I rejoice with you in the prospect of clearing the church buildings from debt. How much might have been saved if extra efforts had been made every year to do this. There is no necessity for our meetinghouses to continue year after year in debt. If every member of the church will do his duty, practicing self-denial and self-sacrifice, for the Lord Jesus, whose purchased possession he is, that His church may be free from debt, he will do honor to God.
(CS 259.1)
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The Lord’s great centers, His own instrumentalities, should be free from all debt. Every year many pounds [Written from Australia.] are being swallowed up by the interest paid on debts. If this money was all appropriated to settle the principal, the debt would not be eating, eating, and ever eating. It is a poor, wretched policy to go into debt. If the money that is needed to build could be first accumulated, by strenuous efforts, and the church dedicated free from debt, how much better it would be. O, shall we not make it a rule when building a house for the Lord, to put forth earnest, persevering efforts, that it may be dedicated to Him free from debt....
(CS 259.2)
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The Lord has shown me that debts need not be left on our meetinghouses in Australia or New Zealand. A debt in every case means a neglect of God’s special, sacred things; for selfish, common things are made first and all-absorbing.... The very highest honor is to be shown to God’s tabernacle. Every other consideration should be second to this. Our ideas must be elevated, ennobled, and sanctified. Worldliness and covetousness have been indulged by parents for their children and for relatives and friends. Money has been appropriated when and where it could not honor God, where it has done positive harm. Gifts have been liberally bestowed on children and relatives and friends, while the gifts that have been made to that which the Lord honors, have been stinted and limited in value and in recurrence....
(CS 259.3)
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It is dishonoring to God for our churches to be burdened with debt. This state of things need not exist. It shows wrong management from beginning to end, and it is a dishonor to the God of heaven. Read and study prayerfully the fourth chapter of Zechariah. Then read the first chapter of Haggai, and see if this representation does not apply to you. While you have thought much of your own selves, of your own selfish interests, you have either neglected to arise and build, or have built on hired money, and have not made donations to free the church buildings from debt. Will you consider what it is your duty to do? Year after year passes by, and very little sacrifice is made to lessen the debt. The interest swallows up the means that should be used to pay off the principal.
(CS 261.1)
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Slothful servants is the charge that God makes of those in the churches. His will is not done when sacred things are left to remain in a withered, neglected condition. Self-sacrifice, self-denial in every church would change the order of things. “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord of hosts.”Haggai 2:8. When that gold and silver is used for selfish purposes, to gratify ambition or pride or selfish indulgence, as has been done, God is dishonored.
(CS 261.2)
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Can those who are representative men be so sound asleep that they do not comprehend that the state of things that exists is a result of neglect on their part? When the people chosen by God embellish their own houses, and invest God’s money in ... various things for selfish gratification, knowing that the very means thus used should be used to keep the house of God in the very best condition, that no means may be taken from the treasury to defray running expenses, they cannot be blessed.
(CS 261.3)
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The lax way which many churches have of incurring debts, and keeping in debt, was presented before me. In some cases a continual debt is upon the house of God, and continual interest to be paid. These things should not and need not be. If there is that wisdom, and tact, and zeal manifested for the Master that God requires of every one of His servants, there will be a change in these things. The debts will be lifted. Self-denial and self-sacrifice will work wonders in advancing the spirituality of the church. Let every church member do something. Let the necessity of each acting a part be most strenuously impressed upon the worshipers.
(CS 263.1)
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The----college and church need not be loaded with debt as it is. This shows unwise stewardship. God calls for self-sacrifice. He calls for offerings from those who can give, and even the poorer members can do their little. And when there is a will to do, God will open the way. But the Lord is not pleased with the management. He does not design that His cause shall be trammeled with debt.
(CS 263.2)
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Self-denial will enable those who have done nothing in the past to do something tangible, and show that they believe the teachings of the word, that they believe the truth for this time. All, both old and young, parents and children, are to show their faith by their works. Faith is made perfect by works. We are in the very closing scenes of this earth’s history; yet there are but few who realize this because the world has come in between God and the soul.—Letter 81, 1897.
(CS 263.3)
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There are times when much is to be gained by a united, prompt, and persistent effort. The time for opening our school had been appointed; but our brethren throughout the colonies were looking for a postponement. They had waited long for the school to open, and were discouraged. There was much work yet to be done on the buildings, and our funds were exhausted. Therefore the builders said that the work could not be done at the appointed time. But we said there must be no delay. The school must be opened at the time named. So we laid the matter before the church, and called for volunteers. Thirty men and women offered themselves for the work; and although it was hard for them to spare the time, a strong company continued at the work day after day till the buildings were completed, cleaned, and furnished, ready to be used at the day set for opening the school.
(CS 263.4)
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