God continues to bless our journey and our mission. Our brothers and sisters in Christ here have shown us tremendous hospitality. The food has been delicious. Although I had a funny experience at lunch today. I was served what looked like a bowl of soup, and told it was dessert. I began with the “broth” and it was very good…kind of like sweet, syrupy, fruit juice. Then I began to explore the chunks. What is this, I asked? They said something I couldn’t quite pronounce. I went ahead and ate it…and it tasted kind of like a grape. On to an eyeball looking thing, “What is this?” I asked. “Lotus seed,” I was told. I proceeded to eat it, and again it was good, kind of like a cross between a baked bean and a water chestnut. Now things got scarier. I scooped out some spiky stuff and was told it was seaweed. Now, I do not like seaweed. Never have. But…I ate, and thankfully it was tasteless. Finally, I pulled up dark chunks from the bottom of the bowl. “What is this?”…pause. “We don’t know,” they said. Are you kidding me? You don’t even know what this is? Well…I ate it anyway and I lived to tell about it.
Our conference in Singapore began today. Ben and Cori Freudenberg have been leading the church leaders through a plan to create family ministry in the church. Tonight, the community is invited and I have the true honor of preaching two messages, “God’s Grand Vision for the Home” and “The Essential Role of the Family for World Evangelization.” If you have not heard these messages, please visit the download page on the website and listen.
Tomorrow, Kirk Weaver and Mike Heinz will continue the conference in training parents to take the lead in passing faith to their kids.
The church here in Singapore has wonderful opportunities before it, but major obstacles as well. I was told that Singaporian culture is about the five Cs. The five Cs are what everyone pursues. Cash. Condo. Credit. Car. Club. (Club, as in be a part of a fancy club, ie golf, exercise, etc). Satan attacks people in the same ways all over the world. This is one of the most important things to remember in doing international ministry. People are people. Souls are souls. And in the Bible, God has given His truth for all people, in all places, in all times.
Another obstacle here, especially in regards to passing faith to children, is the total absence of Christian education and homeschooling. Nearly every Christian child is being discipled by the secular government school system. One of my prayers is that as God ignites the fire of family discipleship here in this nation, that more and more churches and families will reconsider the spiritual power of education, and the need for education and Christian discipleship to go together.
When you wake up Friday morning, I will be preaching on Friday night. Please pray that I would clearly present the Bible, and that the Word of God would accomplish its purpose.