Breaking through Barriers--From Maria, Thailand
How does one go about explaining Jesus to those of another culture, to whom the very basics of Christianity are foreign, the concepts strange or alien? What can undo years of misconceptions, even centuries of prejudice? We knew God could find a way...
"I had a beautiful dream last night!" exclaimed our dear friend, Mr. Oom. He was very eager to tell us about it!
We had known Mr. Oom about two months when he prayed with us for Jesus to come into his heart and life, yet he still didn't seem to understand it all. He was still quite involved with his Buddhist religion and when we shared principles from the Bible, he would always compare these with the teachings of Buddha. As time passed, we invested more and more prayer in this man, knowing that while our explanations can fail, God could find a way to break through any barriers of culture or tradition. We knew He in His Love could give Mr. Oom understanding of these spiritual concepts, and He did!
After one and a half years of building a very precious friendship, he visited our home, bringing a present for the children, a framed picture of Jesus. God bless him!
He was quite moved as he told us about his unusual dream. In it, he had seen Jesus hanging on the cross and masses of people going towards Him. In the dream he asked, "Why are the people so moved by Him and following Him?" The answer that came was, "Because He died for them!"
The dream had had quite an effect on him, as Jesus' life suddenly touched his own. He then had many questions about the Lord, such as why He was killed, why He was treated so cruelly, etc., and we were able to explain more fully than we ever had Who Jesus is and why He came. We explained that so often through history, as related in the Bible, people have rejected God's messengers. Jesus suffered harsh treatment and even death, so that He could take the punishment for our sins, be resurrected from the dead, and come to live in our hearts through His Spirit. He did it out of love for us, so that He could give us all a new, happy life.
Mr. Oom was very touched by this experience, realising that God had answered so many of his questions by giving him this dream. What a beautiful answer to prayer--a dream that opened his mind to truth and understanding!
A Muslim Comes to Jesus!--From Faith, Pakistan
In the crowded airport, people of many nationalities hurried through the main lobby, intent on meeting appointments, making connections or simply returning home after a tiring flight. It just didn't seem to be the proper time or place to try to get to know someone or strike up a conversation. Yet my travel-ling partner, John, and I were quite impressed with a man who had been on the same flight. We felt somehow that God wanted us to talk with him, so finally we introduced ourselves.
Our conversation, which touched on the subject of children, led to his giving us his card. Later when we called him, he invited us to his home to meet his entire family.
We were very pleased to meet this dear Muslim family, and found them very warm and friendly. They offered us acha (local tea), and cookies. As we talked, the subject of religion came up, and eventually, our beliefs about Jesus and Salvation. As Muslims rarely convert to Christianity, we were not surprised when our new friend, Mustafa, said that he didn't believe in Jesus, so we hesitated to push the point.
It was very interesting, however, as just the day before we had been discussing the Koran with another man, also a Muslim. We had learned that there is a passage in the Koran which refers to Jesus as "Issa-Ru-Ullah," which means "the Spirit of Allah." When we mentioned this passage to Mustafa, he said, "Yes, I have discussed this with Christians before," and so we dropped the subject.
Later, when we were ready to leave, he offered to drive us home, and during the hour-long drive, he began asking many questions about our faith. It seemed he truly wanted to know more about Jesus.
The discussion became very lively, going back and forth, until there was a pause. Then with his dark eyes intently serious, Mustafa suddenly said, "I would really like to know what the Koran means when it says `Issa-Ru-Ullah'." So John said, "Well, I will explain it to you. You may not like what I'm going to say, but I'm going to give you the answer."
So John openly talked with him about Jesus, explaining that God sent Jesus so that the world would know what He Himself is like--like putting Himself in a human package, with all His love and truth in human form, so that we could know Him, and so that He could give us a wonderful happy life. We told him Jesus said, "God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth." (John 4:24)
We told him how we have to ask Jesus into our hearts in order to know God, because without His life in us, we cannot perceive the realities of God's truth, nor even experience His love to the extent that He would like us to. Without Him in our lives, we are separated from God because our own sinful nature is so far removed from Him, and we need His forgiveness and for Him to take our sin away. That is why we need a Saviour. And once He is in our hearts and lives, He will never leave, but will be a continual help and strength in whatever difficulties we find ourselves.
When we had finished our explanation, Mustafa had made his decision. He said emphatically, "I really want to be a Christian and I really want Jesus as my Saviour!" So we prayed with him and He asked Jesus to come into his heart. It was a beautiful moment! He was so happy, so encouraged, and so were we.
But we knew we couldn't take the credit for the change in our new friend. We had simply followed the leadings from God, as we had felt Him urging us to approach Mustafa in the airport. In the midst of the thronging mass, the Lord's hand had singled out this man and touched his life. Mustafa said, "Now I'm a Christian and I have Jesus as my Friend and Saviour!" n
Bible in the Blaze!--From Monica, Argentina
My life was not unlike that of many other people. Struggling to get ahead financially, I worked non-stop in our family business, with the goal of attaining stability in my life. Perhaps I felt that gaining the possessions I desired would help me be happy. I'd had a hard childhood as my mother had died, and my father became an alcoholic, unable to take care of me and my two brothers. Through these difficult years, I would talk with the Lord and He comforted me. Jesus has always been with me, but, sad to say, I wasn't always with Him. I didn't turn to Him as the guiding force in my life; the respectability and advantages of the material things I worked for seemed a decent goal, and slowly these pursuits took up more and more of my life.
Later on, the Lord blessed me with a wonderful husband and two beautiful children. One day a missionary knocked at my door and talked with me about the Lord. I was really happy to have a Christian friend like him. We kept in touch via mail and he would regularly send me Christian literature, which I really enjoyed reading and studying.
However, I was too busy with the affairs of this world to pay much attention to the admonitions in these booklets; working incessantly taking care of our shop was my priority. Our goal was to save as much as possible so we could have everything: A fancy TV, nice car, music equipment, computer etc. Working hard and long hours, we were able to purchase the things we wanted.
But one day in October, 1988, I received a message that my house was burning. When I arrived home, I could hardly believe my eyes! My house, my accomplishments, my pictures, books--all my earthly possessions were being destroyed by the fire! How I wept over these losses as I looked at myself and my children, dressed in the only clothes we had left, standing in the middle of the street, watching the fruits of years of sacrifice being reduced to ashes before our eyes!
Some time later, the company where my husband works gave us another house, furniture, housewares, and little by little, we overcame the shock. One day, my best friend, who lives in our former neighbourhood, told me that she had something that belonged to me, something from our burned house. We thought nothing had survived, as it appeared that absolutely everything was destroyed, and all that was left were twisted pieces of metal and melted plastic. What could it be?
She then proceeded to show me my Bible! How could that be possible? I myself had seen the very spot where my Bible had been. The bookshelf with all the books, computer, music equipment and many other valuables, had been totally consumed by the fire, so much so that it was no longer recognisable.
This lady told me that her husband was in charge of checking through the ruined dwelling to see if there was anything left, when he came across something that caught his eye. He picked up the book from amongst the debris and since he had known the Lord himself for 17 years, he clearly realised that it was a miracle!
So that's how I have my Bible today. It's missing its covers and it is a little burned on the sides, but the Word, God's Truth, is still there. I knew this was too amazing to be a coincidence; I believe God was giving me an outstanding message about what He really considers important and long-lasting. I had to do something about it, so I began to read His Word regularly, studying the Christian literature my missionary friends had given me, and sincerely trying to remodel my life according to God's loving principles.
Today, I am very happy; I exchanged my earthly and material goals for spiritual ones and now I have a real hunger for His Word and His ways! I now know that nothing can replace values which will never die, Truth which cannot be touched by flame or calamity--the strength and comfort of His mighty Word! How amazing are His Ways! "Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away." (Matthew 24:35)
"God Healed Me from Polio!--By Paul, North America
In 1979, while we were serving the Lord as missionaries in India, my three-year-old son, Andrew, came down with a very high fever and sharp, severe pains in his legs. After earnestly praying for him and not seeing progress within a designated time, we took him to a doctor for a diagnosis. The doctor told us that he was suffering from an attack of the polio virus. He said the fever usually lasts about ten days, after which the degree of paralysis could be determined.
Leaving my wife at the clinic with my son, I went to meet with my Christian co-workers and we all prayed fervently and desperately for the Lord to heal Andrew. We phoned our missionary outreach in another city and asked those there to please pray for him also. The Lord encouraged us by bringing the following verse to mind: "Neither hath this man (boy) sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." (John 9:3) Later we heard that our fellow missionaries in the other city had also received this very same verse when praying. We also felt that we should follow the example of Matthew 17:21, which says, "This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting," and our entire missionary fellowship began to fast and pray together for my son's recovery.
I returned to the clinic and that night as I sat with my son, a sweet nurse came in the room briefly. She looked at my son sympathetically and said, "You know, it's such a shame, because the doctors can't do anything for him and polio normally cripples its victim!" She started to leave, but then she turned and with a big radiant smile she said to me, "But prayer can change all that!"
The next evening, which was the fifth day of the fever, we invited several of our co-workers to come to the clinic to lay hands on Andrew and to anoint him with oil, in obedience to the Bible passage which says, "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up." (James 5:14,15)
We prayed, quoting many Bible Scriptures in which God promised healing, especially the verse John 9:3, which we felt the Lord had specifically given us. This verse strengthened our faith that the Lord would heal Andrew! We thanked God in advance for the healing which He promised, and we drew a lot of comfort from the assurance that He would keep His Word!
The next morning in the clinic, I awoke to the sound of Andrew laughing! Looking over to his bed, I saw that he was sitting up with a big smile and saying his legs weren't hurting any more. I said to him, "Andy, come here to Daddy!" He immediately jumped off his bed, ran across the floor, and jumped into my arms! We were so happy we laughed and cried together!
When the doctors and nurses saw him, they were absolutely astounded and bewildered. Since they knew we had prayed for him together with a group of our missionary co-workers, they soon became truly convinced that the Lord had healed him miraculously! The whole clinic was talking about the miracle that Jesus did for this little boy because his parents had prayed for him!
We often remember the phrase, "The prayer of faith."--God had given us faith by reminding us of these verses from His Word! He helped us to believe that He would heal our son and then He was true to His promise. After that, whenever we passed that clinic, Andrew would never fail to tell whoever was with us, "That's where the Lord healed me from polio!"
"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." (Romans 10:17)
LOVE THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE
From Tim, Europe
In the course of moving our missionary outreach from one city to another, we visited our friend, Sylvia, to say good-bye. Although it was a little heartbreaking, we knew we would always be close friends.
"Before meeting you, I did not believe in Jesus," she said, "but since you came along, our faith has come to life! You have shown me, my husband and my children how we can know the Lord and it has brought such a change in our lives!"
She told us how one day her six-year-old daughter asked her, "Mommy, who do you think I love more, Jesus or Daddy?" The mother was surprised and didn't know what to expect, since for this little girl, Daddy is the dearest thing on earth. The little girl said, "I love Jesus more, because He gave me Daddy!"
Sylvia told us how much we mean to her and that we are the most genuine and sincere Christians she has ever known. She prayed for us that the Lord will give us many blessings, and that the faith and love that we have invested in her and her family will grow! We know it's Jesus working in their lives!
From Sara and James, Thailand
As we get to know people in the East, we have found that the principles of Christianity are new to many here. It sometimes takes months or years of patient sowing and watering before fruit is borne. Such has been our experience with a very dear Thai man, Mr. Velong, whom we have known for two and a half years.
During this time, he has learned to understand the concept of faith in God, gained a much deeper understanding of the Word and has a sincere hunger to learn. His values and goals have changed dramatically from seeking power and money, to a search for real peace and overcoming faith. He is so happy that now, with strength coming from the Word he has studied, and the result-ant changes he has made in his life, things are really starting to take a turn for the better.
"You are the only missionaries who I have been able to get close to and listen to and accept with an open mind, and that is because you have shown me a great measure of love and patience. You have continued to share your ideas with me, while at the same time being open to listening to my ideas. You have shared in the experiences of my life and have answered the questions I have had."
He was very very pleased and excited a while back when we explained to him the principles of having real faith in the midst of difficulties, fighting for what is right with God's strength, and approaching life's problems positively. He said these teachings were a major factor in his being able to overcome some serious problems that he recently encountered in his business.
He also shared with us how since we've known him, he's been able to stop drinking and smoking and that even material things have a much smaller place in his life now. He is very thankful for the visits that we have had with him. Through dear people like this we have learned to never give up but keep on believing that God and His Word will bring results, even if it takes years!
From Hope, U.S.A.
A businessman named John is regularly attending our Bible classes. He recently wrote us a letter of appreciation, in which he said, "You have brought inspiration and comfort to me, helping me grow stronger in my relationship with Jesus. As I face my daily struggle with my involvement in the secular world, without your friendship and support, it would be a far more difficult task to remain in touch with God."
From Marty and Tim, Japan
From a casual first acquaintance when walking down the street, our relationship with Mr. Musoto deepened into a firm friendship. When he learned that we had a musical group, he invited us to come to a club he knew, so that we could sing for them. Since then he has received Jesus into his heart and attends our monthly seminar which we hold for businessmen, showing them how to incorporate Godly principles into their business and daily work. Mr. Musoto is a big help to our work, giving both financial and moral support, arranging singing engagements for us to share our message through music, and in general being a real encouragement.
In one club where he introduced us to the "mamasan" (the lady proprietor), he began to loudly proclaim how he respected us for our faith in God and our work of spreading His love to the lonely. "My whole life has been changed since I met these people!" he exclaimed. "Their God is my God, and He has completely changed my life! If everybody believed like they do the world would be a different place!"
THE STRENGTH TO LOVE--From Sammy and Spring, South America
"Can I stay with you tonight?" Carlos' voice on the phone was trembling as he told us that he couldn't return home, having had a terrible argument with his wife. He was going through a very difficult time in his life. To begin with, he had hoped to be awarded the position of general manager in his company, but the job was given to someone else. A few days later, he had a serious car accident, though fortunately he wasn't injured. Then to top it all off, he started having marriage problems! Everything seemed to be going wrong.
As a supervisor in the company that reproduces our Christian cassette tapes, Carlos has faithfully represented us to his superiors, obtained good discounts for us, and in general has been a great help to our missionary work. So when he called us that day, desperately asking for a place to stay, we invited him over. Before he arrived, we prayed for him together. We really didn't know how to advise him in this personal situation, so we earnestly asked God to lead and guide us!
When he arrived, we could see that he felt truly hopeless. He had had a second car accident the night before, and this time the car had been totally demolished, though again, the Lord had protected him miraculously.
We let him talk it all out and then asked him why he thought all these things were happening to him. At first he started complaining about his wife and how she was always nagging him about his drinking. "She keeps after me about it! I think she just doesn't want me to have a good time!" he said. He couldn't accept her attitude about his drinking.
In praying about his situation before he arrived, we had decided that we should just talk with him openly and frankly.
So we began by telling him that the best thing he could do was to stop blaming everybody else for his problems! It was obvious that the Lord was dealing with him personally and that He didn't seem to be very pleased with his behaviour of late! We mentioned that a lot of his troubles probably had to do with the fact that he wasn't reading the Word as much as he used to. He wasn't really trying to stay close to the Lord and the Lord probably wasn't pleased with that, so He was trying to get through to him with these various calamities.
"God doesn't send troubles to us just to see us suffer," Sammy said. "But He does allow them sometimes because He knows that often that's the only time we will sincerely pray--when we are in trouble! Sometimes He just has to send trouble so that we will change. Then when bad things happen, we begin to pray, we read His Word, and we start to do what His Word says! Then when we are back on the right track, doing our best to follow Him and obey Him, He can bless us and take care of us.
"It's not that He expects us to be perfect, but our motive is what counts--whether or not we are sincerely trying to do what's best. When we are, then He'll do His best to take care of us and protect us and make us happy. But sometimes He just has to send bad times our way to make us stop and listen to Him."
I then shared with him the story of how the Lord had delivered me from dependence on alcohol. I told him that he could also be delivered from drinking, as this seemed to be the main reason why his wife was so worried about him and upset with him.
We told him the story of Esau in the Bible, who was so hungry one day that he said he would die if he didn't have some of the stew that his brother, Jacob, was cooking. His brother then took advantage of his hunger and said he would give him the stew if he would give him his entire inheritance. Esau was so short-sighted that he immediately said yes, and he exchanged his entire inheritance for that bowl of stew. (See Genesis 25:29-34.)
In the same way, we explained, it looked like Carlos was exchanging his inheritance--his happy married life with his wife--for a "glass of whisky"! "And by running away from the situation," I said, "you could be destroying your marriage! The best thing you can do is return home, apologise to your wife, and tell her you love her. Otherwise you'll probably be very sorry afterwards!"
At that, he burst into tears, and told us that nobody had ever talked to him that way before! "People have always told me the exact opposite of what you are saying," he said, "but I believe you are right!" As we talked, he became determined to change and make a new start, in order to make up for the harm he had caused!
We read some applicable sections from one of our Christian books, and when we were done, he begged us to give it to him, promising that this time he would read it regularly. We prayed with him for a real change and for God to help him stop drinking.
A few days later when we visited him at his office, he was beaming! With a big hug, he said, "God has changed me! I can't thank Him and you enough for helping me get straightened out!" He told us how everything had improved in his relationship with his wife and how happy he was now. He also showed us several portions from our literature and from the Bible which had really impressed him. Now he gets so intent on reading God's Word that several times he has missed the station where he was supposed to get off the subway, as he was so engrossed in the Bible!
We're so thankful for the change God brought in Carlos' life. He never fails, when we pray!
"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
When Troubles Come...
The Bible says, Many are the afflictions of the righteous" (Psalm 34:19), so we can't expect God to remove all difficulty from our lives. But it's certainly comforting to know and remember that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose!"--Romans 8:28. In fact, in order to come through our many difficulties, battles and temptations victoriously, it is imperative that we make this promise in Romans 8:28 a vital part of our life.
We need to get this principle so deeply ingrained within us that it becomes impossible for us to forget, neglect or overlook it! Romans 8:28 is something that should be as much a part of our conscious--and even subconscious--thoughts and ways of looking at things as is the necessity of prayer, the importance of God's Word, the inevitability of tests and trials, the need for faith, the certainty of God's Love. If we fail to send the events of our daily lives through the filter of Romans 8:28, if we fail to constantly view our disappointments, hurts, failures, illnesses, hardships, struggles, and setbacks through the perspective Romans 8:28 gives us, we will tragically miss many valuable lessons the Lord is trying to teach us. If we forget that all things work together for good to them that love God," we will rob ourselves of the peace that comes from absolute trust in this precious promise and principle.
If you learn the simple equation, Trials equal good", your life will be richer, your lessons greater, your mind more tranquil, and you will more easily recognise the Lord's hand in the events of your life. It makes all the difference in the world whether you look at a flood of problems, troubles, and tribulations just waiting to see the worst happen, or if you look at them with the excitement and challenge that comes from waiting to discover all the good that you know they will bring.
Are you experiencing hard times?--Reach out to Jesus, and discover all the good things He has for you! Seek Him in prayer, in His Word, and in fellowship with other Christians. Fill your life with all the love that He has promised to those who love Him! He loves you and is just waiting for you! God bless you!
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family