God is full of surprises. Joseph the slave saved a nation. David the shepherd boy killed Goliath and became king. Gideon the coward annihilated the Midianite army. Paul the destroyer of the church became the greatest church builder. Jesus, born in a manger and crucified as a criminal, is the only way to God. The innocence and simplicity of a child becomes the standard of Christianity.
Our theme for this issue "Enter The Dragon” comes from the movie that catapulted the late Bruce Lee to international stardom. Of course, we use the title as a call to take the good news of Jesus Christ to the 1.2 billion people of China. This largest, most populous nation of all times has nearly five times as many citizens as the United States. Next to the Middle East countries, China remains the nation “officially” the most closed to Christianity.
What chance would thirty “would-be disciples,” who first met together in Boston in 1979, have to turn the world upside down? About the same chance that the teenage shepherd boy David had to kill a nine foot Goliath and rout his army of thousands. But David won, against all odds, and God is using the small Boston beginning in just as amazing a way. This issue of L.A. Story is a report of the tremendous growth in God’s kingdom.
Today we honor our teens. No, this is not National Teen Week or graduation time. It is just the right thing to do. Stand and Deliver is an inspiring movie about teens, and it is a true story. In it Edward James Olmos stars as Jaime Escalante, a man who gave up a high-paying job in electronics to teach inner city high school students. He discipled them, and they became champions . . . in calculus.
Doubting Thomas grew in his faith and became Daring Thomas, and the first century church flourished. Nineteen centuries later the Daring Thomases are back, and the church is flourishing. The last time Gloria and I were in India was October 12, 1986, for the first service of the church in Bombay. The team of 12 from Boston were tough and seasoned. Their level of sacrifice is modern-day legend: the one-suitcase challenge. Each member and each child took with him only what would fit into one suitcase; everything else was either sold or given away.
In only one week we have personally witnessed the South Florida Church of Christ appoint their first two elders and attended the black tie National Health Awards ceremony in New York City where Proctor and Gamble presented HOPE for Kids its 1994 award for outstanding achievement.
As I write this editorial ond consider the needs of disciples around the world who will read it, I think about the news of the past few days. Worldwide attention and concern has been focused on the unstable situation in Haiti and the involvement of U.S. troops there. Sadaam Hussein, the has-been despot of Iraq is able to threaten the entire Middle East peace process and force concerned nations to send thousands of troops to Kuwait to call his bluff.
It was a real "Garden Party" Sunday September 18, over 8000 in the Boston Garden Celebrated the fifteenth anniversary of the Boston Church of Christ.
In Habakkuk 1:5 God talks about his people being "utterly amazed". A modern phrase that fits that mental image is "Blown Away." That is just what all of us in the L.A. Church have been as we have seen God's mighty works in the past few weeks.
