Participants:
Series Code: JFAN
Program Code: JFAN000137S
|
00:00 (gentle music)
00:21 - Hello, and welcome to Jesus for Asia Now. 00:24 I'm Natalie Wood, 00:25 and my husband, Jon, is joining me today. 00:27 Hello, love. - Hi, darling. 00:29 How are you? 00:29 - I'm doing good. 00:31 I'm looking forward to sharing what we have to share today. 00:33 - We have some pretty amazing stories today. 00:35 - Yeah, and it's stories about a city 00:38 that's dear to our hearts. - [Jon] Right. 00:40 - Because so many people lived there. 00:42 - Yeah, and we spent some time there. 00:43 - [Natalie] Right. - And so 00:45 we know it more than just a city. 00:47 - Right, right. - [Jon] Yeah. 00:48 - So, which city are we talking about? 00:49 - Bangkok, Thailand. 00:51 - Okay, can you tell us a little bit 00:52 about Bangkok? - Sure. 00:53 Well, my family first went there in 1969. 00:57 - [Natalie] A few days ago. 00:58 (both laugh) 01:00 - Yes, and I remember parts of it. 01:02 I was five years old. 01:03 We were returning missionaries from New Guinea. 01:06 I don't know how many days we spent there, 01:08 but we rode on the klong, we rode an elephant, 01:11 we watched some dancers, and we went to little Thailand, 01:15 all that in the time that we were there. 01:18 And I remember it just being a really happy, fun time. 01:21 And I remember the front 01:23 of the Thailand Adventist Mission Headquarters building. 01:26 It's the same front when I went back 40 years later, 01:30 same front. - Wow. 01:31 - And then we went back to do mission work in Thailand, 01:35 and that's where we met Pastor Doug Van 01:37 in Bangkok. - Right, right. 01:38 - You were there, and we really connected with him. 01:42 I did a little video of him talking 01:44 about his passion for the city. 01:46 And I'd never met anybody that had a passion for this city. 01:49 - Right, we usually meet people with passions 01:51 for the country. 01:52 - Yeah, or passion for missions, 01:54 and then the country is where they prefer to go. 01:57 - [Natalie] Right. - But here's a person 01:59 that had a passion for the work in the city, 02:01 and it was very intriguing to me. 02:04 So, we did a whole entire television series on his work 02:08 in church planting in Bangkok. 02:10 - Right, it's called, 02:11 I Want This City. - Yes. 02:13 (gentle music) 02:19 And you can watch that on iwantthiscity.com. 02:21 - Right. - And in shooting that show, 02:23 I got to spend nine and a half months living in Bangkok. 02:26 And you came over there for four and a half months. 02:28 You and I and our two kids lived in two apartments. 02:31 - At the opposite ends 02:32 of the hall. - Yeah. 02:33 (both laugh) 02:34 Yeah, there were studio apartments. 02:36 - Right, one room. - So when we slept in one, 02:38 it was, we slept in one. - All of us, 02:40 all the four of us. - Yeah. 02:42 - It was quite tight. - [Jon] Yeah. 02:43 - Snugly. - So, in seeing his passion, 02:45 and spending that time in the city 02:47 and walking through the streets of the city, 02:50 my whole perspective on city ministry changed. 02:54 When I first was there, it's like I walked down the streets 02:57 and I would see man's success. 02:59 You know, the costly high-rises, 03:02 the expensive cars, 03:04 you know, everything seems to be man-made. 03:07 And so I started to feel like that was my, 03:10 like an acid bath on my faith. 03:13 I feel my faith eroding. - Yeah. 03:15 - And then after some time, 03:17 I remember one evening, I was standing out on the street, 03:21 it was at eight o'clock at night, 03:22 videotaping for the show and remember thinking, 03:25 "Wow, you know, I'm so far from God." 03:27 I didn't have very good devotions that morning. 03:30 And I felt like he was so far away. 03:31 I should just go back to my apartment, 03:33 pray, read the Bible, get back close to God. 03:36 And then I remembered something. 03:38 The Lord put a thought in my mind. 03:39 He says, "He pursued me before I pursued him." 03:43 And lo, I'm with you to the-- 03:46 - Ends of the earth. - Ends of the earth. 03:48 And this feels like the end of the earth, 03:50 but, so that means he's here. 03:53 And so when I stepped on that word by faith, 03:56 it's like, he showed up. 03:58 It's like, you know how he can be there with you always, 04:00 but sometimes he reveals his presence to you. 04:02 It's like he showed up in such a strong way. 04:04 I was almost like, "Whoa, what are you doing here?" 04:06 (both laugh) 04:07 And he says, "I'm where the need is. 04:09 I'm where the people are. 04:10 I'm where the people 04:11 with the greatest need are." - Wow. 04:13 - And so he was there, so that changed everything. 04:16 Now, I walked down the city streets, 04:19 and I see, "Wow, there's a person. 04:20 God died for that person." 04:23 And this is what-- - God loves them. 04:25 - This is what Pastor Van had said. 04:26 I'd asked Doug, "What do you see when you're in the city?" 04:30 He says, "I see people. 04:32 You know, I look at that high-rise, 04:34 I see people in there. 04:35 God loves those people." 04:37 And even in the open of the show, 04:38 he says, "I sense God's spirit hovering over the city." 04:41 - Yeah. 04:42 - [Jon] Such a different perspective. 04:44 - Yeah. - You know, 04:45 it's walking by faith, not by sight. 04:46 - Yeah. - And since then, 04:48 it's like, both of our hearts have just been moved 04:51 by the work, the need in Bangkok. 04:55 - Yeah, definitely. - [Jon] Yeah, yeah. 04:57 - All right, so we have some video today, 05:00 and let's go ahead and share this one. 05:01 This is one from Bangkok. - Okay. 05:04 (gentle music) 05:11 When I first came here, 05:13 I was five years old and my parents were coming back 05:16 from being missionaries in New Guinea. 05:18 And I have a slide, a picture of Bangkok, 05:22 and the slide has the paper around it, you know? 05:25 And on it, in my mother's handwriting, 05:28 she says, "Wow, how in the world are 05:30 we ever gonna reach this massive city of 3 million people?" 05:34 That was 3 million people in 1969. 05:37 Now, it's 13 million people. 05:41 Same question, how are we gonna reach the city? 05:45 It needs to be done. 05:47 Are we putting it off for somebody else? 05:49 (gentle music) 05:55 If we look at the New Testament model of reaching the world 06:00 with the gospel in a short amount of time, 06:02 we see Paul going to one city after another. 06:05 As far as we can tell, 06:06 he did all of his preaching work in the cities. 06:09 I think over 50% of the world lives in cities these days. 06:15 And so, if we're gonna reach the people, 06:17 then we need to go where the people are. 06:20 And yet today, it seems like when our missionaries think 06:23 about going to reach the world, 06:26 they think about going to the country. 06:28 (gentle music) 06:31 You know, when I first started filming the show, 06:33 I want this city, it was obviously in the city. 06:37 And I would walk through the city 06:39 and feel like my faith was going through like an acid bath. 06:43 Like, I could look around 06:45 and I see the work of man and the success of man 06:48 and God seemed far away, 06:50 and I couldn't really sense his presence. 06:54 But the pastor that I was filming, Pastor Doug Van, 06:58 he would say, "You know, 07:00 I sense God's spirit hovering over the city." 07:03 And I'm like, "Wow, I don't sense that." 07:06 And one night, I was walking down the street, 07:09 and I felt really distant from God. 07:12 Like, here's these high-rise buildings 07:14 that shows the success of man 07:17 and all these expensive cars going past 07:19 that I couldn't afford. 07:20 And I was kind of feeling like I should go back 07:23 to my apartment and read my Bible 07:24 and pray and get closer to God. 07:28 As I was standing there in the street corner, 07:29 I'm like, "You know what? 07:31 According to the word of God, he says, 07:33 'Lo, I am with you always, 07:35 even until the end of the world.'" 07:37 And I felt like I was at the end of the world. 07:39 But according to that statement that Jesus made, 07:43 he's at the end of the world, so he must be here. 07:45 And so I claimed by faith and realized that by faith, 07:48 that even though I didn't feel him, he was there. 07:50 He was here, he was here in Bangkok, 07:53 in the center of all this stuff. 07:54 And from then on, I walked through the city 07:56 and I'd see people, I'd see disorder, 07:59 I would see people in poverty, I would see smog. 08:03 Whatever I saw, 08:04 you know, brokenness, whatever, 08:05 I would say, "Wow, God's here. 08:07 God loves that person. 08:08 He's here, he's working with that person. 08:10 He's not afraid of the dirt, he's not afraid of the grime, 08:13 he's not afraid of the noise. 08:14 He can come into a situation of sin, of darkness, 08:18 and bring light into that situation 08:20 without being contaminated." 08:22 (gentle music) 08:26 You know, if we move in the strength and presence of God, 08:29 can he bring light into dark areas? 08:33 And can we live in that light instead of living 08:35 in what we see? 08:37 Can we walk in the faith of his presence and his power 08:41 into areas and bring the light of the gospel 08:43 into these areas? 08:44 You know, as it is in heaven, 08:47 you know, let it be on earth. 08:48 This is our assignment. 08:49 This is the great commission, 08:51 is to bring the reality of heaven, the spirit of heaven, 08:55 the principles of heaven into the darkest places on earth. 08:59 (gentle music) 09:08 - God is so good. - He is very good. 09:10 - And he desperately loves those people. 09:12 - Yeah, more than we can imagine. 09:15 He died for each one of them. - Yeah. 09:17 - While we were yet sinners, 09:19 they're yet sinners-- - [Natalie] Yeah. 09:20 - Christ died for them. - Yeah. 09:22 As a missionary friend, 09:23 was expressing just yesterday actually, 09:27 like they are still living the way they're living, 09:29 in the darkness that they're living in, 09:30 because we as a church, have not stepped up and done the job 09:34 that God gave us. - [Jon] Right, shame on us. 09:36 - And it's like, yeah, 09:37 it's not their fault that they're living in darkness, 09:39 that they're worshiping the way they're worshiping, 09:42 that they're living the way they're living, 09:43 it's our fault. - [Jon] Yeah. 09:44 - Because we have not told them. 09:46 - Right, right, but we still have a chance. 09:49 - [Natalie] Yeah, yeah. - You know, 09:50 the story's not over yet. - Right, right. 09:53 (indistinct) It's still not endgame. 09:55 - [Jon] No, not yet. - Probation has not closed. 09:57 - Yeah, so as many people as possible, 10:00 we need to push the message out there. 10:02 - [Natalie] Right. - Live the message. 10:04 - Right, so we have another video from Bangkok. 10:07 - Okay. 10:08 (gentle music) 10:13 You know, when I was filming Pastor Doug Van back 10:15 in 2010, 2011, 10:17 he had this project called Hope for Bangkok, 10:20 and he had church plants 10:22 where he would bring English-speaking person, 10:25 usually Filipino, and a Thai pastor, 10:29 put them together and rent a place, 10:32 like a center of influence type of place. 10:34 And they would do English lessons and different things 10:38 to try to connect and make friends with the local community. 10:41 And when Pastor Doug left and that program, 10:44 it was this GC-sponsored program, 10:46 when that program shut down, 10:48 there's a lot of places that just shut down. 10:51 And so those church plants aren't there anymore. 10:53 There's some, you know, 10:54 the local lay church member has carried it on 10:58 and done amazing. 11:00 God is really blessed. 11:01 But there's so many more here in Bangkok that it's like, 11:04 it's my dream to get that program going again. 11:08 (gentle music) 11:14 We visited the Ramkhamhaeng church plant 11:18 and we visited there when they were just shutting it down. 11:22 They had been asked to move by the owner of the building. 11:25 And they were supposed to go and find a new place 11:28 to put the church plant, but they never found another place, 11:32 and that was completely shut down. 11:35 Praise God, one of our friends from America saw that 11:41 and felt a heart burden and moved to Thailand, 11:44 and in Ramkhamhaeng, we rented a large building, 11:48 five story building. 11:50 And that is still there. 11:51 That couple had to go home to America, 11:54 but God arranged it in perfect timing 11:57 that another couple stepped in, 11:59 and now they are just now establishing 12:02 and starting to develop that ministry even farther. 12:05 And so that's one light in one community on one street. 12:10 They happen to be 400 feet from a university 12:12 with 500,000 people, so it's a pretty significant location. 12:18 But what about the other places? 12:20 Last I heard, there's 50 districts in Bangkok, 12:23 and the Adventist church is in maybe 22 of them. 12:28 So we think, how in the world could I reach 12:31 that many people? 12:32 Or we feel this burden, 12:33 like we need to finish the work so that Jesus can come. 12:36 What if we look at it like, 12:38 here's an opportunity for me to work closely with Christ 12:44 in taking the gospel to this place? 12:46 God has preserved these people for me. 12:51 I can pray for them, I can work for them, 12:53 I can cry for them. 12:55 I can let my heart break for them, maybe I can go for them. 13:00 But maybe God has preserved these unreached peoples 13:04 for this generation. 13:06 It's worth exploring. 13:08 It's a question worth exploring and saying, 13:11 "Lord, what do you have for me?" 13:14 (gentle music) 13:24 It's definitely a question worth exploring for each of us. 13:27 It's like, Lord, what do you have for me? 13:29 - Right. - Which is talking 13:30 to my friend who is 75, retired, 13:34 just got a call for full-time ministry to Indian tribes 13:38 in Northeast Montana. - Wow. 13:41 - He came to a faith camp and he's like, 13:42 "Wow, Lord, am I not done yet?" 13:45 At 75, his wife has some health challenges, 13:50 and then immediately, it's like within a few days, 13:52 he got this call, 13:53 "Can you come be a full-time pastor for three churches?" 13:56 - Wow. - District pastor. 13:57 And he's like, "Whoa, okay, Lord." 13:59 - [Natalie] Yeah. 14:00 - But he sees the Lord working out the details, 14:02 like a place to live through the winter, 14:04 and it's beautiful. 14:07 You know, the thing that we need as people is purpose. 14:11 And this is what God has given us 14:13 in the face of the unreached. - Right. 14:16 - And so with this huge opportunity, 14:18 this huge fast field where there's really, 14:22 almost no work being started, how do we approach that? 14:25 How do we deal with that? 14:27 I mean-- - Right. 14:28 - We can't be in all places at once. 14:30 - So, that's where what we were just talking 14:32 about comes into play, asking God 14:34 where we should be. - [Jon] Yes. 14:36 - Because God knows 14:37 where each worker should be. - [Jon] Right. 14:39 - And it's more than that, 14:40 asking God what kind of work we should do. 14:43 - [Jon] Yes. 14:44 - Asking God to provide for everything. 14:47 - Yes. - Our needs, 14:48 our circumstances, our housing, 14:50 our everything. - [Jon] Right. 14:52 - And that's what the Lord has been leading us into, 14:54 or back to or however you wanna put it. 14:57 That is that he's 14:58 in charge of his work. - [Jon] Right. 15:00 - And our job is to connect 15:02 with him and ask him. - Right. 15:04 - So, do you wanna share a little bit, 15:05 I know some of our viewers are familiar 15:08 with some of the stories, but let's reiterate anyway, 15:11 because it's really good for us to remember. 15:13 - We visited a city called Sukhothai 15:16 in the Northern end of the big central plane 15:18 of Thailand in 2012. - Right. 15:20 - And this is a beautiful city. 15:22 It's the old historic city. - [Natalie] Right. 15:25 - Capital of Northern Thailand, 15:26 way back before the big unification. 15:29 And I found out there's no Adventist there. 15:32 There's no church, there's no church planter. 15:34 So I started thinking, it's like, 15:35 "Lord, what can we do for that city?" 15:37 And then when we visited-- 15:38 - Yeah, the bus would stop there, 15:39 we'd hop off the bus, pray, 15:41 'cause we're claiming Joshua 1:3, 15:43 "Everywhere you put the sole of your foot 15:46 that have I already given you." 15:47 Then we'd get back on the bus and keep driving. 15:49 - And then I started thinking about that. 15:51 It's like, "Okay, what we're trying 15:53 to accomplish here is a spiritual goal, okay?" 15:57 It's, we're trying to connect people 15:59 with the heavenly Father who is unseen, 16:03 but we are trying to plan in earthly tools, okay? 16:08 A ministry, some kind of, 16:10 you know, all this, 16:12 well, what if we-- - Outreach. 16:12 What is our outreach plan? 16:14 What is our-- - Yeah. 16:15 And is it gonna be successful? 16:17 Because very few things are actually successful in Thailand. 16:22 We started thinking, "Well, if it's a spiritual goal, 16:23 shouldn't we start using spiritual tools?" 16:26 The most obvious spiritual tool is prayer. 16:28 - [Natalie] Right. - So we did some prayer walks. 16:31 Almost immediately, God answered by sending a family, 16:35 sold their house, moved to Thailand, 16:37 and we told them, "Your job is to connect with God." 16:41 - Right. - Stay connected with God, 16:43 anything else doesn't matter 16:45 as much as your connection with God, 16:47 because it's that spirit in them 16:49 that will make a difference. 16:51 Not their ministry, not their method, 16:54 not what they do, 16:55 it's the spirit that's in them. 16:57 And if they're a missionary, 16:59 but they have an evil spirit or a spirit of irritation-- 17:02 - If they're grumbling and complaining 17:04 or arguing or whatever. - [Jon] Exactly. 17:06 - The people are very sensitive-- 17:08 - Yeah. - That they're gonna see it. 17:09 - Yeah, in Thailand, 17:10 we don't need to convince people 17:11 that they're unseen spirits. - No. 17:14 - You know, here in America, 17:15 we do. - They know. 17:16 - But they know. 17:17 Some missionaries go over and they have the truth, 17:23 but they're kind of grumpy or they are not very friendly, 17:28 or they're critical. - [Natalie] Right. 17:28 - Things like that, 17:29 and it turns people off. - Right. 17:31 - So we told them, 17:32 "Your main job is 17:33 to connect with God." - [Natalie] Right. 17:35 - "Stay connected with God 17:37 and make that your main focus of your time there." 17:40 And so we saw God work in that city, 17:42 and then we saw him do the same thing 17:44 in another city. - Right. 17:45 - And we see him doing the same thing 17:47 in a third city-- - Right. 17:48 - As a result of this prayer walks. 17:50 And so we started saying, 17:51 "Where else can we go?" - Right. 17:53 - And so a missionary that lives there 17:56 from South Africa told us about a district in Bangkok 17:59 in which there's no Adventist Church, 18:01 and there may be no church of any denomination, 18:04 and it's Bang Khun Thian. 18:06 - [Natalie] Right. - Okay. 18:07 180,000 people, so not a big place. 18:10 - No, not a big place. 18:14 - And so recently, we organized a prayer walk 18:17 in that district. - Right. 18:19 So, what we've started doing with these prayer walks is 18:22 we invite people to join by video conference. 18:24 We set a time that works over there as well as over here. 18:28 And then as we have representatives 18:30 on the ground over there walking through the city, 18:32 some of them are on the video conference call. 18:36 And then the people that are 18:37 on the video conference call from over here, 18:40 can see where we're passing. 18:42 They see the people driving 18:43 by the people walking down the street, 18:45 whatever they're doing-- - Yeah. 18:46 - Wherever they are in the city, 18:48 they see those things 18:49 and then people can pray-- - [Jon] Yes. 18:51 - Along with wherever they are. 18:53 I mean, like in Nakhon Sawan when 18:56 we did the prayer walk there, we saw the giant dragon. 18:59 You know, we went through a park 19:01 and we saw person after person after person, 19:03 they're exercising and it's like, 19:04 well, you know, we don't know their circumstances. 19:06 - [Jon] Right. 19:07 - But God has known them from birth. 19:08 - Yeah. - And his delight is 19:10 for him to pour his spirit out in their lives, 19:12 for him to send the angels to touch them, you know. 19:15 This is God's delight. - Yes. 19:16 - And so people from over here really love it 19:19 because we see what 19:20 we're praying for. - [Jon] Yeah. 19:21 - It's not so disconnected. 19:23 - This prayer walk lasted a little over an hour 19:25 as we went on a course 19:27 throughout the district. - Right. 19:29 - And we saw different people 19:30 and people from America were praying. 19:33 I had the little AirPod thing in my ear. 19:35 I was listening and I was talking and I was showing, 19:38 and it was just, it was a powerful time, 19:40 really powerful time. 19:41 And we've got some video from it. 19:43 - So, let's play that now. - Okay. 19:46 Go ahead and let's begin and pray. 19:47 And let's not be afraid, 19:49 but just have faith in the word of God 19:51 and what he's gonna be doing today. 19:53 - [Man] Father God in heaven, we pray, 19:55 especially, for this is new ground, 19:57 fertile soil that has not yet been toiled, 20:00 that has not yet had seeds scattered. 20:02 And I pray that whoever you send, Father, 20:06 that you give them the armor of God, 20:08 that they have the constant hope of salvation before them. 20:10 The shield of faith, the sword of the spirit, 20:13 and above all, a breastplate of righteousness and love 20:16 in Jesus name and his blood, amen. 20:19 - [Female] Heavenly Father, 20:21 we just want to lift up these people to you 20:23 because they are yours by creation and redemption. 20:27 You shed your blood for them. 20:29 And Lord, we ask for their salvation, Lord, 20:32 that you would save them. 20:34 Lord, you have forgiven them their sins, 20:36 but they don't know it. 20:38 So, Lord, we ask that you would give them opportunities, 20:40 help them be searching, 20:42 help them to be dissatisfied with the way life is. 20:45 Help them to experience your love. 20:48 They don't know you, 20:49 and Lord, so I just ask 20:50 that you would reveal yourself to them, 20:52 and that you would work on them 20:54 so that they would not give up. 20:56 They would not stop searching 20:58 for you until they have found you. 21:00 - [Jon] Amen. 21:01 - [Female] I'm praying for this city. 21:03 I am praying for the rulers. 21:05 I'm praying for the mayors. 21:07 I am praying for the children. 21:09 I am praying for each and every one of the people 21:12 that are in this city. 21:14 Please, Lord, may you save them. 21:16 May you send someone that is willing to walk under you, 21:20 to be here, to tell them about Jesus Christ, 21:23 to tell them about your love, 21:25 to tell them that you are the creator, 21:27 to tell them that you can solve all their problems. 21:31 Please, Lord, you say, 21:33 "If we ask anything according thy will, 21:35 oh Lord, that you will do it." 21:37 Your will is that these people might be saved 21:40 in Jesus name, amen. 21:42 - [Man] Amen, amen. 21:44 Please send those who go who will be inhabited by you 21:47 and by your Holy Spirit, Father, 21:49 we ask in Jesus name. - [Female] Amen. 21:53 - [Female] Father God in heaven, 21:54 we do pray and ask that you will send laborers 21:59 into this part of the vineyard. 22:01 We ask that Father that you will equip the laborers 22:06 and fill them with the Holy Spirit 22:09 to be led by you in sharing the gospel, 22:13 and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. 22:17 Father, we pray that hearts will be open 22:21 to receive the message from the laborers that you will send, 22:28 and that they will submit and surrender their hearts 22:32 to you wholeheartedly. 22:35 Help them to resist the idols that are before them, 22:39 and that Satan will flee from them 22:42 as they continue to hear the good news of salvation. 22:47 So remember each one in a special way, Father, 22:50 please hear our cry in Jesus' name, amen. 22:55 - [Man] I claim the promise you say, 22:57 "Not by might, nor by power, 22:58 but by spirit, saith the Lord," amen. 23:03 - [Jon] Amen. 23:04 - [Man] Father, I want to lift up second Peter 3:9. 23:07 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise 23:11 as some men count slackness, 23:12 but he's long-suffering to us for not willing 23:15 that any should perish, 23:17 but that all should come to repentance." 23:19 This is you, Lord. 23:20 This is who you are. 23:22 And John 3:17, "For God sent not His Son 23:27 into the world to condemn the world." 23:29 Lord, you shed your blood, 23:31 so that the world through him might be saved. 23:34 - [Man] Yes. - [Man] In Jesus name, amen. 23:37 - [Man] Amen. 23:38 - [Both] Amen. - [Man] Amen. 23:41 - [Man] I would like to claim Joshua 1:3. 23:44 "Wherever you will step the sole of your foot, 23:49 I have already given unto you." 23:51 We've put our foot on Bang Khun Thian, 23:54 Father, we claim these people for your kingdom. 23:59 - We just finished doing a prayer walk here 24:01 in Bang Khun Thian and it was really amazing. 24:07 I could hear that people were being moved 24:08 by what they were seeing. 24:10 And that's the power of these kind of prayer walks is, 24:14 you know, it's one thing to pray 24:16 for the people on the other side of the ocean, 24:18 but when you see them, that's real life. 24:21 When we're sitting in our homes in America, 24:25 it's really hard to imagine what that's really like. 24:28 But when you see it, 24:29 it puts a burden on your heart for those people 24:32 that you wouldn't have any other way. 24:34 - It just makes me think of the beautiful people over there. 24:36 - Yeah. - You know, 24:38 we've had the privilege of interacting with Adventists, 24:41 with Christians, and with Buddhists there as well as animus. 24:45 And it's like, God loves every single one of them. 24:48 - Yeah. 24:50 - And your heart just goes out and you're like, 24:51 "What will eternity be like without them there?" 24:54 I'm sorry, but I don't want that. 24:55 - [Jon] Yeah, I don't either. 24:57 - I want them to know this place where there's no sin, 25:00 there's no dirty water, there's no health problems, 25:03 there's no cancer, 25:06 there's no endless merit building, 25:09 there's no endless lives of just, you know, 25:13 you don't know what you're gonna come back as next 25:15 and you won't remember it anyway. 25:18 It's just this endless cycle of nothingness. 25:21 - Endless cycle of pain. 25:23 - I don't know how to put it 25:25 so that we really understand it, 25:26 but I just, that's too sad. 25:30 - [Jon] Yeah. - And God loves these people. 25:32 - [Jon] Yeah. - God loves them 25:33 and he gives us an opportunity 25:34 to love them too. - Yeah. 25:36 - We have a family in Sukhothai. 25:38 We have a couple in Nakhon Sawan. 25:41 We have a family preparing to go to Kantharalak, 25:43 and in Bang Khun Thian, 25:45 God is calling someone. Yes. 25:47 - And we don't know who they are yet, 25:49 maybe they don't know who they are yet, 25:50 but God is calling someone. - [Jon] Yeah. 25:52 - Maybe it's a couple, maybe it's a family, 25:55 someone God is calling 25:57 to go there. - Yeah. 25:58 - To make a difference 25:59 in that area. - Yeah. 26:00 - And I'm looking forward 26:02 to God answering our prayers. - Yeah. 26:04 Well, this is where we can all partner together, 26:07 is most of us cannot go. - Right. 26:10 - But we can definitely pray. - [Natalie] Right. 26:12 - And this is what's so beautiful is 26:14 that now we know a name, 26:16 we know a name of a place-- - Right. 26:18 - In which there is no representative 26:20 of the three angels' message. - Right. 26:22 - And we can join and pray knowing 26:24 that our prayers are the most powerful thing. 26:27 - Right, and we've seen some 26:28 of their faces. - [Jon] Yes. 26:29 - We know what some of them look like. 26:31 We don't know their names. - Yeah. 26:32 - We've seen a little glimpse 26:34 of their daily life. - [Jon] Yeah. 26:35 - You know, how they get around 26:36 or you know-- - Yep, like the little baby, 26:39 all those people kneeling in front of the priest. 26:41 - Right. - You know, those people, 26:42 Jesus knows them. 26:44 We don't know them. - The lady with the blind son 26:46 that was picking up bottles. - Yeah. 26:47 But Jesus walks with them every single day. 26:51 He knows them intimately and he's working with them. 26:53 His spirit is calling them. - Right. 26:55 - Well, I had a friend that became a Christian 26:58 in her 20s. - Right, in Thailand. 27:00 - And she said, "Man, when I got to know God, 27:05 I recognized this is the man, 27:07 this is the being, this is the one 27:09 who has been working with me since I was a child. 27:12 I recognize some force out there calling me to good, 27:16 but I didn't know who he was, and now I know who he is, 27:19 and he's filling me and he just makes me so happy. 27:22 - Yeah, yeah. - God's there working. 27:24 - Yep. - But he needs people 27:26 to be his conduits-- - [Natalie] Right. 27:27 - From heaven to earth. - Yeah. 27:30 I would like to invite you to pray for Bang Khun Thian. 27:33 this unentered area in Bangkok, 27:36 and there are many other places as well. 27:39 Please pray for the right person or people 27:42 to step forward to answer the call to these places. 27:45 And if you would like to be involved in other ways, 27:47 please contact us at Jesus for Asia, PO Box 1221, 27:53 Collegedale, Tennessee, 37315. 27:55 Call us at (423) 413-7321, 28:00 or visit our website at jesus4asia.org. 28:04 May God richly bless you until we see you next time 28:07 on Jesus for Asia Now. 28:09 (gentle music) |
Revised 2023-01-10