Singapore Sunday Night

Well, my time in Singapore is just about over. In the morning I start my way back to Los Angeles via Tokyo. Our meetings over the last few days have been tremendously productive. What a blessing to get to work with such capable godly men. I was just reflecting today that being with our leader from India and China the last few days represented two countries that account for over half of the world's total population. The enormous opportunities for the good news to spread is powerful.

The picture is of a hawker's market in Singapore. Think of it as an outdoor food court. They are all over the place in Singapore, on almost every block. They are incredibly cheap. So much so that a significant % of Singaporeans don't cook the dinner meal at home, but just eat at a hawker's market. They say it is actually cheaper than cooking at home. A family of four can eat for about $10.

Today we joined a church here in Singapore for worship. I've blogged before how amazed I am as I travel around the world to be able to walk into a church anywhere on the globe and find the Spirit of Christ the same. I ran across this devotional today which resonates with me:

"In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord." (v.21)

There can be little doubt that meeting together with other members of God's family is a powerful way of bringing about a changed perspective. Another thing that happens when we go to church or meet together in Christian fellowship is that we are reminded that the very existence of the Church in today's world is proof positive that God is on the throne. Voltaire, the French infidel, said: "It required eleven men to build the Church; I will prove that it needs only one man to knock it down." He was wrong on two counts: first, it was not eleven men who built the Church, it was one man, the Man, Christ Jesus, and second, no one can ever knock it down, for its omnipotent Founder declared: "I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" (Matt. 16:18). The mere existence of the Church is, I submit, decisive proof that the living Christ is in the midst of it. Voltaire is dust; Christ lives on. Think of the tempests the Church has weathered through the centuries. Think also of the persecutions through which it has victoriously come, and try, if you can, to account for this extraordinary phenomenon apart from the fact that its Founder and Protector is Jesus Christ. The next time you meet together with your fellow Christians, reflect on the fact that, although every generation has produced people who have predicted the downfall of the Christian Church - it is still here.

--Selwyn Huges

I ask for your prayers as I travel home--safe flights, health, and some rest.

God bless,
Elliott