"God has not set any kingly power in the Seventh-day Adventist Church to control the whole body or to control any branch of the work. He has not provided that the burden of leadership shall rest upon a few men. Responsibilities are distributed among a large number of competent men. 8T 236.3"
"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ."
The EGW passage discusses the distribution of responsibilities within the church, contrasting it with a centralized 'kingly power.' This aligns with the concept in 1 Corinthians 12:12 of the body having many members, each with its own function, working together as one. The parallel lies in the idea of distributed roles and responsibilities within a larger entity.
"Every member of the church has a voice in choosing officers of the church. The church chooses the officers of the state conferences. Delegates chosen by the state conferences choose the officers of the union conferences, and delegates chosen by the union conferences choose the officers of the General Conference. By this arrangement every conference, every institution, every church, and every individual, either directly or through representatives, has a voice in the election of the men who bear the chief responsibilities in the General Conference. 8T 236.4"
"Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business."
The EGW passage describes a system of representation and election of officers within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This echoes the principle demonstrated in Acts 6:3, where the early church members were instructed to choose men to oversee specific tasks. Both passages highlight the importance of the community's involvement in selecting leaders.