Lord I stand in the midst of a multitude

Lord I stand in the midst of a multitude
Of those from every tribe and tongue

We are Your people redeemed by Your blood

Rescued from death by Your love

There are no words

Good enough to thank You

There are no words to express my praise

But I will lift up my voice

And sing from my heart

With all of my strength

Yesterday. as we sang the chorus above, a parade of 15 flags decended fom the balcony of our sanctuary. Most of them unfamiliar flags from the nations of Myanmar, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Turkey, Pakistan, Thailand, Sri Lanka. The flag bearers, dressed in traditional attire, came across the podium where they stopped and shouted words of praise to the Lord in the national language. I've witnessed similar scenes at missions conferences in America as churches celebrate the different places they are involved in missions, but this one was different. These 15 flags were from countries all in Asia, all in the 10/40 window, most predominately muslim, and all resistent to the gospel. All of these flag bearers were from these countries. They have come here to the Philippines to go to Seminary. Our church is working in conjunction with Campus Crusade for Christ to provide training for Christian leaders from all over Asia, particularty from countries where this type of schooling would be illegal. During the past month of mission emphasis at church, many have shared of their salvation and God's faithfulness through persecution in their home countries. Rejected by family and friends, loss of jobs, governmental persecution, and fear for personal safety have filled their lives since choosing to follow Christ. It is something most American Christians have never experienced. They have come here to study and learn, to then return and be Christian leaders in places where it is hard to be a Christian. They know the risks in returning, yet they have a passion for their fellow countrymen to come to Christ. It was quite inspiring to see these fellow Christians as we praised the Lord together, one congregation from many nations lifting up the name of God. The above chorus continues:

Hallelujah hallelujah

hallelujah To the Lamb

Hallelujah hallelujah

By the blood of Christ we stand

Every tongue, every tribe

Every people, every land

Giving glory giving honor

Giving praise unto the Lamb of God

If you are unfamiliar with this song you can hear a 30 second sample at: http://www.audiblefaith.com/music/realclips/sample.ram?song=200879

***By the way a prize goes to the first person who can email me with the correct names to the flags on this page. (all of the coutries are named above)