2005: Christian Leadership

This study is based on Bible principles of Christian leadership. For the formulation of some of these principles the book “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" by John C. Maxwell was used. Three diagrams have also been taken from this book with slight changes. This is noted in the respective diagrams.
Introduction
This is the first evening of our International Camp meeting, and I would like to read a statement from The Desire of Ages , 486. It is from the chapter, “The Last Journey from Galilee". When Jesus was rejected in Galilee, He left for a time to go to Syro-Phoenicia and then afterwards to Caesarea Philippi. Then He went somewhere else and for a short period He remained in Galilee, but then He left Galilee forever. He left shortly before His crucifixion, and His destination was Jerusalem, but it was not His last journey to Jerusalem. It was His last journey from Galilee.
He left Galilee for good. For Him, that meant approaching the last phase of His ministry which was His suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection. Satan was aware of coming events, and he tempted Christ in a way particularly designed to hit Him the hardest. This is described in the following statement:
“To the heart of Christ it was a bitter task to press His way against the fears, disappointment, and unbelief of His beloved disciples. It was hard to lead them forward to the anguish and despair that awaited them at Jerusalem. And Satan was at hand to press his temptations upon the Son of man. Why should He now go to Jerusalem, to certain death? All around Him were souls hungering for the bread of life. On every hand were suffering ones waiting for His word of healing. The work to be wrought by the gospel of His grace was but just begun. And He was full of the vigor of manhood’s prime. Why not go forward to the vast fields of the world with the words of His grace, the touch of His healing power? Why not take to Himself the joy of giving light and gladness to those darkened and sorrowing millions? Why leave the harvest gathering to His disciples, so weak in faith, so dull of understanding, so slow to act? Why face death now, and leave the work in its infancy? The foe who in the wilderness had confronted Christ assailed Him now with fierce and subtle temptations. Had Jesus yielded for a moment, had He changed His course in the least particular to save Himself, Satan’s agencies would have triumphed, and the world would have been lost.
“But Jesus had ‘steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.’ The one law of His life was the Father’s will." The Desire of Ages , 485.4-486.2.
The events described in this chapter parallel our experience because we face a very serious crisis that will come upon the whole world. The disciples also faced a serious crisis. But because they didn’t understand this, they also didn’t understand Christ’s decisions and movements.
The disciples did not realize what was going to happen to them. Do we know fully what kind of crisis will come upon us? We know roughly, yes. But do we really believe that the future will happen as predicted? That is the question. The disciples knew roughly what would happen. Christ told them that He would go to Jerusalem to suffer and die. But the disciples did not grasp this and were not ready for the crisis. They were simply not ready for their future work, yet they were sent out.
This reminds me of our situation. We have had a seminar for three semesters, and now we are going out. I feel somewhat burdened because I wish I could go with you and tell you where you should go and what will come upon you, but of course I cannot do this. And you cannot either. But one thing is clear—we don’t feel ready for a greater task. It seems that we are in a situation like that of the disciples when Jesus was about to leave them. They were simply not ready, and Jesus asked Himself, “Shall I really leave this work in their hands now?" But He had to because that was His Father’s plan.
Likewise, today we really need to see that the work now lies in the hands of those who are being sent out. They bear a certain responsibility. You have the seminar. You have the aim, I believe, to be real missionary workers, and with this aim you go out. The question is only, are you ready? To be honest, I fear a little. I ask myself, are we really ready for this work? But God knows. He has a plan for each one just as He had a plan for the disciples.
When Christ’s disciples were tempted in Gethsemane, they did not react very well. It seemed that they all left Him for good. But they did not lose their love for Him. But when they heard of His resurrection and then met Him, at first they were a little sad even though they saw Him in His resurrected form. But they became happier during the next forty days after His resurrection.
First He appeared to the women. This, of course, made them very happy, and they immediately told the other disciples, but the disciples didn’t believe them. Then He appeared to Peter, and they believed him. But some did not even believe Him. Then He appeared to the ten in the upper chamber. And Thomas who was not present didn’t believe even the ten. He was disappointed that He had not seen Jesus. Even though somehow in the depth of His heart he knew that it was true, he didn’t want to believe because he was jealous of the other ten.
When he was with the ten, Jesus helped Him be restored. But what a weakness was revealed in Thomas. He wouldn’t believe despite all the witnesses.
Later Jesus appeared to five hundred on a mountain in Galilee. Before this He appeared to some other disciples by the Sea of Galilee. And so He appeared again and again until finally He came into Jerusalem where He went with them to the Mount of Olives where He ascended to heaven. And in that moment while He was ascending to heaven, the believers, that is, the disciples, were not sad any more. During His visits with them after His resurrection, they experienced sadness, but now they were happy, happy in the fact that He was going to heaven to be their Advocate.
Ten days later they received the Holy Spirit. Then they were sent out with full power to preach the Gospel. We are really in need of the Holy Spirit in order to preach the gospel to the world. I think we can see this. We are in a situation like the disciples when Jesus was tempted not to leave them alone. He felt a desire to stay around a little longer. Why leave the work now in the hands of those who are so weak?
Today as then the work is in Christ’s hands, not man’s. But God works through man. And I can assure you that the work is not in the hands of one man but in the hands of many men. It is important that we realize this, that each one of you takes up his responsibility to move the work forward. I pray earnestly that our International Camp meeting will equip you with the power and ability to go forward and be true missionaries. This cannot be done by studying with you some chapters from the Bible. This alone cannot convey the strength you need. More is needed than this. What is really needed is the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts. And so in closing I would like to read one more statement from The Desire of Ages , 136.
“Many of those gathered at the Jordan had been present at the baptism of Jesus; but the sign then given had been manifest to but few among them. During the preceding months of the Baptist’s ministry, many had refused to heed the call to repentance. Thus they had hardened their hearts and darkened their understanding. When Heaven bore testimony to Jesus at His baptism, they perceived it not. Eyes that had never been turned in faith to Him that is invisible beheld not the Revelation of the glory of God; ears that had never listened to His voice heard not the words of witness. So it is now. Often the presence of Christ and the ministering angels is manifest in the assemblies of the people, and yet there are many who know it not. They discern nothing unusual. But to some the Saviour’s presence is revealed. Peace and joy animate their hearts. They are comforted, encouraged, and blessed". The Desire of Ages , 136.1.
And this is exactly what I would like to pray for, that the Saviour’s presence is revealed to us, that we are animated by peace and joy in our hearts, and that we are comforted, encouraged, and blessed. For this reason it is important that we take the time that we have here together for personal prayer and communion with God. But we will also commune with one another and share our experiences and strengthen one another. We will also study together and pray very much that the Holy Spirit will be present among us. Amen.
Study 1 - The Need of Christian Leaders
Welcome this evening to the first study of our International Camp Meeting in the year 2005.
As I said already, I did not plan before hand or meditate upon exactly what the theme of this camp would be, but as I continued to prepare our leadership seminar, I was deeply impressed that we should really press on with this subject this year. At first I thought of having it only in the afternoon, but then I thought of how important this subject is and that we would not get through it if we have it only in the afternoon as a work group. We can do this in addition, but maybe we can do other subjects as well.
This will give the subject more time, and we will start right away this evening. In addition, we will probably have two studies tomorrow morning.
I would like to start with a statement from Testimonies for the Church 3:23. This will show us the importance of the subject that we have this year. So let’s turn to this reference and begin reading the first paragraph.
“The work of God calls for men of high moral powers to engage in its promulgation. Men are wanted whose hearts are nerved with holy fervor, men of strong purpose who are not easily moved, who can lay down every selfish interest and give all for the cross and the crown. The cause of present truth is suffering for men who are loyal to a sense of right and duty, whose moral integrity is firm, and whose energy is equal to the opening providence of God. Such qualifications as these are of more value than untold wealth invested in the work and cause of God. Energy, moral integrity, and strong purpose for the right are qualities that cannot be supplied with any amount of gold. Men possessing these qualifications will have influence everywhere. Their lives will be more powerful than lofty eloquence. God calls for men of heart, men of mind, men of moral integrity, whom He can make the depositaries of His truth, and who will correctly represent its sacred principles in their daily life." Testimonies for the Church 3:23.2.
Sister White here tells us that there is a great need in the Church of God, and what is this need? It’s the need of resources. And resources can be two things. They can be materials, or they can be people. They can be money, machinery, land and houses, or people. And it is obviously people that she describes here. In fact, I was very impressed by this one sentence, “Such qualifications as these are of more value than untold wealth invested in the work and cause of God."
What would you think if a rich brother came to the movement and gave a few million dollars to it. Let’s take the richest man in the world. For him a few million dollars is nothing. He just gives it as a gift. Wouldn’t that be quite an asset? What could we do with it? Well, we could buy land, we could buy houses, we could start a project here, we could start a project there. But where would it lead us? It is really of much more value to have people with qualifications than to have untold wealth. Do you know what untold wealth is? It is wealth that you cannot even imagine. When we talk about millions of dollars, that’s probably not enough. Talk of billions of dollars, if you wish, even that is not as much worth as people with the right qualifications.
But you might say, “I can use that money to buy people with qualifications." No you can’t. That’s impossible. You can find people in the world who are highly skilled, but not qualified to work in the cause of God. Such qualifications are of more value than untold wealth invested in the work and cause of God.
In reality, we don’t lack funds, we lack human resources. And this point is made very clear in Testimonies for the Church 3:23.1.
“… The cause of present truth is suffering for men who are loyal to a sense of right and duty, whose moral integrity is firm, and whose energy is equal to the opening providence of God.…"
And the next sentence says the same thing.
“… Energy, moral integrity, and strong purpose for the right are qualities that cannot be supplied with any amount of gold.…"
Very often young people come to us and ask, “What shall I learn? What profession do you think would be good for the work?" And I always tell them, “I don’t know what the circumstances will be when you finish your apprenticeship or your study. At the moment there are a few openings, but that is likely to change in five years.
The work has changed dramatically in the last few years. Today other skills are required than a few years ago. If we suggested that everyone study to be a teacher, for instance, then in three years the needs might change dramatically. If everyone studies medicine now, maybe in three years out situation will be different. I don’t know. I can’t look that far into the future. But does it really matter? It doesn’t. Honestly, it doesn’t.
It matters only in so far that some professions pose a greater temptation for people than others. Through some professions people are strongly tempted to go into the world, especially those professions that offer fame, recognition, etc. These professions can be useful to the work, but there are many things that can be useful. If you learn to be a mechanic, you will find work to do in God’s Church. But your real work is not that of a mechanic. It’s not that of a teacher, nurse, or whatever you want to learn. It is that of a missionary.
And in every profession, regardless of which one you would like to name, there are some essentials that you need. And these essentials aren’t taught in any course. They are not offered by any school. They are traits you gain by applying yourself. But you don’t learn them as such in a course. There’s no subject for character, is there? Have you ever heard a branch of study called character? I haven’t. And surely there is none. Have you ever heard a branch of study called energy? Yes, energy! Have you ever heard of such? You can study atomic energy in a physics course, but not energy of character. I have never heard of such a course.
Can you study moral integrity? No. Can you study to have a strong purpose for the right? No. But these things are essential regardless of what profession you take up.
So, let me say again, it doesn’t matter so much, really, what you learn. It depends on how you learn it. That’s the important point. Do you learn it with these fundamentals—energy, moral integrity, and a strong purpose for the right? Theses are the equalities that you need. And now, when you look for a job, think in theses terms. This is the essential thing you will want to learn.
Now when you learn mechanics or surgery or farming or whatever it might be, keep an eye out for any opportunity to learn energy, moral integrity, and a strong purpose for the right. These are the things that we need. And this is what the work needs.
So if you ever ask me again, young people, “What shall I learn?" I would now point you in this direction. You need to learn energy, moral integrity, and a strong purpose for the right. These are the qualities that no money can buy.
We could add a few other things here, like self-discipline and spirituality. However, I think that these are included in the others.
“Men possessing these qualifications will have influence everywhere."
I find it interesting that some of us have learned a certain profession but have hardly ever worked in it. But the things that they learned while studying that profession have helped them. What did they learn? One thing is discipline. You might study architecture but never build a house. But learning the trade required discipline. If learning the trade required moral integrity and honesty, these things will be wanted wherever you work. And especially in the work of God are these things necessary. So character is the important thing to develop. And that is the reason why we have a course here which we call the character school. It is really a school, and the seminar was really a school in this regard too.
But again, that which you learned in the class is one thing. But how you learned it, with self-discipline, energy, and moral integrity, is the important point. And this is what we are looking for.
“Men possessing these qualifications will have influence everywhere. Their lives will be more powerful than lofty eloquence."
Not everybody is a good speaker. I think I am not gifted as a speaker. At least I don’t think so. Maybe you can judge this better. Some really have difficulties in speaking, but that is not really the important point. There are other things that are more important, namely, these qualifications. With these you have influence anywhere, whether you can speak well or not.
“God calls for men of heart, men of mind, men of moral integrity, whom He can make the depositaries of His truth, and who will correctly represent its sacred principles in their daily life."
When we look at the world field and how many leaders there have been, we see that there were many people who led out for sometime but who left the work again. There are others who led out but caused a lot of trouble rather than strengthened the work. There are a few good leaders in the work, but even they could improve. But altogether we really must say that there is a real lack of this resource among us.
Such leaders have these qualifications—influence, power, and moral integrity. Jesus can make them depositaries of His truth. They will correctly represent its sacred principles in their daily lives. It’s not just a matter of correctly transmitting the truth theoretically, but of transmitting it in the daily life.
So, what we will study at this year’s camp is the definition of a good Christian leader, and how to become such a leader. We want to understand what kind of character God needs in His workers. We all want to strive together to understand this subject.
We will take the laws of Christian leadership one by one and carefully investigate them. We will ask ourselves where we can apply them, where we have seen them applied in the past, and where we have seen that they were not applied. We will probably more often see where these laws were not applied. Then we will see why we don’t have strong leadership in our movement and why such men and women are lacking.
So, I pray earnestly that we will go from this camp meeting with a new vision, with a new strength, in order to really lead out in the work. I was very reluctant to present this subject because I feared, and still do to some extent, that as it gets presented further and further down the chain, that it will change into a different message, something not intended in the beginning. The fear is that when we study about Christian leadership, people will use it to rise above others as Lucifer tried to do in heaven. This is not what we are teaching. And I believe that in the end we will understand more clearly that it is not, and I trust that through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit that you will be able to pass this message on correctly, and that you will practice it in your life correctly too.
There is the natural tendency in man to exalt himself. We have to admit this, even though we may not see it in our own hearts. We have to admit this because we see it in the disciples. Even though they were very close to Christ and had reached a high level in their experience, they still strove for the highest place. We have seen this in our movement, and it is likely still here today. It’s a touchy matter to point it out in specific cases, but it is here. And it is here because it’s in the nature of man. And in order to overcome it, we really have to understand what true leadership is.
I find it interesting that there is a lack of leadership among us. One of the reasons for this lies in the nature of man. There is this secret desire to be first. Interestingly enough, in many cases it leads us not to step out in order to give the appearance of being humble. But this so-called humility is not humility at all. It is really the secret desire to be first.
I would say that if people would go forward with courage and fearlessly present the truth, that there would be no lack of leaders in the work of God. But now there is a lack. This lack cannot be supplied by any amount of gold.
Let me summarize again. What the work needs today is not money. It does not need more houses. It does not need more land. It needs human resources. That is its great need.
So, let us turn to the study of Christian leadership. We will go over this subject point by point. We speak of the laws of Christian leadership. You might wonder why we call them laws. Laws are like rules or procedures. If you follow them, you will get certain results. When we understand these laws, we will know what makes a Christian leader. We will also see more clearly what human resources are, what moral integrity is, etc.
The Law of Effectiveness
The first law that we will consider is the law of effectiveness. Effectiveness means being able to do something. Now, the Church as a group must be able to do something. Let’s suppose ten of us were going to establish the work in a new country, let’s say Cambodia. There are no believers there yet, but we have ten missionaries. How would you go about this? What would you do first? Would you go to the people and invite them to meetings? Would you open a school for translation? Would you open a bakery? Would you co-ordinate with one another or work independently? What would you do? If you worked independently, the whole thing would crumble. In order for ten people to work effectively, there must be leadership. There needs to be a leader. We will see this more clearly later.
By leader, I do not mean one person who tells the others what to do and the others just do as they are told. No, all ten should be leaders. That’s what I mean. In other words, leadership is first of all self-leadership. Now, instead of ten people going to Cambodia, let’s suppose you go alone. If you accomplish something, then you are a leader. If you accomplish nothing, then you are not a leader. That is the simple rule.
Now, let me say again, leadership is not about bossing others around and telling them what to do. It is first of all, self-discipline. It is being able to do something yourself, even if you stand alone. And that is a very interesting test.
Let’s say you come to my house, and I tell you, “Please look after the garden." I don’t tell you what to do. I don’t tell you how to do it. I just say, “Look after the garden." What would you say to me? Some of you would say, “I’m not a gardener. What should I do?" As soon as you said that, I would have to tell you, “You are not a leader." And why? Because a leader knows what to do. He arranges, he organizes, and he knows whom to ask and what to ask without unduly asking all the time, “What shall I do next? What shall I do next?" He thinks while he learns. And he can organize his work step by step. And when he can organize himself, then he can organize others.
Leadership is a skill that makes the individual effective which in turn makes the group effective. Without leadership there is no effectiveness, and there is a sad ineffectiveness among many of our churches because of a lack of leadership.
So how can we be more effective in our work? The answer is simple. Apply the laws of leadership step by step.

Now success is not the same as effectiveness. I would like to make a distinction between success and effectiveness. A person can be quite successful in something without being effective. Someone might be successful because he inherited something from someone else, and he just continues operations as they were before, but that does not mean he is effective. He might inherit a shop from his father and just continue it exactly as he did. But as time goes by he will find that he is not as successful as his father. He experienced immediate success in the beginning but not effectiveness because there was no growth. Effectiveness means growth really.
Let’s take an example. We can be successful in winning an argument, but does this win the person? I’ve had arguments before. I had an argument about the character of God with someone in England several years ago, and in the end I thought I had won. I think he even admitted that he had no more answers to what I said. So I won the argument, but I lost the person. So what good is it to win an argument?
Effectiveness means more than this. We can be successful in building a house, but this does not build the Church. We can be successful in managing the work, but this does not advance the cause. Many people who learn a profession and are absorbed in that profession are quite successful, but they are not efficient. They are successful in doing what they are told to do, what they are trained to do, but they never grow in what they are doing. They never advance. They never move forward. And spiritual things this means I can be quite a worker, but I don’t move forward in building God’s kingdom.
Now the influence that God wants us to have on others does not necessarily have to be a conscious one. In other words, if you have a job that is generally considered ordinary and simple, don’t think that you are not effective. Some people think that they have to be a preacher in order to be effective. That does not have to be the case. In fact, I like it very much when a person does ordinary work, and in this work has an influence upon others which leads them to the truth. That is effectiveness. It is much more than simply preaching. It is much more than simply talking. And this is the kind of effectiveness we need, especially in the work.
So good leadership means being effective. There might be a lot of success, but if leadership is lacking, then there is little effectiveness. But if the leadership and success are present, then there will be effectiveness. And again, in order to understand this, do not think of a leader as one who gives orders. That is not what we are talking about. We will look more closely at this later. By leadership ability we simply mean a person who can influence others to do right. Do you remember the statement from Testimonies for the Church 3:23.1.
“Men possessing these qualifications will have influence everywhere."
And this is what we are talking about—effectiveness in winning souls. For this reason we need to know and understand the laws of leadership.
So effectiveness is determined by the strength of Christian leadership. Whenever the work of God in the past had good Christian leaders, the work went forward. When this leadership was not there, the work stopped or went backwards. Let’s consider some examples.

There was Luther and Melanchthon. In Luther’s time the work of God gained tremendous momentum. Of course, he was not the first reformer who came on the scene. Wycliffe and Huss had done their work before him although Luther did not get his message from them. But through his faithfulness, integrity, and strength of leadership he brought an evangelical movement into existence the like of which the world has never seen before, and I believe has never seen since. In a very short time, without television, radio, or high-speed printing, the message spread throughout Europe. Another factor which helped in this regard was the fact that the people were very hungry for the gospel. But still, there was the right person at the right time. And that was Luther, a very skillful leader. Melanchthon was a very, very able assistant. But when Melanchthon was alone, he could not carry on the work as Luther had. As a result, the work did not progress. What was lacking was the same leadership ability as Luther had.
An even greater difference in leadership ability existed between Oliver Cromwell and his son. Oliver Cromwell was a Puritan leader in England. English history does not hold him in high esteem because he deposed the king, and the people liked their king. But he brought a lot of freedom to England even after Henry VIII and his followers. Even though Henry had separated from Rome, England was still locked in tradition and under the rule of authoritative Church leaders. Oliver Cromwell brought England freedom from these things, even though he persecuted Catholics because they were suppressive. However, they had more freedom under him than Protestants had in Catholic countries, and this must be seen too. So he was a very capable leader. He did a good job of advancing Protestantism, not only in the Britain, but also in Europe to some degree, and his influence was very great. After his death, his son was the natural heir, so he took over, but he did not have the same leadership ability as his father. So he soon lost his hold on power and finally abdicated. Then the king was brought back into the country so that the people could have a leader. The story of Oliver Cromwell and his son is actually a very sad one.
We have the story of Samuel and Saul. Samuel was a very good and wise leader who led Israel back to the worship God. Then came Saul. His ability to lead was much less than Samuel’s. Let us turn to Patriarchs and Prophets , 603.4.
“Since the days of Joshua the government had never been conducted with so great wisdom and success as under Samuel’s administration. Divinely invested with the threefold office of judge, prophet, and priest, he had labored with untiring and disinterested zeal for the welfare of his people, and the nation had prospered under his wise control. Order had been restored, and godliness promoted, and the spirit of discontent was checked for the time. But with advancing years the prophet was forced to share with others the cares of government, and he appointed his two sons to act as his assistants…."

“While Samuel continued the duties of his office at Ramah, the young men were stationed at Beersheba, to administer justice among the people near the southern border of the land." Patriarchs and Prophets , 603.4.
Even though it was with the full consent of the people, these two men were not the best choices because they did not rule as wisely as their father had. They were selfish, and selfish leaders are never good leaders. Never. So a selfish leader is not a Christian leader. This if the first rule really. And as a result of this, they desired a king, and then Saul became the king. And when Saul became king, he was selfish too. The people really suffered under him.
Next we have Joseph and his brothers. Joseph, as we know, became a good leader, but he was not a good one in the beginning. His brothers on the other hand were very weak. Maybe we should read a statement from The Youth Instructor , March 11, 1897, paragraph 15.
“As Joseph increased in knowledge, he could stand forth as a correct representative of his faith. He did not, through any lack of faithfulness, lose his influence. As Prime Minister his work was as acceptable to God as when he was a servant in Potiphar’s house. And now, as then, everything prospered under his wise generalship." The Youth Instructor , March 11, 1897.
It is interesting how leadership is here called generalship. Of course it’s not like an army general, but it’s generalship in the spiritual sense. Everything prospered under his generalship. Whether he was in prison or in Potiphar’s house or Prime Minister of Egypt, everything he touched prospered. And why? Because he had leadership skills. And it is my desire that we learn from Joseph.
His brothers, on the other hand, were not so capable, and this was also revealed in Joseph’s dream. They all bowed before him. Now when Joseph told his dream, they misunderstood it because they thought in terms of bosses. They thought that Joseph would one day boss them around, that he would simply say, “You do this. You do that. You do the other thing," and so forth, but this was not the meaning of the dream. What was the meaning of his dream when the sheaves bowed down before him? The meaning was that Joseph was a capable leader. His brothers did not have that capacity. For that reason Joseph became the Prime Minister of Egypt and not they.
Now that does not mean that they were totally incapable. They were heads of families and had some ability to lead, but they never reached Joseph’s level. After becoming acquainted with Joseph again when he was leader in Egypt, what could they have done or should have done? They should have asked, “How did you get to be such a great leader? What are the laws by which you got there? Teach us these things. We would like to learn them." So whenever you see a good leader, ask so that you may improve your abilities. You’ll find it to be interesting. However, there are very few Christian leaders around today, but you can study them in the Bible at least. And if there would be a Joseph here today, what a privilege we would have. I mean, we would naturally ask him, “Joseph, how do you do it? Give us a seminar on Christian leadership." Isn’t that what we would do?
Then there is David, Solomon, and Jeroboam. They also make for a very interesting study. David was a very good leader, and we would like to study him a little more closely later. Solomon was a good leader for a time, but he lost his ability to lead. For a long time he misled the people until in the end he repented and regained some of his authority but not all. After Solomon, Jeroboam his son took over. Jeroboam had fled to Egypt for some time because of his bad behavior. He couldn’t even face his father. After returning, he lost the throne soon after. As soon as he got it, he lost it because of his poor leadership skills. All this is described in Prophets and Kings , 88-90. I won’t read it now because you know the story.
Another person we could study is Jehoshaphat. Maybe we should read a little about him in Prophets and Kings , 191.
“Throughout the kingdom the people were in need of instruction in the law of God. In an understanding of this law lay their safety; by conforming their lives to its requirements they would become loyal both to God and to man. Knowing this, Jehoshaphat took steps to ensure to his people thorough instruction in the Holy Scriptures. The princes in charge of the different portions of his realm were directed to arrange for the faithful ministry of teaching priests. By royal appointment these instructors, working under the direct supervision of the princes, ‘went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people.’ 2 Chronicles 17:7-9. And as many endeavored to understand God’s requirements and to put away sin, a revival was effected." Prophets and Kings , 191.2.
So that is effectiveness. How was a revival effected? By the effectiveness of leadership. By the ability of leadership. You could say that an organization functions through wise leadership. That is a key.
The apostles were wise leaders as it says in The Acts of the Apostles , 88.2.
“Under the leadership of the disciples the work prospered."
“The disciples of Jesus had reached a crisis in their experience. Under the wise leadership of the apostles, who labored unitedly in the power of the Holy Spirit, the work committed to the gospel messengers was developing rapidly." The Acts of the Apostles , 88.2.
Without leadership there is no growth. Think also of Ellen White and the kind of leadership she provided in contrast to her successors. I mention her successors because the work did not move forward so well after she died, and that is because her successors did not have the same leadership abilities. They should have more diligently studied the first leaders in order to carry forward the work as they had. But often in history this has not happened.
When I was at the house where Sister White lived during the last part of her life, one of her grand or great-grand daughters gave us the tour, and she showed us a picture of the White family today. She said that most of them are not even Adventists. There are only a few. That’s sad isn’t it? They lost their leadership ability. They were not those men and women for whom the Church was so much in need. We need to understand how this pattern can be broken. For this reason we are studying leadership. So in Ecclesiastes we read, “Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning!" Ecclesiastes 10:16. Woe to the land where there is no leader.
Study 2 - The Law of Effectiveness
Welcome to the second study at our International Camp Meeting in the year 2005.

We want to look again to the first law of leadership which is the law of effectiveness. After we talked about this, I learned something, so I changed a diagram, and I would like to show this to you. Hopefully it will be clearer now.
Success is not effectiveness. What is success? It’s winning an argument. And effectiveness is winning a person. Success is building a house. Effectiveness is developing a team of builders who build many houses. Success is doing what is required. Effectiveness is doing more than what is required. Success is managing the work. Effectiveness is advancing the work to the next level. And this, of course, is due to leadership.
In summary, good leadership is not only success, but effectiveness as well.
The last point of this diagram is that if you want to have more impact upon people, you need to have greater strength of leadership. This will become clearer later.

In summary, whenever Israel had a wise leader, the cause prospered. You can look at the whole history of Israel beginning with the first king, Saul. Was he a good king? Was he a good leader? I would say for the most part that he was not. He had some qualities, but when he stopped following God, his leadership abilities became worse and worse. So he was not a good leader, and the people suffered as a result.
David was a good leader, and the people prospered under his rule. Solomon was a good leader at first, and the people prospered. Then he apostatized, and the people suffered. You can study the whole history of Israel and see that everything depended on the kind of leadership they had. That shows the importance of good leadership. It is all summed up in this Proverb: “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is happy." Proverbs 29:18, NLT.
Again, whenever people do not accept or have divine guidance, that is, Christian leadership, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is happy.
The presence of true Christian leadership means prosperity. This is effectiveness. I want to stress the point that we are talking about Christian leadership. We are not just talking about leadership as such. This is somewhat different from the world which we will see more and more. I’ll try to emphasize this in every law that we study. We can also apply these laws to a great extent in the business world. But in the Christian environment it means more. There is more depth to it.

The Law of Influence
The next law that we want to consider together is the law of influence. Christian leadership means influencing others to follow Christ. You could say that this is the definition of Christian leadership. You are a leader if you have an atmosphere which influences others to follow Christ. You are a Christian leader, not just a leader. If there is an atmosphere surrounding you, and if your actions make others follow Christ, then you are a Christian leader. It is not the position you have that does this. You might be a minister, but if you do not influence anyone to follow Christ, then you are not a Christian leader. You might be a tool maker and influence many people to follow Christ. Then you are a Christian leader. Christian leadership is not defined by the position we have. It is what we are. This will become clearer later when we study another law.
Let’s consider the power of influence. Influencing others means getting them to participate. In what? In the work of God, first of all. We could study the influence of leaders, even today’s leaders. Can you think of a leader today who has influence on people? I would say that almost every leader has an influence because people look up to them. The people tend to be like their leader. For example, if the leader of a country, or even the mayor of a city, is a homosexual, then the people will be influenced that way. This will be a completely different influence than if he is a Christian who lives out Christian principles. The people will be influenced in some way or another. Even if a leader is not liked, he still influences his people. And he influences his subordinates, the cabinet officials, officers, and so forth. What he gives them freedom to do, they will do. For example, if someone practices torture, he is responsible for what he does. But he was influenced to do this. His surroundings are permeated by a certain atmosphere. And this atmosphere comes from the top.

In God’s kingdom there is also a certain atmosphere which comes from the top. It comes from the Leader. In Satan’s kingdom there is an atmosphere as well which comes from him.
It is interesting to observe what kind of influence people have. When you look at the last pope and the present pope, and the many people who went to Rome for the funeral or for the inauguration, you can see what an influence the pope has. He can make the people participate in many things as he chooses. He is a leader. He has influence. People look up to him. And many will do what he does.
There were other popes who did not have much influence. When they did something, the people laughed, saying, “That pope. We will have nothing to do with him." But that is not so with the present popes.
There is a whole section in Christ’s Object Lessons in the chapter, Talents, which deals with influence. We will read a little of this.
“The life of Christ was an ever-widening, shoreless influence, an influence that bound Him to God and to the whole human family. Through Christ, God has invested man with an influence that makes it impossible for him to live to himself. Individually we are connected with our fellow men, a part of God’s great whole, and we stand under mutual obligations. No man can be independent of his fellow men; for the well-being of each affects others. It is God’s purpose that each shall feel himself necessary to others’ welfare, and seek to promote their happiness.
“Every soul is surrounded by an atmosphere of its own--an atmosphere, it may be, charged with the life-giving power of faith, courage, and hope, and sweet with the fragrance of love. Or it may be heavy and chill with the gloom of discontent and selfishness, or poisonous with the deadly taint of cherished sin. By the atmosphere surrounding us, every person with whom we come in contact is consciously or unconsciously affected.
“This is a responsibility from which we cannot free ourselves. Our words, our acts, our dress, our deportment, even the expression of the countenance, has an influence. Upon the impression thus made there hang results for good or evil which no man can measure. Every impulse thus imparted is seed sown which will produce its harvest. It is a link in the long chain of human events, extending we know not whither. If by our example we aid others in the development of good principles, we give them power to do good. In their turn they exert the same influence upon others, and they upon still others. Thus by our unconscious influence thousands may be blessed." Christ’s Object Lessons , 339.2-4.
That is a leader over thousands. Thousands can be blessed. We might be a leader in a greater field than we think. I want to stress again that leadership does not mean holding a certain position. It means having influence. Everyone has some influence, for good or bad.
“Throw a pebble into the lake, and a wave is formed, and another and another; and as they increase, the circle widens, until it reaches the very shore. So with our influence. Beyond our knowledge or control it tells upon others in blessing or in cursing.
“Character is power. The silent witness of a true, unselfish, godly life carries an almost irresistible influence. By revealing in our own life the character of Christ we co-operate with Him in the work of saving souls. It is only by revealing in our life His character that we can co-operate with Him. And the wider the sphere of our influence, the more good we may do. When those who profess to serve God follow Christ’s example, practicing the principles of the law in their daily life; when every act bears witness that they love God supremely and their neighbor as themselves, then will the church have power to move the world." Christ’s Object Lessons , 340.1, 2.
So the Church is a leader in the world today? Who would be the leaders in the world? I would say the youth because they have a great influence over the whole business world. They are often called “trendsetters". They are not necessarily the only ones. But they are to a great degree, more so than in former generations. There has been a shift in leadership. In the past the leadership lay more with the older people, but now it is with the younger ones.
“But never should it be forgotten that influence is no less a power for evil. To lose one’s own soul is a terrible thing; but to cause the loss of other souls is still more terrible. That our influence should be a savor of death unto death is a fearful thought; yet this is possible. Many who profess to gather with Christ are scattering from Him. This is why the church is so weak. Many indulge freely in criticism and accusing. By giving expression to suspicion, jealousy, and discontent, they yield themselves as instruments to Satan. Before they realize what they are doing, the adversary has through them accomplished his purpose. The impression of evil has been made, the shadow has been cast, the arrows of Satan have found their mark. Distrust, unbelief, and downright infidelity have fastened upon those who otherwise might have accepted Christ. Meanwhile the workers for Satan look complacently upon those whom they have driven to skepticism, and who are now hardened against reproof and entreaty. They flatter themselves that in comparison with these souls they are virtuous and righteous. They do not realize that these sad wrecks of character are the work of their own unbridled tongues and rebellious hearts. It is through their influence that these tempted ones have fallen.
“So frivolity, selfish indulgence, and careless indifference on the part of professed Christians are turning away many souls from the path of life. Many there are who will fear to meet at the bar of God the results of their influence.
“It is only through the grace of God that we can make a right use of this endowment. There is nothing in us of ourselves by which we can influence others for good. If we realize our helplessness and our need of divine power, we shall not trust to ourselves. We know not what results a day, an hour, or a moment may determine, and never should we begin the day without committing our ways to our heavenly Father. His angels are appointed to watch over us, and if we put ourselves under their guardianship, then in every time of danger they will be at our right hand. When unconsciously we are in danger of exerting a wrong influence, the angels will be by our side, prompting us to a better course, choosing our words for us, and influencing our actions. Thus our influence may be a silent, unconscious, but mighty power in drawing others to Christ and the heavenly world." Christ’s Object Lessons , 340.3, 2.
This is the kind of leadership God wants to give us.
So everyone has an influence, and influence can be exerted for good or for evil.

Influence is far reaching. “Throw a pebble into the lake.…" There are different degrees of influence. We can be a strong influence for good, or a weak one. Christ shows what influence can do. He influenced a lot of people. Character is influence. We will look at this more closely later.
Christian leadership is about leading people to Christ. What is it not? It is not merely managing some project. Management is a part of Christian leadership, for sure, but simply managing is not leadership.
What is management? Management is controlling things--maintaining systems and processes. But Christian leadership is influencing people to follow. You can be a very good manager but have very little influence over other people.
The apostles understood the meaning of Christian leadership. They knew that mere management is not leadership. When they chose the seven deacons, they chose people who could not only maintain the system of distributing goods to the poor, but who had an influence over people as well.
Again, if you had to choose people for a certain task, such as distributing the gifts to the poor, what kind of people would you choose? Would you simply choose good bookkeepers? You could hire someone from the world if you wanted a good bookkeeper. No, you want someone who has a good influence and is a leader as well. This is what the apostles chose. Steven was one of them. What a tremendous witness he gave before the Sanhedrin! What an influence he had, even when he was stoned!
What about being entrepreneurial or inventive? Some people think they are good leaders if they can invent new things. This could apply in the spiritual realm. Some people want to lead out by bringing in new doctrines which are not in harmony with the light that God originally gave. This happened in the early church, and has happened ever since. But this is not leadership. People might think that your ideas are good, but they don’t practice them. Then you are not a leader. This is about the people I talked of earlier:
In every city the work was carried forth, “But after a time the zeal of the believers began to wane, and their love for God and for one another grew less. Coldness crept into the church. Some forgot the wonderful manner in which they had received the truth. One by one the old standard-bearers fell at their post. Some of the younger workers, who might have shared the burdens of these pioneers, and thus have been prepared for wise leadership, had become weary of oft-repeated truths. In their desire for something novel and startling they attempted to introduce new phases of doctrine, more pleasing to many minds, but not in harmony with the fundamental principles of the gospel. In their self-confidence and spiritual blindness they failed to discern that these sophistries would cause many to question the experiences of the past, and would thus lead to confusion and unbelief." The Acts of the Apostles , 580.1.
Christian leadership is not knowledge. I might know the message perfectly. But this is not Christian leadership. It’s not simply by conveying knowledge that you become Christian leaders. You might learn every law of leadership very well. You might learn them by heart so that you could repeat everything. But that does not make you a Christian leader. It’s only when you have influence that you are a Christian leader.
Intellectuals are not always able to lead. They have much knowledge, but they are not always able to lead. Therefore, the Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. It was at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that Adam and Eve lost their ability to lead. They could no longer lead the animals as they had before. That shows that knowledge in itself is not Christian leadership.
Christian leadership does not mean to be a pioneer. Very often the people who first established the truth in a country could not lead out in that field. They brought in a lot of people, but they could not hold them in the church. We have such a case in one church where there was a person who brought in many people. But very soon confusion developed and many left again. Then he left too. He was not a leader. He was a pioneer, but not a leader.
As I already said, often the first workers leave the message. Leadership is not having a position or title. That is a very important point. It does not even mean to be ordained. That is very often what people misunderstand. They think “When I am ordained, I will be a leader." That fact in itself does not make you a leader. This is an important point. Ordination, a title, or a position does not make you a leader. Why? Because ordination or position does not produce the power of influence within yourself. So, in short, you are not a leader.
It doesn’t matter where you stand or what you are. You are only a leader when you are able to influence others to follow Christ. The idea that position does not make a Christian leader is clear from the following statements in Prophets and Kings :
“God promised that as He had been with David, so He would be with Solomon. If the king would walk before the Lord in uprightness, if he would do what God had commanded him, his throne would be established and his reign would be the means of exalting Israel as ‘a wise and understanding people,’ the light of the surrounding nations. Deuteronomy 4:6.
“The language used by Solomon while praying to God before the ancient altar at Gibeon reveals his humility and his strong desire to honor God. He realized that without divine aid he was as helpless as a little child to fulfill the responsibilities resting on him. He knew that he lacked discernment, and it was a sense of his great need that led him to seek God for wisdom. In his heart there was no selfish aspirations for a knowledge that would exalt him above others. He desired to discharge faithfully the duties devolving upon him, and he chose the gift that would be the means of causing his reign to bring glory to God. Solomon was never so rich or so wise or so truly great as when he confessed, ‘I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.’" Prophets and Kings , 30.1, 2.
Therefore, he asked God. He did not stop asking him as long as he had this attitude. “I am but a little child." If someone has this attitude, he will also consult with others, won’t he? Naturally. He will not say, “I can do this alone."
“Those who today occupy positions of trust should seek to learn the lesson taught by Solomon’s prayer. The higher the position a man occupies, the greater the responsibility that he has to bear, the wider will be the influence that he exerts and the greater his need of dependence on God. Ever should he remember that with the call to work comes the call to walk circumspectly before his fellow men." Prophets and Kings , 30.3.
What does it mean to walk circumspectly? It means to walk humbly, which means being teachable.
“He is to stand before God in the attitude of a learner." Before God too. “Position does not give holiness of character. It is by honoring God and obeying His commands that a man is made truly great.
“The God whom we serve is no respecter of persons. He who gave to Solomon the spirit of wise discernment is willing to impart the same blessing to His children today. ‘If any of you lack wisdom,’ His word declares, ‘let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.’ James 1:5. When a burden bearer desires wisdom more than he desires wealth, power, or fame, he will not be disappointed. Such a one will learn from the Great Teacher not only what to do, but how to do it in a way that will meet with the divine approval.
“So long as he remains consecrated, the man whom God has endowed with discernment and ability will not manifest an eagerness for high position, neither will he seek to rule or control. Of necessity men must bear responsibilities; but instead of striving for the supremacy, he who is a true leader will pray for an understanding heart, to discern between good and evil.
“The path of men who are placed as leaders is not an easy one. But they are to see in every difficulty a call to prayer. Never are they to fail of consulting the great Source of all wisdom. Strengthened and enlightened by the Master Worker, they will be enabled to stand firm against unholy influences and to discern right from wrong, good from evil. They will approve that which God approves, and will strive earnestly against the introduction of wrong principles into His cause." Prophets and Kings , 30.3-31.3.
Solomon desired wisdom before position or title. He did not desire those things. But he really desired that which would make him a leader. That’s what he needed.
Could we ask this if we were placed in a responsible position such as that of a husband or a group leader, even in a small sphere? If we do, then God will make us good leaders. That is for sure. But if we desire position, this is not possible. True leadership gives the position. Let’s read this in The Desire of Ages :
“‘But to sit on My right hand, and on My left,’ He continued, ‘is not Mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of My Father.’ In the kingdom of God, position is not gained through favoritism. It is not earned, nor is it received through an arbitrary bestowal. It is the result of character. The crown and the throne are the tokens of a condition attained; they are the tokens of self-conquest through our Lord Jesus Christ." The Desire of Ages , 549.1.
So when we conquer ourselves, which means govern ourselves, then we can govern others as well. We know how to lead others when we can lead ourselves. That is the point we made in the beginning. “It is not earned, nor is it received through an arbitrary bestowal. It is the result of character." And character is influence.

To have a position without Christian leadership is really dictatorship. If someone maintains that he leads through position but is not a Christian leader in character, which means he does not lead by influence, then what will he lead by? It will be by suppression and dictating. Even if this principle is not carried out to the fullest, it will still be there.
So, position is not leadership. The two are distinct. Position does not determine who the leader is. A person’s leadership ability determines what position he will get. The positions in God’s kingdom are filled by those who are leaders. First of all they have character. Then they are leaders. God does not give someone a position and then say, “Here’s your position. Now that makes you a leader." No. He puts them in positions because they are leaders. That’s how it is in God’s kingdom.

You might ask why we deal with position at all. Position gives you the opportunity to increase or decrease your leadership ability. For example, if I am the head of a family, I am in a certain position. But my ability to lead that family depends on my character. A mother and father are in a position of leadership over the children. But whether they really lead or not depends on their character. I might be the elder of a church. That’s my position. But whether or not I lead that church depends on my character, on the influence that I have on that church. That is the difference between position and leadership. This really needs to be understood very clearly.
So, Christian leadership is influence. It’s getting people to join in and participate. I already have told Uta’s experience last time. I’ll tell it again. At one camp Uta had the task of preparing the meals. That was a few years ago when she had more energy than today. She was working very hard to do everything for about 200 people. But, of course, she got tired and also wanted to be at some of the studies. So she asked different ones, “Can you help me?" They made replies such as: “Oh no! I have to go shopping today." “I didn’t come to the camp meeting to work. I am here just for spiritual reasons." “No. I want to go and pray." “I want to go in the woods." “I have to make meals for my family." There was one negative reply after another until she was totally crushed and disappointed. She thought, “The people are bad because they don’t want to help."
But then she thought about it again. She thought, “I did not really help them. I did not enable them to participate." At the next camp meeting there were further thoughts. A duty roster was made. Everyone was assigned tasks, and they were informed beforehand. There were certain people responsible for certain areas, and so forth. At first it was feared that they wouldn’t like it because when they were asked individually, they didn’t want to do anything. But to Uta’s surprise and everyone else’s, the people liked it very much. They did their work with real joy. That was leadership. What she did before was not leadership. But what she did later was leadership because she influenced them to be happy doing the work.
Christian leadership is the result of character. I want to read this statement. “In the kingdom of God, position is not gained through favoritism. It is not earned, nor is it received through an arbitrary bestowal. It is the result of character." The Desire of Ages , 549.1. Leadership is character. And character is influence. If I want to influence other people, I can do it only through my character.
Finally, there is the matter of leading others to follow Christ. Paul says, “Followers of me become ye, as I also am of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1 (YLT).
Other people will follow us to the same degree that we follow Christ. To the degree that we follow Christ, we will exert an influence on others. This influence will attract them to follow Christ.
That was the second law of leadership. In the next study we will consider the law of God’s calling. But we will close for now
Study 3 - The Law of Influence
.Good morning again, and welcome to our third study on Christian leadership.
We want to come back to the second law that we considered yesterday, the law of influence. One point that we considered together was the fact that leadership does not mean to be in a position but to have leadership – to have the character, to have influence. This is something which we need to understand as Christian leaders.
Now, I realized that the message will often be understood in a different way by different people. So when people who think that they are lead by others study this they will say, “Oh! So you are not in a position anymore! That’s fine. So I am equal to you." In other words, there’s this tendency in man to seek for a position, even if it’s quite hidden. We really have to understand that this is something we have to overcome.
Another position a person could take is to say, “Well, you have to be the leader now. Study all the leadership laws so that you can be a leader, because you are a bad leader." Now, that is not the purpose of the study. It is not to judge leaders. It is not to put them down. It is simply so that we can understand what Christian leadership is and be leaders. We have to apply the message to ourselves. If we don’t do these things, then we fail to understand the message.
But since we had some questions after the study last time, I would like to go back a little bit to this question of position. As we have said, position is not leadership. The two are distinct. Position does not determine who the leader is, but the other way around. Those who have the character of a leader will be put in positions by God.
Sometimes we are put in a position and we wonder if we are really ready for it. We should not think much about it, really. We should simply accept it and take advantage of it. Just imagine that you were born as the son of a king in the days when kings still ruled. You can’t choose it, you can’t prevent it. You are simply predestined, so to speak, to be a king. You are in a position, whether you want it or not.

There was one king in Israel who was born into such a position, and that was Josiah. He came to the throne when he was still a child, and there were not many counselors who counseled him in the right way. Yet Josiah had a heart that was on the side of God. He really wanted to do the right thing.
Now, how did he use that position? We know that he used it very well. We find this in Prophets and Kings , and we want to read this just as a confirmation of how important position is, and what we can do with it.
“Thus Josiah, from his earliest manhood, had endeavored to take advantage of his position as king to exalt the principles of God’s holy law." Prophets and Kings , 398.1.
Now this is very interesting.
“…Josiah, from his earliest manhood, had endeavored to take advantage of his position as king to exalt the principles of God’s holy law." Prophets and Kings , 398.1.
So if we do not exalt ourselves and if we have a position, whatever this may be, take advantage of it. If we don’t take advantage of it, then we loose influence.
Now, what does it mean to take advantage? You could understand it in this way: I take advantage of my position in order to make an easy life, or to exalt myself, or to suppress others, or to pay back old bills, or something like this. That is not the advantage of position that Josiah took.
What kind of advantage did he take? He took advantage of his position in order to exalt the principles of God’s holy law. Now, when it is in our heart to do the work of God and to finish it, then whatever position God has placed you in, you’ll take advantage of it. And the advantage is to bring about a better state of being, to hasten Christ’s coming, to really put your whole heart into the matter. That is taking advantage of it.
Unfortunately, we are very used to this world and its customs. Most people do take advantage of their position, but what kind of advantage? It is to push through their own ideas at best, and at worst to simply enrich themselves. But in politics, for example, if somebody has the position of leader, he immediately takes advantage of it. If he had the real spirit of a servant, he would still take advantage of it, but he would use it for the blessing of the people, and not simply for strengthening his own position.
Let us really understand that wherever God places us, we should take advantage of it. That’s the point. And that’s why we said the only advantage of position is that it buys time for the leader to increase his level of leadership. On the other hand, he can also destroy it.

So a person may be in the position of a leader, and yet have no influence. When you compare Saul, who was a king, and Samuel, a prophet, both leaders in Israel, who had the greater influence? Obviously Samuel did; he had much greater influence. Saul had very little influence, but they all listened to Samuel. If Samuel had said, “Don’t follow the king," they wouldn’t have followed him. If Saul said, “Don’t follow Samuel," they wouldn’t have listened to him. So it was obvious that Samuel was the real leader of the people. But who was the king? Who was the nominal leader? Who was the positional leader? Saul was.
Here we see that Saul did not rightly take advantage of his position. He did not use his position in order to bring about a better state among the people. He used it to exalt himself, and in this way he lost influence, and he lost real leadership. That is why we say it’s not important what position we are in. It’s important what kind of leadership we give.
But let us say again, this message is given to me personally, and to you, now. It is not given so that we can criticize other leaders, especially when we stand under them and are to be lead by them. Rather, a good leader will also be a follower as we will see, and he will be a good follower. But we will come back to this in a minute.
So Christian leadership is influence; it’s getting people to join in, to participate. It is a result of character, and it is leading others to follow Christ.
The Law of God’s Calling
Now we want to study the law of God’s calling. We want to see and understand what God’s calling really is. Where does He call us to? The summary of this study will be: God calls me to a task and not to a position.
Again we dwell on the term “position." It is important that we do because we often think in terms of position, instead of terms of tasks. Whether we ourselves are in a position, or whether somebody else is in a position, we must get away from position thinking. If a person is not fulfilling his task, no matter what position he is in, he is not a Christian leader.
So, first of all, how does God call me? We have read this in The Desire of Ages . Two disciples, John and James, wanted to have a certain position; they wanted to be next to Christ. Christ did not say, “No you can’t have that position because you asked for it." Often we don’t ask for a position because we fear to be repulsed. But John and James did not having such fears, and they went forward. In a way Christ rewarded them for this bravery. However, He had to cleanse their desire for position, and that is why He said, “Well, it is not for to Me to give to sit on My right or on My left, but can you drink the cup that I am drinking?" In this He showed them the condition. Let’s read this together in The Desire of Ages .

“‘But to sit on My right hand, and on My left,’ He continued, ‘is not Mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of My Father.’ In the kingdom of God, position is not gained through favoritism." The Desire of Ages , 549.1.
Why does Sister White need to say this – “position is not gained through favoritism"? She says this because that is often the case in the world. You know, one favors another. If a government comes to power then there are certain people who are favored by it. And when another government comes to power, again, there are other people who are favored by it. This is always the case. People presume that this is also the case in the kingdom of God, that it is so in the church of God. But it is not. Position is not gained through favoritism.
Well, is it earned then? In the world position is earned. You have to really push up your sleeves and go to work, and really fight for it. You can’t afford not to fight for it. But not in God’s kingdom. You try to earn it, and you don’t get it.
“…nor is it received through an arbitrary bestowal."
So if you can’t earn it and it is not gained through favoritism, is it then a matter of casting the lot? Let’s see who the leader is. Every third person must be a leader here. It’s not this way either. How is it then?
“It is the result of character."
Now some people may say that if it is a result of character, we can’t change it. We are either born to be leaders or not, because our character is our character. Well, let’s read on.
“The crown and the throne are the tokens of a condition attained; they are the tokens of self-conquest through our Lord Jesus Christ."
So, our ability to lead as a Christian leader is really in proportion to our ability to lead ourselves. I think it was A. T. Jones who wrote, “True government is self-government." That is government in the truest sense, self-government. We could use the same words here – true Christian leadership is self-leadership. That means self-conquest. And to sit near to Jesus is the token of “self-conquest through our Lord Jesus Christ."
“Long afterward, when the disciple had been brought into sympathy with Christ through the fellowship of His sufferings, the Lord revealed to John what is the condition of nearness in His kingdom. ‘To him that overcometh,’ Christ said, ‘will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.’ ‘Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of My God, . . . and I will write upon him My new name.’ Revelation 3:21, 12. So Paul the apostle wrote, ‘I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day.’ 2 Timothy 4:6-8." The Desire of Ages , 549.2.
So, what is the summary of these three statements from John and from Paul? What is the condition of position? To say it in one word, it is self-conquest – it is, “He that overcometh." Not he who overcomes armies or other people, but he who overcomes sin himself. “…To him will I grant to sit with Me." Paul likewise said, “I have fought the good fight." What kind of fight? The fight against his own desires and his own flesh. And so he receives the crown of glory.
“The one who stands nearest to Christ will be he who on earth has drunk most deeply of the spirit of His self-sacrificing love,--love that ‘vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, . . . seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil’ ( 1 Corinthians 13:4, 5),--love that moves the disciple, as it moved our Lord, to give all, to live and labor and sacrifice, even unto death, for the saving of humanity. This spirit was made manifest in The Life of Paul . He said, ‘For to me to live is Christ;’ for his life revealed Christ to men; ‘and to die is gain,’--gain to Christ; death itself would make manifest the power of His grace, and gather souls to Him. ‘Christ shall be magnified in my body,’ he said, ‘whether it be by life or by death.’ Philippians 1:21, 20." The Desire of Ages , 549.3.
So, what is the cause for position? It is that spirit of self-conquest. Not self-conquest for merely killing the body, but self-conquest in order to love. It is the love of Jesus which fills the heart that enables a person to be a Christian leader.
So how does Christ call me? He calls me by first of all giving me His character, by infusing His love into my soul. That is the way he calls human beings to Christian leadership. Now, when we open ourselves to that love, we become able leaders. There was one disciple especially who opened his heart to the love of Christ, and who was this? It was John the disciple, and he was one of the most able leaders of the church. He led the church for a long time; he was the disciple who survived the longest. Rather late in his years, he wrote the gospel and three letters which are preserved for our benefit, and all these testify to his great love. He was put into exile on Patmos, and later released. He then spent his last years in writing these things that we have talked about.
John had a very strong strengthening effect on the church for the first century, and if not for him the church would probably have apostatized earlier. Furthermore we wouldn’t have the wonderful gospel of John , which is a very special treasure when you compare it with the other gospels, because it contains things that the other gospels don’t. The letters are also very important. John had this leadership ability because he had opened his heart to the love of Christ.
So, again, who does God want to make a Christian leader? Everyone. And who becomes a leader? The one who opens his heart to the love of Christ. When we are filled with the love of Christ, we will be able to have influence on others.
It’s interesting that when the ten disciples heard of James and John’s request, and the answer Jesus gave, they were very displeased.
“When the ten heard of the request of James and John, they were much displeased. The highest place in the kingdom was just what every one of them was seeking for himself, and they were angry that the two disciples had gained a seeming advantage over them." The Desire of Ages , 549.4.
Here you can clearly see that they did not understand the words of Christ. Do we understand them? Can we understand them? I wonder. Will the people understand them when we pass this message on? How often can you speak in the plainest language, and yet have people still not understand! People still see something else. We can see this here with the disciples. However, as true Christian leaders we should have patience and understand this, and still go forward in preaching it in the right way.
Let us now turn to a summary of what we have read. God does not call arbitrarily. He does not call because of favoritism. He does not call because I have worked my way up the ladder of position. It is the result of character – self-conquest, selflessness, humility, patience. The more we open our hearts to Jesus, the more we receive of these leadership abilities.
How was Nehemiah called? Let us think about this a little bit, because it’s a very interesting story. Nehemiah was the cup-bearer of the king. In those days it was a very responsible position. A cup-bearer had to taste the drinks that the king received. In those days poisoning was often practiced so the cup-bearer had to be a person who was very, very trusted. If the cup-bearer passed the poison on to the king, then he was really in trouble. Since the king could trust very few people, because many wanted to kill him for the sake of having their own position or their own ideas, he had to have a cup-bearer whom he could really rely on. Nehemiah was such a person. So a cup-bearer was very highly regarded in the kingdom in those days.
Furthermore, he was probably able to talk and counsel with the king quite often. The king would have counseled with him also, and it was not just anyone who was allowed to even come into the presence of the king. Now, after Nehemiah heard of the story of Jerusalem – how difficult it was to build the walls, how the enemies were behind them, and how they were discouraged and so forth – he was very, very sad because he loved the cause of God. Even though he was the cup-bearer, in a normal secular job, his heart was with the cause of God. That is an important point.
Now, most of you, I suppose, are in a secular professions. Some of you will go to secular work again, but the question that you need to ask yourselves is where your heart is. Nehemiah’s heart was with the people of God. So when he heard about this, he was sad. He could have said “Well, it’s good that I’m not there. It’s good that I’m here in a comfortable position with the king and have enough money and enough food and everything. I don’t need to worry about these things." But no, he felt with his people and he would have gladly, immediately left his job to go there and help them. That was in his heart. Of course, he also understood that to do this just from impulse would have been wrong too, because what he needed was a solid foundation. He needed to know that this was God’s will.
So, a plan formed in his mind, a plan that included him. He wanted to help the people, but he did not jump out and initiate this plan because he wanted to wait for God’s time. And this time came when the king saw that he very sad one day. When the king asked him why he was so sad, Nehemiah got a shock because he wasn’t supposed to be sad in the king’s presence. The king was used to reading people. He looked at their faces, and when somebody was jealous, or sad, or had trouble, the king immediately sensed this and did something about it.
I think there are some professions today where people need especially firm characters. For example, if you are a pilot, and you are responsible for hundreds of people with each flight, you have to have a very solid character. If you have suicidal thoughts from time to time you can’t be a pilot.
So you have to be tested. Psychology has to test you somehow. But in those times the king himself was the psychologist. He had to test the people. Were they still reliable? So when Nehemiah was sad and knew that the king realized it, he would have though that the king would be angry with him. He was the cup-bearer of the king, yet his heart was somewhere else entirely. But he decided to say the truth, whatever it cost him.
So he did. He said, “How can I be happy when my people are suffering over there?" And this honesty paid off. Being honest in this situation was really was the best thing he could have done. The king then asked him, “What do you want me to do?" That was just the open door he was looking for – the opening of God’s providence.
Nehemiah knew that he must now go forward. God had opened the door, and he must simply step through. But he did not dare to do this without a prayer. So he quietly prayed right then and there to the God of heaven, and then he spoke out. The king allowed him everything. And not only this; Nehemiah came back to the king later and asked him even for more. “Can I have material? Can I have soldiers? Can I have letters? Can I have authority from you so that I go as your ambassador?" The king did everything Nehemiah wanted. That was the golden opportunity. It was really the opening of a door.
Why did God bless Nehemiah so much? Because his heart was in the cause. That is the point we want to make. Nehemiah went back to Jerusalem. There, of course, he had to win his people. He won the heart of the king, but now he had to win the hearts of the Jews, and he did. In his wise leadership, he first looked at the situation as it was – at the walls – and as he saw certain deficiencies in the walls, he talked to the people. He said, “This and this and this needs to be done. And look, I have complete permission from the king. He is very gracious to us. He has given us permission to build, and even though our enemies are there, we have the king of Persia who has allowed us to do this. And more than this, God, the King of kings, has given permission, and even the command, to rebuild. So shouldn’t we go forward in God’s providence? Should we look at these little enemies who are here?" When he spoke like this, the people said, “Of course, of course. How could we be so doubtful? How could we be so weak?" And with one voice they said, “Let us build the wall." So they went forward, and the wall was built within two months or so. The wall was finished. Everybody did his part and was well organized, and so forth.
Again, the question in this study is, how was Nehemiah called? What did God do? You can say that God formed a plan in his mind and then he influenced the king to ask this question. Yes, that is all that God did. Nehemiah also did something. What did he do? Nehemiah opened his heart. His heart was really with the cause of God. So the interest is in the cause. God will not call a person whose interest is not in the cause. You can be sure of this, and it is an important point. If you have no interest in how the cause will advance and yet expect that the Lord will send you somewhere, you are mistaken. He will not do this. Your interest plays a very, very big role in this matter.
A person that is called by God will already enter into the thoughts of a leader because he is interested. This means that he will think like a leader. That is exactly what Nehemiah did. When the plan began to form in his mind it was a very strategic plan. He was thinking in the terms of a leader. I would do this, I would do this, and I would do this. His thoughts were in this direction. Now, what he would actually do was up to God’s specific guidance, that is clear, but he definitely had his thought and heart in the matter.
We often think that God leads us through a sudden a thought from heaven, an audible voice that tells us do this and this and this. And that is how many people on this earth act, also. They don’t do anything unless they are told. But we can use a computer for that; we simply program it in and then it does what we tell it. A human being can do more – he can think. If, for example, I was Elisha and was working together with Elijah, I would not just follow Elijah and simply look at what he did and do nothing about it. I would also think about how he does things. Why does he have success in reaching the hearts of the people? How does he use his influence, and so forth? Unfortunately, jealousy often comes between us and other people and for this reason we don’t want to learn from them. But if our heart is open to the cause we will learn from other people and we will enter into the situation. So if we work as a helper it will not be as a mechanical helper, but as someone who has his mind in the cause. And that is the mind of a Christian leader; someone who is really interested. He will wait for God’s time. Even though he already understands and has his mind in the matter, he will not rush forward.
Can you see how important it is to wait for God’s time? But can you also see that while waiting you should still enter into the thoughts of a leader?
I need to emphasis this again and again because our attitude is often that we will simply wait for God’s time. We do nothing, not even think about how the work will progress, and what to do and so forth. God will tell us in due time. Our minds are lazy and because of this laziness God can not call us. But if we enter into the work with our whole heart then God will call us in due time. Now, those who enter into the thoughts of a leader can want to rush forward too, and that is the other side. We need patience to wait until God actually opens the way.
David is another wonderful example of how God calls. I think it would be too much to study his whole story here. You know that David was simply a shepherd boy who was in the field. Even there he developed some leadership skills. Being a shepherd seems to be a very good way to learn leadership skills. Moses, Amos, and David were all shepherds. There were several shepherds, especially Moses and David, who became great leaders. Maybe we will study a little bit more about a shepherds and what they need to know later on.
But what else did David learn apart from keeping the sheep? He learned to be brave, to fend off lions, bears, and other enemies, and so forth. When he came to the battlefield one day and saw how Goliath was blaspheming God and challenging God’s people, David got very upset. He immediately thought like a leader, not desiring to have the position of a leader at all, but thinking that something must be done here. It could not stay like this. This blaspheming must be stopped. He expressed this, not with the thought that he would go and do this, but simply because this man needed to be stopped. He was willing to go and do it if God called him, and if he had the consent of the king and of the people, but that was not in his mind. In his mind he thought like a leader without thinking in terms of having a position, and that was the pleasant way.
People often think like a leader, but they want to have a position too. That was not the case with David. He thought like a leader without thinking of having a position. Saul, who was desperate, also knew that something needed to be done but he was lethargic and didn’t know what to do. He put his last coin out, so to speak, and he said, “You go." Of course, he did not have much hope that this little shepherd boy would do something, but at least there was someone who dared to do something. So he let him go. And David, of course, said, “I will go. If that is what God wants, I’ll go." He went; and in the name of the Lord he got this wonderful victory. David himself became one of the greatest leaders. If we want to study leadership we must study Moses, David, and Nehemiah. These are three great leaders in whose lives you can see many of our laws of leadership. We will come back to them again and again.
So how was David called? David was called because he was thinking like a leader, because his mind and his heart were in the cause. David’s character was strong and modest. He was not seeking for a position but he desired to fulfill a task. That’s what was in his mind.
So in summary we can say that God calls us in harmony with our desires. It seems a little bit strange for some because they think God always does things against our desires. But that is not true; if our desires are with the cause, then God can use us. He can call us. He will call us in harmony with our desires, but not, of course, if these desires are selfish.
So is it right to desire to be a leader? Or is it wrong? Well we have several Bible texts. There is a text that says it is right.

“This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work." 1 Timothy 3:1.
Paul did not say that he who desires the position of a bishop is very wrong; he will never get that position because you should never desire such a position. I would say that one or two hundred years later Paul would have written something like that. I am sure about this, but not in his days. In his days a bishop was something else entirely than what a bishop was two hundred years later, or what a bishop is today. So if someone desires this position he desires a good work. When James and John desired the position at the right and the left hand of Jesus, Jesus did not flatly rebuke them. He said you desire a good thing, basically.
But now we have another statement and that tells us not to desire such great things.
“My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment." James 3:1.
So what shall we then do? Shall we desire or shall we not desire? Our heart is split, isn’t it? Another text that advocates desiring to do a work for the Lord is in Isaiah 6:8. We read about Isaiah himself.
“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’" Isaiah 6:8.
On the other hand we read in Matthew , “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; … Do not call anyone on earth your father; … And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ." Matthew 23:8-10.
So is it right to desire a position or not? We can be of split opinions reading these texts, can’t we? But there is an answer. There is no real contradiction in the Word of God. The idea is that the word of God does not encourage the desire for mere position, but it does encourage the desire for leadership.
Now let’s think a little bit about this text in 1 Timothy 3:1.
“This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a…" What? The position of a bishop. If somebody desires position of a bishop it is good. Really? Isn’t this position thinking? Let’s read on.
“He desires a good…" position? In this position he will have enough money. He will have a great deal of honor, and so forth. You see, sometimes when parents counsel their children, or older people or teachers counsel younger students what to do, they say, “You could study this and this and then you can go into politics and become a great leader," and so forth. I would say that this is fostering the desire for position. But it says here not that he desires a good position, but he desires a good work. 1 Timothy 3:1. We must make a difference between a mere position and a work. What do you desire? The work of a leader or the position of a leader? That is the question. If we desire the position of a leader, forget about it. If you desire the work of a leader then pursue it, because that is what Christ wants to give us and make us.
Study 4 - The Law of God’s Calling

This is study number four in our International Camp Meeting and we want to come back again to the study of Christian Leadership. As we have seen in our last study, there is a certain desire in the heart of the believer, and God works together with that desire in order to put that person into a certain work, into a certain job. But that desire is not for the purpose of exalting him above others. It is so that the work may go forward. The Lord can work with such a desire. Now a problem which I often see is that there is a mixture of both. On the one hand there is the desire for the work to go forward. On the other hand there is also the desire for an exalted position, and this was the case with James and John when they asked to sit on the left and right of Jesus. And Jesus tried to separate these two desires. He said, “Yes, it is good that you have the desire to be near Me, but it is not good that you desire to be above your brethren." And for that reason it is a very valuable story that helps us to understand what might be in our heart as well. But one thing is sure. I cannot prevent myself from being proud by simply not thinking of the needs of the work of God any more. That is not the case. Only when my heart is in the cause of God can the Lord finally use me. And He wants to use me.
So the Lord calls us to a task, not to a position. That is the theme here. Let’s take Daniel, for example. How many visions and dreams did he have during his lifetime? His first dream was about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2. He had a vision in Daniel 7 and another in Daniel 8. Then he had an interpretation of that vision in Daniel 9 through 12, and that’s about it. So he didn’t have visions all the time, and yet he is called one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, isn’t he? But that doesn’t mean that he always had the position of a leader. In fact, during his lifetime there was another prophet. Do you know his name? Ezekiel. And Ezekiel was a prophet in Babylon.
Now why were there two prophets? Because they had two different tasks. Ezekiel was the prophet for the people in Babylon, whereas Daniel was the prophet for a wider time frame. He foretold things that would happen far in the future. He also represented the work of God in the king’s court. Their tasks were different, and yet they complimented each other. But Daniel would never have thought of being called the prophet to the Jews. Would he ever have thought about having such a position? No. But yet he was. However, you can be sure that he would have considered Ezekiel to be the prophet to the Jews. If you had asked him if he was the prophet, he would have said, “If you are looking for the prophet, go to Ezekiel." “But aren’t you a prophet, Daniel?" “Well, yes, I did have a vision once." He would not have said, “Look, I have a position as a prophet."
Then we have Jonah. Did he carry a title or announce his position? What is reported of him? Simply one prophecy which did not come true. And yet he is called a prophet. That’s interesting, isn’t it? So we can see that he is called a prophet because he had a task, not because he had a position.
And what about Jesus? What kind of title did He carry? Sometimes they called Him Rabbi, but He never taught the people to actually call Him that. He never assumed any titles. Even though he affirmed He was a king when Pilate asked Him, He did so in a different way. He made it plain that He was not a king in this world. So Jesus was not concerned about having titles or position. He was concerned about doing the work God gave Him with His whole heart. Let’s read The Desire of Ages , 260.
“In the excitement which then pervaded Capernaum, there was danger that the object of His mission would be lost sight of. Jesus was not satisfied to attract attention to Himself merely as a wonder worker or a healer of physical diseases. He was seeking to draw men to Him as their Saviour. While the people were eager to believe that He had come as a king, to establish an earthly reign, He desired to turn their minds away from the earthly to the spiritual. Mere worldly success would interfere with His work." The Desire of Ages , 260.2.
So Jesus withdrew from time to time so that He would not be unduly exalted even though He was to be exalted, wasn’t He? He was the Saviour. He was God. He was everything, and yet He knew that people viewed Him in a wrong light because they coveted position. And for that reason He withdrew.
This reminds me of an incident that happened to Paul and Barnabas when they were in Lystra. This was where the people tried to worship them as gods? The people gathered together with great enthusiasm to exalt the two apostles. But Paul and Barnabas resisted this with all their might, and they just managed to stop it. So we can see from this that people will often have misconceptions about us even though we do not strive for position. That’s the way the world is. You can hardly change it.
But, nevertheless, God’s people will only seek to do a work. Jesus was dedicated to doing the work His Father gave Him. He did not seek position. He made this point very clear. “Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.’" John 5:19. No one who seeks position would speak like this, would he? “I can do nothing of myself." That sounds very dependent, and so it was. He was concerned about work, not about having a position.
Before Paul and Barnabas were sent out to their work, they received the laying on of hands. And what was the purpose of this? The Bible says this very specifically: “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the ‘position’ to which I have called them.’" Acts 13:2. Is this right? No. Not for the position but “for the work to which I have called them." But how often do we misunderstand this and think that this now puts a person into a position.
In a way, yes, there is such a thing as position, but not as the world thinks of it. It is a work to which we are called. “Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away." Acts 13:3. So as soon as they were ordained, they were sent out to do a job. “So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus." Acts 13:4. Thus began their first missionary journey.
How about James, the brother of Jesus. Was he the first pope? The Catholic Church would say, “No, it was Peter." But who presided over the meeting in Jerusalem? James. But did he always preside? Did he always have a position as leader? Definitely not. In his own letter he writes that he is a fellow servant. And Sister White says, “In this instance we have a refutation of the doctrine held by the Roman Catholic Church that Peter was the head of the church." Further down it says, “In this instance James seems to have been chosen as the one to announce the decision arrived at by the council." The Acts of the Apostles , 195.1. “In this instance." That doesn’t mean that he always did this. That was his job at that particular time. But it doesn’t mean that from then on he assumed the title of pope. That was certainly not the case.
And when people lose sight of this difference between position and work, they seek for position without the work, as we read. “These men had lost sight of the fact that God is the teacher of His people; that every worker in His cause is to obtain an individual experience in following the divine Leader, not looking to man for direct guidance; that His workers are to be molded and fashioned, not after man’s ideas, but after the similitude of the divine." The Acts of the Apostles , 401.3.

So this paragraph really summarizes what position thinking is. It means that one person thinks that others must directly report to him all the time; that some one wants to mold others according to his own ideas and his own character instead of the character of the divine. If he puts himself between the people and God, that, in short, is position thinking.
So, in summary, the knowledge of God’s call to a task gives the strength to lead out. If I know that God has called me, then I have confidence to go forward. But before I receive this call, I must show interest in the cause. I must make myself available for the call, and I must prepare myself for the work, even before I have it. And I must put away all position thinking.
Do you know what we read in the Bible about the unprofitable servant? “And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’" Luke 17:7-10. Do you see? God’s servants won’t do a work and then claim to be worthy of some position somewhere.
That reminds me of a story that Brother Keul of Romania told me. He said, “I was in prison together with other people from the Adventist Reform Church. When we were released, they all wanted a position in the church. They said, ‘Look, we are martyrs, and because we are martyrs, because we were in prison, now we’ll get a position, won’t we?’" They actually claimed the right to positions in the church because of what they went through, but that is not the spirit of a servant, is it? “… when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’" Luke 17:10.
Now one day God will give us recognition for the work we have done, but this will not be given us as a reward. We will take our crowns and cast them at the feet of Jesus. We won’t feel as though we have earned anything. We will be content just to have done our duty. When this is our attitude, then God can use us.
When God gives me a work, He puts me into a leadership role, but not in a fixed position of leadership. I wrote down the experience of my calling just as a reminder to me. When I was called to the work I am now doing, I didn’t think that I would be there very long because we believed at that time that the worker in Germany would still be resurrected at some stage, and we hoped for quite some time that this would be the case. I felt as though I was just filling in for the time being. In this way the Lord prevented me from thinking in terms of position which would have been very wrong.
I want to make this point clear again. I don’t claim to be absolutely free from position thinking, but we have to make this difference between having a position and being called to a work. When we always see ourselves as being called to a work and not a position, then we will never say, “That’s my position, and I can’t be anything else." When we have this attitude, we will be happy to turn our work over to another person who is more capable than we are. In this way we concede to one another the higher position, and that is what Christ really wants. That is true brotherly fellowship.
In Matthew 20 we read about an object lesson Jesus took from the workers in the vineyard. He said that there were some workers who came in the morning, and their master agreed to pay them a certain amount of money. Then in the evening other potential workers came to the market place. Because the work was not done and the master needed more help, he quickly went to the market and found some people with no work. He said to them, “Come. Let’s not talk about wages now. I will give you what is right." And they said, “That’s fine. The main thing is that we have work." So they headed off to work. And at the end of the day when the work was done, every one got paid the same. Now those who came early in the morning were disappointed. But they got what they agreed to. They shouldn’t have been disappointed. But they were jealous. Position thinking will make you jealous.
There is another point here. In this context Jesus says that the first will be last and the last will be first. The last to work, were the first in efficiency. Those who came first wanted a fixed position and a fixed salary and a fixed everything. They were looking for security. These workers might get something, but they should not be surprised to find out that those who came last were more efficient even though they didn’t get the security benefits. That is the meaning of this story, isn’t it? The workers who came later were not concerned with fixed benefits. They just wanted to work.
The Law of Growth
Now we come to the next law, the law of growth. One thing we need to understand about leadership is that we must grow into it. I would like to mention again after our last study that even though we do not strive for a position but for a work, we need to grow. It is important that we prepare ourselves for a greater work by following God’s providence as it opens to us. A Christian leader can grow, and he must learn how to grow. It will be learned daily, not in one day. It cannot be learned in one seminar or in one camp meeting. We must constantly think of growing. The more I study this, the more I realize how little I know of leadership and how much I need to learn and grow.

So, first of all we have to be aware of the need for constant growth, as in all spiritual things. We never can afford to stop and say, “Now we have learned enough." “But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day." Proverbs 4:18. You know this text. In other words, our understanding of what to do and how to do it becomes clearer and clearer.
There is another text which challenges us. “Take heed, watch and pray, for ye have not known when the time is." Mark 13:33. That means that we do not know when God will call us to another work. We must be ready for change. Let’s take an example. How was it with Joseph when he was in prison? He could have said to himself, “Now I am in prison. At Potiphar’s house at least I could so some jobs. I could be a leader. But here I can do nothing. What can I do except sit around?" So he could have somberly sat around, but he did not do this. Rather, he labored to make others happier.
We saw a film the other day of a lady who was in prison. At first she was very gloomy. Then she remembered another Christian and found something she had written but hadn’t finished. She determined to finish the writing. She really pushed herself to change her attitude. As she succeeded in doing this, she made her own life happier and the lives of the other prisoners as well. And this is exactly what Joseph did. He turned away from self-pity and looked for something to do, even there in prison. And he found things to do. He made the other inmates happier, he made the prison guard happier, and as a result, he was given more responsibilities. His leadership role grew from making people happier, to running the whole prison. A person who has Joseph’s attitude will never be out of work because he constantly grows and is always on the lookout for things to do.
In Testimonies to Ministers , 507, it talks about the latter rain. It says that unless we advance daily, we shall not be ready for the opportunity when the Holy Spirit comes. And when the Holy Spirit is poured out, we shall have more work to do than ever. We shall lead out. By then, we will need to have learned something, and this we learn now as we advance daily in the skills of leadership.
It would be good if we would often remind each other of the laws of leadership and talk to each other about our experience. “What did you learn about leadership? What do you see now? What have you experienced?" In fact, I would like to do this during this camp meeting. In the afternoon I would like to ask you, “How have you applied these laws in your own life, and what experiences have you had so far?" It would be good to hear from each other.
We also read that we need to daily progress in order to be a worker for Christ. Let’s read this together. “It is the privilege of the young, as they grow in Jesus, to grow in spiritual grace and knowledge. We may know more and more of Jesus through an interested searching of the Scriptures and then following the ways of truth and righteousness therein revealed. Those who are ever growing in grace will be steadfast in the faith, and moving forward. There should be an earnest desire in the heart of every youth who has purposed to be a disciple of Jesus Christ to reach the highest Christian standard, to be a worker with Christ. If he makes it his aim to be of that number who shall be presented faultless before the throne of God he will be continually advancing. The only way to remain steadfast is to progress daily in divine life. Faith will increase if, when brought in conflict with doubts and obstacles, it overcomes them. . . . If you are growing in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ you will improve every privilege and opportunity to gain more knowledge of the life and character of Christ." That I May Know Him , 161.2.
Let’s think about this in terms of leadership. The only way to remain in Christian leadership is to progress daily in the Christian life. “Faith will increase if, when brought in conflict with doubts and obstacles, it overcomes them." Faith will increase when the leadership role that you have is challenged. Yes, if it’s challenged, then faith increases. Why? Because that is the time when we learn more. It is the time when we grow. And let’s see this very clearly. We are constantly learning, even when we are challenged. And you will be challenged in whatever work you do.
We do not live in a situation where everyone is happy with our work. There will always be some people who are unhappy and who will challenge your position and work. Then take it. Take this challenge, and say, “Here is something to be learned." And you will learn, because that’s the way to learn.

The law of life says that that which will not grow must die. If we do not grow in the knowledge of Christian leadership, then we will eventually lose the ability to be Christian leaders. If we constantly grow in our understanding of leadership, that means that leaders are also learners. We tend to think that if someone is a leader, then he doesn’t need to learn anymore. That is not true.
Leaders are learners, and as an example we have King Solomon. What did he pray? “Lord, I am but a child." Let’s read about this. “The language used by Solomon while praying to God before the ancient altar at Gibeon reveals his humility and his strong desire to honor God. He realized that without divine aid he was as helpless as a little child to fulfill the responsibilities resting on him. He knew that he lacked discernment, and it was a sense of his great need that led him to seek God for wisdom. In his heart there were no selfish aspirations for a knowledge that would exalt him above others. He desired to discharge faithfully the duties devolving upon him, and he chose the gift that would be the means of causing his reign to bring glory to God. Solomon was never so rich or so wise or so truly great as when he confessed, ‘I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.’" Prophets and Kings , 30.2.
We can make such a confession in a formal manner. We can say, “Well, I do my job, and it’s because I am but a little child." But that was not Solomon’s attitude. While he said this, he put in his whole mind into learning. He did not say this to excuse himself from leading. The reason why he said this is, “I want to learn something. I want to grow and become an adult."
Do you think Paul was a learner? Always. Whenever important decisions needed to be made, he was glad to lay the matters before his fellow believers, and together they would seek counsel from God. That is really interesting. This means that he was a learner. But he didn’t just learn by himself. He also learned from others. “Notwithstanding the fact that Paul was personally taught by God, he had no strained ideas of individual responsibility. While looking to God for direct guidance, he was ever ready to recognize the authority vested in the body of believers united in church fellowship. He felt the need of counsel…" He felt the need of counsel. Can somebody feel this need if he is not a learner? Certainly not, but Paul was a leader, wasn’t he, and yet he was a learner. He felt the need of counsel. “…and when matters of importance arose, he was glad to lay these before the church and to unite with his brethren in seeking God for wisdom to make right decisions." The Acts of Apostles , 200.2.
We must first learn to follow before we can lead. That is a basic rule. And how do we learn to follow? Have a look at Joseph. He first learned to obey before he could rule as a governor. Sister White contrasts him with Samson who never learned to be a follower, therefore he couldn’t rule properly either. Maybe we should read this together. “Samson in his peril had the same source of strength as had Joseph. He could choose the right or the wrong as he pleased. But instead of taking hold of the strength of God, he permitted the wild passions of his nature to have full sway. The reasoning powers were perverted, the morals corrupted. God had called Samson to a position of great responsibility, honor, and usefulness; but he must first learn to govern by first learning to obey the laws of God. Joseph was a free moral agent. Good and evil were before him. He could choose the path of purity, holiness, and honor, or the path of immorality and degradation. He chose the right way, and God approved. Samson, under similar temptations, which he had brought upon himself, gave loose rein to passion. The path which he entered upon he found to end in shame, disaster, and death. What a contrast to the history of Joseph!" The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 2:1007.1. It is interesting how these two are contrasted. One was a learner. The other was not.
Elisha learned to obey first. He followed his master, and he was a faithful follower. Because he was a faithful follower, he also knew how to lead others as we read. “The son of a wealthy farmer, Elisha had taken up the work that lay nearest. While possessing the capabilities of a leader among men, he received a training in life’s common duties. In order to direct wisely, he must learn to obey. By faithfulness in little things, he was prepared for weightier trusts." Education , 58.3.
And how did Christ learn to rule? By obedience, exactly. And how did He learn obedience? By the things which He suffered. And having been perfected He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.
Soldiers provide us with a very interesting object lesson. When do you become a general, immediately, or after going through school? How do you become a general in the army, or an officer at least? First you must be able to obey commands. You must first be an ordinary soldier as we read here. “For hours, soldiers are drilled to disencumber themselves of their knapsacks, and place them quickly in position again upon the person. They are taught how to stack their arms, and how to seize them quickly. They are drilled in making a charge against the enemy, and are trained in all kinds of maneuvers."
“Thus the drill goes on, preparing men for any emergency. And should those who are fighting the battle for Prince Emmanuel be less earnest and painstaking in their preparation for the spiritual warfare? Those who engage in this great work must take part in the necessary drill. They must learn to obey before they are fitted to command." Gospel Workers , 75.1, 2.

And Sister White talks about children who have never learned to obey and what kind of parents they will be. “It is impossible to depict the evil that results from leaving a child to its own will. Some who go astray because of neglect in childhood will later, through the inculcation of practical lessons, come to their senses; but many are lost forever because in childhood and youth they received only a partial, one-sided culture. The child who is spoiled has a heavy burden to carry throughout his life. In trial, in disappointment, in temptation, he will follow his undisciplined, misdirected will. Children who have never learned to obey will have weak, impulsive characters. They seek to rule, but have not learned to submit. They are without moral strength to restrain their wayward tempers, to correct their wrong habits, or to subdue their uncontrolled wills. The blunders of untrained, undisciplined childhood become the inheritance of manhood and womanhood. The perverted intellect can scarcely discern between the true and the false." Child Guidance , 274.1. So it’s interesting. They want to rule without having first learned to submit.
Now, let’s come to the four phases of learning. There are four phases of learning. The first one is that we do not know what we lack. That is the condition in which we find ourselves in the beginning. We don’t know many things. Maybe we should know some things, but, just the same, we don’t know them, and that is the condition as depicted in Romans 7:7. Before the law came, I did not know that I was a transgressor. And this is also the condition of Laodicea. You do not know that you are blind, miserable, naked, and poor. And some unfortunately are unwilling to learn. That is the reason why they don’t know what they lack. But even if we are willing at first, we all start off not knowing.
Then comes the next phase when the light begins to shine into our minds, and we start to become aware of what we lack. The more I study leadership, the more I know what I lack. Paul says in Romans 7 that the law brings knowledge. He says, “But when the law came sin revived…" At that point he knew what the problem was. So first I become aware of my need, after which I can go to Christ and ask Him to fill that need.
Then comes the third phase. My need is supplied, and I begin to grow. This change begins to show in my life. That means that the actual experiences that I have, the first steps I take, are very interesting because I see success where once was failure. That’s the way it is with every child. When it walks for the first time, it is a great experience, isn’t it? I can still remember when I was able to ride my bicycle for the first time. That was an experience. In the beginning, I tried and tried and tried and just couldn’t get it to work. But suddenly it rolled, and I didn’t fall over. I said, “Hey, I can ride!" It was a tremendous experience.
Today, I don’t think about this anymore. It’s nothing special to ride a bike, but in the beginning, it was something. So our initial learning experience is the most interesting time because we are very conscious of what is happening.

Then comes phase four when it becomes so natural that we don’t think about it anymore. When you get on a bicycle now, you don’t think of it as some special ability. You don’t think of your ability to balance. And so it is with Christian leadership. Once the laws become second nature to us, then we don’t think about it anymore. At that point we are not conscious that we are in a leadership role.
So these are the four phases. In which phase are you? Let’s summarize this in a diagram.
The first phase is when we are ineffective and unaware. Then we become aware of our lack but are still ineffective. Then we become effective and are also aware of it. And finally we are effective and unaware of it because the law is written in our hearts.
Having the laws of leadership written in our hearts is really our aim and prayer. They need to become second nature to us. We can’t carry a rule book around with us all the time and refer to it whenever there is a problem. That wouldn’t work. It really must be a part of our nature.
Study 5 - The Law of Navigation, part 1
Welcome to our fifth study about the laws of leadership on this beautiful Sabbath morning. This morning we want to look into the law of navigation.
What is navigation? Navigation normally refers to the sea. The ships need navigators to lead them through the water, and sometimes through dangerous waters where there are rocks, ice, and so forth. A navigator is a very important person--sometimes even more important than the captain of the ship.
One time there was a discussion between a navigator and a captain. The navigator guided the ship through the waters. However, the captain was not sure if he would make it right. It seemed so dangerous. So, he expressed his fears. The navigator then asked the captain, “Do you want the wheel? Here, you can have it." The captain replied, “No! You keep it. I’m quite happy that you have it because you know the waters. You know everything."
People put great trust in the navigator of a ship. Very often in The Spirit of Prophecy , God and Christ are called navigators. They are the ones who steer our ship through the dangerous waters. We would not know where to go in order to be safe, not to fall into a trap, and not to shipwreck. We need a navigator.
A Christian leader is also a navigator in a certain sense. That does not mean that he takes the place of Christ. He is an “under-navigator." It is the same as an under-shepherd. He is not the shepherd. And yet he is called “the shepherd," because he is the under-shepherd. Christ is the Great Shepherd. Think about the huge ship, with a lot of precious content, and many passengers. The people all trust this navigator to lead them through the dangerous waters.
Likewise, people want to trust the Christian leader--that he navigates them right. Under what condition can they trust him? Under the condition that they know that God is behind him--that He is the real navigator.

Christian leaders will convey confidence in God’s leading. That is the subject which we will study this morning. For this purpose we want to look at some examples. The first thing we want to study about is wise planning and forethought.
When God is the leader of His people, it does not exclude planning and forethought on the part of God’s people. As we have already seen yesterday in our study about the law of God’s calling, God does not call a person who is not thinking, who doesn’t have his heart in the cause. That is a condition. Likewise, God cannot lead a person who has not put all his thoughts into the cause of God. When God is the leader of His people, it doesn’t mean that we are inactive or that we do nothing. It means that we diligently co-operate with Him. Only then can God lead us.

Wise planning and forethought are very important. Through our study of Sabbath Rest, maybe we have received the idea that all forethought and planning must be put away because that is making my own plans. That is not so. Making my own plans means that I make them instead of Christ. But God has given enough room for us to plan and have forethought. What we must do is always be willing to submit our plans to Him to be carried through or given up as Providence shall indicate. We will learn about this more later, in other laws. But I want to say this for the moment.
Let us look at some examples of wise planning and forethought. Let’s look at Joshua’s experiences in Jericho and Ai. We have studied this in connection with Sabbath Rest. We have seen that the conquest of Jericho was such a success because the right plan was put into operation. On the other hand, Ai was a real failure because the wrong plan was put into operation. What was the difference? Should they not have planned at all? It looks as though the conquest of Jericho was well prepared, but the conquest of Ai was not well prepared. That is true. Yet superficially it seems that they made plans for the conquest of Ai. Didn’t they say exactly how many people should go there and so forth? Yes, in a way.
Let’s look at the preparation of Jericho. How was the conquest of Jericho prepared? What did it start with? There was planning and forethought. What was the first step? What would you think now, without us reading these statements? Joshua went to pray. That’s what you would think. But that was not the first step.
It’s interesting that before he went to pray, they already saw that Jericho was the fortress that needed to be conquered first. When he went to pray, he went already with the knowledge that this is what they must do. Now he prayed for specific guidance in these matters. It is true that the prayer was very important. But there was something before. There was already forethought in the matter. Let’s read about this in Patriarchs and Prophets . By the way, this was before he went to pray.
“The Israelites were still encamped on the east side of Jordan, which presented the first barrier to the occupation of Canaan. ‘Arise,’ had been the first message of God to Joshua, ‘go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them.’ No instruction was given as to the way in which they were to make the passage. Joshua knew, however, that whatever God should command, He would make a way for His people to perform, and in this faith the intrepid leader at once began his arrangements for an advance."
“A few miles beyond the river, just opposite the place where the Israelites were encamped, was the large and strongly fortified city of Jericho. This city was virtually the key to the whole country, and it would present a formidable obstacle to the success of Israel. Joshua therefore sent two young men as spies to visit this city and ascertain something as to its population, its resources, and the strength of its fortifications. The inhabitants of the city, terrified and suspicious, were constantly on the alert, and the messengers were in great danger. They were, however, preserved by Rahab, a woman of Jericho, at the peril of her own life. In return for her kindness they gave her a promise of protection when the city should be taken." Patriarchs and Prophets , 482.3, 4.
Think about this a little bit. They sent out spies to Jericho. Why to Jericho? Because it was a key. In what way was Jericho a key? It was a stronghold. In other words, if they would have conquered all the country except Jericho, they still wouldn’t have conquered the country. The people could defend themselves from there. It would be impossible to get possession of the country as long as they didn’t have Jericho. So it was a strategic place, militarily speaking. But it was also a strategic place, spiritually. In what way was it spiritually a key? It’s not told here, but the idolatry was especially advanced and wicked in that city. It was everywhere in Canaan. But never was it so evil and wildly practiced as in Jericho. If you conquer the enemy, you must conquer him at his head and not at his tail. When you grasp a snake, where do you grasp it? Who knows this? Not at its tail. It will bite you. You have to grasp it at its head in order to really get it. You also have to know how to grasp it. Don’t try to do it with a poisonous snake, by the way, snake, unless you know how to do it.
The point is really that this city was the key in order to overcome the idolatry of Canaan. They needed to get the key. Then it would be easier to overcome the other towns as well. That is what Joshua saw. He thought strategically. In other words, he had wise forethought in that matter, exactly like a navigator.
Some people wonder was it right for him to send spies there. Yes, it was a part of wise forethought and planning. It was not unbelief, but it was an act of faith. Remember that this city was a stronghold. To send the spies there was an act of faith, especially when you think of the outcome 40 years before when spies were sent and they came back with a bad report. Joshua must have remembered that story, because he had been one of those spies. To send them out again was quite a risk if there was no real faith in God’s leading. He had this faith in God’s leading.
So let’s turn to another text in Patriarchs and Prophets , 487.2, 3:
“One of the strongest fortresses in the land--the large and wealthy city of Jericho--lay just before them, but a little distance from their camp at Gilgal. On the border of a fertile plain abounding with the rich and varied productions of the tropics, its palaces and temples the abode of luxury and vice, this proud city, behind its massive battlements, offered defiance to the God of Israel. Jericho was one of the principal seats of idol worship, being especially devoted to Ashtaroth, the goddess of the moon. Here centered all that was vilest and most degrading in the religion of the Canaanites…" If he destroyed that city, the people wouldn’t have a place to go for their sinful practices anymore. “…The people of Israel, in whose minds were fresh the fearful results of their sin at Beth-peor, could look upon this heathen city only with disgust and horror.
“To reduce Jericho was seen by Joshua to be the first step in the conquest of Canaan." Can you see how he had wise forethought and planning in this matter? That was even before he went to pray. I wouldn’t say that he did this without God. Of course God inspired and lead him. He would pray every day for this matter. But remember that it was a co-operation between God and man.
It “was seen by Joshua to be the first step in the conquest of Canaan. But first of all he sought an assurance of divine guidance, and it was granted him. Withdrawing from the encampment to meditate and to pray that the God of Israel would go before His people, he beheld an armed warrior, of lofty stature and commanding presence, ‘with his sword drawn in his hand.’ To Joshua’s challenge, ‘Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?’ the answer was given, ‘As Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come.’ The same command given to Moses in Horeb, “Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy," revealed the true character of the mysterious stranger. It was Christ, the Exalted One, who stood before the leader of Israel." Patriarchs and Prophets , 487.2, 3.
And then the instruction is told, and how they would conquer the city. That was a very interesting plan. Of course, such a plan Joshua could not make. Only the Divine Leader could inspire him for this.
The preparation was done very well. But I want to stress the fact it was not only through God revealing something to Joshua. It was also Joshua’s co-operation. He was a wise navigator. And when Joshua came from the meeting with the angel of the Lord--or with Christ--he came with full confidence. He could speak as one who knew exactly what the plan would be even though the plan was strange. He spoke with confidence and the people believed him. They went and conquered that city. It was a well matured and able plan, a co-operation between God and man. Now they took that city.
In contrast to this, how was the preparation done in Ai? First of all, God was not asked for counsel. We know this. But even the human part was not done very well. It was done rather superficially, when you think about it. There was no wise forethought in the matter. They now wanted to do the job quickly, moving from one thing to the next. In a way it is good to be quick. But they did this at the cost of being thorough. This was a real problem. Let’s read about this:
“Soon after the fall of Jericho, Joshua determined to attack Ai, a small town among the ravines a few miles to the west of the Jordan Valley. Spies sent to this place brought back the report that the inhabitants were but few, and that only a small force would be needed to overthrow it.
“The great victory that God had gained for them had made the Israelites self-confident. Because He had promised them the land of Canaan they felt secure, and failed to realize that divine help alone could give them success. Even Joshua laid his plans for the conquest of Ai without seeking counsel from God." Patriarchs and Prophets , 493.3, 4.
The real failure of their mission in Ai was a lack of preparation—in the sense of asking God and also in their own. They sent spies who immediately said, “Only a few are necessary." They did not consider that Ai was on a hill--that you can’t attack such a city on a hill with only a few people, even humanly speaking.
How did they determine that they should attack Ai? It was a small town--that was not a real criterion. It was not a key place. The whole plan was not matured, humanly speaking. And, it was also not good from the divine.
The real fact was that Joshua was not a good navigator in this plan. It says that the people made their plans--even Joshua. That means that he was not the navigator in this whole thing. The people more or less lead out. He did not navigate them.
Let’s now look at Nehemiah as another example of a good navigator who really led the people to the building of Jerusalem. How did it come about? First of all, as we already saw, Nehemiah was thinking of his people. His whole heart was in the matter. Finally, when the king asked him the question and he prayed to God, he presented everything to the king--what he required. He did not only come once to the king. He came again and again. He made very wise and thorough thoughts for how he would go about the building of the walls. Let us read a few statements here in Prophets and Kings . We see Nehemiah was a wise navigator:
“This example of wise forethought and resolute action should be a lesson to all Christians. God’s children are not only to pray in faith, but to work with diligent and provident care. They encounter many difficulties and often hinder the working of Providence in their behalf, because they regard prudence and painstaking effort as having little to do with religion…" Some people think that wise forethought has little to do with Sabbath Rest. That is not right. That is wrong. In fact, it has much to do with Sabbath Rest, and much to do with religion. “…Nehemiah did not regard his duty done when he had wept and prayed before the Lord. He united his petitions with holy endeavor, putting forth earnest, prayerful efforts for the success of the enterprise in which he was engaged. Careful consideration and well-matured plans are as essential to the carrying forward of sacred enterprises today as in the time of the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls." Prophets and Kings , 633.3.
That is a statement. Have you considered that in “sacred enterprises" you need well-matured plans and careful consideration?
“Nehemiah did not depend upon uncertainty. The means that he lacked he solicited from those who were able to bestow. And the Lord is still willing to move upon the hearts of those in possession of His goods, in behalf of the cause of truth. Those who labor for Him are to avail themselves of the help that He prompts men to give. These gifts may open ways by which the light of truth shall go to many benighted lands. The donors may have no faith in Christ, no acquaintance with His word; but their gifts are not on this account to be refused." Prophets and Kings , 634.1.
Next is the interesting chapter of the builders of the wall. Here we also see how Nehemiah put a lot of forethought and planning into how he would also convince his fellow citizens in Jerusalem to build the wall, because they were totally demoralized. They were not building. They feared their enemies, and were trying to protect themselves, each one alone, rather than working together. They were individualists. How should he unite such a heap of people? That was a question. He went about it very methodically and very thoughtfully. Let’s read:
“Nehemiah continued to exercise the same caution and prudence that had hitherto marked his course. Knowing that bitter and determined enemies stood ready to oppose him, he concealed the nature of his mission from them until a study of the situation should enable him to form his plans. Thus he hoped to secure the co-operation of the people and set them at work before the opposition of his enemies should be aroused.
“Choosing a few men whom he knew to be worthy of confidence…" This is another interesting law which we will look at later. He chose “…a few men whom he knew to be worthy of confidence, Nehemiah told them of the circumstances that had led him to come to Jerusalem, the object that he wished to accomplish, and the plans he proposed to follow. Their interest in his undertaking was at once enlisted and their assistance secured." Prophets and Kings , 636.1, 2.
When he had secured the assistance of these people, he had already won half the battle already. That’s interesting--even though they were few. Why had he won half of the battle? You can think about this a little. It was part of a well-matured plan to not immediately speak to all the people, but first secure the assistance of some trustworthy people. What would have happened if Nehemiah had told everybody? You think, “With democracy you must tell everyone. You must not have secrets," and so forth. What would have happened? There were some people who were very weak among the people and they would have immediately reported to the enemies.
There could have also been enemies among them. After all, they had intermingled with the heathen by intermarriages and so forth. So it would have roused the energies of the enemies. They would have further discouraged the people so it was impossible to go further. He knew what to do. He went forward very methodically and very strategically.
“On the third night after his arrival Nehemiah rose at midnight and with a few trusted companions went out to view for himself the desolation of Jerusalem…" That’s another very interesting step in his wise forethought and planning. He now looked at the walls. “Mounted on his mule, he passed from one part of the city to another, surveying the broken-down walls and gates of the city of his fathers. Painful reflections filled the mind of the Jewish patriot as with sorrow-stricken heart he gazed upon the ruined defenses of his beloved Jerusalem. Memories of Israel’s past greatness stood out in sharp contrast with the evidences of her humiliation.
“In secrecy and silence Nehemiah completed his circuit of the walls. ‘The rulers knew not whither I went,’ he declares, ‘or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.’ The remainder of the night he spent in prayer; for he knew that the morning would call for earnest effort to arouse and unite his dispirited and divided countrymen." Prophets and Kings , 636.3, 4.
We see here a combination of wise forethought, wise planning, and prayer. Like with Joshua, it was a very good preparation. What must be the outcome when you have such good preparation? Victory. You can go forward as a navigator because you have confidence that God will give the victory. This is what Nehemiah had in this moment.
“Nehemiah bore a royal commission requiring the inhabitants to co-operate with him in rebuilding the walls of the city, but he did not depend upon the exercise of authority. He sought rather to gain the confidence and sympathy of the people, knowing that a union of hearts as well as of hands was essential in the great work before him. When on the morrow he called the people together he presented such arguments as were calculated to arouse their dormant energies and unite their scattered numbers." Prophets and Kings , 637.1.
When you read this, you read so many laws of leadership. We will see this as we go on.
“Nehemiah’s hearers did not know, neither did he tell them, of his midnight circuit of the night before. But the fact that he had made this circuit contributed greatly to his success; for he was able to speak of the condition of the city with an accuracy and a minuteness that astonished his hearers. The impression made upon him as he had looked upon the weakness and degradation of Jerusalem, gave earnestness and power to his words.
“Nehemiah presented before the people their reproach among the heathen--their religion dishonored, their God blasphemed. He told them that in a distant land he had heard of their affliction, that he had entreated the favor of Heaven in their behalf, and that, as he was praying, he had determined to ask permission from the king to come to their assistance. He had asked God that the king might not only grant this permission, but might also invest him with the authority and give him the help needed for the work; and his prayer had been answered in such a way as to show that the plan was of the Lord.
“All this he related, and then, having shown that he was sustained by the combined authority of the God of Israel and the Persian king, Nehemiah asked the people directly whether they would take advantage of this opportunity and arise and build the wall.
“The appeal went straight to their hearts. The thought of how Heaven’s favor had been manifested toward them put their fears to shame, and with new courage they said with one voice, ‘Let us rise up and build.’ ‘So they strengthened their hands for this good work.’
“Nehemiah’s whole soul was in the enterprise he had undertaken…" Prophets and Kings , 637.2-638.3.
We won’t read further. But you see that he exercised wise forethought and planning in everything he did. He was a true navigator. This is what we need too.
Let us look at Gideon very briefly. He was one of the earlier judges, and he was the one who fought the battle against the Medianites with 300 men. In the end he got the victory over them. But before he went, he wanted to make sure that he understood God’s will. He also was preparing himself very well for this battle.
We can also look at Moses, one of the greatest leaders the earth has ever seen. When you study leadership, you can study Moses. At first, when Moses killed the Egyptian, he was not on the good preparation side. I would say it was almost because of feelings that he killed the Egyptian. I don’t know how well he had planned it before, but it was not very good planning, because it was done in the moment. He saw the Egyptian suppressing the Israelite. He got angry when he saw it. Out of his affection he killed this Egyptian. He took this opportunity and thought that something would start. But that was not well navigated, I would say. It was very poorly navigated. He did not have the assurance that God was leading. Neither was it well prepared. There was no forethought and planning in this whole matter. So, he had to flee from Egypt.
How different it was later when God met him again in Midian and told him to go now to actually deliver the people. Moses was very careful to ask God for every specific. He asked Him, “Well what about the belief of the Israelites when I go there? Will they really accept me?" God replied, “They will accept you." He gave him two signs. And then he said, “I do not speak the language so well." “Yes, I know that you do not speak the language well. I have made the mouth." It was unbelief when he said, “But still, I can’t speak."
Before this expression of unbelief his questions show that he put forethought in the matter. That was not wrong. We tend to think that all the arguments of Moses were wrong. That was not. He just reasoned. Saying “Choose another," when God gave him the assurance and answered his question was one step too far.
Moses became a very good navigator. He conveyed confidence in God’s leading. He had to be a good navigator too, because his people feared again and again. There is one story where he really expressed confidence which I especially like. That is in Exodus :
“And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. ‘The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.’" Exodus 14:13, 14.
That was confidence. I mean to say this in the face of the fact that they were literally in a trap. There were mountains on the side, water ahead, and Egyptians behind. Humanly speaking it was impossible from them to have any escape. Yet with confidence he said “Wait." That is the work of a good navigator.
Sister White also talks of missionaries who must ask for heavenly wisdom so they can execute and plan wisely. Let’s read this statement in The Acts of the Apostles :
“Since this is the means by which we are to receive power, why do we not hunger and thirst for the gift of the Spirit? Why do we not talk of it, pray for it, and preach concerning it? The Lord is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who serve Him than parents are to give good gifts to their children. For the daily baptism of the Spirit every worker should offer his petition to God. Companies of Christian workers should gather to ask for special help, for heavenly wisdom, that they may know how to plan and execute wisely…" The Acts of the Apostles , 50.2.
There is definitely a place for our planning. Through wise planning, forethought, and faith leaders convey confidence in God’s leading. The secret in the law of navigation is preparation. Let’s read another statement:
“If the officers of a conference would bear successfully the burdens laid upon them, they must pray, they must believe, they must trust God to use them as His agents in keeping the churches of the conference in good working order. This is their part of the vineyard to cultivate. There must be far more personal responsibility, far more thinking and planning, far more mental power brought into the labor put forth for the Master. This would enlarge the capacity of the mind, and give keener perceptions as to what to do and how." Christian Leadership , 57.2.
We are challenged to put more thinking and thought into the matter. It almost seems to me as though our understanding of Sabbath Rest has prevented us from putting thought and planning into some things. But what we need is to come away from our thinking and planning that is independent of the Lord. A part of wise forethought and planning is to seek wisdom from heaven like Joshua did with Jericho. This is the real point of Sabbath Rest.

Let’s look navigation and Sabbath Rest. There is on one side no navigation. Is this Sabbath Rest? It is not, as people might have understood. Is navigation without the Lord Sabbath Rest? No. Sabbath Rest is navigation under the Lord. There is a co-operation between human and divine--navigation under the Lord’s instruction as the chief navigator. This is Christian Leadership. This we must remember. Navigation without the Lord is worldly-wise leadership, which we are not looking for. That is not Christian leadership. No navigation is no leadership. And that is our lack. That is where we must learn something. We often had no navigation because often there was no leadership.

What do navigators do?
They make sure God is leading them. That is very important. We see this in Gideon’s case. He really made absolutely sure. We see this in Moses case. He wanted to make sure that God was leading him. We see this in Joshua’s case before he attacked Jericho. We can always see this. A good navigator will make a Christian navigator. We will make sure that God is leading him. With healthy self-distrust test to see if the plan is from God. They fully surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit. In other words, they understand that they don’t guide the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit has to guide them. Then they trust the Divine Navigator. This is especially important in difficult situations.
They think ahead and seek for wisdom from God. They are in control of circumstances as we read in The Ministry of Healing --circumstances should not control us but we should control circumstances. They have in mind the fact that other people follow them. They know that they bear greater responsibility. The point about circumstances might be misunderstood. When I say that they are in control of circumstances it doesn’t mean that we can always determine what our circumstances are. But we can use the circumstances as instruments for leadership. When the circumstances change, we sometimes think that our plans are destroyed. But maybe better plans come into being because of that. And if we cooperate with the Lord we understand and see this. Because Christian leaders also know that many people follow them, they have a sense of responsibility. Every parent will have this if he is a true parent and a true navigator. Therefore, he will know that the way that he navigates is quite essential. It’s very important.
They draw from past experiences. That’s also a very important point. Think of Jacob talking with his sons about his own experience. They also draw from sacred history--that is, from the history of God’s people in the past. People get confident when you can explain a present situation in the light of past situations, explaining that something has happened before, what the outcome was, and that it will be the outcome now. That is what a navigator will do.
They are willing to take counsel. That is very important. They are not stubborn to go forward, saying, “This is my idea and my plan." Moses, for example, accepted Jethro’s counsel.
They learn while they are doing. They never stop learning. That is also a very important part of a navigator. They are always prepared to adapt their plans as the Lord reveals. For example, when you give a Bible study, don’t fix your mind on giving exactly that study. Adapt it as the Holy Spirit leads. Be open to the Holy Spirit’s leading. He tells you what to do.
With this diagram we will interrupt our study for now. The next study will be about the difficulties a navigator will deal with. We have to look at this, but now our time is over.
Study 6 - The Law of Navigation, part 2

Welcome to study number 6 of our International Camp Meeting on Sabbath morning. We want to continue to look at the law of navigation. Before we do so, I want to mention that we had a study about effectiveness yesterday. There was a question during the break so I want to dwell very briefly on the word effectiveness. In German it’s a little bit difficult to translate. Just for the Germans over there, that’s “Wirksamkeit" or “Effektivitat". Efficiency is something else. Efficiency is “Fähigkeit" or “Tüchtigkeit". Efficiency is the procedure and effectiveness is the result. Okay? This is so we can differentiate between the two words when we use them. In German we sometimes confuse the two. Efficiency is the procedure. I do my work efficiently. Effectiveness is the result of my work. It is effective. Okay? We want to get this thing right.
So let’s come to the navigator and the difficulties he must deal with. First of all, he has to deal with a lack of co-operation from the believers. What does a navigator do in that situation? He must not give up his faith, or his navigation.
The reason for this lack of co-operation is fear of change. People don’t like change. When something becomes different, fear immediately begins. Then there is often love of ease and love of sin. There is ignorance, also, and uncertainty about the future.
For example, when Nehemiah went to Jerusalem a company of believers went with him. A company also went with Ezra, but neither of these companies was very large because they were uncertain about the future in Jerusalem. So there is a lack of faith. There are other hindrances that can get in the way, like a lack of resources. Suddenly we don’t have resources anymore. Or it might be a change of circumstances, or the enmity of the wicked. In the case of Nehemiah we see this enmity very clearly. It is important to understand that these difficulties can come.
You see, when Moses led the people out of Egypt and came towards the bitter waters, he already knew that there was water and that it was bitter. The people hadn’t had water for a long time, and when they cried, “Water! Water!" Moses’ heart sank because he knew about the difficulties. But that is something we have to deal with as navigators. A good navigator will know these things ahead of time and will know how to handle them. He will see the path ahead and he will do something about it. First of all, he will fill his vessel with oil to prepare himself for such events. You can’t go forward saying everything will be easy and light. Things will be difficult for a Christian leader because of these things that I have mentioned. Maybe there are other difficulties as well.
Jesus “knew that the life of His trusting disciples would be like His, a series of uninterrupted victories, not seen to be such here, but recognized as such in the great hereafter." The Desire of Ages , 679.2.
When we follow Christ as our great navigator we may encounter difficulties, but there will be a victory for all of these difficulties. That is the faith that a navigator will have, and that is the faith that he will convey, as Moses did. When the people cried and were frantic about the Egyptians that where behind them, Moses stood very calmly and strongly and said, “Wait. The Egyptians that you see today you will not see tomorrow." This expression of faith really gave them the necessary calmness to follow the Lord’s guidance through the Red Sea. They would never have been able to do this if not for the wise navigation of Moses, who conveyed this confidence in God’s leading.
So the kind of leadership determines the acceptance, support, and success of a work. You can see this. If God has people like Moses, then He can help the people. If He does not have leaders like Moses, then it will be very difficult for Him. That’s why we need to learn the principles of Christian leadership and apply them in our lives. The movement will be bigger one day, and you can be sure that there will be problems like those described here. If we already have so many problems with few people, how much more will we have when we are thousands and thousands? Can you imagine that? So we need wise leadership. Without this the work cannot grow.
So, let us very briefly look at the navigation strategy in Education .
“Every teacher should see to it that his work tends to definite results. Before attempting to teach a subject, he should have a distinct plan in mind, and should know just what he desires to accomplish. He should not rest satisfied with the presentation of any subject until the student understands the principle involved, perceives its truth, and is able to state clearly what he has learned." Education , 233.4.
That is navigation, and that navigation strategy we want to look at very briefly. First of all, we must get a distinct plan from the Lord in our mind. That is, make sure that this plan is from the Lord, and also consult with experienced believers. Then, as Sister White says, there must be a definite aim. He “should know just what he desires to accomplish."
Then diligently work on the plan step by step. For example, make an outline of tasks. Make a duty roster. When such an event like a camp meeting comes, it is a great help if you have a duty roster where everybody is assigned a certain task.
Envision possible difficulties and how you will get help when these difficulties come.
Notify the believers of what is going to happen. Sometimes, as in the case of Nehemiah, take trustworthy assistants to your side – the key persons with whom you work together.
Make sure that they understand the principles involved.
Convey faith and enthusiasm.
Allow time for the acceptance of the plan. Always consider that when you have carefully thought about a plan and prayed much about it, you can’t expect other people to immediately understand it in one second. You have to convey it, and then you have to give some time for it to settle in the mind, and so forth. In this work, depend on the Holy Spirit to impress the believers to accept the plan. Don’t do it with your own authority. This is what Nehemiah did. He depended on the Holy Spirit to really impress the people with the importance of the work. While he did everything he could, he also co-operated with the Holy Spirit.
Make sure that they perceive the truth of it and can express what they understand, as we have read here. They are to be able to see and state clearly what they have learned. The student should be able to express this.
They must feel that the matter is their personal interest, not that they just follow you because you say it. It must come from their own hearts. They must be able to say “This is our project. It is not just the project of the leader; it’s our project, too."
When this is all achieved, put the plan into action. Go forward with faith. Give the people their work, pray earnestly, and when necessary supervise the work step by step.
And expect problems! That is for sure! In this case, speak faith. Review the plan often to the people, and say, “Look, this is the plan that God has given to us. Let’s go forward." This, in short, is the navigation strategy that we can look at as a little outline. Of course, the detailed circumstances can be different.
The next law that we want to study is enthusiasm, but before we do so, I want to make a little excursion here and look at the life of Jacob. You know that Jacob was a person who also cooperated with the Lord. His heart was on the Lord’s side, in contrast to Esau, whose heart was not on the Lord’s side, even though Esau was the older of the two.
So, Jacob, in his desire to follow the Lord, was quite right. During the break we answered the question, how do I know how I should go forward? (After the missionary seminar, for example.) My answer was, you have to have this desire for the Lord’s work in your heart, and you have to cherish this desire. You have to think with the cause of God, and then a plan will form in your mind. Then you have to wait until the Lord really opens the door of providence and you go forward.
In the case of Jacob, we see that he was thinking along these lines. His mind was on the side of God, and yet he made a terrible blunder when he stole the birthright. So where was he wrong? Where did he not see things correctly? In other words, where was he not a good navigator? Let’s read this very briefly in Patriarchs and Prophets .
“Jacob had learned from his mother of the divine intimation that the birthright should fall to him, and he was filled with an unspeakable desire for the privileges which it would confer. It was not the possession of his father’s wealth that he craved; the spiritual birthright was the object of his longing."
So you see? His mind was on the right side. He was thinking of these things.
“To commune with God as did righteous Abraham, to offer the sacrifice of atonement for his family, to be the progenitor of the chosen people and of the promised Messiah, and to inherit the immortal possessions embraced in the blessings of the covenant--here were the privileges and honors that kindled his most ardent desires. His mind was ever reaching forward to the future, and seeking to grasp its unseen blessings.
“With secret longing he listened to all that his father told concerning the spiritual birthright; he carefully treasured what he had learned from his mother." Patriarchs and Prophets , 178.2, 3.
What did he learn form his mother? That he was the one who should get the birthright. So that was the Lord’s plan. He knew it. His heart was in the matter, the plan was from God; now could he be a good navigator? Was his mother a good navigator? Obviously not. They did something wrong, and we need to understand what it was.
“Day and night the subject occupied his thoughts, until it became the absorbing interest of his life. But while he thus esteemed eternal above temporal blessings, Jacob had not an experimental knowledge of the God whom he revered. His heart had not been renewed by divine grace. He believed that the promise concerning himself could not be fulfilled so long as Esau retained the rights of the first-born, and he constantly studied to devise some way whereby he might secure the blessing which his brother held so lightly, but which was so precious to himself." Patriarchs and Prophets , 178.3.
Did he think like a navigator? I would say he thought like a worldly navigator. He constantly thought, “How can I get this?" But if he had trusted the Lord, if he had an experimental knowledge, he would have said, ‘Okay. I will meditate about the privileges of praying like Abraham did, of erecting alters like he did, of speaking with the people like he did, of even meeting angels as he did, but how exactly this will come about, I will leave to God. He will open the way. I will not open the way for myself." That was lacking in him. It was the lack of experimental knowledge.
We know the rest of the story so we don’t need to read it. I think it’s important that as wise navigators we not only have wise forethought and planning, but that we have this under God. That must really be emphasized.
The Law of Enthusiasm
So, let us now look at the next law we want to consider together, which is the law of enthusiasm. What we will study is that true enthusiasm is contagious. You know that diseases are normally contagious, but good things are also contagious sometimes. For example, enthusiasm is contagious. We have seen this very clearly in the case of Nehemiah.
Let’s go step by step. Let’s ask the question, first of all, who is the leader? We have a positional leader and we have a real leader. What is the difference between a positional leader and a real leader? We studied this yesterday when we looked at the fact that God does not call us to a position but to a work.

A positional leader is the nominal leader. For example, in a meeting in which I give the study, then I am the leader of that meeting. When I call somebody else here to moderate, then he is the leader of that meeting – the nominal leader.
The real leader, which could be, but is not necessarily the nominal leader, is the one everyone listens to when he speaks. Can you see this? He is the one who has influence. So, for example, in the meeting that they had in Jerusalem there was a lot of discussion going on, and they couldn’t come to a conclusion. Then Peter said something and everybody listened. So who was the leader of the meeting at that moment? It was Peter. But who was the positional leader? That was James. It’s interesting, isn’t it?
By the way, after Peter had talked, Paul also talked, and they listened to him as well. The positional leader is the one who speaks first, like Peter always tended to speak first, but the real leader speaks when the Holy Spirit leads. That is what Peter did at the right moment in this meeting. The positional leader needs the influence of another, whereas the real leader has influence.
So, when I want to accomplish something, and I come into a new group where I am not aquatinted with the people, I know I do not have influence with the people at the moment because they don’t know me. I have to get together with the person who has influence in that group. If I can win him, then I have won the group. Can you see this? It is because he has influence. And that is an important point. We will see this also in the case of Nehemiah. Once he won the priests and the leaders of the people, he had the whole people, because they had influence there.
The positional leader conveys the nominal truth, whereas the real leader enthusiastically conveys living truth. The real leader speaks out of his heart.
Now, I don’t want to say that the positional leader is never the real leader. I want to stress the fact that it would be ideal if the positional leader were the real leader, but often he is not. That shouldn’t be the case.
The positional leader speaks of real things as though they are imaginary, and the real leader speaks of unseen things as if they are seen. Let’s turn to Education , 233. There is a very interesting story here.
“An important element in Education al work is enthusiasm. On this point there is a useful suggestion in a remark once made by a celebrated actor. The archbishop of Canterbury had put to him the question why actors in a play affect their audiences so powerfully by speaking of things imaginary, while ministers of the gospel often affect theirs so little by speaking of things real. ‘With due submission to your grace,’ replied the actor, ‘permit me to say that the reason is plain: It lies in the power of enthusiasm. We on the stage speak of things imaginary as if they were real, and you in the pulpit speak of things real as if they were imaginary.’" Education , 233.2.

That is the power of enthusiasm. Why are the actors so successful? Because they convey things with their whole heart – with life and enthusiasm. That is a very important element in Christian leadership.
So what is enthusiasm? First of all, enthusiasm has something to do with joy. Can you imagine someone who always runs around sad being enthusiastic? That’s not possible. Paul challenged the believers in Philippi, “Rejoice in the Lord."
By the way, when he wrote this he was in prison. Remember? He writes about this in the first chapter. “The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains;" and so on. “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice." Philippians 1:16, 18. In this context, we also need to understand that it was in Philippi that Paul was imprisoned. What did he do in prison? He rejoiced. He knew what he was writing, and the people knew what he was writing because they had seen Paul rejoicing in prison. I mean, they had heard about this story. They hadn’t necessarily seen him, but they knew what had happened there.
So when he wrote to them, “Rejoice in the Lord," they said, “Amen." That is one person who knew what he was writing about. “Rejoice in the Lord," ( Philippians 4:4) he says, “and I am not tired to write to you the same thing over and over again: Rejoice in the Lord." In fact, in those days there was even a greeting. When we studied Greek together, in a little group, we learned this. “chairete en kurio pantote". That means “Rejoice in the Lord," and that’s what they said to one another. They did not say “Good day" but “Rejoice in the Lord." In this way they challenged each other again and again to rejoice.
Now this rejoicing, of course, should not be just a greeting. It should come out of our hearts. We rejoice in the Lord because of what He has done, and if that is in our heart it will be contagious to others as well.
It is interesting that Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 5:11.
“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad…"
What is this? Rejoice and be exceedingly glad. When I experienced this – when people were speaking all kinds of evil against me – I must say I was not exceedingly glad. And this is where I am lacking. This is where I am lacking leadership, too. I was badly lacking leadership at that time because I could not encourage others. But if we can rejoice and are exceedingly glad in such a situation, then we have leadership qualities.
“Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:12.
In the first and second centuries of the Christian era there are marvelous stories told of martyrs. They were not at all dismayed when they heard the news that they were to be put into the arena with the wild beasts, or be crucified, or something like this. In fact, they even wanted to be martyred. They wanted to give their lives for Christ, and they were disappointed if they could not. There was a tremendous joy in taking this hardship upon them.
I do not fully understand the secret of this yet; I really must be honest about it. But I believe that when the time comes the Lord will give us this faith of the martyrs. For the moment we still experience some kind of enmity from the evil one, don’t we? Even if it is relatively small, it is there. And now we can practice to “Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:12.
In The Ministry of Healing we read that those who have drunk from the love of Christ will covet hardship, toil, and sacrifice. Let’s read this together.
“Everyone who accepts Christ as his personal Saviour will long for the privilege of serving God. Contemplating what heaven has done for him, his heart is moved with boundless love and adoring gratitude. He is eager to signalize his gratitude by devoting his abilities to God’s service. He longs to show his love for Christ and for His purchased possession. He covets toil, hardship, sacrifice." The Ministry of Healing , 502.3.
That is enthusiasm. Enthusiasm, you see, is not bound by good circumstances, like nice weather today. We can be enthusiastic when the sun is shining; when it is warm and we can go out. But can we be so enthusiastic when it is raining? By the way, how about those who have hay-fever; can they be enthusiastic when it is so nice?
Jesus inspired enthusiasm. Even during His last moments with His disciples He was conveying to them trust and faith and hope. He was speaking to them of the mansions He had prepared for them in heaven. He was talking about the future hope and glory they would have. At one stage, on His last trip from Galilee, He said, “I saw Satan like a flash of light falling from heaven." He was exceedingly joyful and happy to convey those thoughts to His disciples. What a teacher they had in Him! Maybe we should very briefly turn to The Desire of Ages .
“In describing to His disciples the office work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus sought to inspire them with the joy and hope that inspired His own heart. [And that was just before His suffering in Gethsemane.] He rejoiced because of the abundant help He had provided for His church. The Holy Spirit was the highest of all gifts that He could solicit from His Father for the exaltation of His people." The Desire of Ages , 671.2.
Nehemiah. Yes, that is what I wanted to read with you in the beginning. His work really conveyed enthusiasm, as we read here in Prophets and Kings .
“All this he related, and then, having shown that he was sustained by the combined authority of the God of Israel and the Persian king, Nehemiah asked the people directly whether they would take advantage of this opportunity and arise and build the wall." Prophets and Kings , 638.1.
Now, if Nehemiah had not conveyed this with enthusiasm he wouldn’t have kindled enthusiasm.
“…The appeal went straight to their hearts…."
So it was kindled and then it says, “Nehemiah’s whole soul was in the enterprise he had undertaken. His hope, his energy, his enthusiasm, his determination, were contagious, inspiring others with the same high courage and lofty purpose. Each man became a Nehemiah in his turn and helped to make stronger the heart and hand of his neighbor." Prophets and Kings , 638.3.
Each man became a Nehemiah. That’s how much his enthusiasm kindled enthusiasm in others.
Paul led Timothy and kindled enthusiasm in him. We also have Paul’s experience in Philippi, when he was in prison. We have mentioned this already. King Joash had a lesson in enthusiasm when he came to Elisha and was told to hit the ground with his arrows. You know this story. When he stopped after three times, Elisha asked him, “Why did you stop?" He lacked enthusiasm. He did not give himself fully to the work. He was keeping back somewhat, and that is why he could not get the victory. By the way, he was a godless king. He lacked enthusiasm for the cause of God, and the force of character is what kindles enthusiasm. Let’s briefly read this in The Ministry of Healing .
“Men of stamina are wanted, men who will not wait to have their way smoothed and every obstacle removed, men who will inspire with fresh zeal the flagging efforts of dispirited workers, men whose hearts are warm with Christian love and whose hands are strong to do their Master’s work.
“Some who engage in missionary service are weak, nerveless, spiritless, easily discouraged. They lack push. They have not those positive traits of character that give power to do something--the spirit and energy that kindle enthusiasm. Those who would win success must be courageous and hopeful. They should cultivate not only the passive but the active virtues. While they are to give the soft answer that turns away wrath, they must possess the courage of a hero to resist evil. With the charity that endures all things, they need the force of character that will make their influence a positive power." The Ministry of Healing , 497.2-497.3.

A person who is choleric, who is easily irritated, is not a person of forceful character. A person of forceful character is one who can control himself and at the same time is a hero as far as resistance of evil is concerned. This is the Christian leader that is necessary.
We have to make a differentiation between false and true enthusiasm in this context. When you look the up the word enthusiasm in The Spirit of Prophecy , you will find that it does not always have a positive connotation. Sometimes it is used in a very negative context, especially in the time of Sister White. I think the meaning has changed somewhat today, but in her time an enthusiast was a fanatic. In a certain sense, it is used the same way today, too. Not as much as it was in Sister White’s time, though. Back then, if somebody was too enthusiastic, it meant that he was fanatical.
So when you look you up the word enthusiasm, there is a false enthusiasm and we need to understand what it is. True enthusiasm has something to do with character, as we have seen. False enthusiasm has something to do with excitement, with fanaticism. Both characters can bring forth enthusiasm – excitement can also bring forth enthusiasm. They look very much alike. Both bring forth influence. The influence of those of whose enthusiasm stems from character is enduring, and those whose enthusiasm stems merely from excitement will be a temporary influence. You can’t keep excitement up infinitely. It’s impossible; it will die out again.
And that is the difference between true and false enthusiasm. They look alike but they are very, very different. I mean, both are enthusiasm, but they are very, very different. The one stems from character and the other stems from excitement. When we look at enthusiasm, we have to ask ourselves where it comes from. Simply generating some excitement doesn’t kindle enthusiasm.
So then, how do we get enthusiasm? That is an important question. We want to be Christian leaders. We want to have enthusiasm. How do we get it?
Here is true enthusiasm. What is the basis for it? It is character. It is faith in God.

First of all, we get this enthusiasm when we have zeal for the cause of God. As we have said before, when our mind dwells on the cause of God, when we think like a leader, we will get enthusiasm. If we make the cause of God our very own, then we will have zeal for that cause. If it is a foreign entity, if others do the work and I think of them as “they up there" or “they over there," then I can never generate enthusiasm for the work. Only if I say we, and consider it as our work, do I have enthusiasm. So it is zeal for the cause.
Zeal for the cause also means love for the cause. What did Paul do when his ardor began to flag? He looked to the cross, and got new courage and zeal, and new enthusiasm. He couldn’t look upon the cross without being touched by the love of Christ.
When we study The Desire of Ages , especially the last scenes, and we dwell on them often, we cannot help but love the cause.
It is also knowledge of truth which kindles true enthusiasm, as well as faith in God’s promises. We should really be aquatinted with the present truth. These are the elements that create true enthusiasm. It is not excitement, but zeal for the cause, love for the cause, knowledge of the truth, and faith in God’s promises. W can cherish and dwell on all these things so that they will grow. Then enthusiasm will be there and other people will be affected by this enthusiasm. So character, not excitement, is the basis of true enthusiasm.

The next question we want to ask is: how do I kindle true enthusiasm in others? First of all, I do this by being enthusiastic myself, because that is contagious. Every one of those people became a Nehemiah, because Nehemiah kindled enthusiasm.
Then it is also through the character; it is who I am. It is through relationships with others, by which I transmit vital energy. The contact of mind with mind and heart with heart was the means by which Jesus kindled enthusiasm in His disciples.
Sharing the truth with others kindles enthusiasm.
Experience also has something to do with it. When I relate experiences, then my life record kindles enthusiasm. Of course, there is also ability. If children, for example, see how their father is able to do certain things, their enthusiasm is kindled. You can easily kindle enthusiasm in children. But it is the ability that God has given. We need to turn our glory to Him in this regard. These are the factors that kindle enthusiasm in others.
I cannot read all these statements with you because our time is a little bit too short. I hope that later when we relate experiences with one another, we will see these things more clearly.
The next thing we want to study is the law of trust, but this is for tomorrow. So you can prepare yourselves. I will show you the content: trust is the foundation of Christian leadership. That is, the people need trust in the Christian leader in order to follow.
So with these thoughts I want to close our study this morning and give you the opportunity to ask questions.
Study 7 - The Law of Trust

Welcome today, to study number 7, on Sunday morning, and we will continue to look at the laws of Christian leadership.
These laws are very important for us all, especially I would say, for parents. And let me come back just a minute to the law of growth. One thing that we need to realize is that growth does not happen by itself. We cannot that we will draw automatically as we get older automatically. You know, when we are children we grow up, and we don’t realize how we grow up, do we? We don’t pull – nobody pulls our hair, and it just happens. And so we tend to think that we get Christian leaders. That’s not the case. Surely not.
And it does not either happen without determined effort. We really have to put all our effort into it. We have to constantly watch ourselves where are we in need of improvement of Christian leadership, especially should parents do this, because I see a real lack here.

Many of our children do not have the same spirit as those who first founded the message. I think that is very obvious. And why is this? It is because of lack of leadership in parents. And probably in the church as well, and I really want to learn and I want to diligently apply and ask my question: how can the spiritual condition of the church be improved? How can the work really grow? How can people find Christ? And for this reason want to apply my mind to this, very much, and I invite you to do this with me so that we truly understand and grow into Christian leadership, and not just let it happen by itself.
So we come now to the law of trust. That is our next law, and the under-headline is “Trust is the foundation of Christian leadership." And that is very important in every respect. If people do not trust the Christian leader, they will not follow him. I think that is very obvious and very clear.
So, what is then the basis of good Christian leadership? It is trust. Of course, in the world we have other foundations of leadership. For example, a dictator of a country, he will not rule by trust but by the administration of force. And generally speaking rulers of this earth rule by their administration of the executive powers. But the Christian ruler will understand that the only way to rule is by trust.
But now, in order to understand how trust is the basis of Christian leadership we must understand what the basis for trust is then. How can we generate trust? How does it come about? It comes through a character that is trustworthy. You cannot generate trust in people unless you are trustworthy, unless there is a character that people can trust in. As we read in Patriarchs and Prophets , 223.1:

“An upright character is of greater worth than the gold of Ophir. Without it none can rise to an honorable eminence…."
It’s of greater worth than the gold of Ophir.
“…Without it none can rise to an honorable eminence…."
So, can we really appreciate this? First of all, character is the only thing which we take from here to heaven. Nothing else. We don’t take any of our possessions, we don’t take any of our physical being even, into heaven. It’s only character. And that remains, and not only that we take into heaven, but this is what gives the basis for Christian leadership, and this is what generates trust.
Maybe we should very briefly look at the context of this, here.
“…Without it none can rise…"
“…It cannot be bought…."
Let me read this again.

“An upright character is of greater worth than the gold of Ophir. Without it none can rise to an honorable eminence. But character is not inherited. It cannot be bought. Moral excellence and fine mental qualities are not the result of accident. The most precious gifts are of no value unless they are improved. The formation of a noble character is the work of a lifetime and must be the result of diligent and persevering effort. God gives opportunities; success depends upon the use made of them." Patriarchs and Prophets , 222.3-223.1.
So this is in the chapter “Joseph in Egypt." People will follow a leader when they trust the leader. They trust the leader on the basis of his character. So this is the summary of what we see in this diagram.
Now, God leads people because the people trust him God is our pattern, and I asked you yesterday to read this statement in The Desire of Ages , 759, you probably did this, and what did you see in there? Did you see the law of trust applied? Does God work by the law of trust? Certainly. He leads the universe by the law of trust, and that is the reason why Satan is not destroyed.
You see, if he had destroyed Satan, then He would be served by fear rather than by trust. And He works by the law of trust. That is Christian leadership.
So let’s look at it step by step. First of all, before sin came up there was perfect trust, and therefore perfect leadership. I think that is very clear, that creatures of the universe, they loved God, they love to serve Him, and they had no question about His leadership role, not in the least. The nice atmosphere that existed there is described here, in The Great Controversy 493.
“The law of love being the foundation of the government of God, the happiness of all created beings depended upon their perfect accord with its great principles of righteousness. God desires from all His creatures the service of love--homage that springs from an intelligent appreciation of His character. He takes no pleasure in a forced allegiance, and to all He grants freedom of will, that they may render Him voluntary service." The Great Controversy , 493.2.
It’s important that we understand these things because that is Christian leadership. You may think, ‘Well, God is different, than man.’ No! He wants us to be like Him. That is exactly what Jesus said. “Be ye therefore perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect." And as God takes no pleasure in forced allegiance, and He wants His agents to obey Him with freedom of will, so likewise we should do. So we must ask ourselves the question constantly, ‘How can I win the people so that they trust the leadership?’
The next step in The Great Controversy was that His character was put into question. Satan said, ‘Well, why should we follow Jesus? Why should we follow everything that God says? There is other wisdom in the universe as well.’ And so when his leadership was questioned, the beautiful relationship between the leader and the followers was destroyed. The followers would not follow him without reservation anymore, as we read here in The Desire of Ages , 21.3.
“In heaven itself this law was broken. Sin originated in self-seeking. Lucifer, the covering cherub, desired to be first in heaven. He sought to gain control of heavenly beings, to draw them away from their Creator, and to win their homage to himself. Therefore he misrepresented God…"
That, by the way was, is the reason also why the character of God’s people is assassinated, here on this earth. This is right, assassinated? Is attacked, because Satan wants that people don’t trust, and therefore don’t follow the truth.
“….With his own evil characteristics he sought to invest the loving Creator. Thus he deceived angels. Thus he deceived men. He led them to doubt the word of God, and to distrust His goodness. Because God is a God of justice and terrible majesty, Satan caused them to look upon Him as severe and unforgiving. Thus he drew men to join him in rebellion against God, and the night of woe settled down upon the world." The Desire of Ages , 21.3.
That is the result of putting this into question. Now, in order to regain His leadership God did not punish the evil doers by destroying them, but he worked in order to regain or to rebuild that trust. Now, this is what you read in The Desire of Ages , 579.
“God could have destroyed Satan and his sympathizers as easily as one can cast a pebble to the earth; but He did not do this. Rebellion was not to be overcome by force. Compelling power is found only under Satan’s government. The Lord’s principles are not of this order. His authority rests upon goodness, mercy, and love; and the presentation of these principles is the means to be used. God’s government is moral, and truth and love are to be the prevailing power." The Desire of Ages , 759.1.
Now what we need to understand here, that when Sister White says “truth and love", she means “truth and love". Normally how people read this is, God’s government is merciful and love is to be the prevailing power without the mentioning of truth. In other words, people normally understand, ‘Well, you have to exercise love. You have to exercise love" – but you know, to say the truth is to also exercise love. In other words, to say the truth is sometimes very unpleasant, and it doesn’t look as though it is love, but it is. It is as much love to say the truth as it is, is to not destroy, and that need to be understood. If we withhold the truth from people, then we show that we do not love them.
“….His authority rests upon goodness, mercy, and love; and the presentation of these principles is the means to be used…."
So God generates trust. Can you generate trust when you say the truth to somebody? Very often you put people off, don’t you? When you tell them the truth? Now, provided it is the truth and not just your opinion, mind you. If you pour out your own opinion which are your suspicions or whatever it is, you may not gain trust. But if what you say, you say in the fear of the Lord, and you really know what you say is the truth, then it may be that you turn somebody for the moment, but in the end he will trust you.
In which kind of physician do patients more trust, in the physician who tells him the truth, or a physician who tells them, ‘Everything will be alright’? Can the physicians answer this question? Pardon? The latter one who tells them what they want to hear? Exactly.
So it is so. In the end people will trust you when you tell the truth. But let me say again, it must be the truth, and not just your opinion, because when you rebuke a person and you rebuke him because it is simply your opinion, which you bring forth (it’s like, with the physician: if he gives a false diagnosis and he says you will die in three days, and then it is found nothing bad is there, then they won’t trust either, obviously.)
So you have to be careful to really say the truth. But if you say the truth, then, in the end people will trust. God’s government is moral and truth and love are to be the prevailing power.
I find it very interesting, when there was the cold war between communism and the western states. Where would you find more truth, in the western states or in communism? Obviously in the western states. I don’t say that they were all truthful. That was not the case – certainly not. They had their deceptions as well, but moreover, there was more truth in what they said. Obviously. Therefore the people trusted them, or than they trusted the communists. In both sides of the iron curtain they trusted them more, didn’t they? On this side, and on the other side. And why? Simple because they said the truth, and it pays out to say the truth. It really pays out.
But to withhold the truth is very shortsighted. Very shortsighted. You win an advantage for the moment, but you may win the battle but you loose the war, to say it in short. That is the case.
“….God’s government is moral, and truth and love are to be the prevailing power."
On page 487 we read this:
“It is no part of Christ’s mission to compel men to receive Him. It is Satan, and men actuated by his spirit, that seek to compel the conscience. Under a pretense of zeal for righteousness, men who are confederate with evil angels bring suffering upon their fellow men, in order to convert them to their ideas of religion; but Christ is ever showing mercy, ever seeking to win by the revealing of His love. He can admit no rival in the soul, nor accept of partial service; but He desires only voluntary service, the willing surrender of the heart under the constraint of love. There can be no more conclusive evidence that we possess the spirit of Satan than the disposition to hurt and destroy those who do not appreciate our work, or who act contrary to our ideas." The Desire of Ages , 487.3.
So, that is very bad leadership, as you see. Good leadership is to build on truth and love. Bad leadership is to compel people. But how often do we find bad leadership today? Even in religious bodies there is this kind of leadership.
In the middle ages people were compelled to believe certain things, and even today, very often, they are.
So, Christ established new confidence in His leadership by revealing His character in contrast to Satan’s. It was not evident that God was a not a destroyer and Satan was a destroyer.
“The earth was dark through misapprehension of God. That the gloomy shadows might be lightened, that the world…"
That’s The Desire of Ages , 22.1.
That the gloomy shadows might be lightened, that the world might be brought back to God, Satan’s deceptive power was to be broken. This could not be done by force. The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan. This work only one Being in all the universe could do. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it known. Upon the world’s dark night the Sun of Righteousness must rise, ‘with healing in His wings.’ Mal. 4:2." The Desire of Ages , 22.1.

I find it interesting that Jesus was this one being that understood the height and depth of God’s love. That is amazing. A being on this earth that understands the height and depths if God’s love. That is uncomprehendible, I would say, almost, but that is what He was. However, we shall copy as much as we can from this, in order to be wise Christian rulers, and to build on trust.
Let us now look at some examples of good leadership apart from God, Who is the Supreme Example, who comes to mind when you think of leaders who ruled on the basis of trust? And not on the basis of authority, or force? Daniel. Abraham. Joseph. Moses. OK. Every leader, basically. Now we have to see where and how. We have to find some statements to really see this confirmed.
Let’s first look at Abraham, of good leadership. His character is described in Patriarchs and Prophets , 142.2:
“His own example, the silent influence of his daily life, was a constant lesson. The unswerving integrity, the benevolence and unselfish courtesy, which had won the admiration of kings, were displayed in the home…."
That is a very interesting statement, because, how often does it happen that people are different at home than they are with other people? They can be very courteous to other people, but they are not so courteous at home. But this was not so with Abraham. The same style that he used when he spoke with the kings he used at home. And it was a style of the home – it was a pattern of the home. That is how it functioned.
I really must say that even with some churches there is no such atmosphere. In some cases, in some churches there is more fault finding with one another and constantly saying, ‘It’s your fault" It’s your fault! It’s your fault!" than this kind of this kind of unselfish courtesy. And this comes because it’s so in the family. You see, if, we learn this at home, and what we learn at home, this we display somewhere else. Unselfish courtesy which had won the admiration of kings. Now, unselfish courtesy is not just sweet words. But it is politeness. It is giving the other the first, the preference. It’s letting him be first – letting him talk first. Like for example, Isaac, when he was going with his father on Mount Moriah, he asked, ‘Father,’ and then he was quiet, and he said, ‘Yes, talk my Son,’ and then he talked. He did not simply start talking out what he wanted to say, but he was courteous. He respected the authority of his father.
So, likewise, Abraham respected the personality of his children, and of his servants. And that is character. You cannot put a cap on you, a cap of courtesy, and now, suddenly, you are courteous. It comes from within, and we need to often study The Desire of Ages and to become changed into that in order to have such a style, such an atmosphere.
“….There was a fragrance about the life, a nobility and loveliness of character, which revealed to all that he was connected with Heaven…."
Is this revealed by what we are, to other people, that we are connected with heaven? Do they see this in our face, in our words, in our deportment?
“…He did not neglect the soul of the humblest servant. In his household there was not one law for the master and another for the servant; a royal way for the rich and another for the poor. All were treated with justice and compassion, as inheritors with him of the grace of life." Patriarchs and Prophets , 142.2.
Let’s look at Jesus. Was He courteous? When we read some statements, we may question this, but this is a question of the usage of language of their time. When He, for example, said, ‘Woman, My hour is not come,’ when He said this to His mother, it was a very polite address. At that time, it was very polite, OK? Not today. So, we need to really understand this.
And also when Jesus was also speaking with the woman, who was an adulteress, this Samaritan woman, how often would people not even talk with her, at that time, the Jews, and if then, they would talk with her very reservedly or very rude, but not so Jesus. He was most courteous, most polite to this woman, but not only in style, but also in content. In fact, He even asked her for something. Let’s read about this in The Desire of Ages , 183.4
“A woman of Samaria approached, and seeming unconscious of His presence, filled her pitcher with water. As she turned to go away, Jesus asked her for a drink. Such a favor no Oriental would withhold. In the East, water was called ‘the gift of God’. To offer a drink to the thirsty traveler was held to be a duty so sacred that the Arabs of the desert would go out of their way in order to perform it. The hatred between Jews and Samaritans prevented the woman from offering a kindness to Jesus; but the Saviour was seeking to find the key to this heart, and with the tact born of divine love, He asked, not offered, a favor. The offer of a kindness might have been rejected; but trust awakens trust….
So, in other words, when you show trust towards others, this will awaken trust.
“….The King of heaven came to this outcast soul, asking a service at her hands. He who made the ocean, who controls the waters of the great deep, who opened the springs and channels of the earth, rested from His weariness at Jacob’s well, and was dependent upon a stranger’s kindness for even the gift of a drink of water." The Desire of Ages , 183.4.
So trust awakens trust. How was it with Paul? Do you know his story, how he was before Agrippa, how courteous he addressed him, but he also showed the same friendliness and the same trust in other people, like for example, Onesimus, the slave who had run away, and what did Paul first do with him? He accepted him as his servant. Would you accept a runaway slave, as your servant? Especially someone who had stolen money? That is trust. But this trust awakened trust.
William Miller, that is a very interesting story, or there are many stories from him which show how he really trusted the people and in this way he generated trust. Very often people distrusted him and they did not want to accept his message, because they thought he is for example, mentally diseased. They had funny names in those days, of these diseases. One of these diseases was called ‘Monomania,’ and they really thought, you don’t have this word today, do you? Monomania, but in those days it was the name for a disease, and one doctor said, ‘That is what this William Miller has – he has monomania. He’s a monomaniac because, you know, funny ideas he has in his head.’ And so, William Miller, when, I think his wife was sick, he went with her to him, and asked him if he could not treat he wife, and, of course, as a physician he could not refuse it, so he did it, and then he wanted to dismiss them, and then he said, ‘One moment, I have another patient.’
And then the physician said, so who is it?’
‘Well, it’s me.’
‘What do you have?’
‘Well I have a mental disease.’
‘What mental disease?’
‘I’m a monomaniac.’
And then he said, ‘Well, then, that is not possible. Come on, go.’
He said ‘Yes, I must be because you have said so, and I want you to help me, to hear me?’
And then he agreed with him so sit down and read the scriptures to find if, or where his reasonings were unreasonable, from scripture, and then as a next step he would then accept the fact that he was a monomaniac, if it was unreasonable.
So he showed him step by step from scripture, and the physician, he listened quietly and at first nothing seemed to be achieved, but a little later the physician came to the house of William Miller very pale and shaky and he said, ‘I am lost. Jesus is coming soon and I am not prepared. Can you help me?’
So you see how trust awakened trust? And this is how William Miller acted again and again. This is a very interesting story. His character was really the basis for being a leader, his character of trust.
David was also a leader who also built on trust. For example, when he was crowned. He did not immediately rush and said, ‘Now you all must recognize me as your king.’ It was after the death of Saul, - first of all he did nothing to take the crown as long as Saul lived, but supported Saul with all his heart, even though Saul persecuted him. He still supported him. He still said, ‘You must acknowledge Saul, the king.’ And when Saul final died, and David came back to his own country, first he was enthroned by his own tribes, that is Judah and Benjamin, these two tribes. Or was it only the people of Judah? Anyway, the people of Judah, they enthroned him, and then came the other tribes and they finally wanted him king too, but he did nothing to do this, to enforce this. On the contrary, during the time he still gave very much reverence and respect to the family of Saul. He did everything to preserve this family. And this courtesy generated trust in people and they wanted to have him king.
This is very nicely described here in Patriarchs and Prophets , 679. We won’t read this now, but you can read it yourself, till page 700. Now we have some examples of bad leadership too. What would you say is bad leadership? Saul, exactly, and Solomon when he apostatized. Let’s take Solomon, for example, how he lost his trust of the people. We read on page 55, 56.
“Engrossed in an overmastering desire to surpass other nations in outward display, the king overlooked the need of acquiring beauty and perfection of character. In seeking to glorify himself before the world, he sold his honor and integrity. The enormous revenues acquired through commerce with many lands were supplemented by heavy taxes. Thus pride, ambition, prodigality, and indulgence bore fruit in cruelty and exaction. The conscientious, considerate spirit that had marked his dealings with the people during the early part of his reign, was now changed. From the wisest and most merciful of rulers, he degenerated into a tyrant. Once the compassionate, God-fearing guardian of the people, he became oppressive and despotic. Tax after tax was levied upon the people, that means might be forthcoming to support the luxurious court. Prophets and Kings , 55.2.
“The people began to complain. The respect and admiration they had once cherished for their king was changed into disaffection and abhorrence." Prophets and Kings , 55.2-56.1
But it is interesting that the people nevertheless followed him. They didn’t respect him anymore but they followed him in apostasy. And, as you said, Saul was also a good example of bad leadership because he did not work by work by the rule of trust. Rehoboam is another one, the son of Solomon who, when at first he came on the throne was approached by the elders of the different tribes who has suffered long under the wrongs of oppression, from Solomon who put heavy taxes on the people. That’s in Prophets and Kings , 88.
“…The extravagance of Solomon’s reign during his apostasy had led him to tax the people heavily and to require of them much menial service. Before going forward with the coronation of a new ruler, the leading men from among the tribes determined to ascertain whether or not it was the purpose of Solomon’s son to lessen these burdens. ‘So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spake to Rehoboam, saying, Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee.’
“Desirous of taking counsel with his advisers before outlining his policy, Rehoboam answered, ‘Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed.’" Prophets and Kings , 89.1.
So during these three days he first asked the counselors of his father, who said, ‘Well, be lenient. Take away some of the tax burdens.’ But this counsel didn’t please him very well, so he asked other counselors, younger ones who had no experience with his father, and they said, ‘Well, you have to really put a very strong rule on them because if you give them way now they will demand more tomorrow.’ You know they thought that humans needed to be ruled like dogs.
Can you remember when we were at this falconry? The dog, he always had to be second. The master always had to be first. That was absolutely important. And so people think that they must rule too, that they must be first and the others must be second. But people are no dogs. And that is what we overlook sometimes. That is what Rehoboam overlooked, and as a result he lost his rulership. People left him. They followed another ruler. So this was bad leadership.
What kind of character is necessary to build trust in a leader? The question that needs to be asked is this: does the leader put the cause ahead of his personal interests? If people do not see that a person is putting the cause ahead of his personal interests, if they see that his personal interests are more important for him, then they can’t trust him.
For that reason actions of self-sacrifice are very important, because they show to the people, ‘This person, he really has an interest in the cause and him we can follow.’ But if we cling to possessions ourselves, if we hold fast to them and can’t let go, then how can people trust in this leader? They won’t.

The next question is, is the leader honest with the people? Is he honest, or in order to gain favor with the people is he sometimes telling something else than the truth? It won’t pay as we have said already, to not say the truth. You win a battle maybe, but you don’t win the war. In other words, ultimately you will lose confidence.
The next question: is the leader teachable? Is he willing to grow and to learn? Or does he know everything, and as soon as somebody talks with him in order to help him he says, ‘No, no, no. I know better,’ or he puts the blame on other people and so forth. How teachable is he? That generates trust if he is truly teachable.
The next question. Does the leader confess his faults? Does he admit mistakes? Or can he never do this? If you never can admit mistakes, if you find this difficult, then people cannot trust you. They trust a person that admits that they make mistakes.
I once had a friend and he told me, ‘I will never drive with a person who has never built an accident.’ ‘I said why not?’ He said, ‘Well, such a person has too much self-confidence. But a person who has built an accident, a bad one, not a little one, he has no self-confidence, and I know him I can trust.’ Of course, there is some truth in it - it is not absolute truth, as you probably realized, but if he can admit his mistake, if he can say, ‘I learned something from this,’ then people can trust him.
Does the leader make sound decisions? That’s another very important question. What kind of decisions is he making? Are they a little bit strange, do they lead into a direction that is not good? Are they directed by his mood more than by principles? So what kind of decisions does he make? That will generate trust.
The next is, does he exemplify the character of God? As we have seen in the studies so far, such character wins respect. It conveys consistency and potency even beyond the lifetime of the leader. In other words, when the leader is dead people still have respect of him, and they still will follow him. As we read in Revelation 14:13, and their works follow them. Blessed are the dead in the Lord who die henceforth, and so forth, for their works will follow them. Is this the word? And that means that they still have an influence.
Our next, no, one more.
“There is an eloquence far more powerful than the eloquence of words in the quiet, consistent life of a pure, true Christian. What a man is has more influence than what he says." God’s Amazing Grace, 276.4
And that sums it all up that character is the basis for trust, and trust is the basis for leadership.
The next law that we want to consider together in our next study now, is the law of mutual respect, and this is very closely connected with the law of trust. We want to understand how, not only to win the trust of people, but how to win their respect. I think we cannot separate these two things. If somebody trusts you, he respects you also. But you do not want to have respect without trust, do you? That is what dictators want to have. They want to be respected, but they don’t care if people trust them or not. But the true Christian leader will want to have trust and respect. But what would it be if they trust you but then they don’t respect you? Again, that is a poor leadership. So you see, trust and respect really are very close together.
Yes. With this I want to close this study, and in the next we will study this more.
Study 8 - The Law of Respect

Good morning and welcome to study number eight in our International Camp Meeting. In our last study we considered the law of trust, and now we want to look at the law of mutual respect.

How do you win respect? You could try to demand it, but I don’t think such force would work very well. A Christian leader will be able to win the respect of others. Without this respect, it is impossible to lead.
Let’s put this in a diagram. On the one side we have leadership capacity. On the other we have respect. And where should we put the arrow? As respect increases, so does the capacity to lead. Can you see that?
The less respect we have, the less capacity we have to lead. If the people do not respect the Christian leader, then he cannot lead them. That doesn’t mean that he necessarily is a bad leader as such, as we saw in our question hour. It is possible for good leaders to deal with rebellious people, but in most cases, I would say that the leader has a problem which causes or contributes something to the rebellion. In some cases even a good leader cannot lead. God Himself cannot lead people who do not want to be led by Him, people who do not respect Him.
So, knowing how important respect is for Christian leadership, we naturally want to have it, don’t we? But we have the tendency to want it for our own sake. Who does not want to be respected by others? But that is not the point. The reason why we study this law is so that can serve the people better. A Christian leader will not seek honor for himself. He will desire respect so that he can be a better servant.
The more the people respect a leader, the greater will be his capacity to lead them. Without respect you cannot expect the Lord to give you the fullest success. Sister White says some important things about respect in Colporteur Ministry .
“Untidiness in dress brings a reproach against the truth we profess to believe." Colporteur Ministry , 65.1.
This is a very interesting statement. So if you really want to win the respect of others, how you dress is an essential element, and untidiness in dress brings reproach upon the truth we profess to believe.
“You should consider that you are a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let the whole life be in harmony with Bible truth.... This is not a matter of but little consequence; for it affects your influence over others for time and for eternity. You cannot expect the Lord to give you the fullest success in winning souls for Him unless your whole manner and appearance is of a nature that will win respect. The truth is magnified even by the impression of neatness in dress." Colporteur Ministry , 65.1.
That is something. Now, I don’t want to say for a moment that this has something to do with our financial situation. In other words, when we have enough money, then we can buy nice clothing and win the respect of the people. No! No! That is not how it is done! Display will not gain you respect. What we are talking about is neatness and tidiness. That is the point.

I have seen poor people in other countries, and yet they are very neat and tidy. For example, on one Sabbath I entered the home of one of our sisters in Kenya. Her home was actually a hut. But I tell you, I was impressed. Not only was her apparel clean and tidy, but her whole house was clean and tidy. And this is what we all can do regardless of our financial situation.
So, what wins respect? It is the atmosphere that surrounds us, and this atmosphere is expressed in our clothing and our premises. This is what Sister White meant when she said, “You cannot expect the Lord to give you the fullest success in winning souls for Him unless your whole manner and appearance is of a nature that will win respect."
Respect is here recognized as a tool for Christian leadership. So, what then is winning respect? Let us look at a few statements. Maybe you can find others, and please tell me if you do. One statement I found is in In Heavenly Places , 296.3. It says, “Never be sour and harsh at any time. Abstain from frowns and contempt, however much you may feel them. You should win respect by being respectful and courteous…."
That’s interesting. How do you win respect? By being respectful and courteous. And that is the same law as trust awakens trust.
“….Treat every one with civility; they are the purchase of the blood of Christ. If you seek to imitate Christ in your character, the impression upon the people will not be made by you, but by the angels of God that stand right by your side; they will touch the hearts of those to whom you speak." In Heavenly Places , 296.3.
So this is one statement. The other statement is from Colporteur Ministry , 65 which we just read.
When you are neat and tidy “…your whole manner and appearance is of a nature that will win respect."
And the third statement that I found is in The Youth’s Instructor . “Every day the youth are exposed to the perils of self-confidence. The enemy knows how to work most effectually to cripple their usefulness. He tries to fill their minds with thoughts of themselves, of their knowledge, of what they are able to accomplish. And with many he succeeds. Filled with self-sufficiency, they make no effort to correct the objectionable traits of character that have been handed down to them as a birth-right. They feel that they need no cautions. They are constantly making mistakes, but when corrected, they show impatience. ‘Pride compasseth them about.’ They think that by their course they are raising themselves in the estimation of others, but how greatly they mistake! The self-conceited youth gains little respect. It is reticence and modesty that win respect." The Youth’s Instructor , June 5, 1902, par. 1.
What is reticence? It’s another word for modesty, or being in the background. It means not always being the first to talk, but to wait until the others have had an opportunity. That is reticence. And modesty is also expressed in our clothing, but it is also expressed in other things. This wins respect.
So, there are a few ways to win respect. One is through respect and courtesy themselves. Another is by maintaining the righteousness of God’s law, but we will come to this a little later.

We win respect through respect and courtesy, and the Bible text for this is Romans 12:10: “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another." Romans 12:10
That is reticence, isn’t it? Giving preference to another. The opposite of reticence is simply preferring myself above the others. It is the desire to be first. The first to talk. The first to serve myself at the table, etc. That is the opposite of preferring others.
And Philippians 2:3 says the same thing. Let us have the mind that was in Jesus. Let us really give honor to one another more than ourselves.
Let’s now turn to some examples. First of all, there was Abraham. How did he win respect? We read this in the context of trust. In the same way that he gained trust, he also gained respect. He displayed the same courtesy at home as he did when he stood before kings. He did not neglect the humblest servant. He applied the same law to everyone. And “All were treated with…compassion…." Patriarchs and Prophets , 142.2.
Everyone was treated equally and with compassion. That was the law of his house, and that is how he won respect from everyone. If we give preference to some people, then we will not really win the respect of all. In the household of Isaac there was favoritism, as you know. Isaac gave preference to Esau, and Rebekah gave preference to Jacob. And that was how they lost a certain amount of respect and some of their ability to lead.
How did Daniel win respect? He was courteous to kings. For example, what did he say to Nebuchadnezzar and later to Belteshazzar? “Oh king, live forever." Daniel was courteous and respectful as Sister White says in In Heavenly Places , 261.3.
“This request was not preferred in a defiant spirit, but was solicited as a great favor. . . . Daniel and his companions . . . were courteous, kind, respectful, possessing the grace of meekness and modesty. And now as Daniel and his fellows were brought to the test, they placed themselves fully on the side of righteousness and truth. They did not move capriciously, but intelligently. They decided that as flesh meat had not composed their diet in the past, neither should it come into their diet in the future. And as the use of wine had been prohibited to all those who should engage in the service of God, they determined that they would not partake of it. . . ." In Heavenly Places , 261.3.
So Daniel asked a favor of the king’s officer in a respectful and courteous way. He requested permission not to eat of the king’s meat. In this context Sister White says that his courteous, kind, and respectful way helped him very much. Not only was his request granted, but he gained respect as well. And here in The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 4:1167.2 we read this:
“This officer saw in Daniel good traits of character. He saw that he was striving to be kind and helpful, that his words were respectful and courteous, and his manner possessed the grace of modesty and meekness. It was the good behavior of the youth that gained for him the favor and love of the prince." The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 4:1167.2.
So he received respect because he gave respect. And how about our enemies? Shall we be respectful to them? That is a greater test, I would say. If we can be respectful even to those who are not respectful to us, then this shows that we do have the spirit of respect.
Let us briefly look at some statements.
“The servants of God who teach the truth should be men of judgment. They should be men who can bear opposition and not get excited; for those who oppose the truth will pick at those who teach it, and every objection that can be produced, will be brought in its worst form to bear against the truth. The servants of God who bear the message must be prepared to remove these objections, with calmness and meekness, by the light of truth. Frequently opposers talk to ministers of God in a provoking manner, to call out something from them of the same nature, that they can make as much of it as possible and declare to others that the teachers of the commandments have a bitter spirit and are harsh, as has been reported. I saw that we must be prepared for objections, and with patience, judgment, and meekness, let them have the weight they deserve, not throw them away or dispose of them by positive assertions, and then bear down upon the objector, and manifest a hard spirit toward him; but give the objections their weight, then bring forth the light and the power of the truth, and let it outweigh and remove the errors. Thus a good impression will be made, and honest opposers will acknowledge that they have been deceived and that the commandment keepers are not what they have been represented to be." Early Writings , 102.1.
I like this statement very much because it shows how to deal with those who oppose us. Our arguments are important, but the spirit we manifest in response is more important. When you let the opposing argument have its full weight and then present the truth in a calm way, the truth will effectively expose error and every honest soul will see the light and know what to do. I wish that our respect was so great that we would have this kind of influence.
But it requires a lot of self-discipline to be courteous and respectful toward those who oppose us. Would you agree? It’s not easy, is it? Especially when they present the weirdest arguments and the strangest doctrines.
In The Ministry of Healing , 489, Sister White refers to the respect that Jesus and Paul for their opponents.
“….Christ was courteous, even to His persecutors; and His true followers will manifest the same spirit. Look at Paul when brought before rulers. His speech before Agrippa is an illustration of true courtesy as well as persuasive eloquence.…" The Ministry of Healing , 489.4.
When Paul was before the Sanhedrin, he spoke very respectfully. Perhaps you recall how he responded after being hit in the face. He apologized. He showed respect for the high priest, even though he was very corrupt, and the whole body was corrupt. Their treatment of him was most inappropriate. But Paul recognized that even though they hated him, their hatred was really directed at Christ.
“…he said, ‘Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.’ Upon hearing these words, their hatred was kindled afresh; ‘and the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.’ At this inhuman command, Paul exclaimed, ‘God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?’ ‘They that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest?’ With his usual courtesy Paul answered, ‘I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.’" The Acts of Apostles , 410.4.
“With his usual courtesy Paul answered." It was a part of him to be courteous.
It is important to respect those who are less experienced, for example, the younger members of the family. Can we respect them too? Can we treat them with respect and courtesy? Abraham certainly did, as Sister White says in Evangelism .
“Young Workers in School of Discipline.--Let us treat with respect the younger members of the Lord’s family. The young men just entering the ministry may make many mistakes, but the older ministers are not free from errors, notwithstanding the years they have been laboring. The Lord will take these younger men in hand Himself, sometimes afflicting them and permitting them to suffer for their mistakes, but never forsaking them. He gives them opportunity to become members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King." Evangelism , 685.5.
So, respect whom? The younger members of the family. Treat the youth with courtesy, respect, and kindness.
“God holds the managers of his institutions responsible to treat the youth in the employ of these institutions with courtesy, respect, and kindness. They are to deal with them as they themselves wish to be dealt with by Christ. Their first work is to be so kind to the youth, so thoughtful of their interests, that they will feel at home in their presence." Christian Leadership , 8.4.
Just a question to the younger workers here. Do you feel at home in our presence? Who is a younger worker here? If you do not feel at home, please tell us. OK? I want to be sure that you shall feel at home.
And the next is, do we respect sinners? Even they deserve respect. We have the stress of terrorism at the moment. People are afraid of terrorism, and any kind of response is allowed when it is for the battle against terrorism. But this is not so with God. God respects everyone, but it seems that people today forget this, and as soon as they can label a person as a terrorist, then he doesn’t need to be treated with respect anymore. That is the idea that people have. But that is not the idea in God’s kingdom. In His kingdom there is respect for everyone, even for the worst sinner, because he is human, because he is created by God. We cannot respect his behavior, but we must respect him as a human. That is what the law of God requires. In The Ministry of Healing we read about this.
“Even those who had fallen the lowest He treated with respect." The Ministry of Healing , 165.1.
With what respect did He treat Judas who betrayed him! Think about this. That’s tremendous, isn’t it? Even at the hour of His betrayal, He treated him with respect. He allowed Judas to kiss Him, and He said, “Friend." He called Judas friend. That’s quite something. It shows what character Christ had. So this is how we gain respect.
In Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing it says, “All were created in His image, and even the most degraded are to be treated with respect and tenderness." Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing , 56.3. And maybe you recall the story which we will read when we study another law. There was a person who was very degraded, and Sister White treated him with respect. As a result he came out of his difficult situation, and he said to Sister White, “You believe in me, and therefore I will

believe in myself." This really helped him. So God wants us to be the same way.
It is really the golden rule, because the golden rule says that whatever you want others to do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets. So the leader is courteous and respectful in word and action, not just in form. And as a result the follower will also be courteous and respectful in word and action, not just in form. Perhaps not all followers, but at least those who appreciates the truth.
If this becomes a way of life in the family and the Church, the Church will gain power and souls will follow the truth. It is very unfortunate that we make so little use of this law. As a result we are not very attractive to the world. Let us look at two statements.
“His unselfishness and patient endurance, His courage and faithfulness, His resistance of temptation, His unfailing peace and quiet joyfulness, were a constant inspiration. He brought a pure, sweet atmosphere into the home, and His life was as leaven working amidst the elements of society. None said that He had wrought a miracle; yet virtue--the healing, life-giving power of love--went out from Him to the tempted, the sick, and the disheartened." The Ministry of Healing , 350.1.

So He served others from the earliest moments, and this is why when He began His public ministry, that many heard Him so gladly.
“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another." Romans 12:10.
“The Lord Jesus demands our acknowledgment of the rights of every man. Men’s social rights, and their rights as Christians, are to be taken into consideration. All are to be treated with refinement and delicacy, as the sons and daughters of God." Gospel Workers , 123.1.
Now we need to understand that respect has nothing to do with untruthfulness. Openness goes hand in hand with respect and courtesy. It is a mistake to try and gain recognition by being untruthful. Courtesy and respect also have nothing to do with hypocrisy.
“The gospel does not encourage the formal politeness current with the world, but the courtesy that springs from real kindness of heart." The Ministry of Healing , 489.4.
Courtesy and respect cannot be manufactured. That would be hypocrisy. They must come from within, from the real kindness of the heart. Openness does not contradict respect and courtesy. We can be open and at the same time be respectful and courteous.

Now we want to look at another element of how to win respect. It is by maintaining the authority of the law. Firmness and courtesy are to be combined.
“The superintendent must manifest the spirit of Christ; yet he should be firm to restrain evil. A neglect of this duty shows him to be unfit for his position." The Publishing Ministry , 65.1.
So a Christian leader is not a Christian leader if he does not maintain the authority of the law. You cannot just let things happen. Satan often tempts children to be disobedient, to bring self to the forefront. If you just let this happen, then you are not a Christian leader. And if you are not a Christian leader in the family, how can you be a Christian leader in the Church?
“The superintendent must manifest the spirit of Christ; yet he should be firm to restrain evil. A neglect of this duty shows him to be unfit for his position." The Publishing Ministry , 65.1.
God said of Abraham, “For I know that he will command his children and his household after him." That is the reason why I chose him. The very reason why Abraham was chosen as the father of the faithful is because he had the leadership ability to command his children after him. Whoever has the ability to command his children after him, I mean after God, is a fit leader. He who does not have this ability is not a fit leader. This is a fact that needs to be understood.
Let’s look at Abraham a little more. “‘He will command his . . . household.’ There would be no sinful neglect to restrain the evil propensities of his children, no weak, unwise, indulgent favoritism…" Patriarchs and Prophets , 142.3.
Now you may say, “That’s not me. I don’t like it when children misbehave. I try to restrain them from time to time, but you know, it is impossible." Talking like this is not wise leadership. Let me say it again. Wise leadership requires a lot of effort, and when you are not successful in restraining your children, then you must be doing something wrong. There must be something wrong. You cannot continue like this. You have to ask yourself the question, “What am I doing wrong?" If you are simply satisfied with what you are, then you will never grow. You have to ask yourself the question, “Why are my children what I don’t want them to be?"
“There would be no sinful neglect to restrain the evil propensities of his children…"
Just take our Sabbath meetings. Sometimes our children do things that are not quite right. They might not be disobedient as such or make a lot of noise, but you see that they have no interest in what is going on, and they don’t want to be interested. They are very busy with something else, with their own world. Parents know this, but they don’t care. They don’t even look. This is not Christian leadership. You must realize that there are evil propensities that need to be restrained. There must be no weak, unwise, indulgent favoritism.
“No yielding of his conviction of duty to the claims of mistaken affection. Abraham would not only give right instruction, but he would maintain the authority of just and righteous laws." Patriarchs and Prophets , 142.3.
When parents favor their children, they will overlook wrongs, but this was not so with Abraham. Because he loved his children, he saw these things quickly. And if Isaac’s zeal for God’s cause diminished, Abraham would be quick to see this and would do something to revive it again. He would not just let it happen. That is the reason why God called him. And if we want to become Christian leaders, we must change in this respect.
So there was “…no sinful neglect to restrain the evil propensities of his children, no weak, unwise, indulgent favoritism; no yielding of his conviction of duty…he maintained the authority of just and righteous law." Patriarchs and Prophets , 142.3.
And how did Jesus win respect? Not only by healing the people, but also by maintaining the sacredness of God’s law. This happened when He drove out the merchants from the temple. By doing this He won respect.
He won Nicodemus’ respect. And as a result, Nicodemus sought an interview with Him. You remember the story. Nicodemus respected Jesus, but he did not fear Him. He saw that Jesus was a man of truth, that He maintained righteous and just law.
How about Elisha? How did he win respect? Let us read this in Testimonies for the Church 5:44.
“The idea that we must submit to ways of perverse children is a mistake…." Testimonies for the Church 5:44.2.
You might say, “That’s not my idea," and I say, “It shows." Some of you tell your children something, and when they don’t do it, you give up after the second or third time, and you let them do it anyway. That is submission to the mistakes of children.
“Elisha, at the very commencement of his work, was mocked and derided by the youth of Bethel. He was a man of great mildness, but the Spirit of God impelled him to pronounce a curse upon those railers. They had heard of Elijah’s ascension, and they made this solemn event the subject of jeers. Elisha evinced that he was not to be trifled with, by old or young, in his sacred calling. When they told him he had better go up, as Elijah had done before him, he cursed them in the name of the Lord." Testimonies for the Church 5:44.2.
Now I want to say that they were not worldly children here who did this. They were children of so-called believers. They were children of the Church of God at that time. If they were just heathen children, I would say that that would have been a different matter. We have experienced such things too. But if children from believers do this, then that is serious.
“The awful judgment that came upon them was of God. After this, Elisha had no further trouble in his mission. For fifty years he passed in and out of the gate of Bethel, and went to and fro from city to city, passing through crowds of the worst and rudest of idle, dissolute youth, but no one ever mocked him or made light of his qualifications as the prophet of the Most High. This one instance of terrible severity in the commencement of his career was sufficient to command respect through his whole life. Had he allowed the mockery to pass unnoticed, he might have been ridiculed, reviled, and even murdered by the rabble, and his mission to instruct and save the nation in its great peril would have been defeated." Testimonies for the Church 5:44.2.
So, it might be that one severe action with our children could really save them. Of course, it must be done wisely and with love, but if it is done, it can save them a lot of trouble later. But how little do we see that this is in harmony with true love?
So, why do leaders lose respect? Aaron lost it when he submitted to the people at the golden calf. Eli lost leadership authority when he submitted to the demands of his children. But we must understand that truth, even when it is severe, must be spoken with courtesy and respect. In other words, the distinction we must make is between human passion and righteous indignation. Righteous indignation is sometimes severe but has nothing to do with human passion that is out of control. They are two different things. So we are talking here of maintaining the authority of the law with courtesy and respect, but not in passion.
Christ Himself did not suppress one word of truth, but He spoke it always in love. And the one thus punished will understand this. He will see the love in the severity.

The next point that I would like to briefly mention is that we win respect by substance, not by show. We win respect by what we are. Character is the foundation.
“But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you." Luke 14:10.
In other words, don’t take the lowest place for show. Don’t be proud of your humility. Don’t hope that everyone sees how humble you are. Parents can educate their children to do things for show. They can challenge their children to say or do certain things which the children end up doing, but not from the heart. For instance, when we go to some meeting, I could say, “Shall we sit in the back? When we sit in the back, then we are real Christians." Then the children would say, “Yes, yes! Let’s sit in the back." Have you experienced this? It is nice that they are so cooperative, but is it really in their heart? I have found that even though some children will take the back seat in some situations, they are often very proud in other matters.
The principle behind this is show rather than substance. We really have to see what is the substance, what is character. Abraham won the respect of kings. Why? Because what he did was the result of what he was. His behavior before kings was not put on.
At the same time Abraham was very brave. He could fight battles. He was also the priest of his family and led out in worship. He revealed a heart of kindness, gentleness, unselfish courtesy.
How did David win the respect of his soldiers? By being fearless and not presumptuous. Did you know that five of David’s soldiers killed giants as he did? We will read about this later. It is very interesting to see how David respected his people, and they respected him.
Christ also won the respect of the people, not by show but by substance. Jesus disarmed prejudice through His reticence and modesty. And in the same way He attracted those who were genuinely seeking the truth.
Our time is over for this study, but I would like to give you an opportunity to ask questions.
Study 9 - The Law of Discernment, part 1

Welcome to study number 9 in our International Camp Meeting of the year 2005. This morning we want to study the law of discernment. The right discernment and the quick discernment are essential gifts to Christian leadership. Without right discernment and without quick discernment, it is not possible to lead out. This we will see now step by step.

To begin, what is leadership discernment? In one sentence, we can say a leader sees things which other people do not see. That is not a special privilege. That’s a gift. And it’s also an obligation. When you see things that other people do not see, you have an obligation.
First of all, he sees more than other people see. That means he sees things around him that others simply do not discern. We all know this from children. They sometimes see things that we do not see. They say, “Did you see this thing? Did you see this?" “No. I didn’t." Have you experienced this? It can be the other way round also. We sometimes see things that little children don’t see. That’s because we look at different aspects.
The more selfish a person is, the less he sees of those things that a selfless person sees. A selfish person would see totally different things than a selfless person would. I think that is obvious and clear. For example, a person who is after money sees in certain things an opportunity to gain money. If someone is business-minded, he looks in nature and says, “We can make a park here. We could invite people here. We could ask for an entrance fee. We can get this much." He only sees these things when he looks at that. Another person sees nice trees and God’s nature when he looks at the same thing.
It’s a different outlook. A leader sees more than other people see. It depends in what he is leading. A Christian leader sees things that pertain to his work as a Christian leader. For example, when Jesus was talking with the Samaritan woman, He saw something that the disciples would definitely not see, and the Jews generally would not see. He saw someone who could be won to the gospel--and many other Samaritans through her as well.
How could He see this? He had this discernment. How can some people see if a person is really interested in the gospel or not? We pass by a person and see nothing special. Then in another case we say, “Wait a moment. We must stop here. We have to talk to that person." Where does this discernment come from? Jesus saw this and challenged His disciples with the words, “Do you not say there are still four months then comes the harvest?" He was not talking of the physical harvest, but rather the spiritual harvest--among the Samaritans. “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!" John 4:35.
They would say, “What? Where are they white for harvest? We don’t see anything." Jesus saw something that others simply did not see.
A leader sees further than other people see. He sees the road ahead. A very good example of this is when Moses was leading the people through the wilderness and they were thirsty. They were coming to those waters. Moses already saw what would happen next. They would get there, taste it, and see it was bitter. They would murmur and complain. It would worse than before. He saw ahead--even though it was difficulties in this case.
Jesus also saw ahead. When the Greek visitors came to the temple, they would not come into the temple. They stayed in the court in order to find communion with Jehovah. They had also heard of Christ and wanted to see Him. No one saw anything special in these strangers. After all they were strangers. They were Greeks. The others thought, “What do we have to do with them? Our work is here." But Jesus saw a great harvest in these few people already. This is nicely described in The Desire of Ages :
“‘And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: the same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.’" The Desire of Ages , 621.1.
They were not really very eager to quickly tell Jesus. That shows they did not give that matter a great priority. They first had to inquire, “Is this even worthwhile to tell the Master? He is so busy. Let’s check with the others to see what they think."
“At this time Christ’s work bore the appearance of cruel defeat. He had been victor in the controversy with the priests and Pharisees, but it was evident that He would never be received by them as the Messiah. The final separation had come. To His disciples the case seemed hopeless. But Christ was approaching the consummation of His work. The great event which concerned not only the Jewish nation, but the whole world, was about to take place. When Christ heard the eager request, “We would see Jesus," echoing the hungering cry of the world, His countenance lighted up, and He said, “The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified." In the request of the Greeks He saw an earnest of the results of His great sacrifice." The Desire of Ages , 621.2.
So, He was looking ahead. He had to because what He was going to was very bitter--namely the cross and separation from His Father. But He already saw the great harvest that came out of it. This gave Him the strength to tread the winepress alone. It is also important to see that every Christian leader will see opportunities beforehand. And these opportunities he then can take advantage of.
A leader also sees things before other people see. He not only sees further, but he sees it faster. Sometimes it is important to see things very quickly and to act on the minute. God’s people are minutemen who quickly discern and can quickly act. If we cannot quickly discern certain situations, we will miss a lot of opportunities. Very often we will come to a situation where we afterwards think, “Oh, if I only had said something. But somehow I missed it in that moment. I was somehow sleeping. I didn’t realize that it was an opportunity." But then it’s gone forever. We really need to ask God for this gift to see things quickly. So, a leader sees things before other people see. Let’s read this statement in Medical Ministry:
“The man who occupies the position of superintendent…"--which is a leadership position—“…must be a man who is quick to discern and discriminate…" Medical Ministry, 166.2.
Let’s think of a physician for a moment. He also must be quick to discern. If he cannot discern a certain disease quickly, but lets it happen, the disease can get advantage. But if he is quick to discern and act, in due time he can prevent a lot of damage. This is true in the spiritual realm as well.
So, this is leadership discernment:
To see more than other people see
To see further than other people see
To see things before other people see.
Now, that is not a competition. It is simply for the purpose of service. We all need to ask for this gift of discernment.

Before we go on, I want to make the point that we do not speak simply of natural discernment here. But we speak of spiritual discernment. There is a difference between the two. This is described in 1 Corinthians 2:6-16:
“However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For ‘who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:6-16.
This spiritual discernment is not a worldly thing. It is really a spiritual thing for which we need the Holy Spirit. What is the difference between spiritual and natural discernment? Natural discernment is when a leader is discerning things for his worldly enterprises and business. For this he needs natural discernment. We don’t say that natural discernment is a wrong thing. It is something that is needed for the earthly business. We may have a lot of this as well.
But spiritual discernment is more. That is what a leader in God’s cause needs. He needs to see spiritual things because he is spiritually minded. When we look for the salvation of people, when we have a desire to win them to Christ, we definitely need more than natural discernment. We need the spiritual discernment which can be given only by the Holy Spirit.
Leadership in God’s cause requires the combination of both natural and spiritual discernment--natural discernment because we have much to do with earthly things in our work, and spiritual discernment for more than earthly needs. I need to combine the natural ability to discern with the spiritual mind. And with a spiritual mind I must be also practical at the same time. These two things really need to be combined as divinity and humanity are combined. This is the secret of success.
Without natural discernment there is no real spiritual discernment. And no spiritual discernment leads to a worldly leadership. In other words, if a Christian leader has only natural discernment, he will be a good manager of the work. But that’s all. He will not really lead out spiritually. But this is what is necessary.
Think of the twelve apostles who were looking for assistance in their leadership for the distribution of funds to the widows. Did they look for people who had only natural discernment? No, they especially looked for people who had spiritual discernment. One of them was Stephen. Here we see how important it is that these two things are really combined.
Of course, Stephen and the others also had to have natural discernment. Otherwise, how could they know to distribute the funds? They needed this also. It’s not realistic to say, “Well, I only have spiritual discernment, but no natural discernment." That is not possible.
We have the examples of Mary and Martha. Both served the Lord. Who had the discernment, Mary or Martha? Martha discerned that her Guest needed something. He needed refreshment and so forth--everything that a guest needs. What did Mary discern? He also needed a spiritual fellowship. He needed rest for His soul. He also needed the appreciation of a disciple, because that is what He did not get. Yes, it is true that it was not conscious. Let us read about this:
“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." Luke 10:38-40.
It says she was distracted. So, obviously Mary saw something that Martha did not see. That reminds me of an experience. One time I was coming back from a journey with my heart full of the things I had experienced. I would have gladly shared this with the others. I came back and suddenly everyone seemed to run in a different direction. It was not intentional. They didn’t run away from me. They were simply busy. And, of course, they wanted to make everything ready for me. But I was so disappointed and thinking, “Now I am sitting here alone. Everybody ran away. Why did they run away?" It was not good. Mary saw something like this. She realized that it is courtesy to personally deal with Christ now, instead of running and making food around Him. There was something conscious, even though she was unconscious of how valuable her service was. That is clear.
That is discernment. Let’s read in The Desire of Ages :
“Our Saviour appreciated a quiet home and interested listeners. He longed for human tenderness, courtesy, and affection. Those who received the heavenly instruction He was always ready to impart were greatly blessed. As the multitudes followed Christ through the open fields, He unfolded to them the beauties of the natural world. He sought to open the eyes of their understanding, that they might see how the hand of God upholds the world. In order to call out an appreciation of God’s goodness and benevolence, He called the attention of His hearers to the gently falling dew, to the soft showers of rain and the bright sunshine, given alike to good and evil. He desired men to realize more fully the regard that God bestows on the human instrumentalities He has created. But the multitudes were slow of hearing, and in the home at Bethany Christ found rest from the weary conflict of public life…." The Desire of Ages , 524.3.

Here it says that Martha was perplexed and was anxious to provide for their comfort. “…And in her anxiety she forgot the courtesy due to her Guest…" In other words, it’s a discernment that she could have had. But she didn’t have that discernment.
What does a leader discern? First of all, he quickly reads a present situation. Sometimes life depends on us quickly discerning a situation which we are in. We can think of many situations. If we act promptly and quickly, we do something. If not, we loose a lot. He is, for example, quick to discern problems. I find it interesting that there are some people who discern nothing when a church has problems, while another person would be quick to discern the problem--not only generally, but he discerns exactly what the problem is. He can lay his finger on it.
We will now read in Counsels on Sabbath School Work :
“There is a dearth of educated ability among us, and we have not men who are sufficiently trained to do justice to the work of managing our Sabbath schools and churches. Many who know the truth, still do not understand it in such a way that they could hold their own in its presentation. They are not prepared to present it in such a way that its sacred, majestic character will be clear to the people. Instead of less discipline, they need more thorough training. It is impossible for any one to foresee to what he may be called. He may be placed in situations where he will need quick discernment and well-balanced arguments, and therefore it is for the honor of Christ that well-educated workers should be multiplied among us; they will be better able to communicate the truth in a clear, intelligent way, and the truth should be presented in a way that will be as free as possible from defects." Counsels on Sabbath School Work , 156.1.
You see, we can correct each other when we have our training here and give little discourses in our classes, or when we tell our experiences and they are not so perfect. We can criticize each other. But this is not a problem, because when we are out in the field we need quick discernment. We need to know how to speak in the right time. We must really be minutemen that are ready on the spot. We don’t know to what we will be called. The work should be as free of defects as possible. For this reason let’s train a little more to lead in Sabbath School and other things so that we are really ready to do this in a majestic character. “…that its sacred, majestic character will be clear to the people…."
Can we present the truth with a majestic, sacred character that will be clear to the people? You can’t do this by simply telling jokes, for example. You can’t do this by only logic. Such a thing needs the Holy Spirit. We need to be used to this in speaking with the Holy Spirit to the people. We have quite a bit to learn here!
Christ discerned problems when He came from the Mount of Transfiguration. He came down, saw it, and immediately knew what was going on. He saw the downcast faces of the disciples. He saw the demon in this person. He read their hearts like an open book. He also saw the cause for their downcast faces. He had real spiritual discernment.
Peter had no discernment when the situation was critical. For example, the people came to him asking, “Does your Master pay temple taxes?" He replied, “Of course the Master pays temple taxes. What do you think? Our master is a very faithful person." He did not discern what the real intent of the questioner was. He missed an opportunity to give glory to Christ. He did this more than once, but this is a very typical example.
A leader discerns the truth very clearly. It requires the Holy Spirit to discern the truth. On the one hand it is not in our power to discern what truth is. It’s the Holy Spirit that is given. But on the other hand it is in our power because the Holy Spirit is given to everyone who seeks. “Seek and you shall find."
When we are blind we are not blind by birth, or by chance. We are blind because we want to be blind in the end--because we choose not to see. A spiritual leader must be quick to discern the truth in order to lead others to the truth. On the other hand he must be quick to discern error when it’s not the truth. The leader needs clear discernment of the truth, as we can read in Gospel Workers , 252.4. We won’t read this right now, but you can read it for yourself.
The leader needs to discern right from wrong. He needs to see that this is right and this is wrong. When Balaam was following the ambassadors of Balak to go with them, he badly lacked discernment of right from wrong. He went on a wrong way believing that he did the right thing.
When Eve was eating the fruit, she also had a real lack of that discernment. She did a wrong thing thinking that now she was exalted to a higher position. A Christian leader needs this discernment. To see the difference between right and wrong--and to see the difference between holy and unholy influences--you need spiritual discernment. This was a special burden of Solomon when he prayed for wisdom. We read this in Prophets and Kings :
“The path of men who are placed as leaders is not an easy one. But they are to see in every difficulty a call to prayer. Never are they to fail of consulting the great Source of all wisdom. Strengthened and enlightened by the Master Worker, they will be enabled to stand firm against unholy influences and to discern right from wrong, good from evil. They will approve that which God approves, and will strive earnestly against the introduction of wrong principles into His cause." Prophets and Kings , 31.3.
Look at parents, for example. How important it is for them to really discern what is good and what is evil, what is right and what is wrong. Sometimes they can rebuke the children for something that is not so wrong after all. For example, didn’t the parents of Jesus rebuke Him for staying in the temple? And if we have such a lack of discernment we can make it very difficult for our children. On the other hand, when they have an evil temper or an evil nature comes out and we don’t discern it, we don’t deal with it. So, it is really essential to discern right from wrong if you have any position of Christian leadership.
When Moses came down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments, they heard a noise below, and the companions of Moses were asked “What is it?" they answered, “The people are making music." But what did Moses immediately discern before even seeing anything? There is sin in the camp. He heard it from far. He was very quick to discern this. In his holy anger he threw down the Ten Commandments. They were broken, which was a symbol of them breaking the law of God--the covenant of God.
A Christian leader sees what needs to be done. That’s also important. It’s interesting when you work with people and they do not see what needs to be done. You constantly have to tell them, “Now do this and this." When they are finished they do nothing. You say, “Why didn’t you do anything?" And they say, “Well you didn’t tell me more." You tell them, “Then do this." They do this again and you come back later and they haven’t done much. “Why didn’t you do more?" “Well, you didn’t tell me more." That is not a good helper, is it? And this cannot be a good leader. It is impossible. A leader goes to a situation and sees what needs to be done. Whether he himself does it or not is another question, but he sees what needs to be done. That is a great gift.
This is important in the natural world as in the spiritual world. In the natural world a person comes into a room and sees nothing needs to be done. Another says, “This needs to be cleaned, this needs to be put in order," and so forth in order to make the room perfect. Why this difference? Because some are trained to be discerning and others are not.
“The Lord demands that in His servants shall be found a spirit that quick to discern the duties to be done, quick to respond to the obligations that the Lord lays upon them." Christian Service , 238.1.
When the opportunity comes, and the latter rain comes, are we quick to discern this and go forward? That is the question. We were at this falconry on Monday. The man showed us a dog and told us a little bit about the relationship between the hunter, the birds, and the dog. He said that when the right time is there the dog must chasten his prey so that the bird can come down and catch it. But it must be in the right moment when the bird has the right position over the prey. The hunter sees this and must tell the dog now go. Now if the dog first looks around and sees what is going on and goes later the opportunity is lost. The bird is away again, and the prey can’t be hunted. So he must be absolutely quick to discern what is now going to happen and he has to do it right away. Without thinking much first he has to act.
I think this is a very good spiritual lesson. The Lord looks for servants who are quick to discern to the duties to be done--quick to respond to the obligations that the Lord lays upon them. There we have to learn something, don’t we? We are very much in a school here.
Christ saw that something needed to be done when He came into the temple at the beginning of His ministry. When He was in Judea, He saw that something needed to be done. He discerned it immediately. This couldn’t stay like this. It was impossible.
When Nehemiah came to Jerusalem, he saw that something needed to be done. He was really quick to respond to the obligation laid upon him.
When David came to the battle field and saw Goliath challenging the people of God, he saw that something needed to be done. He was quick to discern the situation.
What else does a leader discern? There is much we need to study here. For example, a leader needs to read future developments. We have said already that he needs to see things before other people see them. That is, he needs to see approaching danger in order to protect himself and others from this danger. For example, Paul foresaw the danger of the voyage when they were going in the ship. He warned the people. They did not listen to him. They said, “Now the weather is good. We will go quickly." Why did Paul foresee this? He knew the weather patterns. He knew that it was the time of storms and a lull for the moment did not deceive him. He had at least natural discernment in this regard. He knew the risk and the danger. More than this, I am sure he had a spiritual discernment of this matter. He certainly must have been impressed by the Holy Spirit on these things.

Abigail apprehended danger when David was there and her husband was not giving the courtesy that was due to them. She immediately went out to avert this danger.
A leader discerns the opening of God’s providence. We will come back to this point later when we study the law of momentum. This is a very important point. When the providence of God opens, the leader must go forward. He should be quick to discern every opening and make the most of every advantage within reach to let the light extend and spread to other nations.
The Christians in Jerusalem understood the opening of God’s providence when they saw the Romans going back. The Jews in the city read something else completely. They thought, “This is wonderful! We have the victory here. We don’t know why, but we have the victory." However, the Christians saw that it was the time to flee. And they fled.
Paul saw a great opening before him when he was on his second missionary journey--when he was coming to Europe. Paul saw that a great door was opening before him, although there were many adversaries.
“Ephesus was not only the most magnificent, but the most corrupt, of the cities of Asia. Superstition and sensual pleasure held sway over her teeming population. Under the shadow of her temples, criminals of every grade found shelter, and the most degrading vices flourished." The Acts of the Apostles , 286.1.
In this popular center, Paul saw something--a great door opening before him.
The priests failed to see the opening of God’s providence when they did not go back from Babylon to Jerusalem with Ezra. He called upon them saying, “Let’s come, we have to rebuild Jerusalem." But very few responded to his call. So he made another call to the Levites. Then some more came, but they were simply slow to respond. They did not have this spiritual discernment as Ezra had it.
The Christian leader needs to discern the needs of others. That means he sees when they need something--like Mary saw it. In Genesis 18 we read of the hospitality of Abraham. He saw the needs of his guests and really labored for them. The Good Samaritan saw a need of the injured man. The other two didn’t want to see the need. The Good Samaritan was a Christian leader. He led out in the project of saving this man who fell to the robbers.
God “… must have the cooperation of those who will be active, quick to see opportunities, quick to discern what must be done for their fellow men." Selected Messages 1:99.5. Jesus was very thoughtful of the needs of others. Once you study you see a lot of things that Christian leaders

really see and saw.
A Christian leader also reads people. That is, he reads into people. He reads character and their thoughts to some degree. He is quick to discern where people stand. It’s sometimes essential sometimes to understand if a person is a friend or a foe? Not personally, but a friend or a foe of the cause and truth. Nehemiah was such person. When the Samaritans came and offered their help, Nehemiah was quick to discern that their offer was not genuine. So he refused them based on his discernment of the insincerity of their request.
But how many people would have accepted this request! It was just at a time when the Jews needed help. Here came people who were related to the Jews. And they offered their help. What more could you ask for? In this situation it was essential to have discernment. If Nehemiah would have accepted it they would have been lost. How did Nehemiah discern this? They said, “We worship God as you do," which was not true. He discerned their insincerity by the words they used. If a person comes to the truth saying, “I always believed what you teach and now I finally find other people that teach the same thing. I am happy to join you." What do you discern in this? You have to be careful.
In 1 Kings 3:16–28 we read the story about how Solomon had to judge between two mothers--or one mother and a false mother. Both claimed that the child was hers. Solomon discerned this. He showed that he had discernment. All the people marveled at his discernment.
Christ read Judas, but the disciples did not. Christ received him rather coolly, whereas the disciples were very excited. “We should have such a man," they thought. They did not discern this all the time he was with them.
A Christian leader is also quick to discern talent. That is very important. If you discern talent, you can help them to come forward. Those with responsibilities should be quick to discern talent that can be used in certain places. This we read in The Publishing Ministry , 272.1. In The Desire of Ages , 519, we can read how Christ discerned possibilities in the rich young ruler, even though he did not come in the end. Barnabas discerned possibilities in Mark and helped him to come further.
It is also very important that the Christian leader is quick to discern penitence--if somebody wants to come back. Christian love is slow to censure, quick to discern penitence, ready to forgive, to encourage, to set the wanderer in the path of holiness and to stay his feet therein. Love is of quick sight. You remember that when the prodigal son came back.
Study 10 - The Law of Discernment, part 2
Welcome to study number 10 part 1 of our international camp meeting in the year 2005. We will continue to study the laws of leadership, especially the law of discernment. We are really looking at what Christian leaders discern. The last thing we studied together is that Christian leaders discern people. This means that they can read more than others read, they can see further than others see, and they can discern more quickly than others discern.

What else does a Christian leader discern? He sees resources, which is also important. What are resources? For example, when he sees a certain situation he thinks, “Is it possible to do this, or not?" An ordinary person would say, “No, that’s not possible." But a Christian leader may say, “Well, I see resources that you do not see; therefore I think it is possible." But we must be careful not to be presumptuous, obviously. We can reckon with resources that are not there. So we must read the right resources. A Christian leader sees resources. He knows what kind of resources are there. Therefore he can more wisely assess when to go forward and when not to.
One of the resources a Christian leader will discern is the power of God. This is the most important one. When people do not discern this they don’t go forward. Think of David, for example, when he met Goliath. He did not depend on his own muscle power, which would be nothing against Goliath. What did he depend on? The power of God. He was so aware of that resource that he had no fear. He had no question that he would get the victory. So as the giant made his speeches, David actually ran towards him. That is something, isn’t it? It’s because he was aware of the resources on his side. He had a correct assessment of these resources. Of course, when we go forward in disobedience, not under the command of God, then we don’t have these resources. We think we have them, but we don’t. Then we are really failing. So, to read the resources rightly is the key. That is the skill that is needed.
God “desires that our dull senses shall be quickened to discern His merciful kindness and to glorify Him for the working of His power. He desires us to recognize Him in His gifts that they may be as He intended, a blessing to us. It was to accomplish this purpose that the miracles of Christ were performed." The Desire of Ages , 367.3. In other words, Christ opened our eyes to the resources that are available to the Christian worker. That was the purpose of working miracles. Do you believe that? It was not just to exalt Himself or to show how His own work was important. It was to empower the people of God in all future ages that they would go forward in the same way because they had the omnipotent power of the Holy Spirit with them.
Joshua and Caleb were two people who really understood this resource. The others didn’t. They said, “There are giants. There’s this, this, this." But Joshua and Caleb said, “We know there are resources here." Christian leaders discern opportunities because they see resources.
In Joseph, for example, we see that the opening providence must be quickly discerned and eagerly seized upon. We have studied this under a different context already. Sister White says, “Teachers are needed who are quick to discern and improve every opportunity for doing good." Education , 279.1.
How was it with Nehemiah? Did he realize the resources that were on his side? Of course he did. He saw not only the authority he had from the Persian king, but also the power of God that was at his side. That is what his fellow Jewish people in Jerusalem did not see. That’s the reason they were so downcast and did not build the wall. But Nehemiah saw these resources and he presented them to the people. When they saw them too, through his enthusiasm, they were ready to build.
You know the story of the unjust steward who knew that he would be dismissed from his master’s service. Before he actually went out he quickly called the people, and said “How much do you owe the master? That much? Okay. Reduce it to this much. And how much do you owe? Alright; reduce it." So he reduced all their debts in order to ensure that they would receive him when he had no work any more. That was of course, an unjust steward. But Jesus commended him for seeing the future, for making use of opportunities that would be there. So likewise, a Christian leader will see these things. Not, of course, in an unjust way, but in the ways of righteousness.
What is also important, as I indicated already, is that the Christian leader will see limitations. He will not be presumptuous. For example, after they were told that they were to go back into the wilderness, the Israelites said, “We will go up and fight." But at this point they did not have the resources which were there before. This was something they really needed to see.

Christ requires us to count the cost. He says, “Nobody builds a tower without counting the cost." If you simply go forward without carefully considering what will come upon you, it may be quite dangerous. But that doesn’t mean that this is unbelief. It simply means, are you really ready? When did Jesus call the disciples? It was at a time when the work was not going so well. He wanted them to follow Him not because they thought everything would go smoothly, but because they loved Him even in the time of difficulty. We should follow the Lord also, during the difficult times, because we are ready to bear the costs.
Are we ready to bear the costs of Christian leadership? There is another law we will study about the costs of Christian leadership. Do you know how much it costs? Think about this a little bit. There are costs involved in being a Christian leader. We will study this later. Think about this as homework. So the Christian leader knows how to balance opportunities and limitations.
Another thing that a Christian leader discerns is himself, and this is very important. In Revelation 3:18 we see, as you have said in the question session before, that a Laodicean cannot discern himself. But the Christian leader knows his own limitations.
When Moses was young he did not know his own limitations. He thought he could make it. But later Moses understood them. Then he went forward in the fear of the Lord.
Solomon really read himself when he said, “I’m but a child. I don’t know how to go in and to come out." That was not exaggerated self-demerit, it was simply the truth. He was the king of God’s people and he really needed this. He pleaded for it because he saw the need of it.
Martin Luther’s behavior when he stood before the Diet was very impressive. He did not stand there boldly, as you may think. He did say, “Here, I stand," and so forth. You know, some people tried to imitate Luther when they left the message. They said, “Here, I stand." Yes, okay. But their spirit was not like Luther’s. What was his spirit like? He was very teachable. When they asked him, “Did you write this?" He said, “Let me look. Yes, I wrote this." “Now what do you say? Do you want to recant this?" He said, “Well, I have to think about it. I have to pray about it." In other words he showed how dependent he was on God. He really showed his humility. And this is a true self-assessment. To have healthy self-distrust is a very, very essential gift for the Christian leader. It helps him to do his work. And this is nothing other than reading himself – self-discernment.

William Miller was also very careful. He did not boast that he was right and everybody else was wrong. He was very careful to test what he had with the Word of God.
Now we want to look at right and wrong discernment. We would like to really understand the difference. After our last study there were some questions. We saw through these questions that even if we discern things, we do not necessarily obey as a result of that discernment. An example of this is the Levite and the priests who passed the man who had been attacked by robbers. They discerned that this man needed help but they did not act on that. This kind of discernment will soon die out. In other words, we may discern for a moment, but if we don’t obey we won’t discern so well the next time. In order for the gift of discernment to grow we must really obey.
That is one difference between right and wrong discernment, but there are others. First of all, right discernment is inspired by the Lord. Right discernment is based on healthy self-distrust. Wrong discernment, on the other hand, is inspired by sin. When I’m jealous I very quickly discern when someone is doing something that I think he shouldn’t do. Have you noticed this? Jealousy is very quick to discern, but it’s inspired by sin and not by the Lord. Again, right discernment is based on healthy self-distrust. Wrong discernment is based on self-confidence, selfishness, and narrow criticism. People who mount the judgment seat judge other people. Right discernment is driven by the power of love, whereas wrong discernment is driven by the power of selfishness. Right discernment is based on experience and on information. Wrong discernment is based on prejudice and presumption. For example, “I know the people from this county; they are all like this." I may see this, but what kind of discernment is it? It’s based on presumption and prejudice. True discernment is based on experience and information. Right discernment is relying on the Lord. Wrong discernment is relying on outward appearance. Right discernment is based on Christ as the standard, whereas wrong discernment is based on self as the standard. We read this in Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing s. “They make self a standard, those who judge." Right discernment is based on the Word of God, and wrong discernment is based on ignorance of the Word. Right discernment is based on righteousness, and wrong discernment is based on jealousy, as we have mentioned already.
There’s a nice little statement here. It says, “Sister D has been deceived in some things. She has thought that God instructed her in a special sense, and you both have believed and acted accordingly. The discernment which she has thought she possessed in a special sense, is a deception of the enemy. She is naturally quick to see, quick to understand, quick to anticipate, and is of an extremely sensitive nature. Satan has taken advantage of these traits of character and has led you both astray. Brother D, you have been a bondman for quite a length of time. Much of that which Sister D has thought was discernment has been jealousy. She has been disposed to regard everything with a jealous eye, to be suspicious, surmising evil, distrustful of almost everything. This causes unhappiness of mind, despondency, and doubt, where faith and confidence should exist. These unhappy traits of character turn her thoughts into a gloomy channel, where she indulges a foreboding of evil, while a highly sensitive temperament leads her to imagine neglect, slight, and injury, when it does not exist. All these things stand in the way of the spiritual advancement of you both, and affect others to just that extent that you are connected with the cause and work of God. There is a work for you to do: Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that you may be exalted in due time. These unhappy traits of character, with a strong, set will, must be corrected and reformed, or they will eventually cause you both to make shipwreck of your faith." Testimonies for the Church 1:708.2.
It’s interesting. The wonderful discernment that sister thought she had was not discernment at all.
Right discernment helps others. Wrong discernment condemns others. Right discernment leads to actions of blessing, like the Good Samaritan. Wrong discernment leads to actions of jealousy and accusation or to no action at all. And right discernment always leads to obedience, whereas wrong discernment does not lead to obedience or even to disobedience. Again let us emphasize that when God gives light and we are not willing to obey, we get less light the next time. That is a spiritual law. So if we do not obey, if we do not have the heart to obey, then we loose the spirit of discernment.
Now we come to the question, “Is it a gift? Or is it to be developed? Is this something that only a few people have or is it something that every person has?" First of all, it is called a gift. 1 Corinthians 11:10. When the gifts are mentioned, discernment is one of them. On the other hand, everyone needs discernment. Don’t we? And this is written in these texts – Philippians 1:9, and 1 Corinthians 2:14. Let’s just read one.
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment." Philippians 1:9.
He was talking here to all Philippians , not just to some. God gives discernment to everyone who asks, really. James 1:5. “If you lack discernment, ask God and He will give it to you liberally." It says “wisdom" but it’s the same thing. If you lack any discernment ask God and He will give you liberally. So, the gift that God gives in some degree to every man can be increased. That is for sure. These are the statements for this. Let’s only read Hebrews 5: 14. “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Hebrews 5:14.

This makes the point very clear, again, that the use of discernment increases it. The non-use of discernment decreases it.

So how can discernment be learned? Through prayer, as we have read. And as we read about Solomon, his discernment increased. It increases through the study of Scriptures. There are many statements that tell us the study of Scripture actually increases the sharpness of our minds. I really want to challenge especially the young people to read one verse and to think about it until they understand the full meaning of it. That will really sharpen the mind and will help them discern things. The next time you read a scripture you understand it much better. And when you contemplate about this again it becomes deeper and deeper. That is an exercise that we need to do in order to really discern the Scriptures.
Through personal dependence upon God we also increase our discernment. You know the statement that, “God will speak His mysteries to us personally when we come to Him in faith." The Desire of Ages , 668.4.
It is also through the cultivation of religious faculties that discernment is increased. A religious faculty would be the ability to pray, or the fellowship that we have with believers, and so forth.
And it is especially increased by dwelling on religious themes and by really keeping the mind on Christ. That will surely increase our discernment.
Yielding to the Holy Spirit is also a means of increasing discernment. Exercise is also, as we have seen already.
We should read this statement together. “I have been shown that it is my husband’s duty to lay off the responsibilities which others would be glad to have him bear because it excuses them from many difficulties. My husband’s ready judgment and clear discernment, which have been gained through training and exercise, have led him to take on many burdens which others should have borne." Testimonies to the Church 3:497.1.
In other words, she was saying, “Now let him give others the opportunity to gain judgment and discernment." That’s basically what she says, isn’t it? But I find this little sentence here interesting, “My husband’s ready judgment and clear discernment, which have been gained through training and exercise…" So if we don’t train and exercise it we will definitely loose it.
Temperance is a very, very important aspect of discernment. If our stomach is full our mind is dull. I think that is very clear. At one time when I was in school, we had our final exams for a whole week I think, or longer. I don’t know now. It was during the whole morning that we had to do something, and take a test on something. I intentionally didn’t eat in order to have my mind as clear possible. I did not want anything to becloud my mind. So I simply didn’t eat in the morning. When the test was over I had something and then rested for the rest of the day. The next morning I went again with a fresh mind. And one morning, the morning of the last test, which was physics, I thought, “Oh, I have it. I know how to do it." They gave something to eat in between. Since I didn’t have breakfast, I thought, “Well, I can eat something now." So, I ate this roll with whatever it was, and afterwards I found it much more difficult to concentrate. I really sensed the difference. I struggled and struggled to finish that task because it was a difficult one. I just made it, but I thought, “Boy, what a difference – just a little bit of food." It made this difference at that moment, and I understand now why people of God sometimes fast very thoroughly in times when there’s a special need. But this is only a little thing. The real temperance we are talking of here is when we are temperate in everything. I think it’s very obvious that someone who is not abstemious in alcohol, smoking, and things like this will be affected in his mind. That is the reason Sister White talks about the evilness of judges drinking, for example. But who in the world does not drink today? That’s the reason people have so little discernment, especially of spiritual things. But as the people of God we need to take the health reform seriously, understanding that our ability to think is very much dependent on this.
Sleep also has something to do with temperance. It therefore also increases or decreases our ability to discern.
Shall we read this? “A weight of responsibility rests upon you. It is the watchman’s duty to be ever at his post, watching for souls as one that must give an account. If your mind is diverted from the great work and filled with unholy thoughts; if selfish plans and projects rob of sleep, and in consequence the mental and physical strength is lessened, you sin against your own soul and against God. Your discernment is blunted, and sacred things are placed upon a level with the common. God is dishonored, His cause reproached, and the good work you might have done had you made God your trust is marred. Had you preserved the vigor of your powers to put the strength of your brain and entire being into the important work of God without reserve, you would have realized a much greater work, and it would have been more perfectly done." Testimonies for the Church 3:242.1.
False excitement hinders real discernment. Avoid this. False excitement can be generated, for example, in amusement parks. People are very excited there and as a result their discernment is not so clear any more. Also, religious false excitement numbs the perception. If somebody has been a part of fanaticism he will always find it difficult to really see things more clearly afterward. Of course, there are also certain drugs which cause excitement and as a result of this people lack proper discernment. False excitement destroys discernment and spiritual eyesight. So this is how discernment can be learned.
The Law of Attraction
Now we come to the law of attraction. We have to do this in our last 15 minutes, so let’s see how far we get. If we don’t get far then we will continue tomorrow.

The law of attraction says, in short, that like attracts like. There are many statements in The Spirit of Prophecy which talk about this. Like attracts like in a positive way as well as in a negative way. In the positive way we read, “Like will attract like. Those who are drinking from the same fountain of blessing will draw nearer together." Testimonies for the Church 5:100.3.This means that if someone follows Christ very closely he will be drawn to others who follow Christ very closely. The reason Christ wanted to make them one with Him was so that they would be one with each another. Like attracts like.
But this is also true in a negative way. “Like seeks like. And evil wherever it exists leagues with evil for the destruction of good." The Desire of Ages , 405.2. We have an example of this in the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They had such different doctrines that they could fight and argue about them for days and days. Yet they united with one another against Christ. And, why? Because like attracts like. They had the same character.
So the conclusion would be to not complain about the people who follow you, but rather seek to become better yourself, wouldn’t it? If I, as a Christian leader, lead other people to Christ and these people have defects, I should first ask why they come and follow me when I ask them to follow Christ. Maybe I should change, instead of complaining about them all the time.
You see in certain areas where there are believers who brought the message, that they attracted people who were similar to them. There’s a sort of truth in this. It’s not absolute of course. Sometimes people come because of the message as such, but very often it is the personality of the Christian leader that attracts people who are like him. That is why Jesus said, “For their sake I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth." John 17:19. The purer the church of God is the more she will attract pure people in the world rather than corrupt people. Corrupt people won’t feel attracted but pure people will be attracted. “You should not seek to mold minds and characters after your pattern, but should allow your own character to be molded after the Divine pattern. If this world were composed of men like yourself in character and temperament, woe would be to it. As like would meet like whichever way you might turn, you would be disgusted with your associates, the exact patterns of yourself, and would wish to be out of the world." Testimonies for the Church 3:463.2. That’s interesting, isn’t it? “You would wish to be out of the world." Sometimes we do wish to be out of the world, because we find ourselves in an environment of like people and we can’t stand each other. Have you found this to be the case in human relationships? When people are together who are alike but negative, they often can’t stand each other. The Pharisees and the Sadducees couldn’t stand each other even though they were alike.

When we want to have a happy marriage we not only have to look for the right partner. That is a very important aspect, but you also have to ask yourself, “Am I the right partner?" It may be that we won’t be able to stand each other in the end, and this is not just the fault of the other. Like attracts like. Let’s really understand and see this very clearly.
You may say, “Sometimes people follow a leader who is different, don’t they?" Is this so? They are still alike in certain areas. We have the Pharisees and Sadducees as an example. The Pharisees attracted certain people and the Sadducees attracted certain people. Yet both could unite in one area, and that was hatred against righteousness and against Christ. And in the end they did not stick together. A kingdom that is not united will crumble.
So those who follow a leader, even though he is different, will eventually leave him in the end, unless they change. When Judas was following Christ, for example, he would leave Him in the end unless he changed and became like Christ. In the case of Judas you have this law seemingly returned. A person followed a leader who was different than he was. Yet it is not really so when you think about it. Judas had a desire to be like Christ. He had admired what he saw in Him. And this attracted him. There was something responding in him to what he saw Christ. But he was also different in many respects and that brought him into trouble with Christ.
Often people will also follow a leader for what they think that he is or what he pretends to be. They don’t follow him because of what he actually is, but they have a wonderful vision of him, they put him on a pedestal, as you say, and so they follow because of this idea they have. So it’s only a figment of their imagination that they follow. When they really get to know him, what happens? They turn away from him. So the relationship will break in the face of reality.
Some people, however, follow the leader even though he is different because they desire to be like him. That is basically the reason everybody follows Christ, isn’t it? I mean, no one is like Christ when he begins following Him. If he was then he wouldn’t need salvation. Every person on this earth who starts to follow Christ is different than Him, yet he follows Him. Why? Because he desires to be like Him. This means that when they follow Him, they become like Him and are even more attracted to Him, or they eventually abandon Him. Here we have Judas again as an example. He followed Christ for a while, but he did not want to become like Him. So eventually he abandoned Him.
“Like seeks like. Like appreciates like. Christ recognizes His own spirit and image in Him followers. As they become more like Him they seek a closer association with Him. His character shines with new attractions." Signs of the Times , January 6, 1888, p. 14. This really shows that people who desire to be like their leader, and are changed into His image, desire to become like Him even more. And when they desire more they are changed more, and so forth. The desire becomes greater and greater. So they will become ever firmer followers of Christ. That is the law of following Christ. Again, like attracts like. It applies here too.

So let us look at this a little bit. Who will follow honest leaders? Honest people. Honest leaders will attract honest people. Selfless leaders will attract selfless people. Humble leaders will attract humble people. Then faithful leaders will attract faithful people. And hypocritical leaders will attract hypocritical people. Selfish leaders will attract selfish people and proud leaders will attract proud people. Unfaithful leaders will attract unfaithful people.
So, that is the law of attraction. Think about this a little bit. If we want a good church we must be the kind of leader who attracts this kind of people. That is very, very important. In character we must be like this. So Jesus attracts people who become like Him in character.
The question you can ask yourself now is, how did you come to the message and what attracted you? An important principle for the education of children and youth is found in this law, I think. “Like attracts like. Like appreciates like. Let the love for truth and purity and goodness be early implanted in the soul, and the youth will seek the society of those who possess these characteristics." Patriarchs and Prophets , 176.1. In other words, we often complain that our children go to people of the world, but what is the reason for this? They seek like. They seek that which is in them. If you want your children to really seek the noble and the pure, then implant this in them.
It’s interesting. John Wesley was such an example. He really wanted to have associates who were following Christ – who were one with Christ. He didn’t want to have any other friends. He made sure of this. He sought his own friends, and he was determined to have friends not by chance but by choice. He chose them very carefully. This is because like attracts like. “As often as I recall the experience of my early life, my brother, the confidant of my hopes and fears, the earnest sympathizer with me in my Christian experience, comes to my mind. He never sought the society of the young and gay but choose rather the company of Christians whose conversation would instruct him in the way of life." Testimonies for the Church 1:34.3. That was a person who was really trained in the right way as a child. So he was attracted to those who were Christians and not to the gay, which probably meant those who were simply disobedient and doing bad things. He was not attracted to those who simply sought pleasure.

A leader then trains leaders. Now, there’s an important difference that we must make between character and human characteristics when we study the law that like attracts like. We can be attracted by a character but we can also be attracted by certain characteristics. A character, for example, is good or evil. It’s honest or hypocritical. A character is selfish of selfless. A character is humble or proud. It’s faithful or unfaithful. It’s spiritual or carnal. It’s Christ-like or un-Christ-like, positive or negative. But characteristics are different in all people. Black and white, for example, are human characteristic. Old and young are human characteristic. Rich or poor, intelligent or simple, trained or untrained, man or woman, Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised – these are all human characteristics. Paul had to deal with human characteristics, you remember; the circumcised, uncircumcised, the Gentiles and Jews, and so forth. He played down these differences. He said, “That is not important," even though like attracts like. Character is what is important. People are attracted to likeness in both, character and human characteristics. Attraction because of likeness in character is more fundamental and important than attraction because of likeness in human characteristics. That is the source really. That is what we are looking for here.
So which factors of human characteristics attract people? The attitude; if a person is optimistic then he attracts optimistic people. The generations, as old people attract old people and young people attract young people, usually. The background also attracts people. They are attracted to the same religious, cultural, or lingual background. It can also be the color of the skin, of course. Or it can be the values that we have – attraction to those who are orderly, to those who love reforms, hygiene etc. Life experience plays a big role. We are attracted to those with similar life experiences and abilities. To some extent the human characteristics are formed by the character, but also by the circumstances of life. We study this because we need to understand that those who have certain characteristics can be more effective missionaries among those whom they naturally attract with those characteristics. For example, I would find it more difficult to work among people of a different age level than I would find it among my own age level. I would find it more difficult to work among people with a different language. That, I think, is obvious because I simply don’t speak the language. But those who speak the language can work among those people who are there and speak this language.
So we have to realize that these are factors that attract people and we can take advantage of this in order to save people. But more important is the character, which we must work upon in order to attract the right people to the work in the cause of God.
Study 10 - The Law of Attraction
This is study number 10 part 2 in our International camp meeting in the year 2005.
We were looking at the different characteristics which attract people--attitude, generation, background, values, life experiences, and abilities, for example. The reason why we study this is twofold. First, we want to really understand how we can win people. The law of attraction helps us in this very much. But it is also important for a Christian leader to understand how he can lead a group. There is always a danger of lowering a standard. For example, when two pessimistic people come together, what will be the result? Great pessimism. When two optimistic people come together, it’s better, maybe. But it could be too optimistic in the end!
So what will a leader who tends to be more pessimistic do? He will look for optimistic to help him to overcome this. He will appreciate this. He will not shun these people, but will look for them. He will say, “This is what I need," and will strive after this.
It is also like this with values. If someone has difficulties in the areas of reform and hygiene, what will he look for? He will look for assistants who will help in this area--not that he leans on them, but that he can learn something from them. In other words, he will appreciate people who are different.
Now, I don’t want to go too far here, because the law of assistants we will study later. But that is definitely something we must take to consideration. How do we deal with these laws, with this law of attraction? As I said before, in many respects these human characteristics also help us to work with those people whom we are most like--to work with them and attract them to the truth.

How can we win people who are different? That is the important question. We all are different to some extent, aren’t we? How can we win them, and how can we have a good fellowship? First of all, we cannot who are naturally different to us. But we can take effort to win them. Understanding the law that like attracts like we can say, “We are different, but we can take special efforts." Think of Paul. What did he say? He said, “I am a Jew, but I want to win the Greeks. So, I become a Greek. I am circumcised, but I want to win those who are uncircumcised. So, I am to them an uncircumcised person." He describes all this in 1 Corinthians .
“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you." 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.
That is leadership. He really understood the law of attraction and how to deal with it. He said, “I must make a special effort to win people who are different."
When we have differences in character--not merely in characteristics--we need to ask the question: How did Jesus attract sinners when He is so different to them? How could He attract them? There are some people who teach that you must sin in order to attract sinners. That is wrong.
We had such people among us one time. One time I smelled that smoke was coming out of a room where a believer was staying. I thought, “This is a firm believer. She never smoked. What’s going on here?" For many years she was a believer. Suddenly in the meetings the relationship became a little bit strange. I thought, “Well, maybe that will become better again." But I always smelt the smoke coming out of there.
And one day she came out with it, saying, “Yes, I have a friend here with me. She still is a smoker, and I must smoke so that I can win her." I was quite shocked when I heard this, as you are shocked to hear this too! But she really believed this. Of course, this is lowering the standard. It’s not how we win people to Christ. It’s how we only win them to sin and become servants of sin ourselves as well.
How did Jesus attract sinners? Not by lowering the standards for any moment. How did he win them? Let’s read this in this statement in the General Conference Bulletin:
“While the scribes and Pharisees felt only condemnation in that pure presence, how was it, they questioned, that publicans and sinners were attracted to him? They knew not that the explanation lay in the very words they had uttered as a scornful charge, ‘This man receiveth sinners.’ It was because the souls who came to Jesus, however sinful, felt that he offered them hope. In his presence they felt that even for them there was escape from the pit of sin…."
Now, why is it that they desired to be with Him? What attracted them to Him? It was the desire to escape from the pit of sin. Can you see this? That is what attracted them. If there is a desire in the sinner to be free from sin, he will be attracted to Christ. That’s the first step. As we have said before, people follow others who are different when they have a desire to be like them.
There is one other aspect which is very important. Jesus did not repulse them. He didn’t put them away, but encouraged them to come to Him. That was a very important element as well.
“….While the Pharisees had only scorn and condemnation for them, Jesus greeted them as children of God. And their very misery and sin made them only the more the objects of His compassion. The farther they had wandered from Him, the more earnest the longing and the greater the sacrifice for their rescue." The General Conference Bulletin , December 1, 1895 par. 3 art. B.
Let’s also read this paragraph in The Desire of Ages .
“There were some who sought His society, feeling at peace in His presence; but many avoided Him, because they were rebuked by His stainless life. Young companions urged Him to do as they did. He was bright and cheerful; they enjoyed His presence, and welcomed His ready suggestions; but they were impatient at His scruples, and pronounced Him narrow and strait-laced. Jesus answered, It is written, ‘Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to Thy word.’ ‘Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.’ Psalm 119:9, 11." The Desire of Ages , 89.1.
“Often He was asked, Why are you bent on being so singular, so different from us all?" It’s interesting how Jesus attracted people, yet at the same time He repulsed them. He attracted them because they desired to be like Him. But He repulsed them because they didn’t want to change. There’s this strange situation where people are attracted and at the same time not attracted. But if they want to change, then they are changed. The beauty of Christ’s character can awaken a desire of attraction. It arouses the better nature of people."
So, we should not worry too much if we are different in character to the people of the world. In the end, it will be the beauty of Christ which attracts people, where they say, “Let’s become more like Christ and not more like the sinner. Let’s raise the standard instead of lowering it. Let’s be more selfless instead of selfish." That will be the best means to attract people, as Christ said, “As the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, so the Son of man must be lifted up." ( John 3:14). What must be lifted up? His character. In the end that will attract people.
Is this the law of like attracts like? In a way it is, because Christ has put this desire in the heart of man. The more they become like Him, the more they are attracted to Him. That’s the law.
So, when there are differences in human characteristics, what do we do to win people? First, we look for similarities because we might have something in common with them. When Paul was in Athens he did this very skillfully. He said, I saw among you one empty space amongst all the gods which was dedicated to the unknown God, and this One I preach to you. It’s interesting that he immediately went on their level. He used their object lessons and their gods to explain something to them. That is quite good and quite skillful.
Then the next point is to connect them not with yourself but with Christ and the truth. Accept differences. In other words, don’t think that people must be like you in characteristics. If they do things differently, first study if it cannot be done different too. Often leaders have the attitude to say, “It must be done exactly as I did it. If people don’t do it exactly as I did it is not done right." That may not be the case. Be open to different ways, methods, and characteristics. In the world you see how people do things differently in different countries. You can learn a lot if you are open. But if you think, “Everything has to be done as we do it," you lose a lot.
Coming back to 1 Corinthians 9, have you studied the stories of men such as Taylor when he went to China? What did he do? He changed his dress, his hairstyle, and everything, in order to be like them and win them. That is what every true believer--every true Christian leader--will do. William Carey also adapted himself when he went to India.
Look for people who complement that what you lack. That is, appreciate their differences. We have mentioned this already. If I lack something, I can especially appreciate if that is the strength of somebody else. I can encourage him to go forward in this, and therefore raise the standard instead of lowering it by saying, “Now you must become like me."
Let’s look at the reforms. For example, there is someone who is very orderly, very systematic, and so forth. And I say, “He is too particular. He is spending too little time in love and too much time in strictness. He should become like me. I am rather disorderly." I never advance when I have this attitude, do I? I can only advance when I say, “I appreciate this. I want to be like this. Even if he is a little bit orderly at the cost of love, I still can learn something." If that is the case and if that is my attitude as a Christian leader, I can really bring an advance in that way.
On the other hand, the one who has this strength sees a different strength in another person and wants to learn from this. So, Christian leadership really means to encourage one another to become like Christ, never to become like ourselves whatever our specialties are.
“We cannot all have the same minds nor cherish the same ideas; but one is to be a benefit and blessing to the other, that where one lacks, another may supply what is requisite." Testimonies for the Church 4:128.1.

That is the idea of Christian leadership. It’s never to lead alone and never, ever to lead according to my standard and how I do things.
It takes special effort to win people whom we do not naturally attract. That means I must learn to understand them. Let us read this briefly in The Ministry of Healing :
“We should strive to understand the weakness of others. We know little of the heart trials of those who have been bound in chains of darkness and who lack resolution and moral power. Most pitiable is the condition of him who is suffering under remorse; he is as one stunned, staggering, sinking into the dust. He can see nothing clearly. The mind is beclouded, he knows not what steps to take. Many a poor soul is misunderstood, unappreciated, full of distress and agony--a lost, straying sheep. He cannot find God, yet he has an intense longing for pardon and peace." The Ministry of Healing , 168.1.

Can you read this without feeling a sense of urgency to really understand those people? Certainly you want to, don’t you? I must learn to--I must take time for them. That is very important. I must have patience with them. I must step down from my pedestal, from my imagined position. I must learn to love them even though they are different. These are the rules that will show us how to really make an effort to win those who are different.
Let us conclude now and summarize the law of attraction:
In order to attract the right people, I must work on my own character. That’s the first important conclusion we draw out of this law.
Let the people be attracted to the character of Jesus, not to a human peculiarity. I don’t want people to do everything exactly I do it. I want a plurality in the church where. Because people are different, they enrich the church. That is important.
Seek out people that complement what I am lacking. Make special efforts to win people who are different.
These are a few points we have seen from the law of attraction. With this I want to close this study. Next we will look at the Law of Connection. We could call that the Law of Sociability. Christian leaders seek to find the key to the heart of people.
Study 11 - The Law of Connection, part 1
Good morning. Welcome to study number 11 in our theme of Christian Leadership. Before yesterday we considered the law of navigation. I just want to come back to this for a moment to give a very brief summary so that we truly grasp this fact. First of all, in the law of navigation, we need a thorough preparation. That means not only to have a plan in our hand, but to also have the assurance that God has made that plan. When we have this assurance, this preparation, the next step is to convey this with confidence to those to whom it needs to be conveyed – to the followers. To really create confidence in God’s leading is a very important law of Christian leadership. That’s how we could summarize this. It is certainly a very important law.
Yesterday we considered the law of discernment. We studied so many points in this that it may be a little bit difficult to remember everything, so I would like to very briefly go over the most important points here. Let me show this to you. The first point was: a leader discerns his present situation. Then we looked at several examples. The second point is: a leader reads future developments. The third point was: a Christian leader reads people. And the forth point: a Christian leader reads resources. And finally: a Christian leader reads himself. If we remember these points it will help us a little bit.

We won’t go over the study of attraction. We want to study the law of connection this morning. The summary of this chapter is: a Christian Leader seeks to find the key to the heart of people.
Now, as we study the law of connection and see that the Christian leader seeks to find the key to the heart of people, I want to say something right in the beginning which we will see in more detail later. Seeking the key to the heart of the people means to seek the key for the gospel, to seek the key for righteousness, for bringing them in harmony with God. It does not mean to seek the key to bring them to ourselves. That differentiation must be very clear in our mind before we study this, because it can be easily misunderstood. The law of connection does not mean to bring the people to ourselves. It means to bring them to Christ. Christian leadership is to lead people to Christ, not to lead them to myself. So, Christian leaders seek to find the key to the heart of people for the gospel. Let us look at a story which will help us to understand the law of connection; the story of how Jesus led the Samaritan woman to the water of life. This story is found in the Bible but we can also read it in The Spirit of Prophecy . Let us first turn to the Bible.
“So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give Me a drink.’ For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, ‘How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?’ For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’ The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?’ Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.’ The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.’ John 4:5-15.
That was the first climax of the talk. Another climax came later, but think about this. Here is a strange person to Jesus, a person who would have prejudices against Him because of His nationality, and in the end she asked Him, “Give me water." Then she also asked him for the water of life. Isn’t this amazing? How did Jesus do this? How could He get people involved in such conversations and come to a result? I mean, we find it difficult enough to talk to people, don’t we? I mean religious talk. If we do finally succeed then we don’t know how to bring it to a conclusion. We are quite happy if we have simply said something, and that’s it. But Jesus started the talk and He brought it to this point where she actually asked for the water of life. That is effectiveness. And in order to become as effective as Christ we need to understand the law of connection. How did He connect with that woman? That is the question we want to ask. So let us read together. I highlighted the words that we want to pay special attention to.

“A woman of Samaria approached, and seeming unconscious of His presence, filled her pitcher with water. As she turned to go away, Jesus asked her for a drink. Such a favor no Oriental would withhold. In the East, water was called ‘the gift of God.’ To offer a drink to the thirsty traveler was held to be a duty so sacred that the Arabs of the desert would go out of their way in order to perform it. The hatred between Jews and Samaritans prevented the woman from offering a kindness to Jesus; but the Saviour was seeking to find the key to this heart…" So He Himself asked Himself the question, how can I reach that person? Not for Myself but for the gospel, for the living water. “…the Saviour was seeking to find the key to this heart, and with the tact born of divine love, He asked, not offered, a favor…" The Desire of Ages , 183.4.
How did He find the key to the heart? By asking a favor. Since we have studied this law of connection a little bit several believers have tried this. They told me, “Well, I tried to approach the person by asking for a favor and I’ve had quite some success with it." You can try it out. It works, provided you do it with an honest heart. But Jesus really saw that by asking a favor instead of just giving, he could reach this woman. He could have come to her and said right from the beginning, “Woman, you need something. First of all, you have a sin problem. Because you have a sin problem you need a solution to it, and I have the solution for you." That would be the classical way we would think of to approach a person like that, wouldn’t we? Did the woman have a sin problem? Definitely. Did she need a solution to the sin problem? Yes. Did she even desire a solution to the sin problem? I would say yes. But to approach her in the way that I described before would not exactly have opened her. Jesus sought to find the key to her heart, and He found it by asking of her an ordinary favor. “…The offer of a kindness might have been rejected; but trust awakens trust…"
Now think about who Jesus was. He had no need to get water from somebody. “…The King of heaven came to this outcast soul, asking a service at her hands. He who made the ocean, who controls the waters of the great deep, who opened the springs and channels of the earth, rested from His weariness at Jacob’s well, and was dependent upon a stranger’s kindness for even the gift of a drink of water." The Desire of Ages , 183.4.

Jesus’ humility really opened a lot of possibilities to Him. But it is humility and tact combined. To have tact yet not come down to the same level as others makes it very difficult to reach their hearts. To come down to the same level as people yet not have tact also makes it difficult to reach their hearts. We need both tact and humility. That is really what Jesus had. So think about this a little bit. You want to reach people with the message and you want them to accept the truth. Before you can expect them to follow us though, (we expect them to follow us because we believe we go the right way, of course) before we expect the people to support us with their tithes and offerings, before we can explain the message to people, before we can lead them to Christ, expect them to support the work of God, and walk together in the same path, we must win their hearts. That is the first step. Otherwise we will not reach the people and they will not follow. Or if they follow us they do so only because of fear or the desire for a reward.
This point must be very clear. Unless the heart is unlocked, you cannot really bring the gospel to them. You cannot impose something upon the people unless the heart is open to it. Now this is the question. How can we find the key for this? How can we do this? In some cases, when people have hardened themselves against us, the only way is to be quiet for some time, or even to withdraw for some time to let them alone. But very often, and especially with people who do not know us, we have to use other methods instead of withdrawing, instead of just waiting until they take the first step. We have to ask ourselves the question, “How do we find the key to people’s hearts?" We must find this key. It is really necessary.

Before we study this with some examples, I would like to emphasize what I said in the beginning, namely that we do not want to find the key for own entrance. We want to find the key for Jesus, so that He enters into the heart. So there is a right purpose and there is a wrong purpose. The right purpose is to draw them to Christ. It is to implant the truth in them, and to uphold the standard of righteousness; to serve them, to win them for service, to win them for righteousness. This is accomplished by true love.
On the other hand, there is another reason that people try to find the key to the heart and it is not to draw them to Christ, but to draw them to themselves, as we have already said. It is also in order to get their recognition. You know people who sell a certain product want to find the heart of people in order to sell their product. And people who want to have position want recognition from the people. Therefore they want to find the key to their hearts. Instead of exalting the standard they find the key to the hearts in order to lower the standard. In other words, they want to come to the same level on a lower standard. That is not the purpose. Christ led the Samaritan woman to a higher standard. The purpose for finding the key is not to be exalted but to serve the people. It is not to win them for self but to win them for service. The purpose is not to join them in sin but to win them for righteousness.
Now, the false purpose of finding the key to the heart is accomplished by indulgence of sin. When you indulge in sin and when you allow people to sin, then you can always find a key to the heart. You do not find it for Jesus, but for something else. That must be clear.
“Jesus Himself never purchased peace by compromise. His heart overflowed with love for the whole human race, but He was never indulgent to their sins…" The Desire of Ages , 356.1.
Let us remember that when we want to reach the hearts of people we do so for a very specific purpose, never to compromise with sin.
Let us now look at some examples, shall we? We want to see how the hearts of people were unlocked. Maybe you can think of some examples in the Word of God. Jesus and the Samaritan woman is obviously a very typical one, but there are others. How can I reach hearts? We want to see this now.
Let’s first look at John the Baptist and see how he did this. He really studied how to reach the hearts of people – to reach them with the message of heaven. “Dedicated to God as a Nazarite from his birth, he made the vow his own in a life-long consecration. His dress was that of the ancient prophets, a garment of camel’s hair, confined by a leather girdle. He ate the ‘locusts and wild honey’ found in the wilderness, and drank the pure water from the hills.

“But the life of John was not spent in idleness, in ascetic gloom, or in selfish isolation…"
Could he have reached the hearts of people had he done this? Do you reach the hearts of people by staying in isolation? By being gloomy? By being selfish? Certainly not.
“… From time to time he went forth to mingle with men…" It’s interesting that it says here “from time to time." That means he had times when he was alone – alone with God to pray with Him – but there were also times when he mingled with people.
“…And he was ever an interested observer of what was passing in the world. From his quiet retreat he watched the unfolding of events. With vision illuminated by the divine Spirit he studied the characters of men, that he might understand how to reach their hearts with the message of heaven. The burden of his mission was upon him. In solitude, by meditation and prayer, he sought to gird up his soul for the lifework before him." The Desire of Ages , 102.1, 2.
So what did he do? He watched the unfolding of events. He was interested in the things that happened around him.
“Although in the wilderness he was not exempt from temptation..." That’s the next thought here. We want to read this. “…And he was ever an interested observer of what was passing in the world…" Could he have reached the hearts of people if he had not been interested in their affairs, in what they were doing and experiencing? Certainly not. When we want to converse with someone but have no knowledge of the things that happen in their everyday life, we cannot reach their hearts.
Have you noticed that when you talk to a person about things that interest and affect him he becomes very talkative? Yet when you talk about religious things which he never thinks about, he becomes very quiet? It’s very interesting isn’t it? You have to lead the person from the known into the unknown. You have to start on the things that he is acquainted with. That means we have to be observant of the things that are going on in the world. I sometimes wonder how far this should go. Should we be interested, for example, in football games because that’s what the people are talking about? I have no passion for football and I don’t want to have it, because I know that it can and does consume people. But if I have no idea at all I wonder how I can start with the people. Couldn’t I use such a thing? Maybe a football game is not necessary as it really is a bad passion with people, but let’s take something else. Do you understand anything of the business world? Do you understand how the economy is doing? Do you understand anything about managers?
I recently talked with a person who is a manager. When I mentioned another manager and his experiences to him, he could immediately relate to this. I also explained a law of leadership to him, from what I had learned. This was from an American manager of General Electric, Jack Welsh, and how he brought the firm up. The man immediately jumped in and said, “Yes, so and so it was." And there I was in the conversation. I just didn’t know how to bring it to a conclusion at that time. But I found it interesting.
I am sure that John the Baptist knew exactly who was on the throne and what was on the mind of the people. Some people liked that Herod was on the throne, and some didn’t like it, because Herod was cooperating with the Romans . Then the Herodians were replaced by the Roman procurators. This was also in the time of John the Baptist. Then John realized, “Now the prophecy is fulfilled, because somebody else, a Roman governor, is sitting on the throne of David in Judea. Now we have the Messiah amongst us." He could relate to these things. He would talk to the people, and he would tell them, “Look, that is what the prophecy says." Everyone understood prophecy. “And it is not Herod on the throne anymore, but a Roman procurator. What does this mean?" “Oh yeah, the Messiah must be among us." So he generated interest in the Messiah. It is interesting to see how he was really interested in the affairs of people.
Of course, we cannot win the people when we are consumed by these things; when we are so interested that it swallows us up. Our main interest must always be in the spiritual realm. It must always be with the Word of God. So let us ask ourselves the question, how can we reach the key to the heart of people in this regard as well? The love of Christ is the key that reaches people’s hearts. We realize this with parents. There is a nice statement in Child Guidance which says that the love of Christ is the key that reaches children. Here is a very interesting statement I would like to read with you.
“We should plead with God for his blessings, as Moses pleaded with him in the mount. We have no time to wait. Our Lord is coming, and it is time to set our house in order. There is a great work to be done, and if you go to your neighbor with your heart all warm and glowing with love, do you not think that you can find the key to unlock your neighbor’s heart? The trouble with our work has been that we have been content to present a cold theory of the truth. We have not let our hearts melt down before those with whom we work. O that the Lord might quicken our understanding, and give us a realization of the time in which we are living! Many have walked in the sparks of their own kindling, but we should plead with God as did Moses, advancing step by step until we can say, ‘Show me thy glory.’ Moses was in earnest in the matter, and the Lord put him in a cleft in the rock, and let his goodness pass before him. Have you thought of that? He let his goodness pass before him. O my brethren, what will not the Lord do for us, if we will but seek him with all the heart?" The Review and Herald , May 28, 1889 par. 10.
Here is the important statement: “…There is a great work to be done, and if you go to your neighbor with your heart all warm and glowing with love, do you not think that you can find the key to unlock your neighbor’s heart?..." That gives a bit of balance to what I said before. In other words, simply knowing and understanding what is going on in the world it is one part, but you also have to have a heart that is really full – aglow with the love of Christ.
I want to relate a little story about this. One day many years ago I was traveling to North Germany on a train in order to visit my relatives. I was just getting interested in The Spirit of Prophecy books and I read The Desire of Ages for the first time during this train ride. I really must say the train ride was a very short one even though you travel 8 or 9 hours from Stuttgart to Bremen. It was quite a distance, and I couldn’t stop reading. Suddenly we were there in Bremen, and I was absolutely filled with enthusiasm for what I had read. It really touched my heart. We had lived in that city when I was a child, and when I got out I was met by some friends I hadn’t seen for a long time. They were youth, as I was, so we were very friendly as we greeted each other. You know, I was so filled with what I read that I had to tell them, and they listened. They wanted to hear. We had a little Bible study as one of the first things we did. It was not so formal, but you know, I simply poured out what I read. And it impressed them.
So, the question is, do we have such fellowship with Christ that when we go to the people they can feel this? That is a key to unlock their hearts – a heart warm and glowing with love. Of course, we must meet them on their ground to some extent, but it is not helpful if our heart is not warm and glowing with the love of Jesus. That is why John the Baptist not only mingled with the people, but also spent very valuable time in communion with God. It was so he could bring that warmth and love to the people. We have already studied the Samaritan woman to see how Jesus reached the hearts of men, but now we want to look at another example. This is the chapter I asked you to read, about the wedding feast in Cana. Let’s turn to another one first:
“Jesus saw in every soul one to whom must be given the call to His kingdom. He reached the hearts of the people by going among them as one who desired their good…" That is very interesting. It is not just “as though" He desired their good; He really desired their good. He did not only desire it in His heart. He also showed them that He desired their good. He reached the hearts by going among them as one who desired their good. I can tell you one thing. When you approach people and really give signals that you desire their good, they will appreciate it. When we came to this village and started the youth work, we did some activities with the youth here. That was our purpose. One time we picked up the rubbish from the area here, and I really must say that the people appreciated this. We also did a few other little things. I can really say that whenever we show that we desire their good, that we don’t want them to simply support us or something like this, but really desire their good, it will be a key to the heart.
“Jesus saw in every soul one to whom must be given the call to His kingdom. He reached the hearts of the people by going among them as one who desired their good. He sought them in the public streets, in private houses, on the boats, in the synagogue, by the shores of the lake, and at the marriage feast. He met them at their daily vocations, and manifested an interest in their secular affairs. He carried His instruction into the household, bringing families in their own homes under the influence of His divine presence. His strong personal sympathy helped to win hearts. He often repaired to the mountains for solitary prayer, but this was a preparation for His labor among men in active life. From these seasons He came forth to relieve the sick, to instruct the ignorant, and to break the chains from the captives of Satan." The Desire of Ages , 151.2.
Jesus was reaching out to the people in order to show that He desired their good and that unlocked their hearts. That was a key. Let’s read on a little bit because the other paragraphs are also very interesting.
“It was by personal contact and association that Jesus trained His disciples. Sometimes He taught them, sitting among them on the mountainside; sometimes beside the sea, or walking with them by the way, He revealed the mysteries of the kingdom of God. He did not sermonize as men do today. Wherever hearts were open to receive the divine message, He unfolded the truths of the way of salvation…" The Desire of Ages , 152.1.
What is the difference between the methods of Jesus and sermonizing? What is sermonizing? Is this what I am doing to you now? I hold a sermon. Am I sermonizing then? Does this have something to do with giving a sermon? In a way, yes. If I simply give people a sermon and have no personal contact with them, it is sermonizing, isn’t it? If our contact was limited to simply me preaching to you and not talking to you other than that, it would definitely be sermonizing. I would depend only on preaching the Word in front, and you just have to listen; you can’t answer. That is sermonizing, for example. Or it is when I simply give you instructions but I don’t show you how to fulfill these instructions. This is also sermonizing. In contrast to sermonizing there is dialogue. This is a talk from both sides, a mutual talk. So Jesus did not simply hold sermons. He did hold sermons, such as the Sermon on the Mount and so forth, but that was not all. He talked with them beside the sea. He asked them, “What did you talk about?" He asked them, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?" He asked them, “What did you experience on the way?" and so forth. Then they told Him something and He answered back, and this way of communication was lively. It was the contact of mind with mind and soul with soul. Let’s read on.
“The example of Christ in linking Himself with the interests of humanity should be followed by all who preach His word, and by all who have received the gospel of His grace. We are not to renounce social communion…" [That’s why we have social meetings as well. Social meetings are for talking with one another. He did not renounce social communion.] “…We should not seclude ourselves from others. In order to reach all classes, we must meet them where they are. They will seldom seek us of their own accord. Not alone from the pulpit are the hearts of men touched by divine truth. There is another field of labor, humbler, it may be, but fully as promising. It is found in the home of the lowly, and in the mansion of the great; at the hospitable board, and in gatherings for innocent social enjoyment.
“As disciples of Christ we shall not mingle with the world from a mere love of pleasure, to unite with them in folly. Such associations can result only in harm. We should never give sanction to sin by our words or our deeds, our silence or our presence. Wherever we go, we are to carry Jesus with us, and to reveal to others the preciousness of our Saviour. But those who try to preserve their religion by hiding it within stone walls lose precious opportunities of doing good. Through the social relations, Christianity comes in contact with the world. Everyone who has received the divine illumination is to brighten the pathway of those who know not the Light of life.
“We should all become witnesses for Jesus. Social power, sanctified by the grace of Christ, must be improved in winning souls to the Saviour…"
So how do you win people to Christ? One means is social power. That may not be the only means but it is an important means. It means mingling with them, on their ground, as long as it is not sinful in itself. That is important. We should all become witnesses.
“… Social power, sanctified by the grace of Christ, must be improved in winning souls to the Saviour. Let the world see that we are not selfishly absorbed in our own interests, but that we desire others to share our blessings and privileges. Let them see that our religion does not make us unsympathetic or exacting. Let all who profess to have found Christ, minister as He did for the benefit of men.
“We should never give to the world the false impression that Christians are a gloomy, unhappy people. If our eyes are fixed on Jesus, we shall see a compassionate Redeemer, and shall catch light from His countenance. Wherever His Spirit reigns, there peace abides. And there will be joy also, for there is a calm, holy trust in God.
“Christ is pleased with His followers when they show that, though human, they are partakers of the divine nature. They are not statues, but living men and women. Their hearts, refreshed by the dews of divine grace, open and expand to the Sun of Righteousness. The light that shines upon them they reflect upon others in works that are luminous with the love of Christ." The Desire of Ages , 151.2-153.1.
That is one of the reasons the right arm work is so important for us. It reaches the people where they are. It establishes that social communion which a mere Bible study could not establish. This is what we need to see and understand very clearly.
Another way that Christ reached the people’s hearts is by the imagination. This may seem a little bit strange to you, especially since we studied sentimentalism and so forth. We tend to think, “Well, sentimentalism means daydreaming. For that reason, please cut away all imagination and rely simply on dry thought." But this is not possible. And it’s not meant like this. God has given us imagination, not for us to daydream in a sinful way, but for what purpose? He has given us imagination so that we can dwell on heavenly things. I mean, how could we ever read any of the Bible stories without imagination? The imagination helps us to live in those times, to actually walk with Christ at the lake, and even to talk with Him. If we had no imagination we couldn’t do that. It would be dry theory. We would say, “Well, that’s what they did, but what do I have to do with it? I have nothing to do with it." History comes alive through imagination. The future becomes alive through imagination. How could I ever envision future events, especially the New Jerusalem and heaven, without imagination? Can you read the book of Revelation without imagination? You can, but it’s a dry book. Imagination makes it alive. Christ took advantage of this. He used imagination to reach the hearts of people, and that is definitely a means. Let’s read about this.
“His messages of mercy were varied to suit His audience. He knew ‘how to speak a word in season to him that is weary’ (Isaiah 50:4); for grace was poured upon His lips, that He might convey to men in the most attractive way the treasures of truth. He had tact to meet the prejudiced minds, and surprise them with illustrations that won their attention. Through the imagination He reached the heart. His illustrations were taken from the things of daily life, and although they were simple, they had in them a wonderful depth of meaning. The birds of the air, the lilies of the field, the seed, the shepherd and the sheep,--with these objects Christ illustrated immortal truth; and ever afterward, when His hearers chanced to see these things of nature, they recalled His words. Christ’s illustrations constantly repeated His lessons." The Desire of Ages , 254.2.
So that is also a means to reach the hearts of men. This is especially true with children, isn’t it? But it is even true with adults. Jesus even their false doctrines to reach their hearts at times. Think of the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Lazarus was in the bosom of Abraham. It’s interesting. He reached their hearts with this story. That is imagination. I wish that we could be and more open and free to really see this. Of course, we must not work with a means of sin in order to reach them. We could use sinful imaginations trying to reach the hearts of men, but then we would lower the standard. This is not what we want to do. But Jesus did everything He could do to reach the hearts where they were.
Personal interest is also a means. We have already seen this. Social communion also means personal interest – the one-soul audience. Maybe you have heard about this. It is also through social connection. This is what we have together. The hearts are reached through the Holy Spirit, mainly. Christ spoke in the power of the Holy Spirit and His life was charged with the Spirit.
The physician has a wonderful opportunity to reach the hearts by relieving physical suffering. He can show that he is interested in their good. The angels will help in your effort to find the key to the heart of the most incorrigible and unruly. One thing we must remember, though, is that the hearts of men cannot be reached by human planning. We have to be guided by the Holy Spirit in these matters. We also need to remember that not all hearts can be reached. There are always some who close themselves. So with these thoughts I wish to close this study. In our next meeting we will study a little bit more of the law of connection and then come to the next law, which is the law of assistants.
Study 12 - The Law of Connection, part 2

Welcome to study number 12 in our International Camp Meeting of the year 2005.
We now continue the study about reaching the hearts--or finding the key to the hearts of people. We call it The Law of Connection.
One point that became very clear to me during our last question session was the fact that when Jesus reached the heart, He did not only reach the heart in the initial step. But He really reached the heart until the people desired the Water of Life. I would say that the initial step is relatively easy. You can reach the heart by touching that which the people are interested in. For example, if you speak about their hobby, they naturally will be interested in these things.
But it is more difficult to take it a step further so that Jesus really finds entrance the hearts of the people. That means to really unlock the heart--or to find the key that unlocks the heart. It is more than simply knowing in what they are interested, even though this is an important initial step which we studied in the cases of the John the Baptist and also of Christ at the wedding feast in Cana.
What else do we need in order to find the key? This question is partially answered by the fact that we really need to be filled with the warmth and love of Christ in order to reach the people. Without this we can have the best tactics but still not reach the hearts of people.
Another thing that we must have is a real desire for the salvation of people. It is not good only to reach them on their level. We must reach them for a purpose--their salvation. If that desire is not in the heart, we do not have the key in our hand.

When Jesus told Peter He would give him the key for the Kingdom of Heaven, He did not mean that Peter could arbitrarily open and lock the doors of heaven for people. Certainly not! That is a Catholic interpretation. What He meant is that he had a certain power to find the key to the hearts of people. This power was in the Word of Christ. The Word of Christ is really the key to unlock the heart, but not when presented in a mechanical way. I can simply open the Bible and read the words of Christ to people, but this does not mean I have the key. The key is if I have the sprit of this word in my heart. That is the desire for salvation of people.
Let us now see how the desire of salvation was in the heart of Jesus, and how He reached the people by this. I will read a few statements with you.
“The Saviour knew the character of the men whom He had chosen; all their weaknesses and errors were open before Him; He knew the perils through which they must pass, the responsibility that would rest upon them; and His heart yearned over these chosen ones. Alone upon a mountain near the Sea of Galilee He spent the entire night in prayer for them, while they were sleeping at the foot of the mountain. With the first light of dawn He summoned them to meet Him; for He had something of importance to communicate to them." The Desire of Ages , 291.4.
His whole heart yearned for them. And because it did, He had the key. He found the key to their heart again and again.
Let’s not be mistaken. It’s not simply by listening to a sermon. It’s not even by understanding it theoretically that we have the key to the hearts of the people. The key to the hearts of the people is the sprit of Christ which fills our hearts. We have the key when we really have this yearning for souls as Christ had it.
I won’t say that the yearning for souls is the only aspect. There’s another aspect as well. We must have the knowledge of truth as well. And we must socialize with them also. These are all valid aspects. But without this yearning for souls we do not have the key.
Again, when Jesus said “I give you the keys for the kingdom of heaven--or the keys to unlock the door of the kingdom of heaven," for the people He really meant, “I give you power--the power of the Holy Spirit. And I give you My word." Peter yearned for souls in the way that Christ did. That is why he was a successful missionary.
Christ was also yearning for the salvation of the young ruler. You know this story. He came and asked, “Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus saw in this question an honest soul. He yearned for him, even though Judas thought that Jesus did not spend enough effort on this man. That is interesting. We may yearn for a person, but when he eventually leaves there will always be those who accuse us of not paying enough attention to them.
That recently happened. I have experienced how a person left the truth. I really wanted to help him. Yet believers who did not know what was going on had no idea of the communications between us. But they immediately came to the conclusion “You did not do enough for him." I had to ask myself if I really didn’t do enough. But knowing that they did not know what I did, I couldn’t take their counsel. How could I take this? I only could take it as a challenge to search my heart--if I yearned enough. That is the question.
But in the case of the rich young ruler, the yearning of Christ was not expressed in sentimentalistic approaches. He did not make a big show with tears and pleadings, and so forth. He spoke very effectually to Him--very directly. It was almost cool how He treated him, because He clearly showed the condition: “Sell everything that you have, and come follow Me." But it was not cold. It was the best counsel that the rich young ruler could have. It was the best effort that could be bestowed upon him. The loss of his soul is not due to Christ. It is due to the person himself.
We must recognize that even God Himself cannot always find the heart of people because they harden themselves.
Jesus was also yearning for those who left Him after the feeding of the five-thousand, when He talked about the Bread of Life. Even though He brought this separation about intentionally, He still loved the people. He still yearned for them. He still wanted to help them. When Jesus was standing on the Mount of Olives for the last time, He was yearning over Jerusalem the same way.
I want to stress that even though Jesus was not successful in winning people and in really finding the key that unlocks the heart in these three instances, His attitude was such that He could find the key to the heart of everyone who wants it. And that is our standard. Christ is our standard. We want to be able to reach people as Christ did. If we are as successful as He, we have the knowledge of the key, and we have the skill of using that key. And Jesus promised that we can do it as He did--not in our own power, but under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and angels. Then we will reach the hearts of people, and an army will be recruited to finish the work. But don’t expect that all of the world will follow. This will never be the case.
Finally, there is a very interesting statement in Ezekiel 9. This chapter is about the sealing--where two men have an inkhorn and write something. Then another person comes with a sword. Let’s read this:
“To the others He said in my hearing, ‘Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark….’" The mark was put there by the men with the inkhorn. It’s the sealing that is described here. “So they began with the elders who were before the temple. Then He said to them, ‘Defile the temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!’ And they went out and killed in the city. So it was, that while they were killing them, I was left alone; and I fell on my face and cried out, and said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel….Then He said to me, ‘The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!’ And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head.’" Ezekiel 9:5-10.
Let’s go back to verse four. That is the important verse. “And the Lord said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads….’" Ezekiel 9:4.
On whom is put the mark? It is put on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.
This mark is the sealing work. On whom is the seal of the living God given? What is the characteristic of those who receive a mark? It says that they “sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within…" the city. Ask yourself, “is there a real yearning in my heart for the people in the world? How do I feel when I see them sinning?" This yearning of the heart is expressed in the sighing and crying over the abominations that are done within that place. If that is there, we will receive the mark. This also gives us the ability to reach the people.

One more point of reaching other people is that the Christian leader will make the first step. He will never expect other people to come to him. You may say, “If someone is a leader, other people can come to him because he is the leader. They will come to him, not he to them." But in order to reach the heart, you often have to take the first step. This is told in the story of Brother Howland. Let us look at this story.
Brother Howland was once rejected by a poor fisherman. The poor fisherman did not come to the meetings anymore. So Brother Howland went out and met him. We read this here:
“So Brother Howland went to his house and knelt before him, saying: ‘My brother, forgive me. What is it that I have done?’ The man took him by the arm and tried to raise him to his feet. ‘No,’ said Brother Howland, ‘what have you against me?’ ‘I have nothing against you.’ ‘But you must have,’ said Brother Howland, ‘because once we could speak to one another, but now you do not speak to me at all, and I want to know what is the matter.’
“‘Get up, Brother Howland,’ he said. ‘No,’ said Brother Howland, ‘I will not.’ ‘Then I must get down,’ he said, and he fell on his knees, and confessed how childish he had been and how many evil surmising he had cherished. ‘And now,’ he said, ‘I will put them all away.’" Testimonies for the Church 9:192.1, 2.
Can you see how Brother Howland took the first step? That is Christian leadership. It’s not Christian leadership to say, “I will wait until the poor fisherman comes. He must get over it." Of course, he had to get over it! Of course it was unreasonable that he stayed away. But sometimes we have to take the first step.

I would say that is a principle. But it’s not a specific order, because there are so many different situations. In some situations I found that it is wiser to wait a little before taking such step immediately, especially if somebody is very hardened and has rejected other overtures of love. But we must be willing to even kneel down before those who have hurt us. That is the principle. If that love is in the heart, we are a Christian leader.
In summary, people do not care so much about what you know, but they want to know that you care for them. That is very important principle. If we can remember this and apply it all the time, we have a key to Christian leadership in our hands.
The Law of Assistants
In our next session now we want to look at the Law of Assistants.
Assistants are people who assist the Christian leader. Therefore, you could say they are a part of a leading circle. Sister White calls Jesus and His disciples the inner circle, because they were very near to Him. They were the first to receive His messages. They were they one who distributed the food when He multiplied it. They were the ones who went out and healed the sick when He sent them out. It was the nucleus of the church. Jesus and His disciples were the leadership of the church.
Likewise, you can say there is a leader in every endeavor and activity. But there are also assistants. They form the inner circle of project. This project, or work, needs to have good workers. So, the Christian leader needs to have good assistants. The value of the assistants is the value of the leader. In other words, if the leader has good assistants he will be a good Christian leader. If the leader has bad assistants he will be a bad leader. Not very bad, necessarily. But even if he is a good leader himself and he has bad assistants, what will be the result? The leadership is not as effective as it could be. He works and works and works but accomplishes little. Why? Because of a lack of good assistants.

So, the power of leadership is in the kind of assistants the leader has. The stronger the assistants are, the stronger the overall leadership is. Even if the leader is not a very good leader, if his assistants are very good they compensate much for his weaknesses. The best ideal is, of course, if the leader is a good Christian leader and the assistants are good assistants as well.
First of all, what we need to learn in order to understand this law is that a Christian leader never does the work alone. Good leaders do not lead alone. This is something that is difficult to convey to some people because they always want to do things alone. They are very good when they can work for themselves. But as soon as they have to work for someone else there is friction, conflict, and trouble. There are difficulties. There are complaints from the leader who says, “My assistants are always bad. They don’t do it right." The assistants complain about the Christian leader: “Maybe he is not so Christian after all! He is not giving us work." “He wants to do everything alone." “He is always telling us off--he never gives us a chance." And so forth. I have observed this friction very often. Have you observed this? You see this very often in everyday life. Why is this? It is because many people have a lack of ability to work together with others. But being able to work with others is a very important part of Christian leadership.
The law of assistants really says in short that we cannot do the work alone. That must be implanted very deeply in our heats. Christian leaders cannot do it alone. They have to have assistants. And they have to have good assistants also.
How do we find this principle in the Bible? I just said that a leader shouldn’t be alone. Don’t we have one man messenger-ships? Weren’t Moses and Joshua alone, and so forth?
Some leaders understand gospel order to mean that one person makes a decision and everyone simply must follow and obey--nothing else. That is how they view it. They can’t work otherwise. But that is not gospel order.
Then what is the principle? Where do we find it in the Bible? Yes, some examples are: “In the counsel of many there is safety." “It is not good that man should be alone." “Two cannot walk together unless they are agreed with" tells what the condition of assistants is--he must agree with this. But the principle is such that we can’t do it alone is more indirectly described.
Let’s look at the first one: “And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.’" Genesis 2:18.
What does this mean? Was Adam a leader who needed assistants? There were no other human beings whom he could lead. If you are alone, who can you lead? You need someone to be a Christian leader, don’t you? Even so, Adam was a leader of the world of creatures. He was to lead the animals as God had commanded him. In this work he needed an assistant. That is what God saw and supplied.
Proverbs 11:14 has been mentioned as well. The same text is also found in Proverbs 15:22 and Proverbs 24:6. “…In the multitude of counselors there is safety." Proverbs 11:14.
It’s interesting that this principle is reiterated three times in the book of Proverbs . It must be important. “In the multitude of counselors there is safety."
The same principle is also in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Paul talks about the different members of the body. He says that it is impossible for one member to do it alone. He needs the assistants of others. What would the eye do without the ear? Could it hear? No. What will the mouth do without the eye? Could it see? No. All the members need each other. Likewise, any leader--especially the Christian leader--needs to work together with the others. The better we can work together with others, the more efficient we can be in our leadership.
Another statement of this principle is found in Testimonies to Ministers , 499.3. Sister White plainly says that the Lord has not qualified any one of us to bear the burden of the work alone.
So, if you understood that gospel order means that one man has to bear the burden of the work alone, that is a true misunderstanding. We have to see this point very clear.
Also in a local condition this is important. God has not planned that one person of a local church shall bear all the burden of the work alone. He has not done it this way.
There are a few more statements about this. In Mark 6:7, Luke 10:1, and also in The Desire of Ages , 350.1, we read that Jesus sent out the disciples two by two. Why did He do this? Because of the principle that one leader does not lead alone. He needs to take others with him in the work of leadership. That is very important.
Now let’s look at some examples--first some positive, and then a few negative. The first positive example is Moses. Did Moses have assistance? Or did he do the work alone? I think it is very clear he had assistants. When he came to the wilderness with his people and met his father-in-law, Jethro immediately understood that that the efficiency of the administration of Moses was suffering because Moses did not apply one law. That was the law of assistants. He immediately counseled him to apply that law. He said, “Choose yourself counselors--assistants, those who can help you judge the people." He outlined a very good plan, which Moses followed. The work became much more efficient. We really need to see that this was a step of divine order.
Moses later chose the seventy who help him to quell the insurrection. For example, when Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rebelled against Moses a little later the seventy elders helped him. They really stood firm on his side to suppress this insurrection. But, despite of all this, the choosing of the seventy elders is a different matter. We will come back to this a little later.
David had counselors. He was not alone. He had the best counselors he could. Do you remember the names Ahithophel and Hushai? They were very skilled counselors. To have them on your side meant victory. To have them on the enemy’s side meant defeat. The people knew this. They were very valued counselors. It was very critical when Ahithophel went on the side of Absalom, David’s enemy.
Hushai, on the other hand, stood with David. That was an encouragement. It neutralized the counseled of Ahithophel. Because of that in the end David would get the victory. Just imagine that Ahithophel would be alone in counseling. The cause of David would have been in much into jeopardy unless God would have miraculously delivered him. This story shows that these were very good counselors. Of course, when Ahithophel left the path of righteousness his counsel became perverted. Counseling Absalom to commit adultery in such an open and shameful manner was working against Ahithophel himself in the end. And finally, he hanged himself.
So, even though a counselor may be skillful, if his character is not in harmony with his discernment and knowledge, his counsel is not good in the end.
What is a good counselor? What is a good assistant? First, it is someone who fears God, but also somebody who has discernment, knowledge, and so forth.
In the days of kings such as David, a counselor was a very important position. Today, I don’t know if there is a position like this. But if somebody has access to the leading men in the country and can counsel them and be heard, obviously he could have more influence than the president himself, couldn’t he? The president may be the nominal leader of a country. But the counselor who knows how to win the heart of the president is often the real leader the country.
To have the position of a counselor is a very responsible and high position. He must understand something from leadership, for sure.
David taught Solomon that in the multitude of counselors there is safety. The counselors of Solomon were good counselors. When they counseled Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, they gave him wise counsel. Unfortunately, Rehoboam did not listen to this. It seemed that Solomon did not always listen to his counselors. The decisions he made after he apostatized God’s pure way were not very good.
Another example is how the apostles shared the responsibility of leadership. Let us read about this:
“The disciples of Jesus had reached a crisis in their experience. Under the wise leadership of the apostles, who labored unitedly in the power of the Holy Spirit, the work committed to the gospel messengers was developing rapidly. The church was continually enlarging, and this growth in membership brought increasingly heavy burdens upon those in charge. No one man, or even one set of men, could continue to bear these burdens alone, without imperiling the future prosperity of the church. There was necessity for a further distribution of the responsibilities which had been borne so faithfully by a few during the earlier days of the church. The apostles must now take an important step in the perfecting of gospel order in the church by laying upon others some of the burdens thus far borne by themselves." The Acts of Apostles , 88.2.
This in connection with gospel order is very interesting. Many people have understood gospel order means that one person bears all the burden. Here we have a direct statement that shows that this is not so. “The apostles must now take an important step in the perfecting of gospel order in the church by" doing what? It was “…By laying upon others some of the burdens thus far borne by themselves." In other words, it was by choosing assistants. That is a very important step of gospel order. If a person thinks that he will and must do it all alone without consultation of others, he does not understand what gospel order is.
Now let us look at some negative examples to see how leadership becomes inefficient when people do not have assistance. Saul had some assistants, but he rejected the best assistants. Who would be the best assistant of Saul? It was David, of course. He called him very early to his court because David had killed Goliath. He recognized in David a very valuable assistant. He was very wise to take him to his court. But the reason he took him to his court was not entirely selfless. He really wanted to exalt himself. And he wanted to control this talented young man.
However, when David went to war and was a greater hero than Saul himself, Saul became very jealous. From that time on he tried to kill David. David had to flee for his life and was persecuted.
Saul actually put away the best assistance he could have. That is poor leadership. As a result, Saul finally lost his kingdom. In fact, as a last assistant he chose the Witch of Endor. That was his complete ruin, downfall, and death. If we have no assistance, the wrong assistance, or if we reject the good assistance God gives us, we certainly will lose our leadership abilities.

Let us also look at the example of Judas. He had the tendency to do everything alone. He looked around him and he judged everybody else, saying, “He can’t do this. He can’t do that. He can’t be trusted with this." He had everyone judged in his mind as less capable than himself. He thought that it was good that he was there. He could do everything alone. He could run the shop alone basically. He didn’t even need Jesus for that. Maybe He was needed to work some miracles which Judas couldn’t work, but that’s all. If he could direct Jesus to work the right miracles, fine. Why do we need someone other than Judas? This attitude made him absolutely incapable of being a Christian leader. Can you see this? We really need to understand that such a thought pattern, is destroying the abilities of Christian leadership.
One thing that became apparent in these negative examples is that bad assistance also means problems in Christian leadership. I can loose my leadership abilities by having bad assistants. So I need to look for good assistants. I need to have good assistants.
“A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel." Proverbs 1:5. He will not just look for counsel, but he will attain wise counsel.
So let’s look at some positive examples of this. When Moses chose assistants, what kind of assistants did he choose? Let’s look at their qualifications and the criteria Moses used:
“Moses was their recognized leader and magistrate, and not only the general interests and duties of the people, but the controversies that arose among them, were referred to him. He had permitted this, for it gave him an opportunity to instruct them; as he said, “I do make them know the statutes of God, and His laws.’ But Jethro remonstrated against this, saying, ‘This thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone’…" Patriarchs and Prophets , 300.3.
That sounds as though Jethro was putting him down a little bit, saying, “You are not so able. You are not a good leader." But that’s not what he said. Jethro basically said, “Nobody can do this."
“‘Thou wilt surely wear away,’ and he counseled Moses to appoint proper persons as rulers of thousands, and others as rulers of hundreds, and others of tens. They should be ‘able men, such as fear God’…" Patriarchs and Prophets , 300.3.
It’s now important to see what the qualifications were. They should be “able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness." So it must be good assistance.
David also surrounded himself with the best assistants. Nehemiah had good assistants. The apostles chose good assistants. Let’s read this again:
They summoned the believers together and said, “‘Wherefore, brethren…look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business…." The Acts of the Apostles , 89.1.
So, those were the criteria. They did not just accept any assistant, but “men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom."
Melancthon became a very good assistant of Luther. You know this story. When Luther listened to Melancthon’s first sermon in Wittenberg he was deeply impressed. And when he saw his learnedness in Greek, he immediately made sure that Melancthon was his assistant. He understood the value of good assistance.
Ellen White had very good assistants in her work as a writer. When Marian was dying she was very sad. She said:
“She ever appreciated the writings as sacred matter placed in her hands, and would often relate to me what comfort and blessing she received in performing this work, that it was her health and her life to do this work. She ever handled the matters placed in her hands as sacred. I shall miss her so much. Who will fill her place?" Selected Messages 3:91.1.
Here we see another criterion of a good assistant. She appreciated the work of the Christian leader.
Another example is Christ and His disciples. The inner circle of best assistants is described: “…Whenever He spoke to the multitude, the disciples formed the inner circle. They pressed close beside Him, that they might lose nothing of His instruction. They were attentive listeners, eager to understand the truths they were to teach in all lands and to all ages." Education , 85.1.
That is another qualification for good assistants. “…attentive listeners, eager to understand the truth they were to teach…."

There are also negative examples. Ellen White also had inefficient helpers—or bad assistants--sometimes. And she says, I am very inefficient with cheap assistants. Absalom chose bad assistants as well. Rehoboam also chose very bad assistants.
The question we need to ask ourselves is why do we look for assistance? What is our motive in looking for assistance? There can be also bad motives, not only good ones. I can look for assistance for the sake of the cause. That means:
To make the leadership--the work--more efficient.
To compensate weaknesses.
As an opportunity to learn from other people.
To promote divine order.
To train future leaders,
Or I can choose assistants for self. That is because:
I shun the work
I shun responsibilities and I want to lay them on others
I fear bearing responsibilities alone. “At least they can also take the blame."
I seek worldly greatness. I want to surround myself with good assistants in order to have worldly greatness.
I lack trust in God’s care.

The first list is good leadership. The second is bad leadership. As an example I want to look at the choosing of the seventy elders. Moses chose the seventy elders after he complained that the work was too heavy for him. He expressed an attitude of lack of trust in God’s care. It says in Patriarchs and Prophets , 380.2: “…yet serious evils would eventually result from their promotion. They would never have been chosen had Moses manifested faith corresponding to the evidences he had witnessed of God’s power and goodness. But he had magnified his own burdens and services, almost losing sight of the fact that he was only the instrument by which God had wrought…."
From what we have learned, what is a good assistant? He is:
A good leader
Efficient
God-fearing
A person of faith and prayer
A person of truth who appreciates spiritual matters
A person who hates covetousness
A person of sound judgment
A man who is willing to learn
Willing to adapt to different circumstances
A great observer
Positive in faith and energy in others
Courteous
Loyal
A person who does not take over the work self-confidently
A person who sticks to the truth even if it gets difficult
Not a person who merely says “Yes" to everything, but someone who says the truth
Someone who is able to raise up other leaders
He influences others to follow Jesus
He promotes other leaders who influence others to follow Jesus
So, these are all the requirements for the assistants. When the apostles looked for assistants and when Moses looked for assistants, I would say these are the things they looked for.
How do we find good assistants?
We have to see them. We have to have open eyes for seeing them because God will place them near us. That means, I have to have the attributes of a good leader myself in order to recognize a good assistant.
I need a clear concept in my mind of my need.
I need to listen to God’s voice, because He is the one who chooses the assistants.
I need to be able to discern talent.
I need to see the potential in other people.
I need to test the assistants. That requires a lot of time. It requires a lot of thorough searching, getting to know his character, getting to know his past life, and getting to know his family.
But after recognizing them there is more work to be done. You seldom find the perfect man. You also have to train them. That means to win them as assistants. This requires that you know the potentials of this person--his strengths, and also his limits--and that you can handle them.
Christ trained disciples. I must be willing to share and to delegate in order to win assistants. I must be willing to share my position, influence, and success. Otherwise I will never win assistants. I need the ability to cooperate in order to win assistants. And I must know my part and the part of others.
The ability to delegate is very important. Also, the appreciation of others is important.

Finally, I must have toleration for things that are done in a different way--when people do things a little bit different.
In summary, the most important assistants that we can have are the angels, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. When I talk about them as assistants it may be a little strange to you because they are not our assistants but our leaders. But in the work on earth, they use human beings as primary instruments and they assist us in this work. It is important to really work together with these heavenly agencies. With this thought I want to close.
Study 13 - The Law of Empowerment
Good morning and welcome to study number thirteen. This morning we will continue to study about the laws of Christian leadership.

Yesterday we considered the Law of Assistants. Now we will just make the summary which we did not properly make before the tapes ran out yesterday:
Good assistants will contribute to a good leadership. Bad assistants will contribute to a bad leadership. So it is essential to have good assistants.
Good leadership then is to never stop looking for and training the best assistants. That is an essential work if you want to grow.
Remember that the best assistants are the heavenly agencies who need no training. But we must submit to them of course.
Remember that the lord chooses your assistants.
Finally, wanting assistants for selfish reasons will lead to evil results.

This is only the summary of the law of assistants. Now we want to come to the next law. I won’t show you the headlines this time. You will find out the title and the subheading. I would ask you to do this. So listen well, and then you will be able to.
We want to ask the question, what is empowerment? The text we want to read in this connection is John 16:23, where Jesus said to His disciples, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you."
That statement of Jesus encouraged the disciples very much. It empowered them to do their work. We will see this more clearly as we read the statement to this in The Desire of Ages . We must understand that the disciples leaned on Christ very much, as long as He was as a human among them. They depended upon His counsels, encouragements, guidance, navigation, and so forth. And in a way that was good because they learned from Him in this way. But now it was time that they went alone. They were alone for a short period of time when He sent out the twelve, and later the seventy. But now they would be alone for good. Jesus was going away, and He gave them something that would empower them for their life. These were some of His last words:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you." John 16:23.
It’s a word of empowerment for us as well. In summary, what is empowerment? If you think about this word and how you use it normally, what would you think? What is empowerment? [To give power.] What kind of power? [Enabling somebody to do certain things.] Yes, it is to give someone authority.
Let’s write this down: the delegation of authority would be empowerment. For example, if the ambassador of a certain country speaks in behalf of that country’s government, he is empowered to do so. Authority is delegated to him. Christ definitely empowered His disciples in this way. He delegated His authority to them. He said, “I give you the keys. Whatever you bind will be bound in Heaven. Whatever you loose will be loosed in Heaven." He definitely gave them a lot of authority--the greatest authority on earth. Do you remember that statement? What is the highest authority on earth? The church, assembled in church fellowship.
But empowerment is more than just the delegation of authority. It also means encouragement. A person may be delegated and have all authority, yet be totally disheartened. But a person who is encouraged can also speak as one who has the authority. In addition to simply telling someone, “You have my authority to do this," I can also tell him, “Do it. You will have the strength, the courage, and my full support." If I say this to him, I encourage him. You see, that’s a little bit more.
There’s a third aspect of empowerment which is even more than this. That is the impartation of strength. Encouragement is already the impartation of strength in a certain way. But when Jesus imparts strength to us He really does give us His power. Then we are filled with His power, with His love which is His power.

When we look at these three definitions which all apply, we see that they belong together. Maybe one is more a legal act, and the other a physical act, so to speak. The first is to authorize, and the second is to enable. Both are empowerment, and we want to study both. There is a law in this.
What is the purpose of empowerment? Let us go through these purposes step by step. Then we will look at examples. The first purpose is to give strength to the work. That means, the capacities of the members of a church is very much determined by how the Christian leader is able to empower them.
You see this also in the family. The family’s capacity to achieve something is determined by the parents’ ability to empower the family members, to empower the children. If the children are never empowered, the entire burden is on the parents, and they will not accomplish much. But if they empower their children to do things, when they grow up they soon will share the life burdens and the family will be more efficient. I think that is very obvious from our experience. And so it is in the church as well. So, the first purpose of empowerment is to give strength to the work.
The second purpose is to strengthen other leaders. That is also strengthening the work. For example, when we pray for the speaker, or encourage him, or really accept the message with our whole heart, we encourage the speaker and in this we further the work. We strengthen it. It’s not for his sake that we do this but for the work’s sake. So leaders can strengthen each other as well, they can empower each other.
Another purpose of empowerment is to strengthen the assistants. We have studied the law of assistants yesterday. The wisest thing a Christian leader can do is empower his assistants. Unfortunately many do the opposite because they want to stay on top. They weaken their assistants to stay on top, so to speak. That is the worldly principle. You tread others down to stay on top. But this is very unwise. And it is definitely not Christian.
A wise Christian leader will strengthen his assistants. He will empower them. He will give them more authority. And he will not even mind if they have more strength than he has, because in this way the work will be advanced.
Good assistants enhance the quality of leadership. That’s what we studied yesterday. So, it is definitely important to strengthen the assistants to do their work well.
Another purpose of empowerment is to strengthen the people to walk on the right path. The human nature is prone to leave the right path, to become weak after a while. We studied this a little in the Law of Navigation. A very important aspect of empowerment is to always uphold the plan before the people, to encourage them to continue going in this way, and to strengthen them to walk in the right path. That is influencing others to do right. This is true Christian leadership.

Another purpose of empowerment is to help someone to get back on the right path after they left it. That is also true Christian leadership. It is the work of salvation. He who does this covers a multitude of sin, as we read in James 5:20. It says that he who saves a brother--or saves a sinner--from error will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sin. In this was he really strengthens the work. To recover someone who is on the wrong path is gives much strength to the work. For this reason Jesus did this work, and does this work today.
Now we want to look at examples of these purposes of empowerment so we become really acquainted with this. The first is to give strength to the work of God. Where do we have examples of people giving strength to the members--church leaders, for example, who give strength to the members causing the work to go forward? We have studied some of them already.
Moses at the Red Sea was a very good example. He said, “Wait upon the Lord," and the people caught this inspiration. Yes, he empowered Joshua. But I am thinking now of church leaders who empowered their members. Nehemiah building the wall is another example. I thought of these two examples. Another example is when Moses prayed for the success of the army. When he lifted up his hands he really empowered them through his prayer. And they were successful. They won the victory. This I find is a very good picture of how a leader empowers the members to do their work--lifting his arms. He also had assistants to lift up his arms. So it is a very good picture of that empowerment. Yes, he also encouraged the people.
We could study many examples. I chose these two because they are very significant. Since we have already studied Exodus 17 and Prophets and Kings , 638.1-3, we won’t read it again. There you see how Nehemiah inspired the people to go forward. Then everyone became a Nehemiah in his turn. He built the wall with encouragement. How long did it take? I think it was two months until the wall was closed. This is because everyone worked. They were encouraged and empowered. The work became efficient because of the Law of Empowerment.
I have one more example--or principle. Let’s read this:
“Men of stamina are wanted, men who will not wait to have their way smoothed and every obstacle removed, men who will inspire with fresh zeal the flagging efforts of dispirited workers, men whose hearts are warm with Christian love and whose hands are strong to do their Master’s work." The Ministry of Healing , 497.2.
Can you see the Law of Empowerment in this paragraph? Men of stamina are those who empower others. They inspire the dispirited workers with fresh zeal, and so forth. We need this. It is difficult to do this when all around is gloomy. But we need to have this quality, this inspiration. That is the Christian leader’s work--to inspire.
The next principle is to strengthen other leaders. Do we have examples where other leaders were strengthened through the Law of Empowerment? Yes, Elijah and Elisha, Melancthon and Luther, Ellen White and James White.
There are many examples. I thought of John the Baptist and Christ, Moses and Joshua, and David and Solomon.
Let’s begin with Moses and how he empowered Joshua to be the leader of Israel. There are several statements in Deuteronomy 31 that speak of this kind of empowerment. Let’s read this:
“Then He [Moses] inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said, ‘Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you.’" Deuteronomy 31:23.
Be of good courage. This statement is repeated again and again in the chapter. Why? Moses really wanted his successor to have strength for his future work. He knew how difficult it was. So he encouraged him to “Be strong and of good courage…." It’s interesting that later when Joshua spoke to the people, he said the same words to them: “Be strong and of good courage because God is with you and is fighting for you.’
David empowered Solomon before the people in the same way. He also said, “Be a man." We won’t read this here because it’s too long. You can read this yourself in 1 Kings 1:28-2:4, and also in 1 Chronicles 22.
I really like the story of how John empowered Christ. It seems to be a bit strange to say this. We think that Christ empowered John. But John also empowered Christ. The Law of Empowerment can work in all directions. We may not be the leader at a certain moment, but we can still do the work of a leader by empowering the leader. That is the character of a leader. We are not real leaders if we turn away from the leader because we aren’t leading. But those who empower the leader prepare themselves for leadership.
This is very interesting to see in John. What did he say when his work was finished? “He must increase and I must decrease." And he said this to the disciples who came to complain about the fact that more were baptized with Christ than with him. They were jealous, in short. But John had no such feelings. He turned all attention to Jesus and said, “Now He must continue the work." He really empowered Christ.
There is one more example here. Ellen White also empowered Waggoner and Jones. She called them “the messengers of God" and clearly told the people that they had the most precious from the Lord. She could have stayed quiet and just listened. But she went up and gave her testimony to empower the messengers of the Lord.
And even the angels empower men. We read this in The Desire of Ages , 21. They woo hearts and work to place men nearer to Christ than even they themselves know. They really empower men to a position which is nearer to Christ than their own. This shows the total selflessness of the angels. This kind of work is true Christian leadership.
So, that is strengthening other leaders. Another purpose is to strengthen assistants to do their work well. What are some examples? Yes, some examples are Jesus and the disciples, Elisha and Gehazi, and Paul and Timothy.
Paul and Timothy is the first example I thought of also. Paul said to Timothy, “Let no one despise your youth." In other words, “Do the job, even though you are young of years. You have received the strength through the laying on of hands. And you shall go forward. Paul really empowered his assistant, Timothy.
We also have the example of how Christ empowered the disciples. He gave them power over evil spirits, over diseases, and so forth. Here we have the example of enabling them. He gave them real power to cast out devils and to heal disease. When someone is ordained, he is authorized. The Holy Spirit enables, but the church authorizes. But in a certain way we can also enable by imparting strength to the people.
In John 20:22-23, we read that whoever’s sins you forgive, they are forgiven, and whoever’s sins you retain, they are retained. Do you know the occasion when He said this? It was in the upper chamber. What did he do before? He breathed the sprit on them. He really empowered them. And then He said this to them. In other words, He empowered them by His spirit. He gave them Authority. He gave them encouragement, and he gave them ability.
Of course, to forgive sins is not to arbitrarily shut people out or make them saints in heaven as the Catholic Church teaches. That is not what Jesus meant. What He meant is that from the Word of God we shall tell them the conditions of entrance to Heaven and the conditions of being shut out from Heaven. In this way we shall also talk with authority to the people.
This authorization was especially done for church work. Then Christ empowered the disciples to do evangelistic work in His last speech. He said, “Go and make disciples of all men, of all nations." And He first said, “All authority is given to Me, in heaven and earth. This I give to you now. Therefore, baptize them." He really empowered them with these words.
Another purpose of empowerment is to strengthen the people to walk in the right path. That is, to maintain this. Some examples could be Ezra, Moses, and so forth. Elijah on Mount Carmel is another example. Christ also empowered the adulteress when He said “Go and sin no more."
Onesimus is also a good example. He stole money from his master and fled to Paul. Paul accepted him, gave him the gospel, and empowered him. Then he sent him back to his master. He really empowered him to do this. Another example is Brother Howland. We studied this story in Testimonies for the Church 9:192. He empowered the poor fisherman.

These are some positive examples of empowerment. Now we have the whole list here. We can go though it now step by step.
How do I empower people? There are different principles. We want to use the examples that we have done and think about how we empower people through these things. That is through prayer. There is the example of Moses when he prayed on the mountain while the people were battling. Also when we pray for the sick, as we read in James 5, the prayer of faith imparts power.
Another way is through faith and enthusiasm. Remember the law of enthusiasm? But it’s more than just excitement. It is real faith, substantial faith. We have the example of how Nehemiah really empowered people through his faith and enthusiasm. Let’s read a statement about this:
“I recall the case of a man in a congregation that I was once addressing. He was almost wrecked in body and mind by the use of liquor and tobacco. He was bowed down from the effects of dissipation; and his dress was in keeping with his shattered condition. To all appearance he had gone too far to be reclaimed. But as I appealed to him to resist temptation in the strength of a risen Saviour, he rose tremblingly, and said, ‘You have an interest for me, and I will have an interest for myself.’ Six months afterward he came to my house. I did not recognize him. With a countenance beaming with joy, and eyes overflowing with tears, he grasped my hand, and said, ‘You do not know me, but you remember the man in an old blue coat who rose in your congregation, and said that he would try to reform?’ I was astonished. He stood erect, and looked ten years younger. He had gone home from that meeting, and passed the long hours in prayer and struggle till the sun arose. It was a night of conflict, but, thank God, he came off a victor. This man could tell by sad experience of the bondage of these evil habits. He knew how to warn the youth of the dangers of contamination…." Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene , 19.3.
It is interesting. Sister White transferred faith. This helped him.
We also empower through selflessness. That means we are ready to concede the higher place to another, like John the Baptist empowered Christ through his selfless spirit by saying, “He must increase and I must decrease."
Through Sabbath Rest we convey power. If a person is really sure of what he is doing, he conveys power. We studied this a little in the Law of Navigation also. When Paul was on the ship, he talked to the people only a few times. But his words had effect. Finally, when they wanted to kill all the prisoners Paul said something, and the people listened. They obeyed him. He was the real leader of that ship. This is because of the Sabbath Rest that Paul exercised in this storm.
It is also through self-sacrificing love. Here we have the example of brother Howland who lost sight of himself and empowered the poor fisherman to come again to the meetings.
Finally, we empower people through personal, individual effort. I would like to read this statement in Christian Service :
“One soul is of infinite value; for Calvary speaks its worth. One soul, won to the truth, will be instrumental in winning others, and there will be an ever-increasing result of blessing and salvation. Your work may accomplish more real good than the more extensive meetings, if they lack in personal effort. When both are combined, with the blessing of God, a more perfect and thorough work may be wrought; but if we can have but one part done, let it be the individual labor of opening the Scriptures in households, making personal appeals, and talking familiarly with the members of the family, not about things of little importance, but of the great themes of redemption. Let them see that your heart is burdened for the salvation of souls." Christian Service , 121.2.
So, we empower people by personal effort. This is also how Christ empowered His disciples, as we read in The Desire of Ages :

“It is not the highest work of Education to communicate knowledge merely, but to impart that vitalizing energy which is received through the contact of mind with mind, and soul with soul. It is only life that can beget life." The Desire of Ages , 250.2.
These are some laws how to empower people. Now we want to look at some negative examples to understand how, when the law of empowerment is neglected, it is a disaster. We take everything now in a negative form. First, instead of strengthening the work, weakening the work. Yes, some examples of this are King Ahab, the ten spies, and when the people were weeping when the temple was rebuilt.
The ten spies weakened the people by their report that they gave. They were not empowering. Joshua and Caleb tried to empower, but the ten spies weakened. And what a disaster this made! So we really see here how empowerment is important. Then, when the people were weeping at the temple in Prophets and Kings , 564, they murmured and complained. By this the builders of the temple were so disheartened that they literally stopped building. It didn’t go forward anymore. That was the opposite of empowering. What a disaster!
Sister White says that some lack push. This is the statement we read before, but now we read it in the negative:
“Some who engage in missionary service are weak, nerveless, spiritless, easily discouraged. They lack push. They have not those positive traits of character that give power to do something…" In other words, that empowers. “…--the spirit and energy that kindle enthusiasm. Those who would win success must be courageous and hopeful." The Ministry of Healing , 497.3.
This we see definitely, in these two examples here.
Next is weakening other leaders. How can we weaken other leaders? Some examples are Judas, who weakened Christ. Also Saul and David. Saul was weakening David. Another is the disciples when they were sleeping. They weakened Christ.
The Job’s friends also weakened him. We can read this in The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 3:1140.5, 6. These friends were theologians--sort of, Christian leaders. Job was also one of them--a Christian leader. But how did they weaken him? It was through their so-called comfort. How did the leaders in Jerusalem weaken Paul? It was when they did not support him in this work. Then we must also realize that we weaken people when we try to control them. We don’t empower them. If we try to control every one of their movements, we weaken them instead of empowering them.
Then we weaken assistants. How do we weaken assistants? Saul and David are one example. When David was really supporting Saul, Saul weakened him, and thereby weakened himself, really.
This was an example I thought of also. Cain cherished jealousy toward his younger brother, who would have been his assistant. The younger brother is really the assistant of the older brother. But Cain weakened him by his jealousy. Likewise Saul was jealous. That was his problem. Also it is an example of weakening when David was weeping after the battle with Absalom.
How do we, instead of keeping people on the right path lead them on the wrong path? Adam and Eve is one example. Eve led Adam into the wrong path. However, Eve should be the assistant in this case. But it’s a good point, and it shows how someone was led on the wrong path. We are not talking of assistants here.
Jacob led Esau on a wrong path, instead of empowering him, when he was jealous. Esau was already weak, and instead of helping him to do the right thing, Jacob pushed him fully off by saying, “Sell me your birthright." That was the opposite of empowering. Christ says, “Cursed are those who cause one of these little ones to sin."
Preventing others from getting on the right path can be also the result of a lack of empowerment. Aaron prevented the people from doing the right thing. If he had maintained his authority as magistrate before the people, they would have submitted. But he was weak. As a result he gave in to their desires. That is also the opposite of empowerment.

One more example is Pilate, who also was a very week leader. He did not empower the people to do the right thing.
When you look at all these negative examples it is sad to see how the law of empowerment has been neglected.
What are the barriers of empowerment? Let us study them up one by one:
Self-exaltation. That is when men think that they are necessary. God then often causes them to be removed. For example, Judas thought that he was absolutely necessary for the work of God.
Lack of communication with heaven. Without the exercise of the love of Christ we cannot lead others to the fountain of life. Cain is an example.
Lack of faith and enthusiasm. We see this in David, and also in the ten spies.
Then the desire for position. If I desire a position I will not empower others, but rather try to weaken others. When leaders are jealous--and even hate others--like Saul, how often there is no empowerment of other people.
Fear of change. This is often a reason why people do not empower. We clearly saw the fear of change in the reforms. This fear is often also coupled with legalism. Some examples are the leaders of Jerusalem who feared what would happen if Paul was left free. They wanted to control him little bit so the changes were not too drastic and dramatic.
Lack of self-worth. I think this is one of the most important points here. People cannot empower others because they lack self-worth. They are not secure. They constantly fear being attacked, that changes will come, that they have to do something which they can’t, and so forth. This fear makes them unable to empower others. It paralyzes them. It’s like a cage. That must be seen very clearly. Insecure people cannot empower others. Instead they will always fear losing something. An example is Aaron, who was insecure at the foot of the mountain. We could look at many other examples also.

How does Christ empower us? “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you." John 16:23. We want to briefly look at some statements in The Desire of Ages to see how Christ empowers us by these words. It explains the phrase “In My name."
“‘In My name,’ Christ bade His disciples pray. In Christ’s name His followers are to stand before God. Through the value of the sacrifice made for them, they are of value in the Lord’s sight. Because of the imputed righteousness of Christ they are accounted precious. For Christ’s sake the Lord pardons those that fear Him.
“The Lord is disappointed when His people place a low estimate upon themselves. He desires His chosen heritage to value themselves according to the price He has placed upon them. God wanted them, else He would not have sent His Son on such an expensive errand to redeem them…." The Desire of Ages , 668.1.
Can you see how He empowers through these words? He wants us to see what Christ has paid for us. But it means more than this. It also means to be enabled as we continue to read:
“But to pray in Christ’s name means much. It means that we are to accept His character, manifest His spirit…." “All true obedience comes from the heart…." “…and if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses…." The Desire of Ages , 668.2, 3.
That is empowerment. When Peter was healing the sick man he said, “We don’t have silver and gold. But what we have we give you. In the name of Jesus arise."
“….Power for obedience, for service, will be imparted to them, as Christ has promised…." The Desire of Ages , 668.4.
This is true empowerment. Christ challenges us to have the same. In Christ’s Object Lessons , 331, we read that all God’s biddings are enablings. And that is empowerment.
Study 14 - The Law of Reproduction, part 1

Welcome to study number 14 in our international camp meeting of the year 2005. In our last study we considered together the law of empowerment, which we can summarize in the following words: Secure leaders will give power to others. Secure leaders are those who know that they are accepted by Jesus—those who pray in the name of Jesus. They are secure; but those who do not have this security will constantly fear. They will fear change, they will fear that their position is attacked, or whatever, and for this reason they cannot empower others. So it requires secure leaders to empower others.
Now we come to our next law, and again I would like to let you think about the heading first. This time it’s a little more difficult than last time. Through what circumstances did you become a leader? You may say, “I am not a leader." Well, I am speaking to parents here, am I not? I speak to elder brothers, I speak to people who want to win others from the world to the gospel and they lead them to follow Christ, don’t they? So I am speaking to leaders, maybe just in a small area, but through what circumstances? What would you say? Yes, Antje? Through circumstances. Okay. Yes, Kathy? The power of God. Yes, insofar that it is God who puts us in our positions. I think that is clear. But this is not the answer I am looking for. Yes? Okay, two more. Pierre and then Klaus. Service. Klaus? How did you become parents, how did you find other people? So that you know a little of where my thoughts are going, let me help you. First of all, it could be by the realization of a gift. Somebody realizes that he has a gift in a certain area and maybe he himself didn’t realize this, but someone else did, and he encouraged him, “Go forward. Do this work." It could also be as a result of a crisis. My own experience is like this, because I came into my work as a leader in the church through a crisis. Somebody died and then later another person became old, and those were the specific circumstances. And, you know, the way that you have become a leader will make you think that is how leaders become leaders, and I also tended to think, “Well, that is the way it always happens. It is through a particular crisis that a leader will emerge. It will bring out a leader." But there is another way which is even more important and more frequent when you look at history, and nobody has mentioned it so far, and that is through the influence of another leader. That is actually so. Many leaders become leaders through the influence of another, and when I think of my own experience, it’s not without this factor either, because I have seen the work of Fred. I’ve traveled with him a lot, and through his influence I became what I am. Also through the influence of others who were leading people to Christ. I watched them and through their influence I am what I am, and when you carefully think about this, isn’t this so, too in your case? These leaders could be our own parents, as well. It’s not just anybody. It could be our own parents who have influenced us to be what we are. Do you agree with me? So, when you realize this is a fact, and that you became a leader like this, then can you see what is the way to produce other leaders? It is not just in a crisis that leaders emerge. It is not just through the realization of a gift. These are valid factors, but it is more often through the influence of another leader. That’s the most important factor.
Sister White describes this. “More attention should be given to training and educating missionaries with a special reference to work in the cities. Each company of workers should be under the direction of a competent leader, and it should ever be kept before them that they are to be missionaries in the highest sense of the term. Such systematic labor, wisely conducted, would produce blessed results." Medical Missionary , 301.2.
I especially want to direct our attention to these words, “Each company of workers should be under the direction of a competent leader." Why? Because a leader will produce more leaders. Another statement I want to contemplate with you at the beginning of this study, before we go into it in more detail, is that it is not so much what a person is taught that makes him a leader. It is more what a person sees that makes him a leader. In other words, it’s influence that makes leaders more than words. The influence and character of the Christian leader, not so much as teaching, brings forth further Christian leaders. That is often summarized in the words: It’s not what we say, but what we are. “There is an eloquence far more powerful than the eloquence of words in the quiet, consistent life of a pure, true Christian. What a man is has more influence than what he says." The Ministry of Healing , 469.1.

That’s interesting. Just a very brief experience. When I traveled with Fred for the first time—that was to England—we had the privilege of traveling in the car together. And I had my own car. It was a little Volkswagen, and we made the long trip up there, which took I don’t know how many hours. We traveled together for 10 hours or longer. In those days it took longer than it takes today. Also we traveled from further south in Germany than from Dickendorf. And you wouldn’t believe it, but we didn’t talk much. There was very little talk. After a while I said, “Can’t you tell me something about the message?" And he said, “Well, you know everything already," so there was very little talking. And yet it was a very blessed time.
Many Christian leaders reproduced further Christian leaders—we want to look now at some examples to really see this more clearly. Let’s take Abraham, let’s take Isaac, let’s take Jacob. Do you see how Abraham produced Isaac as a leader, how he made him, how he formed him into a leader? And how Isaac formed Jacob into a leader? Let’s read these two statements here.
“At the appointed place they built the altar and laid the wood upon it. Then, with trembling voice, Abraham unfolded to his son the divine message. It was with terror and amazement that Isaac learned his fate, but he offered no resistance. He could have escaped his doom, had he chosen to do so; the grief-stricken old man, exhausted with the struggle of those three terrible days, could not have opposed the will of the vigorous youth. But Isaac had been trained from childhood to ready, trusting obedience, and as the purpose of God was opened before him, he yielded a willing submission. He was a sharer in Abraham’s faith, and he felt that he was honored in being called to give his life as an offering to God. He tenderly seeks to lighten the father’s grief, and encourages his nerveless hands to bind the cords that confine him to the altar." Patriarchs and Prophets , 152.2.
Can you see that Isaac was what he was because of his father? Abraham was chosen by God, especially for two reasons. Number one because he was faithful, number two because he would command his children to walk in the ways of the Lord. And we have studied the leadership of Abraham in our first sessions here. Now it is becoming even clearer what kind of person Isaac became. He himself became a leader like Abraham through his influence. So you can say Abraham reproduced himself. So likewise Jacob became a leader through Isaac. Let’s turn to the last sentence of this paragraph and read: “The baser elements of character were consumed in the furnace fire, the true gold was refined, until the faith of Abraham and Isaac appeared undimmed in Jacob." Patriarchs and Prophets , 208.2.
It’s interesting—Isaac did not particularly want Jacob to become his successor. He favored Esau more. But nevertheless he had a great influence over Jacob, and he produced a son who was a leader just as Isaac was a leader. It was subconscious in this case, very much so. And then, weaknesses are also reproduced.
Let’s look at the work of a mother now, which is also important. Jochabed was the mother of Moses, Hannah was the mother of Samuel, and Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist. These three men were all great leaders, weren’t they? Moses, Samuel and John the Baptist. And how did they become leaders? Let’s read about this:
“Especially does responsibility rest upon the mother. She, by whose lifeblood the child is nourished and its physical frame built up, imparts to it also mental and spiritual influences that tend to the shaping of mind and character. It was Jochebed, the Hebrew mother, who, strong in faith, was ‘not afraid of the king’s commandment’ (Hebrews 11:23), of whom was born Moses, the deliverer of Israel. It was Hannah, the woman of prayer and self-sacrifice and heavenly inspiration, who gave birth to Samuel, the heaven-instructed child, the incorruptible judge, the founder of Israel’s sacred schools. It was Elizabeth the kinswoman and kindred spirit of Mary of Nazareth, who was the mother of the Saviour’s herald." The Ministry of Healing , 372.1.
It would be very worthwhile to study the character of these mothers, and we would find that they were leaders, even though they are not as famous as their sons were. But they were leaders in their own sphere. It is also very interesting to see how Moses reproduced Joshua. We can read that very briefly here: “There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them." Joshua 8:35.
There was not a word in all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not repeat—in other words he was a real reproduction of Moses. But that doesn’t refer to Moses the human person, but to the divine leader, or Moses the Christian leader. Joshua faithfully continued the work which was given to him through Moses, and this is also what we read here:
“No stain rested upon the holy character of Joshua. He was a wise leader. His life was wholly devoted to God. Before he died he assembled the Hebrew host, and, following the example of Moses, he recapitulated their travels in the wilderness and also the merciful dealings of God with them. He then eloquently addressed them…" Can you remember that the same thing was done by Moses? “…He related to them that the king of Moab warred against them and called Balaam to curse them; but God ‘would not hearken unto Balaam, therefore he blessed you still.’ He then said to them, ‘And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’" The Story of Redemption , 181.3.
So I find this interesting to read. Another very interesting story is about David and his mighty men. David was a great leader. You can study the story of David as a Christian leader with great profit, and it’s interesting how he reproduced men like he was—exactly as he was. For example, he went around with a band of mighty men. And these mighty men whom he was with—they were as brave, as courageous, as David was. And they received it all from him. He reproduced them. And did you know that five people of his mighty men also killed giants as he had killed a giant? That’s interesting. He reproduced the same kind of person that he was, and that is a law. A leader will reproduce other leaders. Let’s turn to the Bible. This is a short chapter. It talks about the mighty band of David. “These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief among the captains. He was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time." 2 Samuel 23:8.
“…The mighty men that David had…" You know, he was persecuted all the time but nevertheless the few people who were with him were really heroes. And they could defend the farmers against their enemies and really they wouldn’t have had to fear too much from Saul if they had fought. I’m sure they could have fought a wonderful battle, but David did not fight because he did not want to fight against his own people and against the anointed of the Lord. And that is a fact. Also in 1 Chronicles 11 we read about the mighty men and their names are described here. You can read this.
Now let’s look at the five people who killed giants. The first man’s name was Sibbechai. And this we read here: “Now it happened afterward that war broke out at Gezer with the Philistines, at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Sippai, who was one of the sons of the giant. And they were subdued." 1 Chronicles 20:4.
In other words “sons of the giant" in our translation could read, “who was one of the giants." He was a son but he was a giant as well. So that was Sibbechai: “…at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Sippai…"
Then the next one. His name was Elhanan. And we read this in the next verse: “Again there was war with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam." 1 Chronicles 20:5. A huge spear. And he fought against him and killed him. What was his name? Elhanan.
And then we read in the next verse of another one of his mighty men who killed a giant. “Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, with twenty-four fingers and toes, six on each hand and six on each foot…" Interesting. “…and he also was born to the giant. But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David’s brother slew him." 1 Chronicles 20:6, 7. Here Jonathan was David’s nephew.
It’s interesting. Again more of the mighty men who killed giants.
Can you see how the example of David reproduced the same kind of people that he was? Another is Abishai. “Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, ‘You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.’" 2 Samuel 21:16-17.
In other words, “Let us do the job now. We can do it very well." And Beniah is the other one. “Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day." 1 Chronicles 11:22.
So David was not the only one who killed a lion and a giant. We see here Sibbechai, Elhanan, Jonathan, Abishai and Benaiah. These men were doing the same work that David did. That is how a leader really reproduces other leaders.
Elijah is another good example of a leader reproducing another leader in Elisha. “The prophetic call came to Elisha while with his father’s servants he was plowing in the field. As Elijah, divinely directed in seeking a successor, cast his mantle upon the young man’s shoulders, Elisha recognized and obeyed the summons. He ‘went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.’ 1 Kings 19:21. It was no great work that was at first required of Elisha; commonplace duties still constituted his discipline. He is spoken of as pouring water on the hands of Elijah, his master. As the prophet’s personal attendant, he continued to prove faithful in little things, while with daily strengthening purpose he devoted himself to the mission appointed him by God." Education , 58.5.
Then we read on a little further:
“As time passed, and Elijah was prepared for translation, so Elisha was prepared to become his successor. And again his faith and resolution were tested. Accompanying Elijah in his round of service, knowing the change soon to come, he was at each place invited by the prophet to turn back. ‘Tarry here, I pray thee,’ Elijah said; ‘for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel.’ But in his early labor of guiding the plow, Elisha had learned not to fail or to become discouraged; and now that he had set his hand to the plow in another line of duty, he would not be diverted from his purpose. As often as the invitation to turn back was given, his answer was, ‘As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.’ 2 Kings 2:2." Education , 59.2. So we can really see how Elisha was formed by Elijah.
Another example is Nehemiah and the builders of the wall. Can you remember the words? When he encouraged them, when he gave his enthusiasm to them what became of the people? Exactly. Each one of them became a Nehemiah. Let’s read this. “Nehemiah’s whole soul was in the enterprise he had undertaken. His hope, his energy, his enthusiasm, his determination, were contagious, inspiring others with the same high courage and lofty purpose. Each man became a Nehemiah…" That is reproduction. Each man became a Nehemiah. “…in his turn and helped to make stronger the heart and hand of his neighbor." Prophets and Kings , 638.3.
Then Christ and His disciples is a wonderful example. Each man became a Christ, so much that they called them Christians, didn’t they? That is very interesting. They called them Christians because they became like Christ. Christ gave the disciples this advantage of association with Himself. Let’s read this.
“Jesus chose unlearned fishermen because they had not been schooled in the traditions and erroneous customs of their time. They were men of native ability, and they were humble and teachable,—men whom He could educate for His work. In the common walks of life there is many a man patiently treading the round of daily toil, unconscious that he possesses powers which, if called into action, would raise him to an equality with the world’s most honored men. The touch of a skillful hand is needed to arouse those dormant faculties…" Jesus gave a skillful touch to arouse their dormant faculties. He reproduced Himself in them. It was such men that Jesus called to be co-laborers with Him. But it’s interesting also what we read in the next paragraph.
“It is not the highest work of Education to communicate knowledge merely, but to impart that vitalizing energy which is received through the contact of mind with mind, and soul with soul." The Desire of Ages , 250.1, 2.
In other words, mind reproduces mind, and soul reproduces soul, when there is this personal contact. And we can also read another statement:
“In the common walks of life there is many a toiler patiently treading the round of his daily tasks, unconscious of latent powers that, roused to action, would place him among the world’s great leaders. The touch of a skillful hand…" Mind, Character and Personality 1:101.2. That’s the same statement, really.

Paul and Timothy—Paul reproduced Timothy. Timothy became a leader like Paul. I think we just need to read one statement about this. “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." 2 Timothy 2:2. So, “The things that you have heard from me..."
Now we must also ask the question, why leaders do not reproduce Christian leaders? That happens, too. It can happen that there is a leader, but he does not reproduce anyone. And why not? What is the reason for this? First of all, often people do not see the value in developing other leaders. They don’t see the importance. They just see their work before them. “I must do my work and don’t disturb me please, in my work," and that’s it. And their work dies with them. If everybody in this world would be like this, we would have lost a lot of knowledge. We wouldn’t know how to print, we wouldn’t know how to do many things. Nowadays this is not so important anymore because we can store everything on a computer. You know, we can store things on a computer for later generations…but even then we must give them the skill of how to use the computer, so it’s possible not to reproduce. If we would not reproduce, humankind wouldn’t advance anymore. That must be very, very clear. The reason people don’t reproduce is when they do not see the value of developing leaders.
James White, for example, is such a person who did not sufficiently reproduce other leaders. Sister White makes this point.
“Similar advice was given to my husband, that he should let others bear the burdens, while he could aid them by his advice, counsel, and experience. But he saw that others made mistakes and were not far-seeing and judicious, that elements of character were wanting in them, which he possessed to a large degree; therefore he waited for somebody fully competent to take his place, and kept on and on in much the same way as he had done, until he finally dropped into the grave, and those men upon whom he did not dare to leave the burdens had to take them, and that without his advice, his words of counsel, and his experience, to help them. His voice might have been heard today if he had heeded the words of warning given." Manuscript Releases 18:289.3.
That’s interesting. Even James White made a mistake here. How prone are we then to repeating it? Think about this. Do I really see the value of reproducing Christian leaders? James White did not fully see it. He waited for a person to be ready, but he did not want to take the effort of reproducing such a leader as he was.
Andrews had a similar weakness as we read a paragraph or so later. “Elder Andrews might have lived had he encouraged and trained others to share the burdens he loaded himself down with. He deprived others of an Education they might have had, because he did so much himself and allowed them to rely upon his brain, in place of doing their own thinking. Every man can be a man, a whole man, by patient continuance in well-doing, by resolutely overcoming cowardice and ignorance and inefficiency, with thoughtful energy and zeal." Manuscript Releases 18:291.3.
And a third person who did not reproduce himself was Kellog. And why didn’t he? Let’s read this again in the same place: “Dr. Kellogg should never have encouraged these men to depend upon him to be mind and brains for them. He has served tables too much. There should be a superintendent who possesses breadth of thought and independence of judgment, that will use the powers of his own brain and grow in capacity and judgment, becoming every year more and more capable of bearing responsibilities. It is a sin and a shame to call the mind of Dr. Kellogg to so many little matters, and he does these men a wrong in allowing it. He cannot grasp his arms around the entire institution. He must train his helpers to be self-reliant, independent, wise generals, in place of acting as general over everything himself.
“These men have important faculties given them of God, to be used and to be strengthened by use. Dr. Kellogg has larger responsibilities to take his time and engage his powers, and every ounce of burden should be lifted from him that can be. There ought to be, today, self-reliant men of enduring energy, thinking and planning and working at all the common matters without bringing one of them to the notice of the doctor.
“I regret that these men have been so dependent upon Dr. Kellogg. I am sorry that, as a wise general, he has not trained them to be self-reliant, and has not refused to do their thinking and brain work, that they might have obtained an experience which today would be more valuable to them then gold. God does not demand of Dr. Kellogg such taxing service, even in the most important enterprises. He has been successful in his plans, because he would not be defeated. If the brethren connected with him had faced stubborn difficulties, and seen them give way before them because their courage would not be daunted nor their energy wearied, they might have thus obtained an experience that would be of value to them through all time and through eternity. There is no need that there should be so many helpless souls who will sink before difficulties." Manuscript Releases 18:290.3-291.2.
You see that is the reason why leaders do not reproduce leaders. Another reason is they do not concentrate on specific talents but they try to deal with everything. Instead of concentrating on certain talents they serve everyone. And then through doing that they neglect the training they should be doing. Look at Jesus—how He concentrated on the disciples. Many of the sermons He gave, He gave for them. The others were just allowed to listen in. Often He took His disciples aside to a secluded place especially to teach them. When he went to Caesarea Philippi, He went for somebody there, the Syrophoenician woman, yes, but He also went there just for His disciples. And to serve Phoenicia. But He went for the sake of His disciples. His whole work was for the disciples, really. That was His main focus, and why? Because Jesus saw value in developing leaders. He reproduced Himself in this way. Read for yourself these statements here. Many things that Jesus did, He did for the training of His disciples. Jesus was tempted to do the work Himself, though, because His disciples were so weak. Can you remember His last journey from Galilee? Let’s read this very briefly.
“To the heart of Christ it was a bitter task to press His way against the fears, disappointment, and unbelief of His beloved disciples. It was hard to lead them forward to the anguish and despair that awaited them at Jerusalem. And Satan was at hand to press his temptations upon the Son of man. Why should He now go to Jerusalem, to certain death?..." All around Him there was work to be done and why should He not go? “…All around Him were souls hungering for the bread of life. On every hand were suffering ones waiting for His word of healing. The work to be wrought by the gospel of His grace was but just begun. And He was full of the vigor of manhood’s prime. Why not go forward to the vast fields of the world with the words of His grace, the touch of His healing power? Why not take to Himself the joy of giving light and gladness to those darkened and sorrowing millions? Why leave the harvest gathering to His disciples, so weak in faith, so dull of understanding, so slow to act? Why face death now, and leave the work in its infancy? The foe who in the wilderness had confronted Christ assailed Him now with fierce and subtle temptations. Had Jesus yielded for a moment, had He changed His course in the least particular to save Himself, Satan’s agencies would have triumphed, and the world would have been lost." The Desire of Ages , 486.1.
He was really tempted, wasn’t He? To do the same thing as Kellogg, as Andrews, and others. Especially I would say when people are very able leaders, they tend not to reproduce themselves. And then the work dies with them, and that’s very sad. It’s a very, very important law of Christian leadership to reproduce yourself.
Then another reason why leaders do not reproduce Christian leaders is because they are selfish. They want the position for themselves and nobody else. And they are insecure—they feel threatened all the time, and they think, “They do this wrong, they do that wrong," and so forth. In this world, for example in sports, you are the leader when you beat others. Aren’t you? You have to. You have to keep others down. You have to outrun them and beat them in some way to win the prize. There is no other way. This is not true in Christian leadership. The opposite is true in Christian leadership. In Christian leadership you get the prize when you reproduce yourself. So let’s turn to another statement:
“If in their ministry those whom we teach develop an energy and an intelligence even superior to that which we possess, we should be led to rejoice over the privilege of having a part in the work of training them. But there is danger that some in positions of responsibility as teachers and leaders, will act as if talent and ability have been given to them only, and that they must do all the work in order to make sure that it is done aright. They are liable to find fault with everything not originated by themselves. A great amount of talent is lost to the cause of God because many laborers, desiring to be first, are willing to lead, but never to follow. Although they closely scrutinize and criticize all that any one else does, they are in danger of regarding that which goes forth from their hands as perfect." Christian Leadership , 56.2.
“…of regarding that which goes forth from their hands as perfect." Exactly. So that is selfishness in the end. And that hinders leaders from reproducing themselves. And Satan—think of him. When he lost the spirit of service, he lost his ability as a Christian leader. And he could not really reproduce a leader. Rather he reproduced those who destroyed leadership. So, insecure leaders cannot reproduce Christian leaders.
Our time is almost over but I want to study with you a story that will take a little time. We shall study this, because it’s very important. It is the story of Paul.
Study 14 - The Law of Reproduction, part 2

Welcome to study number 14, the second part. We want now to look at the story of Paul and the leaders in Jerusalem and the heading is: insecure leaders cannot reproduce Christian leaders. Obviously the elders in Jerusalem were leaders but they did not reproduce Christian leaders at least not in Paul. The work they were doing went in the opposite direction instead. So we want to see how and why this happened, and through this we want to learn how to reproduce Christian leaders better. So let’s turn now to a story in The Acts of the Apostles .
“In the earlier years of the gospel work among the Gentiles some of the leading brethren at Jerusalem, clinging to former prejudices and habits of thought, had not co-operated heartily with Paul and his associates. In their anxiety to preserve a few meaningless forms and ceremonies, they had lost sight of the blessing that would come to them and to the cause they loved, through an effort to unite in one all parts of the Lord’s work." So they feared change. You can see this clearly, can’t you? And that is a barrier against empowerment. “Although desirous of safeguarding the best interests of the Christian church, they had failed to keep step with the advancing providences of God, …" that is transgressing another law which you will see a little later. “… and in their human wisdom attempted to throw about workers many unnecessary restrictions. Thus there arose a group of men who were unacquainted personally with the changing circumstances and peculiar needs met by laborers in distant fields, yet who insisted that they had the authority to direct their brethren in these fields to follow certain specified methods of labor." That’s the opposite of empowerment—to expect somebody to do exactly what I want him to do. “They felt as if the work of preaching the gospel should be carried forward in harmony with their opinions."
Now the reason why we are studying this story is that when we study the Law of Reproduction, a misunderstanding could arise. The misunderstanding could be this: you must be exactly the same as I am. You must copy me in every respect, you must do everything exactly as I do it. But that is not the Law of Reproduction as we are studying it here. However this is what the Jewish leaders had in their minds. They wanted Paul to do exactly as they requested him to do. Let’s read on.
“Several years had passed since the brethren in Jerusalem, with representatives from other leading churches, gave careful consideration to the perplexing questions that had arisen over methods followed by those who were laboring for the Gentiles. As a result of this council, the brethren had united in making definite recommendations to the churches concerning certain rites and customs, including circumcision. It was at this general council that the brethren had also united in commending to the Christian churches Barnabas and Paul as laborers worthy of the full confidence of every believer."
“Among those present at this meeting, were some who had severely criticized the methods of labor followed by the apostles upon whom rested the chief burden of carrying the gospel to the Gentile world. But during the council their views of God’s purpose had broadened, and they had united with their brethren in making wise decisions which made possible the unification of the entire body of believers."
“Afterward, when it became apparent that the converts among the Gentiles were increasing rapidly, there were a few of the leading brethren at Jerusalem who began to cherish anew their former prejudices against the methods of Paul and his associates." It’s interesting how old things come up again and again. Habits don’t die very easily. Even if you lied once, you have constantly to be on guard against the old thoughts to prevent them from coming back again. But it’s also interesting to note how selfish the leaders were in these matters. “These prejudices strengthened with the passing of the years, until some of the leaders determined that the work of preaching the gospel must henceforth be conducted in accordance with their own ideas." I want to stress the fact that that is not the Law of Reproduction that we want to study here. “If Paul would conform his methods to certain policies which they advocated they would acknowledge and sustain his work; otherwise they could no longer look upon it with favor or grant it their support."
“These men had lost sight of the fact that God is the teacher of His people; that every worker in His cause is to obtain an individual experience in following the divine Leader, not looking to man for direct guidance; that His workers are to be molded and fashioned, not after man’s ideas, but after the similitude of the divine." The Acts of Apostles , 400.1-401.3.
It is the Law of Reproduction for us “to be molded and fashioned, not after man’s ideas, but after the similitude of the divine." So let’s see why the leaders in Jerusalem could not reproduce Christian Leaders. First of all they became absorbed in the importance of their own position or in their own opinion. They thought that because they had a position, they must hold on to this position. When they became absorbed in their position they lost sight of the fact that God is the Leader of His people. Then they wanted the workers to look to them for their direct guidance instead of obtaining an individual experience. They wanted the workers to be molded and fashioned after their own ideas. When the workers accept this, then what will happen? They will not become Christian leaders—that’s certain. But can you see how this whole procedure is like the work of the papacy? This is the way of the papacy and shows how it reproduces its own leaders, who are not Christian leaders. So we must make a difference between Christian leaders and just leaders. You can reproduce leaders in this way, but you can’t reproduce Christian leaders in this way. We really have to see this.
Now let’s look at the correct way. When Christian Leaders do reproduce other Christian leaders, what does the picture look like? First of all it is because they have the spirit of service. Do you see any examples of this? Of course the angels show a correct picture. Maybe we should briefly read the statement now that we didn’t read before in The Desire of Ages . It says here:
“The angels of glory find their joy in giving,—giving love and tireless watchcare to souls that are fallen and unholy. Heavenly beings woo the hearts of men; they bring to this dark world light from the courts above; by gentle and patient ministry they move upon the human spirit, to bring the lost into a fellowship with Christ which is even closer than they themselves can know." The Desire of 

Ages, 21.1.
So that is selfless service and that’s how you reproduce Christian leaders. If you are willing for them to grow better than you, then you don’t want them to do everything exactly as you do. Instead you will appreciate it if they can do even more than you. This is what Sister White describes in Christian Leadership—you will think it’s an honor to partake in their training, if they grow beyond you. The reason why Christian leaders reproduced other Christian Leaders is because they saw the bigger picture. They didn’t see just their own work, but they saw the whole work, till the end of time. And for them reproducing other leaders was a top priority. It was not a matter of just another job I have to do.
Now there has been much discussion about apprenticeships in Germany. In other countries you may not have this, but here in Germany we have the system that when students leave school and want to learn a profession, then they do an apprenticeship. That is, they work in the business for some time and they are paid some money, though not so much as a worker. But they do get paid something. Part of the time they go to school, and part of the time they work for the firm in order to learn. But for businesses, sometimes it doesn’t pay, because they apprentices cost more than the money they bring in. So they don’t like to employ many apprentices. But that is shortsighted, because if you think of the future then you need to train apprentices, you need to train them well, and you have to invest time and money into this training.
Similarly with Christian leadership, in order to reproduce Christian leaders you must make this a top priority. It was certainly so with Christ. Let’s read a specific statement about this in Education .
“The most complete illustration of Christ’s methods as a teacher is found in His training of the twelve first disciples. Upon these men were to rest weighty responsibilities. He had chosen them as men whom He could imbue with His Spirit, and who could be fitted to carry forward His work on earth when He should leave it. To them, above all others, …" so He concentrated special attention on them, “… He gave the advantage of His own companionship. Through personal association He impressed Himself upon these chosen colaborers. ‘The Life was manifested,’ says John the beloved, ‘and we have seen it, and bear witness.’ 1 John 1:12."
“Only by such communion—the communion of mind with mind and heart with heart, of the human with the divine—can be communicated that vitalizing energy which it is the work of true Education to impart. It is only life that begets life." Education , 84.1, 2.
Good. I think we will leave it with this now, as it says the same in The Desire of Ages .
Now another reason why Christian leaders reproduce other leaders is because they see the need of personal reproduction and they follow this Law. They fulfill this Law of Reproduction. Christ did not merely impart knowledge, but vital energy, as we have seen. He showed that reproduction is far more than mere doctrinal instruction. I like this statement here in The Desire of Ages for example, where it says:
“While they had been with Him, the disciples had often been perplexed by the teaching of the priests and Pharisees, but they had brought their perplexities to Jesus. He had set before them the truths of Scripture in contrast with tradition. Thus He had strengthened their confidence in God’s word, and in a great measure had set them free from their fear of the rabbis and their bondage to tradition. In the training of the disciples the example of the Saviour’s life was far more effective than any mere doctrinal instruction. When they were separated from Him, every look and tone and word came back to them. Often when in conflict with the enemies of the gospel, they repeated His words, and as they saw their effect upon the people, they rejoiced greatly." The Desire of Ages , 349.2.
When you compare this with the leaders in Jerusalem, you can see how they wanted to lead Paul in a different way, didn’t they? They wanted to specify everything, to tell him “now you do this, now you do that". But their spirit was cowardice. The reason why they thought as they did was because they feared persecution, and because they feared change. That was very different from Christ—He transmitted another character altogether. We have read this statement in The Ministry of Healing , 469.1: “There is an eloquence far more powerful than the eloquence of words in the quiet, consistent life of a pure, true Christian." In The Acts of the Apostles we read the same principle:
“For three years and a half the disciples were under the instruction of the greatest Teacher the world has ever known. By personal contact and association, Christ trained them for His service. Day by day they walked and talked with Him, hearing His words of cheer to the weary and heavy-laden, and seeing the manifestation of His power in behalf of the sick and the afflicted." The Acts of Apostles , 17.2.
And so forth. You must read the rest—it is very interesting.
Another reason why Christian leaders reproduce other Christian leaders is because they attract other leaders, and that is the Law of Like Attracts Like. If somebody is a good Christian leader he will attract other Christian leaders. So we have some hope, don’t we, that when we become Christian leaders we will attract other Christian leaders.
Then the Christian leaders fostered a leadership culture in the church, which is also important. We can discourage a leadership culture in the church or we can foster it. Now how do we foster a leadership culture in the church? First of all by educating ministers in the churches in Christian leadership. By really promoting Christian leadership instead of preventing it. Let’s turn to the book Pastoral Ministry .
“The president of a State Conference is, by his manner of dealing, educating the ministers under him, and together they can so educate the churches that it will not be necessary to call the ministers of the conference from the field to settle difficulties and dissensions in the church. If the officers in the conference will, as faithful servants, perform their Heaven-appointed duties, the work in our conferences will not be left to become entangled in such perplexities as heretofore. And in laboring thus, the workers will become solid, responsible men, who will not fail nor be discouraged in a hard place." Pastoral Ministry , 255.1.
So, in other words, you train the people in the church to become mature. Who can know what is the right way? Now many people read this statement here, but they don’t have this maturity. And even though they don’t have this maturity, they don’t want to ask another person’s help. You know they say, “I won’t ask anybody because of that Law." But this is not understanding it. When we are still not mature enough, we need to ask questions and it is good to ask questions. But then when we have the opportunity to grow and we have grown, it is the greatest relief for the main leader, if he can see that the members of the church can make good decisions for themselves. That is really what Sister White is talking about here. To foster leadership culture in the church is what we really want to do in the local churches and also in the whole church. And that is the reason why we are studying the laws of leadership here.

Nehemiah encouraged everyone to be Christian leaders. So each member became a Nehemiah in turn, and Nehemiah was not jealous at all but he was very happy.
Secure Christian leaders reproduce what? Christian leaders. They don’t think about their position; they have the spirit of service. That is the important point. And because of this they see that God is the leader of His people and they co-operate with the heavenly agencies. As a result they see the value of reproducing Christian leaders. And they seek to have personal contact with the workers—with those who are to be Christian leaders. Because of this they seek to reproduce Christian leaders through their character more than through their words. And as a result they encourage the workers to look to God for direct guidance and obtain an individual experience. That is the opposite of what the leaders in Jerusalem did. I am trying to draw a contrast here.

Now one more point—Christian leaders want the workers to be molded and fashioned after the divine similitude. Not after man’s similitude. ( The Acts of Apostles , 401.3.) And when the workers accept this, then they become Christian leaders.
That is how Christian leaders reproduce Christian leaders. It is a short summary of the key points.
So to summarize the Law of reproduction:
Followers cannot reproduce Christian Leaders.
An institution cannot reproduce a Christian leader. We can have a school for Christian leadership but that won’t make Christian leaders.
Only Christian leaders will reproduce Christian leaders. This is the Law that needs to be understood.
They reproduce them by contact of mind with mind and soul with soul; by reproducing character rather than words.
They encourage their fellow workers to gain an individual experience in following the Lord.
Let me in closing go back to the beginning again. The Law of reproduction says Christian leaders reproduce Christian leaders. So if somebody is really a Christian leader, he will reproduce Christian leaders. And that is my prayer for all of us. Amen.
Study 15 - The Law of Authenticity, part 1
Good morning and welcome to our study number 15 in the series of Christian Leadership at the International camp meeting in the year 2005. When we studied our Sabbath School Lesson this morning we looked at the health message. When we read the texts we realized that when we received the health message, we mixed it with a certain spirit that was in us. And as a result of this we have experienced some failures, of course. The reason is not the message itself. The reason is the spirit in which we received it, and our frame of mind. When reading this and contemplating about it I wondered a little, “Shouldn’t we also fear that we will do the same with the subject of Christian leadership? What can we do to prevent that from happening? What can we do in order to avoid receiving this message in the same way, and thus come to wrong conclusions and go in a wrong direction? I must frankly say I fear this a bit and that was one of the reasons why I even feared to present this subject at first, although I do feel a burden and need for Christian leaders.
Now, I saw one aspect that maybe you can think about a little yourselves. One aspect I saw was that when we receive a message, it is important that we ask ourselves, “where do I need to be reformed? Where do I need to change? “Because new light always dispels darkness, the question for each of us is: where is that darkness which needs the light God gives us? Can I really remove this darkness? Or can the new light really remove this darkness? This is a question I need to ask myself constantly when I listen to light, when I listen to a message. You see, when I go to a meeting and I only find my own thoughts confirmed there, then I should be a little distrustful of myself. I should ask myself, “Do I really understand this subject? Is this light really from God?" Because we are not sitting here just to confirm ourselves. We are here to be changed. That is the purpose. Let us really pray about this matter, so that God will open our hearts and our understanding in healthy self-distrust in order for us really to receive the light that God wants to give us. I wanted to say this at the beginning. Maybe this thought will also be included in one of the laws that we study later.

But now let us turn to the next law that we want to study, and again I will not mention the name of that law. This time it’s a bit more difficult, so I’ll see if you can find it out. The first point we want to make is, there are certain situations when people do not follow the leader. And we want to understand first of all what are the situations when people do not follow the leader? To start with, they do not believe that he is the leader, and they do not believe in his message, or in his cause. So if somebody would come and say, “You must do some strange thing," I would immediately say, “Who sent you? I don’t recognize you as a Christian leader." And secondly I would say, “And what you say, anyway, is nonsense. I can’t believe that." So in this case I would not follow him. That is quite clear. I think that’s the most obvious case. Let’s look at some examples from the Word of God. We have studied the experience of Rehoboam who was the son of Solomon. Rehoboam came to the throne when Solomon died, and of course he then expected to be crowned king and to be acknowledged by everybody. But it was not as simple as that. Let’s read about it:
“Although Solomon had longed to prepare the mind of Rehoboam, his chosen successor, to meet with wisdom the crisis foretold by the prophet of God, he had never been able to exert a strong molding influence for good over the mind of his son, whose early training had been so grossly neglected. Rehoboam had received from his mother, an Ammonitess, the stamp of a vacillating character. At times he endeavored to serve God and was granted a measure of prosperity; but he was not steadfast, and at last he yielded to the influences for evil that had surrounded him from infancy. In the mistakes of Rehoboam’s life and in his final apostasy is revealed the fearful result of Solomon’s union with idolatrous women.
“The tribes had long suffered grievous wrongs under the oppressive measures of their former ruler. The extravagance of Solomon’s reign during his apostasy had led him to tax the people heavily and to require of them much menial service. Before going forward with the coronation of a new ruler, the leading men from among the tribes determined to ascertain whether or not it was the purpose of Solomon’s son to lessen these burdens. ‘So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spake to Rehoboam, saying, Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee.’" Prophets and Kings , 88.2-88.3.
So it was a new thing for the people to come and say to the king, “We won’t serve you unless you fulfill certain conditions." They formulated it very positively. They said, “Please do this for us and we will serve you." But they might as well have said, “Well, we won’t serve you unconditionally. We have one condition—please lighten our burden." That was a new aspect for Rehoboam, and he had to think about it. He counseled with the counselors of his father, who said, “Yes, be lenient with the people," but he wasn’t satisfied with their counsel. So he asked the younger ones and they said, “No, you must be hard on the people." And he liked this counsel because it exalted him and when he followed this, then of course the people said, “No, we don’t want to acknowledge you as a king". Ten tribes then separated from him and that was a real loss. So he was not considered a leader and neither was his message accepted. They didn’t believe in his cause, and they didn’t believe him to be the leader, even though he was, through heredity, the son of Solomon. But this didn’t matter to them anymore. And so they refused to follow him. That is because the leader had the wrong cause, but also because he was not a leader.
On Mt. Carmel we have a similar situation where the people ran away from the priests of Baal. They neither recognized them as leaders anymore, nor did they believe in their cause anymore. The priests had lost all influence. It reminds me a little of Armageddon, when the wicked will stop following the religious leaders. Firstly, they won’t believe that they are leaders anymore, and secondly, they won’t believe in their message or their cause anymore. So the wicked fully reject the leaders and won’t follow them.
Similarly, at the end of the thousand years when Satan will want to make a final attack on Jerusalem and tries to inspire his followers, nobody will listen anymore. They don’t recognize him as leader anymore, nor do they believe in his cause anymore. This is when people will not follow. I think that’s clear.
One more point. The good angels also turned away from Satan, when they did not believe in his cause anymore, and when they recognized that he was not a leader anymore. You know, for some time Satan was still able to parley with the loyal angels—to some degree they still acknowledged him, even though he was not a recognized leader in heaven anymore. But they remembered that he had been a great angel once, and for this reason he was still given some respect, even by the loyal angels. But when they saw the way Satan treated Christ and killed Him, they lost all of that respect and he was no longer a leader anymore, in their eyes. Nor was his cause believed in anymore, ever again.
Another example is when the people of God turn away from Babylon. In this case they lose their faith in the leadership of Babylon, and they also lose their faith in the cause of Babylon. It’s very important to see both. You see, in the fallen churches people sometimes don’t agree with the leader, but they still agree with the cause. Other people don’t agree with the cause, but they still follow the leader. However, when the people of God turn away from Babylon, they reject both, the leadership and the cause.
Now, another situation, as I indicated already, is where people do not follow the leader because they do not believe that he is the leader. In other words, when they have no faith in his being the leader, even though they realize that his message is true. Think about this a little. People do not believe that someone is a Christian leader even though they think that his message is true. What will happen? We have experienced this. When people rejected the Christian leader but they still wanted to cling to his message, what was the result? Yes? (Response from congregation.) Exactly—in the end they reject both.
Let’s take an example here of a leader who was not a Christian leader, the Pharisees—who claimed to be leaders, but they brought a wrong cause to the people, because they were leading them away from God and His law, as we understand. And it’s interesting what Jesus said about them. “Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do." Matthew 23:3.
In other words, don’t follow them. There’s no point in following a leader who is not a true leader, even if he speaks the truth. We must obey the truth for its own sake. We must obey the truth for truth’s sake, but if a person who is not a leader brings it, then we must not follow him. I think that is also obvious, because when self-sent messengers come, they will often speak some truth, and at first they may even speak only the truth. You have to say, “Yes, yes, yes," to it, but in the end they will mislead you, and this was definitely the case with the Pharisees. Jesus said, “Whatever the truth is that comes out of the mouth, accept that and do that. Don’t reject something just because it is said by somebody, but accept the truth as truth. However, don’t follow the speaker." But that happens very seldom. Often people tend to identify what someone says with that person, so when they can’t follow him they eventually reject what he says too. It would be very difficult if the message were presented only by those who are not Christian leaders. Then it would be very hard to raise a church. I would say it would be nigh impossible.
The people of the world would have been warned by now, if the church had lived out the truth. So the church has not given proper leadership, even though the church spoke the truth, and even though there were many who followed it at times. Do you know that statement which tells us what would have happened if the message had been accepted? “The history of ancient Israel is a striking illustration of the past experience of the Adventist body. God led His people in the advent movement, even as He led the children of Israel from Egypt. In the great disappointment their faith was tested as was that of the Hebrews at the Red Sea. Had they still trusted to the guiding hand that had been with them in their past experience, they would have seen the salvation of God. If all who had labored unitedly in the work in 1844, had received the third angel’s message and proclaimed it in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts. A flood of light would have been shed upon the world. Years ago the inhabitants of the earth would have been warned, the closing work completed, and Christ would have come for the redemption of His people." The Great Controversy , 457.2.
Now, it is not the case that the people always reject such truth, because the truth has a power in itself, but when it is not presented by those who are Christian leaders, the truth cannot have the same effect, and very few accept it. In 1844 when the message was first preached many accepted it, and before 1844 there were many who saw the light, who saw the truth, and who followed it. But then came the disappointment and many showed that they were not Christian leaders. They could not go through this disappointment as Christian leaders. They fell away. There were only very, very few who stood firm, and they were true Christian leaders. But most people fell away, and as a result faith in the cause was also lost. So it’s very difficult for people to have faith in a cause when it is presented by those who are not really Christian leaders. This we have to see very clearly. The world would have been warned—that’s interesting—if there had been Christian leaders. So can you see how the world is really perishing for want of true Christian leaders. It would have been warned. There would be another state of affairs in the world if there were Christian leaders. That is the idea we must get out of this statement.

Again remember what we read in Education 233.2 about the actor. The actor speaks of unreal things as though they are real, and the minister speaks of real things as though they are unreal. In other words, the minister is not really living it out. He’s not identifying with the cause that he is presenting. As a result the people can’t follow him. Even though he speaks the truth, which the actor recognized, he says, “How can we follow you, when you are not a leader in this matter?" It’s impossible.
So then, when do people follow a leader? Under what conditions? Let’s take this scenario, and I will ask you if it is correct. They do believe that he is the leader but they do not believe in his message. Would they follow him under that condition? (Congregation.) “They are following his personality" (Congregation). I am not saying whether they will follow him or not. The sub-heading is, they do follow the leader, but it’s a question mark. Would they follow the leader if they believed that he is the leader but they do not believe in his message? (Congregation.) Have we got any examples of when people believed that somebody was the leader, but they did not believe in his message? In politics we find this quite often. People recognize a president, although they don’t agree with his politics. But he is still the president and he is honored as such. (Congregation.) And in families, the father, yes. (Congregation) Yes, the people still followed Saul, you mean. (Congregation) True, but they did not believe in his cause. Good. Well, first of all, the people who followed the leader, and I was thinking of the disciples who followed Christ, did not always agree with His cause because He did things differently from the way they would have done it. So, to start with they tried to change Him. You remember this story when Christ was feeding the five thousand and the people got very, very enthusiastic as a result of this. Let’s read about this:
“All day the conviction has strengthened. That crowning act is assurance that the long-looked-for Deliverer is among them. The hopes of the people rise higher and higher. This is He who will make Judea an earthly paradise, a land flowing with milk and honey. He can satisfy every desire. He can break the power of the hated Romans …" So he was clearly recognized as a leader, wasn’t he? “…He can deliver Judah and Jerusalem. He can heal the soldiers who are wounded in battle. He can supply whole armies with food. He can conquer the nations, and give to Israel the long-sought dominion.
“In their enthusiasm the people are ready at once to crown Him king. They see that He makes no effort to attract attention or secure honor to Himself. In this He is essentially different from the priests and rulers, and they fear that He will never urge His claim to David’s throne. Consulting together, they agree to take Him by force, and proclaim Him the king of Israel…"
So they definitely did not agree with His modesty. “He needs a little help. He needs a bit of a push." Basically they didn’t believe in His cause. They had their own cause made up for Christ.
“…The disciples unite with the multitude in declaring the throne of David the rightful inheritance of their Master. It is the modesty of Christ, they say, that causes Him to refuse such honor. Let the people exalt their Deliverer. Let the arrogant priests and rulers be forced to honor Him who comes clothed with the authority of God." The Desire of Ages , 377.2-378.1.
When Judas betrayed Christ in the end, he thought exactly in that way. He wanted to force Christ to become king, and he wanted to force everybody to worship Him and that is the reason why he betrayed Him. He thought, “I’ll bring Him into a situation where He has to break His fetters." So there was a belief in the leader, but no belief in His cause. And so what you see is the people then tried to change the leader. Can you see this? They don’t believe in His message, but they believe in Him as the Leader, so they want to bring both aspects into harmony. Therefore they try to work on Him. Did this also happen with the disciples? How did it end? I mean, that creates a tension that must result in a solution sometime. So how did it end with the disciples? We know with Judas it led to a break-up, but with the other eleven disciples, they eventually changed their opinion. They changed their ideas. They changed their message. So the belief in the person as the leader was quite important. Let’s read about this in this paragraph here where Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. It says, “…Now there was union of heart, love for one another. They had become humble and teachable. Except Judas, each was ready to concede to another the highest place. Now with subdued and grateful hearts they could receive Christ’s words." The Desire of Ages , 646.3.
Now they could receive Him. Now they were ready. In other words, at first they did not believe in His cause, but eventually they were changed. So it was essential that they clung to Christ as their Leader, even though they did not believe in the cause at that moment.
But now let’s come to this point, and I think the answer for this is very clear. It is when people do believe that He is the leader, and they do believe that He has the right message. So when they do believe that He is the leader and they do believe in His cause, what will they do? Obviously in this case they will follow Him. But it’s not just that they follow Him, it’s also that they are faithful to Him even though the cause goes through a rugged path, and will be rocked in every direction. You understand that when you follow Christ you won’t have an easy path, I hope. But you can follow Christ only when you believe in both Him and His cause. We really need to understand this. Only when we believe in both Christ and in His cause. There may be people who believe in His cause, but they don’t have a personal relationship with Christ, and they will certainly fall away when the going gets rugged. Others have a relationship with Christ, but they don’t understand His cause. I mean they have a relationship with Christ insofar as they acknowledge Him as their friend and as the Forgiver of sin, but they don’t have any idea about The Great Controversy and where it is going. And they also will have difficult times. In order to follow a leader through thick and thin, as we say, you have to have both faith in Him as the leader and in His cause. You really have to identify with both.
Jesus explained this in the parable of the sheep. Let’s read this together. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd." John 10:11-16.
So in other words, the sheep of Christ will hear His voice and they will follow Him wherever He goes. Think of Job for a moment, when he was really suffering and he did not understand at that moment why, but he had faith in his Leader, who was God. And this faith carried him through in the end, didn’t it? And eventually through this faith in his Leader he also came to a deeper understanding of the cause. So, the point that I want to make with this comparison here is this: that faith in the leader as the leader is a very essential thing. It’s not just to have faith in the cause, which is important, but it is also to have faith in the leader. The disciples, for example, clung to Christ even after all the others left Him. You remember the story. “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’" John 6:66-69.
So they had faith in both—in His words and in Him as their Leader.
The people who followed David—you know this story—when he had to flee from Absalom. There were some who really followed him, the Hittites, for example, and some mighty soldiers. And also some counselors, and the priests followed him too. It shows that they were loyal to him even though his cause appeared to be a sinking cause. You know, it was the minority who were on his side. Everybody now seemed to acknowledge his son, Absalom, and yet there were some people who were absolutely loyal to David, and they did not lose faith in him and his cause, because they had faith in him. That shows how important strong leadership is then.
And it goes even beyond death. John Huss, for example, when he died people still believed in him, and they still followed him and defended his cause. Even though everything was against them, they stood firm. So this shows how mighty and powerful Christian leadership is and can be.
Peter followed Christ, even to His own death. Why? Because he had faith in Him as a Leader, not just in His cause. You see, we can have faith in a cause, which is a philosophical conviction, you could say. But we can have faith in Christ Himself which is a personal relationship, and this is absolutely necessary in order to be able to stand that fiery ordeal and to follow Him to death. I must know that He is my personal Saviour. Only then can I follow Him to death.
So very briefly a summary and conclusion now: We have said when people have no faith in the leader and have no faith in the message, then they do not embrace the cause. That is clear. Now, when people have no faith in the leader, but they do have faith in the message, what then? Very seldom they embrace the cause. As we can see, if God’s people would present the cause, instead of just preaching it, in this world, then there would be a flood of light. When people have faith in the leader, however, even though they do not have faith in the message, what then? They will eventually embrace the cause, unless they turn away. That’s another possibility. And when people have faith in both the leader and they have faith in the message, then the people are faithful to the cause.

Now in all this I am presuming that the leader really has the truth. I am not talking about false leaders because people can also have faith in false leaders, but that is not our point here. We are talking of Christian leaders. So what would be the conclusion from all this? The conclusion is only when people have faith in the Christian leader do they embrace the Christian cause, really. It is very important how the Christian leader is. The Christian leader must live out the message in order to lead people to the truth. That is the conclusion. If the Christian leader is not what he teaches, he cannot lead people to the Fountain of Life. In Matthew 7:20 we read the statement that we must be careful of false prophets. By their fruit we shall know them, and so we really have to realize that people are looking at the fruit. Only if they really have faith in the leader will they eventually or faithfully embrace the cause.
And why do we follow Jesus? Because we have seen what He has done for us, what He has suffered, how He is really living out what He is. He is not just saying and teaching some nice philosophy, some nice ideas, by which we can come to life. No, He lived it out, and He lived it out for me. And this is what people want to see in every leader in the end, in every Christian leader I should say.
So the message of a Christian leader is a living message. That really needs to be understood very clearly. As we have read already in one statement, what a man is has more influence that what he says. Let’s read the whole statement now.
“There is an eloquence far more powerful than the eloquence of words in the quiet, consistent life of a pure, true Christian. What a man is has more influence than what he says.
“The officers who were sent to Jesus came back with the report that never man spoke as He spoke. But the reason for this was that never man lived as He lived. Had His life been other than it was, He could not have spoken as He did. His words bore with them a convincing power, because they came from a heart pure and holy, full of love and sympathy, benevolence and truth.

“It is our own character and experience that determine our influence upon others..." In other words, that determines our leadership abilities. “…In order to convince others of the power of Christ’s grace, we must know its power in our own hearts and lives. The gospel we present for the saving of souls must be the gospel by which our own souls are saved. Only through a living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour is it possible to make our influence felt in a skeptical world. If we would draw sinners out of the swift-running current, our own feet must be firmly set upon the Rock, Christ Jesus." The Ministry Healing, 469.1-470.1.
I think we can leave it with this. Never a man spoke as He spoke. And why? Because never a man lived as He lived. So they followed Him in spite of the fact that they didn’t agree with His cause. Can you see this? Because they were deeply convicted that He was the Leader.
Let’s take the text now in Isaiah 58. You know this very well, where it says break off every bondage and so forth. Then your light will shine in the darkness. In other words, when the message is really a part of you and streams out in actions, then your light will draw in the darkness, then you will be a Christian leader. In this connection Sister White says practical work will have far more effect than mere sermonizing. What is sermonizing again? It is when we preach an idea, and ideology. But practical work means to give ourselves, to show what we are. “…But no man can impart that which he himself has not received. In the work of God humanity can originate nothing." Christ’s Object Lessons , 418.5.
And let’s look at Christ’s example. Christ is our Example. “Jesus was the healer of the body as well as of the soul. He was interested in every phase of suffering that came under His notice, and to every sufferer He brought relief, His kind words having a soothing balm. None could say that He had worked a miracle; but virtue--the healing power of love--went out from Him to the sick and distressed. Thus in an unobtrusive way He worked for the people from His very childhood. And this was why, after His public ministry began, so many heard Him gladly." The Desire of Ages , 92.1.
So in the end those who are good Christian leaders are not those who can speak well, but those who can live well. It is not a bad thing if you can speak well, and if we can convince people with our sermons. I am not saying that is a bad thing. But this is not what makes a person a Christian leader. A Christian leader lives out a Christian life. And it’s interesting, Jesus as a child and youth never showed who He was. Even though when He was twelve years old He knew who He was. He was unobtrusive. That means He did not show off. He did not say, “Here, look. I am the Leader of the world, follow Me." But He worked for the people. And when His public ministry began so many heard Him gladly. They acknowledged Him as a Leader. Why? Because there was substance behind what He said. And the substance was Himself. They liked Him. They had accepted Him as Somebody who really lived out the message.

So let’s summarize it. People identify the message with the messenger. They realize when the leader is just putting it on, when his words are not what he is. I used the example of animals. You know, when I fear animals they sense this. I may show off as though I don’t fear them. I tried to do this once. But they never respect me. When I fear them I fear them, and they know this, and then they come. People do, too. They sense in the end that what we preach is not really ourselves. Therefore, the messenger, the Christian leader persuades them by his person rather than by his message. The people need to get to know the Christian leader. That’s very important. It takes time until a Christian leader can expect the people to accept his ideas. They first need to accept him as a leader. And for this reason the Christian leader will work on being authentic. This is especially described in the prayer of Jesus where He said, “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth." John 17:19.
So this in short is the law that have studied here together. And now you know what the heading is, don’t you? Yes? (Congregation speaking.) Yes, the Law of Authenticity. In other words, the Christian leader is authentic or to say it in other words, the Christian leader is what he teaches. It’s not so much what he teaches which gives power to Christian leadership, but it’s what we are that gives power to Christian leadership. With this I want to close our study and give you the opportunity to ask questions and then we will continue after a break.
Study 16 - The Law of Authenticity, part 2

Welcome to study number 16 in our International Camp Meeting of the year 2005, where we are studying the laws of leadership. In the last study we considered together the law of authenticity, and we really strove to understand what is the reason why people embrace the cause of truth. And we saw that we tended to think it is merely because of the truth itself. But we find that in the world, in fact, people want to see the person who is preaching the truth. They want to know if he is authentic, whether they do so consciously or unconsciously, this simply is so.
During the break we mentioned the fact that parents also have this influence over their children. And you can observe when parents are very serious about the truth and follow the truth, they will have children who are as serious as they are. Where parents take it lightly, and not so seriously, then the children also will not take it so seriously. That is a direct relationship, and you can almost observe this. The more honest and determined a person is, even if he is not correct in all he believes, but he is honest and earnest in what he believes, the children will be honest and earnest too.
I wish that we would really understand that when we preach the message. Now, in the break, of course, questions have been asked and also some interesting statements given, and I want to share one thing with you, and that is from John 17. You know that this was the last prayer of Jesus; it’s called the mediatory prayer. It’s the prayer of a high priest, and he prays for His disciples especially, and it’s a prayer for unity as you know. He says in verse 9, for example,
“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are."
That is the prayer, “that they may be one as We are." Can you see authenticity here? Now let’s suppose a messenger in a church—or let’s say a person in a church would present the message—he would preach it with all earnestness, but the members would not live it out. What would the people in the village think? They would not see authenticity in that. They would not see power in that message. They will not want to accept it. They won’t see the leadership of the church. For this reason this unity is essential in order to present it. So it’s not just one Christian leader, it’s also the leadership of a whole church, which is to take leadership to the world, which is so important. Let’s read this again.
“…be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."
I am especially interested in verse 23. Let’s read this verse:
“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." John 17:9-23.
So how does the world know the truth of the cause of Christ? By the authenticity of the church. Do you see this? “That they may be one even as We are one." How can the world believe that the message works if it doesn’t work in the church? So, it is the unity, the true unity that people see in the church of God that has effect, obviously, according to the words of Christ. You can say the same is true in the family. When the husband preaches the message but the wife lives out something else, his message will not have much effect. If the parents preach a certain message but the children don’t live it out, the message will not have effect.
So let’s summarize this clearly. As a Christian leader, I definitely need authenticity. That is very important. But as somebody who listens to truth, I should accept truth for the truth’s sake. I should not stand there as a judge and say, “Now I first want to see how it works in your life before I believe you." That, I think, is clear. As people we must accept the message for the truth’s sake, but as leaders, we must work on the law of authenticity. And it’s a law. And as I said already, most people are not so clear and not so honest that they will accept the message for the truth’s sake, they will first accept the leader before they accept his cause. That is simply so, and because it is so, we have to work by this law.
Can I repeat this again? The law of authenticity means that we live out the message, that the message is a living message, and so it was with Christ and so it must be with the individual Christian leader, and so it must be with the family, and so it must be with the church. So, let us now come to the next law.
The Law of Victory

With the next law, again, you can think about what it is. We want to see that Christian leaders know how to achieve victory. That is also a very important aspect of Christian leadership. Let’s read a statement about this, from the words of Christ when He was on His last journey from Galilee, and He was talking with His disciples—He was sending out the seventy, and the seventy were coming back from the missionary tour, and they were saying, ‘“Master, even the devils are subject to us." They were really enthusiastic about this. And Jesus dampened this enthusiasm somewhat, because He did not want them to think too much of themselves. He said, “don’t rejoice about that, but rejoice about the fact that your lives are written in the book in heaven." And then He said something that is quite interesting. He said, “I saw Satan like a flash falling down from heaven." He really rejoiced in the results of His sacrifice already, even though He had not even given it yet. He knew that Satan was a conquered foe, and He wanted to convey this happiness and this joy to His disciples.
Now, the disciples, I think, understood that Jesus was a Man of victory. He could gain victory at any place. And that is what a Christian leader will do. Of course, you don’t recognize victory immediately; sometimes it can look like a defeat, but we’ll come back to this. Let’s first study this statement together a little, which we can find in The Desire of Ages , 490:
“With Him (that is, with the Saviour,) there can be no such thing as failure, loss, impossibility, or defeat; we can do all things through Him who strengthens us. When temptations and trials come, do not wait to adjust all the difficulties, but look to Jesus, your helper.
“There are Christians who think and speak altogether too much about the power of Satan. They think of their adversary, they pray about him, they talk about him, and he looms up greater and greater in their imagination. It is true that Satan is a powerful being; but, thank God, we have a mighty Saviour, who cast out the evil one from heaven. Satan is pleased when we magnify his power. Why not talk of Jesus? Why not magnify His power and His love?" The Desire of Ages , 490.5-493.1.
Now that describes a very important law of Christian leadership. There are Christian leaders “…who think and speak altogether too much about the power of Satan. They think of their adversary, they pray about him, they talk about him, and he looms up greater and greater in their imagination. It is true that Satan is a powerful being; but, thank God, we have a mighty Saviour….".
Doesn’t this remind us of the story of the ten spies who came back, and Joshua and Caleb? The ten spies said, “Oh, the country is very fortified. It is a good country—yes—we have a lot of fruit with us, but it’s very fortified. The people there are giants, and they are well trained soldiers; it will be very, very difficult, if not impossible to overcome them." Then Joshua and Caleb said, “Well, Christ has already conquered them." And then the ten said, “No, no, the country eats its inhabitants, we can’t!" And so, were they Christian leaders? Certainly not. But Caleb and Joshua, those two were Christian leaders because they knew how to gain the victory. Can you see this?

So, Christian leaders know how to achieve victory. Why not talk of Jesus? “Why not talk of Jesus? Why not magnify His power and His love?" Now, by magnifying and talking about Jesus, some people have the idea that they should say, “We want to talk about only beautiful things." And as soon as we have to mention a problem, or a difficulty, they say, “Oh no! You are not a Christian. We only want to talk about good things." But this is not what is meant here. Satan is a powerful foe, and we have to understand his tactics. We have to study this. In The Great Controversy there is a whole chapter entitled “The Snares of Satan", which tell us what Satan is doing and what he is intending to do. But, in knowing this, it is also important to know how to get the victory over him. And that is the point. A Christian leader will always know how to get the victory.
So, then, how do Christians achieve victory? We could just say “Through Jesus" and that’s the end of the study. But we must be a bit more specific. How does a Christian leader achieve victory? First of all, they do not even think of defeat. That is very important element. When we go forward in our work, constantly thinking, “It won’t work anyway", we can’t lead out. Have you tried to lead out by believing it won’t work anyway? Have you tried to lead your children to do something and you believed they wouldn’t do it anyway? Has it worked out? Never! In order to lead out successfully, you should not even think of defeat.
The Bible is full of statements which speak about this fact. For example, in Romans 8:37 Paul says we are more than conquerors through Christ. And through this, the Bible conveys a really positive thought. In 1 John 5:4 we read, “Our faith is the victory that overcomes the world." And in Christ’s Object Lessons , we can read this statement which, I think you are well aware of, on page 363:
“We should not talk of our own weakness and inability. This is a manifest distrust of God, a denial of His word. When we murmur because of our burdens, or refuse the responsibilities He calls upon us to bear, we are virtually saying that He is a hard master, that He requires what He has not given us power to do." Christ’s Object Lessons , 363.2
“But when we give ourselves wholly to God and in our work follow His directions, He makes Himself responsible for its accomplishment. He would not have us conjecture as to the success of our honest endeavors. Not once should we even think of failure. We are to co-operate with One who knows no failure." Christ’s Object Lessons , 363.1.
The next principle that we need to remember if we want to gain the victory, is that Christian leaders persevere and pursue victory until they have achieved it. How often does it happen when difficulties come that we give up in the middle? And we do not continue any further. But we cannot achieve victory this way. Victory is achieved only by persevering to the end. And this is made clear in many statements. I found, for example, this in Psalm 18 which is also in 2 Samuel , I forget now the exact verse. It’s a prayer of Daniel, where he said, “I pursued my enemies until I destroyed them." ( Psalm 18:37.) In other words, he did not pursue his enemies until he had done half the work and then went back, but he pursued his enemies until his work was accomplished, until the victory was truly there. And you remember when King Joash went to Elisha, at the end of Elisha’s life? He smote with his arrows three times on the ground and then he stopped. And Elisha said, “If you had followed up the work till the end, you would have achieved the victory. But in this way you have lost it." (See 2 Kings 13:15-19.)
There’s also a story of the civil war, that I can remember, in America in about 1863, where the northern and southern armies had a battle. And I think they had a very severe battle in Gettysburg and the southern army lost, and had to flee. Everybody expected that the northern army would quickly go after them and totally rout them, so that the victory for the north would be complete. President Abraham Lincoln definitely expected this, and he wrote to his general, “Now I hope you will rout them out." And the general wrote back, “Well, I will drive out our enemies from the state of Virginia, so that not one is left in there." And Lincoln wrote back, “Is this all? Is this all?" In other words, the general was satisfied just to gain ground. But he did not pursue the enemy to get the victory to the end. And because of this the battle dragged on, I don’t know how long, for two more years or so. I hope I have the facts correct here. I may have the date of the year not quite right, or some other details.
But it was sad, you know. The battle was not over, because the victory was not pursued to the end, and many more people died in this war as a result. If the general had seen this opportunity and pressed through to the end, then he would have achieved the victory, but he did not know how to achieve such a victory. To drive out the people from one territory was not achieving the victory. The enemy could go into another state, could recuperate there, and then attack again. Although this is only warfare, it’s still an object lesson, of course. It illustrates that we have a spiritual warfare to fight.
In many statements of the Bible we see that the people of God have persevered, “because you have kept My word of perseverance," it says in Revelation 3:10, “I will keep you in the hour of trial." That is one translation. Another translation is, “because you have kept My word of patience, I will keep you in the hour of trial." And in Revelation 14:12, we read “Here is the perseverance of the saints"—or “here is the patience of the saints." Here are those who persevered and pursued the victory to the end. And in Revelation 13:10 we also read about the patience or the perseverance of the saints. We read a similar thing: “Here is the patience and the faith of the saints." There’s also a parallel text, “Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints". You see “perseverance" is another way to use that Greek word.
So, the people of God are the ones who have persevered. Another way to gain the victory is to accept nothing but victory. That’s putting it in a different way, you may say, but I think it’s important to show it from this angle as well. A Christian leader will accept nothing but victory. “What is victory?" you may ask. Victory is when the cause of God is, in the end, victorious. I would also say that there are times when Satan seems to get an advantage. I am thinking here of Isaiah, when he was preaching in a time of seemingly little success. There seemed to be very little success. God was telling him, “Go and preach, and the people won’t hear. Their ears will be will be dull" and so forth. But the fact that Isaiah was a Christian leader is shown in his question. What did he ask? Do you remember this? Maybe we should read it together. Isaiah chapter 6. So, he was asked,
“‘Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’ And He said, ‘Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ ‘Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears….’"
So, that doesn’t look like victory, does it? No. It looks rather like defeat.
“… ‘And understand with their heart, And return and be healed…’"
And what did Isaiah ask?
“…’Lord, how long?’…."
In other words, Isaiah was not willing to accept defeat. He said, “I accept nothing but victory. So my question is only how long?" And then God told him, “Well, some things have to happen." “‘Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate, The Lord has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. But yet a tenth will be in it, And will return and be for consuming, As a terebinth tree or as an oak, Whose stump remains when it is cut down. So the holy seed shall be its stump.’" Isaiah 6:8-13.
So, God’s Christian leaders, and God’s people, accept nothing but victory. They cling to victory because Christ has achieved it. That is very important to understand: there is victory, because Christ has already achieved it.
Do you know the statement about having a series of uninterrupted victories? Maybe we’ll come to this a little later. Let’s first read this in The Desire of Ages , 490.4.
“Henceforward Christ’s followers were to look upon Satan as a conquered foe. Upon the cross, Jesus was to gain the victory for them; that victory He desired them to accept as their own. ‘Behold,’ He said, ‘I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.’" The Desire of Ages , 490.4.
Furthermore the Christian leader becomes even stronger under pressure. When pressure comes and the person gets weaker, then he shows that he is not really a Christian leader. That is a very important factor: when the pressure comes on, the true gold comes out. It’s described a little in Malachi where Christ sits as the Refiner of His people, to bring our their gold. Of course there is another meaning to this as well. But look at Christ, for example. When He was under really strong pressure, then His true character was revealed. And you could also say a true Christian leader rises to the occasion. That means he becomes even stronger when the pressure is on.
Let’s take some examples. When David was persecuted by the people who were under Absalom, pursuing after him, he was very humble and yet very serene and very sure that he was in the hand of God. And this character is described and summarized in the following words in Patriarchs and Prophets , 738.1.
“But he saw in his own sin the cause of his trouble. The words of the prophet Micah breathe the spirit that inspired David’s heart. ‘When I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him, until He plead my cause, and execute judgment for me.’ Micah 7:8, 9. And the Lord did not forsake David. This chapter in his experience, when, under cruelest wrong and insult, he shows himself to be humble, unselfish, generous, and submissive, is one of the noblest in his whole experience. Never was the ruler of Israel more truly great in the sight of heaven than at this hour of his deepest outward humiliation." Patriarchs and Prophets , 738.1.
So Christian leadership is really proved under pressure. Can you see how Joseph became a leader when he was under pressure? Let’s read this together, as it is described in Patriarchs and Prophets , 214. When he was sold as a slave he was at first very downcast. It was thought to be worse than death to be sold as a slave somewhere in a foreign country. But Joseph determined not to let his thoughts run in this channel, not to accept defeat. Instead he determined to get the victory, and so he gave himself fully to Christ and then his whole character, his whole thoughts changed. It says,
“His soul thrilled with the high resolve to prove himself true to God—under all circumstances to act as became a subject of the King of heaven. He would serve the Lord with undivided heart; he would meet the trials of his lot with fortitude and perform every duty with fidelity. One day’s experience had been the turning point in Joseph’s life. Its terrible calamity had transformed him from a petted child to a man, thoughtful, courageous, and self-possessed." Patriarchs and Prophets , 214.1.
“Arriving in Egypt Joseph was sold to Potiphar…." Patriarchs and Prophets , 214.2.
And so forth. Then we see him constantly in leadership roles: whether he was at Potiphar’s home, whether he was in prison, or whether he was at the throne of Egypt, as prime minister (not as Pharaoh). That’s interesting, isn’t it?
You see how this came about through the trials Joseph experienced. He would never have become a leader, if the trials had never come and brought this leadership out. He was a petted child, and as a petted child he was not able to be a leader, but under pressure he became one. And that is how leaders achieve victory. Pressure will not make them weak, but it will rather make them strong. And in such a situation of Satan’s attacks, the difference between light and darkness becomes clearer too. In other words, it’s not only that the character changes under pressure, it’s also that under pressure the true character will come out. For it was in this conflict between good and evil where, when the world sinned, God’s character was revealed more clearly. We read this in The Desire of Ages , 22. His character must be revealed in contrast to Satan’s character. Maybe you remember this.
“The earth was dark through misapprehension of God… that the gloomy shadows might be lightened, that the world might be brought back to God, Satan’s deceptive power was to be broken. This could not be done by force. The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan.…" The Desire of Ages , 22.1.
So the true leadership of God becomes even more visible under a situation of rebellion, and that will be so with true Christian leaders too.
The next principle is that victory comes through the cross. This principle we will see more clearly later when we study another aspect, or another law of Christian leadership, but this is something we have to realize: that victory is not a smooth path where you are exalted above temptation and above trials, and so forth. It is the way of the cross that achieves victory. And when Jesus was exalting that He had seen Satan falling down from heaven like a flash, when He was rejoicing and telling His disciples this, He was thinking of the cross. He was not thinking of His glorious reception in heaven. He was thinking of the work He was to do. So let us turn to The Desire of Ages , 679.2.
“Christ rejoiced that He could do more for His followers than they could ask or think. He spoke with assurance, knowing that an almighty decree had been given before the world was made. He knew that truth, armed with the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit, would conquer in the contest with evil; and that the bloodstained banner would wave triumphantly over His followers. He knew that the life of His trusting disciples would be like His, a series of uninterrupted victories, not seen to be such here, but recognized as such in the great hereafter." The Desire of Ages , 679.2.
So when Christ was nailed on the cross, nobody thought that He was a great hero. Nobody thought that He was gaining the most important victory that any general had ever won on this earth, or in the whole universe. That was really a triumphant moment when Christ died on the cross. But who could see this? The angels eventually saw it, though not immediately. It took a while for them to see it too. But Christ saw it when, with His last breath, He cried out triumphantly, “It is finished. The victory is won". And I really wish that we could see this too—that there is definitely victory for God’s cause.
Christ gained the victory on the cross. I think there are two good texts about this. You know in Philippians 2:5-9, “Let us have this mind in us that was also in Christ Jesus, who thought it not robbery to be equal with God but humbled Himself and became obedient, even on the cross; and therefore God has also exalted Him." And in Colossians 2:15, I read according to the New Living Translation now,
“In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ." Colossians 2:15.
So, that is how to achieve victory. That is the key, the mystery here, which a Christian leader needs to understand.
Now what we also need to see is that what we are talking of is the victory of the cause, it is not the victory of the person. Do you see this? In the world the people are looking for the victory of self, but the Christian leader will think of the victory of the cause. This matter became very apparent when Moses offered for his own name to be blotted out of the book of life so that the people would be saved. But it was not sheer love for the individual people that made him say that, it was also love for God, which motivated him. “Because," as Moses said, “what will the gentiles say when You destroy them whom You have led out of Egypt in such a wonderful manner? Won’t they put shame on Your name? Will not Your name be dishonored when this happens? This can’t happen. Rather cross me out of the book of life and let them continue." That was his idea.

So Moses’ mind was focused absolutely steadfastly on victory, but victory of the cause, not his personal victory. And we must be very clear about this. Now in making this request, Moses was not taking his own salvation lightly. We shouldn’t think this for a moment. Just as Adam did, when he joined Eve in sin, Moses desired to be with Christ very much. It was a very hard thing, certainly, for him to make this decision, but in this Moses really joined the spirit of Christ, who also had the cause of the Father always in mind. So it is the victory of the cause that the leader looks for. The Christian leader is not looking at his personal victory, but it is the victory of the cause which is dear to him.
So we can see Moses as an example. And let’s look at Paul too. He also said, “I wish that I could be separated from Christ if thereby I could save my people, the Jews, because to them is given the promises of all these things. It’s very painful for me to see how God’s promises could not be fulfilled. It is hard to bear." But he had one comfort—that God would again raise a people, and that many of his own people would then be challenged to come back too. So we can see that Paul’s mind was clearly set on the victory of the cause.
The mind of Christ Himself was also clearly set on the victory of the cause. For this reason He personally made that sacrifice which Moses and Paul offered. He was separated from His Father, and therefore God exalted Him, but it is also that, for this reason, the cause of Christ really gained the victory.
If a person seeks victory only for self, he will disqualify himself from becoming a Christian leader. In the world people also talk much about victory, but they are talking about the victory of self. This is not Christian victory. If it is victory only of self, then what cause are you leading? You are not a leader anymore, other than the leader of yourself. That is all there is to it.
Adam, for example, was thinking of himself when he joined in the sin of Eve. Let us briefly see this confirmed in Patriarchs and Prophets , 56.2.
“Adam understood that his companion had transgressed the command of God, disregarded the only prohibition laid upon them as a test of their fidelity and love. There was a terrible struggle in his mind. He mourned that he had permitted Eve to wander from his side. But now the deed was done; he must be separated from her whose society had been his joy. How could he have it thus? Adam had enjoyed the companionship of God and of holy angels. He had looked upon the glory of the Creator. He understood the high destiny opened to the human race should they remain faithful to God. Yet all these blessings were lost sight of in the fear of losing that one gift which in his eyes outvalued every other." Patriarchs and Prophets , 56.2.
So Adam was determined not to lose that one gift. In other words he was determined for victory, but for what kind of victory? Not victory for the cause, but victory for self. And therefore he lost the cause. He lost his leadership of the cause.

Similarly with Judas. He wanted to join Christ, not because he really loved the cause, but he loved himself. And he wanted a position for himself in that cause.
Let us now look at some factors that will bring victory to the cause in the end. There are three factors really. Number one: unity. Number two, diversity of gifts, and the third, Christian leadership. Think about this a little. Without unity, the cause of Christ cannot gain the victory. Without many gifts the cause of Christ cannot gain the victory. And there must also be Christian leadership. These are three factors that really belong together. And I want to look, very briefly, with you at one story, and that is in Acts 6, the choosing of the seven deacons, to see how these three factors work together: unity, diversity of gifts, and Christian leadership.
Can you see how unity was important for the Christian church to be successful? Without unity they couldn’t hope to bring the gospel to the world. Can you see that diversity of gifts was also essential? God gave this gift, that gift, and the other gift—they needed all these gifts in order to bring the gospel to the world. And they had the wise leadership of the apostles. Under their wise leadership the whole became a coordinated effort to bring the gospel to the world. I think that story is really interesting.
So let’s look at unity first. Christians need to be united in order to be victorious. The Acts of the Apostles , 90.1, 2:
“To the early church had been entrusted a constantly enlarging work—that of establishing centers of light and blessing wherever there were honest souls willing to give themselves to the service of Christ. The proclamation of the gospel was to be world-wide in its extent, and the messengers of the cross could not hope to fulfill their important mission unless they should remain united in the bonds of Christian unity, and thus reveal to the world that they were one with Christ in God." The Acts of Apostles , 90.1.
You can read other statements too. The second factor is diversity of gifts. I think this point is clear from 1 Corinthians 12, that God has given to the church this gift, that gift, and the other gift. And finally Christian leadership. Let us read about this in The Acts of the Apostles , 88.2.
“The disciples of Jesus had reached a crisis in their experience. Under the wise leadership of the apostles, who labored unitedly in the power of the Holy Spirit, the work committed to the gospel messengers was developing rapidly. The church was continually enlarging, and this growth in membership brought increasingly heavy burdens upon those in charge…." The Acts of Apostles , 88.2.
Under the wise leadership of the apostles, the work committed to the gospel developed rapidly. Can you see how this was an important factor?
So in summary: unity, diversity of gifts and Christian leadership—those are the factors that bring victory to the cause. And as we understand this now, we really want to pray that we gain Christian leadership in order to bring the different aspects of the work into unity, so we can go forward in unity to finish the work.
Yes that is the summary of this law and what shall we call this law? (Joshua answers.) The law of victory, exactly, that’s what I called it. The Law of Victory. A Christian leader knows no impossibility or defeat.
Study 17 - The Law of Momentum
Welcome this evening to study number 17 in our International Camp Meeting of the year 2005. This time I want to tell you what the subject is, but as you can see, I have blanked out the subtitle, and maybe you can give me this at the end.
What we want to study is the Law of Momentum. Do you understand the word momentum?
Maybe as some do not have English as a native language it needs a little explanation. Once, with three or four boys, we were pushing a caravan uphill. And we were pushing with all our strength, because we were going uphill, so we had to push really hard. And then, one of the boys said, “I have to take a break." But as soon as he said this, we all had to stop, and then we had great difficulty in getting it going again.
Sometimes you can’t get going again after you stop. So, what is the reason? You lose the momentum. That explains it a little, right? The word momentum refers to the forward movement of something. But, let’s explain this, now, in detail.

What is momentum? Momentum is when the work is moving forward towards the aim with increasing strength. We talk of the work gaining momentum. So, that is basically the definition of that word.
It is difficult to get things going until they have momentum, as I illustrated with this caravan. When it has to go uphill and you have to start it, that’s very difficult, but it is easier to steer something once it is moving. So once it has momentum, then it can be steered more easily, but you can’t steer anything that doesn’t go forward.
Let’s use some biblical examples to illustrate this a bit. When Moses led the people out of Egypt, the work received momentum. At the beginning, it did not have momentum. The people were in Egypt for a long time, and it seemed impossible that anything would move. If you took a survey back then, “do you think that you can leave this country at some time and go into Canaan?" and so forth, what would the people of Israel have told you? “No way. Never. You can’t even begin this. You know, the Egyptians are suppressing us, and they wouldn’t allow this, to start with. And secondly, they are a strong military power. We have no chance against them. We have no weapons. We do not even have the manpower to meet them. So how shall we go there? We have nothing, we have no possessions. It’s a logistic task and that is impossible. You can forget about it." That’s how most people would have reacted. But once Moses accepted the command, and he went about carrying it out step by step, it eventually received momentum.
Although it had seemed to be a “mission impossible"—it seemed that it couldn’t be done—it developed into the most successful Exodus . Have you ever considered that an enslaved people could move out against the will of their suppressors and successfully cross a wilderness to go into another country with more than a million people? Maybe two million people, because six hundred thousand were men, not counting the women and children. So, that is something. You really can only marvel at this success, but it was due to the law of momentum. We want to see this more clearly.
The work of Nehemiah gained momentum. Let’s review his actions for a moment, to understand this a little In the beginning, when he was at court, Nehemiah heard about the situation in his homeland. The people were few, they were not very motivated, the enemies were hindering them whenever they could, at every moment, they didn’t have proper material, authorities, and so forth. It was really a mess. It was going very badly there. So people would have said, “Too bad, we can do nothing about it. What can I do about it? I am only one person here. There’s nothing I can do." And even the cup-bearer could have said, “What can I do? The king won’t do exactly what I tell him to do. You know, he has more important matter to attend to—the Hebrews —they’re an unimportant part of his realm. He will not even consider this. So, what can I do? Nothing." But that’s not how Nehemiah thought. He was a man who was able to generate momentum, and as I have said already, it required a lot of strength to generate momentum. And as we will see, it requires great leaders to generate momentum.
First Nehemiah had this vision, then he had this plan, but he kept this plan in his mind for quite a while, until the time was ripe according to God’s plan. Then God made it clear, “This is My plan." And once it was clear that this was God’s plan, it was revealed to Nehemiah through circumstances. The king asked him, “What do you want me to do?" That was the time to start. That was really the beginning of the momentum. And from there on, the work gained more and more momentum. The momentum began when Nehemiah asked, and he received what he wanted from the king. And secondly, he asked for more. Then third he asked for more still. Then he went back, and he could encourage the people, as a result. You know, once he got the permission from the king, it was easier to continue to influence the people also, to rise up to the occasion because they saw God’s providence in this. They saw an opening. So the work gained momentum. And once the builders all were willing to build, once they all said, “Yes, we will go to work," the work had really got momentum, and then it was relatively easy to build and to direct the people, wasn’t it? But it was very, very difficult to start with. Just imagine starting such a work, a mission impossible again! But once it got momentum, it really rolled and rolled, and then it pushed forward.
So these were the several steps from the idea to the successful building of the wall. Nehemiah co-operated with the law of momentum, step by step. He saw how the work was going, and he did not allow, what we allowed, to stop pushing it uphill! You know, once you stop, then it stops, and then, I think what we did, we steered it in another direction, because we thought, “Now, we can’t go uphill anymore," so we went another way. Anyway, sometimes that’s the only solution, so there’s a detour. You can’t do it the way you did it before. When you lose the law of momentum, you’ve lost the forward movement. So, to co-operate with the law of momentum, really means to continue pushing. And this is exactly what Nehemiah did. He did not allow there to be a stop in that work.
When we look at the Early Rain, and also at the Latter Rain, we notice that the work really gains momentum when the Holy Spirit is poured out. The disciples were a very small band, and at first they were very sad and discouraged when Jesus died. They were disheartened, and thought that they never could do anything anymore. It was really a mess. The work was in bad shape. In this situation they prayed, and Jesus appeared to them, and as He did they gained courage. And as they gained courage they gained the ability to co-operate with the law of momentum.
Once the Holy Spirit was poured out, they went forward and they did not stop. They couldn’t be stopped even by prisons doors. The book of Acts really describes very well how the work gained momentum. There were thousands who were baptized in a day, but not only this, the prison doors couldn’t hold them, and they went forward, and forward, and forward. Even though the work was difficult, because they had to testify in Jerusalem, and when the first martyr was stoned, that was Steven, it was of course, a threat, but they didn’t allow the work to stop. They continued to push the work forward.
So after the time that Jesus was executed, the greatest forward movement developed from Pentecost onwards. Maybe we should read this very briefly in The Acts of the Apostles , 44, just to see how the law of momentum is described here.
“The Jewish leaders had supposed that the work of Christ would end with His death; but, instead of this, they witnessed the marvelous scenes of the Day of Pentecost. They heard the disciples, endowed with a power and energy hitherto unknown, preaching Christ, their words confirmed by signs and wonders. In Jerusalem, the stronghold of Judaism, thousands openly declared their faith in Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah.
“The disciples were astonished and overjoyed at the greatness of the harvest of souls. They did not regard this wonderful ingathering as the result of their own efforts; they realized that they were entering into other men’s labors. Ever since the fall of Adam, Christ had been committing to chosen servants the seed of His word, to be sown in human hearts. During His life on this earth He had sown the seed of truth and had watered it with His blood. The conversions that took place on the Day of Pentecost were the result of this sowing, the harvest of Christ’s work, revealing the power of His teaching." The Acts of the Apostles , 44.3, 4.

And then it goes on to speak of how they worked. The same work will again happen when the Latter Rain is poured out. When you think about the task of taking the message to the whole world in one generation, then you must say, from a human standpoint, it’s a mission impossible. I mean, we could imagine bringing the message here to every person in the village. This, I would say, is possible—to take it to everyone in Germany, wow! I don’t know if that would be possible, but now, think of the billions of people in the world, to everyone in India, in China, in Africa, in America, North, South and Middle. Everywhere? That’s impossible.
The work must gain new momentum, that’s for sure, and I think we can see this. But who has the faith to begin this work? That is the question. Where is the Nehemiah, to push it forward, and not to say “It’s a mission impossible."
So, how is momentum generated? That is the question we want to ask now. And this is an important question of Christian leadership. There are two factors. The first factor is that without God’s guidance, without God’s providence, it is not possible. You can work as hard as you wish, but without God opening the way, you cannot really generate momentum, at least not in the kingdom of God. Maybe in worldly enterprises—that’s a different matter—but not in the work of God. You need God’s providence, first of all. That must open the way. It’s like opening the door.
But there’s more than just God’s part needed. It requires the part of the leader as well. So when God’s providence opens the way, there must be the co-operation of Christian leaders. In other words, they must be able to see this opportunity of an open door. Can you remember the statement where Paul was in Ephesus and he stayed there for a little longer than he originally intended and he said, “I saw a great and effectual door opening?" These words ring in my ear. He saw a great and effectual door opening. He saw, really, the providence of God, how it opened, and he jumped in. We can read this in 1 Corinthians 16:9.
So, at that moment, when he saw this opening of God’s providence, he immediately grasped the opportunity and this generated momentum. Now, do you think that this means that Paul was writing these words at a time when everything was going well in Ephesus? Certainly not. Let’s read his own words in 1 Corinthians 16:9. Paul himself says here,
“But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries." 1 Corinthians 16:8, 9.
Interesting! So, it’s not that everything was going smoothly. There were many adversaries, and yet Paul saw already, a great and effective door opening. That means he already saw in his vision a lot of momentum, because God had opened the door. The momentum was not there at that time, but it would be there in due time because God had opened the door. And from this you see it requires the vision of a leader, the vision of somebody who can co-operate with God, who already foresees the momentum, and who jumps at this open opportunity and goes forward. This is how momentum is generated.
Christian leaders need to recognize and to follow the opening of God’s providence in order to generate momentum. That means they first of all recognize the small beginnings. Can you remember how the prophet was told that the people of God should not despise the little beginnings, in Zechariah 4:10, and we can read the same thing in Christian Leadership , 50. We will read more of this. Maybe we will read the whole chapter here—it’s a very interesting chapter.
“The cause of God demands men who can see quickly and act instantaneously at the right time and with power. If you wait to measure every difficulty and balance every perplexity you meet, you will do but little. You will have obstacles and difficulties to encounter at every turn, and you must with firm purpose decide to conquer them, or they will conquer you.
“Sometimes various ways and purposes, different modes of operation in connection with the work of God, are about evenly balanced in the mind; and it is at this very point that the nicest discrimination is necessary. And if anything is accomplished to the purpose, it must be done at the golden moment. The slightest inclination of the weight in the balance should be seen, and should determine the matter at once. Long delays tire the angels." Christian Leadership , 50.1, 2.
And long delays mean that the momentum is lost. And the opportunity is lost, and then there is a long delay, or a detour. So, what is required, are people who can quickly recognize an opening of God’s providence, which is usually quite small, and grasp this. And that is what Nehemiah saw, didn’t he? When he heard the question of the king, he could already see the momentum. But who would see this? Most people would say, “Yes, now he has asked the question, but will he grant my request, and should I really ask so much? Wouldn’t he think that I am too bold? And so on and so forth. And shouldn’t I first go away and say, ‘I’ll think about it.’?" No, Nehemiah saw this opportunity and he used it. That is Christian leadership.
“They grasp the situation by faith…" Like Moses at the Red Sea. He saw already that there would be an opening through the Red Sea. He didn’t see how, he didn’t exactly see the waters departing or anything, but he knew God would deliver them. And this faith he communicated to the people. That is leadership.
Then true leaders will put all their leadership abilities into the matter, when they go forward. Remember the statement about Moses, who, once he accepted the task, put all his skill into the work and did not hesitate to go forward, really to move forward. “But having once accepted the work, he entered upon it with his whole heart, putting all his trust in the Lord. The greatness of his mission called into exercise the best powers of his mind. God blessed his ready obedience, and he became eloquent, hopeful, self-possessed, and well fitted for the greatest work ever given to man. This is an example of what God does to strengthen the character of those who trust Him fully and give themselves unreservedly to His commands." Patriarchs and Prophets , 255.1.
When hindrances arise, true leaders will not be disheartened but they will overcome these hindrances. You know, when it goes more uphill and it gets harder, they will not stop, but they will push harder, because they know that once they stop pushing it can’t continue anymore.
Often it is through a crisis that the work catches momentum. In other words, when it gets hardest, then often it goes forward. And I was thinking here of several instances, the one here in The Great Controversy , is in the chapter on the last final warning, and it says:
“Heretofore those who presented the truths of the third angel’s message have often been regarded as mere alarmists. Their predictions that religious intolerance would gain control in the United States, that church and state would unite to persecute those who keep the commandments of God, have been pronounced groundless and absurd. It has been confidently declared that this land could never become other than what it has been—the defender of religious freedom. But as the question of enforcing Sunday observance is widely agitated, the event so long doubted and disbelieved is seen to be approaching, and the third message will produce an effect which it could not have had before." The Great Controversy , 605.3.
We could also read, “and the third message will gain momentum as it could not have had before." How could it gain momentum? Through a crisis—through the fact that Sunday laws are agitated, which is a crisis for God’s people, no question about that. But because God’s people stand firm, because they do not stop pushing forward, they gain momentum through these difficulties. And this has been true in other instances as well.
I think I will leave it here for the moment, after we have briefly looked at this scripture too, in Prophets and Kings , 147. That is when Elijah was on Mount Carmel, and this was a great crisis for the work.
“And now, in this crisis, they persisted in refusing to take their stand for God." Prophets and Kings , 147.3. That was a real crisis. But, you know, it brought out a tremendous victory for God, and the work really gained momentum after this—strong momentum.
Another part of the story of Elijah is also in Prophets and Kings , 162.1.
“Into the experience of all there come times of keen disappointment and utter discouragement…" this is when Elijah fled “—days when sorrow is the portion, and it is hard to believe that God is still the kind benefactor of His earthborn children; days when troubles harass the soul, till death seems preferable to life. It is then that many lose their hold on God and are brought into the slavery of doubt, the bondage of unbelief. Could we at such times discern with spiritual insight the meaning of God’s providences we should see angels seeking to save us from ourselves, striving to plant our feet upon a foundation more firm than the everlasting hills, and new faith, new life, would spring into being." Prophets and Kings , 162.1.

In other words, God really uses these circumstances to bring His people a step forward in order to help them to gain momentum, or to help the work gain momentum. So these are the various ways the work is gaining momentum.
Now, who generates momentum? As we have said already, each of us must be a person who has the attributes of a Christian leader. Followers merely catch the momentum. When it comes, then they will follow. Then they will be there. But they don’t generate it. So the Jews in Jerusalem caught the momentum that Nehemiah had generated, but they did not generate it themselves.
The people on Mount Carmel also caught the momentum, after the sacrifice was consumed at the altar, but they did not generate it.
Managers, that is administrators, at best, maintain momentum. What I mean here, is those who simply deal technically with a thing, but who are not leaders at heart, or, I would almost say by passion, who do not have leadership in their heart, but who simply technically administer something. They can maintain momentum once it’s there, but they don’t generate it. Even though they have some success in the work, they do not fully enter into the open providence of the Lord. And again, I am thinking of Joash here, who beat three times on the ground with his arrow and then stopped. He was a king. As a king he was a manager. He maintained some momentum, but he would not really push forward to complete it.
Christian leaders create momentum. Of course, they do this by grasping the opening, simply, of the providence of God. They do this by understanding and following God’s opening providence. So let us briefly read these two statements here, in Prophets and Kings , 634.1
“Nehemiah did not depend upon uncertainty. The means that he lacked he solicited from those who were able to bestow. And the Lord is still willing to move upon the hearts of those in possession of His goods, in behalf of the cause of truth. Those who labor for Him are to avail themselves of the help that He prompts men to give. These gifts may open ways by which the light of truth shall go to many benighted lands. The donors may have no faith in Christ, no acquaintance with His word; but their gifts are not on this account to be refused." Prophets and Kings , 634.1.
In other words, Nehemiah was really pushing forward, and as he pushed forward into the open providence of God the work gained momentum. This is also made clear in the statement on page 263. The lesson is for all time. That is the beating on the ground with the arrows.
“The lesson is for all in positions of trust. When God opens the way for the accomplishment…" that is, when there is an opportunity to create momentum “…of a certain work and gives assurance of success, the chosen instrumentality must do all in his power to bring about the promised result. In proportion to the enthusiasm and perseverance with which the work is carried forward will be the success given. God can work miracles for His people only as they act their part with untiring energy. He calls for men of devotion to His work, men of moral courage, with ardent love for souls, and with a zeal that never flags. Such workers will find no task too arduous, no prospect too hopeless; they will labor on, undaunted, until apparent defeat is turned into glorious victory. Not even prison walls nor the martyr’s stake beyond, will cause them to swerve from their purpose of laboring together with God for the up-building of His kingdom." Prophets and Kings , 263.1

So this is how momentum is generated. It’s described very nicely in this paragraph.
Now the question that you may ask is this: “When shall I move forward and when shall I wait?" Because, you know, sometimes it’s not good to move forward, for then I may go in the wrong direction. And the answer is very simple. There is a testing phase and there is an execution phase, and we need to understand the difference between both. In the testing phase I must ask the question, is the plan in harmony with Bible principles first of all, to the law, and to the testimonies? And if they don’t agree, it’s because there is no light in the plan. So I have to test the plan with the Word of God. I also have to ask the question, “Are the brethren in harmony with that plan?" I must not just move forward quickly, I must first see if this is in harmony with the brethren. In Christian Leadership , 50 this is very nicely described here:
“God has given to each individual judgment, and this gift He wants His workers to use and improve. The president of a conference must not consider that his individual judgment is to be the judgment of all.
“In no conference should propositions be rushed through without time being taken by the brethren to carefully weigh all sides of the question. Because the president of a conference suggested certain plans, it has sometimes been considered unnecessary to consult the Lord about them. Thus propositions have been accepted that were not for the spiritual benefit of believers, and which involved far more than was apparent at the first casual consideration. Such movements are not in the order of God.
“Many, very many matters have been taken up and carried by vote, that have involved far more than was anticipated, and far more than those who voted would have been willing to assent to, had they taken time to consider the question from all sides." Christian Leadership , 50.5-51.1.
So this is the time where we still have to test a matter and to see, is this really from God. And that’s not the time to rush quickly and thoughtlessly forward. At this time, as Sister White advises us, we have to give back the plan to God to be carried through or given up. We must lay our plans every morning at God’s feet, and this especially applies to the church plans too, to be given up or carried through as His providence shall indicate. Steps to Christ , 70.1.
Now, what is the transition between the testing phase and the execution phase? What is the decisive point? In our prayer, we give back the plan to God until when? Exactly. Until God’s providence opens the way—then we must move forward. And we have read this—let’s read this again in Christian Leadership , 50.2.
“Sometimes various ways and purposes, different modes of operation in connection with the work of God, are about evenly balanced in the mind; and it is at this very point that the nicest discrimination is necessary…." This is where we need discernment, do you see? “…And if anything is accomplished to the purpose, it must be done at the golden moment. The slightest inclination of the weight in the balance should be seen, and should determine the matter at once. Long delays tire the angels." Christian Leadership , 50.2.
Then it’s time to move forward, and not to delay. When the balance is tipped, when the slightest inclination of weight in the balance moves, when this is seen, then it is time to move forward. This means from that moment on the work gains momentum, provided we join this work.
And that now is the execution phase, and as we really apply all our effort at that moment, then the Lord will open the way. It may be that difficulties will come, but we shouldn’t be too annoyed by these. We must push forward, and as we do so we will gain strength through this. In Prophets and Kings we have read this already, in this paragraph here. When the Lord opens the way we should not wait, do you remember this? Prophets and Kings , 263.1.
“When God opens the way for the accomplishment of a certain work and gives assurance of success, the chosen instrumentality must do all in his power to bring about the promised result."
And at that time we must put all our power into the work, as we have read in the first paragraph in Christian Leadership .
“The cause of God demands men who can see quickly and act instantaneously at the right time and with power. If you wait to measure every difficulty and balance every perplexity you meet, you will do but little. You will have obstacles and difficulties to encounter at every turn, and you must with firm purpose decide to conquer them, or they will conquer you." Christian Leadership , 50.1.
At that time we should not waver for a moment. Let’s read this in Christian Leadership , 50.3, this time.
“It is even more excusable to make a wrong decision sometimes than to be continually in a wavering position; to be hesitating, sometimes inclined in one direction, then in another. More perplexity and wretchedness result from thus hesitating and doubting than from sometimes moving too hastily." Christian Leadership , 50.3.
Hmm. I find this very interesting! Let’s read this again: “….It is even more excusable to make a wrong decision sometimes than to be continually in a wavering position; to be hesitating, sometimes inclined in one direction, then in another. More perplexity and wretchedness result from thus hesitating and doubting than from sometimes moving too hastily." Christian Leadership , 50.3.
You see, always hesitating and doubting, what is this? It’s weak leadership. It is the heading here. And that’s true—hesitant leadership is weak leadership. When we do not follow the momentum when difficulties come, if we allow these difficulties to hinder us, then that is weak leadership.
“I have been shown that the most signal victories and the most fearful defeats have been on the turn of minutes. God requires promptness of action. Delays, doubting, hesitation, and indecision frequently give the enemy every advantage."
Do you know how it is in battle? I don’t know how much you understand about warfare. But if you were a general, you would understand a lot, and if a general were here, he would be able to tell you this better than I can. When you have a battle between two armies, once one army has an advantage, it gains momentum. You have to follow it, and if you don’t follow it, you lose. You lose the war. And often that is what the northern army did in the battle in the civil war between the north and the south states in America. The northern army had wonderful victories, but then they did not follow it up, they lost momentum, and then the southern armies could gain the advantage. They were much more aggressive. The southern armies had a better general than the northern armies, because the generals of the northern army didn’t understand the law of momentum.
I ask myself, “Do we understand this? Can we really push forward when the work is going forward. Do we recognize it?" With a firm purpose we must then determine to conquer obstacles and difficulties. I think that is what we read here in the first paragraph. Yes.
“If you wait to measure every difficulty and balance every perplexity you meet, you will do but little. You will have obstacles and difficulties to encounter at every turn, and you must with firm purpose decide to conquer them, or they will conquer you." Christian Leadership , 50.1.

So do we understand when to move forward? We must recognize momentum, and momentum is when God’s providence opens the door. That means we have to have spiritual discernment, obviously. A leader must have spiritual discernment to be able to see when God opens the door, and then he must put all his strength into the work and push forward, and not waver and hesitate, because that will weary the angels.
So why do people not use momentum? Why were the generals in the north so weak? Often people try to embrace the work with their feeble arms. They try to control everything, they try to have everything in their vision, and to see everything, or make sure that they know every detail and every difficulty in advance. And if there is any question about something, even a little thing, they won’t move forward. This is trying to control everything. You can’t do this. That will make you weak.
The leaders in Jerusalem tried to do this. Remember how we studied this story when they tried to control Paul, but also in the meeting they had, as described in Acts 15.
“The Jewish converts generally were not inclined to move as rapidly as the providence of God opened the way. From the result of the apostles’ labors among the Gentiles it was evident that the converts among the latter people would far exceed the Jewish converts in number. The Jews feared that if the restrictions and ceremonies of their law were not made obligatory upon the Gentiles as a condition of church fellowship, the national peculiarities of the Jews, which had hitherto kept them distinct from all other people, would finally disappear.…" The Acts of the Apostles , 189.2.
So they were not inclined to move forward and to use the law of momentum. And why not? Because there were a few meaningless ceremonial forms in the way and they saw problems ahead. They did not see, they did not discern, the providence of God.
Another reason is that they lacked faith. Indecision is often the fruit of cowardice. What was the cause of the leaders in Jerusalem counseling Paul to go into the temple? It was cowardice, because they feared persecution. They said, “You see, brother, that there are many Jews who believe the truth, but they think this and that about us, and because they think this and that about us we should do something so that they won’t think this about us any more. So go, do this, and go the second mile." But Paul was not authorized to do this. Neither were they authorized to tell him to do this. It was cowardice which prompted them to say this. It’s a lack of faith. And so they stopped the momentum. In other words, the tremendous work that Paul had done, which was creating momentum in the church, was stopped through their cowardice.
Also people do not see the opportunities because they are occupied with selfish plans. They follow their own little plans and then they don’t see the bigger picture—they don’t recognize when God opens the way. Delivering discourses for example can display self. Sister White describes this here in Gospel Workers 1892 , 39.2.
“A great and solemn truth has been entrusted to us, for which we are responsible. Too often this truth is presented in cold theory. Sermon after sermon upon doctrinal points is delivered to people who come and go, some of whom will never have another as favorable opportunity of being convicted and converted to Christ. Golden opportunities are lost by delivering elaborate discourses, which display self, but do not magnify Christ. A theory of the truth without vital godliness cannot remove the moral darkness which envelops the soul." Gospel Workers , 39.2.
That is quite interesting, isn’t it? It shows that when we deliver selfish discourses we miss the opportunity, the golden opportunity, to preach the truth.
Another reason is doubt and uncertainty. When the believers in 1844 were in doubt and uncertainty, they lost momentum. You know this from The Great Controversy , but it’s interesting to read this also from Evangelism , 695.3
“Had Adventists, after the great disappointment in 1844, held fast their faith and followed on unitedly in the opening providence of God, receiving the message of the third angel and in the power of the Holy Spirit proclaiming it to the world, they would have seen the salvation of God, the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts, the work would have been completed, and Christ would have come ere this to receive His people to their reward. But in the period of doubt and uncertainty that followed the disappointment, many of the advent believers yielded their faith. . . . Thus the work was hindered, and the world was left in darkness." Evangelism , 695.3
Now, can you see how there was an opening providence? There was momentum, and this momentum was not followed up, and as a result the work was delayed and we are still on this earth. That is a real case history showing us how important the law of momentum is, and how we need to co-operate with this law of momentum.
Another reason why people do not grasp the momentum is because they are discouraged. And again, here we could quote the situation of 1844, but let’s take the case of ministers. Some ministers are easily discouraged, as Sister White says in Testimonies for the Church 5:281.2.
“God calls upon the individual members of the churches in these two conferences to arouse and be converted. Brethren, your worldliness, your distrust, your murmuring, have placed you in such a position that it will be exceedingly difficult for anyone to labor among you. While your president neglected his work and failed in his duty, your attitude was not such as to give him any encouragement. The one in authority should have acquitted himself as a man of God, reproving, exhorting, encouraging, as the case demanded, whether you would receive or reject his testimony. But he was easily discouraged, and left you without the help that a faithful minister of Christ should have given." Testimonies for the Church 5:281.2.
So it is important not to become discouraged, because that stops momentum as well. Then when people are what I would call spiritually lethargic, they don’t see the opportunity of God. This is the reason that the Israelites who should have left Babylon did not leave. It was a wonderful opening of an opportunity. God had given a special decree through the king, and now everybody should have said, “This is our opportunity. Now we will go." But instead, most of them said, “No, no. We have nice house here, and nice gardens. We are well here. Why should we start over again? That’ll be too wearisome." So they did not see the opening of God’s providence. It was, I would say, spiritual lethargy. That is how I would describe it.
Then also when people murmur and complain, they really hinder momentum, and I think that is very obvious. For example, and this we should read together, the Israelites really lost momentum when they traveled around Edom. And why did they lose this momentum? Let’s read about it in Patriarchs and Prophets , 422.6 and onwards.
“Had the people, when brought into trial, trusted in God, the Captain of the Lord’s host would have led them through Edom, and the fear of them would have rested upon the inhabitants of the land, so that, instead of manifesting hostility, they would have shown them favor. But the Israelites did not act promptly upon God’s word, and while they were complaining and murmuring, the golden opportunity passed."
Momentum stopped. Now they couldn’t do what they should have done before. They had to go around Edom instead. “When they were at last ready to present their request to the king, it was refused. Ever since they left Egypt, Satan had been steadily at work to throw hindrances and temptations in their way, that they might not inherit Canaan. And by their own unbelief they had repeatedly opened the door for him to resist the purpose of God." Patriarchs and Prophets , 422.6.
That is a really sad story when you think about it.

So, in summary, momentum is the best tool for the Christian leader, because it is God who opens the way. If the work is from God, then He makes Himself responsible for its accomplishment. When the work goes forward, the enemy is defeated. Remember, how it happened with the Advent movement? When they were discouraged, fanaticism came up in the summer of 1844. Then when the midnight cry came, it melted away like the frost before the rising sun. That was because of the momentum created.
So momentum is really a very important factor in order for the work to go forward. During these times the people have faith and courage. So when you can generate momentum, the people will have faith and courage, like during the midnight cry. Momentum is a powerful agent which changes things for the better. After the disappointment, the disciples experienced a marvelous change. The work went forward with momentum and the disciples experienced a change. The Christian leader, therefore, will be ready for the moment momentum begins. He will be ready for the time when God’s providence opens the way. He will be a minuteman. Do you understand the term minuteman? He will stand ready, and at the precise minute go forward.
One more point, he will always be ready to move as fast as providence opens the way. As you can read in Patriarchs and Prophets , 423.1.
So this was the law of momentum. Now, the question to you is what heading should this study have? I mean, it’s the law of momentum, but what subheading would you give this? I would agree with most of them. Maybe you will wonder a bit about my subheading now, and I’m willing to change it, but I thought it is better to make a mistake than not to go forward when the Lord opens the way. You know, often we are wondering, and so forth, and hesitate too much, and so I thought we must understand that we should be a little more courageous.
It’s better to move forward and to make a mistake, than not to move forward when the Lord really opens the way. I thought this subheading was especially applicable to us here. Eric: do you know what the subheading was? It would be good to add it here!
Study 18 - The Law of Priorities

Good morning and welcome to Study No.18 in our International Camp meeting of the year 2005. This morning we want to continue to look at the Laws of Christian Leadership. And the law that we are considering today is the Law of Priorities. Again I have covered up the subheading so that you can help me afterwards to choose the right one.
Now when we talk about priorities we first want to ask the question, “what is the benefit of setting the right priorities?" You can think about this yourself a little: “what would be the benefit of setting right priorities?" Normally we think of setting priorities in the context of time management. You see when you have a book where you manage your time, it gives you a task list. Or on the computer you have a task list, and then you give the tasks certain numbers—task one is the top priority, number two is second priority, number three third priority, fourth and so on in a special program in which you can do this. So is the benefit of prioritizing only for time management? No. It also has something to do with Christian leadership. Let’s look at it like this: first of all it obviously brings efficiency into the work when we set the right priorities. That means better time management, as I have already just said. But it also brings more order into the work, and that is very important for the successful accomplishment of any work. You have better oversight of the work when you set the right priorities. You know what is going on and you can direct it better and oversee it as Nehemiah did—he clearly oversaw the work of the building of the wall. But this makes the work not only more efficient—it also makes the work effective. That means the result is better. Not only do you have more time, but you also have a better outcome, or as I think they say in the business world, you have a better return. It brings greater returns.
Now in our case this means the work of God really is advanced. Instead of mere activity, there is accomplishment. What is the difference between activity and accomplishment? I can be very active and very busy, without accomplishing much. So if we do not set priorities, our activity does not lead to accomplishment, and consequently our work is not effective. We may work all day from morning to evening and not accomplish much. And that is because we did not set priorities—it’s as simple as that.
Now when we set priorities, activity leads to obvious accomplishment and then the work is effective. So this shows us a little of the importance of setting right priorities. It not only gives us more time, but it really helps us to accomplish things. Otherwise we are very ineffective in our

work.
So now we want to ask, what then are the priorities of the Christian leader? How shall we number them? What would you put as priority number one? You can think about this a bit. What is your top priority? Communion with God? That is already a little too specific—I formulated it more broadly, but communion with God definitely is a very important point. Yes—the advancement of God’s cause. There is a Bible text, Mathew 6:33. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:33. That means that when this is really the top priority, when we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all other things shall be added unto us. In other words, then you will be effective, and efficient too—efficient because you have more time. And effective because you will reach what you want—seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It is very interesting because I said that you will reach what you want. Of course, not unless you have the desire to advance God’s cause will you reach it. Or even with secular desire, you will not reach or have this unless you put it first. What you get is what you want, when you seek the kingdom, when you seek its advancement. When you want to be really effective in this line then you will, when you seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first.
Let us look at some examples to see how it really makes a person effective or ineffective when he sets priorities. As an example I want us to look at Solomon the king after David’s time. When he began his work as a king, Solomon really set the priorities right, very right. And as a result his work was very, very effective. We’ll read about this in 2 Chronicles 1:7-12. …. Now if I ask you what you want and you would say “I don’t know what I want" that is not so good. It would be good if you knew and you had a list of priorities in your mind, “I want this, this, and this" and then it would be easy. When we ask our children what they would like to have for their birthday, of course they quickly tell you what they want. Not only one thing, but many things. One thing they want most, and another thing they want second, and so forth. So they make a list of priorities of what they want. And when God asks you, “what do you want?" it would be good if you had a list of priorities, wouldn’t it. Solomon certainly had a priority list in his mind. So let’s read what his priority was and what he wanted.
“On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, ‘Ask! What shall I give you?’ And Solomon said to God: ‘You have shown great mercy to David my father, and have made me king in his place. Now, O Lord God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?’" 2 Chronicles 1:7-12.
Can you see how clearly Solomon had a priority in his mind? He was thinking of the job that he was doing right then. And he needed something for the job, so he asked for that. He could have asked for anything else. He could have asked for something for himself personally. But that was not in his mind. He thought of the work that he was doing, and in this way he set his priorities very right.
Now when we set our priorities in a way that is totally unrelated to our work, then God can’t help us much. For example if my work is to build a house, and I ask Him for an opportunity to travel to another country. What has that to do with building the house? You know God may give me this request, but it won’t make my work more effective. If you are building a house, then what should you ask? For wisdom to build the house, for workers, maybe, who can help you in building the house, or what ever. You have to ask for whatever is closest to your hand. What is necessary? You have to know what your priorities are at that moment. And Solomon really knew that. He asked for wisdom to guide God’s people. Because he asked, “who can guide these people aright?" He said to himself “I am but a child". He needed wisdom and he really saw this. Asking for this was very, very good and this is what God himself confirmed:
“Then God said to Solomon: ‘Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king— wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.’" 2 Chronicles 1:7-12.
That’s a wonderful story, for it shows how the work of priorities makes a person effective. Solomon was a true Christian leader, as we read in Prophets and Kings , 27-34. You can read on your own how Solomon really set his priorities very, very well, at the beginning of his service.
Then later when Solomon continued in his service he did not follow the Law of Priorities anymore. Instead he had wrong priorities. When he began to think of the greatness of the kingdom, and of peace with the surrounding nations, and of making alliances with them, and for that purpose marrying their people and so forth, his priorities became distorted. I mean his desire to have peace for the kingdom was not bad, neither was it wrong to want to have the kingdom prosper and so forth, but he no longer he acted with divine wisdom. He used policy. His priorities were distorted. And as result he stopped being a wise leader. That is the effect of not setting the right priorities.
Another point that needs to be understood in setting priorities is that the spiritual condition is more important than the physical life. This is something we very easily overlook. We think the physical life is the most important, because physical life is very near to us. But the spiritual condition in God’s sight and in objective sight is more important, because the spiritual condition determines our eternal life, whereas our physical condition determines only our temporal life. This we see very clearly in the case of Jesus Christ when He suffered in the wilderness after hungering there for forty days. He had to make the decision: “should I go and get some bread?" And when Satan came and said “make food from the stones", He had to make the decision: “shall I make food or shall I not? If I don’t I will starve, and if I do I will live." What is the priority here and what was the priority of Jesus? Let’s read this on page 121.1 in The Desire of Ages .
“When Christ said to the tempter, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,’ He repeated the words that, more than fourteen hundred years before, He had spoken to Israel: ‘The Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness. . . . And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.’ Deut. 8:2, 3. In the wilderness, when all means of sustenance failed, God sent His people manna from heaven; and a sufficient and constant supply was given. This provision was to teach them that while they trusted in God and walked in His ways He would not forsake them. The Saviour now practiced the lesson He had taught to Israel. By the word of God succor had been given to the Hebrew host, and by the same word it would be given to Jesus. He awaited God’s time to bring relief. He was in the wilderness in obedience to God, and He would not obtain food by following the suggestions of Satan. In the presence of the witnessing universe, He testified that it is a less calamity to suffer whatever may befall than to depart in any manner from the will of God." The Desire of Ages , 121.1.
So, what had priority for Jesus? The will of God. It was more important for Him than His temporal life. That is setting priorities very clearly. And that is the reason why Christ was so effective. Sister White says the interest of a single soul in the truth should have priority, over even temporal life. There is an interesting statement in Evangelism , 324.1.
“There are no circumstances of sufficient importance to call a minister from an interest created by the presentation of truth. Even sickness and death are of less consequence than the salvation of souls for whom Christ made so immense a sacrifice. Those who feel the importance of the truth, and the value of souls for whom Christ died, will not leave an interest among the people for any consideration. They will say, Let the dead bury their dead. Home interests, lands and houses, should not have the least power to attract from the field of labor." Evangelism , 324.3.
That is setting priorities. I mean that is the list of priorities that God’s true people will set. Let’s look at other examples of setting priorities. It’s very interesting if you look at them in the light of history. You know Nehemiah, we have studied his role as a Christian leader and we could study much more, but there was one other point we could consider. His enemies constantly tried to weaken him and the builders, and there were also people among the Jews who were not honest with Nehemiah but who sided with his enemies. And they reported everything that Nehemiah did and said to the enemies so that they could make schemes and weaken him. They would do all kinds of unexpected things. At one time they said, “all the enemies are coming and we must flee to the temple." And they wanted Nehemiah to flee to the temple to protect himself, so that everybody else would also try to protect himself, which would have really weakened the builders. At another time they started rumors, “oh! We have heard you want to make yourself king here. And we must report this to the real king," and so forth. Again it was just a rumor, but it was designed to weaken the builders. But through all these difficulties Nehemiah continued to work, and at one time he said, “I have no time to come down to you. I have an important work to do." So he very clearly set priorities. I think it is very interesting here what Sister White says in the statement in Prophets and Kings , 659.1.
“Every device that the prince of darkness can suggest will be employed to induce God’s servants to form a confederacy with the agents of Satan. Repeated solicitations will come to call them from duty; but, like Nehemiah, they should steadfastly reply, ‘I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.’…" In other words, I have set my priorities. “…God’s workers may safely keep on with their work, letting their efforts refute the falsehoods that malice may coin for their injury. Like the builders on the walls of Jerusalem they must refuse to be diverted from their work by threats or mockery or falsehood. Not for one moment are they to relax their watchfulness or vigilance, for enemies are continually on their track. Ever they must make their prayer to God ‘and set a watch against them day and night.’ Nehemiah 4:9." Prophets and Kings , 659.1.
So, we see here very clearly that we are not to be distracted by threats, mockery or falsehood. Sister White once described these as black balls. If we pay attention to them, then our dresses will really get dirty. The best thing is not to pay attention, but to continue the work. We have to set priorities.
We have read in the statement in Evangelism that we should let the dead bury their dead. In other words, set your priorities and don’t be distracted by this thing here, but let the dead bury their dead. “Come and follow Me," Jesus said to one of the disciples. I like this statement very much in The Desire of Ages , 486, because it shows us that sometimes Christ had a conflict of priorities. When He was on His last journey from Galilee, He clearly had several tasks before Him. One was to go to Jerusalem for His crucifixion. Another was that there were many people still hungering and thirsting for the truth. The third one was that His disciples were not yet ready for leadership in the Christian church. So, what priority should He consider first? He had a conflict here, but He knew how to set His priorities. As we read in The Desire of Ages , 486. That is the conflict here. But then on page 486.2 we read:
“But Jesus had ‘steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.’ The one law of His life was the Father’s will. In the visit to the temple in His boyhood, He had said to Mary, ‘Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?’ Luke 2:49. At Cana, when Mary desired Him to reveal His miraculous power, His answer was, ‘Mine hour is not yet come.’ John 2:4. With the same words He replied to His brothers when they urged Him to go to the feast. But in God’s great plan the hour had been appointed for the offering of Himself for the sins of men, and that hour was soon to strike. He would not fail nor falter. His steps are turned toward Jerusalem, where His foes have long plotted to take His life; now He will lay it down. He set His face steadfastly to go to persecution, denial, rejection, condemnation, and death." The Desire of Ages , 486.2.
In other words, Jesus had a very sharp, clear and distinct priority. “The one law of His life was the Father’s will" and this He followed without any hesitancy, without any question. Another example where we see Christ setting priorities was when He was in the upper chamber with His disciples, just before His own suffering in Gethsemane and Golgotha. So let us read this together in The Desire of Ages , 643.
“Christ knew that the time had come for Him to depart out of the world, and go to His Father. And having loved His own that were in the world, He loved them unto the end. He was now in the shadow of the cross, and the pain was torturing His heart. He knew that He would be deserted in the hour of His betrayal. He knew that by the most humiliating process to which criminals were subjected He would be put to death. He knew the ingratitude and cruelty of those He had come to save. He knew how great the sacrifice that He must make, and for how many it would be in vain. Knowing all that was before Him, He might naturally have been overwhelmed with the thought of His own humiliation and suffering. But He looked upon the twelve, who had been with Him as His own, and who, after His shame and sorrow and painful usage were over, would be left to struggle in the world. His thoughts of what He Himself must suffer were ever connected with His disciples. He did not think of Himself. His care for them was uppermost in His mind." The Desire of Ages , 643.2.
Again here Jesus had a priority to set. Was it to think of Himself, to think of His own suffering, to prepare Himself mentally for what was before Him, or to think of His disciples? What was His priority? To think of His disciples. In other words the work was uppermost in His mind He did not think of Himself. Self was not the priority for Christ. Thinking about Himself was not the priority for Christ. He did not think of Himself. Good. So these are the priorities for a Christian leader.
And now we want to ask the question, “what influences have priority for the Christian leader?" because there are certain influences that come upon us when one person wants this and another wants that. There is an influence coming from this direction and from that direction. How shall we order them? How shall we categorize them? Which influences have priority? This is something we have studied in the past. You know there are some people who give priority to the spoken word of the Bible. They open the Bible and they read something, then this is their priority. Others give priority to the impressions that come to their minds and this is most important for them. They put everything else beneath this. Others have priorities according to what other people tell them, or a certain person tells them and they will only follow this and nothing else. And so forth...

So what are the priorities and how shall we prioritize the influences that come upon us? Do you remember how we made two lists of influences? One is the objective and the other is the subjective.
So let’s begin with the objective influences. Which would be the most important? Is it an objective influence? Yes, the word of God, which is of course the principles or the truths of the Bible. To the law and to the testimony—if they don’t say this there is no light in them. In other words that must always have the priority. It had priority for Martin Luther. It had priority for all the people of God who really accomplished something. So only if we have it as a clear priority can we really be Christian leaders. It’s impossible to be a Christian leader otherwise, because every person who has to lead out in a work will be confronted with many influences, and the word of God must have priority. It definitely had priority with Christ because He said “man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." It had a greater priority to Him than the suggestion of Satan, “Make yourself food." It had more priority to Him than even His own desires, because He certainly had a desire to eat something and also to prove to Satan that He was the Christ. The word of God was the most important of the principles. Of course we also have the laws of nature which are quite important and with which we should be in harmony. And we must also give them priority because they are laws of God. Let’s read this briefly in The Ministry of Healing , 416.1.
“God is constantly employed in upholding and using as His servants the things that He has made. He works through the laws of nature, using them as His instruments. They are not self-acting. Nature in her work testifies of the intelligent presence and active agency of a Being who moves in all things according to His will. ‘Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to Thine ordinances: For all are Thy servants.’ ‘Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.’ ‘He commanded, and they were created. He hath also established them for ever and ever: He hath made a decree which shall not pass.’ Psalm 119:89-91; 135:6; 148:5, 6." The Ministry Healing , 416.1.
So, since God is constantly working through the laws of nature, we must respect them. It is really important to see that when observing them, they have a priority of course under the written word of God.
The next priority is the counsel of experienced believers. This is also an objective influence because it is not influenced by my desires, by my inclinations, by my prejudices. It really comes from minds who can look at the situation from outside, and that is very important. So we must really give the counsel of experienced believers a high priority. This does not of course stand above the word of God, that is clear, but it must have a greater priority than other influences. Paul clearly gave this counsel priority because He was glad, when matters of difficulty arose, to lay them before his fellow believers and unite with them in asking God for wisdom. He had no strange ideas of individual responsibility where he said, “here look, that’s my opinion" and gave this the priority. No! He was willing to submit these things.
Then next we have subjective influences, and they are very important as given through our conscience. Of course the conscience is very important, but it must be formed by the word of God. Even though the conscience is a very important institution in our minds, it is still subjective because it depends on the understanding that we have. In Selected Messages 1:27.3 we read this about the conscience:
“What voice will you acknowledge as the voice of God? What power has the Lord in reserve to correct your errors and show you your course as it is? What power to work in the church? If you refuse to believe until every shadow of uncertainty and every possibility of doubt is removed, you will never believe. The doubt that demands perfect knowledge will never yield to faith. Faith rests upon evidence, not demonstration. The Lord requires us to obey the voice of duty, when there are other voices all around us urging us to pursue an opposite course. It requires earnest attention from us to distinguish the voice which speaks from God. We must resist and conquer inclination, and obey the voice of conscience without parleying or compromise, lest its promptings cease, and will and impulse control." Selected Messages 1:27.3.
We can see here that our conscience is really the most important of our subjective influences. Then we have the voice of the Holy Spirit in our hearts which of course is also an impression. I don’t say that the voice of the Holy Spirit is less important than the conscience, but what I mean is when He speaks to our hearts we have first of all to make a decision, is this the voice of the Holy Spirit or is it only my inclination? Often it is impossible to distinguish. We call this an impression. “I was impressed to do this," or “I was impressed do to that." It may have been the Holy Spirit that impressed you, but it may also be that it is your secret desire to do this or that.
Then there is the spoken word as I said before, when we open a certain word from the Bible. The reason why I don’t give this such a high priority is because the inclination or the heart of the human being is very deceitful and it wants him to do the things that it wants, so we can find the scriptures that we want, if we so desire. In other words we can keep opening the Bible so long, until we find the text that fits our inclination. Then we say, “now I have a spoken word." So we have to be a bit careful with this. It is not that the word of God must submit to us. We must submit to the word of God.
The next influence is the voice of God spoken through nature. I mean, when we see in nature certain things, this is also very often an impression. Which is good and we must listen to this. But since it is an impression, it could also be colored by our inclination. Second to God’s word are the laws of nature. These are the irrefutable laws of God. When I have a certain impression, for example, it’s like the spoken word. And fifthly, our own experience also has an influence on us. Of course we constantly check what we do against our experiences in the past. Which is good and it is a reference, but it may also be subjective, because our own experiences must be understood in the light of the word of God.
Dreams are another influence. Many people place a lot of importance on dreams. And they say “I dreamt this, therefore I must do this." We have to be a little careful with this, even though dreams can come from God and they can give us direction. But let us make sure that these dreams are also in harmony with the other voices, with other influences. Only thus can we be safe. If we would rely only on dreams, there would be great danger in doing this.
And finally, and this is the one we should give the least priority to: our own inclination. I don’t say that our own inclinations are totally out of the question, because it could be good if we do what our hearts want. I could be good if the heart wants the right thing. But as we know, our heart is deceitful and doesn’t always want the right thing. But let’s pray to God that He will change our heart, so that it wants the right thing and then our inclinations will be a good influence on us. But obviously it must have a lower priority than other influences.
In summary: To set priorities of our influences—that is very important for a Christian leader.
Let’s take Balaam for a moment, to see how he did not set the right influences or prioritize the right influences. That is, he had certain influences and he followed these and he tried to bring them into harmony with the rest of the influences. In fact he asked God until he gave Him what He wanted more or less, or he thought that he had. It’s like opening the Bible until you find the text that you want. That is not right. Let’s read the statement in Patriarchs and Prophets , 440.4:

“There are thousands at the present day who are pursuing a similar course. They would have no difficulty in understanding their duty if it were in harmony with their inclinations. It is plainly set before them in the Bible or is clearly indicated by circumstances and reason. But because these evidences are contrary to their desires and inclinations they frequently set them aside and presume to go to God to learn their duty. With great apparent conscientiousness they pray long and earnestly for light. But God will not be trifled with. He often permits such persons to follow their own desires and to suffer the result. ‘My people would not hearken to My voice. . . . So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.’ Psalm 81:11, 12. When one clearly sees a duty, let him not presume to go to God with the prayer that he may be excused from performing it. He should rather, with a humble, submissive spirit, ask for divine strength and wisdom to meet its claims." Patriarchs and Prophets , 440.4.
In other words, it is really important to set other priorities than Balaam did, in order to be a Christian leader and follow God.
How does a Christian leader set priorities? First of all through prayer. Prayers are also an important means of setting the right priorities. You remember Martin Luther. How much did Luther pray? Three hours. It was also dependant on the time available, but it is interesting that when there were special times of stress he prayed even more. And this is according to the word of Luther in The Great Controversy , 122.1
“The fear of the Lord dwelt in the heart of Luther, enabling him to maintain his steadfastness of purpose and leading him to deep humility before God. He had an abiding sense of his dependence upon divine aid, and he did not fail to begin each day with prayer, while his heart was continually breathing a petition for guidance and support. ‘To pray well,’ he often said, ‘is the better half of study.’" The Great Controversy , 122.1.
That means he preferred praying even to study. It was the most important priority for him and that is how we learn to set priorities—when we give priority to prayer. And this way we also set priorities for other things in our life. Without prayer we cannot set other priorities correctly and our work will be inefficient or ineffective as a result. Let’s really see this very clearly. I can set the priority in the morning and begin with prayer. And then the day will go differently, because during the day I will set different priorities. And this will make a change in my work. Or I can neglect prayer and a result I will always set the wrong priorities. In The Desire of Ages we see that Christ was constantly in prayer, but there was never a person as busy as Christ was. Sister White puts this very clearly:
“No other life was ever so crowded with labor and responsibility as was that of Jesus; yet how often He was found in prayer!" The Desire of Ages , 362.3.
In Education , 260, 261, in the chapter “Faith and Prayer", we also see the need for prayer. Here Sister White says that especially at times when there is such a rush, at the time when everyone is running, then it is time when it is important to give priority to this quiet time. If our young people will take more time for prayer, if they would give more priority to this, then there would be more strength with them. I think we should emphasize this personal prayer much more in order to be effective.
There are other means to help us to prioritize, means that God has given us. For example, the Sabbath. He says the Sabbath belongs to me. This time belongs to me to give it priority.
Now we may think it’s a waste of time to do nothing on Sabbath. You know we think we could do so well if we could just use this time too, but would we? We would win some time, that is true, but since we would not prioritize, we would be less efficient and less effective. God has given us this day, so that we can set priorities. That is the purpose of the day, the very purpose. God requests this portion of time so that we can use it to set our priorities aright. We read this in Education , 250.1:
“The value of the Sabbath as a means of Education is beyond estimate. Whatever of ours God claims from us, He returns again, enriched, transfigured, with His own glory. The tithe that He claimed from Israel was devoted to preserving among men, in its glorious beauty, the pattern of His temple in the heavens, the token of His presence on the earth. So the portion of our time which He claims is given again to us, bearing His name and seal. ‘It is a sign,’ He says, ‘between Me and you; . . . that ye may know that I am the Lord;’ because ‘in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.’ Exodus 31:13; 20:11. The Sabbath is a sign of creative and redeeming power; it points to God as the source of life and knowledge; it recalls man’s primeval glory, and thus witnesses to God’s purpose to re-create us in His own image." Education , 250.1.
That is a priority—that we know that He is God. How could Solomon set his priorities? Because he knew God.
Sister White says that if this Sabbath had always been kept, there would not be even one infidel or atheist on this earth. I think that is quite remarkable. That means, if the priorities had always been set aright, the work of God would have been much different, it would have been much more effective. There would be not even one infidel or atheist. Do you see the value of the Sabbath? But we underestimate it. We don’t know what God has given us here, into our hands.
Tithes and offerings is another means of setting our priorities right. As I said earlier, when a child is asked what he wants for his birthday, he would say this, this, and this. But who thinks of the work of God first? God requests from us tithes and offerings so that we understand that His cause claims priority. And if we set this priority right, other priorities will follow aright. The tithe is a necessary Education al means to help us prioritize. So this was the law of priorities and what subheading will we give this?
Study 19 - The Law of Self-sacrificing Love
Welcome to study number 19 in our series on Christian Leadership. First I want to come back very briefly with you to this point: which influences have priority for the Christian leader? There are obviously many understandings and also misunderstandings here. We had our greatest part of the question session about this. So very briefly I just want to repeat a few things. When we make a list here of the influences that come upon us, we are not saying for a moment that these things are bad in themselves, or sinful in themselves. Because something is low in the priority list, it doesn’t necessarily have to be sinful. It would be best if these things were good and righteous. Furthermore I want to stress the fact that we are not just concentrating on the three first influences—these are the objective influences—and leaving out the others altogether. Some people misunderstand this. They think, “Well, I will just ask another person what to do and then I will be on the safe side. Then I won’t need to think anymore." But this is definitely not Christian leadership. I think that is very obvious and clear. We have to know for ourselves what the voice of God for us is. We have to have a really clear sharpened conscience, too. We need to hear the voice of God speaking to our heart, and we need to have the spoken word. All these influences are important. Let us stress this fact. But we have to regard these things with healthy self-distrust, knowing that we can also be misled by our own inclinations. Then when these influences come into conflict with the objective voices, it would be good to submit to the objective voices. Of course that sometimes means we have to submit our own impressions to the counsel of believers—provided that they are in agreement with the word of God. So when we understand these things aright, I think there will be no further misunderstanding on these points.

The next law that I wish to study together with you is—again I don’t want to tell you which name I have given to this law. And I hope that you will be able to tell me what it is, when we have finished the study. Now, the first thing that a Christian leader needs to learn is that to go up means to give up. A Christian leader must give up when he goes up. That is something that people normally do not understand. They think when they go up then they will have more privileges, but that is not so. You have to sacrifice to go up. That means to be a Christian leader you have to sacrifice. But you may say, “Aren’t you talking here of position again?" No, I am not talking of position. I am talking of leadership, of real leadership. So let’s look at the example in the Bible where the mother of James and John came to Jesus, together with her sons, to make a request: “And He said to her, ‘What do you wish?’ She said to Him, ‘Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.’" Matthew 20:21.
Now this request, as we understand from The Spirit of Prophecy , was not a purely selfish request. It was not just a request for position, even though that was included as well. It was a mixture of the desire for position and at the same time a desire for real Christian leadership. What is the desire for real Christian leadership? It is the desire to be near to Jesus in order to be a blessing in the kingdom of God. It is the desire for a work rather than the desire for position. If somebody desires the work of a bishop, he desires a noble thing—the word of God says so. That is in order. But in this case it was mixed with position. That’s true with us very often, too. You know, there is a secret desire for position at the same time that there is a real desire to serve. Of course, we really need to grow, in order to see that the desire for position must go altogether and the desire for service must increase. So Jesus did not dismiss this request immediately, but He told them exactly how to attain what they wanted. And the answer is very interesting. He said, “… ‘Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’" Matthew 20:22. So what was Jesus saying with these words? He said, “In order to be a Christian leader you have to drink the cup. You have to be baptized. That makes you a Christian leader. Are you able to do this?" And they said, “We are able." They did not fully understand what it meant but they understood a little. I don’t know how language was used in the time of Jesus, but I would suppose when he used the word “cup" and “baptize" they didn’t think of the literal baptism in the Jordan. They didn’t think of just drinking a cup of orange juice or grape juice. I imagine they really thought of the cup of suffering, and the baptism in death, because that’s what it meant. And if Jesus had asked them, “Are you willing to suffer, are you able to die for me?" they would probably have again said, “We are able." They were really willing to serve. They had this in their hearts. They wanted to do this. But they did not fully understand what it meant, and so I wonder how much we too understand. We sometimes go into an endeavor, and we do not really see the cost of it. But this much we must understand: in order to become a Christian leader, we have to give up. And this is a very, very important point which we’ll consider together now.
So what is the position of a Christian leader? How would you describe his position? Well, according to this word here, it is to be near Jesus. It is to sit on His right and on His left—to sit next to Jesus in His kingdom. There is nothing wrong with the desire to be near Jesus. In fact, Jesus has promised this. He said, “He who will overcome, I will let him sit with Me on the throne, even as I overcame and sat with my Father on His throne." The Christian leader’s position is next to Jesus in His kingdom. That is the very position that Satan left when he began to rebel.
So the real position is not to stand above others, but the real position is to be next to Jesus. That is the position of Christian leadership. Okay, now if we want this position, what then is the work that we need to do? It is to drink the cup and to be baptized with the baptism. And Jesus has shown us what this means. He Himself talked of the cup in Gethsemane. “Father, let this cup pass from Me," He pleaded, thereby showing how bitter this cup was even to His human nature, and how difficult it will also really be for everybody else to drink that cup. It will not be easy to do. And with the baptism—that Jesus was talking of the baptism of death, I think, is very clear from the words of Paul, who says that we are baptized with Christ into death. The word “baptism" at that time was also used for meaning death. Immersion, total immersion under water, is normally the meaning of baptism, but it can also mean total immersion in death, and that is the work of a Christian leader.
So, a Christian leader must give up when he goes up. There is one more text: “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." Matthew 16:25. That means a Christian leader will find that he will have to give up in order to go up, but when he goes up he will also see that he is rewarded for that. There is a reward in this matter. But we really need to understand that first there is the sacrifice. So what then is the cost of Christian leadership? Here we have a graph with rights.

At the bottom we have many rights; at the top we have very few rights, very few. That is Christian leadership, basically. When we begin with Christian leadership we have a lot of rights, but the more we rise in Christian leadership, the fewer rights we have. And that is something you don’t realize at first. You think the more you rise, the more rights you have, but that’s not so. The fewer rights you have. On the other hand, when you begin in Christian leadership you have very few responsibilities, but when you rise in Christian leadership you have very many responsibilities and the need for self-abnegation. There is not such a need of great self-abnegation when you are in a low position, but there is a great need of self-abnegation when you rise in Christian leadership.
So, the rights decrease and the responsibilities increase. That is basically what Christian leadership is about. And that is the cost of Christian leadership. It’s easier to carry a half-full cup than a full cup, as Sister White said in connection with Solomon. “It is not the empty cup that we have difficulty in carrying; it is the cup full to the brim that must be carefully balanced." Prophets and Kings , 59.3.
And we really need to realize this—that this is not the cost that everybody is willing to pay. But if we really desire Christian leadership, let’s desire this also—let’s be willing to pay the cost. In short—and let us remember this because it is a really important principle—a Christian leader loses the right to think about himself. Try making a bit of a list and consider how often do you think about yourself? Do you think about what your rights are, how people should treat you better, how people should do this for you and that for you and so forth? And do you say “They didn’t listen to me, they didn’t do this for me, they…"? That may be true, but as a leader you lose the right to think in this way. If you think in this way, then you are not a Christian leader. A Christian leader must think of others.
Now let’s consider Christ for a moment. When He was standing at His last trial, and before His last trial, what was uppermost in His mind? Not Himself but His disciples. Let’s read this again because that’s so important here. “Christ knew that the time had come for Him to depart out of the world, and go to His Father. And having loved His own that were in the world, He loved them unto the end. He was now in the shadow of the cross, and the pain was torturing His heart. He knew that He would be deserted in the hour of His betrayal. He knew that by the most humiliating process to which criminals were subjected He would be put to death. He knew the ingratitude and cruelty of those He had come to save. He knew how great the sacrifice that He must make, and for how many it would be in vain. Knowing all that was before Him, He might naturally have been overwhelmed with the thought of His own humiliation and suffering. But He looked upon the twelve, who had been with Him as His own, and who, after His shame and sorrow and painful usage were over, would be left to struggle in the world. His thoughts of what He Himself must suffer were ever connected with His disciples. He did not think of Himself…" That is Christian leadership. He did not think of Himself. “… His care for them was uppermost in His mind." The Desire of Ages , 643.2.
So that is the cost of Christian leadership. You don’t have the right to think about yourself. Paul says this to the Colossians. He tells them, “Your life is hid with Christ in God." That means you are a non-person. You don’t exist any more. You are hid with Christ in God. I really must say, that’s a very pleasant position to be in. When your life is hid with Christ in God you can’t be hurt any more. You can’t be attacked any more, because you are hidden. It’s like being in a secure cage for a while and letting the storm go over the top. You are completely protected. But when you think of yourself, you want to defend yourself. You want to assert yourself. And that will imperil you, and weaken your Christian leadership abilities.
As the Christian leader rises in leadership, the responsibilities increase and his rights decrease. Paul expressed this in these words: “You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now." 1 Corinthians 4:8-13.
So can you see this is Christian leadership? Paul was not thinking of himself. He was saying, “You shall have all the blessings. We have no rights. We have no privileges, but you have them all. For your sake do we labor, and we give up everything so that you can have it." That is the mind of a Christian leader. One thing that a Christian leader does: he carries Christ’s yoke. You remember how Christ said, “Take My yoke upon you." We read about this: “Much painstaking effort will be required of those who have the burden of this work; for right instruction must be given, that a sense of the importance of the work may be kept before the workers, and that all may cherish the spirit of self-denial and sacrifice exemplified in the life of our Redeemer. Christ made sacrifices at every step, sacrifices that none of His followers can ever make. In all the self-denial required of us in this work; amid all the unpleasant things that occur, we are to consider that we are yoked up with Christ, partakers of His spirit of kindness, forbearance, and self-abnegation…" Self-abnegation is the word really. In order to be a Christian leader there must be self-abnegation. We have no right to think about ourselves. “…This spirit will open the way before us and give us success because Christ is our recommendation to the people." Testimonies for the Church 6:472.3.
So what will guarantee success for a Christian leader? That he is yoked up with Christ. That he does not think of himself. Jesus said that the crown and the throne will be given to those who conquer self. That is the condition, self-conquest. “He who overcomes will I grant to sit with Me on My Father’s throne as I overcame and sat on His throne." ( Revelation 3:21.) So those are the tokens of self-conquest. It’s not a reward so to speak.
So once you are at the top you are given a crown, and a throne, and then you don’t have any responsibilities any more. That’s often so in the world. When a president becomes president he can stop working so much. There is a story about some of the US presidents who played more golf, and spent more time outdoors and so forth, than the hours they spent at their business. I think they made a calculation about the last president—how much time he spent on his farm, and how much time he spent in the White House, and the relationship was quite disproportionate. I mean, he had much more free time than a school teacher, for example, or other professionals. That is how people look upon it, and they like to be in that position, but it’s not so with a Christian leader. The crown and the throne are tokens of responsibility. When you reach heaven, you are given another task. You get more work. It’s not that you are given a place then, where you don’t need to work anymore. That is not the case.

The crown and the throne are not our right. They are a responsibility which God gives to us. Fellowship with Christ in His suffering is the highest honor. That’s very nicely described here, “God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning, and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him. Not Enoch, who was translated to heaven, not Elijah, who ascended in a chariot of fire, was greater or more honored than John the Baptist, who perished alone in the dungeon. ‘Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.’ Philippians 1:29. And of all the gifts that Heaven can bestow upon men, fellowship with Christ in His sufferings is the most weighty trust and the highest honor." The Desire of Ages , 224.5.
That is honor. So, another thing that we need to remember is that the sacrifice is not a one-time payment. It’s not as if you go into prison just once, and from that time onwards you have a position of leadership. That’s what some people thought. They were put into prison for their faith’s sake, and when they came out they said, “And now I must be a leader because I was in prison." They misunderstood what the law really means, that we have yet to give a name to. It’s not a one-time payment but it’s a continual process. You must sacrifice in order to become a Christian leader, but you must continue to sacrifice in order to continue to be a Christian leader.
Let’s look at the first steps of what a person has to sacrifice. Take John Mark for example—he wanted to be a Christian leader. He wanted to lead others to Christ. For that reason he traveled with Paul and Barnabas. But soon he realized that the costs were very high, and he was not fully prepared to pay the costs. He wanted to return so he turned back. Then later, of course, he learned more fully, but at the beginning he did not understand what the costs of Christian leadership were. Finally he learned this, and he was willing to abnegate self.
Peter—he also did not understand the costs at first, even though he said, “If all will leave You, I will not leave You, and I’m willing to die for You." But he did not really understand what the cost of Christian leadership is. He did not really understand that it’s losing the right to think about yourself. Later he understood that a Christian leader will continue to sacrifice as the work goes on. Christ’s life was a life of continual sacrifice. This is very nicely described here: “Christ gave no stinted service. He did not measure His work by hours. His time, His heart, His soul and strength, were given to labor for the benefit of humanity. Through weary days He toiled, and through long nights He bent in prayer for grace and endurance that He might do a larger work. With strong crying and tears He sent His petitions to heaven, that His human nature might be strengthened, that He might be braced to meet the wily foe in all his deceptive workings, and fortified to fulfill His missions of uplifting humanity. To His workers He says, ‘I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done.’ John 13:15." The Ministry of Healing , 500.4.
So Christ did not say, “I have given My service and now I deserve a position." He realized that the very position He was in required a continual sacrifice. Paul looked to Christ in order to do the same work, as we read in the next paragraph. “‘The love of Christ,’ said Paul, ‘constraineth us.’ 2 Corinthians 5:14. This was the actuating principle of his conduct; it was his motive power. If ever his ardor in the path of duty flagged for a moment, one glance at the cross caused him to gird up anew the loins of his mind and press forward in the way of self-denial…" I really want to stress the fact it was a glance at the cross. Some people are willing to sacrifice quite a bit if it is for their position, if it is for honor, if it is for recognition or whatever. But that is not why Paul was willing to sacrifice, but for what reason? Because he looked at Christ, what Christ did. “…In his labors for his brethren he relied much upon the manifestation of infinite love in the sacrifice of Christ, with its subduing, constraining power." The Ministry of Healing , 500.5.
Having achieved success through sacrifice, the Christian leader will sacrifice even more to go further. I shouldn’t say to get a better position, but to go further in the work, to carry the work further, because he doesn’t think of himself. It’s not his own position which he is thinking of, but he is thinking of taking the work further. So he will continue to sacrifice even after he’s achieved success. He will not give up. His ardor will not stop. Christ gave all to the very last in order to save us, and it’s important to read the following to understand fully this law of leadership which we are considering here:
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God…" Okay, that’s the first step. Then step number two: “…but made Himself of no reputation…" Step number three: “…taking the form of a bondservant…" Next step: “…and coming in the likeness of men…" Next step: “…And being found in appearance as a man…" Next step: “…He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death…" Next step: “…even the death of the cross…."And that was the lowest point. The separation from His Father, the death on the cross, in shame and agony—that is His work as a Christian leader. And then it says, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,…" You see, therefore He is a Christian leader because He is following this law. “…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:5-11.
But I want to stress again: it is not because of position that the Christian leader sacrifices. It’s because of love. It’s the love of Christ that constraineth him. So the Christian leader goes further. That is talking about the second mile. We can apply the second mile to our enemies, but we can apply the second mile also to our service. We will not go just one mile, but we will go a second mile in order to take God’s work forward, and that is also the real reason to go a second mile for the enemy. It’s not just to please him, it’s to bring the work of God forward, to exalt the work of God.
Moses is a real example of the sacrifice of leadership. When Miriam and Aaron rebelled against him, they did not know the meaning of Christian leadership. They did not know the burden Moses was carrying. They had no idea, even though they were very near him. That’s a little sad, isn’t it? We read this here: “In the appointment of the seventy elders Miriam and Aaron had not been consulted, and their jealousy was excited against Moses. At the time of Jethro’s visit, while the Israelites were on the way to Sinai, the ready acceptance by Moses of the counsel of his father-in-law had aroused in Aaron and Miriam a fear that his influence with the great leader exceeded theirs. In the organization of the council of elders they felt that their position and authority had been ignored. Miriam and Aaron had never known the weight of care and responsibility which had rested upon Moses; yet because they had been chosen to aid him they regarded themselves as sharing equally with him the burden of leadership, and they regarded the appointment of further assistants as uncalled for." Patriarchs and Prophets , 382.4.
So they did not really understand what Moses was carrying because they did not pay the same costs that he paid. Moses really paid the cost of Christian leadership. Another statement of this is when rebellion rose up with Korah and Dathan and Abiram. That happened just a little after this. So let’s read about them and what Moses thought about it: “The humble shepherd’s life of Moses had been far more peaceful and happy than his present position as leader of that vast assembly of turbulent spirits. Yet Moses dared not choose. In place of a shepherd’s crook a rod of power had been given him, which he could not lay down until God should release him." Patriarchs and Prophets , 396.2.

In other words, Moses really felt the burden of that work, and it is made very clear that he had to pay a cost for this. Many people look upon other people in higher positions and they think, “Oh, that’s an easy life. They have a lot of rights and privileges, up there—which I do not have." But they do not understand what Christian leadership means. Christian leadership means sacrifice. It really means to pay the cost, and Moses did this.
One reason for the Christian leader to sacrifice is that by this he is an example to others. When the Christian leader sacrifices, the people will sacrifice too. If he doesn’t sacrifice, the people won’t sacrifice. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…" In other words, because He was like this, you are like that as well. The example of self-abnegation that Christ gave, molded the character of His disciples. There’s a very nice statement: “For these disciples the mission of Christ finally accomplished its purpose. Little by little His example and His lessons of self-abnegation molded their characters. His death destroyed their hope of worldly greatness. The fall of Peter, the apostasy of Judas, their own failure in forsaking Christ in His anguish and peril, swept away their self-sufficiency. They saw their own weakness; they saw something of the greatness of the work committed to them; they felt their need of their Master’s guidance at every step." Education , 93.2.
Had Christ not abnegated Himself, His disciples wouldn’t have either. “…It is through self-abnegation that Christ redeems what was lost…" Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing , 17.2.

We also read this interesting statement here: “If we reveal the meekness and self-abnegation that was seen in Christ’s life, the seed we sow will grow. As our experience enlarges, our opportunities will multiply, our knowledge will increase, and through Christ we shall become strong in bearing responsibilities. O precious privilege to co-operate with heavenly and divine agencies!" The Review and Herald , July 15, 1909 par. 8.
We need to understand now that this law is not just a duty, it’s a power. It really empowers the Christian leader. It’s a power of Christian leadership.
Jonathan, for example. He was through his sacrifice really able to do the greatest things, and this name will be very much treasured in heaven as we read: “On the record of those who through self-abnegation have entered into the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, stand—one in the Old Testament and one in the New—the names of Jonathan and of John the Baptist.
“Jonathan, by birth heir to the throne, yet knowing himself set aside by the divine decree; to his rival the most tender and faithful of friends, shielding David’s life at the peril of his own; steadfast at his father’s side through the dark days of his declining power, and at his side falling at the last—the name of Jonathan is treasured in heaven, and it stands on earth a witness to the existence and the power of unselfish love." Education , 156.2-157.1.
So what we really need to see here is that the power of leadership is found in his spirit. In what way did Jonathan lead? He did not become king you may say. Well, this word says that the name of Jonathan is treasured in heaven, which shows that he is a true Christian leader, because it’s treasured in heaven. When we meet him in heaven we will meet him as a Christian leader, because he is willing to pay the cost of Christian leadership.
John the Baptist as we have just read is another one. And it says among men there was not born a greater. “John the Baptist, at his appearance as the Messiah’s herald, stirred the nation. From place to place his steps were followed by vast throngs of people of every rank and station. But when the One came to whom he had borne witness, all was changed. The crowds followed Jesus, and John’s work seemed fast closing. Yet there was no wavering of his faith. ‘He must increase,’ he said, ‘but I must decrease.’ John 3:30.
“Time passed, and the kingdom which John had confidently expected was not established. In Herod’s dungeon, cut off from the life-giving air and the desert freedom, he waited and watched.
“There was no display of arms, no rending of prison doors; but the healing of the sick, the preaching of the gospel, the uplifting of men’s souls, testified to Christ’s mission.
“Alone in the dungeon, seeing whither his path, like his Master’s, tended, John accepted the trust--fellowship with Christ in sacrifice. Heaven’s messengers attended him to the grave. The intelligences of the universe, fallen and unfallen, witnessed his vindication of unselfish service.
“And in all the generations that have passed since then, suffering souls have been sustained by the testimony of John’s life. In the dungeon, on the scaffold, in the flames, men and women through centuries of darkness have been strengthened by the memory of him of whom Christ declared, ‘Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater.’ Matthew 11:11." Education , 157.2-6.
So John the Baptist was a leader even after death. Can you see this? Because he influenced others to go the same way. That is Christian leadership. It’s not only given in life, it’s given even beyond death. We read this wonderful statement: “Looking in faith to the Redeemer, John had risen to the height of self-abnegation. He sought not to attract men to himself, but to lift their thoughts higher and still higher, until they should rest upon the Lamb of God. He himself had been only a voice, a cry in the wilderness. Now with joy he accepted silence and obscurity, that the eyes of all might be turned to the Light of life." The Desire of Ages , 179.4.

That is, he gave everything for the work of Christian leadership. And as we have read already, “God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning, and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him. Not Enoch, who was translated to heaven, not Elijah, who ascended in a chariot of fire, was greater or more honored than John the Baptist, who perished alone in the dungeon. ‘Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake. ‘ Philippians 1:29. And of all the gifts that Heaven can bestow upon men, fellowship with Christ in His sufferings is the most weighty trust and the highest honor." The Desire of Ages , 224.5.
John the disciple is another one who, when long afterwards when he was brought into sympathy with Christ in His sufferings, was really willing to drink the cup. At the beginning he was not so willing, even though when Jesus asked, “Are you willing, are you able?" John said with the others, “We are able." But later he understood what it meant and he drank the cup, and was a true Christian leader. He lived the longest of all the disciples and the letters that he wrote and the gospel that he wrote were a witness of his leadership.
Paul, as we have read already, pressed forward on the path of self-denial and he never stopped.
Jesus Christ Himself—He lived out the same principle as John the Baptist. And as we have read in the Bible, that was Christ’s power.
Now what we need to see is that there are two antagonistic powers in this world. There is the power of true leadership and there is the power of false leadership. “The gospel of the grace of God, with its spirit of self-abnegation, can never be in harmony with the spirit of the world. The two principles are antagonistic." The Desire of Ages , 509.1.
So we are subject either to the one power or to the other. We build either the one kingdom or the other. We are this kind of leader or that kind of leader. What we are studying here is Christian leadership, which is antagonistic to the principles of the world. In the kingdom of God the spirit of self-abnegation reigns, whereas in the kingdom of the world the spirit of self-seeking reigns. People want position because it gives them wealth, power, and privileges. A position in the kingdom of God gives us toil, hardship and sacrifice. A position in the world gives us the power of this world. A position in the kingdom of God gives us the power of the gospel. Which do you choose?

So let us summarize this law. A Christian leader must give up when he goes up. A Christian leader knows the costs of leadership, and that means losing sight of your right to think about yourself. Christian leadership means self-sacrifice and this is not a once-only event, but a continual process. A Christian leader sets an example by his spirit of self-abnegation. And finally, the spirit of self-sacrificing love is the power of the gospel.
So how would you give a heading then to this law? What would you call this law? (Response from floor.) The law of self-sacrificing love. And what subheading would you give it to describe the whole chapter briefly? (Response from floor.) “The Christian leader must give up when he goes up"—Yes, that could be one. “The Christian leader loses the right to think about himself." I called it “The Power of Christian Leadership." But it’s true, you could give it the subheading, “The Christian leader gives up his right to think about himself." That’s how you could summarize it as well. In order to serve others, yes. But it’s a bit shorter to put, “The Power of Christian Leadership." The power of self-sacrificing love is the power of Christian leadership.
Study 20 - The Law of Timing
Good evening, and welcome to study number 20 in our international camp meeting of the year 2005. This evening we will continue with our theme on Christian leadership. Again, I will not mention to you exactly what the name of the law is that we are considering here. And I hope you will recognize it.

So what we want to see first of all, is that the right timing is essential to successful Christian leadership. In order to be really effective in the work, right timing can be very, very crucial. And we want to look at some Bible stories that illustrate this point.
The first is the story of Esther. We could really study the whole book. But that will be too much for this evening. So we’ll just take excerpts to see what the main points of the story are. In Esther 4 verses 14-16 we read that Esther was the right person, who did the right thing, at the right time. This is the law of timing.
Let’s turn now to Esther 4:14-16. First we’ll go back a little. You know the story of Mordecai and the Jews—how they were persecuted in Babylon at that time because of a certain man, named Haman. And this man really hated Mordecai in particular. He was envious and in fact he wanted to kill all the Jews. So finally Mordecai, who realized the plot, went to Esther, because Esther was raised under his care and listened to him attentively. And it’s interesting how he told her these things, and Esther’s first reaction was, “Well, I can’t do much because I cannot have access to the king at any time." “Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai: ‘All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.’ So they told Mordecai Esther’s words." Now we see how Mordecai reacts to this. “And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: ‘Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place." Esther 4:10-14.
So Mordecai was sure that God would deliver His people in this situation. But the question was, would He deliver them through Esther? “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’" Esther 4:14.
You know, there have been certain times in history where it was really essential that the right person was there at the right time. Think about Luther and the way in which the German people lived at that time. I mean, they were really hungering and thirsting for something other than what the Catholic Church offered them. And there was a great expectancy. They saw the wicked lives of the priests and the clergy and they desired to come out of it, and yet they didn’t know how. And at that time the right man was at the right place. That can be very, very important; very essential. This is what Mordecai recognized. He said, “Who knows whether God did not put you in this place at this time?"
By the way, Nehemiah also recognized this. Because he was the cupbearer of the king. And he realized that he was the man of the time. Therefore the chapter is also entitled “a Man of Opportunity". He knew exactly that that was his time.
Now, Esther obviously took the words of Mordecai to heart. “Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: ‘Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!’ So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him." Esther 4:15-17.
Now what we can see here is not just the law we are considering, but also another law, and that is the law of navigation. Because from the moment that Esther understood that she was the right person in the right place, at the right time, she also realized that she must navigate very well in order to bring the matter to a successful conclusion.
And what is the first step of navigation? Going to prayer and inviting everybody else to pray. She sent this message and said, “Now go and pray for three days and three nights. And pray and fast. Because when I go into the king without being called, I might die. And not only I, but everybody else then will not be delivered. The opportunity will be over." So, she began to invite everybody to prayer. But she didn’t leave it at this. The situation goes on.
First of all she went into the king. She dressed herself especially for that occasion. And then she went in and the king looked upon her favorably, you know the story, and he held his scepter out to her and she touched it, which meant she would be delivered. She was not to be executed. And then the king asked her, “What do you want? I will give you anything up to half of my kingdom." And she did not say what she wanted, but she first invited him and Haman to a banquet. And then after the banquet, the king again asked, “What do you want? I will give you half of my kingdom." And again she didn’t say what was on her mind, but she invited them for another feast. And it’s interesting because everything was so well prepared that in the end the plan was totally successful. Of course it was God through His providence who worked especially for Esther and for the Jews at that time.
In fact it so happened that the king, Ahasuerus, as he is called here, was looking into the records. And he found out that Mordecai in particular had delivered him from a plot that had been uncovered, because there were some people who had wanted to assassinate the king. And Mordecai got to know this and he informed the king who was delivered. And then the king asked his writer, “Now tell me, did we give any honor to this man who delivered me?" And he said, “No." “Well then, we must do something about it." And he called in Haman and he asked him, “What shall we do to the man whom the king wants especially to honor?" And then Haman thought, “Oh, that must be me." And he suggested many, many good things. He shall be carried on a horse that is specially dressed for the king. And some noble prince shall go before him and shall say, “Thus shall this man be honored," and so forth. And it so happened that he didn’t know it was his arch enemy, Mordecai. So the king said, “Oh, you have spoken well. You are a noble. You shall go before Mordecai and proclaim to everybody that this man shall be honored." And that was the first blow. And then it went on and on.
So that was God’s part, but Esther’s part is also interesting. It showed really wise navigation. But the very point that we want to study is another law here and not the law of navigation.
Let’s turn now to the story of Lazarus. And that is also a very interesting story. For this purpose we will briefly turn to John chapter 11.
“Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, ‘Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.’ When Jesus heard that, He said, ‘This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. Then after this He said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ The disciples said to Him, ‘Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.’ These things He said, and after that He said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.’ Then His disciples said, ‘Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.’ However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep." John 11:1-15.
So you see very clearly here that Jesus acted promptly at the right time. He did the right thing at the right time. Whereas the disciples wanted to go at a different time. They wanted to go to Bethany at a time when it was important that Jesus should not go and they did not want to go when it was important that Jesus should go. So they were out of tune, so to speak, with the time that God had chosen. They did not know which time to go.
The sisters, at the start, left the timing for the healing of their brother, with Jesus. They did not specially ask Him to come quickly, even though they thought that He would come quickly. When they gave such a message, they expected that Jesus would not hesitate, but would hurry to Lazarus immediately. When somebody is really sick and you go to a doctor, don’t you expect that he will come immediately? But Jesus stayed away intentionally, for quite some time, until Lazarus was dead. During this time the sisters felt quite disappointed. They knew that Jesus wasn’t far away. They knew that He could be there at any time. Why didn’t He come? Because it was not the right time. In John 11 then, as we read, Jesus knew the law of timing because He understood His Father’s timing. Bt the disciples did not understand God’s timing. They pushed Jesus this way and that. And Christ, Himself, knew what He was doing. “Are there not twelve hours in the day?" He was doing the right thing at the right time.
So what is the law of timing? In short, it is doing the right thing at the right time. But let us now ask ourselves the question: What happens if we do the wrong thing at the wrong time? If there’s a wrong action at the wrong time, what does this mean? That means, of course, wrong timing.
Let’s take an example. Moses, when he killed the Egyptian. Was this a right act or a wrong act? It was clearly a wrong act at any time, not just at that time. Was it a right time to do anything then, or was it a wrong time to do something? It was a wrong time to do something, because it was not yet the time of God. Moses was not ready. So it was the wrong action at the wrong time.
It reminds me a bit of some people who claimed that they had the Loud Cry. They went out and preached a message and said, “We have the Loud Cry." They did the wrong thing because God never gave them that kind of message, and they did it at the wrong time because it was not the time

of the Loud Cry.
And so likewise, Moses did the same. It’s quite easy to do this if you do not have spiritual discernment, of course. In Patriarchs and Prophets we read that the timing of his action was obviously not planned. I mean, Moses acted from impulse. He saw how an Egyptian was treating an Israelite very badly. The Egyptian probably used a whip or something to beat the Israelite, even though he was doing his best to work. And Moses became so upset, so angry about it, that he thought it must be revenged immediately. So he went and killed the Egyptian. Of course, after he had done the deed he thought that maybe God would now use this in order to deliver His people. But the Israelites did not understand. Instead the message eventually reached the king, so it was time for Moses to flee.
That it was also the wrong action, is made clear from a statement in Patriarchs and Prophets , 247 where we read, “In slaying the Egyptian, Moses had fallen into the same error so often committed by his fathers, of taking into their own hands the work that God had promised to do. It was not God’s will to deliver His people by warfare, as Moses thought, but by His own mighty power, that the glory might be ascribed to Him alone. Yet even this rash act was overruled by God to accomplish His purposes. Moses was not prepared for his great work. He had yet to learn the same lesson of faith that Abraham and Jacob had been taught." Patriarchs and Prophets , 247.3.
Now, the important sentence is this. “It was not God’s will to deliver His people by warfare." So it would have been wrong at any time, not just at that time. It was simply a wrong action at the wrong time. So where will the wrong action at the wrong time lead? As we can see in the case of Moses, it will lead to disaster. The plans of God will not be fulfilled at all. There will be complete disaster as a result.
But now let’s take another scenario, which we will also call wrong timing. Let’s suppose somebody does the right thing, but at the wrong time. Do we have examples of this in the Word of God? When somebody did the right thing but at the wrong time. And where does this lead?
Let’s take the defeat at Ai. The attack on Ai was definitely not a wrong thing as such, because God had commanded His people to conquer Canaan. So the action, as such, was not wrong. And later they did conquer Ai. You may say, “But they used the sword and so forth." Yes, but under those circumstances God allowed them to use the sword, so it was the right action. But, to attack Ai, at the time they did, that was at the wrong time. And what was the result? Defeat. So the timing of the attack on Ai was not right. Later the people conquered the city. We know the story well, so we don’t need to read all the texts here. I just gave it to you so that you can follow it up in Joshua 7:2-5 and Patriarchs and Prophets , 493.5.

Let’s consider the situation of present truth. But what does the term present truth mean? (Answer from floor.) Yes, exactly, a truth at the right time. That is timing. And with God there is such a law. Timing is very essential for the work of God. And therefore we talk of present truth. If we say something or preach a truth that is not present truth, that is not the will of God. He wants truth to be preached at its right time.
Let me use an example of this. Let’s turn to Testimonies for the Church 1:206 where Sister White writes to a brother who advocated that you should not eat pork. Sister White calls it swine’s flesh. In her time it was called this. Probably today you wouldn’t call it that anymore, you would simply say pork. The health visions had not been given at that time. This occurred prior to 1863 when the first health visions were given. In fact, a few years before. So nobody knew about this. Adventists usually ate meat, and also pork. So she writes to this brother who advocated that you should not eat pork. She said, “I saw that your views concerning swine’s flesh would prove no injury if you have them to yourselves; but in your judgment and opinion you have made this question a test, and your actions have plainly shown your faith in this matter. If God requires His people to abstain from swine’s flesh, He will convict them on the matter. He is just as willing to show His honest children their duty, as to show their duty to individuals upon whom He has not laid the burden of His work. If it is the duty of the church to abstain from swine’s flesh, God will discover it to more than two or three. He will teach His church their duty." Testimonies for the Church 1:206.3. So it was the right message, but at the wrong time. And for that reason it was not successful at that time.
Let’s take another example. Let’s turn to 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4. Here Paul writes to the Thessalonians, who expected Jesus to come immediately. In fact they were surprised when the first people died. They thought every one of them would meet Jesus at His Second Coming. So Paul had to warn them. He said, “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4.
He had probably studied this with them from the book of Daniel. He said, “Look, these things must happen first. So Christ is not coming as soon as you think." In other words, they believed a message that in itself is right, but the time was not right for it. So there was a wrong timing.
Now, in 1844, the Advent believers preached just that. They preached that Christ would come very soon. And what does Sister White say about this? Let’s turn to The Great Controversy , 352, the last paragraph.
“Those who proclaimed this warning gave the right message at the right time." The Great Controversy , 352.3. So there was a time when it was not the right time even though it’s the right message. But there is a time when it was the right message at the right time. So timing’s very, very important. That’s the reason why we speak of present truth. Do you understand this? That’s a very important point.
Now, Jesus was definitely tempted to transgress the law of timing when He was going to Jerusalem on His last journey from Galilee. Satan tried to tell Him, “now, now, go and heal the people. Now is the time." But Jesus said, “No, it’s not the time." Many of the people, whom He could have healed, would be healed later when the early rain was poured out; when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the people. Now it was not the right time. And Jesus understood this. So He set His face to go to Jerusalem.
When Satan came to Him in the wilderness and said, “Come on, take food," Jesus was also tempted to transgress this law, because in itself it wouldn’t be wrong for Jesus to take food. Of course, in this case it would have been wrong for Him to make food because He was to live as man lives. But what harm would there be in Jesus leaving the wilderness for just a few days and going to somebody to ask for some food? What would be wrong with that? Tell me. Nothing really, except that it was not the right time to do so. It was not His Father’s time. In other words, Jesus had to abide by this law absolutely, in order to accomplish the plan of salvation. So let’s turn to page 121, the first paragraph, in The Desire of Ages .
“He [Jesus] was in the wilderness in obedience to God, and He would not obtain food by following the suggestions of Satan. In the presence of the witnessing universe, He testified that it is a less calamity to suffer whatever may befall than to depart in any manner from the will of God." The Desire of Ages , 121.1. He really gave a very, very strong witness of the right timing.

So the right action at the wrong time—what does this mean? Even if the action itself is right, but it’s at the wrong time. We see this at Ai. It means defeat. And God knows this, therefore He controls the movements of His people. He wants to control them. The right action at the wrong time means defeat.
Let’s look at another wrong timing now. And that is the wrong action at the right time. What does this mean? In other words, it’s time now to do the right action, but the wrong action is done.
Take Esther, for example. It was the right time for her to do something, but she could have done the wrong thing by simply doing nothing.
One example was when the people were marching into the land of Canaan, and they lingered for some time, and murmured when Moses hit the rock. You know this story. He hit the rock and then water gushed out. Of course, Moses made a mistake there but he did this because of the murmuring of the people. They were complaining that the water had stopped. But the very fact that the water stopped should have been to them a vision of hope. Why? Because now they were nearing Canaan. Now they were coming to the point where the wilderness wandering was over. That should have been a good message. But they saw in it only foreboding of trouble. So they murmured. And consequently they could not fulfill God’s purpose as originally planned. Let’s read this.
“Had the people, when brought into trial, trusted in God, the Captain of the Lord’s host would have led them through Edom, and the fear of them would have rested upon the inhabitants of the land, so that, instead of manifesting hostility, they would have shown them favor. But the Israelites did not act promptly upon God’s word, and while they were complaining and murmuring, the golden opportunity passed. When they were at last ready to present their request to the king, it was refused. Ever since they left Egypt, Satan had been steadily at work to throw hindrances and temptations in their way, that they might not inherit Canaan. And by their own unbelief they had repeatedly opened the door for him to resist the purpose of God." Patriarchs and Prophets , 422.6.
Remember how they asked the king of Edom, “please let us go through your country. We will pay everything." And so forth. But the Edomites said “no." They placed soldiers in the way. A little earlier they could have gone through. They did the wrong thing at the right time. Had they moved forward in faith instead, they could have gone through. That would have been the right thing at the right time.
Let’s take another example of wrong timing. Doing the wrong thing at the right time. And that was when Peter missed the opportunity to confess His Lord. When was this? Not just when he denied Him but even before then. Let’s read this in The Desire of Ages .
“Only a little before, Peter had acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God; but he now missed an opportunity of setting forth the character of his Master. By his answer to the collector, that Jesus would pay the tribute, he had virtually sanctioned the false conception of Him to which the priests and rulers were trying to give currency." The Desire of Ages , 433.3.
So Peter missed an opportunity of setting forth the character of his Master before other people. In other words, he did the wrong thing at a very important time. If he had just gone to Jesus first and asked Him, “What shall I say?" But no, Peter thought he knew what to say. So it was definitely a wrong thing that he did. It was wrong timing.
Let’s think of the work of the physician for a moment. When he does the wrong thing at the right time, what does this mean? That can be really problematic. You have to do the right thing at the right time. I mean, for physicians this law is very, very important. And here in the physical world, you can see how it must be in the spiritual world as well. Sister White talks about this here in Counsels on Diet and Foods , 208.4. Let me read this to you.
“I was shown that both B and C have dishonored the cause of God. They have brought upon it a stain which will never be fully wiped out. I was shown the family of our dear Brother D. If this brother had received proper help at the right time, every member of his family would have been alive today. It is a wonder that the laws of the land have not been enforced in this instance of maltreatment. That family were perishing for food—the plainest, simplest food. They were starving in a land of plenty. A novice was practicing upon them. The young man did not die of disease, but of hunger. Food would have strengthened the system, and kept the machinery in motion. . . ." Counsels on Diet and Foods , 208.4.
So you see, this physician did the wrong thing at the right time. Or this novice, I should say. He was not a physician.
Let’s take Eli. And here we see how this applies in the area of Education . When his sons did the wrong thing, when his sons did not obey, it would have been the right time to say, “no," but he missed that. He did not say this. I like this statement here in Conflict and Courage, so let’s briefly read this on page 141, the fourth paragraph.
“Eli was gentle, loving, and kind, and had a true interest in the service of God and the prosperity of His cause. He was a man who had power in prayer. He never rose up in rebellion against the words of God. But he was wanting; he did not have firmness of character to reprove sin and execute justice against the sinner so that God could depend upon him to keep Israel pure. He did not add to his faith the courage and power to say No at the right time and in the right place." Conflict and Courage, 141.4.
So he did the wrong action at the right time. To do the wrong thing at the right time means a missed opportunity. And a missed opportunity can be quite disastrous as we see from these examples that we have studied. Now, after studying all the wrong timing let’s see what right timing is.
Right timing is the right action at the right time. And there are a few statements in The Spirit of Prophecy that talk about this. Here is one in Christian Experience and Teachings on page 220, the third paragraph.

“It is the very essence of all right faith to do the right thing at the right time." Christian Experience and Teachings , 220.3. Think about this. “It is the very essence of all right faith to do the right thing at the right time."
For instance, take the paralytic who was healed by Christ at the pool of Bethesda. When Christ told him, “Rise up. Take your bed and go," he rose up and took his bed. It was doing the right thing at the right time. And how important it was to do it at that moment. Because, if he hadn’t done so, he would have lost the opportunity. Had he tried to stand up at any other time, he wouldn’t have been able. So it was the right thing at the right moment.
Can you remember what we read the other day? “The cause of God demands men who can see quickly and act instantaneously at the right time and with power." Christian Leadership , 50.1.
And we also read this in Christian Leadership , 73.4:
“The Lord calls for minutemen, men who will be prepared to speak words in season and out of season that will arrest the attention and convict the heart. The kingdom of God consisteth not in outward show. Light will not be received by following selfish plans, but by looking unto Jesus, following Christ’s leadings, not the suppositions of men."
Then in The Desire of Ages , 157 we read the story of how Jesus entered the temple and He immediately saw that something needed to be done. He did it at the right time, at the right moment. And with cleansing the temple He announced His mission as the Messiah to the people. It was very important that He did it at that time.
Then there’s a very nice statement in Gospel Workers 134.2. “The timing of things may tell much in favor of truth. Victories are frequently lost through delays. There will be crises in this cause. Prompt and decisive action at the right time will gain glorious triumphs, while delay and neglect will result in great failures and positive dishonor to God. Rapid movements at the critical moment often disarm the enemy, and he is disappointed and vanquished, for he had expected time to lay plans and work by artifice. . . ."
Luther moved forward at the right time. He was the right man at the right time. And Sister White says, “Well-directed labor at the right time will make a long-tried effort successful, when to leave the labor even for a few days will in many cases cause an entire failure." Testimonies for the Church 1:647.1.
So the right action at the right time is success. Or leads to success.

So let us look at some examples now to see how this really applies, in various areas.
For example in warfare. This doesn’t mean much to us now, at the moment, but it illustrates the point. And Sister White uses this illustration. In the American civil war the Northern Army transgressed the law of timing several times. She describes this.
“In some cases when generals have been in most terrible conflict, where their men have fallen like rain, a reinforcement at the right time would have given them a victory. But other generals cared nothing how many lives were lost, and rather than come to the help of those in an engagement, as though their interests were one, they withheld the necessary aid, fearing that their brother general would receive the honor of successfully repulsing the enemy." Testimonies for the Church 1:366.1.
But it also applies to the medical missionary work. I think we have seen this in one example. When the physician does not apply the right treatment at the right time, then he will lose his case. For him to do the right thing at the right time is essential.
How is it with parents? When we miss the opportunity to say the right thing to our children, then much is lost. The timing is very, very important. A word spoken, or an action taken at the right time will give the right direction to the child, as we read in The Ministry of Healing .
“By entering into their feelings and directing their amusements and employments, the mother will gain the confidence of her children, and she can the more effectually correct wrong habits, or check the manifestations of selfishness or passion. A word of caution or reproof spoken at the right time will be of great value. By patient, watchful love, she can turn the minds of the children in the right direction, cultivating in them beautiful and attractive traits of character." The Ministry of Healing , 389.1.
So in individual labor for souls, there it is also important to do the right thing at the right time. Many people make wrong decisions because they have not received personal effort at the right time. Remember how we learned this in the Sabbath Rest book. The Sabbath Rest message. There may be a missionary who goes to somebody who is not ready. He knocks at his door and he says, “I am bringing you the gospel." And he says, “Oh, no. Not another." And he closes the door. So the missionary goes to another place and that opportunity is over. He will not go there again because he thinks this person is a rejecter. Then later this person may be ready. But then the missionary goes to a different street and does not go to the place where that person is really hungering and thirsting. So the right timing is very important. It can save souls. Not only in individual work, but in the church work in general.
“An accumulation of evil would be prevented through timely action." Pastoral Ministry , 211.2, Sister White says. And of course, in missionary work in general, this law applies as well. As Sister White says, “Rapid movements at critical moment are very, very important." Gospel Workers , 134.2.

And now in summary, I just want to remind you of one statement in Galatians 4:4. It says here, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law." Galatians 4:4.
Can you see the law of timing very clearly now? So, God’s purposes know no haste or delay. See The Desire of Ages 32.1. He strictly adheres to this law. God acts according to the law of timing. He sent His Son at the right time to this earth. Read this chapter in The Desire of Ages , 32-37. It’s very interesting. This is the reason why God’s cause is totally successful. Can you remember Ezekiel’s vision of a wheel within a wheel? And yet it moved perfectly forward, in perfect order. And that is because God has the right timing for everything. That was in Prophets and Kings , 535.3-537.1. So let us pray that we will come into harmony with that. What would you call this law? The law of timing. And what subheading would you give this? That’s maybe a little more difficult. To do the right thing at the right time. That would be good. Let me see. Christian leadership is doing the right thing at the right time.
Study 21 - The Law of Multiplication
(Cordula:) Good morning. Before we start to present you with the next law of Christian leadership we want to look for a few seconds at this picture, and I would like to ask you, what is the main message of this picture? What do you think? You can give some answers. (Audience:) The seeds are altogether in one place, and when the Holy Spirit comes, like the wind, they’ll go into another place and plant the message and then it will grow again. (Gisela:) Multiplication. (Jan:) I’m reminded of this verse, “Go out and teach all nations."
(Cordula:) Good, I think the main answer is really multiplication and this is exactly the law that we want to present to you. God has given many examples in nature, which can demonstrate this law, and now we want to see how it is to be applied in the spiritual area.
(Peter:) Good. It seems that we have chosen the right picture because your answers were all correct. It also talks about missionary work. Good, the law is the Law of Multiplication, and the subtitle is that we want and need to cooperate with God in this plan of multiplication.

Good. First of all we would like to know, what is this law of multiplication? What is it about? And maybe you can think about the following question which has always seemed to be very important for us. In the past we all wondered, how can it be that we, as a small group—I mean here we are not many more than a hundred maybe, and our church is also very small. How can it be that the whole world will be warned in the end? That we’ll give the message and that it will reach everyone before the end comes, which we all look for—isn’t that strange with only a few people? And our thoughts usually run in this direction—at least I thought in this way: “Well, when the latter rain comes we will preach to big multitudes and then they will go also preach to their fellow men and to other groups, and through this, hopefully millions will be warned, or even billions." Now maybe we can think for just a second about this one question, what do you think is more important, or more efficient: to win a hundred people as followers or to win one leader? The question is clear, we have the opportunity to speak for a week to a hundred, to an audience like this, and everyone would accept the message. Everybody will follow you, or the message. This is one scenario, and the other is, that we can deal with only one person but we can win him as a leader. So what is more effective? This question we will not answer now. You can think about it and I hope that our presentation will help you to come to a real answer to this.
Good. I would like to start with a statement which shows that the law of multiplication is a law of explosive growth. And we have a good example in history where we can see how it was with the former rain. Maybe we’ll not read all the statements because we only have a limited time. So we will choose this statement: “The commission that Christ gave to the disciples, they fulfilled. As these messengers of the cross went forth to proclaim the gospel, there was such a Revelation of the glory of God as had never before been witnessed by mortal man. By the co-operation of the divine Spirit, the apostles did a work that shook the world. To every nation was the gospel carried in a single generation." The Acts of Apostles , 593.2.
Now we have already mentioned what is written here—that in one generation the gospel was taken to the whole world. It’s incredible actually. But of course there were not so many people as we have today. Good. Let us read another statement: “In vain were Satan’s efforts to destroy the church of Christ by violence. The Great Controversy in which the disciples of Jesus yielded up their lives did not cease when these faithful standard-bearers fell at their post. By defeat they conquered. God’s workmen were slain, but His work went steadily forward. The gospel continued to spread and the number of its adherents to increase. It penetrated into regions that were inaccessible even to the eagles of Rome. Said a Christian, expostulating with the heathen rulers who were urging forward the persecution: You may ‘kill us, torture us, condemn us. . . . Your injustice is the proof that we are innocent. . . . Nor does your cruelty . . . avail you.’ It was but a stronger invitation to bring others to their persuasion. ‘The oftener we are mown down by you, the more in number we grow; the blood of Christians is seed.’—Tertullian, Apology, paragraph 50." The Great Controversy , 41.3.
Good. So what we can see is that the gospel even went into areas where Rome had no influence, and Rome was a world power. I like this expression, the gospel penetrated further than even the eagle of Rome, which was a very mighty force, wasn’t it? During our preparation Joachim shared a little story about the eagle. Maybe you can do that for us all now.
(Joachim:) It’s not a story, it’s just a comparison. The eagle is a big bird. It’s the mightiest bird that we know, and the eagle of Rome was also very mighty and it could go nearly everywhere. But if you compare it with a rabbit, which is stronger, the rabbit or the eagle? You would say the eagle? But who covers more ground? The rabbit. When it is introduced to a new area where it has not been before, it can spread very, very fast, because it multiplies very easily and very fast, and the eagle has no chance to stop it. So the rabbit spreads on the plan of multiplication and the eagle works on addition. He is very slow if you compare them. The rabbit spreads everywhere, even on the autobahn in south Germany—along both sides of the autobahn there are a lot of rabbits.
(Peter:) Good. Okay, let us read the third statement, which explains this principle. “However small your talent, God has a place for it. That one talent, wisely used, will accomplish its appointed work. By faithfulness in little duties, we are to work on the plan of addition, and God will work for us on the plan of multiplication. These littles will become the most precious influences in His work." Christ’s Object Lessons , 360.1.
Good. So we can see now that there are two principles which are mentioned here. There is first of all the principle of our law of multiplication, but there is also a principle of addition. Both are mentioned here, and of course we would say that multiplication is more important. It’s more effective, but here we are reminded that addition is important as well. And we want to study that together with you today. We want to see what this law of multiplication looks like for us practically speaking, and therefore we have explained first of all that it is explosive. Secondly, that it only applies when we cooperate with the heavenly agencies, and for this we read the statement which I showed to you and Uta read, and thirdly, it is only applied when leaders do not produce just followers, but leaders. So this is our subject for this week, and we want to go through these three

points step by step.
First of all we would like to show you what explosive growth means. Secondly, we want to come to the heart of the whole law of multiplication, which is the cooperation with heavenly agencies, and thirdly we want to dwell on this point: is it important to win followers or to win leaders, which was our main question at the beginning.
Good, so firstly we will see how Christ trained the disciples. Let’s look at explosive growth—what it means. Maybe we can read just the Bible verse: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Matthew 28:19. It’s really a command, go and teach all nations so the gospel shall be preached to all the world within one generation, as we read before. The second statement which is very important in this context is the following, where we can see that the gospel in our time shall also be given in one generation to the whole world. It’s not only applied to the disciples. “Success in any line demands a definite aim. He who would achieve true success in life must keep steadily in view the aim worthy of his endeavor. Such an aim is set before the youth of today. The heaven-appointed purpose of giving the gospel to the world in this generation is the noblest that can appeal to any human being. It opens a field of effort to everyone whose heart Christ has touched." Education , 262.1.
So you can see that what applied to previous generations, or to the disciples, we can experience as well. Whether we believe it or not, this is what The Spirit of Prophecy tells us, so let us just think about this task that is lying before us. We should take the gospel to the whole world in our generation. Now how many people live on our earth? Who knows? About six billion. Actually, the latest statistics say that we have about six and a half billion. Six and a half billion people. So, think about how six and a half billion people could listen to the gospel and make a decision for themselves. How can this be? We know from The Spirit of Prophecy that it will be different from what we expect. But let us think about this explosive growth. Imagine—we are a hundred people here, and we could each win two people—let’s imagine each one of you could win two people in one month. How long do you think it would take to reach all the people in the world? After the first month of course, the two people whom every one of you won, will also win another two in the following month. Is that clear? So you are a hundred. Each of you wins two people in one month, and when the next month comes then both of these and you as well will also win two more each. So how many centuries or years or months do you think it will take to reach all the people in the world, all six and a half billion? Now please figure it out a bit. I will give you one minute to do so…
So do you have an estimation? Martin? He said 32 months he thinks. I don’t know how he calculated that, but are there any other suggestions? Just a rough estimation? (Another person:) Ten years? (Another person:) Less than one year?
Okay, we will show you. It does not seem to be so easy. Here I have a table. This is the first month when we start with a hundred. So, this hundred will win two hundred, this is clearly so. Therefore in total in we have three hundred in one month. Don’t we? So now we come to the second month. What happens then? These three hundred will win another six hundred, which is a total of nine hundred after two months. So how do you calculate that it would take less than one year? That seems strange. But I know you have some mathematical skills, so let us just see what happens if we follow this procedure. After the third and fourth months we will already have eight thousand one hundred. After the fifth, sixth and so on, we are half a million. But we have billions to reach. I need a little more time. We are up to twelve months already. In one year fifty-three million would have had the chance to listen. So by the eighteenth month we have already reached thirty-eight billion. Can you imagine that? So how many months do we need in reality now according to this? (Audience:) Less than seventeen months, thank you. Can you see the law of explosion here? It’s unbelievable, but it really is factual. And imagine just how it was with the early church, the Pentecostal church. Thousands were converted in one day. This is the law of multiplication, but we have to come to understand how can this be? What is the heart of this principle? And this Joachim will share with us.

(Joachim:) So let’s think about the heart of the matter. We have these two principles: the law of addition and the law of multiplication. I would like Uta to read two or three statements to you. Let’s start with the first one: “Christ has promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to His church, and the promise belongs to us as much as to the first disciples. But like every other promise, it is given on conditions. There are many who believe and profess to claim the Lord’s promise; they talk about Christ and about the Holy Spirit, yet receive no benefit. They do not surrender the soul to be guided and controlled by the divine agencies. We cannot use the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is to use us. Through the Spirit God works in His people ‘to will and to do of His good pleasure.’ Philippians 2:13. But many will not submit to this. They want to manage themselves. This is why they do not receive the heavenly gift. Only to those who wait humbly upon God, who watch for His guidance and grace, is the Spirit given. The power of God awaits their demand and reception. This promised blessing, claimed by faith, brings all other blessings in its train. It is given according to the riches of the grace of Christ, and He is ready to supply every soul according to the capacity to receive." The Desire of Ages , 672.1.
So what is the heart of this principle or law? The heart of it is that the Holy Spirit is to use us, or that the heavenly agencies are to use us, or as it was written there, the Holy Spirit brings all other blessings in its train. It’s not just a matter of applying a law in a human way, or in a legalistic way—it is by faith in Christ that He will work through us. That is multiplication. Actually Sister White brings these two things together: addition and multiplication. We will read just one more statement. Actually, there are many statements but they would take too long to read. So let’s just keep this one in mind. This is the heart of the whole thing. Of course the world has these principles, too, but what they miss is the heart of the matter. They miss the gospel. And the gospel in it is God’s work. We are just instruments in the hand of God.
“The only safety for the Christian is to be unwearied in his efforts to live on the plan of addition. The apostle shows the advantages to be gained in thus doing. For those who add grace to grace, God will work on the plan of multiplication, so that the graces will be in and abound in the religious life and he will not ‘be barren nor unfruitful. . . .’" Our High Calling , 74.2.
So we are to work on the plan of addition with “unwearied" effort. That means, in this work that lies before us, this simple work and those simple things that we have learned, we are to work with unwearied and diligent effort, and then God will work on the plan of multiplication. God will do the work. The influence that will be spread around will be far more that we can even comprehend. That is the heart of this whole law.
(Peter:) Very often we become discouraged because we think, “Is it really worth it to do this, or to continue what I am doing?" Couldn’t a mother say, “The training of my children—what effect will this have on the whole world?" But this is actually addition. She has to continue on this plan of addition and the Lord will later work on the plan of multiplication. Like with this flower we looked at, that Cordula showed us. The seed will spread and then it will multiply.
Good. We want to come now to the question which we asked at the beginning. We have to move forward a little now to the third point. Now what is most important, or more effective: to train a leader or to get followers? (Audience:) Yes, it is effective only when leaders are trained. That is somewhat clearer after this week of study we have had. This law or this explosive principle can be guaranteed. With followers this simply does not happen. That’s the first statement we want to give. Secondly, everyone in God’s cause should be a Christian leader, who leads others to Christ. This is the main point of leadership as we studied at the beginning. We want to lead others to Christ. Thirdly, there is no difference between laity and clergy in God’s church.
Good. Now, when the leader does not apply the law of multiplication what will be the result? And, we want to look at the opposite situation as well. If the Christian leader does apply the law of multiplication, what will the results be then? So we want to consider both these situations. In the case where he does not apply the law, he will want to be needed. He is waiting to be called. In the other case, he wants to succeed. He presses on. In the case when he is not applying the law of multiplication he will dwell on the weak points. In the other case, he will focus on the strong points. In the past our experience very often was that the leader spent time with the followers. We spent hours, days, and weeks, just so that they would follow us, but the leader who is working on multiplication, invests the time in potential leaders.
I will just finish this and then I will give one or two examples. The leader who is working on addition thinks only in terms of addition; whereas the other one is cooperating with God on the plan of multiplication. Good. With addition, he only has an impact mainly on those whom he meets personally, whereas the leader who works on multiplication has an impact on people beyond his reach.
Good. Let us give you one example. When Christ spoke to the five thousand. What do you think? Was that working on followers or on leaders? (Audience:) These five thousand listened carefully and they were blessed, definitely, but at the end they left Him again. While the twelve were those whom He really trained as leaders, so they could later go on and spread the gospel to all the world. Of course there were probably also people from these five thousand who joined them, but the actual success came, by training these twelve. And not so much by talking to the five thousand.
Good. I think we will leave it with this. Our time is over. Of course we would like you to share your thoughts, questions, or comments, if you have some. We still have a few minutes for this.
Study 22 - The Law of Christ-centeredness
We will first open a scripture in the Bible, and this is in 1 Corinthians , so that you have a picture of what we are talking about, the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 1, and we read from verse 12. It says, “Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul," or “I am of Apollos," or “I am of Cephas," or “I am of Christ." 1 Corinthians 1:12.
These are Paul’s words—he is speaking to the Corinthian church. And he asked, in verse 13, “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" 1 Corinthians 1:13.
These are really historical questions, and we all know the answer. Nobody was baptized in the name of Paul, and he goes on and says, “I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name." 1 Corinthians 1:14, 15.
And I repeat—"in my own name."
“Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect." 1 Corinthians 1:16, 17.

So, the point we want to make is that we are Christian leaders, and as such we must always lead the people not to ourselves, but to Christ. That’s why we call it the law of Christ-centeredness. We want the people to come, not to us, but to Christ. We can see this very well with the apostles when they went out to preach the gospel, after Jesus had given them the commission. They concentrated on the name of Christ, as Paul says here, they baptized nobody in their own name, they did not take any glory, but they simply gave the message. That’s why they were called Christians, as we read in Acts 11:26. I think you all know what it says, but we will read it now.
“And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch."
It is very interesting to note that the disciples were not looking for a name for their church. They were not even thinking about what they should be called, they just went out with their powerful message. They were so impressed with the life and acts of Jesus that they told everybody they met about Jesus. And the people did not need to be shown the subtitle of their message as we always do here. They just thought about it. They thought, ‘Who are these people?’ and they said, ‘We know them. They are Christians because they are always talking about Christ.’
There is a similar statement in The Acts of the Apostles , 157.1. It says, “It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians…."
And it’s interesting that they did not call themselves Christians, they did not need to do this. The people themselves, the Jews did. They saw who these people were.
“….The name was given them because Christ was the main theme of their preaching, their teaching, and their conversation. Continually they were recounting the incidents that had occurred during the days of His earthly ministry, when His disciples were blessed with His personal presence. Untiringly they dwelt upon His teachings and His miracles of healing. With quivering lips and tearful eyes they spoke of His agony in the garden, His betrayal, trial, and execution, the forbearance and humility with which He had endured the contumely and torture imposed upon Him by His enemies, and the Godlike pity with which He had prayed for those who persecuted Him. His resurrection and ascension, and His work in heaven as the Mediator for fallen man, were topics on which they rejoiced to dwell. Well might the heathen call them Christians, since they preached Christ and addressed their prayers to God through Him."
I like the statement where it says “with quivering lips and tearful eyes". Why do you think she writes like this? It’s because there is a wrong concept about preaching Christ, that has been found in other movements. People have thought, if I always mention Christ, in every sentence, every time I meet a brother, for example, in my country, every time Christians meet, they say, ‘Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.’ And they think this is Jesus-centered, because they always mention Him. But that is not the point. With unsteady lips and tearful eyes, it was what they lived, what they ate, what they drank, what they slept. And so the people could really see the life of Christ in them. That’s why they could so easily call them Christians.
Now we will go to the next paragraph, where another statement says, “It was God who gave to them the name of Christian…."
But I just said a few minutes ago that it was the people who gave them that name. So how do we understand this now? God did not say, “You shall call them Christians." He gave them the character, and the people knew it, and the people announced it. So that’s how we can understand it—God gave them the character that really showed that they were Christians.
“….This is a royal name, given to all who join themselves to Christ…." The Acts of the Apostles , 157.2.
And then James writes about it and he says this name shall not be blasphemed and so on. This we won’t read, but we will go to page 158.3, which is an application to our time, and the significant point of the whole matter. It says here, “The cause of God in the earth today is in need of living representatives of Bible truth…."
In other words, the cause of God today is in need of Christians, people who can live out the character of Christ, until the people say, “They are Christians." They don’t have to ask us, “Are you Christians? What is the name of your church?" They will say it.
“….The ordained ministers alone are not equal to the task of warning the great cities. God is calling not only upon ministers, but also upon physicians, nurses, colporteurs, Bible workers, and other consecrated laymen of varied talent who have a knowledge of the word of God and who know the power of His grace, to consider the needs of the unwarned cities…." The Acts of the Apostles , 158.3.
The main point of this statement is what we have learned in this last week, during the studies, that to be a Christian leader, a Christian leader is not only the minister, it’s not only the one who is nominally leading in the church, but all who are working for the cause of Christ. They can be physicians, they can be nurses, they can be colporteurs, they can be Bible workers, or even laymen. They can be carpenters, but they are still leaders. Everybody is a leader, and the main point now is to know, once we have these leaders, what will they do? The danger is always there, that when we have preached to people, they will be attracted to the message, but because it is we who have presented the message to them, they will come to us. And the danger, that we now want to read from The Desire of Ages , 493, you will see it in paragraph 3, is that, when we have success, when we have drawn the people to ourselves because of the message, we are in danger of taking the credit. And this is what we want to read here in The Desire of Ages , 493.3. It’s in the middle of the paragraph that starts with “Jesus added". I will read it from the beginning.
“Jesus added, ‘Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.’ Rejoice not in the possession of power, lest you lose sight of your dependence upon God. Be careful lest self-sufficiency come in, and you work in your own strength, rather than in the spirit and strength of your Master…."
And now comes the important statement: “….Self is ever ready to take the credit if any measure of success attends the work…." The Desire of Ages , 493.3.

So, Christian leaders are ever in danger of gathering around them groups and calling them by their names and that’s why we started with the verse in 1 Corinthians . Paul exhorted the Corinthians. He said, “Please, don’t be divided upon this point. One leader is not greater than another. We are not calling the people to ourselves. We are not baptizing in our own names." And, he said, “it’s even fortunate for you that I did not baptize so many people. Otherwise you’d now be voting and saying, ‘Paul should be the greatest leader because he baptized so many.’"
So, we want to ask another question now: what do the Christian leaders do, and how do they do it? Firstly, the point is that they unify the church in Christ, if they understand this principle of the law of Christ-centeredness. We will have many leaders. We will have people who will lead their flock in Canada, for example, in Kenya, in China, in Japan one day, and who knows—in Mongolia, maybe. And then, these leaders can make the church united, only when they know to whom they should lead the people. Otherwise the scenario is like this: we have a person who goes as a missionary into India, and there he builds a church that has a character, the character of the missionary there, who is the leader. And then another one builds a movement in Kenya, and it has his personality, so to speak. And in the end we have many flocks that really look different, and are not united. Jesus spoke to this point when He was explaining that he was the Shepherd. We want to open this now, in John 10:16. He said, “I am the Good Shepherd," ( John 10:11), but you know, all the sheep are not found in one country. They will be found in different places. The missionaries will go to different areas of the world. And what will happen? Only when they know that their target is one, they are not building literal empires, for themselves, as Paul would say, “One empire for him, another one for Cephas," but, what they are doing, they are helping the divine Shepherd to bring all the flock together. Therefore Jesus says,
“And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd." John 10:16.
Why did Jesus have to say this? Because if the Christian leaders don’t understand this, they will create many flocks with many shepherds. And we are supposed to understand that as Christian leaders, if I have a group around me, if I have believers around me, they are not my believers, they don’t belong to my country, they don’t belong to my continent. They belong to their Master Shepherd. Otherwise Jesus would have spoken differently. If He wanted everybody to gather a group around him, He would have said, “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold. To these also I will send other shepherds, they will hear My voice, and there will be many flocks with many shepherds." This is the opposite. Jesus is not creating different flocks, but one flock. This is why we want to dwell on this point that the Christian leaders will unify the church.
What will this be like? For example, in Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21, you know how He prayed. He said, “I pray that they are united, that they are one as I and You the Father are one," and this is the evidence that Jesus has been sent into this world. He said, “That the world will know that You have sent Me into this world."
Let’s read now from Education, 86.1:
“In order successfully to carry forward the work to which they had been called, these disciples (who are leaders, who are Christian leaders), differing so widely in natural characteristics, in training, and in habits of life, needed to come into unity of feeling, thought, and action. This unity it was Christ’s object to secure. To this end He sought to bring them into unity with Himself. The burden of His labor for them is expressed in His prayer to the Father, ‘that they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: . . . that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.’ John 17:21-23." Education , 86.1.
So, the first duty, as one of the laws of Christian leadership, is always to remember that, when we gather, we must gather to Christ, and the flock belongs to Him only, and in order to show the world that we have been sent by the Father we must be like Jesus. The evidence He had that He was sent was because He was united to His Father, and He always led the people to His Father. And the evidence that we have a true Judge, a true Ally of Christian leaders is when we can lead the people to the Father and not to ourselves.
This is also mentioned in another statement in Testimonies for the Church 5:94.1. This we will not read because it is the same point, it says that when we are united, this is the credential of Christ that we bear to the world.
Let’s go to Life Sketches , 327 where we want to read the first paragraph: “When we are united in the unity for which Christ prayed, this long controversy that has been kept up through satanic agency will end."
This is a very heavy statement for us. It says that The Great Controversy , as you know, has lasted for a long time, but how will it be brought to an end? Only when Christian leaders learn to be united, and we cannot be united unless we learn to direct the people to Christ and Christ alone.
Another statement we would like to mention is The Desire of Ages , 296, and for this one we have had an illustration, as you know, of a big circle and Christ as the center. We want to read it – I think it’s very important if we just look at it. About the apostles again—how did Christ teach them to preach only one Christ? You know, there were 12 or 11 disciples, and they went out, everyone with his own characteristics. Everyone had his own preferences—they were different, but Christ knew that if they would all preach in their own way, then He would have a divided church. So we read here:
“The apostles differed widely in habits and disposition. There were the publican, Levi-Matthew, and the fiery zealot Simon, the uncompromising hater of the authority of Rome; the generous, impulsive Peter, and the mean-spirited Judas; Thomas, truehearted, yet timid and fearful, Philip, slow of heart, and inclined to doubt, and the ambitious, outspoken sons of Zebedee, with their brethren. These were brought together, with their different faults, all with inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil; but in and through Christ they were to dwell in the family of God, learning to become one in faith, in doctrine, in spirit. They would have their tests, their grievances, their differences of opinion; but while Christ was abiding in the heart, there could be no dissension. His love would lead to love for one another; the lessons of the Master would lead to the harmonizing of all differences, bringing the disciples into unity, till they would be of one mind and one judgment. Christ is the great center…."
Now, you can imagine this big circle, or wheel, and they would approach one another just in proportion as they approached the center. And here we can easily be misled if we just think of a man at the center, and the others join themselves to him, or they rally around him. We have the catholic church, for example, and there is the pope at the center. A catholic hearing this presentation could say, “Okay. That’s what we have in our churches. We have many catholic churches in the world, but all of them are pope centered. They revolve around one person." But what is the difference between Christ and pope? The difference is that although the churches are centered on one person, yet they have all their different opinions. But with the disciples they were each coming to Christ. So they are changed, their character is one with Christ, and that is what we mean by Christ-centeredness. Not that he is only the archbishop, so speak, or the pope—no. Therefore, the next sentence says, “It is the purpose of Christian leadership to uplift Christ as the center of the church." This is found in Evangelism , 195.2. We won’t read it now

To emphasize this point we will go to the next diagram, where it says, “Leading to Christ and not to self." Here we could learn a lot. We could make a camp meeting out of this theme, because only in this way can The Great Controversy be finished. And the reason for our existence as a Christian army, and even as human beings, is to bring the controversy to an end.
You know the verse in Galatians 6:14 where Paul wrote, “God forbid that I should know anything." You know it also in song. “Forbid it Lord that I should boast, save in the cross of Christ my Lord." You know it? What does it say? What has Paul said here? “Let me not be exalted."
Let us read a little more in the The Acts of the Apostles , 175.2. It’s about how Paul carried this out. “Advancing in faith, Paul labored unceasingly for the upbuilding of God’s kingdom among those who had been neglected by the teachers in Israel. Constantly he exalted Christ Jesus as ‘the King of kings, and Lord of lords’ (1 Timothy 6:15), and exhorted the believers to be ‘rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith.’ Colossians 2:7."
So that is the point of Christian leadership, that we should forget ourselves, and when we attract the people, lead them only to Christ.
There are other statements which we just want to mention here. For example, in The Adventist Home , 354.5, it talks about the home. In fact, the heading there is, “The Minister’s Wife". You know, the wife of a minister is a helper of the minister. But the minister is also the wife of Christ. And the point is, as the wife leads the children to the husband, so the minister or the leader of a Christian leader will lead the people to Christ and not to himself. And the next quotation is from Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students , 152.1. It says there that the work of the teacher is: “Never exalt self; exalt Christ, glorify Him, honor Him before the world."
So as the wife glorifies the husband, the teacher should also glorify God and not himself. And another statement is found in The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 4:1154.6, where it says: “If self is exalted, Christ is not magnified." And it talks about how God explains Himself as the Potter and human beings as the clay. And you know the relationship: the clay is just clay. It depends on the Potter, and God does what He likes with the clay. From one lump He makes a special vessel as we read in the scriptures, and from the same lump He can make just an ordinary vessel. (See Romans 9:21). And Christian leaders should be clay in the hands of God. They are not to be gods; they are not to be potters, they are not to mold the church according to themselves.
One more thought we want to bring out now—I want to show you what happens when the message is not Christ-centered. And I want to use a positive example, because we had a negative one in 1 Corinthians . Now let’s read from The Great Controversy , 291.
Let’s start the paragraph before just to get the context. The story is about the pilgrim fathers. As you know the Puritan church was leaving for the shores of America, and their pastor, John Robinson, was not allowed to go with them, by providence, of course. I will read from The Great Controversy , 291.3:
“When first constrained to separate from the English Church, the Puritans had joined themselves together by a solemn covenant, as the Lord’s free people, ‘to walk together in all His ways made known or to be made known to them.’ --J. Brown, The Pilgrim Fathers, 74. Here was the true spirit of reform…." and so forth, and now it says in the last sentence of the paragraph, “John Robinson, their pastor, who was providentially prevented from accompanying them, in his farewell address to the exiles said:
‘Brethren, we are now erelong to part asunder, and the Lord knoweth whether I shall live ever to see your faces more. But whether the Lord hath appointed it or not, I charge you before God and His blessed angels…’"
This was an oath he actually administered as he said goodbye to them, he said: “‘I charge you before God and His blessed angels,’" to do what? “‘to follow me no farther than I have followed Christ.’"
And this is the keyword for Christian leaders. We shall lead the people to Christ and we shall tell them, even by oath, that they shall not follow us further than we have followed Christ. That means that the work of a Christian leader is to bring the people only to Christ. Make every effort to lead the people to come to Christ.
We could read about how John the Baptist, as you know, led the people to Christ. How he led his disciples, when they thought “now this man is taking over our work", and when they came to him, what did he say? “He must increase, but I must decrease." And he even gave a very nice picture, when he said, “I am the man who should go and look for the bride, to bring him to the bridegroom," and then he explained, “when the bridegroom has the bride in his hand, why should I be jealous? I should be exceedingly happy!" And this is what John Robinson understood. You know, this is one of my favorite statements in The Great Controversy , about the Puritans. So he said, “…follow me no further than I have followed Christ." I will read a little more, “‘If God should reveal anything to you by any other instrument of His, be as ready to receive it as ever you were to receive any truth of my ministry; for I am very confident the Lord hath more truth and light yet to break forth out of His holy word.’"--Martyn, vol. 5, p. 70."
“‘For my part, I cannot sufficiently bewail the condition of the reformed churches, who are come to a period in religion, and will go at present no farther than the instruments of their reformation….’"
So what is happening here? The people are a movement, and there is a messenger in this movement, and he teaches the people, but the people tend to follow only the messenger, so when he is dead, or when he is gone away they can’t go forward. And he gives an example. He says, “….’The Lutherans cannot be drawn to go beyond what Luther saw; . . .’"
What is happening with the Lutherans? They are following the leader only, so to speak, and not Christ.
“…’and the Calvinists, you see, stick fast where they were left by that great man of God, who yet saw not all things. This is a misery much to be lamented; for though they were burning and shining lights in their time, yet they penetrated not into the whole counsel of God, but were they now living, would be as willing to embrace further light as that which they first received.’" The Great Controversy , 291.3-292.1.
So what I see here is that the leaders understood a lot. Martin Luther understood that you must take whatever the Lord brings through any vessel of His, because Christ is the center. But the Lutherans, the followers, they thought only of their leader. And with Calvin the same, as John Robinson saw.
I think we will come to the close of our study now, and we will go back to our heading where we had the law of Christ-centeredness. As you remember, we did not give the subheading, and now we want to ask you a question, so that you will also have the time to ask us your questions. So when you answer our question then we can answer your question, otherwise we cannot. So what subtitle would you give to this study? Especially to those who have not seen it before?
“That leaders should lead to Christ, not to themselves." That they should lead to Christ and not themselves, that is good. Another opinion, or idea? How can you express it in your own words? In other words?
(Magdalene:) “I would say Christian leadership is unifying the church in Christ." Good. Very good. This is one of our diagrams. Do you have another one? Somebody who wants to make another attempt? Yes, back there, that’s Elizabeth, is that your name? I think so.
(Barbara:) “Unity in Christ." Good. Now we will show you. That was a very good try, it is: the Christian leader will attract to Christ and not himself.
So the people will be attracted. Surely they will follow us, they will see our character, they will admire, but let us always remember to say, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world." Not ourselves.
Study 23 - The Law of Faithfulness
A Study given by Eric Roitsch
Good afternoon. This afternoon we’d like to begin with a question especially for the children, or a task, I should rather say. Think about small things, little items, little things. And ask yourself the question, “What would happen if these small things worked sometimes, but sometimes not?" Imagine a key. How would you like a key that worked most of the time? How would you like a car that had a key, and the key worked most of the time? Barry has such a car. Andreas, how would you like to have a computer that works most of the time? You can’t use such a computer.
So, small things have a very important place in our life, and the law that we want to talk about this afternoon is called the law of faithfulness. And we have a subtitle for this. It is called “A Christian leader is as reliable in the little matters as he is in the large ones." So we will now describe this to you a little.

The first point that we’ve made here, is that faithfulness means being reliable. And we want to share some examples of this, so Ralf will share with you some examples of a reliable leader.
(Ralf:) I also have a question: Is there anyone here who thinks that we cannot rely on God? That He is somehow not trustworthy. Please raise your hand so that I can see. I see no hand. Who doubts this fact, that God is reliable? Imagine if I were to go to another church now and ask the same question. Will they raise their hands?
Good, let’s put the question the other way around. Can God rely on us? That’s a different story, right? And we want to think a little about this and take as an example Job. Can you go to the first verse here in Job 1:8? We don’t want to read the whole story. We know it. But we’ll just pick out some verses. It was at the time when Lucifer was in this council meeting and we read in verse 7 in the first chapter that he said to the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it." Verse 8. “Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?’" So Satan answered the Lord and said, “That’s no wonder. You blessed him mightily. You gave him material possessions. He has a healthy family. He has no problem trusting You. Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, a protection? Around his household and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, if you stretch out your hand and touch these possessions, he will curse You in the face. I promise You, he will do this." And you know the story. God allowed it. And one calamity after the other came. He lost his flocks, even his children.
“And the Lord said to Satan, ‘From where do you come?’ So Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.’ Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?’ So Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!’" Job 1:7-11.
And then we will go a little further. Job 2:3. “Then the Lord said to Satan, (when they met again), ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still (that means after all that happened) he holds fast to his integrity." Do you remember? He said, “And if God slew me, I still will trust Him." And he sinned not. And God pointed to this and told him, “See, that’s what I said, what you challenged and he proved trustworthy." But Satan had another ploy, he said, verse 4, “‘Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!’ And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.’" Job 2:3-6.
“Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.’ So Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!’ And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.’" Job 2:3-6.
All these things didn’t happen to his actual person, but touch him. And the Lord allowed it again. You know the story. He became very sick and then the friends and comforters came. And by the way, it’s interesting, there’s one verse, which is not mentioned so please note it down. It’s Job 4:18. It’s very interesting what one of those comforters said. We will read this in the next verse. Job 4:18, 19.
“If He puts no trust in His servants, If He charges His angels with error, How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before a moth?" Job 4:18-19.
I had it a little different in my mind, but the thought is clear. In short, God cannot trust His creatures. That’s what he said. And so the whole story is about, can God trust us or not? So now can we say, “Well, this was an example in the Old Testament." But it’s about us as well because we read in Isaiah 43:12:
“‘I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, and there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,’ Says the Lord, ‘that I am God.’" Isaiah 43:12.You know, we read this also in the New Testament. You are my witnesses and now we are all included. So can we witness that God is love? That His ways are righteousness? Can God rely on us? This is the great question. And we have these problems in the world field as you know, that there were different leaders, or elders, and sometimes you could rely on them and sometimes not. And this brought a heavy crisis sometimes. So the question is, can God rely on us all the time? In Job you have a positive example. But now Tobi will give a negative example.
(Tobi:) Yes, we want to come to the point of looking at the example of an unreliable leader. And in order to see this we want to look at the time of the French reformation. And I don’t know how far you are acquainted with this person. It is the Bishop of Meaux. And it was about the time when Luther published the Bible in Germany. At this time William Farel and his aged teacher Lefevre were working for a reformation in France. And in this process there was one catholic bishop who was also converted and who became a protestant, and this was the bishop of Meaux. He promoted the cause very intensively. And in doing so, he really had a desire that the Bible would also be available for the French people, in French. And so, there was one person who actually translated it and he helped to distribute it all over in the area of his influence.
So, we just want to read the statement here in The Great Controversy . And there it says, “The light kindled at Meaux," and this is the light kindled through spreading the Bible in the French language, “shed it’s beams afar. Every day the number of converts was increasing. The rage of the hierarchy was for a time held in check by the king, who despised the narrow bigotry of the monks; but the papal leaders finally prevailed. Now the stake was set up. The bishop of Meaux, forced to choose between the fire and recantation, accepted the easier path; but notwithstanding the leader’s fall, his flock remained steadfast." So what we can see, is that he was brought to the point were he had to decide whether I be burned or be unfaithful. Will I remain faithful and be burned, or will I just leave the cause? And that’s what he decided for. So here we have a clear example of an unfaithful leader. “Many witnessed for the truth amid the flames. By their courage and fidelity at the stake, these humble Christians spoke to thousands who in days of peace had never heard their testimony." The Great Controversy , 215.2.
The second example we want to look at is yet to come. It’s in the future. And this is what Sister White describes when persecution comes at the end. Many will betray God’s cause as well. And here we read one more statement:
“As the storm approaches, (which is persecution) a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition." Here it is described again. “By uniting with the world and partaking of its spirit, they have come to view matters in nearly the same light; and when the test is brought, they are prepared to choose the easy, popular side. Men of talent and pleasing address, who once rejoiced in the truth, employ their powers to deceive and mislead souls." So we see on the one hand they were promoting it, but now they really leave it. And this of course brings up this question in our minds. I mean, this is something that is yet to come upon us. Where will we stand? Will we be faithful or just leave? “They become the most bitter enemies of their former brethren. When Sabbathkeepers are brought before the courts to answer for their faith, these apostates are the most efficient agents of Satan to misrepresent and accuse them, and by false reports and insinuations to stir up the rulers against them." The Great Controversy , 608.2.
(Eric:) Okay, we’ve looked at reliable leaders and unreliable leaders. What’s the third category? Those who become reliable. Günther will share this with us.
(Günther:) We have here three examples. Maybe someone finds that in the past he has not been very reliable, but there’s really hope. So the first example is Mark, as we know the story of John Mark. He worked together with Paul and Barnabas. And it became hot in the work. And he was very frightened and timid. Then in the end, he drew back. And so Paul didn’t want to continue to work with Mark. But Barnabas still saw in him, hope. And he took him with himself and as we read in the quotation in the book The Act of the Apostles , 170, there was really a change. We read in the second part of this quotation that, “In after years his solicitude in Mark’s behalf was richly rewarded, for the young man gave himself unreservedly to the Lord and to the work of proclaiming the gospel message in difficult fields. Under the blessing of God, and the wise training of Barnabas, he developed into a valuable worker." The Acts of Apostles , 170.1.
So we see here that he really became reliable and faithful.
Another example would be Jerome. As we know, Huss and Jerome came before the trial and Jerome actually recanted. But during this experience he thought about it and his conscience was working. God was working on his heart. And he really turned. He repented of this sin of being unreliable, so to speak. And when we read on page 114, the eighth paragraph, in The Great Controversy , there’s this famous quotation when he was actually going to the stake for his faith. And he said, “Come forward boldly; apply the fire before my face. Had I been afraid, I should not be here." The Great Controversy , 114.8. So here we also see quite a change.
And the third and last example is Cranmer. It’s quite interesting. In the time of 1553, in England, Mary Tudor, later known as Bloody Mary, came to the throne, and she was catholic. Thomas Cranmer was protestant. So shortly afterwards he was imprisoned because of his faith. And for three years the bishops and the people, pressured him and worked on him so that he would recant. Then after the three years he gave way to this and he signed, with his right hand, a paper of recantation. And the bishops were not satisfied with this. They also wanted him to proclaim it officially and so there was a celebration planned. The night before this celebration Cranmer really repented and his heart was touched. So he stood for his faith at the celebration, which went against the expectations of the bishops. And he said, “I recant my recantation." I want to tell you what he then said. He prayed a very solemn prayer and afterwards he said, “My hand has offended in writing contrary to my heart. Therefore my hand shall be punished first. For if I go to the stake it shall be burned first." When the priests heard this they started to shout, but Cranmer went right up to the stake and the stake was kindled. And his last words were again, “This hand has offended and the Lord Jesus receive my spirit."
In all three cases you see that those who were unreliable, became reliable.
(Eric:) So who of you want to become reliable? Tobi will help us with this question.

(Tobi:) Okay. We have a question here, and I want to go back briefly to the statement we read in The Great Controversy , 608.2, about persecution. We want to look more closely at one of these sentences. And there it says, “…a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message," so this expresses that they basically support the message. They even say, “Yes, we agree with this. We belong to this and we support it." And what happens now? Or what further explanation is given here? It says, “…but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, they will abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition." So, what this indicated to me is that, yes, there is a profession of faith. There is this statement, “We belong to this. We support it." But at the same time, obedience to the truth is not practiced. And this is something that is more a matter of daily life, not so much of expressing my agreement. But in this we see the real point. For example, when it comes to cleaning the bathroom even, when it comes to setting the table, and little things like these, truth penetrates into these areas. And so, one thing we can see is that faithfulness in little things is a step that really leads us to be faithful in bigger issues too. One example that Jesus brought up is to be found in Matthew 25:24. Here He speaks about a servant who was entrusted with money by his lord, but he was given only one talent, whereas other workers got much more. And so he thought, “Well that’s only one talent, why should I do anything with it?" And he hung on to it, he didn’t increase it, but just returned it to his master at the end. And so Jesus used this example in order to point out that this man with the one talent did not realize that faithfulness in little things is essential to success in Christian leadership. So in other words, what I do with little things I will also transfer into the area of larger things.
In Christ’s Object Lessons we can read many very clear and interesting statements about this very parable. The first one we would actually like to read together is found on page 355. And there is says, “It was the one with the smallest gift who left his talent unimproved. In this is given a warning to all who feel that the smallness of their endowments excuses them from service for Christ. If they could do some great thing, how gladly would they undertake it; but because they can serve only in little things, they think themselves justified in doing nothing. In this they err. The Lord in His distribution of gifts is testing character. The man who neglected to improve his talent proved himself an unfaithful servant." And so with this one talent he was given, the way he dealt with it made him an unfaithful servant. If we turn the statement around, we could say, “Well, had he been faithful with the little one talent he got, he would have proved himself a faithful servant." From the little area it would have been transferred to the big area as well. And just to continue the sentence, “Had he received five talents, he would have buried them as he buried the one. His misuse of the one talent showed that he despised the gifts of heaven." Christ’s Object Lessons , 355.3.

Due to a lack of time we do not want to read all the other statements now. But they are briefly summarized here so that as we go on we can see that faithfulness in the little things enables us to be faithful in the greater things. And faithfulness, faithful conscientious attention to little things, is the secret of success in every line of Christian effort so that the humblest duties should not be ignored.
(Eric:) So, Ralf will share some examples with us, Biblical examples, about being faithful.
(Ralf:) Now here is a picture of Elisha. Do you believe this? We are not quite sure, but, he could have looked like that. And what is he doing here? How do you pronounce this? Plowing? Now children especially, be careful now. And I’m sorry, Kaleb, they had no tractors at that time. But it’s also interesting to work with these animals. So imagine, Elisha going out with the intention of plowing a field which is a little distance away from the farm. And as he went there, the sun was hot. He had done, let’s say, half of the field and already the sweat was flowing, with all the hard work. And there’s a little lake nearby. Do you feel the temptation already, to go for a swim? Because, well, the plowing could be done, let’s say, tomorrow or next week. Why finish it now? Nobody’s looking, nobody knows. But Elisha had a different character. He said, “No, when I put my hand to the plow, I will do the work till it is finished." And this he did, not only this once, it was a habit which he had developed even as a young man, from childhood. So these character traits became inbuilt. And because of this God could trust him in later years when he was grown up.
We have another example for you.
(Tobi:) And that is Moses. We have another picture here. This shows his Education , when he was working with the sheep. And this he did for forty years. We want to read the quotation here in Patriarchs and Prophets , 396, the second paragraph. So remember, Moses had worked for forty years, and he was very faithful in little things. And what do you think was the effect, when he was given a greater task? We will read this now to see what happened:
“The humble shepherd’s life of Moses had been far more peaceful and happy than his present position as leader of that vast assembly of turbulent spirits. Yet Moses dared not choose. In place of a shepherd’s crook a rod of power had been given him, which he could not lay down until God should release him." Patriarchs and Prophets , 396.2.

So he might be tempted to lay it down and step back and do an easier work, or an easier job. But, what was in his heart? It was that he would not lay it down until God should release him. And this he had learned by being faithful in little things.
(Ralf:) There’s a text in John , in the letter which John wrote, in 1 John 4:20, that I found a bit difficult to just read, so we made a little diagram. Okay, so in the middle, that’s myself. God, in this case, of course, is at the top. And man, in this case, should be the lower circle here. The text says, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’" so this is positive, “and hates his brother, he is a liar." He’s not being truthful, for it could not be true. “For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" 1 John 4:20.
There’s another text in Testimonies on Sexual Behavior. It says there, if someone is not faithful to God he cannot be relied upon to be faithful to man, even if he says he is. Do you understand this? So it doesn’t matter if we are positive, if we say “yes" to God and “no" to our fellow man. Or the other way round. This is not faithfulness. Because, we have this Bible text in James 3:11 which we won’t read because of the time, that says, a well, or fountain, springs forth only one kind of water. So, either I’m faithful or I’m not. Either I’m faithful in little things and in big things, or I’m not at all. It’s not possible for us to be faithful only in big things and not in little ones. So it’s a real challenge to be faithful, as for example, as Elijah was, in everything. And with this we have to close because our time is gone.
Do you have any thoughts or questions about this?
The Lords Supper - The Law of Legacy

Good evening and welcome to our communion service at the International camp meeting of the year 2005. At the beginning of this meeting we want to contemplate a little about the legacy that Christ left behind and the importance of legacy. Before we do this let us first turn to a text. You can read this with me here on the screen. That comes after the third angel’s message. It says, “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." We know that God’s people are described here, God’s special people at the end of time. It is a time when the character of God shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, and this is expressed in these words: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Now we read in the next verse, “Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.’" Revelation 14:12-13.
We have always understood that this text is talking especially of those who die in the faith of the angels’ messages that are described just previously. That is in the faith of the third angel’s message, and we would say the fourth angel’s today. So those who die in that faith, they are blessed. Why? Because their works follow them. When we look back into history, we see that the work of God has failed again and again. Good beginnings have been made in many a generation. Think for example of the time when Israel was delivered from Egypt. That was a time of special revival, a time when the people of God could really finish the work, but it was delayed again and again and again. And instead of the heavenly Canaan they finally came into an earthly Canaan, there to stay for a very, very long time. So later in the time of David, or let’s think of the time of Christ even, when the early rain was poured out on the disciples there was a wonderful opportunity to finish the work, but after the first generation of believers died, one after another, the work did not continue. We have had many reformations since that time, and each reformer brought a tremendous momentum into the work, but this momentum was never carried forward to the conclusion. Think about this, never. There were wonderful leaders who really did much, but it was not finished. That will not be the case in this last work. When it says of a people that they have the patience of the saints, that they are those who keep the commandments and have the faith of Jesus, it will be a time when they can rest from their labors because their works follow them. It especially applies to those who die in the faith of the third angel’s message or the fourth angel’s message.
Why especially them? Why not Martin Luther? Why not Paul? Why not David? Why not one of these? Because they could not assure us that the work would finish after them. Their works followed them also in a certain sense. In other words we read it in the Bible, we read it in The Spirit of Prophecy , and we are encouraged by their stories. They are definitely very important for us. But it’s only because we have again started a work. Another reform movement has started, and the question is, will it go on, will it finish? And we can have the courage and faith that it will.
Now what we need to understand is that there is a legacy that is passed on by those who die in that faith, and that is the law of legacy which is a very important point of Christian leadership. So we want to study this legacy. What is it? Legacy is what the Christian leader leaves behind after he leaves the work. What do people normally leave behind? Normally they leave behind a house for their children, or some money that they inherit, or they leave behind some debts which is not so pleasant for the children. They leave behind either a bad influence, a bad memory of themselves, or a good memory. If you can remember or keep your parents in good remembrance they gave a good legacy. But you know it’s more than this. Parents also give to their children their natures, humanly speaking, literally so, but through the Education even more so.
So we children carry the legacy of our parents. We carry what they left behind. And what is it that they left behind? I will use some examples. We want to categorize this. First of all it could be simply influence which they leave behind. For example, the successors of a reformer will be influenced by his example, and also by the knowledge that he transmitted. Our forefathers have left a legacy which is the message, the truth, which we carry on, and it’s a very important legacy that we have to treasure and to keep. We also have their influence as far as we could see it, as far as we were influenced by it, but apart from this there is another thing. A Christian leader also leaves behind authority and power. In other words he empowers his successors. We have studied this during this week in the law of empowerment—how Moses, for example, empowered Joshua, and how Christ empowered His disciples. Of this we want to study more this evening.
Now, when you think of the history of the past, and of the reformers, they left this legacy behind, didn’t they? They left influence behind for further generations, they also left authority behind, and power in a certain sense, too, but somehow it never seems to have been enough. Certainly there is no fault with Christ. He left a church—even though it looked very feeble at the beginning, it was very, very powerful and really did a great work. So why didn’t the disciples leave behind such a legacy? They did, partly. When you think of Timothy, Titus, and others whom Paul really reproduced, then you see there was something there, but yet the work overall was not finished. Sometimes a leader can also leave behind a task. It could be a pleasant task or not such a pleasant task. It could be the task to finish a building. It could be a task to pay off a debt. It could be the task to build up the firm so that it continues to grow. It could be the task to simply finish the work, and anyone who dies in the faith of the third angel’s message must leave that task behind, because he has not finished the work. So he must leave the task behind for his successors to finish the work.
Now with all these things, one is missing, one factor is missing. Can you see this? We leave behind influence, we leave behind power, and authority, and we leave behind a task. What else is missing? Who can see this? (Response from the floor.) Exactly, people. People, and that is the most important thing. You can leave behind a general influence. You can leave behind, “To whoever succeeds me shall have my authority." You can leave behind a big task, but if you don’t have a person whom you leave behind, it won’t avail much. That is very important. So, another leader, a successor to whom the work is handed over. That is a very important element. Now all these things a leader needs. He needs influence from the former leader, he needs authority and power, he needs a task, but without him, himself being there, it wouldn’t work. Power needs people to empower, so

that it is manifested for the blessing of mankind, and for the finishing of the work.
So let’s look at these things now. First of all, influence. The influence of the Christian leader will be felt even after his departure as we can clearly read in this text, “‘…and their works follow them.’" Revelation 14:13. Today, Christ’s example I would say has a tremendous impact, and on the last people of God it will have a stronger influence than ever. He was long ago in the grave and resurrected again. He has not been with us for a long time, but His life actually lives in the hearts of everybody who studies it. Christ’s legacy was felt in the disciples, and that’s the reason why they were called Christians, because He lived on in them, so much so that they gave them the name “Christian". Abraham left behind such a legacy, too, and let us read this because he left something else behind, too. “Abraham’s affection for his children and his household led him to guard their religious faith, to impart to them a knowledge of the divine statutes, as the most precious legacy he could transmit to them, and through them to the world. All were taught that they were under the rule of the God of heaven. There was to be no oppression on the part of parents and no disobedience on the part of children. God’s law had appointed to each his duties, and only in obedience to it could any secure happiness or prosperity." Patriarchs and Prophets , 142.1.
Now before we read this paragraph here we have to go back a little, two paragraphs, even three paragraphs. “Abraham’s household comprised more than a thousand souls. Those who were led by his teachings to worship the one God, found a home in his encampment; and here, as in a school, they received such instruction as would prepare them to be representatives of the true faith. Thus a great responsibility rested upon him. He was training heads of families, and his methods of government would be carried out in the households over which they should preside." Patriarchs and Prophets , 141.1.
It’s interesting. You see that Abraham’s work was continued, wasn’t it? It was carried on by Isaac, by Jacob, and finally by the twelve sons, and the people of Israel were the result—a people who were the people of God whom He could use, whom he could work through. It is true they were not perfect. They lost much of the momentum again, but it was not the fault of Abraham. He trained heads of families. He did not give only knowledge, but he actually gave a legacy of people. He trained heads of families. Just to show us that there can also be a bad influence which a leader leaves behind, we will consider Solomon. When you think about him, he left behind a very bad legacy, because from Solomon’s time onwards everybody would say, “Ah, if he could do it, I can do it, too. If he could afford this and be helped, then I can afford it, too." And this was a very, very bad legacy. It’s very unfortunate that Solomon went the way that he did, even though he was restored at the end. But his legacy altogether was a bad one. I wouldn’t say everything was bad, because he then wrote Proverbs and Ecclesiastes and this is a good legacy, but his example was a bad legacy.

Now authority and power: A good Christian leader can empower people even after he is departed. In other words, people draw inspiration from a leader even long after he is dead. So, when people would see John the Baptist, and would think of John the Baptist, even many, many generations after him, they would receive strength and power. Can you remember these statements about John the Baptist? When they too would be thrown into a dungeon or would be burnt on the martyr’s stake, they would remember that he was the greatest of all prophets.
Jesus bequeathed the legacy of peace on His disciples. And I would like to read with you especially: “In His discourse to the disciples, Jesus made no mournful allusion to His own sufferings and death. His last legacy to them was a legacy of peace. He said, ‘Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’" The Desire of Ages , 672.2.
I would recommend that we read again the whole chapter, “Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled". Now this peace Jesus did not give in a general sense to the world as such, without giving it to the people. He was not like a Pope standing on a balcony and saying, “Peace to you all." That wouldn’t do any person good, personally, except that they are enthusiastic when somebody says this. But the peace that Jesus gave was much more. It was giving it personally to people. It was not like the peace of the world. And this was His legacy to them. Had there been no disciples, then the peace He left behind would have gone into emptiness. It was very important. “‘…My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’"
Another legacy that Christ left behind was this statement: “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen." Matthew 28:18-20.
Now this promise to be with them to the end of the age is His legacy. That means He is really with us today, till the end of the world. It’s a legacy that is for the disciples to the end. Let’s read this. “They were to teach the observance of all things whatsoever Jesus had commanded them, and were to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Jesus was about to be removed from his disciples; but he assured them that although he should ascend to his Father, his Spirit and influence would be with them always, and with their successors even unto the end of the world. Christ could not have left his followers a more precious legacy than the assurance that his presence would be with them through all the dark and trying hours of life. When Satan seems ready to destroy the church of God, and bring his people to confusion, they should remember that One has promised to be with them who has said, ‘All power is given unto me in Heaven and on earth.’" The Spirit of Prophecy 3:238.1.
You know, some people like to carry a picture of the one who died with them, because they want to be constantly reminded of that person, and that picture so to speak is the legacy. Now, I wouldn’t encourage you to do this. Rather look at Jesus because that is His picture, that is His image, in the promise. And let’s look at it frequently. Let’s look at that special picture often. It is the Word of God, and each time you look at it, remember, “I am with you always." And He’s really there. It’s not just a picture.

A task—Jesus definitely left behind a task, and the task that the Christian leader leaves behind can be an important means for the successors to grow. Without a task what shall we do? David left behind the task of building the temple to his successor. That was very, very important to him. Christ’s legacy to John was to care for His mother. You remember that story when He hung at the cross and His mother came, and He saw John the disciple, and He said to His mother, “This is your son," and to John He said, “This is your mother." And John understood this. It meant, “I have to care for her. That is the legacy that Christ gave me." And he was ever faithful in that work. And it was a great blessing for John, not only for the mother of Jesus. She had somebody to look after, to care for, but he had somebody to tell him all the time of the childhood of Jesus. Isn’t this a privilege? Wouldn’t you like to have such a mother to care for? It’s a great privilege, a great task.
And there is something else that Christ left behind which at first doesn’t look so nice, but it’s a great, great trust that He gives. It’s a legacy. Let’s read about this: “There was never one who walked among men more cruelly slandered than the Son of man. He was derided and mocked because of His unswerving obedience to the principles of God’s holy law. They hated Him without a cause. Yet He stood calmly before His enemies, declaring that reproach is a part of the Christian’s legacy, counseling His followers how to meet the arrows of malice, bidding them not to faint under persecution." Reflecting Christ , 366.2.
Have you ever thought that this is Christ’s legacy—reproach? It is. We read the same thing here: “The truth always involves a cross. Those who will not believe oppose and deride those who do believe. The fact that its presentation creates a storm of opposition is no evidence against the truth. The prophets and apostles imperiled their lives because they would conscientiously obey God. And our Saviour declares that ‘all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.’ This is the Christian’s legacy." The Life of Paul , 279.3.

Do you like that? Or do you feel that’s like leaving behind some debt that I have to pay off? Or some unpleasant task? Let’s think about this a little. How do we accept that legacy? Do you know that this task is exactly what we need in order to grow? That is a legacy we need. That is the legacy that Christ left behind. And it’s the legacy that will make us Christian soldiers, to bear the reproach of Christ.
Let’s now come to the last point. Another leader must be left behind for the successful completion of the work of God. It is essential that there is a succession of Christian leadership. So for the people to enter Jericho it was important that Moses gave his legacy to Joshua. Since we have studied this already I won’t repeat these statements here. Then Elijah gave his legacy to Elisha. I would just like to read with you how this happened. “And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?’…" In other words, what kind of legacy do you want? What is it that you want? What legacy? You remember a similar question was asked of Solomon when he began to rule as king. God asked him, “Tell Me, what do you want?" And what did Elisha ask? What kind of legacy did he want? “…Elisha said, ‘Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.’…" He was not exactly modest was he? A double portion of the prophet Elijah’s spirit he wanted to have. Was this proud? No, certainly not. It was the same prayer as that of Solomon. He realized his helplessness. He realized that the work was tremendously great that he was continuing from Elijah. And for that reason he needed the same as Solomon needed. He needed divine wisdom, a double portion of the spirit of Elijah which was the Spirit of God. Elijah replied to him: “…So he said, ‘You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.’" 2 Kings 2:9, 10.
Elisha saw him, and he would not move from his side. Thereafter Elijah was taken from place to place to place to place, and Elisha always went with him. In fact, I think that had happened already. Yes, “I will not leave you," he said. And this persistence of Elisha was really showing his faithfulness—his faithfulness in little things as well as in big things.
Paul gave his legacy to Timothy and others—we could study this at a separate time—but Christ gave His legacy to His disciples. And I would like to read this with you now because that especially fits our communion service. Let’s turn to it: “As they were gathered about the table, He said in tones of touching sadness, ‘With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: for I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: for I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.’
“Christ knew that the time had come for Him to depart out of the world, and go to His Father. And having loved His own that were in the world, He loved them unto the end. He was now in the shadow of the cross, and the pain was torturing His heart. He knew that He would be deserted in the hour of His betrayal. He knew that by the most humiliating process to which criminals were subjected He would be put to death. He knew the ingratitude and cruelty of those He had come to save. He knew how great the sacrifice that He must make, and for how many it would be in vain. Knowing all that was before Him, He might naturally have been overwhelmed with the thought of His own humiliation and suffering. But He looked upon the twelve, who had been with Him as His own, and who, after His shame and sorrow and painful usage were over, would be left to struggle in the world. His thoughts of what He Himself must suffer were ever connected with His disciples. He did not think of Himself. His care for them was uppermost in His mind." The Desire of Ages , 643.2.
Now I really think that we can learn so much from this paragraph, so much about leadership. First of all, Jesus was really showing His selflessness here—His selflessness is revealed. It is naturally our right to think of ourselves when we have to do a certain task. For example, when an athlete wants to jump a record height, he first keeps quiet a few moments, as he concentrates. The high jumper puts his whole mind on the task: “I want to get over there. I want to do it." And then he runs. All the sinews are tuned ready and he jumps over. When a person goes into a battle, first he is quiet. He meditates, “I know it will be a hard task. I have to concentrate." Now when you are in that moment of concentration for a difficult task and a child comes around and, “Daddy, Daddy, I need you!" Oh, what about that? It’s not quite exactly what you’re looking forward to, is it? You would say, “Please, leave me in peace for a moment. I have to concentrate on an important task." But you know there were these disciples who were not in harmony with Jesus at that moment. They did not know what He was going to do, or what would happen. They did not know His suffering. They had no idea of it. And yet they put forward their opinion all the time. It was a real disturbance. Christ could have said to His disciples, “Come on My friends, I must be alone for a moment. You stay here. I will go into the forest." Wouldn’t this be reasonable? Wouldn’t it be the right of Christ to do this? Certainly. But no, He stayed with them. His last moments were spent with them.
Now think about Christian leaders, even great leaders. They had to concentrate on their task, didn’t they? But most Christian leaders just saw the task before them, and when they fully concentrated on that and were not distracted, they accomplished much, but they were not fully effective. The work was never finished at that time. And why not? Because they did not see beyond themselves. They just saw themselves and their task. And when I think of myself, how often do I see myself in my task? How often do I want to send others away and say, “Please leave me in peace now. I have to concentrate on a greater task. I have to do something more important." It reminds me a little of a story in Spain. Can you remember when my dear friends, my dear little friend came along and wanted to play with me, and I said, “No, I need some rest now. We will have a Bible study again later." And then he pressed this book into my hand about how this old and this young dog were there and I realized that I’m the old dog, and I have to do something with the young dog now and that was my work. So I really admire Jesus and I wish to have His spirit. He did not think of Himself at this moment, but His care for His disciples was uppermost in His mind. I wish to have that spirit which was also in Christ Jesus, who did not even think of Himself.
This is the law of legacy. It is thinking beyond myself. It is thinking beyond my task. Jesus spent more time and more energy in training His disciples than in doing anything else on this earth. His most important thing was His legacy. That is what He concentrated His work on, and everything else was, you could say, a side product. When He, for example, held the Sermon on the Mount, for whom did He hold this? For the disciples. The others were just listeners. Of course they were blessed, too, no question about it, but it was for His disciples that He gave this sermon. When He told object lessons for whom did He tell them? Mostly for His disciples. And sometimes He asked them, “Did you understand what I said?" “Yes we understood." So He was always teaching His disciples really. At one time he made a trek for several days to Syrophenicia. He didn’t do much up there except for healing somebody, and you never know what came out of that. We don’t know. History doesn’t tell us if a church was established there or anything. We don’t know, and yet He did this. And why? Because He thought of His disciples. When He went to Syrophenicia, it was for the same purpose.
And this larger view Jesus wants to give us as well. Not only this, we are also His disciples and we have received His legacy. We have received His peace. We have received His character, His influence. And like a picture, let us get this out again and again, like now at the Lord’s Supper. Let’s get out this picture and study it. It’s His legacy. When Jesus washed the feet of the disciples He gave them a legacy. He said, “An example I have set for you. Do as I have done to you." And with this He instituted something. He left a legacy behind so each time when we wash one another’s feet, each time we partake of the bread and the wine, we remember that is the legacy of Christ. That’s what He left behind. But He needs people. Without people to receive that blessing, that influence, and that power, the work would not go forward. But if we are that people, then the work will go forward. And in our turn, let’s be filled with the same spirit as Jesus. And that is not to think of ourselves, but whatever we experience, to connect it with the cause and with the continuation of the cause.
That is a question we could ask ourselves. If we were to die, or would become very sick and about to die, what would we be most concerned with—with our own survival or with death? Would we be melting in self-pity or would we think of how the work would go on? What would be in our mind? You can think about this yourself. But with Jesus it was clear. He did not think of Himself, and I pray very much that this spirit may be in me. I see a lack here and for this reason I want to participate in the foot washing. I want to receive that legacy of Christ, and really to experience it so that the work can go on. And I trust that this is your desire, too. Amen.
Let us turn now to the Bible. We want to read these verses which speak of the institution of the Lord’s Supper as Paul recounts it. “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes." 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
Now Sister White tells us that the communion service is not to be a sad occasion. That heart searching has gone on before and during the foot washing, and now we come really to thank the Lord. We come with a thankful heart, but the question is, how can we do this when we proclaim the Lord’s death? Isn’t death something that makes us sad, normally? Normally yes, but not in this case. This is a death that is connected with a resurrection. And we could not proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes if He was not resurrected. Because if He was not resurrected He would not come. So the whole idea of the Lord’s Supper is not just the death of Christ. It’s also the resurrection of Christ.
This point is made very clear in the Bible where it also talks about the death of Christ. “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him." Romans 6:5-8.
So it’s not just thinking about death. It is thinking about life—life that is possible through death. And God wants us to see both. The grape juice symbolizes the blood of Christ. The bread symbolizes His body, but these symbols do not only symbolize that. They also symbolize the life that Christ infuses into us as we partake this, and that is the resurrection. Many have looked upon the death of Christ as though they stood in the shadow of the cross. They saw its sadness, its burden, but they did not see the tremendous possibility God has opened with this sacrifice. God does not want us to stand in the shadow of the cross. He wants us to stand in its light, and this we shall do now as we partake of this Lord’s Supper. Let us look forward to a time when God can really remove all the hindrances so the work will go forward in an explosive way, led by the Holy Spirit. Let us see that the life He infuses into us will enable us to do His work. Let us not be presumptuous about it, but simply rely on His merits and on His promises. This is what the Lord wants us to do now. So as we partake of these symbols, let us connect it with His death and His resurrection. And so we partake of His life. Amen. Shall we kneel down to ask for God’s blessing for this bread and this juice?