AW English - September 2018

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Bible Conference Focuses on Eschatology

Lost and Found in Hiroshima

The Angel on a Bicycle

September 2018

It Takes a Church

By Bill Knott

“And He said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how’” (Mark 4:26, 27).

E japan

About the Cover Ai Onisuka works as a freelance clinical psychologist in Japan. Her mother, who has since died, attended the Kamenokoyama church, and Onisuka would attend church with her mother to give her support. When her mother’s health condition worsened, Onisuka longed to have the hope her mother experienced and decided to be baptized.

Cover Photo: Tetsu Ohguro

Focus 10 All Japan 2018 Maranatha The Word 22 Devotional 26 Bible Questions Answered My Church 17 Millennial Voices 18 Global View 20 Looking Back Living Faith 24 Faith in Action 27 Health and Wellness 28 May I Tell You a Story?

30 Growing Faith—Children’s Pages

ach time I stand in a baptismal pool or a summer lake with a radiant new believer I’ve just baptized, I think of these words of Jesus.

I may have spent weeks—sometimes years—carefully, patiently studying with them the great truths of the Word of God. I may have invested dozens—even hundreds—of hours helping them understand the life to which Jesus is calling them. But I’m only a small part of the process that has led to this day of rejoicing.

Behind every good decision to commit a life to Jesus and seek membership in His remnant church there’s a usually unseen story that includes dozens of other believers and hundreds of divine providences. Someone invited the middle-aged woman now being baptized to a church-run Vacation Bible School when she was 10, and there she first heard the story of Jesus. Another believer brought over a gift of food when she lost a brother to cancer, stood with her while she wept, and quietly put an arm around her shoulder. Yet another—knowing nothing of these things—distributed handbills on her street for an upcoming evangelistic seminar, to which the Spirit moved her.

One more believer drove her night by night to the 16-part evangelistic campaign led by the passionate young pastor, and talked with the baptismal candidate each night on the ride home. Still another kindly walked her along her first-ever church potluck table, helping her identify the foods Behind each she might wish to try. day of celeSabbath School teachbrating a deciers, children’s program sion to follow leaders, greeters, and— Jesus there oh, yes—pastors conare dozens— tributed to the moment hundreds—of when she stands in the Spirit-led moments to which water, rivulets streamso many others ing from her baptismal robe and rivers of joyful contributed. tears streaming from her eyes.

Behind each day of celebrating a decision to follow Jesus there are dozens—hundreds—of Spirit-led moments to which so many others contributed. I think of them—I think of you—each time I’m blessed to stand beside a beaming new believer in the water.

As you review the remarkable stories in this edition of Adventist World focused on the recently completed All Japan 2018 Maranatha project, join me in thanking God for the many unseen, unsung heroes who made these joyful results possible.

We believe in the power of prayer, and we welcome prayer requests that can be shared at our weekly staff worship every Wednesday morning. Send your requests to prayer@adventistworld.org, and pray for us as we work together to advance God’s kingdom.

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News Moment

“All Japan 2018 Maranatha� evangelistic meetings were hosted at 161 sites, including the Portugueselanguage Adventist Church in Yaizu, Japan, at which Almir Maroni, director of Publishing Ministries for the General Conference and a native of Brazil, was the speaker. Nearly 200,000 Brazilians live in Japan.

Photo: Tetsu Ohguro

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News in Brief

Roland R. Hegstad, Longtime Liberty Magazine Editor, Dies at 92 Roland Hegstad, who served as editor of Liberty magazine for 35 years, died June 17, 2018, at the age of 92. Hegstad began as an evangelist in the Upper Columbia Conference in the United States, and quickly moved into editorial work. In 1954 he became associate editor of These Times. In 1959, the Adventist Church’s world headquarters called Hegstad to serve as Liberty magazine’s editor; he simultaneously served as associate director of the church’s Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department. During his tenure, Liberty received the Associated Church Press’s “Award of Merit” for general excellence six times, and 80 other awards.

1.7 million The number of 2018 mission books that Adventists in the northern Brazilian states of Pará, Amapá, and Maranhão distributed across two populous urban centers and many small communities so far this year. The book is called O Poder da Esperança [The Power of Hope]. Volunteers traveled not only by car or on foot but also by bike, skates, and ferryboat to reach the homes of both urban residents and people living in isolated communities and islands close to the mouth of the Amazon River.

800,000 The number of people around the world who take their own lives each year, according to the World Health Organization, the equivalent of someone dying of suicide every 40 seconds. “Someone not wanting to see a mental health professional because they’re afraid of being labeled with ‘mental illness’ makes sense, but it doesn’t help the root issue,” says Melissa J. Pereau, a psychiatrist at the Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center. “It’s also the same as not seeing a doctor for fear of being labeled with diabetes. It still means you have the illness.”

Top Five Countries With the Highest Suicide Rates Lithuania Russian Federation Guyana South Korea Belarus Source: World Health Organization Photo: courtesy of Sheri Clarke/Hegstad family 4

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“Whatever the outcome, we’re hoping to build something better for the community and with the community. We want to be a light on the hill.”

—Marco Jackson, a former United States marine, now living on Okinawa, Japan. Jackson was stationed at the literature table in the lobby of the Okinawa International Seventh-day Adventist Church. He interacted with visitors as they entered and left meetings during the All Japan 2018 Maranatha initiative.

News in Brief

“Don’t bring these people down to your church; don’t take them out of their area; because if you do, you will lose them. Instead, go to them, work with them, and once they have decided to accept Jesus, they will become missionaries to their own people.”

—South Pacific Division health director Chester Kuma addressing the members of the Naha Adventist Church in the Solomon Islands. Naha medical professionals held a health evangelistic clinic and meeting in Aenalaema village, on the outskirts of Honiara. Almost 1,000 visitors received free checkups and 200 requested Bible studies. A number of Naha church members will be relocating to Aenalaema village to connect with the community and start a church plant.

How Faith Informs Social Issues for Adventists “I apply my faith to political/social issues...”

23%—Often 77%—Sometimes/Rarely/Never

Source: Global Church Member Survey (2013)

“This is not like a hurricane or a tornado, where you hunker down in a shelter and then in a few hours it is over, and you start recovery.”

—Rene Lopez, pastor of the Puna and Hilo Adventist churches on the Big Island in Hawaii, commenting on the protracted timeline of the recent volcanic eruption in Hawaii.

The Kilauea volcano, which has been spilling lava on the island of Hawaii (known as the “Big Island”) for months, has destroyed more than 600 homes. Lopez is working with Adventist Community Services and church members to provide support at shelters and continues to partner with members of the local response community to assist residents daily.

Photo: Rene Lopez, North American Division News AdventistWorld.org September 2018

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News in Depth

International Bible Conference Focuses on Eschatology

More than 100 theological presentations made within 10 days

By Costin Jordache, director of communication and news editor, Adventist World

More than 360 Seventh-day Adventist theologians, college and university professors, and church administrators convened in Rome, Italy, June 11-20, for the Fourth International Bible Conference (4IBC).

The gathering, which takes place every few years, seeks to explore a chosen theme associated with theological studies through the presentation of papers, discussion panels, and professional networking.

The event was organized by the Biblical Research Institute (BRI), which exists to “promote the study and practice of Adventist theology and lifestyle as understood by the world church” by providing research-based theological resources and by “facilitating dialogue within the Adventist theological community.”

The main theme of the Rome conference was eschatology, a word that references “the teaching of the last things” and describes the study of last-day events and associated subjects. The choice of location, partnered with the theme was meaningful, explained BRI director Elias Brasil de Souza. Rome, depicted as the legs of iron in Nebuchadnezzar’s epic dream—representing both a secular and a religious power—plays a significant role in the prophetic

narrative. “It is not without significance that we gather precisely here to attend a conference on eschatology,” wrote Brasil de Souza in the event’s program booklet.

As part of introductory remarks, Ted Wilson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, greeted the scholars, sharing his deep interest in the subject. “The thing that drives me, animates me, keeps me moving toward the goal is Jesus’ soon coming,” said Wilson. “I believe that this is going to be an extraordinary time, focusing on an extraordinary topic.”

Plenary speakers focused on broad topics that framed dialogue on many more specific and specialized topics. Among the many plenary presenters, Ángel Rodríguez, former BRI director, provided a seven-part analysis of Adventist eschatology, emphasizing the Bible’s central role. Frank Hasel, BRI associate director, tackled eschatology and hermeneutics, defined as a set of principles for and approaches to interpreting the biblical text.

Additionally, Ekkehardt Mueller, BRI associate director, presented on the relationship between Adventist eschatology and the historicist view of understanding apocalyptic content in the Bible.

Among the memorable aspects of the Rome Bible Conference was the sheer number of papers presented in six parallel tracks. Scholars from all parts of the world presented a total of 102 papers on a variety of topics, not including plenary sessions. The tracks allowed attendees to choose from presentations on Old and New Testament Theology, church history, missiology, and Adventist studies.

Topics of seminars and papers presented varied widely. Larry Lichtenwalter, Middle East University president, presented on “The Apocalypse and Ethics: Eschatology and Moral Imagination in the Book of Revelation.” The relationship between ethics and eschatology was touched on by several presenters and emerged as a recurring theme. A second theme revisited by several presenters, including BRI associate director Kwabena Donkor and Geoscience Research Institute senior scientist Tim Standish, was the increasing adoption of theistic evolution in an attempt to reconcile science and faith. Presenters grappled with the serious implications of this expanding worldview for Adventist eschatology.

At the conclusion of the 10-day event, attendees voted a consensus statement, reaffirming the Adventist understanding of biblical prophecy, end-time events, and its missiological implications for the church.

For full coverage of the Fourth International Bible Conference visit the news page at AdventistWorld.org.

Photo: Adventist World 6

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News in Depth

WWII Jewish Hideout Basement Is Now an Adventist Youth Center

In Budapest, Hungary, church members invite young people to meet, study, and play.

By Krisztina Sándor and Boldizsár Ócsai, Trans-European Division News

Photo: Trans-European Division News

A basement used during World War II to hide dozens of Jews from occupying forces in Hungary recently became a center where Adventist young people and their friends can meet, study, and play. Duna Youth Center opened its doors on Székely Bertalan Street, in the capital city of Budapest, on May 15, 2018.

Approximately 30 young people attended the opening and enjoyed the opportunity of witnessing the fulfillment of a long-lived dream.

The Duna Conference church region had for many years dreamed of opening a place in the capital where young people could unwind over a hot drink, talk, read, or play table games.

“It is a great joy for all of us that the youth center has finally opened,” local leaders said. People attending the opening ceremony enjoyed a devotional by Duna Conference treasurer István Stramszki.

Accompanied by ice cream and much cheerfulness, the venue was

officially inaugurated with a welcoming speech by Duna Conference president Ernő Ősz-Farkas. Ősz-Farkas explained what makes this basement different from any other basement.

“We usually put in basements things that we want to throw away or forget,” he said, “but the purpose of this place is just the opposite.” Ősz-Farkas explained that if one looked at the plaque above the entrance, one can read about a great number of Jews who were saved by this basement and by the people who served here.

“We would like to carry on the tradition by making this basement a sanctuary for every young person who needs some quietness, rest, spiritual regeneration, and good company,” he said. “We intend to start our ministry here with this message, keeping the same purpose at the forefront of our minds.”

From a historical perspective, leaders said they can feel the

weight of this ministry on their shoulders. Still, they added, they believe God “will give strength and bless every initiative that aims to search and keep His own.”

“We are certain that this place [provides] a great opportunity to fulfill this purpose,” said ŐszFarkas. “We will not place forgotten things here, but rather, things we want to keep.”

The youth center is open every evening between 4:00 and 10:00 p.m. (until midnight on Saturdays).

All visitors are welcome, said leaders, especially those who would like to learn and rest. Visitors are informed that special events are being organized for youth, including art-related activities and table games evenings.

“We ask you to support our ministry through your prayers,” leaders urged church members.

“We invite you to be part of this great initiative!”

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News Focus Inter-European Division (EUD)

178,979 EUD membership as of March 31, 2017 In Czech Republic, Game App Helps Syrian Refugees A new smartphone app in the Czech Republic is designed to assist Syrian refugees. The mobile app has been developed in partnership with ADRA Czech Republic. Funds benefitting refugees are generated through in-app purchases, a voluntary way of earning bonus points through an app-based game or by watching sponsored videos. The object of the game is to help the main character, a Husky dog, rescue puppies without getting caught.

“We have a precious message that offers hope, that must be lived and brought to others; a message capable of changing the lives of those who accept it, of those who may have taken the wrong path.”

“While the leaders are busy debating the appropriate solution, which seems to be increasingly remote, the list of those drowning and missing continues to increase.”

—Mario Brito, president of the Inter-European Division, commenting during the recent ninetieth anniversary celebration of the Italian Union of Adventist Christian Churches.

Seven hundred fifty people filled the church in Piazza Vulture, in Rome, to participate in the historical event.

—An excerpt from a recent EUD statement addressing the refugee crisis along the Mediterranean coast.

The statement highlights why refugees are leaving their countries and emphasizes the launch of the Adventist “World Refugee Sabbath.” The June 16, 2018, event, hosted by ADRA Serbia, included reports on Adventist engagement with refugees in Belgium and France. In the photo, staff and volunteers pose in front of a peace mural created by children, many of them refugees. (^-)

34,539 The number of packages children in Germany sent to needy children in Eastern Europe last Christmas through the Aktion Kinder helfen Kindern [Children Helping Children] Initiative, organized by Adventist Development and Disaster Relief (ADRA) Germany.

“Seeing this large number of Adventist health professionals, I am impressed and more excited than I expected.”

Sorina Pintea, Romania’s minister of health, who recently visited the Second European Health Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, organized in Bucharest, Romania.

Photo: Inter-European and Trans-European Division News 8

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Perspective

By Dwight Nelson

Photo: Dil Assi

First Steps in a Long Journey The Japanese Christian writer Shusaku Endo stormed the literary world with his book Silence, a dramatic retelling of Christianity’s bloody mission to take hold in this ancient land. For centuries Japan has been “the graveyard of missionaries.” Even our own faith community for the past 120 years has struggled to gain a foothold in a land held in the dark grip of Shintoism, Buddhism, and of late, Western materialistic secularism.

So for Masumi Shimada, president of the Japan Union Conference, to challenge his team of leaders and pastors to reverse the declining membership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church was in itself a bold stand. The days of post-World War II missionaries (including my parents) who raised up churches and evangelistic centers in Japanese cities and villages are long gone. The post-missionary era precipitated a shift from what was considered Western-style public evangelism to more indigenous methods. But collective hindsight now recognizes globally that when the church abandons its public proclamation of the three angels’ messages it further precipitates a declining membership.

In January I listened carefully as Pastor Shimada enlisted his workers in an unprecedented 163 evangelistic and outreach events for the month of May. My assignment was the students and faculty of Adventist-operated Saniku Gakuin College outside Tokyo—201 college students, 70 percent of whom are not Christians.

Talk about a challenge! That’s why in April Pioneer Memorial Church and Andrews University partnered in a campus-wide 24 Days of Prayer and Fasting on behalf of the Land of the Rising Sun. Moreover, during each of the morning and evening evangelistic meetings at Saniku, a team of 30 prayer warriors at Andrews University gathered on the phone for a prayer conference call night and day, at the very times the translator and I were preaching.

Eleven sessions to present the Bible’s most significant truths to 140 young adults—it’s the same challenge our faith community constantly faces to reach this rapidly secularized world! Japanese people prize the concept of what they call wa—the sacred value of relational harmony in both society and culture. So in each session the translator and I (Tadashi Yamagi from the college’s Theology Department did most of the translating) kept building on that relational value through the theme: “The Maker of All Things Loves and Wants Me.” It’s the gospel truth.

Shinto and Buddhist syncretism has embedded in the national psyche a fractured, fearful portrayal of the gods and the ancestor spirits that live on after death. Our mission is to counteract that dark fear with the counterpoint that shines most brightly in the life, death, resurrection, and soon coming of Jesus.

At each session we invited listeners to respond through decision cards. At week’s end Koken Kondo, the campus pastor, reported 27 individuals who indicated in writing their desire to follow Jesus in baptism (many of them without adding their names). But in non-Christian Japan such anonymous responses are a vital first step in a long journey into Bible study and church attendance before baptism.

The Bible promises of both Jesus and Japan that “people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Matt. 4:16, NIV).

That’s why I believe that one day Japan will truly be the Land of the Rising Son.

Dwight K. Nelson was born in Tokyo to missionary parents. He spent 14 years in Japan, speaks Japanese, and is lead pastor of Pioneer Memorial Church, located on the campus of Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, U.S.A.

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Focus

Japan Organizes Milestone Countrywide Evangelistic Meetings Simultaneous meetings blanket the country with the gospel.

B Y A D V E N T I S T W O R L D S TA F F

T

he Seventh-day Adventist Church in Japan recently organized a milestone evangelistic event as part of the world church’s Total Member Involvement (TMI) initiative, which seeks to involve all Adventist members in mission.

Throughout May a total of 161 sites across Japan hosted evangelistic meetings in an effort to explore the effectiveness of public evangelism in a country where only 1 percent of the population is Christian.

A DECLINING PRESENCE

Japan was chosen as the main TMI site in 2016, two years before, in part because of the realization that Japan’s membership has been declining for 15 to 20 years, and that its congregations have aged. “Many, many churches are very small, 15 to 25 people,” explains Ron Clouzet, ministerial director for the Northern Asia-Pacific (NSD) region of the Adventist Church, which also includes Japan. “A good-sized church is 50 people. And most of them are older.”

The challenge centers on the future of the church in the Land of the Rising Sun. “The members are faithful and dedicated, but they’re simply dying off and not being replaced,” says Clouzet who worked extensively with pastors in Japan prior to the meetings. Together with fellow NSD administrators, Clouzet and Japan Union Conference leaders concluded that “we need to do something otherwise [the church] is going to disappear.”

MORE SITES THAN CHURCHES

The Adventist Church in Toyohashi, Japan, was one of the 161 sites hosting evangelistic meetings in May.

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Japan was a significant choice, because according to Duane McKey, world church TMI coordinator, “never before had Japan attempted to do multiple meetings all at the same time.” Japan had also not hosted multinight evangelistic meetings in more than a decade. By 2017 Japanese church leaders had made plans to cover the country with “more than 160 simultaneous evangelistic series” in a territory with only 94 organized churches. The announced plan included meetings “not just at churches, but at companies, small groups, and institutions,” explained local leaders. The initiative was named All Japan 2018 Maranatha.

Initial reactions were mixed. The approach was beyond what Japan had ever done evangelistically, and arguably not in line with cultural norms. Discussions centered on whether the method would be effective in Japan, and whether local

pastors could reimagine multinight meetings as a final step leading to baptism, rather than introductory meetings acquainting visitors with the Adventist Church.

TRIAL RUNS

Sensitive to the cautious reaction by many in Japan, leaders worked on two entry points that would allow the church in Japan to become more familiar with public evangelism.

The first of these was a mission trip to the island of Mindoro in the Phillippines in the summer of 2017.

Forty-eight pastors and presenters from Japan traveled to the southeast asian country to conduct evangelistic meetings—a first for many of them. The trip was organized by Adventist World Radio (AWR), which began broadcasting evangelistic messages in Mindoro before and during the meetings, inviting residents to attend the live sessions around the island.

According to McKey, who also serves as AWR president, 29 villages expressed a desire to become Adventist.

“These meetings that the Japanese [pastors and presenters] participated in not only impacted their lives, but the messages transformed whole villages,” he said.

The second trial run was a field school conducted in fall 2017 by Clouzet at the Amanuma church, the country’s largest Adventist church. Extensive training and organizational models for evangelism were presented, followed by a multiweek series hosted at the local church. According to Clouzet, the field school demonstrated that by following a carefully laid plan, evangelism is a viable option and produces results in Japan.

the presenters were indigenous residents of Japan.

Throughout the series the presenters and site organizers wrestled with challenges that are very real in Japan.

Among many of those challenges, the country is no longer monoethnic, and is home to many from China, the Philippines and Brazil, not to mention current and former American members of the military who live in Japan. Translation was needed at most sites. Additionally, Japan’s work ethic is extremely high, causing some not to attend the meetings because of work responsibilities.

THE IMPACT

All 161 sites completed the series, however, having ventured into the unknown with the goal of sharing biblical messages of hope.

While other parts of the world are able to report large numbers of baptisms for similar initiatives, Japan aimed conservatively—and organizers would argue, realistically—for 100 baptisms. To date 120 people have been baptized.

The impact of All Japan 2018 Maranatha may be even broader argues Clouzet. “We hope [this] may prove to be a turning point for the churches in Japan—from nurture to mission, from an inward focus to an outward focus.”

“Churches in Japan were able to reaffirm and firmly grasp the importance of evangelism and soul winning,” concludes Masumi Shimada, president of the Japan Union Conference territory. “It is true. Evangelism work in Japan is not easy. But it is not impossible.”

McKey reports that Japan plans to hold another series of meetings in 2019, along with several hundred others throughout the NSD.

MAY 2018

With the arrival of spring, Adventists in Japan were ready to host members and visitors across the country.

On the mainland and on the island of Okinawa rally sessions that brought leaders and presenters together emphasized both challenges and opportunities.

There are 127 million residents in Japan, and only 15,000 Adventists, emphasized Ted Wilson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, who spoke for both rallies. “But the people of Japan need to hear God’s Word,” he said. “How will that happen? By the power of the Holy Spirit through you.”

Wilson, along with his wife, Nancy (who presented health lectures), remained in Japan for three weeks, conducting a full evangelistic series at the Amanuma church. He was joined by a handful of leaders from the world church headquarters, including G. T. Ng, executive secretary; and Tim Aka, associate treasurer. Other speakers came from the NSD headquarters, including Clouzet and German Lust, NSD treasurer. Nearly 90 percent of Images: Tetsu Ohguro

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Yutaka Inada, NSD executive secretary, greets visitors at the door after preaching at the Ashiya church in southern mainland Japan.

Focus

Lost and Found in Hiroshima In Japan evangelistic challenges and opportunities go hand in hand.

BY MARCOS PASEGGI, ADVENTIST WORLD

As part of All Japan 2018 Maranatha coverage, Adventist World senior correspondent Marcos Paseggi visited several cities in Japan in order to share stories coming out of this milestone initiative. Below, Marcos provides thoughts and reflections on the challenges and opportunities of evangelism in Japan.—Editors.

A

sunny Sunday soon turns into a bleak afternoon in Hiroshima, Japan. The Shinkansen (bullet train) drops me at Hiroshima Station in the early afternoon. The local Adventist church, where evening evangelistic meetings are taking place, is just 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles) from where the first-ever atomic bomb fell on August 6, 1945. Since it is still early, I decide to make a stop at the Peace Memorial and the nearby commemorative museum. It is a sad, gray place, a reminder of humanity’s ability to obliterate itself to nothingness.

By the time I leave it’s raining steadily. Running to avoid getting drenched and a little numb from the dreadful mementos of annihilation I have just seen, I get into the wrong river taxi! When I realize my mistake, it’s too late—instead of heading north, the boat ends up taking me a half hour 12

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south through an open sea to Miyajima Island.

As I wait for the next boat back to the city in Miyajima, I follow the throngs to the nearby world-famous Itsukushima Shrine. Even under pounding rain, hundreds of Japanese and foreign tourists huddle to pay their respects to the kami, the spirits Shinto followers revere. I watch the worshippers closely. They are many, and they seem so sincere!

How can the Seventh-day Adventist Church ever thrive in that increasingly secular nation?

CHALLENGES TO EVANGELISM

In a sense, sharing Jesus in Japan is more challenging than in many other nations, says Japan Union Conference president Masumi Shimada.

“Japanese culture . . . traditionally practices polytheism, [which] is a very inclusive worldview,” he explains. “Christianity, on the other

Members in Okinawa gather for the pre-series rally and pray for God’s leading throughout the meetings.

agrees. “The general understanding from the Japanese is that no method used elsewhere is likely to work in Japan. [But] I have found this less true than most think,” he says. According to Clouzet, who held evangelistic meetings in Japan in 2017 and 2018, “the one method that works better in Japan is the one method that works better anywhere else in the world: evangelism as a lifestyle, member revival, careful planning, sufficient evangelistic training, and substantive public reaping meetings with the objective of leading people to Christ, His teachings, and His church.”

SENSIBLE WISDOM

hand, advocates monotheism, a very exclusive worldview. In Japanese culture we treasure our human relationships more than our relationship with the Absolute Being.”

The challenge, he says, is to share the absolute everlasting gospel in a country that treasures relativity.

Given this and other singularities, is there a method of engaging in evangelism that works better than others in Japan? Not necessarily, says Shimada. “I believe there is . . . no supreme way of doing evangelism in Japan.” At the same time, he concedes that the success of this year’s evangelistic meetings has challenged some long-held notions. “Traditional evangelistic series have been thought as outdated, but this year’s [evangelistic meetings] have led us to a new way of thinking,” he says.

Ron Clouzet, Northern Asia-Pacific Division ministerial secretary, Image: Adventist World

And what about the assertion that the Japanese react less to “emotional preaching,” and better to a “rational” message they can meditate on? It’s true, says Clouzet, as it is also true of other Asian and European people.

Social changes are increasingly coming into play, however. Shimada explains that until the 1970s, people who gathered in Christian churches in Japan were mostly young students. However, in the 1980s, around the time of rapid economic growth, the kinds of people who gathered in churches also started to change. “In a good way, churches’ atmosphere began to seek for not just logical but emotional and spiritual messages as well,” he says.

These changes do not mean that the church must share a different message. “There is no need to change the core of our message,” says Shimada. “[But] we need to figure out a way to adapt our message to various cultures.

And [to do that], we need sensible wisdom.”

In Japan or elsewhere, the key elements of successful evangelism are the same. “The key is sufficient and sustained exposure to God’s Word,” says Clouzet.

Shimada adds, “We must think about not only the kind of message to share but also the need to grow in spiritual maturity as a church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”

SUPERABUNDANT GRACE

Hiroshima is an important city for Japanese Adventists. Besides a spacious church building, the Adventist Church operates two schools, including a boarding academy. In a city once shrouded in death and destruction, God’s superabundant grace is overcoming. (See “The Hiroshima Miracle” archives. adventistworld.org/2011/august/the-hiroshima-miracle.html.)

Strategically, evangelistic meetings are taking place not in the main sanctuary, but in a small, rather cramped, annex. I am told 24 nonmembers are attending that night. The pastor, dressed in business casual, seems very engaging. I can’t understand the Japanese program or the message. From the slides, however, I can tell he is discussing the law of God. I see visitors laughing and pondering. I see them opening their Bibles with the help of members, capturing every word, every sentence. I see faces touched by the Word of God. I leave in high spirits at the end of the meeting, as I anticipate a bright reawakening of the Adventist message in Japan.

“This effort gave us hope for the evangelistic work in Japan,” says Shimada. “We have witnessed new baptisms, have reclaimed missing members, have seen reconciliation, and [heard] moving testimonies. This fall many churches are planning another series.”

He concludes, “From the bottom of our hearts we thank the world church for their prayers and support for the mission in Japan.”

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Japan’s Total Member Involvement Meeting Sites

Hokkaido

161

Total number of meeting sites 1

17

Meeting sites per area

Tokyo Hiroshima Prefecture

Aichi

Religion in Japan

15,160 88.7 million (69.8%)

1.9 million (1.5%)

8.8 million (6.9%)

Okinawa Prefecture

89.5 million (70.4%)

Number of Seventh-day Adventists in Japan

Shinto followers

Buddhists

Christians

Other religions

(Totals are greater than Japan’s population since many Japanese adhere to more than one religion)

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All Japan 2018 Maranatha

The Changing Face of Japan

Behind the Scenes gelistic site at the Amanuma Adventist Church in Tokyo next to the Tokyo Adventist Hospital. Nancy presented the health talk each evening, and I presented the biblical/prophetic messages from Revelation and other parts of the Bible.

127,183,341 Total Population of Japan

700,000+ Ethnic Chinese living in Japan. Many descend from imperial dynasties with a history going back for centuries.

450,000 Estimated number of Koreans living in Japan, the second largest group of non-Japanese residents.

250,000—300,000 Filipinos residing in Japan. JapaneseFilipino marriages are frequent in Japan.

Nearly 250,000 Vietnamese in Japan, one of the fastest-growing foreign populations.

Nearly 200,000 Brazilians in Japan, the largest Portuguese-speaking population in Asia.

50,000—60,000 Peruvians living in Japan. Many descend from early Japanese immigrants to Peru.

50,000 People who live and work on approximately two dozen U.S. military bases across Japan, 70 percent of them in Okinawa.

*Data from various sources, including Japan’s Ministry of Justice; Annual Report of Statistics on Legal Migrants; National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (2018); and Pew Research Center.

TED WILSON, PRESIDENT OF THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

What is the significance of Japan being chosen for countrywide Total Member Involvement (TMI) meetings in 2018?

Our wonderful church members in Japan have seen a steady decline in active outreach and in evangelism over the years. There was a great need to reinvigorate the church with soul-winning and outreach activities.

Japan Union administration gave outstanding direction, together with General Conference and Northern Asia-Pacific Division involvement, to TMI approaches to engage pastors and church members in a new emphasis for evangelism. This included the recent unprecedented 161 evangelistic meetings.

How were you personally involved in Japan?

Nancy, my wife, and I were involved with a local evan-

What moment stands out most for you?

The baptism of two individuals toward the end of our evangelistic meetings and how the Lord touched their hearts through many ways, including the influence of other Seventh-day Adventists on their lives and the direct preaching of the Word of God as they heard the truth presented at the meetings. There are about three or four more who will probably be baptized soon.

Have we learned any valuable lessons from All Japan 2018?

Members in Japan have come to see that public evangelism does work in a secular setting if you move ahead in prayer and faith.

I believe that this is a great lesson for various developed and sophisticated countries around the world that are in need of a proactive TMI evangelistic approach, recognizing that every country will need to contextualize its approach.

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All Japan 2018 Maranatha

Behind the Scenes The trip was meant to give them a taste of success because the local people in the Philippines are used to preparing people and are used to reaching out to others and having Bible studies with nonmembers.

So most of the pastors who have ambitious programs during this All Japan 2018 project were actually from among those who went to Mindoro last year. Having gotten a taste of it, they were able to visualize much better what to do.

RON CLOUZET, MINISTERIAL DIRECTOR OF NORTHERN ASIA-PACIFIC DIVISION

What was the strategy behind Japanese pastors traveling to the Philippines in 2017 to experience public evangelism?

How were you specifically involved in All Japan 2018 during the month of May? A number of Japanese Spanish-speaking people came back to Japan from South America—Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, etc. So

at the church. Through this field school we learned about revival, preparation for evangelistic series, how to conduct evangelistic series, and many other things.

MASUMI SHIMADA, PRESIDENT OF JAPAN UNION CONFERENCE

What steps of preparation did your union take prior to All Japan 2018?

In 2017, Ron Clouzet conducted field schools in Japan. The main training location was Amanuma Adventist church. Many other churches watched and learned from observing the activities happening 16

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What are some of the memorable All Japan 2018 highlights for you personally?

Currently we only have about 60 pastors, mostly older pastors.

Considering this, just the fact that Japanese churches conducted 161 simultaneous evangelistic series was very memorable for me. In the past 40 years, most churches in Japan did not hold any meetings lasting longer than a weekend seminar. In that context, having more than 90 churches hold consecutive evangelistic series lasting longer than 10 days was just amazing. As a result, the Holy Spirit worked wonders and worked many miracles in people’s lives.

the mission president on Okinawa had the vision of reaching out to Spanish-speaking Japanese here.

As a result, my wife, Lisa, and I were involved in planting the first Spanish-speaking church on the Japanese island of Okinawa.

What would you consider true success, a home run, for All Japan 2018?

I would consider it a home run if we had a critical mass of churches and pastors who catch a new and sharp vision of the Adventist mission in their world, seeing themselves as catalysts to really make a difference in the community because they have something to offer. There’s a message we have to offer that no one else has.

How has All Japan 2018 affected the Adventist Church in Japan?

Through All Japan 2018 Maranatha, churches in Japan were able to reaffirm and firmly grasp the importance of evangelism and soul winning. It is true. Evangelism work in Japan is not easy but is not impossible. God loves the people here in Japan. We have hope of having new opportunities for evangelism here in Japan.

Are any future plans developing as a result of All Japan 2018?

Currently several churches are already planning to have another evangelistic series in autumn of this year. Japan Union Conference will also continue to plan and promote evangelistic series in 2019 and 2020. Many church members are being motivated to figure out how to have an even more effective evangelistic series in the future.

Millennial Voices

Aluminé— With Jesus!

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he whistle blows six times and kids aged 10 to 15 come running with their counselors to form a perfect square consisting of 140 people.

Everybody knows what to do, where to stand, how to look. I have seen this repeated in all the Pathfinder clubs I attended since I was 4. The countries were distinct, but the perfect order and the clear objectives were the same. I lost track of all the times I tied the yellow scarf, but I have not lost track of the times God has taught me about His love through this noble and wholesome ministry that fosters a close relationship not only with Him but with nature and with others as well.

I now serve as one of the chaplains of the largest Pathfinder club in Argentina, one of seven clubs representing 20 percent of the entire population of our small community: Aluminé, Benei Elohim, CCC, Kerispen, Shamayin, Shekinah, and Suyai. All these names, in Hebrew or in native dialects, focus on Jesus as the light of the world and the hope we so desperately need. Founded in 1960, the CCC Club was Argentina’s first Pathfinder club. Benei Elohim just began to operate this year. In March, despite our different stories and colors, we all joined together at the local outdoor amphitheater and asked for God’s special blessing to change our small town for Him. Few other ministries captivate the attention of youth like this.

Pathfinders achieve goals that go further than the acquisition of new badges; they prepare for leadership and are committed members of the church that actively waits for Christ’s second coming. Many come from broken homes, but through their units they have the chance of finding new families in Christ.

My task goes beyond the weekly Sunday Pathfinder activities. I pray for members of my club every day, and try to keep in touch with as many of them as I can during the week. I often feel inadequate for the huge task, but God constantly reminds me that it is His strength that

counts, not mine. While we care for specialties, advanced classes, camporee objectives, and different requirements that come with the organization of such large groups, sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of the real purpose: “To save from sin and to guide into service.” Fortunately, His patient grace is sufficient and guides us through it all.

Every Sunday morning, teenagers wake up at 8:00 to attend our Bible study group before the activities begin.

Some are training to preach the gospel at a young age. Whenever we go camping, everybody wakes up at dawn to read their Bibles before being called to drill.

This is not typical youth behavior, so when I see them rising from their tents, I see God’s army of youth rising as well, anticipating what Ellen White described: “With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Saviour might be carried to the whole world!”* Wherever you are, be part of this ministry. Be a founder, if necessary. God will enable you. It is the unpaid hours of genuine service to young people that makes them feel most valued.

One day we will not wear uniforms, but white mantles; not sashes, but crowns; not patches, but gems; and the Master Guide of all Master Guides will call His redeemed to a perfect square.

I long to be there! * Ellen G. White, Education (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1903), p. 271.

Carolina Ramos studies translation, English teaching, and music education at Universidad Advwentista del Plata (River Plate Adventist University) in Argentina.

She is passionate about mission and enjoys working with children and teens.

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The Amanuma church is Japan’s largest Adventist church, located near Adventist Tokyo Hospital.

Global View

Every True Disciple a Missionary Through Total Member Involvement

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he Bible tells an insightful story in John 4.

Although Jews normally avoided any interaction with Samaritans, Jesus did something different.

He stopped by Jacob’s well in Samaria because He had a Total Member Involvement (TMI) mission there.

He began by asking a Samaritan woman for a drink of water. In our interaction with others, it is often good to ask a favor. Inspiration assures us that “trust awakens trust.”1 Jesus was looking for the spiritual key to the heart of this Samaritan woman. His four-step soul-winning principles are still keys for successful TMI work today: • Awaken a desire for something better.

• Awaken a conviction of personal need.

• Call for a decision to acknowledge Him as the Messiah.

• Encourage the person to make a decision.

The Holy Spirit can help us find the “key” to open doors for spiritual interaction.

The woman was amazed, and the conversation quickly deepened to spiritual matters. Offering living water, Jesus touched the woman’s heart. “Sir, give me this water,” she said (verse 15).

At this point things became very personal. Jesus told her, “Go, call your husband, and come here” (verse 16).

Replying that she had no husband, Jesus affirmed she was correct; though she’d had five husbands, the one she was currently living with was not her husband.

Trembling, the woman tried to divert the subject to philosophical matters. Jesus let her talk, giving us an example. When we engage with people, we should be patient with them. Let them talk, rather than immediately telling them what we think they should know.

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Photo: Tetsu Ohguro

Jesus then lifted her thoughts above form and ceremony, saying, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (verse 23).

This is the same message Christ gave to Nicodemus in John 3.

The woman was impressed by Christ’s words. Filled with conviction, she confessed, “I know that Messiah is coming” (John 4:25).

Jesus straightforwardly replied, “I who speak to you am He” (verse 26).

Faith sprung up in the woman’s heart. Excited, she left her water pot and hurried into the city. When the disciples returned and urged Jesus to eat, he replied, “I have food to eat of which you do not know” (verse 32). This is a beautiful example of how the Holy Spirit will work through us as we point people to Jesus through TMI. The Samaritan woman was thrilled. Her heart overflowed with gladness that shone on her face.

She became a new creation in Christ Jesus (see 2 Cor. 5:17). She became a missionary, participating in TMI as she told the entire city: “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

(John 4:29).

The missionary zeal of the Samaritan woman was so effective that the city came out to hear Jesus and urge Him to stay. He changed His travel plans and spent two days there, resulting in many believers in that Samaritan city.

GOD IS CALLING

God calls us to TMI wherever we are. He uses everyone who is willing to be used—emptying ourselves of self and committing to growing in Christ through Bible study, study of the Spirit of Prophecy, and prayer. If we are committed to Christ, and willing to learn through the Holy Spirit’s power how to reach others, God will use us.

TMI encompasses everything from literature distribution, health outreach, Bible studies, community service, media evangelism, door-to-door witnessing, youth involvement, prophecy seminars, public evangelism, and much more—always connecting the meetings and focusing people toward public evangelism and personal soul-winning opportunities.

TMI IN JAPAN

In May, during the All Japan 2018 Maranatha TMI evangelistic meetings, Nancy and I were privileged to be with the Amanuma Seventh-day Adventist Church in Tokyo. We came to love those dear people. What a privilege to share the Bible with each other and the world.

During our meetings a woman began coming back to church. She had grown up as an Adventist but married a Catholic man and became a Catholic herself. But after a nasty divorce she felt impressed to return to the Adventist Church through the witness of her daughter, who had remained a faithful Seventh-day Adventist.

The woman attended the meetings with two friends, Norio and Yuko Masuda. Yuko was a Seventh-day Adventist, but her husband, Norio, was not. At the beginning of the series Norio was polite but not visibly convicted. But when we talked about the Sabbath truth and the attempted deception to turn the day of worship from Sabbath to Sunday, he was impressed and continued coming to the meetings. I could see in his face that he was being convicted by the Holy Spirit.

One night Norio told us, “I want to be baptized as soon as possible!”

We could see his faith in Jesus growing every day.

By God’s grace Norio was baptized at the Amanuma church. The next evening we received a beautiful thankyou card from Norio and Yuko: “We really appreciate all of your warm support to be baptized and let us know the truth. Through your presentation I [learned] the truth of God’s love, the importance of the seventh day, following the Bible, and the Advent. I’m so grateful to know about that and to be a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. From now on I will have my life with God, Jesus, the Bible, Seventh-day Adventists, and my wife, who brought me to the Amanuma church.”

We praise God for what He has done in Norio’s life, and is doing in the lives of others. Their former Catholic friend indicated that she wanted to continue with Bible

Ted Wilson stands with Norio and Yuko Masuda.

Norio (left) was baptized after attending the meetings.

Photo: Ted N. C. Wilson

When we engage with people, we should be patient. . . .

Let them talk, rather than immediately telling them what we think they should know. studies and be rebaptized. What a privilege to see what God’s last-day message will do in the hearts of people through the power of the Holy Spirit as we approach Christ’s soon return!

TMI STARTS WITH US

Total Member Involvement really starts with church members being actively involved. How exciting it is to realize that we, through the Holy Spirit’s power, can make an eternal difference in the life of someone, or a group, a village, a city, or a nation.

Ellen White observed: “Every true disciple is born into the kingdom of God as a missionary. He who drinks of the living water becomes a fountain of life.

The receiver becomes a giver. The grace of Christ in the soul is like a spring in the desert, welling up to refresh all, and making those who are ready to perish eager to drink of the water of life.”2 Take the good news and share it as did the Samaritan woman and so many others. As we participate in TMI through the Holy Spirit’s power, God’s work will be finished everywhere—in our neighborhoods and around the world.

Maranatha! Jesus is coming soon!

1 2

Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1898, 1940), p. 184.

Ibid., p. 195.

Ted N. C. Wilson is president of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church. Additional articles and commentaries are available from the president’s office on Twitter: @pastortedwilson and on Facebook: @Pastor Ted Wilson.

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Looking Back

Slow But Sure

The history of Adventist mission in Japan

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he roots of Christianity in Japan can be traced back to the work of Jesuit missionaries in 1549. By the end of the sixteenth century an estimated 300,000 Christians lived in Japan. However, succeeding shogunates in the seventeenth century severely persecuted Christians, suspicious that new converts were being used to undermine traditional Japanese social order.

Within 30 years the indigenous Japanese church had been largely stamped out as believers were crucified and even thrown alive into volcanoes. Determined to prevent any contact with outside Christians, the government made it illegal for most foreigners even to set foot in Japan.

CHRISTIAN MISSION REEMERGES

In the 1850s Western powers forced Japan to sign treaties and open its ports, and by 1855 Christian missionaries again worked in Japan.

By 1888 more than 44,500 Japanese Roman Catholics, along with 25,500 Protestants, lived with members of other denominations. The following year the country had its first visit by a Seventh-day Adventist.

Abram La Rue, a self-supporting missionary, had made Hong Kong his base in May 1888. In 1889 he made a voyage to Japan, where he distributed literature. The next year the prominent Adventist leader, S. N. Haskell, an American, visited Japan and reported: “We baptized one man in Japan.” While probably an expatriate (perhaps one who had read LaRue’s literature), Haskell noted with interest, “We learned that the Sabbath question has been discussed among the Japanese.”1 THE JAPAN MISSION

Children of Adventist workers in 1918

The first missionary the Seventh-day Adventist Church formally dispatched to eastern Asia was William C. Grainger, called to serve in Japan from the presidency of Healdsburg College in California.

He arrived in November 1896. The first local Adventist church was formed early in 1899, the same year Grainger started publishing monthly Owari no Fukuin (The Gospel for the Last Days), the first Adventist Japanese-language periodical.

Sadly, later that year Grainger became fatally ill; he died on October 31, 1899.

Adventist work progressed, however, with other missionaries and national workers stepping into Grainger’s shoes. The first Japanese medical institution, Kobe Sanitarium, was founded in 1903, and within 12 months the Japan Mission

was formally organized. In 1914 the first workers’ training institute, Nihon Dendo Gakko (Japan School of Evangelism), was established.

By 1919 the Japan Mission became the Japan Union Mission, with 14 churches, 305 members, seven ordained ministers, and 38 other denominational workers.

Until the 1930s the burden of Adventist work in Japan was largely borne by missionaries, but they were known for their close and harmonious cooperation with national workers.2 NATIONALISM AND A WORLD WAR

In the 1930s Japan’s government became increasingly totalitarian.

Expecting war with Western powers, Japan’s leaders became deeply suspicious of “foreign” denominations. In 1939 the Religious Organizations Law sought to forcibly unify all Protestant bodies under government-appointed leaders. Along with the indigenous Holiness Church and Japan’s Anglican Church, the Japan Union Mission refused to join and was dissolved by the government.

Western missionaries were expelled soon after, and leadership of the church devolved onto indigenous leaders. During the war Adventists were singled out for particularly harsh treatment,3 with 42 national leaders imprisoned, four of whom died from mistreatment.

POSTWAR CHRISTIAN RENAISSANCE

The allied victory in World War II, and the occupation of Japan, administered a great shock to Japanese self-esteem, and for 20 years there was an openness to Christianity, unprecedented probably since the sixteenth century, seen (rightly or wrongly) as distinctively American. In 1945 the number of Christians in Japan Images: General Conference Archives

was estimated at 200,000, but within 12 years that number grew to more than 352,000. Adventists, too, experienced growth: from 600 in 1946 to 3,900 in 1958.

Growth was aided by the church’s strong health focus and the positive impression created by church members who showed great consistency in refusing to use alcohol and tobacco. It was also assisted by considerable numbers of missionaries, for the impact of the war had made their services essential again.

Their aim, however, was to help the Japanese church achieve maturity.

This was realized in 1984, when the General Conference Executive Committee voted to reorganize Japan as a Union Conference, beginning January 1, 1985.4 ERA OF PLATEAUING GROWTH

In the 1970s, as the Japanese economy boomed and the economies of North America and Europe misfired, the idea that Japanese should look to Westerners for any kind of answers lost its power.

Christian growth in the country stuttered and stalled.

In 1963 Japanese Christians numbered around 750,000 in a nation of 90 million. Just three years later, in 1966, they passed 1 million. But in 1985 they still numbered just a little more than 1 million. The equivalent Adventist figures were 5,500 in 1963, rising to 6,400 in 1966, and 11,600 in 1985. Adventism had grown during this period of stagnation for Japanese Christianity in general, but the wider trend caught up with Adventists. In 2003 the membership of the Japan Union Conference touched 15,000 for the first time; but 15 years on, it has only just passed 15,200.

THE FUTURE

There are no easy solutions. But there are grounds for encouragement. In May 2018 Japan was the

site of a Total Member Involvement evangelistic initiative. There was never any question of baptizing tens of thousands, as in Rwanda in 2016.

Rather, the desire was to mobilize Japanese church members and refocus them on outreach. Early signs indicate that this has been achieved.

For many years, moreover, Japanese Adventists have tithed very faithfully, while at the same time having one of the highest ratios of offerings to tithe anywhere. Church members in the Japan Union Conference are committed to their church.

Twelve decades after the creation of the Japan Mission, Seventh-day Adventists in Japan want their compatriots to hear the good news of a risen Savior. Four hundred years ago Christianity spread like wildfire in Japan. It can happen again, with God’s power and the total involvement of church members.

“Movements of Missionaries,” Review and Herald 67 (Aug. 26, 1890): 518.

2 Tadaomi, Shinmyo, “A History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Japan from 1896 to 1950” (M.A. thesis, Philippine Union College, 1972), p. 257.

3 A. Hamish Ion, “The Cross under an Imperial Sun,” in Mark R. Mullins (ed.), Handbook of Christianity in Japan (Leiden: Brill, 2003), p. 93.

4 General Conference Executive Committee Minutes, Aug. 23, 1984, Minutes 1984: pp. 269, 270.

1

David Trim, Ph.D., is director of Archives, Statistics, and Research at the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.

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William C. Grainger and his wife, Elizabeth, on a street in Toyko, Japan.

Devotional

The Refiner’s Fire

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ifficulties often frustrate us. They can make us angry with others, and even angry with God. We often feel victimized. Self-doubt and despair come creeping in. We rarely do well in difficulty. This is because we sometimes lack inner resources and a strong resolve.

Adversity, not prosperity, reveals the core of a person.

Suffering may seem senseless, but the pain God allows in our life is purposeful.

GOD’S PURPOSE BEHIND OUR TRIALS

James says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).1 Either James failed to understand reality or he saw trials as opportunities for spiritual maturity.

Lavish joy in the experience of trials sounds strange, maybe even otherworldly.

“Consider” refers to deliberate and careful judgment stemming from external proof, not subjective judgment based on feelings. Although powerful emotions are certain when we face severe trials, we must trust in God’s grace and guidance, and view the trials from a biblical perspective.

James says the purposes of trials are for the “testing of our faith.” The word “testing” here doesn’t mean that God has us go through trials to examine our faith and see if it is of passing grade. Instead, it refers to the testing of metals to remove impurities. Thus, the metal becomes stronger and has more integrity. When we go through trials we exercise our trust in God, and in that way find Him trustworthy.

Biblical joy in times of trials is more than natural optimism or positive thinking. It’s the joy of hope in God and His promises. Learning to overcome suffering is a major part of character development. Trials come in our lives in various ways, but no matter the trials, we can experience victory through faith in Christ. This passage teaches us that trials should be viewed not as foes but as friends.

God may choose what we go through, but we choose how we go through it. As we journey through life we

can expect trials to test our faith, but they are passing experiences that help to purify us and make us who we are. “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:7).

“Trials are essential in order that we may be brought close to our heavenly Father, in submission to His will, that we may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness,” writes Ellen White. “The Lord brings His children over the same ground again and again, increasing the pressure until perfect humility fills the mind, and the character is transformed; then they are victorious over self, and in harmony with Christ and the Spirit of heaven. The purification of God’s people cannot be accomplished without suffering. . . . He passes us from one fire to another, testing our true worth.”2 In both the Old and New Testaments we find many references to refining gold and silver, as a parallel of God’s refining through painful trials. This memorable illustration helps us understand the purpose beyond our pain—to conform us to the character of Christ. Clearly, we don’t develop Christlike character all at once. Character is forged over time, especially through fiery trials.

FACING THE REFINER’S FIRE

Here are six helpful spiritual concepts illustrated by the refining process.

Stage 1: The Breaking: In biblical times a refiner began by breaking up rough ore-hardened rock encased with such common minerals as tin, copper, and zinc. That rock also had the promise of valuable metals hidden within.

Breaking the rock is necessary to expose valuable metals to heat. The Lord communicates His perfect plan to us; we are rough rock in need of refining fire.

Stage 2: The Crucible: The refiner puts broken, crushed ore into a fireproof melting pot able to withstand extreme heat, placed into the furnace so the quality can’t be tainted by other metals. Just as the furnace purifies silver in the crucible, our Refiner uses heat to purify our hearts and cleanse our character.

Stage 3: The Dross: As the ore melts in the crucible under the watchful eye of the refiner, a layer of impurities called “dross” eventually forms on the surface. For us, dross represents anything that keeps us from being all that God wants us to be.

Character is forged over time, especially through fiery trials.

Stage 4: The Heat: The refiner painstakingly skims off impurities as the heat is turned up. The blistering furnace causes impurities to rise to the surface. Only certain impurities are released at certain temperatures.

Stage 5: The Purification: Each time the refiner removes the dross with great skill and patience, gleaming gold and shimmering silver are left behind, more pure and precious than before. The refiner assesses progress by looking for their reflection on the surface.

The more dross removed, the less distorted the reflection. God, our Refiner, sits over the refining process to purify us: “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).

Stage 6: The Reflection: The process is complete when a clear reflection can be seen. Finally, the silver and gold gain their highest degree of purity, which describes our Refiner’s loving purposes for allowing us to be in the “furnace of suffering.” As we trust Him to use trials to clean our characters and purify our hearts, we will begin to see the “silver lining.” God says, “See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction” (Isa. 48:10).

The heat isn’t intended to destroy us, only to conform us into the character of Christ. We can’t know the depth of our character until we see how we react under pressure. Tough times can teach us perseverance. When we take time to be still and face the difficulties before us, we discover they were not as they first seemed—a hindrance—but were in fact a way to new experiences.

1 2

Bible texts in this article are from the New International Version.

Ellen G. White, My Life Today (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1952), p. 92.

Julie Guirgis is a freelance writer living in Sydney, Australia.

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Faith in Action

A Generational Journey A father, son, return to family’s pastoral roots in Japan

Tim Aka (left) and his son Max stand with Tsuyoshi Noha, an elder of the Naha Adventist church in Okinawa.

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ll Japan 2018 Maranatha participants Tim and Max Aka, father and son, journeyed from the United States to Okinawa in May because of their desire to share the gospel message with others—even in a country in which Christianity can be a “hard sell.” Japan, however, has a distinct draw for them.

“My dad was the first Adventist pastor on the island of Okinawa,” says Tim, an associate treasurer of the General Conference, who together with his son spent three weeks preaching to the people and conducting programs for schoolchildren. “When we learned about the All Japan Maranatha program, I said, ‘Sign me up!’ Then I recruited Max as well.”

In 1950 when Tim’s father, Koei Aka, was 19 years old and a student at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, he was hired as a translator by Seventh-day Adventist missionary Ejler Jensen.* Koei was unfamiliar with Christianity and had no knowledge of the Bible, but he joined Jensen doing evangelism in Okinawa and soon was baptized into the Adventist Church.

“My father helped to organize five churches in Okinawa and to raise funds to build a medical center,” Tim says. “He was very involved in the establishment of the Seventh-day Adventist Church on the island.”

Apparently Koei is still remembered by some church members there. A highlight of the mission trip, Tim says, was meeting a 101-year-old woman who came to know Jesus and was baptized into the church as a result of his father’s pastoral work in Okinawa.

Although she had lived in a remote region of the island, she remembers Tim’s dad hiking to her village to give her Bible studies.

Tim Aka’s father, Koei Aka, as a young translator in 1959

“She cried when we met and found out who I was,” he says. “It was very touching.”

RECONNECTING WITH FAMILY ROOTS

Born in Japan, Tim was only 3 when he and his parents immigrated to Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States. Although he went back to Okinawa for a short visit when he was 9, he has no clear memories of his young life there— except for one.

“My grandfather’s garden,” he says. “I remember that vividly.

Shortly after World War II my grandfather bought property in Okinawa and built a house and a beautiful garden. The house has been renovated and turned into a restaurant, but the garden is still there. Max and I had the opportunity to eat in the restaurant and see the garden, which looked exactly the same as I remembered it. It was a great experience.”

Max, creative editor and project manager for the Adventist Learning Community “I Believe” program, based in Michigan, describes seeing his great-grandfather’s garden as “surreal.”

“There was so much history in our family that predated me,” he says. “It was definitely interesting to Images: Courtesy of the Aka Family

be standing there and realize that there are all these lifetimes worth of experiences, and that I’m really only catching a glimpse of them.”

As a Master of Divinity student, Max, 28, is at least somewhat following in his great-grandfather’s footsteps.

“I’m very interested in college campus chaplaincy,” he says. “I like working with college-age students.

It’s a formative time in their lives, and I can relate to them.”

Together with preaching in Okinawa, Max was able to put his musical skills to work there as well. As a guitarist, he connected with young adults from Toronto to provide music for students during school visits.

“I knew the songs, so I was able to just jump in and fill that slot,” he says.

“We were able to engage with the people, especially the kids at the schools,” he adds. “That type of interaction, I think, is really meaningful.”

THE GENERATIONAL PICTURE

Recalling the early life of his father before his father’s association with Jensen—when he lived in an internment camp in Okinawa with little food to eat and scavenged for scraps of paper to use for schoolwork—Tim describes the generational journey of his family as “remarkable” and says that being able to share in his father’s work is “incredibly rewarding.”

“I’ve been reminded of how gracious God is,” he says. “He reached out to a young 19-year-old kid in Okinawa all those many years ago, and now I’m here working at the Adventist Church’s world headquarters. Max, as well as my wife, Sharon, and our two daughters, are still very much part of the church. It’s a story of God’s grace and His wonderful care for us. He is an amazing God.” *am.adventistmission.org/360-3465-jensen.

Sandra Blackmer is an assistant editor of Adventist World.

Tim Aka as a young boy (right) with his father, grandmother, and siblings in his grandfather’s garden in 1971.

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Bible Questions Answered

A Seat at the Lord’s Table Q

I notice that some church members do not participate in the ordinances of foot washing and the Lord’s Supper. What can we do to change this practice?

A

There are probably several reasons for not participating in the Lord’s ordinances. But one of them is a lack of understanding of their importance for the Christian life.

1. FOOT-WASHING CEREMONY:

When Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, He was actively displaying the very purpose of His ministry: He came not to be served but to serve. His life had always been free from selfish concerns, consecrated to disinterested service to others. The ceremony was also a call to His disciples to set aside selfishness and become like Him. During this ceremony Christ is particularly present through the Spirit as His love is remembered by His people. Surprisingly, according to Jesus, those who participate in the foot-washing ceremony had already been cleansed, and they need only to have their feet washed (John 13:10; 15:3). Theologically speaking, they have been covered by the imputed righteousness of Christ, and during the ceremony this initial experience of the Christian life is extended to sins committed after being baptized. This is when the Spirit speaks tenderly to human hearts and invites us to be contrite and repent with the absolute assurance of the forgiveness of our sins. This important service strengthens the spiritual and moral life of believers and unites them in service to each other and to their Savior.

2. LORD’S SUPPER:

This is the memorial of Christ’s suffering and sacrificial death. The lives of believers may be crowded by daily concerns, leaving hardly any time for considering their spiritual life. Jesus refused to be forgotten. He left us an ordinance that, if properly followed, will keep fresh in our minds the immensity of His eternal sacrifice and will grace our lives with gratitude. He should never be forgotten, because without His redemptive sacrifice there would be no future for the human race.

This explains the association of the ceremony with the second coming of Christ. From the heights of the cross we look forward to a most glorious future. For now, by remembering Him, the efficacy of the sacrifice is manifested once more in the heart, imbuing it with the grace and love of Christ. By dwelling on Calvary, not on the imperfections of ourselves or others, the sacred emotions of the heart are awakened and our communion with Christ is deepened. We must spend more time contemplating Christ’s unfathomable work of atonement, and the Lord’s Supper is one of the occasions when this is done personally and collectively in the unity of faith and love.

3. ORDINANCES:

Participation in the sacred ordinances of foot washing and the Lord’s Supper is not optional for believers.

Concerning the bread and the cup Jesus was very clear: “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Cor. 11:24, 25). With respect to foot washing He said, “I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15). This command requires us to imitate His example.

Not participating in the ordinance would show unwillingness to enjoy eternal fellowship with Christ (verse 8).

This is a serious matter! The Sabbath is a memorial of Creation established by the divine Exemplar, and we joyfully observe it. The same applies for the ordinances.

Those of us who are still sinners should participate in the foot-washing ceremony, then sit at the table of the Lord to contemplate His grace and beauty.

Angel Manuel Rodríguez is retired after a career serving the church as a pastor, professor, and theologian.

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September 2018 AdventistWorld.org

Health & Wellness

Tinnitus Is there a remedy?

I am 60 years of age and live healthfully, but I’m troubled by ringing in my ears. A friend has recommended ginkgo biloba.

How should I proceed?

T

o begin, we advise you to seek professional medical help with this problem. What you describe fits the condition known as tinnitus. Tinnitus is the sensation of sound that feels as if it is coming from the inside rather than from the usual sounds of our surroundings. It seems as if it is right inside one’s head (which, in fact, it is). It may be perceived equally in both ears, or more in one ear than the other. The sound has been described in a number of ways, such as like a ringing, a humming, a hissing, or even a roaring. Some say the sound resembles the noise cicadas make.

Tinnitus is a common condition that occurs in up to 25 percent of persons over the age of 18. It happens more frequently as we age and peaks as we reach our 60s. During the past 10 years tinnitus is occurring more in younger people, probably because of the growing exposure to noise and loud music (and the widespread use of earbuds for listening to these sounds over long periods).

Some degree of hearing loss is present in a high percentage of people who have tinnitus. Fortunately, only a small percentage of people would classify their tinnitus as so disturbing that it interferes with Image: J. D. Mason

their ability to function. It also tends to improve and become less bothersome over time in approximately half of those who have it.

Tinnitus may be associated with infection of the middle ear, or even wax in the ear canal that may be close to the eardrum. Once these conditions have been treated (the infection resolved or the wax removed), both the hearing and tinnitus usually improve.

A professional assessment is needed.

Clinical history and examination will guide the process and identify readily treatable causes. Imaging may be done if the tinnitus or decreased hearing is on one side more than the other, or if there are signs of nervous system damage.

Audiology (hearing testing) should be performed if the tinnitus is present on one side only, has been present for six months or more, or if you experience difficulty with your hearing.

Numerous studies on specific medications (e.g., antidepressants) and supplements (e.g., ginkgo biloba) have not been shown to be useful in the treatment of tinnitus.

If there is hearing loss, hearing aids have been found to help both the hearing and to reduce tinnitus. If tinnitus is associated with stress and mood disorders, a well-informed specialist may advise referral for assistance in coping with the challenges of tinnitus.

Whatever health problems we face, our prayer is that even in illness we will hear God’s voice saying, “This is the way, walk in it” (Isa. 30:21).

Peter N. Landless, a board-certified nuclear cardiologist, is director of Adventist Health Ministries at the General Conference.

Zeno L. Charles-Marcel, a board-certified internist, is an associate director of Adventist Health Ministries at the General Conference.

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The Angel on a Bicycle K “May I Tell You a Story?”

BY DICK DUERKSEN

28

arla was lost, so lost that she didn’t even recognize the trees along the road.

She had wanted to see the lions at the circus, but her father had said, “No!” “The circus is not the right place for my daughter,” he had pronounced. “It is not a nice place, and the lions might hurt you.”

That made the lions seem all the more attractive to Karla, and she began imagining ways to slip out of the house to see the lions.

Late Sunday morning a guest came to the house and asked how to get to the house of Norma, the teacher.

“Teacher Norma’s moved, but I know how to get to her house, Daddy,” Karla replied jumping at the opportunity. “I’ll take the woman there.”

Father finally agreed, as long as Karla promised to come right back home.

“Immediately!”

That sent Karla nearly sprinting across town to Norma’s new house, the visiting woman tripping along behind.

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As soon as she had introduced the woman to Teacher Norma, Karla acted on her plan to disobey her father. Purposefully. Excitedly. The call of the lions was much stronger than her father’s command.

“Thanks for bringing this woman to me, Karla,” Teacher Norma said. “Now you better run back home quickly.”

“No need,” Karla lied to her teacher friend. “Daddy said I could take the long way home through the city.” *** The “long way” just happened to run right to the visiting circus, around the balloon man, past people throwing baseballs at puppets, and up the hill to the lion cage.

“I was so excited that I hardly missed the coins I had to pay at the circus entry,” Karla told me, “but I was in a child’s hurry to see the lions. Real lions the people said. Real lions all the way from Africa!”

Lured by the lions, Karla wove her way through the circus tents to the sign that promised, “Leones de Africa.”

“When I got to the cage, I stood there in surprise and disappointment,” Karla said. “The lions were mangy, ugly, and so smelly that I was afraid I might throw up!”

Karla raced away from the lions, out through the circus gate and onto the crowded street. It was her town and she

Image: Rikki Chan

knew all the streets as well as an 8-yearold knows her own backyard. She passed the corner grocery, a petrol station, then lost track as she wandered into a part of town she did not know. All she could think of now was the smelly lions and the punishment she would receive when she got home.

“It was hours, from lunchtime all the way till the sun was setting,” Karla dried her eyes as she remembered the day. “At first I thought I would find a landmark just around the next corner. Then I realized I wasn’t recognizing anything and was totally, completely, absolutely lost. Now, I was really in trouble!”

There was a pause as Karla closed her eyes and played back the memory in her mind.

“You know,” Karla spoke with a crackly voice, “at school Teacher Norma had been trying to help me learn how to pray to God, especially when I was in trouble.

But I hadn’t figured out how to put the words together. What I had learned, though, were the words in David’s sheep song—Psalm 23. So I repeated those words over and over, hoping God would hear me and know what I needed.”

The Lord is my Shepherd. He fills my every need . . .

“I was walking on a long dirt road with tall dark trees on both sides, a road I had never seen before, praying.”

The Lord is my Shepherd. He fills my every need . . .

“I was so terribly afraid that I sat down on a large rock and cried—sobs that promised a flood but brought only dusty body shakes.” *** “Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, the strong hand of a very big man. I looked up, found his eyes, and wanted to be afraid. But somehow I could not feel any fear. Only trust.”

The man was fat and strong, with a kind face. He was standing with one leg on each side of a bicycle.

“The big man picked me up, like a mother would pick up a small baby,” said Karla. “Then he wiggled me onto the rail of

his bicycle and began to pedal down the road. I felt his chest breathing behind me, a powerful regular breathing that made me feel as if I had become part of his heart.

Down below I saw his sandaled feet going round and round like a human machine carefully taking me somewhere safe.”

Karla felt so safe that she fell asleep on the fat man’s bicycle as he pedaled over gravel dirt to broken asphalt and finally to the solid stone road just a block from Karla’s house.

“He shook me awake, then helped me down onto my own home road. Just then my mother looked up from our front door! When she saw the fat man lift me off his bicycle, she screamed for me to run to her. I ran! Faster than an animal flying from a hungry lion! I ran so fast I even forgot to look around and thank the man on the bicycle.”

The bicyclist waited at the corner until Karla and her mother were reunited.

Then he smiled and rode calmly around the corner to where they could not see him anymore.

Mother listened softly as Karla spilled the story of her disobedience, of her lies, of the stinking lions, the lost girl, and the kind man on a bicycle.

“Have you learned your lesson, Karlita?”

“Yes, Mama. I don’t want to ever lie again; and I want to obey you and Daddy.”

“Come in then,” Mother said. “I think it’s time for supper.”

Mother helped Karla go inside, but didn’t follow right away. Instead she stood on the porch, looking out toward where she had seen the kind man on a bicycle. Toward the stranger with strong arms and powerful legs. Toward the angel who just happened to know how to find lost little girls and bring them home.

Publisher The Adventist World, an international periodical of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The General Conference, Northern Asia-Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists®, is the publisher.

Dick Duerksen, a pastor and storyteller living in Portland, Oregon, United States, is known around the world as “an itinerant pollinator of grace.”

Vol. 14, No. 9

Executive Editor/Director of Adventist Review Ministries Bill Knott International Publishing Manager Chun, Pyung Duk Adventist World Coordinating Committee Si Young Kim, chair; Yukata Inada; German Lust; Chun, Pyung Duk; Han, Suk Hee; Lyu, Dong Jin Associate Editors/Directors, Adventist Review Ministries Lael Caesar, Gerald A. Klingbeil, Greg Scott Editors based in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA Sandra Blackmer, Stephen Chavez, Costin Jordache, Wilona Karimabadi Editors based in Seoul, Korea Chun, Pyung Duk; Park, Jae Man; Kim, Hyo-Jun Operations Manager Merle Poirier Editors-at-Large/Advisors Mark A. Finley, John M. Fowler, E. Edward Zinke Financial Manager Kimberly Brown Management Board Si Young Kim, chair; Bill Knott, secretary; Chun, Pyung Duk; Karnik Doukmetzian; Han, Suk Hee; Yutaka Inada; German Lust; Ray Wahlen; Ex-officio: Juan Prestol-Puesán; G. T. Ng; Ted N. C. Wilson Art Direction and Design Types & Symbols To Writers: We welcome unsolicited manuscripts. Address all editorial correspondence to 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600, U.S.A. Editorial office fax number: (301) 680-6638 E-mail: worldeditor@gc.adventist.org Web site: www.adventistworld.org Unless otherwise indicated, all Bible references are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

Unless otherwise noted, all prominent photos are © Thinkstock 2017.

Adventist World is published monthly and printed simultaneously in Korea, Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, Germany, Austria, Argentina, Mexico, South Africa, and the United States.

AdventistWorld.org September 2018

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Growing Faith

Fun-filled pages for younger ages

God Will Take Care of You He may do it in strange ways, but He always does it!

BY ANDREW McCHESNEY

When God Paid a Big Bill

W

hat does your water bill usually cost your family? It can vary from home to home, and of course it would be more for a church, school, or hospital.

But when leaders from the Amanuma Seventh-day Adventist Church in Tokyo, Japan, opened their bill and discovered that it was double what it had been the month before, it was a total shock!

So church leaders contacted the water company and found out that a burst underground pipe was to blame. The pipe was unfixable, and the church was advised to build an aboveground water pipe. The cost: 30

September 2018 AdventistWorld.org

7 million yen (54,812 euros, US$70,000, 4,368,750 rupees, etc.—you get the picture). No one had that kind of money!

What could they do? They already had many large expenses for other church projects. It was a stressful time indeed.

So they decided to pray about the water pipe. Immediately after the prayer, the church’s associate pastor went to his office on the campus of Tokyo Adventist Hospital. There on his desk he discovered 3 million yen in cash! Where had it come from?

The next Sabbath the situation about the water pipe was announced to the congregation.

The associate pastor shared

about the miraculous money that had appeared on his desk, and asked for more contributions.

Later, when the offering was collected, a surprise was waiting in the collection plate: an envelope containing 1 million yen! Again, who could have done that? Church leaders soon figured out who had put that money in the plate, and wanted to make sure that person knew what they had done. Again, that was a lot of money!

A kind woman told them something miraculous. “I had a dream last night,” she said. “In the dream someone told me to make a donation to a Christian church. I’m not a Christian,

Illustration: Xuan Le

BY WILONA KARIMABADI

Bible Treasure “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19, ESV).*

and I don’t know any Christian churches. So I looked for a Christian church, and I found yours.”

After that Sabbath, the kind woman was never seen again.

And church leaders never learned who gave them the 3-million-yen donation. Through such miracles the church was able to raise the money they needed for the water pipe, and other important expenses too.

Who could have done all that for this church in need? We know who. The same One who will always meet our needs too!

(Reprinted and adapted with permission) *Bible texts credited to ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright ©2001 by Crossways Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights rerserved.

Tell Us Your Story!

Hearing stories from others about the ways God has taken care of them is a powerful way to build faith. We’d love to hear your story! God cares about all our needs, big or small. If you have something to share, please e-mail us at this address: kidsview@adventistreview.org. If we get enough stories, you may see yours here in these pages in an upcoming edition of Adventist World!

Image: Abigail Keenan

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Adventism’s historic “journal of faith” presented in modern form.