The subject upon which I have been asked to write is stated thus: " What Is Your Idea of an Ideal Bible Worker? " Some time ago I read of an incident concerning two men, fellow travelers on a train. One was a salesman, the other a preacher. The salesman told of his long service with the house he represented, and he became very enthusiastic about it and his " line." The minister remarked, " I, too, am a salesman, and have been long in the service of a very old House; " and he became very enthusiastic concerning his " line." " What is your line? " asked the salesman. " I am engaged in making known the terms of eternal salvation to the lost of earth," was the preacher's reply.
Just recently my eye fell upon another incident which impressed upon my mind a vital principle of success. A shoe salesman was phenomenally successful. Investigation revealed that the outstanding feature of his method in successful salesmanship was that he wore the make of shoe he was selling.
Somehow these two incidents helped me to see my work in a new light. A Bible worker must be a good saleswoman, and she must wear " the goods " she offers for sale. And further, she must wear the goods so attractively that the appeal shall overcome every hindrance. The equipment for the demonstration of these essentials must be along three lines,— physical, mental, and spiritual. We will briefly consider these in their order.
1. The Physical.—The ideal Bible worker should possess a body in good working order — that is, health. Health, in these times, is not by any means a natural endowment. The Lord has, therefore, anticipated the need, and given to us instruction by the application of which the natural endowment may be built up and conserved. Personally, I am grateful for what I know of real health reform, and can truly say that it is adding years of life as well as service. I therefore believe that the ideal Christian worker in any line will reverently, intelligently, and sensibly make use of what God has so graciously given.
Very often the prayer of the saleswoman of spiritual commodities will be, " Lord, give me good sense, and courage to use it " There can be no blind following of custom or fashion, neither should there be a fanatical disregard of the good things in vogue. Clothing is necessary, but it is an accessory. The essential is the personality. It is inartistic to allow the accessories to detract from the central figure in the picture. The " models " in the large department stores of our cities display gowns, the product of the firms they represent. Our business as " models " in the King's business is to display a Person, and that Person is our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
" It pays to advertise " in spiritual commodities as in other lines. By this I mean the actual demonstration of the value of what we have to offer. Jesus, our great Example, went about doing good, healing the sick, and comforting the sorrowing. As a nurse, I have found it a valuable help to be able to point souls to Christ and show them how to come to Him; and as a Bible worker I have found my experience in teaching health principles and ministering to sick bodies, indispensable, as through this means I have gained the confidence of those helped, and they have been led to know and love the Saviour, and their lives have been transformed. Therefore I believe that the ideal Bible worker should have more or less (preferably more) knowledge of the art of nursing; and I am convinced that this training is as essential for the work in America as in mission fields.
2. The Mental.— To a large extent this depends upon the physical, for the brain must be nourished from the life stream. I believe that the Bible worker should be a well-informed person. This requires that she read, read, read, and turn her reading into good hard study, and then yet more and harder study of a wide range of books, and pre-eminently The Book. She must know the Book,— not a set of Bible studies only, but the very words of the Book, for they are divine words. Then she will study people, just as any salesman does. Years ago it was my privilege to represent the Battle Creek Sanitarium in many of the large cities of the East. It was my business to advertise the -Sanitarium — its methods, its purpose, its foods, and all that concerned it. As people passed my booth, it was my business to catch their attention and to interest them in what) I had to offer. Each person was different, and I learned to observe quickly, and then as quickly make my appeal to what I saw was of special-interest to them. That was a fine training for me, and is still a help in my Bible work. Study people, study books, study the Book — study.
I believe the mental equipment of a Bible worker should include a knowledge of music in just as far a degree as is possible. A little musical training is good, more is better, some is almost indispensable. But whether it be much or little, it must be dedicated to the Master's use,— just that; no conceit, no false humility. A Bible worker must have a keen mind, a fund of knowledge in many lines, and wisdom to use that knowledge effectively. She must have eyes to see, ears to hear, and be of quick understanding, in order that no opportunity shall be lost.
3. The Spiritual. — The spiritual equipment is in some degree affected by the physical and the mental. If you do not have in mind Ephesians 6: 10-19, open your Bibles to it, for I think we have here the spiritual equipment set forth by our " beloved brother Paul," who, as a wise general, gives most valuable instruction to the Christian soldier before going forth to a desperate conflict with the powers of sin.
The first essential in this spiritual equipment is, " Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might." Here is the setting forth of strength and power combined with absolute weakness, for it is the Lord's " might," and not the soldier's might, which is to be manifest. The attitude of submission to the divine power is beautifully stated in the following lines:
" I give Thee back the life I owe, That in its ocean depths its flow May richer, fuller be!
" My heart restores its borrowed ray, That in Thy sunshine's glow its day May brighter, fairer be.
" I lay in dust life's glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be."
The next stage of the equipment is, " put on the whole armor of God," for the battle is a spiritual one, and it is to the death. Neither will give any quarter. We may judge of the importance of this part of the equipment by the emphasis which is given through repetition —" take unto you the whole armor of God." Let us notice, then, this armor:
1. " Loins girt about with truth."
2. " The breastplate of righteousness."
3. " Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace."
4. " The shield of faith."
5. " The helmet of salvation."
6. " The sword of the Spirit the word of God."
These six pieces of armor represent six qualifications the Christian worker must possess to be victor in the struggle. This armor is described in more modern terms, as follows: "A clear understanding of truth; a clean, obedient life; earnest service; a strongly simple trust in God; clear assurance of one's own salvation and relation to God; and a good grip of the truth for others.
Then notice the first step in the conflict: " Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." When the armor is all in place, then pray, not fight. But prayer is fighting; it is the only way to victory. The armor all in place, then quietly, persistently put all the fighting strength into claiming the victory which our great Captain has won in single-handed combat with the rebel leader.
Then Paul adds another word of great significance in the instruction concerning spiritual equipment, when he exhorts that in addition to prayer and supplication for personal needs and " for all saints," he might also be remembered in prayer, to the effect " that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel." Here is set forth the principle of loyalty to the immediate leadership of our forces,— no criticism, no faultfinding, but strong, active co-operation and prayerful support. So shall the ideal Bible worker be equipped to co-operate with God in His love-plan for a prodigal world.
Decatur, Mich.
(To be continued)
A Day With the Bible Worker (Concluded)
By Mrs. J.W. Mace
"Pardon me, but as you were giving your Bible study, I could not see that you had any loose notes to guide you, and I am curious to know if you follow the system of a pencil-mark chain of texts in the margin or after the verse in your Bible, which, from your starting point, pilots you to the concluding text in the study; or just how do you manage this? "
" No, I do not use notes; neither do I have the texts written in my Bible. I have formed the habit of memorizing the texts, and this has become an easy matter with me."
" How many texts do you consider necessary for a Bible study? "
" That depends, of course, upon the subject; but I aim to use as few as possible. Probably I use on an average of from fifteen to twenty texts."
" How much time do you require for a Bible study? "
" Never over an hour for the entire appointment, including the formalities of arriving and departing. From half to three quarters of an hour is my usual time for the study proper."
" It is reported that Bible workers are sometimes bewildered and ember-reseed by well-meaning attempts on the part of their readers to provide social entertainment,—serving refreshments, etc. Do you have any such experiences? "
" Oh, yes. But I always discourage that. I plan to leave the reader just as quickly as consistent after the close of the reading, so that the impression made by the study will abide uppermost in the mind without anything of a personal nature to detract from the truth presented. One of my readers has a very exclusive circle of friends, and it was her plan to get all these friends together for the Bible studies, and have a very pleasant social time. But I knew this would never do. Personally, I prefer the one-soul ' audience in my Bible teaching, and discourage large group studies, and only under special circumstances favor the plan of having two, or possibly three, meet together for studies."
" Do you always begin your Bible studies with prayer? "
" Always! I have one lady now who has never yet kneeled in prayer. I told her at first that -it was my custom to pray before beginning the study of the Bible, and that I kneeled in prayer. In time this lady will kneel with me in prayer — I am positive she will. Possibly it may be necessary for me, at some appropriate time, to read a few texts to show the proper attitude in prayer; but she will come along all right. It requires tact to deal with people. If there is one thing above another that I pray the Lord to give me in double portion, it is tact."
There were many other questions pertaining to the successful operation of the Bible work which were in my mind to ask my courteous and experienced friend, but the bus made a sudden stop, which almost jolted us from our seats, and the first thing I knew my companion was stepping out the front door and smiling at me as I scrambled to my feet to follow. We crossed the street and stepped into the lobby of the apartment house, and sent up word that we were waiting. In the brief interim before the elevator man ushered us to the designated floor, my friend made a significant remark, which I shall not soon forget. It furnished the key to success in Bible work. She said:
" Of course, it is pleasant to have my readers like me as a personal friend, but I am more anxious that they shall come to know and love my Saviour. I always begin with my readers on the foundation of Christian experience. If they are church members, I ask them if they really know Christ — do they pray? do they realize that God answers their prayers? I have witnessed some wonderful conversions while on our knees in prayer in the seclusion of the reader's own home. We must first of all establish a definite Christian experience in the spiritual life. To build on any other foundation in our Bible teaching is time wasted."
As we emerge from the elevator, a door far down the corridor opens, and out steps a lady who approaches to greet us. The study for this hour is on the sanctuary, and text after text brings to our vision a composite picture of that wonderful structure concerning which Inspiration furnishes such minute detail. Near the close of the study, the lady remarked.:
" This is all very interesting. But why don't we have the visible leading of God in our affairs just as they did back there? Many times I am uncertain as to what the Lord would have me do in my personal affairs, and I. wish there were some way whereby God could tell me just as plainly and definitely as He told the people back there what to do."
Here was a hungry soul, longing for direct personal touch with God through the Holy Spirit, and inquiry of such nature was a most gratifying conclusion to a Bible study on the earthly tabernacle. What a satisfaction to be able to point out that in this dispensation of the Holy Spirit, God desires, not a tabernacle made with hands, but longs to dwell in the heart of the man or woman who will open the door for His admittance, and when thus enthroned will hold closest communion with the soul, and verify the promise, " I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye."
By the time we returned to the heart of the city, it was well toward the close of the day. My colleague had another appointment to meet at 7: 30 the same evening, but at this point she excused me as having put in a full office-hour program. On the street corner we separated, and her parting words were: "Pray for me! And pray especially for the lady visited this forenoon, who is seeking for light; * pray for the crippled lady, that she may be healed; and pray also for the lady we have just left. Good by! "
Turning officeward, there came stealing over me a solemn sense of the tragedy of a lifetime tied to the office chair and desk, when on all sides there are open doors into the homes of the people for Christian women bearing the message of truth for this hour. Then, there came the cheering thought that just at this time of year there has emerged from our colleges a band of recruits from the Bible Workers' Training Classes which exceeds in number and also in the efficiency of practical training received, the record of any previous year in our history. Coupled with this thought came the review of the assuring evidence piling up in the correspondence of the Ministerial Association, that union and local conference presidents are experiencing a revival of the old-time confidence in the merits of the Bible work and are keeping a close eye on this new-fledged group of workers.
To these new recruits, the veteran Bible workers of the Ministerial Association extend a hearty welcome to a share in the joys and sorrows, the buoyancy and weariness, the fulfilled hopes and bitter disappointments, which attend the Bible work. And a cordial invitation is also extended to the hundreds of capable Seventh-day Adventist young women — at home, in the church, or in the school — to give serious, prayerful consideration to the dedicating of the life in service to the Master in this work of divine appointment.
To no other line of work in which women may appropriately engage is more specific indorsement given than is indicated in the following statements from the instruction of the spirit of prophecy.
" The plan of holding Bible readings was a heaven-born idea."—" Gospel Workers," p. 192.
" Consecrated women should engage in Bible work from house to house."" Testimonies," Vol. IX, pp. 120, 121.
" To see Christ is bliss; to know Him, life; to love Him, happiness; to possess Him, heaven."
* Written during a Bible study conducted at the Atlantic Union session on " The Coming of the Holy Spirit," as the spontaneous outburst of welcome accorded by a loving heart.—Ed.
* At this date of publication, the latest report concerning this case indicates acceptance of all points of truth presented, and the first Sabbath service attended.
