Christ's method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, “Follow Me.” MH 143.3

The desire of God for every human being is expressed in the words, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 2. MH 113.3 Ellen White seemed to be personally satisfied with the outcome of the book and the accomplishment of its primary purposes. A few years after its initial publication she reflected: “The book ‘Ministry of Healing’ may do the same work for our sanitariums and health institutions that ‘Christ’s Object Lessons’ has done for our schools. This book contains the wisdom of the Great Physician. To me, it has been a great privilege to donate my work on these books to the cause of God.” 21 The Ministry of Healing is still considered one of the best and most popular works by Ellen G. White.God desires us to reach the standard of perfection made possible for us by the gift of Christ. He calls upon us to make our choice on the right side, to connect with heavenly agencies, to adopt principles that will restore in us the divine image. In His written word and in the great book of nature He has revealed the principles of life. It is our work to obtain a knowledge of these principles, and by obedience to co-operate with Him in restoring health to the body as well as to the soul. MH 114.4 The Saviour made each work of healing an occasion for implanting divine principles in the mind and soul. This was the purpose of His work. He imparted earthly blessings, that He might incline the hearts of men to receive the gospel of His grace. MH 20.2 When Christ sent forth the disciples with the gospel message, faith in God and His word had well-nigh departed from the world. Among the Jewish people, who professed to have a knowledge of Jehovah, His word had been set aside for tradition and human speculation. Selfish ambition, love of ostentation, greed of gain, absorbed men's thoughts. As reverence for God departed, so also departed compassion toward men. Selfishness was the ruling principle, and Satan worked his will in the misery and degradation of mankind. MH 142.1 In all things He brought His wishes into strict abeyance to His mission. He glorified His life by making everything in it subordinate to the will of His Father. When in His youth His mother, finding Him in the school of the rabbis, said, “Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us?” He answered,—and His answer is the keynote of His lifework,—“How is it that ye sought Me? wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business?” Luke 2:48, 49. MH 19.1

Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Savior mingled with people as one who desired their good. He showed sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He invited them, “Follow Me.” MHH 73.4 Nix, James R. “ The Ministry of Healing: The History behind Ellen White’s Classic Work on Health.” ARH, March 31, 2005, 14-16. Let it be made plain that the way of God's commandments is the way of life. God has established the laws of nature, but His laws are not arbitrary exactions. Every “Thou shalt not,” whether in physical or in moral law, implies a promise. If we obey it, blessing will attend our steps. God never forces us to do right, but He seeks to save us from the evil and lead us to the good. MH 114.2

Healing Ministry

White, Ellen G. Ellen G. White to Henry W. Kellogg, September 20, 1903. Letter 209, 1903. Heritage Research Center, Loma Linda University (LLU). Ellen G. White and James White, Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene (Battle Creek, MI: Good Health Pub. Company, 1890). ↩ He was always patient and cheerful, and the afflicted hailed Him as a messenger of life and peace. He saw the needs of men and women, children and youth, and to all He gave the invitation, “Come unto Me.” MH 19.3 White, William C. William C. White to Maggie H. Bree, May 22, 1934, WDF 51-C, Heritage Research Center, LLU. The next major theme is the concept of “wholeness.” Ellen White views health comprehensively, including its physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. As she put it: “Our Saviour’s words, ‘Come unto Me, . . . and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28), are a prescription for the healing of physical, mental, and spiritual ills.” 18 The spiritual aspect of health became and still is a unique Adventist concept of healthful living. According to the Adventist philosophy of health, healing must include a spiritual component since a human being is seen as a whole person.