Resurrection life. It’s worth fighting for!

Death is final.  But there is more!  One of the most critical messages of the Gospel is that there is something after death.  Resurrection!  And it is a “more” that’s worth fighting for!  

A favorite song of mine by Sovereign Grace Music, sings, “You have been raised, the tomb has been opened.  Nothing can take away our hope in You.  You have been raised, You have been raised, the work is completed.  Hell and its powers have been defeated. You have been raised!”  (you can listen here: You Have Been Raised - Sovereign Grace Music]

Upon his death, Thomas Henry Huxley left a memorable quote on his head stone for all to see: “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” An English biologist known as “Darwin's Bulldog” for his advocacy of Darwin's theory of evolution, Huxley chose unwisely the “something” to know everything about.  In fact, we get the term “agnostic” from Huxley, which he called himself because, he said, “we can not know for sure that God exists.”  Primarily, Huxley didn't believe in the resurrection.

But on further review, another story unfolds.  Huxley saw both his children die at an early age, including the death of his beloved 4-year son, Noël (ironically, the French word for “‘Christmas”) leading to bitterness toward God.  At the funeral, Huxley was left fuming, saying, “The preacher’s idea of being raised from the dead is a blasphemy against all that is best and noblest in human nature!”  The stage for unbelief was set.

It was actually this belief itself, the idea of a resurrection from the dead, that Huxley could not find within himself to believe, leaving him not only incredibly pained at his children’s passing (no future hope) but also separated from God for all eternity.

The hope of the resurrection is, for Christians, the “more” beyond a better life now.  It is because of Christ and His victory over sin, death, and damnation that we have hope.  Interestingly, like Huxley, many Italians don’t believe. Knowing the resurrection is true, it is so sad that millions put their trust in their flesh only to be bitterly disappointed!

Paul the Apostle

Paul said, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching and your faith is in vain” (1 Cor 15:14).  If Jeannette and I didn’t hold to the hope of our salvation, we’d have quit awhile ago.  Italy is frustating!  It’s hard!  It’s uncomfortable, inconvenient and depressing!  Without the hope of our resurrection, we’d be overwhelmed.  Months without a car, weeks without a clothes washer, surrounded by people who seem closed to the gospel and not having friends with the same values all has a way of getting to you sometimes.

However, the resurrection is real!  Christ did raise from the dead!!  And one day we'll be raised also.  This gospel truth is the spiritual buttress that must transform every aspect of our thinking.  Resurrection living is what allows us to overcome death and dying.  It keeps us hopeful in the midst of this life, believing there is so much more in the next!

Amanda Knox during trial.

That’s why Italians so need to turn from their flesh and place their trust in God. Their political system and economy keeps heading downhill and Italians seem unable to change course.  Their justice system is a mockery, with over half of all guilty verdicts overturned by appeal, as demonstrated by the Knox trial.  The rest of the world talks of a travesty of justice.  Italians?  Happy the focus is off Italy.  Bad for tourism.

Huxley was man enough to get angry about a preacher, giving the gospel of a resurrected Lord who saves souls!  Italians?  Who cares.  In fact, some researchers believe only 1.7 million of the 58 million Roman Catholics attend church more than once a year.  And you won't even hear the gospel there. 

Priests and bishops in Italy are convicted of crimes like rape molestation, and drug dealing, the older generation  continue to be loyal.  Yet, the younger generation wants nothing to do with the R.C. Church.  To please parents and grandparents, they'll do first communion and baptism.  But most will never set foot in church again until they marry or die.  As you can imagine, atheism, magical arts and suicide are at an all time high.

Right now, the masses in dictator-led countries are fighting for democracy to be free of tyrants who’ve murdered and pillaged for years, some secretly, only to find mass graves of millions of people.  In Egypt, Libya, Syria, and even in Iran, the people are fighting for liberty and justice.  The world is enraptured.  America is helping the fight.  Italians?  An Italian recently quipped to me, “You Americans still need to make war.  Us Italians have once ruled the world so we already know what that's like.” 

It appears that Italians have not much of a fight left in them for truth and justice.  In Ancient Rome, dignitas (pronounced 'dee-ni-tahs'), derived from things such as reputation, moral standing, and ethical worth, caused a man or country to fight to the death for what’s important.  But today in modern-day Italy, the only change Italians want, from the words of Tomasi of Lampedusa, is when “everything must change so that everything stays the same.”  They have settled for a clouded wisdom of Solomon, intoxicated with many wives late in life, who wrote, “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil” (Eccl 2:24). 

So Huxley and Italians actually have a lot in common.  They don't believe in the resurrection or don't care even if it is true.  When you've stopped searching for what is true about God, you lose your north star.  God is not in control.  Pain and suffering (or fear and doubts) have led these with no gospel hope to settle for less than God’s very best.  Disillusioned with life and the world, the only thing they want is status quo...and then you die.

The worst news?  Some 57.4 million (out of 58 million) have not one soul to proclaim the grace of God and His amazing love.  They cannot comprehend what they do not know.  And they cannot know what because there are no Christians telling them.  And so they neither want nor are having their lives affected by the resurrection.

Well, we joyfully report we are doing everything we can here in Chiavari to give them that resurrection!  And though the culture and people around us care little for God, Christianity, Jesus or the gospel, we are really trying to reach those around us and God seems to be blessing.  And we are thankful.

We have developed a wonderful relationship with our Italian friends, Giousuè and his wife, Edi and family, a man Lee is kind of discipling and encouraging in his walk and for future leadership in the church.  One prayer request would be for Giousuè as he is still holding to the idea that he can lose his salvation.  He and his family are wonderful and we hope they will be an important part of our future church and ministry.  They recently showed their love and support for our family and our ministry by donating 500 Euros to us and our ministry, considered a huge gift anywhere but especially here in Italy. 

We also are developing wonderful relationships with unbelievers like Vicenzo, Laura Mario, Cristian, Alexander, Marina, Gianluca, Loredana, Alesia, Sara, Cristine, Lucia, Monica, Brenda and about 50 others!  We are sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to them and they are listening.  Please pray for this!  Even Franco and Sara who own the pizzeria where we hold our English classes seem to be touched by our joy and hope.  That's not to mention that we've been offered two other locations in the last month to hold our ESL classes!

ESL has begun, again!!  Once again we started our English classes this fall, our 2nd full semester here in Chiavari.  After passing out 4,000 leaflets in town and putting them in peoples’ mailboxes, and this time we saw over 75 signed up and after the dust settled, we now have over 60 students!  One month in, this seems to be the best group ever and they are very excited about our scheduled activities.  We had over 20 of them attend a bowling night recently.  It was a blast!  It was obvious that we have some new friends!

Last Saturday night, we had a game night for our ESL students with lost of fun games and Giousuè, one of our students, and his wife, Edi came over early and made homemade Italian pizza for everyone!  We are now planning for a big Thanksgiving meal for all our students and their guests where they will hear the teachers' testimonies and the gospel and taste their first ever Thanksgiving meal.   

We have other events coming, and soon we will be offering bible studies and one-on-one times with “Christianity Explored” for students who desire to improve their English.  God tells us to be as wise as serpents but as innocent as doves.  So if they want to spend time out of class to learn, we will be asking them to do this bible study in English!

By the way, Nate and Dawn, our current teachers are doing great!!  They both love the Lord and are having so much fun getting to know the Italians and sharing God’s love.  We’re also thankful to have two new teachers, Carisa and Jaimie Lynn, committed to coming Spring 2012 and  three other young people hoping to help for fall 2012 and spring 2013!  Praise God.  

This last summer, we began doing evangelistic ministry in the parks, at the beach and in the city, with other Italians helping us.  You might remember hearing we had a 12-year old girl, Maria, accept Christ.  We also now have invested in some puppets and use these and do balloon-making and usually tell stories to help reach the children.  We’re having one of our last events at the park for the fall season on Friday, the 21^st.  Please pray for this.  We’ve actually met many Italians in Chiavari this summer as well as others and we are doing our best to build relationships to share the gospel (what they call “relationship evangelism”).  We hope these contacts will become Christians!

Also, right now, we have a young lady, Kailey, 25 years old, visiting us for 10 days with the desire to serve our ministry full-time, helping to reach youth and do children’s ministry in Chiavari.  She has a big heart for children and with her helping us, it will allow us to do more evangelistic outreach to children like ESL classes for kids, kids bible studies, evangelistic outreach in the parks, etc.  Please pray for us and her in this.

There are also others inquiring now about joining our ministry so please pray God would bring the perfect combination of team members that He might be glorified in this, a movement of God for His glory and by His grace (called “La Verita Di Grazia Ministeri” or “The Truth of Grace Ministries”) in the future.  Pray for discernment, for God’s will to be done, that He would be greatly glorified through our ministry.  By the way, please feel free to check out our new ministry website at www.LaVeritaDiGrazia.weebly.com

We do continue to need more resources, people and money.  Given our desire to do a wide variety of ministry activities that would be served by some space, including the desire to start church services soon, we have begun the process of considering how we might rent or acquire a location in the city center.  If you have an interest in praying or  helping with this financially, please let us know.  We are trusting God for great things!!

Steve and Ann Lawson, pastors of ours in Ark., Jeannette and I and MacArthur

In closing, a special treat for Jeannette and I, was we were recently offered a full scholarship to the John MacArthur conference in Perugia.  It included  conference, hotel and food.  It was wonderful!!  We spent the week, listening to great teaching, meeting wonderful new friends and contacts, and growing in our Christianity.  It was a special time for Jeannette and I.  A neat highlight was meeting John MacArthur, getting a picture with him and having him say to us, “Lee and Jeannette, I really respect you and your decision to come serve Christ here in Italy.”  Very kind.

Well, in contrast to Italians and Huxley, our resurrection focus as Christians is on “storing up treasure for yourselves as a good foundation for the future, so that you may take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Tim 6:19).  We want you to know we are doing all we can to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt 6:20).  And reminding ourselves constantly of what Paul said: “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil 3:8).

We want you to know that you are like a miracle of God to us; you make it all possible.  You too have trusted in the resurrection!  You too are storing up treasures in heaven!!  And you too believe in the hope of the resurrection!  So you know there is hope for Italians to know the gospel and be saved!  Thank you for caring enough to help us make this possible!  For caring for what is honorable!  For the gospel!!!!  For the more that is worth fighting for.  We love you.

In His marvelous and glorious love,

Lee, Jeannette and family