“Press Together!”

The appeal to her fellow Seventh-day Adventist church members to “press together!” appears 145 times in the published Ellen White writings. Typical is this statement, made at the 1891 General Conference session:GVEGW 140.5

“Suppose we try daily to have our hearts united in the bonds of Christian love. ‘I have somewhat against thee,’ says the True Witness, ‘because thou hast left thy first love’ (Revelation 2:4). And He says, ‘Except thou repent,’ ‘I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place’ (Revelation 2:5). Why? Because in our separation from one another we are separated from Christ. We want to press together. Oh, how many times, when I have seemed to be in the presence of God and holy angels, I have heard the angel voice saying, ‘Press together, press together, press together. Do not let Satan cast his hellish shadow between brethren. Press together; in unity there is strength.’” ^{52Selected Messages 2:374, 375, from SCB 1891, p. 260.}GVEGW 140.6

And the purpose of “press together” is that we may “press forward,” an expression Mrs. White used 130 times in her published writings, usually in the context of Paul’s admonition:GVEGW 140.7

“This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13, 14).GVEGW 141.1