Deans' weekly update

We had one of our most interesting Sunday mornings in a long time. I had prepared a lesson about the consistent Christian life to cause the Mongolians to think about what it means to follow Christ. In exploring this topic I wanted to give them an opportunity to ask questions or make appropriate comments. I had an object lesson and a few pictures to show and prepared an illustration on a white board. So we moved out of the auditorium where I usually preach and moved into a smaller classroom where the white board and a few tables were. So rather than preach as I usually do, we had an environment and preparations that were more of a teaching lesson.

I was excited when a visitor came about halfway through my lesson. But he did not stay. He took Baysaa whose responsibilities include watching the property. Evidently, it was a neighbor who needed something. So he peered in the door, signaled for Baysaa, and left with him. I thought that was the end of it.

However, Baysaa and the visitor returned after a few minutes and both of them took seats in the classroom. After about ten minutes of listening, our visitor raised his hand to ask a question. Although I did not know it at the time, he had many questions. He asked about the return of Jesus Christ. He wanted to know if predictions that the end of the world was coming have any foundation in the Bible. He asked who the Eternal Sky is. Mongolians already have a religion, he said, and Christianity is not needed here. He asked me if I thought Genghis Khan was going to come back. (There is an Arthur-like legend here that one day Genghis will come back and rule all Mongols).

Of course, all of these questions were being asked in rapid Mongolian. Almost as soon as I could answer one question, he had variations of his question or another one ready. I could tell that he was trying to stir up controversy. Some people love a good argument. But I let him ask his questions for about ten minutes because it was good for the Christians to see that there are answers in the Bible.

Finally, he posed a question about Genghis Khan sending blessings to the Mongols that I had never heard before. I did not want to go down that trail because it was not related to the Bible. Also, he had posed several questions that I believed would be a good starting point for the Gospel but that I needed to prepare an answer for. So I asked him if he would come back next week to hear my answer to his question.

"What time?" he asked.

"Eleven o'clock" (We start late by American standards, at a fairly normal time for Mongolians.)

"I'll come" he said, "But I have work about this time."

This leads me to my prayer request for this week: pray for me as I prepare to share the Gospel based on an interesting reading of Mongolian history. For me it starts at Acts 14:17, "Nevertheless He left not Himself without witness." Also, pray for Otgoo our neighbor to come back to hear the lesson. Baysaa knows how to find him; if he does not come next week, I plan to go and find him.