Telling Buddhists about Jesus

Everyday Ministry

Introduction

The first person to attempt to talk to me about the Lord Jesus was a young American woman who was part of a team of missionaries visiting the university at which I was studying. I was sitting on my own at a table in one of the cafeterias when she came over, sat down and said that she was interested in talking to people about what they believed. I explained to her briefly that I was a Buddhist and what that entailed. Her response? “Well, that’s ridiculous!” Out of pity, I resolved to indulge her for as long as she wanted to hang around. I hoped that it would not be long, and it wasn’t.

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The Spirit’s illumination

Thought

What is the role of the Holy Spirit when the Scriptures are being read or heard?

We sometimes speak of the Spirit ‘illuminating’ the word of God. What does this mean, and how does it happen? Sometimes Christians testify to a verse or a passage of Scripture ‘standing out’ and affecting them in a special way. Is this the illuminating work of the Spirit? There are other times when a student of the Scriptures sees a new aspect of meaning in a familiar passage. Is this what is meant by the Spirit’s illumination?

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When should I shut up?

Everyday Ministry

How to run a dialogue meeting

What’s a ‘dialogue meeting’? It’s one of those old jargon terms for a meeting arranged so that a single Christian speaker can discuss (dialogue) the claims of Christ with a group of non-Christians without too many Christians butting in. Perhaps these days we would call it a forum or consultation. In fact, it’s more like a press conference where one person gets to say his or her bit before being fried by the assembled listeners.

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