PRISONERS OF HOPE

November 2008
EDITORIAL..BR N. NKOMO
Greetings to one and all in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The last two months
have seen a plethora of headlines dealing with the financial crisis that is currently engulfing the world.
Screeds have been penned about the causes and the best solution to the crisis. The political upheavals in
our country have found themselves relegated to the second page on a number of occasions. But most
amazingly for me, people that never showed an interest in anything resembling economics are suddenly
fundis in the subject. There is much that I would love to share on the subject but I shall restrict myself to
comments on two areas of the current crisis.
The first has to do with the bailout plans that have been put into effect by governments across the globe.
Leaders around the world all agreed that they had to interfere with the workings of capitalism that they
have trumpeted for so long. They then decided that the most effective way of “aiding” capitalism would
be for them to invest directly in banks and insurance companies and now America may extend this to the
automotive sector. In return for the large amounts of capital that have been given to the banks they have
ceded shares to the government. Without debating the pros and cons of the strategy as a citizen of any
country, and especially as an Adventist, I would be very worried about this development. With the preva-
lence of technology and the governments having “legal” access to citizens records by virtue of their
shareholding in the banks and their underwriting of mortgages, they are one step away from ensuring
that we cannot buy or sell if they fancy. This is a simplification of what may possibly transpire but keep
in mind that the banking system is already so tightly interlinked around the world that you can virtually
use your debit or credit card in any country. By blocking your name, as they currently do to “terrorists”,
you would have all your accounts frozen around the world. I fear that the current crisis is making not
only further integration of banking systems vogue, but also handing power to the dragon to effect his
plan.
I found the following quote interesting: “The chief executives of the nine largest banks in the United
States trooped into a gilded conference room at the Treasury Department at 3 p.m. Monday. To their
astonishment, each was handed a one-page document that said they agreed to sell shares to the govern- INSIDE THIS ISSUE
ment. Then Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Jr. said they had to sign it before leaving……By 6:30, all
Editorial .............................. ……1
nine chief executives had signed, setting in motion the largest government intervention in the American
Covering The Head ............. .….2
banking system since the Great Depression of the 1930s.” I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the excerpt
The Noblest Mindset .......... .….3
as I was not present, but this quotation from the International Herald Tribune offers a startling look at
For Jonathan‟s Sake ........... .….4
machinations that went on behind the scenes. It also goes to show that the governments have an end in
A Scourge Will Come .......... ..…6
sight and their coordinated moves are but a variation of the “peace and safety” theme that we were told
Lift Up Your Heads ............. .….7
would be prevalent in our day.
Sobriety ............................... .….8
The second issue is closely linked to the above paragraph and I am sure that many have dwelt on it. The My Crowning Glory ............ .….8
Bible warns that it shall be said of some; “Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be
a witness against you”. There are many horror stories about how people have lost their life savings due to
certain listed companies folding and I can‟t help but to wonder if any are Adventists. Knowing what we
know about our future ability to buy and sell, and seeing further possible steps that are being taken to
prepare for such eventualities I ask myself whether or not we should be heaping treasures for the last
days. I am not saying that we should not have savings nor that we should of necessity not keep them in
the bank. What I am saying is that we need to evaluate what we are doing with the talents that God has
given us. There is a work to be done in the world and many missions are suffering for a lack of means
and yet some of us are stashing away means that we may find ourselves unable to access in the near fu-
ture. We need to pray that God opens our eyes and that He gives us wisdom in terms of what we ought to
do with the means He has blessed us with. My prayer is that no matter how little we have, that it will not
be said of any of us “your gold and your silver have become covered with rust, and the rust on them
will give evidence against you, and will eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded up wealth in these
last days” WNT
 WHY I WOULD COVER MY HEAD BY BR K WILLIAMS
Continued from last edition… a veil in public. . . . The mysteries inscription of Andania,
11Nevertheless neither is the man without the which gives an exact description of women taking part in
woman, neither the woman without the man, in the procession, makes no mention of the veil. Indeed, the
the Lord.12For as the woman is of the man, even so cultic order of Lycosura seems to forbid it.” (G. Kittle, Theo-
is the man also by the woman; but all logical Dictionary of the New Testament, comments on the
things of God. word “katakalupto”—“to cover”.)
These two verses guard against the possible interpretation
that woman is inferior to man. Man is born of woman, and 14Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a
all things come from God. Man needs woman and woman man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
needs man. Each has his or her own role, but both are So the natural sense of what is proper tells us that a man
equally precious and valuable in God‟s sight. Thus a hus- should not have long hair. This is not just custom—it is
band must “grant her (the wife) honor as a fellow heir of “nature”, something deeper than custom.
the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hin-
dered.” (1 Peter 3:7)It is not true that because one person is15But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to
in command and another is under her: for her hair is given her
him, that the one under the com- for a
mander is inferior to him. This is best covering.
seen in the fact that Jesus is subject Long hair is a shame for a man, but
to His Heavenly Father. This does not a glory for a woman. This “natural”
make him inferior to the Father. He covering was given
had, and has, all the attributes of God by God as an indication that it is
(Colossians 2:9). But there is a divi- proper for the woman to wear an
sion of duties in the Godhead. The artificial covering. Her
Father is the planner, the Son is the long hair is a natural veil as well as
One who carries out the plan. There her beautiful ornament. And since
is complete harmony, and there is God has given her this
complete EQUALITY. They are ONE. covering, it is reasonable and proper
Husband and wife are one when the for her to wear an artificial covering
man exercises his headship by lead- when praying or
ing the family as God would have it to go, and the wife prophesying. Paul mentions the length of hair in order to
works together with him to carry out God‟s will. There is no teach about the artificial covering, but what he says tells us
inferiority at all. that the length of hair is important. Men are to have “short”
hair, and women are
13Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman to have “long” hair. “Long” is not defined, so we have to ap-
pray unto God uncovered? ply it in our own culture. Certainly it means that men are to
“Paul challenges the believers to reflect deeply upon the keep their hair shorter than women keep theirs, and that
truths and their application which he had conveyed to them. women should not cut their hair short like men do.
Based upon the important principles he had established, 16But if any man seem to be contentious, we have
could it possibly be fitting for a woman to pray to God with no such custom, neither the churches of God.)
an unveiled head? He knew what answer they could only but The Williams translation says: “But if anyone is inclined to
give, according to his teaching, which had full apostolic au- be contentious about it, I for my part rrescribe no other
thority and was inspired by the Holy Spirit.” (Tom Shanks, practice than this, and neither do the churches of God.” The
p. 18) When we judge, we must judge by God‟s principles, Moffat translation says: “If anyone presumes to raise objec-
not by the custom of our society or according to our desires. tions on this point, well, I acknowledge no other mode of
Paul is not telling us that we can judge any way we want to. worship, and neither do the churches of God.” The Revised
He is impressing on us the importance of applying the prin- Standard Version translates: “If anyone is disposed to be
ciples he has given in these verses. There is clear evidence contentious, we recognize no other practice, nor do the
that the culture in Rome and Corinth allowed women to churches of God.” There are two possibilities as to what the
worship heathen gods, even to lead the worship, with their custom was. It can be either, “we have no such custom as
heads uncovered. “It used to be asserted by theologians that requiring our women to pray with heads covered,” or “we
Paul was simply endorsing the unwritten law of Hellenic have no such custom as allowing our women to pray with
(Greek PKW) and Hellenistic feeling for what was proper. heads uncovered.” Paul has made it clear that women DO
But this view is have to cover their heads when they pray or prophesy. He is here
untenable. To be sure, the veil was not unknown in Greece. reinforcing that rule by telling the Corinthians that all the
It was worn partly as adornment and partly on such special churches of God have the same practice. “The churches of God”
occasions as match-making and marriage . . . . , and the do not have the custom of allowing women to pray with heads
worship of chthonic deities . . . But it is quite wrong that uncovered.
Greek women were under some kind of compulsion to wear
2
 THE NOBLEST MINDSET BY BR Z ZAMELA

I was spending time with two should seek to live a life that is influenced by the desire to
friends of mine one Sunday always allow the Lord to show His love through you that
evening and we were speaking His name may be vindicated. “...for His name's sake.”
about our faith, Christianity; The second principle is for me to live my life desiring to
thinking about the wonderful bring all those with whom I come in contact to the Lord.
life that God would have all to Thus I should bear a constant question: “Will these actions
lead-Even the biblical version and words attract him, attract her, to the Lord that I
of a Seventh Day Adventist's serve?” Will I injure his attitude toward the Lord and thus
life. And the Lord reminded me cause him to turn His back from life? Our lives must be in-
of something He had taught me fluenced by the desire to ensure the ultimate happiness for
before. In fact, a set of princi- those within our spheres of influence. We should hold to
ples without which there would be no Christianity. The the maxim, “That they may know the Lord and His will,
principles of which the Lord spoke during a conversation and the beauties of the life thereof” when interacting with
with a certain lawyer bring to light the true nature of the others.
law of God:
Mat:22v35-40 Then one of them, [which was] a On a day to day basis how would such a mind work? When
lawyer, asked [Him a question], tempting Him, in the morning the hour comes for one to go to school or
and saying, Master, which [is] the great command- work and the body says “I need more rest” how does it re-
ment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt act? It immediately thinks: “Might I not miss a divinely ap-
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with pointed meeting with a soul? And how shall I teach those
all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first younger than me in the faith about self denial when I have
and great commandment. And the second [is] like not made it a habit to exercise it?”
unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. When someone speaks unjustly toward you with a sharp
On these two commandments hang all the law and tongue, and there is an occasion to bring then down with a
the prophets. sharper tongue, how does the tiny member react? It imme-
These words brought to my remembrance experiences that diately thinks: “But if I retaliate I will be taking the name
I once went through. As a matter of fact, even at this stage and character of the Lord in vain for He would never do
of my Christian walk I go through the same and I find my- such a thing. He would never retaliate even as it is written
self wondering, “Lord, what does this passage actually 'He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not
mean? What do these great themes that you have pre- his mouth...' And what effect would my retaliation have on
sented to me mean? To love God supremely, and to love this man? Will they be drawn to God? No, they might never
man as I love myself?” see the meek One of Nazareth.”

And then I found myself wondering: “What would happen When the appetite calls for “foods” that are not good for
if I did not live my life for myself at all?” What would hap- the body. When the message of a vegan lifestyle is brought
pen if I allowed every decision I will ever take in this world to view how does such a mind respond? It immediately
to be influenced by two principles. The first principle is to thinks: “If I maintain my
live my life in such a way that the Lord is always honoured health I will be of better ser-
through me. It should be my desire not to give the evil one vice to the Lord and His
occasion to laugh at the Lord by failing and falling into name will be glorified
temptation. through the healthy lifestyle
The psalmist said: “He restoreth my soul: He leadeth He has shown me. And I will
me in the paths of righteousness for His name's be able to show those who
sake.” Psalm:23v3 struggle that it is possible to
So too, must I be influenced by the desire to be lead by the forsake items of food that the
Lord just for this purpose. body and taste has consid-
Understanding that the world has been influenced to think ered the norm. For the Lord
of the Lord as a monster; A selfish ruler who creates diffi- let me do it.”
cult rules and commandments that are hard to live up to. I
3
 Indeed what would happen if a mind was set to think in
this manner round the clock? But then another question
emerges: “Can one just cultivate this mentality on their
own? If so, how? If not, what is the help needed to do such
a thing and were can it be found?”
The Help is found in Holy Writ: But we all, with open
face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to
glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Cor:
3v18
These words help us to realise that there is but one in
whom this mentality was perfected, and that is the man
Christ Jesus. He is the only one that perfectly exemplified
this attitude. We need to realise that it is as we spend time
looking at the character of the Lord in all the written words
given by the Holy Spirit through the prophets, that we be-
come changed by that very same Spirit into that which we
see as we look at His character.
As we behold the Lamb our customs and habits become as
His; our characters become fashioned after that noble and
glorious character that He possessed. We can then say
boldly, “For my Father sake, and for the sake of my breth-
ren I will lay down my life with joy.” This we ought to do
even if it means being a living sacrifice on a daily basis. It
is insightful that the mind of Jesus did not pause to think
“How shall I escape hell, or how shall I get to heaven?” But
by default these two things are taken care of. The same will
apply to us if we ensure that the kingdom of God is formed
within. It should be our desire that it be formed within,
even in this very day, not on some future date.
And thus the noblest mindset in the universe is attained.

FOR JONATHAN‟S SAKE…..BY BR K PIPIM

What is genuine forgiveness? the question and explains the nature of the kindness he
It is said that the most forgiven people should be the most wants to bestow on such a one: "And the king said, Is there
forgiving people. And yet, this is easier said than done. not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kind-
Some of us are too hurt to forgive those who have wounded ness of God unto him?" (v. 3).
us. What David doesn‟t know is that there is only one descen-
Why Must We Forgive and Forget? The Bible offers us dant of Saul left. He is a cripple named Mephibosheth, son
several reasons why we should forgive those who have of Jonathan and grandson of Saul. At the time of David‟s in-
wronged us. Because of space limitations, I concentrate on quiry, Mephibosheth is now a married man living in exile in
what I consider to be the most compelling reason why we a faraway town called Lo-debar. The Bible offers only a brief
must forgive and forget—namely, for Christ’s sake. This mo- account of how he became crippled.
tivation is beautifully captured in a story found in the book The Fall and Exile. One day, when Mephibosheth was
of 2 Samuel. only five years old, word got to the palace that in the war be-
DAVID AND MEPHIBOSHETH tween the Israelites and the Philistines at Jezreel, King Saul
had been killed. Prince Jonathan had also been killed. In
A Determined Quest. Chapter 9 begins with King David‟s fact, virtually all of Saul‟s children and grandchildren had
earnest question: "Is there yet any that is left of the house of been wiped out. Saul had a considerable family (see 1
Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan‟s Chronicles 8:33), but it was virtually wiped out literally over-
sake?" (v.1). David is searching night.
for someone from the house- The Bible tersely recounts the story in 2 Samuel 4:4: "And
hold of Saul, his worst enemy. Jonathan, Saul‟s son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He
The king wants to show kind- was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jona-
ness to Saul‟s descendants "for than out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and
Jonathan‟s sake." Though it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and
there seems to be no immedi- became lame."
ate response to his question, That fall crippled him for life. Over the years, David‟s ene-
David does not give up. mies led Mephibosheth to harbor hostility toward David,
Inquiry is made, and King whom they characterized as a usurper (see Patriarchs and
Saul‟s former servant Ziba re- Prophets, p. 713), sheltering him in exile at Lo-debar, east of
ports to David, who repeats the Jordan.
4
The Search. In the security of a highly successful en-
thronement in Israel, the Bible depicts David as having one
overriding concern. It is not to consolidate his power but to
offer special honor to any descendants of his archenemy,
Saul. By this time Mephibosheth has married and begotten
a son. A good many years have gone by since his accident
at the age of five.
Face-to-Face Encounter. The Scriptural account of the
meeting of Mephibosheth and David reveals how hatred
was swallowed by love, and fear by trust. It is worth read-
ing in its entirety:
"Now when Mephibosheth, the son of
Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come
unto David, he fell on his face, and did
reverence. And David said, Mephi-
bosheth. And he answered, Behold thy
servant! And David said unto him,
Fear not: for I will surely show thee
kindness for Jonathan thy father‟s
sake, and will restore thee all the land
of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat
bread at my table continually. And he
bowed himself, and said, What is thy
servant, that thou shouldest look upon
such a dead dog as I am? Then the king
called to Ziba, Saul‟s servant, and said
unto him, I have given unto thy master‟s son all that per-
tained to Saul and to all his house. Thou therefore, and thy
sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou
shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master‟s son may have
food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master‟s son shall eat
bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and
twenty servants. Then said Ziba unto the king, According
to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant,
so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king,
he shall eat at my table, as one of the king‟s sons. And Me-
phibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And
all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Me-
phibosheth. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he
did eat continually at the king‟s table; and was lame on
both his feet" (2 Samuel 9:6-13).
The Gospel of Salvation. David‟s treatment of Mephi-
bosheth teaches several important lessons. First, it is one
of the greatest illustrations of the Gospel. It reveals some-
thing about the riches of the grace of God, in the conver-
sion of runaway sinners.
In this true story, David represents God the Father, sitting
5
on His throne and seeking to show kindness to us sinners.
Though we hate Him, misconstrue His intentions and
plans toward us, yet He still loves us and intensely
searches for ways to save us. "Behold, what manner of love
the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the
sons of God" (1 John 3:1)!
Mephibosheth represents us—lost humanity, crippled by
sin. Like Saul‟s grandson, we also fell in a garden called
Eden (Genesis 3). Because of that Fall, we cannot "walk"
straight nor do anything straight. We hate God, distrust
Him, and disbelieve His Word. Far
away from the Father‟s home, we live in
the exile of sin. The Bible declares, "All
have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Though
created in the image of God and hence
from the Royal Family, we are so de-
graded by sin that we feel like "dead
dogs." We indeed deserve death, for
"the wages of sin is death" (Romans
6:23a). Notice, however, that this text
does not end there. It continues, "but
the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans
6:23b).
Jonathan represents our Lord Jesus Christ. The only way
we Mephibosheths can be saved is through Jesus. The
name Jonathan means "gift of God." It is not surprising
that the greatest Gift God has given humanity is His Son.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begot-
ten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life" (John 3:16, emphasis mine).
Thus, when we read the phrase "for Jonathan‟s sake" in the
2 Samuel 9 account, it really means "for Christ‟s sake." The
only reason why God shows kindness to us, pardoning our
sins and making us His sons and daughters, is for Christ‟s
sake. "I write unto you, little children, because your sins
are forgiven you for His name’s sake" (1 John 2:12).
It is for Christ‟s sake that we Mephibosheths are adopted
as sons and daughters of God: "But as many as received
Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12). It is
also for Christ‟s sake that we have the assurance of eternal
life, the promise of His indwelling Spirit, and the hope of
living forever with God (1 John 5:13; cf. Romans 8:14-39)
….To Be Continued
 A SCOURGE WILL COME...BY SR WHITE
1 Kings 19:13-15 And it was [so], when Elijah heard [it]
that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and
stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, [there
came] a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here,
Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD
God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken
thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy
prophets with the sword; and I, [even] I only, am left; and
they seek my life, to take it away. And the LORD said
unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Da-
mascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael [to be] king
over Syria:
I have been shown that the spirit
of the world is fast leavening the
church. You are following the same
path as did ancient Israel. There is
the same falling away from your
holy calling as God's peculiar peo-
ple. You are having fellowship with
the unfruitful works of darkness.
Your concord with unbelievers has
provoked the Lord's displeasure.
You know not the things that belong
to your peace, and they are fast be-
ing hid from your eyes. Your neglect
to follow the light will place you in a
more unfavorable position than the Jews upon whom
Christ pronounced a woe.
I have been shown that unbelief in the testimonies has
been steadily increasing as the people backslide from God.
It is all through our ranks, all over the field. But few know
what our churches are to experience. I saw that at present
we are under divine forbearance, but no one can say how
long this will continue. No one knows how great the mercy
that has been exercised toward us. But few are heartily de-
voted to God. There are only a few who, like the stars in a
tempestuous night, shine here and there among the clouds.
Many who complacently listen to the truths from God's
word are dead spiritually, while they profess to live. For
years they have come and gone in our congregations, but
they seem only less and less sensible of the value of re-
vealed truth. They do not hunger and thirst after righteous-
ness. They have no relish for spiritual or divine things.
They assent to the truth, but are not sanctified through it.
Neither the word of God nor the testimonies of His Spirit
make any lasting impression upon them. Just according to
the light, the privileges, and opportunities which they have
slighted will be their condemnation. Many who preach the
truth to others are themselves cherishing iniquity. The en-
treaties of the Spirit of God, like divine melody, the prom-
ises of His word so rich and abundant, its threatenings
against idolatry and disobedience--all are powerless to melt
the world-hardened heart.
Many of our people are lukewarm. They occupy the posi-
tion of Meroz, neither for nor against, neither cold nor hot.
They hear the words of Christ, but do them not. If they re-
main in this state, He will reject them with abhorrence. 5T,
p75-77
The patience of God has an object, but
you are defeating it. He is allowing a
state of things to come that you would
fain see counteracted by and by, but it
will be too late. God commanded Elijah
to anoint the cruel and deceitful Hazael
king over Syria, that he might be a
scourge to idolatrous Israel. Who
knows whether God will not give you
up to the deceptions you love? Who
knows but that the preachers who are
faithful, firm, and true may be the last
who shall offer the gospel of peace to
our unthankful churches? It may be
that the destroyers are already training under the hand of
Satan and only wait the departure of a few more standard-
bearers to take their places, and with the voice of the false
prophet cry, "Peace, peace," when the Lord hath not spo-
ken peace. I seldom weep, but now I find my eyes blinded
with tears; they are falling upon my paper as I write. It may
be that erelong all prophesyings among us will be at an
end, and the voice which has stirred the people may no
longer disturb their carnal slumbers.
When God shall work His strange work on the earth, when
holy hands bear the ark no longer, woe will be upon the
people. Oh, that thou hadst known, even thou, in this thy
day, the things that belong unto thy peace! Oh, that our
people may, as did Nineveh, repent with all their might and
believe with all their heart, that God may turn away His
fierce anger from them. 5T, p78-79
If all of those who come together for meetings of edification
and prayer could be regarded as true worshipers, then
might we hope, though much would still remain to be done
for us. But it is in vain to deceive ourselves. Things are far
from being what the appearance would indicate.
6
 LIFT UP YOUR HEADS...
NEWS: The spiritual leader COMMENT: This is a classic case of the plularism of
of the world's Orthodox which we spoke above. The sad thing is that the same calls
Christians prayed with Pope are being made amongst the Remnant that we be more cul-
Benedict XVI in the Sistine turally sensitive. This is basically always done at the ex-
Chapel on Saturday and pense of Biblical standards; especially but not limited to
urged Catholics and Ortho- reverence in worship and modesty in dress. Is it really true
dox to work together to that we worship the same God no matter how we come to
combat fundamentalism and him as evidenced above? There is mercy for those that do it
to promote religious toler- ignorantly but none of us Adventists can truly make that
ance. Benedict praised his claim. Let us not be fooled, there are no grey areas when it
guest, Patriarch Bartholo- comes to worshipping God. We either do it the Biblical way
mew I, on the occasion of an or we are worshipping the Devil. Many in that day will say
Orthodox leader's first “Lord Lord, we worshipped you in this way and that” and
service in the chapel, God will deny knowing them.
which is famous for its fres-
coes painted by Michelangelo. Bartholomew's participation NEWS: The Rt Rev Nick Baines, Bishop of Croydon, has
in the Vespers service and speech, in the chapel where urged churches to use hits by bands such as U2 and the
popes are elected, is a "joyous experience of unity, perhapsBeatles in their services. In a book backed by the
not perfect, but true and deep," Benedict said. The two men Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, he argues
are eager to bridge a nearly millennium-long schism be- that pop music writers can convey deep theological con-
tween the two churches, and see moral and social issues — cepts in a way that is more accessible to the younger gen-
including fundamentalism, religious intolerance, eration. Hundreds of evangelical churches have already
abortion, euthanasia and environmental degradation — as turned to guitar-based songs instead of traditional hymns,
fertile ground for common initiatives. but the bishop suggests that clergy still need to be more
COMMENT: As Ratzinger continues in his quest to creative in appealing to non-churchgoers.
“unite” the religious world, I wonder how many of us stop Artists highlighted for exploring Christian themes in their
to analyze the words often used. Two phrases from the music include Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan and John Lennon,
above are oft repeated and I will define them. Fundamen- who famously claimed the Beatles were bigger than Jesus.
talism: “The interpretation of every word in the sacred "For many people the language of the Bible has become in-
texts as literal truth”. The implication is that any true Ad-
accessible and yet pop song writers can make a connection
ventists that believes in the inerrancy of Holy writ falls foul
with people because their language is fresh," he said. "They
of the ecumenical agenda. Religious Intolerance: are able to open our imagination to a way of thinking about
“Conservative Protestants often interpret the phrase as God that we've become deaf to in church language. "The
meaning that, to be tolerant, one must accept all religions Bible is an amazing collection of books that we've allowed
as equal and true. This is a religious concept called plural-
to become banal. For many people it is a closed book and
ism." While this is one of a number of definitions it is easy
asking them to read it is a lost cause, which is a tragedy.
to see how Bible believing and preaching Adventists easily "Songs get more into the soul than simply reading an an-
fall foul in advocating present truth. cient book," he added.
COMMENT: Were it not for the fact that the above mad-
NEWS: Inside the small, white stone church at 1050 W. dening sentiments continue to find
Lapham Blvd…more than 100 people come to pray at one of voice in our beloved church, and that
the few urban churches in the country to blend the Roman high ranking officials in other
Catholic Mass with American Indian traditions. Church “Christian” denominations believe
bells toll from afar, mixing softly with the beating of the them, one would be excused for think-
drum that guides the singing and praying throughout the ing that these statement s are a prank.
service. Sage, tobacco, cedar and sweet grass fill a terra Our generation has veered so far from
cotta bowl and are later burned as part of an American In- God that we are in desperate need of
dian cleansing ceremony. An Indian blanket serves as the eye salve to help us differentiate the
altar cloth. Wood, bark, feathers and pottery decorate the Holy and the profane. I pray that we
church, where sunlight filters through the more traditional will all stand on the Rock and not be tempted into being a
blue stained-glass windows. fulfillment of the Minneapolis prophecy!

7
 SOBRIETY
To what extent did the wise man test the pleasures "That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in
of the world? faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that
"Whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them; I they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accus-
withheld not my heart from any joy." Eccl. 2:10. "I said in ers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that
mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth; there- they may teach the young women to be sober... Young men
fore enjoy pleasure." Eccl. 2:1. likewise exhort to be sober minded." Titus 2:2-6.
How much true enjoyment did such a course af- What similar advice is given in the epistle to the
ford? Romans?
"Behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was "Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and
no profit under the sun." Eccl. 2:11. "Even in laughter the drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in
strife and envying." Rom. 13:13.
heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness."
Prov. 14:13. What testimony does the apostle Peter bear on this
point?
To whom alone is such mirth enjoyable? "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and
"Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom." Prov. 15:21. hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you
What conclusion did the wise man reach? at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:13.
"Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly as far as light excel-
leth darkness." Eccl. 2:13. Why is vigilance espe-
Why is sobriety preferable to levity? cially necessary?
"Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the "Be sober, be vigilant;
countenance the heart is made better." Eccl. 7:3. "It is bet- because your adversary
ter to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house the Devil, as a roaring
of feasting; for that is the end of all men; and the living will lion, walketh about, seek-
lay it to his heart." Eccl. 7:2. ing whom he may de-
Of what does the wise man bid the young to be vour." 1 Peter 5:8.
mindful, even in the pursuit of pleasure?
"Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart What other consid-
cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of eration should lead
thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou us to sobriety?
that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment." "But the end of all things
Eccl. 11:9. is at hand; be ye there-
What injunction to sobriety does the apostle give fore sober, and watch
in his epistle to Titus? unto prayer." 2 Peter 4:7.

YOUR CROWNING GLORY.... BY SR T NKOMO

Some do it without first applying base. Some do it wearing
gloves, and you wonder “Well, if your hands need protec-
tion, what‟s protecting my precious scalp?” You wait for the
telltale tingle, then you feel the itch, and you tell the stylist
that your head is starting to burn. She tells you to wait a
while…The itch becomes a real burn, you tell her again and
she sprays your scalp with some spray that‟s miraculously
meant to take the pain away…You are now almost in tears,
but you don‟t want to wash it off too soon in case your hair
hasn‟t been processed enough-so you bite your lip and wait
for the burning sensation to spread till you can‟t stand it.
Then you tell her AGAIN that you‟re in pain, she finally
makes her way slowly to the basin and runs the water, then
8
finally…WATER. But by then, the damage is done. Your
scalp has some burns that you now need to be careful of,
hoping the scabs fall off quickly.
Yep, I‟m talking about what sometimes happens when the
ladies go get their hair relaxed at the salon. When I was
courting my husband, I remember I had to go do my hair
and he said “Why do women fry their heads? Do they realise
that they are probably frying their brains too? That stuff
probably seeps into their skulls” I paid no attention to him. I
mean really, the only people I‟d seen with natural, unproc-
essed hair were „unsophisticated women who didn‟t have the
money to relax their hair-or so I thought.
I remember one of our friends-her husband didn‟t allow‟ ard score of 7. The others range from 5-7. Would God really
her to chemically straighten her hair and I remember com- be pleased with us if we kept spending money to do what
menting with one of my friends “Shame, poor woman, I‟d destroys what He gave us, and what is known to be harm-
hate to be mar- ful? Let‟s also take a look at some of the ingredients- so-
ried to a guy who dium hydroxide (found in lye relaxers)- found in drain
wanted me to cleaners- says a lot about how it would affect your poor
look so ru- skin, doesn‟t it? The toxicology information states “very
ral.”Then I corrosive, causes severe burns, may cause serious perma-
started noticing nent eye damage, harmful by skin contact!” Another ingre-
other ladies on dient-that found in „no lye‟ relaxers-guanidine carbonate-
the „natural hair is less injurious, but also harmful to the skin. It also de-fats
bandwagon, but the scalp. Those are just two ingredients found in these
the few I knew chemical hair straighteners. It is known that these chemi-
were militant cals can find their way into the body through lesions in the
feminists, some- skin.
thing anathema to the gospel, so I paid them no attention.
Let‟s go over it again. But before we do, after that relaxer
But this year, a few things served to show me that I was be- has been rinsed off, what happens? Your hair is then blow
ing a bad steward of my hair-yes, God owns every part of dried-even more damage. Heat is bad for the hair, causing
me-He created all of me after all. From my hair, to my toes. it to be brittle and causing breakage. Now imagine what is
If I am busy eating right, to keep my body healthy, why not being done when you add that to hair that has had chemi-
keep every part of myself in the best possible condition? I cals added to it. Chemicals that can cause scalp irritation,
read an article in the Sunday Times about research that skin burns, permanent scarring, deep ulcerations, skin dry-
was performed on black ladies. They saw how traction ing and cracking, dermatitis, irreversible baldness, eye
alopecia and general baldness was high among those who damage including blindness and weak, dry, broken and
relaxed their hair, and among those who had certain styles damaged hair. People believe that their hair is healthy,
done regularly on their hair eg. tight ponytails, cornrows, when relaxers have actually broken down the protein
braids with extensions. I remember thinking „but I relax bonds and weakened the hair, and also stopped the scalp
my hair at least twice a year, and I do ponytails very often, from producing much needed sebum which moistens and
what will I do to my hair now? I don‟t want to damage protects the scalp.
God‟s property.” But then I let it go. Until one afternoon I
was in a taxi and there was a young lady who had her hair Remember, our skin absorbs chemicals. That‟s how the
in a ponytail with hair that looked freshly done. Her hair nicotine patch, the contraceptive patch work. So, whatever
had thinned so badly that I could see her scalp. This is you put on it, enters the body. Do we want to have caustic
loose hair in a ponytail-you‟re not MEANT to see scalp! chemicals not only
And I thought “What if I end up like this? No hair, or no ON the skin, but IN-
foreline?” I then came home and did some research on SIDE our bodies too?
what chemical straighteners are all about. And here‟s a bit More importantly,
of what I found. does God want us to
damage ourselves in
Relaxers/ chemical straighteners make your hair straight such a way? “We are
by breaking the bonds in the strands…When you relax your guilty of the sin of
hair, you are stripping your hair of its chemical structure, presumption when
weakening it permanently. Now if this chemical does this we defile our bodies. Paul declares, "If any man defile the
to your hair, what is it doing to your scalp? There is a web- temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of
site (http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/wordsearch.php? God is holy, which temple ye are." Our bodies are a won-
query=hair%20relaxer&nothanks=1) derful exhibition of God's incomprehensible skill and un-
That details and gives the „hazard‟ scores for various cos- ceasing goodness. They are not to be trifled with. With all
metic products. They rate a group of hair relaxers. With 0-3 the power of a sanctified mind and a purified soul, they are
being no-low hazard, and 7-10 being high hazard. The most to be consecrated to God”. Cf: ST 04-04-00 para. 15.
popular type, incidentally, the one for children, has a haz-
9

PRISONERS OF
HOPE
The bulk of this newsletter is
authored by members of the
Mowbray SDA church whose
desire is to provide a thought
provoking newsletter for Ad-
ventists dwelling on the banks
of Jordan; in the process ap-
pealing to entire fidelity to the
Bible and the Spirit of Proph-
ecy.
Continued from p6..
From a distant view much may appear beautiful which, upon close examination, will be
found full of deformities. The prevailing spirit of our time is that of infidelity and apos-
tasy--a spirit of pretended illumination because of a knowledge of the truth, but in real-
ity of the blindest presumption. There is a spirit of opposition to the plain word of God
and to the testimony of His Spirit. There is a spirit of idolatrous exaltation of mere hu-
man reason above the revealed wisdom of God
.
There are men among us in responsible positions who hold that the opinions of a
few conceited philosophers, so called, are more to be trusted than the truth of the Bible,
or the testimonies of the Holy Spirit. Such a faith as that of Paul, Peter, or John is con-
sidered old-fashioned and insufferable at the present day. It is pronounced absurd,
mystical, and unworthy of an intelligent mind.
God has shown me that these men are Hazaels to prove a scourge to our people.
They are wise above what is written. This unbelief of the very truths of God's word be-
cause human judgment cannot comprehend the mysteries of His work is found in every
district, in all ranks of society. It is taught in most of our schools and comes into the
lessons of the nurseries. Thousands who profess to be Christians give heed to lying
spirits. Everywhere the spirit of darkness in the garb of religion will confront you. 5T
p78-79
If all that appears to be divine life were such in reality; if all who profess to present
the truth to the world were preaching for the truth and not against it, and if they were
men of God guided by His Spirit,--then might we see something cheering amid the pre-
vailing moral darkness. But the spirit of antichrist is prevailing to such an extent as
never before. Well may we exclaim: "Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the
faithful fail from among the children of men." I know that many think far too favorably
of the present time. These ease-loving souls will be engulfed in the general ruin. Yet we
do not despair. We have been inclined to think that where there are no faithful minis-
ters there can be no true Christians, but this is not the case. God has promised that
where the shepherds are not true He will take charge of the flock Himself. God has
never made the flock wholly dependent upon human instrumentalities. But the days of
purification of the church are hastening on apace. God will have a people pure and true.
In the mighty sifting soon to take place we shall be better able to measure the strength
of Israel. The signs reveal that the time is near when the Lord will manifest that His fan
is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor. 5T, p79
When the overflowing scourge shall pass through the earth, when the fan is purging
Jehovah's floor, God will be the help of His people. The trophies of Satan may be ex-
alted on high, but the faith of the pure and holy will not be daunted ...God will work a
work in our day that but few anticipate. He will raise up and exalt among us those who
are taught rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the outward training of scientific
institutions. These facilities are not to be despised or condemned; they are ordained of
God, but they can furnish only the exterior qualifications. God will manifest that He is
not dependent on learned, self-important mortals. 5T, p82
Contact Information:
+27(0)21 556 9971 086 608 7075 +27(0)83 268 7575
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