshiped God, and now I see Him face to face. I am saved, eternally saved, ever to behold Him whom I love. . . .’ Others will express their gratitude to those who fed the hungry and clothed the naked…. What rejoicing there will be as these redeemed ones meet and greet those who have had a burden in their behalf! And those who have lived, not to please themselves, but to be a blessing to the unfortunate who have so few blessings—how their hearts will thrill with satisfaction!” ML 353.

            Do you feel God’s call to be a missionary? Do you want to be open to go where He sends you, and do what He asks you to do? Do you desire to receive the reward of the faithful soulwinner? Place yourself in God’s hands and say, “Lord, here am I, send me.”

All quotations from Ellen G. White.

Abbreviations of Book/Periodical Titles Used in this Article:

AA Acts of the Apostles
AH The Adventist Home
CG Child Guidance
CH Counsels on Health
ChS  Christian Service
CM Colporteur Ministry
CS Counsels on Stewardship
DG  Daughters of God
Ev Evangelism
GC  The Great Controversy
GW Gospel Workers
HS Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions
ML My Life Today
MM Medical Ministry
PH012 Pamphlet 12
PK Prophets and Kings
RH  Review and Herald
ST Signs of the Times
TM Testimonies to Ministers
6T, 7T, etc.   Testimonies for the Church
WM Welfare Ministry