John M. Fowler

MISSION  '76  emphasizes  literature evangelism.  Every  pastor and evangelist  desires  greater  and  more  effective assistance from the various evangelistic agencies  of  the  church.  Yet  we  often neglect or  overlook the fact…

WHY ARE we as a church not effectively employing our laity? Is it because they are incapable of successful soul-winning work? Quite the contrary. Ample evidence establishes the fact that when employed properly they are highly effective.

Gottfried…

Should ministers call for decisions in each Sabbath sermon? Or should such appeals be left to the evangelist? Or is calling for a decision at any time putting undue pressure on a person?

The answers may be more complex than most…

No other area of human quest demands as great a sense of wonder and humility as theology. For two reasons: the infinite nature of its subject matter and the finite and warped status of its doers. And yet theological activities, particularly…

Worship! The prerogative of the Creator. The privilege of the created. The delight of heaven. The first duty of angels. ¹ From Genesis to Revelation, worship constitutes a major theme of the Scriptures. From Cain and Abel's controversy…

The eternal gospel proclaimed by the angel of Revelation 14:6 calls for the worship of ''him who and made heaven earth'' (verse 7).* As a pastor committed to the proclamation of this gospel, I find this call more than a reminder of our origin:…

One of my favorite scriptures is a promise of divine enabling: "For God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good plea sure" (Phil. 2:13).* As I was reflecting on this passage recently, it dawned on me that the promise of God's…

He was a source of terror, an object of pity, and an epitome of uselessness. No chain could bind him. No person could tame him. Night or day made no difference to his will to violence; the tombs were his resting place,…

Who am I?" (2 Sam. 7:18).*

David's self-reflection is in a way a call to take stock of oneself, to pause be fore the Almighty and face the searching question, Who am I? A mini god? A fraud? A machine?

…

When I became a Seventh-day Adventist years ago, the strongest motivation to cross over from a traditional church to what was then considered a cult was the imminence of the second coming of Christ. The evangelist did a persuasive job. Supported…

I was stranded at the airport, tired and hungry. My flight was indefinitely delayed. After an hour of waiting I went to the air port restaurant and ordered a simple meal. The waiter politely informed me that it would…

The scene on the crowded street froze me in horror. There he lay naked, with a million flies feasting on the open sores of his emaciated body. "Dead," someone whispered. Soon another spread a sheet to take up a funeral…

Derek Humphry's Final Exit is a disturbing book. It's as simple as a cook book. The recipes are easy to follow. The ingredients are clearly described. The procedures are detailed enough. The results are guaranteed:…

In the aftermath of the first murder on this planet came God's question: "Where is your brother?" The question was not a divine invitation to a philosophic dialogue on the mysteries of life; nor was it a cosmic pronouncement on life after…

The king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?"…

He, so everyone thought, was the best of the lot a patriot, ready to risk his life to break the foreign yoke; an organizational expert; a financial wizard; a man of gallant hopes, cool courage, and planned daring.

The…

Jerusalem is about to collapse. Babylonians are knocking down its defenses. Enemies from outside, betrayal from within, and con fusion from every where have turned the city of peace into a center of terror and tragedy. King Zedekiah is under…

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:23).*

Paul's famous statement contains two flaws, yet it states beautifully the core of salvation—and therein lies both the…

The other day I became an uninvited witness to an engaging after-dinner conversation among several Christian friends. The debate began quite harmlessly by the remark of one who considered himself a born-again Christian:…

Why do we go to public worship? Some of us want to set a good example: How else could our children make church a vital part of their life? How else could we speak of the need for corporate togetherness in faith? Some because of tradition:…

"So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed. Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not…

Anyone who knew me as a boy could never have predicted that I would turn out to be a preacher. I had neither the manners nor the motivation for that kind of job. I grew up in the tough neighbor hood of a fishing village.…

Grace is God's unmerited favor to sinners. With that as a working definition, I once tried to give a Bible study to a Hindu friend on the Christian doctrine of salvation by grace. But I didn't get too far. My friend had too many questions…

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the sabbath day. And he stood up to read" (Luke 4:16).*

Luke 4:16 is a good Adventist text.…

When you read this you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that is, how the…

For the seventh time the surgeon's knife probed his vital arteries, leaving him weak, perplexed, and pondering. As a pastor I was invited to pray, to affirm the faith and the hope of a family that had experienced pain for more than 10 long…

When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great…

As a boy I was impressed by the enormity of my Anglican pastor: in size, in authority, and in status. He was the leader of the community. Politicians sought his advice. Educational leaders invited him to their functions. Businesspersons paid…

The convening of the 1993 Annual Council in Bangalore, India, coincided with the centennial celebration of Seventh-day Adventism in that country. Meeting in India for the first time invested the council with added…

Cobwebs on our cover is an artist's creation. But can they move from fiction to reality? They can, and that is one of the persistent dangers of religious experience. When time and tradition erode the primary meaning…

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age"…

Of my 37 years of service in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the past five years at Ministry were among the most rewarding. The excellent work atmosphere, understanding and appreciative colleagues, a genuine satisfaction of serving…

                                                     "Jesus wept" (John 11:35).*

The Master could control Him self no longer. Days before Lazarus died, Mary and Martha had sent Him the message that their brother was gravely…

Choosing leaders from local to General Conference levels is an exciting passion for many and a boring occasion for some. Those elected attribute the working of the nominating committee to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and those disappointed…

"And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her" (Mark 14:9).*

A banquet at Bethany. Simon was hosting the…

The emphasis on obedience to the Ten Commandments, particularly the fourth, often leads to the charge of legalism. The charge, of course, is false, but at the level of personal assurance and appreciation of salvation, the danger of being…

What's Wrong With the World?" thundered the headline of a carefully argued article in The Times of London years ago. Among the many responses published in the Letters column, one made it to history: "I am. Yours truly, G. K. Chesterton."…

Close to a million people lined up on the winding roads of Calcutta to catch a glimpse of Mother Teresa's body on the way to its final resting place. The journey was emotional to some, spiritual to others, disturbing to a few, and a wonder…

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever." That was my first reaction as I flipped through the glossy pages of this beautiful work of art, family, theology, love, joy, and hope. Each page has its attraction; each picture has a message; each chapter…

I accepted Jesus as my personal Saviour at the age of 8 or 9. The gospel had an overwhelming impact on me, and its power liberated me not only from what I considered great sins but also my fears and apprehensions. The forgiveness experience…

Comfort one another with these words," wrote the apostle Paul in what is perhaps the first of the New Testament writings (1 Thess. 4:18*).

Why comfort? What words?

The church at Thessalonica faced…

One plus one equals one? Impossible? Not so when it comes to human relationships infused with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 7 pictures thousands in one; a scene of ultimate togetherness: "There was…

When I first attended a General Conference session in 1966 in Detroit, Michigan, two large communication outbursts close to the venue caught my attention: the first one was a colorful billboard on a just released…

Seventh-day Adventist Statement of faith #26, The Millennium and the End of Sin. The millennium is the thousand-year reign of Christ with His saints in heaven between the first and second resurrections. During this time…