March 2013 Newsletter – Thai Summer Mission
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2 Week Bible Training for Thai CCC Ministers of the Gospel. Some of the books used are only available in English. So, guess who gets to “help the staff with their homework” each day…?
I’m not qualified by any standard of graduating from this and that place, so my job was not officially, “teaching,” but technically reading the English books before class, and then teaching, I mean, telling the staff what the books said. There you have it.
The first week we discussed the basis of systematic theology and the doctrine of the Word of God.
The second week was all about the Gospel and the foundations of it, and the response to it. The character of God, God’s standard for all mankind, our sinful rejection of our Maker, our sinful nature, and God’s righteous judgment and wrath towards us, the love of God at the cross of Christ, atonement, repentance, faith, new birth/regeneration, Biblical assurance of salvation based on the promises of God, the witness of the Holy Spirit, and the witness of new-creation life in us.
Basically, all the stuff that I teach all the time, and all the stuff I will spend a lifetime teaching – (as I spend a lifetime learning).
Praise God for the continued opportunities I have all the time to teach and preach Jesus. May these two weeks bring about life and ministry change – not just head knowledge.
You need to get a life. And so do I. Not so much a better and improved life, but an entirely new life altogether.
When the Bible talks about the life of a Christian in contrast to that of a non-Christian, it never uses adjectives like “reforming,” “improving,” or even “recovering.” Instead, Scripture draws a bigger contrast: new versus old, light versus darkness, friends versus enemies, and, most poignantly of all: life versus death.
A most basic definition of a Christian is one who has been given new life by God through Jesus. We need a new life.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.
The big idea from this passage in Ephesians is that, without a new life from God, we are dead. And dead people are powerless—to do anything, much less to change their status…
Another in the Road of Life series – P Garn shares about how a solid footing in the foundational truths of The Word of God impacts everything we do – and how following Jesus’ model of discipleship has changed the local campus ministries… (P Garn is one of the leaders in our group of guys and girls with our church in the northern Bangkok area).
This is what i do. It’s not fancy. It’s not exciting for a missionary newsletter. But there is no substitute. I live with people. I teach them the Word of God. I teach this group of about 15 “full-time” Christian workers every week. God causes all the growth.
Here is Hack – one of the guys that i disciple, taking what he has learned and teaching others. Knowing Jesus, Following Jesus, teaching others to do the same. (Here at Thamassat University, teaching Hack’s main discipleship group).
And here is an example of a Thai missionary, Hack, taking what he has learned and discipling other guys to follow Jesus – just as Hack as learned from me – to know Jesus and follow Him. Here, Paul and Pon share how they are growing with Jesus.
Again – this is what I do. I live with people. I teach them the Word of God. Most often here, I teach the teachers. Here is Nadia. She is awesome. Really, great. Tiny girl with a huge heart of love for Jesus. Nadia is a recent college graduate – now serving with Thailand Campus Crusade for Christ. She’s part of my group of young Thai Christian leaders who study the Word together each week and grow together. Nadia shares her faith and disciples young college students. Hear from her on why she loves Jesus and why she lives to make Him known…
Again – this is what I do. I live with people. I teach them the Word of God. Most often here, I teach the teachers. Here’s an interview with Por – one of my Thai CCC staff guys who I disciple here in Bangkok – On Location at the River Market. Why do so few Thai people come to repentance and true faith in Christ? And how exciting when some do! Join us on the boat…
What is regeneration? How is it connected to repentance? Is salvation possible without these two R’s? Let’s see what God has to say about these crucially important questions…
