The Source of the Church's Power

Ellen G. White

This is a somewhat condensed version of a longer document. Recognizing the not everyone is able to read lengthy documents on line, it was considered helpful to give some of the more significant paragraphs. Click for the Longer Version

The church of Christ is God's appointed agency for the salvation of men. Its mission is to carry the gospel to the world. Jesus said to the representatives of his church, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” There is no limitation to this command. The good news of a Saviour,-Christ dying as our sacrifice upon Calvary, Christ pleading as our high-priest and intercessor before God, Christ our king and deliverer, coming to redeem his children,-this is the message to be carried to all the world, to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.   …

When Jesus gave the commission, he added, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” And he bade the disciples, “Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” Here is the source of the church's power to fulfill her divine mission,-Christ with us, Christ abiding in our hearts by faith. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 2}

Without a living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour, it is impossible to make our influence felt in a skeptical world. If you would draw sinners out of the swift running current, your own feet must not stand on slippery places. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 3}

We cannot impart heaven's light unless we have received it. We cannot reveal a Saviour, of whom we have no knowledge. You cannot teach others of Jesus and his righteousness, you cannot portray his matchless love and the fullness of his grace, you cannot picture him as the Christian's all in all, as the comforter and guide of men, unless your own heart is filled with his love. You will not be able to present God as a God of compassion and love unless you can say, “I have tasted, and know that the Lord is good.” The heavenly influences surrounding the soul of the true worker are felt by those for whom he labors; the presence of heavenly angels is not seen by human eyes, but it is felt. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 4}

“We are laborers together with God.” Bear this ever in mind: Jesus says, “Without me ye can do nothing.” It is God who must accomplish the work. The Saviour declared concerning what he himself had wrought, “The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” The laborers are to be partakers of the divine nature; divinity and humanity must be combined. Humanity will adapt itself to humanity, and by manly resolves and wise efforts, will set the springs of intellectual life in motion under a tide of divine forces that are powerful, thorough, and permanent. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 5}  ...

“Jesus only,”-in these words is the secret of the life and power that marked the early church.  ...

As they returned from Olivet to Jerusalem, the people looked upon them, expecting to see on their faces expressions of sorrow, confusion, and defeat; but they saw there gladness and triumph. The disciples did not wail over disappointed hopes, but were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 7}

As they met together, they were eager to present their requests to the Father in the name of Jesus. In solemn awe they bowed in prayer, repeating to one another the assurance of the Saviour, “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” During the ten days following the ascension, they with one accord devoted the time to prayer and praise, waiting for the descent of the Holy Spirit. They extended the hand of faith higher and higher, with the mighty argument, “It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” {HM November 1, 1890, par. 8}

And Pentecost brought them the heavenly illumination. The spiritual truths which they could not comprehend while Christ was with them, were now unfolded. Power from on high was given them, and they became witnesses for Christ, even unto the uttermost part of the earth. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 9}

All that Christ was to the early disciples, he desires to be to his children today. They too may say, with the assurance of the beloved John, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the Word of life; ... that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you.” Communion with God through Christ and in Christ,-here is the source, the secret, of all spiritual life. It is a communion not limited to times and places, but constant, abiding. This is not the privilege alone of the minister, the Bible worker, or the missionary, but of the canvasser, the man of business, of all the followers of Christ. All may walk and talk with Jesus; their hearts may be stayed on God. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 10}

It is because there is so little communion with God, that spiritual life is so feeble, and the efforts of our workers meet with so little success. Our natures must be raised from their earthliness; they must be kindled and purified in the upper brightness of God's divine presence. Why are we so easily satisfied with little flashes of light, when there is a heaven of illumination for us? We drink at shallow streams, when there is a great fountain just above us, if we will only rise a little higher in the pathway of faith. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 11}

It is by beholding Christ, through faith, that we are to be changed into his likeness. As we meditate upon the perfection of his character, we shall desire to become wholly transformed and renewed in the image of his purity. There will be a hungering and thirsting of soul to be made like him whom we adore. The more our thoughts are upon Christ, the more we shall speak of him to others, and represent him to the world. We shall represent him in our words, in our love for the brethren, in our deep, earnest love for the souls for whom Christ died. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 12}  ...

Brethren, we must have less of self, and more of God. We are not to trust for success to what we can do, but to what Christ can do through our efforts. The efficiency of our labor depends upon our hold on God. The Lord requires of you diligent culture of your abilities; unless you are constantly in Christ's school, the tastes and aspirations will become earthly, and the energies intrusted to you for the accomplishment of God's work will be perverted and misplaced. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 21}

The Holy Spirit is grieved and driven away by the self-sufficiency, the unchristlike spirit, that is cherished. You have no time to spend in contention. Draw near to God, and go to work for Christ and the souls he died to save. If mistakes are made, as they will be, do not fall back, content to make no further effort, but try again. With agony of desire, in humility, with wrestling faith, come to One who is too wise to err, and who will make no mistake in your case; One who knows your every weakness, and who will hear your heart-felt prayers. May God make his servants wise through the divine illumination, that the mould of man may not be seen on any of the great and important enterprises before us! {HM November 1, 1890, par. 22}

It is through the church that the self-sacrificing love of Jesus is to be made manifest to the world; but by the present example of the church the character of Christ is misrepresented, and a false conception of him is given to the world. Self-love excludes the love of Jesus from the soul, and this is why there is not in the church greater zeal and more fervent love for Him who first loved us. Self is supreme in so many hearts. Their thoughts, their time, their money, are given to self-gratification, while souls for whom Christ died are perishing. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 24}

This is why the Lord cannot impart to his church the fullness of his blessing. To honor them in a distinguished manner before the world would be to put his seal upon their works, confirming their false representation of his character. When the church shall come out from the world, and be separate from its maxims, habits, and practices, the Lord Jesus will work with his people; he will pour a large measure of his Spirit upon them, and the world will know that the Father loves them. Will the people of God continue to be so stupefied with selfishness? His blessing hangs over them, but it cannot be bestowed in its fullness because they are so corrupted with the spirit and practices of the world. There is spiritual pride among them; and should the Lord work as his heart longs to do, it would but confirm them in their self-esteem and self-exaltation. Shall Christ continue to be misrepresented by our people? Shall the grace of God, the divine enlightenment, be shut away from his church, because of their lukewarmness? It will be, unless there is most thorough seeking of God, renunciation of the world, and humbling of the soul before God. The converting power of God must pass through our churches. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 25}

A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. We must have the holy unction from God, the baptism of his Spirit. This is the only efficient agent in the promulgation of sacred truth. It is the Spirit of God that quickens the lifeless faculties of the soul to appreciate heavenly things, and attracts the affections toward God and the truth. What we need, what we cannot do without, is the power of the Holy Spirit to work with our efforts. All pampering of self must be at an end. There is a weakness of intellect, a lack of religious fervor, in those who want to lean upon others, to be petted, waited on, and propped up. There must be an earnest longing, a soul-hunger, for the presence of the Lord. Make him your support, your front guard and your rearward. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.” He who has endowed the human mind with all its powers, will so mould these capabilities that there will be no extremes; all will act harmoniously. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 26}

It is a case of life or death with us. We have been stricken with spiritual paralysis, and every one needs the help of the Great Physician. He alone can reach our case. He is only waiting to be invited by us with earnest heart, with sincere desire. Nothing is wanting but a preparation of heart; we are to clear away the rubbish, open the door, and invite Jesus to come in and abide with us. Simple, earnest, believing prayer always brings him to our side as a mighty helper. He says to us, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” He longs to come in; he is only waiting for us to prepare the way, to open the door, and he will come in. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 27}

A revival need be expected only in answer to prayer. When churches are revived, it is because some individual seeks earnestly for the blessing of God. He hungers and thirsts after God, and asks in faith, and receives accordingly. He goes to work in earnest, feeling his great dependence upon the Lord, and souls are aroused to seek for a like blessing, and a season of refreshing falls upon the hearts of men. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 28}

Many are weary of their half-hearted service. Their souls cry out after the living God. They cannot be satisfied with a form of godliness; they long for the deep movings of the Holy Spirit. Let the weary, discouraged one cry, as did Jacob, for the Comforter. Let him lay bare his soul in the secret place before God. Let him with loathing put away soul-defilement. The work is between him and his God. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 29}

God is at work; he doeth wonders; and although he is high and lifted up, prayer will reach his throne. He that is turning and overturning, he that can do marvelous things, will regard the contrite prayer of faith from the humblest of his children. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 30}

We are not to look at ourselves. The more we dwell on our imperfections, the less strength we shall have to overcome them. Jesus says, “Look unto me, and be ye saved.” It is not necessary for us to be ever stumbling and repenting, and writing bitter things against ourselves. It is our privilege to believe the promises of the word of God, and accept the blessings that Jesus loves to bestow, that our joy may be full. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 31}

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The Lord did not lock the reservoir of heaven after pouring his Spirit upon the early disciples. We also may receive of the fullness of his blessing. Heaven is full of the treasures of his grace, and those who come to God in faith may claim all that he has promised. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 33}  ...

As the palm-tree, drawing nourishment from fountains of living water, is green and flourishing in the midst of the desert, so the Christian may draw rich supplies of grace from the fountain of God's love, and may guide weary souls, that are full of unrest, and ready to perish in the desert of sin, to those waters of which they may drink and live. He is ever pointing his fellow-men to Jesus, who invites, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” This fountain never fails us; we may draw, and draw again. {HM November 1, 1890, par. 36}

Mrs. E. G. White