Once a stoned outcast, cast out of God’s fellowship by my own sin, which exceeded that which got me stoned in the first place, I could be the topic of this post’s discussion. But rather I refer to Stephen, the first Christian martyr. He sets the stage for this week’s lessons, which officially ended ten minutes ago. I start my cycle of new classes on a Wednesday due to holidays and the shuffle that occurs in their wake. First of all, my primary school classes are only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with kindergarten domineering Mondays and Fridays. This means I teach the new theme first Wed, then Thurs and roll it over to Tuesday. That’s today. Today was also the day I came to campus only to find an unfamiliar young woman at my desk. Her and another gentleman were soaking up the air conditioner in our office patiently awaiting the start of classes of which they came to observe. They are the hodgepodge of SZU students that come every term for an internship. Molita and Michael were the two I had the opportunity of laying it out on the table concerning my classes, namely that they are not only to study English but also to study Bible: 圣经学 in Chinese, which is the language I used to relay the information.
Could it be that for the first time teaching about Stephen has instilled some extra boldness to his credit and that of our mutual Lord? I do believe so. Tying the stand that Stephen took with the stance Tank Man held in Tiananmen Square two weeks short of the 22nd anniversary of that event might also contribute. Surprisingly, in my last two classes today there were a few students who already knew of the incident. Statistically, these young whipper-snappers have more Bible knowledge than that of recent historical happenings. Praise God!
Of the few student teachers that came to my classes for observation, one left the classroom after I showed some courageous pics and while many things computed in my gray-matter micro-processor, one was that I was boldly going where I had not yet before to encourage the spirit of Stephen (and Jesus the Christ) be witnessed among the youth of my school. Please pray that I may be protected from the forces which could threaten my further chances at sharing the good news with the hungry souls here in China, or wherever the Lord Jesus may need me.
Preaching on,
David