We are so tired! We have not been awake past 10 any day - most days before that and we are up around 6. So we have to be up and ready in the morning to travel about 1 1/2 to the church where Michael will preach. For those of you who are reading today, (your Saturday), please pray for Michael as you head to bed tonight or as you sit down to watch t.v. because he'll probably be preaching around that time. We have a much busier schedule now that we have had a couple days to get over the jet lag. Monday Michael will talk to pastors in the afternoon. Tuesday and Thursday we will go to different children's homes. We have busy days ahead, but we are looking forward to spending the next week with the students, pastors, children, and others we will meet! Pray also that God would continue to work in our hearts and do what he wants in us just as he is working in the lives of those we encounter.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Jesus plus nothing really does equal everything
Today we went to the point of three seas - the Indian Ocean, the Sea of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. We went out on a ferry to this place where you can see all three waters come together. We also went to where Ghandi's ashes were and Ghandi stood at some point. We also saw some shrines/temples and just saw a lot of the country. So we traveled from Trivandrum to the very south tip of India. I don't think neither Michael or I thought we would be gone all day, but we were. We left our hotel at 9 and just got back a little bit ago. So we've had a full day. We were super blessed to have our driver chauffeuring us around and we are extremely thankful for Augustin who was our personal tour guide and the one we could ask all our ignorant American questions to. Nevertheless he was always eager and kind to answer with a smile.
We could say two things about our day - one positive and one negative. It was very sad to see all the lostness - based on Hindu practices they obviously know there is something higher than them and they given the sacrifices and offerings they provide, they must believe that they are not good enough on their own account to come before that higher power. Problem - they believe in many many (Augustine told us today it was like 133,000,000 gods/goddesses). So that part is very sad and burdensome. But, hearing what God is doing and how the gospel is spreading is crazy! In our car rides today, we would ask Augustin questions or he would either volunteer information about religions, culture, or how the gospel is spreading in India. Many times as he was speaking tears filled my eyes because everything he shared was a testament to God's goodness and faithfulness to carry out his gospel. He is taking care of the believers in India. He is providing for their needs and blessing their ministries - as they would say - not because of anything they have done but because of God's grace. They know that the only way they can accomplish the will of the Father is to pray. Michael and I are humbled to hear the professors and students tell us their testimonies and desires to use their lives to further the Gospel. And they make it clear that every single aspect both in their pasts and their futures is all dependent and has been a result of God's grace.
I am so thankful for this opportunity. We still have a full week, but I'm already trying to figure out how we can come back, what we can do to support the work of the Lord here in India, and how in the world I'm going to go back to my normal life in America. By God's grace, I will not go back to my normal life in America and fall back into complacency and a life of comfort. I want these two weeks of seeing the students' passion for the gospel and their desire to see the great commission fulfilled at all costs to change the way I live from this point further. I pray that our church can see truly from the testimonies that we bring back and see that the Gospel really is worth it all. Jesus plus nothing really does equal everything! - jana
Greetings from Trivandrum, India.
Greetings from Trivandrum, India. The Lord has been so kind and we are honored to be serving here. We have been so encouraged by the believers here, and I’ll try to pass along that encouragement to you.
I have the privilege of teaching Biblical Interpretation to seventeen eager students, from basically 9 AM to 4 PM, with breaks for chapel and lunch. I have been pleasantly surprised with their grasp of English—it is very good!—and if not for this Southerner’s accent the communication would be pretty smooth. The college is clearly preparing them well, and their knowledge of Scripture and Christian doctrine is very sound, which makes teaching both easy and joyful. Above all, their pure faith and sincere love for Christ have been refreshing; I am so grateful for the transforming, trans-ethnic gospel of Jesus Christ! Can you imagine a group of students who, with all genuineness, asks to take time to sing praises to the Lord in the middle of class? This is the group I am honored to teach. (Or should I say, be taught by?)
Yesterday afternoon I asked if they could each share a word about how they came to faith in Christ. I wish you could have been there to hear them share, because it was a soul-stirring time. Many come from regions of India, or other countries, where it is dangerous to profess faith in Christ. Everyone faces the challenge of living where their faith is in the extreme minority—less than 4% Christian in most cases, versus 86% Hindu or another religion. But their love for Christ and desire to proclaim the gospel are unmatched.
One student quoted 2 Tim 4:4–5 and said that he was once like those mentioned there, who didn’t rejected the truth of God and wandered after myths. His family was Hindu. But, he said, God delivered him. And now his desire is reflected by verse 5: be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Another student shared a family struggle. His mother insisted he go find a job instead of attending a Christian college. But he began seeking the Lord and reading the book of Matthew, and when he came upon Matt 6:33, he felt he had his answer: seek first the kingdom of God.
Another student (as is true of many here) had experienced several harrowing accidents. He had fallen off the roof of his house, and nearly died. He had fallen off one of the packed buses of people that are so common here, and again nearly died. And yet now he is here, in my class. He is broken over the lost among his people. And he plead, “Please pray for me. I want to proclaim the gospel. But I do not know when I will die.” His great fear is not death, but not having the ability to share the gospel with his countrymen.
There is more to share, but time and words fail. Today will we travel to a point on the Southern tip where we will see three oceans (Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, and the Arabian Sea, I think) come together. We look forward to a little sight-seeing as we continue to get to know this culture. Thank you for your prayers, and for sending us. -michael
Monday, July 29, 2013
People from every tongue...
We are awaiting our flight at JFK to take us to Dubai and then on to India. We are excited, but more than that, we are already exhausted. We have extremely long days of travel and with our venture out into the city, we are ready to be on the plane and snoozing!
While we were waiting in the security line, the Lord started opening my eyes to the people who were around us. And then he even brought to mind the various people we had encountered in NYC. He reminded me of words that I spoke to Michael earlier in the day when we were at the Top of the Rock viewing the city. Michael wanted someone to take our picture and I finally said to him in frustration that there was nobody around that could even understand what we were asking. You see, we were consistently the minority everywhere we went today after leaving Charlotte. Do I think that is wrong? Absolutely not! And that's not the point of this post. I often hear people at home speak ill of those that utter a language that they do not understand. But there is actually a gospel problem with that. For as I waited in line in security and was marveled at the various languages I heard all at once, the Lord in his kindness reminded me that one day, people from every tribe, tongue, and nation will be before the throne of Holy God - worshipping the One who is worthy of all praise, worship, and adoration. Praise God that he has revealed himself both in creation and in his son Christ and I trust that he is orchestrating all things so that people from every tribe, tongue and nation will in fact be seated around the throne.
For from him and through him and to him are all things (including people)! To him be glory forever. Amen.
While we were waiting in the security line, the Lord started opening my eyes to the people who were around us. And then he even brought to mind the various people we had encountered in NYC. He reminded me of words that I spoke to Michael earlier in the day when we were at the Top of the Rock viewing the city. Michael wanted someone to take our picture and I finally said to him in frustration that there was nobody around that could even understand what we were asking. You see, we were consistently the minority everywhere we went today after leaving Charlotte. Do I think that is wrong? Absolutely not! And that's not the point of this post. I often hear people at home speak ill of those that utter a language that they do not understand. But there is actually a gospel problem with that. For as I waited in line in security and was marveled at the various languages I heard all at once, the Lord in his kindness reminded me that one day, people from every tribe, tongue, and nation will be before the throne of Holy God - worshipping the One who is worthy of all praise, worship, and adoration. Praise God that he has revealed himself both in creation and in his son Christ and I trust that he is orchestrating all things so that people from every tribe, tongue and nation will in fact be seated around the throne.
For from him and through him and to him are all things (including people)! To him be glory forever. Amen.
Off to India - Guest post from Michael
As many of you are reading this Jana and I (Michael) will be on our way to serve at the Logos School of Theology in Trivandrum, India. In this quick post, we want to express our thanks to you and our Lord, and then share how you can pray for us more specifically.
We have been humbled and honored over and over again by the way many have supported our trip, and supremely, by the way the Lord has provided for us. To be completely honest, we weren’t sure how we would pay for this trip when we committed to go. But we clearly sensed the Lord leading us to go and serve, and confident that where the Lord leads he provides, we began making plans, purchasing airlines tickets, applying for Indian visas, etc. We’re delighted to share that the Lord has abundantly provided. The trip has gradually grown more expensive than we first estimated—we learned in the last two weeks that we’d need to provide the textbooks for the classes we’re teaching, a cost of over $200!—and yet the Lord continued to provide. The entire $5300 cost of the trip for both of us has been covered with a slight abundance we hope to bless our hosts with. The Lord is good. And the Lord’s goodness has been shown to us through many of you. Many have given generously and sacrificially that we might go and serve. We are deeply thankful.
As you may know, Jana and I will teach Indian pastors at the Logos School of Theology. I’ll be teaching Biblical Interpretation and Jana will teach English. In addition, I’ll be preaching daily in chapel as well as for a gathering of pastors outside the school. We desperately need your prayers because, with a heavy teaching load in a cross-cultural setting, we expect to be mentally and spiritually drained.
We would especially appreciate your prayers along the following lines:
1. Mental fortitude and energy to pour Christ into those we meet.
2. A sensitivity to and quick grasp of the culture we’re engaging.
3. Humility as we teach and serve.
4. Protection from spiritual warfare (health, attitude, energy).
5. Impact on those we serve, and lasting impact in our own lives and marriage.
As you have given and as you pray, you are truly partners with us as we seek to equip Indian pastors to reach the untold hundreds of millions of Indians who do not know Christ. Thank you for your love, support, and prayers.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
"for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard"
Strange title, I know.
In Sunday School, our student ministry has been going through 1 Peter and now we are currently in 2 Peter. 1 Peter was an incredible book for me to study and to see how the Gospel intertwined throughout the apostle's writing is distinct evidence of how dramatically the Gospel - that Jesus, who is the son of God, came and lived a perfect, sinless life, was crucified for the sins of the world, was buried, and was resurrected and is seated at the right hand of the Father - had truly changed this unbeliever's heart. Hallelujah!
2 Peter is different than 1 Peter. Peter wastes no time addressing his audience because he knows that he will be "putting of (his) body soon." He immediately addresses the problem of false teachers and is faithful to remain on that topic throughout this letter. His agenda is not to primarily warn them of these false teachers, but to encourage them to remain faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ to which he was an eyewitness and much more, we have the prophetic word which was true to it's proclamation of Christ.
As we get into chapter 2, Peter's main point is to make sure his readers know that God will judge the unrighteous now and in the future. God is not idle or allowing the ungodly to roam freely. Because of the judgement via the angels, the flood, and in Sodom and Gomorrah, we know that he will judge justly the unrighteous. Not only will God judge the unrighteous, but he will also deliver the righteous as Peter so rightly reminds them of Noah and his family and Lot.
It is with Lot, though, that God got my attention. In 2:7-8, God speaks and Peter writes, "and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)".
It was in that phrase and as I was reading through Dr. Moo's commentary on 2 Peter and Jude, that I was greatly convicted of sin in my life. Dr. Moo included a quote by Cardinal Newman, the 19th century Roman Catholic theologian, that states, "Our great security against sin lies in being shocked at it." When is the last time I have been shocked by sin? Since when have things contrary to God's word been acceptable to me? Why have I become so numb to the sin around me - please hear me, not only around me, but even in my own life. Dr. Moo suggests two reasons why we, as Christians, do not feel the same torment and distress that Lot felt. 1) We care too little about the holy standards of God 2) We care too little about this world we live in (both points taken from The NIV Application Commentary: 2 Peter, Jude) In Romans 12:2, Paul writes that we must not be "conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind." When we become followers of Christ, not only are we now clothed in Christ's righteousness instead of our "filthy rags", but we also, as we grow and mature in our faith, should be transformed in our minds. Our minds should reflect that of Christ. Sin that once looked good, sounded good, enticed us, should now repulse us. However, far too often, need I say especially in American Christians today, we often adopt this idea that once we are saved, we are good and we can just make it until the end when we get our reward. Dear Christian, we have manipulated and minimized the work of Christ on the cross. The cross is not about your reward, but about making much of Christ and his finished work of salvation for us on the cross. Unfortunately we have neglected the renewal of the mind. As Peter writes in 1 Peter, we are to be holy for God is holy. Moo states, "as we internalize God's standards and values that our horror at the rampant disregard of those values grow." In a final statement he concludes, "We are not shocked at sin because we do not sufficiently share God's own horror at it."
Those last words are what cut straight through the middle of my sinful, prideful, wicked heart. I should loathe the sin in my life. I should do everything I can to destroy, kill, mortify the sin in my life. I must first look inwardly at the enormous amount of sin in my life and hate it as God hates it before I can begin to look at the world around me. However as I learn and strive to hate the sin in my life as God hates it, I will then begin to look around me and see sin the way I should.
In Sunday School, our student ministry has been going through 1 Peter and now we are currently in 2 Peter. 1 Peter was an incredible book for me to study and to see how the Gospel intertwined throughout the apostle's writing is distinct evidence of how dramatically the Gospel - that Jesus, who is the son of God, came and lived a perfect, sinless life, was crucified for the sins of the world, was buried, and was resurrected and is seated at the right hand of the Father - had truly changed this unbeliever's heart. Hallelujah!
2 Peter is different than 1 Peter. Peter wastes no time addressing his audience because he knows that he will be "putting of (his) body soon." He immediately addresses the problem of false teachers and is faithful to remain on that topic throughout this letter. His agenda is not to primarily warn them of these false teachers, but to encourage them to remain faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ to which he was an eyewitness and much more, we have the prophetic word which was true to it's proclamation of Christ.
As we get into chapter 2, Peter's main point is to make sure his readers know that God will judge the unrighteous now and in the future. God is not idle or allowing the ungodly to roam freely. Because of the judgement via the angels, the flood, and in Sodom and Gomorrah, we know that he will judge justly the unrighteous. Not only will God judge the unrighteous, but he will also deliver the righteous as Peter so rightly reminds them of Noah and his family and Lot.
It is with Lot, though, that God got my attention. In 2:7-8, God speaks and Peter writes, "and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)".
It was in that phrase and as I was reading through Dr. Moo's commentary on 2 Peter and Jude, that I was greatly convicted of sin in my life. Dr. Moo included a quote by Cardinal Newman, the 19th century Roman Catholic theologian, that states, "Our great security against sin lies in being shocked at it." When is the last time I have been shocked by sin? Since when have things contrary to God's word been acceptable to me? Why have I become so numb to the sin around me - please hear me, not only around me, but even in my own life. Dr. Moo suggests two reasons why we, as Christians, do not feel the same torment and distress that Lot felt. 1) We care too little about the holy standards of God 2) We care too little about this world we live in (both points taken from The NIV Application Commentary: 2 Peter, Jude) In Romans 12:2, Paul writes that we must not be "conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind." When we become followers of Christ, not only are we now clothed in Christ's righteousness instead of our "filthy rags", but we also, as we grow and mature in our faith, should be transformed in our minds. Our minds should reflect that of Christ. Sin that once looked good, sounded good, enticed us, should now repulse us. However, far too often, need I say especially in American Christians today, we often adopt this idea that once we are saved, we are good and we can just make it until the end when we get our reward. Dear Christian, we have manipulated and minimized the work of Christ on the cross. The cross is not about your reward, but about making much of Christ and his finished work of salvation for us on the cross. Unfortunately we have neglected the renewal of the mind. As Peter writes in 1 Peter, we are to be holy for God is holy. Moo states, "as we internalize God's standards and values that our horror at the rampant disregard of those values grow." In a final statement he concludes, "We are not shocked at sin because we do not sufficiently share God's own horror at it."
Those last words are what cut straight through the middle of my sinful, prideful, wicked heart. I should loathe the sin in my life. I should do everything I can to destroy, kill, mortify the sin in my life. I must first look inwardly at the enormous amount of sin in my life and hate it as God hates it before I can begin to look at the world around me. However as I learn and strive to hate the sin in my life as God hates it, I will then begin to look around me and see sin the way I should.
His 2nd point that we "care too little about this world we life in" is very sadly true. That very statement is the reason I thought it was very God-ordained that I would find the prayer/thoughts I had for my students. When I look around at them and see the sin that they have entagled in their lives it burdenes me and it should. Believers should be "tormented" and "distressed" at not only sin in their own lives but also at the sin around them in the world. If I dare say, get our focus off ourselves and look around at the hurting world we live in, we (epspecially including myself) would be more intentional about sharing the saving knowldge of Jesus Christ.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
A Reason to Pray...my students
I just stumbled across this from March 17th. I remember writing this to blog when I didn't have access to the internet. Thankful the Lord reminded me of this tonight as I was getting ready to blog.
My students point me to the Lord to pray. Funny thing most would say, but it is true. Though most of my students do not know the Lord, they still point me to him. "Why," you ask? For it is in the moment that I look around and see all the lostness I am surrounded by that I realize I am so weak and cannot save all these students, my kids, that are perishing. The weight of seeing my students experience the hurt, loneliness, suffering, etc. of sin is almost unbearable at times. I come home and tell Michael that I'm not sure how much more I can bear. I want them to know the liberty that is found in Christ. I want to share freely with my students so that at least I know they have hear the Gospel once. My heart breaks for them. I understand why Paul shockingly says he would give up his salvation so that all his people may be saved. If I knew giving up my salvation would save all the students, people, etc. that I come into contact with, wouldn't that be the least I could do? I mean, all those people to know and have intimate fellowship with the Father through the Son - the one through whom all things are made, the one through whom all things are sustained, and the whom to whom all things were made. If they knew this God - the one true God - wouldn't they believe? Wouldn't they taste and truly see that the Lord is good? This is the One who holds the answers. This is the One from whom we have hope. This is the One from whom we find rest and peace. This is the One who offers true, living water that will nourish the soul eternally. Oh, that they may know.
Oh yes, Lord, that they may know and be saved.
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