Ponderings in the Pilippines...

So it's been about 2 weeks now since we first arrived here in Baguio City and man has it been a awesome experience. It's hard to sum up all that's been going on, but what I'll try and share are a few of my observations of ... well a little bit of everything. I'll try my best to present in a semi-orderly manner.

DISCLAIMER: This is sharing on my own life and may or may not relate with yours, although I hope it does or will at some point.

Gifts... in particular, musical-ness. Yes, musical-ness. People are so musical here! I think it's safe to say that the family and friends that we are living with possess, especially, musical gifts. Even so you can't help but notice that every other teenage kid can either pick up a guitar and fire off a riff off of guitar hero, or tap on something and put out a beat. Oh, and people can sing too! Like really sing, and do it with a ton of joy.

What really gets me excited however, is how these gifts can be used to worship the Lord. In fact, we've been planning away for a series of 3 Evangelistic Concerts over Holy Week. (In the Philippines Easter is celebrated over the whole week, sweet I know.)

I know, I know...It sounds fun, exciting, all those things, but what really gets me is that people are using their gifts for GOD! This phrase is not unfamiliar, but how often do we put said words into action? It has really challenged me a lot to ask myself... How often are we totally and abundantly blessed by God and yet failing to take the things entrusted to us and investing them? To further welcome in the Kingdom of God?

Let me ask this...Do we want this response:

"Evil and lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter?Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received my money back with interest!"

OR this one:

"Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master."
(Matthew 25:14 - 30)

I realize that often times we want to make sure that it IS in fact God's will that we are going ahead with this decision or that. However, how often is God's will for us so blatantly obvious, and yet we fail to respond or even acknowledge it because of some cowardly excuse? I'm not saying that we should rush headstrong into any or every situation with guns ablaze, but that God is working in us and through us all the time and our yielding to this is what will allow us to be "good and faithful servants". Whether it's a call into full-time ministry, to share the gospel with that non-christian relative, or even if God is calling you to be patient and grow in character and maturity. We should be living as if,

"...whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Col 3:17)

*deep breath*

This brings me to my next thought... Evangelism. Ack.. scary I know.

Anyways, it feels as though in my 2 weeks here in the Philippines, that I've heard more stories about people sharing the gospel with someone, and PTL recieving Jesus as their saviour and Lord, than I have in the last 2 years back at home! Let me put this into perspective... God and all the angels are rejoicing up in heaven when this happens, partying better than we know how to, when a single soul is saved!

For example, I'll tell the story of a brother I've been blessed to meet  here named Ralph. I think he has the gift of evangelism. Anyways, he shared with me yesterday how as he was walking home after a final exam (Oh yeah, shudder all you university students. This was during the all-consuming EXAM PERIOD, where nothing else matters except studying and losing sleep.) As Ralph walked by a couple of beggars, one who is blind and one who is an amputee, he felt a great prompting to share the gospel with them. A few days later he decided to bring them some food and he sat down with them and shared the gospel with them. They accepted. In tears. Par-tay.

Now think for a moment here, and I can say this because I myself am guilty of this (or well not really anymore cause Jesus died for me on the cross and took away all my sins), what is more Christ-like? Sitting down and sharing who Jesus is with a poor beggar (probably with bad hygiene), or sitting in the cubicle in the corner of a library, or office, or wherever you spend the majority of your day and telling yourself "well people will see what a nice person I am and somehow know I'm a Christian, and somehow God will reach out to them!"

I know what you're thinking. Different cultural contexts, or different calling in life, or "well, Moses is on a missions trip... of COURSE he feels the need to share the gospel with people." I recognize these things too, but what I'm saying and realizing is this. If we believe that there is power in the name of Jesus Christ, it has to come out of our mouths at some point! "We are Christ's ambassador's, as if God were making his appeal through us" Let's appeal people.  It cuts me to the heart, that I haven't had very many oppurtunities to "party" like it happened when those 2 beggars were saved.

These next couple weeks we will be doing Community Bible Surveys in the hopes that we can determine who in the community has a bible, reads it, and actually believes what it says. We will then hopefully be able to arrange times to have Bible Studies with those who are willing and share the gospel with them. I'm excited.

Are you?