A personal testimony

Although my mother was a firm believer in the Spirit of Prophecy, I had only a nodding acquaintance with Ellen White’s books in my youth. At New- bold College in England I became better acquainted with her writings. But even there, like many other Europeans in those days, I had no particular interest in them. It wasn’t until my wife and I emigrated with our firstborn son to Australia, where I continued my theological studies at Avondale College, that my appreciation of the writings of Ellen White began to change. In Australia I saw and experienced what God can do for His church if we faithfully follow the counsels He has given to us through the gift of prophecy. The many schools, hospitals, and health-food factories and the vibrancy of the churches in that division in the 1960s convinced me that indeed God’s counsel through His servant Ellen G. White is invaluable.GP 121.1

Since graduating from Avondale College in 1970, my life and my ministry have been tremendously enriched by the writings of Ellen White. For my personal devotions, I have made it a practice to read and meditate on a portion of Scripture and read two pages from one of Mrs. White’s books, and for family worship we always read one of her books either for morning or evening worship. In this way, I have read most of her published works, some books more than once. In my ministry on three continents (Europe, North America, and Australia) and in my travels throughout the world in my work for the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference, I have witnessed that the work is growing in those fields where the writings of Ellen White are respected and listened to, while it languishes in fields where her writings are neglected.GP 121.2

I close this study with an appeal Elder Denton Rebok made to our church:GP 121.3

Brethren and sisters of the Advent family, let us . . . take our stand with the remnant church for the message given to us as a people, and for the messenger whom God chose to accomplish His will and purpose in and for us as probationary time comes to an end, as history comes to its last chapter, as Christ finishes His work for the salvation of men, and as closing events in the great controversy bring us ever nearer to the grand consummation of all things earthly. ^{5Rebok, 320.}GP 121.4