Dearest family and friends…its been quite awhile…but all has been really good…God never changes… ๐ He has been good in my life…He still is good…and we know for a fact that He will be good in the time to come…
Updates:
1) The weather here is starting to hit 10-odd degrees C…the lowest i’ve experienced anywhere…and i have been assured it’ll get even lower in time…so i have to either fatten up…or get more clothes…hahaha…
2) This coming week would be test week…2 tests on mon…2 on tues…and 1 on thurs…so pls pray for me if you can ๐ (*the same goes for joel)
3) Its almost 4 weeks but this i’ve finally got a pic of my roommate, Mr John Y., what an uninteresting name…hahaha…just kidding
Thanksgiving:
1) As an occupant of the matured hall, we do not have many activities that would allow us to know one another, but thankfully, a prayer meeting was organised by one of the hallmates early in the start and it has evolved to a regular one on Friday nights ๐ We usually sing hymns, have a short sharing on a passage of Scripture, and we end off in small prayer groups. We usually have refreshments too! haha…but the best thing about it is Christians of diverse cultures coming together to edify one another, to share personal thoughts, to bear one another’s burdens…that’s good fellowship! ๐
2) We had a small ‘party’ over at Pastor Sarmago’s house on fri night. It is really just a get together with some home cook dishes meant for inviting the ย chinese students from Furman Uni to the revival meetings this week at MorningSide Baptist Church. 4 chinese teachers and 3 non-christian chinese students came over…in total there were approx 18-20ppl. I was really touched by the testimonies by the bros and sis, how God turned their lives around, and how God is using them to reach out to the unsaved souls…below are the photos(courtesy of James’s facebook) of the few students that came…(p.s. James plays excellent piano…Rahab is currently the pianist/harpist for the chinese service and can converse in mandarin…Robert is doing asian studies and is also conversant in madarin)
The 3 chinese language teachers at Furman
Willy is preaching as well as translating for the chinese church, Max is currently the pastor for the chinese church.
3) It has been a great revival sunday, and services would continue through from Mon – Thurs (7pm), sermons being preached by Dr Tom Farrell. He is one fast speaker, living up to his name as ‘Double Barrel Farrell’. It has once again reminded me of the importance of the sharing of the Gospel, a topic that has constantly been preached at BJU and the one thing that I have really been burdened with for quite a while. I have not been a good testimony to many of my friends, I have not taken the initiative of sharing the gospel with them, or even simply asking them to church…and the sermons have been reminders to take this soul saving mission seriously…and to quote Dr Bob Jones III “The most sobering reality in the world today is that people are dying and going to Hell today.”
It is not until we understand the reality of hell do we really understand the importance of the Gospel…when Dr Farrell shared about how he saw a person trapped in a burning car and was shouting for help…at the very least that man knew somebody might make it in time to relieve him of that struggle…but not the person that is in hell…just like the rich man in the parable(Luke 16:14-31)…he wasn’t even asking to be saved from the fire…he merely wanted a drip…ONE DRIP…of water to satisfy him…but even that is impossible…
Christians…stop to think about the people around you…they might be those that you know….close friends…family…or they could be people that you’ll prob meet once in your lifetime…someone on the street…the cashier at a restaurant…and if they aren’t a born again Christian and God decides to take their lives away that very moment…they are on their way to eternal condemnation…and to quote “Death is not annihilation, death is eternal separation” from God…so what are we doing with the life God has graciously provided us? Are we not at all concerned about the lost souls?
Our mission isn’t to save…because only God can save…so what can we do? Read Luke 14:25-24
We are just like the servant…sent (commanded) by the master to go out and invite people to the banquet. Our role as servants (ambassadors) is that simple. To invite! It is not our duty to save men, we can’t…it is not our duty to sugar coat the gospel…our duty is to tell people about the ‘banquet’ and to invite them…and so I hope it is your prayer…as much as it is mine…that by the power of the Holy Spirit…we put down our pride (fear of rejection)…and go boldly to share the Word of God…for the servants of God has:
The ability from Christ (Acts 1:8)
The authority of Christ (Matt 28:19)
The accountability to Christ (Rom 14:12)
“For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;” ~ Col 1:9-10