The Dude's Perspective

I hear that people want to know what all is going on with me. The best thing happening now is watching the church grow in the gospel here. I could list all the things that I am doing but I think that could lead you astray in the point of our being here (although we will list what we are doing from time to time). The gospel is taking deeper root in the church here and the team is experiencing this as well. We are meeting people from church whose lives are being refreshed by the realization that God's love is not dependant on anything they do. Blair in particular is finding rich fellowship with a lady from the church named Yvonne. We have talked a lot about the importance of developing deep relationships with people from the church so that we can learn how to best serve them and that we can best learn from them. It turns out the Lord has provided this opportunity for Blair in far more meaningful ways than he has for me. I am still praying and trusting he will eventually connect me deeply here. We have only been here for two months so I am often too hard on myself. Regardless the church is growing in its communication of the gospel without me. The pastor is preaching through the book of Galatians while there is also a series on the the law during alternate weeks. Christ-centered preaching is becoming a reality here. The pastor had for a long time been committed to expository preaching but now is finding additional joy in seeing grace as the underlying theme in all of scripture. This is no small thing for this country or for our being here. We pray that the Lord would continue to raise up pastors and church planters who are deeply committed to Christ-centered preaching. My heart's desire beyond anything else is to see the church flourish in preaching the gospel. So this is by far the best thing happening here, not what I am doing.

The gospel of grace stands in such opposition to my culture and the Chinese culture as well. The common ground in the cultures is a belief that my work defines me and gives me value. Also religion (even sometimes in the church) is a way to find our value and identity in what we do. We often value more of what we do for God than what God has done for us. We know that the gospel teaches us that our value and identity comes from God alone but as humans beings we have a deep desire to justify ourselves and our existence. This struggle is very real for me here. It has been a blessing reading "The Prodigal God" by Tim Keller. The book is reminding me of how my obedience and my diligence can be the very thing that keeps me from God, like the older brother in the story in Luke 15. I have lived a lot of my life in guilt and fear but on the outside one might just see obedience. The real danger is that this guilt/fear based obedience naturally demands payment for the hard work. Often without realizing it we live expecting God to bless us and are trapped with deserving mentality. This puts us in greater opposition to God almost more than the wayward sinner because it is more difficult to see that we need grace. For our team, seeing how the gospel is not a reality in our lives is essential. If the gospel is not transforming us how will I have faith that it will transform anyone else? Can I communicate with words "salvation by grace alone" but live like salvation has everything to do with me? I want to drink often from the fountain of God's unmerited love in Christ Jesus. My sister recently told me how she has been drinking from this fountain and how it is changing her from the inside out. Seeing how good God is in His grace makes me long for the lost (moral and immoral) to drink from this fountain. I live to hear of that power actively at work in others, it reminds me that the Kingdom is advancing whether I sense it everyday or not. It reminds me that He is doing something far beyond me. He is working in spite of me and the failures of the church. Rejoice!