Why are the Ten Commandments not included in the apostolic decree in Acts 15:20?

Essential Salvation

Why are the Ten Commandments not included in the apostolic decree in Acts 15:20?

Let’s carefully examine Acts 15 to understand the problem faced by the nascent Christian church, then pay close attention to the decree itself. The context of the passage is always the safest guide for interpreting it.

1. Understanding the Problem:

The problem is clearly expressed at the beginning of Acts 15. Some Christian Jews are telling Gentiles converts that “unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (verse 1). Circumcision was the ritual of entrance into the Jewish faith. It, so to speak, incorporated Gentiles into the redemptive history of God’s people reenacted during the Passover feast (Ex. 12:48, 49). It would appear then that the statement “unless you are circumcised . . . you cannot be saved” is not strictly legalism. It assumes that salvation comes through the Jews (cf. Rom. 9:4, 5), and that in order to experience salvation one has to become a Jew. In other words, a Gentile has first to become a Jew in order to benefit from the salvation Christ brought to all.

But there was more. Some Jewish believers expected Gentiles to be circumcised and “to keep the law of Moses” (Acts 15:5). It could be that, according to them, Gentiles would be keeping the law of Moses by being circumcised, but perhaps they had in mind something else. Peter seems to suggest that the problem included ritual laws of uncleanliness. Speaking of the Gentiles, he says that God “made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith” (verse 9). In other words, God did for Jews and Gentiles what the ritual laws could not do, i.e., He purified their hearts (cf. Acts 10:15; 11:9).

2. Understanding the Decree:

The decree establishes that circumcision would not be required from Gentile converts; that they would not have to become Jews in order to be saved. The statement made by Peter was assumed to be true: “We believe that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they” (Acts 15:11). Salvation reaches both groups the same way: through Jesus. The decree itself is based on Leviticus 17 and 18, and establishes that Gentile Christians are expected to do four things (Acts 15:29): First, “abstain from things offered to idols” (Lev. 17:3-9); second, “from blood” (verses 10-14); third, “from things strangled” (verses 15, 16); and fourth, “from sexual immorality” (Lev. 18:1-30).

We are dealing here with three closely related aspects of the Christian life: The first is basically a statement against idolatry and is a reaffirmation of the first commandment of the Decalogue. This suggests that the Ten Commandments were not being set aside. The next two are related to the health laws found in the Old Testament (Lev. 11). They forbid the consumption of blood by drinking it or by eating the flesh of animals whose blood was not drained out. These stipulations reaffirm the validity of the health laws found in the Bible by assuming that the flesh of the animals mentioned here is that of clean animals. The last one is about moral purity based on the seventh commandment; but it includes all kinds of sexual immorality. The decree promotes the spiritual, moral, and physical well-being of Gentiles believers, making it easier for them to relate to Jewish Christians.

3. Understanding the Law:

Based on our previous comments it could be stated that the decree not only assumes the validity of the moral law of God, but reaffirms its value in the lives of Gentile Christians. This is not new in Acts. According to Acts, many Gentiles attended synagogue during the Sabbath and kept the law, but they had not formally become Jews. These were called “God-fearers” (see Acts 17:4, 17). When many of them became Christians, they were already keeping the Sabbath. It may be that Acts 15:21 is pointing to the practice of Christians, both Jews and Gentiles, of attending the synagogue every Sabbath, where they were instructed about the moral and religious aspects of the law of God. Circumcision, as part of the ritual law, was not imposed on Gentiles. 

Before his retirement, Angel Manuel Rodríguez was director of the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference.

Amina wedges her broom into the corner and presses the closet door shut, glancing at her watch. Yes, plenty of time, she thinks to herself. The house is tidy—the children’s clothes hang neatly, and the kitchenware sparkles.

The Adventist Advantage

Findings From Adventist Health Study–2

By Leslie R. Martin

Amina wedges her broom into the corner and presses the closet door shut, glancing at her watch. Yes, plenty of time, she thinks to herself. The house is tidy—the children’s clothes hang neatly, and the kitchenware sparkles. The shopping is done, and Amina is pleased that the vegetables at the market were especially luscious and colorful today. She’s even had time to make the family’s favorite dish, which is cooling next to the sink. Just then her husband opens the front door, and his eyes light up.

Obi is grateful that Amina is able to leave work a little early on Fridays so she can prepare their home for the Sabbath. The children have just finished their baths, and he hurries to wash, looking forward to putting the week behind him. A few minutes later the family joins hands as they sing their favorite hymn, chosen long ago as their own tradition for welcoming the Sabbath. As the sun sinks below the horizon, their day of rest begins.

Seventh-day Adventists have many doctrines and behaviors that set believers apart from others, and for which we are well known. One is our belief in the second coming of Jesus—the Latin root adventus means “coming”—and another is our practice of baptism by full immersion. But two things that Adventists are perhaps best known for are keeping the seventh day as the holy Sabbath and the Adventist health message. Let’s examine each of these.

The Sabbath and Emotional Health

Sabbath is an important day to Adventists, and we look forward to it each week. But we may not be aware of just how important it is. Yes, we recognize its value for strengthening our relationship with God and for readying us for His kingdom. And we know we should keep it holy because that’s one of the commandments. But is keeping the Sabbath beneficial to our health and well-being here on earth? Are Obi, Amina, and their children better off in their pre-heaven lives because of honoring this special day?

The scientific literature is replete with studies suggesting the importance of a broadly defined religiousness to health, but less is known about whether the act of keeping a sacred Sabbath is important—and if it is, why. Recent findings from the Biopsychosocial Religion and Health Study (which is part of the Adventist Health Study–2) provide interesting insights about this particular aspect of religiousness and the ways it is relevant to our health.

For this research study1 more than 5,000 Adventists across North America answered questions about their Sabbath activities, and their responses were combined to create an index of Sabbathkeeping. Higher scores indicated greater avoidance of secular activities on Sabbath, while lower scores indicated a pattern of activities on Sabbath that was more similar to the rest of the week.

The first important finding to emerge was that although Sabbathkeeping was generally quite high across the group, those who held the Sabbath most sacred enjoyed better mental health than those whose secular activities were allowed to creep in.

This association existed for several reasons. First, Sabbathkeeping was associated with more religious coping—for example, during hard times religious coping might involve looking to God for guidance or strength. Sabbathkeeping also predicted greater perceived religious support—that is, those who were more protective of their Sabbath time were more likely to believe, for example, that if they were sick, their church family would help them out.

Sabbathkeeping was also associated with better diet and more exercise, although these pathways were not as strong as those for religious coping and support. In all, however, the evidence was clear: those who kept the Sabbath holy were more mentally healthy than those who treated the Sabbath more like a regular weekday.

The Sabbath and Physical Health

The link between Sabbathkeeping and physical health was not as strong as the link between Sabbathkeeping and mental health, even though each of the pathways listed above (religious support and coping, diet, and exercise) were still meaningful.

This might seem surprising at first, but a closer look reveals why. Although Sabbathkeeping was associated with religious support, better diet, and more exercise—and these were then associated with better outcomes, just as before—religious coping had a statistical “suppressing effect.” That is, Sabbathkeeping was associated with more religious coping, but the religious coping was associated with poorer physical health.

What? Religious coping is bad for your health? Not likely—a much more reasonable explanation is that people who had more health problems relied more heavily on religious coping than did those who were healthy. Of course, this is not a bad thing to do, as we are in great need of God’s strength when things are difficult! 

As Obi, Amina, and their family enjoy their Friday evening meal, their hearts are full. They are content and at peace, looking forward to fellowship at church the next morning. Although each of them experienced stresses during the week, these were easier to manage with God’s help. They know they can call on their fellow church members if they need assistance, and their associations with these friends encourage them to live a more healthful lifestyle than they would likely achieve on their own. The sacred time this family spends each Sabbath helps to reinforce good habits and coping mechanisms; indeed, their Sabbath is not only preparing them for the world to come, but helping them to live a better life in the world they inhabit now.

Diet and Emotional Health

Let’s turn our focus to that meal the family is sharing. In another project2 (also part of the Biopsychosocial Religion and Health Study) more than 9,000 Adventists answered questions about what they ate and also about their experiences of positive emotions, such as “alert” and “enthusiastic,” and negative emotions, such as “distressed” and “upset,” in the past year. People who ate more fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and nuts experienced more positive emotions (and fewer negative ones). But people who consumed more desserts/sweets, sodas, and “fast foods” (such as french fries and burgers) reported experiencing fewer positive emotions during the past year.

This study did not look at meat consumption in relation to physical health (although other findings from the Adventist Health Study demonstrate that eating less meat is related to a variety of better health outcomes). It did show, however, that women who ate more meat reported significantly more negative emotions; this trend was weaker and not statistically significant for men.

These findings are consistent with what Adventists believe about the importance of diet, although the typical Adventist health message focuses on physical rather than mental health. Obi and Amina’s family dinner this Friday night does, indeed, contain a lot of vegetables—Amina had been so pleased about the higher-than-usual quality of the fresh items that she had purchased at the market. She had also chosen fresh fruit as a special treat after the main meal. Fortunately for this family, “fast food” appears only rarely on the menu—partly because of their conscious choice to avoid it, and partly because they live in an area that does not have a lot of fast-food vendors.

Emerging Patterns

As we put the findings from these two studies together with the traditional teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, patterns emerge that are both instructive and motivational. The Sabbath and the health message are sound—consistent not only with what we feel in our hearts but with the evidence from cutting-edge scientific studies. And this health message can be used by each of us to make improvements in our lives, moving us toward wholeness.

This, then, is your challenge—to find things (even little things) that you can do to connect better with God on the Sabbath, and to make changes, big or small, to your diet to bring it into closer alignment with what we know will promote wellness.

A daunting challenge? In certain ways, yes. Sometimes we lack the wisdom to make the best choices, and even when we do know what is right, putting that knowledge into practice can be a struggle. But we are not alone in this. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established” (ESV).3 So make the commitment and accept the guidance God has promised. He will help you to establish a plan, and He will help you to achieve it. 

Tips on Sabbath keeping

Need some help planning activities for Sabbath? Here are a few suggestions:

Alone, with family, or with a group of friends, establish a monthly tradition of a “Sabbath Sunrise” service. It can be simple and include such things as singing together, sharing a text or two, and group prayer. This concept could also translate into small-group services at sunset on Friday or Sabbath.

Sabbath afternoon walks or hikes provide a wonderful opportunity to study from God’s “other book,” the natural world. Relax and enjoy with no agenda, or make it more challenging by keeping lists of the animals and plants you find.

Commit to a monthly Sabbath afternoon activity that benefits others—visiting church members who cannot make it to church services or doing something to help those in the larger community.

Keep a “Sabbath checklist” in your home and review it on Friday mornings. It should contain the things that are traditionally done or needed in your household in order to be ready for Sabbath. This list can help ensure that you don’t find it necessary to do everyday tasks on the Sabbath; instead, they will already be done because you will not have forgotten.

Unleash the creativity God has given you. Sit down on a Sabbath afternoon with some sheets of paper and things to write or draw with—and open your mind. Whether you meditate on a text or say a silent prayer, allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you, and then create what you feel. You may draw something beautiful or simply doodle. You may find a poem struggling to break free. When you are finished, share your creation with someone who might enjoy it. Or, if you prefer, put it away somewhere—you will still have had the joy of creating it.

Eating More Plants

Here are a few tips on fun and interesting ways to add more plant foods to your diet:

Plant a garden, if you have room. Even if you live in a small apartment, you can grow some herbs on a windowsill. The fresh flavors will make your dishes taste wonderful, and there is great satisfaction in eating something you’ve grown yourself.

If you already grow your own food, think about a sharing arrangement with neighbors and friends who also grow things. Try growing something new or different, and share it with them. Then ask them to do the same for you.

Slice some fruit and soak it in water for a few hours. The water will take on the taste of the fruit and will be especially refreshing (and you can still eat the fruit afterward).

Add an extra vegetable to any recipe you love (well, almost!); it adds extra nutrients, and often is not even noticeable.

If you eat meat regularly, try to set aside one or two days each week to go “meatless.” This is an easy way to reduce meat intake and can provide an enjoyable prompt 

for testing new recipes and food items.

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¹  D. J. Superville, K. I. Pargament, and J. W. Lee, “Sabbath Keeping and Its Relationships to Health and Well-being: A Mediational Analysis,” International Journal for the Psychology of Religion (2013).

² P. A. Ford, K. Jaceldo-Siegl, J. W. Lee, W. Youngberg, and S. Tonstad, “Intake of Mediterranean Foods Associated With Positive Affect and Low Negative Affect,” Journal of Psychosomatic Research 74 (2013): 142-148.

³  Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Leslie R. Martin, Ph.D., is professor of health and social behavior at the Loma Linda University School of Public Health in California, 

United States.

In 1898 William Spicer left his home and journeyed to India. For three years Spicer was the only ordained Seventh-day Adventist pastor in all of what would become the Southern Asia Division, a large territory with currently more than 1 billion people.

Mission in Motion

By Ricky Oliveras

In 1898 William Spicer left his home and journeyed to India. For three years Spicer was the only ordained Seventh-day Adventist pastor in all of what would become the Southern Asia Division, a large territory with currently more than 1 billion people.

Just like our modern-day missionaries, Spicer had to adapt to a whole new culture. He tasted new food, stumbled through foreign languages, and surrounded himself with an unfamiliar environment. Despite the challenges, Spicer did a lot to establish the Seventh-day Adventist Church in India.

Spicer founded the first Adventist periodical in India, published by the Oriental Watchman Publishing House. Today this publishing house produces thousands of books and magazines every day. Workers monitor presses, knowing that when the process is complete, they will have materials containing a valuable message.

Jagdish Namey has worked at the Oriental Publishing House for years. Long ago he lost some of his fingers in an accident. Although working without fingers can be difficult, Namey doesn’t let that stop him. He knows the impact these books have on those who read them. All the employees have a passion for their job, and a passion for sharing the good news of Jesus.

Spicer continued to work throughout India as a church leader. He went on to become General Conference secretary and eventually president. He left his mark throughout Southern Asia.

Quality Education

Education is an important aspect of the Seventh-day Adventist presence in India. Adventist education often plants a seed in the children who attend its schools. Many students who attend these schools are not from Christian homes. They hear Bible stories for the first time and want to learn more. Students of all ages are inspired by the stories of Bible characters, and how God worked in their lives.

Most Adventist schools in India operate at capacity because of their good reputation. They hold a high standard of learning. Both Adventist parents and parents from the community are happy to send their children to these schools, which range from primary school all the way through college.

Spicer Memorial College was established almost 100 years ago. Named after William Spicer, it is a well-respected institution in India. Through the years the college has gone through a series of progressions to make it what it is today.

The beautiful campus offers students a quality learning environment. A prominent church building features services and programs every week. Students come from all over the world to attend Spicer College.

Many of these students go on to be pastors, teachers, or principals, or find jobs in a variety of other fields throughout Southern Asia.

A Billion Challenges

The Southern Asia Division is made up of only four countries: Bhutan, India, the Maldives, and Nepal. More than 90 percent of the population is either Hindu or Muslim. This is one of the fastest-growing regions in the world. City streets are clogged with traffic and crowds that seem at times to be overwhelming. Although there are only four countries in this division, it boasts a population of 1.2 billion people.

Of the 1.2 billion, there are about 1.6 million Seventh-day Adventists. That means that about one of every 750 people you meet might be Adventist.

This region of the world is home to some fascinating places. In earlier days the British, when colonizing India, would, after sailing across the ocean to reach southern Asia, often arrive in Mumbai (Bombay). The first structure visitors arriving by boat would see is the Gateway of India. This structure stands 85 feet tall on the edge of the Arabian Sea as a monument to British royalty.

Many visitors to India stop to see the Taj Mahal. This world heritage site attracts millions of tourists each year. If you can make it through the crowds, you can walk right into the buildings and learn the history behind these structures. “The Taj” is made out of white marble. It was built by a Mughal emperor in memory of his third wife.

Despite the amazing things to see in India, it is still a difficult place for the Adventist Church to reach. Many people have never opened a Bible, or even heard the name of Jesus.

Person to Person

One way the Seventh-day Adventist Church is spreading the gospel to the people of Southern Asia is through its Global Mission initiative. Global Mission is focused on starting new Adventist congregations in some of the most challenging places on earth.

Global Mission pioneers are on the front lines of this work. They plant churches among groups who have never heard the gospel. Many people have come to know Jesus because of the work of our Global Mission pioneers.

Pothiram is one of many Global Mission pioneers working throughout India. Pothiram was not always working for God. He used to drink heavily. He would do terrible things and did not care for his family.

One day a neighbor saw Pothiram’s wife, Jeshoda, crying in front of their house. The neighbor invited Jeshoda to her home, where she prayed with the family. Jeshoda went week after week to pray and study with the Christian family.

The family eventually gave Jeshoda a Bible of her own. But there was only one problem: she couldn’t read. The only solution was to bring the Bible home and have her husband read it to her. At first Pothiram resisted, but he eventually agreed. The more he read from the Bible, the better he felt. His heart was being changed.

Jeshoda invited her husband to join her next Bible study. The more he studied, the more he felt convicted to change his life. He gave up alcohol and made his family a priority. Although he still faced temptations, Pothiram was convinced that God’s way is the right way. He and his family were baptized.

Pothiram wanted to do more to serve God, so he became a Global Mission pioneer. Now Pothiram and Jeshoda go together into the community to share the gospel. They can’t imagine doing anything else with their lives. Their life is filled with joy, and they have a happy marriage. The family reads their Bible and prays together because it is important to them.

We can support Global Mission pioneers through our prayers and other resources. People in the Southern Asia Division are busy spreading the gospel in many ways. They face some of the hardest mission challenges in this world today, but it doesn’t stop them from doing the work that God has called each of us to do.

Please pray for the work in Southern Asia. Pray that they can reach millions of people with the gospel. n

To learn more about Global Mission and Global Mission Pioneers, visit 

GlobalMission.org.

Ricky Oliveras is a video producer for the Office of Adventist Mission.  .

We are living in the time of the end. Many people around the world are realizing that things are changing rapidly and that the future is uncertain. As we prepare for the soon coming of Jesus,

God’s Mighty Right Arm

Saving Body and Soul

By Ted N. C. Wilson

We are living in the time of the end. Many people around the world are realizing that things are changing rapidly and that the future is uncertain. As we prepare for the soon coming of Jesus, it is more important than ever that we refocus on our unique, heaven-born mandate of medical missionary work, or as we are now calling it: “comprehensive health ministry”—utilizing the health message in every way possible to bring people to the cross of the Master Physician.
Health reform and comprehensive health ministry are not the gospel—the gospel is the message of a Savior who lived a perfect life, died and rose for us, intercedes for us in the Most Holy Place of the real heavenly sanctuary, and will soon return to take us home to be with Him. We are saved by His grace and righteousness, as the sanctuary service portrays in all its aspects.

Beautiful Balance
We are told, however, that comprehensive health ministry, or medical missionary work, is the right arm of the gospel—God’s mighty right arm. The right arm symbolizes active involvement and power. It is direct and involved. The right arm of the body (or, for left-handed people, the left arm) is so important to the accomplishments of the entire body, and it illustrates well how important comprehensive health ministry is for the Seventh-day Adventist Church today in its outreach to the world!
The beautiful balance between the gospel work and health ministry is articulated by Ellen White: “The medical missionary work must be as closely connected with the work of the gospel ministry as the hand and arm are connected with the body. You need the gospel ministry to give prominence and stability to the medical missionary work; and the ministry needs the medical missionary work to demonstrate the practical working of the gospel. The Lord would have His work carried forward symmetrically and harmoniously. His message must be carried to all parts of the world.”1

Our Faithfulness Based on His Faithfulness
The Lord’s expectation of our future faithfulness to Him is always based on His past faithfulness to us. In Exodus 20:2, when giving His law at Mount Sinai, the Lord personally admonished His chosen people to remember that “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”
Today, as it was for ancient Israel, God expects our faithfulness to be built on confidence in His past leading and teaching, especially when it comes to arming ourselves with the great opportunities of comprehensive health ministry.
How can we learn from the past to let God lead, to trust in Him and His prophets, and to expand the influence of our church’s health ministries in helping people practically as the three angels’ messages are proclaimed?
Let’s remember how God led the children of Israel out of Egypt.

The Experience of Israel
Exodus 14 and 15 record the amazing events surrounding the Red Sea deliverance from Pharaoh and the Egyptian army. God’s people were jubilant. In Exodus 14:31 we read, “Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses” (KJV).
Analyzing this verse, we notice that: (1) a great work was visually confirmed; (2) the Lord did this work; (3) the Israelites respected and believed the Lord (an important component in this sequence, which is critical for us in God’s church today); and (4) they believed His servant Moses.
The Israelites had trust in God’s prophet—another important component for us as God’s church today.
After the wonderful Red Sea experience everyone was excited, until they came to a big challenge—the desert, where there was no water. They went three days without finding water. Finally they came to Marah, but the water there was bitter.
Three days earlier they had seen God’s awesome power with water in the Red Sea, and they believed in God and His prophet. In just three days, however, they moved from triumph to despair. They didn’t believe in God, or in Moses, or in the protective cloud that led them there and protected them at night as a pillar of fire.
That cloud and pillar of fire is similar to comprehensive health ministry in its overall blessing in that it leads us to the ultimate objective and goal: to understand the gospel message and have a close relationship with our Redeemer.

Highs and Lows
Sometimes we as Seventh-day Adventists seem to parallel the Israelites’ experiences of forgetting and hesitation. Israel had constant highs of triumph and then lows of complaining; aren’t we tempted that way ourselves? Let’s remember that God has called us to be part of a mighty Advent movement with comprehensive health ministry as an integral part of the proclamation of the gospel message to the world—and a vital part, according to the Spirit of Prophecy, of the final loud cry.  
In Exodus 15:24 the people murmured against the prophet and asked, “What shall we drink?” You would think coming from the Red Sea triumph they would have just said, “Let’s see what God will provide.”
Then Moses cried to the Lord. Whenever we face a challenge or problem, let’s follow Moses’ example and cry to the Lord. It is only in God that we have any power. Verse 25 indicates that “the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet” (KJV). The message here is clear: when you are asked by the Lord to point people to a better way of life and you run into problems, cry to the Lord and He will show you the solution. He will show you His power.
This truth is underscored by verse 26, one of the most powerful health-related verses in the Bible. The Lord proclaims through Moses, “If thou wilt diligently harken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee” (KJV).
What a powerful text to claim! In your interaction with others, in your health promotion, in your witness, in your preaching, claim the heavenly power of this verse.

A Great Opportunity
Today, all around us, people are asking what they should eat and what they ought to drink and how they should live. It is the greatest opportunity as we go from one international crisis to the next for Seventh-day Adventists to say with Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 and 10:31: “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (KJV).
Combine that with the powerful instruction given through the apostle John in 3 John 2—“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (KJV)—and you have the formula for Seventh-day Adventists to launch a mighty movement that will help society in unprecedented ways to find complete health—physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.

Part of the Three Angels’ Messages
You and I can proclaim the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14:6-12 through the power of the Holy Spirit. The health message and work of Seventh-day Adventists are intimately bound up in the three angels’ messages. God has a plan for people, and it involves every aspect of their lives, beginning with health—so that God’s mighty right arm can help them further understand Christ’s special ministry to them mentally, socially, and most of all, spiritually.
Let’s reflect on the Spirit of Prophecy counsel found in Testimonies for the Church: “As we near the close of time we must rise higher and still higher upon the question of health reform and Christian temperance, presenting it in a more positive and decided manner. We must strive continually to educate the people, not only by our words, but by our practice.”2
Like Moses, let’s cry to the Lord to use us in these last days of earth’s history as society crumbles, as moral belief disappears, and the social fabric disintegrates. By God’s grace, let’s be part of a new revival and reformation of what healthy lifestyle and health reform and comprehensive health ministry is all about. God is eager that this life-giving message be heard all around the world. n

1 Letter 135, 1899.
2 Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1948), vol. 6, p. 112.

Ted N. C. Wilson is president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.