Working for Souls
NP
1906
Previously unpublished.
We want to make every effort possible to bring back souls to Christ. See the last verses of Jude, and let us see in this perilous time [that] we must be sharp, discerning the perils of the period, and work for young and for old with all the ingenuity and patience and perseverance that [it] is possible for us to exercise. 21LtMs, Ms 121, 1906, par. 1
We do not use the provisions God has made for us, as it is our privilege to do. Pray with souls. Ministers, you will gain in this act a most blessed experience. And this is the work of soul-saving that we must do, if souls are to cut loose from their bondage to sin and Satan and come back to Christ. Ask, and ye shall receive. “If ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” Luke 11:13. This Holy Spirit is a gift, a donation, to the world. Oh, may the Lord give us understanding how to receive these gifts. With our own hearts softened and subdued, we can melt our way into the hearts of the children and into the hearts of our brethren. You can melt your way into the hearts of out-and-out sinners much more easily than you can into the hearts of those who have a knowledge of the truth, but do not bring the truth into their daily lives, to be sanctified through the truth. 21LtMs, Ms 121, 1906, par. 2
I have had presented to me a meeting where most direct appeals were being made, and there were most earnest, humble, broken prayers going up to God; and there was the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, and testimonies were born. God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, is now shining in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ. We must set everything in operation to clear the King’s highway. We must prepare the way of the Lord. We must reach a higher standard in our meetings. We must work to set others to work and strive with all the powers of the grace of Christ to remove every obstruction to unity. 21LtMs, Ms 121, 1906, par. 3
All gifts are of no value unless controlled by a softened, subduing spirit of love. This love is to a large extent dropped out of the heart. The love for ourselves is not essential. The love for our brethren is essential for our own daily happiness in this life and in the life to come. Christian love bears its fruit in loving that which God loves and because God loves. Christian religion requires Christian practice, for it is a revelation of the love of God. 21LtMs, Ms 121, 1906, par. 4
The second chapter of Revelation speaks of a loss that has been sustained in the losing of their first love. In this position Christ is lost with the love, and they do not know this. The life of a Christian is the life of love. The Lord does not set one brother to educate the faculty of criticizing another brother. If wrong exists, go right to the one who is wrong. Talk with him; pray with him. Let this work be carried on in our meetings, and you see if it does not let in the bright sunshine from the presence of Jesus. More than this, your meetings can be the greatest blessing to every minister and worker by showing I am my brother’s keeper. It is a part of God’s great plan that one brother should look after the interest of his brother, to help him—not to hurt and cripple and destroy. 21LtMs, Ms 121, 1906, par. 5
Christ has paid a wonderful ransom to save the souls ready to perish. He gave an example of how all should work to carry out His plan, and it is to be worked out by those who claim to love God and to believe the truth. Encouragement is needed. Draw out the best powers that are in those with whom you associate in church capacity. 21LtMs, Ms 121, 1906, par. 6