慈善事工在睦邻友好接触和赢得人心的微妙工作中体现了预言之灵的指示。这是救灵工作的一种方式，是许多安息日复临信徒不怎么熟悉的。但它却是上帝所指定的任务，是使世人注意基督和基督教最恰当的手段，是一项应许带来丰富奖赏的事工。WM 9.1
本书作者不仅用简练适当的语言，也用她多年的榜样把这项传道事工摆在我们面前。她虽然忙于家庭义务和她作上帝使者的责任，却常常在无意间树立了榜样，因为她倾心关怀周围贫困的人。本书附录中怀爱伦作为慈善工作者无私服务的自传体记录，取材自她的日记和信函，读者很可能在研究正文之前就急切地仔细阅读它。若是这样，读者很快就会看到，教会蒙召要从事的慈善工作不仅是一种感化工作，也是一种爱心事工和救人的努力——是最高级慈善布道工作。WM 9.2
在汇编预言之灵有关这个重要工作园地的勉言时，谨摘录了她在七十年时间里所写大量的宝贵指示，不仅来自已经出版的书籍，也来自怀爱伦为我们教会期刊撰写的数千篇文章，以小册子的形式发表的特别证言，以及怀爱伦的手稿。所选的内容既源于不同时期的作品，就难免让读者看到一些重复之处，以强调某个主题充分发挥的要点。这种重复，尽管减少到了最低限度，在汇编时也是难以完全避免的，因为编者的工作仅限于选择题材并按逻辑顺序排列，只提供标题。WM 9.3
用一册题为《论慈善工作》把怀爱伦有关这项工作的大量指示全部包括在内，是很难而且几乎是不可能的。选择材料并在睦邻探访和传道事工之间划出界限并不容易。把虔诚的安息日复临女信徒更为广泛的工作与专业的传道事工区分开来也不简单。对于上帝的儿女来说，这些工作在日常生活的各种活动中是结合在一起的。WM 10.1
请注意本书中经常出现的某些术语，例如“医疗布道工作”和“基督徒帮扶工作”。仔细研究怀爱伦的著作就会发现，作者用“医疗布道工作”一词涵盖献身医生和护士的专业服务，但其意义远超过这些范围，包括了一切仁慈无私之举。“基督徒帮扶工作”也是安息日复临信徒早年比现在更常用的一个术语，指本书所描述的工作。作者既曾在不同的大洲写作，在提到货币时就既有用美元的，也有用英镑和先令的。WM 10.2
希望读者根据适当的背景研究本书的指示，了解每一种情况所涉及的基本原则。例如在研究关于“教会晚餐”的勉言时，会发现我们虽然受警告不要利用引人放纵食欲和爱宴乐作为筹集教会资金的手段，但是教会团体有特权从事制作和销售健康食品的工作，只要这项工作有正确的管理和合适的地点。WM 11.1
除了很少的情况有一到两句话可能清楚地阐明了某个原则，编者尽力在每一摘录中包含足够的上下文，以保证读者正确使用所选内容。每一摘录都简要说明了写作日期或初次发表的日期，以及出处。WM 11.2
本书是由专职保管和发行怀爱伦著作的托管委员会办公室负责编辑。这项工作完全符合怀爱伦对托管委员会的指示：“要用我的手稿编辑书籍出版，”因为它们含有“主为祂的子民而赐给我的指示。”WM 11.3
怀爱伦著作托管委员会真诚地希望本书中对安息日复临信徒——无论是平信徒还是教牧人员——的指示能够鼓励教会利用邻里传道的机会，指导他们做出聪明、尽责、爱心的服务，将许多人带到上帝的国里。WM 11.4
1951年9月10日于美国首都华盛顿
WELFARE MINISTRY PRESENTS SPIRIT OF PROPHECY INSTRUCTION IN THE DELICATE WORK OF REACHING HEARTS AND WINNING SOULS THROUGH NEIGHBORLY KINDNESS. THIS IS A TYPE OF SOUL-WINNING MINISTRY WITH WHICH MANY SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS ARE BUT CASUALLY ACQUAINTED--YET A WORK ORDAINED OF GOD AS THE MOST APPROPRIATE MEANS OF BRINGING CHRIST AND CHRISTIANITY TO THE ATTENTION OF THE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD. IT IS A WORK THAT PROMISES RICH REWARDS.[1]
NOT ONLY BY CONCISE, WELL-WORDED PRECEPT HAS THE AUTHOR SET BEFORE US THIS TYPE OF MINISTRY, BUT THROUGH THE YEARS, ALTHOUGH BUSY WITH HER HOME DUTIES AND HER RESPONSIBILITIES AS THE MESSENGER OF THE LORD, SHE OFTEN UNWITTINGLY SET AN EXAMPLE AS HER HEART WAS DRAWN OUT TO THE NEEDY ABOUT HER. THE AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF THE UNSELFISH MINISTRY OF ELLEN G. WHITE AS A WELFARE WORKER, DRAWN FROM HER DIARY AND LETTERS, AS FOUND IN THE APPENDIX OF THIS VOLUME, WILL BE PERUSED WITH EAGER INTEREST AND WELL MIGHT BE READ BEFORE THE COUNSELS FOUND IN THE BODY OF THE TEXT ARE STUDIED. BE THAT AS IT MAY, THE READER WILL SOON OBSERVE THAT THE WELFARE MINISTRY TO WHICH THE CHURCH IS SUMMONED IS NOT MERELY A COMMUNITY SERVICE BUT A KIND OF LOVING MINISTRY AND SOUL-WINNING ENDEAVOR--THE HIGHEST TYPE OF WELFARE EVANGELISM.[2]
IN THE ASSEMBLING OF SPIRIT OF PROPHECY COUNSELS RELATING TO THIS IMPORTANT FIELD OF ENDEAVOR, EXCERPTS HAVE BEEN DRAWN FROM THE VAST RESERVOIR OF PRECIOUS INSTRUCTION PENNED THROUGH SEVEN DECADES. THEY HAVE BEEN GATHERED NOT ONLY FROM CURRENTLY AVAILABLE PUBLISHED BOOKS BUT ALSO FROM THE THOUSANDS OF E. G. WHITE ARTICLES WHICH WERE PREPARED FOR THE JOURNALS OF THE DENOMINATION, THE SPECIAL TESTIMONIES ISSUED IN PAMPHLET FORM, AND THE E. G. WHITE MANUSCRIPT FILES. SELECTED AS THEY ARE FROM THESE VARIOUS SOURCES WRITTEN AT DIFFERENT TIMES, THEY INEVITABLY BRING THE READER OVER THE SAME PATH HE HAS TRAVERSED BEFORE, TO EMPHASIZE SOME IMPORTANT POINT VITAL TO A FULL DEVELOPMENT OF THE SUBJECT. SUCH REPETITION, THOUGH REDUCED TO A MINIMUM, CANNOT BE AVOIDED ENTIRELY IN SUCH A COMPILATION AS THIS, FOR THE COMPILERS ARE LIMITED IN THEIR WORK TO THE SELECTING OF THE SUBJECT MATTER AND THE ARRANGING OF IT IN ITS LOGICAL SEQUENCE, SUPPLYING ONLY THE HEADINGS.[3]
IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT AND WELL-NIGH IMPOSSIBLE TO BRING WITHIN THE COVERS OF ONE BOOK THE VAST AMOUNT OF INSTRUCTION ELLEN G. WHITE HAS GIVEN CONCERNING THIS PARTICULAR KIND OF WORK, AND WHICH MIGHT RIGHTLY APPEAR IN A VOLUME BEARING THE TITLE WELFARE MINISTRY. IT IS NOT A SIMPLE MATTER TO SELECT THE MATERIAL AND DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN THE NEIGHBORLY VISIT AND THE MISSIONARY CALL, NOR TO SEPARATE THE WORK OF NOBLE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST WOMEN IN ITS BROADER ASPECTS FROM THE MORE WELL-DEFINED TASK UNDERTAKEN WITH SOLELY MISSIONARY OBJECTIVES. TO THE CHILD OF GOD THESE BLEND TOGETHER IN THE VARIED ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIFE.[4]
ATTENTION IS HERE CALLED TO CERTAIN TERMS OCCURRING FREQUENTLY IN THIS VOLUME SUCH AS "MEDICAL MISSIONARY WORK" AND "CHRISTIAN HELP WORK." IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT A CAREFUL STUDY OF THE ELLEN G. WHITE WRITINGS REVEALS THAT THE PHRASE "MEDICAL MISSIONARY WORK" IS EMPLOYED BY THE AUTHOR TO INCLUDE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES OF CONSECRATED DOCTORS AND NURSES, AND THAT ITS SIGNIFICANCE ALSO REACHES FAR BEYOND THESE BOUNDS TO INCLUDE ALL ACTS OF MERCY AND DISINTERESTED KINDNESS. "CHRISTIAN HELP WORK" IS ALSO A TERM MORE COMMONLY EMPLOYED BY SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS IN THEIR EARLIER YEARS THAN NOW AND REFERS TO THE TYPE OF WORK DESCRIBED IN THIS VOLUME. WRITING AS SHE DID IN DIFFERENT CONTINENTS, THE AUTHOR IN HER REFERENCE TO MONEY AT TIMES SPEAKS OF DOLLARS AND AT OTHER TIMES OF POUNDS AND SHILLINGS.[5]
IT IS URGED THAT THE READER STUDY THE INSTRUCTION IN ITS PROPER SETTING, TO DISCOVER THE BASIC PRINCIPLES INVOLVED IN EACH CASE. FOR INSTANCE, A STUDY OF THE COUNSELS REGARDING "CHURCH SUPPERS" WILL REVEAL THAT ALTHOUGH WE ARE WARNED AGAINST UTILIZING THE APPEAL TO INDULGED APPETITE AND LOVE OF PLEASURE AS A MEANS OF RAISING CHURCH FUNDS, YET IT IS THE PRIVILEGE OF CHURCH GROUPS TO ENGAGE IN THE PREPARATION AND SALE OF HEALTHFUL FOOD IF THE WORK IS PROPERLY CONDUCTED AND DONE IN AN APPROPRIATE PLACE.[6]
EXCEPT IN A VERY FEW CASES WHERE A SENTENCE OR TWO MAY CLEARLY ENUNCIATE A PRINCIPLE, THE COMPILERS HAVE ENDEAVORED TO INCLUDE SUFFICIENT OF THE CONTEXT OF EACH EXCERPT TO ASSURE THE READER OF THE PROPER USE OF THE SELECTED STATEMENT. IN EACH CASE THE DATE OF WRITING OR OF FIRST PUBLICATION IS INDICATED IN CONNECTION WITH THE NOTATION OF THE SOURCE FROM WHICH THE STATEMENT IS DRAWN.[7]
THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN PREPARED IN THE OFFICE OF THE ELLEN G. WHITE PUBLICATIONS BY THE TRUSTEES, WHO CARRY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CARE AND PUBLICATION OF THE E. G. WHITE WRITINGS. THE WORK HAS BEEN DONE IN FULL HARMONY WITH MRS. WHITE'S INSTRUCTION TO THESE TRUSTEES IN PROVIDING "FOR THE PRINTING OF COMPILATIONS FROM MY MANUSCRIPTS," FOR THEY CONTAIN, SHE SAID, "INSTRUCTION THAT THE LORD HAS GIVEN ME FOR HIS PEOPLE."[8]
THAT THIS VOLUME OF INSTRUCTION ADDRESSED TO SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS--LAITY AND MINISTRY ALIKE--MAY ENCOURAGE THE CHURCH TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES IN NEIGHBORHOOD MINISTRY; THAT ITS INSTRUCTION MAY GUIDE IN INTELLIGENT, CONSCIENTIOUS, LOVING SERVICE; AND THAT THROUGH ITS GUIDANCE THERE MAY BE AN ABUNDANT HARVEST OF SOULS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS THE SINCERE WISH OF THE PUBLISHERS AND THE TRUSTEES OF THE ELLEN G. WHITE PUBLICATIONS. WASHINGTON, D.C. SEPTEMBER 10,1951[9]
搜索
