Pray for INSTE in Macau, China

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Psalm 19:7-10

The law of the Lord is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the testimony of the Lord is sure,

making wise the simple;

the precepts of the Lord are right,

rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is pure,

enlightening the eyes;

the fear of the Lord is clean,

enduring forever;

the rules of the Lord are true,

and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey

and drippings of the honeycomb.

INSTE Chinese Begins in Macau

"Macau is on China's southern coast, 37 miles west of Hong Kong. Like Hong Kong, Macau is a Special Administrative Region of China. The economy is mainly supported by gambling and tourism. In fact, its gambling industry is seven times larger than that of Las Vegas. Colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, Macau was leased out by the Chinese government for centuries before finally being returned to Chinese control in 1999. With a population of about 670,000 and an area of only 12.7 square miles, Macau has the reputation of being the most densely populated region in the world .

God planted the seeds for INSTE Chinese in Macau many years ago when a young couple from Macau, Vergil and Millie, studied at the University of Oregon when I was the pastor of the Eugene Chinese Christian Church. Millie had a brief introduction to INSTE while she attended our church. The couple returned to Macau after graduation but we kept in touch.

Three years ago, on one of our trips to Asia, Irene and I made an excursion to Macau from Hong Kong. The 40-mile trip only took about an hour on a high-speed Cotai Water Jet. Millie and Vergil were gracious hosts. In addition to the marvelous city sights where East meets West, we were treated to famous Portuguese egg tarts from Lord Stowe’s Bakery.

Macau city square

Irene loved the Portuguese egg tarts almost as much as she loved Vergil and Millie.

By Glio. - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=641076

But the highlight was our visit to the cemetery where many pioneer missionaries were buried, including Robert Morrison.

In 1807, Robert Morrison, an English Presbyterian minister, became the first Protestant missionary to China when he landed in Macau. Robert Morrison and William Milne's translation of the entire Bible into the Chinese language, generally referred to as the Morrison Bible, was completed in 1823. Although not the first Chinese translation of the Bible, it was the most popular and widely used Bible in China in the first half of the 19th century.

Morrison Bible (Luke 1:1-7)

So when Millie contacted me and indicated her interest in leading a women’s Bible study group using INSTE Chinese, I was thrilled and thank God for answering my prayers. The group was officially launched on April 17, 2020. This is the first INSTE group in a predominately Cantonese-speaking city. It is a small beginning, but what a beginning!

The sisters sharing at their weekly meeting

According to PRAYERCAST, six percent of the Macau population claims Christianity, but only 3% of that number is active.

As with many urban centers in East Asia, people are too “busy” to be concerned with matters of faith and do not think they need salvation. Even believers are too busy to seek a closer relationship with God. Please pray for Millie and the other sisters in the INSTE group. May they be blessed as they study and fellowship in God’s word through the Holy Spirit. May they be given opportunities to share their faith.

In Macau, drug addiction, prostitution and sex trafficking are common. PRAYERCAST suggested these prayer points.

Pray for freedom in Christ for those imprisoned by gambling addictions.
Pray for viable work alternatives for young people enticed by lucrative salaries in the gambling industry.
Pray for effective evangelization of tourists and immigrants from mainland China.

Please pray also for God’s provision for the completion of the translation of the remaining ten INSTE books into Chinese."

Ricky Poon, Academic Dean of Chinese Ministries

“They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.”

Nehemiah 8:8 NASB

Inste Global Bible College: Website

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