Listen to Sunday morning Sermon for August 18
[audio:https://gainsville.org/blog/sermons/18-August-13-am.mp3|titles=18-August-13-am]You can also download a mp3 version.
Listen to Sunday morning Sermon for August 11
[audio:https://gainsville.org/blog/sermons/11-August-13-am.mp3|titles=11-August-13-am]You can also download a mp3 version.
Listen to Sunday morning Sermon for August 4
[audio:https://gainsville.org/blog/sermons/04-August-13-am.mp3|titles=04-August-13-am]You can also download a mp3 version.
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Greetings from Trivandrum
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
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Off to India
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.