Victory or Defeat? by I. J. Hankins

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 3, 1902

Victory or Defeat?

By I. J. Hankins

WHICH shall it be? The Lord himself has planned the campaign for the sale of “Christ’s Object Lessons,” and he has called all his soldiers to service. Is it too testing a truth to declare that all who fail to respond to this call (unless from physical disability) prove themselves untrue to God? Have we made a covenant with God by sacrifice? A certain young man thought he had done this, but when tested, he refused to sell all and follow Christ. I have seen a few persons who refuse to try to sell four books in order to assist this grand missionary enterprise.

Brethren, I see more and more in this work as the days go by. I see in it a solution of great problems. It is easy to see how the message may be given to the world in this generation. It reveals God’s method of reviving the missionary spirit in his people. It awakens the sleepers, and shows them how to shine. It reveals the sad truth that darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people. It also shows how the character of God will be seen in the “remnant,” making them the light of the world. It brings us in contact with persons who are seeking light, and who desire to know the way of the Lord more perfectly. It shows us that in laying upon us the work of giving this last message, God requires no impossibility. It reveals selfishness, love of the world, and a lack of interest for our fellow men, which ought to lead to genuine repentance and a consecration for service far in advance of anything we have yet seen among this people.

Brethren, if there were hungry people in our neighborhood, and we should go from door to door with bread, would we not find them? Do we not find people who are hungry for the spiritual food in “Christ’s Object Lessons”? Are they not glad that we called and supplied their need, and did it not bring a blessing to our own souls also, just as the Lord said it would? Shall we not continue the good work, then, bestowing and so receiving still greater blessings?

I. J. HANKINS.