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| I HAVE BEEN SHOWN THAT NO MAN’S JUDGMENT SHOULD BE SURRENDERED TO THE JUDGMENT OF ANY ONE MAN. BUT WHEN THE JUDGMENT OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST AUTHORITY THAT GOD HAS UPON THE EARTH, IS EXERCISED, PRIVATE INDEPENDENCE AND PRIVATE JUDGMENT MUST NOT BE MAINTAINED, BUT BE SURRENDERED. [Brother A] Your error was in persistently maintaining your private judgment of your duty against the voice of the highest authority the Lord has upon the earth. After you had taken your own time, and after the work had been much hindered by your delay, you came to Battle Creek in answer to the repeated and urgent calls of the General Conference. You firmly maintained that you had done right in following your own convictions of duty. You considered it a virtue in you to persistently maintain your position of independence. You did not seem to have a true sense of the power that God has given to His church in the voice of the General Conference. You thought that in responding to the call made to you by the General Conference you were submitting to the judgment and mind of one man. You accordingly manifested an independence, a set, willful spirit, which was all wrong. {1872-1875 3T 492.2} |
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| I could not entrust the light God has given me to the publishing house at Battle Creek. I would not dare to do this. As for your book committee, under the present administration, with the men who now preside, I would not entrust to them for publication in books the light given me of God, until that publishing house has men of consecrated ability and wisdom. AS FOR THE VOICE OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE, THERE IS NO VOICE FROM GOD THROUGH THAT BODY THAT IS RELIABLE. – Manuscript 57, 1895. {1990 17MR 178.1} |
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| “THE EVIL IS NOT WITH ONE MAN, OR WITH TWO; IT IS THE WHOLE THAT NEEDS THE CLEANSING AND SETTING IN ORDER.” {GCDB, February 24, 1899 par. 2} |
| “IT HAS BEEN SOME YEARS SINCE I HAVE CONSIDERED THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AS THE VOICE OF GOD.” {17MR 216} (1898). {GCDB, February 24, 1899 par. 3} |
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| O, my very soul is drawn out in these things! Men who have not learned to submit themselves to the control and discipline of GOD, are not competent to train the youth, to deal with human minds. It is just as much an impossibility for them to do this work as it would be for them to make a world. THAT THESE MEN [our leaders] SHOULD STAND IN A SACRED PLACE, TO BE AS THE VOICE OF GOD TO THE PEOPLE, AS WE ONCE BELIEVED THE GENERAL CONFERENCE TO BE, – THAT IS PAST. WHAT WE WANT NOW IS A REORGANIZATION. WE WANT TO BEGIN AT THE FOUNDATION, AND TO BUILD UPON A DIFFERENT PRINCIPLE. {GCB, April 3, 1901 par. 25} |
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| The Lord declares that His church is not to be governed by human rules or precedents. Men are not capable of ruling the church. God is our Ruler. I am oppressed with the thought of the objectionable human management seen in our work. God says, Hands off. Rule yourselves before you attempt to rule others. STRANGE THINGS HAVE BEEN DONE, THINGS THAT GOD ABHORS. FOR MEN TO CLAIM THAT THE VOICE OF THEIR COUNCILS IN THEIR PAST MANAGEMENT IS THE VOICE OF GOD SEEMS TO ME TO BE ALMOST BLASPHEMY. – Manuscript 35, 1901. Ellen G. White Estate Washington, D. C. July 9, 1987. Entire Manuscript. {17MR 250.1} |
| EXPLANATORY NOTE |
| [The opinions in this document were expressed by Ellen White at a time when only a small group represented the General Conference. After the General Conference was reorganized in 1901 to provide broad representation, Mrs. White took a different view. At the 1909 General Conference she encouraged strong support for the General Conference. At that session she said: “at times, when a small group of men entrusted with the general management of the work have, in the name of the General Conference, sought to carry out unwise plans and to restrict god’s work, I have said that I could no longer regard the voice of the General Conference, represented by these few men, as the voice of God. but this is not saying that the decisions of a General Conference composed of an assembly of duly appointed, representative men from all parts of the field should not be respected. God has ordained that the representatives of His church from all parts of the earth, when assembled in a General Conference, shall have authority. . . . let us give to the highest organized authority in the church that which we are prone to give to one man or to a small group of men.” – Testimonies, vol. 9, pp. 260, 261. See further The Early Elmshaven Years, by A. L. White, pp. 75-94, 108-110.] {17MR 251.1} |
| Comments upon the above Explanatory Note |
| 1. The quotations by Ellen White were not her opinions, they were inspired writings from the Holy Spirit of God, except where she gave her own views; i.e. SEEMS TO ME TO BE ALMOST BLASPHEMY. |
| 2. The inspired quotation by Ellen White in 1901 confirmed that the church leadership were no longer the voice of God and qualified this by adding the statement THAT IS PAST. This confirmed that the church leaders / General Conference would continue to remain in that position. |
| 3. Since 1895, the history of the leaders of the SDA General Conference speaks for itself. In many areas it has followed the secular churches rather than adhere to the original beliefs of the church pioneers. |
| For more information, right click upon this web-page: |
| https://www.godswordexplained.com/?page_id=1607 |
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| Satan was accusing backsliding Israel. In like manner he purposes to point to the unprincipled proceedings of those who have had great light in these last days. He keenly observes the backsliding of those who have been placed at the head of the work – the very men who through communications have been informed that they were OUT OF PLACE AND IN ERROR IN REPRESENTING THE VOICE OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE PRESIDENT AS BEING THE VOICE OF GOD. For MANY YEARS it has not been thus, and it is not thus now; NOR WILL IT EVER be thus again, UNLESS THERE IS A THOROUGH REFORMATION. – Manuscript 124, 1901 par. 14. {1990 17MR 240.3} |
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| The General Conference Committee has a weighty responsibility in caring for the interests of our people and of the work which is committed to them. As the field of our work widens, this responsibility becomes greater. IT IS NOT THE WILL OF GOD THAT THOSE WHO ARE CALLED TO THIS POSITION SHOULD SO LADE THEMSELVES DOWN WITH BUSINESS CARES THAT THEY ARE CRIPPLED IN THE WORK TO WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN CHOSEN. Manuscript 33, 1895 par. 1. {1990 14MR 278.1} |
| ESPECIALLY IS THIS TRUE IN REGARD TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE. HIS TIME IS NOT TO BE FILLED UP WITH THE DETAILS OF BUSINESS; FOR THIS IN A GREAT DEGREE DISQUALIFIES HIM FOR THE VERY WORK WHICH HE SHOULD DO. HE CANNOT CONTINUE TO CARRY THE BURDEN HE HAS CARRIED IN THESE LINES, WITHOUT NEGLECTING LINES OF WORK WHICH CANNOT BE LEFT TO OTHERS. Let men be chosen to give themselves to the business part of the work, and leave the president of the General Conference free to attend to the spiritual interests. Let him have time to understand the spiritual needs of the church. Manuscript 33, 1895 par. 2. {1990 14MR 278.2} |
| THE VOICE OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE HAS BEEN REPRESENTED AS AN AUTHORITY TO BE HEEDED AS THE VOICE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. BUT WHEN THE MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE BECOME ENTANGLED IN BUSINESS AFFAIRS AND FINANCIAL PERPLEXITIES, THE SACRED, ELEVATED CHARACTER OF THEIR WORK IS IN A GREAT DEGREE LOST. [SEE A. L. WHITE, THE EARLY ELMSHAVEN YEARS, PP. 70-83, 223-235, FOR A DISCUSSION OF CONDITIONS IN THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH ABOUT THE TIME THIS MANUSCRIPT WAS WRITTEN.] The temple of God becomes as a place of merchandise, and the ministers of God’s house as common businessmen. Their work is brought down on a level with common things. Business cares and perplexities unfit them for the consideration of matters relating to the spiritual interests of the work, which require the keenest perception, the most careful thought, the most delicate tact, and the deepest spiritual insight. Manuscript 33, 1895 par. 3. {1990 14MR 278.3} |
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| “Over and over again men have said, ‘The voice of the Conference is the voice of God; therefore everything must be referred to the Conference. The Conference must permit or restrict in the various lines of work.’ As the matter has been presented to me, there is a narrow compass, and within this narrow compass, all the openings to which are locked, are those who would like to exercise kingly power. BUT THE WORK CARRIED ON ALL OVER THE FIELD DEMANDS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT COURSE OF ACTION. THERE IS NEED OF THE LAYING OF A FOUNDATION DIFFERENT FROM THE FOUNDATION WHICH HAS BEEN LAID IN THE PAST. WE HAVE HEARD MUCH ABOUT EVERYTHING MOVING IN THE REGULAR LINES. WHEN WE SEE THAT THE ‘REGULAR LINES’ ARE PURIFIED AND REFINED, THAT THEY BEAR THE MOULD OF THE GOD OF HEAVEN, THEN IT WILL BE TIME TO ENDORSE THESE LINES. But when we see that MESSAGE after MESSAGE given by GOD has been RECEIVED and ACCEPTED, YET NO CHANGE HAS BEEN MADE, we know that NEW POWER MUST BE BROUGHT INTO THE REGULAR LINES. The MANAGEMENT of the regular lines MUST BE ENTIRELY CHANGED, NEWLY ORGANIZED. THERE MUST BE A COMMITTEE, NOT COMPOSED OF HALF A DOZEN MEN, BUT OF REPRESENTATIVES FROM ALL LINES OF OUR WORK, from our publishing house, from our educational institutions, and from our sanitariums, which have life in them, which are constantly working, constantly broadening. {GCB, April 10, 1903 par. 3} |
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| I have OFTEN been instructed by the Lord that NO MAN’S JUDGEMENT SHOULD BE SURRENDERED TO THE JUDGEMENT OF ANY OTHER ONE MAN. NEVER SHOULD THE MIND OF ONE MAN OR THE MINDS OF A FEW MEN BE REGARDED AS SUFFICIENT IN WISDOM AND POWER TO CONTROL THE WORK AND TO SAY WHAT PLANS SHALL BE FOLLOWED. But when, in a General Conference, the JUDGEMENT of the brethren assembled from all parts of the field is exercised, private independence and private JUDGEMENT must not be stubbornly maintained, but surrendered. Never should a labourer regard as a virtue the persistent maintenance of his position of independence, contrary to the decision of the general body. {1909 9T 260.1} |
| At times, WHEN A SMALL GROUP OF MEN ENTRUSTED WITH THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF THE WORK HAVE, IN THE NAME OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE, SOUGHT TO CARRY OUT UNWISE PLANS AND TO RESTRICT GOD’S WORK, I HAVE SAID THAT I COULD NO LONGER REGARD THE VOICE OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE, REPRESENTED BY THESE FEW MEN, AS THE VOICE OF GOD. But this is not saying that the decisions of a General Conference composed of an assembly of duly appointed, representative men from all parts of the field should not be respected. GOD HAS ORDAINED THAT THE REPRESENTATIVES OF HIS CHURCH FROM ALL PARTS OF THE EARTH, WHEN ASSEMBLED IN A GENERAL CONFERENCE, SHALL HAVE AUTHORITY. The ERROR that some are in danger of committing is in giving to the MIND AND JUDGMENT OF ONE MAN, OR OF A SMALL GROUP OF MEN, the full measure of authority and influence that GOD has vested in HIS CHURCH in the JUDGMENT AND VOICE OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE assembled to plan for the prosperity and advancement of His work. {1909 9T 260.2} |
| WHEN THIS POWER, WHICH GOD HAS PLACED IN THE CHURCH, IS ACCREDITED WHOLLY TO ONE MAN, AND HE IS INVESTED WITH THE AUTHORITY TO BE JUDGEMENT FOR OTHER MINDS, THEN THE TRUE BIBLE ORDER IS CHANGED. Satan’s efforts upon such a man’s mind would be most subtle and sometimes well-nigh overpowering, for the enemy would hope that through his mind he could affect many others. LET US GIVE TO THE HIGHEST ORGANIZED AUTHORITY IN THE CHURCH THAT WHICH WE ARE PRONE TO GIVE TO ONE MAN OR TO A SMALL GROUP OF MEN. {1909 9T 261.1} |
