A visit to Sri Lanka

My visit this time (3rd - 17th May)was spent mostly at Baldaeus Theological College near Trincomalee in the north east of Sri Lanka.

I had been invited by the acting principal, Huthin Manohar (‘Mano’), a former LTS student, and spent the first week teaching systematic theology to about 25 students. They were almost all from the Tamil churches in the north and east. They were attentive, interested, intelligent and appreciative – all that students should be! There were some lively debates but no serious disagreements though one or two came from Arminian backgrounds and struggled with the doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints. Surely, they argued from Hebrews 6:4-6, this is the picture of a Christian losing his salvation? I worked hard to persuade them otherwise.

The second week was short – only two days of teaching, but seven sessions in total, with about 30 pastors from Reformed churches in the north-east, as well as from a church in Colombo. They had asked me to teach on Richard Baxter’s classic The Reformed Pastor (written in 1655) so five of the sessions were based on that. They found Baxter as challenging in 21st century Sri Lanka as he was in seventeenth century England. I also did a session on ‘shepherding’ in Scripture – the Lord as our shepherd and what that means for pastors. Also at their request, I gave a paper on worship – what it is, worship in the New Testament, and the ‘regulative’ principle (that we should only do in worship what Scripture authorises). Again there were some lively discussions and I believe the subject was useful for them to think about, even in outline.

We were joined at these seminars by a young couple from Free School Court church in Bridgend who were backpacking around the world.

On the first Sunday I enjoyed the fellowship of Grace Evangelical Church in Colombo. This has three congregations (Tamil, Sinhalese and English). On the first Sunday of the month (as when I was there) they gather for a joint service. I preached and took a Bible study afterwards. On my second Sunday I travelled with Mano to his home church in Mannar, north west Sri Lanka. Again I preached and led a Bible study. These are warm fellowships, both quite large – about 100 people in the services.

I returned from Trincomalee by the night bus from Colombo – trying to sleep in a reclining seat; but I had a lovely day in Colombo to finish off, relaxing in the home of Suresh, the pastor of Grace church. He and his wife spent three years in South Wales where he studied at WEST.

It was a rich time and, I pray, will prove to have been worthwhile. What strikes me increasingly is not the differences between cultures, but the similarity between us as human beings and particularly as Christians. We have the same sins, and the same kinds of spiritual problems although outwardly our circumstances may be very different. We trust the same Word, which speaks the same truth to us all. We love the same Saviour and worship the same God who will one day take us to himself, to be with him and his people from every race and nation for ever.