AW NAD English - May 2017

The International Paper for Seventh-day Adventists

May 2 01 7

Passing on Our

19 Keeping Children Healthy 22 Church Alive!

31 With Kids in View

Faith

North American Division | n a d

May 2017

The International Paper for Seventh-day Adventists

May 2 01 7

C O V E R

Passing on Our

Faith

19 Keeping Children Healthy 22 Church Alive!

31 With Kids in View

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Passing On Our Faith

By Linda Mei Lin Koh

Our values are important; so is their transmission to the next generation.

8 A Letter to My Daughters

W O R L D

By Ted N. C. Wilson

Parents never stop caring about their children.

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L I F E

By Beth Thomas

The sign of a healthy church is the sound of children.

31 With Kids in View S P E C I A L

F E A T U R E

Every month children in North America receive a version of Adventist Review designed just for them.

V I S T A

20 Jesus Loves the (Little) Children

22 Church Alive!

A D V E N T I S T

S T O R Y

E V O T I O N A L

By Gerald A. Klingbeil

See how the Master cares for little ones.

34 Why We Work

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F E AT U R E

By Daniel R. Jackson

Are we working in our own strength, or in God’s?

D E PA RT M E N T S 3 W O R

L D

R E P O R T

3 News Briefs 7 News Feature 10 FastChat 11 NAD News 14 NAD Update 17 NAD Perspective 18 NAD Letters

19 W O R L D H E A L T Keeping Children Healthy

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42 B

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

43 B I B L E S T U D Y The Truth About Miraculous Healing 44

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E X C H A N G E

The Hotter the Better

www.adventistworld.org Available in 10 languages online The Adventist World® (ISSN 1557-5519), one of the Adventist Review® family of publications, is printed monthly by the Pacific Press® Publishing Association. Copyright © 2017. Send address changes to your local conference membership clerk. Contact information should be available through your local church. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Vol. 13, No. 5, May 2017.

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That Little Hand in Ours

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WORLD REPORT

By Marcos Paseggi, senior correspondent, Adventist World

Adventist Education Hosts

Pan-African Conference

E D U C AT I O N

The first of several regional events held in Rwanda.

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f there is any doubt about what Jesus thought of children—how He loved them, how He prized them—it’s only because adults who carry His name have stopped reading the Gospels.

He designed it so a young boy’s lunch would be the starting point for one of His great miracles. He thundered at disciples who so misunderstood Him as to keep His little ones away. He raised a 12-year-old to life when death had quickly claimed her. He emptied out the Temple of the greedy and hard-hearted, and let the kids into the sacred space from which they had been systematically excluded. He told even His closest followers that unless they became as little ones, they wouldn’t share His kingdom.

And then, of course, beyond the unmistakable examples, He Himself became a child, accepting all the vulnerability and risk that being a child has always brought in a broken world. He embraced infancy as a son of the poor; as a member of an oppressed minority; as a tiny refugee, fleeing the wrath of brutal tyranny. With every other option open to Him, He chose childhood as the doorway to our common humanity.

Jesus deliberately—permanently— linked His story to the stories of the world’s children, declaring that the way believers treat them is the fullest illustration of how we will treat Him. It’s not enough to want them to grow up, become “mature,” or get as clever as the rest of us. It’s not their potential, but their actual, present value—measured in unworried laughter, lots of questions, and huge capacity for play—for which He bids us cherish them.

And if His grace one day breaks through our dry and troubled selves, we will be welcomed to His kingdom because somewhere, sometime, we let a Child lead us.

Church leaders and educators attend the Pan-African LEAD Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, on February 15-19. Those present discussed current trends and suggested ways to enhance Adventist education.

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n February 15-19, 239 Seventh-day Adventist educators from across the African continent and adjacent Indian Ocean islands met in Kigali, Rwanda, for the first of four planned worldwide regional conferences about Seventh-day Adventist Education. The participants, who came from the three regions—or divisions—of the world church in Africa, represent 45 percent of the 8,208 Seventh-day Adventist schools around the world, 39 percent of its 102,779 teachers, and 52 percent of its nearly 2 million students.

The event marked the first phase of the implementation of a decision made at the Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Conference on Seventh-day Adventist Education at the world church headquarters last October. At that conference, hosted during Annual Council 2016—a major annual business meeting of the world church—it was agreed to extend the same Continued on next page

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WORLD REPORT kind of training and discussion then offered to the members of the Executive Board of the world church, to other church educational leaders, and educators on the ground and around the world.

“Annual Council 2016 voted to authorize the Education Department, in collaboration with the various world divisions—or regions—to develop a guiding philosophy and a worldwide, regionally responsive plan for Seventh-day Adventist education,” said Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, education director of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, when explaining the rationale for these regional events.

The topics mentioned in the objectives discussed include establishing measurable goals to increase the num-

ber of schools and Adventist students, increasing retention and academic excellence, developing educational resources for alternative models of education, and identifying innovations that may serve to enhance the affordability and sustainability of Seventh-day Adventist schools.

Similar conferences are planned for other regions in the next few months, as the Education Department tries to cover every major region of the world church.

“At these conferences, participants will formulate educational plans that incorporate local, national, and regional priorities and objectives,” said Beardsley. “It is also expected that they make recommendations to Annual Council in October 2017 on how to achieve

By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission

Record Baptisms

Drive Membership Increase

Local churches nurture new members.

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major drive to engage every church member in Total Member Involvement (TMI) has helped achieve a record number of baptisms for the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The Adventist Church had 20,008,779 members as of December 31, 2016, a net increase of 882,332 people, or 4.6 percent, from the previous year, the church’s Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research said.

In a notable milestone, a record 1.2

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million people were baptized last year, including an unprecedented 110,000 in Rwanda.

“What these statistics tell me about the church’s efforts to fulfill its mission is that church leaders and, increasingly, church members are putting considerable resources into reaching new souls for God’s kingdom,” said David Trim, director of the Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research.

“Total Member Involvement has a huge role to play here, and the record

higher visibility for education globally.”

Besides small-group discussions and plenary sessions, participants of the Rwanda conference enjoyed devotional messages by church leaders, moments of worship on Friday evening and Saturday, and a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center.

Most participants were not shy about expressing their appreciation for the event. “The conference provided me with many ideas to enhance my leadership,” said one of the participants. “I would like this conference to take place more often, and to consider including school board chairs, . . . treasurers, and even pastors.”

The next LEAD regional conference is slated to take place from May 30 through June 4 in Slovenia. n

baptisms in 2016 already reflect TMI.” Total Member Involvement (TMI) is a world church initiative that encourages church members to actively share the gospel in their communities. Outreach efforts include literature distribution, Bible studies, cooking classes, health seminars, free clinics, and public evangelistic meetings.

Reacting to the new membership figures, Adventist Church president Ted N. C. Wilson emphasized the connection between church growth and the involvement of every church member, especially lay people. “The engagement of lay people in Total Member Involvement is so important to what we are seeing happen in the world church,” Wilson said. “The Holy Spirit is leading our church members to be so actively involved in every aspect of personal and public witness,” he said by e-mail.

Duane McKey, TMI coordinator

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M c C H E S N E Y / A D V E N T I S T

M I S S I O N

Rwandans baptized in Lake Kivu during major evangelistic meetings in the African country in May 2016. for the world church, said the membership growth is “clearly an indication that TMI is blessed by God. Record Accessions

The Adventist Church, founded in 1863 with only 3,500 members, has witnessed record accessions in each of the past three years, with 1,167, 506 new members in 2014, followed by 1,260,880 new members in 2015, and 1,314,950 in 2016, Trim said. Last year also was the first year that baptisms— as opposed to professions of faith— exceeded 1.2 million, he said. In all, there were 1,271,305 baptisms and 43,645 professions of faith in 2016.

The Adventist Church, which is organized into 13 world divisions and two attached fields, saw the highest growth in the East-Central Africa Division, with 338,638 new members, for a total reported membership of 3,502,462. The division’s territory includes Rwanda, where 110,476 people were baptized after months of prayer and other TMI efforts culminated in evangelistic meetings at more than 2,000 sites in May 2016.

Blasious Ruguri, president of the East-Central Africa Division, said a tremendous miracle happened in Rwanda because of the active involvement of church members, “lay women, lay men, pastors, church

elders, pastors’ wives, children, and church leaders from all church levels.

Alain Coralie, executive secretary for the East-Central Africa Division, said the Rwandan experience proves that “a healthy church singly focused on God’s mission will result in huge numerical growth.

“In the East-Central Africa Division, we believe what happened in Rwanda in 2016 is just the beginning of greater things to come,” he said.

“We are planning bigger campaigns this year and hope by God’s grace to see even bigger results.”

Last year, the Southern AfricaIndian Ocean Division had the second-highest growth with 276,601 new members, bringing its official membership to 3,747,573.

Retention and Discipleship

Trim also pointed to continuing record levels of church planting. A total of 2,655 local churches were established last year, or one new church every 3.3 hours, a figure just shy of the record of one new church every 3.2 hours in 2015.

“The statistics show that Global Mission’s focus on church planting is bearing fruit,” said Gary Krause, director of the world church’s Office of Adventist Mission. “Church planting continues to be at least a major factor if

not the major factor in powering sustained growth as new believers are nurtured in fellowship as growing disciples.”

Worldwide, the Adventist Church has 154,710 congregations, which include local churches, companies, and groups.

World church leaders also underscored that efforts must be made to nurture new members. “We must remember that retention and nurture are the other side of the same coin as evangelism,” said G. T. Ng, executive secretary of the world church.

Krause echoed that sentiment. “All heaven rejoices when just one person comes home to the Father,” he said.

“We now have the awesome responsibility to care for them, and to help nurture them as committed disciples who, in turn, will share their new faith with others.”

While robust membership growth was reported last year, 352,722 members were deducted because of dropped membership or being registered as missing in church membership audits, Trim said. He noted that this is the lowest deduction since 2006.

“It would be wonderful if we could think the program of audits had now picked up all the members who have left the church and deducted them from official records,” he said. “But we know with great certainty from a number of sources that that’s not the case.”

He said an average of 584,000 people were deducted annually over the past 10 years, and if the same number had been deducted in 2016, overall membership would not have reached 20 million. “The spiritual lesson here is that we shouldn’t be so blinded by numbers that we seek only to add, that we only baptize and don’t nurture new members into a life of active discipleship,” he said. n

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WORLD REPORT

By Rayssa Santos, SAD Communication

Adventist Youth Perform

Acts for Peace

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neighborhood with messages of hope and comfort for the population. The youth also invited local residents and business owners to pray for the Capixaba municipalities, which have been facing a public security crisis since the police action began in early February.

“We were already praying for this situation, but [last Sabbath] we went on the streets to bring the Word of God to the people, who were still apprehensive. In the streets, in the shops we passed, we asked residents if we could pray with them. Many participated and were immensely grateful.

We feel motivated and strengthened

by God,” said Matheus Fávero, a church member.

At Colatina a group of Adventist

A S N

s violence and police-related labor actions gripped the southeastern Brazilian state of Espírito Santo, young Seventh-day Adventists performed acts of peace.

The state, home to 3.8 million people, has been wracked by violence and disruption after state police were unable to work when people blockaded their barracks. According to media reports, Espírito Santo is one of several Brazilian states suffering budget cuts during a time of national fiscal crisis, and those cuts have impacted public services.

In the midst of this turmoil, the region’s Adventist youth took peaceful action. In the city of Serra a group held a march in the Porto Canoa

Young people sing and pray in front of the Military Police Battalion, in Colatina, Espíritu Santo in southeastern Brazil.

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youth gathered in front of the military police battalion to sing and pray with the people who were there.

“The Bible book of Second Chronicles says that if we humble ourselves, seek, and cry out to the Lord, He will hear us and heal us. We must have our land healed. So we come together and cry out together in prayer,” said Alex Christian Will, Colatina regional pastor. He said the initiative is also important because it involves young people preaching the gospel. “[Young people] like to work inside and outside the church. This is a way of awakening them and engaging them in this mission,” Will added.

Because of the wave of violence the Capixaba municipalities faced, some Adventist churches were closed on Sabbath, February 11, 2017. Meetings were held in member homes when access to a congregation wasn’t possible. In Grande Vitória sermons were broadcast online. In the municipality of São Mateus, in the north of the state, more than 20 families gathered in small groups to study the Bible and intercede for the peace and tranquillity of the Capixaba municipalities.

“We can learn from all situations.

At this moment of crisis we saw the importance of being in communion with God and with our fellow believers,” noted Aécio Goecking, São Mateus pastor.

According to Hiram Kalbermatter, church president for the central and northern areas of the state of Espírito Santo, participation in small groups strengthens Christian relationships.

“This is a glimpse of the last days,” he said. “Just as the early church gathered in homes because of persecution, there will come a time when the church will be divided into small groups. We have to prepare for [that time].” n

By Linden Chuang, Adventist Record

Depression and Anxiety Recovery Program training was offered at the Be More: Adventist Health Summit in Auckland, with program founder Dr. Neil Nedley—on hand as part of his first trip to New Zealand—helping 34 people complete facilitator training.

The highly acclaimed program was added to the CHIP package two years ago in Australia, with training offered again at the recent summit.

Speaking to CHIP Summit attendees on Friday night, Avondale College senior lecturer and Lifestyle Research Center director Darren Morton said the continual development of CHIP and other lifestyle programs is essential as the “lifestyle medicine movement” gains momentum in the South Pacific and around the world.

“The time for lifestyle medicine is now,” he said. “It has incredible potential to change the face of the wellbeing of our communities and our countries.” n

Forgiveness and Better Health fighting with memories that limit their ability to thrive,” said Adrielle Carrasco, health ministries director of the New Zealand Pacific Union Conference. “We see it as having great potential, not just as a stand-alone program, but also as a follow-up to other community-run events.”

Forgive to Live was launched in Australia a week later during the biennial Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) Summit, held at Avondale College of Higher Education in Cooranbong, New South Wales.

The gathering of more than 120 people also included visitors from New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Solomon Islands.

Speaking on Sabbath afternoon, Tibbits highlighted the logical union between CHIP and the Forgive to Live program, saying “Christ brought forgiveness as a critical part of the healing component.

“When you’re doing health ministry, do CHIP programs, but also, like Jesus, teach and show forgiveness,” he said.

The launch of Forgive to Live in New Zealand and Australia highlights the ongoing commitment of health ministries leaders to provide wholistic programs and resources to churches and communities.

A D V E N T I S T

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new program demonstrating the life-changing power of forgiveness was launched at health summits in New Zealand and Australia in February. Forgive to Live was introduced to a group of 115 delegates at the Be More: Adventist Health Summit.

More than 80 people took part in the workshops hosted by psychotherapist Dick Tibbits, author of the book on which the program is based.

Tibbits, from Florida in the United States, challenged the group of church and community members to rethink their concept of forgiveness by suggesting that “forgiveness is not forgetting. It’s remembering things in a different way.” He explained that practicing forgiveness can reduce anger and blood pressure levels.

The presentations were well received by participants, with one woman saying the training helped her answer questions on how to forgive those who have hurt her. Many other delegates expressed their desire to take the Forgive to Live program back to their churches and communities.

“The Forgive to Live program, produced by Dr. Paul Rankin [associate health ministries director] at the South Pacific Division, reaches into the very depth of humanness and offers a way out for many people

R E C O R D

Forgive to Live program presented in New Zealand, Australia

Dick Tibbits speaks during the Forgive to Live workshop at the CHIP summit in Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia.

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By Ted N. C. Wilson Some years ago Nancy and I wrote a letter to our adult children and their spouses, affirming and encouraging them to pass on their faith and values to their children. With this month’s focus on children, I am sharing a muchabridged version of that letter. I pray that it will be a blessing as we seek to nurture and retain our youth.

—Ted N. C. Wilson.

July 24, 2009 Dear Emilie, Elizabeth, and Catherine (and, of course, Kameron, David, and Bob), I began thinking about this message to you when I was reviewing the process of how society transfers to the next generation the beliefs, mission, and values of the previous generation.

The dynamics for each generation may vary, but when it comes to biblical beliefs and values, the Holy Spirit makes sure that the truth is preserved.

Truth remains the same, since God never changes. It’s an amazing and miraculous process.

These values and beliefs aren’t something we “push” on you. It’s our privilege, along with grandparents, uncles and aunts, pastors, teachers, mentors, friends, and others, to participate in this transfer of values. We don’t always do it correctly, but the Holy Spirit adjusts our imperfect process, and instructs on His own or through others as we entrust you into His care.

Here are some thoughts that will provide a foundation from which you may affirm your own convictions and beliefs to pass on to your children. It may sound a little “preachy” at times, but realize that it comes from the hearts of a mother and father.

Beliefs

We are so blessed to be Seventhday Adventists. I don’t say that in a

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Letter to My

Daughters

Keeping faith alive

proud, self-centered way. I say it reverently and with grateful conviction.

The Advent movement is not just another church; it is God’s remnant church—a group commissioned to tell the world about Christ and His soon coming, and point people to the true worship of God (Rev. 12:17; 14:6-12).

Enter into active service in this movement with heavenly passion and conviction. Stay completely connected with Christ through personal study of the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, prayer and the witnessing that springs from your love for Jesus and what He has done and is doing for you. Trust Him completely. Consecrate yourself to Him at the beginning of each day.

At night, commit yourself and your family into God’s hands. Pray together in the morning and evening. Prayer is absolutely vital.

Keep the Bible ever close. It’s God’s Word to you, and it will lead you to Christ and eternal life. Read it and believe it as it reads. There’s a growing tendency to interpret the Bible through the historical-critical method, which falsely claims that you have the ability and the resources to decide for yourself what is truth or not from Scripture. Maintain the Adventist stance of interpreting Scripture by the historical-biblical method, allowing the Bible to interpret itself.

Don’t fall prey to the delusions of “higher criticism.” The result of this trend is seen in many subtle changes within our church affecting doctrine, theology, Sabbathkeeping, lifestyle, and standards.

The Spirit of Prophecy is God’s greatest gift to His last-day remnant church. It points to the Bible and to Christ. It doesn’t replace the Bible, but helps make biblical truth become even plainer, and was written by the same Inspiration from heaven. Protect it, treasure it, read it. It’s a most precious gift going far beyond simply devotional reading.

Keep the hope of the Second Coming burning in your heart. It’s the Advent hope; never let it grow dim!

Look for it! Live for it! Tell others about it! Jesus will come literally, and it will be soon!

Fully respect the Ten Commandments. Let them be the foundation of your behavior and lifestyle. You cannot keep the commandments on your own, but through the power of the Holy Spirit working in your life you can. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

They compose God’s manual for a happy life. Let God work through you to keep them.

Maintain good health practices.

Few people fully understand how inti-

mately mind and body are linked. Be sure to get good rest, eat right, maintain a vegetarian diet, get adequate exercise, avoid harmful substances, and take vacations. Vacations are important for health and family.

Maintain faithfulness in the practice of Christian stewardship. Consecrate your time, talents, lives, and financial resources to the Lord.

Remember that the tithe is the Lord’s, not yours. Be generous in sharing your freewill offerings. Maintain a strong belief in all 28 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Study them and make them your own. They are grounded in the Word of God. Mission

Seventh-day Adventists have been given a mandate to share the three angels’ messages (Rev. 14), and this movement is destined to succeed in sharing those messages. Although the church will appear about to fall in the last days, it will not. It will be sustained by the Holy Spirit in such a way that truly observant and perceptive people will know that heaven is leading this movement.

The mission we have encompasses the local church and a worldwide approach. Always be in touch locally and think globally. Keep connected to P H O T O

C O U R T E S Y

O F T H E

W I L S O N

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your local church and participate in its activities and outreach.

Don’t get too complicated in your outlook on life. Don’t be simplistic, but love simplicity. The Bible will help you maintain your simple approach to life. Self-centered sophistication and self-importance will ruin your understanding of the real meaning of life. Many are educated, disciplined, and savvy, but we are to always be a simple people, God’s remnant people.

Maintain a childlike faith and trust in God’s leading. Let mission spring from your passion for Christ and the Advent movement.

Values

Values are derived from basic beliefs and faith, and come from an integration of all that you are. Here are some basic values to uphold: Be a friend to the underdog. Help those in need and stand by the helpless, encouraging and supporting. Be ready to defend people who seem to have no defense. Don’t be condescending; treat people as equals. Believe in people. Don’t be a skeptic. Trust people and give them the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise.

Always treat people and situations fairly and with justice. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Many times you won’t be able to trust your feelings or

inclinations; you must act out of principle, not intuition or feeling. Feelings are a natural part of life, but don’t be highly swayed by sentimentality or emotional influences that would push you beyond a principled response. Ask the Lord to help you be balanced in your approach. Analyze a situation from a rational point of view. Emotional empathy, tempered by Christlike principle, can provide you with a good approach in relating to others.

Always maintain the best possible relationships with your spouse, children, parents, and family. Tell them that you love and believe in them.

Encourage them to do their best. Support your children in their dreams.

Talk to your children. Be interested in their lives. Stay in contact with them, but don’t annoyingly intrude.

Be a worker and bequeath that value to your children. Pursuit of intellectual achievement is important, but make sure everyone knows how to dig a ditch and paint the house. A good work ethic—mental and physical—is important to practical living.

If it’s according to principle, do what is assigned to you and do it well.

Follow through on projects; be known for being reliable. When things get hard, ask the Lord for help. When you’re overwhelmed, step back, take a few good breaths, and calm down.

Reassess your situation and take a fresh look at how to accomplish your goal.

When your life becomes too cluttered with a myriad of tasks and competing details, reprioritize and set attainable goals. Take a walk, pray, and clear your mind. Then make lists and prioritize.

It’s fun to see the items disappear.

Don’t be intimidated by events, circumstances, or people. Believe you

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can accomplish your goals through God’s power, and trust in your Godgiven abilities. Certainly, when you are making a decision you should distrust your own human inclinations and trust God in a spiritual sense. But once you’ve laid your plans at His feet, and have received direction from Him, move ahead.

Try to clean up the messes around you—the physical messes and the social/mental/spiritual messes. Participate in the ministry of reconciliation.

Keep your life as simple and as organized as possible. Avoid piling up too many things around you—physical piles and mental piles. Part of life’s activities is cleaning up the piles; but don’t let that absorb all your time.

Listen to people. They need to be listened to, and you can learn something. In general, talk less and listen more. People will appreciate it, and you’ll avoid some misunderstandings and blunders.

Be hospitable. Invite people home for meals. Let your home be your personal sanctuary, but open it to others when they need a comfortable place.

Make your home cozy, a place where you, your children, and others want to be. It takes some effort, but it’s well worth it.

Commitment

You are each so precious to us. By God’s grace, let’s all maintain our belief in Him, our commitment to His mission, our love of Christian values, and our appreciation for the heritage that we have from Him. Pass the precious beliefs, mission, values, and heritage on to your children. Soon we will see Christ return and live with Him and each other throughout eternity without ever having to say goodbye again.

We love you dearly!

Dad and Mom

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Just for Kids This month Adventist World interviews the editor of KidsView magazine, Wilona Karimabadi.

Wilona, tell us about KidsView.

KidsView is the Adventist Review for kids, and those who will always be kids at heart.

It’s primarily for kids ages 8-12, or those in grades 3 through 6. But if you’re a kid at heart, you’ll enjoy it too.

What are the biggest changes you have seen as editor as it relates to the needs of the KidsView audience over the years?

Kids are exposed to so much, good and bad.

Keeping up with them, knowing where they are and what they need, stays the same and changes at the same time. The designer of KidsView, Merle Poirer, and I are mothers (Merle is a grandmother), so we rely on our knowledge of our own children at their different stages of development to address our readers.

If kids were given control of the editing of the magazine for a month, what do you think they would write about?

They’d write about animals, sports, adventures, Jesus, friends, games, and more.

What inspires you each month as you develop content?

I’m inspired by the chance to give kids something new to learn. They are such sponges and soak up information so quickly.

It’s great that we have the opportunity to provide them with wholesome, positive content that helps them see Jesus in all parts of life.

How are KidsView and Adventist World/Adventist Review similar? How are they different?

KidsView is a children’s magazine, essentially the baby of Adventist Review, which we have always referred to as the “parent magazine.” We try to include crosscultural content in order to open children’s minds to the world they live in. It’s not good to grow up thinking the world is only what is in front of your face. Because the church is an international movement, I try to impart basic anthropology to what we do, in order to help our kids grow up to be more culturally sensitive and open-minded to the diversity of our world.

To learn more about KidsView, visit KidsViewmag.org.

NAD NEWS Tackett is known for his role in Focus on the Family’s Truth Project.

The documentary is available for purchase on DVD. Visit www.isgenesishistory.com for more information.

Strong Attendance at Creation Film Prompts

*Fathom Events reports that Is Genesis History? generated $1.796 million in box office revenue on February 23, 2017, making it the highest-grossing title of the day. Box Office Mojo listed Is Genesis History? as the number one film on February 23, 2017.

Additional Showings

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s Genesis History? opened in 700 theaters in the United States on Thursday, February 23, 2017.* More than 143,000 people attended showings of this documentary, which features Adventist scientist Arthur V. Chadwick. Pleased with this attendance, organizers scheduled encore showings for Thursday, March 2, and Tuesday, March 7. The film also showed in limited engagement in Canada on March 14.

Is Genesis History? explores topics ranging from science consistent with the biblical account of Creation to the Genesis flood and the way in which the Hebrew language is used in the first book of the Bible. It features a wide range of experts in fields ranging from geology to biology and archaeology. Among these, Chadwick describes his research on dinosaur fossilization.

Commenting on the film’s performance, Chadwick, from Southwestern

Adventist University in Keene, Texas, said, “I’m really honored to be featured in a film this successful. Let’s pray that ultimately the data we were able to share is enough to open minds to the profound truth contained in Genesis and the rest of the Bible.”

Chadwick was filmed at the dinosaur dig he leads each summer at Hanson Ranch in Wyoming. At this location his team of volunteers and scientists has unearthed a massive dinosaur graveyard, revealing important information about how dinosaurs died and were fossilized.

Another Adventist scientist involved with the production is Leonard Brand, from Loma Linda University in California. Brand served as a consultant to the producers, drawing on his extensive experience as a Bible-believing Christian and a scientist. “Treating the Bible as a reliable source of information about the past has opened my eyes to things that I would not have otherwise noticed,” says Brand. “In fact, the Bible has made me a better scientist than I would have been if I had ignored the history it records.”

Is Genesis History? is hosted by Del Tackett, a software engineer who served as director of technical planning for the National Security Council at the White House during the George H. W. Bush administration. Since then, Tackett has gained extensive experience in education and media.

—Timothy G. Standish, Geoscience Research Institute

Hacksaw Ridge Receives Two Academy Awards Hacksaw Ridge, a film that tells the story of Desmond T. Doss, the Seventh-day Adventist who became the first conscientious objector to win the Congressional Medal of Honor, won two Oscars at the eighty-ninth Academy Awards on February 26, 2017.

John Gilbert won the Oscar for Best Editing, and Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright, Robert McKenzie, and Peter Grace won the Oscar for Best Sound Mixing. Mel Gibson was nominated for Best Director, Andrew Garfield was nominated as Best Actor for his portrayal of Doss. Hacksaw Ridge was nominated for Best Picture and Best Sound Editing.

The 2016 film tells the story of Doss’s heroic World War II exploits on the island of Okinawa, where, without carrying a gun, he saved the lives of 75 men during combat.

The North American Division commented: “The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America congratulates the filmmakers of Hacksaw Ridge for winning two Academy Awards. We celebrate your God-given creativity, talent, and artContinued on next page

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NAD NEWS

The front entrance of the new Christian Record Services headquarters

Christian Record Services Relocates

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■■ The Christian Record Services, Inc., board of directors announced plans in early 2016 to restructure the organization and relocate to new headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Christian Record moved in December 2016 to suites in south Lincoln, Nebraska, in the Trade Center at 5900 South 58th Street, approximately one mile south of the location the organization operated from since 1963.

“Good things are happening at Christian Record,” said Daniel Jackson,

Richard Clark, assistant editor at Christian Record Services, selects a large print lesson for a Bible school student.

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president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America (NAD) and chair of the Christian Record board of directors. “The Lord continues to have a plan and a place for this important work. God is opening doors of opportunity for church members in the North American Division to reach out to people who are blind.”

Jackson added, “[God] has His hand on Christian Record, and I am eager to see Him grow and expand this ministry.”

For Christian Record, an NAD institution that serves individuals who are blind or cannot hold a book, the new office supports an audiobook lending library, recording studio, and a correspondence Bible school. Plans call for a museum to be added soon.

From the headquarters, large-print, braille, and audio resources are produced and mailed to approximately 20,000 clients in nearly 80 countries.

“The staff is in the process of finalizing strategic plans,” said Diane Thurber, Christian Record president.

“These will include ways to equip church members with tools and resources to reach people who are blind, partner with special needs leaders at every level of the church, and engage current clients in ministry

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with potential clients and sighted church members,” she said.

Christian Record appreciates the many volunteers and business partners who helped during this transition. Plans are under way for an open house later this year.

—Jeri Lyn Rogge, Christian Record Services for the Blind

Southwestern’s Symphony Center Fund-raiser Debuts I Believe ■■ Southwestern Adventist University broke a fund-raising record as it celebrated the twenty-fourth annual tradition of “A Night at the Meyerson” on February 25, 2017. It featured the world premiere of I Believe, the newest composition by renowned Latvian composer E¯riks Ešenvalds. Proceeds from the evening, breaking a record with more than $50,000 raised, benefit the Music Department and music scholarship finalists.

The words to I Believe were found on the wall of a cellar in a concentration camp in Cologne after World War II. I Believe is a testimony of faith, written by a prisoner who held fast to

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istry that helped bring the story of Desmond T. Doss and his faith to millions of people. We celebrate your accomplishments and thank you for sharing the story of this remarkable, humble, and God-fearing man with the world.”

To read more about Desmond Doss and the film Hacksaw Ridge, visit http://ow.ly/isTj309U1Qu. —NAD Office of Communication

U N I V E R S I T Y P H O T O P R O V I D E D B Y S O U T H W E S T E R N A D V E N T I S T

Composer E¯riks Ešenvalds signs student autographs at the premiere of I Believe. belief in God in the midst of some of history’s most appalling trials.

I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining.

I believe in love, even though I don’t feel it.

I believe in God, even when He is silent.

Ešenvalds was present for the premiere at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas. The concert at the Meyerson was the finale event of Southwestern’s annual music festival.

Ešenvalds attended several practice sessions with music festival participants. “How many times do you get to hear from the composer himself what he was thinking or hoping for when he wrote the song?” commented Jonathan Wall, Music Department chair and choir director.

After the Meyerson concert, more than 200 students lined up to get autographs and photos with Ešenvalds.

“He touched their hearts,” said Cherry Vogel, one of students’ parents.

Ešenvalds is a much-sought-after composer, having received many awards for his work, including the Latvian Grand Music Award three times; first prize from the International Rostrum of Composers for his work The Legend of the Walled-in

Woman; the New-Composer Discovery of the Philadelphia Inquirer; and two CDs that were awarded Best Latvian Classical Album of the Year.

In addition to hundreds of student musicians from all across the county, the concert also featured soloist Raehann Bryce-Davis, a native Texan and alumnus of Chisholm Trail Academy and Southwestern Adventist University. Bryce-Davis is the winner of numerous awards, including the 2016 Richard F. Gold Career Grant; the 2015 ninth International Hilde Zadek Competition at the Musikverein in Vienna; the 2015 Metropolitan Opera National Council, Pittsburgh District; and the 2015 Sedat Gürel—Güzin Gürel International Voice Competition in Istanbul.

Bryce-Davis is currently performing dynamic roles in Belgium as part of the Opera Vlaanderen.

—Darcy Force, Southwestern Adventist University

Southern Alumni Premiere Bonhoeffer Docudrama ■■ Several alumni from Southern Adventist University’s School of Visual Art and Design took on key roles in a recent film about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Come Before Winter. Working with producer Gary Blount, Kevin Ekvall, a 2007 graduate, directed the film, which combines documentary with reenactment. Through the lens of cinematographer Tanya Musgrave, a 2011 graduate, this docudrama highlights Bonhoeffer’s last days from the perspective of a British intelligence black propaganda radio station team.

Story consultant and coproduction designer Melody George, a 2006 graduate, and assistant director Theo Brown, a 2010 graduate, also contrib-

uted to the production of this film, which premiered in the United States at Loma Linda University on January 21, 2017.

Over the course of three years the team worked together to write, film, and edit this docudrama. To enhance the project’s authenticity, many scenes were filmed in the United Kingdom and Germany, where the events originally took place. Musgrave’s involvement as cinematographer is evident in the interviews overseas, as well as many of the indoor narrative sequences filmed in Loma Linda, California. Ekvall explained that because of the varying film locations, “it was extremely important to make sure that the shots worked together in perfect harmony, and that the changes in scenery were not evident.”

Throughout the process the team was introduced to Bonhoeffer’s various writings, which include practical books about Christian spirituality.

According to Ekvall, learning more about Bonhoeffer’s impact during World War II powerfully affected many of the crew members.

“Although this has been a very difficult process, with some pretty big challenges,” Ekvall said, “the fact that someone was willing to risk his life to stand up for injustice and cruelty pushed me to do my best to tell this part of his story.”

—Abigail King, Southern Adventist University

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N A D U P D AT E

eHuddle

Facilitates

Evangelistic Visioning Evangelism as lifestyle emphasized

By Anthony WagenerSmith, church planting coordinator, Florida Conference

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he eHuddle, a gathering for evangelistic leadership visioning for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, kicked off its second year in Orlando, Florida, February 27, 2017. More than 130 pastors, evangelism leaders, and administrators gathered for the

three-day, by-invitation event that included a mix of presentations, question-and-answer sessions, and roundtable conversations.

“We continued the conversation intended to help us in the advancement of a shared vision for evangelism and church growth in our divi-

Laffin Cortes, pastor of the Miami Temple Church in Florida, presents a segment on prayer during the e-Huddle on February 28, 2017.

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sion,” explained José Cortes, Jr., associate ministerial director for evangelism and church planting in the North American Division (NAD).

“We began with a vision not only to see new churches planted, but to cultivate evangelism as a lifestyle—not just an event—in all churches across the division.”

The presentations, question-andanswer sessions, and conversations centered on five specific mission indicators: engaging all members in evangelism; creating an atmosphere of accessibility and safety in all churches; discipling all members; multiplying community-based church planting; and encouraging every pastor and lay leader to use diverse forms of proclamation evangelism at least once each year.

On the first day of the eHuddle, G. Alexander Bryant, executive secretary of the NAD, shared that Adventists are still the fastest-growing Christian denomination in the United States, but he painted the current reality through a number of startling facts.

Bryant observed that between 2009 and 2015, “while [the NAD] baptized 251,166, our total membership losses were 132,988, 46 percent of all new members. We also face significant disparities between the Adventist Church and North American culture along age and concentration of our membership outside major metropolitan areas.”

Roger Hernandez, Southern Union Conference ministerial director, gave a presentation on evangelism in today’s culture that integrates good deeds (compassion), good will (connection), and good news (conversion).

Speaking to the mission overlap of Adventist hospitals and churches, Peter Bath, regional vice president for mission for Florida Hospital’s West

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standing ovation.

“In order to be effective in reaching others in these rapidly changing times, we must have not only a united vision but also an ongoing and active conversation that empowers our members, churches, pastors, and institutions to reach people in different ways according to their contexts,” said Dan Jackson in a message to church leaders before the eHuddle. “We’d like to see our NAD team [churches, pastors, schools, conferences, unions, hospitals, media ministries, colleges, and universities] collaborating together, learning from each other, and doing what it takes to fulfill our mission of reaching our territory with a lifestyle and a message of compassionate hope and of wholeness.” n

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Florida Region, spoke about hospitals as places of worship and churches as places of healing.

Several others, including pastors John Boston, from Columbus, Ohio; Teddy Bagassien, from Saint-Lambert, Montreal, Canada; Meshach Soli, from Beaumont, California; Ron Pickell, from Berkeley, California; and Tim Madding, from Beltsville, Maryland, shared their experiences with community impact, church planting, and engaging second-generation immigrant communities.

Patty Crouch, a lay pastor in Perry, Florida, shared her story of not only reviving a dead church, but having the privilege of baptizing her father. “He was there when I was born; I was there when he was reborn,” she said to a

TURN

Downtime INTO Uptime

awr.org/listen 800-337-4297

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Anna Romauld, associate chaplain at Southern Adventist University, answers questions about integrating small groups into young adult ministry in a campus environment.

Stream Subscribe Download AWR delivers messages of hope & help for daily life in more than 100 languages

And don’t forget to share with your family & community!

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May 2017 | Adventist World - nad

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Become the Soul Winner God Wants You to Be!

“This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations.”

—Matthew 24:14

Are you seeking to make an impact for God’s kingdom in your community … or around the world?

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Amazing Facts has distilled over 50 years of evangelistic expertise into a dynamic educational experience that will equip you to become a better soul winner, Bible worker, public evangelist, missionary—or whatever else God has called you to be!

“This dynamic program will transform your life—and teach you to win souls to the kingdom!”

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“Amazing Facts has been a light to the world for many years through its AFCOE program, and we look forward to them leading in the future.” —Ted Wilson, General Conference President “If I were pastoring a local church, I would call AFCOE and ask them if they could send any students as Bible instructors. AFCOE is one of our church’s most outstanding training programs.” —Mark Finley

AFCOE.ORG

NAD PERSPECTIVE

“Is This Thing On?”

A Social Media Perspective

In a departure from our regular Perspective column, the North American Division (NAD) has decided to share just a glimpse of the perspectives, questions, and comments that emerged from “Is This Thing On?”—a Facebook live event that aired from Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska, on March 14, 2017. The following is a small representation of the conversation with young adults that the NAD hopes will continue into the next event, which is being planned for the fall of 2017. Look for more reports on this continuing conversation.—Editors.

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dventist college and university student leaders asked questions on a wide range of topics during the first Facebook live event titled “Is This Thing On?” The twohour question-and-answer session with Dan Jackson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, and Alex Bryant, executive secretary, was held at Union College before the start of the Adventist Intercollegiate Association (AIA) convention. More than 200 questions came in before, during, and after the event viewed by almost 13,000 on March 14,* using the tag #NADnow.

“Is This Thing On?” is an intentional effort to reach as many young adult Adventists in North America as possible, and engage in a conversation on issues important to them using social media as the mode of communication.

“What I appreciated most about this event was how thoughtfully and purposefully it was put together to make sure as many people as possible could have their questions answered,” said Nicqelle Godfrey, La Sierra University Student Association president and AIA participant. “It was very clear that no question was treated as insignificant, which showed us how much the church earnestly wanted to

converse with us all.”

“I have a lot of respect for Adventist Church leaders, especially when they will dedicate such a large amount of time to the young adults in our church. I know their schedules are busy, yet their presence here at Union showed us how important we are to our church,” Godfrey added.

“I was most thankful for the opportunity to be able to work backstage with the social media team,” said Maylina Graham, a sophomore international relations major at Union. “It fit the theme of reaching out to the youth of the church.”

Graham added, “My thoughts about the Adventist Church and its leadership have changed. I feel that they are now concerned with our questions and our problems. . . . I know that they are actively listening and are ready to put our ideas into actions.”

In addition to favorable comments from many attendees, numerous young adults shared appreciation through tweets and posts. Here are a few: Garrison Hayes: “Really appreciate the candor of our [leaders].

Angelo Grasso posted: “Great job!

Really appreciated the transparency and willingness to tackle tough issues. Hope ya’ll do this again soon.

Would love to see issues around

mental health and addiction addressed in future episodes.”

Jada Lewis tweeted: “Thank you @ NADadventist for starting the conversation! #NADnow #ProudAdventist #NextGeneration.”

Michael Gibson tweeted: “Young adults: we are more than the future of the church. No matter age, if you are alive today you are the church now.”

Leonel Warner posted: “Thank you! It’s time for us as college students to stop saying we are the FUTURE. No, we ARE the church, we need to read and show ourselves approved so that we can carry on this message!”

Winnie Apidi tweeted: “I am the church. You are the church. We are the church. Don’t give up. We should stop taking the back bench as young people. Serve. #NADnow.”

Some reacted less favorably; here are two: “Esther Dearest” tweeted: “#NADnow should have been a chance for church leadership to listen and ask US questions instead. They aren’t saying anything new.”

Carolita Claus tweeted: “Now. Talk is great, but cheap. Will we see action? #ImTalkingToYouNAD Jackson, near the conclusion, encouraged the conversation to continue beyond the event. He also urged young adults to be involved in their local churches. “I never get discouraged about the Seventh-day Adventist Church when I’m around our young people,” he said. “Don’t give up. Assert yourself in a kind and godly way. Get involved. Speak up.” n For more information, check out the NAD Facebook Page (www.face book.com/NADAdventist); or visit ittoshow.org. * The number of views continues to climb; by March 19 it was 32,400.

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NAD Letters Sabbath Healing

I appreciated Ted N. C. Wilson’s article “A Day of Rest and Gladness,” about the Sabbath (March 2017). He pointed out the importance of the Sabbath as a deciding factor in end-time events.

However, I wondered about his remark that most of Christ’s healing miracles were performed on Sabbath.

Although Wilson used physical healing as an example, perhaps he was including spiritual healing as well.

While there are six recorded instances of Christ’s healing on the Sabbath, He traveled daily throughout Palestine, from town to town, healing people wherever He went.

Ellen White wrote in The Ministry of Healing (chapter 1) that everywhere Jesus went people thronged to Him for healing. When He left town, not be a sick person remained. No building in Palestine was big enough to serve as His hospital. In Capernaum, after the Sabbath, He healed people long into the night (chapter 2).

It seems that with the exception of four Sabbath healings, which were done to make a point, Jesus generally avoided healing on the Sabbath because it would have caused controversy, which would have interfered with His ministry.

Gerald Wade Yreka, California

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I am writing to strongly disagree with the pull-quote in Ted Wilson’s article about the Sabbath. If it wasn’t a pullquote, I wouldn’t be writing to protest.

I can think of only six recorded healings on the Sabbath. Even if there were 12, is Wilson saying that Jesus’ total healing ministry was fewer than 20 in three and half years of public ministry? After Peter’s mother-in-law was healed on the Sabbath, the whole city came to be healed after the Sabbath. Other places mentioned that after Christ had been there, not a sick person was left that was not healed. I think of 10 lepers healed, three separate resurrections, two blind men, etc.

Christ may have spent more time healing than preaching. This is important because the trend seems to be that in order not to appear to be legalistic, obedience to “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy” is almost forgotten.

L. Noel Fillman McDonald, Tennessee Hope for Our Educational System

Speaking from the trenches of an Adventist boarding academy community, I was greatly encouraged by the education emphasis in Adventist World (February 2017). It is heartening to know that the important challenges we perceive are being addressed by those in church administration.

These articles gave me hope for the future of our educational system, not only because of those who work on the front lines, but for those who protect and set up our system.

Thank you for devoting space to this important topic.

Jaclyn Knight New Market, Virginia

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Unity

Thank you for the article “Unity: Then and Now” (March 2017) and for the introduction to the subject of unity in the church. With all the issues trying to fragment the church, the article’s focus on Jesus and His Word is potentially unifying.

I pray we move from the theoretical to the practical. Finley addressed a primary challenge: too many people value the position they hold and are loath to move to what is deemed a lesser job. I hope the second part of the article moves to the intensely practical aspects of visible unity.

Some have recommended unifying conferences for potential financial savings. I recommend it as a means to correctly represent God and the unity He invites us to experience in Him. J. Fred Calkins Columbia, Kentucky I have to respectfully disagree with Mark Finley and his assessment of the modern demonstration of unity in the church.

Finley would have us believe that unity is based on some worldwide regimental adherence to doctrines and practices. And to deviate in the slightest is to invite disunity, confusion, and chaos.

As someone who has traveled widely, I know that Adventism varies widely around the world. True, we all hold to the same Fundamental Beliefs, and we all have a high regard for Scripture. But the way we interpret those beliefs and practice them is emphasized differently.

Years ago I would have condemned those differences, but now I celebrate them. They indicate that the Holy Spirit is an active agent in this movement.

Amira Richardson West Los Angeles, California

W O R L D

H E A L T H

By Peter N. Landless and Zeno L. Charles-Marcel

Keeping Children

Healthy

We are the grateful and somewhat frightened parents of our first baby.

We would value your counsel on how we can ensure that our son enjoys the best possible health, and how to lay foundations for a healthy life.

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aising a child is an awesome responsibility! James Dobson popularized this by titling one of his books Parenting Isn’t for Cowards. Yet centuries before Dobson the Bible and inspired counsel not only highlighted this but also promised courage.

What is done during pregnancy, infancy, and childhood is significant in promoting lifetime health—involving total, not just physical, well-being.

As concerned, loving parents who desire to be proactive, please note that habits influence health and that good health habits can be taught, but are better caught through modeling.

Your circumstances before and during pregnancy, even at childbirth, all influence your child’s health. Since you already have an infant, providing a physically, socially, and emotionally safe and secure environment is next.

Psychosocial and physical nurture are important during infancy, so breastfeed your child, cuddle him and be close, play, avoid accidents, and handle him cheerfully and carefully. Wellbaby checkups and medical preventive measures are part of the package, but your presence, love, correction, consisP H O T O :

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tency, orderliness, and predictability should not be underestimated.

Age-appropriate affirmation and positive discipline and progressive responsibility favor well-being. Avoid anything that the child may perceive as disruptive of family harmony, neglectful, violent, or abusive, since their presence may increase the risk of future heart disease, diabetes, anxiety, hypertension, depression, smoking, alcohol and drug use, promiscuity, and suicide. They may even decrease scholastic performance and emotional intelligence throughout life.

The socioeconomic status of parents, their education, culture, social circle, and the child’s neighborhood and school characteristics also affect health. Whatever your circumstances and means, do the best you can to create an environment “rich” in hope, opportunity, wisdom, faith, and constant learning to help the family engage in healthful behaviors and avoid unhealthful ones.

Regular church attendance and maintaining a wholesome relationship with God positively influence physical health and well-being and may lessen the effects of negative factors. Regular, consistent, and appropriate parent-child, child-child, and group activities promote health. Show your child that he is loved and valued, set positive and high expectations of him, allow him opportunities to be heard and to participate in family

matters. Encourage Christlike character building; these improve resilience.

We are counseled to learn the lessons of self-control, patience, forbearance, gentleness, and love to qualify ourselves to educate children properly; so, by God’s grace, acquire these.

Be interested and involved in your child’s world (home, church, school, and play), and teach him survival skills and resourcefulness in making good choices. Practice optimism, hygiene, forgiveness, and compassion, and live a disciplined, honest, gentle life. Your child will follow suit.

Show that you value and respect elders, peers, and strangers, and that you appreciate beauty and simplicity.

Be environmentally conscious as you enjoy the outdoors, and be involved in useful labor and physical and mental fitness. Continue to develop your talents, and be quick to serve others.

Take time for adequate rest and appropriate social interaction. Provide and enjoy a wholesome plant-based diet; avoid overeating; and make clean, pure water your beverage of choice.

Your child is likely to follow your example. Show him the benefit of being temperate in all things, as this is part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Live peaceably with everyone. Above all, show your delight in knowing and loving the One whom to know is life eternal, and live a life of faithful obedience to the One whom He sent. n

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

Zeno L. Charles-Marcel, a board-certified

internist, is an associate director of Adventist Health Ministries at the General Conference.

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Jesus Loves the (Little)

By Gerald A. Klingbeil

Children

Discovering the difference between being and doing

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hildren play an important role in Scripture.

When Adam and Eve were created in God’s image and likeness, their ability to have children was a small reflection of God’s creative power. Children were considered a divine blessing in the biblical world (Ps. 127: 3, 4; 128:3, 4). They even participated in worship and ritual (Ex. 13:8, 14). Every birth reminded parents that God had not forgotten them, that He would be faithful to His covenant blessings (Gen. 12:1-3). Abraham and Sarah without Isaac just doesn’t make sense.

The most famous baby in all of Scripture, however, must be Baby Jesus. His arrival marked the fulfillment of prophetic time and offered the most profound glimpse into God’s plan of salvation. “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14, ESV),1 the prophet Isaiah had written nearly 700 years earlier. Matthew recognizes the baby as the fulfillment of this prophecy (Matt. 1:23).

Jesus, the Savior of the world, comes as a baby and grows like so many children before Him and after Him. Those who paid attention recognized Him as the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15 and all the other messianic prophecies of the Old Testament.

In the Trenches

We know very little about Jesus’ childhood, but upon turning 30 years of age, He steps into history’s limelight

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(Luke 3:23). He heals, He touches, He embraces, He listens—and yes, He also preaches and teaches.

Jesus offers a unique view on how God sees children as He makes time for the children surrounding Him. His disciples do not always seem to get that. How can the Master take precious time to embrace and bless some children brought to Him by their parents? Plans needed to be made; sermons needed to be preached; leaders needed to be convinced and won over.

Yet Jesus loves the children. “To us these scenes are moving,” writes biblical scholar Roy Zuck. “But to Jesus’ close followers, his actions were disturbing, his words were stunning.”2 Jesus seems to turn conventional wisdom on its head.

Children needed to learn from the adults surrounding them. Parents were tasked to guide the young toward God’s kingdom. They could understand the plan. They could make sense of the senseless. They could explain—or could they?

Here is Jesus’ take on conventional truth: You want to enter God’s kingdom? OK, become like little children (Matt. 18:3).

You want to be great in God’s eyes? Fine, humble yourself like a little child (verse 4).

You want to welcome Me? No problem: welcome one of these little children (Mark 9:37).

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The prodigal is not ready for the father’s love.

You want to be on God’s good side? Well, don’t cause any of these little ones who believe in me to sin (verse 42).

Why Children?

Why did Jesus repeatedly point to children as He introduced the extension and principles of His kingdom?

Jesus surely knew that humanity—all humanity, including also children—needed redemption and divine grace. We all are sinners falling short of righteousness—no matter how old we are.

Jesus’ embrace of children as object lessons as He shared the good news highlights a key characteristic of a child that is true in every culture. Children know that they need help. When they hurt, they run crying to Mommy or Daddy. When they are hungry, they cry and let us know that there is a problem. Unlike a newly-born foal or calf that starts walking within hours and knows how to suckle from its mother, human babies will die if no one takes care of them. Could it be that Jesus wants to teach us to recognize our helplessness and dependence—particularly in a culture of self-improvement extolling the “we can do it” winner mentality? Do we recognize our need—and then run into the arms of our heavenly Father?

What about hierarchy and curried favors? “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Matt. 18:1) reminds us that true greatness involves humility and meekness— two characteristics that are in short supply in today’s selfie-minded social media world. Mark tells us in his retelling of the story that the disciples had argued about who was the greatest as they walked into Capernaum (Mark 9:33-35). Greatness in God’s kingdom means forgetting oneself in service to others. Ultimately, as noted by Zuck, it means that “since greatness is found in the least, then all are great, and there is no place for wrangling over rank.”3 A sobering thought in the midst of a world obsessed by hierarchy and status.

Is Jesus still speaking to His church today?

The Parent-God

Jesus included many stories about fathers and sons. His most famous one is recounted in Luke 15. We know it as the parable of the prodigal son. A younger son demands his share of the father’s fortune and manages to run through the cash in record time. At rock bottom and hungry, he remembers his father and decides to come home.

He recognizes his guilt; he knows that he has messed up; he has prepared his stump speech and is ready.

But he is not ready for the father’s love. Here is somebody who kept a close watch on the road leading up to the home, hoping for the improbable. Every day the father waited for his son to come home.

When he sees the forlorn and ragged person making his way slowly toward the house, he knows who this must be.

He doesn’t have to think twice. He picks up his garments— and runs as fast as he can. His son has come home. Forgiveness is extended, a new beginning, grace we can see.

When Jesus tells the story, He has a number of audiences. There were Pharisees and teachers of the law who didn’t like the fact that tax collectors and sinners were drawing close to the Master (Luke 15:1, 2). They, like the older brother, thought that grace was limited and conditional. The Father (with a capital F), however, extends grace unconditionally. After all, this is His son or daughter who had been lost but now is found.

Enough Grace

Children can accept unmerited favor. Their trust is literal—not theological or abstract. Instinctively they are drawn to Jesus. When we sang “Jesus loves the little children” with my three girls when they were younger, they always sang loud and noisily and with gusto—there was no hesitation. They knew this to be true, because Jesus had said so.

During Jesus’ earthly ministry His love for the children around Him and His interaction with them functioned as a paradigm of God’s kingdom. Humility, service, acceptance, trust, and dependence on unmerited grace are all key values in this kingdom. In a world that values self-determination and assertiveness, becoming like a child can be a tough act. But that’s exactly what Jesus told us to do—and that’s no child’s play. n 1 Scripture

quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

2 Roy B. Zuck, Precious in His Sight: Childhood and Children in the Bible (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996), p. 201.

3 Ibid., p. 209.

Gerald A. Klingbeil is an associate editor of

Adventist World. He has learned many valuable lessons from watching his three daughters loving Jesus just as He is.

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A D V E N T I S T

L I F E

By Beth Thomas

How to make your local church a better place for children

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ervously I walked into our small country church for the first time. My husband was being introduced as pastor of the twochurch district, and it was my first Sabbath juggling our 14-month-old son and 5-year-old daughter alone.

The historic structure wasn’t equipped with a special room to escape to with my toddler, and he could be easily heard from anywhere in the sanctuary. I was so concerned about the disruption it might cause that I hardly heard the sermon. After the service an older, soft-spoken gentleman approached me. “You know,” he said, “I used to get a little irritated by noise from kids during the sermon.

But now I enjoy it! It means our church is alive.” The members embraced our children with love, and we felt we’d found our home.

Yes, our church is alive. As of 2014 more than 1,796,000 children under the age of 15 were found in our congregations.1 This energetic group is the future of our movement. What are we doing to prepare them to take the helm? How are we ministering to them and raising up leaders?

Building a Foundation

Jesus, during His ministry on earth, spent considerable time with children.

He recognized important character qualities in them. While talking with His disciples, Jesus admonished,

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“Unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3, HCSB).2 Children are tenderhearted, not yet jaded by a critical spirit. They are sensitive, simple, and accepting. If the seeds of truth are planted in the soil of their heart and cultivated while they are still young, “when [they are] old, [they] will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6, KJV).

Developing a solid children’s ministry program in your congregation is important for several reasons. First, it acts as a support system for parents as they seek to disciple their children. Second, it provides a secure environment, through weekly Sabbath School and other programs, for children to develop a relationship with Jesus. Third, it offers training opportunities to develop leadership qualities in the youth. Fourth, it gives children occasion to use their talents and gifts in service to others.

Let’s explore these a bit further.

A Support System

As a parent, my goal for my children is for them to have a personal, living relationship with Jesus. I want them to learn to love His church and find their identity in being a Seventhday Adventist Christian preparing to meet Jesus. I want them to be faithful, not just in church attendance but in lifestyle, tithing, and devotion. I want them to be mission minded, not sim-

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ply maintaining the status quo.

An efficient, well-oiled children’s ministries program can help parents, like me, with these goals. Local church children’s ministries coordinators should talk with families, assess needs, and convey all concerns to the pastor and board. Programs such as children’s prayer meeting, baptismal classes, children’s choir, youth Sabbath or children’s church, youth retreats, or Vacation Bible School can then be planned, where children can grow and learn in an age-appropriate atmosphere.

A Secure Environment

According to The Children’s Ministries Coordinator handbook: “Children are individuals with emotional, social, physical, spiritual, and mental needs.

They are not miniature adults. They all need love and care. They need to be free to play, explore, create, and express themselves. They need to be instructed with the right values and be challenged to learn and master new skills and knowledge. When they are in our care, we need to offer a safe environment where children feel welcomed, valued, and accepted.”3 Church should be a safe place for all ages, but especially for our children.

In this age of rampant abuse, it is our duty to protect them and surround them with an environment of trust.

Children feel secure when they are loved unconditionally. They respect

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church members who take the time to listen, who really take an interest in them. Members should show children appropriate attention, but also familiarize themselves with church policy regarding appropriate interaction with youth. Children’s ministries can provide education on what is proper.

Raising Up Leaders

Another facet of children’s ministry provides opportunities for children to discover their talents and abilities. Children can be involved in every aspect of the Sabbath service, from leading songs, collecting offering and reading Scripture, to delivering the Sabbath sermon.

This enables them to take ownership of their church, becoming an integral part of the growth and life of the congregation. It requires some effort on the part of church leaders to coordinate programs and provide mentoring to young people, but what better place to invest their time and wisdom?

Some congregations dedicate a special Sabbath every quarter as children’s church or youth Sabbath. The entire service is planned by youth, with guidance from children’s ministries and/or Pathfinder leaders, as well as a youth pastor, if the church has one. This is a fantastic outreach opportunity! One of the teens in our church invited her family and friends who were nonmembers to come listen to her special music. They attended

and were blessed by the program.

Leadership qualities can also be cultivated by involving youth in service-based ministries. These offer hands-on, tangible experiences for them to “establish a pattern of outreach…that may well continue through life.”4 Children are fearless.

They’ll knock on a door and leave a brochure; they’ll ask for donations of food for the hungry; they’ll ask a stranger if they’d like to be prayed for.

And they’ll get results!

Children around the world are finding their voice, preaching, teaching, and witnessing for Jesus. Imagine if they had never been given the opportunity to use their gifts.

Today’s Challenge

We live in a consumer-driven culture. The attitude “What’s in it for me?” has polluted the church, too. The happiest congregations, those that are growing and retaining members, are missional in nature, not looking for what they can get out of church, but what they can contribute.

In the same way, my child’s spiritual happiness is not the responsibility of the Sabbath School superintendent, pastor, or children’s ministries coordinator.

They are there to offer support, assistance, and grace-filled programming for me to take advantage of, but ultimately it is my God-given responsibility.

We can have the most child-

friendly church in the world, with the most engaging programs, but if we are not training our children to love and obey Christ (instilling within their hearts a desire to know and serve Him) at home, future church attendance for them will become irrelevant.

Instead of creating disciples, we will have fashioned Adventist consumers who sit idly occupying a pew each week, completely disconnected.

So how are we preparing our children to be true leaders and find their place in the church? By building a solid biblical foundation at home, by taking advantage of church support and programming, and by providing them with a secure, nonthreatening environment to stretch their wings.

If you’d like more information on organizing a children’s ministry in your church, visit www.gcchildmin.org. n 1 Office

of Archives, Statistics, and Research, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 2016 Annual Statistical Report, p. 8, http://documents.adventistarchives.org/Statistics/ASR/ ASR2016.pdf.

2 Bible texts credited to HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

3 The Children’s Ministries Coordinator, p. 13, www.gcchildmin. org/pdf/chmcoordinatorbook/chapter6.pdf.

4 Ibid., p. 7, www.gcchildren.org/pdf/chmcoordinatorbook/ entirebook.pdf.

Beth Thomas is a

freelance writer living in Maryland, United States.

She is a happy wife, and mother to two future leaders.

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Teaching children our fundamental beliefs doesn’t need to

Passing On O

By Linda Mei Lin Koh

P H O T O :

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n the hustle and bustle of everyday life, how do we parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles find time to talk about our faith to the children in our lives?

As we shuttle them between school, music lessons, swimming class, birthday parties, and doctors’ appointments, how do we find the time to encourage our children, through the ups and downs of growing up, to turn to God for guidance? Do we intentionally carve out time to talk to our children about God and how He can be their lifelong friend?

The Bible mandates parents to pass on our faith to the next generation. Through Moses God says, “And these words which I command you shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deut. 6:6, 7).

Intentional teaching needs to begin with children at a very young age, because these are the most “impressionable” years of knowing and accepting Jesus. George Barna’s research shows that 32 percent of children accepted Jesus below the age of 13 years of age. He further reiterates: “What you do with children is the most important ministry thrust you will ever undertake.

Why? Because the moral, spiritual, and relational foundations of people’s lives are determined primarily by the age of 13.

After that point it is very difficult—and rare—to change those moorings. A child by 13, is pretty much who he or she will be for the rest of their life in terms of beliefs, values, morals, relational emphases, and ideas about faith.”1 Ellen White concurs. “It is still true that children are the most susceptible to the teachings of the gospel; their hearts are open to divine influences, and strong to retain the lessons received. The little children may be Christians, having an experience in accordance with their years. They need to be educated in spiritual things, and

parents should give them every advantage, that they may form characters after the similitude of the character of Christ.”2 Teaching Our Fundamental Beliefs

Today’s children are so skilled with computers, iPads, podcasts, and the Internet that many parents are asking how we go about teaching these “techy” children the fundamental beliefs of our church. How do we help them learn correct theological ideas in a fun and meaningful way? Here are a few suggestions.

Table Talk: This is simply “talk time” at mealtimes. When families sit down for their meals, parents can chat with their children about relevant topics of the day. For example, during mealtime mom can ask children what they like or dislike about the food they are eating. Then parents can discuss the importance of making good choices of what we eat, as our body is the temple of God. Use Table Talk, a resource developed by the South Pacific Division Children’s Ministries for families to use at mealtimes.

Children today live in a diverse environment with friends and classmates from many nationalities, languages, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds. They may experience or witness prejudice and discrimination against certain ethnic groups at school. This is a great opportunity to introduce the Unity in the Body of Christ belief.

Encourage children to ask questions and help them find answers from the Bible about how we treat others who are different from us. n Download Apps, Videos, and Computer Games: This generation of technologically savvy children is excellent with iPhones, iPads, notebooks, You Tube, Instagram, and Twitter. They are captivated by fast-moving and action-packed movements on the screen. Thus learning must be fun and engaging. Parents can capitalize on this to teach our beliefs to their children by introducing them to interesting and interactive computer games. The Pitcairn app is May 2017 | Adventist World - nad

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one recent example. It is a fun game that helps children learn about Ellen White and the pioneers of the Adventist Church. Debrief with them, after they have played the game, by asking questions and listening to their thoughts and feelings as they learn about the gift of prophecy. Children and teens can also watch the movie Tell the World: The Inspiring Story of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which is stored on a paper USB card that they can carry around to share with others. It highlights the Advent movement and the role of Ellen White in founding our church.

All sorts of apps and computer games about health teach healthy habits that parents can introduce to children, such as Awesome Eats and PBS Kids—Healthy Habits Game. Other

fun games and activities are available at www.healthyactivekids.com.au, www.heart.org and many others that children can try.

To help children and teens appreciate creation, parents can introduce them to The Creation Case, an excellent DVD that captures their interests as they study the evidence of creation as in fundamental belief 6. Never miss the opportunity to debrief with your children after watching the video, for such reflection and interpretation help youngsters understand important biblical truths. n Use Storytelling: Children love stories, and parents can help them understand doctrines and beliefs through this medium. For example, in teaching them about stewardship, a father told the story of a family’s faith-

fulness in tithing, even when they knew there would be no food on the table the next day. The family gathered to pray to God, trusting in Him that He would supply all their needs. Right after their prayer there was a knock on the door. When it was opened, the

Children’s ministries program idea from around the world

All Are

Precious in His Sight

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While parents are doing their part in nurturing the faith of their children at home, the church has set up children’s ministries to provide additional opportunities for building the faith of our little ones. Children’s ministries throughout our divisions, unions, and conferences around the world have created many outstanding programs to nurture children’s faith.

They are creative, interactive,

Children learn the power of prayer in Korea.

and appealing to children and teens. While there are many that I have participated in, the following ones stood out as some of the most effective and fun to do. Perhaps you can try these ideas out yourselves!

Children’s Prayer Camps/Conference The Korean Union Conference has been running these prayer camps annually.

Children from all over the union

father was surprised to see two big baskets of food on the porch. God rewarded the family’s faithfulness when they trusted Him. Ask questions, such as “Is it easy to be faithful to God when you know that you may go to bed hungry?” “Is it easy

to trust God in difficult times?” This is an excellent teachable moment to talk about being good managers for God. n Involve Children in Real-Life Experiences: Getting our children and teens involved in real-life experiences is another effective way of teach-

ing the beliefs of the church. For example, when you teach about spiritual gifts, get your children to identify their spiritual gifts and then encourage them to serve in church programs and other community projects. If Justin has the gift of singing, let him join the children’s choir to sing at a senior citizen home on Sabbath afternoons.

For Maria, who is gifted artistically, let her help paint the backdrop for Vacation Bible School.

If your child’s friend is getting baptized, witnessing the service is vital. Talk about what baptism means.

Encourage them to decide to follow Jesus and prepare to be baptized themselves. Allow children to ask questions. Share your own experience when you were baptized and the blessings you have received since then.

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enjoy two and a half days of fellowship together. They participate in prayer activities, individual prayers, prayer walks, and prayer seminars. Children come away strengthened by a deeper experience with Jesus through prayer, and a better understanding of prayer. One conference director remarked, “It’s so exciting and satisfying to see children learn to talk to Jesus so passionately.”

The North Philippine Union Conference organized its first union-wide prayer conference for 500 children in 2015. “We didn’t expect so many children, but they kept coming. Nothing gives me greater joy than to

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Programming at a children’s health expo in Peru is all about the kids.

see children take time to pray personally to God,” says Norlin Cadapan, children’s ministries director. Children learn prayer journaling as well as how to be involved in various types of prayer activities, such as ACTS

(adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication), popcorn prayer, prayer walks, etc.

Children’s Health EXPO This is the one of the most exciting events for

children within the church as well as for outreach to community children. Health EXPOs are held in many unions in Kazakhstan, Russia, Indonesia, Europe, South America, the United States,

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died, explain to them about death as taught in the Bible, and the church’s position regarding what happens to those who die. n Fun Learning With Scientific Illustrations and Object Lessons: Children are intrigued and fascinated by experiments and object lessons. It’s a fun way to teach Bible truths and

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and several other countries.

They can be held in shopping malls, schools, or churches.

Children come for a one-day event, during which they participate in learning about healthful living. They are involved in lots of activities in each of the eight stations that teach them about nutrition, exercise, water, sunshine, temperance, air, rest, and trust in God, which forms the NEWSTART program. One little girl from the Kazakhstan health EXPO said to me, “I love this! I not only get to eat, but I learn many things.

I want to tell my mama about this.”

(under your discretion, of course) about recent tragic events and have your children read them. Allow them to ask questions and lead them to explore how this fits into the big picture of the great controversy between God and Satan. Relate these events to the promise of a better home with Jesus in heaven. For those who

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To teach them about the Growing in Christ belief, we connect children with Him through prayer, Bible study, and witnessing. Involve children in different types of prayer activities, such as popcorn prayers, musical prayers, or scripture prayers. Have a family prayer book for prayer requests so everyone can pray for them. Take your children to the park or bus stop on Sabbath to share some tracts with others. Show them how and what to say when they give a tract to someone. n Capitalize on Current Events to Teach Bible Truths: Today’s children are bombarded with a lot of bad news from the media that may cause anxiety and fear. This is the most conducive time for parents to draw their children’s attention to Bible truths and our beliefs. Use newspaper clippings

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Little Trumpets child preachers learn to proclaim the gospel.

Ellen White Camps/ Programs Children love camps, and this type of camp provides them with fun, fellowship, and opportunities to learn about the foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

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Southern Asia-Pacific Division Children’s Ministries uses the Pathway of the Pioneers CDs and Michael Asks Why (an adaptation of The Great Controversy for children).

The South American Division Children’s Ministries

Department has developed a program called Yo conozco mi historia (Spanish) and Eu Conheço a Minha História (Portuguese), which helps children “know their story” about Ellen G. White and the Adventist pioneers. “We used

fundamental beliefs. For example, if you want to teach about how sin separates us from God but salvation from Jesus brings us back to God, demonstrate that by heating a balloon with a candle until it pops. A balloon filled with water will not pop, even when put directly into a candle flame.

This demonstrates how just as one sin hurts our connection to God, the protection provided from the “living water” is like the protection we receive through salvation. Both are priceless yet free, available to everyone, and necessary for life, physical or eternal.

To explain the doctrine of the Trinity, show them a glass of water, some ice cubes, and steam from a boiling pot. Ask, “Does water appear just in one form?” Talk about water as a liquid, solid (ice), and gas (steam).

this two years ago, and we include these stories during the worship hour each Sabbath,” said Graciela Hein, division children’s ministries director. “It has been a blessing!”

In the same way, our one God is in the person of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. n Use Art, Music, and Drama: Younger children can grasp religious concepts better through art, music, or drama than words. Teach children songs that illustrate Bible doctrines.

When learning about creation, children can sing, “My God Is So Big,” “Who Made the Beautiful Rainbow?” and others. Children can role-play Moses coming down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments, then parents can talk about the importance of obeying God and our parents.

As each child is unique from another, so must be our approaches to teaching them. Because we love our children and pray for their salvation, our daily goals must include a com-

Young Preachers’ Clubs/Festival Children who have the gift of preaching enjoy this event.

They gather for two or three days of training as they learn

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mitment to finding ways to impart our core values and church belief system in ways that matter to our them and are appropriate for whatever stage of development they are in.

After all, if heaven is our goal, what could be greater than helping our children make that their goal too? n 1 Mark

Holmen, Church+Home; The Proven Formula for Building Lifelong Faith (Bloomington, Minn.: Bethany House Publishers, 2010), p. 9.

2 Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1898), p. 515.

Children’s Ministries director for the General Conference of Seventhday Adventists in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.

how to preach. The South Philippine Union Conference, under the leadership of Edgar Inglis, runs The Little Trumpets child preachers clubs two or three times a year in different conferences or missions. Children come together to learn how to craft a simple sermon, how to deliver sermons effectively, and how to conduct Bible studies. When I asked Edgar why he wants

Young women from Cuba enjoy making music together.

Linda Mei Lin Koh is

to run these clubs, he smiled broadly: “I just love to preach!

I was a child preacher at the age of 5, and I want to inspire other kids to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ!”

The Indian Ocean Union organized a child preacher’s festival to celebrate 600 child preachers who conducted evangelistic meetings at their church for one week.

This festival was held on Sabbath and was officiated by children. There were also children’s choirs and interesting dramas. Child preachers’ clubs are also found in the South American and Inter-American divisions.

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Tools You Can Use

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Charles Mills and Linda Koh, God Loves Me 28 Ways. Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 2006.

Adriana Femopase, Learn About God’s Love activities book. Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 2006.

Jerry Thomas, What We Believe for Kids. Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 2006.

Jerry Thomas, Step by Step. Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 2008.

Seth J. Pierce, What We Believe for Teens. Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2007.

Sing About God’s Love (songs of fundamental beliefs), 2007 Shawna Vyhmeister and Sonia Krumm, Celebrations! Healthy Inside Out! Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 2014.

Amanda Bews, Healthy Inside Out: Fun Skits for Kids. Nampa, Idaho, Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 2014.

Richard Aguilera, The Creation Case. Silver Spring, Md.: General Conference Children’s Ministries, 2015.

Adventist Fun-da-Mentals infographic posters. Silver Spring, Md.: North American Division of SDAs. Kimberley Tagert-Paul, God’s Ten Promises. Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 2010.

Saustin Mfune and Dumisani Mfune, A Musical Journey: Pro-Active Kids Adventure in the Celebrations Castle! Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 2014.

Pitcairn game. www.ellenwhite.org.

Table Talk. South Pacific Division Children’s Ministries, 2012

Children’s music festivals are well-attended in Vietnam.

Tomorrow’s preachers are today’s children!

Children’s Music Festival/Camp Children are given opportunities to use their

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musical gifts and talents.

Children gather for a day or two of a musical extravaganza that includes demonstrations of musical instruments, mimes, choral works, etc.

This is followed by musical

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Handbook for Training Child Preachers.

Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division Children’s Ministries, 2014.

Karen Holford and Linda Koh, My Quiet Time With Jesus Prayer Calendar and Journal. Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 2014.

performances by the children.

Community kids are also invited to join the festival.

The Croatian Conference Children’s Ministries Departments has been running a summer music festival for a couple years now. It opens great opportunities for them to get acquainted with parents and other community people not in the church. Many have been introduced to Jesus.  Connecting children to God should be our priority. But today’s parents consistently battle issues of having no time. It’s indeed hard to find the time, but we can always

make time for the important task of connecting our children with the God who loves them unconditionally. Let the home and the church be intentional in teaching our children to love and adore Him. We can help them understand biblical truths as expressed in the fundamental beliefs of our church, and use creative ways to build their relationship with Jesus.

Nothing is more thrilling than seeing our children accept their Savior and grow in their faith!

Just for Kid s!

The following stories first appeared in recent editions of KidsView, which is Adventist Review’s magazine for children ages 8-12. “KidsView is the Adventist Review for kids, and those who always will be kids at heart.”

The Headless

Ghost

By Benjamin Baker as told by the late C. D. Brooks

The Brooks family lived in the country, but every day Charles and his brother and sisters attended school in the city. A yellow bus stopped in front of their house, collected them, then dropped them back home after school.

In winter, when the sun went down early, many activities occurred at night. So if you wanted to have any fun in those days, you couldn’t be afraid of the dark.

This would not be a problem for those who had a car, or someone to pick them up. But when Charles or his siblings missed the school bus to attend nighttime activities, getting home could be daunting. The last city bus of the day disembarked at a wealthy subdivision called Fairfield. From there Charles had to walk a mile and a half through dark country streets and pitch-black forests to get home.

If you stayed out too late, your “punishment” was to get off at Fairfield and walk alone through the “valley of the shadow of death.” After a mile on the highway, a path snaked through a forest whose trees shielded the stars, making it so dark as to seem suffocating. Night creatures moved all around, and the noises of crunching leaves and snapping twigs were enough to drive one mad. Owls hooted, and in the slivers where the moon penetrated the octopus-tentacled tree branches, one would see bat wings beating a sinister rhythm.

To get to the Brooks home, Charles had to cross two creeks and the infamous Hatcher Plantation. Hatcher was a strange man, a tobacco farmer, of whom everyone in the county was frightened. He had five vicious dogs that roamed his property, and if you wanted to cross it without being detected by them, you had to tiptoe across a patch of sand, being sure to not make a sound.

Charles always knew he was nearing home when he glimpsed the porch light that his mother always left on at night. There remained just one more obstacle S T O C K

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The Best Sec

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n 1894 the first camp meeting in Australia was held, and Ellen White was to be the guest speaker.

People from near and far flocked to the campgrounds. Soon a city of tents popped up.

Unfortunately, all this activity got a lot of attention, and in the city nearby a gang of teenagers also decided to visit the camp meeting. The Brighton gang attacked at night when everyone was asleep and threw stones and pulled down a tent.

Those in charge of the camp meeting heard rumors that the gang was planning on coming back—with rein-

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man on the hill. Still there was no movement, the white shirt rippling slightly when a soft wind wafted past.

Next Charles called to the man. He knew it didn’t make sense to speak to a headless corpse, but what else could he do after the man didn’t budge at rocks thrown his way? The figure still didn’t respond, but as Charles got closer, the white shirt gleamed brighter in the moonlight.

When he was about 70 feet (21 meters) from the top of the hill, Charles had to stoop and crawl beneath the barbed wire that snaked around Schloser’s Pasture. Once through, he manfully approached the hill. When he was within 50 feet (15 meters) of the figure he stopped, refocused, and broke into a relieved laugh.

The “headless man” was a tree stripped bare of its leaves, its branches on either side looking like outstretched limbs. The “white shirt” was an elaborate spiderweb circling the tree many times. The silk of the web gleamed bright in the moonlight, appearing bleached white.

From that night on, Charles never doubted his beliefs again. This was the secret to the power of his later ministry, in which he brought some 14,000 people to Jesus.

In the times we are living in, it is popular to doubt everything and stand for nothing. If you do have beliefs, they are challenged daily by what you see and hear on the Internet, TV, popular music, etc. So kids grow up without really believing in anything, because whenever their beliefs are questioned, they can’t meet the challenge.

The Bible says we are to fight for our beliefs (Jude 3). This means that when a person, idea situation, show, conversation—whatever—causes you to question your principles, you must pray about it, see what the Bible says, then use your brain to come to a conclusion.

Throughout it all, know that God is with you in the darkest night of doubt.

If you stay near Him and see His counsel, He will always show you the truth.

—February 2016 KidsView

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when the light was visible: Schloser’s Pasture. Schloser was a butcher who was only a little less strange than Hatcher. Throughout the day and part of the night the old man could be seen on his porch, rocking trancelike in his chair. A glimpse of Schloser at night seemed to cut that time home in half.

One night Charles stayed late in the city talking with friends while drinking a soda. It so happened that he was the only one in the group who lived in the country, so he had to walk home alone. Stepping off the bus at Fairfield, Brooks entered the forest, which seemed downright abysmal that night. Hearing movement all around him, he hurried his pace.

Charles maneuvered through Hatcher Plantation without incident and soon approached Schloser’s Pasture. As he came into the clearing that afforded a full view of the forsaken land, he stopped dead in his tracks.

On a hill about 100 yards (91 meters) away in Schloser’s Pasture was a sight that made his blood run cold.

Silhouetted by the moonlight was a tall man wearing a white shirt, both arms stretched out. The man had no head.

Charles stood staring, his spine tingling. He squinted, rubbed his eyes, then squinted again. Was he seeing things? To his eyes this looked like a ghost, wandering the countryside under a full moon.

But Charles didn’t believe in ghosts.

The Bible states that “the dead know nothing” (Eccl. 9:5). Charles believed the dead were dead, awaiting the second coming of Jesus. But here was a headless apparition in plain sight, apparently contradicting this belief.

Charles sank to his knees. He prayed that God would clear this up, and give him understanding. While in prayer he couldn’t help stealing glances at the sinister figure on the rise. Eerily, it hadn’t moved an inch since he first saw it.

Finally, Charles rose and began walking toward the figure. He felt stones under his feet, so he picked up a couple and threw them toward the

I

travel a lot. Here’s an experience I had on a recent United Airlines flight from Los Angeles, California, to Dallas, Texas.

The plane arrived 30 minutes late from San Francisco, California. The crew in Los Angeles hurried to prepare the plane for the next trip to Dallas, Texas. When it was time to board, I walked onto the Jetway. Right before the door to enter the plane, an elderly

ecurity

By Chantal J. Klingbeil

SYSTEM

forcements. The police were called in to help keep law and order. A big, tough police officer was assigned to protect Ellen White.

While some people may have thought of packing up and going home, Ellen White was not frightened.

Her guardian angel had saved her from so many attacks in the past that this new threat didn’t worry her at all.

After the evening meeting Ellen White went to her tent and fell asleep in perfect peace. Outside the police officer patrolled the campgrounds.

Not long after midnight the officer was passing near Ellen White’s tent.

The Do-Good woman sat in a wheelchair waiting to get on. I was first in line after her, and a long line quickly grew behind us.

Suddenly the captain of the airplane stepped out from the plane door. He held out his arms and helped the woman out of the wheelchair. The woman slowly stood on unsteady feet, holding a cane in one hand. The captain picked up her bag and sweater and helped her walk onto the plane.

Once inside, he asked me to wait while he made sure that the woman was seated comfortably. All the while the line continued to grow behind me, with people anxious to get to their seat on the plane.

I was so surprised by the pilot’s unexpected kindness. I wanted people to know how much the pilot carefully

B A S T I O N

He stopped as he saw a light suddenly appear over her tent. He kept staring as the light got brighter and took on the form of an angel in the silvery light. At this the police officer turned and ran all the way back to the police station. He explained that he was really not needed at the camp, because an angel was on duty there!

The next day the officer came back,

Pilot

R I C C A R D I

not to patrol the campgrounds, but to hear Ellen White speak. What she said was obviously important if it warranted an angel bodyguard. At this camp meeting that same officer gave his heart to Jesus.

It’s good to be reminded that we each have our own unseen heavenly bodyguard too!

—March 2016 KidsView

By Andrew McChesney

cared for an older passenger, even though the plane was late. As soon as I sat down in my seat, I put a message on Twitter: “Impressed: @United captain helps frail old woman onto LAXDFW flight. #Heroesinlife.”

Even though the takeoff was delayed, the plane landed in Dallas two hours and 20 minutes later—11 minutes ahead of schedule!

I was determined to learn the name of this kind captain. At the plane’s exit door I asked the flight attendant. She smiled and motioned to the open cockpit door. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?” she said.

Captain Tuong Nguyen looked surprised at my question. I thanked him for his kindness to the elderly woman. I reached out my hand in

appreciation. Captain Nguyen smiled as he shook my hand, the same hand he used to assist the woman. I could tell that he considered his good deed to be part of his job.

Is taking time to show kindness to a person important? The Bible says: “And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good” (2 Thess. 3:13, NIV). Kindness is important, even when we are running behind schedule. Kindness can have its own reward. Even though our flight was running late, the pilot took the time to assist the passenger, and we landed early.

My prayer is: Help me, Lord, never to grow tired of doing good. I hope that’s your prayer too.

—October 2016 KidsView

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Why We

By Daniel R. Jackson

Seven principles for working for God through His grace

N A D F E AT U R E

This article is based on the opening address at the 2017 Adventist Ministries Convention in Tucson, Arizona. Some of the characteristics of the oral presentation have been retained.—Editors.

I

praise God for everything that has been done in the North American Division. But I want to ask some questions. Why all the effort? Why do we work? What is it that God does when He reaches into our lives and draws us into involvement? What principles of grace do we find?

I’ll answer with a familiar story. Let’s start with Exodus 3:2: “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.”

One day an old man sets out to take care of his sheep.

He’s been doing it for years, but things change, and the very next day this same old man sets out to become the leader of God’s people, the builder of a nation. How did that happen? How was this modest old shepherd convinced to give up the quiet life for the challenging life of leadership?

The answer is found in the words in that text: “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him.” Without the experience, or that experience, the Moses we have come to know through Scripture would never have existed. He would have remained a shepherd. But something transformational took place; something radical changed his life.

Moses was 80 years of age when he saw the burning bush. He was no longer the macho man who had killed an Egyptian. He was now comfortable with his life in Midian. He had a family and wealth; he was well positioned for retirement.

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None of us can hope to keep the fire of faith burning if we let go of our own personal relationship with God.

Principle One

God does not call individuals based on age, gender, race, geography, or human convenience.

Rather, He does it upon His determinant will as sovereign God of the universe. We need to recognize that. The call of God comes to all people, not to just a few.

Listen to Joel 2:28, 29: “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”

God is not limited by the barriers and the walls that human beings superficially erect as qualifications for ministry and life. He works freely with all who are willing. God does not have limits; and human beings cannot place limits on God. While Moses was in Egypt he made the false assumption that he was ready to take the reins of leadership. As a result, he wound up in Midian. After 40 years in Midian he concluded that he was not ready to lead. And it is precisely at that point that God brought him into leadership. God’s response to Moses’ self-doubt was rapid. In plain terms God was saying, Of course you’re not capable, but I will be with you. Tell them that the eternal, the immutable, the omnipotent, the omniscient, the omnipresent God is with you.

You don’t have to be afraid.

Principle Two

God’s invitation to service brings with it the dual promises of His imminent presence and His protective care.

The grace of God will never lead us where the grace and the love of God cannot keep us. In other words, the safest place in the world for you and me to be is within the circle of God’s will, and in the place God wants us to be.

During the days of Jehoshaphat, God gave His message to Judah: “Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor

dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s’ ” (2 Chron. 20:15).

To the shepherd David He made the statement: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me” (Ps. 23:4).

To you and me living in 2017, we hear the words of Jesus echo down through time and space: “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

Principle Three

If we want to know what is going on, we need to be where the people are.

When we look at the ministry of Jesus, we read these words in Matthew 9:36: “When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” Jesus was found where the people were.

We sometimes forget what ministry is about. We can plan and create programs, but if they do not emerge out of the needs of people, in the church or in the community, they may mean little or nothing, in spite of our best efforts.

We cannot remain aloof just because we have a position, just because we’ve had it for umpteen years. We cannot remain aloof.

Principle Four

Without the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit we can adopt distorted views of God’s work and how it ought to be carried out.

Moses goes to where the people are. He sees their plight.

And without another thought he pounces on the brute abusing the Israelites. Using all his might he not only subdues the man, but kills him. The Bible account says that Moses glanced this way and that, and, seeing no one, killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. One blow for freedom, Moses-style. And with a shovel he hides every May 2017 | Adventist World - nad

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C O M M U N I C AT I O N S N A D

“There are times we think that God doesn’t know what’s going on in the church,” said Daniel Jackson, president of the North American Division, in his address to delegates at the Adventist Ministries Convention. trace, or so he thinks.

Any human being, any layperson, any pastor, any leader removed from the Holy Spirit’s presence and authority can rationalize anything. Add a little passion, and people get hurt or destroyed.

Consequently, any of us can retard the work of God while we think we’re advancing it. We can injure people even in the way we mediate truth.

The next day Moses returns to the same place and sees two Hebrews fighting. Again, thinking about his destiny to rule and command, he tries to break up the fight (Ex. 2:13, 14).

Moses urges the two contestants to stop. But suddenly, incredulously, he hears these words: “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” (verse 14, NIV).

It is the dawning of a new and dangerous realization.

Moses now knows that his leadership is not acknowledged; that his act has not been appreciated; that his effort hadn’t been the cause of any great Hebrew awakening; that his people can’t be relied upon, because they not only are physical slaves, but also have become moral slaves.

He does the only thing open to him at that point: He runs for his life to Midian.

Principle Five

God often uses our failures as tools to shape our future.

This is hard for us. Sometimes we’ve had such failure that we would love to move on or hide. Yet if we allow the Master Builder to touch our lives, He will take that very failure and use it to change us.

Listen to this from Ellen White’s book Patriarchs and Prophets: “Man would have dispensed with that long period of toil and obscurity, deeming it a great loss of time.

But Infinite Wisdom called him who was to become the

leader of his people to spend forty years in the humble work of a shepherd. The habits of caretaking, of self-forgetfulness and tender solicitude for his flock, thus developed, would prepare him to become the compassionate, longsuffering shepherd of Israel. No advantage that human training or culture could bestow would be a substitute for that experience” (pp. 247, 248).

Our times of failure may also give us space to grow and to reach out to God for success through Him. Principle Six

God will do anything to get our attention.

Moses is confronted by God. He listens. The Bible informs us that God is no respecter of persons, and that He is just as willing to talk to you and me through circumstances and through His Word as directly as He talked to Moses.

What message did God bring Moses? “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey” (Ex. 3:7, 8). God informed Moses that He was aware of what was going on, and that He had a plan to deal with it.

There are times we think that God doesn’t know what’s going on in the church, so somehow, I’ve got to fix it. Let me at my computer; let me speak my mind to the pastor; let me write a dozen unkind letters.

But listen, friends. God knows what’s going on. He does not need our assistance. He doesn’t use hearing aids.

Moses didn’t quit merely because the task was too difficult, or because he felt unappreciated. Moses lost the fire May 2017 | Adventist World - nad

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Moses endured . At times he made no progress; but he endured. He endured because he saw Him who is invisible.

because Moses had started the fire. It was something he had manufactured without God. He had failed to bring God into the picture, and had developed his own methods of doing battle with the adversary. I get afraid every time I hear someone say we need to go hand-to-hand with the devil. May God have mercy on us! We can’t win.

It was not God’s will to deliver His people by warfare, as Moses thought, but by His almighty power, so that the glory might be ascribed to Him only. It almost takes your breath away, doesn’t it? We humans are slow to learn and quick to forget. We can struggle with our religion, our Christianity, our Adventism. But let it be understood clearly that none of us can ever hope to keep the fire of faith burning if we let go of our own personal relationship with God. Principle Seven

If God doesn’t light the fire of service, it will go out sooner or later.

The only way to sustain our work is by rooting it in a personal relationship with God. The essence of our spiritual walk must never be based on who we are or on what position we have; or how much experience we’ve had; or how far we’ve walked down the path. The success of our spiritual walk must be based upon the presence, the influence, and the direction of God. As never before in the history of Adventism, we need to adopt this idea.

The light burns out. I don’t want to ask tonight how many bright lights you have seen go out: leaders, evangelists, pastors, members, a husband, a wife, a child. We see lights go out. It’s a tragedy to see and to experience. The story of Moses brings us face to face with the reality that God calls humans such as you and me into a divine/human partnership with Him, where we can depend on Him, not on ourselves.

So God renews His call to Moses. We discover that a change has taken place, because Moses now goes. He hears and he follows God’s leadership.

Hebrews 11:25-29 tells the story. It says Moses chose

to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. He regarded this grace for the sake of Christ of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking for his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He persevered because he saw Him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. By faith people passed through the Red Sea on dry land. This time Moses succeeds in seeing his dream fulfilled.

Scripture informs us that Moses faced greater obstacles this time than he could have ever conceived of earlier, and we find this as we look at the story of Moses in finality: he endured. People failed to appreciate him; but he endured.

They misunderstood him; they criticized him unreasonably; but he endured. At times he made no progress; but he endured. He endured because he saw Him who is invisible.

That’s why we work. That’s why we ought, rather, that’s how we ought to work. That’s the only way the overwhelming issues that confront the church today can be surmounted: we see the One who is invisible, and we endure.

God has called us. God has called everyone in this room. I don’t care if you’re a farmer from Nebraska or you just graduated with a Ph.D. in theology—God called you.

We need to move away in our minds from the idea that only pastors, or only teachers, or only elders, are called.

Everyone has a special call to do exploits for Him beyond what we can ask or think. Jesus is coming soon, and God is going to use people in this room in unusual ways, if we will allow Him through the Holy Spirit.

How will we respond? How seriously do we take the call? What will God have to bring into our lives to change us? n

Daniel R. Jackson is president of the

Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America.

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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

The

What is the meaning of “In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head” (Prov. 25:22, NIV)?

Hotter the

Better

Sounds painful! Allow me to quote the full proverb: “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you” (verses 21, 22, NIV). Now we can identify the real issue: Placing burning coals on someone’s head damages that person, but the Lord rewards us for doing it!

The proverb is formed by two sections: the saying itself, which is challenging but not difficult to understand (verse 21); and the rationale for the saying, which is difficult to understand (verse 22). We will examine both sections and see whether we can quench the coals.

1. You and Your Enemy: The enemy’s behavior is not described, but it is assumed to have harmed another, usually someone who is vulnerable for social or/and financial reasons. The absence of justice creates in human hearts a desire for vengeance, and the opportunity occasionally presents itself with almost overwhelming power. In ancient times tribal vengeance was extremely cruel, and only served to perpetuate the cycle of blood feuds. This proverb attempts to break the cycle by setting vengeance aside and embracing mercy and sincere concern for one’s enemy instead. The case is hypothetical (“If you . . .”), because we should decide how to treat our enemies before the roles are reversed. Otherwise, it would be easier for the spirit of vengeance to prevail. The saying mentions two of the most fundamental human needs, namely, food and water. It assumes that the enemies are in a condition in which they already experience the pangs of hunger and the anguish of thirst. Life is beginning to ebb away.

The proverb challenges wise persons not to apply the principle of retribution, but to show compassion by providing food and water. The Hebrew text is a little more emphatic, suggesting that one’s enemy may already be too weak or too proud to accept the offer of love. The two verbs could be translated “feed, force to

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eat” and “make to drink.” This teaching is totally supported by Jesus (Matt. 5:43-48).

2. Coals of Fire. The proverb is not saying anything new. In Israel, God became the avenger of His people and assumed the responsibility of punishing their enemies. He commanded His people to reject vengeance (Lev. 19:17, 18), and the proverb could have appealed to this to justify the saying. But as is common in Proverbs, wise persons look for practical, even rational, reasons to justify the sayings. In this case we do not know the meaning of the idiomatic expression or the practice behind the phrase “You will heap burning coals on his head.”

Scholars have offered several possible explanations, among them an Egyptian act of penitence that required people to put burning coals on their heads. But scholars do not consider the text helpful, because of its recent date (c.

300 B.C.), and the fact that in it people place burning coals on their own heads.

So we have to deal with what we know, and move on from there. We know that burning coals placed on a human being cause pain (Prov. 6:27, 28) and are unpleasant. In our text, treating enemies as friends would be as painful for them—that is, as emotionally and socially painful— as placing burning coals on one’s head. It scorches inflated egos in a socially visible way. This could lead to repentance, but it does not seem to be the point of the saying. The enemy is defeated through an act of kindness (see Rom. 12:20). This leads to the second reason for following the saying: God will reward you. That is an extra blessing.

I’m not completely certain that this answers your question, but I hope it’s useful. n

Angel Manuel Rodríguez is retired after a

career as a pastor, professor, and theologian.

B I B L E

S T U D Y

The Truth About

Miraculous Healing

By Mark A. Finley

M

any people are perplexed about the subject of miraculous healing. They wonder why God apparently heals some people and not others.

Some believe that if you are sick and not healed, it is because of a lack of faith. Others are convinced that miraculous healing was a New Testament phenomenon that launched the Christian church but that is no longer part of God’s overall plan.

What’s the truth about miraculous healing? Does God still heal disease today? Will He heal all who pray in faith?

What is God’s ultimate purpose in healing? In this month’s lesson we will discover some answers.

1 What three elements are combined in Christ’s ministry? Read Matthew 4:23 and 9:35.

Jesus was concerned with the total person: physically, mentally, and spiritually. In His healing ministry He combined teaching, preaching, and healing. Healing was not an isolated component, separate from the saving power of the gospel. Christ’s wholistic healing ministry continues in His church today.

2 What vital spiritual truths about the healing ministry of Jesus do we discover in the story of the paralytic in Matthew 9:1-8?

In more than half of the miracles in the New Testament somebody brings somebody to Jesus. The truth is that many will never come unless we bring them. Jesus used this instance of healing to forgive the man’s sins and lead multitudes to marvel and glorify God.

3 What was Christ’s purpose in coming to this world? Read Mark 1:34-39. Why did Jesus leave Capernaum without healing all who desired physical healing?

Jesus had spent much of the evening healing those who came to Him. Evidently there was still more healing to do, but to everyone’s surprise Jesus left town. Why? He was more than a wonder worker and miraculous healer. His prime purpose was to preach the gospel. The prime purpose of divine healing is to glorify God. I M A G E : G O O D A N D C O L L E G E

N E W S P R O D U C T I O N S P R E S S P U B L I S H I N G

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

4

What was the result of the healing of the lame man at the Gate Beautiful in Peter’s experience?

See Acts 3:2-9.

5

Why didn’t God heal Paul of his affliction? Read 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

Evidently the apostle Paul had a serious problem. He pleaded with God to heal him; but God had a better plan.

The issue was not Paul’s faith; he was filled with faith. God deepened Paul’s trust and strengthened him in his affliction. Paul was led to depend on God daily.

6 What instruction did God give the early church regarding the healing ministry of the Holy Spirit?

Read James 5:13-16.

Anointing the forehead with oil indicates complete submission of the mind to the will of God. In Gethsemane Jesus prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matt. 26:39).

Christ was totally committed to doing His Father’s will, knowing that God would strengthen Him to face every trial.

Here is an eternal truth: God desires us to be healthy and whole. Sometimes healing is immediate, sometimes it is gradual; sometimes those who are sick have to wait until the resurrection to be totally healed. The issue is never if an individual will be healed, but is always when they will healed.

7 When will ultimate healing take place, and sickness be gone forever? Read Isaiah 33:24; 35:5, 6; and Revelation 21:1-5.

The day is coming when suffering and sickness will be gone forever. Christ has triumphed over all the forces of evil. In His stripes, at the cross, we are healed. By faith we can receive our gift of healing, knowing that one day, when He comes again, disease will be gone forever and we will be whole. Until then, we can absolutely trust the One who loves us more than we know, with confidence that He will give us strength to cope with whatever challenges life hands us. n

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IDEA EXCHANGE The magic formula is found in our church pews. That’s where the church is truly the church.

—Clyde Bartholomew, East London, United Kingdom

Letters Encouraging

Lately I have found myself looking forward to each new issue of Adventist World. I enjoy all the articles, but I especially enjoy the news items. Hearing what is happening around the world is very inspiring and encouraging to my faith.

Thank you!

Sarah Little Minnesota, United States God and the Needy

The article “God and the Needy” (February 2017) raised an issue of omission, taught me by my son. Deuteronomy 14:27-29 clearly states that

PrayerW

tithe was to be used for the Levites, foreigners, fatherless, and widows.

However, the church limits the use of tithe to clergy, etc., and excludes other groups. Should not the church be following the biblical mandate?

Linbrook Barker California, United States

the institutional church, the organization, to come up with some magic formula for success. The magic formula is found in our church pews. That’s where the church is truly the church.

Clyde Bartholomew East London, United Kingdom

Deuteronomy 14:28 indicates that this “tithe” was collected once every three years, and was designated, as you say, for the Levites, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. This “tithe” was in addition to the tithe required for the support of the ministry of the sanctuary.—Editors Joined in Mission

I have tried to find out why the cover of the January Adventist World pictures a small child immediately above the word “Shalom.” Are the two ideas related?

There does not seem to be a page number on the cover that indicates why the two ideas are significant.

Glynn Litster Australia

Thank you for Shawn Brace’s article “Joined in Mission” (February 2017).

The article correctly pointed out that institutional Christianity is suffering in Northern Europe, North America, and in the South Pacific.

But it also mentioned this core fact: “The church is a ‘community of believers.’ ” Sometimes, it seems, we expect

We tried sought to indicate with the subhead on the cover that “Shalom,” a Hebrew word, describes a concept of “wholeness in mind, body, and soul.”

The idea is that when our lives are Godcentered, we are more likely to experience spiritual, emotional, and physical health.—Editors.

Cover Message

PRAISE

I am requesting prayer to find a job. I was working with ADRA, but no longer. I believe in the power of prayer.

N oel, Democratic Republic of Congo

Please pray that the choices and decisions I make are from God and that He will help us achieve our dreams.

Julie, Papua New Guinea

Please pray that I can start the job I applied for in Singapore. I need to pay off debts and help my family.

Eunica, Philippines Please pray for my husband to be saved.

Nokuthula, Zimbabwe

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Your

HELP

Needed

PAV E L

L I B E R A N S K I Y

We are currently evaluating the content of Adventist World and we need your help.

Angel in a KGB Uniform

The perception of an “Angel in a KGB Uniform” is not the usual image of KGB officers in a Communist country (November and December 2016).

Integrity and respect in the author’s character was recognized by the major.

Nothing is impossible for God, even in the Soviet army.

Natalie Dodd Ohio, United States

Please visit AWpoll.com or scan the QR code. You will be able to choose your preferred language and will answer 10 short questions. Your input will help to make this magazine even better. Thank you!

The

Fittest Kids in the

World

The fittest kids in the world live in Tanzania. According to a standard test of 1.1 million children in 50 nations, children aged 9 to 17 took multistage sprinting tests, and Tanzanians placed first.

After Tanzania, children in Iceland, Estonia, Norway, and Japan placed in the top five.

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.

Source: The Rotarian/British Journal of Sports Medicine

Please pray for me. I am in deep financial challenges. My job contract expired and I need prayers that it will be renewed.

Vincent, Kenya

Please pray for my father’s health. He has been suffering with diabetes. I also need a job to help support my family financially.

Charisse, Philippines

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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…”

50

Years Ago

O

n May 16, 1967, Frederick Burton Jewell (1875-1967) died near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). A native of Ithaca, New York, United States, he became a Seventh-day Adventist at the age of 21 and trained as a nurse at Battle Creek Sanitarium.

In 1902 Jewell told his wife, Elnora, that he was offering his services to the people of the continent of Africa. The Jewells settled first at Inyazura, then lived a short time in Zambia. But Solusi was their home, where Jewell was in charge of a clinic that drew patients from long distances. His specialty was maternity care, and he studied constantly to improve his knowledge of safe methods of delivery.

Jewell delivered more than 1,350 babies, and cycled thousands of miles through the veld to visit patients in their homes. The Jewells returned to the United States only once during their 43 years of service to Africa. He died at Bulawayo, and is buried on the grounds of Solusi University.

TALLEST MOUNTAIN

The

in the WORLD

No, it’s not Mount Everest. Measured from its base to its summit, Mauna Kea in the state of Hawaii, United States, is the world’s tallest mountain, more than 10,000 meters high.

Getting to the summit, 4,207 meters (13,802 feet) above sea level, isn’t difficult. But more than half of Mauna Kea lies below sea level.

Mauna Kea’s summit is one of the best sites in the world for astronomical observation, and 13 telescopes, funded by 11 countries, have been constructed on the summit.

Source: HemispheresMagazine.com/Wikipedia.org

46

Adventist World - nad | May 2017

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

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

Adventist Review Ministries Board Ted N. C. Wilson, chair; Guillermo Biaggi, vice chair, Bill Knott, secretary; Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, Williams Costa, Daniel R. Jackson, Peter Landless, Robert Lemon, Geoffrey Mbwana, G. T. Ng, Daisy Orion, Juan Prestol-Puesán, Ella Simmons, Artur Stele, Ray Wahlen, Karnik Doukmetzian, legal advisor Executive Editor/Director of Adventist Review Ministries Bill Knott Associate Director of Adventist Review Ministries International Publishing Manager Chun, Pyung Duk Adventist World Coordinating Committee Jairyong Lee, chair; Yukata Inada; German Lust; Chun, Pyung Duk; Han, Suk Hee; Lyu, Dong Jin Editors based in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA André Brink, Lael Caesar, Costin Jordache, Gerald A. Klingbeil (associate editors), Sandra Blackmer, Stephen Chavez, Wilona Karimabadi Editors based in Seoul, Korea Chun, Pyung Duk; Park, Jae Man; Kim, Hyo-Jun Operations Manager Merle Poirier Editors-at-large Mark A. Finley, John M. Fowler Senior Advisor E. Edward Zinke Financial Manager Kimberly Brown Editorial Assistant Marvene Thorpe-Baptiste Management Board Jairyong Lee, chair; Bill Knott, secretary; Chun, Pyung Duk; Karnik Doukmetzian; Han, Suk Hee; Yutaka Inada; German Lust; Ray Wahlen; Ex-officio: Juan Prestol-Puesán; G. T. Ng; Ted N. C. Wilson Art Direction and Design Jeff Dever, Brett Meliti Consultants Ted N. C. Wilson, Juan Prestol-Puesán, G. T. Ng, Guillermo E. Biaggi, Mario Brito, Abner De Los Santos, Dan Jackson, Raafat A. Kamal, Michael F. Kaminskiy, Erton C. Köhler, Ezras Lakra, Jairyong Lee, Israel Leito, Thomas L. Lemon, Solomon Maphosa, Geoffrey G. Mbwana, Blasious M. Ruguri, Saw Samuel, Ella Simmons, Artur A. Stele, Glenn Townend, Elie Weick-Dido 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, Argentina, Mexico, and the United States.

Vol. 13, No. 5

HAVE YOU MADE THESE IMPORTANT DECISIONS YET? What do I own, where is it and who do I wish to beneet?

Who will care for my dependent children if I pass away?

Who will manage my healthcare decisions if I can’t?

Few decisions are more important than planning for your future.

While you may have already created a will or trust, you might want to revisit these documents to be sure nothing has fallen th through the cracks.

For more information on estate planning or to request our FREE Wills Planning Guide, please call or click today!

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presents

A new Bible-based adventure radio series just for kids!

Visit the website where you can:

• See sketches of the characters • Listen to Discovery Mountain for free anytime • Find the program on your favorite podcast network While Discovery Mountain is intended for ages 5-12, all ages are invited to enjoy it!

DiscoveryMountain.com