Adventists and Politics the Editor Interviews H. M. S. Richards What Scientists Can and Cannot Do Architecture of Better Living
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Adventists and Politics The Editor Interviews H. M. S. Richards What Scientists Can and Cannot Do Architecture of Better Living in contents ministry VOL. 49, NO. 10 Begin the Millennium During International Journal of the Seventh-day Adventist Ministry This Quinquennium 4 G. RALPH THOMPSON Editorial Director: Interview With H. M. S. Richards 5 EDITOR N. R. Dower Editor: Parleying With God 8 ROBERT H. PIERSON J. R. Spangler Executive Editors: Adventists and Politics 9 MERVYN MAXWELL O. M. Berg Leo R. Van Dolson Pastors, Know Your Hymnals 12 HAROLD B. H ANNUM Associate Editors: E. E. Cleveland R. Dederen What Scientists Can and A. E. Schmidt Health Editor: Cannot Do 13 LEONARD BRAND J. Wayne McFarland, M.D. Associate Health Editors: Architecture of Participation 18 NEVILLE CLOUTEN Marjorie Baldwin, M.D. Herald Habenicht, M.D. Fifty Years of Summer Mervyn Hardinge, M.D. Allan Magie Evangelism 22 RON M. WISBEY Editorial Assistant: Marta Hilliard Will Diane Get a Call? 24 ROSALIE H. LEE Editorial Secretaries: Nan Harris Dorothy Montgomery Better Living Evangelism 26 DAVID LAWSON Designer: Gert Busch Long Livers Have Healthy Livers 31 ALLAN R. MAGIE The Great Controversy Theme 35 JOSEPH J. BATTISTONE Printed monthly for the Min isterial Association of Seventh- day Adventists by the Review 39 JUNE STRONG and Herald Publishing Asso Our Door Remains Open ciation, 6856 Eastern Avenue NW., Washington, D.C. 20012, U.S.A. $9.95 a year; 85c a copy. Soul-winning Elders 41 CARL COFFMAN Price may vary where national currencies are different. For each subscription to go to a foreign country or Canada, add 95c postage. THE MINISTRY is a member of the Associated Church Press and is indexed 38 By His Side 13 Science and Religion in the Seventh-day Adventist Periodical Index. Second-class postage paid at Washington, 31 Health and Religion 43 Sermon Spice Shelf D.C. Editorial office: 6840 Eastern Avenue NW., Washing ton, D.C. 20012. Unsolicited manuscripts are 40 Messianic Mileposts 45 Shop Talk welcome, but will be accepted without remuneration and will be returned only if accompanied 46 Recommended Reading 29 Spotlight on Health by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. 2/The Ministry/October, 1976 Several letters recently received sug meeting of the board of elders or church gest that the communion services really editorial board after each service to discuss how amount to quarterly desecration serv the next one can be better still. ices. Of all services of the year these 6. Announce, and publicize through should be the most beautiful, the most The the church newsletter, if the church has inspiring, and the most carefully con one, at least two Sabbaths in advance ducted. When handling the emblems of Quarterly when the service will be held, emphasiz our Lord we are indeed dealing with tteseeration ing its importance and urging all to holy things. plan to be present and to prepare their There are two extremes to avoid. On Service hearts for the blessings to be received. the one hand the ritual may be so well As for the emblems used in the com organized and executed as to appear munion service, there should be no rigid and formal. The deacons will march question but that the bread is prepared in goose step with all the finesse of the without leaven and the wine is unfer- military. All they lack are uniforms, mented. Having commented on the un braid, and combat boots. The elements leavened bread and the unfermented are served with such proficiency as to wine, Ellen White states clearly, "These cause members and visitors alike to be emblems Christ employs to represent thoroughly impressed. Needless to say, His own unblemished sacrifice. Nothing the attention is on the performers, not corrupted by fermentation, the symbol on the elements designed to proclaim of sin and death, could represent the "the Lord©s death till he come." ©Lamb without blemish and without The other extreme is much more com spot.© "—The Desire of Ages, p. 653. mon in our churches. In such instances We must also keep in mind that the there is little if any preparation at all. communion service should always be Neither the deacons nor the elders know preceded by the ordinance of foot wash until the last minute what part, if any, ing, except, of course, in those instances they are to have. This usually upsets where it is administered to the sick in a those who are concerned about doing private service. Again, the counsel is their best for the Lord, and so the spirit clear. "This ordinance is Christ©s ap that should characterize the service is pointed preparation for the sacramental marred from the start. Up front the pas service. While pride, variance, and tor and elders fumble and hesitate, not strife for supremacy are cherished, the knowing exactly what routine to follow. heart cannot enter into fellowship with So also the deacons. At the last minute, Christ. We are not prepared to receive perhaps when they are already at the the communion of His body and His front receiving the bread, it is realized blood. Therefore it was that Jesus ap that no decision has been made as to pointed the memorial of His humiliation who will serve the pianist, or the choir. to be first observed." Ibid, p. 650. There is no thought-out plan as to how Great care should also be given to the the trays are to be received, how the em manner in which the foot-washing serv blems are to be served, or how the trays ice is conducted. The deacons and dea are to be returned. conesses need to understand clearly how We recognize that these are extreme they are to serve. Careful instruction situations. Still, the importance of the should be given so that embarrassing or communion service seems to warrant uncouth situations will be avoided such our bringing it to the attention of all. as took place in one service I attended. Even in small congregations, the com Immediately following the service the munion service should be well planned leftover water was thrown out the open and inspiringly carried out. This being window. I was aghast, and then I met my so, the following suggestions may be wife who informed me that the water helpful. used by the women was thrown out the 1. Rehearse periodically, preferably front door of the church toward the before each quarterly service. nearby main street. 2. Each person participating should Wherever they exist, let our desecra be informed well in advance as to ex tion services be changed into the spirit actly what his or her function will be. ual services they are intended to be. 3. Dress appropriately. See "By His Side," Rightly conducted, these precious oc 4. The trays should always be carried pages 38, 39, for casions will do much to elevate the spir with both hands. (This should be true suggestions on ituality of our members. They will also also of the offering plates whenever of enriching the be the best attended of all the services ferings are received.) communion of the year. 5. Have a feedback session in the service. O. M. B. The Ministry/October, 1976/3 created by our multifaceted church Begin theMittennium program. Hasn©t the time come for us as a church to zero in on this neglected area During This of our evangelistic approach? I believe Qnlnqnennlnm that we could easily double our soul- winning results if we concentrated more on following up the interests. No one pastor can ever, of course, do THE CHALLENGE electrified us at all of this. But then again, he is not G. RALPH expected to. The whole church working Annual Council ©75. It has since been THOMPSON passed on to those in attendance at di together on a detailed plan for the com vision, union, and conference year-end munity can do it. In many places the committee and workers© meetings. It is Sabbath school class is becoming the the challenge to a finished work in this basic unit in soul-winning outreach. The quinquennium. This challenge must community is divided up into various reach every member of the Seventh-day sections, and a systematic plan of ap Adventist Church in all the world if it proach is put into operation. is to be more than a mere slogan. In this plan for finishing the work all "Finishing the work" can easily be departments of the church must be in come just a worn-out, hackneyed cliche volved and work together. This is inter or an empty shibboleth of Adventist par departmental, coordinated, every-mem lance, which we bandy about when we ber evangelism. Not everyone can stand gather in various meetings. Or it can in the pulpit and preach a sermon, but become much more than that. everyone is preaching a sermon daily During this quinquennium, under as he or she comes in contact with people God, "finishing the work" must become everywhere. Everyone can and must do the motivating force of our activities, something. the raison d'etre of our existence, the This challenge of a finished work sine qua non of our ministry. necessitates complete dedication on the If we really believe that the Lord is part of every Seventh-day Adventist. coming soon, then as workers together There is both inreach and outreach. with God, isn©t it time for us to be deeply The work must be "finished" in my in earnest about this business of a own heart and life before I attempt to finished work? "finish" it in somebody else©s.