Jesus Fulfills the Trumpet Blast

If we take Psalms literally without considering the context, we should be going about shouting and dancing in the streets and making a loud commotion with musical instruments wherever we go, as the Salvation Army did. However, we do not see this practised in the life and ministry of Jesus or the apostles. The analysis of Old Testament use of trumpets, shouting and accompanying instruments reveals precisely why Jesus and the apostles did not use them literally in this way in their ministry. These instruments were tied to the Mosaic ceremonial system which Jesus came to fulfil. When John the Baptist heralded the coming of the Messiah, he was blowing the trumpet. When Jesus came to pronounce judgement on the wicked, to call the world to repentance, to gather His people to Himself and to offer Himself up as a sacrificial offering for the forgiveness of sins, He was blowing the trumpet. When the church warns the world of judgement and proclaims the gospel message, it is blowing the trumpet.

When all of the examples of praise and worship with trumpets or shouting in the Old Testament are examined closely, practically all of them, whether literal or symbolic, revolve around the sanctuary and associated feasts, offerings and other religious celebrations (see Figure 2). These are symbolic of the saving work of Jesus Christ which was fulfilled in his ministry, death and resurrection. Psalms is saturated with sanctuary imagery.²⁷⁵ The theme of many of the psalms was connected with specific events of the Hebrew sanctuary. The worship of the Israelite people was intimately tied to the sanctuary and the ceremonial rituals which we know was just a symbol of Christ’s atoning work.

The loud noise had a practical purpose of projecting the sound out to the whole of the Israelite community, but it has symbolic meaning today. The symbolism of the trumpet, shouting and loud noise as a metaphor for proclaiming God’s saving grace to the world, is repeated time and again in Psalms. God’s church and his people are the temple (1 Cor 3:16) and we are all priests (1 Pet 2:9). We are all to blow the trumpet. His message is to be projected out to the world – loud and clear. Jesus became the sacrificial offering but instead of literally blowing a trumpet over the sacrifice, the apostles communicated his sacrifice to the world by preaching the Word and writing down the gospel in written form. Paul was a chosen instrument to carry the name of Jesus before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15 ESV). Likewise, we are to be instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13). When we live righteously and when we preach the Word, we are, metaphorically, shouting, blowing the trumpet and clanging the cymbals. We are to be living instruments for God’s service.

James White shares an experience he had at a tent meeting as an Advent preacher in August 1844 in Exeter, New Hampshire. This was before the formation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church when he was a young itinerant preacher in the Millerite movement. It was a large meeting ground with many tents and thousands of people in attendance. He describes a tent from Massachusetts on the campground filled with fanatical people and they attracted much attention by the way they worshipped. Their tent was filled with excitement and people shouted until they became hoarse and clapped incessantly until their hands blistered.

James accompanied a group of people from Portland and, unaware, pitched their tent next to the tent from Massachusetts, oblivious of the annoyance they were about to suffer from the presence of the fanatics. As time progressed, more and more people attending the Portland tent moved across to the Massachusetts tent out of curiosity. In an attempt to escape the annoyance, the Portland people moved their tent to a distant part of the ground. Despite this, speakers still failed to get the attention of those present because their minds were being continually drawn to the fanatical excitement. James said that the fanatics “were destined to triumph, unless the attention of the people could be fastened in another direction.”^{32 (p146)}

The next morning, a solemn and dignified speaker in the Portland tent stood up and captured the attention of the crowd with deep insight from Scripture. James says that “The deepest solemnity pervaded the entire encampment.”^{32 (p148)} Because their minds were drawn with intense interest to the Scriptures, they forgot about the fanatics. Instead of participating with the noisy fanatics, they became quiet and attentive. They were no longer affected by them. James explains how fanaticism dried up before the solemn and searching message of Scripture with the realisation of the soon coming of Christ and the need to proclaim it to the world. It is not by literal shouting that the soon coming of Christ will be proclaimed, but by teaching people of the solemn truths of Scripture. James White went on to say:

“The time for shouting, and display of talent in speaking, singing, and praying, seemed to be past. The brethren and sisters calmly consecrated themselves and their all to the Lord and his cause, and with humble prayers and tears sought his pardon and his favor. All those unhappy divisions and extravagances, which had threatened the prosperity of the Advent cause, were lost sight of, and the watchmen, and the people also, were beginning to lift up one united voice, with strength and heartfelt solemnity, ‘Behold the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.’”^{32 (p150)}

Many influential church leaders, as with General Booth, have recommended the use of music as a primary means of reaching the lost. For example, Rick Warren of Saddleback Church outlines his view on the central importance of music for growing the church, as follows:

“I’m often asked what I would do differently if I could start Saddleback over. My answer is this: From the first day of the new church, I’d put more energy and money into ensuring a first-class music ministry that matched our target audience. In the first years of Saddleback, I made the mistake of underestimating the power of music…

…You must decide whom you’re trying to reach, identify their preferred style of music, and then stick with it… It may be the most influential factor in determining whom your church reaches for Christ and whether or not your church grows. You must match your music to the kind of people God wants your church to reach. 

The music you use ‘positions’ your church in your community. It defines who you are. Once you have decided on the style of music you’re going to use in worship, you have set the direction of your church in far more ways than you realize. It will determine the kind of people you attract, the kind of people you keep, and the kind of people you lose.”²⁷⁶

While singing is encouraged by Paul for the edification of church members, there is no suggestion in Jesus or the apostle’s ministry that music plays a key role in evangelism and growing the church. Though important, it is not given a prominent role in the establishment and growth of the early church. The Bible does not say we are defined by our music, as suggested by Rick Warren, but by our adoption into His family (1 Jn 3:1) and by our Christian characters – by being transformed into Jesus’ likeness (Col 3:12). We are united in one body under Christ (1 Cor 12).

Healing Ministry Sings the Good News

Instead of using emotion and music to attract crowds, Jesus attracted people to Himself through His healing ministry. Living the gospel by helping to meet people’s temporal needs is the model that Jesus used as an example for us. Once He had their attention, He was then able to present to them the gospel message. In the temple, priests blew the trumpet to gather the people and to signal that the sacrifice had been burned. Jesus, on the other hand, gathered the crowds by healing people physically, then He taught them about His mission to save the world through His sacrifice. Isaiah says to “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet (Is 58:1).” This loud cry was to be a message of warning to God’s people and a call to true service:

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’” (Is 58:6-9)

This is the gospel message united with the healing ministry, as lived out in the life of Christ. When we help to restore the physical and emotional health and wellbeing of others, we are then able to share with them the eternal truths of the gospel as Jesus did. When we follow Jesus’ example and combine healing ministry with the gospel it produces powerful results.

In the first few decades of its existence, the Salvation Army was renowned for its preaching of the gospel plus its healing ministry, such as visiting the sick and teaching people to live a life of abstinence. The world benefited by the knowledge of salvation spread throughout every part of the habitable globe.⁵⁷ Mrs White said:

“…the proclamation of the soon coming of Christ, the necessity of obedience to the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus. This message is the burden of our work. It is to be proclaimed with a loud cry and is to go to the whole world. In both home and foreign fields the presentation of health principles must be united with it.”^{16 (p290)}

She says that the medical missionary work demonstrates the practical working of the gospel.^{16 (p289)} So insistent was she on the importance of health ministry that she said, “Medical missionary work is to be done… no one can ignore the ministry without ignoring God.”^{47 (p160)} By missionary work, she is not just talking about mission overseas, but ministry to our neighbours, which includes every person who needs our help, every soul who is wounded and bruised by the adversary and everyone who is the property of God.^{85 (p376)} Mrs White said:

“The world will be convinced not so much by what the pulpit teaches as by what the church lives. The preacher announces the theory of the gospel, but the practical piety of the church demonstrates its power.”^{16 (p260)}

This was the driving philosophy of the Salvation Army. As the work of the Army opened up in countries around the world, General Booth was received by the common people as well as eminent men, including emperors in their palaces, provincial governors, the mayors of cities and business owners. All the time, having opportunity to plead with them for Christ. “What a sight it was to see,” said George Railton, “the great platform crowded with all the chief men of a city, singing like the rest of the audience ‘Stand up, stand up for Jesus.’” Salvationists were recognised as the loving friends of the friendless and oppressed.^{57 (p166,164)}

In the early years of the Salvation Army, it effectively combined the gospel message with health, especially temperance, but members were also encouraged to improve their diet and practise cleanliness and hygiene. Mrs Booth recognised the benefits of fresh air and exercise for her family.^{14 (ch8)} The Booths also supported the use of hydropathy^{2 (p184)} and recommended a vegetarian diet to Salvation Army Officers. The Booths’ son, Bramwell, especially advocated vegetarianism.²⁷⁷ By transforming the life of individuals and families caught in the vice of alcohol and gambling, the Salvation Army was then able to deliver to them the gospel. This is how Jesus blew the trumpet and how the early Salvationists blew the trumpet and how we should be blowing the trumpet to the world. The Seventh-day Adventist health message is a complete health message, summed up in the acronym, NEWSTART: Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunshine, Temperance, Air, Rest, Trust. But what is the point of having a complete message if we are not sharing it? Isaiah continues by saying:

“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
The mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Is 58:13-14)

In this passage, therefore, Seventh-day Adventists see a connection between the Sabbath and the health message. One of the greatest health needs of today is rest. People are crying out for physical and mental rest. The late Charlie Kirk, who wrote a book on the seventh-day Sabbath, titled Stop, In the Name of God, pointed out that longevity is one of the health benefits of Sabbath keeping.²⁷⁸ Sabbath keeping is part of the holistic health lifestyle practised by Seventh-day Adventists in the Loma Linda region of California, identified as a Blue Zone – a region where people live significantly longer and healthier lives than the rest of the population.²⁷⁹

At creation, God said He “blessed the seventh day and sanctified it (Gen 2:3).” Who was it to be a blessing for? The context tells us. God created mankind to have dominion over the earth (Gen 1:28). He also planted a garden for us and gave us the herbs and fruit for us to eat (v29). In the verses that follow, God tells us that He also made the Sabbath. As with the earth, the garden and fruit and herbs, He made the Sabbath for us. Jesus confirmed this when He said, “The Sabbath was made for man (Mk 2:27).” So, if the Sabbath was made for us, then the blessing is for us.

The Sabbatarian believes that the seventh day exists because God created it for us. He sanctified the seventh day – that means, He set it apart. He made it Holy. It is to be different to the rest. At creation, He did not make a command for us to keep the Sabbath, but He commanded the seventh day to be Holy. It is blessed. It is special. Therefore, it is to be treated as blessed and Holy. One way in which it is special is the physical and mental rest that we have on that day. But it is more than just rest that is a blessing. The day itself is a blessing. No other day can be a substitute, because the other days are not blessed or Holy. If we are to harmonise with God, Adventists believe, we need to harmonise with the day He blessed. The Sabbath is to be a spiritual blessing also, for if we call the Sabbath a delight and turn from doing our own pleasure on that day, we shall delight ourselves in the Lord and He will cause us to ride on the high hills of the earth (Is 58:13-14). Therefore, the Sabbath is an essential means of obtaining and maintaining physical, mental and spiritual health.

The founders of the Seventh-day Adventist movement declared that nowhere in the Bible does it say that the seventh day is no longer blessed or holy. Until God tells us such, we must assume that it is still holy, they argued. Paul said, “let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ (Colossians 2:16-17). As discussed previously, the sabbaths mentioned here refer to festival sabbaths which pointed forward to Jesus – the Hebrew festivals were a shadow of what would be fulfilled in Jesus who is the substance, or the real thing. However, the seventh-day Sabbath of the 10 commandments looks back to creation and, therefore, has a different purpose – it is to remind us of our creator. Adventists argue that, even if Paul is also referring to the Sabbath commandment, why would we want to honour any other day than the day that God blessed and set apart for us? Sure, we should not judge others, for God is the ultimate judge, but if we love others, we will want to point them to the day that God created as a blessing for them.

For many centuries, Christians kept Sunday as a Sabbath rest, as did General Booth, but it is no longer regarded as a Sabbath by the majority of Christians. People go to church and then come home to continue their busy activities as on any day of the week. Like the Salvation Army and baptism, the Sabbath was made into a symbol only. People are crying out for rest and for relief from their physical ailments. Though the health needs may be different, the health message is just as relevant today as it ever was, as upheld by Mrs White:

“Again and again I have been instructed that the medical missionary work is to bear the same relation to the work of the third angel’s message that the arm and hand bear to the body. Under the direction of the divine Head, they are to work unitedly in preparing the way for the coming of Christ.”^{16 (p288)}

The Salvation Army had a health message, but it was mainly focused on temperance. However, particularly in our time, there is also a huge burden of chronic disease due to other unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as poor diet, lack of exercise and over work. Just as in the time of Christ, there is much suffering due to ill health. Poverty is very often due to poor health, which is usually due to bad lifestyle choices.

When Jesus sent the 12 disciples out to preach, they were commanded to heal the sick and minister to the physical needs of the people (Lk 9:1-2). Multitudes of Christians are in church each week making music but failing to attend to the poor and downcast or to bring healing to the sick; therefore, they are failing to live the practical message of Psalm 150. This was at the core of General Booth’s motivation for his ministry. He saw how, to a large extent, Christians had confined themselves within the walls of their churches and within a rigid, stale, ritualistic system and failed to meet people, especially the large poorer classes, where they were at to give them the gospel.

Jesus’ healing ministry was a powerful attraction. Mimicking the tunes of the world gives Christians very little acknowledgement from the world. In fact, it can cause us to lose respect from the world because we are seen to be try-hards, attempting to look like them. But when we show a genuine interest in the temporal needs of the community – when we live the gospel – we win the hearts and respect of the community. If we are willing to spend time with our ‘neighbours,’ to risk our health, to go to foreign lands, and even to risk our lives to help the poor and bring physical healing to others, we can win the hearts and ears of the people to listen to our gospel message. Mrs White stresses the importance of every member being involved in this work:

“Some think that if they give money to this work, it is all they are required to do; but this is an error. Donations of money cannot take the place of personal ministry. It is right to give our means, and many more should do this; but according to their strength and opportunities, personal service is required of all… We are to show the tender sympathy of the Samaritan in supplying physical necessities, feeding the hungry, bringing the poor that are cast out to our homes…  

As you visit your friends and neighbors, show an interest in their spiritual as well as in their temporal welfare. Present Christ as a sin-pardoning Saviour. Invite your neighbors to your home, and read with them from the precious Bible and from books that explain its truths. This, united with simple songs and fervent prayers, will touch their hearts.”^{16 (p275-6)}

There is much more we could and should be doing to combine health and gospel ministry. In many churches, music is getting louder and more exciting and upbeat, but outreach is getting ‘quieter’ and less conspicuous. The trumpet call has been muted. In many places, fewer church members are coming along to small group Bible studies and fewer people are having personal devotion at home. Personal and small group Bible study is essential if we are to effectively prepare ourselves to blow the trumpet to the world.

The Booths did not only blow the trumpet literally, but they also faithfully blew the trumpet figuratively in the highways and byways. They were much more faithful to Jesus’ command to preach the gospel and warn the world of judgement, especially amongst the poor, than most Christians. Mrs Booth preached:

“Set yourself to work for God. Go to Him to ask Him how to do it. Go to Him for the equipment of power, and then begin. Never mind how you tremble. I dare say your trembling will do more good than if you were ever so brave. Never mind the tears. I wish Christians would weep the Gospel into people; it would often go deeper than it does. Never mind if you do stammer. They will believe you when it comes from the heart. They will say, ‘He talked to me quite natural’… Go to the closet until you get filled with the Spirit, and then go and let it out upon them. Finney says, ‘I went and let my heart out on the people.’ Get your heart full of the living water and then open the gates and let it flow out. Look them in the face and take hold of them lovingly by the hand and say, ‘My friend, you are going to everlasting death. If nobody has ever told you till now – I have come to tell you. My friend, you have a precious soul. Is it saved?’ They can understand that! Not beginning in a roundabout way, but talking to them straight: – ‘Do you ever think about your precious soul? Is it saved? Are your sins pardoned? Are you ready to die?’”^{130 (p159-60)}

Paul and the disciples even had to break the law at times to share the gospel because the authorities often prevented them from sharing their faith. We have been commanded by Jesus to spread the gospel and nothing should stop us from obeying this command. Mrs White says:

“The medical missionary work should be a part of the work of every church in our land… If the work of the third angel’s message is carried on in right lines, the ministry will not be given an inferior place, nor will the poor and sick be neglected. In His Word God has united these two lines of work, and no man should divorce them.”^{16 (p289)}

There are many wonderful materials available for health outreach, such as Elia Wellness, NEWSTART, Nedley Programs, the CHIP program and others, just to name a few. These are great resources that anyone can use with a small amount of training – you do not have to be a health professional. There are health topics ranging from stress, gut health, anxiety and depression, nutrition, general wellness, forgiveness, and many more health-related topics. Spiritual health is tied into these programs and provides a very simple and holistic approach to health. Programs like these can be run as a wellness hub through the church, which is a wonderful way to build bridges to the community. But we do not have to run health programs to help people. The most effective means of helping people is by simply being there for them. When they are sick, offer them your help by lifting their burdens. Visit them in hospital. Pray with them and for them for healing.

Although modern medicine has come a long way, as Christians, we want to educate people to focus on healthy lifestyles and trust in God to protect and heal them from disease. Medicines are not the ideal way to manage health. It is well recognised today that primary prevention, such as promoting healthy lifestyle choices, is more effective than treating disease. Mrs White strongly discouraged the use of drugs: “We have been instructed that in our treatment of the sick we should discard the use of drugs.”^{12 (p288)} Elsewhere, she said, “It is the Lord’s purpose that His method of healing without drugs shall be brought into prominence in every large city through our medical institutions.”^{280 (p393)}

Despite being against many of the medical treatments of her day, claiming that they caused thousands of untimely deaths, Mrs White did allow room for the use of modern treatments if deemed rational and effective. In her time, there was no standard for assessing the efficacy or safety of medical treatments. Her general opposition to drugs was at a time when mercury, opium, arsenic and strychnine were used as medicines! Though some of her statements seem to indicate that there is never a place for modern medicines, other statements allow room for their use when appropriate. For example, she said:

“Our institutions are established that the sick may be treated by hygienic methods, discarding almost entirely the use of drugs…. There is a terrible account to be rendered to God by men who have so little regard for human life as to treat the body so ruthlessly in dealing out their drugs…. We are not excusable if through ignorance we destroy God’s building by taking into our stomachs poisonous drugs under a variety of names we do not understand. It is our duty to refuse all such prescriptions.”^{12 (p283)}

No drugs in Ellen White’s time had been tested for efficacy or safety; therefore, physicians did not understand the treatments they were giving. We now know that many of the common drugs used in standard practice were poisonous. The counsel from Mrs White was not to prescribe potentially poisonous drugs, which ruled out the possible use of practically all drugs in her time. However, by her statement ‘almost entirely,’ she apparently did not totally rule out the possibility of occasional use of drugs. In fact, drugs were used at the hospital in Battle Creek in her time to anaesthetise patients for surgical procedures.²⁸¹ Anaesthetics are powerful drugs which can alter a person’s consciousness and can potentially cause serious harm and even death. Apparently, Mrs White did not object to the use of anaesthetics despite having said that “Nothing should be put into the human system that will leave a baleful influence behind”^{282 (p228)} (baleful means threatening to cause harm or injury). In fact, despite the use of these drugs, Mrs White said the hand of God was on Dr Kellogg as he performed these complicated procedures:

“The Lord stood by the side of Dr Kellogg as he performed difficult operations. When the doctor was overwrought by taxing labor, God understood the situation, and he put his hand on Dr Kellogg’s hand as he operated, and through his power the operations were, successful.”²⁸³

Therefore, Mrs White was generally opposed to modern medical treatments but tended to accept them if they were shown to be effective. As another example, she cautioned against indiscriminate use of X-ray treatments:

“I have been instructed that the X-ray is not the great blessing that some suppose it to be. If used unwisely, it may do much harm. The results of some of the electrical treatments are similar to the results of using stimulants. There is a weakness that follows…”^{284 (p390)}

Despite this, Mrs White accepted 23 rounds of X-ray treatment for a black spot on her forehead. She was very grateful for the success of the treatment.^{12 (p303)} Another example was her opposition to quinine when it was used for medical conditions without a solid scientific basis. Quinine was later found to have antimalarial properties and is still used today as an effective treatment for malaria – it has saved millions of lives.²⁸⁵ Dr Merlin D. Burt, founding director of the integrated Center for Adventist Research at Andrews University, describes the tragic case of a first-born son who lost his life to malaria:

“Some Adventists refused to use quinine to treat malaria because of what Ellen White had written against the earlier dangerous and false medical practice (such as heroic therapy). While in Australia in the 1890s, W. C. White remembered his mother responding to a tragic inquiry by a man who had lost his first-born son to malaria. Because of Ellen White’s early testimony against quinine, as used by doctors without scientific basis, he refused to allow his son to be treated with this drug. When he met with Sister White, he asked her this question, ‘Would I have sinned to give the boy quinine when I knew of no other way to check the malaria and when the prospect was that he would die without it?’ In reply she said, ‘No, we are expected to do the best we can.’”²⁸⁶

Today, there are many life-changing and life-saving benefits of modern medicine despite the potential adverse effects. Antibiotics is an example of a common modern medical treatment which can potentially cause harm – it can have baleful effects – but saves many lives each year. Antibiotics can damage our gut flora, impacting our health and immune system in the short and long term. A review article in The Lancet describes how exposure to antibiotics and certain other classes of medications during pregnancy, infancy and childhood can affect health later in life.²⁸⁷ We do not yet know the full effects of antibiotics on our health – only God knows. The Colon Cancer Foundation states that, due to their effect on gut microbiome, frequent use of antibiotics can be quite dangerous, even potentially leading to various types of cancer.²⁸⁸ People can also die from acute complications from antibiotics, such as anaphylaxis and post-antibiotic C. difficile associated diarrhoea.²⁸⁹ Antibiotics can also build resistant strains of bacteria, creating deadly superbugs. Despite all of this, antibiotics save millions of lives each year. They have their place, despite the known and unknown adverse effects.

Despite their potential benefits, Mrs Booth mistrusted modern medical treatments, preferring to rely on alternative remedies, such as homeopathy and hydrotherapy. Because of this mistrust, she was hesitant to seek medical help. Sometime in 1887, Mrs Booth noticed a lump in her breast. Though her mother had died from breast cancer, she ignored the lump and it was some months before she consulted her family doctor. Though he warned her that it was likely cancerous, it took him some time to persuade her to have a proper examination with a surgeon.

Having obtained celebrity status, Mrs Booth had ready access to advanced treatment for her time. Radical mastectomy was first performed in 1882 by William Halsted. Survival rates were high and recurrence rates low and, therefore, became the treatment of choice until the mid-1970s when modified radical mastectomy and lumpectomy became standard. She was seen by London surgeons, Sir James Paget, best remembered for naming Paget’s disease, and Jonathan Hutchinson, a proponent of radical mastectomy. Hutchinson advised her of the need for immediate radical surgery, though he may not have yet been familiar with Halsted’s procedure.^{290,291,292 (p183)} She vehemently resisted this advice, instead allowing nature to take its course according to God’s will. She turned to alternative therapies for management of her pain but suffered with distressing pain until her premature death in 1890 at age 61.^{290 (p48)}

Therefore, while Mrs Booth and Mrs White both strongly emphasised lifestyle and natural remedies, Mrs White believed God could work through physicians and modern technology and guide the hand of surgeons to bring about healing from disease. Regardless, the emphasis of health ministry in the Seventh-day Adventist church was to be on lifestyle and natural therapies with the ultimate aim of sharing Jesus and the truths for our time. Small sanitariums were to be raised in numerous places to guide people to good health without the use of poisonous drugs but with an emphasis on the natural healing power of the body. According to Mrs White these health facilities were “to be established for one object – the proclamation of the truth for this time… We have a warning message to bear to the world, and our earnestness, our devotion to God’s service, are to bear witness to the truth.”^{47 (p200)}   

Other Ways to Blow the Trumpet

The gospel must be proclaimed loud and clear. That is the object lesson of the trumpet and the loud clashing cymbals. Jesus Christ came to this earth to die for us – the world has to hear about it. Jesus got the work done by humbling Himself and we must do the same. He became a servant, he was born to a lowly family and he became a carpenter. He was never ordained as an earthly priest of the Levitical priesthood. He never gained any prestigious titles on earth. However, He achieved the most important work that has ever been achieved. He was given a special role as priest of the line of Melchizedek. He humbled Himself but God elevated Him to King. It is not position that makes our gospel message loud and influential, but it is humility combined with the power of the Holy Spirit that makes for effective ministers of the gospel.

At every opportunity, Mrs White would share the gospel in her community. For example, reminiscing about their upbringing, the grandchildren of Mrs White recalled how, as she rode in her horse and buggy, if their grandmother saw someone in their front yard working in the garden or hanging out the washing, she would ask, “I wonder if that person knows Jesus.” She would often stop and have a conversation with the person, maybe giving them some produce from her own garden, and sharing her love for Jesus. She gained the affectionate reputation in Healesville of being the little old lady, dressed in black, who would talk so lovingly of Jesus.²⁹³

The Whites’ house was always open to guests and they would often support young people to receive an education. For example, the Whites’ took in a pale, sickly boy of about 10 years of age with a sunken chest whose mother had passed away from consumption. Mrs White taught him breathing exercises and fed him nutritious meals which restored his strength. That young boy was Dr John Harvey Kellogg, renowned surgeon and inventor of Kellogg’s corn flakes. He lived into his 90s and throughout his career, treated many patients in the Seventh-day Adventist Battle Creek Sanitarium, including presidents, business titans and movie stars. Kellogg said he owed his life to the things Mrs White taught him.^294,295  

Prayer ministry is another powerful way to blow the trumpet. Everyone has a need and almost everyone loves to be prayed for. When someone expresses to you that they have a hardship or difficulty they are facing, offer to pray for them. Give them an encouraging tract or booklet to read. Add them to your prayer list and follow them up. Find ways to help them out.

Sharing Christian literature and resources is also a powerful method to share Christ and His teachings. The best book of all to share is the Bible. How many Bibles have you given away in the last 12 months? The Gospel of John or the Gospel of Mark is a great place to get people to start. Apart from the Bible, books that share about the life of Jesus is a great introduction for people. Mrs White’s Steps to Christ and the Desire of Ages are classics which have led many people to Christ, along with her Conflict of the Ages series which spans all of history from Genesis to Revelation. There are wonderful evangelistic materials to share with people from Answers in Genesis which give people confidence in the creation story. We have a wealth of wonderful resources at our disposal. They just need to be used. And, of course, music can be a magnificent way to share the gospel… when it tells the right story.

Once we have built bridges into people’s lives, whether it be through health ministry or through other means, it is important that we actually go the next step and share truths with people, pray with people, invite them to church programs and encourage them to get to know our Saviour. We have to help people to know why God is good. We should look for opportunities to explain why we believe what we believe and offer to do Bible studies with people. We need to help people see why the sacrifice Jesus made is so marvellous. We need to warn people of future judgement and, through the working of the Holy Spirit, bring people to conviction and then baptise them. That is what the apostles did. That is what Jesus commanded us to do. We should all be involved in that process.

The community we live in is a mission field. Every morning when we wake up, we should ask God to lead us to people to share our faith with. We should have our minds prepared through morning devotion with God. The home is the most important mission field of all. That is where our work begins. Addressing mothers, Mrs White says:

“…to a great degree the destiny of your children rests in your hands. If you fail in duty, you may place them in the ranks of the enemy and make them his agents to ruin souls; but by a godly example and faithful discipline you may lead them to Christ and make them the instruments in His hands of saving many souls.”^{133 (p238)}

Mrs White compares the work of employed ministers with that of mothers:

“The minister has his line of work, and the mother has hers. She is to bring her children to Jesus for His blessing. She is to cherish the words of Christ and teach them to her children. From their babyhood she is to discipline them to self-restraint and self-denial, to habits of neatness and order. The mother can bring up her children so that they will come with open, tender hearts to hear the words of God’s servants. The Lord has need of mothers who in every line of the home life will improve their God-given talents and fit their children for the family of heaven.”^{133 (p236)}

The work of the mother is often disparaged, but Mrs White speaks highly of the mother’s work:

“No other work can equal hers in importance. She has not, like… the musician, to express a beautiful sentiment in melody. It is hers, with the help of God, to develop in a human soul the likeness of the divine.”^{133 (p237)}

“To lead them to Jesus is not all that is required,” she says, “These children are to be educated and trained to become disciples of Christ… The Christian mother has her God-appointed work, which she will not neglect if she is closely connected with God and imbued with His Spirit.”^{133 (p234)}

This is her divinely appointed role, and in doing this great work, she goes on to say, the godly mother fulfills the great commission, often with greater effect than the ordained pastor or elder:

“Although one is in the missionary field, the other is a home missionary, whose cares and anxieties and burdens frequently far exceed those of the husband and father. Her work is a solemn and important one…. The husband in the open missionary field may receive the honors of men, while the home toiler may receive no earthly credit for her labor. But if she works for the best interest of her family, seeking to fashion their characters after the divine Model, the recording angel writes her name as one of the greatest missionaries in the world. God does not see things as man’s finite vision views them.”^{133 (p235)}

It is not only the wife that is to lead the children to Christ. Both parents are involved, as Mrs White states:

“When children are born to parents who have practical godliness, they will not be troubled as to how to educate them to meet the world’s standard, but their question will be, ‘How shall we order the education of our children to please the Lord?’ They will search the living oracles that they may understand the way of the Lord and lead their children to Christ. They will teach them the precepts of Christ and train them to be workers together with God, saying, ‘That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace.’”^{44 (p217)}

Alma McKibbin, a Seventh-day Adventist school teacher who was present at many of Mrs White’s sermons, said that no matter the topic of the sermon, before she finished, Mrs White would always make a special appeal to parents and children:

“She always said, ‘Parents, don’t be stingy with your love. Children and young people require love in order to make a proper development.’ You would have thought she’d talk about discipline, wouldn’t you? Very seldom did she say anything about discipline. She said, ‘You stand in the place of God to your children and they must learn from you what God is like. They don’t know. You must represent Him to those children or they’ll get a wrong impression of their Heavenly Father.’”²⁹⁶

The mother’s influence is not confined to the home only. Mrs White says:

“The salutary influence which she exerts in the home circle she may and will make felt in more widespread usefulness in her neighborhood and in the church of God. Home is not a prison to the devoted wife and mother.”^{133 (p236)}

She is to be involved in Bible work, visiting church members, health ministry and many other areas of ministry. Mrs Booth and Mrs White both agreed that, after the fall at least, women were given different roles in the home. But what is their role in the church? Are men and women to be treated as identical in the church? In the next chapter, we will compare the views of these two women on this topic.