VOLUME XXIX NUMBER 2 for Dealing with the Ever-Present Problem of Telephone Interruptions in "Ring for Service," at a GLANCE on Page 31
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VOLUME XXIX FEBRUARY, 1956 NUMBER 2 Page 2 THE MINISTRY In This Issue E BELIEVE that you will feel anew the W challenge and privilege of real gospel preaching as you read Dr. Shirkey©s very splen Official Organ of the MINISTERIAL ASSOCIATION OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS did sermon, "This Is Our Business." Certainly Editor: in all the pressure of activity and advance we ROY ALLAN ANDERSON must never forget that Christ is the heart of it Associate Editors: all the rightful center of every sermon, and the REUBEN R. FIGUHR, ALBERT V. OLSON incentive to persevere through every hardship. LOUISE C. KLEUSER, GEORGE E. VANDEMAN Eric Syme, on page 10, takes a backward look WALTER SCHUBERT, EARL E. CLEVELAND at 1955 that you will find constructive as well Office Editor; Advertising and Circulation Manager: as restrospective. He points up some criticisms BEN GLANZER of Seventh-day Adventists that come from our Consulting Advertising Manager: friends, and that we might do well to consider. R. J. CHRISTIAN Pastors will be interested in two reports from the recent pastoral counseling institute, appear ing on pages 17 and 18. And pastors© wives will find some constructive suggestions, we think, VOLUME XXIX NUMBER 2 for dealing with the ever-present problem of telephone interruptions in "Ring for Service," AT A GLANCE on page 31. You will want to read Eugene Erickson©s FEATURES ____._.__..__.____._.____..__...___ 4 "Quote, Unquote," on page 35. And might we underline one of his cautions: Please, when This Is Our Business Outstanding Religious Trends of 1955 Engineers as Well as Repairmen Classwork you quote, quote correctly! in Pastoral Psychology Cover Hultafors Sanitarium Church, Sweden EDITORIALS ....................__ .... ___ 18 Pastoral Counseling Institute The Trend to Toler ON A beautiful hill by the sea, ance a few steps from the Hultafors NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS ... ..._.-..._...._ 20 Sanitarium, is our beautiful church, which was dedicated in PASTOR __... ._....__.._...............__..._... 21 1937. Changing Loyalties After a Long Pastorate Upon The church seats 150 persons, Leaving a Church and when the two wings are MINISTERIAL BOOK CLUB .....__................ 24 used there is room for 250. To the left of the church you can see in the photo SHEPHERDESS ....___......_.._.......__......... 31 the belfry, which houses a church bell given Ring for Service to the sanitarium in 1938 by a thankful patient. Every Friday at sunset the bell rings for five PULPIT ...... ___..... -...-....-..._..__.....___..__..__.. 33 minutes, the same at the end of the Sabbath. Three Aspects of Gospel Preaching -Quote, Unquote On the Sabbath, when we are on the way to the BIBLE INSTRUCTOR .............__............___ 39 church service, we hear the tolling bell, call The Sanctuary and Its Services ing far down to the valley and telling the people that today is the Lord©s day. NEWS ___..______-.---.-...__.....__....... 41 Every morning at seven o©clock the sanitar ium workers meet in the church to pray to 1955 ORDINATIONS ........................._. 42 the Lord, asking Him for power during the POINTERS _____...... ..........__................. 48 day. "When we enter the church we soon look at the beautiful picture of Jesus Christ, and above Printed and published monthly for the Ministerial Association Him we can read: "Come unto me." Many of of Seventh-day Adventists by the Review and Herald Publish ing Association, Washington, D.C., U.S.A., $2.75 a year; our sanitarium patients visit the worships in 30 cents a copy. Add 35 cents for yearly subscriptions to countries requiring extra postage. Entered as second-class mat the church. ter December 19, 1927, at the post office at Washington, May this, the Lord©s temple, ever be the D.C., under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. holy place where God meets with souls that search and worship Him in spirit and verity. GUNNAR FORSBLOM, Pastor FEBRUARY, 1956 Page 3 This Is Our Business ALBERT P. SHIRKEY Pastor, Mount Vernon Place Methodist Church, Washington, D.C. "N THE nineteenth chap Spanish general who believed in the free ter of the book of Luke dom of Spain, and was determined to rid rand the tenth verse we it of the dominance of the Communistic read these words: "For the rule. In one of the moments in the lull of Son of man is come to seek battle the son of the general got outside and to save that which was the fort. (You can go inside into a little lost." In the whole field of chapel and read the whole story on a evangelism we must come to plaque.) grips with the fact that we cannot think of The Communists captured the general©s Jesus Christ our Lord as beginning His son and telephoned to his father inside the life as all men have begun theirs in this fort. They said, "You must surrender the world. "Before the mountains were brought fort; we have your son." And in order to forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth make it emphatic they put the son on the and the world, even from everlasting to phone. The conversation went something everlasting, thou art God" (Ps. 90:2). "In like this: the beginning was the Word, and the Word "What is up, Son?" was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. "I do not know, Father, but they tell me All things were made by him; and without that unless you surrender the fort they will him was not any thing made that was take my life." made" (John 1:1-3). And God in Jesus Silence. Christ became "flesh, and dwelt among "My son, commend your soul to God. us." Cry ©Viva la Spain,© and die like a patriot. Good-by, my son." So we cannot think in terms of evange "Good-by, Father." lism without centering it in the heart of The general then went into the back God. It is the gift of God in the person of part of the fort and knelt, and let the tears His own dear Son. "For God so loved the stream down between his fingers as he lis world, that he gave his only begotten Son, tened to the shot at the bottom of the hill that whosoever believeth in him should that took his son©s life. That was the price not perish, but have everlasting life" (John he paid for freedom! 3:16). We must come to grips with the price There was another cry. It was in the that God was willing to pay in order that Garden of Gethsemane. His Son might be given for the redemp "What is up, my Son?" tion of all mankind. The only way we can "I do not know, Father, but they tell me measure it is to stand before the cross. that unless You surrender the world they Here we measure the height and the depth will take my life." and the breadth and the length of the love "My Son, commend your soul to Me. of God that passes understanding. Cry ©Long live the world© and die like My Never was I so convinced of what God Son!" did for the world as in an experience that I The cross of Calvary is the height and had in the little town of Toledo, Spain. the depth and the breadth and the length Just as I entered the town, there before us of the love of God, which passes under was the old fort that had been bombarded standing. It represents the price that God for seventy-two days by the Communist was willing to pay for the world©s redemp forces. It was held against all odds by a tion. We cannot understand evangelism until we take it back and place it in the This challenging: address was given before the students and center of the deepest love that God ever faculty at the Theological Seminary in Takoma Park. expressed for His world in the cross. Page 4 THE MINISTRY Why Jesus Came Into the World "Jesus, the name that calms our fears, We are in the business, dear friends, of That bids our sorrows cease, saving people. That is why we have been ©Tis music in the sinner©s ears, called into fellowship with Jesus Christ. "Tis life, and health, and peace." Jesus came into the world for one express The difference between the United purpose. He passed by angels and arch States and Europe is the fact that Europe angels and all the company of heaven. He is divided, whereas the United States has passed by every comfort, though He made one central government. Great statesmen it all. He passed by everything that would have been laboring for centuries to bring elevate Him in any way, to stoop to the about a United States of Europe. We have least, the last, and the lost in order that He here the same kind of cultural differences, might bring them back to the Father. the same kind of language differences, but We cannot understand why Jesus Christ we are held together by one great ideal, came into the world unless we understand one central government. When the soul this little sentence: Jesus came "to seek has one central government in Jesus Christ, and to save that which was lost." That was we shall find all of these broken ends of His main business, and that must be ours. life brought together under the dominance We must be forever in the field of evange of one great ideal in His glorious person.