I experienced a truly amazing spiritual moment while teaching here in Indonesia. While talking about the teachings of Jesus, I asked the class to turn to Matt. 16:24-28, in which Jesus began, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." The interpreter, who usually asked one of the class members to read the passage we were discussing, asked the entire class to read aloud the five verses calling for believers to forsake everything to follow Jesus. The students read in unison of speech and also unison of heart. They are joined in a sweet and glorious fellowship around the Gospel of Jesus; a Gospel that will inevitably bring some suffering for these particular students.
As I listened to these students read these verses, I began looking around the room at those who were reading. In the room were students who truly understand the implications of these verses. They are young men and women who in some cases have been rejected by their own families and ostracized by their communities. They are future ministers completely aware of the truth that they will most assuredly face some sort of persecution in their future ministries. They are students who have left their families and friends in some cases never to return. They will go and plant churches somewhere else in Indonesia, which is the world's fourth largest country, consisting of 232.5 million people, and the largest country of Muslims, who make up 80% of the country with only 5% Evangelicals.
As I listened to these students read these verses with sincerity, passion, and enthusiasm, I realized that they truly get the essence of these verses. I have read and quoted these verses many times, have heard them read and quoted many times, and have preached on these verses. However, when I heard these Indonesian believers reciting them, I truly heard the verses and better understood them.
I could not help but cry.
BN
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