Radio programs, conversations with JWs

During the last two weeks I had the chance to share on Christian radio here on themes related to other religious groups. Originally the plan was to cover Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, but we ended up covering Islam the second week instead of Mormonism, since the hosts wanted to have someone with more background on that share given how much Islam appears in the news. The programs went well overall. We looked at historical roots, beliefs, and points of evaluation from a Christian perspective, as well as some ideas for engaging with people from these belief systems.

I was encouraged by the positive feedback I got from a number of people at my church on the programs. A few people commented they had heard the programs about JWs and found them helpful. I wasn't expecting the programs on Islam to have as much direct relevance for people, but today at church one woman requested a copy of my notes on Islam and another told me that she found the programs on Islam helpful since her Christian niece who lives in the U.S. is married to a Muslim. Since I had no idea who was listening, this feedback was encouraging.

For now, I have finished my involvement with these programs, but they are open to possibly having me back next spring, maybe to share on Mormonism. The next few weeks I have a lot to focus on in terms of course prep for the coming semester and, in my free time, preparing a sermon to preach at church on the 30th. This will be my first time preaching in Colombia and is a mission themed week, with the assigned sermon topic being "The God of Mission." I haven't settled on a text yet to preach on, but it should be fun!

One last note on the theme of interaction with other religious groups. Almost every Sunday the Jehovah's Witnesses have a literature stand setup near where I catch the bus to go to church. I had struck up a conversation with them a couple of months ago (mostly on the Trinity) and had recently seen the same people back. Over the last two Sundays I've left an extra half hour early for church and had some good substantial conversations about the Watchtower organization, the New World Translation, and comparing JW and evangelical beliefs on salvation. I don't feel like there's been a lot of receptivity on their part, but I think that there has been some meaningful dialogue and that I've had some good chances to explain what it is that evangelical Christians believe and how we interpret the Bible to get to those conclusions. I have felt a noticeable spiritual struggle on a number of Saturday nights or Sunday mornings as I think about how to try to talk with them and point them to biblical truth. Please pray that God would continue to give me words to say and the courage to speak and that he would open their hearts to see more clearly what the Bible teaches about God and salvation. It's easy when talking with JWs to get led off on any number of only minimally relevant rabbit trails, so please pray I could have meaningful, focused conversations on the central question of who Jesus is and what he did for us.

At VidaAM radio.