Jourr October 1994 ..zz..5S 717, c: crip IS Z.T 7:1Z, Letters What is our primary mission? tions. Others get derailed in the one of the two biblical earmarks of After analyzing major streams of search for correct theology. our identification (Rev. 12:17 and thought in Adventism (April 1994), Uplifting Christ and teaching Rev. 19:10). It is obvious that the Ministry editor David Newman sound gospel and solid doctrine "evangelicals" and the "progres- invited reader responses to an will be seen at its best where the sives" are not with it. "Believe in important question: "What is the members love Jesus and are faith- the Lord your God, so shall ye be primary mission of the Seventh-day fully enthusiastic about Christ's established; believe his prophets, so Adventist Church today?" We commission (see Matt. 28:19, 20; shall ye prosper" (2 Chron. 20:20). publish here a sample of responses Rev. 10:11; 14:6-12; John 7:17). —Dunbar W. Smith, M.D., received.—Editors. —Don Fehlberg, pastor, Launceston Calimesa, California. SDA Church, Tasmania, Australia. ■ The Seventh-day Adventist ■ As a retired pastor and former Church came into existence through ■ Jesus commanded His disciples president of the East Africa Union, the providence of God. We are not to make disciples of others. If I am relieved to learn that I am not just one church among many. We making disciples was so important the only one concerned about an are a unique body in that God has that Jesus spent most of His minis- increasing loss of "focus, mission, called us to serve Him in a way that try doing this and then commanded and identity" in the church for no other organization can. Our those disciples to make other which I have spent my life's labors. mission is found in the words of disciples, why do we hear so little Are we losing our simplicity, our Revelation 10:11, "Thou must about disciple-making? As long as focus? I believe so. And the reason prophesy again before many we have baptismal goals instead of is simple: we have neglected to use peoples, and nations, and tongues, discipleship goals, the church will the prescription lenses provided by and kings." The immediate context likely continue to grow on the God to give us clear insight. I speak indicates that this "prophesying" basis of addition. When we take of the Spirit of Prophecy. would have as its primary focus the seriously Jesus' primary mission of Saul didn't like what God had to end-time prophecies of Daniel and making disciples we will see the say to him through Samuel and the Revelation. All of these end-time church grow on the basis of multi- priests. One he ignored; the others prophecies are encompassed in the plication. he killed. His only remaining three angels' messages of Revela- The fragmentation we witness in resource was a witch. Will we tion 14:6-12. We do not have the the Seventh-day Adventist Church repeat the mistakes of the past? option of picking and choosing must never consume our focus. Your editorial quotes one who what portions of this last-day Judaism was fragmented when Jesus claims to represent evangelical message we are to preach. Our was here. But Jesus never focused Adventism: "Our distinctive mission is to preach all of the three on that fragmentation. He spent His Adventist beliefs must never be angels' messages!—David H. time making disciples. If we follow allowed to eclipse the gospel." Sharpe, pastor, Paradise Valley His example, we will experience Surely, they cannot eclipse the SDA Church, Phoenix, Arizona. growth as explosive as that of the gospel. They are the gospel. apostolic church!—Vialo Weis, Simplified and focused through the ■ The primary mission of the pastor, Central SDA Church, Spirit of Prophecy, they provide Seventh-day Adventist Church is Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. the very definition of the identity evangelism—sharing Jesus and His from which we are being seduced teachings with a perishing world. ■ Your question poses a problem by the illustrious Balaams amongst Wherever this is neglected or for a progressive, truly evangelical, us.—D. K. Bazarra, Kampala, replaced, the church is on the historical, mainstream Seventh-day Uganda. retreat. When souls aren't being Adventist. It seems to me that there won, members become discon- are only two streams of Adventists, ■ If all could consider just the tented. Inevitably they then start depending upon how they regard bare possibility that they might be finding fault with everything and Ellen White. The "evangelicals" wrong, only so slightly, about some anything, including the message, state that "they honor Ellen White things, what progress we could the minister, the church, and the as one of the founders of our make. Let no one, even the adminis- leadership. church," and that's all. The "pro- trative church, try to "take over" the When the church gets side gressives" seem to deny the validity whole body of Christ. It is His. If tracked from aggressive evange- of her work altogether. we are part of Him, how can we lism, some members end up in a The status of Ellen White as a possibly be superior to any other multiplicity of activities that are prophet in what we claim is the part of Him? little more than good public rela- remnant church of the end-time is (Continued on page 61) 2 MINISTRY/OCTOBER/1994 First Glance This month will mark 150 years since our spiritual forebears 2 Letters believed Jesus would come. Out of that "great disappointment" sprang one of the largest and most successful missionary move- 4 Why are we still here? ments ever. While 1844 did not bring the second advent it did bring Martin Weber a new and greater appreciation for Christ's heavenly ministry. 5 Adventism at 150 George R. Knight The ancient Jewish sanctuary rituals long neglected by other Christian groups shed new and impressive light on what Christ 14 1844—is it biblical? accomplished at the cross and what He is doing for us now in Martin Weber heaven. While we must be careful not to make the heavenly sanctuary a replica of the one on earth we must not go to the opposite 19 According to the pattern extreme and deny its existence and relevance for us today. Roy Adams Focusing on Christ, not ourselves We present this special issue on the sanctuary in heaven with 28 Norman R. Gulley the conviction that if we ever lose our prophetic vision we will have lost the trigger for our mission. That is why even though Knight's 34 The sanctuary and Adventist experience article is a long one, it is important in explaining why there is still P. Gerard Damsteegt a Seventh-day Adventist Church today. Weber clearly shows the biblical basis for the date 1844. 41 The full and final display Clifford Goldstein The other articles each focus on different aspects of what the sanctuary message is all or not about. Use this material to preach a 44 The vindication of God and the harvest principle series on the practical meaning of the sanctuary today. After all, Woodrow Whidden what is there better to preach on than Jesus crucified, risen, and coming again, which is what the sanctuary is really about. 49 The gospel of the sanctuary Alberto R. Treiyer Through the kind permission of the Ellen G. White Estate, we 51 Ministry Reports have duplicated on our cover their mural of the Advent experience. 52 Biblio File 59 Ministry Reports 63 Shop Talk Cover art by Elfred Lee; Copyright 1991 The Ellen G. White Estate (see p 63). Ministry is the international journal of the Sev- EDITORIAL SECRETARY: Johannes Mager, Euro-Africa ADVERTISING SALES: Melynie Tooley enth-day Adventist Ministerial Association. Dorothea Tone P.O. Box 219, CH 3000 Berne 32, Switzerland SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Larry Burtnett ASSOCIATION SECRETARY: CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Heikki Silvet, Euro-Asia James A. Cress Galen Bosley Isakovskogo St. #4, Korpus 1, Ministry, (ISSN Sharon Cress 0026-5314), the interna- Stroghino tional journal of the Seventh-day Adventist EDITOR: J. David Newman Joel Sarli 123181 Moscow, Russia James Zachary Ministerial Association © 1994, is pub- George Johnson, Far Eastern lished monthly by the General Conference ASSOCIATE EDITORS: 800 Thomson Road of Seventh-day Adventists and printed by John M. Fowler, Martin Weber CONSULTING EDITORS: Singapore 1129, Rep. of Singapore Ellen Bresee the Review and Herald® Publishing Asso- Jaime Castrejon, Inter-America ciation, 55 West Oak Ridge Drive, SPECIAL ASSISTANT EDITORS: Floyd Bresee P.O. Box 140760 Hagerstown, MD 21740, U.S.A. Subscrip- Nancy Canwell Gerard Damsteegt Miami, FL 33114-0760 Raoul Dederen tions: US$22.00 for 12 issues worldwide, Miguel Angel Cerna William C. Scales, Jr., North America Robert Folkenberg air mail US$39.85. Single copy US$2.25. Eric C. Ward 12501 Old Columbia Pike Roland R. Hegstad Member Associated Church Press. Second- Silver Spring, MD 20904 Karen Holford class postage paid at Hagerstown, MD. 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