Devotional Services Without a Preacher by William Covert

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 26, 1916

Devotional Services Without a Preacher

By William Covert

WILLIAM COVERT

WHEN Peter and Paul were working for the Lord, preachers were few, and the field was large; so they planned for churches to conduct devotional services even when deprived of ministerial help. The instruction then given on this point was recorded so as to meet the need of God's people down to the end of time.

Christ is high priest for the entire church and people, and the new and living way into the holiest has been consecrated by him; therefore any one can go at any time and intercede with God for himself through the merits of Christ. No human priest is needed. The consecrated way, which is open to all through the sprinkled blood, is for all people all the time.

Since this ample provision is made for all, the apostle says: “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience [the mental preparation], and our bodies washed with pure water [the physical preparation].” Heb. 10:22. When these personal preparations of heart and body have been made, we can render acceptable worship.

Yet we owe a duty to our brethren and sisters in the truth which can be fulfilled at proper times by meeting together for prayer and exhortation. The instruction says we should not forsake “the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as we see the day approaching.” Heb. 10:25.

The exhortations in these assemblies should encourage love and good works, and these exhortations are to be more earnest as we near the day of the Lord's coming. The need of this earnestness is seen when we study the statistics which tell of the progress of our work.

When the writer began to observe the Sabbath of the Lord forty-eight years ago, there were 4,475 Seventh-day Adventists in all the world. Then there were 32 ordained ministers and 159 organized churches, or an average of one preacher for about five churches. The statistics for the present year indicate that we have one thousand ordained preachers and four thousand church organizations. These figures show that the denomination could not furnish an ordained minister for more than one fourth of our churches.

Besides our individual churches, we have now many hundreds of places in the wide field which must be ministered to by our workers. Of course, in this count the licentiates, the Bible workers, and other helpers are not included. It is evident that Seventh-day Adventists must have strong local help in their organized churches to maintain their standing, and to do the work which God has assigned to them. The work to be done by this people calls for earnest efforts from the lay members. Every one must faithfully do his part in proclaiming the third angel's message. Organization and training are indispensable to success in our work.