Here the ministers of Christ have their work, their qualifications, and the power of God’s grace working in them, clearly defined. God has been pleased recently to show me a great deficiency in many who profess to be representatives of Christ. In short, if they are deficient in faith and in a knowledge of vital godliness they are not only deceiving their own souls, but are making a failure in the work of presenting every man perfect in Christ. Many whom they bring into the truth are destitute of true godliness. They may have a theory of the truth, but they are not thoroughly converted. Their hearts are carnal; they do not abide in Christ and He in them. It is the duty of the minister to present the theory of the truth; but he should not rest with having done this merely. He should adopt the language of Paul: “I also labor, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily.” {4T 314.3}

Her er Kristi tjeneres arbejde, deres kvalifikationer og kraften af Guds nåde virkende i dem, klart defineret. Gud har for nylig fundet det godt at vise mig store mangler hos mange, som bekender sig som Kristi repræsentanter. Kort sagt, hvis de er mangelfulde i tro og på (315) kundskab til den livsvigtige gudsfrygt bedrager ikke blot dem selv, men det mislykkedes også for dem at fremstille alle mennesker fuldkomne i Kristus. Mange som de bringer til sandheden er blottet for sand gudsfrygt. De kan have en teori om sandheden, men de er ikke omvendt helt igennem. Deres hjerter er kødelige; de bliver ikke i Kristus og han i dem. Det er prædikantens pligt at overbringe teorien om sandheden; men han bør ikke hvile ved dette alene. Han bør antage Paulus' valgsprog: »Det er også det, jeg arbejder og kæmper for med hans kraft, som virker mægtigt i mig.«