EGW Quotes & references
1."You have no right to find fault with those who do not believe as you do. You are not to criticize the minister who is sent to you, and say he is too liberal, or he is at fault in this or that, if he is preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. No matter what you may think, do not allow your tongue to utter condemnation of that which you do not understand. Do not sow the seed of unbelief and discord. Silence is eloquence, and we greatly need to learn this eloquence. When you hear your brethren speaking evil of others, tell them not to judge, not to condemn. . . . Persons have criticized those who were digging deep in the mines of knowledge, and their criticism, if heeded, would crush out the very powers that God would have men develop and strengthen. This talking against others must stop among those who profess to be the children of God." {RH, April 26, 1892 par. 5}
EGW ( 3 - part sermon) Sermon #1 - RH April 19 - 1892 ; sermon # 2- RH - April 26 - 1892 (where the quoted paragraph is) ; sermon # - 3 RH May 3 - 1892 (conclusion).
2."Shall not these lessons be of profit to those who are tempted to criticize, think evil of, speak evil of, and judge and condemn those whom God is leading and favoring? And how much worse it is to criticize and give judgment against the church that God has chosen to magnify his name and vindicate his honor, than to speak simply against an individual member." {RH, October 3, 1893 par. 6}
3. "To accuse and criticize those whom God is using, is to accuse and criticize the Lord, who has sent them. All need to cultivate their religious faculties, that they may have a right discernment of religious things."
{LS 325.2 - Life Sketches of Ellen G. White - 1915 - p-325 paragraph 2} ....... {TM 466.2 - Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers {1923} p- 466 paragraph 2} ....... {1888 954.3 - The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials 1987 - p-954 paragraph 3. }
4. "All the religion many have is to pick flaws" {HS 123.2}
HS - Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists (1886)
Practical Addresses.
Delivered by Mrs. E. G. White to the Swiss Conference and the European Missionary Council
5. ($-Part article) starting November 29, 1906 The Work in Oakland and San Francisco--No. 1- 4
Mrs. E. G. White
"Let no Christian be found an accuser of the brethren. Satan is the one who bears this title; he accuses them before God day and night, he stirs up the enemies of our faith to accuse us, and he prompts those of like precious faith to criticize and condemn one another. We are not to take part in his work. These are days of trial and of great peril, the adversary of souls is upon the track of every one; and while we stand out separate from the world, we should press together in faith and love. United, we are strong; divided, we are weak."
{RH, December 6, 1906 par. 7} (No. 2 , paragraph 7)
6. "Let us not consider it a virtue to make and suggest difficulties, which one mind and another will bring in to harass and perplex."
Letter 87, 1900. {3SM 120.1}; {AUCR, August 1, 1900 par. 2}; -Letter 87, 1900, pp. 1,2. {MR728 43.3}
7. "When others begin to question and criticize, let us be determined, either by silence or by turning the conversation into another channel, to cut off the words which would not be spoken in wisdom." The Upward Look Chap. 171 - God Helps Us Accomplish His Will {UL 185.1}
8."Often we are tempted to criticize a man standing in a high position of responsibility because he does not do as we think he ought to do. But the one who has so many responsibilities to carry needs not the criticism of his fellow workers; he needs their encouragement, their forbearance, their patience, and their prayers."
Mind, Character, and Personality volume 2, {2MCP 633.2}
(9.)"But too often place is given to evil surmising and evil thinking. Under the influence of the suspicions that Satan has planted in the heart, very unjust things are said and done." {AUCR, April 15, 1905 par. 5}
(10.)"Some pride themselves on being outspoken, blunt, and rough, and they call this frankness; but it is not rightly named. It is selfishness of the deepest dye. . . . They criticize, they wound, they say disagreeable things." {GW92 431.1}; {ML 196.3}; {VSS 141.1}; {BTS, August 1, 1912 par. 7}
(11.)"Men's hearts are no softer today than when Christ was upon the earth. They will criticize and turn against the servant of God the very efforts he is leading them to make. They will, with their evil surmising, see fraud and dishonesty where all is right, and where perfect integrity exists. They lay selfish motives to the charge of God's servants, when he himself is leading them, and when they would give even their lives if God required if by so doing they could advance His cause." {4T 234.2}; {IR, May 8, 1907 par. 5}; {ST, December 30, 1886 par. 12}
(12.)"Satan is constantly working through his agents to dishearten and destroy those whom God has chosen to accomplish a great and good work" {AA 418.1}; {LP 232.1}
When putting in SOP quotes - if you have the reference & the time to put in the quote - you have time to put in the reference. If you do not have the reference - then say so. Some of our members, moderators, readers have health limitations on their energy, eye sight, and limits on their time. They deserve our courtesy.
The Berean method of study requires references, unless all the readers have the appropriate data bases and search engines and are familiar enough with them to use them. Plus references allows readers to look up context. I have, and am up to 55-56 pages in my word processor & have not started on (looking up context on )number 8 quote yet, but I will soon.
Inspiration is quite balanced, I will look up what Scripture says on a word search : pastor*, leader*, shepherd*, brother*, disciple* and post it. It cuts both ways. Be two faced in God's house and God aint deaf or blind. It is a problem of members & officers & leaders alike. Too bad the worst ones are the most visible & vocal - you rarely get to hear and see the good ones.
Too many SDA's are spiritual canibbals, that actually seems to be a leaving the faith. When there is sin in the Church - deal with it - but how you deal with it - there is the evidence of who is your Master. If you follow Jesus, you will follow His methods and His revealed inspired testimony from Bible & SOP. You will do all you can to compile all the evidence that applies to the situation and then follow it.
We do not think of Sodom and Gomorrha as a vacation spot, but Capernaum the religious is in worse shape. The same One who dealt with Sodom and the cities of the plains is much angrier over religious hypocrites. Capurnaum is in deep (.......)because had Jesus done in Tyre & Sidon what He later did in Capernaum - those cities would have repented. We can be religious hypocrites as laity all the way up to leadership. The office does not make the person, the person comes to the office and carries what they are or what they are not into the office.
Matthew 10:
14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Matthew 11:
20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:
21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
Mark 6:
10 And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.
11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Luke 10:
10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,
11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.
13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.
15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.
16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
One of the highest Church offices ever for a mortal, would be one of the 12 Apostles. Peter was one of them. In Galatians 2:11-13 Peter was waffeling in a major Church crisis and helped the opposition. Paul rebukes the local church members in ch - 3. There does not seem to have been any heros or heroines of faith taking the Scriptures and stemming the tide. There seems to be a time to stand up and defend Scriptural faith, whether your are a pion or a big wheel. Sometimes the problems are members (Ananias & his wife Sapphira) or leaders (Church council that sent Paul into the temple - Paul's death walk.)
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Edward F Sutton
[This message has been edited by Edward F Sutton (edited April 06, 2001).]