EGW Notes - Lesson 9- Mission to the Powerful

Sabbath Afternoon, November 25
Those who belong to the higher ranks of society are to
be sought out with tender affection and brotherly
regard. Men in business life, in high positions of trust,
men with large inventive faculties and scientific insight,
men of genius, teachers of the gospel whose minds have
not been called to the special truths for this time—these
should be the first to hear the call. To them the invitation
must be given. . . .
Those who stand high in the world for their education,
wealth, or calling, are seldom addressed personally in
regard to the interests of the soul. Many Christian
workers hesitate to approach these classes. But this
should not be. If a man were drowning, we would not
stand by and see him perish because he was a lawyer, a
merchant, or a judge. If we saw persons rushing over a
precipice, we would not hesitate to urge them back,
whatever might be their position or calling. Neither
should we hesitate to warn men of the peril of the
soul.—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 230.
There are many . . . men whom [God] desires to
connect with His church. Their sympathies are with the
Lord’s people. But the ties that bind them to the world
hold them firmly. It requires moral courage for these
men to take their position with the lowly ones. Special
effort should be made for these souls, who are in so
great danger because of their responsibilities and
associations.
Much is said concerning our duty to the neglected
poor; should not some attention be given to the
neglected rich? Many look upon this class as hopeless,
and they do little to open the eyes of those, who, blinded
and dazed by the glitter of earthly glory, have lost
eternity out of their reckoning. Thousands of wealthy
men have gone to their graves unwarned. But indifferent
as they may appear, many among the rich are soulburdened. “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied
with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase.”
Ecclesiastes 5:10.—The Ministry of Healing, pp. 209, 210.
There is another danger to which the wealthy are
especially exposed. . . . Multitudes who are prosperous in
the world, and who never stoop to the common forms of
vice, are yet brought to destruction through the love of
riches. The cup most difficult to carry is not the cup that
is empty, but the cup that is full to the brim. It is this that
needs to be most carefully balanced. Affliction and
adversity bring disappointment and sorrow; but it is
prosperity that is most dangerous to spiritual life. . . .
Often prayer is solicited for those who are suffering
from illness or adversity; but our prayers are most
needed by the men entrusted with prosperity and
influence. . . .
[The] men who stand, as it were, on a lofty pinnacle,
and who, because of their position, are supposed to
possess great wisdom—these are in greatest peril.
Unless such men make God their dependence, they will
surely fall.—The Ministry of Healing, pp. 211, 212.
Sunday, November 26
Nebuchadnezzar
God wills that all men should be saved; for ample
provision has been made, in giving His only begotten
Son to pay man’s ransom. Those who perish will perish
because they refuse to be adopted as children of God
through Christ Jesus. The pride of man hinders him from
accepting the provisions of salvation. But human merit
will not admit a soul into the presence of God. That
which will make a man acceptable to God is the
imparted grace of Christ through faith in His name. No
dependence can be placed in works or in happy flights of
feelings as evidence that men are chosen of God; for the
elect are chosen through Christ.
Jesus says, “Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise
cast out.” John 6:37. When the repenting sinner comes to
Christ, conscious of his guilt and unworthiness, realizing
that he is deserving of punishment, but relying on the
mercy and love of Christ, he will not be turned away.—
Our High Calling, p. 78.
In Daniel’s life, the desire to glorify God was the most
powerful of all motives. He realized that when standing
in the presence of men of influence, a failure to
acknowledge God as the source of his wisdom would
have made him an unfaithful steward. And his constant
recognition of the God of heaven before kings, princes,
and statesmen, detracted not one iota from his influence.
King Nebuchadnezzar, before whom Daniel so often
honored the name of God, was finally thoroughly
converted, and learned to “praise and extol and honour
the King of heaven.”
The king upon the Babylonian throne became a
witness for God, giving his testimony, warm and
eloquent, from a grateful heart that was partaking of the
mercy and grace, the righteousness and peace, of the
divine nature.—Ellen G. White Comments in, The
Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 1170.
In the work for this class [the rich and powerful] many
discouragements will be presented, many
heartsickening revelations will be made. But all things
are possible with God. He can and will work through
human agencies upon the minds of men whose lives
have been devoted to money getting.
There are miracles to be wrought in genuine
conversion, miracles that are not now discerned. The
greatest men of the earth are not beyond the power of a
wonder-working God. If those who are workers together
with Him will do their duty bravely and faithfully, God
will convert men who occupy responsible places, men of
intellect and influence. Through the power of the Holy
Spirit, many will be led to accept the divine principles.—
The Ministry of Healing, pp. 215, 216.
Monday, November 27
Naaman
Few realize the full meaning of the words that Christ
spoke when, in the synagogue at Nazareth, He
announced Himself as the Anointed One. He declared His
mission to comfort, bless, and save the sorrowing and
the sinful; and then, seeing that pride and unbelief
controlled the hearts of His hearers, He reminded them
that in time past God had turned away from His chosen
people because of their unbelief and rebellion, and had
manifested Himself to those in heathen lands who had
not rejected the light of heaven. The widow of Sarepta
and Naaman the Syrian had lived up to all the light they
had; hence they were accounted more righteous than
God’s chosen people who had backslidden from Him and
had sacrificed principle to convenience and worldly
honor.—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 416.
Some are especially fitted to work for the higher
classes. These should seek wisdom from God to know
how to reach these persons, to have not merely a casual
acquaintance with them, but by personal effort and
living faith to awaken them to the needs of the soul, to
lead them to a knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus.
Many suppose that in order to reach the higher
classes, a manner of life and method of work must be
adopted that will be suited to their fastidious tastes. An
appearance of wealth, costly edifices, expensive dress,
equipage, and surroundings, conformity to worldly
customs, the artificial polish of fashionable society,
classical culture, the graces of oratory, are thought to be
essential. This is an error. The way of worldly policy is
not God’s way of reaching the higher classes. That which
will reach them effectually is a consistent, unselfish
presentation of the gospel of Christ.—The Ministry of
Healing, p. 213.
The truth should be presented with divine tact,
gentleness, and tenderness. It should come from a heart
that has been softened and made sympathetic. We need
to have close communion with God, lest self rise up . . .
and we pour forth a torrent of words that are -
unbefitting, that are not as dew or as the still showers
that revive the withering plants. Let our words be gentle
as we seek to win souls. God will be wisdom to him who
seeks for wisdom from a divine source. We are to seek
opportunities on every hand, we are to watch unto
prayer, and be ready always to give a reason for the
hope that is in us, with meekness and fear. Lest we shall
impress unfavorably one soul for whom Christ died we
should keep our hearts uplifted to God, so that when the
opportunity presents itself, we may have the right word
to speak at the right time. If you thus undertake work for
God, the Spirit of God will be your helper. The Holy Spirit
will apply the word spoken in love for the soul. The truth
will have quickening power when spoken under the
influence of the grace of Christ.—Testimonies for the
Church, vol. 6, p. 400.
Tuesday, November 28
Witnessing to the Learned:
Nicodemus
The success of the gospel message does not depend
upon learned speeches, eloquent testimonies, or deep
arguments. It depends upon the simplicity of the
message and its adaptation to the souls that are
hungering for the bread of life. “What shall I do to be
saved?”—this is the want of the soul.
Thousands can be reached in the most simple and
humble way. The most intellectual, those who are looked
upon as the world’s most gifted men and women, are
often refreshed by the simple words of one who loves
God, and who can speak of that love as naturally as the
worldling speaks of the things that interest him most
deeply.—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 231, 232.
Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin and with
others had been stirred by the teaching of Jesus. As he
had witnessed Christ’s wonderful works, the conviction
had fastened itself upon his mind that this was the Sent
of God. Too proud openly to acknowledge himself in
sympathy with the Galilean Teacher, he had sought a
secret interview. In this interview Jesus had unfolded to
him the plan of salvation and His mission to the world,
yet still Nicodemus had hesitated. He hid the truth in his
heart, and for three years there was little apparent fruit.
. . . When at last Christ had been lifted up on the cross,
Nicodemus remembered the words that He had spoken
to him in the night interview on the Mount of Olives, “As
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so
must the Son of man be lifted up” (John 3:14); and he
saw in Jesus the world’s Redeemer. . . .
Now, when the Jews were trying to destroy the infant
church, Nicodemus came forward in its defense. No
longer cautious and questioning, he encouraged the faith
of the disciples and used his wealth in helping to sustain
the church at Jerusalem and in advancing the work of
the gospel. Those who in other days had paid him
reverence, now scorned and persecuted him, and he
became poor in this world’s goods; yet he faltered not in
the defense of his faith.—The Acts of the Apostles, pp.
104, 105.
The experience of the apostle Paul in meeting the
philosophers of Athens has a lesson for us. In presenting
the gospel before the court of the Areopagus, Paul met
logic with logic, science with science, philosophy with
philosophy. The wisest of his hearers were astonished
and silenced. His words could not be controverted. But
the effort bore little fruit. Few were led to accept the
gospel. Henceforth Paul adopted a different manner of
labor. He avoided elaborate arguments and discussion of
theories, and in simplicity pointed men and women to
Christ as the Saviour of sinners. . . .
Let those who work for the higher classes bear
themselves with true dignity, remembering that angels
are their companions. Let them keep the treasure house
of mind and heart filled with, “It is written.” Hang in
memory’s hall the precious words of Christ. They are to
be valued far above gold or silver.—The Ministry of
Healing, pp. 214, 215.
Wednesday, November 29
Mission to the Rich
There is a work to be done for the wealthy. They need
to be awakened to their responsibility as those
entrusted with the gifts of heaven. They need to be
reminded that they must give an account to Him who
shall judge the living and the dead. The wealthy man
needs your labor in the love and fear of God. Too often
he trusts in his riches, and feels not his danger. The eyes
of his mind need to be attracted to things of enduring
value. He needs to recognize the authority of true
goodness, which says, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My
yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly
in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls; for My
yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-
30.—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 230.
The [rich young ruler] looked upon Christ with
admiration. His heart was drawn toward the Saviour.
But he was not ready to accept the Saviour’s principle of
self-sacrifice. He chose his riches before Jesus. He
wanted eternal life, but would not receive into the soul
that unselfish love which alone is life, and with a
sorrowful heart he turned away from Christ.
As the young man turned away, Jesus said to His
disciples, . . . “Children, how hard is it for them that trust
in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for
a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich
man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were
astonished out of measure.” Now they realized that they
themselves were included in the solemn warning. In the
light of the Saviour’s words, their own secret longing for
power and riches was revealed.—Christ’s Object Lessons,
pp. 393, 394.
The Bible condemns no man for being rich, if he has
acquired his riches honestly. Not money, but the love of
money, is the root of all evil. It is God who gives men
power to get wealth; and in the hands of him who acts as
God’s steward, using his means unselfishly, wealth is a
blessing, both to its possessor and to the world. But
many, absorbed in their interest in worldly treasures,
become insensible to the claims of God and the needs of
their fellow men. They regard their wealth as a means of
glorifying themselves. They add house to house, and
land to land; they fill their homes with luxuries, while all
about them are human beings in misery and crime, in
disease and death. Those who thus give their lives to
self-serving are developing in themselves, not the
attributes of God, but the attributes of the wicked one.
These men are in need of the gospel. They need to
have their eyes turned from the vanity of material things
to behold the preciousness of the enduring riches. They
need to learn the joy of giving, the blessedness of being
co-workers with God.—The Ministry of Healing, pp. 212,
213.
Thursday, November 30
Mission to the Powerful
Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus came to the help
of the disciples. Both these men were members of the
Sanhedrin, and were acquainted with Pilate. Both were
men of wealth and influence. They were determined that
the body of Jesus should have an honorable burial.
Joseph went boldly to Pilate, and begged from him the
body of Jesus. . . .
Neither Joseph nor Nicodemus had openly accepted
the Saviour while He was living. They knew that such a
step would exclude them from the Sanhedrin, and they
hoped to protect Him by their influence in its councils.
For a time they had seemed to succeed; but the wily
priests, seeing their favor to Christ, had thwarted their
plans. In their absence Jesus had been condemned and
delivered to be crucified. Now that He was dead, they no
longer concealed their attachment to Him.—The Desire
of Ages, p. 773.
We need a power to come upon us now and stir us up
to diligence and earnest faith. Then, baptized with the
Holy Spirit, we shall have Christ formed within, the hope
of glory. Then we will exhibit Christ as the divine object
of our faith and our love. We will talk of Christ, we will
pray to Christ and about Christ. We will praise His holy
name. We will present before the people His miracles,
His self-denial, His self-sacrifice, His sufferings, and His
crucifixion, His resurrection and triumphant ascension.
These are the inspiring themes of the gospel, to awaken
love and intense fervor in every heart. . . .
We need to have a living connection with God
ourselves in order to teach Jesus. Then we can give the
living personal experience of what Christ is to us by
experience and faith. We have received Christ and with
divine earnestness we can tell that which is an abiding
power with us. The people must be drawn to Christ.
Prominence must be given to his saving efficacy.
The true learners, sitting at Christ’s feet, discover the
precious gems of truth uttered by our Saviour, and will
discern their significance and appreciate their value.
And more and more, as they become humble and
teachable, will their understanding be opened to
discover wondrous things out of his law, for Christ has
presented them in clear, sharp lines.—Selected Messages,
book 3, pp. 186, 187.
If we only realized how earnestly Jesus worked to sow
the world with the gospel seed, we would labor
untiringly to give the bread of life to perishing souls.
Catch the spirit of the great Master-Worker. Learn
from the Friend of sinners how to minister to sin-sick
souls. His heart was ever touched with human woe. . . .
God’s servants are to work for the higher classes, but
this does not mean that they are to bind themselves up
with the honored of the earth, depending on them for
strength, influence, and success. The Lord will often
incline the hearts of those in positions of responsibility
to grant favors to His commandment-keeping people.
But when God’s servants leave Him to solicit recognition
from men of the world, they exchange power for
weakness.—The Upward Look, pp. 330, 331.
Friday, December 1
For Further Reading
The Story of Redemption, “The Burial,” pp. 227–229;
Our High Calling, “A Submissive Will,” p. 105.