Darkness Passing
The sun has set here in Red China, but today has been a day of "darkness passing." Since my arrival Wednesday I have seen over
350 University students. Hitting the ground running is an understatement! In a country with over a billion people - most lost to an ideology that denies the existence of God, "running with the horses" is what it takes.
The three classes have been lively. It is interesting to see what kind of questions are generated by the Spirit of God calling out to those who know His voice. My friend has marveled at what comes from these reserved and shy students. She prepared them in advance with certain vocabulary (non-profits, orphanage, orphans, humanitarian, disabled) that isn't typically found in conversations and curriculum. I still use words they don't understand and I have to make adjustments, but there is obviously an internal/eternal interpreter at work in their hearts.
As I prepared for the day, I was thankful to read the subject of Oswald Chamber's devotion:
The Key to the Missionary Message
"Paul did not say, "Woe unto me if I do not preach what Christ has done for me," but - "Woe is unto me if I preach not the Gospel." This is the Gospel- "The Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!"
I knew there was a specific reason I needed to meditate on the message. Evangelism methods many times focus on "personal testimony." It is said "no one can argue what God has done for you personally." That is entirely accurate and true. The relative freedom (in a society closed to the Gospel) to make "personal" statements such as "this is what God has done for me and how He changed my life," has probably kept the government happy to grant me a visa year after year. Who is going to argue with a clown?
But a billion people need to know He died for THEM! When class was over this afternoon, one girl approached with her notebook and said, "Would you please write the most important sentence you know; one that has made the most impact?"
Thank you Oswald. "For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Tonight, at the end of another long day far away from home, I know there is a young girl probably studying in one of her many books, writing homework she must complete by tomorrow, and perhaps pondering things she might have heard for the first time. I know my God is watching over His Word, to see that it does not return to Him void. It is like a tiny seed, waiting to be watered, waiting to sprout, waiting for sunshine.
Faithfully farming with a smile on my face!
"...not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:2
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