It is under that same spirit and banner that the Issachar Initiative has launched out with the aim of being an advocate for the least reached people of the world-

those with no Scripture, no missionaries, and no church or any kind.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Issachar Initiative meeting held in Charlotte, NC.  Both businessmen and Kingdom leaders joined together to talk about finding solutions to the greatest challenges facing us in God’s global mission today.

Here are a few illustrations that will help you to understand the needs and opportunities represented by this initiative.

Are you committed to ZERO?

* Zero languages without Scripture,
* Zero people groups without a missionary,
* Zero neighborhoods without a disciple making, church planting movement,
* Zero people who have not heard the Gospel,
* Zero oral cultures without an oral Bible and oral tools that help the spread the Gospel,
* Zero people who have not experienced the tangible love and compassion of Christ, and
* Zero people who don’t have someone praying for the salvation of their soul.

You can find out more by visiting Issachar Initiative

But does that mean that disciples of Jesus serving globally should be “triumphalistic?”

Triumphalism

“the attitude or belief that a particular doctrine, religion, culture, or social system is superior to and should triumph over all others.”

The term is used in a contemptuous or derogatory sense.  I would imagine that most groups would not like to identify themselves as such or have others identify them this way.

Though I don’t believe in “Triumphalism” in missions, I do believe we serve the “Triumphant One.”

Divine Tension

I believe in the uniqueness of Jesus Christ.  I believe in the superiority of the Gospel.  Jesus is triumphant.  There no one or nothing higher.

But my question is,

“what is the line between identifying with the unique superiority and triumph of Jesus and ministering from an attitude that says our brand, approach, or way of doing things is superior to all others?”

Are we bringing unreached people groups to this Jesus or to our particular brand of “Christendom?”  This question may seem simple but it requires a lot of deeper reflection.

Jesus Is Triumphant

Colossians 2:15 says,

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Who were the powers and authorities?  The Apostle Paul gives us the answer when he explains who our “battle” is really against in Ephesians 6:12

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Our battle is spiritual, so therefore any “triumph” we have is only in the spiritual realm

• 2 Cor 2:14
• Eph 3:10
• Col 2:10
• Phil 2:10

Each of these scriptures shows us how Jesus is triumphant and as his disciples we share in his victory.

But as human beings, we must be constantly reminded that our victory is not over a particular people or culture.

None of us are completely free from our own cultural blindness, therefore we must come into new cultures and people groups, not from a place of superiority, but from a place of humility and meekness.

As with many subjects in the Bible, I believe there is a tension that exists between triumph and humility, between confidence and meekness.

“Manner of Spirit”

We can see in the disciples of Jesus a misunderstanding of the nature of the victory and reign of Jesus?  They wanted to call down fire from heaven and consume people.

Jesus rebuked them saying, “You know not what manner of spirit you are of.” (Luke 9:54-55)

So, what manner of spirit should we be?

I think we see if portrayed in the picture of “the lamb.”

• Jesus is called the “lamb of God.” (John 1:29)
• As a lamb he had no teeth, fangs, or claws.
• He is “meek and lowly in heart.” (Matt 11:29)
• The Apostles ( the 1st missionaries) are called “the apostles of the Lamb.” (Rev 21:14)
• Jesus calls us to follow Him in that same spirit.  (Matt 16:24)
• “Without Him we can do nothing.” (John 15:4-6)

Meekness

There is a humble, meek, dependence on the Lord Jesus that should characterize every one who serves Him, especially those who cross cultures for His name’s sake.

A great quote from our own context in Thailand comes from Dr. Nantachai Mejudhon’s doctoral thesis, “Meekness: A New Approach to Christian Witness to the Thai People.”  He says,

“A meek approach is always equated with a sympathetic understanding of Buddhists, and with a senstivity to the cultural concepts of those to whom the Christians minister.

Christians should seek to serve humbly and lovingly, should be able to show meekness in their lifestyles supported by the dynamic testimonies of their personal relationships with Jesus Christ.

Thai meekness means that Christians shuld seek to relate to Buddhists as neighbors and equals, regarding their beliefs as worthy of serious consideration.

When missionaries and Thai Christians allow the Holy Spirit to convict Buddhists, a number of aggressive words and deeds will be absent from their Christian witness.”

Meekness is not weakness.  It is strength under control.

It is not bumbling around, helpless, and not knowing what to do.  It is the humility to ask God for wisdom who promises to give liberally and not withhold it.  (James 1:5-6)

Meekness is not passive.  It is actively seeking the heart of God by the Spirit who promises us “you will hear a voice behind you saying, this is the way, walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21)

Both, And

I believe that the tension between walking in the victory and triumph of Jesus and maintaining a meek and humble spirit are both complementary.

We are called to:

• be “fervent” in prayer. (James 5:16)
• “not lacking in zeal.”  (Rom 12:11)
• to have faith that can move mountains. (Mark 11:23-24)
• to display the manifold wisdom of God to principalities and powers. (Eph 3:10-11)
• to walk in the spiritual triumph of Jesus as we spread the aroma of His fragrance in every place. (2 Cor 2:14)
• Until all of his enemies are placed under his feet (Hebrews 10:12-13)

We must hold fast to our belief that Jesus is THE way, the truth, and the life for ALL peoples. (John 14:6)

All of this, while recognizing our own cultural world views and baggage and how utterly dependent we are on Jesus for his grace and wisdom to engage in his global Commission. (Matt 28:18-20)

What do you think?

We ended that post with two questions.

One of them was, “What kind of churches?”

Today we will answer that question as we continue to dig into Visser’s 2008 study.

From it we learn that 88% of variance in Thai church growth is explained by just three factors. (p.161)

Age (58%)

“The most important variable, trumping all others, is the age of a local church.” (p.165)

When some hear this description they may immediately think that we are talking about the age of the general makeup of the church, but that is not the case.

It is not “young” in the sense of the general age of the people but “young” in the sense of the age of the church plant itself.

Non-Traditional (22%)

Traditionalism has one of the strongest negative influences on church growth in Thailand.” (p.157)

“Growth among Calvinistic Presbyterians is slow.  Much of their energy was redirected into founding and maintaining schools and hospitals.” (p.83)

“Traditional churches, with a lot of church rules and emphasis on the role of the clergy, are less likely to grow.” (p.165)

I would not take this finding to mean that all of these churches are the same and that none of them are growing or doing good work.  Many of these churches are strong pillars in their own communities.

Charismatic (8%)

“Among ethnic Thai charismatic churches are growing faster than non charismatic ones,” (p.81)

“Charismatic churches have the highest AACGR (average annual church growth rate), CCT (Christian Churches of Thailand- a network of mostly conservative reformed) churches have the lowest.” (p.145)

“The large majority of charismatic growth is internally generated.” (p.81)  This is in distinction from the growth coming from other churches.

It is important to note that this is not a denomination or organization, but rather a stance that affirms that miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit continue today.

What do we need to understand?

Visser sums it up best saying.

• “It makes a difference what kind of new churches are planted.” (p.165)
• “A church that empowers its members is a church that will grow.” (p.165)
• “(Thai) Churches can positively influence the conversion growth rate.
• The main ways to do this are to start new churches and to refrain from traditionalism that saps the enthusiasm of church members and limits their involvement in church ministry.” (p.167)

Though every context and people group is different and these findings can’t be applied as a blanket, there are significantly important for understanding ministry in the Thai context.

Within Thai society, there are lots of internal changes taking place.

Many Thai are looking for something

• new
• fresh
• vibrant
• powerful

The question for the church planter or cross cultural worker is,

“Will they find the above elements in your presentation of the Gospel of Jesus?”

“Will they be really empowered, both practically and spiritually, or given a new set of religious laws and rules to keep?

The Thai already have a “good religion”, what they need is a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.  I believe He wants to not only live in them but also use each one to live an empowered and free life that glorifies the Father.

I wonder who will be up for the challenge of taking this Gospel to every village?

This post is a part of an ongoing series.  

Part One: Progress of the Gospel in Thailand

Part Two: Thailand Missions: Empowering Every Believer

Part Three: Makeup of the Church in Thailand

Part Four: Why Do the Thai Convert?

Part Five: The Most Effective Form of Outreach in Thailand?

We have already seen in our previous posts that God is working through existing social networks in Thailand to bring people to Himself.  He is also using miracles.

But how does the abiding presence of a body of disciples of Jesus committed to loving God and loving their neighbors shift the odds of new Thai people coming into the Kingdom of God?

As we will see, the reason Thais are an unreached people group is not because they are resistant to the Gospel, but because faith  has not been a viable option for them in their own social networks.

They are cut off from the Gospel message simply because their are no messengers in or near their own village.

From his extensive research into Thai conversion and church growth, Visser comes to the understanding that the Thai people are more open to believing than we may have believed.

5 Key Quotes

1. “The Thai have not declined to become Christians because of active resistance but because it has not been a live option for them in their own social network.” (p. 167)
2. “The odds of a Thai living in a village with a church becoming a Christian are at least 84 times greater than the odds of someone living in a village without a church.” (p. 127)
3. “It is not the openness of the (Thai) population but the presence of a church that makes the difference.” (p.127)
4. “That Protestantism among some (Thai) social groups forms such a tiny minority is not a problem of demand but of supply.” (p. 164)
5. “Faster growth in Thailand will be all but impossible without starting churches in areas where so far there are none.” (p.164)

61,032 Villages

According to the 2010 Thai census, there are 61,032

villages in Thailand situated within

• 7416 subdistricts,
• 928 districts, and
• 77 provinces.

What will it take to supply each one of these villages with a group of passionate disciples of Jesus who love God and love their neighbors both in word and action?

We already know that the one by one method of planting new churches will not be able to do the job.  The process is just too slow and cumbersome.

Like an elephant’s gestation period, we cannot expect it to act differently than its DNA.

In an effort to demonstrate faith in a great harvest in Thailand, some groups have set out to build bigger buildings as a strategy rather than focusing on bringing people to Jesus.  This gives the appearance of something when the true substance is lacking.

What do we need to understand?

Within the culture of the majority of Thai Christian circles, a church is not a real church unless it has at least 50 adult believers meets regularly in a special building, under the leadership of a Thai pastor- preferably seminary trained, and is recognized as such by the government.

The definition of “church” has not yet been brought to the lowest common Biblical denominator and this needs to change if we expect to see “churches” planted in every village.

The question of “what’s it really going to take to see a church planted in every village in Thailand?” needs to drive our prayers and action plans.

New Apostolic Centers and Apostolic People

Established churches could morph into regional planting centers with the aim of planting new groups in every village near their main location.  Pastors would not count these churches as “cells” but give authority for them to be autonomous and self governing, meeting simply in homes on their own schedules.

They would not require them to come to Sunday “services” in the city but would maintain a coaching/fathering relationship and encourage each believer including the local leaders to remain in their vocation or self-supporting.

Those Thai leaders who are financially supported would act more as apostolic circuit riders whose main role is to open up new villages by using the strategies of Jesus found in Luke 10 and Matthew 10.  They could help coordinate new native 2×2 teams.

The Most Effective Form of Evangelism?

“Church planting is the most effective form of evangelism under heaven”- C.Peter Wagner.

In Thailand this understanding still holds true.

The more important questions are:

1. “What kind of churches?” 
2. “What method of planting them?”

More on this in the next posts…

This post is part 5 of an ongoing series:

Part One: Progress of the Gospel in Thailand

Part Two: Thailand Missions: Empowering Every Believer

Part Three: Makeup of the Church in Thailand

Part Four: Why Do the Thai Convert?

The reasons for conversion are much more personal and experiential rather than logical and apologetic.

The 4 Most Important Thai Conversion Experiences

1. Personal Testimony 26%
2. Miracles 21%
3. Bible Study 20%
4. Life Example 16%

As you can see from the “one of these things is not like the other” diagram above, the “sermon” only accounted for 11% (Visser. pp. 134, 137).  The impact of another person’s story and example as well as perceived miracles were the majority.

The importance of social relationships

This same study of Thai conversion (p. 123, 164) has discovered that the odds

“for a relative of a Christian becoming a Christian are 229 times greater than the average ethnic Thai.”  ”Relatives proved to be the most effective evangelists.”

In Thailand, the best way for the Gospel to travel is down through family and social lines rather than by an unconnected one by one approach.  On p. 165 of the study Visser concludes that,

“The conversion of most new Christians is influenced by people in their own social network.”

Thai people, like most Asians, are much less individualistic than we are in the Western world.  The thoughts and opinions of family weigh heavily on their decisions.  This aspect of Thai culture is called “collectivism.”

The influence of Buddhism on the Thai mind has also helped to put a high value on personal experience.  I wrote about this awhile back when quoting the Kalama Sutta of the Buddha where one is taught by him to value personal experience over dogma.

The influence of the supernatural

Thai people live in a world where the miraculous interacts with the natural world on a daily basis.

• A popular TV show in Thailand is simply named “Miracle.“
• Most popular Buddhist books reference miracles and power.

Although miracles don’t guarantee a person’s conversion, they still have a profound influence on both the person who receives and the people who hear their story.

Some cross cultural workers might want to shy away from miracles or even talk of praying for miracles such as physical healing, deliverance from evil spirits, & dreams and visions.  But I believe this is a hinderance and I would like to encourage workers to step out in faith and explore any opportunities that come their way.

See this Thai lady’s testimony to see one example of how the miraculous is playing a part in Thai conversions.

After a real miracle occurs I believe it’s important for someone to help ground the recipient in the reality of who Jesus is and what He requires.  Otherwise, that person might gladly receive their miracle and go back to their normal routines without making Jesus Lord of their life.

Where is most strategy focused?

Like many places in the world, the majority of energy and effort given by Thai leaders is on Sunday service and the weekly sermon.

I value the power of true Spirit-filled teaching and preaching and even a good apologetic.  But in regards to seeing Thai people come to faith in Jesus, the sermon plays a small role.  Logic rather than experience is a weaker method and less received.

Outreach strategy in Thailand can tend to be a “come and see” approach versus a “go and tell.”

What do we need to understand?

If we are going to reach those who are far away from God in Thailand, we are going to have to focus on “empowering every believer” with confidence to share their own personal stories with their friends & relatives.

• Personal testimony coupled with a strong life example of change accounts for 42% of Thai conversions.
• Add miracles to the mix and the number is 63%.

We should be equipping every Thai believer with a biblical supernatural orientation that emphasizes Jesus as the “name above every name.”  In order to work with the Thai, our own world view needs to make room for true supernatural ministry.

Biblical sermons and studies are important, but they are not as influential in Thai conversions as we may have liked to believe.

This post is part 4 of an ongoing series:

Part One: Progress of the Gospel in Thailand

Part Two: Thailand Missions: Empowering Every Believer

Part Three: Makeup of the Church in Thailand

I am going to break down some of the statistics so we can get a better picture of where the focus has been in outreach so that we can look to the regions & people that are being underserved.

As we continue to look at a recent study from 2008, we learn that:

42% of all Christians in Thailand are tribal.

• 12% of all tribals are Christian
• compared to 0.31 % of non-tribals

Yet tribal peoples in Thailand account for only a very small percentage of the total population.

Only 0.31% of non tribals are Christians (this figure includes Chinese, Malay, and Khmer background Thai citizens). [Visser, p.77]

If we look as the Thai through the lens of “ethne” or people group thinking and pull out the three other groups from this figure, their numbers would be much lower.

The top 5 ethnic minority believers in Thailand are:

1. Karen: 63k
2. Lahu: 33k
3. Akha: 16k
4. Hmong: 8k
5. Mian: 3k

Other ethnic groups include:

Bruu, Kachin, Khmu, Lawa, Leu, Lisaw, Lisu, Mon, Hmong, Pakawyaw, Palaw, Palong, Pra, Shan, So, Thin, Yao, & Malabri

The top 3 highest provinces for Christians in Thailand are:

1. Chiang Mai: 23.57% of all Christians
2. Chiang Rai: 19.26%
3. Mae Hong Son: 8.23%

These 3 provinces (jangwats) account for over 51% of all Christians in the country.

What do we need to understand?

Much of the focus of outreach in the past 185 years has focused on the Northern provinces among tribal peoples.  Great advances and work has been done within this scope of ministry.

But unless Thai Christians, and those who come to serve, make a conscious decision to bring fresh focus on the regions and “core” people outside of those listed above, Thai people will continue to remain an unreached people group.

Those who do not see the world through the lens of “ethne” or specific peoples and families (Matthew 24:14) will continue to be able to say that they are “reaching Thailand for Christ” when in fact they are reaching only a minority segment of the nation within a certain geographical area.

This post is part of an ongoing series:

Part One: Progress of the Gospel in Thailand

Part Two: Thailand Missions: Empowering Every Believer

From their times participating in day and night prayer, God is calling some to go to unreached people groups to plant “prayer furnaces” or “houses of prayer.”  The movement includes internationals students who are returning to their home countries to initiate houses of prayer.

Although there could be many other issues that need to be considered, going cross-culturally to a “hard and dark” place focused primarily on prayer can have some great advantages.

Below are my thoughts on the potential of “prayer missionaries”:

The agenda is first and foremost to pray.

Anyone who has studied “church planting movements” or “church multiplication movements”, as some call them, knows that prayer has been the common denominator of breakthrough.  If the prayer movements are focused on strategic prayer while in country, there can be a new wave of things happening where it may have seemed to be “spiritually flatlined” before.

Those involved are freed from organizational constraints for church planting.

Those who go out as prayer missionaries are there to pray.  There is generally no big expectation for them to plant churches.  Therefore there is a great opportunity for them to do it and do it using a simple methodology.

In places where the Gospel has made little to no impact among the people, simpler more organic expressions of “ekklesia” will be necessary.

Other kinds of missionaries may be under more traditional expectations of what church is or should be and therefore it is expected that if they “plant a church,” it should look that what the organization expects it to look like.

Prayer missionaries are not simply going to pray.  They will go out.

Prayer gives a reason for a worker to enter into a place without having to have everything figured out.  ”What are you doing? What is your strategy” could be the question.  ”We are going to pray” is the answer.

But as the missionary prays, he will find himself in “divine appointment” encounters set up by God for the purpose of getting the Gospel to the people the Holy Spirit has already been preparing.

A lifestyle of prayer can set a group up for a better chance of hearing God accurately and giving them the motivation to step out in faith even if the idea that comes to mind may seem strange.  As the prayer missionary goes out into the society, she will make the connections.

If she knows what to do next once the connection has been made is another story.

They are able to find persons of peace through building new relationships naturally.

The missions strategy that Jesus lays out in Matthew 10 and Luke 10 is going two by two in search of the “man of peace.”  Once the connection has been made, this relationship is the open door to a new community.

Jesus lays out for us what needs to happen at each stage:

• Meet,
• greet,
• give peace,
• they receive it,
• enter the home,
• share some food or drink,
• heal the sick,
• then proclaim the message of the Kingdom.

Jesus also instructs the disciples not to move from house to house but to stay in that one place.  This is a natural way of doing outreach, especially among unreached people groups, most of which are cultures where hospitality is practiced.

Most of those who are a part of these movements will carry a supernatural ministry orientation.

A supernatural ministry orientation can be a huge asset when living and working among an unreached people groups.

Though many claim to be “Muslim, Hindus, or Buddhists,” the majority of these groups are dealing with a very supernatural worldview that involves the manipulation of spirits, blessings, curses, possessions, dreams, visions etc.

From what I’ve seen, many prayer focused missionaries have been raised in an environment where the supernatural is natural.  They understand the practical ways the Gospel can break into a person’s life because many of them have had God break into their life and those they have prayed for in a supernatural way.

Prayer can be combined with contextualized mission.

The website 24-7 prayer.com says it this way,

A 24-7 Boiler Room is a simple Christian community that practices a daily rhythm of prayer, study and celebration while caring actively for the poor and the lost.

(i) The Two Purposes: a 24-7 Boiler Room exists to love God in prayer and to love its neighbours in practice. These purposes are contextualised in community and expressed in a defined location.

(ii) The Three Principles: at the heart of every Boiler Room is a living community committed to being…

1. Authentic: True to Christ

2. Relational: Kind to People

3. Missional: Gospel to the World

Where prayer movement missionaries may be weak is simple church planting strategy and the important work of properly contextualizing the Gospel message, the frontier missions movement can help through strategic partnership with the movement.

There is a great potential of a new missions force arising with deep, ongoing prayer and intercession as their pillar.  With the right type of cross cultural training and partnership with the frontier missions movement, we can see new Gospel movements emerging among the unreached people groups of the world.

What do you think? Do you see strengths or weaknesses?  Is a dual model of night and day prayer and mission sustainable? If so, how?

Yet, only about 1 in 40 Thai believers claims to have led another person to faith in a year.

I wrote briefly about this topic January of last year but wanted to share a little more in depth as a part of this series.

Why the disconnect?

Clergy-Laity Mindset

I believe this disconnect comes from the way leaders, whether Thai or otherwise, are equipping new believers through a “clergy-laity” mindset.

From this study, we can see that the “clergy” are not as effective in influencing a Thai to come to faith in Jesus as a “lay” person.

Is part of the problem that we have these very distinctions at all or at least we misunderstand the role of leadership in Christ’s church?

The Role of Leadership

Ephesians 4:11-12 is a Scripture that I believe that gives us the proper Biblical view of leadership and its role to “equip the saints (the normal, average, every day people of God) for the work of the ministry (or works of service).

The role of leadership in God’s mission is not to be the group who does all of the work of the ministry

• sharing the Gospel,
• caring for the oppressed,
• bringing justice,
• planting new communities etc.

but to also work to empower others to fulfill the “works that God has prepared in advance” for them to walk in in their day to day lives. (see Eph 2:10)

That “work” includes, but is not limited to, the work of being an “ambassador” for Jesus to others and allowing God to speak through us as we share our own personal stories of how Jesus has transformed our own lives.  (see 2 Cor 5:20)

The Expectation For Every Believer

Every believer should be sharing their story with others.  We naturally share with others what is valuable to us.  If we have no testimony, have we really come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord?

If we do have our own stories, but we don’t share it with the ones we love and others around us when we have opportunity, do we really understand the nature of salvation and our responsibility to love our neighbor as ourselves?

Some Necessary Shifts

In my opinion, any master plan to reach Thailand that does not include real work in empowering every believer is at best defective and at worse missing the mark of God’s intention and role for leadership in His Church.

This will most probably require a shift from

1. the “patron-client” aspects of Thai culture (leader talks, protects & provides, we listen and obey without question)
2. the emphasis the role of the Pastor/Missionary (implied or not that we should do all of the “ministry” work)

to the privileges, callings, and responsibilities of EVERY Thai believer.

If our way of making disciples is not something that the poorest farmer or street cook can reproduce in his or her own context then maybe we should be re looking at some of our approaches.

If we are serious about discipling a nation can we do anything less than work hard to really empower and commission every Thai believer?

This is a question not only for Thailand, but I would suspect, for all other countries as well.

Part One: Progress of the Gospel in Thailand

After 185 years of some form of Protestant presence in the country, there is still much more Gospel work to be done.

As you see from the picture below, the number of Protestant/Evangelical in relation to the whole population is a stark reminder that the Thai are still an unreached people group.

In the coming posts, I will give my own thoughts and insights using a study from 2008 that looked into conversion and church growth among the Thai as a framework.

There are at least three main groups participating; the new Antioch House of Prayer led by Lou Engle, a local YWAM team from the evangelism and prayer ministry, Fire and Fragrance, and the U.S. Center for World Mission where I serve.  Some of the Luke 18 Project and Acts School are also participating from their own bases.

One of the purposes of the fast is to launch the new Antioch House of Prayer here on the campus of the US Center for World Mission at Mott Auditorium.  It will be a night and day house of prayer focused on unreached people groups of the world who still have little to no access to the Gospel.

The focus of our prayers is also for the unreached people groups.  We have locked in on the Scripture Matt 9:38 where Jesus tells us that the harvest is indeed plentiful, but we must earnestly entreat the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest fields.

The Greek word for “send” in this verse is “ekballo.”  It is the same word that is used to describe how the Holy Spirit “drove” Jesus into the wilderness to fast and pray and to be tempted by the devil.  It is used when Jesus speaks of casting out demons by the finger of God.  It says that he “ekballos” them out.  It is a forceful word.

Lou Engle, founder of the Call, sums it up this way,

“When Jesus ekballo’s demons, demons must go. When Jesus ekballo’s laborers, evangelists & missionaries have to go.”

He also gives some background on how he sees prayer and missions sending working together;

While reading the classic book “Rees Howells: Intercessor” I was suddenly arrested by the following paragraph that could, if it is true, light a fire of prayer that could shape the face of the whole earth and trigger the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Then, while in Africa, he (Rees Howells) had been struck by Andrew Murray’s comment on the Savior’s word in Matthew 9:38, “Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth laborers into His harvest.” Andrew Murray has pointed out on the strength of this verse, that the number of missionaries on the field depends entirely on the extent to which someone obeys that command and prays out the laborers; and the Lord had called Mr. Howells to do this.”

If this Scripture and Andrew Murray’s commentary on it is true and the church really understood its implications, then Matthew 9:38 would be on the fiery lips of millions of believers everyday worldwide.

What do you think?  Can earnest and specific prayer based on Matt 9:38 lead to more sending?  How do you see intense prayer and frontier missions possibly working together?

What I do know is that there is something special happening here.  God is stirring hearts and firing imaginations.  People are partnering together and believing for another great push in obedience to the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20, Matt 24:14, Rev 5:9, Rev 7:9).  We need a fresh awakening to the reality of the unreached and unengaged peoples of the world here in the West.    Then awakening needs to lead to action!

Join us in praying Matthew 9:38 every day for the benefit of those who still have little to no access to the Gospel in our generation.

You can read more about the background of the Ekballo fast here.

Today we are celebrating our love for one another, the care of those friends who stood with us at every turn, and the faithfulness of our God who has seen us through to “the other side.”

Part of the crash scene in Thailand.

Even though we suffered losses, we are still standing strong and secure in the Father’s great love and compassion. He has brought us through to an amazing season, something we couldn’t have planned if we tried.

Our commitment to one another is stronger and our purpose to stand as servants to global missions & the unreached peoples of the world undeterred.

To God be the glory!

Here are some of our posts from that season.

• July 14, 2012 — It Was The Hand of God
• July 13, 2012 — Divine Convergence
• June 24, 2012 — Back in America
• June 9, 2012 — Newsletter June 2012
• June 8, 2012 — Exploring the US Center For World Mission
• May 25, 2012 — Missions Diary: April 2008
• May 21, 2012 — Court Case Update
• May 11, 2012 — Taking a Break
• April 20, 2012 — Diary: Car Accident Update
• April 20, 2012 — Thai Prayers For Our Family
• April 5, 2012 — Help With The Accident Case
• March 14, 2012 — Newsletter March 2012
• March 7, 2012 — Diary: Fight & Deliverance
• March 6, 2012 — Driving in Thailand
• March 5, 2012 — Diary: Momentum & Crash

Thank you for those who support our work and pray for us.

I heard stories from other distant places, but it wasn’t something I ever heard before in Thailand (though I was told later that it has happened here before).  I’ve even known of some who tried to pray for those who passed away but were unsuccessful.

I admit, I was skeptical at first. But I kept an open mind and heart, and pursued the open door to the stories. I dug down and find out for myself.

The believer who prayed for the little girl, the Father, and a Thai leader in the place where this took place.

God gave me the privilege of being able to hear these recent testimonies- in person- with the people actually involved. Given my experiences in Thailand and work with Thai people, I believe them to be accurate and true.

This is the second of two stories.

Grandmother Makes A Big Mistake

The story begins with a grandmother and her two-year old grand-daughter.

The little girl was sick and running a fever. The grandmother, who was a simple village lady with probably no more than a 3rd or 6th grade education, decided to give her some medicine to help.

Little did she know, she gave her grand-daughter a powerful stomach medicine for adults.  She put the little girl down for a nap and later saw her raising her arms in the air while she was on her back. She just thought that the little girl was playing and continued on with her work. The little girl was not playing, but was actually gasping for air.

A neighbor came in for a visit and noticed that the child had stopped breathing.  She shouted to the grandmother that the girl was dead.

Who Is Able To Help?

The grandmother grabbed her lifeless and cold body and began running back and forth screaming for help.  Another neighbor, a middle aged lady and a believer in Jesus for only about two years, came out and grabbed the baby from the grandmother’s arms.

She began to cry out to God,

“God if you are real, I know you are! Help this child! Help this child!”

She cried out three times, holding the baby to the sky.  By the third time, she was weeping and praying even more fervently.

Immediately, the little girl gasped for breathe and regained her pulse.

Her color returned.

Fully Recovered

She returned to full normalcy to the point that no one thought that she needed to go to the hospital at all.  (It was told me that the villagers would go to the hospital for anything because they have free health coverage.  The fact they didn’t go showed their confidence in what God had done through this woman’s prayers and faith).

The little girl, not only fully recovered, but the villagers say that she has actually grown healthier and “fatter” since this event.

I met this little girl, her parents, the grandmother, the neighbors, and the faithful Thai believer who God used to bring this miracle to pass.

God Gets The Glory

Her neighbors have all become believers and are growing to understand about Jesus and his power.  God is using this story to share the Gospel of Jesus with other villages.

This is part of his story.

“You Are The Spirit House of God” – The Spirit of God Lives In You

Someone Chose To Step Out In Faith

At the time when Judah was following the forest monk, his aunt came to know God through the influence of a visiting Thai pastor and his wife (I will call them Nee and Haa).

Haa had come to Judah’s aunt’s village to follow up with a women named “Honey” who had been fighting with her husband.  Gaan, the aunt of Judah, was sick, depressed, stressed, and had bad head aches.  Gaan sought Haa out and she prayed for her.  Gaan was healed of her symptoms and told Judah’s wife, “Aa” about what happened to her.

Aa had been suffering with some kind of large mass on her neck.  She was not able to eat or sleep because of the pain.  It became worse and she was not able to move her neck at all.  Haa prayed for her in Jesus’ name and the mass shrunk & completely disappeared.

Someone Chose To Be Persistent

Later, Pastor Nee came to the village to seek Judah out at Aa’s request, but Judah would run away from him and hide.  He would come and try to visit often but was not able to find Judah.

Aa would prayed for Judah and eventually, after about 5 months, he met with Pastor Nee and pray to receive Jesus as Lord.

Nee invited Judah to a church service one Sunday.  During the worship time, without anyone touching him, Judah fell down and had a vision for about 20 minutes.

God Grants Miraculous Revelation

In the vision he saw two ways.  The voice said, “Choose this way or that way.”

Judah replied,

“I choose your way God.”

So, the man took his hand and led him to a beautiful garden. He gave him many kinds of fruit seeds and said to him, “I am your Father.  I created everything for you.”  Judah believed that he was encountering God.

God showed him how to plant the seeds.  God would do it first then Judah.

A Lesson On Planting And Harvest

God took him to see other things and then they came back.  They saw many other fields planted as a result of the one they planted together. It was as if the fields had multiplied.

Judah asked,

“Are you really God, the true God?”

and then he woke up.  During this encounter, his body felt warm and afterwards he was weeping.

Idols Exposed And Removed

He went home to sleep that night and had a dream that the idols he still had in his home turned into a large wolf and tried to bite at him.  This wolf was trying to devour him.

Judah looked at the wolf and shouted,

“In the name of Jesus, get out!!”

The wolf turned and left.

Jesus, Name Above All Names

The day he received Jesus he had heard people praying for him say, “In the name of Jesus…”  When I asked him why he thinks he used the name of Jesus the way he did, he replied that he was scared and used what he had heard the others saying and it worked.

When Judah woke up, he turned and said to his wife,

“God is real. He showed me He is real.”

God Grants Wisdom For Livelihood

Judah would later pray and ask God for new work, a new trade.  God showed him piglets in a dream and He told him to raise pigs.  Judah now has 16 piglets and two female pigs.  He also has a sewing business.  Pieces come from Bangkok and he puts them together.  Each one yields about 30 cents.

A Fully Grounded Thai Believer

Judah has been a believer for about four years now.  He read his Bible everyday.  His favorite books are Isaiah and John.  He has been baptized in water and the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Nehemiah prayed for him to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.  During that prayer he says that he “felt hot, was crying, and felt like he had received a new life.”  One week later he started “praying in the Spirit.”  Two weeks later he was baptized in water publicly.

When he reads the Bible daily and prays, he shares with his family and asks them, “What do you feel God is speaking to you from this?” And they discuss the passage together.

The Word And The Power

I was blessed to be able to get real life insight into the battle for Judah’s life and the eventual victory of Jesus.  There is so much that we can glean from this story, especially as those who are working among an unreached people like the Thai.

Unlike many in the Western world, most Thai people already have a supernatural world view and experiences that are stranger than most fiction stories we read or hear.

Stories like this one shows us how God Himself is working and how we can play our part to get the Gospel into the lives of those who are living in darkness.

Not simply through word only, but also through deeds of faith and power.

After we were finished, I asked if Judah could tell me how he came to know and follow Jesus.

He answered, “you really want to hear the whole story?”

Following The Forest Monk

Judah started his testimony by telling me that he used to be a follower of a wandering monk, also known as a “forest monk.”  In Thai Buddhism, the original monks, some would say now the most holy ones, are those who do not live in temples but wander from place to place living in the woods and on the offerings of villagers.

Termite Mounds and Lottery Numbers

He would follow this monk around as he went to find termite mounds and other “auspicious” findings where they could do some type of ritual or “piti” in order to get the best lottery numbers for the villagers who sought him for such advice.  They would often find themselves in cemetaries where the monk would gather other interested villagers and call upon the spirits of that place to come and speak with him.

The Serpent Speaks

Judah recounted a story where they were all in a cemetary and the monk was calling upon a “large serpent” to come and speak with him.  The monk told everyone to keep their eyes closed as the snake approached.  They could hear its movements and hissing.  When he made it to their group, the monk began speaking with the snake in a strange language.

Possessed For A Price

The monk was pretty good at getting lottery numbers that even Judah himself won the lottery.  He spent 500 baht ($15) and won 35,000 baht ($1000).  After his win, the villagers began to follow Judah as well.  He had been apprenticing with the monk and learning his ways.  The monk made him his spirit medium.

He would sit behind Judah and invite the spirits or “ghosts” as the Thai call them to possess Judah.  Then they would speak through him.  Judah mentioned that the monk had another young girl join them and the monk made this girl a medium too.

The “Monk” Fathers A Son

Judah said that the monk ended up having a sexual relationship with the young girl impregnating her.  ”She lives just a couple of houses away and her son is now four years old.”, he told me in a hushed tone.

The monk would take off his robes and run away when he got into trouble then pop up in another village seeking to influence other people.

Drawn By Spiritual Power

I asked Judah was drew him to the monk and his brand of religion and he answered that he was interested in the power and the ability to be protected by the spirits as well as the ability to manipulate the spirit world for his advantage.

He did not know of the Supreme Creator God and had never heard or experienced the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ…not yet anyway.

I believe these stories, which both happened in the fall of 2012, to be both accurate and true.

This is one of two stories.

Judah and his thankful neighbor.

Tired of Waiting

A village woman named Mae Noi had been recovering for the past eight months from open heart surgery.  The time of the harvest had come and she was tired of resting so she decided to join her husband in the fields that day.  

At around 5pm, she came in to eat and wash up.  She had chest pains and fell down unable to call for help.  She eventually lost consciouness and died.

Her husband found her lifeless body when he returned home at around 11pm.  He ran frantically to the neighbors looking for help until he found it at the house of a new believer named “Judah.”  Judah had taken this new name after being born again about four years ago.

Could I Have The Elijah Kind Of Faith?

Two days before his neighbor came for him, Judah had been reading the story of Elijah raising the widow’s son from the dead (I Kings 17:17-22).  During his reading, an announcement came over the village loudspeaker that an old man had died in the village.

Judah, a pig farmer by occupation, asked God,

“Could I have the faith to pray like Elijah did one day?  Could I see the dead raised?”

Two days later, God answered his prayer.

A “Ghost” Killed Her

Judah and his father made their way to their neighbors house and found the other villagers preparing the body on the “sala”, an outdoor sitting area made of bamboo.  The villagers were careful not to leave the body near the house because they were afraid that her ghost would haunt the place.  They were saying that a “Pii Phop” had killed the lady.  This spirit is infamous in Northeast Thailand for causing tragedy.

Jesus, Name Above All Names

Judah and his father insisted that the body be brought back into the house where they would pray to Jesus for her life to be restored.  They began to pray and cry out to God for her.  Judah and his father prayed earnestly for about 20 minutes when suddenly the woman’s pulse and breath returned.  She began to regain color but she was paralyzed and couldn’t speak.

They brought her to the local hospital where the doctor said that she would most probably die anyway or be paralyzed for life.  Judah and his father continued to pray while the villagers observed silently.

Fully Recovered And Amazed

Despite the Doctor’s dire predictions, this Mae Noi eventually regained all motion and function and is fully alive and healthy today. One day after being released out of the hospital she went back into the fields to help her husband with the rice harvest!

She has suffered no lasting effects from her death.  She and her husband are joining Judah and his family as a part of a new village house church fellowship.

Judah gives God all of the glory for what He did.  He is thankful that God has revealed Himself to his fellow villagers and displayed the mighty power of the name of His Son, the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Later that day, I was even more amazed as God led me to ask Judah about his testimony.  I learned many things about the reality of the Thai world view and how a Gospel of power would be needed to set the Thai free from spiritual darkness and bondage.

More stories to come.  Stay tuned.

T.L. Osborn- December 23, 1923 – February 14, 2013

I was reading this quote just the other day in my research on Thailand.

Thai Church Historian Herb Swanson writes, “The Osborn Crusade, which took place in 1956, is one of the most important events in post-War Thai Protestant history and also one of the least studied and understood.”

Swanson, Herb. The Osborn Crusade of 1956 and Its Aftermath. The Finnish Free Foreign Mission and the Origins of Pentecostalism in Thailand, 1946-1960. Retrieved. (p. 23)

T.L. Osborn was a unique healing evangelist that God used to spark a new wave of outreach and church planting in Thailand.  He is an example of a faithful flame that burns bright all the way till the end. He will be remembered by many as a man God used to spread the full Gospel message all over the world.

This is a good article about his legacy by J. Lee Grady: Why T.L. Osborn Is My Hero.

Instead of giving answers, I want to start by asking a few questions to those who are working to see the Gospel advance in their nation.

Below are my questions for both nationals and ex-pats working to see the Gospel advance in Thailand and beyond…

>> Firstly and most importantly, do we personally have a lifestyle of passion, compassion, and prayer?

• Do we deeply feel the reality of how many still haven’t heard the Gospel?
• Do we empathize what it must be like to grow up under the majority “religion?”
• Do we understand that, “God does through prayer would have otherwise not have happened, had we not prayed?”

>> Are we engaged in regular outreach that involves sharing our own story with others, even strangers?  If no, why not?

>> Do we believe in the power of God for healing, deliverance, and signs, miracles, & wonders or do we believe that those days are past us?

>> Are we free from our denomination’s, mission’s, or church’s expectation that we plant their “brands” rather than “Kingdom” within the culture?

>> Do we have enough time and energy to sustain a new work or have we eaten up any “pioneering” margin by “maintenance” projects?

>> Is it our goal to see Gospel multiplication or movements happen in our nation?

>> Are we willing to strip out anything that is not reproducible or potentially a stumbling block to the “core”of our country?

>> Are we really open to God using women, the poor, uneducated, and non-seminary trained leaders to lead in the ministries we plant?

>> Are we willing to facilitate rather than lead out, or if necessary to “father” but not control?

>> Are we willing to find “persons of peace” (Luke 10 & Matt 10) & work with them in their own context rather than extract them out?

>> Can we embrace broader perspectives and approaches that we may not have had exposure to before if it serves to hasten breakthrough?

>> Are we willing to allow the choice for new believers to remain in their socio-religious identities as followers of Christ?

>> Are we willing to help new believers think through the issues by going first to Scripture itself to “self-theologize” without feeling compelled to give them all of the answers?

>> Can we “model, assist, watch, & leave” without abandoning new groups and leaders?

>> Can we be ready to move on to new places and do it all again where “Christ has not yet been known.?”

These are the questions I have had to ask myself.  I hope that they will help spark some conversation and answers in your own life and work.

If you are working among an unreached people group, I would love to hear your thoughts.  Sound off in the comments section.

“What The Witch Doctor Taught Me” is the title of an exciting new book that I just finished reading.

Author Elaine Oleo Masters, takes us on a colorful ride into the world of Thailand’s tribal regions through her own experiences as a person who came in and out of the culture often.

Elaine’s husband, Don, was assigned to the American Embassy in Bangkok and Elaine came into contact with a lady who would eventually lead her up to the tribal areas of the North on an exploratory trip.  Once she experienced the life and culture of tribal Thailand, she would never be able to get it out of her blood.

I loved this book because it gives the reader lots of exciting and intriguing glimpses into another world that most will never be able to experience.  It is a great adventure read for those who want to take a journey into rural Southeast Asian life and hear of God’s work among a distant people.

For those who will experience the culture because they are going to Thailand as workers, the book does a great job of introducing some of the basics what they will be encountering as they interact with tribal life or life in Thailand, in general.

For people who are already living and working in Thailand, you will find yourself nodding your head “Yes” to a lot of what Elaine points out in her examples.

The testimony of the book stands as a great example of the power of one concerned person who makes it their business to get involved and stay committed even though they are not resident in and among the people.

It should do a great service to those who are looking for real life examples of the potential power of “short term” missions work. I recommend it!

You can get the book on Kindle or Paperback from Amazon.

Right now, in our generation, large populations of people are still waiting for a missionary, for a Bible, for a church. Who will go to them?

Motivated by God’s Work in You

Your people shall be willing in the day of your power…

Psalm 110:3

In my own life, I have seen God do an amazing personal work. As I experienced God’s grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness I was eventually overflowing with willingness to go. It was not simply shear gut-level determination that thrust my hand up to volunteer for service but, rather, a grace-filled experience of God’s power and a revelation of who Jesus really is that motivated me.

We see this also in the life of the Prophet Isaiah. The radical encounter that we get a glimpse of in Isaiah chapter 6 causes the Prophet to cry out, “I will go, send me.” He was not deterred even though he knew that his assignment would be mission impossible. Likewise, those who today have no one attempting to reach them with the Good News of Jesus need people who are willing to volunteer for an impossible mission.

More than Zeal

But what about the next step? Zeal, fire, passion—whatever you want to call it—may move you to take the journey of 10,000 miles. But what will you do when you land and must take the journey of the next 10 feet? Once reality begins to set in, what will your response be? Will you walk by your feelings or by faith, trusting in the one who saved us, called us, and empowers us?

This is where perseverance and commitment are foundational. An independent Western I-want-it-my-way-and-I-want-it-now mentality will not do. The walls that have kept these unengaged people groups in darkness will not be breached easily or quickly. The task will likely take time and sustained effort.

You will need to be:

• Those who have “set our faces like flint” (Isaiah 50:7) to do the will of God.
• Those who have made up your minds like Job that “though God slay me yet will I serve Him.” (Job 13:15)
• Those who believe that “they will see His goodness in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:12-13 KJV)

Die to Self

You will need an experience of God’s grace and an encounter with the true Jesus to answer the call. You will need perseverance to stay true to the call. Beyond these things, those who go to unreached and unengaged peoples will be required to strip themselves down and bring only the essentials of the gospel of the kingdom.

You will need to make a deliberate decision to die to self. Instead of asking “What do I want?” or “What do I need?” you must instead be willing to ask questions like:

• “How can the Gospel be really Good News to these people”?
• “How can I become most like them in order to win them to Christ?”
• “How can I be a bridge builder rather than a wall builder?”

Privileged to Pay the Price

If what I am saying sounds difficult, it is only because it is difficult. There is a price. To reach the unreached and to engage the unengaged we will need to go beyond what has been done and be willing to pay the full price.

After over 2,000 years, Jesus has still yet to receive those people whom he has purchased for the Father from every tongue, tribe, and people (Revelation 5:9, 7:9). Will you be one of those whom he privileges to take his gospel to a people who are still waiting to hear?

Reprint of an article I wrote for Urbana.org, originally posted here.

At the time of his prayer, this place was an empty Nazarene Bible College campus that was up for sale.  Many offers were made on it by many different types of people, but it wasn’t until God moved on the heart of Dr. Ralph D. Winter to step out in faith to purchase the campus that it would become the place it is today.  This is another story in itself.

Above is Stadell’s testimony about the season of prayer God led him to in 1974.  This testimony was recorded in the early 80′s.  Sorry for the poor quality of the video, but if you pay attention to the whole story, you will see how God led him and spoke to him through the Scripture, Isaiah 24:16.  You will one example of what a life of prayer and faith lived out looks like.

You will see how he had the quality of faith that, even though it could not see it in the natural, he was tenacious before God to pray through till he sensed the breakthrough.

On this video you will also see our soft spoken but wise founder, Dr. Ralph Winter, testify about how Stadell helped to bring the breakthrough through prayer.

Dr. Winter goes on to reflect on the destiny of the campus of the US Center for World Mission and prays for those listening to have a faith that can “jar, destroy, and fix new directions” for us from day to day.  He seemed, to me, always ready to move forward with God.

I love stories like this because they give us something to reflect on in our own lives.

• How many times have we sensed God leading us to do something that seemed absurd at the time?
• How many times have we felt to keep going after something in prayer though we didn’t really understand the full implications of our prayers?
• How many times has our obedience potentially opened the door for other’s obedience to God?
• How many times have we made decisions by faith, not knowing that our choices can still reverberate decades later?

About 39 years later, the same prayer that Stadell prayed would be prayed by crowds of young people at the recent “Wilder” conference led by Lou Engle and held right here on the campus of the US Center for World Mission.

Isaiah 24:16, “Glory to the Righteous One”

God is doing something special in this season here at the US Center for World Mission.

Could another student volunteer movement for missions be brewing in America?

Could the new prayer movements and the frontier missions movement together be a powerful new force in our generation?

While speaking at a local HRock Church conference called “The Prophetic Voice Conference”, Engle began to lay out how God has been leading him toward this new “life commission.”  He said that he was willing to give even the next twenty years of his life to the call to pray for God to send (ekballo) laborers into the last remaining unreached people groups.

He mentioned his connection and partnership with the Pasadena based US Center for World Mission and the Mott auditorium which is based on the 36 acre campus.  The auditorium is named after famous student mission mobilizer, John R. Mott.

Many supernatural words have been spoken about the importance of the location of Mott auditorium.  In my own research, I found in the story of the founding of the US Center for World mission an important connection with a praying Swedish missionary named Erik Stadell.

Dr. Ralph Winter, the founder of the Frontier Mission Fellowship and the US Center for World Mission, credits the genesis of the campus in part to the deeply faith filled intercession of Stadell.  I have cut a small video of Stadell’s powerful testimony and some background here.  It is an inspiring story of how intercession and action go together and I believe an prophetic picture for the fututre.

Another minister, James Goll, shared a dream in which God took him to Mott auditorium on the campus of the US Center for World Mission.  There he showed him many things that would take place in the near future.  Engle also writes about Stadell and Mott in his book “Digging the Wells of Revival.”

As God began to stir Engle back towards California, a close friend told him that he had been praying for him for five months that he would receive his inheritance in Pasadena.

Then another friend, Chris Berglund, told him about a dream where an angel gives him a key with #731 on it.  He tells him, “My name is ‘I’ll Meet You On The Mountain.’”  Although it did not make sense at first, Engle tucked it away.

He made his way to Pasadena to spend 40 days fasting and praying to seek God about what his next steps should be.  He would start his fast in June and end at the end of July.  To Engle, the “mountain” if anything was Mott auditorium.

Engle mentions that the General Director of the US Center for World Mission, Dave Datema, had contacted him before in Kansas City because he had a dream that prayer was being brought to the US Center campus. He also saw three loading docks.  Datema specifically sought out Engle, saying, “can you bring prayer to the US Center?”

When Engle came to Pasadena, Datema contacted him again saying that he had a book on the history of Mott Auditorium that he wanted to give him as he entered into the last day of fasting… 7/31.

The book was a hard to find book about the founding of the campus by the Nazarenes before Dr. Winter bought it to be used as a center for world mission focused on unreached people groups.

The name of the book was, “The Key Works”!  The cover had a picture of a large mountain on it.

Key. 731. Mountain.

Engle said earlier in the night that “Mott auditorium is a sign and a wonder to something much bigger.”

In response, Lou Engle and friends will be hosting a conference on the campus of the US Center for World Mission at the Mott auditorium Feb 1-2 called “The Wilder Conference.”  It is named after the famous student volunteer mobilizer Robert Wilder and his sister Grace.

If you have been following my family’s story, you know that we faced a dramatic upheaval from the mission field last year.  We faced great warfare and heart break as well.  We were supernaturally brought to Pasadena at the beginning of June this year, not knowing that God would be planning any of these things.

Our focus was and still is unreached peoples, the frontiers of mission, and mobilization.  However, we were born in the “fires of revival” ourselves and have been deeply impacted by “The Call” events, even from the very first “Call” held in D.C. in 2000.  Our whole school attended this solemn day of fasting and prayer led by our leader, Dr. Michael Brown.

In my next post I will break out more of what Lou Engle shared relating to this new commission and focus.  God is stirring something fresh and new here in Southern California.

As you may have seen I have been offline from the blog for nearly two whole months now.  The reason has been because I have been immersed in some very exciting work here at the US Center for World Mission and beyond.

I am just getting home from three weeks of conference and circuit traveling in Thailand.

Before this I was in St. Louis for a week leading our 14 member team for Urbana 2012.

Sunrise in Bangkok

The months before Urbana were spent in preparation for these events as well as doing some research on the history of the US Center for World Mission and the role of intercessory prayer in its formation.

In the coming days I will share more about what God has been doing to align what I feel are two of the most key movements coming out of North America; the prayer movement and the frontier mission movement.

I will also begin writing more about the insights I have been getting concerning outreach in Thailand and Southeast Asia.

I have some incredible testimonies that I want to share with you.  Two of the testimonies have to do with the dead being raised in Jesus’ name by the prayers of common every day villagers. I personally recorded these stories on my recent trip.

This blog will began to be focused more on recording mission insights, stories, and happenings as the US Center and the Prayer Movements begin to converge and partner together to see a new missions movement emerge from America to unreached people groups.

My personal ministry updates are now being written for my supporters on my new USCWM page.  If you are a supporter, please be sure to visit and book mark our new site.  Through this site, you can support our ministry through secure and easy to use online donations.

I look forward to writing more of my reflections on Spread The Flame in the coming weeks and months.  We are entering into some very exciting times.

2012 will be remembered as both a year of survival, testing, and massive transition for us personally.  But we are more confident than ever that everything we have learned and experienced has custom made us for where we are now.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support of our missions work.

As we go out encountering the last unreached peoples of the world (there are still over 7k groups totalling well over 2 billion people), more of the same from the past eras of mission simply will not work.

How much cultural baggage do we want to carry to the frontiers of mission?

This goes for both those who are crossing into near cultures and those crossing into distant, far cultures.  Both have unique challenges and advantages.

I am still a believer, as I believe others should be also, in the whole Church taking the whole Gospel to the whole world.  But this ideal presents unique challenges as well.  They are challenges that can be overcome if we are willing to lay down our own agendas and take up a more “Kingdom” centered agenda that is looking to see the Gospel come alive in the context of the where we are sent, rather than replicating that which we know and are most comfortable with.

As we come and go, we will be tempted to replicate what we have seen, experienced, and learned in our own cultures (whether they be American, African, Latin, Korean, Filipino, Singaporean or otherwise).  We have to make a deliberate decision not to do this.  We have to help our supporters understand what our real goals are and manage those who believe that our goal should be to replicate their model in a new mission field.

“Stripped Down Missions” means that we don’t need to carry our “pre-fabricated” materials designed to build out our own home models in our new contexts.

Rather, “stripped down missions” carries with it a bag of strategic principles, tools to initiate a work.  Its goal is that this work would be indegenized and owned locally.

Looking to what is still remaining to be done to see that each remaining unreached and especially unengaged people has the ability to not only hear the Gospel but also have access to a Christ centered fellowship in their own culture, we must decide beforehand how we will go and what we will take with us to do the work God has assigned.

What you bring, your unique “flavor,” may be good back home but it may not work well or translate in the frontiers of mission.

The question you must ask yourself is how can I take what I know, what I have learned, what God has shown us, and distill it down to core principles that are ready and prepared by God to relate to any culture?

One you have these written out, the goal should then be to allow those principles or truths to be “incarnate” or literally to put on the flesh of the local culture as much as possible.

Once you have done the essential missions task of bringing the Gospel to those who have not yet heard and making disciples, the decisions are in the hands of the new believers as you help guide them and direct them to choose “forms” that are closest to their OWN host culture, not yours.

As you work with new believers, you can explore together how those “forms” can be infused with new meaning.  It is also important to keep in mind not just the new believer but also their family and the make up of the “core” people around them.

How will they best receive the Good News?  How can it best flow naturally through the family lines?

Part of the role of “stripped down missions” is to also explore what must be rejected, especially in the area of idolatry, trust, and allegiances.

Rather than simply telling, a person carrying a “stripped down missions” strategy will lead through Bible discovery and experience before dogmatism.

Where does suffering, or “dukkha” as it is called in the Pali language, come from?  How can we transcend it and be liberated from it?

These were the burning questions of the Buddha.

He found a cycle that began with ignorance and led to suffering.  This is the cycle of dependent origination.

The circle of dependent origination is overseen by this giant symbolizing many things such as the power of sensual desire & the reality of night and day ticking away against us. In Jesus, his teeth are broken and he’s lost his grip.

It is helpful to understand that the “suffering” he was speaking of does not simply have to do with physical pain, but also more expansively a general state of “dis-ease,” a feeling that something is not right.

The analogy is sometimes given of a bent wheel.  Something is “off.”

It is also helpful to note that many within Buddhism do not understand this cycle as happening over three lifetimes as some teach (rebirth) but many see it as what happens over and over again within the course of one life.  

That is the view I am taking as well.

Jesus Liberates

I will take what I know of the revelation of Christ Jesus who “fills all in all” and is by very nature, the truth, and place Him in the cycle of dependent origination as the answer to the questions raised by the seeker, Gautauma Buddha.  My thinking will be most familiar with those who are most familiar with Buddhist teaching.  My thoughts are for the Buddhist seeker.

My question is

“how is Jesus ‘Good News’ to the one who understands the teachings of dependent origination?”

Key Definitions

First a few key Buddhist terms and my definitions:

Dukkha- translated suffering, but more fully understood to be “disatisfaction” or “the world is not as it should be.”

Annica: Impermanance, nothing ever stays the same in this world.  Understanding this helps one not to cling to temporary things.

Anatta: Translated “No Self” but I take it to mean that they “self” you think you are, the one based on the temporary, is no self at all.

Jesus: Good News for the Buddhist

Jesus is

• Self existent,
• Creator,
• Truth,
• Permanent,
• Non Transitory,
• Stable,
• The Only Unchanging One,
• Fully Knowledgeable,
• All Powerful,
• The Path Out of Suffering,
• The Life That Brings Enlightenment

The 12 Links in the Cycle of “Dependent Origination”,

starting at the beginning.

Ignorance:

Suffering or dis-ease starts with ignorance.  We are ignorant of the unchanging, non transitory, stable One, our Creator- Jesus.

Mental Formation:

We develop patterns and habits apart from Him that condition our present consciousness.  These patterns arise solely from what is temporary.

Consciousness:

We use our “filtering mechanisms” to select a certain state of mind that affects our body.

Senses:

Our consciousness affects our physical desires and gives way to preferences.  We make our preferences only by what we see, feel, taste, touch, and hear.

Desire:

We either want something we can’t have. The desire causes dissatisfaction.

Aversion:

We work to avoid something we deem unpleasant.  The avoidance causes “dis”-ease.

Craving:

This leads to us craving something, whether it be pleasure in the temporal or moving away from any and all pain and discomfort.  We “want” and this desire for something temporary takes us down the road to dissatisfaction.

Clinging:

We begin to own “it”, whatever “it” may be. We began to be in service of the temporary thing and it begins to own us.

Becoming:

An identity begins to arise based on the temporary thing that we are clinging to.  Our identity, “I am”, is based in something temporary.

Suffering-

We attach ourselves to this temporary and false identity and it leads us down the path of suffering or more specifically “disatisfaction.”

Confusion & Bewilderment or Search

Our feeling that something is off, something is not right either leads us to confusion and bewilderment in life or search.  Search leads us to…

Ignorance or Enlightenment

We will continue to persist in ignorance and thereby continue to repeat the patterns above, looking for something stable and unchanging by grasping at what is temporary.

Or we will find englightenment leading to liberation from the cycle.

We must find true enlightenment before death comes.

The Apostle Paul prayed, “that the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened that you would know the hope of your calling.” Ephesians 1:8

Though Christ, we are “Vija” or awakened.

Our calling is to live free from the transitory and temporary and to be free from the law of sin and death that keeps us in the cycle of ignorance.  Christ gives us power in this life and ultimate freedom apart from suffering in the life to come.

It is Jesus who has the power to break the cycle of dependent origination because he is truth and he ultimately never changes.  by clinging to Him and receiving his finished work on our behalf, we can ultimately be free from the “dis”-ease that we feel because of our former ignorance and, our grasping for and identity in, temporary things.

One day soon the world will return to the place where no one will be ignorant of God and suffering on earth will cease.

Jesus is the unchanging & ultimate hope of the Buddhist.

The nation, said to be founded by Noah’s son Shem and home to the Queen of Sheba- mentioned in Scripture, needs a Savior and it needs global prayer.

Here are 3 critical areas facing Yemen.

One of the world’s highest birthrates

• Population has tripled since ’75
• One of the world’s youngest populations
• The future of any nation is its young people
• What do young people do when they can’t find purpose or work?

Use of the narcotic “qat”

• Over 80% of the adult population chews it
• Nearly 40% of the national economy is involved in its production
• An estimated 20 million working hours a day are spent chewing it
• 55% of all water usage is devoted to the production of “qat”

Running out of water

• Yemen is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world
• Most of the countries rising militancy is a conflict over resources
• Leaky pipes waste 60% of water in urban areas
• Finding water takes the whole family away from work
• The capital city Sanaa may be the first capital city to actually run out of water

In addition to running out of water, estimates say that by 2017 Yemen will cease earning income from its oil reserves.  

When we consider the “Great Commission”, Yemen could be considered one of the “hardest darkest” places, yet there are still a few people in our generation laying down their lives for the Yemeni people because of love.  

We know for certain that there are hospitable and peace loving people who make up the nation’s core.  There are “people of peace” who will be open to someone coming as a representative of the “prince of peace.”  Luke 10:2

Pray for Yemen.

 Compiled from a prayer gathering at the USCWM, presented by D. Dorr.  Stats from Operation World by Jason Mandryk and a Christian Science Monitor article by Laura Kasinof, Nov. 5th, 2009