I just got back from Tainan. I took the family down there to see Lena’s father get baptized on Friday. What a wonderful thing that was. But we almost didn’t make it, because Lena messed up the train booking, so we lost our reservation and had to buy the tickets again at the station, which was packed with people all trying to get out of Taipei for Tomb-Sweeping Day. I was looking at the queue, and looking at the time, and thinking, “We’re not going to make it.” I was about to turn on Lena and tell her it was all her fault for mixing up the dates, but then remembered one of the passages we’ve been pray-reading this week, “he who has faith will not waver” (Isaiah 28:16) which in the Chinese translation is 信靠的人必不著急 － more like “he who has faith will not worry”, so I calmed down, left the family in the line and went to asked for some advice. A helpful ticket inspector told me to go to another part of the station, where there were more windows. So I did, got the tickets, and ran back clutching them in my sweaty hand. Amazingly, we even got seats on the train, and made it to our old house in Tainan at 8:30, just in time to sing a hymn, say a prayer, and see Mr. Dong get baptized. Our apartment looked completely different packed with people from the church in Tainan, and it was weird to hear hymns being sung in there, but at the same time, it seemed to be what that place was always meant for. The raised wooden floor we have in an alcove opposite the bathroom even turned into a handy viewing platform to see the baptism. After it was over, I helped my father-in-law change. He was very emotional and was saying he couldn’t believe it had taken him so long to find Christ - he’s 85.
Last week was another big haul for our little group back here in Beitou - three people got saved, four counting Guimei - who we gave away to 3-1. The three were Shuzhen’s sister-in-law Qizhen and niece Jieyi, who turned to Christ at Jinmu’s funeral; and Li Jingling, who is an old friend of Shuzhen’s from Bali. That brings our total to ten this year. Quite amazing. We’re going even faster than we did last year. The only problem is how to build these newcomers up to become building blocks for the church.
That verse from Isaiah is about a corner stone, a block of granite in Zion. Paul quotes the same passage in Romans 10:9-11, but in connection with calling on the name of the Lord. In other words, when we call on the “stone” of Jesus we will not waver, not be shamed, and we will find salvation. In 1 Peter 2:4-5, the disciple says we come to the living stone of Jesus, we are reborn, Jesus enters us, revitalizes our once lifeless spirits, and makes us into living stones as well. Paul also says the rock that gave water to Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness was Christ himself (1 Cor 10:4), so we need to drink the living water of Jesus, grow in life, and be formed into living stones, that in cooperation with other believers can be built into something useful.
That’s a summary of this week’s message. Here endeth the lesson.
