10-Year-Old Boy’s Bible Studies Lead 8 Children to
Baptism
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Jaffet
Vazquez shares what he’s learned at his Adventist school in New Jersey.
A fourth-grade boy in the U.S. state
of New Jersey has led eight children to baptism through a Bible study group in
his home.
Jaffet Vazquez, 10, uses information
learned in classes at the local Seventh-day Adventist elementary school to lead
the weekly group of 13 children, ages 5 to 10, in his home in Vineland, a city
of 61,000 people.
Fourth grader Jaffet Vazquez leading
a Bible study. (Visitor)
"I am really happy to learn
more about Jesus and teach my friends,” Vazquez told the Columbia Union Visitor magazine. “They
come over to my house, and we learn more about God together and also get to
play.”
When Vazquez first decided that he
wanted to share his love for Jesus with the neighborhood children, his mother
prayerfully visited every mother on the street to extend an invitation to the
Bible studies. Many mothers said their children could attend.
Vazquez shares with his friends what
he has learned about God’s love and gift of salvation during classes from
teachers Violeta Molina and Raul Rivero at the Vine Haven Adventist
School. Rivero is also pastor at the Bridgeton Spanish church, which
Vazquez attends with his family, and he helps the boy’s friends prepare for
baptism.
When Vazquez started teaching, only
one child from his block went to church regularly. Now many of the children
attend Sabbath services at the Bridgeton Spanish church, and their parents are
more open to Bible studies for themselves, Visitor reported. Eight
children have been baptized because of Vazquez’s ministry.
The boy encourages the children to
study the Bible for themselves, using his allowance money to buy prizes for
those who excel. His mother prepares snacks for the children to eat at the end
of their study.
“The children say they are excited
to learn new worship songs and learn how to pray,” Visitor said.
7 Biggest Stories That Shaped the Adventist Church in 2014
A look back at the stories that had the biggest impact on the church.
Even as global
conditions deteriorated with threats of war and disease, the Seventh-day
Adventist Church forged ahead with its mission of proclaiming Jesus’
soon coming in 2014.
The success of those efforts are especially
visible in the church’s Mission to the Cities initiative, which tops our
list of the biggest stories that shaped the Adventist Church over the
past year. The initiative, which shares Jesus in big cities through a
combination of evangelistic series and community outreach programs,
yielded tens of thousands of baptisms in dozens of countries around the
world.
Many of the other major stories on our list are more
connected with matters of church administration, policy, and doctrine
than with mission service.
But the Adventist Church was actively
engaged in the world’s biggest news stories—Ebola and conflicts in
places like Iraq and Ukraine—by treating the ill and providing food and
shelter to refugees.
Here are the seven biggest stories in the Adventist Church in 2014. 1. Mission to the Cities takes off.
Mission
to the Cities, an initiative to share Jesus with residents of the
world’s biggest cities, was launched in New York in 2013. But the
campaign really took off in 2014, with tens of thousands of baptisms,
and is poised to grow further in 2015.
The
highlight for the initiative was “Hope Manila 2014: iCare,” a yearlong,
$1.2 million project to share Jesus with the people of Manila and
especially with the Philippine capital’s leading businesspeople and
politicians. In May, Adventist Church leader Ted N.C. Wilson led a two-week evangelistic series in Manila while other church leaders simultaneously conducted meetings at 75 other city sites.
More
than 10,000 new members have joined the Adventist Church under Hope
Manila, including 3,152 people baptized at the meetings led by Wilson
over the first three Sabbaths of May.
Mission to the Cities projects also unfolded in Austria, Bulgaria, Tahiti, Ghana, and many other countries. Notably:
The Northwest Brazil Union organized “Hope Manaus” during the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament that saw volunteers pass out drinking water and thousands of copies of the missionary sharing book The Great Hope to soccer fans in the Brazilian city of Manaus in July. About 350 people were baptized as a result of the one-week program.
Next year, more than 40,000 people are expected to attend a two-week evangelistic series in Harare, Zimbabwe, in May. In San Antonio, Texas, church leaders are also bringing together doctors and other heath professionals to offer free medical services to people at the stadium that will host the 2015 General Conference session in July.
Ministers baptizing people in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on Sept. 13, 2014. Photo: Vanuatu Mission
2. Caring for those affected by Ebola and conflict.
The
Adventist Church has long sought to follow Jesus’ example and assist
people who are hurting. But those efforts took on a more visible
character this year with efforts to provide treatment and relief to
people affected by the Ebola virus in West Africa and conflict in Iraq,
Syria, and Ukraine.
ADRA, the Adventist relief agency, has been at the forefront of these efforts.
In West Africa, ADRA has teamed up with Loma Linda University and other Adventist organizations to deliver much-needed medical supplies and equipment to hospitals dealing with Ebola. ADRA is also feeding thousands of people and educating people on how to avoid infection.
Elsewhere, ADRA has provided food and other essential items to African boat migrants in Italy, victims of deadly floods in Nepal and the Balkans, and refugees in Iraq and Syria. In Russia and Ukraine,
ADRA has fed and sheltered scores of people who have fled fighting in
east Ukraine. Jill Biden, wife of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, was so
impressed that she lavished praise on ADRA during a visit to its center in Kiev in November.
A Ukrainian refugee receiving baby food from ADRA in Russia's Rostov region. Photo: Euro-Asia Division
3. End in sight for women’s ordination debate?
The
question of women’s ordination has been widely discussed since
Adventist leaders agreed at the 2010 General Conference session to take a
closer look at the issue. But several of the most significant steps
took place in 2014.
In June, the Theology of Ordination Study Committee completed a two-year study
to determine whether a consensus could be reached on women’s
ordination. Members of the General Conference-commissioned committee
concluded that a consensus could not be found.
Then in October, delegates at the Annual Council, a church business meeting, voted to ask the 2015 General Conference session whether each of the church’s 13 divisions should be able to decide for themselves on whether to ordain women.
Meanwhile, Adventist leaders have confirmed their unity despite differences over ordination and have urged church members to prayerfully study the issue for themselves.
Annual Council delegates discussing ordination on Oct. 14, 2014. Photo: ANN
4. Comprehensive health ministry gets legs.
Church leaders prioritized plans to make every Adventist church a community health center several years ago, but the initiative gained significant momentum in the summer when 1,150 participants from 81 countries attended a conference organized by the Health Ministries department in Geneva, Switzerland, to learn how to start programs in their own communities.
The
aim is to provide a Christ-modeled blend of physical and spiritual
healing to local communities through fitness classes, soup kitchens,
cooking classes, stress management programs, and the innovative Breathe-Free 2, a new stop-smoking program launched at the Geneva conference. 5. Adventist publishing undergoes a major restructuring.
The Review and Herald and the Pacific Press publishing houses approved the biggest restructuring in Adventist publishing’s 153-year history
in June, embracing a plan that Adventist leaders hope will strengthen
the church’s U.S. digital presence and ensure the long-term viability of
its publishing work.
Under the restructuring, the financially troubled Review and Herald Publishing Association unwound operations
at its 83-acre facility in Hagerstown, Maryland, with all print
operations ceasing by December. Some employees and assets were
transferred to the Nampa, Idaho-based Pacific Press Publishing
Association, which became a North American Division institution.
The Review and Herald's publishing facility in Hagerstown, Maryland. Photo: RHPA
6. The North American Division grows up.
The
North American Division, which only spun off into its own entity from
the General Conference about 25 years ago, came into its own in 2014 by
acquiring its first institutions. The division took ownership of the Pacific Press publishing house in July and got final approval to oversee Oakwood University in November. The division secured both entities from the General Conference.
The
acquisitions put the North American Division on the same footing as the
Adventist world church’s other 12 divisions, many of which also control
their own publishing houses and universities. 7. GC leadership points Adventist educators to the Bible.
Other
than women’s ordination, perhaps the most-discussed topic in 2014 was a
series of statements from church leaders, scholars, and educators that
underscored the biblical teaching that life has existed on the Earth for
only a few thousand years.
Adventist Church leader Ted N.C. Wilson highlighted the church’s position
in an Aug. 15 keynote speech at a Bible and science conference in which
he said teachers who believe that life has existed on Earth for
millions of years should not call themselves Seventh-day Adventists or
work in church-operated schools.
Other speakers, including
biologists, geologists and theologians, made presentations on both
scientific data and biblical teaching supporting a short chronology of
life on Earth at the 10-day conference in St. George, Utah. Michael L. Ryan, a vice president of the Adventist world church, urged attendees during a Sabbath sermon
to follow the examples of Moses and Daniel, biblical leaders who
greatly influenced the world by rejecting popular science to embrace a
Creator God.
Out of love for the
truth and from desire to elucidate it, the Reverend Father Martin Luther,
Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at
Wittenberg, intends to defend the following statements and to dispute on them
in that place. Therefore he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute
with him orally shall do so in their absence by letter. In the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, Amen.
When our Lord and Master Jesus
Christ said, ``Repent'' (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers
to be one of repentance.
This word cannot be understood
as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is, confession and
satisfaction, as administered by the clergy.
Yet it does not mean solely
inner repentance; such inner repentance is worthless unless it produces
various outward mortification of the flesh.
The penalty of sin remains as
long as the hatred of self (that is, true inner repentance), namely till
our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
The pope neither desires nor is
able to remit any penalties except those imposed by his own authority or
that of the canons.
The pope cannot remit any
guilt, except by declaring and showing that it has been remitted by God;
or, to be sure, by remitting guilt in cases reserved to his judgment. If
his right to grant remission in these cases were disregarded, the guilt
would certainly remain unforgiven.
God remits guilt to no one
unless at the same time he humbles him in all things and makes him
submissive to the vicar, the priest.
The penitential canons are
imposed only on the living, and, according to the canons themselves,
nothing should be imposed on the dying.
Therefore the Holy Spirit
through the pope is kind to us insofar as the pope in his decrees always
makes exception of the article of death and of necessity.
Those priests act ignorantly
and wickedly who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penalties
for purgatory.
Those tares of changing the
canonical penalty to the penalty of purgatory were evidently sown while
the bishops slept (Mt 13:25).
In former times canonical
penalties were imposed, not after, but before absolution, as tests of true
contrition.
The dying are freed by death
from all penalties, are already dead as far as the canon laws are
concerned, and have a right to be released from them.
Imperfect piety or love on the
part of the dying person necessarily brings with it great fear; and the
smaller the love, the greater the fear.
This fear or horror is
sufficient in itself, to say nothing of other things, to constitute the
penalty of purgatory, since it is very near to the horror of despair.
Hell, purgatory, and heaven
seem to differ the same as despair, fear, and assurance of salvation.
It seems as though for the
souls in purgatory fear should necessarily decrease and love increase.
Furthermore, it does not seem
proved, either by reason or by Scripture, that souls in purgatory are
outside the state of merit, that is, unable to grow in love.
Nor does it seem proved that
souls in purgatory, at least not all of them, are certain and assured of their
own salvation, even if we ourselves may be entirely certain of it.
Therefore the pope, when he
uses the words ``plenary remission of all penalties,'' does not actually
mean ``all penalties,'' but only those imposed by himself.
Thus those indulgence preachers
are in error who say that a man is absolved from every penalty and saved
by papal indulgences.
As a matter of fact, the pope
remits to souls in purgatory no penalty which, according to canon law,
they should have paid in this life.
If remission of all penalties
whatsoever could be granted to anyone at all, certainly it would be
granted only to the most perfect, that is, to very few.
For this reason most people are
necessarily deceived by that indiscriminate and high-sounding promise of
release from penalty.
That power which the pope has
in general over purgatory corresponds to the power which any bishop or
curate has in a particular way in his own diocese and parish.
The pope does very well when he
grants remission to souls in purgatory, not by the power of the keys,
which he does not have, but by way of intercession for them.
They preach only human
doctrines who say that as soon as the money clinks into the money chest,
the soul flies out of purgatory.
It is certain that when money
clinks in the money chest, greed and avarice can be increased; but when
the church intercedes, the result is in the hands of God alone.
Who knows whether all souls in
purgatory wish to be redeemed, since we have exceptions in St. Severinus
and St. Paschal, as related in a legend.
No one is sure of the integrity
of his own contrition, much less of having received plenary remission.
The man who actually buys
indulgences is as rare as he who is really penitent; indeed, he is
exceedingly rare.
Those who believe that they can
be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters will be
eternally damned, together with their teachers.
Men must especially be on guard
against those who say that the pope's pardons are that inestimable gift of
God by which man is reconciled to him.
For the graces of indulgences
are concerned only with the penalties of sacramental satisfaction
established by man.
They who teach that contrition
is not necessary on the part of those who intend to buy souls out of
purgatory or to buy confessional privileges preach unchristian doctrine.
Any truly repentant Christian
has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without
indulgence letters.
Any true Christian, whether
living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the church;
and this is granted him by God, even without indulgence letters.
Nevertheless, papal remission
and blessing are by no means to be disregarded, for they are, as I have
said (Thesis 6), the proclamation of the divine remission.
It is very difficult, even for
the most learned theologians, at one and the same time to commend to the
people the bounty of indulgences and the need of true contrition.
A Christian who is truly
contrite seeks and loves to pay penalties for his sins; the bounty of
indulgences, however, relaxes penalties and causes men to hate them -- at
least it furnishes occasion for hating them.
Papal indulgences must be
preached with caution, lest people erroneously think that they are
preferable to other good works of love.
Christians are to be taught
that the pope does not intend that the buying of indulgences should in any
way be compared with works of mercy.
Christians are to be taught
that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better deed
than he who buys indulgences.
Because love grows by works of
love, man thereby becomes better. Man does not, however, become better by
means of indulgences but is merely freed from penalties.
Christians are to be taught
that he who sees a needy man and passes him by, yet gives his money for
indulgences, does not buy papal indulgences but God's wrath.
Christians are to be taught
that, unless they have more than they need, they must reserve enough for
their family needs and by no means squander it on indulgences.
Christians are to be taught
that they buying of indulgences is a matter of free choice, not commanded.
Christians are to be taught
that the pope, in granting indulgences, needs and thus desires their
devout prayer more than their money.
Christians are to be taught that
papal indulgences are useful only if they do not put their trust in them,
but very harmful if they lose their fear of God because of them.
Christians are to be taught
that if the pope knew the exactions of the indulgence preachers, he would
rather that the basilica of St. Peter were burned to ashes than built up
with the skin, flesh, and bones of his sheep.
Christians are to be taught
that the pope would and should wish to give of his own money, even though
he had to sell the basilica of St. Peter, to many of those from whom
certain hawkers of indulgences cajole money.
It is vain to trust in
salvation by indulgence letters, even though the indulgence commissary, or
even the pope, were to offer his soul as security.
They are the enemies of Christ
and the pope who forbid altogether the preaching of the Word of God in
some churches in order that indulgences may be preached in others.
Injury is done to the Word of
God when, in the same sermon, an equal or larger amount of time is devoted
to indulgences than to the Word.
It is certainly the pope's
sentiment that if indulgences, which are a very insignificant thing, are
celebrated with one bell, one procession, and one ceremony, then the
gospel, which is the very greatest thing, should be preached with a
hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies.
The true treasures of the
church, out of which the pope distributes indulgences, are not
sufficiently discussed or known among the people of Christ.
That indulgences are not
temporal treasures is certainly clear, for many indulgence sellers do not
distribute them freely but only gather them.
Nor are they the merits of
Christ and the saints, for, even without the pope, the latter always work
grace for the inner man, and the cross, death, and hell for the outer man.
St. Lawrence said that the poor
of the church were the treasures of the church, but he spoke according to
the usage of the word in his own time.
Without want of consideration
we say that the keys of the church, given by the merits of Christ, are that
treasure.
For it is clear that the pope's
power is of itself sufficient for the remission of penalties and cases
reserved by himself.
The true treasure of the church
is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.
But this treasure is naturally
most odious, for it makes the first to be last (Mt. 20:16).
On the other hand, the treasure
of indulgences is naturally most acceptable, for it makes the last to be
first.
Therefore the treasures of the
gospel are nets with which one formerly fished for men of wealth.
The treasures of indulgences
are nets with which one now fishes for the wealth of men.
The indulgences which the
demagogues acclaim as the greatest graces are actually understood to be
such only insofar as they promote gain.
They are nevertheless in truth
the most insignificant graces when compared with the grace of God and the
piety of the cross.
Bishops and curates are bound
to admit the commissaries of papal indulgences with all reverence.
But they are much more bound to
strain their eyes and ears lest these men preach their own dreams instead
of what the pope has commissioned.
Let him who speaks against the
truth concerning papal indulgences be anathema and accursed.
But let him who guards against
the lust and license of the indulgence preachers be blessed.
Just as the pope justly
thunders against those who by any means whatever contrive harm to the sale
of indulgences.
Much more does he intend to
thunder against those who use indulgences as a pretext to contrive harm to
holy love and truth.
To consider papal indulgences
so great that they could absolve a man even if he had done the impossible
and had violated the mother of God is madness.
We say on the contrary that
papal indulgences cannot remove the very least of venial sins as far as
guilt is concerned.
To say that even St. Peter if
he were now pope, could not grant greater graces is blasphemy against St.
Peter and the pope.
We say on the contrary that
even the present pope, or any pope whatsoever, has greater graces at his
disposal, that is, the gospel, spiritual powers, gifts of healing, etc.,
as it is written. (1 Co 12[:28])
To say that the cross
emblazoned with the papal coat of arms, and set up by the indulgence
preachers is equal in worth to the cross of Christ is blasphemy.
The bishops, curates, and
theologians who permit such talk to be spread among the people will have
to answer for this.
This unbridled preaching of
indulgences makes it difficult even for learned men to rescue the
reverence which is due the pope from slander or from the shrewd questions
of the laity.
Such as: ``Why does not the
pope empty purgatory for the sake of holy love and the dire need of the
souls that are there if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the
sake of miserable money with which to build a church?'' The former reason
would be most just; the latter is most trivial.
Again, ``Why are funeral and
anniversary masses for the dead continued and why does he not return or
permit the withdrawal of the endowments founded for them, since it is
wrong to pray for the redeemed?''
Again, ``What is this new piety
of God and the pope that for a consideration of money they permit a man
who is impious and their enemy to buy out of purgatory the pious soul of a
friend of God and do not rather, beca use of the need of that pious and
beloved soul, free it for pure love's sake?''
Again, ``Why are the
penitential canons, long since abrogated and dead in actual fact and
through disuse, now satisfied by the granting of indulgences as though
they were still alive and in force?''
Again, ``Why does not the pope,
whose wealth is today greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus,
build this one basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with
the money of poor believers?''
Again, ``What does the pope
remit or grant to those who by perfect contrition already have a right to
full remission and blessings?''
Again, ``What greater blessing
could come to the church than if the pope were to bestow these remissions
and blessings on every believer a hundred times a day, as he now does but
once?''
``Since the pope seeks the
salvation of souls rather than money by his indulgences, why does he
suspend the indulgences and pardons previously granted when they have
equal efficacy?''
To repress these very sharp
arguments of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving
reasons, is to expose the church and the pope to the ridicule of their
enemies and to make Christians unhappy.
If, therefore, indulgences were
preached according to the spirit and intention of the pope, all these
doubts would be readily resolved. Indeed, they would not exist.
Away, then, with all those
prophets who say to the people of Christ, ``Peace, peace,'' and there is
no peace! (Jer 6:14)
Blessed be all those prophets
who say to the people of Christ, ``Cross, cross,'' and there is no cross!
Christians should be exhorted
to be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, death
and hell.
And thus be confident of
entering into heaven through many tribulations rather than through the
false security of peace (Acts 14:22).
Question:
"What are the 95 Theses of Martin Luther?"
Answer: The
“95 Theses” were written in 1517 by a German priest and professor of theology
named Martin Luther. His revolutionary ideas served as the catalyst for the
eventual breaking away from the Catholic Church and were later instrumental in
forming the movement known as the Protestant Reformation. Luther wrote his
radical “95 Theses” to express his growing concern with the corruption within
the Church. In essence, his Theses called for a full reform of the Catholic
Church and challenged other scholars to debate with him on matters of church
policy.
One of the major issues that concerned Luther
pertained to the matter of church officials selling “indulgences” to the people
as a means of releasing them from having to exact penitence for their misdeeds.
Indulgences were also claimed by the Church to limit the amount of time the
purchaser’s loved one would have to spend inPurgatory. “As soon as the penny jingles into the
money-box, the soul flies out [of purgatory].” Luther felt that these church
officials were teaching people that they could literally buy their way into the
kingdom of God or buy God’s favor. His belief was that the papacy had
deteriorated to the point that the people were being led to believe in man-made
doctrines. The Pope had the power to limit or do away with penances imposed by
the clergy, but he did not have the power to bring about the interior
contrition that leads to salvation. Only God could do that. Indulgences are
positively harmful, according to the Theses, since they induce a false
assurance of peace, and cause the recipients to neglect true repentance.
Luther published his “95 Theses” fully realizing
that he faced excommunication and even death for protesting the traditions and
beliefs of the Catholic Church. To do so was considered heresy against God.
Luther’s “95 Theses” became highly sought after by the populace and were soon
translated into German for the common people to read. The printing press then
enabled the wide distribution of the Theses, provoking in the people more
disenchantment with the ways of the Catholic Church.
In 1521, Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther from
the Catholic Church and declared him a heretic. Luther was so despised by the
church that a death warrant was issued, giving anyone permission to kill him.
However, Luther was given protection by Prince Frederick of Saxony, a staunch
defender of Luther. Hidden in one of Frederick’s castles, Luther began
producing a translation of the Bible into the German language. Ten years later
it was finally completed.
It was in 1529, some 12 years after Luther had
nailed his Theses to the church door, that the word “Protestant” became a
popular term describing those who supported Luther’s protests against the
Church. These opponents of the Church declared their allegiance to God and
protested any loyalty or commitments to the emperor. Thereafter, the name
“Protestant” was applied to all who argued that the Church be reformed. Luther
died in 1546 with his revolutionary Theses forming the foundation for what is
known today as the Protestant Reformation.
