In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to rely on sermons, devotionals or online content for spiritual nourishment. While these resources are valuable, nothing can replace the personal experience of studying the Bible for yourself. In this Q&A with OUTLOOK magazine, Rob Alfalah, conference evangelist for the Iowa-Missouri Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, shares insights on why Bible study is essential, how it has impacted his life, and practical advice for deepening your understanding of God’s Word. Why is Bible study important for the average church member? Personal Bible study allows the Holy Spirit direct access to our hearts and minds. It strengthens our faith and deepens our relationship with God. While sermons and devotionals are helpful, they cannot replace personal study. It’s like eating food someone else has already chewed—we need to engage with God’s Word ourselves every day! How has Bible study impacted your life or someone you know? Bible study has strengthened my faith and helped me through difficult times. When I’ve fallen short, the Holy Spirit reminds me of Christ’s forgiveness (1 John 2:1). One example is when I shared Phil. 4:6-7 with a woman experiencing anxiety. Her family later told me how much it helped her. Another time, I reassured a struggling friend that in spite of his doubts, his decision to stay with Jesus showed his faith, bringing him peace. What advice would you give those wanting to start or deepen their study? Don’t rely solely on a pastor for spiritual growth—ask God for guidance and start studying for yourself. Be patient with the process. Read a passage thoroughly before turning to a commentary. If unsure where to start, books and church leaders can help. I’ve also conducted seminars to teach members how to study the Bible effectively. Are there methods to make Bible study more impactful? Yes! Here are four simple steps: Observation – Identify key details: Who is speaking? What is being said? Where is it happening? Why is it important? Interpretation – Let Scripture explain itself by comparing passages and clarifying difficult texts with easier ones. Application – Ask how the passage applies to your life today. Presentation – Share what you’ve learned through Bible studies, sermons or witnessing. Start with 20-30 minutes a week and let your study time grow naturally. How does participating in a Bible study group benefit individuals and the church? Group Bible study strengthens faith, builds community and teaches empathy. It deepens understanding and helps members reflect God’s love while sharing His message. What tips do you have for starting or leading a Bible study group? Start with prayer and ask God to guide you to the right people. Pray for friends, neighbors or coworkers who don’t know Jesus. Be open to God leading you in unexpected ways. I prayed for my childhood friends for 20 years, and in 2021, we started a Zoom Bible study that continues today. What are common challenges in studying the Bible, and how can they be overcome? Fear – Many hesitate to lead studies, fearing they lack knowledge. Start with what you know and grow from there. If you don’t know an answer, say, “Let’s study it together.” Time – Life gets busy, but if we audited our schedules, we’d see ways to prioritize Bible study. We tithe our income—why not tithe our time to God? What would you say to someone intimidated by Bible study or joining a group? Just do it—prayerfully—and trust God to guide you. 1 Cor. 1:26-31 reminds us that God calls those who feel weak to share His message. It’s not about our abilities but about His power working through us. His Word is meant to be shared, so let’s get it out there!

In 1943, Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie wanted Seventh-day Adventists working in his country. (See article about Della Frances Thompson Hanson.) Following his return to Ethiopia after the Italian occupation, Selassie restored Zauditu Memorial Hospital in Addis Ababa to operation by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but the Church was finding it difficult to staff the facility. The General Conference was willing to send doctors to the hospital. Dr. Merlin Gustav Anderson was willing to go to Ethiopia and work at the hospital. However, staffing overseas hospitals with American doctors in 1943 was not as simple as appointing and paying the travel expenses of a willing candidate. The Seventh-day Adventist Doctor’s Conundrum During World War II, all male physicians, dentists, and veterinarians in the United States were required to register with the Selective Service, just like any other man. However, doctors were not generally subject to being drafted. Instead, doctors were managed by the Federal Security Agency’s Office of Defense Health and Welfare Services, which attempted to balance the Armed Forces’ need for medical professionals with the civilian population’s need for the same medical expertise. Thus, an assignment from the Office of Defense Health and Welfare Services carried the authority of a draft notice. If a doctor was called up for service in the Armed Forces, he was expected to accept a commission as an officer. This is where the conundrum started. The enlisted soldier who was drafted through the Selective Service Act had legal protection regarding his conscientious objections. This allowed him to request exemptions from carrying weapons and non-essential work on Sabbaths. Waiting to be drafted was the official line of advice from the Seventh-day Adventist War Service Commission headed by Carlyle B. Haynes. He continually stressed the importance of not volunteering but rather waiting to be drafted in order to reserve once’s rights to conscientious objection. Adventist doctors could have followed this advice, but in doing so they would have lost the ability to practice medicine in the Armed Forces, and forfeited the higher wages to which doctors, as commissioned officers, entitled. Although unknown for certain, it is doubtful that any Seventh-day Adventist doctors were enlistees. Commissioned officers swore (or affirmed) an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States…without mental reservation…and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.” In time of war, this oath presented two challenges. First, doctors on the front lines were likely to find themselves in situations where they could be ordered to carry a gun. Second, if an Adventist doctor disagreed with his commanding officer about duties he was asked to complete on Sabbath, he could face legal charges and court martial. This happened in at least one case. Some Adventist physicians avoided the issue for a while by obtaining III-A classification (deferment due to hardship to family or children) under the Selective Service Act, claiming military service would present a hardship for their families. As time went by and the military’s need for medical personnel increased, the pressure mounted. If a physician was of the right age and physical condition to serve in the Armed Forces, he should take a commission, and he would be paid wages ample to care for his family. There was no real hardship. Some Adventist physicians found a successful workaround by writing in an addendum to their statements of oath similar to this one proposed by Haynes: I have a single reservation which it seems best to disclose now. I am a Seventh-day Adventist. I have no unwillingness to engage in my professional duties in ministering to the sick any day or any time human need requires. I would not, however, have my acceptance of a commission construed as meaning I am willing to compromise my religious convictions regarding merely routine, administrative, ordinary tasks on the seventh-day Sabbath. Numerous Adventist physicians served during World War II with honor and distinction. According to Haynes, “practically one-half the entire alumni of the College of Medical Evangelists [now Loma Linda University], 700 doctors” was serving in the United States Army in 1944, and most of the rest were providing essential civilian care.It is unknown how many modified their oaths or just accepted the oath in its original form. Very few seem to have run into real disagreement with superior officers. However, there was one more restriction on Adventist doctors’ personal freedoms during World War II. Even if a physician had completed his mandatory military service or had been found unfit for duty, he still could not leave the United States. The Office of Defense Health and Welfare Services, in collaboration with Selective Service and the Department of State, placed an embargo on passports for doctors. And in 1943, this is where Merlin Anderson found himself stuck. Missionary in Waiting According to his birth certificate, Merlin Gustav Anderson was born May 22, 1911, in Dusty, an unincorporated community near Colfax, Washington. However, his birthday is often recorded as May 24, 1911, on subsequent documents. His parents were John August Anderson and Ida Henrietta Getzlaff. John was a Swedish-born farmer; Ida was a Minnesota-born housewife, the daughter of German immigrants. Merlin was their only son and the fifth of six children. His sisters were Leona, Mildred, Lorene, Irene, and Bernice. The four older girls and Merlin attended an Adventist church school in Wilcox, Washington, another unincorporated community near Colfax. For such a small school, the Wilcox Church School had an unusually large number of students who became employees of the denomination. This may have been where Anderson’s goal of mission service began. At Walla Walla College, Merlin Anderson studied premed, then enrolled at the College of Medical Evangelists (CME) from which he graduated in June 1936. That same year, he married one of CME’s nursing graduates, Frances Eleanor Stafford (who went by Eleanor). For a man who desired to become a medical missionary, Eleanor was the perfect wife. Born in Shanghai, China, on December 7, 1912, she A Missionary in Waiting Dr. Merlin G. Anderson’s Quest for Mission Service in the Midst of World War II“>Read more…

She was buying bananas at the local Walmart when suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder. “Would you like to study the Bible with me?” a smiling Hispanic woman asked one of the female pastors in our conference. The smiling woman continued to say they were Sabbath believers, non-denominational and there were 70 of them worshipping at a home.Our church planter/pastor was excited to hear this news. And that is how I found  myself traveling the next Sabbath afternoon with her and another lay person to a home not far from my own.  The group was called World Mission Society Church of God. I noticed many cars in front of the house as we rang the doorbell, and the same friendly woman invited us in to a home filled with the smell of cooking. As we took off our shoes she found slippers for each of us and escorted us to a room where introductions were made. She then told us that Leah would study with us and immediately we were whisked away to a room where a small table was set up in front of a whiteboard. Class was now in session!  Leah, along with another member of her church, began with Gen. 2:7 where she taught that ‘dust and God’s breath’ were the two components that made up a human being. So far, so good! But things suddenly went south when she proceeded to tell us that since God’s breath came from God and that God was in heaven, that according to Prov. 8:30, (in the NIV) we were at God’s side during creation!  She also said that according to Job 38:21, God reminded Job that during creation, he was already born and had lived for so many years! This was her ‘proof’ that we were once with God as angels. I was shocked! She totally took these verses out of context and was beginning to build a whole false theology around these single texts.   After listening politely, I opened my phone to my Lifting up Jesus Bible lessons website and showed them the verses that teach how we sleep until the resurrection, and that our lives began with creation, not before. They were not open. They believed the ‘script’ that was taught them. After two hours we parted, agreeing to disagree.  So many people believe whatever they have been told because they do not know the Bible. What struck me is how effective this church is in bringing in new people, while we struggle in our Adventist churches. Another thought struck me: Would our own people, when confronted with false teaching, be able to defend their beliefs? Or do we just depend on our pastors?  Good questions, good answers So how do we study our Bibles in context? First, we need to find out what the authors’ original intended meaning was. This is called exegesis. We need to look at the culture and time in which the author lived, to carefully study the context of how the verse is used, and to look up words in question in the original language.    As you read a passage, pay close attention to different types of words. Is the subject singular or plural? Is the verb tense past, present or future? Is the sentence a command, statement of fact, or question? Is the statement part of a dialogue? If so, who is the speaker, and why did he or she make that comment? What is the tone of the passage? Are emotional words used? We can get into trouble if we do not carefully observe the text. For instance, take 1 Peter 2:9 where God’s people are called “peculiar” in the King James Bible. Where we might consider that as meaning “weird or unusual,” that word in Greek meant a “special people belonging to God.” What a difference! Fortunately, today we have many software tools on the internet. Or if  you like books, use a Strong’s Concordance.  Finally, it has been my experience through the years that false theology often has a lot of “self” built into it. True theology is about Jesus! It always has been and always will be. Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth will draw all men to myself.”  May our focus always be on Him! Karen Lewis is ministerial director for the Minnesota Conference and author of the Lifting Up Jesus Bible study guides. These recently updated lessons, including new illustrations, are available through AdventSource.  

Walking into any of our Minnesota Conference Adventist schools, you’ll immediately notice something special: a sense of family. Students of different ages work together, teachers know each student by name, and a warmth goes beyond typical classroom interactions. This nurturing environment isn’t just a happy accident—it’s the intentional result of our Christ-centered approach to education.  One of the distinctive features of our schools is our approach to discipline and character development. Rather than following the common “spare the rod, spoil the child” mentality emphasizing control and punishment, our teachers embrace redemptive discipline. This approach, grounded in the shepherd’s model from Psalm 23, focuses on guiding students with care and understanding. When challenges arise, our educators work to help students recognize their missteps and grow from them, fostering self-governance and internal transformation rather than merely enforcing rules.  The quality of our teachers sets our schools apart. Our educators don’t just bring their expertise to the classroom—they bring a calling. Each teacher is carefully chosen for their knowledge and capabilities, commitment to Adventist education, and ability to mentor young people in their spiritual journey. Our teachers regularly participate in professional development opportunities that blend the latest educational research with our distinctive Adventist philosophy of education. This dedication shows in their innovative teaching methods and ability to integrate faith and learning seamlessly across the curriculum.  Our schools have a low student-teacher ratio, so these committed educators can truly know each child’s unique needs and learning style. This personal attention allows for customized learning experiences that help students thrive academically while developing their God-given talents.  Our schools also benefit from strong connections with local pastors who regularly visit classrooms, mentor students, and provide spiritual guidance. This partnership between church and school creates a support system that naturally nurtures students’ faith journey throughout the week. Whether it’s through morning worship, prayer groups, or Bible study, students experience spiritual growth as a natural part of their educational journey.  The academic excellence in our schools is enhanced by our ability to adapt classroom instruction to recognize each student’s unique pace and potential. Teachers can challenge high-achieving students while providing extra support where needed, ensuring every child reaches their full potential.  Beyond academics, our schools emphasize practical life skills and service. Students participate in community outreach projects, learn about healthy living, and develop leadership skills through mixed-age group activities. These experiences prepare them not just for the next academic level, but for life.  Transforming characters through a holistic approach   Throughout our conference, we see countless examples of how this educational approach transforms young lives. Shy students discover their leadership potential through supportive classroom environments, often starting by helping younger children with reading or leading small group projects. We see students who once struggled academically gain confidence through patient, one-on-one instruction, eventually becoming peer tutors themselves. The close-knit atmosphere allows students to try new things without fear—whether it’s presenting at chapel or organizing a community service project. Most importantly, we watch as students develop a deeper understanding of their faith and how it applies to their daily lives, learning to make decisions based on biblical principles rather than peer pressure.  The integration of faith, learning and service truly sets our schools apart. Every subject—from science to social studies—is taught from a biblical perspective, helping students see God’s hand in all aspects of life. This holistic approach to education nurtures not just students’ minds but also their hearts and characters.  Whether you’re a parent seeking the best education for your child or a person feeling called to make a more profound impact with a career in teaching, I invite you to explore what Adventist education in Minnesota (and across the Mid-America Union) offers. Parents can contact one of our schools to see firsthand how our caring teachers, Christ-centered curriculum, and supportive community prepare students for success in this world and for eternity. For those considering a teaching career, we’re always seeking dedicated individuals who view teaching as more than a profession—but as a ministry to shape young lives for God’s kingdom.   After all, providing an education that transforms hearts and minds isn’t just our mission—it’s our calling.  James Davis is education superintendent for the Minnesota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.