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Sabbath

/7 WATCHMANTHE SABBATH WATCHMAN,the official organ of the

International Missionary Society of Seventh-day Adventists, Reform Movement, AmericanUnion, has been published continuously since1926. Its aim is to proclaim the straighttruth and elevate the standar.d of the threefoldangeles message.

World War I saw responsible men of theSeventh-day Adventist Church publicly declaring it to be the duty of all Adventist mento defend their respective countries withweapons in hand and even on the Sabbath.Hundreds of staunch believers protested thisstand, but their protest was not heeded andthey were disfellowshipped against theirwishes. All attempts to reunite on the oldplatform of truth have failed. This was thebirth of the Reform Movement, which today isrepresented in all major countries.

*

Editor: 0. KramerSpecial Contributors: M. P. Ringelberg,

H. H. Kramer

*Address correspondence intended for the

American Union and remittances coveringtithes and offerings (bank draft or moneyorder) to: International Missionary Society,1151 Xenia Street, Denver, Colorado 80220.

*Subscriptions: 53.50 per year in advance.

Orders and remittances for literature shouldbe sent to: Religious Liberty PublishingAssn., 1151 Xenia Street, Denver, Colorado80220.

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Foreign Offices:Canada: P.O. Box 401, Hamilton, Ontario.Australia: 121 Toongabbie Road, Toongabbie,

N.S.W. 2146.England: 8 Garden House Lane, Tingley,

Wakefield, Yorkshire WF3 1NW.Philippines: Box 1642, Manila, Philippines.South Africa: 98 Bertha Street, Turffontein,

Tohannesbur, Transvaal.Other Offices: Argentina, Austria, Bolivia,Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark,El Salvador, Equador, Finland, Germany,Guatemala, Holland, Honduras, Italy, Mexico,Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Sweden,Switzerland, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia.

IN THIS ISSUE

Our Last Opportunity (Frontispiece) 2Strange Fire 3Talking His Language 7

Christian Commitment 10To Fast or Not to Fast2 12Trans-A-Word Puzzle 15Youth for Truth

Peter 16Home and Health

Soup from the Garden 18News from Home and Abroad

Report of the Workers’ Meetings. . 21Canadian Missionary Report . . . . 24Richmond, Virginia 26

The Church in Action 26Adventists and the Government . . . . 28

FRONTISPI ECE

Our Last OpportunityA

s you receive this copy of The Sabbath Watchman, we have once again begunanother year of grace. No one knows how much more probationary time will be

granted God’s people in this tottering world to do their work in preparation for thatgreat day of the Lord. With giant strides we are hastening through the remainder ofthis century; and unless the Lord sees fit to shut the door of mercy before that time,we shall soon be writing the year A.D. 2000.

“Above the distractions of the earth He [God] sits enthroned; all things are opento His divine survey; and from His great and calm eternity He orders that which Hisprovidence sees best.” —Ministry of Healing, p.417.

Heaven is unhurried but interested in our fate with the deepest anxiety. Angelsand inhabitants of other planets are watching what course we will take in these lastminutes. It is a mighty challenge to God’s professed people. “The opportune time forus to work is now, just now, while the day lasts.” —Selected Messages, Book 1, p. 192.

‘in this time we have opportunities and advantages that it was not easy to obtainin generations past. We have increased light,...” —Messages to Young People, p. 33.

The world as a whole and its suffering people are full of fearful foreboding forthe future. The certainty of catastrophic changes seems to hang in the atmosphere webreathe. No longer does it take much to convince people that something must give wayin the course of things as they are now.

In this first issue of The Sabbath Watchman for 1973, there are articles of greatimportance to YOU. They stress the necessity of each individual’s becoming morefamiliar with the truth and beginning to work actively for souls. “Strange Fire”uncovers some of the deceptions that flourish in the fundamentalist circles of present-day Protestantism. We need to be fully armed against these deceptions which, according to prophecy, will take on overpowering forms.

“Talking His Language” points to the necessity of being Christians indeed, ofhaving a direct spiritual kinship with Christ and His cause on earth. “ChristianCommitment,” going all the way with Christ, is what the church of God needs todaymore than at any other time. Realizing that we live in the very last minutes of grace,shall we not give it all we have?

In view of the present awareness of healthful living, often combined with faddismand occult extremism, the article “To Fast or Not to Fast?” is very timely. Fastinghas a spiritual significance and a definite place among God’s people today.

During the first part of December, we held a Seminar for our workers. The Lordblessed us abundantly. As you will read in the report, the workers were encouraged touse every opportunity to the utmost advantage. New tools are being created to helpthem and you do this. Let us each place ourselves squarely in the narrow way andkeep our eyes single on the goal.

Dear Reader, the last opportunities that will ever come to us are knocking at ourdoors TODAY. These last days of mercy, with all their trials, tests, and troubles,represent marvelous opportunities for God to work in and through you and me.

The Chinese word for “crisis” can teach us some lessons. The two charactersmaking up the word denote danger and opportunity. We are to be fully aware of thedangers surrounding God’s people, but we are also to appreciate and appropriate thegolden opportunities that still open up before us.

Right now—step back and observe our world, our life, our church, its program,and its overwhelming task. Then ask God to show you where you fit in and whichopportunity lies at your door. May this be the most richly blessed and opportune NewYear for you and for God’s people.

2 THE SABBATH WATCHMAN

STRANGE

• FIRE

By M. P. RINGELBERG

THE faith of Seventh-day Adventists historically has been

closely tied to prophecy and itsinterpretation. It is practically impossible to separate propheticinterpretation from Adventist doctrine without losing the faith of ourfathers. This point is most importantto realize in the light of the Bibleprophecy quoted above, that in thelast days a power would arise performing wonders and miracles andimitating the fire that came down

from heaven in answer to the prayerof Elijah the prophet. We identifythis power as apostate Protestantism. The incident on Mt. Carmelwas the great moment of decisionfor the people of Israel, and it is notby accident that the Scripturespredict that “Elijah” would comeagain in the last days just beforeChrist’s return to this earth (Mal.4:5, 6). We are living in a timewhen fateful decisions are beingmade. The worldling who has not

publicly accepted Christ or Christendom is not the only one whohas this choice before him, for theprofessed church of God must alsochoose for eternity between truthand error.

In this article we will examinesome forms of the strange fire that iscurrently being kindled upon thedegenerated altars of “fundamentalist” Protestantism. At first glance,proponents of these theories seemto be strikingly in line with time-honored Adventist thinking. Everything seems to focus on the greatestevent just before us—the coming ofJesus Christ. But when we get alittle closer to these modern teach-

“And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come downfrom heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And deceiveth them thatdwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power todo. . . .“Revelation 13:13, 14.

February 19733

ings, we discover the grossest errors—errors which may be fatal to thosewho imbibe them. Before we lookdeeper into these things, we shouldremember that Seventh-day Adventists have always stood firmly uponthe principles of Protestantism, justas the early Reformers taught them.These principles cannot coexist withthe new-fangled theories of thedispensationalists, Zionists, rapturists, and the like.

DISPENSATIONALISM

This long, impressive-lookingword means nothing more than abelief in a system which teachesthat the history of the world isdivided into a number of dispensations (time periods). This doctrineoriginated with a small sect inEngland, the Plymouth Brethren,who under the guidance of a clergyman from the Church of Ireland,John Nelson Darby, developed thissystem of dividing history into “dispensations.” Today, the chief advocate of this system is Scofield, thetranslator of the Bible bearing thisname. In the many footnotes of thistranslation, Scofield strongly teaches this view Of history. He says thatthere are seven dispensations, orperiods of time, covering the wholehistory of mankind. They are asfollows:

1) INNOCENCE (Eden)2) CONSCIENCE (antedeluvian)3) HUMAN GOVERNMENT

(postdeluvian)4) PROMISE (Abraham-Exodus)5) LAW (Levitical period)6) GRACE (Christian church)7) KINGDOM (eternity)This completely arbitrary system

of division, which has no Biblicalor prophetic basis, we believe isfalse, deceptive, erroneous, andinspired by the powers that deceive. We give the following reasonsfor our belief:

1) The term “dispensation” isused wrongly by Sco field. Theword, as used in the Bible, nevermeans what he implies in his interpretation—a period of time. Dispensation means a dispensing, distribution, an administration, manage-

ment, or obligation. Let us look atsome Bible examples in which thisterm is used. In 1 Corinthians 9:16,the apostle Paul stated that “necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe isunto me, if I preach not the gospel!”It is evident that the task of preaching the gospel was regarded by theapostle as his life work, his dispensation. The stewardship was laidupon him.

The text in Ephesians 1:10utilizes the word itself. There weread: “That in the dispensation ofthe fulness of times He might gathertogether in one all things in Christ,both which are in heaven, and whichare on earth; even in Him.” “Dispensation of the fulness of times”here points to the moment whenthe gospel was to go forth to theGentiles. This time was clearlyprophesied in Daniel 9:24-27: “Seventy weeks are determined uponThy people.” When this time periodelapsed, the Jewish people as a nation were rejected by God becauseof unbelief and the gospel went tothe Gentiles. Various events occurring in A.D. 34 confirm this fact:Stephen was stoned, an act bywhich the Jewish rulers confirmedChrist’s crucifixion 3½ years earlier;Peter received his enlightening visionon the rooftop of Simon’s house;Cornelius the Roman Centurion andhis family were baptized and accepted into the communion ofbelievers; and later on, Saul becamePaul, the great apostle to theGentiles. “Dispensation,” therefore,here also obviously refers to thedispensing or passing of the giventime. In no way can we interpretthis to mean a period of time suchas Scofield describes.

In Colossians 1:25, we find a veryclear text in which Paul stated:“Whereof I am made a minister,

according to the dispensation ofGod which is given to me foryou, . . .“ The work that wasgiven to Paul, the task which Godhad entrusted to him, he calleda “dispensation.” This is the properuse of this word.

In harmony with this, we find in1 Corinthians 23:28 an enumerationof the various “dispensations” givento the church—apostles, prophets,teachers, miracles, helps, governments, and diversities of tongues.

2) In Scofield’s system we meettwo glaring errors that strike directiy against the fact of God’s righteousness in dealing with every manon earth and His character of graceas well as justice, which is unchangeable. Scofield teaches thatthere was a period under the Levitical priesthood during which therewas rio grace available at all. By thesame token he proceeds to statethat when the Jewish time hadpassed the churches entered into aperiod in which there was no lawat all. Both of these teachings aredeceptive and contrary to Scripture.

To show that in Old Testamenttimes there was indeed grace whichactively saved souls, Genesis 6:8states: “But Noah found grace inthe eyes of the Lord.” CertainlyNoah and his family were saved bynothing but pure grace. And in thesecond book of Moses, chapter 34:6, we find a revealing description ofGod’s character, obviously recognized by the Israelites at that time:“. . . The Lord God, merciful andgracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” Andwhen we consider the significanceof the sacrificial service in theJewish tabernacle in the desert, wecome to the unshakable conclusionthat here God’s grace for the guiltysinner was visibly portrayed in every

God has dealt with all people of all walksof life, at all times, and in all circumstancesin exactly the same manner.


victim slain in lieu of the sinner’sdeath. God has always dealt withall people of all walks of life, at alltimes, and in all circumstances inexactly the same manner. He doesnot have one set of rules for savingone class and another set for latertimes. Acts 4:12 says clearly anddecisively: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is noneother name under heaven givenamong men, whereby we must besaved.” From the beginning, manhas never, and he will never beable to come to God without faithin Christ, his Mediator.

THE JEWISH QUESTIONThe Jewish people, dispersed

throughout all the nations of theearth, have always been a fascinating object of admiration, speculation and wonderment to Christiansand Bible believers. Theodor Herzlbrought to life the Zionist movement, which sought to bring allJews back to Palestine; it has caughtthe imagination of many of them.The Balfour Declaration in November 1917 made it possible for theJewish people to settle in Palestinein peace (at least so called). InOctober 1947, the great powers,trying to compensate the Jews forthe injustice done by Nazi Germany,supported Israel’s claim to sovereignstatehood in the United Nationsand passed the resolution to thiseffect. The 6-Day War, which washandily won by Israel against anoverpowering Arab alliance, furtherenhanced the supposedly supernatural stature of the Jewish nation.

The dispensationalists teach, asdo many other Christian groups,that this return and restoration ofIsrael is a sign of the times. “AllJews will return to Israel,” theysay; and they base these assertionson Old Testament prophecies.

Adventists have always taughtthat, in fulfillment of prophecy,israel as a nation will not be reestablished as God’s chosen people,since they were rejected by Godafter their allotted time. Present-day developments may seem tostrike directly against this teachingof ours.

But there is one outstanding factwhich we must remember—a factwhich deals directly with God’sjustice. All the prophecies in theOld Testament, given by a lovingGod through the prophets to arebellious people, were given on thecondition of obedience. The people of Israel broke this covenantover and over again by being disobedient, and therefore God couldnot, and would not, honor Hissacred commitment to His chosenpeople. The final rejection came inA.D. 34. in fulfillment of prophecy.

“Terribly was it [the cry of “Hisblood be on us, and on our children”j realized in the destructionof Jerusalem. Terribly has it beenmanifested in the condition of theJewish nation for eighteen hundredyears—a branch severed from thevine, a dead, fruitless branch, to begathered up and burned. From landto land throughout the world, fromcentury to century, dead, dead intrespasses and sins!” —Desire ofAges, p. 379.

We, as Adventist Bible believers,recognize that there is a limit toGod’s forbearance. This was truefor Israel of old, and it is still truefor His people living in these latterdays. When the veil n the templewas rent from top to bottom andthe ark in the most holy place wasrevealed to the gaze of all, thissignified the turning point for Israelas a nation. Only 3½ years later,the door of mercy was shut againsther.

How, then, will all these promisesbe fulfilled? This is a justified question, since God certainly does notspeak idle words. In Romans 4:13,we read that Abraham was to be theheir of this world, not by law (ordescendancy) but by righteousness.In Galatians 3:16, we find that theseed (singular) represents Christ.All those who accept Him as theirSaviour will become the spiritualIsrael, or the true seed of Abrahamby faith. The true Jew is he who iscircumcised inwardly in the heart.A spiritual Israel will be the heir ofall the marvelous promises given toancient Israel. This, of course, does

not close the door to a Jew by birthwho in faith accepts Christ as hisSaviour. At the time of the rejectionof the Jewish nation, every Jewishperson stood exactly at the samelevel as every Gentile—all had tocome to Christ for salvation.

A SECOND CHANCEThe teaching that there will be a

second opportunity for those whodo not accept the present truth ofGod in this life is a most satanicdevice calculated to impart carnalsecurity. Why worry, this theorymakes people think; if I do notcatch this train, I can always takethe second one! The Bible teachesthat there is no such thing. Thisteaching opens the door to postmillennialism, such as is taught byHerbert W. Armstrong and manyothers. Again we turn to the Scriptures to combat this erroneousdoctrine. In Isaiah 38:18, the prophet wrote: “For the grave cannotpraise Thee, death can not celebrateThee: they that go down into thepit cannot hope for Thy truth.”Thus the decision for eternity mustbe made during this life. God dealssincerely with men. He says: “Today, if ye will hear His voice, Hardennot your hearts.” Hebrews 3:7, 8.

Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”2 Corinthians 6:2.

“. . . It is appointed unto menonce to die, but after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27. When theLord Jesus comes in the clouds ofheaven, He will bring with Him ourreward, according to our deeds.This reward will have been predetermined; the judgment will beover, otherwise Christ would beunable to bring everyone’s reward,“according as his work shall be.”Revelation 22:11, 12.

Dear Reader, let this basic andmost significant .fact sink deeplyinto your mind and heart. Let us,who know and believe the presenttruth for this time, realize that wehave only one chance—right now!

THE SECRET RAPTUREOne day I held in my hands a

newspaper-like publication which

February 1973

proclaimed with bold headlines:“Thousands have disappeared overnight!” The paper, supposedly describing what would happen oneday, told how one morning a younghusband awoke to find that theplace beside him in bed was empty.His wife was not there. Not immediately very alarmed, he got up andlooked for her in the bathroom andall through the house but found notrace of her. A train was speedingthrough the night, failing to slowdown through roadblocks and railway stations. The engineer was nolonger at the wheel; he had beentaken up to heaven. Cars were seenwithout drivers, careening over thefreeways, causing terrible pile-ups.Telephones were ringing everywhere, as persons were reportedmissing. This is the secret rapture.

Did not Jesus say in His prophecyin Matthew 24: “Then shall two bein the field; the one shall be taken,and the other left. Two women shallbe grinding at the mill; the one shallbe taken, and the other left”? Yes,these words are found in Christ’sgreat sermon. However, if we followin this chapter the context of“taken away,” or “snatched away,”as the rapturist calls it, it appliesnot to the believers but to theunbelievers. Please see verse 39.The unbelieving scoffers in Noah’sday were taken away by the flood.So the coming of Christ will comesuddenly upon the unbelievers inthe last days.

The mystical interpretation ofthis “rapture” fits very well intothe occult trend of people’s thinking today. They are totally caughtup and taken in by the strange firecoming down “from heaven,” thefalse, unbiblical doctrinal package,promising them excitement, salvation, a second chance, and satisfaction through political interpretations of prophecy, which do notrequire them to change their lives.Such thinking leads directly into thearms of spiritualism. John the Revelator saw this as the very powerthat would unite the world in theworship of the beast, the antichrist.

The rapture is not Biblical because:

1) It declares that the secondcoming of Christ will be invisibleand secret. It is not necessary to gointo detail to prove that this iscontrary to the Scriptures. See Revelation 1:7; Acts 1:11; Matthew24:27.

2) Angels are said to snatchaway people to meet the Lord inthe air before Christ comes. Theangels that gather His elect from thefour winds (Matthew 24:31) aredescribed in The Great Controversy,p. 645, which shows that this willtake place at the coming of Christ:“Angels ‘gather together His electfrom the four winds, from one endof heaven to the other.’ Little children are borne by holy angels totheir mothers’ arms. Friends longseparated by death are united, nevermore to part, and with songs ofgladness ascend together to the Cityof God.”

3) The church of God, accordingto the rapturists, is supposed to betaken into heaven in order to escapethe tribulation. The Bible teaches,however, that the church will be

COU RAGE

Courage is something which you may findWherever you go and in every place.It is being helpful and being kind,It is meeting the world with a smiling

face;It isn’t of rank or of high degree,It isn’t God’s gift to a favored few;Woman’s as brave as a man can be,And a boy can shine with its glory too.Hearts courageous are everywhere.The man who stands to his task by dayAnd does his best with his bit of care,And still helps others along life’s way,Is doing all that a brave man can.Oh, the world is peopled with souls like

this,Who are humbly serving some lofty planWith never a sigh for the joys they miss.Courage is born of a thousand deeds,It throbs today in uncounted breasts,It is keeping up with the daily needsAnd ringing true with the sternest tests.

—Author unknown

persecuted and will go through thefear of Jacob, from which God willdeliver them at His coming.

4) The meeting of the saintswith Christ in the air, described in1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17, will takeplace at Christ’s second coming.Also, the first resurrection, of allthe believers making up the greatmultitude, is to take place then.Together with them, the living144,000 will be caught up to meetthe Lord in the air. There will benothing secret, silent, or hiddenabout this event. It will be the mostpublic thing that ever happened onthis earth. See Matthew 24:27, 31.

God has revealed all this in Hisword, and it is our special duty toproclaim it to the world. We arecalled Adventists, indicating ourstrong belief in the imminent secondcoming of our Lord. We are tostand firmly as reformers in view ofthe whole world, not making compromises on any point of truth.Let us reassess our prophetic foundation, let us restudy the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelationand make them our own, knowingthem even in our sleep. Only in thisway will we be safeguarded againstthe fascinating, overwhelming powerof the strange, spiritualistic firethat is springing up around useverywhere.

At the General Conference session last year, an incident wasrelated about an Adventist living inCuba under Castro’s communistregime. When he refused to enterthe army, he was brought beforeCastro, who asked him if it wastrue that he was a Seventh-dayAdventist. When the brother repliedin the affirmative, Castro said:“Then explain to me the 2,300 daysof Daniel; if you can do that, youare an Adventist.” The brother didand was released from service.

Many of us will face similartests. Let us study more closely theprophetic truths which we haveheld these many years. Let us notabandon them now under the pressure of new ideas, new politics, andnew developments. God will see allof His word come true.

6 [HE SABBATH WATCHMAN

BY THE EDITOR

TALKINGHISLANGUAGE

ARRIVING at the FrankfurtAirport in Germany to attend

the 1972 General Conference Session, it was a prearranged agreementthat I would hold up a copy of TheSabbath Watchman in plain viewas a sign of identification. Quite acrowd was there, waiting for friendsto arrive. When I held up our paper,there was an instantaneous responsefrom someone in the crowd whom Ihad never met before—our workerin the Frankfurt area. He raised thesame paper in answer. What a cordial greeting it was! Indeed, ourhearts were united in sweet brotherly love. When we began to conversetogether, we spoke the same spiritual language, although we hadnever seen each other before because of more than 6,000 miles ofland and ocean between us. And soit was when I met all our dearbrethren during the General Conference Session. We all spoke the samespiritual language, even though werepresented 26 different nationalities. It made my heart rejoice.

Every language on earth has itsown peculiarities and its ownsounds. We speak of language barriers which often cause great difficulties in understanding. And thisis true not just between nationsbut also in an individual society.Take, for example, the differenttradesmen or professionals, all theway from the intellectual dean of auniversity down to the commonlaborer. The sailors’ and longshoremen’s profanity is proverbiallyknown. All down the line we find

There was something outstandingabout Christ, the greatest preacherthe world has ever seen or heard.Strange as it seems, He could notmake most of His own people understand His presentations of truth.He said: “Why do ye not understand My speech?” John 8:43. Nodoubt He spoke in plain Aramaic,the language of the common people, for it says, “And the commonpeople heard Him gladly.” Mark12:37. And yet why did they notunderstand plain Hebrew truth?This is the puzzling question. And itbecomes even more mysterious, itseems, when even His followers,the disciples, learned to speak Hislanguage. The record says of Peter,for instance, after Christ’s betrayal,that one of the bystanders said tohim, “Thy speech bewrayeth thee”(Matthew 2 6:73), which means thathe had the accent of a Galilean.But this was not all. Peter, fromconstant association with Jesus—trying to imitate Him in all things—would, no doubt, use the sameterminology and phrases which Jesus used in front of them every day.Had not Jesus said, “Follow Me!”?Unquestionably they took this inits most literal sense in their discipleship. At another time the people

“took knowledge of them, thatthey [the disciples] had been withJesus” (Acts 4:13), which impliesthat they had learned His ways ofconduct.

Yes, this was the language ofJ esus—so different, so unique, sofilled with tender compassion, sowonderfully understood by all thosewho really had become connectedwith Him.

This all has to do with our dailyassociations. As the tradesmen usetheir own expressions to specify acertain object, so the truth as it isin Jesus has its own way of expressing itself.

Why is this so? The fact is thatlanguage (the way we speak) originates in our upbringing in a certainenvironment with all its preconceived ideas, habits, and generalbehavior. In other words, the actualcondition of the heart is revealed inour speech. Christ made this veryclear when He said: “For out of the

strange-sounding phrases and expressions. And our teenage revolution has produced a lingo at which,our forebears would stand aghast.It has contributed strongly to thegeneration gap in the modern Baby-iIon of misunderstanding today.

February 19737

abundance of the heart the mouthspeaketh.” Matthew 12:34.

CONVERSION

Years ago I became closely connected with an outstanding actorfrom the Old World. The day camewhen he, too, gave his heart to theLord. From early youth on he hadbeen trained in the manners ofworldly philosophers and great men,whose ideas he later portrayed inmany heroic roles. After he accepted Christ, it took him many yearsto learn the Christian’s language.When in Sabbath School he answered a question, it was often aquotation from Shakespeare,Goethe, or some other philosopher.Only after years of Bible study andearnest prayer was he able to answer from the Bible and its ownlanguage. What a lesson!

Have you been with Jesus? Haveyou heard His voice? “My sheephear My voice,” Jesus said. “And astranger will they not follow.” Ittakes a deep conversion to hear Hisvoice and distinguish it from all thecounterfeits rampant in the worldtoday. The familiar ring of Jesus’voice is not present in them, andthis makes all the difference.

LIVING WATERS

There is a marvelous lesson in theexperience of the Samaritan woman.You know the story. She came tothe well to get water, and there shefound a strange man sitting nearby.This Man, obviously a Jew, askedher for a drink because He had noutensil to draw it with. Since therewas quite a barrier between theSamaritans and Jews, the womanasked in astonishment how He, aJew, could ask a favor of her. Thenthis strange Man, Jesus, said: “Ifthou knewest the gift of God, andwho it is that saith to thee, Give Meto drink; thou wouldest have askedof Him, and He would have giventhee living water.” John 4:10. Youknow the rest of the story; Jesusled her step by step to Himself, theFountain of living waters, fromwhich no one ever goes awaythirsty.

To the Jews, the Feast of Tabernacles was always a joyous occasion, with its climax on the last day.No doubt at such a time peoplebecame rather thirsty from all theiractivity. Jesus used this situation forspiritual blessing by crying out, “Ifany man thirst, let him come untoMe, and drink. He that believeth onMe, as the scripture hath said, outof his belly shall flow rivers of livingwater.” John 7:37, 38.

Living water does not refer to adrilled well but to an artesian well—one that keeps on running like amountain spring. This is Christ, afountain that never runs dry. Andthis is not a New Testament doctrine alone. Isaiah, seven hundredyears before, invited his people,“Ho, every one that thirsteth, comeye to the waters, and he that hathno money; come ye, buy, and eat;yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”Isaiah 55:1. And Ezekiel was givena vision of the holy waters inchapter 47:1: “. . . And, behold,waters issued out from under thethreshold of the house eastward.”In his vision these waters became amighty river, bringing life and saving health to all who came in contact with it. This is an impressiveillustration of the gospel of salvation which, like a mighty current,changes all those who drink from itday by day. Of these people Christsaid: “Blessed are they which dohunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”Matthew 5:6.

The Spirit of prophecy said concerning this: “The word of God isthe standard of character. In givingus this word, God has put us in possession of every truth essential tosalvation. Thousands have drawnwater from these wells of life, yetthere is no diminishing of the supply. Thousands have set the Lordbefore them, and by beholdinghave become changed into the sameimage.” —Gospel Workers, pp. 250,251.

“Those who make the word ofGod their study, those who dig for

the treasures of truth, will themselves become imbued with theSpirit of Christ, and by beholdingthey will become changed into Hislikeness. Those who appreciate theword will teach as disciples whohave been sitting at the feet ofJesus and have accustomed themselves to learn of Him. . . . He is thegreat Fountainhead whence all wisdom flows. . . . Christ is the standardTeacher.” —Testimonies, Vol. 6,p. 160.

THE STANDARD TEACHER

We have church standards. Weneed them—desperately so! Especially in a world which flaunts starkimmorality we must let our colorsbe flung to the breeze and let theworld know that we are different;that we are heaven-born followersof Christ; that we speak His language and live His life. But try toteach the language of Christ and theChristian virtues to someone who isnot born again. You will meet utterfailure right at the start! For example, totally immodest dress (calledminiskirts) today will not budge oneinch before all the thunder andlightning of Sinai. Legislative measures may be obeyed for a timebecause of mere fear, but when theheart is not changed, when Christ’sHoly Spirit does not become amighty force to break the rock—thestubborn, rebellious heart—in pieces,then all is in vain.

Listen to this divine counsel:“There are many who try tocorrect the life of others by attacking what they consider are wronghabits. They go to those whom theythink are in error, and point outtheir defects. They say, ‘You don’tdress as you should.’ They try topick off the ornaments, or whatever seems offensive, but they donot seek to fasten the mind tothe truth. Those who seek to correctothers should present the attractions of Jesus. They should talk ofHis love and compassion, presentHis example and sacrifice, revealHis Spirit, and they need not touchthe subject of dress at all. There isno need to make the dress question


the main point of your religion.There is something richer to speakof. Talk of Christ, and when theheart is converted, everything thatis out of harmony with the Word ofGod will drop off. It is only laborin vain to pick leaves off a livingtree. The leaves will reappear. Theax must be laid at the root of thetree, and then the leaves will falloff, never to return.

“In order to teach men andwomen the worthlessness of earthlythings, you must lead them to theliving Fountain, and get them todrink of Christ, until their heartsare filled with the love of God, andChrist is in them, a well of waterspringing up into everlasting life.”—Signs of the Times, July 1, 1889(Evangelism, p. 272).

“Cleanse the fountain, and thestreams will be pure. If the heart isright, your words, your dress, youracts, will all be right.” —Testin2o-flies, Vol. 1, p. 158.

This is not to belittle in the leastour stand as a people against opensin in its varied forms, for “Christhas plainly taught that those whopersist in open sin must be separatedfrom the church, . . .“ —Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 71. But before thiscan be done, we must first exert allour God-given power to bring abouta revival of primitive godliness inour ranks. This, in turn, will bringabout a visible conversion affectingthe whole life. Souls must see, andthemselves desire to live, the life ofChrist. Love to Jesus must be implanted in the heart, for it says inSolomon’s Song 8:6: “. . . For loveis strong as death; . . .“ Yes, the axmust be laid to the root of the trees!No use, we are told, to pick leavesfrom a living tree; they will reappear. But if the whole tree is uprooted or cut down—if it is dead—then the leaves will fall off andnever come back. The old man mustdie completely with all his earthlylongings. This kind of spiritualdeath, killing the old man, is notsinful suicide but a wholesome experience. As Paul said, “I diedaily!” It is wonderful living afterwe are dead!

HIS LANGUAGE

Our Bible, written in such anarchaic language style, is for many,especially children and youth, hardto understand. Even certain termsseem to have changed meaning.This causes a problem of greatmagnitude. It has led modern Christianity to make many new translations adapted to the modern usageof today. This may be an asset tothose who do not feel at home withthe language used by the translatorsof the King James Version. But justas the disciples of old learned tospeak the words of Christ duringtheir 3½ years of intensive trainingunder Christ as their Teacher, so ourchildren and youth should learn toappreciate the Bible language andits use, strange as it may seem tothem. Once they understand thefamiliar terms, the admonitionsgiven, the call of divine love, theconviction of the Holy Spirit, nochurch discipline will need to beadministered; no hard measures willhave to be applied. “And they shallteach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother,saying, Know the Lord: for theyall shall know Me, from the least ofthem unto the greatest of them,saith the Lord: for I will forgivetheir iniquity, and I will remembertheir sin no more.” Jeremiah 3 1:34.

This presents to us, the ReformedSeventh-day Adventist Church, amighty challenge. Are we willing toreturn to primitive godliness? Todaythere is a grave danger, even amongus, of adapting the intellectual approach to religion which modernchurches foster. Such an approachfills the head with a whirl of knowledge acquired from books of allsorts, not of our faith, and whichleaves the heart of the reader emptyand unfeeling. Philosophy has noplace in the Christian’s language.When He spoke, Christ used thecommon people’s language but safeguarded its purity of expression.This is our duty. Such true religion,interwoven with practical Bible anddaily life experiences, has powerthrough the Holy Spirit to touch

and melt hearts. Remember theplain spoken words of Peter atPentecost and the mighty success inthe harvest of souls; this simplemessage “pricked” their hearts.

Messages such as this we needtoday. They must be Christ centered; they must talk His language—“Repent ye, and believe the gospel.”It appealed to the heart strings inthe apostles’ day, and sinners brokedown and sobbed out their confessions. It eliminated all self-relianceand self-seeking. There was no vainshow of pretended knowledge. Thesinner, convinced of his guilt, hadno mental reservation in his commitment to follow Christ. He surrendered all, placing it at the feet ofthe cross of Calvary.

THAT STRANGE TALK

Today it may happen that wetalk to strangers right in our ownchurches. I do not speak of visitorsbut of some of our own believerswho do not talk the language offaith. Lacking a deep experience inthe Christian life, they often resortto excuses for their failure to understand. If the message is addressed tothem personally, it passes them byas if it were a strange language.When church standards are held upbefore them, they act as if suchdidn’t exist or as if they had notpledged at baptism to adhere tothem—somewhat like the ostrichsticking his head in the sand at theapproach of peril. What can be donefor these poor souls? Why are theyas they are? A good question! Butthere is a reason. We must enter thework at once and reach the heart.Ironclad discipline will create hardhearts, but love, the key to all thatpertains to Christ, will unlock thedoor.

Jesus stands at the door of yourheart. Behold His hands are bleeding for you! His eyes are full of tearsfor your waywardness. Will you notlet Him in—right now? Go on yourknees, weep out your heart’s throbbings, and give up your old ways.Learn to talk His language, and youwill find the rich treasures of lifeeternal.

February 1973 9

By STEINAR ELLEVSETH

WHAT importance does commitment play in our lives? Toanswer this question, let us explore some of the possibili

ties that lie in store for us.To know what commitment to a set objective can do, just

think of the achievements made by devout and dedicated menand women who have pledged their lives to the realization ofcertain goals. When many people unite their interest in theachievement of a common, fixed goal, amazing feats areaccomplished, such as the building of pyramids, cathedrals andmany other “wonders of the world.” In modern times, theinventions of science, the exploration of the physical worldabout us and in us, and the great advancements in transportation and communication are monuments to what will powerand determination can do. These people reached a high degreeof perfection in their fields by choosing their goal and sticking to it, in spite of the loss of many other pleasures. They kepttheir eyes singly on their goal and brushed aside those thingswhich to them were of less importance. Certainly, it cost themsomething! But their commitment bore visible results.

There are many things to which we can commit our lives.But above all, the commitment we make either for right orwrong is more farreaching than any other and is therefore ofthe greatest importance. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; forout of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23. We must therefore carefully consider what is uppermost in our minds, forthat which we place highest will lead our life and decide ourdestiny.

We assume that every man wants to make the right commitment. Life is too valuable to squander away on somethinginferior or secondary. We want something to strive for that isreally worth our efforts—something that will increase insteadof lose in value as time goes on. Let us take ihe words ofJesus as our guide: “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and areheavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you,and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shallfind rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burdenis light.” Matthew 11:28-30.

This is the beginning of all lasting experience. As we heedthe invitation to come to Jesus today, just as we are, He begins

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working in our hearts to change ourcharacters into the loveliness of Hisimage. This is the highest educationthat God, the Giver of all wisdomand knowledge, can give: A knowledge of God’s love in Christ. Thisknowledge alone can give lastingpeace and happiness.

This, however, is an experiencewhich the enemy of God and manis doing his utmost to prevent usfrom obtaining and retaining. Oftenwe ourselves stand in our own way.

There is a story, which mightwell be true, of a man who waswalking along a road with a heavyload on his shoulders. The driver ofa passing horse carriage kindly offered him a ride, and the weary mangratefully accepted. As they wereriding along, the driver noticed thathis new passenger, instead of relaxing and resting, still kept his loadon his back.

“Why don’t you put your sackon the floor?” he asked.

“Well, you see,” the man answered, “since you were so good totake me along, I thought I wouldnot burden your carriage with theweight of my heavy load too.”

For us, also, there is no reasonto carry around a burden of careand remorse even one day longer.In perfect submission and gratefulacknowledgment of God’s goodness and mercy to us, there is perfect rest. The first result of truecommitment is that that which washeavy becomes light, that whichwas a chore becomes a delight, andthat which was complicated anddifficult becomes simple, plain, andeasy. Jesus said: “My burden islight.” Trusting in Him, we will doall we can in our power, and thenleave the rest with him.

JOSEPH

The life of Joseph illustratesclearly the value of commitment.The day Joseph was sold as a slaveby his brethren to be helplesslycarried to Egypt, he was utterlyterrified, for to become a slave inthose times was a fate to be fearedmore than death.

“But, in the providence of God,even this experience was to be ablessing to him. He had learned in afew hours that which years mightnot otherwise have taught him. Hisfather, strong and tender as hislove had been, had done wrong byhis partiality and indulgence. Thisunwise preference had angered hisbrothers and provoked them to thecruel deed that had separated himfrom his home. Its effects weremanifest also in his own character.Faults had been encouraged thatwere now to be corrected. He wasbecoming self-sufficient and exacting. Accustomed to the tendernessof his father’s care, he felt that hewas unprepared to cope with thedifficulties before him, in the bitter,uncared-for life of a stranger and aslave.

“Then his thoughts turned to hisfather’s God. In his childhood hehad been taught to love and fearHim. Often in his father’s tent hehad listened to the story of thevision that Jacob saw as he fledfrom his home an exile and a fugitive. He had been told of the Lord’spromises to Jacob, and how theyhad been fulfilled—how in the hourof need, the angels of God hadcome to instruct, comfort, and protect him. And he had learned of thelove of God in providing for men aRedeemer. Now all these preciouslessons came vividly before him.Joseph believed that the God of hisfathers would be his God. He thenand there gave himself fully to theLord, and he prayed that the Keeper of Israel would be with him inthe land of exile.

“His soul thrilled with the highresolve to prove himself true toGod—under all circumstances to actas became a subject of the King ofheaven. He would serve the Lordwith undivided heart; he wouldmeet the trials of his lot with fortitude and perform every duty withfidelity. One day’s experience hadbeen the turning point in Joseph’slife. Its terrible calamity had transformed him from a petted child to aman, thoughtful, courageous, and

self-possessed.” —Patriarchs andProphets, pp. 213, 214.

Here is portrayed the secret ofJoseph’s success later in life. Thestrength to resist temptation as Joseph did, the great desire to be unspotted by the world though in theworld, and the noble, unselfish traitsthat characterized his life can beours in the same measure. “Committhy way unto the Lord; trust also inHim; and He shall bring it to pass.”Psalm 37:5.

CHRIST

Who is our greatest example ofcommitment to the good of man?Jesus, the Son of God, the Chiefestamong ten thousand. His sacrifice,His labor, and His untiring ministryfor human beings since sin enteredthis world are without comparisonor parallel and will ever be. Christwas not compelled to do what Hedid—leaving Heaven as the Majestyof the universe not only to descendto humanity but to be convictedand condemned as the worst ofcriminals, sinners and outcasts. Noone even asked Christ to do all this;by Himself He offered to do it.

“I saw the lovely Jesus and beheld an expression of sympathy andsorrow upon His countenance. SoonI saw Him approach the exceedingbright light which enshrouded theFather. Said my accompanying angel, He is in close converse withHis Father. The anxiety of theangels seemed to be intense whileJesus was communing with HisFather. Three times He was shut inby the glorious light about theFather, and the third time He camefrom the Father, His person couldbe seen. His countenance was calm,free from all perplexity and doubt,and shone with benevolence andloveliness, such as words cannotexpress. He then made known tothe angelic host that a way ofescape had been made for lost man.He told them that He had beenpleading with His Father, and hadoffered to give His life a ransom, totake the sentence of death uponHimself, that through Him manmight find pardon; that through

February 1973 11

the merits of His blood, and obedience to the law of God, they couldhave the favor of God, and bebrought into the beautiful garden,and eat of the fruit of the tree oflife.” —Early Writings, p. 149.

Christ made the final decision tolay down His life to save the lostrace, at whatever cost to Himself.And He stuck with His pledge to thevery end. “Wherefore God also hathhighly exalted Him, and given Hima name which is above every name.”Philippians 2:9. Indeed His unreserved commitment had eternalvalue. “He shall see of the travailof His soul, and shall be satisfied.”Isaiah 53:11. Looking upon theredeemed when they are gatheredinto the New Jerusalem, He willsay, “It was worth it.”

May God help us to understandthe expenditures of Heaven in ourbehalf. Let our hearts and lips everbe filled with thankfulness. Thecommitment we make today towork for the salvation both ofourselves and others will thrill theheart of Christ. The New Jerusalemis just ahead!

OUR opening text shows that there aretwo kinds of fasts—one that God is

pleased to accept and one that He rejects.Let us first study into the ideas of fastingthat are not acceptable to God.

For example, during the Civil War,when leading men of both the North andthe South were committing great atrocities, Sister White wrote: “January 4,1862, I was shown some things in regardto our nation..

“In this state of things [the Civil War]proclamations are issued for nationalfasts, for prayer that God will bring thiswar to a speedy and favorable termination. I was then directed to Isaiah 58:5-7:

“I saw that these national fasts were aninsult to Jehovah. He accepts of no suchfasts. The recording angel writes in regardto them: ‘Ye fast for strife and debate,and to smite with the fist of wickedness.’ “ —Testimonies, Vol. 1, pp. 253,256, 257.

The Catholic Church, inspired by thepowers of darkness, brought into Christianity the same error that is found inheathen nations.”.. . Under the guidanceof pope and priest, multitudes were vainlyendeavoring to obtain pardon by afflicting their bodies for the sin of their souls.Taught to trust to their good works tosave them, they were ever looking tothemselves, their minds dwelling upontheir sinful condition, seeing themselvesexposed to the wrath of God, afflictingsoul and body, yet finding no relief.”—Great Controversy, p. 72.

Martin Luther, in his sincerity, sufferedgreatly as a result of such teaching. “Ashis convictions of sin deepened, he soughtby his own works to obtain pardon andpeace. He led a most rigorous life, endeavoring by fasting, vigils, and scourgings tosubdue the evils of his nature, from whichthe monastic life had brought no release. . . . As the result of this painfuldiscipline, he lost strength, and sufferedfrom fainting spasms, from the effects ofwhich he never fully recovered. But withall his efforts, his burdened soul found norelief. He was at last driven to the verge ofdespair.” —Great Controversy, p. 123.

The Jews made the same mistake ofpracticing fasting as an act of merit, andthe disciples of John the Baptist were alsoinfluenced. “The disciples of Johnobserved many of the rules prescribed bythe rabbis, and even hoped to be justifiedby the works of the law. Fasting waspracticed by the Jews as an act of merit,and the most rigid among them fastedtwo days in every week.” —Desire ofAges,p. 276.

Concerning this, we read further:“Penances, mortifications of the flesh,constant confession of sin,without sincererepentance; fasts, festivals, and outwardobservances, unaccompanied by true devotion—all these are of no value whatever.The sacrifice of Christ is sufficient: Hemade a whole, efficacious offering toGod; and human effort without the meritof Christ, is worthless. . . .“ —Evangelism,

p. 192.

;; IAST or,T:

By D. M. DEMAREST

“Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: yeshall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it such a fastthat I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as abulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and anacceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bandsof wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that yebreak every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring thepoor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him;and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?”Isaiah 58:4-7.

“Consecration is not wrapping one’s self in a holy web inthe sanctuary and then comingforth after prayer and twilight

meditation and saying, ‘There,I am consecrated.’ Consecrationis going out into the worldwhere God Almighty is andusing every power for Hisglory. It is taking all advan

tages as trust funds—as confidential debts owed to God. Itis simply dedicating one’s life,in its whole flow, to God’sservice.”

—Henry Ward Beecher


“Said Christ: ‘If any man will comeafter Me, let him deny himself, and takeup his cross, and follow Me.’ We are notto make crosses for ourselves, by wearingsackcloth, by pinching our bodies, or bydenying ourselves wholesome, nourishingfood. We are not to shut ourselves inmonasteries, away from the world, and dono good to our fellow beings, thinkingthis is the cross of Christ; neither are werequired to expose health and life unnecessarily, nor to go mourning up thehill of Christian life, feeling it a sin to becheerful, contented, happy, and joyful.These are all self-made crosses, but notthe cross of Christ.” —Testimonies, Vol.4, pp. 626, 627.

We must also realize that unbalancedminds can dishonor God. “It is true thatthere are unbalanced minds that imposeupon themselves fasting which the Scriptures do not teach, and prayers and privation of rest and sleep which God hasnever required. Such are not prosperedand sustained in their voluntary acts ofrighteousness. They have a pharisaicalreligion which is not of Christ, but ofthemselves. They trust in their good worksfor salvation, vainly hoping to earn heavenby their meritorious works instead ofrelying, as every sinner should, upon themerits of a crucified, risen, and exaltedSaviour. These are almost sure to becomesickly.” —Testimonies, Vol. 1, pp. 556,557.

THE TRUE FAST

Now let us study about the fastingwhich God ordains and blesses. In Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 188, we findthe definition of the true fast: “The truefasting which should be recommended toall, is abstinence from every stimulatingkind of food, and the proper use ofwholesome, simple food, which God hasprovided in abundance. Men need to thinkless about what they shall eat and drinkof temporal food, and much more inregard to the food from heaven, that willgive tone and vitality to the wholereligious experience.”

FASTING’S PURPOSEThe purpose of fasting is to aid us in

yielding our lives to Cod and in doingHis will by serving humanity.

“For certain things, fasting and prayerare recommended and appropriate. In thehand of God they are a means of cleansingthe heart and promoting a receptive frameof mind. We obtain answers to our prayers because we humble our souls beforeGod.” —Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp.187, 188.

“The object of the fast which Godcalls upon us to keep is not to afflict thebody for the sin of the soul, but to aid usIn perceiving the grievous character ofsin, in humbling the heart before God andreceiving His pardoning grace.” —Mountof Blessing, p. 87.

“The spirit of true fasting and prayeris the spirit which yields mind, heart, andwill to God.” —Counsels on Diet andFoods,p. 189.

“The true fast is no mere formalservice. The Scripture describes the fastGod has chosen—’to loose the bands ofwickedness, to undo the heavy burdens,and to let the oppressed go free, and thatye break every yoke;’ to ‘draw out thysoul to the hungry, and satisfy theafflicted soul.’ Isaiah 58:6, 10. Here is setforth the very spirit and character of thework of Christ. His whole life was asacrifice of Himself for the saving of theworld. Whether fasting in the wildernessof temptation or eating with the publicans at Matthew’s feast, He was giving Hislife for the redemption of the lost. Not inidle mourning, in mere bodily humiliationand multitudinous sacrifices, is the truespirit of devotion manifested, but it isshown in the surrender of self in willingservice to God and man.” —Desire ofAges, p. 278.

We are admonished that the length ofLime spent in fasting has no virtue: “Allthe fasting in the world will not take theplace of simple trust in the word of God.‘Ask,’ He says, ‘and ye shall receive.’You are not called upon to fast fortydays. The Lord bore that fast for you inthe wilderness of temptation. There wouldbe no virtue in such a fast; but there isvirtue in the blood of Christ.” —Counselson Diet and Foods, p. 189.

This statement says very clearly thatwe are not to try to fast 40 days asChrist did. When Moses fasted 40 days,it was a beautiful fast—with no hunger,temptation, or harassment by the devil.“In the wilderness of temptation Christwas without food forty days. Moses had,on especial occasions, been thus longwithout food. But he felt not the pangs ofhunger. He was not tempted and harassedby a vile and powerful foe, as was the Sonof God. He was elevated above thehuman. He was especially sustained bythe glory of God which enshrouded him.”—Selected Messages, Book 1, p. 269.

Fasting is also beneficial in seekingwisdom. “Now and onward till the closeof time the people of God should bemore earnest, more wide awake, nottrusting in their own wisdom, but in thewisdom of their Leader. They should

set aside days for fasting and prayer.Entire abstinence from food may not berequired, but they should eat sparingly ofthe most simple food.” —Counsels onDiet and Foods, pp. 188, 189.

“Unitedly make known your troublesto God. Talk less; much precious time islost in talk that brings no light. Letbrethren unite in fasting and prayer forthe wisdom that God has promised tosupply liberally.” —Testimonies to Ministers, p. 499.

Fasting is recommended when one issearching the Scriptures. “When the timeshall come, in the providence of God, forthe world to be tested upon the truth forthat time, minds will be exercised by HisSpirit to search the Scriptures, even withfasting and with prayer, until link afterlink is searched out, and united in a perfect chain.”—Tesijmonjes, Vol. 2, p. 650.

This was the case in the early days ofthe Advent Movement. “Difficult pointsof present truth have been reached by theearnest efforts of a few who were devotedto the work. Fasting and fervent prayerto God have moved the Lord to unlockHis treasuries of truth to their understanding.” —Testimonies, Vol. 2, p. 650.

When we are in the midst of difficultyand conflict, our faith can be greatlystrengthened by prayer and fasting. Wecannot afford to make the same mistakethe disciples did in dwelling upon ourtroubles and personal problems. “Thewords of Christ pointing to His death hadbrought sadness and doubt. And theselection of the three disciples to accompany Jesus to the mountain had excitedthe jealousy of the nine. Instead ofstrengthening their faith by prayer andmeditation on the words of Christ, theyhad been dwelling on their discouragements and personal grievances. In thisstate of darkness they had undertakenthe conflict with Satan.

“In order to succeed in such a conflictthey must come to the work in a differentspirit. Their faith must be strengthenedby fervent prayer and fasting, and humiliation of heart. They must be emptied ofself, and be filled with the Spirit andpower of God. Earnest, persevering supplication to God in faith—faith that leadsto entire dependence upon God, andunreserved consecration to His work—can alone avail to bring men the HolySpirit’s aid in the battle against principalities and powers, the rulers of thedarkness of this world, and wickedspirits in high places.” —Desire of Ages,p. 431.

While our main work is to help soulsto study the Scriptures, at times we are

February 1973 13

faced with opponents in discussions. “Iwas shown that the advocates of truthshould not seek discussions. And whenever it is necessary for the advancementof the cause of truth and the glory ofGod that an opponent be met, howcarefully and with what humility shouldthey go into the conflict. With heart-searching, confession of sin, and earnestprayer, and often fasting for a time, theyshould entreat that God would especiallyhelp them and give His saving, precioustruth a glorious victory, that error mightappear in its true deformity and its advocates be completely discomfited. Thosewho battle for the truth, against itsopposers, should realize that they are notmeeting merely men, but that they arecontending with Satan and his angels,who are determined that error and darkness shall retain the field and the truth becovered up with error. As error is most inaccordance with the natural heart, it istaken for granted to be clear. Men whoare at ease love error and darkness, andare unwilling to be reformed by the truth.They do not love to come to the light, lesttheir deeds should be reproved.” —Testimonies, Vol. 1, p. 624.

The power of Satan is strong, but thepower of God is infinitely stronger whena soul cries out for deliverance fromspiritualism. As the following statementshows, however, God’s people muststrongly support such a soul with fastingand prayer. “Some poor souls who havebeen fascinated with the eloquent wordsof the teachers of spiritualism, and haveyielded to its influence, afterward findout its deadly character, and would reflounce and flee from it, but cannot.Satan holds them by his power, and is notwilling to let them go free. He knowsthat they are surely his while he hasthem under his special control, but that ifthey once free themselves from his power,he can never bring them again to believein spiritualism, and to place themselves sodirectly under his control. The only wayfor such poor souls to overcome Satan, isto discern between pure Bible truth andfables. As they acknowledge the claims of

truth, they place themselves where theycan be helped. They should entreat those

who have had a religious experience, andwho have faith in the promises of God, to

plead with the mighty Deliverer in their

behalf. It will he a close conflict. Satanwill reinforce his evil angels who havecontrolled these persons; but if the saintsof God with deep humility fast and pray,their prayers will prevail. Jesus will commission holy angels to resist Satan, and hewill be driven back and his power broken

from off the afflicted ones. Mark 9:29:

‘And He said unto them, This kind can

come forth by nothing, but by prayer and

fasting.’ “ —Testimonies, Vol. 1, pp. 343,

344.As we read in Counsels on Diet and

Foods, pp. 188, 189, there are definitetimes for fasting and prayer. There arealso degrees of duration and degrees ofabstinence, ranging from 3 days withoutfood and water to 3 weeks with simple,light food. It is up to the individual or thegroup that is fasting to determine thedegree which is best for the situation andwhich results in blessing and strength.

EXAMPLES OF FAS11NG

Here are some examples of individualsand groups who fasted in varying degreesand in different situations. We can safelysay that an individual or a group can gothree days without food and water, according to the Scriptures. In doing thisstrict type of fasting, a person shouldrefrain from physical labor and emotionalstress. Remember, the attitude at thistime should be one of prayer, quietness,and drawing near to God, not agitation orexcitement.

David. “And David said unto Nathan,I have sinned against the Lord. AndNathan said unto David, The Lord alsohath put away thy sin; thou shalt notdie. Howbeit, because by this deed thouhast given great occasion to the enemiesof the Lord to blaspheme, the child alsothat is born unto thee shall surely die.

“David therefore besought God for thechild; and David fasted, and went in, andlay all night upon the earth. And theelders of his house arose, and went tohim, to raise him up from the earth; buthe would not, neither did he eat breadwith them. And it came to pass on theseventh day, that the child died.. . . ThenDavid arose from the earth,. . . and whenhe required, they set bread before him,and he did eat.” 2 Samuel 12:13, 14, 16-18, 20. (Situation: Mourning for sinand supplication for the innocent child.)

King Saul. “Then Saul fell straightwayall along on the earth, and was soreafraid, because of the words of Samuel:and there was no strength in him; for hehad eaten no bread all the day, nor all thenight.” 1 Samuel 28:20. (Situation: Rejected by God after disobedience, nowturned to witchcraft. Fasting useless.)

Daniel. “And I set my face unto theLord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, andashes.” Daniel 9:3. (Situation: Seekingunderstanding of the vision.)

“In those days I Daniel was mourningthree full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread,neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth,neither did I anoint myself at all, till threewhole weeks were fulfilled.” Daniel 10:

2, 3. (Situation: Cyrus, King of Persia,was withstanding God’s providence.)

Paul. “And Saul arose from the earth;and when his eyes were opened, he sawno man: but they led him by the hand,

and brought himinto Damascus. And he

was three days without sight, and neither

did eat nor drink.” Acts 9:8,9. (Situation:

Soul agony and remorse over his guilt,self-examination, heart humiliation, men

tal searching of prophecies concerningChrist, and prayer for guidance.)

Whole Congregation of Israel. “Andye shall do no work in that same day: forit is a day of atonement, to make anatonement for you before the Lord yourGod. For whatsoever soul it be that shallnot be afflicted in that same day, he shallbe cut off from among his people. Andwhatsoever soul it be that doeth any workin that same day, the same soul will Idestroy from among his people.” Leviticus 23:28-30.

“Every man was to afflict his soulwhile the work of atonement was goingforward. All business was laid aside, andthe whole congregation of Israel spent theday in solemn humiliation before God,with prayer, fasting, and deep searchingof heart.” —Patriarchs and Prophets, p.355. (Situation: Day of atonement.)

City of Nineveh. “So the people ofNineveh believed God, and proclaimed afast, and put on sackcloth, from thegreatest of them even to the least ofthem. And he [the king of Ninevehicaused it to be proclaimed and publishedthrough Nineveh by the decree of theking and his nobles, saying, Let neitherman nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything: let them not feed, nor drinkwater.” Jonah 3:5, 7. (Situation: City tobe destroyed because of wickedness; repented and asked God for mercy.)

Kingdom of Judah. “It came to passafter this also, that the children of Ammon, and with them other beside theAmmonites, came against Jehoshaphat tobattle. Then there came some that toldJehoshaphat, saying, There cosneth a greatmultitude against thee from beyond thesea on this side Syria; . . . And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek theLord, and proclaimed a fast throughoutall Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord:even out of all the cities of Judah theycame to seek the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 20:


1-4. (Situation: Great army coming toattack Judah.)

Jews in Medo-Persia. “And in everyprovince, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, there wasgreat mourning among the Jews, andfasting, and weeping, and wailing; andmany lay in sackcloth and ashes.

“Go, gather together all the Jews thatare present in Shushan, and fast ye for me,and neither eat nor drink three days,night or day: I also and my maidens willfast likewise; and so will I go in unto theking, which is not according to the law:and if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:3, 16.(Situation: Death sentence threatenedthe people.)

Early Christian church. “Now aboutthat time Herod the king stretched forthhis hands to vex certain of the church.And he killed James the brother of Johnwith the sword. And because he saw itpleased the Jews, he proceeded further totake Peter also. . . . Peter therefore waskept in prison; but prayer was madewithout ceasing of the church unto Godfor him.” Acts 12:1-3,5.

“The death of James caused greatgrief and consternation among the believers. When Peter also was imprisoned,the entire church engaged in fasting andprayer.” —Acts of the Apostles, p. 144.(Situation: Persecution, imprisonment ofPeter.)

“We are living in the most solemnperiod of this world’s history. The destinyof earth’s teeming multitudes is about tobe decided. Our own future well-beingand also the salvation of other souls depend upon the course which we nowpursue. We need to be guided by theSpirit of truth. Every follower of Christshould earnestly inquire: ‘Lord, whatwilt Thou have me to do?’ We need tohumble ourselves before the Lord, withfasting and prayer, and to meditate muchupon His word, especially upon the scenesof the judgment. We should now seek adeep and living experience in the things ofGod. We have not a moment to lose.Events of vital importance are takingplace around us; we are on Satan’senchanted ground. Sleep not, sentinels ofGod; the foe is lurking near, ready at anymoment, should you become lax anddrowsy, to spring upon you and make youhis prey.” —Great Controversy, p. 601.

Let us take advantage of our everyopportunity today to heed this inspiredcounsel—to fast, to pray, to meditate,and to obtain that living experience withGod. This will prepare each of us to dothe final work which is just before us.

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83 85 87

Trans-A-Word Puzzle

AS you fill in the words in the top section of the puzzle, notice that each numberedletter becomes a part of the quotation in the lower section. A letter over a given numberis placed above its corresponding number in the lower area.

Work down the list of definitions, filling in the words of which you are sure andtransferring the letters to their places in the lower section. When you have finished,you will have a quotation from Messages to Young People.

1. That which is gained by knowing.

2. To break violently into pieces.

3. A quick offhand camera shot.

4. Time just before a convention.

5. “With fire and ‘ Revelation 14:10.

6. Watery liquid for whitening walls, etc.

7. Guide or model for making things.

8. Altitude; summit; highest part; stature.

9. Weighty; lifted with labor; burdensome.

10. To extend without breaking, as rubber.

11. To listen to; to heed.

1 2. To strike with force.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910 111213141516 17181920 21222324

252627282930 313233 3435363738 39404142 43444546 474849

5051 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69

7071 72 73 74757677 7879 80 81 82 83 84 85 8687

ANSWERS on page 24

February 1973 15

By W. TOM McSHERRY

pETER was one of the mostvivid and dynamic personalities

portrayed in the New Testament ofthe Bible. His character traits madehim more memorable than anyother of the original twelve discipies of Christ. A man of bothdoubts and faith, he was wise andfoolish, brave and cowardly, fearless and fearful, and impulsive, forhe sometimes acted before hethought. Let us explore this disciple’s transformation from a roughneck fisherman to one of the greatest apostles of the gospel.

Peter’s original character as afisherman, when we first comeacross him in the Bible, was brashand strong, using a typical “waterfront” language. Not the least afraidof what he understood, and beingimpatient and bitter when his netsdid not yield an abundance of fish,Peter’s main traits at this point inhis life were very “earthly.” But hislife and character began to transform upon meeting Christ.

When Peter was taken to meetChrist for the first time by hisbrother, Andrew, Peter called Jesusthe Messiah; and because of thisrecognition, Christ gave him a newname—from Simon he became Cephas, or Peter (the Stone). Thisname was rather “inappropriate atthe time, but one of which he willfinally be worthy.” —They BeheldHis Glory, by Alice Parmelee, p.85. He definitely became one ofthe great pillars of the Christianchurch.

Christ seemed to draw out thetrait of love especially in Peter. Thislove was not directed toward mone

/

people.Jesusandhfel-low believers were the specialrecipients of Peter’s love. This lovefaltered and appeared to vanish, yetit was always there.

Faith was another trait that Jesusbrought out of Peter. This faith,however, was not always strong, asshown in the adventure of Peterwalking on the water. Once he tookhis eyes off of Christ and saw themighty swells and whitecaps of theturbulent sea, his fear weakenedhis faith and he began to sink.

Contradictions also flourished inPeter’s life. He would tell the Lordhow sinful he felt and that Jesusshould depart from him, yet hewould cling to Christ and not letHim go. The greatest contradictionPeter made was the final night Jesuswas with the disciples. This nightturned out to contain many contradictions and griefs for Peter.

The evening began with impettious Peter arguing for the seat nextto Christ. Then after the supper, Jesus took a towel and began to washthe disciples’ feet.

“When He came to Peter, Peter,just as you might have expected,exclaimed in amazement and protest, ‘Lord, dost Thou wash myfeet?’

“Jesus gave him an answer whichPeter missed entirely: ‘What I dothou knowest not now, but thoushalt know hereafter.’

“Not to be put off with an answer like that, Peter exclaimed inhis impulsive, boasting, and yetalways engaging manner, ‘Lord,Thou shalt never wash my feet!’

Youth for Truth

“Immediately came the answer,‘If I wash thee not, thou hast nopart with Me.’

“Then Peter went to the otherextreme; and seeing what Christmeant, exclaimed, ‘Lord, not myfeet only, but also my hands andmy head.’ “ —They Beheld HisGlory, pp. 88, 89.

Shortly after this episode, Peteronce more showed his arroganceafter Christ informed him that Hewas to be crucified. Peter wasastonished upon hearing this and,impulsively, “with great vehemencerebuked Jesus for saying that rejection and death awaited Him.”—They Beheld his Glory, p. 89.But again Jesus taught Peter humility, a trait that was very weak, bysaying, “Get thee behind Me,Satan.”

Sister White wrote concerningthis: “Satan had interposed between Peter and his I\4aster, that theheart of the disciple might not betouched at the vision of Christ’shumiliation for him. The words ofChrist were spoken, not to Peter,but to the one who was trying toseparate him from his Redeemer.‘Get thee behind Me, Satan.’ Nolonger interpose between Me andMy erring servant. Let Me comeface to face with Peter, that I mayreveal to him the mystery of Mylove.

“It was to Peter a bitter lesson,md one which he learned but slowly, that the path of Christ on earthlay through agony and humiliation.

16 THE SABWVI’H WATCHMAN

The disciple shrank from fellowship with his Lord in suffering.But in the heat of the furnace firehe was to learn its blessing.” —Desire of Ages, p. 416.

The best known story of Peter ishis denial of Christ. Peter was nodoubt surprised when Jesus toldhim that when he turned back toHim he should strengthen his brethren. The thought of leaving theMaster had never entered Peter’smind. “Declaring his loyalty, Petersaid, ‘Lord, I am ready to go withyou to prison and to death.’—They Beheld His Glory, p. 90.Then came the long-to-be-remembered words from Christ, “. . . Before the cock crow twice, thoushalt deny Me thrice.” Mark 14:30.Jesus understood why Peter woulddeny Him, for He knew Peter’scontradictory qualities, his cowardice, his faith, his doubts and hisunreliability in a crisis.

The test came for Peter thatnight: “In company with Hisdisciples, the Saviour slowly madeHis way to the garden of Gethsemane.

“Near the entrance to the garden,Jesus left all but . . . Peter, Jamesand John,.

‘Tarry ye here,’ He said, ‘andwatch with Me.’

“He went a little distance fromthem—not so far that they couldnot both see and hear Him—andfell prostrate upon the ground.”—Desire of Ages, p. 673. Yet Peterand the other two disciples wereweak, and they soon fell asleep,their spiritual stamina not strongenough to overcome physical tiredness.

Jesus’ arrest soon followed; andonce again strong, unthinking Peteracted on the spur of the moment.Drawing another’s sword to protectthe Master, he clumsily cut off theear of the high priest’s servant.Jesus then told him to put the swordaway. He did so, confused, but laterwould understand why.

In his indignation and fear, Peteragain contradicted himself, for hebecame frightened and suggested tothe other disciples that they flee for

their lives. So they fled, leavingtheir Master alone.

Having second thoughts aboutdeserting their Saviour, Peter andJohn “ventured to follow, at asafe distance, the mob that hadJesus in charge.” —Desire of Ages,

p. 710. As Peter and John wereadmitted to the hall, John chose tofollow Christ closely, and fearfulPeter went to warm himself by thefire and mingle with the crowd, forhe had no desire to be recognizedas a disciple of Christ. But he wasnoticed by one of the palace servingmaids. Seeing his facc illuminatedby the flames, she recognized himand accused him of being Jesus’disciple.

“I do not know what you mean,”Peter replied.

She accused him again, but Petermerely said, “I know Him not.”

A little later he was again accusedof being a follower of Jesus. He denied Christ again, this time with anoath.

One of the bystanders then cameup to him—”You certainly must beone of them, for your speech betrays the fact that you are a Galilean.”

Dawn was now at hand. Withcursing and swearing Peter made histhird denial, “I do not even knowthis Man of whom you speak.”

Immediately the cock crowed,and at this reminder of Jesus’ prediction, Peter came to himself and,knowing that he had failed hisbeloved Master, rushed from thehail, heartbroken.

This one experience in the life ofPeter was so stiong that it changedhim to his final character. The Peterwho denied Christ was impulsiveand self-confident. But now full ofremorse, the new Peter becamemodest and self-distrustful.

When Peter saw the Lord look athim before he rushed from thehail, it was as though “Peter lookedupon Peter, and he sees what a poorcreature Peter is.” —The GreatestThing in the World, by Henry Drummond, p. 225.

As the “changed” Peter laterwent into the world to profess his

Master’s message, trials and down-falls that befell him were bornemuch more successfully. “The Peterwho denied Christ . . . [differed]widely from the Peter who wasbrought before the Sanhedrim.Since his fall he had been converted.He was no longer proud and boastful, . . .“ —Acts of the Apostles,p. 63.

Christ came to the disciples afterHis resurrection, and Peter wasasked about his love for the Master:“Simon, son of Jonas, do you loveMe more than the others do?”

Peter replied, “Yes, Lord, I dolove You.”

Three times in all, correspondingto Peter’s three denials, Jesus askedthe same question, “Simon, son ofJonas, do you love Me?”

The third time Peter was hurt.Yet, remembering his weakness andconfident that Jesus understoodhim, he replied, “Lord, You knowall things; you know that I loveYou.”

The way Peter carried out Christ’scommand to feed His sheep is narrated in the first twelve chapters ofthe Acts of the Apostles in the NewTestament. These chapters deal withthe heroism of Peter and also hisable leadership. “Because he wasalways himself in need of forgiveness, he was well qualified to leadthe society of the forgiven whichis the church of Christ.” —TheyBeheld His Glory, p. 94.

The character of Peter beganwith unused and abused traits, justas do ours. Then came Christ, whobrought forth these unused traitsand made them a part of Peter’slasting character. One must takenote, however, that Christ did notgive Peter new traits; He just usedthe ones that were already in existence.

We, too, have the traits of love,faith, humility, and forgiveness inus. Let’s allow them to come to thefore. As they take over and therough, unkindly, proud characteristics are thrown away, we, likePeter, will become pillars of God’schurch on earth.

February 1973 1’7

$OIsse 4 J4e6th/ //soup

from the Garden I

___

p

By NIKKI GOLDBECK J

M AKE a regular route from your gardento your soup pot. When your harvest

is plentiful, and you begin to tire of youronce favorite vegetable prepared in everyconceivable way, think back to the souppot and you’ll have a whole new spectrum of possibilities. In the winter whenyour storage bin is running low you’ll findsoup can carry a little bit of food a verylong way.

Year-round soup is what you make ofit—and the gardening cook always has ahead start. Make good use of your gardenwhen you enter the kitchen and you’llnever have to rely on a can to satisfy yourlonging for the warmth and savor of abowl of rich soup.

Whoever coined the phrase “from soupto nuts” must have missed some beautifulfood experiences if his soup course remained confined to the beginning of themeal and his nuts to the end. Soup, in itsmany variations, is the most versatile dishon the menu and easily makes the transition from appetizer to main course andeven to dessert.

One of the most attractive characteristics of soup is that it makes such a smalldemand on your time, energy, or pocketbook. Although a recipe may call forseveral hours of cooking, there’s no needto watch the pot. Soup is one dish thatdoesn’t need to be waited on; it’s ready toeat when you are. As a matter of fact, it’soften tastier when reheated or served thenext day.

The comforting aroma of soup inspiresappetites. With the addition of bread,cheese and some fruit for dessert you cancreate many a satisfying meal. Althoughmost traditional soup recipes call for meator meat stock, I’d like to dwell here onmeat-free recipes that you can create forpennies from the fruits of your labor—forwhat better place is there to gather theingredients for your meal, but your owngarden?

There are no clear lines of demarcationbetween the many varieties of soup, butfor easy reference and to establish yourown creative recipe patterns, we will usethe classifications of clear soup, cream

soup, chunk soup, and puree. Withinthese headings you can create soups bothhot and cold, jellied or rich in vegetablesand fruits straight from your garden orstorage bin. Just combine a little of yourintuition and the following guidelines andyou’ll be serving enticing soups that aretruly your own.

Clear soup

The CLEAR SOUP, referred to alternately as stock, broth, bouillon or consomme, is a rich extract often used asthe base for other soups as well as saucesand gravies, It can easily be served alone,though, and makes an excellent substitutefor a hot beverage.

The Italian phrase “tutto fa brodo”describes your role as the cook in stock-making. It translates: “everything makesstock”—and indeed you can use any combination of fresh vegetable scraps to enhance your stock pot. What you may havebeen regarding as waste may just providethe substance of your vegetable broth.Keep a large container in the refrigerator

From ORGANIC GARDENING AND FARMING

Carry the freshness of summer crops right fromthe garden to the soup pot with these how-topointers and recipes./2

//


for saving your vegetable scraps; celeryand scallion tops, asparagus bottoms, parsley stems, pea pods, vegetable peelings,tough broccoli stems, outer leaves ofgreens, the discarded ends of green beans,over-ripe tomatoes. Even leftover cookedvegetables can be used to fill the bin; alllend flavor to the pot. In another container save any liquid which remains fromcooking vegetables. This is an excellentsource of valuable nutrients and flavor,which can be stored in the refrigerator orfreezer.

When you’re ready to begin, cut thevegetables coarsely to expose maximumsurface to the liquid and extract the mostflavor. Strong-flavored vegetables, such asonion, cabbage and broccoli, should beused with care so they don’t overpowerthe broth. Place the chopped vegetablesin a large saucepan. Add either your savedcooking liquids or cold water to barelycover them. A bouquet of fresh herbs—parsley, dill, basil, thyme—or a sprinklingof dried herbs, about 2 teaspoons perquart of broth, can serve as an additionalflavoring aid, Now bring the liquid to aboil, reduce the heat and cook, covered,over low heat for at least 1 hour to extract the full flavor from the ingredients.The less water you use, the stronger thefinal flavor; the longer it cooks, the richeryour stock will be. Near the end of cooking time, season to taste with sea salt.

When your broth is finished very littleflavor or vitamins will be left in the vegetables. Strain them out and make thempart of your compost heap. Now add alittle pure vegetable oil to the broth—2tablespoons per quart of soup—if you likefor extra richness. Your soup is ready toserve as is, or you can add some pastaand cook until tender for a simple consomme. Additional vegetables can bediced and cooked until just tender in thebroth for a clear vegetable soup appetizer, or you can thicken the soup with aflour paste for a mock cream soup.Freeze any extra stock to reuse in thefuture.

Cream soupFor an authentic CREAM SOUP, start

from scratch and prepare a delicate homemade version in minutes. Any vegetable,alone or in combination, can be used.Cook vegetables until just tender enoughto mash or puree in a food mill or blender.Potatoes, spinach, carrots, asparagus, peasall work beautifully. This is another wayto utilize the less desirable parts of vegetables, like those tough broccoli stems.For each cup of soup you will need from

1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetable puree, depending onwhether you want to stress the soup orthe vegetable.

Prepare a thin white sauce. For eachcup of soup heat 1 tablespoon oil orbutter in a saucepan. Remove from heatand stir in 1 tablespoon whole wheatflour to form a smooth paste. Graduallyadd 1 cup reconstituted non-fat dry milk.Return pot to moderate heat and stir untilsauce thickens slightly. For a richer vegetable flavor, substitute vegetable broth orliquid saved from cooking the pureedvegetable for up to half the milk.

Once the sauce has thickened, add thevegetable puree, stirring constantly untilit blends into the soup and becomes thickand creamy. Now season to taste with alittle sea salt and a sprinkling of yourfavorite herbs or spices. You can experiment with some unique combinations;here are a few suggestions to set you onyour way: Season cream of asparagussoup with basil, marjoram and rosemary.Try nutmeg or mace with broccoli; dill orcaraway seeds with cauliflower; corianderwith peas; tomatoes and celery seed; andcinnamon with winter squash.

You can reheat any cream soup if youwish, but do not allow it to boil. Sprinkleon toasted wheat germ, coarsely choppedwalnuts, raw cashews, or dried wholewheat bread crumbs for the finishingtouch.

Chunk soup

Now we come to the CHUNK SOUP,a warming main course on a cold winterday, and surprisingly rejuvenating even inthe middle of July. A chunk soup is like amini-stew with tender pieces of vegetable,cooked dried beans and perhaps somegrains, in a thick or thin broth. All vegetables lend themselves to this kind oftreatment. Mild-flavored ones like summersquash and Jerusalem artichoke add tothe variety, while the wild grasses, likesorrel, watercress and dandelion greensshould be included when available. Anddon’t forget cauliflower, pumpkins andred cabbage in the winter.

Start this soup in vegetable broth or, ifneed be, in plain water. A tomato or twosieved into the liquid is recommended andsauteing an onion and a leek in sesameor safflower oil in the soup kettle beforeyou add the broth imparts a deep richness. Proceed as you did for the vegetablebroth, but this time use the more desirable parts of the vegetables, as they willnot be strained out and discarded in theend. When they are barely tender add afew tablespoons of whole grains—brown

rice, barley, cracked wheat and evenoatmeal are nice. Cover and cook overlow heat until the grain is tender. Thiswill take 20 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the grain you’ve chosen. As thegrain absorbs some of the liquid, yoursoup will thicken and take on the appearance of stew.

As an alternative approach to chunksoup, begin with some dried beans. Soakovernight or several hours in 11/2 to 2times the usual amount of water, or 4cups water per 1 cup beans. Cook thebeans in a covered saucepan over low heat;when almost tender add an assortment offresh vegetables, herbs (don’t forget thesieved tomato) and continue to simmergently until the beans and vegetables arefork tender.

Many traditional recipes call for flourto thicken the broth; next time stir in atablespoon of fresh ground peanut butterinstead and taste the difference. Nuts alsomake a terrific garnish for all soups,particularly these mini-stews.

French Pistou soup is a chunk soupthat uses many of your garden favoritesand sparks the appetite of even thestingiest eater. Without the fresh basil-garlic dressing, it is a garden minestrone.Try it both ways.

PISTOU SOUP

1 tablespoon vegetable oil1 onion, sliced2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped4 cups water or vegetable broth2 potatoes, peeled and diced1 zucchini, diced

% pound green beans, in 1 -inch pieces2 carrots, diced2 leeks, sliced% cup cooked dried beans

A few leaves of spinach2 tablespoons fine noodles

1Y2 teaspoons sea saltPesto frecipe follows)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, addonion and cook until limp. Add tomatoesand cook until soft. Add water, bring toboil, then add potatoes, zucchini, greenbeans, carrots and leeks, cover and cookover low heat 1/2 hour. Add the cookedbeans, spinach, noodles, and salt, andcook 10 minutes longer. Pour into individual soup plates and top with Pesto.Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

To prepare PESTO pound 3 cloves ofgarlic with the leaves of 10 sprigs of freshbasil. When they are in a paste graduallybeat in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add alittle of the mixture to each plate at serving time. Use discretion; it’s very garlicky!

February 197319

SWEET POTATO PUREE

2 tablespoons peanut, or other nut, oil1 onion, thinly sliced4 cups peeled diced sweet potatoes

(3 to 4 potatoes)3 tablespoons chopped parsley

1% teaspoons sea salt4 cups water

Y4 teaspoon grated orange rind% teaspoon nutmegY2 cup coarsely chopped peanuts

1 cup yogurt

Heat oil in large saucepan. Add onion andcook until soft. Add potato, parsley, salt,and water. Bring to boil, cover, re

duce heat and simmer until tender, 15

to 20 minutes. Mash with fork, leaving

some texture. Before serving add orangerind, nutmeg, peanuts and yogurt and

heat gently.Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

ICED TOMATO SOUP

3-inch piece whole grain bread2 cups cold water1 small clove garlic, minced1 teaspoon sea salt3 tablespoons safflower or olive oil4 tomatoes, cut into wedges2 tablespoons diced sweet pepper, red

or green2 tablespoons chopped onion% cucumber, chopped1 hard cooked egg, chopped

Remove crust from bread and tear softinside into small pieces. Moisten with1/2 cup cold water. Add garlic, salt, oil,tomatoes, sweet pepper and onion. Marinate at room temperature 30 minutes.Process the mixture in the blender at highspeed until the tomato is completelypureed. Blend in remaining 11/2 cups waterto make a thick soup. Add more water ifnecessary. Chill. Serve the soup very coldand sprinkle each serving with thechopped cucumber and egg.Yield: 4 servings.

With all this talk of vegetable soups,what about the other half of your gardenharvest, the juicy-sweet fruits you’ve beentending so lovingly? These too make fanciful soups which are particularly suitableto warm summer days when a chilled soupis in order. Fruit Soup follows the patternof all chunk soups and can be enjoyed asa main course or dessert. Again, you canconcentrate your attentions on one ortwo fruits or choose widely from yourgarden. The basic formula remains thesame. The slightly tart flavor of yogurtmakes it the perfect garnish for this deli-

cately sweet soup. Add a sprig of freshmint and you have a festive dish.

FRUIT SOUP

3/4 pound mixed chopped fresh fruit(any fruit in season can be used,such as apples, cherries, melon, berries, peaches, pears, citrus, plums)

3 cups water4 tablespoons honey, depending on

sweetness of fruit2/3 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice1% tablespoons corn flour

Cook the fruit in the water until verysoft, about 15 minutes. Add honey,orange juice and lemon juice and reheat.Dissolve the corn flour in a little water,then add to hot fruit mixture. Boil 1 to 2minutes. Chill the soup until serving time.It should be served very cold. Serve intall glasses.Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Puree

Finally we come to the PUREE, whichis simply a soup that has been processedin the blender or mashed or forcedthrough a sieve or food mill. The resultingpotage can be velvety-smooth or havesmall pieces of vegetables or grains left forinteresting texture. You can even pureeleftover soup to completely change it forservice the next day; this will take fiveminutes and everyone will marvel at youringenuity. Refresh the palate and addextra nutrients to these pureed soups witha garnish of fresh sprouts or diced rawcucumber.

Potato, the favorite vegetable of soupmakers, is particularly adaptable to pureesand lends a thick, creamy texture to thesoup. I don’t want to repeat any of yourold potato favorites, but such a highlyregarded soup ingredient cannot be ignored in an article on basic soup-making.So, we’ve included a special soup suggestion with a new twist—a sweet potato asthe featured vegetable.

Equally as popular as the hot pureedsoup is its cold-blooded sister, chilledpuree. Recipes for these soups, in theform of vichyssoise, iced avocado orbroccoli soup, and cold borscht are available in almost every cookbook. But it’s ashame to subject those garden-fresh vegetables to the vitamin-destroying heat ofyour range every time you make soup.Why not preserve the natural vitamins andprepare a cold, pureed soup entirely inthe blender? The recipe for Iced TomatoSoup will give you an idea of how it’sdone.

Here are a few additional tips for moreflavor additions and ways to save thatgarden-fresh taste:

* When tomatoes are vine ripe andplentiful, cook up a huge pot of tomatosoup. Tomato soup freezes particularlywell and can be stored through the yearin air-tight containers in your freezer,ready to add flavor to winter soups whenvine-ripened varieties are scarce.

* Other standard soup ingredients-celery, carrots, parsnips and greens—canbe made into instant bouillon cubes forsoup bases. When you have an excess ofthese vegetables (and be sure to save bottoms, tops, outer leaves and other scrapsfor just this purpose), dice what you can’tuse and puree in the blender with justenough water to get the machine going.Process each vegetable separately or blendthem together for combination cubes.When finely chopped, pour the vegetablesinto an ice-cube tray and add water tocover. When cubes are frozen solid, remove them from the tray and store in alarge bag in the freezer. Whenever yourrecipe calls for vegetable broth or water,add a few vegetable cubes to the pot. Twocubes can replace each 1,4 cup of liquid.Use these cubes to flavor the liquid forcooking grains as well.

* Leeks are a valuable flavoring ingredient and can really spark a winter soupof cabbage and potatoes. For a frozenleek base for soup, scrub the fresh-pickedleek well, slice and saute in oil 5 minutes,until just tender. Pour the sauteed vegetable and any remaining fat into a smallcontainer and freeze. When you’re readyto make soup, heat this base in your soupkettle first so the flavor of the leek willcome to life again with a ready-made fatbase for richness.

Whatever you do, don’t neglect theseasoning. Have your herb garden withineasy reach of your kitchen door. Letspices and seeds enhance your preparations. Basil, oregano, marjoram, rosemary,ginger, mace, cloves, caraway and dillseeds can all transform a dull liquid into azesty dish. The aromatic bay leaf shouldbe included in all soup pots. And, by allmeans, taste as you go along. A soup thathas not been dipped into usually reflectsthis neglect.

Put a bowl of summer-from-the-gardenon your table all year-round by usingyour backyard, your head and your souppot.

—Reprinted by special permission fromthe September 1972 issue of OrganicGardening and Farming, Emmaus, Pennsylvania. Copyright 1972 by Rodale Press,Inc.


Newsfrom Home& Abroad

Report of theWorkers’Meetings

T

HURSDAY, November 30, and Friday, December 1, 1972, were won

derful days of reunion as our workersfrom the U.S. and Canada arrived inDenver for the workers’ meetings. Themajority were given lodging in our American Union headquarters building. Thisconvenient arrangement provided greatopportunities for the workers to discussexperiences and become well acquaintedwith their co-workers.

On Sabbath morning, the teachers’meeting and Sabbath School were greatlyblessed as questions were discussed andanswered from many varying viewpoints.For the divine service, Elder M. P. Ringelberg’s topic was “The Pulpit.” As in thetime of Israel’s reformation under Ezraand Nehemiah, so today the pulpit ofGod’s church is to be a sacred placefrom which the message of truth shinesin pristine clarity and beauty.

SUNDAY

Sunday morning at 8:00, EIder Ririgelberg opened the first meeting in ourweek-long seminar. He stated the purposeof our coming together as follows: 1) Tocome closer to the Lord, 2) To becomebetter acquainted with our co-workers,3) To learn ways to become more efficient in our labor, 4) To gain greatercourage, and 5) To clarify our goals.

Leadership

“The preacher sought to find outacceptable words: and that which waswritten was upright, even words of truth.The words of the wise are as goads, andas nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shep

herd.” Eccl. 12:10, 11. With this Bibletext, Elder Ringelberg opened our firstmeeting, which dealt exclusively withleadership. Some people are naturallyborn leaders; those who are not candevelop leadership qualities through observation, careful study, and discipline.

The first quality for leadership inGod’s cause is faith. Second,a leader musthave a close connection with Christthrough prayer. A leader must be astudent both of the Bible and of thetrue sciences. God never sends His Spiritto sanction ignorance, and therefore everyperson needs to be constantly learning sothat the Holy Spirit can guide him tohelp others.

A leader is also to be a man with aclear vision, seeing things as God seesthem. He is to be a man of high ideals,just as Christ was, uplifting in conversation, honest, considerate of others, courageous, and with deep love for the flock.A leader is an organizei, first of all ofhimself. Thus he inspires confidence.Being a man of experience, he makes nosnap judgments but reserves his opinionuntil he has heard an entire case. Heknows how to exercise authority, knowswhat limitations he has in his office, andis never overbearing or dictatorial.Through thick aiid thin he is loyal to thecause of Christ.

Christ Our Righteousness

The second meeting on Sunday morning, also conducted by Elder Ringelberg,was a discussion of the message of ChristOur Righteousness in terms of its historical impact on the Advent Movement.Today the message of Christ Our Righteousness is to be at the very center of

our work and is to guide everything wesay and do.

This message was first presented to theSeventh-day Adventists at the 1888 General Conference Session held in Minneapolis. At that time a great battle waswaged between the powers of light anddarkness, and there were many right atthe conference who tried to keep themessage from being presented. SisterWhite was foremost in insisting that themessage be presented. Elder A. G. Daniellswrote in the book Christ Our Righteousness, p. 47, that the message was nevergiven free rein as it should have been.

Because the General Conference infull session did not embrace the messageand did not accomplish the soul cleansingrequired, God used the various crisescaused by earthly governments to purifyHis church. The admonition is ours today:We must fully embrace Christ and cleanseall unrighteousness from our hearts, or wetoo will be cast out.

Cooking demonstrations

After lunch, the afternoon was devotedto cooking demonstrations by variousmembers. Practically the entire Denverchurch came for this program, and somewatched while others demonstrated howto bake bread, cook soup, and preparesuch dishes as rice, soya souffle, vegetables, and gravy. After all the food wasprepared, everyone stayed for dinner.

Our publications

MONDAY

The meetings Monday morning weredevoted to our publications. According toCounsels to Writers and Editors, p. Il,

February 1973 21

the success of our work depends largelyon the character of our literature. Thepublishing house, therefore, is an agencyfor spiritual growth and must be operatedunder God’s guidance. Our papers mustradiate energy and the fresh, clean powerof truth.

At present we have 5 main publications: 1) The Sabbath Watchman, 2) theSabbath School Lessons, 3) the Herald,4) the Know Your Bible CorrespondenceCourse, and 5) the Reformation StudyCourse.

The Sabbath Watchman is our banner,our official church paper, published sixtimes per year. It is the connecting linkbetween the church and the individualmembers. Its goal is to show God’sworking in the field, to carry articles ofpresent truth, to stimulate action throughadmonition and example, and to upliftChrist.

The Herald, our main paper for homemissionary work, is now going to berevised. Instead of one paper, we will beputting into production in the very nearfuture a series of 5 papers. he first,“Prophets Speak Out,” is the most urgent.It will deal with various Bible prophecies,especially those concerning man in theselast days, and will also discuss SisterWhite as the prophet for today. In addition to the prophecy issue, papers will bepublished on family religion, health, andsalvation. In addition, we will issue apaper exclusively for young people. Theselast four papers are still in the planningstages.

Once these new papers are ready, theworkers and members will need to learnhow to use them effectively. Our time isshort, and we need to use every possibleopportunity to bring Christ’s message toall who will hear. Let us submit to Christso that we can be used by His Holy Spirit.

Writing and research

Since our workers and members arefrequently called upon to write for ourchurch publications, especially The Sabbath Watchman, Sister Barbara Wattsnext presented some instruction on howto do research and writing. Some of theprocedures for doing research were discussed, including use of the Bible Concordance, the Index to the Writings ofE. G. White, the library card catalog,encyclopedias, and the Reader’s Guideto Periodical Literature.

Also discussed were techniques oforganizing cards containing researchnotes, making an outline, and actuallywriting. Mechanics of sentences, punctua

tion, grammar, proofreading, re-writing,and manuscript form were also discussed.

Efficiency

Monday afternoon, Elder Ringelbergdiscussed efficiency, defined as “producing the desired effect with the minimumof effort, expense, and waste.” In thegospel work, this consists of making themost of our God-given opportunities. Ifwe will realize that ours is a spiritualwork, that we are in the business ofsaving souls and exalting Christ, we willnot be drawn into side issues nor will wego off on tangents.

To achieve the state of efficiency, theworker should study God’s word, examinehimself daily, pray, observe proper healthhabits, act instead of talk, grasp opportunities instead of shirking responsibilities, and economize.

Following this discussion of efficiency,Elder Helmut Kramer briefly discussedthe importance of the colporteur’s workand how to use one’s time to the bestadvantage.

TUESDAY

The Professional Canvasser

This was “canvassing” day. SisterDorothy Demarest conducted the meeting, which was entitled “The ProfessionalCanvasser.” The work of the canvasser isone of the most difficult occupations andyet is most important, for this is the“front line” of God’s work. As theapostle Paul spent much time going fromhouse to house, lifting up Christ with fearand trembling, so the canvassers have thechallenging task of presenting God’s loveto the world. Their training will fit themto be earnest, well mannered, alert topeoples’ needs, studious, self-sacrificing,virtuous, and true. They are to grasp thegolden opportunities presented to themand do the work nearest them, alwayskeeping Christ in view.

After this instructive session, the colporteurs practiced canvassing each other.It was a real challenge, as they used realistic cases such as a “Jesus people” youth,a Krishna young man, a college professor,an atheist, a Jehovah’s Witness, a Baptist,and a Catholic priest, to convince themto accept the paper that was offered.Today, when every wind of doctrine isblowing, it is the task of our canvassers topresent the crystal-clear gospel in anunmistakable manner to those who seethe hypocrisy and deception in modernreligious circles.

After lunch, the American UnionExecutive Committee met together, and

the remainder of the workers went door-to-door canvassing in Denver. By the way,during this entire week, Denver hadrecord-breaking cold weather, fluctuatingbetween 15 degrees below 0 F. and 15degrees above 0.

WEDNESDAY

Doctrinal questions

Elder Ringelberg opened our meetingson Wednesday morning by giving theworkers some of the questions we getfrom students enrolled in our two correspondence courses. The workers thenpracticed answering these questions withsolid support from the Scriptures andSpirit of prophecy.

“A Closer Test of Faith”

Elder 0. Kramer conducted the nextmeeting, which dealt with preparing candidates for baptism into the church. Firstof all, Christ and His righteousness is tobe given the strongest emphasis. Theworker has the responsibility of instructing thoroughly those who are interestedin living for Christ. Before baptism intothe family of God is even mentioned, thecandidate is to begin living the truth, forbaptism is an acknowledgment that theperson has become a part of the family inheaven.

Thus the individual, when he is baptized, will have already demonstrated thathe loves Christ, that he loves to study theBible and the Testimonies, and that he isfaithful in paying tithe, keeping theSabbath, living healthfully, dressing modestly, attending services, and unitingwith the church. He will have separatedfrom worldly associations which lead himfrom Christ, and his eye will be set singlyon his goal of heaven and eternal life.

We know that Christ is coming soon.He is only waiting for His people tocleanse their hearts and lives and to unitewholeheartedly under His banner.

Laymen’s home visitation program

After lunch, Elder Helmut Kramerdescribed for us the new evangelisticprogram begun by the church in easternCanada. A complete report of this project—the criteria, the method, the message, and the results—is given in this issueof The Sabbath Watchman (see page 24).Elder Kramer and his wife, Sister BettyKramer, demonstrated how this programworks. We were encouraged to try it inour own churches.

We remember the promise of the Spiritof prophecy that in the last work under


the latter rain she saw thousands goingfrom home to home opening their Biblesto families and individuals. This time isnot far distant, and every member ofGod’s family will be pressed into service.Now is the time to learn how to presentGod’s word. To aid this, the publishinghouse will be printing soon a handbookcontaining simply prepared Bible studiesthat can be used by you to present all thetruths of the Bible directly from theScriptures.

Elder Ringelberg presented all thecanvassers and Bible workers with a copyof the book Training Light Bearers, whichdescribes the characteristics God desiresHis workers to have and which also givesBible readings that can be presented tointerested souls.

Organization

THURSDAY

The entire morning on Thursday wasspent in a discussion of organization.Elder Ringelberg began with a descriptionof the foundation of organization—thepatriarchal system, which God Himselfset up. There has always been a set formof religion and organization in God’sgovernment. It was given to Adam andEve right in the beginning and includedthe gift of faith, which was to workthrough obedience to God and throughthe system of sacrifices which He ordained. Similarly, the church in the wilderness had a definite physical organization and order; every individual knew hisplace and what was required of him.There was a system of authority clearlyoutlined by God, and those who wouldnot comply with it were simply removedfrom God’s people.

When Ghrist came to earth, He alsoorganized His church in perfect order, justas He had done for His people since thetime of Adam and Eve. The apostlescontinued this line of organization thatChrist had established, and down to thisday His followers have maintained thesame order and authority.

As the Reform Movement, we too havea necessary line of authority and responsibility extending from the General Conference down to the Unions, the localchurches, and the individual members.This order includes the workers andmembers. Each one has his individualresponsibility and authority; he does nothave unlimited authority, however, and itis essential that he clearly understandthose limits. Without such limits, theorganizational structure can fall into greatdifficulties.

The officers in the church, when theyare elected at the beginning of the calendar year, should be thoroughly instructedas to what their duties are. The duties ofsome of the church officers were discussed, including the minister, the ordained elder, the deacon, the deaconess,the church clerk (secretary), the treasurer,and the missionary leader. As these dutieswere described, most of us discoveredthat these officers had more things theyshould be doing than we realized. Moredetailed instruction concerning this isgiven on page 26 of this issue.

In the afternoon, the Executive Committee again met and the rest of theworkers went canvassing.

FRIDAY

Composition and delivery practice

On Friday morning, those attendingthe meetings were given an opportunityto put their skills to work in explainingBible texts that were given to them. Theythen had to explain the texts extemporaneously, endeavoring to explain thepassage clearly and being careful not towander from the subject. Some of thetexts assigned were: Joel 2:17; Cobssians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 11:32; Jeremiah3:14; Ezra 9:8; and Proverbs 11:3. Thisis an excellent exercise for all of us.Some Sabbath afternoon when you havea group together, perhaps at your home,try doing this exercise. Allow only 5minutes for the explanation, and thengive suggestions on how the person couldhave kept closer to his text or explainedit more effectively.

Next, various ones were given texts ondoctrinal questions and were told thatthey were to explain the text to a certainaudience, such as a group of Adventists,or a few Mormons, or a Jehovah’s Witnessaudience, or to some Catholics. This is animportant exercise for all of us, for atwork, at school, or when visiting aneighbor, we are often asked what a particular Bible text means. Let’s practicelearning how to answer these questions.Here are some of the texts that were usedat our session: Revelation 6:9; 10:11;3:14; 1 Corinthians 15:29 (Hint: the keyis 1 Corinthians 15:12, 13); Ephesians 2:19, 20; Daniel 8:23. Again the limit was5 minutes to explain the text.

First Aid demonstration

In the afternoon, Brother LambertHazelhoff and Elder Helmut Kramer gavea First Aid demonstration. First of all,we saw two films, “The Breath of Life”which described mouth-to-mouth resusci

tation, and “Home Accidents—Documentary.” Then we all practiced mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Resusci-Anne, adummy borrowed from the local RedCross center. Other simple First Aidprocedures were demonstrated, such ashow to stop bleeding.

Church services

SABBATH

Our Teachers’ Meeting, SabbathSchool, and service were blessed by thepresence of the Holy Spirit. For themissionary period in the Sabbath School,Sister Betty Kramer read an inspiringletter from a sister who had once left thetruth and now returned. Called “ThePower of Prayer,” the letter describedhow this sister poured out her heart toGod after saying to herself, Why are youpouring out your troubles to mortal man?She gained a clear answer of what sheshould do and obtained the peace of mindfor which she was longing and which onlyChrist could give. Brother Steinar Ellevseth taught the review lesson, andBrother Timo Martin conducted the day’slesson.

The divine service was brought to usby Elder Helmut Kramer, who had chosen for his topic “What Shall I Do withJesus?” In the Sctiptures we find examples showing that there are three thingswe can do with Jesus when we come to adecision: We can accept Him, as did theapostle Paul; we can reject Him, as didPilate; or we can neglect Him, as Felixdid. If we accept Him, then self must die,along with all pride, self-sufficiency, andour own ideas. If we reject Him, He willleave us to our own devices, and then wewill have no power to resist Satan’s power. Neglecting Him will get us no furtherthan rejecting Him, for we are counseledthat if we hear His voice today we shouldnot harden our hearts.

All the church members and workersstayed at the church for a potluck lunch,which was served in the church diningarea. Since it was snowing and freezingcold outside, it was pleasant to stayinside and enjoy the Christian fellowship.

Modern deceptions

Another meeting was held in theafternoon, and Elder Ringelberg talkedabout some of the religious theoriesthat are being spread today through various sensational paperback books, whichattempt to explain last-day events interms of Bible propheey. We should beaware of these deceptions and know thetruth so we will not be deceived. The

February 1973 23

theories discussed were dispensationalism,the Jewish question, the second chancetheory, the rapture, and the antichrist.The principle that we can apply is thatGod’s truth is simple. Let us know thetruth well so we can defend it. Remember, in these last days the deceptions willbe so severe that if it were possible thevery elect would be deceived.

Underground Evangelism

After Sabbath, a representative ofUnderground Evangelism, an organizationdedicated to smuggling Christian literature and Bibles behind the Iron Curtain,came to the church and showed the film“To Russia, with Love.” Let us rememberour many believers behind the Iron Curtain, for they endure great hardship inliving for Christ. Let us also fully realizeour great freedom and use it to the bestadvantage.

SUNDAY

Thus our workers’ meetings came to aclose, and Sunday morning the workersbegan leaving for home. Our great appreciation goes to those who helped makethese meetings such a blessing. We thankespecially the families who served delicious evening meals to the workers andexpress our gratitude to the other members who helped in many additionalways. These meetings were of great benefit to all of us personally, and now wepray that these benefits will pour out toothers through our increased dedicationto finish God’s work through His Spirit.As each of us grasps Christ’s hand moretightly, He will give us greater love forlost man and courage for greater effort.

—B. WATTS

ANSWERS to Trans-A-Word Puzzle

1. Knowledge2. Shatter3. Snapshot4. Preconvention5. Brimstone6. Whitewash7. Pattern8. Height9. Heavy

10. Stretch11. Hear12. Hit

“Satan knows better than God’s peopie the power that they can have overhim, when their strength is in Christ.”—Messages to Young People, p. 51.

ND they that be wise shall shine asthe brightness of the firmament; and

they that turn many to righteousness asthe stars for ever and ever.” Daniel 12:3.

“And He called unto Him the twelve,and began to send them forth by two andtwo; and gave them power over uncleanspirits; And they went out, and preachedthat men should repent. And they castout many devils, and anointed with oilmany that were sick, and healed them.”Mark 6:7, 12, 13.

“Jesus Sent out Brother with Brother. Calling the twelve about Him, Jesusbade them go out two and two throughthe towns and villages. None were sentforth alone, but brother was associatedwith brother, friend with friend. Thusthey could help and encourage each other,counseling and praying together, eachone’s strength supplementing the other’sweakness. In the same manner He afterward sent forth the seventy. It was theSaviour’s purpose that the messengers ofthe gospel should be associated in thisway. In our own time evangelistic workwould be far more successful if thisexample were more closely followed.”—Evangelism, p. 72

Here in Canada in recent months, wehave prayed much for wisdom in how towork more effectively for souls and howto find more ways to involve all thechurch members in active missionarywork. “The best medicine you can givethe church is not preaching or sermonizing, but planning work for them. If set towork, the despondent would soon forgettheir despondency, the weak would become strong, the ignorant intelligent, andall would be prepared to present the truthas it is in Jesus. They would find an unfailing helper in Him who has promised tosave all who come unto Him.” —Evangelism, p. 356.

On the first Sabbath in October 1972,our local church members had a specialday of fasting and prayer, asking God toguide and bless us in our missionaryendeavors. Thus our Home VisitationProgram was launched; it has been ourprivilege since then to work in the mannerJesus endorsed, going out two by two tothe homes, breaking down prejudice, andfinding souls who are looking for truthand seeking for light. “All over the worldmen and women are looking wistfully toheaven. Prayers and tears and inquiries go

up from souls longing for light, for grace,for the Holy Spirit. Many are on the vergeof the kingdom, waiting only to begathered in.” —Evangelism, p. 462. Wehave received much encouragement andgreat joy from finding open doors, beingwelcomed back again, and seeing soulsbegin to study God’s word for themselves.

Our method of labor has been as follows: We have gone out two by two,brother with brother, sister with sister,once a week in the evening. One acts as aleader, while the other goes along as anassistant and learner. After earnest prayerand discussion of the most effectivemethods for meeting people in theirhomes, we began ringing doorbells in aspecific area which we planned to revisitagain and again, as long as we were welcomed back. On a chart we recordedall the addresses, whether the personwas home, if we could come back later,and noted any literature left in thehome. For each person who allowed us tovisit, we made a card with his name,address, and the date of the visit, andclipped this to a questionnaire with several questions which served as a basis forour first short visit and as an openingwedge to return again. These are thequestions, with variations, which we used,and are still using:

1. Do you believe in a supreme being?By training or experience?

2. Do you believe in the Bible as theinspired word of God?

(If the answer is “No,” you might skipthe next question.)

3. Do you have a Bible? Do you studyit regularly? Would you like to study itregularly?

4. Do you attend church regularly?Which one?

5. How do you feel about worldconditions?

6. Do you think the churches couldbe improved?

7. Do you have any other comments oropinions?

8. Would it be all right for us to visityou again?

Our manner of getting acquainted withthe people when we first met them at thedoor was as follows: We met them with asmile and introduced ourselves by ourfirst and last names, saying we were fromthe International Missionary Society andindicating that we were taking a religious

Canadian Missionary Report


survey in their area and would like a fewof their opinions. We spent only aboutten minutes in each home, asking a fewquestions, allowing the person to doalmost all of the talking. If they indicatedthat we were welcome to return, we readone paragraph from Steps to Christ tothem to awaken their interest and thenleft the book with them. Without oneexception, every person we approached inthis manner said we were welcome toreturn.

In Evangelism, on pp. 158, 159, weread regarding winning the confidence ofpeople by contacting them in their homes:“There are numbers of families who willnever be reached by the truth of God’sword unless the stewards of the manifoldgrace of Christ enter their homes, and byearnest ministry, sanctified by the endorsement of the Holy Spirit, break downthe barriers and enter the hearts of thepeople. As the people see that theseworkers are messengers of mercy, theministers of grace, they are ready tolisten to the words spoken by them. Butthe hearts of those who do this work mustthrob in unison with the heart of Christ.They must be wholly consecrated to theservice of God, ready to do His bidding,to go wheresoever His providence leadsthem, and speak the words He givesthem. And if they are what God desiresthey shall be, if they are imbued with HisHoly Spirit, they cooperate with theheavenly agencies and are indeed ‘laborerstogether with God.’

“Find the Way to the Heart. To allwho are working with Christ I would say,Wherever you can gain access to the people by the fireside, improve your opportunity. Take your Bible, and open beforethem its great truths. Your success willnot depend so much upon your knowledge and accomplishments, as upon yourability to find your way to the heart. Bybeing social and coming close to thepeople, you may turn the current of theirthoughts more readily than by the mostable discourse. The presentation of Christin the family, by the fireside, and in smallgatherings in private houses, is often moresuccessful in winning souls to Jesus thanare sermons delivered in the open air, tothe moving throng, or even in halls orchurches.

“All who engage in this personal laborshould be just as careful not to becomemechanical in their manner of working asshould the minister who preaches theword. They should be constantly learning.They should have a conscientious zeal toobtain the highest qualifications, to be-

come men able in the Scriptures.” —Evangelism, pp. 436, 437.

The results of our first visits have beenextremely gratifying. For every man hourof labor in our initial visits, we have madeone contact for a return visit.

For our second visit we again introduced ourselves by name, also addressingthem on a first name basis where appropriate, telling them we were in their areaagain and wondered if we could visit thema few minutes. If they were busy and saidwe could return another time, we indicated this on our chart and went on. If wecould go in, we asked if they had read theSteps to Christ and if they had anyquestions about it or other religioustopics. If they had a Bible in theirhome, at times we asked if they hadbegun to study it. As before, we let thepeople do most of the talking, listeningvery carefully to learn more about theirattitudes, background, religious beliefs,and/or other pertinent information whichwould help us to understand them betteras individuals. This visit usually lasted tento fifteen minutes, and we asked if wecould return again another time. So far,not one of these contacts has said wecould not return for a third visit. Thesevisits are usually two to three weeksapart, allowing the people time to readany literature left with them and to keepthem from feeling pressured or hurried inany way.

On the third visit we have been gratified to discover that several individualshave looked for and found their Biblesand either put them in a prominent placeor begun to read them. Thus they hadseveral questions ready for us. One or twoverses were read in answer to their inquiries, but no effort was made to conduct a regular Bible study. God’s wordwas uplifted as inspired and as a relevantguide for everyday life. At this pointseveral persons took the first two lessonsof the Know Your Bible CorrespondenceCourse, and we will return to correct theirquestionnaires and give them the nextlessons.

In time, we hope to have most of themembers actively engaged in this HomeVisitation Program, for as they are trainedthey will take along a brother or sisterand teach him how to labor in this way.Thus our area of missionary endeavorwill be enlarged, and we will all growspiritually ourselves as we impart thetruth to others.

In future visits we hope to be able toconduct regular Bible studies, pointingthese people to the way of life, evermaking Christ the center of all study.

Another missionary effort we havefound highly successful is visiting a nursing home one Sabbath a month for ashort service with songs and instrumentalmusic. Both adults and children haveparticipated in this effort; and the oldfolks, many in wheelchairs, have welcomed us back again and again. Theyhave told us how much they appreciateour coming because many seldom, if ever,are able to leave the nursing home. Onelady has taken up several of the serviceson her tape recorder so she can listen tothem when we are not there. One gentleman remarked, “Don’t wait too long untilyou come again!” At times we urge thepeople to sing along with us on familiarhymns such as “The Old Rugged Cross,”which has made them very happy. Onseveral occasions such literature as DialTruth cards, Know Your Bible Correspondence Course cards, Bible Truths, andSteps to Christ have been left with thepeople. Some of the patients’ relativesand visitors, as well as the kitchen staffand other employees, come to listen tothe message presented in music and thespoken word. Indeed, God has blessedall who have participated in this programboth as listeners and as active participants.

“Less Sermonizing, More PersonalWork. If one half of the sermonizing weredone, and double the amount of personallabor given to souls in their homes and inthe congregations, a result would be seenthat would be surprising.” —Evangelism,p. 430.

Let’s all get busy!

—BEITY KRAMER

IF I HAD KNOWN

If I had known the burden that you boreThat morning when I met you on the Street,Could I have seen beneath the smile you woreThat cloudy day when first we chanced to

meet—I should have quite forgot the cares I had,And giv’n a cheery word to make you glad.

If I had known your heart was aching soWith loneliness and yearning for a friend,Had known what road, alone, you had to go,Had dreamed what bit of gladness I might

lend—I would have been the help I meant to beIf I had really known you needed me.

Had I but known God led you there that dayTo wait for me that I might ease your painAnd walk a mile with you along the wayUntil you felt your load grown light again—Then would my blinded eyes been made to

see—If I had known you counted so on me.

February 1973 25

44

Richmond, Virginia“In Thee, 0 Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me

in Thy righteousness. For Thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore forThy name’s sake lead me, and guide me. “Psalm 31:1, 3.

ON November 12, 1972, a beautiful sunny day in Richmond, the believersand many friends of our truth gathered at a little lake not too far from thecity. There we witnessed a great and solemn event as a dear soul, Sister DonnaLynn Kjdd, gave her heart to Jesus and made a covenant with Him inbaptism.

It was a happy and memorable day for the church in Richmond, for atthe same time she was accepted into the church, two others, Brother XuryMoore and his wife, Sister Phoebe Moore, were also taken into churchfellowship by Elder Helmut Kramer.

We thank our Lord for His wonderful help in leading these souls totake their stand with the remnant people of God. May the Lord help each ofus to remain firm by faith and strive for our eternal goal.

—LAMBERT HAZELHOFF

T I-IL purpose of this short article is togive some organizational guidelines,

which we believe will prove highly beneficial to our church as they are carried outconscientiously. The purpose of organization is to bring about unity amongmembers and officers in their efforts tocarry out their Christian mission. It isalso to make the relationships within thechurch understood, recognized, and appreciated. A lack of such understandingand appreciation has often led to disharmony and trouble among well-meaningand sincere Christians.

Organization can be meaningful andbeneficial only if it is spiritual and Christ-centered; otherwise it can become a hard,cruel, and even unjust taskmaster. Thechurch is the spiritual body of Christ,and therefore Christ should never beleft out of any function of the church.Of course, we are never to forget that themembers as well as the leaders of thischurch militant are not perfect humanbeings, but the Lord has promised towork through them as they give themsclvcs to His service.

Now let us take a closer look at the

duties and privileges of a few of theoffices which are found in our churches.

MINISTER

The office of the minister is oftenmisunderstood by the laymen. Someeither idolize the minister or despisehim. Of course, neither extreme is correct Much depends upon the tact andwisdom of the minister, his love forpeople, and the manner of his work.It is impossible for a minister, or anyother officer, to please everyone in hiscircle of influence, be it within or outsideof the church. Someone once said, “Apastor needs the tact of a diplomat, thestrength of Samson, the patience of Job,the wisdom of Solomon—and a cast ironstomach.” There is much truth in this.

Sometimes the call is made, “Send usa minister.” When we recall the earlydays of the Advent Movement, we findthat there were no regular pastors forlocal churches. The ministers of the Movement continually traveled from placeto place to encourage, advise, and givespiritual instruction. It was the churchmembers who evangelized and carried out

Christ’s mission. We believe that this earlysystem is the proper one. Reformersespecially should not demand or expect aresident minister to cater to their needs,because in this way the thrust of missionary work is hindered.

Ministers are elected by the conferencefor which they work. The conferencedirects their labors. The minister is to hethe spiritual adviser and leader of thechurch community where he lives andworks. The local elder is his assistant.

If a church has the privilege of havinga minister, it is highly advisable that hehave a place on the church committee.Although he does not automaticallybecome chairman of the church committee, or nominating committee, the conference should suggest to the church thathe be elected chairman.

ELDER

The elder is the religious leader of thelocal church in the absence of the minister. By precept and example he is to leadthe church to a higher spiritual life. Heshould be capable of conducting services.


However, if a church must choose betweena person who can speak well, but whodoes not have a truly consecrated life, andanother person who may have haltingspeech, but leads a life devoted to God,the latter should be selected. A localelder is elected for the duration of oneyear. As the name indicates, the jurisdiction of his office is limited to the localchurch in which he was elected.

Under certain circumstances, the ordained elder may perform baptism withthe consent of the president of theconference. He may not perform marriage ceremonies, however; only an ordained minister may do this. The eldershould foster missionary work; he shouldbe a faithful tithe payer, and he shouldencourage others to be the same. Theelder may not accept or dismiss membersof the church on his own. Only a vote ofthe church can do this. However, whencalled for, he may recommend such anaction. The final decision in such casescan be made only by the local church.

DEACON

The office of the deacon was found inthe early Christian church and is described as very important. Deacons arechosen to take care of the business of thechurch. The deacon’s work is only onenotch below that of the elder. He is totake care of the poor among the congregation. He should lead out in givinginstruction in the truth. He should also bean evangelist. If the deacon is ordainedby the church, he may assist in the churchordinances (the Lord’s Supper and thebaptismal service). It is well to note thatonly ordained church officers can beasked to bless the bread and the wine. Itis not appropriate to call upon someonein the congregation for such prayer.

An ordained deacon cannot officiatein the ordinances, baptize, or marry byhimself. Neither can he officiate at meetings where members of the church areaccepted or disfellowshipped. The deaconis in charge of the church property. Thisincludes janitorial work, repairs whereneeded, paying the bills, etc. Also, whensomeone becomes sick and needs help,this is the work of the deacon. Fundsthat may be needed to do this work ofpaying bills or helping the poor shouldbe requested from the treasurer of thechurch. The deacon is elected for oneyear.

DEACON ESS

The Bible also speaks of female deacons in the church. The deaconess is to

care for the sick, the needy, and theunfortunate and should cooperate closelywith the deacon. The deaconess shouldprepare the bread for the Lord’s Supperand also set the table for the ordinances.Furthermore, she is to assist in the feet-washing and should be aware of newcomers in the church who may need helpin learning to perform the ordinance ofhumility. After these services are over,she is to take care of the linens used forthe service, such as the tablecloth, napkins, towels, and so on. At baptismalservices, the deaconess is to see thatrobes, towels, and blankets are provided,and that afterward these garments arewashed and stored. The deaconess iselected for one year.

CHURCH SECRETARY

This is one of the most importantoffices in the church, and yet it is oftenunderestimated. The church secretary iselected for the duration of one year. Heis to take the minutes of every businessmeeting and all committee meetings.These minutes should contain the dateand time the meeting is held, the numberof people attending, and the report of allactions, motions, etc. that are taken atthe meeting.

He should handle all correspondencebetween the members and the church,and the church and the conference. He isto keep in touch with absent churchmembers. He should keep a record ofchurch events, such as visits by otherministers, and it is good when he notesthe topic about which such a visitorspoke.

The secretary is to keep the churchrecord of membership, baptisms, peoplewho move away, acceptances, and disfellowshipment of members. These recordsshould be kept in the local church. TheChurch Membership List should be filedwith the Union office promptly twice ayear. The secretary is also to handlethe Church Letters and Church Repliesin case of transfers. (All of these formsare available from the Union office.) Themembership information which the treasurer needs to. complete his Church Report should be furnished monthly by thesecretary. All records in his care are theproperty of, the church and should behanded over in good order to the newsecretary when elected.

When the secretaries of our churchesdo their work well, it will prove a richblessing in orderliness to the church as awhole. May the Lord bless them in theirwork!

TREASURER

The active work of the church dependsto a great extent on gifts of money. Thetreasurer, to whom these funds are entrusted, is to be a discreet, honest andconscientious worker. He is to encouragefaithfulness in tithes and offerings and isto deepen the spirituality of the members.He too should be regarded as a spiritualworker, not merely a cashier or bookkeeper. He is the custodian of sacredfunds. He should be prompt in hisfinancial transactions. All the funds belonging to the local church are under hiscare. To facilitate the handling of offerings, checks and money orders coveringtithes and gifts should always be madeout to the local church (for example,S.D.A. Reformed Church, or PleasantView Chapel). For the purpose of auditing, the treasurer is to keep faithfully allstubs, cancelled checks, and records. Allrecords are confidential. Never shouldhe comment on tithes paid, the incomeof an individual, or other pertinentinformation. The breaking of this rulemay cause great harm to the cause.

The treasurer is to mail the ChurchReport promptly every month after obtaining the necessary information fromthe secretary.

MISSIONARY LEADERThe missionary leader is another im

portant figure in the church. Since theright of a church’s existence depends onits missionary zeal and work, the missionary leader has a great field of work inthe church. First of all, he should carefully study the individual field of labor inwhich he serves; he should seek newopenings and opportunities to spread themessage of present truth. Then he shouldturn to the members and educate them toengage in the work. He may hold classeson how to give Bible readings in thehomes. He may use practical demohstrations of how to work. Also, when plansand methods are proposed by the conference to which he belongs, he is expected to carry out these plans in his church.The missionary period in the SabbathSchool should be used exclusively tofurther missionary endeavors. This canbe done by personal testimony, an appropriate reading, relating of an experience, etc.

Now that a new year has begun andwe have a little more time of grace toserve our Master, it is our heartfelt wishthat God may bless all our churches andall newly elected officers in 1973. TheLord will be here soon! Be ye faithful tothe end!

February 1973 27

News of Note...

ADVENTISTSAND THE

GOVERNMENT

FROM time to time, very clear statements in the pages of the Review and

Rerald and other official Seventh-dayAdventist publications confirm the necessity for the separate stand which we take.The issue of the relationship betweenchurch and state, during peace and war,was the question which led to the formation of this Reform Movement among theAdvent people. Often we are asked toexplain the difference between the regularSeventh-day Adventist Church and ourReform Movement. We usually point tothe most obvious matter of the warquestion, although we fully realize thatthere are many deeper Biblical and prophetic reasons for this distinction.

It was in 1914, at the outbreak ofWorld War I, that the European leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist Churchchose to suspend the validity of God’sTen Commandments so as to favor “thepowers that be.” The General Conferencewas well aware of the crisis facing thebelievers in Europe; but instead of takinga firm stand on the side of God, ityielded under the pressure of the government and granted each believer liberty toserve his country at any time and in anyplace according to the dictates of his ownpersonal conscience. It often baffles sincere Adventist believers how their leadership could take such a stand; many equally sincere Adventists defend this dubiousstand, being blinded by the heady phrase,“Liberty of Conscience.”

In the November 30, 1972, Reviewand Herald, recommendations passed bythe 1972 Autumn Council, held in MexicoCity, concerning many phases of churchlife and considered of interest to theReview readers are reprinted. Included onpage 20 is a recommendation called“Relationships With Civil Governmentand War.” This recommendation does notleave any room for questioning; it is clearand bold in its language and states unequivocally the church’s stand. We regretthat this stand is not on the side of truth.

After stating that the Seventh-dayAdventist Church advocates a noncombatant position, being willing to “servethe state in any noncombatant capacity,civil or military, in war or peace, in uniform or out of it, which will contribute tosaving life, asking only that they mayserve in those capacities which do notviolate their conscientious convictions,”the official recommendation continues:

This statement is not a rigidposition binding church members butgives guidance leaving the individual member free to assess the situation for himself.”

The Spirit of Prophecy states veryclearly: “Were men free to depart fromthe Lord’s requirements and to set up astandard of duty for themselves, therewould be a variety of standards to suitdifferent minds and the governmentwould be taken out of the Lord’s hands.The wifi of man would be made supreme,and the high and holy will of God—Hispurpose of love toward His creatures—would be dishonored, disrespected.”—Mount of Blessing, p. 51.

We firmly believe that no church,Conference, or Council can ever grantliberty to any church member or anyperson to judge the validity of God’s morallaw.

To show the “variety of standards”which Sister White said would result fromsuch a dubious stand, the statement in theReview and Herald continues: “. . . Forthe members in the United States thecounsel of the church be that the aboveaction is best reflected at present by theI-A-O classification (military service as anoncombatant) under Selective ServiceSystem regulations, and

“. . . That the member in the UnitedStates making his personal decision onhow to fulfill his obligated term of serviceto the country first consider the historicalteaching of the church on noncombatancywhich could lead him to choose the I-A-Oclassification.”

Now there follows the most interestingpart, which says that if a member choosesa classification other than the recommended I-A-O, the pastor, teacher orchurch worker is to help him get thedesired classification. This would concernthose who apply for a 1-0 classification(civilian alternative in lieu of militaryservice).

In recent years, the Adventists frownedupon this classification as somewhat fanatic (we know this from firsthand experience), but since the general trend ofthought in this country is now towardpacifism, the church can afford to adjust

itself to this idea. Our Reform Movementhas always taken the position that wewill have no part in warfare or militaryactivities, whether they be in a combatantor noncombatant capacity. The statements from the Spirit of Prophecy areabundantly clear that there is no compatability between the Christian life andarmy routine.

The recommendation closes with theChurch’s attitude toward those whochoose to fight and kill, according to thedictates of their individual conscience:“For those who conscientiously choosethe I-A classification (military service as acombatant) pastoral guidance and counselshould be provided in ministering to theirneeds since the church refrains frompassing judgment on them.”

We sincerely believe that this uncommitted stand of the church is a trueindication of the overall lukewarmnesstoward matters of principle. The churchtakes an official neutral position, insteadof fulfilling the divine commission of theAdvent Movement, which is to show toall the world the true importance of thecommandments of God and the faith ofJesus.

To obtain evidence for the church’sreal position, we no longer need to referto the past World Wars, which manyreject as having happened too long ago.Here before us is an up-to-date, unmistakable admission of the fallen position ofthe professed church of God.

We can have no part in this apostasybut must cry aloud and spare not. We areto weep between the porch and the altar,humble ourselves before God, and seektrue repentance, so that we might becovered by Christ and His Righteousness.

—M.P.R.

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