The International Paper for Seventh-day Adventists
Ma rc h 2013
RUNS Abel Kirui, worldclass distance runner
Why a Modern Prophet? 22
40
William
Ward Simpson
Where Is God When We Hurt? 43
North American Division | n a d
Ma rc h 2013 The International Paper for Seventh-day Adventists
C O V E R
Marc h 2 013
S T O R Y
16So He Runs By Claude Richli
RUNS
Abel Kirui, worldclass distance runner
22 Why a Modern Prophet?
40
William
Ward Simpson
43 Where Is God When We Hurt?
Abel Kirui won the silver medal in the marathon in the 2012 Summer Olympics. But that’s not what makes him a champion.
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By Ted N. C. Wilson
How will we know when things get too hot?
W O R L D V I S T A The Frog Syndrome
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D E
V O T I O N A L
Tears
By Larry Yeagley
F U
N D A M E N T A L
N A D
F E AT U R E
Hope to Every Home
By William Smith and Carl McRoy
Having a literature ministry in a digital age
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Against All Odds
The gospel goes to refugee camps.
A D
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V E N T I S T
L I F E
By Judy Aitken
A D
Sure, they’re part of our lives now, but they won’t always be.
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V E N T I S T
H E R I T A G E
William Ward Simpson By Gluder Quispe
In an age before projectors, his evangelistic meetings had their own special effects.
B E L I E F S
Why a Modern Prophet? By Alberto R. Timm
Why we have one; why we need one.
D E PA RT M E N T S 3 W O R L D
3 6 10 11 14 17 18
R E P O R T
News Briefs News Feature A One-Day Church NAD News NAD Update NAD Perspective NAD Letters
19 W O R L D H E A L T H Dengue Fever
B I B L E 42
Q U E S T I O N S A N S W E R E D
Are They Real?
S P I R I T 22
O F P R O P H E C Y
43 B I B L E S T U D Y Now Is the Time to Shine Where Is God When We Hurt? 44
I D E A
E X C H A N G E
www.adventistworld.org Available in 13 languages online 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 © 2013. Send address changes to Adventist World, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21740. For information about advertising, contact Glen Gohlke, 301-393-3054 (ggohlke@rhpa.org). PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Vol. 9, No. 3, March 2013.
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Adventist World - nad | March 2013
Adjusting Our Scale
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WORLD REPORT
In Korea, Adventists Start
“Love Church”
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for Homeless
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t is in the nature of a remnant people to think of itself as small, outnumbered, and apart. That’s what remnants are. And while the 17 million members of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church are certainly only a small percentage of a global population of 7 billion people, our movement is no longer small among global Christian faiths. Few Christian denominations share the international connectedness in faith, organization, and mission that Adventists do: almost none operate in more than 200 nations, as Adventists do. Our educational and healthcare systems are the largest Protestant networks of their kind, touching millions of lives with Christ-centered teaching and healing. Millions of persons who are nowhere listed as baptized members of the church already count themselves as Seventh-day Adventists—perhaps those “sheep from other folds” whom Jesus said would hear His voice. It should not surprise us then to discover that faithful Seventh-day Adventists are now beginning to emerge in high-profile positions in the arts, in media, in government, and in sports. Jesus has His faithful ones in every kind of honest endeavor— working to promote justice, feed His little ones, sing His praises on the public stage, and show the world the benefits of the healthy Adventist lifestyle. This month’s cover feature about Abel Kirui, the Adventist marathon runner who won silver at the 2012 London Olympics, is just one illustration of dozens of similar stories that could be written. Excellence endures—it goes the distance. And when it is done in the name of Jesus and as a witness to His kingdom, the world takes notice. As you read this edition of Adventist World, pray for those whom Jesus is calling to stand in the public square—or run through it! In the heart of every one of His faithful remnant burns a desire to grow His kingdom and hasten His coming. And who knows? The next story of excellence may very well be the one that the Spirit is even now writing through your life.
FAITHFUL CONGREGATION: Every Sabbath more than 50 people attend the “Love Church” worship services at the the Minlak Seventh-day Adventist Church in Uijeongbu, Korea. Most of them are homeless people, with the balance comprised of volunteers. ■■ When two homeless people walked into the Minlak Seventh-day Adventist Church in Uijeongbu, Korea, about 13 miles north of Seoul, it was the beginning of a ministry that created a special congregation for homeless people in the city of 417,000. The homeless people first visited four years ago. They apparently hadn’t bathed in a long while. They reeked of alcohol and other unpleasant aromas. Congregants initially shied away from these guests, despite the Bible’s injunction to “love your neighbor as yourself.” But now the situation has totally changed. Minlak church members understand, love, and care for each other. There have been 17 baptisms through the “Love Church” in 2012, 20 baptisms in 2011, and 22 baptisms the year before that. Church members say, “The cause for this great [result] is God’s message, and the love of the church members.” The Adventists in Minlak, which now has 170 members in its main congregation, became friends to the homeless, as they listened to the people’s stories and helped them in practical ways. The church members also recommended the visitors for jobs, and studied Faith for Today Bible lessons with them. Little by little their lives have changed. The more they study the Bible with the pastor, the more they want to be baptized and become Christians. They bring Continued on next page
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WORLD REPORT
Webster to Head ADRA Australia ■■ Mark Webster, an Australian with a wealth of community development and international leadership
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be taking leadership of an organization that embodies this vision.”
Ellen G. White Honored in São Paulo, Brazil ■■ Ellen G. White, a pioneering cofounder of the Seventh-day Adventist movement, has been memorialized in São Paulo, Brazil, as her image joined a gallery of portraits at the Open University of the Environment and Culture of Peace (UMAPAZ), which is part of the city of São Paulo. The gallery commemorates those whose work has contributed to the good of society, particularly in the areas of sustainable development and peace, as well as social justice and welfare. Among the notables commemorated there is Brazilian abolitionist André Rebouças. In a December 20, 2012, ceremony held at the Municipal School of Astrophysics in Ibirapuera Park in Sao Paulo, the history, mission, and commitment of Ellen White’s health principles were remembered.
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experience, has been named chief executive officer of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Australia. Webster fills the position recently vacated by Jonathan Duffy, who has taken over leadership of ADRA International. “Jonathan has grown and strengthened ADRA Australia in a number of ways during his tenure,” said Webster. “My vision is for more life-changing work to occur in Australia and around the world and for the Adventist Church to continue to grow its voice for and engagement with the issues faced by people struggling with poverty and injustice.” Since 2011 Webster has served as director of Program Effectiveness and Planning at ADRA Australia, previous to which he held several positions including vice president for Programs at ADRA International. Webster has also worked in the field for 10 years with ADRA’s offices in Laos and Nepal. “I truly believe that as Christians, living in the developed world, we have a responsibility to extend Christ’s ministry of compassion to the poor,” said Webster. “It’s an exciting challenge to
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NEW EXECUTIVE: Mark Webster, a veteran leader of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), is the new head of the group’s Australian branch.
R e c o rd . n e t . a u
their friends to the church, which causes the joyful news to travel from mouth to mouth. Now the number of people attending the Love Church weekly is approximately 54. Among them, many have decided to put the past behind them and start anew. The purpose of the Love Church is more than giving out food and clothes, however. Faith and education is its true purpose, helping them to be new people in Korean society. Young Hwa Lee, 58, the Seventh-day Adventist local elder who is in charge of the Love Church, manages operations. He writes down visitors’ names and keeps track of their church attendance. He takes pictures of them and records the details of their presence at all events, their contributions, their educational backgrounds, and so on. His concern and love is one of the chief elements of success in evangelizing the homeless. That’s why people respect Lee. Lee was once a success in marketing before losing his job. His own experiences helped him better understand and help people in their failure and despair. He confesses that, “When I was in despair, I just read The Desire of Ages, and finally I left that terrible condition.” Now he tells people in the Love Church, “We will help you, without any reward for ourselves, through love and prayer. Stand up by God’s grace and feel the love of Jesus Christ. Our existence is precious to Jesus!” —reported by Northern Asia-Pacific Division News
WRITER’S PORTRAIT: A portrait of Ellen G. White, a pioneering cofounder of the Seventh-day Adventist movement, is added to a gallery of notable reformers at the Open University of the Environment and Culture of Peace in São Paulo, Brazil.
■■ Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Southern AfricaIndian Ocean Division (SID) have reaffirmed their position against child abuse. Busi Khumalo, SID youth ministries director, added to the discussion. “We have to implement stringent screening processes before appointing employees or volunteers who work with children. We should never fail in taking proper precautions.” During 2012 year-end meetings the church took a vote to strengthen the position of the church and send a clear message that Seventh-day Adventists will not tolerate child abuse, and will not “protect” those who are guilty. Goodwell Nthani, SID chief financial officer, said, “We should not maintain secrecy when we should speak out. Child abuse should never be taken lightly.”
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In Southern Africa, Adventists Stand Against Child Abuse
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During the ceremony, the director of the National Centre of Memory in Brazil, Adventist Renato Stencel, shared aspects of the biography and work of Ellen White. He said much of White’s writings concerned health principles. The medical health officer of the Municipality of São Paulo, Jorge Eduardo, identified works published by the author that promoted sustainable development, a culture of peace, and health preservation. Audience members at the ceremony each received a copy of the book The Science of Healing, presented by the Brazil Publishing House. —reported by Rosemeire Braga Lopes and Murilo Bernardo, South American Division
CONGRATULATIONS: South American division president Erton Köhler presents a plaque to Milton Afonso, patron of Adventist communications in Brazil, for his contributions to the church’s broadcasting ministries. New studios at Novo Tempo Network in Jacareí, São Paulo state, are named in his honor.
Women’s ministries director Caroline Chola declared, “We have to change our attitude, accept that abuse is real, and do something about it. We have voted; but it is time for action.” Chola also highlighted enditnow, a global campaign to raise awareness and advocate for the end of violence against women and girls around the world. This campaign is a partnership between the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)—a humanitarian organization—and the Department of Women’s Ministries of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In bringing the discussion to a close, SID president Paul Ratsara said, “We have to be the voice of the voiceless. We, as leaders, must bring change.”
Novo Tempo Inaugurates Milton Afonso Studios ■■ Seventh-day Adventists in South America are expected to triple the production output at the Novo Tempo network headquarters in Jacareí, São Paulo state, Brazil, following the December 2012 opening of four new television production studios and other facilities in a building named for noted Brazilian Adventist and entrepreneur Milton Soldani Afonso. Afonso, founder of the Golden Cross health insurance company, celebrated his ninety-first birthday on December 12, 2012, the day the studios Continued on next page
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WORLD REPORT
South Pacific Adventist Youth Congress
Challenges
were dedicated. He attended the ceremony. Antonio Tostes, Novo Tempo’s general director, praised Afonso “not only for his support, but also his influence and example.” On the same note, Erton Köhler, South American Division president, emphasized the difference one man can make in society, noting Afonso’s support in the areas of education, communication, professional training, and church construction. Calling Afonso “a man used by God,” Köhler noted that while most business owners invest in things only for their own benefit, Afonso found a third investment option: God’s work. The ceremony concluded with a screening of Novo Tempo’s documentary about Afonso’s life, tracing his route from a boy selling candy in the street to the highest levels of business success. As for the honoree, Afonso simply said: “I put myself in God’s hands. He did the work!” —reported by Lisandro Staut, Márcio Basso Gomes, and Franciele Mota, ASN News
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More than 1,100 commissioned to share By: Nathan Brown, reporting from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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EXHIBIT: Wall of pictures and memorabilia notes the life and work of Dr. Afonso.
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World Changers
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oung people from across the South Pacific were commissioned to share their faith and change their world on the final night of a six-day youth congress sponsored by the Seventhday Adventist Church’s South Pacific Division (SPD). More than 1,100 young people responded to an appeal to commit, recommit, and refocus their lives to Jesus and His mission on the Friday evening, January 5, 2013, followed by a day of worship, commissioning, and celebration. “The commissioning was a highlight, engaging all our leaders and young people in the world-changing mission of the church,” says Nick Kross, SPD director of youth ministry. “So many young people have expressed their gratitude and delight with what they have experienced and connected with here. And that has been gratifying for us as leaders.” The octennial youth congress attracted young people and leaders from 14 nations to Watson Park Convention Centre from January 1 to 6, 2013. The congress saw delegates spend time in worship programs, workshops,
service activities, and social outings. Sam Leonor, chaplain of La Sierra University, California, was the main conference speaker. He challenged congress participants to be not only disciples of Jesus, but also apostles. “I hope these young people will see their local context as a place God has put them to do something big,” he said. “I also hope they will see that when we worship together and act together, we can change the world. “This event has been a great ‘slice’ of the church,” he added. “We’ve had so many different kinds of people and cultures represented, and I think there’s something holy about that. It is good for these young people to look around and see what the church really is. Living together for a week as the church has to be empowering.” The 1,500 congress participants worked together again on the last afternoon of the congress—writing out the entire Bible by hand in about two hours, with the pages to be bound as a memorial to the congress. “People really got into it, and it was a great achievement of this congress,” Kross said. “We have had a focus on the Word
B e ad e n / S P D B e n b y P h o t o s
faith, change world of God, and this was a way to highlight this and get our people engaged.” Together with the commissioning, the march against hunger was another of the congress highlights. Following a sermon based on Amos 5:24 from Joanna Darby, this event saw a flood of blue-shirted congress participants in Brisbane’s inner city, marching from King George Square to the City Botanic Gardens on January 3 to call for more action to combat world hunger. “It’s significant that we can get this number of young people to speak up on something more than themselves,” Kross said. “This is about thinking like a contributor and a servant of others, rather than a mere consumer.” Delegates also had a “poverty lunch” to identify with the hungry, and raised $10,000 for the work of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) to fight hunger by forgoing their usual meal. They presented this check to Jonathan Duffy, president of ADRA International, together with a photo petition affirming the work of ADRA. A statement issued by congress participants recognized the reality of
hunger in our world—even in a city such as Brisbane. They thanked agencies that work to care for those in need, and called for others to join in the continuing and urgent work to end world hunger. “Adventism has lost its voice publicly, and we need to be prepared to reenter the public arena to speak up about things we believe in,” Kross said. “Micah 6:8 sums up what God wants us to do, and this was one way to put this verse into action.” “It’s exciting to see young people really want to make a difference in the world, and I was encouraged by the genuineness of their desire,” ADRA’s Duffy added. “We have not understood the power of the voice we can have in the world. Actually advocating for change is a powerful thing. But this was also a significant demonstration of what can be done. By making a small change such as sacrificing one meal, a significant difference is made when we work together.” Groups of young people from the congress also worked in the northern suburbs of Brisbane to collect more than 3,500 cans of food for use in
Left: WORLD CHANGERS: Sign at 2013 South Pacific Division Youth Congress encourages Seventh-day Adventist young adults to work for good in the world around them. Inset: WORD PERFECT: Congress delegates demonstrated their commitment to God’s Word by hand-writing the entire Bible the last afternoon of the congress.
ADRA services across the city. “This is a critical time of year for these agencies that are working to help individuals and families make it through tough times,” said Matthew Siliga, coordinator of this community outreach for the congress. “So as visitors to this city, we hope to help feed thousands of Brisbane residents by collecting generous donations from the local community and delivering to these local agencies.” With a police escort, the march by congress participants stopped city traffic and sparked many conversations with passersby about who this group was and what they were doing. “At one stage I stopped and looked back at our marchers, and seeing the line that stretched almost a kilometer back with banners and all those young people, I felt a sense of pride in our young people and what they were doing,” Kross said. Despite a successful event and much positive response, he said that many of the important achievements of the congress are yet to be seen. “It is hard to measure or explain inspiration, so the real outcome of this congress is not necessarily what we see here but will be seen in the small and great things that will happen in places across the South Pacific,” he said. “We have empowered these young people, and we will continue to support them in their involvement in the mission of the church in our world.” n
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W O R L D
V I S T A
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ccording to a well-known anecdote, if you throw a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will jump out. But if you place the frog into a kettle of lukewarm water and slowly turn up the heat, the frog’s body will adapt to the changes in its surroundings by adjusting its body temperature. Not until the frog is nearly boiled to death will it realize it’s in very hot water. Though often used now in the context of business, politics, the environment, and other arenas, this story has for a long time been applied to the church, where it has a special significance for how believers relate to endtime events. If you are a lifelong Adventist, as I am, you have no doubt heard about the “time of trouble, such as never was” (Dan. 12:1) that is to take place just before the coming of Jesus. Perhaps as a child you had nightmares about this time, and as an adult, you’ve wondered how you will survive. But it seems that as a church, and as individuals, we find it easy to push thoughts of end-time persecution aside as we keep busy doing the things we do every day, every week, every year. As the seasons come and go, we, along with the rest of the world, go through the stages of life until it is our time to rest in the grave until Jesus comes to awaken us.
Time to Wake Up
But I believe Jesus wants to awaken us from our spiritual sleep. He realizes that now is the time to prepare for what lies just before us. There has to be an enormous resurgence in Adventist preaching about eschatology and last-day events; and without sensationalism, without looking for a conspiracy under every rock. Do we still believe that “the ‘time of trouble, such as never was’ is soon to open upon us; and we shall need
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rog F yndrome
S Basking in the warmth By Ted N. C. Wilson an experience which we do not now possess and which many are too indolent to obtain” (The Great Controversy, p. 622)? We Seventh-day Adventists have no choice but to look to the culmination of this movement. If we are tempted to think of this church as simply a “faith community,” one of many, then we will almost certainly downplay any cataclysmic future. On the other hand, if we understand that this movement is a fulfillment of Revelation 12, 14, and 18, we will have a much clearer picture regarding our mandate to return to the true worship of God. We will also understand more clearly the persecution that happens when the true worship of God clashes with the false understanding of truth.
Adventist World - nad | March 2013
We Cannot Ignore It
Some believe we shouldn’t talk about such end-time topics as the “time of trouble” and other events leading up to the Second Coming because they can generate fear among believers and may bring on a time of trouble prematurely. But these very events emphasize why it is so important that we have the blessed hope of Jesus’ soon return. While it is not healthy to fixate on the time of the end so much that we become anxious or paralyzed with fear, we cannot afford to ignore it. Scripture confirms that end-time persecutions are inevitable, but we don’t have to be fearful, because the God who protected and walked by the side of millions of Christians who have
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been persecuted for their faith will also walk beside us. We cannot now know what kind of supernatural power we will be given at that time, but we do know that God has promised always to be with us. He will not give us more than we can bear (see Heb. 13:5; 1 Cor. 10:13). Preparing Now
End-time believers have to know what the Scriptures say about the endtimes, and we need to prepare ourselves daily, knowing that one day we’re going to face real persecution. Each day is an opportunity to build our faith in God. And if we allow Him to, God will train us to trust Him more deeply. We are told, “Those who exercise but little faith now are in the greatest danger of falling under the power of satanic delusions and the decree to compel the conscience. And even if they endure the test they will be plunged into deeper distress and anguish in the time of trouble, because they have never made it a habit to trust in God. . . . “We should now acquaint ourselves with God by proving His promises” (ibid.). Secure in God’s Hands
I believe that a major focus of the great controversy is learning to place our security in God’s hands; recognizing that whatever we face, we will not be asked to face more than we can experience through His power (see Phil. 4:13). Don’t worry about anything (verse 6), but be happy that we are living in a time during which we are going to see the conclusion of the great scenario shown to us in the books of Daniel and Revelation. It’s going to be exciting! Pray for long-range vision, the ability to see beyond just the here and now; and focus on true, eternal values. We know the devil is not going to
stop his work while any believer stays loyal to Jesus. He will do everything he possibly can to keep us distracted by the here and now, focusing only on the temporary honors of this world. He will try to lull us into a false sense of security, determined to demolish any awareness of present truth, any indications that his proposed government is ultimately going to lose. His game is confusion—Babel, if you will—and he excels at it. If Satan can confuse Seventh-day Adventists into believing that there will be no persecution, then he will have destroyed the need to prepare for it. Those who dismiss the validity of the Spirit of Prophecy because they cannot see its scenario being fulfilled will yet discover that the vision of the future it presents is absolutely accurate. We shouldn’t be confused by a brief lull in the active persecution of the faithful: even a hurricane has a peaceful “eye”! Instant Life Changes
Life can change in a moment. We recognize that natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, fires, and earthquakes affect lives instantaneously. But so can human powers. I think of our brothers in Togo who have been falsely imprisoned for a year now. On March 15, 2012, Pastor Antonio Monteiro came home from giving a Bible study, and was met at the door by police officers waiting to take him to prison. The pastor was stripped naked and thrown into solitary confinement for two weeks before he was given anything to wear. Bruno Amah, an active church member, was also falsely accused and imprisoned. There is no evidence against them, and almost everyone acknowledges that they should be freed. They were arrested on completely false charges that have nothing to do with them. When I met with them last November, they gave
heartwarming testimonies about the work and witness God has allowed them to share with other prisoners. God has His timetable for when they are released, and they believe that God has a work for them to do while they are in prison. They are reading their Bibles, praying, singing, counseling, and studying with others; witnessing for the Lord, bringing peace into the prison, and standing like “modern-day Josephs” in jail, in very difficult conditions. They told me that prisoners have said that since our brothers entered the prison, the prisoners don’t fight as much. We prayed with them in prison, as well as for the other prisoners. As I flew home in freedom, I could not forget these precious brothers, their wives, and their families. We know from Christ Himself that believers in truth will be falsely accused (see Matt. 5:11, 12; also 1 Peter 4:12, 13). We will be placed in most unusual circumstances in order to bring truth to those who have never heard it. Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s (see Rom. 14:8). It’s easy during times of relative peace and prosperity to become like that proverbial frog in the kettle, enjoying the warmth of our surroundings, without noticing that the heat is slowly but steadily being turned up. Although we see many natural and human atrocities, life continues to move on, giving the illusion that “all things continue as they were from the beginning” (2 Peter 3:4). Bible Prophecy Tells Us the Truth
But we Seventh-day Adventists know better. Prophecy opens our eyes and tells us the truth, with the books of Daniel and Revelation pulling back the curtain, revealing what has happened in the past and what is soon to happen in the future. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God,
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but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (Deut. 29:29). We have to know who we are, and where we are in the spectrum of endtime events. In the metaphor of the great dream of Daniel 2, we are just at the end of the toes of the image! I encourage you, if you haven’t already done so, to return to biblical prophetic belief and understanding. The freedoms we now enjoy will not last indefinitely: the devil and those who do his bidding will see to that. Only those who are well grounded in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy and having a faith relationship with Christ will clearly understand the times in which we live. The Good News
If you haven’t already done so, I urge you to develop that strong, personal connection with the Lord beginning today. Only through this relationship with Jesus will you be able to face the challenges of the future. Not everyone will have the same experience, but all will be called to testify for their faith. We don’t have to wait until the time of trouble to share our faith. Now is the time to develop friendships with our neighbors, our work colleagues, and other people in our lives who are not yet aware of what the future holds. Share with them a copy of The Great Controversy, or the smaller edition, The Great Hope. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s leading. Share with them how much the book has meant to you. Your witness now will prepare both you and them for the challenging days that Scripture tells us are on the near horizon. n
Ted N. C. Wilson is
president of the Seventhday Adventist Church.
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One-DayChurch
The Greater Miracle
A One-Day School story Rood Noordenhaal Seventh-day Adventist School in Curaçao was broken and empty, shredded by a tornado in 2008, used only as a “drop-off” point for families who lived too far from the “temporary/replacement” school. Many of the parents, fed up with getting D i c k D u e r k s e n their kids out of bed at 5:00 a.m. so they could drive them to the old school and wait for government-subsidized buses to take them to the temporary school, had given up. “We’re not going to do this anymore,” they said. “Either you build a school nearer to our homes, or our kids will go to public school.” Then the government joined the chorus of doom: “Effective January 1, there will be no more governmentsubsidized bus service for schoolchildren.” BEFORE AND AFTER: The old Rood Angry parents plus Noordenhaal school (inset), and the exhausted kids plus new campus provided with support from an absent government equaled a school Maranatha Volunteers International. emergency! Curaçao church leaders called the president of the Inter-American Division and asked for help—immediate help. “We need a temporary school,” they said, “to replace our temporary/replacement school, or there will no longer be Seventh-day Adventist schools in Curaçao.” The president called Maranatha Volunteers International and asked for an emergency temporary One-Day School campus for Curaçao. It was a miracle that the government gave them the land. It was a miracle that fabricated steel for 12 classrooms was available. It was a miracle that the government gave the school a building permit. It was a miracle that God sent Maranatha the right volunteers at the right time. As of January 2013, parents can ignore the old school and drive their children directly to the new Rood Noordenhaal Seventh-day Adventist Primary School in Curaçao. That’s the greater miracle! D u e r k s e n
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The One-Day Church program is a collaborative effort between the Seventhday Adventist Church, Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries (ASI), and Maranatha Volunteers International. These stories come to you from Maranatha storyteller Dick Duerksen.
NAD NEWS
JUST FOR JUNIORS: New Bible study guides for preteens are now available.
New Bible Study Guide
Juniors
for
P
owerPoints, the official Sabbath school Bible study guide for juniors (ages 10 to 14) has new and updated features that include: n a biblical time line, showing where each Bible story falls among the significant historical events of the Bible. This helps learners make the connection between the individual Bible stories and the whole Bible narrative, enhancing their understanding of God’s plan for their lives. n retro-inspired, realistic artwork, depicting Bible times with illustrations in a layout that promises to engage learners with the Bible lessons in new and meaningful ways. n parents’ pages, which correspond to each lesson and include core teachings, Ellen White references, family worship ideas, as well as activities and questions for discussion. n added emphasis to key doctrines of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As part of an ongoing curricular assessment, the General Conference Sabbath School and Personal Minis-
tries (SSPM) Department plans to release revised versions of the children’s Bible study guides: primary in 2014; beginner and kindergarten in 2015. The primary objective of SSPM is to facilitate for children a relationship with Jesus as their friend and Savior that will lead to eternal life. —Faith Hunter, General Conference Sabbath School and Personal Ministries
soil, and provide other engineering expertise. They also worked with local officials and representatives of other humanitarian organizations, establishing community needs and making agreements about project roles and responsibilities. The new classrooms opened in February 2013, providing space for approximately 250 students. The structure will have electricity, making it possible to hold evening adult education classes. In addition to the project’s impact on the community of Villanueva, WWU students gained professional experience and new perspectives. “I learned so much in just four days, from storm water engineering to project management to working with local government,” says one student. “Nothing matches the fulfillment that comes from seeing two groups, with vastly different backgrounds and ways of doing things, come together and work for the betterment of a community.”
Engineers Partner With Honduras Community ■■ Children in a small Honduras community will be going to school in a safe, new structure three years after an earthquake severely damaged their original building. After the 2009 earthquake, municipal leaders in the town of Villanueva requested the assistance of Walla Walla University’s (WWU) chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB). Over an 18-month period small groups of students and faculty traveled to Honduras to survey the site, analyze the
WORKING TOGETHER: Engineering students get practical experience on the work site in Villanueva, Honduras.
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NAD NEWS The project cost was $53,000, and was paid by private donations. WWU established the EWB chapter in 2007. It has about 75 members, both from the engineering school and other areas. EWB is a national nonprofit organization partnering with developing communities worldwide to improve their quality of life. EWB members work with these communities to implement sustainable engineering projects, while at the same time training local engineers and engineering students to continue the work started by EWB. Information about the project is available at www.ewb-wwu.org/blog —Rosa Jimenez, Walla Walla University
Church Partnership Evangelizes West Texas ■■ Excitement spread throughout west Texas last September, October,
and November as 24 churches partnered with pastors and conference and union conference leaders in the West Texas for Jesus evangelistic emphasis. Larry Moore, Buford Griffith, Jr., Duane McKey, and Eduardo Canales from the Southwestern Union Conference, along with Jim Stevens, Sean Robinson, and Derral Reeve from the Texico office, each conducted evangelistic programs. They joined local pastors, guest evangelists, and even a theology student. According to baptism reports, 125 new members joined the church as a result of these meetings, with more still preparing or being visited for future follow-up. Throughout Texico Conference (Texas and New Mexico) approximately 200 have become part of the church. The Texico Conference remains focused on spreading the gospel. —Sue Hinkle, Texico Conference
CANDIDATES FOR THE KINGDOM: Buford Griffith, Jr. (rear, second from right), executive secretary and family ministries director of the Southwestern Union Conference, concludes evangelistic meetings in the Lubbock, Texas, church with the celebration of several baptisms.
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Adventist World - nad | March 2013
POST-OP: Ana Garcia holds her 2-monthold daughter, Jayla, while Edward Tagge, M.D., performs a postoperative checkup at Loma Linda University Medical Center–Murrieta in November 2012.
Innovative Procedure Performed at LLU Children’s Hospital ■■ Pediatric surgeon Edward P. Tagge and Loma Linda University’s (LLU) first pediatric surgery fellow, Shannon Longshore, recently performed the first minimally invasive surgery to repair a duodenal atresia in a newborn infant at LLU Children’s Hospital. Duodenal atresia is a condition diagnosed prenatally in which the small bowel (duodenum) is not completely developed, causing a blockage between the stomach and small bowel. This blockage does not allow for the passage of stomach contents, and, if untreated, can be fatal. The blockage is typically repaired surgically by making a large incision across the abdomen, which leads to scarring and a lengthy healing process. The minimally invasive alternative is done laparoscopically through three small abdominal incisions, roughly three millimeters each, causing minimal scarring and even less pain. “This complicated operation is one that takes advanced laparoscopic skills and a well-coordinated surgical, anesthesia, and nursing team,” says Tagge. “This is the newest operation in the growing field of minimally invasive procedures that can be performed by pediatric surgeons at [LLU] Children’s Hospital.”
Ana Garcia and Benjamin Molina found out just two days before their daughter, Jayla, was born that she had duodenal atresia after a routine ultrasound. “We were very scared and worried for our daughter,” Garcia says, “but everyone at the hospital made us feel at ease.” With Jayla at just 3 days old, Drs. Tagge and Longshore repaired the blockage by sewing the two pieces of bowel together using a suture at the end of a footlong needle visualized by laparoscopic camera. Jayla is now a happy, healthy baby, eating and sleeping perfectly. —Briana Pastorino, Loma Linda University Health
Plant-based Cooking Events Draw 400
J o h n
J e ns o n
■■ Since 2009 the South Bay church in Redondo Beach, California has been involved in a nutrition outreach that
has been drawing exponentially larger numbers of people. “We started in 2009 with 50 people attending free vegan cooking classes that my wife, Susan, a registered dietitian, conducted. Most of the attendees were from the community,” said Pastor John Jenson. “We have continued to offer the free vegan cooking classes at least once each year—twice in 2009. In the most recent class in the fall of 2012, 409 people attended—reflecting an 818 percent growth since the outreach began.” Classes were offered on four Tuesday evenings in October. “We give all glory and honor to our Father in heaven, His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit for any and all success that these outreach events have had,” Jenson added. In addition to the classes, the church in recent years has followed up with Healthy Taste of L.A., part of a two-event outreach featuring vegan chefs from area restaurants and a wellknown author focused on the vegan
lifestyle. The weekends open with a Saturday-evening dinner and a presentation by the author, and follow with the chefs’ presentations on Sunday. In 2012, 108 people attended a Saturday-evening dinner with Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., author of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. The following day 248 people participated in a Healthy Taste of L.A. all-day event. Nearly 1,000 people watched the program online from a wide range of countries, including Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, Ecuador, Israel, Nepal, Russia, and the United States. A fee is charged attendees for the chef-and-author events. Attendance at all lifestyle events includes both Christians and non-Christians coming mostly from the community, many of whom are fans of one or more of the featured chefs. A few people who attend the church’s lifestyle events have begun attending Sabbath services. At the latest follow-up to the cooking outreaches, at least four responded to an invitation to attend a Sabbath International Day. “Thank you for the education and opportunities!” e-mailed one couple. “We are eating better because of you and Susan.” —Betty Cooney, Southern California Conference
Special Days in North
America
Focus for April: Stewardship
COOKING UP SOMETHING GOOD: Susan Jenson (far right) joins some of the approximately 30 volunteers for the vegan cooking class in singing a song written by Chef A. J. (center) for attendees of Healthy Taste of L.A.
April 6
issionary Magazines M (Signs, Message, El Centinela, Priorities)
April 13
Stewardship Sabbath
April 20
L iterature Evangelism Sabbath
April 27
Education Sabbath
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N A D U P D AT E
Fund the
Mission to Finish the Work
A
nywhere in the world, 365 days a year, the Adventist community of faith in far-off places moves forward because of tithe and offerings given by members of the North American Division (NAD). NAD members fund a substantial portion of the General Conference’s world budget to implement the mission of the church. This fact carries with it a responsibility to be even more faithful with the resources placed in our hands. Our giving impacts the lives of people around the world. We have to seriously consider how to “fund the mission to finish the work.” Stephen McSwain in The Giving Myths presents seven myths about giving. Myth 2 is “I Can’t Afford to Give.”1 However, McSwain shows from his research that Americans can afford to give. While NAD Christians are generous, they could do more, and never miss the money. How can awareness be raised regarding the possibilities and opportunities for this kind of transformation? Twice a year the NAD designates Stewardship Sabbaths, when congregations are invited to sharpen their focus on principles of stewardship. In 2013 the first one will be April 13.2 Many congregations have never experienced a Stewardship Sabbath that provides
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an opportunity to plan activities that celebrate our privilege and responsibility of being faithful in giving. Here are some resources available through Adventist Book Centers to help plan a Stewardship Sabbath celebration that will encourage faithfulness in the Christian life: 1. A new book of stewardship sermons entitled Beyond Blessings: Celebrating the Benefits of Stewardship, contains sermons compiled from the 2012 stewardship sermons contest. Ask your pastor to preach one of them, or his own message. 2. The Fullness of Faithfulness, a new book for women, by 20 women who share how God has cared for them in their faithfulness. 3. Jack’s Hats, the third children’s book in the Stewardship Jack series. Jack teaches how God gives each of us different abilities. 4. A stewardship handbook that shows how local congregations can plan an annual stewardship program. Plan a powerful Stewardship Sabbath in your church that invites members to experience the faithfulness of God in their lives. Make Stewardship Sabbath an event for a public expression of commitment with a call for involvement. —By John Mathews, Stewardship Department director, North American Division
Adventist World - nad | March 2013
The Ministry of Adventist Education ■■ Adventist education ministry is in direct alignment with the mission of the North American Division (NAD) to “reach North America and the world with the distinctive, Christcentered, Seventh-day Adventist message of hope and wholeness.” Every day souls are saved, lives are transformed, and God’s name is praised through the work of our Adventist schools. According to Christine Gillan Byrne, associate director of early childhood education in the Pacific Union Conference, “the prospects of collaborative evangelism are endless, with the impact being eternal.” She tells about a 4-year-old child who attended the Children’s Discovery Center in Riverside, California. Diagnosed with astrocytoma, a fast-growing brain tumor, the school rallied around the child and his family. Several local churches and the local community raised funds to help with medical costs. Carla Thrower, principal of Takoma Academy in Takoma Park, Maryland, tells of a non-Adventist student who took his stand during a drama production at the school. Because of his frequent contact with the school chaplain, teachers, and parents, he accepted Jesus. A few months later he brought his mother, his grandmother, and his little brother to church. The school was able to connect with this family by meeting their needs and by sharing our message of hope and wholeness. Chandrani Sirigampola, director of Learning Tree Academy in Apopka, Florida, believes her role is to provide
ON LOCATION: Filmmaker Martin Doblmeier (second from right), interviews two students for his upcoming film about Adventist education. optimum care and nurture to the children entrusted to her care, but also to meet the needs of their families with our message of hope and wholeness. “I pray for each child and family within the center every day. I also let the parents know that I’m praying for them. “One particular mom never seemed interested in the spiritual or
biblical components of our program. Then one day she came to me and shared some of her struggles. She asked if I would pray with her. I did, and now she is open to prayer and learning more about God.” April 27 is Education Sabbath in the NAD, an excellent time to highlight the impact and benefits of Christian educa-
tion. Newsletters showing results of the Valuegenesis3 Study, with an accompanying PowerPoint presentation, are available at www.nadeducation.org/ educator_toolbox/107. A one-hour film about Adventist education is slated to debut in April. Produced by award-winning filmmaker Martin Doblmeier, this film will make you proud of your Adventist education system. See the trailer at journeyfilms.com/portfolio-item/ adventist-education-trailer-2/. (For updates, subscribe to the NAD digital newsletter, NewsPoints, at www.nad adventist.org/newspoints.) — By Davenia Lea, associate director of education, North American Division 1 Stephen B. McSwain, The Giving Myths (Macon, Ga.: Smyth and Helwys Pub., 2007). 2 Go to iGiveSDA.org for the calendar of special days.
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NAD PERSPECTIVE
Socially
By Alvin M. Kibble
Connected
for Christ
E
llen White wrote: “Christ has given to the church a sacred charge. Every member should be a channel through which God can communicate to the world the treasures of His grace, the unsearchable riches of Christ” (The Acts of the Apostles, p. 600). What would our Adventist pioneers have done with the revolutionary opportunities available through what is called social media? Social media are digital networks, such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, that enable people to interact, communicate, exchange, transact, share, and/or create. Social networking is about engaging and connecting with people through personal interactions, meaningful content, and current information. Many observers describe social media as having the greatest impact on the way humans interact with each other since Gutenberg invented movable type. Much like the gospel and the Great Commission, social media is all about people. People today want to be connected! The social media revolution began as a phenomenon associated with young people and socializing. However, as it has grown over the years many companies, as well as private individuals, have come to realize that social networking sites are not just about making friends and keeping
up with the latest gossip. The fastestgrowing segments of users of social media are working adults. I liken the impact of social media to the impact of the system of Roman highways of the first century, which extended from Britain to the TigrisEuphrates river system and from the Danube River to Spain and northern Africa. In all, the Romans built 50,000 miles of hard-surfaced highway. The people of that day might have thought the entire project was about the military and commerce. God, however, employed it for the trafficking of the gospel. Consistent with the example our Lord has given us, social media enable us to connect with one another, to share with one another, and to teach and learn from one another. By employing social media we are able to meet and communicate with people with whom we would normally never come into contact. Imagine for a moment a mediadriven custom-content package for pastors and congregation leaders developed like the dashboard of a plane, with windows and graphs that provide immediate access to meaningful ministry-related data—a personalized media information system filtered, ordered, and delivered. The dashboard is the visible expression of a system in which data that is relevant to local ministry is carefully
gathered and intentionally analyzed, and the results effectively displayed. It’s a place that integrates chosen social media platforms, including Facebook, Blogger, Twitter, WordPress, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+; a place that finds unstructured data out in cyberspace and puts it in a structured format; a place that sets specified demographics within immediate reach and enables pastors to design and communicate their ministry ideas to reach the identifiable needs of their communities. Our big, hairy, audacious goal for media in 2013 in the North American Division is to equip leaders with precisely this social media dashboard. As it becomes established and starts to be used, we believe it can help define ministry networks within meaningful, functional categories: community and congregation, followers and disciples. It will become a “digital curator” of Adventist and Christian content, helping members find the best content from digital sources and get it out into their church ministries, where it can make an impact. Through a shared online service it will integrate local church calendars with those of the local conference, union conference, and division. As best-selling author and marketing guru Seth Godin has rightly stated: “How can [we] squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare [we] settle for less when the world has made it so easy for [us] to be remarkable?” n
Alvin M. Kibble
i s vice president for media ministry and media evangelism for the North American Division.
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s dventist th-day A or Seven l Paper f rnationa The Inte
D ec e mb e r 2012
The church needs a shepherd to encourage and strengthen the unity of the ‘fellowship circle.’
em, Finding Th g Them Keepin
enge of discipling Embracing the chall new members
19
Cancer
Worldwide
32
Jesus:
or ord? Liar, Lunatic, L
43
Growing in
Grace
nadLetters Finding Them, Keeping Them
The topic of Benjamin D. Schoun’s article “Finding Them—Keeping Them” (December 2012) has been in my thoughts for years. We spend thousands of dollars every year for evangelism to bring in new converts to fill the gap left by members who leave the church. We have neglected to try to bring missing members back into fellowship. Months and years go by without a pastor or members visiting them. We have to be more alert and have better communication between members to keep in touch with our missing members—learning their wants and needs. At an Adventist church where the pastor has four or five churches to minister, the pastor doesn’t have time to do this. The church needs a shepherd to encourage and strengthen the unity of the “fellowship circle,” as well as the “membership circle,” to bring members closer to each other as a family. Neglecting our members that aren’t in the “fellowship circle” will cause them to fade eventually from the congregation. I have been a member of the church for more than 60 years. I have witnessed members slipping out the door from lack of fellowship, total neglect, or lack of feeling wanted or needed. When will we realize that these dear souls for Christ have to be nurtured and be brought back to the fold, and that it’s just as important as working to bring new Christians into fellowship? Bob Rosa Cicero, New York
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—Bob Rosa, Cicero, New York Comments on Two Articles
I am writing regarding two articles that appeared in Adventist World. The first is “A Day of Prayer” (December 2012), by Ruthie Jacobsen. Prayer is so very important. We need continual contact with Jesus. I discourage “prayer walking,” however. It is not merely “praying while walking.” We should pray while doing other things. However, ritualizing prayer and using occult techniques is offensive to God. Jesus says His children are not to learn the ways of idolaters (Deut. 12:28-32; 2 Kings 17:15; Matt. 6:7, 8). The second article is Mark A. Kellner’s “The Jews of Adventism” (November 2012). This describes ominous matters in the remnant church. We aren’t here to “make the Adventist faith comfortable.” Ecumenism isn’t to be admired and emulated. It’s to be recognized for what it is and opposed. We’re not called to “build bridges” to the world’s entities, political or religious. We are, in fact, called to “be separate.” Pure truth and love, as it is in Jesus, are to be the appeal in our outreach to the world—to call them out (see Ellen White’s book Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 2, p. 559). Ken Lemky C reston, British Columbia, Canada The International Paper for Seventh-day Adventists
Nove mb e r 2012
Years of Mission Giving 30
Translator
of theWord
The Jews of
32
Adventism
43
Jesus’
Life-changing
Power
One of the Best
The November 2012 Adventist World was one of the best. With each turn of the page there were more stimulat-
ing thoughts and more blessings. I particularly found “The Jews of Adventism” of interest, as I know very little about Jewish people. It’s always good to learn and grow in one’s understanding of each other. The closing paragraph, however, caused me to wrinkle my brow. “Yet they [Jewish Adventists] have their own way of being Seventh-day Adventists and their own way to worship God according to their culture.” Each corner of the globe has uniqueness and matters of worship that reflect any given culture. But if we each can wave our individual flags, claiming that our style of worship is acceptable because it reflects our culture, it seems to me that we are opening the door for “if it feels good, do it” worship. That has potential danger. Linda Steinke Millet, Alberta, Canada The Gift of Guidance
I’m writing about Merlin D. Burt’s article “The Gift of Guidance” (July 2012). What an excellent article and right-on reminder of how we ought to represent the Lord in preparing for His soon return. Thank God for faithful watchers on the walls! I was especially grateful for the section entitled Health Ministry. It was heartwarming to see this published. In spite of some of our misbehavior, God wants to use us as His witnesses. Church leaders especially should take heed and be models for the body, being careful of lifestyle, overall. Sandra K. Brown New York
W O R L D
Fever By Allan R. Handysides and Peter N. Landless
I have heard of a new disease in some parts of Africa called “dengue fever.” Could you tell me more about this?
D
engue (pronounced den-gee) fever is an illness caused by a mosquito-transmitted virus called a “flavivirus.” There are four members of this virus family, and the virus is transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Another mosquito called Aedes albopictus can also carry the virus. In forested areas the disease is spread among primates, but with increasingly dense-city populations, human-tohuman transmission predominates. The increase in travel has permitted infected people to move around more rapidly. In addition, trade and travel have expanded the location of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Trade in used tires that may have mosquito eggs and larvae within them, along with rapid urbanization in Asia, have dramatically increased the potential for the spread of the disease. It’s suggested by data of the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control that the southern United States, Inter-America, and much of the Amazon region of South America, as well as a tropical band across Africa, much of India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and northeastern Australia are at dengue risk. Recent epidemics in Africa are calling new attention to the disease. For most people, dengue fever will P h o t o
b y
L o r e n z o
G o n z á l e z
seem like a “flulike” disease. Fever, malaise, aches and pains, headache, and perhaps some vomiting and a mild rash may be all they experience. Severe dengue, however, can be lifethreatening. The virus may bind with a layer in the tiny capillaries and cause them to leak profusely. Platelets may decrease in numbers, protein is lost from the blood, and shock can follow. Respiratory distress may follow flooding of the air sacs with blood fluids, and bleeding can be severe. The usual pattern is of some three to seven days’ incubation, two to three days of milder symptoms, three to four days of the more severe symptoms, and then an additional three days to recover. People living in endemic areas are at risk, unless they have had previous infection with all four types. Because of the frequency of travel, persons recently returned from endemic areas are at risk and ought to be considered potentially infected if symptomatic. Tests for the virus, structural proteins of the virus, or antibody responses to the virus are used in making the diagnosis. Currently, there is no medication proven to successfully kill the virus. It has proven difficult to produce a vaccine against dengue, although there is a vaccine undergoing trial at the present time. Efforts at limiting the mosquitoes have shown little success, as well. Old tin cans, tires, plastic bottles, and even some plants such as sisal
H E A L T H
can hold pockets of water in which the mosquitoes lay their eggs. Cleaning up such trash around the house or city is key to controlling the mosquitoes in urban areas. Some new approaches are being tested. “Genetically modified male mosquitoes that sterilize the wild-type female, thereby reducing egg output and population size of the next generation,” are being studied as a potential means of breaking the mosquito reproductive cycle.* A bacterium called Wolbachia has been used to infect Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, and appears to protect the mosquito from dengue virus infection. It has possibilities of naturally spreading among mosquitoes and inducing a more resistant group of mosquitoes. Currently the best protection is to limit mosquito infestation and the risk of being bitten. Permethrin-impregnated mosquito nets and walls coated with the insecticide reduce the viability of mosquitoes within the house. Tight screens on windows, well-fitted doors, and the use of insect repellent when in mosquito zones are all important. As in so many situations, prevention is essential—especially when there is no cure. n * Cameron P. Simmons et al., “Dengue,” New England Journal of Medicine 366 (2012): 1423-1432.
Allan R. Handysides, a board-certified gynecologist, 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.
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D E V O T I O N A L
“I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: ‘Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone’ ” (Rev. 21:3, 4, Message).1
M
y longing for God to move into the neighborhood, making His home with men and women, grows more intense with every tear-moistened face I see. The snapshots I share are a mere fraction of the people who increase my longing. Images of Tears
A starving child, hollow-eyed, languishes for lack of food. Her dehydrated body lies motionless. Mini-tears moisten her eyelids. Her mother’s tears flow copiously. Life is ebbing away. Hope fades. A mother’s tears drop on the pink blanket wrapped around her lifeless baby. There seems no end to her weeping. Mysterious crib death has taken away her angel. As she searches for reasons, she speaks through her weeping. Her tears do not abate. A father drapes himself across the steering wheel of his pickup as he utters deep sobs and moans. Minutes before a judge sentenced his only son to life without parole. He weeps for his son and broken dreams. A husband of 60 years sits by the bed of his dying sweetheart. No audible sobbing, only salty tears streaming down his wrinkled cheeks. When she finally sighs her last breath, the loud cries erupt from the depths of his being. A 7-year-old boy cries in the back seat of a social worker’s car. He was taken from his abusive home and now is going to a place unknown to him. Alone, forsaken, trembling, and afraid, he cannot hide his tears. Visible tears well up in the eyes of the clerk who checks out my groceries. She shares that her marriage is coming to an end. I do not ask why. I simply give permission to cry. The hellholes of war replay in a veteran’s mind. He cannot share the horrors with family. Tears wet his pillow in the still of the night. Tears are locked inside during the day. Years after a senseless murder family holidays are muted by longings for a complete family. Tears are still fresh. A couple holds each other in their arms as they watch their home reduced to ashes. Mementos of their life together all gone. Through sobs they ask what they will do now. A head-on collision snuffed out the life of her oldest son. Now, a year later, her youngest son ended his own life. At 86 she tells me she is trying to manage, but the huge tears in
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Adventist World - nad | March 2013
Longing to go
home
By Larry Yeagley
her old eyes tell me it is time for God to move into the neighborhood, making His home with men and women. A mother in Mexico asked me to have a funeral for her stillborn son. The family and I gathered in her hospital room. As I shared words of comfort she looked up at the ceiling. Her eye wells filled with tears. I wanted to wipe her tears, but no tissues could be found in the room. I knew that shedding tears is a healthy release of overpowering heartache, but I also understood the therapeutic value of feeling another person wiping away tears. I knew that feeling personally when I was a hospital patient.
For an hour I sat quietly in her living room and gave her permission to cry 19 years’ worth of tears. The next day she appeared at my door with a gift card for a local restaurant. Permission to shed tears opened the door of hope for her. The Comforter often speaks for us. It happened when I entered the room of a dying grandfather. His son and granddaughter were weeping because the end was near. I sat with them for a few minutes. I went to the patient’s bedside, leaned close to his ear, and prayed. I left the room quietly. A week later the son stopped me in the corridor. “I
I sat quietly in her living room and gave her permission to cry 19 years’ worth of tears. Tear Wipers
My fear level had skyrocketed as I worried about the outcome of the surgery in the morning. An elderly chaplain entered my room. He laughed and dismissed my fear. When he left, I asked the head nurse to send a nun to see me. She pulled a chair to the head of my bed, held my hand, and invited me to share my feelings. The tears that I had so neatly tucked away came rolling down my cheeks. That’s when that godly nun applied the tissues to this grown man’s face. I realize that we humans cannot prevent tears. They are part of our broken world. There is, however, something we can do. Until God moves into the neighborhood, we can be tear wipers. Tear wipers for Jesus. What a mission! The apostle Paul put it right on target: “Blessed be the God . . . of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:3, 4, NASB).2 Wiping tears and comforting the afflicted is not always a physical wiping. I discovered that once again when I visited Jennifer. For 19 years she nursed her son who required around-the-clock care. She battled the school system until her boy graduated from high school. Her husband left all the care to her. She was not allowed to express feelings in words or tears. Her son’s death brought tears she couldn’t share with the ones she loved.
just wanted to tell you how much we appreciated the comforting words you shared with us before Dad died,” he said. I was stunned to think that God was speaking for me when I visited the sobbing family. So many tears! So many broken hearts! It is so encouraging knowing that we do not initiate the tear-drying process. We simply fall in step with what the Master Comforter has already been doing. How will God ever wipe all the tears away? How will He ever mend all the broken hearts? How will He make it permanent? The Lord who “spoke, and it was done,” “commanded, and it stood fast” (Ps. 33:9), will move into the neighborhood and with a word banish tears forever. Until that day, we are called to go on wiping tears for Jesus. n 1 Texts credited to Message are from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. 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.
Larry Yeagley has served as teacher, pastor, and chaplain, and currently enjoys an active retirement in Gentry, Arizona.
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F U N D A M E N T A L
B E L I E F S
NUMBER 18
Why a I
n January 1997 I went to River Plate Adventist University, Argentina, to teach a class for its Doctor of Theology program. From the plane, I saw for the first time the huge delta of the Paraná River, with its many canals and islands, extending itself for about 185 miles (300 kilometers). On Sabbath afternoon the director of the program drove me to the banks of the river. He told me that when a foreign ship has to sail across the delta, a local pilot who knows the delta well needs to guide the ship safely through the specific canal that is deep enough for navigation. Just imagine our planet’s history as a turbulent river, passing through rapids and dangerous falls, and forming a huge delta before flowing into the ocean of eternity. At the most critical points in the river journey God sent special “pilots” to forewarn His people of the dangers they would face during their journey. We call these “pilots” prophets.1 For instance, He sent Noah to warn the antediluvians of the coming Flood; Moses to liberate the Israelites from their Egyptian captivity; Elijah and Elisha to lead the Israelites away from contemporary idolatry; and John the Baptist to announce Christ’s first coming. When God’s people came to the great religious and ideological delta— the spiritual challenges—of the last days, God sent another special pilot to help guide His people safely to the harbor of everlasting life. Need for a Modern Prophet
Seventh-day Adventists accept “the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms.”2 If this is so, why do Adventists also accept Ellen White (1827-1915) as a true prophet? Do we actually need the modern manifestation of the prophetic gift? In answering these questions we must recognize, first of all, that even
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Adventist World - nad | March 2013
in biblical times there were several true prophets whose writings were not included in the Bible (cf. 1 Chron. 29:29). For Adventists, Ellen White is another true noncanonical prophet called by God for a very crucial moment of history—the time of the end. If modern Christianity were a homogeneous religious body, solidly grounded on the authority of God’s Word, there would be no need for a manifestation of the prophetic gift in these last days. But in a world in which Christianity is more divided about the understanding of the Bible than ever before,3 such a gift is needed to scrub clean the misinterpretations of Scripture caused by the vast amount of antibiblical assumptions derived from human traditions, human reason, personal experience, and modern culture. So instead of replacing the Bible, the modern gift of prophecy helps readers to allow the Bible to interpret itself without being distorted by human biases. Function of a Modern Prophet
Adventists believe that at the end of the 2300 prophetic days (see Dan. 8:9-14) truth would be restored by the preaching of the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14:612. As in other crucial moments described in Scripture, this end-time restoration also took place with special prophetic assistance, helping “(1) to direct attention to the Bible, (2) to aid in understanding the Bible, and (3) to help in applying Bible principles in our lives.”4 These functions of the prophetic gift are not limited to the early days of the Adventist movement: they should continue assisting us until the end of human history. Jesus described it well in His parable of the great supper (Luke 14:15-24). Many people today are extremely distracted by their material possessions (verse 18), work I m ag e
C o u r t e s y
o f
E l l e n
G .
W h i t e
Es t a t e
Prophet? (verse 19), and social activities (verse 20). In addition, modern communication devices and the entertainment industry are absorbing much of the time that we should be spending with God’s Word. As important as these potential distractions might be, nothing should ever replace our spiritual priorities. As I once read on a bumper sticker: “Not to have time for God means to live a timewasted life.” Undoubtedly, we need to be reminded constantly of our spiritual priorities (see Matt. 6:33). A modern manifestation of the gift of prophecy was given to direct our attention back to the Bible. Even those who spend time with the Bible are tempted to distort its true meaning. As already mentioned, God gave us in Ellen White a modern prophet to help free us from the human traditions that tend to distort our understanding of God’s Word. Her writings are “a divine pro-
GiftProphecy
The
of
One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen. G. White. As the Lord’s messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested. (Joel 2:28, 29; Acts 2:14-21; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev. 12:17; 19:10.)
By Alberto R. Timm
phetic filter that helps us to remove all the human rubble that tradition has artificially imposed on the Bible, so that the divine message of the Scriptures can flow pure and clean into our hearts.”5 It’s a scary thought that even Satan can understand God’s Word without allowing it to transform his life (James 2:19). Ellen White warns that “many accept an intellectual religion, a form of godliness, when the heart is not cleansed.”6 And she adds, “A man may hear and acknowledge the whole truth, and yet know nothing of personal piety and true experimental religion. He may explain the way of salvation to others, and yet himself be a castaway.”7 The modern manifestation of the spirit of prophecy was provided to help us submit to the sanctifying influence of God’s Word (see John 17:17; Matt. 5:13-16). n 1 In 1863 Uriah Smith used the analogy of an additional “pilot” promised to the last part of a voyage in reference to the prophetic gift of Ellen G. White. See U. Smith, “Do We Discard the Bible by Endorsing the Visions?” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Jan. 13, 1863, p. 52. 2 Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1911), p. 595. 3 Already in 2001 a reliable source referred to the existence of 34,000 different “Christian denominations” in the world. See David B. Barrett et al., World Christian Encyclopedia: A Comparative Survey of Churches and Religions in the Modern World, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), vol. 1, p. vi. 4 T. Housel Jemison, A Prophet Among You (Boise, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1955), p. 371. 5 Alberto R. Timm, “Ellen G. White: Prophetic Voice for the Last Days,” Ministry, February 2004, p. 20. 6 Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1956), p. 35. 7 Ellen G. White, Evangelism (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1946), p. 682.
Alberto R. Timm, Ph.D., is a native of Brazil
and recently joined the Ellen G. White Estate as an associate director. He is married to Marly, and they have three children.
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C OV E R S T O RY By Claude Richli
So He
Abel Kirui is much more
I
t’s the final day of the London Olympics. One hundred five runners from almost 70 countries are battling it out in one of the most prestigious competitions of the games: the marathon. Just a few minutes before reaching the finish line, Stephen Kiprotich from Uganda surges from behind to pass the leader of the race, the Kenyan reigning marathon world champion, and snatches the gold. The Kenyan takes silver, 26 seconds behind. But as the Kenyan passes the finish line, something unusual happens: While the crowd is cheering and hundreds of millions of television spectators from around the world are watching, the Kenyan drapes himself with his national flag, drops to his knees, joins his hands, and bows his head. The man is giving thanks. Evidently he is a Christian. In fact, he is not just a Christian—he is a Seventh-day Adventist. Meet Abel Kirui, twice a world champion in the marathon (Berlin, Germany 2009; Daegu, Korea, 2011), and a member of the Namgoi Seventh-day Adventist Church in western Kenya. Sports commentators describe him as having an explosive energy; those who know him privately as being a very sociable individual.
A Disciplined Man
FAMILY PORTRAIT: Abel with his mother, Romana Jeptum Koech and grandmother, Jemaiyo Koech.
Indeed, when I meet the man at his home near Kapsabet, on the high plateau of western Kenya, he comes bounding out as if mounted on springs, a bundle of energy, ready for his morning run. He quickly slips on his running shoes, and we pile into the car that will bring us to his starting point. He talks as fast as he runs: of his career goals, of his projects, of his family, of his faith, of his great responsibilities toward God, family, and country. When he is not talking, he hums and sings, “We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.” “Next year is going to be a great year: a half marathon in Spain in February, then London in April,” Kirui says. “This is going to be the greatest marathon race ever: Kiprotich is going to be there; Wilson Kipsang is going to be there; and, of course, Abel Kirui. And I must win. Then, it’s going to be the world championships in Moscow, and I want to become the first marathon runner in history to win three world championships.” This is a tall order, but he works hard to reach it. He spends four months of intensive training before each major race. Marathon runners run only two or three major races a year, but during Kirui’s time of preparation that’s all he does. He runs 21 kilometers (13 miles) in the morning, 15 kilometers (nine miles) in the afternoon, goes to bed very early, gets up very early, and
RU N S
than an Olympic athlete.
RACE PACE: Kirui (left) is a familiar figure who trains regularly in the area around his home.
spends the first hour with the Lord. He eats balanced meals, avoids fatty food, and lives by the motto: “Chances are opportunities that favor those who are prepared to take them.” “Running is a discipline, just like the Bible says,” he adds. But when asked if it was a big disappointment to not win the gold, he says, “No, I’m very happy with the silver, too. I thank God for it.” To emphasize how he doesn’t like to leave anything to chance, he demonstrates how he ties his running shoes. “I do one, two, three knots, so that if a knot comes undone during a race, I can continue to run without losing my shoes or wasting time tying my laces again!” A Fast Runner
Now Kirui jumps out of the car, punches the button on his wrist chronometer, and starts to run. He is not the only one to run in Kapsabet and its surroundings this morning. The sun has barely risen, and the air is still thick with dew, but here and there, pounding the unequal pavement or the dirt surface of the country roads, dozens of would-be longdistance champions are working at building their endurance and speed. After a couple kilometers Kirui catches up to another runner in an orange windbreaker. Startled, the man in orange increases his speed to keep up with him. Their strides are elegant, powerful, and incredibly fast. Their feet barely touch the ground. Their swinging arms seem to pull them forward. Every now and then a smile
Nurturing Champions
a Church Business
Abel Kirui is not the only successful long-distance runner in his church. When he was in training camp in Iten some years ago, he became acquainted with Priscah Jeptoo, an up-and-coming runner from the same region in which he lives. Abel’s infectious and dynamic personality motivated her to accept his invitation to visit the church he attends. Soon she was a regular visitor. There she met the love of her life, got baptized, and married. Then her career took off. At the Daegu World Championships in 2011 she won silver. At the London Olympics she won silver
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too. She came in five seconds behind Tiki Gelana from Ethiopia, in what was the most hotly contested women’s marathon in the history of the Olympic Games. These and other successes have made Jeptoo the third-best female long-distance runner in the world. Now, there are two Olympic marathon silver medalists in this congregation of 175, plus a host of other long-distance runners, such as Amos Matui, who has won marathons on four continents. All are friends of Abel Kirui. The church pastor, Noah Kipkoeth Chumo, says that they have even started an Adventist Athletic Association, with
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THE RUNNING LIFE: In addition to twice a day workouts, Kirui supports education in his local village and uses racing as a stage to witness for Christ.
nine members from his church so far, as well as several others from other churches. When the athletes leave for a major meet, they have a special consecration service, during which Pastor Chumo reminds them that they do not run in their own power, but with God’s power. He says, “We encourage all our members to run for their goal in life, and make the eternal goal their priority. Then when the athletes return, we have a thanksgiving Sabbath to celebrate what God did in their lives. When Abel and Priscah returned, hundreds of visitors came to our service. Our athletes have become real ambassadors for God and the church. It is very important to give them a role in the church, and to reinforce their desire to be ambassadors and to support evangelism. We want to encourage that.”
C OV E R S T O RY breaks on Kirui’s face, and his index finger rises out of his clenched fist, pointing upward. A half kilometer later the man in orange drops behind, unable to keep up. Kirui waves goodbye with a grin and keeps running. Finally he stops and checks his chronometer. He is very happy: he has just covered 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles) in 17 minutes. That’s an average speed just a half kilometer per hour slower than the average world record speed in the marathon. Not bad for a routine training run on an uneven surface. I ask, “Would you still be running at that speed if you continued for an hour?” He laughs. “But of course!” Kirui started running as a child. Not wanting to be late to school, he would run: two kilometers in the morning, two kilometers at noon to come home, and the same in the afternoon. By age 12 he could run 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) nonstop, and he entered his first competitions for which the prizes were a bunch of bananas, some roasted meat, or juicy sugarcane. He Runs for God
While in high school Kirui started exhibiting another outstanding gift: spiritual leadership. He was put in charge of leading out in devotions and worship. As a result, his classmates quickly began calling him Pastor Kirui. He tells about one night around midnight toward the end of high school when he asked God to help him run “so I can be a witness.” Describing his ambition, he quotes Psalm 35:18: “I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.” “The Psalms have been my inspiration,” he says. “Every race is an opportunity. What I tell God is ‘Wherever You place me, I will share You.’ So every time I finish a race I say, ‘Thank You, God.’ ” He says he learned to depend on God early in life. He credits his mother as being his biggest spiritual influence. She encouraged him to attend church on Sabbath mornings. “My older brother would bring me to church, and my mother’s kindness won me to the church.” Today his habit of early-morning prayer is an inheritance from her. “I remember she would wake up in the wee hours to pray that we would choose whom we are going to serve in life,” he says. “Now every morning I get up very early to pray and ask God to give me strength to run.” At the end of high school Kirui entered a race organized by the police administration. The prize was a job in the police ranks. He won, and has been a police officer ever since. After his performance at the Olympics, he was promoted to the rank of chief inspector. In 2005 he started winning races in Kenya and won his first 10,000 meters in Poland, setting the course record in Gdan´sk, a record that stands to this day. That commitment and training brought the humble village boy far from his modest home. In 2006 he was chosen to
be the pacemaker for his role model, Haile Gebrselassie, one of the greatest long-distance runners of all time, during the Berlin Marathon. Gebrselassie won; Kirui finished ninth. That was his breakthrough on the big stage. In 2008 he won silver at the same event. In 2009 he became world champion in Berlin. He also won the Vienna Marathon in 2008, setting a new course record. His personal best time in the event is 2:06:51. Two minutes after his training run and in spite of the thin air (we are at almost 2,200 meters [7,200 feet]), his breathing is normal again. He quickly gulps a bottle of water. As we enter the family compound, his mother, grandmother, brother, and a couple cousins greet us. They hug him affectionately and run ahead to show us the ponds he has installed to raise fish to help supplement their diet and their income. As we sit down for a warm drink, he says, “I run for God, for my family, for my nation. It’s a big responsibility. If I win $50,000 in prize money, it completely changes my life. It makes me realize that now I can support 20 people.” But Abel wants more than to support his family. He wants to contribute to his church and to society. His pastor confirmed in a telephone interview that when the church was in the process of a construction project, Kirui was generous with his support. Meanwhile he has also financed a school in Eldoret, the regional center, offering an education to students pre-K to 8. There are 85 students currently enrolled. He has a building project underway for a dormitory to add 224 students in the short term. He is making plans to accommodate up to 1,000 children within five years. “I want to produce doctors, scientists, businesspeople, and sportsmen,” he says. He dreams of one day sponsoring a cancer treatment center at the hospital of the University of Eastern Africa Baraton. “An epidemic of cancer is sweeping Africa, and I want to do something about that. Each race I win brings me closer to the goal of supporting these projects,” he says. “I began my life with the Word of God, and I would like to end my life with the Word of God. So I work carefully not to disappoint people, both in terms of running and in terms of character and what I contribute. Money is to work for you, to help fulfill your cause. It is a means to improve things. If it is an idol, what have you got?” That afternoon he would be on his way to the national training camp for top athletes in Iten. He will spend the next two months there, training hard morning and afternoon. But every Friday night he will be home to spend the Sabbath with his wife and two young children, because as he says, “They don’t have spiritual roots yet.” n
Claude Richli is associate publisher of Adventist World. This article was written with contributions from Tor Tjeransen, photographer, and the Adventist News Network. March 2013 | Adventist World - nad
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S P I R I T
O F
P R O P H E C Y
By Ellen G. White
NowIs the
Time Shine to
Reflecting God’s many resources
W
hen the Holy Spirit moves the hearts of believers, when the truth is appreciated, the servants of God will not labor in vain. Christ is an abiding presence in the heart, and we have a sense of the great mercy and lovingkindness of God. While we review, not the dark chapters in our experience, to complain, but the manifestations of His great mercy and unfailing love and power revealed in our deliverance, we will praise far more than complain. We will talk of the loving faithfulness of God, as the true, tender, compassionate Shepherd of His flock, which He has declared none shall pluck out of His hand. The language of the heart will not be selfish murmuring and repining, but praise, like clear flowing streams, will come from God’s truly believing ones. “Goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” “Thou shall guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.”
Loss of First Love
Why not awaken the voice of our spiritual songs in the travels of our pilgrimage? Why not come back to our simplicity and life of fervor? The reason is that we have lost our first love. Let us, then, be zealous and repent, lest the candlestick will be moved out of its place. . . . The temple of God is opened in heaven, and the thresh-
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old is flushed with the glory that is for every church that will love God and keep His commandments. We need to study, to meditate, and to pray. Then we shall have spiritual eyesight to discern the inner courts of the celestial temple. We shall catch the themes of song and thanksgiving of the heavenly choir round about the throne. Praise and Thanksgiving
When Zion shall arise and shine, her light will be most penetrating, and precious songs of praise and thanksgiving will be heard in the assembly of the saints. Murmurings, complainings, and lamentations over little disappointments and difficulties will be lost sight of. As we apply the golden eyesalve, we shall see the glories beyond. Faith will cut through the hellish shadow of Satan, and we shall see our Advocate offering up the incense of His own merits in our behalf. When we see this as it is, and as the Lord would have us, we will be filled with a sense of the immensity and diversity of the love of God. The appreciation of God’s love and character will quicken insensible hearts, and light will shine into the soul. Our short vision will pass away, and we shall discern wonderful things out of the Word. Just as long as those who profess the truth are serving Satan, his hellish shadow will cut off their views of God and heaven. They will be as those who have lost their first love. They cannot view eternal realities. That which God
has prepared for us is represented in Zechariah, chapters 3 and 4, and 4:12-14: “And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” Arise and Shine
The Lord is full of resources. He has no lack of facilities. It is because of our lack of faith, our earthliness, our cheap talk, our unbelief, manifested in our conversation, that dark shadows gather about us. Christ is not revealed in word or character as the one altogether lovely, and the chiefest among ten thousand. When the soul is content to lift itself up unto vanity, the Spirit of the Lord can do little for it. Our shortsighted vision beholds the shadow, but cannot see the glory beyond. Angels are holding the four winds, represented as an angry horse seeking to break loose and rush over the face of the whole earth, bearing destruction and death in its path.
God Is Our Helper
The whole heavenly universe is interested, and the law of God is exercised in behalf of His faithful, commandment-keeping people. It is God in whom we must trust. It is only a narrow minded government that legislates for the suppression of God’s law. God has the world in His hand. We have God on our side. All heaven is waiting and longing for our cooperation. The Lord is supreme. Why should we fear? The Lord is almighty; why should we tremble? In the past God has delivered His people, and He will be our helper if we will arise in His strength and go forward. The Bible, and the Bible only, is to be our refuge. God is in His Word. “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied.” That is enough for us. “By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” If the great and loving heart of God is satisfied with the result of His mission in the souls saved, let us rejoice. Let us work as we have never done before. Let us put self aside, and lay hold of Jesus Christ by faith. Let us reveal him to the world as the one altogether lovely and the chiefest among
God . . . will be our helper if we will arise in His strength and go forward. Shall we sleep on the very verge of the eternal world? Shall we be dull and cold and dead? Oh, that we might have in our churches the Spirit and breath of God breathed into His people, that they might stand upon their feet and live. We need to see that the way is narrow, and the gate strait. But as we pass through the strait gate, its wideness is without limit. We need now to arise and shine, for our light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon us. We have no time to talk of self, no time to become like the sensitive plant, that cannot be touched without shrinking. In Jesus Christ is our sufficiency. Will we talk faith? Will we talk of the glorious hope, of the full and abundant righteousness of Jesus Christ, provided for every soul? I tell you in the name of the Lord God of Israel that all injurious, discouraging influences are held in control by unseen angel hands, until every one that works in the fear and love of God is sealed in his forehead.
ten thousand. “And after this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” Let us take up the praise of God here below. Let us unite with the heavenly company above. Then we shall represent the truth as it is, a power to all who believe. n This article is a selection taken from a letter Ellen G. White wrote to her son W. C. White on June 10, 1897 (letter 138). The letter was published in its entirety in Manuscript Releases, volume 20, pages 215-217. Seventh-day Adventists believe that Ellen G. White (18271915) exercised the biblical gift of prophecy during more than 70 years of public ministry.
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ope H to Every Contemporary literature North America
D
uring this 2011-2015 quinquennium, the Publishing Ministries Department for the North American Division (NAD) has chosen the theme “Bringing Hope Into Every Home” as the platform of its mission focus. It has adopted seven initiatives to spread this theme. As the birthplace of Adventist publishing, it is fitting that the North American Division is advancing these initiatives.
Total Member Involvement
Total member involvement in literature evangelism at the local church level is the first initiative. As C. M. Willis, a former associate Publishing Department director of the General Conference said, “The object . . . is to inspire and capture enthusiasm, to increase our forces and quickly circulate our
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literature ‘like the leaves of autumn’ . . . not to suggest how to make more money, but how to reach more people.” One primary way publishing departments are engaging members to reach the multitudes is through electing publishing ministry coordinators (PMCs) at the local church level. These individuals play prominent roles on the church board and the Personal Ministries council to aid in the evangelistic plans of the church per the Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual (pp. 93, 94, 97, 98). Two conferences that have elected PMCs in at least half of their congregations are the Greater New York Conference and the South Atlantic Conference. Some of their highlights include 400,000 copies of The Great Hope circulated in Greater New York in four different languages. The
N A D F E AT U R E
By William Smith and Carl McRoy
Home evangelism in
South Atlantic Conference, in partnership with GeorgiaCumberland Conference, distributed 100,000 copies of Message magazine in one day in the city of Atlanta. This was to prepare for a trilingual series of reaping meetings by Mark Finley (English), Alejandro Bullón (Spanish), and Nathaniel Garcia (French/Creole), in which more than 1,000 people were baptized. More Workers
The second initiative is to build up the full-time, parttime, and student literature evangelist (LE) force. Tim Leffew and Ron Davis, Sr., publishing directors of the Georgia-Cumberland and Carolina conferences, respectively, are leading the way in adding leaders and multiplying full-time workers.
Full-time literature evangelists are on the increase in those conferences that have committed to the credit program of the Southern Union Conference Home Health Education Service (HHES) (the only one of its kind left in the NAD). Some of the services HHES offers to help its workers flourish are through its staff dedicated to providing credit processing, direct-to-customer shipping, weekly LE commission checks, and bookkeeping assistance. These services allow LEs to focus on the mission of getting our publications before the public, rather than being diverted by the ever-increasing complexity of operating one’s own business. Many part-time workers are joining the North American mission field while providing supplementary income for their households or funding their favorite ministries. Many publishing leaders are partnering with other ministry departments, such as Health Ministries, Community Services, Men’s Ministries, and Women’s Ministries, to name a few. One such partnership has been made inseparable in the person of Compton Ross, who serves as both publishing director and health ministries leader of the Central States Conference. In her counsels Ellen White recommended that these two ministries work together, and they are fast becoming the soul-winning force she foresaw. The other component of this initiative is our student LE program. Ellen White wrote: “With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Savior might be carried to the whole world! How soon might the end come—the end of suffering and sorrow and sin!” (Education, p. 271). If we’re looking for a cure to the ailments of this sincursed world, we should devote less attention to politics and economics, and focus more on equipping our youth to prepare the way for our Savior. That’s the common thread to the diversity found in NAD publishing. Whether viewing publishing from the Appalachians in the East or the Rockies out West; whether seen in the Bible thumpin’ South or more secular cities, such as Seattle; whether your vantage point is in the tropical Hawaiian Islands, the arid southwestern United States, or the frigid parts of Canada—you’ll see the common sight of students compelled by the love of Christ to share His grace door to door and store to store. Larry Carter, longtime leader of SOULS (Seventh-day Adventist Outreach Leadership School) West, reports that leaders and students of SOULS have mobilized 500 youth throughout 15 conferences, distributed 500,000 books, and were influential in the baptism of at least 300 persons in 2012. The Review and Herald’s HHES deployed more than 800 students throughout 16 conferences, shared approximately March 2013 | Adventist World - nad
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N A D F E AT U R E
Many canvassers learn to be effective Bible workers and preachers. 800,000 books, and baptized approximately 400 people. The Southern Union Conference HHES and Family Health Education Service (FHES) programs (with Oakwood University) activated nearly 600 students in more than eight conferences, distributed approximately 250,000 books, and baptized nearly 150 people. These highlights don’t include numerous elementary and middle-school fund-raisers, self-supporting schools that do literature evangelism as one of their industries, and conferences whose numbers may be underreported at the union conference and division level because they belong to a union conference lacking publishing leadership. The numbers of books distributed, souls baptized, and money raised from outside sources to fund Adventist education is only part of the story. Our schools receive free publicity in our churches, as well as in their communities, that assist with future recruitment. Churches that host these teams are revived by the songs, testimonies, and other services rendered with such youthful zeal. Many teens begin working with perplexing spiritual questions, barely hanging on to a secondhand faith they inherited from their parents or grandparents. But once in this environment, youth are converted. Many of these canvassers learn how to be effective Bible workers and preachers, empowered to help harvest the fruit from their labor as seed sowers. They gain invaluable experience that prepares
them for usefulness here and in the kingdom. Some of them will be publishing leaders who will keep the discipleship cycle humming until Jesus comes. Professional Training
The third and fourth initiatives of this quinquennium can be combined. We will develop professional training programs for literature evangelists and inspire effective leaders for the future. Traditional training for adult workers continues to thrive according to the level of publishing leadership supplied by the conference. Training a full-time, career literature evangelist to generate enough orders to make a living is labor intensive. Yet once again, places like the Southern Union Conference HHES are showing that this personal on-the-job mentoring is not only effective but necessary. Our educational institutions also provide professional training that is producing publishing leaders as well as literature evangelists. Many conferences in the western United States saw their publishing programs die out for a time, only to be reignited and burn brighter than ever through the leadership of recent SOULS West graduates. Southern Adventist University, in partnership with It Is Written, has developed a program called SALT (Soul-winning and Leadership Training), offering fully accredited classes that count toward many degree programs. Oakwood University’s Literature Evangelist Training Center (LETC) continues its rich heritage of leadership
GLOW tracts have now surpassed an international circulation of 28 million tracts in 35 languages.
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development. Java Mattison and Carl McRoy became publishing directors within five years of graduation. Publishing is also connecting tradition with technology by providing online training sites, such as literaturemissionary.blogspot. com that provide study guides, training videos, and more. Product Development
The fifth initiative is for publishing leadership to assist in enhancing product development. One of the challenges facing publishing is how to embrace technological advances. One project designed to meet this challenge is the iHeal media book, developed by Jonathan Zita and his team in consultation with the Review and Herald Publishing Association. This greatly anticipated prototype combines some of the best DVDs and print material ever developed, blending health and spirituality. Another challenge facing publishing is producing material that attracts men. The Southern Union Conference and Pacific Press got out the toolbox and gave a masculine makeover to the floral design of Ellen White’s book Help in Daily Living. Dubbed Character Construction, the cover now attracts the attention of construction workers, servicemen, police officers, etc. One unanticipated result was that its sale is almost as high among women as men. Saving the biggest splash for last, GLOW (Giving Light to Our World), developed in the Pacific Union Conference, and SOULS West promote total membership involvement in the distribution of GLOW tracts. They have now sur-
passed an international circulation of 28 million tracts in 35 languages. Strengthen the Organization
The sixth initiative is to strengthen Adventist publishing houses and FHES/HHES organizations. The trend is positive, thanks to our full-time workers, as well as our parttime and student missionaries. In the Southern Union Conference HHES alone, more than 1,500 sets of The Bible Story books were sold in 2012, with countless thousands of people reading display copies in doctors’ and dentists’ offices. For the uninitiated, large presses such as those at the Pacific Press and the Review and Herald thrive on volume: the more they sell, the more cost-effective it is for everyone. In an unprecedented show of NAD unity, a joint magabook purchase was brokered by Rick Christman, former youth coordinator for the Southern Union Conference HHES. Magabooks are hybrids between magazines and books. They have eye-catching, glossy covers with large pages that allow books like The Great Controversy to be reduced from 700 pages to a less intimidating 270 pages. These were especially designed for students, but have become a favorite of many full- and part-time adult LEs as well. The atmosphere of cooperation between both publishing houses and virtually every publishing director in the division led to tremendous advantages for all. We can truly do more together as this combined purchase of more than 500,000 books demonstrates. March 2013 | Adventist World - nad
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N A D F E AT U R E
In the Southern Union Conference HHES alone, more than 1,500 sets of The Bible Story books were sold in 2012.
New Marketing Methods
Our seventh initiative is to develop new methods of marketing. The wise man said: “There is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9). However, some things have been so widely neglected that they seem new after the dust is brushed off them. So it is with developing cooking classes and health seminars as a platform for members to share our message in print. Didn’t Grandma say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach? Didn’t the psalmist say, “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8)? What if, instead of condemning the poison people eat, we provide culinary demonstrations that attract them to God’s diet? What if, instead of concentrating on closing techniques, we show you how to set the table in a way that whets your audience’s appetite for your goods? What if you
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didn’t have to sell for people to buy? What if you could help people eat their way to heaven? Contact your conference publishing director to find out what’s cooking. n
William Smith is publishing director for the Southern Union Conference.
Carl McRoy is publishing director for the South Atlantic Conference.
A D V E N T I S T
L I F E
T
he spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ crept along at a snail’s pace during the early and mid1900s in the Southeast Asian countries of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Although God sent visionary, faithfilled individuals who possessed a missionary spirit mirroring that of our church’s pioneers to this part of the world, progress was slow. The governments were resistant to Christianity, and the deep, cultural Buddhist beliefs were woven into the very fabric of society. In the late 1970s Communism, coupled with war, forced masses of men, women, and children to flee for their lives with only the clothes on
often arrived on boats, narrowly escaping pirate raids and a watery grave. Their survival was not by chance; God wanted to reveal Himself to them. Decision to Go
My attention and prayers turned to this part of the world after I saw an emaciated Cambodian child lying lifeless in her mother’s arms pictured on the cover of Time magazine’s November 12, 1979, issue. The look of grief and terror in the eyes of the mother resonated with me, a mother of three children myself. The Holy Spirit strongly impressed me to help these suffering people. I was a nurse, and I promised the Lord that I would go if
mean?” “Who is this Jesus you pray to?” These questions led to Bible studies, which grew into small study groups. Through God’s miraculous leading, 15 Adventist churches were established in the refugee camps, and more than 10,000 refugees were baptized between 1980 and 1987. In order to support the new believers spiritually and physically, I ceased nursing and started working with Volunteers International. Eventually, along with others, I began a nonprofit ministry called Projects Asia. God sent volunteers from all around the world to share Jesus with a people who were eager to hear the gospel message. My family and I felt privileged to witness
l Against a lOdds By Judy Aitken
God’s Word germinates in Asian refugee camps.
their backs. Many also witnessed the horrors accompanying war, including seeing loved ones killed before their eyes. Secretly, some wondered, “Where is Buddha now, when we need him?” Refugee Camps
Those who reached the refugee camps on the border of Thailand made it there against all odds. The Cambodians left behind work camps and a bloodbath caused by the Pol Pot regime. They scavenged barely enough food and water along the way to survive, gingerly bypassing land mines each step of the dark journey. The Laotians endured hours of swimming the Mekong River, trying to stay underwater as long as possible to evade the bullets fired from above. The Vietnamese
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He opened up an opportunity. Only one week later I learned of an urgent appeal from Seventh-day Adventist World Service (SAWS)—now the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)—for volunteers to go to Southeast Asia to help the refugees flooding into the camps. Many of these refugees were dying of malnutrition, war wounds, and disease. My family and I responded and stepped into a world of incredible suffering. What started out as a short-term mission trip turned into a passion that continues to this day. Nursing in this environment was like nothing I had ever done before. Seeds of love planted in practical ways sprouted such questions as “What does the name ‘Seventh-day Adventist’
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miracle after miracle when God used a lack of political freedom and the confinement of camps to loosen Satan’s bonds and bring spiritual freedom. Ripple Effect
Between 1986 and 1987 the refugee camps closed down, and those refugees who had not repatriated to the United States were forced back into their home countries. These new believers arrived in their home villages much different people from when they left. With a burning love for Jesus in their hearts, they began sharing their testimonies. Worship groups spontaneously sprouted up throughout the country. I had already returned to the United States; my heart, however, remained in Asia.
In 1991 the Southeast Asia Union Mission (SAUM) established the Cambodia Attached District. As a worker with Adventist Frontier Missions (AFM), I prayerfully and readily began refugee projects to help support the work in the war-torn country of Cambodia. Providential Leadings
Mary Ann McNeilus—a physician who had worked in the refugee camp hospital—and I were asked to help
Hang Dara. The guard did know him and gave us directions to Hang Dara’s home. When we arrived, however, we found it empty. The neighbors told us that the family had moved the week before, but they didn’t know where. Mary Ann and I prayed right there on the busy street in front of the house, asking God to lead us to Hang Dara and his wife, Bun Sokhom. When we arose from our knees, we saw Hang Dara coming toward us on his motorbike. He “happened” to be driving by C o u r t e s y
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VISITING REFUGEES: ASAP director Judy Aitken (right) during a visit to Odem Village, Cambodia
locate Adventist church leaders, teachers, and members who had returned to their home villages from the refugee camps. We earnestly prayed for the Lord to lead us to our friends so that we could introduce them to the Adventist Mission and support them with Bibles and literature. The Lord miraculously led each step of the way in this endeavor. In one instance Hang Dara, a former church leader in Site II Refugee Camp, was working for the United Nations in Kampong Cham City, Cambodia. We went to the U.N. office on a Sunday, but it was closed. We then asked a security guard if he knew
right at that moment and saw us. What a grand and joyous reunion we had! The Lord spoke to Hang Dara’s and Bun Sokhom’s hearts, impressing them to join the Seventh-day Adventist Mission. Hang Dara today is the ministerial director of the Cambodia Adventist Mission, and Bun Sokhom is the women’s ministries leader.
in spreading the gospel message to the people of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar. This came about in response to a request from Robin Riches, the president of SAUM at that time. Since then, the gospel has spread at an astounding rate, particularly in the closed country of Vietnam. Throughout the past 23 years ASAP has steadily increased the support of the house-church movement in Vietnam, mainly through Isaiah Duong, a pastor and the speaker for Peace and Happiness, an Adventist World Radio broadcast. The number of members in the house-church movement continues to grow as ASAP national missionaries courageously evangelize publicly in this Communist country. As I reflect on the history of the Adventist Church in Southeast Asia, I marvel at the way God chooses individuals who are in very difficult situations to do the impossible for His glory. In Southeast Asia today are many faithful brothers and sisters who endured much suffering, but are now working for the church and united with its mission. Some of these individuals first came to accept the Lord while in the refugee camps many years ago. Others are the fruit of their labors. There is still a great work to do, but by remembering how God has led us in the past, we gain hope for the future. Readers may join in praying for the millions of people in this world region who have yet to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior by signing up to be a prayer partner on the ASAP Web site at www. asapministries.org. n
Judy Aitken is founder
Continued Growth
Seventeen years ago God opened the doors for the birth of Adventist Southeast Asia Projects (ASAP), a nonprofit ministry that continues to support the Seventh-day Adventist Church
and director of Adventist Southeast Asia Projects (ASAP). She has a passion to help save the lost not only in Southeast Asia but in her own community in Michigan, United States.
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A D V E N T I S T
H E R I T A G E
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isitors to the Center for Adventist Research (CAR) at Andrews University are often fascinated by the seven three-dimensional papier-mâché structures depicting beasts from the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation. Who crafted these fine beasts? When and where were they used? Answers to these questions explore one of Adventism’s outstanding evangelistic legacies.
Early Years
William Ward Simpson, of English descent, was born in Brooklyn, New York, on August 1, 1872. Sometime after that his parents returned to England to spend 11 years there, before once again moving their entire family to the United States, settling in Florida. Simpson’s father, William, Sr., only briefly survived this last move. Stricken with pneumonia during the sea voyage, he died shortly after arriving. William, Jr., was the only one of his parents’ six children to survive to adulthood. The Simpsons were an atheistic family. But when William fell ill, a family named Maxon advised his mother to bring her surviving son to the Battle Creek Sanitarium.1 As his health improved with care, Dr. John H. Kellogg hired him as a callboy at the sanitarium. Working with and for
Adventists, and later as an errand boy for the Good Hope Publishing Company, had no impact on Simpson’s faithlessness. When he was 18 years old, Simpson still looked with ridicule at an advertisement of lectures on the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation at the chapel where he worked. One night, bent on mockery, he sneaked into the chapel during a meeting. But the Holy Spirit was working. That very night he began to be captivated by biblical prophecies. Thereafter he came to every night’s lecture and soon accepted the truth. Colporteur and Preacher
As he matured, Simpson worked as a pressman at the Review and Herald in Battle Creek. Conviction rested on the extroverted young man that God was calling him to spread His Word. Simpson preached his first sermon in Kings’ Mills, Michigan, on April 29, 1894, and became attracted to the ministry of John Fox Ballenger, a vigorous pioneer with creative ways of illustrating Bible truth. Ballenger had built a scale replica of the ancient sanctuary. Wanting to see his visual aids and to learn more about his ministerial meth-
WilliamWard Simpson Adventism’s first successful big-city evangelist By Glúder Quispe
STATE OF THE ART: William Ward Simpson (inset) used dramatic representations of prophetic symbols to attract audiences and illustrate his evangelistic lectures.
ods, Simpson took advantage of the opportunity to visit Ballenger’s home. The two men found much to talk about. Ballenger’s daughter, Nellie, joined them for dinner. Early in 1895, at the age of 22, Simpson arrived in Canada, where he was called to do some pioneer work. He organized a church in Kent County in the province of Ontario. But pressure from Methodist churches and Sunday blue laws brought the charge of “desecration of the Sabbath day” against Simpson. He was convicted May 2, 1896, and committed to 40 days in the county jail. Ingenious and indomitable, Simpson used the time in his cell, and materials at his disposal, to prepare a colorful, carefully documented 20-page religious-liberty booklet. On June 10 Simpson was released from prison. The Ballenger dinner of 1894 continued to yield its profit when the Michigan Conference assigned Simpson to work with Ballenger in a tent effort in Michigan, with Nellie in charge of the music. Though Simpson returned to work in Canada, and Nellie served as dean of women and self-supporting Bible worker at Walla Walla College in Washington, their correspondence continued; because Simpson, who had a jeweler’s license, was fixing Nellie’s watch. Dinner, evangelistic music, watch repairs, and continuous correspondence resulted in marriage on May 10, 1899. The couple was blessed with three children. Big-City Evangelist
After reporting his first lung hemorrhage in October 1902 while living in Canada, Simpson was urged to move to a milder climate. In November the family moved to California, conducting successful evangelistic campaigns in the cities of Redlands, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Diego, Pasadena, Santa Ana, Oakland, and others.2 William Ward Simpson was a persuasive and imaginative speaker. During the time Simpson worked in California, Ellen White reported, “W. W. Simpson had been holding tent meetings in the heart of the city of Los Angeles. . . . Night after night the large tent, holding two thousand persons, has been crowded. . . . Elder Simpson presents the truth as it was presented in past years. . . . He explains the prophecies very clearly, showing plainly that the end of all things is at hand.” She added, “The Lord certainly works with him, and I wish that there were hundreds of such workers in the field, proclaiming with the same earnestness and enthusiasm the last message of warning.”3 Crowds as large as 2,000 in Los Angeles in 1905 make one wonder what might have been the course of Adventist evangelism had Simpson lived. Before he died at the age of 35 Simpson brought significant innovations to Seventh-day Adventist evangelism. About the time he went to Pasadena,
early in 1906, Simpson commissioned a Hollywood firm to build his papier mâché beasts. His granddaughter Lavon M. Ramsey and her husband, Fred, donated them (and some other personal items of her grandfather’s) to CAR in 1976. CAR’s Collection 81, the William Ward Simpson Collection, consists of two boxes that include correspondence, information about the papier mâché beasts, material on the Ballenger family, and Simpson’s evangelistic work and writings, as well as material from his daughter, Winea J. Simpson. Enduring Influence
Though coming from a home without God, Simpson became one of His spokespersons par excellence. Ellen White wrote at least eight letters to him, one of which said: “I have a message for you from the Lord. Cultivate your vocal organs.”4 She encouraged him to continue his evangelist campaigns, telling him that “angels are round about you.”5 She also congratulated him for notable results.6 Finally, in his illness she assured: “The Lord has blessed your efforts; but your work is not done. Take the very best treatment you can possibly get.”7 On April 28, 1907, overwork, poor health, or perhaps the detrimental influence of the Ballenger apostasy took Simpson to his rest. This picturesque quote of his still sounds a remarkable echo for us: “I thank God from the depth of my soul for a humble part in His cause, and with you dedicate myself with all that I have or ever expect to have in helping to sound the loud cry of the third angel’s message in all the earth in this generation.”8 n 1 Nellie Ballenger Simpson, “Notes,” quoted in Fred M. Ramsey, “A Study of William Ward Simpson’s Evangelistic Personality” (paper prepared for SDA Church History, Andrews University, May 1971), p. 5. 2 Results of those evangelist campaigns can be found in G. W. Reaser, “Southern California: New Items,” Pacific Union Recorder, Dec. 28, 1905, p. 5; idem, “Southern California,” Pacific Union Recorder, Mar. 15, 1906, p. 4; William W. Simpson, “Pasadena,” Review and Herald, June 21, 1906, p. 4. Ellen G. White to John Burden, Sanitarium, California, Apr. 12, 1905. 3 Ellen G. White, “Notes of Travel—No. 5: Los Angeles, Cal.,” Review and Herald, Mar. 2, 1905. 4 Ellen G. White to William W. Simpson, Sept. 18, 1904. 5 Ellen G. White to William W. Simpson, Oct. 14, 1905; Ellen G. White to William W. Simpson, Jan. 30, 1906; Ellen G. White to William W. Simpson, Aug. 20, 1906; Ellen G. White to William W. Simpson, Oct. 27, 1906. 6 Ellen G. White to William W. Simpson, Dec. 4, 1906. 7 Ellen G. White to William W. Simpson, Apr. 9, 1907. 8 Simpson, “Pasadena,” Pacific Union Recorder, June 21, 1906, p. 4.
Glúder Quispe is a theology professor at Peruvian Union University, and a Ph.D. candidate in the field of Adventist Studies at Andrews University. March 2013 | Adventist World - nad
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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
Are They What does the Bible say about unidentified flying objects (UFOs)?
Real?
Nothing! Of course, some have argued that they are mentioned in the Bible (e.g., 2 Kings 2:11), but there is nothing in it comparable to what some claim to have seen today. However, some Adventists—emotionally and spiritually balanced believers—have informed me that they have seen such objects and that they would like to know how to relate this to the Scriptures. It is commonly believed that flying objects come from other worlds/planets, and this assumes that there is intelligent life on other planets. Here are a few ideas. 1. Intelligent Life on Other Planets: The Bible affirms the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life. The ministry of God’s angels among humans (Matt. 18:10; Ps. 91:11) and the statement that the sons of God rejoiced when the Lord was creating indicate that intelligent beings exist, and existed even before the creation of humanity (Job 38:7). The Son of God—an extraterrestrial, if you please—descended to our world, became one of us, and ascended to heaven victorious over the forces of evil (John 1:1-3, 14; Acts 1:9; Col. 2:15). It is also important to keep in mind that the forces of evil are not earthlings; they came here from outer space to oppose God and deceive humans (Rev. 12:7-9). 2. What if They Are Real? What can we say to those who believe that unidentified flying objects are real and that they come from other planets? First, the Bible makes clear that communication between humans and extraterrestrial forms of life is possible only through the mediation of Christ, who sent the Holy Spirit and His angels to minister in our behalf (1 Tim. 2:5; John 14:16, 17, 26). Second, God through Christ has revealed how the human predicament in all its diversity of expression is to be resolved. Any deviation from the divine plan is suspect. Third, Christ has clearly established the manner of His return (Matt. 16:27; 24:30, 31; 1 Thess. 4:14-17). Therefore, we can affirm that He will not be using the unidentified flying objects that some people claim to have seen.
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Fourth, evil powers are also involved in the cosmic conflict, and seek to deceive humans by offering an alternate plan for the solution of the human predicament. They will become particularly active through miracles and supernatural manifestations as we approach the close of the cosmic conflict (Rev. 13:13, 14). Scripture tells us that they will go to the kings of the earth to unite them against God and His people (Rev. 16:14). They will even attempt to imitate the return of Jesus Christ (2 Thess. 2:8, 9). These fundamental biblical teachings should be used to evaluate any alleged manifestation of extraterrestrial life on our planet in unidentified flying objects, or in any other form. 3. Additional Evidence? Some Adventists have used a statement by Ellen G. White to argue that she anticipated the phenomenon of unidentified flying objects and identified them as being of demonic origin: “Fearful sights of a supernatural character will soon be revealed in the heavens, in token of the power of miracle-working demons. The spirits of devils will go forth to the kings of the earth and to the whole world, to fasten them in deception, and urge them on to unite with Satan in his last struggle against the government of Heaven” (The Great Controversy, p. 623). I will leave it to the reader to decide how to interpret this interesting statement. We can, based on the biblical evidence, unambiguously state that demonic manifestations will increase in intensity and nature. Time will tell what, if anything, are the unidentified flying objects; and, if real, what their intentions would be. Our safety is to be grounded in Scripture. We should not be distracted by this phenomenon from that which is more important: the fulfillment of the mission God has entrusted to us. Adventists should not be obsessed by these things, even if we can affirm that we have seen them. The divine plan, and our involvement in it, are most important. n
Ángel Manuel Rodríguez lives in Texas after serving the church as a pastor, professor, and director of the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference.
S T U D Y
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God
Where Is When We
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By Mark A. Finley
Hurt?
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evastating natural disasters, unprecedented acts of terror, random violence, and senseless killings leave us asking questions that baffle us. For example, on December 14, 2012, a young man shot his way into a locked elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, brutally murdering 20 children and six adults before taking his own life. In the aftermath of this horrific act one woman wept uncontrollably and wandered down the school’s driveway, crying, “Why? Why? Why?” When we face life’s tragedies and experience life’s sorrows, this sobbing woman’s question is our question too. And we must admit there are no easy answers. But the Bible provides us with hope and encouragement in these times of grief. In this month’s lesson we will discover what’s behind the suffering in our world, and where to find comfort when tragedy strikes.
1 Where did evil ultimately originate? Read Revelation 12:7-9; John 8:44; Matthew 13:13. It may seem strange, but evil originated in heaven, in the mind of a beautiful angel. God created all His creatures with the power of choice. God values our freedom. To take away the power of choice because it might be used wrongly is to take away the ability to love, for love can never be forced or coerced.
2
Did God create a demonic angel bent on evil? Read Ezekiel 28:12-15. Lest we miss the point, the prophet Ezekiel mentions twice that Lucifer was created perfect (Eze. 28:12, 15). The prophet then adds, “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor” (verse 17). The Bible is plain: God did not create a devil; He created a beautiful angel who chose to rebel against his Creator and corrupted himself.
3 What was Lucifer’s motive? Read Isaiah 14:1214. What went on in his mind that led to his rebellion against God? 4 Read Genesis 1:27, 31; 3:1-7. How did earth become involved in this conflict? Did God create this world as a place to get rid of Satan? God created this world perfect. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were created in God’s image. They too were given the power of choice. Faced with the temptations of the evil one, they listened to his enticing deceptions and disobeyed God. Since the wages of sin are death, they would have died immediately had not Jesus assured them of His love and promised to come as the world’s Messiah (see Rom. 3:23; 6:23; Gen. 3:15; Rev. 13:8).
5
Although Jesus died to assure us of eternal life, where is He when we suffer today? Read Isaiah 41:10; 43:1-3; Hebrews 13:5, 6.
6
Read 1 Peter 5:7; Hebrews 2:14-17; 4:14-16; Matthew 11:28-30. Does God really understand what we are going through on this earth? Do we matter to Him individually? Jesus experienced the full range of emotions that we experience. He suffered physical, mental, and emotional pain. He was tempted in “all things” as we are. He understands our pain and offers us comfort and strength when we hurt.
7 Will evil last forever? When will it end? Read Ezekiel 28:17-19 and Revelation 21:1-4. Pain, suffering, and sorrow will not last forever. In moments of despair, look up—Jesus will return and put an end to sin forever. One day there will be no more sickness, heartache, famine, violence, and death. One day love will reign in the universe, and God will wipe away our tears forever. n March 2013 | Adventist World - nad
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IDEA EXCHANGE
Letters Standing Up
I’m writing to let you know how much I enjoyed the article “Standing Up” (November 2012), by Lael Caesar. There is a time for everything; and after standing, the Israelites had to move, exercise their faith (or desperation and lack of options in this case), and step forward into the Red Sea. The Bible is full of “arise, go, get ye forth, stand” (even this is an action). Jennifer Philippiadis G eelong West, Victoria, Australia
I agree with Kaunda, who writes that the Adventist World magazine has “God’s all-weather message.” I write to share my experience when God ministered to me with the right message for my “spiritual weather.” Suddenly and without warning, a situation too complex for me to handle arose. During this time I oscillated from moments of peace and confidence in God to moments of intense anxiety, stress, and worry about this situation. Then one morning I randomly picked up the August 2011 Adventist World (note: I had kept this issue for a long time without really putting my mind to any message in it). I read the back page, The People’s Place, as I rode the bus to work. I found it so encouraging to read the Quote of the Month, which is related to the fact that God knows our limits and never leaves us at the mercy of circumstances. I felt as though God reassured me that the complex matter in my life would be nothing to Him.
God’s Message to Me
I just read Kellys Kaunda’s letter “Keeping Every Issue” (August 2011).
This raised my spirits, and I ceased to worry about the situation. I continue, however, to pray about it. I am continually upheld by His hand. I believe all will be well, and even if it grows worse, God shall take me through. Huldah Kikaatu Uganda A Hand Out and a Hand Up
I read an interesting story in Adventist World about Adugnaw Worku in “A Hand Out and a Hand Up” (May 2011). We are also working hard to hasten the Second Advent with an independent ministry formed by Adventist lay evangelists called The Only Genuine Call by Lord’s Love Ministry. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is the genuine call around the globe. Tarekegn Workneh Hawasa, Ethiopia
I believe all will be well, and even if it grows worse, God shall take me through. —Huldah Kikaatu, Uganda
Prayer
PRAISE My wife has inoperable cancer. Your prayers are desperately needed, as it seems that only a miracle will prolong her life for more than a few months. Thanks! Norman, Australia
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It is my prayer that we all face the new year with hope, joy, and love as we labor together in sharing words of truth to those who are not yet in the fold of God. How wonderful it will be when we meet our friends in heaven and say, “It was you who invited me here.” Sheena, Philippines
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Please pray for me. I have been backsliding, but I am now returning. Pray that I will be able to surrender fully to Christ. Charles, Kenya I am asking you to pray for a friend who has left the church to go to a reform movement. Please pray that she will return to the fold. Eduardo, Peru
Multifaceted Magazine
I enjoy reading Adventist World. The magazine is so multifaceted and interesting. It’s inspiring to read every month’s news about the mission of the church. Thanks for the opportunity to contribute to the magazine. Waltraud Rühling-Huber Bogenhofen, Austria Access to Adventist World
I once came across Adventist World, and I enjoy reading it again and again. The message is wonderful. Where can I find this monthly magazine? Do you send such literature to members of your church only, or to everyone? I would like to receive this magazine. Austin Namuchana Kusaka, Zambia Adventist World is produced by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is distributed to members free of charge. Our advice to this reader and others with similar concerns is to contact the Seventh-day Adventist Church union conference or division office in your region of the world. We are also on the Internet at www.adventist world.org. We are gratified that the magazine is filling this need. —Editors. 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.
The Real DEAL There’s nothing like winning an Olympic medal to secure your place in history. The medals are made of silver (in the case of the gold medal, gold-plated silver). A mixture of copper, tin, and zinc is used to make the bronze medals. The medals awarded in London measure 85 millimeters in diameter and 7 millimeters in thickness.
Read Running for a Cause — pag e 16
NUTrician TIP Those who snack on nuts instead of other snacks weigh, on average, four pounds less. Think pistachios instead of pretzels. Source: Good Housekeeping
I’m a missionary with six children. Please pray that I will raise them well in every respect. Sadrac, Haiti I received a scholarship to study abroad, but I’m having trouble getting funds to pay for my travel. I also have to get a visa from the embassy. Please pray for me. Cesario, Guinea-Bissau
Please pray for my wife, who gave birth to a premature daughter. Pray that our child will grow healthy. Also pray that we will be able to pay the hospital bill. Clyde, Philippines
Please pray for our church members and ministries. We are dealing with several problems. David, Myanmar The Place of Prayer: Send prayer requests and praise (thanks for answered prayer) to prayer@adventistworld.org. Keep entries short and concise, 50-words or less. Items will be edited for space and clarity. Not all submissions will be printed. Please include your name and your country’s name. You may also fax requests to: 1-301-680-6638; or mail them to Adventist World, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600 U.S.A.
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IDEA EXCHANGE “Behold, I come quickly…” Our mission is to uplift Jesus Christ, uniting Seventh-day Adventists everywhere in beliefs, mission, life, and hope.
ears Ago YMarch 6, 1903 W
riter and editor Uriah Smith died in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States on March 6, 1903. He gave 50 years of service to the Seventh-day Adventist cause as a writer and editor. He was born in West Wilton, New Hampshire, in 1832, and was impressed in childhood by the Advent movement of 18431844. When he was about 13 years of age, an infection caused his left leg to be amputated above the knee. He invented and patented a prosthetic limb. Smith’s first contribution to Seventh-day Adventist literature was a 35,000-word poem entitled “The Warning Voice of Time and Prophecy,” published in serial form in the Adventist Review and Sabbath Herald in 1853. He maintained an almost unbroken connection with the institution until the time of his death. In 1855, when Smith was 23 years old, his name appeared for the first time as editor. The primitive equipment in use at the time would have daunted a lesser spirit. In helping to prepare the first tracts he used a straightedge and a pocketknife to trim the edges. “We blistered our hands in the operation, and often the tracts in form were not half so true and square as the doctrines they taught.” He is perhaps best remembered for his book The Prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation. i m ag e
c o u r t e s y
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W h i t e
Es t a t e
It’s
Official!
The United Nations has six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
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-Hardy; 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 Executive Assistant to the Editor 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, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. Adventist World is published monthly and printed simultaneously in Korea, Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, Germany, Austria, and the United States. Vol. 9, No.3
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