In response to my recent post on "Do You Need a Bible Degree to be a Long Term Missionary?", I received the following testimony of a theological student who found his training to be surprisingly relevant on a trip to the Muslim world.  For those who are considering doing missions in the Muslim World (or elsewhere), and wondering whether their Western course of theological studies will really help them, Chris' experience should be a helpful encouragement:

 

"In June 2009, after one year of academic study on the "Theology and World Mission Course" at Oak Hill Theological College, London, I jetted off to a Muslim-majority country for a summer of overseas gospel ministry.  As I sat on the 13-hour flight, it was easy to imagine the potential payback of classes I'd taken on Mark's Gospel and the Pentateuch.  But, what of the other subjects: abstract, academic and arduous?  Would trinitarian theology, critical modern scholarship, Hebrew and Greek pull their weight as well?  Or would they turn out to be no more than expensive excess baggage?

 

I have been having conversations lately with a Thai Chinese fellow who is a real thinker.  That’s hard to find around here.  Many folks are happy to not think about (or at least not discuss) difficult or controversial issues.  Thai culture places a high value on non-confrontation so it is tough to really engage people in discussion about any issues of significance.  But not this guy.Mr. Mon and his wife own a trucking business and one of their employees is a Christian lady whom my wife disciples (she does housework, not truck driving, if you wanted to know).  One night as we were trying to get our kids into bed, I answer a call from her on my wife’s mobile phone.  “You have to come over here right now.  We’re watching the movie you lent us and he has all these questions and I don’t know the answers.  You have to come now.”  She was desperate and a bit impatient. “Well, okay” I replied, “Let me talk to my wife for a second.  We’re putting the kids to bed.. hang on...” and before I could talk to my wife, the voice on the other end of the phone said, “Okay, I’m waiting for you.  You’re coming now.  Bye.”  Twenty minutes later, after I made sure my wife had the kids under control, I was sitting down with Mr. Mon, his wife, and their Christian house helper who had called us.

This past month, we had the joy of having Caitlin baptized, welcoming her into the covenant community of the Christian church.  Baby Molly, the daughter of our friends Chris and Paige was baptized at the same time.  A fellow missionary videotaped the event and I include it below.  The video is all in Thai and I am afraid that I haven't had time to add English subtitles.

 

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If you have trouble viewing the above video, you may watch it directly on Vimeo.com

 

 

Pastor Natee, who did the baptism, had some really helpful comments about the nature of baptism that got me thinking.  First, people are baptized not because of what they have done but in recognition of what God has done.  Therefore, in the case of people who come to Christ and are baptized as adults, they are baptized in recognition of God's work in their life, regenerating their heart and granting them faith and repentance.  They are baptized because it is evident that God has chosen to bring them into the fold of the Christian church.  Baptism welcomes them into the visible church because God has already brought them into the invisible church. 

 

“Why am I suffering?” and “How can I escape from suffering?” Those are the big questions that drive Buddhism.  The answer provided is that suffering is caused by desire, and one can escape suffering by detaching oneself from the world through right thinking, right speech, and right action.  It may sound fine in theory but in practice most Thai Buddhists find it very difficult.  Many Thai Buddhists will admit that they find it a great challenge to keep even the Five Precepts, the most basic moral rules of Buddhism.  Being a good person is really hard and even for the most moral of people, suffering still comes.  And when it comes, how should we make sense of it?  In our own lives? In the lives of others?  How can we have hope in the midst of suffering?  These are all important questions.  But for most people, satisfying answers are elusive.  Buddhism says, “Avoid suffering by trying to be good” or “Just suck it up because your suffering is caused by bad karma from a past life.”  As the prosperity gospel gains a hearing in Thai churches, quick-fix preachers promise people, “If you have enough faith and do the right things, then God will make you healthy and wealthy.”  Some are sucked in by these charlatans, but the promises of the prosperity gospel come up empty and in the end give people a warped and inaccurate impression of Christianity.

The title of this article may seem like an overstatement but it is not.  Some may object, “But surely the sinner’s prayer has worked for some people. Even if many have fallen away after praying to receive Christ, not all have.”  I happily concede the point that there are many Christians who continue to walk with the Lord and grow in their faith many years after having said the sinner’s prayer.  But what I question is this, “Was it really the sinner’s prayer that converted them?”  19th century revival preacher Charles Finney, who is largely responsible for popularizing the use of the altar call and the sinner’s prayer, would probably have said yes.

In a number of Thai churches I have noticed that the type of worship songs selected fall into three general categories: 1) “I offer you my life” 2) “Pour out your Spirit” and, 3) “I want to be close to you”.  This emphasis is hardly unique to Thailand as much of modern worship songs here are heavily influenced from the West.  These type of songs have a time and place yet it seems that in some churches, these are almost the only type of songs that are played.  As we sing the same basic things over and over again, I have begun to wonder, “Where is Christ? Where is the cross?”.  It seems to be a glaring oversight to not have songs about Christ and his finished work on the cross as a mainstay of Christian worship.  When I come into the weekly worship meeting, the first thing that my heart wants to sing is usually not “I offer my life to you” or “You are my every desire.”  Why is that?  Is it because I am not spiritual enough?  Yes, in fact, that is exactly the reason.  If I am honest to myself, my motivations are usually mixed and Christ is not my every desire.  When songs come up that require me to sing lyrics like “You are all that I want”, I will often go silent or sing very quietly, praying in my heart, “Oh LORD, make me desire nothing but you.  This song is not me.  Change my heart God, and increase my love for you.”  If I sing songs that say more than is really true, then I feel like I am lying to God and everyone around me.

What is true repentance? This morning I read Matthew 26 and as I reflected on it, I was struck by Matthew Henry's commentary on Peter's denial of Christ. Henry writes, "Peter wept bitterly. Sorrow for sin must not be slight, but great and deep. Peter, who wept so bitterly for denying Christ, never denied him again, but confessed him often in the face of danger. True repentance for any sin will be shown by the contrary grace and duty; that is a sign of our sorrowing not only bitterly, but sincerely."In Thailand, I have seen far too many professions of faith that bear no fruit. I have also heard too many Christians misdiagnose the problem of people who profess faith in Christ but don't follow through. One suggestion is that these backsliders need more encouragement. Another suggestion is that they need more follow-up and discipling. Both of these may be true to a degree depending upon how we understand the terms but neither seem to get at the heart of the matter that genuine repentance has likely not occurred. Repentance is not only stopping doing something bad but is also the beginning of doing something new. As Henry points out, Peter not only ceased denying Christ, but he also did the exact opposite - stood up and boldly proclaimed him from that point onward. Repentance does not consist of merely admitting to, or confessing ones sins either to God or to others. Repentance is a decisive turning from evil and self, and towards God. Granted, some new believers exhibit more obvious repentance earlier on because of the gross nature of their former life while others seem to grow or change more slowly as it is less obvious elements, like attitudes of the heart, which need the most change. But in either case,

 

Available from: Amazon  Ligonier Ministries

 

A straight forward explanation of the essentials (and more) of the Christian faith from a Reformed perspective.   First published in 1938, Berkhof’s comprehensive work has stood the test of time.  His comparisons of Biblical doctrine with competing alternatives are particularly helpful in understanding what Scripture teaches.

 

 

 

English edition available from: AmazonThai edition available from: Kanok Bannasan (OMF Publishers Thailand)

 

A helpful summary of Christian doctrine with very brief chapters on a wide variety of essential topics for the Christian to know and understand.  Quite useful as a quick reference tool.

 

 

 

English edition available from: Amazon  Ligonier MinistriesThai edition available from: Kanok Bannasan (OMF Publishers Thailand)

 

A modern classic on the most important attribute of God that encompasses all the others: holiness.  Unless Christians understand that God is holy, and what that means for their lives, then neither his love, grace, justice nor mercy can be properly appreciated and lived out.

 

In the United States, there is currently a debate about whether preachers should contextualize the Gospel. Those who oppose contextualization view those who favor it as people who compromise and undermine the true Biblical Gospel in the name of winning a hearing. Some of those who advocate for contextualization claim that those who don't contextualize (as they define it) are are going to fail to reach the current generation.I've done a number of posts that deal with the issue of contextualization, realizing that some readers may misunderstand where I am coming from, and exactly what I am advocating. For those who are confused about contextualization or who suspect that I may be compromising the Gospel by advocating for contextualization, I want to recommend Dr. David Sills recent blog post on Reclaiming Contextualization. Sills discusses what is proper contextualization, why it is necessary, and how the term has been abused and redefined in recent debates.

 

I keep hearing, both first hand and from others, evidences of a theology of the prosperity Gospel creeping through the Thai church. Certainly not all Thai Christians think this way and I don’t want to overgeneralize but I hear enough of it to be concerned. By the term “prosperity gospel”, I mean this type of “Christian” teaching that tells people that God wants them to be healthy and wealthy, and to see health and wealth as sure signs of God’s blessing in their life. I grant that God’s gracious provision of good health and financial prosperity are blessings from God but Biblically speaking, the pursuit of these things should not be the goal of the Christian life (1 Tim 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil”) but rather, we should be content with what we have (Phil 4:10-13), and trust God to provide for our needs as we make obedience and faithfulness to God our primary concern (Matt. 6:33).In many Thai churches, part of the worship service is a time for people to get up and give testimonies of God working in their lives in during the past week. There is certainly a place for praising God for giving physical healing, helping in times of financial difficulty, and other practical matters. But when these are nearly exclusively the types of praises that people are giving, then there is a problem. I asked an elderly Thai Christian, who has been a believer for twenty to thirty years, “Since you became a Christian, how have you seen God change your life?” He replied, “I was rather poor but now I am lower middle class.” I was hoping for more but that was it! I was talking with a fellow missionary who told me about the weekly “testimonies” of a church elder at the church where she and her husband worship. I know this church elder personally and

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In the previous post, we looked at the Biblical precedent for preaching and saw that sermons are not merely a Western cultural tradition but have their foundation in the pages of Scripture. In this post, I would like to wrap up by responding to some objections to maintaining the sermon as a central part of the life of the Christian church.Objection#1 “Sermons are ineffective” Perhaps you will grant to me the fact that preaching is important in Scripture but would go on to add that times have changed and sermons just don’t “work”. In some ways, I agree. I have heard lots of sermons that just don’t work. But it is not because the idea of preaching a sermon is a bad one but rather because the sermon that someone decided to preach was a bad sermon. It was boring. It was irrelevant. It was mostly the preacher’s own ideas and hobby horses with little reference to Scripture. It explained the meaning of the passage for ancient Israelites but failed to show how it applies to modern listeners. It was all puffed up emotion or moralistic platitudes with little reference to Scripture. It did nothing to address the misunderstandings and objections of the listeners, failing to make people see what God is saying and how it intersects with their life. It is just a collection of observations about the passage that the preacher thought were interesting but there is no overall coherent message. The preacher, fearing that he will lose people, fills his sermon with too many irrelevant funny stories that at the end of the day make people laugh but fails to feed them with the Word of God. There are lots of examples of bad sermons but that is not any justification for

I’ve heard some missionaries say that the sermon is not all that important for the spiritual growth of believers. Others have suggested that the sermon be done away with all together. Isn’t the sermon merely a cultural tradition of the Western church anyway? Shouldn’t we find some better, less passive, and more culturally appropriate way to help believers understand and apply the Bible?Hearing statements like this have concerned me because in the name of contextualization and better spiritual growth, we are about to throw out something that not only has a firm Biblical basis but is also an appropriate and contextual form of religious speech in Thai culture. In this first of two posts about the sermon, I would like to lay out some Biblical arguments for why churches should retain the sermon as a centerpiece of Christian worship and teaching. Not only churches in the West, but churches everywhere.The Biblical Precedent for PreachingIf we look through Scripture just briefly, we’ll see lots of examples of preaching. The idea of the sermon was not developed in some Puritan think tank in 16th century England. When the people of Israel had newly entered in the land of Canaan, Joshua expounds to the people the history of what God has done for them (Joshua 24:1-13) and upon that basis goes on to challenge them to choose whether they will serve the God of Israel or some other gods (Joshua 24:14-15). Here we have two fundamental components of a sermon: explanation of God’s words and actions and application of that to the lives of the listeners. Prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel stood up in the public square, bringing God’s word to the people, and exhorted them to turn back to God. In the book of Nehemiah, we see a wonderful example of this as Ezra the priest stands up to expound the law of God to all the people who are gathered in the public square (Nehemiah 8:1-8).

We affirm the five “Solas” of the Protestant Reformation. SOLA SCRIPTURA - The Bible alone can bind the conscience of believers and is infallible, inerrant and sufficient. SOLA FIDE - Justification is by faith alone.  The merit of Christ imputed to us by faith is the sole ground of our acceptance by God. SOLUS CHRISTUS - Christ is the only mediator through whose work we are redeemed. SOLA GRATIA - Our salvation rests solely on the work of God’s unfathomable grace for us and in us. SOLI DEO GLORIA - To God alone belongs the glory.

 

English edition available from:  Amazon

 

Excellent introduction to how God's sovereignty and election intersect and are compatible with a passion for evangelism.  A must read for anyone interested in evangelism.

 

 

We believe the Bible is the written word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts. The Bible is the revelation of God's truth and is infallible and 
authoritative in all matters of faith and practice.

We believe in the Holy Trinity. There is one God, who exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

We believe that all are sinners and totally unable to save themselves from God's displeasure, except by His mercy.

We believe that salvation is by God alone as He sovereignly chooses those He will save. We believe His choice is based on His grace, not on any human individual merit, or foreseen faith.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who through His perfect life and sacrificial death atoned for the sins of all who will trust in Him, alone, for salvation.

We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells God's people and gives them the strength and wisdom to trust Christ and follow Him.

We believe that Jesus will return, bodily and visibly, to judge all mankind and to receive His people to Himself.

We believe that all aspects of our lives are to be lived to the glory of God under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

This past Sunday, we took a group of people from PhraBaht church out to Nong Doan, a lower class farming community where we are hoping to see a church planted. The goal of our visit to Nong Doan was evangelism - to hand out tracts and to visit people at home. Tracting is really not an ideal way to get the Gospel out but it does have it’s place in stimulating people’s thoughts. One in six Thai Christians report that a tract or some other piece of Christian literature had a role in their coming to faith. In Nong Doan however, our goal is not to just hand out tracts but to meet people and have the opportunity to talk with them about spiritual matters, in particular the Gospel. We want to meet people who are interested to know more and are happy for us to come back regularly, sharing the Gospel, studying Scripture, and building relationships. This particular Sunday afternoon, one of the ladies in our group wanted to go visit a co-worker who comes out from PhraBaht to Nong Doan on the weekends to visit her family. By the time we got there,

I recently ran across a radio program called "Sinners & Saints" put on by some United Reformed Church guys in Southern California and thought that many of their comments on crusade-style mass evangelism dovetailed well with my recent post on mass evangelism in Thailand. Some people may find that they come on a bit strong, or are a bit too cynical at times, but I find most of their observations to be right on, pointing out the bad theology and methodology that is behind much of modern mass evangelism, which in the end results in many false conversions and a weakening of the church of Christ. If you take a listen and start to think to yourself