ADDRESSING the church pastors in 1970, our world president, Robert H. Pierson, stated: "As a minister in the cause of God, your greatest ambition and joy is soul winning, leading lost men and women to Jesus Christ. This is an enormous task and an awesome responsibility. We cannot accomplish it alone. The presence of the Spirit of God is indispensable.
"God gave us the church organization to help us to evangelize the world. . . . The Ministerial Association and the Department of Lay Activities share your soul-winning burdens in a very special way. . . . I believe as ministers and laymen join hands, working together, they can make the Laymen's Year the greatest experience in our church history. This is what I hope will happen in 1971."
We are now in the month of July, and we believe it is time for an evaluation. Considering that six months of Laymen's Year have passed, are we as far along as we should be in our work of service? Brethren, are you succeeding in making your church an active, working church? Ellen White says:
The church must be a working church if it would be a living church. It should not be content merely to hold its own ground . . . , but it should bear the yoke of Christ, and keep step with the Leader, gaining new recruits along the way. Christian Service, pp. 83, 84. (Italics supplied.)
Are all the latent talents or hidden qualifications of your members being put to work? Are you making an all-out effort to train your laymen, and then see that they are encouraged to fill their special post of duty?
In the Footsteps of Paul
When you do this you are following in the footsteps of Paul, Barnabas, and others, for the Scriptures tell us how they faithfully instructed their converts to work "unselfishly, earnestly, perseveringly, for the salvation of their fellow men. This careful training of new converts was an important factor in the remarkable success that at tended Paul and Barnabas as they preached the gospel in heathen lands." Ibid., p. 60.
Many a pastor has trained laymen who have become great soul winners; some have even been taken into full-time soul-winning work. We remember that "Gideon was taken from the threshing floor to be the instrument in the hands of God for delivering the armies of Israel. Elisha was called to leave the plow and do the bidding of God. Amos was a husbandman, a tiller of the soil, when God gave him a message to proclaim." Ibid. And in our churches around the world there are hundreds and thousands of men and women who have accepted the call to witness, each in his own way, to the new life which has been born within.
There must be no wall between the pas tor and laymen. Remember you were a layman before you became a minister. Strive to make every member a soul winner. Train every member and they will gladly help to make your soul winning more fruitful. You may find modern Gideons, Stephens, Philips, Elishas, Johns, and Peters; yes, and some Aquilas and Priscillas, Marys, Marthas, and Dorcases whose talents lie dormant just waiting for the Holy Spirit to impress your heart to say, "We need you," and "Come with me and I'll show you how."
Inspire them by reading such statements as "The work He gives His people to do. He is able to accomplish by them." Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 122.
Your laymen want to be a part of the thrilling prophecy mentioned in volume 9 of the Testimonies, page 96, where it says:
In all fields, nigh and afar off, men will be called from the plow and from the more common commercial business vocations . . . and will be educated in connection with men of experience. As they learn to labor effectively they will proclaim the truth with power. Through most wonderful workings of divine providence, mountains of difficulty will be removed and cast into the sea.
Fellow minister, you hold the key to unlock the greatest untapped potential for a finished work. Turn the key quickly! Train every member to be an active missionary for God. Give every member the supreme joy of guiding souls to the Master. Remember the success of the layman is your success!
