Taiwan Journal
Friday 8th October 2010
The OMF Taiwan annual conference has come to an end and I have returned to Taipei. After a day relaxing and exploring a new part of the city, I can now look back over the last week.
It is a special time when people meet together to truly honour Jesus and even more so when their everyday lives hold the same strength of desire. It was my pleasure to be able to help with the program for the teenagers and get to know some great youngsters who are clearly growing in Christ. Most of those I got to spend time with attend a Christian school together and are familiar with spending regular time studying and learning the Bible. Despite last week being something of a holiday for them, with lots of time to relax and just hang out with one another, they were also willing to share in daily Bible study and serve the adults in setting up for meals. Their knowledge was often matched by their honesty in discussion and inclusion of those younger than them.
It was exciting to see the way God has honoured the commitment of the parents through the gift of faith given graciously to the children. A gift that is not payment for their parents' work but God's continued goodness towards those who love him. I understand now why many children of missionaries 'catch' their parents' heart for serving the Lord wholeheartedly with the rest of their lives. It's a powerful thing to have parents with an all consuming love for the Lord and yet the choice still falls upon the children, to either follow the good example they have been given or go their own way, as so many do. And yet the parents could do no more for their children than live all out for Jesus, surely their is no more powerful persuasion.
How tragic therefore when parents are so consumed by their children that they try to make less of Christ in order to make it easier for them to enter his kingdom. They try to widen the narrow road as they care more for their children than the glory of Christ. And yet if they truly wanted to see their children saved, surely they should devote themselves to Christ alone. Surely there is no more powerful persuasion for following Christ than witnessing a life consumed by a passion for him.
I pray that these teenagers will continue to walk with the Lord as their parents do. That they would own their faith and follow the path that the Lord has laid before each one of them. That they would make the most of the benefits that come from living in a close community with other Christians, so that they will be strong in the Lord when the time comes for them to move on. I pray also for those who may be struggling in their faith, that they will cling to the Lord and grow in the grace (our theme for the week) that he alone provides.
The conference is a real time of encouragement for many of the missionaries, as they spend time in prayer and the study of God's Word. There were those present from each stage of life, some exploring the possibility of future service, some undergoing language study, some deep into their time serving in mission and some preparing to retire and move on to new opportunities elsewhere. Despite so many different types of people we all have the same need, to grow closer to the God who loves us and has called us to share in his mission to make disciples of all nations. Like the children of the missionaries, may we all make that choice each day.
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