Not until all the friends come to realize that every one of
them is able, in his own measure, to deliver the Message, can they ever hope to
reach the goal that has been set before them by a loving and wise Master. It is
no use waiting for some able and eloquent teacher to take all the
responsibility for the spread of the Cause. For such a thing is not only
contrary to the spirit of the Teachings but to the explicit text of the
writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, both of whom place the obligation of
teaching not on any particular class, as in former ecclesiastical
organizations, but on every faithful and loyal follower of the Cause. The
teaching of the Word is thus made universal and compulsory. How long then shall
we wait to carry out this command, the full wisdom of which only future
generations will be able to appreciate? We have no special teachers in the
Cause. Everyone is a potential teacher. He has only to use what God has given
him and thus prove that he is faithful to his trust.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated
September 1, 1933, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual
believer; ‘Arohanui: Letter from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand’)
