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Going Slow

I listened closely to his story, hoping my 7 months away from the language wouldn't inhibit my ability to understand. He spoke rapidly but in between the colloquial words I grasped that his family were not true believers. I had asked the group of seven young Bible students to briefly tell how they came to know Christ. The next young man started his story. Apparently just after being baptized his pastor asked him if he wanted to go to Bible school. Having been here many years, I have heard this story often. Everyone wants to get a college degree. But few can afford it. So, of course, given the opportunity one would say 'yes.' The question in my mind was did he truly encounter Jesus?

I had hoped that through their stories I would get to understand their background better. The pastor had asked me to come and teach the group about how to share their faith. But it was becoming increasingly clear that this group may not even totally understand their faith themselves. It is one of those lessons that time has taught us. Most Christians here don't truly understand the gospel. Growing up among many other faiths it is easy to assimilate these paradigms into their own belief system and imagine that doing good religious works like going to church makes God pleased with them.

So we read the account of Jesus and Nicodemus talking together about faith. We talked about what it means to be born of flesh versus born of the Spirit and how no work (religious or otherwise) makes us worthy to be received by God. Every week since, we have reviewed that lesson with the hopes that it will be ingrained in their minds.

I am beginning to see that sometimes you go slow in order to go fast. Sometimes you stop and truly minister to the Body and set it up for success instead of just flying through your curriculum.

Comments

In His Strong Arms said…
I admire your willingness to go slow. Indeed, I feel so many of those who profess to "christian" in our area of the world are not truly followers of Christ.
6:51 PM
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