presenting the unchanging gospel in forms ... - Global Interaction

of their studies. Samet says he will have something
very special to teach his friends back home, most
of whom have never learned about Jesus.
Nap joins the group
Let us return to Nap’s journey. He had watched
Samet and Tenon as they were drawn to Jesus. At
around the time when Samet and Tenon decided to
become Jesus-followers, Peter wrote, “Please pray
for another friend who occasionally joins us, called
Nap. He has a quiet but searching soul.”
By March 2007, Peter was able to write, “Pray for
Nap, a friend of Samet and Tenon, who is seriously
seeking God. It appears that family pressures are
holding him back from making a commitment.”
By May, Nap was meeting regularly with Tenon
and Samet, and they were often joined by other
students. Nap refl ected on the scriptures and
prayers Peter gave him. Peter wrote, “The hunger
is there but he still wants to know for sure. Please
pray, as Nap has asked, that Jesus will break into
his life in a special way.”
Nap longed for God to speak to him in a dream,
as he had with Samet and Tenon. But, instead,
God revealed himself and what Christ had done
through the Bible and a growing sense of the Lord’s
presence and peace during his times of prayer. For
a year or so, Nap wrestled with the implications of
becoming a follower. “Is this for real?” “How would
my family feel if I became a follower of Jesus?”
“Would I help or hurt my community?”
Meantime, friends in Australia who receive Peter’s
newsletters prayed regularly for Nap and his friends.
They were delighted in October to read, “We praise
God for your persevering prayers. Nap has decided
to become a follower of Jesus.”
Peter wrote recently, “When we see Samet, Tenon
and Nap and some of the struggle they are going
through, we often think of the three young men of
years gone by: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,
young men who found themselves as exiles learning
in the courts of the idolatrous Babylonians; young
men who were willing to live faithfully in the midst
of empty philosophies and pleasures...Samet, Tenon
and Nap are living faithful lives where they believe
God wants them to be at this point of time. When
asked to join in a ceremony that might compromise
their faith or do a task that would provide a poor
witness, they refuse. When they awake at 4.30 am
each morning, they spend several hours feasting on
the scriptures. Most mornings they meet to discuss
what God has been teaching them. They are now
regularly joined by other students.”
Peter meets with them when it is possible, but this
is not as often as he would like. From a human
point of view, these young believers appear to face
a precarious faith journey, trying to grow to maturity
with insuffi cient guidance from experienced
believers. In their Buddhist context and with limited
regular teaching, it is easy to imagine that they
could drift toward inaccurate interpretations of the
Bible and syncretistic practices.
However, we can trust that they will grow and mature
with the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. They
will learn to live, worship and be witnesses of Jesus
in ways that refl ect their own culture rather than
Peter’s culture. What fantastic potential!
How did all this begin?
Back in 2006, Peter and his wife had been in the
country for a few years, learning the language,
gaining an understanding of the culture and praying
that God would lead them to locations where they
would focus their ministry efforts and resources.
Initially, they anticipated that their ministry would be
focused on stall holders at the market.
04 FEBRUARY 2008 | VISION | GLOBAL INTERACTION