RAPAS UPDATE

Address: 4 Shan Road #09-02,
LeShantier Apts, Singapore 328106
E-Mail: rapahome@aol.com

Dr. Bob and Esther Rapa and their son David are living in Singapore, while ministering to SE Asia on behalf of the Asian Baptist Theological Seminary. Prior to leaving for Singapore he was on the faculty of Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and continues his collegiate experiences as he is currently teaching at the Asian Baptist Theological Seminary and traveling to parts of Southeast Asia on their behalf.

ABTS meets a profound need in SE Asia for theological education, and more so, meets that need with exceedingly high levels of professionalism and quality. It is very gratifying to all of us at ABTS to see our alumni and graduates, as well as missionaries throughout the region speaking so highly of our professors and programs.

DECEMBER UPDATE:

Dear Partnering Friends,

We trust that your past year has been both eventful and fruitful for you in living out your faith. Esther, David and I have enjoyed getting further settled into Thai culture, working to advance the ministry of ABTS, and leading a team of gifted servants. It's been a good year, though not without its challenges. For example, in October we learned that our then-landlady had become fiscally insolvent due to some unwise property investments, and lost the house in which we were living. This necessitated a scramble to find another place. God provided in a wonderful manner, and we have a beautiful new home which we believe is much better suited to us and for which we have a two-year lease at a very good rental rate. The landlady reduced her asking price by over $150 per month because, as she told our lawyer Ajarn Sumit, she wanted "those nice people" to be her renters. This is just one illustration of how God works through your praying for us, even when you are not fully aware of what is going on in our lives. Your prayer does make a difference, and as we have said many times, we cannot do this without you and your faithful prayer and financial support. But because you stand with us, we remain confident in ministry because we know you are there behind us. Thank you.

I have attached to this email a packet of information explaining our recent transition from having ABWE as our sending agency to our sending church, Calvary Church of Valparaiso, IN, taking up that responsibility. This switch came about as a result of Calvary's Missions Team taking seriously the church leadership's directive to become more directly involved in strategic ministires sent out and supported by Calvary. The Missions Team identified the Rapa family and ABTS as one such ministry. You can read through the attached letters to get the full picture of how and why this has taken place.

At this special season of the year, Esther and David join me in asking God for His best for you now and in the days to come. As we remember the miracle of the Virgin Birth and the Incarnation, we remember also that Jesus did not come to earth to remain the Babe in the manger; rather, this was the beginning of a life lived out in service to the Father in our behalf. One of the richest texts in the New Testament pertaining to this is Hebrews 1:1-4. Allow me to share a few thoughts from this text that are especially meaningful at this season:

1. Hebrews 1:1-2 indicate that our God is the God who speaks. Our God took the initiative to speak creation into existence, to redeem through the Word, and He acted through that Word to bring us into relationship with Himself. In a gradual, progressive unfolding of His plans and purposes ("many portions and in many ways")stretching across the entire vista of OT history, God revealed Himself to be faithful to His promises as He prepared to send His Son, the ultimate self-disclosure. The son is God's fullest self-revelation. This is the true meaning of Christmas ("Immanuel").

2. Hebrews 1:2-3 picture Jesus as God's Eternal Son. Jesus is the heir of all things, the Agent of creation, and the God-Man. When Jesuis arrived in Bethlehem that first Christmas Day, he came "unto His own." As the Creator and Lord, He has the supreme right to claim this world for Himself; as the "radiance of [God's] glory" and the "exact representation of [God's] character," He came in love to to show us the essence of the Father's love for us, and to reclaim that which was rightfully His, lost in humanity's rebellion; and as the One who "upholds all things by the Word of His power" His arrival on earth was further movement in God's bringing all things to their proper conclusion, orchestrating human history to the fulfillment of His redemptive plan.

3. Hebrews 1:3 also shows Jesus as the Incarnate Son, Redeemer and Ruler over all creation. Jesus lived His life as One who was obedient, dependent, and submissive to the Father, serving as our surrogate. We could not be obedient, dependent, or submissive, so Jesus was these things for us. He served as our moral example, and became the sacrifice for our moral failure, our sin (Jesus was our "High Priest"). He made cleaninsing for our sin by means of His own selfless life and obedient death. His completed redemptive work was accepted by the Father, as evidenced by the fact that Jesus "sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." The Babe in the manger grew to be the Man who represented us, ethically, before God, and who gave His life as a ransom for our sins.

4. Hebrews 1:4 indicates that Jesus is God's Exalted Son, worthy of our worship and praise. The New Covenant mediated through Jesus' life and death is "better" than the Old Covenant, as much better as Jesus is better than the Angels who were instrumental in delivering that covenant to Moses at Mt. Sinai. And Jesus' Name, as Son, is better than the name of the angels. The name (term) "angel" = "messenger;" significant enough, as it identifies these beings as servants of the Most High God. But Jesus is God's "Son," His Beloved Agent for humanity's creation and redemption. By virtue of the completion of His redemptive work, Jesus is eternally identified as God's Son.

This Christmas, as you enjoy the festivities and joy of the season, take time to appreciate the richness of Hebrews 1:1-4: Consider the God who Speaks as the Initiator, Revealer, and Giver of Himself; Comtemplate Jesus as God's Eternal Son, the Creator and Heir of all things, the God-Man; Remember Jesus as the Incarnate Redeemer who made cleansing for sin, and as the majestic Ruler over all things; and, especially, worship Jesus as the Exalted Son of God, a "better" Mediator and Name than any lofty, holy creature. This will ensure you a very Merry Christmas.

With Love and Appreciation to You for All that You Are To Us,

Bob, Esther and David
Christmas, 2009