"...that they should seek God..."

For those who tried to follow me on here, i apologize for not writing a lot. There came a point where i made the decision to get much needed rest rather than blogging. Now that i'm back in Troy for the fall, i actually have time to process and blog about my summer.

________________________________________________

One of the passages that i taught to all of our short-term teams this summer was Acts 17:16-27. When Paul was in Athens, he saw all of the shrines and the way people worshipped there. He began teaching about Jesus and about the resurrection. Philosophers in the city asked Paul to tell them more and they brought him to the Areopagus. He said, 

"Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god." What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is not actually far from each one of us" (v.22-26).

At RTN, we believe that every refugee in Clarkston is there for a reason. Specific place. Specific time. Specific people. We take no contact made as an accident. Coincidences don't exist there.

One night at a Backyard Bible Club, i invited a couple Nepali families to come hang out with us on the playground. Only one man, Nar, spoke English, so we started the typical get-to-know-you conversation. "Where are you from? How long have you been in America? Do you like it? Who's in your family?" Some of our Nepali church members were at the BBC, so i told him i'd like to introduce them. Me being American, he replied with surprise, "You have Nepali friends?" After making introductions, our church members visited Nar in his home. When the invitation to church came up, he began explaining that he and his family wanted to go to church in Nepal growing up, but their devout Hindu grandmother wouldn't let them. 

"She told us that we could go to church after we died. So when we moved to America...we sent her to Texas."

(insert laughter here)

"Nar, do you know why you are here and your grandmother is not?"

"No."

"So that you could come to church and learn about Jesus and know God."

Nar has been coming to RTN off and on, and our Nepali church members are visiting him and his family. He is hearing the Word of God. Jaymasi! ("Praise the Lord" in Nepali)

________________________________________________

Please pray that the Spirit would continue to work in Nar's heart and draw him to faith in Christ alone. Coming from a Hindu background where multiple gods are worshipped, one way to pray specifically is that Christ would reveal Himself as the One True God.