Next, consider the worker's relationship to the organization. We are to maintain the same relationship to the organization that we have to each other. The organization is but a collection of individual workers. "No man liveth unto himself." Each worker is a small part of the great organization. This is especially true of the missionary worker. He is not his own. His every action will reflect favorably or unfavorably on the organization which he represents. The people among whom he labors will judge his organization by his conduct and teaching. Let no one think that he can pursue an independent course of conduct regardless of public opinion, without sooner or later bringing reproach on the work. The worker's every action should be governed by its possible effect on the work of the organization. Individnal judgment should be surrendered to the judgment of the brethren, for "in the multitude of counselors there is safety." Mrs. White once said:
"I have been shown that no man's judgment should be surrendered to the judgment of any one man. But when the judgment of the General Conference, which is the highest authority that God has upon the earth, is exercised, private independence and private judgment must not be maintained, but be surrendered."---"Testimonies," Vol. p. 492.
Especially is this counsel needed in the matter of advocating new lines of doctrine. All new teachings should first be submitted to a representative body of men for consideration and approval. When we belong to an organization and receive our support from it, it is but right and just that the organization should know what we teach. Quoting again from Mrs. White:
"Christ gives power to the voice of the church. 'Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.' No such thing is countenanced as one man's starting out upon his own individual responsibility, and advocating what views he chooses, irrespective of the judgment of the church. God has bestowed the highest power under heaven upon His church. It is the voice of God in His united people in church capacity which is to be respected."—Id., p. 450.
Mrs. White also says, "The powers the Lord has given us are to be used to build up, not to tear down." God has commissioned no one to tear down. We as workers are to enter into one another's labors, and seek constantly to build up. Speaking of the method of Christ's labor, the prophet Isaiah says:
"A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench." Unfortunately, we sometimes find new workers coming to a field who feel commissioned of God to tear down the work that it has required years to build up. Anyone can tear down with but little effort and be able to make considerable noise thereby, but it takes much prayer and hard labor to build up the work of God.
The true worker for God will exercise watchful care not only over the converts whom he has brought into the truth, but also over the souls whom his fellow laborers have won. All souls will be precious in his sight. He will follow the instruction of Paul, not "preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality." Many more souls might be with us today if this instruction had been more carefully heeded by workers in general. When Israel of old was engaged in battle with Amalek, Aaron and Hur held up the weary, outstretched hands of Moses, and thus brought a great victory to the people of God. So today, instead of criticizing those who bear heavy responsibilities, we can do much more good for the work of God if we uphold their hands with our prayers.
In our day, when nationalism is everywhere rampant, there is grave danger of this same spirit's creeping into the church. By precept and example, we as foreigners must ever show the nationals among whom we labor that we ourselves are not tainted with that spirit. We must ever hold up before them the world-wide nature of this advent movement, and advocate the world unity of this message. In some countries governmental regulations make it impossible for any but nationals to have a leading part, or any part, in directing our work. And unfortunately for the work, these regulations, I fear, are sometimes rather welcomed by the nationals themselves. We as workers owe it to our organization to give instruction which will counteract this growing tendency, and prepare workers for leadership who will have a broad view of the world-wide work, not restricted by national boundaries.
This perfect relationship between workers can be maintained only as each worker remains rightly related to Christ. The nearer the individual worker lives to the great Pattern, the more closely he is related to Him, and the more closely he copies His methods, the more nearly perfect will be the whole organization and the relationship between workers. In conclusion, I wish to quote from a testimony that was published in the Review and Herald, in which Mrs. White speaks about our great world-wide organization:
"Although there are evils existing in the church, and will be until the end of the world, the church in these last days is to be the light of the world that is polluted and demoralized by sin. The church, enfeebled and defective, needing to be reproved, warned, and counseled, is the only object upon earth upon which Christ bestows His supreme regard."—Sept. 5, 1893.
