Going Forward On Our Knees

“Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, “Follow Me” (White, 1905).”

Whenever I read this quote I am inspired to a greater commitment to service and to follow the very methodology of Christ in seeking to minister to the needs of suffering humanity. I was challenged however by a recent statement in the Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly in which the writer raised a significant concern about our approach to service.

“How many times are modern disciples more eager to race off and work for Jesus rather than spend time with Him? The simple reality is that when we go out to fulfill the gospel commission, racing off with our own to-do list, we bypass the Savior of the world and try to replace Him with ourselves. It is too easy to have a "Messiah complex," thinking it is up to us to save the world, forgetting that Jesus alone is Savior. One would not be too hard-pressed to say that so much of Christian history has been soiled by those who, professing the name of Jesus, had not spent time with Him, had not known Him, and had not been changed by Him. The last thing our world or the church needs are those running around in the name of Christ who have not been "with Him." One of Satan's greatest ploys in the great controversy has been his ability to co-opt those who claim the name of Christ and to use them to defile that name (Tasker, 2015).”

Perhaps before we launch into a day of activity in the name of Christ we would do well to follow the advice of Martin Luther who was quoted as saying “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer (Luther, n.d).” 

Luther, M. (n.d).   Retrieved 19th February 2016, from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/35269-i-have-so-much-to-do-that-i-shall-spend

Tasker, D. (2015). Comrades in Arms.   Retrieved 19th February 2016, from http://www.ssnet.org/lessons/16a/less08.html

White, E. G. (1905). The Ministry of Healing: Pacific Press Publishing Association.