Sunday, April 20, 2008

A little different

We arrived at church today to find out that there was a power cut. I've sometimes wondered what would happen should the electricity go off, especially in terms of the music. Normally we sing for about an hour with a keyboard, 3 guitars, drums and tambourines. Today we still sang for an hour but with no amplification, no keyboard, one acoustic guitar, drums 3 tambourines and no words. Everyone clapped along regardless and sang the songs they knew. It's always nice to have a change...

The father of the new baby mentioned in the post following this one was preaching today (Miguel's son-in-law). He told a story about his uncle who was the first convert in the area where he lived. One night his house was surrounded and he was tied to the back of a horse and dragged along the rough ground about 1km. He was asked if he would renounce his faith but said he couldn't renounce the God who had given him life and rescued him from his previous way of life. One man took a huge stone and crushed his head with it.

Just a few days later some of the men involved died naturally with no reasonable explanation. Some others went to the man's wife and asked how they could be saved. She told them how and they trusted Christ. She served food to the man who had lifted the stone and killed her husband. Now there is a church in that area! The church that Andrew visited last week in Huautla is in a similar region and the church there is not able to preach in areas close to the church. Remember to pray for them.

Once again we are reminded of the opposition to the gospel in areas not so far away from the City and challenged about our own commitment to our faith. How far are we prepared to go? What are we prepared to deny ourselves? How bold are we to share our faith, even in less threatening circumstances?

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