Go and make disciples of all the nations….Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. Matthew 28:19-20
The Importance of Christian Foundations
Sometimes we Christians are so eager to teach what we think are the “deeper things” (meat or denominational distinctives etc. etc.) of God’s Word that we skip over the essential Christian foundations (milk) that are provide the basis for all other doctrines and spiritual development. For example, in the Japanese Life Group Ministry, Kayo and another Japanese missionary are doing a “New Believer’s Course” with a 76 year old Japanese man who was evangelized and baptized as a child by a missionary in Japan. He either wasn’t completely evangelized to the point that he could make a genuine commitment to Christ or he wasn’t sufficiently discipled so that he could live for Christ, because he admits that he hasn’t been living for Christ since being baptized as a child. I’m sure that the missionary wrote a glowing report about a fruitful ministry in Japan but the fruit never grew. We praise God for bringing this man back to Himself and giving him one more chance to really know Christ and live for Him during the last years of his life. Please pray for this man that he will come to truly know Christ as his personal savior and that he will be able to live for Christ in the final years of his life.
Darryl taught the Christian Apologetics Class at Cambodia Bible Institute (sponsored by the Assemblies of God) from March 10-20. Once again, he had the students give their final presentations on video. The topics the students chose were (These Cambodian language videos are available at http://www.internationalfishers.com/cbi-2015.html )
- Evidence that God Created the Universe
- Prophecies Confirm That the Bible is God’s Word
- Jesus Christ is God
- Evidence that Jesus Christ Rose From the Dead
- Jesus Christ is the Only Path to Salvation
- If God is Good Why Do Evil and Pain Exist?
- If God is Love Why Do People Go To Hell?
- What About Those Who Never Heard About Jesus?
It is very important that these future pastors and Christian leaders are able to effectively teach and defend these (and other) foundational truths of Christianity so that they will be able to transform their culture to Christ, keep the next generation of Christians strong in the faith, and that they will not compromise their faith in the face of persecution.
I believe that the reason that the Christian denominations are compromising their faith in front of political correct movements and that Christians are so vulnerable to attacks in the USA is because the Church has often failed to defend the truth of God’s word in a logical, persuasive, and winsome manner. (see http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/03/26/the-three-key-components-that-lead-atheists-and-agnostics-to-reject-gods-existence/ ) Our calling as Christians and missionaries is to help people gain or regain their confidence that God’s word is true so that they will be able to 1. maintain their faith in societies that are increasingly anti-Christian 2. confidently and effectively evangelize and disciple others around them. 3. confidently and effectively communicate God’s truth as they transform their culture.
Please continue to pray for us and partner with us as God leads and empowers you. We look forward to seeing as many of our partners in the USA this summer. Feel free to e-mail us at darryl@sgwm.com. We always are happy to hear from you.
In Christ’s Hands,
Darryl, Kayo, and Benjamin