Dear Brethren and Sisters:
Greetings! Many of our ministers have written us expressing determination to co-operate in every way possible in world-wide soul winning. Many others are reporting successes that are appearing where churches are being led to make sincere effort to win men and women to God. All this brings joy and courage to our hearts, for this is exactly what the Lord has purposed His church shall do.
We must not, however, even for a moment, forget that all real ministry depends for success upon the power of God, and that this power operates freely only through the consecration of lives fully yielded to His service. There is very real danger ofour placing dependence upon other things. Our movement is wonderfully organized, and we have found our organization so efficient and effective that we have grown to feel, and quite naturally, that success in any giver. work is assured if we but apply the power of our organization to the task in hand.
We have become accustomed to the use of slogans, and know well the part they have played in many of the material successes of our work. We have come, too, to appreciate the tremendous force that is generated by concentrating the interest and activities of our people in a "drive" on a given project. Slogans and "drives" are helpful in association with much that we do, but in the work of winning souls to God, we must find a truer basis of trust. We who in Christ's stead beseech men and women to be reconciled to God, must know the peace and power of personal reconciliation. As coworkers with Christ we must "live in conscious. hourly communion with God through prayer and study of His word." Our hold upon eternal realities should be daily and hourly strengthened by communion with our Lord.
Our puny strength unaided is much too feeble, for he against whom we struggle for the souls of men is stronger than we, and relentless in his determination to hold them in his power. He is the same old foe against whom Paul wrestled, and Paul bears testimony that he wrought nothing in his own strength. In Acts 26:22 he says, "Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great." Of Paul, Mrs. White ("The Acts of the Apostles," p. 363) has said, "Realizing that he was fighting against supernatural powers, he placed his dependence on God, and in this lay his strength." Again (pages 510, 511) we are told: "Paul carried with him the atmosphere of heaven. All who associated with him felt the influence of his union with Christ. The fact that his own life exemplified the truth he proclaimed, gave convincing power to his preaching." And then Mrs. White says: "Here lies the power of truth. The unstudied, unconscious influence of a holy life is the most convincing sermon that can be given in favor of Christianity."
My brethren, does not our own great need of power to move and win the unsaved, urge us to seek for ourselves a truer and closer union with Christ? Acknowledging that we cannot continue to be fruitful in God's service without new power continually received, shall we not be found much more often and much more earnestly in communion with our Lord? Can we hope to be increasingly and continuously fruitful in soul winning without much prayer and study of the word of God?
As I seek to answer these questions for myself, I confess the conviction that the power of both our ministry and our leadership of God's people in soul-winning service must come from God, and manifest itself through lives that receive their inspiration and strength by communion and companionship with the Saviour.
The plan for more intensive effort in soul winning by the whole church which was adopted at the Fall Council in Omaha, should not be understood by any of us to be a "drive" on soul winning. Do not, dear brethren, permit yourselves to regard it as anything less than a gracious call of our great Leader to deeper personal piety, more earnest and continuous communion with our Lord, more confiding trust in Him for success in the performance of His work, and more humble dependence on His power to work through us and to make effective all that we seek to do in His name. Our hearts tell us that we greatly need all this, and our faith assures us that if we earnestly seek these blessings at His hand for greater efficiency in His service, the blessing will surely come.
May God help us to turn to the Stronghold with all our hearts, for He is waiting to bestow on us an induement of power from on high, and fit us to do a vaster and more fruitful work than even our hearts have planned. It is God's will that we shall succeed in winning men to Him. He is ready to lead us on from success to greater success in such a work. May His blessing come richly upon us as we still more earnestly seek Him for needed power, and beseech men in Christ's stead, "Be ye reconciled to God."
Wishing you all blessing in service,
Yours very sincerely,
C. H. Watson.
Feb. 12, 1931.
