Eastern Home Missionary
Newsletter
Rev. Jai Mahtani
216 Thornberry Drive
Pittsburgh PA 15235
Tel: (412) 371-2299
E-mail: jaimahtani@msn.com
February, 2002
To:
Greetings once again in the Name of our Savior, who not only suffered on our behalf but
also gave us an example so that we might learn to endure suffering for His sake.
A widow from our Lynden, Washington congregation, an elder from one of our Grand Rapids
churches, and a young couple from one of our Chicago area churches all wrote this past
month to express appreciation for our eastern missionary newsletters. It is gratifying to
know that these updates are being read and enjoyed by our people. Our churches continue to
support the cause of missions, both at home and abroad, through prayers and financial
means. It behooves us therefore as home missionaries to keep our churches informed of the
work. Thank you for writing to us, and thank you for praying for us. We will try to keep
the newsletters coming!
For those of you who live in the Grand Rapids area, this is early notice that our
calling church, Southwest PRC, is hosting an open house on Sunday, April 28, 2002 after
their evening worship service. My family and I will be worshiping that Lord's Day with our
home church, and partaking also of the Lord's Supper. If you would like to hear a live,
up-to-date report on eastern home missions, welcome! I am sure details of the event will
be published in the area bulletins closer to that time. I am not sure yet, but I will
probably still try to send out a written newsletter in April 2002 for the benefit of those
who cannot attend this live update.
I am happy to report that the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ continues to be preached
and heard with joy and enthusiasm in Pittsburgh. The saints in the Pittsburgh Mission
dearly love the doctrines of grace found in the Scriptures and as taught in our churches.
Although we have had some absences due to illness suffered by different members of the
core group, we are thankful that the empty seats are usually filled with visitors. Most of
our visitors are friends or family of members of our mission, and we are happy for that,
because this means the saints are giving a lively witness of their faith. However, from
time to time we have also had encouraging visitors from outside our circles. Recently we
had two older ladies join our evening service. The one I had met at Phipps Center, a
beautiful indoor botanical garden that I recently discovered near where we live. I was
reading a book on the doctrinal history of the PRC, "For Thy Truth's Sake," at
the gardens, hoping at the same time to make a contact. This lady who came for our service
that week, is a volunteer at the gardens, and she gave me a lovely tour. She is a Lutheran
by faith, and it soon became evident she did not believe in evolution. We found out that
we are neighbors, since she lives only a street up from where we reside. That Sunday
evening she brought along a friend, who informed us that she listens to the Reformed
Witness Hour on Sundays. We also had several visitors come when the delegates were here.
Most were repeat visitors, but we did have one who found us in the local newspapers and
said he was looking for a Reformed church. While many of our visitors are what I would
call "traffic," a few among them have the potential of finding their home with
us. We labor in that hope, knowing that it is the Lord who will give the increase, in His
good time.
I regularly preach from the Heidelberg Catechism in the morning services. During the
evening services I usually either go through a book of the Bible or preach a series of
texts on a related subject. Having concluded the series on death, I have now begun to
preach another series at the evening worship services on the subject of suffering.
Although this series is somewhat a counterpart to the series on death, and although the
saints here have suggested a development of twin pamphlets - one on death and
the other on suffering - this series is not on suffering in general. Rather, the series is entitled:
"Suffering the Afflictions of Christ." While, of course, the whole question of
suffering in general will be treated, the focus is going to be on the privilege we have as
God's people to suffer for Christ's sake. It is hoped that, in light of the various
afflictions members of the group are presently facing, but also in light of the times in
which we live, this series will prove edifying for the core group but also evangelistic.
The first sermon in this series was on Colossians 1:24, from which I have taken the theme
of the entire series: "Suffering the Afflictions of Christ." The second sermon
was on 1 Peter 4:12-16: "Partakers of Christ's Sufferings." My third sermon will
be based on Psalm 73. I will take my theme out of verse 17: "Then Understood I."
How easy it is for us to forget that the suffering of the Christian is really a blessing,
even as the prosperity of the wicked is really a curse. Thanks be to God that He has given
to us His sanctuary, that there we might find rest for our souls. Then, and only then,
when the child of God by faith hears the voice of the Great Shepherd in His holy temple,
will he or she know what it means to suffer for righteousness' sake. I hope to continue
this series for a couple of months, leading up to Good Friday, the Lord willing.
We continue to have some thirty children coming on Wednesday night, and this is really
quite amazing for our small mission. The children of the members of the group come
faithfully, and we also have some children of our visitors attending. Because the waiting
room at the back was too small, we are now renting an extra room on the same floor on
Wednesday nights. The landlord has graciously agreed to let us use this on a
"payment-per-usage basis" and this has been a blessing. The behavior of the
children (and the adults too, I might add) is so much more quiet, peaceful, and
disciplined. Usually two of the mothers stay with the children in the larger room to
supervise them as they wait for their classes. Instead of twenty people crowding in the
small back room, they now have the space in this newly rented room to study or play some
board games. Visiting parents either join in with the kids in the larger room, or stay in
the back room to read or fellowship. The landlord is willing to allow us this trial period
for three to six months as we continue to monitor the situation for long-term usage.
It is heartening also to see a dozen young men and women meet to talk about spiritual
things. This group meets the first Sunday evening of each month. At our last meeting we
discussed "Personal Devotions" - what it is, when to start, how to do it, the
best time of the day, etc. Usually I begin with a passage of Scripture and brief
instruction, but then pose questions for discussion. Often, however, they turn the tables
and raise their own questions, and we have a good and profitable time. Last Sunday
evening, one of our regular visitors brought along his son, who is going through
rehabilitation for drug abuse. The 28-year-old man joined the discussion on personal
devotions and warned the young people of our group: "Walk close to God; don't think
you can get high on drugs and get away with it! I spent some $200,000 on drugs the last
four years - all on stolen money!" The impact on the kids was visible; my own kids
are still talking about this visitor and his comments. We committed to pray for him, and I
accompanied the father to visit the young man this past week. He sounded a good warning
for our young adults whose age's range from thirteen to twenty-three. I see a nice group
of young people developing and I am encouraging them to attend Young People's conventions
and other PR activities so that they might find yet other friends in the PR churches.
We have now concluded our studies on the five solas of the Reformation. I believe the
season has proven beneficial thus far, both for the members and for our new visitors.
Besides understanding the doctrines of grace we studied last year, the saints are now
equipped with the battle cries that must always be sounded for true reformation. One of
our mission members came to our last class with a prepared script on the solas. The
purpose of this class was to apply the solas to our lives individually and as a mission. I
will quote his words, clearly designed to encourage the missionary and the mission group:
"By hearing God's Word in the Scriptures every Lord's Day and through doctrine
classes, we have been brought to know the true God in His Almighty power, love, and
irresistible grace. His powerful Word, which gave us faith in Him, to be honored to speak
His Name to others. To give glory unto Him alone, to put away pride in ourselves, but be
honored to do His work, so others may be drawn to Him. He gives us comfort in afflictions.
The more we know of Him, the more aware we are of our sins, and the more we are ashamed of
them and pray that we will not continue in them." The rest of the class chimed in,
agreeing that the fruit of comfort stood at the top of the list. III John 1:4: "I
have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."
Some in the group wanted another doctrinal series, but others preferred a Bible Study.
The Lord willing, we will begin a Bible Study on the book of Romans for the rest of the
study season this year. I think it will be good to instruct them and show them the immense
value of searching the Scriptures in a systematic way. It will also be a good platform for
the spiritual development of the members of the group, as they learn to instruct each
other through studying the Bible together. It is also the mind of some of our members that
we should once again try the Bible Study format to see if this will encourage more people
to come. Some of the members have said that inviting new people to a class to study
doctrine can be intimidating. On the other hand, inviting others to a Bible Study is
easier. The Steering Committee, quite wisely, decided to do both: half the season
doctrinal series, and now the other half, a Bible Study. Now we shall see if indeed more
visitors come when we study the book of Romans.
Those of you who have visited our Pittsburgh Mission know that we have a lunch
fellowship every Sunday after the morning service. On occasion, I use the time to give an
update on mission labors, but always we begin with some singing of psalms and a prayer of
thanks. The last several months we have added closing devotions to the lunch fellowship, a
really nice addition. All the children now remain in their seats, or at least stay in the
cafeteria, instead of running around the school. The closing devotions make the lunch
fellowship so much more enjoyable. The men on the Steering Committee take turns reading a
portion of Scripture, making a few comments, and then closing in prayer. I must add that
they do a rather nice job with this. An added benefit of closing together with devotions
is that all the children now stay behind to help clean up. They love those squirt bottles,
and they leave those tables sparkling!
You will notice that my newsletters are focusing more and more on our labors in
Pittsburgh. Although I still occasionally travel to other places in eastern United States,
it is our prayer that a Protestant Reformed congregation can be organized in Pittsburgh.
Keeping that priority in mind, my travels in 2002 at least will be kept to a minimum. I
did visit the saints in Allentown, PA, and I did preach for Grace Presbyterian (USA) in
Lanham, MD in recent weeks, but there is no need for me to go to Fayetteville on any
regular basis, since we have another minister laboring there at this time. It is my prayer
that Synod of 2002 will approve another missionary for Fayetteville, NC, so that I can
continue to focus on the labors in Pittsburgh, PA.
One of the areas we plan to give increased attention to is radio work. The Reformed Witness Hour continues to be warmly received by many. Our local "promos" also draw calls and inquiries. I mentioned in the last newsletter that this summer (June, July, and August) the Reformed Witness Hour has asked me to preach my series on death. This will be heard not only in Pittsburgh but also wherever the Reformed Witness Hour can be heard. The local station here has agreed to give us several free station "promos" in the month of May to let its radio audience know about this series on death. Also, instead of restricting our "promos" to four times a year, we are now able to spread it out to six times a year (usually for a two-week period each time). Through this and other means, such as this newsletter, we hope to let people know about our mission labors in Pittsburgh and other parts of eastern USA.
Before I conclude with some family news, allow me to tell an amazing story. As a matter of fact, it was this incident that inspired me to sit down and write this newsletter. I spoke earlier this evening at the Indian Christian Fellowship that meets once a month for fellowship around God's Word and then around an Indian meal. I spoke on Psalm 73:17: "Then Understood I," part of my ongoing series on suffering mentioned above. The audience was attentive. The Word of God was spoken, and a call to come to the only Rest-Giver was issued. Where but in His sanctuary alone can we find answers to all life's painful questions, including our suffering? What I did not know was that in my audience there sat the only survivor of a gun-shooting that took place in Pittsburgh a couple of years ago. The young man, an Indian national, paralyzed from neck down, sat in special wheel chair, listening. His mother was with him. I was told afterwards that this was the first time they had ever attended a Christian service. Several came to me afterwards to comment, or to ask: "Is it not amazing that you should have spoken on suffering? Did you know this man was to be present?" I didn't, but the Lord did. Whether the angels in heaven rejoiced at the repentance of sinners, we cannot be sure. But we surely rejoiced greatly for the opportunity to bring the Word of God also in this setting.
Last week our twins celebrated their seventh birthday. Believe it or not, Jonathan and
David plan to graduate from high school, the Lord willing, in the summer of 2003. Many of
you in the Grand Rapids area knew them as newborn twins when we were in seminary. Esther
and I took them out for a wonderful three-hour dinner. Taking in the view from Mt.
Washington, we enjoyed seafood and talked about God's calling for their lives, college
education, summer jobs, dating and marriage (no interest at all), and many other things. I
reminded our boys that 4th February was also the birthday of my own father, who
has long ago passed away. He was a Hindu. In the mysterious providence and great mercy of
Jehovah, God took me (and my beloved Esther) out of heathendom. Now He has given us not
two, but eight covenant children to raise in His fear. Out of superstition my relatives
said at the birth of Jonathan and David on 4th February 1985 that their
grandfather, then dead, had been reincarnated. Our children know better. It is the promise
that God made to Abraham that is coming to pass. God has promised to call His people from
all nations and in the line of generations. For His truth's sake we continue to labor with
our children, with our churches, and with our contacts on the mission field. My family and
I continue to be thankful for the privilege God has given to us to labor in the ministry
in the PR churches.
With less and less travel to other parts of eastern USA, and with no regularly
scheduled visits to Fayetteville, NC, I have been able to participate much more in the
lives of our children. It has been particularly enjoyable to watch the boys play soccer
and basketball at school. Although the children do not always express it, I think they are
happy that dad is not gone away so often. I think I even heard Esther say the other day
that she really appreciates her husband being around nowadays. It seems that when the kids
become teenagers the wife actually needs the husband and father to be more and more at
home. Focusing on the labors in Pittsburgh, PA, I am thankful that I can also devote my
time and energy to my high calling as husband and father.
We thank you again for your prayerful support of home missions. When sometimes it seems
as if we are going nowhere, but that more and more burdens are being made on our people
for financial resources to do missions, please remember that the Lord of the harvest will
not allow His Word to return to Him void. He is accomplishing His purposes, mysteriously,
powerfully, to His glory, and to our salvation. Let us rather zealously, cheerfully, and
sacrificially continue in the labors God has given us to do, at home and on the mission
field.
Till next time…
In His Love,
Rev. Jai Mahtani