A Lay Member’s Experience
By Jasper Wayne
By selling The Signs of the Times during the campaign last year, as a foreign missionary enterprise, a popular chord was touched that met a hearty response from all classes of people, inasmuch that a large amount of literature was placed in their hands, and a goodly sum was received for our foreign missions. This brought such a blessed experience to me that I was encouraged to take one more step, and undertake to sell that splendid book, “Great Controversy,” in the same way. This step sorely tried my faith, although I met with such signal success in selling the Signs; to sell a book seemed more than I could undertake. However, the Lord gave me strength to overcome, and led me on to victory. For the first ten hours’ work, the Lord gave me six orders, amounting to $17.75—$8.50 for our foreign missions. And, O, what blessing came to me as I realized the blessing being brought to others by the means placed in my hands by my kind Heavenly Father! What might we accomplish if ten thousand of us should sell only six books each! This would place sixty thousand copies of this grand book in the homes of our neighbors, and ninety thousand dollars in our depleted mission treasury, to still further spread this gospel of the soon-coming Saviour. “A precious experience may be gained19by one who engages in this work. He has upon his heart the burden of the souls of his neighbors. . . . While helping others, such a worker is himself obtaining spiritual strength and understanding, and in this humble school he may become qualified to enter a wider field. . . . Let the laymen do all that they can; and as they use the talents they already have, God will give them more grace and increased ability. . . . Let all who believe the truth begin to work. Do the work that lies nearest you. . . . We shall not be stinted for means if we will only go forward trusting in God. The Lord is willing to do a great work for all who truly believe in him. If the lay members of the church will arouse to do the work that they can do, going on a warfare at their own charges, each seeing how much he can accomplish in winning souls to Jesus, we shall see many leaving the ranks of Satan to stand under the banner of Christ. If our people will act upon the light that is given in these few words of instruction, we shall surely see of the salvation of God. Wonderful revivals will follow. Sinners will be converted, and many souls will be added to the church. When we bring our hearts into unity with Christ, and our lives into harmony with his work, the Spirit that fell on the disciples on the day of Pentecost will fall on us.”—“Testimonies,” Vol. VIII, pages 245, 246. This cheering testimony ought to stimulate us to action. The Master has filled our hands with message-filled books, papers, and tracts, and he is earnestly calling for each and all to take of him, and finish his work. Why not, at the beginning of this new year, present our books and papers as a missionary enterprise, putting all the profits in the foreign mission fund? This will open a door to you that will be marvelous in your eyes, yielding the peaceable fruits of righteousness. This plan gives practically an unentered field. Let us occupy till he comes, and share in the joy of the harvest home. Thousands of us can put in our spare time in this way, and thereby reap a threefold blessing—one for ourselves, one for our neighbors, and one for our foreign missions.