Indonesia Journal; Sunday and Monday

25 September; Happy Sunday! 3 PM (internet has been down; it is Monday AM here)

What a Happy Sunday this has been! The Faith Baptist Church of Manado began 49 years ago. Today they celebrated their 49^th birthday, and man, do they know how to celebrate! This is the first Baptist church in Manado. It began by a group of young couples from the Dutch Reform Church, a very large and old denomination on this island. They had been attending the Baptist seminary on the island of Java. After their studies they discussed with their church leaders in the Dutch Reform Church some new ministries and mission ideas they wanted to begin. Their church did not want to make any changes so they met together and prayed for what God would have them to do.

After several weeks of prayer, they decided to start a Baptist church, the first one on the island of Sulewesi, in the city of Manado. Today there are over 350 churches in this fellowship which all started from this church, 49 years ago. About six of the charter members were present today and they had the greatest joy of anyone present.

The Faith Baptist Church has five “daughter” churches on the island and neighboring islands. These are mission churches that will become self supporting within a year or so, according to the pastor. The students were in charge of the music today and they led in what we know as a “contemporary” worship experience. And we also had a children’s choir, the church choir, a men’s choir (I got all of this on a camcorder; wait until you hear this men’s choir; unbelievable), and several solos and instrumental solos. I preached on prayer from Colossians 1:9-10 and how this church was birthed in a prayer meeting, has continued by the faithful prayers of the members, and will into the future on the foundation of prayer; prayer that is shaped and led by God’s Word. I told them that our church in Kingsland had just celebrated our 50^th and that we were now prayer partners with them since we share so much in common. They want a team of us to come back next year.

There was one group of men present from the island of Papua. They looked like Africans and they told me that all of the Papuans resemble Africans, but they are Indonesian. They were from a church that was started by the Faith Baptist Church many years ago. Back then, the island of Papua was very primitive. In some parts it still is. You have probably heard of Papua New Guinea. This is the same island and chain of islands.

I could really feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in their worship service. It was enthusiastic and exciting with the students leading it. There is a growing revival taking place among the young people on this island. I was looking around and the older people were right with the students as they sang and danced. Most of the songs were their contemporary songs but others I recognized as some that we sing. One in particular they really like; Lord You are good and Your mercy endures forever…we worship You, Hallelujah, Hallelujah; we worship You for who You are…You are good, all the time, all the time, You are good And they love singing The Banner of the Cross. I am requesting these two songs on Sunday, October 2, one for the early and the other for the late.

Then they had baby dedication. Three couples came up with their babies and family members and church members surrounded them and sang a beautiful prayer song over these babies, similar to the way the pastors did to the graduates on Friday. We came up for the offering (they come up and pass the plates), and then lit the birthday cake candles and went outside for a huge feast. Then, pictures. To say that they like to take pictures is an understatement. We took a lot of pictures. More pictures than at a wedding. Then they called everyone back into the sanctuary to present me with a gift and one for Beth. They wanted me to open mine but would not let me open Beth’s. They want me to take pictures of her opening her present and send it to them. I promised I would. They said they wanted us to bring a team back for their 50^th which they said is a big celebration. I can only imagine.

I have been in several church services in different countries over the past 30 years that during the service and afterwards I thought, “This is what heaven is like; thank You, Lord; this must be what heaven is like.” I was saying that today, over and over. Thank you for your prayers. One more entry; tomorrow morning just before I leave this place. Salamat Hari Minggu; Happy Happy Sunday!

26 September; Monday

Some of my thoughts as I get ready to go to the airport:

·         As our friend, Pastor Ron Keener, likes to say, “God is always working upstream.” In January of this year, Beth began encouraging me to write some discipleship materials. I decided to begin by asking the Sunday morning Pastor’s Class to help me. I would write a section and we would study it together. They would give me suggestions and I would edit the material. About the same time I was invited to a meeting in Dallas to discuss mission work and the state convention. At that meeting I met Dr. Kim Hall, the pastor of Hunters Glen Baptist Church in Plano. He works with New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in several places in the world where rural pastors are taking classes to complete a Pastoral Ministry Certificate. He asked me if I would be interested in teaching some pastors in Indonesia in September. I was approved by the seminary as an adjunct professor and asked to prepare about 24 hours of material to cover a New Testament Survey class. By May of this year I had completed 14 weeks of discipleship materials with the Pastor’s class and had begun to compile my notes for the NT survey class. The Wednesday evening Bible study class helped me with this study. As the time got closer to leave for Indonesia, I decided to take along about 20 copies of Book 1 (first seven weeks of discipleship material) with a master copy just in case the pastors would be interested in it. When I arrived in Indonesia the dean of the seminary asked if I could teach something other than NT survey. He said that he was planning to teach NT survey next semester and wanted to draw in some of the local pastors to the seminary for on-going training. He gave me the choice of teaching Mark, Luke, Hebrews, or the parables of Jesus. I had survey materials on the three books but I also had a complete study guide on the parables, the miracles, and a word study in Hebrew and Greek on wisdom in Book 2 of the discipleship material. I told him I would like to teach on the parables. He was elated because the seminary had not offered a study on the parables in several years. Here is the point: Proverbs says, the horse is made ready for battle but the victory belongs to the LORD. I was all ready to teach NT survey but God had worked through Beth and the Pastor’s class to prepare the material that I would end up teaching this week; the parables of Jesus and wisdom. God knows who my NT survey class notes will be for; but it is already prepared. Thank you, Beth. Thank you, Pastor’s class. Thank you, God, for working upstream in our lives! Something else; I told the pastors and students that I had brought a seven-week Bible study guide for new believers to work through with a mentor. They told me that this was a big need among their churches. I gave them the copies and the master and left money to have it translated and copied with Salt Block Ministry funds. Before the week was out they had already made several more copies in English and the dean said it is written in simple enough English to use in their English as second language studies.

·         There are huge differences in the world among people and no matter how different the culture, there are some things that people everywhere share in common. Children act the same in every culture. People’s eyes look the same with joy, sadness, boredom, and excitement in every culture. The gospel of Jesus Christ gives deep, abiding joy no matter what the culture. People need the Lord and when the gospel is preached they respond and are given the same Spirit in every culture. The differences in cultures are huge but not as huge as the fellowship in the Holy Spirit. This morning I was right at home in a church on the other side of the world from mine; I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and was able to worship together with them even though I didn’t know the words or the music; I knew the Spirit among them. I have had the same experience in Uganda, Kenya, Bangladesh, China, Mexico, and the Philippines. Those cultures are as different as night and day with history, food, language, customs, and appearances, and yet Jesus Christ in us is the same. And people are hungry for the Bible in every culture. Being able to purchase and hand out Bibles for people hungry for God’s Word is overwhelming. They desire to have and study God’s Word. As I have taught in different places, the interest, the questions, the hunger is the same. Having God’s Spirit gives you a hunger for God’s Word. And faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. Spiritual growth and a growing desire for God’s Word go hand-in-hand in every culture. Insights from the Lord in His Word are cross-cultural. The errors in mission work have come as missionaries have taught their own culture rather than insights in the Word from the Spirit.

·         God has given the United States a responsibility of leadership in the world; a voice that is respected, that gives direction, that is desired. The problem is that our voice has changed and there is confusion in the world as the result. We have lost our moral compass but still have our place of leadership (only God knows for how much longer). The world has followed our economic disaster of spending what we do not have. The Bible is clear on tithing and saving and living a simple and sharing lifestyle. The world is reeling by following our lead in irresponsible stewardship. We began seeking after and trusting in the blessings and misplaced our “In God We Trust” motto. Our sexual immorality shocks “developing nations.” What is now accepted in the US is a million miles from the standard of the Bible. The problem is that the styles and trends are set by the US and Europe and are followed by the rest of the world. Western (US and Europe) influence in other countries is best described as sensual and inappropriate. What once caused embarrassment in our country still does in other countries among the Christians in those countries. The point is: We in the US must repent and pray for a spirit of repentance to shake out of our moral stupor and back to our spiritual senses before it is too late. We must return to what the Bible teaches about lifestyle, about disciplines, about morality that pleases the Father. We must pray that God re-sensitizes our embarrassment nerve and re-learn what is appropriate and inappropriate in God’s eyes regardless of the trends and styles.

·         There is a revival going on among young people all over the world. It is encouraging to see the spiritual interest and hunger in people under the age of 30. Sound doctrine (Person and Work of Christ) is attractive to this crowd. They desire to know God personally not know about Him religiously. They are responding to Truth, because Truth is a Person, Jesus Christ. And pastors hunger for teaching from other pastors concerning spiritual truth and discipline.

·         Cell phones, like Coca-Cola, have taken over the world! Everyone has a cell phone. And everyone is on the move and in a hurry to get there.

·         One of the quickest ways to make friends in another country is to learn their greetings.

And prayer joins us together in what God has called us to do together. When you prayed about the excessive sweating I was experiencing, I got relief the next day! I still was sweating but not near like I was the first few days. It was a problem and was draining me by the end of the day. As you prayed I was strengthened. I was still sweating but it was not draining me, it was not a problem. And I have been healthy all week without any problems. God has shown me on this trip insights into His Word that I have never seen before. Thank you for your prayers. “…I thank God for you, praying for you…for your prayers for me and our fellowship the gospel…” Philippians 1:3-6.

I will see you on Sunday; I have more to share about this experience that I have not shared this week in this blog. Pray for empty seats on the plane!

Indonesia Journal; Saturday

24 Sept. Saturday; 4:15 PM

This has been a day of relaxing and learning for me. Pastor Ferry, the president of the seminary, and Pastor Dickie, the elder pastor of this group, picked me up about 8:30 this morning. We drove up to the mountain lake that Ferry took me to last Saturday. Pastor Dickie is from this area. This mountain lake is high above Manado and is surrounded by five volcanoes.

I learned that the whole area is an old volcano and the lake was formed after the volcano stopped. The five small ones that surround it only “smoke.” The hot springs resort is a nice place with little cabins, a restaurant, a large meeting room, a few air conditioned rooms, several steam/hot springs rooms, and a large hot springs swimming pool. The hot springs rooms have a white tiled bath about the size of a king size bed and about four feet deep. The bath fills the room except for a small changing area just as you go in the door. The water comes straight out of hot springs beside the resort and is pumped into the resort by a six-inch pipe. The bath is filled and it is hot. There is another spout of warm water that you can cool it with. It is mineral water. After about 45 minutes you are ready to get out. But it is relaxing. Then we went to the pool which is not as hot and is even more relaxing. I enjoy the water anyway and this was very nice. The cost was about $5 for the three of us.

We ate lunch at the resort in a nice outside table by the lake. Since it is so high it is cooler than Manado. They brought out rice, two nice-sized grilled fish (head and all), some greens that have green-bean sized stalks that are very tasty, and another bowl of “meat.” I learned the first day to ask what kind of meat if it is meat other than fish. The Indonesians like all kinds of meats; snake, bat, mouse, rat, cat, dog, and you must ask because it all looks like chicken; it does not all taste like chicken, except the cat (they said), but then got into a discussion about how cat is really sweeter than chicken but not as sweet as crocodile. They were being serious and ended the discussion by informing me, “but some think it does taste like chicken.” I tried to tell them about that saying in the US but it got lost in the translation. By the way, the bowl of meat was chicken, and it was good.

I also learned something about one of the questions from yesterday from one of the pastors. I did not think much about the question but found out today that it was a serious question that they were very interested in. Their questions all begin with a long explanation of the question, then the question. The explanation was the setting for the feeding of the 5,000 (Matt. 14, Mk. 6, Luke 9, John 6). After everyone was fed the Bible says that there were 12 baskets of left overs. The question was this, “who got the baskets of left overs?” After the pastor asked, they all looked at me while my translator went through the explanation and question.

I said that the Bible does not say but maybe the little boy who offered his lunch of five loaves and two fish that started the feast (John gives that detail). I also said that someone may have not wanted the food left in the basket but the basket itself because of how much came out of it (a very “American” answer which I tried to explain that I was only kidding; lesson to remember, jokes don’t translate too well). My answer did not seem to satisfy them. I learned today what was behind the question.

In Indonesia they have a very important hospitality custom; prepare more food for guests than is necessary. The more that is left over honors the guest more. They find support for this from Proverbs that says don’t eat everything that is brought before you. They said in Indonesia it is a great honor to the guest for there to be much left over after the meal for it is then offered to the guest for his journey. This helped me because all week as we have gone out for the evening meal they have “over ordered” the food with a lot left over, then insisted that I take the left overs back to the hotel. Each time I would say that there was no place for me to store it and that I was so full anyway and I insisted that they divide it up and take it home to their families (each evening a small group of pastors would go with us to eat). They would receive the food with many “terimah kasi” which means “thank you.”

Now, back to the question. There has been in the past among Indonesian pastors much discussion over what the Bible does not say about this event; who took the left overs home? The basis of the question rests on the fact that on the surface it would seem that the Lord Jesus would be the one to honor, but He is seen by some as the host, not the quest. Others have argued over this question that since Jesus was from heaven He was a guest on earth. Then others come back with the fact of what Colossians states, that all things were created by Him and for Him, and so He is the owner, not the guest. They were hoping I would clear this discussion up once and for all. I failed; but what an interesting question. After learning all of this today, I am sticking with my original answer; I bet Jesus gave the left overs to the little boy to honor him for his sacrifice.

Tomorrow I am preaching in Edwin’s church, the dean of the seminary. And tomorrow evening I will pack and get ready for the long trip home. Tomorrow will probably be my last “Indonesia Journal” entry with a summary of thoughts and impressions I have had. Terimah Kasi for your prayers. For me, in about 12 hours it will be Selamat Hari Winggu (“Happy Sunday!”) They love Sunday here.

Indonesia Journal; Friday, Graduation Day

23 September; Friday; 4:30 PM

Hard to describe the day; it was amazing. A spiritual high. When they told me that graduation was a big deal, their word for big deal was different than what I thought. Graduation is a big, big deal. Pastor Ferry picked me up about 8. We got to the school and people were already starting to arrive for the 9 AM service. The men were all in black and dark blue suits and the women were in formal dresses, like prom dresses. This was a big deal. I was way underdressed in my sport coat and wrangler slacks. I was wearing a tie but I was the only one not in a suit. The graduates and faculty were all getting into their full academic regalia.

There were 8 graduates. Some were receiving their bachelors degree and others the masters degree and others the pastoral certificate. Pastor Dickie, one of the elder pastors and teacher at the seminary, said that one man had been working on his degree for 14 years and was graduating today. For the others it has been a four-year journey.

Men from the government arrived, from their department of Christian education. Families and church families were all gathering in the school’s newly renovated chapel. It is a building with open windows, concrete floor, tin roof, chairs and wooden benches. By 9 the seminary teachers and I, along with the graduates were ready for the procession into the chapel. And it was hot today. We marched in behind the national flag and the school flag and took our seats on the stage. The graduates came in behind us, with the keyboard playing “And Can it Be,” an old Methodist hymn that has recently made it into the Baptist hymnal. It is a wonderful hymn on the love of God and the cross of Jesus Christ.

Introductions were made and the service began. The message was one of the first things on the program. I preached from 1 Timothy 4:16, a word for the graduates to pay close attention to their own spiritual growth and their doctrine, and to stay with it, with the promise of a great and joyous reward. Then a history of the school and its mission and vision from the president, Pastor Ferry. They introduced each graduate and we sang several songs. By about 10:30 I was sweating so much I thought, why go to the hot springs tomorrow, I feel like I am already there. It was hot, but no one seemed to mind. I noticed that they don’t sweat much. Everything was done very meticulously and intentional and with great awe and respect. This was a big deal.

They handed out the diplomas and Bibles (thank you FBC Kingsland) and the student who was recognized as Magna Cum Laude gave a speech. Then one of the men from the government spoke, then came the highlight of the service. Pastor Dickie went down and called the graduates to come and kneel while the faculty along with several pastors from the congregation encircled them. They surrounded them with prayer, singing a beautiful prayer, very softly over them. Then the pastors all extended their hands over the graduates and Pastor Dickie led in prayer. They pray a long time as I have already mentioned. This was a long prayer and I could tell by the “AMEN”s and the tears it was a meaningful one as well.

After the prayer everyone took their seats and one of the faculty gave a blessing. Then they arranged the graduates in the middle and the faculty on either side of them for pictures. I stepped away but they insisted that I get in the pictures. Then we spread out along the front and one by one, from the congregation the people came by and shook everyone’s hand. This took a while, then more pictures and then we all went next door to Pastor Ferry’s church, the Hope Baptist Church where I preached last Sunday and had a huge meal together.

After the fellowship the pastors and their wives gathered back in the chapel for a Q&A time with me. The questions these pastors asked were so insightful and challenging. I have done this in Uganda, in China, and in Bangladesh. It never ceases to amaze me the similar questions, struggles, and joys that pastors have no matter what country and culture they serve in. And they all have questions about America. One pastor asked what kind of spiritual impact 9/11/01 has had on the US. Another said that he had heard that in some of the states they were recognizing homosexual marriages and wondered if it was true. Another asked how the economy had effected the giving of the church members and how the church was responding to the world recession. Another wanted to know what the role of the pastor’s wife was in the US churches. Another asked what I thought about a pastor who was not making enough money in his small church and if he would be compromising if he took a second job. There is not enough space to share with you how I shared with them but it was a wonderful time together. And they also asked if I knew Governor Rick Perry.

 I asked them about their missions program because I had heard that the church in Indonesia was becoming very missionary. They shared their vision for church planting and reaching every tribe on every island in Indonesia. There are thousands of islands in Indonesia, spread across thousands of miles of ocean. Pastor Ferry’s church has a preaching point with a young pastor on one of those islands that is a 24-hour ferry boat ride away. They said that it is called a preaching point until it has 30 families, then it becomes a church. The mother church supports the pastor until then, after 30 families, the church takes care of the pastor. We handed out Bibles to the pastors (thank you Burnet/Llano Baptist Association) and took more pictures. After these questions and answers we promised to pray for each other and to join together in praying for revival.

The pastors and students in my class then went to the classroom and took their final exam. Pastor Ferry is going to pick me up in the morning for a day at the hot springs “up on the mountain.” I found out today that “the mountain” is right beside one of their active volcanoes. They said not to worry, it’s just a small volcano. It has been an amazing day. Thank you for your prayers, and “thank you, God, for Your amazing love in Jesus Christ and for His Beautiful Bride, the Church.”

Indonesia Journal; Thursday

22 Sept. Thursday; 5 PM

Back in the room after a full day of teaching. We finished the parables this afternoon. Tomorrow morning is a graduation service and tomorrow afternoon is the test for this class. The students that took this class for credit must pass the test and turn in the assignments from the class. There are eight students graduating. The whole school is involved. It is a big deal. They have asked me to preach the sermon tomorrow. I plan to share a message from 1 Timothy 4:16.

This school is called (in English) The Higher Education Theological Institute of Indonesia. It began in 1971 by a pastor, in his church, on this island. Back then it was called the Baptist Theological Seminary. Before 1971 there was one Baptist seminary in Jakarta on the island of Java. There are five big islands in Indonesia and thousands of small ones. Sulewesi is the name of this island. The pastors from this island had to travel by boat to Java to go to seminary. It is a five-day journey by boat. The pastor that started this school graduated from the Java seminary in 1968 and began this school in his church 1971 on Sulewesi Island.

Later that year the churches on Sulewesia Island and the surrounding islands formed their own fellowship of churches. There are now over 300 churches in that fellowship. Within a few years the school had outgrown the church and land was purchased in Manado and buildings were built. Once I figure out how to get the pictures from the camera to the computer and on to facebook, you will be able to see the present buildings and classrooms. This may have to wait until I can ask someone born after 1977. Those people know how to do stuff like that.

After the school moved to its present location they changed the name in order to take “Baptist” out of the name. There were so many other pastors from other denominations who wanted to attend but could not because of the name. So, they changed the name and enrollment went up. In my class this week there have been four different denominations represented; some are students and others are pastors that have already graduated but wanted to take the class on the parables of Jesus.

The founding pastor of the school is still a pastor and is the president of their convention of churches. He has attended my class each day, taking notes and asking questions right along with the other pastors and students. Pastor Ferry, my host, is now the president of the seminary (his picture will be on my facebook page as soon as…you know). Everyone on staff at the seminary is Indonesian. It is and has been an indigenous seminary from the very beginning. They offer the Pastoral Ministry Certificate, a Bachelor of Theology, and a Masters of Theology. They are working with the government right now to get approval for a doctoral program. Pastor Ferry is about to complete his PhD.

Tomorrow afternoon while the students are taking their exam they have invited pastors from around the area to meet with me in a kind of round table Q&A time. I am looking forward to that. Then on Saturday, pastor Ferry said that he wants to take me up on the mountain to a hot springs area. He said it is very relaxing. I am looking forward to that, too. On Sunday I am preaching in another church in Manado and then heading home on Monday. Tomorrow we will give out the Bibles. Everyone is very excited about that. Some of their Bibles are worn out and some do not even have one. I have noticed that they do not write in their Bibles. Thank you for your prayers.

Indonesia Journal; Wednesday

21 September, Wednesday; 5 PM

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers! Today I didn’t sweat through my clothes! I got just as excited but I just didn’t sweat near as much as I have been sweating. Thank you for praying. I asked the pastors if it was not as hot today, but they said no, it stays this hot all the time. I just didn’t sweat as much. It made the day much easier.

We began at 8 AM with our song and began looking at the parables of grace from the time of the feeding of the 5,000 to Palm Sunday and the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Most of these parables come from Luke’s gospel. He emphasizes in his gospel the teaching of the grace of God. But Matthew has a few of these grace parables too. The hour before lunch we were looking at Matthew 20:1-16, the parable of the laborers and how the last shall be first and the first shall be last. Jesus said that the owner of a vineyard hired laborers at the beginning of the day and agreed with them for 1 denarius for the day’s wage. Then he hired more at 9, then more at noon, others at 3, and finally with one hour left in the day, hired more. Then he started paying the last first and paid them a full day’s wage, as he did the others; 1 denarius for each of the laborers. The last ones, who were the first ones hired protested, expecting to receive more since they worked all day while the last ones hired received the same amount for only one hour of work. The owner scolded the first ones hired reminding them that he paid them what they had agreed upon and asked why they were upset with his generosity.  Then the startling statement, “Take what belongs to you and go.”

We talked about why this was right in God’s eyes and did not seem right in man’s eyes and how grace does not seem to be fair and yet it is more fair and right than we can imagine. We discussed how this can get applied in a business. Jesus is not rewarding laziness nor is He condemning hard work. But there will always be some that are paid more than others and some who will work harder than others. But the point of the parables of grace focus upon the King and His graciousness.

We retold the story for it to have a different ending with the same message, the message of grace. We acted it out with the first ones hired being at the end of the paying line and wondering what the owner way up to by paying in that order, last first, first last. The last in line were amazed at the generosity of the owner and were happy that the last ones hired were blessed with a full day’s wage. Then the last ones received their payment, but said with joy, “Master, you are amazing. All day long we have been with you, watching you work with us, going out to hire others to come and help us, going after others as the day went on to ease our burdens as we grew weary. We knew you to be a kind and generous man and now you have blessed us by allowing us to see your graciousness in giving those hired last so much. But they missed out on something we have enjoyed…being with you for a whole day. Being with you all this time has been our bonus, something they missed out on.”

We all agreed that this was the way the story could have ended. Then something amazing and very funny happened. On Monday I handed out 20 copies of my discipleship materials, Book One, a seven week Bible study guide. Those of you who are in the Pastor’s Class on Sunday morning remember Book One. There were not enough copies so I gave the master copy to the dean and told him to make some more copies at a store. These pastors have been sitting under my teaching Monday, Tuesday, and half a day today, a total of 16 hours so far. During the break at 11 AM several new pastors arrived. At noon when we were ready to break for lunch the dean came in with the new copies of Book One. We called the students up who had not received one on Monday, and still had several copies and started handing them out to the students who just arrived. One of the pastors who had been in class from the beginning said something, which the others quickly responded to, then the whole place burst into laughter. You probably already know what was said, but they could hardly wait to interpret for me. They said that the one pastor asked, “Is he going to give those new guys a book? They just got here.” To which the others responded, “Have you been asleep for the past hour? We just learned about the danger of begrudging generosity.” Then the first pastor said with laughing embarrassment, “I repent of my sin, don’t take my book away!” We all agreed that this is why the crowds grew with parables of the Kingdom and then started dwindling when Jesus told the parables of grace; some don’t like God’s grace; it doesn’t seem right, but God is always right.

We (the pastors and I) are having a good time together, learning together from the parables of Jesus. Tomorrow, the parables of judgment from the last week of Jesus’ life before His resurrection. See if you can identify them. These parables did more than thin out the crowds, it drove them away and led to the most horrendous act of all; betrayal, false accusations, and crucifixion. I pray you will have a good Wednesday; I sure have.

Indonesia Journal; Tuesday

20 Sept. Tuesday 5 PM

Today has been a long and good day. Pastor Ferry picked me up at 7:30 AM this morning and class began at 8 sharp. There are a few more pastors present today and some of the staff from the administration building are also in attendance. We begin each class session with a song and a prayer. The students that are taking the course for credit have assignments each day. One of the assignments from Monday was to memorize Hebrews 5:14 and a verse from Psalm 119. We studied the Hebrew word Bayin which means “understanding, insight, perception.” Psalm 119:27, 34, 73, 104, and 130 all have the word Bayin in it. They were to choose one of those verses and memorize it along with Hebrews 5:14. After our opening song and prayer this morning it was time for the test; reciting two verses of Scripture by heart. One by one they stood and quoted these verses.

I taught them on Monday to write down the verse on a card or piece of paper, which they did. Just before they would get up for their turn, they would check one more time. The rest of the students would give them such a hard time with this. They all had more fun and laughed so much during this testing time and they helped each other. They also graded each other. After each one was finished the rest of the class would yell out a grade; “85…76…60…0…98…” laughing each time. I had not planned on this being something that ended up being so much fun.

They also had the assignment of identifying all of the parables of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, and Luke from the baptism of Jesus to the feeding of the 5,000. These are all parables of the Kingdom, the origin, the nature, the outcome of the Kingdom. This was also the most popular time of the ministry of Jesus. The crowds grew and grew during this period of His ministry. They found all ten parables and we discussed each one and identified the truth of what each parable teaches about the Kingdom of God.

We followed the same schedule as yesterday, teaching for an hour, ten minutes of questions, a 5-10 break, then teaching, questions, break. At noon we stopped for lunch, and began again at 1 PM sharp. We covered all ten parables as well as some of the ways of God and the difference between doing the will of God and God doing His will in you, with you, through you, as you, in the world around you. They really got into that teaching. It came out of the 9^th parable from Matthew 13:47-50, how the Kingdom is like a net that gathers in all kinds of fish and in the end they are separated, good from bad. The point was that there are many people in the Kingdom but the Kingdom is not in them, and this will not be uncovered until the end.

We went to Matthew 7:21-23 where Jesus said “Not everyone who says Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven…Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name…I will declare to them, Depart from Me you workers of iniquity, I never knew you.” We identified those activities as good deeds but done in their own power and for their own glory (they bragged about them, desiring some recognition or glory for doing them). I told them the worse kind of flesh is good flesh, educated flesh, polite flesh… but it still just flesh. They got it. God does His own will in our lives by His own Word in our lives, and His Word bears fruit, fruit that remains, a great harvest. I asked them this question: What is the fruit of the Word in our lives? It is the Word! When the translator said it, one of the pastors in the back stood up and shouted “Hallelujah, Hallelujah!” It was a great moment for me to see the revealed truth of the Word connect with someone so immediately and so joyously.

The only problem I am having, (not really a problem) is the heat and the humidity. I actually don’t mind the heat or the humidity but I am not accustom to working in it like I used to when I worked in it for a living (prior to August 7, 1982). They have a fan for me, which helps a lot. And I am drinking lots of water.

Their assignment for tomorrow; find and identify the parables of Jesus from the feeding of the 5,000 to the triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. What do these parables teach? This is when the crowds started to thin out. Since it has started getting dark here but morning in Texas I will say Salamat pagi (good morning) and Puji Tuhan, Praise the Lord! Hope you have a good day today, I have already.

Indonesia Journal; Monday

19 Sept. Monday 6 PM

The Manado Quality Hotel includes a full breakfast buffet with the room rate ($50/night). This buffet is like a Sunday brunch at a nice country club (Tapatio Springs, Fair Oaks Ranch, the Dominion, Corpus Christi Country Club). You can get a variety of omelets, salads, vegetables, four or five different kinds of meats (fried, grilled, stewed), fresh fruits, rice, potatoes, beans, breads, soups, and desserts. Then there is a section called “traditional Indonesian treats.” In other words, this breakfast buffet has just about everything you can image and some things you can’t imagine. The chiefs will even fry you two eggs, over-medium, with wheat toast and strawberry jelly. The coffee (kopi) is some of the best I have ever had. They begin serving at 6 AM. It gets daylight around 5:15 and it gets dark about 5:15. At 6 AM there are already shadows; it is full light. So, this is how my day begins, early. And it ends early (it is already completely dark outside at 6:10 PM).

We arrived at the seminary at 8:45 and started teaching about 9:30. We were suppose to begin at 9 but they told me they follow “rubber” time in Indonesia. This means “flexible,” or in other words, they don’t start until everyone gets there. The students were there but the pastors were slow arriving. Many of them had to come from far away. Many did not get there until after lunch. We heard that some will not be able to get there until tomorrow. I taught for an hour, fielded questions for 10 minutes, then took a 10 minute break. We followed that schedule until after 12 when we broke for lunch. The pastors and students are very attentive and are quick to ask questions. They laugh easily and have been taught the Word. Many can understand English although they cannot speak it very well. I had two different interpreters, one for the morning and one for the afternoon. We started up after lunch about 1:30.

The seminary buildings also serve as offices for the Indonesia Baptist Convention. This is a fellowship of about 350 churches across Indonesia. I met the president and some of the officers of the convention this morning. They told me that the president of the Asia Baptist Convention was coming today and wanted me to meet him. They said that he would be staying in Manado today and tomorrow on his way to a Baptist congress that is being held on Wednesday on another island. About 3 PM, pastor Ferry got a call telling him to bring me to the lunch they were having for this president of the Asian Baptist Convention. The pastors and students excused me and pastor Ferry and I went about five blocks away to a very nice house where the Indonesian Baptist Convention officers and several other people were waiting for this Asian convention president.

When he drove up they gave him the VIP treatment. They penned some nice flowers on his lapel, welcomed him with a glass of juice; really rolled out the red carpet. When he came into the room he immediately came over to me and asked where I was from and what I was doing in Indonesia. I told him I was from Kingsland in the heart of the hill country of Texas and that I was teaching pastors in the seminary. He asked if that was near Austin. He said he had been to Texas a number of times, to Houston and Dallas, but had never been to the hill country of central Texas. I asked him where he was from and he said from Nagaland in northeastern India. I told him that I had been to Bangladesh, just below Nagaland and that I hoped to visit Nagaland because I had heard about the strong Baptist influence there. He said that he represented 1.4 million Baptist in that region of India and gave me his card. He was introduced to the other people in the room and they began to eat. Pastor Ferry and I excused ourselves to go back to the seminary where the pastors and students were waiting. This took about 45 minutes out of our teaching time. When we got back to the seminary, I told the pastors that we got back as quick as we could. I told them that after the introductions I asked to be excused because there was a whole room full of VIPs waiting for me at the seminary, Very Important Pastors. The pastors all liked that.

We covered just about all of the material that I had planned for today by about 4:30 and it started to rain really hard. On our way back to the hotel we got into some deep water. It was at the bottom of one of the inclines and the runoff had not had time to runoff. Pastor Ferry said, “Don’t worry pastor Charles, it is only a small flood.” It may have been his accent, but it really struck me as funny.

It is very humid and hot. I am sweating a lot, but I then always do as many of you know. Today I sweat through everything twice. Beth packed me some gator-aid mix and I am drinking a lot of water. Pray for the remaining pastors to arrive safely and for everyone’s health. I’m just about back to a full sleep cycle and I can feel your prayers. God gave me insights today from His Word as I taught that overwhelmed me; things I had never thought of before about the parables of Jesus. Thank you for your prayers. The pastors and students are benefitting from them.

Indonesia Journal; Sunday

18 September, Sunday 9 PM:

The hotel I am staying in is called the Manado Quality Hotel. It is owned by Chinese. As you walk in the main entrance you walk past two lions, typical of all Chinese buildings. When I was in China I learned about these lions. They represent the philosophy of Communist China. The one on the right has his right paw on a ball that is slightly flattened. This represents balance and control as in someone who push down on a ball without rolling off of it. The lion on the left has his left paw on top of a small lion that is on its back. This represents domination of all of the other governments; control and domination. This is the opposite of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He sets us free from the dominion and control of the world, the flesh, and the devil. The Holy Spirit lives in us, with us, through us, as us, in the world around us inviting us to join Him in lifting up the Lord Jesus Christ.

The people who work in the hotel are Indonesian and are very friendly and nice. They know that I am a pastor and most of them have shared with me that they are Christian. I have learned the greetings, “Good morning, how are you, please, thank you…” As I greeted the hotel workers in the lobby they came back with a new greeting. I asked what it meant and they said, “Happy Sunday!” They said that Sunday is special day on this island and that it has its own greeting, “Happy Sunday!”

Pastor Ferry picked me up at 9 AM and we drove to his church, the Hope Baptist Church. It is a concrete structure on a steep incline. Everything on this island is on a steep incline. I noticed the first day that there were no bicycles but thousands of motorcycles. The CMA would have a field day here although these motorcycles are the small economy size. The Hope Baptist Church has about 100 members in attendance which are mostly young people in their 20s. the building is all concrete with a flat roof, a half wall with open windows (no windows), and four doors. Down the middle isle are concrete columns. One is right in front of the pulpit and has a small fan mounted at the top pointed down, right on the preacher. That was nice.

Before the service started it started to rain, a soft, slow, constant rain. I prayed for it to spread to Texas.  It rained like that the whole service. We started the service with a prayer chorus and prayed silently for about 10 minutes which is a long time to pray silently. Then the pastor led in a long prayer. We sang a few hymns, no instruments, and had another prayer. We read out loud Psalm 40, the men would read one verse together, then the women would read the next; responsive reading. We prayed again, and sang another hymn. They had three offering boxes on the table in front of the column in front of the pulpit, all three labeled. During the offering hymn people came up and put their offerings in one or more of the boxes. Pastor Ferry explained to me that there is a tithe offering, a “social” offering for ministries, and one for the operations of the church. Then they came around with an offering bag, which is divided up among all three.

Then they had “prayer time.” We had already spent about 20 minutes in prayer and by the time the prayer time was over we had spent about 30 minutes in prayer together. I preached from Judges 14 on Samson and how the gifts of God are given with instructions from God and about the Nazarite vow and how God’s Word addresses our spirit, mind, and body. With the interpretation is lasted about 45 minutes. Pastor Ferry said this is the length of most of his sermons. The invitation time was another prayer time. We sang, dismissed in a long prayer, and stood around and visited for about 40 minutes. Then we all went out (about half of the congregation) to a Chinese restaurant for lunch. Got back to the hotel about 3 and worked on the materials for the study on the parables and Pastor Ferry picked me up about 6:30 for the evening service.

The evening service is not at the church, it is at a member’s home. About half of us were inside and half outside in folding chairs from the church. There were two men with guitars inside and we sang songs (not hymns) and prayed for about 40 minutes. Their singing in the evening is different than the morning. They clapped, sang in harmony, had prayer songs, all with the two guitars which were out of tune. You couldn’t hear them much for the loud singing. It reminded me of the church services in Mexico and along the border. The Indonesia language also sounds similar to Spanish. I felt like I was back in El Indio in the mission. We had a ladies choir, then a men’s choir, then prayer time. Pastor Ferry preached in the door way from 1 Chronicles 6:4-8. I had never heard a sermon on that passage before. Since he did not interpret it, I don’t know what it was about. The only part in English was the Scripture reference. I asked him later what his message was about and he said it was about how God knows our name and has purpose for everything He does in our lives. If you have time look that Scripture up and see what he means. Pastor Ferry preaches through books several verses at a time. At the end of the service they brought in food, all kinds of food and a whole ice chest full of rice. It reminded me of the hospitality of the Ugandan churches with several different kinds of food. Pastor Ferry was kind to point out which ones were “hot” for me to avoid. He also told me not to worry that they had not prepared snake for that night. He said the story goes that if Adam and Eve would have been Indonesian, the Garden of Eden story would have had a different outcome; they would have eaten the snake! He also said that many on his island don’t like snake but since the others do, there aren’t that many.

Got back to the hotel about 8:30. The internet is not working at the hotel and my computer is not charging like it is suppose to. Will try to post this in the morning. Thank you for your prayers. Happy Sunday!

Indonesia Journal

 17 Sept. Saturday, 6 PM: 

Pastor Ferry picked me up around 9:30 this morning and we just got back from a tour of the island. Before he came this morning I got a good language lesson from some of the hotel people. I learned all of the basic words, I call them the foundation words; good morning, please, thank you, good, praise the Lord, coffee, water, and bread. You can almost be fluent with those. When we left Manado this morning we drove up a narrow hairpin road for about an hour; straight up a mountain road to the “flower city” which is beside an active volcano. It was amazing to me how high we went and how all along the way there were houses built on these steep mountain sides. These mountains are covered with thick timber, bamboo, palms, and jungle thickets, with beautiful boganvilla, high biscus, and colorful floral plants. In the flower city there were flower shops everywhere. The volcano had a column of smoke coming out of the side. Pastor Ferry said it is like that year round. His church has a mission in the city. I met Pastor Tgenge and his wife Nopha. Pastor Tgenge graduated from the seminary about two years ago and his wife is attending now. They will both be in the classes on Monday. The house church they started has about 10-15 and growing. This is one of three missions Pastor Ferry’s church sponsors. One is on an island towards the Philippines, a 24-hour ferry ride away.

From the flower city we continued to go up on hairpen turns until we reached a huge lake, larger than Lake Bucchanan, called Tondano Lake area. It is surrounded by five volcanos, all active. The lake is surrounded by huge rice fields. We ate lunch in a little “fish café,” fish, rice, fried corn, greens, and pancakes called “10,000 fish patties.” Ferry said each one has 10,000 tiny fish in it. It tasted fishy. Then we visited an important site called Love Mountain. The government has a park there dedicated to the five religions on the island, Catholic, Protestant, Islam, Hindu, and Buddhist. It is an ancient site of reconciliation with old rock carvings and hot springs steaming out of the mountain side. There are small churches and other prayer sites. Ferry said that long ago there were seven tribes on the island. They met there and divided up the island for each tribe to live there in peace. The government made a park there to encourage the five religions to respect each other and live in peace. There is a huge monument there with a dove and the globe on top. From there we traveled down, down, down, back to Manado. We also saw the third largest statue of Jesus in the world. It is one of the  things Manado is known for.

I also learned that the pastors and students have requested that I teach on the parables of Jesus rather than NT survey. All of the pastors who are arriving have already had NT survey and the dean of the seminary said that he can teach NT survey to the students next semester if I was willing to teach on the parables. He said it had been a long time since they had offered a class on the parables. One of the things I stress in mission trip training is to be prepared to change your plans. I have also been working on some discipleship training materials for the past several months and part of it has been on the parables (book 2 week 1 for those who are in my Sunday morning pastor’s class), so I said “Yes, no problem.” I will preach tomorrow morning and then spend the afternoon getting the material on the parables ready. Class begins Monday morning, 9-12, then 1-4 in the afternoon. Tuesday – Thursday, 8-12, and 1-3 in the afternoon. On Friday I will preach the graduation message…unless there is a change of plans. Looking forward to the Lord’s Day and the week ahead.

Indonesia Journal

Indonesia Mission Trip Journal

September 14-27, 2011

15 Sept. Thursday; 3:39 PM; Moscow

Just left Moscow. Arrived at 1:30 PM, which was 4:30 AM our time. It is now 6:40 AM in Kingsland, nine hours difference. Moscow airport reminded me of a third-world airport. Most of the people reminded me of spy characters from a James Bond movie. Some were reading The Help. They did not accept US dollars in the airport stores. I was hoping they would so I could get some Rupels in change. Had good flight from Houston to Moscow. Had three seats to myself and was able to get some sleep. It was a 10 hour flight. A bit bumpy, up and down and side to side. Beth would not have liked it. For me it was not too bad and it smoothed out after a few hours. Seeing all of the different people in the airport reminded me of Revelation 7 where it describes people from every nation, tribe, and tongue, standing before the throne with palm branches, singing, “Salvation belongs to our God…” The only difference is that the people here do not have joy on their faces like the ones we will one day see in heaven. Everyone here in the Moscow airport has a “down” look. I have been quiet and see it as a kind of fast in preparation for a week of talking next week.

16 Sept. Friday; 7:15 AM; Singapore.

This is the nicest airport I have ever been in. Had a good flight from Moscow to Singapore. Same seat, 54, third from the back row. Didn’t have three seats this time. Did have the one next to me which made it nice. Slept some. Thought about taking a picture of the bathroom here. Cleanest, nicest one I have ever seen. I have never thought about taking a picture of a bathroom before and did not want to start, but it was clean. Drank some coffee and water just to go back in before I left. Will board in about an hour. Free internet. Landed in Mandao about 1:30 PM. It was a 3 hour flight. I’m tired of flying. A man named Ferry met me at the airport. He is a pastor. He and David, a young pastor, took me to the seminary and I met the president and then on to the hotel. They said that the students were in hopes that I would teach another subject. I shared that I have notes on prayer, missions, spiritual formation, spiritual senses, and/or a book from the Old or New Testament. I will find out tomorrow. Ferry is suppose to take me around Manado on Saturday and I will preach in his church on Sunday. Praying to recover from jet lag. Got settled and went to bed early. It is very humid. Duh.

Disasters and the End of the Age

There are two conversations going on during these days of earthquakes, hurricanes, wild fires, droughts, and floods. One is that we are under the disciplining hand of God. The other is that we are in the lasts days and the birth pangs have begun.

In Luke 13:1-5, Jesus was asked about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. It seems that some rebellious Galileans had a worship service rally that got out of hand and the Romans came in and put an end to it and some of the Galileans died in the riot. But the local debate was over whether they were being punished by God for their actions and sin.

Then Jesus brought up another current event disaster, the collapse of the tower of Siloam. Apparently, there were some men of Jerusalem working on this Roman construction project when it suddenly fell on them, killing eighteen. Actually, Josephus, the Jewish historian of the time, recorded both of these events.

Jesus asked the question of both events, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way...do you think that they (the eighteen) were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

Then in Mark 13:7 as Jesus taught the disciples about the horrible events surrounding the end of the age, said this, "...do not be alarmed..." Jesus taught and encouraged His followers to never be afraid of "wars and rumors of wars" but to always know that He lives in us, with us, as us, to the watching world around us! No matter what is shaking, quaking, and breaking, Jesus Christ is with us and the world can know Him by watching and listening to us.

So how do we respond to the current events of our day? No matter what is happening around you, you can always repent of sin that is in you. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the lies you have believed. Ask God to reveal the barrier of intimacy with Him in your life. He is waiting for you to see His view of these things. As He reveals them, reckon (an accounting term for "record it") it as dead and be dead to it and alive to Christ who lives in you. As you see, hear, and experience these current disasters, pray for courage to help others through intercessory prayer and mission work. Repent of any judgmental attitude you may have toward anyone.

And as we get closer and closer to the end of the age, don't be alarmed or afraid. This is the day for being a witness for Christ. He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a saved mind! Let's reach out by going out and taking Jesus to those who are afraid. Let's make disciples for Christ by loving others and teaching them the ways of God. Let's be on offense, not defense. The devil is the one on defense. But Jesus said that his gates will not stop us from going in and robbing him of souls.

Today is the day for intimate prayer, intercessory prayer, for being a witness and making disciples, and for missions like never before. Repent and go out and tell somebody about Jesus!