"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me" (Isaiah 6:8).
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (I Corinthians 15:58).
The program is conducted on Thursday evening at 20.00 - 21.00 PM. Our team (leaders from several churches of Christ) had set general topics of the Bible to be presented in the classes, and some topics were taught in October. Every class has a prayer, moderator, teacher, and co-teachers. After prayer, the teacher presents a lesson, then moderator will encourage prospects or students to ask questions, and teachers and co-teachers will answer those questions from the Bible. It is very interesting to them that we always bring them to the Bible, and the Bible itself answers the questions, although sometimes we support what the Bible says with facts from from history, archeology, and other sciences. We also encourage those students/prospects to study one on one with preachers and to visit churches of Christ in their cities, like in Jakarta, Manado, Surabaya, and other cities. We never know, one day some of them will obey the gospel of Christ.
Thankful to God for His blessings upon mission work I have been doing in Makassar. I appreciate for your supports and prayers as well for this mission work. The report of the work for November 2022 as follows:
Teaching New Prospect
A new prospect was interested in studying the Bible one on one with me. We have just started lesson 1 of SFT on 26 November 2022. We opened the lesson sheet by asking her to read the three questions on front page and choose one the most interesting question of them. Then we went through the whole lesson. She was very enthusiastic. We have planned to study once a week on Saturday.
Distributing Tracts and Books
I kept distributing tracts regularly to people. In addition, I also gave some books to certain people. The books are free from a local church in Jakarta, Blok M Church of Christ. The books are printed every month and distributed to the local congregations in Indonesia, including Makassar Church of Christ. In November, we got 2 volumes, Commentary of Mark and Why Am I A Member of Church of Christ. The books are very useful for Bible study and to contribute others.
Translation Projects
I continued to translate two books entitled "Life-Changing Questions" and "Bible Study Program." Hopefully they have been be closer to the end of translation so that these books can be printed and used in Bible classes, personal reading, and even as a reference books that have rich information.
Online Bible Courses
I still regularly responded new enrollments and checked the answers of students submitted in these Online Bible Courses. Many of them had been rewarded certificates after the completion of all courses, even some of them took three different series of Bible courses and also joined the virtual Bible class, and some wanted to study one on one.
Virtual Bible Study for Prospects (Denomination Members)
Discussion About The Church
I know a denominational pastor. I had discussion about the church with her. I began asking her about how if people today were living in the first century, which church would they be members? She answered, "In the first century, known Christians were Jews, because they also often visited and worshiped at the temple of God, the Synagogue and obeyed the law (of Moses), so they were called Jewish Christians (modern Judaism). Acts 11: 26, it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians." Then I continue asking, "How many were the church built in the first century?" I got her answer, " The church that were founded in the first century, there are 3:
1. The Jewish Church.
2. The Roman Catholic Church.
3. The Ancient Greek church.
In the first century, Christians became members of the Roman Catholic church."
I kept asking another question, "Did those in the first century obey and keep the law of Moses or the law of Christ?" She said the law of Christ. Her answers show that she does not know the history of church establishment in Acts 2 and she is not consistent about keeping the law of Moses or the law of Christ. I gave her an article, "How do we view old testament today?" and asked her to read and what she does think about it. We stopped our discussion right here while waiting for her answer. I plan to use SFT in teaching her later.
Bible Class
Makassar Church of Christ continued to conduct the Bible classes on Sundays after worship using a book entitled "The Beginning of Our Confidence" (lessons designed for new Christians) as well as other topics. These lessons can help church members to grow in the knowledge of God's word and apply them in daily life.
Sunday Worship
We worship regularly at a rented building or sometimes at our house every Sunday. Sometimes brethren from other local congregations who come to Makassar also attend worship assembly at Makassar Church of Christ.
Attending A Preacher's Workshop at North Sulawesi School Bible Studies
I was invited and honored to be one of speakers in this preacher's workshop. The workshop held from 18-19 by North Sulawesi School of Bible Studies in Manado, North Sulawesi. The topic I presented was "The Growth of the Church Through Multimedia." During this workshop I met many preachers and leaders from many local congregations. Some preachers shared their experiences of work in their respective local congregations. We also had great opportunities to share more experiences and discussed ideas outside of workshop schedule. All of these give insight, knowledge, ideas, and encourage everyone to work harder for the kingdom of Christ.
Visiting the Sick at Hospital
On 5 November 2022, I visited again one of my relatives that has a breast cancer and has been undergoing series of chemo since last September before surgery. I encourage her and her daughter who has been accompanying her to face this situation with enthusiasm for and I also gave her a book (Why I Am A Member of Church of Christ) to read.
Again, on 11 November 2022, I visited a niece who was hospitalized. She had a bladder infection. I prayed for her and family.
Makassar, 05 Desember 2022,
Harun Tamale
Mission Monthly Report in Makassar Under the supervision of GSJKDI Sawangan, Sawangan Village Jaga IV, Kec. Tombulu, Minahasa, North Sulawesi 95662.
Email: haruntamale@gmail.com
Blog: https://mission-report.blogspot.com/
