There’s a post by that name over at the ChristianPF blog that I’d like to point you to: http://www.christianpf.com/about-the-lives-of-millionaires/. I agree with all of Bob’s points in that article, but I’d go one step farther and disagree with point #9 on the list. I suspect he disagreed with it too; he just didn’t say so.
Monthly Archives: August 2008
It’s the same in any language
18Jesus ta va hedere, ta va tantere asi: “Nonkondo nadinye demeguru nedi depevhu nyame va di pa. 19Yipo nye nomu zira konomuhoko nadinye, mu ka di ninke di kare varongwa vange, mu ka di kuhwire medina lyaGuhwe neli lyoMuna neli lyoMpepo zoKupongoka. 20Ka di rongeni, di ka limburukwire nayinye eyi na mu rekera. Tareni, ame neni ngani kara dogoro nokouhura wouzuni.” Mateusa 28:18-20
Unless you’re a linguist or you live in Southwestern Africa, you most likely don’t recognize the text above, but here are a few clues:
- It’s from the book of “Mateusa”, which most people familiar with the books of the Bible would probably guess correctly to be Matthew.
- Most Christians should recognize the chapter/verse — 28:18-20. I know of no other oft-quoted passage of scripture from the 28th chapter of any book, verses 18-20.
Yes, it’s what we have labeled the Great Commission. Although Jesus likely spoke these words in Aramaic, the instructions are just as valid in Rukwangali (the language above), or English, or any other language. Jesus issued these instructions to the apostles, but there is nothing in the context that would limit the charge to that select group.
I was privileged and blessed last week to have the opportunity to share the Gospel in Rundu Namibia with those who would hear it — and there were many. There are yet many more who need to hear it, but you don’t have to travel thousands of miles to obey these commands. Talk to your neighbor; share the good news with your unsaved family members.
How much do you need to know in order to be effective at sharing the Gospel? You need to know exactly this: you are a sinner, sin separates you from God, all sinners deserve to die, Jesus paid the price for our sin, salvation is a free gift but we must accept this gift in accordance with scripture.
There are a few dozen scriptures you could use when teaching someone, but there are only a handful that are absolutely necessary. In the last 40 or so years, we’ve “grown” away from memorizing scripture and its teachings, but you’ll be rich indeed if you’ll learn at least those passages through which you can teach the plan of salvation. Write them down first, and use the list when teaching. The more you use them, the quicker you’ll learn them — most likely without even trying!
On our way home — Trip summary
We left Rundu this morning after breakfast for the long (over 400 miles) trip back to Windhoek. Our flight isn’t until Saturday evening at 7 PM, and although we could theoretically make it if we stayed and campaigned another day, we felt like too many things could happen and we didn’t want to take a chance on missing our flight.
Here are just some of the things we learned this year, in no particular order:
- If we’re blessed to make the trip again next year, we will be looking for more in-depth preparatory work from the congregations in Rundu. The church in Rundu is still young, and this is all new to them too, but we want to help them help us be more effective. We think we can accomplish this by arranging for translators for every campaigner. We think the distribution of leaflets and other advertising can be more effective, so we’ll work with them on that as well.
- The number of campaigners was perfect. We took 10 last year, and that was a great experience, but 5 is a better number for many reasons (that I don’t need to go into here — this post will is long enough already).
- We learned that just because we have a concept of heaven, hell, eternity, and the soul doesn’t mean that everyone does. We met people who had never heard of hell, and didn’t understand the concept of eternity. (Really, who does? They had never had reason to even ponder the issue though.)
- We’re better prepared to equip next year’s campaigners in the preparatory classes. The flip charts are easy to learn, so we need to spend more time covering what to expect with various groups and how to show the error in certain beliefs.
- Although U.S. churches sometimes put way too much emphasis on buildings, in Namibia a building gives an impression of permanence, as well as instilling a sense of pride in the congregation’s members. That’s why the Gospel Chariot Missions (GCM) board will be considering the Rundu Kehemu congregation’s expansion plan very seriously.
- And finally, we learned that George doesn’t really have a full understanding of driving a minivan on very soft, deep sand. He’s learning though.
GCM has been a dream of George Funk for well over a decade, and the Fredericksburg church has been partnering with George and the rest of the GCM team for nearly 15 years. We’ve seen the vision grow from just a seed into hundreds of churches planted and thousands of souls saved. The Fredericksburg church and other churches who support GCM should feel proud of what God has been able to accomplish through them, but the glory doesn’t go to us, to George, or to anyone else but God Himself. May God be praised!