We are workers together with God. Seventh-day Adventists are a called and chosen working force for God—a special people with a special message for a special time. They must not allow anything else to absorb their attention.
"In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light-bearers. To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light from the word of God. They have been given a work of the most solemn import—the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels' messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention.
"The most solemn truths ever entrusted to mortals have been given us to proclaim to the world. The proclamation of these truths is to be our work. The world is to be warned, and God's people are to be true to the trust committed to them."—Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 10.
Seventh-day Adventists hold in their hands the bread of life for a famishing world. Theirs is a life-or-death issue. "This is the last message. There are no more to follow; no more invitations of mercy to be given after this message shall have done its work. What a trust!" —Ibid., vol. 5, p. 206. The world is about to take a step in making void the law of God that will bring upon the unfaithful the unmingled wrath of God. We Adventists must be faithful to our trust. We must give the warning in Revelation 14:9-12 as Noah gave his warning against the impending destruction in his day.
Satan is ever watchful to thwart our God-given work. He is a skillful deceiver, and tries to lead God's messengers away from their special work. Unfortunately, he really succeeds in his purpose in many instances. He knows that if he can get a worker sidetracked, he will weaken God's special work for this time. At times a worker begins to urge some point of doctrine that is unimportant in preparing a people to stand against the decree that causes men to worship the beast and his image. Some of these workers split off from God's remnant people, and try to start a movement of their own. They are sidetracked from the real movement of God, and are blind to the damage they are doing His cause. This pleases Satan greatly. He is happy as long as men are not being warned against the mark of the beast. He is willing for these workers to be very active in anything, if they just do not do the special work that God has called them to do.
Satan induces some workers to try to change the emphasis of their message. He persuades them to keep the law of God in the background, and hope to accomplish more good by just preaching about Jesus. But the law and the gospel must be proclaimed together.
"This is the testimony that must go throughout the length and breadth of the world. It presents the law and the gospel, binding up the two in a perfect whole.
. . These precious scriptures will be impressed upon every heart that is opened to receive them."—Testimonies to Ministers, p. 94.
God gave Jonah a message to deliver to a certain city in his day, and he failed to please God until he gave the message in just the way God wanted it given. We need to be careful today that we do not get sidetracked and find ourselves going in a direction opposite to the one that God would have us go.
"There is to be no change in the general features of our work. It is to stand as clear and distinct as prophecy has made it. . . . If any stand in the way, to hinder the advancement of the work in the lines that God has appointed, they will displease God. No line of truth that has made the Seventh-day Adventist people what they are, is to be weakened. We have the old landmarks of truth, experience, and duty, and we are to stand firmly in defense of our principles, in full view of the world."—Testimonies, vol, 6, p. 17.
