Preaching Indigenously

Today I had the privilege of preaching at a church that is truly Indian. They typically do not preach in English at all. Everything that is done is done completely within the context of the culture.

The music was lively and exciting. They sang for over a half hour. Their main instrument was a set of large bongos and a tambourine. Their prayer time was another half hour of time. I wished I could tell you what they prayed about, but it was in their own language, but if it was like anything I have seen in multi-language churches they were praying for everything from very general to very specific.

There were two services, one in Tamil and the other in Kerala. I had the pleasure of worshipping with them and then sharing the Word of God. They were a great people who accepted me and were very generous with their love. After I preached, everyone of them came up and thanked me the best way they could, which for the men is shaking hands and the women put their hands together, as prayer hands, and bring them to their mouth.

The other experience I had was this was the first time I had to drive my motorcycle downtown, which was a 40 minute drive. I had someone to ride with me for directions, but it was an experience I will never forget too soon. As my passenger said, it is like driving on an obstacle course, where the obstacles move quite often and erratically.

I have also been teaching two courses at the Seminary, Worldview and Apologetics. Starting this upcoming week, I will be teaching Pastoral Counseling and continuing my Apologetics class. Due to the fact that I have to leave in May due to my medical condition, I am staying as busy as my body will allow me for now.

This month has been a very productive and busy time. We are going to host another Ph.D. seminary in March. I will not be teaching, but will be helping to coordinate and make sure everything goes smoothly through the two weeks they are with us.

Thank you for your support and making all this possible. Your prayers are felt here and we are so thankful for all your wonderful support. We pray that God blesses each of you and that you are richly rewarded for all the support that you have given me and my family.

In the Love of Christ.