SOUTH ASIA MISSION

Do you go, speak or give as the Lord directs?

Mon, 03 May 2010 18:11:00 +0000

Jeremiah 1:1-10

When the Word of the Lord comes to man

Man often says “Ah, but…..”

Jeremiah was chosen by God from before he was born (v4-5). So are we. God has plan for our lives and this often means that we are his mouthpiece to share the gospel, and His hands and feet to love others as he loved us.
Jeremiah gave excuses (v 6). So do we. We often have any reasons why we cannot do something or go somewhere for His name’s sake. Think about it – if we give God’s work priority, we will find the ability to obey Him.
God says there are no excuses. He told Jeremiah “Do not say……..” (v. 7) So it is with us. Very often, if we are really honest with ourselves, we will have no answer if God says “Do not say…………”
God is faithful and will always be there to help (v.8). So it is today. His Holy Spirit will give us the power and ability to do what He wants us to do.
God empowered Jeremiah (v.9-10). So too with us today. We are empowered by God through His Spirit. He will give us the words, the energy, the resources, the finances, the time, the health and whatever we need. We just have to give Him the priority.

Jeremiah heard, gave an excuse, was rebuked, and then empowered. He then went, spoke and gave of himself to serve God.

Friends, as we see the needs of the world and the biblical call to go and make disciple so fall nations, are we following God’s word, or are we answering with negatives, procrastination or excuses (obfuscations) ?

Many times God speaks to us through his word, or an inner prompting, or through circumstances and godly counsel. As Christians, we claim to be followers of the sovereign God, yet behave as though we are sovereign.

Some of the words God may use are:

“go” – He wants you to go somewhere, maybe to meet someone with a need, or even use as kill to help others for the sake of the gospel

“speak” – he wants you to tell someone of the gospel of Christ, or share your testimony with a friend

“give” – He may ask us to give to His Kingdom work (giving of our money, resources, talent and time)

Some of the words we use in response are:

“er..” – We ask if we have heard God correctly! When it is a bit inconvenient or challenges our perceptions of how it may impact our comfortable life, we may make this uncertain response

“maybe” - We respond with a maybe mainly because we may feel inadequate. Or we feel we have no support when we are asked to start a new ministry in our local church or to go out on a mission trip or even as a missionary.

“not yet” – We delay going. Reminds me of the parable Jesus told of the two sons. A father asked his two sons to do a chore. One said he would not do it but he did go and get it done anyways. The other said he would do it but did not go. Jesus’ disciples correctly identified the one who di the job as the proper response. So even if we felt or said “not yet”, we can happily change our mind and obey.

“no” – The response unfortunately of over 80% of church members. Church statisticians even put that number at over 90%. The remaining 10-20% are who runt he church ministries. This is a sad reflection of our adherence to God’s precepts.

Culture and the Church

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:15:00 +0000

More details available from "A Biblical Approach to Indian Traditions and Beliefs" by Dr Joshua Raj, available on Amazon (www.amazon.com)

How do we do what is right?

Recently I attended a missions conference in Toronto, where variousethnic communites (they were all Christians) presented their culture andtraditions, together with sights and sounds of various cultures. Having livedin Asia for a long time, I have been exposedto and deeply experienced many of these cultures before.

My conclusion is that it has always been difficult toseparate what is cultural from what is religious, when it comes to dealing withissues in Asia.

To briefly put this issue in context, there has been arevival among academic circles and seminaries in Asia to remove the “cultural”baggage that the western missionaries brought to Asia,and to articulate an authentic Asian theology. The presupposition is that ifone can find what the essential kernel of Christian belief is, then that iswhat we can present to Asians, in their own cultural setting. For example, theearly Indian converts changed their names to English ones (not Hebrew, as onemight expect) due to the need to identify with the “new” religion. They alsostarted wearing shirt and pants, and changed their dietary habits. Much of thischange was cultural, and in and of itself, was not wrong. But the effect was toidentify Christianity as a western religion.

But there is a change in the 21st century! In North America, as mainline Christianity has become“diluted”, and may I say “polluted”, by the world, the trend has reversed. Now,many religious Asian customs are being foisted onto churches and society underthe guise of “culture”.

How do we know what is religious and what is custom? A NorthAmerican would readily accept something as cultural if the church he attendedpresented it as such. Yet it is not so simple. As an ethnic South Asian, I havedifficulty because what I feel is a religious custom may not be that way foranother South Asian Christian. And this is where the issue becomes heated.

In an evangelical community of churches which have sizeableethnic Asian there is the movement toward ethnic culture. This is good, and itis nice to see the cheongsam of the Chinese and the saree of the Indian make acomeback. But then, what do we do when the dragon dance or the yoga classesmake their debut? What about henna tattoos, with their images of the zodiac?What about yin-yang healing or zen meditation?

The cardinal rule that I think a Christian must ensure isthat the historical roots of the custom are not based on the pagan religion.This requires research and talking to the practitioners of these customs.

For example, yoga practitioners readily say that thephilosophical foundations of their system are Hindu based. Yet, churchesreadily start yoga classes and do not enquire as to what the mantras mean orwhether the “exercise” poses reflect a worship of the hindu gods.

But read what was written on 15th Feb 2006, byCathy Lee Grossman in USA Today entitled “Hindu Lite”:

“Reincarnationis a core belief in Hinduism, says Mark Hawthorne, who writes for HinduismToday, but the ultimate aim is for the soul to transcend its individuality andreunite with the one God. Yoga's mind-body workout has attracted at least 16.5million Americans, says Yoga Journal. And, the magazine assures readers, it'snot necessary to study or follow a Hindu or Buddhist path to practice. However,authentic Hindu yoga is a 5,000-year-old discipline "designed to changeyour consciousness," says Hawthorne.Yoga's meditative chanting is believed to carry spiritual vibrations that bringone close to God”. (http://www.usatoday.com/life/2006-02-15-hindu-lite_x.htm)

The writer titles her article Hindu Lite! If secular writersare noticing that Hindu Lite is influencing American culture, what are churchesdoing about it? We are to guard against it. Any light “Lite”, be it “Zen Lite” or“TM Lite” is not compatible with the gospel, for any other philosophy is not ofGod. And there can be no fellowship.

2 Cor 6: 14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowshiphath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light withdarkness? 15And what concord hath Christ withBelial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

The same process of discernment must be applied to all othereastern customs and traditions that are popular these days. North Americansculture has been redeemed of much pagan influence over the centuries, thoughsome still persist (e.g Halloween). But new trends must be evaluated and churchmembers warned if necessary.

Yes, we can talk of redeeming customs from their paganroots, but do we really want to fight that battle when we have not even reachedout effectively to preach the gospel to all peoples?

As Christians we must think hard about any new easterncustoms or traditions that we want to introduce in churches, and only acceptcustoms that have no obvious or known pagan religious roots. If in doubt, it isbetter to wait rather than to give the devil a toehold in the sanctuary of God.

I have noted that God has gifted us differently. SomeChristians are strong in their faith with regard to exposure to idols anddemonic customs. Yet others, just as faithful, feel a reaction or get sick ifthey encounter the same. Yet the latter might be far more gifted prayerwarriors than the former! Such is the Lord’s gifting and it makes us strongeras a local church family when we respect and utilize each other’s gifts to themaximum.

In that context and principle, those who argue that it isall right to allow questionable practices in to the church because they lookinnocuous, or are not being used in their religious context, must think oftheir fellow believers to whom this might be a stumbling block.

1 Cor 8:9But take heed lest by any means thisliberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

10For if any man see thee which hastknowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of himwhich is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;

11Andthrough thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

We are to remember that syncretism can affect those who arestrong in faith (a reminder for those who think they are strong - 1 Cor 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.), but willadversely affect those who are weak or lukewarm Christians. It will definitelydilute the gospel for those who have grown up in religious Asian homes withstrong teaching of Buddhism, Hinduism or Islam. As leaders, we are not to doanything that might lead people astray, for great is our judgment if we do.Appropriate research is mandatory, together with dialogue with converts fromthat particular religion and ethnic group, before proceeding.

It is better to wait than to err.

Stewardship of Financial Resources

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:35:00 +0000

Our stewardship of God?s resources (time, talent, finances) is often best tested in times like these. Are we prone to hoard rather than give? To retreat into a shell rather than reach out to those who need help?

The following are some ways we can think this issue through:

1. Pray for God to show you people or compassionate ministries that demonstrate the command to ?love thy neighbour?.Then, take concrete steps to reach out to help. You may come across people or ministries in need through divine appointments that God orchestrates. Be open to His leading.

2. Seek accountability from those whom you want to help.God?s love and faithfulness is not diminished by fraudsters, con-artists and foolishness. If God has put you in a position to help people in need, do so even if you had been misled before. Satan is very happy if we become bitter and refuse to give because of past hurts or mistakes..

Accountability is what we strive for in our ministry partners. All donations will be accounted for faithfully.

3. Seek to be generous and give joyfully. Make supporting God?s kingdom your top priority, even during times of economic instability. This will be a witness that you honor God first.

4. Seek to have the right attitude about money. It is good to save for a rainy day. It is good to invest for thechildren?s education. On the other hand, that understanding alone cannot be an excuse for not giving at all. Don?t let your top priority be about storing up money and possessions for yourself. Choose to be a giver first. Our God has promised to look after our needs. We are togive wisely and leave the rest to God.

Good Friday - Is There Hope?

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 01:34:00 +0000

Life is Eternal

A patient of mine once asked me this question before he underwent life saving surgery. He was asking whether he would survive the operation. I gave him some hope by telling him that I would do my best, and the rest was up to God.

But as I scrubbed up for surgery, I thought that he really would have had peace in his heart if his hope had been exclusively on God, for I was just another human being, blessed in this world to be a surgeon..

"Is there hope?" This question affects our very soul, and our destiny. Read what the following passage from the Bible says:

Psalm 90
1Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
2Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
3Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.
4For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
5Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
6In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
7For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.
8Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
9For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
10The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

If we are to spend eternity with God, we have to acknowledge Him to be our dwelling place forever (Ps 90:1). God created us and He is the everlasting God (v.2). This truth is a great comfort to those of us who wonder why we are here on earth. Can we take anything with us from earth when we die? The answer is no.

Yet we struggle so hard to earn money, to seek fame, or to create a “legacy”. But is any of these what we can take way? Do we really think we are indispensable? We will all die one day. That is a certainty that no one can deny (v.3). All men will return to destruction, with their physical body of this time and space returning to dust.

So many people live today thinking they are indispensable. “How will things be if I am not around?” they ask. Yet, as De Gaulle said, “The graveyards are filled with indispensable men”.

To God, the time that we are on earth is but a fleeting moment (v4). A thousand years are but a moment to Him. Too us it seems such a long time - these 70 years on earth (v.10). Yet, all our possessions and deeds will remain here on earth.

What will stay with us in eternity is whether we have set our hearts right before God (v.8), seeking to please Him in our lives. Doing good is a great thing, and is a virtue that cannot be undermined. But in and of itself, good works will not save us forom the penalty of sin. Knowing that we can never do enough good works to reach a Holy God, Jesus came to die on the cross for our sins. He took the burden of our sin on His shoulders. If we do not accept this free gift, we will spend all our days under judgment (v.9). But if we trust in Jesus, and accept His free gift of forgiveness of sins, we will spend eternity with Him.

As I continue to contemplate on the topic of death, it amazes me how little people (doctors, patients and public at large) around me think of the life after death. The Psalmist rightly says that we are like the grass that flourishes in the morning but withers and dies in the evening (v.5-6).

What is the purpose of life? Is it not a preparation for the life to come? The eternal life, with an eternal body? Think deep and hard, for whatever we decide to do, we must decide. To decide not to decide is a decision that will also have consequences.

I enjoy life in this world to the fullest. I have lots of time to spend with family, friends and God. But I know that this is also not the end, but the beginning. I enjoy the hope and know that it is so much better to be cognizant of the fact that life here on earth is the first phase of our life, the next phase being eternal life with Jesus.