Zacchaeus: a Man with Many CONNECTIONS Are You Madly in Love Or Just Plain Mad?
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I N T E R N AT I O N A L J O U R N A L F O R PA STO R S J U N E 2 0 1 0 Zacchaeus: A mAn with mAny COnnECtiOnS Are you madly in love or just plain mad? Faith For Today presents: Live Marriage Seminars with Mike and Gayle Tucker Every couple dreams of staying madly in love, but sometimes life can get in the way. Mad About Marriage deals with the basics of a great marriage, and also takes a look at some big issues that can derail the dream. Mad About Marriage Topics: Spirituality, Communication, Problem Solving, Forgiveness, and The Big Issues Faith For Today wants to partner with your church Bring Mad About Marriage to your area Benet the couples in Your church Make it a community event For more details and booking information, call (805) 955-7636 Watch for the Mad About Marriage Features or visit www.madaboutmarriage.com. on Lifestyle Magazine's new season! Coming in 2010! Lifestyle Magazine is seen weekly on The Hope Channel and Trinity Broadcast Network CONTENTS 04 lEttErs Zacchaeus: A man with many connections EDITORIAl 06 Pastors may find some individuals with multiple problems or 05 hindrances like Zacchaeus. But, don’t lose hope! God will guide in your attempts to reach them. 28 dAtElinE Richard A. Sabuin rEsourcEs Saving righteousness 29 Praise God for the biblical passages revealing His 10 righteousness—fully, freely consistently, persuasively. God’s righteousness, revealed in Jesus and received by faith, can be ours forever. Bryan W. Ball Ministry® intErnAtionAl Editors international Journal for Pastors Chinese-Robert wong Indonesian-Edwin t. Pandjaitan 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Japanese-yukio Ebihara Should we observe the Levitical Spring, mD 20904-6600 U.S.A. Korean-Sung Sun hong festivals?: A Seventh-day www.ministrymagazine.org Portuguese (South America)- 14 [email protected] Zinaldo Santos Adventist perspective (Part 2 of 2) -ilie Leahu Editor Russian Spanish (South America)- In part one of this series, the arguments for celebrating the nikolaus Satelmajer marcos Blanco Levitical festivals of the Old Testament were discussed. Now, AssociAtE Editor Spanish (inter-America)-Pablo Perla the author presents a possible and proper approach toward willie E. hucks ii intErnAtionAl Advisors Balvin Braham, Ron Clouzet, Daniel consultAnts to Editor Duda, R. Danforth Francis, Passmore these festivals. John Fowler, Clifford Goldstein, hachalinga, John Kakembo, Gerry myrna tetz Jacques B. Doukhan Karst, Janos Kovacs-Biro, ilie Leahu, EditoriAl spEciAlist miguel Luna, Jan Paulsen, Bruno Sheryl Beck Raso, Ángel m. Rodríguez, Ranieri When the “the mark of the beast” Sales, hector Sanchez, houtman opErAtionAl spEciAlist Sinaga, Gary webster, walton was a biochip! John Feezer iV williams, measapogu wilson 18 The mark of the beast is about relationship, faith, love, and AdvErtising subscriptions obedience. Cheri Gatton 12 issues: United States US$32.80; [email protected] Canada and overseas US$45.95. Anthony MacPherson +1 208-965-0157 to order: send name, address, and subscriptions/rEnEwAls/ payment to Ministry® Subscriptions, AddrEss chAngEs 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver ministrysubscriptions@ Spring, mD 20904-6600 U.S.A. Sharing the hope again: Discussing gc.adventist.org to writErs +1 301-680-6508 the North American Division we welcome unsolicited manu- +1 301-680-6502 (fax) 22 scripts. Before submitting, review evangelism initiative covEr illustrAtion the writers’ guidelines at Evangelism is not merely a one-year endeavor, not a single Emily harding www.ministrymagazine.org. Please lAyout send manuscripts via email to all-out effort to reach more people for Christ. No, it must be 316 Creative [email protected]. the all consuming mission of the disciples of Christ to “save a perishing world.” G. Alexander Bryant, Ron E. M. Clouzet, director Anthony Kent | [email protected] | +1 301-680-6516 & Robert S. Folkenberg Jr. Ministry® has been published printEr Pacific Press® Pub. Assn., monthly since 1928 by the Minis- 1350 n. Kings Rd., nampa, iD 83687 terial Association, general confer- ence of seventh-day Adventists®. Standard mail postage paid at nampa, Ministry is a peer-reviewed journal. idaho. (ISSN 0026-5314) sEcrEtARY member of Associated Church Press. AssociAtE sEcrEtAriEs Adventist®, Seventh-day Adventist®, Jonas Arrais, Sharon Cress, and ministry® are the registered biblE crEdits Scripture quoted from KJV is from the King James Version. Scriptures quoted from nKJV are from the new King James Version, Anthony Kent, Peter Prime, trademarks of the General copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, thomas nelson, inc., Publishers. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked niV are taken from the hOLy BiBLE, nikolaus Satelmajer Conference Corporation of nEw intERnAtiOnAL VERSiOn®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by international Bible Society. Scripture quotations marked nASB are taken from ® the new American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Scriptures MinistEriAl ResourcE CentEr Seventh-day Adventists . quoted from tEV are from the Good news Bible—Old testament: Copyright © American Bible Society 1976, 1992; new testament: Copyright © coordinator Cathy Payne vol. 82 number 6 © 2010 American Bible Society 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992. Scripture quotations marked “Phillips” are taken from the new testament in modern English, copyright 888-771-0738, +1 301-680-6508 © 1958, 1959, 1960 J.B. Phillips and 1947, 1952, 1955, 1957 the macmillian Company, new york. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.ministerialassociation.com PRintED in thE U.S.A. MINISTRY 3 JU n E 2 0 1 0 LETTERS “I was recently baptized after about six months of Bible study with a young couple who were raised Adventist. Although I’m very familiar with the Adventist faith (both my parents left the church after attending an Adventist college) I still feel somewhat like I’m invading foreign territory.” Assimilating new experimented with other denomina- members tions for most of my adult life. Wanting his article (“Pastors’ Perspectives to fit in is big on the list and wanting Ton Assimilating New Members: to know “how things work”—the Part 1—Challenges and Needs”—Feb- hierarchy within the church—and how ruary 2010) hits home. I was recently to become part of it. There is a need for baptized after about six months of helping “newbies” feel like they really Bible study with a young couple who belong and are welcome—and not were raised Adventist. Although I’m letting them fall through the cracks. very familiar with the Adventist faith —Brenda, email (both my parents left the church after attending an Adventist college) I still think this is very timely. We cer- feel somewhat like I’m invading for- I tainly grapple with the issues of eign territory. And as a single adult new converts in my church. I wish surrounded by couples and families we could unite and give the relevant I feel like an oddball. I know a lot support. It takes time but didn’t God about Adventist culture and I want take time out with us? to do “all things Adventist,” having —Joan Scavella, Nassau, Bahamas some things ArE worth wAiting for Watch for the special July/August 2010 issue coming next month Look for details of the next Ministerial Student Writing Contest in the September 2010 issue MINISTRY 4 JU n E 2 0 1 0 E D I T O R I A L | W illie E . H u c k S I I the blessed hope t was a regular activity every glorious future, such as “It May Be Oakwood College (now Oakwood summer evening: attending evan- at Morn,” “Lift Up the Trumpet,” and University), preached in Dallas, Igelistic tent meetings with slides “Lo, He Comes.” I still chuckle when Texas, in 1980, just prior to the that depicted biblical themes. Most I think back to my favorite eight-track General Conference of Seventh-day memorable—due to the nightmares cassette of music that I owned in Adventists’ session. I vividly remem- they literally gave me—were the the mid-1970s: This Is Another Day, ber how, in his conclusion, he vowed slides of the beasts of Daniel 7. a collection of songs written by the that he was going to preach more But what excited me the most gospel musician, Andraé Crouch. Two on the Second Coming, for it was, were the slides depicting the Second of the nine songs on that cassette he articulated, the solution to all the Coming. Christ’s return seemed so spoke of the imminent return of Christ ailments of humanity. real, so imminent. I asked myself, (“We Expect You,” and “Soon and Third, I want to see a greater “Am I ready to meet Jesus when He Very Soon”). emphasis on Christ’s soon return in comes?” our church music. I think back to yet What needs to happen? another gospel music classic written What happened? I confess that I spend more time by Andraé Crouch: “Soon and very Many years have elapsed, and reading newspapers, listening to soon we are going to see the King . life has pushed other thoughts to the news radio channels, and watch- hallelujah, hallelujah! We’re going to forefront more than I care to admit. ing sporting events than I should. see the King,” and I recall how such Why? What happened? Three things There’s nothing wrong with that; songs filled my heart with hope for in particular have transpired, person- but I have to keep things in perspec- something bigger than what this ally. First, the “cares of this life” tive. Today’s events quickly become world could offer. (Luke 21:34, KJV) have consumed tomorrow’s history—as evidenced my time and attention more than by the volume of newspapers I dis- The ultimate solution I ever thought they would.