Winter and Worship follow-up

So, I have to disagree with Maren. On the same day she posted that it is so exhausting, I had earlier commented that I could not believe how fast my body adjusted time zones. I feel no ill effects from the time lag. This eases my mind quite a bit because I had been wondering what flipping time zones would do to our boy.

I was very surprised by the worship service this morning. In addition to what Maren wrote, on our way out of the church, they were playing "Here I am to Worship" over the speakers. The church was certainly a throwback in most ways. It was simply one room with no fancy accessories. There was a speaker system and a powerpoint to contrast with the very old building. However, coming out to see the cordoned off area with the police stationed outside the church did make it feel "different".

I spent time after the service talking to the gentleman who spoke. It turns out he is a seminary student with one year left to attend at Guangdong Union Theological Seminary. This fellow clearly had a heart for the Lord. He worked a presentation of the Gospel into his service with a good emphasis on the individual/collective sin of man. This is too often missing in our modern day churches (Hope Church certainly excepted). I was VERY surprised at the clarity of the Gospel presentation and the unashamed teaching of the Word. I read so much about the persecuted church in China that I didn't know what to expect when going. Perhaps it is because we are in a city and an island that specifically caters to Westerners that it is permissible. I was also very surprised at the number of Chinese people attending the service. There had been an earlier service done all in Chinese yet probably 90 percent of attenders were Chinese at our Chinese-American service.

Following my discussion with this student, I took a walk with another fellow who turned out to be a professor at a nearby university. He asked if I knew anyone in the publishing business because he has translated a book into English that focuses on how the Holy Spirit helps us to understand God's Word. I told him I did not, but I asked if I could pray for him (thank you Pastor Larry for your regular example of doing this with others, even strangers). It was a neat moment as we sat in a park, and I was able to spend time praying for him and his efforts.

Hallelujah He Reigns.