As I was thinking about it all I started to see how in some ways that they have alot of similarities.  Here is what I am learning:

-All three will force an increased capacity:

Capacity:  The ability or power of something to do, to produce, to experience, or to understand.

We can only carry on capacity from our last seasons for so long.  If we are growing in God, we will inevitable come up against an assignment that is greater than our current capacity to accomplish it.  When we reach the end of our capacity, we can choose to regress from that point on or we can choose to be stretched.  When I think of  greater capacity, I think of a boxer who takes loads of punches in practice before he gets in the ring.  The more pain he takes in practice, the less pain he will probably experience in the ring.  We all have a capacity, but in order to grow our capacity we must be stretched, expanded, and sometimes even pounded!

-In all three we need a mentor, someone to look up to, who is living on the other side of change:

In P90x, it is why transformation videos are so powerful.  Here is a real life person who’s been there, done that.  They have felt the pain, made the sacrifice, and seen the rewards.  In language, for me it’s seeing a fellow worker easily explaining him or herself to a Thai person in Thai, getting a laugh from a joke, and preaching a heartfelt sermon without even having to think of the translation.  In evangelism, it’s having a friend who was once as nervous and even scared as you feel sometimes, but has learned how to manage his emotions and effectively share his faith in way that both heartfelt and easily understood.  Someone who has broken out of the boundaries and has seen incredible things happen in Jesus name as they chose to step out.  The fruit of their lives is the fruit that you want in yours and even greater!  You can see that it CAN be done even when your brain is screaming “It’s hopeless.  Don’t even try it.”

In all three you will face temptations to take short cuts:

There will come a a time when you want to stop short, slack off, or avoid them all together! All three require focus.  Even withfocus, you will hit a slump at one time or another.   But you have to pick yourself up again, redouble your efforts, regain your focus, and press on.  One of the things that separate winners from losers many times is that the winners never gave up.  They may have felt the same pain, the same struggle; but they decided to keep moving forward….which leads me to my next point.

All three require perseverance in order to be effective:

There will be a reluctance to do all three at first-change is naturally uncomfortable, so not changing has to become more uncomfortable than the thought of the new changes you desire in your life.  We have to come to a place of desire that exceeds our reluctance.  Our pain of staying the same has to be greater than the fear of the pain that will come because of change.  I am naturally a lazy person and I want to give up sometimes….well, alot of times.  But I remind myself of the pain of staying the same and I press forward.  If I blow it, I simply refuse to give up and I get back up and try again.  I heard someone once say, “If you are already in a hole, the best thing to do is stop digging.”  Get out of that thing, get your head straight, ask God for help, and move on.  I like what Tony Horton says in P90X, “Do your best and forget the rest.”  Good words to live by.

Preparation is required for each :

I find that when I am getting ready to make a big shift in my life I have to prepare myself mentally for it.  It’s more than simply physching myself up for the challenge.  It’s making sure that I have all the right tools I need to succeed and do well.  I check my margins in life and ensure that I have the time and available energy to go for it.  I have to see myself walking through my day and accomplishing my goals.  If I can’t see it, the chances are that I won’t be able to hold out for long.  If I can see it, I can do it.  If I have honestly looked at where I am and where I want to be, then I also need to fill in the gap to know what it will take for me to get there.  This is where setting goals and putting time frames on them is handy. In evangelism, it’s not about having canned responses to questions people ask, but knowing the scriptures and hearts of men well enough that you are prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope that you have.  It takes ongoing preparation and diligence to ask the hard questions and search out your own answers.

All are uncomfortable and a little painful when your first start:

My first week of P90x I was more sore than I can remember being in a long time.  But I knew that this was part of the process and I would be over it soon.  In language I knew that I would have to become like a child again in many ways and my thoughts were confirmed the first day I started class and the teacher put on a preschool video for us to watch as we wrote each of the 44 consonants 100 plus times!  In evangelism, it’s the awkward feeling of knowing where to start and getting over your fear of being rejected.  All are uncomfortable, but the great news is that if we press on the pain will go away.  We will become more natural and life will get easier if we put in the work.

Each have the power to transform your life over time:

I know that if I give myself more fully to changing my diet and exercise habits, learning to be more fluent in Thai, and live a lifestyle of sharing Jesus with as many people as I can I WILL become a different, more powerful person.  It’s just a matter of making the changes over time.  I like when Paul is speaking to Timothy and he says something in the effect of, “Give yourself fully to these things so that your progress will be evident by everyone.”  He was basically saying that if Timothy would go for it, focus, and not give up; the changes in him would be seen by everyone.  That’s the kind of change I want.  The change where people say unsolicited, “Man, you are different…in a good way”!

All require lifestyle change:

Finally, when we make these types of changes, we must be ready for a lifestyle change.  It’s not just a one time event but moving from one level to another.  I think this is what the Christian life is supposed to be like.  We go from one level of glory on to the next, from one level of faith to the next.  We are expected to be growing and changing.  Especially if we are leaders we should be moving into different levels of leadership where our sphere of influence is expanding.  One way we can do this is by leading in the hard things and showing people that it can be done.  No one wants to follow someone who is just as unmotivated and cynical as they are.  They want a leader who has overcome some things in life and knows how to motivate others to do the same.

At least that’s the kind of leader I want to be and follow…

(Especially after your most recent overseas short term trip)

You’ve caught a grand, scriptural, historic, global, strategic missions vision (either through Bible study or your recent overseas cross cultural experience) and you’re almost compelled to share it…

Here’s how NOT to mobilize new mission vision—tactics you’ve possibly already found to blow up in your face.

􀁑 Don’t push.

• Pair up with a friend. Place the palm of your right hand out in front of you against the palm of her/his left hand. Begin to talk to the friend about your mission vision and push. Push harder as you continue. What does the friend naturally do in response? If you keep pushing and your friend either backs off or falls over—you’ve just lost a friend. And some people think pushing others to Great Commission commitment is a powerful mobilization tactic. Hmmm….

Action-step: Relax. (You not going to make somebody catch a vision.)

􀁑 Don’t blast.

• You’ve gleaned so much exciting information from your (recent trip) that you simply blast zeal and energy at your friends, your home group, your pastor, at anyone who’ll listen. Imagine a pale whiteskin getting severely sunburned; the last thing he’ll want is to run back out into the sunshine. Will your friends throw on dark glasses and dive for the shadows when they see you coming?

Action-step: Take it from mobilizer Amy Stearns who after her fi rst Perspectives course, blasted her pastor with, “John! We’re doing everything wrong!” In a word: Apologize.

􀁑 Don’t plead.

• Tugging at people’s heart strings used to work marvelously in our North American culture. (Just watch a few maudlin movies from the 30s or 40s—really—to accentuate how much our sense of sentimentality has changed.) But showing FOB (fl ies-on-babies) photos now only provokes a knee-jerk reaction to send money instead of sending ourselves—or a reaction of turning a blind eye to all the insurmountable suffering in the world. (Disturbing, pathetic situations are rampant in our real world; it’s just that exploiting them as motivational props is an ineffective mobilization tactic in our current culture.) If your goal were to raise money, pleas for compassion still work in the short term. But they don’t work when your goal is to sustain a church’s long-term vision of God’s heart for every people.

Action-step: Go watch an old 40s movie! They worked during The Greatest Generation days; their sentimentality just doesn’t cut it today. We’ve changed as a culture, and we’ve got to be realistic about the sensibilities of those we want to mobilize.

􀁑 Don’t shame.

• North Americans are incredibly adroit at avoiding guilt. We all run—mentally, emotionally or literally—when polyestered missionaries hint, “Shame on you. You probably have one of those new i-Phones and ate out last week and spent more on dog food than on missions while the whole world is going to hell!” Etc. Our hair-trigger barricades against the long pointy finger of guilt mean that even simple comparisons backfire. So in polite company where you want to raise mission vision, don’t bother trying to make people feel guilty. (Never mention, for instance, that we North Americans spend more on storage units to store our extra stuff than a total of 29 countries spend on everything! The mission world is full of this kind of shame-inducing trivia. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t.) Guilt is effective in shame-based cultures, but guilt as a motivational weapon is counterproductive in our North American culture.

Action-step: Activate 1 John 1:9—confession. (Since usually working to induce guilt inothers = judgmentalism = arrogance. Ouch.)

􀁑 Don’t think one-size-fits-all.

• Dr. James Engle some years ago developed the Engle Scale of Evangelism. He simply pointed out that different people are at different levels of readiness to accept the Gospel message. The same is true of Christians’ openness and understanding of the dynamics of the Great Commission.  Determine where your friends or whole fellowship is on the scale of mobilization. Then customize your approach. Avoid one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter mobilization.

Source: USCWM “Life after Perspectives”

Take these verses, look them up for yourself and meditate on what they mean for you.  By doing this, you will be more equipped to stand against the negative thoughts from the enemy that try to invade your mind.  see 2 Cor 10:5

I AM ACCEPTED………………..

I am God’s child. John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children, even to those who believe in His name.”

I am Christ’s friend. John 15:15, “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

I have been justified. Rom. 5:1, “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

I am united with the Lord, and I am one spirit with Him. 1Cor.6:17, “But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”

I have been bought with a price. I belong to God. 1Cor.6:19-20, “”Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been bought with a price.”

I am a member of Christ’s body. 1 Cor.12:27, “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.”

I am a saint. Eph. 1:1, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus.”

I have been adopted as God’s child. Eph. 1:5, “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.”

I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit. Eph.2:18, “Through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.”

I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins. Col.1:14, “In Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

I am complete in Christ. Col. 2:10, “”In Him you have been made complete…”

I AM SECURE…………………….

I am free forever from condemnation. Rom.8:1-2, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the  law of sin and of death.”

I am assured that all things work together for good. Rom.8:28, “We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

I am free from any condemning charges against me. Rom.8:31-34, “If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?  Who will bring a charge against God’s elect.  God is the one who justifies.”

I cannot be separated from the love of God. Rom. 8:35-39, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”  But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I have been established, anointed and sealed by God. 2 Cor. 1:21-22, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, Who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”

I am hidden with Christ in God. Col. 3:3, “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

I am confident that the good work God has begun in me will be perfected. Phil 1:6, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

I am a citizen of heaven. Phil. 3:20, “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. 2 Tim.1:7, “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and sound judgment.”

I can find grace and mercy in time of need. Heb. 4:16, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

I am born of God , and the evil one cannot touch me. 1John 5:18, “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.”

I AM SIGNIFICANT…………………

I am the salt and light of the earth. Matt. 5:13-14, “You are the salt of the earth….You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”

I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life. John 15:1,5, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener…I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit. John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last.”

I am a personal witness of Christ’s. Acts 1:8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.”

I am God’s temple. 1 Cor.3:16, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”

I am a minister of reconciliation for God. 2 Cor.5:17-21, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  And this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.  And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”

I am God’s co-worker ( 1Cor.3:9) 2Cor.6:1, “As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.”

I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm. Eph. 2:6, “God has raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”

I am God’s workmanship. Eph. 2:10, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

I may approach God with freedom and confidence. Eph. 3:12, “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil. 4:13, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

*** The more you reaffirm who you are in Christ, the more your feelings and behavior will begin to reflect your true identity!!  And you will be able to withstand any spiritual warfare that comes against your mind.

Others, as adults, are promised “good paying jobs” then are trapped into paying back exorbitant “debts” to their captors through prostitution and forced labor.  Still others are brought into countries with the hopes of gaining a visa and starting a new life.  Once they are hooked through false promises, they are many times kept and controlled through fear, drugs, and violence.  All alone, they are in desperate situations without hope for a way out.

It is happening in our hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina as well as our beloved nation of Thailand and in many nations throughout the world.

This problem is becoming increasingly more understood through the work of many advocacy, education, and awareness groups all over the world.  One of the problems is there is alot of talking and too little action.  Thankfully there are new Christian ministries being birthed with a heart to work on destroying the root of this problem as well as helping those who have been trapped by this evil.

They are working on the ground, doing the “dirty” work of helping rescue people and rebuild new lives and futures.  Others are taking in children who are at risk for trafficking and giving them a chance for a new life of hope and safety.  All of this is hard demanding work and is worthy of the support of the Body of Christ.  I find there are not alot of these ministries out there.

As the Church, we should be on the forefront of providing solutions and also work on destroying the root.  As I prepare to speak at my home church this Sunday, I am thankful to be a part of a community that cares to be a part of providing solutions.  We need millions more churches to get involved so that we can bring this problem to its knees!

It begins in our own back yards by reaching out to the poor and vulnerable among our immigrant populations and opening the doors of our churches and well as our hearts to them.  And it extends to the uttermost ends of the earth by reaching out to those nations, especially in Southeast Asia and Europe where human trafficking is prevalent.  We can do both!

In our own nation of Thailand, a majority of the victims are human trafficking come from the poorest part of the country where we live and work, the Northeast, also known as “Isaan.”  It is the poorest area of Thailand.  Poverty causes vulnerability and vulnerability causes trafficking.  I believe that part of destroying the root is bringing the transforming power of Gospel of Jesus Christ to the poor and desperate and seeing God change their heart from the inside out.

As we as the “Church” work on transforming peoples through the Gospel, we must help rescue the vulnerable who are being ravaged by the lusts of man.  The Church of the nation is still the best hope of that nation.  They have the greatest chance to make a difference when they are empowered and mobilized.

We are working to explore the extent of the problems that are in are own area of Northeast Thailand.  We have already seen first hand that poor children and teens are being exploited in our own local area.   We have found that as we move forward that finding out the true story of what is actually happening is sometimes very hard when you are dealing with something that is working through the shadows.  Our hope and vision is to understand the problem in our own local area and provide long term solutions that make a eternal difference in the lives of both vulnerable women and children.

As I said before, but it’s worth repeating; It’s alot easier to talk about the problem and even feel horrified by it rather than work to be a part of the solution.  It takes more than talk and even fund raising.  It takes people who are willing to go down to where these victims are in order to bring them hope and help.  These are the unsung heroes that are working hard day in and day out to bring freedom and hope to the captives.

Here are a few of my favorite international ministries that are doing just that:

Pearl Alliance- Raises funds for Prevention and Protection:

-ZOE Children’s Homes which rescues children who are sold, or at risk of being sold, into prostitution slavery; orphaned, or victims of other heinous crimes and abuse.  They are in the process of raising money to acquire, develop and build a new facility to support 500 plus children in North Thailand.

-She Rescue Home which is a secure haven for young Cambodian girls who are at risk or who have been rescued from being trafficked.

Nightlight International- Protection: Annie Dieselburg is involved in the actual street level outreach to women who have been trafficked and are involved in prostitution in Bangkok, Thailand.  She brings hope, deliverance, and practical solutions to those in the most desperate and gut wrenching situations.  She is not afraid to walk into the heart of darkness and bring hope and light to the hurting and broken.

MST Project Thailand- Prevention: MST stands for “Men and the Sex Trade”  This is a newer but important ministry that works on confronting the root of human trafficking in Bangkok which is the demand created by those who come to Bangkok for illicit reasons.  These guys go out to the streets and face the ugliness of lust square in the face.  They need more prayer, help, and support.

Isaac Hughes-Prevention: Isaac works in the border town of Mae Sot on the Thai/Burmese border.  This town is home to many illegal Burmese migrant workers.  Here children are regularly exploited as child slaves in local factories.  Other children are at risk to being sold to traffickers for a few mere dollars.  Isaac works with local Thai pastors and has begun rescuing and caring for some at risk children.  He is not a slick fundraiser with a nice web site, but a man with a heart to get down in with the people and make a difference.  With help they could help so many more.

World Vision-Prevention and Protection.  World Vision is on the forefront of combatting human trafficking and exploitation in all its forms.  They are large enough to cover all aspects of the problem and yet small enough on the ground to actually get real things done and affect actual lives.  Check out their PDF “Ten Things You Need To Know About Human Trafficking”

Project Rescue-Prevention and Protection.  Working mainly in India and Nepal.  I am just learning about this ministry but I really like their hands on approach and vision for expansion to needed areas.

Do you know of any worthy mentions who are actually working against human trafficking on the ground? Let me know!

For more info on our work in Northeast Thailand click here.

What an exciting event for us just before we return to the States for a visit after just a year here “in the Kingdom.” This great moment in my friend’s life did not just happen suddenly out of nowhere but is the culmination of many years of God leading and guiding her to this very moment in time.

Here is a glimpse into that process...

Our friend’s grandmother is originally from Vietnam but was sold to Chinese traders in order to pay a gambling debt!  The Chinese were nice to her and raised her.  When she was old enough, she married a Chinese man, our friend’s grandfather.  The grandfather has already passed away, but became a Christian before his death.  He even asked to family to bury him as a Christian.  Although the family did as he requested they still remained Buddhist.

Our friend’s mother who is half Vietnamese and Chinese married a Thai/Isaan man, which makes our friend part Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai/Isaan!  When she was a teenager our friend sent off for a free correspondence course that she saw offered about the life of Jesus.  She didn’t understand the implications of what she was learning but never forgot about the man she knew as “Pra Yesu.”

Love these shirts!completed all of the four lessons, but never fully understood the message of salvation and its implications for her personally. But she always remembered the stories about this man called "Pra Yesu."

Later as our friend grew up, she went on to University to work on her Master’s degree.  Before she completed her studies, she became a nanny in America and lived in New York for two years where she learned to speak English more clearly. There she was exposed to American culture, but not to Jesus.

After she returned home, she went to study English with the Mormons who tried to get her to convert, but she was not interested in anything but learning English.  She related to me that all they talked about was what they could and could not do.  They offered her the chance to study at one of their major universities if she became a Mormon and part of a Mormon missionary group that traveled throughout Thailand for a year or so.  But she she was not interested at all in this offer or in what they had to say.

When we came to Thailand last year, we were looking for a language helper and I put an ad on Thailand’s Craigslist.  (Some of you know my other Craigslist miracle story!).  I did not hire her at first but chose another helper.  I later looked her back up and asked her to come and work for us.  She agreed and came to our house five days a week to teach not only me and Jacqueline, but also our son.  Brayden has been her best student out of all of us and has learned both to read and write in Thai.

One day when she went to a nearby salon, she met a girl from our local partner Thai church who also shared Jesus with her.  When our mutual friend found out that she was our language teacher she told her, “Oh, you are very close to the Kingdom of God.  You will become a Christian soon”!  Our friend just shrugged it off and laughed, “I am Buddha” she replied.

When Thanksgiving came around this year, we invited her to come with us and share in our celebration with some of our friends in another city.  There she saw the love of our family’s in action.  Everyone treated her as family and with such kindness.  I think it made a big impact on her, but we never talked much about it.

As I began work on my new Thai web site, she helped me translate almost twenty new “sermon” articles into Thai.  It was not easy for her, but she did a great job and we completed most of it all in a week!  She especially liked the one that I wrote about how to find the right person in life.  She still mentions that article every now and again.  It talked about how you must “become the right person in order to find the right person.”  I would share many testimonies with her about God working in people’s lives throughout the week as well even taking her to an online church experience.

One day not too long ago “prophesied” to her, “God has been drawing you since you were a little girl.  He has placed many people and situations in your path.  Right now a seed has been planted in your heart.  That seed has been watered and it is ready to sprout.  Once it has sprouted, it will grow into a large tree and that tree will bear fruit.”  Then I asked her if she understood this.  She said yes, but was not confident to believe yet.

Later as she talked with one of her Thai friend’s who lives in New York, the young girl shared about how she had found God and believed in Jesus.  She was now going to church and testifying about how God was changing her life.  This also deeply impacted her and she thought about what this girl was saying to her often.

After one of our language sessions, I shared the Gospel using the Thai Bible with our friend.  I showed her the scriptures from the book of Romans and had her read them out loud .  I asked her if she was ready to believe yet, but she was not confident enough yet.  I then had Jacq pray for her and ask God to help her know Him and bless her as she went on in her life.

As I wanted to learn to share some things about the Gospel in Thai, our friend and I watched a video that talked about who God is and what he did in creating the heavens and the Earth.  We would stop at every frame and translate the story from Thai to English.  She would help me to learn the new Thai words and at the same time she was almost memorizing the story.

Just the other day as we were walking to have lunch together, she told me, “John I think I am ready to become a Christian.  I need to know what to do now.”  I said, “Oh yeah”? not paying alot of attention to what she said for some reason!  She said, “Yes, everyone around me is Christian.  I want to be one as well.”  As we all sat down to eat, I asked her, “Were you sure about what you just said to me”?  ”Yes”!  she said.

Today, on her birthday-14 years after her first encounter with the Gospel, I asked her questions that confirmed what she believed about God, Jesus, and the Bible.  She affirmed everything about the Gospel and knelt down to pray with Jacq to ask Jesus to come into her life and be her Lord and Savior.  After teaching on baptism and her understanding it, she affirmed her desire to be baptized.  We then followed the example of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-40) and baptized her immediately.  We did it in a pool belonging to a friend in our neighborhood.  A new Isaan believer along with our Swedish friends were present as she publicly proclaimed Jesus in water baptism.

We later talked more about the importance of taking to God, spending time with believers, and getting to know God through His Word and now, kind of like Philip, we are being carried away to another place, commending her to the grace of God that saved her and we are looking forward to seeing her when we return.

I can say that in all of our times together, we simply shared Jesus anytime the moment presented itself to do so.  We tried to live our lives in way that was transparent and real.  We wanted to share the Gospel in a way that Christ could be understood as fulfilling all the deepest longings of the Thai heart.  We wanted to present Christ as the one who comes to save and to help not simply to give us rules to follow.  He truly does satisfy, no matter what culture we come from!

We are so happy to be chosen to be in Thailand for “such a time as this.”  In this part of the world, many people live and work here for many years before they see someone come to Christ.  But in this generation I believe that there is so much more potential for the Thai people who are sitting in the shadows waiting for someone to come and share the Good News of salvation through Jesus.  Most of them have simply never really heard it or seen it demonstrated in every day life in a way that would appeal to their hearts.

This is why we must “Go” and keep going!

I wanted to share a little about our Thai friend’s background with you so that you get a little glimpse with us into what God is doing to bring people to Himself in this part of the world.  We can be a key link in the multi layered process that He uses.  One “sows”, one “waters”, but God is the one who gives the increase and brings forth fruit in that person’s life (1 Corinthians 3:5-9).  He alone deserves the glory!  (Romans 11:36) May we have many more stories like this in the months and years to come!

Find out a little more about where we live and work.  Notice the map and the location of the city of “Khon Kaen.”

Why not adopt the nearly 18 million “Isaan” people as your own group for ongoing prayer and support?

• The Great Awakening in America had its critics who even called it the “Great Clamor”, or great noise, but history vindicated it as a genuine move of God that did more to build the church in America than any other time before it.
• Jonathan Edwards wrote in “Religious Affections” that you cannot tell whether something is of God through manifestations.  They could be of God, from the devil, or of the flesh; but its the fruit of the revival that tells your where it’s from.
• All revivals in history have had common characteristics and at least one new things that offends people. Gave many examples throughout history.
• One of the biggest Baptist revivals was the “Shantung Revival” of China and it was accompanied by unique manifestations and signs.
• History proves we most usually miss it when it comes to judging revival.
• I Cor 12- the gifts of the Spirit are mostly for those who are outside of the church.  The power of God is power to be witnesses unto the uttermost ends of the earth.
• To think of the revival as a party only grieves God’s heart.
• Many times people throw a party before you go to war.  If you only hear about party but not about the war, you will misjudge revival.
• The purpose of revival was summed up in a song that came forth from revival, “Let your glory fall in this room, let it go forth from here to the nations…”
• Revival is judged not by the numbers of people who get saved but how many people get saved through the people who get saved.
• In the last 100 years, more people have been saved and had a “pentecostal or charismatic experience” with the Holy Spirit more than those saved throughout all 500 years of the whole Protestant movement put together.
• In 200 years of Protestantism, all of the Protestants of the world has sent about 100 missionaries.  During the Moravian revival, a group of about 300 people sent 100 missionaries within 25 years.  This is the evidence of the Spirit at work.
• If you lose missionary evangelism, you lose the fire.
• You can’t keep the fire and not go.
• 2 Cor 4:13 is the secret of the miraculous realm.  Whatever we hear from God and declare it, it happens.
• 2 Cor 1:18-20 All the promises are Yes!
• Believe in your spirit even when your brain can’t.
• While we argue whether the gifts are for today, the enemy is rising in power.
• The Last Days will see an increase of the supernatural, both ungodly and Godly.  But the devil’s power will be eclipsed by the power of God through His people.
• Moses’ snake ate the snakes of the magicians of Pharaoh.  God’s power through his servants is greater!
• We believe in a glorious Church before Jesus returns.  Reread the parables of the Kingdom found in the Gospels.
• The greatest church will be the church of the last days because we go from glory to glory not from glory to demise.

• Genesis 28:10-17 is arguably the most important dream in the Bible.
• Jesus fulfilled this verse and brought a new relationship where heaven could come to Earth. John 1:46-51
• We are the Body of Christ-the place where angels are ascending and descending now.
• Don’t confuse the possibilities of God with the ways of God.  There is a difference between what God CAN do and His ways.
• Example of William Carey.  People told him that God didn’t need him to go to India to save the Indian people, but God still chose to use him and send him.  It was his way to open India.  Lord said, “I don’t need angels just like I don’t need William Careys, but I chose to use them.”
• If Jesus needed to be ministered to by angels then who am I?    Paul, Peter, Philip & John all were assisted by angels.
• Two different girls who were healed of dyslexia each had separate visions of angels coming and “rewiring” their heads.
• God chose angels to be helpers for us. Hebrews 1:14.  The Holy Spirit is our Helper too.  Both work together.
• “You don’t have to command friends.” when a friend was asked if humans could command angels.
• Angelic activity often takes place when healing/impartation happens.
• Don’t exalt the messenger, worship God.  Rev 19:10
• You don’t worship the postman who brings you a $10,000 check.  You thank the person who wrote the check!
• Don’t camp at the cross.  The cross is a doorway to a whole new realm of life.
• We have reduced the great victory of Jesus to being forgiven and going to heaven.  Our faith doesn’t just prepare us for death, but for Life!
• We receive the Co-mission when we are in submission to His mission.
• Revival is based on a revelation of God’s power which is the revelation that God is good and His mercy endures forever.
• Luke 4:18,19 When Jesus quoted this, he left out the part about judgement for now.  Our focus must also not be on judgement but of grace, mercy, and goodness of God through the manifestation of signs and wonders.
• We need a baptism of both power and the Father’s love-not just talk about it but demonstrate it.
• Pastors-Ordination should be a powerful sending experience with words of prophecy, believing God to anoint them with special gifts and words that confirm what God has already placed in that person’s heart.
• Heidi Baker took 12 men with no education, power, money, or education but gave them impartation and prophecy by the Spirit of God and they are shaking the nation of Mozambique and beyond.
• Fan into flame the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of hands. 2 Tim 1:6, Deut 34:8, Ex 17:11
• Don’t turn your “Charis”-mata into Works-mata.  If you think you earned it, you won’t be thankful for it. “grace”
• 4 Kinds of Faith: Mark 9:22-27, Mark 1:40, Luke 5:25-34, & Mark 10:46-52
• Three lies from the enemy when you are coming to God: -You are too good. -You are not good enough. -Now is not the right time.

• -Acts 19- The greatest revival ever recorded in the Bible was in Asia among the most “demonized”  where sexuality and religion came together in the cults of the goddess Diana or Aphrodite.
• Powerful Personal Experience with God plus a Sense of Destiny and Calling = a Historymaker.
• When you have a powerful experience with God and are convinced of your destiny; hardships, persecution, and offense will not stop you.  You will have perservering grace and commitment.
• The test of a manifestation of the Spirit in a person’s life is what happens with them after they are touched by God.  Are they more passionate for Jesus than they were before?
• There are two main kinds of manifestations: one is the conflict between two kingdoms inside of a person who God is setting free and the other is God restoring those who have been exhausted, burnt out, and or wounded.
• To have a sense of destiny without impartation will result in certain burnout.
• Since around the 13th century with the advent of Summa Theologica we have substituted a knowledge of the truth for experience of the truth.
• Knowing in our head does not equal the Bible kind of knowing.
• Healing is becoming normal for the church.  If people don’t get healed, I get shocked.  I totally expect healings today.
• Our tendency has been to create a model without the sacrifice that person made to get what they got.
• Our ceiling should be the floor of the next generation, but I don’t think you can enter into it without your own tempering through tribulation & persecution.
• Legalism is a killer of revival.
• Small groups (cells) are healthy as long as they continue to be evangelistic.  When visitors quit coming so do the gifts of the Spirit.
• Of the 9 gifts of the Spirit listed in the Bible, 8 are for those primarily outside of the church.
• If you already know everything about everyone in your group, how will there be words of knowledge?
• The work of Pastors/Leaders is not to “Hatch, Match, & Dispatch.”  It is more like the work of a drill sargeant taking new recruits and turning them into a core of soldiers.
• Pastors-”Don’t wait on the Saints, equip them”!
• Gifts are the Spirit are not bad, but the handling of them can be bad.  Humble yourself when you know you need more training.
• “The best thing that happened to the Church in China was when the government kicked out all of the missionaries, put all pastors in prison, and left the believers with only the Bible.  When the people had nothing but the Word and the Holy spirit they experienced the gifts of the Holy Spirit.” Quoting missionary Dennis Balcombe
• We are in revival when our brains can’t understand all that are spirits are leaping about.
• The Kingdom of God is more than forgiveness of sin.
• How can God “confirm” the message preached if there is no risk from proclaiming that God still heals today?
• Matt 28:18-20-  How do we know when we have obeyed this scripture?  When we have healed the sick.  Teach them all that I have commanded YOU-  What did he command them? Matthew 10:8 is one of many.
• Basis of Healing: Covenant-Ex 32:10, Atonement at the cross-Isa 53:4-5, The Kingdom of God (many refs)
• We don’t command God, but don’t ask God for something he told you to do. Luke 10:9
• Peter is the example of a “teflon Christian,” he doesn’t let the glory stick to himself. Acts 3:11-12
• There is a mystery to healing.  Luke 5:17.  ”The power of the Lord was present for healing” Also 2 Tim 4:20
• More people get healed…when more people pray….more.
• Kingdom is Salvation, Healing, and Deliverance because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Luke 6:17-19

I am going with the expectation and faith that God has something for me there that will affect our ministry work here.  I mean, our ministry is named “Spread the flame”!  At the same time, a group from Bethel Church in Redding will be traveling to various parts of Thailand to minister.  People from our “team” have already went out to meet up with them!

My trip will come on the eve of a major ruling by the Thai government that could affect the nation’s peace & stability.  This ruling has to do with the wealth of the exiled former leader of Thailand, Thaksin Sinawatra. He was overthrown by a recent coup and his supporters, known as the red shirts, come mainly from the area of the country where we live and work, also known as Isaan.  He is still influencing the country from his new home in nearby Cambodia and some would say still causing unrest.  Whatever the case, there are at least two groups that are not very happy with one another right now in Thailand.

As I meditate on this word that was spoken, I am also thinking of what may come to pass in Bangkok tomorrow and how it may all tie to this scripture. Hebrews 11:26-29 Whatever may come, it is our prayer that the church of Thailand arise in this hour and bring light to all who sit in the shadow of darkness!

Here is the Word that the Lord has been speaking to me over and over for Thailand. He has spoken to me clearly all year. He has said, “The Nation that I have chosen that it is now time for CHANGE is THAILAND.”

“The Spirit of God says Thailand is going to be baptized with fire. HE has said to me that this is your defining time. The leaders of the movement of God in this region are ready to advance into their next anointing. A new generation is rising filled with passion and fire. There from this night forward, the Spirit of God will start circling this Nation. HIS Fire and Passion will come alive in such a way in this Nation that the Fire began to burn in this Nation.

And He has said to me “You will be known as the Nation of Fire!!”

This Nation is now being released under the Fire of God. That means a new passion of the Lord will overtake this ENTIRE NATION…