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The International Paper for Seventh-day Adventists

Apr il 2012

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S T O R Y

The Power of One

By Kimberly Luste Maran

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Gilbert Cangy, director of the General Conference Youth Ministries Department, talks about his dreams for Adventist youth around the world.

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Grace 22 Saying

By Nathan Brown A D V E N T I S T

It’s not just what we do before we eat.

of Two Cities 30 AByTale Willie Tafadzwa Chinyamurindi A D V E N T I S T

S E R V I C E

Two youth groups: separated by geography, but not by mission.

8 Now Is the Time W O R L D

L I F E

V I S T A

By Ted N. C. Wilson

Witnessing opportunities and personal contact go together.

Present, and Future 32 Past,

By Ferdinand O. Regalado F U N D A M E N T A L

B E L I E F S

Jesus told His disciples to remember His sacrifice until He returns.

in the Dark 20 Singing

By Gerald A. Klingbeil D E V O T I O N A L

If you’re tired of singing alone, listen for others, and join them.

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F E AT U R E

Streams of Light 34 Like

By Karen Pearson and Kim Peckham

The church’s publishing ministry is older than the church—and still effective.

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News Briefs News Feature A One-Day Church NAD News NAD Update NAD Perspective NAD Letters

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H E A LT H

What About Vitamin Supplements?

S P I R I T O F P R O P H E C Y

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What’s Left?

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“We Have a Right”

www.adventistworld.org Available in 13 languages online

B I B L E Q U E S T I O N S A N S W E R E D

S T U D Y

End-time Faith E X C H A N G E

On the cover: The General Conference Youth Department has a message for the church’s youth and young adults: “It only takes a spark.”

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M E L I T I

The Adventist World® (ISSN 1557-5519), one of the Adventist Review® family of publications, is printed monthly by the Review and Herald® Publishing Association. Copyright © 2012. Send address changes to Adventist World, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740. For information about advertising, contact Sean Bellman, 301-393-3054 (sbellman@rhpa.org). PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Vol. 8, No. 4, April 2012.

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Adventist World - nad | April 2012

A Young Earth

WORLD REPORT

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Religious Liberty Conference to Spotlight

Global Freedom

I R L A

he world is getting younger.

It is an assertion that seems to defy almost everything we know about chronology and science, and from everyday observation.

The world’s population is getting younger.

This seems more plausible, even though it still seems to counter our personal experience of aging. We don’t feel or act younger as time passes. For those of us past age 50, our bodies testify in the other direction.

But the facts—carefully assembled by those who know—are unassailable. The median age of the world’s 7 billion souls has been declining in recent decades, and now ranges from a low of about 15 years of age in some countries of the 10/40 window to a high of more than 40 years of age in several regions of Europe.* More of the world’s people are young than at any other time in recorded history.

And what is true of the world’s population is proving true of the population of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Even among a people who practice “believer baptism”— with children raised in the faith often becoming members only after age 10 or later—there are millions of church members around the globe under the age of 30.

That fact is both sobering and inspiring. It reminds us that the church’s “energy potential” is vast and still largely untapped—that there are hundreds of thousands of youth and young adults whose Spirit-given gifts can yet be recruited to the mission of telling the world. But it also means that we must quickly develop a special sensitivity to the ministries and methods that will best engage them and their non-believing peers.

Read this month’s cover feature, “The Power of One,” with a prayer in your heart that the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s youth ministries will become its most effective tool for sharing the good news of a Savior who changed the world in just 33 years.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY ENCOUNTER: Reverend John G.W. Oliver, chairman of the Cape Town Interfaith Initiative, left, and Imam Seyyed Mohammad Ali Abtahi, an Iranian theologian, scholar, and pro-democracy activist, converse during the 6th IRLA World Congress, held in 2007 in Cape Town, South Africa. The imam is currently imprisoned in Iran for alleged political crimes.

■ A major international event in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, in April will affirm once more that “religious liberty is part of the DNA of the Adventist Church,” according to General Conference president Ted N. C. Wilson. The seventh World Congress for Religious Freedom, organized by the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA), expects to bring together some 800 government officials, community activists, church leaders, scholars, and legal experts for a three-day series of meetings, beginning April 24.

In a short video message Wilson said the event offers an unprecedented opportunity “to mix with those who hold positions of influence in society—to explore how, together, we can speak for the millions of people around the world today who face discrimination, Continued on next page

*Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook

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Paulsen Receives Honor From Norway’s King

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B R A U N E R / G C

■ Jan Paulsen, the most recent former president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, has been named a commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit.

The announcement from the Royal Palace states that “H. M. the King has appointed Jan Paulsen commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit for meritorious work for the good of humanity.”

“I am totally surprised and very honored by this recognition coming from His Majesty the King of Norway and his councillors,” Paulsen, 77, said.

“It warms my heart that the accolade came with the recognition of ‘service for the good of humanity,’ for that is what the life of Christian service is all about,” he added.

The Royal Norwegian Order of Merit was founded by King Olav V in 1985 and is conferred on foreign and Norwegian nationals as a reward for their outstanding service in the interest of Norway. The actual date when Paulsen will be presented with the insignia of the order has yet to be decided.

Ted N. C. Wilson, current General Conference president, congratulated his predecessor, saying, “This is a wonderful demonstration of how God can bring a life of Christian service to the forefront for the world to know of His power. We are grateful for this special recognition of Pastor Paulsen by the Norwegian government, and thank him and Mrs. Paulsen for their many years of dedicated service to God’s church and the good of humanity, which has been so nicely recognized by the king of Norway.”

Reidar J. Kvinge, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in

Norway, said: “It is a great honor for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Norway that the global service of Dr. Paulsen has been recognized in this way.”

Paulsen was president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists from January 1999 to June 2010. He holds a Doctor of Theology degree from the University of Tübingen in Germany.

Jan Paulsen began his ministerial service in 1953 in Norway, later serving as a teacher in Ghana and as teacher and college president in Nigeria, at what is now known as Babcock University. From 1976 to1980 he was the principal (or president) of church-run Newbold College in England, which houses the main theological faculty of the Seventh-day Adventist movement in the Trans-European region.

M E G A N

imprisonment, or worse, simply because they’ve chosen the path of faithfulness.”

A 2011 international study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life suggested about a third of the world’s population—more than 2.2 billion men, women, and children— live in in places in which religious persecution not only exists, but is actually on the rise. This grim forecast for religious minorities comes as no surprise to John Graz, director of the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department for the world church and secretary-general of the IRLA. “As we meet together in Punta Cana to explore current religious freedom issues, this terrible reality of persecution will be ever before us,” he said.

“We serve a God of freedom who appeals to us through love, not fear,” Wilson added. “Preserving and promoting religious freedom for all people— no matter what their faith tradition— will always be a central Adventist value.”

The seventh World Congress, the first such event to be held in the Inter-America Division, has attracted presenters from around the world, including ambassador Robert Seiple, former U.S. ambassador at large for International Religious Freedom, and Neville Callam, Baptist World Alliance general secretary and leader of 100 million Baptists worldwide. Other attendees from the local region include Dominican Republic president Leonel Fernández, prime minister Gerrit Schotte from Curaçao, prime minister Michiel Eman from Aruba, and Caridad Diego Bello, Cuba’s minister for religion.

For more information about the congress and for streaming video of plenary sessions, go to www.irla.org.

—reported by Bettina Krause, IRLA

NORWEGIAN HONOR: Jan Paulsen, president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists from 1999 to 2010, has been named a commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, an order established by King Olav V in 1985.

■ Beginning April 17, Seventh-day Adventists around the world are invited to read one chapter of the Bible every day up until the July 2015 conclusion of the General Conference session. “Revived by His Word,” as the initiative is called, is gaining support from church members and leaders around the world.

“Around the world, and particularly in Africa, I have seen the transforming power of the Bible in the lives of people at every level,” said Pardon Mwansa, a general vice president of the world church who is involved with the project. “By committing to this program of daily, prayerful Scripture reading, I believe Seventh-day Adventists will not only learn much about the God they serve, they will also find a great blessing,” he added.

According to organizers, “the goal of the entire project is to provide an opportunity for Jesus to speak to His people through His Word so they will know Him better, seek Him more deeply, and share His love more fully.”

“If there’s one habit that will change the life and conversations of Adventists around the globe, it’s the habit of daily placing ourselves before the open Word of God and filling our minds with the message of God’s love,” said Bill Knott, editor of

C O K E

“Revived by His Word” Initiative Launches

Adventist World and a member of the church’s Revival and Reformation Committee. “I’m praying that thousands—hundreds of thousands—of believers will take up this challenge and make the next three years a time of special grace and power for this remnant people.”

More information on the project is available online at www.revivaland reformation.org, under a special banner.

—Adventist World staff

N I G E L

For 12 years he served as president of the Trans-European Division in St. Albans, England, before coming to Silver Spring, Maryland, as a general vice president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

—reported by Tor Tjeransen, communication director, Norwegian Union Conference

Wilson Meets Jamaican Leaders, Haitian Adventists, During Tour ■ Seventh-day Adventist Church president Ted N. C. Wilson met with top Jamaican national leaders during a recent tour of the island nation to promote the church’s Revival and Reformation initiative.

Wilson, his wife, Nancy, and local Adventist Church officials paid a courtesy call to Jamaica’s prime minister, Portia Simpson Miller, and governor-general, Sir Patrick Allen. The visit coincided with the island nation’s fiftieth anniversary of independence.

Miller commended the church’s contributions to education and national development in the country.

“The Seventh-day Adventist Church plays such an important role and has been doing a wonderful job in Jamaica,” she said.

There are some 270,000 Adventists worshipping at more than 650 churches in Jamaica. Church officials in the country estimate that about one in every 11 people there is an Adventist.

Wilson told the prime minister, “We want to be seen as an integral part of society. We want Seventh-day Adventists to be known as people who truly and genuinely fulfill the ministry

JAMAICAN WELCOME: Adventist world church president Ted N. C. Wilson greets Jamaican prime minister Portia Simpson Miller in Kingston on February 3. The two leaders discussed the role of the Adventist Church in the country and prayed together.

of Jesus,” he said, citing education, health outreach, social programs, and spiritual guidance.

While in the Caribbean, Wilson also toured Haiti. Two years after a devastating earthquake, Adventists there continue to rebuild churches and schools with the help of Maranatha Volunteers International, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, and the offerings of church members worldwide.

—reported by Nigel Coke, Inter-American Division

Polish President Meets Country’s Adventist Church Leaders ■ Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Poland were among representatives of the Eastern European nation’s religious communities who met with Polish president Bronislaw Komorowski on January 24, 2012.

Addressing the religious leaders, including representatives of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim organizations, Komorowski said that Poland is “a Continued on next page

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WORLD REPORT

Listening,

very diverse community of people in terms of language and culture, as well as religion. “ He focused on the idea of the state as a “good community [which] is able to embrace, hold, appreciate, and bring out everything that is good in diversity.”

Referring to the wide interreligious formula of the meeting, Rakowski said, “For me the very nature of the meeting was important. While hosting many significant dignitaries of the religious world, it was very neutral and—in the positive meaning of the word—secular.

There were no prayers or rituals that could have caused any discomfort to any of the invited guests.”

The Adventist delegation gave Mr. Komorowski a gift edition of The Desire of Ages, by Ellen G. White, and a series of films on the heroes of the Protestant Reformation.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has been present in the Republic of Poland for nearly 125 years and today has about 7,000 members.

—reported by Andrzej Sicinski, tedNEWS

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and

Sharing

In response to the action of the 2010 General Conference session, a Fundamental Beliefs Review Committee was established by the church to consider any adjustments that may be deemed necessary in the church’s 28 fundamental beliefs. General Conference vice president Artur Stele chairs that committee, and recently sat down with Adventist World editor Bill Knott and news editor Mark Kellner to talk about how the process will unfold.

KNOTT: I’ve been told that the Fundamental Beliefs Review Committee is deliberately building a process to engage not only theologians and scholars but also the wider church in considering any refinements to the church’s 28 fundamental beliefs. Why is it important to reach out beyond those who have expertise in handling the Word?

It’s very important that the whole church gets involved, because this movement doesn’t have doctrines that are engraved in stone. We have our fundamental beliefs, which are expressions of how the worldwide church understands the biblical message. That’s why it’s very important that whenever we look into them or consider a revision, everyone gets involved—lay members, pastors, theologians, administrators, everyone.

t e d N E W S

POLISH PRESIDENT: From left, President Bronislaw Komorowski of Poland greets Seventh-day Adventist pastors Pawel Lazar, Marek Rakowski, and Ryszard Jankowski.

Studying,

Adventist World - nad | April 2012

KELLNER: So the layperson who studies the fundamental beliefs is being invited to make comments about the

clarity or the accuracy of that wording just as much as those with advanced degrees?

Exactly. The Holy Spirit is leading the church, and every member is precious.

The Lord can use and speak through every member.

KNOTT: I understand the committee is asking for suggestions on revised wording, but that you’re hoping for submissions that are very compact.

First of all, the task is not to rewrite the fundamental beliefs. The task is to see if the wording that we have used for a number of years requires a change. Language is dynamic, and in the more than 30 years since the Statement of Fundamental Beliefs was endorsed by the 1980 General Conference session, it’s possible that new language can better express what the church has historically believed on these points. We’re engaged in an editorial revision of the fundamental beliefs, not a rewriting of them. Second, we have a special assignment

given to us by the last General Conference session to look into Fundamental Belief No. 6, which deals with our belief about Creation. We have been charged with the task of integrating the language of Fundamental Belief No. 6 and a document called “An Affirmation of Creation,” which was voted by the church’s Annual Council in 2004. We are inviting all Adventists—whoever wants to make a contribution—to write to us, but we don’t want to receive dissertations! [laughter] We’re encouraging those with new suggested language to provide that in one or two sentences. First, they should identify the change they are suggesting, and second, provide a rationale for that change in one or two sentences. We’re asking for suggestions in this brief format so that we can truly read and digest the largest number of recommendations possible.

KELLNER: You noted the special task that has been given the committee about Fundamental Belief No. 6, on

S A N D R A

FINE TUNING: General Conference vice president Artur Stele chairs the Fundamental Beliefs Review Committee, which hopes to bring its report to the 2015 General Conference session.

B L A C K M E R

Creation. How significant is that belief to the life of the Seventh-day Adventist Church?

Fundamental Belief No. 6 is crucial, because the whole system of beliefs that we have as a Seventh-day Adventist Church is so interlinked. If you take one out, especially one as central as our belief in special creation, the whole building collapses. And No. 6 is one of the foundational beliefs that really undergird the entire structure of our beliefs. If you don’t believe in Creation, then you definitely will not believe in the biblical account of recreation, the creation of new heavens and a new earth. If you don’t believe in Creation as described in the Bible, the Sabbath—of which it is the weekly memorial—quickly declines in significance. It’s vitally important that the language we choose to express our belief in Creation clearly articulates what we mean to express about what the Bible teaches.

KNOTT: The Fundamental Beliefs Review Committee has dedicated a specific period of time for what it has called a “year of listening.” What does that mean?

The 2005 General Conference session established a formal process by which any possible revisions to one of the church’s fundamental beliefs are carefully considered by all relevant groups.

A preliminary draft is prepared, reviewed by the church’s Executive Committee, then distributed through the church’s media to every division, to every union, to every seminary, to theologians, to church members. Time is given for them to react and respond.

Then, before the General Conference session, all the suggestions are reviewed, and a final draft is approved and sent to the GC session. That’s the normal way.

This time we have suggested going even one step further. Before we start the voted plan, we would like to give one whole year for all our members, theologians, pastors, to send in their recommendations to the working group that prepares the preliminary draft that starts the process. We want the widest possible input as we start the process— and that means we have to take significant time to “listen to the church.” The beliefs we are describing are not just those of one group within the church, or the belief of a Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference. These are the beliefs of the whole Seventh-day Adventist Church. That’s why it’s important to move slowly, with the opportunity for everyone to be involved, and to use this as a spiritual opportunity to immerse ourselves again in what the Word teaches us. ■ W H AT D O YO U T H I N K ?

Individuals are invited to make suggestions for integrating the current Fundamental Belief No. 6 (available at http:// www.adventist.org/beliefs/fundamental/ index.html) and “An Affirmation of Creation” (http://www.adventist.org/beliefs/ statements/main-stat54.html), or for revising the wording of other statements by: 1. Identifying the change of wording recommended.

2. Providing a brief rationale of 150-200 words maximum.

3. Sending suggestions by one of these methods: a. Mail: FBRC, Biblical Research Institute, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, Maryland 20904-6600, U.S.A. b. E-mail: FBRC@gc.adventist.org

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n Sabbath, March 24, 2012, I had the wonderful privilege of working side by side with our brothers and sisters in Brazil, hand-delivering copies of The Great Hope (a portion of The Great Controversy) to the warm and gracious people of São Paulo.

Weeks of careful planning led up to this special event. Books were ordered, grids were plotted on maps of the entire city, and training was given. When distribution day arrived, everyone knew what to do and where to go. The results were astounding. In one day, by the grace of God, about 26 million copies of The Great Hope were distributed throughout the South American Division—3 million in São Paulo itself.

But that’s just the beginning. Over the next two years church members in the South American Division have committed to distributing about 70 million copies of this powerful book across the continent. They are already seeing amazing results.

In the city of Juiz de Fora one Sabbath afternoon a Baptist man received a copy of The Great Hope. By Sunday evening he had read the entire book, visited the nearest Seventh-day Adventist church, and asked the pastor to be baptized! Imagine what would have happened if no one had given him the book.

A Unique Book

The distribution of The Great Hope by the South American Division is a prime example of the many world divisions that are planning, or have already begun, to distribute The Great Controversy in its classic or abridged versions.

The devil did not want Ellen White to write The Great Controversy, and in fact tried to kill her as she was in the process of writing it. But she, through God’s power, persevered, and stated that this book, above all other books, is the one she wanted circulated the most.

8

Now

By Ted N. C. Wilson

Time

Is the

Share It With the World Why is that? Because The Great Controversy graphically portrays the progress of God’s work from the beginning of the Christian church, down through our time and into the very last days before Christ’s coming.

Clearly the devil does not want people to be alerted to how he works and to know the importance of the Word of God as our foundation for life. The Great Controversy powerfully portrays Satan’s diabolical efforts to draw attention away from the Word of God and the precious message of salvation that Christ offers to all of us.

This book has been the source of countless conversion experiences, and that’s one of the most important reasons we need to share it. It is also one of the main reasons the devil doesn’t want it to get out.

Witch Doctor Converted

Even witch doctors have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior after reading The Great Controversy. A few years

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ago a Seventh-day Adventist evangelist went to a small hillside village in northeast India to present the message of Christ to the people there. The local witch doctor was furious and repeatedly pronounced death threats on the Adventist pastor, who was praying for this man and visiting with him.

However, after five months the witch doctor became deathly ill. The evangelist visited him and explained that there was a battle raging between Christ’s angels and evil angels in his personal life, and left a copy of The Great Controversy with the witch doctor. One week later the evangelist returned and found that the man had not only read the book, but already changed his lifestyle. He was smiling and invited the evangelist to share a meal. They prayed together, and within a month the man began throwing away all of his witchcraft tools.

The evangelist came regularly, studying the Bible with this dear man and his family, and they were all baptized

small, fixed incomes, they are faithfully supporting the Great Controversy Project. Teaming up with two other Adventist churches in Wytheville and Marion, they have so far distributed nearly 48,000 copies of this life-changing book, and are hoping to eventually reach the entire state of Virginia.

The Great Controversy portrays Satan’s diabolical efforts to draw attention away from the precious message of salvation that Christ offers to all of us.

into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. When the villagers came for healing, the former witch doctor shared with them the truths he had learned from reading The Great Controversy, and explained that he had accepted Jesus as his Savior.

My firm conviction is that there will be thousands and thousands of highly committed Christians who will become members through the Great Controversy Project and their contact with Seventh-day Adventist believers.

Strong Lay Support

Divisions around the world are supporting this project, and many in an extremely dynamic way. The church worldwide has committed to distributing approximately 175 million copies of various versions of The Great Controversy during 2012 and 2013. This is the work of the Holy Spirit! In addition, this project has caught the attention and excitement

When Catastrophe Becomes Opportunity

of local church members, who are strongly promoting the book.

In Nigeria 12 dedicated lay members decided to print enough copies of The Great Controversy to reach 10 percent of the Nigerian population, making their goal 16.7 million copies. This project came as a wonderful surprise to the West-Central Africa Division, as they had set 12 million books for their division goal.

A businessman in Indonesia volunteered to print a half million copies of the classic version of The Great Controversy in the Indonesian language (a cost of US$1.5 million), and challenged other businesspeople to sponsor more books. His challenge was immediately met by another lay couple who agreed to print an additional 20,000 copies for distribution in that country.

In the United States the 40-member church in Konnarock, Virginia, is impacting their area in a big way.

Although most of the members are on

In Peru, one Adventist family had the special opportunity to share The Great Hope with millions of viewers during a live interview on national television. The Paredes family were on board the ship Costa Concordia when it ran aground on January 13, 2012.

To save their lives, the family jumped into the cold water, where they waited almost 40 minutes to be rescued. The father said that his family was able to stay calm in the midst of the crisis because of their hope in Jesus and His promises of eternal life. At the end of the interview Paredes used the opportunity to talk about The Great Hope and explained that the Seventhday Adventist Church offers this book as a gift to people who want to learn more about God and His love for us.

This book contains contact information for requesting the complete classic edition of The Great Controversy, as well as Bible lessons and other materials.

An Opportunity for Everyone

Let me offer a special word of encouragement to those who would like to be part of this project, but aren’t sure how to go about it.

First, get some copies of The Great Controversy and have them close to you in the car or house. Keep one in your briefcase or somewhere near.

Second, earnestly pray, “Lord, You told Ellen White that this book was to be circulated more than any other book.

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One-DayChurch Sinde, Zambia

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I’m an extension of that, but I don’t know whom I should give it to, or how it should be given. In the next 24 hours, open for me an opportunity to help someone to receive this book. I don’t know who or how—a family member? a neighbor? Just give me the opportunity and tell me to give it.”

Then believe that the Lord is going to open an opportunity. When you give it, give it with the most gracious love and concern for people you’ve ever had. The Lord will create the opportunity; this is His work. He’s responsible for opening these doors, so let’s be awake enough to see that the door is open.

D I C K

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Phenomenal Results

As people around the world in every division go out to share these books, we ask that you pray that the Holy Spirit will block any effort on the part of the devil to keep people from reading it. The Great Controversy portrays the hand of God’s intervention to protect His church through the ages in such a remarkable way that readers cannot help being melted by God’s incredible proactive approach toward each of us, and the ultimate triumph of righteousness and truth.

The results from this project, through God’s direct blessing, are going to be phenomenal. And they ought to be. We are living in the critical period just before the final events that the book itself portrays, events that are grounded in the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. How important it is for us to get this message out, and to believe it ourselves. Jesus is coming soon! ■

Ted N. C. Wilson

is president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

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Professor Wilson is nearly blind.

His vision has slowly been darkening for years by a deteriorating condition that cannot be reversed.

But Wilson’s mind is bright and his heart happy, especially when a church deacon calls the Sinde congregation to worship by banging on the old shock absorber that hangs in the cashew tree beside their brand-new One-Day Church.

Wilson is a teacher—and a rancher and farmer—who would tell you that his “real job” is planting churches like the one in Sinde.

“When they ask me to teach at one of the public schools,” Wilson says, “I agree, and quickly begin telling my students that their lives can be full only if they accept Jesus as their personal Savior. Before long we have a new church under a tree near the city well.”

The Sinde congregation has completed the walls, platform, and pews for the One-Day Church and the One-Day Sabbath school center that were built for them two years ago by ASI and Maranatha Volunteers International.

The professor hears the worship bell and sees heaven filling with his students.

The One-Day Church program is a collaborative effort between the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries (ASI), and Maranatha Volunteers International. These stories come to you each month from Maranatha storyteller Dick Duerksen.

NAD NEWS Lake Union Conference

Camp Meetings in

North America

F

or more than 100 years the Seventh-day Adventist Church has conducted camp meetings. Most conferences in the North American Division (NAD) plan gatherings that last a day, a weekend, or up to 10 days. The days are filled with seminars and sermons that teach practical biblical principles and healthy lifestyles, and include meetings for children and youth. Please check your local conference Web site for additional information about a camp meeting in your area.

The following information is supplied by NAD secretariat, and was last updated in February.

Atlantic Union Conference

Bermuda Conference: June 22-30 Bermuda Institute, South Hampton Greater New York Conference Camp Berkshire, Wingdale ■ English: June 30-July 7 ■ Spanish: July 14-21 ■ Franco-Haitian: July 22-28 ■ Luso Brazilian: May 25-28 ■ United: September 15 ■ Korean: September 15 (University of Pittsburgh) New York Conference: June 22-30 Union Springs Academy ■ Native American: August 17-19 Northeastern Conference Camp Victory Lake, Hyde Park, New York ■ English: June 29, 30, July 6, 7 ■ Spanish: May 24-27 ■ Haitian: August 15-19 Northern New England Conference: June 22-30 Pine Tree Academy, Freeport, Maine Southern New England Conference South Lancaster, Massachusetts ■ English: June 22-30 ■ Spanish: July 14

■ ■

French Haitian: June 22-30 Portuguese (Cape Verdean): July 21

Columbia Union Conference

Allegheny East Conference: June 28-July 8 Pine Forge Academy, Pine Forge, Pennsylvania Allegheny West Conference: June 8-16 Allegheny West Campground, Thornville, Ohio

Mid-America Union Conference

Chesapeake Conference: June 12-16 Highland View Academy, Hagerstown, Maryland Mountain View Conference: June 15-17 Valley Vista Adventist Center, Huttonsville, West Virginia New Jersey Conference: June 15-17 Tranquil Valley Retreat Center, Tranquility Ohio Conference: June 10-16 Mount Vernon Academy Pennsylvania: June 15-23 Blue Mountain Academy, Hamburg Potomac Conference: June 19-23 Shenandoah Valley Academy, New Market, Virginia

Illinois Conference ■ Family Camp, Camp Akita, July 25-28 ■ Spanish, Camp Wagner, May 25-27 ■ Chicagoland Convocation, Wheaton College, May 12 Indiana Conference: June 10-16 Indiana Academy, Cicero ■ Spanish, Timber Ridge Camp, August 31-September 3 Lake Region Conference Camp Wagner, Cassopolis, Michigan ■ English: June 15-23 ■ Spanish: August 30-September Michigan Conference ■ Lower Peninsula: Great Lakes Academy, June 15-23 ■ Upper Peninsula: Camp Sagola, July 27-29 ■ Hispanic: Camp Au Sable, May 25-27 Wisconsin Conference: Camp Wakonda ■ English: June 17-25 ■ Spanish: August 17-19 Central States Conference: June 14-16 Central States Conference Center, Kansas City, Kansas Dakota Conference Dakota Adventist Academy, Bismarck, North Dakota ■ English: June 5-9 ■ Native American: June 11-14 Iowa-Missouri Conference Camp Heritage, Climax Springs, Missouri ■ English: May 29-June 2 ■ Spanish: June 22-24 Kansas-Nebraska Conference ■ Spanish: Broken Arrow Ranch, August 31-September 3 Continued on next page

April 2012 | Adventist World - nad

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NAD NEWS

Minnesota Conference: June 8-16 Rocky Mountain Conference ■ Western Slope: Montrose, Colorado, June 1, 2 ■ Cowboy: Silver Jack Reservoir, Cimarron, Colorado, July 11-15 ■ Wyoming: Mills Spring Ranch, Casper, July 17-21 ■ Eastern Slope: Campion Academy, Loveland, Colorado, July 27, 28 ■ Native American: May 4, 5 ■ Spanish: Glacier View Ranch, Ward, Colorado, August 31-September 3

Upper Columbia Conference Upper Columbia Academy, Spangle, Washington ■ English: July 13-16 ■ Spanish: June 22-24 ■ Native American: Wapato, Washington, June 22, 23 ■ Sheridan Meadows: Republic, Washington, July 24-28 ■ North Idaho: Bonners Ferry, Idaho, June 6-9 Washington Conference Auburn Adventist Academy ■ English: June 14-23 ■ Spanish: June 7-9

North Pacific Union Conference

Pacific Union Conference

■ ■

Camp Arrowhead: July 20-22 Panhandle: October 5, 6

Alaska Conference ■ Native Ministries Mini Camp: Anchorage, June 9-16 Idaho Conference Gem State Adventist Academy, Caldwell, Idaho ■ English: June 12-16 ■ Spanish: June 13-16 Montana Conference: June 13-16 Mount Ellis Academy, Bozeman Oregon Conference Gladstone Park Campgrounds ■ English: July 17-21 ■ Spanish: July 12-14

Next Month in North America Focus for May: Community Services Community Services Sabbath

May 5

Youth Sabbath

May 12

Single Adults Sabbath

May 19

Arizona Conference Camp Yavapines, Prescott ■ English: June 8-16 ■ Spanish: June 18-23 Central California Conference: July 12-21 Seventh-day Adventist Campgrounds, Soquel, California Northern California Conference: July 19-28 Redwood Area Campgrounds, Redcrest, California Southeastern California Conference ■ Korean: Pacific Union College, July 29-August 4 ■ Filipino: October 12-14 ■ Samoan: Pacific Union College, June 25-July 3 ■ Vietnamese: Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, June 27-July 1 Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada

Alberta Conference: July 13-21 Foothills Seventh-day Adventist Camp, Alberta

British Columbia Conference: July 27-August 4 Camp Hope, British Columbia Manitoba/Saskatchewan Conference: July 6-July 14 Camp Whitesand, Saskatchewan Maritime Conference: July 27-August 4 Camp Pugwash, Nova Scotia Newfoundland and Labrador Conference: July 20-28 Woody Acres Camp, Newfoundland Ontario Conference: June 30 Mississauga International Centre, Toronto Southern Union Conference

Carolina Conference: May 27-June 2 Lake Junaluska, North Carolina Florida Conference Camp Kulaqua ■ English: April 12-15 ■ Spanish: April 19-22 Georgia-Cumberland Conference: May 23-26 Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, Tennessee Gulf States Conference: May 25-June 2 Bass Memorial Academy, Lumberton, Mississippi Kentucky-Tennessee Conference Highland Academy, Portland, Tennessee ■ Spanish: May 25-June 2 South Atlantic Conference: June 7-16 Orangeburg, South Carolina South Central Conference: June 1-9 Oakwood University, Huntsville, Alabama Southeastern Conference: June 21-30 Hawthorne, Florida Continued on page 18

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N A D U P D AT E

Train Up a

Child

If we don’t, who will?

By Larry Blackmer, vice president for education, North American Division

I

f Billy hadn’t just seen it, he could’ve just gone on his way and not gotten involved. But he saw Justin pick up the belt, stick it in his jacket, and walk out of the store. Justin was Billy’s best friend, the only true friend he had. Billy knew that what had just happened was wrong.

What should he do?

In a society based on circumstantial values and a postmodern philosophy rooted in doing what is right in our own eyes, teaching our children the values of integrity, honesty, loyalty, and other biblical principles is becoming increasingly difficult. Children sometimes observe adults being untruthful and dishonest, and they don’t understand the dichotomy when we—parents, schools, and society— attempt to instill in them honesty and integrity. Teaching honesty and responsibility takes a considerable amount of time and patience. It’s not like teaching children how to tie their shoes and having them understand the basic concept after a few lessons.

We must keep hammering away at these lessons, living them each day.

I, along with the head of Catholic schools in the United States, recently met with the United States secretary of

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education. Secretary Arne Duncan remarked to the two of us that he respected our two educational systems, and that he wanted us to run some public charter schools in the country’s inner cities. He said that without churches and private religious schools, inner cities could easily fall into chaos.

We explained that neither of us could run an educational system that isn’t based on religious principles. Our values and beliefs are what make us unique and help us hold society together. He couldn’t see it, and continues to ask us to operate public charter schools.

Adventist, as well as Catholic and other parochial schools, exist only to share our unique values. Those values, such as integrity and helping children have a relationship with a holy God who loves us and has expectations for our behavior toward others, are things that help us teach integrity.

It is just as important that we teach those values in our homes. We can do several things to help our children grow up with integrity and high principles.

Teaching Integrity

Adventist World - nad | April 2012

1. Encourage Truthfulness. Don’t

put your child in a position in which it is easier to lie than to tell the truth.

Asking “Did you write on that wall?” when you saw them do it sets them up to say no. Instead, ask why they wrote on the wall. Then hold them accountable, but within the context of writing on the wall, not telling a lie. Always allow children to tell you they did something wrong. If you get angry and yell at them for telling you that they did something wrong, they will begin to lie in order to avoid your anger. Be sure that children feel comfortable telling you anything, even things they know you don’t want to hear.

2. Set a Good Example. One of the best ways to teach children about integrity is to model it ourselves.

Don’t let children catch you being rude to others or engaging in dishonest behavior. Children often learn more from observing us than from listening to us. One area that parents can help children is to model common courtesies and acts of kindness. Encourage them to join you in those activities, making it a normal family value.

3. Show Love for Others. Children who observe hate and bigotry while

growing up are more likely to learn hatred than love for others. Teach your children that everyone deserves consideration and love as a son or daughter of God. 4. Teach Tolerance. Children who grow up surrounded by tolerance learn to accept others as they are, regardless of differences of opinions, values, beliefs, skin color, religion, body shape, or disability. Being different is no reason to be rude or prejudiced. At the same time, teach children the difference between tolerance and standing up for their values. Children have to stand for what they believe, regardless of circumstances or the values of others.

5. Teach Your Child to Apologize.

Although parents often tell their chil-

dren to say “I’m sorry,” it’s more important that children see us be truly sorry for something we’ve done or said. Humility and the ability to say we’re sorry is noticed by our children. It’s also important to help children accept an apology in a spirit of forgiveness.

6. Encourage Empathy and Compassion. Learning to relate to other people with empathy is a valuable lesson. Some children seem to automatically be in tune with the feelings of others, but some children need a bit of help to recognize the feelings of those around them. Always demonstrate empathy yourself and share your observations with your child, such as “I think Dad could use a drink of water after mowing the

lawn.” Given a little practice, children learn to sense and respond to the feelings of others.

7. Keep Your Promises. A child’s memory is remarkably good. They might not remember to eat their vegetables, but they’ll remember that you told them you’d take them to the lake for the weekend two weeks ago. If you break some promises, they will remember for years, maybe even a lifetime! If it becomes impossible to keep your promise, discuss it with your children and ask them to let you off the hook. But let that be the exception, not the rule.

The spiritual values we want to share with our children are not the same as the world’s values. Spiritual values are caught as well as taught. ■

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N A D U P D AT E

NAD PERSPECTIVE

Financial Faithfulness,

Financial Freedom

By John Mathews

R

esearch indicates that North Americans are the most generous givers in the world. Yet only 2.6 percent of the total population and only 7 percent of Christians return tithe. Evidently being generous and being faithful are two different things. If Christian giving averaged 10 percent of after-tax income, it would “transform the world.”1 Imagine having the financial power to eradicate world hunger and adequate resources to preach the gospel to the world.

Consumer specialist Fred Wiersema writes, “Today’s most serious business challenge … is a scarcity of customers.”2 The myriad of product choices among consumers creates stiff competition for the retail dollar in an economy that strives to appeal to massproduced individual customization.

Church members have money, and they want to give. But it seems that there is a “scarcity of givers” because they face more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations asking for contributions, not to mention all the retailers with their alluring advertisements.

With so many choices, who will get their contributions? We may not like the idea, but the church competes for tithe and offerings, and givers are being more selective than ever.

The “great recession” has had a worldwide impact in creating an atmosphere of fragile economic stability. Some believe the world economy may never recover. When a recession,

economic downturn, or cash shortfall affects an organization, the natural and quickest way to cut expenses is to lay off personnel. It is not a positive experience for the employee, the organization, or the ones who have to make such decisions. Yet the church on every level is not immune from such a phenomenon.

Will a cycle of growth and cutback, growth and cutback, always be the norm? Yes, unless leaders and members are proactive in doing something about it. Even in times of economic uncertainty, if all the tithes were brought to the storehouse there would be plenty— more than enough—to advance God’s work in our communities.

However, it seems that in the United States and Canada most Christians experience a disconnect between their religious faith and their giving.

This same disconnect shows up in our own church, with 92 percent of those surveyed indicating they have a saving relationship with Jesus, but only 56 percent returning tithe.3 This is part of the reason God’s work is often hampered financially.

Christ said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). The solution to a lack of financial support is to connect our treasures to our hearts, and this involves a spiritual conversion. Commitment is directly related to the connection between treasure and heart.

According to Ellen White, God “did

not originate the plan of systematic benevolence to enrich Himself, but to be a great blessing to man.”4 People give to what they value; if members see the church as of little value, their giving goes elsewhere. Administrators, pastors, and local leaders can increase the value of the church by conveying competency, sensibility, and effectiveness.

It is a misconception that tithes and offerings support only an administrative structure: they provide financial resources that directly benefit local congregations and communities. Simple honesty with God recognizes that He is both Creator and Redeemer, and that He promises to make 90 percent of what we have go further than the 100 percent we might keep for ourselves.

The financial strength of our church depends on steps taken now to help members, both young and old, connect their treasure and their hearts.

Ellen White wrote that “God has arranged systematic benevolence to sustain His cause and relieve the necessities of the suffering and needy.”5 While there may be hundreds more charities, causes, and consumer products now than there were when Ellen White wrote those words, our commitment to Christ will help us put our treasure where our hearts are. ■ 1 Christian Smith, Michael O. Emerson, Patricia Snell, Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don’t Give Away More Money (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), p. 12.

2 Fred Wiersema, The New Market Leaders: Who’s Winning and How in the Battle for Customers (New York: Touchstone, 2001), p. 2.

3 Tell the World: Strategic Plan 2010-2015, Seventh-day Adventist Church, p. 4.

4 Ellen G. White, Testimony Treasures (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1949), vol. 1, p. 385.

5 Ellen G. White, The Adventist Home (Nashville: Southern Pub. Assn., 1952), p. 370.

John Mathews is

stewardship director for the North American Division.

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nad Letters Faithful Under Fire

Please give my special thanks to Andrew McChesney, author of the cover story “Faithful Under Fire” (January 2012). What an inspiring biography of an Adventist of today! Many of my friends and I are blessed through the real-life experience of the article’s hero.

God bless you in the great AW ministry!

V. Grits Sacramento, California The One Who Crawls

The January 2012 edition was especially appreciated in our household because of the story about Judas “Bhepe” (as we know him) titled “The One Who Crawls.”

How well we remember this dedicated man when he was at Lower Gwelo (now Gweru) Mission along with his and our friend Pastor Simeon Dube.

Chris taught at the mission

From page 12

N A D Camp Meetings c ont inue d Southwestern Union Conference

Arkansas-Louisiana Conference South Louisiana Convention Center, Hammond, Louisiana ■ English: April 20, 21 ■ Spanish: April 27, 28 ■ Ozark Family: Ozark Adventist Academy, Gentry, Arkansas May 29-June 2

18

for several years before moving on to the Rhodesia Conference office in Gwelo. Dale’s parents, Prescott and Ruby Fairchild, were active in the various mission schools in the area, including Solusi Mission.

Looking back through our old Kodak color slides taken more than 50 years ago, we see the smiling faces of the two men mentioned in the article.

When the older Fairchilds came back to the States on furlough, Prescott arranged to have a hand-propelled three-wheeled chair to take back with him to help Judas get around on the mission. More often than not, however, Judas would be scooting along the mission paths, or even onto the rostrum, using only his hands and knees.

As a young person, Dale was baptized by Edward Trumper, who later took part in the ordination of Pastor Bhepe. Our hearts go back as well because of the name of the author of the article, Zebron Ncube. So many of the students Chris taught at Lower Gwelo were proud of their family name, Ncube! Several went on to Solusi and then entered the work as pastors and teachers.

Dale and Chris Fairchild Pleasant Hill, Missouri

2012 Adventist World—and about his visiting Saburo Arakaki, who began his walk with God as told in the book Rainbow Over Hell. This is a miracle from a God who uses natural phenomena such as a rainbow to lead a person to Him. I’ve passed Arakaki’s book out to members of my local congregation and several people so they can read this story.

I understand why Wilson sees the importance of visiting Japan, as part of this Sabbath school quarterly’s offering goes to Amami Oshima. My father- and mother-in-law were missionaries to Taiwan—another recipient of this quarter’s offering.

Richard Cook West Linn, Oregon Correction

A production error in Idea Exchange for February 2012 left out the following information: TOP 5 The world divisions of the Seventhday Adventist Church with the highest membership are: ■

Inter-American Division

■

East-Central Africa Division

■

Saburo Arakaki

Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division

I appreciated reading about Ted N. C. Wilson’s visits to Japan in the January

■

South American Division

■

Southern Asia Division

Northwest Arkansas Spanish: July 20, 21 ■ Cowboy: Bonnerdale Seventh-day Adventist Church, September 28-30 ■ Fall Round-up: Springtown Seventh-day Adventist Church, Gentry, Arkansas, September 27-29 Oklahoma Conference Wewoka Woods Adventist Center, Wewoka ■ English: July 13-21 ■ Spanish: July 27-29

Southwest Region Conference Lone Star Camp, Athens, Texas

■

Adventist World - nad | April 2012

Texico Conference: June 7-9, 2012 Albuquerque Convention Center, New Mexico

W O R L D

Vitamin Supplements?

What About

H E A L T H

By Allan R. Handysides and Peter N. Landless

Please address the confusing information regarding vitamin and other nutritional supplements. I’m especially thinking of studies that claim vitamin E is a contributing factor to cardiac disease and death (several years back), and the more recent one that claims that vitamin E supplementation noticeably increases the risk of prostate cancer in men.

T

his is indeed a confusing issue to many, because so many supplements make claims about their health benefits. The supplements industry is huge and very profitable. It’s estimated that more than half of all Americans take at least one supplement and spend approximately US$25 billion annually on them. Supplements of various kinds are used worldwide.

What is a supplement? It’s a substance taken by mouth but is not a food; it may be in the form of a liquid, tablet, capsule, powder, or even injection. It’s intended to add that which the diet may not be providing in sufficient quantity.

Supplements may be readily purchased and generally are not tested, controlled, and regulated as are standard medications, so many of the claims regarding them haven’t been substantiated. A dietary supplement may contain a vitamin, mineral, hormone, amino acid, or plant or animal extract; in fact, it may contain anything.

There have been a number of clinical studies over the past few years to test benefits and risks.

Vitamin E has not fared well when claims of its protective benefits against heart disease and stroke were tested. In fact, it was associated with an increase in the diseases it was purported to prevent. Additionally, in the recent Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT), researchers found that vitamin E supplements may actu-

ally increase the risk of developing prostate cancer by 17 percent.

Equally surprising results were seen when beta-carotene supplements were tested on the hypothesis that they would prevent the development of cancer. The study had to be stopped prematurely because the group taking the additional beta-carotene was shown to have an increased incidence of lung cancer. Beta-carotene is a substance found in yellow vegetables and is safe when taken in the diet because it occurs naturally in yellow vegetables, but not when taken as a supplement.

The recent Iowa Women’s Health Study (about 39,000 women studied over 19 years), published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine in late 2011, raised more concern regarding routine use of supplemental vitamins and minerals (routine meaning in the absence of specific deficiency due to disease states or dietary deficiencies). One portion of this study suggests a link between multivitamin intake and increased death rates in older women. Copper and iron supplements were also associated with this worrying trend.

In stark contrast to the above study is the startling fact that iron deficiency is the commonest nutritional deficiency in the world. Two billion people are anemic, many of them as a result of iron deficiency. Those living in developing countries would cer-

tainly benefit from appropriate iron supplementation.

So who should receive vitamin and mineral supplementation?

■ Those suffering nutritional deficiencies from an inadequate diet.

■ Pregnant women—folic acid supplementation has been proven to decrease neural tube deformities; also iron supplementation may be needed.

■ Those with dark skin and individuals with fewer than 15 minutes of sun exposure per day may benefit from supplemental vitamin D. ■ Those with gastrointestinal diseases, which cause decreased absorption of nutrients, e.g., celiac disease (gluten sensitivity).

■ Those undergoing cancer treatment (chemotherapy).

The best way of obtaining essential nutrients is by eating a healthful diet rich in fruits, nuts, vegetables, and legumes, and if dairy is excluded (total vegetarian or vegan diet), vitamin B12 should be supplemented. Commercially available supplements also may interact with other medications and cause dangerous situations, so before taking supplements, check with your physician. ■

Allan R. Handysides, a board-certified gynecolo-

gist, is director of the General Conference Health Ministries Department.

Peter N. Landless, a board-certified nuclear

cardiologist, is an associate director of the General Conference Health Ministries Department.

April 2012 | Adventist World - nad

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D E V O T I O N A L

By Gerald A. Klingbeil

Singing

Dark Join the choir. in the

T

he year was 1529. The place was Spires, Germany. A small band of Protestant princes were on their way to participate in the Diet of Spires, convened by Emperor Charles V. This was not a singing group. They looked perplexed and worried. Faced with immense pressures from both the emperor and the papal party, they had two options: either uphold their commitment to Scripture and the Reformation (and face terrible civil war and persecution) or succumb to the pressures of the majority and recant the principle of liberty of speech and conscience.1 It is said that Martin Luther composed “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” for this particular occasion— the moment when life, faith, and the future of the Reformation hung in the balance.

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.

For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great;

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and armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal.

No Singing Event

Fifteen hundred years earlier a small group of men and women huddled together fearfully. The shadow of the cross loomed on a hill. The earth itself seemed to be in mourning, and darkness and tremors had unnerved the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Jesus was dead, their beloved Master would not walk with them again to touch the undeserving and neglected and preach the kingdom of God—or so they thought. Imagine the sense of disillusionment, fear, and agony the disciples must have felt. Sabbath saw their highest hopes and wildest dreams crushed, and they were afraid for their own lives. No one felt like singing. They hid in the upper room and fearfully waited.

The next morning two of the disciples were on their way home.2 Their way to Emmaus stretched out before them for seven long miles.

Their hearts were empty; their hopes had been crushed. And yet at the end of their journey, after they recognized the risen Savior, they were

Adventist World - nad | April 2012

B I L L

K N O T T

bursting to shout (and sing) the good news of an empty tomb. “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” they asked each other (Luke 24:32), and notwithstanding another long journey and the dangers of night travel, they rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the others.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, Were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing.

Dost ask who that may be?

Christ Jesus, it is He, Lord Sabaoth His name, from age to age the same, And He must win the battle.

More Singing

Throughout history God chooses strange moments to do His singing.

The second half of the seventh century B.C. is marked by major changes and challenges in the ancient Near East. The Neo-Assyrian Empire is on the decline and a new power, located in ancient Babylon in Mesopotamia,

is beginning to assert its influence and might. Judah, under King Josiah, has been given another opportunity, and a great reform is under way. The king is supported by prophetic voices; one of them sits now tucked in between Habakkuk and Haggai among the 12 minor prophets. Zephaniah is a unique prophetic book. Its author must have been a member of the royal family, as his genealogy (Zeph. 1:1) reaches back four generations to King Hezekiah.

When God speaks through Zepha-

midst of evil and judgment and destruction a song is about to be sung over God’s remnant people. Listen carefully to its words: “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing” (Zeph. 3:17, NIV).3 God is not a distant, farremoved god—He wants to be close to His people and is about to utter a song, a loud song, of joy over those who have relied upon His Word, who

Every divine message of impending judgment also contains a call to return and a glimpse of divine restoration. niah, He addresses Judah and Jerusalem. When you find a moment spend some time reading the entire book in one go (which will not take too long).

Chapter one feels like a huge tsunami is rolling toward Jerusalem. It’s judgment time and God’s people do not seem to get it. It’s end-time for Jerusalem, and idolatry, oppression, or plain apathy just seem to go on as they have gone on before. This is no time for joyous songs of worship. This is crunch time. “The great Day of the Lord is near” (Zeph. 1:14), the prophet shouts, and it is bigger than just Judah and Jerusalem (Zeph. 1:14-2:3).

Zephaniah, however, does not stop there. Every divine message of impending judgment also contains a call to return and a glimpse of divine restoration (Zeph. 3:1-13). In the

From Mourning to Singing

Zephaniah, the pre-Resurrection disciples, the German Protestant princes—they all should not have sung. Darkness was all around them; judgment was imminent; destruction was sure—and yet, they joined the choir and sang in harmony with the God who Himself is ready to sing out for joy over His creation.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him who with us sideth: Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.

His kingdom is forever, and ever— and ever. In the midst of our own darkness, can you already hear the music? ■

trusted His leading and relished His grace. This is not, however, a sentimental love song celebrating the good vibes of religious experience. It is God’s melodious shout of victory—the only reference in Scripture where we find God singing.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.

The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, for lo! his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him.

1 Read about the history of what came to be known as the “protest of Spires” (thus “Protestants”) in Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1950), pp. 197-210.

2 Read the story again in Luke 24:13-35 and capture the transformation happening on this momentous first day of the week.

3 Scripture quotations credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. ESV has “exult over you with loud singing”; NASB translates “rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Gerald A. Klingbeil is

an associate editor of Adventist World and enjoys singing with his wife Chantal and their three daughters, Hannah, Sarah, and Jemima.

April 2012 | Adventist World - nad

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A D V E N T I S T

L I F E

Saying

Grace

Going deep into the meaning of a tableside prayer.

By Nathan Brown

A

few years ago New York journalist A. J. Jacobs challenged himself to live literally as the Bible commands for a year. His first task was to comb through the Bible to find as many commands, rules, and instructions as he could. From the Ten Commandments and the golden rule to each detail of the Old Testament’s laws of purity, Jacobs’ list totaled more than 700 specific instructions. Then, with a group of theological and spiritual advisers, he set about putting them into practice. His book—The Year of Living Biblically1—chronicled his experiment.

For a full year Jacobs poured himself into his project, and of course, it made an impact on his beliefs and attitudes. He felt he became a better person, more considerate of others, and “addicted to thanksgiving.”

Indeed, it was the act of giving thanks that he listed as one of the greatest discoveries of his experiment. “The Bible says to thank the Lord after meals,” he explained. “I did that. Perhaps too much. I got carried away. I gave thanks for everything—for the subway coming on time, for the comfortableness of my couch, etc. It was strange but great. Never have I been so aware of the thousands of little things that go right in our lives.”2

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Adventist World - nad | April 2012

Giving Thanks, Asking Blessing

Jacobs stumbled across one of the secrets to living life as a follower of God. The Bible tells us repeatedly that our lives and all that sustains us are gifts from God—and that our best response is gratitude. Most religious traditions around the world and throughout history practice some form of blessing and thanksgiving before or after meals or both. Whatever its form, it is an acknowledgment that both food and life proceed from the divine power we believe in.

However, biblical instructions about “saying grace”— offering a prayer of thanks and blessing before eating—are not as easy to find as we might assume. Perhaps the closest specific instruction is found in Deuteronomy 8:10: “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you” (NIV). (See also Deut. 6:11, 12.)

But we also have the example of Jesus, who “thanked God for the food” when feeding the 5,000 (Matt. 14:19, NCV).3 He also “took some bread and thanked God for it” when sharing the last supper with His disciples (Matt.

26:26, NCV). It also seems that there was something so distinctive in this action that it was at this point that the disciples who traveled with Jesus on the road to Emmaus finally recognized Him (see Luke 24:30).

Giving thanks before eating also seems to have been a habit of Paul’s, as this detail is included in the story of his shipwreck (see Acts 27:35). In 1 Timothy 4:3, 4 he describes gratitude to God as the most important ingredient of any meal.

So while we are not given specific guidance for saying grace or how it should be done, the act of saying grace, giving thanks, or asking a blessing before meals is consistent with the Bible’s more general instructions, stories, and examples. But from both spiritual and practical perspectives, this practice also seems worthwhile for a number of reasons.

Remembering God

Many religious traditions have adopted some kind of regular daily pattern of set times for prayer as one way of prompting believers to turn and return their hearts and minds toward God. Saying grace is one simple way of practicing this in our lives. From the description we are given of Daniel’s daily prayers, it’s possible they were based around mealtimes in this way: “He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God” (Dan. 6:10, NLT).4 Whenever we stop our work or other busy activities to eat, we can take the opportunity to remind ourselves of God and His love for us. As we pause for a meal, the food itself is a prompt: “To eat is to see, smell, touch, and taste God’s provisioning care.”5 As we experience this physical reality, we are reminded of the reality of God and our need to respond to Him. Seeking First the Kingdom of God

There is something right about simply pausing before a meal to thank God. We may be hungry, the food may smell inviting, and we might be quite ready to eat, but still we pause.

While our physical needs are important, in a small but real way we choose to seek first God and His kingdom. We act out—and thus remind ourselves of—Jesus’ teaching: “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ . . . Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matt. 6:31-33, NLT). When we have food in front of us, we can recognize that He has already fulfilled His promise, and in pausing, we reaffirm our priorities in His kingdom.

Eating Well

When we say grace, we acknowledge that when we eat, we do it, as we do everything else in our lives, in the presence of God. What and how we eat will be affected by our

recognition of God and His claims on our lives. When our health and the lives of others around the world are influenced by choices we make at our tables, the acknowledged presence of God will help us make better decisions to live for Him more fully and serve Him and others with our physical strength.

Paul put it like this: “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31, NIV).

Sharing With Others

When we acknowledge God in our eating, we are also drawn toward being mindful of those who are hungry in our world. The blessings we receive are to be shared, sometimes immediately, sometimes by our consistent work to help those in need.

We want others to be able to thank God for His goodness and provision for them, and whatever resources we have give us the privilege of being able to work with God in helping make that happen: “God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. . . . And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they thank God” (2 Cor. 9:8-11, NLT).

“Be Thankful in All Circumstances”

The simple act of saying grace can be profound, connecting and reconnecting us with our Creator, challenging us to live better, pushing us toward our neighbors and helping us practice a life of thanksgiving.

When we think about it like this and “say grace” with a grateful and reverent heart, we are following Paul’s instructions to receiving the blessings of life: “Always be joyful.

Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:16-18, NLT). ■ 1 A. J. Jacobs, The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007).

2 http://ajjacobs.com/books/yolb.asp?id=rules 3 Scriptures credited to NCV are quoted from The Holy Bible, New Century Version, copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

4 Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

5 Norman Wirzba, Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011), p. 180.

Nathan Brown is book editor at Signs

Publishing Company in Melbourne, Australia.

He is the author of five books, most recently I Hope.

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C OV E R S T O RY

PRAYER POWER: Youth ministry leaders from around the globe pray with the GC Youth Ministries team during a 2011 advisory meeting.

G

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The

Pofower

By Kimberly Luste Maran

P H O T O S :

G C Y O U T H

D E PA R T M E N T

One God. One Spark. One Fire.

A L L

ilbert Cangy, with a gleam in his eye and a smile lighting his face, exudes energy. Beckoning me to sit in a chair in his office, he seems eager to share.

There’s no doubt that Cangy is excited about youth. The journey he embarked upon in his teens led him to the General Conference Youth Ministries Department office, where “we sit, talk, and dream together. We look for ways to connect the young person to their church, to find ways of creating meaningful intergenerational connections between the youth and their local congregation.” So with a leadership style that is more about consulting than directing, Cangy and his colleagues (associate directors Jonatán Tejel and Hiskia Missah, and assistants Silvia Sicalo, Maria Dunchie, and Erica Richards) at the church’s headquarters, his colleagues in the 13 world divisions of the church, and young adults as part of the various large youth movements in the church, are dreaming big.

They’re looking for ways to share God with young people, to get them ignited—and united—so they burn brightly with salvation’s message.

“We have determined that our theme for the next five years will be ‘The Power of One.’ We have one purpose, we have one goal, we have one mission. [Youth Ministries] needs to have a concerted approach that’s more than a Pathfinder camporee or a young adult convention. Our purpose needs to be part of all our efforts.”

Working together in a collaborative manner is key. “This isn’t just the desire of the youth department, as we see in the prayer of Jesus in John 17. What was the purpose? So ‘that the world may believe that You have sent me’ [verse 21]. A sense of unity—that doesn’t mean uniformity—is probably

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A SPIRITUAL MOMENT: Youth and young adults in South America attend a candlelit evening Communion service.

the most important evidence of the power of the gospel. If we cannot work together, we’re saying that the cross of Jesus isn’t powerful enough for us to work on any challenges we face.”

The hope is to change perceptions on youth ministry, and the approach— from the headquarters to the local church. First is a refocusing on the spiritual life. “Once we have that relationship with Jesus, the next step is discipleship. We want to move our young people to become fully devoted to Jesus.” Discipleship, development of community, and mission are the three components of the “re-visioned” ministry. A trifold brochure produced by the department (in keeping with the “Tell the World” initiative) reads this way: “Reach Up (Discipleship), Reach Across (Church Community), Reach Out (Mission/Service).”

“We need to develop lifestyle rather than an event once or twice a year,” emphasizes Cangy. “We need to give as many expressions of mission as possible and engage the young people—and more than engage, we need to give them ownership of the church.

We can provide some models, but we also just need to listen. Ask, ‘So, what would you do?’ They are the best evangelists for our world today.”

Adrift, but Not Lost

The seeds for these ideas, and the approach Cangy and his team are using today were planted years ago. In his teens Cangy drifted away from the church. He found a job as a sailor— and what he thought was the perfect escape.

“I was free! But it didn’t take too long for me to realize that I really wasn’t.” Cangy, becoming disillusioned with life, with what he was doing, cried out to God, saying, “‘If You really exist, what can You do for me?’ God put it in my heart to come back home and start fresh with Him.” Cangy soon became youth leader in his local church.

“The Lord led me to read the book of Acts,” Cangy says, “and I was just amazed by the power of the Holy Spirit that was the gift of God. [The other young people and I] started to claim that. We talked about revival and reformation. We weren’t satisfied with what we saw around us and refused to settle with mediocrity. God blessed us in a very powerful way with an experience with the Spirit while we were on a church camp [out]. . . . My best days in ministry go back to the time I was a local church youth leader. Already at that time

God had planted the seed of ministry in my heart.”

Saying Yes to God

Australia, college, marriage, and children were next for Cangy. After ministerial training, he pastored a church in Victoria. Five years later, in 1993, he was called to youth ministry in Sydney. “I remember the first week I arrived in Sydney,” Cangy relates. “I told the administrators, ‘This is far enough from the local church.’ But in 1999 I got called to the division office and even though I protested they voted me as youth ministries leader for the [South Pacific] Division. I could not say no. God was doing something in my heart.”

Cangy credits a meeting with two young adults in helping create a willingness in him to follow God’s call— no matter what. He was still reeling from the executive committee meeting that morning when he kept an appointment to let the young adults pray for him. A young woman said: “God has shown us that you have an important decision to make, and we’ve been sent to pray for you.”

Says Cangy, “I was stunned. These guys are not into church politics; they had no idea what was going on in those

YM Department in Brief We are a global movement of destiny, united in purpose and mission, yet diverse in culture, language, geography, economy, and heritage. It is through the power of Christ and His Spirit that we can celebrate our unity in the midst of such diversity. In a world of ethnic and national divide, this exquisite expression of unity in Jesus is the most powerful expression of the reality of the gospel in the midst of God’s people.

For more:

OUR MISSION: To lead young people into a saving relationship

with Jesus Christ and help them embrace His call to discipleship.

OUR MOTTO: The love of Christ compels us.

OUR AIM: The Advent message to all the world in my generation.

OUR THEME: The Power of One

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meetings. The young woman opened the Bible to Jeremiah 29:11 and, after reading the verse, they laid hands on me, praying for all the fears that I had, one by one. By the time they finished their prayers, it was like I was released into that ministry. . . . By God’s grace my family and I did 11 years as youth director at the division, and it was a tremendous blessing for us.”

While sitting as a delegate in a business meeting on the floor of the 2010 General Conference session in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, someone tapped Cangy on the shoulder, asking him to meet with the chair of the nominating committee. “At that moment,” he recollects, “I knew what it was. My life was about to change. I got up and walked to my destiny.”

Putting It All Together

Cangy has been in his current position, director of the General Conference Youth Ministry Department, since he was elected at the session— and has quickly moved to unite youth

leaders around the globe. “Together, in consultation, we started to formulate a direction for the youth of the world. . . .

When we came together on March 28 to April 2, 2011, all 13 [division leaders] recognized what [our team was] talking about. The most gratifying thing was to hear them say, at the end of our advisory, ‘Gil, this is not your plan; this is our plan.’”

The framework is in place. It’s based on what leaders perceived to be the global needs of young people, and it charts a direction. But this is just the beginning. “We have created a new model for youth ministry, a model that we see as being biblical, very Christcentered. We are also in the process of rewriting the manual for youth ministry for the world church. It’s a time of change, a fresh start—and it comes at a time the church is very concerned about young people.”

Cangy continues: “The whole world has changed dramatically— technologically, culturally, sociologically, generationally. We alone cannot

Follow Their

keep up with the pace of change.

We’ve got to do some listening—we need to listen to what our young people are saying to us. Our young people are trying to articulate their faith in this kind of changing world. They are using a different language, they’re using a different method, to express the same gospel message. . . . We also have to consider that young adults today are leading corporations. They juggle millions of dollars in the marketplace. Then when they come to church, their giftedness is not always valued, and they don’t feel that they own the mission of the church.”

Hope for Samuels

Cangy—and his team—are filled with hope. “I love the model of Samuel.

It gives me hope,” Cangy says. “Samuel went to sleep near the ark of God. This little kid did not settle for what he was seeing around him. He didn’t settle for mediocrity. His mother had taught him that God speaks. . . . [Samuel] refused what he saw around him; and he went

Lead

BY ERICA RICHARDS, editorial assistant, General Conference Youth Ministries Department

During the week of October 7-12, 2011, more than 300 Adventist leaders from around the world met at the General Conference world headquarters for Annual Council. Among the leaders present were several young adult delegates who were elected by their respective divisions to serve the church by providing their perspective on church issues.

Adwoa Asamoah, representing West-Central Africa, commented: “This year’s Annual Council saw the direction of the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus when He was leaving this earth.

I pray that leaders and members alike will continue to allow Christ to direct the paths for His church.”

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The young adult delegates also met with GC youth ministries director Gilbert Cangy to talk about the mission of the church as it relates to youth ministry. The delegates agreed to act as a sounding board for future decisions within youth ministries.

Stefan Guiliani, delegate for the Euro-Africa Division, added: “The 2011 Annual Council was a great experience. I gained insight into our worldwide church that I find encouraging and valuable. It was good to see global initiatives that give a feeling of worldwide unity and cooperation and the spiritual focus of our leadership. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve.”

GENERAL CONFERENCE Youth Ministries Department associate youth director/Pathfinder director Jonatán Tejel Subirada grew up a PK (pastor’s kid), frequently moving until his family settled in Madrid, Spain, where he spent his adolescent years. He was baptized by his father on December 26, 1981. In 1990 he began studies in theology at Sagunto Adventist College. He attended there for three years, and then moved to Collonges (France), where he completed his theology degree in 1995. Tejel has more than 12 years of experience as a youth ministries director, speaks four languages (Spanish, Italian, English, and French), and was the creator/editor of Conexión, a youth ministries magazine for the Adventist Church in Spain.

General Conference Youth Ministries Department associate director for senior youth/young adults Hiskia Israil Missah (above), is a native of Indonesia. He served from 1995 to 2005 as youth director for the Southern AsiaPacific Division (SSD), in addition to public affairs and religious liberty director. Known as a youth speaker/evangelist, he has a strong passion for young people and has developed Voice of Youth materials, mobilized youth to do community services, and prepared and developed materials for youth leadership. Prior to joining SSD, Missah served as president of the East Java Conference, and as youth director in the West Indonesia Union Mission.

Gilbert Cangy, director of the General Conference Youth Ministry Department, speaks to large crowds during his global travels, but also takes time to talk to the younger set.

to sleep thinking, If God is going to speak, He’s going to speak here, so when He speaks, I want to be here to listen.

And it’s as if that was all that God was waiting for. God broke the silence, and this little kid became the agent of change for his nation. There is hope, because God is still willing to speak.

And out of nothing, out of mediocrity, out of the worst of circumstances, God can raise up Samuels.”

As we wrap up our time together, I can still feel Cangy’s energy, passion, and love for whom God has tasked him with working: the youth and young adults of the Adventist Church.

“While we are focusing on our overall approach to the ministry, we cannot neglect events, which do serve a purpose. We want to reshape the world youth congress, which will be in Africa in July 2013. We want this to be the model of youth gatherings, so we’re dreaming and putting it together.

We’re excited!”

Cangy adds: “We believe in our young people. We just need to, by the grace of God, ignite their interest and imagination. Not necessarily tell them what they need to do, because God can do that better than any of us. All we need to do is create the spark and let them know that we believe in them, that we’re ready to trust them. And then the choice is theirs.” ■

Read about the strategic planning and more at: http://gcyouthministries.org/ Ministries/GlobalYouth/ tabid/79/Default.aspx.

Kimberly Luste Maran

is an assistant editor for Adventist World.

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A D V E N T I S T

S E R V I C E

A

Tale

Two Cities

Two very different cities have something in common.

By Willie Tafadzwa Chinyamurindi

W

hat do the cities of Telford in the west of England and Mossel Bay in the Western Cape province of South Africa have in common? Geographically, they are separated by a vast ocean. Demographically, when entering Mossel Bay you are greeted by shanty towns that residents call home. Conversely, the residents of Telford enjoy the vast terrain of the English countryside. The difference in opulence between the two towns is stark. Despite these and many other differences, there is a commonality that threads these cities together. It’s what I call the “Adventist Youth Presence.”

A Fragrance of Hope

This presence is a fragrance of hope that an army of workers who are “rightly trained”1 leave behind in a community. Our youth can—and do—leave a powerful aurora in their communities.

Within a two-month time frame I attended two major youth events. One in the United Kingdom (viewed as a bastion of secular teaching) and the other in South Africa, a country reeling from past hurts. Fresh in my fiber are the stories of members of these

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two communities after experiencing the Adventist youth presence.

“Please Pray for Me . . .”

Mattie, a 39-year-old woman in Mossel Bay, opened her gates to three strangers dressed in immaculate suits and badges with a cross and three angels. “We are here at a youth camp,” said one of the young people to Mattie as she approached her. She offered Mattie the book When God Said Remember.

“Please pray for me and the challenges I am going through at work and in my life,” responded Mattie to her three guests. While they prayed with Mattie, other young people were visiting homes in the same community, enrolling residents of Mossel Bay for Bible study, offering prayer, and giving out literature. In one afternoon more than 500 doors were knocked on, and the presence of Adventist youth was felt.

“I Wish You Could Come Every Day!”

On the another side of the world in Telford, Adam Keogh led a delegation of young Adventists to a nursing home. Armed with broad smiles and

Adventist World - nad | April 2012

hymnals in their hands, they entered the posh-looking nursing home. Maureen Gatharia, from Ireland, led a hymn. The residents were overjoyed.

As the young people left the home, one of the residents shouted out, “I wish you could come every day!”

Other youth knocked on doors, enrolled people for Bible studies, and conducted street evangelism activities.

Though these two groups of young people are unlikely to meet, they are united by the common cause of being relevant to the needs of their community. The challenges these communities face are different, but the solution is common—and young people are helping to change lives and bring hope. They exude the Adventist youth presence.

True Mission Work

Communities around the world are in need of help. Adventism provides a wholistic solution. The Adventist youth presence is most effective in service to the community and being able to meet the physical, mental, social, and spiritual needs of people.

Busi Khumalo, director for youth and Adventist chaplaincy ministries in the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean

Division, emphasizes the important role of young people and their involvement in community: “True mission work is meeting people where they are and responding to their plight.” This was the method used by Christ: “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Savior mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’”2 Joy in My Heart

I left the British summer to come to a South African winter—yet in both locations I was warmed by the synergy of this global movement.

Gratitude for being part of the Adventist youth presence in these countries—and others—has helped me define the meaning of home as a place where a positive presence is felt.

This presence cuts across the divides and geographical barriers, a presence actuated by the life and example led

by Jesus. Important in His ministry was not the city He went to but the lives touched while there. This tale of two cities, and the Adventist youth presence, brings joy to my heart. ■ Ellen G. White, Education, p. 271.

Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 143.

1

2

Willie Tafadzwa Chinyamurindi is in

his final year of his Ph.D. with the Open University in Milton Keynes in the United Kingdom. He writes from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where he is collecting data for his research.

Mission

Caleb

As the official youth evangelism program of the South American Division, Mission Caleb is a unique youth project that focuses on discipleship by challenging young people to dedicate part of their summer break to do evangelism in places where there is no Adventist presence. Mission Caleb participants initiate community service projects to give visibility to the Seventh-day Adventist Church and are encouraged to make missionary commitments in their respective churches.

In August 2011 a Caleb mission camp was set up on Ortellado Island, in the province of Formosa, Argentina, with the objective of establishing a church. There are about eight families living on the island, which has a population of approximately 50. The Mission Caleb youth distributed books and Bibles and taught community members how to look up verses in Scripture. They also distributed clothes, school supplies, and toys.

The youth enjoyed sharing lunch and dinner with the island families. They taught hymns and songs and organized recreational activities. They also put together three evangelistic meetings.

So far, 22,980 youth have joined the Mission Caleb movement and helped spread the gospel to 1,143 cities.

Pathfinders on Easter Island Thanks to the hard work and faith of many Pathfinders, Master Guides, and their leaders, Easter Island now has an Adventist congregation. One of the largest islands in the southern part of Chile, its population of 3,791 identifies itself as mostly Roman Catholic.

In 2007 Master Guide Cecilia Maldonado moved to Easter Island and began working in the community. As she built relationships with the young people on the island and their families, they were able to form a Pathfinder club, and the dream of building a Seventh-day Adventist church was born.

Despite many obstacles, God worked miracles, and on May 21, 2010, the first Easter Island Seventh-day Adventist church was completed after just two weeks of construction.

On May 23 more than 100 young people, as well as 100 pastors and Pathfinder leaders, traveled from different parts of Chile to attend baptisms and the church’s inauguration—in a structure that normally accommodates about 50 people. Another church has already been planted with plans for more in the near future.

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F U N D A M E N T A L

B E L I E F S

   ,

Present,

What we celebrate each time we observe

G

rowing up in a humble province on one of the islands of the Philippines where grape juice was a luxury, I always looked forward to the annual celebration of the Lord’s Supper in our church. Drinking the grape juice from the tiny plastic cup increased my thirst for more of these services. In the same way, eating the tiny unleavened bread, which I had never tasted at home, further intensified my craving.

Obviously, the Lord’s Supper was not instituted in order to satisfy one’s craving for rare grape juice. There was more beyond those symbols. As I grew up and studied the Bible more seriously I learned that the significance of the Lord’s Supper pointed us to three dimensions: its significance in the past, its meaning for the present, and its importance for the future.

The Past

There are two important events to remember about the Last Supper. The first one involves the Jewish Passover celebration. Jesus introduced the Lord’s Supper to His disciples on the evening of the Passover feast, indicating that the Lord’s Supper had replaced one of the important Jewish festivals. Recasting the words of Moses, Jesus gave them new meaning. Jesus changed the phrase from “the blood of the covenant” (Ex. 24:8) to “My [Jesus’] blood of the new covenant” (Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:20),1 which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins. In effect, Jesus claimed that He was the Passover lamb.

The second event is the remembrance of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus told His disciples to commemorate this new event in the upper room, by saying: “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19, NASB).2 From the remembrance of Israel’s liberation from slavery in Egypt through the celebration of the Passover, Jesus now commanded His disciples to remember the salvation brought by His own death through the observance of the Lord’s Supper. This command to remember is also given to Christ’s believers today. This memory of the past brings us to the reality of the present.

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The Present

Two important concepts in the Lord’s Supper are meaningful for the present. The Lord’s Supper emphasizes the significance of communion with Him and our communion with one another as believers. Paul states: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread” (1 Cor. 10:16, 17, KJV). Although not spoken during the Last Supper, these words of Jesus highlight an important theological concept of Communion: “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6:56, NASB). So the real purpose of eating and drinking in the Lord’s Supper was not to satisfy one’s physical needs. The Communion service is to remind us of our much deeper need of Christ and of one another. We are dependent on Christ for our spiritual needs just as we are dependent on one another for our social needs.

Have you ever wondered why the image of “eating” was used for this important commemoration rite? In biblical times “sharing a meal” was quite meaningful. Unlike this modern era that promotes the practice of “fast food” and “eating alone,” eating in ancient times was generally communal and took a longer time. Making peace with one’s enemy, establishing a covenant with someone, and showing forgiveness to a “sinner” were usually marked by a meal (Gen. 31:44-46; 26:28-31; Luke 15:23). The different implications of a meal in ancient times should also be manifested today among Christ’s believers, whenever they participate in the Communion service. That’s what makes the Lord’s Supper meaningful for the present.

The Future

The past and the present significance of the Lord’s Supper direct our minds to the future. In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus concluded the last supper with His disciples with these words: “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My

By Ferdinand O. Regalado

  the communion service Father’s kingdom” (Matt. 26:29, NASB). In effect, these words could be viewed as Jesus’ vow of abstinence to strengthen the certainty of His second meal with His disciples and with us in the future.

However, while Jesus abstains, we have an active role to play. In anticipation of the future meal with Jesus we are invited to participate in the Communion service at the present. Paul’s words to the Corinthians emphasizes the implications of the ordinance of the Lord’s table for the future. He writes: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor. 11:26, NRSV).3 Participating in the Lord’s Supper is part of a proclamation of the gospel, and we preach the gospel with the anticipation of the future.

Moreover, these texts reveal God’s promises: the reality of His kingdom and the trustworthiness of His second coming. The Lord’s Supper “significantly links the first advent with the second.”4 At the same time, it “reminds us of the joy of personal fellowship with Christ that awaits us when the kingdom of God is fully established.”5 The Lord’s Supper points us back to the atoning death of Jesus and inspires us to participate in it by proclaiming and living the gospel; it also compels us to look to the future when we finally can have personal communion with Christ and “share a meal” with Him for eternity. ■ Unless otherwise indicated, translations of the Bible texts are the author’s.

2 Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

3 Bible texts credited to NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission.

4 Francis D. Nichol, ed., The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1956), vol. 5, p. 523.

5 Richard Rice, Reign of God: An Introduction to Christian Theology From a Seventh-day Adventist Perspective, second ed. (Berrien Springs, Mich.: Andrews University Press, 1997), p. 382.

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NUMBER 16 The Lord’s

Supper: The Lord’s Supper is a participation in the emblems of the body and blood of Jesus as an expression of faith in Him, our Lord and Savior. In this experience of communion Christ is present to meet and strengthen His people. As we partake, we joyfully proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again. Preparation for the Supper includes self-examination, repentance, and confession. The Master ordained the service of foot-washing to signify renewed cleansing, to express a willingness to serve one another in Christlike humility, and to unite our hearts in love. The communion service is open to all believing Christians. (1 Cor. 10:16, 17; 11:23-30; Matt. 26:17-30;

Ferdinand O. Regalado, Ph.D., is an Old Testament professor at Montemorelos University, Mexico. He is married to Charito with two daughters, Lyndsay and Samantha.

Rev. 3:20; John 6:48-63; 13:1-17.)

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N A D F E AT U R E

T

he Seventh-day Adventist Church was born with a compelling sense of urgency to tell the world the good news of a sooncoming Savior. With gritty determination and often at great personal sacrifice, early Advent believers sought to cooperate with the Lord in the work of saving the lost.

At a meeting held in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in November 1848 Ellen White was given a vision of the responsibility leaders had to publish the light that the Lord was shining on their pathway. She related the experience: “After coming out of vision, I said to my husband: ‘I have a message for you. You

precious printed sheets were brought into the house and laid upon the floor, and then a little group of interested ones were gathered in, and we knelt around the papers, and with humble hearts and many tears besought the Lord to let His blessing rest upon these printed messengers of truth.”2 It became their practice that before the papers were mailed out, “they were spread before the Lord, and earnest prayers, mingled with tears, were offered to God that His blessing would attend the silent messengers.”3 God honored their obedience.

“Soon after the sending out of the first number, we received letters bringing

By Karen Pearson and Kim Peckham

Like Streams of

Church was incorporated as a denomination, the Adventist Review provided a forum for believers who “keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 12:17).

And since 2005 the ministry of Adventist Review has been augmented

by Adventist World, a global publication with editorial offices located in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Seoul, South Korea, that is published monthly in 15 languages in print and online.

Although the magazine is designed primarily to teach and nurture Seventh-day Adventists around the world, reports are regularly received that many of its more than 2 million copies

Light

Publishing is part of our Adventist DNA. must begin to print a little paper and send it out to the people. Let it be small at first; but as the people read, they will send you means with which to print, and it will be a success from the first.’

From this small beginning it was shown to me to be like streams of light that went clear round the world.”1 A few months later James White came home with 1,000 copies of the little paper that would soon become known as The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald.

Notice what happened next: “The

34

means with which to continue publishing the paper, and also the good news of many souls embracing the truth.”4 Those first “printed messengers of truth” grew into what is now known as Adventist Review, one of the longest continually published periodicals— religious or secular—in the United States. For nearly 165 years the Adventist Review has been one of the means by which God has kept the Seventhday Adventist movement unified and moving forward. Nearly 15 years before the Seventh-day Adventist

Adventist World - nad | April 2012

are finding their way into the hands of readers who are not Seventh-day Adventists. Indeed, these reports often come with requests—from individuals as well as groups—for more information about the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its beliefs.

It is difficult to overstate the importance of the publishing work in the establishment and expansion of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The missionary spirit that turned vision into reality through the publication of that first magazine gave rise

almost 25 years later to a second paper, Signs of the Times.

It is significant to note that both the Review and Herald and Pacific Press publishing houses were founded primarily to print missionary material. Since those early days, literally hundreds of thousands of magazines and books have gone, like streams of light, clear around the world.

Casting a Wider Net

FROM SMALL BEGINNINGS: Adventist Review, one of the oldest publications in North America—religious or secular—has been joined recently by Adventist World with a mission to nurture and unify Seventh-day Adventists around the world.

Almost 25 years later another missionary paper was created to further the work of sharing the Bible-based gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel Herald, now known as Message, was founded in 1898 by James Edson White, son of James and Ellen White.

During the late 1800s the magazine was a premier religious paper for Blacks in the South and the Mississippi Delta. Its content aimed to educate its readers in Bible topics, Christian living, the gospel, and practical living. Now more than 100 years later Message still aims to inspire AfricanAmericans.

El Centinela (The Sentinel) is the Spanish-language sister publication of Signs of the Times, and one of the oldest Christian magazines in Spanish published in the United States. First published in 1903 in Puerto Rico, in 1909 its editorial office moved to Panama, where it was published until 1911. Pacific Press took over its publication in 1919, and it soon moved from a quarterly magazine to a monthly printing. The vision of El Centinela is to bring attention to the second coming of Jesus by presenting biblical truth.

Signs of the Times, El Centinela, and Message are the three premier missionary magazines of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and are among the longest-running Christian publications

in North America. Who can measure the impact of their ministry?

New Products for New Audiences

However, these three magazines are not the only examples of missionary literature published and distributed around the world. Sharing books by the millions have made their way into homes, hospitals, gas stations, prisons, and any number of places where people are found.

The Magabook program sends hundreds of praying young people out into communities each year, sharing books that bring the light of truth and hope and result in decisions for Christ. Only eternity will reveal the results of their efforts and the powerful impact of the literature evangelism program as a whole.

One thing is certain: seeds planted in faith and watered by the tears and prayers of those early believers are still bearing fruit today. Many Adventists can trace their initial contact with the Seventh-day Adventist Church back to something they read.

We are both literally and figuratively a people of the word.

Real People, Real Stories

Sheila noticed a Signs newsbox near her home in White River Junction, Vermont. Intrigued, she took a magazine, and at first she read it by herself. Soon her husband, Ed, began reading them too. They sent in a card for free Bible lessons and were impressed with the clear Bible truth. Even more impressive was a phone call they received from the local Discover Bible School, operated by the West Lebanon Adventist Church in New Hampshire.

When asked if they would like to have someone study the Bible with them, Sheila and Ed responded that they would love to. They studied together for more than a year and were then baptized. “We’re so grateful for Signs of the Times! Even though

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N A D F E AT U R E

others studied with us, the Bible study offer in Signs led us to wonderful people and a wonderful church!”

Rick Schwarz was raised an Adventist and excelled in sport acrobatics from a young age. He found work at the Indiana Jones stunt show at Disney’s MGM Studios in Florida, and later at SeaWorld. While at Disney he auditioned for Cirque du Soleil, and when offered a job he jumped at the opportunity, even though he sensed the Holy Spirit calling him in another direction.

After two years in Las Vegas the darkness he felt was indescribable. He finally broke down and asked God for help. Soon afterward he came across a copy of Messiah. As he read it, he learned and saw who Jesus was. For the first time he fell in love with Him as Savior. When he told Cirque he could no longer work on Sabbath, he was fired. Rick says, “God has taught me so much. Now sharing Him more effectively with others is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

“Dear Brothers and Sisters, Thank

publishing

you for sending the book Patriarchs and Prophets, by Ellen G. White,” wrote a prisoner from Jonesboro, Georgia. “It is so useful for me and for sharing with many people here who need God’s Word. I know I am a simple mortal who fears God, and that gives me the strength to learn more from my Creator’s Word, to share with others. I hope someday, when I get out of here, to have the opportunity to be baptized. I do not know you personally, but when the great day comes, and we are rising in the clouds to be with the Lord, I will introduce myself.”

Margaret* hadn’t been to church in a long time. If you asked her why— and if she trusted you—she would tell you about the pregnancy, the boyfriend who walked out of her life, and the sense that no one wanted a sinner like her attending worship services.

Two years ago friends visited from out of town. They prayed with her, blessed her and her child, and left a copy of Message magazine in her hands. Margaret read the magazine

Houses

Pacific Press Milestones in Missionary Endeavors 1874 1882 1889

1890 1909 1915

1919 1957

and was touched by the stories of how God was able to put lives back on track. “I saw that God has always been there and that He has never turned his back on us,” she says. The next Sabbath she was back in church, where her old friends embraced her.

The church even invited her to give special music, and she chose to sing, “My Life Is in Your Hands.”

Message editor Washington Johnson II remembers a phone call he received from a Baptist woman in Memphis.

She told how she enjoyed Message magazine and then surprised Johnson by saying that she was using the content to teach her Sunday school class.

Ruby is a nurse who shares Vibrant Life on her unit. “I pray every day that somehow God can use me to share Christ in some practical sense with my coworkers,” she says.

At the end of one shift she saw her friend Hana* looking sad. Hana described her struggle with hypertension and trying to eat right. “How about the inside?” asked Ruby.

James White begins publishing Signs of the Times First Ellen G. White book printed First printing of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide First printing of Our Little Friend First issue of El Centinela printed International department for printing non-English materials officially organized First issue of El Centinela printed at Pacific Press First printing of Primary Treasure

Review and Herald Milestones in Missionary Publishing 2000 2005 2010 2011

2011

Signs of the Times Web site launched El Centinela Web site launched Adventist e-Books Web site launched One million copies of The Great Hope shipped to the WestCentral Africa Division as part of the Great Controversy Project.

Daily e-Devotional available through netAdventist and as an RSS feed.

1852 1885

1891 1898

1906 1953 1970 1975

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First issue of the Youth’s Instructor First issue of Pacific Health and Temperance Journal printed, it becomes Life and Health magazine These Times begins publication Edson White begins printing the Gospel Herald, which becomes Message magazine Liberty magazine begins publication Junior Guide magazine introduced the Youth’s Instructor transitions to Insight magazine Ministry PREACH edition is sent to non-Adventist pastors

portfolio of Lights “I don’t know how to take care of the inside,” admitted Hana.

Ruby ran and got a copy of Vibrant Life out of her locker. “On Monday I met a different Hana,” says Ruby.

“She was smiling and appeared relaxed and happy.

We sat down, and she started sharing how the Vibrant Life issue had changed her life.

When she shared that she had ordered a subscription, I was shocked, because Hana comes from the Muslim faith.”

Cathy Law is a volunteer teacher at Holbrook Indian School who signed up her middle school students for Real magazine.

“These kids may not choose to pick up a Bible, but they will pick up an issue of Real magazine!” she says. “When it comes to

Signs of the Times ■

■ ■

■ ■

Signs of the Times covers each of the 28 fundamental beliefs once a year.

Primary Adventist beliefs are covered three or four times annually.

Between 2,000 and 3,000 news boxes offer Signs free to the public.

The Signs World Evangelism fund pays for subscriptions overseas, for prison ministries, and for other outreach programs.

Current subscriptions go to almost 200,000 homes.

Signs of the Times is published by Pacific Press.

Message ■

■

■ ■

■

Message is the oldest, most widely circulated religious journal addressing ethnic issues in the country. Originally called Gospel Herald, it was founded by James Edson White in 1898. White published the first issues of Gospel Herald on his Mississippi steam launch, Morning Star.

Message’s Food for Health first appeared in 1947. This column, which began with one recipe, now features up to 16 recipes, a meal planner, and a shopping list.

Louis B. Reynolds became Message’s first Black editor in 1945.

Rachel Clark, acting editor in 1971, and Pat Harris, interim editor in 2007, are the only two women to serve as editors of the magazine.

Message is printed by the Review and Herald Publishing Association.

El Centinela ■

■

■ ■

In 1920 El Centinela, published by Pacific Press, became a monthly magazine.

Its vision is to exalt God, the supreme being of the universe, as our loving Father.

Its purpose is evangelical not political in nature.

Circulation now runs at 100,000 for the United States and Canada, and it has subscribers in more than 30 countries around the world.

Vibrant Life ■

1981

1985

1984 2008

2010

Life and Health magazine becomes Your Life and Health Your Life and Health magazine becomes Vibrant Life These Times is merged with Signs magazine 100,000 Message magazines are distributed at inauguration of U.S. president Barack Obama Real, the outreach magazine for unchurched children, is launched entirely on donations.

■

■

Vibrant Life, the church’s health journal, was introduced by St. Helena Sanitarium in 1885. Its name was then Pacific Health and Temperance Journal. Later it was renamed Life and Health, then Your Life and Health; it became Vibrant Health in 1985. It is published by the Review and Herald.

Vibrant Life points readers to the importance of faith in God as key to enjoying better health and better relationships.

Vibrant Life is a way to reach neighbors who may not be ready for a discussion on doctrine, but may be concerned about health issues.

Real ■

■

■

Real is a new magazine introduced by the Review and Herald to share a message of hope to a new audience—unchurched children.

Real magazine uses the same formula of stories, puzzles, and wacky facts that makes the weekly Guide so popular with Seventh-day Adventist juniors and earliteens.

Supported entirely by donations, Real can be sent free to neighborhood kids, nieces, and nephews. Names and addresses of children can be entered online at www.ShareReal.org.

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N A D F E AT U R E

adventure stories, the barriers slip down, and the Holy Spirit enters.”

Chris Armantrout, an Adventist Book Center assistant manager, tells of sitting in church recently and hearing about the power of God in reaching people through the printed page. A young girl was selling The Great Controversy from door to door

in Arizona when a woman she was canvassing sprang to life with excitement and told the following story: She had bought the book a year earlier and had come to believe that the world is truly involved in a great controversy between good and evil. It changed her life profoundly. Married to an abusive nonbeliever, she desperately wanted him to read the book, but he wasn’t interested. She left it on the coffee table. After coming home one day, she saw her husband crying. He told her, “I picked up that book and became enraged as I read it, and threw it into the fire. But as I looked into the fire—the book wouldn’t burn! So I picked it back out and began to read it!” His tears continued to flow as he acknowledged God’s intervention in his life.

Chris says, “This is one of many reasons I love what I do: modern-day miracles. Let the presses roll! Jesus is coming soon!” ■ *Names have been changed.

1 Ellen G. White, Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1922), p. 128.

2 Ibid., p. 129.

3 Ibid., p. 130.

4 Ibid.

Karen Pearson is director of publicity and public relations at Pacific Press Publishing Association in Nampa, Idaho.

Kim Peckham is communication director at Review and Herald Publishing Association in Hagerstown, Maryland.

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S P I R I T

O F

P R O P H E C Y

I

“

n this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6, 7, NKJV).* “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4, NKJV).

By faith he passes the temptation over to Christ, and leaves it there. Faith in the Savior’s strength makes him more than a conqueror. It is the miracle-working power of Jesus that arms the Christian with strength to overcome as Christ overcame.

Temptation is not sin unless it is cherished. Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, will fill the soul with peace and abiding trust. “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him” (Isa. 59:19, KJV).

ave H e W ”

“

By Ellen G. White

a

Right

Claiming God’s Prom

Looking to Jesus

Those Who Are Tempted

The temptations that assail the children of God are to be regarded as the outworking of the wrath of Satan against Christ, who gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, and redeemed us by His blood. Satan is filled with wrath against Jesus. But he cannot hurt the Savior except by conquering those for whom Christ died. He knows that when through his devices souls are ruined, the Savior is wounded.

The heavenly universe is watching with the deepest interest the conflict between Christ in the person of His saints, and the great deceiver. Those who recognize and resist temptation are fighting the Lord’s battles. To such are given the commendation “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation” (James 1:12, KJV). Endurance of temptation means the cultivation of patience. The tempted, harassed soul cannot trust in his own strength of purpose. Feeling his utter helplessness, he flees to the stronghold, saying, “My Savior, I cast my helpless soul upon Thee.” The fiercer the temptation, the more strongly he clings to the Mighty One.

A few hours ago I listened to the complaint of a distressed soul. Satan came to her in an unexpected way. She thought that she had blasphemed the Savior because the tempter kept putting into her mind the thought that Christ was only a man, no more than a good man. She thought that Satan’s whisperings were the sentiments of her own heart, and this horrified her. She thought that she was denying Christ, and her soul was in an agony of distress.

I assured her that these suggestions of the enemy were not her own thoughts, that Christ understood and accepted her; that she must treat these suggestions as wholly from Satan, and that her courage must rise with the strength of the temptation. She must say, “I am a child of God. I commit myself, body and soul, to Jesus. I hate these vain thoughts.” I told her not to admit for a moment that they originated with her; not to allow Satan to wound Christ by plunging her into unbelief and discouragement.

To those who are tempted, I would say, Do not for a moment acknowledge Satan’s temptations as being in har-

40

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mony with your own mind. Turn from them as you would from the adversary himself. Satan’s work is to discourage the soul. Christ’s work is to inspire the heart with faith and hope. Satan seeks to unsettle our confidence. He tells us that our hopes are built upon false premises, rather than upon the sure, immutable word of Him who cannot lie.

The oldest, most experienced Christians have been assailed by Satan’s temptations, but through trust in Jesus they have conquered. So may every soul who looks in faith to Christ.

Jesus

Looking unto , the Author and Finisher of our faith, will fill the soul with peace and abiding trust.

ises The Pledged Word

A man cannot put his feet in the path of holiness without evil men and evil angels uniting against him. Evil angels will conspire with evil men to destroy the servants of God. Those who are rebuked for their evil thoughts will hate the reprover of sin and will try to wrench him from the service of Christ. The conflict may be long and painful, but we have the pledged word of the Eternal that Satan cannot conquer us unless we submit to his control.

Christ was crucified as a deceiver, yet He was the light and life of the world. He endured the contradiction of sinners against Himself.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, KJV).

Can we measure the love of God? Paul declares that it “passeth knowledge” (Eph. 3:19, KJV). Then shall we who have been made partakers of the heavenly gift be careless and indifferent, neglecting the great salvation wrought out for us? Shall we allow ourselves to be separated from Christ, and thus lose the eternal reward, the great gift of

everlasting life? Shall we not accept the enmity which Christ has placed between man and the serpent? Shall we not eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God, which means to live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God? Or shall we become earthly, eating the serpent’s meat, which is selfishness, hypocrisy, evil-surmising, envy, and covetousness? We have a right to say, “In the strength of Jesus Christ I will be a conqueror. I will not be overcome by Satan’s devices.”

Why Christ Came

Christ came to this world to reveal the Father’s love for fallen man. In the heavens above and in the earth beneath, in everything that is beautiful and lovely, in the lofty tree, the opening bud, the blossoming flower, we see an expression of the love of God. There is no measurement by which the love of God can be computed.

Standing before the cross of Calvary, we can gain some idea of the love of the heavenly Father. Behold Christ, the Son of the infinite God, dying on the cross for sinners. He clothed His divinity with humanity, that human beings might become partakers of the divine nature. In Christ we have a manifestation of the Father.

There is a narrowness in human comprehension that is dishonoring to God. Let not him who claims Christ as his Savior entertain the thought that God’s mercies are confined to him and to the few in whom he is interested. The love and mercy of God are for everyone. Let us gather up the divine tokens of His favor, and return praise and thanksgiving to Him for His goodness, which is bestowed upon us not to be hoarded but to be passed along to others.

Sharing With All

We are altogether too selfish, too exclusive. The rays of light shining upon us we are to reflect to others. God expects everyone who enjoys His grace to diffuse this grace as freely as Christ bestows His mercies. As the sun shines upon the just and the unjust, so the Sun of Righteousness reflects light to the whole world. Why should those who have been made partakers of the heavenly gift be so exclusive? Why men should try to keep their light to themselves, instead of letting it shine forth to the world, is a marvel to the heavenly universe. ■ * Texts credited to NKJV are from the New King James Version.

This material is adapted from the diary of Ellen White, written on December 10, 1889, and December 13, 1889. It is available in Manuscript Releases, vol. 18, pp. 341-345. Seventh-day Adventists believe that Ellen G. White (1827-1915) exercised the biblical gift of prophecy during more than 70 years of public ministry.

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B I B L E

Q U E S T I O N S

A N S W E R E D

’ What s In many Bible versions the word “ remnant” is not found in Revelation 12:17. Is it correct to insist that the passage refers to a remnant?

In order to answer your question I have to deal with Hebrew and Greek terminology.

Please stay with me as I examine the evidence.

Based on the meaning of that terminology and its use in Revelation, I maintain that the concept of the remnant is found in Revelation 12:17.

1. Theological Comment: The Scripture consistently teaches that God has always had a remnant people. As the enemy of God has attempted to destroy God’s servants, the Lord has always preserved a group of faithful followers through whom He continues to fulfill His salvific design for humanity. This remnant has played a significant role in the cosmic conflict, and its very existence indicates that God is still directly involved in the conflict on behalf of His servants. At the time of the end the dragon and its allies have one common goal: the extermination of what is left of God’s people (Rev. 13:15). At that critical hour in the conflict, God is again preserving for Himself a faithful remnant that keep His commandments and have the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 12:17).

2. Greek Terminology: In Revelation 12:17 the Greek adjective translated “remnant” is loipos. According to Greek dictionaries, it refers to what remains or is left after a particular action has taken place and can be translated as “the rest” (Rev. 9:20), “the remnant,” or “those who remain” (see Rev. 11:13). In some contexts it could also mean “others” (see Acts 2:37). Loipos belongs to a family of words directly related to the idea of the remnant. The verb leipō means “to leave behind/over; to lack” (Titus 1:5; 3:13) and is found in several variant compounds. For instance: kataleipō = “to leave behind,” “to leave a remainder” (see Rom. 11:4); hupoleipō = “to leave a remainder” (see verse 3), and perileipomai = “to leave behind” (see 1 Thess. 4:15, 17). The verb and the different verbal compounds could be used to express the idea of a remnant, to what remains or is left.

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Left?

The Greek version of the Old Testament uses the verb leipō to translate the Hebrew verbs ša-´ar (“to be left remaining”) and pa-lat (“to escape”). The Greek verb and its variant compounds are sometimes used to refer to a surviving remnant (e.g., Isa. 10:19). This information indicates that the concept of a remnant is not foreign to the verbs. Concerning the noun loipos, used in Revelation 12:17, the Greek version used it to translate the Hebrew terms yeter (“remnant”) and šece-rit (“remnant”). Again, it expresses the concept of a remnant. The evidence summarized above indicates that in the case of loipos we are dealing with a term that is closely associated with the idea of a remnant—what remains or is left behind.

3. Context: The use of remnant terminology in the book of Revelation clearly supports and reaffirms the conviction that the concept is present in Revelation 12:17. The word “remnant” (loipos) is used eight times in Revelation.

It is used to refer to the rest of the trumpets (Rev. 8:13), to those who survive after a catastrophe (Rev. 9:20: the rest of the people not destroyed during the sixth trumpet; Rev. 11:13: the inhabitants of the city who were not killed; the survivors), the rest of the worshippers of the beast who were finally killed (Rev. 19:21), and the rest of the dead resurrected after the millennium (Rev. 20:5). The word is also used to designate God’s people. In the church of Sardis there is a remnant, but the church is exhorted to wake up because that remnant is about to die (Rev. 3:2). In the church of Thyatira a faithful remnant has rejected the teachings of Jezebel (Rev. 2:24).

This concern for a faithful remnant in Revelation, together with the use of the biblical terminology and the teaching that God has always preserved for Himself in the cosmic conflict a faithful remnant, supports the conclusion that the term loipos in Revelation 12:17 is referring to God’s remnant at the time when the conflict is to come to an end. ■

Angel Manuel Rodríguez is former

director of the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference.

C H E R Y L

B I B L E

E M P E Y

S T U D Y

End-time

Faith

By Mark A. Finley

I

f you ask the average Christian “What is faith?” you may hear answers something like this: Faith is belief. Faith is knowing God will answer your prayers. Faith is asking God for whatever you want and knowing that He will give it to you. These answers view faith as almost some kind of heavenly good luck charm. There is a much more biblical answer. Faith is a gift, given by God to each believer. It is the absolute confidence that God is worthy of our worship and trust. Faith is having a relationship with God as a friend well known that leads us to do whatever He asks because we know He has our best interests in mind (see John 15:13-15; Jer. 29:11).

In today’s lesson we will discover how to have a strong end-time faith that can withstand the crisis at the close of this earth’s history.

1 Read Luke 18:8. What concern did Jesus express about faith in the last days? Why do you think faith will be in such short supply before the return of Jesus?

2 How does the Bible describe genuine biblical faith? Compare Hebrews 11:1 with 2 Corinthians 5:7.

Faith is the “substance of things hoped for.” It provides the foundation for our entire Christian life. Day by day we look beyond what is happening around us to the One who is above us. In spite of the circumstances that may trouble us or bring grief to our hearts, we have the rock-solid belief that Jesus, our best friend, is working out the purposes of our lives for our best good.

3 Read Luke 17:5, 6. What earnest plea did the disciples make to Jesus? How did Jesus respond?

At first Jesus’ response seems strange. When His disciples pleaded with Him to increase their faith, He simply stated: “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this

mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (verse 6). What Jesus was saying is really quite simple: The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds; Jesus was encouraging His disciples to use the faith they had. He was simply saying, “You’re asking Me to increase your faith. I have already placed faith in your hearts; exercise it. In other words, the more you express the faith you have, the more your faith will grow.”

4 According to Romans 10:17, faith comes as we saturate our minds with God’s Word. God’s faithfulness is revealed in His Word. The more we study the Word, the more our faith will grow. But is it possible to read the Bible and get little profit from our reading? Why? Discover the answer in Hebrews 4:2.

5

Read the following Bible passages and reflect on the role of faith in the plan of salvation. Are we saved by faith, or grace? What role does faith play in our salvation? What role does grace play? Read Romans 1:16, 17; 3:23-26; 5:1, 2; Ephesians 2:8-10.

6 Compare Ephesians 6:16 with Genesis 15:1.

What is the shield of faith? Why is faith like a shield?

Faith shields us from the temptations of the enemy because it trusts wholly and completely in Jesus. Faith leads us to trust Him, and He is more than capable of being our shield from all the wiles of Satan.

7 How are God’s end-time people described in Revelation 14:12?

What is the faith of Jesus? It is much more than faith in Jesus; it is Jesus’ quality of faith filling our hearts and lives.

It is Jesus’ own faith imparted to us through His grace. Day by day as we thank Him for His gift of faith through His grace, as we exercise the faith He places in our hearts, and as we fill our minds with His Word, Jesus’ faith in us will grow. We will become like Him whom we most admire.

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IDEA EXCHANGE

Letters Adventists and Alcohol Thank you to Peter N. Landless for his six reasons for rejecting the use of alcohol in “Adventists and Alcohol” (December 2011). I would like to add a seventh, and more of a theological and biblical reason.

In 1 Peter 2:9 we believers are described as a royal priesthood and, like John the Baptist, are called to prepare the way for the second coming of Jesus. Those called to minister in God’s work were prohibited to drink alcoholic beverages (Lev. 10:9, 10; Luke 1:15).

H ERBERT P FEIFER Murrhardt, Germany

The Lord Is Wonderful Reading Gerald Klingbeil’s interview with Angel Manuel Rodríguez, “The Lord Is Wonderful!” (December 2011), reminded us of when we had opportunities to hear the lectures of Angel Manuel Rodríguez. One of

Prayer

the most anticipated class periods was when we had time for questions and answers. We really enjoyed those moments.

Rodríguez was very humble in stating, “If you don’t know the answer, you just don’t know. In heaven there will be plenty of time to understand what we now don’t understand.” His prudence to respond and defend our Christian theology is an example to us all.

O SCAR

AND

the last seven plagues follow. The time of pouring the Holy Spirit is near, but not here yet!

I look forward to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and I expect it with my whole heart. I hope it will be soon.

D ANIELA P RIKRYLOVA Brno, Czech Republic

Walking in Their Shoes

B ETTY G ONZALEZ

Villavicencio, Colombia

Operation Global Rain The texts in the article “Operation Global Rain” (November 2011) are very interesting. From my point of view, not only is the personal, spiritual preparation of every individual important, but so is the preparation in heaven itself. We can do whatever we want—we can pray for the outpouring Holy Spirit—but we cannot receive it until the judgment in heaven is finished. Sure, we have to be ready for the outpouring, but first the holy service of Jesus in heaven and His judgment has to be finished. All events depend on God’s time, which He has determined. After judgment is finished, the Holy Spirit is poured out and

I appreciated the article “Walking in Their Shoes,” by Rick Kajiura (October 2011), about the extraordinary ministry that Allen and Kelley Fowler are involved in at the Navajo Indigenous Reserve in Arizona (United States).

As an administrator and indigenous-people specialist in Brazil, I have worked for almost 40 years with several reserves and tribes, mostly at Xingu National Park, developing activities and environmental projects. I’ve also been coordinator for the isolated indigenous people.

PRAISE

Please pray for me and the woman I love. We both attend an Adventist church, but she is affected by peer pressure, and she is avoiding me because I keep talking about how we must live as Christians.

Steve, South Africa

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Please pray for my son who had surgery; and pray I am able to meet my monetary needs.

Ramesh, India Pray for me. I will soon be taking an examination for school. I also need money for my account.

Frederick, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Adventist World - nad | April 2012

Please pray for our young adult convention. We are having problems working out the details for accommodations. I believe God has solutions for each and every challenge, and I know we have to engage in prayer to receive His power and blessings.

Nelson, Portugal

I was very excited to read about the Fowlers’ work, and I understand very well the purpose of this ministry. They are right: The best way to work with indigenous people and to receive their trust is to respect, participate, and understand their difficulties and way of life. We should always do our best to make clear our good intentions. They will accept us into their communities.

M OACIR C ORDEIRO D E M ELO Londrina, Paraná, Brazil

Prayer Is Vital Adventist World opens my heart for God to use me to do His work. Mark Finley’s Bible study “Prayer Is Vital” (July 2007) taught me to pour my heart out to God in prayer, have faith in Him, and pray that His will be done in my life and in interceding for loved ones.

I thank God that I am an Adventist, and pray He will use me and other Adventists to draw His children closer to Him. C HINYERE I ROBINANSO Port Harcourt, Nigeria Letters Policy: Please send to: letters@adventistworld.org.

Letters must be clearly written, 100-word maximum. Include the name of the article and the date of publication with your letter.

Also include your name, the town/city, state, and country from which you are writing. Letters will be edited for space and clarity. Not all letters submitted will be published.

LIANA: Depressed, suicidal, and an alcoholic, she found God’s peace and now prays with others.

Testimony

ONE-MINUTE

Liana Kim can’t remember being hugged when she was a little girl or hearing her mother say “I love you.” By the fifth grade Liana was severely depressed and began to drink alcohol. She thought about committing suicide.

One day she cried out for help to something bigger than herself.

“God? Buddha?” she prayed. “If you are real, whoever you are, please help me! I want to live a happy life, and I will work for you.”

Liana began to read the Bible. As she discovered Jesus her depression disappeared. Now she and her husband work with a prayer room, praying with other people. “Even when I didn’t know God, He heard my cry and used my painful experiences to help others.”

Watch Liana’s story and share it with friends at www.answered.tv.

New prayer stories are posted weekly.

—Sarah K. Asaftei

Where in the

orld W Is This?

C E A L I

H I D A N M A

ANSWER: In South Africa the Pathfinder Club of the Fish Hoek Seventh-day Adventist Church poses after placing first in an event at last year’s Kimberly Pathfinder fair. They made a “victory bell” using the skills they learned in Pathfinders.

I am a literature evangelist. I have to sell a certain amount of literature to qualify for benefits and a bonus.

Please pray that the Lord will show me how to be successful.

Pattie, United States

April 2012 | Adventist World - nad

45

IDEA EXCHANGE

Know

Body

Your

If you experience an unexplained weight loss that exceeds more than 10 percent of your body weight in six months, you may need to see a doctor. Your body may be trying to tell you something. Don’t ignore it.

Source:

Mayo Clinic: Vibrant Life

The call to follow Christ is a call to die—be dead to self, dead to fornication, dead to stealing, dead to evil passions.

—Tunde Ojewole, Pioneer Church, Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo, Nigeria

Numbers

By the

Twenty-eight percent of the participants of Loma Linda University’s Adventist Health Study— 2 are lacto-ovovegetarian. They consume milk, milk products, and/or eggs, but eat no red meat, fish, or poultry.

The Adventist Health Study— 2 is made up of more than 96,000 Seventh-day Adventists in the United States and Canada.

Adventists are 28% oflacto-ovovegetarian

Source:

www.llu.edu/public-health/health/early_findings.page?

46

“Behold, I come quickly…”

Our mission is to uplift Jesus Christ, uniting Seventh-day Adventists everywhere in beliefs, mission, life, and hope.

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.

Executive Publisher and Editor in Chief Bill Knott Associate Publisher Claude Richli International Publishing Manager Chun, Pyung Duk Publishing Board Ted N. C. Wilson, chair; Benjamin D. Schoun, vice chair; Bill Knott, secretary; Lisa Beardsley; Daniel R. Jackson; Robert Lemon; Geoffrey Mbwana; G. T. Ng; Daisy Orion; Juan Prestol; Michael Ryan; Ella Simmons; Mark Thomas; Karnik Doukmetzian, legal advisor Adventist World Coordinating Committee Lee, Jairyong, chair; Akeri Suzuki; Kenneth Osborn; Guimo Sung; Chun, Pyung Duk; Han, Suk Hee Editors based in Silver Spring, Maryland Lael Caesar, Gerald A. Klingbeil (associate editors), Sandra Blackmer, Stephen Chavez, Wilona Karimabadi, Mark A. Kellner, Kimberly Luste Maran Editors based in Seoul, Korea Chun, Pyung Duk; Chun, Jung Kwon; Park, Jae Man Online Editor Carlos Medley Technical Coordinator and Reader Services Merle Poirier Editor-at-large Mark A. Finley Senior Advisor E. Edward Zinke Financial Manager Rachel J. Child Editorial Assistant Marvene Thorpe-Baptiste Assistant to the Editor Gina Wahlen Management Board Jairyong Lee, chair; Bill Knott, secretary; P. D. Chun, Karnik Doukmetzian, Suk Hee Han, Kenneth Osborn, Juan Prestol, Claude Richli, Akeri Suzuki, Ex-officio: Robert Lemon, G. T. Ng, Ted N. C. Wilson Art Direction and Design Jeff Dever, Brett Meliti Consultants Ted N. C. Wilson, Robert E. Lemon, G. T. Ng, Guillermo E. Biaggi, Lowell C. Cooper, Daniel R. Jackson, Geoffrey Mbwana, Armando Miranda, Pardon K. Mwansa, Michael L. Ryan, Blasious M. Ruguri, Benjamin D. Schoun, Ella S. Simmons, Alberto C. Gulfan, Jr., Erton Köhler, Jairyong Lee, Israel Leito, John Rathinaraj, Paul S. Ratsara, Barry Oliver, Bruno Vertallier, Gilbert Wari, Bertil A. Wiklander 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, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

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

Vol. 8, No. 4

Adventist World - nad | April 2012

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