the God of Jacob. Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the
pleasant harp with the psaltery.” Psalm 81:1, 2.
* * * * *
“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing
praises unto Thy name, O Most High: to show forth Thy lovingkindness
in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night, upon an
instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with
a solemn sound. For Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through Thy [13]
work: I will triumph in the works of Thy hands.” Psalm 92:1-4.
* * * * *
“O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise
to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with
thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. For
the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His
hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is His
also. The sea is His, and He made it: and His hands formed the dry
land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the
Lord our Maker.” Psalm 95:1-6.
* * * * *
“O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the
earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; show forth His salvation
from day to day. Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders
among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised:
He is to be feared above all gods.” Psalm 96:1-4.
* * * * *
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord
with gladness: come before His presence with singing. Know ye
that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we
ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter
into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise:
18 Testimonies for the Church Volume 8
be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.”
[14] Psalm 100.
Chapter 2—The Commission
It is God’s purpose that His people shall be a sanctified, purified,
holy people, communicating light to all around them. It is His
purpose that, by exemplifying the truth in their lives, they shall be
a praise in the earth. The grace of Christ is sufficient to bring this
about. But let God’s people remember that only as they believe
and work out the principles of the gospel can He make them a
praise in the earth. Only as they use their God-given capabilities in
His service will they enjoy the fullness and power of the promise
whereon the church has been called to stand. If those who profess
to believe in Christ as their Saviour reach only the low standard of
worldly measurement, the church fails to bear the rich harvest that
God expects. “Found wanting” is written upon her record.
The commission that Christ gave to His disciples just before His
ascension is the great missionary charter of His kingdom. In giving
it to the disciples, the Saviour made them His ambassadors and gave
them their credentials. If, afterward, they should be challenged and
asked by what authority they, unlearned fishermen, went forth as
teachers and healers, they could reply: “He whom the Jews crucified,
but who rose from the dead, appointed us to the ministry of His word,
declaring, ‘All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.’”
Christ gave this commission to His disciples as His chief ministers,
the architects who were to lay the foundation of His church.
He laid upon them, and upon all who should succeed them as His
ministers, the charge of handing His gospel down from generation
to generation, from age to age.
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The disciples were not to wait for the people to come to them.
They were to go to the people, hunting for sinners as a shepherd
hunts for lost sheep. Christ opened the world before them as their
field of labor. They were to go “into all the world, and preach the [15]
gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15. It was of the Saviour that
they were to preach, of His life of unselfish service, His death of
shame, His unparalleled, unchanging love. His name was to be