Who Shall Preach?

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 19, 1874

Who Shall Preach?

THE faithful servant of Jesus counts that no success that falls short of saving souls. The idea of preaching the gospel is proclaiming Christ, and present and eternal salvation through his atoning blood.

Men are on the verge of eternity. Thousands and tens of thousands are on the brink of perdition, and the proclamation of the gospel must be given under such circumstances as to reach them at once.

Let the message of salvation be urged on their attention, whether at home or abroad, in the garret or cellar, in the counting-room or parlor, or by the wayside, and let it be done by all sorts of instrumentalities, young or old, men, women, or children. Let each one proclaim the message, so that all may hear; for how can they hear without a preacher, and how can they preach unless they be sent. We will not reject a man-ordained ministry. They have their work to do. Neither will we reject the Heaven-ordained ministry of all Christ’s disciples. To whom does he not say, “I have ordained you that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain”? The Head of the church would fain call into the field a great many more of those preachers, who, like those scattered men and women in the early days of Christianity, went everywhere preaching the word. Who may not find work? and where may not work be found? In the days of Nehemiah, the walls of the city were quickly reared. Why? Because the people had a mind to work. Let us pray for largeness of heart—for a mind to work—remembering that we are our brother’s keepers.—Sel.