RECORDISSN 0819-5633 VOL 95 NO 47 November 30, 1991 2 107 AR N No n io t ica l b u t—p Pos lia tra Two Sonoma Students Murdered s Au wo students from Sonoma College, Rabaul communities have been outraged by Papua New Guinea, were shot dead in a by what has happened. He says that the d T re roadside hold-up on Thursday morning, people have been very supportive of the te is November 7. Those killed were Redly college. Kova, a final-year agricultural student from The president of the Papua New Guinea Reg South West Papua, and Margaret Maviau, a Union Mission, Pastor Yori Hibo, and commerce student from East New Britain. PNGUM education director Colin Police have arrested nine young men Crawford have visited Sonoma since the over the incident. The shooting occurred as shootings. a truckload of students were travelling to A decision was made while Pastor Hibo Rabaul with college business manager was there to close the college, for the year Graham McCutcheon. on November 12. Sonoma will have no Police are investigating the shooting and graduation this year. trying to establish reasons for the killings. Margaret Maviau, a local girl, will be The principal of Sonoma College, Martin buried in the Sonoma area. Redly Kova's Ward, reports that the New Britain and body will be flown back to his home. RECORD EDITORIAL Official Paper I Can't Come Down Seventh-day Adventist Church South Pacific Division eturning from Babylonian captiv- God, inside the temple . because Editor Bruce Manners Rity the people of God were faced men are coming to kill you by night" Associate Editor Gary Krause with a colossal task: the rebuilding (Nehemiah 6:10-13, NIV). Ignoring Assistant Editors Joy Totenhofer Karen Miller and restoration of Jerusalem. Under the intimidation strategy, Nehemiah Editorial Secretary Glenda Fairall the leadership of Nehemiah the task kept on building. Copy Editor Graeme Brown was vigorously undertaken. There are striking parallels between Illustrator Wayne Louk With extraordinary skill Nehemiah Nehemiah's task and that of the Senior Consulting Editor Athal Tolhurst Correspondents Ray Baird, Lyn Bartlett, Terry began to harness the national Adventist Church. Butler, Ray Combe, David Hay, Maua Kemo'o, Colin resources, mobilise the people and Nehemiah's mission was the build- Winch, Neroli Zaska motivate them for action. The rebuild- ing and restoration of Jerusalem. Ours Regional Reporters George Drinkall, Chris Foote, Eric Greenwell, Colin House, Larry Laredo, Malcolm ing and restoration of Jerusalem is the divine task of building the king- Potts, Leigh Rice, Lyndon Schick, Gordon Smith, became the singular passion of dom of God. Chester Stanley, Bill Townend. Local Reporters Church Communication Secretaries Nehemiah and the all-consuming We're engaged in a global mission Subscriptions South Pacific Division, $A31.00 objective of the returning captives. of supernatural dimensions. The $NZA3.46. However, the enemies of God's proclamation of the everlasting gospel All other regions, $A64.00 $NZ89.60. Air mail postage rates on application. Order from Signs Publishing cause had their own agenda. Under to all is the scope of our mission. Company, Warburton, Victoria 3799, Australia. the diabolical leadership of Sanballat, As God's modern day Nehemiahs Manuscripts All copy for the paper should be sent to The Editor, RECORD, Signs Publishing Company, Tobiah and Gesham, vicious opposi- the Adventist Church must constantly Warburton, Victoria 3799. Phone (059) 66 9111. tion surfaced. reaffirm, "I am carrying on a great Telefax (059)66 9019. These men and their collaborators project and cannot go down" Printed weekly by Signs Publishing Company. organised a variety of schemes aimed (Nehemiah 6:3, NIV). at frustrating Nehemiah's objectives. Fulfilling our global mission of Directory of the South Pacific Division of the Seventh- day Adventist Church, 148 Fox Valley Road, As part of their assault on Nehemiah, redemption and restoration is to be Wahroonga, NSW 2076. Sanballat and Tobiah carefully engi- the all-consuming passion, the singu- Phone (02) 489 7122. (Legal Trustee: Australasian Conference Association Limited. Secretary: Tom neered five specific strategies. lar purpose and the magnificent Andrews, Assistant Secretaries: Richard Milne, 1. Ridicule. obsession of the Adventist Church. Properties: Bruce Jackson, Finance.) They said, "What are those feeble Nothing should deter us from the President Bryan Ball accomplishment of this mission. Secretary Athal Tolhurst Jews doing? . What are they build- Treasurer Tom Andrews ing—if even a fox climb up on it, he The church is constantly bombard- Assistant to President Gerald Clifford would break down their walls of ed by its Sanballats and Tobiahs. Associate Secretary Vern Parmenter stone!" (Nehemiah 4:2 ,3, NIV). Some seek to bring into question the Associate Treasurers Owen Mason, Lynray Wilson Field Secretary 2. Insult. authenticity of the message and mis- Nehemiah complains about the sion of the church. Others ridicule, Departments and Services: ADRA Harold Halliday (Director), Neil Hughes, insults that have been thrown at them. criticise and undermine the credibility Peter Truscott Then he says, "So we rebuilt the wall of the church leadership while piously Adventist Health Percy Harrold (Director), Harley . for the people worked with all posing to be defenders of the faith. Stanton Adventist Media Centre Nat Devenish (Manager) their heart" (Nehemiah 4:4-6, NIV). Nehemiah's formula for dealing Archivist and Statistician Roy Clifford That's the best way to deal with insult! with Sanballat and Tobiah is still most Auditing Service Max Mitchell (Director), Eric 3. Conspiracy to commit violence. effective today. "I am carrying on a Hokin, Ernie Moffitt, Neville Sawert, Robert Stratford Christian Services for the Blind and Hearing "They all plotted together to come great project and cannot go down." Impaired Ray Coombe and fight against Jerusalem and stir up Our answer to the modern Church Ministries Bryan Craig, (Director and Family trouble" (Nehemiah 4:8, NIV). Sanballats and Tobiahs must be equal- Ministries), Wilfred Bili (Stewardship), Colleen Buxton (Children's Ministries), Barry Gane (Youth), Alwyn 4. Entrapment. ly firm, final and irrevocable. Don't Salom (Personal Ministries). Eric Winter (Sabbath The special emissaries to Nehemiah come down to argue, debate or nego- School) Communication, Public Affairs and Religious pleaded, "Come, let us meet together tiate with the enemy. Liberty Ray Coombe in one of the villages on the plain of Rather, let us strengthen our hands Education Les Devine (Director), Barry Hill, Ian Ono" (Nehemiah 6:2, NIV). through unceasing prayer, intensify Howie, Owen Hughes, Bob Spoor Health Food Eugene Grosser (Director), Greg Nehemiah's response was unequivo- our work of kingdom building, cling to Gambrill, Lance Rogers, Alan Staples, Ray Windus cal, firm and final. "I am carrying on a God's promise and be courageous. Ministerial Association John Gate great project and cannot go down" Publishing Bruce Campbell This is no time to be deterred from Risk Management Service Robert Smith (Manager) (Nehemiah 6:3, NIV). There was no our global mission as a church. Now is Trust Services Jim Lansdown room for compromise or negotiation the time to pray with Nehemiah, with the enemy. "Now strengthen my hand" 5. Intimidation. (Nehemiah 6:9, NIV). To intimidate Nehemiah they George W. Brown, President, urged, "Let us meet in the house of Inter-American Division. 2 RECORD November 30, 1991 LETTERS Social Cliques destroyers make this planet uninhabit- this year, and note the small "s." Christ knew there would be a need able. George Tasker, Old. Joy Cornell, Old. in the Christian church for brother to Rich Blessings meet brother, and sister to meet sister, Spirit of Prophecy in personal fellowship in the ordi- "Spirit of the Prophets" (Editorial, Re Ellen White 100 years ago nance of humility. November 2) says the spirit of prophe- (November 2): I liken her writings to a I'm therefore concerned at the cy of Revelation 19:10 is not the Holy set of inspired encyclopaedias, in trend in some of our churches to iso- Spirit, but an attitude or disposition— which I can look up God's view on late singles from married people on and 1 Corinthians 14:32 could have most any subject. I receive rich bless- the days that this is celebrated. been used to bolster this claim. ings from "reading" the three volumes Much has been written about sin- But Jesus says that the Holy Spirit of the index to her writings. They're gles being part of the church family. would testify of Him and show us priceless. Why then the trend toward having things to come (John 15:26 and 16:13). Outside of my Bible, I've found no spouse wash spouse's feet? Surely Wouldn't this make Him the spirit of book of greater value for family within a happy marriage there's suffi- prophecy? Peter agrees in 1 Peter 1:11 guidelines of our children and youth cient personal fellowship to allow sep- and 2 Peter 1:21. than The Youth's Instructor, which she aration for this part of the service, and While all of God's people testify of wrote specifically for and to them. thus prevent singles from being isolat- Jesus, the texts in the King James ver- I strongly recommend putting some ed as a group. sion that use the specific phrase "the money aside each week to get a Bible, How do we justify separation into testimony of Jesus" can all be under- Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, the cliques based on social status? stood as meaning the Holy Spirit's tes- index to Ellen White's writings, The Lawrence Naughton, Old. timony of Jesus, through His chosen Youth's Instructor and Steps to Christ.