“By a Prophet”
How God Used Ellen White
to Guide our Church
Bleak Prospects
Few believers
 Little money
 No doctrinal unity

 Hiram
Edson and friends studying sanctuary
 Joseph Bates promoting Sabbath
 Whites accepted it on Bible evidence
 EGW vision confirmed, seven months later
1840s: God’s First Priority–
Doctrine
Hiram Edson and friends—Sanctuary
 Whites and Joseph Bates—Sabbath
 Needed unity, further light
 Studied together, sometimes all night
 EGW’s mind “locked”
 When they could go no further, vision
 Solution evident; they could unite

1840s: God’s First Priority–
Doctrine
How give messages to others?
 Sabbath and Sanctuary Confs, 1848-1850

 Leaders
went out: James and Ellen White,
Joseph Bates, Hiram Edson, others
 Met with little groups: 20, 30, 50
 Presented truths, dealt with questions
 Studied and prayed
 By 1850, unity on clear set of doctrines
1840s: God’s First Priority—
Doctrine
How spread message further?
 1848 vision: start paper
 1849, JW started Present Truth
 Reached new people, strengthened
believers

1850s: God’s Second Priority—
Organization
Dec. 13, 1850, EGW: “We know that we
have the truth”
 Eleven days later, Dec. 24, first vision on
“gospel order”—organization

1850s: God’s Second Priority—
Organization

Why need organization?
 Own
property
 Define doctrine officially
 Have criteria for membership, apply them
 Discipline church members when needed
 Provide financial support for workers
 Establish institutions
 Enter new fields
1850s: God’s Second Priority—
Organization
Believers resisted organization: “Babylon”
 Visions urged “gospel order,” organizing

 1850:
Heaven is orderly
 1851: Disfellowship unruly members
 1854: Gospel order “feared, neglected”
Writings, pp. 97-107)
(Early
1850s: God’s Second Priority—
Organization
May 13, 1860, first steps in organization:
first legal org. of a local church
 Oct. 1, 1860: adopted name SDA; also
organized first legal body: SDA Pub. Assn.
 Oct. 5, 6, 1861: first conference: Michigan
 May 21, 1863: General Conf. organized

1860s: God’s Third Priority—Health
June 6, 1863: First major vision on health
 Some earlier instruction:

 1848:
Tobacco, tea, coffee
 1851: Tobacco again
 1854: Cleanliness; eat simple food
1860s: God’s Third Priority—Health

1863 vision repeated earlier instruction,
added more; health a religious duty
(1 Cor. 6:20)
 Disease
from violating laws of health
 Temperance: items to avoid
 Diet: no pig; vegetarianism; not overeat
 Cleanliness: body, clothing, living quarters
 Avoid dangerous drugs; use simple treatments
1860s: God’s Third Priority—Health
Basis for reform: relationship to God
 Dec. 25, 1865: vision that we should have
health-care institution of our own
 Nine months, built Western Health Reform
Institute; became Battle Creek Sanitarium
 1860s, EGW warned against alcohol
 Visions have blessed us

1870s and on: Education emphasis
Many visions touching on education, not
one comprehensive vision
 See 3T 131-160 (1872); 3T 468 (1875),
FCE 310-327 (1894)
 Establish school to train workers

 Not
impractical education, classics
 Center on Bible and train for practical living
 Whole man: head, hand, heart
1870s and on: Education emphasis

In response, Battle Creek College, 1874
 Bought
14 acres, not 40, and in town
 Sold 6 acres for houses!
 Taught classics; no required Bible classes

EGW went to Australia, 1891
 Called
for large tract of land, away from city
 Had vision of land ill spoken of; saw furrow
 Found it, 1894: Avondale College today
1870s and on: Education emphasis

Reform of Battle Creek College
 Too
cramped; unsuitable program
 E. A. Sutherland, president, saw site in
Berrien Springs, Mich., 1899
 1901, college moved there
 Followed EGW’s plan: agriculture and other
work, and Bible the center of the education
1870s and on: Education emphasis
We had a few elementary schools and one
small high school early
 In response to visions, Battle Creek
College was established (1874), then
other elementary and high schools
 Our young people belong in our schools

1870s and on: Mission Outreach

“Go into all the world” Mark 16:15
 Early
believers thought fulfilled in America
 Also sent literature to far-away places

Appeals started coming to GC for workers
 Europe
first field we thought we could help
 Mrs. White encouraged it

1874, sent J. N. Andrews as first official
missionary
1870s and on: Mission Outreach
Other missionaries followed, with EGW’s
encouragement and urging
 1875, vision of work in many places

 Remembered
that Australia was one of them
 Went to Europe herself, 1885-1887
 Recognized places in Europe she had seen in
the vision
 Missionaries went to Africa and other places
 EGW went as missionary to Australia
1880s, 1890s: Revival of
Christ-centered Message
Pioneers knew saved by faith, not works
 But “present truth” included law, Sabbath
 Gradually became focus of preaching
 Law not savior; Jesus is!
 We keep law because He has saved us;
He enables us to keep it

1880s, 1890s: Revival of
Christ-centered Message
EGW urged reform: trust merits of Jesus
 Early 1880s, she emphasized Jesus as Savior
and Redeemer
 E. J. Waggoner, A. T. Jones did, too
 Came to focus at 1888 General Conference
 EGW: “Matchless charms of Jesus”
 1892, EGW released Steps to Christ

1890s, 1900s: Reorganization
Early organization simple: churches,
conferences, General Conference
 Work grew, structure didn’t
 Authority concentrated in BC, a few men
 “Kingly power”
 Needed better, coordinated structure

1890s, 1900s: Reorganization
EGW called for reorganization, conversion
 Leaders set aside regular agenda; results:

 Established
Union Conferences
 Organized departments
 Expanded GC Committee to 25
EGW thrilled with developments
 Later we established Divisions
 EGW pointed way; leaders developed
plans

Other EGW Contributions
Opened way for understanding of Trinity
 Saved church from pantheism, 1900s
 Major literary output, 1890s, 1900s

 PP,
GW, SC, MB, DA, in 1890s
 COL, Ed, MH, AA, GC rev., GW rev., CT, PK in
1900s and 19-teens
 Testimonies for the Church, 1855-1909

“Nothing to fear for the future” LS 196
(Do not include this slide or the next.)
Origin: Millerite Movement
After 1844 disappointment, movment in
ruins
 Ellen Harmon had given it up as error
 Dec. 1844, first vision: high path

 Millerite
message was light for whole path
 Jesus is still leading; city is ahead
 Stay on path, don’t deny light behind
 Jesus will take you all the way to the city