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Glad to be a Wog

10:13pm Saturday, 8th October 2011

From an Eternity special reporter

In a scene reminiscent of Acts chapter 2, representatives from dozens of Mediterranean nations (and a few skips) gathered for the inaugural 'Wogs For Christ' conference on Saturday 8 October.

Fittingly, the venue was Rooty Hill's Multicultural Bible Ministry in Western Sydney where senior pastor, Ray Galea shared his vision for the conference to grow to 1,000 delegates within five years. Why, because Jesus loves wogs. After all, how many of us can claim that St Paul visited our ancestral homelands!

Proving the point, speakers followed the apostle Paul through his landmark stops in Athens, Malta and Rome.

Leading the Greek contingent, Pastor Angelo Gratsounas highlighted the distress that St Paul felt as he observed the city's idols. He contrasted the Athenian idols with our modern day idols and challenged us to put Jesus first.

Bringing a different perspective, Ray Galea showed the love God has for even the small nations. Malta may be a small island but it was important enough for the gospel - even if it required a shipwreck to get St Paul there. Ray compared the superstitions of the Maltese and their obsession with justice to the grace of God in Jesus Christ who paid the penalty for humanity's sin.

Elective sessions allowed for a more focussed discussion on the issues affecting wogs; especially those who confess Jesus as Lord and Saviour rather than merely observe formal religion.

Dr Malcolm Gill led a lively discussion on mixed marriages. They can work and be quite enriching when the example of Christ and the church as described in Ephesians is applied to the marriage relationship. Many blessings flow from the unique opportunities that cross-cultural marriages open up.

As with any wog gathering, food and drink, laughter and conversation were high on the agenda. Seeing Greeks hugging Turks, people greeting one-another with a holy kiss and swapping stories about how the Lord has worked in their lives was a testament to the power of the gospel for the salvation of all who believe.

Testimonies of God's grace encouraged delegates to remember that it is His work to bring people to faith. Mark Bonnici shared how he, in a situation of great need, found himself alone in a hospital stairwell with a Bible in his hand. He asked for God's help and almost immediately, a stranger came down the stairs. The stranger asked if he could help, opened the scriptures to him and Mark gave his life to Jesus.

Mark was on stage with his daughter and brother as part of the music team ministering to the assembled wogs giving praise to God for his mercy and grace.

Master of Ceremonies, George Statheos, looked the part of the rugged Greek male with his Miami Vice part-shaven look but he insisted that he shaved that morning!

Delegates finally reached Rome and felt the gravity of Paul's tortuous journey to reach the most important city of the known world. His testimony would finally be heard before Caesar!

Ross Ciano, with his father in the audience, explained the importance of Paul's message focussing on the Kingdom of God. The real seat of power and authority lies with King Jesus and all knees will bow to him.

The challenge to all delegates was the same as St Paul's to the Romans; King Jesus demands a response.

Some will listen, others will not, but those of us who attended WFC are proof that when the gospel is proclaimed, God's Spirit will open the eyes of those whom He has predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son.